Hello, welcome to your weekly pop culture fix, I am your biweekly host who just watched the entirety of Empire at once and just wants to think about it forever. I want Cookie to be our CEO. Speaking of, look at Taylor Swift with Tiana!
https://instagram.com/p/2DGJZrDvEz/?taken-by=taylorswift
Okay, let’s begin!
Kristin Stewart Related “News”
+ Kristin Stewart is on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar UK’s June 2015 issue, which means she’s from the future. In the article, she talks about things like sexism in Hollywood and how much she hates being famous because fame is the worst. “Fame is the worst thing in the world,” said Kristen Stewart. “Especially if it’s pointless. When people say. “I want to be famous” – why? You don’t do anything.”
Here’s what you can do, though: you can wear this outfit:
via harper’s baazar
The Teevee
A lot of the news this week falls into the category of “I Don’t Care About The Future,” but we’re rolling with it!
+ Logo recently premiered a new Russell T. Davies project from across the pond: Cucumber and Banana. Banana is the part of the series about gay ladies and I think you might really enjoy it:
From the writer of Doctor Who and Queer as Folk, Russell T. Davies, comes Logo TV’s two newest series: Cucumber and Banana. The two interwoven drama series will explore 21st century gay life in all its powerful, witty, dark and uplifting guises through the lens of two disparate generations. The hour-long Cucumber will explore the lives and misadventures of Henry Best and his long-suffering boyfriend of nine years, Lance Sullivan. The half-hour Banana will follow the individual lives of younger characters orbiting around Henry’s world, telling stories of modern love – the romantic, the obsessed, the hopeful, the lonely, the lost, and the lucky.
+ Orange is the New Black made promotional posters out of your tweets. Wasn’t that nice of them?
+ Comedy Central has picked up a female basketball comedy based on the basketball league currently privileged to support the talents of Autostraddle’s own Brittani Nichols and Carly Usdin. Jeremy Konner, Amanda Lund, Maria Blasucci and the good folks from Jack Black’s Electric Dynamite are teaming up for the ensemble comedy, which “revolves around a group of misfit women in LA who find new leases on life through their less-than-stellar all-girls basketball team.” Hopefully it will be as funny as Brittani and Carly are!
+ The Bold and The Beautiful has cast an actual trans person to play a trans character — Scott Turner Schofield will play the “mentor” to transgender female character Maya (who is played by a cis woman). Schofield connected with TBATB folks when they reached out to him asking for his recommendations of transgender actors to help ‘flesh out’ their story. They ended up inviting him to take the part.
+ Viola Davis will play Harriet Tubman in an HBO biopic.
+ New York Magazine says that “Jenny Slate is reteaming with Obvious Child director Gillian Robespierre and writer Elisabeth Holm for an FX pilot about female friendship.” I don’t know who any of those people are, but Heather linked me to it and I trust her.
+ My best friend Law & Order SVU is already planning an episode about a transgender teenager for Season 17, according to this article which presents the concept as if Law & Order hasn’t already bungled a solid number of transgender stories in the past! Apparently this is newly relevant because Bruce Jenner. I will obviously tune in for it, as I tune in to every Law & Order SVU unless there’s a new Criminal Minds on at the same time.
+ Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer honored Amy Poehler at GildaFest ’15 on Monday, and Vulture has their speech for ya, which ponders the topic of “8 Reasons.”
People Talking To Other People and Also About Things
+ Did you want to read some words that Cara Delevingne said on a number of topics? You can!
“I’m a big, big, big believer in male and female equality. I want to do more in the future (to promote) feminism all the way. Men and women’s bodies are beautiful and should be completely equal. Subjects like female oppression should be taught at school and boys should know about it and learn to respect it.”
+ Did you want to see Tig Notaro interview Andrea Gibson? You can!
NOTARO: You were in a cow suit?
GIBSON: I was in a cow suit.
NOTARO: That does sound vaguely familiar.
+ Did you want to read Carmen Esposito write about her first kiss with a lady? YOU CAN!
My sophomore year I spent Spring Break on a solidarity trip to inner-city Kingston, Jamaica with a group of other social justice-y kids. We offered our time at a leper colony, a home for abandoned children, and a school. Probably nothing I did during that time had a lasting effect on the lives of the people I met, but the trip had a lasting effect on me. One of the social justice-y kids I traveled there with became my first girlfriend.
+ Did you want to read out writer Gina Sobol of “The Returned” talk about the show and its queer storyline and also how there are SO MANY QUEER WOMEN ON THE TEEVEE SET these days? YOU CAN!
I just wrapped on a show called Extant on CBS, which is also just like a kick-ass show for women, and now I’m reading all of the pilots of what is coming up next season. There are so many gay characters and queer characters—and I mean main characters or side characters—and I feel like we’ve moved into this new phase where it’s not a big deal: It just is, and we don’t have to do these big coming out stories.
+ Did you want to read Queen Latifah talk about the Bessie Smith film and also read her views on LGBT equality as if she has no personal stake in the matter? WELL NOW YOU CAN!
I’ve never done that before. It was a little odd but it was also a quiet, relaxing thing. Sometimes she was so alone, and it was a moment for Bessie to acknowledge her vulnerability, which I can completely relate to … I don’t find [this nude scene] any more uncomfortable than kissing a girl in Set It Off and sticking to the script. You have to take your mind off of yourself and honor that character. Respect Cleo, respect Bessie.”
