Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan

Six people are currently slated to play the role of Bob Dylan in the Todd Haynes' biopic I'm Not There. Cate Blanchett is one of them.

While it's difficult to envision the super-tall actress capturing the essence of a scrawny young Dylan, I'm sure she's up to the task. More of a concern is whether academy voters will be able to sort out the crazy mess come Oscar time next year, considering it's likely that each actor will have a limited amount of screen time to make his mark. This hasn't stopped Blanchett before as she landed the Oscar in 2004 for her believable portrayal of Katherine Hepburn in The Aviator, despite a minimal supporting role. Instead, they may take the less complicated route of nominating Blanchett as Elizabeth I in The Golden Age.

Gender-bending is not a new phenomenon in cinema and it typically has "awards" written all over it. Hillary Swank won her first Oscar playing Teena Brandon/Brandon Teena in Boys Don't Cry. And Felicity Huffman received an Oscar nomination for her work in TransAmerica. So why are we (and the Academy) so fascinated by women playing men? Or actors playing famous people for that matter? And why has it been steadily reported that seven actors will take on Dylan during different phases of his life, when the IMDb only lists six? Adrian Brody is listed in the cast, with no "character" associated with his name. Is he the seventh Dylan? Are we nearing the end times? The answer my friend is "blowin' in the wind".