That list is something else.... I don't even know where to begin...

I guess the one thing that shocks me the most about the list, and not about the people that they left out, is that Vivien Leigh's Scarlett O'Hara got beat out by Ellen Page's Juno (which wasn't bad, but it was nothing compared to the way Vivien brought Scarlett to life) and by Jessica Rabbit, or really any of them.

God this list makes my head spin with embarrassment for anyone that had anything to do with it. I can't think about it anymore I think I'm going to puke... Not really, but still, its a very sad list.

Ruth Jameson (Mary-Louise Parker) and Idgie Threadgoode (Mary Stuart Masterson) Fried Green Tomatoes

Vada Sultenfuss (Anna Chlumsky) My Girl

12 women (1 a cartoon character) out of 100?! Even more proof that we still live in a patriarch and misygonist society.

-- 

http://www.drunkduck.com/Empathy/

I read this to my father, who is now rampaging around the house listing off his top characters and raving about the outrage of such a list.

His suggestions:
Bette Davis in "All about Eve"
Marilyn Monroe in "Some Like it Hot"  or "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" ... "or ANYTHING"
Barbra Streisand in "Funny Girl"
Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction"
Diane Keaton in "any of Woody Allen's movies"

note... these were all yelled, as he stalked out of the kitchen.

haha....seems like a really random choice, but with 12 I guess we'll have to take it.  How about Wednesday Addams?  Charlize Theron's role in monster?  Anything by Shirley Temple, Audrey Hepburn, Julie Andrews?

I think the sad part is that this list is that its actually not too inaccurate based on ratio of good female roles to male.  Most movies are written men and have a male main character and the female usually plays the girlfriend/wife/love interest.  I'm hard pressed to name one summer blockbuster with a female lead, or heck, even a Pixar movie!

For me you can always add Sophie Zawistowski in "Sophie's Choice" & Joanna Kramer in "Kramer&Kramer" as her wonderful roles, and surely Ingrid Bergman..

Ok, I like Fight Club, but no! I'd even give it to Darth Vader (#2) and I'm not a big Star Wars fan. But at least that character has proven to be incredibly memorable and a cultural icon. Or Hannibal Lector (#5), because it's such an interesting and well-done charcter. And Vito Corleone BARELY made the top 10? You've got to be kidding me. The Godfather is in my top 3, at least.

Out of this list, just 7 people of color, and no women of color. Not one. Out of the 7, one was played by a white actor (Tony Montana played by Al Pacino). Out of those 7 people of color, EVERY SINGLE ONE was either a gangster/criminal or a cop. The only one of those 7 who was not from an action movie was Red from Shawshank Redemption, but Red was still a murderer. I think it's pretty obvious that the majority of people voting on this list were action movie fans, because the vast majority of character were from action flicks. Seriously, though, no Sidney Poitier?

Then we get to the complete lack of women. Just.....ugh. I love that they recognized Margaret Hamilton, but not Judy Garland's Dorothy? Or what about Rose Sayer from The African Queen portrayed by Katherine Hepburn? No one from The Color Purpleon the list...I'd go with either Sofia or Shug Avery. And, there's so much more, but I'll stop for the moment. I've ranted enough.

wow...pathetic list. all i have to say is WTH is katharine hepburn on this list. like come on...she is like a god of films. nuff said.

you stay. i'll stay. we'll be alone.

...but I could spend the next month listing amazing female roles in Hollywood and elsewhere that are left off this list. Just another show of patriarchal power still running strong in America. Still, instead of sitting around and complaining about others' lists, I suggest AE puts together a place where we can vote in. How about the Top 100 Influential Females?

I'm still thinking about Meg Ryans Maggie in City Of Angels. I know, some of you now think of stereotypes, but for me, this character is gorgeous.

And how can anyone possibly forget Whoopie Goldbergs Celie in The Color Purple???

I'm going to have to go with Victor/Victoria from ah, Victor/Victoria.  Oh, oh my! 

this just goes to show how little weight women have in hollywood. what was the dykes to look out for rule again? how rarely women get interesting, compelling roles that dont involve them pining for some man. ugh. tyler durden as number 1 is ridiculous. and ellen page above scarlet?? really?!?? good lord. oh, and if buzz lightyear can make the list, so can belle. where the hell is diane keaton? and frances mcdormand? katharine hepburn? this is insane. i hate lists.

