I didn’t know anything about Sandra Bullock’s new film, The Blind Side, until I saw a preview for it last night. This one looks good, and I’m not joking. It’s not one of Sandra’s endless romantic comedies. It’s a film based on the true story of Leigh Anne Tuohy (played by Bullock), a rich Southern lady with a nice house, a nice husband and two nice kids. She meets a disadvantaged African-American kid and decides to adopt him – he later goes on to become a star athlete and a good student. I have to admit, these sort of “based on the true inspirational story” movies always get me a little misty-eyed. I was actually tearing up during the trailer. Sigh… I love when Sandra plays Southern. Those are her roots! Anyway, the film comes out November 20, and Sandra’s already gearing up her promotional duties. Here’s an excerpt from her Parade cover interview:
Her unexpected passion.
“I like to iron. Ironing is comfort. It’s control. I’m a nutty person who likes to make sure everything is in its place. I am a big ball of high energy and organization and structure. Don’t forget, I’m half-German.”She may play adorable onscreen, but in real life, she is driven.
“Listen, I know I’m not easy to deal with. I’m controlling, and I want everything orderly, and I need lists. My mind goes a mile a minute. I’m difficult on every single level. I’m aware that I can be annoying.”Her newest film, The Blind Side.
“It’s a film about people doing something for the betterment of someone else in the world. It deals with the ugly side of racial tension, which is still the truth of the South. I could really identify with my character’s determination and outspokenness. She faces some daunting challenges. I understood the fierce sense of what’s right and wrong that was driving her.”Just like mom.
“My mom was like that. She had blinders on. She did what she did and didn’t care what people thought. But as a kid, I was like, ‘Oh, dear God, please make her stop and be normal.’ I wanted an ordinary mom. My sister, Gesine, and I were lucky enough to be raised by a mother who did things unconventionally, and a father who was fine with the kids being raised that way. There was no gender in our house. I didn’t realize that I couldn’t do what boys could do, because my dad raised me as a boy.”Marriage was never on the to-do list.
“I didn’t grow up thinking, ‘I’m gonna get married and have someone take care of me. I always wanted to be happy, have a good time, work hard.”Serendipity brought Bullock together with husband Jesse James. The two met when she went to his bike shop to introduce him to her godson, who was a fan.
“After that meeting, Jesse tracked me down. I had no intention of going out with him. I said no for a month, but then I got to know him. I wasn’t looking for a relationship, but he committed for the long haul.”Finding a partner for life.
“It’s lucky when you have a partner. It took someone like him who was unafraid. My energy can be daunting. Do you really want to wake up to this at 5 in the morning? Apparently, he did.”A changed woman.
“I was good at bolting before. I didn’t want to do the work. And I was too selfish to have kids. Now I work at what I love. If I didn’t love him, I wouldn’t be putting in the effort. I do approach things differently now that I’m married. I would never do anything that would harm his heart.”Falling into step-motherhood.
“The universe put this in our lap. I seemed to have stepped in right when I needed to be there. I now know that anything sweet, really sweet, that I have was nothing that I planned. If you don’t have kids and animals, you don’t truly know what real life is about.”Embracing her own unconventional nature.
“I never did anything according to what anyone else wanted. That’s why I think I am happy. I do everything 100%–even my stupidest missteps. I know when I’m getting ready to mess up, I’m going to do it full-on. That’s the way I was as a kid. Even into adulthood, I look back at some things and go, ‘I can’t believe I did that.’ But I can also go back and say, ‘I did that, I know I’m responsible for that, and I can make amends,’ and we can all laugh at it, because it’s my mistake. I try not to blame it on anyone else unless I fully know it was their fault–and then I have no problem pointing the finger.Living with no regrets.
“I have to fight every single day to live my true life. I don’t ever want to come home saying, ‘I should have spoken my mind. I shouldn’t have let someone say something that I didn’t feel was right.’ [But] I have to remember that there’s a balance. I’m in the entertainment business. We’re here to entertain people, to make them laugh and forget.”
[From Parade]
I like Sandra generally (I don’t adore her like many do, but I do genuinely like her), but she sometimes ventures into that self-help-type lingo that leaves me cold. I also think her comments about being a step-mom are interesting, considering many are reporting that her step-daughter’s custody battle is heating up. I won’t put my two cents in about that one, just pointing it out. Anyway, I think this film is a smart move for her, and it looks like a good one if you’re in the mood to have a good cry.
