In this video, I discuss how 1946's A Stolen Life, starring Bette Davis, utilized the doppelgänger motif to highlight societal values of the time.
In 1947, Olivia de Havilland conquered the studio system and bested her rival, Joan Fontaine, by winning her first Oscar. In this video, I tell you how that happened.
Three iconic feminist characters competed for the 1992 Best Actress Oscar: Clarice Starling, Thelma, and Louise. In this video, I talk about why Jodie Foster won for The Silence Of The Lambs and how the critical reception of Thelma and Louise may have affected Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon's shot at the prize.
In this episode, I explore Sally Field's journey from Flying Nun to Oscar Winner, the stigma against tv that made her win unlikely, and the bold storyline of Norma Rae.
In this episode, I talk about the cultural impact of Mrs. Miniver, Hollywood's response to WWII, and how Greer Garson owned the 1940s.
In 1973, Liza won her Oscar for portraying Sally Bowles. While she had history on her side (in addition to her great performance), the other nominees had history working against them.
Learn how a brush with death may have won Elizabeth Taylor her first Oscar in 1961!
In 1938, Luise Rainer became the first actor to ever win consecutive Academy Awards. In this episode I explain how she benefited from the studio system, how freelancing disadvantaged her opponents, and how white privilege influenced the casting of The Good Earth.
In 1988, Cher won the Best Actress Oscar for Moonstruck over Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, and Sally Kirkland, cementing her place as one of the greatest pop culture icons of all time. In this video, I discuss her professional journey and how it ultimately culminated in an Oscar.
In 1955 Grace Kelly surprised everyone by winning the Best Actress Oscar over Judy Garland. In this video, I contrast Judy and Grace’s reputations to show why this upset occurred.
In 1936, Bette won her first Best Actress Oscar for "Dangerous." Except the award wasn't REALLY for "Dangerous." In this video, I tell you why!
In 1979 Jane Fonda won the Best Actress Oscar after a few years away from Hollywood. In this video I talk about how she rehabilitated her image after the Hanoi Jane incident and how Coming Home is an extension of her activism.
I took a look at each version of A Star Is Born and what they say about our cultural and cinematic history.
In 1969, Barbra Streisand and Katharine Hepburn received the exact same number of votes for Best Actress. In this video, I give you some reasons why.
In 1946, Joan Crawford won an Oscar for Mildred Pierce after leaving her home of nearly 20 years, MGM. In this video I explain the evolution of her persona, her relationship to the studio system, and why her Oscar is a great comeback story.
Julie Andrews originated the role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady on Broadway, but wasn't cast in the film adaptation. Audrey Hepburn, who ended up playing Eliza, caused a scandal when it was revealed that she didn't sing her own songs. In this video, I walk you through this whole situation and explain how it resulted in Julie's Oscar.
In this video I talk about Harvey Weinstein's legacy at the Oscars and use Shakespeare in Love/Gwyneth Paltrow's wins as a case study for his strategy. I also talk about why he sucks.
In 2002 Halle Berry became the first and so far only woman of color to win the Best Actress Oscar. This video examines why it took so long and the legacy of Halle’s win as it relates to actresses today.
Olivia Colman won the Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite! People (including myself) thought this was an upset, so I thought I'd put in my two cents on the matter. Here's a little bit of a less formal take on how I think all this happened.
There are more places to watch movies than ever! In this video, I outline how we got to this point, from Supreme Court decisions, to the rise of television, streaming services, and beyond!
Meryl Streep is frequently called the greatest actress of her generation. She's a box office queen with more Oscar nominations than any other actor. What is it about her that is so great and how did she do it?
They both started on the stage. Both dated Howard Hughes. Both became famous at RKO. Both starred in movies that take place in Philadelphia. Ginger Rogers and Katharine Hepburn often met the same milestones, despite taking wildly different paths. In this video, I mirror their journeys to show how they shared a determination that made them legendary.
When reviewing The Blind Side for the Telegraph, Sukhdev Sandu wrote “Just because the story is true doesn’t make it real.” Director John Lee Hancock chose to frame the film about a black teen who became a football star around his white benefactors, and in doing so may have actually contributed to Sandra Bullock’s Oscar win in 2010 for Best Actress. In this video, I show you how.
