Gawker: defamer, method acting

Dakota Fanning to Bring Preternatural Poise to Real-Life Role as High School Cheerleader

Kyle Buchanan — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EDT

The steady rollout of Dakota Fanning 2.0 continues apace as the young actress hit up Oprah today to promote her new drama, The Secret Life of Bees. As a pre-teen, Fanning sometimes came off as robotically overprepared on the talk show circuit, but she felt much more relatable on Oprah — perhaps a pleasant side effect from the fact that she's now eschewed home schooling to attend an actual high school. Typically, the studious Fanning isn't about to half-ass that, either; she's joined the cheerleading team, and Oprah's got the picture to prove it. Abigail Breslin, eat your heart out!

Also, after the jump, Fanning discusses shooting the film's kissing scene — with Dixon from 90210, of all people. Silver's gonna be pissed!

Thandie Newton's Teenage Lesbianism In No Way Helped Her Play Condoleezza Rice

Kyle Buchanan — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EDT

As rumors circulate that Condoleezza Rice was passed up for John McCain's vice presidential slot due to questions about her sexuality, her film portrayer Thandie Newton sat down for an interview with gay magazine The Advocate. The actress, who is playing Rice in Oliver Stone's election-tipping presidential fantasia W., said that she herself doesn't believe Rice is a lesbian — and it's too bad, because Newton has the same-sex experience that could have informed such a role:

Have you ever experimented with a woman?
Yes, I had my rite of passage. I was 16, and I wasn’t really in control of the situation, if you know what I mean. It was much more about a male fantasy of seeing two women together. But I loved the girl a lot; she was one of my closest friends. I think falling in love is actually more about falling in love with an individual. We’re all potentially bisexual; it all depends on your circle, your upbringing, and all kinds of things. Or maybe I’m just talking about myself. I could’ve easily fallen in love with a woman over a man. My husband Ol’s kind of a man-woman. Look, I once loved Tim Curry, so there you go.

Upon reading Newton's interview, Oliver Stone immediately scheduled reshoots for an elaborate lesbian dream sequence to accompany George W. Bush's 2002 preztel-choking incident. "Laura, Condi, why don't you root out each other's infidels. No, I'm just gonna hang back. I'm the Decider."

[Photo Credit: AP]

Big Gay Following [The Advocate]

Beyonce Channels Stanislavski In Pursuit Of Oscar Gold

Mark Graham — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:41:49 EDT

Step aside, Ghost of Marlon Brando. Hit the bricks, Bobby DeNiro. The newest disciple of Constantin Stanislavski's renowned Method acting technique is none other than Miss Foxy Cleopatra herself, Beyonce Knowles. Fresh off of her exciting and unexpected upset of Kanye West in a heated match of Connect Four, Beyonce arrived on the set of Cadillac Ranch this week determined to regain all of the buzz that Jennifer Hudson usurped from her in ~~Showgirls~~ Dreamgirls. In fact, she's so dedicated to making her performance as Etta James shine that she's taken to staying in character both on and off the set. As this Media Take Out tipster reports:

I was at the (swanky New York City celebrity hotspot) Waverly Inn a few nights ago and you'll never guess who showed up - Beyonce ... Beyonce was sitting next to some White guy who kept saying to her 'Don't worry Etta, ignore it Etta.'"

While we're not entirely sure exactly who said "White guy" is or, for that matter, what prompted "White guy" to reassuringly address Beyonce by her character's name, we do know that Daniel Day-Lewis wasn't spotted traipsing around the booming New Mexico club scene when he was filming There Will Be Blood. We think it's admirable that B is showing such keen dedication to her craft both on and off-set, but something in us feels that this half-assed attempt to stay in character is closer to Paris Hilton's version of the Method than what Lee Strasberg would have taught. Then again, we're fairly certain that this anecdote will come in handy when Miss Knowles has her inevitable sitdown with James Lipton. Scrumtrilescence guaranteed.

[Photo Credit: Just Jared]

Beyonce's Gone Bonkers [MediaTakeOut]
Beyonce is Etta James — FIRST LOOK [Just Jared]