Pop Pedestal

Welcome back to Pop Pedestal, the series where we pay homage to our favorite characters in pop culture. This week I'd like to take it back to 1996 with Dawn Wiener, the 7th grade martyr from Todd Solondz' Welcome to the Dollhouse. 

Pedestal Profile: In Welcome to the Dollhouse we follow Dawn Wiener, an endearing loner, as she navigates the minefields of life in junior high. Nicknamed "Wienerdog" by her classmates, Dawn spends much of the movie being made fun of mercilessly by her classmates. Besides suffering the miseries of school, at home Dawn is also the black sheep, stuck between a nerdy, driven older brother and a beautiful, charming, ballerina for a little sister. Over the course of the film Dawn experiences an overwhelming crush on her older brother's hunky friend, the tearing down of her clubhouse for The Special People's Club, the kidnapping and comic recovery of her little sister, and the aggressive and threatening affections of her first boyfriend. 

Welcome back to Pop Pedestal, the series where we pay tribute to pop culture personalities we admire. Up today is the Right Honourable Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, inimitable matriarch of Downton Abbey.


I'm a woman, Mary. I can be as contrary as I choose.

Welcome back to Pop Pedestal, the series where we pay tribute to pop culture personalities we admire. Up today are Jane and Brad, married couple extraordinaire from ABC's Happy Endings.


True love means not making fun of your wife for wearing a bacon costume.

Welcome back to Pop Pedestal, the blog series about pop culture personalities we admire. Today’s tribute goes to Toph Bei Fong, earthbender extraordinaire from the Nickelodeon cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The day is finally here! Parks and Recreation is back! In honor of tonight's season premiere (seriously I can't wait until 8:30), today's Pop Pedestal is for the one and only Donna Meagle, played by the hilarious Retta.


She told you so.

Welcome back to Pop Pedestal, the series where we pay tribute to the pop culture figures we admire most. Up today: Gloria Akalitus of Nurse Jackie, All Saints’ hospital administrator, head bitch in charge, and master of the steely staredown.


Big attitude coming from someone wearing panda earrings.

I have a lasting affection for Fearless, a young adult series created by Francine Pascal. (Yes, that Francine Pascal.) For today's addition to Pop Pedestal, a weekly column applauding our favorite characters in pop culture, I could write about many of the books' inventions: Gaia, the ass-kicking titular fearless lady; Mary, the bright clubgoer with an unfortunate drug habit. Ultimately, though, my favorite of the books' inventions is Ed Fargo, the best loverboy, sports fan, and devoted friend at Village High.

Welcome back to Pop Pedestal, the series where we pay tribute to our pop culture favorites. Up today is Margaret Lanterman—better known around Twin Peaks as the Log Lady—played by Catherine E. Coulson.


My log has something to tell you. Can you hear it?

Though I'm sure many Bitch readers are already fans of Freaks and Geeks, I had to take this week to celebrate the main character in an amazing ensemble cast: Lindsay Weir (played by Linda Cardellini).

Welcome to this week's edition of Pop Pedestal, Bitch's series of tributes to characters we love. Today, I'd like to recognize the Greendale student whose favorite film is "a tie between Ghostbusters, An American Werewolf in London, Back to The Future, Blade Runner, Stand By Me, Stripes, Star Wars IV through VI, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Jaws, Raising Arizona, Jurassic Park, Seven, The Matrix, Goonies, Breakfast Club, Real Genius, Better Off Dead, and The Fog of War." I am referring, of course, to Abed of NBC's Community.