Janet Jackson’s Video 24 Foreplay Is A Tribute To The Pioneer Black Actress Dorothy Dandridge.
NPR Discussion About Dorothy Dandridge.
I love this Janet Jackson video because it is a tribute to the pioneer black actress Dorothy Dandridge.
Janet respects Dorothy Dandridge for opening doors for black women in Hollywood.
Dorothy Dandridge was an incredible woman, she was the first black woman ever nominated for a best actress Oscar in the year 1955! Dorothy was nominated for her performance in the film “Carmen Jones.” Carmen Jones made Dorothy an international star but Hollywood did not know what to do with her. In the 1950s, America was still sexually repressed. The reason Dorothy Dandridge did not become a huge star in America was due to the fact America was fearful that white men were sexually attracted to her.
Dorothy was also an amazing singer she sang in London, Paris, recorded hit albums, and she had sold out tours.
The quandary for Dorothy Dandridge was, there were anxieties about miscegenation in America during the 1950s. It is well-known that famous white male actors chased Dorothy Dandridge because they were sexually attracted to her. Of course, Dorothy’s interracial affair with the white male director Otto Preminger was a turning point in her life and career. Preminger met Dandridge when he directed the 1954 film “Carmen Jones.” However, Preminger refused to divorce his wife and marry Dorothy due to America’s anxieties about interracial relationships. Dorothy married twice and both her marriages ended in divorce.
Unfortunately, Dorothy became depressed about the lack of quality film roles available for a black actress. Dorothy also had a mentally challenged daughter and she blamed herself for her daughter’s disability.
Dorothy died very young she was only 42 when she passed away in Los Angeles due to a drug overdose. Dorothy Dandridge will never be forgotten because she was a trailblazer, she was a black woman who made a difference.
Dorothy Dandridge she was the first black female sex symbol and movie star. Dandridge had the beauty, intelligence, acting talent, singing ability, but she was unable to attain the same level of success as her breakthrough role in “Carmen Jones.”
Janet Jackson looks just like Dorothy Dandridge! I think Janet should make a movie about Dorothy Dandridge’s controversial life.
Can Halle Berry & Janet Jackson Make A Comeback?
Halle Berry and Janet Jackson may seem very different but there are a few similarities. First, Janet and Halle are the same age, they were both born in the year 1966. Janet is a few months old than Halle, her birthday is May 16th and Halle’s birthday is August on 14th.
Second, I think Halle and Janet’s features are similar they could be sisters! Halle and Janet look so much alike!
Third, Janet Jackson and Halle Berry are very important black female entertainers in the late twentieth and early twenty first century. Halle and Janet opened doors for younger black women such as Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia to have success and cross racial boundaries.
Halle and Janet are two of the first black female entertainers to truly reach global superstar status. Yes, Diana Ross was very popular with the Supremes in the 1960s but I think Halle and Janet are even more successful than Ms. Ross. Halle and Janet also have good marketing teams and they are expanding their brands to global markets.
Janet and Halle crossed over into the mainstream, they appeared in People’s Magazine most beautiful list many times. Halle and Janet have hit movies, appeared on mainstream magazine covers, and being a part of pop culture.
Janet and Halle are also the first modern black female sex symbols that reached beyond the black community.
Halle and Janet both presented a different image of the modern black woman. I love Oprah, but her image is still negative she is the nurturing black female mammy. Janet and Halle present an opposite image the sexually charged and empowered black woman.
Halle and Janet illustrated it is okay for black women to use their sexuality to be assertive, delicate, feminine, and beautiful.
The last couple of years have been hard for Janet and Halle. Janet had the 2004 Super Bowl controversy, she is still recovering from that.
Halle has had a couple of box office disasters “Catwoman”, “Perfect Stranger”, and the drama “Things We Lost In A Fire.” Halle hasn’t starred in a movie for three long years and that’s unnatural for an A list actress. Janet Jackson’s last album “Discipline” bombed. Janet will appear on the silver screen soon in a Tyler Perry sequel to “Why Did I Get Married?” I think Janet should continue acting because she has been acting since she was a little girl. Janet needs to forget about music for a bit. I am sure Janet Jackson gets offered a lot of film roles. I find it hard to believe Janet Jackson has only appeared in three movies.
Halle Berry is smart, she now has a perfume line and it is selling very well. Halle is also has a multi million dollar endorsement with Revlon cosmetics. I think Halle’s film choices have been questionable. Why did Halle choose the role of “Catwoman?” What was girlfriend thinking? I am serious! I thought “Things We Lost In A Fire” was a decent film, it was a very depressing drama but I guess it did not connect with audiences. I know Halle is now a mother and she is taking care of her daughter Nahla. I am hoping Halle will return to acting if she can find a role that can utilize to reach the top of Hollywood again.
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