Viola Davis Rules the Night: Women, Race & Gender at the 2012 SAG Awards

Posted on January 31, 2012 by

Originally published at Bitch Flicks.

Lately, it seems awards shows vacillate between moments of cringe-inducing sexism and feminist clarity. And the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards were no different. Stripped of pomp and circumstance, with no host, the SAG Awards focus strictly on acting in TV and films. As with most media I consume, some parts pissed me off while others delighted me.

When Christopher Plummer won Outstanding Male in a Supporting Role for his performance as a gay man coming out to his son in Beginners, he began his acceptance speech by saying he’s “had such fun in the world’s 2nd oldest profession.” Ah, a sex work joke. Then Plummer called the film’s female producers “girls.” Oh Christopher Plummer. Yeah, calling female producers “girls,” even if they are way younger than you, not cool. But he almost redeemed himself when he again thanked his wife of 43 years who “came to his rescue and saved his life.” Swoon!

Dick Van Dyke presented icon Mary Tyler Moore with a Lifetime Achievement Award. I’ll start with what I liked. I LOOOVE that Van Dyke mentioned that Mary Tyler Moore is an animal rights advocate!!! The vegan in me cheered with delight. Ah, but the feminist in me shook my head at this:

“She’s one of the few performers, women, who can do a flat out comedy scene, slapstick and still be beautiful, feminine and adorable.”

Sigh. I so wanted to like his touching speech but it pissed me off. What does her appearance or femininity matter? Who cares what the hell a woman looks like, Dick Van Dyke? And who the fuck cares if she’s “feminine?!” Ugh.

Now, I realize he’s old and comes from another era. Don’t care. When discussing someone’s work or talent, male or female, their looks shouldn’t be mentioned. Society focuses too much on women’s appearances. People often assume women can only embody one quality: smart or sexy, funny or beautiful. As if a talented woman isn’t a success unless she’s pretty and feminine too.

Luckily, the rest of the evening contained inspirational and humorous moments through a feminist lens.

When Octavia Spencer won Outstanding Female in a Supporting Role for The Help, she honored civil rights activist Medgar Evers in her poignant acceptance speech. She also said,

“Thank you for putting me in a category with so many beautiful women…It was really a privilege to work on a film that gave a voice to so many women…By honoring me, you honor them…

“I want to thank all the people out there who went to support this movie and, after watching it, felt something. You felt compelled to make a change in your lives. So I’m going to dedicate this to the downtrodden, the underserved, the underprivileged, the overtaxed, whether emotionally, physically or financially.”

I absolutely adore Spencer mentioned women’s voices as well as class. And I love that she’s getting all this attention. Just wish it wasn’t for The Help. Ugh. Regardless of my opinions of The Help, I hope this catalyzes Spencer’s career and she gets lots and lots and lots of roles. She deserves them.

Other great moments included winner Alec Baldwin giving a shout-out to Tina Fey for her witty writing on 30 Rock (damn straight) and winner Betty White thanking her 3 female co-stars, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick, on Hot in Cleveland. Loving the female camaraderie!

And speaking of female camaraderie…love, love, LOVE Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy as presenters!!! The comical trio sauntered on stage to present the clip of Bridesmaids, one of my favorite 2011 films, nominated for Outstanding Ensemble. In describing the film, Maya Rudolph said,

“Our cast tells the story of strong female friendships.”

Yes, yes it does. Hilarious, raunchy, bittersweet and touching, Bridesmaids depicted a group of women as friends and one woman trying to find her way in the world. It’s rare for a movie to feature a female protagonist. It’s even rarer for a film to contain multiple female characters where women aren’t portrayed as catty and competitive but actually like and respect each other. In the funniest part of the evening, the women alerted the audience to a Scorsese Drinking Game where you drink each and every time you hear Martin Scorsese’s name uttered. Kristen Wiig said,

“Do you think Scorsese saw Bridesmaids??”

If he’s smart, he sure as hell has.

When presenters Tina Fey and John Krazinski discussed advice given to actors, Fey hilariously said,

“And I believe it was the TODAY show’s fourth hour co-host Kathie Lee Gifford who said, ‘If drag queens love you, you’ll have the longest career in the world. They know phony and they know real.’”

Ha! One of the best quotes of the night. But the SAG Awards belonged to Viola Davis who completely stole the night.

When Viola Davis won Outstanding Female Actor in a Lead Role, the audience gave her a standing ovation. Davis is a phenomenal actor who makes the most of any role she plays. Whether on-screen for hours (The Help) or mere moments (Doubt), her quiet strength mesmerizes and enthralls. Christ she almost made Nights in Rodanthe watchable (almost). Davis shared how she decided to become an actress at 8 years old. Cicely Tyson inspired her, and she was thrilled she could see her idol sitting in the audience as she won her award. Davis said,

“What is there but a dream? You can’t trade in your dream for another dream…Dream big and dream fierce.”

While I wish awards shows weren’t based on a binary gender divide, I often worry and lament that if they weren’t, women might never win. However this year, 2 of the 5 films nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast, Bridesmaids and The Help, both boasted predominantly female casts. It’s a huge step in the right direction.

Bolstered by a female ensemble, The Help was the big winner of the evening. Not only did it win the two female acting awards. And I have to say that I’m ecstatic two unbelievably talented African-American women won. But it also won Outstanding Performance by a Cast. At first, I was pissed Bridesmaids didn’t win. Then I was even more pissed that The Help won; a film touted as showcasing black women’s experiences but actually revolving around a white woman “saving” black women. But then I let Davis’ eloquent and inspiring words wash over me.

