Over on ShowBiz 411, Roger Friedman is perplexed by why Mo'Nique would refuse to get with the Oscar program:

She's been nominated for several best supporting actress awards, but talk show host and comedian Mo'Nique doesn't care or doesn't get it. [...]

In the past, a few actors have missed awards shows. But they were all well established or lived outside the U.S. [...]

Nothing seems to get through, which is odd because Mo'Nique seems like a bright person. But snubbing the NYFCC is a plan she should reconsider. She makes a point in that clip: she made the movie, you see her performance, what else can she do? This is a bit naive, but true fundamentally. But maybe she doesn't understand that she's already won this award. This isn't the same as doing publicity.

What's next? The Golden Globes? The Oscars? If these things don't mean anything to her, there are plenty of actresses who will appreciate the honors, from Julianne Moore to Anna Kendrick to Vera Farmiga. Mo'Nique: fame is fleeting. Enjoy all this while you can!

But the answer is pretty clear. Mo'Nique has already stated why she's not tripping over an Oscar:

Let's read between the lines a bit here. Mo'Nique asks two Oscar nominated people (Terrance Howard and Taraji P. Henson), who have been through the process, what the net financial benefit was and they couldn't really answer her with anything but "exposure."

In addition, all three participants in the conversation talk about "your audience" versus the academy. Mo'Nique has a very specific audience - one that is predominantly African American, and predominantly female. Mo'Nique is very well represented in black media, and occasionally makes forays into the mainstream. But the implication of people like Friedman is that she needs to look at crafting a "real" career - that all this niche work with the African American community isn't worth as much as the potential promise of the Oscars. Taraji explains that "we" have our fans, but the Academy (and most award shows that are not dedicated to specific communities) may not have that same type of representation. But, all that depends on whether or not Mo'Nique wants a different type of career. After all, the one she has looks pretty good from where I sit - a late night talk show, successful franchises, and the freedom to be unapologetically herself isn't a terrible lot in life.

Finally, considering the relatively dismal record of African Americans in competition for the Oscars (not to mention the Academy's stranger decisions, like giving Denzel Washington the nod for the forgettable Training Day, rather than just about any of the other roles he portrayed), well...maybe Mo'Nique is better off not getting too invested in all the hoopla.

In the meantime, Steve Pond over at The Wrap is rolling his eyes at the whole situation, noting that much of it appears to be sour grapes on behalf of the New York Film Critics awards - another venue Mo'Nique has decided to skip. Pond opines that far from being self-sabotage, Mo'Nique might actually have the right strategy:

My two cents:

1) For the most part, the Academy won't care. Snubbing film critics isn't an actionable offense; in fact, it's something that most AMPAS voters have probably wanted to do many times over the years.

2) Besides which, many members of the Academy won't mind if she snubs every other awards show and critics group in existence. In fact, that Academy would love it if she refused to attend all the others. They know she'll be at the Oscar show – let's face it, pride and Oprah won't let her miss that one. And if that's the only show she attends, it'll just make the Oscars seem that more special, and reinforce that it's the only awards show that really counts.

Is she "ruining her Oscar hopes?" Hell, if this is the worst she can do, I think she might be improving them.

Mo'Nique Speaks: What Does The Oscar Mean Financially? [Showbiz 411]
List of black Academy Award winners and nominees [Wikipedia]
Good Morning, Oscar: All-Mo'Nique Edition [The Wrap]

Earlier: "What Does This Mean Financially?": Mo'Nique Is Not Pressed Over An Oscar

[Los Angeles, November 14. Image via Getty.]

[Los Angeles, October 19. Image via Getty]

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 19: Scenic artist Gayle Etcheverry completes the painting of the Oscar Statues in preparation for the Governors Awards and the 82nd Academy Awards at a secret location on October 19, 2009 in Northern Los Angeles County, California. (Photo by Kristian Dowling/Getty Images)

Smile Pinky is about five-year-old Pinky and 11-year-old Ghutaru, who live in rural India and are ostracized and ridiculed because of their cleft lips. Nearly 4 millions children around the world have cleft palates, which can be repaired in an hour-long procedure that costs about $250. In the U.S. the condition is usually repaired before children are three months old, while in poor countries children usually deal with the condition for the rest of their lives, according to The Non-Profit Times.

The American charity Smile Train pays local doctors in 75 developing countries to perform surgeries to correct cleft palates at no cost to the child's family. Smile Train co-founder and president Brain Mullaney said in the past decade awareness has been the organization's biggest problem, so three years ago they came up with the idea of making a film about their work. They chose Mylan, who directed The Lost Boys of Sudan, to direct the film Smile Pinky.

The charity has already made back more money than was put into the film, and after it won this year's Academy Award for Best Documentary Short, the organization received more publicity than ever before. The traffic on Smile Train's website doubled after the Oscars, and online donations doubled for a week and a half after the win. "Every Oscar changes a career. This Oscar can change millions of lives. Our goal now is to turn this Oscar into a million smiles," said Mullaney.

In the film, Pinki travels three hours on foot with her father to the G.S. Memorial Hospital in Banaras after hearing about the free surgery from a social worker who visited her village. Pinky's life changed dramatically not only because her surgery was successful, but because of the fame the film brought her. She and her father attended the Oscars with Mylan, the Los Angeles Times reports. "She and I walked down the red carpet holding hands — I said, if you get nervous squeeze my hand and I'll squeeze yours," said Mylan. "We kept squeezing." Pinky met the stars of Slumdog Millionaire Anil Kapoor and Iffran Khan, who were seated a few rows behind her, and had them translate into Hindi when Mylan asked if she wanted to go sit with her dad.

Like the Slumdog stars, Pinky has become a celebrity back home too. She and her surgeon, Dr. Sudbodh Kumar Singh, met with the Indian prime minister's wife and Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai. Pinky's family got a new house, her village was given a new well, and soon the town will get electricity and a paved road. Both Pinky and Ghutaru received scholarships to better schools.

The film reaching millions of HBO subscribers in its initial airing tomorrow, and then in many repeats throughout the month, will likely bring in many more donations to Smile Train. "You're always sort of hoping this will happen, but it's never a guarantee," said Mylan. "Documentaries need what studio commercial films have: They need publicity and distribution, but then they just go on and on." The new donations have already given many people working with Smile Train hope that they can provide operations to the 1 million Indian children still living with a cleft. Dr. Singh said the film is, "bringing so much good for so many children. They are all getting treatment because of her. . . . If we do 100,000 a year, we can clear it out [in India] in 10 years."

Smile Pinky premieres on June 3 at 7pm (ET/PT). We will be watching on Wednesday night and posting about the film on Thursday. Check out the trailer below:

Charities Riding On Awareness After Slumdog, Smile Pinki [The Non-Profit Times]
HBO Climbs On 'Pinki's' Smile Train Saga [The Los Angles Times]

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The Bad:

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The Good:

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Press "watch now" to see the liveblog!

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