Elementary, my dear Watson
Before I get started with the comments, I have to talk about Charlie Brown’s creator. I just found out that Charles Schulz is going to retire and the "Peanuts" comic strip will end early next year. In case you don’t know, he was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and has decided to hang up his pens and pencils. Although I don’t read the strip daily as I did when I was a kid, I still feel somewhat empty knowing it’s going away. From the meaning of Christmas in the TV special to the lesson of perseverance shown by Charlie Brown’s continuous effort to kick that football to the unflappable coolness of Snoopy, "Peanuts" was a big part of my life. I somehow feel I have lost a part of my childhood, but I will always be thankful for the memories. God bless you Charles Schulz. You touched myself and millions of others over the years. We will miss you.
Emily Watson? Emily Watson?? I have to say that this poll’s result surprised me more than any other by a long shot. I didn’t vote for her but I don’t necessarily disagree with the choice. I think she is a fine actress. I just expected Ms. Paltrow to take the crown. I didn’t vote for her either though. But I still thought she was going to be the big winner. She placed though with Ms. Merchant Ivory coming in third.
I don’t really know what to say about Watson winning this poll. She has been good in the few things in which I have seen her but she hasn’t overwhelmed me with range or emotional depth. That’s not saying much, though, as the actress for whom I voted, Kate Winslet, really hasn’t either.
Winslet was my choice for her willingness to buck the Hollywood bigwigs. I haven’t seen Holy Smoke but I have heard that she gets buck naked and gives Keitel a golden shower. She’s not exactly doing romantic comedies here. The Gist disagrees with me but I believe she could have taken the easy way out by choosing to become a "movie star" after the big boat movie. I just respect that she didn’t. It’s what I call the R.E.M. factor. After R.E.M.’s first commercial success, they followed it up with their best artistic album, Automatic for the People. Some people just refuse to fall into a corporate routine. They are few and far between but they are worth the search.
Anyway, I should stop talking about Winslet. She didn’t win. As a matter of fact, she barely finished in the top ten. Gwyneth, the genetically engineered movie star, captured the nation’s heart last year in that Bard movie. She is quite good and if you have been reading these articles, you know I am a sucker for a foreign (British especially) actor/actress who can do a believable American accent. That same principle applies in reverse. I like it when an American sounds like a Brit. I know, I am impressed easily, but I was a theatre major and I know how difficult a dialect can be. So when I see a performer nail one, I am truly impressed. She was truly radiant in that movie. I remember learning about muses in school and always thought it was bullshit, but I can see how Willy would have been inspired by her. I wasn’t a big fan of hers before seeing that movie, but after it, I certainly was.
Our lady Helena Bonham Carter (has there ever been a more British name?) finished in third place and she has been excellent in all the movies in which I have seen her, including some stinkers. She has a sort of goofy look to her. I don’t really know how to describe it, but she impressed me in Wings of the Dove even though she’s not conventionally "sexy".
Only one crow eating session this time. I left out Juliette Lewis and I should have included her. Sorry about that. One more thing about this, I won’t always agree with your suggestions but I will admit when I was wrong. I was wrong here.
Although this has nothing to do with the poll, I just got home from seeing Toy Story 2 and it was excellent. If you like movies, go see this one. It’s definitely not just for kids. It is better than the first one in my opinion.
The next poll is again hormone influenced. Who has the best breasts in Hollywood? This poll will be in two parts (please forgive the pun). This first one is limited to actresses with at least a C cup. The next one will be the A to B range only. Then maybe we will take the top ten from both polls and have a "Boob Battle Royal". Anyway, the qualifications for this one were that she had to have at least a C cup (if any of the ones listed are below a C, I apologize, but we tried to guess as best we could) and she had to have shown them at some point in her career. This last qualification knocked out Ricci, Lisa Nicole Carson, and JLH, among others.
So vote away. As usual, comments and suggestions to lawdogusc@hotmail.com. Maybe I shouldn’t have given that out on this poll as I will probably get 500 letters telling me who I left out but have at it. That’s what makes this fun anyway. I have received several excellent suggestions for polls and those suggestions will be coming at you in the near future. Keep the suggestions coming.
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