WBEZ | Television

It's OK to love Shonda Rhimes' television shows

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:01:00 -0500

Shonda Rhimes is important. She is critical. That it has taken the mainstream media this many years to discover and talk about this speaks to the ways in which we discuss the creation of entertainment and the systems within the entertainment industry itself. The entertainment industry is male-dominanted, exclusive, and isolationary.

Shonda Rhimes – a writer, producer, and showrunner who at one time maintained three successful television shows (Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal) at the same time on one network – bucks this industry standard, instead creating work that is inclusive, unique, feminine and fun. These traits are not typically used to describe Important Television, but Rhimes’ rate of success over failure, fandom over derision, deserves further examination and praise.

Shonda Rhimes is a feminist. She might not say it explicitly, but it can be seen in her shows. They stem from a female perspective. This is a reflection of Rhimes herself. She is a female writer, producer, and showrunner, an extreme rarity seen only in a handful of recent examples (Lena Dunham and Mindy Kaling most notably). Rhimes controls the content of her shows. They are born out of her vision.

And it is her vision that turned many from indifferent to appreciative. Rhimes’ shows feature female lead characters. This strong vision can be seen through the actions of her characters – their decisions to openly discuss and have abortions, their struggles over life choices in work and home life – and even the conceit of the shows themselves. She explores their inner lives, desires, wants, and concerns and takes them seriously.

Audiences witnessed Grey's Anatomy's Christina Yang’s (Sandra Oh) forthright desire to have an abortion when pregnant. The first time, she suffered a miscarriage before the procedure. The second time, years later, she underwent the procedure, never wavering from her desire to not be a parent. That millions of viewers saw this on primetime television and the world did not implode shows that Rhimes’ vision is a reflection of the very real inner lives and actions of many contemporary women. Her audiences can appreciate such storylines because they are true and because they are given the respect they deserve.

As well, Rhimes’ shows are diverse, something that is still a rarity on mainstream television and in Hollywood in general. Her latest show, Scandal, features a black female lead portrayed by Kerry Washington. Earlier this year, when reflecting on the importance of Scandal’s Olivia Pope, I wrote:

Depictions of black characters in film and television especially usually fall into one of a limited number of tropes: the tragic, the sassy, the perfect. Olivia does not fit neatly into any one category. She is a woman in the wrong kind of relationship, one that is forbidden and heartbreaking. She is smart and authoritative and strong in self-assuredness. When she is right, she is very right and she will let you know it.

This same characterization can be seen throughout her shows. The characters are messy and complicated. Their decisions are often riddled with holes and major consequences. Like real life, Rhimes understands that these are choices people make – white or black, young or old – and the things we normally consider their otherness have little bearing on the matter. She does not treat diversity as if it’s something to dwell on. The experiences of the average person of color do not revolve around their race, ethnicity, gender, or other factor that makes them a minority. Rather, their experiences are just like those considered a part of the mainstream. When race is brought up, it is done casually and pointedly, not overwrought.

But most importantly, Rhimes’ shows are fun. Although Grey’s Anatomy has diminished in quality the longer it has been on the air, the show in its earliest state (and Scandal in its current state) was an engaging, exciting, and unique program. Grey’s Anatomy, currently in its ninth season, continues to outperform many new and established broadcast television shows. Scandal reached its series high this week.

Important Television can and should be fun. Yes, audiences desire something plot-driven, well thought-out and rich, but they also desire something to keep them coming back week to week. Rhimes succeeds where others fail. If we desire a future entertainment industry that reflects the diversity and stories of the world we live in, we should do more to praise those such as Rhimes who actively work to reflect that world.

Britt Julious blogs about culture in and outside of Chicago. Follow Britt's essays for WBEZ's Tumblr or on Twitter @britticisms.

Interview with 'Sexy Feminism' co-author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

Fri, 03 May 2013 08:54:00 -0500

I chat with a homegirl today, who grew up in the Chicago suburbs before moving to New York, where she spent a decade on staff at Entertainment Weekly, cofounded SexyFeminist.com, and now writes for several publications, including Women’s Health, Runner’s World, Writer’s Digest, Fast Company, and New York‘s Vulture. Jennifer Keishin Armstrong's history of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted, is coming out on Tuesday, while her collaboration with Heather Wood Rudulph, Sexy Feminism, was released earlier this year. She has provided pop culture commentary for CNN, VH1, A&E, and ABC and teaches for Gotham Writers' Workshop. You can learn a lot more about her here.

I’m guilty of this myself but often, women criticize other women’s definitions of feminism. What were some criticisms you anticipated people lobbing towards Sexy Feminism that you wanted to head off at the pass and address within it?
We knew when we named our website Sexy Feminist (and then our book Sexy Feminism) that we were being a little, you know, provocative. But we knew it would start specific discussions, and we were right. Our thing is that we're definitely NOT delineating ourselves from other feminists somehow—you know, we're sexy feminists, and the others aren't—but we're saying that, despite continued misperception, ALL feminism is sexy. And we'll stop calling our website Sexy Feminist when everyone gets that. The idea is to stop people who have not necessarily identified as feminists but who are feminist-curious to look at the book or the site and want to learn more.

