The 2008 Supporting Actress Smackdown

It's here, people! StinkyLulu has once again rounded up some of the finest writers on the blogosphere (plus moi) for the annual Smackdown on the morning of the Oscars. As always, I had a ton of fun offering my opinions and reading what the other participants had to say (even when we completely disagreed). The overall winner should come as no surprise, given how popular she has remained throughout the entire Oscar season, but I was pleasantly surprised to see all the love for Marisa Tomei, who was quite excellent in The Wrestler.

She's a hooker with a heart of gold AND she gives an excellent performance. How often does this happen?

So head over there to read the panel's opinions and send lots of towards Lulu for tirelessly keeping up with this project.

The 1939 Supporting Actress Smackdown is Here!

StinkyLulu is hosting the 1939 Supporting Actress Smackdown today so head on over and check that out. Yours truly is participating once again and, like always, I had a lot of fun offering my two cents about these five performances. What made 1939 an even greater treat was that I got to discuss two performances from my favorite film of all time: Hattie McDaniel and Olivia de Havilland in Gone With the Wind.

That's quite a trio there.

Who of the 5 nominees would I give the Oscar to if I had the choice? Which performances (trust me, there were more than one!), for being from such a banner year, were complete wastes of time? And, most importantly, who will the Smackdowners give the trophy to? All these questions will be answered here.

Supporting Actress Smackdown: 2007 Edition

If today is sort of like Christmas, than this morning we should get a special present. And that present is StinkyLulu's 2007 Supporting Actress Smackdown. Yours truly was asked to participate and since I had seen all of the nominees, I gladly obliged. As always, I had a ton of fun doing it and am super anxious to read everyone's quips and snarky comments.

This year's race has surprisingly been a wide open one, with four of the five nominees still duking it out to the last minute. And each of them have a particular advantage over the other's that can't be ignored: Ruby Dee has the sympathy and career vote for a lifetime of ignorance (and the SAG award); Cate Blanchett has the biopic thing going on (and the Golden Globe); Amy Ryan has the horrible mom role (and a near sweep of the main critics groups); and Tilda Swinton has the your-film-won't-win-anywhere-else-so-let's-
vote-for-her factor (and the BAFTA). It's a tough call, but I think Dee with sneak ahead. But if I had to pick a personal favorite it would be.... Oh Tilda. Why are you so amazing? If you want to see how much I love Tilda, who is the weakest of the nominees and my basic rantings on all of the nominees then head on over to the Smackdown now.

Supporting Actress Smackdown: 1971

Once again I am participating in StinkyLulu's monthly Supporting Actress Smackdown and this go around we are doing 1971- a far cry (in terms of acting styles, that is) from my last Smackdown (1950). Overall, I'm not a huge fan of the 70's, and we all know this wasn't a kind decade to actresses, but this year offered some juicy parts and equally juicy performances. I thought I would be underwhelmed by the nominees, but, much to my surprise, I whole-heartedly enjoyed nearly every single one of them.



Who was my personal favorite? I'm going to have to cop out and declare a tie between two breathtaking performances in two totally different films:

(Ellen Burstyn in the sublime The Last Picture Show and Barbara Harris in the abysmal Who is Harry Kellerman, and Why is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?)

To see which performance I absolutely hated (which was a shame because I love the woman), what the other Smackdowners think about the nominees and the overall winner, check out the 1971 Supporting Actress Smackdown.

Underappreciated Performances- Marilyn Monroe in "All About Eve"

She’s only onscreen for two minutes and twenty-seven seconds but Monroe makes one hell of an impression in the already impressive cast of Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s All About Eve. As Miss Caswell, the "graduate of the Copacabana School of Dramatic Arts," Monroe, doing what she always did well, brings vitality and humor to a trite, dumb blonde role. With the help of venomous theater critic Addison de Witt, Miss Caswell has only one goal- to the nab the role of Margo Channing’s character’s sister after the original leaves the production- and by God she tries her damnedest to achieve it. After being told by Addison to go speak to producer Max Fabian, she coolly asks, "Why do they always look like unhappy rabbits?" and, without breaking a sweat, turns on an infectious smile and struts over to speak with him. She may be a blonde, but she isn’t a dummy. Miss Caswell realizes that she has to use her sex appeal to get her foot in the door and plays it up to full effect. And, just like in most of her later work, she uses her own smarts to make a point. For example, after yelling out "Oh, waiter" to a man carrying drinks and he ignores her, Addison explains that he is not a waiter, but instead a butler. Miss Caswell believes that she can’t yell out "Oh, butler" because "what if his name is Butler?" Addison tells her, "You have a point. An idiotic one, but a point."

A couple of seconds later, Max offers to get her a drink and she smiles coyly at him. Addison notices her charm and says, "Well done. I can see your career rising in the east like the sun." Nothing could have been truer about Marilyn in 1950. Miss Caswell may have bombed her audition and have to settle for television, but Monroe became a sensation by 1953 and eventually became a cultural icon like no other. For many years, people accused Monroe of having little talent until Some Like It Hot, but take a look at her appearance in All About Eve and you’ll see a bright young woman taking full advantage of the chance of a lifetime and doing it brilliantly.

Marilyn Monroe didn’t receive a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination in 1950 for her work in All About Eve, but two of her castmates (Celeste Holm and Thelma Ritter) did. So, head on over to StinkyLulu’s 1950 Supporting Actress Smackdown and check out mine and four other bloggers opinions about the nominees for Best Supporting Actress in 1950. I hope you enjoy it- I had tons of fun preparing for this!