Posts Tagged ‘jennifer beals’

DWTS Watch: Marlee Matlin Eliminated

April 23rd, 2008

One of TV’s most inspirational stories came to an end Wednesday night, as Marlee Matlin was eliminated on Dancing with the Stars.

The Oscar-winning deaf actress made her exit from the hit ABC reality show after her mambo performance on Monday failed to impress the judges and audience, earning her and partner Fabian Sanchez a score of just 21 out of 30.

Throughout her stay on DWTS, Marlee managed to prove doubters wrong and touch everyone’s hearts – even bringing stern judge Carrie Ann Inaba to tears — as she showed that her inability to hear the music was not going to keep her from learning how to dance like a pro.

“I came here knowing that America would get to see me do something I had never done before and defy expectations," Marlee told OK! after being eliminated. "And I’m damn proud of what I did.”

And in addition to honing her dancing skills, the 42-year-old managed to lose an incredible 18 pounds during her time on the show! For more on Marlee’s diet and fitness regimen, check out the new OK! — hitting newsstands on Thursday.

The Children of a Lesser God star said that DWTS was “an experience far beyond what I thought. I got to dress in a fantastic wardrobe, dance opposite some unbelievable competition and get into the best shape of my life. It also was probably the hardest job I’ve ever had, but I loved it.”

Marlee was also pleased to do something her four children — Sarah, 12, Brandon, 7, Tyler, 5, and 4-year-old Isabelle — could enjoy. “I did it for my kids so I could be the ‘cool mom.’" she explained. "Most of my work was stuff they couldn’t watch. DWTS is probably the best family entertainment on TV.” Marlee said her husband, police officer Kevin Grandalski, 43, also encouraged her to do the show: “He’s so proud of me.”

She’s made a lifelong friend in her dance partner Fabian, who pulled off the seemingly impossible feat of guiding the deaf actress through her moves. “I am humbled by his knowledge and skill," she told OK!. "And I’m so glad to have had the chance to dance with him. Stars, if you come on the show, you can ask for him, but remember, I had him first!”

After six weeks of intensely hard work, Marlee says she’s now looking forward to spending time with her family. “I plan to pack my kids’ lunches, take them to school, pick them up at the end of the day, read them bedtime stories, give them a bath, be a wife.”

Marlee’s post-DWTS career will include more acting. She told OK! she might briefly return to the show The L Word, in which she played Jennifer Beals’ character’s girlfriend, just to tie up loose ends. Otherwise, she’s, “I’m looking forward to jumping into another series and doing more features. I just hope that after DWTS that people know there’s a lighter, funnier side of me and there’s certainly no need to think ‘well, can Marlee do this?’ I think I’ve proven I can do pretty much anything. You’ve just got to be willing to listen."

By Carole Glines

Rosario Dawson Celebrates V-Day

April 14th, 2008

 

It may be April, but that didn’t stop Rosario Dawson from celebrating V-Day — albeit it was a very different kind of V-Day.

The actress was one of the many stars present at V To The Tenth in New Orleans over the weekend, an event founded by Vagina Monologues playwright Eve Ensler aimed at celebrating V-Day’s 10 years of ending violence against women and girls and to honor the women of New Orleans and the Gulf South.

“I think it’s really important to show what people never want to talk about, that there are tremendous atrocities happening in our own backyard,” Rosario tells OK! of the significance of the event. “In three years, so many people forget about what happened [with Hurricane Katrina]. Just even traveling around the Ninth Ward and then going to the French Quarter, people are going, ‘Where’s the problem, I don’t see it.’ Unless you get in a car and drive, you can’t see it.

 

 

Stars, including Kerry Washington, Ali Larter, Jennifer Beals and Amber Tamblyn, performed skits and monologues empowering women and shedding light on past cruelties. Rosario performed a moving piece about a Bosnian refugee who was repeatedly raped by soldiers, reducing the crowd to tears.

“I was blown away,” Ali tells OK! “I thought Rosario was incredible.” The performance was the least lighthearted out of all of the skits, ranging from feigned orgasms (Jennifer) to accepting how a vagina looks (Kerry).

“That piece is a really difficult piece,” Rosario says. “It’s such a heavy piece that there is no getting around it. Everyone always calls it the most difficult piece out of all of them. It’s very heavy, there’s no jokes in it, no laughs, there’s no relief. It just keeps getting stronger and harder until the end where it’s just hopeless. I was just glad that we got that out there and people came up and said it really touched them."

Marlee Matlin Marriage Secrets

January 7th, 2008 / Author: cwillett

The fifth season of her hit Showtime show The L Word just premiered, but Marlee Matlin has bigger things to celebrate in 2008. In August, the actress will celebrate her 15th wedding anniversary with husband, law enforcement officer Kevin Grandalski.

So when OK! caught up with Marlee over the weekend at the show’s premiere party at The Factory in West Hollywood, we had to know — what’s the secret to wrecking the celebrity marriage curve?

“I have a great husband,” Marlee tells OK!. “He’s my rock. He has so much patience and understanding.”

And because behind every great man is a great woman, the Oscar-winning actress credits Kevin’s mom for keeping them happily together.

“You also have to have a great mother-in-law to make it work too!” Marlee says.

As for her Showtime hit, which she joined last season as co-star Jennifer Beals’ love interest, the 42-year-old couldn’t say enough great things about it.

"I get to be in touch with my feminine side and hang out with a whole bunch of women," she says. "That’s a great experience in itself."

By David Lasky

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