While The Great Debaters dominated the film categories at Thursday's NAACP Image Awards — it turned eight nods into a quartet of wins (including best motion picture and acting kudos for Denzel Washington and Jurnee Smollett) — Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Grey's Anatomy emerged as the most-lauded TV series. Grey's walked away with drama series and writing team honors, while Chandra Wilson scored best supporting actress. TBS' House of Payne, meanwhile, was named best comedy series, while LaVan Davis and Lance Gross won for lead and supporting actor in a comedy, respectively.In the other TV races, Ugly Betty's America Ferrera and Vanessa Williams won for lead and supporting comedy actress; CSI: NY's Hill Harper and The Unit's Regina Taylor copped the top prizes on the drama side; and House's Omar Epps took home the supporting actor/drama trophy.
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CSI: NY star Hill Harper, 41, is passionate about education. This multitasking actor is also an author and motivational speaker whose message to young people is clear: education equals success. Harper, who holds both a master of public administration and a law degree from Harvard, ought to know. In Lessons from Little Rock: A National Report Card, airing Feb. 10 at 10 pm/ET on TV One, Harper, who produced and hosts the special, revisits the issue of educational opportunity in America 50 years after the Little Rock Nine integrated Arkansas’ Central High School. TVGuide.com spoke with Harper to see just how far America has come.
TVGuide.com: Tell me a little about what you learned and what you were surprised to discover while making this program.Hill Harper: I wanted to see where we were 50 years later, because part
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The lashing rain didn't keep host Jennifer Garner from the I Have a Dream Foundation Los Angeles' Dreamkeeper Awards and Gospel Brunch Sunday at the Sunset Strip House of Blues. The awards, given to Grey's Anatomy's Sara Ramirez, CSI: NY's Hill Harper and businessman James Berk, honored those who share the foundation's vision of a strong commitment to foster the academic development of youth all over the United States.Garner emphasized the importance of mentorship programs for children, crediting a short list of mentors who inspired her toward her goals. "That's part of the reason why I believe in this so much. I'm definitely a product of my mentors," said Garner. "I had a school librarian, Annis McCann, who really believed in me, and my ballet teacher, Nina Denton, mentored me. I had great parents, and I had an older sister who was and is somebody I look up to. And in college, I had people who just took that extra time with me. And you know, I wasn't the straight-A, good kid. I did...
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Question: What do you think about CSI: NY? The latest episodes of the show were very good, and by the end of the season I felt NY was much more consistent than Miami. NY's cases were good, solid and compelling, while Gary Sinise carried the first season with great skill. In my opinion, Miami is all about fancy locations, beautiful killers and every other showy detail Miami has to offer. Do you think NY is better than Miami and can stand on its own?
Answer: Sounds to me like you've willed yourself into liking NY, which, like Miami, is a flawed clone of a terrific original. Which one is better is very much a (literally) case-by-case situation. I especially deplore episodes of Miami that, like last season's supersize tidal-wave episode, turn Horatio into an action hero. One problem with NY is the familiarity of its locale. It also took a longer time to find its groove than the other two CSI series, but the bottom line is that we probably just don't need three CSIs a week, and people are
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Question: Is it just me or did The 4400 seem to reach a new level this week with the Rwandan story line and Hill Harper's performance? I enjoy the show, but have accepted it as a B-level program with poor production values and a cast I rarely recognize. This time around I felt myself perking up and moving past the way it looks and really paying attention. Is it my new antidepressant, or is The 4400 kicking it up a notch toward the big leagues? BTW, loving The Closer and Rescue Me. They are the non-HBO shows getting me through the summer. And I am soooooo glad that Nate Fisher is dead!
Answer: Whoa, thanks for that last non sequitur. I really was going to try to resist tap-dancing on Nate's grave, but since I figure he'll be popping up again as a ghost (like his tiresome dad) in these last few episodes, let me just say that the predictability and morbid ennui of his death scene was exceeded only by the complete joy I felt knowing that Entourage was coming on mere minutes later. (And how
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