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Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever. (July 18, 2008)

“TASTEFUL” IS SO OVERRATED! This week at the Fox network’s party during the Television Critics Association’s annual press tour, my career as a lesbian entertainment reporter crashed straight into my life as a fangirl when I managed to corner Buffy creator Joss Whedon between the steak sandwich station and the bar.

After I babbled incoherently about how he’s the only straight man AfterEllen.com would ever interview and he nodded politely (possibly making a mental note to ban me from next week’s set tour of Dollhouse), I pulled myself together and asked him about the Buffy/Satsu story line in the Buffy Season 8 comic.

AfterEllen.com: I have to ask you about the Buffy/Satsu thing. Why did you decide to have Buffy have a relationship with this woman? She’s never done that before. Joss Whedon: You know, I created the character and she was just there; it seemed natural. [I thought] it would be fun to have the kiss of true love, make people think it was Xander … or Willow, and then say, oh no, it’s neither of them.

So we had this character who was in love with Buffy – Buffy, who’s chronically lonely – and young and open-minded, and we thought, well, we could have some fun with the tension of the thing. … And … for Buffy, wondering, well what does this say about me, I’ve never really [been with a woman].

And it was Drew Goddard who said, you know, all of that’s more interesting and funnier after the fact than just doing a big like roll-up to the proving I’m not actually gay by sleeping with a girl, which we’ve seen a lot of. So you know it just came together naturally, and then obviously we plumbed it for the romance, the sexiness, a little pain, and as much French farce as we possibly could.

AE: I loved the reactions of all the other characters, too, when they walked in on them. It was really classic. JW: Everything that’s come from it has just been more fun for us. … It’s not controversial, really, to anybody who reads it.

I always appreciate rock stars hanging around thinking, “Hey, let’s give props to AfterEllen.com. Quick, grab a camera!”

by Trish Bendix

YOU GO, GIRLS New York-based GO magazine recently named AfterEllen.com vloggers Jill Bennett, Michelle Paradise and Andrea Meyerson three of “100 Women We Love 2008” in their June/July Pride issue.

Yeah, well, we’re right there with you, GO! In this annual list, GO presents “women who are changing the world with their art, activism, athletic ability, scholarship, entrepreneurship and political prowess.”

In addition to iconic lesbian celebrities such as Lily Tomlin, k.d. lang and Ellen DeGeneres, GO gives props to the many women who are stars in their respective fields: lesbian attorneys, advocates, marketing directors and the hottest founder of a nonprofit raising awareness of violence in the LGBT community you’ll ever see.

Michelle Paradise made the GO list because of her work as the creator, executive producer, writer and star of Logo’s series Exes & Ohs. And when she’s not wearing one of those jaunty hats, Michelle is currently working on a new TV pilot and a feature film script, or chronicling her adventures in TV production land for her eponymous vlog on AfterEllen.com.

Michelle has an unusually large business card. And it’s double-sided.

I asked Michelle how it felt to make this year’s list:

It really is a privilege to be included in the company of women who are doing such amazing and inspiring work in the world. I also love that [they] didn’t just list people who are already in some sort of spotlight – many of the women they selected are just quietly going about doing the things that make their communities (and the world) a better place to live – and cheers to the magazine for giving them the recognition they so deserve.
All Access Pass vlogger Andrea Meyerson made the cut this year for creating the lesbian activity and social networking organization Women on a Roll; her event production company, StandOut Productions; and All Out Films, the documentary production company for the Laughing Matters film series.

Andrea is the up-start of start-ups. Andrea makes me tired just watching her.

When I asked her how it felt to be recognized for her achievements, she could not deny she feels the love, saying, “I’ve always enjoyed reading the ‘100 Women We Love’ issue and was thrilled when GO magazine contacted me to let me know that I was included this year. It’s great to be loved!”

GO calls Jill Bennett “queer-themed programming’s ‘it’ girl” because of her lesbian roles in Dante’s Cove, various films and We’re Getting Nowhere. (Note: GO erroneously lists Exes & Ohs in her credits, but they meant a film called X’s and O’s.)

Speaking to GO about the profitability of web-based lesbian programming, Jill challenged advertisers to have some “balls,” making her a shoe-in for the 2008 list of “Lesbians Not Afraid to Say the Word ‘Balls’ to an Interviewer.”

Jill said she’s “honored to be [on] a list with so many women who have made positive contributions to our community,” but adds, “after this list, the NewNowNext Awards and the AfterEllen.com Hot 100, I just hope next year I’m not on the list of ‘100 Women Who Made Lists Last Year Who We Wish Would Just Take a Break Already.'”

GO also named OurChart.com’s managing editor, Grace Moon, on their list. Congratulations, Grace!

For next year’s list, I’d like to nominate Sarah Warn and Malinda Lo. Malinda, AfterEllen.com’s Managing Editor, is an amazing writer, a smart editor and savvy businesswoman. Sarah, as the creator and Editor-in-Chief of AfterEllen.com, took a hobby she started in her bedroom and parlayed it into the largest website of its kind on the planet. Not bad for someone with questionable hiring practices. [Editor-in-Chief’s note: I’d like to nominate Dara Nai, who has parlayed being a smart-ass into a successful career … as a smart-ass. Now that’s a feat!] by Dara Nai

PROOF THAT BEING GAY CAN BE GOOD FOR YOUR CAREER Hold on to your hats, ladies and, well, ladies – the mainstream press has just discovered Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson might, possibly, maybe, be … wait for it … more than friends.

Witness the latest cover of Life & Style magazine: We’re shocked. Shocked! I mean, sure, we first wrote about this a year ago, and there have been photos and stories and quotes about their relationship for months and months, but this is all Brand! New! Information!

And the photo Samantha posted on her MySpace page of her and Lindsay kissing astonishes us!

Gawker suggests, in their humorously titled article “The Hot Lesbian Celebrity Affair it Took Us a Year to Notice,” that this delayed response by the mainstream media is due to fauxmance burn-out; the fact that the couple in question didn’t actually try to hide their relationship (which is suspicious in and of itself in Hollywood); and because their relationship was reported on gossip blogs first (it’s not like you can trust what you read online!).

(Their fourth reason – that Samantha’s “not that cute” – just isn’t true. Sure, maybe she doesn’t adhere to conventional standards of femininity, but I know a lot of lesbians who find Sam attractive. A lot.)

A columnist from Radar magazine interviewed me recently about this very topic (the lack of press attention around the LoRon affair) for a future issue of the magazine, and during our conversation, the reporter mentioned the perception that some folks in the media have that Ronson is a positive influence in Lohan’s life – i.e., that Sam is the reason Lindsay has gotten her act together (stopped the partying, started showing up for work on time, etc.).

Ugly Betty‘s executive producer Silvio Horta‘s comments about Lindsay at the TCA press tour this week seems to indicate she’s on the right track. “She was great. She was lovely,” Horta told the press about Lindsay’s first day guest-starring on the show, where she plays a popular high school classmate of Betty’s whose life has taken a turn for the worse. “[Lindsay] was 45 minutes early! I was like, wow, I was impressed. She was very nice.”

Hmm, maybe there’s something to this theory. Quick, someone assign a lesbian to Amy Winehouse!

THIS JUST OUT IN VEGAS Liz Feldman’s vlog This Just Out will be returning on July 28 with new episodes. Watch Liz’s new promo for it: – by Sarah Warn

ALL THE GOOD NEWS – AND POETRY – THAT’S FIT TO PRINT Something’s in the water at the New York Times. Something gay.

Last week, they quoted one of our blog posts.

Yesterday, they published an article entitled “Now in Living Rooms, the Host Apparent” about radio and TV personality Rachel Maddow, speculating that she may soon be tapped to headline her own political show. MSNBC President Phil Griffin told the Times: “At some point, I don’t know when, she should have a show. She’s on the short list. It’s a very short list. She’s at the top.”

