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HNR Forums - The Hollywood North Report Message Boards _ General TV Chat _ L WORD SEASON 5
Posted by: 4u2 Apr 9 2007, 10:47 AM
Will Papa return to L Word Season 5?
Casting -- Janina Gavankar -- best known as Microsoft search engine host Ms. Dewey -- will play a beauty pageant winner with anger management issues in "Dash 4 Cash." Thesp recently played Papi on Showtime's "The L Word." Other credits include the "Barbershop" pics.
Dash 4 Cash (CBS Par TV)
Exec producers: Kelsey Grammer, Steve Stark
Co-exec producers: Boyce Bugliari & Jamie McLaughlin (writers)
Cast: Bert Belasco, Yohann Urb, Jud Tylor, Kevin Christy, Brianna Brown, Serah D’Laine , Maulik Pancholy
Logline: A scripted look behind the scenes of a reality show, which follows six teams who compete in a contest that tests their mettle and brings out the best and worst in each of them.
Posted by: 4u2 Apr 12 2007, 11:05 AM
Interview With Kristanna Loken
by
Malinda Lo
, Managing Editor
April 12, 2007
Openly bisexual actress Kristanna Loken may have made her biggest pop cultural impact by playing the sleek and deadly Terminatrix in T3: Rise of the Machines (2003), but the 27-year-old actress has been acting almost all her life, beginning with a recurring role as Danielle Andropoulos on the daytime soap As the World Turns in 1994. More recently, she played a vampire hunter in the Guinevere Turner-penned horror flick BloodRayne (2005), a tree nymph in Sci Fi's In the Name of the King (2007), and single mom (and Shane's girlfriend) Paige on the fourth season of Showtime's The L Word.
Her varied acting experiences have prepared her well for her newest role, the title character on Sci Fi's new series Painkiller Jane. Loosely based on the comic book series of the same name by Jimmy Palmiotti, the television show is about a covert agency that tracks down neurological aberrants, or "neuros." Loken's character, former DEA agent Jane Vasco, discovers that she has some abnormal skills of her own: She can be injured — and she can certainly feel the pain — but she heals very quickly and can survive experiences that would kill ordinary people. In the process, she kicks a lot of ass while taking down the bad guys.
Loken is co-executive producing the 22-episode series, which premieres on Friday, April 13 at 10 p.m. EST on Sci Fi. I recently talked with her about her new series, her experiences on The L Word, and how she feels about Michelle Rodriguez, with whom she has been linked romantically. "All I can say is I'm a very honest person," she told us, and her honesty just makes her all the more appealing.
[Warning: Some spoilers ahead for Painkiller Jane and The L Word.]
AfterEllen.com: Can you tell me how you became involved with the show? You're an executive producer now too, right?
Kristanna Loken: Sure, yes. I had done a miniseries for Sci Fi called Dark Kingdom [later renamed Curse of the Ring ] that aired last year that did well for the network, and they had been trying to create something and work with me in another capacity. The foreign producers that we worked with for Dark Kingdom were also working again with Sci Fi, and … Sci Fi had been trying to develop Painkiller Jane for a bit. They did a pilot a couple years ago that they just weren't quite pleased with, and they thought maybe they could develop it better with me.
I wasn't sure at first if I really wanted to sign onto a huge commitment of 22 episodes, but I actually fell in love with the comic. I'm not a comic book person by trade but Jimmy [Palmiotti] really created a very rich, very unique character. … Even though [Jane Vasco] heals from her physical traumas, she takes on the mental and emotional pain, so she's a bit tortured without being depressed. So I thought a tamed superhero would be a fun dichotomy of a character to play with.
I had produced my first independent last year called Lime Salted Love that premiered at the Whistler Film Festival and is now going to be at the Long Beach Film Festival, and I've been doing this since I was 13, and … producing just kind of seemed like a natural progression for me. So I decided that if I wanted to come on board for 22 episodes and make this huge commitment … I wanted to have some creative control over it, so that's when they also brought me on as a creative co-exec producer as well.
AE: So how much input do you have into the story lines?
KL: A lot. [Laughs.] Some people say, "Oh well, they give the star a producing credit and there you go," but that really wasn't the case at all and hasn't been the case with me. We're shooting here in Vancouver, and our writing and obviously heads of offices are in L.A. and New York, so … for the first few months I was the only creative producer that was here in Vancouver. So all of the questions were being filtered through me — story line-wise, questions from other actors, locations. You name it, I heard about it — to a fault [laughs].
AE: I had a chance to watch the first two episodes, and I have to say there already seems to be something of a queer subtext developing between Jane and her friend Maureen, another agent. I was wondering if this was intentional.
KL: That story line between Jane and Maureen is more developed in the comic. We unfortunately don't really see any of their personal relationship between the two of them in the series, although in talking to Jimmy, he kind of mentioned the fact that they had been lovers at the DEA in the comic, although we never really explore that in the series.
We do have an interesting, cool model episode where Jane and Maureen go undercover in the model world. You know, who doesn't want to go undercover in that world? We have a model neuro who basically has to kiss these young girls to retain her youth. She's actually quite old, but she keeps modeling through this — kind of the kiss of death theory. So we do explore some alternative story lines.
I, of course, am always for that in my art and craft, and I think there should never be anything left unexplored, so hopefully we'll do more of that.
AE: You've become known for playing action heroes in your films, but you've also played dramatic roles, most recently on The L Word as Paige. Which do you prefer?
KL: I like a combination. I think that was one of the reasons why I was very attracted to the Jane character … [because] she had so many different colors and she was very flawed. I mean, in order to play a superhero you have to have a flaw, so in some way you can root for the hero. Even in T3 when you're shooting children at point-blank range, you have to somehow want to root for me. So you have to find the human aspects, and Jane on that level had quite a few, so that was attractive to me.
I loved playing the character Paige on The L Word, [a] single mother just dealing with having an open kind of sexual mindset. I like exploring all aspects of these characters, and also within myself, so I've really been very open to diverse kinds of roles.
But I did miss carrying a weapon, I have to say. [Laughs.] I like the fight training.
AE: Is that your favorite part of playing a superhero kind of character?
KL: Yeah, it's fun to practice their strengths. I've done some medieval things with swords and shields and axes and spears. I have a dance and horseback riding background, so to me, the choreography is like learning a dance. So it's definitely a fun aspect for me.
AE: Are there any heroes or heroines you've looked to for inspiration in playing the character of Jane?
KL: No, actually, not anyone specific. I think the only thing I can say is that I really got a lot more of the character when I read the comics, so definitely kudos to Jimmy. But as far as — you know, I always liked Sigourney Weaver in Alien . She really has nothing to do with the Jane character, but I always felt she was a real pioneer for strong women in cinema.
AE: In the second episode, Jane receives a call from someone who appears to be her boyfriend. I was wondering if she is ever going to have a romantic life outside of her job.
KL: She does. We do explore a bit of that. It's not a huge aspect of the show. … but we definitely want to give Jane a sexuality, so we'll see some of that.
AE: How many episodes of Painkiller Jane have you shot so far?
KL: We're on about the 13th, I believe, so we're about halfway through. We are actually going to take the last four episodes to Budapest, to Hungary and shoot them there, which is probably where we will find the … internment center, the holding area for the neuros.
I think shooting abroad always gives a show a really rich, interesting [look]. Highlander did it great when they went to Paris . … And it always brings another aspect. I mean, I've shot in Eastern Europe before; the locations are just fantastic, and you really get a sense and feel of the old world, so I think it'll be really good for the show.
AE: You were over there shooting BloodRayne, right? Is that where they shot it?
KL: Well, actually I wasn't in Hungary; we were in Romania.
AE: Oh, OK. How did you feel about your performance in BloodRayne?
KL: Good. For what it was, for what the show is, you know, I always try to do my best work with the material that I'm given and the people I'm working with. It was an adaptation from a video game, but I really enjoyed working with Sir Ben Kingsley, and [director] Uwe [Boll] is always a trip to work with.
AE: Looking ahead a bit, Painkiller Jane has been ordered for 22 episodes. Do you think if it's picked up for another season you'll continue on with this?
KL: Yeah, you know what? I really think I would. It's different for me to be committed to — well, to anything. [Laughs.] My life — I've never been a big one for commitment, but there's something wonderful about knowing you've got a job for eight months and the stability that goes along with it.
It's also hard, too. I generally have been fortunate enough to take a lot of time off in the past few years to go to my beach house in Cape Town and travel around the world and just have a lot of fun. … This show has posed a lot of new challenges for me in my world and in my creative life, and it's really, I think, helped my craft a lot to just be thrown into these situations on a daily basis and have to perform. So I think it's only making me a stronger actress and artist, and for that I'm grateful.
AE: I wanted to ask you about the interview you did with The Advocate a few months ago. What kind of reaction did you get to that interview?
KL: Well, definitely all I can say is I'm a very honest person, and I think if there's one thing in this business, people tend not to be. And at the end of the day, I'd like to go home and know that I was honest with myself and who I am and what I'm about. To me, I've heard nothing but positive feedback from the interview itself and from the photography and everything, so yeah, so I think it was a good article to have done.
AE: You've also said that you are not going to be returning to The L Word. Were you hoping to become a regular on the series or did you just go in thinking it was going to be a one-season thing?
KL: I actually only signed on to do a few episodes in the beginning, and then the producers and writers were enjoying the story line between Katherine [Moennig] and myself, and so they ended up bringing me on for the rest of the season.
And I am actually going to go back, it looks like, and do just kind of one final episode in their fifth season — I think their first episode, just to kind of tie up the relationship.
AE: Some of those scenes that you shot with Kate Moennig seemed like they might be really uncomfortable physically, like the car scene. Was that fun to do or was it really awkward?
KL: No, you know, I think that was what I loved about the show — they just go for it, and that's the way I like to work. I like to bring a real rawness to what I do, and the fact that … it seems like that would be [uncomfortable] or … you'd be in this kind of compromised position — even if it's an action sequence, always add to it, because it gives you another element that you have to work around, which is always a nice challenge.
AE: So you seem quite a bit taller than Kate. [Laughs.] How did that work out?
KL: Yeah, I'm taller than pretty much everybody. [Laughs.] I'm … a little shy of 6 feet, but I don't have a problem with it. I always say everybody's the same lying down; it doesn't really matter. But she — she wasn't all that OK with me being taller. I wore a lot of flats.
AE: What was it like working with Jennifer Beals?
KL: We didn't really have that much to do together one-on-one, so you know, she was fine. She was fine.
AE: Did you have a chance to work with Pam Grier?
KL: Yeah, Pam was great. Pam has a great energy; she's really fun, really out there, doesn't take herself too seriously, very light. She's very likable.
AE: And how do you feel about the character of Jenny [played by Mia Kirshner], the one that everyone loves to hate?
KL: [Laughs.] Mia. Well, actually, Mia — I've known Mia for a long time on a personal level, so it was nice to see a familiar face on set. And I think what she's done with the character is really kind of interestingly conniving.
AE: If you were a character on The L Word other than Paige, who would you be?
KL: I really like Leisha [Hailey] and what she's done with her character [Alice Pieszecki]. I think she's really a talented actress, and she just kind of embodies … a woman who's confident of herself and her sexuality and doesn't need to wear it on her arm to prove it.
My sister's a lesbian and extremely feminine, and I really respect her choice of who to love and be confident within that. So I think Leisha's character is really a character that more women should see and know about. And young girls too, to know that it's OK if you want to wear … what you want to and be feminine and be confident of who you are and who you choose to love — that that's all right.
AE: Leisha Hailey and you are some of the actors on The L Word who have chosen to be open about your sexuality. [Daniela Sea, who plays Max, and Jane Lynch, who plays Joyce Wischnia, are also openly queer.] Have you ever worried that might be detrimental to your career?
KL: I don't really care, you know what I mean? Like … you go to a bakery and they say, "This is the best apple pie you've ever had." Well, not everybody's gonna think that. So people are gonna either choose to like and endorse me for my work, or they're not, and that's up to them.
But I'm confident with who I am and being openly bisexual, and I think … it's up to my generation to be open about that and to let people know that it's OK to be confident with who they are so that prejudice and judgment can become less through the years and for future generations.
AE: Some of the cast members simply refuse to talk about their sexual orientation — a lot of actresses are like that, actually. Do you think that's just a personal choice?
KL: I think it's fear. I think it's fear of "Oh, I'm not gonna get the job," or "Oh, they're not gonna want to hire me for this," or "Oh, they're not gonna want to do that." Well, I can't live in fear of my life. If you hold yourself back personally, I think you hold yourself back professionally; that's just how I feel. And I think people can see it in the work. If you're not honest with yourself, how can you be honest in your performance? That's kind of how I feel.
AE: Well, if you could date any character on The L Word, who would you date?
KL: Hmm … I would say Daniela. [She's] definitely got a hot thing going on, and she's just really a sweet, interesting person, too.
AE: Daniela as the character Max?
KL: Yeah.
AE: All right. Are you dating anyone now?
KL: I'm in a committed relationship right now.
AE: What is the status of your relationship with Michelle Rodriguez now?
KL: We're great friends. She'll always remain a great, close friend of mine. I'll always love Michelle.
AE: Is there anybody that you'd particularly like to work with in the future?
KL: I've always loved Kate Winslet. She's one of my all-time favorite actresses. Ever since Heavenly Creatures, I just fell in love with her and think she's so gifted and gives so much and is so free in her choices and with who she is, and I would just love to work with her someday.
AE: Is there anything you'd like to say to your lesbian and bisexual fans? I know you have a lot of them.
KL: That's good! Hmm, I don't know, let me think about that. … I guess just growing up in the community with my sister, it's always been a really important part of my life, and I can't imagine not being open with my sexuality or with who I am.
For many, many years I struggled with even just choosing a gender. I'd be in a relationship with one, and I'd want to be in a relationship with another one — I mean as far as gender went, and it was really confusing for me until I accepted the fact that I'm simply attracted to a person and loving them on that level, and gender really becomes secondary.
I think the bisexual community is really a difficult niche, because you're not really taken seriously by either the straight community or the gay community, so it's hard to find that acceptance. But I guess I would just say: Be confident with just being able to love who you choose, whether it's a man or a woman, and know that that's OK.
Posted by: 4u2 Apr 18 2007, 11:03 AM
Interview: In the first series Shane has an affair with Cherie, the married film producer. What advice would you give to someone who falls for a straight chick??
Katherine: I hope they're not married, but you really can't help who you fall in love with, so it's all fair game. If you can, don't do it, but life has a really funny way of working itself out sometimes.
Interview: In series one, Tammy Lynn Michaels' character, Lacey, stalks Shane. Any tips on the best way to ditch stalkers?
Katherine: Change your phone number and block their calls.
Interview: Shane's infamous for her one-night stands. What advice do you have for wannabe lesbian players?
Katherine: You're asking the wrong person. I don't know.
Interview: C'mon, any advice from what you've seen your friends do?
Katherine: Erm, the one-night stand thing doesn't sound like fun to me so I don't want to embellish on that.
Interview: Shane says no to several admirers. How does a gay girl-about-town politely bat off the mingers?
Katherine: 'Thank you, you're very sweet but not right now'.
Interview: 'You're not my type'?
Katherine: No, that's a little harsh. Always putting it on you is much better than putting it on them.
Interview: Cherie breaks Shane's heart in series one when - quelle surprise - she decides to stay with her husband. Any tips on dealing with unrequited love?
Katherine: Anger always works. Keeping in mind the things that weren't perfect and not being idealistic helps.
Interview: When Jenny and Carmen get it on in series two, Shane tries to keep cool. How do you cope when a friend cops off with the girl you fancy?
Katherine: I don't know. I don't play into the triangle game. I would just walk away.
Interview: When Cherie comes looking for Shane after she's ditched her bloke, Shane is now shacked up with Carmen. Shane gives Cherie a go - what would you do if a former love rocked up saying 'I made a mistake'?
Katherine: I'd just say 'Sorry, you've had your chance'.
Interview: What's the secret to a successful monogamous relationship?
Katherine: Trust.
Interview: Carmen and Shane get tattoos to prove their love for each other. Dumb or not?
Katherine: Kiss of death. I would never do it. Bonding rituals are cool - anything but a tattoo.
Interview: Carmen says she cheats on Shane. How would you respond to something like that?
Katherine: You have to have some strong will, but pack your bags and leave. You can talk about it and of course it depends on the situation, but I would leave.
Interview: Carmen's family reject her and Shane in series three when Carmen comes out. What's a gay girl to do?
Katherine: You have to be yourself. If you are, hopefully your loved ones will come around, but you should never hold yourself back.
Posted by: 4u2 Apr 18 2007, 11:04 AM
Leisha Hailey’s Hangin’ in La Cucina
While Leisha Hailey has earned raves for her delightful portrayal of neurotic bisexual radio host Alice Pieszecki on Showtime’s The L Word, she’s been spending more time between seasons working on music ( the onetime member of The Murmurs has her own label, Marfa Records ) than on other acting gigs. But finally, the actress-rocker-pitchwoman is putting her dramatic talent to uses for another project—and it’s not Yoplait: The Musical. Hailey is set to join supermodel Rachel Hunter, Joaquim de Almeida ( Desperado ) , and Oz Perkins ( Anthony’s son ) in La Cucina, an indie from first-time directors Allison R. Hebble and Zed Starkovich. No word yet on the plot of the movie, which is still in pre-production, but it’s definitely good news for those of us who want more Leisha in our lives.
Posted by: 4u2 Apr 18 2007, 11:06 AM
The Stars Spill Some Secrets at GLAAD
by
Malinda Lo
, Managing Editor
April 17, 2007
Last Saturday at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, Hollywood came out to show their support for queer folks at the 18th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, which will air on April 21 on Logo, AfterEllen.com's parent company. Among the stars in attendance were Sarah Paulson, Martina Navratilova, Work Out's Jesse Brune, The L Word's Laurel Holloman and Rachel Shelley, and South of Nowhere's Mandy Musgrave and Gabrielle Christian. As they made their way down the red carpet before the show, I had the chance to talk with some of them about the GLAAD Awards and what we can expect from their shows next season.
[Warning: Some spoilers for The L Word, South of Nowhere and Work Out.]
The L Word: "If I could write it, I would have it happen"
Laurel Holloman, Rachel Shelley and Marlee Matlin attended the GLAAD Awards shortly after The L Word wrapped up its fourth season, in which Holloman's character, Tina, spent much of the season in a relationship with a man. Holloman admitted that Tina's relationship with Henry (Steven Eckholdt) was a "challenge" for her to portray.
"Getting stuck with a guy is not a great thing on The L Word and didn't really give me a lot of opportunities to work," she told AfterEllen.com, "and I wish that the story line had gotten explored just so you could see either how unhappy Tina was … or why she made that choice. I think it was a tricky story line, and I really look forward to fifth season, because it's gonna be very different for all of us, but very different for Tina."
Asked whether she felt uncomfortable with the bisexual story line, Holloman responded: "I just didn't see it coming, but that was part of Tina's history. I think it was a story line Ilene [Chaiken] thought was important 'cause she'd seen it happen, and she wanted to put it out there. She wanted to tell the story, and of course it created a really nice drama for Bette and Tina."
Holloman also said she is pulling for Bette and Tina to reunite. "If I could write it, I would have it happen," she said, but she also noted that Tina "just needs to grow up a bit, too, and be on her own and date some women." Holloman believes that Tina has matured quite a bit since the first season, and her relationship with Bette has also evolved — despite their ups and downs and Bette's new relationship with Marlee Matlin's character.
"It's very different, the dynamic" between Tina and Bette, Holloman said. "They're becoming friends. Like if you really look at the end of fourth season, they're talking to each other with complete honesty. … [Tina] can say to [Bette], 'You're a control freak'; 'This is what messed up.' That was never happening before."
Rachel Shelley's character, Helena, has also changed quite a bit since she first joined the show in its second season, but Shelley believes the old Helena — Shelley characterized her as "a very strong, manipulative woman" — is still there. "She's been Californiarized," Shelley told us, "but … those elements of her are still there. Like when she was trying to get a job, she would be quite fierce."
By the end of the fourth season, Helena had tried her hand at a variety of careers (after being cut off from her inheritance at the end of the third season), including salon assistant to Shane, caterer, and gambler/companion to the wealthy Catherine Rothberg (Sandrine Holt). But in the fourth season finale, Helena set herself up for a criminal future after taking a large amount of Catherine's cash.
When asked what sort of career she thought Helena should choose in the fifth season, Shelley responded, "I can't give away what's happening, but I don't think she's gonna have much of a choice."
Posted by: 4u2 Apr 28 2007, 11:17 AM
L Word Convention coming to LA
October 26th-28th
Guest: Leisha Hailey
www.starfuryusa.com
There are two types of tickets available for this event, the Browncoat Pass,
and the Alliance Pass
THE PLANET PASS
• Entry to all guest talks
• The best seating for daytime convention main auditorium events all THREE DAYS
• COMPLIMENTARY AUTOGRAPHS from each of our headline guests
• First to get autographs as they are done row by row and you are in the front rows
• A full colour complimentary convention programme, suitable for getting signed
• Admission to a Planet Pass Holders Only exclusive party on both the Friday and Saturday night at La Cantina Restaurant, to be attended by the headline guests (and a few surprises as well).
• Admission to a Sunday night end of convention party at Element Nightclub
• A Planet Pass is priced at $400 for adults
THE REGULAR PASS
• Entry to all guest talks
• COMPLIMENTARY AUTOGRAPHS from each of our headline guests
• A full colour complimentary convention programme, suitable for getting signed
• Admission to a Sunday night end of convention party at Element Nightclub
• A Regular Pass is priced at $250 for adults
Ticket prices do not include meals or accomodations..
AUTOGRAPHS & PHOTO SESSIONS
The ticket price for this event includes one autograph from each of our headline guests. The guests will be signing on both the Saturday and Sunday afternoons, for the Browncoat Pass holders first, and then the Alliance Pass holders. The guests will personalise autographs if requested.
Should you whish to get additional signatures from the guests, they will be available priced at $30 per signature. A complimentary 10x8 colour photo of the guest will be given to you for each additional autograph you purchase.
Autographs from the supporting guests will be priced at $20 per signature, and will include a complimentary 10x8 photograph of the guest.
Each one of the guests will also participate in a photo session during the event, at which you can have your picture taken with one of the guests by a professional photographer. The photo will then be developed and ready for collection before the convention is over.
A photo with one of the headline guests will be $30; a photo with one of the supporting guests will be $20.
ELEMENT, HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES
Situated in the very heart of Hollywood, Element is Hollywoods most prestigious nightclub, and the perfect setting for the convention. This venue not only has all the facilities that a convention requires, but also offers a touch of Hollywood glamour, and is within walking distance of many of Tinsle Towns most noted landmarks.
For the evening activities, Planet Pass holders will be invited to an exclusive meet & greet celebrity party held at La Cantina. This popular restaurant will offer a relaxed and intimate enviroment for the celebrity meet & greet.
You can learn more about Element by visiting their website at: www.elementhollywood.com
Posted by: 4u2 Apr 28 2007, 11:18 AM
Quote:
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Leisha Hailey’s Hangin’ in La Cucina
While Leisha Hailey has earned raves for her delightful portrayal of neurotic bisexual radio host Alice Pieszecki on Showtime’s The L Word, she’s been spending more time between seasons working on music ( the onetime member of The Murmurs has her own label, Marfa Records ) than on other acting gigs. But finally, the actress-rocker-pitchwoman is putting her dramatic talent to uses for another project—and it’s not Yoplait: The Musical. Hailey is set to join supermodel Rachel Hunter, Joaquim de Almeida ( Desperado ) , and Oz Perkins ( Anthony’s son ) in La Cucina, an indie from first-time directors Allison R. Hebble and Zed Starkovich. No word yet on the plot of the movie, which is still in pre-production, but it’s definitely good news for those of us who want more Leisha in our lives.
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La Cucina. The Kitchen. The Heart of The House.
O(PRWEB) April 20, 2007 -- On one warm summer evening, four very important meals are being made.
Thirty year old Lily Ireland (Christina Hendrix, "Mad Men") is making a Insalata Caprese for the new and much older man in her life; a photo journalist, born and raised in Spain named Michael (Joaquim de Almeida, "24"), who she couldn't be more excited about.
I was thrilled to have Rachel on board
In the apartment just across the courtyard, a very pregnant Shelly Hynd (Leisha Hailey, "The 'L' Word") is making her best attempt at Lasagna, while her husband Chris (Oz Perkins, "Legally Blonde") looks on, knowing he is moments away from ordering a Pizza… and when he does the highly hormonal Shelly is out the door and straight up the stairs to her friend Jude's (Rachel Hunter) house for some comfort.
Shelly finds Jude lost in her passion, and just beginning an elaborate Italian meal for she and her lover, Celia (Clare Carey, "Jericho"), whom they both know won't make it home in time.
And finally, there is the culinary extravaganza being prepared in front of Celia, who works on a movie set, where on that particular day, they are shooting a couple cooking, while the crew devours pizza on the side-line.
Over the course of the evening, all of the cooks and the guests of the kitchen, truly experience why it is called "The heart of the house." The discussions organically flow to a place where they are all about relationships, and they are all about truth, and desire, and no one is allowed off the hook about all that they are not saying amidst their words.
Rachel's character, Jude is a lesbian, whose favorite pastime is cooking. She is in a long term relationship and is most concerned with enjoying her life, but because of her life experiences of abandonment and discrimination she has adopted the idea that there are many things in life to appreciate and many that must just be accepted because at a certain point one must accept that this is as good as it gets. The irony is that Jude is the character, in this little story, that everyone goes to for advice… and screenwriter A.W. Gryphon wouldn't have it any other way.
"I was thrilled to have Rachel on board" says Gryphon, "She's talented, beautiful and a pleasure to work with." When Gryphon finished the script Rachel was her first call. She loved the idea of her bringing the character of "Jude" to life and when Leisha Hailey signed on as the pregnant girl in the midst of a melt down, to play opposite Hunter, Gryphon was, "over the moon…and the irony of Rachel playing a lesbian giving advice to a pregnant girl, when Rachel is actually straight and Leisha is a lesbian makes it even more fun!"
"La Cucina" wrapped principal photography on April 5. It was produced independently by Starlotte Smith, Jackie Olson, Zachary Kahn, Crystal Santos, and writer/producer A.W. Gryphon, and was directed by newcomers Allison Hebble & Zed Starkovich.
Posted by: 4u2 Apr 28 2007, 11:21 AM
CYBILL SHEPHERD and MARLEE MATLIN will be returning for another season of "The L Word," it was announced by Showtime, which has picked up the controversial series, about a group of successful lesbians living in Los Angeles, for another season.
For the fifth season, Shepherd, who retains her guest-star status, will reprise her role as Phyllis Kroll, the executive vice chancellor of a university who discovers her sexuality late in life, while series regular Matlin returns as sculptor Jodi Lerner, who is engaged in a torrid affair with Bette (series star JENNIFER BEALS).
In homage to our servicemen and women overseas, ROSE ROLLINS will return in her role as Iraq war veteran Tasha, whose war-themed storyline earned the series a Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) Award earlier this year.
"The L Word" also stars LEISHA HAILEY, KATHERINE MOENNIG, LAUREL HOLLOMAN, MIA KIRSHNER, DANIELA SEA and PAM GRIER.
Posted by: 4u2 May 6 2007, 09:48 AM
Production begins JUNE 4TH
Posted by: 4u2 May 9 2007, 10:41 AM
Production begins JUNE 4TH
ends OCT. 10TH
Posted by: 4u2 May 10 2007, 10:48 AM
Daniela Sea:
The Sea Word
By Gillian G. Gaar
In the early ’90s, when she was all of 16, Daniela Sea left her home base of Los Angeles for Berkeley. “I didn’t know anybody there,” she says, “but I was always kind of an outsider in L.A. I was just searching for people who were like me.” Unsurprisingly, Sea found her way to the Gilman Street Project, the legendary all-ages, volunteer-run venue best known for hosting Green Day in the band’s early days. “You used to go every Friday and Saturday night,” Sea recalls. “It didn’t really matter who was playing. I’d been going to punk shows in L.A., and they had a real different vibe about them. Gilman was more politically orientated and more artsy—there was a kind of a sweeter energy about Gilman.”
One of the bands Sea caught at Gilman was Bikini Kill, her introduction to the riot grrrl scene, which she later experienced firsthand when she accompanied her roommate’s band, Econochrist, to Olympia, Wash., where bands like Bikini Kill and Heavens to Betsy were busy promoting “revolution grrrl style now!” Fast-forward to 2007, and Sea and riot grrrl have crossed paths again in Itty Bitty Titty Committee, a film Sea describes as “a feminist action movie,” directed by Jamie Babbit (But I’m A Cheerleader), which boasts a hot soundtrack of not only Bikini Kill and Heavens to Betsy, but also their post-riot-grrrl incarnations, Le Tigre and Sleater-Kinney, plus Team Dresch, Slant Six, Slumber Party and the Need (whose guitarist Radio Sloan also wrote original music for the film). The sharp-eyed will spy Hole’s Patty Schemel playing drums in a band called “the Cheerleaders” that appears in the film.
Itty Bitty, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in February and had its U.S. premiere at SXSW in March, gives the convention of the teen movie a modern twist. Instead of Annette joining Frankie at the local beach party, Anna (Melonie Diaz), a put-upon employee at an L.A. plastic surgery clinic who’s just been dumped by her girlfriend, joins Sadie (Nicole Vicius) and her punk pals in the CIA—Clits In Action—a radical feminist group who engage in such tactics as defacing sexist billboards.
Sea plays Calvin, a soldier just returned from Iraq. “She’s kind of lost in a way,” says Sea. “And then these girls find her and give her a purpose—she’s this explosives specialist and they recruit her! I loved But I’m A Cheerleader, and this just seemed like a special opportunity. It definitely wasn’t for the money; there wasn’t much money to go around. But to be part of something like this seemed really cool. And I liked the character a lot.”
For Sea, working on Itty Bitty was yet another project that gave her “that good feeling of everything coming back around.” Back in the Gilman days, Sea had taken over Matt Freeman’s place in the Gr’ups, when he decided to devote himself full-time to Rancid, and her second band, Cypher in the Snow, played shows with Sleater-Kinney. Years later, Sea joined the cast of Showtime’s lesbian soap opera, The L Word, as Midwest transplant Moira, making the transition to “Max” via some illicitly acquired hormones. And at the club where Max is to pick up his first dose, the band on stage is—drum roll, please—Sleater-Kinney. “It seemed really surreal, because they were part of my reality already,” Sea admits. Even more surreal, perhaps, was the subsequent scene, with Sleater-Kinney still providing background music as Max makes out with Alan Cumming’s character in the club’s back room.
Sea’s entire career has seen her moving from the indie world to the mainstream and back again. After touring Europe with the Gr’ups, she toured the continent again with a performing arts troupe. “Instead of touring with a punk band, this was something that you could bring anywhere,” she explains. “You could go to a village in the middle of nowhere and hang out with the people in Eastern Europe. It just seemed a practical way to live in another country and experience life, a way to participate instead of being a tourist.”
Sea then put her musical interests on hold to pursue acting. Her first film role was in John Cameron Mitchell’s racy Shortbus, and she made appearances in videos by Scissor Sisters and Bright Eyes, but her big break came when she passed on a reel of her work to a friend who was writing for The L Word. Sea landed an audition and five days later was shooting her first scene. Moira/Max added a decidededly butch element to The L Word’s femmey landscape, and one could say it was a role Sea had been preparing for all her life; fascinated by pictures of David Bowie during his Aladdin Sane era, she’d later experimented with gender bending by creating a half man/half woman character during her European performance troupe days, and during one six-month period actually lived as a man in India.
“None of my friends thought [the role] was bizarre at all,” she agrees. “They’re like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s fitting with your crazy life.’ And as an actor, it was a great opportunity; I think we can all relate to the outsider perspective, not quite feeling comfortable in our skin and trying to figure out why that is. And Max definitely tells a story that’s never been told, on TV anyway. And the show itself is pretty exceptional for TV in the sense that it’s pretty political.”
In addition to The L Word and promoting Itty Bitty, which is currently on the film fest circuit, Sea has plenty of other projects going, from auditions, to her own screenplays, to occasional performances with the Exciting Conclusion, “kind of a performance art show” she put together with her girlfriend Bitch, formerly of Bitch and Animal.
“I am interested in trying to show sides of the world that don’t normally make it into the media,” she says. “Each person’s voice or style is unique, and what makes it unique is who’s telling it. I like the idea of being this renaissance person, who is a little bit of an anthropologist, a little bit of a musician, and a little bit of a writer.” By most standards, Sea’s already there.
Posted by: 4u2 May 10 2007, 11:14 AM
Interview With Ariel Schrag
by
Heather A. O'Neill
, Contributing Writer
May 9, 2007
At 27 years old, writer and cartoonist Ariel Schrag has published four comic books, penned a big-screen adaptation of one of them, been the subject of a documentary and been a staff writer on Showtime's The L Word for two seasons. And Schrag started her thriving career young — she began as a teenager growing up in Berkeley, Calif., when she scrupulously documented her life in the autobiographical comic books Awkward, Definition, Potential and Likewise.
At a time when most people are painfully self-conscious and protective, Schrag exposed herself with an honesty and sharpness that captured the attention of underground comics and eventually led to a publishing deal with Slave Labor Graphics. Each book in the series examines a year in Schrag's high school experience, including stories about intricate friendships and crushes, smoking pot in her bedroom, her parents' divorce and the process of coming out as bisexual, and then as a lesbian.
After graduation, Schrag attended Columbia University to study English Literature. It was during her senior year there that director Sharon Barnes filmed the documentary Confession: A Film About Ariel Schrag, which won the NewFest Audience Award in 2004 and later aired on PBS.
Things have only picked up since then. Stuck in the Middle: Seventeen Comics From an Unpleasant Age, an anthology she edited, is due out this month from Viking. And her two years on The L Word aren't the last you'll see of her work in Hollywood. Her book Potential — about her junior year in high school — was recently picked up by Killer Films. It will be directed by Rose Troche, and filming is expected to begin this summer. We recently talked with Schrag about coming out to her parents via her comic books, working on The L Word and her advice for aspiring cartoonists.
AfterEllen.com: As a writer and cartoonist, you're known for your candor. How did your family react to the autobiographical comic book series you wrote in high school?
Ariel Schrag: They were into them. People ask that question because there's a lot of sex and drugs, but there weren't any repercussions. I don't even remember feeling awkward about it. When Definition came out, I said to my dad: "You can look at this, but you can only comment on the art. You can't comment on anything that's happening." He was like, "OK, I like this drawing here and that drawing there." He just pushed past the naked pictures. I was so proud of what I had done that I wanted to share it with them; it just seemed silly to let something like that get in the way.
AE: How did they respond when you came out in the series?
AS: I don't have a clear memory of that. After Definition, there was one time when my mom said, "So are you straight, lesbian or bisexual?" I felt awkward even though I had detailed it with precision in the comics, but in a way I think it made it easier. I could say, "Well, what do the comics say?"
After Potential came out, my dad said, "I didn't know you were having such a hard time." It was sweet. He felt he should respond in a parental way, but they never ever used the comic against me. They never used it as, "You're doing this bad thing" or "You need to tell me about this part of your life now." They were always very respectful.
AE: Were your parents artistic?
AS: My dad was a really good artist. He became a lawyer, but for a long time he did a lot of art. He made an animated film based on Dracula and did illustration and drawings. And my mom is a composer. I was inspired by her when I was younger, living in the same house, because she was always working on her compositions. That just seemed like the thing to do: Stay in your room and work on your art. It's as simple as the person is there doing it constantly. When you realize that's the lifestyle, then you realize you can start doing it, too.
AE: What has the experience been like of adapting Potential into a film?
AS: It's been so fun. When I first took a crack at it, I didn't know what I was doing, but by the second draft I thought I had something very good, and with that we got Rose Troche to direct. We worked together on fixing it up even more, and it became really tight.
Killer Films helped. They came to me and said they were interested in working together, and I said I'd like to adapt Potential. Also, my friends [helped]. I showed it to everybody, which was interesting because with comics, I'm very private. With the script, I held readings at my house. It was much more collaborative.
AE: Speaking of collaborations, how did you get involved in the book Stuck in the Middle: Seventeen Comics from an Unpleasant Age?
AS: An editor at Viking approach me and was interested in doing something together. They have a young adult audience, and I said I had a comic I drew about middle school. They thought it was great [and asked if I could] do a book full of these things. I said what I'd really rather do is create an anthology, because I know so many great cartoonists. I was able to go to a lot of people who I love, so we came out with a really great collection.
AE: What was it like to take part in the documentary film Confession with Sharon Barnes?
AS: That was my senior year in college. Sharon Barnes approached me with the idea, and I thought it sounded totally fun. My whole life people [have accused me] of taking other peoples' lives and turning it into something — writing autobiography is complicated. When Sharon wanted to do this documentary, it felt like a great turning of the tables. The way you're edited completely creates a personality for you the same way creating a comic book character does. I was basically putting myself in her hands and was going to have to deal with the image that she put out.
There are parts that make me cringe, but overall I'm really happy with it. Barnes made me feel really comfortable. They would give me little breaks to rest. You don't realize how exhausting it is to have a camera on you at all times. I didn't think about that part. They would leave the room and let me be alone for like 10 minutes, and I would just collapse. Even though I thought I'd been acting normally, I'd been much more on.
AE: Do you ever cringe when you go back and read your autobiographical series?
AS: No, I don't cringe at all with my comics because they were always within my control. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I'll look back now, surprised with some of the sexual drawings, surprised that I felt no inhibition doing them at the time. But I'm glad that I did, because I think they are a really important part of the story.
AE: Is it more difficult to write about your life with such honesty now as oppose to when you were younger?
AS: There is definitely something about being a teenager that's good for autobiographical comics — though it can be bad, too, because you might think people care about something that they don't actually care about. For me, I was just so excited about all of these things happening for the first time. I wanted to share that and just had no shame. I started them without the idea that they would be widely published. I did it for fun and to create something that I'd wanted to read. There was a freedom to it. Comics were so underground that I was inspired by R. Crumb and Ariel Bordeaux, which were totally exhibitionist comics.
AE: How did you start writing for The L Word?
AS: I watched The L Word and really loved it. I thought: I should write for this. This is what I want to do. My entertainment lawyer at the time represented Rose Troche, so I knew that there was a connection. In one of our meetings I said that I really wanted to work for The L Word. I didn't think anything would come of it, but a couple months later she called me and said, "I gave your script to Rose, and she and Ilene want to meet with you." I worked on the show for the third and fourth season, but I'm not working on it for the fifth season. I started as a staff writer and then was made into story editor.
AE: So you won't be working on The L Word for next season?
AS: No, not for next season.
AE: For any particular reason?
AS: I'm really hoping that my movie is going to be made this summer, and I want to be available for that. I'm doing most of the animation.
AE: Which story lines did you most enjoy writing or working on from The L Word?
AS: The characters that I related to the most, or that I brought close personal knowledge to, were Max and Tasha. I have many friends who transitioned from female to male, all kind of around the same time, and I dated a transsexual woman for a long time, so I was really excited to tell a trans story.
Tasha is based on many different people, and every writer on the show will tell you who she is for them, but for me she's based on my cousin. My cousin is 20 and has been obsessed with the military his whole life. He grew up in a very politically liberal family, the kind that usually doesn't produce kids that want to become soldiers, but that was always his dream. He loves the order and discipline of the military, and he's very patriotic. He's opposed to the war in Iraq and he hates Bush, but he believes in his duty to protect his fellow soldiers and do the best that he can in the given circumstances for his country.
I find his dedication really admirable, but often when people hear of someone in the military, they immediately think that person is either a Bush-loving Republican or was tricked into joining the service because they didn't have any other options. I think [my cousin] is a really important other possibility, and I wanted to bring him out in Tasha's character.
AE: Do any of the people in your life ever object to being depicted in your work?
AS: Some people have seen their representations after they've come out. They knew they were going to be drawn and were fine with it and then after the fact weren't. But it always seemed to me in those cases that it was more of a personal thing — they felt insecure about our relationship or projected onto the image.
There was one girl who got upset, and it was so shocking to me because I didn't think that my portrayal of her was negative — to me it had affection in it. One girl saw her picture and got so angry because she thought she looked fat. Her picture was no different from anyone else.
AE: What inspires you when you're creating a story or drawing an image?
AS: Funny, sad, little things of life. I have a compulsion to create comics. It's about trying to find meaning, rhythms and patterns. The work helps me believe that I can create order out of different things.
AE: Any advice for aspiring cartoonists?
AS: Don't bite off more than you can chew. I've seen so many beginnings of comics that consist of two or three extremely detailed, labor intensively drawn and inked first pages, and then an outline for the rest of the supposed epic story. These almost never get completed. Pick a style you know you can manage to maintain at a steady pace for however many pages you want your comic to be.
I also recommend doing the rough drawings for your entire comic first, before you start inking. Also, don't write a comic just because you want to "write a comic." Write it because you have a story you're inspired to tell.
Posted by: 4u2 May 15 2007, 11:14 AM
VAN ARK WANTS LESBIAN ROLE
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
2007-05-15 05:07:37 -
Former KNOT'S LANDING star JOAN VAN ARK is looking to return to TV - as a lesbian.
The 62-year-old actress is looking to revive her small screen career after years spent acting onstage - and she's looking for a role on gay-girl drama The L Word.
She says, "I'd kill (for that). I'd love it." And she already has an onscreen girlfriend in mind: "Maybe with Rosie O'Donnell because she's going back to do it. We'll be the couple."
Posted by: 4u2 May 20 2007, 09:32 AM
New type of mainstream lesbian on post-millennium TV
Miscellaneous News
Published: Monday, 30-Apr-2007
The New Yorker's take on the 2004 US TV series The L Word- which emblazoned "Not your mother's lesbians" across a photo of the conventionally beautiful female cast draped around each other in a naked cluster - was typical of recent media articles claiming there was a 'new' type of mainstream lesbian on post-millennium TV, said Rebecca Beirne, who graduated with a PhD from the University of Sydney's English Department last week.
It also exemplified the tendency to stereotype and pit against each other different generations of lesbians.
Dr Beirne's research on representations of lesbians in popular culture, particularly television, and what they mean for lesbian culture and visibility has spawned both her PhD thesis, "Pixellating lesbians: lesbian texts and trends after the millennium" and an anthology of solicited academic essays, Televising Queer Women, accepted by international publisher Palgrave Macmillan.
The 'pixellating' of her thesis title refers to the tendency of the media and academics alike to "break lesbian subjectivity and representation down into pixels, then use these tiny elements of the picture to explain lesbianism", she said. The result was oversimplification, distortion of lesbian pasts, and "an urge to proselytise trends as inherently new despite their often recycled natures".
Though more glamorous, the supposedly new images, Dr Beirne found, "were largely very similar in terms of themes and kind of representation to a lot of popular culture images of the nineties and earlier".
The L Word,for instance, both harked back to nineties 'lesbian chic' and sold lesbian narrativessimilarly to how 1950s lesbian pulp novels were sold. The eroticised images, like those of the pulps' covers, were voyeuristically pitched largely at heterosexual men and, akin to the pulps' obligatory punishment of its lesbian heroines, the women in The L Word led mostly unhappy lives to appease potentially homophobic viewers.
Yet The L Word was "a great step forward, showing lesbian stories on television to a degree we've never had before," Dr Beirne said, serving a similar function to the flawed 1950s pulps whose lesbian readers were still excited to see themselves in print.
In representing lesbian sexuality, mainstream television's impulse was either to hypersexualise - as in the "Hot girl-on-girl action" Channel 10 promised in The OC - or to be very chaste as in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, frequently praised for its lesbian representation.
"While Buffy's other characters are seen having sexual relations with their partners on the show, the sexual contact between Willow and Tara, one of whom is a witch, is displaced into their 'doing magic together'," Dr Beirne said. "People trying to create positive representations are often scared they'll be accused of putting the lesbian in for the titillation factor, so they go too far in the other extreme."
The US version of Queer as Folk was a 'very curious' show, she said. "In most television with mainly heterosexual characters they often have gay male characters who are desexualised and the butt of jokes. In Queer as Folk, mostly about gay men, the lesbian characters take up the position that gay male characters usually do: lots of misogynist jokes are made against them and, compared to the men, they're presented as very straight-laced, very monogamous, very desexualised with the focus on them as mothers. So it's going back to a traditional view of women and situating them outside potential radicalism."
Even though in actual lesbian communities there were a lot of androgynous looking women, feminine lesbians predominated disproportionately over masculine lesbians on noughties TV, Dr Beirne said. Yet while the more masculine lesbians were largely disparaged on TV, they were afforded more authenticity as 'real' lesbians.
When there was an attempt to represent masculine lesbians, they still had to be glamorous, like Melanie in Queer as Folk.
"Mel is talked about on the show as if she's a very butch woman, but you look at her and she's conventionally beautiful and very feminine, though she has short hair. So mainstream TV gestures occasionally at there being masculine women but is still too scared to represent them."
Although the lesbian serial killer image prevalent in the 1970s still sometimes popped up in programs like Law and Order, representation of lesbians was generally more positive than before 2000, Dr Beirne found, though still not very realistic.
"But you don't see very realistic images of women on television", she said. "They're usually hyperbolic".
British was more realistic than US television's representation and also responsible for some complex characterisations in fine adaptations of novels like Sarah Waters' Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith.
A new and welcome trend, Dr Beirne said, was the move towards lesbian characters in TV programming for teenagers - not just as one-off 'special issue' characters as in soapies like Neighbours, but as leads. Notable examples were the UK's Sugar Rush which, unusually for teenage television, foregrounds desire and the US's South of Nowhere with a focus on identity.
Along with mainstream TV, Dr Beirne also looked at samples of lesbian popular cultural production, analysing both in the context of lesbian culture and feminist, lesbian and queer discourses.
