I like superhero movies. I really do. They’re fun and fast and the costumes are faaaa-bulous. Straight men in stretchy fabric and capes – this is better than figure skating! This summer’s heroic roster includes Iron Man, Batman and The Incredible Hulk. And as great as those crime fighters are, they’re also a reminder that when it comes to superhero movies, no women need apply – this is man country.

New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis recently opined on the lack of women heroes and women— period — in today’s big budget blockbusters. Could this be the realization of Warner Brothers exec Jeff Robinov’s decree that the studio would not make any more movies with female leads? Dargis thinks so:

“Nobody likes to admit the worst, even when it’s right up there on the screen, particularly women in the industry who clutch at every pitiful short straw, insisting that there are, for instance, more female executives in Hollywood than ever before. As if it’s done the rest of us any good. All you have to do is look at the movies themselves — at the decorative blondes and brunettes smiling and simpering at the edge of the frame — to see just how irrelevant we have become.”

Ouch, but true.

There’s a lot of voting going on around here these days — and I’m not even talking about the presidential primaries. From the Hot 100to the NewNowNext Awards, to the Best. Lesbian. Vlog. Ever., and the Best Character on TV Tourney that Malinda opened our eyes to, I am spending even more time clicking on random websites than I do watching TV (and that’s more telling about my social life these days than I care to admit.) So, who needs another random and unnecessary list/award/tournament/poll to vote for? Apparently I do.

If you’re like me, the head over to EW.com where they are currently accepting nominations for TV’s Best Chemistry. The relationship between Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan (played by David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel, respectively) on Bones seems to be the catalyst for the contest, but I think we can all agree on the fact that some lesbionic relationships are much needed additions to the competition.

Seriously, how awesome would it be if enough of us went over to their site and flooded the comments with Sapphic suggestions? To get you started, here are a few of my picks:

Bette and Tina (The L Word)

I’m sure some of you will cry foul for using TiBette as my L Word couple rather than Alice and Dana, but the heat these two emitted during season 5 cannot go unnoticed. Jennifer Beals and Laurel Holloman continually deliver some of the most believable sex scenes in the whole show. Their chemistry is what brought the show to life in its inaugural season and has played a vital role in the success of the show as a whole. These two are the glue that keeps the show together.

This week’s episode of Gossip Girl, "Woman on the Verge," had me on the verge, as well – on the verge of slapping Dan upside his head and kicking Georgina’s behind all the way back to the gates of Hell from which she apparently escaped.

Serena’s "I killed someone" revelation last week left us eagerly awaiting the who, the why, the how, and surprisingly, it was all answered. Not surprisingly it was a tad anticlimactic. Isn’t that the case sometimes in life—the anticipation is more fun than the reality?

The episode starts the day after Serena tells Blair her secret and Serena is nowhere to be found. Georgina calls her a trillion times (getting angrier with each new voice mail), Dan calls her (sounding more desperate with each new attempt), and Serena’s mother (Lily) is annoyed because she’s waiting for Serena to get home and be helpful as it’s the day of her wedding rehearsal dinner. (Recap: she’s marrying Bart Bass, Chuck’s father, even though she still has feelings for Dan’s father Rufus. It’s all so complicated.)

Blair asks her two exes, Chuck and Nate, (who now hate each other) to meet at her place and she arrives home with a horribly hung-over Serena. Blair’s housekeeper secretly calls Serena’s mother to tell her that Serena seems to have fallen off the Good Girl wagon and has been run over by it.

Dan arrives at Blair’s and, when confronted for the umpteenth time about why she’s being weird, Serena tells Dan that she slept with some guy the night before because lying about that is better than telling the truth about being a murderer. (She has a point.)

Heartbroken Dan announces that he’s "done" and walks away from Serena as their friends look on. I mourned the loss of their relationship for 4.3 seconds and then wondered when Serena would begin mulling over Blair’s "I love you," from the night before. Fine, Serena had other things on her mind but she’ll get around to mulling, I just know it!

Dan, feeling all rejected, agrees to meet "Sara" (AKA Georgina’s alter-ego) for some quality crying on the shoulder time. Poor Dan is getting played like a nickel slot machine at a Vegas mini-mart. An all day sucker, that Dan.

All photos by Patrick Harbron/The CW

After Dan leaves, Serena finally opens up about the details of the secret. We have been lead to believe that Serena left town because she couldn’t deal with the guilt of having slept with her BFF’s boyfriend, but we learn that the night drunken Serena had sex with Nate , she met up with Georgina afterward to get even drunker and more drugged out of guilt.

Julie and Kate McKinnon talk to Club Skirts founder Mariah Hanson about Dinah Shore, same-sex marriage, and tiger tamers.

Check back next week for another Celesbian Interview, and watch previous episodes here.

