Helen Mirren breaks the age-old curse
Here's to the dames! Tonight Helen Mirren put a stop to the young beauty pageant reigning in the actress' categories. Remember, over the past 15 years only one gal over age 50 won an Oscar for acting: Judi Dench (supporting actress, "Shakespeare in Love").
But as I reported in my L.A. Times article last week, she did it by brazenly reminding everyone how sexy a 61-year-old dish can be — and by acting quite naughty, too.
Remember the cleavage she flashed at the Golden Globes?
Also, let's recall how she appeared on the cover of Los Angeles magazine's February issue parting a white top to reveal a peekaboo black bra underneath.
Her staffers and studio played the game, too. The highlight reel for the actress' Santa Barbara International Film Festival tribute included some of her finest cinematic nudie moments. And during the show, Mirren picked up a large hand mike, and eyeing it said, "God, this thing is so phallic." She then pretended to lick it with her tongue. The audience, of course, went crazy.
Backstage at the Golden Globes, she got bawdy with journalists: "You know, when an Essex girl has an orgasm, she drops her fries."
When asked about her prospects of winning the Oscar, she said, "I've never had an 'O.' They said the Earth moves. I can't wait. I'll definitely drop my fries for that."
As the Santa Barbara highlight reel revealed, Mirren has been fearlessly frisky throughout her career, appearing nude in more than a dozen films, most recently in "Calendar Girls" at 58. But she's made a special point of playing up her sauciness while chasing that naked golden boy Oscar.
Finally! I hope this will be the first triumph of a real actress. After the despicable victories of Whiterspoon, Roberts, Paltrow... it was about time to reward who really know how to perform. Helen Mirren's reigning as best actress is an award to all of them who love great perfs. I hope the Academy can go on this trail for the next 50 years. I know it is quite impossible but we need to dream to live in this world where C(T)RASH movies domain.
Posted by: Caliarai Hayek | February 26, 2007 at 08:08 AM