Siege's blog

Depending on which media outlets you're reading, you're either convinced the writers' strike is over, or you're cautiously optimistic that it will be soon but you're not counting your chickens just yet. Seems one former Disney exec has proclaimed the strike to be at an end. Unfortunately, Michael Eisner may not know exactly what he's talking about. (Why does this come as no surprise to me?)

Eisner is quoted as saying, "I have some friends in certain places and I believe there was a handshake last Friday ... it's possible they (the writers) will turn it down but it would be insane if they turned it down." Call me a pessimist, but it sounds like posturing to me. His statements are being widely reported as confirmation that all is said and done, but that's not exactly the truth of the matter. In fact, the WGA released its own statement earlier in the week, warning its membership to be wary of reports that claim a settlement is "imminent." For me, this yes-it's-over-no-it-isn't dance is frustrating. The writers are meeting on Saturday to go over the ins and outs of the current proposal, which is a good sign. But a handshake is not a signature on the dotted line.

All this workplace strife has me thinking of movies I love in which workers fought against the powers that be for what was fair and right. More specifically, I'm remembering movies in which women bucked the system for the betterment of not just themselves, but every other woman in the system. In the spirit of solidarity, I thought I'd share those films with you.

Let's start with the classic Norma Rae, starring Sally Field.

Based on a true story of one woman's efforts to unionize the workers at the textile mill where she worked, this was Field's first Oscar-winning performance. (Her second speech was more memorable though.)

1983 brought us the brilliance of Meryl Streep and one of the best performances of Cher's career, all wrapped up in one depressing little package called Silkwood.

And did I mention it was penned by Alice Arlen and one Nora Ephron? All four women got Oscar nods for their work on the film.

Generally, I see Fashion Week and events like it as nothing more than overpaid stick-people walking around in clothes I wouldn't want to be buried in. So the likelihood of me paying attention to anything related to the fashion industry is somewhere in the area of slim and none. (Sorry, Project Runway addicts; I've tried.)

However, thanks to Dorothy Snarker, about this time last year I stumbled across a fashion event I could learn to love. For the past five years, New York's Fashion Week has kicked off with the Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection. The event is designed to raise awareness about heart disease among women. And it involves beautiful ladies strutting their stuff in fabulous red dresses by some of the industry's top designers. Last year's celebs included a coy Kelly Ripa.

Kristin Chenoweth was there, with her little dog too.

This year's event, which took place on Feb. 1, included an equally stunning list of beautiful ladies. The group included some talented Latinas, a few singers you might have heard of, one L Word connection, a runway veteran in a skimpy little dress that came in a bag and a First Lady who can't tell red from white.

Beginning Friday, Feb. 1, Turner Classic Movies will be spending 31 days in uninterrupted Oscar heaven. Each day has a theme, from adventure films to musicals, politics to sci-fi. Each night, on the other hand, is devoted to a different time period, starting with the 1920s and running all through way through the present. It's an homage to films we love and films we should have heard of. TCM has done this each of the last several years. Personally, I love having a chance to catch some of the classics that I've never gotten around to seeing, like The African Queen, On the Waterfront, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and All About Eve.

Meanwhile, despite the fact that things may indeed be looking up in the battle between the WGA and the muckety-muck studio heads, this year's Oscar broadcast remains in jeopardy. In fact, the powers-that-be have started making contingency plans for Oscar night, just in case things don't go off without a hitch.

Since the Oscar broadcast is the only awards show I tend to watch from beginning to end with anything close to devotion, I would be highly miffed should I not get my yearly dose of pomp and circumstance. But, after reading throught the list of films that TCM plans to offer up in the course of the next moon cycle, I've decided I could likely survive the havoc of an Oscar-less February. Here are just some of the films (or entire days) during which I plan to plop down on my sofa with a big bowl of popcorn, a very large diet soda, and a nice cozy blanket.

Friday afternoon, Five Easy Pieces will be my first stop on the cinematic cruise line. Why would I want to sit through Jack Nicholson's testosterone-fueled adventure across the country? Two reasons, really. First, despite the part of my brain that wishes it were otherwise, I love Jack. Second, I plan to play a little game of "Where's Fannie?" Somewhere in the midst of this road trip saga is a young Fannie Flagg. That's right, she didn't just write Fried Green Tomatoes.

