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- For the 2003 video Anal Perversions 2, Frances McDormand plays Herself.
- Frances McDormand plays the part of Herself - Best Actress Winner in the 1951 movie Blonde Atom Bomb.
- For the 2003 show Alab ng lahi, she is cast in the role of Elaine Miller.
- For the 1980 tv series Beogradska razglednica 1920, Frances McDormand's character is Andy Bowman.
- Frances McDormand plays Woman on TV in the 1957 feature Alive on Saturday.
- In 1977, she takes the role of Abby in the release of Bridge Too Far, A.
- She plays Grace in the 2005 video The Bet 2.
- Frances McDormand plays Mae Foley in the 1962 release of Ankoku-gai saigo no hi.
- She plays the part of Michelle in the 2003 tv series Clap Avenir.
- She is cast in the role of Clare in the 2000 movie Civility.
- In 2007, she is cast in the role of Julie Hastings in the movie Aur Pappu Pass Ho Gaya.
- For the 2005 release of The Amityville Horror, Frances McDormand stars as Marge Gunderson.
- Frances McDormand plays the part of Eve Calloway in the 2000 Contre la montre.
- In 1970, she is cast in the role of Ingrid Jessner in the movie The Animals of Eden and After.
- In 1931, Frances McDormand's character is Gus in the movie By the Sea.
- Frances McDormand is cast in the role of Alice in the 1998 feature April Fool.
- Jane in the 2002 Avioneta colombiana.
- Frances McDormand stars as Bunny in the 2002 feature Alamat ng lawin, Ang.
- In 2005, she plays Miss Clavel in the show 2005 Writers Guild Awards.
- Frances McDormand stars as Doris Crane in the 2003 movie Abrazos, tango en Buenos Aires.
- For the 1971 production of Cavalkada, she plays Herself.
- In 1993, Frances McDormand plays Mrs. Pell in the movie The Big Swim.
- In 2003, Frances McDormand plays June in the release Best of Amateur.
- She plays the part of Dr. Verstak in the 1996 show Adrien Lesage: Un week-end en Bourgogne.
- In 2000, she plays Nora Scanlan in the movie Anno in campagna, Un.
- For the 1974 production of Amanet, she takes the role of Dr. Molly Arrington.
- For the 2001 production of The American Astronaut, she is cast in the role of Dot.
- For the 2004 movie Decadencia del club, La, Herself.
- She stars as Betty Weathers in the 1989 tv series Alles moet anders.
- In 2000, she plays the part of Zoe Barry in the production of The Angelic Organ.
- In 2004, Frances McDormand's character is Conlon in the release of Cuarto, El.
- Frances McDormand's character is Anne in the 1971 movie Geomeun janggabeul gyeola.
- For the 1974 movie Algo es algo dijo el diablo, she is cast in the role of Brigette.
- For the 1997 release Classic Albums: Paul Simon - Graceland, Frances McDormand plays the part of Sara Gaskell.
- Frances McDormand's character is Herself in the 1921 movie Dashing North.
- She stars as Willie Pipal (1987) in the 1992 movie Coupable d'innocence.
- She stars as Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Supporting Role in the 2004 release of Bazuka.
- In 2008, Frances McDormand stars as Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Supporting Role in the release of Cash.
- For the 2006 show Girls Night Out, Frances McDormand plays The Handler.
- For the 1916 movie Gonzague, Glory.
- In 1983, Beatrice in the feature Headphone Lullaby.
- Review: 'Burn After Reading' is darkly comedic, Coen brothers style
  
  Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand offer moments that are hard to resist. WRITER-DIRECTORS Joel and Ethan Coen have such a distinctive creative palette that there ought t
  on 2008-09-12 04:49:34
- Review: 'Burn After Reading' is darkly comedic, Coen brothers style
  
  Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand offer moments that are hard to resist. Writer-directors Joel and Ethan Coen have such a distinctive creative palette that there ought t
  on 2008-09-11 05:03:51
- Exclusive: Brad Pitt's Wacky On-Set Antics!
  
  Ever wonder what it's like to work with Brad Pitt? Go behind the scenes of 'Burn After Reading' to find out! Get a peek at his hilarious on-set antics in this new video, only on ET! Producers Ethan and Joel Coen talk about working with the actor, while
  on 2008-09-03 04:51:58
- Pitt and Clooney Premiere ?Burn After Reading?
  
  After a rousing arrival via luxury boat earlier today for their photo call, Brad Pitt and George Clooney traded in their suits for tuxedos on their way to the 2008 Venice Film Festival premiere of “Burn After Reading.” The “Oceans E
  on 2008-08-28 05:03:03
- Coen Brothers' Tale Of Idiots
  
  The Coen brothers wrote their dark comedy, "Burn After Reading," with stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand in mind. Not necessarily a compliment.
  on 2008-08-28 04:50:27
- Coens' 'Reading' is fundamental
  
  I have high hopes for the new Coen brothers movie, Burn After Reading, after seeing the trailer. (Note: This "red-band" preview contains some spicy language.) The film stars Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt, who I'm now convinced is aging backwards....
  on 2008-05-30 12:55:09
- Broadway looks to Odets
  
  Legit News: After years of neglect, scribe ripe for revival -- Is Clifford Odets poised for a return to the spotlight? A high-profile revival of Odets' 1950 backstage drama "The Country Girl," with Mike Nichols helming a cast toplined by Morgan Freeman, F
  on 2008-04-18 16:51:36
- CURTAIN'S UP!
  
  BIG stars and classic stories make this season's theater premieres must-sees. Get your tickets now for these shows starting in April and May.A heavy-hitting cast including Morgan Freeman, Frances McDormand and Peter Gallagher is sure to make "The...
  on 2008-04-09 04:46:43
- 'Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day'
  
  Frances McDormand and Amy Adams charm in the light, fun romantic fantasy. It's hard not to like a movie in which Frances McDormand spends ha
  on 2008-03-07 04:45:29
- McDormand, Adams shine in "Miss Pettigrew Lives" (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - So fluffy that it threatens to blow off the screen at any moment, "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" sustains itself through glorious star turns by gifted actresses Frances McDormand and Amy Adams.
  on 2008-03-02 16:45:17
- McDormand, Adams shine in "Miss Pettigrew Lives" (Reuters)
  
  Reuters - So fluffy that it threatens to blow off the screen at any moment, "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" sustains itself through glorious star turns by gifted actresses Frances McDormand and Amy Adams.
  on 2008-03-02 16:45:11
- Jacobs Theater books Nichols' 'Girl'
  
