LESBIANS PERSONIFIED

The L Word Season 3 Accomplished...

2006-07-12T00:42:00.000-07:00

I finally completed The L Word Season 3 last night (28th June). Remember I mentioned how I was hesitant about watching Season 3 'cos it seemed like it was all dark and gloomy, and how I hated shows like that? Well, last Sunday, I finally plucked up enough courage, gathered enough impulse and started playing Episode 1.. on my Real Player. And guess what.. I didn't stop playing.. didn't stop watching.. until I was at Episode 8. And by then, it was 5am in the wee hours of the night. I felt like a total zombie on Monday, and basically dozed thru' work. I couldn't resist playing Episode 9 before I went to bed on Tuesday.. and finally, I finished the remaining episodes after dinner yesterday on Wednesday.

And, you know something? It wasn't so bad, really.. it wasn't as gloomy.. as ridiculous.. as how I had expected it to be. True, there were indeed bad stuff.. bad things happening, but still, it wasn't entirely that bad. There were always some bright sparks amidst the darkness.. and I caught 'em.

Alice devastated me from the beginning. I like Alice a lot.. (hahah, who doesn't?). She and Dana were my stars in Season 2 with their best-friends-turned-lovers relationship. I felt sad that Dana and her had to break up.. and yes, I do resent Lara a lil' 'cos she she got back together with Dana at Al's expense. Actually, I should be resenting Dana instead of Lara perhaps.. but I didn't.. guess it's 'cos I already knew Dana wasn't gonna be around much longer.

And in the midst of Al's depression and craziness, Helena Peabody shone. She was one of the brightest sparks for me in Season 3.. one of the stars. Whilst Bette and Tina were all caught up with fighting with each other, with loving and taking care of Angelica.. Shane giving a shot at integrating herself into Carmen's family and other stuff.. Jenny back home and away from the scene.. Helena was the one who was comforting Alice.. accompanying her and stuff. And I so like Helena for it. Back in Season 2, she was the evil one.. trying to snatch Tina away from Bette.. being the rich, difficult and arrogant bitch. Yeah, I had wished she didn't have to appear then.. seducing Tina and making life so hard for Bette. But her presence this season was a good one.. a pleasant surprise and I love her for it. And I'm not sure, if it's just me.. but I thought Helena looked really gorgeous this season.

You know, for some reason I'm not able to explain myself.. I've always had a soft spot for Tina since Season 1. I like the rest of them too, but I just have a softer spot for Tina. Maybe it's 'cos she's Bette's girlfriend and I love her 'cos Bette loves her too.. or maybe I admire her for still loving Bette even though Bette can be such a self-centered monster at times as we were all able to see for ourselves. Anyway, I didn't like Tina so much this season after she decided to bat for the other team.. especially towards the end when she was so totally into Henry. It pained me that there didn't seem to be much efforts shown on Tina's part to attempt to work on her relationship with Bette. Rather, she seemed determined to keep her distance.. in fact, I even thought I sensed a distaste for Bette in Tina.

So somewhere somehow.. at one point, I decided that Bette would be better off without Tina. Now, I'm definitely one of those Bette-Tina fans who would really really love for Ilene Chaiken and Team to patch them both back nicely together.. you know, especially now that they even have Angelica in the picture. But really, Bette's been miserable enough in two and a half seasons and definitely deserves to see the light again. Maybe they might have a shot at it again years down the road, but I definitely think both of them deserve a break from each other in Season 4. The pained expression on Bette's face.. and the hardened, impatient, eye-rolling look on Tina's face.. it would absolutely kill me (yes, no kidding!) to see them at each other's throats again in Season 4. There's really no point in them bringing out the worst in each other's personalities and wearing each other down on the screen if they're not gonna be the lovey-dovey role-model lesbian couple that so many of us would love them to be. Which brings me to one of the reasons why I decided I will continue to remain an L Word fan...

