Gabourey Sidibe stars as Claireece “Precious” Jones in “Precious.”
The heart-wrenching story of an illiterate and abused teen in New York’s Harlem who finds hope in a classroom of misfits tops nominees for the 41st civil rights group NAACP’s annual Image Awards.
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” added to its awards-season momentum with a leading eight nominations, earning nods for director Lee Daniels, star Gabourey Sidibe and supporting actors Mariah Carey, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton and Lenny Kravitz. “Precious” was also nominated for outstanding motion picture and outstanding independent film.
The NAACP Image Awards honor diversity in the arts and will be presented Feb. 26.
Other movies nominated include “Invictus,” “Michael Jackson’s This Is It,’’ “The Blind Side” and “The Princess and the Frog.” “Princess” star Anika Noni Rose, and “Invictus”’ star Morgan Freeman also were nominated for their performances.
Sophie Okonedo (“Skin”) and Taraji P. Henson (“Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself”) round out the best actress category, while Denzel Washington (“The Taking of Pelham 12”’), Idris Elba (“Obsessed”) and Jamie Foxx (“Law Abiding Citizen”) are up for best actor.
