Lee Daniels’ The Butler leads NAACP Image Awards nominations

Lee Daniels’ The Butler looks set to become the toast of the 2014 NAACP Image Awards after picking up eight movie nominations on Thursday (09Jan14). The biopic is up for all the major movie categories, including Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Directing for Daniels.
The actors in the film were also acknowledged, with Forest Whitaker among the nominees for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture, Oprah Winfrey (Outstanding Supporting Actress), and Cuba Gooding Jr., David Oyelowo and Terrence Howard (Outstanding Supporting Actor) all landing nods.
Lee Daniels’ The Butler will face competition from 12 Years a Slave, Fruitvale Station, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and The Best Man Holiday for the top prize of Outstanding Motion Picture.
In the small screen categories, House of Lies, Modern Family, Real Husbands of Hollywood, The Game, and The Soul Man will fight it out for the Outstanding TV Comedy Series, while Boardwalk Empire, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, The Good Wife, and Treme will battle for the top spot in the Outstanding TV Drama Series category.
TV acting nods have gone to stars such as Don Cheadle (House of Lies), Kevin Hart (Real Husbands of Hollywood), LL Cool J (NCIS: Los Angeles), Kerry Washington (Scandal) and Sofia Vergara (Modern Family).
In music, Bruno Mars, Charlie Wilson, John Legend, Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke will compete for Outstanding Male Artist, and Beyonce, India.Arie, Janelle Monae, Ledisi and Mary J Blige will face off for Outstanding Female Artist.
Timberlake, Thicke, Legend, Wilson and Monae, were also nominated for the Outstanding Album prize.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Awards, which celebrate diversity in film, TV, music and literature, will be held next month (14).