The first time director Jamie Babbit heard the song “Both Sides Now” on the radio, it immediately felt familiar.
She realized she knew the song, not from Joni Mitchell’s expansive library of hits, but because it had been sung at the drug and rehab center her mom ran in Ohio, with different lyrics meant to amplify the perils of addiction.
The revamped lyrics went: “I’ve looked at drugs from both sides now. And still somehow it’s drug delusions. I recall, I really don’t like drugs at all.”
“Growing up, I always thought, ‘Wow, that’s a fun song.’ I didn’t think about the lyrics. But obviously my mom was singing it because it was a drug rehab song,” Babbit recently recalled in an interview with Variety. “And then I heard the Joni Mitchell song on the radio and it had totally different lyrics. I was like,...
She realized she knew the song, not from Joni Mitchell’s expansive library of hits, but because it had been sung at the drug and rehab center her mom ran in Ohio, with different lyrics meant to amplify the perils of addiction.
The revamped lyrics went: “I’ve looked at drugs from both sides now. And still somehow it’s drug delusions. I recall, I really don’t like drugs at all.”
“Growing up, I always thought, ‘Wow, that’s a fun song.’ I didn’t think about the lyrics. But obviously my mom was singing it because it was a drug rehab song,” Babbit recently recalled in an interview with Variety. “And then I heard the Joni Mitchell song on the radio and it had totally different lyrics. I was like,...
- 12/4/2020
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
"Ya'll ready for this?!" Gravitas Ventures has debuted a trailer for the indie comedy Addicted to Fresno, from filmmaker Jamie Babbit (Breaking the Girls, Itty Bitty Titty Committee). This kooky indie stars Judy Greer & Natasha Lyonne as sisters at a hotel in Fresno, California. When one of them accidentally kills a guy, they go to extreme lengths to cover up the crime. The supporting cast includes Aubrey Plaza, Clea DuVall, Allison Tolman, Ron Livingston, Molly Shannon and Fred Armisen. This looks funny at times, but doesn't seem like anything that stands out in a crowd. At least it's nice to see more of Judy Greer. Here's the official trailer for Jamie Babbit's Addicted to Fresno, found on YouTube (via The Playlist): Synopsis: Two co-dependent sisters, a recovering sex addict and a lonely lesbian (played by Judy Greer and Natasha Lyonne) who work as hotel maids, go to ludicrous...
- 7/21/2015
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Judy Greer and 2014 Orange is the New Black Emmy nominee Natasha Lyonne are set for sisterly shenanigans in Fresno, the latest feature from director Jamie Babbit (But I’m A Cheerleader, Itty Bitty Titty Committee). The comedy follows lonely but stoic lesbian Martha (Lyonne), whose sister Shannon (Greer), a sex addict with no impulse control and a long history of poor decisions, winds up back in Fresno cleaning hotel rooms with her. When they accidentally kill a guest, the sisters are forced to confront their unpleasant co-dependent relationship.
Related: Emmys Q&A: ‘Orange Is The New Black’s Natasha Lyonne
Fresno is scripted by Community and Portlandia writer Karey Dornetto and is produced by Babbit’s longtime producer Andrea Sperling. Filming is set to begin next month. The film reunites Babbit with Lyonne, who starred in the helmer’s 1999 debut But I’m A Cheerleader. Babbit garnered SXSW and...
Related: Emmys Q&A: ‘Orange Is The New Black’s Natasha Lyonne
Fresno is scripted by Community and Portlandia writer Karey Dornetto and is produced by Babbit’s longtime producer Andrea Sperling. Filming is set to begin next month. The film reunites Babbit with Lyonne, who starred in the helmer’s 1999 debut But I’m A Cheerleader. Babbit garnered SXSW and...
- 8/22/2014
- by Jen Yamato
- Deadline
Many comedy fans were happy to hear the news last month that former "Fallon" writers Diallo Riddle and Bashir Salahuddin were getting a half-hour HBO comedy pilot with Lorne Michaels serving as executive producer. Now, according to the Hollywood Reporter, the project has a director who's a familiar indie film world name. Jamie Babbit, whose breakout film was 1999's "But I'm a Cheerleader," will helm the still-untitled Atlanta-set pilot, slated to shoot this September. While Babbit's directed several films since "Cheerleader," including 2005's "The Quiet" and 2007 SXSW Competition winner "Itty Bitty Titty Committee," she's been much more active in television, directing episodes of everything from "Gilmore Girls" and "The L Word" to "Drop Dead Diva" and "United States of Tara." Babbit's latest feature, "Breaking the Girls," premiered at Frameline last month (where she also received the 2013 Frameline Award) and is getting a theatrical and VOD release from IFC...
- 7/10/2013
- by Alison Willmore
- Indiewire
Tags: Afternoon DelightFeltMelissa EtheridgeAngelina JolieLinda WallemIMDbFrozenLady Gaga
Good afternoon everyone!
Happy birthday Carol Kane and Isabella Rossellini!
Rossellini in Sundance Channel’s "Green Porno."
If you were just saying to yourself, “why aren’t there more lesbian puppets in the world?” Then your cries have been answered. Check out a (slightly Nsfw) preview for Logo’s next episode of Felt (which airs Mondays @ 10/9c on Logo).
Melissa Etheridge weighed in on Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy announcement and confirms that she and Linda Wallem are still going strong. When asked to comment about Jolie’s big news Etheridge said, “I have to say I feel a little differently. I have that gene mutation too and it’s not something I would believe in for myself. I wouldn’t call it the brave choice. I actually think it’s the most fearful choice you can make when confronting anything with cancer.
Good afternoon everyone!
Happy birthday Carol Kane and Isabella Rossellini!
Rossellini in Sundance Channel’s "Green Porno."
