Monthly Archive for July, 2008

Fresh off the success of her stellar performance as Lady Marchmain in the remake of Brideshead Revisited (I predict a best supporting actress nomination), Thompson is going to pen a new adaptation of the beloved musical My Fair Lady. Columbia Pictures and CBS Films will produce along with Duncan Kenworthy and Cameron Mackintosh.

Academy Award Winner Thompson to Pen Screenplay for “My Fair Lady” Remake (Playbill)

I just noticed the list of writers for the Emmy nominated Late Night with Conan O’Brien and the Late Show with David Letterman.

Know what they have in common? NOT A SINGLE FEMALE WRITER. Shouldn’t there be a rule against this? Or at least they at least be shamed publicly? I’ve done my duty.

Late Night With Conan O’Brien
Mike Sweeney, Head Writer
Chris Albers, Written By
Jose Arroyo, Written By
Dan Cronin, Written By
Kevin Dorff, Written By
Daniel J. Goor, Written By
Michael Gordon, Written By
Berkley Johnson, Written By
Brian Kiley, Written By
Michael Koman, Written By
Brian McCann, Written By
Guy Nicolucci, Written By
Conan O’Brien, Written By
Matt O’Brien, Written By
Brian Stack, Written By
Andrew Weinberg, Written By

Late Show With David Letterman
Eric Stangel, Head Writer
Justin Stangel, Head Writer
Jim Mulholland, Written By
Michael Barrie, Written By
Steve Young, Written By
Tom Ruprecht, Written By
Lee Ellenberg, Written By
Matt Roberts, Written By
Jeremy Weiner, Written By
Joe Grossman, Written By
Bill Scheft, Written By
Bob Borden, Written By
Frank Sebastiano, Written By
David Letterman, Written By

Karina Longworth of Spout blog actually attends Comic-Con and had a great post this week that people should check out.

Even though “girls” got a film of their own Twilight which they went wild over, Comic-Con just seems to perpetuate all that’s wrong with women in Hollywood.

…panel after panel featured actresses, who should have better things to do, endlessly discussing their own physical attributes, as the young men in the audience continually made it clear that this was all they were interested in. When asked how playing the girlfriend role in the third Mummy film differed from her usual day at the office, Bello answered, “Well, I’m not naked in this film!” Cue the smirking slur from a young gentleman in the crowd: “Wow, that was the wrong thing to say. They just lost my ticket.”

Even as the changing nature of the action/sci-fi/nerdbait landscape may be opening up more opportunities for a Mila Kunis to take a tertiary role in a film like Max Payne (which allows her to “kick some ass in 5 inch heels,” as she crowed to auto-hoots on Day One), protagonist roles for women in such films have become virtually non-existent. There seem to be just enough to keep Angelina Jolie busy every three years or so in between her persistent stabs at a second Oscar.

What we’re seeing is the ghettoization of the female action star to below-the-title, near-disposable status. Even as eye candy, the sex appeal that many of these girls bring to a given film are just one element of an overall production design designed to keep aural erections intact for the duration. The idea of making a film where women actually look sexy, fight crime and are given the agency of real human beings isn’t even on the minds of those filmmakers who have done it before.

Comic-Con Diary: Where the Girls Are

What is it about beautiful, opinionated women that makes all of Hollywood (especially the media) want to scream? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, it’s not like berating women for speaking up is a new practice. If memory serves me correctly, both Jane Fonda and Barbra Streisand got handed a very large can of whooping ass for expressing their personal and political opinions. In Hollywood, you can be a do good political persona ala Angelina Jolie, but having an opinion that might call Hollywood on the carpet, that’s a no no.

The person in the center of the current “everyone in Hollywood hates me” storm is Katherine Heigl star of Grey’s Anatomy and 27 Dresses. You might recall that earlier this year she had the gaul to say that Knocked Up was sexist (which it was), and for that honesty she was labeled as ungrateful and her film career was declared dead. It’s a good thing her fans didn’t get that message because the gross of 27 Dresses was $76 million in the US and almost $160 million worldwide.

