Copious Notes

Steve Kazee with his Tony Award for best actor in a musical and Jennifer Lawrence with her Oscar for best actress. © AP photos.

Something nudged me after Louisville’s Jennifer Lawrence accepted her Oscar for best actress last night: watching a Kentucky native walk off with a major acting award was not an exotic thing to see. And no, I am not going back to George Clooney’s 2006 best supporting actor win for Syriana.

I’m just going back to last June, when Ashland’s Steve Kazee took home the Tony Award for best actor in a musical for Once.

The question I had to answer for myself before I went to bed this morning was, has any other state, aside from the usual suspects of New York and California, produced two major acting award winners in the past year? We’re talking Emmy, Tony, Oscar — I tried to find a comparable Grammy category and could not.

The answer was no, even drilling down to supporting player awards, and not even California. Now if you want to win a major acting award, being born in New York is a really good idea — particularly Manhattan. But after that, at least in 2012-13, having an old Kentucky home seemed to be as helpful as anything.

Of course, we have long known there is talent in the Bluegrass State, from the music of Loretta Lynn to the performances of the late Patricia Neal.

But what I really like about these two wins is Lawrence and Kazee probably wouldn’t have been the two performers you’d expect to create a one-two hit for Kentucky just a few years ago.  Before breaking out in Winter’s Bone, then teenage Lawrence was relatively unknown. And Kazee had the chops but was struggling to find that breakout Broadway role.

It’s a nice message to send to aspiring performers across the Commonwealth: As much as we are subject to stereotypes and self-loathing, there is a rich culture here. And it is entirely possible to come from Kentucky and reach the pinnacles of artistic success, even without a last name like Judd or Clooney. Just watch the big award ceremonies.

Ashley Judd spoke to about 1,000 people on the steps of the state capitol in Frankfort on Feb. 17, 2009, as part of the “I Love Mountains rally” against mountaintop-removal coal mining. © Herald-Leader staff photo by Tom Eblen.

Photo Gallery: Ashley Judd as actress and activist.

We probably should have seen this coming at some point, but it was a surprise last week when, shortly after the presidential election wrapped up, a rumor starting floating that actress Ashley Judd might take on Kentucky’s senior U.S. Senator, Mitch McConnell, in 2014.

Of course, there were the knee-jerk reactions from people who don’t like the idea of celebrities running for office, those whose business is mocking everything (we saw you, Gawker), and those who disagree with Judd’s liberal viewpoints, particularly on coal.

But we should have seen this coming. In the past decade, Judd, 44, has devoted as much, if not more, time to politics and activism as she has to acting. She notably went back to school to earn a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard in 2010. Let’s check that chatter about her not being a serious commenter on issues right now.

People who complain about entertainers getting into politics are really complaining about entertainers who disagree with their viewpoints getting into politics. Talk to those opposed to Hollywood’s typically leftist politics and you’ll probably find many who count Bedtime for Bonzo star Ronald Reagan as their favorite president.

Judd is an entertainer with a serious interest in politics, a liberal with deep roots, although not current residence, in what is an increasingly conservative state.

Should she run?

Here are some things to consider.

She would be taking on one of the most powerful men in the country, and arguably the most powerful politician in Kentucky. Stepping into a U.S. Senate race against McConnell could be a akin to stepping into the boxing ring for the first time against another Kentuckian, Muhammad Ali.

But maybe not Ali in his prime.

In 2008, the most recent time McConnell, 70, was up for re-election, Bruce Lunsford gave him something of a race, losing by little more than 100,000 votes. After last week’s election, McConnell looks weaker: Republicans lost Senate seats, and he did not achieve his stated goal of Republicans of making Barack Obama a one-term president. As  a big-name opponent with a lot of friends around the country, Judd might give McConnell a stiff challenge.

But so could some other Democrats. Despite the redness in the commonwealth on a federal level, there are a few Kentucky Democrats who probably are considering runs against McConnell. Judd could risk alienating some of those in the party if she is perceived to be stepping ahead in line.

Then there are the voters. Judd is one of the chief cheerleaders for one of the great uniters in the Bluegrass State: the University of Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team. But she is a controversial person, particularly in her homeland, Eastern Kentucky, where she is perceived to be anti-coal, after her participation in a number of rallies against moutaintop-removal coal mining. She might want to call up outgoing U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler (D-Versailles) for some tips on what being perceived as anti-coal can do to your prospects in a Kentucky election.

That and her international activism have earned her a reputation as being more concerned with issues overseas and international political compatriots such as Bono than with the struggles of her fellow Eastern Kentuckians.

If Judd is to have a prayer of winning, she would have a lot of work to do to convince Eastern Kentucky, particularly coal miners and her families, that she is concerned about them and will represent their concerns, and that her issues are with the mining executives, not the men and women who go underground every day to support their families. Judd would need to come up with concrete ideas on how Eastern Kentucky can prosper in a post-coal era.

She would also have to re-establish Kentucky residency to run; where she chooses to live could make a big statement.

And yes, Judd will have to convince skeptics that she is a serious candidate, even with that Harvard degree. It’s not an easy trick to pull off, but there are precedents. If she is considering a run, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) ought to be one of the first phone calls she makes. He made the journey from comedian to legislator fairly well.

She might also call her screen buddy Morgan Freeman to voice over some ads for her. It seemed to work for Obama.

If Judd does run, it would be the Senate race of the year in 2014, particularly if the next two years are rocky for Republicans and McConnell. Regardless, the contest could make her wish she was pursuing Oscars instead of public office. Political opponents and the media make movie critics and celebrity tabloid writers look downright congenial.

It’s all up to Judd, if she wants to throw her Derby hat into the ring.

Pioneer Playhouse presents Elizabeth Orndorff’s High Strangeness a play inspired by the alleged alien abduction of three women on U.S. 78 between Stanford and Hustonville, Ky., in 1976. In this scene from the show, which opens tonight (July 24) and runs to Aug. 4, the women (actresses Mary Hodges, Katie Nykanen and Patricia Hammond) report their experience to a government official.

Watch for more on the show later this week here and at LexGo.com.

Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz of the History Channel's "American Pickers." © History Channel photo by Joey L.

The History channel’s American Pickers is coming to Central Kentucky in March, and hosts Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz want to see your junk. It could become their treasures.

For the uninitiated, American Pickers is a History channel show in which Wolfe and Fritz travel the country looking for discarded items or pieces people may have a sense is valuable, though they don’t know what to do with it. Wolfe and Fritz work to restore items back to their former glory. Along the way, there are usually some lessons about history and culture.

The show’s website says, “If you think the antique business is all about upscale boutiques and buttoned-up dealers, this show may change your mind – and teach you a thing or two about American history along the way.”

With their Kentucky visit coming up, History sent out a list of items they are looking for, including places like barns, deserted buildings, basements and items like  pre-1950s vending machines, taxidermy, early Boy Scout items, old rodeo items, folk art, vintage BB guns and cap guns, vintage election memorabilia, vintage gas pumps, strange woodcarvings, Civil War antiques and vintage collegiate collectibles.

If you think you have an item the pickers might be interested in, email AmericanPickers@Cineflix.com or call (646) 493-2184.