Archive

Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever. (October 31, 2008)

I CAN’T THINK STRAIGHT KEEPS ITS PROMISE Talk about your truth in advertising. The poster for the new lesbian film I Can’t Think Straight indeed has just that effect on a gal. Hello.

And finally, we endorse Barack Obama for president. The current administration has stripped away many of our rights and environmental safeguards over the past eight years and it is time for a change. Barack Obama is the only candidate in position to protect our human rights and our environment. Join us in voting for Barack Obama on November 4th.

The announcement shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us. After all, we saw evidence of their devotion to one another in their video for “Wishful Thinking”:

Impalement by umbrella, arrow, and a cavalcade of giant butcher’s knives? The creativity of a lover’s mind never ceases to amaze me.

Congratulations to the green lovebirds!

by Karman Kregloe

JENNIFER ESPOSITO ROMANCES A LESBIAN ON “SAMANTHA WHO?” AE reader Jessica tipped us off to a lesbian story line in this week’s episode of the ABC sitcom Samantha Who?.

The half-hour comedy stars Christina Applegate as the victim of a hit-and-run accident who wakes up from an eight-day coma with retrograde amnesia, and as she slowly regains her memories, discovers she was basically a big bitch to everyone, and tries to make amends. Her best friends are played by Andrea (Jennifer Esposito) and Dena, aka Sookie from Gilmore Girls (Melissa McCarthy).

In the episode that aired tonight (2.3 “The Pill”), a cute coffee-house guy mistakes Andrea and Dena for a couple. Dena teases Andrea about being uptight about it, Andrea insists she isn’t – that she can get any woman she wants, including “Hot Lesbian Carol From Payroll” (or “Carol” for short), etc.

Watch the scene here (American readers can watch the episode online now at ABC.com): If you’ve ever watched any sitcom on U.S. television, you know what’s coming: ultra-straight Andrea sets out to prove to Dena she can “get” Carol, even though she doesn’t actually want her, first by trying to seduce Carol in the elevator at work with cheesy lines and cleavage… …and then by adopting a hot, bookish Tina Fey look (have even straight people figured out how much lesbians love Tina?). Neither attempt works – Carol not only rejects Andrea’s advances, but threatens to report her to HR after Andrea tries to kiss her just to show off for Dena (Carol only agrees to let it go when Dena intervenes, because Carol likes Dena).

A dejected Andrea is left mystified at why Carol didn’t fall all over her the way men usually do, and Dena, who gets all the best lines, tries to reassure her:

ANDREA: Why is she not attracted to me? I think she’s stupid. I hate her! DENA: Maybe’s she not into looks. Maybe she dislikes you for who you are.
Also amusing? Dena’s back-handed compliment to Andrea that she is “very, very pretty on the outside,” after explaining that “life has a way of evening things out, and pretty on the outside doesn’t usually get to be pretty on the inside.”

The writers score no originality points for this episode, but they do get some funny points.

The actress who played Carol is Rachel Cannon, and she did a good job living up to the her Hot Lesbian From Payroll reputation. But I kept getting distracted by how much she looks like Jennie Garth! Check out these headshots of Rachel: See what I mean? (Although there is a debate on IMDb about whether she looks more like Jennie Garth, Mary Stuart Masterson, or Carrie Underwood. You decide.)

Lest you think this is the last we’ve seen of Hot Lesbian Carol from Payroll on Samantha Who?, according to IMDb she is supposed to make another appearance in episode 2.5, airing in two weeks. What a coincidence – that’s right in the middle of November sweeps! (Good thing I’m not cynical.)

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Sorry, South of Nowhere fans: The show is taking this week off. (The next new episode will air next Friday.)

The fifth season of The L Word is now available on DVD.

Without a Trace featured a lesbian couple in this week’s episode.

Joss Whedon gives an update on the changes to Dollhouse.

Italian medical drama Terapia d’Urgenza, which went off the air after the lesbian kiss episode, says that the show will be back in spring/summer 2009 “in a more appropriate spot.” (Thanks to AE reader Sid for the tip!)

Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis dissed Samantha Ronson on The Tyra Banks Show.

A CW publicist dismissed the rumors that Serena and Blair are going to have a fling on Gossip Girls. Darn it.

Queer contestant Elina Ivanova has made it to the final five on America’s Next Top Model.

Erica and Callie both had revelations about their sexuality on this week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

Rachel Maddow interviewed presidential candidate Barack Obama on her show last night.

You can now embed video on your AfterEllen.com profile!

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.

I’m sure we’ll feel the same way.

– by Trish Bendix

THE DITTY BOPS MAKE IT LEGAL Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald, also known as the eclectic musical duo The Ditty Bops, announced to their mailing list and on their MySpace page that they were married this week in California.

The couple have been together since 1999, and formed their band in 2004. Their music has appeared on Grey’s Anatomy and The L Word, and they recently released their third full-length CD, Summer Rains. Already known for their activism (they formed a nonprofit organization, You and I Save the World, to raise awareness for environmental issues), the couple got political in their wedding announcement:

Hi Everyone! We just got married! We are so happy that after 10 years together we could make our union legal in the State of California.

However, there is a ballot measure in California which would eliminate the rights for same-sex couples to marry and would write discrimination against gays and lesbians into our state constitution. Please join us in voting NO on Proposition 8.

Last year during our FARM TOUR across America, we learned about industrial factory farming’s abuse of farm animals. If you live in California, you have the opportunity to vote YES on Proposition 2, a ballot measure that will improve the lives of 20 million farm animals. It will put an end to some of the worst abuses of factory farming and allow chickens, pigs and calves the ability to stretch their limbs, lie down comfortably and turn around. Although there is much more work to be done on this front, Prop 2 is the best measure we have at this point.

And finally, we endorse Barack Obama for president. The current administration has stripped away many of our rights and environmental safeguards over the past eight years and it is time for a change. Barack Obama is the only candidate in position to protect our human rights and our environment. Join us in voting for Barack Obama on November 4th.

The announcement shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us. After all, we saw evidence of their devotion to one another in their video for “Wishful Thinking”:

Impalement by umbrella, arrow, and a cavalcade of giant butcher’s knives? The creativity of a lover’s mind never ceases to amaze me.

Congratulations to the green lovebirds!

by Karman Kregloe

JENNIFER ESPOSITO ROMANCES A LESBIAN ON “SAMANTHA WHO?” AE reader Jessica tipped us off to a lesbian story line in this week’s episode of the ABC sitcom Samantha Who?.