Recently, she had the nerve to decline to submit herself for Emmy consideration and publicly mentioned that she felt her storyline this past season was unworthy of recognition (another truth.)

Everyone pounced calling her ungrateful (again) and adding that she wants out of her TV contract to make movies. Rumors surfaced (everywhere) that the writers and producers were upset and that the set was full of tension. Many a site began the Izzie death watch. The venom that was displayed was way over the top. People didn’t just want her to get fired (for giving an opinion no less), but they wanted her character to die. That’s the lesson a woman gets for speaking out about something that honestly is not really important at all — an Emmy award nomination — yet people want to punish her in such a profound way. Extrapolating this into real life, if a woman gets punished for speaking out about something as trivial as an award nomination, imagine the message the rest of us get about speaking out about issues like equal pay, choice, rape…you get the picture. The message is to shut up and take what you got and don’t make waves cause you will be punished. Sound familiar?

It took a while but finally one of her co-stars Chandra Wilson (Dr. Bailey) found her voice and explained to us lay people about the Emmy nomination process. You really need have had a spectacular episode to submit. Some years you have one, some you don’t, and if you don’t you shouldn’t bother submitting.

I didn’t find another person in print defending Heigl until I read Mark Harris’ column in EW. Harris is the author of the critically acclaimed Pictures at a Revolution. I meant to give him some props for his earlier column that took it to the Hollywood suits for their pathetic realization that women do go to the movies after the success of Sex and the City. Please check out the story: Hollywood ‘Shocker’: Women Go To Movies.

But his defense of Heigl and women in Hollywood is fantastic. I’m still shocked that there are so few people willing to stand up for this woman? Where are the other Hollywood actresses?

Could there be a worse career move for an actress than telling the truth?

Little has changed, except the coarseness with which celebrities can now be discussed — and the rules actresses must obey. Among them: Have a ”positive body image,” but also a killer body. Stay within the two-pound weight range that will not reveal you as either anorexic or a pig. Age gracefully, but never get older. Don’t have wrinkles, but don’t use Botox. Be modest, but when you win an award, weep as if a gold statuette is a personalized gift from heaven. If you get pregnant, be prepared to let a dozen news outlets act as your ob-gyn. Express concern about your carbon footprint, but don’t be ”political.” Talk about how living a normal life is important to you, but smile while every aspect of it is scrutinized.

I like Heigl because there seems to be a person in there, one who occasionally says things that people can’t stand. (And really, if she’d said, ”Actually, I do think my material should get me an Emmy nomination,” would that sound better?) I like the fact that she busted Isaiah Washington for homophobia when everyone behind the scenes at Grey’s Anatomy was busy staring into space. I like the fact that she gently tweaked Judd Apatow for the slight gender imbalance in Knocked Up. I like the fact that her first thought after winning an Emmy wasn’t ”How can I get another one?” And I like the fact that her mouth — which is not even slightly ugly — is connected to her brain. Katherine Heigl’s ‘Grey’ Matter: What’s the Problem? (EW)

The treatment of Katherine Heigl should be a lesson to all women, and not just in Hollywood. We need to stand up and support each other.

Update: Found this story written about the situation AFTER I posted my piece. Interesting.
What’s wrong with Heigl speaking out? (AP via MSNBC)

I was traveling so I didn’t get to comment on the Emmy nominations. I am excited to see many of my favorites on the list, but I also think it’s worthy to note that older women who have disappeared from our movie screens are thriving and being acknowledged for their work on TV.

When anyone asks me why women over 40 are doing better on TV, I give them my standard answer — advertising. TV is driven by the ads, and anyone in that business knows that women make all the consumer buying decisions. So, they target the ads at women which in turn leads to content that could drive the desired audience to those shows for the ads. Not rocket science. On the other hand, film is driven by opening weekend box office and the 12-24 demo both boys and girls and the ones who come out en masse.

