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Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever. (June 25, 2010)

TWEETS OF THE WEEK

Work of Art, Real Housewives and straight guys on the Internet – all of these topics and more were Tweeted about by queer women in entertainment this week.

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].

THIS JUST IN: FORTUNE FEIMSTER IS WAY OUT ON LAST COMIC STANDING

Out comic (and regular AfterEllen.com vlogger) Fortune Feimster is currently kicking some ass on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, and she’s doing it with a fair share of gay jokes in the mix (one in particular made our own Heather Hogan laugh so hard that she scared her dog). We talked to Feimster about her comedy origins, leotards, and being out on national television.

AfterEllen.com: How did it feel to come out on national television?

Fortune Feimster: To be honest, I was a little nervous at first. There was this fear that people wouldn’t like me just because I’m gay, but then I quickly realized that people might not like me for various reasons that have nothing to do with my sexuality. You just can’t win with everybody. At the end of the day, I felt like it was more important for me to be myself and to be proud of who I am. I’d much rather be able to sleep at night than win some competition.

AE: Did you have to censor yourself and your jokes to be on network television?

FF: Some people did, but that wasn’t really a problem for me because I don’t have many dirty jokes. However, you do have to turn in your set in advanced so that it can be approved by Standards and Practices and that was a little weird knowing that I couldn’t change any of my jokes at the last minute. As a comic, you like to be flexible because every crowd is different so jokes can work for one crowd and not another.

AE: Describe your LCS experience?

FF: It has been an extremely positive experience. I have learned a lot about myself as a comic. I’ve learned how to write jokes for television – they like for you to keep things short and sweet. I got the chance to perform in front of 1,000 people which is by far the biggest show I’ve done to-date. Plus, the feedback since the first episode aired has been amazing. I’ve gotten hundreds of emails from people all over the United States who say they really like my comedy and are wishing me the best of luck. It means a lot to have that kind of support and I’m just thrilled that more people are finally getting the chance to see what I do.

AE: You have many jokes about you mother Ginger in your act, what did she think about you making fun of her on television?

FF: She loves it. She’s a big fan of being the topic of anybody’s conversation.

AE: Has your life changed since you’ve been on the show?

FF:No. I’m still unemployed. Thanks for reminding me! I’d say the biggest change has been that a lot more people know who I am now. I mean, I’m no Ellen DeGeneres by any means, but I’ve gotten recognized a few times. One time was at the Cheesecake Factory. That’s right, people! I eat at the Cheesecake Factory.

AE: There was a segment on LCS in which you dressed up in a lot of different costumes.Approximately how many costumes do you own and which one is your favorite?

FF: I have at least a gazillion costumes. It’s up to you to figure out how many costumes that is. I had to buy four huge storage boxes for all of my costumes and somehow my room still manages to look like the inside of a clown car. I’d say my favorite costume is this tight turquoise jacket and pants suit that is bedazzled with silver rhinestones. I wear this enormous Jersey Shore-type wig with it, and then finish it off with a sequined silver belt and shiny silver high heels. Hot!

AE: What is it with you and leotards?

FF: Do I even need to answer this? Leotards are basically THE most important invention since the automobile. Duh. I mean, who doesn’t want to see a big girl dancing around in really tight clothes? Ok, don’t answer that.

AE: Did you always want to be a comic? When/where was your first stand-up gig and how did it go?

FF:I was pretty shy in junior high so I was not known for being funny growing up but I did start to come out of my shell in high school. I would watch Saturday Night Live every weekend and then perform the sketches for my tennis team and it was the best feeling making them laugh.

However, it wasn’t until I moved to Los Angeles at the age of 23 that I started taking comedy classes at the Groundlings and I only did it to make friends. My teachers encouraged me to stick with it so I did. It eventually led to me doing standup a few years ago. My first show was at the Comedy Store and I only invited one friend because I was scared that I would suck and I knew this friend would tell me if I did. Turns out I didn’t suck, and she and I are still friends, which we wouldn’t have been if she had told me that I sucked.

