Our Roundup: What Females in Entertainment are Doing in 2021

#FEMALESINENTERTAINMENT

#MARYRICHARDSLIVES

Here's our roundup of just some of what the #femalesinentertainment are doing this year.

Editor' Note: This roundup used to appear on our sidebar, and will now appear as a clickable article on the sidebar. Updated regularly. 

This column is on hold as of June 2021. For information on the ladies, may we suggest visiting https://womenandhollywood.com

March 2021: 

Apple series Essex Serpent will star Claire Danes… Mindy Kaling to star in Velma Dickley series called Clone High…Time Travelers Wife Series coming to HBO with Rose Leslie in the lead… Younger will premiere Season seven on Paramount Plus…America Ferrara to direct movie called I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter… Gillian Anderson will be First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in new Showtime series… Netflix show Luckiest Girl Alive will star Mila Kunis… Sashe Calle will be Super Girl in The Flash… Judy Greer joins The First Lady on Showtime… Regina King to star and produce Shirley Chisholm biopic… Search Party renewed for season five at HBO Max ...Jamie Lee Curtis to appear in Borderlands… Lisa Vanderpump will have a new reality show on E!… Director Chloe Zhao will direct a sci-fi western called Dracula… Lincoln Lawyer Series at Netflix to star Neve Campbell...Kate and Ally is getting a reboot on  NBC Anne Hathaway to star in Apple series about  WeWork… Nancy Drew spinoff series coming... Harry potter TV series coming.... HBO Max is ordering a series about Julia child… Cardi B will start in a movie called Assisted Living.

November 2020: Judge Judge Sheindlin is starting a new court show.... Awkwafina and Sandra Oh are playing sisters in a new series by Gloria Sanchez... Nicole Kidman, hot off the success of The Undoing, will star in a new drama called Things I Know to be True...the wonderfully talented Mindy Kaling will star in and produce the film Good in Bed for HBO Max....Variety's New President is Michelle Sobrino-Stearns....New Company Orchid Pictures begun by Suzanne Mackie....Julia Verdin's Angie: Lost Girls to stream on December 18, about child trafficking....the busy director Ava Duvernay set to work on a new show about Native Americans on NBC...Scarlett Johansson to star in and produce a sci-fi- drama - and don't forget to watch her in Home Alone 3.....Legally Blonde 3 is coming, but you'll have to find out more about what Elle Woods is doing in 2022...Kristen Bell busy with new Netflix series The Woman in the House....Reese Witherspoon producing drama Where the Crawdads Sing......Kate Hudson to be in Season 2 of Apple's Truth Be Told....Patrisse Cullors, founder of Black Lives Matter, has signed a deal with Warner Brothers Television Group to produce a variety of programs for different platforms....Grease the Spinoff series going to Paramount Plus....Congrats to Nicole Brown for her new role as President of Sony's Tristar Pictures......Jennifer Lopez's Rom Com Marry Me pushed to May 2021 release...

Shockfest Film Festival - Host Actress Grace Juliana aka Vampire Princess Selena Explains what this Year's Horror Fest Has In Store for Fans

If you've never heard of Shockfest, or if you're already a fan, get ready for the festivities for

this "horrific" festival this year. This year's host, Actress Grace Juliana known this year only as Princess Selena, gives us the scoop on all the fun and fright of the festival.

Review of Movie Feral - Annapurna Sriram's Role as A Homeless Women is Deflty Acted As we Root for her Survival on the Streets and Tunnels of NYC

by Suzanne Ordas Curry

The film by Andrew Wonder, Feral (2019 now on Amazon Prime), is aptly named. Simply put, Feral is the story of a young homeless woman in New York City. We see Yazmine (played superbly and adeptly by Annapurna Sriram), slinking around the subterranean world of New York City that she inhabits, climbing on piles of rocks with ease, slinking through the tunnels and foraging for food... just as a cat would.

At the beginning of the movie we get a hint as to why she is homeless, but later on we get a hint that that that assumption may not be the correct one. I say this is important, because when we see homeless people, often our thoughts are "why?" This movie delves into the subjects of homelessness, despair, hope and acceptance.

Review of Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods On Netflix: Lee's Mastery of the Medium, Multiple Genres and Storytelling Presents a Complex and Compelling Need for Change

by Ashton Samson

Editor's Note: Ashton is not just an avid film fan but is also a high school student. His review provides hope that change will come from the young people.

“We’ve been dying for this country from the very get, hoping one day, they’ll give us their rightful place. All they give us is a foot up our black asses.”
-Stormin’ Norman

Ever since he thundered onto the scene in 1986 with his controversial debut about a woman who dates three men at once, called She’s Gotta Have It, Spike Lee has been one of the most influential filmmakers of his generation. At 63, Lee has accomplished a great deal, directing over thirty projects, including documentaries, TV shows and most importantly, twenty-seven feature films; among the most noteworthy, Do the Right Thing, Blackkklansman and Malcolm X. 

