The Original Gilmore Girl: Amy Sherman-Palladino
By AlHanouf Al Tamimi, PR Staff Writer
The 2015 Fusion Film Festival is here and all I can think about is my excitement for my first Fusion Festival. We, as the Fusion family, can’t mask how thrilled we are about this year’s panels and events, but personally, I can’t wait to be in the same room as Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator (and executive producer) of Gilmore Girls tomorrow!
This woman kept the lives of the many mother/daughter duos quite entertained and, in some ways, motivated us to have the qualities of both smart and driven Rory and spontaneous Lorelai. Growing up, Gilmore Girls was the show to watch for their famously unique mother/daughter relationship. Lorelai and Rory made each and every one of us want that same crazy mother in our lives (if we didn’t have one already!). If you’re fangirling right now, you probably know the ending of Gilmore Girls and how Amy Sherman-Palladino was not involved in the last season, leaving us all confused and somewhat upset about the ending. Had she been involved, many believed the final ending would have differed immensely and had more of a bang. In the end, though, I honestly believe that Gilmore Girls will remain on the list of classic TV series to binge watch for many women and men, too (can’t forget the male GG fans out there!).
Sherman-Palladino is extraordinary when it comes to creating good television. Her talent in creating witty conversations, presenting diverse family dynamics, and writing hilarious comedy in Gilmore Girls captured the hearts of many viewers. The showrunner perceives her talent to be writing for great actors/actresses and it’s one of the defining attributes behind her success in both Bunheads and Gilmore Girls. She creates characters that truly leave a mark in the lives of many individuals, be it due to a personal connection to the characters or seeing the character as a friend after watching all 7 seasons. Her attention to detail in preparing lines for Lorelai, Rory, Paris, Michel, Sookie, Luke, Miss Patty, Mrs. Kim, Richard and Emily Gilmore and everyone else on Gilmore Girls proves her talent for breathing life into fictional characters.
One very important piece of advice she’s put out into the world was via her interview with Refinery29:
“It’s very simple. Women have to hire women. Women have to trust women. Women have to stop competing with women. This whole business is about competing. And women have made great strides, but there is still a boys’ club feeling of ‘we’re all on the same team’ that women don’t subscribe to, quite yet. And, I think it’s getting better, but it’s twofold: First, women need to sit around not talking about being women. If you have to be better than the men to get ahead, just be better. Work harder, get it, succeed, and then be in the position to do that for other people. Because that’s what men did.”
This is a piece of advice we, as the Fusion team, look up to; celebrating women in film, television, and new media is our main priority. These are words of wisdom for any females out there trying to push themselves to become better, aspiring to be showrunners, and for those just trying to pave their way to becoming successful women in the field.
Luckily, this inspirational writer-director-producer has gone on to pave the way for more shows after her hit series Gilmore Girls and created another entertaining TV series called Bunheads. If you don’t know it already, you should. She’s spoken about not wanting to create mediocre television and has proved herself to be nowhere near mediocre with list of successes. Sherman-Palladino went above and beyond with Gilmore Girls and is an inspiration to many women wanting to break into the film and television industry, so we are in no doubt ecstatic about her presence at the 2015 Fusion Film Festival.
In honor of Amy Sherman Palladino (and my addiction to Gilmore Girls) here are some fun GIFs that sum up what Gilmore Girls has taught us fans and how it represents us all on a daily basis. And be sure to check out the Showrunner Superstars panel on Saturday February 28th at 2:30 p.m. in Tisch Theater 006!
1. Doesn’t Michel just exemplify how we feel every morning when we wake up?
2. I share your sentiments exactly Rory:
3. That feeling when you’re finally home after a long day at NYU:
4. When you want to lose weight and Kirk sums up your thoughts on the matter:
5. What I think about in the middle of class:
6. How I’m going to act if Amy Sherman-Palladino (or Reed Morano, or any of the fabulous ladies coming to speak to the audience at Fusion) looks my way:
7. When someone asks me about Gilmore Girls:
8. I feel Sookie on so many levels:
9. What the show taught me in a couple of GIFs:
Carpe Diem (Sieze the moment) thanks to Logan!
You will always need your mother no matter what (let’s not get too emotional, please).
No matter how different you are, you’ll most probably end up resembling your mother in many ways.
I’ve learned to come into terms with reality and just let it be.
Lastly, I’ve learned to find motivation within and not rely on others as much as someone like Paris (minus her life coach moments that is).
10. Finally, this is a conclusion to all of the above, as it represents how I felt when the show ended:
