Throwing It All Away

Still not over this preview. Not even a little bit. I could watch Dr. Lauren Lewis hurl that throwing star on an infinite loop. In fact, I think I will.



p.s. For a more verbose breakdown of the first full preview for Season 5, check out my post from AfterEllen this week.

p.p.s. I think the fact that they show Dyson/Bo action, but no Doccubus action is actually a good thing. Bait and switch, amirite? Or, you know, wishful thinking.

Falling Hard

Oh, show. What are you doing to us, show? Remember wayyyy back this summer when that little rumor that Gillian Anderson’s DSI Gibson and Archie Panjabi’s Dr. Reed Smith would have a “sexual encounter” on the new season of “The Fall.” Then the good doctor checks out Stella’s nail length in the premiere, a clear sign of lesbian flirting. And now this new promo image from episode 3 has set those rumors on fire. As in, oh hey look, there’s a fire in my pants. Gosh, those two look awfully cozy. Someone tell me their shipper name immediately, if not sooner.

This cheeky reply from Gillian about the possibility of Stella’s bisexuality doesn’t hurt either.

.@steIlagibson That's for you to find out ;) #AskGillianA

— Gillian Anderson (@GillianA) October 9, 2014

Right, sorry, regain composure. Act like an adult. Be professional. They’re probably just discussing very serious and important police-related matters. In each other’s pants.

Whoops, sorry. Slipped up again. On a related note, I’d like it ever so much if you took the time to check out my recaps of “The Fall” over at AfterEllen. The first one posted yesterday and you can expect them Mondays throughout the season. I know, I know – tough gig staring at Gillian Anderson’s face for hours on end.

Ask a Lesbian

It’s Monday. Sorry about that, that bit is outside of my control. What I can control is how you start your Monday. I think a lesbian answering questions from straight folks is a great way to start. Especially if those answers are equal parts funny and true. Please enjoy Cameron Esposito’s Ask a Lesbian series for Buzzfeed.



p.s. She is not wrong about the side mullet thing. Or vests. 

p.p.s. Not that I have a side mullet. Just that it reads Tegan & Sara-level gay.

My Weekend Crush

The most extraordinary thing about the Jane of “Jane the Virgin” isn’t that she is a virgin. Sure, her chasteness is the gimmick that gets us into the irony of her pregnancy. But the real thing that makes Jane unique is her honesty. Jane is the most honest character on television right now. And much of the humor and complications come not from lies – like on so many other shows – but from simply telling the truth. It’s a neat trick for a show that is essentially a very smart take on a telenovela.

Much of the show’s greatness also comes from Gina Rodriguez’s portrayal of Jane. She is earnest and charming and empathetic and goofy. She feels like a real girl you’d meet and probably like. Except, again, she is probably more honest and open than most. None of it would work if Gina wasn’t so darn likeable. But she is, she really is.

Not to say there isn’t a healthy dose of scheming and backstabbing in “Jane the Virgin.” But the various scrapes and predicaments Jane gets into are because of the less than honest actions of others. Speaking of, have I mentioned that there’s a hot lesbian affair on this show? Really, you should be watching this show. Happy weekend, all.

Falling for the Girl

*Siren Blares* *Lights Flash* Sorry, I get a little excited sometimes when my gaydar gets pinged. Too much? NEVER ENOUGH. In the course of researching the new season of the BBC Two series “The Fall” (starting today in the UK, lucky UK), I came across the new character PC Hagstrom played by Irish actress Kelly Gough. I don’t want to tell you your business, but, yeah. Siren, lights, PING.



Now comes the disclaimer where I tell you I have absolutely no idea whether this new police constable character is a lesbian or now. But her folded arms, slicked hair, hands in belt, general aura all reads G-A-Y. My most sincere hope is that this new PC Hagstrom is a love interest for Niamh McGrady’s returning character PC Ferrington. Her adorable ginger constable needs some loving.



If you’re looking for a less flaily preview of the new season, please check out AfterEllen later today. Needless to say, I’m pretty excited. Not just because of femslash I’ve made up based on two promo photos, but also because this series is very good and very smart. Even though it’s about a man who kills women, it’s also about women navigating (and kicking ass) in a male-dominated world.



