special invitation

This isn't news exactly, but Emma Thompson has been de-throned. Not perhaps as brutally as Mary Tudor was superseded by Elizabeth I, but there is (and has been for quite a while now), a new queen of the film acting universe.

My special affection for Emma will, of course, never die. There are certain types of roles at which she is unsurpassed: need understatement? need wry wit? need a tactful witholding of emotion that eventually erupts in an impassioned outburst? Then Emma Thompson is the actress for you, as she has proved in dozens of performances. She is witty, humane, sympathetic and subtle. She is also very funny and a truly literate individual. A recent re-viewing of Sense and Sensibility reaffirmed her accomplishments as a screenwriter.

But Emma has been all too inclined lately not to push herself, to play the moments that she's always played, the ones we love her for. Love, Actually demonstrates this most clearly: the role is hand-crafted to provide us with all the moments an Emma-lover covets, up to and including the "I'm-just-going-into-the-bedroom-nothing's-the-matter-but-when-I'm-by-myself-I-will-heave-big-gut-wrenching-tears-and-then-come-into-public-and-compose-myself-as-if-nothing-has-happened" moment. She perfected it to a science but it is in danger of becoming a formula.

I encourage Emma to keep taking risks; Nanny McPhee, which I'm sure few of you saw, was one. In it, she's done up like a crone and the film is truly, uproariously horribly comic -- the opposite of "in good taste." She also wrote the screenplay. It's not entirely successful, but I'm glad to see her keeping loose, playing around. Emma, I will always love you.

For sheer versatility, however, there's a new queen in town (and she is, literally, in town -- more on that below): Cate Blanchett. I saw Elizabeth long after it was released and was hugely impressed. It was not until I saw The Talented Mr. Ripley, however, that I realized Cate's range. She could do this towering lead performance and then also inhabit this hilarious, richly drawn comic supporting part. Blanchett is the only film performer I know of who has literally never received an unfavorable review. Can you ever think of reading one? I can't. She is impeccable, unflappable and unpretentious. She's a brilliant technician, in the manner of Meryl Streep, but she hasn't had to wait until she was 40 to find the humanity that it took Streep decades to unlock. Cate will be better than Meryl. She was crowned with an Oscar last year and I know there will be another one, for Best Actress this time -- if Sally Field and Hilary Swank can both get two leading actress statuettes, then Cate deserves at least one!

Which brings us to this weekend. Cate Blanchett is, as we speak, living in my neighborhood(!). I actually have no idea where she's living but she's appearing in Ibsen's Hedda Gabler two blocks from my house at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Harvey Theater. I'd gotten wind of this and, of course, bought tickets. I also noticed, though, that she was performing a matinee on Sunday, Mar. 5 -- Oscar Day!! Could this possibly mean that Cate Blanchett would be in Brooklyn on the night of my biggest party of the year????? The answer is: yes.

So, I sent her a note. I debated the best way to do it. Just mailing it to the theater seemed like a bad idea, since it might not ever get to her. Waiting by the stage door seemed too creepy. So, at my stepmother's suggestion, I sent her flowers, with a note attached. The note went through about four different drafts. The first was way too effusive. I also decided to drop some info that would reveal my affection for her was not sexual in nature ("My boyfriend and I are coming to see Hedda on the 23rd..."). In general, I tried to adopt an attitude of cool collegiality: Hey, welcome to Brooklyn, yeah I work in the theater, too. You're awesome. Wanna swing by my party if you're in the neighborhood? Cool.

I sent the flowers today. We'll see what happens. I doubt that she's going to actually come but maybe a note in response? a phone call?? an invite to visit her in her dressing room???? Unlikely. But a boy can dream, can't he?

I do have this thing for cool, intelligent women from the British Commonwealth. Maybe I wish I were one... Nah

Anyway, this is the big weekend. I will keep you updated on Operation:RSVP and I will also post my complete list of Oscar picks on Sunday night. Keep your fingers crossed, folks!