If you were just saying to yourself, “why aren’t there more lesbian puppets in the world?” Then your cries have been answered. Check out a (slightly Nsfw) preview for Logo’s next episode of Felt (which airs Mondays @ 10/9c on Logo).
Melissa Etheridge weighed in on Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy announcement and confirms that she and Linda Wallem are still going strong. When asked to comment about Jolie’s big news Etheridge said, “I have to say I feel a little differently. I have that gene mutation too and it’s not something I would believe in for myself. I wouldn’t call it the brave choice. I actually think it’s the most fearful choice you can make when confronting anything with cancer.
- 6/18/2013
- by Bridget McManus
- AfterEllen.com
Tags: The Hunger Games: Catching FireRiddickKatee SackhoffJessica ClarkAdepero OduyeRooney MaraEmily BluntMeryl StreepIMDbMichelle Yeoh
Good afternoon and happy Friday!!!
Happy birthday to Nikki Reed, Sasha Alexander, Leven Rambin, Enya and Tabatha Coffey!
Out host Tabatha Coffey at the 2013 NewNowNext Awards in Los Angeles.
Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Pariah’s Adepero Oduye stars in the Caring Across Generations' PSA "How Love Works."
Check out Katee Sackhoff's guns in the new trailer for Riddick.
Country star Jewel admits, “I love Beyoncé’s body.” Join the club, sister!
If you pick up June’s Oprah magazine check out "Hip, Hip, We’re Gay!" on page 38. Both Ellen DeGeneres and SNL’s Kate McKinnon are featured and representing us ladies.
Check out the trailer for the award winning film Fruitvale Station starring Octavia Spencer and Itty Bitty Titty Committee’s Melonie Diaz. This real-life story is going to make me bawl my eyes out.
Good afternoon and happy Friday!!!
Happy birthday to Nikki Reed, Sasha Alexander, Leven Rambin, Enya and Tabatha Coffey!
Out host Tabatha Coffey at the 2013 NewNowNext Awards in Los Angeles.
Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Pariah’s Adepero Oduye stars in the Caring Across Generations' PSA "How Love Works."
Check out Katee Sackhoff's guns in the new trailer for Riddick.
Country star Jewel admits, “I love Beyoncé’s body.” Join the club, sister!
If you pick up June’s Oprah magazine check out "Hip, Hip, We’re Gay!" on page 38. Both Ellen DeGeneres and SNL’s Kate McKinnon are featured and representing us ladies.
Check out the trailer for the award winning film Fruitvale Station starring Octavia Spencer and Itty Bitty Titty Committee’s Melonie Diaz. This real-life story is going to make me bawl my eyes out.
- 5/17/2013
- by Bridget McManus
- AfterEllen.com
Tags: Arrested DevelopmentJessie JJulie BowenSofia VergaraIMDbAfternoon DelightAnne HathawayAmy Winehouse
Good afternoon everyone!
Happy birthday to Renee Zellweger and Itty Bitty Titty Committee’s Melonie Diaz!
Actress Melonie Diaz in Los Angeles, CA.
Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Image
Check out the behind-the-scenes video of Portia de Rossi’s photo shoot for People’s Most Beautiful issue.
And we're finally getting our first look at a scene from the upcoming Arrested Development episodes set to premiere on Netflix on May 26. In the clip, Lucille Bluth takes baby-birding to a new low. I can't wait!
Girl Crush Alert! Modern Family’s Julie Bowen revealed to E! that she “worships” Sofia Vergara (join the club sister!) and has a “girl crush” on Katy Perry.
Rumor has it Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway is heading to the stage to star as Sally Bowles in a revival of Cabaret.
Bones star Emily Deschanel discusses her...
Good afternoon everyone!
Happy birthday to Renee Zellweger and Itty Bitty Titty Committee’s Melonie Diaz!
Actress Melonie Diaz in Los Angeles, CA.
Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Image
Check out the behind-the-scenes video of Portia de Rossi’s photo shoot for People’s Most Beautiful issue.
And we're finally getting our first look at a scene from the upcoming Arrested Development episodes set to premiere on Netflix on May 26. In the clip, Lucille Bluth takes baby-birding to a new low. I can't wait!
Girl Crush Alert! Modern Family’s Julie Bowen revealed to E! that she “worships” Sofia Vergara (join the club sister!) and has a “girl crush” on Katy Perry.
Rumor has it Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway is heading to the stage to star as Sally Bowles in a revival of Cabaret.
Bones star Emily Deschanel discusses her...
- 4/25/2013
- by Bridget McManus
- AfterEllen.com
Tags: The Watermelon WomanCheryl DunyeGuinevere TurnerIMDb
When Cheryl Dunye made The Watermelon Woman in the mid-'90s, it was the only feature-length film about lesbian women of color — ever. Other films might have had Sapphic subtext or touch on lesbianish themes, but Dunye wrote, directed and starred in the mockumentary about a black lesbian (named Cheryl, played by Cheryl) who worked at a movie store by day and on her own films by night. Specifically she was working on a film about a black actress and singer named Fae Richards who she finds out had a sexual relationship with a white female director named Martha Page.
While delving into the secret life of Fae, Cheryl interviews a film expert, a lesbian archivist (played by Sarah Schulman, who would go on to write The Owls with Dunye) and her own mother, who was alive at the time that Fae was part...
When Cheryl Dunye made The Watermelon Woman in the mid-'90s, it was the only feature-length film about lesbian women of color — ever. Other films might have had Sapphic subtext or touch on lesbianish themes, but Dunye wrote, directed and starred in the mockumentary about a black lesbian (named Cheryl, played by Cheryl) who worked at a movie store by day and on her own films by night. Specifically she was working on a film about a black actress and singer named Fae Richards who she finds out had a sexual relationship with a white female director named Martha Page.
