Everyone is picking on Anne Hathaway. I’m a little over it. Aren’t you? She won the Oscar and all the other awards for her role as Fantine in “Les Miserables.” Was she the best of all supporting actresses? Let’s put it this way: the dye was cast. Anne had already been superb in “Rachel Getting Married” and had gotten an Oscar nomination. She and Amy Adams represent the youth of the Academy. They each came out of the gate fast. Along with Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain, Hathaway and Adams represent the immediate future. We’re lucky to have all of them.

What is it that irks people about Hathaway seems to be what drove them crazy about Gywneth Paltrow: she seems to have it all. And she flaunts it. Great family, husband, great looks, loads of talent. She can sing like a bird. She looks good in everything. She’s smart. She’s quick. Sometime she gets ahead of herself, forgets to thank her director (Tom Hooper) or goes all schoolteacher on the Broadcast Critics for not spelling her name right (there’s an ‘e’ on Anne).

Personally, I don’t care if she wore Prada or Valentino or Sears. When Hathaway arrived at the entrance to the red carpet, I thought she was clever: her dress was simple and elegant. She knew she was going to win. She didn’t have to compete. Other than omitting Hooper from her thank you’s, her speech was very, very lovely. At the Governor’s Ball, I could tell she was relieved it was all over at last. And I’ll tell you what: her terrific family is always all around, and she is very respectful and there is a lot of love. This won’t be one of those deals where the star stops speaking to the mother.

So, really, let’s get over it. Anne Hathaway is here to stay. And it’s a good thing. She’s not Taylor Swift–she hasn”t forced her personal life in our faces or capitalized on sadness or scandal. You may recall she had a little scandal when she dated a man who was a conman. He went to jail. She never spoke about it. If she had, there would be criticism. Now she hasn’t, and the internet wags say people “hate” her. This is utterly ridiculous. Get over it. I’m excited to know what she’ll do next– although I think broke that story. http://www.showbiz411.com/2013/02/22/exclusive-anne-hathaways-next-film-a-rock-music-indie-but-she-wont-sing

So everyone, cool it.

The head of the new Cannes jury this May is…Steven Spielberg. It’s sort of amazing after four decades of blockbusters, Oscar nominees, and “Schindler’s List,” Spielberg is finally coming to the Croisette.  In announcing the appointment, Thierry Fremaux says the director of “Lincoln” actually accepted two years ago. But he’s always so busy! So what happened? “Robopocalypse” got pulled off its schedule for a new script. Spielberg has time on his hands. So we lucked out. Now a jury must be organized. It will be interesting to see who Spielberg picks to help him look at all those movies.

From the press release:

“Steven Spielberg accepted in principle two years ago”, declared Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate of the Festival. “He was able to make himself available this year to be the new Jury President and when meeting him these last few weeks it has been obvious he’s excited about the job. Because of his films, and the many causes he holds dear, he’s year-in year-out the equal of the very greatest Hollywood filmmakers. We are very proud to count him among us.”

“The memory of my first Cannes Film Festival, nearly 31 years ago with the debut of E.T., is still one of the most vibrant memories of my career, Spielberg goes on. For over six decades, Cannes has served as a platform for extraordinary films to be discovered and introduced to the world for the first time. It is an honor and a privilege to preside over the jury of a festival that proves, again and again, that cinema is the language of the world.”

I like Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, but their personal foundation has always bewildered me. It’s hard to say what the purpose of it is, especially since they started a school in Calabasas, California that teaches, among other things, Scientology curriculum. Their personal foundation gives nothing to the school.

But every year they  give a lot of money to Yesha Ministries of Philadelphia, an evangelical Christian church with strong ties to the black community.

Altogether, they gave away $411,020 in 2011. The Smiths’ biggest donee was Yesha, for $100,000. But then, strategically, they still manage to spread around a few dollars to Hollywood leaders’ favorite charities and funds. For example, Will and Jada gave $25,000 to the Simon Wiesenthal Center and $10,000 to Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation. They even gave a nod to The Friends of Yitzak Rabin ($250).

The Smiths gave $1,000 to a Scientology fund, thus taking care of Tom Cruise. It’s a steep drop from their initial checks to the cult back in the mid 2000s.

I give a lot of credit to the Smiths for how they spread the money around. The total is a lot of money. And even thought we think of movie stars as having zillions of dollars, Will hasn’t released a blockbuster in several years. Not that the Smiths are hurting for funds. But that they thought this out so carefully speaks volumes about them- -even if you don’t agree with all their choices.

They are loyal to charities in the Baltimore-Philadelphia area. They support black causes, and those in the arts–like $25,000 to Debbie Allen’s vital dance academy and $10,000 to the Tyler Perry Foundation. And they are really into education: money to Harvard Foundation and a bunch of smaller groups.

There’s also no bloat. The Smiths pay Jada’s aunt, Karen Evans, $68,000 as administrator–and the sole employee. Evans suffers from Lupus, so donations are made to fight that disease. But otherwise expenses are small– they only paid $400 in legal fees in 2011.