For me, the only thing better than a funny woman is two funny women. So, you can imagine my excitement about the April 25 opening of the Tina Fey–Amy Poehler odd-couple comedy Baby Mama. To further whet our appetites, the film has launched the new Baby Mama Babymaker website where you can see the virtual fruits of your (or anyone's) loins. The best thing about the site? Same-sex couplings are not only encouraged, they're prominently displayed.

So, naturally, I had to make my own faux lesbian coupling offspring. The results, um, well. Straight up, I'm not going to lie. These are unquestionably the ugliest babies I have ever seen. In fact, some of them scare the bejesus out of me. I mean it. They're truly, truly terrifying. There, you've been warned.

First I thought I'd match two of the smartest women in entertainment together. Behold the love child of Tina Fey and Jodie Foster. Actually, wee JoTi is almost cute. Almost. … continue reading

My love for Amy Poehler goes almost as far as my infatuation with Tina Fey (though I don't think I have quite reached the level of Dorothy Snarker's adoration). Thankfully, there has been no lack of political material for Poehler and the cast of Saturday Night Live to parody lately, and it looks as though the NBC execs plan on taking full advantage of that fact.

Taking a cue from the mass media coverage of their politically based skits in recent weeks, NBC has announced that it will add a 30-minute show, entitled SNL Thursday Night Live (creative, no?), to follow The Office during the three weeks leading up to the election. Here's what NBC had to say in its official statement:

Dubbed "TV's funniest and most influential political player" by Entertainment Weekly, SNL expands its "Weekend Update" coverage to Thursdays in primetime for three live half-hour shows beginning October 16. With all of the excitement and attention around Saturday Night Live during the presidential primaries, the anticipation for the show's take on this Fall's election will be at a fever pitch, SNL Thursday Night Live will keep the momentum — and the laughs — going. The program is a production of Broadway Video in association with SNL Studios. Lorne Michaels is the executive producer.

On the surface, this seems like a brilliant move. Saturday Night Live is cashing in on the ongoing Democratic primary in the best way — with humor. Whether you think their coverage is biased toward Hillary Clinton or that Fred Armisen was a poor choice to portray Barack Obama doesn't really matter to those at SNL. The bottom line is that the sketch show hasn't been talked about this much in a very long time. … continue reading

Wow, there are a lot of movies I haven't heard of. And at least a few I'm really looking forward to. It's time for another poster-and-trailer extravaganza!

First, the Baby Mama poster hasn't really been released yet, but I came across this snapshot of the actual paper object. Cute. Is it April 25 yet?

Next, Smart People, featuring the smart and adorable person named Ellen Page (yeah, and Sarah Jessica Parker, too, but I find her less smart and less adorable, and occasionally less human).

This film debuts April 11. Here's the trailer: … continue reading

Need something to help you pass the time today or usher in the weekend? Look no further: Hulu.com is here.

The new video site from NBC Universal and News Corp was officially launched last week, and if you haven't checked it out yet, you're missing something marvelous. The TV shows — which are very high quality and mostly full episodes — are from NBC, FOX, and the various affiliated cable networks like Bravo, FX, Sci Fi, Sundance and Oxygen. And the site offers movies, too (yes, full movies). And all of this for free (with occasional commercials). On demand.

Do I sound amazed? I kind of am. Here are some of the things I've been salivating over so far. (One caveat: Hulu.com is only available to U.S. users. Openhulu.com, after it has been updated, will provide access to users outside the U.S.)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Hulu has only Seasons 1 and 2 of Buffy right now, but what a great excuse to revisit the whole series from the beginning.

30 Rock

I can never decide who I love more: Tina Fey or Liz Lemon. Luckily, we don't have to choose.

