Oscarbation: A Look Back at 1997 for Best Actress

1997 was a good year for this category. it was loaded with talent that delivered amazing performances. rating them 1 to 5 was quite difficult for me to do. thEy all deserved to go home with the gold. but rank them i will. here goes ....

#5

helena bonham carter was wondrous to behold in 'wings of the dove'. she left an indelible mark as a lead actress in this film. again the oscar could have been hers with no argument from me

#4

helen hunt's performance in 'as good as it gets' was as good as it could/would get. she gave a wonderful, heartwarming performance. helen won the oscar on the coat tails of the best picture and best actor wins. yet as with the other nominees in this category in '97 her win can be justified. but her on and off 'new york' accent was a tad annoying. a best actress should be able to sustain it.

#3

kate winslet in 'titanic' was wonderful. kate's chemistry with leonardo decaprio was heaven sent. there was not a moment you think 'hey these two don't belong together'. they so belonged together that separating her performance from his is an almost impossible situation. his snub is one of oscar's embarrassments. kate will go on to win her oscar four noms later.

#2

judi dench in mrs. brown was simply wonderful. it remains one of the best screen performances of all time. a stage actress who fit(s) quite well on film. she was amazing as queen victoria in her 'private' life. i repeat the oscar could have been her's with no argument.

#1

let's begin with the premise that julie christie plays a 'b actress' in 'afterglow'. that alone is a major fete as she was/is one of the best 'A' actresses in film. the critics associations hailed her performance in 1997. her fans were rightfully rejoicing. she would not get the oscar come award night but her fans were the true winners because the mostly reclusive actresses of her time returned to the screen. had i been able to vote, ms. christie amongst all the aforementioned wonderful performances would have gotten my vote after alot of nail biting.

sublime

Three Weeks Only: 'The Lion King" 3D

i think it's time to relive the magic. i won't be suckered into all 3d conversions but word of mouth tells me to get to this one now. and so should you.

'Soldiers': Because It's Time to Revisit Abba

unofficial video

'Ringer' Is Torture: A True Mess

this new sarah michelle gellar series is awful. i now know why cbs passed on it for this fall. i don't know why the cw picked it up. i also don't get the whole geller thing. she is not a very good actress. buffy may have had a following but i believe it was more for the 'girl kicks ass' thing than the acting chops of the lead. she has no acting chops!

if you want the reallly good 'twin' thing then watch the much better, really really much better 'the lying game' on abc family.

'ringer' rates a D

the lying game' rates B+

'Twilight Breaking Dawn' Official Trailer Released

Ranking the Best Actress Wins So Far

#1 katharine hepburn in 'the lion in winter'

#2 sophia loren in 'two women'

#3 glenda jackson in 'women in love'

#4 maggie smith in 'the prime of miss jean brodie'

#5 barbra streisand in 'funny girl'

#6 helen hunt in 'as good as it gets'

#7 julie andrews in 'mary poppins'

#8 marie dressler in 'min and bill'

#9 greer garson in 'mrs miniver'

#10 helen hayes in 'coquete'

#11 janet gaynor in 'seventh heaven'

#12 mary pickford in 'sins of madelon claudet'

#14 norma shearer in 'the divorcee'

#15 katharine hepburn in 'morning glory'

#16 elizabeth taylor in 'butterfield 8'

'Contagion' **1/2

it all falls apart after the first 15 minutes or so. except for matt damon it is a complete waste of talent. it is not the fault of the actors it's just that they are given nothing to do. it's a boring script and a boring movie. wait for the dvd release. there is enough coming out this fall without wasting time and money on this. it pains me to say this as kate winslet and marion cotillard are in it. and ms cotillard has the most thankless role of all.

Oscarbation: The Snub of 1968 for Best Actress Nomination

olivia hussey was 16 when she portrayed juliet capulet in zefferelli's 'romeo and juliet'. her's remains the best screen performance in this role in the best film version of this role. when the oscar noms rolled around for 1968 ms hussey was left off the ballot. how the hell could this have happened? watch this performance. as juliet she goes from a girl on the brink of adolescence to woman without a glitch. her development throughout the film is extraordinary. a more mature actress could not have, has not, pulled this off. and it was her first film to boot. losing the nomination in lieu of joanne woodward and patricia neal that year was one of the academy's biggest blunders and snubs.

ms hussey would not have won. katharine hepburn would have still won. but if ms hepburn had to win in a tie it should have been with olivia hussey and not barbra streisand.

this has been bothering me for years. well now i at least got it off my chest.

