…. And we’re still talking about Jodie Foster’s appearance at the Golden Globes. Most of Jodie’s lifetime achievement award speech got drowned out by her (bizarre, IMO) “coming out,” but a lot of people also decided to focus on Jodie’s two sons. Her sons Charles and Kit (14 and 12, respectively) were two of her “dates” for Globes, and they were on camera at various times during her speech. Both are gingers! And both are nice-looking young men. I’m including a screenshot, and you can see them at the beginning of this video too:

So, people were talking about her boys and there are new questions being raised about their paternity. I guess people forgot about the issue for years and years? All of a sudden, everyone is like, “Huh, I wonder who their biological father is?” Well, Page Six has a theory. And it comes with a heavy dose of Jacuzzi beejs.

Could Mel Gibson be the biological father of Jodie Foster’s two sons?

That’s what some in Hollywood were wondering as Foster thanked Gibson — “You know, you save me, too” — in her heartfelt speech Sunday, reports The Post’s Los Angeles correspondent, Richard Johnson. Gibson was sitting with Charles, 14, and Kit, 12, at Foster’s table.

Foster has never revealed her handsome sons’ paternity and has reportedly said she won’t tell the boys until they turn 21.

“The kids look like him [Gibson] but blonder,” said one amateur genealogist.

If Gibson, a father of eight, donated his sperm to Foster, it would explain her fierce loyalty to the troubled star while the rest of Hollywood shunned him over his anti-Semitic remarks and abusive treatment of Oksana Grigorieva, the Russian girlfriend who bore his last child, Lucia, 3.

Foster and Gibson became friends in 1994 when they starred together in “Maverick.” The two have remained close and often play poker together. Foster’s elder son was born in 1998.

Foster cast Gibson as the lead in her 2011 movie “The Beaver” and stood by him through a grueling press tour. “He’s so incredibly loving and sensitive,” she recently said. “I knew the minute I met him that I would love him the rest of my life.”

The other prime paternity possibility is Randy Stone, the openly gay casting-director friend of Foster who died of heart disease in 2007.

Stone’s mother, the Rev. Beverly Bates, recently told Britain’s Daily Mail, “Randy told me that Jodie said she’ll tell the boys who their father is when they’re 21.” Bates believes Stone is their father, although he never confirmed it: “He told me he had to sign documents. It was a secret he took to his grave.”

The boys also have another mom, movie producer Cydney Bernard, whom Foster praised in her speech as “one of the deepest loves of my life.” The two broke up in 2008.

Reps for Gibson and Foster declined to comment.

[From Page Six]

Yeah, to be fair, most of the internet speculation has been focused on this Randy Stone dude, whom Jodie loved and adored and was one of her biggest champions. You can see photos of him and read more about him here – before Randy Stone died, Jodie’s son always called him “Uncle Randy” and he helped look after them throughout the years too. CB thinks Randy Stone is definitely the father, and she thinks Charles and Kit look a lot like him too. While I think Randy is the better bet, I’m not completely sold. I think the older boy, Charles, has a Mel Gibson-ish look to him too. And an alleged Gibson paternity really would explain a lot, wouldn’t it?

Photos courtesy of NBC screencaps, WENN.

Jodie Foster looked absolutely spectacular at the Golden Globes last night while in attendance to accept the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award. Can I say that she looked “divine” without sounding too try-hard? Because Jodie was divine last night. I know her career has been on the downswing lately, but she’s enjoyed such a long period (several decades, in fact) of enduring success, and her confidence last night really shone through on the red carpet. Oh, and Jodie may be 50 years old but looks at least a decade younger, don’t you think? And it’s so obvious that she hasn’t become a plastic surgery victim to get there. Of course, Jodie has done the requisite nose job (when she was much younger) and probably touched up with a little bit of Botox in the forehead area for last night’s event, but she looks very real, which is a major accomplishment in Hollywood.

Jodie wore a beautiful blue Giorgio Armani gown that bucked today’s fleeting trends in favor of old-school glamour. She chose a dress with just the right amount of shimmer and cling, and the straps gave the gown a very age-appropriate air. With her trademarked cute little bob and understated makeup, Jodie knew she was in charge of her look last night. I might have gone a little bit more adventurous with the lipstick, but I can’t really complain too much here.

