Unicorn Plan-It Episode 5: Hunting Bambi
Welcome to Episode #105 of the internet’s most revolutionary webseries, Unicorn Plan-It. This particular episode will take you on a whirlwind journey through the canyons, beaches and outdoor shooting ranges of Los Angeles, featuring several extra-special guest stars. If you’re new here, you definitely need to go catch up with the first four episodes, and here’s the rundown:
UNICORN PLAN-IT is a tight little comedy best described as Modern Family meets Kell on Earth meets “a bunch of hot lesbians in West Hollywood.” Has anyone made a show about that last one?
Three co-workers, one crazy boss and one enlightened fairy-tale-haired spiritual healer face the slings and arrows of everyday life as event planners and ladykillers and homosexuals.
“We refer to everyone as Unicorns, because gay people love them, because they are magical and lovely, and also, they are really just lesbian horses. Obvs. Holler. UNICORN PLAN-IT…Get horny.”
This show is written, directed, produced and edited by Real Lesbian Females who want to make you laugh, make you proud of who you are and generally make your life better in every way. Who are these real lesbian females? Haviland Stillwell (TV/Broadway actress, recording artist, vlogstar, voice of Yasmin in THE BRATZ!), Sarah Croce (Actress, Miss April, Girl Talk, Fake-Whitney), Ashley Reed (writer, upcoming film HART’S LOCATION, once recorded a song for you), and comedian Sherri D. Sutton. This episode also features Catherine Wadkins, Amir Levi, Romi Klinger (Hija Por Vida), Jill Bennett & Cathy DeBuono and Kelsey Chavarria.
Oh! Before we begin, I have some important news for you. You see these t-shirts?
photograph by wingspan pictures
You can have one of your very own! Just stop by our Autostraddle Store of Awesome and get yours for $25 — or $20 without “Get Horny” on the back.
Cathy DeBuono Launches New Radio Show & Private Practice
Cathy DeBuono first arrived in the lesbian online consciousness via What’s Your Problem, the video blog which combined her knowledge of psychology (she holds a masters degree in Clinical Psychology and is a Licensed Psychotherapist in the state of California) and passion for entertaining (And Then Came Lola, Out at the Wedding) to create a unique forum for girls seeking advice from an LGBT perspective. Cathy answered letters in each episode concerning coming out, romantic relationships, drug abuse, depression, friendships and family intermixed with celebrity guests (Erin Foley, Jill Bennett, Suzanne Westenhoefer, Thea Gill, Maeve Quinlan).
After two years of What’s Your Problem, she went on to executive produce and star in We Have to Stop Now, where she played a lesbian therapist alongside real-life partner Jill Bennett.
Today, Cathy launches her very own radio show, Cathy Is In, which echoes the advice driven mission of WYP, but explicitly incorporates Cathy’s unique gift as an energetic intuitive. Cathy describes this as a way to “perceive information about you from your energy field. It is an ability to acutely attune to your energetic state of mind, body or emotion (soul). Often, energetic intuition will offer new perspectives that can reveal variables of your issue/problem that you may not be aware of.” Do you love our Formspring advice columns? Then you need to get involved in this situation ASAP.
But wait, there’s more! In conjunction with the radio gig, Cathy is now offering one-on-one sessions if you’d prefer some private TLC from Cathy via video chat, phone or email.
Cathy Is In airs live every Tuesday on LA Talk Radio at 12pm PST (call in number 818-602-4929) and archived podcasts will be available for free download as well!
LGBT Film Festival Season 2011: A Guide to Movies You’ll Want to See
It’s that time of year — when gay & lesbian filmmakers begin touring the big, bad world in hopes of finding an audience for the labor of love they poured their creative energy into over the last 12 months. Many of these films are self-financed or funded through generous donations by friends, family and fans without whom these stories would never make it off the written page.
Much like Sundance and the Tribeca Film Festival, LGBT film festivals such as San Francisco’s Frameline, LA’s Outfest and New York City’s Newfest include features, shorts, panels & special events in cities all over US. Even if you can’t make it to your city’s festival this summer/fall, be sure to save these films to your Netflix queue as they will surely be released on DVD later in the year.
Upcoming 2011 LGBT Film Festivals:
Los Angeles Outfest: July 7-17
Philadelpha Q Fest: July 7-18
New York City Newfest: July 21-28
Vancouver: August 11-21
North Carolina: August 11-14
Austin: September 6-12
Portland: September 30-October 8
Tampa: October 6-16
Seattle: October 14-23
Films to look out for:
We Have to Stop Now: The Movie
Longtime Auto-friends Jill Bennett and Cathy DeBuono are back as married, lesbian therapists in the second season of We Have to Stop Now, this time reborn as a full length feature film. Interwoven with hilarious vignettes from client sessions, the story follows the couple as they go on a Sweet cruise to promote their book, How to Succeed in Marriage Without Even Trying, and are forced to re-evaluate the complications within their own relationship with help from their own marriage therapist, played by Suzanne Westenhoefer. Meredith Baxter, John W. McLaughlin and genius series writer Ann Noble co-star.
[yframe url=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWxt4z5Ko4s’]
Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same
Originally premiering at Sundance to great word of mouth, this sci-fi comedy lovingly parodies the black-and-white B-movies from back in the day, complete with cheesy special effects, (intentional) stiff acting and government paranoia. It tells the story of codependent Barr (Cynthia Kaplan), promiscuous Zylar (comedian Jackie Monahan), and sweet Zoinx (Susan Ziegler), three shiny-headed space aliens on a mission of heartbreak. The story follows the adventures of lesbian space aliens on the planet Earth, and the story of the romance between Jane, a shy greeting card store employee, and Zoinx, the woman Jane does not realize is from outer-space.
