Mariah Carey Named Good Actress

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Mariah Carey Named Good Actress

Mariah Carey received the Supporting Actress of the Year award at 14th Annual Capri Hollywood International Film Festival in Italy on Monday.

Carey received the award for her very unglamorous performance in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' By Sapphire."

In that movie, Carey plays a social worker opposite newcomer Gabourey Sidibe. Mo'Nique also stars in the movie. All three actresses have received a lot of acclaim for their work in the movie.

The entire cast has also been nominated for a Screen Actors' Guild award for Best Ensemble.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

New York Actress Making it Big

Gina Wilhelm Actress - New York Actress Making it Big

Alexandra Daddario was born in New York City and studied at the Professional Children's School, is adjusting to life in Los Angeles.

After starting her acting career in commercials while in elementry school, she landed steady work at age 16 on the soap opera "All My Children."

She now stars on the USA series "White Collar" and is about to star in "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief."

The movie is based on the fantasy book series by Rick Riordan in which the title character discovers he is descended from Greek gods.

"Olympians" also stars such heavy-hitters as Rosario Dawson, Pierce Brosnan, and Uma Thurman. Daddario had to learn fencing and archery for her part in the picture.

She explains the movie's appeal: “Greek gods are so human in so many ways — they love and they hate and they get jealous — and that’s what makes the stories about them so exciting.”

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Predicting Oscar's Good Actress

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Predicting Oscar's Good Actress

Oscar Nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2. Gossipvita.com has joined in on predicting whose name will be called that morning.

The predictions include Meryl Streep for "Julie & Julia," Carey Mulligan for "An Education," and Hilary Swank in "Amelia."

Also predicted are Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious" and Marion Cotillard for her performance in the musical "Nine."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

New York Actress Makes "It's Complicated" Shine

Gina Wilhelm Actress - New York Actress Makes "It's Complicated" Shine

"It's Complicated" opens on Friday. The Buffalo News has a favorable review. One of the high points of the film, according to the review, is actress Lake Bell.

Bell plays the young second wife of Alec Baldwin's character. In the movie, she is "semi-crazy." Her previous experience as a television actress serves her well in this role.

She shares the screen with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin as well as Steve Martin and John Krasinski.

The Buffalo News gives "It's Complicated" three stars out of four.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

New York Actress Milano in Video Spoof

Gina Wilhelm Actress - New York Actress Milano in Video Spoof


Alyssa Milano, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, is in a new video on the website funnyordie.com.

In the video, Milano takes aim both at the Dove "Evolution" ad and the MTV "Jersey Shore" program.

She gets a makeover with extensive bronzer, eyeliner, and lipgloss. Her bouffant and eye make-up is then enhanced using PhotoShop.

The piece ends with the tagline, "No wonder our perception of Jersey is distorted."

"Jersey Shore" has taken heat for portraying New York Italian-Americans and New Jersey in unflattering lights.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Pictures of Actress Westbrook in the Snow

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Pictures of Actress Westbrook in the Snow

Danniella Westbrook, until recently a star of the BBC soap opera EastEnders, was caught on film playing in the snow.

The actress is set to compete on the new season of the game show "Dancing on Ice." During a break from training, she got into a snowball fight with her skating/dancing partner.

Among Westbrook's competition will be Heather Mills, ex-wife of Paul McCartney. Other competitors are sports figures, pop stars, and a celebrity doctor.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Golden Globe Names Good Actress Candidates

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Golden Globe Names Good Actress Candidates


The Golden Globe nominations have come out, and once again, there are a lot of talented actresses vying to be named the year's best leading actress in a motion picture.


Among them are the perennials, such as Helen Mirren, Emily Blunt, and Sandra Bullock, as well as newcomers Gabourey Sidibe and Carey Mulligan in the movie drama category.


For musical or comedy motion picture, Sandra Bullock is nominated again, but is joined by Meryl Streep, Marion Cotillard, and Julia Roberts.


In fact, Meryl Streep is nominated twice in musical/comedy, both for "It's Complicated" and "Julie & Julia."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Ronan Nominated as a Good Actress Twice

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Ronan Nominated as a Good Actress Twice

The Broadcast Film Critics Association's 15th annual Critics' Choice Movie Award nominations came out on Monday. Among those nominated were Irish actress Saoirse Ronan.

The 15-year-old actress, who plays a murdered woman in "The Lovely Bones," got dual nominations, both for best actress and best young actor/actress.

The only other actress in the young actor/actress category is Bailey Madison for her performance in "Brothers."

Other best actress nominees are Emily Blunt in "The Young Victoria," Sandra Bullock from "The Blind Side," Carey Mulligan from "An Education," Gabourey Sidibe from "Precious" and Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Up In the Air with Good Actress Kendrick

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Up In the Air with Good Actress Kendrick

Anna Kendrick has been having a great year. She stars in the "New Moon" movies as Bella's human friend, and she is currently appearing in "Up In the Air," the new George Clooney movie.

In fact, she was just named best supporting actress for that movie by the National Board of Review.

Director Jason Reitman wrote Kendrick's role specifically for her. "It's incredible. I was totally flattered and bewildered," Kendrick said.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Actress Search Update on The Miracle Worker

Gina Wilhelm Actress: Actress Search Update on The Miracle Worker

A nationwide search has yielded a disabled actress to understudy Abigail Breslin in the upcoming revival of "The Miracle Worker" to go up on Broadway.

Advocates for the disabled had been upset that Breslin was playing the role of Helen Keller, rather than an actress with vision or hearing disabilities.

The Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts had said a blind or deaf actress would make the portrayal of Keller, who was herself blind and deaf, more authentic.

In response, producer David Richenthal had pledged to make an effort to find a disabled actress to understudy Breslin in the play, but that in the end, the role would be cast based on acting ability.

The understudy position will be filled by 10-year-old Kyra Siegel, of Eugene, Oregon. Siegel has limited vision in her right eye and finds it challenging to use both eyes together.

She'll be one of the few disabled actresses working on Broadway this season.

"Performing on Broadway was one of my dreams, but I never thought it would come true," Siegel wrote in an e-mail to a New York Times interviewer.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Spanish Actress Cruz Doesn't Remember Oscars

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Spanish Actress Cruz Doesn't Remember Oscars

Penélope Cruz says that she nearly fainted with shock when she received her award at this year's Oscar ceremony and doesn't remember what happened.

Cruz won for her performance in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," but says she nearly passed out from the tension of the event.

"I feel frustrated that I can't remember....I felt I was on the border of passing out from tension. That I can remember very well," she explains.

She does, however, remember eating roughly 300 canapes, crying for a half-hour, and being confused about what was going on.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Amy Adams Actress Expecting First Baby

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Amy Adams Actress Expecting First Baby

Amy Adams's representative has confirmed that the "Enchanted" actress is pregnant with her first child with her long-time boyfriend and fiance Darren Legallo.

The pregnancy is a surprise, but the couple has always expected to have a family. Adams and Legallo met during an acting class in 2001.

