Cameron Diaz, Mae West, Amy Poehler, oh my! Blonds know how to make us laugh
These actresses (and Owen Wilson) aren't dumb blonds.
They say blonds have more fun -- and these blonds are certainly having the last laugh. They're part of a coterie of platinum-haired performers -- from Mae West to such contemporary faves as Cameron Diaz, as well as Oscar-winners Meryl Streep, Jessica Lange and Reese Witherspoon -- who have tickled audiences' funny bones. And, yes, we begrudgingly give props to Jessica Simpson, who gave new meaning to the expression "dumb blond" in her MTV "reality" series "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica" but nonetheless showed some comic flair. Here's a look at performers who have the film archetype of the Blond and turned it on its head:
Cameron Diaz
Diaz became a star with her first film, 1994's "The Mask," in which her personality and charm won over audiences and critics alike. Even as a 21-year-old newbie, she held her own opposite the movie's frenetic star, Jim Carrey. She also managed to steal 1997's "My Best Friend's Wedding" from under the nose of its female lead Julia Roberts. And she picked up a New York Film Critics Circle best actress award for her goofy turn as a doctor being pursued by many men in the Farrelly brothers' 1998 hit, "There's Something About Mary." Her hair "gel" scene with costar Ben Stiller is a thing of brilliance. Nothing she's done since "Mary" has been as laugh-inducing, but she's had her share of hits with the "Shrek" animated franchise, the two "Charlie's Angels" movies and the quirky "Being John Malkovich." And Diaz again demonstrates she's a pratfall master as a New York career woman who marries a working-class guy during a drunken spree in Las Vegas in the predictable "What Happens in Vegas," which opens Friday.
Amy Poehler
The newest blond funny gal on the block. The "Saturday Night Live" regular -- described by Entertainment Weekly as a "brilliantly inventive sketch comedian" -- has worked her way up the movie ladder in supporting roles in films such as "Mean Girls," "Mr. Woodcock" and "Blades of Glory" to a starring role opposite "SNL" alum Tina Fey in "Baby Mama." Poehler plays the crass working-class Angie who agrees to become the surrogate mother for an unmarried executive named Kate (Fey) and ends up finding herself during her pregnancy. Next up for Poehler are the features "Hamlet 2" and "Spring Breakdown" and the Nickelodeon animated series "Mighty B," for which she is producing, writing and providing the lead voice.
Mae West
