Top picks from 2003 of the women and men who made us smile, movies and books that moved us, products that soothed us, and a whole lot more. In the spirit of the holiday season, the WomanNews staff shares it all with you.
Women we love:
– Jamie Lee Curtis for continuing her campaign of acknowledging that women’s bodies age and making no apologies for it and championing self-acceptance among girls.
– Oprah Winfrey for reviving her book club and especially for her latest effort, ChristmasKindness, her mission to help South Africa’s children.
– Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) for stepping out of Bill’s shadow and gracefully fitting into the Senate’s old boys’ club.
– Lauren Hutton for still modeling at 60, acting like 30, looking like 40, and showing no signs of mellowing or slowing down.
– Allison Rosati of WMAQ-Ch. 5 for promoting adoption through her weekly “Wednesday’s Child” segments.
– Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) for being a strong voice for Illinois in Congress and a champion for women’s health care.
– Eve Ensler for being a feminist with lots of verve and nerve and boldly taking a stand for women everywhere.
Books we loved:
– “Da Vinci Code” (Doubleday, $24.95) by Dan Brown, a terrific page turner that is giving new life to the “cult of the goddess.”
– “Love” (Knopf, $23.95) by Toni Morrison, for packing lyricism and haunting language into such a slender book that’s also a bold, fierce exploration of love.
– “Re-imagine: Business Excellent in a Disruptive Age” (DK Publishing, $30) by Tom Peters, for making a strong case for why businesses need to pay more attention to women.
– “Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books” (Random House, $23.95) by Azar Nafisi, for offering us a brilliant, moving perspective on what it’s like to be a woman in Iran.
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– “Against Love: A Polemic” (Pantheon, $24) by Laura Kipnis, for providing a provocatively argued and intellectually sophisticated look at adultery.
– “America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates and Heroines” (Morrow, $27.95) by Gail Collins, for telling a remarkable history that opened our eyes to the fascinating lives of some neat women who have come before us.
– “Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston” (Scribner, $30) by Valerie Boyd, for exposing more layers of personality and substance about a complex, iconoclastic writer whom we can’t seem to get enough of.
– “Mrs. Kimble” (William Morrow, $24.95) by Jennifer Haigh, for being the kind of novel we couldn’t put down.
Men we love:
– Dusty Baker for bringing the Cubs back from the brink and making us believe that the team could make it to the World Series after 58 years.
– U2 frontman Bono for doing something constructive with his fame in beseeching Western nations to help stem the AIDS epidemic in Africa, and for staying married to his high school-sweetheart wife, Ali.
– Kyan Douglas of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” for looking great and improving so many women’s boyfriends and husbands, not to mention encouraging them to buy their own moisturizers.
– Paul McCartney for recording the unpublished Beatles song “Mother and Child” as a gift for wife, Heather, and new daughter, Bea.
– UN Secretary General Kofi Annan for reminding the world of the alarming rates of HIV/AIDS among women.
– David Letterman for embracing fatherhood for the first time at the tender age of 56.
– Author-lawyer Scott Turow for his evolved position against the death penalty and pro-bono work for Death Row inmates.
Women who made a difference:
– Deborah R. Card, president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, for becoming the first female chief administrator of the112-year-old orchestra.
– Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, Democratic minority leader in the U.S. House, for becoming the first woman to lead a party caucus in either house of Congress.
– Mariane Pearl, widow of slain journalist Daniel Pearl, whose memoir “A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband, Danny Pearl” shows that love can continue in the wake of tragedy.
– Martha Burk for leading the protest against the male-only membership policy at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.
– Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, for tirelessly lobbying for women’s rights.
Products only a woman can love
– Schick’s Intuition razor, a smooth shave, easy to hold and no nicks.
– Nike’s women’s lightweight mesh training gloves, their sleek design and comfortable fit turn weight-lifting into a Zen experience.
– Olay Regenerist Perfecting Cream is effective and way less costly than a spa visit.
– Ceramic flat-irons, a truly revolutionary hair-styling tool, for silky, smooth finishes.
– Moisturizing gloves and socks work without having to slather on creams and oils. Seems the polymer gel lining does it all–and in 30 to 45 minutes.
Women who took care of business:
– Mellody Hobson, “Good Morning America” finance expert and president of Chicago investment firm Ariel Capital Management, for keeping it real and giving us honest, straight talk when it comes to money matters.
– Sallie Krawcheck, chairman/CEO, Smith Barney Citigroup, for betting her sterling reputation on remaking a tarnished brokerage firm.
– Ann Fudge, chairman/CEO, Young & Rubicam, for giving herself a break from the corporate rat race by leaving the presidency of a Kraft division in 2001, then returning to the game last May, refreshed and recharged.
