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.
Full Version: L WORD SEASON 5
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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."
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
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
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
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.
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.
Production begins JUNE 4TH
Production begins JUNE 4TH
ends OCT. 10TH
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.
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.
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.
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."
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."
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.
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.
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
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
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.”
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.”
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 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
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.
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.
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
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
Season 5 Titles
Episode 1) LGB Tease
Episode 2)Look Out, Here They Come!
Episode 1) LGB Tease
Episode 2)Look Out, Here They Come!
Season 5 Premiere:
January 6th, 2008
January 6th, 2008
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
"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."
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."
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."
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!
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!
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).
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).
More Titles:
1) LGB Tease
2) Look Out, Here They Come!
3) Lady of the Lake
4) Let's Get This Party Started
1) LGB Tease
2) Look Out, Here They Come!
3) Lady of the Lake
4) Let's Get This Party Started
SEASON 4 DVD RELEASE DATE:
OCTOBER 23RD
OCTOBER 23RD
SEASON 5 BEGINS
January 6TH 2008
January 6TH 2008
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
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
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.
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.
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."
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
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
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)
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)
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 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."
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."
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."
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.
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.
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]
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]
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
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
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.”
(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.”
Another Title:
Episode 6) Lesbians Gone Wild
Episode 6) Lesbians Gone Wild
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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!
----------------------
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.
----------------------
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
----------------------
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.
----------------------
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.
----------------------
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.
----------------------
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..
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.
----------------------
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!
----------------------
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!
----------------------
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.
----------------------
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.
----------------------
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!
----------------------
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!
----------------------
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.
----------------------
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.
----------------------
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!
----------------------
June 30, 2007 - Vancouver, Canada
Roving Reporter: Kris
I saw Leisha Hailey and Katherine Moennig at Lick club in Vancouver.
----------------------
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!
----------------------
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.
----------------------
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
----------------------
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.
----------------------
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!
----------------------
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.
----------------------
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.
----------------------
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.
----------------------
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.
----------------------
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!!
----------------------
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.
----------------------
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!
----------------------
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..
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
#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
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.
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.
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