Golden Globe Rundown: Best Actresses

Jessica Chastain gets her game face on

After detailing the Supporting Actress Race, let us briefly examine the Best Actress Drama and Comedy/Musical.  As expected, Jessica Chastain is biting at Jennifer Lawrence's heals.  SAG will be VERY interesting.  Will they go comedy or drama?  For the Globes, Chastain's competition was Marion Cotillard, Helen Mirren, Naomi Watts, and Rachel Weisz.  As it turns out, her only real threat was Watts, as none of the other ladies made their way into the Oscar race.  As well, some suggest that Watts might be dark horse.  Which brings me to Chastain's speech.

Best Dressed out of
the nominees

First, "middle-aged" George Clooney got a little dig into Ben Affleck for forgetting to thank the Argo producers when his name was called for director, before proceeding to announce her name.  She hugs and acknowledges a few people including Megan Ellison and director Kathryn Bigelow (and her grandmother?  Amy Pascal?).  When she gets up to the stage, she thanks the HFPA and immediately expresses gratitude for being acknowledged "for YEARS" of toiling through the Hollywood maze.  What was going on through Naomi Watts' mind when Chastain said that?  She can relate, right?  Her 90s were Chastain's 00s.  Except, Watts has never made it up to the podium at the Golden Globes, SAG, or Oscar.  Mulholland Dr. was thirteen years ago, and she didn't receive a nomination by any of those institutions for the David Lynch film.  That was her breakout role (compare to Chastain's The Help).  The follow-through was 21 Grams (Chastain's Zero Dark Thirty).  While Chastain is up against Harvey Weinstein, Watts had to contend with Charlize Theron's performance of the decade.  Since, Watts has been plugging away, winning commercial-friendly, yet off-kilter remakes and sequels, while balancing her resume with more baity fare.  She has been doing what she does well and she doesn't fill her face up with chemicals.  She has also been waiting "for YEARS" to be validated.  Is this too much, too soon for Chastain?  Or does that get extended more to the younger Lawrence?  Watts isn't breaking a sweat, though.  Princess Diana, Marilyn Monroe, Gertrude Bell, etc.  Even with inevitable comparisons to Michelle Williams' Monroe and Australian Nicole Kidman's Princess Monaco, she is just getting started and is playing for keeps.  If Susan Sarandon did it at almost fifty, so will she.  She will give the AMPAS many chances to reconsider, and the inundation, like with Sarandon, may pay off.

Chastain thanks her team (and if her stylist is among them, it's time for him/her to move on), the crew, cast, specifically Jason Clarke, Annapurna's Ellison, Sony, Pascal, her grandmother, the screenwriter, and her director.  She compares her character to Bigelow.  "To powerful, fearless women that allow their expert work to stand before them.  You've said that filmmaking for you is not about breaking gender roles.  But, when you make a film that allows your character to disobey the conventions of Hollywood, you've done more for women in cinema [that you] can take credit for."  Bigelow was visibly moved and Chastain had taken the breath right out of her.

I already touched on Lawrence's win.  She was up against Emily Blunt, Judi Dench, and Maggie Smith, who, of course, had no real chance at winning.  However, much was made of her fourth fellow nominee Meryl Streep, after Lawrence made the fun and innocent reference to The First Wives Club.  Because I like to spend my time looking up insignificant facts, I learned that Streep has actually been nominated twenty-seven (!) times for a Golden Globe (two times were for television/cable projects).  While she won eight of those Globes, she lost nineteen times.  So, as Lawrence would rightfully point out, there were shockingly nine opportunities to make that crack before her: Kate Winslet, Sally Hawkins, Natalie Portman, Nicole Kidman, Hilary Swank, Cate Blanchett, Alfre Woodard, Brenda Blethyn (as well as pre-Wives: Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange, Miranda Richardson, Julia Roberts, Jessica Tandy, Jodie Foster, Whoopi Goldberg, Shirley MacLaine, Dyan Cannon) AND Meryl Streep herself.  Yeah, that's right, for 2009, Streep beat herself, having been nominated twice in the Comedy category for Julie & Julia and It's Complicated.  Not that any of the winners would have made the reference, as most of them are not Americans, and First Wives is a very American film.  As far as the First Wives themselves are concerned, Streep actually beat Diane Keaton twice at the GG's, but was never nominated opposite Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, or Stockard Channing, for that matter.  