[yframe url=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecILvyLG4hc’]
Hit So Hard
Though Courtney Love was Hole’s chaotic and thereby recognizable front woman, Patty Schemel was its true innovator: a female rock drummer, openly gay woman, and recovering addict once on the brink of homelessness. P. David Ebersole’s documentary debut weaves through the most difficult and celebrated moments of Schemel’s life at the height of the grunge era. Hit So Hard features members of Hole, Veruca Salt, The Go-Go’s, Faith No More, and The Bangles and includes never-before-seen home video capturing intimate family life with Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love, and an infant Francis Bean.
[yframe url=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4ANYA3nvKE’]
Jamie and Jessie Are Not Together
Pitched as Show Me Love meets 500 Days of Summer (read: dyke drama+random musical numbers), the story follows Jamie (Jacqui Jackson) moving from Chicago to New York to become a Broadway actress. Her best friend Jessica (Jessica London-Shields) is bummed because she’s secretly in love with Jamie and begins trying to make Jamie jealous by dating other girls as moving day gets closer. Examining the co-dependent, loyal friendship between these two women, writer/director Wendy Jo Carlton (Hannah Free) was inspired to make the lesbian version of indie faves like Garden State and Lost in Translation based on the universal experience of falling in love with your best friend.
[yframe url=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSbtthe98A4′]
Wish Me Away
Bet ya never imagined Cinco de Gayo would churn out a feature length film, eh? This intensely personal documentary chronicles the heart-wrenching decision country star Chely Wright makes to come out of the closet despite the potentially crushing response from the industry and her fans. The doc is receiving rave reviews and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Los Angeles Film Festival this month.
[yframe url=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrC-nw1Oc3M’]
Circumstance
This dramatic love story between two liberated 16-year-old girls (Nikohl Boosheri & Sarah Kazemy) in Tehran is potentially incendiary stuff in a country where their relationship could mean the death penalty. The film goes deep into Persian culture, dealing with very real youth and family issues in Iran. If unable to catch it at your city’s film fest, Circumstance will be released nationwide in the US on August 19th.
[yframe url=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD7wieh-m-0′]
Leave it on the Floor
Set in the ballroom world originally memorialized by the documentary Paris Is Burning, this is an original big, gay musical set in the scene in Los Angeles 2011. Essentially Glee meets RENT meets Dreamgirls, Leave it on the Floor is pulsing with energy, joy, and some of the catchiest and queerest dance songs ever.
[yframe url=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkuuHX1iebE’]
Love Is All You Need?
This film by Auto-friends Rachel Diana and K. Rocco Shields of Wingspan Pictures challenges our current conceptions of the phrases “gay” and “straight” by switching, not only their meanings, but also the culturally instigated conditions that are commonly paired with the phrases; like suicide in response to bullying. Love Is All You Need? tells the story of Ashley, a young teen who is raised in the ‘picture perfect all-American family’ – with two moms, two grandpas, two uncles, and a little brother. But Ashley has a problem – she has a crush on a boy at school, which is against everything this world has ever taught her. This undeniable attraction to the opposite sex causes her to be the constant target of verbal and physical abuse until she is driven to a tragic end.
[yframe url=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2OmY_0Ojsc’]
The Perfect Family
This dramedy co-written by Paula Goldberg (Out at the Wedding) revolves around a devoutly Catholic wife and mother (played by Kathleen Turner) who has been nominated for “Catholic Woman of the Year.” Emily Deschanel plays her daughter, a successful lawyer who is five months pregnant and about to marry her girlfriend played by Angelique Cabral. As Deschanel’s character struggles to come out to her mom, the son (Jason Ritter) has just left his wife for an older woman while her husband is a recovering alcoholic. Through all this, Turner goes about trying to prove she has the “perfect” family for the board’s final approval.
Out Actress Ashleigh Sumner Arrives in “And Then Came Lola”: Autostraddle Interview
Out lesbian actress Ashleigh Sumner is mega-hot and stars as the title character in the new free-wheelin’ lesbian romantic comedy And Then Came Lola alongside Jill Bennett & Cathy DeBuono. This isn’t just another coming out story, it’s a funny guilty pleasure indie flick set in the super gay-ed up streets of San Francisco. And this time, writer/directors of the film went out of their way to cast lead actresses who were all openly gay — amazing, right?
In this time-bending, sexy, lesbian romp, with an irreverent nod to the popular art-house classic “Run, Lola, Run” – a talented, but distracted photographer, Lola (Ashleigh Sumner), on the verge of success in both love and work, could lose it all if she doesn’t make it to a crucial meeting on time. But, as usual, Lola is late. With her job and girlfriend (Jill Bennett) on the line, she has three chances to make it right. In a mad dash through the streets and backrooms of San Francisco, time grows short – will Lola make it? Will she come at all?
Seriously, just look at that poster. You know you want to go to there. Well, guess what — the movie was just released on DVD so you can order that puppy right now! Along with San Francisco, the music in the film is a character unto itself, with songs by Jennifer Corday and Jessy Moss creating an energy that doesn’t let up as Lola runs, bikes and stumbles her way all over the city.
I chatted with Ashleigh about seeing herself on the big screen for the first time, performing her first on-camera sex scenes, gay life in LA versus San Francisco, superheroes, and her other world as a talented painter at sumnerartstudio.com.
Jess: And Then Came Lola screened at festivals all over the world. What’s it like seeing yourself projected on the big screen for the first time?
Ashleigh: It probably took me a good 5 screenings to just enjoy the movie, rather than critiquing my performance throughout. During the first few screenings I’d be going,”ah, that moment was good” or “eh, maybe I would’ve played that differently…” Cause, I’m looking at it two years after we shot it! And, I’d like to think all actors continue to grow the more we work. So yeah, it took me a few screenings to just kinda chill out and watch it as a movie.
