BY Women and Hollywood
Call Me Maybe — Feminist Ryan Gosling Edition
Who says feminists have no sense of humor? This is from the folks at the School of Social Work at Portland State U. h/t Sandy Leotti
Rebel Wilson Sells Comedy to Universal
I’m sure you are thinking that Women and Hollywood has become Rebel Wilson’s unofficial fan page. We kind of are, but we can’t help but be super excited that Rebel Wilson is blowing up. The...
Lena Dunham Gets A Big, Big Book Deal
Current megastar Lena Dunham is smartly trading on her success and wide name recognition and sold her first book, a book of advice to young women, entitled Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells...
Must Watch: Nashville-Created by Callie Khouri
For me Connie Britton can do no wrong. She was phenomenal as one of my all-time favorite TV characters, Tami Taylor in Friday Night Lights, and on top of that she’s an outspoken advocate for...
Anne Hathaway to Star in Mindy Kaling’s The Low Self-Esteem of Lizzie Gillespie
Mindy Kaling’s Black List script The Low Self-Esteem of Lizzie Gillespie now has Anne Hathaway attached to star. Co-written with Kaling’s former The Office co-worker Brent Forrester, Gillespie...
Women Donors Save the Orange Prize for Literature
A group of female donors including Cherie Blair, Martha Lane Fox and the novelist Joanna Trollope have come in at the last minute to keep the Orange Prize for women’s fiction in existence. The...
New TV Projects From a Host of Women Including Elizabeth Banks, Reese Witherspoon and Amy Poehler
If all this television news continues, we are in for a lot of promising sounding female centric, female produced and female written shows. This time around Elizabeth Banks, Reese Witherspoon and Amy...
Kelly Marcel Writing Fifty Shades of Grey Screenplay
As we previously reported, 3 female screenwriters, Karen Croner, Veena Sud and Kelly Marcel were in talks to adapt Fifty Shades of Grey. The golden ticket goes to Kelly Marcel for the...
Hollywood Stars Stand Up for Reproductive Freedom
Love this. Sign the petition Draw the Line from the Center for Reproductive Rights.
11 out of 71 Academy Foreign Language Film Submissions Are Directed by Women
For the 85th Academy Awards, a record-breaking 71 countries have submitted films to compete in the Foreign Language Film category. However, according to our research, only 11 of those 71 films are...
Interview with Liv Ullmann and Dheeraj Akolkar — Star and Director of Liv & Ingmar
When you are given an opportunity to meet a legend in the film business you don’t turn it down. So I headed to meet Liv Ullmann who has appeared in more movies than I can count and as of late has...
Cross Post: Heroines of Cinema: 10 Reasons to Love Emma Thompson
Having previously examined the downside of being of a star actress, it seemed time for a corrective tonic. Not that I feel any A-list actress particularly needs to be acclaimed a heroine. Actors...
Hamptons Film Festival: Catching Up With the Very Busy Producer Amy Hobby
Apologies for the background noise. Gayby opens in NY this Friday. Making a Comedy About Friends Making Babies (NY Times)
Happy Weekend: Rebel Wilson and Ellen Rap Salt-N-Pepa
Rebel Wilson is one of our favorite funny women. Pairing her up with Ellen to rap Salt-N-Pepa’s “Shoop,” (a classic song) will make your weekend. Go see Rebel sing in Pitch Perfect which is...
Cross Post: She has a name. Her name is Sharon Carter!
One of the big would-be stories this week was the announcement of five actresses apparently on the ‘short list’ to play Sharon Carter in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Such stories are...
The Ugly Intricacies of Desire in Andrea Arnold’s Wuthering Heights
Tackling a beloved and classic piece of literature to interpret into film is not an easy task and one that director Andrea Arnold typically doesn’t like to do. But after the idea to direct an...
Guest Post: Hollywood’s Dirty Little Secret
According to the latest “Boxed In” report compiled by Dr. Martha M. Lauzen, Executive Director at The Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, released...
