Entertainment

I was more than a little disappointed to learn that Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) will be the only female Avenger to appear in the forthcoming movie. Moreover, Whedon's "but she will not be the only female character" is something of a cop-out, since any additional female characters will most likely be nothing more than love interests for the movie's male Avengers.

Nor can the excuse that there aren't enough extant female Avengers be used. The Avengers team has had a number of potent and interesting heroines associated with it over the years, including one of the strongest characters to be found in any superhero team: She-Hulk.

What a missed opportunity.

Another gymnastics standout making the transition to acting and stunt work. Only Ariana Berlin has a story that could fairly be judged miraculous, and a demo reel more rhythmic than any previously featured here:

Already happily enjoying Covert Affairs, I could almost be convinced that halcyon days have returned to television looking at the fall lineup. Perhaps you are as encouraged as I am:

Kelli Giddish plays Deputy U.S. Marshal Annie Frost in Chase. Right now, I'd have to say that Chase has most piqued my interest:



La Femme Nikita gets a reboot of sorts with Nikita starring Maggie Q:



Not strictly a female action series—think instead Mr. & Mrs. Smith—Undercovers looks somewhat promising as well:

Drags on a little, but worth sticking around to see who wins:

This isn't the first time that Kaatie Akstinat has appeared on this blog, and I expect it won't be the last. Akstinat weaves a spell when she performs, leaving the viewer (supposing he or she isn't abiotic) dreamy-souled. Bask anew in her artistry and athleticism:

A review of Salt calls attention to it, and Hollywood Life made the very same observation at the Salt premiere in L.A. earlier this week (just ignore the recommended "toning" exercises—weak!). Moreover, both are right. We don't generally see spindly action heroes, with good reason. And those rules do not change, nor should they, for action heroines.

I guess we'll know tomorrow after Angelina Jolie's Salt opens in theaters. But then, you've probably heard about Salt already, for the film and its star have not been without plenty of press lately—some of it better called hype. Not to begrudge Jolie her rightful due, but a company of women—Weaver, Hamilton, Goldstein, Yeoh, et al.—paved the way for today's female action stars, and Jolie is as much a beneficiary of that progress as a contributor to it.

That said, Jolie's performance in Salt has a lot riding on it. The chances that we'll see more female action films will be greatly improved if Salt does well at the box office; let's wish her luck!—

The other day, I brought Covert Affairs to your notice (only shortly after having learned of it myself). Today's post serves as a brief follow-up and a reminder that Covert Affairs continues tonight.

My first impressions of Covert Affairs, now having watched the premiere myself, are good overall. I like this new heroine Annie Walker. She is sharp, gutsy, strong, athletic—everything you expect from an action heroine. And Piper Perabo, the actress who plays her, does it all proficiently. One sees that Perabo has given herself fully to preparation for the role; that is to say, she is putting in the hard work required to be an authentic action star.

Not that I couldn't find something to nitpick. That being I don't care for the romantic backstory. It's tolerable thus far but hackneyed. I fear it will but hope it doesn't come to overwhelm all the good and original stuff.

Still, the good does outweigh the bad, by no little quantity either, and Covert Affairs shows promise to be the best female action piece to air on television in a long while.

So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.¹

I'm guessing that some of you, maybe even most of you, don't know that Adam had a wife before Eve. Her name is Lilith. Unlike Eve, though, Lilith was created the same time Adam was, and in the same fashion.

Except there was a problem; matchmaking can be a dicey business, even for a god. Lilith refused to give up equal status, refused to subdue herself to Adam. She said to Adam, "I will not lie below," and he said, "I will not lie beneath you, but only on top. For you are fit only to be in the bottom position, while I am to be the superior one." Lilith responded, "We are equal to each other inasmuch as we were both created from the earth."

They couldn't reach agreement in this, and so Lilith went away to live alone. But as has happened to many a strong woman since then, Lilith was demonized in the press, so to speak, except quite literally in her case. Myth and folklore since that time, often refracted through patriarchal eyes, has made her into an arch-demon responsible for infant deaths. But isn't she in fact the first heroine?

