The Sheila Variations

I agree with Bacall. Nicole Kidman is an excellent actress and very worthy of her success, but nowhere near the status of legendary. And how totally awesome does Bacall look? She's still a knock-out!

79 years old. Amazing.

Interestingly enough - after Lauren Bacall had done her first two movies - enormous hits that made her a star - she got the offer to put her handprints in the cement, like many other massive stars before her. And she turned it down. She said she hadn't done enough yet to warrant such an honor, only 2 movies under her belt. She said that only real legends, people who had proven themselves over some amount of time, deserved to have handprints.

Pretty amazing.

I think eventually she added her hand-prints to the rest - but with the first offer, she turned it down.

That is hilarious. How honest and true. The bar for greatness should be set higher, not lower. These people are always pushing the latest, greatest persona on us so we'll empty our pockets. Not that I'm against that, but there's a point where it gets silly. Good actress? Yes. Great actress? Yes. Legend? Not yet.

Also: tired of Lindsey Lohan. She's cute, but c'mon. She's barely 18. She once said: "College is for people who don't know what they want to do with their life." How idiotic is that?

I remember maybe 6 or 7 years ago - when the publicity spin machine went into OVERdrive for Gretchen Mol - she had next to no credits, a couple of indie flicks - she was blonde and cute - she made it on the cover of Vanity Fair.

And then - nothing. The girl is still working - but the PRESS she was getting was way over-blown: she is God's gift to acting, etc.

The public needs to decide that stuff. The public had never even heard of Gretchen Mol. I think, in the long run, the public resents being told who to love: HERE. LOVE GRETCHEN MOL.

Uh ... no. We will not. We don't know who she is. And we won't love her, just because she has a great publicist.

Also, I just love it when Lauren Bacall gets cranky, in that no-bullshit way. It's very honest.

Yeah, or "Everybody loves Raymond." That sort of thing is exactly the thing that people are too pomo to really fall for anymore. But they try their damndest.

Instead of getting decent writing, or decent acting, or decent plots, they just shovel this stuff out as fast as they can.

But .... people really do adore Everybody Loves Raymond, don't they? I mean, I don't - but that is a legitimate hit, isn't it?

Huh, why is the name "Renee Zellweger" floating through my head right now...

Renee Zellweger and Princess Michael of Kent, but I digress. ;-)

And was it John Stewart on the Daily Show who suggested the show "Everybody Loves Watching Me Watch 'Everybody Loves Raymond'"?

Princess Michael - BWAHAHAHA

Jon Stewart, Dave. JON.

I lost a lot of respect for Bacall in '93 when she was interviewed at some Clinton inauguration party. She was rambling on about having just barely survived "12 years of hell" (under Reagan and Bush I). I allow everyone their political leanings and even some hyperbole, but her rantings were over the top. It was like she was sad that we won the Cold War.

Chrees -

As an actress myself, I just could not care less about an actor's political leanings. What matters is the work. The quality of the acting-work.

I've ranted about this before.

Also, with all due respect - it's not for you to "allow" anyone their political leanings. A lot of people I respect are over the top with stuff. Sean Penn acted like a first-class idiot going to Baghdad. Sean Penn is a first-class actor - and I just couldn't care less about that other side of him. Love his acting. That's it.

Sheila, I phrased that badly.
Also, I meant "allow" as "concede," not "permit."

This issue has been rampant lately throughout the message boards of musicians who have spoken out about the upcoming election. Supposed "fans" coming around wanting to vent at great length about how "disappointed" they are in the artist and how they've just spoiled the music for the "fan". Red just made the same point I've been making - if the political statements of an artist cause you to change your opinion of their art, then you were never really an art fan to start with - just a politics fan in disguise.

Personally, I can't even fathom the mindset of someone who, based on current political events and political participation by an artist, can suddenly decide that a piece of art that's been in existence for years has suddenly, magically become worthless crap.

Politics certainly does matter to me, but it could NEVER possibly matter so much as to invalidate great art. Great art speaks directly to one's soul - or at least it does to mine. For the life of me, I can't fathom how John Kerry or George Bush could produce the same sort of intense emotional reaction in someone that a great movie or a great band gives to me.

If I hear anyone from either side of the political spectrum say something along the lines of "I used to admire So-and-So, but now I won't watch their movies or read their books or listen to their songs because I'm offended by their politics", it's loud, clear signal to me to ignore anything further they have to say about any art-related subject.

Chrees:

I suppose you stumbled, inadvertently, into a huge pet peeve of mine. :)

If I only liked actors/writers who agreed with everything I believed in - I'd have a paltry life indeed.

MikeR -

Heh - do you remember when Morrissey came out and said all these anti-American things and immediately Michele Catalano was bombarded with emails from readers anxious to hear that she had "changed her mind" about him.

Her post refuting them was genius!! Do you remember that?

I never tied performance to political thought. You're right...obviously this is a sensitive subject and I worded things very badly. I'll avoid that topic from now on... with the exception of the following musing from the other day...

I was watching "Rude Boy" and had to reflect on how great The Clash was and how politically... ummmm... well, I'll stop there. One of my favorite bands of all time and one I politically disagree with 180 degrees. And even though their politics infused their recordings, actually is part and parcel of who they were, they still found a way to transcend politics.

