the take

Dakota Fanning Apparently Not Too Young for Obsolescence

The piece points to the movie Hounddog and its controversial rape scene as the beginning of the end for Fanning, and pits Little Miss Sunshine’s Abigail Breslin and Sleepwalking’s AnnaSophia Robb in a battle for, essentially, America’s Next Top Dakota Fanning. So first of all, according to IMDb, Fanning has five movies in postproduction. Second of all, even if the starlet did disappear from the Hollywood scene (again, she’s 14, so take “scene†as you will), we’re giving credit to Amy Poehler’s brilliant and hilarious The Dakota Fanning Show. Maybe the sophisticated little actress watched that and realized she needed a break and, you know, a childhood.

The piece points to the movie Hounddog and its controversial rape scene as the beginning of the end for Fanning, and pits Little Miss Sunshine’s Abigail Breslin and Sleepwalking’s AnnaSophia Robb in a battle for, essentially, America’s Next Top Dakota Fanning. So first of all, according to IMDb, Fanning has five movies in postproduction. Second of all, even if the starlet did disappear from the Hollywood scene (again, she’s 14, so take “scene†as you will), we’re giving credit to Amy Poehler’s brilliant and hilarious The Dakota Fanning Show. Maybe the sophisticated little actress watched that and realized she needed a break and, you know, a childhood.

Of course, covering its bases, the article concedes that perhaps Dakota Fanning will actually be the next Dakota Fanning. (Duh, and Mary-Louise Parker has always been Mary-Louise Parker.) But if by “Dakota Fanning,†you mean “cute, precocious actress who can convey a range of emotions,†well, why not look to her own little sister Elle? Now 9, she’s played the 2-year-old Dakota Fanning role in I Am Sam, had parts in Babel, Reservation Road, Dirty Sexy Money, and more, and has some projects of her own in the works. (She was also supposed to appear in My Sister’s Keeper with Dakota, but the elder Fanning reportedly dropped out to avoid shaving her head.) Seriously, the girl is everywhere. So if you really must ask, MTV, here’s the real question: Who is the next Elle Fanning? —Lori Fradkin

Who’s the Next Dakota Fanning? [MTV.com]

Dakota Fanning Apparently Not Too Young for Obsolescence