While delving into the secret life of Fae, Cheryl interviews a film expert, a lesbian archivist (played by Sarah Schulman, who would go on to write The Owls with Dunye) and her own mother, who was alive at the time that Fae was part...
- 2/20/2013
- by trishbendix
- AfterEllen.com
Tags: Michelle RodriguezJordana BrewsterSaoirse RonanGemma ArtertonLady GagaLena DunhamHeidi HamiltonThat Sex ShowLogoIMDb
Good afternoon my lovelies!
Lady Gaga is being sued by her former assistant for more than $393,000, plus damages. Gaga is fighting back with a vengeance and you don’t want to mess with Gaga!
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Out comedian Fortune Feimster was quoted in CNN’s Super Bowl power outage coverage. During the show’s down time Feimster tweeted, "The worst part about this power outage is that people at parties were forced to talk to each other.”
Speaking of the Super Bowl, some of our favorite ladies appeared on screen last night during the commercials. Glee’s Naya Rivera looked stunning (as always) in the below M&Ms commercial.
Out model/actress Natalie Garcia strutted her stuff in the Budweiser Black Crown “Celebration” ad. Garcia steps up on a table at the five second mark.
Good afternoon my lovelies!
Lady Gaga is being sued by her former assistant for more than $393,000, plus damages. Gaga is fighting back with a vengeance and you don’t want to mess with Gaga!
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Out comedian Fortune Feimster was quoted in CNN’s Super Bowl power outage coverage. During the show’s down time Feimster tweeted, "The worst part about this power outage is that people at parties were forced to talk to each other.”
Speaking of the Super Bowl, some of our favorite ladies appeared on screen last night during the commercials. Glee’s Naya Rivera looked stunning (as always) in the below M&Ms commercial.
Out model/actress Natalie Garcia strutted her stuff in the Budweiser Black Crown “Celebration” ad. Garcia steps up on a table at the five second mark.
- 2/4/2013
- by Bridget McManus
- AfterEllen.com
Tags: Daniela SeaThe L WordCasserole ClubIMDb
Daniela Sea is known for many things – her role as Max on The L Word, or her appearances in indie films like Itty Bitty Titty Committee and Shortbus. But you’ve never seen her quite like this. Clad in psychedelic late '60s fashion and decidedly “femmed up,” she plays sexually repressed housewife Jerome in Casserole Club, a 1960s period piece on the wild and wooly parties thrown by a group of secretly messed-up suburbanites.
Dark and layered, the flick – and the role – allowed Sea to really stretch her creative muscles in an incredibly powerful performance. We recently checked in with Sea and chatted with her about the craziness and dark side of the '60s, the unique approach of queer filmmaker Steve Balderson, and how she managed to make sexual repression look so good.
Photo credit: Jason Laveris/Getty Images
AfterEllen.com: So,...
Daniela Sea is known for many things – her role as Max on The L Word, or her appearances in indie films like Itty Bitty Titty Committee and Shortbus. But you’ve never seen her quite like this. Clad in psychedelic late '60s fashion and decidedly “femmed up,” she plays sexually repressed housewife Jerome in Casserole Club, a 1960s period piece on the wild and wooly parties thrown by a group of secretly messed-up suburbanites.
Dark and layered, the flick – and the role – allowed Sea to really stretch her creative muscles in an incredibly powerful performance. We recently checked in with Sea and chatted with her about the craziness and dark side of the '60s, the unique approach of queer filmmaker Steve Balderson, and how she managed to make sexual repression look so good.
Photo credit: Jason Laveris/Getty Images
AfterEllen.com: So,...
- 7/27/2012
- by danieller
- AfterEllen.com
The 1996 film Foxfire was based on a novel by best-selling author Joyce Carol Oates. Though the film had no outright lesbian content, it was very much about the relationships between the young women, and their love for one another surpassed friendship, bringing them to a point of commitment secured by tattoos and general bad-assery. Bonded by their rebelling against a predatory teacher, they found one another to be a safe haven from the judgmental high school halls.
So whatever happened to those girls who ran with foxes?
Hedy Burress (Maddy, the photographer who hates her teacher)
Since Foxfire, Hedy has largely worked in television, notably in her roles as Joanie Moore on ER and as Laurie Cooper on Southland. She also does a lot of voiceover work for video games, including Final Fantasy and Terminator Salvation.
Angelina Jolie (Legs, the drifter with an attitude)
Besides being the world's overwhelming choice...
So whatever happened to those girls who ran with foxes?
Hedy Burress (Maddy, the photographer who hates her teacher)
Since Foxfire, Hedy has largely worked in television, notably in her roles as Joanie Moore on ER and as Laurie Cooper on Southland. She also does a lot of voiceover work for video games, including Final Fantasy and Terminator Salvation.
Angelina Jolie (Legs, the drifter with an attitude)
Besides being the world's overwhelming choice...
- 9/7/2011
- by Trish Bendix
- AfterEllen.com
The story of Constance McMillen's courage to stand up and fight for the right to go to her high school prom with her girlfriend is one that is near and dear to writers and readers alike here at AfterEllen.com. Many of us have had to stand up to bullies in our lives, but not too many of us have had to be the David to the Goliath of an entire school administration and the town we live in.
Constance's bravery touched the lives of many people, including Josh Berman, the series creator and executive producer of one of my favorite surprises on television, Drop Dead Diva. After hearing Wanda Sykes talk about Constance's story at the GLAAD awards last year, he told me, "I was incredibly moved by Constance's courage and fortitude. I decided in that moment, that I had to write an episode inspired by her story."
Brooke Elliott,...
Constance's bravery touched the lives of many people, including Josh Berman, the series creator and executive producer of one of my favorite surprises on television, Drop Dead Diva. After hearing Wanda Sykes talk about Constance's story at the GLAAD awards last year, he told me, "I was incredibly moved by Constance's courage and fortitude. I decided in that moment, that I had to write an episode inspired by her story."
