Smart Answer

We need more people like Joss Whedon developing and scripting television programs!

RIP Etta James

Sad to hear about Etta's passing. She was a legendary performer and a force to be reckoned with, pressing through many struggles and difficulties in her life. Today's female pop stars owe part of their career success to women like Etta who did it the hard way.    

World's Most Beautiful Inventor

I'm intrigued by this new book about Hedy Lamarr, early Hollywood starlet and....inventor? These are certainly not two descriptors typically heard together. Apparently, in Hedy's case, she embodied both in a big way. At her peak, she was called the "most beautiful woman in the world" and was a Hollywood superstar with a very lucrative contract by the standards of the day. Despite her success, Hedy was bored with Hollywood life and spent her spare time inventing, ultimately developing important technology for the military and the precursors to many modern wireless technologies. Now that is one smart woman!    

RIP Elizabeth Taylor

News of Liz Taylor's death is all over the web today. Much has been said about the screen icon, but I will say only that she lived a life famously full of trouble and triumph, but through it all, she remained a truly fascinating and vital woman. She will surely be missed.

Portrayal vs Betrayal

In a new UK study titled "Portrayal vs Betrayal?", the largest ever of its kind, researchers find that women, black people, and gay people still suffer from negative portrayals in popular film. This finding may not be much of a surprise, but that does not make it acceptable. The positive side of this study is the fact it surveyed over 4,000 adults to arrive at its conclusions. In other words, it would seem that the general public agrees with what feminist and cultural critics have known for so long. As the saying goes: the first step toward change is recognizing that there's a problem.

MoMA's Mommas

The MoMA offers a beautiful book titled Modern Women: Women Artists at The Museum of Modern Art that examines their contributions to the museum's world famous collections. The book contains 50 essays addressing issues related to women making art and how the art world--at the MoMA in particular--has been impacted by them. Preview and buy the book here.

Oscars Take Note

A proposal for film's biggest night that might actually work! Bob Mondello's idea to "unsex the Oscars."

And Now for Your Viewing Pleasure...Health Care

Renowned performance artist Anna Deavere Smith brings entertainment to a less-than-entertaining issue in her new off-Broadway show Let Me Down Easy. Smith takes health care from its political platform and focuses on a very personal perspective in her documentary play that has opened to rave reviews. Read more about her one-woman show here.

Who's Afraid of a Strong Woman (On the Silver Screen)?

It seems TV has become a haven for women seeking meaty dramatic roles. A quick rundown from recent seasons should confirm this: See January Jones in Mad Men, Holly Hunter in Saving Grace, Glenn Close in Damages, Mary McCormack in In Plain Sight, and Kyra Sedgwick in The Closer to name a few. However, Hollywood doesn't appear to follow this trend, and is instead shying away from powerful female characters. The Washington Post paints a rather dismal picture of the current status for women in the movies. So, whose fault is it? Fingers point at the studios, who claim these aren't the kind of films women want to see and thus, are not profitable. In essence, studios are placing the blame on female moviegoers themselves. Are we actually contributing to our own big screen representational regression? Read the full article and judge for yourself.