Actually, one of the things that pushed me to want to watch Season 3 is 'cos in one of those spoilers that I'm desperately training myself to merely-glance-'thru'-and-not-read, Bette meets a new woman in Season 4 and appears to get a new lease of romantic life. And that was one lil' thing that made me decide that yes, I will watch Season 4 'cos I want to see Bette becoming happy again. Therefore in order for me to be able to watch Season 4, I have to watch Season 3. Sounds weird perhaps, but it is important for me to view things in order. I can't ever watch something ahead without tracing its origins.. something like that.

Before I go on.. I have to say that I started penning this post on Thursday (29th June) when urge overpowered my laziness.. and I actually started typing. But the lazy demons in me eventually took over and obviously I didn't finish this post. Now it's Saturday already.. and in between these two days, I actually re-run a couple of episodes.. mainly 'cos I wanted to check out Alexandra Hedison again in the series, heheh. Gawd, she's gorgeous and so hot.. in such an androgynous way! Anyway, during those re-runs, I kinda realise that Tina and Bette weren't entirely at each other's throats ALL the time, just most of the time. There were still momentary glimpses of tenderness, but honestly they would hardly have been discernible if one wasn't lookin' out for them. Sigh, tragic. And okay, this just flashed across in front of my eyes moments ago.. what Bette and Tina lacked in their relationship is the element of respect.. yeah.. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. It might have been there before, I don't know.. but no longer.

Oh, can I say I don't like Moira.. I don't like Max? No, and it's not 'cos he's transgendered. I have a personal friend who's transgendered himself.. and so I guess I do know a lil' about the difficulties of being one. I haven't quite figured out why I don't like him yet, except that I didn't like the way he treated Jenny. Okie, I also think he's kinda insecure, and that probably makes him edgy.. and overly-defensive, but then again, knowing the reasons for the behavior I don't like, does not really mean I have to accept his behavior and therefore like him, right? Oh well, actually perhaps at the end of the day, it might just boil down to feelings.. and many a times, we can't quite put a finger to feelings right?

Anyway, now that I've completed watching Season 3, I can't wait for Season 4. But meanwhile, I guess I can still bear to watch re-runs of certain parts of Season 3, a thought that definitely never crossed my mind before. Now, I'm not saying Season 3 is fantastic, nay.. I still feel Season 1's best.. but then there are certainly some scenes in there I kinda savor, so while Season 4's not out yet.. I'll just have to make do. Perhaps you could give it a try too.. and who knows, you might just find a terrible storyline in there that didn't seem so terrible afterall.. :)

*this post was written over the course of the past couple of weeks, reason being i'm just not focused enough to pen this at one shot. i have dozed off, drifted off to doing something else, etc.. while writing this.. hahaha.. ;p*

Stuck And Procrastinating..

2006-05-15T07:20:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to find this blog kinda tough to run. Not 'cos I have no more materials to put in here anymore, rather it's the opposite. There are tons of ideas and subject matter within the cranky walls of my head that I can put in here, but the problem is I don't have sufficient time to do this. Gathering and sorting out materials to get them fit for publishing here require extensive blocks of time and I don't have them, not at least till next weekend. Right now, I only have squirts of time.. time enough only for me to pen my rantings about my-not-having-enough-time.. entries like this one.

Anyway, initially when I decided to do this blog, the first character I wanted to cover was Dana Fairbanks (played by Erin Daniels) from The L Word. Mainly to commemorate her cruel recent departure from the series due to her succumbing to breast cancer in Season 3. But I decided to hold it for a while, 'cos the truth is, I haven't been able to bring myself to complete watching Season 3 yet. I have been procrastinating, 'cos I'm a sucker for happy storylines.. or at least happy endings.. and from what I've heard and read and seen.. Season 3 of The L Word is nothing remotely like it. And with Tina turning straight, Dana dying, Shane backing out of her wedding with Carmen.. I'm really not quite sure if I want to complete watching Season 3.