After calling working on The Help “a labor of love,” Davis articulated:

“The stain of racism and sexism is not just for people of color or women. It’s all of our burden. It’s all of us. I don’t care how ordinary you may feel. We all of us can inspire change. Every single one of us.”

I sat in my living room and applauded. And cried. Davis’ speech contained THE best, most feminist declaration I’ve ever heard on any awards show. Period. Davis blew me away with her poise, grace and intelligence. I’m thrilled she addressed racism and sexism on a national platform. And she’s absolutely right.

Racism and sexism affect us all. More people must realize racism and sexism still exist, stripping people of equality. We need white allies and male allies working with people of color and women towards eradicating racial and gender discrimination. We must speak out whenever we see or hear prejudice or injustice if we ever hope to combat it. But all is not lost. We can all make a difference.

People often go to the movies for entertainment, to escape their mundane lives. But films can also inspire you to act boldly and dream big. And sometimes, awards shows can too.

Posted in Films, Race, TV, Women and Gender | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rape Jokes Are Taking Over TV and I’m Sick of It

Posted on January 27, 2012 by

Originally published at Bitch Flicks.

[Trigger warning for rape]

Newsflash, rape jokes are not funny. Ever. So why are so many sitcoms succumbing to them? 2 Broke Girls, Work It, Rob, Whitney, Up All Night, Two and a Half Men, Workaholics, Modern Family, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Family Guy, Glee, and The Soup (NO, Joel McHale!) have all attempted laughs at the expense of rape.

Rape jokes aren’t edgy. They’re lazy, misogynistic, insensitive and violent. And yet they are everywhere.

On Whitney, there’s a rape joke Whitney’s boyfriend had nonconsensual sex with her when she was passed out from medication. Workaholics jokes about having sex with a woman when she’s sleeping, aka “sleep assault.” Yeah, cause having sex with a woman while she sleeps is SO funny. In 2 Broke Girls, the most frequent offender, Katt Dennings says,

 “If you go back there, you’ll need a bite guard and a rape guard.”

“That’s not what rape feels like.”

“Rapists don’t knock and wave.”

“Stop fighting it, just give into it. I don’t know why I’m quoting a rapist.”

“Somebody date raped me and I didn’t think I’d live through it. But I did and now I’m stronger and uh, still needy.”

 A UFC fighter was fired last year for tweeting a joke on “surprise sex” (cause that’s uber hilarious) from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia:

 ”If a rape van was called a surprise van more women wouldn’t mind going for rides in them. Everyone like surprises.”

 Work It, an updated Bosom Buddies cancelled after 2 episodes (thank god!), aired a rape joke within the first 2 minutes of its premiere. Wow, they didn’t waste any time being assholes:

“As a woman, I’m going to have to ask you to stop comparing prostate exams to the pinball scene in The Accused. It’s not okay.”

The Accused is a film about a woman, played by Jodie Foster, gang raped. “The pinball scene?” Yeah, let’s call it what it is…a rape. Comparing a vital physical exam by a consenting adult to rape, a nonconsensual, violent crime is idiotic and horrific. And not funny. At all. Of course this is the same show spewing sexism, racism and transphobia.

 A rape joke appears in the TV trailer for the movie Horrible Bosses. In the fucking preview. Jason Sudeikis and Jason Bateman walk down a street when Sudeikis says, “I can’t go to jail. Look at me, I’ll get raped like crazy.” Then Bateman replies, “I’d get raped just as much as you would, Kurt.” “No, no—I know you would.”

Since when did rape become fucking flattery?! Rape is not a compliment. Not ever.

In the movie, when Charlie Day accuses “man-eater” boss Jennifer Aniston of rape she replies, “Just hold on there, Jodie Foster,” alluding to The Accused. Oh, cause it’s so much better when a woman makes a rape joke. Yeah, it’s not.

Lady T at The Funny Feminist discusses rape jokes and female comedians like Sarah Silverman’s infamous and controversial joke: “I was raped by a doctor, which is so bittersweet for a Jewish girl.Jewish girl.” Lady T goes on to write that she hates jokes that imply rape is funny, trivialize rape or makes fun of victims. Yet she can “appreciate jokes that make fun of rapists or rape culture or acknowledge that rape is underreported and terrible.” But since rape jokes can be triggering to survivors, she wonders if it’s even worth it.

Are you as sick of the bombardment of fucking rape jokes as I am??

A few months ago Facebook removed rape joke pages from their site after an outpouring of protests on Change.org and Twitter. Some of the lovely page titles included, “Riding your girlfriend softly, cause you don’t want to wake her up” and “You know she’s playing hard to get when you’re chasing her down an alleyway.” It’s disturbing it took a public outcry to remove them. Who the hell actually thinks these pages are okay to put up in the first place?!

Julianne Escobedo Shepherd at Alternet questions whether rape jokes are ever OK to tell. Regarding their prevalence, she writes:

“The fact that people find these lines fun, or funny, is systematic of our society, where 60 percent of sexual assaults are not reported to police precisely because of the perceived lack of seriousness toward rape (along with stigma and victim-blaming/shaming, among other reasons).”

Rape culture normalizes and accepts sexual violence. Society teaches us men are assertive, having uncontrollable urges (a la “boys will be boys” mentality) and women are passive, their sexuality something to control.

Wanda Sykes is one of the rare comedians broaching the subject of rape with genuine humor. She jokes about the benefits of having a “detachable pussy” so women won’t have to worry about being attacked when they go out jogging late at night. To me this isn’t a rape joke but a humorous commentary on the stupidity of trying to control women’s behavior.

