MOLLY RINGWALD:
Molly Ringwald has a book coming out today, and The Advocate did an interview with her as part of the publicity tour. You’ll want to read the whole thing, it’s pretty cute. She talks about Prop 8, gay fans, being an outsider, the Magnetic Fields, Here are some of our favorite parts:
Have you always been conscious of your gay fan base?
Since most my friends are gay, it would be hard not to be aware of it now, but I don’t think I realized it early on in my career because I don’t know that I definitely had that fan base until later. I became pretty aware of it in the ’90s, after some time had passed, and especially when I was living in New York and doing a lot of theater.
Though there were no gay characters, homosexuality was addressed in those early films through the frequent use of the word “fag.” Your character, Samantha, called Anthony Michael Hall’s Geek a “fag” in Sixteen Candles. “You die, fag” is scrawled on Bender’s locker in The Breakfast Club. And though it’s never spelled out, some of those outcast characters I mentioned — Duckie in Pretty in Pink, Brian in The Breakfast Club — almost seem like gay characters, in a way.
Yeah, completely! I totally know what you mean, and if those films were done today, those characters probably would’ve been gay. But sometimes I wonder if John was even aware of that. I don’t know that he was. What made those movies so interesting and so hard for people to replicate is that for some reason John was still somehow emotionally in the mind-set of those teenagers. Usually you can hear when an adult clearly wrote something for a kid character, but John’s movies don’t sound like that because he was still emotionally in that place. So you know how some kids can be gay and not know it? Or maybe they kind of know it but aren’t facing it? I feel like maybe John was writing those characters like that.
Did you know Molly Ringwald was on season 1 of The Facts of Life? I did, because my undying love for that show was one of the first hints that I was gay (or should’ve been). I made my parents buy me a tv for my room so I would never miss an episode on Nick at Nite. Those were the days! Of course, Ringwald’s stint on the show was short — just season 1 — and the show did a 180 after she left. But things almost went differently:
Advocate: Your character was phased out at the very beginning of season 2, but surely you remember the sexual tension between Blair and Jo when Nancy McKeon joined the cast.
Molly Ringwald: [Laughs] You know, Nancy McKeon sort of replaced me in a way. They were trimming down the cast to just four girls, and originally I was going to be one of those girls. But then they changed their mind, decided to go with Nancy McKeon, and booted me out.
ANYONE BUT ME:
Episode 7 of season 2 is out today!
GLEE:
Glee is on tonight! Here’s an interview with Chris Colfer, who is excited about getting a boyfriend on the show, to warm you up. (@nypost)
STEREOTYPES:
Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet, two of the stars of Modern Family who play a gay couple, live tweeted their trip to a basketball game over the weekend. Ferguson apparently played into some gay stereotypes and OutSports called him out (see what I did? that pun works on multiple levels, people!). I realize that not all gay men are ignorant about sports, and maybe Ferguson’s tweets were offensive to those who understand things like ground rule doubles. But seriously, have you guys watched Modern Family? Ferguson, who plays Mitchell, and Stonestreet, who plays Cameron, are SO EFFING FUNNY. Just saying. (@advocate)
LILO:
If you follow Lindsay Lohan on twitter, you probably noticed her recent freakouts, which were mostly about her father. It looks like she and her sister are seeking restraining orders against their dad after all the drama last week. I was going to try and get a screenshot of her crazy Michael-Lohan-related tweets, but she has been so active on Twitter that I couldn’t even find it anymore. (@celebritygossip)
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Um, Willy Wonka called and he said “Strike that, reverse it.”
missed you xoxo
Cant wait to see it.
xoxo from Brasil :)
‘Nikki is one of those people who says “now, the funny story is,” and tells a story that’s not funny.’ This line is hilarious. Yeah, we all know those people and those of us with any sense fear becoming one.
I was waiting for a “Hi, I’m Ilene Chaiken” style ambush throughout those 4 minutes.
Told ya guys Tracy was Real!
So what’s the deal with this show? Why do they all look like moms from Connecticut. No offense to moms in CT.
Word.
Well, this dispels the myth: real lesbians CAN actually produce vagina sunsets. Shit.
