The elephant in the middle of the room is that Hollywood has been losing lots of money for years on most of its movies, regardless of the gender of the lead. Hollywood's idea of bankability is clearly wrong, and it's system for getting movies made is really abysmal and ineffective. Franchise pictures make money, but it's usually diminishing returns. Those pictures cost big bucks to make, and that cuts into the profitability. Beancounters have restricted the available pool of money and support to movies that are either derivative, formulaic, or market researched into boringness. The narrow-cast market researching is so stereotypically driven as to be meaningless. Hollywood is behind on any trend, and never in front. Even as strong female action characters emerge on TV (Alias, for example, and Battlestar Galactica), Hollywood has no idea how to capitalize by tailoring a role for a clearly bankable female start, who has opened movies very well. That's why the indie films have to be important. They are the only venue for getting anything interesting out there.

You can't talk about men being more "bankable" without talking about the commercialization, sanitization, and lack of creativity.

There are bankable female stars. Halle Berry, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Garner, etc are all bankable. Male or female, a lead needs a good vehicle. Hugh Jackman opened that really bad tri-monster flick to 50 million, and then it cooled. It was a bad movie.

Hollywood has a problem making interesting movies, period, no matter what the gender of the lead. Entertainment Weekly is such a vapid magazine that one could argue with that list one more than just gender. Entertainment Weekly is not exactly a cutting edge, influential magazine.

When will there be another La femme Nikita, or Clerks, or anything that is not cookie cutter? Fix the quality, and the gender will sort itself out.

no court in the US will emancipate this kid. He deserves his summer ruined; he's abused his freedom and acted like a snot. Not contacting Mom is not "keeping his side of the bargain" either. He's acting like a brat.

The boy is spoiled, and needs to learn accountability. If he wants to live with Grandma, behave. He's proven the earlier misbehavior was manipulation; there are many ways to deal with that.

I agree there needs to be therapy, but he also needs to be with his mother. This kid has had far too much control in this relationship, and that needs to stop. Moms needs to put limits on him. Kids do not get to dictate who they live with. That's outrageous. He's a minor. He has NO rights here.

I hope she has retrieved him, and is working with his bio father on an intervention. He needs to know actions have consequences, and he's earning a consequence. If he acts out again, he also needs to know he won't see Grandma anytime in the next year, if that sson.

Parenthood is tough. I'm a mother, I've lived through teens, too, and I also know that little kncukleheads respond well to consistent limits. She's going to have 4 weeks of hell before he buckles down and stops thinking he's the master of the universe.

I agree with the earlier poster. The introduction of the stepfather, and a male's discipine or limits, is probably at the root of this.

Doesn't he have to sleep with her for this to work? Isn't he afraid she'll give him rabies or something?

Send Stacy and Clinton from What Not to Wear after her. That pair will screw with her pseudo-cute girl head. Stacy will destroy her, being far brighter, and Clinton will simply laugh at her and her clothes. What is a mean girl, a 12 year olf Queen Bee mean girl, a Heather, if yo will, once her clothes are revealed as just one step removed from trampy trash (oK, there's no step there).

She claims to be the epitome of Republican Womanhood. Who better to destroy her than the fashion industry that made her?

That had a strong female lead, both times. It made mega bucks.

Kill Bill is proof Hollywood suits have no true idea of what Americans want to see, and no ability to produce that fare absent really strong pushing from an outside creative force. Jackie Brown is another example. All came from Quentin Tarantino. Hmmm. But Electra did well overseas, and not bad here. Girlfight was an indie film that did well. People loved that film. The Clint Eastwood film that got what's her name her second Oscar, about the boxer, had a really strong female lead.

Maybe a few of the suits need to stop eating at La Luna and go down to Southbay Mall? Get out of Brentwood and mix with real people? At least go to Venice Beach. Please. They really need to get out more.

Come on, these guys fired the Wayans brother from the Scary Movie franchise. They give us nothing.