Is Mo'Nique Missing Her Street Smarts?

In 2009 Lee Daniel's Precious was the film to see as it had done exceptionally well throughout the Awards Season. By January 2010 Precious had garnered six Academy Awards Nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress In a Leading Role, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing. History was made and noted when Mr. Geoffrey Fletcher became the first African American to receive an Oscar for Adapted Screenplay. On the other hand, Mo'Nique also made history when she became the fourth African American lady to receive an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. The previous three being Hattie McDaniel for Gone With the Wind (1939), Whoopi Goldberg for Ghost (1990) and Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls (2006). It is worth noting that since Mo'Nique's victory, Octavia Spencer has won for The Help (2011) and Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years A Slave (2013). To date, it is only Halle Berry who holds the matchless and incomparable record as the only African American winner of the Best Actress In a Leading Role Oscar for Monster's Ball (2001).

Ms. Mo'Nique Imes-Jackson also won the BAFTA, BET, Golden Globe, Independent Spirit, NAACP, SAG and just about every other award for her magnificent work in Precious. As far as I could see, the sky was not her limit, she was simply beyond it...touching heaven. At the 82nd Academy Awards Ceremony during her speech, I recall Mo'Nique talking about not having to conform to Hollywood standards to win awards: they smiled and clapped. Mo'Nique received a standing ovation: a comedian had pulled off an incredible dramatic performance. Be that as it was, prior to her acceptance speech, there were grapevine ramblings. I labelled all that viciously envious gossip worthy of the trash cans to be immediately emptied and dissolved along with the bitter flavor resident on those very same tongues. Ouch!

Forging onward, upwards and forward, Dear Mo'Nique continued with her BET Talkshow which was cancelled in 2011. We have not seen or heard from Mo'Nique in Hollywood since she dutifully announced the Academy Award Nominees the following year after her own win. BOOM.

Empire is a run a way epic television drama series created by Danny Strong and Lee Daniels. Gabourey Sidibe, the Actress In a Leading Role Academy Award Nominee for Precious, is in this smashing piece of work. Even rock 'n' roller, Lenny Kravitz has spoken of making an appearance as he did in Precious. So it was very interesting to most viewers, listeners and readers when Mo'Nique told CNN Anchor, Don Lemon that Daniels offered her the role of Empire's Cookie but it went to Taraji P. Henson instead. Furthermore, she revealed that she was supposed to play the part in The Butler which was subsequently given to Oprah Winfrey. She feels passed over...Hollywood roles have dried since her Oscar victory...ETC, ETC, ETC.

Lee Daniels told Lemon of CNN that Mo'Nique was difficult to work with. "I love her, I have spoken to her and she is brilliant...I like working with brilliant people...she was making unreasonable demands and she wasn't thinking ...I told her, you have to thank the producers of the film, you have to thank the studios,...people are not going to respond well if you don't...I think there were demands made from her, from the Precious Campaign, that everyone knows about, that hurt her...this is not just 'show', it's show business. And you've gotta play ball, and you can't scream." ETC, ETC, ETC

Mo'Nique has since spoken of her shock at Lee Daniel's assessment of the entire situation. She clarified that the Studio asked her to go to the Cannes Film Festival...."I respectfully declined...the Mo'Nique Show,...I was doing a comedy tour,...I'm also a wife and a mummy...I wanted to spend time with my husband and kids....they said OK, we'll upgrade her hotel room...they called a third time, 'what is it going to take get Mo'Nique to France to the Cannes Film Festival'...my husband said, is there a number associated with it...they said we never pay for someone to do promotions for a movie...we understood....I was paid $50,000...it wasn't about the money and I'm not complaining because I signed up to do it with my friend." ETC ETC ETC.

Between Mo'Nique and Lee, too much has been said and done. In all of this, one must recognize a business is created to make money. Studios and production companies invest millions in Films and they all expect to reap hefty profits. Lionsgate Studios was behind Precious, Lee Daniels Entertainment, Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films, Tyler Perry's 34th Street Films and Smokewood Entertainment were the production companies. Lee Daniels also produced The Butler.

Businesses do not operate in isolation so as much as Lee Daniels would like Mo'Nique to work with him on his projects, it appears there are others who also have a vested interest and the final say on what they want Their Cast to look like. So she must learn humility and find her street smarts in order to be a part of their projects. Ask God for wisdom and be that Virtuous Woman.

Ms. Ines-Jackson, be the Wife, Mother and Professional you are meant to be. You cleared all The Awards before...you can clear them all again! 

(c) JuicyChitChats 2015