Entertained by a lesbian during the day and informed by one at night – are Americans ready for that much lesbian sugar in their bowl?

Maddow doesn’t think it’s a problem. “I think Ellen DeGeneres has shown people are ready for her,” Maddow told the Times, adding, “But I will not dance the way Ellen does.”

Then in their Books section the same day, the Times published a profile of openly gay poet Kay Ryan, who was just named America’s poet laureate this week.

Here’s an excerpt from Ryan’s poem “Shark’s Teeth”:

Everything contains some silence an hour of city holds maybe a minute of these remnants of a time when silence reigned, compact and dangerous as a shark.
I think I just found another favorite poet.

As you might remember from BLWE last month, openly gay poet Carol Ann Duffy is one of the top two candidates for the U.K.’s next poet laureate, who will be chosen next year. This makes me wonder: Do queer women make better poets?

Minnie Bruce Pratt, May Sarton, Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, Emily Dickinson, Gwendolyn Brooks, Staceyann Chin, Jeanette Winterson – the list of renowned female poets who happen to be gay (or bi) is lengthy and impressive. Oranges really aren’t the only fruit! (Oh wait, that’s a novel, not poetry. OK, but if Written on the Body isn’t poetry, I don’t know what is!)

My favorite queer poet? Edna St. Vincent Millay, the patron saint of workaholics. I burn my computer monitor at both ends, it will not last the night; but ah, my foes, and oh, my friends, it gives a lovely light!

VIRTUAL PROCESSING We’ve launched two new 3-D chat rooms – a virtual AfterEllen.com, if you will – at afterellen.com/chat. Besides other AfterEllen.com members to talk to, there are swimming pools and movie stars … OK, no movie stars. But Bridget McManus, Karman Kregloe, Lori and I are all going to log in at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET tonight (Friday) to chat with readers for a half hour or so, and laugh at Lori floating around as a bear in a space suit. Join us if you can! (There is a limit to the number of people who can be in the room at any one time, so if you can’t get into one, try the other, and the four of us will go back and forth between rooms if possible.)

by Sarah Warn

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! GLAAD has released its second annual GLAAD Network Responsibility Index, a report that maps the quantity, quality and diversity of images of LGBT people on television. ABC ranked the highest, while NBC and Fox ranked lowest. In terms of lesbian representation, though, AfterEllen.com reports that all networks except Showtime get failing grades.

Out costume designer Patricia Field, who did the wardrobe for Sex and the City, will be doing wardrobe on the upcoming season of Ugly Betty (she also worked on the show’s pilot).

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Showtime is creating a web-based “virtual world” for The L Word.

The lesbian couple who competed on The Amazing Race got married last week in California. Congratulations!

Check out this new French lesbian blog.

Look for more scoop from us on Grey’s Anatomy‘s lesbian story line on Monday!

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.

AE: What do you want to tell your fans? LH: Vote for me! Vote for me, I’ll change the world! [laughs]

After the interview (we’ll have more of it for you later), I climbed out of the photo booth and discovered that our moments (including my horrible attempts at making funny faces) had been recorded. Here they are, framed by puppies (apparently that’s what Lena selected as the border):

The moral of the story? If your interview subject gets away the first time, ambush them later and force them into a photo booth. You won’t be disappointed.

– by Malinda Lo

OH, TINA, YOU’RE MAKING US BLUSH Tina Fey likes us, she really likes us! No, seriously. She thinks we’re swell. She thinks that we have a good head on our shoulders. And I think, if I read between the lines liberally enough, she would totally pick us first if she went “that way.”

Fine, maybe that last bit is wishful thinking. But she definitely is flattered by our attention. In the August issue of the British film magazine Empire, the fabulous Ms. Fey addressed her recent inclusion in People magazine’s annual 50 Most Beautiful People list as well as topping the 2008 AfterEllen.com Hot 100 list. (The magazine got their dates mixed up and claimed she topped the list last year. She came in seventh in 2007.)

On her Hottie McTottie status, Fey told Empire (Hat tip to intergalactic charlie and Shay21!):

I take it all with a grain of salt. I think I’m a bit of a token on the People list, like when they put the odd scientist on there. But the AfterEllen one is flattering. I think those girls take more of a 3-D picture before they decide they like somebody.
Woo! You’re right Tina, we do take a 3-D picture. Heck. we’d take a 4-D one if we had done better in our college physics courses. Where is Carl Sagan when you need him?

This is Tina’s second public shout-out to AfterEllen.com. Her first came last year on Late Night With Conan O’Brien. Just imagine how proud her dad must be now.

Thanks, Tina, we’re flattered by your attention too.

EVEN MORE REASONS TO BLUSH As if Tina’s attention wasn’t enough, Norwegian handball champions and lesbian power couple Gro Hammerseng and Katja Nyberg gave their own little shout-out to their legions (and I mean legions) of fans at AfterEllen.com.

AfterEllen.com reader Cuna was at the Norway vs. Romania Olympic handball training matches this past weekend and asked the couple to hold up signs saying hello to Gro Hammerseng Fansite and AfterEllen.com readers. And, the sporty ladies happily obliged. (Hat tip, tiff2!) Aww, doesn’t seeing them with their friendly signs make you want to wave back emphatically at the screen and go, “Hi, hi ladies, hi! Can you teach me handball?” No, just me? Whatever, their signs are adorable either way.

by Dorothy Snarker

A NEW WAY OF GOING GAY FOR PAY On a recent episode of Showtime’s series Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Belle (said call girl, played by Billie Piper) was called upon for a threesome when a regular client, Ashok, asked for another escort to join the party.

At first, Belle is a little reluctant, saying, “It’s not that I don’t like going down on girls – it’s just that I never really enjoy hanging out with them.” But she changes her tune once she meets Naomi, who will be the third party. A little older and more experienced, Naomi wants to know what Ashok is into, and helps Belle get dressed for the occasion, asking if she “shaves or waxes.”

Belle replies that she waxes, and Naomi says, “Good, I get stubble rash.”

Though the sex scenes in the show are as graphic as they can be for cable TV, there isn’t any L Word likeness because there’s a dude involved. But Belle and Naomi do share a kiss before Ashok arrives.

It’s clear post-sex, however, that the girls are simply straight. Belle asks Naomi to “hang out” sometime, and Naomi wants to clarify there is “no shagging involved.” Belle just wants a friend, which seems to work out well as they have, uh, common interests. But in the end, Ashok books Naomi for his next appointment, and Belle is hurt, despite it being the nature of the business.

She deletes Naomi from her cellphone, which is truly a straight thing to do. If she had any ounce of gay in her, she’d be calling Naomi up and saying things like “Never touch a raptor!” Instead, Belle calls over a boy named Ben. (Ugh. Call girls!)

IS AMY RAY A FAN OF STRAWBERRY OR FROSTED BROWN SUGAR? Earlier this week, I wrote about our upcoming interview with Indigo Girl Amy Ray and how we’ll be asking her questions straight from AfterEllen.com readers. (Straight seems like the wrong word choice, but you get what I’m saying.) If you have anything you’re dying to know about the musician, send it to [email protected]. We’ll pick the best and most interesting inquires for Ray, who has foolishly agreed to answer whatever we throw at her. We’ve already received some great ones so far (Seriously, Amy, what kind of pop tarts do you prefer?) but still have time to receive some more. Send yours in by Monday, July 21, for consideration.

NO MORE LESBIANS NAMED AFTER ANIMAL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS AND FLOWERS The British sure know how to break our hearts. The BBC has announced the cancellation of their Australia-based soap Out of the Blue, which featured a relatively functional lesbian relationship between characters Poppy (Katherine Hicks) and Peta (Daisy Betts). The short-lived series based on a group of friends coming together in their hometown for their high school reunion has only aired 30 of its episodes so far, and is reportedly going to continue with the other 100 that are left of the season. If they follow the typical lesbian couple on television pattern, that gives Peta and Poppy plenty of time to plan a pregnancy, find a sperm donor, have one cheat on the other with a man, and make up.

