Performance of the Day

Actor: ANGELA BASSETT

Film: "Waiting to Exhale"

Character: Bernadette 'Bernie' Harris

Year: 1995

Angela Bassett exudes grace, beauty, and... above all else, a remarkable talent for acting. In "Waiting to Exhale", Bassett plays a woman who has grown all too comfortable in her dysfunctional marriage to a man who is clearly having an affair. She faces her greatest challenge when her husband suddenly leaves her. The initial roller coaster ride of emotions are perfectly executed, especially in the pivotal car-burning scene, by Bassett. She's a strong woman, who is not gonna take it quietly.

Did You Know...

... actor Jack Nicholson was raised to believe that his grandparents were his parents and that his mother was his sister. He didn't find out the truth until he was interviewed by Time magazine in the 1970s, but by that time his mother (grandmother) and sister (mother) had already passed away. What a bummer!!!

Fun Shoots

Playing Dress-up

Part III

Julianne Moore as 'Twiggy'

Amy Sedaris as 'Angie Dickinson'

Hilary Swank as 'Raquel Welch'

Gwyneth Paltrow as 'Faye Dunaway'

Julia Roberts as 'Julie Christie'

Fun Shoots

Playing Dress-up

Part II

Winona Ryder as 'Elizabeth Taylor'

Gina Gershon as 'Sophia Loren'

Gwyneth Paltrow as 'James Dean'

Gena Rowlands as 'Ava Gardner'

Fun Shoots

Playing Dress-up

Part I

Christina Ricci as 'Edith Piaf'

Calista Flockhart as 'Audrey Hepburn'

Susan Sarandon as 'Bette Davis'

Isabella Rossellini as 'Alla Nazimova'

Gena Rowlands as 'Madame Butterfly'

My Name is...

Demi Moore was actually born...

Did You Know...

... Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Gene Hackman, and Jack Nicholson all turned down the role of 'Roy' in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" in 1977. The part was snagged by lucky Richard Dreyfuss.

Flick of the Day

Film: KNIGHT AND DAY

Director: James Mangold

Actors: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Jordi Molla, Viola Davis, Paul Dano, Marc Blucas, Maggie Grace

Year: 2010

Synopsis: A rogue CIA agent teams up with a civilian to stop the sale of a special energy source.

Fun Shoots

Actors and their Directors

Meryl Streep hangs with the director of

"Doubt", John Patrick Shanley

Sean Penn and "Milk" director Gus Van Sant chill out

Darren Aronofsky spends some time with

"The Wrestler" star Mickey Rourke

Danny Boyle and Dev Patel reminisce about

their time making "Slumdog Millionaire"

"The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan

and the late Heath Ledger

Penelope Cruz has a soft spot in her heart for

"Vicky Cristina Barcelona" director Woody Allen

"Revolutionary Road" director Sam Mendes

and his ex-wife Kate Winslet

Performance of the Day

Actor: JULIETTE LEWIS

Film: "Conviction"

Character: Roseanna

Year: 2010

Even though she was only on screen for about ten minutes total, Juliette Lewis left a very strong impression. The actor (who really had her fame heyday in the 90s) is fantastic as 'Roseanna', a drunken star witness in a murder trial. I watched her performance twice, just to really absorb everything, and she is so convincing, right down to the way she opens her mouth. Her time is short, but she gives one of the best performances of the film.

Fun Shoots

Amanda Bynes, Ashley Olsen, Mary-Kate Olsen, Mandy Moore, Hilary Duff, Alexis Bledel, Evan Rachel Wood, Raven Symone, and Lindsay Lohan are highlighted in this spread on the rise of Hollywood teens, 2003

*** It's always interesting to look at these spreads and see who lived up to their potential, who faded away into oblivion, and who crashed and burned.

Quote of the Day

"You go down there if you got the nerve!"

Dustin Hoffman as 'Jack', "Little Big Man", 1970

Did You Know...

... Jodie Foster, Ellen Barkin, Nicole Kidman, Kim Basinger, and Julia Roberts turned down the role of 'Catherine' in "Basic Instinct". The role then went to Sharon Stone.

Performance of the Day

Actor: EMILY WATSON

Film: "Hilary and Jackie"

Character: Jackie

Year: 1999

Emily Watson gave a powerhouse performance in the true story of concert cellist, Jacqueline du Pre. The story centers around two sisters (Watson and Rachel Griffiths) who are musically gifted; Jackie on cello and her sister Hilary on the flute. Jacqueline develops MS and is forced to stop performing. It's a touching and deep performance and Watson (who was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar) delivered.

My Name is...

Jane Seymour was born...

