StuntDouble's blog

After a self-promotion campaign that involved everything from waiting on hold at Harpo in front of a live studio audience to sending Justin Timberlake on an emissary mission, Ellen DeGeneres' quest to share the cover of O Magazine with Oprah has finally come to fruition. And Monday, The Oprah Winfrey Show is having "An Oprah Exclusive Event: Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi!"

Oprah revealed two of the four possible O Magazine covers at Oprah.com this morning, and revealed the final two on her show today.

One of the high points on last year's LGBT Roller Coaster Ride of Terror was Wanda Sykes coming out as gay and married. It's not every day our community gets an intelligent, hilarious, high-profile woman of color as a spokesperson — especially one that isn't afraid pull punches.

This Saturday night (Nov. 7), Fox is launching The Wanda Sykes show, which should be the perfect platform for Sykes to push as many buttons as the FCC will allow.

Wanda has been making the daytime talk show rounds over the last few weeks, stopping in to chat with Oprah, Joy Behar on HLN and the women of The View. In every interview, she's spoken openly and affectionately about her wife and their six-month-old twins.

Greg Rucka, the writer responsible for Detective Comics' relaunch of the baddest-ass Batwoman in history, is adding another lesbian to the comic book canon — this time in his own series, Stumptown.

Stumptown is a pulpy PI story that follows down-on-her-luck gambler/private investigator Dex as she tries to wiggle her way out of debt and keep her PI firm, Stumptown Investigations, from going bankrupt. When Rucker opens on Dex, though, her firm seems like the least of her worries.

(It'd be the least of my worries too, if I was stuffed into the trunk of the car.)

There's a ménage à trois going down on next week's Gossip Girl, and it involves three of these people:

(Do you have any idea how hard it was to keep the van der Humphs from colliding on that chart?)

The CW has been hyping the threesome (Sweeps-some?) for weeks now, leaking bogus spoilers to counter the actual spoilers. Every entertainment site is predicting potential groupings, but there's no site more dedicated to girls kissing than us, so you know we've got to weigh in.

Step One: Process of elimination.

When Sheryl Swoopes was unceremoniously waived from from the Seattle Storm in February, it was a kick in the gut to women's basketball fans everywhere — especially lesbians. Swoopes was the matriarch of the WNBA, and one of the only openly gay women in the league. So it warms the crusty cockles of my cynical heart to tell you that she is returning to the court this weekend in an exhibition game against the University of Montana.

Swoopes will be playing with Northwest Sports, an amateur traveling team — but if you're imagining her huffing-and-puffing up and down the floor like a has-been Big Bad Wolf, think again: Swoopes has been working out daily in hopes of getting picked up by a WNBA team in 2010.

This summer she told The Seattle Times: "I honestly feel like the opportunity is still there. I feel like I should be playing and I could really be helping a team right now. I'm not retired!"

We've got a Gossip Girl Facebook recap for you today, but before we hack into the UES' social network, we have got to talk about the total Gay Fest that was "The Grandfather: II." There was Blair asking out another girl, Chuck's "Don't tell me after 18 years, you can't read Waldorf subtext," Blair and Serena's heartbreaking look of longing across the street, and Blair lying awake in bed missing Serena.

The whole thing played like an angsty Waldsen fanfic, set to a soundtrack by McG. I mean, you guys, Blair hired a call girl to make Serena jealous. I like it! I say: more of it!

Now, on to the recap!

Out lesbian stylist Tabatha Coffey returns to Bravo tonight for a second season of Tabatha's Salon Takeover, and in a two-minute clip of the first episode, we get a five "f--k offs!", one "go to hell, you f--king b--ch" and one "maybe you were born an a--hole" from a colorist at the salon being taken over.

Of course Tabatha is as cool as the breeze of her homeland in Surfer's Paradise, Australia: "I may have been born an a--hole, but at least I'm really good at what I do."

