The Los Angeles Times

In Hollywood, New Grit for Teen Girls;
Young Women with Smarts and Courage are Driving the Evolution of Female Characters.

By: Rebecca Keegan

Janaury 9, 2011

"I am about to embark on a great adventure," says the hero, tucking a Colt revolver into a flour sack, donning a wide-brimmed Stetson and riding out into the wilderness on the trail of a killer. Smart, stoic and purposeful, this avenger is a stock western movie protagonist in every way but one -- Mattie Ross, the central character in the new film "True Grit," is a 14-year-old girl.

...She's the product of a film industry in which young women are infiltrating traditionally male genres like action films; female directors and producers are wielding increasing creative influence; and the culture is moving from a sexed-up, dumbed-down model of female adolescence to one marked by smarts, strength and scrap.

..."People are finding these heroines charismatic, unexpected and fresh," says "Winter's Bone" director Debra Granik.

...Traditionally, one of the barriers to teen female protagonists driving anything but romances has been the conventional wisdom in Hollywood that such characters alienate male audiences. That didn't seem to be a problem for the Coens' "True Grit," however.

....Young women have wielded authority in genre movies in the past -- Princess Leia, after all, was mighty handy with a blaster. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," an early '90s film, inspired a much more influential 1997 to 2003 TV series in which Sarah Michelle Gellar battled the torments of both the undead and high school. At first marketed to teen girls, it became a crossover hit with boys.

"Getting beat up by Buffy was not a problem for guys," notes Patricia White, professor of film and media studies at Swarthmore College. Warner Bros. will revisit the iconic character in a Buffy film slated for release in 2012.

More of these "Rambolinas" are on the way to cineplexes:

...Whether battling 19th century sharpshooters, contemporary speed freaks or futuristic tyrants, all of these girls are agents of their own destiny in a way historically enjoyed only by male adolescent characters.

...It is due in part to female directors and producers like Granik and Jacobson that these kinds of characters are getting a cinematic treatment at all, according to White.

"Women storytellers are making inroads behind the scenes," she says. "This is a bit of a feminist moment, pushing back at the commercial, hyper-sexual model of teen girls that has prevailed."

..."The book is about the empowerment of this girl, her drive and ferocity," says "True Grit" producer Scott Rudin.

"The title ultimately applies to her."

SPORTS

Delaware County Daily Times (PA)

For Haverford's Permutt, it's All About the Team

January 13, 2011

...Another week and another honor for Swarthmore's Kathryn Stockbower. The senior forward was named Centennial Conference women's basketball Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Stockbower averaged 20.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and shot 61 percent from the field to lead the Garnet (8-3, 4-2) to a pair of wins in three games. She had double-doubles in three games to raise her career mark to 73 double-doubles, six shy of the NCAA Divison III record.

In the process, Stockbower also became the third player in program history to top the 1,500-point mark for her career. She reached the milestone in Swarthmore's loss to Franklin & Marshall.

Stockbower also earned Player of the Week honors for the week ending Dec. 12, 2010.

Delaware County Daily Times (PA)

Women's College Basketball: Ross Finds the Range as Swarthmore Rolls

January 12, 2011

Madeline Ross' career-high 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field, including 3-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc, helped Swarthmore top McDaniel College 55-42 in women's basketball action Tuesday night.

Kathryn Stockbower registered her 74th career double-double as she dropped 16 points and corralled 10 rebounds, nine of which were defensive rebounds. As a team, the Garnet (9-3, 5-2) shot 41.2 percent from the field to build up a lead as large as 15 points and also got eight points and nine rebounds from Ceylan Bodur.

Swarthmore returns home Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. to host Johns Hopkins.

Delaware County Daily Times (PA)

Delcosport: Colleges

January 9, 2011

...Franklin & Marshall 68, Swarthmore 48

Kathryn Stockbower's 21 points pushed her over the 1,500-point mark for her career, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Diplomats.

Stockbower is the third player in Swarthmore history and 12th Centennial Conference player to reach 1,500 points.

Katie Lytle added 10 points for the Garnet (8-3, 4-2 CC). ...