Archive

Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever. (October 24, 2008)

THIRTEEN GETS LUCKY, WITH MIXED RESULTS

Um, hi House. Yeah, thing is, I want my 20 seconds back. Yes, those 20 seconds. Yes, I timed them. Those 20 seconds of good stuff. Those 20 seconds you cut from the smoking hot promos compared to what actually aired on American television.

The 20 seconds that include the removal of tops, unbuttoning of pants, kissing of stomachs and breathless, carnal uttering of something like “come here.”

Don’t be coy with me. You know you cut them. They looked like this:

Last night’s episode of House, both ironically and un-ironically titled “Lucky Thirteen,” featured the first real physical evidence of Thirteen’s (Olivia Wilde) bisexuality as she slept with and then had to treat a female one-night stand. The woman was played by Angela Gots, who many will remember from The L Word as Cammie the “gay for pay” actress whom portrayed Shane/Shaun in the meta headache known as Lez Girls.

When I first saw the promos, I commented that it “may be the single hottest, longest, screen meltingest girl-on-girl action to ever be aired in the primetime broadcast TV ‘family hour’ of 8 p.m.” And it would have been, had the whole thing aired. What did air, while still hot, was definitely watered down.

Which leads to the somewhat rhetorical question: Why preview a longer, hotter clip than what eventually got broadcast? The answer, duh, ratings. Bummer.

The rest of the episode — while interspersed with some nice interaction between Olivia and Angela — was largely a bummer, too. Since her Huntington’s diagnosis, Thirteen has learned that she may have even less time than she thought. So instead of trying to stay healthy, she is partying and picking up women at bars. When Foreman confronts her on this her reasoning is simple.

Thirteen: I’m having fun, cramming as much life into my life as I can.

Foreman: You’re doing drugs, staying up all night and having sex with strangers.

Thirteen: Sounds fun to me.

Now, I have to take issue with the presentation of Thirteen’s bisexuality as part of her supposed downward spiral. All of her one-night stands are with women and she admits to not being into “repeat performances.” She looks pale and bleary-eyed throughout and administers IV fluids on herself after a particularly wild night. She even gets fired (temporarily) by House for her hard-partying ways.

Look, we have so few examples of gay women in sexual relationships on TV in the first place, must this one be shown as a symptom of her reckless behavior?

Later in the episode, Thirteen does seem to make a genuine connection with Spencer. (Say, is that TV writers’ new go-to name now for gay women?) But that connection is mostly born out of the fact that Thirteen thinks that Spencer also has a terminal diagnosis. Once it turns out Spencer isn’t dying, Thirteen again admits to feeling alone.

Adding to my disappointment in the episode were earlier spoilers that Thirteen and Foreman might become more than just colleagues. The potential “Forteen” coupling was hinted at broadly throughout the episode as Foreman showed concern in her behavior and she confided in him.

Intentional or not, this sets up the dynamic that Thirteen is “unhealthy” and “unstable” when she is with women and “healthy” and “balanced” when she is with men. And then there is the closing shot of a glassy-eyed Thirteen who is — surprise, surprise — with yet another female conquest.

Hey, House, a message that sex with women is bad for your health is totally not what the doctor ordered.

Still, the episode did give me the newest slogan for my burgeoning novelty T-shirt business: “Another life saved by girl-on-girl action.”

LESBIAN QUOTE OF THE WEEK NO. 1

“When I kiss a girl for a part, people think it’s sexy. But if two guys kiss, suddenly there’s a backlash. It’s a double standard. Honestly, I think we’re all bisexual in some way.”

Olivia Wilde (House), in a new interview with Women’s Health Magazine

by Dorothy Snarker

ELLEN GETS POLITICAL AND LIKES IT (AND SO DO WE)

Pop culture has already shown us The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and now we’re witnessing the politicization of Ellen DeGeneres. Since her “Yep” heard around the world 11 years ago, the popular talk show host has edged her way out of the closet of political activism. And this election cycle we’ve seen the most outspoken Ellen ever. It’s proof that politics, when done right, is always deeply personal.

Yesterday, Ellen kicked off her show by addressing Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin‘s support of the Federal Marriage Amendment that would create a constitutional ban on gay marriage in the United States. It was as direct a political statement as you can make. And, might I add, a quite effective one.

