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Variety Women's Impact Report: Erykah Badu

BuzzSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:45:13 -0700

Like Marketa Irglova, whom I also featured, Badu made Variety's report in the Defying Convention category. The paper's profile of her tells the story of a singer who first seemed destined to be a traditional R&B star but soon started showing signs of being anything but mainstream. As the profile tells it, she all but faded away completely (save for one Frustrated Artist Tour) before bursting back onto the scene in February with an album that seemed to get everyone talking.

New Amerykah, Pt. 1 (4th World War) shot Badu back into the spotlight, debuting on the Billboard charts at No. 2. It's far from straightforward, a compilation of words and sounds and imagery - much of which Badu recorded and mixed herself using Apple's GarageBand. That nontraditional process not only created but also inspired her music, so to hear more about Badu - and watch a video for her single "Honey" - read more.

In an interview with Apple, Badu explained her process this way:

The music inspires me. I listen to the music, I’m in it, I hear it, and I begin to hum a melody. As I’m humming a melody, I begin to find a rhythm for the melody. There has to be space between the kick and the snare for what I’m saying. It’s all about finding a space where I belong. Soon that humming and rhythm breaks into syllables and I just find words that match the syllables of the melody. It somehow all makes sense.

And when it all makes sense - like on New Amerykah - it can be just as fun to listen to her music as it was for her to make it. Here's the video for "Honey," an ode to records and the people who collect them, which Badu also directed:

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Variety's Women's Impact Report: Diablo Cody and Ellen Page

BuzzSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:30:59 -0700

Variety has a whole category devoted to Diablo Cody and Ellen Page, titled "The Muse and the Messenger." I had no way of knowing back in December when I first saw Juno that it would explode on the movie scene as much as it did. It even went on to earn Oscar nods as one of the few heartwarming Oscar films, and one of the even fewer female-centric Oscar films.

We can thank screenwriter Diablo Cody for dreaming up the sweet script, but it was the combination of that and a smart, sassy, lovable lead character that so endeared this film to many people. For more on these two ladies, read more.

The Variety profile goes into the backlash that followed Juno's popularity, especially toward Cody:

The lion's share of scorn was aimed squarely at Cody, whose oft-repeated backstory, distinctive colloquialisms and largely thesis-less Entertainment Weekly columns made her a conspicuous target for comment-board assassins. For the seemingly unpardonable sin of writing a distinctive, successful comedy on her first attempt (and collecting Oscar, BAFTA, Indie Spirit and WGA statuettes for her trouble), Cody has inspired a budding cottage industry of parodies.

I tend to think that the haters who get personal with their attacks - beyond just disliking the movie, which is all a matter of taste - are perhaps a little jealous. The awesome thing is that it's not getting Cody down, not even a little: "Tenacity is as important as talent," Cody says. "And criticism is as useful as praise. I eat it like fuel. I'm the little engine that runs on hate. My productivity spikes when I've got something to prove, and it seems like I always do."

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Variety's Women's Impact Report: Katherine Fugate

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:31:38 -0700

It's hard enough to draw audiences to the theater for movies having to do with the Iraq War; attempting to bring these stories into living rooms week after week is a huge undertaking. But by focusing the stories more on the universal topics of friendship, family ties and community, Army Wives creator Katherine Fugate has successfully found an audience for a show about American military families.

One of the things that I think resonates most with viewers is the show's emphasis on community, for which Fugate recognizes a deep-seated desire in our society. She told Variety, "The one thing that moved me during my research among real-life Army wives was the camaraderie between the women. They will bake a cake for someone they barely know, and that was so moving for me. We ache for community." For more about Fugate - including how the birth of her daughter is all wrapped up with the show's beginnings, and how she sneaked a movie script into Shirley MacLaine's hands - click here.