80 years ago, Gone With The Wind took America by storm...with Vivien Leigh leading the charge. Her performance is considered one of the greatest in film history, but so much had to happen for her to get that role. In this video, I talk about the notoriously extensive process of casting Scarlett O'Hara and why Vivien Leigh's Oscar was so well deserved.
In 1986, Geraldine Page won an Oscar after having lost 7 times. Meanwhile Whoopi Goldberg had a breakout role in the Color Purple. In this video I talk about what happened.
In 2003, 3 of the 5 Best Actress nominees all made films with Miramax. All three had different experiences. In this video I talk about Nicole Kidman's journey to Virginia Woolf in The Hours, how Harvey Weinstein affected the race, and what we can learn from this year today.
Part review, part history, part script doctor, fully me stanning.
Sissy Spacek won an Oscar for playing Loretta Lynn in a biopic - a genre that is growing in popularity. In this video I break down the history of the genre and how it can affect an actor's career.
Anna Magnani broke Hollywood’s traditional notion of stardom by devoting herself to authenticity. In 1956, she became the first Italian actress to win the Best Actress Academy Award for her performance in The Rose Tattoo. In this video I discuss why!
In this video, I take a look at the American major motion picture adaptations of Little Women to understand how they have changed over time (this is me acknowledging that I'm not *actually* comparing every version of Little Women). How does a 150 year old text remain relevant? And how have different filmmakers found new ways to tell this story?
In this video, I try to understand why so few female protagonists and no female directors managed to make it to the final round at the Oscars this year. Long story short, we have a long way to go before we reach equality.
Jessica Lange overcame a "dumb-but-pretty" stereotype from 1976's Kong to become one of the most revered actresses of the 1980s. In 1995, she won her second Oscar for a film that might never have been released. In this video, I tell that story and take a look at a year that was somewhat underwhelming for women in film.
The story of Asian and Asian American women in the acting categories at the Oscars is one of absence. In this video I give a basic overview of the barriers these women have faced in casting and how America's geopolitical relationship with Asian countries has affected hyphenate identity in media.
Toni Collette is one of the most critically acclaimed and beloved actresses working today. Though not necessarily a household name or an awards favorite, she has demonstrated fluency in multiple genres, accents, and character types that few actors could match. In this video I break down how!
I've really liked Mrs. America and pretty much devised a film course about it on accident.
In 1963, Joan Crawford accepted Anne Bancroft’s Oscar in her absence…which apparently made Bette Davis really angry. That usually becomes the story when people talk about this year, so in this video, I’m going to talk about Anne Bancroft’s journey to her Oscar. My next video will dive into Bette and Joan’s alleged feud, culminating in this night.
In this video, I take a look at Bette Davis and Joan Crawford's relationship (or lack thereof) and its implications on the 1963 Best Actress race. I also give Ryan Murphy's Feud a "big ol' mess" out of 10, and make the case for realistically portraying the feud in the future.
'The Help' trended in Netflix's Top 10 in the wake of recent protests. I took a look at 'The Help' and films like it to understand how Hollywood packages racism as entertainment and why the industry is...not good at it.
In this video I talk about Audrey Hepburn’s debut performance in Roman Holiday, the Oscar race of 1953, how the press received this brand new star, and the parts of Audrey’s story that are often overlooked.
In this video I talk about two actresses who became directors: Ida Lupino and Barbra Streisand. I’ll explore how they became directors as well as the gendered experiences that affected both their leadership styles on-set and the ways in which their work was received.
In this video I talk about how America treated Ingrid Bergman horribly and why is she one of the most unique stars of classic Hollywood.
Welcome to 25 Days of Actress! 25 performances by 25 actresses…25 things to watch instead of the same Christmas movie over and over (sorry).
Welcome to part 2 of 25 Days of Actress! 25 performances by 25 actresses…25 things to watch for Holiday Content Scrooges like me.
