In the spring of 1988, I fell in love (or something) with Julia Roberts, and I wanted to become best friends with Lili Taylor. I was a freshman in college — just inching a toe or two out of the closet — and very happy to be attending a university where we got to see all sorts of cool, free stuff, such as screenings of Mystic Pizza months before its theatrical release.

Taylor's character was the most appealing of the three leads. Julia Roberts was pretty, but a mess. Annabeth Gish was smart, but having an affair with the married father of the kid she babysat. Ugh. But Lili Taylor was just a good friend to her friends while she struggled with commitment issues. How could anyone not think she was great?

Since then, I've been loosely following her career as "queen of the independents." She's played a whole lot of lesbians (I Shot Andy Warhol, The Addiction, Pret-a-Porter, Julie Johnson) and told The Advocate in 1996, "I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up with a woman."

She certainly looked comfortable with Courtney Love in Julie Johnson.

And now she's playing therapist with a wee bit of drama in her personal life on Lifetime's State of Mind. … continue reading

I cleaned up the DVR over the weekend, which means I finally got to watch the first two episodes of State of Mind, as well as the new episode that aired last night. So far I'm really liking the new Lifetime drama, which stars Lili Taylor as a therapist dealing with her own crises as well as her clients'. Here are my reasons to tune in. [Caution: Minor spoilers.]

5. Lili Taylor in a suit.
Let's just get this one out of the way. I've been a Taylor fan for years — ever since Mystic Pizza — and am glad to see her in a role that fits her skills so perfectly. (I was beginning to worry for her career, espeically after the Six Feet Under mess.) As therapist Ann Bellowes, she is both reliably strong and disarmingly vulnerable — the perfect mix for a mental health professional. Plus her wardrobe is just plain lesbionic: … continue reading

Last night I returned from the Television Critics Assocation summer press tour in Los Angeles, where I spent five days trapped at the Beverly Hilton attending press conferences from what seemed to be almost every single network on cable television. Throughout all those press conferences, one theme seemed to crop up repeatedly: If you're a mature actress (as in, over 30) who wants to play a complex, strong woman, get a job on cable.

On TNT's Saving Grace, Holly Hunter plays an Oklahoma City police detective who hits bottom when she almost kills someone by driving drunk, then begins getting advice from an unconventional angel named Earl (Leon Rippy).

Laura San Giacomo and Holly Hunter of Saving Grace

When asked why we're experiencing such a golden age for female characters on cable, Hunter theorized: "I actually believe that it's probably because of cable. It probably really and truly is that cable has kind of changed the landscape, semi-permanently, at least, because it's a money maker, and it happens to be ... made for less money. And so risks can be greater because less cash is at risk. It's not in competition with network. So every single thing about it adds up to the people who were wanting to take some chances, are given the opportunity." … continue reading

In Sunday's New York Times, an article titled "In the Prime of Their Time" focused on older actresses on TV. Here are the (kind of silly) opening lines:

"Botox and plastic surgery allow actress to look younger. Television is permitting them to act their age. Older stars who once had to resign themselves to playing frustrated spinsters or docile moms are suddenly flaunting their ripened sex appeal on television. It's not 'The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone' anymore. This season marks the summer of hot cougar love."

Let's all take a moment to roll our eyes at the "cougar" thing. OK, done? Anyway, the first name mentioned in the article is, of course, Kyra Sedgwick's — The Closer starts its third season today (TNT, 9/8c). But Sedgwick's character, Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson, is dating someone age-appropriate, so the rest of the article focuses on some saucier pairings.

Too bad this photo of Holly Hunter and Laura San Giacomo doesn't actually depict a couple. They're just co-stars, in Saving Grace, which premieres July 18 on TNT. Hunter plays a cynical cop with a touched-by-an-angel-ish shot at redemption.

… continue reading