» Women & Hollywood

Good Lord – Please Leave These Women Alone

May 172012

In the last couple days I have seen several disturbing stories about two actresses being harrassed for their post partum appearances. Both Bryce Dallas Howard and Aishwarya Rai have given birth in the last couple of months. Rai is one of the most famous women in India, and has been called by some the most beautiful woman in the world and Dallas Howard is American who recently appeared in The Help.

These photographs and the accompanying comments made me sick to my stomach. Not only do the women have to struggle with having to take care of their newborns, now they have to struggle with an unforgiving press and public decrying their weight gains extolling them to look to Victoria Beckham and Beyonce as role models for a post pregnancy body.

This is so unbelievably ridiculous and shameful. I am appalled by the comments from the public who when looking at the pictures say the most horrible and hateful things. The asses at TMZ (which I will not link to) started off on Bryce Dallas Howard photographing her on Mother's Day no less and picked the headline "It Takes a Village" (she was in the film The Village). They of course, egged on the disgusting comments — there were 290 of them as of yesterday — with many people calling her names just because she has gained weight because she had a baby. Imagine what someone would be called if she gained weight and didn't have a baby. Jezebel pointed out the important fact that she has gained 80 pounds with her first pregnancy 5 years ago and that she suffered severe post partum depression. Post Partum depression is is no laughing matter.

Aishwarya Rai is one of the most famous women in India, and the media has been even harsher on her because she is not only known as a actress, but because she also represents many products. She is about to be seen at the Cannes Film Festival and the reports are that she is not back to her pre pregnancy weight. You would think that she committed treason the way she is being treated. It's like a personal affront to the country. There are even You Tube videos highlighting her weight gain.

Ms. Rai has created a package of herself basedon her looks — which is exactly what the public wants — and now as she struggles to regain her figure, the Indian public is confronted with the fact that she is a real person who has real struggles just like everyone else. She is no longer the perfect brand.

The unrealistic expectations placed on women are so brutal. I understand wanting to see your favorite star at an event or a film opening where it is their job to present themselves to the world. But there has to be some limit. People need some semblance of privacy and just because you are in the public eye should not mean that you should be afraid to leave your house if you don't look perfect.

I just wish that the men and the women making these horrible comments would think about what it would be like if someone photographed them or their partner walking down the street to get a cup of coffee or go to the doctor soon after they had given birth.

'It is her duty to look good and fit': Bollywood star and former Miss World targeted over failure to lose post-pregnancy weight (Sydney Morning Herald)

Aishwarya Rai's post-baby body forces India to confront its attitude to women (The Guardian)

Women and Hollywood

Raven Simone a Lesbian ?!

Women & Hollywood No Responses »

May 172012

Ah, yes. Olivia Kendall is now a full grown woman who has outgrown her plucky/pudgy girl from the Disney channel and morphed into a beautiful lesbian Broadway butterfly. According to the National Enquirer, Raven Symone is as queer as a three dollar bill and doesn’t care who knows it.

The report states that she and ‘America’s Next Top Model‘ alumni, AzMarie, have been dating for over a year.

“She’s at a point now where she doesn’t care what her family thinks, and she’s in love with AzMarie. She’s a lesbian and wants to live that way. She feels her parents are still trying to treat her like she’s a kid, and she’s told them she’s going to do what she wants.

Raven has hidden being gay for a long time now. But about a year ago, she was introduced by a friend to AzMarie, who is absolutely gorgeous. The two began see¬ing each other, and a few months ago, Raven finally got the nerve to ask her to move into her lavish Manhattan condo. When her family found out, they blew their stack and it’s created a gay scandal for Raven. She told her parents she loves them, but her home – especially her bedroom – is nobody’s business, and she was not going to back down, so they needed to accept it, period.”

Gay, straight or undecided, I say huzzah! Not only did she will herself hotter, she is now dating a model and has a pucker that looks like it is full of grade A collagen Lindsay Lohan always orders but gets a dose of Spam instead after her credit card gets denied.