Jess: What do you think the movie is about?
Ashleigh: I think it’s about finding love… and being ready for it, which I think oftentimes scares people like it does Lola. She found the right girl at the right time and she had to go through a process of being ready for that, which I think a lot of people sometimes do.
Jess: Random events pop up throughout the three versions of the story dictating the course of Lola getting to Casey [Jill Bennett]. Have you experienced serendipity like this, where random events ultimately had a big impact on your life?
Ashleigh: Oh sure. Absolutely. I’m from North Carolina and about 6 years ago I had an audition for Dawson’s Creek. I met this guy named Steven while waiting in the audition room because we had the same audition time. We started chatting, and he actually became a lifelong friend. We met that day. He moved back to California and we kept in touch, and he convinced me to come to LA. We wound up being roommates when I moved to LA, and he made my transition much easier. If I hadn’t have met Steven I don’t know when – or if — I would have left North Carolina and come out to Los Angeles. So it was kind of serendipitous that I met him that day at that audition at the same time!
Jess: I think a lot of times people just need that sort of divine intervention to push them to where they’re ultimately supposed to be. People sometimes are just looking for that excuse to do what it is they really want to do.
Ashleigh: Totally.
Jess: And Then Came Lola really showcases San Francisco in a loving way. I know the gay scene there is very different from LA.
Ashleigh: The LA and San Francisco gay scenes are very different, and I think that has a lot to do with LA being an industry town. It’s like Detroit, but instead of making cars you’re making movies. With the industry and also the sunny, warm weather comes a sense of “lightness.” We all love to party. [laughing] Some people refer to this aspect of LA as a “superficiality” that I don’t necessarily agree with. I think it’s more of a “lightness.” Whereas in San Francisco, I think it all comes down to the weather. There’s more rain, which I love. There’s more sea winds. I think there’s much more social and political awareness in San Francisco amongst the gay community because the entertainment industry isn’t there. Not to say that there’s not in LA, but you kind of see a bit more “real deal, let’s fucking fight the system” gay crowd in San Francisco versus Los Angeles. The lesbians up there are more hardcore and grittier, but still wonderful and beautiful. Whereas in LA, everybody kind of goes after that L Word image a bit… myself included.
Jess: I know you had your first on-camera love scene in the movie, how drunk did you need to get to get through it?
Ashleigh: [laughing] Well, I’m actually a pretty shy girl, so I was a little bit nervous about it! But, it comes down to trust, and I really trusted Megan and Ellen [the writer/directors]. I’ve realized shooting a love scene is like shooting a dance scene — everything is choreographed. From every turn, to every whatever you’re doing, it’s all planned and choreographed, so it wasn’t as nerve wracking at all, as I thought it would be. Jill had done a few love scenes in previous work, and she was really wonderful with me.
Jess: Did you do anything to prepare for those scenes?
Ashleigh: Umm… yea, I went to the gym! [laughing] Besides that, I think you prepare for it in a way kind of like you would any other scene. There’s still a story that’s being told… If you look at the first love scene between Lola and Casey and then the one at the end, after they’ve gone through their whole arc and they’ve decided that they want to be together — it’s a different kind of love scene. So I think you prepare for it, you treat it mentally, the same way you would any other scene. What circumstances happened before this scene, and how is it different from the previous one.
Jess: What was it like being on set with Jill and Cathy as their chemistry was translating to real life as you were filming?
Ashleigh: Well, it was a little bit of a concern because obviously they had a lot of chemistry, that’s very evident especially now, but it was a concern for me because — in terms of the story, you did not want Casey’s character to have more chemistry with Danielle’s than she did with Lola because then the story wouldn’t work. I made sure that talking with Jill, we found our own chemistry. I actually think it worked out quite well, it’s a very different kind of chemistry with Lola than with Danielle. I really tried to tap into that. That was kind of foremost to make sure it could still work to benefit the story.
Jess: The movie’s obviously notable because you guys are all out actresses and this is the first time that’s been done in a movie. Did you make a conscious decision to be out from the start and did you ever have any agents or managers suggest that you keep your personal life private or be closeted?
Ashleigh: Yes. Oh, I have a lot to say on this! When I first moved to LA, one of the first things I did was the lead in a short film called Mother. It did very well and wound up going to Cannes. At the time I had a manager and invited him to a screening at the AFI (American Film Institute) out here. It was such a small screening at that point — really just friends and family of the filmmakers and the cast, and… I brought my girlfriend. The next day my manager said, “you should not bring your partner to anything.” This was a small, short film. And I really hadn’t come across that yet, and it really upset me. At that moment, I really had to do a lot of soul searching, and 24 hours later I fired my manager. Because if somebody doesn’t support me in that way, I don’t want to be working with them. And if you’re that homophobic… I just didn’t want that energy in my life. So, I let him go.
Jessica Graham, Ashleigh, Jill Bennett, Cathy DeBuono at DVD release party
Now, there’s a lot of discussion about this. I do not fault anyone who chooses to stay in the closet. Would it be better for all of us if every gay actor came out? Yes. But it is a personal choice. It’s a deeply personal choice, and I respect that. Now with Lola, I had not done anything that was gay… I hadn’t even thought about it. When the movie did come up, it was like “okay, well these means I’m out”, not that I was in, but it definitely means I’m out if I do this movie. If I were straight I wouldn’t have any hesitancy to do the film at all, so I thought about that. Ultimately, I did do the film, and I knew I would be out, which I was okay with based on how I’ve been trained as an actor, and my own personal feeling is that acting is constantly seeking truth. That’s what you want to go for. And, if you’re living a lie or you portray a lie in your personal life, that can come out into your work. So, I try to live my life as truthfully as possible, and if somebody is making more out of my sexuality than my performance, if that’s the bigger deal than my work on screen, then I need to get back into acting classes, ’cause I think there’s a problem. I think the strong actresses who are out and who are gay, like Cherry Jones for instance, nobody sits there and says, “Cherry Jones… that lesbian.” [laughing] They usually say, “she should win an Emmy” or “she should win another Tony, she’s brilliant.” So, my approach is that you just have to be so good that it doesn’t matter, and you just have to work so hard that they can’t say anything about it. Now, I’m saying that from a point of view of an actress who doesn’t go in for every romantic lead — that’s not me. I’m not going in for every X, Y and Z’s girlfriend. So maybe that’s easier for me to say, But that’s my experience, and that’s how I look at it.