Lena Dunham at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit and New Book Proposal
Lena Dunham is on a roll that looks like it cannot be stopped. Despite getting shut out of the Emmys, Dunham has been busy with season 2 of Girls (airing in January), publishing essays in The New...
The Best Quotes from Tina Fey’s Entertainment Weekly Interview
I believe that we have all come to a group consensus that Tina Fey is the best. As we reported last week, NBC feels the same about Fey. And so does Entertainment Weekly! In the current issue, Fey...
Trailer Watch: Stoker — Starring Nicole Kidman and Mia Wasikowska
Stoker follows India (Mia Wasikowska) after her father’s death when her mysterious Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode) moves in with her and her emotionally unstable mother (Nicole Kidman). India begins...
Meryl Streep in Talks for Into the Woods; Mommy and Me with Tina Fey No Longer Option
Meryl Streep is in talks of joining Rob Marshall’s adaptation of Steven Sondheim’s Into the Woods. Into the Woods is a musical that takes different aspects and characters of classic fairy tales...
Fill the Void Written and Directed by Rama Burshtein Gets Picked Up by Sony Pictures Classics
The team at Sony PIctures Classics has been very busy since Toronto and they added another women directed film Fill the Void written and directed by Rama Burshtein to their list of acquisitions. The...
PBS To Air 6 Women Focused Documentaries for Women and Girls Lead Campaign
The second part of Half the Sky aired last night on PBS — which marked the start of the Women and Girls Lead Campaign. This campaign focuses on programming that brings attention to the issues...
Guest Post: We Came! We Saw! We Threw Bananas! WE WERE THEATRE!
Since 2001 Guerrilla Girls On Tour! have staged an annual protest around the time of the Tony Awards to highlight sexism in theatre. We chose the Tony Awards because we wanted people to think about...
First Look: The Guilt Trip — Directed by Anne Fletcher
Barbra Streisand co-stars in Anne Fletcher’s The Guilt Trip as the mother of Andy (Seth Rogen) who agrees to go on a cross-country road trip with her son. Let’s hope that the film is not one...
The Academy Picks Family Guy Creator Seth MacFarlane to Host Oscars
I don’t get it. Yes, the Academy wants to make people think that it is hip and young and I understand that, but Seth MacFarlane? The guy who directed Ted (which was a huge hit) and the creative...
Kathryn Bigelow’s Movie Gets New Poster
I have to tell you all up front that you will probably get sick of me talking about this film but you need to be prepared because she is probably going to be the only woman in the Oscar conversation...
Rebel Wilson, Pitch Perfect and Body Acceptance
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Rebel Wilson discusses the difficulty she had in getting cast for roles when she was starting out in Hollywood. Despite her talent, Wilson wasn’t...
Trailer Watch: Wadjda — Directed and Written by Haifaa Al-Mansour
As we previously reported, Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Wadjda (the first woman from Saudi Arabia to direct a feature) was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. Wadjda follows a 10 year old girl, who...
Must Watch — Half the Sky — Turning Oppression Into Opportunity
Forty plus years into the modern women’s movement there are still undeniable atrocities happening to girls and women throughout the world. For centuries these atrocities have gone on as part of...
Trailer Watch: Winnie — Starring Jennifer Hudson
Winnie focuses on Nelson Mandela’s (Terrence Howard) second wife Winnie Mandela (Jennifer Hudson) as she goes through her husband’s imprisonment, her own solitary confinement and continuing...
Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, America Ferrera and Gabrielle Union Join The Respect Challenge
Some of our favorite actresses have joined The Respect Challenge, a campaign created by the non-profit Futures Without Violence. The campaign is designed to celebrate everyday heroes — someone...
Men Directed 85% of TV Shows Last Season
Here’s a sucky statistic brought to you by the Director’s Guild of America: men directed 85% of all TV episodes last season. These stats include all network and cable scripted TV...
26 of 84 Films in the Hamptons International Film Festival Are Directed by Women
Last week the 20th edition of the Hamptons International Film Festival announced their line-up. The festival will run from October 4–8. With a slate of 84 films announced thus far, 26 are directed...
