Hollywood Blog

Women On Top (From the Archives)

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17th Annual Women In Entertainment Power 100 Breakfast - Arrivals

If I asked you right now who the most powerful women in Hollywood are, what would your answer be? When faced with this question earlier (my friend and I were talking about the very same topic), I named Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres. According to The Hollywood Reporter – which is definitely a more reliable source than I am – I got one correctly.

They recently honored the most influential women in Hollywood and Oprah was right there at the top. AP has a write up on the recent event:

The chairwoman of Harpo Inc. tops the trade paper’s 17th annual Power 100 list “based on her dizzying array of Oprah-branded media and her immense cultural influence,” Guider said.

Honorees are chosen by a panel of reporters and editors who consider each woman’s corporate position, control of purse strings and power to greenlight content.

During the same Q-&-A session, Disney’s co-chairwoman, Anne Sweeney, who was second on the list, said she uses chocolate as a salve, while No. 3, Sony Chairwoman Amy Pascal, opts to hide under the covers when failure strikes. The list was published Friday.

Who else made the list? I only really recognized Oprah in the top 10. Angelina Jolie made it to number 24, Tyra Banks is at 36, Tina Fey at 56, Rachael Ray at 65, and Miley Cyrus at 100. I don’t know about you but I was a bit surprised at number 100. Then again, the Hannah Montana phenomenon is indeed quite remarkable. For the complete list, visit The Hollywood Reporter.

Hollywood’s Most Powerful Man (From the Archives)

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Preparations continue for the 81st annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles

Who is it? No, it is not Donald Trump. Never mind that this mogul who does not seem to mind wearing an ill-fitting wig can easily strike fear or inspiration in the hearts of people. And no, it is not Chuck Norris either. (Oh, heck, I think I see a round house kick coming just for writing that line!) So who is Hollywood’s most powerful man?

Come to think of it, I never really paid much attention to this in the past. I guess I have been to busy thinking about other things but this weekend, with everything and everyone in Hollywood buzzing about one single topic, it is hard to miss. Remember that little golden man?

Yup, I am talking about Mr. Oscar. It actually took an article from The Star Central to make me realize that indeed, this 13 ½ inch guy might very well be the most powerful man in Tinsel Town. Tonight, the whole world will see why.

Have you ever wondered why he was named Oscar? The truth is, his name was not always so. In fact, he didn’t even have a name to begin with. As the story goes, Margaret Herrick, once the Academy librarian remarked that the statue bore a resemblance to her Uncle Oscar and perhaps, Sidney Skolsky’s (a journalist) usage of the name to refer to Katharine Hepburn’s win in 1934 helped it stick. It was not until 1939 that Oscar became the official name, however.

Today, this name is known all over the world to represent the best movies that have graced the silver screen. And tonight, the whole world will be watching – yet again.

Hollywood Star For Dennis Hopper

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It seems to me we’re hearing of people getting a Hollywood Star more often these days. Perhaps it’s because of the fact that the Hollywood greats are reaching the point that they have to immortalized – there’s no question about that. Whatever the reason, I was quite thrilled to hear that Dennis Hopper has been given his very own star. This makes him the 2,403rd person to receive one.

For those who may not have heard about it, Dennis Hopper is waging a war against prostate cancer. He announced this piece of news several months ago. While he is certainly not the first Hollywood star to experience such a struggle, it is always sad when we hear about such things. To have a Star awarded to the 73-year-old actor means so much more under these circumstances.

Dennis Hopper received a lot of support during the awarding ceremony. The Celebrity Café reports:

Jack Nicholson and David Lynch, Johnny Mathis and hundreds of photo snapping fans all came out to support the honor presented by Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive Leron Gubler. Viggo Mortensen and film producer Mark Canton spoke some praise to Hopper as well.

“He is someone who has seemed to regularly rise out of the ashes of self-inflicted chaos, surprising us with his originality and wit as an artist and defying the odds by somehow staying alive physically and professionally,” spoke Mortensen.

Oh yes, Mr. Mortensen, I couldn’t have phrased that in a better way! This farm boy from Dodge City, Kansas has indeed gone a long way; and he deserves this Star so much more than some people out there.