As far as the fashion and styling of the nominees (Streep had The Flu; Maggie Smith and Judi Dench were also absent), there was a lot left to be desired.  Best in show was Helen Mirren looking classy wearing black Badgley Mischka with gold brocade.  Simple and elegant, she looked marvelous.  Jessica Chastain played it safe, so she didn't look bad, just predictable.  The sky blue shows off her eyes and hair, but then oddly she creases back the sides.  She certainly could look worse, but I'd like to see something more daring and sexy on her.  Emily Blunt was also boring, and almost repeated her outfit from last year.  I hated Jennifer Lawrence's dress the night of the globes, but, now, not as much.  It's certainly low cut and looks weird, but not terrible.  Still, she went with a safe, solid color from the Martha Stewart Jr collection like most everyone else.  Marion Cotillard looked beautiful in asymmetrical Christian Dior, but the dress length and shoes bother a little.  I give kudos to Naomi Watts for her hair and makeup.  Her face is smashing.  And the Zac Posen burgundy open-backed dress is dramatic, but I'm not sure if it works for her (or her skin tone).  The color is too deep and she is too milky/blonde.  Rachel Weisz probably has the best hair and makeup, but that black sheer Louis Vuitton is a hot mess.  Cute on top, but then what is going on around her legs.  So wrong.  Daniel Craig should have just gotten on all fours and tore off that gam-veil with his mouth.  That would have been hot and necessary.

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Golden Globe Rundown: Best Supporting Actress (or, oh, God, her again)

Hathaway teases us with
physically assaulting herself

You have to hand it to Sally Field.  She is going to have to eat humble pie every single damn time Anne Hathaway walks up on the stage to announce to the world that the dream she dreamt is actually happening (again and again and ...).  And, to add insult to injury, the cameras are going to be on Field even more whenever Hathaway name-drops her as her inspiration.  Keep your chin up Sally, you have less than six weeks to endure playing second banana at this dog-and-pony show.  The win was fighting for and holding onto the role, no?  (Click here and watch the video for a refresher; sorry I don't have the exact mark, but the whole hour is worth it.)  If they gave out awards for tenacity and bucking the system, it would be Field up there on that stage, never mind that she turned in the best supporting turn (of any gender) this year (and I didn't think Lincoln was all that, either).  But, we know awards aren't about "the best," hardly ever.  And, frankly, I kind of like that Anne will be an Oscar winner (at least, she'll shut up for a while).  Because, you know, the bigger they are ...

3rd: Helen Hunt in Dolce & Gabbana

Anyway, so now that the cinematic Golden Globe actresses have been chosen, let’s run them down and start with the Supporting group.  Hathaway, Field, and Helen Hunt have been leading the pack, with Hathaway as the obvious frontrunner, before she was even the frontrunner.  Field and Hunt are enjoying "movie comebacks" of sorts and their first Oscar nomination since their last Oscar win.  Hunt, who accrued a slate of detractors back when she took the gold for 1997, made a graceful return with The Sessions.  Field, who made "that" speech during her second win in 1984, almost lost her current role when there was a change in leading men.  She was ten years Daniel Day-Lewis' senior, where Abraham Lincoln trumped his wife by a decade. I was skeptical, but, now, it's like, they LOOK like a couple.  Like, I could now buy Field and Day-Lewis as a couple in real life.  Funny that.  Anyway, Amy Adams had an incredibly amount of good-will when The Master first hit during the Fall.  Some fallibly thought she had a chance to beat Hathaway.  Towards the end, she barely hung on to grab her fourth supporting nomination in seven years, her third in the last four.  It's obvious that the AMPAS nomination-love her right now.  But, you know, they once loved Julianne Moore in a nomination-kind-of-way too, remember.  And Glenn Close.  And Sigourney Weaver.  What's the expiration date with Adams?  And where is that Janis Joplin biopic?  This business can be so wonderful, yet frustrating and cruel.  They that giveth, taketh away.  Anyhow, Adams is about to break in a commercial way like she never has before with The Man of Steel as Louis Lane this Summer.  Will the movie be a stepping stone or is it an empty reward?  We'll soon find out.

Best in Show:
Nicole Kidman in
Alexander McQueen
with some great detailing

The fifth nominee, Nicole Kidman, was really a "never-ran."  Armed with a Golden Globe and SAG nomination, some prognosticators actually thought she had a chance with The Academy.  A) She peed on Zac Efron.  (And every asshole on the internet spoiled it for everyone months before the film even released.  So, what am I doing, returning the favor by repeating it?)  Yes, Oscar has a problem with this.  And, frankly, Kidman is not Adams.  They will give her an Oscar, but they will not nominate her for just anything.  If they would, she would have over double the three nominations she has presently.  Missing was her fellow countrywoman Jacki Weaver, who, in a weakish performance in a Best Picture nominee pimped by Harvey Weinstein, apparently, got trumped by Kidman's celebrity with the HFPA.

