television

Unruly Girls, Unrepentant Mothers: Redefining Feminism on Screen

beth — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Unruly Girls, Unrepentant Mothers: Redefining Feminism on Screen by Kathleen Rowe Karlyn is a fascinating look into the movies and television I watched as a kid. As a woman in my mid-twenties, I can safely say that my age group, for the most part, was the target audience when the films and television shows mentioned in the book were being produced. Or, at least, one of the target audiences. Unruly Girls, Unrepentant Mothers is a companion volume to Unruly Women, published in 1995 by the same author. (I have not read Unruly Women, so some of my thoughts about Unruly Girls, Unrepentant Mothers may have responses in the earlier work.)

According to the back cover and introduction, Karlyn’s purpose in writing this companion volume is to “ask whether today’s seemingly materialistic and apolitical girls, inspired by such real and fictional characters as the Spice Girls and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, have turned their backs on the feminism of their mothers or are redefining unruliness for a new age.” The book is more than 250 pages long, plus twenty pages of endnotes, eighteen pages for the Works Cited, and an index for ease in looking up specific information. It’s clear in reading that Unruly Girls, Unrepentant Mothers is an academic work, but the author thankfully did a good job of keeping my attention with her writing style, relevance of the subjects, and accompanying photographs.

The book is split into an introduction, an afterward, and eight chapters which comprise the bulk of her argument. The first few chapters delve into the worlds of Clueless, Titanic, American Beauty, the Scream trilogy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Mean Girls, and The Devil Wears Prada. It really helps to have seen the aforementioned movies (and the others Karlyn discusses later) or some of the series in the case of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For example, I could really engage in the parts about Titanic, American Beauty, Buffy, and The Devil Wears Prada because I’d seen those multiple times, remembered details, and could grapple with Karlyn’s assertions about each piece. (She says American Beauty has a strong incest motif, and since I’d seen the movie multiple times I was able to disagree at first and then maybe see where she was coming from.) But for the others I mentioned—especially the Scream trilogy, which I’ve never seen—it was much harder to understand what she was even talking about; I had to take her at her word that one character did something and then another did something else, etc. It wouldn’t be unthinkable, I suppose, to sit down and watch (at least some of) the pieces mentioned in Unruly Girls, Unrepentant Mothers to have a basic understanding of the author’s starting point, but until I have time to do that, I can’t fully engage with some of the text. I suspect other readers will have similar issues.

Nonetheless, the movies and characters with which I was familiar provided me with plenty of brain fodder. There’s an entire chapter on Reese Witherspoon’s ability to “walk the line” between feminine and feminist in her film portrayals, and in real life, a chapter about teen melodrama that focuses on My So-Called Life and Thirteen, and a chapter about girls and women of color in film. I’m not sure how I feel about having only one chapter about girls and women of color; I don’t know if Karlyn could only work with the movies she had and most of them just leave out people of color (i.e., the entertainment industry is racist) or if she picked and chose the films that fit her thesis and the ones that most easily fit didn’t include people of color in important roles, or some combination thereof. (I suspect it’s the third option.) That said, someone could write an entire book about just girls and women of color on screen, so I’m not sure how I’d have written it differently in this book.

Overall, I’d say that Unruly Girls, Unrepentant Mothers is a great reference text; it has a lot of relevant, useful information for Third Wave feminists (and parents of said), and it may open up someone’s eyes when they ascribe to feminist beliefs that begin with, “I’m not a feminist, but…”

Written by: Viannah Duncan, March 29th 2011

Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth about Guilty Pleasure TV

beth — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:00:00 +0000

By Jennifer L. Pozner

Seal Press

Reality TV has infiltrated the media to such an extreme extent that it is increasingly difficult to escape its reach. Even those of us who consider ourselves media literate and savvy in our consumption of television have to admit to watching the occasional episode of Project Runway, America’s Next Top Model, or The Real Housewives of New Jersey. They’re our guilty pleasures; the kind of TV we watch while wearing a Snuggie and eating a bowlful (or two) of Ben and Jerry’s. We don’t always readily admit to watching these shows, and when we do come clean, we insist it’s for the absurdity of it all and that we’re quite aware of effects of this kind of TV.

Jennifer Pozner warns us of this type of complacent thinking in Reality Bites Back and backs it up with compelling examples pulled straight from our TVs. Toddlers are glam-ified and paraded around in Toddlers and Tiaras to meet the beauty standards put forth by Tyra Banks in America’s Next Top Model. Sometimes women need help to meet these standards, and thanks to The Swan, they can achieve them and go on to be evaluated once again by a panel of judges. Shows like Flavor of Love and The Bachelor depict women as catty, bitchy, and willing to do whatever it takes to win the affections of a man (as long as he’s wealthy). Non-Caucasian women see that they are expected to act and are portrayed as stereotypes, whether that be a saucy, va-va-voom Latina or a meek, obedient China doll.