And there isn’t an actress working today who is aging more exquisitely than Gillian Anderson. I mean it, I think the aliens did take her because there’s no other reason she should be even more talented and more beautiful with each passing year.



p.s. I will be recapping this season of “The Fall” over at AfterEllen as well. Such hard work screencapping Gillian. Much toil.

Out, bright spot, out!

You deserve this today. I mean it. You’ve earned it. You’ve earned two gorgeous magazine covers featuring two talented out gay women. You deserve Ellen Page in that Marlene Dietrich tux. You deserve Samira Wiley in those Josephine Baker pearls. You deserve it all.

The actresses are among four covers for this year’s annual Out 100 list. (Their male counterparts are Zachary Quinto and Sam Smith.) The images are beautiful, naturally. But I was even more interested in the small interviews with each woman. Ellen, again, eloquently describes her feeling of responsibility and relief she felt coming out. And then there’s this gem about the lesbian trend canard:

“Even if it did become a trend, who cares, right? Let being yourself become a trend.”

Samira’s interview is equally interesting, but for different reasons. For one, it’s another non-coming out coming out. It never directly mentions her sexuality, but it does mention her girlfriend/OITNB writer Lauren Morelli. And it also talks about her upbringing being raised in a family filled with acceptance and faith. Isn’t it sad when that’s the exception and not the norm. As she says:

“I feel like oftentimes in the church people get caught up in literal translations of the Bible. But that’s not the home I grew up in. I was just taught that love is the most powerful thing. And being able to see that and see my parents on the forefront of that made such a big impact on my life.”

See, I told you you deserved this.



p.s. In case you feel you deserve more there are also nice photos/items on Evan Rachel Wood, Ariel Schrag and Angel Haze among others in this year’s list.

p.p.s. Oh, and do not forget to click both the pictures to embiggen them. You really, really deserve that.

Criminally Funny

Some actors you just wish well. Whether you like the show they happen to be on or not, you root for them. Paget Brewster is one of those actors. I’ve watched “Criminal Minds” on and off over the years – though thanks to the power of rerun marathons I’m pretty sure at this point I’ve seen every single episode. And I’ve always enjoyed the Paget season the most (we shall not talk of the abomination that was the Ashley Seaver Season – shudder). But now that she has left the Special Agents ranks once more (and this time likely for good), I was wondering where she might land. And yesterday I found out, she is joining “Community” for its sixth season. The former NBC-turned-Yahoo show will return in early 2015 with Paget as “Francesca ‘Frankie’ Dart, a consultant brought in to help shape up the school.” If you are among the people scratching your head wondering why that lady cop from the serial killer show is on a sitcom, scratch no more. Paget got her TV start on “Friends,” and has subsequently brought the laughs on shows like “Huff,” “Andy Richter Controls the Universe” and three very funny, very drunk episodes of “Drunk History.” (Seriously, Google them.) Bottom line, lady is funny.

So in celebration of this wonderful news, please enjoy Paget reading a REAL-LIFE dirty love letter from James Joyce to his wife, Nora. I cannot overemphasize how incredibly DIRTY these love letters from 1909 truly are. Like, for real, wear headphones. This is NSFW defined. Yeah, that’s right, the dude who wrote “Ulysses” just put all your naughty sexts to absolute SHAME.

[If the video is geoblocked, try this link, international friends.]

Come and Get Lost

I still, STILL, can’t believe it’s ending. But with each new promo I get reminded: The end is near. Sigh. I fluctuate between extreme excitement and extreme sadness the closer we get to “Lost Girl” season 5. Excitement because, hot damn, a new season of “Lost Girl.” Sadness because, say it ain’t so, the last season of “”Lost Girl.” But I don’t have to tell you. You know exactly how I feel.

p.s. The continued adorability of the entire cast helps ease the pain...a little.

My Weekend Crush

I’ve really enjoyed all things Lorde since she burst on the scene all untamed hair and weird hand dances last year. And I’ve continued to enjoy her through her BFF-dome with Taylor Swift and continued weird hand dancing. And I really, really enjoy her new song “Yellow Flicker Beat” for the soundtrack of “he Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.” Like, really, really. The video, I am happy to report, does not disappoint either. I particularly enjoy (and commend) whoever got all.that.hair. into a pompadour of sorts. Impressive. Also, love the sly “The Shining” shout out in that ballroom scene pose. Happy weekend, all.

