Beginning this week, we’re changing up the structure of BLWE. We’re doing so in response to readers’ requests for more original content in the column, and we’re able to do this thanks to an increase in the amount of lesbian/bi pop culture news we have to report (in part because there are more out high-profile women in entertainment industry these days).
So while the column will be shorter than it has been, it will be nearly all original content again, with a weekly poll, a tweets roundup, and a rundown of all the important lesbian/bi entertainment news of the week listed on the last page.
TWEETS OF THE WEEK
Casting gossip about The Real L Word, marriage equality, and Sarah Palin’s upcoming TV gig – all of these topics and more were tweeted about by queer women in entertainment this week.
If you come across tweets that you think we should feature in “Tweets of the Week” or if you find (verified) Twitter accounts for out lesbian/bi women in entertainment who you think we should follow, please send us that info at [email protected].
Here are some of the highlights from this week:
– by Karman Kregloe
THIS JUST IN: KATHARINE MCPHEE WANTS TO KEEP IDOLS IN THE CLOSET
Earlier this week, pop singer Katharine McPhee gave an interview to New England’s LGBT paper NightTimez about her new album, Unbroken, her “cliché crush” on Megan Fox and her thoughts on Ellen DeGeneres joining American Idol as a judge.
McPhee was a contestant on the singing reality show in 2006, finishing third runner-up and releasing her self-titled full-length album shortly after. She is one of the show’s success stories, along with only a handful of others like Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Chris Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson and Carrie Underwood. Her music career has been steady, and she’s also gotten into acting, landing roles in films like The House Bunny.
So, sure, Katharine McPhee might know a thing or two about American Idol. I can understand why she might be asked her opinion on the judging situation, to which she answered:
I love Ellen and think she’s going to be great on the show, but that’s a tricky thing I can only compare to someone who’s really spiritual or religious: You don’t need to wear your religion on your sleeve. The competition is not about your faith or your sexuality but about you as an artist.
Perhaps McPhee was acutely aware of the fact that she was speaking to a LGBT paper and thought she was being asked to weigh in on how Ellen’s being a lesbian was going to affect her judging skills – though I don’t think that was part of the question. (The original interview PDF is no longer available for download from the NightTimez site.) In any case, this was my first indication that Katharine McPhee might be someone who encourages gays to be “tolerated,” or seen but not heard.
She also told NightTimez:
Look, I think everyone knew Adam Lambert was gay. I don’t feel it was a big surprise, and I think Adam did the right thing by coming out with that Rolling Stone cover. He was just as flamboyant on the show as he is now, but anytime you say too much about your personal stuff, it can hinder you in the competition.
If people saw the pictures of me being crazy in college with my gay friends and my girlfriends, they’d probably think differently of me on the show. So it’s a fine line you have to follow on a reality show competition when all of America is voting.
If you’re thinking “Hey, I’m pretty sure Kat McPhee just said gays and lesbians should closet themselves if they want to get somewhere on American Idol,” you’re right.
Adam Lambert was himself while on the show, but he did not speak publicly about being gay until after the contest had ended, telling Rolling Stone he thought his sexuality “probably” had something to do with his second place status.
We’ll never really know why Adam Lambert placed second to Kris Allen, but Lambert’s sexuality doesn’t seem to have had anything but a positive impact on his popularity. And seriously – he came in a close second. That’s hardly being brushed aside by the general public.
While Adam Lambert was not officially out while on American Idol, there were photos of him and his boyfriend circulating in the press during the competition, and he didn’t discredit their validity. So did people think of him differently? Maybe – but I also have a much different view of McPhee now that she’s said she wouldn’t want photos of her with “gay friends” to come out while she was competing on the show.
The thing is, Katharine McPhee did talk about her personal life while competing on the show. She brought up her then-boyfriend (now husband) who is 17 years her senior. Some would consider that an unconventional relationship. Also, some would say (myself included) a large part of her own appeal to American viewers was her sexuality.
