Showbiz History: Hamlet's Wins, Natalie's Child, and Judy's Premiere x 3

12 random things that happened on this day, September 29th, in showbiz history...

Natalie Wood gave birth to her first child on this day in 1970

1940 Strike Up the Band starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland is a hit in its opening weekend. One of my favorite old review blurbs ever is for Judy Garland calling her "oomphy". Hee.

1948 Hamlet has its american premiere in New York City. 176 days later it wins 4 Oscars: Picture, Actor, Art Direction... and Costume Design...

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Happy Parker Posey Day! Her 10 Best...

by Nathaniel R

Happy 50th birthday today to the one and only Parker Posey. The 'Queen of Indies' of the 1990s isn't as celebrated these days and, frankly, we could use a lot more of her. So we're eager to read her hilariously titled memoir (pictured left) which was published this summer. Hollywood has always been a bit confused about her but we're relieved that she didn't just vanish after that first decade of fame (it girl status, indie or otherwise, is by its nature, transitory) but instead forged a patchwork kind of career mixing supporting roles in indies, tv movies, the occasional mainstream feature, and guest starring and recurring characters on TV. She's currently starring in Netflix's reboot of Lost in Space (where she plays the shady Dr Smith) and she's also recently completed filming a new indie called Elsewhere.

For her birthday we thought we'd share a list of her greatest performances.  Posey is such a curiousity that we're sure everyone's top ten will vary immensely, so have at it in the comments!

Disclaimer: I should note that the three most acclaimed performances I haven't seen from her filmography are the indies Fay Grim (2006) and Broken English (2007) and the TV film for which she was Globe nominated Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay (2002).

Ready for the list? Let's go!

Honorable Mentions: hell, just about everything but wanted to specifically note the following: Rhonda in Adam and Steve (2006), Miami in Kicking and Screaming (1995), Debbie in Drunks (1995), Kitty Kowalski in Superman Returns (2006), and Sissy Knox in A Mighty Wind (2003)

TEN BEST OF PARKER POSEY

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This Is The Day Before The Show, Y'all

by Daniel Crooke

In honor of Christopher Guest’s long overdue return to the mockumentary – the costumed cheerleader saga Mascots, hit Netflix at midnight – let’s take a moment to celebrate some of the most indelible characters in his filmography. This collection of ordinary folks in extraordinarily amusing niches – small town actors with big city dreams, obsessive dog owners, outdated folk musicians, awards show hopefuls – could easily be milked for laughs through condescending jabs. Instead Guest and his repertory cohort of improvisational comics imbue their creations with rich empathy and heartfelt humor, no matter how ludicrous their worlds. This marks theirs as a distinctly humanist cinema that revels in personal idiosyncrasies rather than repelling from them, and chooses ironic optimism over sarcastic defeat. While refreshingly full-bodied, they’re, above all else, very funny.

For me, all roads lead back to Libby Mae Brown, the spirited, slack-jawed (low-fat or non-fat) Blizzard queen from Waiting for Guffman, the first of Parker Posey's slamdunk soul-searchers in Guest’s company films. Who among us wouldn't like to meet some guys, some Italian guys, and watch TV and stuff? But the competition is stiff and the runners up are numerous; the distant loss of Catherine O’Hara’s Mickey Crabbe in A Mighty Wind tugs at the heartstrings between laughs while (runner-up at the 2001 National Society of Film Critics Awards for Best Supporting Actor) Fred Willard’s class clown motor-mouth in Best In Show surely pioneered the archetype of lucid and silly sports announcers for performers such as Jason Bateman or Elizabeth Banks. And then there’s always Guest’s own restless dreamer Corky St. Clair, the community theater iconoclast who pops up in Mascots for a second time.

Of all the peculiar characters in the Christopher Guest universe, which is your favorite? The one that most fuels your stool boom, if you will.

Uggie (2002-2015)

Sad news. Uggie, the dog star of 2011's Best Picture The Artist is no longer with us. He lived to be 13. I'm not even a dog person as you know but he was a cinematic delight and my chin started trembling when I read the news.

After the jump, some adorable photos of this superstar dog and celebrities he loved and licked. Join us in a sing-along of "God Loves a Terrier" via Best in Show while you peruse the pics.

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