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Things Not Getting Better For Women In Hollywood
Will Restricting Junk Food Ads Really Make Kids Healthier?
Five Great Men On Television
Report: Television Violence Against Women On The Rise
Kids Today
Watching TV As A Family Can Be Traumatic
Mad Men: "Enjoy The World As It Is. They'll Change It, And Never Give You A Reason"
The Naked Chef Is Heading To The Fattest City To Spark A Food Revolution
Cougar Town "About As Subtle As A Kick To The Groin"
Semenya "Shattered" By Ordeal • Warning Issued For Breast Pumps

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nyc-caribbean-ragazza
11/20/09

In reply to Things Not Getting Better For Women In Hollywood
That NBC got rid of original programming at 10:00 p.m. doesn't help with the lack of TV writing jobs.

I know the stats are terrible. Clearly a unicorn would have a better chance of sustaining a career than a black female feature screenwriter but we keep writing. We have to.
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Sweet Panda Love
11/20/09

In reply to Things Not Getting Better For Women In Hollywood
As a working female writer, I just want to say - don't badmouth Lifetime. At least they make things written by, starring and aimed at women.
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nyc-caribbean-ragazza
11/20/09

@Sweet Panda Love:
hearted
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Alexis
11/20/09

In reply to Things Not Getting Better For Women In Hollywood
I'm a black female wanting to get into TV writing and this info comes at no surprise to me. It's beyond sad, but in a weird way, encouraging. It gives me something to strive for.
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WestMantooth
11/20/09

In reply to Things Not Getting Better For Women In Hollywood
Well, it's scientific fact our guy brains... have... much...many more great... stuff in it. Wait what was I saying?

I guess if you're a minority woman don't even try. It's like seeing a unicorn or something.
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Edited by WestMantooth at 11/20/09 1:49 PM WestMantooth was starred WestMantooth was unstarred

schlegs84
11/20/09

In reply to Things Not Getting Better For Women In Hollywood
I'm on the outskirts of the community where writers like this cut their teeth (at least the comedy minded ones). It sucks. The boys club mentality, people flat out saying "women aren't funny", extreme body snarking, opening acts staying to mock your show (after their 10 minutes of poop and then rape jokes).

Our head writer/director is a chick and she's wonderful but she has to fight three times as hard to get a leg up. I wonder how many women can stand it long enough to get to the level they could be writing for TV?
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TransFat
11/20/09

@schlegs84: I wish I could say that that's a unique situation, but I'd say it's pretty standard. The worst part of all is that while your head writer may be awesome, in my experience the worst, most closed minded, and dismissive producers and one writer/director I can think of, are women. It's almost as if they made a devils bargain that once they conquered the "boys club" they would keep it that way to preserve their own achievement. But it's certainly not all. Before I landed my current position I was lucky to have no less than 4 amazing producers help me break in and all of them were women.

So, we're here. We're trying. We're eager to help (someone have a button maker?).
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schlegs84
11/20/09

@TransFat: I would appreciate buttons!!

But even with all the crap, it'll take more than a bunch of barely post-adolescent idiots to discourage me.

*DOUBLE GUNS*
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i'vemadeahugemistake
11/20/09

@TransFat: I'd love to hear about how you broke in (yeah, I'm another one of those nutty people trying to get into TV writing). We should totally have a Jez TV writers meet-up...
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TransFat promoted this comment

TransFat
11/20/09

@i'vemadeahugemistake: Let me scale back in saying I haven't, "made it" by any stretch of the imagination. It's an assistant's life for me. But my black booted foot is wedged in the door and I'm making a modest name by paying those infamous dues.