So if a lesbian contestant enters the competition, she should keep her relationship or sexual orientation a secret in order to gain more votes and approval from America? Talk about asking us to take one step back into the closet.
(And regarding her “religious” comment, there have been several contestants, such as Jordin Sparks, who have been vocal about their religious beliefs and were also able to maintain success in the competition.)
I don’t think that Katharine is homophobic or anti-gay in any way – I feel she is just unaware of how important gay and lesbian visibility is, especially on one of the most popular television shows in the country, and one that focuses on real people and the talent that an everyday Jane or Jon Doe can have.
The show is all about giving those people the chance to shine, and despite the fact that judgment can come from anyone with a telephone, at least the contestants have the opportunity to stand on a stage and do their best as themselves. If some examination of their personal lives weren’t already a part of the show, the audition weeks would be much more condensed and each show would be a half hour long. In short, there would be a lot more singing.
With two out lesbian contestants in Idol competitions this year (Kate Cook in Australia, Mariette Hansson in Sweden), I have hope that we will soon see an openly queer female contestant in the American Idol top 10. Not because I will give my vote to just anyone because they’re gay, but because reality television competitions can only benefit both viewers and competitors when they are real.
And Katharine McPhee, I hope, will find that being authentic as an artist is the best (and only) way to be successful.
– by Trish Bendix
WORKING THE POLL: MATCHMAKING FOR MEGAN FOX
This week, Katharine McPhee told us all that she has a girl crush on Megan Fox, though it is so “cliché.”
It’s true. The Transformers star has become the new Angelina Jolie when it comes to straight women picking someone of the same sex with whom they wouldn’t mind locking lips. Olivia Wilde (House) was the first in line, responding to Fox’s statement that Olivia was so sexy it made her want to “strangle a mountain ox.” Olivia wants to save the oxen, so of course she’d share a smooch with Megan.
Then several other celebrities revealed their inability to resist Fox’s charms, including Cheryl Cole, the UK-based singer/sexpot, who said Fox was beautiful and “so perfect looking,” reality star and celebrity salad-eater Kim Kardashian who called Fox “so hot,” and finally Rihanna, who admitted, “She’s yummy.” It’s safe to assume that Fox’s gayish role in Jennifer’s Body, in which she shared a quick make out with Amanda Seyfried, may have helped fuel their imaginations.
So when it comes to a perfectly” yummy” hot woman, Megan Fox is apparently where it’s at (though not one of the women said anything like “Her intelligence and wit is so appealing.”).
So for our poll this week, we’re asking you to tell us which one of Fox’s crushees would you want to see her kiss next?
None of those women measure up? We’ve suggested two of our own (both of whom might be able to help Fox with her occasional attitude problem), and left room for your write-in candidates. We’ll publish the results in BLWE next week.
Matchmaking For Megan Fox(opinion)LESBIAN VIDEO CLIP OF THE WEEK
In this completely NSFW video, check out Portia de Rossi and the rest of the cast of Better off Ted insulting one another very … creatively.
Attention all Cat On the Prowl fans: check out this teaser for Cat Davis‘s new AfterEllen.com vlog, Is This Awesome? co-starring fellow out comic Fortune Femister:
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
TV Alert: The Daily Show‘s Samantha Bee will play a talk-show host accused of sleeping with female co-workers on Law & Order tonight. (Maybe she took that whole “NILF hunter” Daily Show bit to heart!)
Kerry Washington is eyeing the role of Kristin Chenoweth‘s lover in the Dusty Springfield biopic.
The Runaways movie has been picked up and now has a release date of March 19.
Bitch Slap is out this week on VOD and in select theaters. Dread Central has an interview with the filmmakers and stars in which they explain how they created such authentic lesbian scenes. Bottom line? The desire for “lesbians to watch this movie and go, ‘Yeah, that’s pretty hot. I want to be in the middle of that,'” was a motivating factor.
Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried get down in Chloe, and in a new interview, Moore muses on mullets, moms and making out with women.
