It is absolutely undeniable that media, even fictional, can shape our perceptions of reality, of ourselves, and of our futures. And if you think that non-heterosexual, non-white, non-male people and their aspirations and equality in society matter, then feminism is incredibly important for media.

Rounding up news on representation in Hollywood.

Great screenplays with strong female characters are out there, so why won't Hollywood produce them?

She is brave, skilled, resourceful, determined. She has a past that is not spelled out for us but rather is left as a tantalizing mystery. She is no one's love interest, and is not defined by her relationships with or unrequited longings for any particular man. And she kicks tremendous ass.

Lovers of the Back to the Future franchise, like me, desperately want at least one film in the trilogy to pass all three parts of the Bechdel test: That two or more named women have a conversation, and they discuss something other than men.

Seeing the right films at the right time can turn a moviegoer into an activist -- but you need perspective on the issue, you need to feel empowered by rage and allowed to feel joy. Amy Schumer may not have set out to write a comedy for sexual assault survivors, but I think she's succeeded at the impossible.

We've all heard of the Bechdel Test. Hopefully. Please tell me you've heard of the Bechdel Test. It's kind of the world's favorite oft-misinterpreted method for monitoring how terrible women's representation is in film.

"I was transfixed by the spectacle of someone apparently even more self-absorbed than I was." Click here for full-size version

The female characters in films are typically not substantial, especially compared to the male characters they "share" the screen with. The women are often portrayed as one-dimensional and male-dependent. They are "damsels in distress," desperate to be saved by -- yeah, you guessed it, a dude.

USA Network, I'm trying to be on your side since you were the ones who took a chance on Playing House in the first place, but it's as if you don't understand the magic of what you now have.

Jacob Lurie, Pamela O. Long and Rick Lowe are just three of the 21 people to receive the coveted "genius grant," an award