Anne Hathaway

Happy Friday! Here's all the feminist news that's fit to print...you know, on the Internet.

• As you probably already know, the comprehensive Violence Against Women Act was passed yesterday. [New York Times]

• Here are all the Republicans who voted against the act—no Democrats did. Oh hey, Michelle Bachmann! Didn't expect to see you here! (Just kidding, we totally did.) [The Atlantic]

• Ladies doing less housework means that ladies be plumpin' up, according to this really awfully sexist piece in the New York Times. I mean. [New York Times]

• Whoa, Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Who vetted this incredibly racist cover illustration? And also, can you issue a real apology next time? [Columbia Journalism Review]

• South Dakota is attempting to amend its 72-hour waiting period for an abortion so that weekends and holidays don't count as part of those hours, thereby lengthening the wait considerably. Perhaps they're counting on a lot of women being like, "Huh, it's Labor Day, guess I'll go through with this after all." [Think Progress]

• Clutch magazine wants to know why so few white feminists had anything to say about The Onion's Oscar-night tweet about Quvenzhané Wallis. [Clutch]

• And on the Oscar tip.... As a non–Hathaway hater, I appreciate that someone took on the question of why everyone seems to hate Anne Hathaway but love Jennifer Lawrence. Does no one here remember Mia Thermopolis? [The Cut]

• Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop died this week at the age of 96. This remembrance praises his rational, science-based, and nonsensational approach to public health—among other things, it notes that while Koop himself was prolife, he refused political pressure to declare that abortion caused detrimental health effects in women. [RH Reality Check]

• Finally, kick off your weekend right by imagining, with the help of this photo, how great a Veronica Mars reunion special would be. [Vulture]

Have a great weekend! And as always, link to any further reading suggestions in the comments...

It's hard not to feel ambivalent about the Oscars. The nominations and winners are decided by a set of disparate criteria (artistic achievement, industry clout, reputation, studio alignment, marketing dollars) and a voting body that is largely irrelevant to most moviegoers. Still, getting nominated - and winning! - contributes handily to the artistic credibility and financial success of those lucky enough to receive a nod. Oscars also play a big part in helping studios decide what and whom to finance. Which is why it's really no surprise that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button cleaned up in the nominations this year: it's just another Forrest Gump.

So what's there to cheer and jeer about in the Oscars this year? Some thoughts after the jump...

After seeing Bride Wars, it makes some measure of sense that Anne Hathaway would mount such a spirited defense of her role in it. Hathaway is, in fact, the only life that this film has. Hathaway's performance enables her to occasionally lift her character, an altruistic schoolteacher named Emma who gains strength and confidence while fighting for her dream wedding, out of the dull and uninspiring mess of the film around her. But I wouldn't recommend Bride Wars to even the most die-hard Hathaway fan. She's just another victim of this ludicrous and offensive film.  More after the jump...

I almost passed on blogging about Bride Wars, which opens this weekend, because it seemed, well, almost a little too easy to call it out for its shabby, mean-spirited treatment of women.  After all, this is a film about two lifelong pals who abandon their friendship in favor of an epic, demeaning catfight over their unbelievably lavish and costly dream weddings.  Bridezilla, thy name is woman...  But Anne Hathaway wants me to set aside my preconceptions about Bride Wars because, she claims, there's actually an empowering narrative about women in the film!

More after the jump!