This & That: Ryder, Swank, Clooney, Allen
Friday, May 13, 2011 at 9:25AM 
Buzzfeed has "20 celebrities who used to be hot" which is mildly amusing but at least a couple of the choices are people who still definitely have it goin' on -- hi, Helen Mirren! -- so deduct points for ageism.
MovieCityNews asked you to rank all of Woody Allen's films
New York Times Glowing Sutton Foster profile. Love her. Is Tony #2 coming in June? Anything Goes.
Vulture this brief piece on Winona Ryder's co-starring role with James Franco in The Stare is almost amusingly vague with a capital V. It tells you nothing. Neither will Noni!
Art of the Title Sequence YAY. I've been hoping for this. They've interviewed Angus Wall (who TFE interviewed round Oscar time) on the opening credits to HBO's Game of Thrones.
Ultimate Addict wonders which George Clooney effort will hit with Oscar: The Ides of March or The Descendants. If you're curious my next Oscar chart update will be directly after Cannes. No time for it this week. Busy busy.
Anne Thompson briefly checks in with Hilary Swank on her new role as a producer (Something Borrowed). Sayeth La Swank:
I don't read reviews.
Girl, maybe you should. You know, if you're going to be on the filmmaking side of the equation. Just a thought (It's a pet peeve of mine when stars act like they're above reviews. You can a learn a lot from film criticism, provided that the critic is a good one.)
Game of Thrones, George Clooney, Hilary Swank, Oscars (11)
Reader Comments (11)
WOW! Look at the body on Dame Judi Dench! I feel like I shouldn't be looking at this but I can't help it lol. Go Judi!
Does anyone else really morally corrupt after seeing Betty White naked??
lol Brooke!! I felt the same way about Judi, but I suppose we have to remember that these were gorgeous fearless women in their time and had no problems showing it off... I wonder in 30 years from now the next generation will look at Anne Hathaway or Kate Winslet naked and say OMG that is so wrong ? lol
I thought the young Helen Mirren picture was an altered shot of Gwyneth Paltrow.
I initially thought the photo attached to the post was of Hilary Duff. How startling to realize it was Dame Mirren, who was ALWAYS a hottie. I'm a little surprised the former First Lady made the list, though. I have yet to see a good picture of her in her youth from any angle. It also struck me how much Jessica Walter resembles Debra Messing in her picture.
That ENTIRE article is pretty age-ist; these are simply people who used to be "younger". (Although the Mickey Roarke one is pretty tragic, and dramatic as well - not just aging, but the face literally smashed in. But that one is also old news.)
I also thought the one of Dame Helen was Gwynnie - taken while she was pregnant. (Even pregnant I doubt she had a bod like that. When, oh when, did the cultural idea of beauty become "emaciated stick figure"?)
I was watching an interview with Bebe Neuwirth on YouTube and she said her mentor Bob Fosee told her "never read reviews", and she said "When Bob Fosse says something, you do it." But that is Bob Fosse. And you, Ms Swank, are no Bob Fosse (or Bebe Neuwirth).
I'm sure she's not the only one. (Do I really think Ms Kidman reads her reviews? I doubt it.)
That said, and given the volume of "critics", "reviewers" and "people who simply have an opinion" since the explosion of the internet, I suppose one could go crazy trying to keep up with all the opinions, suggestions, comments, etc. Apparently Ms Swank is A-list, has two Oscars, fame etc - I can imagine her not feeling she needs to read reviews, because apparently she's doing something right in her career. (Or she may be super-sensitive?)
What? That can't be Betty White! I thought that Betty White was always old!
Swank REALLY doesn't know what she's talking about. Terms of Endearment was a dramedy directed by a first time film director (and provably good) with an aces cast. Something Borrowed is a rom-com directed by, ugh, the guy who did The Animal and, double ugh, written by a studio hired hand without a wikipedia article.
Yeah, most people on that list still look good. Not to mention that Jeff Bridges looks better now, at least IMO.
/3rtfu11: If Gwyneth and Jennifer Lawrence had a baby, which yes, I've been perving on the latter for two days now. Am I still gay?
And knowing that Hilary Swank doesn't read reviews make me wanna watch everything she does and pan the crap out of it. I make my readers laugh, she doesn't get her feelings hurt, everybody wins.
poor hilary, i bet even her own oscars talk smack about her behind her back to eachother when she's not in the corner hugging them reassuring herself she's a beloved SupahStah!