Here are some of the nominees:
Best Comedy Series
One women centric show – 30 Rock starring Tina Fey

Outstanding Drama Series
One women centric show- Damages starring Glenn Close

Where the Women are Missing
Best Directing of a Comedy Series
Best Directing for a Miniseries, Movie of Dramatic Special
Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Program

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series
30 Rock – Carrie Fisher as Rosemary Howard; Edie Falco as Celeste ‘C.C.’ Cunningham; Elaine Stritch as Colleen Donaghy
Desperate Housewives- Polly Bergen as Stella Wingfield; Kathryn Joosten as Karen McCluskey
Monk – Sarah Silverman as Marci Maven

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series
Big Love – Ellen Burstyn as Nancy Dutton
Grey’s Anatomy – Diahann Carroll as Jane Burke
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – Cynthia Nixon as Janis Donovan
Medium – Anjelica Huston as Cynthia Keener
Nip/Tuck – Sharon Gless as Colleen Rose

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
30 Rock – Tina Fey as Liz Lemon
Samantha Who? – Christina Applegate as Samantha Newly
The New Adventures Of Old Christine – Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell
Ugly Betty – America Ferrera as Betty Suarez
Weeds – Mary-Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Brothers & Sisters – Sally Field as Nora Holden-Walker
Damages – Glenn Close as Patty Hewes
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson
Saving Grace – Holly Hunter as Grace Hanadarko
The Closer – Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
A Raisin In The Sun – Phylicia Rashad as Lena Younger
An American Crime – Catherine Keener as Gertrude Baniszewski
Bernard And Doris – Susan Sarandon as Doris Duke
Cranford – Dame Judi Dench as Miss Matty Jenkyns
John Adams – Laura Linney as Abigail Adams

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Pushing Daisies – Kristin Chenoweth as Olive Snook
Samantha Who? – Jean Smart as Regina Newly
Saturday Night Live – Amy Poehler, Performer
Two And A Half Men – Holland Taylor as Evelyn Harper
Ugly Betty – Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Boston Legal – Candice Bergen as Shirley Schmidt
Brothers & Sisters – Rachel Griffiths as Sarah Walker-Whedon
Grey’s Anatomy – Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey; Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang
In Treatment – Dianne Wiest as Dr. Gina Toll

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
A Raisin In The Sun – Audra McDonald as Ruth Younger
Cranford (MASTERPIECE) – Dame Eileen Atkins as Miss Deborah Jenkyns
Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale – Ashley Jensen as Maggie Jacobs
Pictures Of Hollis Woods (Hallmark Hall Of Fame Presentation) – Alfre Woodard as Edna Reilly
Recount – Laura Dern as Katherine Harris

Emmy nominated women show younger isn’t always better (AP via Chicago Sun-Times)

Should have done this a long time ago.

For standing up and speaking out about the genocide in Darfur. She’s just been in Burma and Thailand with the Nobel Women’s Initiative (a group of female Nobel peace laureates- bet that’s a cool group.) Here’s their platform:

The Nobel Women’s Initiative seeks:

• To spotlight the massive violations of women and women’s rights – which are nothing less than human rights – that occur daily and not only have an impact on women individually but also on their families, their communities, and often the entire fabric of a society;

• To spotlight the struggle for human rights which when recognized and accepted also reinforce efforts to bring about participatory governance in Burma and the Sudan (indeed throughout the world); and

• To call upon citizens around the world to take individual and collective action to build sustainable peace as well as to insist that the international community implement existing commitments for peace, justice and equality in Burma and Sudan;

We have come to the area of the Thai/Burma border and will continue on to South Sudan and Darfuri refugee camps in Chad,

• To build alliances with women and women’s organizations there by:

• Listening to their unique stories, perspectives and experiences;

• Learning from their work to build sustainable peace in their communities how they see the role of women in actively negotiating peace agreements in their countries and in rebuilding their communities and societies when the conflicts have ended;

• Conveying their messages to other women’s organizations where we live and work and through our collective networks as well as to the media and to governments at national, regional and international levels; and by

• Highlighting China’s influential role in these crises

Learn more: Mia Farrow’s site and blog
Nobel Women’s Initiative
Mia Farrow Pressure China on Burma Rights (AP via SF Chronicle)

If I was a woman writer in Hollywood I would be up in arms over this story Evolution of a Screenwriter that appeared in last week’s Hollywood Reporter. The premise of the story is that people (i.e. – men) who were traditionally known just as screenwriters in the past now have to branch out into new mediums and platforms in order to have successful careers.

