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

The Lo-Down: Episode 2.1 "Pilot"

Welcome back to The Lo-Down! Sarah P. and I are pleased to welcome you to what we are calling "Season 2" of our DIY video blog. Prepare yourselves, 'cause things are changing up in 2008, and we hope you like it.

We thought we'd take the aspects of our vlog that we really enjoyed (improvising "reenactments" of fake scenes, bantering with each other) and combine them with our love for, well, fake news. Yes, I admit it: We are shamelessly ripping off The Daily Show to bring you the news ... as we see it! That means it's fake.

Here's what you can expect in the "Pilot" episode:

  • Headlines — These are fake headlines, people!
  • A fake interview with Lesly "Sister Spirit" Smyth, president of the Lesbian Union.
  • The Crock P.O.C. — Like "Hot Topics," this is a crock pot of hot-button issues, some of them a load of crock, some of them all about P.O.C.'s. (For example, we discuss why we think Lucy Liu and Queen Latifah should be lesbians.) We have opinions on everything!

But we also really want your input into how we should proceed this "season"; that's why we named our first Season 2 episode "Pilot." That means we want you to tell us what you liked, what you didn't like, and what you'd like to see more of. Keep in mind that neither of us are technical or design gurus, so I can't promise you flashy animated graphics (unless some kind fairy godmother out there wants to provide them for us). Some things we are wondering:

  • Do you like the "theme song"? The "theme song" presented in our "Pilot" vlog was kind of a joke, but it cracked us up so much that I kept it in. Let us know what you think.
  • What issues do you think we should discuss in The Crock P.O.C. segment? Anything goes!
  • What famous fake guests would you like to see on The Lo-Down? We'll do what we can.
  • Are there any "news" stories you'd like us to do an exposé on?

That said, I hope you enjoy Episode 2.1 of The Lo-Down. We are not afraid to look like goofballs, and we hope you find it amusing.

The Lo-Down Episode 2.1:

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  • lashun's picture

    I am just trying to be first...

    and then I will comment LOL !!! he he he ha HA HA HA
    marshnood's picture

    I want to join the L.U. but

    I want to join the L.U. but I don't drink tea. Will that be held against me? I'm also willing to pay dues and barter if necessary (actually the barter payment sounds like the best plan). I so need a toaster oven.

    One day do you think you can get an interveiw with Jo and Blair from the facts of life. I'll bet it would be a good one.

    Lov the suits and the vlog. Monday is becomming one of my favorite days. Thanks.

    Cailean's picture

    I <3 Facts of Life

    It would be great if they'd would do that. I totally back you up on that. :D

    Are you involved in the FoL femslash community?

    http://community.livejournal.com/fol_fiction

     

    Anyway... the new vlog is great. Before the changes you now made i watched it but I wasn't really into watching it. Now, it has great potential. I hope you guys keep up the good work you showed in the 2.1 Pilot and keep us entertained.


    marshnood's picture

    thanks

    some of those video are great. I will have to find them on youtube and put them in my favorites. This is the closest of seeing some of my fantasies come alive. lol
    Cailean's picture

    My pleasure....

    make sure you check out this page on the community.... it's like all your dreams coming true....

    http://community.livejournal.com/fol_fiction/40368.html

    Also check out all the great musicvideos made by mondoshawan555 and tg20. Ah well, and then there is some fantastic fanfiction, icons and comicstrips and chats with fellow FoLers.... Welcome to FoL Treasure Island. :)

     

    Just in case you didn't know there is more FoL Fanfiction on this site:

    http://ralst.com/storiesFoL.html

    lunakiss's picture

    Love Your New Vlog sode

    You two...LOL. I say you still look fabuolous in your long -sleeve,button-collar white shirts and neckties. Ur Fake News Rocks!  Theme Song : I'm not feelin' u on it.  Would like to get an actual background music. However, I love the American Flag in the background.. Very Matriotic(my new made-up word for the day) , I'm kickin patri-words to the curve.  It would be cool if you do more made-words to go into my lesbiantionary.  I'm outta out of ideas now, but I'll think of some more later.