Are we aware of all of this? Yes, to a certain extent. But we are not immune to it and Pozner points out the consequences in such clear detail that it’s impossible not to feel a bit guilty. However, Pozner does not seek to shame us into not watching reality TV, but rather to help effect change through widespread media literacy and campaigns to make TV more responsible for their programming and the messages they send. The last chapter ends on this note and includes the input of various educators and activists on how to accomplish this goal. In the end, Pozner manages to heavily critique reality TV without denigrating those of us who watch it. Her tone makes the message palatable, and she successfully gets the point across with her vast amount of knowledge and research.

Written by: Shana Mattson, January 3rd 2011

The Walking Dead

mandy — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Directed by Frank Darabont

AMC Original Series

Like any good geek, I love me some zombies. So, of course I tuned into AMC’s new zombie show, The Walking Dead. And I found myself disappointed.

The show starts with our hero, Rick, and his misogynistic partner, Shane, talking about how women and men are different. This conversations seems to function solely to tell us that Shane is a bit of a prick, Rick is a genuinely good guy (which I didn’t really buy), and Lori, Rick’s wife, is a bitch. Basically, it took about ten minutes for me to realize I was probably going to blog about this show, and not in a good way.

The dudes, who are police officers, get into a shootout. Rick is shot, and we see Shane bringing him flowers in the hospital. (He assures us that he didn’t pick them out himself, however. That’s for sissy ladies. And he’s not gay or anything gross.) Rick wakes up, the flowers are dead, and the hospital is full of corpses and ruin.

I did like the set up here; Rick has no fucking clue what it going on, and he’s still injured, so he basically cowers home, where he discovers his empty house. He runs into Morgan and his young son, Duane. Their family was heading to the refugee camp in Atlanta when Morgan’s wife became infected and got all zombified. She still hangs about, and they can’t leave with her haunting them. Morgan wants to “put her down” and even attempts to in this episode, but he can’t.

Anyway, Rick and Morgan arm themselves, keep open a line of communication, and Rick sets off for Atlanta. We find out that Lori and Carl are with Shane (and Lori is with Shane) outside of the city, because it’s been overrun with zombies. Rick runs into the city on a horse (looking straight out of a video game), gets his horse eaten by zombies, and takes an incredible amount of time to seal himself up in a tank. (Seriously, this guy must have the lowest amount of adrenaline ever present in a human being. He moves like molasses.) In case you missed it, he’s a goddamn cowboy.

So far, I liked the story okay, and it seems promising for the character development of the people the show seems to want us to care about. Unfortunately, none of those characters are ladies, who exist in this pilot for the sole purpose of helping to advance the dudes’ development. Morgan’s wife is in the refrigerator, and the only reason we even care about her is that Morgan and Duane are all traumatized by this. She gets a lot of face time in this episode because we’re supposed to see her (rather pretty for a zombie) face through Morgan’s eyes.

The only other lady with a name is Lori, who gets very little screen time, and most of that is devoted to kissing Shane (presumably so we can see how whore-y she is since she got over her husband faster than it took him to heal from a gunshot wound). Perhaps I’m being too harsh on the writers here; they may not want us to judge her so quickly. But it’s difficult to tell since we were already told in the beginning of the episode that she’s a bitch, and she doesn’t ever get a side in that conversation, because she doesn’t actually matter.

This episode failed the Bechdel test hard, despite being an hour and a half long. But I think this show could get better. According to the cast of characters, there are some women (though significantly fewer than men) playing parts in the show later. It's possible, then, that they will get some personalities and plot lines not connected to their dudes and romantic relationships. But I was really disappointed by the premiere and am not feeling particularly optimistic.

Attention The Walking Dead writers: women are not plot devices. And we don’t like watching shows that don’t think women matter as characters. Fix it.

Cross-posted at Geek Feminism

Written by: Courtney Stoker, November 8th 2010

Afghan Star

admin — Sun, 30 May 2010 16:01:00 +0000

Directed by Havana Marking

Zeitgeist Films

One of my favorite bands, The Avett Brothers, have a lyric in one of their songs claiming, “May you never be embarrassed to sing.” Since viewing Havana Marking’s documentary, Afghan Star, this lyric has been on repeat in my brain, reminding me, as Afghan Star aptly illustrates, if embarrassment is all that we have to risk, then we are risking very little. In her feature length directorial debut, Marking journeys into recently independent Afghanistan to explore the newly created television program Afghan Star. Following four contestants as they compete for the $5,000 prize, Marking exposes the inspiring and passionate citizens of a country shrouded by war, violence, and tyranny.