Rosie O'Donnell's resume reads like a variety show — Emmy-award winning talk show host, Broadway star, stand-up comic, author, blogger, actress, magazine mogul, activist — and today she's adding radio pundit to the list when Rosie Radio premieres on Sirius XM.

The best part of the new gig, according to Rosie? She doesn't have to wear a bra.

Sirius XM's description of Rosie Radio is one of the best things I've read in a press release this year:

For two hours daily Rosie will have a forum to explore any topic, issue, or event on her mind. Topics and guests will be driven by Rosie's numerous passions, interests, and hobbies.

With November Sweeps almost upon us, we thought it would be a good time to take a sampling of our favorite TV characters and analyze how well they've played their power so far this season. Who's got enough power to become a dictator, and who needs to go ahead and retire from that governorship? Results below!

Ladies and ladies, may I present to you something you never knew you always wanted? Kelly Kapoor in a leopard print leotard and gold tights:

Kelly Kapoor working a wedding dress:

Kelly Kapoor meets auto-tune:

The LGBT community has another reason to thank Bea Arthur for being a friend: Yesterday, the Ali Forney Center, a New York safe shelter for homeless gay youths, announced that the late, great Golden Girl left $300,000 to them in her will.

The Ali Forney Center's executive director, Carl Siciliano, said in a statement, "We are overwhelmed with gratitude that Bea saw that LGBT youth deserve as much love and support as any other young person, and that she placed so much value in the work we do to protect them, and to help them rebuild their lives."

The center plans to purchase a new building to house 12 additional youths with the funds bequeathed by Bea Arthur, and name it in her honor.

OK, show of hands: How many of you shouted at the TV last night when Blair said, "Now either make me kiss a girl already or move on!"?

I did. I shouted. I said, "Do it then, Waldorf! Serena is standing right beside you!"

Alas, it did not happen. It was a weird night all-around for the gays. Serena and Blair broke up; Eric got yogurt-ed; Jonathan got egged; Dan the Lez tried to determine the difference between "freaking out" and "processing." And don't even get me started on Serena's boobs. There's not enough room in all the recaps in all the world. Those things are out of control.

Gossip Girl's got something to tell you about Halloween:

After a long run, Kate Cook was voted of Australian Idol this weekend, finishing the competition in sixth place.

It's been a tumultuous, emotional journey for the self-professed "down-to-earth country-bumpkin" from Lowood, Australia. I confess that I teared up when I watched her elimination — and I'm not even from Australia!

Last week, during her trip home, Cook met and sang with Australian country music star Troy Cassar-Daley. On her Idol blog, she wrote:

Last month, I attended a Fox conference call with Super Gay Jane Lynch, and even though we were supposed to keep our conversation Glee-full, plenty of us were able to sneak in questions about Party Down. (One New York Post reporter told Lynch that she really hurt her feelings by leaving the the show).

Lynch hinted that she might revisit to the Starz cult comedy, and yesterday E! broke the news that she will, indeed, be back for the season two finale. And bonus good news: Kristen Bell is returning too!

According to E!, Lynch's character, Constance, is getting married in the season two finale, and the Party Down catering team will be handling the event.

Last night Sarah Warn Tweeted an astute assessment of Thursday night TV:

It's true! Even with a DVR that lets me watch one thing and record two other things at the exact same time, it still takes Saturday and Hulu for me to catch up. I take TV seriously — I mean, I have a spreadsheet — so I understand the gravity of what I'm about to say. Deep breath.

Ahem.

Parks and Recreation is the best thing going on Thursday nights (better, I think, than 30 Rock). And here are seven reasons you should be watching.

Halloween is almost upon us! Time to dust off your copy of It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! and restock that Halloween candy you bought two weeks ago and promised yourself you'd save for the trick-or-treaters. (You do it every year!) Halloween also means a solid block of spooky programming. If you can't find Beetlejuice on TV in the next ten days, you're just not trying.