Jess: What is your favorite gay-themed movie?
Ashleigh: High Art is probably my favorite. It’s just beautifully directed and acted, and I just thought it was so well done. I also remember seeing it during my coming out process as well, so it just has a special place in my heart. Radha Mitchell with Patricia Clarkson and Ally Sheedy… I just loved it. A close second to that is probably Aimée & Jaguar.
Jess: When did you know you were gay?
Ashleigh: Well, I knew something was up when I was much younger, in my childhood. I was always drawn to superheroes and I had this strange thing about Agent Scully on The X-Files [laughing]. But, I didn’t feel safe to explore those feelings until I moved from North Carolina to California at 23 or 24. I was a bit of a late bloomer.
Jess: Speaking of superheroes, there’s a lot of animation in the film. Why do you think so many gay kids are drawn to comics and superheroes?
Ashleigh: Wow, that’s a really good question, because I was a huge comic fan. I think if you look at superheroes, ultimately, in the beginning the superhero realizes they’re different. Usually at those moments they really have a struggle with that. They’re different from their peers in some way. They have a superpower. I think that gay kids relate to that on a level. We all have a moment where, we go, “oh shit, I’m different.” And, later there comes this moment of embracing that, and you’re empowered by that, and I think that journey of a superhero is very similar to what we go through.
Jess: What were your favorite comics growing up?
Ashleigh: Oh my god. I was a huge Spiderman fan, for sure. When I was really young I was a big Superman fan. I was also a really big fan of the artwork in Spawn, by Todd McFarlane. My brother was really into X-Men. I never got completely into X-Men, ’cause I couldn’t like the same things he liked. I loved Batman, and now I’m a real big fan of course of Batwoman, who is a lesbian comic book character now. Which, I gotta give kudos to DC for that! They’re actually going to have a whole series because of the response to that character! I think it’s so great.
Jess: I was checking out your website where you have some of the artwork featured. What medium do you use?
Ashleigh: I usually use acrylic paint on wood panel. Sometimes it’s bamboo or canvas, sometimes it’s just wood. Then I use a self-leveling resin. And I use a palette knife, I don’t really use brushes, and I scrape on with layers.
Jess: What’s the inspiration behind your art work?
Ashleigh: Urban cityscapes are the inspiration. I want to try and capture that rhythm and energy and density and grittiness that urban areas have. From an emotional standpoint, it’s very similar to acting, in the fact that it feels the same, it comes from the same place. You just try to hook into that, and I just put it on the canvas. I didn’t go to art school, so I can’t pontificate [laughing], but I think it’s similar to the abstract expressionists during the ’50s and ’60s in that they put emotional expression on a canvas. It didn’t have to be anything. It was just what emotionally came out and that’s kind of where I try to work from.
Jess: Did you listen to music to get psyched for all the running/biking in the movie or painting?
Ashleigh: Yeah! That’s exactly what I did. Especially when you’re running for 14 days, and you have to tap into an energy — what can get you pumped up. It’s the same thing for people when they work out, they listen to something that pumps them up. For Lola, to get ready to run, I’d listen to Eminem, 50 Cent, Miike Snow, Brandi Carlile, etc. For Lola, I’d have to fine something that would energize me when I had no energy left. With painting, it completely depends. I will listen to something like Radiohead from their new In Rainbows album. I’m also a big hip-hop fan. Invincible. Brother Ali. With the artwork it totally depends on the color and mood…. I swear to God, I can tell the difference between a painting where I was listening to Bob Dylan versus listening to Pink. I see a difference in the work.
Jess: Do you have any upcoming art shows?
Ashleigh: I just finished a play called The Ice-Breaker, written by David Rambo who is writer/producer on CSI. Which, by the way, brings up the difference between theatre and film. With theatre, it’s like you spend all this time on this beautiful ice sculpture, and it melts away. It’s gone. And in a film, you always have it.
I’m having an art show at The Advocate & Gochis Galleries at the LA Gay & Lesbian Center on July 8. I’m also showing with Roche-Bobois, the art store. They’re showing my stuff in San Francisco right now and in San Diego soon. It’s a beautiful, contemporary furniture and interior design store.
Jess: What’s your dream role?
Ashleigh: Janis Joplin.
Jess: Wasn’t Pink supposed to play her in a movie?
Ashleigh: You know, it was supposed to be Pink and then Renee Zelleweger… I mean, they can’t get it made! It’s like it’s cursed or something! They’ve tried to make it several times, and it just can’t go through.
Jess: Maybe they gotta do the indie version and then you can play her.
Ashleigh: I would love it, believe me.
Jill Bennett & Cathy DeBuono Celebrate at “We Have to Stop Now” Season Two Premiere
Jill Bennett & Cathy DeBuono did it up right last weekend with a screening & outdoor bash to celebrate the Season 2 premiere of their labor of love, We Have to Stop Now. Although the series was created for the web, it was shown on the BIG SCREEN as a two-hour feature film for those lucky enough to bribe their way in. The premiere party was complete with a red carpet, Autostraddle’s Nat Garcia doing interviews and live performances from out rock singer Corday and the band Kelly’s Lot. Remember how we all bitched and moaned that some shows did not reflect “they way that we live?” Well, guess what – this show actually does mirror relationships in a version of reality that rings true… particularly for those of us who love to process feelings and appreciate therapy.