Jodie’s speech was a whole lot of things rolled into one — candid, emotional, and a little bit awkward too. After she started to talk about her “big announcement,” Jodie seemed to backtrack on her original script a bit. I think we all expected her to make a “loud and proud” announcement about her orientation (?), but then she made a joke out of the moment by simply stating, “I am single.” Then she went on to make a point about privacy and how “I am not Honey Boo Boo Child.” I see what she’s saying here, and Jodie has spoken before on the topic of privacy in terms of the Kristen Stewart scandal. Jodie is perfectly entitled to say whatever she wants in her Cecil B. DeMille speech. God knows she’s earned it. Jodie also went on to utter some amazing, emotional lines about her mother, and then she made an allusion to a new chapter, which I suspect means life behind the camera. Here’s a clip.

Jodie’s speech was offbeat and kind of amazing in a stream-of-consciousness sort of way. I suspect that she scripted it that way on purpose. If only she hadn’t mucked up the occasion with all of that Mel Gibson talk. I know Jodie prides herself on being one of Mel’s only (or even possibly his lone) supporter, but this friendship and working relationship only taints her otherwise illustrious career. In response, Mel let out a wolf whistle. Ugh.

Now back to THAT SMILE.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN

First off, I want to mention that I didn’t choose to use this photo of Kristen Stewart in the Reem Acra boob dress as any sort of “scarlet lady” reference. It’s just that there aren’t exactly any new KStew photos floating around lately (since she’s still largely in hiding), and I still do think that she looked completely lovely in this dress. Also, I hope that the recent news of Kristen Stewart being reportedly dropped from the SWATH sequel has more to do with money (as in, Kristen’s huge salary requirements) than any sort of reputation damage because it would really be a d-ck move if the studio canned the scorned woman and let douchebag Rupert Sanders keep making money from the franchise. Now onto the actual story.

Jodie Foster has penned an essay for the Daily Beast in the wake of the groping scandal, but while she defends Kristen, Jodie keeps the essay very general in terms of child stars and the pressures they face from both the media and the public. She makes no mention of Kristen getting it on with a married director, and Jodie also doesn’t make it a point to call out Rupert Sanders either. Still, Jodie makes a few valid points. After all, she herself rose to child-star fame in Taxi Driver, and Jodie worked with a 12-year-old Kristen very closely while they filmed Panic Room together. Certainly, Jodie’s intentions are good here, but she seems to be arriving at an erroneous conclusion that former child stars should be given a free pass and, as such, should be forgiven for shady moves that they make well after they reach adulthood. At age 22, Kristen is no longer a child star, and she (just like Rupert) surely knew that what happened in the back of that Mini Cooper (and likely elsewhere) was wrong. Apparently, Jodie doesn’t see it that way:

On her own career: “I have been an actress since I was 3 years old, 46 years to date. I have no memories of a childhood outside the public eye. I am told people look to me as a success story. Often complete strangers approach me and ask, How have you stayed so normal, so well-adjusted, so private? I usually lie and say, ‘Just boring I guess.’ The truth is, like some curious radioactive mutant, I have invented my own gothic survival tools. I have fashioned rules to control the glaring eyes. Maybe I’ve organized my career choices to allow myself (and the ones I truly love) maximum personal dignity. In my era, through discipline and force of will, you could still manage to reach for a star-powered career and have the authenticity of a private life. Sure, you’d have to lose your spontaneity in the elaborate architecture. You’d have to learn to submerge beneath the foul air and breathe through a straw. But at least you could stand up and say, I will not willfully participate in my own exploitation. Not anymore. If I were a young actor or actress starting my career today in the new era of social media and its sanctioned hunting season, would I survive? Would I drown myself in drugs, sex, and parties? Would I be lost?”

She wouldn’t do it today: “I’ve said it before and I will say it again: if I were a young actor today I would quit before I started. If I had to grow up in this media culture, I don’t think I could survive it emotionally. I would only hope that someone who loved me, really loved me, would put their arm around me and lead me away to safety. Sarah Tobias would never have danced before her rapists in The Accused. Clarice would never have shared the awful screaming of the lambs to Dr. Lecter. Another actress might surely have taken my place, opened her soul to create those characters, surrendered her vulnerabilities. But would she have survived the paparazzi peering into her windows, the online harassment, the public humiliations, without overdosing in a hotel room or sticking her face with needles until she became unrecognizable even to herself?”