Amongst these were the Sydney strip event Gurlesque, which she found synthesised sex-radical and lesbian-feminist perspectives that are often described as ideologically opposed, and Bechdel's ongoing comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For which represented a microcosm of lesbian cultural and political history through engaging its disparate characters in constant dialogue.
Dr Beirne's Televising Queer Women, the first book-length academic work to exclusively discuss the representation oflesbian and bisexualwomen on television, is due out early next year.
Meantime, Dr Beirne's scholarship has earned her nomination as an "expert of international standing" by the ARC College of Experts.
Posted by: 4u2 May 20 2007, 09:34 AM
Wilkes University Confers 654 Degrees at 60th Annual Spring Commencement
Wilkes University President Tim Gilmour today conferred 286 bachelor’s, 307 master’s and 61 Doctor of Pharmacy degrees during the University’s 60th Annual Spring Commencement. The ceremony took place at 2 p.m. at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township.
Greetings were offered by distinguished members of the platform party including Dr. Gilmour; Dr. Bernard Graham, Interim Provost; Mr. John R. Miller ‘68, Chairman of the Board of Trustees; Dr. Arthur Kibbe, chairman of the faculty affairs council; and, Mr. Salman Punekar, a member of the class of 2007 who received his bachelor of business administration. Father Gerald J. Gurka Pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Larksville and a member of the graduating class with a master of arts in creative writing, delivered the invocation. The benediction was offered by Ms. Angela I. Hermes, coordinator of campus interfaith.
In his address to the graduates, Gilmour reflected on the class of 1957, a storied class in Wilkes history which includes many scholars, renowned physicians and successful business leaders.
“Pound for pound, any institution would be proud to call the Class of ’57 their own,” said Gilmour. “There are those who believe the Class of 2007 could be another class on whom the stars will fall. We do expect great things from you and, like the Class of 1957, we hope you will give back to your university with your time, your talent and your treasure. And we believe you will do that while doing great, positive things in the world.”
The keynote address was offered by Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin who won the 1986 Academy Award for Best Actress for her motion picture debut in Children of a Lesser God. She currently has a starring role on Showtime’s The L Word.
Matlin, who is deaf, signed her speech. An interpreter spoke to the graduates, family and guests. The title of Matlin’s speech was “From Disabilities to Abilities: The Miracle of Possibilities.”
Prior to commencement, Matlin participated in a meet-and-greet with graduates from the master of arts in creative writing program and graduates of the department of visual and performing arts. Matlin’s production company Solo One Productions optioned a screenplay written by Dr. Bonnie Culver, professor of English and director of Wilkes’ creative writing program. The screenplay, RAINING RAINBOWS, is a full-length feature film about a deaf boy, his estranged father, and a woman (Matlin’s character) who helps them come together.
The university presented Matlin with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letter, honoris causa
Posted by: 4u2 May 22 2007, 11:02 AM
By BetteAndTinaForever
I went to the 18th Annual GLAAD Media Awards last Saturday as it was held at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. As press representative of L-word.com, I was allowed to take pictures and interview guests and celebrities during their arrivals for the ceremony. It was my second “red carpet” experience for L-word.com, and I was excited to see the cast of The L Word, though I didn’t know who would appear.
When I received the press information on the attendees and celebrities, my eyes immediately went to the cast members of The L Word…after all, I’m mainly doing this for them. Imagine my joy and happiness when my most favorite Laurel Holloman was scheduled to appear, along with Rachel Shelley and Marlee Matlin. I almost jumped happily but had to restrain myself because there were a lot of press and attendees in the room already.
I hate to admit it, but there were a few celebrities I didn’t know, but then again, I can’t possibly watch all the TV shows that have gay and lesbian characters.
I was placed at the end of the red carpet, unfortunately, because all the major news stations, newspapers and websites were given the priority standing. It didn’t really bother me that much because I was waiting for The L Word ladies to come through, hoping that they would stop for the pictures and some interviews. I was so preoccupied with looking for them that when Jennifer Aniston went pass me all I could think was, “Here goes Jennifer Aniston…where is Laurel?”
Finally, about quarter to seven, I spotted Laurel Holloman, Rachel Shelley, and Marlee Matlin. They were, of course, preoccupied with all the other reporters that were ahead of me but I kept hoping they will stop and chat with me. And they did…in fact, all three recognized me and waved at me. Laurel even winked at me, making my heart melt, and then they posed for me for a few minutes. I didn’t have chance
to talk to them a lot because the show was starting at seven but I did managed to ask Laurel a few questions, as well as listen to some other interviewers that were standing near me.
Marlee Matlin was telling about her decision to join the cast of The L Word when she said, “this is one of the kind show…there are so many shows, fantastic shows that feature gay characters but I don’t think that there’s nothing like this particular show. I have my favorite but I won’t mention it, I think this is my favorite. L word is so unique in that the storylines were compelling and entertaining and you know, you tell wonderful stories in twelve episodes and you want more.”
While I was busy taking pictures, Laurel Holloman was talking to a reporter from AfterEllen.com about the storyline of Tina going back to men and how she feels about TiBette storyline. What made me happy as a TiBetter was the fact that right away Laurel said without hesitation that she wants Bette and Tina back together, and if she could write it, she would make it happen but she doesn’t know what Ilene is going to do.
Laurel also said that, though, Tina-going-back-to-men storyline was interesting it was also a challenge sometimes, especially for her because it was not such a great thing to be stuck with a guy on The L Word and she didn’t have a lot of opportunities to work. I think Laurel was talking about the first half of the fourth season when we barely have seen her on the screen. Laurel also said that she wished that storyline was explored more, so the viewers could see if Tina was happy or unhappy or why she made that choice to be with a man. Ilene thought this storyline was important because she saw it happened before. Laurel mentioned a few times before in other interviews that she didn’t see that storyline coming but it was part of Tina’s history and, of course, that storyline created such a nice drama for Bette and Tina, (because we all love drama so much, I thought sarcastically). Then Laurel pointed at Marlee Matlin who was giving her interviews to another reporter and Laurel sort of giggled (very adorably) and said, “I think she created a nice drama too.”
Laurel added that she thinks Tina still have a lot of work to do to get back into that relationship. She still needs to grow up a bit and be on her own and date some women. Tina is more mature now comparing to the first season, though we didn’t see her that much because she was with the guy but the dynamic between Bette and Tina was very different, especially at the end of the fourth season. Laurel said that that difference in Bette and Tina relationship was in their communication because “they are talking to each other with complete honesty … and that has never happened before.”
Laurel also said that she looks forward to season 5 because it will be very different for them all and especially it will be different for Tina, because she will be no longer with Henry. Laurel confirmed that Tina and Henry broke up and that Tina totally dumped him and at the end of the season she definitely had a crush on Annabella’s character, Kate Arden. I don’t know if it means that Kate Arden will be back but Laurel was very excited about the new season.
Then it was my turn for the interview, though I didn’t have much time left. My first question was about Tina’s decision to let Bette go when she came to her for advice about Jodi and how hard it was for Tina to do it, since she’s obviously still in love with Bette. Laurel replied, “I think Tina said it perfectly in that one scene with Kate Arden when she says, ‘I don’t feel entitled to complicate her life right now because I broke her heart’, and … I think that she’s kind of like Cyrano de Bergerac when she’s helping Bette and I think that’s what you do when you love somebody. You do whatever you can and then you just hope that they will come back to you and that’s what I think was happening.”
I also asked Laurel’s opinion about the scene on the beach when Bette called Tina about the last advice what to say to Jodi and that everybody thought that the words were from Tina to Bette. Laurel said, “Of course, it was.” Then I asked if she thinks that Bette understood it the same way. Laurel replied, “I think that if Bette would have seen Tina’s saying it than she might’ve known exactly what was going on. I think that there just too many layers but I think that Tina meant everything for Bette. It was very generous act on Tina’s part.”
I had so many other questions to ask but Laurel was taken away from me because the show was about to start so I pretty much shouted the last question at her, “Do you think that there’s still hope for them getting back together?” and Laurel turned around, smiled and simply said, “Yes.”
Posted by: 4u2 May 31 2007, 09:24 AM
Marlee Matlin Responds To My Blog!
Posted May 25th 2007 2:33PM by Mo Rocca
Filed under: American Idol, Marlee Matlin
The firestorm generated by my post and poll regarding Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin's attendance at Tuesday night's American Idol has culminated with an insightful and inspiring message from none other than Marlee herself. It all started with a message from her interpreter, Jack Jason.
Here's what he wrote:
Mo. Try and figure this out. Marlee is deaf but her kids are not and they're fans. She didn't want her 11 year old daughter going to the show unaccompanied. Plus, Marlee is deaf not blind. Half the show is about the spectacle and why would a person who is a fan of this kind of stuff want something like deafness get in her way? If that were the case, she would've never entered acting and won an Academy Award because she's "handicapped." Thank goodness comments, even jokingly, like the ones you made don't bother her. But you know what bothers me? Comments like the one you made might come across to people who might have never met a deaf person as fact and just onfirm the misconception that all deaf people do is sit in silence and close themselves off from the world; far from it.
And I'm speaking as a person who knows Marlee well; I'm the interpreter guy, Jack, who's worked with her for 21 years and my parents are deaf too.
Have a good one.
Jack Jason
Then I wrote:
First off, Jack, I thank you for taking the time to write. In fact I don't know any deaf people. And all the comments, including yours, have filled me in on how much I don't know.
Like too many people, I'm afraid, I've assumed that "deaf" means that someone cannot hear at all. Certainly I'd heard of people being "partially deaf," but I've always defaulted to the assumption that a deaf person can't hear at all.
But even if someone cannot hear at all, that person can still appreciate the spectacle that is American Idol. Marlee Matlin is obviously a person of the world - a rightly acclaimed actress, brilliant in Children of a Lesser God, Picket Fences, The West Wing and so many other films and TV shows. And a mother who wanted to take her 11 year old to the Kodak Center for a fun night out.
As for the commenters who've labeled me the deaf community's Imus, they're overreacting. If what people want is an apology, I'll grant one under only one condition: that I get to deliver to Marlee in person. (I'm a huge fan!)
Oh, and Jack, if you can get Marlee to comment on my blog, I'll flip. None of the other aol bloggers have gotten comments from even Oscar nominees.
And then came Comment #1 ... from Marlee Matlin. See below.
1. Mo - here's your dream come true. Marlee asked me to pass along this note to you. Feel free to post it.
Mo,
Thanks for making time for Jack. I agree with you; he made some good points. That's what I pay him for.
Here's the short version of my thoughts. If this kind of stuff bothered me, I wouldn't have ever done shows like "Seinfeld" and "My Name is Earl" where they poked fun at being deaf. But that's what satire and humor is all about. I don't mind that people wondered why Marlee Matlin was at American Idol. Kathy Griffin even said it to me. She asked "Why are you here? You're deaf." And I deadpanned, "Shhh. Don't tell anyone. I've been faking it all this time." After a few seconds of silence, we broke out laughing and she said she was going to use it in her act. I loved that.
At the end of the day it's not the humor or the jokes that bother me, it's the real stuff like discrimination, lack of understanding, and inequality that ticks me off. Even more annoying are people who actually take the humor and use it to reinforce their prejudices. It's true some of your readers might have been sensitive to your comments but that's because they've been on the receiving end of ignorance - big time. So maybe that means we should choose our words carefully. At the same time, I think free speech and common sense are important too. So, you won't see me going Al Sharpton on you if you want to make a joke about me or my deafness. I'd just hope that people would just consider what they say and what they label as "humor" in this YouTube, Instant Message world where things get replayed over and over again until we're desensitized. And I'm referring to both pro and con arguments. Let's just lower the volume, I say. (Pun intended).
Mo, the only thing I can't do is hear. I actually love music and can hear a little because I wear a hearing aid. At concerts, I watch how singers perform on stage (and isn't that what Randy and Simon said, that Blake was the best "performer"?), I watch body movements, observe clothing choices, and can actually tell when someone is a bad singer just by the way they move. But enough of the technical stuff. I bet if we met, you'd find me to be the loudest person you ever knew; I'm anything but "silent."
Speaking of meeting, if you want to fawn at my feet and worship my Oscar, you're welcome to come on up to Vancouver. I'm having a great time being Jennifer Beals' main squeeze on "The L Word" but I'll make time for you. We'll have some milk and cookies.
Best,
Marlee Matlin
Posted by: 4u2 Jun 1 2007, 10:08 AM
A Cup of Coffee with… Jane Lynch
Steve Stajich, Mirror Contributing Writer
You’ve seen and enjoyed Jane Lynch; you just might not know Jane Lynch. A regular in the ensemble of Christopher Guest’s comedy films, she’s also played a “shrink” on CBS’ Two and Half Men and had a recurring role in Showtime’s The L Word. On Sunday, June 3, Lynch will appear in “What a Pair,” a benefit for breast cancer research at the John Wayne Center at Saint John’s to be held at the Orpheum Theater. Over a cup of coffee, the Mirror’s Steve Stajich talked to Lynch about acting and being a female comedy performer.
It’s tough times for TV comedy right now. What’s on that you like or think is funny?
I think that The Office is brilliant. I read the pilot for My Name is Earl and that was a fantastic, dark, quirky pilot and [now] it’s not so dark and quirky.
Is it difficult to sustain more interesting tones in television series?
I think so, because the audience doesn’t want it. The people who watch network TV don’t really want – they want… They don’t want to think too hard. And that’s why Arrested Development went away and it was one of the smartest things on television.
You have a long list of credits; you play a wide variety of roles. Does that condemn you in some way to being one of those “Oh, it’s her…” kind of actors where people don’t quite know who you are?
That’s all right, I don’t mind that. What I’m concerned about right now is that I’ve done almost every kind of television show! I’ve done a lot of guest spots. But I like it all. I did a thing yesterday for a friend where I wasn’t even sure what the thing was. He says, “Oh, it’s a show demo.” I kind of show up and do it.
Certainly the Christopher Guest movies have a more subtle kind of comedy than, say, an Adam Sandler movie. Is subtle comedy an endangered species?
I don’t know. I don’t think it will go away, the more subtle, understated stuff. But it’s never been the most popular, and the people who love it, like the audience that loves it, feel like they’re a special group of people. Like if somebody says to me, “I love the Christopher Guest movies…” we kind of wink at each other like, “Yeah…” Like we’re in a special club. It’s never been big in [our] pop culture, like in England. They allow the laugh to be just a chuckle. They maybe let the writing not be so great, but the characters are so wonderful.
You’ve played shrinks on several TV series. Any personal attraction to that?
I am kind of fascinated, I’ve been in therapy. And especially with one therapist, who was so colorful and had so little [trouble] with her own issues. And I always found that interesting, and I hope I bring that to the more comedic [role]… like in Two and Half Men, she’s probably the most messed up person in the room. But she has such a sense of self and self-confidence, you know? [laughs] I mean, what kind of a patient would you have to be to go to Dr. Laura? If you’re going to her for help…
Is there any kind of glass ceiling for female comedy? There seems to be an ongoing sense that men–
They get the good stuff.
But for example, there’s no female Judd Apatow… is there?
Very rarely. Like an equivalent of him. I think…Judd has all this confidence and he’s so good just making something out of nothing. Women need to do that, too. And they’ll come along. It’s not like it’s, “Oh, we can’t do this.” I think we have to kind of step out. It’s just harder for us. It’s not our nature so much. It might not be the easiest thing to get a meeting. And I don’t know who’s measuring these things, but male “stuff” does better, even in drama. So it’s kind of in the nature of Hollywood, and I’d love to see a change. I don’t know if I’m the one to do it, if I have that kind of confidence. But if there’s some chick out there, I’ll ride on her coattails.
They’re not interested in taking those meetings. I just pitched an all female sketch comedy show. And we got meetings because of [male partner on project], but really, nobody was that interested. I think it’s just because it hasn’t been offered. Again, you look at England and those girls on Absolutely Fabulous were the two most popular [TV comics] in England.
The L Word was never really attacked from the right or threatened with boycotts like you might have thought. What’s your take on that?
Yeah, that’s interesting because I know Megan Mullally of Will and Grace and they told her and the cast in the beginning, “Be prepared for an onslaught from the right wing,” and then it never happened. And it didn’t happen with The L Word either, and it has nudity and sex scenes. Maybe this anti-gay, anti-woman thing isn’t as strong as we think. I tend to think that if the networks allow more women-based shows, and I don’t mean exclusionary, but allowed women to take the helm more, I think you’d be surprised how well the audience takes to it.
You have so much variety in your roles… is there any criteria for you before you’ll take a role?
It must be offered. [laughs] No, it depends on the writing. I’ve not done things because the writing was bad, if it’s gratuitous. But I’ve been really lucky. Everything that I get offered or audition for is good.
After so much comedy do you have a yearning to do, say, a serious play?
I haven’t yet had a “yearning.” I’m so enjoying what I’m doing right now. I really am, I dig it so much. Every time I work, a different muscle gets flexed and I feel like I’m growing. I’m in a really good place right now. However, I did do a character arc on Criminal Minds and I played the mother of one of the regulars and I’m in an insane asylum. And it was pretty heavy stuff and I loved it.
Are commercials a good situation for actors?
I’ve done a lot of commercials. I really don’t think you register in commercials. That’s been my experience. Unless you’re in a role where you get to show some chops. A funny or “cult-y” commercial. I don’t think network execs go, “Hey, that’s the DiTech guy…”
Ever think about what the actual product was?
No. I never thought about that. I was not a principled commercial actor, not at all. [laughs] You’re jumping up and down when you get the job. You’re just trying to get your SAG insurance and make a living. I have no principles, if that’s what you’re asking. [laughs] I did turn down an adult diaper ad. Bladder, what d’ya call it. I would have been sitting in an airplane seat, needing to go. I didn’t want my public to see me in that light.
Posted by: 4u2 Jun 2 2007, 10:17 AM
Episode 501)
Seems there's to be 2 new characters who are set to stir things up with Shane & The Planet.
At this point we are not sure whether they are just guest characters or a permanent addition to the S5 cast.
They are 2 girls name Dawn and Cindi, who are partners not only in life but in business as they open a lesbian nightclub, SHEBAR, in the neighbourhood (sounding very reminiscent of GIRLBAR owners Sandy Sachs & Robin Gans).
They tell Shane that they have managed to stay together for so long because they are honest with each other. If they want to have sex with someone else, they only do it together (with the third party).
The girls then show Shane the, as yet, unfinished VIP room upstairs. Dawn then kisses Shane. Shane hesitates a moment before Cindi also kisses her. Then Cindi kisses Dawn. Shane says "Fuck it" and all three start making out standing up.
At this point it is unclear whether this next part happens within the same episode or a few episodes later (it does say this is now ep 505).
Shane walks past the new nightclub which has now been transformed into a cafe (complete with drive through) with her cup of Planet take-away coffee.
Cindi intercepts Shane and they chat about coffee and breakfast with sex metaphors thrown in. Cindi invites Shane to come over to their place that afternoon so they can cook her up something special.
Shane turns up later at Cindi & Dawns place but she only finds a buck naked Cindi. Shane asks her where Dawn is. Cindi tells her that she wanted Shane all to herself. Shane asks if Dawn will care. Cindi tells her no. Shane doesn't argue and they fuck on the white leather couch.
Later that night at The Planet, while Shane is making out with some girl at the bar, Dawn confronts her. She tells Shane that she's gone and messed with the wrong bitch. An argument ensues about Shane cheating with Cindi. Kit has to step in and tells her to get her ass out of her bar. Dawn calls them all a bunch of losers and tells them that she is going to put them out of business, then she's going to buy The Planet, so that she can have the pleasure of kicking Shane out of HER bar!
After Dawn storms out dragging Cindi with her, Kit stands there glaring at Shane.
info from lwordonline
Posted by: 4u2 Jun 8 2007, 09:35 AM
Season 5 Titles
Episode 1) LGB Tease
Episode 2)Look Out, Here They Come!
Posted by: 4u2 Jun 11 2007, 09:48 AM
Season 5 Premiere:
January 6th, 2008
Posted by: 4u2 Jun 13 2007, 10:24 AM
those spoilers for episode 1 came from TWoP, from saabstory
Helena is in jail and waiting to hear from Peggy.
Alice is trying to get a hold of Peggy.
(I am assuming to post bail or something)
Alice and Shane and Tina visit Helena in prision.
The sides are various pages of the script and there are many missing pages, but so far, no mention of Kate, Papi or Tasha.
Bette and Tina are being interviewed by a prestigious pre-school for Angelica.
They are working together...on the same page, so to speak.
Bette talks about "our" and "we" when explaining her home and "them" and realizes what she says and shoots Tina a look that says, WTF did I just say?
Tina affectionately squeezes Bette's hand to let her know it is okay.
Angelica is supposed to come into the room and crawl into her "mamas'" laps. Sides say, "Picture Perfect Family"
Later Angelica is supposed to use ASL to say "play".
Bette explains that she..uh..they have a good friend who is deaf.
After the meeting, Bette apologizes to Tina..."Sorry. It just came out"
Tina tells her it's okay. Being a lesbian couple is good for diversity points but the pre-school is probably not ready for a divorced lesbian couple and that Bette's white lie was for the greater good.
Seems to be alot of scenes with Alice, Tina and Shane.
Tina wants to start dating again and Alice and Shane are being her wingmen.
Later at the planet, Bette joins the table but not before whispering something in Tina's ear and sitting down next to her.
They talk about what Paige is doing there since apparently, the Shane/Paige breakup didn't go well.
Then Bette looks across the room to see Jodi walk in...suitcases in hand.
Bette runs to her and they "fall into each others' arms or something like that and kiss for everyone to see.
Jenny is now apparently directing Lez Girls, much to Tina's surprise and dismay.
Apparently WAX burns down and the fire inspector suspects arson. Asks Shane if there are any disgruntled employees or someone who might be mad at her...she shakes her head "no".
I think that's all........
It appears that Paige catches Shane and a real estate agent in a compromising position in the house that Shane and Paige just either bought or rented from said real estate agent. Paige brings Jared over to take a look at his new room and....you know the rest
JennyX1,000 has an assistant and she abuses the sh!t out of her and treats her like crap. Assistant promptly quits...by storming out of the Planet. And, Sounder II did not run away yet
Posted by: 4u2 Jun 15 2007, 09:37 AM
More from SaabStory on TWoP:
Tina hurries to a meeting and is surprised to see JennyX1,000 sitting at the table with Aaron (Tina's boss) and some hedge fund billionaire. Tina greets Jenny, but Jenny ignores Tina.
Apparently, Jenny met the billionaire while in Mexico where she re-wrote the Lez-Girls script. Jenny re-wrote the script on spec while she was the billionaire's guest (set up by her agents). What other choice did she have, she was fired from her own movie.
One part Jenny re-wrote was the part where "Jessie" gets separated from her boyfriend at a party and is hit on by "Nina". Tina is confused about "Nina" hitting on "Jessie", but Aaron loves that part.
So Aaron and the billionaire are praising Jenny for having the initiative to re-write the script. The billionaire praises Jenny's vision and says that she is the only one who can direct this movie.
At this point Jenny's assistant comes in with Sounder, but Jenny sends her back out to find an orange ribbon for the puppy. The assistant couldn't find an orange ribbon and thought a different color would be okay. Jenny told her she doesn't pay her to think and to go find some orange ribbons. Hence, JennyX1,000.
Posted by: 4u2 Jun 18 2007, 10:01 AM
The The L Word is getting some new blood. According to Variety, Malaya Rivera Drew will be joining the Showtime series.
Drew will play the assistant to Mia Kirshner's Jenny Schecter character. The cable series revolves around the lives and loves of a small, close-knit group of lesbians living in Los Angeles as well as the friends and family members that either support or loathe them.
The series has enjoyed four very successful seasons. The fifth season is currently shooting in and around Los Angeles.
Posted by: 4u2 Jun 19 2007, 09:32 AM
From E!'s Watch With Kristin website:
"Jenny’s movie, based on the lives of her friends, is moving forward, and we're told she becomes romantically involved with the Lindsay Lohan-esque actress who wins the lead role."
Posted by: 4u2 Jun 21 2007, 09:49 AM
Sexy roles just come her way
B.C.-born Lauren Lee Smith plays seductive TV 'weather girl' in latest movie
Michael D. Reid, CanWest News Service
Published: Thursday, June 21, 2007
It's not everyday a middle-aged movie writer gets to talk about steamy sex with a hottie half his age -- so a recent coffee date with Lauren Lee Smith went down as one for the books.
Smith, 26, had sex on the brain as she sipped tea in a Victoria cafe on a breezy, sunny afternoon.
It was only because she was reminiscing about Lie With Me (2005). And who could forget how Toronto filmmaker Clement Virgo's raw tale of sexual obsession aroused controversy because of its full-frontal nudity and graphic sex?
The statuesque Vancouver actress -- in real life fresh-faced, girlish and so wholesome she makes Mandy Moore seem like Paris Hilton -- scorched up screens as Leila, an emotionally vacant nymphet who uses sex as a form of empowerment.
"That was a turning point for me personally and career-wise," recalled Smith, who raised a few eyebrows when she accepted the risque role.
Smith also gained a following for her recurring role as lesbian sous chef Lara Perkins in Showtime series The L Word.
She says she savoured getting to showcase her acting chops as Lisa, the overbearing Wisconsin wife of Casey Affleck's cuckolded character who mistakenly believes having a baby will save her marriage in Tony Goldwyn's The Last Kiss.
"Sometimes it's fun just to let it all hang out, like when I played this bitchy, horrible mother," says Smith. "It's fun to show up and not have to worry about looking pretty and getting to scream and yell and be a nasty person and get paid for it."
The Chilliwack-born actress and former model says the truth of the material and the chance to play a character she can sink her teeth into are what first attract her to a film -- all the better if it's Canadian.
This is why she found herself in a Victoria television studio playing Sherri Banks, a seductive TV "weather girl" who has an affair with Walt, a college professor played by Callum Keith Rennie, while shooting scenes for Carl Bessai's drama Normal.
The film, about disparate characters who have lost their ability to communicate following a tragedy, co-stars Carrie Anne Moss, Kevin Zegers, Andrew Airlie, Gabrielle Rose and Tygh Runyan.
"Sherri uses her sexuality to rein Walt in but things get too serious," explains Smith. Before filming, she rented To Die For, the thriller starring Nicole Kidman as an aspiring TV news star who uses her feminine wiles and sex appeal to get ahead.
She said shooting Normal was a blast because of Bessai's organic and improvisational techniques.
"He really got into it and inspired me," she said. "That's how he works, to where you're feeling the vibe."
Smith, who made her big-screen debut with a tiny role in Get Carter, is no stranger to such adventurous filmmaking.
On Art School Confidential, in which she played a beatnik art student, director Terry Zwigoff asked her to do a "jerky dance." He then demonstrated by weirdly undulating through a routine inspired by a dance in Being John Malkovich.
"Terry's a little bit nutty," laughs Smith. "He was worried I wouldn't get it right so he started moving about like a maniac."
Smith recently survived visits to a morgue in Los Angeles to research her role as a pathology student challenged to devise the perfect murder in MGM's upcoming thriller Pathology.
She will also soon be seen as a Halloween reveller who dresses up as a storybook princess and embarks on a nocturnal adventure with her kid sister, played by Anna Paquin, in Trick 'r Treat, a dark and stylized Halloween horror fantasy.
Bessai's only half-joking when he says he was lucky to get Smith since he'll no longer be able to afford her.
"Oh, that is so not true!" shrieks Smith, after learning what Bessai said.
"I've never considered any of that. Maybe I should be caring more about the strategy of my career."
Posted by: 4u2 Jun 27 2007, 08:59 AM
This was sent by Amanda;
I have a friend in Vancouver who just auditioned for the part of a woman named Jackie. She is in Prison, and Helena is there too. This is for episode 2 and 3..possibly more. She supposedly wants Helena to join her "gang" And, then I guess there is quite the HOT sex scene. Gotta love that!
Posted by: 4u2 Jun 27 2007, 09:07 AM
Alliance Atlantis announces fall line-up
by Jesse Kohl & Terry Poulton
Showcase: The net's 10 pm time slot will serve up new programs such as The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle (Sept. 2), starring Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous); and Saving Grace, the new drama in which movie star Holly Hunter makes her series debut as a cynical police detective, which is set for Mondays starting August 27.
Other returning shows include Rescue Me with Denis Leary (Aug. 28, with streaming eps at Showcase.ca); Weeds, starring Mary-Louise Parker (Oct. 10); The L Word with Jennifer Beals (Aug. 30); and the irreverent comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia with Danny DeVito (Nov. 4).
Posted by: 4u2 Jul 3 2007, 09:25 AM
More Titles:
1) LGB Tease
2) Look Out, Here They Come!
3) Lady of the Lake
4) Let's Get This Party Started
Posted by: 4u2 Jul 10 2007, 09:54 AM
SEASON 4 DVD RELEASE DATE:
OCTOBER 23RD
Posted by: 4u2 Jul 10 2007, 11:07 AM
SEASON 5 BEGINS
January 6TH 2008
Posted by: 4u2 Jul 11 2007, 09:51 AM
UK Diva Magazine
August 2007
Where has Bette gone with Angelica? How will Helena manage on $200 a week? Will Kit and Angus be parents? And will Jenny ever be normal?
While we wait impatiently for these burning questions to be answered in Season Four of The L Word, Jennifer Beals steps up to answer your queries about herself and the life of Bette Porter
Jennifer Beals made her name playing steelworker-slash-exotic dancer Alex in Flashdance in 1983, and now the smash hit TV series The L Word has catapulted her back into the limelight. But how come the confirmed heterosexual is so good at playing a lesbian? And doesn’t she ever get sick of it? We asked you to ask the questions, and here’s what she had to say.
So, what are you working on at the moment? ~ Kendra, Hull
Nothing much. I’m just enjoying time off before shooting the series’ fifth season – that’ll take me up to November. And I’m about to start preparing for a reading of The Vagina Monologues.
The relationship between Bette and Tina is so realistic, I honestly thought you must be gay until I did my research. How do you manage to play such a convincing lesbian? ~ Louise, 21, Ormskirk
Because I play the love, and when Bette has sex I play the emotion, not the gender. To begin with, I was so focussed on Bette’s career when I started playing the part. I was thinking what it meant to be a museum director, and the following week it was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m playing a lesbian; what am I supposed to be doing?’ In the pilot before the first show, I realised the love scenes are about love between two people who are at odds with each other and who’ve been like that for so long. After that, I realised that doing a love scene is like any scene; you have to put as much into it as you do any other. Those scenes can be so varied, anyway. I have to think what kind of love it is. There’s a scene where Bette picks someone up in a bar and that’s just about sex, not love, so I play it from that emotion.
Anyone out there that has the UK DIVA post the rest of article.
Have a great day.
Peace, Light & Love
Posted by: 4u2 Jul 12 2007, 09:26 AM
Wicked, Wicked Games's Kate French is becoming a lesbian. According to Variety, the actress has just nabbed a reoccurring role on the Showtime series The L Word.
French will be starring as the owner of a rival club looking to steal business away from the Planet. The lesbian-themed drama follows the lives and loves of a small, close-knit group of friends living in Los Angeles as well as the friends and family members that either support or loathe them.
French is to begin her stint on the show in time for the series' new fall season.
Posted by: 4u2 Jul 23 2007, 09:35 AM
Introducing Uh Huh Her
by Shauna Swartz, Contributing Writer
July 22, 2007
Leisha Hailey and Camila Grey, members of the Los Angeles-based musical duo Uh Huh Her, seem to get along as mellifluously as their voices blend. Throughout our interview, they often finished each other's sentences and kept up a frisky banter as they talked about their debut EP, I See Red, which will be released tomorrow digitally.
"Indie electro-pop" is how they describe their sound. "That's [it] in a nutshell," Grey said, "but I think it's a lot more involved than that. Then again, I don't know that we have a specific sound. We try to be all-encompassing or something. Whatever. I just had a bunch of sake."
Hailey promptly steered things back on track: "And it's going to evolve. This is just the beginning of what we'll do together, I'm sure."
I See Red was produced by Grey and recorded primarily in a bedroom at her Los Angeles home. The ethereal vocals were recorded in the bathroom, Hailey pointed out. A limited number of physical copies of Uh Huh Her's five-track EP will also be available soon, and listeners will be able to snag a bonus track, "Mystery Lights," on the band's website tomorrow and iTunes in the coming weeks.
For Hailey, the EP marks a return to making music after a five-year hiatus. In the '90s, she was one half of the alt-pop band the Murmurs, which released four albums and then later reformed as Gush. That gig ended once Hailey began her ongoing role as Alice Pieszecki, possibly the most popular character on The L Word.
How does it feel to be back? "Amazing," Hailey said. "I knew that I missed it, but I didn't know how badly, so it's been really, really fun for me to get back into it."
She copped to a slight case of stage fright, though: "I'm nervous about performing live, which is my favorite thing to do on earth, so it's weird. It's just because I haven't done it in so long. I'm sure once the first show is over, it'll be fine."
Grey was a member of the lo-fi rock band Mellowdrone and has also played bass and keyboards for Dr. Dre, Busta Rhymes, Melissa Auf der Maur and Kelly Osbourne. She said she's also got some jitters: "I'm always shy. But I'm so used to being a bass player or a synth player that performing is really fun, because there's no pressure. But now the pressure's on."
Mostly, Grey is excited to leave session work behind and write, record and produce her own material. "I've been working on my solo stuff for years; I just never released it," she said. "And I've done production before, but it was so much fun to be able to do it and let it see the light of day. It's very exciting."
These days Hailey and Grey are getting ready for a free, all-ages "fan appreciation" show on Aug. 19 at the Los Angeles offices for their record label, Nettwerk, which has a large stage set up for live shows. "You don't have to worry about being of age, and you don't have to worry about buying tickets," said Grey. "It's just kind of a place where everyone can come on a Sunday and hang out and listen to cool s---. I don't know. [Laughs.] We're just trying to get bodies in there."
Uh Huh Her are also working on material for their first full-length album, which is slated to drop in March 2008. They plan on recording songs and playing clubs in October after filming wraps for The L Word.
For now, they squeeze in time to write and rehearse amid Hailey's filming schedule. The show is shot in Vancouver, but Hailey flies home almost every weekend. "I'm a little jetsetter," she said over the phone from her house in Los Angeles a few days before returning to Vancouver.
"Cam and I have been seeing a lot of each other and doing what we can when we're alone and what we can when we're together. It's hard, because we have a lot to do. We have to work on our live show; we have an album to write. So when we see each other on the weekends it's like, OK, what should we do? What should we concentrate on?"
Both women have been logging a lot of air miles. Grey has been flying up to Vancouver and staying with Hailey. "That's been really fun — more fun than work," Hailey said.
Ziptrekking in Whistler is just one example of the antics these two have been up to in British Columbia. For those unfamiliar with the concept, the participant straps into a harness and glides along steel "zip lines" suspended over the tree tops, high above a white-water river. L Word viewers may recall Hailey's character Alice taking part in the activity along with the officiant for Shane and Carmen's wedding in the Season 3 finale.
Hailey and Grey have also enjoyed cramming together onto Hailey's one-person electric bike and riding through the city streets.
"It's so much fun," said Hailey. "You can really only do something like that in a place like Vancouver. You could never do that in L.A. So we geeked out on that. It was like Dumb and Dumber."
Grey elaborated: "It goes probably 10 miles per hour, so you can imagine both of us on this little bike in the middle of traffic, people honking at us. We'd ride to our manager's office on it, pull up, and they'd be like, 'What the hell are you guys doing?'"
"I'd had it a while but I'd never experienced it in that way before," Hailey said.
The two first met a year ago after one of Grey's shows with Mellowdrone, and they began working together this past January. They could tell immediately that they'd make a good team.
"To begin with, we had a really good time together, and that certainly helps," Hailey said. "You have to really like each other if you're going to start a band. Ideas started coming together really well, and then when we sang together it was like, oh wow, this is cool. Our voices really complement each other."
Their collaboration is pretty fluid, according to Hailey: "It just sort of comes as it comes. There's no system or formula to it."
Both band members contribute bits of material that they then work on together. It's a new type of process for Grey, who is used to working either alone or on a for-hire basis. "This is the first time I've worked with somebody else in that kind of collaborative way where it's equal," Grey said. "So this is great, bouncing it off somebody who's an equal partner in it all. It's definitely a different process for me. I like it. It's much better, in fact, with another brain involved."
Hailey immediately piped up: "A very large one, I'd like to add."
Together their brains settled on a band name inspired by P.J. Harvey. "It's a song that [Harvey's] had for a long time, a B-side that didn't end up making the record," Grey explained. "I've always liked the name of that song, and then coming across it again later and deciding, oh wow, it's a great name for a band."
Halfway through the interview, throughout which she was mostly audible, Grey suddenly said, "Sorry. Can you even hear me? I'm pointing the phone down."
"Cam mumbles," Hailey said.
"I tend to mumble," Grey confirmed. "She calls me Droopy. That's her nickname for me."
"It fits so well," Hailey said.
"We're not talking about the obvious," Grey quipped. "They're not quite there yet."
Grey then joked that her nickname for Hailey is simply Number One, ever since Hailey topped the AfterEllen.com Hot 100. When asked to vouch for whether Hailey has kept up her hotness as promised, Grey confirmed that Hailey is "ridiculously hot."
Hailey then deadpanned, "Oh yeah, if you could see me right now."
Originally, Uh Huh Her included a third member, Alicia Warrington, on drums. She can be heard on I See Red and seen in a video on the band's website. But Warrington left the band in May to pursue other musical opportunities.
It was an amicable parting, as Hailey explained: "We're a new band, and it's risky to do something like this. She's also a hired musician, and she plays with a lot of people and gets hired to go on tours and make money. And right now we're just like a baby band. You sort of have to weigh out your lifestyle — or risking your lifestyle. She's great. There's no hard feelings or anything. She's just going along her path."
So for now Uh Huh Her lives on as a duo, with both members lending their vocal and instrumental talents. At their live shows, they plan on playing dueling keyboards and dueling basses. But they also plan on expanding the band in the future.
"It's definitely not going to just be a duo," Hailey said. "We're going to get more band members. I don't know if it'll just be one or two or what it'll end up being. It's just this for now. Temporary."
The band likely won't lack for would-be new members, given Hailey's television fame. Grey is grateful for her bandmate's fan base. "It's great, because everyone loves her so much," she said. "Without it, not a lot of people know who I am, because I'm always doing these weird projects and I'm always in the background, so to have that is very, very good."
Hailey said she's excited for Grey to get more exposure: "I think at this point people know about me, but I just know that when they hear Cam sing and see her and all that, they're going to be super fans of hers. I'm a fan."
The women certainly hope their appeal will reach beyond Hailey's L Word notoriety. "We feel lucky that we have people that are even paying attention to us at all," Hailey offered. "So, in that sense, it's fantastic. That's not where we want it to start and end. Obviously, we want people beyond the show to know about us. We're so grateful and happy that people even know about us at all."
At that point, Grey said something unintelligible, and I asked for clarification.
"Yeah, if I only knew," Hailey said dryly. "I can't understand her."
Posted by: 4u2 Jul 24 2007, 09:06 AM
Another title:
1) LGB Tease
2) Look Out, Here They Come!
3) Lady of the Lake
4) Let's Get This Party Started
5) Lookin' at you Kid
Posted by: 4u2 Jul 26 2007, 09:30 AM
Something I found
i'm in Vancouver at the moment and here's one spoiler... i met a girl i knew before who is a permanent extra on TLW and she was filming an episode last week (i think ep. 504), she said that there will be some woman who wants to take over the planet and she has eye for Tina or she's dating Tina or something like that and Bette sees Tina with her and is jealous and B&T had a make-out session....when i asked if it's true because my poor heart won't survive the heartbreak , she laughed and said, yes, something will happen between B&T in that episode (i'm thinking 504 or 505)
Posted by: 4u2 Jul 30 2007, 10:16 AM
Uh Huh Her 'See Red' on Debut EP
Posted Jul 27th 2007 4:15PM by Jessica Robertson
Filed under: News, Album, Exclusive
Let's get this straightaway: Uh Huh Her is a Los Angeles-based band -- musician/actress Leisha Hailey and singer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Camila Grey (Mellowdrone, Dr. Dre, Melissa Auf Der Maur) -- named after a PJ Harvey B-side from the identically titled 2004 PJ Harvey album.
"It's a great song," Grey tells Spinner of the Harvey tune and subsequent band name. "And we just liked the way it sounded, really."
Uh Huh Her, who released their debut EP, 'I See Red,' this week, marks Hailey's formal return to music after her previous outfit the Murmurs, and later, Gush, disbanded more than five years ago. Though she garnered success with her portrayal of journalist Alice Pieszecki on Showtime's 'The L Word,' Hailey, who's currently in Vancouver shooting the show's fifth season, considers herself equal parts musician and actress. "I don't feel torn at all," she says. "I find that they inspire each other. They help me, especially with the live show. In a way, you're playing someone else when you're onstage. As far as time commitment goes, it's hard. But it's how I like to live [laughs]. I'm an overachiever. It's kinda my thing."
Hailey and Grey first crossed paths one year ago following a Mellowdrone show, which brought forth the impetus for UHH, a self-described indie electro-pop hybrid. "I had been waiting to meet someone who I was really into," Hailey says. "[Cam] and I started talking about it and met up a couple of times. We just really liked each other."
The two, together with drummer Alicia Warrington, whom Grey knew through their mutual work with Kelly Osbourne, began writing and recording songs for 'Red,' last January. In May, however, Warrington took her leave in pursuit of other musical opportunities. Despite the amicable split, Hailey and Grey are in no rush to find a replacement. "The plan was kind of to deal with it as a duo," Grey says. "And then when Leisha's done with the show in the fall -- when we actually start touring -- to go ahead and hire somebody then."
"For now, we're just going to play with the electronic drums," Hailey chimes. "Cam was just up here [in Vancouver] for a couple of weeks and we rehearsed it like that. It sounds really cool."
The two are currently writing songs for a proper full-length album to be released early next year, with a sound that finds sultry crashing head on with profound, replete with elastic bass lines, ambient synths and hypnotic backbeats. "[The sound] is the evolution from our backgrounds," Grey says. "We slammed them all together and that's what came out."
While Hailey got her pedigree in indie rock early on, Grey grew from her classical piano studies as a child and her father-fed Neil Diamond diet, to eclectic ventures providing vocals for film score composer Hans Zimmer, Dr. Dre and Busta Rhymes, among others.
"It's such a weird world," Grey says. "Here I am, little me with all of these crazy hip-hop superstars. I didn't feel like I fit in, but one day I played Dre one of my songs, and he was impressed that I could actually play something. We became buddies and I'd go there and hang out, and we'd play each other music. They couldn't be more lovely people -- and smart. To be able to go into that world and have the two collide is really interesting."
Meanwhile, the duo, whose single 'Say So' landed at an impressive No. 28 on iTunes' pop chart this week, will play a free, one-off show in L.A. on August 19, with more dates expected later this year. And though Hailey's stardom has ensured Uh Huh Her a ready-made fan base, she's not interested in incubating that support. "I love the fans that we have because of ['The L Word'], and all the good things that come with it," she says. "But I don't want to be referenced as that 'L Word' chick's band. I worry about that. To me, they're completely different worlds. It will be a challenge but it's up to us to prove that we're something beyond that. Of course, we are. That's a no-brainer to us."
"Hopefully, people will hear the music first," Grey says. "That's the hardest part -- trying to get out of that shadow. It's a beautiful shadow, but a shadow nonetheless."
Posted by: 4u2 Jul 30 2007, 10:21 AM
Jennifer Beals and Marlee Matlin Send Sparks Flying on 'The L Word'
Feb. 12 -- Who says friendships in Hollywood don't last?
Accomplished actresses Jennifer Beals and Marlee Matlin have been close since the '80s. Now the two are starring opposite each other on the hit Showtime drama, 'The L Word.'
Matlin joined the cast this season, as Jodi Lerner -- an artist-in-residence at the art school where Beals' charcter, Bette, is dean.
Beals and Matlin (through her interpreter Jack) opened up to AOL Television editor Geoff Bennett about their decades-old friendship, the simmering controversies surrounding their show and Matlin's unshakeable Blackberry adddiction.
When I heard you two were longtime friends, I thought it would be cool to interview you together.
Beals: Yeah, it sounded like fun, but I wish we were in the same room.
Matlin: ... and because Jennifer is a lot better to look at than Jack. (Laughs)
Can't argue with that. So how did you two become friends?
Beals: How did we meet? Did we meet at the Paramount thing?
Matlin: We met originally at the airport on the way to Los Angeles. I remember saying to Jack, "I think that's Jennifer Beals." She had a leather coat on and she looked very sort of 'Flashdance.' (Laughs) Sorry Jennifer, I had to put that in. But she looked very smart because she had all her school books from Yale with her. We were introduced to each other, and then we found out we were going to the same event, which was the photoshoot for the 75th anniversary of Paramount. Because we were the new kids on the block, we instantly were attached at the hip.
Beals: Because we were both from Chicago.
Matlin: That's right. And we've been friends ever since. And Jennifer helped me pick out stuff to wear to parties because she was more worldy than me.
Beals: That is so untrue. She's delusional. She has a really good memory about a lot of things, but that's totally delusional.
Jennifer, did you suggest Marlee for this role on 'The L Word'? How did that come about?
Beals: No, I never suggest anybody because they don't listen to anything I have to say. (Laughs) No, I just was delighted when they brought her name up. I said she's a really wonderful person and obviously a great actress.
For those who are unacquainted with the show, Marlee, what's the role that you're playing?
Matlin: I don't know how much can I say, but our characters hook up. I'm a visiting artist and she's a dean at a university, and sparks fly. You see that the first moment we meet. I have a drill and sparks are flying. (Laughs) It couldn't be any more literal. Literally sparks are flying. You'll notice I have the drill, so I don't know if that indicates what part of the relationship I am.
Does your friendship make the hook-up scenes easier to shoot?
Beals: Oh, it's horrible. We laugh hysterically the whole time. It's horrible, it's horrible. I try to be professional, and she looks at me and gives me one little look of mischief and we just lose it, and it takes forever to shoot.
Matlin: And the crew is standing there just rolling their eyes, thinking "What are these two doing?"
Beals: And it's 3:30 in the morning and everyone wants to go home.
Matlin: But you know what? I don't think that we care. At the end of the day, the job has to be fun. And this is one fun job.
Since the show shoots in Vancouver, how has it impacted your personal life?
Matlin: They were very accomodating. When I started, the kids were out of school for the summer and were busy with camp and vacation with grandma and grandpa. They almost forgot that I was in Vancouver even though I would come home every weekend, so I think maybe next year I'm going to have to change that schedule. (Laughs) It worked out very smoothly.
Beals: But I remember you missed them very, very much. It was hard sometimes.
Matlin: It helped to work with Jennifer since we had so much fun. And Jennifer is a mom and very private, and that helps a great deal because we can share intimate discussions. We're fine -- we don't need to be entertained or be out partying when we're on location.
Jennifer, a question about Bette's evolution: She started out as a classic type-A and later ends up kidnapping her own daughter and taking her cross-country. Is Bette unraveling?
Beals: I think that when you introduce a child into someone's life, they begin to realize all the things that are really important to them. And that, perhaps, doesn't become as important as the love of a child. And so they are capable of doing all kinds of things to protect that. I think she realizes pretty quickly that she made a mistake and tries to make amends for it.
Marlee, how did tackling this role compare to others you've done?
Matlin: Although some people might think developing a deaf character is difficut, it really isn't. You just write and then incorporate deafness into it. But [the production staff] has been nothing but open and receptive. For example, in our first meeting, I sat with all of the writers and they told me the character's name. I asked if they wouldn't mind changing it to Jodi because I had a friend who was a mom and a lesbian who passed away, and her name was Jodi. I thought it would be nice to honor her, and they were more than open to it. Most television series would never do that.
A few conservative Web sites took issue with the unconventional Barbara Bush sculpture featured in a recent episode. Marlee, what did you think when you first saw it?
Matlin: It was clear that it was about a student who wanted to express themselves through art and it had nothing to do with me as Marlee Matlin or the character Jodi Lerner. My character was about free speech. But I draw the line between my viewpoints and the character's viewpoints. But I was OK with it because it made sense for the character. It was about the student's point of view and naturally, I wouldn't want that piece of art in my house. But I think some people might consider it insulting. That's fine. But we're talking about TV. It's entertainment, and entertainement incoprorates a lot of viewpoints. People have a right to their own opinons and as much as they may complain, they have a right to that. Was that diplomatic enough?
Very dimplomatic, yes.
Matlin: At the end of the day, I don't care. (Laughs) I really don't care. I mean, do those conservative people even watch the Showtime? Have they even seen the show? I mean, it's Showtime!
Beals: I'm just glad they watch the show!
'The L Word' is one of those shows, which even if people haven't seen it, they know about it. What do you think is the biggest misconception?
Matlin: They think it's all about girls under the sheets doing their thing.
Beals: They think it's salacious.
Matlin: But I just think it's a show about relationships and one of the few shows that features a lot of women, and I think that's great.
How has it increased your own sense of awareness?
Beals: There are all kinds of things that I had no idea about. I had no idea that in a same-sex relationship, if a partner -- even if they had been together for 20 years -- if one goes in the hospital, they don't have the same visitation rights as family members. It's inexcusable. And by playing this character, I'm much more aware. And even the way lesbians and gay men are portrayed in pop culture, it's really horrifying. It's so insidious and sometimes it's really subtle, but it's there.
Matlin: Being new on the show, I have learned a great deal, but nothing really surprised me because I grew up with a brother who's gay and understood the isolation he faced. But my parents have always been supportive on his behalf from day one. But it is amazing how people take time out of their lives to demean and denigrate people's choices. I still don't get it.
Beals: It's so fascinating that a group of people would denigrate someone else's love. And who is to say that one person's love is more valuable to another's? And that, I find, is really reprehensible.
Your castmate, Kristanna Loken, made news recently after she left the show, complaining about the "amount of egos and insecurities and cattiness that can go with a bunch of women." What's your take?
Beals: I've only worked on a couple of scenes with her, and when I was working with her, it seemed like she was having a really good time, and I'm sorry she didn't have a good experience.
Matlin: I'm sorry she expressed her feelings to an interviewer, when it was an experience she had on a one-to-one basis with someone. It's a great show, and for me it was a wonderful experience.
Beals: Yeah, I'm not sure what really happened. I just wish she had had a better time. And just for the record, I have never experienced a more supportitve wonderful group in my career whether they be male or female.
Lastly, what are your favorite things to do on set while you're not shooting?
Matlin: Eat.
Beals: Just watch Marlee -- it's endlessly entertaining.
Matlin: And look at my "Crackberry." Blackberry, excuse me. Don't put Crackberry because I think the folks at Blackberry wouldn't be happy.
And then it would end up on a conservative Web site.
Matlin: Exactly. "Marlee Matlin uses crack."
Posted by: 4u2 Jul 30 2007, 10:22 AM
Something not Season 5
The L Word: an interview with Jennifer Beals
by Greg Archer
It was bound to happen. When a TV nation has been "Queer as Folk'd" and "Queer Eye'd" all the way to the Clinique counter, it stands to reason that the flip side of gay maledom has to come out of the closet sometime. This month, it's a post-Ellen estrogen parade.
Welcome to "The L Word," Showtime's head-turning, perception-busting new series about a group of lesbian gal pals living and loving in L.A. Created by Ilene Chaiken, the show boasts one of the most impressive, captivating gaggle of female thespians ever to share the boob tube: Jennifer Beals, Laurel Holloman, Mia Kirshner and Pam Grier. Hot? Yes. But the real coup, at least creatively it seems, is where the show promises to go: into emotionally deep waters with storylines dripping with drama.
In one corner, there's the committed lesbian couple (Beals and Holloman) wanting to start a family. They're surrounded by new neighbors (Mia Kishner and Eric Mabius), a bisexual journalist (Alice Pieszecki), a hairdresser (Katherine Moenning), a closeted tennis pro (Erin Daniels) and Bette's (Beals) musician half-sister (Pam Grier), who's also a recovering alcoholic.
Already generating buzz for its concept and its appealing cast, "The L Word" also delivers a dramatic Jennifer Beals, who seems to officially rise above the ashes of the fickle pop-culture wreckage of "Flashdance". Beals takes creative risks here as she morphs into the in-love go-getter named Bette. And while everybody at Showtime is zipped lips about particular story arcs destined to raise eyebrows, Beals maintains that "The L Word" isn't just about lesbians. It's about people; it's about relationships; it's about love -- however it shows up.
The new series looks intriguing.
Yeah, I'm excited.
What's so captivating about "The L Word" in your opinion?
It's about how we find the things we enjoy in life. It's about relationships. It's about the people we love, the city we love, how we stay alive with joy.
Tell me what is so intriguing about playing Bette.
Well, you know, I think she is a complete Type A personality, somebody who is very driven, very organized. She's a very focused person, but at her core, I think she is much more diffident than she appears, and that dichotomy was interesting to me. That attracted me to the role. What attracted to the project was the fact that it could make a difference in a person's life -- that it was the type of project that could change somebody's mind and could save somebody's life. Not too be too dramatic, but it's true.
You mean, just by people experiencing these characters in certain situations, or is it more the gay theme?
Well ... you think of a young girl in the middle of Kentucky or somewhere, who doesn't have any access to an extended community, and to be able to see herself represented in some way, shape or form gives her a cause to celebrate rather than be ashamed, which I am sure is what the government would want her to be.
Tell me what we can expect to see happen with your character and what will happen with her relationship with Tina [Laurel Holloman]. On the show, your characters want to start a family.
I think her journey is really about what it takes to start a family and where the relationship should be in order to set the foundation for family. And how to do that when you are pursuing a career -- or not, in Tina's case -- and balancing work with a relationship.
One of the things you said about this show was that it gets to the heart of who we are and why we are so intrigued with the mystery of sexuality and who we are attracted to. Can you elaborate on that?
Well, that was in response to a reporter's question about who was gay in the cast, which I thought seemed an "interesting" question to ask at the time. I think the reason she felt so compelled to ask it is that the mystery of sexuality is so profound, so that when you are playing a character, people want to know where the line is drawn -- when reality blends with fiction.
Sexuality is a mystery -- why do you think so?
It's the mystery of where we come from and where we are going and who we love. ... It's much more complex than race.
The whole premise here seems deep and dramatic. Looking at some of the roles you've taken over the years, would you say you are drawn to deeper things?
I think I always have been. I think it's whether, financially, I am able to fulfill that. I think all people are attracted to things that deepen them in some way, don't you?
Yes. For me, it's writing.
And that act -- going deeper -- in and of itself, is dangerous. Because you can't go deeper without some kind of danger to yourself. You don't know what you may find.
How is it working with what appears to be an amazing cast?
Really exciting and really fun. They have all been supportive. Whenever we had big group scenes, people would come to my house on the Monday before we had to shoot and we'd rehearse so we wouldn't have to worry about the scene. I think everybody cared very deeply about their work and their characters and each other -- and how the scenes played out.
What do you love most about acting?
The danger.
Do you mean exploring something that you quite don't know is there?
Yeah. It's dangerous. It's kind of like jumping out of a plane. You don't know what's going to happen. You know the lines, but you don't know what's going to happen.
Is it easy to turn this character -- any character -- on and off?
It's usually easy, but there was one scene Laurel and I had, which appears later in the season, that was emotionally very hard to let go of. It was very disturbing.
What inspires you?
Everything. Anything. All kind of things.
You love life?
Most of the time.
What bores you?
I don't understand the concept of boredom. I don't get that one. Way too much to do.
What makes you laugh?
My dog. It's a lab-terrier mix.
What make you cry?
A lot of things -- and it's usually self-induced. Right now, the U.S government is making me cry a lot. I have huge anxiety about it. It's a horrendous time. The Patriot Act makes me cry. You know when librarians are saying "No" that something is going on that is wrong.
Are you very political?
I think everyone is political if you are alive and breathing. Because every choice you make has something to do with politics, or the environment -- whether you choose to recycle, whether you vote or not. All of it is political. How you treat other people on the street. The personal is political, period. And I don't think I thought of myself as overtly political, but I do realize that every act I do has a political consequence.
Do you have any thoughts on the gay-marriage issue?
Well, I think the very fact that people would think that marriage was designed to be about love between two people ... I mean, really, it was about property and men making sure they could secure property. So, to say to an entire group of people, "No, you can't get married because now we are going to pretend it's all about love and the American family," is bogus. In fact, it's about legal rights.
I mean, if your partner is dying in the hospital, you should be able to help him pass. If you built a life together, a home together, you should be able to have that home. It's incredibly absurd and incredibly self-righteous to deny people that -- that your love doesn't count as much as our love. You know, if people want to get married and enter into that institution, they should be able to do that at their own joy and at their own peril.
That's interesting, and it reminds me of something a dear friend said, which was that you can say you dislike anybody -- you can "hate" anybody -- but the minute you love somebody, everybody has something to say about that.
Oh ... love is the most dangerous thing in the world.
What do you think is one of the most challenging things about marriage?
Making sure that you leave room for the other person -- and to set your ego aside.
What's something most people don't know about you?
Probably something I wouldn't want to tell you.
How about something quirky?
I am a thumb-wrestling champion.
Nice. When I say the name Pam Grier, who plays your half-sister on the show, what comes to mind?
Oh, I see somebody who is laughing and singing and riding horses. She's an excellent horsewoman.
How about Ilene Chaiken?
Somebody who has a great passion, who is disciplined and mischievous. Intelligent.
Laurel Holloman?
Laurel is patient and kind and free-spirited.
Mia Kirshner?
Mia is the queen of mischief. She's a very intelligent woman -- and prone to flashing new directors and making prank phone calls.
Fun.
Trouble.
The best advice you've been given?
The worst thing they can say is no.
And the best advice you've given?
I once told Gwyneth Paltrow not to give out her address in an interview.
What's the most interesting thing you learned about yourself lately?
How to swim better. I should stretch from the middle of my back, not the shoulders, because it opens my lungs more.
What could TV use more of?
Better executives. People who aren't at the service of the government or a corporation -- and you can put an equal sign between the two. I don't feel like I can watch the news, including CNN, and get what's really happening
What do you hope for as "The L Word"unravels?
Well, it's a groundbreaking series in that it's the first of its kind, and I hope that it is widely accepted, not only by gay people but by straight people. And ... I hope that George W. Bush will not be able to make a whole group of people invisible.
Posted by: 4u2 Aug 1 2007, 09:14 AM
The L Word
Season 5 will see the addition of at least two recurring characters who will appear in a multiple-episode arc. The first one is Niki, a Caucasian woman in her 20s. She is set to play the Jenny-inspired role of Jessi in "Lez Girls" (Jenny's account of her friends' lives). Niki just finished shooting a James Bond movie and has a reputation to be rather wild, impressionable, eager and out of control. She is a potential love interest for Jenny. The other character is bi-racial Lisa, an actress in her 30s who will play Bev, the Bette-inspired role on "Lez Girls". Lisa, a straight woman, is on a question to learn the ins and outs of lesbian behavior and attaches herself to Bette saying that it's to be able to portray her properly. [Source: TV Squad]
Posted by: 4u2 Aug 2 2007, 12:11 PM
Streets humming with beautiful ladies of The L Word
Published: Thursday, August 02, 2007
Vancouver Sun
The corner of Cypress and York was humming with activity and beautiful ladies last Friday morning. That's because the television series The L Word was filming outside a condo building called The Yorkville. It's the show that traces the leanings and loves of a group of gay or bisexual women and how their families and others react to them.
The workers on set seemed to do a lot of fiddling with actress Kate Moennig's clunky boots. They didn't seem happy with the way they encountered her slow-slung jeans. Moennig has that eclectic, rumpled-in-a-nice-sort of way look about her.
The actress, who likes to play gender-bending roles, plays the ultra androgynous Shane McCutcheon. Over and over in the scene, the Philadelphia-born Moennig, who is a first cousin to actress Gwyneth Paltrow, clomped over to the intercom to be let in
Posted by: 4u2 Aug 4 2007, 10:51 AM
By BetteAndTinaForever
(Warning: contains a few season 5 spoilers)
Disclaimer: this report is based solely on my personal findings, opinions and wishes. It is biased and was written for entertainment purposes only.
Last week was my second annual trip to Vancouver. Some might call it a spoilers hunt, others might call it vacation, a few people could even call it a waste of time…I call it ‘Looking for random happenstances in the not-so random places’.
Last year it was my first trip with a purpose and it was very interesting, relaxing and eventful. Those of you, who read my last-year report, might remember that I wrote about that trip on a day-by-day basis. This time is going to be not about when I saw or did something but what I saw and did.
Vancouver
As many of you already know, Vancouver is a beautiful city to visit even if The L Word wasn’t filmed there. Ocean, mountains, beaches, museums, shops, walks, fireworks – the city has everything to offer. Sometimes you might see something or someone you wanted when you least expected, other times you might see nothing at all and still have a good time.
On this trip I went for walks to Kitsilano beach, English Bay, Granville Island and Stanley Park.
Kitsilano or Kits, as the locals call it, as a beautiful view of the downtown Vancouver and has a mansion somewhere, one of the regular location spots for The L Word. This year they already shot at least two scenes in that area, both involved Shane (Kate Moennig). Please refer to Spoilers, Rumors and Speculations section to find out more about it.
English Bay is another beautiful beach area with a breathtaking view of the ocean and the city, and also the place where majority of the citizens and tourists gather for the annual Celebration of Lights Fireworks Festival. Each year three teams from different countries compete for the best fireworks and music coordination and on the forth night the winning team is giving an encore performance. This year it was Spain, China and Canada. I was able to see Spain performance and it was beautiful.
English bay is also famous for their sculptures of balanced stones, including a huge native art landmark called The Inukshuk. This time I approached it from a different side and saw a few smaller balanced stone sculptures right on the rocks. It was beautiful.
Stanley Park offers beautiful beaches, views, walks and it is just a wonderful area for family and tourist to spend on the weekend. After a few days of rain, the weather was sunny and many people came outside, families with kids, dogs, people running, jogging and simply relaxing.
Granville Island presents another opportunity for relaxation, shopping, dining and walking. It also offers a beautiful view of the downtown and the island can be reached by the mans of public transportation or by taking a small boat ride.
People
After my arrival on Saturday and a dinner with friends, we went to the club “Lick”, which described in the Vancouver travel book as Vancouver’s only “all-girl-operated underground queer night club.”
We got there at 10 pm right when the club opened its doors and hung out there, listening to music and dancing until midnight Drag Kings Show. It was a lot of fun but I was ready to call it a day when I saw Angela Robinson came in with another writer from The L Word, Mia Kirschner, Daniela Sea and a few other people, most of whom I saw before but couldn’t tell who they were exactly.
Mia began dancing with some pretty woman and was trying to stay away from the fans, though nobody bothered them much. The Drag King show was still on and soon after Kate Moennig and Rose Rollins walked in as well. The music was loud and it was hard to talk but I introduced myself to Angela and Daniela, said hello to Rose, who remembered me from my Washington DC trip. I didn’t want to ruin their night by asking them any questions about the show, so I just danced and watched the ladies dancing and talking.
Mia and Rose left first, after they talked to some fans outside and took a few pictures; Kate and others stayed, danced and had good time. When I was ready to leave, I saw Erin Daniels at the bar, talking to someone and I had to come and ask if she was in Vancouver for season 5. I waited for the break in their conversation, which was a take of breath on Erin’s part and very politely asked my question. Erin said she was here for the weekend and she hasn’t heard anything yet. I told her about the Write-it contest on L.Word.Fanlib and that the winning episode was going to be filmed in season 5 with the principal actors playing the characters. The episode that won the first place (meaning that it would be filmed and the author would go to Vancouver to see it being filmed) had Dana in it, so I asked Erin if it means she’ll be in it as well, but she replied that she didn’t hear anything yet. I’m thinking it was just her way of trying not to reveal anything.
On Monday I went to the studio around lunch time. I remember reading a little tidbit that Ilene wrote about their lunches. It was just like she described. I walked by the trailers and there was the line to the lunch trailer, though I only saw one familiar person, Daniela Sea. Of course, even when The L Word is filmed at the studio it doesn’t mean that all the cast members are present. The episode could be filmed in a few different locations at the same time, because they have enough equipment and crew to do it.
On another day I was walking by the studio again because I was planning to eat my lunch at the coffee shop on the corner right across the street. They have great salads and sandwiches there and it was closer to five pm when I finally got there, so I guess it was early dinner for me then. Anyway, just as I was getting comfortable at the outside table I saw Ilene Chaiken leaving the office in the nice convertible car. She was followed by Rose Lam, one of the producers. Looked like that on that day their working day was ending at five.
Though I wasn’t particularly looking for anyone from The L Word on the streets but I did go to some places where the cast members were seen before. I saw Jon Wolfe Nelson, who is playing Tom Mater, Jodi’s assistant, on Saturday night at the “Rodney’s oyster house” in Yaletown. He was ready to dine with some friends and I asked permission to take his picture and then asked if he was still filming. He wouldn’t tell me any Bette/Jodi or Bette/Tina spoilers because, as he put it, “We are sworn to secrecy.” Well, at least we know that Jodi is still there since she needs her assistant Tom to communicate sometimes.
While I was eating there I saw Mia Kirschner walking by the window with her black dog. It took me a minute to figure out that it was her because I was busy devouring a very delicious summer salad with scrimp, so when I ran out of the restaurant, Mia was already far ahead and turned at the corner of the street. I knew I was losing my investigative reporter abilities if I had doubts I saw The L Word cast member but I also was too full to chase after her, so I returned to my salad. However, I do remember Mia saying at the L2 Convention in London last year that she doesn’t particularly like people chasing her on the streets so maybe it was for the best.
Production Assistants Work
Friday, July 27, was a particularly interesting day for me. The night before I checked some of the TLW websites I visit frequently and I found out about filming that was going to happen on Friday afternoon in downtown at Cordova Street. I went there in the morning but the actual filming of part of the episode 505 was going to start after three in the afternoon. This is when the trucks would be arriving with the equipment and the location was being prepared for the shooting.
Because I didn’t have anywhere else to go, I stayed in the area and met a very nice Production Assistant who let me hang out with her whole afternoon. I was helping her with some work and also learned a few things. The spoilers and rumors are in the next section of this report, so here I will only mention some things that are relevant to the show but are spoiler-less.
Apart from fishing for spoilers, we were also talking about the filming process, the PA responsibilities and the general life and work on the set of The L Word. Usually the cast members given 12 hours break between filming. It means that if they work on Monday from 8 am to whenever they finish, they have 12 hours before they have to go back on set or film on location. Usually the parts of one episode that involve one cast member are filmed in the row, even if they are not consecutive parts of the episode. The PA gave me an example of Shane. If she has parts in certain episode, Kate would come on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to film them all with a 12-hour break and then she would have free time (maybe not completely free because there are also rehearsals and readings for the next episode) and they all have their weekends free as well. Unless they worked through Friday night until Saturday morning and then they call it Fraturday, I’m not sure of the spelling though.
The crew members and the PA’s only have 9 hours between work and their normal full-work day is 15 hours. Eight hours for them considered to be a half-day. I only spent about 5 hours with her and I was almost exhausted from constant walking and checking on things. As she said, the PA’s don’t need special education; they just need to be dedicated and willing to do what is asked.
The PA’s who don’t work for the show full time usually stay on-call and come to work only when they are available. Sometimes they could get a call from a few different shows and have to choose one. It’s all done through a location manager.
Most of the PA’s work in the same areas, like controlling traffic on location, doing props for the filming on location. Sometimes they rotate their assignments; however, to be involved with the filming on set, they have to be in the Union. Some of the PA’s never work on set at all but only work in their respective departments.
Angela Robinson was directing episode 505. I walked up to her while she was on a short break outside the filming location (Shaw Tower on 1077 W. Cordova Street) and asked her how the filming was going. She said that things were going great and she will be directing at least 3-4 episodes this season. She hasn’t heard anything about season 5 being the last one but I think she just didn’t want to comment on the rumors, because at this point nobody really knows. I chatted with her a little about her movie D.E.B.S. that I watched the previous night (pure coincidence, I assure you) and I mentioned the character of the Russian assassin, because she was so stereotypical and therefore, really funny. I actually laughed the whole movie, I thought it was brilliant. Anyway, Angela was really nice and let me to take her picture.
Spoilers, Rumors and Speculations
While I was spending my Friday with the PA, I learned a few spoilers and rumors. Some are full scenes and some are only bits and pieces of the scenes, so I will try to put them chronologically at least to keep it simple.
The main rumor among the crew, of course, is the one about season 5 being the last season. There are arguments for and against that statement, or course. The main reason to think that season 5 isn’t the last one is the idea of all the promotions that the Showtime invested their money, like OurChart, ‘L’ements of style clothing and jewelry lines, The Second Life and some others. Also, even though none of the Showtime shows went beyond five seasons, it doesn’t mean that The L Word will follow in the same tradition. It is still one of a kind show and if season 5 will get higher ratings (hint to Ilene Chaiken: bring back Bette and Tina and the ratings will go through the ceiling) then anything is possible.
At the same time, an argument can be made that the show is going down with unbelievable and often silly storylines, overwhelming number of cast and no time or budget to develop the most interesting stories that involve the original cast. I personally, would like to see this show to go on, even if I’m not happy with the storyline for my favorite characters. I have many reasons to see The L Word beyond season 5, one of them is a selfish thought: what am I going to do if The L Word is over next year? No places to go, no reports to write, no cast members to meet…boring.
Now, on to the spoilers…
In the beginning of the season Helena is indeed in jail and is wearing orange suit of course. I can only imagine that Rachel Shelley looks good in it but she will be there for a few episodes, waiting for her mother to help. Her friends visit her there but the rest of her storyline is unknown so far. The jail scene was filmed in abandoned hospital somewhere downtown.
I asked the PA, of course, if she knew what was going on with JoBette/TiBette triangle, since it was the storyline I’m interested the most. She didn’t really know where it was going because she wasn’t working on set as much as on the outside but she told me a few things that she witnessed.
In episode 501 or 502 there will be a scene between Bette, Jodi and some Jodi’s friends. They will play some kind of a mud ball and a scene will end up with Bette being thrown into the water. I’m not sure where this scene will take place but, according to the PA, when they were shooting it the weather was pretty chilly and the water was cold. Jennifer Beals was thrown into the water nevertheless and I’m hoping it only took one take. After it was filmed she went straight to her trailer to dry and change her clothes.
Again, according to the PA who is not particularly fond of TiBette as a couple but likes Bette, Bette is trying too hard to keep this relationship working but Jodi doesn’t really care. Her attitude is, ‘Whatever.’
Also, in episode 501 or 502 they filmed a big wedding for a rich couple that Jenny met in the beginning of the season (apparently, after she drifted to Mexico on her little yellow raft at the end of season 4). At any rate, the people in the mansion some how associated with Jenny. It was filmed at the mansion in Kitsilano area that TLW uses quite often. Shane was invited to do the bride’s hair and ended up sleeping with the bridesmaid, the bride and the bride’s mother. At the end of the scene all three of them are chasing Shane who is running away and is losing her show in the process. I hope when we’ll see it, the scene is not as silly as it sounds.
But after I heard that I said, “Wow, Shane isn’t loosing any time since she broke up with Paige,” because I remembered another spoiler where Shane will also have a three-some with a couple who will later try to take over the Planet because Shane breaks their rules of sleeping with other people only if they are together. For those spoilers you can refer to the spoiler thread.
Apparently, while I was spending my morning with the PA on Friday, learning about the filming process, the crew was shooting in Kitsilano. I was told by another PA who replaced the one I was talking to before, that they were filming an apartment scene in the residential area in Kits. That particular PA didn’t know who was filming there because it was her first day on The L Word and she doesn’t even watch the show. All she knew that there were four cast members present and after I named some names of the actresses and the characters, she said that Jenny/Mia and Shane/Kate sounded familiar. Later I learned from another source, who was actually watching the filming of the scene in the outside that Kate was there for sure. They filmed her walking into the building and after a few takes, the crew moved to film inside for a few hours. Since it was in the episode 505, I can only assume that it could be a scene involving Shane, Jenny and either the couple that Shane slept with, who now wants to take over the Planet, or maybe the actresses who will play Jessie and Shaun (characters in Jenny’s movie). But this is just my speculation at this point.
The first PA also told me that the day before (July 26), they were filming part of the episode 505 at the studio and all the cast members were present, including some new people, like Jenny’s new girlfriend who will be playing Jessie in Jenny’s movie. Okay, it sounds weird. From what I’ve read and heard, the actress who will be playing that role is quarter Asian. She’s petite, beautiful, and she looks a little like Jenny. If Jenny is having an affair with her, it’s like she’s sleeping with herself.
Anyway, they were filming a party in Shane’s house. By the way, as far as the PA knows, there were a lot of parties filmed in this season so far. For example, they used one of the regular houses on SE Marine Drive to film some kind of a private party between Alice and Tasha.
At this particular scene in Shane’s house, Tina, Shane and Alice were drinking tequila shots and eating brownies. Those were some special brownies, if you ask me, because after they finished, the trio began dancing on top of the table. Tina was wearing very pretty blue dress. I know that Bette and Jodi were present at the party so we can only guess what Bette’s reaction was, because judging by latest podcasts from the set of The L Word, Tina looks gorgeous.
We were talking and working until about 3 pm when the trucks began to arrive with equipment, electricians, set decorators and other crew members. The Circus (this is what they call the trailers for the cast members) were parked on Hastings Street. I went there to check out who will be filming in the afternoon since my new friend, the PA, didn’t have a call sheet. I learned then that the scene being filmed was in the news studio and it only involved day players. Those are the extras with lines who only come in for a day. On one trailer I saw name ‘Dawn’. If I’m not mistaken, it is the name of one of the girls that slept with Shane and then threatened to overtake the Planet.
After I learned that no major cast members were involved, I knew it was time for me to leave. I stopped by the studio one more time because I was sort of in the neighborhood and it was almost empty, with the exception of a few trailers. One of them had name ‘Tina’ on it, so I just had to take picture.
I also went to Commercial Drive on Sunday the week before and was there during Commercial Drive Community Days. There was dancing on the streets, food everywhere, shopping and free concerts. One of them included Kia Kadiri, local Canadian musician, whose song “Put Your Hands Up” appeared on the season 1 of The L Word, famous drunken Dana dance. She was brilliant. Kia has one CD out and I really enjoyed all the song she performed. She was there with another young local musician, who also was a DJ at the Lick club the following Thursday.
While I was walking along the street, I saw a friend that I met last year in San Francisco during l-word writers’ convention. Out of 2 million people in Vancouver walking under pouring rain I saw someone I knew…how bazaar is that?
She was there with her girlfriend, who works as permanent extra on TLW. She told me that she was filming just the week before I arrived (I think it was episode 504), and there was a new character who’s name was something like Sheeba, who is also trying to take over the Planet. This new character either after Tina or wanted Tina, Bette saw them and was upset and then Bette and Tina were making out. Imagine my delight at that news but I had to ask if she was telling me the truth because I couldn’t be disappointed. My friend laughed and said, “Something happens between B&T.”
Posted by: 4u2 Aug 4 2007, 11:15 AM
Another Title:
Episode 6) Lesbians Gone Wild
Posted by: 4u2 Aug 7 2007, 09:53 AM
E507 - Lesbians Gone Wild.
"It appears as though the filming of Lez Girls takes place (is taking place) in this episode"
ETA: sort of confirmation from tvsquad.com, thanks to Bendrix731:
Season 5 will see the addition of at least two recurring characters who will appear in a multiple-episode arc. The first one is Niki, a Caucasian woman in her 20s. She is set to play the Jenny-inspired role of Jessi in "Lez Girls" (Jenny's account of her friends' lives). Niki just finished shooting a James Bond movie and has a reputation to be rather wild, impressionable, eager and out of control. She is a potential love interest for Jenny. The other character is bi-racial Lisa, an actress in her 30s who will play Bev, the Bette-inspired role on "Lez Girls". Lisa, a straight woman, is on a question to learn the ins and outs of lesbian behavior and attaches herself to Bette saying that it's to be able to portray her properly.
Posted by: 4u2 Aug 7 2007, 10:11 AM
L Word of the Day: Location
From Our Chart
July 17, 2007 - 10:21am — ilene
Spent the whole day in the one North Vancouver location - a martial arts gym. It was a huge scene. Involved the entire cast except for Max. In between takes - which, on their own were fairly arduous - the cast, with phenomenal stamina, availed themselves of the unusual equipment and the fitness experts on hand for the day's work. Funniest is Jenny, who, in character, behaves as if she couldn't possibly lift a 5 lb dumbbell, but in reality is super fit and energetic and competitive.
And yes, the producers and writers sat around on set all day, getting less and less fit, and then retired to a coffee shop on the corner for cakes and lattes (as noticed by one OurChart member who already commented on seeing us there) for a board meeting on the upcoming episode. A board meeting, you may recall, is when we analyze the shooting schedule and make adjustments to our script so that we can accomplish everything we need to accomplish in our eight-day schedule.
Posted by: 4u2 Aug 8 2007, 09:54 AM
Jennifer Beals Loved Lesbian Sex Scenes
Jennifer Beals thrived shooting raunchy lesbian sex scenes in TV show The L Word because she is totally comfortable with her sexuality. The actress claims her co-stars on the lesbian-themed show found it difficult acting out graphic love scenes - but Beals loved the experience.
She tells British magazine Diva, "I haven't questioned my sexuality. If I had, I think I would be more ambivalent about the love scenes. Some people on the show did, and they had a really difficult time with it.
"I think that part of what allows me to play it the way I do is because I'm really clear about who I am sexually. I may not know a lot of things about myself, but I know that about my sexuality
Posted by: 4u2 Aug 9 2007, 09:37 AM
Here's something I found
Have a Great Day
Updated 8 August, 2007
Here are the in depth spoilers for ep 501. I am going to write these in the order in which they appear in the shooting script.
* Helena is now in jail for stealing Catherine's money. She is being lead to her cell and the other inmates are shouting and calling out to her.
* Bette and Tina go see an Admissions Director to try and get Angelica into a decent pre-school. They tell the Director that they want Angelica to grow up surrounded by art. They even mention that her puzzles at home are hand made by particular artists. Angelica also signs to Bette in the interview and impresses the director. The director asking if anyone in their family is deaf. Bette stumbles a little on her words and says that they have a good friend who is deaf. Tina shoots Bette a discreet look.
* Helena is locked into her new cell with her new cellmate. Helena begs to be let out, she wants to know if her mother calls. The guard laughs at her and walks off, leaving her alone with her new cellmate, Dusty. Dusty is described as the biggest, baddest prison butch on steroids. Helena introduces herself to Dusty only to have Dusty crack her knuckles and stare blankly back at her. Helena begins to explain that she won't be in here for very long and that as soon as they can reach her mother, she'll be out of there. She goes to sit on the bottom bunk bed but as she does Dusty states "That's my bunk". Helena springs off the bed and scampers up to the top bunk, where she crawls into the corner, hugging her knees.
* Bette and Tina leave the interview. Seems Bette let slip that they were a lesbian family. But since Tina doesn't think its a good idea for them to know that they are a divorced lesbian family, they lead the director to believe they are still together. As they are walking to their car they spot another gay couple, Ed and Jamal with their little boy, Lucas. Seems they are all travelling the same pre-school circuit and this is not the first time they've bumped into each other. Jamal tells Bette and Tina that they think Lucas has a great chance at getting into this school because he's a Muslim, Ed is Christian, Lucas is adopted and he's half Jewish, a quarter Latino and a quarter Chinese. Bette counters with the fact they have a bi-racial daughter with lesbian moms. They go back and forth a bit until it clear that Lucas has a way better chance of getting in than Angelica does. Bette and Tina get into their car deflated.
* Max sets up 2 cameras and lights as Alice has taken over a corner of the Planet for her new podcast. Shane is there touching up Alice's hair. Seems Alice will be conducting an interview with Phyllis. Alice tells the gang that she's tried reaching Mrs Peabody but could only reach a social secretary who told her that she was abroad and wishes only to be disturbed in the case of an emergency. Shane asks Alice if she told her her daughter's in jail? Alice jokes that she said she knows Mrs Peabody is a broad...but not a very classy one. Phyllis asks how her makeup looks, that she doesn't want to come off looking like a lipstick lesbian. Alice remarks that no she's a total stone butch. Phyllis takes out her notebook and writes that down, stating that she's never heard of that before and that she's studying the "lingo".
* Alice is interviewing Phyllis about her new love, Joyce. Apparently Joyce is going to be throwing Phyllis a coming out party. Phyllis talks about how she was afraid that after coming out her world would become small and that she would be cut off from the life she knew, but that now Joyce has shown her that a whole big beautiful lesbian world is out there waiting for her. Alice asks Phyllis is she has U-Hauled yet. Phyllis has no idea what that means. Alice explains what it is, as Phyllis jots it all down in her notebook.
* Cut to a U-Haul being unloaded. Shane and Paige are being lead to an apartment by Lexi, a very cute, very voluptuous real estate agent. Lexi walks in front of them with a "Feel free to check out my ass" walk. Shane does so. Paige seems to really like it and tells Lexi that they will get back to them by the end of the day, as to whether they will take it or not. Lexi tells Shane that Lisa Pantolini says hi. Shane tells her that she says hi back. Paige is all "Who's Lisa Pantolini?". Shane tells her its just a girl she once knew. Lexi then goes on to tell Shane that she knows Lacey, Brandi Delaney and Megan too. Shane is all "Oh yeah?" and slightly embarrassed. Paige remarks to Shane that she has a long history. Lexi tells them that she couldnt believe it when she heard from Lisa that Shane was moving in with someone. She also says that Lisa talks about Shane all
the time and that she never fully got over her. Shane's all "Oh Im sorry to hear that". Paige then leaves as she has to go get Jared. Shane looks back at Lexi to find she's staring at her. Shane meets her gaze and then looks away. Looks back again, this time with intent.
* Apparently Shane and Lexi get it on, just as Paige bring Jared back to show him their new home. Jared is in another room when Paige finds Shane and Lexi. Jared wants to see his new room but Paige shouts out that there's no point now as the place has been rented by someone else and leaves.
* Tina, running late for a meeting with her boss, enters the room to find not only her boss in the room but also hedge fund billionaire, Spiros Stassinopolous, and Jenny. Tina greets Jenny but Jenny ignores her. Tina's boss introduces Tina to Spiros. They all seem to be talking about scenes from Jenny's new film. Tina's boss is all "Oh I love the scene at the party when Jesse gets separated from her boyfriend and Nina comes over and totally hits on her. And Tina is all shocked like "Nina hits on Jesse?" At this point Jenny turns to Tina to greet her. Jenny tells her she re-wrote the script in Tulum, Mexico, which is where she ran into Spiros. Spiros tells everyone that Jenny was his guest at his villa. Everyone smiles except Tina, she cringe-smiles. Tina's boss tells Tina that he can't wait until she reads Jenny's new re-write. Spiros rambles on about how much vision Jenny has and how she can see the forest through the trees and that she's the only person who could possibly DIRECT this movie. Tina is flabbergasted. Tina is like "She's -- What?". Jenny smiles at Tina. There's a knock on the door and its Jenny's assistant, Monique, with her Pomeranian, Sounder. Jenny jumps up and grabs the dog without even acknowledging Monique. Jenny introduces Sounder to Spiros but then gasps and turns to Monique stating that the ribbon on Sounder is mauve and not the orange she had asked for. Monique tells Jenny that they ran out of orange ribbon and that she thought it was best if it was all one colour instead. Jenny tell Monique that she doesn't pay her to think and to go find her some orange ribbons. Monique leaves.
* Two new characters are introduced; Cindi and Dawn. They introduce themselves to Kit. Dawn tells Kit they are her new neighbours but Cindi just elbows Dawn to SHH. Cindi tells Kit they just moved up here from Miami. They go into the Planet taking note of the poster in the window that every Thursday night is Women's night.
* Back to the prison where Helena is locked up. Shane, Alice and Tina are being escorted to see Helena. Shane and Alice and working Tina over, telling her to stop saying that there's nobody out there for her. All three of them get catcalls all the way down the corridor from the other inmates. Shane's head whips around, she's just spotted a beautiful girl in one of the cells. The girl blows her a kiss and Shane returns the gesture. Shane and Alice continue to try and get Tina to go out. Shane tells her that she doesn't just have to go to bars and that she and Alice are going to help her find a girl. Alice says that they will be her "wingmen, with specially tuned gaydar". Tina laughs.
* Alice, Shane and Tina get taken into the visiting room. Helena enters and sits down. The others try and cheer her up. Alice comments that she's loving the jumpsuit and that orange is so her colour. Shane says she would totally wear that, while Tina tells her that she looks amazingly beautiful. Helena, not reacting to the cheering up, asks if they have heard from her mother. They all exchange looks.
* Shane and Alice have a talk but I only have the last part of it. Alice tells Shane that she is definately a lousy girlfriend (so maybe Shane was all depressed over what she had done to Paige and that's what they had been talking about previously?). They are both drinking and Alice tells Shane that they better drag themselves out to Phyllis' coming out party. Shane comments that while the party will probably be useless for them, they should at least go for Tina. Alice chimes in that yeah Tina needs her "wingmen".
* Back in prison. Two trays of food slide into the cell but once Helena sees what it is she audibly wretches. Dusty, who has already eaten all her food, looks at Helena's tray. Helena gives her the plate of soggy meat and tries to take a bite out of the hunk of bread but its as hard as a rock. Dusty finishes her food and growls at Helena, who then scurries back up to her top bunk, sucking on the crust of her bread.
* At the Planet Joyce's coming out party for Phyllis. Dinner chit chat about the university. Seems the people at this dinner party are all the lesbians from the universities various faculties. They all apparently knew Phyllis was gay well before she came out.
* Apparently there's now a Sushi Bar inside the Planet, as that's where Shane, Alice and Tina are sitting. They are checking out potentials for Tina. Alice points out Kara, one of the women at Phyllis's dinner party. Tina agrees that Kara is attractive but that she wouldn't know how to approach her. Alice and Shane look at each other. Sigh. Shane tells them both to "wait here" as she strolls up to Kara.
* Monique is madly taking notes for Jenny. Jenny is rambling off a list of things she wants Monique to come and do tomorrow morning. Monique tells her that she cant tomorrow morning as she has church. Jenny tells Monique to go to a later service that day but Monique tells her there aren't any other services that day. So she tells her to at least have the stuff done by 6pm. Shane is crossing by in front of them, so Jenny grabs her and tells her she misses her. Shane hugs Jenny and kisses her on the forehead. Shane tells Jenny she has to go, as she's doing something for Tina. Shane notices Monique and introduces herself to her. Jenny interrupts with a "Dont worry that's just my assistant". At this point Monique tells Jenny that she ****ing quits and storms off. Jenny runs after her shouting "You'll be sorry".
* Meanwhile Shane walks up to Joyce and Phyllis and tells them both that its a nice party. They introduce the women at the table to Shane. Shane stops on Kara, who is more lovely up close. Shane tells Kara she has beautiful eyes. Kara is clearly charmed. Kara wants to know what Shane's story is but Shane tells her she has no story, that she is a blank page. Kara replies with "Waiting to be written on?". But before anything can happen Shane quickly points out Tina and tells Kara that she really wants to meet her. Alice, who is sitting next to Tina, points her out to Kara. Tina is embarrassed and half-heartedly waves back. Kara turns back to Shane and says "But Im meeting you right now". Kara smiles at Shane. Shane gets a grip and says "Come on. Let's go over".
* Bette enters the Planet and heads over to Kit. She asks her who those women are over there. Kit says she doesn't know but that they are all Joyce's guests. Bette says that she was referring to the two "tanorexics". Kit tells her that they are Cindi and Dawn, that they just moved here from Miami and that she invited them to come in to make some new friends. Bette asks Kit "So they could invite them all to their new hotter-than-hot lesbian club?" and hands Kit a post card which states "COMING SOON, HOT FROM MIAMI, SHEBAR: LA'S LOVELY LADIES HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE IT." Kit says "Well *** me" to which Bette replies "I think they just did".
* Cut back to Kara and Shane sitting with Alice and Tina. Small talk. Alice starts nodding her head to Shane. Shane turns and looks to see Paige looming behind her. Paige asks Shane why she asked her and Jared to move in with her. Shane asks her if she wants to go somewhere to talk about this. Paige is all no just answer me. Meanwhile Bette comes and sits at the table next to Tina and introduces herself to Kara and then whispers into Tina's ear asking what's Paige doing here?. Tina just shrugs. Shane answers with, "Because I thought it would be good for us". Paige then asks Shane why she told Jared that Shay was coming back. Shane replies that she didn't exactly say that, just that she wished he would come back. At this point Im missing a chunk of dialogue but it ends with Shane going silent, everyone at the table looking away and then Paige turning and walking off.
* Shane has her head down on the table while Bette, Tina and Alice are all fawning over her. Bette tells Shane that its not her fault. Alice says that she totally asked for it. Tina says that Paige had no business coming in here like that. Tina tells Bette that Paige came in here totally looking for a fight and that she set herself up. She says "You should have heard the way she called Shane out". At this point Bette has stood up and is looking across the room to JODI, who is coming in through the front door with her suitcase, straight from the airport. Jodi puts down her bags and she and Bette fly into one another's arms, kissing long and deep.
* Not sure what location they are at now but I assume its at Bette's place. Jodi ties a blindfold over Bette's eyes, takes her wrists and pulls her to her feet. Bette stands up. Jodi comes around to the front of her, brushes up against her and breathes very close to her mouth. Bette is turned on. She moves to kiss Jodi but Jodi backs away. Jodi is all "Uh uh". Jodi starts to feel Bette up, slowly and excruciatingly. She unbuttons the top button of Bette's pants, teases, then moves around behind her and rubs against her, letting Bette feel her breasts against her back. Bette moans. Slowly, Jodi slips her arms around Bette, kisses the back of her neck, reaches her hands around and up under Bette's shirt. Makes Bette crazy. Jodi is all "Did you say something?". Jodi bites Bette's ear and slides her hands down her pants.
* Cuts to a fire hose dousing flames. WAX is ablaze. Shane arrives and jumps out of her JEEP. Pushes her way through the crowd to the front of the building, staring up at it. She asks what happened. The fire scene investigator asks Shane if this is her business. She nods yes. He asks her if she has any unhappy customers or maybe a disgruntled employee? Shane just stares at him and tells him not that she knows of. He tells her that its most likely arson. That a window is broken, shoe prints just inside and out and a trail of ignitable liquid. He asks is she has any idea who might have done this. Shane just says no. He asks if she wants to file a report and again Shane just answers no
Posted by: 4u2 Aug 11 2007, 10:51 AM
Just some star spotting
from lwordonline
August 7, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: Meagan
I saw a posting on a door on the 5th of August that said that they were doing a shooting on the 7th. So I waited for that day and me and my buddy went. We didn't see anyone til about 6:30pm. AND GUESS WHO WE SAW!? MIA !!! OMG she is gorgeous, by far. So we went back again, around 11pm cause they were shooting til about 4am. And one of the people that worked there told me that she had her supper around 10-11. I saw her get out of the van, and I was like the only one on the street and I yelled I love you baby! And I put out my arms like I wanted to just grab her and hold her forever, then she smiled and waved. I bet she would remember me. I'm short and i was wearing green haha.
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August 5, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: Ali
My girlfriend and I were at Sonar nightclub in Gastown, Vancouver for Hershe Bar and to cap the Pride festival in Vancouver that day. We saw Kate Moennig "Shane" and Rose Rollins "Tasha" with 3 or 4 other people. We first saw them in the smoke pit and then in the upstairs lounge dancing and having a great time. Seeing it was Pride I decided to give each of them my Pride beads and put them around their necks, they thanked me and said Happy Pride! It was as though I had walked on a set, they both looked the same as in the series!
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August 4, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: Katherine
I spotted Rose Rollins, Kate Moenig and Angela Robinson on Saturday at a restaurant patio on Commercial Drive in Vancouver. I was in the park across the street, the location for music after a dyke march for Vancouver's Pride weekend. As my two friends came to join us, they walked beside the patio and Kate leaned over to pet my friend's dog. We walked alongside the patio a few minutes later as they were just leaving the restaurant. Kate's dog Floyd started sniffing my friend's dog and the 2 leashes became tangled just 2 feet from me. She called Floyd to pull him away and the group of them crossed to the other side of the street. Kate had on light blue jeans, a short sleeved top and a cap tilted sideways. Rose was wearing an olive coloured short dress. There was another woman with them who had long dark hair and a flowing sleeveless dress who we initially thought was Jennifer Beals but it wasn't her and the woman was too short anyway (Mia maybe?). I was surprised at how slim Rose Rollins appeared to be but more surprised that Kate didn't look as thin as she does on screen. Very cool to see them though!
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July 20, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: J
I met Erin Daniels, Kate Moennig, and Rose Rollins at Lick Night Club. Erin was really nice and friendly and she actually joined me and my group and had a good 20 minute conversation with us. I thought it was really sweet that she left her friends to come talk with some random lesbians. She seemed very genuine, and made it a memorable night. We talked about a lot of things: from Vancouver life, to things she does for fun, and she asked the same about us, etc. She mentioned she would be guest starring in season 5.
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July 12, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: Katherine
I was at the Jericho Beach Sailing Club enjoying a meal and people watching when in walked Angela Robinson to order some food. She appeared to be with a tall male and was wearing long baggy combat shorts, black t-shirt and a red bandana. I'm not even sure how I recognized her but I think I heard her speak and somehow knew that it was her.
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July 7, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: Beth
Must have been my lucky day, 7/07/07 !!! Hi my name is Beth and I’m from California. I was vacationing in Vancouver and keeping an eye out for the L word girls, knowing that they are currently filming… I didn’t see any of them during my stay in the city, but at Vancouver Airport on my way home today I saw both Ilene Chaiken and Leisha Hailey. They seemed surprised to run into each other at the convenience store. They hugged and exchanged words for just a moment as Leisha purchased some tabloid like mags for in-flight reading. I jumped in line right behind Leisha of course and eves dropped on their conversation. I heard that Ilene was off to New York to spend time with her kids and Leisha was off to LA, her first trip back home since beginning filming the new season. Both seemed tired of work and ready for a little down time. I was overjoyed to see them, but didn’t say a word to either of them, even though I shared the same plane as Leisha, who sat in coach by the way - two and a half hours of heaven. Be careful of what you wish for, it just might come true!
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July 3, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: Karen
I saw Rachel Shelley and Rose Rollins walking down Richards Street near Davie St. having a light-hearted conversation. I recognized them because Rachel is so tall and striking and Rose was laughing like no one but Rose can. Rose's hair was down and both were looking quite hot. I wish I had my camera!
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July 1, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: J
Last night at Hershe Bar (a lesbian clubbing event) held at Sonar nightclub in Vancouver, we saw MIA KIRSHNER and RACHEL SHELLEY leave the club at around 11 just as we were walking INTO the club. Mia was TINY! Really adorable. Then, inside, we saw KATHERINE MOENNIG and TASHA WILLIAMS dancing, as well as having a few smokes throughout the night at the smoking pit. Katherine is even hotter in person, even got to grind up against her a couple of times. It was hot! Definitely made my night. A bunch of us also got her autographs but I think she was against getting her photo taken, understandably. Katherine and Tasha stayed until the very end of the night, and since it was Canada Day, we were all cheering and clapping at the end. Then outside the club we saw them leave with a couple of friends in tow. All I know is that Katherine is the most beautiful woman ever and it was fantastic just to be in her presence. 
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July 1, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: QS
I was fortunate to see four cast members from the show, Mia Kirshner, Kate Moennig, Rose Rollins and Rachel Shelley, appear at Hershe Bar, which is held in Vancouver every long weekend. In this case it was July 1 for Canada Day celebrations. It was a club so they were dancing and enjoying themselves, having alot of fun. And from my perspective, they were not bothered by fans and blended in very well.
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July 1, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: Kris
I saw Mia Kirshner, Katherine Moennig and Rose Rollins at Hershe at Sonar! Poor girls got swarmed by the lesbians but they seemed to take it in their stride!
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June 30, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: Kris
I saw Leisha Hailey and Katherine Moennig at Lick club in Vancouver.
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June 30, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: Liza
My friend and I met Leisha, Katherine, Rachel and Rose at club Lick in Vancouver. They said that they are filming in the city. All of them seemed like they were having fun but were annoyed by fans trying to take pictures. It was very exciting to meet them!
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June 29, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: Elaine
Spotted Holland Taylor walking down Robson St at Thurlow about 1:30pm and she seemed to be intrigued and intent on exploring the area. She looks lovely and is smaller than I would have guessed.
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June 1, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: Swann
Was having dinner with my girlfriend at Clove restaurant (Vancouver, on Commercial Drive) and we saw MIA KIRSHNER, KATHERINE MOENNIG, LEISHA HAILEY, RACHEL SHELLEY and ROSE ROLLINS having dinner altogether, they seemed to have lot of fun. We didn't bother them, but it was cool to see them all at the same time, like if we were in an episode
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May 31, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: Coop
I saw Marlee Matlin on Robson street in Vancouver. She was doing some shopping with some guy. She is SO adorable in person! I was too scared to say anything, I wish I had now tho.
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May 1, 2007 - Berlin, Germany
Roving Reporter: Luise
We had the pleasure to party with Daniela Sea, who showed up on a street festival on the traditional 1st May celebrations in Kreuzberg. She was standing in front of us, her eyes being even brighter than on tv. She seemed to be on her own but was enjoying the live music and the gorgeous weather as we all did. YAY!
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April 9, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: Elaine
Jennifer Beals spotted at a local swimming pool in Vancouver (unnamed pool to protect Jennifer's privacy). Would have loved to say 'Hi" and love your work on L Word but she clearly was avoiding recognition.
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April 1, 2007 - Los Angeles, California
Roving Reporter: Rachael
Some friends and I were at Bar Lubitsch on Santa Monica in West Hollywood and saw Rose (Tasha) with a rocker looking guy. She was really beautiful. She asked for a light for her cigarette and I gladly took the opportunity to introduce myself. I didn't tell her I recognized her, I didn't want to be a nerd haha. She was sweet.
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March 4, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: LM GN
Saw Kristanna Loken eating dinner at Hamburger Mary's on Davie in Vancouver. Super hot in person, eating a burger and doing a tequila shot. Unfortunately, also making out with the guy she was with...I suspect he's possibly a co-star from Painkiller Jane (Noah Danby?). Was awesome to see her...until that last bit.
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February 12, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: Debora
Having dinner with my girlfriend at Vij's (Vancouver on Granville and 11th) I saw Leisha Hailey. She and 5 friends were just
finishing dinner, we were seated right beside them, they were having a very good time. Didn't want to listen in; however, they were sharing in such great conversation and the laughter was contagious - it was really nice to see her. Like seeing an old friend.
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February 11, 2007 - Paris, France
Roving Reporter: nickhaughty
Karina Lombard was spotted eating at a restaurant on the rue Montorgeuil, in a trendy area of Paris! The word was passed, so I guess she saw rather lots of lesbians passing by!!
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February 10, 2007 - Berlin, Germany
Roving Reporter: luise
On our way to the lesbian film festival fundraising party in so36 on we passed a bar called Bierhimmel and Ilene Chaiken was sitting inside the bar facing the window and mischievously smiling outside at my friend and me in a way that made me almost fall over my own feet. We were in a hurry and I wasn't quite sure at that moment if it really was her. But as we met Daniela Sea later at the party (where she danced like a little seahorse gone wild, btw) I think that it could have been her with some of her peeps.
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February 6, 2007 - Los Angeles, California
Roving Reporter: Abigail
I saw Leisha Hailey on Melrose today. She parked right in front of me in front of the store Resurrection. She was so nice and
friendly! She was running some errands, and I definately let her be, but I did say how much I adore the show!
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January 28, 2007 - Woodland Hills, California
Roving Reporter: Yoanna
My girlfriend and I saw Jennifer Beals at Target shopping with her husband and her baby.
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January, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: Sean & Mary
My wife served a table a few weeks back at Province Marinaside in Yaletown, Vancouver. After a few visits to the table she couldn't resist..."Are you Tina from the L word?!" Laurel Holloman seemed quite surprised to be recognized, she had her baby in tow and was with someone that my wife figures may have been her Mother. Very nice lady, very down to earth, ...good tipper!
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January 25, 2007 - Paris, France
Roving Reporter: campisi
Saw Mia Kirshner the day of her birthday in Montmartre, in Paris, France. I was getting out of the hotel to get breakfast for my girlfriend when I spotted her. She was talking on the phone, a big black dog walking next to her. I was surprised to see her that day, it was also my girlfriend’s birthday. She walked pass me.
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January 18, 2007 - Los Angeles
Roving Reporter: LA:RA
I saw Kelly Lynch at the East/West Lounge on Santa Monica Blvd. in LA. She was about to leave as I got there around 11pm. I was really surprised though how thin she was, but she looked great anyways.
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January 2, 2007 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Roving Reporter: Juliana
I was driving around Ipanema, the famous GLS neighborhood and all of a sudden I see Leisha Hailey with a friend walking by. At first I thought it couldn't be her, but after staring for a couple seconds longer, I was sure of it! Rolled down the window and screamed "Alice?". She was very friendly to me and my brothers. She probably thought I was some kind of a freak (because of my hysterical reaction), but I hope she reads this and changes that idea. It's just that I wasn't expecting to see her here...She gave me an autograph and I tried to show her our famous Brazilian chocolate sweet... Hope she found it! She said she was there to celebrate New Year's at some friends..
Posted by: 4u2 Aug 14 2007, 09:08 AM
Another Title:
#501 LGB Tease
#502 Look Out, Here They Come!
#503 Lady of the Lake
#504 Let's Get This Party Started
#505 Lookin' At You Kid
#506
#507 Lesbians Gone Wild
#508 Lay Down The Law
Posted by: 4u2 Aug 15 2007, 11:06 AM
Showtime Awards Licensing Agreements for The L Word
NEW YORK, August 14: Working with its licensing agency, 360ep, Showtime Networks has secured deals with Aquarius and Gamaka for the creation of new merchandise—including posters, calendars, DVDs, and board games—based on the series The L Word.
Aquarius will create a series of posters, postcards and a 2008 16-month 12”x12” wall calendar. Additionally, Gamaka, a division of Z7 Worldwide Group, will release The L Word DVD, board and trivia games.
The new merchandise adds to the existing The L Word product line, which includes branded perfume, jewelry, apparel, accessories and publishing. To date, The L Word product has been well received at retail and is available in specialty stores, catalogs, online stores and book chains throughout the U.S.
On the Internet, the show’s fan base has launched numerous dedicated websites and blogs, which has helped establish a large web presence for The L Word brand. This includes a large island in the virtual world Second Life and the social networking website OurChart.com.
Posted by: 4u2 Aug 21 2007, 10:16 AM
August 21, 2007
Kelly McGillis goes to L
Kelly McGillis (Top Gun, Witness) is set to guest-star on Showtime's The L Word. She will play a military lawyer involved in a "don't ask, don't tell" case, according to Variety.
The Golden Globe nominee's most recent work includes the Lifetime network's Black Widower and a turn as Mrs. Robinson in a national tour of The Graduate. (The Advocate)
info from Advocate
Posted by: 4u2 Aug 29 2007, 10:26 AM
Another Title:
Liquid Heat
#501 LGB Tease
#502 Look Out, Here They Come!
#503 Lady of the Lake
#504 Let's Get This Party Started
#505 Lookin' At You Kid
#506
#507 Lesbians Gone Wild
#508 Lay Down The Law
#509 Liquid Heat
Posted by: 4u2 Sep 6 2007, 09:27 AM
Another Title:
Lifecycle
#501 LGB Tease
#502 Look Out, Here They Come!
#503 Lady of the Lake
#504 Let's Get This Party Started
#505 Lookin' At You Kid
#506
#507 Lesbians Gone Wild
#508 Lay Down The Law
#509 Liquid Heat
#510 Lifecycle
Posted by: 4u2 Sep 8 2007, 10:52 AM
Jennifer Beals Interview
This article appeared this morning in todays Guardian Newspaper in the UK.
Didn't know if anyone would want to check it out. The link is: http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguide/film/story/0,,2163649,00.html
And the interview is as follows...
Jennifer Beals takes time out from queueing for her passport to chat about athletics, spiders and quantum physics. Pay attention at the back
Saturday September 8, 2007
The Guardian
What's new pussycat?
I'm just standing in line at the passport office in Los Angeles, trying to renew my passport. I'm waiting outside until they call. I might have to jump off the line when they do. Oh, and I did a spring Triathlon last week, that was fun, but excruciating. We swam in arctic-cold water in the mountain lakes of British Columbia; they didn't tell us that at the start. It was the first triathlon I did and I was wondering if it would be my last.
Who do you think you are?
Right now, I'm trying to be patient. I don't think I'm like Bette, my character in The L Word. This year she's really confused, disappointed, challenged at work and in her relationship. That's not like me at all. I think if she had been standing in line for two hours, she would have lost her mind. She'd be shouting at somebody by now. Oh, and she has a better wardrobe than me. Her clothes are fabulous, and I'm a jeans and T-shirt sort of person.
How long as this been going on?
Two hours! Sorry, I can't stop thinking about this passport queue. OK, the L-Word has been going on for over three years. No one was sure that it would run for that long, but its been nice to follow the twist and turns of a character in a TV series. I enjoy it.
How clean is your house?
My actual house leaves a lot to be desired. My internal house, as a human being, I'm fine, but my actual house, well, spiders feel at home there for some reason. I'm not a neat freak. When I get a hotel, I have to unpack my clothes and colour co-ordinate them, but I'm not like at home.
Where's the hood at?
I don't think I have one. I guess I was brought up in Chicago and I feel like home when I get there. I feel that way in a lot of places though; Vancouver, Los Angeles and New York to a certain extent.
Are you lonesome tonight?
Never. If nothing else I have myself. I like my own company.
What the #$*! do we know!?
Oh, yeah, I like that film. My friend, Marlee Matlin, is in it; she's in the L-Word too. Anyway, I think science and spirituality are one and the same, I don't think they're really different. The film makes pretty clear that quantum physics is validating all kinds of spiritual teachings. As time goes on, hopefully we'll be able to understand more.
What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?
Ermm. They're funny in that they're joyful, but they're not funny in a derisive way.
Who wants to be a millionaire?
I guess those who aren't and don't know any better. The more important question is why? Making money isn't pointless, it just depends on what it's for.
Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Nearly everybody. I studied literature at university and I read Virginia Woolf, but I now enjoy more contemporary authors like Toni Morrison.
Where did you sleep last night?
In Los Angeles.
When will I see you again?
Well, I'm starting this project called Manhattan Nocturne, that's starting in February with Cuba Gooding Jr. My character is very troubled; she keeps fucking up.
Should I stay or should I go?
You should go. My passport queue is moving now! They're starting to give me instructions! Bye!
Posted by: 4u2 Sep 17 2007, 09:45 AM
Another Title:
Lunar Cycle
#501 LGB Tease
#502 Look Out, Here They Come!
#503 Lady of the Lake
#504 Let's Get This Party Started
#505 Lookin' At You Kid
#506
#507 Lesbians Gone Wild
#508 Lay Down The Law
#509 Liquid Heat
#510 Lifecycle
#511 Lunar Cycle
Posted by: 4u2 Sep 21 2007, 09:24 AM
'The L Word' Lands On Logo
Logo today announced that it has acquired the first five seasons (62 episodes) of the groundbreaking Showtime lesbian drama The L Word from CBS Television Distribution and will premiere the series on commercial television for the first time beginning in summer 2008.
Logo is the nation's leading 24/7 cable and broadband channel and online source of entertainment for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) audience.
"The L Word," which launched a television sensation when it premiered on Showtime in 2004, follows a small group of Los Angeles lesbian friends through their romantic, work and family lives.
Posted by: 4u2 Sep 24 2007, 09:51 AM
A little Helena spoiler; a character named Jackie will be one of Helena's prison mates. She supposedly wants Helena to join her gang, which is followed by quite a hot sex scene. She will be in about 2 or 3 episodes.
info form lwordonline
Posted by: 4u2 Sep 26 2007, 11:06 AM
Marlee Matlin’s Great Lesbian Adventure
by Karmen Ratkovic
2007-09-26
Karmen Ratkovic is a political activist in Croatia, working with non-governmental organizations ( NGOs ) on a wide range of issues. She is also a Deaf lesbian activist, and has been working to expand the visibility of lesbians in her country. One way she has done this is through sports, in organizations such as qSPORT and Bura, a lesbian soccer team, that played in the Gay Games last summer in Chicago. The following e-mail interview was conducted with actor Marlee Matlin in early September.
Academy Award winner Matlin will be in Chicago for a gala benefit featuring her co-stars from The L Word ( Jennifer Beals, Daniela Sea and BETTY ) , along with comic Marga Gomez, Sat., Oct. 6, at The Chopping Block, 222 Merchandise Mart. Chefs Art Smith and Shelley Young will also be featured at this Celebrity Cook-Off benefit for Gender PAC, a national gender-rights group. See www.gpac.org .
Karmen Ratkovic: How do you live in the surrounding of hearing people? Do you have anybody who is Deaf, that is, do you have any contact with Deaf people?
Marlee Matlin: My family [ husband and children ] are not deaf and most of my friends at work and at home are hearing. I grew up in Chicago, where my entire family was also hearing [ mom, dad and two brothers as well as various aunts, uncles and cousins ] . But most of my friends growing up in Chicago were deaf and my classmates were deaf as well. Today, I have some close friends who are deaf, but again, most of my daily friends and acquaintances are hearing. I do well going back and forth between Deaf and hearing worlds. It’s the way I’ve always been.
KR: What was it that moved you to be an actress? Is your choosing the career of the actress in any relation with your Deafness? How has Hollywood stereotyped you and what roles are available?
MM: I’ve wanted to act since I was seven years old; that’s when I did my first play, The Wizard of Oz. My mother said she took me to the International Center on Deafness and the Arts because she saw a desire in me to perform in front of people, and ICODA provided opportunities for deaf children to participate in the arts and drama. But I don’t know if I chose acting because I was deaf. I chose acting because I was good at it!
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As for Hollywood stereotyping me, Hollywood stereotypes everyone—men, women, young actors, old actors and actors with disabilities. Hollywood is all about fantasy and drama, and that means we all play characters that are larger than life. Often, this includes stereotypical behavior, behaviors that audiences can easily identity with. As for me, I shun stereotypes and I refuse to take roles which make me look silly or stupid as a Deaf person. It’s also the reason why a lot of the roles I take are ones that I have created together with the writers and producers. Whether it’s been the Dancing Bandit character I played on Picket Fences or the pollster I played on The West Wing or Jodi Lerner from The L Word, the characters I’ve played have avoided the stereotypes of Deafness and have broken new ground in the portrayals of Deaf characters. I’m proud of having opened the doors for other actors in Hollywood who are Deaf.
KR: Your brother is gay. How do feel about that? What can you tell us about the relationship with your brother in regard to your Deafness and his homosexuality—is there any influence in any direction? How about your view of gay people; how do you understand/see them, their challenges, problems, etc.?
MM: My brother is my brother, gay or not. His being gay never factored into how we thought of him in our family or how much we loved him. However, you could say our relationship has been defined by the fact that I’m Deaf and he’s gay because we both come from communities that are in the minority. I think that has drawn us closer to each other. And as Ilene Chaiken, the executive producer of The L Word, said to me as she was developing my character, the issues facing Deaf people parallel the issues facing the LGBT community because both operate as minorities who are misunderstood by the general population. I found this fascinating but not surprising. In any case, as Matlins we are a very close and loving family, and whether we are Deaf, gay, Jewish, etc., we lived by the idea that every person deserves love and respect despite what people label as “differences.”
KR: Here in Croatia, we’ve got no opportunity to see your acting in The L Word, but I’m fascinated by your roles in Children of a Lesser God and recently in What the Bleep. Anyway, I want to know what moved you to choose to join The L Word. How do you feel in this role?
MM: I was challenged by the very nature of the role in The L Word. It was so different than anything I had every played before. I’ve always asked to play roles that were new and challenging and playing a lesbian artist is certainly new for me! I was fortunate to have been cast alongside my friend, Jennifer Beals, who made the transition into playing a lesbian quite easy. She was assuring, as well as funny and she put my mind at ease when it came to playing something I had never played before. I love the cast and crew of The L Word and the role of Jodi Lerner is one of the most fascinating characters I’ve ever played!
KR: Since taking on The L Word role, you have attended many gay and lesbian events and benefits [ in various places ] , including Chicago, your hometown, where your brother introduced you. Can you tell us how being seen as more of an “activist” on the issue of gays and lesbians feels?
MM: I’ve always been a supporter of minority communities and issues, so when I was asked to come out and support the LGBT community, I was glad to lend my name and presence. I don’t necessarily consider myself an activist as much as I consider myself as a woman with an opinion. I wish I had time to be a full-time activist but I’m not so good at politics. But I am good at speaking my mind and my mind has always told me that no one, whether straight or gay, has the right to be discriminated against simply because of their sexual preferences. So, if there’s discrimination out there or people are not realizing their rights, I’m happy to speak out on their behalf and use my public position to focus attention on the issue. That’s what I can do best as an actor!
KR: Can you tell us any favorite parts about playing opposite Jennifer Beals on The L Word, and where this role is going this coming season?
MM: We loved laughing and giggling when we first worked together. Jennifer had already been playing a lesbian for three years on the show and this past season was my first time. She made fun of the way I kissed and held her, and she challenged me to do it better—to do it right. But I told her that I was doing it right!
All through my process of learning, she put my mind at ease and made it so easy for me to slip into the role of the lesbian artist, Jodi. We also playfully argued about who had the better clothes ( Jennifer chic, Marlee funky ) and our past roles. I often kidded her about Flashdance ( she pretended she didn’t like to talk about that movie ) and she often kidded me about Children Of A Lesser God, which I made when I was 19 and looked very different! She is so much fun.
As for this coming season, I can’t say what’s going to happen, but I can tell you it’s going to be very intense—more so than last year—and if you have a chance to watch, tune in!
KR: In your role on The L Word, are you happy with the way the writers have handled your Deafness, making it a critical part of your character and her politics?
MM: The writers on The L Word have been nothing but 100 percent open to incorporating accurate portrayals of Deafness. They’ve brought in other Deaf actors, [ and ] they’ve asked me to help them with storylines; it’s been a dream! There’s nothing on the show that I am embarrassed about [ regarding ] the way Jodi Lerner is portrayed. She is an accurate and very real example of a real Deaf character on television and I am very proud of having the opportunity to portray her.
KR: What do you think of the recent controversial issues in America, including the arrest and resignation of a U.S. senator for bathroom solicitation, and the potential approval of same-sex marriage in Iowa? Where do you think the gay movement is headed in terms of acceptance, and do you see any parallels with the Deaf community?
MM: All of the controversy about how nothing ever changes in terms of how people view gay people doesn’t surprise me. It’s been the same for the Deaf community. As Deaf people, we have had to constantly struggle to be respected and afforded our rights; the same goes for members of the gay community. I’ve learned that the struggle for equality and respect is an ongoing one and it’s the same in the gay community, too. People’s memories are short and every few years there’s an issue ( like the Gallaudet University uprising or the Matthew Shepard case ) that serves to remind us that we will always have to struggle for our rightful place in society. I believe we should never get complacent or comfortable because before you know it, public opinions can change and/or those who make laws or lead us may come into power that takes away everything that we’ve achieved. It’s a never-ending struggle and that’s unfortunate. But it has made me strong and I’m sure that’s the same for any member of the gay community that seeks to make a difference and live a life equal to their straight brothers and sisters.
KR: You are coming to Chicago for a benefit for Gender PAC. Can you explain your support of GPAC, especially as it relates to understanding transgender and gender identity issues?
MM: GPAC is all about gender equality and I’m all for that. As I said, no person should be denied their rights for love and respect simply because of their gender or sexual preference. GPAC works to make sure that no one should be discriminated against simply because of who they choose to love. And in particular, GPAC is working to make sure that LGBT teens—people who need positive reinforcement the most as they grow into adulthood—are afforded love and respect. Too often it is the community of LGBT teens that we see high rates of suicide because of society’s unwillingness to accept them for who they are. GPAC is there to protect and support them—and I’m there to support GPAC.
KR: Thank you very much for your time. We would love to have you in Croatia anytime.
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 1 2007, 10:00 AM
Another Title:
Loyal and True
#501 LGB Tease
#502 Look Out, Here They Come!
#503 Lady of the Lake
#504 Let's Get This Party Started
#505 Lookin' At You Kid
#506
#507 Lesbians Gone Wild
#508 Lay Down The Law
#509 Liquid Heat
#510 Lifecycle
#511 Lunar Cycle
#512 Loyal and True
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 3 2007, 10:20 AM
Flashdance made Jennifer Beals the icon of the ‘80s. She taught us to cut up our sweatshirts, take off our bras with flair and dance until we sweat. She continued her career with diverse roles in films such as Devil in a Blue Dress, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, The Anniversary Party, Twilight of the Golds and Roger Dodger. Then came her role as Bette Porter in the lesbian Showtime series The L Word.
Beals is coming to Chicago for a Oct. 6 benefit for GenderPAC, and Windy City Queercast’s Amy Matheny chatted briefly with her about Chicago, her film career and, of course, The L Word.
Amy Matheny: You were born and raised in Chicago. What are some of your favorite things about the city?
Jennifer Beals: Well, the lakefront; my sweetest memories are at the lakefront, whether it was running or going biking with my family. And the architecture is so spectacular.
AM: Do you get back often? srExecute();
JB: No, I don’t. So I’m really, really excited to come home.
AM: After superstardom in Flashdance, you chose to go to Yale. What was it like for you to immerse yourself in school after Hollywood and the L.A. life?
JB: Well, I had never had the L.A. life. I was in school when I found out that I got the part. So I went and took a term off to go do the film, and then I came back to school. I had already been acclimated and I already had friends there, so it wasn’t that difficult. It really was a relief, because I knew how to go to school, and Hollywood was so unfamiliar to me.
AM: So they already knew you as Jennifer. Even though you’d done the big film, they brought you back down to earth.
JB: With that kind of course load, that will certainly bring you back down to earth. But I don’t feel like I wasn’t on the earth in Hollywood; it just felt very bizarre, like it was just very surreal.
AM: I could talk forever about the films that I [ mentioned above ] , because those are films that I really like a lot.
JB: Roger Dodger…when you mentioned that one, that made me really happy. I had such a good time on that film. Working with my friends and being in New York and telling that story was just so much fun.
AM: It’s interesting to look at your film history, how you’ve had this…core group of people, from Alan Cumming to Tony Goldwin to Marlee Matlin [ that you have worked with and known for a while ] . But let’s talk about The L Word. How was the series pitched to you and the character of Bette Porter?
JB: Well, I read the pilot, and they told me to keep in mind who I would rather play, whether it was Bette or Tina. I felt like I didn’t understand Tina as much as I understood Bette. I really liked all of the complexity that was written in already from the pilot with that, and it’s lucky that I chose that because Lauren Holloman is so fantastic as Tina. I never could have done as good of a job with it as she has with that character. It was proposed to me that it was this group of friends and…we’re going to deal with their lives and see where it takes us.
AM: What was the most intriguing thing about the show? It was obviously groundbreaking at the time.
JB: I never thought about it as being groundbreaking, I just thought, “Wow, this is a fantastic character to play,” and she’s complicated and interesting and it was just a wonderful gift more than anything else.
AM: And I imagine it’s also such a unique experience to work with a mostly female cast and so many women in production.
JB: [ Laughing ] We all tend to cycle at the same time.
AM: It’s got to be a very unique, being around that many women all the time.
JB: It’s a fantastic cast, it is. Everybody is incredibly supportive of one another. The other night we had an eight-page scene around a fire, with 11 characters, and we thought, “How are we going to get through this?” So I just [ had ] everybody come into my trailer the day before we had to do the scene, and we all ran through [ it ] until we all knew it…just so that there were no wrinkles when we finally went to camera, and it was great, and everybody was really helpful to one another, and respectful of one another.
AM: You’ve been friends with Marlee Matlin for years.
JB: I have.
AM: And she has recently been your love interest on The L Word. Did you suggest that she come on the show?
JB: I didn’t. I was told that she was going to have a meeting, and I was really excited about it. It’s just been wonderful. She’s so funny. The only down side is that she makes me laugh. She’s the only person that’s ever made me break in a scene, made me die laughing. … You know, she doesn’t have to sign anything or, you know, she’ll just look at me and it just kills me.
AM: What is in store for Bette this season?
JB: God. Lord, have mercy. It’s going to be drama constantly, super drama. Bette and Jody have all kinds of things they’re going through.
AM: The L Word has definitely expanded your activism. Obviously, before The L Word you were not being asked to be the grand marshal of the Pride Parade in San Francisco.
JB: That was an amazing experience! It was really so much fun. I just wanted them to turn that car around and do it all over again. People were so supportive and sweet, and it was just such a rush. It was such an incredible rush.
AM: Well, I’m sure they would have turned it around and done it all over again for you. They were probably still partying. … They would have wondered if they were having déjà vu. You’re in town with your co-stars from The L Word, Marlee Matlin and Danielle Sea, for the Gender PAC third annual celebrity cook-off. Tell us a little bit about what you’re going to be doing at the event. Are you really going to be cooking?
JB: I’m going to be humiliating myself.
AM: No!
JB: I’m going to be humiliating myself, because I don’t cook. Like, I’m not just exaggerating for the sake of storytelling. I really don’t cook. Under duress I can cook Thanksgiving dinner, you know, with a lot of thought. But…eating a gourmet meal is not at the top of my list. To me, food is energy and I just move on and get through the day. Now I’m being asked to do something beyond opening a can of tuna. So this will be really fascinating.
AM: Do you know what you’re going to make?
JB: Hell, no! Am I supposed to? You’re scaring me.
AM: I don’t know. I just assumed that if it’s going to be a cook-off, we’re going to be watching you make chili and Marlee make…
JB: All I ask is to be the sous chef. That’s all.
AM: Well, make sure you get to be Art Smith’s sous chef. He’s the personal chef to Oprah, [ and he ] also will be there. I’m sure he’ll give you some tips.
JB: Well, I’m hoping to learn something. That’s my goal. AND to not have Marlee make fun of me too much. I can guarantee you that Marlee Matlin is going to be incredibly entertaining. I guarantee it right now.
AM: Do you have a favorite food?
JB: No, I don’t really have a favorite. I mean, I like cereal. I’ve been in love with cereal for most of my life.
Gender PAC’s 3rd annual Celebrity Cook-Off is Sat., Oct. 6, at the Chopping Block at Merchandise Mart. For tickets and information, visit www.GPAC.org/l-word . To listen to this entire interview, go to www.windycityqueercast.com .
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 4 2007, 10:05 AM
According to Saabstory on TWOP:
"Episode 6 - Lights! Camera! Action!
So, Hodie does a piece about gun violence and per Bette, Hodie is the most anti-gun person she knows.
Apparently there is a gun. Apparently people freaked out about it. Apparently Hodie was very noble and was ready to take the fall for Bette. Unsure of the details, but apparently Hodie has to resign.
This is episode 6.
In this same episode, Bette and Kit (who now wants a gun ever since the robbery) come to visit the Lez Girls set. They meet up with Tina who kisses Kit hello and then gives Bette a more awkward kiss hello. Tina is touched that Bette came to the set. Tina tells Bette that she just made it in time. They are on the martini. (Like I have any idea what that means).
Alice and Tasha are still together in E12. Tasha is no longer in the army. She has some crappy security guard job that she hates and is making her cranky. She eventually quits said security job and looks like she might become a cop. She also talks about maybe moving in with Alice.
Jenny has been fired from Lez Girls and the rumor has it that Tina's job might be in jeopardy too.
Helena learned to live without money and it looks like Peggy is ready to open up the purse strings again.
Peggy is in the hospital. Some Jellyfish venom issue or something."
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 4 2007, 10:07 AM
there's a new season 5 promo on showtime and it has tons of clips from at least episodes 1-2:
it was sort of Tibette heavy but showed everyone: lots of looks between Bette and Tina, Tina is jealous of Bette and Jodi kiss, blindfolded scene between Jodi and Bette, Tina asking Bette if she is in love with Jodi and of course a long pause and no answer, Jenny asking Nikki to be in her movie, Paige talking to Shane and telling her that she understands her problem, and then Shane asking 2 girls at the wedding who wants to do their hair first and they look at her like who wants to do Her first, Helena is in jail and having sex with an inmate, Kit is under gun, Alice calling Tasha and then crying, Phyllis and Joyce in bed happy
info from l word fan site
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 4 2007, 10:08 AM
Something L Word...Haven't viewed it.
http://www.youtube.com/user/showtime
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 7 2007, 09:36 AM
Hot 'L' Chicago
Showtime series stars get cooking for charity contest
October 6, 2007
BY MIKE THOMAS mthomas@suntimes.com
Hot lesbian action. That's what's on the menu tonight when stars from Showtime's "The L Word" arrive to slave over scorching stoves in the name of a children's charity.
Their impromptu culinary creations, prepared with area chefs, will benefit the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition, which fights discrimination based on sexual stereotypes.
As on TV's "The Iron Chef," each team (including one with a non-celebrity donor) will receive identical mystery ingredients from which they'll have 30 minutes to concoct a cocktail, appetizer, entree and dessert. The scores of spectators who watch them work won't be forced to consume the results -- unless they want to. The event will be catered.
"Thank goodness," says Chopping Block owner Shelley Young with a laugh. "We probably wouldn't get a lot of people buying tickets if they had to eat what we prepare."
Two of the celebrity participants -- actresses Jennifer Beals and Marlee Matlin -- are Chicago natives and longtime acquaintances who both hit the showbiz big-time in their late teens: Beals with "Flashdance" and Matlin with "Children of a Lesser God."
Cookingwise, however, they have little in common. While the latter can slice and dice and bake and broil, the former is pretty much clueless.
"I'm a cereal person," says Beals, who's no maniac on the kitchen floor. (And who, it's a fairly sure bet, adores "Flashdance" puns.)
"I mean, I cook for my daughter if I have to. There's no gourmet things going on. She has to wait for her dad to come home to make something good."
Fortunately, Beals will be ably guided by newly minted restaurateur and Oprah Winfrey's food pharaoh Art Smith.
"I want to tell you something," Smith says. "I will always, always remember the first time I saw 'Flashdance' and Jennifer Beals. I'm tellin' you, she is one beautiful woman. You know I'm a gay man, but trust me, she's beautiful!" He laughs large at the thought.
Unbolstered by her primo partnership with Smith, Beals predicts certain annihilation. "[Marlee] will be highly entertaining and humiliating me over and over and over again," she says.
On the off chance Matlin makes the versatile Jewish dish kugel, a specialty passed down from her mom, church may well be out.
"It's basically a lot of cholesterol," Matlin, who is deaf, says through her spokesman. How's it made? "Egg, eggs and eggs and brown sugar and butter and butter and sour cream and egg noodles. I make noodle kugel, and it's baked. If you're looking for a heart attack, just have a piece."
Matlin has never cooked competitively, but she contends that preparing meals for four kids and her husband comes kind of close. OK, not really, though it can get somewhat hairy with everyone vying for something different. Matlin also notes that she works well under pressure "considering the circumstances that I come from."
Still, aren't there disadvantages to being a deaf chef?
"No," she says. "It's the same thing as being deaf and driving. You're actually a safer driver if you're deaf because you pay more attention with your eyes than you do with your ears. Although I have been caught texting while driving."
Beals, too, is a motoring multitasker.
"I can eat a bowl of cereal while I'm driving a car," she boasts. "It's a talent."
No wonder they click on-screen.
"My husband just loves it," Matlin says of their scenes on "The L Word," now shooting its fifth season. "Every guy who grew up in the '80s, apparently, has a fantasy about the deaf girl and the girl from 'Flashdance.' And now they get to see us playing it out together.' "
But they've never sizzled quite like this.
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 7 2007, 09:53 AM
Katherine Moennig - She's iconic
Diva magazine
It’s fair to say that the enigmatic Katherine Moennig has made more of an impact on dyke dressing and ‘tude as The L Word’s Shane than any other celebrity this century. She tops your list of style icons and she’s back in full effect in Season 4 of LIVINGTV’s hit show. Perfect timing then to ask her a few questions and capture her iconic image on camera.
So, Katherine Moennig – wearing nothing but a pair of pyjama bottoms – is sitting up in bed at home in LA, during a week’s break from filming Series Five of The L Word in Vancouver. It’s 10.30 Wednesday morning, the sun is streaming through an open window, and she’s just reaching for the copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that lies, half-read, on her bedside table when the phone rings.
How do I know all this? Because it’s me phoning. And during our transatlantic one-to-one she tells me everything. Well, not everything, but surely we expect that by now.
What you might not know is that Kate’s dad is a respected violin-maker who still runs the family business in Philadelphia, ( reporter made a mistake....Kate's father died in 04') and her mother, Mary Zahn, is an ex-Broadway dancer. Kate is the niece of actress Blythe Danner (who played Will’s mum in Will & Grace) and cousin to Gwyneth Paltrow. In spite of her artistic pedigree, Kate tells me, ‘I never felt pushed into performing. In fact, I always wanted to be a doorman when I grew up.’ Living on the 12th floor of an up-market apartment block in Philly, Kate spent a lot of time hanging out with the guys who ran the building: ‘They were my friends, I thought the uniform was cool and it seemed like an easy job.’
As a child, she preferred this adult company to that of her peers and, like her achingly aloof screen persona, Shane, Kate grew up as quite the outsider.‘I was kept back a year in Second Grade, which really didn't do me any favours. Because I was the runty, skinny girl I got picked on a lot by the older kids.’ She graduated from grade school to a strongly academic high school. ‘Again I was the black sheep because I wasn't into studying and always felt I didn't quite fit in. I couldn't relate to the other students and I really didn't hang out with them. Instead I spent a lot of time sneaking out to parties in New York.’
It wasn't until Kate started at drama college that she began to find her focus. ‘From then on I knew I wasn't going to be a doorman, or more seriously, a partner in my father's violing business. I wanted to get out of Philly and acting seemed to be the best possible route.’
THE BIG BREAK.
Her first TV role was a girl masquerading as a boy in Dawson's Creek spinoff The Young Americans. Minor film parts followed, most notably Grace in The Shipping News.
Then, in 2004, The L Word came knocking. ‘I've had a complete personality overhaul since working on The L Word - I was 24 when it started, now I'm almost 30. I've grown up on that show.’ Kate says it's something the entire cast feels: ’In fact, Leisha [Hailey, Alice], Mia [Kirshner, Jenny] and I were talking about this recently. We were saying that it really made us aware of who we are, what women are and what we stand for.’
Working every day on a character has also taught Kate a lot about acting and ‘what not to do on screen.’ She says ‘We've all grown and changed so much as people during the show - of course that affects how we portray something. The more we learn about ourselves, the more raw and authentic our performances can be.’
If Kate could start over in The L Word, she'd audition for the part of Jenny. ‘I really admire what Mia does on camera. She's created such a layered and multi-dimensional character. Jenny's not a stereotype, you know, and I think that's why a lot of people don't like her - she's complicated.’
It might be too late to swap roles, but she's certainly given more freedom to develop her own character by the scriptwriters, who, she claims, ‘are very accommodating. If we don't like a line, we change it. I also improvise dialogue in scene with Leisha and Mia. We trust each other so much - honestly, we're like a family - that we're not afraid of making mistakes.’ So if the scriptwriters left it up to Kate to decide on a wipeout ending for the entire show, what would it be? (I suggest that Shane wakes up in bed with a man and it's all been a dream, à la Dallas but she has something darker in mind): ‘Someone burns down The Planet Cafe. We're all in there, talking some crap about waxing or pubic hair, and the place just spontaneously combusts.’
Kate goes on to tell me how ‘gruelling’ the filming schedule is. A typical day on set starts in hair and make-up which, by the look of it, involves Kate getting into a bed, writhing around in it for a bit and coming out as Shane. Then there's lots of waiting around, then the cast all sit down together for an hour lunch break, then ‘Maybe Leisha and Mia will come round to my trailer and we'll all watch a movie... Honestly, it's like camp!’ It sure sounds hard word.
But in among the fun, the long lunches and the lounging around watching MTV mock-reality show The Hills (‘I like Lauren and Leisha likes Whitney’), some serious filming must be happening because Series Five promises hot new characters, some surprising returns and the usual mix of high drama, high jinks and the L.A high life. It's exhausting just thinking about it - but maybe that's because I've still got to get through Series Three and Four.
BEDTIME STORIES
Back in bed with Kate, we're talking guilty pleasures: ‘I'm totally addicted to Perez Hilton!’ - no, not the airhead socialit Paris (‘oh she's hideous’) but the irreverent blogger who's shamed and renamed many of Hollywood's biggest stars. ‘He's a highly entertaining person and has a wicked sense of humour’. As anyone who checks the site will know, Perez can either be bitchy, brutal or gushingly sycophantic when it comes to his celebrity du jour. ‘If I saw a picture of me on that site and Perez had written something awful about me, I really don't know how I'd feel. It could be devastating but I guess it would depend on the context.’
Moving from trash culture to something a little more highbrow, Kate tells me she's just finished Anderson Cooper's Autobiography (Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival.) ‘It totally blew me away.’ Interestingly, Cooper was one of Out magazine's 'Top 50 gays', although he, like our cover star, refuses to talk publicly about his sexuality.
Has a book ever changed her life? ‘A lot of books have really inspired me to go to different parts of the world, like Indonesia or Africa... I wouldn't say his novels are life-changing, but I also love Augusten Burroughs (the best selling author of With Scissors) He has an amazing sense of humour.’ No doubt Kate was suitably amused by the anecdote in Burrough's latest book, Possible Side-Effects, where he helps his 'lipstick lesbian' friend write a personal ad.
She goes on to wax lyrical about the Harry Potter novel, which I'm currently keeping her from getting back to. ‘What would you do if I told you the ending?’ I venture. ‘I'd hang up the phone, no question!’ comes the quick reply.
We've established that spoilers seriously piss her off: ‘And so does technology. It drives me mad when electronic stuff doesn't work.’ On the subject of everyday trials and tribulations, I ask Kate if she's ever sought solace from self-help books. ‘They're just a lot of verbal masturbation. Most of what you'll read in those books is common sense, I've never read one from cover to cover, but when I need to hear something I already know, I guess they're reassuring to turn to.’
I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Katherine Moennig. I hate to admit it, as I can't bear the thought of being lumped together with all those superfans who set up camp outside her house and mob her at conventions. But I'm secretly quite pleased that she's charming and chatty on the phone, and I'm secretly even more pleased that she's lying in bed wearing nothing but pyjama bottoms (I'm glad I had the gall to ask).
So when she says in that husky, just woken-up voice ‘Hey, let me ask you something now... what are you wearing?’, I first thank God I'm in Paul Smith boxer shorts and a sexy vest top, not my usual round-the-house garb, and then I go a little bit weak at the knees: ‘Are we having phone sex?’
I laugh, she laughs, and I hear her publicist - who's been silently listening in to the call the all tile - take a sharp intakeof breath: ‘Two minutes of the interview remaining.’ she chimes in. So no time to ask Kate about her charity for gay homeless kids, what she makes of being voted a style icon by 44% of DIVA readers and how she likes her latest hairstyle...
‘Be well,’ she says, signing off. Thanks Kate, I'm feeling better already.
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 8 2007, 09:49 AM
Interviews with Jane Lynch
By BetteAndTinaForever
(Warning: minor spoilers)
After the screening of the “Itty Bitty Titty Committee”, which was pretty good and funny, I went to an After-party at “Club Eleven” where more celebrities had showed up. I went upstairs and soon was socializing and mingling with Suzanne Westenhoffer (comedienne), Michelle Wolff (from Dante’s Cove and “Mango Kiss”), Anne Ramsey (Robin from seasons one and two of The L Word), Jane Lynch, Daniela Sea, Jamie Babbit and later I even spotted the presence of Natasha Lyonne, who played the main character in Jamie Babbit’s movie, “But I’m a Cheerleader.”
It was a great gathering and I met a few new friends and was having a great time. When I saw that Jane Lynch was available to talk, I decided to use that opportunity to ask her some questions about the show. Since we were in the middle of the party and Jane was there with her partner and was there to relax and have fun, I only bothered her for a few minutes.
B&TF: What can you tell me about season 5 without revealing any spoilers?
JL: In The L Word this season coming up…I’m not gonna name characters but there’re going to be people that you would never expect getting together, and people who you might expect breaking up, and people that you would never expect to break up – breaking up, and people who you’d thought would get together – don’t get together.
B&TF: Any of this includes Bette and Tina?
JL: I’m not gonna talk about that…no comment.
B&TF: How many episodes you’re going to be in?
JL: I believe it’s six…five or six.
B&TF: So, you’re still with Phyllis, right?
JL: We’ll have our ups and downs, let’s put it that way.
B&TF: How was it for you to work with Cybill Shepherd?
JL: She’s a joy…Cybill Shepherd is a joy. I think we make each other better, we really enjoy working together and she’s such a professional and I really feel like our characters are grown and I think our relationship inspired the writers to write a little more about and we love doing it.
B&TF: Who’s your favorite character on the show?
JL: It’s hard to say but I love Leisha Hailey. She’s a really good actress, she’s really brought such a light to that part, I think she’s truly a self-center of the show.
B&TF: In season two your character was helping Tina and tried to seduce her…how was it working with Laurel Holloman?
JL: Again, Laurel Holloman was the first person I worked with on The L Word, and she was wonderful, she’s a real pro, she really shows up and for like the first year I worked with only her…I really love her.
More people arrived that Jane knew and I thanked her for taking her time to talk to me. I went in search of others and saw Daniela Sea arriving with Jamie Babbit and some other “Itty Bitty Titty Committee” cast members.
I asked Daniela if she can tell me anything about season five since I didn’t have time for a full interview, but she replied that she couldn’t reveal anything because it’s in her contract not to talk about an upcoming season. However, she added that it’s going to be great and everyone, including Max/Moira, has a much better storylines.
I guess we have to see when January arrives, won’t we? The fifth season of The L Word is coming to Showtime on January 6, 2008.
info from l word fansite
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 9 2007, 10:22 AM
Finally found Episode 6: Lights! Camera! Action!
#501 LGB Tease
#502 Look Out, Here They Come!
#503 Lady of the Lake
#504 Let's Get This Party Started
#505 Lookin' At You Kid
#506 Lights! Camera! Action!
#507 Lesbians Gone Wild
#508 Lay Down The Law
#509 Liquid Heat
#510 Lifecycle
#511 Lunar Cycle
#512 Loyal and True
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 11 2007, 09:40 AM
Not L word related but instead of wasting space making another thread.
"Big Shots," THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18 (10:02-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
"Big Shots" stars Michael Vartan as James Walker, Christopher Titus as Brody Johns, Joshua Malina as Karl Mixworthy, Paige Turco as Lisbeth, Jessica Collins as Marla, Peyton List as Cameron Collinsworth, Amy Sloan as Wendy Mixworthy, with Nia Long as Katie Graham and Dylan McDermott as Duncan Collinsworth.
Recurring: Paul Blackthorne as Terrence Hill, Jazzmun as Dontrelle.
Guest Cast: Erin Daniels as Rebecca Parks, Paul Fitzgerald as Phil Fryman, Deprise Brescia as Layla and Emmanuelle Vaugier as Wanda Barnes.
"Three's a Crowd" was written by Emily Whitesell and directed by Jeff Melman.
"Big Shots" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with a 5.1-channel surround sound and Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning. A TV parental guideline will be assigned closer to airdate.
This episode of "Big Shots" will be available on ABC.com the day after airing on the network for users to watch online.
Source: ABC
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 12 2007, 09:26 AM
The lovely, lusty ladies of The L Word cause a stir
Stars of the locally filmed series often seen around town
Yvonne Zacharias, Vancouver Sun
Published: Friday, October 12, 2007
Just what does the L in The L Word stand for?
Watch a few episodes of the Showtime television series that is shot in Vancouver and you realize it could stand for a few things.
Love. Lust. Life. And lesbianism. Oh yeah, that too. The show revolves around the lives of a group of mostly gay women in an upscale Los Angeles neighbourhood with the odd bisexual and straight character thrown in.
Like most sitcom television, this show isn't meant to be taken too seriously, although it has had some terribly dark moments. The death of the character Dana from breast cancer in a previous season was such a moment.
For Vancouver, The L Word isn't just a show but also a phenomenon since it began shooting here six years ago. Just wrapping its fifth season, it has seen a steady parade of lovely ladies flying here from Los Angeles, turning heads on city street corners where they are shooting, walking their dogs at Kitsilano beach and hanging out in local oyster bars and coffee shops. It has also meant a steady flow of income to local film crews who have become like family to all those pretty actresses.
At times, the show is as weightless as a cloud of fluff, featuring soft-porn romps and soapish story lines. At other times, it strikes universal chords. Some heavy-hitters have been drawn in to act in it.
Jennifer Beals of Flashdance fame has been with it all along. Marlee Matlin (Children of a Lesser God) and Cybill Shepherd are recent inductees, although Shepherd comes across as a little wooden and starchy in her role as a married, middle-aged woman (Phyllis) who discovers late in life that she has been gay all along and takes the big plunge. Her romantic dalliance with Leisha Hailey (who plays Alice) is not terribly convincing.
Perhaps, as with many things, practice makes perfect.
Then there is the outrageously androgynous stick figure of an actress, Katherine Moennig, who plays Shane, a heartthrob to her fellow female travellers of the same sexual persuasion and one who has definite problems with the whole monogamy thing. The message: gays have the same issues that heterosexuals do.
There are no lesbians of the gumboot and flannel shirt variety on this show. Instead, we have mostly a crowd of lipstick-wearing lesbians prancing around in high heels or at least dressed in slummy chic, all looking as though they are recent refugees from a fashion-buying spree.
With the fifth season wrapping, it was time to visit the production, located incongruously in an industrial area below Marine Drive.
The first thing that strikes you is the phenomenal set. It is a whole little neighbourhood of houses crammed cheek-by-jowl into a big warehouse with designs that could sit quite nicely in House Beautiful. There is even an outdoor pool (that is really indoors) for all those gal-pal pool parties. Each house reflects the character of the person inhabiting it.
There is also an undertow of sadness. In today's world of the strong Canadian dollar, such a show likely wouldn't come here, bringing with it all its quirkiness and paycheque happiness.
For Ilene Chaiken, a key creator, writer and director on the show, its location in Vancouver has been a mixed blessing.
The show came here "at a time when it was far less expensive to shoot here and there was a lot of American production coming up here," Chaiken explained during a break in the shooting.
It has meant long stints away from her two children in Los Angeles and facing the challenges of trying to make Vancouver look like the City of Angels.
Nevertheless, "it's a delightful place to work. We have the best crew in the world and it's actually nice to get out of L.A. and work in a kind of sequestered environment."
As for the show, she stresses that it is meant to be fun, which it often is. There are funny lines and poignant moments here and there, too.
She says the show is important in that it is the first time lesbian lives have been represented on mainstream television. "There have been lesbian characters on television but there has never been a show about lesbians."
The whole question of who on the show is lesbian in real life is a touchy one and definitely not the politically correct thing to ask, although readers might wonder.
Chaiken was upfront about being a lesbian herself. "I think it would be hard to do a show about lesbians and not be lesbian." Many of the writers on the show are, she added.
As for the actresses, some like Matlin, Beals and Laurel Holloman are married with children.
Holloman, who did an on-set interview, dismissed the whole issue of a straight woman playing a gay character as being so passé. She said her husband, who is in the process of getting his master's degree in architecture in Los Angeles, thinks it is just great that she is playing whatever character she wants.
"I wouldn't tell him to build anything so I don't think he would tell me what parts to play."
She said she got the part just at the right time in her life. She was getting married and was seeking a show that was bit edgier than average. She had worked on television shows where "you always end up learning your lines and they kind of traffic-cop you around and you spew your lines out." That wasn't for her.
When she got pregnant in real life and had a baby, the show's creators wrote the pregnancy and birth into the show. In other words, The L Word has not disappointed her.
"I think having this job is a gift" although she admitted that keeping up with the daily grind, the Los Angeles-Vancouver commute and keeping it fresh after five seasons can all be a challenge.
Last up for a set interview was Hailey, the one-time girlfriend of k.d. lang in real life. It was late. She showed up at around 11:30 p.m. looking like Farrah Fawcett, which she doesn't really. It was all part of the story line. Amazing what makeup, a wig and clothes can do.
It was hard to take Hailey seriously, given the late hour and the get-up, until she started talking.
The actress and musician spoke passionately about her belief in the show.
She said the coming season, which will air early in the new year, will be more lighthearted than past ones. "The gang is all together again. It is festive."
She would be one of the first to admit the show isn't entirely representative of the lesbian community which she inhabits in real life. The characters on the show "are wealthy and drive fabulous cars and live in beautiful homes. No, that doesn't represent everybody."
Despite its flaws, the cast, who hang out together a lot off-set, really care about the show.
"It's not just another cop show or murder show. It's actually about these amazing women and, for the first time, we get to see these gay characters flourish on television. We get to dive into their lives. It is exciting to be part of something that has never been done before."
OK, Farrah. We'll take it from you.
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 12 2007, 09:34 AM
Something else I found ....I know why post??
News - Music, movie, Entertainment
MOENNIG DESPERATE TO BE A DOORMAN
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
2007-10-12 17:29:42 -
THE L WORD star KATHERINE MOENNIG was desperate to carve out a career as a doorman - because she loved the smart uniforms.
The 29-year-old actress spent her childhood living on the 12th floor of an apartment block in Philadelphia, and was impressed by the building's attendants so much she wanted to follow in their footsteps.
She says, "I always wanted to be a doorman when I grew up.
"They were my friends. I thought the uniform was cool and it seemed like an easy job."
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 16 2007, 09:29 AM
By BetteAndTinaForever
Disclaimer: this is a very, very biased account of spoilers, promos, podcasts, interviews, rumors and public announcements for season five of The L Word. Also, if you get lost in long and confusing sentences, blame the Russian in me.
******
I don’t know about you but I’m a spoiler-addict. Before every season I tell myself that I won’t read spoilers so I would be pleasantly surprised but I can’t stop myself. It is an addiction without a cure. So, for those of you who can’t help themselves and have to know everything or even something about their favorite couple, character or an event in season five of The L Word, we decided to put together a little summary of what we know so far.
If you are trying to stay spoiler-free this season, this article is not for you, so don’t go beyond this point. I’m not joking. This is all about spoilers, so be strong and stay away from the temptation.
If you are a spoiler-junkie like me, then this is definitely something you might want to read. This is a summary of everything that was released, posted or revealed in interviews, formal conversations, promos, podcasts and scripts, so you don’t have to browse through multiple pages on the spoiler threads on the numerous The L Word-related forums.
Most of spoilers might be familiar to you, especially if you have been following the show for awhile and have been searching for information from the beginning of the filming of season five. Though, to be honest, apart from the partial audition sides from episodes 501, 506 and 512, the rest of the information only comes in pieces and bits, because all of the cast members, extras and the crew are under a tight contract not to reveal anything. For the most part, they are really following it to the letter, but some let slip a few pieces of information that could help to put together the chronology of the new season.
Before we begin, here’s a brief overview of the upcoming episodes with their titles and the directors. To me, personally, most of the titles never meant anything. Some of them were way too confusing or sophisticated and I remember spending numerous hours on forums, trying to decipher them without knowing if we ever got the meaning right.
What I learned was that with Ilene Chaiken nothing is what it seems, so if we don’t know what the titles mean, at least we can use them to identify the episodes. So here’s the list for season five:
501 – LGB Tease - Director Angela Robinson
502 – Look Out, Here They Come! - Director Jamie Babbit
503 – Lady of the Lake - Director Tricia Brock
504 – Let’s Get This Party Started - Director Angela Robinson
505 – Lookin’ at You Kid - Director John Stockwell
506 – Lights! Camera! Action! - Director Ilene Chaiken
507 – Lesbians Gone Wild - Director Angela Robinson
508 – Lay Down the Law - Director Leslie Libman
509 – Liquid Heat - Director Rose Troche
510 – Lifecycle - Director Angela Robinson
511 – Lunar Cycle - Director Bob Aschmann
512 – Loyal and True - Director Ilene Chaiken
So, let’s see what’s happening with our favorite characters in the upcoming season five of The L Word.
Alice and Tasha
From Season 4: “Determined to broaden the relationship horizons of women everywhere, Alice launches her Chart on the World Wide Web. OurChart as it's called is a mega hit, proving to be not only a lucrative new business venture for Alice but also a gateway for her into unexplored solar systems of girls and unimagined sexual and emotional connections,” – from sho.com
“As an officer in the Army National Guard, Tasha has seen combat firsthand. She's still grappling with a recent tour in Iraq when her best friend, Papi, introduces her to Alice. Although Tasha views her role in the war with a unique sense of patriotism and duty that Alice finds hard to accept, it's not enough to keep the unlikely couple apart,” – from sho.com
In the beginning of the season, Tasha is back in active duty in Iraq and her relationship with Alice is limited to their phone conversations, which leaves Alice absolutely unhappy and the viewers heartbroken. Leisha always amazed me at being so capable at comedy and drama and her portrayal of Alice is certainly one of the highlights of the show for me, personally.
While Tasha is gone, Alice is entertaining herself and the audience by helping Tina to find women, since Bette is preoccupied by Jodi. Tasha eventually comes back and apparently she resigns from the army and gets a job as a security guard. There’re a lot of steamy love scenes between those two, though in a few previews that I’ve seen, Alice somehow manages to keep her glasses on, which makes the scenes look even sexier.
Those two characters are really cute together. I loved Alice and Dana, they were my second favorite couple after TiBette and since Dana is gone, I always wanted Alice to be happy. I think Tasha can be the one for her. And it helps that Rose Rollins is a gorgeous woman.
In connection with Tasha military storyline, Kelly McGillis is set to appear in a couple of episodes and she will be playing a military attorney working on a “don’t ask, don’t tell” case. So maybe Tasha won’t actually resign from the army but will be dishonorably discharged, as happened to many gay and lesbian military personnel over the years.
In the season finale Tasha is quitting her job and is thinking about becoming a cop because she met two women she used to know in the army who are cops. One of them, Karen, is a fan of Alice, who is now having a TV show, “The Look”, and she uses it sometimes to make people to come out of the closet. Alice also became a fan and a friend with Clea Mason, a fashion designer, and she goes with her for a ride on Clea’s scooter while Tasha is spending time with her former army friends.
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 16 2007, 09:29 AM
Bette, Tina, and Jodi
From Season 4:
“Emerging from a personal and professional rough patch, Bette regains her footing with a high-profile job and a move toward genuine friendship with Tina, her ex-partner of seven years and birth mother of their baby daughter, Angelica. But unexpected love and a little lust are just around the corner, threatening to knock self-determined alpha Bette off solid ground,” – from sho.com
“Tina's devotion to Angelica is unwavering, but after separating from Bette and returning to a relationship with a man, her ideas about love and family and her identification as a lesbian are less certain. Tina's work-life is also in flux as she rebuilds her career as a Hollywood executive only to become mired in the drama that develops around Jenny and her book-cum-screenplay,” – from sho.com
“An intensely talented and free-spirited sculptor, Jodi Lerner may be deaf but that doesn't stop her from speaking her mind, especially in the halls of the art school where Bette is the new dean and Jodi the new artist-in-residence. Indeed, Jodi is the first woman to challenge Bette, professionally and then emotionally as they fall into a fiery relationship outside of the university,” – from sho.com
The latest Showtime promos features a blindfolded Bette; a topless Tina in the swimming pool; Bette and Jodi trying to have fun and relationship; and Tina asking Bette, “Are you in love with Jodi?”
Though I’m a TiBetter, I do have an open mind and if I see chemistry between Bette or Tina and their other partners, I would honestly say so. I totally enjoyed the interaction between Bette and Barbara in season three, for example, though I was also happy that Bette didn’t do anything with her.
So, when Jodi’s character was introduced in season four, I was trying to keep an open mind, as well. I like Jodi as a character, I do, but I honestly cannot see any chemistry between her and Bette. I see them as friends with a common passion for art but not as lovers.
Since Bette and Jodi are still involved with each other, unfortunately, this last part of my spoiler account will be about Bette, Tina and Jodi triangle.
When we left them at the end of season four, Bette, with the help of her friends and Tina’s blessing, chose Jodi and went after her on a tractor. I don’t even attempt to comment on this whole tractor/grand gesture situation because I don’t have words, only expletives.
In the beginning of season five Bette and Tina are still good friends while concentrating on being good parents to Angelica. Hurray for a return of our little cutie-petutie, Olivia Windbiel, who is playing Angelica (at least I hope it’s her, judging by a few clips from episode 501). In the first episode, Bette and Tina took Angelica to a pre-school with an emphasis on arts and they unintentionally present themselves as a couple. It’s even described in a script as ‘picture perfect’.
On numerous TLW-related forums, fans like to discuss different clues and foreshadowing of the scenes that can shed light on the later episodes or the future of a character or a couple. I hope that ‘picture perfect’ moment with Bette and Tina in episode 1 is a definite prediction of what is their future would look like at the end of the season.
Later, during or after Phyllis’ party, Alice and Shane began their “job” as Tina’s “wingmen” and after checking out potential single lesbians at the Sushi Bar inside the Planet, Alice notices Kara, whom they saw earlier at Phyllis’ coming-out party. Tina likes her but a few months with Henry made her shy in her approach of women and Shane takes this difficult task upon her shoulders. Obviously, for Shane it’s really easy to charm someone and after Kara is practically falls in love with her, Shane tells the woman that she actually came over to introduce her to Tina.
Bette comes in later and right away notices that a new couple, Cindi and Dawn, can create a problem for Kit as they pass around some flyers, advertising their new bar that will be opened soon. While this is happening, Paige shows up and after a little confrontation with Shane, she leaves…and I’m assuming this is the last time we’ll be seeing Paige.
Bette joins the gang and they all began discussing Shane and Paige’s break up. Everything looks like the old times until Jodi arrives from New York and comes into the café with her suitcases, making Bette run to her and give her a long, long kiss. Am I the only one who will close her eyes at that particular moment?
And it won’t be the only moment I will close my eyes or use my fast-forward button. After Jodi’s grand entrance, Bette apparently takes her to the house where they have their private ‘welcome-home’ party as Jodi puts a blindfold over Bette’s eyes. Honestly, I hope that Bette is thinking and imagining Tina since her eyes are closed but I don’t think any added kinky practices in Bette and Jodi sex life will make me believe in this couple. However, I understand that there are a few fans who love JoBette and I’m sure they will enjoy that scene.
It seems to me that Ilene and Co. are trying to keep TiBette/JoBette triangle very secretive. Apart from pretty complete audition sides for episode 501, all we know is the following facts: a) throughout the whole season Tina is working with Jenny on her movie and that business relationship hasn’t improved since the previous season; 
one of the actresses, Isabella, who will play Bev in Jenny’s movie, introduces herself to Bette in hopes to learn a little more about Bette and Tina’s life that is not written in the script. I’m assuming at this point that maybe we will see some flashbacks that will make Bette remember good times with Tina, though this is only a speculation; c) Bette is trying hard to keep her relationship with Jodi strong and to fit in with Jodi’s friends just as Jodi is befriended by Bette’s friends, but it seems that Bette is the only one who is trying; d) somewhere along the way, one of the owners of “Shebar” (either Cindi or Dawn) will have an eye for Tina, which will make Bette absolutely jealous, which leads to their little (but I’m sure very intense) make-out session.
I’m not sure when the scene in the swimming pool will happen but there Bette is also asking Tina about her sex life. Why would Bette do that if she is happy with Jodi and apparently moved on with her life? I guess, she didn’t and the hope for TiBette reunion is still remains strong.
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 16 2007, 09:31 AM
Helena
From Season 4:“Cut off from her life of wealth and privilege and unable to hack it in the working world, Helena is an absolute wreck. Despite the generosity and heart-warming support of her friends, Helena finds a life of restricted means too unbearable and delves into a dangerous liaison in order to ensure her financial security,” – from sho.com
Okay, what is happening to Helena? The changes that this character went through from season to season sometimes makes me crave the old, powerful, bitchy Helena from season two. Alas, it seems like she’s gone forever.
In the beginning of the season Helena is in jail for stealing Catherine’s money. Her mother is abroad and doesn’t know anything about it because she can be reached only in emergency. Helena’s new cellmate is Dusty who is described as a tough bad person, who is using steroids. Dutch boxer-turned-actress Lucia Rijker, who appeared briefly in The L Word's second season as Dana’s trainer, has been cast in six episodes as Dusty and she also described as a potential love interest for Helena. I guess, since they are sharing a cell for half of the season, it is potential, only I don’t see it as a love interest.
Peggy is still out of reach and Tina, Shane and Alice come to jail for a visit. Even in this awful place Shane manages to make a connection with someone. They all try to cheer Helena up and, of course, Alice comments on the orange suit being Helena’s color. Nothing can make Helena happy, though, because she only wants to hear from Peggy so she could get out.
I guess we will see Helena in jail for at least 6 episodes. When she finally gets out, Helena pretty much became a person who learned to live without money and still keep her friends around. Peggy returns and while she is admitted into the hospital because of the lethal jellyfish venom, she believes she is dying and she wants Helena to be rich again. Peggy even suggests to Helena to buy her friend, I’m assuming she means Kit, a night club or two.
I hope Peggy won’t die because Holland Taylor is such a wonderful addition to the cast and it is such a pleasure to see her again after a season of absence.
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 16 2007, 09:31 AM
JENNY
From Season 4: “As a once struggling writer, Jenny used her pen to exorcise childhood traumas and explore her evolving sexual identity. Now she's a published author — and convinced of her own artistic license — she decides to turn a more critical pen on others and go to duplicitous lengths to defend her work. So while Jenny's writing career skyrockets, it's not long before her relationships disintegrate, leaving her feeling a pariah among the friends and quite lost at sea,” – from sho.com
Some of you were so happy to see Jenny on the raft in the middle of the ocean, hoping for hungry sharks but you will be disappointed. Jenny survived sharks, tsunamis and everything else that the mother-nature might have thrown at Jenny during her lonely journey through the ocean. Jenny's back and her head is even bigger than in the previous season.
Apparently, with her keen sense of direction, Jenny ended up in Telum, Mexico and warmed her way into a billionaire’s heart and a wallet. Using the time and Spiros Stassinopolous’ generosity, Jenny re-wrote her book, Lez Girls, and now she is back as a director of the movie and also as a casting director, since she’s been recruiting young actresses to be in her movie.
One of them is Niki Stevens, a star of the latest James Bond movie, Liquid Heat. She’s eager to play Jesse (Jenny’s alter-ego in Lez Girls) and later Jenny takes it into her able hands to personally coach Niki on her acting, while not only answering questions why it has to be done this way, but also showing it. This approach results in Jenny and Niki having an affair, which is a little creepy, if you ask me. Why? Because when the filming is in progress, Niki began looking so much like Jenny and she is playing her in the movie – it’s like Jenny is having an affair with herself.
Jenny’s movie, Lez Girls, will be actually one of the main storylines this upcoming season. For that purpose we’ll see a lot of additions to the cast, mainly young actresses who will play actresses who will play the characters of Lez Girls.
To make my last statement clearer, see the partial list from imdb.com website that announced a few of those newcomers that will be involved with Jenny’s movie or will have a long interaction with other characters.
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 16 2007, 09:32 AM
Kit
From Season 4: “With a new album and a thriving business as owner of The Planet, Kit's life seems to be right on track. That is until her relationship with Angelica's nanny, Angus, is put to the test along with everything she's fought so hard to recover, including her sobriety,” – from sho.com
There’s not much to say about Kit storyline this season. It’s unknown if Angus is coming back, but he’s not mentioned anywhere, and Papi is also gone. The only spoiler available is the one mentioned above that a new couple in town, Cindi and Dawn, are trying to take over the Planet. Also, there’s going to be a robbery at the gun point and after that Kit is determined to learn how to shoot and she wants to get a gun for protection.
Kit and Bette have a conversation about it in episode 6 and Bette is absolutely against that idea, bringing an example of Jodi, who made a sculpture against violence featuring a gun that was stolen and since Bette is the Dean of the Art Department, she is held responsible. Jodi takes the blame and apparently she is going to resign from her position at the university. Kit still wants to get a gun but it’s unknown if she did it or not, though one promo clip shows Kit learning how to shoot one.
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 16 2007, 09:33 AM
Max
From Season 4: “Never comfortable in his female body, Max is unbending in his resolve to transition. However, family members and co-workers put Max's emotional fortitude to the test as they struggle with or refuse to accept his transgender identity,” – from sho.com
There’s even less information about Max, we don’t even know if she/he went to San Francisco to undergo the surgery. The only thing we know is his involvement with Alice’s interview of Phyllis during her coming-out party that Joyce organized at the Planet. Max helps as a cameraman. In one promo he is also shown flirting with Tom, Jodi’s assistant. Now, that will be something interesting to watch…for some.
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 16 2007, 09:34 AM
Phyllis and Joyce
From Season 4: “Phyllis is Bette's boss at the university — a well-respected member of the academic community and devoted wife to an equally successful husband, Leonard, with whom she shares two college-aged daughters. It's a seemingly idyllic life picture and one that abruptly changes when Phyllis comes out as a lesbian and turns to Bette and her friends for guidance in finding love and dealing with the loss of the family life she once knew,” – from sho.com
Joyce and Phyllis are still a couple and in the beginning, Joyce throws a coming-out party for Phyllis. It seems like everyone at this party from the university are lesbians who knew all along that Phyllis was one. Alice teaches her some new “lesbian lingo” and Phyllis is pleased to find out that she doesn’t look like a lipstick lesbian. Joyce and Phillips have their ups and downs and we’ll be seeing them for at least 5-6 episodes
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 16 2007, 09:34 AM
Shane
From Season 4: “For most of her life, Shane has protected herself from hurt and from hurting others by shutting people out. But when her younger brother, Shay, is abandoned on her doorstep, Shane finally has to let someone in — and in doing so — come to terms with her own fears and insecurities about love, commitment, and the meaning of family,” – from sho.com
Now, Shane…well, Shane finally becomes the same Shane we all fell in love with in season one. I’m not sure how all Shane’s fans will react to her transformation back to lesbian Lothario after Paige breaks things off between them but I personally never thought of Shane embracing monogamy and buying a house with a current girlfriend to live happily ever after, especially after she left Carmen at the altar at the end of season two.
Nothing’s wrong with monogamy and stable long-term relationships, and it’s not that I think Shane is incapable of it, but, as Kate Moennig said in a few interviews, it’s not in Shane’s nature to be monogamous. It doesn’t mean that she’ll be sleeping around forever; it just means that she won’t be playing house any time soon.
In the beginning of season five, Shane and Paige are looking to buy a house/apartment together to live as one happy family. While Paige leaves to pick up her son, old habits came back and Shane is caught in a compromising position with a realtor, christening the sofa. Though later Paige tells that she understands that Shane can’t change, she, nevertheless, breaks up with her.
This is when Shane’s adventures as a Lothario began. First, she is hired to do hair at the wedding. Apparently, Shane is so good at her job that she ends up sleeping with a bridesmaid, the bride and the bride’s mother. This is probably one of those scenes that Jamie Babbit mentioned in her interview that was done for comedy because Shane ends up running away from those angry or maybe horny women, losing a shoe in the process. The whole scene seems to be silly but it will give us a chance to see Kate at her best in a comedic situation.
In the first episode two new characters are introduced that will affect the lives of the main characters up until the finale. It’s a couple, Cindi and Dawn. They moved here from Miami and are opening another lesbian bar, “Shebar”, in the neighborhood. Later, they both invited Shane for a three-some, telling her that they do it as a couple only. But when one of them decides to have Shane all to herself, her partner gets mad and threatens Kit that they will take over the Planet one day. It seems like this couple is creating all sorts of troubles not only for Kit but also for the filming of Jenny’s movie. In the finale it’s apparent they are still in the picture and perhaps became the new owners of the Planet.
If that’s the problem for Shane who unintentionally made the new couple mad by breaking their rules, then it’s not the only one. The place where she works and half owns, Wax, is burned by an unknown arsonist but Shane doesn’t want an investigation.
In this new season, Shane and Alice friendship grows even more deep and they join their gaydars together to help Tina to begin dating by being her “wingmen”. Those scenes produce a series of hilarious and interesting moments in the early part of the season.
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 16 2007, 09:35 AM
Guest Stars
From imdb.com. Remember, imdb.com is not always accurate but it will do for the purpose of this article.
Amber Borycki - Marci/Donna (aka Dana)
- #5.8 "Lay down the law" (2008) TV Episode .... Marci/Donna
- #5.5 "Lookin' at You, Kid" (2008) TV Episode .... Marci/Donna
- #5.11 "Lunar Cycle" (2008) TV Episode .... Marci/Donna
Malaya Rivera Drew - Adele (Jenny's assistant: in the early scripts she was called Monique)
- #5.3 "Lady of the Lake" (2008) TV Episode .... Adele
- #5.4 "Let's Get This Party Started" (2008) TV Episode .... Adele
- #5.5 "Lookin' at You, Kid" (2008) TV Episode .... Adele
- #5.2 "Look Out, Here They Come!" (2008) TV Episode .... Adele
- #5.6 (?) (2008) TV Episode .... Adele
- (1 more)
Elizabeth Keener - Dawn Doctor ('SheBar' owner, along with Alicia Leigh Willis – Cindi Denbo)
- #5.4 "Let's Get This Party Started" (2008) TV Episode .... Dawn Doctor
Wendy Glenn - Isabella/Bev (aka Bette)
- #5.5 "Lookin' at You, Kid" (2008) TV Episode .... Isabella/Bev ep 505
- #5.6 (?) (2008) TV Episode .... Isabella/Bev ep 506
Michelle Harrison - Lauren/Helen (aka Helena)
- Lookin' at You, Kid (2008) TV Episode .... Lauren/Helen
Chelah Horsdal – Sally (another assistant working on Jenny’s movie)
- #5.5 "Lookin' at You, Kid" (2008) TV Episode .... Sally
- #5.9 "Liquid Heat" (?) (2008) TV Episode .... Salli
Angela Gots – Cammie/Shaun (aka Shane)
- #5.8 "Lay Down the Law" (2008) TV Episode .... Cammie
- #5.5 "Lookin' at You, Kid" (2008) TV Episode .... Cammie
- #5.11 "Lunar Cycle" (2008) TV Episode .... Cammie
- #5.6 (?) (2008) TV Episode .... Cammie
Lindsay Maxwell - Lexi (the realtor)
- #5.1 (2008) TV Episode .... Lexi
There are other characters that are mentioned on the audition sides but not listed on imdb.com, including Begonia/Karina (aka Marina), Cheryl/Cat (aka Kit), Susan/Alysse (aka Alice), and Gretchen/Nina (aka Tina).
Majority of those characters will appear only in a few episodes, though the movie, Lez Girls, will be filmed throughout the whole season.
Since Jenny’s humility and respect for her friends’ private lives obviously haven’t returned, by the end of the season she will have more problems with the production of the movie and her agents and once again will be fired from her own movie, which wasn’t even finished. Her actions might also cause problems for Tina, whose future with the Shaolin Studios is uncertain by the season finale.
Jenny’s assistant, Adele, who had been humiliated and abused in the beginning of the season, seems to get over it somehow, while stubbing Jenny in the back by having a secret meeting with her agents.
Now Jenny is trying to play nice to keep her job or get another offer but her agents can’t get her work because Jenny can’t afford to write a spec and they only have openings for A list writers, and Jenny is obviously not on it. She doesn’t want to write for TV and later Jenny is trying to sell Tina an idea for another movie that Tina describes as a lesbian Brokeback Mountain.
Enough about Jenny. For many viewers she became a character they love to hate but I realized since season one that we all got involved in Jenny’s web of villainy and menace, whether we want it or not, due to Mia Kirshner’s exceptional acting.
info from l word fansite
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 18 2007, 09:25 AM
Moennig, Bailey to star in 'Remorse'
Feverpitch to produce indie thriller
By DAVE MCNARY
Katherine Moennig ("The L Word") and Eion Bailey will star in indie thriller "Remorse," produced by Feverpitch Pictures.
Jeffrey D. Erb and Joe Nicolo of Feverpitch will produce the pic along with John Lutz ("The Prince of Jersey").
Quinn Saunders will direct. Script by Pete Cafaro and Andrew Kayros centers on themes of love, death and the fragility of the mind.
Lensing begins in March in Philadelphia.
Moennig's credits include "Art School Confidential." Bailey's appeared in "Band of Brothers," "Almost Famous," "And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself." and "Fight Club."
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 19 2007, 09:43 AM
Not really L Word but..........
Ten Minutes with Guinevere Turner
Interview
Article Date: 10/02/2007
By Tracy E. Gilchrist
Super-femme and Hollywood power player Guinevere Turner dishes about playing an uptight talk show host in Itty Bitty Titty Committee, her pioneering role in getting Go Fish off the ground and her latest projects including an all-lesbian reality series and a lesbian erotic show.
A frontrunner in lesbian filmmaking since her auspicious debut as an actress, writer and producer on the benchmark Go Fish, Guinevere Turner has become something of a lesbian national treasure. And, besides her triple-threat status as writer, director and actress, this quintessential femme, is pretty easy on the eyes.
Notches on Turner’s bedpost include penning the screenplays for Mary Harron’s controversial—but ultimately feminist—serial killer flick American Psycho and for that paean to the original fetish model Bettie Page, with The Notorious Bettie Page. Not one to follow the pack, Turner was in on the ground floor, writing for The L Word while she also portrayed one of the show’s most enduring, but rarely seen, characters, Gabby Deveaux.
A tireless renaissance woman, Turner just wrapped two short films she directed and she’s got a slew of projects in the pike, including a lesbian erotic show for here! and a Sapphic-centric reality series. In the much-anticipated Itty Bitty Titty Committee, now playing in theaters, Turner turns in a hilarious, self-aware, if too brief, portrayal of a semi-conservative talk show host.
LesbiaNation caught up with Turner between her myriad of gigs to chat about Itty Bitty, her role as a pioneer for lesbians and celluloid, the joys of running in heels and being a prude.
LN: There’s so much I want to ask you about but since it’s on the verge of its release, let’s talk about Itty Bitty Titty Committee. How was it for you being able to relax into a smaller, plumb role?
GT: Can you hang on a minute this phone is ringing. It’s a land line. It never rings.
LN: It’s probably the L.A. Times trying to sell you a subscription.
GT: Or someone I owe money to.
LN: Like the student loan people.
GT: Yeah. It could be.
LN: It’s good to know I’m not the only one who’s still got student loans officers on me. About Itty Bitty…
GT: It was really fun. I got to play someone who’s campy straight—well until the end—like a Sally Jesse Raphael type. And I got to run in heels across a parking lot a bunch of times.
LN: That’s a big boon in the lesbian community.
GT: I assumed everyone could run in heels.
LN: I’m pretty sure there’s a fair contingency of gay girls who wouldn’t even consider running in heels. Tell us about your involvement with the film besides playing Marcy Malone?
GT: I helped develop the story with Jaime [Babbit] and Andrea [Sperling].
LN: And then they hired some fresh writers to put the script together?
GT: Right.
LN: Now that we have lesbians on pay television ala The L Word and there’s so much more representation than when you made Go Fish, do you think Itty Bitty works as a call to action for feminists and lesbians to remain vigilant in fighting for rights?
GT: I think for the latest generation of lesbians, coming out isn’t as big a deal as it used to be. But when Itty Bitty screened in San Francisco, the primarily lesbian audience was excited to see this kind of lesbian film. It’s a shift. I hope it politicizes a new generation. But I don’t think there’s that urgency of representation that their used to be.
LN: I haven’t seen your name associated with The L Word lately. Do you still have any involvement?
GT: Not anymore but I know my character Gabby’s been mentioned since.
LN: You’ve kind of become like those great mythical television characters that we never see like Cloris Leachman’s husband on Phyllis…
GT: Or Karen’s husband Stan on Will and Grace.
LN: You’re like the lesbian Stanley Walker. You always seem to have so much going on career wise. What are you working on now?
GT: I just finished two shorts a few weeks ago. One is based on a short story by Amy Bender. Quiet Please. It was brought to me by a young producer. It’s about a librarian whose dad dies and she deals with it by having sex in the library.
LN: So you shot quite a few sex scenes in the stacks? And is she hooking up with guys?
GT: Yes. So her sex scenes were with men.
LN: So that’s out of the element of your prior directing endeavors, Hummer and Hung.
GT: I wasn’t sure about doing at first and then I thought, “What are you crazy?” It’s like film school for me. And I piggy backed my own short on with it. One Week Later, about a woman found dead in her apartment. She gets a lot of answering messages from people wondering what happened to her. It’s a comedy.
LN: Hmmm.
GT: There’s a break-up. It’s dyke drama after you’re dead.
LN: Oh God… so we can never get away from it? Are you the actress in either film?
GT: No. I was able to be very present as the director. It was great. No vanity. I didn’t care what I looked like. On Hung, I’d get a shot set up and then I stop to ask, “Is my face shiny?” before getting in the shot.
LN: I loved that you dared go there with Hung. I think it’s fairly typical for lesbians to wonder what it would be like to have a real penis for a day.
GT: I forget that people liked it. It was a frustrating experience and I was mad at it for a while.
LN: I am curious to know if you left any steamy sex scenes on the cutting room floor.
GT: We decided to go the PG-13 route or else it would have had to be porn.
LN: Well the titles for you films are pseudo porn names…Hung, Hummer…
GT: It makes me seem sexed out. Speaking of porn, [laughs], I auditioned for John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus.
LN: I love Shortbus.
GT: I know John and I auditioned for a part where I would have had a scene with the character who’s a lesbian therapist, who’s never had an orgasm.
LN: So what happened? You in a true-to-life sex scene. That would have been very sexy.
GT: I chickened out. I couldn’t do it. I’m a prude. (laughs)
LN: I’m sure that’s not true… Because we were discussing Itty Bitty as a return to the political. You’re really a pioneer for lesbian representation on film with Go Fish. Did you have any idea at the time of the film’s place as a watershed moment in lesbian film history?
GT: You know, we were making it for us. It was from the heart. We were so young and we said we need to make this. We tapped into something at the right moment. It was around the time that New Queer Cinema happened. It was the right movie for the right moment.
LN: You’ve been an actress, writer, producer, director…How do you best identify?
GT: It’s strange even saying I’m a writer. I would write if no one was reading. It sustains my life and my brain. I hate producing. It’s thankless unless you become Christine Vachon. It’s a really hard job. Producers have so much to do.
LN: So you’ve got these two shorts in the pike. Can you tell me what else you’re working on?
GT: I’ve got three jobs right now. I was hired by Lifetime for a show about a girl who tried to start a gay / straight alliance. I’ve got a lesbian erotic show for here! that I’m working on and we’re working on a reality show about a group of lesbians who have seven weeks to make a short film.
LN: That’ll be a whole lot of dyke drama.
GT: I have a secret fantasy of doing a Surreal Life for has-been lesbians. I’d be the host and people would totally melt down.
LN: Hilarious, but you’re still too hot to host a show for has-beens.
GT: Maybe in another 10 years.
For more on Guinevere Turner, visit www.guinturner.com. For more on Itty Bitty Titty Committee, visit www.power-up.net/ibtc.htm.
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 21 2007, 11:03 AM
this TiBette spoiler is really unconfirmed and the person who gave it to me didn't want to provide more information, so here's what i was told: someone from another board somehow got hold of this information and asked me to post with the hope that it's real:
in ep. 511 - Jodi is going to fight for Bette, they kiss in Bette's house (Bette doesn't resist the kiss) & Jodi gives Bette a present and then leaves. So something must have been happening between Bette/Jodi/Tina if Jodi has to fight for Bette at the end of the season. Sounds like Jodi wants Bette but after she leaves, Bette calls Tina...
this is all i was given, if this won't turn out to be true, you can blame me
i think it might be the end of episode 511, if it's true and then in the finale we'll get our answer: TiBette or Jobette because i don't think after IC will make Bette choose again, she will change her mind in season 6, if there's indeed a next season
info from l word fan site
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 21 2007, 11:09 AM
A photo of Katherine Moennig (Shane) by by world renowned lesbian photographer, Catherine Opie, will be auctioned off to benefit PAWS/LA, a Los Angeles-based non-profit agency that assists low-income people living with HIV/AIDS and other disabling illnesses to keep and care for their companion animals.
Their Pet Art event (scheduled for November 4th) is an annual auction at which they raise funds to pay for veterinary care, pet food and supplies, grooming and myriad other services to help the animals of our clients.
This photo shot by Catherine Opie and signed by Katherine Moennig. It is valued at $10,000.
Find out more about PAWS/LA and Pet Art by visiting www.pawsla.org. They are accepting absentee bids by (phone, email, fax) in order to give anyone interested the opportunity to own the photo.
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 22 2007, 09:38 AM
By BetteAndTinaForever
(Warning: minor spoilers)
Last week I went to the premiere of the new movie, “Itty Bitty Titty Committee”, written and directed by Jamie Babbit who many of you know as a director of “But I’m a Cheerleader” as well as the director of a few episodes of The L Word.
Jamie actually directed one of my favorite episodes in the fourth season, episode 408 “Lexington and Concord” and was a director of the second episode in the upcoming fifth season. I was able to talk to her and ask a few questions about her new movie and about The L Word.
B&TF: What is the professional difference for you in making full-length movies and directing a TV episode? I know that you directed episode 502 for The L Word, right?
JB: Right…well, the great thing about working on The L Word is it’s a fantastic crew and they are all union and they all know what they’re doing and they’re very well-oiled machine. And when I work on independent film, I’m working with people who are more inexperienced, and don’t know the ins and outs…they are learning…that’s one of the real pleasures of working on The L Word and why it looks so great and why we can make a great episode of one hour TV in a 7 days.
B&TF: What’s an emotional difference for you as a person and a director or also maybe as a fan of the show?
JB: I think that emotional difference is that the show is really Ilene’s show and Ilene’s world and Ilene’s writing and so, for me I just really feel like I really want to honor Ilene and to honor her vision and I feel like I want to bring my creativity to her vision but at the same time I really want to respect her words and respect the characters. You know, these actresses have been playing these parts for years and I’m directing a single episode so I’m really trying give them the respect that they know their characters but at the same time helping them, you know, fulfill the scene but obviously in the movie project they’ve never played the character before so I have a lot more hand-holding ordeal with the actress and the script is also probably a little more of my vision but I’m so honored because I love the show and I love Ilene’s work and I’m very privileged that I get to work on it.
B&TF: Good that you brought up the question of actors knowing their characters because they are playing them for so long because there were so many interviews where the cast members mentioned that after 3-4 years they know their characters so well and sometimes they want to make some changes because they think, “Well, my character would never say that or do that.” So the question is if they would come to you and ask for some changes do you as a director have the power to make those changes or you still have to talk to Ilene about it or you make it based on what you know about the characters…how does this work?
JB: There’s a conversation with Ilene beforehand about what’s kind of appropriate and what we’re allowed to do as far as making changes on set and she’s very flexible about letting the actors, you know, dictate the line changes or you know, making things more of their own…she’s very flexible about that type of stuff so, it’s very open and I usually tell the actors that it’s totally fine. If I feel like the actor doesn’t want to do something in the scene and they’re saying it’s their character but it’s actually because they are afraid, you know, maybe a really vulnerable moment they have to play or maybe it requires some, you know, clothes coming off (chuckles) or something like that, that I feel like it’s coming more out of fear than out of a real dedication to the character then that’s where I would say, “You know what, we really have to do this.” So I’m trying to use my judgment but for the most part I would say that the actors are usually coming from a place of truth and it’s usually not out of fear and they really know their characters and they always make it better.
B&TF: Can you give an example when it was happening out of fear of doing something or maybe being uncomfortable or when you knew that it was more about the character than about themselves.
JB: Um…I was doing a scene with Kate and an actor who was a day-player from Canada and it was…the whole scene was really more for comedy than it was for anything else. Kate’s very respectful actor and she doesn’t want to put her hands all over someone’s boobs, you know…she was with this nice Canadian actor and she doesn’t want them to think she’s a freak or a pervert or whatever, but after the scene was finished I said, “You know, if you were really…yeah, I know they were playing this for comedy but if you were really getting careless with this girl, your hands would be all over her boobs, I’m just telling you should be bad…
B&TF: Because this is who Shane is…
JB: Yes, it was the character of Shane and I said it in front of the other actor so the other actor knew, “Okay, she’s gonna do this because the director’s telling her and not because she’s trying to, you know, to feel or whatever…” So, that’s very typical. I think most actors are really trying to be respectful of other actors and so they won’t touch them, you know, physically in the sex scene but often it looks fake and you have to push them and tell them that it’s okay and they’re not being perverted.
B&TF: Okay…another question in the same direction. If you’re reading the script, for example, and you, as a director can see that some scene is not gonna work, not because the actors would tell you but because, as a director, you can see this is not gonna work right or it doesn’t look right, again, who’s making the decision about changing things? Like to the script or the setting of the scene?
JB: What happens is that we have preparations so we have 7 days before where we read the scenes, so I would never on the moment when I’m filming something say, “That scene doesn’t work.” Because if I haven’t read the scene and really haven’t thought about it beforehand, than I really haven’t done my job, so what I’ll do is I’ll read it in prep and when I’m preparing this 7 days before we start shooting, if I see like a scene isn’t quite right then I would come to Ilene and I would say, you know, “This scene’s weird to me, what do you think?” and either she would explain it to me or say, “Okay, let’s change it.” So that’s the discussion that I would have before the actual day of filming.
B&TF: One more question about this subject. You know, on OurChart they posted a few behind-the-scenes little videos from the set of The L Word and they are talking about wardrobe and about episode shooting. And there was one podcast where you were talking about filming episode 502 and you were explaining what’s actually happening. Can you maybe tell me shortly about your part? I know it’s only 8 days to shoot the episode but there’s something before and something after, so what is your role apart from the directing? What else are you doing?
JB: Well, I come to Canada like a week and a half before we start shooting, so 7 days before, so I’m doing casting for all the parts, even for someone who’s in the show for one episode or two episodes and then I’m going to auditions and then I’m helping to pick the actors with Ilene. I’m reading the scripts and then I, you know, bring up questions I have, and I’m looking at the set and, for example, I did a wedding episode so I had to help the production designer and a costume designer plan the wedding, so it’s like throwing a real wedding. We have to find a location, we have to think about what kind of food they would have, we have to think about what colors they would have at the wedding, we have to think about who are the bridesmaids, what are they wearing, you know, all that kind of preparation stuff a week an a half before. So it’s a really, really full time.
B&TF: So it’s like you’re working together with all the other people involved so you have to be involved in every part of the process.
JB: Yes.
B&TF: Okay, last question about The L Word. Do you have a favorite character on The L Word and why?
JB: I would say my favorite character is probably Jennifer Beals, um…her character, Bette, because I think she’s so smart and I really respect her and I feel like she’s complicated but just a fierce woman and she’s gorgeous, of course, and I also think she’s just a very intelligent, incredible woman and very talented actress. All these things make her my favorite character.
B&TF: Well, I’m a fan of Bette and Tina, I want them to get back together, I want them to work things out. Without revealing a lot of spoilers, can you tell me if there’s any hope, because there’s more TiBette fans than for any other character…
JB: yeah…
B&TF: yes, so can you tell me anything that can give us hope that something might happen that might bring their reunion?
JB: Well, what’s great about the Bette and Tina relationship is that it goes so deep and they do have their child and I think they have a very deep connection and they always will. So, no matter what, their deep connection will remain and whether or not they actually are able to make their relationship work, I don’t know, I only did episode 2. But, on the other hand, I know that Ilene is really respectful of their relationship. It still goes very deep and actually in my episode that I did last year, that’s where Tina said, you know, “I miss being part of with women…”
B&TF: episode 408, one of my favorite…I loved it…
JB: yes, so I think she really honors their relationship and I think, like with most lesbian couples, there’s always hope of them getting back together (laughing).
B&TF: well, you know that they were the longest one together and lots of people here are thinking that Ilene needs to show some positive aspect of lesbian relationship because everything I see on the screen is them cheating, fighting, splitting up, stuff like that…you want to see something positive that would be great to show that it can actually work, and you’re right, they have such a deep relationship, more than anyone else. It might work, it might not, but they have so much between them…so you think there’s hope?
JB: yes, I think there’s definitely hope, yeah.
B&TF: Great, thanks…now about your new movie. I read a couple of interviews about the movie that you were giving and there were couple of questions that I wanted to clarify. Were you trying to make some kind of political statements with “Itty Bitty Titty Committee”?
JB: I think my work always has some kind of political bend to it but I also tried to bring a lot humor to it, I mean I’ve been a part of so many of those political groups throughout my life and what happens inside of them is like truly spirited, ridiculous and funny, you know, there’s romance and intrigue, there’s a lot gong on, so it definitely not meant to be just a political movie, it’s also about relationships, lesbians…
B&TF: What other issues you were trying to explore with this film?
JB: I wanted to explore just women involved in feminism and what it means and how they all have different politics, they all fight and no one can agree on what’s important. Just kind of the chaos and the different groups battling each other.
B&TF: Did you write the show? I read that there were ads posted that you were looking for writers and the winners helped to write the script but were you influenced by something or someone to get the idea for the movie?
JB: yeah, actually I did write the story and it was totally inspired my own involvement with political groups over the years.
(At this moment we were told that it was time to go inside for the screening of the movie and I only had a few seconds left.)
B&TF: Well, thank you for your time.
JB: Thank you.
info from l word fan site
Posted by: 4u2 Oct 30 2007, 09:27 AM
This encounter with the girls of the L Word at the Los Angeles L Word Convention is authored by Meems posted on Media Blvd.
Enjoy
Pictures
The first thing they did were the group shots so my friend and I were waiting in line for that. Once it was our turn Leisha and Kate moved apart for my friend and I to get in there but I asked if I could stand next to Erin. We took the picture and as I walked away I told Erin she did a good job on big shots and she laughed and said thanks. The next line I got in was to take a picture with Erin alone (and also one with my friend, Erin and I). It was funny because one of the first girls asked her to stick out her tongue in the photo so she did it. Then two girls after that (another one of my friends) asked her if they could take a fighting picture and to just pretend to choke her and Erin was like "Seriously? ok!" Then I was next and asked her if we could take a tango picture and she was like "Sure!" Then my friend came up after and asked if we could take a picture pretending to kiss her cheek and I was like, I'm sorry we're all making you do weird things and she was like "No, this is fun."
Question & Answer
During the Q&A Erin said that if her character was still alive she thinks Dana would be a tennis teacher and still with Alice. I think she said something about how she would have liked to see her and Alice's relationship progress. (That might have been Leisha though.) Of course her character death came up and she said something about how it could have made a good survivor story (people cheered) but obviously that's not what happened. When the three of them came out to do the Q&A together they said their favorite scene was the one where Dana is puking over the boat. They said that they were literally just laughing at Erin. Oh, someone asked Erin if it was true she had a book coming out and when could we expect it. Erin said something along the lines of "Yes, I don't have a timeframe but should be out by the end of next year-- well I guess that is a timeframe." My friend asked her if she could be her sailor, referring to the love boat scene and some people laughed and Erin said sure why not. I want to say Leisha was the one that made this comment but I could be wrong. When she was up by herself she said something about how she'll be back later for the threesome and of course everyone cheered. It was pretty funny. My friend asked Leisha something but I can't remember. I just remember she said something about Leisha being cute and Leisha told her she was too. I think someone asked her about her favorite relationship on the show and she said Erin and that she wasn't just saying that cause she was there. She also mentioned Rose. My friend asked Kate what her favorite scene to film with Carmen was and Kate was thinking so my friend shouted out the quincenera scene and then she commented on how itchy the dress was and how heavy the extensions were. Someone asked the three of them who would be the first to talk if they were supposed to be quiet for five minutes and Kate pointed at Erin and Erin said herself. They made a comment about how she can talk to a piece of string or to a wall.
Autographs
Erin was the first one at the table and she asked for my name so I started spelling it out for her and she was like Oh you're gonna all weird on me. Or something along those lines. I told her that I haven't watched since her character died and that I was still bitter and she looked at me and was like yeah that makes two of us. Or me too, or I know. I can't even remember at this point. Leisha was next. She was getting a kick out of the girl in front of me because she gave her a diorama hat and the girl was like I know it's weird and Leisha was like "Stay weird!" It was cute.
La Cantina
We went to La Cantina at eight and I was freezing in there so I was debating going to change into my pants but I didn't want to leave. So finally an hour or so later I decided to go to my car with my friend. As we were walking to my car we saw Erin, Leisha and Kate walk out of the parking lot and my friend went up to them and said sorry for being obnoxious but can we get a picture with you guys. All three of them said sure and were really nice about it. I think Erin said something like how are we gonna do this (since we didn't have anyone to take the picture) So I just asked if we could take one with just Leisha first because we didn't get to get one with her earlier (and she became my friend's and my favorite-- of course we didn't mention that part). So Leisha said no problem and we took a picture and she said she liked my shorts. Then we were just kind of standing around and Erin said something and we took it as okay see you over at the restaurant and we'll do it there so we walked opposite ways.
So we got to La Cantina after I changed and sat at our table and the three of them were walking around group to group talking to everyone. Erin ended up separated from Leisha and Kate. Erin came up to us and was like "There you are! We started walking and then we were like hey where did they go? And we turned around and you guys were walking the other way." So we were explaining to her that we thought she meant we would take the picture later and she was like "No no" We were talking about car accidents and I told her I had gotten hit by a drunk driver earlier in the year and she said she got hit by a sober driver. I can't remember the details of the story though. One of the girls that was sitting with us had ran into Erin in the bathroom at Element so at La Cantina she was kind of buzzed and she was like "Do you remember me?" And Erin was like yeah I remember you. And the girl was like I ran into you in the bathroom. And Erin goes (in a really funny tone), "I know. and you asked me if I was going tomorrow and I said yeah and you said be there or be square and I said.." (I can't even remember the rest) Then she was like, I was the one that gave you the hat. The hate with the figures on it. And Erin said, in the same cute tone, "I know, and it has Johnny Depp on the left and (I can't remember what but Erin did) in the middle, and a white dog on the left." We were laughing after all that. All of us had seen the hat before she gave it to her but I don't think any of us remembered all that detail.
Leisha and Kate came up to us next. Leisha is the sweetest person ever. Don't get me wrong Erin is sweet too and very talkative but there's just something about Leisha's persona that makes her easy to like. Anyways Kate and her said the same thing, that they were wondering where we went and Kate said "So you wanna take the picture?" And we told them that we weren't allowed to take pictures in there. We were sitting at a table with some other friends we met there and two of them were sisters. Leisha asked if they were sisters and they said yeah. And she made some comment about how she thought so but sometimes it happens. (referring to sometimes people who date look alike.) Then she looked at my friend and I and was like "Are you guys..." And we both said friends then I told her she was my ex and Leisha was like really? that's-- She was surprised that we were friends. Then I told her we had stopped talking for three years but I got in an accident and I called her and she made some comment about how crazy it was that my instinct was to call her after. Then she said that our story was interesting. Both of them seemed a lot less shy then Erin but both were sweet.
Posted by: 4u2 Nov 5 2007, 10:36 AM
Info from L Word fan site authored
By BetteAndTinaForever
WARNING: Contains some spoilers for season 5
Disclaimer: I began writing unofficial convention reports since the first one I attended in London in November, 2005. I don’t know why but I always felt compelled to share my experiences and everything I heard and saw with those fans that didn’t have the opportunity to travel to any TLW-related events. So here’s once again my report from The L Word Convention in Los Angeles, organized by Starfury and its founder, Sean Harry. This is, of course, only the account of things that I experienced personally, so if I wasn’t present during certain events, I’m pretty sure there are others who can share their experiences about this Convention.
Friday at the Convention is usually the day of registration, opening ceremony and the Meet&Greet, where the fans can mingle with the cast members in more relaxed atmosphere. Convention in LA was a little different, probably partially due to the fact that it was Sean’s first American TLW convention and partially because Leisha Hailey’s new band Uh-Huh Her was performing the same night at the Knitting factory.
So after the registration and a few leisurely hours spent with friends, we all went to the concert. The small place was quickly filling with the fans. There were people from the convention but mostly those who bought the ticket just to see Leisha in concert. We got our seats on the balcony on the right side of the stage. The concert was great and I took a few shots of Leisha in action.
After a few songs, we spotted Pam Grier in the crowd. She was cheering and taking pictures as well. I turned my camera back on and went down so I can mingle with the audience and find out if any other cast members were inside. And of course, they were. I saw Kate Moennig and Rose Rollins, who were standing at the back of the crowd.
I went to the bar and saw Rachel Shelley buying beer. We said Hi to each other and she told me that they all just came from finishing filming. The filming began at 4:30 am but they came here to support Leisha. At that moment they are still filming season finale. I thanked her and Rachel went into the crowd and joined Pam in front of the stage.
I continued walking around and saw Mia Kirshner, who also moved into the crowd in front of the stage and began cheering for Leisha, dancing to the songs.
After making few more rounds I also saw Ilene Chaiken and Ken Dixon, Jennifer Beals’ husband. They were standing behind the crowd and I stopped by Ilene to say Hello. I’ve met her a few times already and I wanted to share my gratitude about the show again and ask about the new season.
Ilene said that they will finish filming season finale next week and the whole cast is in LA right now for that. When I asked about the possibility of season 6, since it seems like not one Showtime’s show went beyond that. Ilene replied that it’s not a Showtime policy to have only 5 seasons, and though she didn’t know about season 6 yet, The L Word is still strong so the season 6 is a definite possibility, and it also depends on the support of the fans.
I couldn’t help myself but I told her that all she needs to do is put Bette and Tina back together and the ratings will go high up. Ilene laughed at that statement and said, “We will see.” I also told her how wonderful it was to have this show picked up by the Showtime, and that the show reaches so many people and is known in all different countries. I thanked Ilene again and left her to enjoy the concert.
I wanted to go back upstairs when I noticed one more person who looked really familiar. After a few seconds I realized that it was Cynthia Summers, the fashion designer on the show, who was at the club with her girlfriend, Michelle. I introduced myself and also asked her a few questions about the filming, her favorite characters and any spoiler she can reveal.
Cynthia told me that they are still filming and her favorite characters are Bette, Jenny and Alice and a new character, Clea. From the season finale sides we know that Clea is fashion designer as well, and she is a friend of Alice. Cynthia couldn’t remember the name of the actress who is playing Clea, she only said that she was originally from New Zealand…there was an article in the Advocate from last year where I read that Lucy Lawless said that she auditioned for The L Word before but didn’t get the role and she is from New Zealand, so could it be her? Well, we can all dream.
Cynthia also answered my question about Patricia Velásquez, who was rumored to be added to the cast in season 5 and already signed up for season 6. Cynthia said that Patricia is indeed joining The L Word and will play the role of Begonia, the actress who is playing Karina/Marina in Jenny’s movie.
After the concert was over, all the cast members went to a room behind the stage but Pam Grier stayed and mingled with the fans. She was with her hairdresser and she was really friendly and nice, though she would tell me any spoilers. All she said was that season 5 is “Hot, hot, hot and fun, fun, fun…” When I asked to tell me at least if Angus was back, she looked where Ilene was standing just a few feet away and said, laughing “You can’t expect me to tell you things with my boss standing over there?”
Pam is really one of the nicest people I’ve met. She was really excited about the show and the upcoming season, even though she is straight herself. She talked a lot about politics and encouraged everyone to vote for Hilary Clinton because she is electable.
Pam also told me that for the season premiere next year all the cast members are trying to go to different cities but they are told where they will go, so they could all attend many places, but she wouldn’t tell me where she or anyone else would go.
Finally, pretty much everyone left and day one of the Convention was over. I know some people were disappointed because there was no Meet&Greet that night but the concert was great and it was better than Meet&Greet because of so many surprising appearances by the cast members.
Posted by: 4u2 Nov 7 2007, 11:22 AM
Info from thestylephile.com
"L Word" blisters
Proving that some break-ups do have happy endings, "The L Word" creator Ilene Chaiken has recruited her ex, Miggi Hood, to play a small part in the show. Hood, who was Chaiken's partner for 20 years, will play a museum curator in next season's finale. Show stylist Cynthia Summers kitted her out in a power suit that was "very Pirates of the Carribbean, with lots of buttons and big, long cuffs that I folded back," says Hood. She wore a striped t-shirt by Alice + Olivia and silver Rocco P shoes that were "agony", apparently."I had worn the entire outfit two nights earlier at the Guggenheim and had terrible blisters from walking around New York in them," says Hood. "Then I had to wear them all day for the shoot. I ended up with blisters on my blisters."Perhaps she should have broken them in first? Either way, we hear Hood is now confined to a pair of fluffy slippers. (Photo of a Rocco P boot. Best worn with socks.)
Posted 11/1/2007 12:43:06 PM
Posted by: 4u2 Nov 9 2007, 10:38 AM
info from 411maniac.com
Two Tivos favorite Wallace Shawn will appear on four episodes of the new season of The L Word…Also on The L Word in January will be Kelly McGillis...
Posted by: 4u2 Nov 11 2007, 10:44 AM
By BetteAndTinaForever.....from l word fan site
As I mentioned in my report about this event, we arrived at the Wiltern Theater Saturday evening and were escorted to the red carpet area. I joined a few others at the end of the line and prepared myself for the interviews, mentally and emotionally.
Before I was able to talk to Jennifer Beals, she was interviewed by others, and I listened to some of their questions but in all honesty I don’t remember much. It was too loud to concentrate on her answers and I was really nervous, ready to ask my own questions but keep thinking that I was going to faint.
I do remember that one of the reporters asked what she was carrying in her little purse and Jennifer replied that it was her glasses, not the sunglasses, but the ones she wears to see better. Then she was also asked what was the secret to her amazing marriage and after a slight pause, Jennifer said at first that she doesn’t know and then she added, “Love…I think love might have to do with it.”
Finally, it was my turn and after introducing myself as a reporter from l-word.com, I began the interview, though my mind went completely blank from looking at this gorgeous woman and the questions I was planning to ask were all forgotten. I just hope I didn’t make a fool out of myself in the short five minutes I spent with Jennifer, especially because when I get nervous, my accent is much stronger and I had to repeat things a few times.
BetteAndTinaForever: so here’s the first question…what do you think about the hate crime legislation right now here…
Jennifer Beals: Do you mean how it stands now or how they want it to be re-written?
B&TF: Both, you can answer both…and the second question is: Matthew Shepard Act was passed but how do you think it will be effective for the hate crime?
JB: Well, I think it always, you know, takes time to implement itself but at least there’s something in writing, some legal…let me think how to put this (at this moment Alison Sweeney from ‘Days of Our Lives’ was standing right next to us answering some questions and Jennifer was distracted by that, which she mentioned to me, so I suggested that we would move a little further away from everyone, so we both can concentrate on the interview)
JB: I think it’s important to have some kind of legal standard that you can point to if you do need to litigate and pursue the hate crime, it’s incredibly important and it sends the message to legislators…I think it’s a beginning, you know, it’s a beginning to change people’s minds and if they realize that this is the law of the men and this is also may have some cultural impact eventually and hopefully the law will precede the cultural change.
B&TF: How did you get involved with this Foundation…you presenting tonight, did they asked you?
JB: Yes, they asked me.
B&TF: What was your first reaction to that?
JB: I was really excited because I knew about the Foundation, I was really thrilled to be honored to actually present.
B&TF: Well, now a question about The L word. People want to know a lot of stuff but they want to know especially about what’s going on with Bette and Tina and I…well, I’m on the website and my user name is actually BetteAndTinaForever because I want this couple to be together…
JB: Did you create that?
B&TF: No, I work for the site, it belongs to another person, Jacky, I’m just doing the reports, pictures and also write fan fiction about Bette and Tina, of course, but anyway…my question is: you know that the majority of the fans of the show actually follow Bette and Tina and they always tell Ilene and other cast members that they want this couple to get back together, so why do you think they have such a great following, this couple particularly?
JB: (thinking)
B&TF: What is it about them…I mean, I think it’s chemistry, even when you guys are fighting…
JB: I think it’s chemistry, probably too.
B&TF: How was it to act with Laurel Holloman when you’re, like, not in-love couple but you’re screaming at each other or you’re fighting over certain issues, is it harder than to do in-love couple scenes or is it the same? I mean, I read an article before where Laurel said that it was easier for you, as actresses, to do in-love scenes between Bette and Tina than to fight all the time…
JB: Oh no…I mean, it’s taxing but I love fighting. I love doing fight scenes. It’s really fun.
B&TF: Well, is it hard to do it because you don’t really know where the storyline goes or…
JB: It’s not harder than doing the love scenes, because you don’t know where that’s gonna go either, you have no idea…
B&TF: In your opinion…do you want them back together?
JB: I said this before, I mean, it’s not a secret…if they get back together they have to earn it, you know. I wouldn’t wanna see them get back together just because, you know, that would be convenient for somebody, mainly a writer or a network. I want them to get back together because they earned and processed things, these things can get them back together.
B&TF: Do you think season four and then season five…well, you almost finished filming season finale right now…do you think it’s making them to earn it because they already became friends…
JB: They didn’t earn anything in four, what do you mean?
B&TF: Well, you know, like Tina…she did this selfless act of sending Bette after Jodi when she wanted her…
JB: (laughing) You remember much more than I was, frankly…but I, you know, I think in four they still do kind of everything with each other now and again but I think it will take more than that…but luckily, they have a child together and they tried to, by the end of four anyway, to put the child first instead of acting all crazy like they did in the beginning (and then my time was up and I had to finish the interview)
B&TF: Well, thank you so much.
JB: Thank you.
Posted by: 4u2 Nov 11 2007, 11:28 AM
Somewhat L Word related...Just a positive story.
One ‘L’ of a wedding
Lesbian cable series heats up marriage drama for Atlanta couple
By DYANA BAGBY
NOV. 9, 2007
It was Alice, the quirky, sexy character on Showtime’s hit dyke drama “The L Word,” who inspired Atlanta couple Denise Moss and Jane Champ to do it.
During Season 3, when studly Shane appeared ready to settle down (finally) and marry her love, Carmen, in a Canadian ceremony, their friend Alice made a speech about taking a stab at what straight America is failing at and the importance of legal marriage rights for all.
“We liked what Leisha [Hailey, the actress who plays Alice] said, to never take the benefits for granted,” says Moss, sitting in Joe’s on Juniper and splitting a pitcher of beer with her new wife.
“That got us riled up," she says. "We decided, yeah, we want to do this.”
So to celebrate their 20th anniversary, Moss, 44, and Champ, 50, flew to Vancouver in July to get married. Just so happens, “The L Word” is filmed in Vancouver. The Atlanta couple, huge fans of the show, extended July 15 wedding invitations to the cast. They were unable to attend due to the filming for Season 5 (debuting Jan. 6, 2008, on Showtime), but the couple held out hope to maybe, just maybe, run into some of the cast while in town.
“We flew in on July 11 and I was kidding her [Champ] that all I wanted to do was meet Shane,” Moss laughs.
Yes, like most lesbians who watch the show, Moss is hot for Shane, the stylist known for her smooth moves with the ladies.
While walking around Vancouver their first day, Moss recalled a bar where Kate Moennig, who portrays Shane, was known to hang out during breaks in filming. So hanging onto a thread of hope, Moss and Champ plopped down at the bar and ordered a drink.
“Well it’s 7:30 p.m., and she rolls in and sat right next to us,” Champ says.
“And Jane says, ‘She’s here,’ and I say, ‘Who?’” Moss adds. “And she says, 'It’s Kate.' And I look around and I see her tattoo on her elbow, and I know it’s her.”
Moss, a bit star struck, was too afraid to speak to Moennig. So Champ struck up a conversation with the actress.
“I have such a big crush on her,” Moss says grinning.
“She was so nice,” Champ says.
Jane Champ and Denise Moss pose with Leisha Hailey, Alice on ‘The L Word;’
(Photos courtesy of Champ and Moss)
EVENTUALLY, THE TRIO WALKED to another bar where Leisha Hailey and Rose Rollins (Tasha, Alice’s love interest) were hanging out with several other “L Word” cast members.
“They were all there,” Moss recalls, still grinning. “I felt like I was in The Planet.”
(For those not in the know, the Planet is the focal point of the series, where the characters talk, gossip, fight, dance, flirt and hang out together.)
Moss and Champ, Georgia natives ready for their dream marriage, were now actually living another dream in their very own “L Word” episode.
“It was weird — I don’t think of them as real people, and then they’re here,” Moss says.
As if getting legally married and meeting the stars of their favorite show wasn’t enough, Hailey and Moennig invited Moss and Champ to Hollywood during the weekend before Halloween for a huge party with many of “The L Word” cast. Hailey was performing with her new band Uh Huh Girl, and her cast mates and friends were going to be there to support her.
No way the newly married couple was going to turn down an invite like that. They headed west to Hollywood three weeks ago to drink and dance the night away with Pam Grier (Kit), Moennig (who unfortunately was mobbed by women and had to run across the stage to save her life, says Moss), Hailey, Mia Kirshner (who plays Jenny), Rollins, Erin Daniels (who played tennis star Dana Fairbanks) and others.
According to Champ and Moss, fans of “The L Word” need to lay off hating Jenny so much.
“Mia’s a very nice person and Kate’s best friend,” Champ says. “She’s a sweet girl.”
Denise Moss with 'L Word' actress Mia Kirshner, who plays Jenny.
The couple also learned that Erin Daniels is still upset her character was written out of the show, that Moennig loves Harry Potter and that Hailey is actually quite girly like her character and plays a mean guitar and keyboard.
“I felt like I was at a Donny Osmond concert — I had to tell myself, 'get control, you’re 44 years old!'” Moss says.
THE MEETING IN VANCOUVER was great but unplanned, and Champ and Moss said they didn’t want to impose on their new famous friends too much. But in Los Angeles, Hailey, Moennig and the rest of the crew quizzed the couple about their lives and asked their secret to 20 years together.
Being life partners takes work, and Champ, a P.E. teacher at Rockdale High School, and Moss, who owns her own pet-sitting service, had to admit it hasn’t been easy.
A “temporary lapse of judgment” several years ago led Moss to stray, and the couple split. When Moennig and Hailey learned this, they scolded Moss for her indiscretion.
“I was trying to win Kate back and explained to her I begged and begged for Jane to take me back,” Moss says.
When “The L Word” actors asked Champ how could she take Moss back after a betrayal, she told them simply, “I love her.”
“They seemed to be, like, OK, we understand now,” Moss says.
But Moennig, far from her Shane character, was still distraught and told Moss, “It’s a good thing you begged.”
Champ wanted everything to be all right between her wife and her wife’s crush, and told Moennig she needed to hug Moss. Moennig gladly obliged, also giving Champ a hug.
“What happened really made us stronger,” Moss says of their dark days. And “The L Word” hasn’t exactly hurt their love life either — Moss was sure to let Moennig know some of her sexy scenes help, well, the lives of real-life lesbians who sometimes need a fictional spark to keep a factual flame alive.
“Thank God for the show — Kate’s pulled us through about four seasons. She gives me motivation,” Moss says with a laugh.
“THE L WORD” MAY INSPIRE ROMANCE, but getting legally married was unforgettable for Moss and Champ. The two had a commitment ceremony Dec. 30, 1988, to mark 10 years together and held an anniversary celebration at The Otherside Lounge.
Now, a decade later and tired of the lack of rights for them here, the two plan a move to Vancouver after first living in L.A. for several years.
“Getting married was very spiritual for us," Moss says. "It was life changing. The city won us over.”
“And everyone there is so happy for you,” Champ adds. “You really can be yourself.”
And in a dramatic example of how real life differs from television, Moss says Erin Daniels congratulated them on two decades together and hinted she had a tinge of jealousy.
“She said it’s hard to have a steady relationship in the industry. She told us, ‘You have 20 years. I’d almost trade that for what you have, because there are so many of us who don’t have that,’” Moss remembers
Posted by: 4u2 Nov 14 2007, 11:05 AM
By BetteAndTinaForever....info from l word fan site
Disclaimer: I tried to write questions and answers as fast as I could but of course I’m only a human. Everything I wrote is not verbatim but the way I remembered it. I had to write so fast that sometimes I couldn’t even understand my own handwriting so I’m trying to do as best as I can here.
Q: Tell us about some of the projects you’ve been doing.
A: Well, I’ve been doing a lot of things actually. I’ve just been on Big Shots recently. I’ll be on another show in January I think. I’m working on CSI: New York right now and then I’ll be starring in a new show, hopefully.
Q: If your character was still on The L Word, what would you want her storyline to be and would she be still with Alice?
A: If my character was still on The L Word, she would be teaching tennis, to be honest with you. Actually, okay, if she hadn’t die (Erin made a face and everyone laughed), if she actually come through and survive the cancer (everyone began applauding and yelling what they though of Ilene and Dana’s dying)…I understand why they did what they did but at the same time has she survived, she would be probably teaching tennis and she would become a spokesperson for the breast cancer awareness and I would love to see her and Alice to stay together and actually have a real solid and fun relationship.
Q: How the cancer storyline affected you personally and how you prepared yourself?
A: Working on that storyline I thought I knew more about it than I did, it really made me be aware of it, about reality of it and how many people were affected by it. I’m sure everybody in this room knows someone they work with or a family member…and being aware of that made me realize how important it was. I made a choice not to invite it into my life, so when we were shooting and after that I was going home and having a bath, relaxing, and trying to take care of myself. I wanted to make sure that it wouldn’t affect me.
Q: Will Dana appears in season 5?
A: I can’t answer that, I don’t know. She comes back from the dead and she dies again…surprise (she was joking, of course). No, I’m actually not gonna be in season 5 (sounds of disappointment was heard all over the room). I guess at this point Dana moved on.
Q: What’s your favorite scene from any season?
A: My favorite scene…there’re so many…okay, have you guys seen the food fight in jail in the first season? (Everybody screamed: No, we only saw a few pictures, they never put anything good on DVD’s, extras suck, etc…) Well, the food fight was great, it was fun, too bad you guys didn’t see it…there were so many great scenes, I love mission impossible scene from 1st season.
Q: What about the drunken Dana dance?
A: Oh, the Dana Dance…I was really nervous to do the dance, I was afraid I would fall off the boat because that part was much higher than the deck and it was really cold and I had to do it once and get it right. At the end it was really fun, making it I was a little terrified I was going to die, but you know, it’s hard to pick one, to be honest with you. There were a lot of scenes that were fun to film, some were just great to film, like Dana after the surgery in season 3 when the whole cast was there in one room, it was really fun to film…yep, it was fun.
Q: Can you tell us what happened with Julie Reno.
A: You know, nothing, it’s sitting on the shelf somewhere, we filmed it and someone just thought it was too much like My Name is Earl, but it was great.
Q: When they were spreading Dana’s ashes in that beautiful river, does Alice still have some of the ashes?
A: I think you have to ask Leisha that.
Q: What was your personal reaction to Dana’s dying and you were going to be off the show?
A: I was upset, hurt, I cried a lot. I didn’t understand why but I knew it was important to writers and to creators of the show (again, people began yelling that it wasn’t that important, that they had the potential of a good story but blew it, etc…) I think, it was potentially good story, but unfortunately the choice you made as a writer is to make it quote-unquote real, you know, people die from cancer…but they live too. If it were up to me, I would love to show a storyline that gives you hope instead of depression. There was nothing I could do about it, so I tried to do as good job as I could, to make it honest and as visual as possible, because I thought that if this is the storyline I had to tell then I wanted it be as good as I could.
Q: What happened to the dancing flower that Alice bought in season 3 when Dana was dying?
A: I don’t know where that is, it fell down.
There was the question about scene between Dana and Alice after they finally made love and Erin joked about that was like 9 and ½ weeks and she said that it was fun to film and they laughed a lot while filming it, they were trying to think of all the things they could possibly do and it was fun. Another fun asked something about the whole story being a dream, but I don’t remember exact question and Erin said: yes, season 6 – Jenny’s been on drugs for 3 years and made it all up.
Q: What is wrong with Jenny?
A: I don’t have a clue, I never tried to understand Jenny, she’s a mystery.
Q: How much of the scenes between Dana and Alice were scripted and how much of it was improvised?
A: It’s a good question…we improvised all the time, especially the comedy stuff, at least half of it we improvised. Leisha’s better at following the script than I am but we improvised all the time.
Q: Jennifer Beals mentioned that you helped her sometimes with some comedy scenes and also you said before that you wanted to direct, have you done it?
A: First, Jennifer has a great sense of humor, very dry, she’s funny, she just didn’t realize that she’s funny…and I did some directing but you know it’s funny, I still love the idea of it but I don’t know if want to do it. I watched these directors and they work so hard and they there from the minute we start until everything is wrapped up. We complain about working 12 hours a day but the directors have no time, they spend 16 hours a day for months on a set.
Q: Are you in love?
A: I’m not in love with anyone in particular at this moment, no but I love many things.
Q: There was a certain picture from season 3 of Dana dancing with some girl that didn’t end up on the show, what was happening? We didn’t get any extras so we didn’t get to see anything.
A: That scene was cut, shortly after the diagnose, Dana sort of rebelled and she wants sex and flirting, to be a woman, to get a reaction if she would show some boobs, to feel something, so she goes to the wax party and picks a girl to do a seductive dance. Lara sees them and she’s really pissed, then Dana goes home and she wants to feel sexy, so the sex scene with Lara followed. They kept the sex scene but the dance was cut off so it wasn’t that clear why she was crying and acting a little strange but it was result of the previous scene, not just a bad acting.
Q: What can you tell us about the road rage scene with Alice in season 3?
A: Oh God, it was so much fun to film, it was crazy. We filmed on the real street in LA, the street was cleared up for us, which was hard to do, because it was in Hollywood and they blocked the whole street and this is LA. Everything is so busy in LA all the time. The cameras were placed in the car windows and we were actually driving. It was scary but it was a lot of fun and then at the end of the day we did some other stuff when they filmed close-ups of our faces to show our reaction but we were not actually driving. So, yeah…we were driving around LA, screaming at each other, it was fun.
Q: What was your first impression of the cast when you met them?
A: It’s such a good question…let me just say that all my first impressions were so wrong. Kate intimidated the hell out of me, I thought that she was too cool and she would never talk to me, she’ll never be my friend. And now she’s my best friend and I love her. Leisha I first met when she was auditioning for Shane and I thought similarly that she was cool but actually Leisha was on the same flight to Vancouver, we met on the plane. I’m not the best flyer in the world, I got a little sick right in front of Leisha and it was really embarrassed, and now we are best friends too. Everybody were intimidated by Jennifer, they were, like, who’s going to talk to her and I got nominated. And of course, I was totally wrong, Jennifer couldn’t be cooler and so down to earth, very nice. The beautiful thing about this cast that everybody was really nice and you know, when you are actress you don’t know how you gonna fit, but everybody was so down to earth.
Q: We know that Leisha and Kate are really great friends and awhile back I heard that the three of you were talking about opening up a club together in Silver Lake, do you remember talking about that?
A: We did, we talked about that few years back that we’ll open up a club and think they still talk about that once in a while to open up a club for…a girl club, for women…I don’t know what happened to that but it’s a good idea, maybe they should revisit that.
Q: Where are you all living in Vancouver during filming?
A: We all rented houses all over, downtown, different places…you know I’m not gonna give away addresses…downtown, gastown, Kits…we were all spread out and then each season the places change. It’s a beautiful city.
Q: What do you do on your time off?
A: When we are not filming we like to eat, the sea food is incredible…we hang out, go to the beach, go to movies, shopping, walking dogs.
Q: How are your dogs?
A: They are good, they are at camp today…the doggy camp.
Q: Was there any negative feedback on your sex scenes or for playing a lesbian?
A: My friends and family are really great about it. I grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri, which is Midwest and it’s pretty conservative. When my best friend got married, her mom came out when she was in college and it was really hard for her to deal with and the beautiful thing is that her mom was there with her partner and then she thanked me for doing what I was doing, being on The L Word and it made me to understand how it is to be in the world that is not open-minded…so anyway, my friends and my family a great about it, which is wonderful. (Then there was silence and Erin asked: Is that it? Did I bore you all?)
Q: Someone told us that you were writing a book, are you writing a book?
A: Yes, I am writing a book. I’ve been working on it for a while and it’s hard to describe…it’s about a woman in her 40’s who is trying to find her place in the world when some women of her age don’t look a certain way anymore and it’s all about her finding her own voice and her confidence by trying to find out who she is. I don’t have a title for that yet, I have 15 titles, and I had talked to a publisher about it, and my goal is to finish it by the end of next year, I guess that would be the deadline. Okay, I think my time is up.
Posted by: 4u2 Nov 15 2007, 10:35 AM
By BetteAndTinaForever....info from l word fan site
I already posted it up on the spoiler thread on this site but I will repeat it here for those who don’t read the threads. And I would like to apologize in advance to all the non-TiBetters here, because the spoiler is about Bette and Tina. As some of you might remember, I learned a spoiler this summer that due to some jealousy on Bette’s part, she and Tina will have little somethin’-somethin’ in episode 504. Now, this spoiler was confirmed at the party. Bette and Tina will have something serious and, I’m assuming sexual, happened between them and in episode 505 they will talk about it and then Bette actually says to Tina that she’s in love with Jodi. However, there’s so much tension between them that the possibility of the reunion is still there.
Posted by: 4u2 Nov 18 2007, 10:18 AM
info from tv guide.com
Those who feared that The L Word's Jenny (Mia Kirshner) may have drifted out to sea for good can now stop guessing. Jenny is back and ready to start production on her movie "Les Girls." She's hooked Wallace Shawn — best known as Vizzini in The Princess Bride — as the financier of her "fictional" flick. Shawn, who will play William Halsey at the start of Season 5, has a four-episode story arc on the Showtime drama.
Posted by: 4u2 Nov 21 2007, 08:09 AM
info from l word fan site
Disclaimer: I tried to write questions and answers as fast as I could but of course I’m only a human. Everything I wrote is not verbatim but the way I remembered it. I had to write so fast that sometimes I couldn’t even understand my own handwriting so I’m trying to do as best as I can here.
Leisha Hailey came next for her Q&A and she was also very friendly and funny.
We heard you’re filming in LA right now, are you almost done?
Yes, we do. We started last Monday. Usually, we come to Los Angeles to shoot the exterior shots and then we put them into all the episodes that showed Los Angeles and then we go back to Vancouver but this year we are shooting the entire season finale here, we never done it before, so the whole cast and crew are here and it’s really great because some of them could show up for my show last night, which was great.
Did you expect Pam to be there last night?
Yeah, I knew they were all coming, because they heard about it and it was fun.
Someone yelled that she did really well last night and Leisha said: thank you, we still working on things, we’ll get better. She then mentioned a few places where they were going to shoot next week.
Who is your favorite character to date on the show?
I would say that Erin is my favorite, we enjoyed working together so much, it was fun and I miss her every day. And I’m not saying it because she’s here, I said that before. Erin and I just enjoyed work every day, it was fun and this is what acting should be, I don’t know, like a big fantasy. I love to work with Rose too, but it’s different, more serious. Erin and I were laughing all the time.
Next question was about Leisha’s playing in other places than Vancouver and she was talking about performing in Blackpool, and where in Vancouver they will be playing and she was talking about her previous band, that they were playing in Toronto and something else that I can’t recall anymore.
What can you tell about the scream during the basketball scene? Was it intentional?
It happened during rehearsing. I’m pretty sporty, but basketball is not my thing, but the first time we were rehearsing, the scream came naturally, so when it happened they decided to keep it.
When we see all those little things, we can see that you guys having a great time, you must have so many bloopers. Why are there no good extras and bloopers on DVD’s?
You don’t even know…but you know, we keep asking Ilene the same questions all the time. (A fan said that we would pay double for the price of the DVD if the bloopers were on it and Leisha agreed, because she said they want to see it too.)
When you were stealing the sign in season 4, did those two dogs belong to Jennifer?
No, no, they were some actor dogs, they were trained and their trainers were there.
If you have to choose between acting and music, what would you choose? And who are your favorite musicians?
I hope I don’t ever have to choose. I’m more naturally inclined to act, it comes naturally, I feel better at it, I feel like I understand it better and music takes more work. It’s fun but more challenging, performing is not easy, it scares me, challenges me. I love music and I love performing live and it’s my favorite part of the whole music thing. There are so many different stages to that, there’s writing and recording and touring and I love it but hopefully I don’t have to choose, ever. My favorite musicians are Björk, Lucinda Williams, Cure, Radiohead, Madonna.
We all know, Leisha, that you’re one of us…does your partner travel with you?
Where? (laughter) Sure, but obviously we don’t smother each other but we travel to see each other often but she has her own career, so we are not together 24/7. She’s awesome.
Erin asked us to ask you this question, when you were spreading Dana’s ashes, you kept some. What happened to it, will we see it at all and where was it?
To be completely honest, I think it really wasn’t exactly what we wanted. For me, as an actor, we were playing the mourning of our friend and lover so we played it more than they wrote. It was interesting to watch, but I wanted them to handle death a little differently. It was in North Vancouver, an hour away and I think Alice still has the ashes but I don’t think they play it, unfortunately.
What is your favorite scene when you had a lot of fun?
I can’t think of one scene, there are so many. It all depends on the day and who you’re working with and how tired I am, or sleepy, or cranky, and if it’s funny. I have a few favorite scenes when we hang out the Planet, we all happy and sometimes I think my character lives there because she’s there all the time. I can’t think of one scene. I have to think about it. Kate and I have a lot of laughs this year. I’ll think about it and get back to you on the favorite scene.
How do you feel about what they did to Bette and Tina, breaking the long time relationship up that everyone wants to see on the screen? Do you want them back together?
Yes, sure, I want them together (lots of people screamed, “We do too”) Yeah, it’s the biggest thing if they ever get back together, you know, it’s Bette and Tina. I mean, they certainly can let it happen, you never know.
Another fan was telling Leisha how we all enjoy Alice’s humor and that she loves to write about Alice in her fan fiction (it was AmandaMG, by the way) and then she mentioned about seeing blue mini on the streets and thinking every time, “Is that Alice?” And Leisha laughed and said that her blue mini keeps changing its colors, one day it has stripes, and then it’s convertible and not even blue. Then she asked if we know about the winning fan fiction story on the fanizode site and then told us that they actually shot it as a teaser and it was hysterical, it was part of Alice’s fantasy. (I got a little more information about it in my interview with Leisha and Kate).
On the podcast that you did with Kate you were asked a question about Jodi versus Tina, and you both picked up Tina, why?
I just think that Bette and Tina belong together, they’re so good together. First of all, I love Marlee Matlin, she’s a great actress and she’s so cool and it’s nothing against Jodi…I don’t know. It’s just seems that they were perfect partners and it’s hard to see them dating someone else. It all would work for the best.
How do you think Ilene feels about Bette and Tina though?
Oh, she loves them (sarcastic noise of disbelief from the audience), no, really, this is her favorite thing to write (more sarcastic noise)…no, no, no, you got it all wrong, she really identifies with them and long-term relationship and, you know, the craziness that can happened. Oh my God, it’s literally her favorite thing to write (people began again saying that we all hope it will work out).
Any news on season 6?
I don’t know about season 6. I have a feeling about it, but that’s just me, which means nothing, but it could happen for sure. The Showtime never got more than 5 seasons of their shows so it would a big deal. If this season will do well, anything can happen, and I have to say, though I say it every year, and I meant it ever time but I think this season is the best season. I’m not kidding, this season is a lot, a lot like first season but better, much better.
A fan said that the best thing that could happen is for Bette and Tina get back together…(and no, it wasn’t me who said this) and Leisha replied, “You don’t say…”, which brought another round of laughter from the fans.
Alice and Tasha should stay together too, as a couple…will they stay together?
I mean, this season for Alice is pretty hardcore, I mean, it will be really serious for me this year, really serious. I can’t talk more about it.
What is your favorite alcoholic drink and if you were a drink, what would that be?
I like vodka, martini. I’m not a fruity drinker personally…and as a drink I would be something lemony, like lemon drop with a little sugar.
Do you go the TLW related websites?
I waste hours on youtube with Kate but the message boards are not so much, they are too scary, because there are so many opinions, so I don’t go there. Nobody cares what other people say, so no, it’s not my thing.
What do you think about Bette and Alice concept as a couple?
It was quick, very quick. I think Bette was irritated by Alice and they had a good time together but it would never go anywhere. It was wrong, I think about it like fun summer fling.
But the opera scene was pretty hot…
Oh, the opera (laughter), yeah, it was crazy. I don’t want to be in this situation with my best friend.
What do you think about Rose’s addition to the cast and why was she better fit than some others?
We do have lots of new people each year and you know, some just don’t go together but Rose was a massive fit. We all have instant connection between her and others. She was like one of us, like she came in the first season. And she has this awesome laugh that I wish you all can hear it. She’s great, really, really great and I love her so much.
Tasha’s character, she’s playing a closeted female in the army…I thought it was so interesting to see how she was treated by her co-workers, so my question is: did you get a negative feedback from the military about this storyline?
I mean, I haven’t, this would be a great question for Rose, but no, I don’t imagining it would happen. It was told really well and this years it’s a really, really, really big, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” storyline. You will see it unfold in the big way.
How did you and Cam meet and form your band?
I met Cam (Camila Grey) at the party and she was playing tambourine. She was just so cute. I waited about 5-6 years to miss music and I wanted to wait until I want to get back to that. People approached me before to start bands but I thought about couple of people but for it didn’t feel right, and for some reason with Cam I got this feeling. So I called her and we met and talked. She has a degree in music history and she worked with Dr. Drey. Music is her life and we really liked each other. It was really fun and now that I’m done, I want certainly start writing more music. We have a full CD coming next spring hopefully
Posted by: 4u2 Nov 21 2007, 08:13 AM
Info from l word fan site
Disclaimer: I tried to write questions and answers as fast as I could but of course I’m only a human. Everything I wrote is not verbatim but the way I remembered it. I had to write so fast that sometimes I couldn’t even understand my own handwriting so I’m trying to do as best as I can here.
WARNING: Contains some spoilers for season 5
Day 3 began in the same way as the previous day. We had more pictures taken first thing in the morning. This time Erin was gone but Anne Ramsey (Robin from seasons 1 and 2) took her place. Anne was lovely and very friendly, just like she was during the first convention. She was also the first one to participate in Q&A. I wasn’t present during most of her talk because I had a one-on-two interview with Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig at the same time. Check Part 2 for the complete interview.
After a little rest, Kate and Leisha came out for another Q&A session and here’s the recount of it with the help of my imperfect memory and ineligible handwriting. I apologize in advance if the answers seem a little abrupt but I’m not that young anymore and my memory knows it.
You talked before about practical jokes, are any of them ever backfired?
Mia played one on us and Rose but we knew about it before it happened so we decided to pay her back. We got those things that make boobs look bigger, like gelatin, put them on Mia’s car for two weeks…we put fake boobs over on her bumper so we could take a picture and send it to her, but we decided to see if she notices it first. Slowly, crew began realizing that something was there. It was really funny.
(To Leisha) How did you come up with the name for your new band?
It’s actually a title of PJ Harvey’s album, because in the beginning it was three of us and the song is about three girls.
(To Leisha) Would you be offended if someone gave you a lesbian sex book?
No.
(To Leisha) Did you actually ride the Zipline in season 4 finale?
No, I didn’t ride it when we filmed it because of insurance policy but after the filming I went back to do it.
How is it different this year comparing to other seasons? Are they still unhappy that Erin is gone?
It was more about the change than just being unhappy. We all like to go out, to do group things, but a year before Erin left and Sarah, the show was overloaded with new personalities all at once. This year there it is much more balanced, more mellow, or maybe we just used to it by now.
Is Olivia back playing Angelica?
Yes, Olivia is back and she’s got really big, older.
Do the family members visit the cast on set?
Family members do visit but for them it’s a fun part, the kids have their nursery but in reality we need a dog park more than a nursery.
What happened with Kristanna Loken and why is she leaving the show?
(Kate) There was some animosity and she simply didn’t fit but everyone was so shocked when they read what she said. The things she said about the cast was uneducated and to read that in LA Times was a shock and unfair. It wasn’t true because she was saying first how great was her work and it’s unclassy to talk about the cast that way and distasteful, especially because she didn’t even work with all the cast a lot.
Have you thought about having kids?
(Leisha) Well, I stopped saying Never but at this point I don’t want kids; (Kate) I need to grow up myself first.
What was your celebrity crush?
(Leisha) Molly Ringwald. I’m begging Ilene to bring her to the show and I would freak out if that happens; (Kate) when I was in 7th grade it was New Kids on the Block, Facts of Life, Different Strokes, Beverly Hills 91210, especially Dylan; (Leisha) I think Shane’s based on Dylan; (Kate) Yes, and I liked Brenda, she was a real bitch.
In season 4 when Alice confronted Jenny about the book, how much of it was improvised?
Most of it was improvised. We asked if we can embellish it and then we came up with Monet thing and Ilene let us do almost the whole thing improvised.
When you were filming the basketball scene, who among the cast was more sporty?
(Both) Jennifer Beals is good at everything, she’s superwoman; (Leisha) I’m a little bit sporty; (Kate) I’m good at surfing, good at certain things but everyone pretty much sucked at basketball.
(To Leisha) Why did you slap Helena in the ass during that scene?
I have a thing for spanking (laughing), even Cybill complained that I did it too hard with her…so maybe I did it a little harder than I should but that’s what you do in sports, right?
From all the cast members, who surprised you the most after your initial reaction and what was your first impression after meeting them?
(Kate) Seems like I just answered that question just recently but my impressions were exact opposite about them all; (Leisha) I saw people a lot more differently than they are, I thought Mia was really, really shy; (Kate) I thought Laurel was a republican housewife from Connecticut but she’s exact opposite, she’s still a very mature woman but she’s also a lot of fun and has a great sense of humor.
Is Peggy back in season 5?
Yes, she’s back.
(To Leisha) You played a werewolf once…
Yes, it was so much fun to play but it was crazy itchy. Dustin Hoffman once said that every actor has to play a monster at least once, so this was my monster.
Can you tell us about any emotionally heated debate or argument you had on the set?
(Kate) We are people, we get moods and guilty of taking things the wrong way; (Leisha) I had it more with directors than with actors, especially guest directors, who come with their own ideas but sometimes they have just seen one episode and they got ideas but don’t even know who Dana is. There was nothing dramatic among the cast members because we’re like a family. The best part is that the cast members are all super beautiful, supportive group. It’s a best job ever, especially considering how well we get along.
If you had a choice to play another character on the show, who would it be?
(Kate) Jenny, because she was conceived with a least amount of caricature qualities, she’s an open book with that, she has so many colors to that role, she’s interesting; (Leisha) Ironically, Jenny is the most talked about character and it’s not easy to do. You need a character like that on TV, people liked to be freaked out by her; (Kate) she’s the one that fans love to hate; (Leisha) I’d liked to play Tina.
Is Jenny still in the sea?
We can’t really say anything, let’s just say that she fell on dry land.
(To Kate) you were compared a lot to Patty Smith, would you like to portray her in the movie?
She’s great and I don’t know if it will be easy to do. She’s very protective of her life. There was one book written about her and it was all wrong. She got upset and now she’s writing her own book but the movie would be hard to do.
(To Kate) What was your most comfortable and uncomfortable love scene partner?
Most comfortable was with Rosanna, she’s really giving, free spirit and I loved working with her. Most difficult is with people that I don’t know. They all blended in together, like one-night stands extras. You don’t know them and feel like you violating them but they signed up for it (laughter). It’s all very technical, awkward and hard to do.
Tell us favorite thing about your character.
(Leisha) Alice says whatever’s on her mind, loud and obnoxious, making people laugh; (Kate) drug abuse…just kidding. I like how she’s quiet, settled, I like her clothes.
(To Leisha) How was it working with Cybill Shephard?
I love her. First I was scared, I watched her TV shows and she’s so great. I loved the storyline as Alice went for an older lady. Cybill is eccentric, open and you never know what to expect from her. This year we didn’t work together as much and I missed working with her.
(To Leisha) Season 3 after Dana’s death, how did it make you feel, dealing with that?
It was torture, especially everything that was leading up to that. It was really like losing best friend because she was leaving us. When we were reading the death scene script I had to leave the room because I couldn’t handle it, because it felt like I was experiencing this in real life, it was horrible and emotional. We tried to separate ourselves from that but it takes awhile to shake it off, it lingered there. We know it wasn’t real but it still affected us.
(To Leisha) So, did losing Erin as a cast member blended with your personal life?
Exactly, it was all too similar, it was easier to play because it felt real but it sucked.
(To Kate) Where do you get your tattoos?
There’s a tattoo place on Sunset, called Shamrock, there’s one in Venice, in New York, different places; (Leisha) where did you put my name again? (everyone’s laughing)
What is your favorite food?
(Leisha) Ice cream, muffins; (Kate) cheeseburgers and French fries, I’m actually craving it right now.
Did you ever get a laughter attack during sex scenes?
(Leisha) yes, with Erin and Rose; (Kate) with Sarah. We just stop acting and start laughing, saying to each other, “This is so fake”; (Leisha) This year I was laughing so hard about something with Rose but my face was hidden, if you know what I mean.
What is your family origin?
(Leisha) I’m half Italian; (Kate) Irish and some German.
What is your favorite thing to do in spare time?
(Leisha) I like to see my friends, go to dinner, paint, I’m trying to fill my time laughing with people, and lately riding my scooter with Kate; (Kate) Dinner parties at my house, I love to cook; (Leisha) It’s been six years and you still haven’t cook for me, I’m hungry; (Kate) I like to cook on Sunday when we watch the show, I have a great kitchen and like to make dinners for people.
What do you didn’t like about your characters?
(Leisha) I didn’t want Alice go all crazy in season 3. I know it was funny and I understand how you can get nutty in those circumstances but I wanted to play it differently; (Kate) I didn’t like Wax, so I’m glad something is going to happen to it this year. I didn’t like the episode where Dana dies. It was so farfetched, they wanted Shane to go to masseuse and have sex there and I said, “No, let’s not bastardize this episode with this ridiculous thing.” They changed it because I found it insulting.
What’s your favorite storylines?
(Kate) I love storyline with Cherrie Jaffe. It was dysfunctional fun. I liked relationship with Carmen to but when it was a triangle thing with Jenny before the domestic part; (Leisha) I’m happy with most stuff, even the vampire, it was so crazy and I like that Alice has so many different experiences, crazy situations. And I like what they did to Alice at the end of this season.
Are you still involved with OurChart?
(Leisha) We were involved a lot more in the beginning but we don’t run it, just supply the ideas and participate in podcasts, or tell them what we like or don’t like; (Kate) I think they will continue to make it better, especially when the new season starts.
What is your favorite Broadway musical?
(Leisha) Wicked; (Kate) I liked Cats as a kid, now it’s hard to say. I don’t live in New York anymore so don’t see so many.
Would you like to work in UK?
(Kate) Yes, I’d love to be in London. My favorite way to travel is for work because I don’t want to go and be just a tourist for 3 days.
What is your favorite movie?
(Kate) Cool Hand Luke; (Leisha) the original Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
What is your favorite color?
(Kate) Dark blue; (Leisha) I like many colors but for a long time not it has been deep dark purple.
What’s your favorite memory growing up?
(Kate) I grew up in the building with a doormen and I even wanted to be one, because I hang out with them all the time. It seemed to be like the best job in the world because it wasn’t hard, you just open the door. Those guys became my best friends and my mom still lives there with the same guys still working there as doormen.
Favorite quality in a woman?
(Leisha) sense of humor, nice lips, power; (Kate) assertiveness, sensuality, pretty eyes.
Who would you invite to a dinner party?
(Kate) Madonna, Oprah, lead singer of Metallica, Marilyn Manson, Anderson Cooper, Cher; (Leisha) Liza Minnelli, Axl Rose, each other.
Posted by: 4u2 Nov 23 2007, 10:45 AM
Deep Inside Hollywood
by Romeo San Vicente
Moennig Shows Remorse
Queer fans of Katherine Moennig, The L Wordís shaggy-haired, womanizing, underwear-modeling Shane, will have a reason to leave their televisions for movie theaters when the actor stars in the new indie thriller Remorse. First-time feature director Quinn Saunders will helm the project, which costars Eion Bailey (Band of Brothers).
The plot is still mostly under wraps, but an ominous poster image for the film already is online that suggests the movie will serve up a fairly large serving of insanity and fear. And no matter what the story line, it simply will be good to see Moennig onscreen for more than a few minutes at a time, after her tiny roles in films like Art School Confidential
Posted by: 4u2 Nov 25 2007, 10:50 AM
Info from l word fansite
Disclaimer: I tried to write questions and answers as fast as I could but of course I’m only a human. Everything I wrote is not verbatim but the way I remembered it. I had to write so fast that sometimes I couldn’t even understand my own handwriting so I’m trying to do as best as I can here.
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After Leisha, we had another 30 minutes with Kate Moennig. Kate was really great. She came out with her Starbucks coffee cup and while everybody was taking pictures, she was just sitting there, drinking coffee and smiling. Finally, the photos were done and the Q&A began.
Your brother on the show, Shay, was really cute. How was it working with him?
It was really easy…when you work with a child actor, they only required to work about 8 hours a day so my days were very short. He did a really good job and it was a very good casting.
In the last 4 seasons what would you change about your character? If you can change one thing, what would it be?
In terms of character or storyline? Hmm…there’s not much I would change. I definitely would change her profession, I hate Wax. I hated it from day one. But in season 5 something will happen to Wax. In regards to storylines, I would extend a relationship with Carmen a little bit longer (applause from the audience, and someone yelled that Carmen was hot, and Kate replied, “Yes, she’s cute”). I would just make it more realistic, not make it rush through the season. And if I could I would change the storyline with Paige last season because it was boring. It wasn’t my favorite. I liked the idea on paper, it was a good idea but sometimes things don’t work.
Do you like reality TV shows and would you be on one?
I don’t watch anything like Survivor, really. I like the mocumentary actually, don’t ask me why, I just like it, I find it entertaining. And I’ll never, never be on a reality show, I’m too shy.
Do you give the writers feedback to change anything in your storylines?
Yes, because the writers and producers, like Ilene, do hear what we have to say and they are very open. If you don’t love the idea completely, it’s a different story, but if you just want to prove the point why this scene doesn’t work then for the most part they listen and it never happens in television, never.
Do you have some crazy fan stories when someone tried to get your attention?
Sometimes, I get grabbed a lot. I get a little manhandled. It happened once or twice. Last year in London we got presents from fans and we were in the room, going through the gifts and some woman in her bag left a dirty pair of underwear. I just threw it across the room, the bag was flying…I don’t know what kind of attention she wanted from that. But person to person, nothing really happened.
Anyone gave you their room keys?
Room keys? Not yet (laughing)
Your hair is short…would you like to have it longer or keep it short?
I’d like it a little bit longer but my hair grows really slow, so it takes awhile.
How much are you like your character?
I think we’re pretty opposite, though I’m also attached and loyal to my friends. Actually, you know, my character and I sort of blended together, and we kind of became one. Her and I actually have similar walls around. I don’t know if it’s a trust thing or what but yeah, we are similar in some ways but my morals are different.
What do you want for your birthday?
Well, it’s a pretty big birthday, I’m turning 30. I want Rolex, are you buying?
I read that you like horoscopes…
Yes, I’m really into astrology. I don’t know what is it about, it’s a sick obsession, it fascinates me. I’m a Capricorn (then she asked fan what was her sign and planet or something, but the fan didn’t know).
Some people have an idea, not me but others, but do you think that Shane has a crush on Tina?
Say what? Where did you get this idea? No, no. I love Laurel and I love Tina but no. I think that Shane is looking at Bette and Tina as the big sisters of the group…everyone was looking up to them, you know, Bette and Tina.
Do you want them back together?
Sure (with an exaggerated sigh that made everyone laugh). Yeah, but I began to like Jodi. Maybe it’s because I love Marlee so much but I think Jodi is really interesting character, so Shane is torn right now.
Everyone began yelling that there’s no chemistry between Bette and Jodi and Kate said, “Okay, I hope Bette and Tina get back together.”
A fan began telling a little story about some haunted house in Philadelphia because it was almost Halloween…
We filmed this year in this shut down old mental asylum in Vancouver. It’s apparently wickedly haunted and they gave us lots of rules to follow, especially not to wander around. Leisha and I were so excited so we brought the camera and went around, taking pictures and after we checked them, and we were seeing a lot of orbs.
What is your favorite scene with Carmen?
I liked the whole triangle storyline. I thought it was interesting, especially because the friendship between Shane and Jenny was becoming apparent. And I liked to fight, I liked fighting with her.
What about quinceanera?
It wasn’t fun, the dress was itchy. And it was also pouring rain outside and I was freezing, because it was May, and May in Vancouver is still kind of chilly and it was a birthday cake dress and so I was freezing the whole day. I liked the scenes where we fought.
Fire extinguisher?
That was another one that wasn’t fun to film…it’s all over you and it tastes horrible and then you stink, but I liked screaming.
Have you thought about putting on another puppet show?
We have hours of puppet show outtakes and a lot of it was just us laughing. It was so funny. This little project was 3 days of fun. We were planning to do it this year too but we worked so much, so were too busy and Erin was gone.
Ilene said that Shane’s storyline is the best this season, do you agree with that? Is Shane back to her old ways or there’s a little more character development?
I actually had the best time doing it this year. Shane is back to her old days 100%, oh yeah. I never know what to say and what not to say before season airs so I won’t say anything. But she definitely has a storyline behind it and I had a lot of fun this season, so I agree with Ilene. I personally think it’s a lot better than last season, especially for my character. I really believe that this is the best season, a lot of party scenes, a lot of group scenes, a lot more lighthearted.
Did you have a lot of heat over your commentary on season 2 DVD and that’s why there aren’t any in the latest DVD’s?
(laughing) What do you think? Yes…we had a lot of fun and we just found out that Dana was going to be killed off. We had a lot of resentment, anger, confusion. I don’t know where it came from. I feel bad that we went as far as we did but it’s over, what you gonna do?
We enjoyed it, we did.
I’m glad. So they don’t have any good features on DVD? (Everyone yelled that extras sucked) I can’t believe it and every year we’re always saying, “Why there’re no good extras?” and everyone agrees, even Ilene agrees but it’s not up to anyone on the show. People at the network, DVD department, make those decisions. I know Showtime is in charge of the DVD’s extras and I know they suck and every year we asked for it.
How was it to film the pool scene with Cherie Jaffe?
(laughed) Physically, it was really cold, we were filming at 2 am and the water was really warm but the air was really cold and, I’m not sure if I should say it or not, but Rosanna and I got a little drunk to keep warm. Rosanna was a little more tipsy than I so part of the scene I had to hold her up so she wouldn’t fall backwards. But when you do the sex scene, part of you blocks it out, you just go for it. But you know there’s camera and you might feel self-conscious but you shut down for a moment and we were a little bit choreographed.
What’s your favorite drink of choice?
I like beer and my favorite is ‘Pacifico’. You know it? I don’t really drink hard liquor but I like vodka. And I think this is it for me...
Posted by: 4u2 Nov 25 2007, 10:51 AM
Info from l word fan site
Disclaimer: I tried to write questions and answers as fast as I could but of course I’m only a human. Everything I wrote is not verbatim but the way I remembered it. I had to write so fast that sometimes I couldn’t even understand my own handwriting so I’m trying to do as best as I can here.
WARNING: Contains some spoilers for season 5
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At last, just as many fans wished for a long time, the “three musketeers” or as the fans call the trio, AlShaDane, all three came up on stage together for the last Q&A.
After Kate was done, all three of them came back together, three musketeers and it was so much fun, watching them interact with each other. They were laughing a lot, especially when they remembered good times together. They were joking and it was really obvious that they are such good friends.
As soon as they figure out the seating situation, the Q&A session began and, as I said, it was a lot of fun, though it’s hard to write about all the jokes they made. I could hardly concentrate because there was so much joking and laughter that most of the questions and answers might not make any sense at all. Enjoy!!!
You told us to ask all three of you again about your favorite scene from all the seasons.
Leisha: Oh yeah, we talked about that. Personal scene or with each other? I would say that with Erin my favorite scene was when Erin was puking on the boat (laughter from the audience). We were laughing so hard.
Erin: It was a catastrophe but that was fun…for them.
We heard that you guys were planning to open a club together, are there other joint projects that you would like to do together other than The L Word?
Leisha: How in the hell did you know about that? (laughter)
Kate: No, seriously…how did you know about that?
(the fan answered: “I pay attention”)
Leisha: Yeah, Kate and I were talking about that.
Kate: We think it’s a great idea but we realized that we have no idea how to execute it. You can’t open the bar if you don’t know how to run the bar. And when we kinda got distracted by other things.
Any other joint adventures?
Leisha: There are so many things.
Kate: Leisha just bought this really cute scooter, and it was a freaking cute scooter, so when I saw it in the store, I asked her, “Do you mind if I get one?” She said, “Yeah, it’s okay” (Kate was using Leisha’s tone of voice, it was funny). It was reasonably priced, and we were joking that we can use them to drive people around and get really good tips.
Leisha: Yeah, and Kate looks really, really cool on it (now Leisha was imitating Shane’s riding the scooter, it was even funnier. I’m telling you, when those girls get together, it’s a lot of fun to watch them. Kate was laughing hard and then they just began joking with each other about it, about safety school and leather jackets.)
You know how Katie Holmes was a fan of Tom Cruise and now they are married…so, would any of you ever date a fan?
Leisha: Well, first of all, if you met them somewhere before you knew they were fans, and then they would say, “Oh, by the way…I’m in love with you…” (laughter)
Kate: If it was some fans who weren’t watching the show and weren’t crazy because some of them actually manhandles you, and I don’t think there could be the love at first sight…
Erin: It would be love at first touch. For me, yeah, why not, but I would never date Tom Cruise.
Then they were again talking about their favorite scenes to shoot, like the boat scenes, lesbian cruise and some others. More jokes were made and I think I lost the momentum there and forgot to write everything. Erin was talking about some sex scenes and make up, but I honestly can’t remember it anymore. Sorry.
I have another sort of a Bette and Tina question. There was a scene at the Planet in season 1 when you were talking about ‘Ze penis, ze pussy, ze baby’, how did you make it laughing so hard and how did Laurel managed to sit there and not to even to crack a smile?
(They were all answering together): It was all Jennifer…she began laughing from nowhere…and we all began laughing. When they said "Action," we continued laughing, and we had to take a few takes. When they were shooting that scene, we had to repeat that line over and over and over.
What are you going to do now that season 5 is almost done?
Erin: (first she made some jokes) When I’m not working I like to travel a lot.
Kate: I like to stay home and also work on some projects, so yeah, it’s pretty much it, home stuff and constantly working on projects.
So it’s like a vacation and you chill out?
Leisha: If I wanna chill out, I call Kate. I’m really never home. But we like to watch movies.
Kate: Yeah, movies and TV…I just finished all seasons of Sopranos.
If you have stay quiet for 5 minutes, who would lose?
(Kate pointed at Erin)
Erin: (answered, without seeing what Kate was doing) Me…I can’t stay quiet, I can talk to a wall. I leave such long messages on answering machine, Kate doesn’t even listen to them anymore. (And then they began joking again with each other, and all I remember was just laughing).
Now that you all have a great experience in Television series, is it something that you would like to do again after The L Word is over?
Leisha: I’m all about TV and series and I want to do it again, I love it. Erin: it’s fun, it’s really fun. Leisha: I mean movies are great but you don’t know the people you work with. You just show up and go through this thing but on TV you became like a family. I like that everyone is all outgoing. Erin: The cast, the crew, everybody’s so great…it’s like a camp that goes on for years.
Kate: Gay camp…even during the hiatus when we’re not working, there’s always something to do in May or June, it’s like a vacation, only our vacation is flipped in a way.
Erin: And sometimes you come back and school is not there (Erin was referring to her character being killed off and she didn’t have to go back to work)
Next question was about Olivia cruise they did for season 2, if they actually went on that cruise and they talked a little about that they did go and they were filming during. They had their own suites and bodyguards, but everyone was great and they were shooting for hours and working hard, so it wasn’t all partying for them. They were constantly reminded that they weren’t on vacation, but they were working. And than Kate told a little story about a real beer she was drinking during the shooting of the panel scene, and she was told to put it down.
Angela Robinson is a director on the show, how was it working with her?
Leisha: She’s great, I think she really put the heat into the show again, put the fire into it. The stuff that she writes is my favorite.
Kate: Angela is really, really good at keeping things light and fun, they are not depressed and heavy, she has good humor. That’s why her scenes are really good.
Leisha: She’s a producer on the show now. She brings a good balance with fun and serious stuff. You get fun and then you get, you know, Bette and Tina, something serious. It was really great this year and Angela, I think, is responsible for that.
They were also talking next about taking care of each other, giving an example of Erin being sick one day, and they took care of her. It was during the election and everyone was upset. More jokes followed but you had to be there to really appreciate it.
Last season when the Papi storyline was introduced it was said that Papi would give Shane a run for her money, what do you think about this storyline?
Kate: Do you think it’s really possible? I think that the idea was interesting in a theory, but I just think it didn’t work on film. The character was rushed because of time. I don’t know what it was but it didn’t work, it didn’t evolve as they planned. It happens…just like some storylines don’t go, so Papi just disappeared.
Leisha: It’s just like Shane and Carmen’s dog from season 3.
Kate: Yeah, it just went for a walk and never came back.
Any music performances will happen this year?
Leisha: Iit’s over, no music performances.
(At this point I said, “No more Betty” and they all laughed, “Yeah, no more Betty.”)
(To Kate) You starting a new project next year, what kind of character are you playing?
Kate: I start filming in March but it might change. I don’t remember the storyline well, but I’ll be playing a straight girl…really, I don’t really know my role. I’m so wrapped up in finishing The L Word that all I can remember is that she has an unstable boyfriend with mental problems. It’s sort of a thriller.
(To Erin) Was it fun to work on “House of Thousand Corpses”? You were screaming a lot, did it affect your voice?
Erin: It was an open audition. My agent told me to go for it and yes, I lost my voice completely for week and a half.
It was pretty intense movie, did you like being in horror movie, would you do another one?
Erin: It was fun but if I’ll do another horror movie it has to be very different. It was crazy, being chased around by zombies, big guys in bunny suits…it was totally ridiculous, it was crazy but fun too. We had so much fun working with the director, he was so laid back and we improvised a lot.
(To Erin) How was it working with Robin Williams and Michael Vartan on “One Hour Photo”?
Erin: it was so much fun. I shot right after I shot “Thousand Corpses”, and it was fun working with both of them. I just actually worked with Michael again on Big Shots few months ago, he’s a really nice guy. And Robin is one of the most hysterical persons to work with. He’s incredibly professional and he’s like a child in some ways. He’s like this kid who constantly entertains you and he’s a really good guy.
Did you know at a young age that you wanted to be an actress?
Leisha: I knew I wanted to be an actress. Acting was something I always wanted to do, for sure. Kate: No, not at first. I think, I actually wanted to be a violin maker, like my father and when I got into acting, I started to enjoy it and I think after I went to college and finished drama school, it became important. Erin: I think I did to a certain extent when I was a kid, I always wanted to act but was talked out of it. When I got older, I wanted to be an architect, and when I went to college and they had good drama program so I studied drama and then realized that acting was something I wanna do.
After being on the lesbian show for so long, do you afraid of typecasting or stereotyped in a future shows?
Erin: No, I’m not afraid of being stereotyped at all, it could happen that you asked to play certain roles, but no, it didn’t happen at all to me, actually. Of course, they are so eager to type you in general because it’s so easy way to categorize you. They think that Erin can play a detective and they type you that way, because it’s easy for them but if you force yourself and you step outside of the stereotype than you can do anything.
Kate: Well, I get typecast and typecasting would be easy but if you push yourself and it requires more work and it’s good because you won’t be lazy.
Did you ever think that this show will become so popular as it is today?
Leisha: I never thought that, I thought that it’s gonna be a little tiny show. Kate: I thought it would be something big but not as big as it became.
Leisha then talked about how she was involved with a movie All over me. She was buying coffee in the morning and was invited to audition for the movie by a friend, and she thought it was weird and strange, but she auditioned and got a part.
We heard that you always film alternative endings to the finale in case the show doesn’t get pick up, is it true?
Kate: We never filmed an alternative ending. Leisha: we’d never done that, what you see is what we shot. I mean the finale this season is more subtle so if it’s the last season then it will make sense to end it but there are a lot of little cliffhangers to keep going. Kate: The show on a cable rarely goes more than 5 seasons but also the same time, if the show has been on for so long, if it’s their last season, they usually announce that show has been renewed for another and final season, just give an idea to the audience that it will be the last one, but that never happened, so we all speculate about what will happen.
If the show went for another 4 years are you ready for that?
Leisha: I think, if it’s back then only for one more season, you know, due to people’s contracts, money, it would feel like it was time to leave. I think if it was for one more year, I think everyone would be excited to do it but beyond that, I’m not so sure. We often joke about what it would be like in season 19 (they were laughing and joking); Leisha: I can’t stand watching myself age on TV. Kate: Let’s just say that show will go for another year, if that, but let’s say it will, I think creatively it would suck dry, you wanna do something else. You’ve been playing the same thing year after year… Leisha: Yeah, you sort of like to branch off.
Kate: Yes, you want to do something different. Imagine like season 56, they have the whole new production crew and the cast because all old people are passed away (they were making more jokes about season 6 and everyone was laughing).
Erin: And they bring Dana back because they are all so out of it, they are hallucinating and it turns out to be a Jenny’s story. (More jokes from Kate and Leisha).
What changes we might expect in the new season?
Leisha: Some people real estate situations are changing.
Kate: I think some people’s professions are going to change.
Leisha: Mine will change, I like my new profession this year; Kate: my dumb-ass character will never move out of Jenny’s house.
Leisha: Maybe Alice will move next door.
Did you ever think about the idea of The L Word, the movie? Like SpongeBob became a movie after all the seasons?
Leisha: Are comparing our show to SpongeBob? Ilene has mentioned it, but I don’t know, would people want that? (“Oh, yeah…” from the audience)
Kate: Yes, we talked about it, but I think we more curious if there’s season 6, but yes, Ilene talked about the movie.
Leisha: It’s possible.
At the end of season 5 are the majority of the fans of the show will be frustrated or happy?
Kate: It depends on storyline I guess. I think you will be happy because this season is really better. (“No tractors then, right?” some fans said and they laughed)
Leisha: Yeah, I think you’ll be happy.
Another fan asked about Kiki Smith print that Bette sold, and Leisha replied that it wasn’t mentioned in season 5. Then she repeated that we all gonna be very, very, very, very happy this year. Someone said that we want Bette and Tina back together to be happy (and no, it wasn’t me) and
Leisha said: Well, you might want some couple to stay together, but after you watch it you might not want them to stay together. (And they made more jokes about all the fans here being Bette and Tina fans).
Is Shay’s coming back?
Kate: No, Shay’s gone, he may come back, but there’s no reason why.
Erin: He’s walking the dog.
Kate: Yes, he’s walking the dog with Papi and Carmen.
Is Max back from San Francisco?
Kate: I don’t know, we can’t say…Max is around.
Leisha: He went there, yes.
Kate: But he comes back, absolutely but we can’t say what else. In the beginning of the season a lot happens.
Posted by: 4u2 Nov 30 2007, 10:47 AM
Info from l word fansite
WARNING: Contains some spoilers for season 5
Some of you might be wondering why I don’t have a Q&A session with Anne Ramsey, who was present during the third day of the LA Convention. Here’s your answer. While Anne was on stage, Kate and Leisha were doing individual interviews that Sean Harry arranged for a few representatives of TLW related websites and news stations.
So, right before the both of them came back for another Q&A session, I had a chance to sit down with Kate and Leisha and asked them a few questions that came from me and some other fans of the show.
B&TF: How do you feel about filming seasons 4 and 5 without Erin Daniels, how was the whole atmosphere on the set, and how it affected the cast?
Leisha: At first it was very sad and it felt like something was missing. Our friend was gone and our routine was gone, it was like a giant loss. I mean, at this point it has been two years and we got used to it.
Kate: We got over the hump.
Leisha: But that day when she came back to work it was really exciting.
Kate: Yes, it was, and everyone cried because we were so happy but you know, even on the show, you always miss her.
B&F: Were you surprised when she appeared in season 4 because you don’t read all scripts right at the beginning?
Leisha: Well, we knew a little bit before she was coming.
Kate: Yes, we knew there would be something special in the finale last year but we didn’t know what it was and I guess the cat was let out of the bag and it was the greatest surprise.
B&TF: Name an actor or actress who you haven't worked with so far but with whom you'd love to star opposite in a TV show or movie.
Kate: Edward Norton, I think he’s good and wickedly talented.
Leisha: I’d love to work with Tina Fey or Lisa Kudrow.
B&TF: Because they are funny?
Leisha: Yeah, and they are brilliant.
Kate: Edie Falco, she’s also wickedly talented.
Leisha: Sarah Silverman.
B&TF: If you could change one thing about yourself as a person, what would it be?
Leisha: I’d like to carry less guilt around constantly. I always feel guilty for no reason.
Kate: I’d like to not think so much sometimes.
B&TF: Can you tell me anything about you personally that the fans don’t already know?
Leisha: It’s hard to answer because I don’t know what you already know and what you don’t know.
B&TF: Okay, what can you tell us about your personality then that no one knows or you rarely talk about?
Leisha: I don’t really have a personality before I drink a cup of coffee in the morning, I know that. I’m not sure that anybody knows that, but I’m no fun.
B&TF: It’s kind of like Shane in season 1 when you couldn’t talk to her before she had her espresso on the morning.
Leisha: Yes, that’s exactly what I’m like.
Kate: When I’m ready to go, I’m kind of notorious for just leaving when I wanna leave from some place.
B&TF: Who is your most favorite character you have played so far and why?
Kate: I don’t think my roster’s that big.
Leisha: Yeah, mine’s not big enough too.
B&TF: Well, if did you have to choose from what you have?
Leisha: Then I think it’s Alice for me.
Kate: For me it’s Shane.
B&TF: What has been the craziest, funniest and the most interesting thing that has happened during the filming of season 5?
Leisha: I don’t know, there are different situations that happened. Just when you think you had a great day and then another one comes along, funnier than the last. Just off the top of my head, it seems like the funniest thing I remember. We did a fan fiction scene, the winner of the fan fiction thing and we filmed it as a teaser and it was so funny.
Kate: Yes, it was Leisha and myself and Rachel and we were dressed up as a…
Leisha (interrupting): No, you can’t say it.
Kate: I’m not going to.
B&TF: I already know, I read the winning episode because they posted the winner on their site so everybody could read it. One thing people were asking, if Dana was going to be on it because Dana was the major character in that scene. They were teaching her about the gaydar or something. That’s the winning episode, right?
Kate and Leisha (together): No.
B&TF: Did they change it then?
Leisha: Maybe it changed after Dana, I don’t know.
B&TF: But it’s about Charlie’s Angels, right?
Leisha: Oh, yeah.
B&TF: They just probably cut it and only chose one little scene, because the winner wrote this huge piece and seems like they just chose part of it.
Leisha: Oh, okay.
Kate: That was fun.
B&TF: And you said before that it was Alice’s dream.
Leisha: Yes.
B&TF: Can you describe The L Word in one word, what does the show mean for you personally?
Kate: I’d say ‘Friendship’, that’s what I think of the show, personally.
Leisha: I was gonna say it.
Kate: You can steal it.
Leisha: Yeah, it’s ‘Friendship’ for me too, it’s perfect.
B&TF: Now I have some separate questions. Can you describe Alice in one sentence and then Kate can do the same about Shane?
Leisha: In one sentence? I think Alice is very open-minded, open-hearted, accepting, funny person.
Kate: Okay, I feel like I should do haiku or something (laughing).
B&TF: That would be fun.
Kate: Yeah, I know. I see Shane as someone who’s very difficult and a bit tormented but very sensitive and kind.
B&TF: Many times on the show it was mentioned that they see Shane as Yoda, why do you think that is?
Kate: I think she has good insight, she’s perceptive. People who are like that tend to listen to because they are usually right.
B&TF: But she does keep it to herself sometimes.
Kate: Yes, exactly.
B&TF: If you were a writer or producer, what kind of a storyline would you envision for your characters? You know, sometimes you hear from the cast members that they don’t like where their story’s going or don’t agree with that, so if you were the writer for Alice or Shane, where would the story go?
Leisha: Actually, it’s going exactly where the end of the season takes my character. I like what happens to her and all the changes in her love life. I think I would write exactly the way they did it.
Kate: Well, it’s kind of a shitty answer but there’re a lot of seeds planted for a sixth season if and when there is a sixth season. There’s a little seed planned in the finale that could provoke things for the following year and those seeds are the things that I’m actually very excited to play of. They are different and not obvious. I’m sorry I can’t be more specific…
B&TF: No, it’s okay.
Kate: We can’t really talk about it so I won’t.
B&TF: Another question about Shane. I was at the Ribbon of Hope event last year and you were saying that Shane is not a long-term commitment kind of person. Do you think it’s ever gonna happen? It didn’t work with Carmen, didn’t work with Paige.
Kate: I don’t know if it’s gonna happen. I don’t know if it’s gonna work for her and if it does, like I said, I think it will be something really special if it does, and this is something I can’t really discuss right now.
B&TF: Oh, you know how many speculations will come about this statement?
Kate: Right, but I think it will come from a very random place. This is when that will happen.
B&TF: After playing a character, some cast members were sort of becoming their characters and some were changing their characters to fit their personalities? What do you think about it
Kate: I think we all kind of blended into the roles we played after so many years, don’t you agree? (asking Leisha) I mean, I don’t know the difference between me and who I play and I don’t think you do either. I don’t think anyone really does at this point.
Leisha: As an actor anyway, you always want to bring quite a bit of yourself into it because this is when you can play the truth.
Kate: And you want to keep it fresh every year.
B&TF: So it’s like you’re bringing your personality more into the character?
Kate: Yeah, but actually really defining the differences between who we are and who we play, I don’t know. The lines are pretty blurry at this point. That’s the best answer I can give you.
Leisha: I agree.
B&TF: Kate, you were talking about your new movie project in March, anything else you would like to do? The filming is almost over, you have one more week to shoot the finale and then what are your plans after that?
Leisha: I’m gonna focus on music, for sure, but I don’t know, if the time comes that I need to start new auditions as well. There’re no plans for anything like that for me right now.
Kate: Well, and it’s also the holidays.
Leisha: Yeah, we all need a big break.
Kate: I need to chill out before the New Year.
B&TF: This is sort of a multiple answer question. After 5 years of filming TLW, what is the most important thing that you had learned about acting, cast members, fans of the show and yourself? Let’s start with acting.
Leisha: I feel like this show’s really given me a very rare opportunity that you don’t get on a lot of shows when you have a giant range of what you’re given as far as what you play. Like, we had to play love, separations, and death, career trauma and we’ve really been given an opportunity to play out different story lines. Usually, you’re stuck on a show where you’re just playing a cop and you stay the same, and I think we’re lucky that way and as an actor I learned to act different things.
Kate: And we also are given a lot of freedom from our bosses to collaborate.
Leisha: And improvise.
Kate: Yes, this is very, very rare, especially on television. So, I think we all really learned a lot, and I will speak for myself, learned a lot with trials and errors on this show and it’s a really safe place to do it because everyone’s really trustworthy.
B&TF: Since we’re talking about others, what did you learn about other cast members?
Kate: It’s kind of like anything. It’s like having a roommate for many years or being in a high school for four years. You spend your time with the same person or the same group of people year after year after year and you begin to know each other very, very well and there’s not much you can hide and there’s this unspoken language that we all share.
Leisha: It sounds cliché but we really are like a family at this point, even with the crew.
Kate: Not to repeat myself but again, it is a very safe environment to feel safe to take risks and be open to one another.
Leisha: And also, I think, we’ve learned from each other. Not just about each other but from each other.
Kate: Absolutely, because we’re all very different and we all picked up things that someone else has that we should probably practice more. It’s always give and take with all the cast members.
B&TF: What did you learn about the fans of the show?
Leisha: That they are amazing, supportive and they blow my mind every day, and how beautiful and lovely they are.
Kate: And their respect and their patience is just great.
Leisha: And their loyalty.
Kate: Yes, their loyalty and their opinions, they are priceless.
Posted by: 4u2 Dec 1 2007, 11:21 AM
SpinDaily.com: Internet Video Shopping with Katherine 'Kate' Moennig of The L Word
Watch, shop and buy your favorite L Word star's signature style.
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December 1, 2007 -- Katherine Moennig plays the "player", Shane, on Showtime's lesbian drama, The L Word. Her sexy, androgynous style is very similar to her character, Shane. Katherine "Kate" likes comfortable jackets or vests, super soft tee shirts, black bras, skinny jeans, flats and the occasional newsboy cap.
"I don't like what designers do to girl's clothes," says Kate, who usually buys men's clothes in a small and then has them tailored. With the body and face of a supermodel that could wear anything and look good, Kate keeps her style very low key. Kate's fashion advice: "Less is more ALWAYS!"
Last week, SpinDaily.com (http://www.spindaily.com) went shopping with Kate Moennig to see how to get her signature cool look at Kin Boutique and Gallery on West Sunset in Los Angeles. "You are basically going to be my puppet," says Kate with a Cheshire cat grin, "I can do whatever I want?"
Kate dresses Katherine in Clu Shirtdresses, Bloch Couture Gold Ballet Flats, Tiny Pony Vintage One of A Kind Tees, J Brand Jeans, a Balenciaga handbag, and her favorite, a Vivienne Westwood Satin Velvet Jacket. Accessories are also important to The L Word star -- especially those of New York jewelry designer, Dirty Librarian, who makes five chain necklaces.
SpinDaily.com launched a beta video blog in February 2007, by feature film producer, Kendall Morgan (Southland Tales, Mail Order Wife), and targets women 24-40 years old who are busy professionals and want fashion, beauty, and style in daily, 3 minute videos! Once viewers watch the 3-minute video, they can shop directly from SpinDaily.com to achieve the Kate/Shane look
Posted by: 4u2 Dec 1 2007, 11:45 AM
Info from l word fan site
Kate French was born in Flemington, New Jersey, but moved to Long Island where she was raised with her three siblings. Kate was born into a fashion family with both her parents working as models, and her step father a fashion photographer. She studied at the University of California and initially pursued a modeling career before switching to acting later on. She appeared in the 2006 comedy film Accepted before taking on the role of Brooke Crawford in Wicked Wicked Games, appearing in 50 episodes. She also appeared in three episodes of South of Nowhere.
There’s not much advance publicity regarding Kate and her role on The L Word. There was a very quick shot of her on one of the Season5 promo’s where she was involved in the Turkish oil wrestling.
When you were offered the role of Nikki on The L Word, what was the first thing that crossed your mind?
Just being on The L Word was the most fantastic thing ever. I was jumping up and down because I never did anything of that caliber. I mean, working with actresses on The L Word of that caliber…I was just so excited. I called my parents (giggling) and just kept jumping up and down. I was so excited.
Tell us a little bit about the character.
She is a young Hollywood lesbian…an up and coming movie star and sex symbol. She is still in closet and struggles with coming out or not because she tries to keep up with the Hollywood image. She is being pressured by a lot of people because she is so young. She is in an environment where there is a lot of chaos, a lot going on. She likes to have a good time, and party, but she is a caring person too. She does get into a little bit of trouble
Trouble?
Yeah, not really bad stuff though. Nothing malicious. Just young stuff.
Did you have any apprehension whatsoever about playing a lesbian character?
Actually I didn’t. Girls are close anyway in every day relationships, so I didn’t think it would be much of a stretch to play off of it. It just seemed to come rather naturally. It wasn’t hard at all.
As an actress who has traditionally played in straight roles, how did you prepare yourself so you could develop your character’s identity? Well, I actually talked to one of the directors quite a bit about the gay community…who they knew, and stuff like that. They helped me understand so much about the lifestyle. But really, relationships are the same pretty much if you are hetero or gay. There are still problems that exist, and they are the same either way.
How comfortable were you acting out intimate scenes?
Um…very. (giggling) Also working with another actress who knows her craft, well we had a good relationship so I ended up feeling very comfortable. It came natural for both of us I think.
How did your partner feel about you accepting the role?
We’ve been together for 4 years, so he was happy I got the role. He’s not a dude that was like ‘yeah great you’re gonna be with a girl.’ I kind of thought he was going to like it. I was like “honey you get to watch me make out with girls,” and he was like “I’m not into that.” (giggling) He did say that it was better than me making out with a guy.
What was it like to be one of the new cast members on the set?
Everyone was so great. They are amazing actresses, and they made me feel so comfortable. I wasn’t sure what to expect where the whole cast is primarily women.
One of the promo’s looks like you and Jenny may be having a romance.
My character has a romance with Jenny, yes.
Which actress did you work the most with on The L Word? And what are your thoughts or impression on said actress?
Mia Kirshner. First I was very intimidated, because she is such a great actress. Coming into this, with an all female cast, it was definitely a little intimidating. I was pretty nervous, but we clicked. She is a brilliant actress and most talented in her craft. Ya know, coming into an all female cast was a little intimidating. I was pretty nervous, but we clicked very well. The way she thinks, her mind, it must makes the scenes better. We were able to do a lot of improv, which keeps it so fresh and real.
Was it fun filming the scene where you participate in the Turkish Oil Wrestling?
That was like one of those days you wake up and think, this is my job? (giggling) It was the most fun, and wasn’t choreographed at all. We had one take to do it. One take, covered in oil. So all of us were just like, okay well, we have one shot to do this, and we just got in there and did it. The first wrestling scene was with Alicia, she plays Cindy, Dawn’s lover. She kicked ass. It was so hard because we all kept cracking up and could not keep a straight face.
Spoilers indicate that your character will be involved in opening a rival venue to the Planet. Can you elaborate a little further about this storyline?
That is actually Dawn’s character. She does that…not Nikki. The stuff that is out there, they had gotten it all wrong.
Wrong information out there, go figure.
(Giggles) I know. I was like, that’s not true.
How comfortable are you becoming a sex symbol in the lesbian community?
I’m all for it! (giggling) Why not? That’s how I look at it. It was so much fun working with everyone. I ended up becoming good friends with some of the writer’s and directors, including the cast members.
Were there any interesting moments behind the scenes that you would like to share?
Oh gosh, (giggles) A lot of the stuff that was really fun and hilarious happened with the camera’s weren’t filming. There was one time we all stayed in this hotel in Vancouver, and we were eating cheese and drinking wine, and all we did was laugh and laugh (giggling). There’s a video of it, and hopefully it doesn’t get out (giggling). But yeah, we had a lot of fun. Another thing was when we were filming this bike ride, and ended up getting stuck in a hail storm. We were lucking we had our helmets on. (giggling) I don’t think they are going to use the footage of the hail. Good thing we had our helmets.
How many episodes can we expect to see you in for Season 5?
I am actually in 9 out of 12. You will see Nikki come in on episode 4, and remain until the last one.
Do you anticipate that your character will be written into Season 6?
Yeah, I think so. The ending is left quite open, so yeah I definitely think she will be back. She caused a lot of drama for everyone.
Drama? In what way?
(Giggling) You’ll have to wait and see.
In addition to your acting career, you are also known as an aspiring writer. Is there anything in the near future which we might expect to see from you?
I hope so. It’s kind of been a little struggle for me, from being busy. I don’t have much time. I’ve been working on stories here and there. It’s one of my goals to get something out there.
How close did you get to work with Jennifer Beals and Laurel Holloman?
I had group scenes with Bette and Tina, but not any one on one scenes. But it was amazing to watch them do their scenes. I tended to hang around and watch them.
Certainly it would be a lovely thing to see a lesbian couple represented in a long term relationship, and Bette and Tina certainly have the right chemistry to make that happen.
Yes, they really do.
Can we assume that we might see Bette and Tina making a romantic return?
(giggling nervously, she started to stammer) “Uh, I can’t say if they are together….uhm…there is a lot of conflict. (hesitation)…I can’t say too much really, but what happens this season is amazing, with them, because their relationship goes so far back.
In closing, I know it’s a shot in the dark but I have to ask. Can you tell us something juicy that we can expect to see in Season 5?
You already know about the oil wrestling and that is certainly juicy. (giggling) What you will find, is that there is going to be some changes in terms of some friendships go, so yeah, interesting turns, especially where the older friendships are concerned. That’s about it.
Kate, it was a delight speaking with you. I appreciate you taking a moment to answer these questions, and I am sure I speak on behalf of all the members of Lword.com, when I say thank you for being so generous with your time. It has certainly helped to have a better understanding of this new character that you will bring to life in Season 5.
Thanks, this was lot of fun. Thank you.
Posted by: 4u2 Dec 2 2007, 10:23 AM
by
Karman Kregloe
, Senior Writer and Director of Special Projects
November 30, 2007
MY BEGOÑA
Thanks to AE reader Rogue, we learned that actress Patricia Velasquez (Arrested Development, The Mummy) has been cast in the fifth season of The L Word. Velasquez will play Begoña, a character whose story line includes the subject of immigration. She indicated that her character will be introduced at the end of the upcoming season and will later be developed into a main character if The L Word is renewed for a sixth season. (For the full quote in Spanish, read Rogue's blog.)