Well, I have another six months at least to procrastinate.. or perhaps even swear off The L Word altogether if the spoilers for Season 4 that spill out during this time continue to paint a dark gloomy picture. It would be so depressing for me 'cos you know, I really enjoyed The L Word.. especially its 1st season. And it really was THE series for me, at least until Season 3.

Sad. So, will Ilene Chaiken please remember that it really doesn't hurt to give her audience a happier and more hope-giving L Word? The world is really sad enough from all the news we read and hear, we really wouldn't mind watching doses of pink-rosey happy stories emerging from the tv-box. I certainly wouldn't.

Ling..

2006-05-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

Strictly speaking, this particular episode about Ling and Ally probably does not qualify as a lesbian scene as neither of them is gay and this fact is reiterated more than enough times thru'out the whole episode. But I cannot resist covering this episode 'cos I did enjoy the chemistry between Ling and Ally. Ling is a favorite for me in this episode. Whilst her outspoken and domineering personality seemed bitchy and irritating in other episodes, her very same personality traits shine like gems in this one.

My favorite shots of Ling in this episode.

Ally McBeal - Buried Pleasures

2006-05-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

During the firm's breakfast meeting,
Ling repeatedly looks at Ally from across the table unabashedly.
Ally is distracted and feels uncomfortable.

After the meeting, Ling invites herself into Ally's office,
shuts the door and asks Ally if she has ever kissed a woman.
Ally is taken aback and refuses to discuss this
on the grounds that they're not exactly friends.
Ling then invites Ally to dinner so they could work on being friends.
Ally accepts, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

At dinner, Ally and Ling are both nervous
and Ally attempts to make small talk about the food.
Ally's fingers start to tap uncontrollably on the table when Ling confesses that
Ally was the woman she had dreamt about kissing.
Ling then puts one hand on Ally's to calm her down.
Ally only becomes relieved and relaxes when Ling reveals that
she has reconfirmed with herself that
what she really wants out of a relationship at the end of the day is a penis.

Noticing a group of guys lookin' them over,
Ling and Ally decide to have a lil' fun
by pretending to be into each other
by dancing intimately and titillating the guys.

Ally and Ling dancing intimately.. and having a whale of a time!

The walk home.
Ally and Ling have a great time talking and
laughing about everyone's reaction to their lil' display earlier.
They stop in front of Ally's apartment.
Ling declines Ally's offer to step in for a coffee.
As Ling turns to leave, she hesitates, turns back to Ally,
plants a kiss on Ally's cheek and quickly walks away.
Ally is pleasantly surprised and smiles as she looks on at Ling walking away.
After a short distance, Ling turns around, smiles and waves.. and then walks on.

The next day.

Ally is daydreamin' again in her office, relishing the kiss and the night's events.
Ling pops up in front of her and catches her unawares again.
Ling comments she looks flustered, and Ally tries to appear relaxed and
props her feet up on her desk and comically falls back out of the chair.
Sensing Ally's nervousness, Ling smirks in amusement.
Ally says that she had a great time last night and starts stuttering again.
Ling goes straight to the point and asks Ally
if she had wanted to kiss her last night.
Ally says yes.. Ling leans over the table and ask if she still does.
Without waiting for an answer, Ling walks to the door,
shuts and locks it.. and turns around.
She strutters back towards Ally and says,
"Could you step out from behind the desk?"..

Ally obediently steps forward and they walk towards each other.
They admit to being curious about kissing each other.
Ling says that Nelle thinks that perhaps it would all go away
if they really did kiss, to which Ally replies,
"Maybe we should, just to see what it's like."
"What do you think it would be like? Ling asks.
"Soft," says Ally. Ling repeats, "Soft."
Slowly, they move their faces close and kiss.
Ally slowly lifts her hands up to caress Ling's hair as Ling caresses Ally's back.

