YUPB Icon- Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Hepburn in "Little Women"
Originally uploaded by cliff1066

" Life is to be lived. If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well better find some way that is going to be interesting. And you don't do that by sitting around wondering about yourself."

Do you ever yearn for a time when celebrities were mysterious beings whose personal lives were beside the point. A time when Twats like Heidi and Spencer would be screened by directors and casting agents who would inevitably toss them aside once they recognized their obvious lack of substance?

I do *sigh*.

I wish there were more women in the entertainment industry as fascinating as Katharine Hepburn was, what with her raspy voice, strange mannerisms and crusty defiance. Now here was a woman worthy of not only the time it took to see one of her movies, but also the hard-earned money you plunked down for that privilege.

She went from being labeled "Box office poison" to becoming the first actress to win four Academy Awards and she did it while shunning the stifling moral code imposed on actresses working in 1940's Hollywood. She wore pants before it was acceptable to do so, refused roles that could lead to bimbo typecasting and publicly stated that she thought herself too selfish for children in an era where such behaviour could get you burned at the proverbial stake. Brave.

As the daughter of the co-founder of Planned Parenthood and early pro-choice advocate, Katharine came by her individualism and liberal ideals honestly. She was so intrinsically independent that, when she married, she insisted that her husband rearrange his name so that she wouldn't have to go by the boring moniker Kate Smith; she also insisted on continuing to work in theatre. Later, when she decided that marriage was limiting her potential, she went to Mexico on her own to obtain a divorce because she knew that she would get jerked around by a U.S. system that punished women who tried to abandon their prescribed role in life. Then, she went about f*cking whomever she pleased while landing the best roles in the business and enjoying a career that spanned six decades. High Five, Katharine!

She was a true firebrand, a feminist before it was fashionable to proclaim yourself as such and a no-nonsense woman who oozed self-respect; a sharp contrast to the "stars" we are subjected to today who have the style and appeal of a set of french manicured acrylic fingernails.(Scoff).

If you don't love her already, you should start today. They don't make them like this anymore.

By the way, On Golden Pond (for which she won an Oscar):
Best. Period. Movie. Ever.
Trust.

YUPB Icon- Tina Fey

tina-fey-writing
Originally uploaded by amatern

How do you not love Tina Fey? Admit it, the girl has got it goin' on.

Tina Fey first caught my attention as Jimmy Fallon's acerbic and bitingly funny co-anchor on Saturday Night Live wayyy back in the day (circa.2000). In five short years, between 1997 and 2002, she worked her way up to being SNL's first-ever female head writer. Now she's the star and executive producer of the funniest show on T.V., 30 Rock. (I can't even look at Tracey Morgan without laughing until I almost choke to death)

She's self-deprecating without being pitiable, scathing without being mean-spirited and hot without being tarty. Seriously, did you see her Sarah Palin impersonation during the U.S. election? Effing hilarious.


She meets all of the YUPB characteristics, she's successful completely on her own terms. Plus she called Paris Hilton a "piece of shit" on Howard Stern's radio show and was totally unapologetic about it. Word, Tina. Word.


Here's one of her gems:


"Polaroid is warning customers not to listen to the part of the Outkast song "Hey Ya!" that tells people to "shake it like a Polaroid picture", because that could actually ruin the pictures. In a related story, Bacardi is warning shorties to be responsible and not “sip Bacardi like it's Dey Birfday."