The half-hour comedy stars Christina Applegate as the victim of a hit-and-run accident who wakes up from an eight-day coma with retrograde amnesia, and as she slowly regains her memories, discovers she was basically a big bitch to everyone, and tries to make amends. Her best friends are played by Andrea (Jennifer Esposito) and Dena, aka Sookie from Gilmore Girls (Melissa McCarthy).

In the episode that aired tonight (2.3 “The Pill”), a cute coffee-house guy mistakes Andrea and Dena for a couple. Dena teases Andrea about being uptight about it, Andrea insists she isn’t – that she can get any woman she wants, including “Hot Lesbian Carol From Payroll” (or “Carol” for short), etc.

Watch the scene here (American readers can watch the episode online now at ABC.com): If you’ve ever watched any sitcom on U.S. television, you know what’s coming: ultra-straight Andrea sets out to prove to Dena she can “get” Carol, even though she doesn’t actually want her, first by trying to seduce Carol in the elevator at work with cheesy lines and cleavage… …and then by adopting a hot, bookish Tina Fey look (have even straight people figured out how much lesbians love Tina?). Neither attempt works – Carol not only rejects Andrea’s advances, but threatens to report her to HR after Andrea tries to kiss her just to show off for Dena (Carol only agrees to let it go when Dena intervenes, because Carol likes Dena).

A dejected Andrea is left mystified at why Carol didn’t fall all over her the way men usually do, and Dena, who gets all the best lines, tries to reassure her:

ANDREA: Why is she not attracted to me? I think she’s stupid. I hate her! DENA: Maybe’s she not into looks. Maybe she dislikes you for who you are.
Also amusing? Dena’s back-handed compliment to Andrea that she is “very, very pretty on the outside,” after explaining that “life has a way of evening things out, and pretty on the outside doesn’t usually get to be pretty on the inside.”

The writers score no originality points for this episode, but they do get some funny points.

The actress who played Carol is Rachel Cannon, and she did a good job living up to the her Hot Lesbian From Payroll reputation. But I kept getting distracted by how much she looks like Jennie Garth! Check out these headshots of Rachel: See what I mean? (Although there is a debate on IMDb about whether she looks more like Jennie Garth, Mary Stuart Masterson, or Carrie Underwood. You decide.)

Lest you think this is the last we’ve seen of Hot Lesbian Carol from Payroll on Samantha Who?, according to IMDb she is supposed to make another appearance in episode 2.5, airing in two weeks. What a coincidence – that’s right in the middle of November sweeps! (Good thing I’m not cynical.)

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Sorry, South of Nowhere fans: The show is taking this week off. (The next new episode will air next Friday.)

The fifth season of The L Word is now available on DVD.

Without a Trace featured a lesbian couple in this week’s episode.

Joss Whedon gives an update on the changes to Dollhouse.

Italian medical drama Terapia d’Urgenza, which went off the air after the lesbian kiss episode, says that the show will be back in spring/summer 2009 “in a more appropriate spot.” (Thanks to AE reader Sid for the tip!)

Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis dissed Samantha Ronson on The Tyra Banks Show.

A CW publicist dismissed the rumors that Serena and Blair are going to have a fling on Gossip Girls. Darn it.

Queer contestant Elina Ivanova has made it to the final five on America’s Next Top Model.

Erica and Callie both had revelations about their sexuality on this week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

Rachel Maddow interviewed presidential candidate Barack Obama on her show last night.

You can now embed video on your AfterEllen.com profile!

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.

If you just want to support the music career of aspiring lesbian performers, you can come to my house and I’ll let you pay to watch me play “Rock Band.”

– by StuntDouble

MISSY AND A HIPPY NAMED SLIPPERY She may have moved to Los Angeles, but she’s still an Aussie, through and through. Bisexual singer Missy Higgins is award-winning in her homeland, where she’s maintained a successful musical career since she was 18 years old.

Now she can add “film actress” to her résumé, as she’s been cast alongside Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush in the new film Bran Nue Dae. The movie is an adaptation of a hit musical of the same name, and will begin shooting this Friday. Higgins has never acted before, and told an Australian newspaper she is a bit “terrified.”

This opportunity felt like something I just couldn’t pass up on. I feel very honored to be working alongside such an incredible cast and crew and I know it’s going to be a lot of fun.
Considering the film is musical, it should feature Missy doing what she does best – singing in her adorable Australian accent.

Playing a “hilarious hippy,” she should also be quite comical, which is something that might be a little more difficult to pull off. Bran Nue Dae centers around a summer in 1965 and a guy named Willie who takes off from his hometown, Broome, to get out of a religious mission he’s been assigned to. But he misses his love, Rosie, so he tries to get back home with the help of a new friend, Uncle Tadpole, and two hippies, Annie (played by Missy) and Slippery.

“I fell in love with all the characters when I read the script, especially my character,” Higgins said.

I’m sure we’ll feel the same way.

– by Trish Bendix

THE DITTY BOPS MAKE IT LEGAL Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald, also known as the eclectic musical duo The Ditty Bops, announced to their mailing list and on their MySpace page that they were married this week in California.

The couple have been together since 1999, and formed their band in 2004. Their music has appeared on Grey’s Anatomy and The L Word, and they recently released their third full-length CD, Summer Rains. Already known for their activism (they formed a nonprofit organization, You and I Save the World, to raise awareness for environmental issues), the couple got political in their wedding announcement:

Hi Everyone! We just got married! We are so happy that after 10 years together we could make our union legal in the State of California.

However, there is a ballot measure in California which would eliminate the rights for same-sex couples to marry and would write discrimination against gays and lesbians into our state constitution. Please join us in voting NO on Proposition 8.

Last year during our FARM TOUR across America, we learned about industrial factory farming’s abuse of farm animals. If you live in California, you have the opportunity to vote YES on Proposition 2, a ballot measure that will improve the lives of 20 million farm animals. It will put an end to some of the worst abuses of factory farming and allow chickens, pigs and calves the ability to stretch their limbs, lie down comfortably and turn around. Although there is much more work to be done on this front, Prop 2 is the best measure we have at this point.

And finally, we endorse Barack Obama for president. The current administration has stripped away many of our rights and environmental safeguards over the past eight years and it is time for a change. Barack Obama is the only candidate in position to protect our human rights and our environment. Join us in voting for Barack Obama on November 4th.

The announcement shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us. After all, we saw evidence of their devotion to one another in their video for “Wishful Thinking”:

Impalement by umbrella, arrow, and a cavalcade of giant butcher’s knives? The creativity of a lover’s mind never ceases to amaze me.

