Lena Dunham

[chonies]

Jan 22, 2013 1:05:39 GMT -4 carrier76 said:

Last night's ep was really good. Marnie and Elijah crack me up.

Some of the people's names in this show make me scratch my head. Elijah? Shoshanna? MARNIE? I mean, yes, I've heard of all of them, but they're just odd.

I've known people with all of those names, but only two each of Elijah and Marnie, and one Shoshanna. In my experience both Marnies and the single Shoshanna were from East Coast, artsy and at least partially Jewish families--not sure about the Elijahs, but I think they were both Christian and religiously so. I'm not a regular viewer of the show, so I'm not sure if those names fit the profile.

Also, since I can't ever let anything go, I just looked up the names. Elijah is apparently insane popular--it's #13 and has been in the top 100 for almost 20 years. Marnie and Shoshanna aren't in the top 1000 Social Security names--Shoshanna has never been, and Marnie hasn't been since 1977. I think Shoshanna is one of those names that gets a lot of traction on baby name blogs but isn't actually used often in the US.

Topic? nothing

[monopoly19]

Jan 21, 2013 21:20:46 GMT -4 Yossarian said:

I'm five episodes into her show and I like it. I know it's hipster (hey, some of my favourite people are hipsters!) and I can see why it frustrates a lot of people but much of the show still resonates with me. I especially relate to the stupid things that they are willing to put up with from boys/men at that age. I have laughed out loud at some moments - and very few shows get me to do that!

I got curious about her after reading this thread and started watching the show a few days ago. I really like it - granted, I am likely her target audience (female, 26, educated, reasonable disposable income).

I haven't seen her on any talks shows or read any interviews, so maybe she's particularly obnoxious in real life, but I like her acting on the show. She's definitely the most interesting character. I know many people think she's over the top with getting her gear off, but I LOVE that she's willing to put herself out like that. I can't remember seeing someone with her body type (at her age) naked on tv.

I was surprised by the storyline with her parents in the pilot (cutting off the $$), just because so many people seem to have a problem with Lena not acknowledging her privilege. I know she is not her character, but it seemed a pretty clear indication that she's aware of her own.

I think it's pretty impressive for any 25 year old female to create, write, direct & produce a reasonably successful tv show, no matter her parents. I'd be interested to know how many women there are who have ever done it. I wonder if it is even possible for a woman without connections to do it so young? Hopefully the issues people have with her show (lack of diversity seems to be a common complaint) form part of her learning experience.

[margojata]

The show for me is all sex and depression. And no one at all to cheer for.

How old am I - do kids these days really talk about sex ALL the time? It almost feels forced and eye-rolly. I want to see/hear more character development, but then here comes more sex scenes for what feels like -shock value.

And that's sort of how I feel about Lena. She couldn't even accept an award without adding the extra attention of the bizarre hobbling. The twitterverse needed to explode.

[thneed]

Shoshanna's a pretty common name in Jewish families.

I find that Hannah and her friends are the flipside of shows like Friends and Sex in the City. On those shows, everyone complained how unrealistic it was for people in creative fields to have that much success, for someone to go from waitressing to being an executive at Ralph Lauren, and for people in their 20s who have entry-level jobs having tons of disposable income. Or Carrie living without roommates on the Upper West Side even though her only source of income is writing a column for a free local paper. Neer mind what the show thinks you earn working at an art gallery.

And that was in the 90s. Now (a) the economy's tanked (b) New York is way more expensive, but still just as necessary for a creative job, and (c) creative jobs don't pay anything, and there are less of them. So many aspiring writers I know are taking unpaid internships and being pressured to work for free well into their 30s. Everyone has a blog and a spec script and thinks they're going to be the next Tina Fey. Publishing and media are bleeding jobs but more people want careers in those fields than ever.

I think I like that the show depicts this world more than I would if Lena Dunham played a character who was a famous blogger and lived in a fabulous loft and had money.

[tanyak]

Random fact, but Eli Manning is actually an Elijah.

I did love the banter between Elijah and Marnie, particularly when he just stopped in the middle and was like "What the fuck are you wearing?" He's quickly becoming my favorite character. And Shoshanna is getting more weird.

[The Brunette]

Jan 22, 2013 11:27:53 GMT -4 tanyak said:

Random fact, but Eli Manning is actually an Elijah.

It's Elisha. I think that name's fallen out of favor for boys, despite its Biblical origins, since it looks like a kre8iv spelling of "Alicia" (probably how Elisha Cuthbert got named.)

[tanyak]

Jan 22, 2013 13:07:14 GMT -4 The Brunette said:

It's Elisha.

That's right! I now remember doing a double-take when I first saw it. If it had been Elijah, it wouldn't have really registered as odd.

Cooper, Peyton, Elisha. One of these things is not like the others...

[magazinewhore]

I remember being 25 (150 years ago) and yeah, I remember talking/thinking about sex a LOT. It's kind of the shorthand for intimacy at that age, or I think many people mistake it for emotional intimacy. I know i did.

I don't think Lena is as obnoxious as the media portrayal of her is. I think she and the cast have been painted as privileged daughters of artists (which is true, but sadly not at all uncommon for entertainers), in combination with the fact that Hannah's parents cut her off financially and her character reacts in a entitled way has made everyone out for her blood.

I love Shoshanna's character.

I don't know why I keep posting here, but I do.

[Deleted]

The sex scenes are one of the things I like best about the show. The first thought I had when I lost my virginity, many moons ago, was that sex was actually nothing how it looks on TV or in the movies. Girls is the first time I've seen sex on TV that is comparable to the sex I was having in my twenties. (Shoshanna's "I'm not an attached bleeder!" line also brought back some awful-at-the-time-but-I-laugh-about-it-now memories.)

Chiming in as another person who likes the show after not expecting to at all. I heard so many horrible things about Girls and Lena Dunham on the 'net, but I find Girls funny and Hannah relatable. Granted, the clueless and obnoxious things she says out loud, I would only think in my head, but I understand the nature of a television show means she has to.

[Wol]

Jan 22, 2013 5:52:57 GMT -4 monopoly19 said:

I think it's pretty impressive for any 25 year old female to create, write, direct & produce a reasonably successful tv show, no matter her parents. I'd be interested to know how many women there are who have ever done it. I wonder if it is even possible for a woman without connections to do it so young?

No, without connections, it is not possible.

She does not create in a void. She has other producer/writers and show runners and Judd Apatow and HBO executives. She is savvy and/or very well advised, but she's not solely responsible for the show's success, nor while she be for its failure if it runs out of steam, jumps the shark, etc.