I wonder if that’s a not so subtle reference to how IFC thinks that all lesbians vaginas rise and set around her brilliant television endevors.
Win!
OMG that AbM episode was INSANE!
That girl Amy who plays the lesbian is super cool! I’m interested to see where it goes —
I WISH THAT POSTER WAS A JOKE BUT IT IS NOT.
It’s real. Real. So Real. It’s really real. Just like the show. It’s real. It’s real. It’s the Real L Word.
upside to the ‘real’ l word? i now have a new drinking game where i take a shot every time those bitches tell me how ‘real’ their show is. i’ll probs have to go to the hospital for alcohol poisoning, but wait! i don’t have health insurance…so scratch that. thanks, america.
“The video you are trying to watch cannot me viewed from your current country or location.”
Europe is working hard to stop americanisms[/trash tv] from infiltrating our euroTrash culture.
(But really, is there another site hosting the trailer?)
I hope there’s another! But when it’s actually shown on the television you can be sure someone will upload it online to lots of different sources so all us Europe-ers (im trying out a replacement for the word European, and it’s clearly working) can watch the full thing then! And yeah, I think it may be too late, I was caught saying the word awesome today, it was a worrying development.
Hey fellow Europe-ers, I just found this on YouTube, it plays here in Britain, so hopefully wherever you are in Europe you should be able to view it too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoKuaQ9XYiA
hmm, I have to admit I use ‘awesome’ a lot!!
Ah your a legend, thankyou! So long as we dont start talking in American accents then we know we’ve maintained some of our unique Europe-ness!
And after watching the clip ive realised that apparently I need to get me a tatt before im a fully fledged lesbo!
Hmm, do you think it should be pronounced EURoper with the emphasis on the first syllable, or euROPer to rhyme with Europa?
I try and stop myself when I feel the urge to use awesome, but I think I will relent if we can send back a different word for the Americans to use in its stead. Maybe spiffing.
Anyway, thanks for the link – TRLW looks like it will be gruesomely compelling.
I don’t know if that will catch on as an alternative to “awesome”. “Spiffing” sounds a little dirty to my Western-American ears.
I think it should be pronounced eUROper just to confuse matters even further. I dont even see myself as European weirdly, I just think that the UK and Ireland are really similar and that we’re not actual Europers because they’re all so tanned and beautiful and we’re just not! I like that, you Brits can send back spiffing or something equally posh and us Irish shall send back the word savage (pronounced SSSAAAAVVVVAAAGGGEEE!!! to describe something amazing!
Also in an unrelated note, I just noticed the fact that in the poster, the woman in the middle’s vagina is literally the sun, im impressed!
Hmm, the vagina-sun might explain why she seemed to not blink at all (which I found most unerring) she was obvs too dazzled by the solar glare of her own nether regions.
Yeah, there is a massive divide between our strange islands and continental Europe, which I like, because it would be depressing to travel round Europe if they all had the same attitudes as here.
SAVAAAAGE! I like that. Although not to be confused with savvadge, which would be a cannibalistic ladypart. Possibly with sun shining out of it.
I agree about the tanning (oh and the beautiful thing)!! I’m fair haired, so typically just go red in the sun, the only time I appear tanned is when my freckles bloom and join together!!
Yeah, Ireland you’re our next door neighbour! :)
Oh dear because me & my computer are so slow tonight my comments are getting out of sequence – soz!
Your welcome!
I know what you mean about the tattoos, maybe Autostraddle could design some(hint, hint a;ex) but you know maybe fake ones, like you got free with bubble-gum as a kid?
I think perhaps with emphasis on ‘EUR’??
I’m racking my brains for a suitable swap for ‘awesome’, but can’t think of any right now! oh and I tried saying ‘rad’ once, haha – it just sounded so wrong in my English accent, fortunately no-one heard me!!
I do have a weakness for American accents though.
No way, English accents are hands down the best/hottest of all time, but it’s personal preference I know!
Im pretty sure they still sell those temporary tattoos in chewing gum, at least I hope they do. I wonder could I put on a whole arm full of them for pride to impress the ladies!