Adams's next movie, "Leap Year," is due out January 8.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Bollywood Hot Actress Obsessed, Says Valette

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Bollywood Hot Actress Obsessed, Says Valette


French actress Fanny Valette has said she would like to do a Bollywood movie. She likes the idea of doing a romantic movie in that milieu.

"I have also heard about 'Devdas', its lead actress Aishwarya Rai and the legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan," she explained.

At the same time, however, she is very critical of the beauty standards in Hindi films, particularly of the extreme small size of their leading ladies.

"What makes an actor or actress really beautiful is how he or she can touch your heart through their performance and express themselves well," Valette said.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Helen Mirren Honored as Good Actress

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Helen Mirren Honored as Good Actress

Dame Helen Mirren received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 19th Annual Women In Film and Television Awards on December 4.

The 64-year-old Mirren received an Oscar for her performance in "The Queen," in which she played Queen Elizabeth II. That portrayal received approval of the monarch herself.

Mirren received the award for her "'outstanding and lasting' contribution to film and television." She came to prominence as detective Jane Tennison on the television series "Prime Suspect."

She shares the honor with such actresses as Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Diana Rigg, and Julie Walters.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Remembering Older Actress Maggie Jones

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Remembering Older Actress Maggie Jones

Maggie Jones passed away this week at the age of 75. The "Coronation Street" star had been struggling since major surgery in October.

Jones played the sharp-tongued Blanche Hunt. The actress was known-and celebrated-for her comic delivery of withering one-liners.

William Roche, who played her son-in-law Ken Barlow on the long-running soap, remembered her fondly. "I don't think Maggie ever realised how much she was loved, not only by everyone on the show but by the millions of Blanche fans out there."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Bollywood Hot Actress Becomes Ad Icon

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Bollywood Hot Actress Becomes Ad Icon

Stardom in Bollywood is fickle. "Once married, Hindi film actresses stop being alluring and being part of the average Indian male's dreams," says the chief growth officer of Dentsu Media India.

What's a hot actress to do once she's not considered "hot?" Married actresses become advertising spokespeople.

For instance, Sonali Bendre endorses a number of products. The chairman and managing director for her newest company explains she's a role model for other women.

"Sonali is a perfect example of an Indian woman handling brilliantly both professional and personal duties with ease, an aspiration for every Indian woman."

Many married actresses also appreciate the shorter time committment required for advertisements as opposed to full-length features, which allows them more time with their families.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

German Actress Award Given to Winslet

Gina Wilhelm Actress - German Actress Award Given to Winslet

Kate Winslet received the best international actress award at this year's Bambi Awards in Germany. She won the award for her work in "The Reader."

In that movie she plays a woman with a secret Nazi past.

The Bambi Awards celebrate achievements in film, television, music, and sports. The panel said the actress "doesn't just slip into her roles but rather puts herself into the soul of her roles."

Congratulations!

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Good Actress Streep Makes True A List

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Good Actress Streep Makes True A List

Forbes magazine has compiled a "True A List" of actors and actresses in Hollywood today.

To do so, they looked at the actors and actresses who had been nominated for Oscars in the past five years. They then tallied their box office draws for the same types of roles.

The list of Oscar-winning women was topped by Cate Blanchett, who has received four nominations in the past five years.

However, when box office draw was figured in, Meryl Streep was the clear leading lady, with two Oscar nominations in the last five years and $1.3 billion in ticket sales.

Streep ranked fifth overall, behind Will Smith. Blanchett doesn't even make the top 10 overall, due to critically acclaimed but under-attended films like "I'm Not There" and "Elizabeth: The Golden Age."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Bollywood Hot Actress Gets Married

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Bollywood Hot Actress Gets Married

Actress Shilpa Shetty got married over the weekend to her businessman boyfriend Raj Kundra in Khandala, a resort near Mumbai.

The Bollywood star wore a red sari, emeralds, and diamonds, while the groom arrived at the lavish ceremony in a horse-drawn carriage.

Shetty didn't share her wedding plans with the press ahead of time beyond stating that this was her "dream wedding."

"We plan to shuttle between Mumbai and London after marriage. I shall strive to be as successful at home as I am outside. I want to excel as a homemaker," she said.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Actress Richardson Supports Climate Conference

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Actress Richardson Supports Climate Conference

The United Nations Climate Change Conference will be happening December 7-December 18, and a number of celebrities support the cause to stop global warming.

No doubt you know about Leonardo DiCaprio, but there are others who care about the environment, too.

Miranda Richardson participated in protests against climate change. Miley Cyrus wrote a song called "Wake Up, America."

Additionally, Cate Blanchett, who works with the lobby group whoonearthcares, has already appeared in Copenhagen once this year.

She addressed leaders at the World Business Summit on Climate Change, explaining that political failure in December "is quite simply unacceptable ."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

DVD Celebrates Gone with the Wind, Actress Search

Gina Wilhelm Actress - DVD Celebrates Gone with the Wind, Actress Search

Gone With The Wind was first released 70 years ago. A new Ultimate Collector's Edition has been released on DVD and Blu-Ray, and it's a celebration and penance at the same time.

Even when the movie was released, there was some criticism of the movie's stereotyping of black characters, such as Prissy, played by Butterfly McQueen, and the way the movie seemed to glorify slavery.

The movie won the Oscar for best picture, and Vivien Leigh and Hattie McDaniel both won Oscars for their performances.

Hattie McDaniel's Oscar was the first to be awarded to an African American.

The new DVD/Blu-Ray set includes three featurettes. One is "Movieola: The Scarlett O'Hara War," featuring Tony Curtis playing producer David O. Selznick searching for an actress to play Scarlett.

Other featurettes are "Gone With the Wind: The Legend Lives On," which praises the movie, but does present some of the criticisms of the film.

Finally, there is a featurette called "1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year," highlighting the year that brought us "Gone with the Wind," "The Wizard of Oz," "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," and many, many more.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Good Actress Harden Comes Home

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Good Actress Harden Comes Home

Marcia Gay Harden is set to return to her alma mater, University of Texas at Austin, to deliver the commencement address this May.

Harden is described by the school as their first graduate to win an Oscar. She received that award for her performance in 2000's "Pollock."

She also received a Tony this year for her work in the play "God of Carnage."

Harden graduated from the college in December of 1980 with honors. She says she is "thrilled and honored to speak to these bright young minds, ready to go out and improve our world."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Lauren Bacall Honored for Being a Good Actress

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Lauren Bacall Honored for Being a Good Actress

Lauren Bacall finally received an Oscar this weekend. The actress debuted in 1944, but it wasn't until this weekend that she finally received a statuette.

"I can't believe it - a man at last," she said on receiving the honor. She was given the prize at this weekend's Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Governors Awards.

Anjelica Huston presented the Oscar to the legendary actress, saying that Bacall "defines what it means to be a great actress and also a huge movie star."

Portions of the ceremony will be shown during the Oscars telecast on March 7, 2010.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Actress Miles From China

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Actress Miles From China

If you've ever been tempted to think your acting career was tough, consider actress Tang Wei.

The Chinese actress had a big breakthrough with Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution," in which she plays a spy during World War II.

However, now the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) has banned her because of her role in that movie.

Reports as to the reason behind the ban are in part because of graphic sex scenes in the movie. However, the main reason is that the movie is supposedly a “glorification of traitors and insulting to patriots.”

In the movie, Tang's character seduces a Chinese intelligence official collaborating with the occupying Japanese forces in Shanghai during World War II.

Instead of setting him up for execution, Tang's character allows the official to escape.

Chinese authorities censured officials for allowing the movie's release. Several officials were believed to have been fired or disciplined over the incident.

Online discussions about the movie and Tang herself have been deleted from the Internet in China, and her name no longer appears in Chinese Google searches.

Additionally, Chinese awards shows have been advised to exclude Tang and the movie's producers.

Ang Lee, who directed the movie and cast Tang himself, was dismayed by the crackdown. Lee had personally cut seven minutes of sex scenes from the film to ensure it could be shown in Chinese theaters.

“I am very disappointed that Tang Wei is being hurt by this decision. She gave one of the greatest performances in a movie that was properly produced and distributed. We will do everything to support her.”

Just something to think about the next time you don't land that big role you wanted. At least you haven't been banned and blacklisted in your home country.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Actress Images at Museum of Contemporary Art Gala

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Actress Images at Museum of Contemporary Art Gala

On Saturday, November 14, 2009, the Museum of Contemporary Art had its 30th anniversary gala in Los Angeles, California.

The party was attended by such actresses as Christina Ricci, Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei, and Carey Mulligan as well as Chloe Sevigny and Kate Beckinsale.

Also present were Jessica Alba, Kate Bosworth, and Eva Mendes. There were also musicians and Guy Ritchie.

The gallery of picures are available at the West Virginia Herald-Dispatch.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Broadway Actress Comes Home

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Broadway Actress Comes Home

Sarah Jane Nelson got her start acting at the Strauss Theatre in Monroe, Louisiana. She was one of the original members of the Strauss's Young Troupe.

Since then, she's moved on to Broadway. She made her debut on The Great White Way in "The Green Bird" and appeared in "SWING."

She returns to the Strauss November 19 and 20 for two concerts. Tickets cost $15. Her husband and daughter will join her on stage, her daughter singing "Castle on a Cloud" from "Les Misérables."

However, the star, of course, is Nelson and her voice. She's excited to return home. "It's where I got my start," she says.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Gabourey Sidibe is a Good Actress

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Gabourey Sidibe is a Good Actress

Gabourey Sidibe is the breakout star of the movie "Precious: Based on the Novel by Sapphire," which was a hit at film festivals and opened in limited release in the US November 6.

She nearly didn't audition. "I didn't decide to go to the audition. I just ended up on that side of the street."

Director Lee Daniels nearly didn't cast her, either. At first he had been looking for actresses who were just like the character in the movie.

Precious is an illiterate high schooler who's been abused by both her parents.

"I realized I needed someone to act that, not be that," Daniels said. "I knew she was the girl. She brought a sense of confidence and smarts (to the role). She got it."

Costar Paula Patton was equally enthusiastic. "I was blown away by her performance. I think actors can work their whole lives and not turn out a performance like she has done."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Actress Search Finds a 10-Year-Old Disney Star

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Actress Search Finds a 10-Year-Old Disney Star

Straight-A student Elizabeth Dampier has always had talent, her parents say. After almost three years of auditions, she landed the role of the young Tiana in Disney's latest animated movie.

"Well, I had many open call auditions and they called me, and I came out to L.A." to try out for her role in "The Princess and the Frog."

This is the first animated Disney movie to feature an African Americn princess. Dampier had to develop a New Orleans accent in order to land the role.

Her movie parents are voiced by Oprah Winfrey and Terrence Howard, and her adult self is voiced by Anika Noni Rose.

"I was excited and I am blessed and privileged that God would give me such an opportunity and that this movie will go down in history," Dampier said.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Angela Lansbury, Good Actress With Sondheim

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Angela Lansbury, Good Actress With Sondheim

Angela Lansbury, who received her fifth Tony earlier this year, is set to receive Signature Theatre's Stephen Sondheim Award next spring.

After her first stage performance, in 1964's "Anyone Can Whistle," with a score by Stephen Sondheim, Sondheim himself called her performance "a gift to the musical theater."

"Anyone Can Whistle" only ran nine performances, but Lansbury was just getting started.

She's won Tonys for a revival of "Gypsy" and in the original production of "Sweeney Todd" and provided the voice of the Giant in the 2007 production of "Into the Woods" at Signature.

She is set to return to Broadway in December for a revival of Sondheim's "A Little Night Music" with Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Signature Theatre has produced 18 works related to Sondheim, which is the most of any U.S. regional theater. They inaugurated the award this year by giving it to its namesake.

The award is given to "individuals who have achieved success interpreting, supporting and collaborating on Sondheim’s music works."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Amy Adams Actress Moves to Townhouse

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Amy Adams Actress Moves to Townhouse

Amy Adams is set to star in "Townhouse" opposite "The Hangover" star Zach Galifianakis. The movie is base on the book by Tish Cohen.

Adams will play a "friendly call girl," while Galifianakis is an agoraphobic man whose life alters dramatically when his financial situation changes.

Adams is currently working on "The Ten Best Days of My Life" and "Daughter of the Queen of Sheba," and as wrapped "Leap Year" and "The Fighter."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Is Spanish Actress Cruz An Oscar Front-Runner?

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Is Spanish Actress Cruz An Oscar Front-Runner?

With two months left until awards season, Maryann Johnson of film.com is already handicapping Best Actress contenders.

One of her top picks is Spanish-born Penélope Cruz for "Broken Embraces," her latest film with Pedro Almodóvar.

In the movie, she plays an actress and gets to "morph between characters within characters," which Johnson says the motion picture academy loves.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Entourage Actress Georgia Bound

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Entourage Actress Georgia Bound

Emmanuelle Chriqui, who costars on "Entourage," has been cast as the female lead in the new movie "Georgia."

The war movie will star Val Kilmer as a journalist covering last year's brief military conflict between Russia and Georgia, which used to be a Soviet state.

Chriqui will play a Georgian doctoral student, while Andy Garcia will play Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Emmy Rossum Declared a Good Actress

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Emmy Rossum Declared a Good Actress

Emmy Rossum was given the Young Hollywood Award at the Savannah Film Festival in Georgia on Monday.

President of Savannah College of Art and Design Paula Wallace presented the award, pointing out Rossum's range.

Wallace said that Rossum could go from playing a "knife-throwing ninja warrior goddess in 'Dragonball Evolution'" to the art-house movie "Dare," which was shown at the film festval.

A video montage showed highlights from Rossum's career, from which Rossum said she learned a lot about herself.

"Dare" was shot in six weeks, and Rossum thought it might never "see the light of day." Instead, it opens November 13.

Previously, Rossum had earned a Golden Globe Award nomination and the National Board of Review's Best Female Breakthrough Performance Award for her performance in "The Phantom of the Opera."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Actress Search on for Coen Brothers Movie

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Actress Search on for Coen Brothers Movie

Auditions are being held next Saturday in Lubbock, Texas, for an actress age 12 to 16 to play the role of Mattie Ross in the remake of "True Grit" being made by the Coen Brothers.