Here’s the trailer for The Blind Side:
I love her!
I love Sandra Bullock. She’s one of the good ones!
I couldn’t agree more Stacy
Nice new cheek implants (see George Clooney post to the right in ‘Hot Posts’). Wow. Regular,schmegular European descendants are all of a sudden recognizing the beauty one sees naturally when heading to Northern Canadian towns. She was always plain but looks great just like the Dr. says in that cheek implant link.
Kaiser, she was born in Northern Virginia. That’s not really the South. She sometimes lives in Austin, which is like living in Berkely. Southern? About as much as I am, hailing from CT and NJ and living in central FL.
“It deals with the ugly side of racial tension, which is still the truth of the South.”
NOT. EXACTLY. SANDRA. I’m not going to write an essay about it but good lord, lady. Open your eyes. Racism is everywhere, and the South isn’t the backwards place you hear about in – oh I don’t know – movies.
I like her too, but why is she suddenly appearing everywhere?
Her dad is from Alabama, and she went to ECU. Greenville, NC is definitely southern.
I’m pretty sure Sandra isn’t Southern…she was born in a D.C. suburb and grew up in Germany I believe?
i like some of her work, but that last movie steve something, she was all wrong for the role!!!!!
This new movie looks better.
I like her a LOT! Looks like a Kleenex kinda movie… sweet!
Whoa Sumodo…Northern VA (where I was born and raised) is definitely part of the South, despite the takeover by Yankees in the last…oh, ten or so years. Robert E. Lee was from Alexandria/Arlington, Manassas was a Confederate stronghold, etc. Now, it is not the DEEP South, granted, but it IS the South.
bo-
Agreed. I now live in the “Deep South” and honestly, it is a lot more tolerant than Northern VA ever was. We may have less diversity, but the people we do have that aren’t Southern natives are treated as respectfully and with as much consideration as anyone else. But it’s OK that people think that the South is full of inbred yokels, because it keeps the Yankees out of here. And I am DEEPLY invested in keeping them out, because I saw what they did to my home state, and do not want a repeat…because where is left for me to flee to to get away from them?
I usually like Sandra, but she definitely lacks a true understanding of the people, culture and attitudes of the “New South”, so perhaps she should shut her mouth, lest she appear ignorant…OOPS, TOO LATE!
Oh, forgot to add…we had an international festival here last weekend in my little city, and while it wasn’t as grand as one held in the DC area, it was WAY nicer, and people were way more cool and open minded, trying food from the different cultures, etc. Not a bunch of inbred yokels like Sandra seems to think. But you won’t see her here on the “Redneck Riviera”, or likely in any other part of this so called “racist” area, so she really needs to shut her mouth. I am SO SICK OF THIS SH*T, RAAAAGH!!!
she seems like a happy person, which is nice to see when so many celebs bitch and moan about how hard their lives are. i am from richmond, VA and lived many years in south carolina and new orleans, but i have also lived in new england, and i don’t think the south is more racist than anywhere else. southerners are just alot more open about it. people in other places try to hide it but it always comes out in conversation.
I hope this comes out in Switzerland, I have been watching a lot of Sandra Bullock for work lately and I have a newfound appreciation for her work. Let’s hope it doesn’t go under before it reaches Zurich.
Oh and BTW, that is a classic Dr. Peter Wong of Stony Brook/Manhattan eye job if I ever did see one. His eye work is the best. He’s also an opthamologist, so figures.
Ahh… No, I’m not crying..I’m..cutting invisible onions..yeah.
Uh… Northern Virginia is the South. Just follow the Confederate flags if you don’t believe me.
Original Kate – ITA with you. Southerners aren’t any more or less racist than other Americans, we just put our sh-t out in the open.
TwinkleToes
The cheek implant speculations you have on every celebrity you see is funny!!
I promise, I’m not trying to be rude, but I do get a chuckle out of it.
I love, love, love Sandra Bullock.
She doesnt pretend to be better, shes just herself. I would love to meet her, I think she is awesome.
Don’t white people ever get tired of making these movies where they save some minority? Cuz we do.
yea,i just saw these pics and thought ‘did she get cheek implants’…SO LAME.
