Tag Archives: Leisha Hailey

Leisha Hailey & Kate Moennig’s podcast ‘PANTS’ is a must

Leisha Hailey & Kate Moennig have been hosting a weekly podcast where they chat about everything from first concerts to celeb encounters to what it was like to audition for Ilene Chaiken.

Moennig and Hailey met each other while filming Showtime’s 2004 series The L Word, where they played main characters Shane McCutcheon and Alice Piecseki, respectively.

While Moennig and Hailey played best friends on a TV series (and continue to do so in the reboot), they’ve also developed a close friendship in real life.

Pants the podcast came to fruition when Rachel Shelley (who edits and produces it) suggested Moennig and Hailey start one of their own after they appeared on PodDiva this past May.

In the first episode of their podcast, the duo said they became so close while filming the series that co-star Mia Kirshner began to describe them as a pair of pants because “You can’t have one leg without the other.”

With not much else to do in a global pandemic, the two decided to give it a go. Now featuring a host of excellent guests, PANTS has become the highlight of our week.

Showtime Releases First-Look Teaser for THE L WORD: GENERATION Q

So showtime just dropped the new L Word trailer and we can’t cope.

Showtime just dropped the first teaser for “The L Word: Generation Q”, featuring original stars Jennifer Beals, Leisha Hailey, and Katherine Moennig, and introducing a few new members (Arienne Mandi, Micah Lee, Jacqueline Toboni, Rosanny Zayas and Sepideh Moafi) to the party for the eagerly anticipated sequel.

According to the pay TV channel’s official description, “The L Word: Generation Q” continues to follow the intermingled lives of Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals), Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey) and Shane McCutcheon (Katherine Moennig), along with new characters Dani Nùñez (Arienne Mandi), Micah Lee (Leo Sheng), Finley (Jacqueline Toboni), Sophie Suarez (Rosanny Zayas) and Gigi (Sepideh Moafi) as they experience love, heartbreak, sex, setbacks and success in L.A.

Guest stars include Brian Michael, Stephanie Allyne, Olivia Thirlby, Fortune Feimster and Latarsha Rose.

“The L Word: Generation Q” is executive produced by showrunner Marja-Lewis Ryan (“The Four-Faced Liar,” “6 Balloons)”, along with with series creator Ilene Chaiken, Kristen Campo, Steph Green (pilot), and original series stars Beals, Moennig and Hailey.

The new series THE L WORD: GENERATION Q premiering on Sunday, December 8 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. 

Sarah Shahi Will Be in New ‘The L Word’ Sequel

Sarah Shahi is set to return for Showtime’s upcoming The L Word sequel series!

Carmen de la Pica Morales for two seasons and was a fan favourite on the series.

“It was discussed [that] my involvement [would be] very heavily [that] I would be in it. I intend to keep it that way, and so does Showtime,”

Shahi played fan-favorite Carmen — a DJ and love interest for Moennig’s Shane — for two seasons.

“[The L Word] was my first big gig. And to be a part of that, I don’t think I ever really knew what I was stepping into until after and I started speaking with women and getting letters. Just the amount of information that was sent my way about how impactful it was, it put me on this thing where it’s like, everything I want to do from now on, I want it to have meaning and I want it to touch people. That was something I tried to do in Reverie and in Person of Interest and it’s something I’m going to do in City on a Hill. To be a part of that sisterhood was so momentous for me. I’m more than honored that I can go back and re-create it.”

Shahi also opened up about what she thinks Carmen is up to now.

“Whatever she’s doing, I feel like she’s definitely still pining away for Shane. For Shane, Carmen would be the one that got away. But I think that was a big game-changer for her. I’m not sure if she’s still DJing or not but definitely something in the music-art world.”

One thing that’s still to be determined is just how big of a role Shahi will have in the eight-episode revival. Showtime declined comment on Shahi’s involvement.

Playwright and screenwriter Marja-Lewis Ryan will serve as showrunner and executive produce alongside original series creator Ilene Chaiken.