Last week we wrote about children’s books that feature a two-mommy family. While these books are great, they are few and far between — as are all gay-friendly books for that matter. One of the most recent LGBT-themed kids’ titles is a lovely picture book called And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. Based on a true story, it’s about two male penguins that want to raise a family so badly that they start caring for an egg-shaped rock. The zookeeper is so moved by this that she gives them a real egg to nurse. The book features cute penguins, characters that overcome the odds, and a wonderful message about the importance of family. So, what’s not to love?

Apparently, a lot — And Tango Makes Three is the most “challenged” book in schools and libraries for a second straight year, according to the American Library Association. What’s the public’s beef with a sweet kids’ book? You can probably guess, but here’s the explanation Judith Krug of the ALA gave the Associated Press: “The complaints are that young children will believe that homosexuality is a lifestyle that is acceptable. The people complaining, of course, don't agree with that." Well, we can’t have that, now can we? Let’s not upset the breeders with a book that teaches kids about antiquated things like compassion, acceptance, and understanding.

This year's annual list of the world's most influential people, as compiled by Time magazine, doesn't make the female gender look very good. There are only 25 women on the list — or 24, if you count Angelina Jolie and Suzanne Wright as halves, since they are featured as couples alongside their husbands.

The list started in 1999, when Time named the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Surprised by its success, the magazine decided to make the list annual. Unfortunately, both in 1999 and 2004, the number of women were also disappointing: 17 and 22, respectively. At this rate, we'll have an equal number of men and women on the list somewhere around 2019 (if we're lucky.)

I must confess I liked the women in last year's list better. OK, so I only say that because the first person to appear on the list is Tina Fey, but what can I say, I love me some Tina! (Actually, she writes about Lorne Michaels (Saturday Night Live's creator) in this year's list and it's pretty funny stuff, as usual). This year's list has the obvious (Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey), the surprising (Miley Cyrus), and our very own team member Suze Orman.

Dana and Helen of Mombian.com bring you the first signs of what could be growing ultra-right opposition to Uncle Bobby's Wedding, a new children's book featuring gay guinea pigs. They then give you a parent's-eye view of one of their favorite stores, IKEA. It's not just good for parents in search of cheap furniture, they argue, but can be a whole day's worth of activities for children as well.

They also offer some suggestions to new parents looking for baby gear and anyone whose home hosts both small children and large pieces of furniture. They then recommend some additional tools to improve your furniture-assembling prowess and ensure that your bookshelves are straight, even if  you aren't.

Hey you guyyyyyyys! The Electric Company is turning on the power again. That’s right, the classic '70s children’s program is back with a new series set to premiere in January. PBS producers have said that the new The Electric Company will be a literacy show for the 21st century. (Aww, does that mean they are going to get rid of the groovy logo?)

The original series ran from 1971 to 1977 (with repeats playing until 1985) and taught reading through a series of skits, cartoons and songs. It also helped introduce the world to Rita Moreno, Morgan Freeman, Bill Cosby and Irene Cara.

Electric version 2.0 will be more plot and character-driven than the original. Linda Simensky, senior director of programming for PBS Kids, described the show this way: “It’s the old one mixed with High School Musical and a Dr Pepper commercial.”

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me a dozen times, shame on you, again — especially if you’re a production company that has sucked me in time after time with the promise of a great, comic-based female action hero movie or TV series. Case in point: Elektra.

Jennifer Garner as Elektra, for all her tight, skimpy outfits, awesome abs and ass-kicking goodness, was not the Elektra of comic books. She was more like Elektra on Xanax. Sure, I watch the movie every time it’s on, but I’m superficial that way.

As the countdown continues for the premiere of Season 1 of The L Word on Logo, we're coming up with new and different excuses to vlog. This week, we want to share with you the joy that was the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center's Women's Night. (And the joy that was Dara's friend's wedding, because that's where Dara was when Jill and I went to Women's Night.)

By now, Sharon Stone's auctioneering skills are the stuff of legend, but that doesn't stop us from giving you our version of how she took command of audience and scolded a bunch of lesbians into dropping some extra cash for a good cause.

We also talk about the dreamy yet unconventional wedding Dara attended (the ring bearers were unicorns!) and share some of our home videos from Women's Night. Thanks to Robyn Dettman for shooting the footage of us — which includes Bridget McManus and Cathy DeBuono — even when some of us were hopping up and down on one leg on the red carpet. (Jealous?!)

Lancôme, Chanel, Estée Lauder ... sacrebleu! With so many French words floating around the makeup counters these days, aren’t you glad that we have the familiar faces of celebrities to help sort them out? Thanks to them, I can easily distinguish Trésor de Lancôme from Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle by simply asking myself, “Do I want to smell like Kate Winslet or Keira Knightley today?” Everyday it’s a toss up.