Ooh, I have an English equivilant for awesome-> Wicked! or am I way behind the times here?!
Haha, savvadge could never happen with Ms. Vagina-Sun because if you look directly at her nether regions your eyes would literally combust!
But there are millions of different English accents! I’m guessing you mean the posh ones, but I hanker after a bit of hardcore northernness, now that my own accent has become somewhat diluted.
I think wicked is a bit out-dated now, but all retro things come back into fashion eventually, right? I’m partial to the word immense myself, but among my geek contingent, uber is used quite a lot.
So if she’s not savvadge, could she have a supernovadge?
I def prefer Southern English accents but the Northern ones arent so bad, id have a bit of an aversion to really strong Liverpool but no more so than my aversion to really strong Dublin accents! The London posh is a bit too posh aswell, goodness im being very picky.
Flip, and here’s me thinking I was down with the kids when I said wicked! Hmm, do you guys still say fit when you want to say someone is hot? I like uber, it’d make a nice change from unreal, which we also say too much!
Haha I love it, no wonder Supernovavadge gets all the ladies, shes also known as Solarvadge sometimes when shes being more discreet. Seriously though, who let that poster be made, shame on them!
Also, if the trailer is anything to go, and based on my mathematic calculations, every episode of the actual show will feature the word ‘real’ roughly 348 times.
ooh I’ll have to go buy some bubblegum tomorrow, as I’m venturing off to my first big pride at the end of May, so need all the help I can get!
Wicked – ace – they’re still whispering around, I like uber, could use it a bit like ‘super’ to accentuate things like cool, cute etc,
Hey why are we still all up? I guess you guys are night owls too?
p.s, Tracey is my fave, the way she looks in that hat near the end, hellooo!!
You could also get yourself one of these and be a real lesbian complete with real tattoos or more precisely a real fake tattoo sleeve real -> http://www.anniescostumes.com/TattooSleevesLargeButterflies2.jpg did I mention REAL! I was just wondering why we’re all up this late and not drunk, im up because this is the only time of day or night I can relax and do nothing and not feel study guilt, it’s great!
Anyway, I think we should all buy fake tattoo sleeves and create our own Real L Word scenelettes, at least then actual and dare I say it again, real, lesbians who arent skinny model types can be represented!
I feel your pain. Awesome is like poison, destroying the language from within (especially if your language isn’t even resembling English. Yes, it’s a problem).
In norwegian, we actually say Europe-er (although obviously pronounced differently), but we’re not from Europe. We’re from Scandinavia. Obviously.
Let’s get REAL. I’ll watch that for the tattoos and the pretty girls (in that order), on mute. It’s like GossipGirl (with more tattoos)! Really pretty to look at, and that’s the only thing that makes sense.
A REAL fake tattoo sleeve – that’s an idea!! (thats sweet you took the time to find that too!)
Scenelettes! Yes, I’m really not a skinny model type, so I could add some realness to our montage, with of course, our real fake tattoos!
I’m on an ‘Awesome’ word detox, starting today!
PAPER-I wish I could hear how you pronounce ‘Europe-er’
I know, it’s crazy how they think people who look like that are representative of gay women. I dont think I know a single woman who looks like that (not saying my mates arent beautiful because they are) but then again they want to pull in viewers I suppose! In order to combat this representation ridiculousness I sent in a photo for the AS top 10 of possibly the weirdest photo I could find of me in work clothes and in the back of a jeep, cant get more REAL (did I mention real) than that!
Anyway, im actually planning on filming a bit when me and a load of my mates go to Brighton pride in the summer, it can be a sortof real lesbians of Dublin: Roadtrip special (real) and we can show everyone what normal lesbians look like and get up to…ie: drinking and then more drinking and then being dramatic and probably falling over!
