Happy birthday, Jennifer Saunders!

Jennifer Saunders, born July 8, 1958 in Lincolnshire, England, is best known for her comedy duo act with Dawn French (French and Saunders), and for her sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, which was born from a French and Saunders skit.

She wrote every episode of Ab Fab and I think she one of the funniest, most talented comedic writer ever.  Absolutely Fabulous won four BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards and nominated for ten more.

She auditioned for the voice of Ursula in Disney's The Little Mermaid, but Steven Spielberg liked her voice and cast her for the Fairy Godmother in Shrek 2.

"1917" wins 7 BAFTA Awards 2020

1917, the WWI movie about the desperate attempt to deliver a message to the front lines, won 7 British Academy Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) at the 73rd ceremony held February 2, 2020.  It was nominated for nine.  It won:

Best Film 

Best Direction (Sam Mendes)

Best Cinematography (Roger Deakins)

Best Production (Dennis Gassner and Lee Sandales)

Best Sound

Best Special Visual Effects

Outstanding British Film

The only two categories the movie didn't win were Best Makeup and Hari and Best Original Music.  I was disappointed to see that 1917 did not get any Best Actor nominations, since the acting was spectacular.  George Mackay, the lead actor, put in a lot of hard work and did an awesome job, as did Dean-Charles Chapman, in the supporting role.  The movie had many other stellar actors such as Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Richard Madden. 

But it definitely deserved every one of the awards it received. 

Remembering Louise Fletcher (1934-2022)

Versatile and talented actress Louise Fletcher, born July 22, 1934, passed away yesterday in France.  She is best known for her Best Lead Actress Oscar-winning role as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  The American Film Institute named Nurse Rached as #5 villain in the 100 Years of the Greatest Screen Heroes and Villains.  She won a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe for her performance.

For Trekkies like me, I liked her best as the antagonistic Kai Winn, later Vedek Winn in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.  She was nominated for 5 Online Film & Television Association Awards for her performances on Deep Space Nine.