Tell me about the cover of the book: what were some other possibilities (if any) that were considered?
The only other possibility we got from the publisher was a very straightforward cover with no photos or graphics, which we thought was a little ... less than exciting, given the provocative name. This was the alternative we ended up with after sharing that feedback with them, and we felt okay about it. It's attention-grabbing, and that lipgloss is so fantastic that I ended up going out to hunt down anything I could find at Sephora that came close. (Hot tip: Tarte's lip crayon in "Enchanted" is my new favorite toy, and Tarte is one of our feminist-friendly cosmetic companies named in the book. Win win!)

What do you think are examples of pop culture that got feminism right both in terms of definition/idealism but also by demonstrating it in an everyday, practical way?
I feel a professional obligation to say this, but I also believe it: The Mary Tyler Moore Show. They weren't trying to be feminist, but the movement was so much in the air at the time, and they had so many feminist-identified women writing for the show, that it came through. I always say Mary Richards was the original Sexy Feminist. She really came into her empowerment throughout the series, and we saw her argue for equal pay to her male predecessor, we saw her talk about the pressures of being the only woman in the newsroom, and we saw her (mostly in later years) assert herself strongly with men. In one of the last episodes, she even asked Lou Grant out. It didn't work out, but still.

You’ve written books about The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the Mickey Mouse Club. What are some books about shows you’d read if they were written (but don’t want to write yourself?)
I love this question, because I can tell you that when figuring out my next book (which is now officially Seinfeld) I basically just pored over lists of TV shows. The ones I feel like I definitely can't tackle are sci-fi shows: I love some of them but don't have the geek-level knowledge required. So I think about stuff like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Lost. Those are the two that I think could hold up to book treatment, but I'm not necessarily the right author for them.

Tell me about what you do as a career coach/consultant. And what do you do when you feel like you need consulting?
I'm very good at running other people's lives! Actually, I have to admit I think I've had a pretty good run in my own career so far, and I really do like helping other people figure out how to make those key decisions that can make a difference. Most of the time, it's that people are simply frozen into inaction by fear—fear of failing, fear of succeeding. And writing, in particular, is such a baffling career path full of constant decisions. You don't just take the corporate job and then wait 50 years so you can get your gold watch. So I can talk to clients about everything from getting their first few publication credits to moving to the next level of publications to getting an agent or going freelance full-time. It's funny you ask about what I do when I need consulting, because I've just recently started feeling that itch, like, okay, what now? I've started looking for mentors to befriend so I can ask them for a little advice in exchange for a few rounds of drinks; I also went to a great conference last week run by ASJA, and got tons of ideas for ways to advance my career more.

What’s something really unfeminist that you like? (Sometimes I dance to really misogynistic music.)
Oh, man, I do love me some "In da Club" and "Big Pimpin.'" They're just good songs. I also happen to really enjoy watching The Bachelor/Bachelorette. I always say I will allow myself to watch them because I have studied media and feminism enough that I watch them with a (very) critical lens, and because I don't personally have a Nielsen box, so I'm not actually affecting the ratings. If I get a Nielsen box, it must stop immediately.

When you worked at Entertainment Weekly, which fanbases tended to respond most rabidly when you wrote about their favorite show/artist/movie etc?
Well, despite my claims that I couldn't write a whole Lost book, I did do some reporting on Lost in my day, and, you know, you can imagine that fan base. But more surprisingly, people get just as into their Grey's Anatomy, for instance. I used to recap that and couldn't ever read the message board comments. They were very, very passionate, and channeled that passion into being not-always-kind to me.

Who are some of your favorite sexy feminists in pop culture (and you cannot name either Tina Fey or Amy Poehler.)
Ha! Those ladies do rule, but I've been totally enamored of Lena Dunham of late. If you watch or read her interviews, man, that girl is scary smart. And a totally out-and-proud feminist. She takes the loads of criticism of her work quite beautifully, and I think her constant nakedness onscreen really is revolutionary the way she does it. We truly do need to see more body types besides 90 pounds and 5-foot-10 with Olympic-level abs. I also adore Mindy Kaling, and her show does a lot of subtly feminist things: Her character is great at her job and clearly smart, even though she's a little boy crazy and talks like a teenager. But more importantly, she has this insane sexual confidence that I think makes her a strangely wonderful role model to young women. Also, she's unbelievably funny, in her own way.