Stars Jennifer Beals (Bette), Katherine Moennig (Shane) and Leisha Hailey (Alice) are also on board to exec produce and will reprise their roles from the original series while also introducing a new ensemble of self-possessed LGBTQIA characters experiencing love, heartbreak, sex, setbacks and success on the east side of Los Angeles.

The reboot, first announced in July 2017, arrives nearly 10 years after the original wrapped its six-season run. It is considered a sequel to the original. Lewis-Ryan was selected following an extensive search for a writer with ties to the LGBTQIA community to document how relationships, lives and experiences have evolved — as well as what has and hasn’t changed since the show launched in 2004. Other characters from the original series — which included fan-favorite Erin Daniels (Dana), Laurel Holloman (Tina), Mia Kirshner (Jenny), and Pam Grier (Kit) — may also appear in a potential new version.

Jennifer Beals Explains The Decision To Bring Back ‘The L Word’

Last month, Entertainment Weekly reunited The L Word cast for a stunning cover and catch-up interview. At the time all all expressed an interest in returning for another season.

Now, that sequel is look to be a reality.

The L Word’s co-creator, Ilene Chaiken will be an executive producer of the series with a new writer/EP with ties to the lesbian community  brought in to run the production and once again chronicle the friendships and love lives of modern gay women.

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Jennifer Beals, Katherine Moenig, and Leisha Hailey are set to executive-produce as well as appear on the series. Other characters from the original series may also pop up and will be paired with a whole new cast of women.

Talking to EW, Beals explained why the moment is right for The L Word to return to television.

She also explained

Years ago, Kate and Leisha and I approached Ilene because we were shocked that nothing had taken its place. There was this renaissance, in a way, going on with marriage equality coming to the forefront. It was a different terrain and we thought you can start telling stories in a different way and there’s a whole new generation coming up that views sexuality in a different way. Ilene was in the middle of doing Empire and she was very excited about the idea but there are only so many hours in the day.

Then, the election happened. I remember I was in South Dakota watching the returns come in and I texted Ilene and I said, “We need to do something.” She said, “Let’s get together and talk about it.” So we were spitballing about what to do and I said our skillset is storytelling and I think we need to tell stories and certainly in an atmosphere of increasing hatred towards the LGBT community and frankly anyone who’s categorized as “other,” stories exploring the complexities of friendship and love are all that more crucial. Representation of everything. You can’t go backward. I would love to see the show continue to mine its original themes of friendship and love and community and additionally I’d like it to go a little further and challenge heteronormalcy.

At the reunion, Kate Moenig was adamant that season 6 be forgotten — which means Jenny Schecter lives – but Beals is not to sure.

You really got to hear the pitches of what they want to do. That person is taking on a huge load. They have the history of the show, the legacy of the show, and yet they have to make it better and they have to make it theirs. So to dictate too much at this point in time I think would be problematic. I want to hear what’s coming from them and what excites them and what stories they want to tell because that’s when it’s going to be good when you let somebody fully have their voice.

And on Bette and Tina’s future, well Beals was a little cagey

I don’t want to even say what I would like to see at this point because I think it’s more important for me to be open and listen to people’s ideas and not get stuck in my own desires. If somebody says I think she should be a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys. I’m gonna say, “Well I don’t think that’s such a great idea.” Can you imagine? That would be funny [Laughs].

‘The L Word’ Creator Ilene Chaiken Says The New Reboot Will Be More ‘Inclusive’ Than Original Show

Early this year, Showtime surprised us with news that The L Word was back for a new season.

Now, the shows creator Ilene Chaiken says the sequel to Showtime’s lesbian drama will be more inclusive than the original.

Speaking to TV Guide, Chaiken discussed what fans can expect in the new show.

It’s 10 years hence since we stopped doing The L Word, so the world will be different in all the ways that the world is different now. We’ve made progress, we’ve backslid in some ways, we’ve gotten older, some of us, and there are new young women whose stories we’re going to tell. But I will say that The L Word in 2018 will be more reflective, more inclusive than the original show we did.”