Brooke Elliott,...
- 7/22/2011
- by Mia Jones
- The Backlot
The Owls, (an acronym for older, wiser lesbians), is what you might call an experimental thriller, the product of an all-star group of lesbian film icons working as The Film Collaborative. Guinevere Turner, (Itty Bitty Titty Committee, The L Word) Skyler Cooper, V.S. Brodie, (Go Fish) star, alongside writer/producer Cheryl Dunye (famous for 1996 indie sensation The Watermelon Woman).
With several co-producers and producers, there are many cooks in the proverbial kitchen, and many of the main creatives share roles, making good on the "collaborative" title. As such, it's a multi-layered, unique and thoroughly original project – part queer film criticism and part tense, enjoyable fiction.
The main storyline concerns the lives of four friends (though "frenemy" might be a more apt description), all washouts from the 1990s riot grrl/queer activist era. They are, ostensibly older, wiser lesbians (hence the title), though none of them can seem to get over...
With several co-producers and producers, there are many cooks in the proverbial kitchen, and many of the main creatives share roles, making good on the "collaborative" title. As such, it's a multi-layered, unique and thoroughly original project – part queer film criticism and part tense, enjoyable fiction.
The main storyline concerns the lives of four friends (though "frenemy" might be a more apt description), all washouts from the 1990s riot grrl/queer activist era. They are, ostensibly older, wiser lesbians (hence the title), though none of them can seem to get over...
- 12/29/2010
- by Danielle Riendeau
- AfterEllen.com
About two years ago, I interviewed some amazing friends who work behind the scenes in Hollywood. They were (and in some cases, still are) responsible for the creatures in Lord of the Rings and Narnia, the clothes on True Blood, the girls on America's Next Top Model, the "look" of Itty Bitty Titty Committee, and Tyra Banks' production needs. Jealous? Yeah, me, too.
Well, it's been too long since we pulled back the curtain on Tinsel Town, so over the next few days, you'll meet a few more talented women who help bring you the shows you know and love. Beats working a desk job. And... action!
Cynthia Childs, Supervising Producer
Surrounded by The Real L Word storyboards
If you think shaping and telling stories for reality shows is easy, think again. Cynthia Childs knows a thing or two about making the most of what you've got, having story produced shows like Project Runway,...
Well, it's been too long since we pulled back the curtain on Tinsel Town, so over the next few days, you'll meet a few more talented women who help bring you the shows you know and love. Beats working a desk job. And... action!
Cynthia Childs, Supervising Producer
Surrounded by The Real L Word storyboards
If you think shaping and telling stories for reality shows is easy, think again. Cynthia Childs knows a thing or two about making the most of what you've got, having story produced shows like Project Runway,...
- 12/27/2010
- by Dara Nai
- AfterEllen.com
Julianne Moore. Natalie Portman. Annette Bening. A few years ago, no one would have dreamed that such big, bankable names would be involved in pushing lesbian-inclusive cinema to the major studio mainstream, perhaps even to the promised land of the Oscars. But here we are at the end of 2010, and the future has never looked brighter.
With one truly breakout film, The Kids Are All Right, and high-profile projects including The Runaways, Black Swan, and the Millennium Trilogy, it seems that that queer female lead characters have finally made it into the cinematic forefront. Perhaps it's only a toehold, but it's a welcome trend, considering big-screen lesbians have most typically been portrayed as serial killers (Monster, Basic Instinct) or minor characters.
The lesbian movies are all right
For years, the lesbian movie-watching community has been waiting for "Dykeback Mountain" — that is, our own mainstream breakout in the vein of 2005's cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain.
With one truly breakout film, The Kids Are All Right, and high-profile projects including The Runaways, Black Swan, and the Millennium Trilogy, it seems that that queer female lead characters have finally made it into the cinematic forefront. Perhaps it's only a toehold, but it's a welcome trend, considering big-screen lesbians have most typically been portrayed as serial killers (Monster, Basic Instinct) or minor characters.
The lesbian movies are all right
For years, the lesbian movie-watching community has been waiting for "Dykeback Mountain" — that is, our own mainstream breakout in the vein of 2005's cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain.
- 12/13/2010
- by Danielle Riendeau
- AfterEllen.com
Los Angeles (August 18, 2010) . Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival, has announced the 12 screenwriters and film projects selected for its 11th annual Screenwriters Lab, sponsored by the Writers Guild of America, West. Taking place in Los Angeles from August 12 until September 16, the Screenwriters Lab is an intensive six-week program designed to help writers improve their craft, and take their current scripts to the next level in a nurturing, yet challenging creative environment. Screenwriter and producer Meg LeFauve resumes duties as this year.s Lab Instructor, and Lab Mentors and Guest Speakers include Nicole Holofcener (Please Give), Erin Cressida Wilson (Chloe), José Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries), Josh Olson (A History of Violence), and Kay Schaber-Wolf (WGAw).
.Our Labs have always attracted a high level of talent from different backgrounds and disciplines, and this year is no exception,. said Director of Talent Development Josh Welsh.
.Our Labs have always attracted a high level of talent from different backgrounds and disciplines, and this year is no exception,. said Director of Talent Development Josh Welsh.
- 8/18/2010
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Jamie Babbit is probably best known for her films Itty Bitty Titty Committee and But I'm a Cheerleader. She's also one of the hardest working directors in television, with recent credits including Drop Dead Diva, United States of Tara, The Middle, and Cougar Town, just to name a few. Jamie directed the upcoming and highly anticipated "coming out episode" of the new ABC Family show Pretty Little Liars, entitled "The Perfect Storm."
Babbit recently talked to us about directing the episode and the evolution of gay teen stories on TV, but wouldn't budge on the identity of "A."
