Entertainment

According to Megan Gale, that is. (The rumor, by the way, has been around for a while. I reported on it last month.)

I'm a bit underwhelmed by the choice. But it is good that Megan has "stepped up her fitness regimen" and will "learn how to fight and wield deadly weapons" (whatever that means), because merely being a Lynda Carter lookalike isn't enough.

This, of course, is contingent on the JLA movie ever getting made. Considering WB's track record, that's not a given either.

First, I'd like to call your attention to this review of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles posted over at Heroine Content. Grace seems to share the same generally favorable impression that I have after watching the first two episodes, along with my reservation about Lena Headey's Sarah not being physical enough (though she blames it on writing, not casting).

Now on to technical matters. You'll notice that the list of links on the left has changed a little. Women's Sports Today hasn't been updated in a while, so that link has been removed and replaced with a link to Women's Tennis Blog, which is a great place to keep up with athletes and tournament results if you like women's tennis.

Please contact me if you know of another blog covering women's sports that we should add to the list.

The women continue to impress on American Gladiators. Last night, Monica Carlson finished the Eliminator with the fastest time so far this season, two minutes flat, besting all other contenders, male and female alike. Interesting that given the exact same test of quickness, upper-body strength, and muscular endurance, a woman comes out on top. I see in this more evidence of the emerging superiority of female muscle.

After getting off to a good start on Sunday night, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was even better last night. Lena Headey lacks the physicality that Linda Hamilton brought to the role—thus her Sarah Connor will never be as impressive as Linda's—but she does manage a fierce, resolute, street-smart Sarah, albeit a somewhat scrawny one. Summer Glau, on the other hand, has been interesting to watch as a Terminator. I like her take on the cyborg thing. And so far at least, surprisingly, her comparatively small size hasn't been much of a drawback, though her fight scenes with other Terminators (usually portrayed by substantial, menacing-looking male actors) do look a bit awkward at times.

American Gladiators continues to make for fun viewing, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has lived up to some of its hype. I'll be looking forward to Monday nights for the next several weeks.

The two-night series premiere of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles that begins this Sunday night is obviously a big deal for fans of female action. I'm looking forward to it, and the possibility of having a successful, fun-to-watch female action series on television again. (O how I miss Alias and Jennifer Garner!)

But there are reasons to be skeptical, too. For starters, Lena Headey has some big shoes to fill: Linda Hamilton set a high bar for anyone ever hoping to take over the Sarah Connor role; indeed, she is permanently in the pantheon of female action stars because of her performance in T2. Then, dainty Summer Glau is playing a Terminator, something I find hard to picture. (True, Summer is very athletic, thanks to years of ballet training, but her small size and slight frame do not conjure up the notion of a formidable juggernaut.) Finally, it's possible that the Terminator franchise is simply worn out.

The folks at Fox, though, seem convinced that The Sarah Connor Chronicles will make a big splash—they are promoting it like crazy. We'll just have to tune in and see if it lives up the hype. I, for one, hope it does.

Watching Laila Ali tell one of the male contenders not to get her wet, warning him that he probably didn't want to tangle with her, was one of the more memorable moments of the two-hour premiere last night of American Gladiators. (Laila was just being honest, too; she could have dispatched him, or any of the other male contenders, without much difficulty.)

Overall, the new show is pretty good. The new events are fun. I also like the changes they've made to the old events. The Eliminator is spectacular now (though I'm sure brutal for the contenders), and adding water to many of the events was a great idea.

Of course, the new female Gladiators are awesome. And judging by last night's show, we'll be seeing extremely athletic contenders as well; the Gladiator women are going to have some competition.

Be sure to watch American Gladiators again tonight when it airs in what will be its regular time slot.

The new incarnation of American Gladiators debuts tonight—just a reminder, in case you've been living in a cave or something. This marks the return of physically powerful women to network television, a medium that typically shuns strong, athletic women and tries to pretend they don't exist. Whatever else you may think about it, American Gladiators is worthwhile for no other reason than it brings these magnificent women to light and breaks down useless stereotypes in the process.

Watch this for Karen Cliche, a young actress with a knack for action roles. Her talent is put to good use here—Karen's character, Baylin, is the show's muscle. An added bonus: Flash Gordon is replete with interesting female characters (three of the main characters are women). New episodes return starting tonight on Sci Fi.