The 2008 Weblog Awards finalists were announced last week and several lesbian/bisexual bloggers are in the mix.

Since more than 5,000 blogs were nominated in 49 categories, making the slate of finalists is notable, to say the least. Here are a few to consider when you cast your vote.

AfterEllen.com She Got Me Pregnant vloggers, Dana and Helen, are nominated in the Best Large Blog category for their wonderful blog for lesbian moms, Mombian.com.

Mombian is like a lifeline for lesbian parents. At least that’s what my lesbian friends with kids say. Saints, every one of them. … continue reading

Do you ever wonder what Dorota is doing when she's not dressing Blair Waldorf or flipping through Blair's fine stationery flash cards or baking Blair's pumpkin pie or sending out Blair's party invitations via BlackBerry or listening to Blair deliver soliloquies or gluing Blair back together or dousing the flames every time Blair sets the world on fire?

Well, you're about to find out. After a lot of hemming and hawing from the folks over at CW, Josh Schwartz let slip that the much talked about Lily/Rufus webisodes are never going to happen in the Gossip Girl universe. Instead, CW is teaming up with Verizon to present The Secret Life of Dorota. I don't think it's overselling it to say that this is the best idea I have ever heard of in my entire life.

There are a couple of things you are absolutely guaranteed when dealing with a Josh Schwartz television show (The O.C., Gossip Girl, Chuck): zippy plots, elements of the ridiculous and superb music. Whether it's Marissa Cooper on a bender, Serena Van der Woodsen on a slut spiral, or Agent Sarah Walker destroying a fleet of baddies with her pinky, Schwartz’s song selection is flawless. Never has that been so evident as on last week's Gossip Girl, when Dorota's ringtone was revealed as Britney Spears' "Slave 4 U." … continue reading

The title of the web series Sorority Forever is enough to scare me. Forever? That's such a long time. It's a little too cult-ish for my liking. Let's just learn the secret handshake, wear matching T-shirts and graduate college, OK?

So I wouldn't be watching this CW web series without a reason, and this is it: the new episode (clocking in at just three minutes, 11 seconds) is called "Girl on Girl." Intriguing, yes?

Turns out I had good reason to be scared.

Watch first, then we'll discuss:

So aspiring (probably straight) sorority sister Taryn is willing to "dedicate herself" to Rachel just to get into the sorority, and (lesbian/bisexual) sorority sister Rachel is happy to take advantage of that by pressuring her into doing something she clearly doesn't want to do.

The abrupt end — with Taryn pausing to look fearfully at Rachel's jeans — tells me that next week's episode will feature the aftermath, and I doubt it will be the girls coming out as a couple to the rest of Phi Chi.

I'm thinking it'll probably unfold in one of two ways: Taryn crying and Rachel asking her not to tell anyone and threatening to blackmail her. Or, Taryn crying and Rachel looking like a predatory lesbian or bisexual sorority sister.

Actually, no matter how it ends, Rachel looks like a predatory lesbian/bisexual.

Hopefully, all two people watching this web series will understand the ridiculousness of this story line, and just chalk it up to writers who have an ax to grind with lesbians. And sororities.

It is time for a confession so shocking I fear I might lose your affection forever. Dear readers, in college I did not major in Lesbian Scientistics — no, I was a finance major with a minor in history and political science.

Even worse, I have been abusing my Scientistics powers of late. I have not been researching any queer subjects at all. I am using all of my Scientistics energy to try to predict the winner of the presidential election. Unfortunately, I continue to fail. Presidential elections are a tricky business.

Luckily, those aren't the only elections taking place this November. Thirty-three percent of you Americans will be voting for for your congressperson this fall, and while I cannot predict the president, I am absolutely certain I could guess who will win your congressional seat. See, when people get to the polls to vote for congress, 90 percent chose their candidate based on name recognition. That's why it's so hard to beat an incumbent: shear popularity drives the vote.

Using that knowledge and the power of Google Trends, I have predicted who would win a congressional seat among the women on some of your favorite shows.

First up, Gossip Girl.

Whose name is most popular among Google searchers? Is it Leighton Meester as Queen B: Blair Waldorf? Or, Blake Lively as bad girl gone good gone bad again, Serena Van der Woodsen. Or, is it Taylor Momsen's little Jenny Humphrey, who is, at this moment, usurping Blair's place in Blair's own mother's heart?

Looks like Bad Serena would win the congress seat on the Upper East Side. … continue reading

Back in 2004, ABC commissioned a pilot for a new series from thirtysomething and My So-Called Life creators Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. That show, called 1/4life, never made it to air. Now, Zwick and Herskovitz have revived the show, recast it, rewritten it and re-shot it for a different medium. Beginning Nov. 11, you'll be able to see the revamped show on MySpace TV. Even the name has been revamped a tad. It's now called Quarterlife.

Quarterlife stars relative newcomer Bitsie Tulloch, who took over the lead role played by Shiri Appleby in the original 2004 pilot.

Zwick and Herskovitz have already tackled teens and thirtysomethings, so this time they're taking on the age group in the middle. Quarterlife tells the story of a group of artsy twentysomethings looking for creative outlets, including a female video blogger who manages to find herself in some rather hot water when her friends take issue with what she posts about them. Here's the trailer. … continue reading