>If people knew the truth about us -- if they saw where we live when it's not cleaned up -- would they still like us? I have never resolved this terrible question.<

As the daughter of a woman who drives herself into a depressed, angry funk over cleaning up for guests, I have often wondered this myself.

>But it dawned on me the other day that I am not reading the real estate ads anymore. The seaside manse in Connecticut with tennis court and separate servants' quarters ($12.4 million) is lovely, dark and deep, but it doesn't call to me.<

One question I've always had about these dream homes. If they are so wonderful, why are so many of them always for sale?

>And if you ever find a suitcase full of cash, the very first thing you do, always, is move the cash to a different container and ditch the suitcase where it'll never be retreived. Burn it if possible.<

Would you know this from experience, or...? ;)

I predicted a couple of months back that the networks' new season wouldn't give up anything as good as MAD MEN. Nice to have concrete proof...

Nikki Finke (who is to current Hollywood what Sheilah Graham was to post-war Hollywood) has done a couple of posts on it...

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/

It's always so much fun to watch studios rationalize why "women's movies" or "black movies" don't "perform" well. As others here have noted, would anyone quit making movies with male leads if a George Clooney or Will Ferrell or Steve Carell film tanked? Warners is just trying to cover up the fact they've been picking lousy scripts across the board of late.

>And as the other commenters noted, if WB or some other studio gave themselves 15 movies in the genre to get one or two block busters and 10 decent performers and a handful of duds, they'd probably find their blockbusters. Let Kevin Smith direct Wonder Woman with a free hand already!<

Not with that kind of money at stake, they aren't. :) Smith is going to have the same kind of battle Raimi had over at Columbia getting SPIDERMAN made right--and for much the same reasons. Warners' big problem (and it's been one the studio has had for years) is that it is a bastion of committee-think. There are layers and layers and layers of executives who sign off and triple-guess _everything_, so a project has often been turned to mush by the time it gets produced. As well, the projects that do get taken on are often LCDers to begin with.

...I'll take it elsewhere. I don't shop at online places that don't take checks or money orders--there is nothing I need that badly. And I'm _so_ glad someone is slamming these Visa commercials--they are annoying and snotty as hell.

>In my experience using cash is often as fast as using plastic and can sometimes even be faster if you’re dealing with a twitchy POS device that refuses to read your card.<

And I thought it was just me--for some reason, I've been seeing a lot of clerks and customers having to fight machines to accept cards over the last few months or so. Quick tip--put a plastic shopping bag over your debit/credit card stripe; then swipe it through the machine. Works every time...g!

>Ephron: Yes, because they're hoping that Matt Damon will wake up remembering them. [Laughter]<

I would expect Ephron to say something just about that stupid. :P She may spout empowerment, but she's just as hidebound and "life is really all about finding a good may-n" as the worst conservatives out there--and her movies prove it.

>HELLO-- The Bourne series has creative, INTELLIGENT, action in addition to great acting, editing and music. Therefore, it is actually worth spending the money to see it in the theatre. In my mind, Sleepless in Seattle doesn't even come close to what Bourne offered movie-going audiences. I wouldn't even rent Sleepless in Seattle (never seen it, never plan on seeing it).<

Ain't it the truth. Some of these female directors need to get their _own_ house in order and stop 1) condescending to female audiences; 2) making stupid-ass chick flicks that are about women who aren't about anything and have nothing at stake. As Roger Ebert would put it, they know the words but not the music. Five minutes of 1938's HOLIDAY is more suspenseful, enthralling, and moving than all of Nancy Meyers' and Nora Ephron's movies put together.

These chicks want to get women in movie theatres? Well, start making INTELLIGENT, movies with great plot, cinematography, acting, action...throw in a great score and try not to insult our INTELLIGENCE.<

_Exactly._ If a movie is intelligently-written with good characters, I'm there, whether it's an action movie, love story, or whatever. I made a point to see 1408 because it gave up some smart writing and intriguing twists. Why the hell is this so hard for Hollywood to understand--unless it doesn't really want to understand that...

>...appalled that so much of this panel was devoted to just how hard it is to be a working mom ....<

Werd. Too many of the directors/producers here assume that the industry has to be made okay for women so they can take time off to have babies. Or that all women are dedicated to having kids and regard art as secondary. Hell, there's very little difference between what they think and what their male peers are believing. :P Pierce and a couple others were the only ones who cared about real artistic concerns--getting meaningful subject matter out there, etc. When did feminism become an excuse so women could put motherhood above every frickin' thing?