While Jennifer Beals, Kate Moenning and Leisha Hailey are expected to reprise their characters in the new show, Erin Daniels, who played Dana Fairbanks, has yet to announce whether she’ll appear in the reboot.

Chaiken said that she’s hoping Daniels will join the cast.

I hope we’ll be seeing Erin Daniels on the show. I love Erin Daniels, and maybe there’s some way – who knows. I’ve never let go of Dana and neither has the audience – maybe we will [see her].”

Apparently ‘The L Word’ Reboot Might Ignore Final Season Of Original Series

According to recent reports, The L Word creator Ilene Chaiken is looking to reshape the show with a next generation crew.

However, this may also mean re-writing the shows history and ignoring the final season.

When speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Chaiken revealed that she would serve as executive producer for the sequel series along with original series stars Jennifer Beals, Katherine Moennig and Leisha Hailey.

The three actresses would appear as their characters in the revival, and would help connect the dots – or The Chart – to a new group of women that the new series would focus on.

Showtime programming president Gary Levine told THR.

The new L Word will definitely deal with the new fluidity of sexuality; the gender differences in question. That’s not coming from me but everyone who comes in has a complete new canvas that absolutely speaks to the state of the world today and the younger generation. I have no doubt it will be incredibly relevant.”

Other actors from the original series like Erin Daniels (Dana), Laurel Holloman (Tina), Mia Kirshner (Jenny), Sarah Shahi (Carmen) and Pam Grier (Kit) may also appear in the new series.

We’re going to redefine The L Word with a new cast of characters but several of the originals will definitely be integral parts of it. It’s a generational thing and we’ll have both generations represented.”

As for the creative, Chaiken hinted that the revival may, like ABC’s upcoming Roseanne and NBC’s Will and Grace, ignore the final season that centred around a search for who killed Jenny.

“We might forget that last year ever happened.”

She also says she would also ignore the death of fan favorite Dana if she could, though she insists, “I don’t think we can.”

We’ve all learned a lot since then. We’ve been enlightened and the new version of the show will reflect how much more enlightened we are.”

Even though there’s been chatter about Showtime’s other series focused on the lives of LGBT characters, Queer As Folk, getting a revival, Levine says that there are currently no plans to bring back the show.

I feel like it really has been a giant gap in terms of lesbian series since The L Word went off the air. I don’t think there’s been quite as big a gap in terms of gay male characters and series in television. The L Word was a seminal series and there’s been nothing like it so maybe it’s time to try it anew. That’s why we’re pursuing it.”

We’re Finally Getting A Sequel To ‘The L Word’

Entertainment Weekly reports that Showtime is developing a sequel to its hit queer drama, The L Word.

Series creator Ilene Chaiken says she’s excited about the possibilities ahead, because there has, disappointingly, been no real follow-up in terms of television’s portrayal of gay women:

Chaiken told EW about the series returning.

We talk about it all the time. When we went off the air in 2009, I think a lot of people thought, Okay, the baton is passed now, and there will be lots of shows that portray lesbian life. There’s really nothing. It feels like maybe it should come back.”

According to EW Jennifer Beals, Leisha Hailey, and Kate Moennig have also signed on as executive producers and will also appear in the series.

Beals, Moennig and Hailey will act as bridge characters into the upcoming series, which will follow the lives of a new ensemble of women, chronicling the trials and tribulations of their lives. Other original characters, including Erin Daniels (Dana), Laurel Holloman (Tina), Mia Kirshner (Jenny), Sarah Shahi (Carmen) and Pam Grier (Kit), may also make appearances in the new series.

The original series was praised as the first drama series to focus on lesbian characters in a three-dimensional, realistic way when it first debuted in 2004, and won numerous awards over the years for its portrayal of a group of friends and lovers residing in West Hollywood, California.