Jeepers Paper, im ashamed to admit that I forgot Norway wasnt a part of the EU, I like the place even more now, you didnt want to be part of the EU gang and you have gay marriage, win for Norway on all counts! :-D
actually! firstly, i am not defending this show because obviously it is going to suck and i am going to hate it, just like i hate all ‘reality’ shows that are obviously staged, and really like i hate all reality shows in general except for old seasons of “the real world” and ones that are more like mini-documentaries BUT ANYHOW
here’s the thing: i do know a ton of lesbians that look like that and live like that… that’s west hollywood, that’s how it actually is. but gimme sugar at least managed some racial diversity in WeHo I don’t know why IFC couldn’t do that. anyhow it’s not that these ladies aren’t “real” or aren’t like anyone we know — they are, and it is. this show just represents a very very very specific sub-sub-sub-subculture of lesbians that most women can’t relate to — and because it’s a subculture that also requires a certain level of wealth and natural good looks, it’s one of the most exclusionary subcultures in the community. It’s basically like “The Hills” of lesbians. I hate The Hills
i’m writing this comment because i am avoiding writing my roundtable response
Really, jeepers, I, and probably a few other ladies, had no idea there was an actual scene out there where the women look like that! In fairness, a lot of us probably live in very small sheltered scenes so we have no idea of what’s going on in other gay pubs and clubs around the world. Just so you guys know, I was not being critical of you’re recap or anything, that’s the best part of all of this! In fairness, Ilene could make a reality show about me and my mates…but who in their right mind would want to watch it…gang of short pasty chubby-ish lesbians goes out and gets drunk several times a week, wouldnt really pull in the viewers! I dont know, I cant help but see these women as almost fictional characters and their personalities are so in you’re face and out there, even though they are acual real live lesbians, who look like that, cant get my head round it, that’s just me though obviously! You really dont need to explain yourself at all, you’ve been nothing but hilarious!
Oh my gosh,I’m so sorry too,I totally wasn’t being critical of your re-cap either. I love your recaps.
For me, because all those ladies appear glamorous and look like they lead wayyy more exciting lives than what I do, to someone like me, personally I feel they are totally unattainable and way out of my league. If I’m honest I’m just jealous. I would love to live somewhere where the sun shines pretty much constantly, has a thriving gay scene complete with a host of bars, clubs and coffee shops and with the posibility of meeting women such as these, well it sounds and from what snippets we’ve seen, looks like complete and utter heaven! I can only dream…especially compared to my particular neck of the woods…famed Brit weather, virtually no gay scene, oh and where this last week the air has been fragrant with cow manure, thanks to the frickin,frackin farmers muckspreadin, so yeah my life is literally a little Sh*t right now, on all accounts!
oh did i sound like i was upset or thought you were insulting my recaps? i totally do not feel that way at all!!! at all! no one would ever insult my recaps, obvi. LOLZ! i agree with everything you both have said and feel, so i was just you know, participating in the conversation with my pov.
and yah, w/r/t jealousy… that’s part of what makes these shows hard to handle is that i’m like “gahhhh why do they have all this fucking money that they spend on furniture instead of supporting young queer artistssssss” which’s one of many reasons why I can’t handle any of those shows (The Hills, the one about Laguna Beach or whatever, those Vh1 specials about people with money, MTV Cribs). one thing i actually liked about season one at least was that shane was sort of relate-able to me in that she managed to hang out with all these rich ladies, but was sort of couch-surfing and living hand-to-mouth herself personally. i’ve definitely been to fancy glamorous lesbian events where i feel like the bum in the fancy room.
honestly, i’d way rather see lesbians that more accurately represent more common lesbian life experiences, it’s way more interesting — like The Office is for straight people. but straight people like to see fancy beautiful lesbians, so this is what we’ve got and it blows
Ah that’s fair enough, that’s grand! Sorry, I just misinterpreted what you said, in my defence I probably should have read what you had written when I wasnt drunk, im surprised I was in any way lucid…anyway! I suppose the target market for shows like these isnt really gay ladies, it’s straight people, specifically straight guys and I doubt they’d watch a show where the cast is made up of normal looking gay ladies.
