Meet Monica Velour(A Woman of a Certain Age) by Veronica White

I look at my face in the mirror and there is no doubt I am a "woman of a certain age." How did the time pass so quickly? Gone are the days when I was mistaken for my children's sister and got carded at the clubs. When will I become invisible in today's youth-oriented society?

I have done all the right things. Slathering my face with every moisturizer from LaMer to Crisco. I own or have owned almost every excercizing apparatus known to man. Mysteriously, my weight has been the same for five years - give or take a few pounds.

What's that you say? Exercise equipment must be used daily to get noticeable results.

OK. The pity party is over and I do what I always do. Focus on the positive circumstances of my life. I think of vibrant mature women who appear to be in the prime of their lives and eagerly embracing life's challenges.

There is Annette Benning, who won a Golden Globe best actress award for "The Kids Are All Right."

There is Helen Mirren, an award winning actress, who at age 65, rocked a bikini on the front pages of the tabloids.

There is Katie Couric and Diane Sawyer, both female anchors of national evening news shows.

There is Oprah Winfrey, who now owns a cable TV network.

Now a new woman is poised to join their ranks. A woman who moved from an expensive apartment in New York City's Meatpacking District to a trailer park in a Detroit-area suburb to portray an aging porn star.

I cannot relate to the porn star who took her clothes off for a living. The closest I came to disrobing for "art" was when a renowned Detroit-area artist begged me to pose for a nude oil painting. Of course, I declined.

I can relate to the porn star who is a "woman of a certain age." And Kim Cattrall lived in Monica Velour's skin, willing to grow and willing to take chances to make her film career more viable.

And I realize now, that I must take more chances. At my age, I feel life is fleeting. There is so much more I want to accomplish. I am running a race as my life's desires ferociously nip at my heels like a Pitbull.

Kim Cattrall fearlessly grabbed the plum role of an aging porn star in "Meet Monica Velour" and literally squeezed all the creative juices out of it.

Gilbert Films is establishing a track record of producing films with generous roles for women. Meaty roles that have gleaned stellar performances. Last year, Annette Benning won the Golden Globe best actress award for "The Kids Are All Right." Julianne Moore was also nominated.

It is amazing that this 49-year-old woman is allowed to believably celebrate new nuances of her sexuality. Tobe Hulbert(played by Dustin Ingram),her teenaged lover shows her honor and respect. While planning his first elaborate symbolic seduction of Monica, he is more attuned to a woman's feelings than a man twice his age. The roles were reversed as Tobe's sophisticated lover guided him to unexplored explosive heights.

The camera close-ups of Monica Velour unforgivingly show every imperfection. The camera also follows her as she searches for dignity and attempts to move beyond the porn star years. With minimum skills and finances, she hopes to find work and gain custody of the young daughter, who is curretnly living with her ex-husband. A man, whose sole purpose in life is gaining evidence against her to support the fact she would not be a stable parent.

Kim Cattrall sent two messages: Women of a certain age are not invisible and they are a force to be reckoned with.

I dedicate this song to us:

The little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine.......Let it shine.......let it shine.