On working with Kristen: “In 2001 I spent 5 months with Kristen Stewart on the set of Panic Room mostly holed up in a space the size of a Manhattan closet. We talked and laughed for hours, sharing spontaneous mysteries and venting our boredom. I grew to love that kid. She turned 11 during our shoot and on her birthday I organized a mariachi band to serenade her at the taco bar while she blew out her candles. She begrudgingly danced around a sombero with me but soon rushed off to grip and electric department’s basketball game. Her mother and I watched her jump around after the ball, hooting with every team basket. ‘She doesn’t want to be an actor when she grows up, does she?’ I asked. Her mom sighed. ‘Yes … unfortunately.’ We both smiled and shrugged with an ambivalence born from experience. ‘Can’t you talk her out of it?’ I offered. ‘Oh, I’ve tried. She loves it. She just loves it.’ More sighs. We watched her run around the court for a while, both of us silent, each thinking our own thoughts. I was pregnant at the time and found myself daydreaming of the child I might have soon. Would she be just like Kristen? All that beautiful talent and fearlessness … would she jump and dunk and make me so proud?”

On Kristen, post-scandal: “Cut to: Today … A beautiful young woman strides down the sidewalk alone, head down, hands drawn into fists. She’s walking fast, darting around huge men with black cameras thrusting at her mouth and chest. ‘Kristen, how do you feel?’ ‘Smile Kris!’ ‘Hey, hey, did you get her?’ ‘I got her. I got her!’ The young woman doesn’t cry. F–k no. She doesn’t look up. She’s learned. She keeps her head down, her shades on, fists in her pockets. Don’t speak. Don’t look. Don’t cry.”

[From Daily Beast]

Okay, I can see how this essay happened, for Jodie obviously adores Kristen and wants to add some kind words into the shuffle and hopefully mitigate some of the fallout that has been aimed at Kristen. However, she’s really framing the issue wrong. The venom aimed at Kristen has little to do with the fact that she is a very famous former child star at all. It’s got everything to do with the fact that she’s consistently coveted an attitude — and pretended to be above it all — while still boning her Hollywood director like a clichéd starlet. Also, Rupert is married with two kids, and yes, he is a total douche.

At the same time, it’s great that a prominent female is speaking up for Kristen. But I also find it problematic that she’s receiving support from Jodie, who isn’t exactly a great judge of character. Case in point: Jodie’s defense of KStew is unavoidably tainted by the fact that she’s also provided unwavering support for woman-beater Mel Gibson and child-rapist Roman Polanski. So yes … dilemma.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN

Tilda Swinton could do no wrong last night at the Globes, and she chose an ice-blue skirt suit designed by her friend Haider Ackermann, who Tilda swears “can read my mind about what I want to wear.” Indeed, this outfit looks like it was made just for the occasion. The metallic jacket flowed so well into the skirt, which was just feminine enough with a teensy bit of a train. Tilda’s poufy new-wave hair went quite well with the outfit, and her makeup was understated but still polished enough to make sure that her facial features didn’t disappear. Tilda looked almost exquisite during the closeups while Meryl Streep accepted the Globe for Best Actress in a Drama. Even though Tilda lost out on the actual award, she just looked so happy for her friend yet grateful to even be mentioned on camera. She is such a boss.

Sarah Michelle Gellar wore a flouncy, big-bustled Monique Lhuillier gown and received mixed reactions last night on Twitter, where some described the look as an ill-advised attempt to bring back tye dye. During the E! red carpet coverage, Sarah mentioned that her two-year-old helped her choose the dress, which explains things well enough, but I absolutely loved this dress on her regardless of the reasons for wearing it. This look is different and adventurous, and the simple high ponytail says “youthful” without translating into “desperate to look young.”

However, Sarah Michelle’s jacket that she added for the Warner Brothers party quite nearly ruined the effect.