  Legit News: Star-studded Broadway revival to bow in April -- Mike Nichols' Broadway revival of "The Country Girl" has booked the Jacobs Theater, where the show will open in April. Toplined by previously announced stars Morgan Freeman, Frances McDormand an
  on 2008-02-01 20:46:33
- http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/2006/01/05/1380146-ap.html 'Brokeback' leads SAG film noms By DAVID GERMAIN Screen Actors Guild award nominees LOS ANGELES (AP) - The cowboy love story Brokeback Mountain led nominees Thursday for film prizes from actors and directors unions, including performers Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams and Jake Gyllenhaal and filmmaker Ang Lee. Brokeback Mountain earned four Screen Actors Guild nominations: lead actor for Ledger and supporting actor for Gyllenhaal, who play old shepherding buddies concealing their homosexual affair from their families; supporting actress for Williams, who plays Ledger's wife; and best overall performance by its entire cast. Lee, whose films include Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Hulk, was among best-filmmaker nominees by the Directors Guild of America. Other directing nominees were George Clooney for the Edward R. Murrow tale Good Night, and Good Luck; Paul Haggis for the ensemble drama Crash; Bennett Miller for the Truman Capote story Capote; and Steven Spielberg for Munich, a thriller centred on the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics. Clooney also earned a supporting-actor nominee from SAG for his role as an undercover CIA agent in the oil-industry thriller Syriana. Along with Brokeback Mountain, SAG nominations for best film cast went to Capote, Crash, Good Night and Good Luck, and Hustle & Flow, the story of a pimp and drug dealer forging a career as a rap singer. Joining Ledger in the lead-actor category were Philip Seymour Hoffman as author Capote in Capote; Russell Crowe as Depression-era boxer Jim Braddock in Cinderella Man; Joaquin Phoenix as singer Johnny Cash in Walk the Line; and David Strathairn as newsman Murrow in Good Night and Good Luck. Lead-actress nominees were Judi Dench as a society dame who starts a nude stage revue in 1930s London in Mrs. Henderson Presents; Felicity Huffman in a gender-bending role as a man preparing for sex-change surgery in Transamerica; Charlize Theron as a woman leading a sexual-harassment lawsuit at a mining company in North Country; Reese Witherspoon as Cash's soulmate and eventual wife, June Carter, in Walk the Line; and Ziyi Zhang as a poor girl who becomes a belle of Japan in Memoirs of a Geisha. Huffman also was nominated for best actress in a TV comedy series for Desperate Housewives, a role that earned her an Emmy last year. Desperate Housewives co-stars Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross and Eva Longoria, who along with Huffman took four of the five TV musical or comedy nominations at the upcoming Golden Globes, all were shut out for guild nominations. The show's entire cast was honoured with a nomination for comedy ensemble, along with Arrested Development, Boston Legal, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Everybody Loves Raymond and My Name Is Earl. Nominated for TV drama ensemble were The Closer, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Six Feet Under and The West Wing. Policeman roles in Crash - Don Cheadle as a devoted detective, Matt Dillon as a racist beat cop - earned them supporting-actor nominations. Along with Gyllenhaal and Clooney, the other nominee was Paul Giamatti as boxer Braddock's manager in Cinderella Man. Joining Williams as supporting-actress nominees were Amy Adams as a southern waif in the comic drama Junebug; Catherine Keener as Capote pal Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, in Capote; Frances McDormand as an ailing miner in North Country; and Rachel Weisz as a slain humanitarian-aid worker in The Constant Gardener. SAG awards will be presented Jan. 29 in a ceremony televised on TNT and TBS. The Directors Guild will present its awards Jan. 30. - On the Net: Screen Actors Guild: http://www.sagawards.org Directors Guild of America: http://www.dga.org - Nominees for Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominees for the 12th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards: Movies: Actor: Russell Crowe, Cinderella Man; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote; Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain; Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line; David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck. Actress: Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents; Felicity Huffman, Transamerica; Charlize Theron, North Country; Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line; Ziyi Zhang, Memoirs of a Geisha. Supporting actor: Don Cheadle, Crash; George Clooney, Syriana; Matt Dillon, Crash; Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man; Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain. Supporting actress: Amy Adams, Junebug; Catherine Keener, Capote; Frances McDormand, North Country; Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener; Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain. Ensemble cast: Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Crash, Good Night, and Good Luck, Hustle & Flow. - Television: Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Kenneth Branagh, Warm Springs; Ted Danson, Knights of the South Bronx; Ed Harris, Empire Falls; Paul Newman, Empire Falls; Christopher Plummer, Our Fathers. Actress in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Tonantzin Carmelo, Into the West; S. Epatha Merkerson, Lackawanna Blues; Cynthia Nixon, Warm Springs; Joanne Woodward, Empire Falls; Robin Wright Penn, Empire Falls. Actor in a Drama Series: Alan Alda, The West Wing; Patrick Dempsey, Grey's Anatomy; Hugh Laurie, House; Ian McShane, Deadwood; Kiefer Sutherland, 24. Actress in a Drama Series: Patricia Arquette, Medium; Geena Davis, Commander in Chief; Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy; Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer. Actor in a Comedy Series: Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Sean Hayes, Will & Grace; Jason Lee, My Name Is Earl; William Shatner, Boston Legal; James Spader, Boston Legal. Actress in a Comedy Series: Candice Bergen, Boston Legal; Patricia Heaton, Everybody Loves Raymond; Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives; Megan Mullally, Will & Grace; Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds. Drama ensemble: The Closer, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Six Feet Under, The West Wing. Comedy ensemble: Arrested Development, Boston Legal, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Desperate Housewives, Everybody Loves Raymond, My Name Is Earl.