Here I thought she was going to develop her physical comedy-a la carol burnett,bernadette peters,steve martin…
But NOoooo instead she just gets more new agey,more PC,more hollywood and more rom-coms in our face. Okay,and the occasional ‘after school special turned into a movie’ like this sh*t.
I hate inspirational based ona true story.
They are always so manipulative,boring and trite,to me. emotionally manipulative-and they are lazy films,honestly. They have an agenda for what they want the audience to feel and see,and they have a storyline already lived out for them to go on..
blek. SO uninteresting.
Literature made into movie is usually far better,IMO,than this c*rap.
Like we don’t all know that f’ed up things happen to people,or hardship happens?
These types of films always end up being so hollywood glamourous,too. (ie Monster,etc)….like it’s an ‘homage’ to a particular story or person. Fakery.
oh,and inevitably,the word will be that these types of films ‘inspire us’ to do ‘good for others’ and ‘make life count’.
Like we’re all flipping morons who cannot possibly realize that people around us may need a helping hand.
Of course,most of the time,the people who say this are saying it on behalf of ‘everyone else’. B/C noone thinks they are the one being inspired by it.
ANyway,if there are ppl who are not aware that they can step up to the plate to help others,they sure as heck are not watching this type of movie-and probably are in a position to actually need some help.
No,we do NOT need to know people’s stories like this. Just. No.
WTF-
Yeah, I myself find it pretty insulting, it’s insinuating that minorities need “Captain Whitey” to save them from themselves, which to me is a more insidious, subtle (but no less damaging) form of racism. At least when people are open about their racist beliefs, we can combat it and maybe show them the error of their ways, but with this new type of racism, it’s a lot less obvious, unless you know what you’re looking at. However, it’s no less dangerous or harmful to the goal of viewing minorities as equals. These people do more damage than good with this crap, at least IMO.
Katy, why is it funny? Look at the header shot. This babe never, ever had those fab cheeks, either did Madonna and so many. See, I know, because I have those cheeks naturally, so I notice when a celeb gets my best feature that they never had before. I guess you weren’t blessed with some Native American genes. That is the reason behind why Americans are so dashing, looks wise.
TwinkleToes, I always enjoy your insider comments. I agree it looks like Sandra has had something done to her cheeks and eyes, and it was a good job.
I too have those Native American cheekbones and a strong jawline as well. My grandfather was part Choctaw.
I saw the commerch for the film last night and I just about teared up! I think she looks fantastic in it as does the rest of the cast.
As for the custody, I just hope she remains fair to the bio mom’s needs, rights and wants. It’s not like she wasn’t a porn star long before she had the child in question.
She looks really pretty in these pictures. Her hair is always better darker.
I teared up a little at the preview too. I know a lot of people see movies like this as being “Mighty Whitey” driven, but in some cases, it does take someone with a different viewpoint of life and the ability to see outside themselves to change things. And unfortunately, “white” people are usually the ones who have the power, money and influence to do things, once they manage to understand what another race is going through.
Or maybe, the person the story is based on is just a nice, sweet, loving person who did something really kind for an unfortunate young man.
The looks like a good movie but if done wrong could be really sappy.
WTF and Pickelhaub, I appreciate your thoughts on the messages that Hollywood sends out regarding race. My question is, is it less insulting because it was a true story? (Which I haven’t done any of the research on, so maybe they’ve skewed that aspect of it.) I would agree one hundred and ten percent if the story were fictitious, but isn’t it a fact of life that there are some seriously over-indulged white people and some very oppressed black people. In this case one helped the other (and of course the spin will be that he gave her a soul which she couldn’t have gotten from her materialistic hedonistic life without him – if they stick to formula.)
Whoops, got long-winded there. Does fiction or non-fiction make a difference when telling this same old story?
She probably has botoxed her wrinkles but I doubt she had cheek implants. She puckered her mouth in the 1st photo that’s why she looks like that.
I’m tired of people acting like racial tension is unique to the South. I have lived in Philadelphia, Manhattan, and Houston, and Philadelphia by far was the most racially tense place that I have ever been. This was in the mid nineties and the suburbs and neighborhoods were very segregated. I was placing temps on jobs and the African American temps were afraid to work in South Philly, etc. But I am not intending to bash Philadelphia, because it is a truly beautiful city with tons of culture and history.
