Happy Hallowe'en!

*Sigh*
The air is crisp, the leaves are changing colours, and the Jack-o-Lanterns are out. This can only mean one thing. It's Hallowe'en! Hoorah! (In case you couldn't tell, I'm slightly excited.)
And with Hallowe'en comes responsibility.... What? No. I'm just kidding. What I meant to say, is that, with Hallowe'en comes some awesome (and some not so awesome) movies!

Now typically, horror movies with female leads generally fall into the following categories:

1) Really bad/predictable characters in otherwise (relatively) scary movies.
Think Sarah Michelle Gellar in The Grudge (although I will warn you, with everything in me, to avoid the Grudge 2. Truly awfuly.) The movie was mildy scary, enough to make me a little anxious when I was alone in my basement after the viewing. However, Gellar's character, Karen, is very one-dimensional, and actually pretty boring. I'm sure feeling a connection with the lead character(s) isn't the top priority when it comes to a horror movie, but come on! At least make us care about whether or not the character is tortured/strangled/whatevered by a wet ghost in desperate need of a haircut.
Also noteable in this category: Shelley Duvall in The Shining. LOVE this movie, but god damn is she wimpy. Judith O'Dea in the original Night of the Living Dead. I'm a zombie movie buff, and this is pretty well the pioneer movie for all zombie movies to come, but Barbara was nothing short of frustrating.

2) Really good characters in otherwise really bad/predictable movies.
Think the girls from The Descent. This movie had some potential. The premise was interesting and there were some pretty neat scenes, but it lost me at the cave monsters. But the girls were tough as nails, with all their pick axes and covering themselves in blood and killing weird cave dwellers. It's kinda sad that some really strong female characters were wasted in such an appallingly un-scary movie.
Also noteable in this category: Kate Beckinsale as Selena in Underworld. Okay, maybe the movie isn't technically a horror movie, but it's got vampires and werewolves, which should have made for a sweet showdown. However, there's no two ways about it, the movie was not good. Too bad, because Selena knew how to kick some ass.

3) Really bad/predictable characters in really bad/predictable movies.
Think Camilla Bell in When a Stranger Calls. The only thing frightening about this movie was how fucking un-scary it was. Camilla Bell had my roomate and I yelling the typical forewarnings at the screen, i.e.; WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? HE'S CLEARLY RIGHT FUCKING THERE! WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT! Blah character, blah movie, save your time and energy and pick something, pick ANYTHING else to watch.
Also noteable in this category: Rahda Mitchell in Silent Hill. Those of you who've played the videogame, know how creepy it can be. So what went wrong with the film? So, so much went wrong, that's what. Bad acting and a bad script make for a very bad movie. Fail status all around. Paris Hilton in House of Wax also gets a nod, because, well, Paris Hilton in anything is bound to be un-good.

So what do we learn from this? Well, aside from the exception of the Good Characters in Bad Movies, we learn that most female characters in horror movies are predictable, have bad reasoning skills, and generally have no depth.

Here's the thing though. Not all horror girls are like that. The horror genre gives some really good opportunity for girls to be complete ass-kickers.
Here's a list of the best of the best:

Girls Who Rock at Being Not Terrible in Horror Movies:

10) Carrie White (Carrie, 1976): I'm a big Stephen King fan, but usually his book-to-movies are not the best. Carrie is an exception, and is a classic. The best thing about this movie is how much you feel for the character! The poor girl is pushed around, intimidated and picked on all her life, from her teachers to her classmates, and to her mother. Eventually she snaps, and lots of gory death ensues.


9) Jennifer Hills (I Spit on Your Grave, aka Day of the Woman, 1978): A very graphic and disturbing movie, not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. A very nice girl has some very not nice things happen to her at the hands of some really bad men. She decides to get revenge, and it's not pretty.


8) Erin (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 2003) The original TCM is, without a doubt, better than the newer one, but Jessica Biel put in a pretty decent performance as the only survivor of the wrath of Leatherface. Why did she survive? Because she was smart! p.s: Leatherface is terrifying in both this and the original, but in this one a crazy hitchhiker pulls a gun out of her no-no spot? Awesome? Yes!


