Two summers ago she was noticeably the worst actor in X-Men. Frankly, it takes a lot of effort (or a lot of drugs) to have your performance in a comic book movie stick out as being bad, considering you are pretty much surrounded by none-dimensional performances. After X-Men, her next role is in the John Travolta action flick Swordfish. People look at Monster's Ball and see good acting, but you have to wonder how things would be different if it weren't for Swordfish. If she didn't already have her "first onscreen nudity," how would that affect what the Entertainment Tonights of the world say (if anything) about the sex scenes of Monster's Ball. It seems too convenient not to be planned. She finally "plays ball" (no pun intended) in Swordfish, and then everything turns around.

Now, in interviews hyping the filming of the new James Bond movie, reporters ask if she is now too esteemed of an actress to be in the movie. (If so, someone give them Hillary Swank's number; she needs the work.)

However, I probably wouldn't even be thinking of Halle Berry at all if it wasn't for her speech at the Oscar's. Well, actually, not really her speech as much as the reaction to it, and not really the reaction to it as, specifically, the reaction to it in the British media. Spending Easter/Oscar week in the United Kingdom, instead of the usual Entertainment Tonight-style post Oscar hoopla reporting, I was treated to the British press' coverage.

There are many differences. First, the British press don't always know who they're interviewing. They ask Reese and Ryan where they saw the Oscars from, assuming that like them they didn't have the credentials necessary to make it inside, not knowing Ryan was in freaking Gosford Park which is a freaking British movie to begin with. However, more importantly, the British are British and being British they have to hold in their emotions. And not only do they hold in their emotions, they have to act all repulsed whenever someone does not hold in their emotions. Therefore, when Halle Berry went up to accept her award and the tears flowed, the British reacted with distaste.

To them, her speech was cringe-inducing. To them, her speech involved more acting than she displayed in Monster's Ball (hold that: they haven't gotten Monster's Ball yet). Article after article (literally lasting the entire week I was there) was run complaining about how shameful her outburst was. Maybe they just hate Halle. Maybe they were just hoping countrywoman Naomi, Iman, or Sharon from Real World London would have gotten that role in the new Bond movie. Who knows?

If you have any questions about the site, please send us an email. or stop by our message board. Look for our next issue on May 3rd. Thanks a heap.