Anika Noni Rose and Matthew Broderick announce 2011 Tony Award nominees (Image: Press)

• 2011 Tony Nominations Recognize Black Broadway

Matthew Broderick and Anika Noni Rose announced the nominees for the 65^th Annual Tony Awards at New York’s Lincoln Center earlier today.

Although The Book of Mormon led with a total of 14 nominations, the predominantly African American cast of The Scottsboro Boys didn’t go unnoticed, raking in a total of 12 nominations ranging from best play to best musical. The show’s leading actor, Joshua Henry, is nominated for best performance by an actor in a leading in a musical, while co-stars Colman Domingo and Forrest McClendon are nominated for best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical.

Sister Act received a total of five nominations and The Motherf**er with the Hat starring comedian Chris Rock brought in six nominations.

The 2011 Tony Awards will be held on Sunday, June 12 at the Beacon Theater in New York.

• Oklahoma House Takes Action Against Rep. Sally Kern

An hour after House of Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern’s tearful apology, she was reprimanded by her colleagues for offensive comments made during an affirmative action debate. The House of Representatives voted 76-16 to take action against the lawmaker.

During last Wednesday night’s rant, Kern said minorities and women earn less than men because they don’t work as hard and have less initiative.“I taught school for 20 years, and I saw a lot of people of color who didn’t want to work as hard,” she said.

This isn’t the first time the Oklahoma Republican has come under scrutiny for her words. Her anti-homosexual commentary brought her national attention back in 2008.

• TV Ownership Declines Slightly

A recent Nielsen Company study shows a decline in television ownership. An estimated 114.7 million households own television sets; the number of U.S. households with TVs slipped from 98.9% to 96.7%.

Nielsen attributes the decline to the economy, various platforms for media consumption, and the digital changeover from TV sets with built-in tuners to those with digital-to-analog converter boxes.

“The media marketplace continues to evolve and become more complex,” said Pat McDonough, senior vice president of insights and analysis at The Nielsen Company. “Some consumers are clearly being driven by the economy to make choices on the media devices they purchase. Others are expanding their equipment to add more audio/video devices to their home. Still others may be deferring a TV purchase or replacing their TV with a computer.”

The last decline was seen in 1992.

Noni Rose is presented with Princess Tiana doll at the American Toy Fair.

From a self-proclaimed dreamer to a world-renowned Dreamgirl, actress and singer Anika Noni Rose has seen many of her dreams come true.

In 2008, the Tony-award winning actress co-starred with James Earl Jones and Phylicia Rashad in the all-black stage production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by Debbie Allen. Perhaps best known for playing opposite Beyoncé Knowles and Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls, Rose also co-starred on the HBO series The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.

Now, as the voice of Tiana in the animated movie The Princess and the Frog, Rose has become Disney’s first black princess. The movie, which premiered in December, has been widely received and is sure to keep her star hung high for years to come. The doll is a finalist for the Property of the Year Award at this month’s American International Toy Fair in New York City. Rose, 37, spoke with Black Enterprise about the portrayal of African Americans in the movie, its impact on young black girls, and the importance of parents believing in their children’s dreams.

What affirmative image will Princess Tiana provide for African American girls?
This movie is opening up a world to these children with their curly hair, round noses, full lips, and brown skin to think of themselves as something beautiful and worthy of being held aloft. When it’s time to play princess, [little black girls] don’t have to whip out a yellow towel and pin it on their hair. I think when you see yourself in one position consistently, it shapes your mind to think that that’s where you have to be but I want them to know that they are special too and worthy of being showered in fairy dust.

How do you think the doll will resonate with other races?
After I sang the national anthem at a NASCAR event, I noticed one of the drivers’ daughters was there and she was tired and cranky. I gave her a Princess Tiana doll and some slippers. To see this little blonde-haired girl grip that doll—she was so thrilled about it. She doesn’t care what color that doll is. She’s in love with the vision of this princess.

