To all concerned A couple months ago, I watched a TV Special which indicated that smoking cigars is that latest vogue fad among Hollywood Actresses. It seems reasonable to me that this fad would find its way on to the screen. I also think Peter's comment 's are very true, it is meant to show women as captains of industry in films, or at least to afford women equal status as those captains. So in answer to your Question Chris, I would say no, I don't think your paranoid, I think the increase is very real. Another real behavior change I have noticed in a variety of TV shows and Movies, is the assertiveness of females and submisiveness of males in sexual roles. There is nothing wrong with women being sexually assertive, its just in 95% of the shows I have seen lately it is always the women being assertive, and the man is always submissive. This seems a bit unbalanced to me. In fact, it seems that only a males playing the "Bad guy," in any picture can be assertive with women anymore. When you consider the impact that movies and television have on are youth, I thinks it a good idea that stereotypical belief systems are dispelled, but I wonder if total role-reversal, is a good idea? Surely all sexually assertive males are not bad guys. I realize for a longest time men where the only sex allowed to be assertive in movies, and some might say: its pay back time. Howerver, life isn't about getting even, its about being fair. The only way to have true equally between men and women is to betray these roles as being equal, with neither one, nor the other dominating the other. I think Hollywood is trying to make some sort of statement by reversing the traditional male/female gender roles, in movies and in television. Is Hollywood making the statement all good men are submissive? That all women need to be more assertive? Anybody care to comment on this issue? Jon ---- To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]