Ellen combined her signature good humor (“I dabbled in high school, who didn’t? Everyone dabbled.”) with a clear political message to both refute Palin’s stance and support gay rights. She said:

Maybe it’s because I’m gay that I think we should all be equal. But I feel that we’re all equal…. People are gonna be who they’re gonna be. And we need to learn to love them for who they are and let them love who they want to love.

Ellen’s progression from comedian to out comedian to out political comedian has been a long and organic one. Back in 1997, when she famously made the cover of Time with a “Yep, I’m gay,” she told Diane Sawyer that she wasn’t interested in becoming a political activist. Now, more than a decade later, she has filmed a spot for the “No on Prop. 8” campaign to fight the California ballot initiative to ban gay marriage.

Since the announcement of her engagement and subsequent marriage to Portia de Rossi this year, Ellen has become more vocal about both her relationship and her politics. In May she had Republican presidential nominee John McCain on the show and pressed him on his stance against gay marriage. The exchange made for some uncomfortable moments for McCain as Ellen, politely, asked him to explain why she wasn’t equal to her face.

While Ellen has spoken out before on other gay rights issues, she has often couched her remarks like in February when she addressed the slaying of gay 15-year-old student Lawrence King. Talking about the hate crime, she said:

I don’t want to be political, this is not political, I’m not a political person, but this is personal to me…. When the message out there is so horrible that to be gay, you can get killed for it, we need to change the message. Larry was not a second-class citizen. I am not a second-class citizen. It is OK if you’re gay… We must change our country and we can do it, we can do it with our behavior, we can do it with the messages we send our children, and we can do it with our vote.

For a non-political statement, that sounded pretty darn political. Since her marriage Ellen to Portia has been a vocal opponent of Prop. 8, first blogging about it, then filming a campaign commercial, next talking about it on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and, earlier this week, asking Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden how he would vote (if he could) on the issue. His answer? A resounding no.

What makes Ellen’s move from famously nonpolitical to outspoken advocate so extraordinary is that she has been able to do it without becoming polarizing. No one brings up Ellen’s name when mentioning activist celebrities, nor does she get the derision sometimes heaped on stars like Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and even fellow out comedian Rosie O’Donnell. And I think the reason for this is simple: Ellen has spent all these years on her show being disarmingly likable. And now, quite simply, people trust her.

So, what do you think of Ellen’s foray into the political arena? Do you think we’ll see more of it after Nov. 4? And if she can get the potential next president of the United States to dance on her show not once, not twice, but three times, is there no limit to her political power?

by Dorothy Snarker

RACHEL MADDOW KEEPS IT REAL

Rachel Maddow is just like us! Not just “us” as in lesbians and bisexuals, but “us” as in people. Rachel Maddow is a normal person. She updated her Twitter to say so on Friday afternoon.

OK, maybe having “smackdown” in the title of all the internet videos posted of you isn’t normal. As in, “Rachel Maddow smacks down Pat Buchanan.” “Rachel Maddow smacks down Bill O’Reilly.” “Rachel Maddow smacks down Tucker Carlson (again).”

In a world of political pundits who resemble wind-up toys built to shout, Maddow handles herself with unusual aplomb. Oh, she’s smarter than all of us to be sure, but she’s like us too: she’s got a puppy, she sleeps with comic books beside her bed, she shops on eBay.

The New York Times profiled the newest MSNBC host in yesterday’s magazine, and if you didn’t have a crush on her before, you’re definitely going to now.

Biggest misconception about pundits: That we all hang out together. I don’t know any of these people. Maybe all the pundits are hanging out and not inviting me.

Favorite Fox News put-down: I don’t talk much about Fox. That’s more Keith Olbermann, but the only time Fox tried to book me on a show – ever – was for me to comment on Madonna and Britney Spears having kissed at an awards ceremony. I declined.

Always on her: A handkerchief. One of my liabilities as a broadcaster is that I am little teary. Having a handkerchief is handy. My partner, Susan Mikula, buys me cute ones.

Concession to vanity: I’ve had to get contact lenses. I only put them in while I’m on TV. They are a miracle device that allows me to be on TV without glasses, which everyone tells me I can’t wear on TV.

Clothing item a talk-show host needs : For me, it is sneakers, which I can wear 80 percent of the time, secretly behind the desk. That reminds me who I am, even though I am dressed up like an assistant principal in order to meet the minimum dress code for being on television.