7) Sydney Prescott (Scream, 1996) You can say all you want about Scream, but I still consider it to be one of the finer horror movies that have come out in the past decade and a half. It managed to rejuvenate what some considered to be a dying genre, by making horror creative and original again. Sydney is a smart girl, she makes smart decisions when it comes to battling Ghost Face, and she's got some biting one liners to throw in there too. Makes for a great character who we all have fun watching. Way to kick some ass, Syd.


6) Cherry Darling (Grindhouse: Planet Terror, 2007): The chick has a machine gun for a leg. I think that says it all right there...


5 Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1197-2003): The tv show, not the movie. It deserves a mention because you really can't talk about kicking supernatural ass without bringing up Buffy Summers. The girl knows how to take down a vampire or two. Forget the last few seasons, seasons 1-4ish were golden.


4) Nancy Thompson (A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984): Why do I like Nancy in this movie? Well, in a time when most teenaged girls in horror franchises were dumb and expendable, Nancy was the smart girl that figured it all out. I'd like to think I'm a pretty smart girl, which means that I can identify with Nancy, and I applaude her horror-movie-choices.


3) Alice and Rain (Resident Evil, 2002): I'm not usually a fan of videogame-to-movies, but I'll make an exception for this one, specifically because I like zombies (all kinds of zombies, dead ones, live ones, infected ones, you gottem, I wantem) and I like girls who are total badasses. And really, is there any other word for these girls? I think not.

2) Selena (28 Days Later, 2002) Now I may be slightly biased, but this has to be one of the best horror movies ever made. It is smart and has a lot to say about human nature. Selena is a character who starts off acting tough as nails. After her partner is infected with the "Rage" virus, she hacks him apart, without a moment's hesitation, and tells Jim (Cillian Murphy) she'd do the same to him. But when it comes down to it, we see a softer side of the tough girl, which lends her character a ton of believability. Overall, a fantastic movie, and a character you can empathize with. Plus, she's pretty damn cool.


1) Laurie Strode (Halloween, 1978): I like to think of Halloween as the best of the horror franchises of the 70s and 80s (think A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Chucky, etc.) It certainly introduced the Bad Guy Who Won't Just Fucking Die Already. And it also brough us a heroine who was both smart and relatively believable. She was allowed to be scared, but she is still seen as a strong character, she can still stand up to the Invincible Michael Meyers. Basically, this movie is awesome.


And there you have it, folks. Girls with some metaphorical balls. Sorry if I missed your favourites. Honourable mentions go to Ripley from Aliens, only left out because Aliens is sci-fi more than horror, and Janet Leigh, the original Scream Queen, not included because her characer was kind of a wimp.

In conclusion, here's some advice. Don't go upstairs instead of finding a way out, don't investigate any strange noises at night, and don't pick up any creepy hitchikers, and you should survive this Hallowe'en.

You all get free cars!

Hi. My name is Tanya, and I'm an Opraholic.

Okay, maybe comparing myself to an alcoholic, minus the alcohol plus the Oprah, is a little extreme. But I sure do like the lady a whole lot, and I think it would be silly to not mention her in a blog dedicated to great women.

If anyone can say they have a rags-to-riches story, it's Oprah. She was born in Mississippi and raised in Tennessee, and didn't receive her first pair of shoes until she was six. Now she's pulling in arou d $250,000,000 per year, from her daily talk show, radio show, magazine, etc. She seems to be one of the hardest working women in the public eye. She has also made history by becoming the first female African American billionaire in the history of America. She has also helped quite a bit in the careers of others, most noteably Rachel Ray and Dr. Phil. Bob Greene and Dr. Oz don't seem to be doing too bad either.

The reason I really like Oprah is that, unlike lots of other wealthy celebrities, Oprah has chosen, repeatedly, to give back to the world. Her most recent work, The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy, is a school where young South African girls can "dwell in possibilities." Oprah has never been quiet about her passion for learning, and with the Leadership Academy, she has created a place where girls who might not otherwise get an education, can share her passion. The Leadership Academy is part of a larger program, Oprah's Angel Network, which provides funding and grants to organizations and programs serving underprivileged communities. To date, the Network has provided funding for 60 new schools in several different countries. Earlier this fall, all donations made to the Angel Network went to help families who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. I think it's great that she is not only dedicated to helping people in third world countries, but is also dedicated to helping people in her own country. She also helps others find ways to give. One of my favourite Oprah challenges was the "Pay It Forward" challenge. Every audience member received $1000, with the challenge to spend the entire amount in a way that would help other people. You can read the amazing stories here. What a fantastic idea!