2nd: Sally Field in Alberta Ferretti

Megan Fox and Jonah Hill tried to provide a comic bit and failed miserably while they presented the nominees and winner.  You'd thnk the Apatow "alum" would arrive with better script.  When Hill tried to brush Fox off as part of their “number,” with a dismissive “babe,” it was an ew moment.  Gross.  

So, for our winner, we had predictably Ms. Hathaway, the favorite daughter of this year’s race.  It’s no surprise she took home the Globe, which she intends to use as a blunt device to self-mutilate herself with whenever she has doubts about her talent.  Hopefully, often.  With her speech, as well as Lena Dunham’s, it was Tina Fey and Amy Poehler who got us through middle school their speeches and the ceremony.  Sacha Baron Cohen also provided an acerbic edge during his brief, but efficiently executed stint.  But, if it wasn’t for those naturally comedic talents who don’t take these award shows (or themselves) very seriously (to our delight), this particular event would have turned into a group therapy session. Jennifer Lawrence and Adele, the former of which is younger than Hathaway and Dunham and the latter who is the same age as Dunham, both gave down-to-earth speeches and forewent a neon sign spelling out 'needy' hanging above their head, unlike the aforementioned less secure. 

Before going up, Hathaway kissed her husband, and hugged her director and leading man.  She started off by hitting a really flat note by referencing a signature Tiny Feyism (“blurg”) and then played the disbelief card while giving a shout out to her Oscar clip (no, Anne, you are not dreaming anymore; you dreamed a dream and it came true!  Wake up.).  She thanked the HFPA, acknowledged all the great talent in the room, and affirmed that she was going to start believing that she finally earned her place amongst them.  How telling, no?  Did she not just say to Spielberg, yes, I deserve to be directed by you in Robopocalypse?  And, Daniel Day-Lewis should be my leading man?  Would she have still said it if Meryl Streep was in the room, not home sick with The Flu?  She rattled off the list of her fellow nominees and then singled out her soul mother Sally Field. 

Now, she did this for a couple of reasons:

1) Out of her fellow nominees, Field, by far, has had the longest career and more Oscars than all of them. And, yes, Hathaway is partly in genuinely awe of the woman.  She's a legend.  Would she have done any differently if Maggie Smith and/or Judi Dench were in her category?  

2) Once upon a time, the former Gidget and Flying Nun was not taken very seriously as an actress until she released multiple-personality Sybil on television (for which she won an Emmy) and then Norma Rae three years later (and won Oscar).  She then infamously went on to win a second Oscar (in an albeit weak year) crying out during her speech, “You like me, you really like me!”  Those words would become a source of derision, haunting her for a while, and Field never came close to Oscar again until arguably ten years later, finally nabbing a slot three decades later this year (coincidence?).  So, Field had self-esteem issues of her own, but, ultimately, always maintained a solid enough fan base and respect, because, let’s face it, she’s talented.  But that she should have been ReOscared is a source of debate.  Hathaway seems to have unconsciously latched onto a similar desperate end of the validation spectrum.   (Though, I can't imagine Field really cares as much about winning now.)  The Golden Globes now have hit the "like" button on Hathaway's Facebook page.  How many times will Oscar?  And how insufferable will the experience be?  

4th: Adams in Marchesa;
I don't hate it

3) Though Hathaway won Oscar when she landed the Fantine audition, if she weren’t in play and the movie never went forward in 2012, Field would likely be the odds-on favorite.  She IS her competition.  And, what a shrewd move to continually acknowledge the actress at every opportunity.  She did it during the Hollywood Reporter Actress Roundtable (Hathaway declared that she wrote an espionage drama some while back and imagined Field as the protagonist), and she did it again in the first major precursor this awards season.  Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right? 

4) Sally is old and had her time in the sun!  "I’m young and unrecognized (but, humbled by this attention), but, let’s not forget, I’m no spring chicken.  I gave up Princess of Genovia’s crown nearly a decade ago.  It's MY TURN!"

Last & Least: Why didn't she just
wear a Chanel pantsuit?

But, what about the three roles Anne chose to single Field out?  Norma Rae, check.  Of course, that’s at the top of the list.  Mama Gump?  Well, Anne Hathaway was thirteen when Forrest Gump came out and that was the film that just about everyone in this country saw when it hit (I hated it at the time, but have grown to mildly "like" it in an ironic kind of way).  She got a few accolades for it.  But, top three?  For Anne (and maybe the rest of the country), I guess so.  Even I have to look up the character’s name for Field's second Oscar Places in the Heart (Edna Spalding).  And, Sybilwas way before Anne’s time (and TV).  Field was brilliant as Celeste Talbert in Soapdish, but that was a comedy, the genre Hathaway is specifically trying to avoid.  But, she chooses Mama Gump over M’Lynn Eatenton?  Okay, Steel Magnolias is greatness, but when you’re making a speech about wanting to be taken seriously, I guess you have to leave it out.  Understood.  She comes full circle with Mary Todd Lincoln.  And mentioning her work on Brothers & Sisters would have been blasphemy, because, gasp, as an adult actress, Hathaway does NOT do TV (not right now, anyway; talk to her after the roles dry up in a decade).  Even Julia Roberts, another progenitor, is going to HBO.  Every one of the nominees, including Field who blows her a kiss, appears to be generally touched (especially Adams and Hunt). 

She goes on to thank her mother (who, remember, played Fantine herself when Anne was a wee lass!), the creators of the show (no names!), the studios (names!), cast, crew, Hugh Jackman, director Tom Hooper (whom she specifies has a soft side, popular to contrary belief), family, husband (who gives her “the best string of yesterdays she has ever had”), and ends her 2:07 speech thanking the HFPA yet again. 

Fashion-wise, it’s actually Hathaway who faired the worse.  She looked like she took the band aid she wrapped her bald head around on her wedding day and pulled it down to her torso.  Not a fan.  Kidman was smashing.  Not crazy about her face, but that's something we have to just accept now, right?  The dye has been cast, right?  As long as she manages that trainwreck, we sit back and say little now, because there is nothing left to say, right?  All we can do is remember to point out the natural beauty of her similarly-aged peers and countrywomen Naomi Watts and Cate Blanchett, right?  Field looked amazing.  Hunt was okay.  But, I was kind of over the fleshy color Adams was parading around like every other woman that night.  

Stay tuned for my rundown on the Comedy and Drama categories for leading movie actress.  

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Bradley Cooper Vows Never to Wear Clothes Again

A Late Night Swim

Daniel Day-Lewis' team is working overtime to take out that threat Bradley Cooper in the Best Actor race buy drawing attention to an old video of him visiting a nudist colony (sarcasm).  The-lucky-to-be-nominated (that's the silver linings part, right?) B.Coop paid the bills back in the day by visiting a Croatian hot spot as a host of Discovery Channel's Globe Trekkers.  All of the goodies of the sunbathers in the footage are blurred because Discovery is not HBO!  Clothed for most of the three-minute clip, Cooper finally takes the plunge at night for a little skinny-dipping with a local guy after a little encouragement and securing some privacy.  A bit of frolicking in the nude prompts Cooper to declare, "I'm never going to wear clothes again."  This must have been used for his audition for Nip/Tuck.

[Via The Film Experience / Movieline]

B.Coop gesticulates to a local what he would like to do with him later

Someone(s) fancies B.Coop

No Clothes Allowed!

Man's Best Friend

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Interview: RJ Colleary

Writer RJ Colleary is excited about his first play at the Lillian Theatre.  “The set has an upstairs. This is big time!”  The production involves the same story told twice in two different genres.  He explains the conceit of Happy Face Sad Face: “The comedy half, in a way, is a spoof of the drama half.  You have to see the drama half to get the comedy that comes later."  He adds, "We want people to leave with a happy face.”  Generally, he finds that combining the two genres often leads to generic results.  He wanted to do something that was different without being “bizarre” and found that his concept sold itself.  “Without even hearing what the plot is for this play, it naturally creates interest in people without even trying.  The last play I did, I had to explain the plot to get people's attention.  It didn’t work as well.”  Happy Face has a built-in, no-muss/no-fuss hook.

RJ Colleary

Colleary goes on distinguish between playwriting and other mediums, “When a story is interesting, it’s a pilot.  But, if it’s something that is deeper inside … The stuff in the head is like TV and the stuff that’s in the heart only works in the theatre, that emotional space.  There are things that can only be theatre, that don’t fit right in television or film … Film is about the visual.  TV is about the events.  But, the stage is about the relationships, people, and perspective.”  Previous plays of his have had characters involved in the entertainment industry, but the playwright may have exorcised all of those demons.  One of his last plays, Cannibals, helped him purge everything he needed to say about the industry.  In Happy Face, the characters include a suburban insurance salesman, his wife, his father who taught him the business.  “This is more middle America ... These people have relationships with other people who are in the house with them, but then don’t really know who any of them really are.  As secrets arise, they see each other for who they really are.  That can be scary sometimes.  Even when we don’t try to hide anything, we’re all just that one-dimensional outside piece.  You’re the only person who will ever know what it’s like to be you.  No one else can literally feel your exact pain the way you do.  Everybody is out there living their own life as best they can.  Rarely would a situation exist where, suddenly, everybody’s true self is being bared all at once.”

It's an engrossing venture for Colleary, who had spend his formative years in TV.  Having the same name as his television-writer father and working in the same profession, it’s easy for Colleary and his elder to be inextricably linked.  He doesn’t mind, though, and even thinks it makes poetic sense.  They both worked on the 1980s series Benson, though, not simultaneously.  The younger Colleary did freelance scripts until getting hired on for the final season.  His involvement and connections got him work on other popular multiple-camera shows, including a first-season episode of The Golden Girls involving Rose’s (Betty White) blind sister, among many other sit-coms at the time.  Both Benson and Girls were Whit Thomas series and Colleary makes writing on the fly appear so effortless.  “You soak in the characters through multiple episodes, implement certain necessary tricks and rules, and hope for the best.”

His involvement with The Facts of Life got him in touch with Martha Williamson.  They developed a bond of trust and the writer/producer brought him into her hit show Touched By an Angel to add a lighter tone to the show.  Originally slated for five episodes, their relationship lasted nine seasons, four of which included the Top Ten in the Nielsen’s.  And, ironically enough, Colleary had a difficult time getting back into the comedy genre, where he cut his teeth and made a name for himself, back when there was more of a regimented compartmentalization.  The “the network mentality” now viewed him as “a drama guy.” 

Happy Face Sad Face cast (from l to r): Sarah Agor,
Tom Christensen, Thomas F. Evans, Perry Smith,
Rob Locke 

“Television is so much better than it was when I was writing.  I’m hoping that was a coincidence,” he jokes.  “TV writers were the formula guys you looked down on.  They were the guys who couldn’t make a living in the movie business.  Movies were sexy.”  Talent was also highly concentrated.  But several variables began to change.  More students wanted creative careers, and the educational institutions rose to meet the demand.  Networks also exploded in numbers, and the mediums began to blend.  Talent spread and cable channels like HBO and AMC stepped up their game and took off with their own quality original programming that now dominates ratings and award shows.  

Colleary believes, though, that despite the proliferation, it’s harder to get a job today then back when he was coming up.  And not only is the competition more fierce, the occupational consistency isn’t there.  Instead of being thirteen to thirty episodes on a pickup, series are now ordered four to six at a time, and are often canceled immediately with no chance of building an audience.  And, if you’re left out of a job, there’s often a potentially interminable wait for another opportunity to roll along.  He just doesn’t know how writers do it today.  Not only that, but with the internet, the business model has completely changed.  Once upon a time, you would have to wait to see a rerun of your favorite show.  Now, you can go online and watch it the next day.

Director Kathleen Rubin

But, Colleary admits that certain elements have remained.  “The television business is like a pyramid scheme.  The more people you know, the more chance you have of somebody hiring or recommending you.  When I was twenty-five and got my first staff job, I was getting the job of somebody who had a lot more experience than me, but had mustered out.  I knew that even when I started TV, that, somewhere in your forties, it was going to end.  What amazes me is that this is the way the business has always been, but so many people are caught by surprise.”

Despite everything, Colleary finds that he is at the height of his writing powers.  Unfortunately, the industry had little to offer him but money, which was great for a period.  But, he eventually lost the fire in his belly to fight for jobs, as he expected, and realized he was seeking something more satisfying.  But, rather than sulk, he turned to playwriting.  This fueled his energy into endeavors that helped him flex different writing muscles, and grow in his trade.  Thanks to financial backing, he is able to live in the moment and has been pretty fulfilled from the five plays he has produced in as many years.  While there is little money in theatre, Colleary could exercise as much creative control as he wanted with hiring the right talent to take the reigns of each project.  “My process is more hybrid: half theatre/half TV.”  It also allowed for direct involvement with the actors and talent.  “I didn’t want to write something and put it on a shelf … the actors love having some place to go.  Keeping actors, producers, my director off the streets, I’m sure I’m single-handedly lowering crime in L.A. fifty percent,” he jokes.  The biggest payoff has been the appreciation he has received.