Fictional character she identifies with: Wally Cleaver. ‘Cause he is a dork.

I’m kind of noticing a pattern here. The most talked-about wedding of the year: gay. The woman the whole country turns to in a financial crisis: gay. The smartest woman on cable news: gay.

It’s almost like gay is the new normal.

UPDATE: The New York Times reported this week that Rachel has doubled MSNBC’s ratings for the 9pm timeslot in only a few weeks on the air.

— by StuntDouble

RUBY ROSE GETS HOUNDED BY THE PRESS

Australian MTV VJ Ruby Rose is a favorite target of her country’s newspapers and tabloids.

According to The Daily Telegraph, she’s been spotted publicly kissing a different girl each week — and then they interview said girl just to find out there’s nothing going on.

Rose is an out lesbian who has been linked most famously to Jess Origliasso of The Veronicas, but she told me in an e-mail recently that she’s not involved with her, but that she is “otherwise” involved. Which would make you wonder if the press has gotten it right either time in the last couple of weeks, she was linked to singer Vanessa Amorosi and Australia’s Next Top Model contestant, Samantha Downie. (Both say “No.”)

Whether Rose is having fun with the girls or with the press, she doesn’t seem to take it too seriously and just wants to enjoy her job and occasional DJ gigs. However, Defamer posed a good question recently that has made me think a little bit more about the publicity Rose has garnered in her homeland: “Is Ruby Rose Destined To Be Used By Experimental Girls With Boyfriends For All Eternity?”

I suppose it depends on how you view being “used” (and who is using who). Is it that serious, or is the press just really into naming the next hot celesbian couple so they aren’t doomed to use Us Weekly‘s Lindsay and Sam gossip second hand?

The whole “I Kissed a Girl” phenomenon might have fueled the public kiss with Downie, who told The Daily Telegraph she has a boyfriend and “It was just a drunken pash. I wouldn’t have done that sober.”

Got it, the drunk girl excuse. (Seriously, Katy Perry, way to set us back.) As for Amorosi, both she and her manager were elusive about the supposed make-out session at the ARIAS, her manager saying, “They were hanging around together having some fun. I’ve had a few emails from people asking me if anything did occur.”

Since Rose is out (and has been since she was in junior high), it’s really not that important who she’s seen kissing, especially if they immediately try to clear things up by throwing out the boyfriend card or kissing the first thing without a vagina that walks by (“See, I’m not a lesbian — I’m just really drunk and easy!”). But it sucks that she has become tabloid fodder because of straight Australian pseudo-celebrities that want to have their fun for the night and leave it behind the next day.

Just be careful, Ruby. They’ll break your heart every time — if anything actually happened.

Look for an interview with Ruby Rose on AfterEllen.com soon! You’ll find out what her favorite “lesbian” movie is, and here’s a hint: A swimming pool is involved.

THE VERONICAS’ JESS TALKS ABOUT HER SEXUALITY

While her rumored ex-girlfriend Ruby Rose was reportedly kissing singer Vanessa Amorosi after the ARIAS a few nights ago, Jess Origliasso of The Veronicas was also home in Australia, attending a Pink concert. Australia’s Herald Sun talked with the newly blonde twin about her speculative relationship with the out MTV VJ and her sexuality.

An excerpt:

Herald Sun: Were you aware of the conspiracy theory that linked photos of you kissing Ruby Rose surfacing at the same time as “Take Me On the Floor,” where you sing ”I wanna kiss a girl” was released?

Jess: That was the most ridiculously degrading thing to say. If a celebrity doesn’t come out and make a statement about their sexuality they’re a ”fake lesbian.” What happened to privacy? People say we set up shots — we have people stalking us with cameras all the time. Are you f—ing kidding me?

I’m not going to be tricked into feeling like I have to make a statement about something because everyone wants confirmation. I’ll just live my life how I want. If they want to call me a fake lesbian and degrade my sexuality and my choices, go ahead, I’ll just ignore it.