They are looking to make a movie truer to the original Charles Portis book than the John Wayne picture. Filming is set to begin in 2010.

The story will be told from Mattie's point of view, and this is likely part of a nationwide audition.

Casting director Rachel Tenner wants a photo to keep of the actress and only wants one parent or guardian. It is advisable that potential actresses read the book; it's very differen from the 1969 movie.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Actress Gilbert Helps Youngster's Debut

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Actress Gilbert Helps Youngster's Debut

Taylor Leigh Bera, age 11, just began her first professional national tour in the musical version of "Little House on the Prairie." In addition to a role as a schoolgirl, she also is an understudy for one of the leads.

She's already played Carrie Ingalls, the part she understudies, twice. She only found out about her first understudy performance 30 minutes before the curtain rose.

Luckily, she had a hand from Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls in the television series of "Little House on the Prairie," and who plays Ma in the musical.

"[Gilbert] is really nice. She helped me a lot when I was playing Carrie [that first night] because it was so last minute," Bera said.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Advocacy Groups Opposes Actress Search

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Advocacy Groups Opposes Actress Search

The Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, as well as other groups, are protesting the decision to cast Abigail Breslin, who starred in "Little Miss Sunshine," as Helen Keller in the revival of "The Miracle Worker."

The groups are protesting that no hearing- or vision-impaired actresses were auditioned for the role of Keller, who was deaf and blind. The part was played in the original Broadway production by Patty Duke.

Lead producer of the show David Richenthal explained that he needed an established star for the role and his research did not producer any well-known deaf or blind young actresses.

Richenthal did say that he would audition deaf and blind actresses to be Breslin's understudy.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Kristen Bell is an Older Actress than You Think

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Kristen Bell is an Older Actress than You Think

You might not realize Kristen Bell is 29 years old. Her characters are usually much younger. She played a high school student in "Veronica Mars" when she was already in her mid 20s.

She's excited to finally play a woman who's been married a several years in the recent movie "Couples Retreat."

She realizes that in a few years she will miss her youthful appearance. Then again, she used to look up to character actresses, and she thinks ingenue roles "tend to be boring."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

New York Actress Johansson Comes to Broadway

Gina Wilhelm Actress - New York Actress Johansson Comes to Broadway

Scarlett Johansson is the latest Hollywood actor to come to Broadway. She'll be starring opposite Liev Schrieber in the revival of Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge."

Johansson, who was born in New York, will play Schrieber's 17-year-old niece. Previews for the play will begin December 28, and the show is set to run 14 weeks.

Strong sales this season on Broadway are being credited to high-profile screen actors like Johansson appearing on stage.

Some producers say having Hollywood stars in a play are essential to ensuring profits on Broadway.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Running with New York Actress Sarah Jones

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Running with New York Actress Sarah Jones

Sarah Jones learned her pitch-perfect accents, which serve her well in her one-woman shows, growing up in New York City.

Her characters, voices, and accents get exercise even while she runs through Central Park while she trains for the New York Marathon.

While jogging on the bridle path, she slips into the voice of her Jewish grandmother character. “Sarah puts me in marathon, can you imagine? And I says: Fine, I’ll do it, I hope the weather isn’t too bad. I love the running.”

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Hot Bollywood Actress Kareena Kapoor

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Hot Bollywood Actress Kareena Kapoor

Beautiful actress Kareena Kapoor has been selected to be the new face of Italian watch brand Chronotech. She has two very different looks in the ad campaign.

For one ad, Kapoor is dressed like a cat burglar in a black jumpsuit and "whipcord body." For the other, she's dressed like a mermaid.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Remembering Collin Wilcox Paxton

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Remembering Collin Wilcox Paxton

Collin Wilcox Paxton passed away earlier this month at the age of 74. Wilcox played Mayella Violet Ewell in the film version of "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Her character falsely accused Brock Peters, who is black and is defended in court by Atticus Finch, played by Gregory Peck. Peck won an Oscar for his performance.

In 2007, Paxton talked about her audition for the role. Already an accomplished stage actress, she said the other girls reading for the role were too made up. "They had curly, clean hair and wore brassieres and high heels.

"I wore a secondhand dress, tennis shoes with holes in them, and dirty little white socks. I rubbed cold cream through my hair -- that's why my hair looked so dirty," she said.

Paxton was involved with the civil rights movement and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

At once NAACP conference in Monterrey, CA, Paxton received many "unfriendly looks," and a conference official had to remind the attendees that she was not her character from the film.

Paxton appeared on TV in "The Twilight Zone," "The Waltons," "The Fugitive," "Dr. Kildare," and "Gunsmoke."

On film, she was also in "Jaws 2," "The Baby Maker," and "Catch-22."

Her Broadway debut was in "The Day the Money Stopped," for which she earned the Clarence Derwent Award for most promising female.

She also wrote the play "Papa's Angels," which was later adapted into a book and a TV movie.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Amy Adams Actress with Versatility

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Amy Adams Actress with Versatility

The movie "Julie and Julia" has arrived in New Zealand, and the Howick and Pakuranga Times's review highlights the versatility Amy Adams brings to her portrayal of Julia.

Most of the plaudits go to Meryl Streep's portrayal of Julia Child, but the reviewer says the "kooky, idealistic, angst-ridden" Julia is an "easy fit" for Adams.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Hilary Swank Honored for Being a Good Actress

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Hilary Swank Honored for Being a Good Actress

The Hollywood Film Festival will be honoring Hilary Swankfor her body of work on October 26 at the Beverly Hilton.

Swank, who stars in the biopic about Amelia Earhart, will receive the Actress Award. Her male counterpart will be Robert De Niro.

Other honorees are Julianne Moore for supporting actress, Kathryn Bigelow, director of "The Hurt Locker," and Nora Ephron for screenwriting "Julie & Julia." Disney/Pixar will be honored for "Up."

"Breakthrough" awards will be given to Carey Mulligan for "An Education" and Gabourey Sidibe for "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Megan Fox is a Good Actress

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Megan Fox is a Good Actress

Fans have voted Megan Fox the best science fiction actress at the 2009 Spike TV Scream festival for her performance in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

Also recognized at the award ceremony were Taylor Lautner for best new fantasy actress for her work in "Twilight."

Anna Paquin also received best horror actress for her role on the series "True Blood."

Isabel Lucas won best new science fiction actress in "Transformers."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Older Actress Megan Mullally Finds Freedom

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Older Actress Megan Mullally Finds Freedom

Now that she's over age 50, Megan Mullallyno longer has to worry about trying to get "babe" roles. In "youth-obsessed" Hollywood, that might worry some actresses.

Mullally finds it freeing. Now she's able to take the character roles she believes directors wouldn't have considered her for before.

She's currently appearing in "The Receptionist" at Odyssey Theatre, playing a frumpy gossiping biddy at the center of the storm.

She's had a plethora of exciting career choices since "Will and Grace" went off the air in 2006.