Jodie Foster went with a far less adventurous vibe by choosing a teal Armani gown with the same old boring, side-parted bob that she’s sported for the past decade. Jodie’s makeup is appropriate and the earrings are cute, but she could’ve jazzed things up with a sparkly necklace. Of particular note during the opening moments of the show itself was how well Jodie handled (with a very enthusiastic two thumbs up) Ricky Gervais’ joke about The Beaver. Then I realized she was just defending Mel Gibson again. Ugh.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN

These are new photos of Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly at the NY Film Festival premiere of Carnage. I suspect that Jodie is wearing Armani, just because she almost always wears Armani for red carpet situations. I don’t love the dress, or the shoes, but I really like her haircut. She’s still a very beautiful woman, and I buy that she’s un-tweaked too.

Enough of the superficial stuff! For whatever reason, Jodie Foster has just gone completely and totally crazy this year with her career choices. Earlier this year, she was out and about, promoting the hell out of The Beaver, that dumb film she did with Mel Gibson. She not only agreed to work with her spiritual soulmate Mel, actor-to-actor, she DIRECTED the p.o.s. too. And then for her follow-up to Bad Career Choices 101, she worked with Roman Polanski, who directed Carnage, the film adaptation of the play, God of Carnage. To be fair to Jodie, other actors made the bad decision to work with Polanski – John C. Reilly, Christoph Waltz, and of course, Kate Winslet (who looks like the over-wrought, bad-accented weak link in the trailer).

So why does Jodie get so much grief? I think it’s because she’s so vocal in her support of Mel AND Polanski. Where many prominent actors work with Roman Polanski, they rarely try to publicly defend him, and perhaps it can be easily explained as a one-time mistake in judgment, or an actor just having blinders on regarding Polanski’s considerable talent as a director versus how sucky and terrible he is as a person. You can’t explain it away with Jodie, because she just seems to have consistently horrible taste in men. Plus, the fact that The Beaver and Carnage have come out within months of each other probably doesn’t help her either.

Sigh… at least her hair is cute.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Here are some photos from Tuesday night’s premiere of The Beaver in Cannes. Mel Gibson actually showed for the premiere, after skipping the earlier photo call. Judging from the state of Mel, I’d say that he probably spent most of the day doing shots and smoking cigs while laying on a hotel balcony. More on that in a moment, but seriously, Mel is looking especially reptilian in these photos. Jodie, meanwhile, looks rather gorgeous in this striking navy Armani. I love the asymmetrical cut on the top, and I’m usually not a fan of asymmetry.

By the way, when Mel Gibson entered the theatre for the premiere, apparently he got a standing ovation. FOR TEN MINUTES. And the film was generally well-received too. Because Europeans love women-beaters?

For the rest of the photos, I thought I’d do captions. Just because I haven’t done that in a while.

Mel: “And I said ‘blow me’ and she said ‘NO!’ Can you believe that? Durr. So I had to smack her.”

Mel: “You’re a WHAT?!? You like to do WHAT to LADIES?!? You‘re going to hell.”

Jodie: “Ew, did you just fart?”

Mel: “I wish I had my guns right now. I would take down all of these Frenchies.”

Remember how I said Mel probably spent his day laying out on balcony, getting hammered? Yeah. There’s photo evidence. His poor sunburned moobs. They deserve to buried in the rose garden.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

The Cannes International Film Festival rages on with the The Beaver photocall, for which director and actress Jodie Foster was front and present but her co-star, Mel Gibson, was quite notably absent in spite of the fact that he was reportedly expected to attend. Surely, Jodie is fine with the fact that Mel was not present at the photocall because, no matter what, she’ll always love that man for the rest of her life even though he’s left her to deal with this mess all by herself.

Obviously, I have to wonder whether the woman even has a grasp on reality any longer. Not only does Jodie have poor taste in male associates, but she dared to describe the lower percentage of female directors as “race psychology,” yet she herself (despite being a woman) convinced a studio to give her $20 million of funding to make a movie about a guy who talks through a puppet. Indeed, the film has already received a U.S. limited release, for which it only brought in a measly $104,000 from 22 theaters. So it seems that Mel’s recent extensive, self-piting interview didn’t help sell tickets, and he’s sitting this one out like a pouting child:

Mel Gibson’s absence from the press conference supporting his new film did not stop him dominating proceedings.

