I’m sure I’m telling you nothing new by saying that powerful, strong female characters are a rarity on television these days. But (thankfully) we do have a few of them. They’re detectives, doctors, attorneys, and heck, they’re even pot-dealing soccer moms.

But regardless, they’re scarcer than they should be, and what’s worse — their characters are often overly flawed. (See the linster’s post about In Plain Sight for a ridiculously spot-on example.) Additionally, their characters are usually either sexless (see: Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU) or their storylines are based almost solely on their love-life (see: Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy).

These issues, among others (see: far too few queer women on TV), are concerns that we’re all too familiar with at AfterEllen.com; the problem seems to lie in the fact that no one else recognizes it. Or, at the very least, no one with the power to do so does anything about it.

So, the other day, when I stumbled upon an article by Stuart Levine on MSNBC titled, “Powerful TV women must face backlash,” I smiled a little bit on the inside. I couldn’t help but think — for a fleeting moment — that things are turning around. After all, if you’ve glanced through Malinda Lo’s "TCA Diaries" lately, you’ve read all about some fantastic shows currently on TV that accurately and responsibly portray strong female leads. It was in this vein that I gleefully opened the article, ready for a poignant look at women in television. What I got, quite simply, was a big pile of nothingness. … continue reading

The writers' strike certainly made an impact on the Golden Globe Awards this year. No glitz, no glamour, no stars, no oops-Christine-Lahti-is-in-the-bathroom moments. Shots of the red carpet were replaced by shots of those red-and-black WGA picket signs. But, as cohost (and pinhead) Billy Bush noted, the winners still deserved recognition, so some sort of show had to go on. Here are some highlights of last night's Golden Globes Winners Special on NBC. (Images are from the press conference rather than the broadcast, but you get the idea.)

MOVIES

Best Actress, Comedy or Musical: Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

Best Actress, Drama: Julie Christie, Away From Her
Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There

Best Actor, Comedy or Musical: Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Best Actor, Drama: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Best Picture, Comedy or Musical: Sweeney Todd
Best Picture, Drama: Atonement
Best Director: Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

TELEVISION

Best Actress, Drama: Glenn Close, Damages
Best Actress, Comedy: Tina Fey, 30 Rock … continue reading

I have a few clear memories of the late 1980s. One is counting down the days every summer until Girl Scout Camp, when I could see my favorite counselor, who taught us how to ride horses. Another is the heartbreak when said counselor didn't return. And the scariest moment, by far, was catching glimpses of Glenn Close and Michael Douglas in Fatal Attraction. Yes, folks, the movie that spawned the phrase "bunny boiler" is 20 years old this year. If you don't believe it, just look at the hair.

I was a little too young to be aware of the feminist backlash against the movie — I was busy not filling out my training bra at the time. What I do remember and found far more traumatic is that bunny scene. I, too, had a pet rabbit, and it was named after that counselor who vanished from my summers (though not from my heart). … continue reading

It's no secret around here that recycled ideas are often, well, garbage. Many of us suffered through Bionic Woman (which even Katee Sackhoff couldn't rescue), I'd guess that very few of us bothered to suffer through Catherine Zeta-Jones in the unnecessary No Reservations, and scribegrrrl and Malinda have already expressed apprehension about plans for a new Barbarella. So Moviefone's recent "25 Worst Movie Remakes of All Time" is a little bit like shooting (already dead) fish in a barrel — fun, perhaps, but also depressing, kind of like 101 Dalmatians, which made No. 11 on the list.

Fun due to the presence of Glenn Close, with some of the best movie hair around; depressing due to the presence of Glenn Close, who may be the perfect Cruella but who really can do oh-so-much-better. Give me boiled bunnies over yappy puppies any day, Glenn. Better yet, give me power suits and power trips of the non-puppy sort.

Sadly, there are numerous great actors stuck on Moviefone's list. Checking in at No. 20 is The Planet of the Apes, with a furred Helena Bonham Carter missing the quirky target and hitting the just-plain-wrong bull's eye. … continue reading

The nominations for the 2008 Golden Globe Awards were announced this morning, and there are many AfterEllen.com favorites among the nominees. Here are the highlights:

MOVIES

• Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
• Julie Christie, Away From Her
• Jodie Foster, The Brave One





• Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
• Keira Knightley, Atonement

I'm thrilled to see Jodie on that list (especially considering the lukewarm reviews for The Brave One), but I'm even happier about Angelina's nomination. A Mighty Heart deserves a bigger audience, and Angelina deserves much more credit for her performance in it. I thought it was some of her finest work yet. Meanwhile, I can't wait to see Atonement — everybody's raving about it. … continue reading

This is going to be a little spoilerish, so let me get to the point first. Damages has been renewed for two more seasons. That's right — two.