[Warning: some spoilers ahead]
AfterEllen.com: So everyone at AfterEllen.com is obsessed with Pretty Little Liars, mostly because of the Emily storyline.
Jamie Babbit: You know the creator is a lesbian. You should interview her! That would be better than me. [Jamie is referring to executive producer Marlene King, not the Pll book author Sara Shepard.]
Ae: You directed the August 3 episode of Pretty Little Liars. Spill it.
Jb:...
Babbit recently talked to us about directing the episode and the evolution of gay teen stories on TV, but wouldn't budge on the identity of "A."
[Warning: some spoilers ahead]
AfterEllen.com: So everyone at AfterEllen.com is obsessed with Pretty Little Liars, mostly because of the Emily storyline.
Jamie Babbit: You know the creator is a lesbian. You should interview her! That would be better than me. [Jamie is referring to executive producer Marlene King, not the Pll book author Sara Shepard.]
Ae: You directed the August 3 episode of Pretty Little Liars. Spill it.
Jb:...
- 8/3/2010
- by Sarah Witness
- AfterEllen.com
Can the media alter the public's perception of an actor? I believe so - that's why we have the likes of Megan Fox hugging the headlines and getting the covers of men's magazines, while a lot of more talented young actresses could not even manage to get featured and have interviews. If you think about it, what has she done in the movies to deserve so much publicity and attention? - - -
- - - Some may argue, 'hey, don't blame her, she's just good at playing the Hollywood game, and she got a shrewd agent managing her career!'. That maybe so and yes, I agree when others say 'she'll not last another year - others will soon take over'. There are those who may say 'Agents and talent managers always take care of their wards - that's why stars have a public image and a private one'.
- - - Some may argue, 'hey, don't blame her, she's just good at playing the Hollywood game, and she got a shrewd agent managing her career!'. That maybe so and yes, I agree when others say 'she'll not last another year - others will soon take over'. There are those who may say 'Agents and talent managers always take care of their wards - that's why stars have a public image and a private one'.
- 10/22/2009
- by modelwatcher@gmail.com (Jed Medina)
- The Movie Fanatic
Can the media alter the public's perception of an actor? I believe so - that's why we have the likes of Megan Fox hugging the headlines and getting the covers of men's magazines, while a lot of more talented young actresses could not even manage to get featured and have interviews. If you think about it, what has she done in the movies to deserve so much publicity and attention? - - -
- - - Some may argue, 'hey, don't blame her, she's just good at playing the Hollywood game, and she got a shrewd agent managing her career!'. That maybe so and yes, I agree when others say 'she'll not last another year - others will soon take over'. There are those who may say 'Agents and talent managers always take care of their wards - that's why stars have a public image and a private one'.
- - - Some may argue, 'hey, don't blame her, she's just good at playing the Hollywood game, and she got a shrewd agent managing her career!'. That maybe so and yes, I agree when others say 'she'll not last another year - others will soon take over'. There are those who may say 'Agents and talent managers always take care of their wards - that's why stars have a public image and a private one'.
- 10/22/2009
- by modelwatcher@gmail.com (Jed Medina)
- The Movie Fanatic
Can the media alter the public's perception of an actor? I believe so - that's why we have the likes of Megan Fox hugging the headlines and getting the covers of men's magazines, while a lot of more talented young actresses could not even manage to get featured and have interviews. If you think about it, what has she done in the movies to deserve so much publicity and attention? - - -
- - - Some may argue, 'hey, don't blame her, she's just good at playing the Hollywood game, and she got a shrewd agent managing her career!'. That maybe so and yes, I agree when others say 'she'll not last another year - others will soon take over'. There are those who may say 'Agents and talent managers always take care of their wards - that's why stars have a public image and a private one'.
- - - Some may argue, 'hey, don't blame her, she's just good at playing the Hollywood game, and she got a shrewd agent managing her career!'. That maybe so and yes, I agree when others say 'she'll not last another year - others will soon take over'. There are those who may say 'Agents and talent managers always take care of their wards - that's why stars have a public image and a private one'.
- 10/22/2009
- by modelwatcher@gmail.com (Jed Medina)
- The Movie Fanatic
Can the media alter the public's perception of an actor? I believe so - that's why we have the likes of Megan Fox hugging the headlines and getting the covers of men's magazines, while a lot of more talented young actresses could not even manage to get featured and have interviews. If you think about it, what has she done in the movies to deserve so much publicity and attention? - - -
- - - Some may argue, 'hey, don't blame her, she's just good at playing the Hollywood game, and she got a shrewd agent managing her career!'. That maybe so and yes, I agree when others say 'she'll not last another year - others will soon take over'. There are those who may say 'Agents and talent managers always take care of their wards - that's why stars have a public image and a private one'.
- - - Some may argue, 'hey, don't blame her, she's just good at playing the Hollywood game, and she got a shrewd agent managing her career!'. That maybe so and yes, I agree when others say 'she'll not last another year - others will soon take over'. There are those who may say 'Agents and talent managers always take care of their wards - that's why stars have a public image and a private one'.
- 10/22/2009
- by modelwatcher@gmail.com (Jed Medina)
- The Movie Fanatic
Can the media alter the public's perception of an actor? I believe so - that's why we have the likes of Megan Fox hugging the headlines and getting the covers of men's magazines, while a lot of more talented young actresses could not even manage to get featured and have interviews. If you think about it, what has she done in the movies to deserve so much publicity and attention? - - -
- - - Some may argue, 'hey, don't blame her, she's just good at playing the Hollywood game, and she got a shrewd agent managing her career!'. That maybe so and yes, I agree when others say 'she'll not last another year - others will soon take over'. There are those who may say 'Agents and talent managers always take care of their wards - that's why stars have a public image and a private one'.
