Dan Frisa
Monday, March 26, 2001

What a self-absorbed Hollywood egomaniac!

Last night at the "Oscars” Roberts (surprise, surprise) won the Best Actress award for playing the same character for the umpteenth time and proceeded to put on a sickening display of self-congratulatory indulgence.

No wonder the Nielsen overnights showed the telecast as having the lowest ratings ever for an Academy Awards show.

Giggling, cackling, and droning on and on for more than three and a half minutes and what seemed like forever – when acceptances were to be kept under forty-five seconds – Roberts clearly demonstrated that the size of her ego far exceeds the bounds of her talent.

She might just as well have rambled on saying "me, me, me, me, me” for the entire length of her "expectance” speech, for there was no doubt that she fully expected to win.

After all, she is Julia Roberts!

Among the throngs in an arena filled with egos (curiously sans red AIDS ribbons this year) she was in a class by herself.

Just ask her. She’ll assuredly tell you.

And how grateful was she that she won?

Seemingly not at all, as she neglected to even mention the person for whom the picture was named and whose story she supposedly portrayed: Erin Brockovich.

After trashing Republicans during the presidential campaign and spewing disparaging remarks about the president in the run-up to Oscar voting to help her own campaign for an award, Roberts has shown herself to be a shallow egotist like so many of her Hollywood comrades.

She’s also apparently taken lessons from the Clinton crowd in violating campaign finance rules and flouting election regulations.

Her production company reportedly spent in excess of $50 million promoting the film to Academy Award voters, so little confidence did they have in the work itself.

They also violated the spirit, and likely the letter, of Academy rules by sending extensive, elaborate mailings to Academy members via Variety mailing lists because "direct” solicitations are prohibited.

As for Roberts, her egotistical behavior didn’t end at the Oscars ceremony.

No, she continued with that throughout the night.

Upon entering a post-Oscars party hosted by Vanity Fair she refused to wait in line for the Ladies Room with other female guests, so she barged into the Men’s Room instead.

Hubris, you say?

Not at all.

Just look in Roberts’ Rules of Ego.

Remember, she is Julia Roberts.

Just ask her and she’ll tell you, if you've got an hour or two.

E-mail Dan: danfrisa@newsmax.com.

Read Dan's previous column: Hooray for Hollywood? Not!

Dan Frisa represented New York in the United States Congress and served four terms in the New York State Assembly.

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