Out of the Blue is just one of the shows included on our new Map of Lesbian/Bi TV Characters Around the World. After the show’s demise, we hope to replace it with another gorgeous gay girl couple with accents.

L.P. SAYS HI A couple of weeks ago, Malinda wrote about out musician L.P. and her new music video for her single “Good With You.” This week, L.P. took a page from Hilary Duff’s book and recorded a video greeting for AfterEllen.com readers.  

I always appreciate rock stars hanging around thinking, “Hey, let’s give props to AfterEllen.com. Quick, grab a camera!”

by Trish Bendix

YOU GO, GIRLS New York-based GO magazine recently named AfterEllen.com vloggers Jill Bennett, Michelle Paradise and Andrea Meyerson three of “100 Women We Love 2008” in their June/July Pride issue.

Yeah, well, we’re right there with you, GO! In this annual list, GO presents “women who are changing the world with their art, activism, athletic ability, scholarship, entrepreneurship and political prowess.”

In addition to iconic lesbian celebrities such as Lily Tomlin, k.d. lang and Ellen DeGeneres, GO gives props to the many women who are stars in their respective fields: lesbian attorneys, advocates, marketing directors and the hottest founder of a nonprofit raising awareness of violence in the LGBT community you’ll ever see.

Michelle Paradise made the GO list because of her work as the creator, executive producer, writer and star of Logo’s series Exes & Ohs. And when she’s not wearing one of those jaunty hats, Michelle is currently working on a new TV pilot and a feature film script, or chronicling her adventures in TV production land for her eponymous vlog on AfterEllen.com.

Michelle has an unusually large business card. And it’s double-sided.

I asked Michelle how it felt to make this year’s list:

It really is a privilege to be included in the company of women who are doing such amazing and inspiring work in the world. I also love that [they] didn’t just list people who are already in some sort of spotlight – many of the women they selected are just quietly going about doing the things that make their communities (and the world) a better place to live – and cheers to the magazine for giving them the recognition they so deserve.
All Access Pass vlogger Andrea Meyerson made the cut this year for creating the lesbian activity and social networking organization Women on a Roll; her event production company, StandOut Productions; and All Out Films, the documentary production company for the Laughing Matters film series.

Andrea is the up-start of start-ups. Andrea makes me tired just watching her.

When I asked her how it felt to be recognized for her achievements, she could not deny she feels the love, saying, “I’ve always enjoyed reading the ‘100 Women We Love’ issue and was thrilled when GO magazine contacted me to let me know that I was included this year. It’s great to be loved!”

GO calls Jill Bennett “queer-themed programming’s ‘it’ girl” because of her lesbian roles in Dante’s Cove, various films and We’re Getting Nowhere. (Note: GO erroneously lists Exes & Ohs in her credits, but they meant a film called X’s and O’s.)

Speaking to GO about the profitability of web-based lesbian programming, Jill challenged advertisers to have some “balls,” making her a shoe-in for the 2008 list of “Lesbians Not Afraid to Say the Word ‘Balls’ to an Interviewer.”

Jill said she’s “honored to be [on] a list with so many women who have made positive contributions to our community,” but adds, “after this list, the NewNowNext Awards and the AfterEllen.com Hot 100, I just hope next year I’m not on the list of ‘100 Women Who Made Lists Last Year Who We Wish Would Just Take a Break Already.'”

GO also named OurChart.com’s managing editor, Grace Moon, on their list. Congratulations, Grace!

For next year’s list, I’d like to nominate Sarah Warn and Malinda Lo. Malinda, AfterEllen.com’s Managing Editor, is an amazing writer, a smart editor and savvy businesswoman. Sarah, as the creator and Editor-in-Chief of AfterEllen.com, took a hobby she started in her bedroom and parlayed it into the largest website of its kind on the planet. Not bad for someone with questionable hiring practices. [Editor-in-Chief’s note: I’d like to nominate Dara Nai, who has parlayed being a smart-ass into a successful career … as a smart-ass. Now that’s a feat!] by Dara Nai

PROOF THAT BEING GAY CAN BE GOOD FOR YOUR CAREER Hold on to your hats, ladies and, well, ladies – the mainstream press has just discovered Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson might, possibly, maybe, be … wait for it … more than friends.

Witness the latest cover of Life & Style magazine: We’re shocked. Shocked! I mean, sure, we first wrote about this a year ago, and there have been photos and stories and quotes about their relationship for months and months, but this is all Brand! New! Information!

And the photo Samantha posted on her MySpace page of her and Lindsay kissing astonishes us!

Gawker suggests, in their humorously titled article “The Hot Lesbian Celebrity Affair it Took Us a Year to Notice,” that this delayed response by the mainstream media is due to fauxmance burn-out; the fact that the couple in question didn’t actually try to hide their relationship (which is suspicious in and of itself in Hollywood); and because their relationship was reported on gossip blogs first (it’s not like you can trust what you read online!).

(Their fourth reason – that Samantha’s “not that cute” – just isn’t true. Sure, maybe she doesn’t adhere to conventional standards of femininity, but I know a lot of lesbians who find Sam attractive. A lot.)

A columnist from Radar magazine interviewed me recently about this very topic (the lack of press attention around the LoRon affair) for a future issue of the magazine, and during our conversation, the reporter mentioned the perception that some folks in the media have that Ronson is a positive influence in Lohan’s life – i.e., that Sam is the reason Lindsay has gotten her act together (stopped the partying, started showing up for work on time, etc.).

Ugly Betty‘s executive producer Silvio Horta‘s comments about Lindsay at the TCA press tour this week seems to indicate she’s on the right track. “She was great. She was lovely,” Horta told the press about Lindsay’s first day guest-starring on the show, where she plays a popular high school classmate of Betty’s whose life has taken a turn for the worse. “[Lindsay] was 45 minutes early! I was like, wow, I was impressed. She was very nice.”

Hmm, maybe there’s something to this theory. Quick, someone assign a lesbian to Amy Winehouse!

THIS JUST OUT IN VEGAS Liz Feldman’s vlog This Just Out will be returning on July 28 with new episodes. Watch Liz’s new promo for it: – by Sarah Warn

ALL THE GOOD NEWS – AND POETRY – THAT’S FIT TO PRINT Something’s in the water at the New York Times. Something gay.

Last week, they quoted one of our blog posts.

Yesterday, they published an article entitled “Now in Living Rooms, the Host Apparent” about radio and TV personality Rachel Maddow, speculating that she may soon be tapped to headline her own political show. MSNBC President Phil Griffin told the Times: “At some point, I don’t know when, she should have a show. She’s on the short list. It’s a very short list. She’s at the top.”

Entertained by a lesbian during the day and informed by one at night – are Americans ready for that much lesbian sugar in their bowl?

Maddow doesn’t think it’s a problem. “I think Ellen DeGeneres has shown people are ready for her,” Maddow told the Times, adding, “But I will not dance the way Ellen does.”

Then in their Books section the same day, the Times published a profile of openly gay poet Kay Ryan, who was just named America’s poet laureate this week.

Here’s an excerpt from Ryan’s poem “Shark’s Teeth”:

Everything contains some silence an hour of city holds maybe a minute of these remnants of a time when silence reigned, compact and dangerous as a shark.
I think I just found another favorite poet.

As you might remember from BLWE last month, openly gay poet Carol Ann Duffy is one of the top two candidates for the U.K.’s next poet laureate, who will be chosen next year. This makes me wonder: Do queer women make better poets?