Want a sneak peek at how your favorite TV characters are dressing up? We've got that and a list of Halloween-themed episodes that are coming your way in the next few days!

Monday, Oct. 26 — Gossip Girl is all new with "How To Succeed in Business." Blair shouts at Dorota to tell the UES kids there's no prepackaged joy for them at her house! And then she and Serena dress as — flappers? Serena's boobs are dressed as Serena's boobs.

Monday, Oct. 26 — Castle's "Vampire Weekend" follows Castle and Beckett as they track down a vampire-fetishist murderer. Castle's got a Poe thing going on (nice Raven) and Dr. Parish is working the classic cleavage kitty.

Sarah Shahi's characters have worn many vocational hats over the years.

She's done the cop thing.

The DJ thing.

When Harriet Braun pitched Lip Service to BBC, she promised it would be funnier and more authentic than The L Word, and now she's going to get the chance to prove it. The lesbian-centric tragi-comedy received a green light from BBC in September, and it has already begun filming.

Ruta Gesamintas will play Frankie.

The six-part mini-series will revolve around Frankie (Ruta Gedmintas), Cat (Laura Fraser) and Tess (Fiona Button), three lesbians who live (and, presumably, laugh and love and breathe and fight and f--k and cry and drink) in Glasgow.

It's hard to sell pop culture elitists on Gossip Girl because the show presents itself the same way as Serena vander Woodsen: titillating, flighty, turquoise jewelry for days. But underneath all that cleavage, Gossip Girl is clever and cunning and infinitely more textured than, say, Glee. Last night's episode did more with All About Eve in 42 minutes than The L Word did in its entire fifth season.

Enough About Eve was really All About Blair and Vanessa, which is an excellent set-up in a thousand ways. (Not the least of which:Szhor and Meester play brilliantly off one another.)

Blair wakes up from one of her cinematic dreams — in this one, she was Margo Channing to Vanessa's Eve Harrington — shrieking at Chuck about how she's Audrey Hepburn, not Bette Davis. Chuck says not to worry, that one day she'll hold all of NYU in the palm of her delicate hand, but she springs from bed because the last time this happened she was Eliza Doolittle and as loverly as that sounds, it was the birth-dream of this whole NYU debacle.

B's first step in her plan for campus-wide domination is to deliver the freshman toast at Parents' Weekend. The person standing in her way? Vanessa, who has landed herself on the cover of the NYU student newspaper. V wants to give the toast because she thinks it will help her parents — who don't believe in private education, or sugar, or movie stars, or electric-powered chicken coops — understand that NYU is the place for her.

After a whole lot of hullabaloo, Ugly Betty is finally back on ABC tonight with a two-hour season premiere. And this year, more than ever, the odds are stacked against our affable, plucky heroine. She may be rocking a makeover and a promotion, but she's doing it in the Friday night death slot because last year's second-half ratings were dismal. Of course, if we've learned anything from Betty in three seasons it's that we should never, ever give up.

Last season's finale was one of the bleakest ever episodes of Betty, but the good thing that came of it was Betty's promotion to associate features editor. The new job should open up some fresh storylines for the Mode crew. How will Marc handle being passed over? How will Daniel cope with the loss of his only source of brainpower? Who will Amanda torture?

And what kind of hijinks will the fabulous Wilhemina get up to? (That last one has nothing to do with Betty becoming an editor, but it's still my favorite Ugly Betty question.)

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you stuck Princess Diaries, Center Stage and Ilene Chaiken in a blender and pressed "frappe"? Well, you're about to find out. The CW is teaming up with The L Word creator to produce a drama based on the teen novel Confessions of a Backup Dancer.

I may be using the word "novel" a little too loosely. Confessions of a Backup Dancer makes Cecily von Ziegesar's Gossip Girl books look like Pulitzer Prize-winning literature. In fact, Confessions of a Backup Dancer makes Junie B. Jones' first grade journal look like Pulitzer Prize-winning literature.

