Sunday, November 19, 2006

Ms. Foster If You're Nasty

America's favorite stealth lesbian turns 44 today. Please wish her a happy birthday or include her in your prayers, like, "Dear Lord please help Jodie out of those confined yet thrilling spaces she finds herself in --be it banks, panics rooms, serial killer basements, or airplanes. Let her breathe fresh air again!" or my personal favorite incantation "Dear Lord, can't you do anything about Flora Plum? Jesus! I mean, er... Amen!"

Jodie Foster is on my mind because I just put up a new poll on the main site. "20 Years of Best Actress" --who is your favorite winner? Jodie is one of two doubled options in the past two decades. You know who the other one is. I'd rather not say the infernal name aloud lest I inadvertently summon the demonic one. That's how it works right? Oh god... don't tell me they can appear if you just type their name, can they? s**t i'm in big trouble

Before I turn off the computer for the evening a final note of grace, three of them actually:


There, captured for all time in Vanity Fair, is the one moment in time where I actually wanted to be Jodie Foster. You can guess why. Meg Ryan is also pictured. It's her birthday today, too! She needs your prayers more... but where to begin with that one? Honestly.

previous Jodie posts Actors Stuck in Ruts Foster, Kidman, Moore, etc... * Gilded Moose Interview The Moose loves his Jodie thrillers * Say What? Brave One silly captions * A History of... Jodie Foster the secrets of Jodie's life

tags: Jodie Foster, Meg Ryan, movies, lesbian, celebrities, best actress, Oscars, Academy Awards

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Was looking at pics, and she was holding hands with Russell Crowe at the Globes 6 years ago. Did anyting happen back then? I can't remember and if you're smart you'll know why.

adam k. said...

Haha. When you were talking about Jodie getting herself "out of confined spaces," I was 100% positive that one of the spaces on your list would be "closets." Seriously. Come on, Jodie.

Maybe there is some symbolism in all these confined cinematic spaces she finds herself in? Is she trying to tell us something? I'll die of laughter if she ever makes a thriller where she's trapped in a closet.

Anyway, happy birthday, Jodie! You know I love ya. Crash campaigning or no.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of the poll... am I the only one who's blown away by Kidman's monopoly so far? Not that it's not an excellent performance, I just expected the wealth to spread a little more. Especially considering the presence of, among others, Foster's Silence performance (which is exceedingly well-loved), Hunter's performance in The Piano (which I, at least, consider one of the best performances of all time), and she-who-must-not-be-named's first winning performance. There's a lot of quality in that roster.

Cinesnatch said...

RE: Steve's response to the current poll results:

Something smells like Jake Gyllenhaal's hefty take of the percentage back in the Best Actors of the Aughts poll.

My favorites:
1. Kathy Bates
2. Jodie Foster (Lambs)
3. Emma Thompson
4. Frances McDormand

Cinesnatch said...

If only Foster would have banged Crowe, maybe Flora Plum would have happened.

Glenn Dunks said...

In a shock, I didn't vote for Kidman. Essentially because I think it isn't her best or the best on there (there's 10 that I could say are better).

I actually voted for Jodie for Silence of the Lambs although I wanted to vote for Holly Hunter, but... I just had to go Jodie. She's one of my favourites (i too did a birthday thing for her) and her Silence performance is just stunning (as is the movie which I just recently rewatched).

Silence and Contact are probably my fave Foster performances (and films).

Glenn Dunks said...

Oh, and yeah, I expected more love for McDormand and Hunter. That number for Kidman is extraordinarily high.

Anonymous said...

1 - Jodie Foster (I think she is the best American Actress since Meryl Streep, I mean, adult actress, because Jodie started her movie career before Streep), Silence
2 - Kathy Bates - Misery
3 - Hilary Swank - Boys Don't Cry
4 - Holly Hunter - The Piano
5 - Susan Sarandon - Dead Man Walking

The only performances that could beat Foster's didn't win, and they belong to tha same year. Streep in The Bridges of Madison County and Elisabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas.

- cal roth

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry. I am very happy that Nicole is well-liked and succesful, but she can't be that favored in the poll or in real life, for that matter. She is a medium range actress who is being passed as great by virtue of buzz and promotion. No way is she as good as they say. Her performance in The Hours was good, but Juliane Moore and Meryl Streep put in perspective how good it really was. And she practically sinked Eyes Wide Shot.

Anonymous said...

I love Kidman (thought she was fantastic in Eyes Wide Shut, clearly leagues better than Moore in The Hours), but I agree - there's no way she should be dominating like she is. I'd rank Foster in Silence and Sarandon in Dead Man Walking way ahead of her - two for the all time lists. Oh well.

Anonymous said...

why the hell is Meg Ryan pictured with those two?