Now, to give those of you waiting for the season on DVD or not yet caught up with your DVR a chance to skedaddle, here's another look at one of the best promotional photos ever.

**Did I mention spoilers ahead?**

I have to say that even with Damages' ups and downs over its first season, I think it's one of the best shows to come along in years. And not just because Glenn Close in a power suit is as close to perfection as a mere human will ever be. … continue reading

T-minus one week and counting to my favorite psuedo-holiday of the year. I love Halloween. Think about it. It's the only time of year that it's OK to accept candy from strangers. In fact, soliciting candy from strangers is expected. It's also the only time of the year it's socially acceptable for those of us who aren't paid actors to dress up in costume and pretend to be something or someone we're not.

For more than a decade, Bette Midler has been throwing one of the best Halloween bashes around. I say best not because it's the biggest or the scariest. I say best because she throws the bash to raise money for New York Restoration Project, a nonprofit founded by Midler to clean, restore and revitalize New York City's parks. The group reclaims abandonded parks, plants community gardens and offers youth education programs aimed at greening up New York City.

In conjunction with the annual bash at the Waldorf-Astoria, the group also holds an online auction. Among the items available for bid this year are a day on the set of Wolverine with Hugh Jackman and tickets to Jessica Alba's next movie premiere. Sign me up for that one.

This year, they're also having "Wicked Day" on Oct. 28, complete with block party, performances by the cast of Wicked and a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Friendship Gardens. … continue reading

So, was it good for you? Damages ended its first season last night and those (sadly, few) of us who sat through every twist and turn of this exquisitely twisty, turny legal thriller finally got to see all the pieces of this complex moral jigsaw puzzle fit into place. Stepping back and looking at the finished whole, I have to say wow.

***Spoiler alert, so if you haven’t finished watching, what are you waiting for?*** … continue reading

It's been a bumpy first season for Damages. I've eagerly anticipated every episode, and I've even felt reasonably satisfied each time the credits have rolled — especially if I've been treated to a gratuitous shot of Glenn Close strutting in her perfectly tailored trousers.

So I'll be sad to see it go, but I'll be really, really glad to get some answers. Did Patty Hewes get her hooks into absolutely everyone, including Rose Byrne's character's husband's stalker? (Ouch, sorry about that.) Does Patty have any kind of moral center? Has Ellen Parsons become just as heartless and evil? And above all, what the hell are they going to do next season?!

The finale is tonight on FX — it airs twice back-to-back, so watch it and then watch it again. You know, for the eye candy if nothing else.

Can we all agree that the American Idolification of the Emmys, what with its theater-in-the-round and hiring of Ryan Seacrest, was a bad idea? A very bad idea. The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards was a largely dull affair interspersed with some worthy winners, fitting send-offs, head-scratching choices and spectacularly bad jokes.Two gags about Hayden Panettiere finally reaching the age of consent? Classy, people, classy. And then there was the bleeping: Brad Garrett making an off-color milk remark about his co-star’s décolletage? Fine. Sally Field making a political statement about “goddamned wars”? Censored. Context, censors, context.

Here's a look at some of the highlights and lowlights from the telecast (for a complete list of winners, go here). Let’s kick things off with Ellen and Portia. Sure, they didn’t win anything. But they did color coordinate. Plus, if you look closely, in the top right corner you’ll see Ellen’s mom.

Tina Fey, Marry Me: Fine, she’s already married. But you can understand my inclination when after winning Best Comedy for 30 Rock, she said, “I want to thank the parents, child, spouse and gay partner of every person that works on our show ... and our dozens and dozens of viewers.” She then told the press backstage that she was going to celebrate by overeating. Sigh. The good ones are always taken.

