She’s already been a private dancer, now Angela Bassett will be in private practice. OK, fine, it’s more like general practice. The Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress will join the fifteenth and final season of ER in the fall.

Photo credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

The move marks a transition for the 49-year-old actress from the big to the small screen. TV has previously been the domain of Angela’s husband, Courtney B. Vance, a veteran of both Law & Order: Criminal Intent and State of Mind.

Photo credit: Peter Kramer/Getty Images

Angela will play an attending physician who is returning to Chicago after working the past few years in Indonesia tsunami relief. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Her arrival in the second episode next season promises to shake County General's ER to the core.”

Unlike The Linster, I haven’t been a regular ER patient watcher for quite a while now. In fact, Maura Tierney and Goran Visnjic are the only regulars I remember from back when I used to tune in at the end of my Thursday night Must-See TV block. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the current cast – particularly Linda Cardellini and Parminder Nagra. But I guess there are just so many times you can see someone scream “STAT!” over a crash cart. … continue reading

It's been fifteen years since some idiot decided Boxing Helena (1993) was a good idea for a movie, and some days it still feels like not much has changed.

Sin City (2006). Hostel II (2007). Prom Night (2008). Drive by any theater in America these days and you're likely to find at least one movie that promotes violence against women (when they're not ignoring women entirely).

But as organizations and individuals speak out against violence against women this week — yesterday Nicole Kidman called it the "most widespread human rights violation of our time" at a press conference for the U.N. Development Fund for Women, and this week also saw the 10th annual "Denim Day" in L.A., named based on the 1998 Italian Supreme Court decision to overturn a rape conviction because the victim wore jeans — I thought it might be worth noting some off the movies that draw attention to violence against women in the right way. Movies that drive home the point in such a way that you finally get why some women make such a fuss about feminism. Movies that help you understand the depth and pervasiveness of the problem, if you don't, or make you want to get out and do something about it, if you do.

For many of us, the movie(s) that influence us most are ones we see when we're just coming of age. For young women twenty years ago, The Color Purple (1985) might have been that pivotal film; for young women in 2005, perhaps it was North Country, about the first class-action sexual harassment lawsuit in the United States. For women in their late teens today, it might simply be an episode of Law & Order: SVU, which effectively if depressingly portrays our culture's disturbed attitude towards women on a weekly basis.

For me, the movie was Thelma & Louise (1991). Not yet jaded enough to see it coming, I sat in the back of the movie theater at 17 blinded by rage as I watched Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis drive off that cliff.

The movie's portrayal of the paralyzing mix of hopelessness, violence, and poverty faced by women every day was searing, to me and other women of all ages. I suspect many women were initially lured in to see the film because of the caliber of the actresses and the well-chiseled abs of a handsome new actor named Brad Pitt, only to leave dazed and confused, still hearing Thelma's scornful admonishment to a would-be rapist, "In the future, when a woman's crying like that, she isn't having any fun!"

Then, a few years later, I watched The Accused (1988) in a college class that would easily be the most painful and powerful two hours I sat through that year. The Accused was the first major American movie (that I'm aware of) that directly addressed the issue of collective culpability in violence against women. It, too, became the talk of the nation, both because of its message and its stars, Jodie Foster and Kelly McGillis. … continue reading

Last spring, scribegrrrl blogged about the 2008 inductees to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and noted that Angela Bassett — owner of one of the best sets of biceps in Hollywood — was slated to be among them.

Well, yesterday was her big day.

Wearing a dress that lay bare her biceps, Angela Bassett tearfully acknowledged the honor.

"Who would have thought that a little girl in pigtails from St. Petersburg, Florida, would grow up to find herself gazing at a star with her name on it, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? This day is so, so special to me."

Although it's hard to take the Hollywood Walk of Fame too seriously, especially given the ambiguous criteria for selection, I don't find it difficult to appreciate anything that makes Angela Bassett happy. Because the Yale grad is brilliant, and very lovely. And it makes me happy to take any excuse to look at pictures of Angela Bassett. … continue reading

Who wants to play house — Dollhouse, that is? The ambitious new Joss Whedon/Eliza Dushku sci-fi series is currently casting its principal characters.

Eliza plays Echo, one of the living “Dolls,” a group of men and women who can be imprinted with personality packages — from past memories to physical abilities and language skills — for different assignments. After each assignment, their memories are erased, and they all live together in a dorm/lab dubbed the Dollhouse. The show will follow Echo’s burgeoning self-awareness and how it affects everyone around her. … continue reading

To commemorate MLK Jr. Day, and because it's an excuse to write about beautiful women, I made a list of the 11 black actresses who make me sit up and take notice when they're on screen. (Alas, none of them are openly gay, but I've tried not to hold that against them.) You may be surprised that some of the usual suspects — like Halle Berry and Jada Pinkett Smith — aren't here. I've got nothing against them, and often enjoy their performances, they just aren't among my favorites. Feel free to tell me why I'm crazy for leaving them or someone else off the list in the comments (and I know you will!).

11. Vivica Fox

Whether she's playing a bank robber in Set It Off (1996), a woman on a mission in Independence Day (1996), the responsible older sister on Soul Food (1997) or an FBI agent role on two seasons of the poorly named Lifetime drama 1-800-Missing (2004-2006), Vivica leaves a strong impression. And she has a cool name.

We just won't mention Booty Call (1997) or Boat Trip (2002).

10. Gabrielle Union

Gabrielle first caught my attention in Bring It On (2000) — no easy feat considering the strength of that cast overall (Eliza Dushku! Kirsten Dunst! Eliza Dushku!). Some of her roles since then have annoyed me (most notably, her star turn as a stereotypical controlling bitch in Deliver Us From Evie), but as a general rule, I pay attention when she's on screen.