How receptive was Disney to your input?
We had long conversations about what we wanted Princess Tiana to look like. I didn’t want her to be a cookie cutter [image]. I wanted her to be distinctly who she is. I thought it was important that she not be a wisp of a girl; that she looked like a real chef who eats the food she makes. Making her left-handed was also very important for me. Any child who’s left-handed and grows up with nobody

to teach them how to write in the classroom or throw a ball knows the feeling. They need representation too. They need to be seen.

There has been controversy surrounding the fact that the prince was not black. What are your feelings about that?
I can’t tell people how to feel. Darker-skinned people and brown-skinned people have very often in the history of fantasy been treated in a not pleasing fashion and been shown as the villain or as something bad or scary. I am hoping that people will be able to walk into the theater with the kind of openness and wonder that our kids have and just take it in.

What are the life lessons you hope people will take away from the movie?
There are beautiful lessons in this movie for all children of all backgrounds. What we don’t talk about as much is the message for the adults: It is so important to believe in your children. You don’t have to believe in the dream that they have, but believe in them. Believe in their desire, believe in their wherewithal. I believe firmly that without this sense of faith in myself, which came from people saying, “You can do it, whatever it is,” I would not be here.

Anika Noni Rose (Photo by Eric Charbonneau)

Anika Noni Rose is best known as a “Dreamgirl” playing opposite Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Hudson. But now, as the voice of Tiana, in the animated movie “The “Princess and the Frog” (released in theaters Friday) this former “Dreamgirl” is about to show America what dreams are made of. (Read the review)

The Tony Award winning actress has had the fortune to work with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. In 2008, she played temptress Maggie, opposite James Earl Jones and Phylicia Rashad, in the all-black stage production of “A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” In 2007, Rose was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for her portrayal of Lorrell Maya Robinson, the third Dreamette and Eddie Murphy’s love interest in the film adaptation of “Dreamgirls.”

Now as Tiana, Disney’s first African American princess, Rose, 37, told BlackEnterprise.com how much she identifies with the character, why the movie will resonate with black girls, and why parents should believe in their children’s dreams.

BlackEnterprise.com: How does it feel to be a part of the Disney family?

Anika Noni Rose: Were I not in heels and a dress I would back flip all over this room. I have always wanted to do a Disney voice. Always since I was a child; since I saw Fantasia it has been a dream of mine. I never in my wildest dreams – and I’m a big dreamer– dreamed that I would be a Disney princess.

You asked the directors to make Princess Tiana left-handed because you are left-handed. How much do you identify with her?

I think that she is the character to whom I’m most similar. I am thrilled with her. I’m not trying to say that I wrote the story, but what I can tell you is that I identify with her innately. I get [her story]. I get the naysayers– people dousing your dreams with oil and trying to light a match. But I also get the climb. I get what it means to want to climb. I get what it is to find those tools or build them yourself. I get her.

(Source: Disney)

What lessons can people take from the movie?

I think there are some wonderful messages in it, not the least of which is that you should dream as big as possible and reach for the highest star. And when you are finished dreaming get ready to put the work in to make it happen, because it is a very rare dream that comes true just from the wish. I think that is a great message for children because things often seem like they happen so easily for people and they don’t know how much effort was put into it.

How will a black princess resonate with little girls everywhere?

There is no gearing up for … what this is and what it means to society as a whole. For black children that see this movie, and their friends who may or may not be black but who see their friends of brown skin in this light…as royalty…it is so important. This movie is opening up a world to these children with their curly hair, round noses, full lips, and brown skin, to think of themselves as something beautiful and worthy of being held aloft.

Tiana’s mother Eudora (played by Oprah Winfrey) believed in her daughter’s dream to become an entrepreneur even though the task seemed arduous. Why is it important for parents to believe in their children’s dreams?

When you believe in your child the dream might change, the journey might change, but they always have you as their base. You give them wings. I had people who believed in me all times. It didn’t matter what I said I wanted to do. It didn’t matter how far-fetched [the dream was]. I believe firmly that without the sense of structure, this sense of faith in myself, which came from people saying “you can do it, whatever it is,” I would not be here.

