You rang?
(Source: earthtreadingstar)
Gunfight by Irving Klaw
oh, NOW i see, “Girls” has in fact come a long way…
Madeline Kahn, Lily Tomlin, and Dixie Carter performing their act Below the Belt at the Upstairs at the Downstairs, 1963
MARINA SIRTIS: Well, you have to remember that we were shooting a show about the 24th century in the 20th century, so you have to bear that in mind. My thing was because to be honest, I don’t know about Gates’ experience with the producers, but I never got an acting note—ever. I would get a call from the producer, “Did you change your lipstick? Did you do something different with your hair?” For “The Boys” in the office it was all about how I look, I knew that from the get-go. So being that as I am very “woman’s libby” as we used to call it in my day, I wanted to portray that you could be an attractive woman and still be a strong person. So for me it was really important that there was someone in the position of power and authority and obviously respect who also cared about her appearance. Because that is me—that’s me, I care about my appearance, but I also care more about society, politics and the world, so I don’t think the two are exclusive, and that’s what I wanted to show.
GATES McFADDEN: Um, I just basically wanted to look good… Actually, as most of you probably know I got let go because I was a feminist. So, second season I wasn’t there because I disagreed with the writer, I felt he was writing the character of Crusher—I had said to him, “I raised this kid on my own; he might be obnoxious about it, but he has saved the ship about 6 times. And there has to be some of those genes that are Beverly Crushers, so why is it every time anything with any wisdom is said it’s a male character who talks to him.” And it’s only me that is only about the mother, which believe me mothering is like that’s number one, just love him—no problem with that. Because I thought that had not been really portrayed on a TV show. I have a son and we have whole other disconnect sometimes where it’s just talking about things, and it’s not to do with, “oh you’re a mom, and you’re my son.” Basically we disagreed, I was asked to you know, go, I certainly did it, and I wasn’t trying to be strident. I was used to working in theatre departments where everybody respected everybody and you basically did talk about things. You can talk about script things that didn’t mean you were going to get your way. It’s like what happens right now in rehearsals, I could be directing something and I can have four actors saying completely different things, and really arguing about it. I don’t take it personally, it’s like they’re arguing for their character—that makes sense to me. Anyway, I did just really want to look good but it didn’t work out.Marina Sirtis & Gates McFadden, on doing a 24th Century show in the 20th Century, and the reason Gates was fired in the second season. (Spoiler Alert: the producer was then fired and Gates was asked to come back (fan letters et al.) [watch here]I never knew exactly why Gates was fired. I just knew that the writer who fired her was a hack and a dick and he chased away at least one very good writer from the show.
Now that I know why she was fired, I want to get in the time machine and punch that guy in the back of the head.
You guys I love Star Trek so much. This just made me start crying… I just love these women so much.
Someone once asked me why I idolized / wanted to be Deanna Troi, and like… a weird, awkward, nerdy, skinny, ugly kid no one liked? Of course I wanted to be a beautiful, self-possessed exotic alien with mind powers who knew how to be friends with people.
Thank goodness for Star Trek.
This is more than kind of fascinating, and also, let’s note…fans in the second season, which I think was in 1991 demanded her back. My friend was Gates McFadden’s nephew (or something) back then and we (in my school full of nerds) were all so happy when she came back.
Damn. This is a perfect storm of autorebloggables. Hezbait in the extreme.
(Source: doctorcrusher)
Spirit animals for life.
(Source: hipstercore)
(Source: lickypickystickyme)
GPOY erryday
Ok, a few people asked so these babies are now available as individual prints over at my society6.
I promise the Strong Female Characters project isn’t over yet and I’ll do some more soon.
I’ve reblogged this one before, but it’s been a while.
While I understand that this moment was supposed to be a declaration of self-awareness for both Zooey re: her career, and for the show, it didn’t nail the point as hard as it should have. It hasn’t earned the rebloggability. I’ve seen this on my dash like four times this morning, so I’m gonna try to figure out why it’s a good swing and a miss.
This touches on the fact that there’s no right way to be a woman, which, yes. Fine. Correct. There are a lot of people who might tune in to a Fox sitcom to whom that is an important thing to underscore, but it makes that point while still baby-fying the Jess character and that’s what’s insulting.
The set of identifiers they’re working with to spark an Important Social Media Discussion about feminism are dumbfoundingly shallow. Dessert? Ribbons? This is not what I talk about with other women. This is not why I hold grudges or form opinions on a person. The fact that this moment of empowerment is coming from this baseline, examples-your-four-year-old-could-give level of comprehension of what a woman thinks about or feels — or what goes into a day, consideration-wise, of being a woman — speaks to how lazy the writing is, but also what a trend piece female empowerment is right now. This is some Sumi-art, farty, gestural pseudo-feminism that they’re hoping we’ll be lazy enough to ingest and identify with.
The word “cuter” and the assumption that women have to be cute is still a problem when I read this. The assumption that a blazer isn’t cute to some people. It reaffirms a canonical Cute and that the Jess character is it. That a Lizzie Caplan character isn’t cute. That black isn’t cute.
And while, yes, you can dress a character like a J. Crew Amy Winehouse and still have her be smart and tough and strong, the clothes are still part of a cultural narrative. They don’t exist solely in the moment she’s wearing them, in an LA courthouse contesting a traffic ticket for stopping to help a baby bird. The constant harkening back to the aesthetic of our grandmothers, that doo-wop, coat hanger abortions, secretary jobs and soda fountain romance-chic, is a politicized decision. It just is. And that’s good — women should subvert and reinterpret those images and reclaim them — but at the same time, seeing someone dressed so deliberately, and then speak so vaguely (but passionately!) about her femininity is such a disappointment. It’s such a missed opportunity. Here you are talking about the exact things that oppressive culture would have assumed were the only things you cared about. Here you are with a national spotlight, and you’re going to fight for a woman’s right to say she wishes blazers had ribbons on them.
I wish we were all reblogging a thing that was two women disagreeing on politics but respecting each other. Two women fighting for the same job but respecting each other. Two people with some stakes in their lives, with concerns outside of liquid eyeliner and briefcase vs. clutch.
Christine makes some excellent points… when I watched this scene (and now seeing it as a screenshot) I felt the missed opportunity too. It was a chance to put what I’d call “Crinoline Feminism” under a really helpful microscope, and I hope the writers at New Girl realize that it’s an elephant in the room for some of us… especially for those of us who also rock polka dots, cute and uncute pantsuits AND love our feminist sisters for all the miles they’ve logged on our behalf.
Once more into the breach, New Girl writers! (Anything to keep Lizzy Caplan!)
(Source: whereallthelightsarebright)
(Source: artyucko)
i love tina the best, but mindy is catching up. i’d add emma stone to here if i could. -jamie
(Source: wordsandthebees)
