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News, Reviews & Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual women in Entertainment and the Media

Clea DuVull stars in the very gay "Virtuality" tonight

The two-hour pilot for the sci-fi series Virtuality airs tonight on Fox, starring Clea DuVall — which is pretty exciting since she's hasn't been on TV regularly since the two seasons on Carnivale. (Let's face it — Lifetime movies, while totally addicting, just don't cut it.)

The show is about a group of astronauts who are on a decade-long mission to the nearest star, but who spend their free time getting wrapped up in virtual reality. Random? We'll see. Clea plays pilot Sue Parson, whose choice virtual reality activity is surfing.

You'd think the show creators would be smart enough to know viewers would prefer to see her actually surfing. You know, bikini top, board shorts, tan, ocean mist, etc. But hey, Clea's on TV — we'll take what we can get, right?

In a recent interview about how the show's executive producer Ron Moore (also behind Battlestar Galactica and Carnivale) doesn't shy away from featuring uncommon characters, such as the married gay male couple, Clea said:

If you present something like it's totally normal, people will see it as totally normal. If you present it as it's something really bad, people will see it as really bad. And I think the media has a big responsibility in that, because they do shape the way people see things.

She also told TV UGO:

I think it makes sense [to have gay characters] because it's based on a lot of old ideas but fortunately with the newer generations, the fact that a gay couple is going to be on a network movie or TV show and kids get to see it like it's totally normal is the first step to making it normal. Because unfortunately there are biases in the world. It's all presentation — if you present something like it's totally normal people, will see it as normal. I think the media has a big responsibility, they shape so much of that and Ron and Michael did it in a very good way.

Thanks for being so supportive of us gays, Clea!

Virtuality airs tonight at 8 p.m ET. If you watch, you'll be in good company with Uh Huh Her who took to Twitter to suggest we tune in.

Gosh, Cam and Leisha must love her — at least one of them.

xxPhoenixx's picture

I thought she was gay o_O?

meh, wether she is or isnt I love her and the roles she picks. Hope the show is great, I'll be tuning in for sure.
XanxiuZ's picture

I thought Clea was family, too.

Zoi's picture

Not officially,

Not officially, apparently.  There was an Ask AfterEllen question about it here: http://www.afterellen.com/column/ask-afterellen-01-13-09

dancelikeamom's picture

she is she is just not out but...

she dates cam from uh huh--they've been together a long time.
Mel_ee_Mel's picture

haha! well played...

"Gosh, Cam and Leisha must love her — at least one of them." ;)
prufrock1019's picture

Love love love Clea, ever

Love love love Clea, ever since films like But I'm A Cheerleader and Girl, Interrupted. She was also awesome (and underappreciated) as Audrey Hanson in Heroes. A hugely talented actress (and smoking hot to boot)!

------------------

Stewie: Listen, why don't you save yourself years of sexual ambiguity and get fitted for a pair of Doc Martens and a plaid flannel shirt?

s a r a h's picture

I usually oppose sci fi,

I usually oppose sci fi, but i would never oppose clea. I will tune in for a few episodes at least :)

To every feminist action, there is an equal and opposite reaction- Naomi Wolf

snazzynic's picture

I can't wait!

"Gosh, Cam and Leisha must love her — at least one of them."  haha, I was wondering if you'd mention something about that.
alex's picture

BSG + a brain twister!

ooh, ive been a fan of Clea's ever since the Faculty (ahh, Jordana Brewster, where have you been all my life???), and this looks great. It doesnt hurt that it's from Ron Moore, either.

Speaking of Battlestar Galactica, did anyone catch this brainbender in the NYTimes blog this week? http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/22/monday-puzzle-the-lady-or-the-toaster/?pagemode=print -- it's a good one: probabilities of living in a shootout between you, Six and a centurion. =)

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http://rightmindleftcoast.wordpress.com

Mags's picture

Awesome!

Yay!!! I have my tv set to tape it. I love Clea Duvall! One of my favorite episodes of Buffy is the one she's in! And she was so fantastic in But I'm a Cheerleader! Sounds like a cool show, too. I love most anything sci fi.

 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the only show where armed knights on horses chasing an aluminum foil-covered motor home in the middle of the desert is part of a coherant plot.

imthey's picture

I agree...

I also loved the episode of BTVS where Clea played "Invisible Girl".  I also enjoyed her appearances on the tv show Popular.

I don't watch a lot of Sci-Fi, but hearing that Clea is on the show, I'll be sure to give it a shot! 

♡OTALIA Forever!♡

"I have a simple philosophy. Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. And scratch where it itches." -Alice Roosevelt Longworth

roni1133's picture

Pilot, or stand-alone movie?

I thought that the show didn't get picked up, so this is just a stand-alone TV movie.  That's what they said in the review in the Boston Globe, at least. 
distraet's picture

Sci-fi got me hooked, and

Sci-fi got me hooked, and the fact that Ron Moore is onboard doesn't make it any worse, neither does Clea DuVall.
Cullen's picture

I think the words that best defines my feelings

upon hearing this news....

is...

 

SQUEEEEE!!

moony's picture

THANK YOU

I have been plugging this show since last year in my own (almost) private forum thread:

http://www.afterellen.com/node/37056

Thanks for this article, which is much more visible than the thread!  If you click on the link in the last post on that thread, there's an amusing video of the cast discussing what they'd take into space with them.  

It starts in 5 minutes, yay!

Gracious's picture

Interesting

Hmmmmmm.

Kinda sounds like Red Dwarf meets Star Trek......interesting!!!!

You say Clea DuVall is in it.....Hmmmmmmmmm

Smoke me a kipper I'll be back for Breakfast.