Research:
– A study by German researchers that appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested that dark chocolate lowers blood pressure. And Scottish and Italian researchers in the journal Nature reported dark chocolate had better anti-oxidant properties–and thus could protect against heart disease and theoretically cancer–than milk chocolate. Bring on the Godivas!
– A surgeon from Winston-Salem, N.C., has patented a device that triggers orgasm in women and could be used to help improve sexual response in women who might need some help. The machine, dubbed an orgasmatron, came about after Dr. Stuart Meloy used a spinal cord stimulator to help a woman with severe back pain. She apparently had a good result.
– Researchers at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management found that the emotional responses of both dating couples and roommates became more alike the longer the relationship lasted. They cried at the same movies, laughed at the same jokes, and even began to react similarly under stress. Maybe that means dishwashing abilities will eventually converge as well.
– Stanford University scientists have successfully engineered a form of naturally occurring vaginal bacteria that could protect women against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The ultimate goal is to develop a product–most likely a vaginal suppository filled with 1 billion bacteria–that could provide protection for up to one week in a single dose.
– A study of 803 menopausal women conducted over a two-year period disputed the widely held notion that menopause makes women scatterbrained and forgetful. Of course, the researchers found that if menopausal women are forgetful sometimes, it’s most likely because they are busy, distracted and stressed-out.
Comebacks:
– Diane Keaton for playing her age and making all of us more visible.
– Carol Moseley Braun for absolute chutzpah in mounting a long-shot presidential bid.
– Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan for treating us to her achingly beautiful voice with the release of her first studio album, “Afterglow,” in six years, a period during which she lost her mother to cancer and had a baby.
Examples of grace under pressure:
– National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice for facing the clamoring media and never losing her cool.
– Uma Thurman for her dignified handling of a messy, public marital breakup.
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– Martha Stewart for soldiering on with the glue gun despite a trial hanging over her head.
Women who rocked Hollywood:
– Nicole Kidman for continuing to bloom after her divorce.
– Cate Blanchett for taking on offbeat and challenging roles.
– Halle Berry for staying relevant and real after her Oscar win.
– Charlotte Rampling, Diane Lane, Frances McDormand and Miranda Richardson for looking their age and looking fabulous.
– Fresh faces Scarlett Johansson (“Lost in Translation” and “Girl With A Pearl Earring”), Keisha Castle-Hughes (“Whale Rider”), Evan Rachel Wood and Nikki Reed (“Thirteen”) for intelligence that complements their beauty.
– Anne-Marie Duff, Nora-Jane Noone, Dorothy Duffy and Eileen Walsh (“The Magdalene Sisters”) for daring to delve into harrowing territory.
– Charlize Theron for her startling transformation in order to play a serial killer in “Monster.”
– Meg Ryan for shedding the girl-next-door persona.
– Sandra Bullock because no matter how many bad movies she makes, we’ll always have “While You Were Sleeping”
– Cher for not taking herself too seriously and spoofing her penchant for younger men in “Stuck on You.”
Movies:
– “Something’s Gotta Give” for reminding women of a certain age not to give up on the hope of finding true love and enjoying great sex after menopause.
– “Pirates of the Caribbean” for an absurd, frothy story, with Johnny Depp providing campy acting and some interesting personal fantasies.
– “Lost in Translation” for Sophia Coppola’s directorial brillance, which could give her a shot at an Oscar.
– “Under the Tuscan Sun” for the delightful tale of a woman nearing 40 who gets a fresh start on life by going for what she wants.
– “Swimming Pool” for the powerful combination of hedonism and suspense, set in the lush surroundings of an Italian villa.
– “Seabiscuit” for reminding us how good it feels to cheer for the underdog, or in this case, horse.
– “Le Divorce” for its rollicking dysfunctional family in Paris, a city that’s a character in itself.
– “Love Actually” for the appealing and entertaining stories of eight couples, set in London, the week before Christmas.
TV shows/ characters we love:
– “Trading Spaces” for showing that women like carpenter Amy Wynn Pastor are as handy with their hands as guys are.
– “American Dreams” for pure Boomer nostalgia and well-drawn female characters
– Third-year medical student Neela Rasgotra on “ER” played by “Bend It Like Beckham” star Parminder Nagra. The latest addition to the ever-changing cast is a refreshing change, for her English accent and her ability to acknowledge her strengths and weaknesses.
– Monica Geller Bing (Courteney Cox Arquette) on “Friends,” whose inability to get pregnant with husband Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) has led them both through the emotional, complex path of unsuccessful infertility treatments and finally the decision to adopt a child. (And an aside, Cox Arquette is finally pregnant in real life after reportedly trying for years and suffering several miscarriages.)
– “Whoopi,” though badly received by the critics, Whoopi and company just happened to push all our wacky laugh buttons.
– ABC’s “The View” for still being fresh and funny and finally hiring a young new co-host, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, last month.