Feel free to delete this...

Chrees:

Nah, no deletion. I only delete uncalled-for rudeness. I've deleted my OWN comments sometimes for that reason. :)

And The Clash ROCK. That's all I care about. I still can't hear "London Calling" without the hair rising up on my arms.

If The Clash made boring sanctimonious music that DIDN'T rock and was all about politics , then who would care??

I used to love Janeane Garofalo. And I still love The Matchmaker, and I love her work in The Truth About Cats & Dogs - I think she's adorable, and funny, and very good. But I think she has sacrificed something HUGE by becoming so political. This is me as an actress speaking here. I feel sad that she felt the need to go there - not because I disagree with her or whatever, but because I feel she has sacrificed what made her so special, and so beloved by people like me. Her HUMOR.

MikeR and Sheila,

I understand your points. However, when an 'artist' thrusts him-or-herself into the political arena, I think their opinions and comments are open to criticism. I have no problem if it comes up in an interview that someone is supporting a particular political candidate or party, but when an individual begins to attack, or make disparaging comments about someone's history or policies, then they open themselves up to return fire. I think Sean Penn is a terrific actor--his work in Dead Man Walking was particularly inspired. His geo-political observations, on the other hand, have been generally inane and sophmoric. Does that make me admire him less as an actor? No. Does it make me think less of him as a person. Absolutely. If I discovered that Mozart had raped and killed six young girls, it wouldn't make him less of a musical genius, but it sure would cast a pall over things, don't you think? MikeR--you say you can't fathom how John Kerry or George Bush could produce an emotional response equivalent to a great movie or band. Do you mean any politician, or just those two? For myself, I can't imagine any band engendering the respect and affection I feel for Abraham Lincoln, or any movie producing the consuming revulsion I feel for Josef Stalin. As for lining the pockets of artists with whom one disagrees strongly, I can understand those who would refuse to support someone like Michael Moore, or Marilyn Manson, or Julia Roberts, or Arnold Schwarzenegger, for that matter. I think most humans are likely to view more critically any art created by someone for whom they have no respect. Example that comes to mind--Michael Jackson. I don't believe he has quite the audience among young girls he once had. As someone who takes both art and politics seriously, I am not always so evolved as to separate the two.

DBW: Forgive me but I do get tired of arguing this. Not with you, obviously - but in general. I did not say they are not open to criticism.

What annoys me are the people who have a checklist in their minds, in terms of the artists they like:

"Wow, Jennifer Aniston's hot - too bad she's said some stupid politcial things!" (And by "stupid" these people mean: "things I disagree with".)

Fine, that's their right to pick and choose that way. I don't care. But that's not how I operate, and I get tired of talking about it. Go back and look at how I had to DEFEND how much I loved the Oscars ceremony ... Comments came like:

"How could you watch that with all the snarky political commentary..."

Like I said: I thought Sean Penn acted like an idiot. But that affects my feelings about his acting NOT AT ALL. It's 2 separate things.

Forgive me if I sound irritated. But I am.

When I look at the majesty and gorgeousness of Meryl Streep's work, or the unbelievable bravery of Tim Robbins' performance in Mystic River, it's like nails on a blackboard for me to hear:

"I used to like him until ..."

But please: I AM NOT SAYING I don't think these people should be criticized or that IF they are criticized then that is censorship.

Every time this topic comes up on this blog, someone says something like that. I don't believe that. Fine - criticize away. They asked for it, they left themselves open by treading into that arena. That's what I was getting at too with my comment on Janeane Garofalo. Her appeal was in her humor. She's lost a lot of that appeal now, and I think that's a shame.

But the work, for me, stands alone. If it's good that is.

I guess, too, this all makes more sense if you remember that I'm an actor. I'm not a celebrity, but I'm still a member of that community.

Red - I do remember Michele's post about Morrissey - not all the specifics, but definitely the tenor if it. She really gives one no choice but to love her. ;-)

Politics is the art of compromise, and as a result it's a fairly unclean - though necessary - art. Even the greatest political leaders have had serious flaws and moral lapses - you can't get political power by being an entirely nice guy.

So no, I will never feel the same sort of intense thrill from seeing a politician - any politician - that I feel when I see a band or movie, or read a novel that I love. Obviously the people in bands and who make movies and write books are also flawed, but their art has a life of its own. Here's what I wrote on a band message board recently when confronted with this question:

I believe art and the artist are two entirely different things. If it turned out that The Kingsmen were actually old school Al Qaeda members and the lyrics to Louie Louie are really a "death to America" tirade, it wouldn't change the fact that it's a great song.

In the unlikely event that a current-day Al Qaeda member wrote and performed a great rock & roll song, I would admit that it was a great song - by a guy who nevertheless needs a bullet between the eyes.

The quality of art cannot be magically transformed - from garbage to greatness or vice versa - by one's approval or hatred of the politics of the artist.

MikeR--I guess we will have to agree to diagree on this one, respectfully, of course.

Sheila--No forgiveness necessary. I love it when you are irritated.

dbw:

You love it when I'm irritated? Who knew! We are on our way to being a Howard Hawks-ian sparring duo, you know.

I prefer not to be the one in your sights when you are irritated. I like to watch you vent now and then.