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In theatre they call it “breaking the fourth wall” - that “wall” being the one we sit behind as popcorn-chewing observers. When used sparingly, this technique can be hilarious (or really creepy).

Just like the image of her fragile, unconventional beauty trapped within the glow of a tight spotlight, Judy Garland’s life as a performer was surrounded by a vast darkness. She gave the world her special gift, and it gave back not a shred of happiness. There was an overarching sadness about her that only grew more pronounced as the hard years went by. As Frank Sinatra put it, “When she sang, it always felt like she died a little.”   It was tragic pretty much from the outset. When overbearing show mom Ethel Milne found she was pregnant with her third child by husband Frank Gumm, she attempted to induce miscarriage by throwing herself down a flight of stairs. Failing that, she tried to get an abortion. This desire may have partly stemmed from Ethel’s growing suspicion that her husband was homosexual. Regardless, a family friend finally convinced the couple that this little one would be a blessing. They hoped for a boy. On June 10, 1922 they welcomed their third daughter – Frances Ethel Gumm – the combined hopes of her mother and father right there in her name.

Over the course of movie history, there have been the great actresses, women who light up the screen with charisma and character, like Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, and Meryl Streep. There have also been women whose special gifts had more to do with the sexual allure they projected. Hey fellas, you must have noticed them, right? Brace yourselves then- here are our picks for the top twenty female cinematic sex symbols of all time. (Drum roll). 

Did you know that both Lincoln and Kennedy have 7 Letters? Did you know that both were shot on a Friday? Just as uncanny is the connection between genial superstar Tom Hanks and his folksy predecessor, James “Jimmy” Stewart.   If there was any question that the two share cinematic auras for their respective generations, it was blown away when Hanks inhabited Stewart’s role from “The Shop Around the Corner” in the slick remake “You’ve Got Mail”. Their parallel command performances – studies in “aw shucks,” regular guy humility – make them both exasperatingly lovable middle-class heroes – everymen doing extraordinary things. The two stars’ respective charm-laden film careers have a great deal in common too, running the leading man gamut from drama to thriller to comedy (Stewart’s “The Philadelphia Story” is a little classier than Hanks loving on a sheep in “Bachelor Party,” but you get the idea).

First, let’s take a moment to celebrate Spencer Tracy’s 104th birthday. And though he died back in 1967, his success and skill as an actor is still impressive today. If you don’t know him, you should. He’s our favorite pre-Method screen actor, a man with an astonishing and natural talent. He was also a raging alcoholic, the unabashed kind who’d disappear with a case of bourbon and ask you to check back in a week. The self-described Irish potato gave MGM publicists ulcers galore. But this was one hot potato – a man who’d command a scene, and usually nail it in one take.   Today he’s best remembered for his later rom-com offerings with real-life partner Katharine Hepburn, about as unlikely a match as Jesse Jackson and Sarah Palin. But together on-screen, they made beautiful music.

We're sad to report that legendary character actor Bob Hoskins passed away last night at the age of 71. Though he became a household name playing gumshoe Eddie Valiant in the ultimate "Odd Pair" film, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?", Hoskins's original breakout role was in the tightly wound British Crime thriller, "The Long Good Friday."   "Friday" was a perfect role for the undersized British Bulldog. His delivery on lines like "Shut up, you long streak of paralyzed piss!" in the film's final monologue made that role unforgettable. Ever since, he's been stealing scenes in dozens of movies, turning smaller, flatter roles (often villains) into memorable, well-rounded characters using his trademark growl and receded hairline.  In 1986, he was nominated for an Oscar (winning a BAFTA and Golden Globe) for his role in the noir mystery "Mona Lisa" (which we've belatedly slated for the site!), but it was his gruff-and-tough role in "Roger Rabbit" that launched him into Hollywood's upper-echelon of go-to character actors. Since then, he's appeared in everything from "Mermaids" alongside Cher to the beautifully crafted "Paris, Je T'Aime." 

In his final years, Marlon Brando was not a beloved figure. After his death in 2004, the prevailing sentiment was that Brando was selfish and arrogant, that he squandered his talent for money. Some critics sounded downright miffed, as if a good kick in Brando’s increasingly ample rear-end might have shocked him back to a full appreciation of what he owed his audience.   Though you can’t deny the prevailing sense of waste in Brando’s career, the simple fact remains: no other actor can touch the best of his work. After he exploded onto the Hollywood scene with 1951's "A Streetcar Named Desire," he cemented his status as a cinema legend by painfully mourning "I coulda had class, I coulda been a contender!" in "On the Waterfront" (1954), and despite later missteps, has remained an icon ever since.  It’s Marlon Brando’s 90th birthday today. Here are three ways to celebrate like the big man himself.

Frank Pavich’s documentary, “Jodorowsky’s Dune,” tells the remarkable story of director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s failure to make an adaptation of the sci-fi classic, “Dune.” But it’s also about the eternal conflict between art and commerce in Hollywood, and what can happen when an artist’s uncompromising vision of a film causes those opposing forces to collide.  In the end, what was to be Jodorowsky’s crowning achievement instead became a heartbreaking episode that truncated his career as a director.  The director and his producing partner, Michel Seydoux, had secured the rights to Frank Herbert’s wildly popular book and raised about $10 million to produce it. Jodorowsky was ecstatic, even manic. He scoured Europe for the finest artists to visualize the narrative he had pouring out of his mind. Every character, costume, spaceship, and set was meticulously designed and catalogued.

Those who remember her only from those endless grocery store checkout line-stories on her health problems, fluctuating weight, friendship with Michael Jackson & Bubbles, or impressive eight marriages (she wed Richard Burton twice), pay attention. Today, we celebrate the film career of a legendary beauty, prodigious talent, and a big personality, Elizabeth Taylor.