D.E.B.S. VET PLAYS GAY: IT’S A GOOD THING In great news for hot-blooded lesbians everywhere, D.E.B.S. badass Meagan Good is set to play a lesbian in a new film, Sundays in Fort Greene. The film, written by co-star Tamara LaSeon Bass, is about two sisters trying to escape the legacy of their dysfunctional family. Meagan’s character, Greta, is closeted and struggling to reconcile her identity with the wishes of her family. The film will begin shooting this summer and is slated for a 2008 release.
If you’re like me, when you saw D.E.B.S. you really wished there was a way that Good’s character, Max, could have gone gay right along with her spymate Amy. She brought the attitude and fire to the D.E.B.S. pack, and she rocked the school uniform so hard that her miniskirt should have been classified as a lethal weapon.
No word yet on whether her new role involves a killer wardrobe, but my fingers are crossed.
THE THINGS WE DO FOR JOURNALISM As scribegrrrl recently mentioned on the blog, MTV’s Real World: Sydney introduced a new cast of characters in the season premiere yesterday and among them was the openly bisexual “blonde bombshell,” Shauvon. Shauvon is a student at Sacramento State University in California, as well as a sex columnist. I’m not sure how her experience as a sexpert might assist her in her Real World journey, but I’m curious enough to watch and find out.
In the season opener (watch the full episode here), we learned that the female roommates work under the assumption that women can’t get along with one another, and that at least one man in the house thinks that any problems that might arise throughout the course of the show will be due to “vaginal insecurity.” (Which is, I’m guessing, the opposite of “nipple confidence.”) One of the roommates, Cohutta from Georgia, spoke on the phone with his very Southern grandpa about the fancy dwelling and the beauty of Australia, to which his grandpa replied, “So are the girls hot?”
The best part about Real World – aside, of course, from the fascinating human relation dynamics – is that the housemates generally engage in the sort of sexual free-for-alls that you would expect from any college-aged kids living together and away from home in rent-free luxury. In fact, they should really call this show Real World Hookups, just for the sake of truth in advertising.
Although Shauvon did indeed hook up with someone in the season premiere, it wasn’t a girl. Instead, she chose Isaac, telling her roommate, Parisa (the sensible one), that he captivated her interest because he is “weird, sarcastic and rude.” But keep watching. She just might need some lesbian action as fodder for her column. At least that’s what I say when it’s my turn to write B.L.W.E.
TO HELL’S KITCHEN AND BACK AGAIN This week is the third-season finale of Hell’s Kitchen, and while neither of the two finalists this season are out lesbians or bisexual women, last season had two, including the 27-year-old winner, Heather, and fellow contestant Rachel (who died unexpectedly in May, with the obituary noting she left behind a girlfriend and two cats).
That’s right, all of us who were speculating last year about Heather and Rachel being gay weren’t crazy, after all.
Heather recently joined the AfterEllen.com community and commented on Sarah and Lori’s video blog review of a recent episode of Hell’s Kitchen, saying, “Jessica was the first openly gay [contestant], and Rachel and I were the second.”
Naturally, we had some follow-up questions for Heather, and she was kind enough to indulge us. Here’s our Q&A with her about being out on the show and the charity work she’s doing, some of it in honor of Rachel.
What is your full name? Heather Marie West. (But only when I’m in trouble.)
You mentioned in your comment on AfterEllen.com that you and Rachel were both out on the show, but that was never revealed on air or in your official bios. Why? I thought it was obvious that Rachel and I were both gay, but some feel it wasn’t. The show wasn’t about our sexuality, it was about our cooking talents. There were some times you could definitely tell. I believe [fellow contestant] Sara at one point called us out on it on air, that we were making eyes at each other. Before I went on the show, I was out to most people, but I made sure everyone knew because I had met Rachel at casting, and I knew if she was there, I wasn’t going to hold back. If Fox didn’t have a no-fraternizing rule, they would have been in trouble. HA HA.
