First look at Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin

She may not have been everyone’s first choice to play Sarah Palin, but Julianne Moore
sure seems to have the look down pat.

In the first photo release from the set of HBO’s telefilm Game Change, Moore is seen sporting Palin’s trademark red suit, patriotic pin, and updo hair style. Gone also is Moore’s trademark red hair, instead opting for Palin’s brown, and it looks like she even has Palin’s mannerisms down to her trademark smile.And how does Palin feel about the film?

“I think I’ll just grit my teeth and bear whatever comes my way with that movie,” Palin told Fox News late last month, instead ridiculously suggesting that whoever “capitalizes on pretending to be” her should chip in for her children’s braces.

The film, which began production today (Wedneday), is based on Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s 2010 book about the 2008 presidential election. The story follows Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign, beginning with his selection of then Alaska governor Sarah Palin to his defeat at the hands of Barack Obama in November of that year.

Along with Moore, the already stellar cast includes Ed Harris as John McCain, Woody Harrelson as Steven Schmidt, McCain’s senior advisor, and the recently announced Ron Livingston as senior campaign adviser Mark Wallace, who had the daunting task of prepping Palin for her now famous debate with then Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Director Jay Roach, best known for his work on comedies such as Meet the Parents and the Austin Powers franchise, will be helming the film. He will be reuniting with writer Danny Strong, whom he worked with on another HBO political film, 2008’s Recount.

If released before the Emmy deadline, everyone will be wondering whether Moore can actually challenge HBO’s recent Mildred Pierce-star Kate Winslet for the Best Actress statue. From what we can tell from this photo, as well as Moore past excellence in almost every role she plays, it could end up being quite a race.

The real questions remains: who will be remembered as making for a better Sarah Palin, Tina Fey or Julianne Moore? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Why there will never be another Joan Crawford

With the first two parts of Mildred Pierce airing last Sunday, it got me thinking about both Kate Winslet and Joan Crawford (well duh, that makes sense!). Obviously, any comparison of the two is totally unfair, as many generations between them and a different Hollywood system would make it almost impossible. That being said, and with Kate taking on a role that won Crawford her first and only Oscar, I still can't help but wonder what Crawford's legacy will be.

I didn't know that much about Joan Crawford until I first saw Mommie Dearest when I was about 12 years old or so. Crawford will forever be known more for her distaste for wire hangers and axing down trees in her garden than for her acting, which is quite unfortunate. I wasn't old enough to truly understand most of the films I watched as a youngster, but I knew it was something special. When I finally got around to watching the original Mildred Pierce about a year or so ago, Crawford's performance was nothing short of extraordinary. My first thought was that it's hard to imagine that someone as glamorous as Crawford would be this stay-at-home frumpy housewife. However, she plays it off pretty well given the circumstances. [It's interesting to note that Angelina Jolie was claimed to have been miscast by many critics, commenting that no one would believe Angie has a neglected housewife. I don't necessarily agree with that, however]. Crawford was one of few actresses who made the successful transition from silent films, and even continued to prove her worth after being labeled "box office poison" in the late 1930s.


The best part about Crawford, however, was the fact that you couldn't take your eyes off her. I re-watch Mildred Pierce to this day, and I'm still mesmerized in the same way that I will always bow down to Bette Davis after watching All About Eve. There are only a few actresses throughout the modern era, in my opinion, that this can be said about. Crawford, Davis, Katherine Hepburns, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn, and Marilyn Monroe. (Though Monroe's acting accomplishments are much less than the rest of that list). They were all great actresses who were able to mix their beauty with their talent. It's hard to think that the same can be said of actresses right now.


Meryl? Not particularly. Cate Blanchett? Meh. The only ones that come close, in my opinion, are Angie and Kate Winslet. Angie more for her looks, Winslet more for her ability to just light up the screen whenever she's on it. I watched the trailer to Winslet's last three big films- Little Children, Revolutionary Road, and The Reader, and I begin to remember why Winslet is one of the greatest actresses of our time. But it's not her beauty that catches us (though she is quite stunning). Its the way she is able to become the character. She was Hanna Schmitz- you felt for her, you believed her, and sympathized with her. Any actress who can make you sympathize with a character that is not written with that intention is doing something right.
Actresses unfortunately have to work harder now than ever before to win over critics and audiences a like. Looking at what Winslet is doing now on HBO, it's hard to imagine that the critics won't absolutely fawn over her performance. Reviews have proven most already are, and an almost certain Emmy win will solidify that. But she is no Joan Crawford. Then again, no one is. No one ever will be. Just like people are saying that there will never be another Elizabeth Taylor, I think, even more so, there will never be another Joan Crawford.


*just as a side note and rant, Faye Dunaway has been totally crucified for her role in Mommie Dearest, and her career would never recover. In my opinion, she has been so unjustly criticized for that role. THe performance may have been camp at its best, but that was Joan Crawford. Her life was camp, and she was a true force of nature. Why critics would punish Dunaway is beyond me, especially after her unmatched filmography at the time. But at least we can still revel in the fact that we have Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown, and Network to keep us satisfied.

And for some fun, re-watch this amazing trailer for the 1981 film.

What are the expectations for Mildred Pierce?

I have so many things I want to say about this trailer. From when I first heard they were doing this, a lot of thoughts began to arise. Could Kate Winslet take on a role that Joan Crawford played so brilliantly AND won the oscar for (in 1945)? Of course, we are pretty much accustomed to Winslet being able to handle anything thrown her way...the same we expect from Meryl Streep and, to a lesser extent, Cate Blanchett. Those 3 rarely seem to disappoint, and with this and this coming out, I can only see the trend continuing.


But back to Kate. This is her first role since winning the Oscar for The Reader, which she totally deserved. The film, along with its book by Bernhard Schlink are, in my opinion, mind blowing and eye opening at the same time. Don't even get me started on the trailer, which is also one of my favorite ever. From Todd Haynes (director of Far from Heaven, starring Julianne Moore), we should expect a lot. He has 5 hours to turn adapt the book, almost 3 hours more than the original film did. We should, and rightfully so, be expecting a lot. The cast is rounded out by Evan Rachel Wood, Guy Pearce, and probably 2011 Oscar winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter). Although from what I can remember, Melissa's character doesn't play a huge role. I would have LOVED to see her play Ida Corwin, Mildred's confident and comedic partner.


Nonetheless, with this great cast and being broadcast on HBO, there will be a ton of expectations. Expected of course are an abundance of Emmy nominations and wins. Unless ERW trumps her, which will be difficult because HBO will almost certainly place her in the supporting category, Winslet should win the the trifecta of the Emmy, SAG and Golden Globe.


I also think this is a great career move by Winslet. She has won that elusive Oscar that took her 6 nomination to attain. The Emmy will pretty much be in the bag after this airs. Her next career move should be Broadway, which doesn't seem totally out of the cards at this point. Expect an announcement in the next few months that she will be starring in either a.) a revival of a classic Tennessee Williams play, or b.) a world premiere of some great British playwright (read: David Hare). Although Julianne Moore recently starred in one of Hare's plays on Broadway, The Vertical Hour, and totally bombed, Kate seems like a natural for the Broadway stage. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.


Until then, let's just keep watching the trailer AND this great "invitation to the set" until the miniseries premieres on HBO on March 27.


Credit: HBO