Showbiz History: Winona's debut, Angelina's first wedding, and Gaga's next movies
Sunday, March 28, 2021 at 9:00AM 5 random things that happend on this day, March 28th, in showbiz history...
1920 It's the "marriage of the century" as silent superstars Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford wed. Their marriage last only 16 years but their only child together is still going strong: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
We kid sort of. They were the two most famous of the 36 founding members of the Academy, now gearing up for its 93rd ceremony.
1977 The annual Academy Awards are held honoring the films of 1976. Network and All the President's Men win the most trophies at the 1976 Oscars, four each (which was chalk full of great lineups in multiple categories) but Rocky takes home Best Picture.
the very first shot of Winona Ryder on movie screens
1986 a star is born in movie theaters as Winona Ryder walks toward the camera for the very first time and captures little Nathaniel's heart (and then the hearts of millions two years later in Beetlejuice)
1996 Angelina Jolie marries Johnny Lee Miller. Remember them as a couple? They were scorching hot in Angie's initially volatile celebrity years
2014 Darren Aronofsky's "free pass" (courtesy of Black Swan's huge success) passion project Noah arrives in theaters with Russell Crowe as the rain-soaked prophet. That was pretty crazy, remember?
Today's Birthday Suit
Happy 35th to Grammy and Oscar winner Lady Gaga (A Star is Born, Machete Kills).
Post "Chromatica" she has two (?) exciting movie projects coming up so she's taking this "Star is Born" thing seriously. She'll next be seen in Ridley Scott's true story crime drama House of Gucci plotting to kill the fashion designer (Adam Driver) due in theaters for Thanksgiving. After that rumor has it she'll be in the seriously star-packed action drama Bullet Train which Brad Pitt is headlining. The cast list is already insane and includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Sandra Bullock, Hiroyuki Sanada, Bryan Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Michael Shannon, Joey King, Logan Lerman, and Zazie Beetz.
Other showbiz birthdays today: Lady Gaga (A Star is Born, Gucci), Dianne Wiest (The Birdcage, Hannah and Her Sisters), Laura Harrier (BlacKkKlansman, Spider-Man: Homecoming), Alexandra Billings (Transparent, Eli Stone), director Mike Newell (4 Weddings and a Funeral, Donnie Brasco), Julia Stiles (10 Things I Hate About You, The Bourne Supremacy), Director Richard Eyre (Notes on a Scandal, Iris), Vince Vaughn (Swingers, Freaky), Nick Frost (The World's End, Shaun of the Dead), writer/director Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko, Southland Tales), Romanian director Radu Jude (Aferim, Scarrred Hearts), Max Perlich (Beautiful Girls, Drugstore Cowboy), Jimmy Wong (Mulan, John Dies at the End), Japan's Masatô Ibu (Empire of the Sun, Azumi), director Brett Ratner (Red Dragon, Rush Hour), writer/actress Alexi Pappas (Olympic Dreams), Spain's Belen Lopez (Madrid Days, 15 Years and One Day), Oscar winning producer Albert S Ruddy (The Godfather, Million Dollar Baby), Broadway star Orfeh (Legally Bonde, Pretty Woman), choreographer Mandy Moore, and musicians Reba McEntire and Salt n' Pepa's Cheryl James
and late greats like Conchata Ferrell (Erin Brockovich, Edward Scissorhands), child star Freddie Bartholomew (Captains Courageous, Listen Darling), Oscar nominee Flora Robson (Saratoga Trunk) who we'll be discussing on the Smackdown soon, Ken Richard (Michael Clayton, 1776), Finland's Matti Pellonpää (Night on Earth, Dolly and Her Lover), Louis Wolheim (All Quiet on the Western Front Two Arabian Knights), and the actor Dirk Bogarde (The Servant, Victim) but more on him later today for his centennial.
Reader Comments (15)
Gaga is wonderful and puts all her heart and hard work in everything she does. It's always fascinating to watch what she has coming up next.
The exquisite and flawless Dianne Wiest needed more than just an afterthought.
Gaga is great, but Ms. Wiest is a legend we hardly deserve.
In one of the other threads we were talking about Best Pic fields that got it wrong, but 1976 has to be one of the all-time best. Even if I wouldn’t have voted for Rocky it was obviously a cultural phenomenon and makes sense to include:
Taxi Driver
Rocky
All the Presidents Men
Network
Bound for Glory
I would’ve voted Network. Have not seen Bound for Glory.
Angelina Jolie’s hand in that photo is disturbing. I even counted her fingers.
Rocky is a plucky enjoyable film but in no way comparable to the greatness of All the President's Men. A big blunder on the Academy's part.
Dirk Bogarde & Simone Signoret-two masters of the acting craft born within days of each other. Unfortunately they never made a film together but Bogarde pointed to her as the actress he admired most.
Olivia Colman in The Father on Screentimecentral: 35:59 / 37.13%.
Do we still say lead like one of your writers did? Discuss
I must admit i'm excited about GaGa The Actress,seeing how she's now got her pop mojo back,I think she's entering the all important next phase and keeping it fresh and exciting to watch but if she tanks in the Gucci role that could be it.
I realise I'm in a minority, but I think Gaga lucked out with A Star Is Born in that it largely required her to perform as herself. She's electric in the stage scenes, but whenever she's required to go small or intimate she falters (the breakdown scene towards the end is especially unconvincing). So I'm not looking forward to see her being thrown these juicy roles that could have gone to more competent performers, however fun she is to watch in pop star mode.
I’m pretty sure that’s not Mary Pickford - am I the only one?
Shocked that Gaga didn't release " Babylon" as a single... unless she has it in store for "Gucci"! (fingers crossed)
@Paranoid Android. Here's my possibly oversimplified explanation for Rocky winning Best Picture in 1976. Given these nominees:
Taxi Driver
Rocky
All the President's Men
Network
Bound for Glory
Taxi Driver was a little too crazy and/or scary for the Academy in that period. We're talking a mentally ill main character who is plotting murder of a Presidential candidate. All The President's Men is a little too celebratory in sinking Nixon (and the Academy in those days still had some Republicans). Network a little too out there (Black Panthers as a network show?). I haven't seen Bound for Glory either. Rocky, as a biopic about a come-from-behind boxer is the feelgood choice. Add the element of Stallone "doing it all" alone and you have your winner.
I remember Angelina being married to Jonny Lee Miller as they were both in the cult-classic Hackers which I still think is an awesome film.
I agree with @markgordonuk to some degree.
I think Gaga has shown that she can be transformative when it comes to a role that is quite like the persona she has built for herself. "Lady Gaga" seems to be as much a character and personality as Bianca Del Rio. She really worked hard to cultivate an identity that was separate from Stefani Germanotta. I wholeheartedly believe that Taylor Swift did the same thing. Swift created - and maintains - a public persona that is a caricature of her true self in order to earn billions of dollars in income from millennials. Social media obsession allows for these celebrities to make money for companies based on their bankable "personalities".
However, more to the point, I don't know if Lady Gaga, who relies less on her created identity now, really has the acting talent to sink her teeth into a role that requires more believability (both from her, and from the audience).
Lady Gaga is never going to Tilda Swinton.
Ellsworth -- i wondered that myself before posting since searching for FAIRBANKS/PICKFORD WEDDING brings up a ton of images of *different* weddings. but it was labelled that way twice online so im not sure.
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