Hollywood Dame Link Worthy

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Hollywood Dame

Cannes Watch: Why We Need Films Directed By Women AND Films About Women

Women & Hollywood No Responses »

May 162012

Cannes is kicking off right now. I've spent the last two days putting together a petition that will be sent to the festival about the lack of female directors in competition. You can sign the petition here. (Just so you know every signature generates an email to the Cannes officials so hopefully this will go viral and they will have full email boxes.)

The big argument about women directors always comes down to the discussion that women directors don't want to be picked for representation because they are women, they want to be picked because their film stands on its merits.

Here's what the great director Andrea Arnold who is on the jury this year said when asked about the lack of women directors at the opening press confrence today:

I would absolutely hate it if my film got selected because I was a woman. I would only want my film to be selected for the right reasons and not out of charity because I'm female. I would say it's true the world over in the world of film. There's just not that many women film directors. I guess Cannes is a small pocket that represents how it is out in the world. And that's a great pity and a great disappointment, because obviously women are half of the population and have voices and things to say about life and the world that probably would be good for all of us to hear.

I totally agree with Arnold.

But here's the problem. The film world reminds me of politics. Small and clubby and people promote their friends and friends of friends. And it's mostly male. Look at the critics. Look at the people at the top level of most film festivals. Dudes all around. Women can compete but the playing field is not level, and that's why there needs to be changes in how films get selected so that people with all different kinds of diverse visions of the world will be accepted.

Diversity is hard. No one is saying that it isn't. You have to work harder to find films from people outside the known networks. You have to ask your consultants and scouts to work harder and to think outside their box. But it has got to be done.

I am not saying that any festival should program and film they are not 100% in love with. What I am saying is that we need to know how they pick the films and they all need to figure out a way to create better mechanisms for discovering and identifying female talent and for finding those women who might not rise to the top of the pile for reasons other than quality.

And while I firmly believe that we need to have films about women alongside films directed by women this cannot be seen as a zero sum game. You cannot say look at all the great female protagonists we have and make that your answer. Women and men see the world differently because we have different perspectives. One shouldn't be seen as universal and the other as "niche" – they should both be seen for what they are, different. But still, we fight for women's voices and experiences and vision to be taken as seriously as our male counterparts.

So that is why we continue to use opportunities like the lack of female directors in competition at the Cannes Film Festival to raise our voices and say – where are the women directors?

Regret but no surprise Cannes lacks women directors (Reuters)

Petition: Where are the Women Directors?

Women and Hollywood

Cannes Watch: The First Female Saudia Arabian Director Hits Cannes

Women & Hollywood No Responses »

May 162012

Haifaa Al Mansour may not be able to drive in her country but she seems to have accomplished something no other woman — or man — has done in Saudia Arabia — directing the first feature film shot in the country.

Her film — Wadjda is according to the Hollywood Reporter the "ordinary but uplifting story of an 11-year-old girl growing up in the suburbs of Saudi capital city Riyadh. Wadjda’s dream is to get and ride a green bicycle, a treasure forbidden to women in the restrictive Islamist state." Isn't it amazing that we live in a world where there are places where girls can only dream about having and riding a bike.

The film is begin sold by the European based Match Factory and was financed by Berlin based Razor Films.

Here's what she said about the film: "I come from a small town in Saudi Arabia where there are many girls like Wadjda who have big dreams, strong characters and so much potential. These girls can, and will, reshape and redefine our nation."

Let's just keep im mind how revolutionary and potentially dangerous it was for Al Mansour to direct this film. Women and not allowed to walk outside on their own and she also couldn't be on the street to direct scenes of her own film She had to work from a van. So here is a woman without the freedom to walk directing a movie about a girl who is dreaming about having something that she is forbidden to have.

Hopefully? maybe? who knows? this film could be a signal to a changing time since it was even allowed to happen in the country.

I guess we'll know that there has been a change when we see girls riding down the streets on their bikes and women driving and walking freely.

