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Herself in the 1955 The Emperor Jones.
Annette Bening stars as Herself in the 1967 show The Bobo.
In 2004, Annette Bening plays Carolyn Burnham in the movie Alles korreckt.
For the 1993 production of Attendre le navire, Annette Bening stars as Herself.
For the 1974 feature Abbasso tutti, viva noi, Annette Bening's character is Sydney Ellen Wade.
She plays Herself in the 1995 production of Black Silence.
In 1998, Annette Bening plays the part of Virginia Hill in the production of Ana.
She stars as Herself in the 1915 production of Beneath the Sea.
For the 1925 release of Assorted Nuts, she takes the role of Kate.
In 1997, Annette Bening plays the part of Myra Langtry in the video America's Atomic Bomb Tests: At Ground Zero.
In 1995, she is cast in the role of Ruth Merrill in the production of The Albatross.
For the 1988 release Afro Erotica 28, she plays Jill.
In 1993, she is cast in the role of Claire Cooper in the tv series Cinderumplestiltskin.
In 1985, Annette Bening is cast in the role of Herself in the show 'Master Harold'... and the Boys.
In 1989, she stars as Terry McKay in the movie Bawat patak dugong Pilipino.
In 2005, she takes the role of Ann Tillman in the release 5 Guy Cream Pie 20.
In 1930, she is cast in the role of Barbara Land in the movie Arajin tcharagaytnere.
Jean Harris in the 1973 feature Alabama's Ghost.
For the 1987 production of Black Sister, White Brother, Annette Bening's character is Sue Barlow.
For the 1929 production of Ag and Bert, she takes the role of Herself.
For the 2004 show Arwaah, Annette Bening's character is Evelyn Ames.
In 1978, Annette Bening's character is Sarah in the show The 30th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.
For the 1984 release of The Adventures of Rick Quick, Private Dick, Annette Bening plays Queen Elizabeth.
For the 1993 video Big Titters of the Wild West 1, Annette Bening plays Elise Kraft/Sharon Bridger.
In 1989, Annette Bening stars as Merteuil in the movie Ashkharums.
For the 2002 show Goldfish in a Blender, A, she stars as Herself.
In 1933, she plays the part of Herself - Winner: Best Actress in a Motion Picture [Musical or Comedy] in the movie The Good Companions.
For the 2005 release of The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D, Annette Bening plays Herself - Presenter: 'Four Weddings and a Funera' Film Clip.
In 1921, she is cast in the role of Herself - Presenter: Memorial Tribute in the show Bit Old Fashioned, A.
In 1953, Annette Bening's character is Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Leading Role/Presenter: Memorial Tribute in the feature The Good Beginning.
For the 2006 production High School Prom, Annette Bening plays Julia Lambert.
Herself in the 2006 movie Children of Men.
For the 1915 show The Devil and Idle Hands, she takes the role of Deirdre Burroughs.
For the 1990 feature Gozal, she plays Herself.
Lesbian comedy takes Berlin gay prize
A US comedy starring Julianne Moore and Annette Bening as a lesbian couple whose kids seek out their sperm donor won the Teddy prize for best gay movie at the Berlin Film Festival, organisers said today.
on 2010-02-21 04:46:06Lesbian comedy takes Berlin gay prize
A US comedy starring Julianne Moore and Annette Bening as a lesbian couple whose kids seek out their sperm donor won the Teddy prize for best gay movie at the Berlin Film Festival, organisers said today.
on 2010-02-21 04:46:04Moore, Bening team up in lesbian family comedy
(Reuters)
Reuters - Julianne Moore and Annette Bening team up in "The Kids Are All Right" in which they play a long-term lesbian couple whose lives are turned upside down when their two teenage children contact their biological father.
on 2010-02-18 04:45:12This Week on Stage: Annette Bening in L.A.?s ?Female of the Species?
Annette Bening returned to the stage of L.A.’s Geffen Playhouse for the second time in six months this week, opening in Joanna Murray-Smith’s farcical new play The Female of the Species. In her C+ review of the production, our critic Whitney P
on 2010-02-14 04:45:48Biography Claims Beatty Had 12,775 Lovers
Actor Warren Beatty has slept with more than 12,000 women, according to anew authorised biography of the legendary Hollywood lothario. Beatty has enjoyed high profile romances with Madonna, Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Joan Collins, Julie Christie and his cu
on 2010-01-04 04:46:51Geffen Playhouse announces early 2010 line-up
Legit News: Plays featuring Ed Harris, David Arquette, Julian Sands -- The Geffen Playhouse in L.A. has confirmed details of its early 2010 sked, including new casting for the Annette Bening topliner "The Female of the Species" and, at the org's smaller s
on 2009-12-18 04:48:26Bening, Hopkins join 'Hemingway' cast
Film News: Duo to costar with Andy Garcia in film -- Andy Garcia has landed Anthony Hopkins and Annette Bening to star with him in "Hemingway and Fuentes," which Garcia will direct from a script he wrote with Hilary Hemingway, granddaughter of Ernest Hemi
on 2009-11-05 04:48:07Bening's 'Medea' kicks off UCLA Live
Legit News: Greek classic anchors eighth Intl. Theater Fest -- Annette Bening will kick off UCLA Live's 2009-10 season with her performance in "Medea," running Sept. 23-Oct. 18 at the Freud Playhouse.
on 2009-06-04 04:47:43Bening And Watts to Portray Mother And Daughter
Actresses Annette Bening and Naomi Watts are to play mother and daughter in Rodrigo Garcia's new drama - replacing Robin Wright Penn and Brittany Robertson in the movie. Wright Penn and Robertson were linked to Mother & Child earlier this year (08), but t
on 2008-11-08 04:48:40Bening, Watts star in 'Mother'
Film News: Rodrigo Garcia to writer, direct drama -- Annette Bening and Naomi Watts will headline "Mother and Child," a multilayered drama from scripter and helmer Rodrigo Garcia.
on 2008-11-06 04:47:26Seal, Serena Williams attend Israel event
(AP)
AP - Seal, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening and other celebrities gathered to toast movie producer Arnon Milchan during a Hollywood event at Paramount Studios that celebrated the 60th anniversary of Israel.
on 2008-09-20 04:46:05Seal, Serena Williams attend Israel event
(AP)
AP - Seal, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening and other celebrities gathered to toast movie producer Arnon Milchan during a Hollywood event at Paramount Studios that celebrated the 60th anniversary of Israel.
on 2008-09-20 04:45:47Got Pitt? Got Box Office
There was nothing wrong with the box office that a little Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Tyler Perry, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Meg Ryan and Annette Bening couldn't fix.
A squadron of...
on 2008-09-15 04:45:30Annette Bening and Kerry Washington Dish on the DNC
All-new video: The stars are out in force at the Democratic National Convention and ET's Kevin Frazier caught up with Oscar nominee Annette Bening. Also -- 'Ray' star Kerry Washington shares with ET how proud she is to be a woman.
on 2008-08-28 04:53:33Annette Bening and Warren Beatty's Date Night
It was a date night for Annette Bening and Warren Beatty over the holiday weekend. The two dined at celeb favorite Madeo's in L.A. and Hollywood.tv was there!
on 2008-07-08 04:55:15Stars Fete Women in the Biz
JADA PINKETT SMITH, EVA MENDES and NICOLE RICHIE were just a few of the celebs who came out for Women in Film's Crystal and Lucy Awards on Tuesday night in Beverly Hills.
Crystal and Lucy honorees included GINNIFER GOODWIN, SHERRY LANSING and JEFFREY K
on 2008-06-18 08:48:34Not MY demo: 'The Women' trailer
So I just saw the trailer for The Women, which opens Sept. 12 and stars Meg Ryan, Annette Bening (left), Eva Mendes, Debra Messing (right), and Jada Pinkett Smith (center), and, well, I feel... afraid. Very afraid. Why? Watch the...
on 2008-06-04 16:45:57Not MY demo: 'The Women' trailer
So I just saw the trailer for The Women, which opens Sept. 12 and stars Meg Ryan, Annette Bening (left), Eva Mendes, Debra Messing (right), and Jada Pinkett Smith (center), and, well, I feel... afraid. Very afraid. Why? Watch the...
on 2008-06-03 20:45:43Van Dyke sings 'Supercali ... ' etc.
