This video is all over the web today, so you may have come across it already. Jane Fonda gave Meredith Vieira a shock on the Today show this morning. Fonda and Eve Ensler were discussing The Vagina Monologues, particularly the monologue that celebrates (exclaims, even) the c-word.

Here's the offending segment [WARNING: NSFW!]:

Those lovable scamps at Queerty.com posted a remix that includes the subsequent apology from Vieira [NSFW FIVE TIMES OVER!]:

I'm not a big fan of the c-word (hey, remember when Tina squirmed about it and then when Jenny lobbed it at poor little Shay?). But I've always liked Fonda, and this only makes me like her more. She comes across as — gasp — an adult, and she's clearly not saying it for shock value. Also, isn't Vieira's apology great in its half-heartedness? You know she really wants to roll her eyes and tell everyone to grow up.

You know when you hate your sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot boss and fantasize about poisoning his coffee, and then accidentally poison his coffee, and then keep him in bondage for a while until you can get documents with which to blackmail him, and then while he's indisposed, you make your company women-friendly while you dramatically increase productivity? I know ... it's an old story and we've all been there. But, still, Hollywood managed to make that tired plot fresh back in 1980 with Dolly Parton, Lilly Tomlin and Jane Fonda in the comedy classic 9 to 5. And now (drum roll, please), 9 to 5 is on the cusp of becoming a stage musical.

Take a moment to guess how much I love the movie. Did you guess “a lot”? If you did, you're right. As a general rule, I'm not a big fan of slapstick — and there are moments when the movie gets too slapsticky for me — but I love that movie. Love it. I don't love every Dolly Parton movie (although, embarrassingly, I do have a certain fondness for Rhinestone), but I love most of them, and I still think Doralee Rhodes is her best role. … continue reading

I was flipping TV channels the other evening in the U.K. when I came across an old film I had never seen before. Set in the 1930s, it starred Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave as two young American women: Vanessa Redgrave as “Julia,” the idealistic, left-wing daughter of a wealthy New York family, and Jane Fonda as “Lillian,” her best friend who also narrates in voice-over. I was instantly drawn in — not only because it’s so rare to find a film that centers on two female characters, but also because almost from the beginning, there seemed to be a strong, haunting, homoerotic quality to the friendship between the two women that I was sure I wasn’t just imagining.

But what was this film, and why hadn’t I heard of it before? Doing some quick Googling in a commercial break, I discovered that it was titled Julia, that it had been made in 1977, and that it was a rather prestigious production — it had been nominated for 11 Oscars and won three, including one for Vanessa Redgrave as Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Most interestingly, I discovered that it was based on a short story by Lillian Hellman, from her memoir Pentimento, written in 1973. That’s as in the playwright Lillian Hellman, author of the lesbian-themed play (and later movie) The Children’s Hour.

Returning to the movie, I quickly realized that, alas, any lesbian attraction between the two lead characters was going to remain subtextual. Jane Fonda’s Lillian becomes involved with the male writer Dashiell Hammett (as the real Lillian Hellman did in life), while Vanessa Redgrave’s Julia goes off to Europe to study under Freud, and becomes increasingly involved with anti-Nazi causes as World War II approaches. The movie is, in fact, a compelling and tragic drama about Julia’s participation in the anti-fascist resistance, and how her best friend Lillian is drawn into helping her in highly dangerous circumstances. … continue reading

Love her or loathe her (though how a person could do the latter, I don't know), it's tough to deny that Dolly Parton is one of a kind — the sort of celebrity whose unique public persona is as well known in a country kitchen as it is in an industry board room.

Since I fall squarely into the love her camp (pun adoringly intended), I've got a lot to look forward to. Last week, Parton announced that in February of 2008, she plans to release a new studio album, followed by a tour with stops in the US, Canada, Europe and Australia. Add this to earlier summer news that the long-planned 9 to 5 musical is getting closer to opening curtains, and it's a darn good time to be a Parton fan. Just look at how happy she and her 1980 9 to 5 costars Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda were at last year's Sexist, Egotistical, Lying Hypocritical Bigot Edition release party. … continue reading

TMZ.com isn't exactly known for appreciating older women (or women, period), but over the weekend its minions posted a gallery of stars who are "aged to perfection." It's pretty cool; in fact, it looks like the sort of thing we'd do here at AfterEllen.com. I can only assume there's some sort of weird astrological phenomenon at work. Rather than worry about that, I'll just gaze at the stunning photos — here's a sampling:

Diane Keaton

Angela Bassett (with hubby/date cut out by TMZ, ha ha) … continue reading

I really, really hope this is just a rumor. A British gossip column is claiming that Kate Beckinsale has landed the lead role in the Barbarella remake I rambled about last week.

Kate Beckinsale?! No no no no no no no. She's wooden and boring, and doesn't appear to have any kind of camp sensibility. Jane Fonda made that role work because she knew how to be earnest-faced most of the time and then winkingly self-aware at just the right moments. Beckinsale can do earnest-faced, all right, but that's because she has to put so much effort into conveying the most basic of emotions.

I suspect I'm in the minority here: I know Kate has her fans. But if Beckinsale plays Barbarella, I won't see the remake in the theater, and might have to skip it altogether. I'm still recovering from the giant yawn that was Underworld.

Dino De Laurentiis, the producer of the original Barbarella in 1968, wants to "reintroduce Barbarella to a new generation of moviegoers." No word yet on who will replace Jane Fonda as the intergalactic vixen who battles the evil scientist Durand Durand (yes, that's where the band got its name). Those are some big space boots to fill.

… continue reading

The original film is campy, crazy and delicious — and the music is awesome. Some things should never be updated.