ALL POSTS
Lisa Kudrow is Back on TV
Lisa Kudrow talks to CBS about her web series Web Therapy which has transferred to TV and will premiere on Showtime on July 19
Guest Post: Interview with Sophia Takal — Writer/Director of Green by Melissa Silvestri
Actress/writer Sophia Takal’s directorial debut, Green, is a film that is both dark in its themes of jealousy, yet shines with a natural ease depicting the burgeoning friendship of two very...
Trailer Watch: Higher Ground — Directed by Vera Farmiga
Film opens on August 26th. A terrific directorial debut by Farmiga who also stars in the film.
Guest Post: Interview with Sophia Takal – Writer/Director of Green by Melissa Silvestri
Actress/writer Sophia Takal’s directorial debut, Green, is a film that is both dark in its themes of jealousy, yet shines with a natural ease depicting the burgeoning friendship of two very...
The Love Crimes of Kabul Directed by Tanaz Eshaghian Premieres Tonight on HBO
If you want to see the lack of progress the US investment in women in Afghanistan, check out the Love Crimes of Kabul. This is the true story of women (and some girls) being held in the Badam Bagh...
Sometimes Real Life is Even Better Than The Movie
They couldn’t have scripted it better. It was a storybook weekend for women’s soccer. While most of the US press was focused on Derek Jeter’s 3,000 hit (at least that’s what it looks like...
Marsha Norman to Write Play Dealing with Plight of Women and Girls
The United Nations Department of Public Information, through its Creative Community Outreach Initiative (CCOI) has joined forces with Theatre for Humans a producing entity out of LA to create a play...
Guest Review: The Sleeping Beauty — directed by Catherine Breillat by Emilie Spiegel
There was no way I wasn’t going to love Catherine Breillat’s latest film, The Sleeping Beauty (La belle endormie). It covers all my bases: female-centric (check), arty and lusciously imagined...
Producers Corner: Jami Gertz and Stacey Lubliner Talk About A Better Life
Actress Jami Gertz and former agent Stacey Lubliner set up a production company Lime Orchard Productions in order to produce films about the human condition. Their first film out of the gate as...
Two Women Get Directing Gigs — Drew Barrymore and Jerusha Hess
Drew Barrymore and Jerusha Hess (the co-writer of Napoleon Dynamite) have both signed up for directing gigs. Barrymore will produce and direct Heist Society to be adapted by Shauna Cross (Whip It)....
How Fun Would It Be To Have Both Glenn Close and Meryl Streep Up for an Oscar
I know that this is so very far away, but a girl can dream. We already know that Meryl Streep will be in The Iron Lady opening in December, and now comes word that Glenn Close’s film Albert Nobbs...
Teaser Trailer: The Iron Lady
Here’s a teaser trailer for the UK version of the film which will open in the US in December and the UK in January 2012. http://vds.rightster.com/v/01z13vb3x2qxu0 Rightster – This video is...
Forbes 2011 List of the Highest Paid Actresses
It’s that time of year when we get to see who is scoring in the pay department in Hollywood. It’s no surprise to anyone that the highest paid actress in Hollywood is Angelina Jolie. She’s...
Guest Post: Raven Symone Plays Georgia…Sticky Issue for Feminists? by Emilie Spiegel
Last week, the Raven Symone series created by chick-lit author Jennifer Weiner, State of Georgia, premiered on ABC Family. Symone plays Georgia, a young woman who’s recently moved to NYC to pursue...
Sex, Sexuality and Women’s Sports
I’ve been obsessively watching the great coverage on ESPN of the Women’s World Cup soccer tournament. Yes, folks women do play soccer just like the men and they are quite good. While the US seems...
About Women and Hollywood
Melissa Silverstein is a writer, blogger and marketing consultant with an expertise in the area of social media regarding women and Hollywood. She is the founder and editor of Women and Hollywood,...
Guest Post: Selena Gomez Takes It To The Next Level By Serena Donadoni
Meeting Selena Gomez, itʼs hard not to notice what she doesnʼt do as much as what she does: she doesnʼt slouch or hesitate answering questions; sheʼs not testy or fatigued on this last stop of a...
Hollywood Feminist of the Day: Romola Garai
The 28-year-old busy actress (soon to be seen in One Day) is now appearing onstage in London at the Royal Court in The Village Bike by Penelope Skinner. In an interview with the London Evening...
Funny Chicks Best Funny Nerds at The Box Office
Sometime this weekend (or maybe even by tonight) in a theatre somewhere in America a person will buy a movie ticket to see Bridesmaids and that ticket will take the domestic box office tally of...
Catherine Hardwicke and Noomi Rapace Team Up for Film
To me this is an awesome team. Twilight director teaming up with the original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Catherine Hardwicke and Noomi Rapace. How cool. The news is that Rapace will star in a bio...
Diablo Cody to Make Her Directing Debut
Academy Award winning writer Diablo Cody will make her directing debut on her own script Lamb of God. Her longtime collaborator Mason Novick will produce. It seems that the movie is being fast...
Update: Five Female Playwrights Will be on Broadway This Fall
Here is an update to yesterday’s post about Theresa Rebeck’s play opening on Broadway. It seems that there will be several female written plays opening on the great white way this fall. Great...
Eva Gabrielsson in Conversation With Gloria Steinem
Eva Gabrielsson came to the US to promote her book There Are Things I Want You to Know About Stieg Larsson and Me and she stopped at the 92nd Street Y and had a conversation with feminist Gloria...
Hollywood Feminist of the Day: Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler pens a letter in support of Planned Parenthood. Here’s some of it: You know who is awesome? Cecile Richards. She’s the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She’s...
