Why all eyes will be on the NAACP Image Awards tonight

In a typical year, the NAACP Image Awards receive relatively modest attention compared with other major entertainment award shows.

But this is no typical year.

With the lack of people of color among major performing categories at this year’s Oscars, an international debate has erupted over diversity in show business. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences officials have promised changes to the membership that votes on awards, although several celebrities, including director Spike Lee, have said they still will boycott the ceremony in protest.

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Thus it’s a spotlight moment for the 47th Image Awards, which honor people of color in the entertainment fields and will be hosted again by Anthony Anderson, star of ABC’s sitcom “black-ish.”

Whether the attention will translate into larger viewership is anyone’s guess. Last year’s two-hour show on TV One drew 790,000 total viewers, according to Nielsen -- a respectable figure but a fraction of the more than 36 million for last year’s Oscars on ABC. Tonight’s ceremony will air live on TV One starting at 6 p.m. PT.

Some of the Image nominees are performers whose absence from the Oscar nominee list drew outrage earlier this year. They include Idris Elba, who earned acclaim as an African warlord in the film “Beasts of No Nation.”

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Organizers are keeping their exact plans for the show secret. But Image executive producer Phil Gurin believes there’s a good chance of surprises from winners when they stride to the stage at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. “I’m sure the energy here will be a little more electric than it has been in years past,” Gurin told the Associated Press.

There may also be some controversy over the prizes themselves. The Image Awards have over the years drawn flak for questionable choices. In 2014, NPR critic Eric Deggans argued that it was “troubling” to see white artists such as Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke getting nominations for music that was inspired by R&B formats pioneered by black artists.

The 2016 Image Awards have already landed in controversy. As The Times reported in December, NBC’s live version of “The Wiz” earned a nomination, despite the fact that none of the Image voters had seen the show by the time the nominations were due.

On Thursday night, the NAACP awarded winners in categories not to be televised on Friday. And “The Wiz” won for outstanding TV movie.

Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT

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