The first thing about the story that you can’t help but notice is that EVERY SINGLE SCREENWRITER MENTIONED AND INTERVIEWED IS A GUY.

You can’t tell me that there is not a single female screenwriter who couldn’t be interviewed for this story. That’s such bs.

The second thing is that it makes it seem that all anybody is working on is movies about comic books and I find that so pathetically sad.

I am thoroughly disgusted.

Thanks for the tip, Lee.

A Hollywood woman with strong political opinions. Gotta love her. Here are emails answers she gave to The Politico. But when will we see you onscreen again?

The Politico: You strongly supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Was switching to Sen. Barack Obama difficult?

We had a very deep bench of Democratic Presidential candidates in the primary, and we were very lucky to finally have two capable, dynamic and intelligent candidates vying to be the nominee. Supporting Sen. Obama for President was an immediate decision for me after Sen. Clinton ended her bid for the Democratic nomination. Throughout this process, they challenged each other to be better. It was a historical race, with Hillary breaking through that glass ceiling for all women and Barack inspiring young kids that they can overcome their circumstances to reach greatness.

Will you be doing any concerts to support Obama and the Democrats before the election?

I would absolutely consider performing for Sen. Obama and for the Democratic Party.

What do you say to Hillary’s fans that might be moving to vote for McCain — a figure that’s been estimated to be as high as 15 percent of her supporters?

I would urge those voters to take a step back and realize that our country is at an extremely serious crossroad . . . . There is too much at stake right now to elect another George W. Bush to the White House. And John McCain is just that. He has stated that the issue of economics is not something he’s understood as well as he should. He does not support reproductive rights for women, increased veteran’s benefits and ending the war in Iraq. There is just no reason for Sen. Clinton’s supporters not to back Sen. Obama.

Read the full interview (The Politico)
photo credit: Glenn Harris/Photorazzi

Barbara Ann Teer the founder of the National Black Theatre which she ran for 40 years, and one of the strong forces in the black theatre, died last week. Her funeral in Harlem attracted 700 people including politicians like Charlie Rangel and former mayor David Dinkins.

From the NY Times: Ms. Teer, a Harlem fixture who served as nurturer, gadfly and inspirational mother superior, was a passionate, articulate advocate for black culture and black artists, speakers said. And her life was a celebration of being “free, open and black,” as she used to put it.

For Champion of Black Theater, a Salute in Harlem’s Streets (NY Times)

The geek fest better known as Comic-Con was held this last weekend in San Diego. It used to be that guys and guy films dominated, but no more. This year women made up 40% of attendees and the upcoming Catherine Hardwicke film Twilight based on the novel by Stephanie Meyer has the women present in a frenzy and the guy critics scratching their heads. Anne Thompson at Variety asks: Twilight: Will Male Critics Ever Understand Its Femme Appeal?

Here’s what she writes when discussing the dismal stats released last week about female film critics:

And the coverage that movies with femme appeal do get from male critics is not the necessarily as positive or understanding as that from female critics. Mamma, Mia! and Sex in the City would be recent examples. Why would a guy particularly engage with a romantic comedy like 27 Dresses? Professional film critics will argue that it is their job to know how to review such a movie. Let’s put it this way. Some men are better able to adopt the female POV, and tap into their femme side, than others. Many men are not trained to do see things from the perspective of the opposite sex. All women are.

That’s one reason why today’s movies are so geared toward men, while women starve for material aimed at them. Women are accustomed to going along and accepting slim pickings in pictures by and about men. Even at Comic-Con, there’s a sense that female fans are yearning for romance. The screaming response to Twilight’s Brit heartthrob Robert Pattinson was enormous. He could be the next Leo di Caprio after Titanic, if Twilight hits as big as I suspect it will.