AE: Since you’re a professional funny person, who do you think is the funniest person on the planet?

FF: Will Ferrell. He KILLS me, especially when he does those really intense characters. I could watch him for hours, except when he’s in really horrible movies like Land of the Lost and Bewitched. I also have some really great friends in L.A. who are comics and they make me laugh so hard.

AE: Is a good sense of humor a required characteristic in someone you’re dating? Would you ever date another comic?

FF: I definitely like it when a girl has a good sense of humor because it’s nice when someone else makes me laugh, but they don’t need to be funny to everybody else. They just have to be funny to me. Does that make sense? I also think it’s important for people to be able to laugh at themselves. As far as dating another comic, it’s not ideal, at least for me. I think it’s better when you both have your own things and then you can come together and appreciate what the other one does.

AE: Rumor has it you go to Supercuts when you need your hair trimmed. What style do you tell the hairdresser to give you?

FF:Let me address this “rumor” you speak of. I’m offended that you would even categorize it as a rumor when it is indeed a FACT! Of course I go to Supercuts. Where else would someone go to get their haircut? All I say to the hairdresser is, “Don’t make my hair look like a triangle” because that actually did happen – a lot – in high school.

AE: You also auditioned for Saturday Night Live. Can you tell us about that experience?

FF:Yeah, I auditioned for SNL last August. I had sent them a character reel and then one day out of the blue they called me. She said, “This is so and so from Saturday Night Live” and I about had a heart attack. It was like 3:00 in the afternoon and they told me I had to be on the red eye that night so I could audition in New York the next day. I basically wrote my audition on the airplane. I remember when I got to Rockefeller Center, I got teary eyed just walking into the building.

They put me in hair and makeup as soon as I got there and then I had to wait in a dressing room for two hours before going on stage. It was so nerve wracking but as soon as I got on that stage, my training kicked in and I had the best five minutes of my life. The coolest part was looking up and seeing Lorne Michaels laugh at my jokes. It doesn’t get much better than that. Ok, well, getting the job would have been better, but he did laugh so let’s just focus on the positive, people!

Last Comic Standing airs Mondays at 9/8c on NBC.

– by Karman Kregloe

WORKING THE POLL: EMILY IS SO GAY

There’s been a surge in the number of gay women named Emily in pop culture lately. Don’t believe us? Well, it’s true. Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls was the original, and she’s been followed more recently by Emily Schromm of The Real World: Washington, D.C., making them two real life women who love women.

Fictionally, Emily is the name of two popular teen lesbians: one on Skins and the other on Pretty Little Liars. We think it’s time for a vote: Who is your favorite Sapphic Emily?

In our poll last week, we asked which summer concert you were most excited about. It was Lilith Fair by a (Stevie Nicks and Dixie Chicks-inspired) landslide!

<a href=”http://polldaddy.com/poll/3360851/”>Which summer concert is on your to-see list?</a><span style=”font-size:9px;”><a href=”http://polldaddy.com/features-surveys/”>online surveys</a></span>

BONUS POLL: WHAT ARE YOUR REAL FEELINGS ABOUT THE REAL L WORD?

Earlier in the week, Heather Hogan gave us a round-up of some of the reviews of the new Showtime reality series, The Real L Word. She used the always reliable sunshine crotch rating system, inspired by the oh-so-tasteful poster for the show that’s been plastered across Los Angeles billboards and splashed across the pages of magazines for the last few weeks. As part of her overview, she asked you to give your own rating of the show using her method. So how did the show fare? See below.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

Over the weekend, we broke the good news (thanks to several reader tips) that singer/songwriter Vanessa Carlton came out as bisexual at Nashville Pride. Congrats to Vanessa!

Going to a Pride celebration of your own this weekend? Check out Grace Chu’s review of the documentary Stonewall Uprising, about the event that set everything in motion.