And society is forever trying to control women’s behavior. In her must-read Ebony article, “Stop Telling Women How Not to Get Raped,” Zerlina Maxwell writes:

“For so long all of our energy has been directed at women, teaching them to be more “ladylike” and to not be “promiscuous” to not drink too much or to not wear a skirt. Newsflash: men don’t decide to become rapists because they spot a woman dressed like a video vixen or because a girl has been sexually assertive.

“How about we teach young men when a woman says stop, they stop? How about we teach young men that when a woman has too much to drink that they should not have sex with her, if for no other reason but to protect themselves from being accused of a crime? How about we teach young men that when they see their friends doing something inappropriate to intervene or to stop being friends?

“The culture that allows men to violate women will continue to flourish so long as there is no great social consequence for men who do so.”

Too often, people toss around the word rape or laugh off rape jokes, not fully comprehending the severity of the word or realizing their insensitivity to rape and sexual assault survivors. Rape jokes “dismiss and normalize the idea of rape.”

“Nearly 1 in 5 women in the U.S. has been sexually assaulted.” We live in a rape culture that laughs at rape jokes and too often condones rapists and abusers.  We put the responsibility on rape survivors. We blame their actions and their behavior. Rape is not a sexual act. It’s about power, control and dominating another. People do not asked to be raped and cannot bring rape upon themselves. We need to place the blame where it belongs, with the doucebag creeps who rape and abuse.

In her brilliant “Over It” anti-rape manifesto, activist and playwright Eve Ensler writes:

“I am over people not understanding that rape is not a joke and I am over being told I don’t have a sense of humor, and women don’t have a sense of humor, when most women I know (and I know a lot) are really fucking funny. We just don’t think that uninvited penises up our anus, or our vagina is a laugh riot.”

Rape shouldn’t be a taboo topic to discuss. Survivors shouldn’t be shamed into silence. We need to have open dialogue about sexual assault. While humor can be a great way to confront tough issues, rape jokes trivialize someone’s painful plight.

Like Eve Ensler, I’m so over bullshit rape jokes too.

Posted in Gender-Based Violence, TV, Women and Gender | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The 2012 Oscar Nominations…A Sea of White Dudes

Posted on January 25, 2012 by

I love The Oscars. I eagerly wait all year for this cinema extravaganza. Well, the Oscar nominations were announced yesterday. And of course peeps are already debating the noms and snubs.

And I’m pissed off. The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) overlooked too many amazing women on-screen and behind the camera. Although I suppose this shouldn’t surprise me…it happens every year.

I’m pissed the Oscars snubbed:

  • Pariah – Best Picture
  • Young Adult – Best Picture
  • Meek’s Cutoff – Best Picture
  • Adepero Oduye (Pariah) – Best Actress
  • Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) – Best Actress
  • Charlize Theron (Young Adult) – Best Actress
  • Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids) – Best Actress *a long-shot but Wiig was outstanding
  • Pernell Walker (Pariah) – Best Supporting Actress
  • Kim Wayans (Pariah) – Best Supporting Actress
  • Dee Rees (Pariah) – Best Director
  • Diablo Cody (Young Adult) – Best Original Screenplay
  • Dee Rees (Pariah) – Best Original Screenplay

It’s interesting (and unfortunate) Young Adult and its protagonist, Charlize Theron, were snubbed as it features a vile yet vulnerable female character. And Hollywood doesn’t like unlikeable women in their movies. Besides The Help, no other films with female leads was nominated for Best Picture. It speaks volumes that Pariah, a brave, beautiful and touching film with lesbian women of color, should have been nominated for absolutely everything. Yet it didn’t receive a single fucking nomination. But The Help did. I call bullshit.

Here’s Cannonball‘s astute take on 5 Female-Directed Films That Deserved Oscar Nominations.

But I’m thrilled these actors and writers received nominations:

  • Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids) – Best Original Screenplay
  • *Viola Davis (The Help) – Best Actress
  • Rooney Mara (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) – Best Actress
  • Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) – Best Supporting Actress
  • *Octavia Spencer (The Help) – Best Supporting Actress

*It’s wonderful Davis and Spencer were nominated. Too bad it’s for The Help. Ugh. I wish that movie hadn’t been nominated for anything. Dear Hollywood, nominating actors and a movie for Best Film where a white woman “saves” or speaks for black women is not progressive. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Having lots of women in a film doesn’t inoculate it from racism.

As Her Film points out, the only women nominated in fields other than the ones designated for them (Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress) are:

  • Kathleen Kennedy, Producer (War Horse) – Best Picture
  • Bridget O’Connor, Co-Writer (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) – Best Adapted Screenplay
  • Agnieszka Holland, Director (In Darkness) – Best Foreign Language Film
  • Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Director (Kung Fu Panda 2) – Best Animated Feature Film

The Oscars are a white male bonanza. In 84 years, only 4 women (!!!) have ever been nominated for a Best Director Oscar. Only one, Kathryn Bigelow, ever won. In producing, only 7 women have won the Best Picture award, all as co-producers with men. Only 15 women have won Best Screenplay (7 women for Adapted Screenplay with 1 woman winning twice, 8 women for Original Screenplay). Only 4 women of color have been nominated as screenwriters. No women of color have ever been nominated as a producer or director. These stats are shameful.

The Oscar nominations are pretty much a sea of white dudes. So once again, I’ll be posting The Opinioness of the World’s Annual Feminist Oscars. Stay tuned for those nominations!

Posted in Films, Women and Gender | Tagged , | 2 Comments

‘Haywire’ Review: Is an Ass-Kicking Woman Enough to Change Gender Roles On-Screen?

Posted on January 24, 2012 by

Originally published at Bitch Flicks.

Who is Gina Carano? That question might haunt you after watching Haywire or seeing its trailer. We need more women in films, especially in the action genre. But is having a film revolve around a tough, smart female protagonist who kicks ass enough to change gender roles on-screen?

