I was really glad to see that Melissa Leo was able to pull out the Oscar win. It was looking really shaky there at the end when she got slammed for her “consider” ads. People felt the ads were tacky and that the reeked of her wanting it too badly. Of course she wanted it badly. You could see it in her every breath. What is so wrong with wanting it badly?

She was punished in the press for being a little too big for her britches. You know what happens to women when they color outside the lines — they have to be reigned in.

I loved that even after she was getting slammed she still kept talking even though I thought it might hurt her. This is a 50 year old woman who spent her career toiling in the background and now she is getting the roles of her lifetime.

I love Melissa Leo. I love her honesty. I love her style. I love that she refuses to play the game the way people expect it to be played. I loved that she is of an age where she can’t be boxed in. People who have come up through the system know how to play the game, they are almost a bit brainwashed by it — smile, thank everyone, don’t say anything too smart or controversial. You know the drill, you’ve seen it before.

But Leo is different. She’s real. She’s thrilled and she believes she has earned it. And I agree with her. She gives hope to all actresses out there who are told they are too old, too different, too whatever they are not.

She inspires me with her enthusiasm and I am so glad that people saw through the campaign crap and gave her the prize. I thought her speech was great. She was so excited and nervous and she let out the f-bomb. Big deal. It was genuine.