Beasts of the Southern Wild writer Lucy Alibar was one of the females celebrated at last night's Women in Film pre-Oscars party. We caught up with her to hear about the moment she learned the movie was up for four Academy Awards and the film's young star, Quvenzhané Wallis, whose best actress nomination makes her the youngest star to ever be recognized in that category.
Tonight, Women in Film held its sixth annual pre-Oscars event honoring females in the movie industry at LA restaurant Fig & Olive. Last year's best supporting actress winner, Octavia Spencer, played cohost for the event, and two of her costars from The Help were also in attendance. Viola Davis walked the red carpet with her husband, while Jessica Chastain made a late arrival to the soiree after fighting LA traffic. The event, sponsored by MAC, Max Mara, and Perrier-Jouet, honors women who are recognized for their work both in front of — and behind — the camera.
Of course, men were welcome at the bash, as well. Director David O. Russell, whose film Silver Linings Playbook is up for best picture on Sunday, attended. So did Daniel Radcliffe, who chatted up Jessica inside the party. Beyond Jessica, several of this year's female Oscar nominees were also in attendance, including best supporting actress nominee Jacki Weaver. Jacki told us her husband is working and won't be able to be her date for the Oscars, so he's throwing a viewing party at their apartment in Sydney for friends and family instead. Even though the time difference means they'll be watching the festivites around lunchtime, she told us tuxedos will be required! Join our viewing party on Sunday when PopSugar's live coverage of the Oscars kicks off at 5:30 p.m. EST/2:30 p.m. PST.
At last night's Women in Film event, some of Hollywood's most established actresses and up-and-comers — hello again, Shailene Woodley — came out for one very stylish pre-Oscar party. Gwyneth Paltrow looked incredibly sleek in a Boy. by Band of Outsiders black jumpsuit, while Jessica Chastain glowed in hot pink, and Selena Gomez worked the metallic and nude trend. Click to see the actresses in chic cocktail attire, and tell us who you think worked the best cocktail look in the comments!
Zoe Saldana chats with FabTV about the award she'll be receiving at L.A.'s Women in Film Crystal & Lucy gala - sponsored by MaxMara - as well as the close ties between fashion and Hollywood. Hear Saldana gush about MaxMara's dedication to the arts at Milan Fashion Week in the video.
On Tuesday night, the Women In Film Crystal + Lucy Awards took place in Beverly Hills, with kudos going out to a handful of strong, interesting ladies in Hollywood. Salma Hayek received an award, as did director Diane English and the cast of her upcoming remake of The Women. In addition, Ginnifer Goodwin received the Face of the Future Award, which was handed to Emily Blunt at last year's ceremony.
I personally wouldn't argue with this at all. I think Goodwin is wonderful on Big Love, and she appears to steal the show in the trailer for He's Just Not That Into You. She's got an energy and magnetism onscreen that I find appealing, and I'm curious to see her do more varied projects.
What other young actresses would you give this award to? I'm slightly surprised it wasn't handed to Ellen Page, simply because she seems to have been the favored female rising star of the year. I might have honored America Ferrera if it were up to me, or Zooey Deschanel. I also think Brittany Snow and Blake Lively are young ladies we'll want to keep our eyes on. What do you think? Is Ginnifer the best lady for this award?
Having recently seen the screenings of Superbad and Hot Rod and having also enjoyed Knocked Up earlier this summer, I have found myself wondering where the comedies written by, directed by or focusing on women have been hiding. Not counting younger fare like the Amanda Bynes-style comedies (the upcoming Sydney White, for example), where are the lady equivalents to Superbad, or even Blades of Glory? I really enjoyed Superbad, actually, but this summer feels like it's pretty heavy on the dude humor.
So I was intrigued to come across a Popwatch post yesterday which referred to an article in Siren Magazine asking these same questions. More specifically, the writer on Siren wonders why there aren't more star vehicle projects for some of the funny women who are out there right now, like Aisha Tyler, Amy Poehler, Wanda Sykes, and Amy Sedaris. I would add to that list some of my favorite funny ladies, like Isla Fisher, Maya Rudolph, Jenna Fischer, Cheryl Hines and even Kristen Bell.
Some of the best female-led comedies in recent years for me have been Waitress and Mean Girls, though for whatever reason neither of these movies has enjoyed the kind of success that movies like Knocked Up have had. The future looks bright, though: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are working on their comedy Baby Mama, and Isla Fisher will star in a Girl Scout-themed flick called The Cookie Queen. And, of course, there's the exciting news about the Shopaholic movie. Maybe this is just Judd Apatow's summer, and we'll get ours next year.
What about you? What funny ladies would you like to see given more meaty screen time?
Yesterday several great women were honored by Women In Film (WIF), an organization's that strives not only to help women in the entertainment industry with funding projects, but also by making them feel empowered in such a male-dominated industry. For all the great strides women have made in the film industry — most notably this year in independent film with fantastic directors like Sarah Polley (Away From Her) and Adrienne Shelley (Waitress) — it's still hard out there for a woman in film (and television).
On Thursday night, the WIF's Crystal+Lucy Awards were given out at a gala dinner in Los Angeles to a select group of women — though there were many beautiful attendees who came to support. According to the WIF website, "All [the winners] have excelled in their chosen fields while simultaneously supporting the work of other women." Right on! Emily Blunt is among the winners, as is "Grey's Anatomy" creator/writer Shonda Rhimes. To see the full list, read more