While she's thrilled to have the opportunity to play new character parts, she's still considering writing "Karen: The Musical" based on her character from that television show.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

O'Hara Finds Her Inner Wild Thing

Gina Wilhelm Actress - O'Hara Finds Her Inner Wild Thing

Catherine O'Hara recorded her voice work for cranky monster Judith in "Where the Wild Things Are" three years ago, but she remembers the experience well.

Director Spike Jonze wanted the cast to get in touch with their wild thing inside, so instead of having his voice actors stand behind microphones, he had them "thrown together in a physical reenactment of the movie."

She explains, "Spike seems to believe, why make an actor fake something, when you can just give them that experience?"

She had to record one scene while having a bun fight with the rest of the cast.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Rashida Jones Options Comic Book

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Rashida Jones Options Comic Book

Rashida Jones, star of "The Office" and "Parks & Recreation," has optioned the movie rights to her comic book "Frenemy of the State" to Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment.

She will cowrite the screenplay with actor Will McCormack.

"Frenemy of the State" was announced at the San Diego Comic Con in July, but has yet to be published. Jones is co-writing the comic with Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir and artist Jeff Wamester.

Jones says she didn't create the comic as a vehicle for herself, though the main character does bear a striking resemblance to the actress.

"It's intended for a girl much younger than me, about age 20, an interesting age for girls as they make that scary jump to adulthood," she explained.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Carey Mulligan Gets "An Education"

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Carey Mulligan Gets "An Education"

Carey Mulligan is making a splash in Hollywood with her performance in "An Education" and will next be seen in the sequel to "Wall Street."

She doesn't see this as a huge change from the acting work she's done in England. "Honestly, the main difference is the catering. The catering in America is so much better.

"But really, every job is the same in terms of the fear that you feel walking into the room on the first day. The desperation to please the director and to fit in with everybody else."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Maggie Jones's Illness Prompts Rewrite

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Maggie Jones's Illness Prompts Rewrite


Maggie Jones, who plays battleaxe Blanche on the soap opera "Coronation Street," has had to be quickly written out of the script while she's in the hospital for emergency surgery.

Jones's deft comic timing has earned her many awards, including the Funniest Performance at the Inside Soap Awards.

Explaining her performance, Jones has said, "If I started trying to play the lines for laughs, they wouldn’t come out right and the performance would suffer."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Kim Ok-Vin Best Actress

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Kim Ok-Vin Best Actress

Kim Ok-vin won the best actress award at the 42nd Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Spain.

She shared the award with Elena Anaya of Spain. She won for her performance in "Thirst," a vampire movie that won the jury prize at Cannes. It was directed by Park Chan-wook.

Kim made her debut in an online beauty contest.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Lynn Redgrave Returns to Ten Chimneys

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Lynn Redgrave Returns to Ten Chimneys

Lynn Redgrave is set to return to Ten Chimneys in Wisconsin to participate in the national fellowship program for actors there.

There will be a 9-day retreat held at the site starting July 10 focusing on Shakespeare. Redgrave led the masterclasses and retreat last summer and will return this year.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Nicole Eggert Can Take and Make a Joke

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Nicole Eggert Can Take and Make a Joke

Nicole Eggert, who starred in "Baywatch" but is now 37 and has been away from the beach for a while, has been called "fat" by some critics.

Eggert proved she takes it all in stride, though, and has responded with a new video on Funnyordie.com.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Mia Wasikowska is Restless

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Mia Wasikowska is Restless

Mia Wasikowska plays the title character in Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," which won't be released until March.

That hasn't stopped her from translating that role into more parts. She is the first actor to join the cast of Gus Van Sant's new movie "Restless."

The movie is described as a "dark coming-of-age" story. No leading man has been found yet.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

ABC News Looks at Elizabeth Taylor

Gina Wilhelm Actress - ABC News Looks at Elizabeth Taylor

The ABC news website has posted a gallery of Elizabeth Taylor photos through the years.

Taylor is undergoing heart surgery to repair a "leaky valve" and requested prayers from her fans via her Twitter account.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Debi Mazar No Longer "Dancing"

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Debi Mazar No Longer "Dancing"

Debi Mazar, star of "Entourage," has been eliminated from the hit show "Dancing With the Stars."

The actress was originally considered a front-runner, as she had been a hip-hop dancer and had danced in Madonna videos, but wound up being in the lowest-scoring couple on the show.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Naomi Watts is the Best Value in Actresses

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Naomi Watts is the Best Value in Actresses

Forbes Magazine analyzed the salaries and box office returns of the top actresses in Hollywood and announced that British-born actress Naomi Watts is the "best value" actress.

Watts's last three movies made $44 for every dollar she was paid.

Jennifer Connelly and Rachel McAdams were also highly rated for value, as was Meryl Streep, who, despite her high status and multiple Oscar nominations, earns $27 for each dollar she is paid.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Sherri Shepherd's Sitcom Premieres

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Sherri Shepherd's Sitcom Premieres

Sherri Shepherd, co-host of "The View," had a new sitcom premiere tonight at 7 p.m. on the Lifetime network.

Her new show, called "Sherri," finds her playing a recently divorced paralegal/actress with sass, charm, and heart.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Last Chance to See The Producers!

Last Chance to See The Producers!

Seattle Musical Theatre's production of "The Producers" closes this weekend at Seattle's Magnuson Park. The play runs through October 4th.

We have a 7:30 performance Thursday, Oct. 1. We also show Friday and Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 206-363-2809. You can also visit the SMT website. Tickets range from $30-35 for adults and $25-30 for students and seniors.

The address for Magnuson Park is 7400 Sand Point Way NE. The theater is in building 47. Directions and maps are also on the SMT website.

It is being suggested that audience members be age 17 and up. As Max says of the play-within-the-play, it's "certain to offend peoples of all races, creeds, and religions."

Of course, what he neglected to add is that it's absolutely hilarious.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Filipino Heartthrob Rescues Costar

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Filipino Heartthrob Rescues Costar

During record flooding in the Philippines, actress Christine Reyes got on a rooftop to beg for help. Her costar, film and TV actor Richard Gutierrez, heard her pleas on the news.

The heartthrob borrowed an army speedboat to go to her aid, rescuing Reyes, her mother, and her two young children.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Jennifer Garner is a Choosy Mom

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Jennifer Garner is a Choosy Mom

Jennifer Garner, star of the new movie "The Invention of Lying," has two small children, and finds that it has affected how she chooses projects.

"I really have to love a project to do it," she said, "because it's a lot of logistics with two children and a husband [Ben Affleck] who is working on a set. It's very lively at our house."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Review of The Producers in the Seattle Times

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Review of The Producers in the Seattle Times

The Seattle Times printed a lovely review of "The Producers," in which I appear as Lick Me-Bite Me (a little old lady), as well as a number of other roles.

Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. through October 4 with an additional Thursday show October 1 at 7:30 p.m.

The theater is in Magnuson Park at 7400 Sand Point Way in Seattle in building 47.

For tickets, call (206) 363-2809 or visit the website for details.

In particular, the review pointed out the good chemistry between Max (Andrew Parks) and Leo (Justin Beal).

It also singles out Doug Knoop as playwright Franz Liebkind and Buddy Mahoney as Roger DeBris

The author says that Kat Schroeder, as Ulla, "sizzles" in her performance of "When You've Got It, Flaunt It."