The film opens with a close-up of two little boys. One, whose face and eyes appear to have been violently damaged, sings sweetly into the camera and when he finishes the other states simply “If there was no singing the world would be silent.” From this point on Afghan Star weaves a complicated narrative that instigates dialogue about the power of having a voice, and the ideologies that determine what voices are heard and by who.

In 1996, the Taliban rule in Afghanistan created a ban on music, dancing, and singing. The ban was lifted in 2004, but as history has taught us all too well, a change in politics doesn’t always result in changing people. Most of those interviewed in the film, from the show’s producers to townspeople, equate singing with freedom; however, the concept of freedom is abstract and intangible. It is defined within the boundaries of Afghan politics and Islamic religion, leaving little room for the inclusion of Western liberties and autonomous behavior.

This is most evident in the subtle, yet disturbing, fulfillment of traditional gender roles. Both of the male contestants whom Marking chooses to focus on are met with great hope and respect by their communities. But when interviewing the families and supporters of the female contestants the responses are overwhelmingly concerned and fearful, or rife with ulterior motives. As the male contestants campaign openly in public and receive adoration from fans, the women are hidden by their burqas, unable to be recognized.

The contradiction is striking, yet the women are complicit and seemingly unaware of their alienation. However, the most drastic display of sexism occurs when Setara, one of the two female finalists and by far the most dynamic of all the contestants, is eliminated. While performing her final song, Setara “dances” on stage while also allowing her head scarf to fall revealing her hair. The result is scorn from her fellow competitors, eviction from her apartment and death threats so fierce and overwhelming, she fears returning to her hometown.

For those of us in the West, Afghan Star presents a thoughtful exploration of the life we so often take for granted: freedom of speech, the privilege of choice, and the unnecessary luxury of television and its star-making programs. But, above all, this film is a riveting reminder of the power, freedom and endless possibilities we hold in our voice and that no matter how we may use it, we must never be embarrassed to sing.

Written by: Alicia Sowisdral, May 30th 2010

The Best of Ally McBeal

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:58:00 +0000

By Vonda Shepard

Sony Legacy

"I’ve been searchin’ my soul tonight... I know there’s so much more to life..." If you’re starting to hum the theme tune to a certain late-nineties television show about the life of a diminutive lawyer, you’ll understand that this album’s opening track is as much a time capsule as it is a pop song. Everything there was to love (and love to hate) about Ally McBeal is summed up as singer and pianist Vonda Shepard works her way through "Searchin’ My Soul."

Fans will doubtless remember Shepard’s regular appearances at Ally’s local piano bar. As the characters gathered for a post-work tipple, Shepard would use her uncanny ability to sum up their emotional landscape through song.

Some might also remember that, while sometimes hailed as a great leap forward for women on television, Ally McBeal wasn’t completely trouble-free from a feminist perspective (after all, Ally was the character that prompted Time magazine to ask whether feminism might in fact be dead back in 1998).

For those in need of a quick reminder: Ally’s professional concerns were consistently overshadowed by near-crippling neuroticism, flashes of baby mania and a desire for romantic love that often eclipsed the details of whatever case she happened to be working on that episode. Her struggles arguably reflected those of many women looking for success and fulfillment in a male-dominated environment, but the show’s unwillingness to challenge stereotypical representations of women in the workplace was also clear from the start.

The Best of Ally McBeal probably won’t be hailed as a great leap forward for women in music, but it’s safe to say that isn’t its intention. Like Ally, it aims to please and entertain without challenging its audience, and it succeeds. Many listeners will enjoy the balance of light and shade in its track listing, the way each composition builds to a satisfying chorus, and the catchiness of the songs that will have them singing along before they really know the words.

There will doubtless be others listeners, looking for murkier lyrical depths and tougher thematic challenges, who will be lost by the end of track two. Lines like “snow is cold, rain is wet” and repeated instances of rhyming the word “baby” with “maybe” will soon sort the former from the latter.

There’s certainly no faulting Shepard musically. Her vocals are rich and the piano backs her up reliably. At the same time, there’s a slight sense of detachment that comes across on a few tracks. Covers "You Belong to Me" and "Hooked on a Feeling" somehow fall short on impact, and in light of Shepard’s musical prowess it’s tempting to point to the blinding shine of the production as a possible explanation.

All that said, what’s most satisfying about this retrospective collection is how timeless these songs actually are (bar "Searchin’ My Soul," which never really stood a chance after the first episode of Ally went to air). Stand-outs are the subdued yet soulful "The Wildest Times of the World," "Maryland," and "Baby, Don’t You Break My Heart Slow" along with rousing versions of "It’s in His Kiss" and "Tell Him"—toe tapping non-negotiable.

So if you think there’s a “best of” to be found in Ally’s world, this album delivers. All that’s missing is the scene where the snowflakes fall on the woman walking dreamily through the city streets after a hard day’s litigation.