Al Mansour reveals struggles of directing Wadjda (Screen Daily)

Cannes 2012: Saudi Arabia's First Female Director Brings 'Wadjda' to Fest (Hollywood Reporter)

Women and Hollywood

Mariah Carey on Britney Spears ‘X-Factor’ Gig – VIDEO

Women & Hollywood No Responses »

May 152012

Some poor sap must have confused Mariah Carey with someone who won’t snap your neck for getting too close to her Snack Packs or mentioning some who is not her. While being interviewed by Extra, she was asked how she felt about Brit Brit nabbing the ‘X-Factor‘ judging gig she was allegedly after. Mariah let it be known that you don’t talk about Britney Spears in her presence…

“You think I focus on that stuff? Have we met? I love her, honestly, I think she’s a very nice person, but I don’t care who’s going on that show – as long as it’s not me.”

What moron utters any name that doesn’t somehow pertain to Mimi in front of Mimi!?

Hollywood Dame

Someone Introduce Johnny Depp to Colgate – PHOTOS

Women & Hollywood No Responses »

May 152012

Admit it, Johnny Depp is on your list provided he is dressed as Jack Sparrow and has showered. The man can make scurvy look hot, but appears to have taken issue with dental hygiene. How very hipster.

While on the bright purple carpet for the premiere of ‘Dark Shadows’ in London, Depp sported a rough grill. His teeth made a rare appearance and left me erasing him from my To Do list. The brown and yellow stains are probably from your typical vices, but when one can buy their own island it’s hard to overlook a couple of rounds of bleaching.

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Hollywood Dame

Females Grossly Underrepresented and Misrepresented in Top Grossing Films of 2011

Women & Hollywood No Responses »

May 152012

New stats are out from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film. This time the research takes a look at the amount of female characters onscreen in the top grossing 100 films of 2011.

The study entitled "It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World: On-Screen Representations of Female Characters in the Top 100 Films of 2011" showed that women account for 33% of the characters but only 11% of the leading characters. This is at a time when women make up 51% of the population. A decade ago women made up 16% of the leads in films. Male characters are also much more likely to be seen as leaders onscreen 86% compared to 14%. I guess it's easier to make a man a political leader when that is the norm is society. It's also easier to have more men with leadership capabilities because we see more older men onscreen. Men over 40 make up 50% of the characters and women over 40 only make up 25% of the characters.

Other stats include the fact that most of the female characters are white 73% and the number of African American females has declined from from 15% in 2002 to 8% in 2011.

And the kicker is that men get identified by their occupation and women get identified by their marital status and when a woman's occupation is identified 22% of the time the woman is identified as being out of the workforce.

See Full report

It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World: On-Screen Representations of Female Characters in the Top 100 Films of 2011
by Martha M. Lauzen, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2012 – All rights reserved.

In 2011, females remained dramatically under-represented as characters in film when compared with their representation in the U.S. population. Last year, females accounted for 33% of all characters in the top 100 domestic grossing films. This represents an increase of 5 percentage points since 2002 when females comprised 28% of characters.

While the percentage of female characters has increased over the last decade, the percentage of female protagonists has declined. In 2002, female characters accounted for 16% of protagonists. In 2011, females comprised only 11% of protagonists.

Female characters remain younger than their male counterparts and are more likely than males to have an identifiable marital status. Further, female characters are much less likely than males to be portrayed as leaders of any kind. This can be partially explained by the tendency to feature female characters under the age of 40.