Minnie Bruce Pratt, May Sarton, Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, Emily Dickinson, Gwendolyn Brooks, Staceyann Chin, Jeanette Winterson – the list of renowned female poets who happen to be gay (or bi) is lengthy and impressive. Oranges really aren’t the only fruit! (Oh wait, that’s a novel, not poetry. OK, but if Written on the Body isn’t poetry, I don’t know what is!)

My favorite queer poet? Edna St. Vincent Millay, the patron saint of workaholics. I burn my computer monitor at both ends, it will not last the night; but ah, my foes, and oh, my friends, it gives a lovely light!

VIRTUAL PROCESSING We’ve launched two new 3-D chat rooms – a virtual AfterEllen.com, if you will – at afterellen.com/chat. Besides other AfterEllen.com members to talk to, there are swimming pools and movie stars … OK, no movie stars. But Bridget McManus, Karman Kregloe, Lori and I are all going to log in at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET tonight (Friday) to chat with readers for a half hour or so, and laugh at Lori floating around as a bear in a space suit. Join us if you can! (There is a limit to the number of people who can be in the room at any one time, so if you can’t get into one, try the other, and the four of us will go back and forth between rooms if possible.)

by Sarah Warn

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! GLAAD has released its second annual GLAAD Network Responsibility Index, a report that maps the quantity, quality and diversity of images of LGBT people on television. ABC ranked the highest, while NBC and Fox ranked lowest. In terms of lesbian representation, though, AfterEllen.com reports that all networks except Showtime get failing grades.

Out costume designer Patricia Field, who did the wardrobe for Sex and the City, will be doing wardrobe on the upcoming season of Ugly Betty (she also worked on the show’s pilot).

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Showtime is creating a web-based “virtual world” for The L Word.

The lesbian couple who competed on The Amazing Race got married last week in California. Congratulations!

Check out this new French lesbian blog.

Look for more scoop from us on Grey’s Anatomy‘s lesbian story line on Monday!

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.

Bianca fans, you heard it here first! Who’s starting the letter-writing campaign?

– by Malinda Lo

IT MUST HAVE BEEN FATE One of the joys of my TCA experience has been tracking down women who’ve made it onto our Hot 100 list and informing them of their status as a lesbian crush. OK, sometimes it’s a tad embarrassing, especially when there’s a gaggle of other (probably straight) reporters also sticking their recording devices in said celebrity’s face. Therefore, I always prefer to break it to them in private. Like in a photo booth. With the curtains drawn.

Let me set the scene.

I was supposed to interview Lena Headey, the woman who turned Piper Perabo‘s character gay in Imagine Me & You, last Monday afternoon directly after the press conference for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, where Lena plays the title character. However, she slipped away without anyone noticing, and when the Fox publicist finally tracked her down for me, she had already left the premises.

“She’ll be at the party, though!” the publicist said. “I’m really sorry!”

Every reporter who has tried to make an arrangement to interview a celebrity has had this happen to them at sometime or another. So I said, “No problem, I’ll find her there.” Of course, this meant that I arrived at the party with my eyes peeled, wondering how on earth I was going to spot her in the crowd. I was relieved when I saw her wandering around with her manager and a drink (gin and tonic, I think) near the ferris wheel.

“We’re so sorry!” they both insisted when I introduced myself. “We can do the interview now!” Unfortunately the party was very loud. There were speakers blasting music everywhere (lots of Rihanna, I remember). So after wandering around looking for a quieter corner for several minutes, Lena saw a photo booth and suggested we go in there. I had no choice: I followed her in.

Once ensconced inside in curtained privacy, the photo booth forced us to select from a variety of random images and pose for what seemed like a thousand pictures. I thought to myself: I just got off the plane and I look half-dead! I’m in a photo booth with Lena Headey! I didn’t put on any makeup! I’m in a photo booth with Lena Headey! Etc.

I eventually got around to telling her about her ranking in this year’s AfterEllen.com Hot 100.

AfterEllen.com: I don’t know if you are aware we have this Hot 100 list every year, where our readers vote – Lena Headey: Am I on it?

AE: Yes, you are. LH: Yay!

AE: This year you are number 10. LH: [shocked] No!

AE: Yes! [laughs] LH: Excellent.

AE: Yes, but last year you were number four. LH: [gasps]

AE: In 2007, so you have fallen- LH: My God, I have to go to the gym! I’ve fallen six. That hurts.

AE: What do you want to tell your fans? LH: Vote for me! Vote for me, I’ll change the world! [laughs]

After the interview (we’ll have more of it for you later), I climbed out of the photo booth and discovered that our moments (including my horrible attempts at making funny faces) had been recorded. Here they are, framed by puppies (apparently that’s what Lena selected as the border):

The moral of the story? If your interview subject gets away the first time, ambush them later and force them into a photo booth. You won’t be disappointed.

– by Malinda Lo

OH, TINA, YOU’RE MAKING US BLUSH Tina Fey likes us, she really likes us! No, seriously. She thinks we’re swell. She thinks that we have a good head on our shoulders. And I think, if I read between the lines liberally enough, she would totally pick us first if she went “that way.”

Fine, maybe that last bit is wishful thinking. But she definitely is flattered by our attention. In the August issue of the British film magazine Empire, the fabulous Ms. Fey addressed her recent inclusion in People magazine’s annual 50 Most Beautiful People list as well as topping the 2008 AfterEllen.com Hot 100 list. (The magazine got their dates mixed up and claimed she topped the list last year. She came in seventh in 2007.)

On her Hottie McTottie status, Fey told Empire (Hat tip to intergalactic charlie and Shay21!):

I take it all with a grain of salt. I think I’m a bit of a token on the People list, like when they put the odd scientist on there. But the AfterEllen one is flattering. I think those girls take more of a 3-D picture before they decide they like somebody.
Woo! You’re right Tina, we do take a 3-D picture. Heck. we’d take a 4-D one if we had done better in our college physics courses. Where is Carl Sagan when you need him?

This is Tina’s second public shout-out to AfterEllen.com. Her first came last year on Late Night With Conan O’Brien. Just imagine how proud her dad must be now.

Thanks, Tina, we’re flattered by your attention too.

EVEN MORE REASONS TO BLUSH As if Tina’s attention wasn’t enough, Norwegian handball champions and lesbian power couple Gro Hammerseng and Katja Nyberg gave their own little shout-out to their legions (and I mean legions) of fans at AfterEllen.com.

AfterEllen.com reader Cuna was at the Norway vs. Romania Olympic handball training matches this past weekend and asked the couple to hold up signs saying hello to Gro Hammerseng Fansite and AfterEllen.com readers. And, the sporty ladies happily obliged. (Hat tip, tiff2!) Aww, doesn’t seeing them with their friendly signs make you want to wave back emphatically at the screen and go, “Hi, hi ladies, hi! Can you teach me handball?” No, just me? Whatever, their signs are adorable either way.

by Dorothy Snarker

A NEW WAY OF GOING GAY FOR PAY On a recent episode of Showtime’s series Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Belle (said call girl, played by Billie Piper) was called upon for a threesome when a regular client, Ashok, asked for another escort to join the party.

At first, Belle is a little reluctant, saying, “It’s not that I don’t like going down on girls – it’s just that I never really enjoy hanging out with them.” But she changes her tune once she meets Naomi, who will be the third party. A little older and more experienced, Naomi wants to know what Ashok is into, and helps Belle get dressed for the occasion, asking if she “shaves or waxes.”

Belle replies that she waxes, and Naomi says, “Good, I get stubble rash.”

Though the sex scenes in the show are as graphic as they can be for cable TV, there isn’t any L Word likeness because there’s a dude involved. But Belle and Naomi do share a kiss before Ashok arrives.