I agree with Anne. One problem I find is that women critics don’t necessarily want to be known as women critics, just like I’ve met many women directors who don’t want to be known as women directors. News flash — if things were equal it would be ok if you wanted to just be known as a critic or a director and it would be awesome. But in my world no matter what we want to believe women critics and women directors can’t escape the “woman” label. We have to understand that we might be seeing a film from a different perspective and not think that it makes us less than, it just makes us different. And we need to support other women. I’m not saying that you should write a good review for a bad movie, but I am saying that we should try and review movies the guys might dismiss and not be interested in just because they come from a female perspective. That shouldn’t be too hard.

Here’s a report from USA Today on Comic-Con

Otter represents another shift in the comic-book movie universe: an influx of women. Over the years, female attendance at Comic-Con has grown, this year reaching a record of nearly 40%, perhaps reflecting increasing involvement of women in the filmmaking.

“It was getting depressing,” says Rose McGowan, who will play the title comic-book vixen in Red Sonja, due in 2010. “I was getting scripts to play the straight man to the straight man. But lately, we’re seeing more scripts that allow us to kick (butt). Comic books have always been good about it, and now movies seem to be catching on.”

Deborah Del Prete, producer of Frank Miller’s Spirit, has been coming to Comic-Con since she was 8 years old. Usually, she was asked if she was looking for Wonder Woman comics.

“Now they ask me what I’m working on,” she says. “We’re seeing a partnership in making these movies we never saw before. I say it’s about time people recognize women enjoy comics and comic-book movies as much as any other fan.”

Mila Kunis, who plays an assassin in the video game adaptation Max Payne, says Hollywood is finally mirroring the times.

“If you ask me, they’re a little slow in catching up with the rest of the world,” she says. “I’m really glad for movies like Wanted and Underworld, because it’s casting us as mainstream heroes.

“But come on. It wasn’t that long ago when we thought a woman was going to be the Democratic nominee for president. We should have been at this place a long time ago.”

For standing up to the paparazzi.
Halle Berry pushes back against paparazzi (AP)

When Mad Men aired last summer I wanted nothing to do with it. Why would I waste my time watching a show about guys treating women like objects, and women stuck in conventional pre-feminist roles. Yuck. Boring.

But then people started talking, buzz started building, critics started writing, Golden Globes were won, and me, not wanting to miss out on something cool, decided to check it out. I was addicted within five minutes. I loved every episode. It is so well written, so well acted, and so extremely scary to see a time really not that long ago, yet seems like another century. It is surreal and at moments feels like science fiction.

What is so interesting about the show is that it reveals how uncomfortable everyone is. The men act happy and hide behind their drinking and role playing, but their misery shines through. Elizabeth Moss (who played Zoe in The West Wing) is the female center of the show as Peggy Olson. She spent last season as secretary to Jon Hamm’s character, Don Draper, but was a talented writer and worked her way to junior copywriter, and gave birth to slimy Pete’s kid without realizing she was pregnant. (Far fetched even for the early 60s. And her fat suit was really bad.)

I am excited to see where they take Peggy this season and even more excited that lots of the press has been focused on the amazing women of Mad Men.
From today’s NY Daily News:

“The women are the broken mirror the men look through,” says the show’s creator, Matthew Weiner. “They have levels to them, but less of a mask on. They know when to whisper, and when not to.”

The return of “Mad Men,” which was recently nominated for 16 Emmy Awards (it previously won Golden Globes for Best Drama and Best Actor for Hamm), provides an opportunity for its three pivotal females to address the slowly changing mores of the time.

From the LA Times

But while they are marginalized, the women of “Mad Men” are no mere archetypes. They are complicated, glamorous, ambitious and stifled in a way that women in 1960s television never were. With 48 years of hindsight behind their creation, they are marginalized in a particularly subtle way, so that viewers might not even realize they are riveted by their struggles.

