Archive

Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever. (January 29, 2010)

TWEETS OF THE WEEK

Putting out, the iPad, the State of the Union address and smelly dudes – all of these topics and more were tweeted about by queer women in entertainment this week.

Here are some of the highlights:

If you come across tweets that you think we should feature in “Tweets of the Week” or if you find (verified) Twitter accounts for out lesbian/bi women in entertainment who you think we should follow, please send us that info at [email protected].

– by Karman Kregloe

 

THIS JUST IN: THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT THE LITTLE LESBIAN MOVIE THAT COULD?

The film that is the talk of Sundance this week could easily be described as a domestic comedy. At its heart is a couple, together 20-plus years, with two teenagers. The family is comfortable and content, preparing for the eldest to go off to college. Pretty conventional, huh?

Except in this case, the couple happens to be two women. And they happen to be played by Annette Bening and Julianne Moore.

We’ve been excited about The Kids Are All Right since we first learned about it last summer. The story is set in Los Angeles, where Nic (Bening) and Jules (Moore) are raising an 18-year-old daughter Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and a 15-year-old son Laser (Josh Hutcherson). Both kids were conceived via a sperm donor.

Nic is a Type-A doctor, who, as my mother would say, “enjoys her red wine,” and Jules has just started an organic landscape design business – the most recent in a succession of failed careers. The couple is not unhappy, but not particularly close these days.

When Joni turns 18, Laser convinces her to call the sperm bank and track down their biological father. Paul (Mark Ruffalo) also lives in LA, where he owns an organic restaurant and mini-farm. Joni starts hanging out with Paul and eventually Nic and Jules find out, much to their chagrin at least at first.

The premise could go either way, as far as fair lesbian representation is concerned, but we were heartened by the fact that The Kids Are All Right was written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko, the marvelous mind behind Laurel Canyon and High Art.

The good news for Cholodenko is that Sundance audiences, which were packed with the most respected moguls in the film industry, went wild over The Kids Are All Right. The movie has received the kind of reviews that filmmakers dream of:

New York magazine: “The film boasts a whip-smart and witty script that left the audience howling.”

IndieWIRE: “The performances are across the board fantastic, and it would not be a surprise if a year from now Bening, Moore and Ruffalo all find themselves in contention for Oscar nominations.

HitFix: “…the most significant gay-themed film since Brokeback Mountain.”

Salon.com: “…ranks with the most compelling portraits of an American marriage, regardless of sexuality, in film history.”

With that kind of reaction, we’re not surprised that The Kids Are All Right picked up a distributor quickly. We learned Wednesday (thanks to Jenni at Wolfe Video) that the winner of the bidding war was Focus Features, which distributed Brokeback Mountain and Milk. Obviously, that bodes very well for the prospects of this movie getting in front of audiences.

We don’t have a clip from the movie, but E! Online talked with Moore, Wasikowska and Hutcherson at Sundance.

Even before the deal was official, writers like Melissa Silverstein at Women & Hollywood and our own Dorothy Snarker were speculating on whether The Kids Are All Right would be our Brokeback Mountain the movie that not only brings lesbian and bisexual women into mainstream cinema, but also makes money in the process.

(Warning: Spoilers ahead)

But after learning more about the story, I’m not ready to celebrate just yet.

Paul gives Jules her first landscaping gig: remodeling his backyard. According to The Hollywood Reporter:

Rather improbably, an attraction develops between Jules and Paul, and before long they are copulating like newlyweds, despite their shared guilt. Meanwhile, Paul has bonded remarkably well with Laser and Joni, offering them some respite from their moms’ smothering parenting. Nic’s chance discovery that her spouse is cheating with their sperm donor sends the family into a tailspin, with Paul left to wonder just where he fits in.

Sigh. Granted, I don’t know how the story ends. The Salon.com review tells us that the relationship between Paul and Jules is, well, organic. “…there’s nothing forced or false about what develops between Paul and Jules, and Cholodenko’s definitely not interested in that story line about a hot lesbian who goes straight after a healthy dose of rogering.”

If that’s true, then why even include it? Surely a writer as talented as Lisa Cholodenko could find a more creative way of challenging Nic and Jules to examine their relationship than having one of them sleep with a man. The whole thing just makes me tired.

