B on hayride, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

He loves to sing theme to Cops - Baboy baboy, wha go doo, wha go doo... baboy baboy, wha go doo, wha go doo.. (repeat 50 times).


The Bechdel Test:

I can't remember where I read about testing for real women in movies. It's a fairly simple test:

1: Is there more than one woman?
2: Do they talk to each other?
3: About anything other than men?

For me if a movie fails this test it doesn't make it a bad movie, but I have noted I tend to enjoy it more if it passes. I have subconciously applied these criteria to entertainment long before I read the rules spelled out. When I'm writing my "what I'm watching" blatherings I need to start commenting on whether it passes the test or not.

Please note the comic strip mentions Alien - you would be surprised how few movies you will find before (and after, sadly) 1979 pass the test.

Of the TV shows I watch regularly, only Fringe passes pretty much regularly - the show's lead and a representative of a shadowy megacorporation are both women and they talk pretty much every episode about things other than men. I'm trying to think if J.J. Abrams' other hit, Lost, passes the test. I'm sure somewhere along the line Sun, Julia, Kate, and / or Claire talked to each other about something other than the men. Right?

Sarah Connor Chronicles: I can't think of the last time it passed. Most of the time Sarah talks to Cameron, who is a robot so maybe she doesn't count. Plus they are usually talking about John. But sometimes they talk about other stuff.

My beloved Life fails in the 2nd season because Robin Wiegert got replaced by Donal Logue as the "boss". Even then, though Wiegert and Shahi got to have regular conversations on occasion, they usually revolved around Charlie (though most definitely not in a romantic context, but it still doesn't count). Now Logue's character continually sexually harasses Shahi's character. Yeah, that's an improvement!

Battlestar Galactica: It has passed many times! Roslin doesn't get to interact with Starbuck that much but they have; plus Starbuck and Athena have interacted with the other female pilots. I can't forget Roslin's interaction with her assistant, Tory. The 2.0. - 2.5 Pegasus arc was total win with Commander Cain and Starbuck talking about hardcore military shit.

The last couple of movies I have watched that didn't fail were the two Grindhouse movies. Deathproof especially had nothing but women talking to each other, sometimes about men but not continuously. The 2nd half, with all the motorhead talk, was the best all-woman conversation in movies ever.

Jon and I watched Iron Man last night (FAIL). It was decent. It would have been just ok if they hadn't had the smarts to put Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role.