- http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051204/en_nm/leisure_boxoffice_dc By Dean Goodman 2 hours, 2 minutes ago LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron dropped her second box office bomb in two months on Sunday as her superhero saga "Aeon Flux" earned just $13.1 million during its first weekend, opening at No. 2. " Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," meanwhile, ruled for a third round, with sales of $20.5 million, but is likely to lose the crown next weekend to "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe," which opens Friday. "Aeon Flux," the only wide new release during a traditionally quiet post-Thanksgiving weekend, opened at the higher end of diminished industry expectations, which ranged between $10 million and $13 million. The film cost $60 million to make, said its distributor, Paramount Pictures. Theron plays the title character (pronounced E-ON), a futuristic secret agent who must assassinate a corrupt government leader. It is based on a series of animated shorts that originally ran on MTV. Fellow Oscar-winner Frances McDormand ("Fargo") also stars. Karyn Kusama ("Girlfight") directs. Paramount did not screen the film in advance for critics, a strategy usually employed when studios fear bad reviews will crimp sales. Wayne Lewellen, president of distribution at the Viacom Inc.-owned studio, said the film's target audience of young males does not respond to reviews, and he was very happy with the opening. Theron is also in theaters with "North Country," playing a Minnesota mineworker who battles sexual harassment. It has earned just $18 million since its release on October 21. The 30-year-old South African won an Academy Award in 2004 for playing a lesbian killer in "Monster," which earned about $35 million. Female superheroes have not been much of a box office draw recently, as evidenced by Halle Berry's "Catwoman" and Jennifer Garner's "Elektra." The opening for "Aeon Flux" was "respectable," given that "Harry Potter" is dominating the marketplace, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. With regard to Theron, he said she has had a tough time at the box office, but her career should be safe. "She's stunning to look at," Dergarabedian said. After three weekends, "Harry Potter" has earned $229.8 million, and is easily outpacing its three predecessors. It was released by Warner Bros. Pictures, a unit of Time Warner Inc., which expects it will hit the $290 million-$300 million range. Its international haul stands at $330.6 million, powered by $64.3 million from the U.K., and $44.1 million from Japan. The Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line" slipped one place to No. 3 with $10 million. After three weekends, the Joaquin Phoenix- Reese Witherspoon vehicle has earned $68.8 million. It was released by 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp. "Yours, Mine & Ours," a family comedy starring Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo as the heads of a super-sized blended family, fell one to No. 4 with $8.4 million in its second weekend. The Paramount release has earned $34.6 million to date. The comedy "Just Friends" rose one to No. 5 with $5.9 million in its second weekend, taking its 10-day haul to $21.4 million. It was released by Time Warner's New Line Cinema.
- http://www.suntimes.com/output/pearlman/sho-sunday-jen06.html Aniston not nearly 'Derailed' in real life November 6, 2005 BY CINDY PEARLMAN NEW YORK -- "You know how some destructive relationships can keep you trapped ..." Jennifer Aniston is saying. On an early Sunday morning in New York City, America's magazine cover girl catches herself mid-sentence, stops and smiles nervously. She's not talking about her breakup with Brad; she's talking about her character's attraction to one of the men in her latest film. Aniston seems to have an internal mute button that flashes when she says anything that could be misconstrued -- even something as innocent as a character assessment. She stars in the new thriller "Derailed," opening Friday, and it's safe to say that Aniston's own life derailed a bit during this last year, when she became the ex-Mrs. Brad Pitt. "I'm not a role model or the poster child for how to do anything," she cautions. Then she breaks her patented "don't talk" motto and confesses, "This was my first time at this particular picnic. "It was all about family, great support, great friends and work. What I went through is nothing out of the ordinary. People walk through this stuff all the time." Yes, people go through divorces all the time, but they're not marked with your ex running around the globe with Angelina Jolie and her two children. Most divorces aren't played out in global headlines, either. But just in case you were wondering, Aniston insists she has never read any of the rags. "It's toxic," she says. "I don't pay attention to it." What she has paid attention to was establishing a film career. "I can say that it's good to have a creative outlet. I love having work." It's ironic that Aniston's personal life hit the bricks at the same time her professional one heated up. After 10 years playing Rachel Green on "Friends," she's trying her hand at movie stardom. To that end, she just wrapped the curiously titled "The Break Up," with Vince Vaughn. Aniston calls the shot-in-Chicago film "fated." "It's been cathartic and fantastic," she says. How fantastic? More on that in a minute. "Rumor Has It," directed by Rob Reiner and co-starring Mark Ruffalo and Kevin Costner, is due out in December. Aniston plays an obituary writer who believes she's the daughter of the couple who created the story for "The Graduate." Aniston will also star in 2006 in "Friends With Money," with Catherine Keener, Frances McDormand and Joan Cusack. She plays a maid who laments the fact that all her friends are married except for her. The first test of her movie mettle comes with "Derailed," directed by Mikael Hafstom. Aniston got the during a far different time in her life. She was hanging out in Italy with Pitt at George Clooney's Lake Como villa. English star Clive Owen was already attached to "Derailed," which revolves around a suburban Chicago ad man who strays from his mundane life when he meets a sexy woman on a train. It's not the largest role in the movie, but size doesn't matter to Aniston. "I actually prefer this. It's more interesting," she says. "And I would never take a part based on it being the lead." The plot takes a quick, dark turn, and Aniston wasn't sure she could go to that place at the time. But Julia Roberts, who at the time was starring with Owen in "Closer," sang his praises and, as the stories go, helped push Aniston over the edge. But she still worried about it. "There was a moment of, 'Oh gosh, I hope I can pull this off," Aniston admits. The result is the film might even debunk the American sweetheart image she created over her decade as our best Friend? "Well, God, I hope so," Aniston replies. "Actually, that America's sweetheart label gets put on a lot of people. I don't even really pay that much attention to labels. "I'm not trying to shake anything," she announces. "I'm just following my own instincts and grateful for the work that comes to me." Coming to Chicago to film back-to-back films -- "Derailed" and "The Break Up" -- helped give her a new setting to contemplate the next chapter in her life, which, she has stated for the record, may well include a new relationship and definitely children at some point. During her summer in Chicago, Aniston was cloaked by a bodyguard to deflect those with long lenses. And then there was the other guy she snuggled with at night. His name is Norman and he's a Welsh corgi-terrier mix. And then there was Oprah. "I just love her so much. She makes you feel like we're all figuring it out together," Aniston says of the Chicago talk-show host. "She has just been a very good friend to me." She adds, "Honestly, I did love Chicago. I loved filming there. The people were so kind and respectful. They really left me alone." Aniston says the strangest place she was recognized was in the Peninsula Hotel's steam room. "What can you do?" she says with a shrug. "It's still a great steam room." Speaking of steamy, if you believe the tabloid pictures, she returned a few weeks ago for a chapter that could be dubbed "The Make Out." Photographers snapped Aniston and "Break Up" co-star Vince Vaughn curled up and cozy on her balcony at that very same Peninsula Hotel. With her hair messed up and wearing no makeup, she certainly didn't look like Brad Pitt's tortured ex. She insists she's not, as the tabloids have indicated, moving to Chicago. "How do these things get started?" she says with a sigh. She has called Vaughn a friend. "I adore him," she said recently. "He's delicious and funny. He's got all the colors of the rainbow. But I don't want to be a rebound girl. I feel like it will happen when it happens." Additional questions about her recent clinches in Chicago are greeted with a firm "No comment." Aniston wants to wrap her mind around work and relaxing. "I'm always looking for good work -- dramatic, comedic, whatever it is. These movies like 'Derailed' and 'The Break Up' came along at a perfect time. It was just sort of fate." For now, Aniston is "enjoying the solitude." As for the next whirlwind in her already breezy life, she shrugs and insists, "I don't know what's going to happen next." She plans to take a little time off. Could falling love be on the agenda? "I have so much love in my life," she says. "I'm very lucky."