Cast L-R: Meredith Baxter, Shannan Leigh Reeve, Ann Noble, Jill Bennett, Cathy DeBuono, Maryfrances Careccia, John W. McLaughlin, Suzanne Westenhoefer
The Plot in a Nutshell
Season 1 established Dyna (Cathy) and Kit (Jill) as married therapists struggling with their relationship following the success of their book, “How to Succeed In Marriage Without Even Trying.” Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer rounds out the cast as their therapist with the show’s writer/creator Ann Noble as Kit’s stoner sister who plays the wise fool. Season 2 takes those characters and amps up the comedy, depth and pathos. The storyline between the two sisters (Noble and new cast member Maryfrances Careccia as Dyna’s sis) is particularly moving, adding an unexpected layer of sexiness and authenticity beyond the ushe Jill & Cathy chemistry-fest.
Ya know what else is exciting this season? Guest stars! Early in season 2, Dyna & Kit decide to shop around for another therapist and consult with twin shrinks played by Meredith Baxter in her first role since coming out. Once the story conveniently puts everyone on the Sweet cruise (they filmed much of the season on board a ship sailing into the eye of a hurricane, FYI) the celesbians come fast and furious with appearances by Erin Foley, Nicol Paone, Dani Campbell, Kate McKinnon, Corday and the cast of CherryBomb (aka The Lesbian View). Back in November 2009 we were on set with Jill & Cathy while filming at sea.
Missed Season 1? Here’s a Recap…
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Gay for Pay
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Here’s the deal. This shit ain’t free. Jill, Cathy, Ann [DynaKit Productions] and the entire cast & crew poured their heart and soul into this project. They worked (and convinced other people to work) for very little pay and were able to put this thing together thanks to investors, sponsors and a lot of blood, sweat & tears. In exchange for $24, you’ll get 16 episodes [rolled out weekly] plus special features and live feeds with the cast. Unforch, season 1 is no longer free online but it will be released later this year by Wolfe Video. Having seen both seasons in their entirety, I’d really recommend the series to anyone (even your mom!), as it’s not exclusively “gay” but presents its gay characters with total nonchalance and that is a welcome change in the current state of media. Also, there’s a centerpiece sex scene that gives Bette & Tina a run for their money.
To subscribe visit wehavetostopnow.tv
Cathy & Jill answer a pressing question regarding their love scene in season 2:
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Top 20 Autostraddle Icons of 2009: The Future is Bright For Our ’09 Favorites
Surely someone has proven, scientifically or statistically, that eccentricity thrives in times of economic strife. Because without a doubt; 2009 was The Year of the Weirdo.
The disillusioned proletariat is no longer interested in watered-down standard-issue art! We’ve been left desolate and recessed following eight years of mainstream cracker-jack “traditional” family values, eight years of Capitalist Religion, eight years of folksy dogma disguising the smart-alecky aristocracy joyriding our collective wealth into hell’s barren handbasket! So what did we do? We turned to the weirdos.
We elected the geekiest president of all time; a scrawny egghead with big ears and questionable athleticism who’s own wife admits she assumed he was going to be a “a little weird, a little nerdy” when they first met.
In 2009 we were nothing if not ready for a pop star who loudly credited the gays with “lifting her up” and forewent boring ol’ nip-slips & for ten-inch crystal-encrusted heels, golden underpants and a model of the solar system orbiting her magenta Goldilocks-Bob wig.
The it-ensemble of this year’s breakout show bears no resemblance to the Kelly Taylors and Brendan Walshes who, back in the 90s, occupied the same Fox time slot that Glee occupies now with the high school drama Beverly Hills 90210. Glee‘s motley crew of oh-so-adorable dorks are frequently subjected to Slushee Facials (not nose jobs) and they often sing rock-pop ballads in their heads, or while washing cars, or alone to the mirror, and with each other, in matching pajamas.
We also lost the greatest weirdo of all time, Michael Jackson, this year, and the reaction to his death was perhaps the only unanimous moment of the year.
There were so many freaks, geeks and losers to fawn over this year — who will, we hope, make 2010 the best year ever. And as you know, we’re all about the queer, outsider perspective on everything, and it may’ve been a bad year for everything else, but it was a great year for Outsiders. So much to choose from!
These aren’t the People of the Year, or the Best of Anything.
They’re just Autostraddle’s most-talked-about most-admired personalities of 2009. They’re our Auto-Icons.
20. Vogue Evolution – Drama Club
America’s Best Dance Crew featured its first all-gay/transgender (Leiomy Maldonado is a trans woman) dance crew, “Vogue Evolution” this year. In their first appearance, Lil’ Mama revealed her secret awareness of the Voguing Ball Competition underground (history sidenote; rent Paris is Burning asap, kids, holler) and all the judges agreed that America is ready. Shane Sparks said, “Y’all just ripped the stage … it’s about time for this style to be exposed. It’s been underground for so long … thank you.”
It’s not often that we’ll say we agree wholeheartedly with Shane Sparks, but these kids did bring a ridiculously significant underground style into the mainstream (quote AC Slater) and event though they didn’t win, they brought some genuine diversity of gender expression, body size, race and sexuality to a show which often congratulates itself for showcasing such diversity (and is #1 in its timeslot on cable amongst 12-34 year olds). We love them. We just really, really love them.
2010: Follow them on twitter and check in at their website for updates. Leiomy will be guest starring on the National Talent Search’s College Tour in Atlanta in mid-January.