You may remember Velasquez as GOB's girlfriend (and Michael's crush) on Arrested Development, or as the body paint-wearing Anck Su Namun in The Mummy movies.
It's notable that Velasquez is Venezuelan, which means she's a Latina playing — gasp! — a Latina on The L Word! Alert the media! Oh, wait a minute …
HALF NELSON, FULLY CRAZY
In more L Word-related news, there are fun new previews of what's to come in Season 5, and it looks ... slippery.
First up: In the words of Tina Kennard (Laurel Holloman), "Turkish oil wrestling?"
Who else would we find in the center ring but Jenny Schecter (Mia Kirshner), rolling around on the mat in leather pants (?) with her partially clothed (but completely lubricated) next victim. Is it a scene from her movie or a scene from her head?
Even if it means fighting dirty, would somebody please take her down?
Next is a brand-new trailer that gives away the big issues of Season 5 — and a lot of salacious details:
Will Bette and Tina get back together? Can Helena hold her own in the prison yard? Will someone be stupid enough to let Jenny direct her own movie? Only 37 more days until we find out!
NO, YOUR TICKET PURCHASE DOES NOT INCLUDE A HAIRCUT!
One final L Word tidbit: Katherine Moennig will be attending Untitled: A Film Festival to Support Rainbow Alley, Dec. 7-9 in Denver, presented by the Matthew Shepard Foundation, the GLBT Center of Colorado and the Denver Film Society/STARZ FilmCenter.
Along with movie tickets, you can also buy tickets to a meet-and-greet with Moennig. Rainbow Alley is a drop-in center designed to support LGBT youth and their allies ages 12-21, so in addition to getting your Shane fix, you can make a contribution to a great cause. And maybe you can ask Moennig about Shane's plans for "Begoña."
Posted by: 4u2 Dec 3 2007, 10:23 AM
Although not L Word related...something Sarah
'Life' is looking good for Sarah Shahi
By RICHARD HUFF
DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR
Sunday, December 2nd 2007, 4:00 AM
Sarah Shahi has more than a job on NBC's "Life."
Thanks to the critically praised NBC drama, she's found a life in acting where she's no longer just a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.
"I hunger for things like this, for meaty roles that have complexity, and layer upon layer," Shahi said in a conference call.
But with model-good looks and a cheerleading background, Shahi found it difficult to get producers to buy her as something more than a beautiful woman.
"It's something I always wanted, and it would always come down to something. ... They would always say, 'She's too pretty. Nobody would buy her as a small-town waitress.' This one, it's nice, her looks are secondary or tertiary."
In "Life," Shahi plays detective Dani Reese, a recovering alcoholic who is paired with Det. Charlie Crews, played by Damian Lewis. Crews has returned to the force after spending a dozen years in jail after being wrongfully convicted of murder. He's a millionaire, the result of a settlement with the city, and back to solving crimes and investigating the consipracy that put him behind bars.
NBC airs the first of a two-part episode tonight at 10, and the second airs in "Life's" regular slot of Wednesdays at 10. After Wednesday, no new episodes of "Life" will be shot until the Writer's Guild strike is settled.
Reese is much different from the sizzling role Shahi had on Showtime's "The L Word," which she said helped and hurt her career.
"It's something I've tried to avoid saying: I was pigeonholed for a while. ... When I first moved out to Los Angeles, the only thing I had to offer was I was a football cheerleader," Shahi said.
"At the time, I was definitely a struggling actress living month to month. ['The L Word'] gave me the luxury of being a bit pickier with my roles," she added. "At the same time, it was my first big serious role, it definitely put impressions in people's minds."
Still, she's happy to have had the experience, and even happier to show a different side in "Life."
"I'm glad they took a chance with me," Shahi said. "And I hope they're happy with he."
"Sarah is doing fantastic work," Lewis said. "The endless questions about cheerleading is really not applicable to what she's doing now. She's definitely proved herself as a serious actress."
"Ah, that's nice," Shahi responded. "I'm going to cry."
Posted by: 4u2 Dec 4 2007, 10:53 AM
Not L Word related...something Marlee
Frelich and Matlin Unite for Screen Adaptation of Sweet Nothing in My Ear
By Adam Hetrick
03 Dec 2007
Children of a Lesser God Tony winner Phyllis Frelich and her Academy Award-winning film counter-part, Marlee Matlin, will star in the screen adaptation of Stephen Sachs' play Sweet Nothing In My Ear for Hallmark Hall of Fame television.
Emmy winner Jeff Daniels and Ed Waterstreet, co-founder of the Deaf West Theatre, join Matlin and Frelich in "Sweet Nothing in My Ear," which is currently aiming for an April 2008 bow on CBS television.
In "Sweet Nothing In My Ear," "Laura (Matlin), who is deaf, and Dan (Daniels), who is hearing, are an attractive young couple happily married for nine years. Their son Adam was born hearing, but by age six has also become deaf," press notes state. "When Dan decides to pursue the possibility of a cochlear implant for his boy - a tiny computer chip inserted in the brain that would allow him to regain his hearing - a divisive wedge is driven between husband and wife that threatens to shatter their marriage."
Marlee Matlin earned an Academy Award for her portrayal of Sarah Norman in the film adaptation of Children of a Lesser God, the role which earned Frelich a Tony Award on Broadway. "Sweet Nothing In My Ear" finds Frelich portraying Matlin's mother, marking the first time the two actresses have worked together.
Sweet Nothing in My Ear received its world premiere in 1997 at Los Angeles' Fountain Theatre, where Sachs serves as co-artistic director. Emmy Award winner Joseph Sargent directs the screen adaptation.
Frelich has appeared on Broadway in Children of a Lesser God, Prymate and the Deaf West revival of Big River. Her screen credits include "Children on Their Birthdays," "L.A. Law," "Diagnosis Murder" and "ER."
Marlee Matlin's screen credits include "The L Word," "The West Wing," "It's My Party" and "Children of a Lesser God."
Posted by: 4u2 Dec 5 2007, 10:25 AM
This week in the world of lesbian gossip
Article Date: 12/05/2007
By Tracy E. Gilchrist
(continued)
It’s that time of year again… No not Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanza and New Year’s! It’s the fifth annual count down to those solipsistic, glamorous hot asses on The L Word, premiering January 6, and Showtime’s leaking just enough clippage to keep the junkies sufficiently jonesing for more. The latest L Word teaser does just that. Leave it to Ilene Chaiken and Co. to make Turkish Oil wrestling the next big fad. Like Kate Moennig’s and Leisha Hailey’s trend-setting haircuts in season one, stunning lesbians worldwide will be going topless in a pit to roll around with other long-haired hot chicks, as the beloved Jenny Shecter does in the teaser. Say what you will about Mia Kirshner and her much-maligned character, crazy Jenny, but Mia looks damned smokin’ oiled down and sporting her perma-Bettie Paige coiffure. Check out a bit of teaser action in the latest L Word promo.
Other L Word tidbits include Rachel Shelley’s Helena dropping the soap in the prison shower. And hurray to the L Word writers for not steering clear of that—funny if it’s done right—platitude. Also in store, Shane takes an ill-conceived stab at abstinence and Ross and Rachel—I mean Bette and Tina—kinda, sorta look like they might get back together. Is it me or is Bette’s possibly leaving Marlee Matlin’s Jodi for yawn-inducing Tina, a harebrained notion? Although it looks from the teasers like Tina got an Emerald City, “Merry Old Land of Oz” style spruced up look and personality for the new season. For more tantalizing video goodness, head on over to the L Word official site.
Posted by: 4u2 Dec 6 2007, 11:05 AM
December 06, 2007 08:08 AM Eastern Time
OurChart.com to Host Online Premiere of the L Word®
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OurChart.com, the leading online social networking, entertainment and lifestyle site for lesbians, announced today that it will be hosting the online premiere of the fifth season of the phenomenally successful SHOWTIME original series The L Word one week before it is available on television. The online series premiere will take place on December 30, 2007 followed by the SHOWTIME premiere a week later on January 6, 2008. The episode and related behind-the-scenes footage will be available for free at www.OurChart.com.
“This is historic, marking the first time a gay or lesbian site has hosted the season debut of any television series,” said Hilary Rosen, founder and President of OurChart.com. “The lesbian community is internet savvy; and is twice as likely as heterosexual women to consider the internet their prime source of entertainment, making OurChart.com a perfect vehicle for The L Word season opener.”
The L Word is a groundbreaking, award-winning hit series on SHOWTIME created and produced by OurChart.com founder and CEO Ilene Chaiken. The television drama revolves around the lives and loves of a group of lesbian and bisexual women in Los Angeles and their friends, family and lovers.
“We think this is our best season of The L Word ever,” said Chaiken. “It’s the biggest, wildest party we’ve thrown, and we’re pretty sure that our fans will find that the fifth season is mindful of the demands and desires they’ve expressed on OurChart.com. We are thrilled to continue our successful relationship with SHOWTIME by hosting the national premiere on OurChart.com, and we are grateful for their ongoing support.”
Launched in January of 2007, OurChart.com has been riding a wave of recognition by major market advertisers seeking to target the increasingly consumer-oriented lesbian market. OurChart.com announced in June that it had reached a user base of over half a million users per month making it one of the largest sites exclusively targeting this important demographic.
“OurChart.com is successful because it expresses what Ilene created with the social and cultural phenomenon of The L Word - a place where gay women and their friends connect with one another around information and entertainment that speaks to their collective lives and lifestyles,” said Rosen. “We know what this community wants and we deliver it consistently. To have the season premiere of The L Word online is the start of another great year for the site.”
Posted by: 4u2 Dec 7 2007, 10:26 AM
by Bette&TinaForever
On Sunday I finally had a chance to talk with Laurel Holloman. With almost two thousand attendees at the L3 Convention, all of the guests were really busy with photo shoots, Q&A sessions and autographs. The lines to all the events were long and endless and the cast members also needed time to rest and eat; so my only opportunity to interview Laurel was at the end of the autograph session on the last day of the convention.
The interview was brief as she was leaving right after to catch her plane back home. Still, it was very enjoyable. Laurel always impresses me with her answers because they are usually so detailed and thoughtful. She is indeed a true artist who is not just playing her character but actually is trying to understand who she's playing and why her character is behaving a certain way.
Some of the questions I was planning on asking were actually brought up during Laurel and Eric's Question and Answers sessions, so come back to the site when the Q&A reports will be posted to find out more what Laurel had to say about herself and Tina.
Laurel and I were seated in the room with only her assistant, Hayley, present and after usual greetings we began the interview.
Tell me about your convention experiences because this is your third convention, right? And you're coming in March 2008 for L4.
Laurel Holloman: If my schedule permits, yes.
And you're also planning to go to Germany as well?
LH: Yes, which is a separate kind of thing. It's mixed with some of the actors from Queer as Folk.
Okay, so tell me a little bit about the conventions, what makes you come back?
LH: Well, everyone has been really nice and I don't know, but I think there's like a jadedness sometimes with fans, not in the United States but maybe just in LA. Not to say that they are not fans because they are but there's so much enthusiasm over here and it's pretty amazing. It's just fun to be around for this experience and it's fun just to experience another country and another culture and maybe that's why I'm getting tired of being in LA. It's fun to have the experience of travel and to hang out with my cast members that I'm friends with and see a great country and meet all the women that are from all these different countries. Like Eric and I said when we did the Q&A, we get really isolated in our jobs.
You know, right before this I was at the convention in LA that Leisha and Kate attended. Leisha had her concert and pretty much every cast member showed up Friday night after filming except for you and Jennifer. So the fans were wondering what you were doing that night. You know how many speculations started after that? Some fans were saying that you were probably practicing some scenes?
LH: No, no, no. Honestly, I was shooting all week and I had my nanny take care of my daughter most of the week, and so to kind of go out at night and see a concert would take time away from her. I had already taken hours and hours upon hours. Also, my nanny has two children, and I went home so she could be with her kids. My husband's in school so he's not available very much.
Yes, you mentioned before that he's in a graduate program.
LH: He goes to SCI-Arc, Southern California Institute of Architecture.
So, are you still living in LA?
LH: Completely, yeah.
Oh, because someone mentioned that you have a house in Vancouver.
LH: No, I don't have a house in Vancouver, at all.
Oh, all those false rumors.
LH: Yeah, false rumors. I'm a 100 percent LA. I just rent an apartment just to do the show and when the show is over I leave as soon as possible. Not that I don't like Vancouver, but I don't want to live there. I want to live in LA.
Okay, now here's a Bette and Tina question. I'm not going to ask any spoilers because you already told me that we (meaning, TiBetters) are going to be happy.
LH (laughing): I said you might be happy.
No, you said we're going to be happy.
LH: Maybe I've changed my mind (laughing again).
Please, don't (Laurel was laughing again) because we have been waiting for so long. If you think about, it has been four seasons and pretty much only in season 1 Bette and Tina were really, really together. We are tired of waiting, but we'll be waiting until the end. Though, if Bette will choose Jodi one more time, there will be a lot of fall away from the show. Anyway, here's my question. I interviewed Jennifer Beals at the Matthew Shepard Foundation, and I asked her this question.
LH: It was really good. I saw the pictures. She looked amazing.
Oh, yes. We have a lot of pictures on our site, too, because the photographer and I went there. I asked her a rather lengthy question: how you and she always said that you wanted Bette and Tina back together, how you love to do in-love scenes because they are not as hard as the fighting scenes. When I asked Jennifer if she still wants them back together, she said that they have to earn it. In your opinion, did they earn anything so far up to season 4? You know, like they began their friendship again, and they were kind of getting along, they started talking.
LH: They're starting to earn it, yeah.
So you also think that they have to earn to get back together?
LH: Yeah, I mean, now they're just friends, but Tina spent a lot of time in season 4 trying to help Bette have a healthy relationship with Jodi. And when at one point Annabella asked my character, you know, why am I doing that, who knows? Maybe, Tina feels guilty. You know, that it's loving someone in wanting happiness for them regardless of how it turns out, and that's part of their journey. The earning it...that I think Jennifer is talking about... What I would say is they need to earn it by processing some of the things. I think they need to admit some of the mistakes they've made, and then they need to own them, apologize for them, and start to try to figure out a way to not repeat the pattern.
Since we were talking about how Tina was helping Bette to find happiness with Jodi, I remember you were saying before that in season 4 there's going to be this huge redemption theme for Tina, that she will basically sacrifice her own happiness for Bette's happiness. What do you think about this whole situation of sacrifice?
LH: I don't think she's sacrificing her own happiness at all. I truly don't think at the end of season 4 Tina knows where her happiness lies. I think Tina's on a journey of what it means to be alone, and I think she's learning how to be independent. I think she is actually finding happiness in it. I don't think she's evolved enough at the end of season 4 to know she's supposed to be in a relationship again. I think she has feelings, but I think she's adjusted to what those feelings are because Bette's in a relationship, and I think she's just actually thinking that it's time to be alone.
During the Q&A you mentioned the scene on the beach when Tina was with Kate and she calls Bette. I already asked you that question before about what she said.
LH: It was pretty obvious what that was about.
Exactly, but they had this little cut that didn't make the scene when you kissed Kate, why do you think they cut it? We all, of course, have our own ideas why but why do you think that kiss was cut?
LH: I don't know, I didn't edit it. It was Ilene's episode, and she edited that. I think, personally, I know why it was cut, but I don't want to say.
Well, I was thinking that right after Tina said, you know, "I want you back, I'm not afraid to make a fool out of myself?" and then all of a sudden she kisses Kate, it would look like it would diminish a little what she had said to Bette.
LH: I think it's a very adult thing. Her ex-girlfriend is in a full-on relationship, and she's helping her win her back, and whatever happens on the beach stays on the beach. I don't think Tina needs to be a saint in that moment because, if you think about it, she's been out of a relationship for a year or ten months. A lot of time has passed and they are sharing a child together. She's not with Henry anymore--and Bette's definitely the one in a relationship--and Tina's the one on her own. But I think if she made out with Kate on the beach. it doesn't take away her feelings, it's just means that Tina is a sexual person (laughing). But it could've just been a kiss, you know. I think it was meant to be ambiguous, interpret it the way you want. Either they head out on the beach and have great sex, or they don't really click. I think in this scene Annabella plays it where, you know, she's not too sure of Tina at that moment, and I think that's going to affect what's going to happen to them.
I think that it also was played so well that when Tina was talking to Bette, I think Kate was thinking?
LH: Yeah, that she wasn't over it. Yes, I think Kate was thinking that Tina's not over it.
Okay, well, you already know the term TiBetters, right? People who want Bette and Tina to be a couple, TiBette, and you know that this couple has a huge, huge following. There were polls on different websites and this couple has always been a favorite couple. Why do you think Bette and Tina have so many fans and such a huge fan base?
LH: I think it somewhat started in the pilot and I think there was really electric chemistry between the two of us. I think, as actors, we fought really hard over the next five years to try to tell a truth and we tried to bring a lot of history into these two women's lives. I think they ultimately have all the potential to be just a really wonderful couple and you know, they want a lot of really rich deep quality things in their lives, and they want a certain life style that's very attractive and very appealing. I just think there's something about them that is very attractive.
You know, when I first started watching it, I rented the pilot and I thought, I'll see it and if I don't like it, I'll just return it. And I saw the first scene, Bette and Tina just sleeping in bed, nothing else and I was like, that's it, this is my favorite couple (Laurel laughed at my admission and agreed with me). I don't know why, but I felt chemistry even there. It was really great and I think that's what people keep seeing, even when you fight, there's always something there. That's why so many people don't accept Bette and Jodi because there's no chemistry there. When they laugh with each other and maybe joking, like friends, I can see it. I can see them as friends but I can't see them as lovers at all.
LH: Right, yeah.
So many people agree with me, even people who hate Tina. . .sorry, but there are some who do.
LH: Yeah, when you take a character on a lesbian show and you flip her over to a guy, then there's no way out of this.
Well, there're some fans who hate Bette or other characters.
LH: I think a lot of people identify with some and it depends on who you are in your partnership. Like, I've had actually gay men come up to me and say, "I'm just like Tina, and my boyfriend's just like Bette. He's so controlling and you know, blah-blah-blah-blah-blah." I think people identify with a certain aspect of certain roles that you see. One good thing that Ilene did is that she's throwing those roles out the window now, and these women are changing -- they are growing and if they do end up together, they'll never end up being the couple they were.
If or when?
LH: If they do end up together they won't end up like before. Tina is coming into her own. She's definitely a late bloomer and she's just in a really great place. I don't think she was in a bad place, but I think she was still kind of growing from a girl to a woman when she was with Bette in the beginning. I think there were some control issues that Tina should've confronted Bette about but she didn't. And some identity issues, which, you know, happens. I don't think she's the same person anymore.
Yes, you can totally see from season 1 to season 4 how she changed for the better.
LH: For me, playing her in season 1 was the hardest, because I would never lose my identity in someone else's. It's not my personality. It was really uncomfortable to play, like some of the group therapy scenes.
Oh, I know. Some of them I couldn't even watch.
LH: So, I had a hard time with playing all of her kind of subservient wifeness. It's not in my nature.
Well, when I said that there are some fans that hate Tina, there are two sides to that. One of them means that your character inspires so many emotions. They are not indifferent, saying that they don't care about Tina. They say that they hate her because of that or that they love her because of that or that. So for me actually, it means great acting.
LH: I've never been an actress that has to be liked, so I'm okay with that (laughing).
Well, the second part to that, like I said, even those fans who don't like Tina, they'd rather see Bette with Tina than Jodi, because of the chemistry between them but not the other couple.
LH: Yeah.
You probably talked about this before but there's six months between seasons.
LH: There's always going to be 6 months between every season. They have to write it, they just don't pull it out of their hat. First, they have a break so everybody can take time off. And in the 3 months break they edit. So, they need three months after we wrap so from October until about right before the first episode airs. Like, when I get back, which is one of the reasons I have to go back, because they are editing the sound on the last episode. Technically, we are still working, at least on the sound and so they don't really wrap it up right until we go to air in January. And then what they do is they air and then they see how the season goes and then, if we were to go back, the writers have to probably start around March or we might not get picked up, which could be very probable.
Well, I talked to Ilene and said that she show is still pretty strong and she's hoping for season 6.
LH: It's still pretty strong, yeah. It's either going to be this year or next. It won't go past that.
You mean only up to season 6?
LH: It would be the last one.
Really? I wish it would go on forever.
LH: That's just my bet (laughing) but you know, you never know. Never say never.
That's true. Well, next question I've asked everybody who I talked to already. Kate and Leisha both were saying that when you play a character for so long, you kind of blend with the character. So when you started playing Tina, did you bring your own personality into the character or you actually turned into Tina? Like, I remember one of your interviews where you said that when you played Randy Dean, two months after you were still sort of acting like that character.
LH: Yeah, it's different. That's what happened to me on a film, I think, because the prep was so intense for a movie. Not to say that you wouldn't prep very hard for a TV show, but there're so many elements, you get so many re-writes on TV. You really get re-writes every day that you shoot, so you have to stay a little more open and a little looser. In the feature you prep really, really, really hard and then you go really hard and fast and then you sort of miss the characters that you fall in love with and the character goes away. You have some residue from the character. And when you're on TV and you're still shooting such a long, long, long span of time and the storylines are always changing and developing, it's really different. It's my first long commitment to a television show, so I'm not really sure where the lines start and end. I think, I brought a lot of myself to Tina in the beginning and then I think there's was a lot about me that started to change and I brought that into Tina too. And there were a lot of things in Tina that I wanted to change, even if they actually weren't likable. I actually wanted her to be a little bitchier, more unpredictable.
Not a girl next door anymore.
LH: No, no way. It's just sort of been hard for me as an actress to keep repeating that and even in season 5 there are some aspects of her that sometimes are likable and sometimes they aren't. I wanted to embrace that because I feel like you can never judge your character when you're playing them to do it really well and you can't worry about your vanity and likeability, I think, to be a true artist. You have to work with where you find the truths are and not worry. Like, sometimes I feel like you watch something and you're like, "God, why does this person always sort of get watery eyed and cry on every take?" It's boring, you know what I mean? Because every actress can cry, of course, that's why we're there but it's more interesting to watch someone hold back or like try not to cry when they are about to. There're so many different ways to play things and sometimes it's more interesting to play something that sometimes is uncomfortable to watch. What I like about Ilene is that's what she writes. I think she helped me grow as an actress because I've done some things on The L Word that I've never done in any film.
Because of all the different scenarios and different storylines.
LH: Yeah, even the final scene of season 1, which is very uncomfortable to watch but I'm so quite proud of getting it done.
It was very powerful.
LH: Yeah.
At this point I was given a two-minute warning and Laurel explained that she had to fly out that night, so I only had time for a few more questions.
You were asked about that tractor scene during Q&A. It was actually one of my friends and a TiBetter as well.
LH: I have to be honest; I don't remember it very well, because if it's not, like, Bette and Tina then I don't really pay much attention (laughing).
Well, it sort of connected to Bette and Tina storyline because Bette stole that sign, "17 Reasons Why", and then assembled it later.
LH: But it's a cute fun thing to do to Jodi and I was like, I don't want to watch that cute fun thing that she does to Jodi. Why do I want to watch that? (laughing again)
Do you think, personally that this was a romantic gesture?
LH: Oh yeah, it's romantic.
Because I found it kind of ridiculous.
LH: Oh, really? I think it's romantic. It's visual; it's a TV show. It's a visual thing to do on TV.
I guess, though I don't agree with that.
LH: Bette is an artist too. It's very appealing to Jodi's sensibilities and it's smart, so.
Well, Bette did this grand gesture to Jodi to win her back and she knew her maybe for a couple of months but in 7 years with Bette and Tina we never saw Bette doing anything grand for Tina, at least from whatever they showed to us, except for, like, bringing her flowers. So the question is, if Bette will prove to Tina that she still loves her, does she have to do some kind of a grand gesture, as well and if she will, what would it be? I mean, when Bette finally realizes that Tina actually is the love of her life and she wants Tina back.
LH: Nothing. I don't think it's that easy for either one of them. I'm still not sure that Tina would want her back either. It's not like a ping-pong paddle, it's not like one breaks up and then the other's available. Tina's obviously missing Bette, but then she may start dating so it could be other people in the mix. It's not as simple as Bette doing a grand gesture. It's literally not about that's where they're at. They're really at the place where they both have to earn it, have to talk about it, and have to process it. So it's not about any kind of thing like courtship or romantic in the beginning. It's literally about the continuation of a relationship, do you hear what I'm saying? They are not courting each other, so no, no grand gestures. Talking about the mistakes you've made and the only thing that those characters can have left right now to talk about. They have to talk about how they behaved because people can't behave that way and then get back together and assume things are going to work again.
Will they talk in season 5 about that?
LH: They might, yeah.
In the new promos that they showed to us, there're a lot of intense conversations going on between Bette and Tina.
LH: Yeah, it's going to be more.
So when you said we might be happy, in what sense TiBetters might be happy?
LH: I don't know. I don't know what the TiBetters all want?
We want Bette and Tina back together.
LH: There are different ways of being together.
In what ways do you think they might be together?
LH: I don't know, it's just so many different ways.
What ways are they going to show us?
LH: I can't say that or I might get fired (laughing).
One more question then. Can you describe Tina in one sentence?
LH: Complex.
Posted by: 4u2 Dec 12 2007, 11:24 AM
Elizabeth Keener Interview -- New S5 Cast Member
--interviewed by Chicki
L-word.com is a site with over 55,000 members and steadily growing. I speak for all the members, when I say that we are thrilled to have this opportunity to chat with you.
Thank you so much.
We are interested in learning a little bit about the role of Dawn Denbo, which you will bring to life in Season 5; and would like to first ask, when you were offered the role of a lesbian character, did you have any apprehensions?
No, you know what? Not at all. I actually played a lesbian character a couple of times already. I played in Felicity, and…actually a couple, where I was involved as a character like that, and also a short film, “Getting to Know You.” You know what, good characters, and good work, is good work. It doesn’t matter.
Do you think those previous roles may have prepared you a little bit more?
I honestly find for me, there really is no difference. Whether opposite a man or a woman, it’s still a love interest. It doesn’t matter if she happens to be gay or straight, there really is no difference for me, really.
The L Word, as you know, is a show where the majority of the cast are all women. Did you find it difficult, or more challenging because of that?
No actually it was really great. They had this kind of family already. They were lovely. They were fantastic. They have every kind of um…characteristic, each one of them. They are very bright, and witty, and fun, and it really was a lot of fun. I think that there was a familiarity to everybody. Whether it was Jennifer Beals and Pam Grier, who play kind of the mama field to everybody, or Kate who is fun loving, or Leisha who is fun. I don’t know if it’s because they are all women or because it is who they are.
They certainly seem like a fun group of women, who really mix together well, even when they are participating in the conventions, the chemistry is present.
Yeah they are. It is incredible how much fun everyone has together.
Well, let’s learn a little bit about Dawn. What can we expect to see from her in Season 5?
Upheaval is what comes to mind. She just comes in like gang busters. Dawn is the type of character who feels like she deserves everything she gets, and everything that you have. So that’s the kind of character she is. She works hard and feels she is entitled to everything, if she can get it. Throughout the season, she does get that. She works hard to get everything she can possibly get, and along the lines she has a lot of enemies. In her mind, if you are an enemy, you did something to her first. That’s what she feels.
It sounds like we need to prepare ourselves for a little drama.
You know what? With Dawn, you are either going to love to hate her, or hate to love her, if you know what I mean. I prefer the latter…I think you are going to like her, but wish you don’t, you know? That’s how I played her anyway. I rarely use this word, the word “bitch,” but I don’t think she feels she is that way. I don’t feel I played her that way, but I think she might be labeled that way. I think she feels she is this aggressive business woman, that um…that feels that if she is wronged by someone, that she will one up them.
Spoilers indicate that she will be opening a rival venue to the Planet, which I imagine may be part of what fuels some of the drama between her and others. Can you elaborate a little further about this storyline?
Yes. She is going to be messing with some people. That is our intention, and that is what she does. (laughs)
Viewers have become accustomed to seeing relationships of all kinds develop. Some are expected, and some of them catch us by surprise. Can you tell us who Dawn might be having some fun with in an intimate way in Season 5?
I won’t give it away by telling you who, but in the first episode that she is in, she does have fun. She has a girlfriend, so…I don’t know if you interviewed Alicia Willis. Are you interviewing her?
Yes. On Wednesday.
Yes, she is fantastic. We had a great time. The big joke of it is, you know when you introduce one another it was like, ‘Hi I’m Dawn Denbo, this is my lover Cindy (chuckles). She was just fantastic. So let’s just say that Cindy and I pull a third person in. (laughs)
Ahh, of course.
I won’t say who, but that was Alicia and my very first scene, in working on The L Word.
Well that sure is one way to break the ice.
(laughs hard) It sure was. It was like, goodnight everybody.
Now that you have gotten to know some of the other actresses and the characters that they bring to life, is there any particular character that you would like to see Dawn romantic with in the future?
If Dawn Denbo could be in a romance with someone if she dropped her lover?
Yes.
Yes, you know what, I’ll tell you something. They are all great in their own way. What I would love is for Dawn to somehow mend her ways a little bit. Of course, who doesn’t want to be with Shane. (laughs). And then you know what? Can you imagine if Dawn Denbo was with Bette?
It’s funny you should say that, because when you were describing Dawn as being an aggressive business woman, Bette did come to mind.
(laughing) I don’t even know if The L Word viewers could even handle that.
I don’t think there are too many fans that are ready to give any character a chance playing opposite Bette or Tina.
I agree, I totally agree.
What was your favorite scene that you filmed?
You know there was one we shot where I came into a party scene and everyone is there, but I know no one. When I came in, the party basically stopped in its tracks. I think that was my favorite, it was me against like everyone in that party. It was fun.
Were you involved in the Turkish Oil Wrestling scene?
Oh gosh, that is in my club. I built a circus ring and was the ringmaster. I know you can probably see snippets in the Showtime trailers, that there are. I’m in a battle with three women in the ring.
I did interview Kate French last week, who shared that she had thoroughly enjoyed filming that scene.
You know what, that’s right. That was probably my favorite scene, when I think about it now. From morning until night…we had to do all the dry scenes because you only do the oil scene once because it was like this olive oil, and I don’t think we even shot it until like 11 o’clock at night. Let me tell you, the energy in that room…probably a hundred extra’s…and a few different battles. Jenny had one, and someone else. Then there were four of us, and Kate was in one with me. You know you’re right, that was the most fun, I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. I recommend that you do that one time. We had so much fun. We were so happy at the end, and couldn’t have laughed more. The director was phenomenal, and had every angle shot. I’ll tell you, Kate and I just could not stop laughing. We did little tricks in there. We didn’t really plan for it because the oil just wouldn’t let us. We had a couple of tricks we did, and it was fantastic. If everyone just had one chance to do that--and I don’t mean like a bar atmosphere, or that kind of thing-- if you have a chance to do it, it is just phenomenal.
It’s quite interesting. I’m not sure too many people have heard of it until Showtime presented the trailer.
I never heard of it. I’ve heard of mud wrestling, but apparently Ilene Chaiken said that in New York, there are groups who would do this Turkish Oil Wrestling like in someone’s back yard. I can’t remember exactly what she said, but I guess it’s fabulous.
Ironically enough, just this week I read about one that is going to occur locally this week.
No way…can you send that to me, email that to me? I would love to see that.
It’s all about time. And I’ll tell you…I think the audience is just really going to love that episode.
Speaking of the audience, I’m sure you know that Bette and Tina have had a very strong following of fans who are holding onto hope, that this season will bring them back into the arms of the other. I’m wondering if you could share something about Season 5, that might make them run to the store to get a bottle of champagne.
(Strong laugh) Well….wow….all I can say is this… um…you will fully enjoy what is going on this year, from beginning to end. The audience will love everything that is happening…they will be frustrated, then not frustrated, then frustrated, and not frustrated. Really, all of it is good, so I would say just buy some champagne for every episode.
We have learned some things about Dawn Denbo…tell us a little bit about Elizabeth Keener. Do you have any siblings?
Yes, I have a sister Catherine Keener. You know…Catherine Keener. Two time Academy Award nominee. She has done some lesbian roles. She was up for an Academy Award for one of the roles. There you go, those are the strong amazing characters we have around now.
In terms of television, it is amazing the progress that has been made. Though we would like to see more, we are headed in the right direction.
Yes, I think we are seeing more characters that are gay. In The L Word, it’s great. My character is gay, and I’m very fortunate that I was able to do this part.
Are you currently involved with someone, and if so, how did they react to you playing this role on The L Word?
No, I’m not. I’m single now.
Well then you didn’t have to have field any questions or concerns from a significant other, which might have been a relief.
(laughs) You know what, your right, it’s very true. It happened just before I went there, and it was so funny. You know we call it Gay Camp because it’s so much fun. You are in this beautiful city of Vancouver, you are on a show that is wonderful, the crew and case are just great, it feels amazing, and you are doing it during the summer.
Did you hang out with any of the actresses off the set?
Oh absolutely. I consider them ALL my friends. They are very good. I knew Leisha a little bit before. I met Kate before. But you know…I worked well with all of them. Mia is just fantastic. They are lots of fun, as are some of the new people like Alicia (Leigh Meyers) and Kate (French). I think Ilene said she loved the melding of the new actors with the old ones.
The viewers will definitely be able to pick up on the chemistry between the actors through their characters.
Absolutely, they are just all excellent actors. Really great.
How many episodes are you in?
I am in seven of twelve. I come in on episode four, and then by six it’s gang busters.
Do you know if a Season 6 happens, whether your character might return?
Let’s put it this way….I’m not going to say what my last sentence is in the script, but think of a sentence that would 100% mean that I’m going to be back, and that’s what I said. (laughing). I know that Showtime has never done more than five years and such, but you know, think about it…this show has everyone…not just gay women, but gay men, straight men, straight women, married couples.
I cannot agree with you more. We see that diversity on the L-word.com site as well. The show surpasses any sexuality boundaries when it comes to viewers who are drawn to this particular series.
You’re right. There aren’t many shows that have done that. This show has, and it’s a lot of money, we are in the middle of a writer’s strike, so everything is about money sadly, but with our chart and podcast’s and everyone watching, I hope that they, that they see that. That show should continue on.
Posted by: 4u2 Dec 12 2007, 11:38 AM
Katherine Moennig - Interview
thelword-fr.net
Question: So you're here for the L3 convention. Why do you come to this kind of event?
Well, I think that the show gets so much support and love. I think it's our way of just getting back and giving time to the people who invest so much in it.
Question: About The L Word. You just shot season 5. I know you can't talk a lot about it, but what's your opinion on it?
This season is my favourite.
Question: Why?
It's just fun. It's just really really fun. I mean I haven't seen many episodes, so, I don't know how it will be put together but shooting it was just a lot of fun. I think the storylines are fun.
Question: How is Shane at the beginning of Season 5?
(smiling) Wild.
Question: Wild?
Yeah. She's back and full of that.
Question: Leisha just said that this season is like season 1 on crack. Your thoughts?
Yes. Exactly. That's the perfect way to describe it. Season 1 on crack.
Question: What do you think of the development of Shane through the years? Are you happy with it?
Oh. Yeah I am. I like how she's turned out. I like how she gets put in these relationships that always fall apart because it gives her a reason to go back to her wild ways. Yeah, I like her. She's damaged. So it's gonna be a slow evolution.
Question: What do you like and dislike in Shane this season?
Dislike?
Question: Yeah, and like?
I really like how she's back to her old self again this year. It's just fun and it's entertaining and it's nice to be the one who is not in a relationship and who is all over the place. What I don't like?
Question: Yes?
I'm kinda sick of the hairstyling, I have to say. I'm sick of this hair stylish ***. I want her to have a new profession.
Question: Like what?
I don't know. I can only give that away. I seriously want her to have a new job.
Question: Have you talked to Ilene about that?
Oh yeah. She finally bit the bullet and agreed. She said yes, let's do something else.
Question: Shane is such a strong character. Are you afraid of being stuck in this character for many years to come?
Yeah, but I hope not. I hope not. I mean, my hope is that people understand that what we all do is acting, which means portray something. It's basically playing dress up. So I hope that they are a bit more open-minded when it comes to casting me. And once again, it's also my responsibility to prove that I can do other things. So I think it's 50/50.
Question: What kind of other character would you like to play?
I don't know. I don't have any idea. I don't have anything specific. It kind of comes up when it comes up.
Posted by: 4u2 Dec 13 2007, 11:46 AM
L Word inspires million dollar gift to cancer foundation
13th December 2007 12:58
PinkNews.co.uk staff writer
An anonymous donor has given a $1 million (£490,000) gift to a cancer foundation in honour of Erin Daniels and Leisha Hailey, two of the stars of the hit Showtime series, The L Word, for the realism and truth they brought to a breast cancer storyline that ended with the death of Erin Daniels' character, Dana Fairbanks.
It is the largest private donation ever made to the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation.
"The donor, who has chosen to remain anonymous, wanted to honour the actresses for their compelling portrayal of a couple dealing with the tragic consequence of breast cancer," said the Foundation's Executive Director Naz Sykes.
"Ultimately, she decided the best way to do that was to give a generous donation that would help us advance the work we are doing to end breast cancer in our lifetime."
The $1 million donation will be used to establish The Erin Daniels and Leisha Hailey Fund for Breast Cancer.
In addition to making this donation, the anonymous donor intends to match dollar for dollar every donation made to the fund.
The entire fund will be used to advance the Foundation's research programme that aims to end breast cancer in our lifetime.
"There are very few times in a woman's life where she feels she's been lucky enough to be part of something that will change lives," says Daniels.
"This is one of those times. I am overwhelmed that my portrayal of Dana's story has inspired such an act of kindness and generosity, and elated to be a part of it.
"I am thankful that so many women will be given hope due to Dr. Love's programme."
"It is an honour that our breast cancer story line touched someone in such a tremendous way that she so generously gave to such a tragic illness," says Hailey, who plays Alice, one of the shows most significant and best loved characters.
"I am awed by her gesture and it inspires me to act with my conscience and give of myself."
Dr. Susan Love guest-starred on The L Word after Dana was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The anonymous donor, who had met Dr. Love in Boston in the mid-1980s, was thrilled to see her on the show. But what really intrigued her, she says, was the conversation Dr. Love had with Dana and Alice about her desire to find a way to eradicate breast cells that were just thinking about becoming cancer before they could do any harm.
When Erin Daniels' character, Dana, was diagnosed with breast cancer she was a 32-year-old tennis star.
Her storyline allowed viewers to gain insight into the lives of the many "Danas" who, in real life, have heard the words "You have breast cancer."
While many fans of "The L Word" were impressed that the show decided to tackle such a tough topic as breast cancer, some were angered by the storyline that resulted in Dana's death.
On blogs and websites, many discussed their frustration that the show chose to have a character die from breast cancer rather than illustrate how many women survive-and thrive-after a breast cancer diagnosis.
Others grieved not only for Dana, but for Alice, who had lost her best-friend and former lover.
Posted by: 4u2 Dec 14 2007, 10:50 AM
posted by Nirvana71 at TWoP
From Day 1
Laurel/Eric session
As a returning L Word “Conventioneer”, I was fortunate enough to know how to game the system to get at the front to ask questions.
Laurel said that Tina will be ballsy at work.
For Tibette fans I asked Laurel specifically if there is hope for Tina and Bette in S5. She said with a cheeky smirk, “Maybe. There is always hope for Tina and Bette.”
Day 2
Laurel/Eric session
I asked Laurel point blank if Annabella was coming back for Season 5 and if Tina was going to seek comfort in her arms now that Bette was off with Jody. Again with a cheeky grin she said “Maybe!” She didn’t go into specifics because she was afraid she would be giving away a spoiler. So I’m taking that as a yes. (IMG:style_emoticons/mediablvd/smile.gif)
I asked her about Leisha’s comment that the new season was like Season 1 on crack and about the mud wrestling promos. She laughed and agreed that Leisha’s description was accurate. The writing this year is again heavy on the humor. Essentially Season 5 is all about poking fun at Season 1. She described it as the movie The Player, a movie within a movie, a set within a set.
She said that Tina also plays a big role with the wrestling. I might be remembering this wrong, but I think Tina tries to stop it somehow.
Posted by: 4u2 Dec 18 2007, 10:46 AM
--from Showtime
Unresolved romances and a long-simmering film project finally bear fruit in the fifth season of THE L WORD®, returning January 2008 to SHOWTIME. Dreams come true and new life paths are forged for many of the show's beloved characters this year – but not without the THE L WORD's trademark provocative storylines, sizzling sexuality, and heart-rending emotion. The series stars Jennifer Beals, Leisha Hailey, Laurel Holloman, Mia Kirshner, Katherine Moennig, Daniela Sea, Rachel Shelley and Pam Grier. Season five's new guest stars include Kelly McGillis and Wallace Shawn, alongside returning special guest stars Cybill Shepherd, Marlee Matlin, Kristanna Loken, Jane Lynch and, returning to a role that earned the program acclaim and controversy, Rose Rollins as Tasha, an Iraq War veteran concealing her sexuality from the military.
Season five's major plot developments include a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" investigation of Tasha Williams (Rose Rollins), a closeted soldier whose moving romance last season with the out-and-proud Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey) earned the show an award from the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
Series creator and executive producer Ilene Chaiken is proud of the attention her series is bringing to the lingering but still-unresolved issue of gay military service. "I hope Tasha's story will shed light on the military's untenable policy of institutionalized discrimination again gay men and lesbians who sacrifice to serve their county," Chaiken says. "Tasha's experience with 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' only skims the surface of the battles gay servicemembers face everyday. We're grateful to have had the opportunity to tell her story and hope that it sparks consensus, rather than controversy, on the need for policy reform."
Debuting as the tough veteran Colonel Gillian Davis, who is charged with prosecuting Tasha's case, is Kelly McGillis, star of such blockbuster motion pictures as Witness and Top Gun. McGillis brings grit and panache to a role that, like so many in THE L WORD, is less one-dimensional than it might be first assumed.
McGillis isn't the only exciting fifth season guest star. Chaiken reveals that, "In addition to Jane Lynch and Holland Taylor, we're delighted by the return of Cybill Shepherd and her real-life daughter, Clementine Ford, to play the mother-daughter duo of Phyllis and Molly Kroll." Molly, who insists that she is straight (in contrast to her recently out mother) proves an unexpectedly stalwart foil to legendary heart breaker Shane (Katherine Moennig). Chaiken hints, "As for Shane…let's just say she's back and better than ever, but also more self-aware and prepared to deal with the girl drama she invites.
"Also new to season five is the incredible Wallace Shawn as the wily financier of Jenny's movie," reveals Chaiken. When Jenny's undaunted persistence resurrects her autobiographical movie project Lez Girls with money from a hedge-fund billionaire (Shawn), the polarizing writer soon finds herself behind the camera directing the film, as well as wooing the hot new "It Girl" actress Nikki (Kate French) to star. "The production of Lez Girls is bringing a wealth of new talent to THE L WORD," says Chaiken, who also cites guest stars Malaya Rivera Drew, who plays Jenny's disturbingly devoted assistant Adele, and Patricia Velasquez as Begonia, a self-possessed actress appearing in Jenny's film. "We are having an absolute blast with Jenny this year as she takes on Hollywood with her movie and its 'fictional' account of the friends' lives," Chaiken laughs.
Another significant story line for season five is the arrival of Dawn Denbo (Elizabeth Keener) and her lover Cindi (Alicia Leigh Willis), a pair of Florida party-girl emigres who open a new establishment to rival longtime hangout The Planet, setting into motion a rivalry with The Planet's owner Kit (Pam Grier) that starts benignly but quickly turns bitter.
Then there are Bette and Tina, the former couple whose on-again, off-again romance remains, for many fans, the heart of THE L WORD. Despite Bette's continued serious involvement with artist and professor Jodi Lerner (Marlee Matlin), her feelings for Tina seem to be gradually simmering into "on-again" mode, and the feeling could be mutual. The characters' tortured passion will have viewers taking sides and glued to the screen.
When discussing the rollercoaster ride that is Bette and Tina, the executive producer chooses her words carefully. "I am certainly moved by how much the story of Bette and Tina resonates with viewers," Chaiken asserts. "I won't confirm or deny anything just yet but will say that everyone behind the show approached season five with a completely open mind. My personal hope is for Bette and Tina to find happiness, whether as friends and co-parents, or as a couple. We've seen them play both of those roles over the past four seasons and I believe they're ready for resolution. But you'll have to watch to find out which path they chose."
Chaiken has a few more twists and turns planned for the new season, but says that the return of THE L WORD's characters to the extended family vibe of the early years is the theme that really shapes the new episodes. "Some of our favorite scenes to write and shoot at THE L WORD have always been the big group scenes – those gatherings at The Planet, or get-togethers at Shane and Jenny's or one of our famous dinner parties," she relates. "If anything defines season five it's a return to the magical friendship among our ladies and the humor it brings to their lives and our stories. At the same time, our characters are growing up and their core relationships to each other and as a group are shifting. In season five, I wouldn't be surprised to see friendships take unexpected, dangerous, heartbreaking…or even romantic detours."
Posted by: 4u2 Dec 18 2007, 10:47 AM
--interviewed by Chicki
Alicia Leigh Willis was born on March 1, 1978 in Atlanta Georgia. Her father is David Willis, who has starred in many commercials and on Ally McBeal. Alicia played Alli Fowler on the NBC’s Another World from 1988 to 1999. From December of 2001 to February of 2006, she played Courtney Matthews on ABC’s General Hospital. She has been nominated for two Daytime Emmy awards for her work on General Hospital. She also had a reoccuring role on the WB Network series, 7th Heaven.
Alicia, thank you for accepting our invitation for an interview with the L-word.com. We are a website that has over 55,000 members, and I am so proud to say that we are steadily growing by the day.
Wow, that’s great. Keep in mind, those numbers reflect only the registered members, and not every