Fresno's gorgeous and talented Audra McDonald has a two-page spread, including a lovely full-page portrait, in this week's Entertainment Weekly. It's a typically honest and charming interview with Audra, promoting her appearance in "Raisin in the Sun," which will be on at 8 p.m. next Monday, Channel 30.
In the small-type sidebar of the story, however, she says that all is not rave reviews in her life. When she assumed the role of Dr. Bennett in "Private Practice" there was an uproar. "People said, 'She looks like a man. She's not pretty. She's fat. She's not talented.' "
McDonald actually took it very hard for awhile. But then her sense of humor -- or her sensible Fresno roots -- kicked in. "I started to joke, 'I'm just your average transvestite trying to get a job on TV.' "
I'm not sure if these critics were insiders, delusional audience members or just bitten by the stupid bug, but some people need a serious slap in the face... With such incredibly narrow ideas of who's beautiful and who's not, no wonder so many young American women have body-image issues.
Good for Audra for being a good role model and putting down such nonsense with humor. It's a potent weapon also used by that other so-called fat chick, Tyra Banks, who's featured on the cover of the same magazine. The cover story, by the way, focuses on Tyra's expanding empire, not her expanding waistline. Her company logo is a bank vault. Love it. As they say, living well is the best revenge.
Actually, Tyra is way more direct than Audra. Speaking for all women who are constantly judged and criticized for being less than perfect, Tyra didn't cry, she said, "Kiss my fat ass!" Here she is in the video on YouTube that's got 342,628 hits and if that's not enough, here's a longer video that's got 1,334,026 hits.
They were bit by the stupid bug. Audra is a beautiful woman and quite a good actress on Private Practice. She in no way looks like a man nor fat. Quite obviously those that said those things are probably what they say she is.
These so called critics need to go back to school and review the difference between fact and fiction. Audra is a fine actress and vocalist highly trained. This is television, a form of fictional entertainment. Nothing more. These critics are too young to remember Julie Andrews in Victor/Victoria.
Leave her alone.
Audra looks every bit a very attractive woman. The numbskulls who made those criticisms sound like they have a lot of growing up to do (but probably little chance of that ever happening).
There was a time when immature boors like that would have been marginalized by society. Now, they're likely to end up with their own radio talk shows.