When they finally stop kissing, Ling softly says, "That didn't suck,"
"Not at all," Ally softly replies. "One more?" Ling asks. "Little one," says Ally.
Slowly, they close their eyes and kiss again..

Next day at the library.
Ally flicks a book out from the bookcase
and is once again surprised to see Ling on the other side.
"We need to talk about it," says Ling.
They both concluded that even though they both enjoyed the kiss,
they still prefer men. But they were glad they did it anyway.
The incident comes to a closure with Ally's promise to Ling
she will never kiss another woman.

At the bar.

Ling is in the arms of Richard at the dance floor.
Ally is having a drink with Renee at a table.
Ally glances across the dance floor and catches Ling's eye.
They exchange a lingering look and a slight smile..
The end.

screenshots taken from ELMS

Ally And Ling..

2006-05-09T00:43:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed Ally McBeal pretty much when it was still airing. But I didn't watch every episode faithfully, only as and when I was able to catch it. And this episode that had Ling (played by Lucy Liu) dreaming about kissing Ally (Calista Flockhart) was definitely one of the more memorable episodes for me.

Well, actually I don't exactly love everything about the episode. I dislike the parts where Richard dished out his homophobic view on two men kissing and what-nots.. and I don't exactly enjoy the bits where Ling and Ally reiterated about the importance of having a penis in the kind of relationship they were looking for and that a relationship with a woman certainly would not give them that. Granted they were both trying to convince themselves and each other that they weren't gay, but at times I feel they were both trying too hard.. to the point that it gets a little offensive.

But well, I thoroughly enjoy it when Ling took it to Ally all the time thru'out the whole episode.. how she walked straight into Ally's office after the meeting and blatantly invited Ally out for a dinner date to "get to know each other better".. how she actually took the initiative and planted a surprise good-night-and-goodbye kiss on Ally's cheek outside Ally's apartment before strutting off confidently and then turning back with a smile as she walked off.. how she would pop up again in Ally's office the next day to take care of "unfinished business" from last night and then, finally again at the library to seek closure for the whole incident.

I find Ling's assertive and commanding attitude in handling this whole episode both hot and amusing. It cracks me up everytime Ling was able to catch Ally unawares and Ally would almost alwasy end up fumbling or mumbling and falling back out of her chair even. Call her bitchy or whatever, but Ling's "deemed bitchy" traits simply shine when she displays her assertiveness over Ally in this episode and I find that very attractive.

It's a pity there wasn't any follow-up in later episodes to the lingering look and smile Ally and Ling exchanged towards the end when Ling was dancing in Richard's arms. It would have been fun to see where it would lead to.. :p

Elizabeth..

2006-05-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

I like Elizabeth Mitchell a lot. My heart broke when Dr Kim Legaspi never made it back to ER's Season 8. For a while, I totally blamed Kerry, hated Romano.. and even boycotted ER for a while, lol.

Meanwhile, I searched intensively for Elizabeth's other projects, and managed to lay hands on episodes of CSI, Law & Order: SVU, Jag, Everwood, Boston Legal and some others in which she guest-starred. Her movie credits included Frequency, Double Bang, Santa Clause 2, recently-released Running Scared, etc. Elizabeth is also poised to continue her role as Mrs Santa Clause in Santa Clause 3 which is due for release this year-end.

After ER, my thirst to seeing her onscreen was temporarily quenched when she was casted as Ariel Saxon in The Lyon's Den which also starred Rob Lowe. However, my happiness was short-lived as the show was axed only after airing six episodes.

To this day, I still like Elizabeth best as Dr Kim Legaspi. I think she looks gorgeous in the series. My eyes would always be glued to the tv set whenever Kim appeared on-screen. Gia is a great film to watch too. The intense chemistry between Gia and Linda is simply sizzling and I have to admit I love their love-making scenes. The heartwarming "Mr and Mrs Doodiekins" scenes that took place when Gia attempted to give up modeling and go into rehab at Philadelphia with Linda by her side are one of my favorites.