The actor plays a depressed businessman who uses a beaver hand puppet to communicate in The Beaver, which is directed by his co-star Jodie Foster who attended the press conference in Cannes.

The actress, who has been friends with Gibson since they starred in the 1994 western Maverick, faced a barrage of questions about the actor who has been accused of racism, homophobia and anti-semitism and appeared in court this year on a battery charge after a complaint from ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.

But she insisted the troubled star, who is due in Cannes today to appear at tonight’s screening of the film, “was the right actor for the role” and had “a deep understanding of the struggles” faced by the character.

She said: “He really understood the character in a way that was extraordinary. I think that he was willing to go to such a deep place and willing to expose himself in some ways, to really talk about something he knows a lot about which is struggle, wanting to change, wanting to transform yourself, not wanting to be who you are and I’m so grateful for that performance”.

Asked if the film would help rehabilitate him in the eyes of the public and in Hollywood, she said: “I don’t know, I have no idea.”

Foster added: “Anything that you do that you obsess about and think about and give that much to for six months of your life in his case… allows you to look deeper at yourself and the people around you and the effect of what you do and has to have some kind of therapeutic, cathartic end.

“I know that he is incredibly proud of the movie and I think that he is proud of what he’s shown and I think he wants people to see that side of him and he’s an incredibly private man so what he shows on screen is deep as you could possibly get”.

[From The Independent]

Perhaps Jodie and Mel talked this over beforehand and decided it would be best for him not to attend and distract from the topic at hand. However, it’s pretty clear that Mel distracts from The Beaver whether or not he’s actually present; so if he is truly so “incredibly proud” of this movie, the very least he could have done is to establish a presence and show some support for his unyieldingly loyal friend, co-star, and director. What a douche move, but there’s a slim chance that he might actually show up for the premiere itself. Admittedly, Jodie wasn’t completely alone for the photocall and press conferences because Kyle Killen and Keith Redmon bothered to show up. Her co-star, however, is another matter altogether.

Photos courtest of WENN

This weekend was a roaring one at movie theaters, where Thor easily secured the #1 position with an estimated $66 million in U.S. ticket sales (with international sales boosting it to a total of $242 million), which qualifies it as a fairly successful “summer” movie. Between this film, the Iron Man franchise, and the inexplicably successful X-Men movies, Marvel Studios really has the box-office sewn up as far as comic-book adaptations go, while any viable D.C. Comics titles loom far off in the horizon with the Superman reboot and The Dark Knight Rises still in their pre-production phases. At any rate, Thor and his abdominal muscles pretty much killed it this weekend, and while I was pretty skeptical about a newcomer (or, at least, a virtually unknown actor) carrying a major studio tentpole, I will concede that an effective marketing blitz (and inflated 3D prices) really did the trick in boosting Thor to this point:

Reviews have been good, and British Kenneth Branagh’s direction and Aussie newcomer Chris Hemsworth in the title role of The Mighty Thor earned a 92% rating currently on Rotten Tomatoes. The good-looking Hemsworth allowed for heavy PR to drum up appeal among women with his shirtless clip a popular choice for talk shows with large female audiences who also were targeted with a Royal Wedding blitz. To solidify male appeal, Paramount had spots during the Super Bowl and NCAA Basketball, the UFC Marathon and UFC Fight Night Live Premiere. And, to appeal to the feeble-brained, Thor ads aired on the finale of Jersey Shore.

Thor launched in 1962 and has endured for almost half a century across comics, toys, animated series, and now a movie. Like Iron Man, Marvel thought Thor deserved to be made in its own right and lends a long history to The Avengers. (Aka Marvel’s Avengers Assemble strategy. Expect to see agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., previously seen in the Iron Man movies, foreshadowing the coming of The Avengers). The challenge for Paramount was to market a reverse superhero story: a hero becomes a man. “Our challenge was to emphasize what was unique about his character and define him for audiences,” a studio exec told me. So the TV ads reminded: “The world has many heroes but only one is a God.” This epic adventure spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard with the powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

[From Deadline]