Watch “Our World with Black Enterprise” this weekend for an interview with Anika Noni Rose. Check TV listing for times in your area. Also, check out the February issue of Black Enterprise magazine for more of our interview with Anika Noni Rose.

Marcia Wade Talbert and Ed Gordon contributed to this article.

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The movie opens with Tiana, played by Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose, as a young girl fascinated by the fairytales her mother, Eudora, played by Oprah Winfrey, reads to her and her friend Charlotte. Tiana is giddy about the idea that wishing on a star can provide immediate gratification, but her father (Terrence Howard) reminds her that it’s okay to dream, but without hard work, the dream isn’t worth much.

Fast-forward about 15 years and you find Tiana, a waitress laboring through two shifts a day as she saves money to fulfill her dream of opening a swanky restaurant. Her friend Charlotte, on the other hand, has her sights set on winning the heart of a prince.

Meanwhile, hard-partying Prince Naveen, who is visiting from a faraway land, wants to marry into a prosperous family because his parents disowned him due to his undisciplined behavior. Everyone’s plans get derailed when Dr. Facilier (Keith David)–for reasons not explained clearly– turns the prince into a frog.

What happens next are the typical tribulations and revelations that lead to a happy ending. The story, written by Ron Clements and John Musker, the same directing team behind “Aladdin” and “The Little Mermaid,” along with black screenwriter Rob Edwards, is full of commendable teachable moments that, at times, are too heavy and prevent the audience from getting lost in the story.

Aside from an array of dainty yet daring damsels, Disney’s animated classics are best known for magical plots and fabulous musical scores. Given its reputation for eerie phenomenon and a history steeped in jazz, Louisiana was the perfect setting for Disney’s debut foray into the telling of an American fairy tale. For Disney’s return to hand-drawn animation after 11 years, the animators, writers, and actors did a fine job of bringing New Orleans and all of its sights and sounds to life.

What Disney did not bring to life was the racism that permeated every nook and cranny of the 1920s deep South. The lack of historical or cultural context hasn’t stopped audiences from flocking to other Disney animated films — “Pocahontas” has been criticized as being historically inaccurate and Jasmine’s outfit in “Aladdin” was criticized as indecent — and the erasure of racial discord likely won’t keep droves of children from loving Tiana’s story either. (Parents can use Tiana’s story as a platform to provide background on the U.S.’s racial disharmony.)

Tiana definitely holds her own in the ranks of Disney’s princesses, who, unlike her, are usually being rescued. She becomes the ring leader for a misfit band of fauna out of the Louisiana bayou, including the frog prince; a loquacious Cajun firefly; a trumpet-playing alligator; and a 197-year-old voodoo priestess.

(Source: Disney)

A black Prince Naveen would have been nice to see because little black boys should get a little help imagining themselves as royalty too — but Tiana’s father represents the perfect example of a hardworking black man that is a thoughtful and loving parent.

Unfortunately, the attraction between Tiana and Naveen seems forced. The romance was more intense between the two robots in Pixar’s “Wall-E.” The cadence of Ray, the firefly, can be off-putting at first, but it is in context with 1920s Louisiana, where the Cajun dialect was prevalent. It is Keith David, however, whose acting takes the prize for the cartoon’s second most mesmerizing character (after Tiana, of course) and the soundtrack’s most memorable song, “Friends on the Other Side.”

The rest of the music is great, but none of the songs by academy-award winning composer Randy Newman are hits that can compare with songs like “Mermaid’s” “Kiss the Girl,” or “The Lion King’s” “Hakuna Matata,” which were all created by Tim Rice.

Despite the film’s flaws, “The Princess and the Frog” is a fairytale that children will relish. Kids will not only be in awe of its fantastical elements but they will also learn lessons on the importance of saving and investing, entrepreneurship, developing a work ethic, and that love doesn’t see color — even when its black, brown or green.