The success of The L Word – which ended in 2009 – helped open the door for more varied and sophisticated LGBT-driven series to flourish: Looking, The Fosters, Transparent, Sense8 and Orange Is the New Black, among others. Additionally, the drama featured storylines about equality, legal marriage and benefits and HIV/AIDS at a time when they were frequently overlooked by more mainstream shows.

Showtime previously developed a spin-off for The L Word in 2008, called The Farm, which would have starred Hailey and was set in a prison, not unlike Netflix’s Orange. The idea did not ultimately go to series.

Who killed Jenny Schecter? ‘The L Word’ Cast Finally Discusses Her Murder

Let’s face it Jenny Schecter was the woman we all loved to hate. But who killed her?

At first I had a soft spot for Jenny Schecter – young, naive, and confused about her sexuality.

However, in later seasons, she was downright annoying to watch on screen and in the final two seasons; she was a train wreck waiting to happen.

Then in the final season, things took a dark turn when viewers found out that Jenny were seemingly murdered by one of her friends.

When EW reunited The L Word cast this month, they had to talk about that polarising final season and saying goodbye to Jenny.

Here’s what the cast had to say.

Mia Kirshner: I had no idea until the table read. I had such complicated feelings about Jenny. I was really surprised, I just started to cry. I was really, deeply upset, because she had become a part of me, even though she drove me crazy, that character, and she was so wrong most of the time and so rude.

Jennifer Beals: So entertaining, though! I loooove Jenny.

Katherine Moennig: She’s America’s sweetheart! [Everyone laughs.]

Kirshner: But I was very, very upset because I had seven years of that character with these people who had become like my family.

Moennig: I just want to pretend that [season] 6 didn’t happen, and just cap it at five. The show wasn’t about that, so let’s cap that and end it at five, because the show wasn’t about a death. That wasn’t what this whole show was about.

 

Ilene Chaiken: I’m not sure that it was the best choice. I loved the stories we told, but to do a murder mystery maybe was off-topic for us. But it was a metaphor. Jenny brought us into this world. Jenny is going to take us out of this world. It never so much mattered to me, and I realized it matters to the fans. When you tell a story, you owe it to the fans, but to me, it was just a way to talk about this journey that we’ve all been on together and where we are now.

Watch ‘The L Word’ Cast Reunite For EW Cover

Ten years after The L Word hit the small screen, Entertainment Weekly has rounded up the cast for an all-star reunion.

Watch the video below to see Sarah Shahi, Mia Kirshner, Leisha Hailey, Erin Daniels, Daniela Sea, Kate Moennig and Jennifer Beals discuss love, friendship and laughter.

‘Love is All You Need?’ Movie Envisions a Heterophobic Society

In movies and films that feature gay characters, it’s incredibly common that their storylines focus on homophobia or the struggles they have as they come to terms with their sexuality. But, despite this, the concept of a world that is prejudiced against someone’s sexuality is often a difficult one to grasp for heterosexual viewers.

Aiming to solve this is new movie Love is All You Need? The film, which stars Ana Ortiz, Leisha Hailey, Briana Evigan, Tyler Blackburn and more, envisions a world where it’s not gay people who are judged for their sexuality – it’s heterosexual people.

In the film’s fictional version of society, teachings against the ‘sin’ of heterosexuality are even taught in church.

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In the film, quarterback Jude has a girlfriend but she forms a connection with male frat pledge and journalist student Ryan.

The film also focuses on elementary student Emily who gets a crush on her best friend Ian and is excited to take part in the school’s production of Romeo and Julio (which the school’s theatre director decides to change to Romeo and Juliet) as if she’s cast as Juliet, it means that she’ll get to kiss a boy – but her classmates find out that she’s heterosexual and begin to bully her.

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Love is All You Need? is based on a short movie about a little girl named Ashley who is harassed by her parents and even physical abused by her peers just for being a “ro” (the movie’s slur for heterosexual people) and it eventually leads her to commit suicide. The short was incredibly successful, racking up 40 million views online.