Review of The Award-Winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime - Clever, Colorful and a Fascinating Look into the Beginning of the Modern Career Woman

By Julia Colucci

As the pandemic continues into the summer and television continues to be an important part of my life, I can confidently say that The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is one of the highest-quality shows that I have seen in the dramedy genre. Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, the show is three seasons in, with its fourth season release date set for December 2020 (though the pandemic may affect this date).

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel takes place in 1958 in New York City. The main character is Midge (superbly acted by Rachel Brosnahan), a Jewish woman in her late twenties. She lives on the Upper West Side in a beautiful apartment with her husband Joel (Michael Zegan) and their two young children. The series starts with the couple living a content, typical life, where Joel fulfills his husbandly duties by going to work at his office job during the day, then comes home to his loving wife Midge who has just prepared a hot dinner waiting on the table.

However, Midge’s life soon takes a dramatic turn, and she finds herself pursuing a profession that she never thought she would—comedy.

Interview: Brandon Barash of Days and General Hospital Stars in New Short Film on the Reel Woman's Network; Why He Took the Role and How it's so Different from his "Day" Job

By Suzanne Ordas Curry

Fan fave Brandon Barash is a busy man. First, in typical but still much beloved Days of our Lives style he returned to Days even though he was killed off (and his heart given to someone else.) That just shows how much the fans wanted him back. In addition to this day job, this single dad is  busy with a multitude of other projects including a role as a handsome young husband in the short film The Mourning Hour, of which he is also a producer. Written by Shevaun Kastl and also starring Shevaun and Robert Knepper, you can see this film now streaming on The Reel Woman's Network. Read on to find out why he took this part, and what he's doing now in his downtime.

Brandon, how did you get this role? Did you know Shevaun?

BRANDON BARASH: Shevaun and I met through a mutual friend. From what I can remember (this was about 10 years ago), she emailed me that she had a script that she had written and wanted me to play one of the parts. At the time I was playing Johnny Zacchara on General Hospital -- the shooting schedule was grueling, so my immediate reaction was to say no.

Review: Andy Samberg and Christin Milioti in Hulu's Palm Springs Movie: Pure Escapism makes it a Perfect Summer Comedy

By Suzanne Ordas Curry

I am a big fan of romcoms and comedies. I was excited to be able to see Palm Springs on Hulu the first night it was available, without paying a premium. (So I am waiting to see King of Staten Island until the price comes down). That gives you an idea of what I will accept in a comedy.

I also do not want to know much about a movie before I watch it. I want to be surprised. I also do not read the reviews. I may watch a few minutes of the trailer and then stop it because in these days of instant gratification, most trailers give way to much away.

So did I like it? Well, it was no Groundhog Day. Groundhog Day had purposeful meaning and could be watched by the family. This was certainly not a family movie. But, it kept me engrossed to see how it would turn out and had some very LOL moments. As far as physical comedy and laughs to make you forget about what is happening outside the room you're watching it in, it did the job as providing comedy to the pandemic-drained population.

And speaking of the pandemic, as much as I know life on Planet Earth will return to some kind of normal, a movie that centers around a wedding with a whole bunch of people drinking, dancing and standing close to each other without masks on was just bittersweet. So call this movie pure escapism.

Females in Entertainment: From HR to Hollywood: Rutgers Alum Beverly Aisenbrey is Now Producing Movies and Helping to Produce Bright Minds with a Scholarship for Rutgers Fashion Program

Jamie Lee Curtis with Beverly Aisenbrey on-set of An Acceptable Loss

By Suzanne Ordas Curry

I don't think that when starting a career in business many years ago Beverly Aisenbrey thought she woud be hanging with Jamie Lee Curtis on a movie set. But, you never know where life will take you when you just keep persisting and work hard.

As most people know, making contacts and keeping those contacts can open doors. Little did Beverly know that through a female investment banker friend she would one day be hob-nobbing with celebrities and attending film festivals as a producer on independent films with major stars in them. But Beverly is a woman of many talents and is very hard-working. She spent most of her career helping to build a company and now she is giving back to her alma mater, Rutgers University in New Jersey. After years of serving on a Rutgers Board, she has now started a Fellowship (scholarship) for students in the new Rutgers Master of Science in the Business of Fashion. Read on to see how this unfolded and how to apply for the Fellowship.  

Daytime Emmy-Nominated Actor Trent Dawson Launches Katonah Classic Stage Summer Film Festival: Looking for Films Inspired by Classics Made by All Ages, Amatuer and Professional - Submission via Film Freeway