For many best-actress Oscar winners, the award has been a bad-luck charm for matters of the heart. More than a handful of leading ladies have parted ways with their significant others after snagging a statuette — from the Golden Age of Hollywood (Bette Davis and first husband Harmon Nelson) to the '70s (Barbra Streisand and Elliott Gould) to the turn of the millennium (Helen Hunt and Hank Azaria). In the past week, Kate Winslet split from Sam Mendes, while Jesse James has apologized to his wife, 2009 Academy Award best-actress winner Sandra Bullock, after reports of infidelity surfaced. The future of Bullock and James' relationship is unclear, but the so-called "curse" has reared its ugly head frequently of late. Let's take a look at the last 10 best-actress winners:
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Who is keeping a much-deserved category out of the annual gold-grab, and why? The Casting Society of America, whose efforts have long been overlooked by the Academy Awards, has launched an e-mail campaign urging AMPAS to add a category to the annual kudoscast. "I've been fighting for it for over 30 years," CSA president Mike Fenton (who has cast such films as Godfather II and E.T.) tells the New York Daily News. Alas, the way the Academy sees it, directors theoretically have "final say" on who fills what roles. As such, the Directors Guild is wont to squash the CSA's bid. "It's a very sensitive issue," helmer Taylor Hackford tells the News. "[Talk of a casting category] will cause dissension in the ranks."
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While Taylor Hackford is best known for directing dramas like An Officer and a Gentleman, The Devil's Advocate and Ray, his documentaries may be some of his most interesting work. After getting his start as an investigative reporter for public television in Los Angeles, the silver-bearded cineaste went on to helm 1987's
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In CBS' recently premiered Love Monkey (Tuesdays at 10 pm/ET), Ed alum Tom Cavanagh is flanked by a trio of buds, including Jason Priestley's dad-to-be, Mike, and Christopher Wiehl's onetime baseball stud, Jake. Rounding out the close-knit quartet is Shooter, played by Larenz Tate, with whom TVGuide.com went one-on-one in this Q&A.
TVGuide.com: Some have likened Love Monkey to Sex and the City, but with guys and music. In that scheme of things, who is Shooter — Samantha?Larenz Tate: Yeah, that's what everyone is saying. Our show clearly stands on its own, but if I had to compare, he'd be the
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