But as much as Gia is a terrific film, I think those of you who have watched it will agree with me that it is also a very painful show to watch. I've only watched Gia from beginning to end twice, and both times, I ended up with red swollen eyes and nose. The storyline is simply too tragic for me to attempt a third time without feeling depressed for the rest of the day, so now I'm reduced to watching selected parts of the movie only. And not without a cringe either.

Elizabeth Mitchell Shines In ER..

2006-05-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Kim's entry into Kerry's life hits the headlines..

When Kim sets eyes upon Kerry..

Kim and Kerry's 1st dinner date.
They have a great time. Kerry finally realises Kim is gay..

Kerry finally 'fesses up to Kim..

The morning after.
Kerry reminisces while showering.. and smiles to herself.

The morning after : Kim makes breakfast as Kerry gets dressed for work.

Kim kisses Kerry as Kerry leaves for work.

Kerry goes home to Kerry after a lousy day at work.

A bedroom scene.
Kerry awakes when Kim comes out of the shower after comin' home from work.
Kerry is captivated by how beautiful Kim looks.
Tender loving moments..

Kerry has dinner with Kim's lesbian friends.
She feels uncomfortable and they have their 1st argument.

Kim and Kerry chatting happily at the hospital hallway..

Troubled times begin
when Kim is wrongly accused of sexual harassment
and Kerry fails to support her.
Kerry later tries to atone, but Kim feels way too hurt and betrayed..

Kim attempts to salvage their relationship and writes Kim a letter.
But all is too late.. as Kim remains aloof.

Romano fires Kim unjustly.
Final interactions.. before Kim leaves Kerry and ER for good. :(

screenshots taken from Coming Out of TV

Elizabeth Mitchell In Gia..

2006-05-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

When Gia meets Linda..
Linda later strips to join Gia for a spontaneous photoshoot in the buff..

The morning after their 1st night together, Linda leaves.
Her parting shot to Gia.. "I'm really very square"..

Gia and Linda get all passionate on board a plane.

1st heartbreak : When Gia coaxes Linda to trick her into returning the dope.

Another heartbreaking scene :
Gia pays Linda a surprise visit before she breathes her last.
Their last embrace..

Endearing shots of Elizabeth in Gia..

My favorite shot of Elizabeth in Gia.

screenshots taken from HotFlick.net

Elizabeth Mitchell

2006-05-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

The first lesbian movie I watched was Gia, a heart-wrenching true story about the phenomenal but short life of supermodel Gia Marie Carangi (played by the gorgeous and sexy Angelina Jolie). The first lesbian character that I fell in love with wasn't Gia herself, but rather, it was the pretty make-up artist Linda and Gia's love interest in the movie who was personified by Elizabeth Mitchell.

Maybe it was Linda's shyness..her unsureness.. her hesitance towards Gia, but Elizabeth did a wonderful portrayal of Linda's emotions and I was completely captivated by her. Angelina Jolie was outstanding as Gia in the movie and indeed, she won a Golden Globe for her portrayal, but it was Elizabeth Mitchell who completely swept me off my feet.

I went on to dig out what other projects Elizabeth did.. and I found Dr. Kim Legaspi in ER's Season 7 who was romantically linked to the authoritative Dr Kerry Weaver (played by Laura Innes). And I fell more in love with Elizabeth than I did the first time round.

So the very first celebrity I will be featuring on my blog will be Elizabeth Mitchell who is heterosexual and currently married in real life, but who has portrayed lesbian characters on tv and on film outstandingly.

More information about Elizabeth Mitchell can be found at Elizabeth Mitchell Central.

Why...

2006-05-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty excited about doing this blog.. 'cos I'm not quite sure if this would work, considering I'm really an amateur at this. But I'm gonna try all the same. If you gals like it, well and good (for me, of course).. but if no one does, then I'll just tell myself that at least I've tried. In any case, I feel like I'm gonna enjoy this ride. :)