You’ve worked with Heather Wood for a long time (back when I interviewed you for MBToolBox about Sirens Mag.) Why do you two work so well together and what tips do you have for working with a longtime collaborator?
We definitely just have that mind-meld thing happening. We're each totally comfortable letting the other speak on our behalf as a team. I'm an independent spirit, but it's nice to have a collaborator to fall back on sometimes when your life gets crazy with book deadlines or personal stuff. It's the best when I log onto the site and see that she's posted new content or edited a piece I'd been neglecting. We can talk each other off professional ledges sometimes, too. The main thing is to treat it almost like a romantic relationship. Keep lines of communication open and constantly express appreciation. One of the things I've noticed we automatically do, and I like, is to always thank each other. If she sees that I put up a new post, she thanks me. If she does our taxes, I thank her. I've actually carried this over into my romantic relationship, and it works wonders!

How does it feel to be the 347th person interviewed for Zulkey.com?
I feel really good about that number. There's something auspicious about it.

Follow Claire Zulkey @zulkey, check out previous interviews here or see her at Funny Ha-Ha tonight.

The 'Mad Men' complex

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:30:00 -0500

The hit AMC drama Mad Men returned for a sixth season on Sunday night, and fans flocked to viewing parties all over the country to celebrate the occasion. In Chicago, venues like the Public Hotel and Logan Theatre opened their doors for late-night soirees, serving retro cocktails on the rocks and welcoming Mad Men enthusiasts in their finest sixties attire.

After four consecutive Emmy wins for Best Drama and a popular Banana Republic clothing line, the show has a rightful position in our cultural zeitgest alongside other fan-favorites like Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones. The episodes are very well written, beautifully filmed and certainly indicative of the times.

Still, I find myself wondering: why do members of my generation in particular (those gosh darn millenials) romanticize a philandering cad like Don Draper and gloss over the unfair treatment of almost everyone else on the show who isn't a straight white male?

Mad fans tend to put Don on a pedestal as the ultimate man-ly man: the square-jawed anti-hero who makes women swoon against their better judgment and prompts modern-day guys to take notes. The alpha-male chauvinsim of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce feeds on a sexist environment that could never exist today; and yet, my Mad Men-obsessed friends (and many online commentators) enjoy the "harmless" voyeuristic experience of watching these white male ad execs get away with everything they can't do in real life.

Mad Men devotees gravitate towards Don and repel his ex-wife Betty, even though their vices (rampant alcoholism and extramarital affairs for him, awful parenting and mental instability for her) shouldn't make any one the "villain" over the other.

Jon Hamm's inherent likability as an actor versus January Jones' regrettable stiffness probably doesn't help matters; but from a logical standpoint, shouldn't viewers have a little more contempt for the cheating husband and a little more compassion for the wife he discarded? The fact that most people I know (male and female) have zero sympathy for Betty, yet easily forgive Don for all of his flaws, is more than a little disconcerting.

"I miss the old Don," was a common thread on Mad Men forums last year, with commenters agreeing that "Don is a liar and cheat...and we like him that way!" and cheering when he strayed from second wife Megan at the end of Season 5. Again, what is it about womanizing Don that keeps viewers coming back for more? Is he living some kind of fantasy that other men only wish they could pursue? Everyone loves a good anti-hero (take Walter White of Breaking Bad, for example) but sometimes I wonder why audiences like "unlikeable" characters so much in the first place.

Peggy Olson, my favorite character, is the token feminist on the show. She fights to be taken seriously as an equal; and at the top of Season 6, she is well on her way. Still, I would never want to be in her position (a woman working twice as hard to land a man's job) and I don't understand why women of my generation would ever dream of living in an era that was so blatantly sexist. The 1960s are often viewed through rose-colored glasses; when in actuality, these years were some of the most tumultous and trying times in our nation's history.

Meanwhile, audiences adore Joan Holloway as the sassy and curvaceous "Marilyn" of Mad Men, wishing more bold women with "real bodies" like hers existed in the new millenium. And yet, from my perspective, Joan's story is a sad one. She sleeps her way to the top; not because she is untalented, but because she doesn't even realize that her talent in the office should be enough. Alas, this is all she knows, and her overwhelmingly misogynistic society doesn't present her with many options otherwise.

Another distressing aspect of Mad Men is the lack of diversity on the show in general. Season 1 introduced the closeted art director Sal Romano; but for some reason, his storyline was cut after Season 3 and audiences never saw him again. A lesbian subtext also briefly arose in Season 1 with Joan's female roommate; but after Joan politely brushed her aside, she too disappeared. Personally, I'd welcome a return from Sal, or a more in-depth storyline for Zosia Mamet's character Joyce Ramsay: a lesbian friend of Peggy's whose confidence I found refreshing.

And while Season 6 is guaranteed to show the Civil Rights Movement in full force, past seasons of Mad Men have featured minorities only in subservient positions (like the Drapers' Puerto Rican maid, Celia) and seen only through the prism of white eyes. The first prominently-featured black character in a non-housekeeper role (Dawn Chambers, Don's new secretary and Sterling Cooper's first black employee) wasn't introduced until Season 5; and unfortunately, given very little to do beyond serving a cultural plot point.

I understand that Mad Men is a show about upper-class white America in the 1960s, just like how Girls is a reprsentation of privileged white girls in modern-day Brooklyn. Still, I'd like to see Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner fulfill his promise of giving black voices a real chance to be heard in future episodes.