See for yourself:

Junie B. Jones, seven years old, in Junie B. Jones, First Grader at Last.

Jackie Warner, queen of reality TV lesbians, is on her way back to Bravo with a new show called Thintervention with Jackie Warner.

Originally, Bravo planned to replace Warner's first reality series, Workout, with Jackie's Gym Takeover, a Tabatha Coffey-style ass-whoopin ' for failing fitness centers, but now they've decided to go the Biggest Loser route and make the actual clients cry.

I, for one, am just glad Warner is sticking with Bravo. In my nightmares, she kept accepting the Bette Porter role on Showtime's developing catastrophe The Real L Word.

Thintervention will follow Jackie and several clients over the course of the season as she goes into their homes and gives their lives a fitness makeover. The press release is, frankly, a little terrifying:

It's impossible to keep up with every thing that happens on TV on Thursday nights. That's our only excuse for not catching this sooner: According to GLAAD's TV blog, this season's Survivor Samoa has a 45-year-old lesbian contestant named Shannon Waters from Renton, Washington. Or maybe you know her as "Shambo."

We know, we know. One look at those photos and your gaydar is pinging like a pinball machine after a lightning strike. We would have never missed it if this had happened on a Wednesday night.

Anyway, Shmabo has lasted four weeks on Survivor Samoa so far, even though she hasn't had a lot of luck. Apparently, she's calling her team "90210" and has bonded better with the Foa Foa tribe. She says her team doesn't accept her for who she is, which may be true. But also, she broke their fishing equipment and lost their chicken. (I love Survivor. When else do you get to write: "and then the lesbian lost the chicken"?)

Gossip Girl has apparently been bitten by a Love Bug, its poison ratcheting up her Mad Hattery to an entirely new level. Last night she spoke only in song lyrics. I counted "The Rose," "Laughter in the Rain," "Love is a Battlefield," "Here Comes the Sun," "Silly Love Song," "Secret You Keep," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Love Lift Us Up," "Ooh Child" and "Love is All Around," which was probably a callback to The Torggs, but I'm going to count it as a shout to Billy Mack's Christmas Number One and leave it at that.

Just listen: "Some say love is a river, some say love is a silly song, some say love is all around us — it lifts us up where we belong. Some say love is hearing laughter in the rain. But on the Upper East side, we all know: Love is pain."

The Linster and I were talking yesterday about the merit of studying a god who doesn't redeem, and I think it's totally worth it for soliloquies like that one. I would worship Gossip Girl. I kind of do.

Anyway, Rufus is asleep on the couch at the Palace because Lily is still pissed at him for not slipping a burlap sack over Serena's head in the night and dragging her off to Brown, like CeCe taught Lily to do years ago when she got pregnant with Rufus' child. They break up and go to their own homes, where they moon over and caress photos of one another and it's probably sweet, but all I can think about is that time Helen Stewart did the same to Nikki's tiny mug shot when she shipped her off to another prison on Bad Girls, and this doesn't really compare.

Several of our Aussie readers have written in to let us know that Kate Cook, the self-proclaimed "farm-living, Harley-riding Lez," has made it into the top seven on Australian Idol.

The thing that frankly shocked me about Cook's audition tape was that the judges completely embraced her sexuality and told her she was beautiful, and to remain true to herself. (Something American Idol judges haven't said to even the most talented, straight, super-feminine contestants in eight seasons.)

Apparently the Australian Idol judges are holding Cook to her promise of authenticity. According to reader Brooke, during last week's P!nk night, Cook femmed up her look a little:

Judge Ian "Dicko" Dickson who has previously told Cook not to change from being a "Harley riding, guitar playing lez" had an issue with her new look and said she didn't look right with her hair styled up and no big hat. This message seemed to be saying that he preferred her more butch style. He then went on to ask her if she'd please wear a dress sometime soon. Cook coped with this comment like the star she is and said she'd happily wear a dress if the very heterosexual male host, Andrew G, wore one too.