Congratulations to the green lovebirds!

by Karman Kregloe

JENNIFER ESPOSITO ROMANCES A LESBIAN ON “SAMANTHA WHO?” AE reader Jessica tipped us off to a lesbian story line in this week’s episode of the ABC sitcom Samantha Who?.

The half-hour comedy stars Christina Applegate as the victim of a hit-and-run accident who wakes up from an eight-day coma with retrograde amnesia, and as she slowly regains her memories, discovers she was basically a big bitch to everyone, and tries to make amends. Her best friends are played by Andrea (Jennifer Esposito) and Dena, aka Sookie from Gilmore Girls (Melissa McCarthy).

In the episode that aired tonight (2.3 “The Pill”), a cute coffee-house guy mistakes Andrea and Dena for a couple. Dena teases Andrea about being uptight about it, Andrea insists she isn’t – that she can get any woman she wants, including “Hot Lesbian Carol From Payroll” (or “Carol” for short), etc.

Watch the scene here (American readers can watch the episode online now at ABC.com): If you’ve ever watched any sitcom on U.S. television, you know what’s coming: ultra-straight Andrea sets out to prove to Dena she can “get” Carol, even though she doesn’t actually want her, first by trying to seduce Carol in the elevator at work with cheesy lines and cleavage… …and then by adopting a hot, bookish Tina Fey look (have even straight people figured out how much lesbians love Tina?). Neither attempt works – Carol not only rejects Andrea’s advances, but threatens to report her to HR after Andrea tries to kiss her just to show off for Dena (Carol only agrees to let it go when Dena intervenes, because Carol likes Dena).

A dejected Andrea is left mystified at why Carol didn’t fall all over her the way men usually do, and Dena, who gets all the best lines, tries to reassure her:

ANDREA: Why is she not attracted to me? I think she’s stupid. I hate her! DENA: Maybe’s she not into looks. Maybe she dislikes you for who you are.
Also amusing? Dena’s back-handed compliment to Andrea that she is “very, very pretty on the outside,” after explaining that “life has a way of evening things out, and pretty on the outside doesn’t usually get to be pretty on the inside.”

The writers score no originality points for this episode, but they do get some funny points.

The actress who played Carol is Rachel Cannon, and she did a good job living up to the her Hot Lesbian From Payroll reputation. But I kept getting distracted by how much she looks like Jennie Garth! Check out these headshots of Rachel: See what I mean? (Although there is a debate on IMDb about whether she looks more like Jennie Garth, Mary Stuart Masterson, or Carrie Underwood. You decide.)

Lest you think this is the last we’ve seen of Hot Lesbian Carol from Payroll on Samantha Who?, according to IMDb she is supposed to make another appearance in episode 2.5, airing in two weeks. What a coincidence – that’s right in the middle of November sweeps! (Good thing I’m not cynical.)

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Sorry, South of Nowhere fans: The show is taking this week off. (The next new episode will air next Friday.)

The fifth season of The L Word is now available on DVD.

Without a Trace featured a lesbian couple in this week’s episode.

Joss Whedon gives an update on the changes to Dollhouse.

Italian medical drama Terapia d’Urgenza, which went off the air after the lesbian kiss episode, says that the show will be back in spring/summer 2009 “in a more appropriate spot.” (Thanks to AE reader Sid for the tip!)

Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis dissed Samantha Ronson on The Tyra Banks Show.

A CW publicist dismissed the rumors that Serena and Blair are going to have a fling on Gossip Girls. Darn it.

Queer contestant Elina Ivanova has made it to the final five on America’s Next Top Model.

Erica and Callie both had revelations about their sexuality on this week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

Rachel Maddow interviewed presidential candidate Barack Obama on her show last night.

You can now embed video on your AfterEllen.com profile!

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.

Fox will help catch us up on Jack Bauer with a two-hour special, 24:Redemption, airing Nov. 23 at 8 p.m. ET. The special, shot on location in Cape Town, South Africa, and Los Angeles, introduces the new cast and sets the stage for the new season’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

– by the linster

A TROUBLED LESBIAN AND HER COMPETITION SING THE BLUES Fuse TV’s new series Redemption Song pushes schadenfreude to the absolute limit. It’s a reality singing competition between 11 “beautiful, talented and troubled women.” Emphasis on troubled.

The show’s tagline is: “Society has judged them, now it’s our turn.”

If I hadn’t been watching to find the lesbian, I would have tuned out two minutes in. It’s the most exploitive thing I have ever seen.

This is the kind of sensitivity you can expect if you’re going to get invested in the show. Nyia, the lesbian contestant, spoke about her coming out like this: “My son’s father beat me like crazy when I told him.” That confession is just one of the many gems sprinkled throughout the show by contestants.

For example: “My life is just a big smorgasbord of craziness. I just want to do my own thing, and dance to my own drum – and pee in everyone’s food, duh.”

Or: “My voice is the only thing that can’t keep up with my lifestyle.”

The premise of the show is that all of the contestants have been to prison or rehab or whatever, and now they have one last chance to get a recording contract. The whole thing just reeks of desperation, with Ron Fair of Geffen Records showing up at every turn dressed like a gumshoe, threatening to destroy each woman’s dream. Rather than create an atmosphere that is conducive to actual redemption, the show’s producers have buckets of alcohol at every turn: in the house, in the limo, in the bus, in the restaurants, at dinner and, of course, at the audition.

When poor Nyia has a little meltdown about missing her kids (whose father, remember, punched her in the face when he found out she was gay), one of the women comforts her by saying, “So, shots?”

Once Nyia’s acerbic tongue starts rolling, she can’t stop. She calls one of the contestants “a retarded cheerleader” and says another one “is working with marbles and Gummi Bears” for brains. The best part of the show, though? The captions that Fuse adds to each talking head, just so you can keep the contestants straight in your mind. The second best part of the show is that it is hosted by a wanker named Chris Jericho, whose credentials are that he’s a professional wrestler.

So, if you glory in the sufferings of other people and want to watch a studio and record label liquor up women and exploit them, this show is for you. You can watch full episodes here.

If you just want to support the music career of aspiring lesbian performers, you can come to my house and I’ll let you pay to watch me play “Rock Band.”

– by StuntDouble

MISSY AND A HIPPY NAMED SLIPPERY She may have moved to Los Angeles, but she’s still an Aussie, through and through. Bisexual singer Missy Higgins is award-winning in her homeland, where she’s maintained a successful musical career since she was 18 years old.

Now she can add “film actress” to her résumé, as she’s been cast alongside Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush in the new film Bran Nue Dae. The movie is an adaptation of a hit musical of the same name, and will begin shooting this Friday. Higgins has never acted before, and told an Australian newspaper she is a bit “terrified.”

This opportunity felt like something I just couldn’t pass up on. I feel very honored to be working alongside such an incredible cast and crew and I know it’s going to be a lot of fun.
Considering the film is musical, it should feature Missy doing what she does best – singing in her adorable Australian accent.

Playing a “hilarious hippy,” she should also be quite comical, which is something that might be a little more difficult to pull off. Bran Nue Dae centers around a summer in 1965 and a guy named Willie who takes off from his hometown, Broome, to get out of a religious mission he’s been assigned to. But he misses his love, Rosie, so he tries to get back home with the help of a new friend, Uncle Tadpole, and two hippies, Annie (played by Missy) and Slippery.

“I fell in love with all the characters when I read the script, especially my character,” Higgins said.

I’m sure we’ll feel the same way.

– by Trish Bendix

THE DITTY BOPS MAKE IT LEGAL Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald, also known as the eclectic musical duo The Ditty Bops, announced to their mailing list and on their MySpace page that they were married this week in California.

The couple have been together since 1999, and formed their band in 2004. Their music has appeared on Grey’s Anatomy and The L Word, and they recently released their third full-length CD, Summer Rains. Already known for their activism (they formed a nonprofit organization, You and I Save the World, to raise awareness for environmental issues), the couple got political in their wedding announcement:

Hi Everyone! We just got married! We are so happy that after 10 years together we could make our union legal in the State of California.

However, there is a ballot measure in California which would eliminate the rights for same-sex couples to marry and would write discrimination against gays and lesbians into our state constitution. Please join us in voting NO on Proposition 8.

Last year during our FARM TOUR across America, we learned about industrial factory farming’s abuse of farm animals. If you live in California, you have the opportunity to vote YES on Proposition 2, a ballot measure that will improve the lives of 20 million farm animals. It will put an end to some of the worst abuses of factory farming and allow chickens, pigs and calves the ability to stretch their limbs, lie down comfortably and turn around. Although there is much more work to be done on this front, Prop 2 is the best measure we have at this point.

And finally, we endorse Barack Obama for president. The current administration has stripped away many of our rights and environmental safeguards over the past eight years and it is time for a change. Barack Obama is the only candidate in position to protect our human rights and our environment. Join us in voting for Barack Obama on November 4th.

The announcement shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us. After all, we saw evidence of their devotion to one another in their video for “Wishful Thinking”:

Impalement by umbrella, arrow, and a cavalcade of giant butcher’s knives? The creativity of a lover’s mind never ceases to amaze me.

Congratulations to the green lovebirds!

by Karman Kregloe

JENNIFER ESPOSITO ROMANCES A LESBIAN ON “SAMANTHA WHO?” AE reader Jessica tipped us off to a lesbian story line in this week’s episode of the ABC sitcom Samantha Who?.

The half-hour comedy stars Christina Applegate as the victim of a hit-and-run accident who wakes up from an eight-day coma with retrograde amnesia, and as she slowly regains her memories, discovers she was basically a big bitch to everyone, and tries to make amends. Her best friends are played by Andrea (Jennifer Esposito) and Dena, aka Sookie from Gilmore Girls (Melissa McCarthy).

In the episode that aired tonight (2.3 “The Pill”), a cute coffee-house guy mistakes Andrea and Dena for a couple. Dena teases Andrea about being uptight about it, Andrea insists she isn’t – that she can get any woman she wants, including “Hot Lesbian Carol From Payroll” (or “Carol” for short), etc.

Watch the scene here (American readers can watch the episode online now at ABC.com): If you’ve ever watched any sitcom on U.S. television, you know what’s coming: ultra-straight Andrea sets out to prove to Dena she can “get” Carol, even though she doesn’t actually want her, first by trying to seduce Carol in the elevator at work with cheesy lines and cleavage… …and then by adopting a hot, bookish Tina Fey look (have even straight people figured out how much lesbians love Tina?). Neither attempt works – Carol not only rejects Andrea’s advances, but threatens to report her to HR after Andrea tries to kiss her just to show off for Dena (Carol only agrees to let it go when Dena intervenes, because Carol likes Dena).

A dejected Andrea is left mystified at why Carol didn’t fall all over her the way men usually do, and Dena, who gets all the best lines, tries to reassure her:

ANDREA: Why is she not attracted to me? I think she’s stupid. I hate her! DENA: Maybe’s she not into looks. Maybe she dislikes you for who you are.
Also amusing? Dena’s back-handed compliment to Andrea that she is “very, very pretty on the outside,” after explaining that “life has a way of evening things out, and pretty on the outside doesn’t usually get to be pretty on the inside.”

The writers score no originality points for this episode, but they do get some funny points.

The actress who played Carol is Rachel Cannon, and she did a good job living up to the her Hot Lesbian From Payroll reputation. But I kept getting distracted by how much she looks like Jennie Garth! Check out these headshots of Rachel: See what I mean? (Although there is a debate on IMDb about whether she looks more like Jennie Garth, Mary Stuart Masterson, or Carrie Underwood. You decide.)

Lest you think this is the last we’ve seen of Hot Lesbian Carol from Payroll on Samantha Who?, according to IMDb she is supposed to make another appearance in episode 2.5, airing in two weeks. What a coincidence – that’s right in the middle of November sweeps! (Good thing I’m not cynical.)

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Sorry, South of Nowhere fans: The show is taking this week off. (The next new episode will air next Friday.)

The fifth season of The L Word is now available on DVD.

Without a Trace featured a lesbian couple in this week’s episode.

Joss Whedon gives an update on the changes to Dollhouse.

Italian medical drama Terapia d’Urgenza, which went off the air after the lesbian kiss episode, says that the show will be back in spring/summer 2009 “in a more appropriate spot.” (Thanks to AE reader Sid for the tip!)

Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis dissed Samantha Ronson on The Tyra Banks Show.

A CW publicist dismissed the rumors that Serena and Blair are going to have a fling on Gossip Girls. Darn it.

Queer contestant Elina Ivanova has made it to the final five on America’s Next Top Model.

Erica and Callie both had revelations about their sexuality on this week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

Rachel Maddow interviewed presidential candidate Barack Obama on her show last night.

You can now embed video on your AfterEllen.com profile!

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.

When asked if Sadie will be buddying up to either Callie or Erica, (whom columnist Michael Ausiello repeatedly refers to as bisexual) George replied – you guessed it – “They haven’t told me.”

– by Dara Nai

LESBIAN QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I was very into passionate ‘movie star’ kissing when I was just a kid. Plus, I’d read excerpts from several neighbor’s marriage manuals. I initiated most of the kissing on my block – even if I had to tackle them and make them lie on top of me. Tommy Ransom was an early favorite; at some point, I moved on to girls. I can’t recall her name but I remember her always.”

Lily Tomlin, responding to the question “Do you remember your first kiss?” on wowow.com

THE NEW 24 HAS A NEW PRESIDENT On Jan. 8, 2009, a female president will take her place in the White House. Hey, you live your reality; I’ll live mine. Out actress Cherry Jones, as President Allison Taylor, leads the country through its latest national crisis when 24 returns for “Day 7.” The new season, which was delayed for a year thanks to the writers’ strike, promises to bring plenty of challenges for the show’s first female chief executive.

Here’s a preview: If you’re like the rest of us who have watched the preview – and I’m sure you are – your first question is a crucial one: Who’s the hot woman in the suit? Annie Wersching, best known as Amelia in General Hospital, plays FBI agent Renee Walker. She’s described as a lead, so we hope to see a lot of her. Literally.

Fox will help catch us up on Jack Bauer with a two-hour special, 24:Redemption, airing Nov. 23 at 8 p.m. ET. The special, shot on location in Cape Town, South Africa, and Los Angeles, introduces the new cast and sets the stage for the new season’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

– by the linster

A TROUBLED LESBIAN AND HER COMPETITION SING THE BLUES Fuse TV’s new series Redemption Song pushes schadenfreude to the absolute limit. It’s a reality singing competition between 11 “beautiful, talented and troubled women.” Emphasis on troubled.

The show’s tagline is: “Society has judged them, now it’s our turn.”

If I hadn’t been watching to find the lesbian, I would have tuned out two minutes in. It’s the most exploitive thing I have ever seen.

This is the kind of sensitivity you can expect if you’re going to get invested in the show. Nyia, the lesbian contestant, spoke about her coming out like this: “My son’s father beat me like crazy when I told him.” That confession is just one of the many gems sprinkled throughout the show by contestants.

For example: “My life is just a big smorgasbord of craziness. I just want to do my own thing, and dance to my own drum – and pee in everyone’s food, duh.”

Or: “My voice is the only thing that can’t keep up with my lifestyle.”

The premise of the show is that all of the contestants have been to prison or rehab or whatever, and now they have one last chance to get a recording contract. The whole thing just reeks of desperation, with Ron Fair of Geffen Records showing up at every turn dressed like a gumshoe, threatening to destroy each woman’s dream. Rather than create an atmosphere that is conducive to actual redemption, the show’s producers have buckets of alcohol at every turn: in the house, in the limo, in the bus, in the restaurants, at dinner and, of course, at the audition.

When poor Nyia has a little meltdown about missing her kids (whose father, remember, punched her in the face when he found out she was gay), one of the women comforts her by saying, “So, shots?”

Once Nyia’s acerbic tongue starts rolling, she can’t stop. She calls one of the contestants “a retarded cheerleader” and says another one “is working with marbles and Gummi Bears” for brains. The best part of the show, though? The captions that Fuse adds to each talking head, just so you can keep the contestants straight in your mind. The second best part of the show is that it is hosted by a wanker named Chris Jericho, whose credentials are that he’s a professional wrestler.

So, if you glory in the sufferings of other people and want to watch a studio and record label liquor up women and exploit them, this show is for you. You can watch full episodes here.

If you just want to support the music career of aspiring lesbian performers, you can come to my house and I’ll let you pay to watch me play “Rock Band.”

– by StuntDouble

MISSY AND A HIPPY NAMED SLIPPERY She may have moved to Los Angeles, but she’s still an Aussie, through and through. Bisexual singer Missy Higgins is award-winning in her homeland, where she’s maintained a successful musical career since she was 18 years old.

Now she can add “film actress” to her résumé, as she’s been cast alongside Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush in the new film Bran Nue Dae. The movie is an adaptation of a hit musical of the same name, and will begin shooting this Friday. Higgins has never acted before, and told an Australian newspaper she is a bit “terrified.”

This opportunity felt like something I just couldn’t pass up on. I feel very honored to be working alongside such an incredible cast and crew and I know it’s going to be a lot of fun.
Considering the film is musical, it should feature Missy doing what she does best – singing in her adorable Australian accent.

Playing a “hilarious hippy,” she should also be quite comical, which is something that might be a little more difficult to pull off. Bran Nue Dae centers around a summer in 1965 and a guy named Willie who takes off from his hometown, Broome, to get out of a religious mission he’s been assigned to. But he misses his love, Rosie, so he tries to get back home with the help of a new friend, Uncle Tadpole, and two hippies, Annie (played by Missy) and Slippery.

“I fell in love with all the characters when I read the script, especially my character,” Higgins said.

I’m sure we’ll feel the same way.

– by Trish Bendix

THE DITTY BOPS MAKE IT LEGAL Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald, also known as the eclectic musical duo The Ditty Bops, announced to their mailing list and on their MySpace page that they were married this week in California.

The couple have been together since 1999, and formed their band in 2004. Their music has appeared on Grey’s Anatomy and The L Word, and they recently released their third full-length CD, Summer Rains. Already known for their activism (they formed a nonprofit organization, You and I Save the World, to raise awareness for environmental issues), the couple got political in their wedding announcement:

Hi Everyone! We just got married! We are so happy that after 10 years together we could make our union legal in the State of California.

However, there is a ballot measure in California which would eliminate the rights for same-sex couples to marry and would write discrimination against gays and lesbians into our state constitution. Please join us in voting NO on Proposition 8.

Last year during our FARM TOUR across America, we learned about industrial factory farming’s abuse of farm animals. If you live in California, you have the opportunity to vote YES on Proposition 2, a ballot measure that will improve the lives of 20 million farm animals. It will put an end to some of the worst abuses of factory farming and allow chickens, pigs and calves the ability to stretch their limbs, lie down comfortably and turn around. Although there is much more work to be done on this front, Prop 2 is the best measure we have at this point.

And finally, we endorse Barack Obama for president. The current administration has stripped away many of our rights and environmental safeguards over the past eight years and it is time for a change. Barack Obama is the only candidate in position to protect our human rights and our environment. Join us in voting for Barack Obama on November 4th.

The announcement shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us. After all, we saw evidence of their devotion to one another in their video for “Wishful Thinking”:

Impalement by umbrella, arrow, and a cavalcade of giant butcher’s knives? The creativity of a lover’s mind never ceases to amaze me.

Congratulations to the green lovebirds!

by Karman Kregloe

JENNIFER ESPOSITO ROMANCES A LESBIAN ON “SAMANTHA WHO?” AE reader Jessica tipped us off to a lesbian story line in this week’s episode of the ABC sitcom Samantha Who?.

The half-hour comedy stars Christina Applegate as the victim of a hit-and-run accident who wakes up from an eight-day coma with retrograde amnesia, and as she slowly regains her memories, discovers she was basically a big bitch to everyone, and tries to make amends. Her best friends are played by Andrea (Jennifer Esposito) and Dena, aka Sookie from Gilmore Girls (Melissa McCarthy).

In the episode that aired tonight (2.3 “The Pill”), a cute coffee-house guy mistakes Andrea and Dena for a couple. Dena teases Andrea about being uptight about it, Andrea insists she isn’t – that she can get any woman she wants, including “Hot Lesbian Carol From Payroll” (or “Carol” for short), etc.

Watch the scene here (American readers can watch the episode online now at ABC.com): If you’ve ever watched any sitcom on U.S. television, you know what’s coming: ultra-straight Andrea sets out to prove to Dena she can “get” Carol, even though she doesn’t actually want her, first by trying to seduce Carol in the elevator at work with cheesy lines and cleavage… …and then by adopting a hot, bookish Tina Fey look (have even straight people figured out how much lesbians love Tina?). Neither attempt works – Carol not only rejects Andrea’s advances, but threatens to report her to HR after Andrea tries to kiss her just to show off for Dena (Carol only agrees to let it go when Dena intervenes, because Carol likes Dena).

A dejected Andrea is left mystified at why Carol didn’t fall all over her the way men usually do, and Dena, who gets all the best lines, tries to reassure her:

ANDREA: Why is she not attracted to me? I think she’s stupid. I hate her! DENA: Maybe’s she not into looks. Maybe she dislikes you for who you are.
Also amusing? Dena’s back-handed compliment to Andrea that she is “very, very pretty on the outside,” after explaining that “life has a way of evening things out, and pretty on the outside doesn’t usually get to be pretty on the inside.”

The writers score no originality points for this episode, but they do get some funny points.

The actress who played Carol is Rachel Cannon, and she did a good job living up to the her Hot Lesbian From Payroll reputation. But I kept getting distracted by how much she looks like Jennie Garth! Check out these headshots of Rachel: See what I mean? (Although there is a debate on IMDb about whether she looks more like Jennie Garth, Mary Stuart Masterson, or Carrie Underwood. You decide.)

Lest you think this is the last we’ve seen of Hot Lesbian Carol from Payroll on Samantha Who?, according to IMDb she is supposed to make another appearance in episode 2.5, airing in two weeks. What a coincidence – that’s right in the middle of November sweeps! (Good thing I’m not cynical.)

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Sorry, South of Nowhere fans: The show is taking this week off. (The next new episode will air next Friday.)

The fifth season of The L Word is now available on DVD.

Without a Trace featured a lesbian couple in this week’s episode.

Joss Whedon gives an update on the changes to Dollhouse.

Italian medical drama Terapia d’Urgenza, which went off the air after the lesbian kiss episode, says that the show will be back in spring/summer 2009 “in a more appropriate spot.” (Thanks to AE reader Sid for the tip!)

Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis dissed Samantha Ronson on The Tyra Banks Show.

A CW publicist dismissed the rumors that Serena and Blair are going to have a fling on Gossip Girls. Darn it.

Queer contestant Elina Ivanova has made it to the final five on America’s Next Top Model.

Erica and Callie both had revelations about their sexuality on this week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

Rachel Maddow interviewed presidential candidate Barack Obama on her show last night.

You can now embed video on your AfterEllen.com profile!

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.

International filmmaker and novelist Shamim Sarif, who previously wrote and directed the lesbian drama The World Unseen, helms this story of two women from different backgrounds who fall in love and then must reconcile their relationship with traditional expectations. Lisa Ray (The World Unseen and Water) and Sheetal Sheth (also from The World Unseen and Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World) play the opposites who attract – and do so quite attractively, I might add. Lisa is Tala, a London-based Palestinian, who is getting ready for her elaborate wedding in Jordan when she meets Sheetal’s Leyla, a young British Indian woman. Tala is Christian, Leyla is Muslim. Tala is outgoing, Leyla is shy. You can see where this is going. And if not, let the new trailer explain.

I Can’t Think Straight opens in New York and Los Angeles Nov. 21. For more on the movie visit its official website. And, trust me, after seeing all of the promos and photos, no one will be thinking even remotely straight. UPDATE: The World Unseen makes its theatrical debut in New York, L.A. and Toronto next Friday, Nov. 7. Go see it!

HILARY SWANK DOES ELLEN ON HER SHOW Hilary Swank: three-time Golden Globe nominee, two-time Academy Award winner, one-time Ellen DeGeneres impersonator.

Yes, you read that last bit right.

Lesbian twinsies syndrome can strike in the most unexpected places. The acclaimed Boys Don’t Cry and Million Dollar Baby star dropped by Ellen‘s show Monday and darn it if I wasn’t seeing double. OK, I can’t be the only one who giggled like an idiot through that whole thing. From the tie to the sneakers it was just uncanny. And I really feel like Hilary dedicated herself to the role. I mean, the woman has two Oscars at home – she’s no amateur. And, who knows, maybe there was a little method acting going on. Has anyone talked to Portia recently? Perhaps there was some coaching beforehand. Though, in a dance-off, I’d still have to give it to Ellen. Hilary was a tad stiff – hilarious, but stiff. So, did Hilary out-Ellen Ellen? Or is there still only one great panted one who rules daytime TV? Discuss.

by Dorothy Snarker

UH HUH HER’S NEW VIDEO FOR “EXPLODE” KEEPS IT STRAIGHT Uh huh, it’s another video. Leisha Hailey and Camila Grey, the musical duo known as Uh Huh Her, released the video for “Explode” this week.

The single is the second off their first full-length release Common Reaction, which came out in August. Like in their debut video for “Not a Love Song,” the pair again turns to animation. Just don’t expect any unicorns this time.

Great-looking illustrations. Fantastic, fuzzy slow-burn on the song.

But I can’t be the only one who thought the video was a tad stalkerish, and – how can I put this delicately – straight?

I know I’m not alone on the first point since after she watched the video fellow AfterEllen.com blogger StuntDouble commented, “It could double as a video for The Police: every step you take, every move you make, I’ll be watching you.” As for the straight stuff, well, I realize it’s not a queer artist’s responsibility to depict gay relationships in all of her work. (Plus, Camila has declined to talk about her private life publicly.) But that doesn’t mean we can’t wish they would. What can I say? I’m greedy about the gay stuff – I always want more.

So, what do you think? Cool video? Hot song? And, is it weird to be attracted to a cartoon character? by Dorothy Snarker

GREY’S MELISSA GEORGE CLARIFIES…NOTHING As we’ve reported, Melissa George joins the cast of Grey’s Anatomy on Nov. 13 as Sadie, a bisexual intern and old, close friend of Meredith’s. Just how close they were back in the day is the question on everyone’s minds.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, George tries to shed some light on Sadie and her upcoming episodes.

Warning: Minor spoilers ahead. And by “spoilers,” I mean some character backstory, some plot points that raise more questions then they answer, and a lot of hypothesizing and “They haven’t told me,” quotes on George’s part.

George said of Sadie: “She’s a girl that walks on the wild side… I’m dying to know why she behaves so recklessly. Anyone who behaves like that has to have a lot of issues.” And she can process those issues with me anytime.

Sadie, Sadie, Bisexual Lady is also going to be very open, and maybe even a little “reckless” while she commutes between Boystown and the Motherland.

“She doesn’t think attraction should be by gender,” George said. “She seems to get a thrill out of shocking people.”

Because we all know that bisexual women are car-ray-zee! Oh, wait – that’s just Tila Tequila.

And what of Meredith, Sadie’s old BFF? Were there any Europass indiscretions while they “traveled around the world together,” in their younger day?

Whatever happens in Paris, stays in Cancun, apparently, because in the interview, George seems to have as many questions as we do:

There’s a lot of [Mer-Sadie] dialogue like “Don’t tell them what happened!” So, something did happen, but I’m not sure what. They obviously traveled together and were very close. Did they date? Did they not? Did something major happen to them that they swore they’d never discuss? It could be anything.
“It could be anything.” Well, that clears it up for me. Guess we can all go home now.

George does reveal that sometime after returning home, Meredith got her job at Seattle Grace, while Sadie, because she’s a wild child, found employment at a morgue. Where she had an on again-off again romance with a guy or girl nicknamed McEmbalmy. Other than that, George is just happy to be on the show, for what she confirms will be at least four episodes and counting.

When asked if Sadie will be buddying up to either Callie or Erica, (whom columnist Michael Ausiello repeatedly refers to as bisexual) George replied – you guessed it – “They haven’t told me.”

– by Dara Nai

LESBIAN QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I was very into passionate ‘movie star’ kissing when I was just a kid. Plus, I’d read excerpts from several neighbor’s marriage manuals. I initiated most of the kissing on my block – even if I had to tackle them and make them lie on top of me. Tommy Ransom was an early favorite; at some point, I moved on to girls. I can’t recall her name but I remember her always.”

Lily Tomlin, responding to the question “Do you remember your first kiss?” on wowow.com

THE NEW 24 HAS A NEW PRESIDENT On Jan. 8, 2009, a female president will take her place in the White House. Hey, you live your reality; I’ll live mine. Out actress Cherry Jones, as President Allison Taylor, leads the country through its latest national crisis when 24 returns for “Day 7.” The new season, which was delayed for a year thanks to the writers’ strike, promises to bring plenty of challenges for the show’s first female chief executive.

Here’s a preview: If you’re like the rest of us who have watched the preview – and I’m sure you are – your first question is a crucial one: Who’s the hot woman in the suit? Annie Wersching, best known as Amelia in General Hospital, plays FBI agent Renee Walker. She’s described as a lead, so we hope to see a lot of her. Literally.

Fox will help catch us up on Jack Bauer with a two-hour special, 24:Redemption, airing Nov. 23 at 8 p.m. ET. The special, shot on location in Cape Town, South Africa, and Los Angeles, introduces the new cast and sets the stage for the new season’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

– by the linster

A TROUBLED LESBIAN AND HER COMPETITION SING THE BLUES Fuse TV’s new series Redemption Song pushes schadenfreude to the absolute limit. It’s a reality singing competition between 11 “beautiful, talented and troubled women.” Emphasis on troubled.

The show’s tagline is: “Society has judged them, now it’s our turn.”

If I hadn’t been watching to find the lesbian, I would have tuned out two minutes in. It’s the most exploitive thing I have ever seen.

This is the kind of sensitivity you can expect if you’re going to get invested in the show. Nyia, the lesbian contestant, spoke about her coming out like this: “My son’s father beat me like crazy when I told him.” That confession is just one of the many gems sprinkled throughout the show by contestants.

For example: “My life is just a big smorgasbord of craziness. I just want to do my own thing, and dance to my own drum – and pee in everyone’s food, duh.”

Or: “My voice is the only thing that can’t keep up with my lifestyle.”

The premise of the show is that all of the contestants have been to prison or rehab or whatever, and now they have one last chance to get a recording contract. The whole thing just reeks of desperation, with Ron Fair of Geffen Records showing up at every turn dressed like a gumshoe, threatening to destroy each woman’s dream. Rather than create an atmosphere that is conducive to actual redemption, the show’s producers have buckets of alcohol at every turn: in the house, in the limo, in the bus, in the restaurants, at dinner and, of course, at the audition.

When poor Nyia has a little meltdown about missing her kids (whose father, remember, punched her in the face when he found out she was gay), one of the women comforts her by saying, “So, shots?”

Once Nyia’s acerbic tongue starts rolling, she can’t stop. She calls one of the contestants “a retarded cheerleader” and says another one “is working with marbles and Gummi Bears” for brains. The best part of the show, though? The captions that Fuse adds to each talking head, just so you can keep the contestants straight in your mind. The second best part of the show is that it is hosted by a wanker named Chris Jericho, whose credentials are that he’s a professional wrestler.

So, if you glory in the sufferings of other people and want to watch a studio and record label liquor up women and exploit them, this show is for you. You can watch full episodes here.

If you just want to support the music career of aspiring lesbian performers, you can come to my house and I’ll let you pay to watch me play “Rock Band.”

– by StuntDouble

MISSY AND A HIPPY NAMED SLIPPERY She may have moved to Los Angeles, but she’s still an Aussie, through and through. Bisexual singer Missy Higgins is award-winning in her homeland, where she’s maintained a successful musical career since she was 18 years old.

Now she can add “film actress” to her résumé, as she’s been cast alongside Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush in the new film Bran Nue Dae. The movie is an adaptation of a hit musical of the same name, and will begin shooting this Friday. Higgins has never acted before, and told an Australian newspaper she is a bit “terrified.”

This opportunity felt like something I just couldn’t pass up on. I feel very honored to be working alongside such an incredible cast and crew and I know it’s going to be a lot of fun.
Considering the film is musical, it should feature Missy doing what she does best – singing in her adorable Australian accent.

Playing a “hilarious hippy,” she should also be quite comical, which is something that might be a little more difficult to pull off. Bran Nue Dae centers around a summer in 1965 and a guy named Willie who takes off from his hometown, Broome, to get out of a religious mission he’s been assigned to. But he misses his love, Rosie, so he tries to get back home with the help of a new friend, Uncle Tadpole, and two hippies, Annie (played by Missy) and Slippery.

“I fell in love with all the characters when I read the script, especially my character,” Higgins said.

I’m sure we’ll feel the same way.

– by Trish Bendix

THE DITTY BOPS MAKE IT LEGAL Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald, also known as the eclectic musical duo The Ditty Bops, announced to their mailing list and on their MySpace page that they were married this week in California.

The couple have been together since 1999, and formed their band in 2004. Their music has appeared on Grey’s Anatomy and The L Word, and they recently released their third full-length CD, Summer Rains. Already known for their activism (they formed a nonprofit organization, You and I Save the World, to raise awareness for environmental issues), the couple got political in their wedding announcement:

Hi Everyone! We just got married! We are so happy that after 10 years together we could make our union legal in the State of California.

However, there is a ballot measure in California which would eliminate the rights for same-sex couples to marry and would write discrimination against gays and lesbians into our state constitution. Please join us in voting NO on Proposition 8.

Last year during our FARM TOUR across America, we learned about industrial factory farming’s abuse of farm animals. If you live in California, you have the opportunity to vote YES on Proposition 2, a ballot measure that will improve the lives of 20 million farm animals. It will put an end to some of the worst abuses of factory farming and allow chickens, pigs and calves the ability to stretch their limbs, lie down comfortably and turn around. Although there is much more work to be done on this front, Prop 2 is the best measure we have at this point.

And finally, we endorse Barack Obama for president. The current administration has stripped away many of our rights and environmental safeguards over the past eight years and it is time for a change. Barack Obama is the only candidate in position to protect our human rights and our environment. Join us in voting for Barack Obama on November 4th.

The announcement shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us. After all, we saw evidence of their devotion to one another in their video for “Wishful Thinking”:

Impalement by umbrella, arrow, and a cavalcade of giant butcher’s knives? The creativity of a lover’s mind never ceases to amaze me.

Congratulations to the green lovebirds!

by Karman Kregloe

JENNIFER ESPOSITO ROMANCES A LESBIAN ON “SAMANTHA WHO?” AE reader Jessica tipped us off to a lesbian story line in this week’s episode of the ABC sitcom Samantha Who?.

The half-hour comedy stars Christina Applegate as the victim of a hit-and-run accident who wakes up from an eight-day coma with retrograde amnesia, and as she slowly regains her memories, discovers she was basically a big bitch to everyone, and tries to make amends. Her best friends are played by Andrea (Jennifer Esposito) and Dena, aka Sookie from Gilmore Girls (Melissa McCarthy).

In the episode that aired tonight (2.3 “The Pill”), a cute coffee-house guy mistakes Andrea and Dena for a couple. Dena teases Andrea about being uptight about it, Andrea insists she isn’t – that she can get any woman she wants, including “Hot Lesbian Carol From Payroll” (or “Carol” for short), etc.

Watch the scene here (American readers can watch the episode online now at ABC.com): If you’ve ever watched any sitcom on U.S. television, you know what’s coming: ultra-straight Andrea sets out to prove to Dena she can “get” Carol, even though she doesn’t actually want her, first by trying to seduce Carol in the elevator at work with cheesy lines and cleavage… …and then by adopting a hot, bookish Tina Fey look (have even straight people figured out how much lesbians love Tina?). Neither attempt works – Carol not only rejects Andrea’s advances, but threatens to report her to HR after Andrea tries to kiss her just to show off for Dena (Carol only agrees to let it go when Dena intervenes, because Carol likes Dena).

A dejected Andrea is left mystified at why Carol didn’t fall all over her the way men usually do, and Dena, who gets all the best lines, tries to reassure her:

ANDREA: Why is she not attracted to me? I think she’s stupid. I hate her! DENA: Maybe’s she not into looks. Maybe she dislikes you for who you are.
Also amusing? Dena’s back-handed compliment to Andrea that she is “very, very pretty on the outside,” after explaining that “life has a way of evening things out, and pretty on the outside doesn’t usually get to be pretty on the inside.”

The writers score no originality points for this episode, but they do get some funny points.

The actress who played Carol is Rachel Cannon, and she did a good job living up to the her Hot Lesbian From Payroll reputation. But I kept getting distracted by how much she looks like Jennie Garth! Check out these headshots of Rachel: See what I mean? (Although there is a debate on IMDb about whether she looks more like Jennie Garth, Mary Stuart Masterson, or Carrie Underwood. You decide.)

Lest you think this is the last we’ve seen of Hot Lesbian Carol from Payroll on Samantha Who?, according to IMDb she is supposed to make another appearance in episode 2.5, airing in two weeks. What a coincidence – that’s right in the middle of November sweeps! (Good thing I’m not cynical.)

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Sorry, South of Nowhere fans: The show is taking this week off. (The next new episode will air next Friday.)

The fifth season of The L Word is now available on DVD.

Without a Trace featured a lesbian couple in this week’s episode.

Joss Whedon gives an update on the changes to Dollhouse.

Italian medical drama Terapia d’Urgenza, which went off the air after the lesbian kiss episode, says that the show will be back in spring/summer 2009 “in a more appropriate spot.” (Thanks to AE reader Sid for the tip!)

Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis dissed Samantha Ronson on The Tyra Banks Show.

A CW publicist dismissed the rumors that Serena and Blair are going to have a fling on Gossip Girls. Darn it.

Queer contestant Elina Ivanova has made it to the final five on America’s Next Top Model.

Erica and Callie both had revelations about their sexuality on this week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

Rachel Maddow interviewed presidential candidate Barack Obama on her show last night.

You can now embed video on your AfterEllen.com profile!

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.

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