Today in Showbiz History: Edith Massey, Notting Hill, Prince of Persia

by Nathaniel R

Happy birthday to any May 28th-ers out there. If it's not your birthday which of these events and people will you channel or celebrate today?

1431 Joan of Arc accused of donning male clothing again (GASP) therefore "relapsing into heresy". The heretic/saint has been portrayed in movies, tv, and stage, a bajillion times since. Condola Rashad is currently Tony nominated for playing her in "Saint Joan"

1888 Athlete Jim Thorpe born in Oklahoma. Became an Olympic gold medalist and actor and even got his own biopic.

1902 The Virginian by Owen Wister is published. The book becomes hugely influential in shaping the Western genre. It's later adapted into two silent films, four regular features, and a long running TV series.

1918 CENTENNIAL! Edith Massey is born in NYC.

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Can Oscar Sustain His Unlikeliest New Love Affair?

*Not all films discussed here exist outside my head.

Amir here, to obsess about the Oscars because, you know, March is never too early to start doing that around these parts.  Recently, I’ve started to wonder whether Oscar might have started an unlikely love affair with Iran.

Stop laughing and allow me to explain. Oscar took a long while to take notice of Iranian cinema or any of the Iranians who were working in Hollywood. To be fair to the shiny gold man, he wasn’t really spoiled with choices, but still took his time before deciding that Darius Khondji was a worthy cinematographer (Evita, 1996) and Habib Zargarpour’s did fine fx work (Twister, also 1996). Oscar has taken short trips to Iran a few times since then and last year, after watching A Separation, finally decided to stay awhile... in Asghar Farhadi’s house.

No one expected Oscar to go back so soon, especially with no major Iranian films present on the festival circuit, but AMPAS had other ideas. Oscar went back and took one of Hollywood’s golden boys along with him. Famously, they had such a hard time getting out of Iran they had to fake Canadian passports. Britain aside, Oscar doesn’t really embrace any foreign countries two years back to back, let alone a Middle Eastern one. What is happening?

Could this once politically forbidden passion turn into a stable relationship? I turned to the festival circuit, but to no avail. So I've decided to take the intiative and suggest a few projects that might turn the trick again with Oscar. more...

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