Oscarbation: A Look Back at 1968 for Best Actress

1968 was a mixed bag in the best actress category. and oddly enough it ended in a tie. there was no tie! there was only one best actress in the category. in fact the second best actress of the year was not even nominated. i'll address this major oversight tomorrow.

#5

joanne woodward in ''rachel, rachel',

some overact. some underact. some sort of walk through a role. ms woodward was either underacting in this film or just walked through it because her husband and director paul newman wanted her in the film. mr newman did no favor for his wife. the film, as well as ms woodward's performance, is as dull as dishwater. she did not deserve a nomination for this one. another actress deserved this slot.

#4

patricia neal in 'the subject was roses'

a talky stagy film from a better play. ms. neal gave it her all following a stroke. the film is easily forgotten as well as ms neal's performance. the nom was a 'welcome back' nod to the beloved actress. it was undeserved especially condidering who was left out in 1964. and i repeat another actress was most certainly left out.

#3

barbra streisand in 'funny girl'

ms streisand gave a socko performance in her screen debut. her singing was a joy, her comedy moments were spot on. the problem was in the dramatic moments. she played it her way. it was our introduction to the ms streisand who believed she did not need a director. she split the oscar with katharine hepburn. this is patently absurd. barbra would go on to give some other even better performances. it's still a pleasure to watch the first half of this film. the second half is drudgery.

#2

vanessa redgrave in 'isadora'

depending on what version you see ms. redgrave gives a great performance or a fairly good one. this film has been edited and shredded to death over time disgracefully. if you are lucky enough to see an original uncut version of the film you will see a wild manic performance that only the divine vanessa could give. she uncannily embodies dancer isadora duncan. i contend it is her best film role to date.

#1

katharine hepburn in 'the lion in winter'

me hepburn gives the best damn performance of her long career in this film. ms hepburn gives one of the most brilliant film performances of all time in this film. she can make you laugh, cry, get angry or be empathetic from one moment to the next. i cannot praise her, or this film, enough. she gives us a masterclass in acting in 'the lion in winter'. splitting the prize with streisand? stranger things have happened.

sublime

Idiot of the Week: Rick Perry

this man makes george bush look smart

science? NO!

climate Change? NO!

social security? NO!

Idiot? YES!

Six More Days Till 'Vampire Diaries' Season 3

fun new trailer

'Contagion' Opens Wide Today

'One Life to Live' ONLINE Is Coming Together

four of the major stars of 'one life to live' have signed on to continuing their roles online (and possibly cable) when the show leaves abc in january. erika slezak, kassie depaiva, michael knight and ted king officialy signed up this week. here's hoping others will soon follow and keep llanview alive for years to come.

Andrea Mitchell and Her Breast Cancer Diagnosis: Listen Up

Oscarbation: 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' Featurette

oscar bait coming nov.18

Oscarbation: A Look Back at 2001 for Best Actress

2001 was a good year for the best actress nominations. all were deserving but only one could win. a rare comedy performance was nominated which is always a breathe of fresh air. a musical nominee emerged from, for me at least, an unlikelyplace. and then three amazing dramatic turns shined. here they are, the talented women of 2001...

**********

#5 renee zellweger in 'bridget jones's diary'

renee gave a charming performance as the lovelorn bridget in the title role. i always find it refreshing when a comedic turn is recognized in the lead actress category. her british acent worked. i find it amazing that brits can do 'american' but most american actors trying to do 'brit' fall flat.

#4 nicole kidman in 'moulin rouge'

a wonderful and to me unexpected musical turn here by ms kidman in one of 2001 best films. however good she was she should have been nominated for 'the others' this year. had that been her nomination she would have placed number two in this grouping.

