* Reclining leather chairs
* Snuggling felines
* Bookshelves, filled to bursting
* Dark, gothic art
* Windows frosted with dew
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There are only 3 ages for women in Hollywood: Babe, District Attorney and Driving Miss Daisy
The process of choosing a favorite actress was much more difficult than selecting a winner in the actor category. It’s not that women are less talented. Far from it. It’s just that there are few great roles available to them (see above quote by Goldie Hawn).
For example, according to Boxoffice.com, the biggest movies that played in theaters this weekend were:
* “Transformers: Age of Extinction” (mostly male cast, geared toward male audience)
* “22 Jump Street” (mostly male cast, geared toward male audience)
* “How To Train Your Dragon 2” (mostly male cast, geared toward children)
* “Think Like a Man Too” (mostly male cast, geared toward mixed audience)
* “Maleficent” (woman lede, back story of a fairy tale villain which includes a metaphorical rape scene)
In most Hollywood films, women are frequently relegated to roles that serve men: prostitutes, secretaries, strippers, maids, slaves, daughters to marry off, the token girlfriend, crime victims, etc. As such, talented actresses only have the opportunity to really shine in romantic comedies (which I love) or in films that are created/written/directed by other women. This situation is incredibly frustrating for the brilliantly skilled women working in the business, but also for women like me, who enjoy going to movies and seeing strong male and female characters on screen.
So to choose just one favorite movie actress would be impossible. I can however, urge you to seek out films featuring performances by: Glenn Close, Emma Thompson, Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, Julia Roberts, Viola Davis, Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Meg Ryan, Margo Martindale, Kathy Bates, Lois Smith, Allison Janney, Julianne Moore, Jane Lynch, Jodie Foster, Susan Sarandon, Halle Berry, Helen Hunt, Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest, Christine Baranski and Sandra Bullock.
(Photo by YunYulia.)
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I am not going to New York to meet some woman who could be a crazy, sick lunatic! Didn’t you see ‘Fatal Attraction’?
Being such a huge movie fan, it took some time to select my favorite film actor. There are so many talented thespians out there, yet few have the ability to consistently put my bum in a movie theatre seat based solely on the fact that his is in a picture.
However, after much thought and a lot of searching on IMDb, I realized that my favorite actor is the great Tom Hanks. He’s brilliantly talented, versatile, prolific and, of course, (I’m told) a very nice guy.
Now I know some people like Tom Hanks for his early comedies while others prefer his later dramatic efforts. But I have enjoyed just about every movie he’s worked on. These are my personal favorites:
1. Sleepless in Seattle
2. A League of Their Own
3. Apollo 13
4. Philadelphia
5. You’ve Got Mail
6. That Thing You Do!
7. Toy Story
8. The Terminal
9. Catch Me If You Can
10. The Polar Express(Awesome honorable mentions: Charlie Wilson’s War, Splash, Big, The Green Mile, Saving Private Ryan and Cast Away)
What’s your favorite Tom Hanks flick? -
My so-called digital life
It’s hard for me to believe, but this blog has been around for nearly 20 years. It debuted on AOL’s servers in the mid-1990s and has gone through more makeovers than I can count. Jaded Writings has provided me with a platform to share my thoughts and to connect with people all over the world. For those who take the time to read these posts, I thank you.
Many readers also follow me on social media, and they’re often surprised to find that the content I post changes depending on the outlet. For example, on Facebook, Twitter and Google+, I like to share links to news stories/features that catch my eye. I’m far more likely to respond to friends’ Facebook posts with likes/comments because they are people I know personally. On Twitter, however, I tend to share/favorite tweets from colleagues or professionals who are influential in their various fields.
On Tumblr, I publish content on a wide variety of topics. For Aftherthoughts, I post interesting news stories along with images that reflect my personality. On Eccentric Employment, I run want ads for people seeking odd, unique or interesting job opportunities.
My love of reading is featured on Hooked From The First Page, where I highlight books with catchy opening lines, and on the No-Good, Very Bad Title Blog, where I celebrate books that have terrible titles.
When I have time to write proper obits, I post them on The Blog of Death. I turn to The Obituary Forum, a blog for The Society of Professional Obituary Writers, to share news items about the profession of writing about the dead. And on The Blog of Death’s Tumblr, I link to news stories about dying, grief, the death industry and cemeteries.
So where do I find all this content?
I read. A lot.
Here is a quick snapshot of my digital life: (à la NPR Digital Services):
3 daily must-reads
I can’t name just 3. How about 10?* The New York Times
* The Huffington Post
* NPR
* The Washington Post
* Los Angeles Times
* Facebook
* Twitter
* Poynter
* Romenesko
* Muck Rack Daily3 people you follow (online) regularly
* My husband
* Writer Litsa Dremousis
* Journalist John R. PlattFirst thing you check in the morning
The blinds, to see if the sun is still out. When I finally get around to turning on my computer, though, the first thing I check is my email. Then I hit Fitbit.com.
Last thing you check at night
A book on my Kindle or the latest print novel I’m reading.
Favorite news consumption time saver
Go-to local news source
Your most used mobile reporting tool or app
News alerts from Breaking News and The Associated Press
Words of wisdom for news organization as they go forward with their digital efforts
It’s great to be first. Aim for that. But it’s better to be right.
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Quote of the week
“News is what someone wants suppressed. Everything else is advertising. The power is to set the agenda. What we print and what we don’t print matter a lot.” –Katharine Graham
