It's a week before Crash has a chance to crash the Oscars, but in the meantime, the racially charged film can content itself with a couple of key prizes at the 37th Annual NAACP Image Awards
Coming in with a leading six nominations, Crash was named Best Picture, beating out a field that included Hitch, Coach Carter , Diary of a Mad Black Woman, and Howard's own Hustle & Flow. Terrence Howard, whose Hustle & Flow turn lost out to Coach Carter's Samuel L. Jackson in the Best Actor race, made up for it, winning Supporting Actor honors for Crash.
Howard doubled his pleasure, winning Best Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries for HBO's Lackawanna Blues.
The Image Awards pay tribute to positive portrayals of people of color in film, TV, music and literature, and are voted on by a committee of 300 industry professionals and NAACP leaders. The awards were handed out Saturday night in Pasadena.
Alicia Keys dominated the music side, winning prizes for Best Female Musical Artist, Best Song and Best Video for "Unbreakable."
Proving himself a double-threat, Jamie Foxx was named Best Male Musical Artist for his chart-topping, platinum-selling Unpredictable a year after winning two acting Image Awards to go along with his Oscar last year.
"It's good to be surrounded by black folks," Foxx said, clutching his trophy. "Black folks are music."
Meanwhile, fresh off a trio of Grammy Awards earlier this month, Mariah Carey earned Best Album props for The Emancipation of Mimi.
The Bernie Mac Show took home three awards--Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for Bernie Mac, Outstanding Supporting Actress for Camille Winbush and Outstanding Director for TV for Millicent Shelton.
"America, I heard your prayers, and you wanted me here," said Mac, one of the Original Kings of Comedy. "The Mac Man cometh and I'm bringing hell with me."
Chris Rock, meanwhile, scored in the Best Television Series category for his semi-autobiographical sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris.
"I want to thank all the white kids who beat [me]," the comic cracked. "I'm rich!"
Carlos Santana, who received the NAACP Hall of Fame Award, performed, as did New Orleans' Neville Brothers, who took home the Chairman Award.
The ceremony paid tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, as well as two civil rights icons, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King, both of whom died recently.
"I think [Coretta] is setting up there with her husband smiling as we continue to chase the dream," said Young and the Restless star Shemar Moore, who along with costar Victoria Rowell won Best and Actor and Actress in a Daytime Drama.
The NAACP Image Awards, hosted by thesp Cuba Gooding Jr., airs next Friday on Fox. The complete list of winners can be found online at naacpimageawards.net.