Lilith's story continues to be a cultural presence down to present-day. Now it is re-imagined in a new web series called Soul Fire Rising. My interest in Soul Fire Rising stirred when I learned that Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, often mentioned to play Wonder Woman (practically a no-brainer if you ask me), would be starring. I had been keeping an eye on the series since, but no O'Keefe and it seemed rather aimless at times. But that all changed recently with Episode 5. The star takes the stage, and it now looks as though things will be picking up—if not outright rocking.

¹ From the TNIV Bible; anyone wanting to scrutinize translations should visit here and here.

If like me you missed its premiere Tuesday night, you might want to set your DVR to record Covert Affairs on USA Network (episodes should re-air throughout the week, and you can also watch online).

The new action series, which stars Piper Perabo, evidently got off to a strong start, and is getting at least some positive press. To be honest, when I first saw the trailer, I immediately thought of Alias—apparently, I wasn't alone.

Television has been drab lately, terribly so, in fact. We can only hope that Covert Affairs will liven things up; and its trailer does supply a glimmer of hope:



And if Covert Affairs steals a little from Alias, throws in a dash of Sydney Bristow here and there, well, my heart won't be broken:

I never thought I'd be saying this, but apparently it is fashion week at the Athletic Women Blog (not by choice or plan, mind you). Today's post is the result of DC Comics' announcement this week that it is giving Wonder Woman a makeover (see right). Reaction to this news, much of it negative, isn't hard to find, naturally. But the timing and the nature of the makeover have also led some to speculate about what might be planned for the forthcoming movie.

I have mixed feelings about the new look myself. The desire to update her look, to do away with the bustier and star-spangled panties, I completely understand. But to my mind this overreaches. The "urban" look for starters. Is there no room left for the simply mythic?

And the jacket. Well, that just has to go. In an effort, I can only guess, to de-sexualize Wonder Woman, they now have her covered too much. Muscle represents power, not masculine power but power alone, and Wonder Woman should be allowed to flex hers once in a while too.



Enough of my opining, though. What do you think of the new look? Leave a comment or a vote.

Stuntwomen make frequent appearances here, with good reason for they embody what this blog is about.

And in that spirit we continue. Today our star is Jessie Graff—another female athlete (former pole-vault champion) making a home for her athletic skills in Hollywood:

Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, perhaps best known for Bronson (which, alas, I haven't seen), wants to make Wonder Woman and isn't shy about saying so. And after reading his Movieline interview, I'm inclined to think that he might be the person for the job. He obviously has a passion for it, no small plus. Moreover, his take on how to approach the movie is different, fascinating—and most important, respectful of the character and what she stands for (and against).

Refn's movie, it seems likely, would be very different from the typical Hollywood slant on female heroes; these tantalizing snippets from his interview, for instance:

At the same time there is [something subliminal], because the real origin of Wonder Woman is: What if women were more powerful than men? What would the world be like? That’s a subliminal theme.

The whole idea of a woman who is basically more powerful than any man — and who will always be that, and comes from a society of women who are more powerful than men — is an interesting theme that I think can be very contemporary.

I do hope someone at Warner Bros. is paying attention.

I don't know how you feel about a 5'2" Wonder Woman, but Jennifer Love Hewitt, through her publicized entreaty, does lend credence to reporting of late: "I'm fighting so hard. I think Warner Bros. is getting ready to make Wonder Woman and I really want to play Wonder Woman."

Thus we may conclude that something is indeed afoot.

The next (and hopefully final) round of Wonder Woman casting rumors is sure to start soon. We'll have those here, that is, the ones worth commenting on anyway.

A poll is in the works too—consider it the "Official Unofficial Who should be Wonder Woman? Poll"—and suggestions for candidates are now being accepted, so feel free to leave a comment or write in with your nominations. So far there are only two: the first, my nominee, is no surprise, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe. The second, Amelia Cooke, is by request.

It is most likely still a long way off, but the news is exciting nonetheless—a live-action Wonder Woman film is finally on its way to theaters!

Doomsday didn't win any Oscars—the Academy can stoop only so low—though it did give us a delightful, indelible action heroine: Major Eden Sinclair. But for the most part the credit for Sinclair's convincing aura of strength and grittiness goes to Rhona Mitra. It was her performance in Doomsday that conjured the sturdiest action heroine we've seen in recent memory.

So what is Mitra up to now? It seems we'll find out June 20 when her new series The Gates premieres on ABC:



And the Doomsday trailer again, just because: