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Today, 09 February 2010

› Strike three, Mr President

› Cooked head discovered

› Zuma apology 'unwelcome'

› 'Illegal' traps blasted

› Madiba to grace Parliament

Yesterday, 08 February 2010

› No credit to FW - Zuma

› Zapiro revives showerhead

› 'Our president has failed'

› Praise for Amla

› 'Zuma should be forgiven'

Accomplished actress and mother of screen veteran Warren Beatty's children, Annette Bening has managed to remain in the spotlight outside her other half's far-reaching shadow.

Born on May 29 1958, Bening spent a suburban childhood in Kansas before moving to sunny San Diego, a city which served as her home for more than a decade. She attended the San Diego Mesa College where she majored in drama. Says Bening, "I've wanted to be an actor since I was a child. I loved acting from the moment I started and I still love it."

Bening then headed to San Fransisco where she joined the American Conservatory Theatre. She met and married theatre director Steven White in 1984. But the two separated in 1986 and finally divorced in 1991.

The couple's initial separation prompted the passionate Bening to make the great trek to New York City where she fiercely tackled a slew of stage roles. Garnering rave reviews, Bening won the Clarence Derwent Award for most outstanding debut performance in 1986. The following year, she received a Tony nomination for her performance in the theatre production of "Coastal Disturbances".

Bening made her big screen debut opposite John Candy and Dan Aykroyd in the low-key comedy, "The Great Outdoors" (1988). Thereafter, Academy Award-winning director Milos Forman cast Bening as the scheming Marquise de Merteuil in "Valmont" (1989).

Sadly, "Valmont" went by somewhat unnoticed as a result of being released after another adaptation of the celebrated French novel, "Les Liaisons Dangereuses". Director Stephen Frears had cast Glenn Close as the Marquise in his film, "Dangerous Liaisons" (1988). But, upon viewing Bening's performance in "Valmont", Frears offered Bening a part in his next film, the noir drama "The Grifters" (1990)

Her role as the sexy vixen Myra Langtry in "The Grifters" proved to be Bening's breakout performance. Bening, director Frears and co-star Anjelica Huston all received Academy Award nominations. Although she didn't win an Oscar, Bening took home a Best Supporting Actress award from the prestigious National Society of Film Critics.

After her success in "The Grifters", Bening nabbed some high profile roles playing opposite Harrison Ford in Mike Nichols' "Regarding Henry" (1991) and opposite Robert De Niro in "Guilty By Suspicion" (1991).

Hollywood actor/producer/director/writer/heart-throb Warren Beatty took a shine to Bening and began to woo her for the part of his love interest in the gangster film "Bugsy" (1991). The two steamed up the screen and fell in love away from the cameras.

The couple married in 1992 with Beatty confessing that Bening had curbed his renowned womanising ways. Says Beatty, "It took me all of 30 seconds to fall in love with Annette. To this day, I don't know why Annette over the other women I've known, but I knew instantly she was special". That same year, Bening gave birth to Beatty's first child, daughter Kathlyn. In 1994, they welcomed son Benjamin into the world.

With her newfound role as mother, Bening turned down a number of juicy on-screen opportunities that included leads in "Disclosure", "Batman Returns" and "Somersby". She returned to film again opposite Beatty in the disappointing remake of "An Affair To Remember", titled "Love Affair" (1994).

Thereafter, Bening has showcased her versatility by providing some excellent performances in the adaptation of Shakespeare's "Richard III" (1995), the romantic comedy-drama "The American President" (1995), the zany sci-fi satire "Mars Attacks!" (1996) and the political thriller "The Siege" (1998).

1999 saw Bening star in Irish director Neil Jordan's macabre thriller, "In Dreams". She followed this up with the role of a manic suburban housewife in the acclaimed "American Beauty", a turn that has tipped her to win the Best Actress Oscar at this year's Academy Awards ceremony.

Bening is nearly due to give birth to hers and Beatty's fourth child and will next be seen in the Mike Nichols-directed comedy, "What Planet Are You From?".