Hopefully, Season 6 will bring more empowered women, queer advocates and trailblazing people of color to the forefront of Mad Men than ever before. If the men of my generation can aspire to be more than Don Draper, and the woman can realize that they deserve better, then I'll raise my Old Fashioned to that.

Leah Pickett writes about popular culture for WBEZ. Follow her on Twitter @leahkpickett or join the 'Mad Men' conversation on Facebook.

Maid’s memoir gives glimpse at real life ‘Downton Abbey’

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 08:00:00 -0500

You may have heard of Anna and Mr. Bates, O’Brien and Thomas, but have you heard of Margaret Powell? Her 1968 memoir about servants’ life below the stairs of a stately English house was a direct inspiration for Downton Abbey and its popular predecessor, Upstairs, Downstairs.

Powell, born Margaret Langley in 1907, grew up in Sussex extremely poor. Her father, a house painter, and her mother, a charwoman or house cleaner, could barely support Margaret and her six siblings.

“I remember when we hadn’t anything left to use for warmth and no money to get coal,” she wrote in Below Stairs. “I said to Mum, ‘Get all the wood down. Let’s have a fire with wood.’ She took every single shelf there was in the rooms and she even took the banisters from the stairs. Things like this make you hard.”

Perhaps predicting her future success as a writer, Margaret won a scholarship to grammar school at age 13. But her parents couldn’t spare her, and sent her to work in a laundry by the time she was 15.

A year later Margaret found work as a kitchen maid in a stately Regency-style mansion in the posh Adelaide Crescent section of Hove, a town on England’s south coast. She recalled the first time she set foot in the house, which was home to a minister and his family:

“When my mother and I arrived at this house for the interview we went to the front door. In all the time I worked there, that was the only time I ever went in the front door. . . We were ushered into the hall and I thought it was the last word in opulence. There was a lovely carpet on the floor, and tremendously wide stairs carpeted right across, not like the tiny little bit of lino in the middle we had on our stairs. There was a great mahogany table in the hall and a mahogany hall stand, and huge mirrors with gilt frames. The whole thing breathed an aura or wealth to me. I thought they must be millionaires. I’d never seen anything like it.”

Powell died in 1984, but her legacy has been preserved – and not just through her memoir or shows like Downton. Chicago historian and actress Leslie Goddard has developed something of a specialty inhabiting the lives of famous women of yore. In an appearance in February, she took on the role of Powell, performing an adaptation of Below Stairs as the author herself.

In the audio above, you can hear Goddard perform as Powell. She describes the astonishing workload typical of a pre-war kitchen maid, and explains how the stark contrast between Powell’s impoverished upbringing and her newly lush surroundings eventually radicalized her politics.

Dynamic Range showcases hidden gems unearthed from Chicago Amplified’s vast archive of public events and appears on weekends. Leslie Goddard performed at an event presented by Chicago Culinary Historians in February of 2013. Click here to hear the event in its entirety.

Robin Amer is a producer on WBEZ’s digital team. Follow her on Twitter @rsamer.

Amos 'n' Andy--controversial Chicago comedy

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0500

On March 19, 1928--85 years ago today--the most popular program of radio’s golden age made its debut in Chicago. The show was “Amos ‘n’ Andy.” The title characters were two African-American men who had moved from the South to a big city in the North.

Amos was played by Freeman Gosden, and Andy was played by Charles Correll. Both men were white. They did their show in what they considered Southern black dialect.

Gosden & Correll had been doing a similar program called “Sam ‘n’ Henry” on WGN. When they moved to WMAQ on this date, they had to change the names of their characters. Within a year, “Amos ‘n’ Andy” went national. Within another year, it was the biggest thing on radio.

The original show ran six days a week with continuing story lines like a soap opera. Listeners really got involved. The program was so popular that many theaters would halt their movies at “Amos ‘n’ Andy” time, and pipe the radio broadcast right into the auditorium.

As time passed, most episodes revolved around the head of the local lodge. Known as the Kingfish, he was usually involved in some shady scheme that would later backfire. Huey Long, the famous senator, was called the Kingfish by his followers, and considered the nickname a badge of honor.

What did African-Americans think of “Amos ‘n’ Andy”? The answer was unclear. Some black people said they liked the show, some said they did not. The Pittsburgh Courier organized a boycott, but abandoned it after a while.

“Amos ‘n’ Andy” became a TV show in 1951. During their early days on radio, Gosden & Correll had actually made a feature film in blackface. That was a mistake, and they admitted it. They continued doing the radio show, but now put African-American actors on the tube.

The TV program ran two years on CBS, then went into syndication. Gosden & Correll ended their radio run in 1960. Pressure from the NAACP convinced the network to pull the TV reruns off the air in 1966.

“Amos ‘n’ Andy” remains controversial. Critics claim it was demeaning and reinforced stereotypes. Others say that the TV show was never as offensive as the radio program, and that it did provide a showcase for many African-American actors.