- - - Some may argue, 'hey, don't blame her, she's just good at playing the Hollywood game, and she got a shrewd agent managing her career!'. That maybe so and yes, I agree when others say 'she'll not last another year - others will soon take over'. There are those who may say 'Agents and talent managers always take care of their wards - that's why stars have a public image and a private one'.
- 10/22/2009
- by modelwatcher@gmail.com (Jed Medina)
- The Movie Fanatic
Lgbt film festival-goers and anyone who follows independent film are already well aware of the new feature Mississippi Damned, written and directed by out filmmaker Tina Mabry. Along with Mississippi Damned producer and editor (and Mabry's fiancee) Morgan Stiff, Mabry has made a film that's winning awards and critical accolades for its realistic depiction of families struggling with addiction, violence, racism and poverty in the rural South.
AfterEllen.com recently talked with Stiff and Mabry (who also wrote the hit lesbian feature film Itty Bitty Titty Committee) about the making of this highly personal film (which includes a butch lesbian) and their plans for their production company, Morgan's Mark.
Tina Mabry (left) and Morgan Stiff (right)
AfterEllen.com: How did you and Morgan come to meet and work together?
Tina Mabry: Morgan and I met at USC where we developed a personal and professional relationship. Not only did I...
AfterEllen.com recently talked with Stiff and Mabry (who also wrote the hit lesbian feature film Itty Bitty Titty Committee) about the making of this highly personal film (which includes a butch lesbian) and their plans for their production company, Morgan's Mark.
Tina Mabry (left) and Morgan Stiff (right)
AfterEllen.com: How did you and Morgan come to meet and work together?
Tina Mabry: Morgan and I met at USC where we developed a personal and professional relationship. Not only did I...
- 8/10/2009
- by karman
- AfterEllen.com
L.A. Scene is a monthly column that chronicles lesbian nightlife and events of interest in Los Angeles. Sarah Witness, an East Coast transplant and obvious femme, has been navigating the snark infested waters of Hollywood since 2001. Although she's an Nyu trained actress, she prefers sipping vodka and making idle chit-chat at really gay nightclubs.
Dykeotomy I recently attended the Dykeotomy launch party at Here Lounge. What is Dykeotomy? Well that’s what I spent the majority of the party trying to figure out. The rest of the time I was in the bathroom line.
It seems that Dykeotomy is a concept, and this being Los Angeles, a concept is nothing if it is not a brand. It all began when Logan Alexander, of the Janice Dikinson Modeling Agency show, asked his very butch cousin if he could photograph her in extremely feminine clothing and make-up. She consented, and impressed with the results,...
Dykeotomy I recently attended the Dykeotomy launch party at Here Lounge. What is Dykeotomy? Well that’s what I spent the majority of the party trying to figure out. The rest of the time I was in the bathroom line.
It seems that Dykeotomy is a concept, and this being Los Angeles, a concept is nothing if it is not a brand. It all began when Logan Alexander, of the Janice Dikinson Modeling Agency show, asked his very butch cousin if he could photograph her in extremely feminine clothing and make-up. She consented, and impressed with the results,...
- 7/27/2009
- by Sarah Witness
- AfterEllen.com
Mississippi Damned is a rare, exceptional film, one that covers enormous amounts of emotional territory and manages to impart sadness and hope in equal measures.
Written and directed by Tina Mabry, who penned the hilarious Itty Bitty Titty Committee, the movie dives deep into the heart of the American south, with an unflinching eye towards racism and poverty. Based on true events, the drama is achingly, refreshingly real.
The film kicks off in 1986, and centers on the lives of two African American families and their closest friends, barely scraping by in a rural Mississippi town.
Our protagonist, Kari (played as a young girl by Kylee Russell and later by Tessa Thompson), who acts as our eyes and ears throughout the film.
She has a lesbian sister, Leigh (Chasity Kershal Hammitte), and a cousin Sammy (Malcolm David Kelley), who is a young basketball star.
Their parents and close friends are all struggling — with money,...
Written and directed by Tina Mabry, who penned the hilarious Itty Bitty Titty Committee, the movie dives deep into the heart of the American south, with an unflinching eye towards racism and poverty. Based on true events, the drama is achingly, refreshingly real.
The film kicks off in 1986, and centers on the lives of two African American families and their closest friends, barely scraping by in a rural Mississippi town.
Our protagonist, Kari (played as a young girl by Kylee Russell and later by Tessa Thompson), who acts as our eyes and ears throughout the film.
She has a lesbian sister, Leigh (Chasity Kershal Hammitte), and a cousin Sammy (Malcolm David Kelley), who is a young basketball star.
Their parents and close friends are all struggling — with money,...
- 7/2/2009
- by danieller
- AfterEllen.com
Want to know the status of a particular movie, TV show, or band? Wondering what a certain actress is up to these days? Send your entertainment-related questions to askafterellen@gmail.com — with your first name, city and country — and we'll try to answer as many as we can.
Question: I loved But I'm a Cheerleader, and I have watched Itty Bitty Titty Committee ten times now. Enough already! When is Jamie Babbit's next movie coming out?
― Tina, Columbia, MD
Jamie Babbit
Answer: Did you check out Babbit's 2005 feature, The Quiet, starring Elisha Cuthbert, Camilla Belle and Edie Falco? If not, the cast alone should be enough to send you to the video store.
I passed your question along to Babbitt, who told me:
I'm currently casting for my new film called Breaking The Girl. It's tonally in the vein of Body Heat, with lots of bi beauties and femme fatales.
Question: I loved But I'm a Cheerleader, and I have watched Itty Bitty Titty Committee ten times now. Enough already! When is Jamie Babbit's next movie coming out?