It's been nearly seven years since the final episode of Xena graced the airwaves. Apparently, Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert have experienced what one might consider to be a seven-year itch. Raimi recently inked a deal with Dinsey and ABC Studios to produce 22 episodes of a new fantasy series for syndication called Wizard's First Rule. The TV series will be based on Terry Goodkind's The Sword of Truth series of novels.

When Xena and Gabrielle faded to black in 2001, so did the heyday of first-run fantasy shows in syndication. And since my favorite warrior took her leave, I've been not-so-patiently waiting for my next chance to see such exploits each and every week. Naturally, upon hearing of this series and the two men who will produce it, I began having flashbacks to happier TV times.

I know absolutely nothing about Terry Goodkind and his little book series, so I did some surfing to learn about what I might get to see when this new endeavor reaches the air. Naturally, I was hoping for a warrior woman with a fiesty female sidekick, but I was not deluded enough to believe that I would be that lucky.

A while back, I gave you several reasons why I wished I could travel to Utah this year for the Sundance film festival. After the awards ceremony this past weekend, I'm really kicking myself for not finding a way to make it happen. As it turns out, one of the films I was jazzed about, Frozen River, walked away with the Grand Jury Prize for best U.S. drama. The film, written and directed by Courtney Hunt, stars one of my favorite actresses, Melissa Leo.

Frozen River tells the story of a single mother in dire need of cash who falls into a smuggling ring as a means of supporting her family. Her connection to the ring is a Mohawk woman, played by Misty Upham. And they're smuggling people, not drugs. The title comes from the fact that the ring smuggles illegal immigrants across the frozen St. Lawrence river from Canada into the U.S. Not only did the film earn the Grand Jury Prize, but it also secured a distribution deal following the Sundance showing. And based on the reviews I've read, the success of the film is due in large part to Leo and her performance in it.

Somebody notify the Tin Man: the Wizard finally has a real heart available for his use. As I'm sure at least some of you have heard by now, researchers at the University of Minnesota have managed to grow a living, beating heart in the laboratory. Granted, it was a rat's heart that they grew in that little jar, but you can imagine the implications and the possibilities.

Being the slightly off-center kind of person that I am, my mind immediately wandered to the land of make-believe. I began wondering what might happen if some of the fictional creations I see parading around on the not-so-small screen in my living room were granted new hearts. I mean, if we can grow the things in jars now, why not see what happens when we actually transplant them, right? So, for your amusement as well as mine, here is my list of fictional folk who could do with a newly grown heart.

Before I begin, let me share my little rules for this endeavor. First, I'm not giving new hearts to the characters I relish because they have no heart, like Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. Second, I am also not giving new hearts to the folks whose twisted, flawed little hearts are what make them so interesting, like Grace Hanadarko in Saving Grace. Instead, I'm giving hearts to the heartless wenches I don't love to hate, the poor souls whose broken hearts need mending and the characters who might find life a bit more tricky if they knew what having a human heart actually felt like.

Let me begin with a real woman who's had enough plastic surgery to qualify as fictional in my world.

Omarosa has been giving acting lessons to Terrell Owens on how to throw effective crying fits for the cameras. I've never been a fan of The Apprentice or the Donald, but I actually cheered when she got fired the first time around. How she qualifies as a celebrity I'll never know, but I guess they needed someone to stir the pot anew.

Earlier today the linster was kind enough to point out to me the delicious idea that Jenny Schecter may in fact have a rat's heart rather than a human one.

Occasionally when I'm bored, I start wandering the web looking for lists. Lists of things to like. Lists of things to hate. Lists of things to lament. Lists of things to applaud. Of late, I've been seeking out lists that help me counteract my negativity about all this "reality" I'm being asked to consume on TV. One recent list praises five television shows whose runs were cut short because the masses simply weren't bright enough to catch on. (Bionic Woman does not fall into this category.)

I expected the list to be an homage to one-hit wonders of the television world. Instead, I found a couple of one-and-done examples of sheer brilliance, but also a few shows that got more than one shot at gaining an audience. For example, I agree that Arrested Development was brilliant, but it did get a three-season run. That's a far cry from a 12-episode complete series DVD box set. So I came up with my own list of TV shows that the throngs missed out on, thus depriving the rest of us of the opportunity to see these story lines play out over more than a single season.