Elsewhere, the Vin Diesel/Dwayne Johnson homoerotic picture of the decade, Fast Five, held onto #2. Even though it’s springtime, the weekend’s two wedding-themed movies didn’t fare so well, with Jumping the Broom and Something Borrowed (starring Kate Hudson and her nympho ways), scoring #3 with $13.7 million and #4 with $13.2 million, respectively speaking. Meanwhile, The Beaver opened in 22 theaters with only $104,000 total under its already dubious belt. In other words, it probably won’t be opening next weekend in your nearest multiplex, and now Jodie Foster has only herself to blame (and not race psychology) for wasting a $20 million budget on a movie about a guy who’s so depressed that he can only speak though a puppet. Hopefully, this also means she’ll stop praising Mel Gibson for awhile too.

Photos courtesty of AllMoviePhoto and Square Hippies

Sometimes, I just don’t know what to do with Jodie Foster. She complains about the downtrodden status of female directors in Hollywood yet refuses to reconcile that she willingly (professionally and personally) associates with those same male directors (who are part of the problem she is complaining about), some of which do very bad things. When confronted with the ultimate character of these men, like say Roman Polanski, Jodie simply states “That’s not my business.” And as we’re all quite aware, Jodie adores and worships Mel Gibson (“I will love this man for the rest of my life”), who believes that he can justify smacking Oksana Gregorieva with an “explanation.” None of this bothers Jodie, however, because she’s promoting her latest ill-fated directing and acting project, a tragicomedy about depression called The Beaver (starring Mel Gibson). As such, Jodie clearly rehearsed ahead of time what she was going to say about Mel to Moviefone:

This was a very emotional film, especially when watching Mel Gibson play such a tormented character. Sometimes I had trouble separating his role from what I know about him in his personal life. Did his personal life affect his performance?

Well, none of “that” happened while we were shooting. His relationship [with ex Oksana Grigorieva] was very happy at that point, and they had a baby during the shoot. I don’t think any of this stuff informed his performance. This is a movie about a man struggling, who wants to change. That’s a part of my life, and a part of Mel’s life. That’s why he can bring such a raw, honest performance to the screen.

I love that side of him – the complex side. He can also do the charming thing, too, like when he’s doing the lighter bits at the start of the film. We needed both of those sides. I don’t know if people can compartmentalize what they see on YouTube about someone’s private life, but I guess that’s up to the individual. Mel is witty, and he’s a good-natured guy. That’s not all he is – he’s incredibly literate, very sensitive, and very feminine in a lot of ways. That’s a side that people don’t see.

The trailer for ‘The Beaver’ differed greatly from the tone of the movie. It made it seem like a dark comedy – which doesn’t quite classify this film, and it’s rated PG-13.

[Laughs] I know. It makes it seem like a heartwarming family film, doesn’t it? I am not responsible for the trailer! [Laughs] My hat is off to Summit Entertainment, because this is the marketing challenge of the century. This is not a mainstream movie. What you don’t want is people going to the theater expecting a comedy, and then realizing it’s not. If people come with the wrong expectation, they’ll say bad things about it when they leave. Ultimately we want people to see the movie they expect to see.

It was amazing to watch the puppet transform – it was almost like it came to life!

That’s a funny thing. We didn’t shift and change the camera that much; we made some framing choices. But we didn’t change its eyes or anything like that.

It did shower though!

[Laughs] Yes it did! We had one beaver that was just for getting wet. We called it the ‘wet beaver.’

[From Moviefone]

Ha ha ha, d’ya hear that? The wet beaver. I bet the infinitely clever Mel came up with that one. You know, since he has so much inherent respect for beavers. Anyway, Mel is reportedly “expected” (although not confirmed) to show up for the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off on May 17. Maybe he’ll bring the wet beaver along for the ride.

Seriously though, here’s what I take from Jodie’s latest words on Mel Gibson. She wasn’t there when “that” happened, and she never saw “that” happen, so essentially it didn’t happen. Because if “that” really happened to Oksana Gregorieva at the hands of Mel, then Jodie would have to admit her own hypocrisy against womankind. So “that” just doesn’t exist to her. Classy.