    Welcome Back and It's great to see you two!  *HUGZ*

    Did I ever say I would play nice?-Miss Ketina

    spotticus's picture

    Nice change

    I like the new structure of the LoDown.  Loved the fake news, especially the  wiccan weather whoopsie.  Just one request, can you maybe leave the text up 2 to 3 seconds longer before fading out.  Thanks ladies!  Also, maybe you could interview some  fake "local lesbian business owners" (independent bookstore/tofu bakery/cats R us/the toolshed)?  Just a thought. Can't wait for the next vlog!  : )

    edited to add:  A possible subject for the crock...When Bjork Attacks!!!(again)

    http://www.theage.com.au/news/music/bpeopleb-bjork-goes-berserk-at-nz-airport/2008/01/14/1200159319463.html

    HeyShasta's picture

    Crock!

    hee! Welcome back! You two are so silly! Loved the Crock-POC. Any chance for you two to rant is always welcome and very entertaining. As are shirts and ties and accidental cat hilarity. I'm a bit boring and would happily listen to you talk about Sarah Shahi and Battlestar Galactica ad nauseum. Ooh, and Dani! Poor Dani... If you ever get the chance to have actual Dani visit the vlog that would be big fun. For all involved!

    I also agree that Lucy Liu is a fascinating mix of hot, cute and sexy. Mind you, so is Drew Barrymore. I watched and enjoyed Charlie's Angels 2 and I don't really care if it sucked!

    eliza_beth's picture

    Dani

    I like your thinking in regards to Dani.  I would expand that idea and say why not give Dani her own vlog.  Then say every tuesday we can stare at her.  Even if Dani has nothing to say, she could model firefighter out fits and show her dimples.
    dandylione130's picture

    This is a sooper good idea!

    Can we put this in the crock poc and let it simmer?

    Vlog ideas for Dani

    1. Demonstrating CPR techniques...in a tank top

    2. Giving tips on how to put out fires...while flexing

    3.  Discussing various ways to heal a broken heart...in a bubblebath! 

    Seriously, people can we think about this? Also, I haven't received my L.U. card??? What's up? I fit 2 subcategories and you guys owe me a toaster oven! Can't be for unpaid dues. I'm paid up for 2 lifetimes just from processing alone.

    All artists, if they are to survive, are forced, at last, to tell the whole story.

    James Baldwin

    tinkelbel's picture

    Glad you're back

    I've missed you guys! You always put a smile on my face and after a hard day at work I was really in need of one.

    Loved the crock-poc! And the fake news. Very entertaining!

    Journey_Wmn's picture

    I was laughing so

    I was laughing so hard!

    It was absolutely beauriful I loved the fake news. Don't forget that the LU also hosts all those national Lesbian meetings where we all get together and decide how we feel about different issues oh and that's also how we know ALL lesbians!

    Great job you guys! Don't change a thing, I loved that you actually bought out a real crock pot lol

    bilkat's picture

    Tila Tequila

    Ok, have we not already given this hose bag enough press.  Thank God Dani didn't win.  Tila is not a lesbian, she is just trying to cash in any way she can on internet fame, which is fine...but don't call that village bike a LESBIAN.  Lesbians dont sleep with men.  Her and women like her are why the public in general think its a choice and we can choose a man and be like them.  GIVE ME A BREAK
    nz 2 ca's picture

    Don't shoot me but...

    Sarah and Malinda didn't actually call Tila a lesbian, at least not in the 5 minutes of the vlog that I've seen so far. If they say it after that point, then I'm sorry but otherwise...Tila's bisexual and I'm fairly sure the rules of the Bisexual Union state that bisexual people are allowed to sleep with men. Just saying...
    nz 2 ca's picture

    .....

