Have you been watching Nip/Tuck, even though Portia de Rossi has been AWOL for so long? I have, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about the recent psycho stalker story line, with special guest star Sharon Gless. [Warning: Spoilers]

When Gless first showed up on the show, I was thrilled. Her character, Colleen Rose, was sassy, smart and funny — just like I like Gless, and like I'm used to seeing her. But things soon took a turn for the criminally insane. We learned that Colleen wasn't really a talent agent; she was just trying to get close to Dr. Sean. And when an actual agent interfered, teddy-bear-collecting Colleen decided to stuff him. It was one of the most gruesome murder scenes — not to mention one of the trippiest — I've ever seen on TV.

Last week, it looked like Colleen met an untimely death at her own hands. I'm not sure whether she'll be back for one last gasp tonight, or will even be mentioned again. But I do know one thing: I don't understand why Gless took the role. (I'm not the only one.) I guess maybe she thought it would be fun to play crazy. But the story line was just plain misogynist — Colleen the capable professional soon became Colleen the desperate, menopausal, lonely, diabolical crone. It seems very far beneath Gless.

I might be overreacting. But most of the women on Nip/Tuck are appallingly two-dimensional, and not just because they're vain moneyed types seeking plastic surgery. Creator Ryan Murphy (who is gay, not that that means anything at all in terms of his attitude toward women) seems to want to destroy his female characters and erase their humanity. Whether it's Kimber (or Eden) the slut — don't even get me started on their violent sex scene last week — or Colleen the psycho or Julia the meat-seeking rag doll or Liz the barely there prudish lesbian or Kate the fat actress, they're easy to sum up and difficult to care about. … continue reading

It's a day of doubles: First Cate Blanchett got two Oscar nods, and now this: Both Sharon Gless and Marlee Matlin will be on Nip/Tuck tonight. Gless plays a talent agent and Matlin plays a studio exec.

And Gless is reportedly going to be topless at some point. Whoa! It's like that song "Centerfold": I don't think I'm ready to see my adolescent fantasies in the flesh. But it's not like I won't watch it or anything. I mean, that guy in the song eventually bought the magazine, didn't he?

What is it about Nip/Tuck that attracts fabulous women? I’m serious. The list of past guest stars includes Famke Janssen, Vanessa Redgrave, Alanis Morissette, Jill Clayburgh, Rosie O’Donnell, Kathleen Turner, Brooke Shields and Jacqueline Bisset. Plus, Lauren Hutton, Madonna, Paula Marshall, Portia de Rossi, Jennifer Coolidge, Tia Carrere and Daphne Zuniga are scheduled for season 5. Now yet another lesbian crush has signed on — the icon formerly known as Christine Cagney, Sharon Gless.

Gless will appear in a four-episode arc as Colleen Rose, a talent agent who wants to represent Sean. (I guess even plastic surgeons need agents in Hollywood.) I’m glad Gless is building on her recent success in Burn Notice, the spy drama from USA that was one of summer TV’s nicest surprises. But I just can’t get in to Nip/Tuck. I’m not sure why. I mean, Dexter is one of my all-time favorite shows, and it’s nothing if not graphic. But Nip/Tuck makes me weak in the knees. And not in a good way. … continue reading

Some things just don't fly on American TV. For example, the unedited version of Tipping the Velvet will probably never air in the U.S., which is, frankly, tragic. Luckily, some things do eventually make it across the pond, like The Graham Norton Show, which airs on BBCA. I look forward to seeing the episode that features Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly. It recently aired in the U.K. in celebration of the release of the Cagney and Lacey season 1 DVD.

For now, I'll have to be satisfied with a clip — and I definitely, completely am. It involves hidden speakers and a two-way mirror in a ladies' room, but I can't really describe it. It's best to just watch. I'll offer one quote:

Daly: "Use your panties."
Gless: "I'm not wearing any panties."

Enjoy: … continue reading

Burn Notice starts tonight on USA at 10/9c. Sharon Gless is in it, and that's enough to make me give it a try. Actually, it sounds watchable even without that:

"Burn Notice is what happens when a producer like Matt Nix, a newcomer to television, gets a show on the air. Nix, the show's creator and co-executive producer, is only a step or two removed from being a regular old viewer, so he remembers that a television thriller should be lively and smart with a sense of humor as well as sizzle and danger. Burn Notice hits all those notes in a sleek and, yes, fun premiere that's set to run commercial free." (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Along with Gless, the series features Bruce Campbell (Xena: Warrior Princess; Army of Darkness; Ellen) and Gabrielle Anwar (The Tudors). You know, The Tudors, aka that show they advertised the hell out of during the last season of The L Word. And we all tuned in and became big fans, right? Uh, yeah. … continue reading

The first Cagney & Lacey DVD release is just around the corner — it hits stores May 8. But when you first unwrap the set (don't tell me you're not going to buy it!), you might think you've purchased a defective one, because the first six episodes of the series will be missing. No, it's not a mistake or a marketing ploy: Producer Barney Rosenzweig decided to exclude the Meg Foster episodes.

I suppose that might have something to do with the fact that Rosenzweig is married to Sharon Gless, who replaced Foster when CBS pronounced her too dykey. But I can't say I mind — not because Foster was too butch (frankly, I don't know how you can be more butch than Gless-as-Cagney) but because Foster's ice-blue eyes kind of creep me out.

I mean, don't you think her freezy gaze is the reason Foster has played so many fantastical characters? Here she is as Evil-Lyn, Skeletor's sidekick in Masters of the Universe: … continue reading

by scribegrrrl

Season 1 of Cagney & Lacey will finally be released on DVD in early May. Yes!! (Amazon still has it slated for 2010, but that's incorrect.)

It almost didn't happen. On his blog (which consists of, um, only two posts), producer Barney Rosenzweig (that's Mr. Sharon Gless to me) refers to the story of "a pissed off producer and some clumsy handling of interior PR by a couple of major corporations." Unfortunately, he has already deleted the original blog post that told the story in full; he boils it down to "I ... was reminded that Cagney & Lacey has always been a good thing on which to hang one's hat and that David & Goliath is, after all, a great yarn."

According to the Miami Herald, the source of the trouble was the theme song — somebody forgot to secure the rights to the music. The Herald also notes that Cagney & Lacey survived more than one cancellation while it was on TV in the '80s. One of the resurrections was thanks to a protest by gay activists and media watchdogs, after a CBS executive said the show was canceled because viewers "perceived [Cagney and Lacey] as dykes."

(Click "read more" for more C&L.) … continue reading