At least shows like these go some way towards dispelling stereotypes I suppose. Most straight people ive talked to assume that every gay woman is butch and every gay guy is a mincing camp fairy, my own mother even asked me was I the only femme lesbian in Dublin (!) and that now I was out shes terrified i’ll turn all manly, sigh. Anyway, I digress again, I suppose im with Sarah on this one, they’re wealth and glamour is so in your face it’s a bit irritating, luckily I can avoid shows like the Hills because I cant afford a tv! Although, having said that, id never want to be like them, they seem arrogant and vain, id much rather hang out with my mates who bring out hip flasks to save cash and down pints like thirsty farmers than sip coctails with skinny fancy lesbians! Now im not making any sort of point really so I should just stop! :-D Oh, but Sarah, the Brit gay scene can be amazing, but not if your in the countryside, that must suck, lame. :-(
*Phew*
I value your point of view a great deal. And also very thankful too, that you allow us to reply and have conversations about these posts.
We probs won’t get to see this show in England anyhow. So please, I hope you recap it.
Ah, buts it’s not all we’ve got now as Autostraddle does a damn fine stirling job of accurately representing real lesbian life experiences, real life – happening right here on this site. So thank you for bringing it to our screens. :)
Lou – Yeah its lame on several counts, mainly because I’m in the closet as well as in the countryside! (I do love where I live though, its so pretty this time of year)
So I’m not a part of any gay scene at the moment :(
I’m slowly venturing out though,but there’s no scene that I know of in my nearest town, there is 1 club about 30 miles away and another 45. None of my friends are gay, so I’m trying to build up courage to go to a club on my own, I’m pathetic really. Which is why I’m really looking forward to going to my first big pride at the end of May, I need to get out there, meet people and live my life my way for a change and have some fun g*d damn it!!
P.s, This has got to be like one of the longest thread reply thingy’s everrrr! I promise this is my last post on this thread.
Im sorry, but you are absolutely not pathetic in any shape or form. I was the exact same as you were about three years ago, I literally knew no gay people at all and was mad to try out the scene but was afriad to. The fact that you dont know any gay people now is no reflection whatsoever on your personality or who you are. There is nothing pathetic about forging ahead in the scene by yourself, more people than you realise do that…I did that, most of my friends did that. I tried to just go out by myself and see how it went, and it didnt work for me, so instead I tried gay social groups, and I gradually made acquaintances and eventually friends from that. So, my advice, however silly, is to look up gay social or sport groups online and join up and give that a go and see how you get on. I did exactly that and I havent looked back since. :-)
I vote for this whole thread getting a group comment award. The eUROper, europe-er, EURoper/awesome, wicked and SAAAAVAGE thing is so cute/hilarious.
That is a wickedly savage suggestion of spiffing awesomeness.
EURopers/Saavvvaagggeee for the win! Which is coincedently another American import, I had no idea what FTW meant for ages but it’s acceptably funny so it stays! Also, I blame lack of sleep for our pointless but fun and great for procrastinating rambles! :-D
I use to be useless at tx speak before I discovered Autostraddle, I even googled LMAO once because it was bugging the hell out of me. But now I’m getting REALly quite fluent!
Yes, lack of sleep is the culprit!! But I have to say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it-totally wickedly savage awesomness!!
Ooh, I’ll look out for that pix of you! Oh & be sure to post that vid of you and your friends at Brighton pride – Keep it real!!
Oh and hey look at my gravatar thingy, I have an all over real fake body tattoo now-sweeet!!
Yeah, and ROFL, is that a thing? Im REALlynot up to speed with the young people’s text lingo at the mo! Also, that poster makes a savage avatar, great idea, I feel like making it my Facebook profile picture just to confuse people! I have nothing more to add only that im REALly drunk right now, yes!
Result
Drunkeness is always the result, and the solution to everything! Cheers!
Ugh, the recap made them sound awful! Then I watched the video and they really are horrible. And I want to punch the next person who says REAL. Sadly, I’ll probably watch it anyway.
i echo the sentiments expressed above. but i probably won’t watch it…
I love how they kinda stole TLW poster, but then made it even better with palm frond (hairy) nipples and vagina sunburts.
I read “vagina sunburts” (which I assume is supposed to be “vagina sunbursts”) as “vagina sunburns.” I imagine vagina sunbursts would leave to vagina sunburns.
Uuuuugghh!
Oh Rose, I am not excited by your presence. I’d be lying if I said I won’t end up watching it. Hahah, oh well. We can all enjoy its… awesomely awfulness [?] together.