Actress/producer Lisa Pescia

He met actress Lisa Pescia on the set of Touched by an Angel, who became one of his producers after reading one of his plays and put him in touch with Kathleen Rubin. As a result, she directed three of his shows, including Happy Face.  Both Jersey transplants, Colleary hit it off with Rubin right away.  “Like me, she’s a Virgo and legally insane.”  They have a great rapport and have a constructive, open line of communication.  “That’s why I’m on Play #3 with her.” 

While Colleary has valued and cherished his theatrical experience, it pains him that Los Angeles is only known as a film/TV town when it could be so much more.  Brimming over with probably more talent than New York City, it’s confusing to the both of us why the city has such a reputation for being “not a theatre town.”  He acknowledges the lack of money and the geographical sprawl being huge detriments in the equation, but would love to see a greater force centralize the creative energy and power and defy expectations and status quo.  The pragmatic playwright wouldn’t mind seeing things a little shook up and wonders out-loud if it were possible for theatres to be run more like cinemas, thereby possibly allowing for something more self-sustaining with growth potential.  “When I did Cannibals at the Zephyr, which was pretty successful, the only people who made money were the theatre and the Italian restaurant next door … Everybody is struggling.  If your play is a failure, you lose everything.  If your play is a success, you lose half.  It’s not supposed to be a money-making venture, but in order to perpetuate it, you have to have a certain degree of input, financial intake just to keep producing.”

Happy Face Sad Face
Producer Russell Boast

As far as Colleary’s future, it may involve delving into writing about his childhood, which he describes as being closer to Leave It to Beaver than Running With Scissors.  He may take a break from playwriting.  His life has taken him on all kinds of crazy adventures, including signing up to play semi-pro football in Finland for a twelve-day tour (“I thought it was crazy enough for me to do”), shooting a TV pilot in Iceland, writing a parental support book called Teenagers Suck (offers mothers and fathers the consolation that “This isn’t your fault: they’re crazy”), and teaching a television writing course at Chapman University.  He’s a pretty resilient guy.  After describing forgoing a hospital visit after an accident back in Boston years ago while walking across the street, “If you can have a TV writing career, you can hit by a truck and walk away.”  

The show opens at The Elephant Lillian Stage this Saturday, January 19th.  You can find tickets at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/266029.

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Jennifer Lawrence: That's Not My Butt!

When Jennifer Lawrence went up on the Golden Globe stage to collect her Best Actress award, I wasn't too impressed.  I was already reeling from seeing her in that dress on the red carpet.  I can't say I hated it, but I disliked the way it pressed down her boobs.  This was her first major awards red carpet since the AMPAS 2011, no?  Remember that Baywatch dress?  Some criticized her because it was too va-va-va-voom and not classy enough.  And, oh, yeah, her tits looked amazing.  Did she go in reverse for the Globes?  From the front and back, it looks better than the profile.  Yet, why am I growing to like it, the more I look at it.  Whatever the case, she was nervous when she got up to give her speech, but kept it pretty professional.  And, unlike Lena Dunham and Anne Hathaway, both of whom are older than her by at least a couple of years, her words didn't reek of a desperate need to be validated.  For such a rocket ride to success, she's certainly handling herself  well.  She even opened with a joke from The First Wives Club, "What does it say?  I beat Meryl."  Can I just say that I love that she can make references to Val Kilmer's weight gain, as well as quote films that came out when she was six.

I'm an asshat, so I didn't get the joke, because, I ditched ever seeing the film.  (Perhaps, now I should.)  Anyway, I thought nothing of it at the time, other than she needed to step up her game.  Upon second viewing, it's coming across as more of a decent speech (like her dress is starting to) as far as the Globes are concerned.  But, she caught some serious flack, particular from those who also weren't in on the joke and overreacted.

So, while J.Law may have already been scheduled on Letterman, this last Tuesday (Silver Linings is expanding this weekend and she has SNL coming up), she nipped that "controversy" in the bud (5:30).  As well, she continues to show what a pro she is at the talk-show circuit.  And, so down to earth.  At least, that's what she's got us thinking.  Look at her.  She handles Dave like Julia Roberts.  Ordering him to role the clip and sassing him for keeping up a picture of her in a bikini insisting has been photoshopped with a butt that's not her's.  Hmmn.  Julia Roberts?  Maybe this is all an act?  Or will become one?