Written by: Alice Allan, March 6th 2010

Who Do You Think You Are?

admin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:11:00 +0000

By NBC Entertainment, Ancestry.com

Genealogy has never been so entertaining. Making its debut this evening, Who Do You Think You Are? explores the family history of a celebrity who travels about to find missing information and reconnect with their ancestors by seeing for themselves the location of their family’s historical events. Sponsored by Ancestry.com, the celebrities, of course, use the website as a primary source of their research. (Don’t worry, the tie-in is natural and not overly advertorial.) It’s an emotional experience to discover one’s roots and feel a family connection like never before.

Having received a screener of the entire season, which will unfold weekly for NBC viewers, the first episode staring Sarah Jessica Parker was the most gripping. She discovers that she has an ancestor who was involved in the Salem witch trials. As she waits for whether her ancestor was an accuser or a victim to be revealed, it’s most incredible to watch her conviction and sense of responsibility. She’s quite nervous about the results, and unsure which way it would go, but it was admirable that she felt the need to make things right in some way should her ancestor turn out to be an accuser.

However, the flip side is that she’s horrified by the idea of having an ancestor unjustly accused of being a witch. It’s fascinating to see her instant love for the relative and her immediate connection with the historical nature of the events. It's as if these were her own life events unfolding. It goes to show that there is a bond among families that surpasses time, distance, and even death.

The journey that most surprised me was that of Emmitt Smith. All I knew about him was that he used to be a football player. It was amazing to watch this bighearted man connect with his family despite the harshness of his genealogical roots in slavery. Most inspiring was his powerful respect when he learns that his grandmother successfully used her strength, intelligence, and strong protective instincts to make the best of a tough situation. He’s enormously impressed with her accomplishments and reveres her effect on his family's posterity. To watch a man view the power of a woman with such honor is truly beautiful.

Other celebrities featured in this first season of Who Do You Think You Are? are Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Broderick, Brooke Shields, Susan Sarandon, and Spike Lee. Lisa Kudrow's Jewish ancestry leads right into the Holocaust, and this is by far the toughest episode to watch. But if you can bear with Lisa through the heartbreaking journey, the ending turns out to be a small miracle in the midst of tragedy. Matthew Broderick's family history is full of war heroes, and Matthew’s research into his lineage helps to solve a 150 year old mystery. If you watch the show for its travel aspect, be sure to tune in for Brooke Shields' episode. She has an exciting family tree that leads to beautiful locations. Having a very unique family history, Susan Sarandon has always felt a connection with the grandmother she never met yet believes she inherited her best qualities from. The search for the truth of this women, who disappeared many years ago, is a challenging treasure hunt and the family connection through strong women is wondrously insightful. Spike Lee discovers a truth about his ancestors that he wishes weren’t true. It’s a look into genuine emotion, though with a tough exterior, as he tries to accept his family history, blemishes and all.

Who Do You Think You Are? gives you a mix of history lesson, travel show, and human interest documentary with a touch of reality TV. It’s a good mix that keeps the audience entertained while educating and enlightening them as well.

Written by: Sarah Eve Nichols-Fulghum, March 5th 2010

Parenthood

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:01:00 +0000

By Jason Katims

NBC

Based on the 1989 Ron Howard movie Parenthood, writer Jason Katims has revised the premise into a modern day, one-hour drama that explores the many facets of being a parent. The stellar cast includes Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls), Craig T. Nelson (Coach), and Erika Christensen (Traffic). The intertwining of the many characters is organized by the family connection of the parents, their two sons, their two daughters, plus the in-laws and grandchildren (though the storylines focus primarily on the bloodline brood). It’s the complexity of moderate dysfunction and typical family dilemmas with many points of view—from parents raising young ones, to raising teenagers, to being an adult child dealing with their parents, to being the grandparent that struggles to transition into a new realm of parenthood, and negotiating each of the relationships in the midst of it all.

The pilot episode provides a fast-paced introduction to the characters by diving right into their lives. It immediately builds character development and emotional attachment, and is a surprisingly perfect balance that is sure to leave the audience wanting more. During the opening, you find Sarah Braverman (Lauren Graham) has recently divorced her deadbeat husband. She’s moving back in with her parents and bringing her two teenage children, though first she has to retrieve her daughter and insist she come with her. It’s a refreshing change from the single mother Graham previously played (Lorelai Gilmore), who was more of a friend and less of a mom. Upon Sarah’s arrival back home, you quickly see her place within the family and begin to understand the dynamics at play in the relationships.

The character that intrigues my feminist sensibility the most is Julia Braverman (Erika Christensen), a highly successful lawyer and mother of one, whose husband is a stay-at-home dad. It is clear in this episode that while she enjoys her triumphs within her career, she is saddened that her young daughter is much closer to her husband. Sure, women are capable of doing it all, but the question is whether doing it all makes women happy.

