NBC has unofficially announced the new Late Night host to succeed Conan O'Brien in 2009, and (surprise) it's not a woman. Jimmy Fallon has signed on to be O'Brien's replacement, while Conan will move up to 11:35 p.m. to replace Jay Leno, whose contract is expiring. Looks like this means NBC will be continuing the grand tradition of male hosts in their late-night lineup. Now if you would all grab your calculators, let's see what this brings our tally of females currently in late-night TV to: One.

That honor goes to Chelsea Handler, who has a 30-minute talk show on E!.

Handler is the only woman in television to host a night-time talk show at this time. A rare honor, Handler joins a very short list alongside Joan Rivers as being the only female comics to host a late-night show. If we take out our trusty calculators again and add these figures together, that brings our grand total to two female late-night talk show hosts. Ever. In the history of television. Two.

For whatever reason, networks seem to think that women are more funny to more people when the sun is out. Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres have both won multiple Emmy awards for their daytime talk shows and have an enormous audience base stretching across all demographics, yet their shows never air before dinner time. … continue reading

We recently told you about Ellen DeGeneres' schooling of Oklahoma state representative Sally Kern on her show. But that wasn't the half of it. Ellen's guests that day included Wanda Sykes and Danny Noriega (American Idol), so it felt like the gayest show ever. (No, Wanda is not necessarily gay. Or at least not out. No comment.)

Anyway, here's a clip of Wanda on that episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She talks about everything from Sally Kern to Obama vs. Hillary to how you know you're getting old:

And if that's not enough to make your day, here's a snippet of one of Wanda's stand-up acts (thanks for the tip, Beth!) — the audio is out of sync, but it's still funny: … continue reading

Cats are better than dogs.

OK, I'm not really talking about Catwoman. But I wanted to deflect the ire of dog-lovin' lesbians long enough to let me make a point. And I do have one.

Yes, another gratuitous picture. You're welcome.

Personally, I love dogs and cats equally. I have cats because, well, I'm lazy. But a recent University of Minnesota study suggests that people with cats are less likely to die of cardiovascular disease than people without cats. Dog owners had the same rate of stroke and heart attack as non-owners. Of course, I already knew that my cats help reduce stress, especially when I'm working at home. I mean, this is what I see when I'm blogging.

One theory about the results has to do with the nature of cats — they are lap animals that want to be petted. When the owner pets the cat, down goes the stress. I would have to balance that with another aspect of the feline nature: a fondness for attacking toes when the owner is asleep. And the fact that a kitty's favorite place to sleep is on whatever part of the bed is highest at a given moment and, if its position is threatened, it will hang on with extended claws. In other words, sex can be, well, a pain in the butt. Literally. (This is, unfortunately, not just theory.)

Still, we love our kitties. Witness the popularity of Lolcats. … 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

Think back: Were you feeling particularly down two Mondays ago? It’s proven scientific fact, or at least a well-publicized theory, that the third Monday of January is the most depressing day of the year, aptly dubbed Blue Monday by Cardiff University researcher Dr. Cliff Arnall. But here in the States, Jan. 21 fell on a holiday, and you can’t really be sad when you’re being paid to not work. So for me, yesterday was Blue Monday. It could have been the nonstop drizzle, or perhaps it was the holiday credit card bills that arrived and made me rethink the role of my internal organs. I mean, I have two kidneys when one could suffice. Perhaps it’s time that freeloader starts earning its years of room and board.

But instead of wallowing in my self-pity or Googling black-market kidney buyers, I decided to cheer myself up the old-fashioned way. No, not with a whole cheesecake and bottle of pinot. Instead I went with my favorite music, movies and TV shows. These old standbys are guaranteed to put a smile on, at the very least, my face.

Album: Ani DiFranco, Dilate

Now, I realize this selection seems counter-intuitive. Right now you’re all, “Uh, Ms. Snarker, that’s, like, an angry breakup album filled with personal demons and unrelenting angst.” True, true. But it’s also got some of the best F-you songs on the planet, not to mention some of the best music to sing to at full volume in the car, windows up or down because you are a righteous babe and don’t care who knows it. And if all else fails, just fast-forward to "Joyful Girl."

  … continue reading

Tonight on Deal or No Deal (NBC, 8/7c), Ellen DeGeneres proves that she, too, can hold a briefcase and wear a dress.

How adorably goofy is that? Here's a clip of Ellen getting her game show on:

In related news, this week Ellen took the top spot in a poll of America's favorite TV stars. Oprah Winfrey was No. 1 in the annual Harris Poll for the last five years, so all the headlines say things like "Ellen dethrones Oprah." Must we really have only one talk show queen?

Hmm. I wonder if Ellen will endorse a presidential candidate like Oprah did? I have someone in mind...

One of my childhood memories is a time at my cousin's 12th birthday party when I thoughtfully said, "Twelve is such a ripe old age." I don't know what led to that pronouncement, but I remember it often, even several multiples of 12 later. Age is like that. Each milestone seems far away, then one day you realize that a lot of them are behind you. It's not a bad thing — older really is better — it's just surprising. A few weeks ago, one of America's favorite children reached one of those milestones when Caroline Kennedy turned 50.

Kennedy certainly has accomplished a lot in her adulthood, but to many of us, she always will be JFK's little girl. And "Sweet Caroline." … continue reading