TV has always been a popular stepping stone on the way to Hollywood stardom. The film industry will always look upon television as the minor leagues, so to speak, a place where talent is harvested, personas invented. As such, the fact that so many Oscar nominees this year got their start in TV is not a surprise. Most acting nominations seemed to come from either former American television actors or foreign actors. This makes the film industry even more like the major leagues. It just plucks t he best talent from around the world and makes it their own.

Sitcom stars are even becoming stars. Former singers are becoming stars. It’s an incredible thing. Look at the story of Jennifer Hudson. Jennifer Hudson was a no-name, a contestant on the fourth season of American Idol. She was a great singer, but wasn’t beautiful and was overweight. Though some believe that she should’ve made it further in the competition, she was eliminated and most assumed that we had seen the last of her. However, Bill Condon gave her the part of a lifetime in the film Dreamgirls as the interminable Effie. The film, a musical, suited Hudson perfectly and, now, barely a year after being a nobody, Hudson is an Oscar nominee.

Will Smith and Eddie Murphy are first time nominees, who got their starts performing comedy on TV. It’s a very incredible phenomenon and one that exist for a long time coming. I don’t doubt that TV will forever be a source of wonderful talent.