Welcome to part 3 of 25 Days of Actress! 25 performances by 25 actresses…25 things to watch for Holiday Content Scrooges like me.
In this video, I talk about David Fincher’s newest film, Mank!
In this video I talk about Faye Dunaway's Oscar win, Liv Ullmann, and why Network is an interesting movie in 2021.
In this video I dive deep into the themes and production history of Billy Wilder's underrated classic, A Foreign Affair. It's a weird movie, and I'm obsessed with it.
In this video I talk about some of the common threads that connect (or don’t) the 7 women who have been nominated for the Best Director Oscar.
In this video I take a look at how Katharine Hepburn’s real life beliefs and behaviors made their way into her star persona.
In this video, we take a look at how Madonna uses classic film references to comment on politics, sexuality, and her star persona.
In 1951, Vivien Leigh won her second Best Actress Oscar for playing Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire. In this video I look at some of the challenges posed by adapting that play for the screen and how she acted alongside the cast of the original Broadway production.
In this video I talk about the film adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and why it’s so different from the book (which is maybe better? TBD).
In this video, I dive deep into the career of Deborah Kerr. I talk about her ladylike persona, why it’s not quite as ladylike as you might think, the timing of her fame, and why she tends to be overlooked as a celebrity.
In this video, I take a look at why The Addams Family was called “television’s answer to whatever you don’t like about the 20th century” and think about what that means in the 1960s vs. 1990s.
In this video I talk about the career of Lee Grant: how she was blacklisted, how she got off the list, and how it shaped both her art and her world view.
This holiday season, I asked some of my favorite YouTubers to recommend a great performance in a movie they love. Here's what they had to say!
In this video I talk about how the 1961 film version of West Side Story differs from the 2021 version.
In this video I talk about how The Misfits dissects, subverts, and mirrors Marilyn’s star persona, some of those behind-the-scenes-scandals, and why The Misfits is the strangest, most foreboding meta-commentary on her career that exists.
In this video I talk about the resilience of Ruth Gordon and her Oscar win for Rosemary's Baby in 1969!
In this video I talk about Miyoshi Umeki - the first East Asian woman to win an acting Oscar!
In this video I talk about Myrna Loy: the very strange start to her career, why she was called "the perfect wife," and why she was never nominated for an Oscar.
In this video I talk about how they cast Valley of the Dolls. You'll learn more about the cast that nearly happened (Raquel Welch, Candice Bergen, Barbra Streisand, Lee Remick, Natalie Wood, Ann-Margret, and Bette Davis), and all about the women who actually got the roles (Barbara Parkins, Sharon Tate, Patty Duke, Judy Garland). Stay tuned for PART 2 where I get into Susan Hayward, why everybody hated Mark Robson, and what this "terrible" film did to their careers.
In this video I take a look at what happened on the set of Valley of the Dolls and how it affected its stars’ careers.
In this video I take a look at the response to William Friedkin’s 1973 film, The Exorcist. Who liked it, who didn’t, and who railroaded its shot at Best Picture?
Julianne Moore and Todd Haynes: The Collaborations of "Creative Soulmates"
In 1990, Sofia Coppola stepped in for an ailing Winona Ryder to play Mary Corleone in The Godfather Part III. It didn't go well!! In this video I break down why she was cast, how people reacted, and how it affected the course of her career.
In this video, I explore the rebrand MGM sought for Greta Garbo in the late 1930s as a down-to-earth comedienne. While Ninotchka briefly revived her career, it also set the stage for a disappointing follow-up, Two-Faced Woman, which inexplicably drew criticism for its "immoral" themes.
On April 23, 1961 Judy Garland performed a program of 26 jazz standards, musical theater hits, and songs from her filmography at Carnegie Hall. The concert was recorded for Capitol Records, released as a live album, and has subsequently been dubbed “The Greatest Night in Entertainment History.” In this video, I do a deep dive on Judy at Carnegie Hall: what led up to it, what she sang, how she sang it, and the legacy that the album still carries to this day.
Took some time off so I don't have a new video for you yet...but here is an underwhelming attempt at serving content anyway!