Pamela Anderson (45)
Hilarie Burton (30)
Liv Tyler (35)
Sufjan Stevens (37)
Claire Forlani (40)
Missy Ellliot (41)
Julianne Nicholson (41)
Henry Simmons (42)
Karen Mulder (44)
Andre Braugher (50)
Carl Lewis (51)
Evelyn “Champagne” King (52)
Dan Aykroyd (60)
Terrence Mann (61)
Fred Schneider (61)
Victor Willis (61)
Debbie Harry (67)
Geneviève Bujold (70)
Twyla Tharp (71)
Karen Black (73)
Wally Amos of Famous Amos Cookies (76)
Jamie Farr (78)
Leslie Caron (81)
Olivia de Havilland (96)
It’s been a while since we’ve played My Favorite Scene around here, but we found just the right candidate this week: Nellie McKay, the pop polymath, cultural classicist and all-around megatalent who brings both her musical and acting chops to the screen next week in the New York-based indie Downtown Express. I’ll have more with her in days ahead, but in the meantime: What’s your favorite scene, Nellie?
“I like the end of The Heiress, when Montgomery Clift is banging on the door and begging Olivia de Havilland to let him in. She stops by the door with her candelabra, and she moves upstairs, and he can see the light diminishing in the skylight above the door. And he’s still pounding — and then the movie ends. I don’t know how they got to keep that ending, but it’s so great. You just never see that. It follows the whole story, of course. That’s a good movie.”
Good call. Check back here next week for more with Ms. McKay. Downtown Express opens April 20 in New York.
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Both Joan Fontaine and her big sister Olivia de Havilland are thriving well into their nineties, and even though they still don’t appear to be speaking to each other, they remain two of Hollywood’s most esteemed thespians ever. (Watch de Havilland’s “Melanie Remembers” interview from 2004’s Gone with the Wind re-release — just lovely!) On the occasion of Ms. Fontaine’s 94th birthday, let’s take a stroll into the Oscar winner’s filmography and find her greatest cinematic moment.
I’m nearly crying at how much I love and have missed Rebecca. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 Best Picture winner transcends its era and actually seems more modern than many of the director’s later films. Joan Fontaine plays the unnamed “Second Mrs. De Winter,” who marries the dashing Maxim (Laurence Olivier) and moves in with him at his great estate Manderley, but soon finds she is doomed to live in the shadow of his first wife. Rebecca is cast to perfection, with a lamb-like Fontaine quivering and bleating her way into our hearts, Olivier chilly as Maxim, and the legendary Dame Judith Anderson as the dour, cruel Mrs. Danvers. All three garnered Oscar nominations, but Fontaine is the true revelation as the underestimated bride.
And in case that’s not enough old Hollywood magic for you, here’s Fontaine’s screen test for the role. She beat out Vivien Leigh, Anne Baxter, and Loretta Young — and you can see why with this meek, yet engrossing portrayal garnered her the part.
Happy birthday, Ms. Fontaine! What’s your favorite moment of hers?
Full Story »Zsa Zsa Gabor, who ranks as one of my favorite 94-year-olds — you’re still my main girl, Olivia de Havilland! — is reportedly in a coma. The socialite and veteran of the original Moulin Rouge, who has suffered major health setbacks in the past year, was “rushed to the hospital yesterday where doctors performed emergency surgery to repair a ‘major infection in her stomach’ caused by a feeding tube.” Heartbreaking! Daaaah-ling, we’re rooting for you! [TMZ]
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Debbie Harry (65)
Hilarie Burton (28)
Liv Tyler (33)
Sufjan Stevens (35)
Claire Forlani (38)
Missy Ellliot (39)
Henry Simmons (40)
Karen Mulder (42)
Pamela Anderson (43)
Andre Braugher (48)
Carl Lewis (49)
Evelyn “Champagne” King (50)
Dan Aykroyd (58)
Fred Schneider (59)
Terrence Mann (59)
Victor Willis (59)
Geneviève Bujold (68)
Twyla Tharp (69)
Karen Black (71)
Wally Amos of Famous Amos Cookies (74)
Jamie Farr (76)
Leslie Caron (79)
Olivia de Havilland (94)
Betty White’s got a hot date on Hot in Cleveland tonight, and he’s a face you’ll recognize from, oh, the 60 years he’s spent in the industry. He’s not Sid Caesar or Dick Van Dyke, but he knows both of those living legends well. And no, it’s not Rose Marie. That’s a woman, guys. Just click ahead.
In Plain Sight [USA, 10 PM]
Mary attempts to protect the priest who witnessed a stripper’s murder (a storyline that reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock’s I Confess), but the priest has his own obsessive plans to help save another stripper. And in a dramatic turn, Stan tells a dead witness’s daughter the truth behind her father’s disappearance. Three seasons in, and this show is still underrated. When you finish watching So You Think You Can Dance for my recap tomorrow, tune in to USA.
Work of Art [Bravo, 9 PM]
The artists are charged with creating “provocative and shocking” works of personal importance. Well. That can mean anything. I’d build a pyramid of Wheat Thins and Cheez-Its and put a Super Nintendo on top. My auteurist masterstrokes speak for themselves.
The Real World [MTV, 10 PM]
Back to New Orleans premieres! Pray for the return of hot Danny from the first go-around.
Hot in Cleveland [TV Land, 10 PM]
Elka (Betty White) goes on a blind date played by fellow TV legend Carl Reiner. “Hot” in Cleveland is right. I hope he doesn’t get distracted by a flirty waitress played by Olivia de Havilland or a filthy calendar girl played by Roberta McCain. And if he does, I know Betty will do the right thing and fall into the arms of Mickey Rooney.
Dave [Lifetime, 9 PM]
Kevin Kline — who has never
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