Every time I stop reading Rosie O'Donnell's blog, she says something interesting. It's all part of my curse — the same one that ensures a show will be swiftly canceled if I tune in. Anyway, Rosie recently sang (or whatever you call emitting bursts of all-cap raving) the praises of Meadowlands, the UK series that's currently airing on Showtime.

Quoth Rosie: … continue reading

there is an amazing new show
on SHOWTIME
it is fan freaking tastic
MEADOWLANDS

Queen Elizabeth II is unhappy. No, Helen Mirren hasn't snubbed her again: Annie Leibovitz and the BBC have. Rather, they've revealed her real-ness, and that just won't do.

Yesterday, the BBC released a promotional trailer for the upcoming documentary A Year With the Queen. In it, the queen is seen disagreeing with Annie Leibovitz at a photo shoot (the preceding photo is one of the results of the shoot, but it isn't the offending bit of media). Specifically, the queen took issue with Leibovitz's suggestion that she remove her crown:

Leibovitz told the queen, "I think it will look better without the crown because the garter robe is so ... " but the monarch cut her off with an icy stare.

"Less dressy! What do you think this is?" the monarch said, gesturing to her attire.

The BBC today issued an apology, admitting that what looked like a stomping-off-the-set afterward was actually out of sequence; it was footage of the queen arriving at the shoot.

I don't know where to begin, really. Well, yes, I do; I'm going to ignore all the out-of-sequence nonsense and focus on the queen's discomfort with Leibovitz's request. On the one hand, it's a photo shoot: No matter who you are, you can expect to be poked, prodded and posed. And if you have even a passing familiarity with Leibovitz's work, you know that you can expect her to get very close to you in some way. So, on that score, I'm tempted to say "duh" to Her Unsuspecting Majesty. … 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