1. My So-Called Life

In my opinion, this was the best teen drama ever to grace the airwaves. There was no shrinking away from so-called adult issues. Those of us who did catch on to this show got a chance to watch Claire Danes develop her craft while her character, Angela Chase, and friends dealt with teenage romance, alcohol abuse, homosexuality and midterms. Oh, and despite the series' all-too-brief 19-episode run, Time magazine found a spot for MSCL on its list of the 100 best television shows of all time.

Back in 2004, Barack Obama was engaged in a heated battle in Illinios for a seat in the U.S. Senate. His opponent? A Rebuplican named Jack Ryan. The outcome of that race will never be known. Why? Because a certain Borg popped up and forever altered the political landscape.

OK, I might be overstating her actual influence. Jeri Ryan hasn't joined the list of celebrities endorsing the various candidates, but she is a factor in the three-ring circus we call politics. See, Jack Ryan, Obama's senate opponent in 2004, is her ex-husband. The same ex-husband she claimed had taken her to Paris sex clubs and tried to persuade her to perform various sex acts while others watched. The allegations were part of divorce papers unsealed by court order during the course of that 2004 campaign. The sex scandal resulted in Ryan withdrawing from the race. Obama went on to win in a landslide over Ryan's replacement, Alan Keyes.

Television theme songs can be something to revel in, and they can also drive you mad. They can rely on a lyrical message or an instrumental interlude. They can be made to order, or ripped from the pop charts. Love them or hate them, the best theme songs suck you in no matter when you hear them. Images of the show they represent saunter through your mind at the first word or the first chord. The X-Files theme is like that for me.

(Well, most of the images that come to mind when I hear it have more to do with my buddy Mo than with the show itself.) Here's that eerie theme:

It's January. Election Day is ten months away. Yet the campaign has been underway for several months already. And as expected, I am already bored with it. I have no idea who I will vote for come November, and I likely won't know until I actually cast my vote behind the little curtain of my portable voting booth. What I do know is that the face of Chuck Norris was grinning at me from behind Mike Huckabee when he congratulated himself on a victory in the Iowa caucuses last week. And I asked myself, "What the hell is Chuck Norris doing in Iowa? And why does he look like a life-sized plastic cutout of himself?"

I'm guessing you may be asking yourself a similar question right now. Namely, what the hell does this have to do with women in entertainment? Well, Chuck Norris' plastic mug got me thinking about the role of celebrity in politics. Politics is one big popularity contest, after all, the likes of which many of us dreaded in junior high. So, does having a celebrity by your side actually get you anywhere in politics? Actually being a celebrity worked well for Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse "The Body" Ventura. But does having the vocal support of Oprah Winfrey and Halle Berry actually do anything for Barack Obama come election day?

There has to be something to this celebrity endorsement thing, right? It's not like Obama is the only one with big name celebs lining up to offer support, usually in the form of money and publicity, which inevitably generates more money, which may or may not win someone the White House. Rudy Giuliani has the support of some 1970s pinup girls in the form of Bo Derek and Cheryl Ladd. No word on whether the rest of the angels view him as a perfect 10 or not.

The Golden Globes might be less than golden this year. The ongoing writers' strike has threatened the upcoming awards show, set to air Jan. 13. The WGA plans to picket the event, meaning no writers for the show. The presence of a WGA picket line also might mean no presenters to hand out the lovely little globe shaped statues. Of course, the lack of presenters may be unimportant, as the nominees aren't all that likely to cross the picket lines either.

That's right, ladies. We may have to live without the stars at this year's event. No Golden Globe girl, no red carpet roundups, no fashion reports from Joan and Melissa Rivers ... OK, there is at least one upside to this strike business.

Despite my distaste for the Rivers' family commentary, I was planning to watch some of the pre-show prancing in the distant hope that Jodie Foster might actually walk hand-in-hand down the red carpet with Cydney. A girl can dream.

I was also really looking forward to listening to Holly Hunter's shiver-inducing drawl as she accepted her trophy for her brilliant performance in Saving Grace.

Ever wondered what Doctor Who would be like as a woman? Me too. But even if you have pondered that prospect, Patsy and Edina probably aren't the first images that come to mind.

Nonetheless, recent reports indicate that Ab Fab alum Jennifer Saunders may be tapped to play the first ever female Doctor for a special one-shot episode.

The holidays are supposed to be about love, joy and forgiveness. The holidays are supposed to bring us together. They remind us to give to those who are less fortunate. We are supposed to set aside our family feuds, our petty disagreements, our bitterness at perceived wrongs. (Heck, we should do that all year long.)