- http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9129736/ Charlize Theron 'Arrested' by Fox comedy Oscar-winning actress to appear in five episodes of acclaimed series Charlize Theron earned a best actress Oscar last year for her portrayal of a serial killer in "Monster." She also is up for Emmy honors this year for her co-starring role in the HBO biopic "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," in which she played actress Britt Ekland. Hollywood Reporter LOS ANGELES - Oscar winner Charlize Theron is set to add some star power to Fox's "Arrested Development" when its third season debuts next month. Theron has signed on to guest-star in five episodes of the critically acclaimed black comedy, playing a British woman who becomes the love interest of "Development" star Jason Bateman. Theron will debut in the second "Development" episode of the season, after its Sept. 19 premiere. Theron earned a best actress Oscar last year for her portrayal of a serial killer in "Monster." She also is up for Emmy honors this year for her co-starring role in the HBO biopic "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," in which she played actress Britt Ekland. On the feature side, Theron recently wrapped production on "Aeon Flux," a live-action adaptation of the MTV animated series. In the fall, she will be seen opposite Frances McDormand and Sissy Spacek in Warner Bros. Pictures' drama "North Country." Theron's other recent credits include 2003's "The Italian Job" and 2004's "Head in the Clouds."
- "Thanatos" wrote in message news:atropos-5602CE.21455318032008@news.giganews.com... > In article > , > TranslucentAmoebae wrote: possession"http://www.tmz.com/2008/03/11/mary-ann-busted-with-mary-jane/ responsibility"http://www.tmz.com/2008/03/12/it-wasnt-mary-anns-mary-jane/ > difference? He can't tell you...too drunk.
- http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050830/en_nm/theron_dc;_ylt=AsjDvIL21awssojKWynTqjFb.nQA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl By Cynthia Littleton Tue Aug 30, 5:23 AM ET LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Oscar winner Charlize Theron is set to add some star power to Fox's "Arrested Development" when its third season debuts next month. Theron has signed on to guest-star in five episodes of the critically acclaimed black comedy, playing a British woman who becomes the love interest of "Development" star Jason Bateman. Theron will debut in the second "Development" episode of the season, after its September 19 premiere. Theron earned a best actress Oscar last year for her portrayal of a serial killer in "Monster." She also is up for Emmy honors this year for her co-starring role in the HBO biopic "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," in which she played actress Britt Ekland. On the feature side, Theron recently wrapped production on "Aeon Flux," a live-action adaptation of the MTV animated series. In the fall, she will be seen opposite Frances McDormand and Sissy Spacek in Warner Bros. Pictures' drama "North Country." Theron's other recent credits include 2003's "The Italian Job" and 2004's "Head in the Clouds." Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
- http://www.smh.com.au/news/Film/Hero-worship/2005/06/03/1117568361528.html?o neclick=true Hero worship By Bruce Elder June 4, 2005 Comic relief: Batman is descended from the Homeric hero, but offers a rose-tinted view of the world in which truth and justice are easily achievable goals. The names and faces may change, but Hollywood has a lasting love affair with warriors who embody wisdom, strength and courage in the face of evil. It has not been a good year for old-style heroes. Hector (Eric Bana), Achilles (Brad Pitt) and Paris (Orlando Bloom) all died an early death at the box office courtesy of Troy. Ridley Scott's crusader epic, Kingdom of Heaven, with a budget of $US130 million ($171 million), and Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson leading the charge, has made only $US41 million after three weeks and is fading fast. Oliver Stone's Alexander, with an estimated budget of $US150 million and a raft of high-profile actors - including Anthony Hopkins, Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie - faltered at the US box office after earning a paltry $US34.3 million, even though it opened on 2445 screens. Still, Hollywood persists. The people who control the comic and pulp fiction superhero franchises, which have served the American movie machine so well in the past, still believe they have a lucrative and responsive market. Will they succeed? By this time next year we will know for sure. Later this month Batman Begins (with Christian Bale in the title role) will try to reverse the trend. Already in production is Superman Returns with Brandon Routh, which is due out in July next year. And it seems certain that a new James Bond (played by Jude Law, perhaps) will attempt to make the 43-year-old franchise relevant next year by offering audiences Casino Royale, the 21st movie in the series. Of course, none of this can be dismissed as an irrational rush of blood on the part of Hollywood financiers. There seems to be a calculating, hard-nosed logic to the movie capital's enduring commitment to old-style heroic epics and previously lucrative superhero franchises. The world is at war - or at least George Bush is telling the world it is at war. Conventional heroes are in short supply. The war in Iraq has not produced a single person to match the heroic status of Stormin' Norman Schwarzkopf of the first Gulf War a decade earlier. There is a need to find heroes who can save the world and make it safe. That epic to beat all epics, Lord of the Rings, has earned more money than Donald Trump. Frodo and Gandalf have become role models for small people and whiskery, aged people alike. And Star Wars is still filling swimming pools with barrow-loads of money at Skywalker Ranch. So what has gone wrong? What happened to the old-style celluloid epic hero? Is it true that in a digital age audiences are more excited by 20,000 digitally created warriors than a screen heart-throb standing tall and behaving honourably? Or have we simply become sick of Hollywood foisting upon us muscled men in short skirts uttering monosyllabic banalities? These questions swirl around the recent epic film failures - especially Troy. If any film of this genre was going to succeed, surely this was the one that had "gold-plated" written over every spear, arrow and the naked bottoms of Brad Pitt and Diane Kruger. However, it couldn't retrieve its $US185 million budget; it collapsed at the US box office with returns of about $133 million. The story of Troy, based on Homer's Iliad, was the archetype for nearly all western epics and the near-invincible and