In a softer voice, she said her initial reaction to reading it had been “Really?” and then, she said, “Why would someone O.K. that?” Without mentioning the name of its author, Ms. McCarthy said: “I felt really bad for someone who is swimming in so much hate. I just thought, that’s someone who’s in a really bad spot, and I am in such a happy spot. I laugh my head off every day with my husband and my kids who are mooning me and singing me songs.” Had this occurred when she was 20, Ms. McCarthy said, “it may have crushed me.” But now, as a mother raising two young daughters in “a strange epidemic of body image and body dysmorphia,” she said articles like that “just add to all those younger girls, that are not in a place in their life where they can say, ‘That doesn’t reflect on me.’”
~ Melissa McCarthy responding to a reporter about Rex Reed’s review of her performance in “Identity Thief.” He described Ms. McCarthy as “tractor-sized” and called her “a gimmick comedian who has devoted her short career to being obese and obnoxious with equal success.” (Read more…)
Melissa Ann McCarthy, 42, is an American film and television actress, comedian, writer and producer. She was born in Plainfield, Illinois and currently lives in Los Angeles. McCarthy first gained recognition for her role as Sookie St. James on the television series Gilmore Girls, where she starred from 2000 to 2007. From 2007 to 2009, she portrayed Dena on the ABC sitcom Samantha Who? McCarthy was then cast as Molly Flynn-Biggs on the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly, a role that earned her an Emmy Award win. McCarthy was also nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her work as host on Saturday Night Live. McCarthy achieved major success and fame for her breakthrough role in the 2011 comedy hit Bridesmaids, which garnered her numerous award nominations including an Academy Award nomination, a BAFTA nomination and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also appeared in the films The Nines, The Back-up Plan, and Life as We Know It, and her 2013 roles include Identity Thief, The Heat, and The Hangover Part III. (Source: Wiki)
Source: New York Times – Melissa McCarthy Goes Over The Top. Photo: fansshare.com
Live & Learn 
What amazing grace it takes to hear/read a comment like that and think of the limitations of the other person instead of taking such vitriol to heart. There is an irony in knowing a little bit of Rex Reed – one who lives in a glass house shouldn’t be throwing rocks. Just sayin’..
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So true Mimi
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We’re living in an age where personal attacks and name calling have replaced respectful discussion. The internet brought us to this point, where one has become invisible, hidden behind a stage name. Face-to-face communication and the responsibility that entails is all but gone now.
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Yes, it’s a shame, and the fews times when we see respect and class, it shines brightly like the sun.
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Classy and beautiful — who wouldn’t want to follow in her steps?
MJ
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She is, we all would…
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the fact that people comment on how other people look (and I think Melissa is beautiful) is outrageous — who does Rex Reed think he is? But he has done it before and will do it again–it is his problem not that of the person he is commenting on.
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I’m with you
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All I can think of is Roger Ebert and how intelligent, thoughtful and passionate his reviews were. That guy loved movies and movie-makers. Contrasted to Reed’s hatred and vitriol. The guy needs to take a hint from your previous post and go get quiet for a minute. Or try to channel Ebert.
And… Melissa McCarthy is my hero.
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Agree, Reed’s counterparts play at a much higher level.
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I think Melissa showed amazing class. You go, Melissa!!
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First class…
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Melissa McCarthy makes all of us healthier, I believe, through her crazy performances and the laughter she causes to well up and spill out of all of us…surely, Rex Reed laughs, doesn’t he??? Anyway, I don’t believe it is ever necessary to be so cruel…it only shows the dark side of the person stating such unkind words.
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I’m with you Carol
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It goes with all the “reality” shows where put downs are cheered. Just watch for them next time you’re suckered into watching one. It’s one put down after another, and this is the new reality? Society is taking an ugly turn for the worse. Rex Reed should be ashamed of himself.
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yes, yes he should
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Melissa McCarthy is a beautiful person from the inside out. There will always be people filled with vitriol and hate; she gives us an example of how to be filled with love instead.
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She is that Carolann.
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She’s an example of a really really healthy person! Shine on Melissa!
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Yes she is…
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Being attacked personally is one of the hardest things to accept. For her to find the positives in herself and others shows her character and strength.
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