Revenge is not a part of the holiday season. No matter: Every season is the right time to watch a good tale of revenge on the screen. Revenge tales allow us to live vicariously through the fictional heroes who exact their righteous revenge in ways we never could.

So what are the best revenge movies of all time? EW.com has compiled a list. As you might expect, this list is primarily populated with testosterone-fueled action epics like The Godfather, Gladiator, Death Wish and Payback. But the girls do get in on the action, sometimes in surprising ways.

Let's start with the most obvious films. First, and most recent, we have Jodie Foster. Yes, The Brave One made the list. Such a shame for me to be forced into posting yet another shot of the lovely Ms. Foster.

A while back, I told you about the updated version of American Gladiators, set to hit the small screen Jan. 6. At the time, I told you I was waiting with bated breath to see who would be filling the spandex on the women's side of gladiator row. Well, the list has arrived. The 12 new gladiators have been primped, posed and photographed for your viewing pleasure. The cast is led by hosts Hulk Hogan and the beautiful Laila Ali, who could easily be one of the gladiators herself.

The six male gladiators have names like Justice, Mayhem and Militia. But, as you might expect, I'm far more interested in the women. I figured you might be too, so I'll stick with the six women from here on out.

Let us begin with 6'1" bodybuilder and World's Strongest Woman competitor Robin Coleman, known in the arena as Hellga. (Yes, with two L's.)

The CW wants you to watch its new reality show Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants, which made its debut last week.

This reality nightmare follows mother-daughter teams as they vie for beauty pageant greatness and live in one big happy household while doing so. (It wouldn't be a true reality show without forced co-habitation, now would it?) The fact that Carson Kressley, minus his Queer Eye cronies, is one of the pageant judges is not enough to get me watching. Seems I made a good choice, considering the scathing reviews so far.

Shanna Moakler, who repeatedly reminds the viewing audience that she was once Miss America, is one of the other judges involved in this debacle.

EW.com has a little video list that shows Moakler detailing her five pageant don'ts. Allow me the pleasure of sharing that list with you.

1. No stripper shoes. And by that she means no six-inch heels. I guess that eliminates Katee Sackhoff and her Wizard of Oz heels.

I have a really long to-do list in a notebook somewhere. I call it my things-to-do-before-I-croak list. It includes stuff like places I want to see, books I want to read and things I'd like to accomplish. Thanks to AfterEllen.com, I can sort of cross off one of those items. No. 67: Get published. Sure, the Internet wasn't what I had in mind when I added that particular item to my list, but it counts in my world.

Another thing on my to-do list is attend the Sundance Film Festival. If I could manage to squeeze in the time off and barter my way to Utah, I'd make 2008 the year to get that one crossed off the list. The complete list of films screening at next year's festival was released over the course of the past couple of weeks. Not only do some of the films sound intriguing, but the list of who's in those films should make the red carpet a true treat. In last week's Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever. we told you about one reason to head for the Utah mountains, a reason named Saffron Burrows. Here are a few more reasons to make the trek.

One of the people I would expect to see strutting about town is Lena Headey. Not only would I love to drool over her in person, but I'd also like to see the movie she's in that's screening at Park City at Midnight. It's called The Broken and tells the tale of a woman who sees herself drive by in her own car while on a busy London street. She follows the mystery double into "a living nightmare." Lena Headey in what sounds like an eerie psychological thriller? Count me in.

Christina Ricci has done several odd little movies. It has made me wonder if her time as Wednesday Addams perhaps twisted her psyche. Or maybe it was her early exposure to Cher and Winona Ryder in Mermaids that gave her a warped view of the world.

It's not that I'm complaining. I happen to like the sometimes peculiar movie choices that accompany her apparently warped world view. I love that she's all over the map in what she does, from Monster to Speed Racer and The Opposite of Sex to Sleepy Hollow. She's the actress least likely to get sucked into a romantic comedy rut. Of course, that's not to say she can't do romantic comedy. In fact, she has. But, Christina Ricci being Christina Ricci, her romantic comedy choice isn't exactly what you would call typical.

Since 2006, a movie called Penelope has been making the festival rounds with little fanfare. The lack of attention is surprising, considering the cast includes not only Ricci, but also Catherine O'Hara, James McAvoy and Reese Witherspoon.

Ever wonder what would happen if Joss Whedon sent out a call to action? The answer appeared in the form of 400 actors, writers and fans walking the WGA picket lines with Whedon this past Friday, including Buffy writing alums Drew Goddard and Jane Espenson.