I would be happy to pass on some advice and the advice I've been given. One I can throw out there to anyone (insert your art where appropriate and forgive the cliche), just keep writing. You can say you are a writer or want to go into writing all you want. But you're not unless you actually do it. Good luck out there!
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Edited by TransFat at 11/20/09 5:45 PM TransFat was starred TransFat was unstarred

Diziet_Sma
11/20/09

In reply to Things Not Getting Better For Women In Hollywood
Yeah, depressing. I'm not sure about the logic of singling out The Sarah Silverman Program for criticism just because Sarah Silverman is a woman, though.
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clevernamehere
11/20/09

@Diziet_Sma: The argument people make for the all/mostly male staffs in late night is that all the hosts are male. The idea is men write better for other men. Based on that you'd expect Silverman to have a mostly/all female staff.
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Diziet_Sma
11/20/09

@clevernamehere: Well, that's so obviously a bogus argument - if she adhered to that she would be supporting it.
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ardentlilac
11/20/09

@Diziet_Sma: Of course, she might be bogus -- so many women step on the hands of other women hanging onto the cliff. It's a possibility.
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Diziet_Sma
11/20/09

@ardentlilac: Absolutely. I'm just saying the producers of her program are just as culpable as the producers of any of those other shows - but not more so, if you see what I mean. It seems wrong to single her out, if you ask me. But hey.
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ardentlilac
11/20/09

@Diziet_Sma: I agree and though it might be seen as reverse sexism to expect her to be extra-vigilant about hiring women, I don't care: I think she should. Because she's presents as a strong ball-buster in a world that allows few women like that into positions of power.
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Triana Orpheus
11/20/09

In reply to Things Not Getting Better For Women In Hollywood
I hate that some people think that violence = suspense. I've never been more tense watching something in my life than when I watched Betty confront Don about his box or when they fought on the season finale. Seriously, Hollywood, enough Hostel and Saw and more portrayals on conversations and situations that people have in real life every day.
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Hooplehead
11/20/09

@Triana Orpheus: Or on the Sopranos when Tony and Carmela were breaking up. There was one part of the scene where it actually got physical, the rest was them tearing each other to pieces verbally. My heart was in my throat the whole time.
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bluebears
11/20/09

In reply to Things Not Getting Better For Women In Hollywood
30 Rock only as 3 and I'm assuming one of them is Tina Fey. Boo.
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kellybones
11/20/09

@bluebears: yeah if the number of female writers on TGS as shown on 30 rock is any indication, there ain't many women that's for sure.
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bluebears
11/20/09

@kellybones: plus the actual chart shows there are zero minority writers on the show and I'm a bit disappointed in them for that.
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bananaballs
11/20/09

In reply to Things Not Getting Better For Women In Hollywood
CALIFORNICATION, in which women's clothes practically fall off within 5 seconds of sight of the show's protagonist, is mostly written by women????!

I just can't get past that. I'm shocked. Wow.
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Zombie Ms. Skittles
11/20/09

@bananaballs: Yes, but the protagonist is David Duchovny, so in that case it's actually a realistic depiction of what happens when most women actually see him.

(I jest...kind of)
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ozu
11/20/09

@bananaballs: Well the Hank character is a lot more nuanced than that.

He's certainly promiscuous but I can't recall him ever being disrespectful or misogynistic when it comes to the women on the show, except for Mia, but she sort of deserved it.
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jabcrosshook
11/20/09

@Zombie Ms. Skittles: I hear that girl! ;) I thought I was gonna hate that show but his character is so hilarious even though he does terribly sleazy things. And that man can still deliver a line like nobody's business!
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Zombie Ms. Skittles
11/20/09

@jabcrosshook: Trufax: Just looking at a picture of David Duchovny is enough to make the average woman's skirt fly over her head and in rare cases has caused panties to spontaneously combust.
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whynotshesaid
11/20/09

@bananaballs: I actually love the show a whole bunch and find it rather raunchy and hilarious. I was very pleased to see that so many women writers work on it, because it is just brimming with the sex-and-dick jokes that are actually way funny.

Take that, Chris Hitchens!
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whynotshesaid
11/20/09

@ozu: He's a manslut, but he's an ethical manslut. Plus, his one-liners are awesome.

