On Hollywood's biggest night, the red carpet seems shockingly colorful

At first glance, I took a cynical approach to the Oscars: "Ninety-nine percent white celebrities all decked out and dripping in diamonds. This will make a perfect post."

But after watching the award show, I realized that Hollywood may still have a long way to go, but no longer is the red carpet the whiteout it once was. Mo'Nique, Gabourey Sidibe, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Penelope Cruz, Forrest Whittaker, Morgan Freeman and Tyler Perry were just a sprinkling of the minority stars in attendance at "Hollywood's biggest night."

And the heterogeneity stretched behind the screen as well. As the Associated Press reports, the Best Director category was perhaps the most diverse in history. Kathryn Bigelow ("The Hurt Locker") is the fourth woman to be nominated for, and the first to win, Best Director, while Lee Daniels ("Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire") is the second black director up for the honor. (John Singleton was the first, nominated in 1992 for "Boyz N the Hood.")

Many films boasted minority nominees tonight: "Precious" for Best Director, Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress (which Mo'Nique won); "Invictus" for Best Actor (Morgan Freeman); "Nine" for Best Supporting Actress (Penelope Cruz); and "The Princess and the Frog" for Best Animated Feature (It should also be noted that this film is the first Disney princess movie with a nonwhite leading female.) For a complete listing of the nominations, click here.

While we should applaud this progress, we shouldn't overlook the inequalities faced by minorities in Hollywood today. One need only look at the cover of Vanity Fair's March issue to see that minorities are not given equal billing. Nine slim, white women adorn the cover, and the headline reads, "A New Hollywood." Where was the Oscar-nominated Gabourey Sidibe? Funny you should ask. In response to the apparent snub, Sidibe told Access Hollywood, "At first I thought, 'Hmmm, should I be there?' Then I very quickly got over it. I think if I were a part of the shoot I would have felt a little left out anyway."

Why would she have felt left out? She is surely just as worthy, given her heart-wrenching performance in "Precious." While she fits the bill of "New Hollywood," she is neither white nor slim, and the fact that she feels her skin color and/or size are incompatible with the VF cover speaks volumes about Hollywood today.

The Associated Press reports 613 minority members in the Directors Guild of America, which has a total membership of almost 14,000. While Hollywood may be moving in the right direction, we'd do well to pick up the pace.

Photo Credit: USA Today