As much as it is great to have all of the options the world can offer, what is often overlooked is the inner turmoil that comes from making sacrifices, especially when it comes to motherhood. It will be very interesting watching how the over-achieving, controlling, people pleasing Julia Braverman navigates her life and deals with her inner conflict.

Parenthood will provide an insightful look into the joy, pain, frustration, and self-discovery that comes with being a parent. After all, no parent or child is perfect, but with a lot of love and striving to do the best with what you do know, parenthood can be a rewarding adventure. And from the looks of it, this new show has the potential to help viewers gain insight as children and parents themselves.

Written by: Sarah Eve Nichols-Fulghum, February 15th 2010

Chica Busca Chica (Girl Seeks Girl)

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:00:00 +0000

By Sonia Sebastian

Wolfe Video

For all those who have complained about the suburban whiteness of The L Word, meet Chica Busca Chica (Girl Seeks Girl). Chica Busca Chica is a new Spanish television show with a lesbian perspective. Although obviously inspired by Showtime’s The L Word, Chica Busca Chica is a pleasant inclusion in a genre that likes to paint lesbians as being almost exclusively white, skinny and beautiful and living perfect, power lesbian lives.

Meet Monica, a former Judo champion with self-destructive tendencies that cause her to ruin relationships. Then there is her former roommate Carmen, the token straight friend in the group, who is struggling with her relationship with the cheating Jorge. Monica’s current roommate is Ana, the innocent girl from the country who leads the audience on hilarious escapades as she attempts to learn about the wide world of lesbian sex and culture. Finally there is Nines, the flirtatious and confident lesbian who uses her sex appeal to get what she wants.

Chica Busca Chica is also the name of the lesbian nightclub in Madrid where Nines tends bar and the group hangs out. Many scenes find the women at the club getting tipsy over many less-than-successful quests as the twenty-something women navigate careers and relationships.

Above all, this show is fun to watch. Much lighter than The L Word, and with more lovable characters, Chica Busca Chica is truly a feel-good show, with hilarious scenes and situations. One memorable scene finds Ana on her first date. Apprehensive about making a good impression, Ana decides to cook for her date and a friend advises her to cook something exotic. The friend suggests something with curry. The next scene finds Ana serving her date canned sausages with copious amounts of curry, so much that her unassuming date is unable to eat it.

Of course Chica Busca Chica does include the predictable storyline of the overly confident, overly sexy lesbian (Nines) who becomes attracted to the straight girl (Carmen) who is trapped in a dead-end relationship with Mr. Insensitive. The sexual tension rises between the two women until it becomes obvious that it is only a matter of time until the two find themselves in bed together. Unfortunately, the season ends before the love triangle reaches that point.

Apparently the formula for a show about lesbians is a rigid one. Each episode of the award-winning show is a half-hour long and includes English subtitles. The show is for anyone who is looking for something different and fun in their pop culture portrayal of young lesbians.

Written by: Janice Formichella, January 12th 2010

From Cronkite to Colbert: The Evolution of Broadcast News

admin — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:01:00 +0000

By Geoffrey Baym

Paradigm Publishers

I consider myself a bit of a news junkie so a title involving both Walter Cronkite and Stephen Colbert immediately caught my attention. While Cronkite was first able to break heavy concepts down for the masses and Colbert was later on able to do the same using humor, From Cronkite to Colbert is not able to do either. This was an extremely hard book to read, and in truth, I was not able to get past the middle.

Author Geoffrey Baym writes in an extremely dense, over-reaching style, making From Cronkite to Colbert read like an overzealous undergraduate thesis or a none too subtle proposal for the new COM201 textbook. Either way, instead of being entertained while learning, this book had me remembering everything I hated about studying for my communications minor. I read this book not because it was fun, but because I had to, and as a result, I really learned no new neat tidbits about the evolution of broadcast news.

Another pet peeve of mine was Baym’s breaking of the "don’t tell us, show us" cardinal rule of writing. In many of his paragraphs, he tells the reader—in hundred dollar words no less—exactly how this fact correlates to that one or where this next fact will take them. I was never surprised or intrigued, but merely taken by the hand as a reader and escorted to every point. By the time I made it to the book’s middle, after agonizing weeks of attempting to force myself to get through it, I gave up. Tracing the history of television news still seems like it would be an interesting topic to read up on; however, I’d come back to asking Baym to cover it only after he loosened up a little or possibly took up social drinking.