19. Jane Lynch – The Queen
We’ve been aware that Jane Lynch can do no wrong for quite some time now — starting in 2000 with her role as a dog trainer romancing Jennifer Coolidge in Best in Show. Really by the time she showed up in Season Two of The L Word and Alex sat behind her on an airplane to Dinah Shore in ’08, we were 95% convinced that The Lynch could do no wrong. And then in 2009, the rest of the world caught on to what we knew already. Lynch guested on Reno 911 and Two and a Half Men, was a series regular on Party Down and is now perhaps best known as Sue Sylvester on Glee.
2010: More episodes ahead of Glee and The Cleveland Show (Jane Lynch does a voiceover). She stars in Paul, a Sci-Fi/Comedy starring Sigourney Weaver, Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Blythe Danner and Jeffery Tambor, which is due out in 2010.
18. Shannon Wentworth – Businesswoman of the Year
Shannon’s a big deal right now. Why? The actual service provided by Sweet Lesbian Travel (Incredibly Awesome Vacations) isn’t even really the point. The point is that she’s created a company which manages to encompass so many of our community’s most reveled ideals — Environmentalism, Community Service, Philanthropy, Social Responsibility, Business Success & Mutual Support — without sacrificing style, fun, hot girls or a good-looking website. Sweet’s celesbian-packed maiden voyage provided an unforgettable vacation and unrivaled networking opportunities — an an inspiring experience to be surrounded by so many ambitious queer and queer-friendly ladies (and the occasional dude!).
2010: Sweet kicks off the year with an African safari from February 7-16, 2010. A Cruise to the Hawaiian Islands goes from July 31 to August 7 2010 and Sweet will take over the Cozumel Palace Resort from September 4-11, 2010.
17. Lindsay Lohan – Dyke Drama of the Year
Even if her first public lesbian relationship wasn’t exactly perfect, perhaps this year Lindsay learned that lesbians aren’t always great girlfriends but they are always great girl friends. No one’s public meltdown could’ve landed on softer more welcoming ears & shoulders. The gossip rags tore her to pieces but the gay media stayed largely polite, and maybe that’s ’cause she wasn’t really so unlike your heartbroken best friend, crying on the floor in the handicapped stall while you stroke her hair and tell her it’s okay. If Lindsay Lohan was your BFF all broken up you would tell the teacher she was sick so she could miss class, and you’d let her cut corners or throw things at the wall or embarrass herself at the party. And when she got better again, you’d pretend like none of that hysterical stuff ever happened. And you’d tell her she still looks pretty, too.
2010: Lindsay Lohan is set to expand her leggings label, 6126, to a full-fledged contemporary apparel line for fall 2010.
Action/Thriller Machete will premiere April 16, 2010. Lindsay’s co-stars include Michelle Rodriguez, Robert DeNiro, Jessica Alba, Steven Segal, Rose McGowan & Cheech Marin.
“Modern-day fairy tale” The Other Side is currently in production. Lindsay’s co-stars include Jason Lee, Giovanni Ribisi, Woody Harrelson, Kieran Culkin, Anjelica Huston, Alanis Morissette & Dave Matthews.
Musical/romance Dare to Love Me is also in production. Lindsay Lohan plays “La Ritana.”
More importantly, Lindsay has announced on Twitter the following plans for 2010:
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
16. Jill Bennett & Cathy DeBuono – Celesbians of the Year
From executive producing and starring in We Have To Stop Now to their live weekly vlog The Gloves Are Off to globetrotting around film festivals with And Then Came Lola, out actresses Jill Bennett and Cathy DeBuono were very busy bees in 2009. In their spare time they also managed to become cover girls for Curve Magazine and spend some quality time with Autostraddle for an exclusively candid interview.
2010: Season 2 of We Have To Stop Now premieres this Spring. We were on set during filming on the Sweet Cruise and can confirm that the second season will be off the chain. Guest stars include Meredith Baxter, Erin Foley, Nicol Paone and Kate McKinnon among MANY others. Pre-order your subscription for season 2 now!
Next: Funny Girls, Sources & Activists!
Jill Bennett & Cathy DeBuono Tell All: An Autostraddle Exclusive Interview
Last month, I had the opportunity to go on set with Jill Bennett & Cathy DeBuono and managed to steal them away for a little chat. I practically minored in the Lesbian Internet so I naturally had a lot of questions for these two. They promised a follow-up interview and guess what – they came through! So here we go — everything you wanted to know about their split from AfterEllen, all the gossip sites, the abrupt ending of We’re Getting Nowhere, season 2 of We Have To Stop Now, with a little Gaga & Glambert thrown in for good measure.
Editor’s Note: Jill & Cathy finally opened up about leaving AfterEllen because they have been asked repeatedly about their abrupt departure from the site over the last year. They have declined to comment in all other interviews but finally felt enough time had passed to share their experience with their fans, who still wanted their side of the story. I asked the question because they were owed the opportunity to finally close this much speculated chapter in their own words.
On Going Live with The Gloves Are Off & What’s Your Problem
I know it’s difficult to put yourselves so out there on the internet. Do you ever feel naked, exposing your lives to that degree?
Cathy: All the time! But, at the same time, I think I’ve never felt more myself in my own life. I feel really good about continually finding my own truth and continually being able to share whatever that is. And, being able to make mistakes and grow and let people see it. Having done it and realizing that my world hasn’t gotten smaller, it’s only gotten much bigger has made it easier to be naked and more fun and it’s a happier place to be.