― Tina, Columbia, MD
Jamie Babbit
Answer: Did you check out Babbit's 2005 feature, The Quiet, starring Elisha Cuthbert, Camilla Belle and Edie Falco? If not, the cast alone should be enough to send you to the video store.
I passed your question along to Babbitt, who told me:
I'm currently casting for my new film called Breaking The Girl. It's tonally in the vein of Body Heat, with lots of bi beauties and femme fatales.
- 6/2/2009
- by karman
- AfterEllen.com
Want to know the status of a particular movie, TV show, or band? Wondering what a certain actress is up to these days? Send your entertainment-related questions to askafterellen@gmail.com — with your first name, city and country — and we'll try to answer as many as we can.
Question: Is it true? There is going to be a Girltrash! movie? We've read on Killola's page that Lisa is starting shooting in October so it must be true and she also hinted that the whole cast is going to be back in. Do you know anything more? Isn't this exciting?
― Nathalie, Toronto
Answer: Yes, the rumors are true, and, yes, also exciting! For official confirmation, I checked in with Girltrash! creator Angela Robinson, and here's what she told me:
We are in talks with producers to shoot a (very low budget) Girltrash! movie in December, starring the original cast, plus some new characters.
Question: Is it true? There is going to be a Girltrash! movie? We've read on Killola's page that Lisa is starting shooting in October so it must be true and she also hinted that the whole cast is going to be back in. Do you know anything more? Isn't this exciting?
― Nathalie, Toronto
Answer: Yes, the rumors are true, and, yes, also exciting! For official confirmation, I checked in with Girltrash! creator Angela Robinson, and here's what she told me:
We are in talks with producers to shoot a (very low budget) Girltrash! movie in December, starring the original cast, plus some new characters.
- 5/19/2009
- by karman
- AfterEllen.com
If you've seen Itty Bitty Titty Committee or D.E.B.S., you've seen the fruits of Power Up!'s labor. Power Up! is a lesbian-film based non-profit organization that raises funds to put out films by gay female directors, writers and actors. Both Itty director Jamie Babbit and Angela Robinson (D.E.B.S.) are on the honorary board of directors, in good company with the likes of Debra Chasnoff.
Now Power Up! has made a new surprising move: They are opening up the organization to gay men as well. Founder and executive director Stacy Codikow released a statement regarding why she felt that it was time to bring men into the organization:
With the current climate, Power Up saw this as a time, more than any other, where our Glbtq community - Women & Men - needs to be unified to help achieve our collective goal of equality, representation and acceptance. Power Up knows that...
Now Power Up! has made a new surprising move: They are opening up the organization to gay men as well. Founder and executive director Stacy Codikow released a statement regarding why she felt that it was time to bring men into the organization:
With the current climate, Power Up saw this as a time, more than any other, where our Glbtq community - Women & Men - needs to be unified to help achieve our collective goal of equality, representation and acceptance. Power Up knows that...
- 5/18/2009
- by Trish Bendix
- AfterEllen.com
Want to know the status of a particular movie, TV show, or band? Wondering what a certain actress is up to these days? Want to know if someone is openly gay? (We won't out anyone, but we'll let you know what they've said publicly.) Send your entertainment-related questions to askafterellen@gmail.com — with your first name, city and country — and we'll try to answer as many as we can.
Question: Is [actress] Clea DuVall a lesbian or has she ever come out and said anything about her sexuality?
— Melissa, Syracuse, New York
Clea DuVall
Answer: The 31-year old actress has never publicly stated her sexual orientation.
She is a favorite among lesbian viewers for her work in several films by out director Jamie Babbit, including But I'm A Cheerleader (1999), Sleeping Beauties (a short film starring Radha Mitchell, of High Art fame), Itty Bitty Titty Committee (2007), and her role in the HBO film,...
Question: Is [actress] Clea DuVall a lesbian or has she ever come out and said anything about her sexuality?
— Melissa, Syracuse, New York
Clea DuVall
Answer: The 31-year old actress has never publicly stated her sexual orientation.
She is a favorite among lesbian viewers for her work in several films by out director Jamie Babbit, including But I'm A Cheerleader (1999), Sleeping Beauties (a short film starring Radha Mitchell, of High Art fame), Itty Bitty Titty Committee (2007), and her role in the HBO film,...
- 1/13/2009
- by karman
- AfterEllen.com
DVD Links: Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed Desperate Housewives - The Complete Fourth Season Ahhhh, I have not yet received my review copy but I am told it is on the way. I actually loved the first season of this show, but subsequent seasons weren't able to live up to that first year. "Desperate Housewives" was always a soap opera, but it had a little something extra that made it entertaining. In follow-up seasons it almost became a parody of that first season and was never quite as good. While I haven't heard much (good or bad) about this fourth season I am looking forward to giving it a shot. Transformers (2-Disc Special Edition) Transformers is now on Blu-ray and for some reason no one seems to care, at least not to the level they did last year when Paramoung went HD DVD exclusive and Transformers wasn't released...
- 9/2/2008
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Carly Pope has landed a recurring role on Fox's 24.
On the Imagine TV/20th Century Fox TV-produced thriller, which will be set in Washington this season, she will play Samantha Roth, the girlfriend of the president's (Cherry Jones) son who might be connected to his disappearance.
Popular alumna Pope co-stars on FX's drama Dirt as Garbo. On the big screen, she recently appeared in the indie Itty Bitty Titty Committee and Young People Fu**king, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Pope is repped by the Gersh Agency and Kritzer Levine Wilkins.
On the Imagine TV/20th Century Fox TV-produced thriller, which will be set in Washington this season, she will play Samantha Roth, the girlfriend of the president's (Cherry Jones) son who might be connected to his disappearance.
Popular alumna Pope co-stars on FX's drama Dirt as Garbo. On the big screen, she recently appeared in the indie Itty Bitty Titty Committee and Young People Fu**king, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Pope is repped by the Gersh Agency and Kritzer Levine Wilkins.