With an impressive supporting cast (Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas), Haywire centers around Gina Carano as Mallory Kane, an ex-Marine black ops expert assigned a dangerous mission to rescue a journalist. When she’s double-crossed, she goes on the run, playing a deadly game of cat-and-mouse to uncover the truth. Told in a non-linear narrative, the interesting plot ensnares you in the action and web of deceit.

Carano gives a solid performance in a good (not great) movie, especially considering she has practically no acting experience. Like stuntwoman-turned-actor Zoe Bell, she didn’t get her start in acting. Instead, Carano forged her career in MMA (mixed martial arts). Nicknamed “Conviction,” Carano is known as the “Face of Women’s MMA,” a title she herself refutes. In only her second film role, Carano headlines Haywire, catapulting her into the Hollywood limelight.

Director Steven Soderbergh said he was frustrated as a filmgoer. Tired of watching action movies lack visual aesthetics, he set out to create an action film “beautiful to look at.” As he flipped through the TV channels one night, Soderbergh stumbled upon Gina Carano beating the shit out of another woman in a match. She struck a chord in him and he wanted to build a project around her, an authentic action film. Rather than having a female actor undergo grueling training or hire a stunt double, he submerged Carano, a highly accomplished champion Muay Thai fighter, into method acting, including having a former Mossad (Israeli intelligence) agent ambush her outside a hair salon. Okay, that’s just ridiculous! Soderbergh asked Ryan Kavanaugh, head of Relativity Media:

“’Why is Angelina Jolie the only female action star in the world?…Because someone made her that way, and I’m going to make Gina into one of the biggest action stars in the world.”

Yes, my sentiments exactly! Why is there only one female action star in the world?? It’s about time a male director wonders the same damn question I ask myself on an almost daily basis. While many women appear in action films, they often fall prey to gender trappings and stereotypes. But women in films don’t have to be pigeon-holed as demure or dainty. Mallory, who “doesn’t like to leave loose ends” on an assignment, unwinds by drinking a glass of wine and cleaning her guns. In fact the film even went so far as deepening Carano’s voice. And women don’t have to be relegated to the sidelines as the rescued victim or the hero’s girlfriend. We need to see more empowered, competent women take charge in films.

With a Spartan script, Soderbergh puts the best thing front and center: Carano’s action sequences. Some great scenes unfold when Carano is opposite Michael Fassbender, a truly amazing chameleon, effortlessly sinking into any role. They share a very Mr. and Mrs. Smith-esque moment as two spies dressing up for a black tie affair. But of course the best scenes are when Carano fights. Or runs. There’s an incredible shot of her running as fast as she can through the streets of Barcelona. Her moves astonish. No wires, no stunt doubles. It’s all Carano herself. And that’s pretty fucking awesome.

Haywire reminded me of Salt or a grittier Alias. But the difference is Salt was originally written for a man. When Angelina Jolie wanted the role, they altered the character. The protagonist Salt was originally supposed to have a child. But Jolie said that no mother would ever become a CIA operative (hmmm not sure about that) so the child was erased from the script. When she’s trying to escape a building, she’s wearing a skirt and slips off her underwear to cover up the surveillance camera. After she’s injured, she goes into a bathroom and rips out the tampon/sanitary pad machine. Then she straps a few pads to her bloody wound. Gendered moves like these don’t exist in Haywire.

But maybe that’s a good thing. I mean, maybe it’s awesome that there’s no gender commentary but that the film simply revolves around a woman. In fact, the only time gender is mentioned happens when SPOILER -> Michael Fassbender tells Ewan McGregor, “I’ve never done a woman before,” meaning he’s never killed a woman. McGregor assures him not to think of her as a woman. <-END SPOILER I’m reminded of The Professional and how Jean Reno’s character refused to assassinate women or children. Society views women differently simply because of their gender.

The film contains some brutally graphic fighting sequences. I found the opening scene especially jarring. While I love action films, I abhor the glorification of violence against women. But it never felt like that. Instead I found it refreshing for the action scenes to not be softened because of Carano’s gender.

Irregardless of her gender, Mallory Kane is clearly the best of the best in the film’s universe. Michael Douglas’s character pays an exorbitant amount of money to take her out of another assignment in order to hire her for his own project. She combats men (and wins), chokes people with her thighs, leaps across buildings, shoots guns, rides motorcycles, runs up a wall, drives a car backwards in the snow and disarms guns from law enforcement. There’s seriously nothing Mallory (and probably Carano) can’t do.

Another interesting component happens when Mallory seduces a man. I usually don’t like when a woman has sex in an action film as it usually reduces her identity to her sexuality and her relationship with a man defines her. But here it’s unusual because you don’t often see women as the initiator, not for any other motives other than she wants to have sex. I kinda like that.

Sadly, besides Carano, Haywire is adrift in a sea of men, men, men as far as the eye can see. Her employers, colleagues, villainous foes, the guy she accidentally carjacks….all men. Salt suffered that problem too. But Hanna, another female ops action film, not only had several women in it but included female friendship and cooperation. Sadly, that’s lacking here. They could have included both her parents in the film so we at least see her interact with another woman. But nope. It’s only her dad…yet another dude.

Putting a tough, smart and capable woman front and center, Haywire is a step in the right direction. And I always love seeing fierce ladies kick ass. But we don’t live in a world that revolves around men. Oh wait, yeah we do. It’s time we changed that…on-screen and in reality.

Posted in Films, Women and Gender | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Meat-Free Monday Recipe: Giada’s Artichoke & Fresh Mint Soup

Posted on January 23, 2012 by

Blame the blustery, snowy New England weather. But all I want to do is curl up on the couch, sipping tea with a good book or watching a great movie. When the weather turns chilly, nothing warms you up like a hearty bowl of soup.

