Actors and Actresses

It’s Dionne’s World, We Just Live In It

By now almost all of the hype surrounding Chris Rock’s Oscars is over. But there is still one moment I cannot shake. It has nothing to do with perfect human Brie Larson, precious cargo Joe Biden or endless meme generator Leonardo DiCaprio. It’s the bizarre appearance of Stacey Dash. What was Dionne from Clueless doing at the Oscars?

In case you missed it (how could you?), watch the clip below.

Like Chrissy Teigen, you cringed. I cringed. We all cringed.

Coming at the end of Rock’s monologue, which was either legendary or divisive depending who you ask, Dash is introduced as the Academy’s new Director of Minority Outreach. You can hear the crickets in the audience as Dash walks on stage and awkwardly proclaims, “I can’t wait to help my people out! Happy Black History Month!” It’s a kind of joke that seemingly bombed and served no purpose.

It may be one twisted symbiotic relationship but Dash’s appearance is kind of genius. It’s subversive and weird and politically in tune with the entire monologue.

Continue reading “It’s Dionne’s World, We Just Live In It”

The Realities Of Being A Film Actress

The Heat — Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy are both over 40 and big movie stars. Just don’t ask them to try and sell a magazine cover.

Hollywood actresses are at a strange crossroads. Or that is what two articles published in the last week would lead one to believe. The first “On Newsstands, The Allure of the Film Actress Fades” (New York Times, June 5) focuses on how film actresses cannot compete with the likes of the Kardashians and thus cannot sell magazines. The second, “Revenge of The Over-40 Actress” (The Hollywood Reporter, June 14) suggests that actresses over the age of 40 are in the midst of career boom. Here are the main points we can take away from these articles.

Movie stars are less revered.
Magazine covers with films stars are not guaranteed to outsell those with TV or music stars.
Movies don’t appeal to women.
The film audience is aging.
Television is in the midst of a boom.
Actresses who were A-list as 30-somethings are still A-list as 40-somethings..
Women over 40 are no longer expected to look matronly.
A TV role can nurture and enhance an actress’s career.
Melissa McCarthy’s career success at age 40 is something to marvel at.
Angelina Jolie is more than a film star. Continue reading “The Realities Of Being A Film Actress”

My Year-Long Saga Of Being Inexplicably Obsessed With Jeremy Renner

For the last year, Jeremy Renner ruined my life. — This is the story of how Jeremy Renner ruined my life.

Something happened to me last May. I became obsessed with Jeremy Renner and it took over my life. More times then I should probably admit, I turned into a crazed fangirl. I wasted hours of my life scouring the abyss of the Internet for undiscovered information about Renner. For no logical reason. It was just as inexplicable and ridiculous as my Orlando Bloom obsession circa 2003. Except in 2003, I was 14 and could barely use the Internet.

Around December I accepted that I had a problem. So I started making notes of every strange thing I did as I trolled the Internet. Because the most sensible way to get over your fake relationship with a celebrity is to publicly shame yourself.

So here is what happened. This is exactly like what went down with Odysseus and those Sirens.

Continue reading “My Year-Long Saga Of Being Inexplicably Obsessed With Jeremy Renner”

The Media and Angelina Jolie

Last Tuesday, Angelina Jolie revealed in a NY Times op-ed that after testing positive for the BRCA1 gene, she had undergone a preventative double mastectomy. As a woman whose career is based on the commodification of her body, Jolie has done more for the stigmatization surrounding breast cancer, gene testing, and reconstructive surgery with just one statement:

“On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.”

As someone who lives off of celebrity news, I didn’t know about Jolie’s mastectomy until Wednesday afternoon. A full 24 hours had passed by the time I got around to reading the op-ed and the discussions about the impact of Jolie’s revelation. The People and Time magazine covers (pictured below) were already in place for the next week.

Jolie

I did something unusual after seeing these two magazines in the drugstore. I purchased them. There is something monumentally impactful and fascinating about these magazines. Side-by-side, the differences between how these two publications address this story are astounding. It is soft news vs. hard news; feminized media vs. de-feminized media. Moreover, we see the remarkable nature of Angelina Jolie’s star image. She easily toes the line between all types of media. Continue reading “The Media and Angelina Jolie”

Reese Witherspoon’s Post-Oscars Blues

Et tu, Witherspoon? Photo: Film School Rejects

In case you missed it, Reese Witherspoon and her husband Jim Toth were arrested on Friday April 19. This is one of the biggest, juiciest gossip stories to happen in a long time. According to police reports, as Toth was being arrested for a DUI, Witherspoon got out of the car and said to the police officer: “Do you know my name?” When the officer said that did not matter, Witherspoon responded: “You’re about to find out who I am.”

Oh my Reese. That is not how one of America’s sweethearts behaves. Continue reading “Reese Witherspoon’s Post-Oscars Blues”