Lesbians are popping up in the darndest places. Twenty years ago you would need a magnifying glass and the best gaydar detector money could buy to find an out lesbian actress on television, never mind a show that depicted one. Nowadays we have our very own series that is based solely on the lives of gay women loving, laughing, lying, lamenting and other L-related activities; we have cable stations like Logo that give us all gay programming all the time; and more and more networks television shows are incorporating bi/lesbian characters into their programs (hat tip, Grey’s). To further our quest to conquer the world, celesbians and actresses that play some of our favorite gay women are infiltrating another frontier — television ads.

The other night while watching some reality show I can't get enough of I was treated to not one, not two, but three commercials featuring some of my most beloved ladies in entertainment today. Yes, the commercial break — that universal time when millions of people choose to get up, stretch, refill that satisfying beverage, or tend to nature’s call — is now featuring ads staring our favorite ladies trying selling us things that we may not even want. (But the point is they are there and visibility matters.)

I’m sure we have all seen Ellen’s American Express commercials by now. Her ads are as widely known as her sexuality. Ellen has built her career on knocking down barriers and starring in this ad campaign is another accomplishment to add to that list. What other out celebrity of this magnitude would be signed on by such a huge company to sell its product? Kudos to Ellen, a card carrying lesbian and our favorite American Express card member.

And this commercial is "I-wish-I-was-that-dollop-of –yogurt-on-the-end-of-that-spoon good." No, no, this commercial is "I-don’t-want-anyone-else–to-ever-sell-me-yogurt-but-Leisha good." We all heard about how yogurt is the definitive product for women, but now thanks to Leisha, Yoplait can be the definitive product for women who love women. … continue reading

For a movie about a man against nature, Into the Wild features some good female roles. Well, maybe I mean good actresses — I don't know if the roles would be so memorable in other hands. [Warning: Minor spoilers.]

I'll go in order from worst to best — though "worst" in this case is the always capable Jena Malone, and thus not bad at all. She plays Carine, the sister of Alex, the young man who goes out into the wild. Carine is an observer and interpreter, standing sentry over her broken family in her brother's absence. Malone's voice also provides much of the film's narration — something I could have done without. The role doesn't give Malone a lot to do, but she is still very watchable. Her presence is both vulnerable and strong, and she seems to be making a successful career of that sort of thing.

Even more compelling is Marcia Gay Harden as Alex's mother. With her suburban hair and hyperawareness of what the neighbors think, she is utterly conventional and could have been two-dimensional. But Harden can do so much with a glance or a gasp, and conveys everything from despair to defiance with her body language. She has only a handful of lines in the film, but somehow says more about loss and regret than anyone should have cause to say. … continue reading