(AP)
AP - Dick Van Dyke may be 82, but he can still get 14 syllables into a single word. Van Dyke sang "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" on Monday night at the Geffen Playhouse during a tribute to actress Annette Bening and studio chief Robert A. Iger. The
on 2008-03-19 08:45:02Van Dyke sings 'Supercali ... ' etc.
(AP)
AP - Dick Van Dyke may be 82, but he can still get 14 syllables into a single word. Van Dyke sang "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" on Monday night at the Geffen Playhouse during a tribute to actress Annette Bening and studio chief Robert A. Iger. The
on 2008-03-19 00:45:04Bening, Iger lauded
Los Angeles: Duo are Backstage at the Geffen honorees -- Disney prexy-CEO Robert Iger and Annette Bening are this year's Backstage at the Geffen honorees. The pair will be recognized at the playhouse's annual gala on March 17.
on 2008-01-23 00:45:51Annette Bening to receive ASC Award
Award Central: Actress named Board of Governors honoree -- Annette Bening will receive the American Society of Cinematographers Board of Governors Award.
on 2008-01-15 20:46:33Joan Rivers takes over Geffen Playhouse
Legit News: Autobiographical 'Theater' replaces 'Species' -- Joan Rivers is replacing Annette Bening at the Geffen Playhouse.
on 2007-11-09 16:46:49-
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18690441%255E1
6947,00.html
Watts leads charge for dead author
April 03, 2006
SHE tangled with King Kong, now Australian actor Naomi Watts wants to
wrestle with the works of one of Britain's greatest novelists.
Watts, 37, is one of the actors behind a cinematic revival of work by W.
Somerset Maugham, who was reputed to be the world's best paid novelist in
the 1930s.
Halle Berry and Meg Ryan are also combing through his stories in search of
future hits.
Maugham, who died in Nice in 1965, donated his estate to the Royal Literary
Fund, partly to avoid an ugly court battle between his daughter and his gay
lover.
The venerable organisation, set up in 1790 to help "professional published
authors in financial difficulties", will therefore share in the box office
bounty that the filming of his books will generate.
The Maugham revival was set in motion last year when Annette Bening was
nominated for an Oscar for her role in Being Julia, a tale of love and
revenge set in 1930s London theatreland.
That cost half the $100 million budget earmarked for Watts's film, The
Painted Veil, in which an adulterous socialite seeks to atone for her sins
by aiding cholera victims in imperial China.
Ryan has expressed interest in The Letter, a tale of fatal adultery in the
tropics, while Berry is considering Rain, an erotic thriller about a
prostitute stranded in Samoa -- filmed in 1953 with Rita Hayworth.
Watts said after she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in 21 Grams,
the art house hit, that she was seeking "tougher smarter roles sometimes
only found in smarter books".
Adultery is a recurring theme in "Willie" Maugham's novels and plays.
Biographers have suggested that this reflects the bisexual writer's
vacillations between his tempestuous marriage to the daughter of the founder
of Barnardo's homes and a series of ever younger men.
The Sunday Times
-
http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/2005/11/30/1331072-ap.html
Oscar wannabes walk tight line of modesty
By DAVID GERMAIN
LOS ANGELES (AP) - With three months to go until Hollywood's big night,
Academy Awards contenders already are practising their speeches.
Not their winners' speeches, but the humble-pie patter about how they don't
give the Oscars the slightest thought. Whether for fear of sounding like
egomaniacs or jinxing their chances, most stars play modest even as they
fantasize about hoisting that little gold statuette.
"I don't know what kind of lies filmmakers tell you, and I could be accused
of vanity for admitting I think about it," says director Bennett Miller,"
whose Capote put Philip Seymour Hoffman in the best-actor race. "I think
it's vanity ... to say that you don't. Because you do."
Moderation is the key. Acknowledge that the recognition of your peers would
be nice, but that such honours are out of your hands - and were the furthest
thing from your mind when making the film.
"I don't like to have to dream about those kinds of things," said Ziyi
Zhang, a possible best-actress nominee as a poor girl who rises to
prominence in Memoirs of a Geisha.
"I care about my work and just try to do my best. Afterward, you can't
control what happens. If it's a good movie, maybe we'll have a chance."
"If my work is recognized in that way, great," said Claire Danes, who has
caught Oscar buzz for the romantic drama Shopgirl. "If not, that's fine.
That's not why I do the work that I do. I just want people to have a chance
to reflect on their own lives while watching my movies."
That's precisely the sort of rhetoric favoured by the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences, whose 5,800 actors, filmmakers and other industry
professionals vote on the Oscars (nominations come out Jan. 31, with the
awards following March 5). Academy management frowns on anything that smacks
of campaigning.
The best strategy for stars and directors is to keep visible enough through
interviews and public appearances, but never look as though they're
glad-handing for an Oscar.
Too much exposure can backfire. During the 1999 Oscar race, best-actress
front-runner Annette Bening of American Beauty looked as though she was
running for office with endless appearances on talk shows and at Hollywood
events. She lost to Hilary Swank for Boys Don't Cry.
Two years later, Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann was everywhere talking
up his film. It was nominated for best picture and seven other awards - but
Luhrmann was shut out in the directing category.
"There actually can be a backlash," said Tom O'Neil, who oversees
TheEnvelope.com, a website that tracks entertainment awards. "They've got to
tread that delicate balance."
On the other extreme, contempt is a recipe for losing. Sean Penn was
scornful about awards and didn't bother showing up Oscar night the first
three times he was nominated, losing each time. Two years ago, he played
nice, attended the Oscars and won best actor for Mystic River.
Actors also want to avoid getting stung by Oscar hopes when their movies
flop. Colin Farrell had that experience with last year's epic historical
bomb Alexander, a presumed Oscar contender until people actually got a look
at it.
This time, Farrell stars in another historical epic, The New World, playing
colonial leader John Smith, and says he is giving no thought to the Oscars.
"Not at all, man. Honest to God," Farrell said. "I came into Alexander, and
that was on everyone's radar. So any potential for me to have a radar has
since been plucked out."
Then there are actors who already have one. You know they wouldn't mind
another, because everyone likes having a spare. But they don't want to sound
greedy.
"I've won one. I'm incredibly blessed," said Charlize Theron, a best-actress
winner for Monster, who has a shot at another nomination for the blue-collar
drama North Country.
"Can you imagine, 'Yes, I can't wait for my second Oscar,"' Theron joked,
slipping into a haughty voice.
Actors and filmmakers do feel comfortable talking about the Oscars in terms
of the attention they bring to smaller movies that might grab bigger
audiences.
On Capote, Hoffman not only stars as author Truman Capote but also is an
executive producer. So he doesn't mind considering how overall Oscar
attention might help his film.
"That's really where I allow myself to be excited," Hoffman said. "The fact
that awards season might bring attention to the film, that more people than
we ever imagined might see this film in theatres, that's really a rush."
When it comes to candour about the Oscars, Shirley MacLaine may take the
best-actress prize. The five-time nominee, who won best actress for Terms of
Endearment, was blunt about the possibility of winning again, this time for
her supporting role as a grandma in the sibling-rivalry tale In Her Shoes.
"I love to win those things. Love it," MacLaine said. "The only part about
it I don't like is the red carpet and getting a dress and walking around in
high heels and holding in my stomach. I hate that."
-
http://people.aol.com/people/articles/0,19736,1064524,00.html
By Stephen M. Silverman
Though she goes light on the makeup, Gwyneth Paltrow will be the new
face of the cosmetics giant Est=E9e Lauder.
An international print and TV advertising campaign for Pleasures
fragrance featuring the 32-year-old Shakespeare in Love Oscar winner
will begin this fall, USA Today reports.
Of her new career turn, the London-based Paltrow is quoted as saying:
"Years ago, endorsing a product was considered something a movie
actress shouldn't do, but now having a contract is almost like a status
symbol."
