Last night the legendary Cate Blanchett — the great actress of our day, the under-40 Meryl Streep — did the old stage-chat-and-film-clips routine with Leonard Maltin at Santa Barbara’s Arlington theatre. She’s compulsively honest, a marvellous wit, fast on her feet, always with a good story or a fresh thought. And she’s about six or seven months pregnant, to judge by the size of her kangaroo pouch.
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Leonard Maltin, Cate Blanchett at last night’s Santa Barbara Film Festival “Modern Master Award” tribute at the Arlington theatre — Saturday, 10.24.06, 6:25 pm
Blanchett should win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her I’m Not There performance for the simple reason that it’s ten times the performance that Amy Ryan gives in portraying a low-life, coke-snorting Dorchester mom in Gone Baby Gone. My gut tells me this isn’t cutting enough ice with Academy voters to assure a Blanchett win, but maybe not.
I left a little before the end of the show and walked down State Street with my nickle-and-dime umbrella, braving the sporadic rain and gusty, tree-bending winds. I eventually arrived at the after-party location only to discover that the good and gracious people putting on the event had decided to make early arrivers like myself stand outside and wait for a bit.
You have to be hard in the party-planning business. You can’t let the idea of guests suffering the elements for 10 or 15 minutes affect your resolve. A bunch of us were huddled together like sheep against the light downpour and the blustery air currents, but I’m glad the party-planners showed their mettle. I enjoyed shivering outside and getting damper by the minute. It was good for my soul so I’m glad I went…really.
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You can’t see the rain or the wind in this photo of waiting guests, but trust me — they were there.
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