"And then some!"
Thursday, June 18, 2020 at 4:15PM 
Goddess, how fun was that 2002 Smackdown / Podcast? I couldn't even pick a favourite part but some moments of perfection: Joel Kim Booster's anecdote about Family Video, Jazz Tangcay's "peak" Streep obsession, Ben Yahr's nomination strategies, Emily VanDerWerff's tale of weepy double features, and Matt Rogers imitating Nicolas Cage's agent.
If you didn't get a chance to listen to it yet, it's right here at the bottom of the post (again) or at itunes.
64 minutes
00:01 Introductions
03:00 Alexander Payne's About Schmidt and comedy performances as Oscar nominees. Was Kathy Bates the best choice that year?
10:11 Meryl Streep in Adaptation and Nicolas Cage's outre career moves
20:45 Joel's job at Family Video
22:00 Adaptation's Being John Malkovich's moments + Cameron Diaz
25:00 A tribute to Toni Collette, The Hours discussion
35:00 Nomination strategies
36:30 Moulin Rouge! vs Chicago
37:40 Catherine Zeta-Jones on f***ing fire as Velma Kelly and careers nosediving after Oscar
45:29 Queen Latifah: star or actress? Cameron Diaz and Michelle Pfeiffer had buzz but didn't get nominated
52:00 Chicago has aged really well.
54:00 Recasting the actresses. Our traditional Smackdown game.
59:00 Goodbyes and final 2002 shout-outs: Crossroads, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Signs, About a Boy and more...
Reader Comments (12)
Loved the podcast and the outcome, though I am hardcore Team Julianne Moore as Weepy 50s Housewife forevah (though Zeta-Jones was the right win and one of the best ever in the category).
Still haven't listened to the podcast - saving it for tomorrow when I can really relax and enjoy it!
Fun podcast! I can't get onboard with Queen Latifah being a great actress (she's always serviceable, but never much more than that), but it's nice to see all the generosity there.
Enjoyed everyone's thoughts and hard work on the project. Congrats on a wonderful smackdown!
Congenial and pretty chatty in a good way about favourite actresses and favourite films. Love the series, and your guests are always excellent company. As I have been at "peak Streep" since 1979, I can relate to Jazz.
Chicago of course aged well, thanks to the classical approach to the filmmaking translation of the stage musical. It featured plenty of moments of visual brilliancy, my favorite being the "Both reached for the Gun" number (why should I mention the already legendary "Cell Block Tango"?). I admit that I did not believe that the film would become Oscar material and was surprised when it got so many nominations and even more so, when it won... (I thought it was Marty's year) And I am glad that it won. Bowling for Columbine aside, I think it was the best film of the year (cinematically speaking, was the best, only "Columbine" was more necessary and direct)
In case anyone wants the most recent on Jack Rovello, there is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JonvjEDwrfQ
And Catherine Zeta Jones spoke a lot of her history as a "who-fer" on the London stage in shows like The Pajama Game and 42nd Street when publicizing Chicago, so that probably helped. After three consecutive seasons trying to complete her triple crown with television roles (Feud, Cocaine Godmother, and Queen America), it's really a shame that her most seen television appearances have essentially been as a Douglas accessory (her wheeling out and "translating" for Kirk Douglas a couple of years ago at the Golden Globes still makes me cringe).
I agree that Queen Latifah isn't a great actress, but she does have loads of charisma, which seems to be in shorter supply among stars now than it was years ago. It is always a joy to see her on-screen for that reason - even in dreck like Ryan Murphy's Hollywood, she enlivens the project.
Regarding Michelle Pfeiffer and David Kelly never working together, they did: he produced To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday.aaa
Excellent podcast! Got to say my favorite streak of Streep’s were those back to back performances in Adaptation, The Hours and Angels in America.
I agree about Moulin Rouge being something you just had to be of a certain age and/or mindset to appreciate. I actually resented the film for ruining all those 80's songs, at least in my mind. That's probably a big reason why I had a resistance to Chicago when it came out the following year. The other thing was that I really thought Far From Heaven was the best movie and best actress that year, and Chicago just seemed like pap. I might have to revisit Chicago.
Jamie -- yeah I'd agree that was her most impressive three-in-a-row... except for maybe. Her 80s run was magical but it was more like two at a time genius ;)
Latifah with Chicago and Bessie is already ahead of most of your white favorites.