I love to hate that poster. Like, really? Where was Alex when she was needed?
However, Tracy is very beautiful. And that’s all.
I can’t wait to watch The REALEST REAL OF ALL REALLY REALLY REAL L Word that’s FOR REAL REAL. I’m seriously pumped. Trainwrecks are my favorite things to watch.
The fact that someone was paid to make that poster makes me want to cry. That being said, I want that sucka tattooed all over my body because it’s amazing.
REAL.
There was also Curl Girls. All the dyke drama you could want. In bikinis…
I remember that show now. Why did I ever watch it? Completely forgettable.
I definitely watched that show!
“Smizing the f out of…” Hah
I don’t know, I was curious about the show before this preview and now I feel as if none of these ladies pertain to my interest. Maybe it’s California
Barf. But wait, Riese is recapping it! Win!
“‘It’s a pretty diverse group of girls.’ I think they meant to say, ‘It’s a pretty group of girls.'”
THANK YOU FOR THIS. when i first saw the promos for The Totally Accurate L Word i was all like, “WOAH, Ilene, I didn’t know that in the real world all lesbians were white or total racial stereotypes too! BABY GURRLL!”
Welp, those are all the lines I have, so I’ll get back to my awkward sleeping: http://a5.vox.com/6a00d41421908a685e0109d06ca2b5000e-500pi
this made me lol
ditto!
Even if this sucks, I will watch every episode… twice.
Nikki and Jill seem super annoying
mte
I’m stoked that I’ll be in America when this show airs, I usually miss out on trashy American tv. I can already tell that I’m going to love Rose as hard as I love Papi.
The poster, though. Really. That’s all.
oh my god the real L word is ridiculous! and i can’t even see the trailer. also i love that poster and want to hang it on my wall.
Well, that poster sure is … a lot of skinny white women. There sure aren’t a lot of TV shows starring a bunch of skinny white women on air now, what novelty!
wait. didn’t we mostly watch the l word for naked ladies? obvs these girls are not going to have sexytimefun for us on screen so it’s mostly just be a lot of fighting. that is so depressingly like real life.
so many quotes from this recap!
my # feeling is RECAP!
i love this!!!
p.s. where’s kit? and the nanny fucking mother fucker?
my #1 feeling is RECAP!
(ugh)
As much as I hate the whole “you’re too femme to date girls!!!” thing that I get so often, I’m pretty disheartened by the lack of butch girls up in thar. I mean, there’s the fashion show girl, but she’s only kinda butch. Sorta. Bleh.
I am disappointed to learn I’m not a ‘real’ lesbian. I so thought I was…
Report card:
F- Must Try Harder
:-/
Chaiken’s poster sends entirely the wrong message. The sun never sets on lesbians’ vaginas.
Riese…..your recaps of anything are always pure WIN!
OMG, I am hoping and praying this line was written before you found the poster:
“From the creator of The L Word,” the voiceover begins. Thank the lord it’s the creepy Voiceover Oracle and not Ilene Chaiken in a burning bush. So to speak.
I am now picturing IFC in that burning bush. SSSAAAAVVVVAAAGGGEEE!!!
oh it totally was written before showtime sent me the poster. YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS RIGHT?
PROPHECY
Gasp! Sssaaavvvaaagggeee is cathing on, keep it up AS, i’ll have you all Irish-ified in no time! *insert evil laugh here*
There’s a better reality lesbian show on called “Gimme Sugar” that is more like L-Word that this crap! WTF!
Hahahah. Loving the new default gravatar!
I don’t want this! However I will accept it just as I accept other “real lesbian” things like Sam Ronson and veganism. :(
Please please please, that poster is secretly created by a;ex just for AS, right? Right? Please.
Really? All these lesbians and no butches? Not even slightly boi-ish?
I have a feeling this show is going to turn into safe for tv porn for straight men who thinks lesbian sex it hot.
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The Rea-L Disappointment that we are going to watch because we have so little else. I agree that it seems to be something created by an Exec in a boardroom who is targeting male fantasy. What a disappointment. ReaL Disappointment.