ET's Nischelle Turner announced the NAACP Image Awards nominations this morning and we were with the nominees, including Oprah Winfrey.
ET's Nischelle Turner announced the NAACP Image Awards nominations this morning and we were with the nominees, including Oprah Winfrey.
It was a big day for Lady O, as her Martin Luther King, Jr. movie, Selma, racked up eight nominations, including Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Actor (David Oyelowo), Outstanding Director (Ava Duvernay),
Outstanding Supporting Actress (Oprah and Carmen Ejogo) and Outstanding Supporting Actor (Andre Holland and Common).
"We had a gospel brunch to celebrate Selma," co-star Tessa Thompson told ET. "It was sensational. It was the most unforgettable weekend."
ET's Nancy O'Dell was also present for the brunch. She and Oprah discussed how timeless the movie is, especially in light of unrest over Ferguson and Eric Garner's chokehold death.
"When you look at those people walking over the Edmond-Pattison bridge, some of the people we're honoring here today, and you look at people in peaceful demonstrations all over the country, it feels the same!" said Oprah, referencing a scene in Selma. "We offered it as a piece of art, but I think if it can allow other people to see a way of leading forward in a peaceful way -- I think that's also a good thing."
Selma follows a crucial time in MLK's life when black marchers attempted to walk from Selma, Ala. to Montgomery, Ala., in order to obtain voting rights in 1965. The journey took three attempts due to police resistance.
Brad Pitt is also producing the film via his Plan B production company, which was behind Oscar winner 12 Years a Slave.
Oprah also celebrated five nominations for her OWN network: Outstanding News/Information for Oprah's Lifeclass, Outstanding Talk Series for Oprah Prime, Outstanding Reality Series for Iyanla: Fix My Life and Welcome to Sweetie Pie's, and Outstanding Variety for Oprah's Master Class.