[Editor’s note: Sara said on camera: “The nature of Heather and Rachel’s relationship is kind of unprofessional. Rachel’s making eyes at Heather. And Heather’s making eyes at Rachel.” Heather’s comments about Sara (who lied, cheated and undermined her way through the show) in the same episode? “I could just beat her ass. And after I beat her, I’ll recite poetry and play softball. Not necessarily in that order.” Hee. That answer alone should have confirmed she’s gay!]Did you enjoy the experience of doing the show? And what did you learn most? Of course I enjoyed the show. I have had the chance of a lifetime to meet new people, chefs and learn so much. I will forever have that experience of being on the show for the rest of my life. No one but us knows what it was really like. The thing I learned the most was to believe in myself. I gained more confidence – that I got here for a reason. And to not believe some of the crap people try to tell you.
How have you liked being the head chef at Red Rock? Any particular memorable moments to share? Red Rock has been amazing. I remember this one girl started crying her eyes out when she met me. It filled my heart up. Another was a little boy named Christopher who had Down syndrome, couldn’t stop staring at me and gave me the biggest hug. He is my buddy. I am pen pals with little boys and girls all over the country. I write everyone back. I have learned so much and met so many great people. … [I’m involved with] the Make-a-Wish foundation. I granted a wish in February for a little girl in Florida that I am still very close with. I’m soon coming out with a book benefiting Make-A-Wish and special-needs kids and adults.
Our readers would love to know if you’re single? Yes, I am single, thanks so much for bringing that up!! Just kidding. It’s funny when I go out – no one really talks to me. My friends say I look intimidating, but I’m like, “I’m such a tool! Why?!” I don’t think I am, but I don’t know why no one talks to me!
Your AfterEllen.com bio says you’re thinking of heading to California when your contract’s up – what are you planning to do there? I’m not too sure about what I’m going to do. If Red Rock asks me to stay, I will probably stay. I’m thinking about doing the private party thing for a while, where I go to people’s houses. I have some TV show ideas and some book ideas. I’m doing a lot of charities, really into that.
I’m currently working on a charity in the memory of Rachel. To keep her dreams alive. The charity I am working on for Rachel is to produce a book with all three seasons in it, and their recipes. The proceeds will go to a foundation which sends underprivileged kids to camp with us, and will teach them how to cook – and just to be kids. I am also working on a program to help alumni of Hell’s Kitchen and other series to help contestants keep their name out there and keep hope alive.
Rachel, as you might have heard, has passed. This has been really hard on me, and it is hard to get through a day without crying or thinking of her. I have a MySpace remembrance site for her and am working on charities for her, because I know she will want to be remembered in a good way. It’s just so hard, I miss her so much.
Learn more about Heather on her AfterEllen.com profile or on MySpace.com.
STENO GRRRL If you’re a fan of the dishy lesbian pulp novels of the 1950s (or even the kitschy, modernized versions by Mabel Maney) you might like Lois Lenz, Lesbian Secretary by Monica Nolan (thanks to AE reader Beth for the tip!). Entertainment Weekly gave the book an A- in a glowing (if brief) review.
High school cheerleader Lois Lenz is torn between make-out sessions with her best friend and a future that includes the local junior college and marriage. Then her new guidance counselor sets her up with a job at a mysterious Bay City ad agency. In Monica Nolan’s send-up of 1950s lesbian pulp novels — there’s even evil reefer! — Lois discovers lesbian secrets and Communist conspiracies. Will Lois succeed as a secretary and find true love? Or will Communists destroy her chances for happiness? Nolan squeezes her kicky premise for plenty of juice, leaving the pulp in Lois Lenz, Lesbian Secretary.The book release party for Lenz was Wednesday in San Francisco at the Lexington Club, and I’m bummed that I couldn’t make it. The advertisement for the event promised “an evening of secretarial fun” and encouraged attendees to “dress in your office best and compete in the ‘Most Secretarial’ contest to win prizes donated by local businesses including Good Vibrations and Wolfe Video.” In keeping with the very lesbian “everyone’s a winner” spirit, all secretarial look-alikes received half off their first drink. The evening also included a book reading and signing by the author.
Note to Sarah Warn: Can we find money in the budget to hire a secretary for me? All of these Special Projects have become tedious daunting, and I could use some assistance. I’ll be holding interviews next week at the Lexington Club.
MULLETS GET BETTER MILES PER GALLON This week, IFC’s brilliant and biting (and feminist!) The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, starring Laura Kightlinger as Jackie and Nicholle Tom as her best friend Tara Wentzel, featured a hilarious lesbian story line, the likes of which we haven’t seen since Tina Fey‘s Liz Lemon tried in vain to be gay on 30 Rock.