It’s clear post-sex, however, that the girls are simply straight. Belle asks Naomi to “hang out” sometime, and Naomi wants to clarify there is “no shagging involved.” Belle just wants a friend, which seems to work out well as they have, uh, common interests. But in the end, Ashok books Naomi for his next appointment, and Belle is hurt, despite it being the nature of the business.

She deletes Naomi from her cellphone, which is truly a straight thing to do. If she had any ounce of gay in her, she’d be calling Naomi up and saying things like “Never touch a raptor!” Instead, Belle calls over a boy named Ben. (Ugh. Call girls!)

IS AMY RAY A FAN OF STRAWBERRY OR FROSTED BROWN SUGAR? Earlier this week, I wrote about our upcoming interview with Indigo Girl Amy Ray and how we’ll be asking her questions straight from AfterEllen.com readers. (Straight seems like the wrong word choice, but you get what I’m saying.) If you have anything you’re dying to know about the musician, send it to [email protected]. We’ll pick the best and most interesting inquires for Ray, who has foolishly agreed to answer whatever we throw at her. We’ve already received some great ones so far (Seriously, Amy, what kind of pop tarts do you prefer?) but still have time to receive some more. Send yours in by Monday, July 21, for consideration.

NO MORE LESBIANS NAMED AFTER ANIMAL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS AND FLOWERS The British sure know how to break our hearts. The BBC has announced the cancellation of their Australia-based soap Out of the Blue, which featured a relatively functional lesbian relationship between characters Poppy (Katherine Hicks) and Peta (Daisy Betts). The short-lived series based on a group of friends coming together in their hometown for their high school reunion has only aired 30 of its episodes so far, and is reportedly going to continue with the other 100 that are left of the season. If they follow the typical lesbian couple on television pattern, that gives Peta and Poppy plenty of time to plan a pregnancy, find a sperm donor, have one cheat on the other with a man, and make up.

Out of the Blue is just one of the shows included on our new Map of Lesbian/Bi TV Characters Around the World. After the show’s demise, we hope to replace it with another gorgeous gay girl couple with accents.

L.P. SAYS HI A couple of weeks ago, Malinda wrote about out musician L.P. and her new music video for her single “Good With You.” This week, L.P. took a page from Hilary Duff’s book and recorded a video greeting for AfterEllen.com readers.  

I always appreciate rock stars hanging around thinking, “Hey, let’s give props to AfterEllen.com. Quick, grab a camera!”

by Trish Bendix

YOU GO, GIRLS New York-based GO magazine recently named AfterEllen.com vloggers Jill Bennett, Michelle Paradise and Andrea Meyerson three of “100 Women We Love 2008” in their June/July Pride issue.

Yeah, well, we’re right there with you, GO! In this annual list, GO presents “women who are changing the world with their art, activism, athletic ability, scholarship, entrepreneurship and political prowess.”

In addition to iconic lesbian celebrities such as Lily Tomlin, k.d. lang and Ellen DeGeneres, GO gives props to the many women who are stars in their respective fields: lesbian attorneys, advocates, marketing directors and the hottest founder of a nonprofit raising awareness of violence in the LGBT community you’ll ever see.

Michelle Paradise made the GO list because of her work as the creator, executive producer, writer and star of Logo’s series Exes & Ohs. And when she’s not wearing one of those jaunty hats, Michelle is currently working on a new TV pilot and a feature film script, or chronicling her adventures in TV production land for her eponymous vlog on AfterEllen.com.

Michelle has an unusually large business card. And it’s double-sided.

I asked Michelle how it felt to make this year’s list:

It really is a privilege to be included in the company of women who are doing such amazing and inspiring work in the world. I also love that [they] didn’t just list people who are already in some sort of spotlight – many of the women they selected are just quietly going about doing the things that make their communities (and the world) a better place to live – and cheers to the magazine for giving them the recognition they so deserve.
All Access Pass vlogger Andrea Meyerson made the cut this year for creating the lesbian activity and social networking organization Women on a Roll; her event production company, StandOut Productions; and All Out Films, the documentary production company for the Laughing Matters film series.

Andrea is the up-start of start-ups. Andrea makes me tired just watching her.

When I asked her how it felt to be recognized for her achievements, she could not deny she feels the love, saying, “I’ve always enjoyed reading the ‘100 Women We Love’ issue and was thrilled when GO magazine contacted me to let me know that I was included this year. It’s great to be loved!”

GO calls Jill Bennett “queer-themed programming’s ‘it’ girl” because of her lesbian roles in Dante’s Cove, various films and We’re Getting Nowhere. (Note: GO erroneously lists Exes & Ohs in her credits, but they meant a film called X’s and O’s.)

Speaking to GO about the profitability of web-based lesbian programming, Jill challenged advertisers to have some “balls,” making her a shoe-in for the 2008 list of “Lesbians Not Afraid to Say the Word ‘Balls’ to an Interviewer.”

Jill said she’s “honored to be [on] a list with so many women who have made positive contributions to our community,” but adds, “after this list, the NewNowNext Awards and the AfterEllen.com Hot 100, I just hope next year I’m not on the list of ‘100 Women Who Made Lists Last Year Who We Wish Would Just Take a Break Already.'”

GO also named OurChart.com’s managing editor, Grace Moon, on their list. Congratulations, Grace!

For next year’s list, I’d like to nominate Sarah Warn and Malinda Lo. Malinda, AfterEllen.com’s Managing Editor, is an amazing writer, a smart editor and savvy businesswoman. Sarah, as the creator and Editor-in-Chief of AfterEllen.com, took a hobby she started in her bedroom and parlayed it into the largest website of its kind on the planet. Not bad for someone with questionable hiring practices. [Editor-in-Chief’s note: I’d like to nominate Dara Nai, who has parlayed being a smart-ass into a successful career … as a smart-ass. Now that’s a feat!] by Dara Nai

PROOF THAT BEING GAY CAN BE GOOD FOR YOUR CAREER Hold on to your hats, ladies and, well, ladies – the mainstream press has just discovered Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson might, possibly, maybe, be … wait for it … more than friends.

Witness the latest cover of Life & Style magazine: We’re shocked. Shocked! I mean, sure, we first wrote about this a year ago, and there have been photos and stories and quotes about their relationship for months and months, but this is all Brand! New! Information!

And the photo Samantha posted on her MySpace page of her and Lindsay kissing astonishes us!

Gawker suggests, in their humorously titled article “The Hot Lesbian Celebrity Affair it Took Us a Year to Notice,” that this delayed response by the mainstream media is due to fauxmance burn-out; the fact that the couple in question didn’t actually try to hide their relationship (which is suspicious in and of itself in Hollywood); and because their relationship was reported on gossip blogs first (it’s not like you can trust what you read online!).

(Their fourth reason – that Samantha’s “not that cute” – just isn’t true. Sure, maybe she doesn’t adhere to conventional standards of femininity, but I know a lot of lesbians who find Sam attractive. A lot.)

A columnist from Radar magazine interviewed me recently about this very topic (the lack of press attention around the LoRon affair) for a future issue of the magazine, and during our conversation, the reporter mentioned the perception that some folks in the media have that Ronson is a positive influence in Lohan’s life – i.e., that Sam is the reason Lindsay has gotten her act together (stopped the partying, started showing up for work on time, etc.).

Ugly Betty‘s executive producer Silvio Horta‘s comments about Lindsay at the TCA press tour this week seems to indicate she’s on the right track. “She was great. She was lovely,” Horta told the press about Lindsay’s first day guest-starring on the show, where she plays a popular high school classmate of Betty’s whose life has taken a turn for the worse. “[Lindsay] was 45 minutes early! I was like, wow, I was impressed. She was very nice.”

Hmm, maybe there’s something to this theory. Quick, someone assign a lesbian to Amy Winehouse!

THIS JUST OUT IN VEGAS Liz Feldman’s vlog This Just Out will be returning on July 28 with new episodes. Watch Liz’s new promo for it: – by Sarah Warn

ALL THE GOOD NEWS – AND POETRY – THAT’S FIT TO PRINT Something’s in the water at the New York Times. Something gay.

