Hey TV lovers, it’s us! Ya know… Autostraddle. Carlytron returned from her big vaycay this week and was a little behind at work and was unable to produce the whole kit and kaboodle herself, so we’ve got another team effort here, along with Carly’s own summarized Glee re-cap.
Things have been super busy for us lately — working on exciting new stuff! — but we haven’t forgotten you! We’ve missed you. Did you miss you us? Well, just like Cougar Town resuming production, we’ve come back to you! And even though Flash Forward recently halted production, the network insists it won’t leave you either. See? The future is bright!
Back to your regularly scheduled programming…
The Team Autostraddle Television Awards for the Week Ending 11/28/09!
Hey That’s Haviland on my Teevee Award – Eastwick
Episode 109 – Paint & Pleasure
(By Riese)
This week we all watched Eastwick for the first time because Autostraddle’s BFF out lez actress Haviland Stillwell was in it! Eastwick is about a group of Suburban women who gain witch powers after being left by their husbands, based on the movie Witches of Eastwick starring Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer and Susan Sarandon, which was based on a novel by John Updike, one of America’s greatest most prolific writers who died in January. At this point I don’t think the on-screen versions have much to do with the book anymore.
Anyhoo, Haviland Stillwell played a girl with straight hair who went to an art party with Kat’s ex-husband which makes Kat jealous. Kat is one of the witches!
For us the viewing audience we also discovered that secretly all this time, Eastwick has been storing away some of our favorite hot ladies; like Cherie Jaffe (Patricia Arquette) and Sara Rue, as well as Lindsay Price who you may remember as Steve Sanders’ girlfriend on Beverly Hills 90210.
So, Mystique painted a bunch of crap paintings because she really let herself go and express herself, and this dude got her an art show b/c he liked her work. And then the dude bought all of Mystique’s art to impress Cherie Jaffe, and it works. I think Cherie was just trying to get over Shane and would’ve seduced Kat later, or Haviland. Except Haviland isn’t into Shane. Anyhoo!
So that’s how we get to the art show where Haviland is canoodling with Kat’s ex-husband on the balcony and Kat has a panic attack which causes little mini-tornado but Haviland survives and was like, “whatever, my hair looks even better now b/c of the wind, Bumble & Bumble can’t even put this shit in a bottle.”
Luckily Haviland is rescued by her date b/c Haviland is little and he has strong man-arms! Look at this foxy cast ‘o characters!
Unfortunately Eastwick has not been picked up for the full season … which is confusing, b/c excluding Lost premieres and finales, Eastwick’s premiere pulled in ABC’s highest viewers and young adult numbers in the time period with regular programming sine 2007, and it still continues to beat Jay Leno. If you want to Save Eastwick, check out Save Eastwick on facebook and sign the Save Eastwick Petition.
I interviewed Haviland about her experience on set via BBM, she said “I loved working with the cast and director and everyone involved to create the scene! It was very collaborative and fun and quick. Exhilarating.” Also she’s sick right now with swine flu or swamp fever or something, so she could just be talking crazy.
how could you not want to save this face?
Gayest Moment of the Week Award – Stargate Universe
Episode 109 – Life
(by Intern Daphne)
Hey there Friendos, it’s your Belgian SciFi geek again. You saw last week’s episode of Stargate Universe? Yes? No? I hope so, because you really should. Since this is the first time we’re discussing this show, I’ll give you a super brief “what’s it about”. Stargate Universe is about a bunch of people (soldiers, scientists, a hot daughter of a senator…) stranded on an ancient spaceship, trying to find a way to get home. However, they have a device that allows them to switch bodies with whomever, wherever, so they can still visit their loved ones, but just in another body. Got that? Ok, let’s move on then.
This episode starts with everybody doing push-ups and jogging around the ship. I don’t think they should burn precious calories and energy running around like it’s a high school gym class. Anyway. Guess what they find while exploring the huge ship? Yes! A device that may get them back to Earth. The big discussion is whether or not to try it. (They find something that might get them home almost every episode.) Besides Colonel Young wanting everybody to get a psych evaluation and Lt. Scott finding out he has a son, nothing exciting happened in the rest of the episode… Except the part where two girls started kissing on my screen!