"one of these things is not like the others....."

MeG RYAN SUCKS! =)

Anonymous said...

Right there with you, Cal. Among the best leading actress also-rans since '86, Elisabeth Shue is tops for me, too, with Holly Hunter (for 'Broadcast News'), Michelle Pfeiffer (for 'The Fabulous Baker Boys'), Angela Bassett, Meryl Streep (for 'The Bridges of Madison County'), and Naomi Watts (for 'Mulholland Drive,' which wasn't even nominated for fuck's sake) close behind.

Speaking of which, Nat, you should do a poll of the best *non-winning* performances of the past 20 years. I bet participation would go through the roof on that one.

Marco

Anonymous said...

P.S. Remember that back in the day (circa early 2000), Meg Ryan was still hot, hot, hot, with rumors of a Russell Crowe affair not yet fouling up the air. Funny how all three of these women practically dropped off the face of the earth shortly thereafter. Meg's the only one though still without a slate of upcoming films. Hmm...

Marco

Anonymous said...

Also a jawdropping moment for me when I just saw the poll, and subsequently (having voted) noticed Kidman's hefty lead.

But I think the key word here is "Favourite" (or "Favorite" to you guys over the pond!)... Kidman has herself a lot of fans, and a great many of us Film Experience regulars are amongst that number (myself included).

That having been said, her win for The Hours is possibly my least favourite of the entire list. I feel about it much the same as I felt about Witherspoon's win last year; I LIKE the performance, but I find nothing special in it.

Now, I think the BEST performance on the list (getting back on topic) is that of Foster's in The Silence of the Lambs. However, my FAVOURITE win is Thompson (who got my vote). A combination of reasons including: (a) I love her speeches above all others - no blubbing, no lawyer thanking, just gentle appreciation and piss-taking, (b) I love her in Howards End, (c) I love her 4-year love affair with Oscar, (d) I love her quintessential Britishness, and (e) I love her. Period.

Favourite is a different kettle of fish to best.

Top 5 BEST:
1 Jodie Foster (Silence)
2 Hilary Swank (Boys, obviously)
3 Emma Thompson
4 Marlee Matlin
5 Holly Hunter (And I STILL think Stockard Channing shoulda won! If only we'd had 2 turns like that LAST year!)

Top 5 FAVOURITE:
1 Emma Thompson
2 Jodie Foster (Silence)
3 Kathy Bates
4 Susan Sarandon
5 Julia Roberts

Rob

Anonymous said...

Your "Which Nicole Kidman character are you?" Quiz is on IMDb's hit list today!

Cinesnatch said...

Congratulations on getting on imdb, Nate.

Okay, I'd like to switch around Foster and Bates. Foster was truly my favorite.

Favorite Also Rans:
-Sigourney Weaver, Aliens
-Kathleen Turner, Peggy Sue
-Glenn Close, Fatal Attraction
-Michelle Pfeiffer, Baker Boys
-Meryl Streep, Postcards
-Thelma & Louise
-Mary McDonnell, Passion Fish
-Brenda Blethyn, Secrets & Lies
-Renee Zellweger, Bridget Jones
-Meryl Streep, Hours ... wait, oops, she didn't get nominated, nevermind
-Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake

Anonymous said...

Speaking of Best Actress winners, if Mirren wins for The Queen, it struck me this morning it'll be another major instance of de-glamming snagging the prize. Though at least she waited till she was over 30 to do it... :)

Anonymous said...

Stephen G,

I hardly think taking on the role of the Queen of England is "de-glamming". Is it because she's old?

Glenn Dunks said...

Yeah, it doesn't exactly rank up there with Charlize, does it?

NATHANIEL R said...

i dunno. i hadn't thought of it either but it IS deglamming. Helen Mirren is known as being an ageless sex kitten, I mean just this year alone she's sexing up Cuba Gooding Jr. and there she is all frumpy, giving herself a double chin and crying the moment she saw how ugly her costumes were (which she's said in interviews)

Anonymous said...

Exactly, it was the big glasses and the cardigans and the unflattering makeup and the frumpy shoes I was thinking of.

I'm not saying it's in the same class as Halle or Nic or Charlize or Satan doing it, but you could argue it is the continuation of a trend (after a year's blessed hiatus).

adam k. said...

I had totally thought of how Helen Mirren is deglamming, though yeah, it isn't in the same league as Charlize and Nicole and Felicity. It's maybe in the same league as Halle in Monster's Ball, deglam-wise. But whatever, it's not the same since Mirren is in her 60s.

Anonymous said...

I guess I don't really see a portrayal of one of the richest and most powerful women in the world, set against these opulent surroundings, as deglam. She's playing older, sure, but those duds she's wearing aren't exactly K-Mart brand.

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