god-like Achilles was the quintessential hero. But Hollywood miscast Brad Pitt. "Oh dear!" audiences around the world thought, "If heroes have come to this, then maybe we're better off with boneheaded, pratfalling heroes such as Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) and Longfellow Deeds (Adam Sandler). Maybe we should be grateful that at least we have the spectacle of tens of thousands of spear-waving pixillated ciphers when we waste our time going to a bad costume epic." That's the issue. Have we reached a point where the bumbling, fumbling incompetent (think of the irritating Mr Incredible in The Incredibles, which earned more than its $US92 million budget within a week of release in the US) is more attractive than the man of action? Have we, against all the persuasive marketing power of Hollywood, turned our backs on the classic heroes? Troy and Achilles (and Brad Pitt) lie at the heart of any discussion about heroes because, as the Oxford Dictionary points out, when the word "hero" entered the English language in the 14th century it meant: "A name given (as in Homer) to men of superhuman strength, courage, or ability, favoured by the gods ... regarded as intermediate between gods and men, and immortal." A definition, interestingly, that would comfortably apply to Superman, Spiderman, Batman, the Phantom et al. Over the next three centuries, the term broadened to include any "man who exhibits extraordinary bravery, firmness, fortitude, or greatness of soul, in any course of action, a man admired and venerated for his achievements and noble qualities". This definition pretty much includes all those monosyllabic western heroes depicted by John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott and Audie Murphy, as well as characters of great moral courage such as John Proctor (Daniel Day-Lewis) in The Crucible and Juror No. 8 (Henry Fonda) in 12 Angry Men. Hollywood saw heroes in simple terms. They were the goodies put on Earth to fight baddies. Heroes ensured that the baddies were defeated, the girl was saved, disaster averted and the world returned to decency and stability. The most cliched manifestation of the "goodie" hero was Alan Ladd in Shane (1953). He wore white buckskins, was filmed from a low angle against a blue sky and did "what a man's got to do" in silent dignity before riding into the distance. By contrast, the hired killer Jack Wilson, played by Jack Palance, wore black, was so evil his presence terrified the local dog (in one of the great cinematic scenes) and shot harmless innocents who ended up face down in the mud outside the saloon. This was both the cliche and the archetype. As Andrew Bernstein writes in The Philosophical Foundations of Heroism: "It is not an accident that, historically, most of mankind's heroes have been great warriors. This is so because men have recognised implicitly that there are a special few who take on all comers to achieve their ends. The designation 'hero' is a moral approbation reserved for this elite." With this traditional concept of the hero in mind, the movie industry has embraced five discernable heroic types. The most widely accepted is the hero as a man of action. This is the cliched vision of the Hollywood hero. This includes Mad Max, John J. Rambo (in the later movies), Rocky Balboa, the Terminator and any Stan Lee comic hero lucky enough to make the big screen. These heroes are invariably played by good-looking actors - although how vertically challenged people such as Alan Ladd (who, according to legend, had to stand on a box to kiss his leading lady and almost needed a ladder to get on his horse) and Tom Cruise fit the definition is a mystery. Equally vexing is the presence of Arnie Schwarzenegger, Vin Diesel, Sylvester Stallone and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Bernstein explains this love of gleaming muscles, however, when he observes, "The hero is valorous because he stands up to every threat directed against his values." The values espoused by Rocky, Rambo and their pals are nothing more than good versus evil, which, in Hollywood terms, means anyone (communists, terrorists, international criminals, psychopaths) who dares to challenge the American way. There is the hero as a man of wisdom. At its most banal, this is the martial arts master Kesuke Miyagi (Pat Morito) in The Karate Kid. In recent times it has found its finest flowering in Gandalf (Ian McKellen) in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness and Ewan McGregor) in the Star Wars movies. All these characters are derived from seers and mystics in myths and legends, the best-known example being Merlin in the King Arthur legend. As Bernstein writes, "It is the antagonism he faces that calls forth one of a hero's most salient moral characteristics: his courage." Courage, in the case of the macho heroes, is physical courage in the face of danger. However, it is no less potent when the man of wisdom risks his life to protect and retain a sense of goodness and decency in the world. The hero as a man of silence is one of the most enduring and compelling cinema images. Akira Kurosawa's 1954 masterpiece, The Seven Samurai, explored this idea with the silent samurai and, in turn, this led to the role of the knife-wielding Britt (James Coburn) in The Magnificent Seven and reached its nadir in Joe, sometimes known as the Man With No Name, played by Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone's spaghetti western trilogy. The appeal of this kind of hero teeters on the edge of fantasy. It certainly plays to an unrealistic notion of human behaviour. Bernstein writes this is pure courage, which he defines as "mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear or difficulty". The hero as fantasy figure or comic-book fighter is a modern American variation on the Homeric hero. Although the settings approximate to modern America (Metropolis and Gotham City are both remarkably similar to New York), the rest of the story is pure wish fulfilment. Cinematic comic-book heroes offer a rose-tinted image of America where individuality, freedom, decency, fairness and justice are achievable goals. The first television Superman (George Reeves), for example, was promoted as a man who "fights a never-ending battle for Truth, Justice and the American Way", but, given that this was 1950s America, he never ventured into segregated Mississippi or Arkansas to fight for justice or truth for African-Americans. Equally, Batman is solely interested in meting out revenge to cartoon criminals with names such as the Joker, the Riddler, Catwoman and the Penguin. The hero as the suave, clever sophisticate is rooted in swinging 1960s London and is reserved almost entirely for James Bond. The Americans have never been able to match Bond's cool style and the screen character has never been played by an American. David Niven, Sean Connery, Timothy Dalton, George Lazenby (a bizarre Aussie exception), Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan have all had a bash at being sophisticated in a very British kind of way. While these kinds of heroes have dominated the screen, it is interesting that: (a) they never encompass the idea of the female heroine; (b) they have little time for the antihero, and; (c) they rarely reach beyond the easy cliche of strength, good looks and simple courage. This is a fascinating insight into Hollywood's determination to persist with formulas while ignoring the evidence. In 2003, for example, the American Film Institute polled 150 directors, actors, screenwriters, critics and film historians to determine the great heroes and villains of the American cinema. The winner was not some pectoral-flexing, square-jawed macho man, but a middle-aged widower