Working Girl

Meryl Streep: can she do no wrong?

The answer: no. (I highly doubt any of you were thinking yes.)

And yes, I will make that ambitious and brave assumption because I'm convinced Meryl can, and will, win your heart.

Great actresses are hard to come by and I get a bit anxious over the future of my generation as I try to find any potential successor. Like any good researcher of my time, I googled Meryl. First hit was IMDB (The Internet Movie Database), as it is whenever you google any actor, director, writers, etc. Her page was as impressive, truly grasping the epic-ness of her talent. The list of movies, alone, was enough to at least respect the efforts she has put into her career. You may not like her, but you sure as hell gotta tip your hat off to her.

However, I found myself in the best section: Trivia. My Top 5 are as follow:

1. Devoted, loyal fans call themselves "The Streepers." (You actually say this word out loud and you realize it rhymes all to well with "Creepers.")

2. Was given an honorary doctorate degree in the Arts from Middlebury College "during her nephew's graduation in 2004." (The meaning of "during" is very important to me. Does it mean that she knew about the honor beforehand and use of "during" was merely the writer's way of setting the time of the event? OR did Meryl steal her nephew's thunder. And it was a surprise. Like "surprise! we found out you were stopping by and we thought: OHwhatthehell??!")

3. May 27, 2004 is "Meryl Streep Day": mark your calendars.

4. She left her Oscar from her win for "Kramer Vs. Kramer" in 1979 on the back of a toilet. (Meryl knows how to party.)

5. She's afraid of helicopters. (She's human. Thank God.)

You'll see now, and sporadic future blogs, that I like to know the little things about actors. (I love the section of US weekly that reminds me that the stars are "JUST LIKE US!") Knowing these trivial and sometimes, not so trivial facts, about my actors are comforting to me because they remind me that they're good people too.

I whole-heartedly believe that the best actors are the good people. Expect for Sean Penn (Damn him.) Every time I want to write him off he does "Milk" and I curse my theory.

But, ideally, and because I say so in my world, good people=good actors because they understand one basic necessary emotion: appreciation. When you appreciate, you work, and when you work you don't end up like Lindsay Lohan. Lindsay Lohan should hang out with Sean Penn just so I can nail the bastard. Once.

But I digress.

What I'm trying to say is: don't get lazy. If someone pays you well for what you are working to do. Then work. Meryl Streep does. Just google it.