FastForward

Tonight's Gracies will feature the best and brightest in media

22 May 2012 12:08:34 CDT

Excitement mounts as a growing list of celebrities confirm their attendance at The 37th Annual Gracie Awards Gala today, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Hosted by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, the Gracies recognize exemplary programming created for women, by women and about women in all facets of media, including radio, television, cable and new media. The awards program also encourages the realistic and multi‐faceted portrayal of women in entertainment, news, features and other programs.

'Rocky' producer to make Rebekah Brooks film

22 May 2012 12:08:34 CDT

"Rebekah Brooks: The Movie" has been announced in Cannes, with American producers likening her life story to Pip in "Great Expectations." Producer Gene Kirkwood said Brooks's downfall also carried echoes of Richard Nixon. The film will be based on a recent Vanity Fair article by Suzanna Andrews called "Untangling Rebekah Brooks," which traced her journey from News of the World secretary to the most powerful woman in Rupert Murdoch's empire.

A-listers celebrate women in film at Cannes

22 May 2012 12:08:34 CDT

Cannes is not featuring any female directors this year but it does love women in film. American actresses Jessica Chastain and Shailene Woodley were honored at an exclusive soiree at a remote hillside villa by the Independent Filmmaker Project, along with international stars Naomi Watts, Diane Kruger and Ludivine Sagnier.

Facebook's Sandberg: Career women's goddess

22 May 2012 12:08:34 CDT

It's a big moment for Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, often credited for increasing the social network's revenue since CEO Mark Zuckerberg whisked her away from Google. Sandberg appears to have it all: an impressive title, a work history that includes being chief of staff to the U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton, as well as the world's most influential businessmen at the Davos World Economic Forum. Now, the outspoken 42-year-old joins the ranks of some of wealthiest self-made women as Facebook began trading publicly on the Nasdaq.

Why have no female directors been nominated at Cannes?

22 May 2012 12:08:34 CDT

Of the 22 films in contention for the prestigious Palme d'Or, not one has a female director. And while women's lives are getting more attention on screen, the struggle to break into the rough and tough old boys' club of directing appears as hard as ever.

Women occupy 7 of top 10 spots on 'most powerful' list

22 May 2012 12:08:34 CDT

Forbes' "Most Powerful Celebrity" list is jam packed with women. In fact, women take seven out of the top 10 spots in the magazine's report, which ranks people according to earnings and fame. Jennifer Lopez takes the No. 1 spot and Oprah — the highest-ranking media mogul on the list — is runner-up.

Ridley Scott opens up about kick-ass women and 'Blade Runner 2'

22 May 2012 12:08:34 CDT

Over the course of his 35-year film-making career, Ridley Scott has dazzled audiences with his thrillingly diverse oeuvre, tackling everything from science fiction and sword-and-sandals epics to modern warfare. Another thing that sets Scott apart is his reliance on strong women. He created the modern Hollywood action heroine with Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, in 1979's "Alien," and has continued to champion strong female protagonists in films like "Thelma & Louise," "G.I. Jane" and "Hannibal."

As Kristen Wiig departs 'SNL,' what's next for women?

22 May 2012 12:08:34 CDT

After seven years on "SNL," Kristen Wiig said goodbye on what will go down as one of the sweetest, most choked-up moments on the show since Steve Martin said goodbye to Gilda Radner on the day of her death almost exactly 23 years earlier. And so, after years of cultivating a stunning roster of formidable female talent — Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler and Wiig — the show is, for the moment anyway, back to a state of relative desolation it hasn't seen since the '90s, an era that reached its nadir when Janeane Garofalo bailed mid-season.

Study: Females 'dramatically under-represented' in top 2011 films

22 May 2012 12:08:34 CDT

Women were "dramatically under-represented" in the United States' 100 top-grossing films last year, accounting for 33 percent of all characters at a time when women made up nearly 51 percent of the U.S. population, according to a study. The 33 percent figure represented an increase over the findings of a similar study in 2002, when women comprised 28 percent of the movie characters, said the report from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University.

AWM launches new Career Center; free resume uploads for job seekers

22 May 2012 12:08:34 CDT

The Alliance for Women in Media is pleased to announce the launch of the brand new AWM Career Center. Both members and nonmembers can use the AWM Career center to reach qualified candidates. Employers can post jobs online, search for qualified candidates based on specific job criteria and create an online resume agent to email qualified candidates daily. They also benefit from online reporting that provides job activity statistics. For job seekers, AWM Career Center is a free service that provides access to employers and jobs in the media industry. In addition to posting their resumes, job seekers can browse and view available jobs based on their criteria and save those jobs for later review if they choose. Job seekers can also create a search agent to provide email notifications of jobs that match their criteria.