Speed Linker

Defamer reveals Susan Sarandon's fountain-of-youth secrets
Jackie Beat reveals Mariah Carey's diet secrets "Retouch" My Body
Screener thinks summertime brings out the best in movie audiences
Correct Opinion discusses those spoiler shots on The Dark Knight's "Two Face"


A lot of the gossip blogs (like Just Jared) are running pictures of Tilda Swinton @ the Met's superhero themed costume gala (pictured above). Most of them fail to mention or gleefully dwell on the fact that that's Justin Bond with Tilda! Hello, these details are important. Maybe the gossip bloggers just don't know anything about genius NY sub-lebrities like Justin Bond (half of the utterly brilliant duo Kiki & Herb who played himself memorably in Shortbus) cuz they're too busy posting their 2,000,000th photo of Kim Kardashian. Zzzzzz. How cute are Justin & Tilda?

a few more
Bubblegum Aesthetic has a great review of an Audra McDonald concert. I have her CDs and quite recommend. Now if we could only get her a great movie musical role instead of boring Grey's Anatomy spinoff gigs
And Your Little Blog Too reports from the Bette Davis centennial in LA
Hollywood Elsewhere Jeffrey Wells on Speed Racer reactions, actual and his own (imagined)
Film Otaku on the Best Actress contenders @ Cannes

Brokeback Got Me Good. (More on Heath Ledger)

I woke up this morning, hoping that I'd feel better but I didn't. Last night was painful in ways that surprised me. Joe wrote a spur of the moment piece I really related to which helped me feel not so alone in how I was reacting. Most people get inordinately attached to a celebrity or four (or 237) in the course of living their lives. It's a media saturated voyeuristic age and we are essentially encouraged from all sides to be interested in the lives of beautiful strangers. And the movies have always served as an enticing proxy, a heightened version of real life; Experience this story. Feel this catharsis. Relate to this performance.

As sad as I am from the news of Heath Ledger's death, I'm reminded of a bitter truth that the performance artists Kiki & Herb use in their stage show

Ladies and Gentlemen, people die. That's all you need to know.

Like a lot of black comedy, it's only funny because it's brutal. It stings. It's an unavoidable that we pretend we can avoid. Famous people die all the time. Excuse the inappropriate tacky media reference but it's like those stupid paparazzi pages of celebrities doing mundane tasks "Celebrities: They're just like us!"

Grief for a stranger --even one you are very fond of --is different than grief for someone we know deeply. But it still hurts. It's like a miniature more fleeting abstraction of the real deal (which hurts immensely and can last for you don't wanna know how long --if you haven't experienced it yet. If you have you'll know how relentless it can be). But I'm straying from the topic of Heath now...


It comes to this: I didn't realize that I was as attached to Heath Ledger as I was. But I understood this morning that it all goes back to Brokeback Mountain . Something about that movie settled deep inside me. I feel protective towards all involved. It must be part of the reason that I keep writing about Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal. It's why I feel all warm inside when I see Ang Lee smile. It's why I perked up so much when Michelle Williams wafted into frame in I'm Not There looking and feeling nothing like Alma Del Mar. It's why.

I had to move right on last night (had a work deadline) and it wasn't easy. I'll have to move on here today (awards season, new movies, etc). We'll all have to. But I expect this sense of loss will linger. He truly was an enormously promising rising star. And for little Matilda, Michelle, Heath's family, Jake Gyllenhaal (and Heath's other friends, with whom we are less familiar)... the hurt for them will be real and in no way miniature or abstract. My heart goes out to them.
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To read earlier pieces on Heath or Brokeback Mountain or any topic, remember you can always click on the labels at the end of any post*
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Emmy Done Good (?)

Every year I find some way to bitch about The Emmys which is somewhere less embarassing than the People's Choice and the Grammy's but only by so much.



Though I missed the ceremony due to the farewell concert of KIKI & HERB ("Kiki & Herb Will Die for You" at Carnegie Hall --which I wouldn't have missed for anything, even the Oscars ) I did of course check out their winners.



If they haven't made a complete turn-around and least the Television Academy shook it up a little.



OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

David Hyde Pierce as Niles Crane -Frasier

sigh. It's not that this performance isn't great. But did he really need to win again. And maybe I shouldn't comment on this but I wonder about these really enduring performances if they're still adding significant shadings to still be deserving of the win. Take Matt leBlanc on Friends for example. That is a performance that got better as it went along. But do actors regularly get better in a role as they move through years and years of similar jokes? I would argue not usually. I mean, no offense to Sean Hayes on Will & Grace (not meaning to single him out just drawing out a name to ask) --is his "Jack" role stagnant, or does he deserve the nominations every time out? And finally, who does John McGinley have to [insert sexual verb of your choice here] in order to get a nomination for his brilliant work on Scrubs? For that matter what does anyone on Scrubs have to do?



OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR and SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti & Drea DeMatteo as Adriana LeCerva -The Sopranos

Three cheers for these wins. Emmy done right. These two actors --well, their amazing desperate duet made this season, imho.





OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes -Sex And The City

You know I'm thrilled that she finally made it. Even if this award is for the wrong season.



OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Allison Janney as C. J. Cregg -The West Wing...

But then... old habits die hard. zzzzzzzzzz. How is she even eligible for this lead award year after year from an ensemble show. And how the hell does she beat Edie Falco who remains a total genius of an actor on [i]The Sopranos[/i]



OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw -Sex And The CityIt's about freaking time. That's all I have to say here.





OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Kelsey Grammar as Frasier Crane -Frasier

zzzz and we're back to their old habits die hard and I'm already totally bored of discussing this.



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