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Best Actress 2004: Just a Girl from a Trailer Park Who Had a Dream Part II

The last edition of this series was here, the Best Actress race a year before 2004 was covered here, and Just a Girl from a Trailer Park with a Dream Part I was covered here.  This year's (2012) Best Actress may prove to be an exception of sorts.  You have two films that may end up proving to be formidable contenders at the box-office.  Zero Dark Thirty just took in $24M and claimed the #1 position its first week in wide release.  Silver Linings Playbook has been plugging away under the radar and, as far as exploding ala Shakespeare in Love, remains sitting on the fence.  Generally, however, within the race each year, there's only one blockbuster, if any, among the five nominees.  Last year, The Help and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo both neared or passed the $100M-mark, but who really thought Rooney Mara, who snuck in with a nod, had a chance at winning?  And against Helen Hunt and others, did Kate Winslet ever have a chance with Titanic?  Black Swan, The Blind Side, Juno, The Devil Wears Prada, Something's Gotta Give, Chicago, American Beauty.  Certainly, financial success doesn't guarantee a win.  And I'm not suggesting Precious and The Queen weren't hits, because they both did very well.  But, when a movie like Million Dollar Baby went unchallenged at the box-office in 2004 with Hilary Swank in a baity role, one wonders (well, I do) how she would have done against, let's say, Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line, or Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich?  Does the America's Sweetheart vote trump Physical Transformation, especially if its a previous winner, who is young and just won five years previously?   In 2004, you didn't have an America's Sweetheart.  You had a respected fortysomething in a delightful, but light role, a gangbusters performance from another older woman whom no on had heard of at that point, a youngster who was also unknown and appeared to be very unmarketable, and another youngster who had been around and gave a great turn without any bells or whistles.  So, what you end up getting is the randomness of Oscar.  An actress who hadn't shown much versatility outside of baity characters, with a manufactured commercial appeal, would snag a second statue while so many of her respected peers have and would go without.  Filming for Baby wrapped mid-Summer 2004, and the movie was rushed out to limited release and blindsided everyone within five months.

The Nominated:
-Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby: SAG, GG Drama, National Society, Satellite, Kansas City, Boston, Phoenix, Central Ohio, Dallas-Fort Worth, Florida, Broadcast winner; DC, Vancouver, Online, Empire nominee (Budget: $30M, Domestic: $100M, Worldwide: $216.8M; 92% RT)

-Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake: National Society, LA, New York, Chicago, DC, Seattle, San Diego, Vancouver, Toronto, London winner; SAG, GG Drama, Satellite, Dallas-Fort Worth, Southeastern (2nd), Broadcast, Online nominee ($3.8M, $13.3M; 92%)

-Annette Bening, Being Julia: GG Comedy, Satellite, Southeastern, NBR winner; SAG, Boston (2nd), DC, Dallas-Fort Worth, Broadcast, London nominee ($7.7M, $14.3M; 76%)

-Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine: Las Vegas, Online winner; SAG, GG Comedy, Satellite, DC, Dallas-Fort Worth, Broadcast nominee ($20M, $34.4M, $72.3M; 93%)

-Catalina Sandion Moreno, Maria Full of Grace: Seattle, ISA winner; SAG, Satellite, Seattle, Dallas-Fort Worth, Broadcast, London nominee ($6.5M, $12.6M; 97%)

The Also Nominated/Winning (for supporting):
-Cate Blanchett, The Aviator: Empire (lead) nominee; SAG, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Central Ohio, DC, Online, BAFTA supporting winner; Golden Globe, LA (2nd), Boston (3rd), Dallas-Fort Worth (2nd), Vancouver, Broadcast, National (2nd), Satellite supporting nominee ($110M, $102.6M, $213.7M; 87%)

-Natalie Portman, Closer: London (lead) nominee; Golden Globe, San Diego supporting winner; Dallas-Fort Worth (3rd), Vancouver, Broadcast, Online, BAFTA, Satellite supporting nominee ($27M, $34M, $81.5M; 68%)

-Laura Linney, Kinsey: Vancouver (lead) winner; London (lead) nominee; Florida, NBR, Phoenix supporting winner; Golden Globe, SAG, Dallas-Fort Worth, Southeaster (2nd), DC, Broadcast, National Society, Satellite, Online supporting nominee ($11M, $10.3M, $16.9M; 89%)

The Also-Ran's:
-Julie Delpy, Before Sunset: San Francisco, Online, Empire winner; National Society (3rd), LA (2nd) nominee ($2.7M, $5.8M, $10.2M; 95%)