Written by: Jen Klee, November 6th 2009

The Naughty Kitchen With Chef Blythe Beck

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:53:00 +0000

By Chef Blythe Beck

Oxygen

Oxygen devised a new show from a most novel idea: produce a “food show” as a documentary, or in their terms, as a “docu-series.” The show, The Naughty Kitchen, has the drama of the popular Top Chef without the competition. Instead, it delves into the mania and frenzy of the restaurant business from Chef Blythe Beck’s perspective. Chef Beck was recently named executive chef of the highly regarded Dallas restaurant, Central 214. The docu-series, therefore, documents Chef Beck’s ascension to the role of executive chef, as well as the trials and tribulations that await her in her quest to achieve, in her words, “total world culinary domination.” In a nutshell, think female chef bildungsroman—or, in this case, bildungsTV.

Yesterday Oxygen premiered the first episode of the series for bloggers in New York City. The first episode is driven by the plot line of Chef Beck’s, and Central 214’s, first major culinary review in the Dallas Morning News. Being the first episode, of course, the episode spends the necessary time introducing the show’s cast of characters: here, in addition to Chef Beck, kudos goes to the so-called “Door Whores” Emily and (new hire) Curtis, who pass their time out in front of the restaurant by entertaining themselves in the most hilarious of ways. In the first episode, Tweedle-E and Tweedle-C venture a spelling bee challenge. Emily stymies Curtis with the term “horrogenous,” which, in her estimation, is a word (a noun, it seems) that refers to plants, like horticulture, except it’s not. Needless to say, all the fun doesn’t just take place in the kitchen on this show.

At the premiere I had a chance to talk with Chef Beck, who is just as warm and lovely as she appears on television (and, to note, just as pink as well!). She spoke to me about the challenges facing women in the culinary world—the name calling, the exclusion, and the pervasive sexual harassment—and her dream of “total world culinary domination.” To achieve this goal, she says, she needs to know the “dirty food secrets” of everyone around the world. Knowing these secrets—her dirty secret is mall pizza, by the way—will enable her to create the most naughty, most delicious, of dishes to over indulge the palate.

“Naughty” foods, clearly, are foods made of creams, butter, and bacon that are not touted as “healthy.” Decadent foods are naughty; fatty foods are naughty; sugary foods are, alas, naughty. This we all know, but Chef Beck implores us to indulge, just a little, and it is this encouragement to indulge through the creation of some sinful dishes (see her fried chicken dishes, particularly) that makes Chef Beck just as naughty as her food.

In the first episode, we hear the Dallas Morning News patronize Chef Beck’s naughtiness as “schtick,” but in their critique, they fail to understand Chef Beck’s culinary creations in their totality. In other words, they look solely at the end product—the plate of fried chicken—and say, “How naughty?” What they overlook is what we, the viewers, are able to see played out on the show: naughty is a lifestyle. It’s a continuous process that encompasses every step in the act of creation of food and of life. It’s not just the end product.

Chef Beck was gracious to partake in a quick game of word association. I asked her to shout out the first word that came to her mind. Here is the game, as it played out:

Me: Tuesday

Chef Beck: Hangover

Me: Pink

Chef Beck: Me

Me: Naughty

Chef Beck: Kitchen

Me: Fried

Chef Beck: Avocado

Me: Women

Chef Beck: Powerful

The Naughty Kitchen airs Tuesday nights at 10pm EST on Oxygen starting tonight!

Written by: Marcie Bianco, September 22nd 2009

Talking with Television: Women, Talk Shows, and Modern Self-Reflexivity

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:21:00 +0000

By Helen Wood

University of Illinois Press

Some researchers, theorists, and laypeople deride women’s tendency to get together and talk. Whether you call it gossip, chatter, whine, confession, or conversation, among gendered stereotypes, it remains assumed that putting several women within close proximity will likely yield interpersonal communication. As much as this is ridiculed, I ask: would we have ever devised plans to actively resist patriarchy if women throughout history hadn’t congregated to compare notes?

More than just speaking among humans, Helen Wood’s Talking with Television deconstructs how people—particularly women—talk at the television. More than sports fans who scream at athletes, or the idea of responding to mediated talk as psychotic behavior, Wood argues that talking at and with the television is not only different from everyday talk; it enacts unique power relationships between the speakers. Considering women’s roles in everyday talk—what Wood refers to as a maintenance role, usually there to encourage and support male speakers—Wood uses social theory to reexamine the role of mediated talk in our lives.

Wood’s study focuses on British daytime TV, which largely mirrors morning and talk show formats of the U.S. Shows on the BBC and ITV stations like Vanessa, Kilroy, and The Time...The Place all appeal to the “ordinary” audience—and not the Jerry Springer “I had a foursome with my bisexual sister” sort of “ordinary” people. Instead, these shows focus on “women’s issues” like relationships, family, health, and to a lesser extent, money.

Thorough, dense, and academic in tone and content, Wood’s analysis is nevertheless engaging. Her ability to parse complicated relationships between mediated and everyday communication is fascinating, as is her gendered communication analysis. She also points out a lot of obvious but important components of talk-based television. Talk shows, for instance, have very specific organization and rhythms that enable a feeling of real-time participation. For this reason, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that women are drawn to maintain lasting relationships with hosts, guests, and show participants.