I live in Los Angeles and we have racism here too. It’s not just the South, believe me. But, the Southerners are just more honest, as I have friends who moved to Texas, and boy, do they have stories to tell. I find it funny that we have a half-black president and yet there are people out there who are still stuck in the 1940s. I just don’t get it.
Yeah, she grew up in Fürth, Bavaria until she was 12 since her mother sung at the opera in neighboring Nuremberg.
She took some acting classes at East Carolina University in NC, though, but mostly her being southern would have to mean southern German.
speaking of homewreckers. Sandy stole Jessie james when his porn star wife was pregnant. Ha! Oh, but she’s America’s Sweetheart.
I was thinking she looked like Janice Dickenson in the 1st pic! Stay away from tan grease, Sandra!
Sandra is a great actress. Her new movie looks good.
She’s awesome. I’ll watch Crash over and over just to see the power she delivers.
“I just hope she remains fair to the bio mom’s needs, rights and wants”
Who cares about the bio mom’s needs, rights and wants? It’s the best interest of the child that matters.
Stop with all the plastic sugery already!! She used to be pretty – now she is starting to look scary
I don’t know whether everywhere else is truly just as racist as the Deep South, but anyone who tries to paint a picture that racism isn’t still prevalent here is either racist or delusional. Although, I will grant that there is at least a pretty big difference in outspokenness between rural and more cosmopolitan locations.
Let’s not forget that the JP that denied the marriage license to the interracial couple wasn’t from Ohio, New Hampshire, or Idaho, but Louisiana.
Wow, Sandra Bullock looks like Janice Dickerson in that first picture….
Easy on the botox Sandra, or you will start to look like Nicole Kidman.
she has a house on tybee island– off GA coast– has had it since she filmed that movie with ben affleck — forces of nature
I think the problem here is that people are trying to act like “The South” is one big homogenous area with the exact same attitudes in every place. It’s not like that. The “South” is 13 states, it’s a HUGE area, so things are not going to be uniform throughout, every area is different, even within one state. So to say that all of the South is racist is just not the case. It’s not to say that there AREN’T areas that are racist, but to paint the whole South as racist is just idiotic.
Also, you have to wonder WHY there’s this prevalent idea that the whole South is racist. It is always propagated by movies and other media, but why do they do that? It’s actually pretty obvious if you think about it….
@Twinkle Toes
It’s funny because you seem to say that about every celebrity. Particularly, Angelina Jolie, who has always had high cheekbones. I understand why in some photos they look like it (angle, facial expression), but let’s face it, you’re speculating. Doesn’t make it true.
By the way, I’m not Native American, but I’m Russian. My cheekbones will give some a run for their money 🙂
Native Americans do have some amazing cheekbones. I won’t deny that.
I think she’s a great actress and very real. I don’t care if she did anything to herself, she seems to be down to earth and not annoying and she’s not posing half naked in every possible mag just to prove you look good at 40 (take a hint Aniston). One of the very few that you can call “an actress” that could actually deliver
Katayusha,
Same gene pool likely contributing to that look in the Russians since evidence is excellent that the Native Americans came from an indigenous Eurasian peoples.
@DHavy-There are plenty of 40-plus actresses who pose semi nude in magazines, so why pick on Aniston? I do not get this constant hate on her. Even in a post about SANDRA BULLOCK, Aniston makes it in the post in some convoluted way. With people like you, Aniston needs no PR team, because you people keep her in the news even when it isn’t even about her.
When I read Sandra Bullock said that racism was the Truth of the South, I only gave it a second thought. Being married to one of the nation’s most popular rednecks would lead one to believe that; she’s around that sort of thing on a daily basis.
I was born and educated in Atlanta, GA and had friends whose roots were from every part of this world. Never did anyone play the racism card; everyone was equally invited to all events, we considered ourselves to be friends.
For an idiot from Hollywood to say something like this only shows her true feelings, and the racism in her own home must run deep and real. I feel sorry for her and how stupidly she was brought up.
I couldn’t get to the trash can fast enough to dump her movies we own; secondhand, of course, she doesn’t act well enough to warrant buying one at full price.
I actually cried at the preview and I am looking forward to the movie…except I don’t want to bawl my eyes out in theaters.
Okay. I’ll say it again. I love her!!