Kim Cattrall turns down Palin Mountain-Naming Offer

“Sex and the City” superstar Kim Cattrall has quietly declined an offer from Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to name a mountain after her in the state, calling it “not enough.”

“To have a single mountain named after me would just not be appropriate,” said a rep for Cattrell, adding that she was “suspicious” about the timing of the offer.

The motivation for Palin making the offer remained unclear. The mountain in question is part of the Talkeetna Mountains, locally called the "Craggies," and lie about 20 miles south of Cantwell, Alaska. Palin is currently running for the office of vice-president of the United States on the Republican ticket headed by Sen. John McCain.

Cantwell is a census-designated place (CDP) in Denali Borough, Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the CDP is 222.

Cantwell is considered the western terminus of the Denali Highway.

Cantwell is named after the Cantwell River, which is the former name of the Nenana River. Prior to the settlement, the only inhabitants of the Cantwell area were nomadic Indians who hunted and fished. The town began as a flag stop on the Alaska Railroad. Oley Nicklie, an Indian, sought work with the railroad after fur prices dropped. He and his two brothers then founded the settlement.

On June 2, 2008 Cattrall was reported to be set to star in and executive produce “Sensitive Skin” for HBO, an adaptation of the eponymous British series revolving around a middle-aged wife and mother who rediscovers her sexuality.

Cattrall is an English born actress who grew up in Canada and now lives in the United States. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones in the HBO comedy/romance series “Sex and the City,” and for her leading roles in the 1980s films “Police Academy” and “Mannequin.” Along with a former husband, she co-wrote the book “Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm.”

About Kim Cattrall: Cattrall began her career after graduating from high school in 1972 when she left Canada for New York City. There, she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and upon her graduation signed a five-year movie deal with director Otto Preminger, making her film debut in Preminger's Rosebud in 1975. A year later, Universal Studios bought out that contract and Cattrall became one of the last participants of the Universal Contract Player System. During her time with Universal, she guest starred in numerous television programmes of varying style and genre. In 1979 she played Dr. Gabrielle White in “The Incredible Hulk” and would go down in TV Hulk lore as one of the few characters who knew David Banner was alive and was the creature. Her work in television paid off, and she quickly made the transition to cinema. She starred opposite Jack Lemmon in his Oscar-nominated movie “Tribute” in 1980. The following year, she starred in the critically acclaimed “Ticket to Heaven.”

In 1982, Cattrall played Miss Honeywell in “Porky's,” followed two years later by a role in the original “Police Academy.” In 1985, she starred in three movies: Turk 182, City Limits and Hold-Up, the latter with French star Jean-Paul Belmondo. In 1986, she played Kurt Russell's brainy flame in the action film “Big Trouble in Little China.” In 1987, her lead role in “Mannequin” proved a huge success with audiences. One of her most well-known film roles is that of Lieutenant Valeris in “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.”

Aside from her film work, Cattrall is also a stage and theater actress, with performances in Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge and Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters to her credit. In 1997, she was cast in Sex and the City, Darren Star's series that was broadcast on HBO. As Samantha Jones, Cattrall gained international recognition. She capitalized on her success by appearing in steamy television commercials promoting Pepsi One. She also signed a publishing deal to write a book about sex with her third husband, Mark Levinson. In addition, she can be heard reading the poetry of Rupert Brooke on the CD Red Rose Music SACD Sampler Volume One.

Her film work continued during “Sex and the City” when she appeared in Britney Spears' first film venture, “Crossroads.” “Sex and the City” ended as a weekly series in spring 2004 with an audience of 10.6m viewers. Cattrall reprised the role of Samantha Jones in the “Sex and the City” film, released on May 30, 2008.
In 2005, she appeared in the Disney picture “Ice Princess,” in which she played the ice skating coach of the film's lead character. She also portrayed Claire, a paralyzed woman who wants to die, in the West End drama revival of “Whose Life Is It Anyway?” In October 2006 she appeared in a West End production of David Mamet's “The Cryptogram” at the Donmar Warehouse in London. Since late 2005, she has appeared in a number of British television commercials for Tetley Tea. In July 2006, a commercial for Nissan cars, which featured Cattrall as Samantha Jones, was withdrawn from New Zealand television, apparently because of complaints about its innuendo. In 2006 she starred alongside Brendan Gleeson in John Boorman's 2006 film “The Tiger's Tail,” a black comedy that focuses on the impact of the Celtic Tiger economy on Irish people. On 11 November on ITV, she starred alongside David Haig, Daniel Radcliffe, and Carey Mulligan in “My Boy Jack,” the story of author Rudyard Kipling's search for his son lost in World War I.