Women in popular culture:

[The Curmudgeon]

Do they MEAN anything to you?


Not wishing to sound sexist to any female Dwellers out there (well, you never know..) but I've been thinking recently about women in movies, music and television and I've come to the conclusion that, eye-candy factor aside, they are basically worthless.

Hear me out - on television comedy - any women on TV make you laugh? I certainly can't think of any. In sitcoms its always the guys who get top laughs (Friends would be a perfect example of that). Over here in Britain, Catherine Tate is regarded as the funniest women, and she's as funny as feeling a lump in your nuts. Correct me if I'm wrong, of course, but I certainly can't think of any women figures in comedy worth bothering with.

Movies, next. Now, we all have our favourite movie stars, the ones who'll make us go out there and watch the film even before knowing what its about. And don't the movie makers know it - take the War Of The World's ad campaign - "Spielberg. Cruise. 2006." Or how about "no one gives Schwarzenegger a Raw Deal". There's also the cult actors that don't have the top draw but you still root for (mine are Bruce Campbell, Brad Dourif and Jeffrey Combs). Is there any female actors (people don't seem to say actresses anymore, do they?) out there that have the same effect? Except when it comes to being hot, of course, but that's a different story. You never hear people say "oh, man - Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft? That's awesome - she's such a great actress." But you DO hear the same for male actors.

I suppose women do have a better standing in music, with the likes of Courtney Love (if she ever gets her act together) and Madonna, but, pop bands and artists (who are always hot) aside, they don't dominate the industry, commercially and critically, like the guys do.

But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there's a whole host of female talent out there that I'm ignoring or forgetting that are popular without using their sexuality (ever notice that in movies, guys can look cool but be ordinary looking? Think the Reservoir Dogs poster - no models in that, but iconic and superb looking. Would you ever see a group of ordinary, fat women together having the same appeal?) Maybe I'm being some sort of sexual Neanderthal - or maybe I'm addressing a situation that needs to be sorted out. Or maybe its the way it was, the way it is and the way it always will be.

Which is it, Dwellers?

[InvisibleWolfMan]

I'll be the first to drop my "two cents" on this issue.

I believe that T N A is the only thing that the marketing department cares about, and unfortunately a large percentage of these women either

a) allow it
b) ignore it
c) are part of the problem

There are good women out there for many things, I'm sure. The problem is that they don't look like the next Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson...therefore aren't worth the marketing cost.

I do think that Cheri Oteri from the SNL cast that Will Farrell was also a part of was quite hilarious. Also the blonde from MAD TV who also starred on KING OF THE HILL. Those two really could take difficult characters and somehow make you smile in spite of them...

[The Curmudgeon]

Hey, welcome back Wolfman. It's been a little while since you ventured into The Fortress.

Gotta admit to never having heard of Cheri Oteri or Mad TV. Unfortunately Saturday Night Live isn't the staple of entertainment over in the UK like it is in the US. Well hell, who needs cutting edge comedians and tomorrows superstars when you can have.. er, Eastenders and Coronation Street four or five times a week?

Yes, I am aware you don't know what those are. Think yourself lucky...

[InvisibleWolfMan]

Hello The Curmudgeon,

Actually, I've posted a few times since you've been back. I posted a reply to you commenting about finding the Prince song on his Cyrstal Ball album on your REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: JUNE blog.

Back to the issue of comedy at hand, I think it's odd that some British stations don't try to import the american comedy shows like SNL or MAD TV when they could easily get the rights for the older shows.

Oh, that's right...they're too busy with those reality shows!

[hackersanonymous]

I think SNL used to be shown on one of the terrestrial channels here years ago.

Nowadays, the only time you see it is if it's on a bloopers show... A sad state of affairs.

Toodles!

[The Curmudgeon]

If memory serves, didn't they try an ill-fated UK version? Or is my Jack Daniels addled brain playing tricks on me?

[trashcanman]

Pop culture is garbage. I've read your reviews, man, I know you know this. Of course there are no more visible talented actors or artists in entertainment. Jello Biafra once sang: "Is my cock big enough, is my brain small enough for you to make me a star?" Substitute "tits" for "cock" and you've got the state of women in pop culture today. If you want a talented actress, check out ethereal Chinese beauty Ziyi Zhang. And I don't mean in "Memoirs of a Geisha" either. Get "Crouching Tiger" and "House of Flying Daggers" and tell me that is not a phenominally talented woman. Hell, even in a reduced role in "Hero" she broke my heart. In music there's Italian metal siren Cristina Scabbias of Lacuna Coil whose voice is incredible. Then there's pint-sized psycho-queen Otep who takes over a stage like nobody I've ever seen and has a voice so hardcore it scares people. There are talenteed women out there, friends, women whose talent matches their beauty, but you have to seek them out on the margins of popular culture because the media is pathetic and caters only to those too lazy and stupid to take a genuine interest in anything new or slightly interesting.