(running away as quickly as possible to find the nearst T.V. set)

pi's picture

Oh, Ace...

I heart Red Dwarf...
Luna's picture

It is really bad. But I must

It is really bad. But I must know what is the deal with the rapist/serial killer VR dude.
SapphicDay's picture

Gasp

Um I watched it and I wouldn'rt go as far as saying or writing that it was really bad buy I prefer that it had aired on the Sci Fi channel and had more of an edge like the Battlestar Galactica series had.

Granted it took me long time to ghet into BG but once I did though it was pretty good.

moony's picture

Pick it up, Fox.

I liked it.. the premise, the characters, and the look.  Like the poster above, I want to know what's going on with the mysterious VR guy, and also, what's going on with Captain Pike (love that Star Trek nod, by the way.)  Is Pike dead?  Is this whole thing VR?  What's real and what isn't?  I'm sure that's exactly what the writers want us to be asking, and I'm asking.  I just hope Fox picks it up so the show has a chance to answer.. or keep us guessing indefinitely.  Fox, redeem yourself and pick this up.
Kels.'s picture

haha, I especially loved

haha, I especially loved the last sentence of thise article.
Come on Clea, we all know it, you might as well say it. :P

 But on to my initial shock of seeing this topic:

HOW did I not know about this earlier? I love love love love love Clea.
(Still extremely bitter about Carnivale.  Extremely [She turns into a MAIN character and they cancel the show.  Awesome.)

 I missed the show tonight, anyone know where I'd be able to watch it?

nwp1916's picture

  "Still extremely

 

"Still extremely bitter about Carnivale.  Extremely [She turns into a MAIN character and they cancel the show.]"

Oh, totally. And a completely unusual, original character too: a female anti-hero, how many of those do you see around.

Well, movie or series, best of luck to her! 

moony's picture

"HOW did I not know about this earlier?"

Sigh.  I tried to tell everyone.  Hopefully, Fox will pick it up as a regular series, and they will rerun the pilot. Or maybe they'll rerun the pilot either way.

I must admit, though I love me some AE, I'm a little disappointed in the site for not bringing this to everyone's attention sooner.. at least before the actual airdate. 

Whitney's picture

Fox

You can watch it on fox's website. 

"Would I rather be feared or loved? Um... Easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me."

7Up's picture

grrr

great, I only got the news now (3 hours too late), grrr....  So when's the repeat?
miss chatelaine's picture

what kind of gay girl DOESN'T like Clea?

I'll be the first to admit that Olivia Wilde does absolutely nothing for me, but Clea Duvall is one of those people that I imagine I am, in my head.

s a r a h's picture

so i tuned into the show

so i tuned into the show about an hour into it.. saw a little clea, then saw a really horrible scene with a woman getting virtually tied up by a man. i tuned it off very quickly, so if anyone watched it and it ended with her ripping his balls of for violence against women, let me know.

 To every feminist action, there is an equal and opposite reaction- Naomi Wolf

Lucas's picture

The problem wasn't

The problem wasn't completely resolved, but at the end of the episode Billie, the girl who got tied up, and Clea DuVall's character, Sue, returned to the location where it happened and were basically planning a man hunt for the guy, guns and all. It's worth watching the whole show, though, it's some excellent television.
Sarah's picture

i think i started watching

i think i started watching this but it was almost over and i had no idea what was going on so i turned it off. but i will definitely watch next week since now i know clea is in it! haha
cakeordeath's picture

Watched it. Love it!

This show didn't get much hype, which makes me think Fox is going to cancel it. Too bad because it's really, REALLY good.
drbambee's picture

Carnivale, BSG, Clea DuVall supposed to be Starbuck?

I loved CARNIVALE when it was on and to be honest with you, only started watching BATTLESTAR GALACTICA because Ron D. Moore was producing it and I knew CARNIVALE was getting cancelled.  I hate you HBO.  Anyway, when I first started watching BSG I said to myself, "Hmmm, is that Starbuck chic supposed to be a blond version of Clea DuVall?  They are very similar character types."  If you don't believe me, go watch some CARNIVALE and the first season of BSG back to back; even their characters on both shows have similar story arcs.  (I'm on to you Ron D. Moore)

I've always theorized that Ron D. Moore wanted Clea DuVall to play Starbuck but she was obligated to finish out CARNIVALE.  Wasn't Katee Sackhoff the last to be cast?  And don't Katee Sackhoff and Clea DuVall have the same mannerisms and body type?  One is blond the other is brunette.

Now that I see Clea DuVall's character in VIRTUALITY, my theory that maybe she might have been Starbuck returns.

What do you think? 

happykt's picture

You can catch this TV show on Fox TV online

I didn't read about this new show on Fox until today (Saturday) and was able to watch it by going online to Fox TV.  Just because you missed it on tv doesn't mean you can't catch it!
louisa's picture

loved the uh huh her thing

I thought that was so cute!!
moony's picture

Watch it on the Fox site

A couple of other posters have already suggested this, but I'm suggesting it again.  The more views it gets on the Fox site, the more likely they are to pick it up as a regular series.. I hope.  Clearly, I am quite the cheerleader for Virtuality, but I can't help it.  With BSG and T:TSCC both gone, I NEED some more good sci-fi on telly.  There's still some good sci-fi, but I need more!  Plus, I don't know if anyone noticed, but all the women on this show are hot.  ;)
pi's picture

Where to watch "Virtuality" on the interwebs (legally)...

Heyo...

This is on Hulu as well:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/80030/virtuality

Or, it can be seen directly via Fox's site:

http://www.fox.com/fod/play.php?sh=virtuality

...Word.