And I loved her guest appearance in Friends in 2001, where Ross and Joey fight over her so ridiculously that she finally shuns them both. She should have hooked up with Rachel instead. … continue reading

One of my childhood memories is a time at my cousin's 12th birthday party when I thoughtfully said, "Twelve is such a ripe old age." I don't know what led to that pronouncement, but I remember it often, even several multiples of 12 later. Age is like that. Each milestone seems far away, then one day you realize that a lot of them are behind you. It's not a bad thing — older really is better — it's just surprising. A few weeks ago, one of America's favorite children reached one of those milestones when Caroline Kennedy turned 50.

Kennedy certainly has accomplished a lot in her adulthood, but to many of us, she always will be JFK's little girl. And "Sweet Caroline." … continue reading

Boo! Did I scare you? No, well, fine. But I do know a scary secret. Lean close, I'll tell you. Closer. A bit closer. Boo! OK, come on, that time I had to scare you, just a little. Actually, this news is probably only truly terrifying to the actresses whose dirty little secrets I’m about to spill. You see, before they were screen queens, these ladies were all scream queens. Sure, they’re all big Oscar winners, A-listers and TV stars now. But at the start of their careers, they were just glorified bait. Here's a look at 10 actresses' horrific early careers.

Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, 1978): Like mother, like daughter. Jamie Lee followed in her mom Janet Leigh’s bloody footprints by squaring off with a Psycho killer. But at least Jamie got to live to fight another day, albeit two decades later in Halloween H20. … continue reading

I just read that Angela Bassett has joined the cast of Nothing but the Truth, a political drama loosely based on the Valerie Plame scandal.

Bassett is busy these days. According to IMDb.com, she has two movies (Gospel Hill and Of Boys and Men) in post-production, two (Truth and Meet the Browns) currently filming, and one (Toussaint) in pre-production. And I couldn't be happier. As Siege noted recently on the blog, smart women are hot — and Yalie Angela Bassett is both very smart and very hot. I first noticed her as Katherine Jackson in The Jacksons: An American Dream, which used to play on VH1 every 20 minutes or so. And I kept noticing her as her career took off. … continue reading

Nothing but the Truth sounds worth seeing even without Bassett — although it might feel a little too “ripped from the headlines.” Written and directed by Rod Lurie (The Contender), the movie focuses on a reporter (Kate Beckinsale) who is jailed for outing a CIA agent. In a nice bit of optimistic casting, Bassett plays the editor-in-chief of the Washington D.C. newspaper for which Beckinsale writes. How many real-life major-market newspapers are helmed by African-American women? And the ensemble cast is pretty impressive, as well.

Seems I'm not the only one out there who thinks brains are an essential part of the beauty package. Personally, I can only look for so long before wanting to carry on a coherent, intelligent conversation about something a little deeper than fashion. I also like to be able to use words that contain more than a single syllable.

There are plenty of lists out there detailing beauties with big brains, but this one does a better job than most. The list includes some of the most obvious brainy beauties, like Jodie Foster, Natalie Portman and Jennifer Beals. But, like any list, it is far from complete. So because I know you are all simply beside yourselves waiting for another list, I will keep you waiting no longer. Here are some of the women who prove to me that smart is sexy. Think of it as my anti-Britney list.

Maggie Gyllenhaal

She has a degree in literature from Columbia University. She also tends to choose roles that involve a whole lot of brain power, and she isn't afraid to speak her mind. I love that in a woman. … continue reading

A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: Does it still mean something? Maybe not — unless you don't have one. It still seems to signify "making it" to a lot of people. And when I was a starstruck little kid, the Walk of Fame was the first thing I wanted to see in California. Well, that and some celebrity houses, particularly those belonging to Sandy Duncan, Carol Burnett and Barbra Streisand. And I wanted to track down Kristy McNichol and Maria from Sesame Street and ask them to go to the Universal Studios theme park with me. (What? I was 9!)

Anyway, the 2008 Walk of Fame inductees have been announced, and some AfterEllen.com favorites are on the list: Cate Blanchett, Angela Bassett and Susan St. James will all be honored. And even though I recently posted a picture of Bassett on this blog, I'm gonna take advantage of the opportunity to do so again. I'm having a little crush on her right now.

Other recipients include Christina Aguilera (not really an AfterEllen.com favorite at all) and the Munchkins from The Wizard of Oz. Yes, the Munchkins. All of them? Will they get one big star, or several eensy weensy stars? And will the star represent the Lullaby League or the Lollipop Guild? Will the star be made of yellow brick? And if you stand on the star, will your voice suddenly get all high-pitched and vibrato-filled? Sorry; I'll stop.

Read the full list of star recipients here. … continue reading

TMZ.com isn't exactly known for appreciating older women (or women, period), but over the weekend its minions posted a gallery of stars who are "aged to perfection." It's pretty cool; in fact, it looks like the sort of thing we'd do here at AfterEllen.com. I can only assume there's some sort of weird astrological phenomenon at work. Rather than worry about that, I'll just gaze at the stunning photos — here's a sampling:

Diane Keaton

Angela Bassett (with hubby/date cut out by TMZ, ha ha) … continue reading

Actors Angela Bassett and Jennifer Lopez will be two of the judges of the upcoming LMN Student Filmmaker Competition, a nationwide contest (co-produced by Lifetime Movie Network, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Women in Film & Television, WMA and Women in Film) honoring the best short films by female film students in the U.S.

The contest is open to all female film students (including executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers and editors) and is designed to "encourage and discover the next generation of female filmmakers." Also judging the contest are producers Lauren Shuler Donner (the X-Men movies) and Gale Anne Hurd (Terminator 3, Æon Flux), and, director Mimi Leder (The Peacemaker, Pay It Forward). … continue reading