TV Pilot News: Malin Akerman to be ‘Trophy Wife’; Ilene Chaiken to CBS
Malin Akerman will be starring in Trophy Wife written and executive produced by Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins. As Deadline had reported, Trophy Wife received a cast-contingent pilot order earlier...
Trailer Watch: Identity Thief — Starring Melissa McCarthy
Diana (the hilarious and amazing Melissa McCarthy) steals the identity of Sandy (Jason Bateman) and uses his money to live the good life in Miami. A week before his life (and credit) falls apart,...
Trailer Watch: Midnight’s Children — Directed by Deepa Mehta
Deepa Mehta’s latest film is an adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s beloved novel Midnight’s Children. Two children are born at midnight at the exact moment India regains their independence from...
Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal Court Controversy With Won’t Back Down
When was the last time there was a movie that focused on two women (or more) both over 30 that opened on 2,500 screens? I count three in the last two years. Earlier this year there was Joyful Noise...
Dame Helen Mirren to Receive European Achievement in World Cinema 2012
The European Film Academy is awarding Dame Helen Mirren with their prestigious Achievement in World Cinema 2012 award. It’s no surprise that Mirren would be honored, with her impressive body of...
Tina Fey Covers EW and Signs a Four Year Deal with Universal TV
As the sun sets on her series 30 Rock starting next week with a slew of special guests including Amy Sedaris and Catherine O’Hara, Tina Fey takes a look back at the show and her movie career in an...
Talking to Penny Marshall
A new memoir by actress and director Penny Marshall hit bookstore last week. Marshall was a big star in the 70s and 80s appearing on multiple TV shows and hanging out with the rest of Hollywood TV...
TIFF: Interview with Cate Shortland — Director and Co-Writer of Lore
Lore is Cate Shortland’s second film after the exciting Somersault. It is a bold look at a young girl who lived her whole life in the belly of the Nazi beast and had no perspective on anything...
Women Do Rule the Documentary World
Last week was Independent Film Week here in NYC. There are a wide variety of events, panels and of course parties. I was able to attend the Chicken and Egg Pictures event (which was beyond packed)...
The Male Dominated Emmy Awards
Last week we posted a piece about the research that showed that women created 26% of the TV shows during the 2011–2012 season. But, based on the lack of women visible onstage at last night’s...
TIFF: Interview with Shola Lynch — Director of Free Angela & All Political Prisoners
On the day of the premiere of her documentary at the Toronto Film Festival, director Shola Lynch answered some questions about the film. Here is a look at the importance of the film — Black...
Interview with Lisa Immordino Vreeland — Director of Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel
Lisa Immordino Vreeland loved Diana Vreeland before she married her grandson. Even though they never met she paints a glorious portrait of a unique woman who was a driving force in the fashion and...
Guest Post: 2012–2013 Fall TV Created by Women
Fall TV season has arrived. As we excitedly dive into a fresh season, what is the state of female participation in creative content? I gathered a list of new shows and looked at their creative...
Trailer Watch: Beautiful Creatures — Starring Alice Englert and Viola Davis
Beautiful Creatures, based on the bestselling YA novel written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, follows Lena Duchannes (Ginger and Rosa’s Alice Englert), a mysterious girl with supernatural...
Early Look at Finale of ‘Georgia’ Written and Directed by Marta Kauffman
Have you been following the great online videos being posted on the new WIGS You tube channel? If not, you have been missing out. Women and Hollywood is happy to preview the finale of...
Trailer Watch: The Patience Stone
The Patience Stone was the movie in Toronto that two separate women told me I needed to see. And boy was it worth it. It is basically a monologue performed brilliantly by Iranian actress Golshifteh...
Interview with Delphine and Muriel Coulin — Co-Directors/Writers of 17 Girls
17 Girls, directed and written by sisters Delphine and Muriel Coulin, was inspired by the Massachusetts story about a group of teenage girls who all make a pact to get pregnant and raise their...