Here’s a thought. A few years ago, Jackie Gleason’s old TV show “The Honeymooners” was made into a movie, but with a black cast. Why not remake “Amos ‘n’ Andy” with a white cast?

Personally, I think Bill Murray would make a dandy Kingfish.

CNN's Ohio rape trial coverage ridiculed

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0500

'ANYONE WOULD FIND THEMSELVES ON THE SIDE OF ... THESE POOR YOUNG MEN, WHO WERE VERY GOOD AT TAKING TESTS AND PLAYING SPORTS WHEN THEY WERE NOT RAPING ...' Gawker ridicules CNN's coverage of the Steubenville, Ohio, trial of "star football players."
* The Atlantic: "CNN's not the only one peddling sympathy" for rapists.
* HyperVocal.com: Onion parody perfectly anticipated CNN's coverage -- two years ago.
* Former porn star Traci Lords says she and her mother were also raped in Steubenville.

SPEAKING OF OHIO ... Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has reversed his opposition to gay marriage after his own son came out; but Speaker John Boehner, also from Ohio, says he "can't imagine" ever changing his position.
* Satire from Andy Borowitz: Other Republicans inspired "to stop speaking to their children."
* U. of C. law school prof: "Those who think that the marriage of same-sex couples is incompatible with their religious beliefs ... cannot legitimately or with a proper respect for the American system of law and justice attempt to impose those beliefs on those who disagree."

CTA FARES CONFUSING? HERE'S HELP. With even some board members seemingly bewildered by the plan they approved last week, the Tribune serves up a chart translating how you pay now to how you'll pay under the incoming Ventra system.

THE STORY OBAMA, REPUBLICANS 'DON'T DARE TALK ABOUT.' In another time, another political climate, you might expect President Obama or his opposition to brag about the Dow's stratospheric rise. But writing for Mediaite, Joe Concha says both sides are quiet: Obama, to avoid compromising his rep as "champion for Main Street"; Republicans, to avoid suggesting "any good economic news ... going into the midterm election season."
* Sarah Palin makes fun of Obama's teleprompter reliance ... while reading from a teleprompter.
* ABC contributor Matthew Dowd says Palin and the rest of the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference reminded him of "a 'Flintstones' episode."

Looking for Friday's WBEZ Meyerson News Quiz? Here you go.

'EARTH HOUR TEACHES ALL THE WRONG LESSONS.' An adjunct professor at the Copenhagen Business School says this Saturday's environmental awareness-raising festivities will in fact increase the world's carbon dioxide emissions.
* Following undercover video showing cows struggling to stand as they were prodded to slaughter by forklifts, new legislation in states across the country seeks to end farm-animal abuse ... (wait for it) ... videos.

'HOW I SAVED VERONICA MARS AND DESTROYED THE MOVIE INDUSTRY.' Reflecting on the Kickstarter campaign that seems set to revive the TV show starring Kristen Bell, Brian S Hall says he did it with "technology I carry around with with me everyday."
* Is New York-based startup a cable TV killer?

QUESTIONS MOST OFTEN ANSWERED WRONG IN FRIDAY'S NEWS QUIZ.

A national survey finds that, over the last 40 years, in all regions of the country, the percentage of U.S. homes with guns is _____ (up, down, unchanged).
Which of these events now holds the record for most tweets per minute? (Pope Francis' 2013 election, Barack Obama's 2012 reelection, Barack Obama's 2008 election, The Britney-Madonna kiss at the VMAs.)

Now it's your turn to avenge those who guessed incorrectly.

ANNOUNCEMENTS.
* Suggestions for this blog? Email anytime.
* Get this blog by email, free. Sign up here.
* Follow us on Twitter: @WBEZ and @Meyerson.

In praise of the messiness of Scandal's Olivia Pope

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 05:00:00 -0600

Olivia Pope wears a lot of white. She wears white dresses to inauguration ceremonies or lush white coats while running to and from one fire to the next.

She even wears long white gloves that she plucks from her body, finger by finger, to touch her great and complicated love, President Fitzgerald Grant, as he recovers from a gunshot wound in the hospital.

If white is a symbol of purity, from merely a quick glance, Olivia's aesthetics tell a story of a perfect, pristine woman. Her clothes should be the reflection of who she is, or who she projects to the world.

But any fan of Scandal can attest to the simplicity of this image. Audiences this season have witnessed the crumbling of this facade of perfection. This is not just the result of her affair. It is the result of her choices, the difficult decisions she must make in her personal life and the livelihood of those around her. Does she continue her affair with the President? Do we support her decision to break up a budding relationship for one of her staffers? Is it fair for her to keep secrets about the lives of her employees? Can helping facilitate an illegitimate presidency ever be okay?

As in real life, Olivia (Kerry Washington) has had and will continue to face situations that test her morals and ideals. And it is the pressure of these decisions that continues to make Scandal one of the most surprising and compelling shows on television. This gradual turn in character continues to breathe life into the show, making it television to unpack slowly the next day. However, what is important in this slow unravelling is not just that the character of Olivia is more complicated and nuanced than we imagined. It's that she is those things at all.

