Agent to the Stars (35 page)

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Authors: John Scalzi

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What a difference a year can make. Last year at this time, no one would have predicted that Michelle Beck, of all people, would be whispered as the front-runner for the Best Actress Oscar. Best Beach Bunny, maybe. Best Actress, no way.
One year later, though, Beck's performance in
Hard Memories
is the talk of the town—even with those who haven't seen the performance yet. They talk of the protests when Beck was cast in the role. They talk of the now-mythologized reading at the Fine Arts theater which quelled all complaint. They talk about Century Pictures prez Lewis Schon blubbering uncontrollably into his snack food. Some theorize her miraculous recovery from her coma earlier this year did something unexpected—kicked her acting centers into gear, perhaps … .
 
Washington Post,
December 13
Michelle Beck, Resurrected
Michelle Beck nearly died in February when a freak accident during the ramp-up to
Earth Resurrected
sent her spiraling into a coma. Since then she's been in the center
of the Hollywood storm with her new film
Hard Memories.
Beck just doesn't know how not to get in trouble.
To begin, Michelle Beck sympathized with the people who hated her getting
Hard Memories.
“Who are we kidding?” she says. “The woman is an icon, Jewish, older, and intellectual. I'm not
any
of those things. I don't think I would have cast me, and if I had, I'd probably have claimed temporary insanity afterwards.”
But a funny thing happened on the way to the flogging: Michelle Beck stood up to the critics and turned them around. Now the actress, just turned 26, looks like the closest thing to a lock in the Best Actress race. All it took was one reading.
“Arrrgh, the
reading,
” Beck says, and scrunches up her face. “It's becoming like Woodstock, you know. Everybody who was actually physically in Los Angeles says they were there that night. I mean, come on! What does the Fine Arts sit? 300? 400 at most.”
Beck leans forward as if to confide. “The fact was I was
terrible
that night. I was nervous as hell—I just about spotted my panties in fright. I would have been happy just to get out of there alive.”
Instead, she got a thunderous ovation. Not bad for a woman who a month earlier was in a coma, hooked up to life support.
“Yes, yes, yes,” Beck waves off the coma story. “You want to know what the coma was like? It was dark, mostly. That's it. I didn't see God when I was in my coma. I didn't even see Elvis. And when I came out of it, nothing had changed—most people forget that I had read for
Hard Memories
before I went into the coma. It wasn't like I came out of it with a gift. I was just following the plan I had set for myself long before.” …
 
Daily Variety,
December 16
Review: Hard Memories
It's been a rumor for so long it's become almost mythical—Michelle
Beck's transformation from beach blonde to serious actress with her role in
Hard Memories
. Her performance has been so built up for so long that it's finally a relief to have seen it, and to be able to say that it's everything it has been claimed to be—and even more, if that's possible. Guided by Roland Lanois' sure directorial hand, Beck hands in a performance that not only rockets her to the top of the Oscar nomination list, but perhaps also into the first rank of our nation's actresses. Following what is sure to be a record-breaking limited engagement, this picture should do solid business in wide release, possibly flirting with the $100 million mark if public opinion gets behind it … .
 
New York Times,
December 20
“Hard Memories,” “Pocket Change” Lead Golden
Globe Nominations
Hard Memories,
the story of Jewish civil rights activist Rachel Spiegelman, led the pack at the Golden Globe nominations Friday, garnering seven nominations, including Best Picture (drama) and Best Actress. The Tom Hanks comedy
Pocket Change
followed, with six nominations, including Best Picture (Comedy or Musical) and Best Actor.
The Golden Globes, given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, are less prestigious than the Academy Awards, but are often viewed as a bellwether for that more prestigious award. The Academy Awards are to be announced January 20th.
NBC-TV will broadcast the Golden Globes ceremony January 18.
 
Los Angeles Times
,
January 5
Hard Memories
Takes Top Critics Prize
The Roland Lanois film narrowly beats
Dust and the Moon;
Beck wins second Best Actress award
NEW YORK—After a particularly contentious voting process,
Hard Memories
beat the Vietnamese film
Dust and the Moon
to win the best
film award from the National Society of Film Critics on Sunday. The award joins the Best Picture citation awarded by the Los Angeles Film Society; The New York Film Circle gave its award to
Dust and the Moon.
Michelle Beck, whose narrow loss to Eleni Natavsaya of the Russian film
Wolfhounds
with the Los Angeles critics precluded an expected sweep of the critics awards, nevertheless garnered her second Best Actress award from the National Critics … .
 
