Women and Hollywood

Guest Post: A Feminist Defense of 50 Shades of Grey

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50 Shades of Grey is happening, it's happening big, and it's happening for women. I jumped on the band wagon after reading that the books were initially created as Twilight fan-fic (Twilight being the subject of my Masters thesis...) and immediately gave up three days of my life to obsessively read (and yes, re-read) the trilogy. As a woman, and especially as a feminist, I think these books are great.

By Emilie Spiegel
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April 11, 2012 10:41 AM
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19 Comments

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The Continuing Conversation About the Marginalization of Female Writers

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I opened the NY Times book review this past weekend and lo and behold there was an essay by the divine Meg Wolitzer called The Second Shelf about how books written by men and women are treated differently.

By Melissa Silverstein
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April 4, 2012 10:53 AM
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12 Comments

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Is 50 Shades of Grey The Next Big Thing?

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As The Hunger Games was getting ready to take the box office by storm, a 40-something former TV executive from England with two kids E.L. James (not her real name) and her literary agent Valerie Hoskins were sitting out in Hollywood taking pitches from all the studios who were all falling over themselves to get the rights to make the film version of her books (there are three of them).

By Melissa Silverstein
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March 28, 2012 12:37 PM
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5 Comments

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Two African American Female Directors Book New Films

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I was excited to report that one African American female director got a new gig, but two puts me close to over the moon.

By Melissa Silverstein
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March 28, 2012 10:24 AM
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2 Comments

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Guest Post: It’s a Wild Thyme for Women in 21st Century Hollywood

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The status and authority of women participating in various aspects of the film and television industry has made great strides in the past twenty years. Two years ago a woman actually was awarded the Oscar for directing a realistic action film about war. Who would have thought twenty years ago this was possible?

By Sally Van Slyke
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March 15, 2012 11:32 AM
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The 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction - The Longlist

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The Orange Prize celebrates fiction written by women from authors across the world. It is now in it's 17th year. The shortlist will be announced April 17th and the award will be held on May 30. The judges are: Joanna Trollope, (Chair), Writer; Lisa Appignanesi, Writer, Novelist and Broadcaster; Victoria Derbyshire, Journalist and Broadcaster; Natalie Haynes, Writer and Broadcaster; Natasha Kaplinsky, Broadcaster.

By Melissa Silverstein
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March 8, 2012 11:45 AM
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Hedy Lamarr: Way More Than Just a Pretty Face

Video

Hedy Lamarr was a big Hollywood star in the 40s. But what most people don't know is that she was also an inventor. An inventor who created a gudiance system for torpedos using frequency hoping which today is used in GPS and wireless phones. She received a patent for her work, but it was still dismissed by the navy and she never made any money from it. So she basically signed it away to the navy. You can read all about Hedy Lamarr in the new book Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World by Richard Rhodes.

By Melissa Silverstein
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March 5, 2012 11:30 AM
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1 Comment

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Sexism Watch: Male Writer Numbers Dwarf Females Numbers at High Profile Magazines

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No matter how many times people try and convince me that things are better for women every time I see new stats they just prove the opposite. Women's progress has plateaued. You've seen the stats on women in the entertainment business. You see how few women there are running corporations. You see how few women are making it in politics. It's like there is one giant conspiracy -- intentinal or not -- that says you girls have gotten far enough, be happy with what you've got, now shut up and leave us alone to go and pilfer another country and start another war.

By Melissa Silverstein
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February 29, 2012 12:19 PM
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8 Comments

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Sexism Watch: NY Times Book Review Calls NY Times Reporter's Book "Chick Nonfiction"

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We hit another dubious milestone this weekend. A book called The Obamas written by veteran NY Times reporter Jodi Kantor was called "chick nonfiction" in a NY Times book review written by Douglas Brinkley.

By Melissa Silverstein
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February 20, 2012 11:00 AM
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3 Comments

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