The first few episodes of Scandal presented a character who was, even with an affair with a married man, too perfect to believe. She seemed inhuman, incapable of bad ideas and bad decisions. Her perfection even allowed audiences to accept her affair. The president's wife must be truly terrible, one would assume, for Olivia to willingly pursue a married man. In many ways, Olivia represented another example of the "Black Boss Lady" television trope. As identified by the website TV Tropes,

[T]he Black Boss Lady is good, or she wouldn't be where she is today. She's not afraid to take some risk if there is a decent chance of a worthwhile pay off … When it comes to drama, her blackness is hardly ever mentioned, her femaleness being the main source of plot. This being so she won't have much of an Urban Accent or have many tropes stereotypically associated with blackness.

But as season two has progressed, Olivia has proven to be flawed in a truly human and relatable way. And it is these flaws that make her so important for both female and (especially) black characters on television. Her decisions are not always right. Her gut check (which she heavily relied on as a source of knowledge in the former half of the first season) proved to be less of a guarantee as her actions began to be governed by problems that in many instances seemed larger than she could handle. Although she at times slips back into her identity as the unquestionable Black Boss Lady, her messiness, like the messiness of the politicians, leaders, business tycoons, and other assorted characters her team at Olivia Pope & Associates (OPA) fixes, is real.

Her messiness is integral to the success of the show. For Scandal to truly succeed, the writers of the show had to let go in some of the structure of their characters, allowing audiences to see that no one is truly immune from the way problems affect our personal lives and decisions. Every character has a "scandal" and it is because of this that we root for them, flaws and all. But more importantly, her messiness is integral to her well-roundedness as a character.

Olivia Pope is a rare character for blacks in general and black women in particular. Depictions of black characters in film and television especially usually fall into one of a limited number of tropes: the tragic, the sassy, the perfect. Olivia does not fit neatly into any one category. She is a woman in the wrong kind of relationship, one that is forbidden and heartbreaking. She is smart and authoritative and strong in self-assuredness. When she is right, she is very right and she will let you know it. She is these things and many more.

Each week gives viewers another glimpse into why she is the way she is. There is a reason why Olivia is the lead and not President Grant or new OPA hire Quinn Perkins or any of the other strong supporting cast. The writers and creator (Shonda Rhimes) made a smart choice that gives viewers the chance to witness perhaps one of the most richly nuanced depictions of black womanhood to ever be broadcast.

I relate to Olivia on a fundamental level. I see her blackness, her femininity, and I see myself. But also, I see her sadness, her confusion, her anger, her exasperation, her tears, her joy and I see myself as well. Before Scandal began, much of the publicity cited the fact that the show was the first prime time drama in decades to have a black female lead. Although this still stands as an important milestone for television, Scandal's role as a vehicle for more complete representations of black womanhood should not be ignored either. What we are witnessing is a slow-building completeness and that is change to love.

Follow Britt on twitter @britticisms

Lena Dunham: The voice of a generation?

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 05:00:00 -0600

Lena Dunham and I have a lot in common.

OK, we’re not exactly alike. I don't share Dunham's much-maligned body type, and my mother is not a famous artist with a $2 million loft in TriBeCa. I also don’t co-write, direct or star in my own hit series on HBO (except for in my dreams) But in many ways, I consider Dunham to be a kindred spirit, or at least a wacky spirit guide for surviving my mid-twenties.

Her character on Girls, the awkward yet somehow endearing 24-year-old Hannah Horvath, is an aspiring writer trying to make it in New York after her parents cut her off financially. Replace Brooklyn with Logan Square, and that’s my life in a nutshell. Also, since Dunham is essentially playing herself (albeit an exagerrated version with fictional monetary woes), her stories of personal and professional struggle bizarrely reflect my own.

Dunham isn’t a role model per se, but she does represent a faction of society that currently dominates popular culture: postgrad twenty-somethings. Or as the baby boomers like to call us, the “entitlement generation."

That being said, I can see why so many people hate her. Dunham was born into privilege, attended one of the most expensive art colleges in the country and apparently didn't grow up around too many black people. Her pet project Tiny Furniture got picked up by several film festivals in 2010, prompting Hollywood hitmaker Judd Apatow to take her under his wing and launch Girls with his new protègè front and center. No wonder her critics keep making fat jokes! They have to bring her down somehow.

"Bad Friend," an episode documenting Hannah's misadventures with blogging, clubbing and cocaine that aired on Sunday night, is a prime example of why Girls is one of the best shows currently on television. Hot off the heels of two Golden Globe awards, one for Best Comedy Series and the other for Dunham as Best Actress, the series continues to top itself week after week and shows no signs of slowing down.