In Otter News

After yet another highly disheartening (and confusing – vote for weed, vote for minimum wage increases, vote for Republicans?) midterm elections I think we could all use a palate cleanser. I’ve been doing my best deep breathing techniques to come to terms with the fact that the guy who wrote “The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future” will now be in charge of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. So I have brought out the big guns today to change the tone. Desperate times call for desperate measures and all. The simple fact is there’s nothing, absolutely nothing at all in this world cuter than a baby sea otter. So feel better, America. Things this adorable still exist, despite who runs Congress.

Who is afraid of the Big Bad Boo?

Among one of the many, many, many reasons I love “Orange Is the New Black” is its contribution to the resurgence of Lea DeLaria. Some of us still remember her as the first out comic to appear on a late-night talk show (back the first time Arsenio Hall had a talk show). Everyone else just knows her as Big Boo. TV and film hasn’t quite figured out what to do with butch lesbians, other than make them the obligatory punchline. Too often they’ve woefully underrepresented. Other times they’re poorly portrayed. (For reference, please see yesterday’s post about Tammy.) So good for Lea. Because for the past 20-plus years she has been an unapologetically, unmistakably butch voice amid all the on-screen lipstick. Also, it’s a rare treat to see her yell down a homophobic street preacher on the subway. Nobody fuck with Big Boo. Well, unless they love peanut butter. Ahem.

Tammy Time

“Transparent” is a very, very good TV show. If you haven’t watched it yet or haven’t felt compelled to kick in for an Amazon Prime account to be able to watch it yet, you should. Plus, it’s almost the holiday season and you know that free two-day shipping that comes with the account will come in handy for that friend who got you a present you weren’t expecting and now you have to reciprocate with something last minute, dammit. (Or, not, there are other ways – cough, nudge, cough – to watch, too. I’ve heard.)

Series creator Jill Soloway has a gift for cutting us an intimate slice of familial dysfunction and making us want to stay and devour the whole messy pie – preferably in one sitting. This story of a trans parent of three adult children transitioning from Mort to Maura is sharply drawn and instantly engaging. Like Lisa Cholodenko, Soloway has a way of immediately inserting us into a specific lifestyle and making it feel completely lived in. Here the lives of the members of an affluent Jewish family in Southern California are laid bare, in ways that expose their flaws with the poignancy and humor that ultimately universal to most families.

It’s hard to overstate how good this show really is. It’s fantastic and fascinating. I made myself stop watching the day I started so I could make it last longer. That good.

And for us gay ladies the show is brimming over with rich, complicated female queer characters from Maura to eldest daughter Sarah and youngest daughter best friend Syd. It’s almost perfect. But then, there’s the reason for the almost.

Tammy. Sarah’s girlfriend – the lady she was L.U.G. for in college and left her husband for after college – is by far the most thinly drawn character on the series. This isn’t really Melora Hardin’s fault. (Side note: I totally didn’t recognize her at first as Jan from The Office. See what wonders a little short hair and swagger can have?) She is just given so very little to work with. It’s like they ran out of character development and just said, “Act like someone who cares more about the furniture than people’s feelings.”

Granted, there’s only so much time in a half hour series with only 10 episodes and this show isn’t skimpy on the characters. So, fine, Tammy gets the short shrift. Since the series has been renewed for a second season we can only hope this means we’ll see another side of Tammy in the future. Or any side of Tammy that isn’t all smirks and smarm. I mean, not that I mind a little of the smarm. She can flash those sunglasses at me anytime.