who, as a single parent, tried to look after two children and constantly felt he wasn't much good as a parent - Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) in To Kill a Mockingbird. The same survey found that, in the '90s, the dominant heroes were not action men but unassuming women such as Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) in the film of the same name, Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon), Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) in Fargo and Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) in The Silence of the Lambs. Bernstein says: "Courage does not necessarily require the confronting of physical danger, but it does involve more than facing extreme difficulty ... Courage is integrity in a context: it is unyielding commitment to one's values in the teeth of a force or foe that threatens them ... This bravery is the especial moral hallmark of the hero." The modern hero is courageous and moral rather than musclebound and overactive. This is probably the culmination of a process that started in the '50s with antiheroes such as Willy Loman (in Death of a Salesman), Cal Trask (James Dean) in East of Eden and Jim Stark (Dean again) in Rebel Without a Cause. Even at the height of Hollywood's "musclebound hero" phase, Sylvester Stallone was capable of playing that great Vietnam vet antihero John Rambo in the Rambo movies. He fought against a society that he believed had betrayed him. So, what about the new Batman, new Superman and a new James Bond? The orthodoxy suggests that they will be little different than their old models. They will deal with contemporary baddies (no prizes for guessing that Islamic terrorists will be high on the list) and their basic modi operandi will be the same. But now they will have all those fancy digital enhancements to ensure the explosions are bigger and the enemy is capable of mustering an army of tens of thousands. The hero has been around since Homer's time and we really don't want to tamper with him/her too much. Heroes fulfil our fantasies and ease our fears. And that always ensures that cinemas are full. Yesterday's Heroes 1920s * Sheik Ahmed (as played by Rudolph Valentino), The Sheik (1921) 1930s * Robin Hood (Errol Flynn), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) * The Saint (George Sanders), The Saint Strikes Back (1939) 1940s * Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart), The Big Sleep (1946) * Tom Joad (Henry Fonda), The Grapes of Wrath (1940) 1950s * Ethan Edwards (John Wayne), The Searchers (1956) * Juror No.8 (Henry Fonda), 12 Angry Men (1957) * Shane (Alan Ladd), Shane (1953) 1960s * Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) * James Bond (Sean Connery), Dr No (1962) 1970s * Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), Rocky (1976) * Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), Star Wars (1977) 1980s * John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone), First Blood (1982) * Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 1990s * Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), Fargo (1996) * Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Toy Story 2 (1999) 2000s * Gandalf (Ian McKellen), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) * General Maximus Decimus Meridus (Russell Crowe), Gladiator (2000)
- http://canoe.ca/JamMovies/jun8_mcdormand-can.html McDormand joins Theron in 'Flux' By JAM! Movies Frances McDormand is set to star opposite Charlize Theron in the sci-fi adventure "Aeon Flux," Variety reports. The story, based on the MTV cartoon series, is set 1,000 years in the future, when mankind has been ravaged by disease. In the one remaining city, the acrobatic title character, played by Theron, is the lead assassin in an underground rebellion. But when she is sent to kill a government official, she uncovers a secret that makes her question if she's on the right side. McDormand will portray the leader of the rebellion. The film, which begins shooting this summer in Berlin, will be directed by Karyn Kusama ("Girlfight"). McDormand, who recently appeared in "Something's Gotta Give," co-stars in "Catwoman," which opens next month. From Sunny Oz, Rick :) Proud Keeper of the talented & beautiful Halle Berry.
- http://canoe.ca/JamMovies/jul14_mcdormand-can.html McDormand eyes another Theron pic By JAM! Movies Frances McDormand and Charlize Theron better watch out -- they might get sick of each other. With McDormand already set to star opposite Charlize Theron in the sci-fi adventure "Aeon Flux," she is now in negotiations to join the "Monster" star once again in the drama "Class Action," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film, directed by Niko Caro ("Whale Rider"), is a fictionalized account of the first sexual harassment prosecution in the U.S. McDormand would take on the role of Glory, a friend of Theron's character, Josie, and a key plaintiff in her harassment case. From Sunny Oz, Rick :) Proud Keeper of the talented & beautiful Halle Berry.
- >By JAM! Movies > Frances McDormand is set to star opposite Charlize Theron in the sci-fi >adventure "Aeon Flux," Variety reports. flopflopflopflopflopflopflopflopflopflopflopflop
- http://people.aol.com/people/articles/0,19736,1017162,00.html By Stephen M. Silverman American reporters, among others, were banned from a Thursday press conference in Tokyo to promote Ocean's Twelve, at which one of the crime caper's stars, Brad Pitt, would only speak to Japanese interviewers – who had vowed not to ask about his marital breakup with Jennifer Aniston. "Given the fact that he is going through a difficult time in his relationship, it's to be expected that the world's media is not allowed inside," Antony Beilinsohn, an American TV show producer barred from the event, tells Reuters despite his having flown in from the United States for the gathering. Cart Common, representing a Japanese radio station, suggested that the limitation on press invitations was "maybe because the foreign press sometimes is really direct and ask rude questions about personal things ... while the Japanese press is very polite." Ocean's star George Clooney joined Pitt for the flight to Tokyo, where they reportedly were met at Narita International Airport by screaming fans. Pitt stopped to chat and sign autographs but refused to discuss his broken marriage. When one reporter on the scene asked why Pitt was back on the singles market, Clooney butted in as protector, saying: "Shame on you!" In a statement given exclusively to PEOPLE on Friday, Pitt, 41, and Aniston, 35, denied the accuracy of tabloid-reported reasons for their split and said that, after 4-1/2 years of marriage, they remained "committed and caring friends with great love and admiration for one another." Speculation had it that Pitt wanted to become a father but that Aniston preferred to concentrate on her career. This week she has returned to work in Hollywood on the film Friends with Money, costarring Frances McDormand.
- Doctor Wu wrote: > In article , > Predatory Rock Chick wrote: > Lisa I've seen it, but I've got it all backwards. Hugs, Janice ---------------------------------- (-)> *peep* (-)> *peep* (-)> *muckmouth*