This weekend, I watched Giada at Home with my fave celeb chef, Giada De Laurentiis. She makes incredibly delish dishes that are easy to veganize. She whipped up an Artichoke and Fresh Mint Soup with ingredients she had lying around her house. Hmmm…I was skeptical. Would I have these alleged common ingredients?? Celery. Check. Veggie broth (she used chicken broth). Check check. Canned artichokes. Triple check! I actually had all the ingredients except an onion, which I usually keep on hand, and fresh mint, which I’ve never bought before. But I should so I can make mojitos…mmmm….mojitos….yum!

I love artichokes. I usually devour them in pasta (like this Artichoke & Olive Pasta) and salads. But I’m always looking for more ways to eat them. This might be one of the easiest recipes I’ve ever made. You saute some veggies. Add broth and more veggies. Simmer. And then toss it all into a blender. And voila…soup! When hot, this soup is perfect in the winter. Yet it would also be ideal served chilled in the summer. Somehow it’s both light AND hearty.

Artichoke hearts possess a unique flavor: delicate, nutty and with a little tang slightly reminiscent of vinegar. Sautéed onions and celery are always the perfect base for soups. The pungent fresh mint bursts with a crisp sweetness. And the citrus of the lemon juice brightens the whole dish.

If you like spinach and artichoke dip, you’re going to love this creamy yet refreshing soup.

Giada’s Artichoke & Fresh Mint Soup

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups vegetable broth (extra if needed)
12-ounces frozen or canned artichoke hearts, thawed or drained
1 packed cup fresh baby spinach
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
1 lemon

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, salt and pepper. Saute for about 4 minutes or until tender.

2. Add veggie broth and artichoke hearts. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and cover. Simmer for about 12 minutes.

3. Remove pan from heat. In a food processor or blender, puree soup with spinach and mint.

4. Return purée soup to pan. Squeeze juice of 1 lemon into soup. Stir thoroughly. Heat soup and add more veggie broth to thin if needed.

Serves 4

Bon appétit!

Posted in Recipes, Veganism | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Blog for Choice Day:” On the 39th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Abortion Rights Still Under Attack

Posted on January 22, 2012 by

39 years ago today, in 1973, Roe v. Wade passed legalizing abortion. Almost 4 decades have passed but the abortion battle rages on, our rights still under attack.

In 2011, the House voted on choice-related legislation 8 times, more than twice as much in any of the previous 5 years. The House passed H.R. 3, which restricts abortion, introduces rape and abortion audits, and originally intended to redefine rape, and H.R. 358, the “Let Women Die Act” which not only attacks birth control but allows a “conscience clause” for hospitals and doctors from performing abortions even if the woman’s life is in danger.

2011 saw an onslaught of anti-choice fervor with offensive anti-choice race-baiting billboards and an assload of anti-choice measures at the state (and federal) level with 26 states enacting at least one if not more anti-choice bills. Mississippi voted on a personhood amendment (thank god it failed). A mere 22 days into the new year, both Kansas and Oklahoma will introduce personhood amendments and Ohio’s Attorney General approved language for a personhood amendment.

Each one of the Republican Presidential nominees – Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul – is anti-choice. Make no mistake, each one of them puts the rights of a fetus above an individual’s choices for their own body. While the Obama administration did approve near-universal contraception coverage (yay!!), the administration hasn’t been pro-choice supportive on issues such as emergency contraception and overturning the heinous Hyde Amendment.

Roughly 1 in 3 women will have an abortion in her lifetime. Women in the military don’t have insurance coverage to fund abortions. Abortion restrictions, particularly due to the Hyde Amendment, place an unfair burden on low-income women and women of color. Women of all races, ethnicities, classes and incomes should be able to have their rights protected. People need to determine their reproductive choices without being encumbered by fiscal constraints, restrictive laws or extremism.  With unsafe abortions on the rise globally, we can’t afford to let anti-choicers strip our reproductive rights away.

It never ceases to amaze me how some anti-choice conservatives care so much about zygotes and fetuses but don’t give two shits about social welfare programs, reproductive freedom and women’s equality. Nope, they would rather demonize uteruses and vaginas.

In the documentary, Gloria: In Her Own Words, feminist icon Gloria Steinem, who had an abortion herself, shared how the issue of abortion rights catalyzed her becoming a feminist. As a journalist, she covered an abortion hearing in New York in 1969. She said:

“Women were standing up and sharing their abortion experiences. I listened to these women testify about all that they had to go through, the injury, the danger, the infection, the sexual humiliation, you know to get an illegal abortion. And I suddenly realized why is it a secret, you know?

“If 1 in 3 women has needed an abortion in her lifetime in this country, why is it a secret and why is it criminal and why is it dangerous? And that was the big click. It transformed me and I began to seek out everything I could find on what was then the burgeoning women’s movement.”

When the government tries to take away your reproductive rights, to make choices about your own body, you realize how vital it becomes to speak up and fight for your rights.

Last year, I attended a Planned Parenthood rally, Walk for Choice to protest anti-choice legislation, SlutWalk to protest rape culture, and Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead’s Tour for Planned Parenthood. I blogged for Blog for Choice Day, the “My Planned Parenthood” blog carnival, the birth control “We’ve Got You Covered” blog carnival, and CLPP’s From Abortion Rights to Social Justice Conference at Hampshire College. What do I plan to do in 2012? Fundraise for the Eastern Massachusetts Abortion (EMA) Fund and keep writing about abortion rights and reproductive justice.

