Hello, friends. I’m coming at you live from A-Camp 2017. I miss you. I wish you were here. (If you’re coming here, I’ll see you tomorrow!) Pretty solid queer pop culture news this week! The only thing that could make it better is Trump getting impeached!
Teevee
+ In case you haven’t heard, Master of None‘s second season, which landed on Netflix Friday, dedicates an entire episode to Denise’s coming out story. The episode, “Thanksgiving,” was actually written by Lena Waithe. Faith is cooking up a review but in the meantime you should absolutely check out Waithe’s interview with New York Magazine. It’s candid and sweet and funny. They talk about the episode, the process, Waithe’s life and growing up and coming out. It’s wonderful.
So you like them high femme?
Yeah! My girlfriend says I’m the first woman she’s ever dated. But that wasn’t intentional. I think that’s so “Denise,” like, “Oh, did you turn her?” and I’m like, “No, I swear I didn’t.” She came for me! I had no idea! I was confused, like, “Am I catching vibes? Am I tripping?” Yeah, but no, there’s a certain look. We all have our stuff!
+ Naomi Watts is playing gay in this new Netflix series with a frustrating and unfortunate name.
+ Twitch is streaming all 886 episodes of Mr. Rogers, in order.
+ Netflix has ordered a fifth season of Arrested Development, which will, of course, feature your queer pals Alia Shawkat and Portia de Rossi.
+ Will and Grace is coming back to TV?
https://youtu.be/TY10pANm4eM
+ ABC is rebooting Roseanne, a sitcom that has some of the gayest roots in TV history. Nancy was one of the first bisexual characters on TV, and she was played by Sandra Bernhard. Roseanne and Mariel Hemingway kissed on screen on 1994, making it one of the first ever kisses between two women on TV. (The first was on LA Law in 1991.) And, of course, Sara Gilbert played Darlene Conner. Maybe the reboot will actually add some people of color and bring the gay stuff up earlier and oftener.
+ Shonda’s spinning off Grey’s Anatomy.
Movies
+ Dee Rees — of Pariah, Bessie, and Mudbound fame — is teaming up with Get Out producer Jason Blum to make a horror film about black lesbians in the rural south. According to a recent profile with Blum in the New York Times, here’s how their pitch meeting went.
“You’ve got me and my wife, two black lesbians, and when we first moved in, we fought every day over all these little things: ‘Why is this over there? Did you move that?’ ”
Blum leaned in, nodding. This was promising.
“Maybe it was a ghost,” Rees continued. “Or maybe it was some other force — like us not wanting to be there or fitting in.” Blum was nodding more rapidly. “Anyway, that’s my horror-movie pitch,” Rees said.
“It almost makes me nervous,” Blum said, then leaned back and looked up. “The idea of working with you.” He paused. “But anything you want to do, I’m in. I’m in, I’m in, I’m in.”
+ As I’ve mentioned about 20 times by now, Emma Stone is playing Billie Jean King in the upcoming Battle of the Sexes movie, and the first trailer is finally here!
+ Aubrey Plaza’s new movie, Ingrid Goes West, will debut at the LA Film Festival.
Plaza’s character Ingrid Thornberg reacts to her mother’s death and a series of self-inflicted setbacks by moving out West to befriend her Instagram obsession Taylor Sloane (played by Elizabeth Olsen). After a quick bond is forged between these unlikeliest of friends, the facade begins to crack in both women’s lives.
Really excited for Season 5 of Arrested, and hope the whole cast can be on screen together more. I would be excited for the reboot of Rosanne, but she has a bit of a transphobia problem in the past(said something to effect she doesn’t want trans women in the bathroom).
I asked on another site how did they get away naming a movie G-slur and people told me to get over it, and that the definition means wanderer. It’s offensive to me as a Jewish person because Romani people were the other group targeted during the Holocaust for just existing. We call people the g-slurs when we got a bad deal on something, like saying, “I got g*pped on that deal.” The bros didn’t get it.
Will there be an Autostraddle recap of Master of None‘s second season, specifically that “Thanksgiving” episode? If so, I’ll save my effusiveness for another day; if not, be prepared for me to gush all over these comments about how spectacular this show (and that episode in particular) is. For now, I’ll just encourage everyone to watch it…the whole season is just so, so good.
I’m a little wary about this Grey’s Anatomy spin-off…mainly because of how I got burned by Chicago Fire (pun intended), but I’m gonna trust Shonda.
(Also, just to put this into the universe: now that The Catch is done, imagine this: Rose Rollins as a firefighter. MAKE IT HAPPEN SHONDA!)
@pecola Rose Rollins as a Firefighter! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!?!?! I was not ready. I cannot handle the image. Just…. just…. nope. Cannot process that level of sexy.
Ok, I haven’t watched this season of Master of None yet, but I am going to specifically so we can gush about it together! I’ll tag you when I get to it, yeah?
Our new staff writer, Faith, will have a recap review ready on Friday!
Lena Waite also was interviewed on the Nancy Podcast (which is a good podcast, btw). The interview is about 15 minutes if you’re interested.
Seriously, Nancy is awesome – I hope I read more about it on here.
So I haven’t watched the Denise/ Lena Waithe episode of Master of None (I’m saving all my streaming until network TV is done with their finales this week)— but everyone in my circle is talking about it! I’m looking forward to catching up and bookmarked that article, thanks Heather :)
Also, on a level of 1- inappropriate, how inappropriate would it be for me to take a moment and, ahem, appreciate Lena’s appreciation of high femmes?
I know she has a girlfriend. I respect her girlfriend. But does that preclude her from also being my girlfriend in my head, is all I’m saying…
AND I AM SO HERE FOR A DEE REES BLACK LESBIAN HORROR MOVIE!!!!!
*take all my money!*
*take it please!*
*pleeeeeeeaaaaase!*
Is anyone watching Marlene King’s new show Famous in Love? Apparently 2 of the actresses (on the show within the show) were in a relationship back in the day but broke things off when 1 didn’t want to mess with her girl next door image by being out and the other left to do theater in NY. The theater one came back to LA to be on the show within the show and they hooked back up.
hard pass on the naomi watts movie. g-slur AND predatory lesbian cliché? nopp!
100% will read an autostraddle take-down of it if any of you brave souls watch and review it tho
Emma Stone as the incredible gay athlete Billie Jean King? THAT Billie Jean King? No thank you.