“The Princess and the Frog”
– Opens Friday nationwide; Rated G
– Starring: Anika Noni Rose (Tiana), Terrence Howard (James), John Goodman (Big Daddy), Keith David (Dr. Facilier), Jenifer Lewis (Mama Odie), Oprah Winfrey (Eudora), Michael-Leon Wooley (Louis), and Elizabeth Dampier (Young Tiana)
– Running time: 1 hour 35 minutes

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Tony award-winning actress Anika Noni Rose will give voice to Princess Tiana in Disney's The Princess and the Frog. (Source: Disney)

Playing princess is something shared by little girls around the world. But until recently, the most recognizable princesses worldwide featured in the Disney Co. franchise did not include one that modeled the skin, hair, and facial features associated with women of African descent.

Princess Tiana, the heroine of Disney’s new movie The Princess and the Frog, changed that when she made her debut Monday at this year’s American International Toy Fair in New York. Starting in Fall 2009, the company will sell dolls, t-shirts, backpacks, and other products that feature the likeness of Princess Tiana, Disney’s first American princess who also happens to be its first black princess. The movie will air in theaters nationwide during this year’s holiday season.

“We did a lot of work internally to make sure that the product that we were developing would speak to a really broad range of moms,” says Kathy Franklin, the vice president of global studio franchise animation and Disney consumer products. “We don’t see Princess Tiana product as being just for African American girls at all. But we want little girls who have not seen Disney Princesses who look like them to see Princess Tiana and be thrilled that they have a character in our franchise who speaks to them and how they see themselves as a princess.”

Tony award-winning actress Anika Noni Rose will give voice to Princess Tiana. Talk show host and business mogul Oprah Winfrey will play the voice of Eudora, and Oscar-nominated actor Terrence Howard also voices a character in the movie.

Noni Rose says she was “thrilled” to give life to the first black Disney princess. “It has been a lifelong dream of mine to voice a Disney character and to have it be this one could not be more exciting,” she added.

The story is set in 1920s New Orleans. To prepare for the role, Noni Rose says she “listened to a lot of music of the era, watched documentaries, and read up on New Orleans at that time.”

Franklin describes Tiana as a smart, aspiring entrepreneur. “Her dream is not to marry a prince. Her dream is to open a restaurant. It is a dream that she has had from the beginning,” Franklin says.

Princess Tiana dolls will be introduced in several sizes and at several price points, which will be determined by the retailers. The dolls will include a standard collector fashion doll equivalent in scale to a Barbie doll, a Tiana toddler doll, a doll that holds a talking frog, and a doll set with Tiana and Prince Naveen, her tadpole-hopping love interest post-transformation.

This year the Disney princess franchise, which accrues $4 billion in yearly retail sales worldwide, will celebrate its 10-year anniversary. Tiana will be the ninth character, the fourth princess of color, and the first African American princess in the franchise. She also marks Disney’s first return to hand drawn animation since the 1998 cartoon Mulan, titled after the Chinese warrior princess.

Princess Tiana will initially stand alone and not be included with Disney products that group the princesses together until the summer of 2010 and after audiences have been fully introduced to her and her story, Franklin says.

“Collectors of first-of-a kind items and black doll collectors, in particular, will readily buy the Princess Tiana doll,” says Debbie Behan Garrett, author of Black Dolls: A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting and Experiencing the Passion. Garrett believes that although most mothers buy dolls that represent their child’s ethnicity, the fact that the doll is the first African American Princess created by a company with Disney’s stature will help it transcend race and doll-buying trends.

In addition to toys, Disney will also introduce an extensive line of apparel, accessories, home décor, consumer electronics, school supplies, and personal care products inspired by the characters.

Princess Tiana’s preliminary debut in 2007 did not go over smoothly. An earlier draft of the story entitled The Frog Princess allegedly described Tiana as a chambermaid named Maddy. This characterization was upsetting to some in the black community, who were indignant to learn that the first black princess started out as a servant with a name that, when enunciated closely, resembled the name Mammy, which was used to degrade black women.