Now in its fifth season, Showtime's The L Word is back (Sunday at 9 pm/ET) with its latest forays into the girlfriends' loves, lusts and career problems, not to mention a women-behind-bars side story, a "Don't ask, don't tell" crisis and a starlet-on-the-make chronicle of Jenny's movie about sapphic life in L.A. We talked to Jennifer Beals (we've loved her since Flashdance), who plays the starchy though smashingly sensual art-school dean Bette Porter, about her character's romantic dilemma, going nude and, yes, playing a dancing welder back in the day.
TV Guide: What are the big themes on The L Word this season?Jennifer Beals: For my character, it's loyalty and truthfulness.
TV Guide: Which is a problem, since Bette bounces between two lovers — Jodi (Marlee Matlin) and, secretly, Tina (Laurel Holloma
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Three good things about the writers' strike:1) No more Bionic Woman to disappoint us.2) Pepito the Wonder Chihuahua gets more "me" time.3) More chances to catch up on kick-ass cable shows on DVD!And let me tell you, that last one is a biggie, considering that a few cable shows I had to skip out on because of too many TiVo conflicts have just hit the shelves. One of them being FX's stellar, chilling Damages, which features quite possibly the single greatest performance of the last season. Is Golden Globe winner Glenn Close's Manhattan litigator Patty Hewes ingenious or pure evil? I'm not sure yet, but she is delicious nonetheless and I am having a hoot finding out.Centered around an Enron-type class-action suit against billionaire Arthur Frobisher — played with demonic menace by Ted Danson — the show should be about the case, since nobody does trial-angst better than Close (see Jagged Edge). But instead of courtrooms, we get boardrooms and some seriously twisted detours, co...
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In a candid TV Guide interview, outspoken showbiz vet Cybill Shepherd revels in her risky new role as a wife turned lesbian on Showtime's The L Word (Sundays at 10 pm/ET).
TV Guide: Isn't joining the cast of The L Word risky? Cybill Shepherd: My kids [Ariel and Zach Oppenheim and Clementine Ford] think it's cool. They were so excited, they were dancing around the house.
TV Guide: How do you think they'll feel after they see it? Shepherd: [Laughs] After shooting my first sex scene, I said to my daughter Ariel, "Don't worry, it won't be embarrassing." She said, "Mom, I don't want to know!"
TV Guide: What's your character like? Shepherd: Phyllis Kroll is an executive vice chancellor of a maj
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Oh my Goddesses, what a hilarious L Word! I am loving this season so far; everyone is getting her chance to shine in both comedic and dramatic capacities more than ever. Even Tina had some funny scenes this episode, which is a welcome change, because she's really been quite the b-word lately. But bitch or not, the "firing of Helena" scene was classic. Helena is just classic. I never thought I'd like her as much as Alice, but I do! I want to see Alice and Helena in their home environment as roommates, though. I hope that some "fly on the wall" scenes in the apartment may happen soon, because I'm sure they are quite opposites when it comes to um... housekeeping. And how 'bout that Papi, eh? Papi's hot stuff. She gets around and she knows her "circles." I wonder if she'll wind up "with" everyone in this circle by season's end? I am very curious about how the situation with Max and the boss' daughter is going to pan out. You know, when I put myself in the boss' daughter's shoes, it isn...
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Here are several updates on stuff I reported in this week's Ask Ausiello as well as some new scoops mixed in. Enjoy! I can now confirm that Marlee Matlin has signed on to appear in 11 episodes of Showtime's The L Word. The deal just closed and, even though this drama is so far off my radar it's virtually undetectable, I wanted to bring you the official word ASAP. The Oscar winner will play a deaf artist who takes a shine to Jennifer Beals' Bette. She'll first show up in the fourth-season premiere in January. Speaking of shows I probably should be watching, Disney's teen phenom Hannah Montana has reeled in a pretty big fish. I'm told Dolly Parton will make a guest appearance this summer. I'm not sure who she's playing, but very reliable sources say her character will have huge knockers. Regarding the fate of The King of Queens, another source told me yesterday that "the show is definitely dead." Still no confirmation from CBS. My Eric Balfour mole (yes, I now have a mole assigned sp...
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