Great news: Annette Bening is this year’s honoree from the Museum of the Moving Image on December 13th. Bening is in the Oscar race once again, this time for playing Gloria Grahame in “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” directed by Paul McGuigan. Bening is in a tight race with Saorise Ronan, Judi Dench, Jessica Chastain, Emma Stone all in the mix.
Bening is getting her MMI Award one year after her husband, Warren Beatty, received the same honor. That’s a first, I think, for any Hollywood couple and an award. They each deserve it, certainly.
Bening does not have an Oscar, which is ridiculous. She’s come close with American Beauty, The Grifters, Being Julia, last year’s 20th Century Women and many other knockout performances. Her other films include Valmont, The American President, The Kids Are Alright, and Bugsy — to name a few. (Come to think of it, she could have won Oscars for any of those, too.) She’s also a theater rat and a big fan, having made her theatrical debut with a Tony nomination in “Coastal Disturbances.”
MMI sells tickets to this dinner (Event Associates at 212 245 6570). It’s one of the top events of the season. Get out to Astoria and see this museum– and see “Film Stars.” Gloria Grahame is smiling in heaven with Annette’s glorious performance!
