People
Archives: 2005
/ 2004
/ 2003 and
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Jennifer
Beals Tackles Issues of Race, Sexuality on The L Word
As
a lesbian on Showtime's upcoming ensemble series The L
Word, Jennifer Beals hopes to "destroy certain stereotypes
that people have of the gay community." But it is her
character's biracial identity that makes her truly unique.
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The
Success of the UK's Alex Parks: a Paradigm Shift for Lesbians
in Music? An openly lesbian singer with
short spiky hair and a casually butch dress style is voted
the winner in a national TV talent contest.
Sound too good to be true? Maybe in the U.S., but not in the
UK, where 19-year-old Alex Parks recently emerged the winner
of the second season of the UK reality show Fame Academy.
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Making
Over Ellen: Femming Up the Sorta-Butch
Barely a month after her talk show debuted, Ellen began receiving
complaints from viewers that she was dressing too casually
on her show--and by "casual" they really meant "masculine."
So Ellen reluctantly agreed to a series of makeovers during
November Sweeps, with some interesting and troubling results. |
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Sitcom
"Arrested Development" is Arrestingly Funny
The
new Fox sitcom Arrested Development, which airs Sunday
nights at 9:30pm, is one of the funniest, most unique
sitcoms we've seen on U.S. TV in years, and also one of the
few to include an actress who is openly (or at least, semi-openly)
involved in a lesbian relationship: former Ally McBeal
regular Portia de Rossi. |
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Oops,
They Did it Again: Pop Stars Exploit Lesbianism for Profit
The
record industry is in turmoil. With plummeting album sales,
female artists like Pink, Britney, Madonna and Christina need
to stand out more. And what better way to get tongues wagging
than wagging tongues with an attractive member of the same
sex? |
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Interview
with Olga Sosnovska The
actress who plays Lena on All My Children talks about
her background, what she expected when she took the role,
and what she thinks about the current and future storyline
between her character and Bianca. |
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Condoleezza
and the Comic Strip Controversy Is
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice a lesbian? Thanks
to the media coverage of a recent comic strip, that is the
question that is suddenly on everyone's lips. |
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Saffron
Burrows Embraces Lesbian Relationships On-Screen and Off
30-year
old British actress Saffron Burrows is a rarity in entertainment--an
openly bisexual feminist with a successful
film career who doesn't shy away from lesbian relationships
in her work or her life. |
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In
Defense of tATu There
has been an extensive amount of controversy surrounding the
Russian pop duet tATu, and an astonishing barrage of criticism
directed at them. The media seem to be the driving force behind
this attack, but the arguments they have conjured up against
tATu have internal flaws that many have overlooked. |
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Interview
with Kashish Chopra
Kashish
Chopra won the Miss Congeniality award at the Miss India U.S.A.
pageant in August, 2003; she talks here about her experience
being an out lesbian in the pageant and in her community,
and how she hopes to increase lesbian visibility within the
Indian-American community overall. |
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Review
of Margaret Cho's "Revolution"
Margaret
Cho has always been a little bit revolutionary just by being
herself: a Korean-American occasionally-bisexual woman who
loudly and persistently challenges the status quo. Her new
CD "Revolution" is a comedic call-to-arms which
succeeds pretty well at entertaining and inspiring. |
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Ellen's
New Talk Show Tests Host, Viewers If
The Ellen Degeneres Show is successful, it won't matter much
if Ellen never utters the words "my girlfriend"
or "lesbian" on the show. Her daily presence in
America's living room will challenge public conceptions and
stereotypes of lesbians, as well as the notion that you can't
make it in entertainment as an out lesbian. |
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VMA's
Madonna-Britney-Christina Kiss: Progress or Publicity Stunt?
The
underlying pulse of lesbian sexuality in the performance would
have been interesting but not shocking if not for two things:
the "sugar mamma" power dynamic between Britney
and Madonna, and Christina and Madonna--and the now-famous
kisses. |
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Interview
with Paradigm The
queer hip hop artist and poet Paradigm talks about sexuality
and hip hop, lesbian and bisexual visibility in entertainment,
and her experience with the VH1 special Totally Gay. |
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Interview
with Guinevere Turner The
actress and writer talks about her work on The L Word,
what she likes about being on both sides of the camera, and
the challenges and benefits of being an out lesbian in Hollywood. |
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Bi
With a Boyfriend: The Latest Hollywood Trend?
Recently
there has been a stampede of high-profile women acknowledging
their attraction to both genders--but none of them are actually
dating women. What does this trend say about current attitudes
towards bisexuality in American culture? |
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Interview
with Angela Robinson, Director of D.E.B.S.
The
director of the upcoming film D.E.B.S. answers our
questions about the film's lesbian storyline, as well as her
overall experience making the film and writing for the new
Showtime series The L Word. |
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The
Portia de Rossi Guide to Public Relations
Portia
and Francesca are keeping the details of their relationship
private and dignified, but the existence of their relationship
very much public--lulling the media into a new kind of submission
and forcing them to accept the women's personal lives with
a new level of maturity. |
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Camryn
Manheim and the "Girlfriend" Comment
When
actress Camryn Manheim introduced her long-time friend Ann
Cusack as "my girlfriend" at an
April 14th charity event in Beverly Hills, CA, she apparently
had no idea the firestorm of speculation that would erupt
from her use of that adjective--but she probably should
have. |
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The
Problem with T.A.T.U. Why
do so many lesbian and bisexual women continue to be fans
of T.A.T.U. despite the increasingly disturbing
information coming out about the group? Could it be that
we're so starved for any representation of ourselves in
popular music that we're trying to make T.A.T.U. into something
they're not? |
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Interview
with Erica Shaffer of A Family Affair
The
actress who plays Christine in the new lesbian romantic
comedy A Family Affair talks about the movie, why
she prefers film over her other creative outlets, and how
she became a speech therapist for transgendered people.