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Variety Women's Impact Report: Marketa Irglova

BuzzSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:15:42 -0700

Irglova made her grand entrance as a performer in Once, the 2006 film starring her and Glen Hansard as a pair of musicians who spent a week writing their own love story in song. But she made an even bigger splash at the Oscars, when she and Hansard won the award for Best Original Song. Hansard got to speak, but Irglova didn't, and she was initially ushered offstage. But then, in a moment that several of you called an Oscar favorite, Jon Stewart brought her back onstage, where she delivered a brief speech on the nature of hope and art.

Variety didn't get to speak with Irglova for the Impact Report story, but that one speech was enough to earn her a mention, so it's worth reproducing part of it here:

This is such a big deal, not only for us, but for all other independent musicians and artists that spend most of their time struggling, and this, the fact that we're standing here tonight, the fact that we're able to hold this, it's just to prove no matter how far out your dreams are, it's possible. And, you know, fair play to those who dare to dream and don't give up.

Irglova and Hansard, who play music together as The Swell Season, are currently touring and are reportedly at work on another album. In the meantime, I highly recommend checking out this NPR interview with the two of them, which left me with an even greater appreciation for their music and their own love story.

You can watch Irglova's entire acceptance speech and a video of the two of them performing "Falling Slowly" live if you read more.

Variety's Women's Impact Report: Alexandra Patsavas

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:30:55 -0700

Variety has issued its annual Women's Impact Report, highlighting women who have made an impression at all levels of entertainment. Just like last year, the list includes executive powerhouses, household-name performers, and lesser-known talents. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be spotlighting some of the women whom I find particularly noteworthy. Today's pick: music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas.

I don't own a whole lot of TV soundtracks, but I do have several of the ones from The O.C., which sound more like mix CDs from my coolest friend than the soundtracks to a soapy teenage drama. I have expressed my admiration for the woman responsible for these compilations on a few occasions, as she has so smartly set music to some of the most popular TV shows in recent years. Grey's Anatomy, The O.C., Gossip Girl and now even Mad Men have all benefited from Alexandra Patsavas's great talent.

As Variety notes, several bands can certainly thank Patsavas for helping to get them into the spotlight: "Her power as a contemporary music tastemaker is acknowledged by producers, managers and label execs, as her savvy song choices have drawn attention to such previously little-known alt-rock and indie bands as Death Cab for Cutie, Phantom Planet and the Killers (via The OC); Snow Patrol, the Fray and Ingrid Michaelson (Grey's); and the Virgins (Gossip)."

This willingness to use newer or lesser-known bands (as opposed to going with musical selections that may be more "safe") is one of the things that makes Patsavas so cool. Patsavas told Variety, "I feel like I'm getting away with something all the time. Our producers are into really good music these days, and we are putting forward some very obscure and nontraditional choices. And I'm so happy about that." So are we.

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Variety Women's Impact Report: Stephanie Savage

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:30:49 -0700

Josh Schwartz gets most of the credit for The OC and Gossip Girl, but Savage, his co-producer, should get a ton of credit for Schwartz being a phenom in the first place. As the Variety profile points out, she was working for McG's production company when she "plucked Josh Schwartz from obscurity" and gave him a chance to run The OC.

That move made Schwartz a household name, but Savage has stayed more behind the scenes. Still, it gave her a boost as well: With Schwartz's help, she segued into writing, and now she carries a lot of the weight for Gossip Girl when Schwartz is looking after Chuck. She told Variety she loves writing about teens; to see what she had to say about them, just read more.

Savage explained her love for teens this way:

"Teens have a sensational narcissism and genuinely believe that their experiences are unique and can't be explained to adults. But we forgive them for their mistakes and naivete."

She certainly seems to know how to get into the teenage mind, what with the popularity (though not necessarily ratings success) of both Gossip Girl and The OC. Does Savage have any secrets? Not really, she said; she likes what she likes, and that just happens to translate into being strikingly hip.

Well, maybe it's not a total accident. She's also got a great career motto helping to drive her: "Show up, shut up and shine."

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