Jill: Yea, the way we are with our opinions is similar to how we are with being open about our sexuality. It’s that knowing that the truth is out there and there is no need to try and manage every relationship that you have. It’s interesting because before the video blogs, before I even started on AfterEllen, I had done some press. I had done some interviews here and there for different websites and magazines, and then obviously once the video blog revolution began and I was working more and there was a lot more press. I had managers come and go, and agents who would advise me on what to talk about, things not to talk about, and frankly, it got a little tiring trying to manage certain topics and honestly, there’s a freedom in being like – it’s out there and I don’t have to hide anything. With The Gloves Are Off, as long as people understand that these are opinions, — we’re not presenting anything as fact – this is just how we feel based on our own cultural biases, then I don’t feel naked, I just feel like I’m talking to my friends.
I really think The Gloves Are Off has hit its stride these last few weeks. You guys were so fired up over cyberbullying and coming out over the holidays…
Jill: I think in general, it’s not always a good idea for actors to be as vocal as we are and to be as open as we are, and I think we reached a point a while back where we decided that even if we didn’t want to do this anymore, it’s too late. Less and less do we plan what we’re going to say or edit how we really feel.
Cathy: I know I reached the point where editing was very, very time-consuming, although I would enjoy doing it and coming up with new episodes of What’s Your Problem, but it was really hard to keep up that pace. I feel like that along the way there’s been a community created [The CDB Chatroom] with What’s Your Problem and The Gloves Are Off that I haven’t really been able to walk away from, and I feel like they need each other and going live was the next natural step, to be more interactive and in more immediate contact with each other.
I think the real important thing that it’s doing is bringing people all over the world together and what I’ve found that people really need is to just identify with each other, and they need to know that it’s OK to be imperfect. And Jill and I are so not afraid to let our imperfections, flaws and our biases show. It’s important because lots of people in our community don’t have folks to look around at and equalize themselves with, you know to see if they are doing okay.
Most of us don’t grow up with an older sister who is gay. We wake up in a dark world like, “oh my god, what’s this thing that I am?” We don’t grow up in gay families for the most part. We’re not born into our culture the way other minorities are like Jews or African Americans. They’re born into their minority culture and their ancestry is handed down and they’re taught what they need to know and how to feel about themselves and, gay people are just born and they wake up one day like “What is this? I don’t get this?” And everything around them tells them that they are a freak or they’re sick or wrong, or that they’re alone, mostly.
What I’ve found by doing the vlogs on the internet is that it’s important to expose how human we all are and the lives that we can lead, and that we’re normal. Gay kids out there, and even adults, they need people to look at and get an idea of what’s OK and what’s not OK. So, whether you agree with us or not, it’s the visibility that matters.
Jill: I think part of the appeal of [The Gloves Are Off] for us is that we can’t edit. And, what we found people responded to in the [pre-taped] video blogs was the Real Jill and the Real Cathy, our real opinions and our real stories, not a canned, carefully created, crafted persona that a PR person tells you to put forward. So, for better or worse, this is how we came out in our community and we’re gonna stay that way. At this point, even if we didn’t want to, it’s too late!
On Cyberbullying
The episode on cyberbullying in particular was probably the most relevant and passionate topic you’ve covered.
Jill: I really wanted to do that episode because I had seen something on CNN that day and also because of our own experiences having gone through it. We get a lot of letters from younger girls who are trying to come out, and are being harassed through cyberbullying or at school, and I wanted to talk about it because I can identify with this, through my own version of it. It’s not quite the same as a teenage girl getting attacked, but the feeling is similar, and I do feel very passionate about it. It’s something that, over the last year [has become very relevant]… I put up a huge blog about it on my web site.
Oh right, remember reading that last year.
Jill: Yes, I was really upset! And I was like, why do we do this to each other!? I would say as passionate as Cathy got last week [on the topic of] coming out at Thanksgiving, was how I felt about this phenomenon that’s going on in our community. You know, we went to see the movie Precious and I watched how her mother attacked her, it was the same in The Color Purple where in a marginalized community instead of helping each other up, rips each other down. And instead of having this attitude of we want to help each other and support one another, we’re ripping each other to shreds and making each other feel less-than.
You mentioned that while you may not agree with Perez Hilton, at least he’s not an anonymous attacker. His name is right there so at least he owns it and isn’t hiding behind a computer.
Jill: Right, Perez Hilton stands behind his words.
On Leaving AfterEllen
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We’re Getting Nowhere began in August 2007 and ignited the video blog revolution on AfterEllen. Starring Jill Bennett and AE writers Karman Kregloe & Dara Nai, it recapped South of Nowhere, America’s Next Top Model and most popularly, The L Word. The show featured some amazing guests, including Jane Lynch and introduced Liz Feldman and Bridget McManus to the AE crowd. Feldman and McManus would later get their own spin-off vlogs and eventually jump to TV (on LOGO and The Jay Leno Show). WGN hit its peak recapping the 5th season of The L Word in spring 2008, when it occasionally received over 200 comments per episode.
What’s Your Problem began in January 2008 and has featured some amazing guests, including Thea Gill (Queer as Folk), Maeve Quinlan (South of Nowhere), Suzanne Westenhoefer and Erin Foley. Cathy left at the peak of WYP’s popularity on AE, receiving over 150 comments with Jill Bennett as her final guest on the original incarnation of the show.
I know the Afterellen vloggers were subject to gossip a few years ago and that played a part in your eventual move from Afterellen to SheWired. Can you walk me through what happened?
Cathy: Jill and I shot And Then Came Lola in late 2007. Around that same time was when I first met Sarah Warn. Out at the Wedding was making festival rounds and AfterEllen had done feature stories on both me and the film and there was some interest there. So I started talking with Sarah about doing a video blog rooted in my being a therapist and an actor and I came up with What’s Your Problem, which then first started airing on AfterEllen in January 2008. Around the same time, things started to explode in gossip sites online about Jill’s breakup. The chatter was running amuck in gossip circles that I had “seduced” her while shooting And Then Came Lola, and that I was responsible for her breakup.
To be quite honest, I paid very little attention to it. However, I came to understand was that it was upsetting Sarah and that she was now getting some sort of backlash from it in terms of how people started participating [commenting] on AfterEllen. I hadn’t frequented AfterEllen so I didn’t notice the difference before or after I got there, but somehow Sarah attributed my presence on AfterEllen to bringing negativity to the site and she was honest with me about this.
Next:
“What was upsetting is that I never had the chance to say goodbye to all the ladies who watched and commented every week.”
On Set of “We Have To Stop Now” with Jill Bennett & Cathy DeBuono
Sweet Lesbian Travel is all about “women supporting women,” said Jill Bennett at an informal press conference on board Sweet’s inaugural cruise to the Caribbean, thanking Sweet CEO and co-founder Shannon Wentworth for her support of Jill and Cathy DeBuono‘s web-series We Have To Stop Now. It was Wentworth’s investment in the series that enabled the duo to shoot four episodes of Season 2 on board and therefore enabled me to interview Jill Bennett & Cathy DeBuono on set. The cruise also enabled us to be present on Wednesday morning when Jill & Cathy performed the ancient lesbian ritual of Climbing the Mayan Ruins While Discussing Relationship Feelings. Also, I find Cathy’s personality very soothing and kinda wish she were my real therapist.
So, all in all it was a pleasure to grab a minute to chat with the dynamic duo. We talked about We Have to Stop Now and why SheWired suits them better than AfterEllen (swear words!) and because they were super busy and we have lots of things to talk about, we made plans to do a more in-depth interview soon.
Jill Bennett & Cathy DeBuono on the Sweet Cruise
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The Show: We Have To Stop Now
We Have To Stop Now is a romantic comedy web-series that follows two lesbian therapists as they struggle to stay together while promoting their book “How To Succeed In Marriage Without Even Trying.” Occasionally they take their clothes off and have sex and afterward they smile more and have even cuter hair!
Comedian and co-star Suzanne Westenhoefer explained her passion for the show: “We all got really sad about some shows that represent lesbians and how they were written and how things happened and how we were represented, like, Who are these lesbians? Who acts like this?” and advised people looking for positive representation to “check out our show – you’ll see yourselves.”
Jill Bennett added, “It’s all about independence with our series. It’s made by lesbians, it’s for lesbians, and it’s been privately funded by lesbians. We went to the gay networks and they were not interested in doing a lesbian scripted show. Shannon donated the rooms so we were able to do our show. It’s all about working together.”
Filming We Have to Stop Now at Sea
Bonus: the fans on board had the unique opportunity actually appear as extras in a scene that takes place on the Sweet cruise. In the scene, Dyna [Cathy]and Kit [Jill] are on the Sweet cruise doing a Q&A for their book How to Succeed in Marriage Without Even Trying while their own personal relationship drama simmers beneath the surface.
A few lucky bitches even scored speaking roles as audience members pitching questions to Jill & Cathy. Jill, Cathy and director Robyn Dettman remained patient and professional throughout it all, appearing unphased by the challenges of filming in a super-tight space surrounded by mirrors with untrained actors who forgot lines and probably were secretly burning to ask off-script questions like, “Can you take your tops off?”
Jill & Cathy were playful, laughing and all-around adorbs between takes. They complimented extras on their surprisingly fantastic acting skills and just seemed happy to be out actors doing a lesbian-themed show on their own terms.
Chatting With the Dynamic Duo
Jill & Cathy told me that filming on board is “an exercise in being flexible and rolling with it. You show up on a set you decided to shoot at and it’s not available or one of our guest actors [on the ship] is unavailable.”
But the biggest problem they faced while filming on board? Being deprived of our land-based communication techniques like stone tablets, telegrams and most importantly TEXT MESSAGING. Cathy explained, “We’ve become so reliant on text messaging [during filming in LA]. Now, it’s just ‘run up to deck 12!’ It’s like a game of telephone and you would not believe how the message changes from one person to the next. It’s been a Comedy of Errors but we think we’re making a good show.”
Jill & Cathy on set during the Sweet Cruise!
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I also got a bit of scoop regarding what it’s like working at SheWired.com versus their previous interweb home, AfterEllen.com. Jill broke down the differences, explaining: “AfterEllen is owned by Viacom and as much fun as we had doing We’re Getting Nowhere, there was obviously a certain level of restraint that we had to have. No cussing, sexual references had to be watered down and sanitized. One of the refreshing aspects of being on SheWired is they are a privately owned company. We can say whatever we want, we can do whatever we want [“And we do!” -Cathy chimes in] and they support it.”
Cathy adds, “When I was doing What’s Your Problem on AfterEllen, we really had to work within the confines of certain margins because there were so many responsibilities to Viacom and the rules that they are subject to. So, once we left AfterEllen and went to SheWired, we were a little gun shy about certain things because we were so used to being told “you can’t do that, you can’t do that, you can’t do that.”
But once we moved over to SheWired, we actually sat down with [Editor in Chief] Tracy Gilchrist and said look, these are the limitations that have been put on us before and we’re not doing it again, so, what do you think of that? And she was like, are you crazy?! Let that shit fly!”
Clearly that creative freedom has translated into new projects and fresh ventures for the twosome, now happily working together and sailing into the eye of the hurricane. Check back on Autostraddle for the rest of our talk with J&C; debunking some popular rumors, the experience of filming their weekly live vlog, The Gloves Are Off and their upcoming movie And Then Came Lola, available on DVD in 2010.
Season 1 of We Have To Stop Now is online at wehavetostopnow.tv and will be distributed by Wolfe Video on DVD in the Spring to coincide with the Season 2 premiere.