Monday, February 7, 2011

Melissa Leo criticized for promoting Melissa Leo

Deadline Hollywood reported on Friday that Stone Ridge actress and Oscar favorite Melissa Leo personally paid for ads in the Hollywood trade press.

“I took matters into my own hands. I knew what I was doing and told my representation how earnest I was about this idea. I had never heard of any actor taking out an ad as themselves and I wanted to give it a shot."
“I am quite certain I have not overstepped any boundaries of the Academy," Leo told Deadline's Pete Hammond.

The snarky guys at Gawker are not happy, though: "she seems like a secretly vain person who now finally has a reason to go public with it," wrote Richard Lawson.

Ouch.

Leo also has a website now.

UPDATE: The New York Times chimes in: "as the front-runner in her category, why did she risk overreaching?"
Her response to the gray lady?
"This entire awards process to some degree is about pimping yourself out."