If you ever found yourself tearing up over Donahue or Oprah and wanted to have your own little solo chat about the show’s events, Wood’s academic theories might be for you. Your urges may even feel enlightened, if not simply less silly.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, August 20th 2009

Women, Violence, and the Media Readings in Feminist Criminology

admin — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:11:00 +0000

Edited by Drew Humphries

Northeastern University Press

At times, much like a good teacher, this book had my full attention. At other times, I nodded off. When I was three-quarters the way through, I began to wonder why it sounded like one of my old college text books. When I finished the 279 pages and went back to the preface, which I had long forgotten, I learned why: it was written for college students. That explained it. Had I not had to review it, I might have put it back on the shelf with those other books from a decade or so ago.

It’s not to say Women, Violence, and the Media: Readings in Feminist Criminology was uninteresting. It seeks to describe how women and violence are framed in fictional and non-fictional accounts, which interests me a great deal. The editor, Drew Humphries, professor in the department of sociology, anthropology and criminal justice at Rutgers University, pretty much achieves her aims. It’s just that like most people, I’d prefer to read about TV shows I watch. So, for example, I would enjoy reading an analysis of Dateline or even America’s Most Wanted. Do they serve to enlighten or to frighten? Do they show more cases of male violence than female violence, or is it in proportion to actual crime rates? This would interest me. Instead, there are chapters about Law and Order and Prime Suspect, shows that are popular, but that I don’t personally watch.

Even though I don’t have cable, I did find it interesting that Lifetime does well at depicting crime. It can broaden our understanding of crime because it shows subsequent victimization (like when a rape victim goes to a hospital and faces judgemental behavior by medical staff), which other programs often fail to include. They also have a balanced creative team. Oxygen and Women’s Entertainment actually have more males than females directing, producing and writing. Sounds like false advertising to me!

I would also have loved to read more about victim blaming, but it was only touched upon. I am always shocked and disheartened by news accounts on interpersonal violence and the comments that are sure to follow them. The editor says that victim blaming gives men “an edge in the court of public opinion and frequently in criminal court as well.” I never thought of it that way, but it makes sense. In chapter one (“Words That Wound”), the writers say that victims get more support when their behavior follows gender norms (example: wives like Lacy Peterson), and that made sense, too.

The chapter that compared mass rapes in Yugoslavia to those in Rwanda was interesting. The authors quote a researcher who says women are viewed as “victimized women rather than as persecuted citizens.” They analyzed how the media framed the situations in both countries, noted the different terms and emotionally-charged words that were used and how human rights organizations even responded differently to both countries.

Another chapter focuses on mass murder in domestic context. Working in the field of domestic violence myself, the information on this issue confirmed what I had already knew about it (and then wondered, do reporters ever read books like these?), particularly in regard to the media reporting on “nice guys” that inexplicably “snap.”

Once I got through the book, I enjoyed going back over the highlighted parts, which succinctly provided me with information. Since the book has a lot of material to wade through, I would encourage reading this book for a college course, as intended. All in all, I give it a B-.

Written by: Joan Dawson, June 26th 2009

United States of Tara

admin — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:38:00 +0000

By Diablo Cody

Showtime

For those who might have been living in a remote village in the Amazonian jungle in 2007, Diablo Cody is an Oscar-winning screenwriter whose debut success, Juno, is still fresh in everyone’s minds. Its witty repartee and kooky characters were what made it so exceptional. Now, at Stephen Spielberg’s suggestion, Cody has written a television script that takes up everything we loved about Juno and combines it with superb acting to create a fabulous half-hour series that centers around the main character’s dissociative identity disorder (DID), which is the more recent name for multiple personality syndrome) and the chaos that having many people associated with one body causes in the family.

The impressive cast is composed of Toni Collette (Tara), John Corbett (husband Max), Keir Gilchrist (son Marshall), Brie Larson (daughter Kate), and Rosemarie DeWitt (sister Charmaine). Toni Collette actually plays a number of different characters, her alters. She is, at once, T, a lustful rebellious adolescent who curses and sulks; Alice, a 1950s Stepfordesque wife who bakes, cleans, and acts demure; and Buck, a trailer-trashy Vietnam vet who smokes and loves porn—among other alters. (I must leave you something to discover!) Toni Collette is outstanding in her acting, convincingly changing from one character to another in a matter of seconds. In general, the performances are first-rate, and there are some entertaining secondary roles, especially Kate’s two love interests, the emo samurai (Shiloh Fernandez) from the first few episodes, as well as her creepy boss at Barnabee's (Nathan Corddry).

