“And, Matt, you’re only as good as your other hand.
“You were magnificent, and the only reason I’m standing here is because of you - so you really deserve half of this.
“So, you want the bottom or the top?
"The top? I figured that!"
From Michael Douglas's ever so risqué acceptance speech after winning the Best Actor gong at the Emmys last night.
Or, as the Mirror put it "peppering his speech with jokey ‘gay’ references."
Think they put 'gay' in inverted commas in case the jokes sued for libel.
Sir Elton of John paid tribute to Liberace and sang one of his lovely songs from his newly-released album, that had nothing to do with Lee but Elt said it reminds him of him.
Thanks Reg, means a lot.
Behind The Candleabra also won best (TV) movie.
Fagburn approves - you don't see nearly enough staight actors getting lauded for playing gay, do you?
So brave etc etc.
PS The Sun saw the story from a different angle; Michael Douglas thanks 'my wife Catherine' as he picks up Emmy. Good for him.
The Daily Mail zoomed in on "Matt Damon's beautiful wife, and devoted a whole two sentences to mentioning the bio-pic about the "flamboyant piano player©".
Luciana Damon's frock got a dedicated five paragraph box.
Update via The Bilerico Project...
"[Liberace's] program aired in
England, and I was keenly aware of his enormous talent and its impact on
the musical world. (And my dress sense, of course.) What I was not
aware of until years later was his lifestyle -- yeah right, ummm... oh
well! -- which, due to the tenor of the times, had to be concealed."
-- Sir Elton John, balking mid-sentence
on live television last night in brief remarks before his performance
at the Emmy Awards. Sir Elton had clearly not written the speech and had
likely not even read it before the telecast. It's unclear whether John
bristled at the suggestion that he was unaware of Liberace's sexual
orientation, or at the Emmy writers' jarringly incorrect use of the word
"lifestyle" to describe being gay -- a term that hasn't been socially
acceptable since the days of Liberace himself.
Posts
While I obviously understand the frustration about straight actors playing gay roles again and again; I have to say, my ultimate belief in acting is that you cast actors not types. Alec Guinness when he went all-out to schmooze David Lean to convince him to give him a chance to play Fagin and Lean said he couldn't as Guinness was nothing like Fagin - Guinness replied that Lean wasn't looking for actors he was looking for types, and where was he going to find a type like that? (I know, it's an anti-semitic role in many ways - but the role endures, I think because above all he's a grotesque, as so many great characters in film and literature are - I know that's simplistic of me, but there's a strong element of truth there, I believe).
ReplyDeleteIt's this basic strong belief that casting types is the complete opposite of what acting is and also the beauty of acting (ie. playing someone completely unlike the real person acting) - that's the magic of it.
What do you think?
The thing I do take exception to is the way straight actors playing gay are lauded as brave, whereas gay actors playing straight are barely applauded for the same thing. That's hypocritical and does show an element of inequality in the way these things are judged.
You being serioius, is Elton's John's new album good?
ReplyDeleteI have no idea.
DeleteThere seems to be some law though where journalists have to say it's lovely and "a real return to form" etc.
You called it lovely without actually hearing it? lol
ReplyDeleteAMG gives it 3/5 but user ratings are 4/5 so you might find it worthwhile to listen if you have the time.
You may detect I occasionally use irony and/or sarcasm on here...
DeleteI almost believe you. Please consider the matter closed. :)
Delete