#3 halle berry in 'monster's ball'

let me start by saying that i worked my ass off for barack obama in 2008. i will do so again for 2012. i like to say i single handedly helped him win florida. i say this before the hate mail starts coming. ms berry gave a wonderful if often overwrought performance in 'monster's ball'. she deserved the nomination but not the win. she won because a win in this category was long overdue to a woman of color and she gave a worthy performance. her follow up work, as with many oscar winners before and after her, shows how slight an actress she really is. yes it was a 'bravura' performance but not the best in 2001.

#2 judi dench in 'iris'

a remarkable, i expect nothing less of, performance by ms dench as iris murdoch and her battle with alzheimer's disease. as good as she was she split screen time with kate winslet as her younger self. ms winslet was rightfully nominated in the supporting category. i believe ms dench should have shared the category as well as the title role. perhaps she may have won there. perhaps.

(as an aside jennifer connelly who won in the supporting category belonged in the lead category. but that is the politics of hollywood)

#1 sissy spacek in 'in the bedroom'

i believed it then. i believe it now. sissy spacek was and remains the best actress of 2001. her range of emotions from the beginning to the end of this film carry us along in this wrenching tragic slice of life film. and in her final moment on film with an icy stare she asks 'is it done' her name should have been engraved on her not to be statue. this is truly ms spacek's best film role. it remains the apex of a long and strong career.

sublime

'Love Crime' and Kristin Scott Thomas

'love crime' opens in la and ny on september 9. no word yet on wide releases. but how lucky we are that the wonderful ms thomas has two films stateside this year. you must see 'sarah's key'. ms thomas is at home in french and english. as for me ms thomas can speak in any language and i am there.

trailer

Oscarbation: A Look Back at 1964 for Best Actress

1964's nominees went from dull as dishwater to rousing. two actresses in '64 were left out of the running and neither of them was dull as dishwater.

#'s 4 and 5 were basically dull as dishwater

#5 ann bancroft in 'the pumpkin eater'

'the pumpkin eater' is a dud. ms bancroft's performances rises above the material but suffers from lousy dialogue and dreary direction. this should have been audrey hepburn's slot for 'my fair lady' but hollywood wanted revenge for her being cast in that film.

# 4 kim stanley in 'seance on a wet afternoon'

film officianados know how good ms stanley was. see her in 1958's 'the goddess' and see how brilliant she could be. her myra savage in this film was good. it's the material here that killed her chances for a win. boring! her stage career outranked her film career. her nom here was a win for her.

#'s 3, 2 and 1 were all rousing in their own way

#3 debbie reynolds in 'the unsinkable molly brown'

ms reynolds gives a roaring musical performance to say the least. actually despite the material she gives one of the best musical performances of all time here. another year another time she may have won. the film and it's plot are slight. her leading man a dullard. the musical's lyrics and music are not top notch. however, debbie rises above the material and saves the whole damn thing.

#2 julie andrews in 'mary poppins'

we all know why ms andrews won the oscar. jack warner is why. his 'fair lady' was not even

nominated although she, audrey hepburn, was divine in the role of eliza doolittle. after snubbing julie andrews for 'my fair lady' hollywood took revenge on jack warner in this category. although 'my fair lady' would win best picture ms hepburn was snubbed. so was the revenge really on audrey who was told ms andrews would not get the part no matter what as some other actress was waiting in the wings? therefore audrey has revealed she could not say 'no'.

i do not begrudge julie her oscar. as she said said in her acceptance speech 'americans are so generous but this is ridicolous''. well in this case she was right. it was generous and it was ridiculous. she just ranks as another winner who should not have won.

#1 sophia loren in 'marriage italian style'

sophia gives her second best performance ever as filumena in 'marriage italian style' right after cesira in 'two women'. it's amazing to me that her roles in hollywood films leave me cold. she is so so much better in her native tongue and on her home turf. her comedic range and dramatic turns in this film are a true example of a multi talented actress. a talent, gift, to behold. she would have won her second oscar putting the andrews/hepburn thing aside.

**************

so who got left out? both ava gardner and deborah kerr in 'the night of the iguana'. i can only guess they split the votes on the nomination ballot. ms gardner gave the best performance of her career here. ms kerr generally gave wonderful performances and this was no exception. they both deserved the nomination over ann bancroft and kim stanley.

and the aforementioned ms hepburn was regally snubbed