As I mentioned before, I've been really struggling to stay on course when it comes to blogging these days. My heart is in Gaza right, now, but my fingers tell me I must be here, in front of the computer, writing essays about everything except Gaza.
I'm thankful for the opportunity that Bitch has provided me here. A chance to at least meld what is going on in my life with what I'm "supposed" to be doing--talking about pop culture. Debbie's support at this difficult time has meant the world to me.
The run up to the Oscars is dominated by best-of lists, and - with few exceptions (including the Women Film Critics Circle Awards) - most of those lists end up looking just about the same: dominated by men, featuring only a small handful of female performers. Which is why it was so exciting this past weekend to see The New York Times list of the year's best. While not quite chock full of women, the list does draw attention to some fine filmmaking and performances by women that are not likely to draw attention at the major awards ceremonies this year. If you missed any of these in the theaters last year, you'll want to make sure to add them to your DVD queues this year. Highlights after the jump...
On the newest episode of Flight of the Conchords, Brett and Jemaine write a jingle for Femident, a new brand of toothpaste that is just for women. True to Conchords form, the song is cute, funny, and sensitive to a woman's [dental] needs. Check it out and give your thoughts after the jump!
A lot has been said (including on this blog) about the sort of affable empowerment that is ubiquitous in Beyonce's chart-busting hits, especially on her latest record, I Am... Sasha Fierce, but the third single, "Diva" is more "fierce" than what you might expect. More after the jump.
Bitch’s third foray into the world of podcast continues! Hot off the hard drive, our Dark Noise episode (inspired by both our Loud and Noir issues) features new segments such as “Ask Your Cervix,” tween delight over a Twilight premiere, interviews with two female metal rockers, and no podcast is really complete without honoring Dolly Parton, as featured on the first ever Bitch Living Fossil Hall of Fame. Plus, Twin Cities trio Gospel Gossip provides the soundtrack. So go ahead and press play, right-click to download , or import to iTunes…that is, if you’re not too afraid of the dark! Haw...
Check it out here!
I've been really surprised to find the extent that the vloggers of the world have embraced Wii Fit as a subject of discussion. The topics range anywhere from how much Wii Fit sucks, to simple instructions, to why men should buy their girlfriends Wii Fit. Guess which topic gets the most attention?
From a very limited google search that I conducted (I mean *very* limited) it appears that the following video began a craze of random videos of boyfriends/partners recording girlfriends rotating their hips while wearing underwear.
In the week leading up to the release of the film Revolutionary Road, there was quite a media ballyhoo about Kate Winslet reading Betty Friedan's 1963 feminist classic The Feminine Mystique to prepare for her role as April Wheeler, as well as Winslet's declaration (albeit tepid) that she is a feminist ("I think I probably am. I mean, not in a bra-burning way. But I think I am a feminist, yeah.") Now that the film is in theatres, the connection between the film and feminism has continued to be the subject of much conversation. Over at HuffPo, blogger Melissa Silverstein goes so far as to write that the film "should be required watching for all young women who think that feminism is irrelevant." But in all this talk about feminism and Revolutionary Road, there hasn't been much dialogue about film's relationship to its source, the 1961 Richard Yates novel of the same name, or the way that the character of Frank Wheeler has been re-imagined. Casting a critical eye on the way the novel has been adapted calls into question just how revolutionary the film really is... More after the jump...
Warning: Major spoilers ahead for both novel and film.
Andi is the co-founder of Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture. A longtime freelance writer and illustrator, Andi's work has appeared in numerous periodicals and newspapers.
She passes her non-Bitch hours watching television and embroidering portraits of dogs, often simultaneously. Her other interests include painting, walking, candy, Scrabble, and the interrobang.
What I'm reading:
Operating Instructions, by Anne Lamott; Bonk, by Mary Roach; The Dangerous Joy of Dr. Sex, by Pagan Kennedy, many back issues of the New Yorker
What I'm listening to:
The Band, T Rex, Elton John's Madman Across the Water
Briar Levit is a graphic designer who blends her love of design with social/environmental progress. She first began working with Bitch in 2003 (starting with the Transformation and Reinvention issue). After a grad school hiatus to Central Saint Martins in London, Briar has returned to where she knows she belongs, not only as a designer, but as a feminist and pop culture junkie.
I'm much pickier about my books than I am about my viewing. Right now I'm trudging through Blindness by Jose Saramago and it's a real chore. (This is probably my failure since it won a Nobel Prize and all.)
The last great book I read was Black Swan Green by David Mitchell. It actually caused me to miss my bus once because I was so absorbed I didn't look up until it was driving away. Highly recommended!
What I'm listening to:
Girl Talk, Passion Pit, TV on the Radio, Dr. Dog, Empire of the Sun, Katie Stelmanis, The Knife, The National, The Ting Tings.
What I'm watching:
Currently Following: Gossip Girl, Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, The Soup, The Hills, Paris Hilton's My New BFF, Little People Big World, Metalocalypse, The Office, Desperate Housewives, My Name is Earl, How I Met Your Mother, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, The Rachel Maddow Show, the occasional Lifetime movie. Watching on DVD: Melrose Place, The Wire. Anxiously anticipating: Lost, Dollhouse, Project Runway Favorite Shows of Yesteryear: Veronica Mars, Twin Peaks, The OC, Buffy/Angel, Arrested Development, Degrassi: The Next Generation (but only up to Season 5).
Bitch co-founder Lisa Jervis's official bio makes her sound far more official than she actually is. She is not an international woman of mystery.
What I'm reading:
I can't update this page as compulsively as I do my goodreads.com profile, so you should check that out if you are really curious.
What I'm listening to:
My pandora.com "avant pop" station.
What I'm watching:
My So-Called Life, newly borrowed on DVD
Great documentaries like Sir, No Sir and things by Errol Morris Buffy, 'cause I'm always watching Buffy
Silly summertime romantic comedies, because sometimes I am a sucker
Freelance wordslinger, consultant, contributor to Bitch since 2003.
What I'm reading:
Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion. Re-reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. Also, Wonder Woman and DC's completely awesome new Secret Six series.
What I'm listening to:
I like the new Glen Campbell album a lot.
What I'm watching:
Movies: If it's a smart comedy, a thoughtful drama, or an even-handed documentary, I'm probably in. If it has a zombie, a werewolf, a bionic woman or someone wielding a sword, I'm definitely in. TV: BSG, Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles, Torchwood, The Amazing Race, the NCAA basketball tourney. DVD: The Wire, Buffy, Firefly. Other: My roommate's cats.
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The run up to the Oscars is dominated by best-of lists, and - with few exceptions (including the 
A lot has been said (
Bitch’s third foray into the world of podcast continues! Hot off the hard drive, our Dark Noise episode (inspired by both our Loud and Noir issues) features new segments such as “Ask Your Cervix,” tween delight over a Twilight premiere, interviews with two female metal rockers, and no podcast is really complete without honoring Dolly Parton, as featured on the first ever Bitch Living Fossil Hall of Fame. Plus, 
In the week leading up to the release of the film Revolutionary Road, there was quite a media ballyhoo about Kate Winslet reading Betty Friedan's 1963 feminist classic The Feminine Mystique to prepare for her role as April Wheeler, as well as Winslet's declaration (albeit tepid) 