Sarah Michelle Gellar brought doughnuts.

Despite the writers' strike, a handful of film projects are still going into production. One of those projects, script in hand pre-strike, is Bride Wars. It's described as a romantic comedy about two best friends who compete for everything from caterers to guests when they both decide on the same wedding date. Kate Hudson has been attached to the project since at least last November and is one of the producers of the film.

Recent news is that Anne Hathaway has signed on as the best friend with whom Hudson does battle. Let the cat fights begin. Might I request whipped cream?

Both Amanda Peet and Angelina Jolie have new projects in the works in which they play federal agents. Peet has signed on to join the cast of the second X-Files feature, while Jolie will be starring in a film based on real-life super-spy Kathi Lynn Austin.

I miss seeing Amanda Peet on the small screen in Studio 60. So this casting news for The X-Files has made me giddy. I can't wait to see Peet get all authoritarian as an FBI agent.

According to the reports I've read, she'll be playing partner to another new agent, played by rapper Xzibit. Frankly, I don't care who she's playing, as long as they let her play with Gillian Anderson for a scene or two.

Funny woman Amy Sedaris has been gallivanting about Rhode Island this fall. Why? Because she's filming a new indie flick about boarding school life.

Sedaris was last heard as the voice of Cinderella in Shrek the Third. She was also recently seen in I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With. The new film, Tanner Hall, is written and directed by longtime friends Tatiana von Furstenberg and Francesca Gregorini.

Hmmm ... Gregorini. Where have I heard that name before? Oh, wait, I know. She was previously attached to the arm of a certain blonde actress.

I'll be honest. Michelle Trachtenberg is not high on my list of favorite actresses. Perhaps it's because I was always annoyed by her as Dawn in Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.

Recent casting news has done nothing to elevate Trachtenberg on my list of actresses to watch. In fact, the news has done the exact opposite. She's just signed on to join Zac Efron in the teen comedy 17. (Efron is another one of those celebs whose allure escapes me, but whatever floats your boat, I guess.) The fact that she's signed on to star opposite Efron is not what has her falling down my list. It's the plot of the film that has me all weirded out.

Ever play a game of telephone as a child? What starts out as "Katee Sackhoff is frakking hot" somehow becomes something like "my kids are smoking pot."

Apparently, we adults are not immune to such childish pastimes. Last week, reports began circulating that Katee Sackhoff had been loudly distancing herself from not only Bionic Woman (not that I blame her), but also Michelle Ryan. One blogger reportedly attended a recent sci-fi convention at which Sackhoff spoke publicly about both Battlestar Galactica and Bionic Woman, and has insinuated that Sackhoff said some not-so-nice things about both the show and Ryan.

Yesterday you put up with my rant about the possibility of an untimely end to Battlestar Galactica. Today I have decided to grace you with a whiff of positivity. The same folks at NBC/Universal who are messing with my Starbuck fix have granted me more of Sarah Shahi, much to my pleasant surprise.

Recent news of a scheduling shift for Shahi's freshman series Life had me concerned about the ultimate fate of the show. (OK, Shahi isn't the "central" character, but she's close.) My original thought was, "Great, they're trying to wrap up what's left in the can so they can move on to other things." See, usually when I get sucked into a new show early in its run, I end up bemoaning its death after half a season or less. It happened to me last year with Studio 60, and it's happening again with Bionic Woman. At least in the case of Bionic Woman, it didn't take me long to jump off the bandwagon.

Well, as it happens, the decision by NBC seems to be a move for future ratings gain behind the Heroes juggernaught. The news was announced this week that NBC has placed a full season order for Life. Journeyman, the show currently occupying the post-Heroes slot, did not get the same happy news. Perhaps the powers that be are at last smiling upon one of my new program obsessions.

First, I want to admit that I have yet to see BSG: Razor. It's been recorded and is waiting patiently for me to find a few hours of spare time. See, I'm what you might call overly analytical. I can't just watch it and be done with it. I'll have to watch it, re-watch it, analyze it against the first three seasons, and likely watch it two or three more times just to be sure I didn't miss any of the important details.

That being said, the fact that the series sidebar is awaiting my perusal has me wondering when we'll start seeing season 4. This naturally leads to questions of what the season will bring, when it finally arrives. The answer, unfortunately, is greatly affected by the ongoing writers' strike.