Ah, the chick flick. Much maligned. Often contrived. And, every now and then, downright satisfying. To be perfectly honest, I like a good chick flick — emphasis on good, of course. For me, the appeal is built right into the name. Chick: Well, I am one, and I like them. Flick: Well, movies; who doesn’t love movies? Two upcoming releases seek to find just the right chocolate-and-peanut-butter formula that results in the good kind of chick flick we all love to watch on lazy Sunday afternoons when we should be paying bills or regrouting the tub.

Both also fall into what is usually my favorite of the chick flick subgenres: the female bonding movie. Sure, romantic comedies are the more popular subgenre, but you just get more estrogen for your buck with bonding pictures. The films are Bonneville (opening Feb. 29 limited and March 21 wide) and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (opening Aug. 8).

Bonneville, which stars 50-somethings Jessica Lange, Joan Allen, Kathy Bates and Christine Baranski, centers on a cross-country road trip taken by three friends when one of their husbands dies. The trip is done in — you guessed it — a big old convertible Pontiac Bonneville.

Is anyone else getting a decidedly Thelma & Louise feel from that photo? I just hope it doesn’t end the same way. Though, from the trailer, it looks like the ladies have their automotive high jinks in the Utah salt flats, not the Grand Canyon. … continue reading

Last week news came that the Gilmore Girls are moving out of Stars Hollow for good. After seven seasons, the mother-daughter comedy-drama is ending its run with its finale May 15. The abrupt departure comes after negotiations between the network and stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel fell through.

I’ll confess, I haven’t watched the series for the last couple of seasons. When Buffy the Vampire Slayer made the jump to UPN, the two shows conflicted, and the girl with the pointy stick won out over the girls with the rat-a-tat-tat pop culture references. After Buffy ended, I thought I’d go back and reacquaint myself with the gals, but time had passed and so it goes.

In a taped segment for The Ellen DeGeneres Show (set to air Tuesday), Lauren seemed the opposite of broken up about the cancellation. In fact, she toasted the news by throwing back a mojito with Ellen. … continue reading

Looks like this season very well may be the last for The Gilmore Girls. TV Guide is reporting today that "talks to bring the show back for an eighth season have stalled, and, according to several sources, there's little hope for a turnaround."

I'm not sure how I feel about that. I used to love the show - the first season, and possibly the second, will always stand as some of the best television I've ever watched - but the last few seasons have kind of gone off the rails. I confess I don't even really tune in much anymore.

But I'm still going to miss those Gilmore Girls. I think partly it's that I just like the idea that a show like this exists. What other show focuses so closely and so well on mother-daughter relationships? Where else is CNN's Christiane Amanpour considered a big guest-star? Where else can you find so many attractive, intelligent, and yet still relatable women? And did I mention Lauren Graham? Yeah, that's enough of a reason to watch right there.

Somebody better give her another show soon!