NBC has unofficially announced the new Late Night host to succeed Conan O'Brien in 2009, and (surprise) it's not a woman. Jimmy Fallon has signed on to be O'Brien's replacement, while Conan will move up to 11:35 p.m. to replace Jay Leno, whose contract is expiring. Looks like this means NBC will be continuing the grand tradition of male hosts in their late-night lineup. Now if you would all grab your calculators, let's see what this brings our tally of females currently in late-night TV to: One.

That honor goes to Chelsea Handler, who has a 30-minute talk show on E!.

Handler is the only woman in television to host a night-time talk show at this time. A rare honor, Handler joins a very short list alongside Joan Rivers as being the only female comics to host a late-night show. If we take out our trusty calculators again and add these figures together, that brings our grand total to two female late-night talk show hosts. Ever. In the history of television. Two.

For whatever reason, networks seem to think that women are more funny to more people when the sun is out. Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres have both won multiple Emmy awards for their daytime talk shows and have an enormous audience base stretching across all demographics, yet their shows never air before dinner time. … continue reading

We recently told you about Ellen DeGeneres' schooling of Oklahoma state representative Sally Kern on her show. But that wasn't the half of it. Ellen's guests that day included Wanda Sykes and Danny Noriega (American Idol), so it felt like the gayest show ever. (No, Wanda is not necessarily gay. Or at least not out. No comment.)

Anyway, here's a clip of Wanda on that episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She talks about everything from Sally Kern to Obama vs. Hillary to how you know you're getting old:

And if that's not enough to make your day, here's a snippet of one of Wanda's stand-up acts (thanks for the tip, Beth!) — the audio is out of sync, but it's still funny: … continue reading

Who you calling unfunny? Vanity Fair took its sweet time, but after more than a year of letting the anvil of an essay “Why Women Aren’t Funny” weigh down the discourse, the magazine finally issued its own rebuttal with its April cover story, “Who Says Women Aren't Funny?” And to prove that point, it assembled some of the most sparkling female wits for a photoshoot with famed photographer Annie Leibovitz.

Yes, Amy Poehler appears to be grabbing Tina Fey’s boob. You really can’t argue with comedy genius like that. Answering the call to funny alongside them were Sandra Bernhard, Susie Essman, Jenna Fischer, Chelsea Handler, Leslie Mann, Maya Rudolph, Amy Sedaris, Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes and Kristen Wiig. I’m going to need a moment to soak in all this concentrated hilarious. Seriously, my sides are starting to hurt from phantom laughter just looking at them.

In response to (resisting the urge to use a profane adjective) columnist Christopher Hitchens’ decidedly unfunny article about why women are the unfunnier sex, New York Times TV critic Alessandra Stanley has penned a footnote-worthy essay that touches on everything from English novelist George Meredith to Virginia Woolf to tribes in Papua New Guinea. To which I say, sure, but where do the rubber chickens fit in? … continue reading

FADE IN:

EXT. SIDEWALK - DAY

A scruffy bunch of sunlight-averse, caffeine-addicted, ironing-impaired television and film writers parade back and forth with purpose. They carry placards and chant slogans. Among them are a few famous faces.

GROUP

What do we want? Fair contract! When do we want it? Now!

CLOSE ON the dark, reflective sunglasses of a network executive as he pulls into the studio lot in a car that costs more than the average American family’s house, passing the rag-tag writers with nary a glance in their direction. The writers shout, snidely, in his direction and some make accompanying FCC fine–worthy gestures.

WRITER

Hey, buddy, download this! I’ve got your new media profits right here!

… continue reading

Last week, E! Online's Reel Girl posted her "Incomplete Top 10: Great Cameos." The list ranges from obvious (Marshall McLuhan in Annie Hall) to random (this must be the only best list on which Dumb and Dumber appears, courtesy of Cam Neely) to wrong (Meryl Streep, yes, but in Stuck on You? No).

While I understand Reel Girl's "good lighting" theory (a well-done cameo makes everyone look better), I prefer scene-stealers to film-stealers, special moments of brilliance rather than lone moments of brilliance; even Streep doesn't make a lame comedy worth my time. Also, while blink-and-you-miss-it cameos are fun (see Cate Blanchett in Hot Fuzz or Julie Delpy in But I'm a Cheerleader), they don't require much, so they're not included.

My favorite bit parts fall into a few categories, and I'm sticking with the ladies exclusively. I'm also sticking to film — sifting through all of the Simpsons and Will & Grace cameos is daunting enough; add The Muppet Show and it's nigh impossible. Since the following is therefore an unscientific bunch of personal observations, discuss away!

The Hat-Tip Cameo: Chita Rivera, Chicago

Hollywood producers are far too obsessed with remakes, but if they must go there, I appreciate it when they doff their proverbial caps to original stars. Respect wins points every time, and as the creator of Velma Kelly on Broadway, Rivera deserves every ounce of respect she gets and then some. Her cameo as cell block diva Nickie in the 2002 movie adaptation is too brief, but any more would be unfair to successor Catherine Zeta-Jones — can't have the new star too far in the shadow of her elder. … continue reading

Most AfterEllen.com readers and indeed most observant consumers of pop culture are aware of how rare quality film and television roles for black actresses tend to be. Just yesterday, Sarah blogged about the women of Soul Food, who have gone from lead roles in a compelling drama to primarily supporting roles, and earlier this week the LA Times spoke up with an article about Hollywood's love for "black best friends."

While the article doesn't necessarily break entirely new ground (Spike Lee has been talking about the related "magical negro" phenomenon for years), this unfortunate "BBF" trend — the casting of a black woman as the "the wise, loyal and often sassy sidekick" to a leading white woman — deserves all the press attention it can get, in the hopes that it will change. Just think about it:

I love Wanda Sykes in anything she does, thought Stacey Dash as Dionne was Clueless Cher's better half, and am becoming a fan of My Boys best friend Kellee Stewart (now that her character's story line has moved slightly beyond finding a man to fly to Italy with her). I also think that sidekicks are often more interesting and appealing than lead characters (hello, Willow).

But I'd be even more thrilled to see these women in lead roles, and when I try to think of instances in the reverse — black women with white best friends — all that comes to mind is Peter, Rudy's pal on The Cosby Show, and I don't think that counts, no matter how cute they are. … continue reading

As you've probably already heard, The Sopranos got a whopping 15 Emmy nominations this morning. Meanwhile, the HBO movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee did even better, with 17. (I missed that one entirely, so for me it's more like Scratch My Head at HBO Monopoly.)

Here are the big ones:

2007 Primetime Emmy Nominations

Outstanding Drama Series
Boston Legal (ABC)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Heroes (NBC)
House (Fox)
The Sopranos (HBO)

Outstanding Comedy Series
30 Rock (NBC)
Entourage (HBO)
The Office (NBC)
Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Ugly Betty (ABC)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Sally Field, Brothers and Sisters (ABC)
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
Partricia Arquette, Medium (NBC)
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer (TNT)
Minnie Driver, The Riches (FX)
Edie Falco, The Sopranos (HBO) … continue reading

While perusing new movie trailers, I came across one for Evan Almighty. I had put this comedy and sequel-of-sorts to Bruce Almighty on my maybe list of summer movies, based solely on the strength of Steve Carell’s endearing comedic squareness and Lauren Graham's endearing comedic hotness. But after seeing the full-length trailer, my meter tipped from maybe to almost definitely. Why? One word: Wanda.

… continue reading