KING’s First-Ever Screen Queen Awards
February 25, 2007, was a great day for black Hollywood's coeds. With Dreamgirls, Jennifer Hudson swiped the Best Supporting Actress statue away from the likes of Cate Blanchett, who might as well sit on the Academy's board, based on her successes. Save for one fierce and emotive musical number ("And I Am Telling You I'm Not Goingâ€), though, was she really that good? Young black actresses typically get the shaft from Oscar (wait…pause?), so we salute the achievement nonetheless. But still, one wonders, if Beyoncé had bumped uglies with Jamie Foxx in the film, would she have been nominated instead? Remember Halle Berry's 2002 Best Actress victory? She should've first thanked the perverted Academy voters who ogled her floor exercise with Billy Bob Thornton.
If the Academy is unabashedly horny, then hell, why can't we follow suit? Being movie-loving equal opportunists, KING introduces the Screen Queen Awards, a toasting to otherwise unheralded beautiful women. Sure, ABC isn't telecasting our event, but ponder this, Nielsen ratings board: February's Oscar telecast was the lowest rated in history. And how many smoking-hot black women were nominated? (Respect due to the graceful yet elder Ruby Dee—American Gangster—of course.) Nada. Hey, we're just saying. Now, without further ado, let the ceremonies begin.
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Kerry Washington
Best All-Around Sexiness
Ask any (male) film critic: Washington's body of work is flawless. Oh, and her performances haven't been half bad, either. Seen in both award-worthy projects (Ray, The Last King of Scotland) and box-office no-shows (She Hate Me, I Think I Love My Wife), she's classy enough for mainstream casting directors yet unafraid to ratchet up the sexual heat. So she's not a superstar yet because…? Color us clueless.
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Paula Patton
Best Supporting Hottie
In a risky career move, pinup-friendly Patton tackles characters dressed more casual than call girl. The result: earning the respect of her iconic costars (Denzel Washington in Déjà Vu, Will Smith in Hitch). Not even granny panties could detract from her mesmerizing exterior. See for yourselves as her million-dollar smile makes Kiefer Sutherland's (24) horror flick Mirrors and has-been Kevin Costner's latest (Swing Vote) must-sees.
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Jessica Lucas
Best Rookie of 2008
With fresh-faced, va va voom–ish black actresses seemingly close to extinction, it's ironic that a dinosaur-size monster introduced Hollywood's "next bad thing.†That building-smashing, Godzilla-like behemoth may have powered Cloverfield's success, but picture-perfect newbie Lucas was its most memorable breakthrough. With her young-Halle face and bra-stretching attributes, this Canadian import is ripe for exposure…and more roles.
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Halle Berry
Life-fine Achievement Award
For nearly 20 years, the Academy Award winner has elevated good (Monster's Ball), bad (The Flintstones) and ugly (B.A.P.S.) films into soft-core porn. Well, in our minds, at least. Not to mention, our inner fetishist shamefully loves rewatching leather-suited Halle purr in Catwoman. And that movie sucks, hard-core. Thus, she's proven that she's not only an acting giant but also a miracle worker. It's official: Halle Berry is the B.O.A.T. (Baddest of All Time).
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Sanaa Lathan & Gabrielle Union
Best Off-Screen Duo
Combined, there's barely five hit films between them; still, though, the Lathan-Union connection has become a paparazzi favorite. Like Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton before them, the hardly working thespians forged a BFF relationship, hitting party after party in camera-ready, slim-cut designer dresses. No complaints here, but let's just hope that similar energy is spent hunting for scripts. A girl-on-girl romantic drama, perhaps? Just a thought.
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Eva Mendes
Best Foreign Femme
It was "scene stealing†defined: As his horny and repeatedly naked girlfriend in Training Day, Mendes eclipsed Denzel Washington in every scene. Ever since, the statuesque Cuban American has been our favorite caliente Latina, even if most of her films have been muy frio (coldest of all being last year's Ghost Rider). Bringing her caliente back, Mendes' many clothing-free European fashion shoots have more than satisfied.
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