Ask Ted Casablanca: Leonardo DiCaprio vs George Clooney

Dear Ted:
Seeing the Great Gatsby trailer (can't wait for the film!) has me thinking that it seems Leonardo DiCaprio is following in fellow A-lister George Clooney's footsteps: Good looks, respected career, short-lived relationships with models and other gorgeous women... Do you think Leo is so like George that he will remain a bachelor always?

Dear Bachelor Boys:
Look, K, you might think Leo's all about copying Clooney's love life, but trust, what the dude desires more is Clooney's career. George is an Oscar winner, and we all know how much Leo would love one of those little gold statues to call his own. As for his bachelor ways? If Leo does decide to settle down, it will be long before Clooney, that's for certain, but I wouldn't expect either dude to give up their bachelor lifestyles.

Read more: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I dont understand why Leo hasnt won an oscar. He's been a brilliant actor since he was little. Just watch "Whatever Happened to Gilbert Grape". I think Leo was 12 or 14 there.

I so agree with you, playful....I think he has delivered several Oscar worthy performances. Can't understand why he's been overlooked fpr so long......

Most likely he's been overlooked because the average age of most of the Academy members is 80! They probably think he's still too much of a "young whippersnapper" to deserve one! Brahahaha!


(Oh and before anyone gets all huffy at me - I've been to Academy events and although I'm exaggerating a bit - it's not by much!)

and yet, many young actors have won oscars, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, etc. I heard a while ago, that the reason he was the only person from Titanic to NOT win an oscar was because of his attitude. I was hoping that he grew out of the attitude phase and would win soon.

I was seriously pissed that he didn't get on for The Aviator.
I'm not a particular fan but he was brilliant in that role of
Howard Hughes, especially as it spanned his whole lifetime
and he changed and matured so well as the film moved along.
A brilliant film all round IMO

OK, back on my soap box. The academy does favor older actors, because they feel that the younger ones will have many more chances to be nominated. James Camerons' main casting director told me he felt that one actor in Titanic was good, and one definitely wasn't. Normally they hire private acting coaches (plural) to get a better performance out of the actors. Since stars are cast on their fame more than on their talent, this saves face. Always interesting to see actors nominated for awards, when the insiders know how crucial the acting coaches (plural) were to the performances. Personally I think Kate was the better actress, and has been better in her other roles. Leo is smart in keeping his name in the paps by dating a succession of supermodels. Easy to promote his future movies. Of course it always depends on who else is nominated, and the level of competition. Perhaps G would have won the Oscar if it had been a different year.

G has been nominated three times and each time he lost the reasoning was it wasn't his year. This year everyone thought he had it on his mantle and then at the last minute Harvey Weinstein's entry brought it home. I have always wondered how political the award system is. I have often thought the best films and actors haven't won and wondered why?

davidarochelle wrote:Normally they hire private acting coaches (plural) to get a better performance out of the actors. Since stars are cast on their fame more than on their talent, this saves face. Always interesting to see actors nominated for awards, when the insiders know how crucial the acting coaches (plural) were to the performances.

It makes more sense to me now why, when an actor does win, they normally go through such a litany of people to thank. It took a village to make an award winning performance.

I also can't understand why Leo has never won, only explanation is every time he's nominated there's always many other good performances to choose from. Sometimes I wonder if he just doesn't play the game.

Blubelle,
Do you think if the best performance of the year, according to the critics as well as the audience, was in a movie like Hangover II that that comedy actor would win the academy award? I actually liked that movie but I understood what it was supposed to be; very light entertainment. Several factors go into the nominating process, one of which is accumulated body of work, and another is likability of the actor. Also the riskiness of the role and the "outside the box" of the movie makes a huge difference. For example, "Platoon" was a very daring movie because "the powers that be" felt that the general public didn't want to "relive the horror and disappointment" of Viet Nam, and the after affects on the veterans. Were the actors rewarded because they demonstrated the most talent that year, or because they endured a difficult movie shoot that so many said would be a "career killer" to all?

DR, can you post your IMDB link? You sound like you really know your stuff, and I would love to see something that you've been in.

Playfuldeb,
Thank you. I have always enjoyed discussing and analyzing.
Live performances that I am most famous for in Hollywood and elsewhere are not listed on IMBD. While I've had some great principal roles in Vegas (webinars, infomercials, test pilots) they're also not on IMBD. Very strange when you show up on sets and prominent people know of your work.

Ok, then, how about links to your work. I'm sure I speak for all when I say I'd like to see you in action! But surely, you must also have an IMDB page; doesnt every actor?

Try googling my name, "Davida Rochelle" and I think you'll see my wedding video at The Little White Wedding Chapel (where G also got married), filmed live on Fox TV. I don't know how to set up the links for this or my many other projects. Yes I've had total strangers recognize me on the street, as well as the director when I did The Sopranos, and of course G. My live performances are more famous than my SAG principal work. That's why I haven't dealt with IMBD, just cashed in the big residuals. Recently I've done a slew of comedy and reality stuff as my forte is comedy improv. And I have tried to avoid this discussion because I don't want Katiedot mad at me for going off topic again.

Thanks for sharing. I did search google and found some interesting things, but no chapel video clip :- (

Playfuldeb,
I wish that I was more of a computer tech so that I could link that and the other work that I've done. I've had people tell me they enjoyed my performances, and not even been able to see them myself. Perhaps, one day. . .