- Comedy no laughing matter for Amanda Peet By LOUIS B. HOBSON -- Calgary Sun NEW YORK -- When Amanda Peet is nervous or frightened, she sings show tunes. On the set of Something's Gotta Give, she was belting out entire scores of Broadway musicals. In this hit romantic comedy, Peet plays a young woman who loses her rich, older boyfriend (Jack Nicholson) to her mother (Diane Keaton). "It really wasn't easy that first day on the set. I was so nervous about acting with Jack. I was freaking out because I was certain I'd forget my lines," recalls Peet. It was not a particularly easy scene for the 31-year-old New Yorker. She was required to strip to her bra and panties while she shows Nicholson around her mother's sprawling beach house. "While they were setting up the lights, I went into a corner by myself and began singing songs from Guys and Dolls. I thought I was being quiet but pretty soon I heard someone else singing." Peet looked over and there was Nicholson singing along. "That whole day we were doing the songs from Guys and Dolls. I really helped me relax, but I was still nervous every day because he is so imposing and so intimidating. "He doesn't mean to be. It's just who he is." She sees nothing incongruous about a her character dating a man twice her age. "It's Jack and Jack is pretty sexy. He really isn't an ordinary man. He has something special. Something intangible that makes him so appeal to a woman. Peet doesn't doff all her clothes as she did in The Whole Nine Yards, but would have had no qualms had the required it. "Something's Gotta Give is an incredible . I'll always do nudity for the right movies. I only have a problem with nudity when its for a really bad movie." Peet says The Whole Nine Yards was the best thing that ever happened to her. "That movie turned my whole career around. It got me into some of the best auditions in the business. "It was the first time I understood what it meant to be funny on camera. I was in awe of Reese Witherspoon when I saw her in Election because she was so supremely funny and I didn't know how she did it." Peet says her Nine Yards co-stars Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry and Kevin Pollak taught her "it's important your character doesn't think what she's doing is funny. That's what makes it funny for the audience." Peet says her return to film The Whole Ten Yards was "really poignant. Those guys felt like my mentors. It was a wonderful experience going back, and I think I did so much better because they were laughing at my stuff this time." She admits she didn't know whether to laugh or cry when Woody Allen asked her to read for his newest film. "I immediately called Diane Keaton to ask her about Woody. She told me not to be nervous because he is so sweet and straightforward, and she was right." Peet says she likes the way Allen works. "I only ever saw the scenes I was in so I have no idea what the whole film is about. "I play Will Ferrell's wife. She's not a very nice person. "Will was my kindred spirit on Woody's film. We were equally scared and convinced he'd fire us any day." Peet says working with Keaton and Frances McDormand on Something's Gotta Give taught her about the generation gap in Hollywood. "My generation is so different than theirs. We're far more obsessed with clothes, publicity and being at the biggest parties. "Diane and Frances don't care at all and that's genuine. I loved that they are not obsessed with plastic surgery. They're allowing themselves to age. "I still think that being glamourous is fun but, from them, I learned it should never be at the expense of the work From Sunny Oz, Rick :) Proud Keeper of the talented & beautiful Halle Berry.
- In article , Predatory Rock Chick wrote: > theater. have you seen "Laurel Canyon" yet? I just watched it recently, he's in it. It's very good, IMO. It also has Frances McDormand. I've liked him since "American Psycho". -- Lisa
- http://people.aol.com/people/articles/0,19736,1017162,00.html By Stephen M. Silverman American reporters, among others, were banned from a Thursday press conference in Tokyo to promote Ocean's Twelve, at which one of the crime caper's stars, Brad Pitt, would only speak to Japanese interviewers – who had vowed not to ask about his marital breakup with Jennifer Aniston. "Given the fact that he is going through a difficult time in his relationship, it's to be expected that the world's media is not allowed inside," Antony Beilinsohn, an American TV show producer barred from the event, tells Reuters despite his having flown in from the United States for the gathering. Cart Common, representing a Japanese radio station, suggested that the limitation on press invitations was "maybe because the foreign press sometimes is really direct and ask rude questions about personal things ... while the Japanese press is very polite." Ocean's star George Clooney joined Pitt for the flight to Tokyo, where they reportedly were met at Narita International Airport by screaming fans. Pitt stopped to chat and sign autographs but refused to discuss his broken marriage. When one reporter on the scene asked why Pitt was back on the singles market, Clooney butted in as protector, saying: "Shame on you!" In a statement given exclusively to PEOPLE on Friday, Pitt, 41, and Aniston, 35, denied the accuracy of tabloid-reported reasons for their split and said that, after 4-1/2 years of marriage, they remained "committed and caring friends with great love and admiration for one another." Speculation had it that Pitt wanted to become a father but that Aniston preferred to concentrate on her career. This week she has returned to work in Hollywood on the film Friends with Money, costarring Frances McDormand.
- New Friends for Jennifer November 30, 2004 - 11:07AM Jennifer Aniston is set to star in a new version of Friends, according to Daily Variety. But don't get set for a revival of the hit television comedy just yet. The new project is unrelated to the situation comedy and is an independent film project called Friends with Money that will also star Frances McDormand and Joan Cusack. The movie, by director Nicole Holofcener, will revolve around the friends' relationships with one another and their husbands. Aniston's character is the only one in the film who's not married. - DPA From Sunny Oz, Rick :) Proud Keeper of the talented & beautiful Halle Berry.
- By Liza Foreman LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - After a tumultuous development history, "Basic Instinct 2" is back on track with Scottish filmmaker Michael Caton-Jones in negotiations to direct MGM's sequel to the 1992 murder mystery. The move comes within two months of the producers, Andy Vajna and Mario Kassar, settling a three-year-old lawsuit with actress Sharon Stone, who claimed they had promised to pay her at least $14 million even if the film was not made. Stone is now set to reprise her role as Catherine Tramell, the manipulative, seductive novelist at the heart of a murder investigation in the original. That film, her last big hit, also starred Michael Douglas and was directed by Paul Verhoeven. The sequel was originally due to go into production in 2000, albeit without Douglas and Verhoeven, who reportedly had problems with each other the first time around. Several directors were attached, including John McTiernan, who pulled out after Stone reportedly vetoed Benjamin Bratt as her co-star. Caton-Jones has most recently been working on "Shooting Dogs," which is based on the true story of a Catholic priest and an English teacher caught in the Rwandan genocide. Before that, he helmed "City by the Sea," toplining Robert De Niro and Frances McDormand. His other credits include "The Jackal," "Rob Roy" and "Memphis Belle." Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
- http://msnbc.msn.com/ID/5809456/ Reese Witherspoon: More than plucky? She may have the drive, but that doesn't necessarily mean she has the talent Reese Witherspoon stars in "Vanity Fair." She will next play June Carter Cash in "I Walk the Line." COMMENTARY By Tara Ariano and Sarah D. Bunting Updated: 1:42 a.m. ET Sept. 1, 2004 Reese Witherspoon has it all, and can do it all - at least according to this month's Vanity Fair, which put Her Blondeness on the cover. The accompanying article made much of her successes in the realms of both film and family: she commands $15 million per picture, and goes from genre to genre with relative ease, starring in franchise chick flicks, satires and period pieces. Witherspoon is also happily married to semi-retired teen dream Ryan Phillippe, and devoted to her children. Everything's coming up Reese these days. But she's not just on the cover of Vanity Fair; she's also starring in the film version of the Thackeray novel "Vanity Fair," and the role of Becky Sharp is not a particularly likeable one. Witherspoon has made a career out of her accessibility - she's pretty, but not intimidatingly so; she's successful, but she's paid her dues. Can she continue to count on audience goodwill if she plays a less agreeable character, or are her days as America 's Sweetheart numbered? Sarah Bunting I like Reese Witherspoon a lot as an actress. I don't think I'd enjoy her much as a person, for reasons I can't quite put my finger on; the Vanity Fair piece gives me the impression that she's sort of humorless. (Although said piece also mentions that her idea of a fun afternoon is a trip to the Container Store. I looooove the Container Store. Reese, call me!) But even when she's playing obnoxious characters, I like her; I think she's very good at deepening roles that might otherwise play flat or cartoonish. My favorite film on her r�sum�, "Election," is a great example - the audience isn't meant to side with Tracy Flick, and the movie pokes fun at her constantly, but Witherspoon gives her little touches of humanity (like the way she slurps her root beer during her pathetic assignation with the math teacher) that a lesser actress might not have bothered with. She did the same sort of thing with Annette Hargrove in "Cruel Intentions"; the character is a pawn, but Witherspoon took our eyes off the larger game for a few minutes and made us feel for her in a way that Michelle Pfeiffer, in the same role, didn't. Granted, Michelle had to battle the thespionics of the inimitable Malkovich, but still - I believe Witherspoon's c.v. can handle a distasteful character. She's good enough to pull it off. Tara Ariano I wouldn't want to hang with her in real life either, and given the kinds of roles she plays, I think that's a big stumbling block between her and the career she's going to want to have in the long term. Granted, she's not exactly marketed to us as America's Sweetheart (unless America's Sweetheart is supposed to be anally retentive and joyless), but she sure plays a lot of romantic comedy heroines for someone who's not really that.likable. Which is why your comment above is kind of funny; to me, all she's played are distasteful characters, to varying degrees. The typical Reese Witherspoon character is not that different from the Reese Witherspoon we see in interviews: ambitious, driven, grimly determined, single-minded, and Type A (which, I guess, is why we're supposed to think it 's cute that "Type A" is what she named her production company). I feel like I've never seen her show any real weakness in a role; she's got a hard, flinty quality that I find very off-putting. That's fine, and serves the character, when she's playing Tracy Flick, but it's going to be a problem when I'm supposed to believe she's June Carter Cash in the upcoming "Walk the Line." Sarah That single-minded flintiness is winning - because it's different. - Sarah D. Bunting I'll see your general point, but in that specific instance, you're also supposed to believe Joaquin "Commodus" Phoenix is the Man in Black, which.eh. Witherspoon can show weakness, but it's not a traditional, trembly-teary-actressy sort of weakness - it's more a "so angry that she bursts into tears instead of yelling" kind of vulnerability, which I can relate to even if it's not always winning or sweet. And to my mind, that single-minded flintiness is winning - because it's different. Maybe it's time for us to evolve past that "soft, yet strong" nonsense in our actresses. The "Legally Blonde" movies don't succeed with audiences because Elle Woods is unthreatening, but rather because she's a pink-hammer bad-ass. Tara I just feel like I've never seen her play a character who's had to absorb any major setback in any way - Tara Ariano I don't mean that I want her to act more wussy or cry all the time in order for me to buy her as a real woman. I love Frances McDormand and Catherine Keener and Angela Bassett and Holly Hunter, none of whom is known as a cream puff, so I don't have a problem with an actress or a leading lady with a motor mouth and a steel backbone. With Witherspoon, though - unlike any of the above-named actresses - I just feel like I've never seen her play a character who's had to absorb any major setback in any way. That's not to say that I want to see her react to her Ken doll boyfriend's dumping her by spending the rest of the movie sobbing in the sorority house or something, and duh, I know it's a comedy, so it's not like I expected Mike Leigh-level realism from it either. But that is just the first of the few bad things to happen to her in "Legally Blonde" that not only isn't any kind of body blow, but that rather sets her up for a great triumph, and that's how it seems to go for her in virtually every role. Getting sent back to the fictional TV '50s ("Pleasantville") allows her to catalyze the town's sexual awakening. Getting embroiled in a high-school scandal ("Election") gets her a job in Washington. Abandoning her hick husband ("Sweet Home Alabama") improbably makes her a fancy fashion designer in New York. Everything that doesn't kill her makes her stronger. Witherspoon is a pretty good actor and is taking her career extremely seriously. Which is not surprising, because she seems to take everything very seriously. But she lacks the genuine human vulnerability that an actor needs in order to be the kind of movie star the public cares about. Sarah But don't forget "Little Nicky," where Witherspoon showcased an emotional openness that - oh, I'm obviously kidding. We didn't see "Little Nicky" and neither did anyone else. She hasn't shown vulnerability in a "House of Sand and Fog" kind of way, it' s true, and if she wants to ascend to the acting pantheon, she should probably start picking scripts with less pluck and more emotional range - but she's good in triumph-over-minor-adversity roles. It's a clich� she's good at giving dimensions to, and I wish more actors would play to their strengths instead of trying to carry movies in parts that don't fit them (cough Kevin Spacey cough). Tara But isn't that exactly what she's doing with these period pieces - "The Importance of Being Earnest" (flop) and "Vanity Fair" (The Ghost of Flops Yet to Come)? If Reese Witherspoon were really going to resolve to play to her strengths, she'd embrace a future as a character actor playing bitchy roles (like a shorter Parker Posey, say) and quit trying to force herself into the mold of a romantic comedy cutie. Tara Ariano and Sarah D. Bunting are co-creators and co-editors of Television Without Pity From Sunny Oz, Rick :) Proud Keeper of the talented & beautiful Halle Berry.
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Review: 'Burn After Reading' is darkly comedic, Coen brothers style

Review: 'Burn After Reading' is darkly comedic, Coen brothers style

Exclusive: Brad Pitt's Wacky On-Set Antics!

Pitt and Clooney Premiere ?Burn After Reading?

Coen Brothers' Tale Of Idiots

Coens' 'Reading' is fundamental

Broadway looks to Odets

CURTAIN'S UP!

'Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day'

McDormand, Adams shine in "Miss Pettigrew Lives" (Reuters)

McDormand, Adams shine in "Miss Pettigrew Lives" (Reuters)

Jacobs Theater books Nichols' 'Girl'