- 10/9/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Power Up
NEW YORK -- Gender politics is such a potentially bountiful subject for screen satire that it's more of a shame that Itty Bitty Titty Committee doesn't live up to its deliberately in-your-face title. This comic effort by director Jamie Babbit, who explored similar material in "But I'm a Cheerleader," never manages to sustain a consistent tone. It squanders its provocative subject matter with inept execution.
The story line centers on the romantic and political awakening of Anna (Melonie Diaz), a young lesbian Latina woman trying to get over a failed relationship. She works for a plastic surgeon specializing in breast augmentation, a natural target for the radical feminist group dubbed "C(I)A," for "Clits in Action". When Anna spots one of its members, Sadie (Nicole Vicius) spray-painting protests on her employer's building, she is immediately intrigued. It isn't long before she has joined the group and gotten involved with the freewheeling and sultry Sadie.
The film largely concentrates on the group's various high jinks, which include defacing female mannequins and installing an Angela Davis statue in a public park. But their ambitions get much higher via a plot to add their own personal alteration to what they see as one of America's most prominent phallic symbols, the Washington Monument.
Alternating between juvenile humor and sensitively depicting Anna's evolution, Itty Bitty doesn't really work on either level. Tina Mabry and Abigail Shafran's script, while obviously passionate, is wildly uneven, and its deficiencies are only magnified by Babbit's less than assured direction. While Diaz plays an appealing heroine, many of the supporting players are overly broad in their stereotypical characterizations.
NEW YORK -- Gender politics is such a potentially bountiful subject for screen satire that it's more of a shame that Itty Bitty Titty Committee doesn't live up to its deliberately in-your-face title. This comic effort by director Jamie Babbit, who explored similar material in "But I'm a Cheerleader," never manages to sustain a consistent tone. It squanders its provocative subject matter with inept execution.
The story line centers on the romantic and political awakening of Anna (Melonie Diaz), a young lesbian Latina woman trying to get over a failed relationship. She works for a plastic surgeon specializing in breast augmentation, a natural target for the radical feminist group dubbed "C(I)A," for "Clits in Action". When Anna spots one of its members, Sadie (Nicole Vicius) spray-painting protests on her employer's building, she is immediately intrigued. It isn't long before she has joined the group and gotten involved with the freewheeling and sultry Sadie.
The film largely concentrates on the group's various high jinks, which include defacing female mannequins and installing an Angela Davis statue in a public park. But their ambitions get much higher via a plot to add their own personal alteration to what they see as one of America's most prominent phallic symbols, the Washington Monument.
Alternating between juvenile humor and sensitively depicting Anna's evolution, Itty Bitty doesn't really work on either level. Tina Mabry and Abigail Shafran's script, while obviously passionate, is wildly uneven, and its deficiencies are only magnified by Babbit's less than assured direction. While Diaz plays an appealing heroine, many of the supporting players are overly broad in their stereotypical characterizations.
- 10/9/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
COLOGNE, Germany -- The Berlin International Film Festival's Panorama section will feature 26 world premieres in a lineup that represents a typically eclectic mix of established art house names including Hal Hartley, Wim Wenders, Steve Buscemi and Sarah Polley, along with a raft of first-time helmers.
Buscemi and Polley represent one trend in this year's Panorama lineup: actors behind the camera. Buscemi will screen his latest directorial effort, Interview, while Polley's helming debut, Away From Her, will premiere as part of the Panorama Special section.
Other actor-directors at this year's Panorama include Julie Delpy, with Two Days In Paris, and Antonio Banderas, whose Summer Rain also has been selected for the Panorama.
Polley is one of three Canadian entries this year, joining Panorama opener The Tracey Fragments from Bruce McDonald and Clement Virgo's drama Poor Boy's Game.
U.S. independents also have a strong presence, with titles ranging from Hartley's tale of international espionage, Fay Grim, to Jamie Babbit's high-school-set comedy Itty Bitty Titty Committee to such politically-tinged documentaries as Lynn Hershmann Leeson's Strange Culture and Miss Gulag by Maria Yatskova.
Buscemi and Polley represent one trend in this year's Panorama lineup: actors behind the camera. Buscemi will screen his latest directorial effort, Interview, while Polley's helming debut, Away From Her, will premiere as part of the Panorama Special section.
Other actor-directors at this year's Panorama include Julie Delpy, with Two Days In Paris, and Antonio Banderas, whose Summer Rain also has been selected for the Panorama.
Polley is one of three Canadian entries this year, joining Panorama opener The Tracey Fragments from Bruce McDonald and Clement Virgo's drama Poor Boy's Game.
U.S. independents also have a strong presence, with titles ranging from Hartley's tale of international espionage, Fay Grim, to Jamie Babbit's high-school-set comedy Itty Bitty Titty Committee to such politically-tinged documentaries as Lynn Hershmann Leeson's Strange Culture and Miss Gulag by Maria Yatskova.
- 1/26/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gay film nonprofit group Power Up will produce its first feature film, the feminist comedy feature The Itty Bitty Titty Committee. Jamie Babbit (But I'm a Cheerleader) is directing from a screenplay by Tina Mabry and Abigail Shafran. Melonie Diaz (Raising Victor Vargas) will star, with Nicole Vicius, Carly Pope, Daniela Sea, Melanie Mayron, Jimmi Simpson, Leslie Grossman and Guinevere Turner rounding out the cast. Based on a story by Babbit, Committee centers on Hannah (Diaz), who finds her purpose in life after she hooks up with a radical underground feminist group. "I don't think there are a lot of people in Hollywood that are interested in financing a movie about a feminist. But it seemed like a perfect match for Power Up," Babbit said.
- 1/25/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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