Oprah also makes me a happy panda because her show topics are so very diverse, yet they always seem to have a common theme: becoming spiritually fulfilled, finding what makes you truly happy, following your passion, and educating yourself. And I must say, that sounds pretty darn good to me. Also, many of her shows, magazine articles, and web page sections are dedicated specifically to helping women of all races, ages, and sizes, feel beautiful. Whether it be spotlighting the Dove girls to showcase real beauty, recruiting Stacy London to help you find the perfect pair of jeans, or having guests like Bob Greene and Dr. Oz to share health and wellness secrets, Oprah's message seems consistent: feel beautiful, because you are.

Plus, she gives away free cars. That's pretty awesome.

Sidenote: I really think everyone should visit the Dove link, because the Campaign for Real Beauty is fabulous and everyone should know about it.

I <3 Harry Potter

So I have to admit, I've been in a bit of a slump this week. These journals are supposed to be a commitment, we're supposed to set aside a certain amount of time each week to allow (or force) ourselves to write. Well, last week was no good. A dead kitty and a sick boyfriend (who gave the sickness to me, to my dismay) and a house full of paint fumes do not a good environment make. (Sidenote: totally unrelated events...)
But it's Monday. I never thought I'd be so happy to welcome this usually dreary day.
But this Monday is a symbol of the recommencement of normal life! (I'm pretty sure "recommencement" is a word...)

So I was feeling particularly uninspired, until I read this post over on a classmate's blog, and I was inspired enough to write novel.




I'm rather fond of Harry Potter, and all things Potteresque, the brain child of author J.K. Rowling.
Now, I think Rowling's story is pretty amazing. She'd been a schoolteacher for years, and created the character of "Harry Potter" in 1990, well before the story was published. It took quite a while (and quite a few publishers) for the Harry Potter series to catch on. But once it did,
it turned pretty much every eleven year old into a Potter-fiend, suffering from an addiction that might be likened to that of a crack addict.

Aside from having an imagination I would die for (and a fortune I would kill for,) what makes Rowling so damn special?
Well, according to Forbes magazine, she is the first author to become a billionaire. (Thats right, billionaire. Whoever said there was no money in writing?) She was also on their "Celebrity 100" list twice, last year in the number two spot (just after Oprah.) The list details the 100 most financially successful celebrities of the year.
Her books have also sold over 250,000,000 copies world wide, making them nearly as popular as the bible. (If you are my facebook friend, you know what I have to say about that.)

This is all fine and great, but what she did that really mattered was much less financially-oriented: She got kids reading. She got kids to use their imaginations, and invest emotionally in some really great characters. She created a world that mirrored our own, with all its prejudice and bigotry, with all its hierarchy and classism, but she also showed how much good can exist in this sort of world. She showed us characters born of pure evil, but she also gave us characters full of hope, compassion, selflessness, and above all, love. She showed us that it is okay to have flaws and to doubt yourself, she showed us that it is okay to be a misfit, because sometimes, it is these flaws and social stigmas that allow you to become a stronger and better person.
/end rant of adoration

So why is J.K. Rowling important as a woman? I mean, any one of the above accomplishments can, (and most likely have) been done by men. (I'm guessing that's also true of most/all of the women I praise.)
Well, a little piece of interesting information I found on my trusty sidekick Wikipedia states that her publisher requested she write under a pen name because "London-based publisher, Bloomsbury feared that the target audience of young boys might be reluctant to buy books written by a female author."
So good ol' Joanne raked in billions and has inspired children all over the world. And to think, the didn't believe she would sell, simply because she's a woman. Reminds me of a post written by another classmate...


p.s: Sorry blog class, for not attending today (Tuesday.) I'm waiting out the last of this stomach flu, and you are all too nice for me to want to give it to you!

I can't sleep =/

I can't sleep, and therefore, y'all get a second post today.
(I kind of miss updating my livejournal.)

So I was thinking- Inquiring minds want to know! What is a Killer Queen?