The review is highly complimentary of the "tight ensemble" and the direction. He particularly likes the "ghastly glory" of the "Springtime for Hitler" number.

The reviewer, John Hartl, particularly likes the technical touches and calls the show a "snappy production" that "can't go wrong."

There are two weeks left to catch "The Producers!"

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Jaimie Alexander Joins Cast of "Thor"

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Jaimie Alexander Joins Cast of "Thor"

Jaimie Alexander, who played Jessi XX on the show "Kyle XY," has joined the cast of the new "Thor" movie for Marvel Studios being directed by Kenneth Branaugh.

Alexander will play Sif, "a skilled Asgardian warrior who can hold her own against any man," who is Jane Foster's rival for the affections of Thor.

Jane Foster will be played by Natalie Portman.

The studio has not yet even sent scripts to the actors.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Kirsten Dunst Crashes the Party

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Kirsten Dunst Crashes the Party

Kirsten Dunst crashed a party for Oscar-winning director Jane Campion, apparently in an effort to get an audition.

The actress came to a luncheon at the Plaza Hotel's Oak Room. Reportedly she is trying to get cast in "Runaway," which is based on a series of short stories by Alice Munro.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Kristin Chenoweth Wins Emmy

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Kristin Chenoweth Wins Emmy

The 61st annual Emmys were held this Sunday. There were several repeat winners as well as many first-time winners.

One first-time winner was Kristin Chenoweth, who got the award for supporting actress in a comedy for the now-cancelled "Pushing Daisies."

Chenoweth said, "They remembered a show that got canceled that I've never been more proud to be on. I'd much rather be on that than something that lasts a long time that I don't care about."

Other winning actresses included Toni Collette for best actress in a comedy, Glenn Close for best actress in a drama, and Jessica Lange for her work on "Grey Gardens."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Actress in a Wheelchair, Not a Wheelchair Actress

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Actress in a Wheelchair, Not a Wheelchair Actress

Tiffany Giddes has been in a wheelchair for eight years, but she's been anything but sedentary. Now she's on her way to Hollywood to become an actress in a wheelchair.

That's different than a "wheelchair actress".

Giddes explains, "I got tired of seeing people who weren't disabled play people in a wheelchair," she says. "Why not have an actress in a wheelchair who doesn't stand up and go home at the end of the day?

"I think they need someone like me, who really lives the role."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Pay-What-You-Can Preview for The Producers

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Pay-What-You-Can Preview for The Producers

There will be a pay-what-you-can preview for "The Producers" on Thursday, September 17. Doors open at 7:30, curtain is at 8.

This is a great opportunity to see the show on a budget and a good chance for us to see where the laughs are going to be. There will be plenty!

The address for Magnuson Park is 7400 Sand Point Way NE. The theater is in building 47. Directions and maps are also on the SMT website.

Then, we open on Friday!

Hope to see you there!

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Helen Hunt to Experience "Parenthood?"

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Helen Hunt to Experience "Parenthood?"

NBC reportedly has approached Helen Hunt to star in their new series "Parenthood," based on the 1989 movie of the same name.

They are looking to have her fill the role originally to have been played by Maura Tierney, who had to pull out of the series due to a health emergency.

If Hunt were to take the role, it would be her first television series since she starred in "Mad About You," which ran on the same network until 1997.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

The Producers are Coming!

Gina Wilhelm Actress - The Producers are Coming!

Seattle Musical Theatre's production of "The Producers" opens Friday, September 18th, at Seattle's Magnuson Park. The play runs through October 4th.

We show Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm. We also have a 7:30 performance on Thursday, Oct. 1.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 206-363-2809. You can also visit the SMT website. Tickets range from $30-35 for adults and $25-30 for students and seniors.

The address for Magnuson Park is 7400 Sand Point Way NE. The theater is in building 47. Directions and maps are also on the SMT website.

The website also has a "study guide" for the play.

"The Producers" is Mel Brooks's musical based on his 1968 movie of the same name starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder.

The Broadway play starred Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick and won a record-breaking 12 Tony awards.

It is being suggested that audience members be age 17 and up. As Max says of the play-within-the-play, it's "certain to offend peoples of all races, creeds, and religions."

Of course, what he neglected to add is that it's absolutely hilarious.

I play various characters, including a "First Nighter," the follies girl with the bratwurst costume, and Lick Me-Bite Me (one of the little old ladies).

I'm particularly excited, as I really love the 1968 movie and the Broadway production, and I actually get to be a dancer in this play. It's a lot of fun.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Tina Fey Wins Best Guest Actress

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Tina Fey Wins Best Guest Actress

Tina Fey received a best guest actress in a comedy Emmy for her imitation of Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live."

The award was given as part of the Creative Arts Primetime Emmys, which were presented September 12.

At the same ceremony, Ellen Burstyn was given the prize for best guest actress on a drama for her work on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

Burstyn had received five nominations, but this was her first win.

These awards precede the main ceremony, which will be held next Sunday, September 20, and will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.

Fey has an opportunity to win more Emmys at that ceremony, where she is nominated for best actress in a comedy for her starring role in "30 Rock."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Rutina Wesley, More Than Just a Best Friend

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Rutina Wesley, More Than Just a Best Friend

Rutina Wesley plays bartender Tara Thornton on the HBO series "True Blood." She feels the multifaceted role makes her a bit of a cultural pioneer.

With the part, she has moved beyond the "Black Best Friend" with which so many African American actresses find themselves stuck.

In fact, the character of Tara is white in the "Sookie Stackhouse" books on which the show is based.

Wesley hopes that the TV series is a stepping stone not only for herself, but for other struggling black actresses.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Jennifer Aniston Sings!

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Jennifer Aniston Sings!

Jennifer Aniston is set to play a member of a country music group from the '40s made up of prison inmates in the new movie "The Goree Girls."

"I can carry a tune," Aniston says. "It won't be bad." She also explains that they women formed the group to get paroled and weren't musicians.

The movie is set to begin production in January.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Acting Workshops with Lonette McKee

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Acting Workshops with Lonette McKee

Lonette McKee is a Tony-nominated actress who has been in such films as "Cotton Club" and "Jungle Fever."

Now she's teaching the Actors Workshop & Workshop 4 Kids in Oak Park, MI. Her students include a nurse, lawyer, a father and daughter.

She also has a student who takes the bus twice a week from a homeless shelter to study with the acclaimed actress.

She also intends to offer the Lonette McKee Actors Workshop in association with the Michigan Academy of the Arts.

Her aim is to make her students able to be self-sufficient actors.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Stephanie Courtney, Progressive's 'Flo'

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Stephanie Courtney, Progressive's 'Flo'

The internet is full of people expressing their love for Stephanie Courtney, the 39-year-old actress who plays Flo in the Progressive Insurance campaign.

The veteran character actress finds the internet crushes "hilarious." She's generally only recognized by the public if she's "gussied up for an audition."

She is more often recognized by her voice.

She does a lot of work with the Groundlings troupe in LA. She says she has gotten some larger audiences at the Groundlings shows because of the exposure from the advertisements.