    Whoops that was my first ever double post, sorry

    ddudle's picture

    Hooray for the Lo-Down!

    Happy New Year Malinda and Sarah... y'all are awesome, and I've missed your v-log during the break.  By the way, I think you should definitely keep the fake-news theme song... very catchy. Perhaps on the Crock-POC segment you can discuss why so many more people are talking about Caitlin than Alicia when discussing Cashmere Mafia... I, for one, am more intesrested in Alicia. How'd she get where she is in business? Has she always had a thing for mostly-straight girls? What's her phone number? ;-)

    lashun's picture

    oh my gawd..

    I totally have to retype this....

    When I saw Cashmire M and they said,"Lesbians are the new babies". I totally started cracking up. My friend has been saying that for months now. I work in a plant with like 80% women and a couple of them are going thru a divorce so in their new found freedom feel that they would like to sleep with women. So, over the last couple of months before Christmas the stories of there wild night with a women have been circling around the plant and I got hit on alittle too much at the Christmas party! Why does everyone gotta have a lesbian?

    Lucy Lui should be gay because of Alley McBeal. And especially becasue of the episode where she kissed Calista Flockard!! That was hot! Also, she is kind of smokin!!

    The Queen will never come out. It is a hip hop thing. I think people in her business already know but "the industry" probaly wont let it happen. Along with her I think there is a couple of hip hop people that need to be on that list. WE all know how they are!

    I vote for no theme music please cause the L word is enough!

    I also would like the head of LU to come on from time to time to answer questions. Like, how long do you take to tell your friend that you like them. Also, what if you do when they tell you they dont know what they like? Is there a category for state of confusion lesbian (S.C.L.) or I got a divorce from my husband (I.G.M.H.)?

    lashun's picture

    and...

    ya'll dont need to fake news the real is pretty funny..like WHY WAS PARIS AT THE L WORD PARTY!!? And if Kate can get Paris why can we not use her to show if Angelina is really bi and help along some other famous actress who are on the fence or who we think are on the fence? We need to use a strong recruiter to start getting these women!!
    not without my coffee's picture

    Welcome back

    And thank you for a funny pilot. I really enjoyed the new format - fake news is fun. I really enjoyed the interview with the L.U. rep and the crock POC. The themesong however was not quite to my likning. Why not just start with silence?

    Well, I look forward to see how you continue to develop this vlog, it looks really promising.

     

     

    For a merrier life, befriend the elephant in your room.

    Xanadugrrl's picture

    Coming out in college

    I laughed hysterically when I heard the "coming out to Sarah Warn" story. I remember coming out to my RA when I was in college, and it sounds almost exactly how it happened to you.  I walked in, and my RA was sitting in the chair like the queen of all things gay... and it took me about 20 minutes to stutter out the words. I don't remember a word she said to me because I was so happy i had finally said the words!
    egret's picture

    Me, too!

    I did the same thing with this scary girl who lived across the hall - scary because she was about two times my size and very goth - because I had heard that she might be bisexual. I was right, and she ended up being very nice and became my friend, but I almost had an asthma attack working myself up to going to talk to her and was completely light-headed. I don't remember anything she said, either.

     

    Malinda and Sarah, I'm so glad you're back, and I love your new format. Y'all are absolutely hilarious, and I adore everything that you come up with (especially the character names!). That intro song, while perhaps not of professional quality, does have its charm. :) I'd like to join the L.U., but I only drink black tea, alas - sometimes spiced, though...

    Bluestcrytsky's picture

    POC!

    yay people of color, I love being one, especially living in the Midwest where there are few.

    "So put me on a plane, and fly me to anywhere...with you"-Augustana

    c.cuevas's picture

    i just....

    Had to say that I laugh every time I see your avatar

    katilynkyriak's picture

    Awsome!!

    Now with The Lo-Down, I am completely reliant on afterellen for all of my current events news.

    I'll brain storm for crock-p.o.c topics. But, I'm sure you two will figuare out something to talk about

    quanyin's picture

    YOU TWO

    SO GLAD YOU ARE FINALLY BACK I LOVE YOU TWO
    Cetienne's picture

    EUREKA!!!

    Sarah Warn should be a celesbian guest on your show, where she tells the viewers about that fateful night you seem to have forgotten Malinda.
    IfOnly's picture

    Wow

    That must be the best idea of all of these (I haven't read them all yet)! And if that doesn't work, how about one Wellsley(?) story/vlog? Good idea, yes? =D

    linpyon's picture

    Thanx.

     luv ur vlog...

    great to have u guys back and talking abt POC... well .. tila T show is just too much for me to watch ..

    but i luv the new Lo-Down .. especially  the headlines... .. i miss the reanactments... wish you guys can do more ..

     

    c.cuevas's picture

    OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    That was so funny I laughed the entire time.

    The Godfather- AWESOME I totally thought Malinda was going to say something else too

    Anyway I love it love it love it love it and I promise that if I think of anything ill post it.

    Que9's picture

    So glad you guys are back.

    So glad you guys are back. Just wanted to say I laughed so hard at the god father story. And I was also surprised to not hear you guys bring the paris - kate pictures.
    jamlawgirl's picture

    So Great to see you guys back!

    Some very funny moments in there!

    One suggestion for the crock pot: Lourdes Benedicto!!!!!!!!! (She plays Alicia, Caitlin's love interest on Cahmere Mafia). Can you say HOT! I don't even generally like high femme women but damn!

    OK done now.

    Oh, and one last thing. A same-sex experience may not have been an official part of the curriculum at Wellesley, but it almost was at my college. I went to Macalester College: a small college in St Paul MN that puts the "liberal" in liberal arts and has been known to "make" a significant percentage of each class gay by graduation. We're talking people from all over the world all churning out happy and queer from this LGBT machine nestled away in the midwest. And it's not even a single sex school!

    Ah, I love that place :).

    mustang_sally's picture

    Well done.

    Loving the new direction you've taken with newscasting.  Kept me laughing for 20 minutes (plus all the time I spent re-watching).  Keep it up!

    Natazzz's picture

    Great Vlog

    Great Vlog. Very entertaining.

    I heart the (that means it's fake) bit, it cracked me up.

    The theme song. Well, what can I say? It's better than Betty....but I think a proper one wouldn't hurt.

     

    Aimi's picture

    Theme tune.

    I love the theme tune I think it fits perfectly for your vlog, silly and fun.

     

    Great vlog I wouldn't change a thing except for what someone said earlier about maybe keeping the text up on screen for a second longer.

     

    Looking forward to next week.

    zephyra's picture

    Awesome vlog

    this was hilarious!
    nz 2 ca's picture

    Um..help me please

    I'm so happy you're back, it's been like FOREVER!!! But I can't comment yet because I haven't been able to watch it. Why no daily motion link? I thought you were going to keep splitting it in 2 so it would fit on there? And how come I can't just click and watch it on this page like usual? Is it me or you?
    perfectflaw75's picture

    All hail the Crock P.O.C.

    The silliness of your vlog is so cool!

    And I totally agree on "Papi" :p (I could so play white, too! NOT.)

    PS I dig your outfits.

    _ _ _ _ _

    "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." (Dr. Seuss)

    Through_the_Rye's picture

    I love your vlog, you guys

    I love your vlog, you guys - keep it up! I especially love the acapella in the beginning :D And the newscaster/Mormon Missionary outfits (especially when you started talking about Tila and church).

    All my straight friends at uni also wanted Dani to win (nobody liked Bobby. Apparently not even Tila. But hey, I wouldn't give him my number after the show either. Or in any other context. Icky Bobby).

     

    Missy2003sl's picture

    You guys totally

    didn't suck ass. I'm liking this format more.

    And Lucy Lui should be a lesbian because of O-Ren-Shi--- Kill bill Vol. 1.