It’s IOA member Camile Wray’s turn to use the communication stones. She gets transferred into the body of a soldier on earth. Obviously Camile goes visiting her girlfriend, and thank god the directors let Ming-Na (who plays Camile) do that acting instead of the soldier whose body Camile is in. 
OMG you guys, when Camile stands at her doorstep and her gf is confused and she doesn’t know if it’s really Camile, Camile says “Have you thrown away that ugly chair yet?” in Chinese, and they fall into each other’s arms. Such a beautiful moment.
Camile and her girlfriend have a wonderful night, cooking, eating, snuggling, talking in Chinese or whatever, making jokes about the chair. There is a dark side about it all though, as you can notice. You just feel the sadness through the haze of happiness.
Only thing I don’t really get: they make love, but Camile is actually in the body of another woman… Isn’t that confusing for the girlfriend? When Camile and her gf have to say goodbye, their goodbye is devastating.
Girlfriend: “Wuo ai ni.”
Camile: “I love you too.”
And the girlfriend burst out in tears. Last thing we see Camile do on earth is tell her parents she is fine, though she can not tell them it’s really her.
What I liked about this episode, apart from the awesomeness of Stargates, is that it portrays a high-ranking gay woman. The fact that it’s possible, and it’s ok to be gay. Because you know, it is.
I’m Trying To Bite My Tongue And Not Give It a Snarky Award Because I Still Love It – Glee
Episodes 110 – Ballad & 111 – Hairography
(by Carlytron)
Both of these episodes were sub-par but at least the plot moved a bit. I watched them both back to back and actually can’t tell them apart in my mind right now necessarily; they sorta felt like one giant episode.
The overall theme was DISTRACTION. Write that down, I don’t know if it’ll come across too clearly in the episodes (JK they use the word “distraction” at least 35 times all told). Everyone is too distracted by something to realize what’s really going on. Yeah that sounds about right.
There was way too little Lynch and Emma, so Kurt had to hold up most of the awesome during these episodes with bon mots like these:
“I mean he’s cheating off a girl who thinks the square root of 4 is rainbows.” (re: Brittney)
“A makeover is like crack for me.”
“Your room looks like where Holly Hobby and Strawberry Shortcake go to make out.” (re: Rachel’s room)
Basically here’s what you need to know: the writing is still not very good, things are still a little dumb, and they keep exploiting and/or stereotyping every possible minority group under the sun.
Rachel falls in love with Will when he sings to her (like, immediately) then she cleans his house and is only finally dissuaded from pursuing him further when an older student tells her to give up the ghost; Kurt gets close to Finn and actually professes his love for him except Finn thinks it’s a song title and misses the boat entirely; everyone sings a million songs; Quinn decides to keep the baby and entertains the notion of letting Puck help raise it; Quinn realizes that Puck is a manwhore and decides to give the baby to Terri; Terri’s sister continues to be a complete disaster of a human being; the Lynch sells the Glee club’s secrets to their two competitors; EVE PLAYS A RIVAL GLEE DIRECTOR OMG I LOVE EVE SO BAD; deaf kids sing a song and my reaction was “oh no they di-in’t!” because in an earlier scene they were clearly making fun of the hearing impaired and the whole thing was just completely exploitative; Kurt gives Rachel a makeover which backfires because he sabotaged her because he is a SNEAKY GAY SCHEMER; Finn tells his mom that he got Quinn pregnant and then — under Kurt’s guidance — tells Quinn’s parents the same (via song) so they kick her out and she goes to live with Finn’s family; WILL STILL DOES NOT KNOW THAT TERRI IS NOT REALLY PREGNANT OH MY GOD.
Anyway, that’s what happened.
Second Gayest Moment of the Week Award – American Music Awards
(by Riese)
You Can’t Do That on Television! Obviously the gayest moment of the week happened off-camera this week: the ABC guy who we’re imagining literally thrust his entire torso onto the control board in reaction to Adam Lambert stuffing a male dancer’s head in his crotch. The result? The gesture was muted. Yes, muted. As in, there was no sound. That’s amazing. It makes just about as much sense as canceling Lambert’s appearance on Good Morning America the next day although Chris Brown, a convicted beater of women, will be guesting on the show next week. HEY ABC REMEMBER WHEN YOU CANCELED MY SO-CALLED LIFE? I h8 u.