Other than a small role in the upcoming movie Running with Scissors
(which also stars Annette Bening and Evan Rachel Wood), the Lauder job
reportedly is Paltrow's first since the birth of daughter Apple, whose
first birthday was May 14. Dad is Paltrow's husband, Chris Martin of
Coldplay - which played the Saturday Night Live season finale
Saturday in New York, where the couple is said to be selling their
apartment.
To a working mom, Paltrow says, modeling for Lauder "allows me to be
with my daughter, which is what I want to do until some fantastic movie
role comes along and makes me change my mind."
Last week, in a revealing interview with London's Evening Standard,
Paltrow admitted that after her father, Bruce, died in October 2002
following a recurrence of throat cancer, she battled clinical
depression and fought through feelings of guilt at not having done
enough for him during his illness.
What eventually got her through the grief was the birth of her daughter
Apple. "She's been very healing for us - for myself, my brother, my
mother," said Paltrow, referring to actress Blythe Danner. "For me, the
greatest joy before I gave birth to (Apple) was the idea that she would
be one-quarter my father."
Paltrow also said she had embraced a new outlook on life. "I'm not as
stringent as I was in the past," said Paltrow, who used to adhere to a
strict macrobiotic diet. "Now I'll have cheese once in a while or white
flour, but I still believe in whole grains and no sugar."
-
John Harkness wrote:
> On 22 May 2005 18:23:00 -0700, mwittier@minn.net wrote:
confounded
Joplin
central
supposed
> characters.
> part of her self-destructive streak. I think that listening to that
> long riff on the Van Morrison song was a really good indicator of
> whether we were supposed to think she was talented.
That's entirely possible; it's been a long time since I saw "Georgia"
and my recollection of it is as stated above. In thinking back on it, I
think that what me wonder if we were supposed to be enjoying her
caterwauling was (what felt like) repeated exposure to it. If it was
intended to demonstrate a lack of musical talent on her part, it seems
to me (again, in faded recall) that the audience could have been
subjected to a lot less of it. Repeated exposure made me think I was
expected to see something that just didn't seem to be there. And
reflecting poorly on me perhaps, I don't remember any Van Morrison
content, and am not familiar enough with his work to have appreciated
the significance.
I didn't much enjoy Mare Winningham's musical contribution, either;
they each seemed like opposite (and marginal) extremes.
I genuinely like JJL, respect most of her work greatly. That role just
felt self-indulgent, and maybe I misinterpreted it as a grating
rockstar-turn.
Back to the original topic, I should also add that typically, I like
Annette Bening's work too. Just not what was on display (literally) in
"Being Julia".
-
pluto@quentincrisp.com wrote:
> Since "Being Julia" just came out on DVD, there should be a few
hundred
> people here who have finally caught up with it. And, if they got
> through it, maybe they'll have the same thoughts as me:
While watching "Being Julia", I kept thinking of the Jennifer Jason
Leigh/Mare Winningham film, "Georgia". Watching that, I was confounded
throughout the entire movie; JJL's character was a junkie/Janis Joplin
wannabe sister of MW's successful guitar-playin' folkie, and the
tension between the two of them over MW's succesful career was central
to the plot. Unfortunately, it was impossible to tell if we were
supposed to think that JJL's yowling and atonal screeching was supposed
to be intolerable, or if we were expected to believe that she was a
talented performer. There was no telling from the context, or other
character's reactions; it was almost funny by the end, trying to keep
track of two separate versions in your head.
Same thing here: I was so distracted trying to decide if Annette Bening
was a terrible actress, or if 'Julia" was a terrible actress in her
personal life, on stage, or both. Her facial expressions never seemed
to match the action unfolding around her; they were all overwrought,
but unreeled almost randomly.
Add to that the freakass score which was even more confusing and
unpredictably random than Bening's face and tone. The scene in which
Bruce Greenwood 'came out' at the piers in particular stands out as a
WTF infusion of score that's pretty much unrivaled.
By the end, I thought the whole thing was just an embarassment.
Ultimately, the character reminded me of a British 'Eunice', from Carol
Burnett's "Mama's Family" sketches.
-
Since "Being Julia" just came out on DVD, there should be a few hundred
people here who have finally caught up with it. And, if they got
through it, maybe they'll have the same thoughts as me:
Is this the worst performance ever by an actress?
Now, I don't take statements like this lightly. I'm well aware of the
movie career of the alleged actress Madonna, in such turkeys as
"Shanghai Surprise" and "Swept Away." But Madonna bests Bening in at
least a couple areas: one, she can maintain a fake accent through a
two-hour film (heck, she's kept it up since she was twenty-four), and
two, her bad acting is so consistent that it appears almost natural.
A central theme in "Being Julia" is how love can affect one's acting.
The problem with Annette Bening as the actress protagonist, then, is
that she's a lousy actress all through it. When she's supposed to be
good she's lousy, and when she's supposed to be lousy she's, well,
still lousy. Towards the end Jeremy Irons angrily declares that her
onstage performance was the worst performance of her life -- and
everyone in the room turns and stares at each other, thinking, "Uh, has
he been *sleeping* through the last two hours?"
Finally, a couple questions. Ms. Bening fakes an English accent while
her love interest fakes an American one. Why would anybody try this?
Isn't this just a Razzie waiting to happen?
And last, Ms. Bening was virtually unrecognizable in the film, bearing
the same post-plastic surgery visage as Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange or
Mary Tyler Moore. How, then, could she be so bewrinkled that when she
declares she's 45 everyone in the room chokes on their popcorn?
-
http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/2005/05/13/1038372.html
Star couples kill box office
By LOUIS B. HOBSON -- Calgary Sun
Oh, to be a fly on the wall at the boardrooms of 20th Century Fox studios
these days.
You just know the panic mode is increasing as the June 10th release of Fox's
summer romantic drama Mr. and Mrs. Smith inches closer. Mr. and Mrs. Smith
is the much-hyped story of a husband and wife who discover they are both
assassins assigned to kill each other.
Rumours first surfaced a year ago that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were
creating more sparks off-camera than on. Vehement denials poured out from
both Angelina and Brad's camps with their publicists working overtime to
quash the reports.
Since then Pitt has been divorced from wife Jennifer Aniston and been
photographed enjoying an afternoon on a beach in Africa last month. This
ill-timed holiday could sound the death knell for Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
The head honchos at Fox have every right to be worried. The track record for
movies in which the stars' private lives get more press than the flicks
themselves is scary to say the least.
Back in 1963 the private shenanegans of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor
during the film of their epic Cleopatra almost sank Fox.
Simon Kinberg, who wrote and co-produced Mr. & Mrs. Smith, told Clint Morris
at Moviehole.com he hopes "when people go to watch Mr. & Mrs. Smith they'll
be watching John and Jane Smith and not Brad and Angie."
He'd better hope so.
Filmmakers have turned their backs on several infamous pairings in the past.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck: Back in 2002, Lopez and Affleck were so
happily in love that they welcomed the attention of paparrazi. Their
publicists gleefully released details of the Harry Winston engagement ring
he bought her, and both went on talk shows declaring their eternal love for
one another. Then came the September 2003 Santa Barbara wedding that never
happened because the media attention proved overwhelming. The month before
the aborted wedding Lopez and Affleck's $54-million US romantic comedy Gigli
returned an abysmal $6 million US at the box-office and became a laughing
stock. The actors eventually called off their wedding mere days before they
were set to walk down the aisle.
Annette Bening and Warren Beatty: In 1990, at age 53, Beatty was considered
Hollywood's most eligible bachelor and its legendary Lothario. When he
started romancing his co-star Bening on the set of Bugsy, it seemed like
just another fleeting fling. That all changed when Beatty proposed and
announced he and Bening would star in the romantic drama Love Affair. The
folks at Warner Bros., who handed Beatty $60 million US, figured the world
would want to watch Beatty and Bening fall in love on screen as they had
done in real life. The curse of pairing real life lovers struck again when
Love Affair managed only a paltry $17 million US.
Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise: In 1997 Tom and Nicole agreed to turn over
almost 18 months of their careers and lives to iconic director Stanley
Kubrick for Eyes Wide Shut. They were Hollywood's golden couple, so it
seemed natural they should star in what Kubrick promised to be an
uncompromising erotic drama. Warner Bros. assumed audiences would be eager
to see how torrid Tom and Nicole's real sex life was through their reel sex
lives. Then came word Kubrick had hired a sex therapist to coach Tom and
Nicole. Even with all the hype, Eyes Wide Shut returned just $56 million US
on its $80 million US investment.
Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe: During the filming of Taylor Hackford's Proof of
Life, America's sweetheart, Ryan, threw caution and her marriage to the wind
when she gave her heart and body to Aussie playboy Crowe. It didn't matter
that Ryan and her then-hubby Dennis Quaid confirmed that their marriage was
on the rocks long before Crowe worked his rough charms on Ryan. Her fans
turned on Ryan and Crowe. Proof of Life proved to have little box-office
life, returning just $33 million US on a $90-million US investment.
-
In message , Alma Lopez
writes
>Don't know why she can't portray a young, glamorous grandma. Does this
>also mean she won't play a mom of kids in their late teens-early
>twenties? Or does she feel she is too young for that too?
I think her comments had more to do with the quality/depth/meatiness of
the roles being offered to her than any lack of glamor per se. Her
mother (Phyllida Law) does lots of "grandmother" roles, and they're also
minor supporting roles/bit parts. If Thompson were in direct
competition with Annette Bening, Patricia Clarkson, Meryl Streep or Joan
Allen for a well-written role in which the character happened to be a
grandmother, I expect she'd give it serious consideration.
-Lucrezia
--
luc
email: luc@wvbr.com (checked infrequently)
"Whoa... there is no spoon." - Neo-logism
-
doomella wrote:
> "S Taylor" wrote in message
> news:%TGZd.5111$qf2.5094@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
media is
land
Basic
> Instinct to definitely *Not* very shortly thereafter.
> I blame the Annette Bening-esque frizz-bomb-pixie hair.
oh SS is still hotttt
i find that whole brain surgery ..menopause combo
erotic as hell
but then again i'm not a *young* admirer
-
"S Taylor" wrote in message
news:%TGZd.5111$qf2.5094@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> Uh....okay...we get it.
> Stone is supposed to be starting Basic Instinct 2 soon, so the media is
> going to be filled with news about her still being hot and able to land
> young guys.
I'm still surprised at how quickly she plummeted from *really* hot in Basic
Instinct to definitely *Not* very shortly thereafter.
I blame the Annette Bening-esque frizz-bomb-pixie hair.
-
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=peopleNews&storyID=7726924&pag
eNumber=0
Hollywood Spruces Up for Oscar Night
Thu Feb 24, 2005 08:01 AM ET
By Bob Tourtellotte
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood spruced up on Thursday for its most
glamorous night of the year, the Oscars, with stars picking gowns, pundits
laying odds on best films and television executives worrying about whether
new host Chris Rock's comedy will be too raw.
Among the movies vying for the awards given on Sunday by the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are director Clint Eastwood's saga of
boxing and human friendship, "Million Dollar Baby," and Martin Scorsese's
biography of billionaire eccentric Howard Hughes, "The Aviator."
For weeks, as Hollywood's awards season has run up to the Oscars, the battle
between the two films has been as tight as any race of recent years. But
some experts now think that "Baby" has the edge over "The Aviator."
Professional guilds have split their awards, while critics' groups have
favored wine country comedy "Sideways." The other challengers for top film,
Ray Charles biography "Ray" and drama "Finding Neverland," about the
creation of "Peter Pan," have failed to generate Oscar heat.
"There's no doubt it will be 'Million Dollar Baby. If it has competition, it
is from 'Aviator,' but 'Sideways' is out," said veteran film critic Emanuel
Levy.
In the best actor race, Jamie Foxx's portrayal of Charles in "Ray" seems a
shoo-in after he swept early awards from the Screen Actors Guild and Golden
Globe voters. He faces stiff competition from another Golden Globe winner,
Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays Hughes in "The Aviator" as he begins to slip
into madness.
Among best actress nominees, Hilary Swank as a female boxer in "Million
Dollar Baby" is in the night's tightest bout against Annette Bening and her
portrayal of an aging stage diva in "Being Julia."
WHAT TO WEAR?
TV audiences and Oscar show producer Gil Cates will be watching to see
whether host Rock, known for his raw onstage language, will upset TV
regulators worried about obscenity after singer Janet Jackson's infamous
"wardrobe malfunction" at last year's football Super Bowl.
"Chris is a very smart man, and he understands quite clearly the difference
between the scatological observations he can make on his cable television
specials and how to be funny within the boundaries allowed on the networks,"
Cates wrote in a Web log at oscar.com.
The Oscar telecast will be broadcast on the ABC network.
The big question for the world's fashionistas will be what the stars are
wearing on the red carpet outside Hollywood's Kodak Theater. Celebrities
will sparkle and shine in gowns and tuxedos from designers such as
Valentino, Carolina Herrera, Calvin Klein and Vera Wang.
"The overriding trend (in gowns) calls for silhouettes, cut close to the
body. ... The stars are going for simple shapes, and the drama will be in
the color of the dresses," said People magazine beauty editor Eleni Gage.
One Gage tip: black is out; pastels are in.
At Tinseltown's toniest hotels, stars were treated to dresses, diamonds and
cosmetics from merchants like Kwiat, Revlon and M*A*C. Britain's Soho House
hotels has a stylish "Oscar Villa" high in the Hollywood Hills, where stars
like Demi Moore and Tyra Banks have gone to relax.
Hollywood geared up for celebrity-filled parties thrown by the likes of
Elton John and Vanity Fair magazine, and amid all the happenings comes the
Miramax Films gala for "The Aviator" and "Finding Neverland."
It may be the final hurrah at Miramax for Harvey Weinstein and his brother,
Bob Weinstein, backers of past best Oscar winners "The English Patient,"
"Shakespeare in Love," and "Chicago."
The pair are expected to leave the company they founded shortly after this
year's Oscars -- a bittersweet ending to the Weinsteins real-life Hollywood
story.
From Sunny Oz, Rick :)
Proud Keeper of the talented & beautiful Halle Berry.
-
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=529&ncid=529&e=3&u=/ap/20050228/ap_en_mo/oscar_parties
By SOLVEJ SCHOU, For The Associated Press
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - They call it "Oscar Alley," a four-block
stretch of pavement here where a trio of awards parties served up
celebrities, cocktails, food and glamour well into the wee hours of
Monday morning.
On the night of Hollywood's highest honors, each bash deserved its own
noteworthy award, with the Best Party prize probably going to Vanity
Fair's soiree at Morton's, which starred the cream of the A-List crowd.
By midnight, a who's who of Oscar winners past and present streamed
into the posh eatery after putting in a de rigeur appearance at the
official Governors Ball five miles to the east at the Kodak Theatre.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" beamed Best Actress winner Hilary
Swank, clutching her Oscar for "Million Dollar Baby" as she navigated a
thicket of admirers, including actresses Tara Reid and Vivica A. Fox.
While Swank's husband, actor Chad Low, became separated from his
engulfed wife, the grinning actress accepted hugs and compliments, even
telling one young woman to "Follow your dream!"
Oscar nominee Annette Bening, who lost this year for the second time
against Swank, looked splendid in a sweeping floor-length black gown as
she made the rounds arm-in-arm with her husband Warren Beatty.
Chewing on crab cakes and potato pancakes topped with salmon, the
couple chatted next to Jeremy Irons, who seemed preoccupied by a bevy
of women, including "Desperate Housewives" redhead Marcia Cross.
In a back room - actually a large tent ballooning out from the rest
of the restaurant - international heartthrobs Gael Garcia Bernal and
Orlando Bloom were deep in conversation.
Earlier, Bloom was seen holding hands with ex-girlfriend Kate Bosworth
and Bernal had been flirting and hugging with respective ex-girlfriend
and Oscar nominee Natalie Portman.
Best Actor nominee Don Cheadle carted around his grandmother, hip-hop
mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs snapped pictures of his model-pretty
girlfriend, and Donald Trump introduced his new wife to a mohawked
member of the Black Eyed Peas.
Appreciation flowed like wine.
"I was ecstatic when Jamie Foxx won!" said white-suited director Spike
Lee of Foxx's Best Actor nod for "Ray." "We all felt good for him."