Our bodies have become a battleground. My mother never thought she would ever see Roe v. Wade threatened. But that day has come. Have we entered the fucking Dark Ages?! How is it that in this day and age we debate whether or not a fertilized egg is a person? Why do people think they can tell someone what to do with their own body?

We can make a difference.  Call or write your legislator. Vote. Blog, tweet or post articles on Facebook.  Donate money or your time to an abortion fund, clinic, non-profit or lobby. Rally your friends and family. We must continue to take a stand and make our voices heard.

I don’t know how we got here. But I know I’m not going down without a fight. What will you do to protect reproductive rights?

This blog post is part of NARAL Pro-Choice America’s Blog For Choice Day Blog Carnival. Follow tweets on Twitter with the #Tweet4Choice hashtag.

Posted in Politics, Reproductive Rights, Women and Gender | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Saying Goodbye to “Prime Suspect” and One of My Fave Badass Female Characters

Posted on January 20, 2012 by

Originally published at Bitch Flicks.

Some argue women fare better on television than in films. The roles are more complex roles, with more feminist issues explored. One of the most interesting female protagonists I’ve watched in a long time? Detective Jane Timoney on Prime Suspect. A show I love that sadly comes to an end this Sunday night (1/22.)

Prime Suspect centers around NYC Homicide Detective Jane Timoney, played spectacularly by Maria Bello. I’ve been a long-time fan of Bello’s work from ER and A History of Violence to Payback and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. Bello gives a tour-de-force performance as Detective Timoney, a role she personally identifies with since she envisions herself as Jane, only “nicer.”

It’s a gritty, raw and surprisingly funny show. Detective Exuding strength and keen intelligence, Jane Timoney is tough and self-reliant. She’s fearless and complicated with a big mouth and a bitingly sarcastic sense of humor. She drinks a lot and shoots perfectly at the firing range. She possesses a sharp mind that thinks of scenarios others might overlook when solving a homicide. Timoney doesn’t give a fuck what other people think about her and she’s not afraid to be herself. And that might be the most refreshing aspect of all.

Having a show revolve around a female detective isn’t a groundbreaking concept. Following in the footsteps of the original British series with Helen Mirren playing the lead, it echoes The Killing, The Closer, Saving Grace, Cold Case, Rizzoli & Isles, and Cagney & Lacey. But a show created and written by women, with a strong female lead who’s willing to say fuck you to anyone and everyone? You don’t see that every day.

Female protagonists aren’t often allowed to be unlikeable or do despicable things. Even rarer are the characters who don’t give a shit what anyone thinks of them. The female roles on TV I can think of include Roseanne Conner (Roseanne), Captain Kara Thrace (Battlestar Galactica), Maude Findlay (Maude), Elaine Benes (Seinfeld), Christine (New Adventures of Old Christine), Xena (Xena Warrior Princess) Jackie Peyton RN (Nurse Jackie), Dorothy Zbornak (Golden Girls) and Patty Hewes (Damages). Although, I happen to like almost all of these female characters.

In the the premiere, the sexism Timoney faces jars and appalls. As a woman, she’s entered a perceived male domain. Her male colleagues insinuate and (some outright say) that she doesn’t deserve to be in homicide as she only got transferred to the department after sleeping with a chief. She faces the wrath of her co-worker, Detective Duffy, who accuses her of leading a homicide case only because another detective died of a heart attack. To their chauvinistic paradigm, she’s transcended boundaries and they’re going to make sure she knows it.

When Timoney finds another angle to the case and gets information out of a witness that the previous detectives hadn’t. Calling her a bitch (by implying she’s a witch), Detective Carter snarkily asks her:

Carter: You ever worry that someone’s gonna drop a house on you?
Timoney: Car’s not going to drive itself, is it?
Carter: I guess you don’t.

The original British series premiered in 1991, evolving out of sexism in Scotland Yard. When writer Lynda La Plante discovered only 4 women were Detective Chief Inspectors (DCIs), she created the show. The first season (or “series” in the UK) contends with sexism in the workplace and the hostility that Detective Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) faced due to her gender.

While the premiere focused heavily on workplace sexism, the rest of the series shied away. Matt Zoller Seitz at Salon reports that Alexandra Cunningham and Peter Berg made a conscious decision to “tone down” the sexism in subsequent episodes. Before the show premiered, Cunningham said:

“Obviously, it’s 2011. There’s no institutionalized sexism. There’s human resources. Women have recourse at work when things happen. “Prime Suspect” [will] try to make it more realistic, because sexism isn’t gone. It’s kind of more subtle and insidious in a modern world, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

What? No institutionalized sexism?? I’m not sure what world Cunningham lives in but sexism, both blatant and subtle, still very much exists.

As the show progresses, we see Detective Timoney collaborate with her colleagues. We see the hilarious friendship and banter between Detectives Blando and Calderon. We also see Timoney clash with her co-workers, boss, her loving boyfriend, her protective father and her vegan sister (yay a vegan!). Detective Timoney might be a hard-ass. But she’s also funny as hell. Here are some of Jane Timoney’s quips throughout the season:

Timoney: I love to know where the crime scene isn’t.   ­­­­­­­­­­­­

Timoney: Ever seen a duck? Yeah, they don’t chew either. You just ate that hot dog like a duck.

Hypnotherapist: You don’t seem to be in the right head space to quit smoking right now.
Timoney: I don’t just want to smoke right now. I want to shove a pack of cigarettes in my mouth and light it with a blowtorch.

Timoney: You look tired means you look old. You look short. How’s that feel?

Duffy: Do you know what your problem is?
Timoney: Oh, why limit it to just one?