Ruby Rose and model Catherine McNeil are reportedly engaged, posting the news on Facebook. Ruby wrote on her profile, “Woof Woof Rose is engaged to Meow Meow McNeil.” The posts have been taken down now, so was it all a big Hee Haw Hee Haw joke?
The Real L Word has been cast and will premiere this summer on Showtime.
Tabatha Coffey (Tabatha’s Salon Takeover) says that she embraces being out and the label of “fashionable lesbian,” but not offers from potential sperm donors.
Nominees for the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards have been announced and include one for our brother site, AfterElton.com.
On Cougar Town this week, Ellie (Christa Miller) had a dream that she and Jules (Courteney Cox) killed her husband, buried him in the backyard and got married to each other.
In the new TNT series Men of a Certain Age, Emily Rios (Quinceañera) appears as Maria, a lesbian employee at Ray Romano‘s party supply store.
Head coach Pia Sundhage of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team came out on Swedish television this week.
AfterEllen.com reader Livia tells us that on Italian Big Brother, housemates Sarah and Veronica have been openly kissing, cuddling and discussing their experiences with women on the show.
In Lindsay Lohan‘s BBC documentary, Lindsay Lohan in India, the actress/singer/designer works with poverty-stricken kids and teens who are forced into prostitution. Watch a preview here.
AE reader Mel tells us that the new season of Brazil’s Big Brother features lesbian housemate Angélica, who will become involved with someone in the house.
The Arrested Development movie is finally going to start filming in 2010. Portia de Rossi‘s co-star Will Arnett told the press “We’re just finalizing the script and should begin shooting it this year.”
You can watch a preview of the new lesbian TV series Lip Service on the the BBC site if you are in the UK. If not, just check out the forum topic on the subject, as there are a few links to other places where you can watch the preview clip. (AfterEllen.com’s Great LezBritain columnists, Lee and Sarah, will have interviews with the cast for us in March.)
A new magazine for Indian queer women is now available for free if you contact the publishers via Facbeook. Jiah is “for women who dare to love and live loving their partners.”
In Skins news, stars Kathryn Prescot and Lily Loveless (aka Naomily) are on three different covers of this month’s Company magazine. (Thanks Angie!), and Diva released some of their behind-the-scenes candids from their cover shoot. In an interview with the cast and crew of Skins in the Telegraph, producer John Griffin says, “We don’t just make a character lesbian in order to keep the audience figures up. And we don’t rape people for ratings, which other dramas regularly do. What we try to do is tell really emotional, universal stories that talk about the pain of being a teenager; the amount they drink, the drugs they take, the sex they have is just sort of a given. We don’t ever want our audience to feel they’re being preached to.”
Lesbian hip-hop duo Team Gina have broken up. In an official press release, Gina Bling said, “I just really need to focus on my domestic duties-embroidering baby onesies and U-Hauling with my girlfriend. You know.” They will play their last show ever on Jan. 31 with L.A.-based band Punk Bunny.
Details magazine waxed eloquent on men dating “hasbians.” (Our translation: “Men Try Out Crying, Cooking in Search for a Perfect Hasbian Partner; Hope Their Penises Are Big Enough.”)
The Well of Loneliness is now available on audiobook, read by actress Cecilia Fage.
Kerry Williamson will be adapting out lesbian author Patricia Cornwell‘s Dr. Kay Scarpetta novel series for the big screen, and they’ll star Angelina Jolie.
In a new interview in Rolling Stone, new American Idol judge Ellen DeGeneres addresses criticism that the show has been homophobic in the past by saying she is “very sensitive” to homophobia and that she has never been offended by anything Simon or Ryan have done or said.
Sarah Warn and her partner Lori have launched a new weekly audio podcast, Small Screen Stakeout, reviewing the latest TV episodes and web videos ? including last night’s steamy Grey’s Anatomy shower scene. Listen to it at SarahWarn.com.
Don’t forget to vote in AfterEllen.com’s 1st Annual Lesbian/Bi People’s Choice Awards. Hurry, the polls close at midnight!
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.
