Pt 3 Reader's Ranking: Who should be the next Amy Madigan?

Pt 1 - Team Experience Votes 
Pt 2 - Team Experience Winners 
Pt 3 - AT LONG LAST THE RESULTS OF THE READERS POLL...

WHO SHOULD BE THE NEXT AMY MADIGAN?

ELISABETH SHUE in Leaving Las Vegas (1995). What would it take to get her a comeback role?

We've spent the last couple of weeks bsessing over a question from a reader (thanks, Brian!) and we got so into discussing it at TFE HQ that we asked all of you to vote on the same question. The Team and Readers were unaware of each others vote totals during voting so nobody was influencing anyone. We've poured over the ballots that came in to suss out your passions and determine rankings.  In honor of this new film year, 2026, we'll share the  twenty-six actresses you're collectively rooting hardest for in terms of an Oscar comeback after just one nomination twenty or more years ago. We've included some quotes from your ballots too and hope you enjoy and continue the discussion. After the list, some fun stats. God, we love actresses!

YOUR TOP TWENTY-SIX

just-missed: Lena Olin & Candice Bergen were on as many or more ballots than Elisabeth Shue but weren't as highly ranked on the ballots they did appear on. They almost made it.

And a reader quote I just love to kick things off...

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Drag Race RuCap: "All RuPaul-A-Paruza Smackdown"

This year's reunion lip-sync smackdown has a trickier format than usual.

NICK TAYLOR: After several episodes of confusing judging and unsatisfyingly resolved lip-syncs, this RuPaulaPaRuZa felt like a return to form for Drag Race as a well-judged variety special. The ultimate top two and winner are maybe not surprising, but the talent on display is immense, and I haven’t had this much fun watching season 18 in a few weeks. As our friend Ale said, it’s a bit of a double-edged sword to see these talented queens strut their stuff and remember how the show’s done them dirty along the way. There’s a world where Jane vs Juicy is the lip-sync for the crown, and that sounds like a very tantalizing reality, but the queen’s performances and the show’s presentation of them are operating on such a high baseline. Were you entertained?

CLÁUDIO ALVES: I was thoroughly entertained, even if I’m still sorting through my feelings about the shape this year’s lip-sync tournament took. Format doubts aside, this was a smashing hour of queer television and while I like your idea of Juicy and Jane at the finale, I’m not sure Baby Dion should be among the two vying for the crown. She’d put on one hell of a show, but I also feel she’s better suited for a future All Stars title…

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Justice for Jeannie Berlin!

by Cláudio Alves

THE BRIDE!, Maggie Gyllenhaal | © Warner Bros.

The Team Experience had a lot of fun voting on that “Who should be the Next Amy Madigan?” poll, but, lovely as the final results might be, there will always be something to gripe about. For me, the major complaint is that I was the only fellow to pick Jeannie Berlin for their top ten, a grave injustice that warrants a write-up all by itself. If you don’t buy that excuse, then there’s The Bride!’s VOD release, where this erstwhile Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee dons a Sandy Powell-designed maid outfit to play Frankenstein’s Igor as reinvented by Maggie Gyllenhaal at her looniest. As Greta, Berlin makes for a delightful, if small, presence, hinting at a soft-spoken oddness that strikes an even weirder note than the movie’s other, more extravagant, grotesqueries. 

Fans of the actress shouldn’t be too surprised by this gentle scene-stealing, as Berlin has been doing this sort of thing for a good fifty years…

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Cannes Lineup - The Competition Films

by Nathaniel R 

Almodóvar will be competing for the Palme for the seventh time with "BITTER CHRISTMAS"

The Cannes competition lineup is here. There's been a lot of scuttlebutt online that it's disappointing. I don't know how that can be the case yet when the films are unseen. It is true that it is very expected in that it is mostly auteurs that they have programmed in the past but that is literally ALWAYS the case since Cannes isn't exactly known for straying from their favourites. What's interesting -- at least to me -- is that the lineup feels gayer than usual with multiple LGBTQ+ filmmakers in the mix. If we're lucky the Queer Palm race will be as spoiled for quality choices as the Palme d'Or!

Cláudio is planning his regular "Cannes at home" series in which he'll revisit previous features from this year's returning auteurs. What else would you love to see? 

COMPETITION LINEUP 2026

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PT 2 - Who Should Be the Next Amy Madigan?

by Team Experience

BARBARA HERSHEY made our Top Five. But who else did? Read on!

In Part 1 of this Oscar-fantasy exercise we laid the groundwork for the actress-obsessive question of the moment and shared thoughts on several actresses we are rooting for in terms of an unexpected / winning Oscar comeback. Now on to the tippity top vote-getters from our Team member polling. Tomorrow in Part 3 we'll talk about the collective vote from the 100+ readers who took the poll.

A quick catch up from Part One of our 'Top Dozen Desired Comebacks' after a single nomination...

11 (tie) Jennifer Tilly
11 (tie) Sharon Stone
10 Kristin Scott Thomas
09 Catherine Deneuve
08 Mare Winningham
07 Juliette Lewis 

AND NOW THE TOP SIX...

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