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http://rightmindleftcoast.wordpress.com

She's played some of the most iconic (fictional) women in cinema! I love her role in Indochine, 8 femmes and other of roles of her are very highly praised, like her part in Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

Also, Isabelle Huppert's role in Le Piano is unforgettable!

that Ellen Page's Haley Stark in 'Hard Candy' was so much better than Juno MacGuff. 

Inkblots

It seems most of the women on this list are badass and tough (Clarice Starling, Ripley, The Bride, Wicked Witch, Mathilda) and could easily be male characters.

So this "public" that voted was a bunch of dudes. 

"When Napoleon Dynamite beats out Holly Golightly for anything, it seriously makes me worry about the fate of the world"

lol seriously though, as a newly Meryl Streep 'fan'..it is kinda sad she isn't on that list, but I'm sure I'll get over it in the next 30 seconds.

 -<_>_<_>_<_>_<_>_<_>

"The first duty of a man is to think for himself"

Jose Marti

I can't say I'm surprised. The readers of Empire are mostly into mainstream action (which is painfully evident by this list). And there are not a lot of well written parts for women in that genre. Or at all. I could come up with 65 great female characters, and since I'm a huge fan of lists... Here they are:

Just

Alabama Worley (Patricia Arquette) True Romance

Celine (Julie Delpy) Before sunrise/Before sunset

Ouiser Boudreaux (Shirley MacLaine) Steel Magnolias 

would have been enough. It's nice to see that so many of the AWESOME female characters I've adored are respected by others. I just wish After Ellen did their own version. Imagine the pictures . . .

That's just sad pretty much sums up the original list. Scarlett O'Hara at #91? She should at least be in the top 10.

The list also seems to favor action heroes (7 of the top 15), and in truth there aren't enough great female action heroes. Partly the problem is that there just aren't enough great roles for women, and partly people like the makers of this list don't appreciate the great characters that are out there.

Mainly I wanted to say that Louise's line is "You robbed a goddamned store??!" not "whole damn store." This is why I cannot watch Thelma & Louise on network TV.

Holly Golightly should be an absolute shoo-in, although I do sometimes think she's less of a character than a 'presence'. Still, not entirely surprising given that Empire is such a male-centric magazine.

The one that really burns me is Juno. She is such a painfully contrived character whose quirkiness is clumsily applied by a writer relying solely on the sort of paint-by-numbers approach to characterisation utilised by the creators of 'Notting Hill' and 'Love Actually'. Hardly surprising, as the entire film was such a woefully over-hyped bit of fluff - good performances but nothing to hang them on. The only appeal is for those people who mistake the charm of the actress with the depth of the character. Including it in their list tells me that the people at Empire are only just past voting age.

 My nominations (a few of)

1. Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) - makes 'The Bride' look like more of a cartoon than Jessica Rabbit. 

2. Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) One Flew Over The Cukoos Nest - one of the most horrifying characters in cinema history.

3. Mabel Longhetti (Gina Rowlands), 'A Woman Under the Influence'

4. Severine Serizy (Catherine Deneuve) 'Belle de Jour'

5. Juliette (Bridget Bardot) 'And God Created Woman'

6. Amelie (Audrey Tatou) 'Amelie'

7. Betty (Beatrice Dalle) 'Betty Blue'

8. Catherine (Jeanne Moreau) ' Jules and Jim' 

9. Muriel Heslop (Toni Collette) Muriel's Wedding

10.  Bree Daniels (Jane Fonda) 'Klute'

Though Jessica Rabbit gave me an excuse to look at massive breasts (though cartoon) as a child with out being too obvious...i have to say that is sad.

What about...Glen Close in The World According to Garp.

Hillary Swank.... Boys Don't Cry

Kate Blanchett....in many things

Kate Winslet....^ 

Marilyn Monroe...Come on!

Natalie Portman...V for Vendetta

Ellen Page...Hard Candy or An American Crime

Halle Berry...In a few things

Jessica Alba...Sin City...ok...maybe not so much, but...that role made me happy

Cher...Moonstruck

Drew Barrymoore...you could even go all the way back to ET

Christina Ricci...Prozac Nation or Black Snake Moan

And the list goes on, and probably better than my picks (I agree with most of the above posts just didn't want to repeat too much.)

That is lame.

Some great suggestions by everyone so far.  I don't think I've seen Diane Freeling (JoBeth Williams) from Poltergeist mentioned yet.  She was very determined to whatever it took to get her daughter back.  Good character.