An Analysis of Tyra Banks, Tyler Perry and Shonda Rhimes, 2005-2010
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Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Communication Dissertations Department of Communication Fall 12-7-2012 Black Public Creative Figures in the Neo-Racial Moment: An Analysis of Tyra Banks, Tyler Perry and Shonda Rhimes, 2005-2010 Danielle E. Williams Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/communication_diss Recommended Citation Williams, Danielle E., "Black Public Creative Figures in the Neo-Racial Moment: An Analysis of Tyra Banks, Tyler Perry and Shonda Rhimes, 2005-2010." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2012. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/communication_diss/39 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Communication at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Communication Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BLACK PUBLIC CREATIVE FIGURES IN THE NEO-RACIAL MOMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF TYRA BANKS, TYLER PERRY AND SHONDA RHIMES, 2005-2010 by DANIELLE E. WILLIAMS Under the Direction of Alisa Perren ABSTRACT This dissertation examines how Tyra Banks, Shonda Rhimes, and Tyler Perry negotiate blackness in terms of racial representation both in their interactions with the press and public as well as in their final product. Banks, Rhimes, and Perry are among the few prominent African American executive producers working in an industry of inequality. Each is the creative figure behind a prominent prime-time television show. This project contributes to the discussion of race and representation in the field of television studies. I argue there is a connection between how Banks, Rhimes, and Perry publicly discuss race and how these perspectives are encoded in America‟s Next Top Model (Banks), Grey‟s Anatomy (Rhimes), and House of Payne (Perry) from 2005-2010. These three are vital case studies because their shows offer a range of African American representations and extra-textual discourses about representations. Chapter Two historically contextualizes the industrial shifts in mainstream broadcast networks and basic cable channels as it relates to blackness onscreen and diversity behind the scenes. ABC, The CW, and TBS are the focus of this chapter because they are the outlets for Banks, Rhimes, and Perry‘s shows. I also position ABC, The CW, and TBS in relation to the rest of the industry as it has moved from the multi-channel transition to the post- network era. Chap- ter Three examines how Banks, Perry and Rhimes promote and publicize themselves as the key creative figure of their shows. This analysis places each individual in different sites of the bur- den of representation, which each handles differently. Chapter Four explores the connection be- tween the role blackness plays in their image as public creative figure and how it is represented in their texts through a representational analysis of America‟s Next Top Model, Grey‟s Anatomy and House of Payne. This dissertation advocates a neo-racial framework to examine blackness on television and behind the scenes. A neo-racial framework acknowledges that racial inequities continue to exist and the context surrounding these inequities needs to be examined. I conclude that the Banks, Rhimes, and Perry cases show that we are not in a post-racial society or in the post- network era. INDEX WORDS: Assimilationist, Blackness and television, Neo-racial, Multiculturalist, Grey‟s Anatomy, House of Payne, America‟s Next Top Model ASSIMILATIONIST PREVALENCE IN A NEO-RACIAL AGE: AN ANALYSIS OF TYRA BANKS, TYLER PERRY AND SHONDA RHIMES by DANIELLE E. WILLIAMS A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University 2012 Copyright by Danielle Elizabeth Williams 2012 ASSIMILATIONIST PREVALENCE IN A NEO-RACIAL AGE: AN ANALYSIS OF TYRA BANKS, TYLER PERRY AND SHONDA RHIMES by DANIELLE E. WILLIAMS Committee Chair: Alisa Perren Committee: Kathy Fuller-Seeley Ted Friedman Greg Smith Jennifer Esposito Electronic Version Approved: Office of Graduate Studies College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University December 2012 iv DEDICATION To my parents, Patricia and Earle F. Williams v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I want to thank my dissertation chair, Dr. Alisa Perren for her guid- ance and direction on this project. Before coming to GSU, I was just a TV fan; now I am a tele- vision scholar. I enjoyed our meetings at Figo, and we made it through 2012! I also want to thank Dr. Kathy Fuller-Seeley for her constant support, encouragement, and friendship. Special thanks to the rest of my committee Drs. Friedman, Smith, and Esposito for their meticulous input on this project. It takes a village to help a graduate student complete a dissertation. I could not have fin- ished this project without the fellowship, friendship, and support from faculty and staff at Geor- gia State University, Kennesaw State University, and Auburn University. From GSU, I want to thank Stacy, Eric, Ms. Seeley, Tawanna, Marilyn, Gary, and Sekai. I am also thankful to Dr. Shane Toepfer for his friendship and much needed games of Monopoly. At KSU, I am especial- ly grateful to Drs. Stephen Braden and Keisha Hoernner for allowing me to be a part of the De- partment of First-Year Programs. I most definitely could not have finished this dissertation without my KSU cheerleaders who constantly gave me encouragement, friendship, and food: Dee, Robin, Helen, Cathy, Kat, Jim, Kathy, Chuck, Jeannine, Lauren, and Ken. From my alma mater, Drs. Mary Helen Brown and Dave Sutton provided their continued support and camarade- rie after I left the loveliest village on the plains. Thanks to Silas F. Zee for being my friend and giving me his rancor monster. Special thanks go to Dr. Emmett Winn for his friendship, kind words, and constant encouragement throughout this project and for seeing the potential in me all those years ago. A very special, awesome, and cool thanks goes to Dr. Bryce McNeil, the ―sixth‖ member of my committee and the best dissertation coach ever. I could not have completed this without vi your friendship, encouragement, and numerous readings of drafts. I am indebted to Nick Johns for being the best cruise director in the Midwest and friend. Hanging out with you in South Da- kota every summer provided me with the breaks I needed from this dissertation to finish it. Thanks for all the salt, cake, tacos, so much glitter, and saving me from the bats! I have to give so many thank yous to Scott Balzer for his love, friendship, support, and cups of coffee for the past ten years. I know I have not been the easiest person to deal or live with during this dissertation. I am grateful that you are in my life and have been part of this journey. I am very excited and looking forward to our new adventures! Special thanks to my grandfather, Donald Feuerborn, for his support and encouragement. I also want to thank June, for being a great second mom, doctor, and friend. I am so happy you are part of my family. Lastly, I want to thanks my parents Patricia and Earle F. Williams for being the best two parents one could ever ask for and for continuously supporting my education. To my mom, thank you so much for your love, support, and confidence that I would finish this. I wish you were here to see it. To my dad, thank you for your love and support and for being my rock. I am so glad that you saw me first. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................... v 1 BLACK PUBLIC CREATIVE FIGURES IN THE NEO-RACIAL MOMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF TYRA BANKS, TYLER PERRY AND SHONDA RHIMES, 2005-2010 .......... 1 1.1 Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2.1 Textual Descriptions ........................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Why Tyra Banks, Shonda Rhimes, and Tyler Perry? .................................................................... 6 1.3.1 Background ......................................................................................................................... 8 1.3.2 Banks, Rhimes, and Perry as Creators and Executive Producers ....................................... 8 1.4 Blackness in the Media ............................................................................................................... 11 1.5 Industrial Context ....................................................................................................................... 12 1.6 The Cosby Moment (1984-2005) ................................................................................................ 16 1.6.1 End of the Cosby Moment ................................................................................................ 16 1.7 The Neo-Cosby Moment (2005- ) ............................................................................................... 24 1.8 Banks, Rhimes, and Perry as Star Producers/Public Creative Figures ..................................... 26 1.9 Examining Race .........................................................................................................................