Great Outdoors Award – Parks and Recreation
Episode 210 – Hunting Trip
(by Sarah Palmer)
I laughed more at this show than anything else I watched this week. Season 2 is so so so much better!
So every fall, Ron Swanson takes the men in the office on a hunting trip. When Leslie finds out, she lobbies to get everyone else on the trip, too. Ron has to give in because it’s a department-sponsored trip. So everyone treks up to the woods and many discussion about gender ensue.
After some pantsing antics, someone accidentally shoots Ron in the head, and Leslie ends up taking the blame. The best part is when the park ranger interviews Leslie. He’s super sexist, and she responds with sexist cliches so he buys her story. I imagine they left the camera running while Amy Poehler came up with as many lines as she could think of (i.e. a lot), and then used the funny ones (i.e. probs all of them).
April and Andy got some quality time together back at the office, which led to a lot of neck hickies. Grossers.
Next: Hot Almost-Naked Aliens on V, Grey’s Anatomy Special Comment, 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, and a hot girl of the week from Modern Family!
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36 responses to “The Week of Gays in Unexpected Places, Like Outer Space & Behind-the-Scenes”
[...] The Week of Gays in Unexpected Places, Like Outer Space & Behind … [...]
i support the ‘hey that’s haviland on my teevee’ award and wish it happened every week.
DITTO.
i love the future!!!
and i love AS. thanks la-la-ladiessss!
I love AS and I love ASS too. Maybe that’s “inappropriate” but I feel incomplete without at least one weekly obligatory booty reference. It would be like watching Glenn Beck without your IQ dropping or watching Judge Judy without her castrating someone or going to work/school with no clothes on. On second thought….
SERIOUSLY
Yes please!
Very nice recap. But the worst thing about TV this week is that the hiatus(es) have begun. I don;t do well with withdrawal.
I know I feel like I am going to lose interest in Glee, which is the only show I watched religiously. GOOD NEWS TINKERBELL CAN RECAP INTERVENTION STARTING ON MONDAY
I HAVE MISSED THOSE RECAPS LIKE I MISS .. SOMETHING I MISS A LOT. MY SANITY.
The only shows I watch religiously are Glee and Criminal Minds, which perfectly counteract each other. If I lose interest in Glee, I lose my equilibrium!
(I am so freaking happy that we all managed to pull this together at long last. When Televisionary is late, the days of the week get all jumbled in my mind and I lose my sense of purpose in life, which is to write about hot women.)
Hey guys, I don’t usually comment but I do love AS! Awesome recap as usual, BUT! Does anybody watch “Saving Grace” [stars Holly Hunter, runs on Showcase here in Canada but probs Showtime/HBO in the US]? Anywaays… it’s a pretty good show normally, but YESTERDAY it guest-starred Clea Duvall, and she and Grace [Holly Hunter] KISSED. IN A BATHROOM. They were interrupted when Clea’s [character's] girlfriend came in and beat the sh*t out of Grace [Holly]. Anyway it was awesome, and it was very very gay. Tried to find it on Youtube for y’all [I think it's season 3 ep 8?] but don’t see it there yet – tho maybe someone who is more technically inclined will be able to find it. Cheers!
Oooh thanks for the heads up! Since we haven’t covered yesterday’s shows yet, we can def include this ep in the next week’s Televisionary. (I have a feeling I’m gonna really enjoy screencapping it.)
i had the biggest thing for clea duvall after seeing her in The Faculty in like 1998. i was so happy when my yahoo search told me she was a lesbian. if there is a clea duvall ass-kicking scene out there, i would like to watch it.
WHAT. Er… I guess I still have a weird thing for Holly Hunter. YES.
I remember that episode. It actually originally aired a few months back. Afterellen did an article about it but it didn’t get that great of a review.
i searched on youtube for “saving grace” and “kiss” and i found this terrifying description of a clip of something:
“Spitting is the sweet nectar exchanged in a tender kiss, and the saving grace of a dry mouth. Cumulatively, we swallow 1-2 liters of saliva every … ”
wtf
ahahaha
what a bummer, i actually thought that the hot/evil/genious/hot alien Anna was playing on our team, i actually still do (don’t ask me why wishful thinking perhaps)
& when i saw her touch/caress lisa’s face i was almost certain, that until lisa called her “mother”.
I think i screamed or something….
Yeah i screamed “NO!” to which my 10 year old sister cleaverly responded “not everyone is gay,you weirdo”
With those looks, you’re doomed to be a hot evil alien.
And they probs have a weird reproduction ritual/hightech device so no actual penises involved I think.
Though the wife of the Good Alien is pregnant.
I’m confused.
these last two episodes of glee have been disappointing for me. the criticisms of the show have become more glaringly obvious – especially the gender stuff, like how the principle male characters, finn and mr. shue, are these semi-perfect beings who are being manipulated by the women in their lives and also have new women waiting in the wings to swoop in. that scene with mr. shue singing to the two of them? barf. so masturbatory. honestly the best line in both episodes, for me, was when mercedes said on the phone “i found out my hampster was pregnant in biology class and i just started WEEPING.” i laughed OUT LOUD. and i’m sad that they’re stereotyping curt in the way that they are, if only because right now he’s sort of reinforcing the idea that if a straight guy’s friend is gay he’ll like, fall in love with him and try to make him gay. sorry for all those unclear antecedents. anyway, i like glee. i just want it to WOW me again. i remember the football episode wowed me. i would like some more of that, please.
firstly, what happened to your gravatar?
secondly, I agree, I hate this fucking turn with Kurt. The idea that every gay dude is gonna fall in love with a straight guy he’s friends with is one of the most damaging ones there is. I was just watching this terrible movie on the TV with this girl who I recognized as the girl that was in love with Marcia in the Brady Bunch Movie who srsly contributed to a lot of feelings i had about lesbians growing up, these weird pathetic creatures who were always lusting for what they couldn’t have but also trying to get in everyone else’s way who was trying to get them.
i don’t know what’s happened to my picture thingie. usually it’s just there. yesterday i “logged in” to this site for the first time in forever and now it’s not there, even when i’m signed in to wordpress. THE MYSTERIES OF LIFE ON THE INTERBUTT.
everything bcw said is what i want to say but with fewer antecedents, of course.
Nice Gleecap. I really enjoyed Parks and Rec this week and was thoroughly pissed/sad for a Law and Order SVU-less Wednesday. Those are my only tv feelings for right now.
YAY HAVILAND!
Another reason to lurve that last Parks & Rec episode: the ranger was played by Jay Johnston who plays Officer Jay McPherson (aka Sarah’s sister’s boyfriend) on the Sarah Silverman Program. You probably already know that…
luvtub is an amazing name.
Cheers!
You do realize that Televisionary is the name of a well-known TV site, right? Try doing a Google search… Or check Twitter.
Yep, Carly and I have researched this and found the term has also been used in a number of other places as well! But we love it anyway.
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There’s wikipedia article for the word that has nothing to do with the site you noted or our site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Televisionary
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And Malcolm Gladwell wrote a segment using “The Televisionary” as a title – http://www.gladwell.com/pdf/televisionary.pdf
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that being said, when we first had the idea (robin’s idea actually, for it to be carly’s column name) we thought we were the first people to think of it and felt like total brilliant geniuses.
as we found out after already committing to the name, as brooke has pointed out — apparently great minds just think alike!
malcolm gladwell wouldn’t mind because he is the shit
also? never mind the completely ridiculous fake pregnancy subplot that forces us to swallow that mr. shue would have had NO opportunity to see his wife naked since she became preganant, why, WHY has no one managed to tell finn that YOU CAN’T GET PREGNANT FROM THE WATER CURRENTS IN A HOT TUB. would he not have told his mom how it happened? has he not told anyone? ridiculous.
you know what glee needs? mary cherry. that’s it.
MARY CHERRY AND/OR CHERRY CHERRY. STAT.
i would take Bobbi Glass in a pinch though.