She Made It Media Project Offers a Look Back and a Push Forward
I wrote this piece for the Women's Media Center
At a time when you could “hear the voices of women newscasters all over Europe,” recalled Nancy Dickerson, a network correspondent (who died in 1997) and one member of the Paley Center for Media’s She Made It class of 2007, the profession in the United States was “still riddled with prejudice.” In its third annual honors ceremony last week, the center (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio) celebrated women's overlooked and underappreciated contributions to the history of television and radio, while noting as well how much had changed.
Check out the full piece: She Made It
Hollywood's Current Black List (this seems to be a good black list)
Confirming that Hollywood has no sense of history, a couple of years ago a black list of the most liked scripts that have made the rounds during the calendar year, but haven't yet been made. Some have been bought and some have even been green-lit. Most will never get made.Nikki Finke ran the index of the list last week and I thought it would be interesting to see how many women are on the list Out of 126 listings only 17 are by women (and 3 might be men).
Are women's scripts not as good or are they just not getting read?
The List:
I WANT TO F--- YOUR SISTER by Melissa Stack
UNTITLED BILL CARTER PROJECT by Jordan Roberts- (man or woman?)
WEDNESAY by Massy Tadjedin
JENNIFER’S BODY by Diablo Cody (this is being made next year)
JONES by Carol Heikkinen
BALTIMORE by Chris Terrio & Jesse Lichtenstein (man or woman?)
BUTTERCUP by Alice O’Neil
DEAR JOHN by Jamie Linden (man or woman?)
THE WEDDING PARTY by Francesca Marciano
WRECKING BALL by Susan Brightbill
ZELDA by Hanna Weg
BFF by Jenni Konner & Alli Rushfield
EAGLE EYE by Hilary Seitz
IN by Bess Wohl
MAN AND WIFE by Lorene Scafaria
MAN UNDER by Ann Cherkis
SEX AND SYLVIA PLATH by Jennifer O’Kieffe
Keep this caveat in mind: "This is also a "big dick" measuring contest for the Hollywood agencies and their motion picture lit departments: the most screenplays on the list were repped by Creative Artists Agency, followed closely by (in order of quantity) William Morris Agency, United Talent Agency, Endeavor, Paradigm, International Creative Management, and Gersh. Problem is, some screenwriters tell me this list isn't on the level because it consists of mainly junior studio execs and assistants along with self-interested agents and managers getting together to push their own clients and projects some of which have already been abandoned. " Deadline HollywoodAwards
San Francisco Film Critics Circle
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY - "The Savages" by Tamara Jenkins
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY - "Away from Her" by Sarah Polley
ACTRESS - Julie Christie for "Away from Her"
SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Amy Ryan for "Gone Baby Gone"
MARLON RIGGS AWARD FOR COURAGE & VISION IN THE BAY AREA FILM COMMUNITY - Lynn Hershman-Leeson director of 2007's "Strange Culture," "Conceiving Ada" and "Teknolust"
News
Helen Hunt's directorial debut Then She Found Me will make its US debut at the Palm Spring International Film Festival on January 3. Film is also co-written and stars Hunt. Co-stars include Bette Midler, Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick.
Isabella Rosellini's series of short films Green Porno will be featured in the Berlin International Film Festival on February 8 (Indiewire)
An all African American cast will appear in the Debbie Allen directed Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on Broadway in March. Stellar cast includes: Terrence Howard, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose and James Earl Jones.