Dunham and Girls co-writer Jenni Konner have been showered with praise since Season 2 began in early January, especially in addressing the "people of color" issue that had been previously overlooked in Season 1. Dunham recently acquired a $3 million-plus book deal as a result of the show's success, and HBO has already announced a greenlight for Season 3.

But while Girls became a commercial and critical darling almost overnight, Dunham's public persona is decidedly less beloved. She has been called fat, ugly, racist, talentless, stupid, elitist, sexually grotesque and offensive on every level. This doesn't seem to bother her though, as she continues to eat birthday cake naked and makes no apologies for it.

A lot of people hate Lena Dunham because they believe that her lifestyle--a white, privileged and excessively tattooed hipstergirl cavorting through Bushwick--does not represent them (and how dare you suggest such a thing!) However, coming from a wealthy and well-connected family doesn't make her any less clever or insightful, and being a "half-Jew, half-WASP" with lots of white friends doesn't automatically make her a racist.

We are all the product of our environments, and Dunham happens to tell some very funny stories about hers. The voice of a generation? I wouldn't go that far. A symbol of her generation? Absolutely. So say what you will about Dunham as a cultural icon, but she's going to keep eating her cake (and enjoying it too!)

Follow Leah on Twitter @leahkpickett

Because racism is so last year, The New Normal is making fun of intersex people now

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 05:00:00 -0600

I don’t understand what Ryan Murphy’s deal is. When his new show, The New Normal, premiered last September, the program landed in hot water (from myself and TV critics like Maureen Ryan) for being “gaycist.” The term was coined by Lauren Bans of GQ to describe a trend she saw in gay-produced television—of gay writer-producers employing pervasive racial stereotypes on their programs. Bans was describing the "stunningly racist" oeuvre of Michael Patrick King—who brought us Sex and the City and Two Broke Girls, a show whose major comic weapon is a yellowface stereotype named Han.

Like King, Murphy’s characters reify old-school stereotypes, and on The New Normal, Nene Leakes often looks like she’s posing for an Aunt Jemima bottle or a Lana Del Rey album. Leakes purses her lips a lot, looks sassy and makes jokes about stealing her boss’ credit card—all while chastising the more overt racism of Ellen Barkin’s token racist grandma. Barkin provides most of the comic relief for the show by making lazily racist comments about Asians, blacks, Jews and just about anyone else she can think of, and we’re expected to laugh because she’s being naughty. The show tends to have its racist cake and eat it too.

While the tone of the show hasn’t changed, nor has Nana, the program’s hipster racist tendencies (of using mock racism to disguise plain ol’ racism) have moved to the margins. Racism’s still there, but it no longer occupies the foreground of the show, because Murphy knows he can’t get away with it. So, instead of racism being a major plot point, Nene Leakes now tries to steal someone's money off camera, and Nana makes off-handed comments about bad Asian drivers and the other characters ignore her. Her granddaughter even states that she’s so used to Nana’s racism that she can’t hear it anymore, an odd metaphor for the show in general.

While we may see this as a victory, it’s not that different, and the show’s new racist normal only serves to enable further bad behavior. Ryan Murphy seems to think that if he’s not being overtly racist, he’s allowed to get away with other things—like mocking young mothers for having “low-self esteem” and implicitly excusing partner rape, both of which actually happened in the last episode, “The Goldie Rush.” It’s a show that tends to give its own critics an embarrassment of ammunition to attack it with.

However, the coup de grace of “The Goldie Rush” is a segment mocking intersex individuals. In the episode, Christopher Guest regular Michael Hitchcock plays Gary, the director of the Los Angeles surrogacy agency that’s helping Bryan and David have their child. As everyone in the show is wowed by the greatness of Bryan and David’s relationship, their baby bliss forces Gary to lament his own sad singledom. Gary then whines that he never can find the right guy—because he always gets paired up with “losers.” In Family Guy fashion, the show responds by cutting away to one of Gary’s “bad internet dates,” which in this case is with a man who reveals himself to be intersex. After this revelation, the show then cuts back to business as usual.

But what was the point? What good does this do? None. It's barely even a joke.

In addition, the show continues its trend of under-the-radar racism by making its intersex character short, chubby, Asian and vaguely androgynous— for which Murphy’s not allowed to overtly make fun of him. (Note: He just so happens to look like a gay version of Two Broke Girls’ Han.) This Han II stands in stark contrast to Matt Bomer, the episode’s ever-shirtless guest star, who stands for everything desirable to Gary. Bomer is a square-jawed replica of a Ken doll with chiseled abs, who (spoiler alert!) Gary will end up with after stalking him. Like I said, you don’t have to look hard to find problematic material in this show.

In the past, Murphy has been reprimanded (with a GLAAD seal of disapproval) for his shows’ lack of inclusion of trans folks. One choice Glee episode omitted the word “transsexual,” while elsewhere opting to use the word “tranny,” a term considered by many in the trans community to be a hateful slur. (It’s analogous to using the “n-word.”) Murphy has attempted to repent for being transphobic by including a trans woman of color in the newest cast of Glee, and his shows have more or less laid off trans folks. Like a dog and an invisible fence, Murphy knows if he crosses that line, he’ll be shocked.

