The Return of a Country Queen

I want Gwyneth Paltrow to win another Oscar.

And y’ know what: Country Strong, her next movie, just might get her an invite to the big party next winter.

The facts are these (oh, how I miss Pushing Daisies – but I digress): In the movie G.P. plays a fading country star staging a comeback after a stint in rehab (behind the glamour is a drinking problem).

And as well all know, America, heck, the world likes a comeback story, so we should all love to root for Paltrow’s Kelly Canter, as the singer struggles to find her place back in a spotlight that now craves Chiles Stanton, a pretty young thing played by Leighton Meester (that Paltrow herself has been away from the spotlight and hasn’t headlined a project in a while is an added bonus):



Country Strong co-stars Tim McGraw as Paltrow’s husband/manager, and Garrett Hedlund (TRON: Legacy), as the opening act who’s rooting for her on a more personal level than just a professional.

The movie, which features Paltrow singing again (super-smart to release the movie’s titular single during the Grammy qualifying months, btw), is due out, in limited release, on Dec. 22, and goes wide on Jan. 7.