Performance of the Day

Actor: MOS DEF

Film: "The Italian Job"

Character: Left Ear

Year: 2003

A lot of musicians try to make the leap to acting and most of the time it DOESN'T work, but in the case of Mos Def... he's got the talent. He holds his own amongst a great cast (Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Ed Norton, and Donald Sutherland to name a few) and stands out as a funny guy. This is a great performance and an exciting film... so check it out.

Quote of the Day

"It could of all been different, Mr. Walker. You should have let nature take it's course... but in the end, it will anyway. SO LET ME IN THE F***ING HOUSE!"

Mark Wahlberg as 'David', "Fear", 1996

Flick of the Day

Film: BLAZING SADDLES

Director: Mel Brooks

Actors: Gene Wilder, Cleavon Little, Madeline Kahn, Slim Pickens, Harvey Korman, Mel Brooks

Year: 1974

Synopsis: In order to take down a western town, a corrupt politician hires the first black sheriff, but is surprised when he turns out to be the best thing to happen in a long time.

Where Do I Know You From?

Who is this future superhero?

Candid of the Week

Marisa Tomei hangs with her buddy Mariska Hargitay.

Good friend Fisher Stevens took this photo, 2006

Quote of the Day

Alice: Is this supposed to protect you from aliens or something?

Jerry: No, no... it's just a beer bottle.

Julia Roberts and Mel Gibson as 'Alice' and 'Jerry',

"Conspiracy Theory", 1997

Six Degrees of Separation

Tobey Maguire and Marisa Tomei

(Rules: find the least amount of connections between the two actors. You must use professional connections, i.e film and television projects. No relationship connections (meaning no marriage, etc). You must type out each part of the connection. Example: George Clooney to Owen Wilson. You can do George to Brad Pitt in "Ocean's Eleven". Brad to Gwyneth Paltrow in "Seven". Gwyneth to Owen Wilson in "The Royal Tenenbaums". That would be 3 connections.)

Performance of the Day

Actor: SIGOURNEY WEAVER

Film: "Heartbreakers"

Character: Angela/Maxine/Ulga

Year: 2001

The film had the potential of being a total disaster if the role of Maxine wasn't cast properly. Thankfully, producers went with the brilliant choice of Sigourney Weaver. She's equal parts sexy, conniving, and hilarious in this funny flick.

My Name is...

Martin Sheen was born with the name...

Double Take

Malin Akerman and Cameron Diaz could be sisters.

They look alike and they even sound alike.

***Malin is best known for her work in "Watchmen", "The Heartbreak Kid", and "27 Dresses". Cameron can be seen in "Knight and Day", "There's Something About Mary", and "The Mask".

Fun Shoots

George Clooney having a little fun near his home in Lake Como, Italy, 2000s

Flick of the Day

Film: THE BONE COLLECTOR

Director: Phillip Noyce

Actors: Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Queen Latifah, Ed O'Neill, Luis Guzman, Mike McGlone, Leland Orser, Bobby Cannavale

Year: 1999

Synopsis: A paralyzed detective helps a rookie cop find a serial killer.

Performance of the Day

Actor: JOAN CUSACK

Show: "Shameless"

Character: Sheila

Year: 2011-

In the new Showtime series, "Shameless", funny lady Joan Cusack takes on the role of a germaphobic/

agoraphobic housewife. She's fantastically funny and endearing as she tries (and fails) everyday to take a step outside. Also her chemistry with lead actor William H. Macy is right-on.

Quote of the Day

"I have nipples, Greg. Could you milk me?"

Robert De Niro as 'Jack', "Meet the Parents", 2000

MisMatched

Actor: SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR

Film: "Cruel Intentions"

Character: Kathyrn

Year: 1999

That lifeless face, that whiny monotone voice... just a couple of things that help prove how bad Sarah Michelle Gellar was in 1999's soap-opera-esque "Cruel Intentions". Gellar played Kathryn, a spoiled, overly sexualized, slightly-evil, rich girl who bets her hot stepbrother Sebastian (miscast with a cheesy Ryan Phillippe) that he can't bed the new girl in school. Of course he takes the challenge and falls in love with Annette (played by Reese Witherspoon)... blah blah blah. Gellar is painfully bad and extremely annoying to watch.

*this is where Reese and Ryan met.

Flick of the Day

Film: GO

Director: Doug Liman

Actors: Sarah Polley, Timothy Olyphant, Desmond Askew, Nathan Bexton, Katie Holmes, Scott Wolf, Jay Mohr, Taye Diggs, Breckin Meyer, James Duval, Jane Krakowski, William Fichtner

Year: 1999

Synopsis: Multiple stories centering around four supermarket employees.

This film tells the story of one night in the eyes of four friends: Ronna (who desperately needs to make money for rent), Simon (who goes to Vegas with a group of friends), Mannie (who takes a bunch of ecstasy pills), and Claire (who gets talked into hanging out with a drug dealer). It's definitely one of the cool flicks of the late 90s.