I fell in love with Lucy Lawless when she was the dark-haired, leather-clad bad girl of Xena: Warrior Princess, but I love her no less in all her femme incarnations. From sassy blonde '40s movie star to glittering cowgirl to — be still my heart — Sunday night's sultry chanteuse, I love the Lawless that gave her fans what most called "her best concert ever" at San Francisco's Herbst Theater, in a benefit for the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation.

Photo by KT Jorgensen

AfterEllen.com photographer KT Jorgensen was there, and said, "Boy, does she know how to play with the audience. She reaches out and grabs our attention and imagination with a smile and more. During one song, she slowly stripped both of her long gloves off. Wow. Best song of the night: 'Hallelujah.'"

Photo by KT Jorgensen … continue reading

Lucy sang in front of a video backdrop, including some scenes of her days on Xena, something I've never seen before at one of her concerts. Fans also saw a few clips of her role as the Cylon D'Anna Biers on Battlestar Galactica. And another first: KT says the acoustics were great.

In need of a Renee O'Connor fix? I know I am, which is why I'll set aside my usual aversion to monster movies and tune into the SciFi Channel's Monster Ark this Saturday night at 9 p.m. And it's also why I turned up bright and early for a phone interview with Renee Wednesday morning, where she talked about the film, working with Xena co-star Lucy Lawless in the film Bitch Slap, and of course, how she feels about all of us at AfterEllen.com.

To be fair, it sounds like Monster Ark is quite a bit more than a monster movie. "I like stories with strong women characters," Renee told us. "Women who change the world." And in Monster Ark she plays Ava, an archaeologist who does just that while working on a dig to uncover Noah's first ark, and inadvertently unleashing, well, a monster.

Ava is a deeply spiritual person, and her quest for the ark is part of her own journey of faith. Her ex-husband, Nicholas (Tim DeKay), on the other hand, is a hard-headed scientist, whose agenda is very different. "We have some friction between us, some unresolved matters," Renee said, and then laughed. "And we try to resolve them while — yes — saving humanity."

This all sounds suspiciously like a dynamic we've seen before, the one between Xena and Gabrielle on Xena: Warrior Princess.

Gay women of the world, I would like you to sit down. Find some place comfortable and a chair you've never fallen out of. Make sure no one important is nearby like, say, a boss or a principal or that coworker who is continually stealing your stapler as a passive-aggressive play for your job. Also, just in case, please consider placing pillows on the floor. The pillows will serve a dual purpose since they can muffle your squeals of delight. Are you ready, are you sure? OK, here goes.

At this point you are probably thinking, “Ms. Snarker, what the hell? I've gone and fastened pillows to every surface on my body and all you did was show me a poster with three hot women? You're slipping, women, seek help.” Ah, but I'm still easing you into it. I mean it, you might also want to grab a helmet. This, ladies, is Bitch Slap.

Before we go any further and while you pick yourself off the floor, let's pause for a quick disclaimer. Yes, yes, objectification. Yes, yes, sexism. Yes, yes, violence. I know, I know and I totally agree. All those things are bad. Very bad. In fact, they're wrong. I frown on them with the scowl of a 1000 women's studies majors. That said, ohmyfreakinggodhowawesomewasthat?! … continue reading

First she shook her fringed mini-dress on Celebrity Duets and made America realize Lucy Lawless wasn’t just the Warrior Princess anymore. Then she won the hearts of lesbians everywhere at her two sold-out concerts at LA’s Roxy Theater and a follow-up set of shows in New York City. This weekend, it was Chicago’s turn.

Although I couldn’t get there, there are those who could, and fortunately for Lucy and Renee fans everywhere, they agreed to spill. KT (the other KT, not the KT who does photography for AfterEllen.com sometimes; the Xenaverse can be very confusing, I know) had this to say about Lucy: … continue reading

Sometimes a movie project just gives you the giggles, even if you don't really know any specifics about it. Well, here's something like that.

Stunt woman Zoe Bell has been cast to star in an action movie written by Sarah Thorp (Twisted, the 2004 thriller starring Ashley Judd). Right-on to the sister-women! A woman writing an action flick with another woman as the protagonist has to give you the giggles, right?

But wait, there's more. If you don't recognize the name Zoe Bell, do not feel bad. I didn't recognize it either, but after a bit of research I discovered that Zoe Bell was Lucy Lawless' stunt double on Xena: Warrior Princess!

I'm not sure why the fact that Xena's stunt-doubling better half getting her own creative vehicle in which to kick ass and take names is such an enjoyable idea to me. I guess maybe it's the unconventional path she has taken to become a lead in a movie. … continue reading