This is a step up from the comments made by the last two
actresses to play lesbians in Bollywood films, which include
"I don't think [lesbianism] is natural" (Payal
Rohatgi, Men
Not Allowed), and "I am a normal girl without
any lesbian tendencies" (Isha Koppikar, Girlfriend).
Perhaps the next actress to turn down a lesbian role will
give an even more honest answer, like "I can't play
this role because I want to work in this town", or
"if I play a lesbian, my mother will stop talking
to me".
AFTERELLEN.COM
READERS: YOUR INPUT WANTED!
Since AfterEllen.com's inception, we've deliberately covered
only openly lesbian/bi actors, directors, writers, etc,
and movies/shows/books with explicit lesbian themes on
the site, because I wanted this to be a place that was
all about lesbian entertainment. But we've received
several emails over the years asking us to expand the
scope of AfterEllen.com to occasionally cover entertainment
that isn't explicitly lesbian, but of lesbian interest.
What
exactly is "lesbian interest", you ask? It's
hard to describe, exactly, but it's kind of like a closeted
lesbian: you know it when you see it. A review of the
female-led movie The Devil Wears Prada would
probably qualify, for example, as would profiles of musicians
like Alicia Keys and The Dixie Chicks, and interviews
with actresses like Geena Davis (Commander in Chief)
and Parminder Nagra (ER, Bend it Like Beckham).
Now
that we have more resources, expanding our coverage is
feasible, but I wanted to get input from more AfterEllen.com
readers before deciding whether to go this route. So,
keeping in mind that covering out lesbian and
bi women in entertainment will always
be our first priority, would you be interested in having
us occasionally cover women and films/shows of
"lesbian interest", too? Let us know by voting
in the poll on the right. Thanks!
AND
SOMETIMES, FUZZY PINK BUNNY SLIPPERS
Actress Eden Riegel told
the Boston Globe last week that her ground-breaking
lesbian role on All My Children "was the
best experience anyone could ask for on a soap".
Riegel also told to the Globe how she asked her gay stepsister
a series of "stupid questions" to prepare for
the role, like "Do they listen to Melissa Etheridge?",
"How do lesbians walk?", and "What kind
of shoes do they wear?" I
don't know what your stepsister told you, Eden, but here
are my answers: 1) Yes; 2) Like this week's Hell's
Kitchen eliminee Rachel; and 3) UGG Australia ‘Kalie’
Clogs, Cole Haan 'Tonya' Pumps, and Easy Spirit Women's
Red Motion Fitness Casual Oxford. Sometimes all at the
same time.
IF
"RAPID MOUSING" WAS CONSIDERED A SPORT, I'D
SO BE THERE...
The 2006 Gay Games kicks off this weekend in Chicago,
with over 12,000 athletes participating, and several gay
and gay-friendly entertainers performing, including Cyndie
Lauper, Margaret Cho, and Megan Mullaly. Curve magazine
is also throwing several
women's parties around the games, which we're co-sponsoring.
So if you're near the Chicago area, or planning to be,
there are a lot of ways to avoid working next week!
BUT
WAIT, THERE'S MORE...
Bravo debuts its lesbian-led reality series Work
Out on Wednesday; look for a review of the first
few episodes, and an interview with the show's star Jackie
Warner, on AfterEllen.com early next week.
Amelie
Mauresmo walked away with the Ladies' Singles crown at
Wimbledon last weekend, but Martina lost in Ladies' Doubles;
read our round-up of lesbians
at Wimbledon for more details.
In
a new interview
with TV Guide, House co-star Lisa Edelstein says
of her lesbian role on the brilliant-but-canceled 1996/1997
drama Relativity,
"It was exciting to play a lesbian character because
at the time there were none on television. People asked
my parents if it was OK that I was a lesbian when I was
only playing one on TV."
TNT's new medical drama Saved
revealed one of its secondary paramedic characters to
be a lesbian in a recent episode ("Fog"). Look
for absolutely nothing to come of it in upcoming episodes.
That's
it for this week! Check back next Friday for a new installment
of Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever. or read past
installments here.
SOUTH OF NOWHERE: A LOVE STORY