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Speaking to After Ellen, the director and co-writer of the the project, K. Rocco Shields, explains how the short film came to be:

I went to bed one night after listening to a reporter on the news talk about how she couldn’t understand why kids were killing themselves because they were gay. And I thought about how I wished this woman could feel what it would be like to be marginalized and be the proverbial other, then maybe she would understand. We need to feel things in order to make change.”

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The director and co-writer also adds,

I’m not claiming originality. I’m just putting a different spin on it. And the idea is for mainstream America to really understand what it is like to be bullied and mistreated because you are different.”

For more information on where you can watch Love is All You Need? visit the official website.

The L Word’s Leisha Hailey Has A New Gig in ‘Chasing Life’

Leisha Hailey is set to appear on Chasing Life. Where she’ll be playing a lesbian called Juliet.

For those of you who may not know the show, ABC Family’s Chasing Life (now in its second season), it centres on an aspiring journalist April.

Not only has the 20-something received an opportunity to impress her editor at the Boston newspaper where she works, but she also has a budding romance with attractive co-worker Dominic. Unfortunately that’s when a big challenge starts. She is admitted to hospital and learns from her oncologist uncle that she has cancer. Thus begins April’s journey to beat the disease while following her dreams for both her personal and professional lives.

Also in the show is an out bisexual character Brenna, who is played by Haley Ramm.

Hailey looks to be entering into some-sort of love triangle between Brenna and new love interest Margo (Aurora Perrineau). Hailey will play “Margo’s crazy ex” who Brenna will “find herself in a big mess” with. I guess, sometimes being friends with your ex doesn’t work out so well for your current crush.

If you haven’t been watching the series from out executive producer Joni Lefkowitz (Life Partners), you can catch up on Season 1 with ABC Family On Demand or on Amazon Prime

The L Word’s Leisha Hailey Cameos in Jennifer Hudson’s New Music Video For Marriage Equality (Video)

Jennifer Hudson shines the spotlight on marriage equality in her ‘I Still Love You!’ video, which tells the story of a dad deciding whether to attend his son’s wedding.

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Jennifer Hudson is an out and proud LGBT ally, who is also the campaign ambassador for the ‘Turn It Up For Change’ campaign, which advocates for LGBT rights.

The video for ‘I Still Love You!’ is supported by the Human Rights Campaign, and W Hotels, and will help to support Logo’s #All50 campaign, which seeks to give out information to LGBT people and allies leading up to the US Supreme Court’s decision on same-sex marriage in the coming month.

Leisha Hailey makes a cameo as the officiant of a gorgeous wedding, and then JHud joins the reception for a huge queer dance party. Just try and get the song out of your head.

Leisha Hailey is Back (Briefly) on Our Screens!!

As Supernatural heads towards its season 10 finale, and we get given an extra special treat. L-word famed Leisha Hailey appears in the show, playing Claire Novak’s mom, Amelia.

Its been over ten years since lesbian drama The L Word first smashed on to our TV screens. An instant hit with gay and bi women around the world, it revolutionised the portrayal of LGBT women on TV and paved the way for more popular shows with gay/bi girls as major characters.

In Supernatural the episode Hailey is in focuses on character Claire Novak, who is back in town after she gets a lead on her long-lost mother, Amelia (Hailey).

Feeling the guilt for what he had done to Claire’s family, Castiel would want to make amends and the only thing to do it is by getting the mother and daughter reunite with each other.

He will do so by asking the Winchester brothers, Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) for some help.

Unfortunately, the summary noted, the group will discover some truth as to what took Amelia. They soon realize that there is a chance that Claire may not get the happy ending she looks for.

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A report from Carter Matt pointed out that this Castiel-centric episode could be a breather for the rigorous Mark of Cain storyline.

According to the publication:

Ultimately, the timing seems right for there to be a Castiel episode … Also, we hope that it can be one that gives Castiel even more great stuff to do. While he has some pretty interesting stuff going on right now trying to manage the guilt that he feels from his past, it took a little while this season for his story to really start to rocket off of the ground.”