HOLLYWOOD—Ask any entertainment journalist why they do what they do and they will share the same answer: an insatiable curiosity about celebrities. Journalists are engaged, motivated and intrigued. We all have an intensified need to know what motivates celebrities and we like to share their stories. Imitation is the best form of flattery and in the movies, stars do their best impression and performance of icons. This season it seems that celebrities are venturing out doing biopics. The season’s first biopic was out on October 20, with Sienna Miller as Tippi Hedren for HBO’s thriller “The Girl.”
Daniel Day-Lewis portrays Abe Lincoln in “Lincoln.” Day-Lewis is incredible in his Lincoln-like impersonation of the most iconic American president. He is one of the most respected actors in Hollywood and his portrayal as a method actor in the film is brilliant. Daniel Day-Lewis’ performance as Irish cerebral palsy victim Christy Brown in the 1989 film “My Left Foot,” was brilliant. He is amazing. However, critics are saying Tommy Lee Jones, steals the film. The movie is directed by Steven Spielberg, need I say more.
Scarlett Johansson will star as Janet Leigh in “Hitchcock,” on November 23. Critics love Johansson, however, feel that her voice doesn’t quite resemble Leigh’s voice. Nonetheless, an interesting biopic.
On November 25, Lindsay Lohan will portray Dame Elizabeth Taylor in the Lifetime movie “Liz & Dick.” Taylor was a beautiful, leading lady who made tabloid front pages with controversial love affairs. She loved diamonds and was hounded by the paparazzi since she began her movie career as a child star. Lindsay Lohan, 26, looks amazing in her comeback role portraying Liz.
Actor Bill Murray stars as FDR in the film “Hyde Park on Hudson,” being released on December 7. Murray simply nails FDR as president and maybe stands a chance with an Oscar nod. Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda will portray former first lady Nancy Reagan in “The Butler.” The film will be released in 2013, and we hear Fonda is superb.
Portraying the late Princess Diana is actress Naomi Watts in the film titled “Diana.” Naomi Watts was perfect for the role since she looks similar to the late Princess and has the British heritage. The elegance in Watts is perfect for the role. There is a special place for the biopic movie at the box-office, with the chances of an Oscar nomination as an actor increasing exponentially. Not every biopic turn out to be successful. There is more to a biopic than telling someone’s life story. The performance has to be Oscar-worthy.
The biopics reached popularity back in the 1930s and as you can see they are making a come back today, often producing some of the best performances leading to Academy Awards for acting.
Here is something to put things in perspective, twelve of the twenty Oscars for Best Actor and Best Actress went to biopic roles: Julia Roberts in “Erin Brockovich,” back in 2000. Adrien Brody in the 2002 film “The Pianist.“ Charlize Theron for “Monster,” in 2003. “Ray,“ in 2004 went to actor Jaime Foxx, Reese Witherspoon in the 2005 film “Walk the Line.” Helen Mirren in the 2006 film “The Queen,” Forest Whitaker in the 2006 film, “The Last King of Scotland,” Marion Cotillard in 2007 in “La Vie en Rose,” Sean Penn in the film “Milk,” in 2008 and last but not least, Sandra Bullock in the 2009 film “The Blind Side.”
Rose’s Scoop: Jelena, known as Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez are no longer an item, sources say the couple have broken up several times over the past few months.
By Rose Quintiliano