She seems to be taking the Jodie Foster approach — except she actually said the word “lesbian.” That’s at least a step forward! However, the interviewer decided to continue, awkwardly:

Herald Sun: When you Google your name ”lesbian kiss” and ”porn photos” come up soon after…

Jess: It’s annoying. The most frustrating thing about it is people go, “They’ve set it up, they have a new album out, it’s so contrived.” We’re not the ones writing this. To think people think we would bother putting our time into this. I’m actually touring America, I don’t have time to pose for a photo of something someone thinks I’ve done. We’re not a novelty band. We’ve worked hard to keep a reputation as a pop act we like to think is making a difference because it’s not a disposable thing.

Jess continues on to tell the interviewer that she wants to keep her personal and professional lives separate, as she felt she was “too open” in the beginning of her career. But from the sound of her anger at being referred to as a “fake lesbian” and the idea that her possible relationship with Ruby Rose was simply a publicity stunt seems to suggest she’s not not coming out — she doesn’t find it necessary.

I suppose if you are still unsure about her sexuality, you can re-watch the video for the aforementioned single, “Take Me on the Floor.”

— by Trish Bendix

GERMAN NEWS ANCHOR COMES OUT

AfterEllen.com reader Nicole went above and beyond the call of tipster duty by not only giving us the news that German news anchor Dunja Hayali has come out, but also translating the interview for us. Danke shön, Nicole!

Even in German, though, you get the idea: “Moderatorin Dunja Hayali outet sich als lesbisch.”

On Sunday, Hayali, who anchors “heute,” the news broadcast; “heute-journal,” an evening news magazine; and ZDF-Morgenmagazin, a morning show, spoke openly about her sexual orientation for the first time with German newspaper Express.

Hayali and her girlfriend, Mareike Arning, have been together for about a year, she told the Express. They met five years ago in Cologne, where Arning works for a sporting goods company and sings in Uschis Orchestra. Arning plans to move to Berlin shortly so the couple can spend more time together

Hayali, whose parents are from Iraq, became the first minority news broadcaster for a major German network in April 2007.

Hayali is the second high-profile German TV journalist to come out in less than a year. Anne Will, the popular anchor of evening news show Tagesthemen, came out last November, when she acknowledged her relationship with university professor Miriam Meckel.

If you happen to read German, you can catch up on Hayali’s career at Monsters & Critics. Otherwise, you can join me in hoping we see a lot more of this woman – preferably in a tank top.

— by the linster

ITALIAN TV GETS ITS FIRST LESBIAN KISS; SHOW IS PROMPTLY CANCELED

A few weeks ago, AE writer Dara Nai told us all about the new Italian hospital drama, Terapia d’urgenza, which features two lesbian characters, pediatrician Marina Ranieri del Colle (Alessia Barela), and her paramour, nurse Esther (Elisabetta Rocchetti). The show is an adaptation of the popular Spanish medical drama, Hospital Central.

According to Dara (via eurout.org), Barela prepared for her role by studying The L Word. It looks like all of that research paid off this week when Marina and and Esther self-administered a little sexual healing in an elevator — the first lesbian kiss on Italian televison (thanks to AE reader Sid for the tip!).

Watch it now here:

Blogger Anik LaChev translated this scene on her great site that includes all sorts of information about Marina and Esther:

[Elevator drawing to a stop in front of Esther. Nursing personnel spills out, leaving only Marina, leaning against the wall next to the console. Esther enters, standing close to her in the spacious elevator.]

Marina: [pushing loose from the wall]: Hey.

Esther: Hey, are you going down? [she is pushing the “open doors” instead of the “close doors” button] Oh good Lord, I’m sorry. [she is very nervous]

Marina: Everything all right with Aldo?

Esther: Yes. [they are now very close to each other.] In the sense of that with him, it’s over. I closed that chapter.

[Marina slowly keeps invading Esther’s space, in by inch, while Esther looks at her without drawing back. She begins to breathe heavily as Marina stares at her lips and then reaches out to touch them with her fingertips. Esther finally breaks the tension and cups Marina’s head between her hands, initiating a kiss that has them stumble through the opposite wall of the elevator, continuing between blissful and hungry until the door suddenly opens and Rocco catches sight of the scene.]

Esther: Hello…

Marina: Hello…

Rocco: I’m getting on, you two?

Marina: [getting out with Esther] We have arrived.

Yes indeedy, they sure have! And if this episode is any indication of what’s to come on Terapia d’urgenza, I’m going to start learning Italian immediatamente!

