Okay, everyone in the Western Hemisphere knows that Howard Stern is kind of an asshole. But he's always been "the people's asshole," if you will, who thrives on making the statements the rest of us have thought but would never speak aloud. That said, the Sirius shock jock's latest rant du jour concerns "Precious" star and Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe.
The obese 26-year-old Sidibe is being hailed as a modern-day Cinderella, having been plucked from relative obscurity to play Precious Jones, but Stern insists she's headed right back where she came from.
“Everyone’s pretending she’s a part of show business and she’s never going to be in another movie. She should have gotten the Best Actress award because she’s never going to have another shot. What movie is she gonna be in?”
We love Sidibe's refreshing lack of attitude on talk shows and we thought she was great in Precious... but Stern's point is valid. The great, terrible star-making machine has a tendency to seize on gimmicks, milk them for all they're worth and drop them. This ain't just Hollywood, but the fashion world too (Tavi, anyone? God only knows what's gonna happen to her when she turns 16).
The last time an obese woman was featured this heavily in a movie, it was Darlene Cates in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," who popped up in a few more films by virtue of her weight before she faded away. Like Cates, maybe Sidibe can't be a Cinderella-- she can just be a "type."
Sidibe has secured two more roles on a Laura Linney Showtime comedy called The C Word and the film "Yelling To The Sky." Here's hoping she proves Stern wrong and knocks both out of the park. We're rooting for you, Gabourey.