Findings

Only 11% of all clearly identifiable protagonists are female, 78% are male, and 11% are male/female ensembles.
Male characters are much more likely than females to be portrayed as leaders. Overall, male characters account for 86% and females 14% of leaders. Broken down by type of leader, males comprise 93% of political and government leaders, 92% of religious leaders, 83% of business leaders , 73% of social leaders, and 70% of scientific and intellectual leaders.
Female characters are younger than their male counterparts. The majority of female characters are in their 20s (27%) and 30s (28%). The majority of male characters are in their 30s (29%) and 40s (25%). These percentages are similar to those collected in 2002.
Males 40 and over account for 50% of all male characters. Females 40 and over comprise 25% of all female characters.
4% of all female characters are 60 or older. 8% of all male characters are 60 or older.
73% of all female characters are Caucasian, followed by African American (8%), Latina (5%), Asian (5%), other worldly (4%), animals (3%), and other (1%). Moviegoers are almost as likely to see an extra-terrestrial female as they are to see a Latina or Asian female character.
The percentage of African-American females declined precipitously from 15% in 2002 to 8% in 2011.
The percentage of Latina females increased by one percentage point over the last decade, from 4% in 2002 to 5% in 2011.
The percentage of Asian females increased 2 percentage points, from 3% in 2002 to 5% in 2011.
For comparison, 69% of male characters are Caucasian, followed by other worldly (9%), African American (8%), Latino (5%), animals (5%), Asian (3%), and other (1%).
Male characters are more likely than female characters to be identified by their occupational status. 33% of female characters have unknown occupational status versus 19% of male characters.
Female characters are more likely than male characters to be identified by their marital status. 60% of male characters have unknown marital status versus 41% of female characters.
When occupational status is known, female characters are most likely to be in out-of-workforce positions such as homemaker or student (22%), followed by white collar positions (15%), and blue collar positions (13%). Male characters are most likely to hold white collar positions (22%) and blue collar positions (22%).

Report compiled by Dr. Martha M. Lauzen, Executive Director, Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, 619.594.6301

Women and Hollywood

Britney Spears, Demi Lovato CONFIRMED as ‘X-Factor’ Judges – PHOTOS

Women & Hollywood No Responses »

May 152012

Well, like I mentioned yesterday, Simon Cowell has a formed a hot mess version of the X-Men. Britney Spears and Demi Lovato will join the judges panel on ‘X Factor‘ and attempt to fill the empty seats of Paula Abdul and Nicole Schwartzenwhatever.

L.A. Reid will crush contestant’s souls as he slides his Prada spectacles down and unleashes lasers from his eyeballs while sighing NEXT, Simon will continue to toss out bitter criticism while combing tufts of man-boob hair out his v-neck tops and thinking about how much money has, Demi will sit on the edge of her seat and be one fat girl comment away from cutting someone while trying to think of something nice to say and Britney will just be trying to think of something to say in general that doesn’t end with: ‘Is it time for my Frappuccino and Big Mac yet?’

Oh, I know. I am being bitter, but even if they combined all their blood alcohol levels, it will never match that of Paula Abdul‘s nor fill the void of her drunken ramblings about dreams and bravery. I miss that ol’ balls drunk pinata of wisdom.

Judging by the whole lotta WHUT? etched on their faces, this season should be interesting. Britney looks like someone asked her what 67-18 is while Demi reacts to overhearing someone ask, ‘Do you smell that? Is that pot?’

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Hollywood Dame

Kristen Stewart Confirms Robert Pattinson is Her ‘F**king Boyfriend’

Women & Hollywood No Responses »

May 152012

Thanks to all who stopped by Hollywood Dame to watch the premiere of ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ Monday morning. That’s right. We streamed it live from the red carpet, drank Bloody Marys and ate martini olives. What? They were stuffed with cheese!

If Kristen Stewart is your vice, then the new issue of Elle will delight your fetish for dirty hipster who discovered the power of cursing. Among the nuggets of wisdom she shared with the mag, Stewart confirmed that Robert Pattinson is her “f**king boyfriend,” she doesn’t like horses and that she is wearing The One Ring.

Kristen on Rob angering the French: “Oooh, Martin Amis.” Stewart plucks ‘Money’ from the shelf. “My copy just got soaked – my toilet overflowed.” And then, “Oh my God, my f–king boyfriend just did this movie,” she says, referring to Robert Pattinson while pulling down a copy of Bel Ami. “The French, they’re up in arms that he did it.”

