2008 Woodie Awards
Conspicuous absentees from 2007 Oscar guest list
Tyler Thurston
Issue date: 2/15/07 Section: Entertainment
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In our lives, we make lists. We think of what we want, what we need, or what is important to us, and we quickly jot it down on. We take these lists and imprint them in our minds - a mental note meant to signify our hopes and dreams. And be it a shopping list or a Christmas one, our lives are defined by them.
So when I first thought about what to write about in a column, the answer seemed simple - a list. But instead of writing down milk and bread on a post-it and calling it journalism, the list featured in this column will be more extensive. From now on, weekly, I will compile a Top Ten list featuring any aspect of film or television. Some will be simple rankings, some will be news stories. It all depends on the flow of the entertainment world that week.
And as always this time of year, the current flow of the entertainment world seems to be all about awards season. From the just-held Golden Globe Awards to the upcoming Oscars, tabloid magazines and couch potatoes are buzzing about who will win, who will wear what, who will show up with whom, etc. As the world turns to Ryan Seacrest to ask the hard-hitting questions and exchanges water cooler gossip about the fall and rise of Jennifer Hudson, positivity seems to be in the air. And forgive me for being the one to bring the mood down, but for me the most interesting story around Oscar time is not who was nominated, but who wasn't. So to kickoff the Top Ten list, let's examine the ones whose name will surely not be called come Oscar Sunday.
10) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Blythe Danner - The Last Kiss
I'll admit it - this was a tie between three very talented actresses, in very different performances. While they all played mothers, Toni Collette, Annette Bening, and Danner all brought something different to their roles. In Little Miss Sunshine, Collette perfected the daily balancing act of work, family, and marriage that plagues most women today. Annette Bening proved herself once again worthy of a nomination for her role in Running with Scissors, creating a sympathetic character out of what could easily have been a cartoon. So what made Danner's performance stick out in my mind? It should have been a throw-away performance. I mean, she didn't even play the mother of the main character - any actress over 50 could have phoned that in. But through her versatility, her frailty, and her raw emotional energy, Danner stole the movie straight from under the feet of her twenty-something costars. Portraying a woman on the verge of breaking, Danner injected life into dialogue that fell flat coming from lesser actresses, and in my book, that deserves recognition.
So when I first thought about what to write about in a column, the answer seemed simple - a list. But instead of writing down milk and bread on a post-it and calling it journalism, the list featured in this column will be more extensive. From now on, weekly, I will compile a Top Ten list featuring any aspect of film or television. Some will be simple rankings, some will be news stories. It all depends on the flow of the entertainment world that week.
And as always this time of year, the current flow of the entertainment world seems to be all about awards season. From the just-held Golden Globe Awards to the upcoming Oscars, tabloid magazines and couch potatoes are buzzing about who will win, who will wear what, who will show up with whom, etc. As the world turns to Ryan Seacrest to ask the hard-hitting questions and exchanges water cooler gossip about the fall and rise of Jennifer Hudson, positivity seems to be in the air. And forgive me for being the one to bring the mood down, but for me the most interesting story around Oscar time is not who was nominated, but who wasn't. So to kickoff the Top Ten list, let's examine the ones whose name will surely not be called come Oscar Sunday.
10) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Blythe Danner - The Last Kiss
I'll admit it - this was a tie between three very talented actresses, in very different performances. While they all played mothers, Toni Collette, Annette Bening, and Danner all brought something different to their roles. In Little Miss Sunshine, Collette perfected the daily balancing act of work, family, and marriage that plagues most women today. Annette Bening proved herself once again worthy of a nomination for her role in Running with Scissors, creating a sympathetic character out of what could easily have been a cartoon. So what made Danner's performance stick out in my mind? It should have been a throw-away performance. I mean, she didn't even play the mother of the main character - any actress over 50 could have phoned that in. But through her versatility, her frailty, and her raw emotional energy, Danner stole the movie straight from under the feet of her twenty-something costars. Portraying a woman on the verge of breaking, Danner injected life into dialogue that fell flat coming from lesser actresses, and in my book, that deserves recognition.
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