If I told you that the new British boarding-school comedy St. Trinian’s, released in the U.K. on Dec. 21, has aspects of the Kristy McNichol film Little Darlings crossed with Tina Fey’s comedy Mean Girls, you might think that you ought to be excited about seeing it. Unfortunately, it’s nowhere near as good as either of those movies. But it does begin with a similar premise: the female of the species — and particularly the teenage female — is much, much more deadly than the male.

Although I don’t think they’re really known of in the U.S., the fierce and fictional schoolgirls of St. Trinian’s have been iconic in the U.K. for over half a century. They first sprang from the brain of the cartoonist Ronald Searle, who in 1941 was a soldier stationed in Scotland near a friendly family whose daughters attended a school named St. Trinnean’s. Encouraged by the success of his early cartoons within the family, Searle sent them off to a magazine. By 1947, the series was a national hit, being published in book form as Hurrah for St. Trinian’s! … continue reading

I have a really long to-do list in a notebook somewhere. I call it my things-to-do-before-I-croak list. It includes stuff like places I want to see, books I want to read and things I'd like to accomplish. Thanks to AfterEllen.com, I can sort of cross off one of those items. No. 67: Get published. Sure, the Internet wasn't what I had in mind when I added that particular item to my list, but it counts in my world.

Another thing on my to-do list is attend the Sundance Film Festival. If I could manage to squeeze in the time off and barter my way to Utah, I'd make 2008 the year to get that one crossed off the list. The complete list of films screening at next year's festival was released over the course of the past couple of weeks. Not only do some of the films sound intriguing, but the list of who's in those films should make the red carpet a true treat. In last week's Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever. we told you about one reason to head for the Utah mountains, a reason named Saffron Burrows. Here are a few more reasons to make the trek.

One of the people I would expect to see strutting about town is Lena Headey. Not only would I love to drool over her in person, but I'd also like to see the movie she's in that's screening at Park City at Midnight. It's called The Broken and tells the tale of a woman who sees herself drive by in her own car while on a busy London street. She follows the mystery double into "a living nightmare." Lena Headey in what sounds like an eerie psychological thriller? Count me in. … continue reading

On Mondays, I find it easier to look at pretty pictures than put together sentences. So here are some movie posters for your visual pleasure. (You could also call this a preview of 2008, which isn't looking great so far ...)

1. Hellboy II, starring Selma Blair:

I didn't see Hellboy, and even if I had, I probably wouldn't feel compelled to see the sequel. But Selma is mesmerizing in this poster. So I might reconsider. Her eyes, they follow me everywhere!

2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (the poster was just released today): … continue reading

I know you have an opinion on the Ellen brouhaha. So do I. So does, well, everybody. But I believe that in the midst of the most heated controversy, we can find common ground. Women. We all love women. And where you find women who love women, you find women who love animals. In the spirit of unity, then, let's look at women we love and their pets. OK, yes, it's an excuse to post pictures of cute women. Starting with Joss Stone and Dusty.

… continue reading

Today in Berlin, Christina Ricci and Mischa Barton attended the Hugo Boss fashion show (part of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin). Clearly they both got the memo about wearing silver:

… continue reading

I'll admit, I'm more than a little excited about the possible DVD release sometime soon of the last season of Once and Again — ABC's 1999-2002 drama about the daily trials and tribulations of a blended and extended family — and not just because of that season's fantastic exploration of two teen girls falling in love.

The tumultuous, grudge-riddled relationship between sisters Lily (Sela Ward) and Judy (Marin Hinkle) always reminds me of my own with my sister. Lily's efforts to embrace but not smother her children and boyfriend's children resonates with a lot of moms and stepmoms, I'm sure, as does Karen's (Susanna Thompson) heartbreaking struggle as a newly divorced mother to let go of her marriage and her attempt to control her children. The awkward, tentative friendship between quasi step-sisters Grace (Julia Whelan) and Jessie (Evan Rachel Wood) is familiar to all of us who've tried to make the best of a situation we didn't necessarily choose, and pre-teen Zoe's endless frustration at being left out of everything is like every annoying little sister you've ever known. And of course, Jessie's confusion about her feelings for classmate Katie (Mischa Barton) reminds me of more than one crush I had in high school.

The show had more in-depth, realistic, and complicated women in one episode than almost the entire primetime lineup does these days, and they were played by equally talented, interesting and relatable actresses.

Which has me wondering: now that it's been five years since the show ended, what are the women of Once and Again up to these days? So I did a little research, and a little then-and-now photoshopping, to catch us all up. … continue reading

CelebritySpotlight.co.uk recently ran a hilarious quote by Liv Tyler about playing a lesbian (the original source was her interview with Allure Magazine). Actually, the hilarious part was the headline, "Liv Tyler's Lesbian Regret." There is so much you can do with the concept of "lesbian regret," isn't there?

Anyway, Tyler bemoaned the tameness of the kiss scene she did with Kate Hudson a few years ago in Dr. T and the Women.

She said, "Kate plays a woman who is about to get married and she's completely in love with me. We were always so shy about the kissing but in retrospect we were like, 'We so should have just totally made out and tongued each other'. But we never did, we were just too scared to do it." … continue reading

Variety magazine is reporting that Mischa Barton will star in the upcoming "Russian coming-of-age drama" Finding t.A.T.u., which is all about--you guessed it--the faux lesbian girl band of the same name. Barton has played queer/queer friendly before, in Once and Again, The O.C. and Lost and Delirious, respectively. And if that's not enough proof that she's well-suited for Finding t.A.T.u., note this photo of her butching it up with a basketball, sports jersey, and, um, a miniskirt.

Here's the lowdown on the film per Wikipedia:

"The story is based on actual events, but the story is derived from the book t.A.T.u. Come Back, not a direct interpretation. Set against a background of music, internet chatrooms and hedonistic Moscow nightlife, the story follows friendless American teenager Janie Sawyer who is trying to escape her lonely life in Moscow through her love of music. Janie meets Lana Starkova in a fansite for the popular pop-band t.A.T.u. Trapped in a provincial Russian town, Lana is desperate to flee her mundane life and the two girls develop an instant connection. Their trip to a t.A.T.u. concert becomes the catalyst for a series of adventures that will not only test their newfound friendship, but also their ideals and aspirations."

The film will be helmed by formerly respected director Roland Joffé, best known for the Academy Award-winning The Killing Fields as well as a little gem called Goodbye Lover (starring Ellen DeGeneres and Patricia "Should Have Been On the AfterEllen.com Hot 100 list" Arquette). … continue reading