A block and a half away, Elton John's thumping 13th annual Oscar bash
at the Pacific Design Center featured towering arrangements of red and
pink roses, and chair-sized disco balls dangling from the ceiling.
Sir Elton himself - wearing his signature shades, and looking hip in
a Yohji Yamamoto embroidered blazer - applauded Foxx's win. "I'm very
proud of Jamie," he said.
The singer noted that his party - a staple benefit for his AIDS
Foundation - "raised $1.4 million, and broke last year's record."
Actress Tori Spelling, a huge fan of the night's featured performer -
disco-pop band the Scissor Sisters - wore a sparkling, slinky retro
dress by Collette Dinnigan and loose blonde waves.
"I thought the ceremony was very predictable," said Spelling of the
Oscars. "But I was really thrilled for Jamie Foxx, and his speech made
me cry. It was very gracious. I love when speeches feel so much
emotion."
The party's own Oscar-worthy moment came just as the Scissor Sisters
launched into their feisty hit "Filthy Gorgeous."
As lead singer Ana Matronic berated the audience that "Everybody in
this world is a whore," the grand dame herself, Elizabeth Taylor,
rolled by - snazzy to the fullest - in a wheelchair surrounded by a
gaggle of men led by John's boyfriend, David Furnish.
A moment later, bleached blonde stars Christina Aguilera and Pamela
Anderson sauntered inside - a testament to how Ana Matronic later
described the evening: "Fellini-esque."
Earlier, during an Oscar viewing dinner hosted at The Abbey club by
Esquire magazine, a younger Hollywood crowd, including Erika
Christensen and "Napoleon Dynamite's" Jon Heder, feasted on Scottish
salmon, potatoes, caesar salad and roast beef. The $1,000-a-plate
dinner raised more than $250,000 for AIDS Project Los Angeles.
Hostess Jennifer Love Hewitt, in a white Ellie Saab gown and Neil Lane
jewels, provided a humble take on her evening emcee duties.
"I very rarely get invited to the coolest Oscar parties," said Hewitt,
"let alone get to host them, so I was really excited about doing this."
-
The good news is, it was *so* breathtakingly miserable, we don't have
to argue whether it was the worst Academy Awards in history.
After they showed Annette Bening for the nineteenth time I started to
wonder: uh, were all the celebs BUSY? Is everybody famous DEAD?
(Though even their list of dead people was underwhelming.) C'mon,
nowhere in the world -- not in Kansas, not in Zimbabwe, not even in New
York -- do people turn on the TV hoping to catch a glimpse of Annette
Bening.
>Sean Penn, not only do you need a dresser but also a sense of
> humor. Chris Rock was only making a joke.
You're totally off-base here. The Oscar host *never* makes jokes at
the expense of an actor. Chris Rock was totally out of line, aside
from being unfunny. And considering half of Hollywood makes crap to
make bucks, singling out Cuba Gooding Jr. didn't seem right. Maybe
he's got a good sense of humor, but has-beens are frequently touchy.
> Surprise show stopper: Antonio Banderas.
He certainly stopped the show for me. After three seconds of what
sounded like a Hispanic cat dying in his throat, I switched over to the
Food Channel.
Way too many miserable bits to mention, including the repeated
appearances of Beyonce, Adam Sandler, and Charlie Chaplin in a
long-awaited duet with *Shrek*. (I hope Oona's on the phone with
lawyers NOW.) Eight or nine awards the winners' PARENTS wouldn't have
watched. "Best Short Film," "Best Italian Make-Up Girl," and "Best
Film about Nuns and Jews."
The Robert Benigni Who Cares? Award goes to that idiot who won best
song: "You've never heard of the movie, and you could care less about
the song, but here -- I'll sing it for you!' I was praying for Jamic
Foxx's daughter to climb up onstage and tap-dance. And I loved hearing
Mr. Foxx give the same speech about love bursting out of his
grandmother and splashing onto all of us that he gave on the red
carpet. Next year -- Jim Carrey! And the year after -- Kathy Griffin!
Personally, I'm not crazy about belated lovefests for black men. Ray
Charles only had to sing "Georgia" for forty years -- and then DIE --
before the good ole U. S. of A. grudgingly accepted him. I'm thinking
his love wasn't *exactly* splashing out on all the white folks.
But it's the pacing that killed it for me. Two hours into it and we're
handing out the award for Film Editing? We barely have time for the
winners to walk to the stage, but we can watch Yo Yo Ma play his
fiddle? Boy, that's a treat.
Maybe next year they'll have Annette Bening on bass.
-
pluto@quentincrisp.com wrote:
> The good news is, it was *so* breathtakingly miserable, we don't have
> to argue whether it was the worst Academy Awards in history.
> wonder: uh, were all the celebs BUSY? Is everybody famous DEAD?
> (Though even their list of dead people was underwhelming.) C'mon,
> nowhere in the world -- not in Kansas, not in Zimbabwe, not even in
New
> York -- do people turn on the TV hoping to catch a glimpse of Annette
> Bening.
> the expense of an actor. Chris Rock was totally out of line, aside
> from being unfunny. And considering half of Hollywood makes crap to
> make bucks, singling out Cuba Gooding Jr. didn't seem right. Maybe
> he's got a good sense of humor, but has-beens are frequently touchy.
>
Ahem, I was referring to Jude Law, as was Mr. Penn. Sheesh!
-
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=529&ncid=529&e=4&u=/ap/20050228/ap_en_ot/oscars_fashion
By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL, AP Fashion Writer
Stars went strapless at the Oscars , except for Hilary Swank. She made
one of Sunday's boldest fashion statements, wearing a high-neck,
sapphire-blue gown with long sleeves by Guy Laroche that hugged all her
curves. She did show some skin, though: The back was completely bare.
"I knew that it would be a little chilly out today," said Swank outside
the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. She added: "I thought it was really
beautiful."
"She looked very '40s glamour - old-time Hollywood," described her
makeup artist, Scott Andrew, who said he kept her look simple with
mauve eye shadow and dark plum eyeliner and lots of mascara.
Oprah Winfrey also looked stunning - and slim - in a gold
hand-embroidered off-the- shoulder gown with a tiered skirt by Vera
Wang. She wore her hair in loose curls, just like Gisele Bundchen, who
walked the red carpet with boyfriend Leonardo DiCaprio in a white
strapless gown with gold embroidery and an empire waist.
Nicole Kidman, usually a fashion favorite, was not seen at the awards
ceremony.
Gwyneth Paltrow, in a nude silk and cotton voile corset dress by friend
Stella McCartney, was one of the many stars who chose a natural, soft
look.
Laura Linney had a bit of a funky edge. Her taupe strapless gown by J.
Mendel had diagonal exposed seams, a frayed edge at the top and tiers
of frayed fabric at the hem - and she wore it with a rope of pearls,
holding a disc, knotted at her neck.
"You put them (dresses) on and you sort of know. It's profoundly
comfortable," Linney said.
Comfort was another popular theme. Natalie Portman said her tulle
gathered gown with a deep V and pearl-adorned double waistbands was
"really classic, elegant - and it's comfortable."
Penelope Cruz said she admired the work of Oscar de la Renta, the
designer of her yellow strapless gown with an oversized bow at the back
hem. "It's beautiful and comfortable."
Sophisticated starlet Emmy Rossum wore a princess ruby-and-diamond
Harry Winston necklace and matching drop earrings and a crimson-red
Ralph Lauren gown, which she described as the color of a 1945 Bordeaux
wine. "I heard that's a good year," said the 18-year-old.
Renee Zellweger again looked to designer Carolina Herrera. She wore a
raspberry strapless gown with ivory tulle trim. Sandra Oh, also in red,
looked glamorous in a Michael Kors ballgown.
Melanie Griffith said husband Antonio Banderas had the final word on
her ombre celadon pleated silk chiffon gown with embroidery by Versace
that she accessorized with long diamond drop earrings by Harry Winston.
Versace also dressed Virginia Madsen in a blue strapless corset gown
with a black chiffon overlay and Halle Berry in an iridescent taupe
silk chiffon one-shoulder gown with embroidered skirt. "It's the one
that caught my eye this year," Berry said.
Blue and yellow were both popular colors. Kate Winslet wore a
periwinkle blue gown by Badgley Mischka with a beaded inset down the
front of the bodice and Neil Lane diamonds added to the sheer straps.
Salma Hayek said on E! that Prada "did such a good job" on her
custom-made midnight blue dress with black beading and bows on the
bodice.
Johnny Depp showed up in a blue tuxedo with black lapels. His
companion, Vanessa Paradis, wore a Chanel long black tulle dress with
silver applique. Meanwhile, some male stars, including Spike Lee, wore
white tuxedos with black shirts and ties.
Cate Blanchett said picking her one-shoulder pale yellow silk taffeta
gown with train and satin burgundy bow sash was easy. "Valentino made
it for me. I just loved it," she said.
Several celebrities had personal fittings with designers and wore
custom clothes. Giorgio Armani helped Clive Owen put on his suit. "It's
one of the highlights of this experience."
Armani also did Annette Bening's black jersey, long-sleeve gown with a
portrait neckline from his new couture collection. The fitted bodice
led into an hourglass silhouette, ending with a fishtail train.
Scarlett Johansson also chose black. She said she "felt like a
princess" in her architectural Roland Mouret gown and Fred Leighton
19th-century diamond star tiara, but told Star Jones Reynolds on the
red carpet that she could barely breathe.
Beyonce, who had several costume changes for the awards show, did the
red carpet in a black silk velvet strapless gown by Versace.
Oscar.com fashion commentator Tom Julian said Beyonce, Hayek and
Charlize Theron, who wore a strapless Dior seafoam gown with a skirt
made of tiers of tulle, were among the best dressed.
Overall, Julian said, the look was sophisticated and simple with rich,
luxurious fabrics making more of a statement than glitzy jewels.
___
Associated Press Writer Christina Almeida contributed to this report.
-
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertainment/story.asp?j=110701120&p=yyx7xy7xx&n
=110701729
Hilary turns the tables on Annette
24/02/2005 - 12:06:20
Five years ago, Annette Bening was the odds on favourite to win the Best
Actress Oscar for her standout performance as Kevin Spacey's uptight wife in
American Beauty, but lost out to surprise winner Hilary Swank, who wowed
voters with her cross-dressing role in Boys Don't Cry.
Now the roles are reversed with Swank hotly tipped to win her second
statuette for Million Dollar Baby on Sunday and Bening the underdog for her
portrayal of a stage diva in Being Julia.
Kate Winslet, nominated for Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and
marvellous in Finding Neverland, is predicted to be bypassed for the fourth
time.
From Sunny Oz, Rick :)
Proud Keeper of the talented & beautiful Halle Berry.
-
> Stars went strapless at the Oscars , except for Hilary Swank. She made
> one of Sunday's boldest fashion statements, wearing a high-neck,
> sapphire-blue gown with long sleeves by Guy Laroche that hugged all her
> curves. She did show some skin, though: The back was completely bare.
>
I've heard raves on this dress but I just didn't like it. I thought it was
a bit too plain. The back of it was great thought.
> Gwyneth Paltrow, in a nude silk and cotton voile corset dress by friend
> Stella McCartney, was one of the many stars who chose a natural, soft
> look.
>
The gown needed some color.
> Mendel had diagonal exposed seams, a frayed edge at the top and tiers
> of frayed fabric at the hem - and she wore it with a rope of pearls,
> holding a disc, knotted at her neck.
>
It was horrible. And again, no color. What is it with people wearing these
off white beigy gowns?
> Sophisticated starlet Emmy Rossum wore a princess ruby-and-diamond
> Harry Winston necklace and matching drop earrings and a crimson-red
> Ralph Lauren gown, which she described as the color of a 1945 Bordeaux
> wine. "I heard that's a good year," said the 18-year-old.
>
for as young as she is she's already shown great taste. I don't think
she's had a "miss" yet.
> raspberry strapless gown with ivory tulle trim. Sandra Oh, also in red,
> looked glamorous in a Michael Kors ballgown.
>
I liked the gown, didn't like her white skin with black hair. If she
doesn't want to be blonde she should go for a rich brown
> Melanie Griffith said husband Antonio Banderas had the final word on
> her ombre celadon pleated silk chiffon gown with embroidery by Versace
> that she accessorized with long diamond drop earrings by Harry Winston.
>
Definitely my worst pick for the night. It was hideous.
> Versace also dressed Virginia Madsen in a blue strapless corset gown
> with a black chiffon overlay and Halle Berry in an iridescent taupe
> silk chiffon one-shoulder gown with embroidered skirt. "It's the one
> that caught my eye this year," Berry said.
>
Halle is another that can't go wrong. I like some gowns more than others
but she's never worn anything where I just thought 'ugh'.
> Blue and yellow were both popular colors. Kate Winslet wore a
> periwinkle blue gown by Badgley Mischka with a beaded inset down the
> front of the bodice and Neil Lane diamonds added to the sheer straps.
It was OK
> Salma Hayek said on E! that Prada "did such a good job" on her
> custom-made midnight blue dress with black beading and bows on the
> bodice.
>
Too many bows. Usually I like Salma's choices but wasn't impressed with
this one.
> Cate Blanchett said picking her one-shoulder pale yellow silk taffeta
> gown with train and satin burgundy bow sash was easy. "Valentino made
> it for me. I just loved it," she said.
>
I loved the burgundy bow and matching purse. Just wish she'd done burgundy
lips.
> Armani also did Annette Bening's black jersey, long-sleeve gown with a
> portrait neckline from his new couture collection. The fitted bodice
> led into an hourglass silhouette, ending with a fishtail train.
>
boring! The only non-boring black dress of the night was Beyonce.
> Beyonce, who had several costume changes for the awards show, did the
> red carpet in a black silk velvet strapless gown by Versace.
>
She looked perfect. Perfect hair, awesome earings and great dress. As she
said, she wanted timeless and wanted to be able to look at a photo of that
outfit 30 years from now and still like it. I think she achieved that.
-
I don't think you were watching the same broadcast I was.
wrote in message
news:1109604256.893880.227340@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> The good news is, it was *so* breathtakingly miserable, we don't have
> to argue whether it was the worst Academy Awards in history.
> wonder: uh, were all the celebs BUSY? Is everybody famous DEAD?
> (Though even their list of dead people was underwhelming.) C'mon,
> nowhere in the world -- not in Kansas, not in Zimbabwe, not even in New
> York -- do people turn on the TV hoping to catch a glimpse of Annette
> Bening.
> the expense of an actor. Chris Rock was totally out of line, aside
> from being unfunny. And considering half of Hollywood makes crap to
> make bucks, singling out Cuba Gooding Jr. didn't seem right. Maybe
> he's got a good sense of humor, but has-beens are frequently touchy.
> sounded like a Hispanic cat dying in his throat, I switched over to the
> Food Channel.
> appearances of Beyonce, Adam Sandler, and Charlie Chaplin in a
> long-awaited duet with *Shrek*. (I hope Oona's on the phone with
> lawyers NOW.) Eight or nine awards the winners' PARENTS wouldn't have
> watched. "Best Short Film," "Best Italian Make-Up Girl," and "Best
> Film about Nuns and Jews."
> song: "You've never heard of the movie, and you could care less about
> the song, but here -- I'll sing it for you!' I was praying for Jamic
> Foxx's daughter to climb up onstage and tap-dance. And I loved hearing
> Mr. Foxx give the same speech about love bursting out of his
> grandmother and splashing onto all of us that he gave on the red
> carpet. Next year -- Jim Carrey! And the year after -- Kathy Griffin!
> Charles only had to sing "Georgia" for forty years -- and then DIE --
> before the good ole U. S. of A. grudgingly accepted him. I'm thinking
> his love wasn't *exactly* splashing out on all the white folks.
> handing out the award for Film Editing? We barely have time for the
> winners to walk to the stage, but we can watch Yo Yo Ma play his
> fiddle? Boy, that's a treat.
>
-
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/01/26/DDGCAB05IE25.DTL
&type=movies
Good Academy -- 'Million Dollar Baby,' 'Sideways' for best picture. Bad
Academy -- Depp, no Giamatti.
Mick LaSalle, Chronicle Movie Critic
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
The morning the Academy Award nominations are announced provides a welcome
opportunity for spiritual reflection, meditating on justice and injustice
and on the eternal consistency of obtuse minds. We turn our thoughts to
other, bigger disasters -- social and natural -- and in this way find the
distance to contemplate how, for example, Paul Giamatti could be overlooked
for his performance in "Sideways" and Leonardo DiCaprio nominated for "The
Aviator."
Or how insipid twaddle like "Finding Neverland" could get a best picture
nomination while "Hotel Rwanda" could be slighted.
The nominations for the 77th annual Academy Awards program, which will air
on Feb. 27, are the usual mix of confounding and reasonable choices. "The
Aviator," Martin Scorsese's likable, well-made, perfectly entertaining and
perfectly empty film biography of Howard Hughes, led the pack with 11
nominations. Tied for second place with seven nominations were "Finding
Neverland," a fact-based fantasy about the writing of James Barrie's "Peter
Pan," and "Million Dollar Baby," Clint Eastwood's elegiac fable of a female
boxer. Meanwhile, "Sideways," which swept most critics' awards, got only
five. Historically, the best picture category has always been one of the
weakest, a place for safe, sentimental and artistically conservative
choices. The Academy lived down to its reputation this year, nominating The
Aviator" (please), "Ray" (come on) and "Finding Neverland" (tell me they're
kidding). As if at a loss to find anything else with the right combination
of grandiloquence and schmaltz, the Academy condescended to nominate two
genuinely impeccable movies: "Sideways" and "Million Dollar Baby."
The Academy has always tended to be more adventurous in the acting
categories, and, again, this year followed the usual pattern. Don Cheadle in
"Hotel Rwanda," Eastwood in "Million Dollar Baby" and Jamie Foxx in "Ray"
all belong there. In a friendly frame of mind, one might also say the same
for DiCaprio in "The Aviator." The only laugher in the group is Johnny Depp
for "Finding Neverland."
Just a few years ago, it was hard to find enough important performances to
fill the best actress category. Not in recent years. Annette Bening ("Being
Julia"), "Hilary Swank ("Million Dollar Baby") and Catalina Sandino Moreno
("Maria Full of Grace") were nominated for top-notch work, while Imelda
Staunton was nominated for smiling for an hour and then sobbing for another
hour in "Vera Drake." The nomination of Kate Winslet for "The Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is something of a surprise, though
justifiable. However, if Academy members wanted to nominate an actress in a
romantic comedy, they might have looked to Julie Delpy's powerhouse
performance in "Before Sunset."
The supporting actress category is traditional the weakest, because the
supporting players in most films tend to be men. But this year, supporting
actress is the strongest category: Cate Blanchett ("The Aviator"), Laura
Linney ("Kinsey"), Virginia Madsen ("Sideways"), Sophie Okonedo ("Hotel
Rwanda") and Natalie Portman ("Closer"). A case could be made for any one of
them.
Supporting actor is almost as strong: Foxx was superb in "Collateral," but
he was actually the star of that movie; Tom Cruise as the assassin was
really the supporting role. Thomas Haden Church did some very specific and
delightful character work in "Sideways." Morgan Freeman was the aching soul
of "Million Dollar Baby," and Clive Owen was the best thing in "Closer." As
for Alan Alda in "The Aviator," his nomination (for his performance as a
corrupt senator) will remind everyone he was in the picture. That's nice.
Best director will be a contest between Martin Scorsese ("The Aviator"),
Eastwood ("Million Dollar Baby"), Taylor Hackford ("Ray"), Alexander Payne
("Sideways") and Mike Leigh ("Vera Drake").
Michael Moore, who won best documentary for "Bowling for Columbine," made a
calculated effort to secure a best picture nomination for "Fahrenheit 911."
He didn't succeed in crashing that gate and then found himself shut out of
the best documentary category. Moore had two obstacles he couldn't surmount:
Republicans weren't going to vote for him in the first place, and Democrats,
after the election, were too heartsick to put his DVD into the machine. As
soon as Bush won the election, it would have been smart to switch strategies
and aim for best documentary. As it stands, the only widely known film
nominated for best documentary this year is "Super Size Me."
In the unnecessary category of best animated film, "The Incredibles," "Shark
Tale" and "Shrek 2" got the nod. Surprisingly, "The Polar Express" didn't
make the cut. It really should have.
So what do we take from this year's Oscar nominations? We're presented with
the usual triumph of bloat, as represented by "The Aviator." In this case,
the bloat isn't obnoxious. That makes it a good year, almost. We're also
presented with the less palatable triumph of false sentiment in the form of
"Finding Neverland." In and of itself, that's also nothing to grieve over,
either, except that it robs the atmosphere of box office oxygen that might
have sustained "Hotel Rwanda" -- a movie of intense and genuine emotion.
"Hotel Rwanda" is a hard sell. Ask people if they'd like to see a movie
about the Rwandan genocide and most will say, "Oh, uh, maybe, but I think I
may have to get my teeth cleaned that day." They don't know they're going to
love it until they're watching it.
The case of Giamatti and "Sideways" is also sad, in that he gave hands down
one of the year's best performances, while Depp gave one of the year's
worst. Call me paranoid, but I can't help suspecting that Giamatti's
momentum was stopped by A.O. Scott's New York Times piece, which basically
said that "Sideways" is a good not great film and that the fuss over it was
overblown. Scott is entitled to his opinion, and his article made an
excellent case. But what should be remembered -- and what I'm afraid won't
be remembered -- is that a similar good-not-great argument could be made
against every work of art since cavemen started finger painting. I've heard
similar arguments made about Chaplin's "City Lights," "Citizen Kane," "The
Godfather" and "Casablanca."
The real truth is that there is no perfect work of art. Our perception of
greatness often depends on our perceiving a work from a specific flattering
angle. And the seductive power of an art work is in the way it makes us want
to look at it from its best side. Greatness is not greatness but rather a
mixture of near greatness and near-perfect seduction ...
But enough whining. At least Cheadle got nominated.
From Sunny Oz, Rick :)
Proud Keeper of the talented & beautiful Halle Berry.
-
http://canoe.ca/JamMovies/oct10_beingjulia-sun.html
Annette Bening careful about roles
By BRUCE KIRKLAND -- Toronto Sun
Fear! Annette Bening has it and it's getting worse during her mature years
as an actress.
It is fear of failure, fear of looking foolish, fear of screwing up any role
that the 46-year-old American star admires enough as a screenplay to bother
with. These days, commitment to a role means leaving her brood -- four
children who were born between 1992 and 2000 -- to join the film production,
usually away from home in L.A.
"You just have that fear and it's very healthy ... especially if it's
something juicy and good," Bening says during a recent Toronto visit. Bening
was here with her actor-director husband Warren Beatty to present the world
premiere of director Istvan Szabo's Being Julia. Beatty is not involved in
the film, opening Friday.
Being Julia, a co-production of Canada, Britain and Hungary, was engineered
by Canadian movie mogul Robert Lantos and played as the opening night gala
of the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
"It's very good," Bening says of her fear factor, continuing her musing on
what drives her when tackling a film role. "It's necessary. It's a kind of
insecurity that is a divine thing that you have to cherish."
Bening recalls veteran actress Fabia Drake confiding in her on the set of
Milos Forman's Valmont (his 1989 answer to Stephen Frears' more successful
Dangerous Liaisons). "I remember she said it was 'divine discontent!' "
Bening thought that Drake was being "pretentious" as she talked down to the
newcomer but Bening now incorporates the fear into her own work -- when she
works.
"I think that, if you want to try to do something interesting in front of
the camera -- I hope this is true, I think this is true -- you don't want to
know what you're going to do. You don't want to plan it. You want to
surprise the other people. You want to surprise the director. You want to
surprise the crew. You want to surprise yourself!
"But the psyche says, 'Plan it!' Because, if you don't plan it, you might
look really bad and you might be phony and you might be empty and you might
do nothing -- whatever those little voices are inside of us that can prey
upon our confidence (are saying).
"So you kind of live in this state of suspension where, especially if it's
emotional, you don't know what is going to come out, how much is going to
come out, how big it is going to be, how little is it going to be. Are you
going to take the person by the throat or are you going to be subdued? All
that stuff."