Courtney is surprised by the attention. "I don't think Flo puts out any sort of vibes at all, but God bless America if they think she's cute."

She describes the character as a highly exaggerated version of herself with a bit of her mother thrown in.

Gina Wilhelm Actress thinks this is great; one of her favorite characters was based strongly on Gina's mother.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Mixed Martial Artist To Work with Soderbergh

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Mixed Martial Artist To Work with Soderbergh

Although Steven Soderbergh's latest movie "The Informant" still has a week before it opens nationwide, he's already busy on his next project.

He'll be directing "Knockout," a spy thriller that marks the feature film debut of Gina Carano, a mixed martial arts circuit fighter

Soderbergh discovered the fighter on the MMA circuit. The movie is said to be in the James Bond style.

It tells the story of a tough girl from the wrong side of the tracks who has a special set of sills, using them in a more focused, constructive environment.

Carano is tough, but very pretty. However, there are dangers associated with casting a newcomer in a lead role, so Soderbergh plans to surround her with better-known actors.

The script is by Lem Dobbs, who has collaborated with Soderbergh in the past. Shooting is set to begin in January with locations in the US, Turkey, and Ireland.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Julie Bowen, Modern Woman

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Julie Bowen, Modern Woman

Julie Bowen, formerly of "Boston Legal" and the winsome Carol Vessey on "Ed," is about to star in the promising-looking new sitcom "Modern Family."

The new ABC show focuses on three couples and their families. In the show, as in her real life, Bowen's character has three children.

Bowen says that she read the script and very much wanted to do the program. However, at the time auditions were being held, she was pregnant with twins, which is very different from the character.

In order to get the role, she had to do the audition and then beg and plead. Finally, they agreed to shoot around her belly.

Bowen went to Brown University and graduated with a BA in Renaissance studies. Her parents felt she should get a truly liberal liberal arts education.

However, they refused to pay for postgraduate studies in acting, so she wound up having to wait tables in order to take acting classes.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Renee Zellweger's One and Only

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Renee Zellweger's One and Only

Renee Zellweger is starring in "My One and Only," which opened in theaters on Friday.

The movie tells the fictionalized story of George Hamilton at age 15 traveling across country with his brother and his mother, who is played by Zellweger.

She tells Newsday that the modestly budgeted movie was able to get the Oscar winner because of the quality of the script and the time was right in her life.

She said she also thought it seemed like a movie she'd like to see herself.

"The character is so much fun, and it felt right for last summer. I thought, 'I wanna go and be this lady this summer and discover what her experiences might be like.'"

She also revealed that she didn't initially understand her iconic line from "Jerry Maguire," "You had me at 'hello.'" Cameron Crowe had her do several different takes of the line.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Mitzi Gaynor Returns to Kauai

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Mitzi Gaynor Returns to Kauai

Mitzi Gaynor, who celebrated her 78th birthday on September 4th, is going to return to Kauai, HI, for the first time since filming "South Pacific" there in 1957.

Gaynor played Nellie Forbush in the film version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein play.

She's scheduled to make two stops on the island. Her first will be at the St. Regis Princeville Resort when it reopens.

The resort is at the location where Rossano Brazzi, as Emile De Becque, sang "Some Enchanted Evening" in the film.

Her second appearance will be at the Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club for "An Evening with Mitzi Gaynor."

At the event, she will reflect on her career and the filming of the movie musical.

Gaynor says that Kauai was "undoubtedly the most beautiful setting" where she had ever worked.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Cate Blanchett Injured on Stage

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Cate Blanchett Injured on Stage

Cate Blanchett was injured during a preview performance of Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire" on September 2nd in Sydney, Australia.

Blanchett, who plays Blanche DeBois in the production, was struck in the back of the head by a prop radio that slipped out of costar Joel Edgerton's hand.

Edgerton was supposed to throw the radio out the window, but he lost control of it.

Blanchett reportedly fell after being hit, but, like a true professional, continued the scene.

She later left the stage, and the rest of the production was cancelled.

A spokesperson for the Sydney Theatre Company, which is putting on the production, said that Blanchett is "fine."

"She is fine this morning and we anticipate at this stage that the show will go ahead tonight." The show will open on Saturday.

Blanchett is co-artistic director of the Sydney Theatre Company along with her husband, playwright Andrew Upton.

She has also appeared on the STC stage in "The War of the Roses" playing Lady Ann and Richard II.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Lena Headey Takes the Throne

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Lena Headey Takes the Throne

The final open role in the new HBO pilot "Game of Thrones" has finally been filled by Lena Headey.

Headey was most recently seen playing the title character in "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" on Fox.

On "Thones," she'll play Cersei Lannister. The pilot is an adaptation of a fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George R. R. Martin. It begins shooting in Northern Ireland in October.

Although the pilot hasn't even begun filming yet and there's no guarantee the series would be picked up, fans are already excited.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Congratulations to Catherine Tate

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Congratulations to Catherine Tate

Actress Catherine Tate has won this year's Airlock Alpha Portal Award for Best Actress on Television for her role as Donna Noble on "Doctor Who."

Tate played The Doctor's companion, and her win gives that series its only major acting category win.

The Portal Awards are chosen by voters online.

Billie Piper was the runner up in the Best Guest Star on Television for her portrayal of Rose Tyler in the "Doctor Who" episode "Stolen Earth."

Congratulations to Catherine Tate and Billie Piper!

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Learning About Ingrid Bergman

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Learning About Ingrid Bergman

Today would have been Ingrid Bergman's birthday. Bergman's family tried to discourage her from acting, but she pursued it on her own, memorizing poetry in her bedroom.

She was in some high school plays and was an extra in a movie. On graduation, she used her inheritance to go to the Royal Dramatic Theater School in Stockholm.

She left the school a year later when she got a small role in a Swedish movie. She starred in "Intermezzo" in 1936, which sealed her position as a star in Sweden and launched her Hollywood career.

In Hollywood, she starred in the remake of "Intermezzo" with Leslie Howard. She also appeared in movies with Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, and Bing Crosby, and was directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

She considered her role in "Casablanca" not to be of great importance, though I think she's alone in that assessment.

On the other hand, she actually didn't know the end of the movie until it was filmed (the studio had considered a very different ending).

She won a number of awards, including Best Actress Oscars for "Gaslight" in 1944 and "Anastasia" in 1956.

She won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for "Murder on the Orient Express" in 1974, making her the first actress to win that award after getting two leading actress statuettes.

Bergman acted until her death, appearing as Prime Minister Golda Meir in the miniseries "A Woman Called Golda" in 1982. That performance earned her an Emmy and a Golden Globe.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Laura Linney's Chances for an Emmy Next Year

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Laura Linney's Chances for an Emmy Next Year

The Los Angeles Times' Awards Insider column is already handicapping Laura Linney's chances of winning an Emmy for lead actress in a comedy series next year.

Tom O'Neil, the writer of the column, has already decided that Tina Fey will win again this year for "30 Rock," and so has moved on to next year's contest.

Linney is set to star in "The C Word" on Showtime, her series debut. In the hour-long comedy, Linney plays a suburban housewife facing cancer.

