I'd watch that on Pay-Per-View.

I vote Salon gives RT a shot at the film critic post, since SZ is so predictable and boring.

...or is Traister saying it's perfectly fine for a boss to run their assistants ragged doing stuff that has _nothing_ to do with the job and everything to do with making sure said boss gets the "best" of everything? In what way did TDWP boss make her job better by insisting the planet drop dead so her little darlings could get Harry Potter a day before everyone else? What purpose was served by said boss not being able to tell one assistant from another--and insisting those employees spend a good part of the time arranging her personal life, not doing company work? As well, how is it that Weisberger gets slammed as a betrayer when there are any number of books/movies (CITIZEN KANE and SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, among them)written by folks who have ranked out _their_ less-than-professional bosses? Sure, business isn't a land of sweetness and light. But when you are making employees' lives crazy for primarily personal gain, that's a totally different kettle of fish--and people have a right to call you out on it.

Speaking of powerful women bosses misperceived as viragos or sexual predators, The Mystery of Cleopatra's Death has been showing on the Discovery Channel and it turned out to be interesting from a feminist perspective.

Pat Brown, a woman who does cold case investigations, decided to travel to Alexandria and look into Cleopatra's death.

According to the usual story, Cleo sent Octavian a suicide note and by the time he made it to the mausoleum, the single snakebite had killed her.

Turns out, there are many problems with that story. And although sibling rivalry in the Ptolemy family usually culminated in murder, no Ptolemy was ever known to have committed suicide.

Brown's concluding theory about Cleopatra's death makes the point that she was a powerful woman whom the most powerful man in the world feared more than he feared anyone else in the world.

It's worth a watch if it's still on.

"I'm an emotional man, I raise my voice. It's not a problem. But if a woman does, she's a bitch, or hysterical ... I mean, does anyone not know this?"

Joe Dolce

,

I've heard it said, all right, but I've never actually seen it. And I've worked for several very tough women superiors in a standard male-dominated profession over the course of my professional life. When people say that "emotional" female bosses are called "bitches" then complain that men who do the same are not called the same thing, my answer is: "Why, of course not. They're called assholes."

I mean, does anyone not know this? Sorry you had to find out this way, Joe.

Thank god there's a movie out that portrays powerful, soulless, selfish people in a positive light. Because society doesn't reward them enough as it is.

Imagine a movie that showed us what it would be like to have a powerful, effective leader that was also empathetic and caring toward her (or his) charges. It might actually provide a role-model for people who don't believe that the wages of selfishness are power and money alone. Over time, such portrayals might even nudge our society more toward becoming a humane place to live and work.

But where's the fun in that? Let's show the world the most appealing side of the assholes and bitches that actually run things, so we can all aspire to be as like them as possible not only in our vocations, but in all our interrelations with one another.

Then, one day, we'll realize our dream of a pure asshole society, as we all shit our souls into the abyss.

In her listing of past movies that offered a stong woman central charachter, the author overlooked Joan Crawford's portrayal of Mildred Pierce.

Though the book, by James Cain, and the movie are captives of their times, they both portray a woman who is both dominent, and sympathetic, in her own right.

If you consider the plot elements - right down to Mildred turning in her own daughter to face a possible death sentence - if these actions were portrayed in today's more cynical point of view, Mildred would be seen as the ultimate bitch.

But she does find some resolution at the end with her first husband. Still, the movie never says or implies that she can not be complete without a husband. Indeed, through the picture the male charachters are weak, needy, and dependent on Mildred in one way or another.

I doubt that concept will ever make its way back onto any modern screen.

As a former assistant - who has worked for men and women - the reason they can run us ragged with personal stuff is legit. Anyone who says it's not part of OUR job is wrong. We are assistants. We assist. We aid, help, enable - we free them from the bullshit so they can do what they have to do. We get coffee and drycleaning and arrange birthday parties for their kids so they have time to do their jobs. Sure it sucked. Guess what? Many jobs do - duh. I had crazy bosses - the screamer, the crier, the bitch, the asshole. I got paid, learned stuff, got out, moved on. One of the former psycho bitch ex-bosses (who I quit on in major tears) is now my best friend in the world - because when she's not at the office, she's a real person. Who knew?

I read Devil Wears Prada - and all I could think was - be better at your job! Be the best! And tell you dumbass roommate to stop drinking herself senseless and fucking strangers. Can't wait to see the movie.

I worked for a marginally competent and horrendously dysfunctional woman -- let's call her, uh, Winnie P. why don't we -- who thought nothing of throwing things (as in big, 5-lb bindered reports) at people, including me, during her hysteria sessions.

Winnie was, simply a MISERABLE, HORRIBLE human being.

Long ago, most Americans, women AND men, Winnie included, totally lost the ability to actually manage. Maybe it was the Gordon-Gecko-80s-MBAs-are-king era that did it in, but there are a lot of people out there in management jobs who have no earthly idea how to manage.

Somehow, whether it was due to credentials, or judicious political appointments (right Winnie?), they, as the Peter Principle predicts, rose to the level of their own insecure incompetence. And then they get to inflict this incompetence -- and throw in a big dose of insecurity!! -- on the rest of us.

So they bully. They attack. They take credit for successful things they didn't do. They leave their subordinates to take responsibility for disasters that the boss created. They shriek. They throw. They berate. They belittle.

And they totally miss the point.

This film is just a story, and Meryl Streep goes back to being herself, and Anne Hathaway doesn't have to work for this fictional bitch.

But there are millions of women out there who ARE working for these horrible harridans.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we herded them all up, stuck them in a room for a month, and made them sit through "Strategic Planning Sessions" and "Management Training" to teach them ONE IMPORTANT THING:

You can be successful, and remain a compassionate, decent human being. You don't have to sell your soul, be a bitch, and treat everyone else like crap to succeed.

Now, someone please tell Winnie!!

-- A Bitch-Boss Survivor

P.S. The Devil wears Ann Taylor, and works in Washington, DC!!!