When Tara’s junker car dies, some lesbian neighbors encourage her to go to a lesbian car saleswoman for a good deal. The saleswoman assumes that Jackie and Tara are a couple, and because they fear losing out on a special “family” deal on a car, they don’t bother to correct her.
Jackie and Tara soon join a lesbian SUV driving club, where they meet aggressive entertainment industry executive Liz (played brilliantly by The Big Gay Sketch Show‘s Nicole Paone, my latest crush). Liz quickly puts the moves on Jackie and offers her a job, and before you can say “nepotism,” Jackie is wearing expensive suits purchased for her by Liz and making out with her in her car. For her part, Tara commits to the charade by making the ultimate sacrifice: She has her hair cut into a mullet.
Below is a still from a scene in which Jackie and Tara meet the driving club members and try a little too hard to prove that they too are gay. The promo materials for the show describe Jackie and Tara as two women whose “willful ignorance, fleeting confidence, poor judgment and self-loathing constantly get in the way of their success,” and none of that changes in their brief stint as lesbians. Tara’s lust for mankind gets her thrown out of the “club,” and Jackie soon finds that she’s in over her head with Liz.
Most of the dialogue is too blue to be repeated on AfterEllen.com, but I heartily encourage you to catch a re-run or visit the IFC website to watch a clip. And be sure to check out Malinda’s interview with both Kightlinger and Tom. If you like Absolutely Fabulous, you’ll love Jackie Woodman. And if you like Jackie Woodman, well then, you’re probably just as cynical and bitter as she is. But probably gayer.
FOX FLUNKS OUT GLAAD (The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) has released its Network Responsibility Index, which gauges LGBT Representation on the five broadcast television networks, and some of it just ain’t pretty.
According to a press release, GLAAD “examined all primetime programming — 4,693 hours — on the five major networks (ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX, and NBC) from June 1, 2006 – May 31, 2007. Each hour was reviewed for any on-screen major or minor LGBT representations. Based on the overall quantity, quality and diversity of these representations, a grade was assigned to each network: Excellent, Good, Fair, or Failing.”
Teacher’s pet ABC led the pack with a dazzling grade of “Good” for queer-friendly programming like Brothers & Sisters and Ugly Betty and a walloping 15 percent of LGBT-inclusive prime-time programming hours. In second place was CW, earning a rating of “Fair” with 12 percent LGBT inclusive programming hours. CBS ranked as “Fair” with 9 percent of LGBT-inclusive programming hours, and NBC also received a rating of Fair for its 7 percent LGBT inclusive programming hours.
When you consider the fact that NBC’s ER had a single lead lesbian character, and one who appeared sporadically and was part of an ensemble cast at that, the rating of “Fair” seems generous. But then AfterEllen.com has long been tracking the steady decline of the number of lesbian characters on primetime scripted television. For a more extensive analysis of this issue, check out Sarah Warn’s Jumping the Lesbian Shark column here. Surprising no one, FOX came in last with a “Failing” grade for 6 percent of LGBT-inclusive programming hours. Ah, FOX, the people who bring you “news” suggesting that presidential candidates are cautious about dressing too stylishly lest they perceived as gay – and when the reporter uttered those words, they cut to a photo of Hillary Clinton. (Thanks to Jon Stewart and The Daily Show for bringing that little gem to my attention.)
A copy of the full report can be found at glaad.org or here.
For more bad news, check back in early September when the 12th Annual GLAAD Where We Are On TV diversity report will be issued. This report will examine LGBT inclusion as well as the gender and race/ethnicity of all scripted characters scheduled to appear during the upcoming season. With such slim pickins’ on the tube, I suspect this report, not unlike some of my best work in high school, will be printed on wide-rule paper.
LESBIANS RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE Gay network here! has announced its lineup of original programming for 2007, and in addition to Season 3 of guilty pleasure Dante’s Cove (featuring a slew of out lesbian actors) a lesbian potboiler is on the schedule. Meltdown, which stars Jamie Luner and Meredith McGeachie (aka Toxic Tonya, Dana’s crazy girlfriend on The L Word), tells the tale of a “highly sophisticated computer system” at a nuclear power plant that goes all HAL on its operators. To make matters worse, it develops a capacity for reason – and malice – while a tropical island storm is is blowing into town.