Being a child of parents who have fabulous taste in music, I grew up listening to a good deal of Queen, and they remain to this day my soulmate band. (i.e., we were made for each other.) I mean, who else could write a song about bicycles and have it be so god damn cool?
*ANYWAYS* The song Killer Queen, off of Sheer Heart Attack is meant to be about a high class call girl. But Freddie Mercury is such a nice guy, that he said he wanted people to interpret the song as they saw fit.

To me, the song is about a girl who is classy and "utterly fabulous, darling." She's someone who enjoys the finer things in life, and doesn't mind getting a little dirty if it will benefit her in the end. A Killer Queen is someone who is intriguing and charming, and captures the hearts of men (and women!) everywhere. The spotlight is always on her, and she is always more than willing to oblige the prying eyes. But don't fuck with her, because she is "dynamite with a laser beam."

I chose it for the theme of this blog because I think the women I write about are true Killer Queens. Not necessarily in the glamourous, high-end kind of way, but they certainly didn't sit around waiting for someone to live their lives for them! These women are Killer Queens because they have the initiative to take what they want, act on their inspiration, and they never say sorry for being who they are.

She keeps Moet et Chandon, in her pretty cabinet
Let them eat cake she says, just like Marie Antoinette
A built in remedy, for Khrushchev and Kennedy
At anytime an invitation, you can't decline

Caviar and cigarettes
Well versed in etiquette
Extraordinarily nice

She's a Killer Queen
Gunpowder, gelatine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime, ooh
Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?

To avoid complications
She never kept the same address
In conversation, she spoke just like a baroness
Met a man from China, went down to Geisha Minah
Then again incidentally, if you're that way inclined

Perfume came naturally from Paris
For cars she couldn't care less
Fastidious and precise

She's a Killer Queen
Gunpowder, gelatine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime

Drop of a hat she's a willing as
Playful as a pussy cat
Then momentarily out of action
Temporarily out of gas
To absolutely drive you wild, wild..
She's all out to get you

She's a Killer Queen
Gunpowder, gelatine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime, ooh
Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?
You wanna try



P.S: I think Freddie Mercury is one of those people who should've been immortal.

Who is Irene Morgan?

So I've been writing a lot lately about women in pop culture. Which is a good thing, because pop culture has a huge influence on society. But last night, when I was trying to decide who I'd write about next, I figured it was probably time for me to tackle someone who has had an incredibly large effect on society, culture, politics, etc. So I decided I'd write about the first African American woman who refused to give up her bus seat to a white person. Rosa Parks.

Except, to my surprise, Rosa Parks was not the first African American woman to refuse to move.

(How did I not know this?)

Turns out, a woman living in Virginia named Irene Morgan (later Irene Morgan Kirkaldy) refused to give up her seat, an astounding eleven years before Rosa Parks made the same stance. (Don't get me wrong here: Rosa Parks is an immensely important woman in the fight for civil rights, and I am in no way trying to downplay her role. I was just surprised that I had never heard of Irene Morgan.) One morning in July of 1944, 27 year old Morgan boarded an interstate bus bound for Baltimore. Though she was seated in the area designated for "coloured people," at the next stop the bus driver asked her and the person she was sitting with to move farther back, to make room white people boarding the bus. And Irene Morgan refused.
-Here's where it gets amazing.-
The bus got the sheriff to arrest Miss Morgan. And you know what she did? She "tore up the arrest warrant, kicked the sheriff and fought with the deputy who tried to drag her off the bus." (Wikipedia) In the end, they succeeded, and she was charged with resisting arrest, and (get this) violating Virginia's segregation laws. (How, exactly, did she violate the laws when she was sitting well within the area designated for African Americans?) I'm assuming this is what Irene Morgan was wondering as well, because though she pleaded guilty to resisting arrest, and paid a fine of $100, she pleaded not guilty to violating segregation laws. (Good for her!) Yet she was FOUND GUILTY! of the second charge anyways!

So what did she do, kids?

She brought her case to the Supreme Court.
And she won.

In 1946, the Supreme Court decided that they agreed with Irene Morgan, and they struck down the segregation laws of interstate transportation.