Last week, they quoted one of our blog posts.

Yesterday, they published an article entitled “Now in Living Rooms, the Host Apparent” about radio and TV personality Rachel Maddow, speculating that she may soon be tapped to headline her own political show. MSNBC President Phil Griffin told the Times: “At some point, I don’t know when, she should have a show. She’s on the short list. It’s a very short list. She’s at the top.”

Entertained by a lesbian during the day and informed by one at night – are Americans ready for that much lesbian sugar in their bowl?

Maddow doesn’t think it’s a problem. “I think Ellen DeGeneres has shown people are ready for her,” Maddow told the Times, adding, “But I will not dance the way Ellen does.”

Then in their Books section the same day, the Times published a profile of openly gay poet Kay Ryan, who was just named America’s poet laureate this week.

Here’s an excerpt from Ryan’s poem “Shark’s Teeth”:

Everything contains some silence an hour of city holds maybe a minute of these remnants of a time when silence reigned, compact and dangerous as a shark.
I think I just found another favorite poet.

As you might remember from BLWE last month, openly gay poet Carol Ann Duffy is one of the top two candidates for the U.K.’s next poet laureate, who will be chosen next year. This makes me wonder: Do queer women make better poets?

Minnie Bruce Pratt, May Sarton, Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, Emily Dickinson, Gwendolyn Brooks, Staceyann Chin, Jeanette Winterson – the list of renowned female poets who happen to be gay (or bi) is lengthy and impressive. Oranges really aren’t the only fruit! (Oh wait, that’s a novel, not poetry. OK, but if Written on the Body isn’t poetry, I don’t know what is!)

My favorite queer poet? Edna St. Vincent Millay, the patron saint of workaholics. I burn my computer monitor at both ends, it will not last the night; but ah, my foes, and oh, my friends, it gives a lovely light!

VIRTUAL PROCESSING We’ve launched two new 3-D chat rooms – a virtual AfterEllen.com, if you will – at afterellen.com/chat. Besides other AfterEllen.com members to talk to, there are swimming pools and movie stars … OK, no movie stars. But Bridget McManus, Karman Kregloe, Lori and I are all going to log in at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET tonight (Friday) to chat with readers for a half hour or so, and laugh at Lori floating around as a bear in a space suit. Join us if you can! (There is a limit to the number of people who can be in the room at any one time, so if you can’t get into one, try the other, and the four of us will go back and forth between rooms if possible.)

by Sarah Warn

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! GLAAD has released its second annual GLAAD Network Responsibility Index, a report that maps the quantity, quality and diversity of images of LGBT people on television. ABC ranked the highest, while NBC and Fox ranked lowest. In terms of lesbian representation, though, AfterEllen.com reports that all networks except Showtime get failing grades.

Out costume designer Patricia Field, who did the wardrobe for Sex and the City, will be doing wardrobe on the upcoming season of Ugly Betty (she also worked on the show’s pilot).

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Showtime is creating a web-based “virtual world” for The L Word.

The lesbian couple who competed on The Amazing Race got married last week in California. Congratulations!

Check out this new French lesbian blog.

Look for more scoop from us on Grey’s Anatomy‘s lesbian story line on Monday!

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.

AE: So, you told the New York Times that Willow’s going to be naked in an upcoming issue. Can you tell me more about this? JW: There is a scene – it has to do with a dream dimension and … mystical sexuality. And she happens to be naked in the scene, but you know, it’s always tasteful. [jokingly] Damn it, it’s always tasteful! I hate taste! Joss was also there to talk about his upcoming Fox series Dollhouse, starring Eliza Dushku, which will premiere in early 2009.

Given Joss’s history of including wonderful lesbian/bisexual characters in all of his projects, I have no doubt that we’ll have something equally delicious to look forward to in Dollhouse. (Really, no doubt. Hint.) Next week – as long as I’m not ejected from the press tour for my fannishness – I’ll try to dig up more info during our visit to the set of Dollhouse.

I’ll just have to manage to not trip over anything in the vicinity of Eliza Dushku. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it.

– by Malinda Lo

GIRLS GONE WILDE While I was at the Fox party I also tracked down Olivia Wilde, who plays Dr. Hadley, better known as Thirteen, on House. Last season, Thirteen’s bisexuality was hinted at through a series of jokes about her sexual orientation, so when I spotted Olivia Wilde standing outside the carnival games, I pulled her aside and popped the question. (Not that one!)

AfterEllen.com: So, is Thirteen bisexual? Olivia Wilde: Yes, it was revealed during Season 4 that she’s bisexual.

AE: I felt like they were always kind of toying with it. Is she gonna have a real relationship with someone? OW: That I can’t tell you, but yeah, they always toy with things on the show, you know. It’s not a soapy show, it’s not about our personal lives, but it is something that pisses off House. He likes things to be in black and white, and the idea that she could be sort of ambiguous and like men and women really irks him. It doesn’t fit into the way he thinks.

AE: So this is your second bisexual role. [Wilde also played bi on The O.C., where her character, Alex, had a relationship with Mischa Barton’s Marissa.] OW: Yes.

AE: Did you know that Thirteen was gonna be bi when you took this role? OW: No, no.

AE: Would that have fazed you at all had you known? OW: No, I’m not afraid of a challenge. Yeah, I mean it’s like I’ve played 10 straight roles and now two bisexual, and it’s good to mix it up a little bit.

AE: I have to warn you that by doing this you’re creating legions of fans. OW: For me O.C. – it was incredible because I got so many letters from young women saying that I helped them find peace with themselves and with their sexuality, and that makes it all worth it, you know, having anybody find anything meaningful is good.

I also mentioned to Olivia that she is on our Hot 100 this year (she’s at No. 30, having moved up from No. 53 in 2007). Her response? “That’s awesome!”

I couldn’t have said it better.

RETURN TO EDEN? Yesterday morning I had the chance to ask Brian Frons, the president of ABC Daytime, whether ABC would ever do another lesbian character on a daytime soap. He answered: “Oh, absolutely. In my perfect world, Eden Riegel would come back and be Bianca and we’d go from there. And the only thing stopping us from doing another story right this second is nobody’s pitched one.” “So if Eden came back, she’d still be gay?” I prompted (just to make sure).

“She’d still be gay,” he confirmed.

Bianca fans, you heard it here first! Who’s starting the letter-writing campaign?

– by Malinda Lo

IT MUST HAVE BEEN FATE One of the joys of my TCA experience has been tracking down women who’ve made it onto our Hot 100 list and informing them of their status as a lesbian crush. OK, sometimes it’s a tad embarrassing, especially when there’s a gaggle of other (probably straight) reporters also sticking their recording devices in said celebrity’s face. Therefore, I always prefer to break it to them in private. Like in a photo booth. With the curtains drawn.

Let me set the scene.

I was supposed to interview Lena Headey, the woman who turned Piper Perabo‘s character gay in Imagine Me & You, last Monday afternoon directly after the press conference for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, where Lena plays the title character. However, she slipped away without anyone noticing, and when the Fox publicist finally tracked her down for me, she had already left the premises.

“She’ll be at the party, though!” the publicist said. “I’m really sorry!”

Every reporter who has tried to make an arrangement to interview a celebrity has had this happen to them at sometime or another. So I said, “No problem, I’ll find her there.” Of course, this meant that I arrived at the party with my eyes peeled, wondering how on earth I was going to spot her in the crowd. I was relieved when I saw her wandering around with her manager and a drink (gin and tonic, I think) near the ferris wheel.

“We’re so sorry!” they both insisted when I introduced myself. “We can do the interview now!” Unfortunately the party was very loud. There were speakers blasting music everywhere (lots of Rihanna, I remember). So after wandering around looking for a quieter corner for several minutes, Lena saw a photo booth and suggested we go in there. I had no choice: I followed her in.

