Tag Archives: hollywood

In Defense Of Katherine Heigl & The “America’s Sweetheart” Problem

Julie GersteinJanuary 31, 2012 //
Katherine On Katherine
Katherine Heigl says she's "disappointed" in herself. Why? Read More »
All Hail Rom Coms!
Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling defends this disrespected genre. Read More »
Heigl Hates Balls
She hates 'em, you hear? Read More »

Let’s get one thing straight: I am not a fan of Katherine Heigl movies and I probably won’t see her new film “One for the Money” unless I’m forced. But that doesn’t mean I don’t think she’s gotten a raw deal in the media. A new article from New York magazine asks, “Is It Over for Katherine Heigl?” and examines the former “Grey’s Anatomy” star’s relative bankability compared to her position a few years ago. What it finds is that Katherine Heigl is guilty of a couple of major things, among them:

  1. Being demanding and high strung — incurring the nickname “Hurricane Heigl.”
  2. Having opinions about the projects she does.

But the real core of Heigl’s problem — and why she’s the object of such grating analysis, is that she’s a woman — a woman who’s done and said some unlikeable things. Call it the “America’s Sweetheart” problem, something Heigl seems acutely aware of. “I’ve never really been America’s sweetheart, but for a minute I think that’s what they wanted me to be,” she told Elle this past December. And I had ‘em for a second thinking maybe I was. And then I opened my mouth and it was clear I wasn’t.”

And none of these things would really matter if she was a man. Keep reading »

We Feel Weird About Elle Fanning’s Fashion Muse Status

Julie GersteinJune 13, 2011 //

Okay, okay, so I get it: fashion’s always on to the next. The newest, the weirdest, the most avant-garde — and apparently, the youngest. And that’s why the Fanning children, Elle and Dakota, have been on fashion’s sweet radar for the last year or so, making the rounds in magazine editorials, on blogs and in designers’ campaign videos. Dakota, the elder Fanning, is the ripe old age of 17, and so we’re somewhat less troubled by her meteoric rise into the sweet embrace of fashion’s bosom. But younger sister Elle Fanning is only 13 years old. And she looks it!

So what, you say? Keep reading »

“There’s A Misogyny In Audiences,” Says Director

Jessica WakemanApril 4, 2011 //

“Nicholas Stoller, director of ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall‘ and ‘Get Him To The Greek,’ says, “There’s a misogyny in audiences, a much higher bar of required likability for women stars. You need to make the actress completely adorable, or else she’ll be thought of as the straight man or the bummer — which is why I focus so carefully on trying to write fully fleshed out roles for women in my movies.” To make a woman adorable, one successful female screenwriter says “you have to defeat her at the beginning. It’s a conscious thing I do — abuse and break her, strip her of her dignity, and then she gets to live out our fantasies and have fun. It’s as simple as making the girl cry 15 minutes into the movie.”

— A profile of actress Anna Faris in The New Yorker by journalist Tad Friend became a larger thinkpiece about the “required likability for women stars,” as one director put it put it. There’s a requirement that women on film are not too threatening to male — and one would assume, as well, female — audiences. You have to wonder why that is. I’ve always said that sexism still exists in 2011, only it is a lot less blatant than in years past. But if you ever needed evidence that sexism is alive and well, there you go. (If you’re curious, I wrote a post back in 2009 on this same general topic.) [The New Yorker via AnnaHolmes.Tumblr.com] Keep reading »

12 Female Stars Who Say There’s A Serious Lack Of Good Roles For Women

Kate Torgovnick/Kate-Book.comMarch 10, 2011 //
roles michelle rodriguez jpg
Michelle Rodriguez is known for playing kick-butt characters, from her first staring role in “Girlfight” to Ana Lucia on “Lost” to a marine sergeant in the new flick, “Battle: Los Angeles,” out this Friday. So what’s with all the tough girl roles? “When us chicks don’t remove our clothes and we don’t play the girlfriend, there are not a lot of roles out there,” says Michelle. “I got to play it safe and take the roles I can.” Ahh, gotcha. [NY Daily News]

Michelle is hardly the first actress to complain about the lack of complex, true-to-life roles for women in Hollywood. After the jump, more famous ladies who wish they had meatier parts to sink their teeth into.