Because he can’t outwardly make fun of trans people or people of color anymore, targeting intersex people now occupies the discursive space they took up. It’s a shrewd move on Murphy’s part—who wrote the episode—because making fun of intersex folks is a seemingly safe bet. The intersex community, only recently visible in the queer spectrum, isn’t nearly as mobilized as the trans or POC communities in responding to these kinds of damaging comments. In Murphy’s mind, he might as well have set Gary up with a Visigoth. Because, what, is the Visigoth community going to get offended now?

However, just because Murphy doesn’t know any intersex people—and some viewers might not have known “intersex” was a thing—doesn’t make the joke more morally sound. What this mockery does is serve to further marginalize a group that’s already marginalized enough, even in their own community. (The last time I checked, there’s no I in “LGBT.”) In her article on hipster racism, Lindy West wrote on the subject, “People in positions of power simply cannot make jokes at the expense of the powerless. That's why, at a company party, you never have a roast where the CEO is roasting the janitor.” In the case of intersex people, Ryan Murphy isn’t making fun of the janitor. He’s making fun of the people who aren’t even allowed inside the building.

Murphy sees himself as a champion for the inclusion of queer people, and shows like American Horror Story have done a great job of including gay and lesbian actors and characters in lead roles. On this season of AHS, out actors Sarah Paulson and Zachary Quinto are two of the leads, and the entire purpose of The New Normal is to argue that queer people are “just like everyone else.” In the next year, Murphy will be bringing Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart to HBO, a landmark play by the pioneering gay AIDS activist, to whom Murphy clearly looks up.

But if Murphy wants to truly be a pioneer in his own medium—at a time when we need more queer voices in film and television—he needs to put his money where his mouth is and actually be inclusive. To do so, Murphy must rethink who his media politics include and who they marginalize, who his audience invites in and who his imagined community leaves out. This Tuesday, a lesbian friend of mine tuned into The New Normal for the first time—only to change the channel after the intersex joke. If Murphy wants to keep queer viewers, he needs to make a show that doesn’t divide and mock our community. Murphy needs to bring it together.

Chicago television blues

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 09:00:00 -0600

Chicago may be called The Second City, but in terms of television success, a number farther down the list would be more accurate.

As 2012 drew to a close, two Chicago-based TV shows were cancelled by their respective networks. The Mob Doctor, FOX’s low-rated (and hilariously awful) drama about a surgeon working for the mafia, was whacked after just 13 episodes. Boss, another low-rated (but surprisingly riveting) drama starring Kelsey Grammer as a corrupt Daley-esque Chicago mayor, got the axe after struggling to connect with viewers on Starz for two seasons.

Grammer claims that audiences shunned Boss in response to his own right-leaning political beliefs (a Fox News-style conspiracy theory that I don't buy for a second) and one could argue that abysmal writing was solely to blame for The Mob Doctor’s demise. Still, the truth is that most TV shows filmed in Chicago don’t last long, regardless of script quality or star power.

The Chicago Code, an intense crime drama on FOX starring Jennifer Beals, was cancelled after just one season in May 2011. That same year, NBC’s The Playboy Club, which, granted, was much less promising than The Chicago Code, was also shut down after only three episodes on the air.

Currently, MTV’s Underemployed and NBC’s Chicago Fire are holding on to their local film crews, despite mixed reviews from critics and worryingly low ratings. But if these shows don’t step up their game and attract more viewers soon, they too will descend into the same cancelled TV purgatory.

On paper, Chicago seems like the perfect place to film a hit TV show: highly cinematic atmosphere, hardworking crews and a plethora of talented local actors to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. So why are shows like CBS’s The Good Wife set in Chicago, but filmed elsewhere?

Unfortunately, logistical factors make filming in the Windy City more of a hassle than an advantage. Most film crews would rather shoot in locations like Los Angeles, New Orleans or Vancouver, where the taxes are lower and the weather much more reliable.

Even colder and more expensive cities like New York are preferable, with a multitude of soundtages available despite high production costs. Chicago has one big film studio, the beautiful Cinespace on the Near West Side, but more widespread studio space could also allow more productions to be filmed indoors during the freezing winter months.

Thankfully, Chicago seems to have better luck with films. Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon was a literal disaster movie shot downtown during the summer of 2010 that created thousands of jobs for local film crews. And who could forget director Christopher Nolan taking over Chicago in the summer of 2007 with The Dark Knight, catapulting Batman off rooftops, sending the Joker careening through the streets and modeling Gotham’s skyline after ours?

While television shows have floundered in comparison to the great films that have been made here, Chicagoans shouldn’t lose hope. The ShowTime drama Shameless, which has been filming exterior locations in Chicago since 2010, still reigns on cable as a critical darling. And who knows? Maybe a Dark Knight television series is just around the corner…

Follow Leah on Twitter @leahkpickett