Once ensconced inside in curtained privacy, the photo booth forced us to select from a variety of random images and pose for what seemed like a thousand pictures. I thought to myself: I just got off the plane and I look half-dead! I’m in a photo booth with Lena Headey! I didn’t put on any makeup! I’m in a photo booth with Lena Headey! Etc.

I eventually got around to telling her about her ranking in this year’s AfterEllen.com Hot 100.

AfterEllen.com: I don’t know if you are aware we have this Hot 100 list every year, where our readers vote – Lena Headey: Am I on it?

AE: Yes, you are. LH: Yay!

AE: This year you are number 10. LH: [shocked] No!

AE: Yes! [laughs] LH: Excellent.

AE: Yes, but last year you were number four. LH: [gasps]

AE: In 2007, so you have fallen- LH: My God, I have to go to the gym! I’ve fallen six. That hurts.

AE: What do you want to tell your fans? LH: Vote for me! Vote for me, I’ll change the world! [laughs]

After the interview (we’ll have more of it for you later), I climbed out of the photo booth and discovered that our moments (including my horrible attempts at making funny faces) had been recorded. Here they are, framed by puppies (apparently that’s what Lena selected as the border):

The moral of the story? If your interview subject gets away the first time, ambush them later and force them into a photo booth. You won’t be disappointed.

– by Malinda Lo

OH, TINA, YOU’RE MAKING US BLUSH Tina Fey likes us, she really likes us! No, seriously. She thinks we’re swell. She thinks that we have a good head on our shoulders. And I think, if I read between the lines liberally enough, she would totally pick us first if she went “that way.”

Fine, maybe that last bit is wishful thinking. But she definitely is flattered by our attention. In the August issue of the British film magazine Empire, the fabulous Ms. Fey addressed her recent inclusion in People magazine’s annual 50 Most Beautiful People list as well as topping the 2008 AfterEllen.com Hot 100 list. (The magazine got their dates mixed up and claimed she topped the list last year. She came in seventh in 2007.)

On her Hottie McTottie status, Fey told Empire (Hat tip to intergalactic charlie and Shay21!):

I take it all with a grain of salt. I think I’m a bit of a token on the People list, like when they put the odd scientist on there. But the AfterEllen one is flattering. I think those girls take more of a 3-D picture before they decide they like somebody.
Woo! You’re right Tina, we do take a 3-D picture. Heck. we’d take a 4-D one if we had done better in our college physics courses. Where is Carl Sagan when you need him?

This is Tina’s second public shout-out to AfterEllen.com. Her first came last year on Late Night With Conan O’Brien. Just imagine how proud her dad must be now.

Thanks, Tina, we’re flattered by your attention too.

EVEN MORE REASONS TO BLUSH As if Tina’s attention wasn’t enough, Norwegian handball champions and lesbian power couple Gro Hammerseng and Katja Nyberg gave their own little shout-out to their legions (and I mean legions) of fans at AfterEllen.com.

AfterEllen.com reader Cuna was at the Norway vs. Romania Olympic handball training matches this past weekend and asked the couple to hold up signs saying hello to Gro Hammerseng Fansite and AfterEllen.com readers. And, the sporty ladies happily obliged. (Hat tip, tiff2!) Aww, doesn’t seeing them with their friendly signs make you want to wave back emphatically at the screen and go, “Hi, hi ladies, hi! Can you teach me handball?” No, just me? Whatever, their signs are adorable either way.

by Dorothy Snarker

A NEW WAY OF GOING GAY FOR PAY On a recent episode of Showtime’s series Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Belle (said call girl, played by Billie Piper) was called upon for a threesome when a regular client, Ashok, asked for another escort to join the party.

At first, Belle is a little reluctant, saying, “It’s not that I don’t like going down on girls – it’s just that I never really enjoy hanging out with them.” But she changes her tune once she meets Naomi, who will be the third party. A little older and more experienced, Naomi wants to know what Ashok is into, and helps Belle get dressed for the occasion, asking if she “shaves or waxes.”

Belle replies that she waxes, and Naomi says, “Good, I get stubble rash.”

Though the sex scenes in the show are as graphic as they can be for cable TV, there isn’t any L Word likeness because there’s a dude involved. But Belle and Naomi do share a kiss before Ashok arrives.

It’s clear post-sex, however, that the girls are simply straight. Belle asks Naomi to “hang out” sometime, and Naomi wants to clarify there is “no shagging involved.” Belle just wants a friend, which seems to work out well as they have, uh, common interests. But in the end, Ashok books Naomi for his next appointment, and Belle is hurt, despite it being the nature of the business.

She deletes Naomi from her cellphone, which is truly a straight thing to do. If she had any ounce of gay in her, she’d be calling Naomi up and saying things like “Never touch a raptor!” Instead, Belle calls over a boy named Ben. (Ugh. Call girls!)

IS AMY RAY A FAN OF STRAWBERRY OR FROSTED BROWN SUGAR? Earlier this week, I wrote about our upcoming interview with Indigo Girl Amy Ray and how we’ll be asking her questions straight from AfterEllen.com readers. (Straight seems like the wrong word choice, but you get what I’m saying.) If you have anything you’re dying to know about the musician, send it to [email protected]. We’ll pick the best and most interesting inquires for Ray, who has foolishly agreed to answer whatever we throw at her. We’ve already received some great ones so far (Seriously, Amy, what kind of pop tarts do you prefer?) but still have time to receive some more. Send yours in by Monday, July 21, for consideration.

NO MORE LESBIANS NAMED AFTER ANIMAL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS AND FLOWERS The British sure know how to break our hearts. The BBC has announced the cancellation of their Australia-based soap Out of the Blue, which featured a relatively functional lesbian relationship between characters Poppy (Katherine Hicks) and Peta (Daisy Betts). The short-lived series based on a group of friends coming together in their hometown for their high school reunion has only aired 30 of its episodes so far, and is reportedly going to continue with the other 100 that are left of the season. If they follow the typical lesbian couple on television pattern, that gives Peta and Poppy plenty of time to plan a pregnancy, find a sperm donor, have one cheat on the other with a man, and make up.

Out of the Blue is just one of the shows included on our new Map of Lesbian/Bi TV Characters Around the World. After the show’s demise, we hope to replace it with another gorgeous gay girl couple with accents.

L.P. SAYS HI A couple of weeks ago, Malinda wrote about out musician L.P. and her new music video for her single “Good With You.” This week, L.P. took a page from Hilary Duff’s book and recorded a video greeting for AfterEllen.com readers.  

I always appreciate rock stars hanging around thinking, “Hey, let’s give props to AfterEllen.com. Quick, grab a camera!”

by Trish Bendix

YOU GO, GIRLS New York-based GO magazine recently named AfterEllen.com vloggers Jill Bennett, Michelle Paradise and Andrea Meyerson three of “100 Women We Love 2008” in their June/July Pride issue.

Yeah, well, we’re right there with you, GO! In this annual list, GO presents “women who are changing the world with their art, activism, athletic ability, scholarship, entrepreneurship and political prowess.”

In addition to iconic lesbian celebrities such as Lily Tomlin, k.d. lang and Ellen DeGeneres, GO gives props to the many women who are stars in their respective fields: lesbian attorneys, advocates, marketing directors and the hottest founder of a nonprofit raising awareness of violence in the LGBT community you’ll ever see.

Michelle Paradise made the GO list because of her work as the creator, executive producer, writer and star of Logo’s series Exes & Ohs. And when she’s not wearing one of those jaunty hats, Michelle is currently working on a new TV pilot and a feature film script, or chronicling her adventures in TV production land for her eponymous vlog on AfterEllen.com.

