When Character Was Queen

"My wife."

With two words, Melissa Etheridge's acceptance speech at the Awards show this past Sunday did more for anyone who's ever felt handcuffed by other people's expectations (read that to mean all of us) than a dozen self-help books ever could. Not said in a challenging, combative, or other self-absorbed way. It was said with elegance and a natural flow that rose above anything that could be called defiance. This is not somebody making rah-rah speeches. She's simply doing it and we notice for ourselves what's possible when we believe in ourselves and don't accept anyone saying otherwise. It's the same thing she did for people coping with cancer when she walked on stage - no, not walked, strutted, hairless and proud and ready to kick some tail - at the Grammy Awards a couple of years ago and sang Janis' "Piece of My Heart" and left a whole lot of us thinking no one except Melissa should ever be allowed to sing that song. I don't get the idea Melissa Etheridge looks for big moments like that. I think it's more that when you're a person of character, those moments come naturally.

I'm still angry the Acadamy didn't do a proper retrospective on Anna Nicole Smith's career. Where's the respect?

One final note: If you ever get the chance to watch the Awards with friends as part of a coast-to-coast on-line party, catty comments about gowns and do's included, I recommend it as great fun. Thanks, Kate. :-)