I'm a big fan of the show.
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BytheSea
11/18/09

In reply to Will Restricting Junk Food Ads Really Make Kids Healthier?
Next time you're home sick and watching Nickelodeon (I kno you do it too), don't mute the commercials. It's obscene how junk food is marketed to kids - you'd think it was toy commercials. The kids i've worked with treat these high-HFCS, novelty snacks like special treats to get when Mom gives in and they totally fetishize them in their kid play way. A fruit rollup isn't just mushed leathery fruit to a kid, it's a reward, a game, a culture unto itself, a game and a toy. Most snack companies have websites with games and log-ins so you can track your progress or even build loyalty by keeping a Tomagachi-like pet on the site.

I say we stop marketing junk food before 4 pm and sell in plain packaging, and stop the toy tie-ins. #junkfoodadvertising
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jemandtheholograms
11/17/09

In reply to Will Restricting Junk Food Ads Really Make Kids Healthier?
All I know is that I'm studying and seeing that picture made me want Doritos. #junkfoodadvertising
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tiredfairy
11/17/09

In reply to Will Restricting Junk Food Ads Really Make Kids Healthier?
More truth in advertising would certainly be helpful when it comes to marketing stuff to kids. There was a show back in the 80's on HBO that broke down all the deceptive things they do in commercials, from toy ads, to picking individual corn flakes, etc. And it was for kids. And it really does help break that sort of automatic "want" that commercials tend to instigate.

I find our whole system incredibly screwed up with this anyway. Everyone is freaking out about childhood obesity, but doing nothing about nutrition or getting more activity into the school day. We bombard kids with sugary, salty, high calorie foods aimed at them...and then go, but don't eat it ever! It's no wonder so many people end up with dysfunctional relationships with food. And don't even get me started on people who put kids on the same calorie restricted diets as adults. You might as well say you don't want them to develop healthy brains.

The whole issue is really about A. making good food accessible to everyone B. making sure everyone is educated about nutrition C. not demonizing the occasional snack food or soft drink and D. teaching kids to be more skeptical of ads.
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Edited by tiredfairy at 11/17/09 7:03 PM tiredfairy was starred tiredfairy was unstarred

clevernamehere
11/17/09

@tiredfairy: Uh, there are loads of people working on improving nutrition and increasing activity. The government gives loads of grants for things like walking school buses and better school meals. #junkfoodadvertising
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tiredfairy
11/17/09

@clevernamehere: That's good to know. You almost never hear about it, with all the obesity crisis news. And I didn't really mean to suggest no one is trying, but it doesn't seem to be that widespread. If you have links and articles, please share. I'd like to know more about what's being done. :} #junkfoodadvertising
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o-line
11/17/09

In reply to Will Restricting Junk Food Ads Really Make Kids Healthier?

Koala Yummies are very hard do find, but allegedly still around. I want their adorable flavortastes now.
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Edited by o-line at 11/17/09 5:51 PM o-line was starred o-line was unstarred

gherkinfiend
11/17/09

In reply to Will Restricting Junk Food Ads Really Make Kids Healthier?
While it would no doubt be beneficial to stop kids eat unhealthy and junk food, the fact 50million Americans struggled to put food on the table in the last year worries me more.

[www.guardian.co.uk] #junkfoodadvertising
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LaComtesse
11/17/09

In reply to Will Restricting Junk Food Ads Really Make Kids Healthier?
Bill Pascrell is a very good friend of the family--I have not always agreed with his bills (he was the anti-Sopranos guy as seen on Stephen Colbert and we all gave him crap for that one) and while this one may be missing the bigger problem, I don't necessarily think it's all that horrible. #junkfoodadvertising
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LaComtesse
11/17/09

@LaComtesse: Oh, also, Pascrell is not a senator, he's a representative. #junkfoodadvertising
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