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Etheridge-Michaels'
Engagement Refreshing News The
straightforward, factual basis of their announcement is
a blessed relief from the onslaught of lesbian exploitation,
heterosexual experimentation, and constant speculation about
so-and-so's sexual orientation which passes for lesbian-related
news these days. |
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Interview
with Stacy Smith of Marion Bridge
The
actress who plays baby-dyke Louise in the new Canadian film
Marion Bridge talks about prepping for the role,
what she has in common with Louise, and what she's working
on now. |
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Interview
with POWER UP Founder Stacy Codikow
The founder of the L.A.-based organization designed to promote
gay women in entertainment talks about the history of the
organization, what movies like Boat Trip say about
Hollywood's approach to diversity, and membership details. |
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Interview
with Suzanne Westenhoefer Comedian
and actress Suzanne Westenhoefer talks about the benefits
and challenges of being an out lesbian comedian, what went
on behind the scenes at her recent appearance on The
Late Show with David Letterman, and her role in the
new movie A Family Affair. |
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Interview
with Michele Greene
Actress, writer, producer and singer Michele Greene talks
about her role in the new movie A Family Affair,
her perspective on her controversial kiss with Amanda Donohoe's
character on L.A. Law in 1992, and why she has
done so many gay and lesbian-themed projects |
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Interview
with Helen Lesnick
The writer, director, producer, and star of the new romantic
lesbian comedy A Family Affair talks about the
challenge of wearing multiple hats, her suprise at the overwhelming
audience response to the film, and
the difficulties in securing distribution for a lesbian-themed
movie. |
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Interview
with Katherine Moennig
Actress Katherine Moennig talks here about her role in Showtime's
upcoming lesbian ensemble series Earthlings, her
experience working on the pilot, what she's up to now, and
why she became an actress. |
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Interview
with Lauren Himmel The
director of Treading Water, talks about making
the film and the real-life experience it's based on, as
well as her current projects and her perspective on topics
related to lesbian and bisexual visibility in film. |
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Interview
with Diane Anderson-Minshall Curve
Magazine's Entertainment Editor talks about her background,
current trends in lesbian/bi visibility on film and TV,
her take on Earthlings, and her best and worst
celebrity interviews, including Angelina Jolie, Susan Sarandon,Martina,
and Laura Innes. |
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Interview
with Nina Landey The
actress who starred in Treading Water talks about
being an out lesbian in Hollywood, her experiences making
the film, her next project, and how she knows Ellen. |
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Interview
with Iyari Limon The
actress who plays Kennedy dishes on a variety of topics
including auditioning for Buffy, working with Alyson
Hannigan, meeting Amber Benson, her plans for the future,
and how her parents are still trying to convince her to
give up this acting gig and become a doctor or a lawyer.
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Amanda
Bearse: Out Behind the Camera Amanda
Bearse made big headlines in 1993 when she became the first
primetime actress to come out as a lesbian, while playing
the Bundy's neighbor Marcy D'Arcy on the long-running Fox
hit show Married With Children. She has worked
steadily since then, but behind the camera instead of in
front of it--as a director of the very kind of show that
made her a household name. |
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Nina
Landey Still Treading Water
Nina Landey of Treading Water acknowledges that
initially she was a little concerned about being
typecast by playing such an explicitly lesbian role so early
in her career. "I was wondering if...because I'm gay,
is this going to screw me up, am I not going to get [straight]
roles?" |
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No
More "Laurel Who?" Why I Can't Wait for Earthlings
to Begin In
the upcoming Earthlings, Laurel Holloman will play
Tina, better half to Jennifer Beals' Bette. I hope she’s
a full-fledged character and not just an appendage. I hope
she's smart and sassy and tough and tender and constantly
surprising, like Randy Dean, all grown up. |
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Why
Mia Kirshner is the New Face of Lesbians/Bisexuals in Entertainment
In
the last two years, Kirshner has played more bisexual characters
on film and television than just about any other Hollywood
actress. And now she is set to star in the upcoming Showtime
series Earthlings, about a group of lesbian friends
in LA... |
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Karina
Lombard the First Native American to Play a Lesbian on TV
Although Lombard has a pivotal role in the
pilot of Earthlings, it is unfortunate that the
series does not appear to feature Lombard's character more
prominently in the rest of the episodes given the overall
lack of visibility for Native Americans in Hollywood--and
the total invisibility of lesbian Native Americans. |
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Whoopi
Goldberg: Bi or Not? So is she bisexual,
or isn't she? Whoopi's recent comment appears to answer
that question, but maybe it was just a joke, or a publicity
stunt - a way to get in good with the gay community. Except
this doesn't exactly gel with Whoopi's history of support
for gay rights. |
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The
Angelina Jolie Phenomenon Women who primarily
identify themselves as heterosexual in everyday life while
finding the occasional woman attractive are drawn to Angelina
Jolie precisely because of her unwillingness to hide her
bisexuality. |
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Tammy
Lynn Michaels Comes Out: An Un-Popular Career Move?
While anyone who saw even one interview
with Heche when she first started dating Ellen could tell
right away she was opportunistic loony, Melissa Etheridge's
new girlfriend Tammy Lynn Michaels comes off quite the opposite.
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