Picket Fences

I loved this show when it first aired in the late '90s. Hulu has Season 1, including "Sugar & Spice," the episode in which Kimberly (Holly Marie Combs) kisses her friend Lisa (Alexondra Lee). I remember it well! … continue reading

Is there such a thing as entertainment gaydar? Recently I came across an old friend on Facebook, whom I hadn’t seen in over a decade. Over the years, I’d wondered if perhaps she was gay — and once she had added me as a friend, I'll admit that I clicked over to her profile, curious to see if there would be anything about her sexual orientation there. While there wasn’t anything explicitly stated, I did see with interest that she listed The L Word as one of her favorite shows, and Brokeback Mountain and Chasing Amy as two of her favorite movies.

Now, entertainment gaydar, like any other gaydar, is based on stereotypes — and thus is bound to be somewhat unreliable. After all, there are plenty of straight people who like both The L Word and Brokeback Mountain. (And, actually, I think disliking Chasing Amy is probably a clearer sign of being a lesbian than liking it.) Nevertheless, this whole episode got me thinking about what a person’s tastes in entertainment may or may not say about her sexual orientation. And, using the popular AfterEllen.com forum thread "I’m so gay/I’m so not gay" as an inspiration, I decided to see how my tastes would stack up in the “stereotypically lesbianish” department.

To start off with the “I’m so not gay” category (hey, I may as well get the bit that will make me unpopular out of the way first):

1. I'll admit it — I don’t totally get the Tina Fey thing.

The fact that scribegrrrl, Dorothy Snarker, and Sarah Warn are all fans is enough to convince me that I must be missing something here — and who knows, maybe one day I will see the light. But I’ve seen 30 Rock, and the thing that amused me most about it was Alec Baldwin. (Who, whatever else he may or may not be, is definitively not lesbianish.)

2. I don’t watch The L Word.

The women on The L Word may be gay, but I’ve discovered that that, in and of itself, isn’t enough to make me identify with or deeply care about them. A little good writing goes an awfully long way.

3. I think Desert Hearts is a snooze-fest. … continue reading

If it seems like Tina Fey is everywhere these days, well, it’s probably because she kind of is. Last week, she graced the cover of Vanity Fair to refute those ridiculous “Women Aren’t Funny” claims. This past Sunday, she was smiling up from your Parade magazine, cute as fresh-picked daisies. And, very soon, she’ll be delivering the funny in a theater near you with Baby Mama.

A new featurette for Tina and Amy Poehler’s odd-couple comedy hit the web recently, and the more I see, the more I can’t wait until April 25. The two-minute spot intersperses clips from the trailer with Tina and Amy talking about the film.

The two women play polar opposites who come together when white-collar Kate (Tina) hires working-class Angie (Amy) to be her surrogate. What ensures is what Tina calls “as close as you can get to seeing me and Amy in a movie version of Laverne & Shirley.” … continue reading

Who you calling unfunny? Vanity Fair took its sweet time, but after more than a year of letting the anvil of an essay “Why Women Aren’t Funny” weigh down the discourse, the magazine finally issued its own rebuttal with its April cover story, “Who Says Women Aren't Funny?” And to prove that point, it assembled some of the most sparkling female wits for a photoshoot with famed photographer Annie Leibovitz.

Yes, Amy Poehler appears to be grabbing Tina Fey’s boob. You really can’t argue with comedy genius like that. Answering the call to funny alongside them were Sandra Bernhard, Susie Essman, Jenna Fischer, Chelsea Handler, Leslie Mann, Maya Rudolph, Amy Sedaris, Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes and Kristen Wiig. I’m going to need a moment to soak in all this concentrated hilarious. Seriously, my sides are starting to hurt from phantom laughter just looking at them.

In response to (resisting the urge to use a profane adjective) columnist Christopher Hitchens’ decidedly unfunny article about why women are the unfunnier sex, New York Times TV critic Alessandra Stanley has penned a footnote-worthy essay that touches on everything from English novelist George Meredith to Virginia Woolf to tribes in Papua New Guinea. To which I say, sure, but where do the rubber chickens fit in? … continue reading

Sometimes my expectations are way too high. Like for Bionic Woman — my expectations for that were way, way too high. But I expected great things from Tina Fey's hosting gig on Saturday Night Live this past weekend, and I wasn't even a little bit disappointed.

She was funny, adorable and awesome. Let's start with her monologue: