Archive

Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever. (February 8, 2008)

NO NEED TO BURY THAT SENSUALITY, JULIANNE! More details have been released about the upcoming film The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, which

“centers on a dutiful 50-year-old wife whose husband falls for a younger woman, freeing her to explore her buried sensuality and leading to a very quiet nervous breakdown.” In particular, Julianne Moore‘s role has been clarified: She plays a lesbian novelist. The film, which starts shooting in April, is based on Rebecca Miller‘s novel of the same name, due out this August. Miller also wrote the screenplay and directs the movie version, which stars Robin Wright Penn as Pippa, the one who needs to explore her buried sensuality (possibly with Julianne?). Others in the cast include Winona Ryder (the younger woman), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Robin’s mother in flashbacks) and Keanu Reeves (Robin’s younger male lover).

Julianne Moore already has experience playing a novelist, since she recently co-wrote a children’s book, Freckleface Strawberry: She also has experience playing a lesbian – sort of, in 2002’s The Hours, for which she was nominated for an Oscar: Back in November, Dorothy Snarker, in a bit of “wishful thinking,” theorized that Moore might be taking on a lesbian role in this film. I think this means that Snarker’s more powerful than we ever imagined. Dear Ms. Snarker: Can you make Carmen come back to The L Word?

 

SWEET AND DOWN-LOW According to the New York Post‘s oh-so-originally titled Page Six item “Sapphic Steam,” Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz will be engaging in a “steamy lesbian sex scene” in the upcoming Woody Allen flick, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which is scheduled to be released in Spain this fall before coming to the United States. Though little is known about the plot of the movie itself, the Post‘s unnamed source had quite a bit to say about the supposed love scene:

“It is also extremely erotic. People will be blown away and even shocked. Penelope and Scarlett go at it in a red-tinted photography dark room, and it will leave the audience gasping.” That made me wonder just what Penelope and Scarlett might look like together … so I asked bad machine to help me imagine the possibilities: There are just all kinds of possibilities here! But the key question is: What does this unnamed source mean by “it will leave the audience gasping”? Gasping in frustrated desire? Gasping from choking on popcorn during the movie? I just hope their fingernails are the appropriate length for these things.

I’VE ALWAYS PREFERRED ROME Yes, it has come to this: TV Guide has confirmed that Paris Hilton might appear on an episode of Showtime’s The L Word. I guess all that partying with Kate Moennig was not for naught. Details about Hilton’s appearance won’t be ironed out until after the WGA strike ends, but it makes me wonder: Does this mean that The L Word is coming back for a sixth season? Showtime still has not announced its plans for the lesbian drama, which isn’t surprising given the fact that all the writers are still on strike, but given that its ratings have improved this year, it’s a possibility.

I think there’s definitely room for more stories in a sixth season, from giving Kit some much-deserved screen time to getting Helena back to her rich bitch ways. But Paris? Really? I have no comment.

GOING DOWN UNDER This week lesbians were all over reality TV in Australia, on the Aussie versions of So You Think You Can Dance and The Biggest Loser, both airing on Channel 10.

On SYTYCD, lesbian couple Demi Sorono and Nikki Ashby first auditioned in Melbourne with a hip-hop performance. AfterEllen.com contributing writer Rebecca Beirne told me that the show’s host mentioned that Demi and Nikki were girlfriends a couple of times, and the two were shown holding hands several times. But although Demi made it through, Nikki did not – but she also didn’t let that stop her. In the next round of auditions in Sydney, Nikki returned, and this time she performed an indigenous dance and made it through to the next round. That means there are now two out lesbians in the top 100 of Australia’s SYTYCD. Demi, who is a Filipino Australian, comes from quite a dancing family. Both her brother and deaf sister also auditioned, and her brother made it through as well.

Meanwhile on The Biggest Loser, 20-year-old Rachel has started her weight-loss regimen (thanks to AE blogger Jamie Lynn for the tip). In the show’s second episode, she talks about her hot girlfriend, Jess, and realizing that “I’m 80 kilos heavier than Jess; I might squish her!” Here’s Rachel’s weigh-in and introduction:

WILDE NIGHTS! The number of regular lesbian/bi characters on prime-time network scripted TV has inched up to three – at least this week. On Tuesday night’s House (Fox), the doctor known as “Thirteen” (presumably because she was the 13th doctor among 40 to be hired by Dr. House this season), played by Olivia Wilde (who previously played bi on The O.C.), was identified as bisexual. As Dorothy Snarker reported on her blog, Foreman told her:

“I’m sure that you have many reasons to keep yourself a mystery – besides the fact that you’re bisexual … [pause as she stares wide-eyed at him ] … Denial would’ve worked before the long vacant stare.”

After not denying that she’s bisexual, Thirteen then asks that her sexuality not become “lunchtime gossip,” which of course it immediately does. Here’s a video of the various suggestive clips:

ARREST ME, PLEASE Arrested Development fans take note: The critically acclaimed but ratings-poor sitcom about the wealthy, dysfunctional Bluth family, starring (in part) Portia de Rossi as

Lindsay Bluth Fünke, may now be coming to a big screen near you. Former cast member Jason Bateman (who played Michael Bluth, head of the Bluth family while his father is in jail) told E! Online’s Watch With Kristin that “a round of sniffing has started,” and all of the cast members are on board. Although there’s no script yet, creator Mitch Hurwitz reportedly knows what he’d like to write, and Universal is interested. Could this make up for the horrible end (as in: inexplicable disappearance from the show) that befell Portia on Nip/Tuck? At least it’s a step in the right direction.

AFTER-SCHOOL SPECIALS HAVE NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD We first told you about the film Tru Loved back in August, when filming had recently wrapped. We’ve just learned that the gay family-friendly film will now have its U.S. festival premiere at the 2008 Sedona International Film Festival on Feb. 28.

Written and directed by openly gay Stewart Wade (Coffee Date), the film is about 16-year-old Tru (Najarra Townsend, Me and You and Everyone We Know), who moves with her two lesbian moms, played by Alexandra Paul (Trapped) and Cynda Williams (Mo’ Better Blues), to a conservative community in Southern California. She soon befriends a football player, Lodell (Matthew Thompson), only to discover that he’s closeted. When Tru realizes how homophobic her high school is, she bands together with an openly gay student and starts a gay-straight alliance.

Yep, the film sounds like an after-school special, and it has garnered the support of an alphabet soup of gay activist groups, including PFLAG, COLAGE, the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center, the ACLU and the Gay-Straight Alliance Network. But it’s also put together an intriguing cast of women, including Jasmine Guy (loved her in A Different World!), Jane Lynch (she plays one-half of an unlikely couple with Alec Mapa) and Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek‘s original Uhura). In the film’s production notes, Alexandra Paul explains that she wanted to be in this film because her identical twin sister is gay. “I love bringing her out in me – it’s sort of an homage to her.” Wait, Alexandra Paul has an identical twin sister? Remember Alexandra from Baywatch? Let me refresh your memory: We’ll let you know when the film makes its way out to a theater near you.

CALL AMI, WE NEED A WOMEN’S ALLIANCE POWER UP, the organization behind last summer’s edgy festival hit Itty Bitty Titty Committee, is about to start working on their second feature film, and you have an opportunity to be a part of it by applying for a mentorship position. The film, which is scheduled to start shooting April 15, is titled The Land, and is a trilogy that will be directed by Colette Burson (Little Black Boot), Hilary Goldberg (Render: Spanning Time With Ani DiFranco) and another director TBA.

Now for the best part: According to POWER UP, “Simply put ‘The Land’ is a ‘Lord of the Flies’ meets ‘Gilligan’s Island’ with 8 gay women who are trapped at an abandoned resort. What happens next will challenge them to thrive off the land in order to survive.”

Oh. My. God. I can’t wait.

I’D LIKE LUCY LIU TO PLAY SATSU IN THE MOVIE VERSION, PLEASE Remember when Buffy was unconscious and was awakened by a kiss from someone who loved her, and we all were worried that it was Xander but maybe secretly hoped it was Willow, even though that would have been really complicated and probably lead to evil veiny tragedy?

OK, well, readers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 comic book series remember, and this week Issue No. 11, “A Beautiful Sunset,” clears up that mysterious kiss. If you want to find out who was in love with Buffy, read the two pages below: Meaningful conversations while slaying monsters! That is one of the 3,209,948 reasons that Buffy always kicked ass. Another reason? Asian lesbian vampire slayers! Joss rocks.

THE GANG’S ALL ALMOST HERE As we reported on our blog today, the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will be reuniting on March 20 at the

Paley Center for Media Festival in Los Angeles. Confirmed to attend so far are Joss Whedon, Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy), Amber Benson (Tara), Nicholas Brendan (Xander), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Seth Green (Oz), James Marsters (Spike) and Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn). No word yet on whether Alyson Hannigan (Willow) or Iyari Limon (Kennedy) will be there, but we’ll let you know when we find out.

AT LEAST THEY’RE NOT PIGEONS Vanity Fair‘s upcoming Hollywood issue (with a three-fold cover shot by Annie Leibovitz, of course) includes a special photo spread of celebrities recreating classic Hitchcock moments (watch a behind-the-scenes video of the photo shoot here). Among the actors involved are Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem and Jodie Foster, who takes on The Birds. Here’s a sneak peek of her photo: I have to admit that I’ve never seen The Birds. Maybe it just hits too close to home. After all, the movie is set in Northern California, where I live, and every day the streets here seem infested with packs of flying rats pigeons. How come Jodie had to take on these pestilential creatures of torment? I think she should have recreated Kim Novak’s role in Vertigo. Mmm, creepy.

THE MAKEOVER OF CASTRO STREET This past week, Gus Van Sant‘s film Milk, a biographical movie about California’s first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978, has been filming in San Francisco’s Castro District. Several blocks of Castro Street were transformed into the late ’70s for several days: Lesbian filmmaker Jenni Olson recently took a walk down Castro Street during the filming and wrote about it on her blog. The film stars Sean Penn in the title role and Josh Brolin as Dan White, the supervisor who assassinated him and Mayor George Moscone, and won’t be released in theaters until 2009.

Harvey Milk’s campaign manager, Anne Kronenberg, was a lesbian, but we are not sure how much of a role she may have in the film. Regardless, Milk chronicles a key period of LGBT history, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

LESBIAN QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I think it’s wrong for people to judge people because of their sexuality. It’s just sex. Sex don’t make a person. It’s their heart and everything around them that makes a person.” – Out actor Felicia “Snoop” Pearson of The Wire in the Feb. 26, 2008, issue of The Advocate

JAPAN LEARNS THE L-WORD Jennifer Beals was in Tokyo this week to promote the DVD release of the first season of The L Word in Japan. She even visited a Japanese lesbian club, Kinswomyn, to sign autographs and chat with fans. Check out lesbian website TokyoWrestling.com for more photos and all the scoop on her Tokyo trip!

THE BIG GAY L WORD PROMO In preparation for the premiere of The L Word on Logo (AfterEllen.com’s parent company) this summer, the cast of The Big Gay Sketch Show has created this unforgettable and hilariously truthful promo for the series: The only thing missing is Julie Goldman. Was she too busy with her Celesbian Interviews to be a part of the sketch? I think she would have made an awesome Shane.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! The Real World, magnet for bi-curious hot-tub hookups, is now casting for its 21st season; you can submit your 5-minute casting tape until Feb. 11, or attend one of the casting calls listed on this page.

Marlee Matlin (The L Word) is rumored to be one of the contestants on the sixth season of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, which premieres March 17. ABC will announce the cast later this month.

Openly bisexual actor Kristanna Loken announced on her MySpace blog that she is now engaged to actor Noah Danby, who played Connor on Painkiller Jane.

Stay Forever: The Life and Music of Dusty Springfield, a musical produced by Jorja Fox and the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center, opened Feb. 7 in Los Angeles.

Angelina Jolie has won the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s “Performance of the Year” award for her portrayal of Mariane Pearl in A Mighty Heart.

Tegan and Sara have been nominated for a Juno Award (Canada’s equivalent of the Grammys) in the category of Alternative Album of the Year for their 2007 album, The Con.

Last but not least, the first season of Exes & Ohs will be available on DVD May 20th.

That’s it for this week! 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