MixedThe Chicago TribuneJust the Funny Parts … And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking into the Hollywood Boys’ Club was in the works long before #MeToo and Time’s Up, but it feels very much of a piece with the stories women have been sharing publicly ... But [the book] is primarily a story of white women in Hollywood. Scovell is self-reflective about that — to a point ... For the aspiring TV writer, Scovell’s chapter detailing her episode of The Simpsons...includes nuts-and-bolts info: What a story pitch is, how to \'break\' a story and map it out, what an outline is and the difference between a writer’s draft and a shooting draft. The book makes clear that past success in Hollywood doesn’t guarantee work in the future, especially as writers age out (which can be as early as 40).
Joy Press
MixedThe Chicago TribuneIt’s only in the last few years that we’re seeing more women of color getting opportunities to create shows, including Issa Rae (Insecure), Ava DuVernay (Queen Sugar) Courtney A. Kemp (Power) and Gloria Calderon Kellett (One Day at a Time). You can understand why Press might have been reluctant to focus on shows that, as she was doing her research, had just one or two seasons under their belt. Still, I would have preferred to hear Press’ analysis of (and interview with) any of the aforementioned women rather than a chapter on Amy Schumer. Press does acknowledge the elephant in the room when she writes about Lena Dunham and Girls, pointing out that the show’s portrayal of 'contemporary New York City was shockingly deficient in racial diversity.' (So was the Washington, D.C.-set Murphy Brown, but that show and others spotlighted in the book get a pass.) ... this is precisely the moment that Hollywood needs to rethink equality as a 'big ask.'
