Lupita Nyong'o to Star in 'Americanah' Adaptation

Nigerian love story Americanah has found both its champion and its star in Lupita Nyong'o, who is wisely using her newfound Oscar clout to help nurture artistic and literary projects, even as she parachutes into blockbusters like the new "Star Wars" film. Meanwhile, she is also one of the few actors connected with Jon Favreau's "The Jungle Book" (alongside Scarlett Johansson and Idris Elba), which is sure to land somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.

We've discussed the Bechdel Test before -- a rough guide to the quantity and quality of female characters in any given work of fiction. A new i09 article explores why the test is more important than we may realize. While not every worthy film passes the test ("Gravity" for example, since Sandra Bullock is the only woman pretty much by design), it turns out that conversations we have about film are greatly enhanced when there's a strict, handy point of comparison to start from.

Elsewhere, and in a similar vein, comedy specialist Seth Macfarlane is catching heat for the way his new film "A Million Ways to Die in the West" reduces its presumably strong female character (played by Charlize Theron) into yet another helpless damsel in distress. This ire stems from (and also affirms) critics' beef with Macfarlane over other instances in his work, such as the notorious "We Saw Your Boobs" musical number he contributed to the 2013 Oscar broadcast.

Everyone is delighted by the return of "Orange is the New Black," but it appears not everyone is mature enough to appreciate the show's nobler intentions. Social media click-farmer Zimbio has unleashed a "What's your 'Orange is the New Black' Prison Nickname?" quiz -- perhaps the most tasteless possible tribute to a show that has gone out of its way to shatter stereotypes about life behind bars.

World and Film

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