Eight

Coming in at number eight is Audrey Hepburn. An actress who is remembered more so for being an icon than an actress, a la Marilyn Monroe. But if you ask me, Audrey Hepburn was a hell of an actress and too bad people don't quite know that. Of course she was beautiful, and glamorous, and stylish, and her speaking voice could melt your heart, but above all else, she was a real actress.


Her most famous film is of course 1961's Breakfast at Tiffany's. In this film, Audrey plays the free-spirited and (seemingly) carefree Holly Golightly, a young call girl living in New York City. Always on the lookout for a nice millionaire to marry, she doesn't notice that her downstairs neighbor is absolutely crazy about her.

Originally, the character was written with Marilyn Monroe in mind, and author Truman Capote apparently threw a fit when Audrey was cast instead. But it was for the best. Audrey took a character who was originally hard-bitten and honestly, quite unlikable, and gave her a softer, more vulnerable core surrounded by a tough shell. She tries her best to act like everything is wonderful when, quite frankly, it isn't. I'm not as sure that Marilyn Monroe would have been able to give Holly more complex layers as Audrey was able to.

In 1964, Audrey beat out all other competition for the role of Eliza Doolittle in the film version of My Fair Lady. (Competition included Elizabeth Taylor and Julie Andrews). Directed by George Cukor, Audrey deftly played the ultimate ugly duckling role with sympathy and a bit more depth than originally written.

But  the movie that I remember Audrey Hepburn most for is 1953's Roman Holiday. She plays a princess on the lam who falls in love with newspaperman Gregory Peck. Since I don't believe in spoilers, I won't give anything away, except that Roman Holiday has one of my favorite movie endings ever.

When Roman Holiday was being made, Audrey Hepburn was not a big star. As such, her original credit was supposed to come after the title of the film. However, Gregory Peck realized that she was absolute magic and insisted that her name come above the title, after his. After Roman Holiday was released, the whole world realized Audrey's magic and fell under her spell. She would be awarded with film's highest honor for her performance in the film, the Academy Award as Best Actress of the year.

But above all the movies and the great style, the beautiful, quiet speaking voice, the elegance and poise, what made Audrey Hepburn so special was her heart. She retired and joined forces with UNICEF to help children in poverty and war ravaged areas that nobody else dared go near. Long before it was fahionable for celebrities to champoin a cause, Audrey Hepburn brought awareness and spoke for those who couldn't help or speak for themselves. Even today, nearly twenty years after her death, the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund continues to aid those in need. She was also posthumusly awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in recognition of her outstanding charity work and in honor of a remarkable woman.

Je suis en colere

Day 01 — Your favorite song
Day 02 — Your favorite movie
Day 03 — Your favorite television program
Day 04 — Your favorite book
Day 05 — Your favorite quote
Day 06 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 — A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 — A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 — A photo you took
Day 10 — A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 — A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 — A fictional book
Day 14 — A non-fictional book
Day 15 — A fanfic
Day 16 — A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 — An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 — A talent of yours
Day 20 — A hobby of yours
Day 21 — A recipe
Day 22 — A website
Day 23 — A YouTube video
Day 24 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 — Your day, in great detail
Day 26 — Your week, in great detail
Day 27 — This month, in great detail
Day 28 — This year, in great detail
Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 — Whatever tickles your fancy

Quite frankly, I have seen a lot of photos that made me angry and sad. Among them: Marilyn Monroe post-autopsy, the stolen picture of River Phoenix in his casket, the famous Kent State picture, and that little girl being burned by napalm. But this photo really just makes me completely livid.

Seriously? Whose bright idea was this? Who in their right mind would even think to compare someone like Paris Hilton to Audrey Hepburn? It's like likening  a turd to a sunrise. Honestly, look at this dog-faced, lazy-eyed creature. She's not even pretty. And by the way, I am not one to judge someone based on the way they look. But seriously, this goes way too far.  Not to mention that Paris Hilton hasn't got  any amount of class. Audrey Hepburn was one of the most beautiful, classiest, most down to earth women ever, and she truly made the world a brighter place to be in. Not only did she stay classy her entire life, but she also used her fame to help other people who could never begin to help themselves. She went all over the world with UNICEF and would come back to America pleading for help on behalf of the children she had just visited. What has Paris Hilton ever done to help others in need? Has she ever been so selfless as to put her own wants and needs on the side to take care of someone else? I'm not sure, but I really don't think so.

All in all, this photo is just ridiculous.