The saddest part for me is that I am so brainwashed that, until she said it, it would never have occurred to me that that is an offensive question.

Damn skippy, Felicity!

~A~

That was a thing of beauty and a joy for ever. And since I find Lesley Stahl so vastly horrific, I never would have seen it, if not for Broadsheet. Thanks, ladies.

I just fell in love with Felicity Huffman.

all the mothers and fathers here can verify that parents constantly ask themselves if they're good parents. I was so surprised to hear friends of mine say that "I don't know if I'm a good mother." I have hear so many GREAT parents say that. It's because they care so much about being a good mother and they are not egotistical that they quesion if they're being good. It's a scary job and one is wise to remain humble.

The egotistical parent who smarmily announces she IS a good mother is the self-involved one.

my freaking gods - slackjawed at Felicity Huffman's response to Stahl's canned question.

If she wasn't already married happily, I'd ask her to marry me. What an outstanding reply!

(her saying, "I don't know if I'm a great mother", followed by a simple shrug says to me, she's a GREAT mother)

First, the reason Stahl asked the question -- call this an educated guess -- is that she did her homework, watched a box of Huffman interviews, and noted that this is a continuing theme for her. Maybe mom-phobia was a stretch. But I'm not ready to equate her attitude -- and her continuing desire to trumpet it -- as necessarily more human or real. I find the latter oddly sycophantic.

As for the acceptance speech, I'm all for the great value in peer-inspired growth, but must confess I wince a bit when anyone thanks their TV 'family.' Or their publicist. Or their trainer. Or their dietician. In this case, and given the subject at hand, it seemed relevant to me. That's all.

Sorry, Harley, but how on earth do you interpret what she said as "mom-phobia"? She is a mom --- she just refused to define herself, her values and her accomplishments as dependent on her status as a mother, and to rate herself as a "good mother" to gain the approval of Stahl and the viewers. She seems to me like an honest, straight forward human being, who was granted an award for her profession, and as such thanked her professional co-workers. Who are you to question who she should be thanking upon recieving that award?

is the way Stahl worded that question. I could see asking how her own parenting experience informed her television role--not a stellar question, but a reasonable one--but to ask her if "being a mommy" (not a mother, mind you, but a MOMMY) is the "best experience of her life" is a deeply condescending and insulting question to ask any professional. Can you imagine asking Paul Newman or Clint Eastwood that question? (Does Clint Eastwood even HAVE children? I don't even know!)

Oh, but the look on her face when Huffman bit her head off was priceless. I've never seen Huffman in anything--don't watch TV, haven't seen her movie--but in me she's got a new fan.

Harley takes exception to Huffman thanking her "family" at Desperate Housewives but not thanking her "real family."

Of course she thanked the people she works with--these are the people who help her grow and learn as an actor and hone her craft. Family can inspire and console, but it's your peers who really help you grow in your profession.

The last time I was at an awards ceremony and thanked people for the award I received it was other writers who had inspired or helped me and my college writing teacher who was an amazing mentor. They were the ones who really made a difference. Does that make me Dad-phobic?

... about Leslie Stahl. I like Felicity Huffman more than ever, and I was already warming up to a big case of admiration after hearing Huffman's acceptance speech at the Golden Globe Awards (wherein she saluted transgendered people and others who take risks to live true to themselves). Felicity's kinda hot, too. :-)

I'm not so sure I'd celebrate Felicity Huffman's prideful mom-phobia, and anyone who takes acceptance speech time to thank her 'family' at Desperate Housewives (for a movie win unrelated to the show), but somehow manages to miss the, you know, actual one (ie the kids), would not appear to be offering anything resembling the real humaness you so wish to celebrate.

In fact? She sounds like another self-involved actress. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

That was incredible. Good for her! The banality of journalism never ceases to amaze me, and Huffman's response is the only way things will ever get better.

Wow! I don't know if a thoughtful response to that question would occur to me. Good for her.