B*&%$

Does anyone else struggle with the word B*&CH? I do. One of my favorite characters: Lafayette on True Blood throws it around like it's about to go out of style and I still love him, but I can't bring myself to let that word slip past my lips. Sadly, there aren't any alternatives that get the point across quite as well as that word. B*&ch is a very versatile word, it can be an insult or an affirmation of female power as in "Queen B*&ch." "She is such a *Diva!" or "What a *Shrew!" lack a certain forcefulness that if you replace the * with B&*ch it can propel it into another linguistic category. There can be an almost grudging sense of respect attached to that word. An episode of one of my favorite show centered around a group of four African-American females (now off the air): Girlfriends, devoted an entire episode to that word. The basic premise was that an outsider called one of them a *b*&ch and it made them re-examine their own usage of the word amongst themselves. I think, ultimately they decided to stop using it but it was an unsatisfactory sort of lesson. There wasn't a good alternative that they could find. Does the dual uses of the word b*&ch, both as an insult or suggestion of female power detract from it's usage in pop culture? It does for me...words have a lot of power and I think that this word is a destructive force that takes away from women more than it gives.

Here Meet My Baby Mama: Juno

The Hamburger Phone scene

Juno (2007)

Dir. Jason Reitman Written by: Diablo Cody

Starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Allison Janney, Jason Bateman

Leah: Yo Yo Yiggady Yo.
Juno MacGuff: I'm at suicide risk.
Leah: Juno?
Juno MacGuff: No, it's Morgan Freeman. Do you have any bones that need collecting?
Leah: Only the one in my pants...
Juno MacGuff: I'm pregnant.
Leah: What? Honest to blog?
Juno MacGuff: Yeah. Yeah, it's Bleekers.
Leah: It's probably just a food baby. Did you have a big lunch?
Juno MacGuff: No, this is not a food baby all right? I've taken like three pregnancy tests, and I'm forshizz up the spout.
Leah: How did you even generate enough pee for three pregnancy tests? That's amazing...
Juno MacGuff: I don't know, I drank like, ten tons of Sunny D... Anyway dude, I'm telling you I'm pregnant and you're acting shockingly cavalier.
Leah: Is this for real? Like, for real for real?
Juno MacGuff: Unfortunately, yes.
Leah: Oh my GOD. Oh shit! Phuket, Thailand!
Juno MacGuff: There we go. That was kind of the emotion that I was searching for on the first take.

The 411: Girl Juno (Page) and a friend Bleeker (Cera) have sex once and she gets pregnant. Like any wisecracking teen would she deals with it by joking; "Yeah, I'm a legend. You know, they call me the cautionary whale." She finds a couple to adopt the baby and continues to live the ups and down of her teenage life.

Juno immediately came to mind when I was trying to think of a modern Screwball Comedy. I don't know that I've ever come across a movie that manages to pull of a teen pregnancy in the way that this film does. It is irrevrent and humane in it's dealings with the subject matter. And the dialogue is appropriatley lightning fast and brilliant.

There is a teenage couple, zany antics, sharp and fast dialogue, a slight touch of drama, and all of this in 96 minutes. What more could anyone ask of a teen pregnancy movie.

Su-Chin: I'm having a little trouble concentrating.

Juno MacGuff: Oh well I could sell you some of my Adderall if you want.

Su-Chin: No thanks I'm off pills.

Juno MacGuff: That's a wise choice because I knew this girl who like had this crazy freak out because she took too many behavioral meds at once and she like ripped off her clothes, and dove into the fountain at Ridgedale Mall and was like, "Blah I am a Kracken from the sea!"

Su-Chin: I heard that was you.

Juno MacGuff: Well, it was good seeing ya Su-Chin.