Best comment that shows how far we still have to go:

On the other hand, they said people still say shockingly sexist and politically incorrect things in public. Jones, for instance, recently found life imitating a “Mad Men” scene. She said she was in an elevator with some men exactly as some characters were in a Season 2 scene, and the men were making the same sort of sexist remarks about women, as if there was no woman in the elevator.

Check it out tonight at 10pm on AMC. You will not be disappointed.
photo credit: Genaro Molina- LA Times

Maybe. Finally. Hopefully.

Having less than no interest in seeing Step Brothers I was intrigued by Manohla Dargis’ review in the NY Times which seems to ask the question, have we seen enough of this crap?

What’s distinct about the recent cycle of comic juvenilia are its contemporary contours — male camaraderie and self-actualization combined with raunchy guffaws and a preoccupation with women that doesn’t extend to giving them interesting roles — and the ease with which its prominent practitioners are willing to recycle their own laughs to increasingly diminished ends.

That few girls and fewer credible women are allowed in the Apatow boys’ club is old news. The only distaff comedy here is provided by the enthusiastic Kathryn Hahn, who as Derek’s pitifully desperate wife, Alice, makes dexterous use of a bathroom urinal.

These guys still have Pineapple Express coming out in the coming weeks so there will be more talk about them. Yuck.

Oh, and Mary Steenburgen plays Will Ferrell’s mom even though she is just 13 years older than him. Double yuck. (thanks Liz Chesney)

Last week Mamma Mia! did great numbers as counter programming to Batman. If you haven’t seen it yet, make sure to go this weekend.

Other films opening this weekend, while not about women have some of my favorite feminist actors in them.

Brideshead Revisited: I am a little too young to have seen the mini-series but this adapatation by Julian Jarrold reminds me of the great Merchant-Ivory productions like A Room With a View. Emma Thompson co-stars as the mean Lady Marchmain and Matthew Goode and newcomer Hayley Atwell are terrific and Charles and Julia. It felt at times rushed and the whole demise of Charles relationship with Sebastian just kind of disappeated when it was prominent in the first half of the film. The Brideshead house is spectacular. Here’s a recent interview with the divine Ms. Thompson. Brideshead opens on 33 screens and will expand next week to 225.

The X-Files: I Still Believe: I haven’t seen this but it is one of the first big action films that I am really excited for and the reason is simple — Gillian Anderson. There was no better and more confident female character on TV than Dana Scully. None of the women on TV today would be able to do what they do without Scully coming first. Check out Rebecca Traister’s ode to Scully.

Also opening in limited release is Nanette Burstein’s look at high school life: American Teen. It’s kind of like The Breakfast Club and John Hughes’ other high school flicks, but real. I hated high school so having to see kids go through it again made me cringe at times. Burstein spent months on location with these kids in Warsaw, Indiana, and she shows the unbelievable pressure of being a kid today. One false step and you could lose your future. To me, the heart of the film is Hannah Bailey, the creative, quirky girl who goes from confident and bubbly to scarily depressed after her boyfriends dumps her. (Note to that loser – how pathetic are you now?) Her mom is a manic depressive, and when Hannah can’t get out of bed and loses interest in everything including school, the alarm bells take way too long to go off. She is able to bounce back and now is in film school in NY. The other story that resonated with me was that of star basketball player Colin Clemens who is under such pressure from his dad to get an athletic scholarship to college. It’s either a free ride or the army. Talk about pressure.

Remaining in Theatres
Mamma Mia!
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
Brick Lane- opens in Anchorage, FL, Hawaii, Des Moines, Indianapolis, New Orleans, NC, Baltimore, NM, Baltimore, TN
Sex and the City
The Stone Angel- Seattle

This is a comment from Barbara regarding a posting last week on Prejudice and Discrimination Against Women Artists:

A few years ago I was in a pitch meeting with a male development exec, pitching my latest woman centered project, and at the end of the pitch he said to me, “Barbara, when are you going to realize that films about men are just more interesting than films about women?”

When I started film school, the head of the department told the entire class of new students that the women would never finish their films. We women in the class were the only ones that did finish our films.