Lately it has become more chic for celebrities to promote their own brand of stink, rather than promote a designer perfume (e.g., Celine Dion, J. Lo, Britney). But now some new pitch women have been added to high-end fragrances’ ad campaigns and thank goodness for that — it’s reassuring to know that our old favorite smells still have star power.

Recently, it was announced that Nicole Kidman, who was the face of Chanel No. 5, had been replaced by the adorable French actress Audrey Tautou, who will always be Amélie to me despite her other successful films (Dirty Pretty Things, Happenstance, The Da Vinci Code). Tautou will become the Chanel spokesmodel in early 2009, with a debut commercial helmed by her Amélie director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Déjà vu! Chanel's tribute to great directors and their actors began with Nicole Kidman working on her ad campaign with Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann.

It’s do-or-die time on American Idol, and I can happily say that Syesha Mercado is still alive and kicking. While most Idol “experts” (and even some judges) will tell you that the finals should come down to a battle of the two Davids, I’ve been hoping for a small miracle that would allow Syesha to strut her stuff into the finals. Last night she may have gotten her opportunity.

The show was split up into three pseudo-rounds: In the first round, songs were chosen by a judge, in the second the contestants chose their own songs, and lastly the producers made selections.

Photo credit: FOX

For boy-wonder David Archuleta, the evening resulted in mixed reviews. Paula Abdul chose “And So It Goes” by Billy Joel for his first song, and Randy Jackson said he was completely “in the zone.”

Photo credit: FOX

David’s personal choice was possibly the most interesting of the season, singing “With You” by Chris Brown. Though it’s definitely the first time he’s tackled something that’s even remotely targeted towards his age bracket, it didn’t necessarily make it a good decision. Simon Cowell’s assessment of the situation (like a chihuahua acting like a tiger) was right on the money. Lastly, the judges had him sing “Longer” by Dan Fogelberg. Bor-ing.

Last week's Battlestar Galactica episode, "Faith," rocked the house. This whole season, though, has been incredible, delving into complex, challenging issues such as religion, mortality and politics. This is not TV lite, therefore I rarely watch it on Friday nights at 10 p.m., since by then my brain is fried from the previous week's work and I can't concentrate with the appropriate amount of attention.

So, after watching "Faith" on DVR delay, I have a few observations to share with you about this most recent episode of BSG. (Please note: No attempt at synopsis has been made; for a synopsis, go here. This post is pure critique and conjecture.)

1. Starbuck has a fan base in the BSG world, too.

When Jean Barolay (Alisen Down) volunteered to go with Starbuck, Anders and Athena to the Cylon base ship to talk to the Hybrid, Starbuck told her she wasn't looking for volunteers. Jean countered that yes, Starbuck had asked for volunteers back on the Galactica, that Starbuck had been a super-hot badass leader since forever, and Jean would like nothing less than to be ordered around by Kara "Lesbian Icon" Thrace. (OK, maybe I'm paraphrasing a little, but didn't Jean seem to have a little crush on Starbuck? Too bad that crush got her killed.)

Jean Barolay (Alisen Down) in Episode 3.11, "Rapture"

Photo credit: Sci Fi/Eike Schroter

2. Six kisses Six.

After the Six who accidentally killed Jean Barolay was shot by Natalie, she confessed to Natalie that she had not been able to deal with the trauma of being killed by Jean on New Caprica. Natalie called her "sister" and kissed her before she died. I saw this as a grand, poetic statement of blood calling to blood, as well as a reflection of the fact that each Cylon model is so closely linked — closer than family, even — to the others of their model. Here's hoping most folks didn't see it as gratuitous girl-on-girl action starring hottie Tricia Helfer in a fantasy twin lesbians scenario.

Welcome to the first episode of Stacie Ponder's horror series Ghostella's Haunted Tomb, the runner-up in AfterEllen.com's Web Series Contest.

Broadcasting from her garage, hostess-wannabe Ghostella (Heidi Martinuzzi) presents the very best in B-Grade lesbian horror films.

The premiere episode features "Taste of Flesh, Taste of Fear", the 1968 film widely considered to be a benchmark in lesbian vampire erotica. After a horrifying accident on a dark, deserted road, Laura and Eve find themselves under the spell of the mysterious Lady Mortidella. How long can they resist her seductive gaze?

Read our Q&A with creator Stacie Ponder to learn more about the inspiration behind the series, read Stacie's blog, and check back every Wednesday for new episodes.

This week Tracy and Angela from Lesbiangamers.com review the new WiiFit and give a sneak peek into a demonstration of it from Tracy. They discuss the merits and flaws of WiiFit as a fitness device as well as revealing that Xena boat story you viewers asked for.

Also reviewed is Professor Layton and the Curious Village on the Nintendo DS — the game that confuses even intelligent adults, never mind small children.

Finally, there's some GTA IV debate calming, talk of Callisto and threesomes, and the usual viewer feedback.