Friday
August 20th, 2004
AND
BY "CLOSE FRIEND," I MEAN "LESBIAN LOVER"
Openly gay German cyclist Judith Arndt won the silver medal on Sunday,
but was fined for giving judges the finger as she crossed the finish
line to convey her anger at the German officials decision to exclude
her lesbian partner Petra Rossner from the German road race team
even after she had earned a spot on the team. Many of the newspapers
covering the controversy persist in referring to Rossner as Arndt's
"close friend" despite the fact that Arndt and Rossner
are open about their relationship--just the latest illustration
of the media's complicity in keeping lesbians closeted.
FINGERSMITH
ON FILM
On the heels of the success of the film adaptation of Sarah Waters's
Victorian lesbian-themed novel Tipping the Velvet, the
BBC has begun filming an adaptation of Waters' novel Fingersmith.
Set in nineteenth century London, the novel follows a con man who
conspires to unite two young women (played in the film by Elaine
Cassidy and Sally Hawkins) for his own financial gain, only to unexpectedly
have the women fall in love. The three-part miniseries will debut
on BBC One next year.
THE
L WORD AND NEW MATH
Curve
magazine's Entertainment Issue, which hits stands this week, includes
interviews with L Word actresses Karina Lombard (who also
graces the cover), Kelly Lynch, and Guinevere Turner, from which
we learn that Turner hated the butt-waxing and bush-confidence lines
in the L Word pilot as much as we did; Lynch turned down
Sharon Stone's role in Basic Instinct for moral reasons;
and Katherine Moennig, Leisha Hailey, and Erin Daniels gave Lombard
a good-luck bottle of wine before her first sex scene (with Mia
Kirshner).
But
by far the most interesting tidbit is Kelly Lynch's statement that
"half of the [L Word] cast is gay, another third of
them are bisexual, and another couple of them maybe are confused
about who they are." Funny, that doesn't seem to match up with
Showtime's PR about Leisha Hailey being the only lesbian in the
cast...Let the internet gossip and speculation begin!
SURVIVOR
GETS WITH THE PROGRAM
The ninth installment of the CBS's hit reality series Survivor,
which debuts in September, has two
openly gay female contestants: 31-year-old Ami and 59-year-old
Scout. On message boards across the internet, straight Survivor
fans are already assuming these two women will stick together because
they're both gay, despite that they otherwise have absolutely
nothing in common.
ELLEN
AND ALEX HAVE THE NEW YORK TIMES FOR DINNER
A feature article
on a small dinner party hosted by Ellen DeGeneres and Alexandra
Hedison to toast Alex's recent completion of a short film appeared
in the "Fashion & Style" section of The New York
Times this week. Since Ellen and Alex began dating in 2001,
they have kept a low profile with the press, which makes this article
a rare glimpse into the couple's private life. In the article, their
relationship is described in a casual, domestic way that makes them
seem even more apple-pie than most heterosexual couples, but there
are some humorous moments, as well--like the reference to Ellen
as "Ms. Hedison's girlfriend, Ellen DeGeneres." Fortunately
for us (and Ellen), Alex appears to be much better adjusted than
Ms. DeGeneres's previous partner:
"I'd
have to be Oprah to compete with her," Ms. Hedison said,
laughing yet making it plain that she is not someone who would
be happy living off a famous partner. "Hey, I admit that
there are times that I can't get a reservation at a hot restaurant
unless I mention that it's for me and Ellen. But I have to do
my photography because that's my work and it makes me so happy."
GAY
WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENTS INCREASE
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) announced
Thursday that the number of U.S. newspapers that accept same-sex
wedding or union announcements has climbed to 504, a more than seven-fold
increase in just two years. According to GLAAD, this means an estimated
one-half of all newspaper readers now read a paper that accepts
same-sex union announcements.
SOAPS
LOVE THE LESBIANS
The long-running Australian soap Neighbours (which is also
popular in the U.K.), will introduce a lesbian high school student
at the end of August--the first lesbian character in its 20-year
history--and in Brazil, a lesbian romance is heating up between
two young women on the new soap Senhora do Destino (Lady
of Destiny). Meanwhile,
on the American soap All My Children, a lesbian romance
is heating up between no one, as usual.
That's
it for this week! Check back next Friday for a new installment of
Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever.
Past
installments of Best. Lesbian. Week.
Ever. |