T-Swizzle and Shake

OK, Taylor. OK. You win. You totally win. Your reign of unabashed likeability continues unabated. “1989” is a fun, I admit it. It makes me hum along at my desk. Despite her penchant for doing the most White Girl Things possible (bad dancing, shiny rompers, high hotpants, more bad dancing), Taylor has perfected her public persona. She has grown into what seems like a genuine young woman – and that is not easy to do under the blare of our constant criticism of female celebrities, particular young female celebrities. She dates too much. She’s not feminist enough. She’s not edgy enough. But, you know, shake it off. She has gone out of her way to befriend an unexpected assortment of other young female celebrities (from Lorde to Lena Dunham). So you know what, I do not have a problem with her and I’m tired of policing everyone else’s everything. “1989” is fun, I admit it. Now, off to dance to “New Romantics” in my chair. Again.


Taylor Swift - New Romantics

p.s. Anyone who canoodles Tegan and Sara on stage is clearly not all bad. Not even half bad.

p.p.s. In case you were wondering, T-Swizzle also says “you can want who you want, boys and boys and girls and girls.” So there is that.

My Halloween Weekend Crush

You may or may not know this about me, but Halloween is my favorite holiday. It isn't because of the scares, necessarily, because I am a 'fraidy cat. But I like the ability to transform. There is a freedom to Halloween that doesn't come with all the other holidays. Plus, it is just fun to get dressed up in costume. And it doesn't hurt that my birthday is the day after. Also, candy. So this Halloween I wish you good spirit and happy scares. May your treat bag never be burdened with rocks. Happy Halloween weekend, all!

Must Lesbian TV

So I’m terribly behind in this new season of TV and get the sense I should be watching things I am not. In particular, I feel I should be watching new shows with new lesbian recurring/regular characters. I am watching “Gotham” with its clearly pinning for her ex Renee Montoya already. So at least I have that going for me.

I also saw the pilot of “Jane the Virgin” and liked it (as unlikely as the premise was). But then I forgot to set a series recording and now I’m behind. But I want to catch up because a) its good reviews and b) the lesbian gynecologist/accidental inseminator.

I have not watched “Marry Me,” mostly because I couldn’t tell it apart from the other rom-comy sitcoms debuting this season like “A to Z,” “Manhattan Love Story” and “Selfie.” But Marry Me at least has the advantage of having both a) Casey Wilson and b) a lesbian friend played by Timberlee Hill. So, maybe I should watch?

I also know there’s a lesbian sister character on “Survivor’s Remorse,” but I don’t really care about the world of professional basketball and/or shows produced by LeBron James so that’s probably a skip in my book.

I’m not sure if these new characters add up to a “Fall TV lesbian revolution,” as The Washington Post claims. But at least it’s a few more gay ladies to add to the cannon. (I tend to think the loss of lesbian and bisexual characters recently is more noteworthy, ahem.) Also, as I noted earlier this week, we’re still waiting for more of those elusive shows centered exclusively around a gay lady/ladies – instead of just including us on the periphery.

So now it’s your turn. Help a lady who likes ladies out. Are you watching any of these shows? Which ones seem worth it?

p.s. Ended up watching Marry Me and, yes, it gets a full season record. Also, bonus gay dads.

Falling Up

Finally, the wait is (maybe, possibly) over. The return date for “The Fall” has been announced by BBC One, which means we get to see more of Gillian Anderson being absolutely amazing. Well, we will once Netflix picks it up for streaming, at least (grumble, kicks rocks, British get everything first, grumbles). Those who watched the first season are no doubt ready for more of this cat-and-mouse detective v. serial killer series. Those who did not watch should catch up because it was only five episodes and what are you waiting for already?

Besides starring the luminous (but seriously, how has she gotten even more beautiful with age?) Gillian as the dogged detective, the series also features Archie Panjabi as a medical examiner and Niamh McGrady as a lesbian police constable. So many wonderful female roles – and also that dude who is going to be in “Fifty Shades of Grey.” It is hard to tell much about the second season from the very short trailer, but they are definitely playing up the sexual menace. I’m rather meh on that aspect. But hopefully that is just a way to lure in the BDSM-lite lovers who want to see what else Christian Grey has been up to.

Rebel Without a K-Stew

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 1,000 times. I have no idea whether Kristen Stewart is gay. But her hair, yeah, her hair is most definitely gay. These are heady, heady times to be a gay lady indeed. I mean, imagine how different my formative years would have been if there were out young gay ladies like Ellen Page and Kristen Stewart’s Hair to look up to as role models while growing up. You’re damn right it gets better.