Daily Variety,
January 19
“HARD MEMORIES” COMPLETES NEAR-SWEEP
AT GOLDEN GLOBES
Biopic Wins Best Picture, Actress, Supporting Actor, three others; ‘Pocket Change' Wins Best Comedy
 
Los Angeles Times,
January 19
Hard Memories
Rises to the Top
In tandem with its Best Picture and Best Actress win at the Golden Globes,
Hard Memories
opened strongly in its first weekend of wide release, with $21.4 million at the box office. The week's other new release, Walt Disney's
Natty Bumppo,
did poorly with its core children's audience, grossing only $3.1 million …
 
Daily Variety,
January 21
“PROMISES” MAKES GOOD WITH EIGHT
NOMINATIONS
Best Picture, Director, Actress and Screenplay nods; Hanks nominated for ‘Pocket Change.'
(inset)
Nominations for
Hard Memories:
Best Picture:
Roland Lanois, Avika Spiegelman, producers
Best Director:
Roland Lanois
Best Actress:
Michelle Beck
Best Screenplay (Adapted):
Connie Reiser & Larry Card, from the book
Hard Memories
by Rachel Spiegelman
Best Cinematography:
Januz Kandinsky
Best Score (Dramatic):
Julian Ruiz
Best Editing:
Roland Lanois, Cynthia Peal
Best Makeup:
Nguyen Trinh
 
Daily Variety,
February 4
OSCAR NOTES
Best Actress Nominee Michelle Beck will join the Oscar broadcast as an announcer, director Lars Giles said today. Ms. Beck will introduce the fifth and final Best Picture clip, to be shown just after the Best Actress award is to be announced. The Oscars will be broadcast on ABC-TV February 23 starting at 6 pm Pacific …
 
“
Stop
squirming,” Miranda said.
“I can't help myself,” I said. “Michelle's my first client to get nominated for an Oscar. I'm nervous.”
“Is that the only reason?” Miranda said.
“Well, no,” I said. “But that's the reason I'm going public with. Also, my cummerbund itches.”
Miranda and I were at the Academy Awards.
We weren't in the good seats, of course. The good seats are saved for the nominees, their guests, other really big stars, and studio heads. Carl Lupo had a good seat. Michelle had a good seat. Our seats were in the back of the balcony. Miranda brought a pair of opera glasses. We needed them. At least we weren't as bad off as Van Doren. He was stuck in the press room. “It's like a cattle pen,” he told me, “except that instead of cows mooing next to you, you have Roger Ebert.”
Things were going well for
Hard Memories;
so far it had won Best Makeup, Best Cinematography and Best Editing (the last of which greatly relieved Roland—at least he wouldn't be going home empty-handed). Best Score got away, which I thought was fair; Julian's score was good but not all
that
good.
“It's time for the screenplay awards,” Miranda said.
Best Original Screenplay first. Keanu Reeves read off the nominations, which struck me as mildly ironic. The winner was Ed Fletcher, who wrote
Pocket Change
. Ed, hyped up on too much caffeine and nicotine, started on an extended riff about Nietzsche. The orchestra leader, clearly not impressed, cut him off after thirty seconds.
“Good call,” Miranda said, as Ed was manhandled off the stage.
“Well, you know,” I said. “It's probably the only time he'll be in front of a billion people,” I said. “You can see why he might get a little excited.”
“All the more reason to get him off the air quickly,” Miranda said. “I'd hate to go through life with people pointing at me and saying, ‘Hey, aren't you the idiot that made a fool of yourself on the Oscar show?' Rob Lowe has never lived down that dance with Snow White, you know.”
Keanu was back, mangling names for the Best Adapted Screenplay. He appeared to give himself a papercut opening the envelope. Sucking on his finger, he announced the winners: Connie Reiser & Larry Card,
Hard Memories.
“Bingo,” I said.
“Four for five,” Miranda said. “We're not doing too bad. I think Michelle actually has a chance.”
“Oh, God,” I said. “I wish you hadn't said that, Miranda. My stomach just dropped down the Mariana Trench.”
Miranda patted my hand. “Relax, Tom,” she said. “It's been covered, remember. Even if she doesn't win Best Actress, she'll be on stage right after to show the
Hard Memories
nomination clip. It'll be fine.”
“I know, I know,” I said. “But it's not optimal, you know. It would be better if she won.”
“Duh,” Miranda said. “But, unfortunately, we couldn't bribe the accountants from Price Waterhouse. We'll just have to hope the voters don't decide to give it to Meryl Streep again.”
“Meryl Streep,” I muttered. “She oughta be disqualified from future nominations.”
Miranda patted my hand again. “Tom, you're just so cute when you're agitated.”
Last year's Best Actor winner stepped on the stage to announce the Best Actress award.
“He wears a wig,” I said to Miranda. “I hear it's one of those ones with the snap-on titanium screws.”
“Oh, hush,” Miranda said.
The usual lame patter, then he stared intently into the teleprompter to read names. They started with Michelle's. They ended with Meryl's. Alphabetical order works that way, I suppose.
Miranda's hand found mine again. She squeezed it so tight I thought a bone might pop. I would have complained, but I was squeezing hers just as hard. Our mutual pain was so intense that we barely heard our former Best Actor begin
and the Oscar goes to …
“Michelle Beck.”
We heard that part.
The room erupted into applause and a standing ovation. They loved her. It was her moment. They had no idea just how true it was.
Michelle stood up. She was sitting next to Carl Lupo. Carl stood up with her, kissed her on the cheek. He was crying. Only four other people in the building knew exactly why.
Michelle made her way to the podium like a queen. She was wearing a golden dress of a design that no one had ever seen before. Joan Rivers had asked her about it out on the red carpet before the show. Michelle responded that the designer was no one that anyone around here would know. Joan remarked that it fit Michelle like a second skin. Others agreed. They had no idea how true that was, either.

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