Elena Esovolova will play lesbian cheerleader Patty “The Wedge” Wedgerman on the upcoming CW show about competitive college cheerleading, Hellcats.

Sia‘s eagerly-awaited album, We Are Born (Monkey Puzzle/Jive Records) was released this week. Trish described it as “pure fun electro pop with the Aussie’s trademark vocals and vibrato.”

Our Great LezBritain columnists Sarah and Lee provided an overview of the current lesbian situation on Big Brother UK, profiling Shabby, Corin and some of the queer women who have appeared in previous seasons.

Boston Med, ABC’s new docu-series about life inside three prestigious hospitals shows the real-life drama of life, death and an includes an out lesbian Ob-Gyn.

Jane Lynch is the busiest woman in show business. She’s lent her voice and likeness to the new TBS animated comedy Neighbors From Hell. And if you’ve missed the Lynch on Party Down, fear not – she’ll reprise her role on the season finale tonight. USA Today has an exclusive clip of her character’s wedding. Check it out!

Nicole Conn’s new film, Elena Undone, about a lesbian writer who falls for the wife of a pastor includes a record-breaking movie kiss that lasts for three minutes and 24 seconds.

Olympian Martina Navratilova says she has completed radiation treatment for breast cancer and is, “cancer-free and feeling pretty good.”

Trish Bendix, our managing editor, was honored this week by The Windy City Times as part of their annual 30 Under 30 for “outstanding young people blazing trails into the future of Chicago’s LGBT community.” We second that emotion!

This week, CNN’s “Gay in America” segment features Constance McMillen and Ceara Sturgis, both of whom were victims of intense homophobia last school year. McMillen’s story is the more familiar of the two by now, but Ceara’s is just as heartbreaking. In the segment, she talks to Soledad O’Brien about being left out of her yearbook because she wore a tux in her senior photo.

The Sophie-Sian romance is playing out again on Coronation Street. Brooke Vincent and Sacha Parkinson were photographed filming some scenes in Manchester Park.

At the premiere of Jonah Hex last week, Megan Fox told reporters that her dream role is Gen 13 comic book lesbian hero Sarah Rainmaker: “I don’t want people to protest this, but I would like to be Rainmaker if they ever made that into a movie.”

Lady Gaga is on the cover of Rolling Stone again, and – as usual – she’s gunning for some controversy. Choice quotes include “Why are we still talking about ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’? It’s like, what f–king year is it? It makes me crazy!”

Julia and Mariana finally did it on Las Aparicio (thanks for the tip, Betty!) The show’s stars Erendira Ibarra (Mariana) and Liz Gallardo (Julia) will be at the Mexico City Pride Parade this Saturday. Check back next week for our recaps (starting with the first episode and running until we’re current) by Ingrid Diaz.

Out musician Lori Michaels wrote a song for Real Housewives of New Jersey star Danielle Staub and performed it live with her on Bravo’s Watch What Happens this week. After the performance, the host asked if they were dating. Lori (who also refers to herself as “The Dyke Diva”) shook her head, but Danielle, who was sitting on the Dyke Diva’s lap, said, “We’re not saying anything other than we’re together on this song, real close.” Staub kept the lesbian rumor alive when she later talked with Access Hollywood about their relationship. Enjoy your free publicity, ladies!

AfterEllen.com reader scorpio54 let us know that Rachel Maddow wrote the introduction to the deluxe edition of Greg Rucka and JH Williams III’s award-winning Batwoman: Elegy. The book is set for publication on July 6. Check back for Heather Hogan’s review in the next week or so.

On Lie to Me this week, Tores (Monica Raymund) mentioned she’d once slept with a woman but then followed it up with the comment that she had just been experimenting. This comes just a few weeks after Raymund told Latina magazine she’s often mistaken for a lesbian.

Are you planning to tune in again this Sunday night for The Real L Word?

We’ll be shutting down a little early today, so we’ll have a bit less content than usual. We’ll be back to business as usual again on Monday. Have great weekend!

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.

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