Photos courtesy of AllMoviePhoto and WENN

Just one year ago, Kathryn Bigelow won the Oscar for Best Director, an award that was voted upon by her peers, who themselves are the very force behind getting movies made in Tinseltown. Regardless, Jodie Foster is now complaining about Hollywood’s treatment of female directors, which I find rather contradictory. Jodie can speak in terms of chronic discrimination against women in the film industry, whereas she has no problem when her Hollywood friends treat women badly in a much more acute basis. For instance, she truly admires and supports Roman Polanski for being such a wonderful director and diffuses all discussions of his admitted-rapist status as “That’s not my business.” What is her business, however, is that Jodie (who, just like nearly every director out there, struggles to fund her art) feels really beaten down by the man as a female director. So naturally, she continues to support Mel Gibson, who actually beats women (such a nice symmetry there, right?) by sticking with him and proclaiming, “I will love this man for the rest of my life.” How would she feel if Mel punched a female director? That’s a question that shall remain unanswered, but Jodie’s merely sounding off on what actually affects her pocketbook. You know, other than the ill-advised decision to direct The Beaver:

In an era when women account for only 7% of the directors of Hollywood movies, Jodie Foster is the rare female whom financiers will back to helm any film, never mind a marketing challenge like “The Beaver,” her upcoming $20-million tragicomedy about depression starring Mel Gibson.

When asked about the industry statistics during a recent interview promoting “The Beaver,” Foster said she thought the low numbers of female directors were a result of studio executives’ fears of uncertainty.

“I don’t think it’s a plot and these guys sat around and said let’s keep these women out,” Foster said. “I think it’s like race psychology. When a producer hires a director, you’re hiring away your control completely. You’re bringing on somebody that will change everything. When you give that amount of power up, you want them to look like you and talk like you and think like you and it’s scary when they don’t, because what’s gonna happen? I’m gonna hand over $60 million to somebody I don’t know. I hope they look like me.”

When it was mentioned that many studio executives do, in fact, look like her — a 48-year-old white female veteran of the industry, Foster nodded. “And name the lists that come out of the female studio executives: guy, guy, guy, guy,” she said. “Their job is to be as risk-averse as possible. They see female directors as a risk.”

Foster got her first directing opportunity on 1991′s “Little Man Tate” from male executives at Orion Pictures. In 1989, she won the lead actress Academy Award for “The Accused.”

“I was acting in ‘Little Man Tate’ for almost no money and I had just won an Oscar,” said Foster. “They were under almost no financial risk whatsoever. The real pioneers are someone that didn’t have the ‘in’ that I had. I had guys who knew me. I was like their daughter.”

[From LA Times]

While I don’t have access to all of the male-to-female ratios of entering and graduating classes of accredited film schools, I’d be willing to wager that there isn’t some huge conspiracy at work involved at that level. The hard truth of the matter is that most film school grads, regardless of their sex, never get work as directors. Of course, a lot of directors (like Jodie) don’t go to film school at all and enter the profession after acting for a period of time before deciding, “[W]hat I really want to do is direct.” From there, it’s a matter of starting small and moving onto directing bigger films. So what I think is at work here, rather than what Foster is defensively labeling as “race psychology,” is that fewer women actually decide that they want to direct because, honestly, having a huge ego (and being stubborn enough to push past obstacles rather than whining about them) is part of the job. Even Woody Allen has a massive ego, and if Jodie truly believes that she’s the only director who’s had to start with small, low-risk pictures, well, she’s completely wrong about that. Even actors that move into directing (George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Zach Braff) have to start with little indie films, and they often appear in their own films too (something that Jodie complained about as an example of what she, as a female, had so suffer through), which in turn saves the studios money. No director starts out with blockbuster budgets; in fact, many of the large-scale directors like Michael Bay started out directing music videos. Jodie never had to do that.

Honestly, if Jodie Foster wants to start pullng the “race psychology” card, she needs to do two things: (1) Get her hands on real statistics and not assume that women have it harder because of her own path; and (2) Surround herself with allies that don’t include anti-Semetic rageaholics and child rapists who believe it is okay to sodomize a women even when she says “no.” Without further ado, let’s review this trailer for The Beaver, which pretty much says it all about Jodie’s inability to see the larger picture in the capacity of director:

Photos courtesy of WENN and Fame Pictures