-Nicole Kidman, Birth: Palm Springs winner; GG Drama, London, nominee ($20M, $5.1M, $23.9M; 39%)

-Uma Thurman, Kill Bill: Vol. 2: GG Drama, Satellite, Broadcast, Online, Empire nominee ($30M, $66.2M, $152.2M; 84%)

The Rest of the Competition:
-Samantha Morton, Morvern Callar: Toronto, British Independent winner ($0.3M; 84%)

-Anne Reid, The Mother: Chlotrudis, BAFTA, British Independent nominee.  ($2.5M / $1.1M / $3M; 77%)

-Ashley Judd, De-Lovely: GG Comedy nominee ($15M, $13.5M, $18.6M; 48%)

-Kim Basinger, The Door in the Floor: Boston (2nd) nominee ($7.5M, $3.9M, $6.7M; 66%)


-Kerry Washington, Ray: Satellite nominee ($40M, $75.3M, $124.7M; 81%)

-Natalie Portman, Garden State: Satellite nominee; Vancouver supporting nominee ($2.5M, $26.8M, $35.8M; 86%)

-Scarlett Johansson, A Love Song for Bobby Long: GG Drama nominee ($0.2M, $1.8M; 42%)

-Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera: GG Comedy, Satellite nominee ($70M, $51.3M, $154.7M; 33%)

-Jena Malone, Saved!: Satellite nominee ($5M, $8.9M, $10.2M; 61%)

-Renée Zellweger, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason: GG Comedy nominee ($40M, $40.2M, $262.5M; 27%)

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Best Actress 2013: Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks

Okay, I KNOW it's a little early, but I thought I'd pop this out there, because few have seemed to have noticed (perhaps for good reason).  At first, I thought the Best Picture 2013 horizon wasn't looking so promising.  But then I read Brad Brevet's Fifty Most Promising Films at Rope of Silicon and his optimism kind of brushed off on me.  When thumbing through the release slate of Box Office Mojo, all I saw were sequels, tent-poles, remakes, and superheros.  But, I suffer from extreme negativity, so it's important to see things through other people's eyes.  Anyway, unlike 2012, but more like 2011, the Best Actress category, from a long distance, presently, has more bait happening than this time last year. There aren't a great deal of big-budget projects, but perhaps the biggest is John Lee Hancock's Saving Mr. Banks.  You know that name from The Blind Side.  Yes, I know you may have an aversion to that film, as well as Sandra Bullock's Oscar win.  But, he certainly gave her the star treatment, wouldn't you say?  According to Wikipedia, Banks centers on Emma Thompson as writer and actress P.L. Travers, who originated the Mary Poppins character in a series of books.  The film will explore her early life, as well as her turbulent relationship with Walt Disney (played by Tom Hanks) during the filming of the movie version.  Turned off by the use of animation, Travers would refuse subsequent offers for more adaptations.  So dismayed with her cinema experience, she would later agree to a stage adaptation under the provision that only British talent would be involved.  This movie sounds like it's clearly about HER.  Yay for Emma.

Hanks, once an Oscar regular, hasn't been the best good-luck charm lately.  Aside from 2011's Extremely Close getting nominated, his films haven't had a horse in the race for the last decade.  But, Thompson seems ripe for a lot of notice, no?  Sounds like she's finally getting the five-star treatment for the first time in a while.  Banks also stars Colin Farrell as her father (from the earlier part of her life, I gather; unless, they had the terrible idea of having his ghost visit her), Paul Giamatti as a chauffeur, Jason Schwartzman and BJ Novak as the team behind the Poppins' songs, Kathy Baker, Bradley Whitford, and Rachel Griffiths.

Tom Hanks & Emma Thompson on set in Disneyland

The script is a Black List 2011 entry from Kelly Marcel (she'll be adapting the upcoming Fifty Shades of Grey) and Sue Smith.  Lensing is John Schwartzman (the Oscar-nominated Seabiscuit, comic book adaptations, Ben Still & Michael Bay films), editing is Mark Livolsi (The Blind Side, The Devil Wears Prada, and some Cameron Crowe features), costumes by Daneil Orlandi (The Blind Side, and has worked with Hanks and Renée Zellweger as well), production design by Michael Corenblith (Apollo 13, How the Grinch Stole Christmas).  It's wrapped up filming in Los Angeles as of November and is scheduled to release shortly before Christmas.

Check out more Best Actress 2013 contenders

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