Lately, Katie Holmes has been doing a lot of what she does best; that is, she’s been shopping, walking around in workout gear (look at those lifts!), and carrying around chocolate-laden coffee drinks. She has a few movies coming out soon (which are described below), including a decent-looking horror flick that will probably survive regardless of her horrific performance. Oddly enough, one of Katie’s bragging points is that Al Pacino appears in two of her upcoming films, which is rather hilarious at best. I mean, I love Pacino to death, but none of his movies from the past decade have gone anywhere. So why do the B- and C-list actors continue to use his name as a justification for appearing in bad films? It’s a question for the ages.

At any rate, the Women In Film association shall hold a fund-raising gala tonight to honor this year’s “highly accomplished” honorees, which includes “Face of the Future” Katie Holmes, who has been described in very press-friendly language as a “powerhouse” alongside the likes of fellow honoree Annette Bening. No kidding.

In preparation for the ceremony, Katie’s been interviewed by Variety alongside the other women who will be honored tonight. All of them (besides Katie) are indeed accomplished actresses, directors, or cinematographers, and they’ve all be asked to express their dreams for the future. When the time arrived, the zombified one staggered forth and recited some vapid yet well-rehearsed remarks:

The wish to play a femme fatale from the 1940s or 1950s is surprising for Max Mara’s Face of the Future honoree Holmes. The star of the recent miniseries “The Kennedys” longs to do another period piece for either television or film and play “someone glamorous, a combination of Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe.”

“They’re very different but bring together in one character that ladylike feeling and that pain and also the strength. It’s something I’m interested in exploring,” she says.

Her dream director is one that got away, the legendary Billy Wilder.

“Some Like It Hot and The Apartment are brilliant,” the actress enthuses. “I would have loved to have worked with Wilder.”

This year, Holmes co-stars in three pics: the thriller Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, with Guy Pearce and Bailee Madison; the comedy Jack and Jill, with Adam Sandler and Al Pacino (“It can’t be anything but wet-your-pants funny”); and action drama The Son of No One, with Channing Tatum and Pacino.

Despite all the film activity, Holmes still aspires to return to the boards.

“Broadway wasn’t a one-time thing for me,” says the star of the 2008 revival of All My Sons. “I am constantly reading plays, and I want to go back if they’ll have me.”

[From Variety]

Face of the Future. Okay, so Katie technically started acting when she was 19-years-old in 1997’s The Ice Storm, and then she did five years of “Dawson’s Creek,” but shortly afterwards began to slide into obscurity until the Unhinged, Lift-Wearing Midget rescued her. Or imprisoned her. Whatever.

My point is, Katie’s been more or less “in the business” for fourteen years (well past the stage of potential “ingenue”), and she’s enjoyed a pretty disastrous run to boot. For certain, Hollywood has given Katie plenty of chances to prove her mettle, but she has always reverted back to the same habit of talking out of her mouth for every character that she plays. To be perfectly blunt, her acting career has absolutely no potential for growth. Have you ever heard anyone exclaim, “I really want to see that new Katie Holmes movie this weekend!”? That’s never been the case.

So why, at this stage of the game, has Katie Holmes been honored as the “Face of the Future” by the Women In Film association?

Photos courtesy of Fame Pictures