Let’s hear some more stories. The only way we can make change is to peel back the curtain and let people know what’s happening. Thanks Barbara.

Forbes released its list of Hollywood’s top earners and the men way out earn the women – $487 million compared to $244.5 million.

It amazes me the Eddie Murphy and Mike Meyers who produced turkeys this year are in the top 5. It seems that Cameron Diaz is the top female earner thanks to Shrek.

Hollywood’s Best-Paid Actors (Forbes)
photo: Albert L. Ortega/ PR Photos

For spending the next couple of months trying to get the Latino vote out through her organization Voto Latino:

“There’s 18 million [people who] are eligible. But we are not showing that up in votes. So our numbers aren’t counting. When you actually … work with local organizations – that makes the biggest impact, and that’s what I want to be a part of.” People Magazine

Women & Hollywood contributed a post to the 61st feminist blog carnival. You can read all different types of feminist writings (not just on entertainment).

Here’s the intro:
STEP RIGHT UP and git’ yer feminism, kids! We got all kinds o’ feminism here. We got radical feminism! We got second wave feminism! We got third wave feminism! We got pro-feminist men! We got religious feminists! We got sex worker feminists! We got ever’ kinda feminist, ’cause as all feminists know, we ain’t no monolithic group that’s gotta agree on ever’ damn thang. There’s room for ever’body at this here booth, so step right up and claim yer prize!

Read More

Not that this should surprise anyone, but in light of the research of the lack of female films critics, the most famous TV critics Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper (who never interested me as much as Gene Siskel) have been replaced by Ben Lyons (son of critics Jeffrey Lyons) and Ben Mankiewicz (grandson of screenwriter Herman and great-nephew of director, Joseph L.)

Couldn’t they have thought of teaming one of them up with a woman? Why was that not an option?
Disney names ‘At the Movies’ hosts

As a person who writes about films and sees lots of critics at screenings I can tell you that men (many boys) dominate the critic ranks. Dr. Martha Lauzen, the guru of stats and the head of San Diego State’s Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film has done a research study analyzing who is writing film reviews. The study, Thumbs Down: The Representation of
Women Film Critics in The Top 100 U.S. Daily Newspapers was released today. Here are some of the highlights (or lowlights).

• Men write the overwhelming majority of film reviews in the nation’s top newspapers. In Fall 2007, men penned 70% and women 30% of all reviews.

• Furthermore, of the newspapers featuring film reviews, 47% had no reviews written by women critics, writers or freelancers. In contrast, only 12% had no reviews written by men critics, writers or freelancers.

• Men outnumbered women in every job title category considered. Seventy seven percent (77%) of film critics were male and 23% were female.
  

Also, keep in mind that the reach of a newspaper critics has grown due to the fact that their criticism is on the internet.

• By genre, romantic comedies and dramas constituted a larger proportion of the reviews written by women than by men.

• Films with women filmmakers comprised a larger proportion of the films reviewed by women than by men. Of the reviews written by women, 22% were for films with at least one woman director or writer. Of the reviews written by men, 14% were for films with at least one woman director or writer.

• A significantly higher percentage of films reviewed by women were for films featuring female protagonists or ensemble casts. Of the reviews written by women, 33% were for films featuring a female protagonist or ensemble cast and 67% were for films featuring a male protagonist. Of the reviews written by men, 18% were for films featuring a female protagonist or ensemble cast and 82% were for films featuring a male protagonist.

And Professor Lauzen adds: “the under-representation of women film critics, writers and freelancers may cause films featuring females or with women filmmakers to receive less coverage.” So because guys review more movies about guys and there are fewer female critics, movies about women are screwed. Finally, here are the figures to prove it. It wouldn’t surprise me if some women critics didn’t only want to write about women’s movies because they don’t want to be known as the person who writes about women. Honestly, I embrace it.

So here is the depressing view from Dr. Lauzen: “The bottom line is that film criticism in this country’s newspapers remains a largely male enterprise, echoing the heavy male dominance behind the scenes and on screen in the film industry.”

Nuff said. Let’s get cracking on training some more female critics. Read full report