No word yet on when the film will air, but here are some intriguing photos of Luner working a fierce hazmat suit, saving the island from certain doom, and still finding time for a clinch with a law enforcement officer. A nuclear power plant computer system with a bad attitude sounds daunting, but my money is on Luner. She’s a Melrose Place alum, and we all know those girls could take (and dish out) some hits.
A SIDE ORDER OF LIFE AND A GUESTBIAN TO GO The new Lifetime series Side Order of Life is receiving glowing reviews for quality acting and subtle storytelling. The plot revolves around a woman, Jenny, who receives a “wake-up call” about her life when her best friend, Vivy, falls ill with cancer. The fact that the creators of the show seem to be getting so much right gives me hope that an upcoming episode featuring a lesbian story line will be handled just as well. No information yet on when the episode will air, but it will include a 30-something out lesbian character, Kristin. According to the casting breakdown, Kristin is Vivy’s co-worker and a “beautiful vivacious woman.” In the episode, Jenny consults with Kristin about being gay as part of her research for a story she’s writing.
That’s a good angle. I’ll have to remember that one.
A SPASHLEY KISS TO MAKE IT ALL BETTER South of Nowhere fans rejoice! The hour-long season premiere airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET on The N. Check out the latest promo below, complete with a big juicy Spashley kiss. I guess the girls weren’t kidding around when they promised us that the show hadn’t been de-gayed!
Speaking of South of Nowhere, look for our episode recaps and our new SoN video blog starting next week. Both will run on Tuesdays this season. In the video blog, AE contributing writer Dara Nai and I will amuse ourselves (and hopefully you) each week by discussing the most recently aired episode. Dara won’t be around for the inaugural video blog, so out actress and Dante’s Cove star Jill Bennett has graciously agreed to sub for her. I’m pretty sure that she has no idea what she’s gotten herself into.
DEAD SEXY Tina Scorzafava, the writer-director who brought us the wildly popular short film Gillery’s Little Secret (starring Annabeth Gish), recently filled me in on her latest project. In Twilight’s Shadow is a 10-minute action film about “a female immortal who lies suspended between light and dark, until she is called to rise to protect the mortal she loves.” The cast includes actors with credits from ER, Entourage, Nip/Tuck and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Scorzafava said of the short film: “It acts as a standalone introduction to the characters of the feature film, whose script is now available – we’re planning to package them together to secure financing, so we can move forward to tell this epic story. Based on the film’s genre, built-in audience and current industry responses thus far, the door is wide open for potential crossover success. It has oodles of production value, stunts, special effects, big sound and an encompassing cinematic score which we’ve been able to put together for a very reasonable budget. We’ve just locked the assembled final edit and are collaborating with a fantastic sound team to add subtleties and nuances.”
Below are some stills from the production: For more info, check out Scorzafava’s MySpace page or the MySpace page for In Twilight’s Shadow.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Last night, Logo (AfterEllen.com’s parent company) and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation presented The Visible Vote ’08, a live forum in in which the leading 2008 Democratic presidential candidates addressed a range of issues of importance to the LGBT community. If you missed it, check out Malinda Lo’s live blog coverage.
On August 2, out actor and former Roseanne star Sara Gilbert (ER) and her partner Allison Adler welcomed a daughter, Sawyer Gilbert Adler, into the family. The couple also has a 3-year-old son, Levi.
This weekend, Lifetime’s series State of Mind features a story line about a divorcing lesbian couple engaged in a nasty custody battle. The episode, entitled “Helpy Helperpants” (I have no idea why) airs Aug. 12 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
A reader (thanks bernili01!) let us know that a lesbian couple will be among those featured next week on the reality series Engaged and Underage, which airs Mondays at 11:30 p.m. ET on MTV.
Lesbian Sex and Sexuality, a six-episode documentary series from here! TV, comes out on DVD on Aug. 14.
This weekend, Sarah and Lori’s video blog, She Made Me Watch This!, will include, among other things, their review of the Degrassi finale and a preview of the new Sarah Shahi series, Life.
That’s it for this week! Check back next Friday for another edition of Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever.