    So Malinda... tell us more about Wellsley.

    Laurie_Anne's picture

    Awesome vlog :)

    The "union", the toaster reference, Queen Latifah...loved it !
    Niderrah's picture

    Crock-P.O.C.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I love love love love love the Crock-P.O.C. !!!! That was awesome!
    WindRyderX's picture

    More Info on the LU

    Hey, I wanna hear more about the LU like the pros and cons of joining, where the main headquarter is, membership fees, etc...! lol Awesome job you guys!
    lesbionic_woman's picture

    I Liked The Ties...

    ...actually, not much, but I like all ties to some extent, so I still did a little bit. o_O

    I didn't really think I'd be a fan of this format, but it came out okay. I think my favorite part was about Queen Latifah, just because it's so TRUE. Everyone knows already, Queen, we just wanna hear you say it!

    I was just thinking about all my first crushes... and they're all my first crushes because they were different kinds of ladies and different degrees of obsession with the ladies and I don't remember which ones came first. Anyways, I realized I have a "first crush" of every ethnicity.

    Like my first Latina crush? Carmen Sandiego. I'm assuming she was supposed to be Latina, anyway. And the first African-American? The Chief ("Listen up, gumshoes!"). I liked how she said all the stupid alliterations, puns, and rhymes with all this authority and stuff. HAWT. First Asian crush? Yellow power ranger (PS: Asian="yellow power ranger"? That's f'd up!). First Middle-Eastern crush? Princess Jasmine. First mixed-race crush? Tie between Lana in Smallville and Kayla in The Famous Jett Jackson.

    This is fun. Everyone should play the "first crushes" game.

    Oh, here's a POC: Picking on Children. Like, how kids ALWAYS play Power Rangers.

    GIRL #1: I wanna be the pink ranger!
    GIRL #2: You can't be the pink ranger, you have to be the yellow ranger.
    GIRL #1: How come?
    GIRL #3: 'Cuz the yellow ranger's Chinese.
    GIRL #1: I'm not Chinese, I'm Japa-
    GIRL #2: If you don't wanna be the yellow ranger, then you can't play with us.

    Or, in my case, it was like this. There's two boys, two girls, and me, right?
    BOY #1: I call red ranger!
    BOY #2: I call black!
    GIRL #1: I'll be pink!
    ME: *Silence*
    GIRL #2: (Talking about me) She's gonna be the other boy!
    BOY #1: (To me) I'll be green or blue if you want. I know you really like being red.

    Every frickin' time.
    _____________________
    Obsessive? Me? Never!

    malindalo's picture

    Thanks for all the feedback!

    Thanks everybody for your feedback and for your ideas about what to include in future editions of The Lo-Down. Sarah P. and I are shooting more episodes tomorrow and we will be sure to use some of them.

    A couple of you asked me to leave the subtitles up a bit longer, so I will be sure to do that. Also, sorry about not including a Daily Motion version; now that we have the AfterEllen.com video player we were hoping everyone would be able to watch the vlogs. We do still upload to Veoh because then you can download it and watch it off the site.

    Hopefully we can continue to improve our vlog and you will enjoy episode 2 even more. :) Thanks for watching!

     

    nz 2 ca's picture

    Must have been me...

    ...I can watch on this page now, my computer must have been throwing a tanty or something the first time I tried. Still takes forever to get it but that's my connection's fault.

    Anyway yay I'm so glad to see you both again. I'm not really a good judge of the new format because you could be reading a dictionary out and I'd watch....mainly for when you got to fun words but still...

    Ok and I do just have to say, Sarah I think you're even hotter in 2008 than you were in 2007. And you were pretty frickin hot in 2007.

    opelchan's picture

    secret leaked

    You have just exposed your age, haha (for having been in college with Sarah Warn at the same time).

    Photography, Bicycle, Tennis, Badminton, Motorcycle, Bowling, Traveling, Engineering, Law

    http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/opelchan


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