I would love nothing more than to be wrong. Perhaps, in some way I can’t imagine, The Kids Are All Right has a spin so creative that the story transcends stereotype.

We’ll see.

— by The Linster

WORKING THE POLL: GUEST STARS TO HELP GAY UP GLEE

As we told you earlier this week, there’s been a lot of excitement swirling around the confirmed and rumored guest stars appearing on upcoming episodes of Glee. While we’re thrilled at the possibility of seeing Idina Menzel, Jennifer Lopez, and AfterElton.com’s “Gay Man of the Decade Neil Patrick Harris on the show this spring, wouldn’t it be even more awesome if McKinley High welcomed an out female celebrity in a high-profile guest role?

Below are our casting suggestions. Which sounds best to you?

Gaying up “Glee”(answers)

Last week, we asked you to weigh in on the hottest lesbian love scene on network TV. While Olivia Wilde‘s bisexual antics on House came in a close second, the winner was Willow and Kennedy’s groundbreaking (earth-moving?) love scene on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

LESBIAN VIDEO CLIP OF THE WEEK

Wanda Sykes auditions for American Idol with her future hit song, “Boobs Out Your Blouse.”

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

The cast of The Big Gay Sketch Show will be performing as part of San Francisco Sketchfest on Monday, February 1.

Gossip, The xx and Sia are playing Coachella in Indio, California April 16 – 18.

Animal Planet’s new show, Pit Boss, features lesbian cast member Ashley Brooks. (Thanks for the tip, Angie!)

AfterEllen.com Blog Editor Trish Bendix had a nice chat with queer singer/songwriter Hailey Wojcik this week.

Glenn Close recently listed her 13 favorite movie roles, one of which was her role as a lesbian soldier in Serving Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story.

Rosie O’Donnell talked about her break up with Kelli and The View on Oprah this week.

The Amazing Race has introduced its competing teams for the new season and couple Carol Rosenfeld and Brandy Snow are among them. Watch their intro interview on the CBS site and find out more about them, including the tidbit that Brandy is bisexual and, according to Carol, “a biter.”

Anyone But Me will air all new episodes here on AfterEllen.com beginning  Feb. 23.

The relationship between Sarah and Veronica on the current Big Brother (Grande Fratello) in Italy came to an end when Sarah got the boot this week.

Retro Reviewing‘s Danielle Riendeau sent us reports from the Sundance Film Festival this week.

Bisexual musician Amanda Palmer has a new project called Evelyn Evelyn, a duo with Jason Webley. Check out their track “My Sister Evelyn.”

TopGaySongs.com has compiled a list of the Top 50 Lesbian Songs, and we add a few of our own.

The new DVD Dusty Springfield: Once Upon A Time 1964 – 1969 features 20 of her complete TV performances, including a newly discovered interview from 1978. It will be released March 30.

Check out In the Gayborhood, a new web series focusing on telling “human stories” about LGBT people.

Meike Gottschalk, who played Sophie on Verbotene Liebe, is starring in the new web series, Emma Stahl which premiered this week. Emma is a special agent for the European police unit EuForce who is “addicted to adventure and beautiful women. A sometimes fatal weakness.” Tell us about it!

Tegan and Sara will drop in on Logo’s NewNowNext PopLab on Monday, Feb. 1.

Jane Lynch gave the acceptance speech at the 16th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards when her show Glee picked up the award for best TV ensemble comedy. Lynch was also awarded the Dorian Award for Musical or Comedy TV Performance of the Year by The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association.

This week on the UK soap Doctors Immie (Charlie Clemmow) made friends with an older woman at art school and then came out as a lesbian.

If you’re in the L.A. area this weekend, check out “AfterEllen.com’s One Night Stand Up” at the Long Beach Center Theater. It’s your chance to see Gloria Bigelow (Cherry Bomb), Cat Davis (Cat On the Prowl and Is This Awesome?), Liz Feldman (This Just Out), Bridget McManus (Brunch with Bridget) and Jennie McNulty (Walking Funny With…) all in one night! The show will be taped for Logo and will air later this year. For ticket info, click here.

That’s it for this week! Got the inside scoop on a hot new lesbian/bi actor/musician/TV show/film? Tell us at [email protected]. Check back next Friday for another edition of Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever.

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button