early April's Fool article????

Not sure what to make of the comments to Defamer article about female screenwriters

I agree with the above blogger's reaction to the vitriol against women. Reading the comments, it looks like some people did not really read the NYT article but looked at the photos only. Wonder if the reaction to the article would have been different if there were no photos in this article? What was the goal of the article?

So what if Hollywood is not interested in telling women's stories? That is why we have independent filmmakers. It is not only women. Look at another community. For example, Hollywood is not interested in telling stories of a certain group either. Hollywood is not interested in telling stories of deaf and hard of hearing people either. For example, look at the Camille Belle film. Hello! CB did not have a hearing loss but she played a character with a hearing loss. When was the last time you saw a movie with Marlee Matlin? FYI, MM is NOT the only actor with a hearing loss, but that is the only one most people know about. For those who watch TV and saw Jericho, maybe some of them know about another actor with a hearing loss - Shoshannah Stern. Check out imdb and google Marlee Matlin, Shoshannah Stern, Julianna Fjeld, Bernard Bragg, Shoshannah Stern, Howie Seago, Heather Ferrell, Deanna Bray, Phyllis Frelich, Linda Bove and Ed Waterstreet.

After finding the original NYT article about the four screenwritiers of the "fairer sex", I have to say that the article was the opinion of one writer. To play the devil's advocate, the article had a good point there: "Just a thought: If you don't want people to fixate on your sexuality maybe don't blurt out to a Times writer, "We've all seen each other naked." If you do not want people to focus on the sexuality, then do not make comments like that. Here's a hint: whenever you talk to a reporter, never, never assume that anything you say is off the record. You have to chose your words with care. That is why celebrities have press secretaries to help them out. Sounds like the PR people should have prepared these screenwriters better before the interview. Reporters do not always remember correctly and they can take things out of context. They should have double checked with the screenwriters before publishing the article.

From what I understand, there were objections to the emphasis on looks and the sexuality of the women featured in the article. The editor of the NYT should read Naomi Wolf's the Beauty Myth. I was reminded of a comment that Naomi Wolf made many years ago. She mentioned that when a powerful woman is photographed, the editors use the "plain" photo instead of the "beautiful" photo. She said that in our society, powerful women are not allowed to be beautiful too. I could have misread this. There was a brief mention in the NYT article that these women screenwriters work hard!

It's strange about the article because there were women filmmakers from the beginning. I believe that any filmmaker, regardless of their sex, who is serious about their craft, is passionate about their subject, and works with a great team, should receive notice for their work, not the other trivialities.