I have loved Queen Latifah since I was first introduced to her at the Earth Day Concert in Boston in 1991, I bought “All Hail The Queen” on cassette the next day at the mall. I am ready for this Bessie Smith movie STAT.
ETC
+ A bunch of websites with fifty billion times more money than we have are using that money to make new video series for you, so that should be neat.
+ Laura Jane Grace covers Michael McDonald and The Cure IN MICHIGAN, MY HOME AND NATIVE LAND!
+ The Dissolve has a 2015 Summer Movie Preview for June. The Dissolve is my favorite website about movies, so.
+ Ten Groovy Facts About “The Jackson Five” Cartoon Series
+ Forever Alone: How Midcentury Movie Magazines Sold Marriage to Women: “Now we understand advertisements as subtly, subconsciously making people feel insecure so they’ll buy some solution. Back then, marketers were just discovering the buyer’s inner life, and they decided the surest way to reach it was to attack the outer self.”
+ Mattel has created a special edition Barbie of Ava DuVernay, the director of Selma! BUY ONE FOR YOUR DAUGHTER RIGHT NOW.
+ And, finally — the entire Beyonce discography, performed by only one man, Todrick:
Every time there’s a picture of Kristen Stewart on this website, I have a mini-freakout because I think for a split second that she’s come out. But then I read the accompanying headline and it doesn’t say gay or bisexual or pansexual, etc. in all caps and there aren’t 100 exclamation points so I know it can’t be about Kristen being queer.
I don’t think she’s ever gonna come out, honestly? which is okay, i think, because unlike everybody else who refuses to come out, she’s never been open about her relationships, ever, she wouldn’t even confirm her thing with r-patz, so like — it’s consistent. It bothers me when celebs are totally open about their relationships with men or like to entertain the misconception that they are heterosexual but then suddenly when queerness comes up they have a new policy about their private lives.
totally agree with you riese. I really respect that she doesn’t talk about any of her relationships. But the harpers cover mentions sexuality, and recently she has been see holding hands w Alicia in public which she did not do in the past. So maybe!
I think if she actually discussed her sexuality in any significant way with the mag they would have leaked it to the press in order to sell more issues. Everybody would have known about it by now.
Oh yeah, I totally have no problem with her staying private. It just would be very exciting if she decided not to.
oh yeah i didn’t think that’s what you were saying! i just wanted to talk about k-stew some more
Every time there’s a picture of Kristen Stewart on this website, I am like ‘fuck yes, a picture of Kristen Stewart’.
<3
Yeah, that too!
todrick hall! he’s cute.
He’s so cute in that video he made me question my sexuality!
I spent about 3 hours going down the rabbit hole of his youtube channel last weekend – he’s so clever/creative too.
Everybody, please go see Kristen Stewart and Juliette Binoche in that wonderful movie, The Clouds of Sils Marie. Their relationship is multi-layered, complex, loving, unequal, and a joy to watch. And the scenery of clouds and mountains is a visual gift. My wife and I are going back for a second look at the movie — it was that good.
It comes out in Seattle tomorrow! Why there is not a Thursday night preview for it like they have for the Avengers is beyond me.
(Not that there’s anything wrong with the Avengers. I myself have a lot of Steve/Bucky feelings. But I feel like I’ve been waiting for Clouds FOREVER.)
i love interview magazine! also very sad nobody has made a movie about brittani yet, like just about brittani nichols.
I was very sad The Scarlett Lesbian was about a different Carmen.
I mean, it was still great.
And like, I didn’t forget your last name, or anything.
But for a hot second I had very different idea how that article was gonna go.
legitimately 60% of the people I know in LA are in that basketball league I feel like so basically I’m really looking forward to watching this show on TV and guessing which character is based on my A-Camp cabinmate and which one is based on the girl I’m seeing’s ex’s sister
Listen, I love Queen Latifah. Always have. And I’m all for people coming out when they want to and how they want to but it honestly does annoy me when closeted celebrities talk about LBGT issues as if they are completely removed from them or about kissing the same-sex in movies “for the first time”. I would rather they didn’t say anything at all until they are ready to completely own the truth.
Truth! 100% agreed.
agree!
Kristen Stewart ❤❤❤ yup, Thats about it..
Todrick Hall is my favorite!!! I love all his Youtube adaptations. Such a talent!
I feel like that outfit KStew is wearing is a joke HB is playing on all of us.
Right? Who thought it was a good idea to put a floppy pink bow on KStew?! What were they thinking?
This makes me so mad (ok, over reacting a little here, but after reading about Heather Hogan’s dad forcing her to wear a pink dress, it just touched a nerve).
On the other hand, I am having fun choosing alternate outfits for this pose. Maybe a short v-neck t-shirt and cut offs. Or an oversized white Oxford and nothing else to distract from those legs and those eyes and ok, I’ll excuse myself now.
IDK, I think it’s cute tbh, but that material looks itchy.
I can’t wait to see Viola Davis do anything in general (still impatiently waiting for HTGAWM s2)…
Also Empire is so great, Cookie is my favorite character on TV right now
Gah!! I never thought I’d want to own a Barbie doll ever again!
“Mattel has created a special edition Barbie of Ava DuVernay, the director of Selma! BUY ONE FOR YOUR DAUGHTER RIGHT NOW.”
Not for a son? Or other gendered kid (/adult)?
That Andrea Gibson interview was hilarious. She came to read her poetry at our school, inspiring a bunch of emotionally-wrenching poems of my own that night. Hooray for queer pioneering poets to remind us that we all suffer from the human condition. Such a beautiful affliction, i accept it gladly.