Cody’s script is very well written, witty, subtle, and never over-the top. She deals in a straight-forward way with complex issues such as homosexuality (Marshall is gay), mental illness, and religious fundamentalism (there is a storyline around Marshall’s participation in a Hell House). All the main characters raise some ambiguities concerning Tara’s disorder (is it a true illness or intentional acting out?), and the Showtime website contains a didactic element that provides information concerning DID, a very controversial issue.

Beyond the instructive aspect, however, a quitely overt feminist message is evident in the series. The show starkly reveals a few of the never-ending roles many women are faced with in their daily lives. What woman has not had to “play” several roles, whether it be model homemaker, friend to her teenage daughter, companion to her disaffected husband, and just plain Mom? It is an ingenious ruse to disguise these roles as different personalities of the same woman, but not a far stretch of the imagination. The potential danger of the show turning a woman’s complex nature into a stereotypical hysterical mental case is done away with. Far from a rigid depiction of these seemingly traditional gender roles, the alters’ stereotypical character traits are efficiently nuanced by their interactions with other characters.

The half-hour format often seems too short when one is watching the series on television, but the constant plot twists and turns are sure to keep you watching for hours.

Written by: Sophie M. Lavoie, June 16th 2009

Three Sisters

admin — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:10:00 +0000

Television Trust for the Environment

Bullfrog Films

Three Sisters is part of the Life Series collection which is funded by BBC World and TVE International. The episodes are meant for classroom use from grades seven to twelve, or even college age. This particular episode focuses on the women of Eritrea, a small country near Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia. After fighting alongside men in a fifty-year war for their country's independence from Ethiopia, Eritrean women also won their personal independence. The Life Series follows Belainesh, a member of the Women's Union who is doing community outreach and eduction in the rural parts of Eritrea. She meets three women who are sisters, each battling against a different tradition.

The first sister we are introduced to is Leyla, who is trying to decide whether to circumcise her youngest daughter, even though she knows the methods used are not entirely safe. Female circumcision is performed because it is believed that if a girl is not circumcised, she will not become a true woman. There are many risks to being circumcised because it is done at a young age (under one year old) and is often performed by an elder of the tribe, who may not have full seeing abilities. The wrong area being cut could lead to infection, or even death.

Another woman, Amena, is thirty-five years old and has given birth to all six of her children at her home with no problems. Amena is pregnant again, but now has the option of giving birth at a midwife's clinic, something that was not previously available to her.

The last woman, Howa, is twenty-nine and has four children. She has an opportunity to receive land from the government, but is debating whether she should plow the land herself, given that women are not traditionally allowed to plow.

Belainesh interacts with each of these women in this episode, and informs them of the risks they face if they follow their Eritrean traditions. Belainesh believes Leyla will most likely not circumsize her daughter and Howa will eventually plow her own land, but Amena is still unsure if she is willing to break tradition and give birth outside of her home. The women know that they will eventually take steps toward different life choices, but breaking ties with tradition is a slow and complicated process.

Written by: Chrissie Thornburg, May 12th 2009

The $trip

admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 10:09:00 +0000

By E. Duke Vincent

Bloomsbury Press

Mafia hits, scandal, celebrity, subterfuge, Vegas. The $trip by E. Duke Vincent seems to have all you would want in a guilty pleasure read. Though given all of the possibility that should have been building throughout the book, it was a bit of a let down.

The main character, Nick Conti, is a TV producer on the show The $trip. A couple of low-level Chicago mobsters are blackmailing the show, promising to shut down production if a cut of the shows profits are not handed over. Conti himself has connections from his past to the Kansas City mob. He is currently known in Vegas as a womanizer who prefers to keep out of the spotlight.

Arson on the set of Conti’s show and the attack on one of the stars brings out the journalists sniffing around for a story. Conti is the one who has to deal with all of it.

There are numerous plot twists that don’t add to the book’s sense of excitement or suspense. Conti’s old flame, Erin Conroy, pops up connected to a movie producer with his own separate ties to the mob. One plot line that should have been developed further is the angst that Conti reportedly went through in returning to his mob roots as the book ends.

The book is well-researched, and I have no doubt that the situations and characters presented are true to life. Vincent was a producer of a number of popular shows including Beverly Hills 90210 and 7th Heaven. I feel that this book would work better on the screen; unfortunately, the writing doesn’t have the excitement of Vincent’s TV shows. I had figured that there would be more suspense and scandal involved in the story, and it just fell flat.

Throughout the book, women are essentially objects. The lead female character, Erin Controy, is noted for her waistline, leg length, and sexiness. She is not fleshed out as an actual character; all that is focused on is her flesh.

For a casual guilty pleasure read (particularly someone who appreciates seeing women portrayed as actual women as compared to bits of meat), you could do better. For a book on scandal in Vegas or the mob, you could do better. For a start of a movie script, it’s not bad.

Written by: Kristin Conard, April 18th 2009