… continue reading

So, you’re watching Damages, right? Right? Well, if the drama has somehow slipped your radar and you fear jumping in now might render you hopelessly, helplessly lost, you’re in luck. On Monday (otherwise known as Labor Day for us U.S. Americans), FX will run the first five episodes of the season season from 3-8 p.m.

The marathon is the perfect opportunity to get caught up on all the twisty, turny treachery in the world of high-stakes litigation at Hewes & Associates. I’ve been riveted since the first episode, and not just by the exquisite cut of Glenn Close’s power suits (though, gosh, they are awfully nice).

… continue reading

Sure, some of the twists and turns have been, shall we say, a little unusual. (A hand grenade, really?) But overall it’s the show’s timeless central question that keeps me coming back week after week. That question being, simply, “Who can you trust?”

Toy maker Todd McFarlane and filmmaker Josh Olson just announced that they are undertaking a new version of The Wizard of Oz (not to be confused with the Sci Fi Channel's Tin Man). Although Wicked has earned quite a reputation, neither Diana Ross nor the Muppets could save previous Oz Redux attempts, so my initial reaction to this was skepticism.

Reading on, I wavered between intrigued (Oz as "dark, edgy and muscular"), relieved (Dorothy will not be "some bondage queen," a la McFarlane's disturbing dolls) and bored (the film will aim to capture Lord of the Rings fans). Then I got to the description of Dorothy as less "helpless singing girl" and more Ellen Ripley.

That's right: Dorothy 2.0. Better, faster, and able to take you out. No more wavering for me — if Ripley is going to Oz, I am going, too. … continue reading

We've been hearing an awful lot about the elder stateswomen of Hollywood taking over the airwaves lately. From Glenn Close in Damages, Kyra Sedgwick in The Closer, Sally Field in Brothers & Sisters to Mary-Louise Parker in Weeds, Lili Taylor in State of Mind and Holly Hunter in Saving Grace, women of a certain age have been generating a whole lot of buzz. Even Whoopi Goldberg joining The View could be viewed as part of the "trend."

With all this positivity going on around about these lovely ladies, I'm led to wonder about the future. What I want to know is this: Are any of today's youngsters going to be ready to step up to the plate when these ladies take their final bows and gracefully exit the stage? Now, I know that's likely a long way off, but that doesn't make my curiosity any less. So I decided to don my Carnac the Magnificent-like turban and see if I could find any answers in my crystal ball. Forgive me if said crystal ball provides some somewhat strange replies. The power is on the fritz here due to some nasty thunderstorms last night, and I'm afraid my battery supply is being used elsewhere. (I meant in flashlights, people!) … continue reading

It tentatively appears that the Sunset Boulevard powers-that-be agree with AfterEllen.com readers. Fifty-five percent of those of you who expressed an opinion chose Glenn Close as the lead — as opposed to 27 percent who wanted Meryl Streep and 18 percent who chose Barbara Streisand. According to the MTV movies blog and IMDb.com, Glenn Close will play the lead in the movie — when it's eventually filmed.

The poky speed of the project is the thrust of the MTV post. Close is reputed to be frustrated that it's taking so long for the project to move. "'It's going very slowly,' sighed Glenn Close." She sighed. That kills me. However, she's optimistic that the success of Chicago and Hairspray will bode well for this project. Notably, she did not mention the last Andrew Lloyd Webber movie musical, Phantom of the Opera, which was not such a big hit.

Thanks to all of you who expressed your opinion. Of the Close-voters, I think notl33t put it best:"I'm all for Glenn Close. I think the sheer manic qualities of her Cruella De Vil are enough of a testament to her abilities to be believably crazy on screen."

Like most good lesbians, I started watching FX's Damages because of Glenn Close. Then I couldn’t stop watching because of, well, Glenn Close. But all along, something has seemed familiar about Australian actress Rose Byrne, who plays first-year associate Ellen Parsons at the firm owned by Close’s character, Patty Hewes.

I checked out Byrne’s IMDb profile and there it was — she was Dormé, Queen Amidala’s handmaiden, in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones.

OK, I’m not really that much of a Star Wars geek, but a few years ago I worked on the Star Wars Trivial Pursuit game and had to watch the movies over and over. Yes, I’m one of the ones you curse if you play that game. But I digress. … continue reading

Byrne actually has been in a number of films, including 28 Weeks Later, Wicker Park and Sunshine.