More magazine recently had a "Women in Hollywood" panel, which Women & Hollywood blogger Melissa Silverstein attended and wrote about.

Silverstein summarized the event as a panel less about the lack of women's roles on the big screen and what that means for our culture, and more about how so many women work in TV and theater because there are no good movie roles for older women, and women in general.

None of this is really surprising, but there were some interesting comments made by the panelists.

(L to R) Cybill Shepherd, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Kate Mulgrew

Cybill Shepherd, who got her start in The Last Picture Show in 1971 and was recently on The L Word:

I've been fortunate, I started in the business at the top and look like I've worked my way down.

S. Epatha Merkerson, who has played Lt. Anita Van Buren on Law and Order since 1991, and starred in the award-winning 2005 movie Lackawanna Blues:

I am the longest running African American on TV. Why is that? ...Three years after Lackawanna Blues racked up all the awards and I went to someone with a project, they said not too many people want to hear a story about an older black woman.

Kate Mulgrew on her role on Star Trek: Voyager as Captain Janeway:

I didn't want [my character] to look like someone they wanted to have sex with. I argued the fact that I didn't want her to have any sex as the first female captain because I was not going to run the risk of walking down the path that leading ladies have taken before — to become a sexual object. I said I'm not going to do that because if I can't win them with my command, then I'm not the actress I think I am. But they allowed it. But the first question I am asked at every event is why didn't you have a love affair with Chakotay.

Nevermind Chakotay — why aren't more people asking her about why she didn't have a love affair with Seven of Nine?

Read more about the panel — and about other Hollywood news from a feminist perspective — on Women & Hollywood.

It seems like every couple of years or so, someone will release another one of those lists: You know, the ones that talk about the greatest on-screen partnerships and duos. There will be a top ten: Hepburn and Tracy will be mentioned, as will Bogart and Bacall. In the realm of (allegedly) non-romantic pairings, there will be Paul Newman and Robert Redford as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and maybe Laurel and Hardy, or the guys from Lethal Weapon. What there reliably never will be is any female-female buddy relationships.

Well, I think that’s nonsense — so without any further ado, here is a list of my favorite (allegedly) non-romantic female partnerships on film and television:

Dorothy (Jane Russell) and Lorelei (Marilyn Monroe), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

The '50s showgirls of this classic film travel together, trade banter, stick up for each other in the face of outsiders, and even walk up the aisle together at the end in matching wedding dresses. Sadly, they weren't actually marrying each other — even though the picture does make it look like it.

Kate/Offred (Natasha Richardson) and Moira (Elizabeth McGovern), The Handmaid’s Tale (1990)

Trapped in the dystopian future imagined by Margaret Atwood's novel, in this film adaptation Kate gets strength, courage, and some much-needed humor from her rebellious lesbian friend Moira.

Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon), Thelma and Louise (1991)

In this iconic reworking of the traditional road movie, the waitress-and-housewife-turned-stickup-artists became so close that by the end, as Sarandon has said, "they were finishing each others' sentences." … continue reading

As a person who gorges herself daily on a smorgasbord of pop culture (thank heavens for gossip antacids, they’re a real lifesaver), it’s the rare day that something slips past my plate. So imagine my surprise when I read, belatedly, that Alicia Witt was joining Law & Order: Criminal Intent. How could I have missed that tasty morsel?

You remember Alicia Witt, right? She was the acerbic, red-haired daughter of flighty, drama-queen Cybill on the mid-'90s sitcom by the same name. No, not ringing any bells? Cybill wore a silk bathrobe a lot. Still no? Fine. But if you do remember the show you, like me, are probably wishing The L Word had asked Alicia to join the cast instead of Cybill Shepherd. (Before you judge, it’s not the age thing. It’s the over-the-top, scenery-chewing thing. OK, sure, the red hair helps.) … continue reading

Showtime has just announced that Tasha, Jodi and Phyllis will be back next season on The L Word. Marlee Matlin is continuing her role as a series regular, Cybill Shepherd's returning at guest-star status, and it's unclear how involved Rose Rollins will be.

No mention of Janina Gavankar, so I'm guessing that means Papi won't be back. Thank God! Gavankar seems nice enough, and she's not a bad actress, but I don't think I can handle another season of bad slang and even worse hats.

… continue reading