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- “Art is theft, art is armed robbery, art is not pleasing your mother.” — Janet Malcolm
- “I’m one of those people who thinks you can have a happy life and still be an artist.” — Shelley Duvall
- “There’s a difference between writing about something and living through it. I did both.” — poet/novelist Margaret Walker
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- “My voice isn’t an instrument I can just hang up on a hook.” — Audra McDonald
- “You can’t be on top all the time. It isn’t natural.” — Olivia de Havilland
- “If I don’t feel it, I can’t play it.” — James Cotton
- “I don’t have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I’d become. I’m me, and I’m like nobody else.” — Lena Horne
- “But man has always succeeded in rising again.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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Category Archives: Actors
Mirrors #10
Jean Harlow giving herself a pep talk in the wonderful Reckless, where she marries a deeply unhappy man (Franchot Tone), while being best buddies (and something more?) with William Powell. In this mirror moment, she feels herself getting hot and … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies
Tagged drama, Jean Harlow, mirrors, Rosalind Russell, William Powell
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R.I.P. Bob Saget
I was not a watcher of Full House, although I have always kept track of John Stamos, since he first showed up on “my show” General Hospital when I was in high school. But Full House wasn’t my thing, nor … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, RIP, Television
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R.I.P. Betty White
What a career. I grew up watching her on the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Her comic timing was impeccable. Otherworldly. She was a STAPLE. And then came the juggernaut-phenom that was The Golden Girls, one of the best and funniest … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, RIP, Television
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An Actor Speaks
I somehow tripped over this clip today, of Keanu Reeves appearing on Drew Barrymore’s adorable talk show and it really moved me. He’s so gentle. At first she starts off by telling him of a memory she has with him, … Continue reading
24 Great Performances of 2021
For the annual “Great Performances” piece over on Ebert.com, I wrote about Hidetoshi Nishijima’s performance in Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car (for me, it’s THE movie of the year). It’s a great and diverse list – some surprises (so happy … Continue reading
“I’ve studied Charlie Chaplin for years. I’ve studied Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, all of them. I don’t play around. This is not a game.” – Tiffany Haddish
And watching her work, you can tell. You can tell it’s not a game. You don’t even need to know her background, growing up in foster care, to perceive that this is not a game to Tiffany Haddish. Making people … Continue reading
A Lynchian Carol Burnett
If you read my Ebert tribute to Dean Stockwell, then you know that one of his inspirations for his terrifyingly weird performance in Blue Velvet was Carol Burnett. It’s so strange, but such a perfect example of how the imagination … Continue reading
R.I.P. Dean Stockwell
I knew this day would come, but I’ve been low-key dreading it. But since it has arrived, there was nothing to do except write the best tribute I possibly could to this actor and his 70+-years long career. The Mystery … Continue reading
“Those of us who were 12 or 13 when the war started were absolutely thrown into the mainstream. We had to grow up instantly and take care of ourselves.” — Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury in “Gaslight” (1944) It’s her birthday today. Her performance in Gaslight, at age 18, is one of the most auspicious debuts of all time. She makes a huge impression as Nancy, the maid in that crazy house. She’s … Continue reading
“Hey, Mister …”
Commercials in Germany are a little different than they are in America. The UK version of this same commercial features one of my best friends, David Wagner. For some reason, when I try to embed it here it keeps saying … Continue reading