This kiss comes 17 years after the first lesbian kiss on U.S. television, but there’s no comparison between the two. Despite all the controversy at the time, that L.A Law kiss was dead on arrival. This one from Terapia d’urgenza, on the other hand, was hotter than anything we’ve seen on broadcast television lately in the United States.

What is it with hot lesbian medical personnel, anyway? Don’t TV lesbians go to law school or study linguistics anymore?

UPDATE: Terapia d’urgenza was pulled from the air after this episode, reportedly due to “low ratings.” Uh huh. Because lesbian kisses are such a drag on the ratings.

by Karman Kregloe

BORED, NEW YORK

Jennifer Jason Leigh (Margot at the Wedding) has a small role as a lesbian in Synecdoche, New York (2008), which opens in L.A. and New York this weekend and chronicles the life of a theater director (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) as he struggles with romantic entanglements, a mysterious illness, and his efforts to construct a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.

The movie features a bevy of excellent actresses, like Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams, Emily Watson, Samantha Morton, Dianne Wiest, and Leigh. They did a good job aging her:

But the movie looks like a complete mess. It’s exactly the kind of film I avoid, and I’ll explain why after you watch the trailer:

Just what the world needs: Another semi-depressing movie revolving around the life of a self-absorbed middle-aged white man, full of great actresses confined to supporting roles as girlfriends or wives.

Am I crazy, or have we seen this movie before? Many, many times? It’s like we’re stuck in Cinematic Groundhog’s Day.

Throw in a supporting lesbian character (Leigh) who is portrayed in a negative light, and I’m not exactly rushing to Fandango to buy tickets before they sell out.

In all fairness, I’m sure the acting in Synecdoche is great, and the movie is getting some positive reviews.

But how about making a movie about a theater director played by a woman — someone like Catherine Keener, or Alfre Woodard, or Sandra Oh, or Salma Hayek — and all the men (and women) in her life as she struggles to complete her work?

But I guess that’s what the Lifetime channel is for.

LESBIAN QUOTE OF THE WEEK NO. 2

“[Bank robber Cleopatra Sims in] Set It Off. Going to work every day with Jada Pinkett and Kim Elise and Vivica A. Fox, shooting guns and driving cars, was just a lot of fun. Plus, it was kind of controversial because I played a character who was gay. People were like, ‘You gonna kiss a girl? In a movie?’ People were against it, but I knew I could do something special with that role.”

Queen Latifah to Time.com, when asked which has been her favorite role so far

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

The relationship between Callie and Erica is still progressing on Grey’s Anatomy.

Get your first look at Grey‘s new bisexual intern Sadie (Melissa George).

Law and Order: SVU featured a lesbian couple in this week’s episode.

Lindsay Lohan has reportedly been cut from Ugly Betty.

Rosie O’Donnell is starring in an upcoming Lifetime movie about the foster-care system.

The L Word‘s makeup artist has launched a new line of chemical-free makeup called Sappho Cosmetics.

The 8 Against 8 lesbian bloggers reached their goal of raising $8,000 in only three days. Help them raise even more money to fight Prop 8 here!

SNL spoofed The Suze Orman Show this weekend (but Amy Poehler‘s Sarah Palin rap stole the show).

Melissa Etheridge talked about the election and gay marriage: “I don’t think that Hillary and Barack don’t want me to get married, I just think they think it’s the politically right thing to say.”

AfterEllen.com members can now comment on each other’s profiles. Go here for details.

Stacie Ponder guests on this week’s Halloween-themed Brunch With Bridget to reveal the actress who is starring in the next Ghostella’s Haunted Tomb episode, show some stills from the shoot, and engage in her usual tomfoolery with Bridget. The guest Stacie is announcing is one of the coolest women we’ve ever had on any show on AfterEllen.com, so I’ll give you a few fairly obvious hints: 1) we mentioned her on the blog this week; 2) she plays a TV character with the same first name as me (no, it’s not Sarah Palin); and 3) she has been known to yell “You’re a wanker #9!” in public places. Commence guessing in the comments, and tune in to Logo tonight/Saturday morning at 2am (or AfterEllen.com early Sunday morning) to see if you’re right! (And look for the Very Special Ghostella episode on AfterEllen.com in the next few weeks.)

by Sarah Warn

That’s it for this week! Got the inside scoop on a hot new lesbian/bi actor/musician/TV show/film? Tell us at [email protected]. Check back next Friday for another edition of Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever.

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button