In the case of Being Julia, Bening has a brassy role that requires
histrionics as she runs the gamut from tears to sexual ecstacy, from
depression to malicious revenge. In a screenplay adapted by Ronald Harwood
from the lesser known W. Somerset Maugham novella Theatre, Bening plays an
aging English stage actress in the 1930s. With her husband (played by Jeremy
Irons) distancing himself from her sexually, she renews herself by taking on
a young lover. All hell breaks loose, with comedy.
When Szabo and Lantos pitched the project, which is built around her juicy
role, Bening was seduced, she says.
"It's the same need as when I was starting out," she tells the Sun about her
lingering desire to work in projects that fire her imagination. "But it's
not an economic need now and, believe me, there was a time when I was just
trying to get a job, when I was just auditioning for work.
"So it's lucky and it's a privilege when you can be in a place where you
say, 'Well, I don't have to work. I can work if I want to and what is it
that I want to do? What really interests me?' And I find myself just as
excited now if I read something good."
Bening is a curious person -- and even "curiouser" movie star. She was at
the peak of her Hollywood power when she co-starred with Beatty in his 1991
drama Bugsy, playing the gangster moll Virginia Hill. Their secret on-set
romance led to her pregnancy and their marriage on March 12, 1992. Their
daughter Kathlyn was born that year and followed by Benjamin in 1994, Isabel
in 1997 and Ella Corinne in 2000.
The new circumstances meant
she walked away from many roles, including Catwoman in Batman Returns.
Having a family was a dream she held since being a little girl, Bening says.
"I didn't imagine myself in movies as a kid," she says. "I didn't grow up
thinking, 'I want to be a movie star.' When I got to be in junior high, I
thought about being on stage. It was just a different cultural phenomenon."
Bening was born in Topeka, Kan., in 1958, and raised in Wichita. Her father,
first an insurance company salesman and later a company executive, and her
mother, a housewife, moved the family to San Diego in 1965. In Grade 6,
Bening appeared in a Spanish-language production of The Three Little Pigs.
She was hooked. In junior high, she played the Julie Andrews lead in a
school production of The Sound Of Music.
Bening graduated from high school in three years instead of the usual four,
took a job as a cook on scuba dive boat and ended up, a year later, at the
prestigious acting school in the American Conservatory Theatre in San
Francisco.
Five years there honed her craft and offered up her first husband, theatre
director Steven White, from whom she separated when her movie career first
took off. First, however, Bening thrived on stage in New York, making her
Broadway debut with a Tony Award-nominated performance in Coastal
Disturbances.
Still, movies became an elixir she could not resist, even though she admits
she was both "so naive" and "so unsophisticated" that she really did not
have a clue how a stage actress could make the transition to the screen.
"That feeling of being transported and moved -- that's the most powerful
thing (about cinema)," she says. "It can transport us in a way that nothing
else can. And that keeps me going, that's for sure."
Perhaps because she does have a theatre background, Bening seems unconcerned
that she is playing a character in her 40s, not someone much younger on
screen.
"I like playing an actress my age," Bening says. "It seems entirely
appropriate. I liked it -- great role. It was so clear from the second I
looked at it that it was an incredible opportunity to explore unknown
territory. So I was really appreciative and really thrilled.
"And then, I don't know how long after that it took the fear to set it, but
it didn't take very long."
But fear, she says, is now her friend.
THE BENING FILE
Born: May 29, 1958, in Topeka, Kan. Moved to San Diego in 1965.
High school: Finished in three years.
Acting school: American Conservatory Theatre for five years. Met first
husband, director Steven White.
New York: Moved there late in 1985, landed Coastal Disturbances, a major
breakthrough on stage. Nominated for a 1986 Tony Award. Went on to other
major theatre roles.
Working stiff: Shot an Arrid deodorant ad during her New York period -- it
never aired.
Movie debut: Shortly after Coastal Disturbances closed, shot her first
movie, playing "the horny wife" in the Dan Aykroyd-John Candy comedy The
Great Outdoors (1988).
Screen breakthrough: Played courtesan Katherine Merteuil in Milos Forman's
Valmont, a rival version of Dangerous Liaisons (for which she unsuccessfully
auditioned for the role of the lover whose bare buns provided John Malkovich
with a writing table). In Valmont, Bening played the major role that Glenn
Close had in Dangerous Liaisons.
Next big break: Stephen Frears, who turned her down for that smaller role in
Dangerous Liaisons, gave her a big role as sexy vamp Myra Langtry in The
Grifters (1990).
Life-changing role: Met her second husband Warren Beatty on Bugsy (1991) and
they struck up a romance, marrying the next year and starting a family.
Most significant role since: Bening co-starred as the repressed wife in the
Oscar-winning American Beauty (1999). The film debuted at the Toronto
filmfest but Bening chose not to attend because she was pregnant with her
fourth child, Ella.
Near-future roles: After Being Julia, Bening will be on a run with Diva,
Mrs. Harris and Under My Skin all set for 2005.
From Sunny Oz, Rick :)
Proud Keeper of the talented & beautiful Halle Berry.
- Celebrity Gossip
- At the moment in her career W_hen her name was becoming established with critics and audiences alike, Bening achieved her greatest notoriety by putting her work on hold to have Warren Beatty's baby. After working in regional theater and on the New York stage (and receiving a Tony nomination for "Coastal Disturbances") she debuted on film as Dan Aykroyd's wife in The Great Outdoors (1988). She appeared in the lavish costume drama Valmont (1989), and in a small but telling role in Postcards From the Edge but really sparkled in her Oscarnominated role as the sexy con artist Myra in The Grifters (both 1990). She shifted gears to play wifely second fiddle to Robert De Niro in Guilty by Suspicion and Harrison Ford in Regarding Henry (both 1991), but commanded the screen as tarttongued starlet Virginia Hill opposite Warren Beatty's Bugsy Siegel in Bugsy (also 1991). Their offscreen relationship led to Bening's pregnancy (which cost her the role of Catwoman in 1992's Batman Returns and enabled her to snare a more impressive-and, over the years, hotly desired-role: Beatty's wife. She then costarred with him in a remake of Love Affair (1994).
- Measurements: 34-25-35 1/2 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)
- Aunt of actress Sachi Parker.
- Sister-in-law of actress/producer/director/writer Shirley MacLaine.
- Many movie buffs find that she has an uncanny resemblance to the lady with the torch on the Columbia Pictures logo, which is often joked about.
- At the 1991 Academy Awards, host Billy Crystal introduced Bening by saying "She'll soon be appearing as none other than Catwoman in 'Batman II'", a part that the studio gave to Michelle Pfeiffer W_hen Bening became pregnant.
- Was the first choice to play the role of Carolyn Burnham in American Beauty (1999).
- Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1990" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 42. [1990]
- Annette was a very shy girl W_hen growing up, however she was very sincere and very friendly. Also very outgoing. She has been married once before. She struggled in Hollywood for about five years before finally getting a break. She was a drama student at Patrick Henry High School.
- High School: Patrick Henry High, San Diego, CA. Parents Live in San Diego. Two brothers, Brad and Byron Bening, and one sister. She is the youngest.
- Nominated for a Tony for "Coastal Disturbances" in 1987.
- Studied at San Diego Mesa College, and completed her drama degree at San Francisco State University. Studied at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater, and joined its acting company.
- Publicly criticized Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2000 bid for a seat in the Senate representing New York as the work of an opportunist.
-
ImagineContact.com is an online service provider which offers a convenient web gateway to freely available binary content, including but not limited to images of Annette Bening, as well as other content associated with celebrities posted within Usenet newsgroups. Users can join instantly online and have access to gigabytes of new images, updated daily. Every night, ImagineContact.com automatically crawls, sorts, converts, thumbnails and indexes these files from the Usenet for access by users on the website. Every day there are hundreds of new images posted to the Usenet.
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The binary content on ImagineContact.com, including but not limited to any and all images of Annette Bening, is directly obtained from the Usenet, and as such, reflects the uploaded files of millions of people worldwide. As an online service provider, ImagineContact.com does not and cannot editorialize the content posted on Usenet.
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