I fully approve of this James Dean chic (minus the cigs).



I also fully approve of her young Jodie Foster doppelgangdome.



But, for realsies, has she ever looked more Shane today?



p.s. Bonus K-Stew in a tank top because it is Tuesday, after all.

Outrageous Fortune

Here I go, getting my hopes up again. I start to daydream about a good, funny, real sitcom based around a lesbian character/characters might finally make it to the air. I’m still waiting for NBC to unleash “One Big Happy,” the Liz Feldman/Ellen DeGeneres collaboration about a gay lady (Elisha Cuthbert) and her straight male BFF (Nick Zano) who decide to have a baby together (the test tube way, don’t worry). It’s supposed to air mid-season and has a shiny “Coming Soon” tag on its website. So, you know, fingers crossed.

But while we wait let me get all excited about another project, also from a formidable TV team. Funny gay lady Fortune Feimster and MyFake TV Wife Tina Fey are working together on a potential series. The sitcom would be a semiautobiographical take on Fortune’s life growing up in North Carolina. Tina and her “30 Rock” producing/writing partners Matt Hubbard and Robert Carlock are set to produce. ABC has picked up the pilot, which is still being written, and we’ll see how it goes from there.

Fortune told AfterEllen that she got Tina on board via a Skype session:

“At the end of the Skype meeting she says, ‘OK, get to work!’ so I kind of had a heart attack. I thought, ‘Does this mean what I think it means?’ but I didn’t want to ask her. And that was it. We started working on it, we pitched it to three networks and they all wanted it. We ended up picking up ABC because they seemed the most excited and it was a great fit.”

Though Fortune already had a bit of an in with Tina, having worked on the pilot for “Cabot College,” a series set in a women’s college that didn’t end up getting a pickup.

So can this new series make it where “You Me And He,” “I Hate That I Love You” and “My Best Friend Is a Lesbo” et al didn’t make it? Who knows. But we can sure dream.

My Weekend (Gif) Crush

You know those days when you realize just how badly you need to reorganize your gif folders? Like, why do I have six separate folders just labeled “gifs?” What am I, an animal? Get it together, woman. How am I expected to adequately express human emotions without a supremely curated gif archive at my fingertips? What is life without the ability to immediately find the most appropriate gif to mirror a cultural moment? How will I know exactly which Tina Fey eye roll to use at exactly the right Tina Fey eye roll moment? Clearly, my priorities are all askew. So please excuse me while I spend a weekend properly categorizing my Big Lesbian Gif Feelings*. Happy weekend, all.

*Just kidding, I’m totally going to spend the weekend sitting in peace and eating a sandwich.

EDIT: Per the comments. Yes, I am super, super sad about The Lex. Le sigh.

Gender Fuck Thursday: Freeheld Edition

So earlier this week, news broke that a Catholic High School in New York refused to grant permission for Ellen Page and Julianne Moore’s new movie “Freeheld” to film on its campus. In case you were wondering, yes, it was refused because of The Gay. Yes, in 2014 when 32 states (and counting) have granted gays and lesbians the right to marry, l this kind of shit still happens. They’re a religious institution and it’s sadly their prerogative to discriminate. But how utterly ridiculous that they would want to in the first place.

Ellen felt the same way, tweeting:

Using religion to justify bigotry makes me sad. Sending my support 2 the LGBT students at the school who I hope r able 2 find acceptance.

— Ellen Page (@EllenPage) October 21, 2014

And, yes, the irony that a movie about fighting institutional discrimination should face institutional discrimination while getting made is not lost on anyone.

In much better news about “Freeheld,” film production is moving right along according to Ellen and Julianne’s Twitter feeds. There is a scene in shorts and a scene in ice skates. And hopefully lots and lots of scenes in suits. The hoodies are pretty cute, too.



I really can’t fully articulate how excited I am for this film. Not only is the cast top-notch, the cast is also fully supportive of what the film and the women’s its lives portray stood for. Equality, justice, love. And this blatant bigotry from the school is a reminder of everything Laurel and Stacie’s lives can still teach us. Don’t stop fighting for what’s right. Because, eventually, we’ll win.