Showtime president Robert Greenblatt voiced his confidence in Linney, saying, "She will no doubt make this character both heartbreaking and disarmingly funny."

He added that he was thrilled she had chosen this show for her series debut.

Laura Linney has already won an Emmy every time she's been nominated. Her most recent win was for lead actress in a movie or miniseries for her portrayal of Abigail Adams in "John Adams."

She also won in the same category in 2002 for "Wild Iris." She also won for guest actress in a comedy series for her work in "Frasier" in 2004.

Linney has also received three Oscar nominations, two for lead actress in "You Can Count on Me" and "The Savages" and one for supporting actress in "Kinsey."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Rachel York Wants Those Puppies

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Rachel York Wants Those Puppies

Broadway in Chicago has announced that Rachel York will be playing Cruella de Vil in the new Broadway production of "101 Dalmations."

The musical is an adaptation of the 1956 story by Dodie Smith.

York is a Drama Desk winner who has appeared on the Great White Way in "City of Angels" and "Les Misérables." She also was in "Victor/Victoria" with Dame Julie Andrews.

She has also starred in "The Scarlet Pimpernel," "Sly Fox," and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."

The production team includes Tony Award winning director Jerry Zaks, bookwriter and co-lyricist BT McNicholl, and composer and co-lyricist Dennis DeYoung, who also founded the rock band STYX.

York said that the story was one of her favorites as a child, and Cruella de Vil is one of her all-time favorite characters.

The play also stars 15 real Dalmations, many of which were rescued from animal shelters.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Is Dakota Going to Oz?

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Is Dakota Going to Oz?

Dakota Fanning may be playing the lead in a planned sequel to "The Wizard of Oz."

The planned movie will be distributed by Warner Bros. and co-produced by Todd McFarlane, who produced "Spawn."

A Warner Bros. executive promises the sequel will be "darker and more action-packed" than the original MGM musical starring Judy Garland. McFarlane likewise has promised this version will be edgy.

He says she'll be "much closer to the Ripley character from 'Alien' than a helpless singing girl." Ripley, of course, was placed by Sigourney Weaver.

If she were to get the role, Fanning would play Dorothy Gale's granddaughter.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Glourious Mélanie Laurent

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Glourious Mélanie Laurent

Mélanie Laurent, star of "Inglourious Basterds," feels very close to her character, Shosanna, in the movie.

"I'm very close to her. You need to be strong to do that job, to have an actor's life. And you need to be fragile. I'm a little bit French and rebel sometimes, a little bit like Shosanna, and I'm Jewish."

Laurent plays a Jewish woman who sees her family massacred by Nazis and comes to Paris to run a movie theater and develop a revenge plan.

Laurent is new to Americans, but is well established in France. She's been acting since 1999, when she appeared in "Un pont entre deux rives" opposite Gérard Depardieu.

She also won the César award, which is France's equivalent of the Oscar, for most promising actress in 2006 for her movie "Je vais bien, ne t'en fais pas."

She's a little bemused by the fuss surrounding her appearance in "Inglourious Basterds." She isn't going to go to Hollywood to be famous or make money.

"It's not that I do not care. I have amazing parts in France. The dream was just to make a movie with Tarantino."

Laurent revealed that writer/director Quentin Tarantino had been looking for an actress to play his Shosanna for eight years. He was just as nervous to meet her as she was to meet him.

In addition to promoting "Basterds," she's currently producing and recording a rock music CD.

She directed a movie that was an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008, and she would like to direct some more.

She also plans to finish writing a screenplay in September. "perfect life would to be have an amazing part every year and to spend all my free time to just write," says Laurent.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Mena Suvari's Weddings

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Mena Suvari's Weddings

Mena Suvari is in the midst of making plans for her June 2010 wedding. The planning keeps her busy, but not too busy to act.

She just finished a movie called "You May Not Kiss the Bride," a romantic comedy with Rob Schneider and Vinnie Jones.

Suvari describes her character was "smart but with a few things loose." She falls in love with her boss, played by Dave Annable, and winds up stalking him, crashing his wedding and honeymoon.

She says she is nothing like her character, who wears "tons" of leopard print and lip gloss. “It was so much fun to play her, (she’s) such a mess," Suvari said.

The movie will release at roughly the same time as her actual wedding.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Nancy Kwan to be Honored

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Nancy Kwan to be Honored

Nancy Kwan, who played Linda Low in the film version of "Flower Drum Song," will be honored with a lifetime tribute award from the Women's International Film and Television Showcase.

She will receive the award at a fundraiser reception for the opening night screening of "To Whom it May Concern, Ka Shen's Journey."

"To Whom it May Concern, Ka Shen's Journey" is a movie by Brian Jamieson that tells Kwan's story of a girl from Hong Kong who made her stunning film debut in "The World of Suzie Wong."

It also looks at her followup in "Flower Drum Song." Her role in the Rodgers & Hammerstein movie led to her becoming one of the most sought-after stars in Hollywood.

Filmmakers call the movie a "real life drama" that explores "what happened" to Kwan's career. It also addresses the struggle of Asian actors in Hollywood.

The screening and receoption will be held on Monday, November 30, 2009. Kwan will be in attendance at both events.

The cocktail and hor d'Oeuvres reception will be held at Buddha's Belly @ 8:30 p.m. The screening will take place at The New Beverly Cinema @ 6 p.m.

Tickets for the opening night screening are $200 (price includes reception). For reservations telephone 1 (323) 935-8228. Closing date to RSVP is Sept. 20, 2009.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Anniversary Celebration of "Imitation of Life"

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Anniversary Celebration of "Imitation of Life"

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is having a special celebration for the 50th anniversary of the Douglas Sirk/Ross Hunter film "Imitation of Life" on Friday.

They will be showing the final Sirk/Hunter collaboration at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Hollywood.

The movie is based on a 1933 novel by Fannie Hurst and is a remake of a 1934 film by the same name.

The story revolves around an actress, played by Lana Turner, who has no time for her daughter and the actress' housekeeper whose own daughter, who is light-skinned, tries to pass for white.

The Sirk/Hunter deals particularly with a woman more focused on her career than on getting married, which was a radical idea for the time.

Juanita Moore, who played the housekeeper, and Susan Kohner, who portrayed her daughter, both received Oscar nominations for their work in the movie.

The event will feature a new print of the film. Actresses Moore and Kohner, who have remained close since the movie, will also discuss the film with Kohner's filmmaker sons.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Remembering Virginia Davis

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Remembering Virginia Davis

Virginia Davis, who is considered the first actress for Walt Disney Pictures, has passed away of natural causes at the age of 90.

Davis was hired by Walt Disney in 1923 after he saw her in an advertisement for Warneker's Bread.

She played the title character in Disney's first live action-animated film titled "Alice's Wonderland."

Disney convinced Davis' parents to move to California and filmed another 12 short films (between 5 and 10 minutes) with the young girl.

The movies were directed by Roy Disney in the Disneys' garage studio.

Davis also auditioned to be the voice of the lead character in "Snow White," but her mother turned the role down when she felt the pay was too low.

In 1998, Davis was inducted by the studio as a Disney Legend.

Gina Wilhelm Actress