A Female Playwright Will Be on Broadway Next Season
After a disappointing year where not a single female written new play was produced on Broadway, word comes in now that next season will at least have some female representation. Theresa Rebeck’s...
Actress Michelle Yeoh Deported From Burma
Actress Michelle Yeoh who portrays Aung San Suu Kyi in the upcoming film The Lady was deported from Burma when she tried to enter the country to see Kyi last week. She has been placed on a blacklist...
Trailer and Poster: Pixar’s Brave
Pixar’s first girl centric film
Human Rights Int. Film Fest: Life Above All
The devastating and beautiful Life, Above All closes The Human Rights International Film Festival Thursday night in NY. Details here. Director Oliver Schmitz and Lead Actress Khomotso Manyaka will...
Bad Teacher Box Office Report
Cameron Diaz’ film Bad Teacher took second place at the box office this weekend with a total of $31 million. That makes it already a hit since it cost only $20 million to make and also took in...
Trailer Watch: One Day Directed by Lone Scherfig
Film opens August 19
Human Rights Watch Int. Film Fest: The Price of Sex — directed by Mimi Chakarova
The Price of Sex is one of those films that haunt you. I watched it over a week ago and I still cannot get it out of my mind. The film painstakingly depicts the brutal reality of how easily women and...
Women and Hollywood in the News — June 2011
Forbes Woman named Women and Hollywood one of the 100 best websites for Women. Check out page 6 of the story Here’s the description: Women are more than 50% of the population, film ticket buyers...
Trailer Alert: LA Film Festival — Salaam Dunk
Salaam Dunk is playing this evening at the LA Film Festival. Details here.
Riding the Bridesmaids Wave
Women in Hollywood are finally feeling a little love after the unexpected success of Bridesmaids. The film has now grossed $140 million and counting and for the first time in a long time women’s...
Guest Post: We Want More Female-Written Plays! by Katherine Bowman
The Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative (LA FPI) recently conducted a study on the number of female-written plays produced in LA. The number is a disappointing yet unsurprising 20%. In...
LA Film Festival: Somewhere Between — Directed by Linda Goldstein Knowlton
Producer Linda Goldstein Knowlton who produced one of my favorite films ever — Whale Rider — steps behind the camera to direct a film for her daughter Ruby whom she adopted from China....
Academy Invites for 2011: The Women
The Academy of Arts and Sciences sent out 178 invitations to join its ranks. Out of the 178 there are 55 women (56 if you count an associate member). There were no women nominated in the Visual...
Trailer Watch: Season 2 Preview of The Big C
Show stars Laura Linney and some guests stars this year include Cynthia Nixon, Parker Posey and Gabourey Sidibe. The Big C was created by Darlene Hunt and the showrunner is the amazing Jenny Bicks....
LA Film Festival: Renee
I watched a fascinating and sad documentary on Renee Richards over the weekend. It is now playing at the LA Film Festival (after it played at Tribeca last month) with another screening this evening...
Films to Watch for This Fall on the Film Fest Circuit: The Women
The intrepid folks at IndieWIRE have put together a wish list for films they want to see this fall on the film fest circuit. Here are the women centric and women directed ones on the list. (all...
The Press for Transformers 3 Starts With Bashing Megan Fox
I’m sorry, but how did Megan Fox’s departure from Transformers 3 become a big press hook for the movie? Is the movie so bad that they need to distract from the actual movie to events that...
The Killing Ends Its First Season
The Killing ended its first season last night and surprise! it did not wrap up anything and only created more questions. I really thought we would get some closure but I am impressed that people were...
Julie Taymor Talks Spiderman at LA Theatre Conference
I’m a bit obsessed about the Julie Taymor/Spiderman situation. Mostly I’m obsessed because of what this will mean for her career, but also what it will mean for other women’s careers. Since her...
Sex Crimes Unit — Directed by Lisa F. Jackson
Monday night, HBO will air a behind the scenes look at the NYC Sex Crimes prosecution unit. These are the lawyers who go to court to fight for the women (yes, it is mostly women) who have been raped...
Page One — Where are the Women?
As the film Page One — Inside the NY Times made its way through the festival circuit this spring there was not a lot of noise made about the lack of females in the film. Anyone who saw the...
Guest Post: The Case for Watching Pretty Little Liars by Emilie Spiegel
As someone who spends her time watching media portrayals of young women, I’m here to say… I LOVE Pretty Little Liars (Tuesdays, 8pm EST, ABC Family). This week was the second season’s premiere,...
An Unpublished Laura Ziskin Interview
I have no idea why this interview was not published by The Hollywood Reporter, but it wasn’t. This interview was conducted last September and has some really good points about women and the...
Goldie Hawn to HBO
It looks like another leading lady of the screen is heading to the tube. Darren Star (Sex and the City) is adapting the book The Viagra Diaries by Barbara Rose Brooker as a starring vehicle for...
Trailer Watch: Wish Me Away — directed by Bobbie Birleffi and Beverly Kopf
This doc about country star Chely Wright premieres at the LA Film Festival on Monday- June 20 “Wish Me Away is the poignant story of Chely Wright, the first country music star to ever come out as...
Guest Post: The UCLA Festival of New Creative Work by Amy French
The UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television held its Festival of New Creative Work in Los Angeles from June 4th to June 9th. The event showcased the best live action and animated films, scripts,...
Call for Submissions for 2012 Athena Film Festival
As you may know, I am the artistic director of the Athena Film Festival. The second festival will take place from February 9–12, 2012. We are opening our call for submissions today. Read the...