Kristen on making horses think, ‘Bitch, this isn’t a pleasure cruise for me either!’: “I hated it,” she admits of riding. “I didn’t take to the whole mentality of f–king ordering that thing around – ‘Go now!’ You have to be an a–hole, basically. Not to say that horse people are a–holes to their horses. But you have to basically tell that thing who’s boss, and I didn’t want to do that. I was like, ‘No, do your thing. I don’t even want to be up here.’”

Kristen on being so hipster that even her rental car is a melting pot of non-conformity: “She unlocks a nondescript rental car (she can’t drive her Mini Cooper without being followed by paparazzi), drops the books in back, slides into the driver’s seat, starts the engine and offers up a Camel. Pushing the cigarette-lighter button, she says, laughing, “I went for the high-class rental. This car’s got all the fixin’s!” Scattered on the passenger side floor are a pair of plaid Van sneakers, an empty protein drink, a Coca-Cola can, and a plastic to-go container with a half eaten sandwich covered in mold. A nearly empty Snapple sits in the cup holder, cigarette buds floating in it.

Kristen on living in a protective albeit trash laden bubble that has sheltered her from life (kinda like Pig Pen): “Because I didn’t go to f–king school, I feel I would have had a bit something extra if I had,” she says. “Maybe because my life is so perfect, when I see the other side of life, it just seems like, almost like I want…” Stewart struggles for words. “You can learn so much from bad things. I feel boring. I feel like, Why is everything so easy for me? I can’t wait for something crazy to f–king happen to me. Just life. I want someone to f–k me over! Do you know what I mean?” That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger? “Exactly. It’s one of the reasons I want to act. I love living in different worlds, because a lot of times mine is pretty nice and easy.”

Kristen on a mysterious ring that we all want to be some sort of engagement/promise ring, but is really about as magical/special as something you get in a gumball machine: “Stewart taps her hands on the steering wheel, her short nails lacquered in bloodred. On her thumb is a silver spoon ring. “All four of my brothers and my mom and dad have these,” she says. “My mom went and got them for Christmas.” And the gold ring circling her index finger? “Everyone wants to know,” Stewart says slyly. She shakes her head. “Everyone knows already – it’s ridiculous.” As painful as it is to be so publicly pushed and prodded, how does she square wanting to be projected on a 40-foot screen? “Laurence Olivier was asked, ‘Actors, what’s the impulse? Why?’ And he was just like, ‘Look at me, look at me, look at me, …’ That was his answer. But at the same time, it’s like, ‘Nooo, don’t look at me. Look at some version that I’m going to present to you. Let me control it.”

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Hollywood Dame

PR Pregnancy, Self Lover, Envious Publicist: Blind Items

Women & Hollywood No Responses »

May 142012

“This rom-com queen has been trying to find a suitable A-list mate to compliment her image, but had to settle for a C-lister. She was about to break up with him, but when her ex announced his engagement to a couple of mutual pals, she decided to fast track their relationship. Not only will they be getting married soon, but they will also be welcoming a baby. She is about 3 months pregnant and plans to let bump rumors ride until she confirms the news at what she is deeming “perfect PR timing.” Her goal is to go public with the pregnancy just in time for her ex’s wedding.” [Hollywood Dame]

“Which star, currently in the news, must have such a high opinion of himself that he needs to massage his ego quite frequently? He was, for quite some time, having sex with someone who worked professionally as his own lookalike. (Some of his more casual hook-ups too are said to have more than a passing resemblance.)” [PopBitch]

My Guess: John Travolta?!

“Which publicist is badmouthing an ex-client because she hates his new girlfriend?” [NY Post]

My Guess: So vague, but I’ll say Lizzie Grubman because she is basically my answer to every blind about a publicist doing something a 7th grader would do.

“At a dinner party a few months ago at a A list director’s house, this B list, married actor met a woman who was helping to cater the event. He claims it was “love at first sight,” and although he hasn’t yet physically acted on it, he’s developed a very intense emotional relationship with her.” [Buzzfoto]

My Guess: It’s pretty vague…I’d say Josh Duhamel but he has a thing for strippers.

Hollywood Dame

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