View Gallery »

Today’s Lady News: “Gentleman Prefer Blondes” Actress Jane Russell Dies

Jessica WakemanMarch 1, 2011 //
  • “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and “The Outlaw” actress Jane Russell passed away yesterday in California at age 89. In addition to acting, Jane Russell was a pin-up girl during World War II and a spokeswoman for Playtex bras. [The Wrap]
  • Let’s take a terrifying peek into the group behind the “justifiable homicide” bills regarding the murder of abortion providers that cropped up in South Dakota, among other states. [Mother Jones]
  • Singer/actress/Weight Watchers spokeswoman Jennifer Hudson begs the question, how thin is too thin for a formerly curvaceous woman? [Black Voices]

Keep reading »

Tina Fey Defines “Crazy”

Jessica WakemanFebruary 12, 2011 //

“I have a suspicion that the definition of ‘crazy’ in show business is a woman who keeps talking even after no one wants to f**k her anymore.”

— Tina Fey, writing in The New Yorker. Yes, The New Yorker! My dream woman writes for The New Yorker! Which is kind of why she’s my dream woman, isn’t it? But seriously, this is so true. Just ask Helen Mirren. [The New Yorker via GQ.tumblr.com] Keep reading »

Rosamund Pike Is Not “A Flirty Piece Of Ass”

Jessica WakemanFebruary 4, 2011 //

“I auditioned for a job recently, and didn’t get it. Word came back that they were looking for ‘a flirty piece of ass.’ Now, I do not want, and have never wanted, to be a flirty piece of ass, but when told I was not one, I found myself quite offended. I was thrust right back on the most primeval battlefield, the loser at the mating game. The point that sex appeal is not the level at which I want to compete was lost on me, momentarily.”

— Actress Rosamund Pike (“An Education,” “Made In Dagenham,” “Barney’s Version”) on how expectations of Hollywood actresses mess with her head. The reason I lurve Rosamund is because she’s always totally honest about this kind of BS. [Montreal Gazette] Keep reading »

Catherine Hardwicke Was Told She Couldn’t Direct “The Fighter” Because She’s A Woman

Jessica WakemanFebruary 1, 2011 //

“I couldn’t get an interview even though my last movie made $400 million. I was told it had to be directed by a man — am I crazy? []The Fighter‘] is about action, it’s about boxing, so a man has to direct it. … But they let a man direct ‘Sex and the City’ or any girly movie you’ve ever heard of.”

— “Twilight” director Catherine Hardwicke exposes sexism in Hollywood against female directors and this notion that they can only direct certain types of films. The directorial job on “The Fighter” went to David O. Russell and Hardwicke agreed he did a good job. But it’s complete BS, as she said, that she was told “The Fighter” had to be directed by a man. Keep reading »

Helen Mirren Does Not Worship At The Altar Of The 18-Year-Old Male Penis

Jessica WakemanDecember 9, 2010 //

Helen Mirren is one of those people who, when she talks, you listen. This Tuesday, the Dame received the Sherry Lansing Leaderships Award — so named for the former CEO of Paramount Pictures — at The Hollywood Reporter‘s annual Women in Entertainment breakfast. Although consummately gracious for receiving her award, Helen criticized the subtle sexism of Hollywood, which puts older actresses out to pasture while keeping older male actors in the stables and produces films that “worship at the altar of the 18- and 25-year-old male and his penis.” Helen’s summation? “Quite small, I always think.”

After the jump, a transcript of Helen’s speech: Keep reading »

A Comprehensive Chart Of Every Stereotypical Annoying Female Character

Julie GersteinOctober 12, 2010 //

Ladies — always mucking up the important film narratives for the dudes, am I right? That’s why this extensive “female character flowchart” is so handy: You can easily figure out which terribly cliched movie trope you’re watching by simply consulting the chart. Is she a “psycho feminist lesbian amazon” or a “happy single teenage mom”? A “mama bear” or a “manic pixie dream girl”? Consult the chart and find out! [Overthinking It] Keep reading »

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