Michelle has an unusually large business card. And it’s double-sided.

I asked Michelle how it felt to make this year’s list:

It really is a privilege to be included in the company of women who are doing such amazing and inspiring work in the world. I also love that [they] didn’t just list people who are already in some sort of spotlight – many of the women they selected are just quietly going about doing the things that make their communities (and the world) a better place to live – and cheers to the magazine for giving them the recognition they so deserve.
All Access Pass vlogger Andrea Meyerson made the cut this year for creating the lesbian activity and social networking organization Women on a Roll; her event production company, StandOut Productions; and All Out Films, the documentary production company for the Laughing Matters film series.

Andrea is the up-start of start-ups. Andrea makes me tired just watching her.

When I asked her how it felt to be recognized for her achievements, she could not deny she feels the love, saying, “I’ve always enjoyed reading the ‘100 Women We Love’ issue and was thrilled when GO magazine contacted me to let me know that I was included this year. It’s great to be loved!”

GO calls Jill Bennett “queer-themed programming’s ‘it’ girl” because of her lesbian roles in Dante’s Cove, various films and We’re Getting Nowhere. (Note: GO erroneously lists Exes & Ohs in her credits, but they meant a film called X’s and O’s.)

Speaking to GO about the profitability of web-based lesbian programming, Jill challenged advertisers to have some “balls,” making her a shoe-in for the 2008 list of “Lesbians Not Afraid to Say the Word ‘Balls’ to an Interviewer.”

Jill said she’s “honored to be [on] a list with so many women who have made positive contributions to our community,” but adds, “after this list, the NewNowNext Awards and the AfterEllen.com Hot 100, I just hope next year I’m not on the list of ‘100 Women Who Made Lists Last Year Who We Wish Would Just Take a Break Already.'”

GO also named OurChart.com’s managing editor, Grace Moon, on their list. Congratulations, Grace!

For next year’s list, I’d like to nominate Sarah Warn and Malinda Lo. Malinda, AfterEllen.com’s Managing Editor, is an amazing writer, a smart editor and savvy businesswoman. Sarah, as the creator and Editor-in-Chief of AfterEllen.com, took a hobby she started in her bedroom and parlayed it into the largest website of its kind on the planet. Not bad for someone with questionable hiring practices. [Editor-in-Chief’s note: I’d like to nominate Dara Nai, who has parlayed being a smart-ass into a successful career … as a smart-ass. Now that’s a feat!] by Dara Nai

PROOF THAT BEING GAY CAN BE GOOD FOR YOUR CAREER Hold on to your hats, ladies and, well, ladies – the mainstream press has just discovered Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson might, possibly, maybe, be … wait for it … more than friends.

Witness the latest cover of Life & Style magazine: We’re shocked. Shocked! I mean, sure, we first wrote about this a year ago, and there have been photos and stories and quotes about their relationship for months and months, but this is all Brand! New! Information!

And the photo Samantha posted on her MySpace page of her and Lindsay kissing astonishes us!

Gawker suggests, in their humorously titled article “The Hot Lesbian Celebrity Affair it Took Us a Year to Notice,” that this delayed response by the mainstream media is due to fauxmance burn-out; the fact that the couple in question didn’t actually try to hide their relationship (which is suspicious in and of itself in Hollywood); and because their relationship was reported on gossip blogs first (it’s not like you can trust what you read online!).

(Their fourth reason – that Samantha’s “not that cute” – just isn’t true. Sure, maybe she doesn’t adhere to conventional standards of femininity, but I know a lot of lesbians who find Sam attractive. A lot.)

A columnist from Radar magazine interviewed me recently about this very topic (the lack of press attention around the LoRon affair) for a future issue of the magazine, and during our conversation, the reporter mentioned the perception that some folks in the media have that Ronson is a positive influence in Lohan’s life – i.e., that Sam is the reason Lindsay has gotten her act together (stopped the partying, started showing up for work on time, etc.).

Ugly Betty‘s executive producer Silvio Horta‘s comments about Lindsay at the TCA press tour this week seems to indicate she’s on the right track. “She was great. She was lovely,” Horta told the press about Lindsay’s first day guest-starring on the show, where she plays a popular high school classmate of Betty’s whose life has taken a turn for the worse. “[Lindsay] was 45 minutes early! I was like, wow, I was impressed. She was very nice.”

Hmm, maybe there’s something to this theory. Quick, someone assign a lesbian to Amy Winehouse!

THIS JUST OUT IN VEGAS Liz Feldman’s vlog This Just Out will be returning on July 28 with new episodes. Watch Liz’s new promo for it: – by Sarah Warn

ALL THE GOOD NEWS – AND POETRY – THAT’S FIT TO PRINT Something’s in the water at the New York Times. Something gay.

Last week, they quoted one of our blog posts.

Yesterday, they published an article entitled “Now in Living Rooms, the Host Apparent” about radio and TV personality Rachel Maddow, speculating that she may soon be tapped to headline her own political show. MSNBC President Phil Griffin told the Times: “At some point, I don’t know when, she should have a show. She’s on the short list. It’s a very short list. She’s at the top.”

Entertained by a lesbian during the day and informed by one at night – are Americans ready for that much lesbian sugar in their bowl?

Maddow doesn’t think it’s a problem. “I think Ellen DeGeneres has shown people are ready for her,” Maddow told the Times, adding, “But I will not dance the way Ellen does.”

Then in their Books section the same day, the Times published a profile of openly gay poet Kay Ryan, who was just named America’s poet laureate this week.

Here’s an excerpt from Ryan’s poem “Shark’s Teeth”:

Everything contains some silence an hour of city holds maybe a minute of these remnants of a time when silence reigned, compact and dangerous as a shark.
I think I just found another favorite poet.

As you might remember from BLWE last month, openly gay poet Carol Ann Duffy is one of the top two candidates for the U.K.’s next poet laureate, who will be chosen next year. This makes me wonder: Do queer women make better poets?

Minnie Bruce Pratt, May Sarton, Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, Emily Dickinson, Gwendolyn Brooks, Staceyann Chin, Jeanette Winterson – the list of renowned female poets who happen to be gay (or bi) is lengthy and impressive. Oranges really aren’t the only fruit! (Oh wait, that’s a novel, not poetry. OK, but if Written on the Body isn’t poetry, I don’t know what is!)

My favorite queer poet? Edna St. Vincent Millay, the patron saint of workaholics. I burn my computer monitor at both ends, it will not last the night; but ah, my foes, and oh, my friends, it gives a lovely light!

VIRTUAL PROCESSING We’ve launched two new 3-D chat rooms – a virtual AfterEllen.com, if you will – at afterellen.com/chat. Besides other AfterEllen.com members to talk to, there are swimming pools and movie stars … OK, no movie stars. But Bridget McManus, Karman Kregloe, Lori and I are all going to log in at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET tonight (Friday) to chat with readers for a half hour or so, and laugh at Lori floating around as a bear in a space suit. Join us if you can! (There is a limit to the number of people who can be in the room at any one time, so if you can’t get into one, try the other, and the four of us will go back and forth between rooms if possible.)

by Sarah Warn

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! GLAAD has released its second annual GLAAD Network Responsibility Index, a report that maps the quantity, quality and diversity of images of LGBT people on television. ABC ranked the highest, while NBC and Fox ranked lowest. In terms of lesbian representation, though, AfterEllen.com reports that all networks except Showtime get failing grades.

Out costume designer Patricia Field, who did the wardrobe for Sex and the City, will be doing wardrobe on the upcoming season of Ugly Betty (she also worked on the show’s pilot).

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Showtime is creating a web-based “virtual world” for The L Word.

The lesbian couple who competed on The Amazing Race got married last week in California. Congratulations!

Check out this new French lesbian blog.

Look for more scoop from us on Grey’s Anatomy‘s lesbian story line on Monday!

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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