One year after her case was won, civil rights activists took the first "Freedom Ride," in defiance of the Southern States' refusal to bow to the new anti-segregation laws. Twelve people were arrested. "Along the way, however, 12 of them were arrested on six occasions for sitting together, black and white, in both the front and back of the bus and refusing drivers' orders to segregate." (Washington Post)

From the same Washington Post article:
"She has continued to inspire her family with acts grand and neighborly. In Baltimore, she passed out petitions demanding an end to school segregation without telling anyone who she is. She wrote to the pope seeking his intervention in the case of a Haitian whose children had been barred from parochial school. She rescued a neighborhood boy from a burning building. Every Thanksgiving, she invites two homeless residents over for dinner and laundry."

So not only did the woman contribute to the end of segregation, but she also saved someone from a burning building?! Now that is what I call a hero.

In 2001, Irene Morgan Kirkaldy received the Presidential Citizens Medal, from Bill Clinton. She passed away on August 10th, 2007, at the age of ninety.

So, here's the question: How many of you guys have heard of Irene Morgan? And, honestly, why not?

(p.s: Thanks to Wikipedia and the Washington Post for all their information.)

She ain't no Hollaback Girl

A few years ago, Gwen Stefani told us she was "Just a Girl." Well, Little Miss Modest couldn't have been more wrong. In the past fifteen years or so, the chick has put out six records with her band No Doubt (which became uber-famous only after she joined the band as their lead singer,) and three solo albums ("Love, Angel Music, Baby," "The Sweet Escape," and "Wind It Up.") The albums have won her five Grammy nominations. In addition to this, she's also launched her own clothing line, L.A.M.B., which is incredibly successful, and has also recently put out her own fragrance, "L, a L.A.M.B. Fragrance." In 2004, she made her acting debut, with a short role in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, playing the original blonde bomsbell, Miss Jean Harlow.

Says askmen.com: "She's a walking, living, breathing testament to the word "adrenaline." If we didn't know better, we'd assume she drinks 20 cups of coffee a day. But her natural high-octane energy is her endearing quality."
(Couldn't have said it better myself)

So why do I think she's special enough to be a Killer Queen? Well, she is hands-down one of the most creative (mainstream) artists out there, being able to go from ska/punk to reggae to driving pop/funk, all of it making pretty much everyone wanna drop everything and dance (don't pretend like you don't know, this shit is *bananas*) She has a killer sense of style, and manages to look absolutely fabulous, without having to show everyone her chest/legs/bootie/etc. And in an age where every popstar and her mother is being charged with DUI and/or cocaine possession, has filmed their own sex tape, and has decided that wearing underwear is so last year, Gwen Stefani has managed to stay blissfully level-headed and arrest-free.

So Gwen Stefani, *Thank You!* for teaching young girls everywhere that it's so much better to be yourself and be original, than it is to do what everyone else is doing, just because it's "cool."


p.s: Don't forget the Harajuku Girls! Margaret Cho can criticize them all she wants (she called them "modern-day geisha") but I would have no problem getting paid to follow Gwen Stefani around and be human artwork.

Tres Ya-Ya

So I'm not the hugest "chick lit" fan (literature written by women, for women, about womenly things.) But I'll be damned if the Ya-Ya Sisterhood books didn't get me laughing and crying like the biggest baby in the world. Little Altars Everywhere, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Ya-Yas in Bloom, all written by Rebecca Wells, chronicle the lives of four life-long friends from Louisiana, starting in the late 30s/early 40s, right up to the 90s. The girls each have distinct personalities- Necie is shy and polite, Teensie is outspoken and completely un-embarassable, Caro is wise and unapologetic, and Vivi, the ringleader, is energetic, enthusiastic, flawed, charming, slightly psychotic, but entirely endearing. She is far from perfect, and far from a good role model, unlike the other women I've talked about so far. But she is so utterly HUMAN in her faults, that I can't help but adore her.
The reason why I put these girls in here, is because they are a fantastic example of the power of female friendship. Nowadays, it seems like everywhere I turn, on tv and in movies, and in real life, girls can be just so gosh darn CATTY. There is so much gossip and trash talk, and it just seems like girls don't really trust one another anymore. (Of course this is a huge exaggeration, I have some really fantastic girlfriends, but y'all know what I mean.) But these girls, they are there for each other, through thick and thin, and some really difficult times, for over 60 years. They are never catty, they are never petty, and they never argue over silly "girlish" things. They really understand each other, and accept each other, faults and all.

It's enough to make you wish you had your own Ya-Ya Sisterhood.