In addition to sexism, the show also broached racism. In one of the episodes, 10 of Detective Timoney’s colleagues get pulled from a case of a murdered Latina to work on the murder of a pretty white female who’s an NYU student. Timoney tells the Chief:

“You’re making their point for them. You couldn’t have done it better…When it’s a missing brown girl, from a nobody family, it’s an afterthought.”

While I wish the show had delved deeper, I was thrilled this line appeared at all. Rarely does a TV show with a white protagonist tackle the intersection of racism and sexism.

Prime Suspect also makes interesting gender commentaries when Detective Timoney interacts with other women. There’s another female detective, Detective Carolina Rivera, who all the men flirt with. She’s coquettish and friendly in return. It’s a stark contrast to Detective Timoney’s no-nonsense, straight-forward style. She doesn’t care if the men like her. She’s there to do her job. Timoney also differs from her boyfriend’s ex-wife, Trish, who she often has to communicate with since her boyfriend and Trish share a young son. Trish often makes snide remarks about her carrying a gun or her line of work, especially when it co. Timoney isn’t a girlie girl. And she’s no pushover. In a great scene, after Trish asks Timoney what happened to her face (which is cut and bruised from fighting with an arrested suspect):

“Listen to me: I work terrible hours, often have to leave things early, I arrive to things late. I get phone calls in the middle of the night and all day long. I’ve never been shot, but I’ve been stabbed. I’ve had lye thrown in my face once, and I’m a homicide detective, Trish. Not a policeman or a policewoman. I’m also not a divorce lawyer, but I know about going to court.”

In “Underwater,” my fave episode so far, Timoney and Duffy go on a road trip to protect a little girl. Timoney grows fond of her, telling her she doesn’t like many people but that she likes her. While she’s close with her father and boyfriend, she has seemingly chosen not to have children of her own. In an episode where a man has beaten his wife and murdered her, he asks Detective Timoney why she doesn’t have children. She replies:“I don’t know. Lucky.”It’s rare for a female protagonist not to want children. Films, TV series and ads perpetually tell us all women want to have babies. If they don’t, they must be damaged, deluding themselves or they just haven’t found the right man yet. Because you know silly ladies, our lives revolve around men.

One of my favorite moments occurs in the premiere. In a heart-breaking scene, Timoney comes home to her boyfriend, after a grueling day. The two of them fought earlier. She asks him to hold her even though he’s mad because she had a rough day. In a rare moment of exasperation and tenderness, Timoney quietly cries in his arms. She’s not a caricature. She’s a fully developed, complex character who knows she can’t let down her guard and weep at work.

In “The Sad Death of Prime Suspect,” Melissa Silverstein laments Prime Suspect’s cancellation. She also talks about the difficulties of centering a show around a female protagonist:

“One thing this show made me notice is how it is easy to write a TV show starring a man and have female and male supporting characters surround that lead, but that it is way harder to write a show about a female lead and to create a realistic ensemble around her.

“One of the issues with this show is that there were no other female credible characters on the show. It’s too much baggage for the female lead. She has to respond to the pretty cop who comes in and flirts, she has to deal with the crazy demands of her boyfriend’s ex, she has a crazy sister (where did that come from?). None of those women was a peer or someone she could have a decent conversation with to get her away from all the testosterone.”

That’s my one complaint of the show too: the lack of strong and interesting female characters for Timoney to interact with. No female camaraderie. No best friend to vent to. I wish the show contained a multitude of female characters or sexism in the workplace remained a central theme. But who knows where the show might have taken us.

Prime Suspect is a compelling show with a memorable female character. I’ll be sad as I watch the last 2 episodes Sunday night. I’m going to miss Detective Jane Timoney. We need more badass women like her.

Posted in TV, Women and Gender | Leave a comment

Dick Jokes, Sexual Harassment & Women’s Empowerment: Gender & Sexism at the 2012 Golden Globes

Posted on January 20, 2012 by

As a feminist blogger and self-proclaimed pop culture aficionado, I watch awards shows looking out for sexism and rooting for women to win awards. The Golden Globes, which aired Sunday night, is rowdy and unpredictable…due to copious amounts of alcohol the actors imbibe. With awards shows, movies, TV series – pretty much everything I watch – I vacillate between moments of elation and fury.

The Golden Globes actually begin with celebs trotting down the red carpet. Now, I love fashion. But such a fine line exists between art and objectification of women’s bodies. Speaking of objectification…Miss Golden Globe…the whole idea, the title….puke. Occasionally there’s a Mr. Golden Globe. But too often a young woman parades around because she’s pretty and a famous actor’s daughter…and…that’s it. Can’t we get rid of this nepotistic nonsense?

In his opening monologue, controversial host Ricky Gervais pitted Kim Kardashian against Kate Middleton (lovely). Then he joked about “not mentioning Jodie Foster’s beaver.” Like her movie “The Beaver.” Funny? Not so much. But it was really funny when he teasingly asked Johnny Depp if he’d seen The Tourist (and Depp shook his head no). Later, Gervais offensively joked about women taking time off to have a child. He declared 2011 a “big year for women.” Okay, sounds better. Oh, but he proceeded to call them “girls.” Gee thanks, Ricky. Way to infantilize women.

Emily Blunt presented the clip of Bridesmaids, nominated for Best Comedy/Musical Film. She said it proved women were funny and could poop…everywhere. Now, I LOVED Bridesmaids. Women are funny. They can be raucous and vulgar. But the film possessed so much better humor beyond shit jokes. Couldn’t we discuss Wiig’s hilariousness or the female camaraderie?? Nope, we’ve gotta talk about the poop.

