| Do you pay attention to how the mom characters are portrayed on your favorite TV shows? Loathe the so-called "mommy wars" on which the news media love to focus? Each week, Meredith O'Brien's Working Moms in Pop Culture & Politics column provides a reality check on how TV shows, movies, and the media depict moms. A longtime journalist and mother of three, Meredith O'Brien formerly taught journalism at the University of Massachusetts, is the author of A Suburban Mom: Notes from the Asylum and writes the Picket Fence Post blog for GateHouse Media. Follow Meredith on Twitter: @MeredithOBrien |  |
Forgetful Overwhelmed Moms in Prime-Time.
I spent several hours this past week sitting in front of my computer, a big calendar at my side, trying to get myself better organized, or should I say, trying to get my family better organized. more
Expectations of Parenthood.
I’ve got my fingers crossed. Big time. Why? The new NBC drama Parenthood which premieres Tuesday March 2. I’m hoping that it’ll do for the TV family drama what Modern Family and The Middle are currently doing for family comedies, elevating the form. more
Hodgepodge of Pop Culture.
During the moments when I HAVEN’T been riveted to the winter Olympics -- ice skating pairs/Lindsey Vonn/Shani Davis = good, luge death/epic falls & wipe-outs/sore loser Russian skater = bad -- I’ve been thinking about myriad things in the pop culture arena: more
The Troubled Mothers of Private Practice.
Two mothers, both of whom walked away from their children, one because the birth of her son occurred at the hand of an assailant who literally cut her baby from the womb and left the mother to die, the other because her 15-year-old daughter became pregnant, refused her mother’s attempt to force her to have an abortion and now the girl wants to marry her teen boyfriend. more
Staying at Home the Modern Family Way.
I recently wrote in this space about how much I admire the freshman ABC comedy Modern Family, called it “off-kilter,” but in a good and witty way. Now I’ve found yet another reason to extol its virtues: Its writers were somehow able to address a woman’s insecurities about being an at-home mom without getting all preachy and super-serious. more
Ageless thirtysomething.
“Just getting through counts for something, doesn’t it?” -- Hope Steadman more
Politics and Family.
Politics have dominated the news during the past week, what with the U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts ending in what major news outlets called an “epic upset” with the Republican defeating the Democrat. The media, excited by the Senate race then shined a tabloid spotlight onto Senator-elect Scott Brown’s family, while the gossip-filled 2008 presidential campaign expose Game Change, which took several potshots at candidates’ spouses, rocketed to the top of best seller’s lists. more
Game Changing Female Villains.
“Nothing you’ve experienced has prepared you for this, how ugly it can be.” -- McCain aide to GOP VP nominee Sarah Palin about presidential campaigns. more
Mid-Season Series Kick-Off.
The kick-off of the fall TV season gets all the glory, what with it coinciding with the start of a new school year, new football season, radiant autumn leaves and all of that. But over the past few years, network execs have challenged the traditional TV season formula, opting instead to launch some high-profile programs in January, February and March more
It's Complicated, or is it?
The weekend after Christmas, my best friend from college – who’s been married nearly as long as I have and who also has three kids around the same ages as my trio – went to see It’s Complicated, the comedy starring the Golden Globe-nominated Meryl Streep, and which snagged two other nominations for best comedy and best screenplay. more
