Chat with Film Critic Keith Van Sickle about the Oscar nominees for best actress.
February 16, 2007
And the nominees for Actress in a Leading Role are: Penelope Cruz for Volver, Judy Dench for Notes on a Scandal, Helen Mirren for The Queen, Meryl Streep for The Devil Wears Prada and Kate Winslet for Little Children.
49abcnews.com has scheduled the following chats with Keith leading up to the Oscars’ live broadcast February 25.
- February 16 – Chat about best actress nominations
- February 23 – Chat about best picture
Submit your question to Keith.
And make sure to watch the Oscars which will be broadcast on 49 ABC at 7 p.m. (for Road to the Oscars) Februrary 25. The Oscars begin at 7:30 p.m.
Watch Good Morning Kansas each Friday for movie reviews from Keith Van Sickle. Missed this morning's review, get it online.
Moderator: Hi. I'm Lisa Coble-Krings, and I'll be moderating this chat on the Oscars with Keith Van Sickle. Keith appears on Good Morning Kansas each Friday. His discussion online will focus on actresses earning high acclaim in Hollywood, but you can ask anything related to the upcoming Oscars. Let's get started.
oread: I think Kate Winslet is one of the most under appreciated actresses working today. What do you think her chances are?
Keith Van Sickle: I'm a big fan of hers as well, and she is great in Little Children. But this is Helen Miren's year to take it home, with her talent and the quality of most of the parts she picks. Winslet will win more awards in the future.
Moderator: Winslet is one of two younger actresses nominated this year. Is it odd for the majority of actresses nominated in this category to be older?
Keith Van Sickle: The Academy loves the veteran actors and actresses. It's kind of for a lack of a better term an "old boys club." Few young performers have taken home Oscar.
oread: It seems they can't have an Academy Awards ceremony without a nomination for Judy Dench, yet I've never been that impressed by her. What is it that the Academy loves about her so much?
Keith Van Sickle: Your right. She is an Oscar darling and while she's an accomplished actress, I believe she's recieved nominations, she did not deserve. I firmly believe if she was mopping a floor or cleaning her attic in a movie she would get a nomination.
Moderator: Keith, studies on sex roles and the portrayal of old women in movies have shown that movies depict elderly women as foolish, unattractive and unintelligent. Do the women given nominations this year play roles that perpetuate that stereotype?
Keith Van Sickle: This year is different with Miren's turn as Queen Elizabeth, who no matter what you think of her, is a strong, stubborn leader. Streep's character in Devil Wears Prada is a no-nonsense, hell-on-wheels, business woman. Usually I would say that's the case, but this year the character played by these women are the opposite.
Moderator: Here's a question we weren't able get to during your visit last week. This is from jbear9610, who asks "Are you usually accurate with your Oscar picks?"
Keith Van Sickle: Suprisingly, I have been accurate in the past. The Oscar's are at times pretty unpredictable so some years it's anyone's guess.
hnelson: Isn't it usually older actors and younger actresses that take home Oscars? All the best actress winners in the last decade have been under 39. Any reasons you see for the gender difference or is it just the right person in the right role happened to be young.
Keith Van Sickle: There just are not that many good roles written for older actresses, and the older actors seem to still have better parts. That's a problem in Hollywood that continues to this day. An actress gets a few years on her, and she's not right for any role, but an actor, like a Sylvester Stallone, who at 60 can still play a boxer.... ?
Moderator: At last year's Oscars, Judi Dench was nominated for Mrs. Henderson Presents, Felicity Huffman in Transamerica, Keira Knightley in Pride and prejudice, Charlize Theron in North Country and Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line. Witherspoon won. Do you think she deserved the Oscar?
Keith Van Sickle: I thought Witherspoon was outstanding as June Carter Cash and deserved the award. Although if Felicity Huffman would have won that would have been fine because she was amazing in Transamerica.
Moderator: This one was asked last week, but unfortunately we weren’t able to get to it then. Keith, tnasuperfan asks "What is your favorite movie this year?" This will be our last question, but we'll continue the conversation next week on just this topic. Log on at noon February 23.
Keith Van Sickle: It was The Departed, with the very charming Little Miss Sunshine a close second. If you haven't seen The Departed or Miss Sunshine they are out on DVD, so I encourage everyone to check them out.
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