When it comes to diversity, awards shows usually exist in a sea of white dudes. So it was great to see two people of color, Idris Elba (MLK) and Octavia Spencer (The Help), win awards. AND two actors from ‘The Wire’ (best TV series EVER!), the fantastic Elba and Dominic West, were nominated in the same category. Swoon! But I wish Spencer hadn’t won for playing a maid in a racially-charged film. The Help might have lots of women in it that doesn’t inoculate a film from racism. As @divafeminist tweeted,

“That clip tells you so much about “The Help.” Pretty much began and ended with the voices and images of white women.”

Couldn’t agree more.

George Clooney made an ableist joke with knee-injured Brad Pitt’s cane. No, Clooney, say it ain’t so! He then made one of the many penis jokes of the night when he said Michael Fassbender could play golf with his enormous penis. Ugh. There were seriously an assload of dick jokes.

But the most horrifying moment belongs to Seth Rogen. As he stood next to co-presenter Kate Beckinsale, he said,

“I am currently trying to conceal a massive erection.”

What the fuck?! Sexual harassment isn’t funny. Whether he uttered the line because it popped into his head or he just read the teleprompter, doesn’t matter. He agreed to say it. Mentioning your genitalia to a co-worker isn’t humor. It’s sexual harassment, douchebag.

But I didn’t spend the entire night pissed off.

One of my fave Golden Globes moments? When they announced the nominees for Best Actress in a TV Comedy. The camera panned to Amy Poehler (who should have won for the most feminist show – Knope 2012!!) and buddy Tina Fey snuck into her shot. Two feminists on-screen!!

Some of the best moments also came from acceptance speeches. Winning for The Beginners, Christopher Plummer thanked his wife of 43 years, “whose bravery and beauty still haunts” him. Michelle Williams, winning for My Week With Marilyn, said, “I consider myself a mother first and an actress second.” It usually irks me when female actors denigrate or downplay their careers for motherhood. But I adored that she thanked her daughter, Matilda:

 “…Her bravery and exuberance is the example I take with me to work and in my life.”

Daughters and wives weren’t the only ones thanked. Moms were too. Claire Danes (Homeland) brought her mom as her date. When Peter Dinklage won for Game of Thrones (he’s outstanding), he shared an anecdote about how his mom kept telling him fellow nominee Guy Pearce was so good in Mildred Pierce. He said,

“I love our moms because they keep us humble.”

But the best speeches belonged to Jessica Lange and Meryl Streep. Lange, who won for her bravura performance as an aging, racist (ugh) Southern belle in American Horror Story, said:

“I find it more and more rare, or rarer…to find a piece of work that is really beautifully written and gives you something to do.”

While Lange didn’t specifically say so, I sensed she alluded to the increasing difficulty for women to find complicated roles as they age. The indomitable goddess Streep, who won for her role as divisive leader Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, also broached this topic:

 ”In a year that saw so many extraordinary performances by women in leading roles …That any one of these performances in any given year would have been a standout award-winning performance but the fact that they all came this year is really, really good news for all of us because sometimes it seems that serious, challenging, weird movies are like exotic birds, rare, extinct birds.”

Streep, a classy and funny lady (who uttered “shit” on live TV…a woman after my own heart!) gave accolades to women in phenomenal roles, off the top of her head since she forgot her glasses and couldn’t read her speech. In addition to Glenn Close, Viola Davis and Mia Wasikowska, she rightfully mentioned Adepero Oduye in Pariah. Best Actress, Director, Film…Pariah should have been nominated for EV-ER-Y-THING! I love that Streep realized it too.

And of course I can’t forget to mention Uggie the dog, who went up onstage when The Artist won Best Dramatic Film…and upstaged everyone.

Thankfully, some feminist themes emerged. But in a year that witnessed numerous outstanding performances by women, can’t our awards shows move beyond condescension, sexual harassment and juvenile dick jokes? Is that really asking too much?

Also check out Amber Leab’s fab feminist Golden Globe analysis at Bitch Flicks!

Posted in Films, TV, Women and Gender | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Stop Censorship, Fight SOPA & PIPA

Posted on January 18, 2012 by

Legislation infringing on our free speech is still very much alive. Read why the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate must be stopped:

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Trailers for ‘Snow White & the Huntsman’ and ‘Mirror, Mirror’ Perpetuate Stereotypes of Women, Beauty & Aging

Posted on January 17, 2012 by

Two upcoming films, Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror, Mirror, may have transformed Snow White into a warrior but sadly the marketing’s messages remain the same. — Don’t trust other women, they’re your enemies. As women age, they obsess over their fading beauty, jealous of younger women. You just need a strong, handsome man to rescue you. — Just some of the toxic messages gleaned from the trailers.

Woman obsessed with aging fights her fading beauty. Older woman jealous of  younger woman. Younger woman rescued by a prince. Yep, it’s a tale as old as time that Hollywood keeps churning out. With fairy tales ingrained in our collective psyche, it’s no surprise we now have two Snow White films looming on the horizon.

In the hyped Snow White and the Huntsman, the infamous fairy tale transforms into a macabre Lord of the Rings-esqe action-adventure epic. Charlize Theron (love her!), a phenomenal actor who imbues her nuanced characters with depth, based her performance of the obsessive queen on Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Sounds interesting so far, right?

The intriguing trailer focuses heavily on Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron), who narrates or speaks almost exclusively. Okay, I kinda like that. But why doesn’t Snow White (Kristen Stewart) say anything? Why does it seem in every trailer for one of her films (ahem, Twilight series) Stewart’s character mute?? And why the fuck did they have to add “The Huntsman” in the title?! Why couldn’t it have just been “Snow White?” Or “Snow White and the Queen?” Heaven forbid a film focuses on multiple women…without a dude.

Continue reading post at Bitch Flicks –>

Posted in Advertising, Films, Women and Gender | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment