BY CANDY PARKER

Ready, set, record!

Stars of the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black” will be making their first-ever late night group appearance, joining Conan O’Brien on his TBS talk show.

Hot on the heels of their recent Emmy nominations, actresses Taylor Schilling, Laverne Cox, Uzo Aduba, Kate Mulgrew and Natasha Lyonne, along with series co-star Jason Biggs, will stop by “Conan” on Monday, August 4. The event marks only the third time “Conan” has hosted an ensemble cast on his show, previously having featured stars of “The Walking Dead” and “Breaking Bad.”

“Conan” airs at 11pm ET/PT on TBS.

The post DVR alert: ‘Conan’ hosts ‘Orange is the New Black’ cast first appeared on Lesbian.com.

The 66th Primetime Emmy Award nominees were announced Thursday and the first season of the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black” earned a dozen nods, the most for any comedy.

The show is nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series and also received recognition for Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Art Direction. Three episodes were honored with nods for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing, as well. The Outstanding Directing nomination was for Jodie Foster’s work on episode three, “Lesbian Request Denied,” and marks the second time she’s been nominated for an Emmy.

Individual nominations went to Taylor Schilling (Lead Actress in a Comedy Series) and Uzo Aduba, Laverne Cox, Natasha Lyonne and Kate Mulgrew (all nominated in the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series category).

Cox’s nomination is another history making moment for the actress who recently graced the cover of Time magazine. The Emmy selection makes Cox the first openly transgender actress to receive the honor.

The Emmy Awards will be presented on August 25, 2014.

The post ‘Orange is the New Black’ garners 12 Emmy nominations first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY CANDY PARKER

According to a Twitter announcement from “The View”, actress, comedian and talk show host Rosie O’Donnell will be returning to the show this fall. O’Donnell previously served as one of the show’s hosts during a nine-month stint on the 2006-2007 season.

While O’Donnell hasn’t officially responded to the report — she’s vacationing with her family in Florida — she did retweet a link to a story by Variety announcing her return.

O’Donnell’s prior engagement on the morning talk show was during its 10th season, one during which she often was at odds with conservative co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck who now works for the Fox News Channel as a co-host on “Fox and Friends.”

Hasselbeck broke from her own vacation to call in to Fox to express her displeasure with O’Donnell’s return, calling her former co-host someone who had “”spit on the face of military” and “spit in the face of her own network.”

Following the retirement of Barbara Walters last May and with both Jenny McCarthy and Sherri Shepherd slated to depart “The View” this summer, ABC still has two more seats to fill alongside O’Donnell and returning host Whoopi Goldberg.

The post O’Donnell set for return to ‘The View’ first appeared on Lesbian.com.

On June 26, Logo TV will air its initial edition of “Trailblazers,” a one-hour special featuring the celebrities, politicians, activists and trendsetters who are actively working to effect cultural change for the betterment of the LGBT community.

Actor Daniel Radcliffe, a longtime supporter of The Trevor Project, will serve as presenter as DOMA activists Edie Windsor and Roberta Kaplan, the cast of the groundbreaking Netflix series “Orange is the New Black” and openly gay former NBA star Jason Collins are honored.

Scheduled to air during the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the one-year anniversary of DOMA being overruled, “Trailblazers” will also feature performances by A Great Big World, Ariana Grande, Tegan and Sara, Iggy Azalea, Mary Lambert, Jared Leto, Kylie Minogue, Rita Ora and Tyler Glenn.

The event will be held in New York City’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine, one of the first churches to host gay marriages, and Logo is offering viewers an opportunity to share stories of their own “Hometown Trailblazers” with a chance to win a trip to the Big Apple to view the event live.

The post Logo TV ‘Trailblazers’ honors Windsor, ‘Orange is the New Black’ first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Stephen Colbert confronts Ellen Page about coming out as a Canadian during this May 8 appearance on “The Colbert Report.”

The post Ellen Page comes out (as Canadian) first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Ellen Page talks “X-Men,” green screen filming adventures and gets flustered over Rachel Maddow.

The post Ellen Page on ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ first appeared on Lesbian.com.

The cast of the award-winning series “Orange is the New Black” describes Season 2 in just three words.

Season 2 will be available on Netflix on June 6.

The post ‘OITNB’ cast: Season 2 in just three words first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY CANDY PARKER

Sorry, boys — you’re beautiful, you’re talented and you have great hair, but after coming out as a lesbian nearly two decades ago, I think it’s time I bid you a fond farewell.

Yes, it will be difficult. No, there’s nothing you can do to make me change my mind. In this instance, it truly is me, not you. So let’s just get this over with, shall we?

Dear David Cassidy —

Ah, David. You were my very first celebrity crush. I was barely 10 years old, flipping through channels on my 13” black and white television when I stumbled upon an early episode of “The Partridge Family.” From the moment I discovered your feathery-haired, hazel-eyed wisp of a man character, Keith Partridge, I was a goner.

While many lesbians-in-the-making back then had it bad for Susan Dey (your show sister, Laurie, who I secretly hoped you’d marry if we didn’t work out), I became fixated on you, plastering my bedroom walls with tear-out images of you from 16 and Tiger Beat magazines.

I played your albums (both solo and with the made-for-television Partridges) endlessly, either transcribing every song lyric into my prized notebook or strumming and singing along, never letting the fact that I could neither play the guitar nor sing deter me in any way. Our voices sounded so perfect together, David; confirmation that our love was destined to be.

Oh — and I wrote short stories about chance meetings with you, tales of moving in next to the Partridges or serendipitously making your acquaintance on a camping trip. (I wasn’t entirely selfish in my creative writing, mind you. My sister was absolutely in love with Donny Osmond back then — I know, there’s no accounting for taste — so that’s why I made sure he was on those imaginary camping trips with you so she could fall in “Puppy Love,” too.)

While as a child I never saw you in concert, I’ve seen you several times as an adult – including an appearance at the Birchmere just last year. (I’m sure you remember me sitting at that front table, clapping and singing along to “Point Me In the Direction of Albuquerque.” Yes, I know it’s your favorite Partridge Family song, too, but that’s not enough to keep us together.)

I hate to do this so close to your birthday — yes, I remembered. How could I ever forget the April 12 birth date image from the “Up To Date” album cover?  But you’ve not aged very gracefully, the DUIs are stacking up and I have a thing for girls.

They say you never forget your first, so please know that you will forever hold a place in my heart as my virgin teenybopper infatuation. (And, no, you can’t have your lunchbox back.)

Dear Rick Springfield —

Oh, Rick. How do I begin to say goodbye to you? You were there for me as I headed into my 20s and I was dealing with the fact that David and I just weren’t going to happen any time soon. You were just what the heart doctor ordered, another long-haired, guitar-playing dreamboat.

You hit it big just about the time MTV broke on the scene – you know, back when they actually played music videos – and I lived for every airing of “Jessie’s Girl,” “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” and “Human Touch.” Your video production values weren’t all that great, but you looked pretty hot playing the guitar and punctuating your performances with well-timed, but seemingly pointless, karate kicks. (Yes, I know you’re into martial arts, but enough already with the high kicks, okay?)

Rick, I know you’ve probably always wondered who it was who went to see “Hard to Hold ” in the theater. In this bittersweet moment I’ll reveal that it was I.

Yep, I actually paid to see that five times. Clearly, I was in love.

I’ll always remember you for allowing me to see a slew of 80s one-hit wonders as your opening acts at Merriweather Post Pavillion —  Tommy Tutone (“867-5309/Jenny”), Corey Hart (“Sunglasses at Night”) and Aimee Mann’s ‘Til Tuesday (“Voices Carry”).

Sadly, my affection for you has faded somewhat over the years. I bought your ego-ography — oops, I meant autobiography —  “Late, Late at Night,” several years ago but never made it through it and 1988’s “Rock of Life” was the last LP of yours I purchased.

Please know that you will forever remain among my top three celebrity guy crushes and I’ll always be indebted to you for my karaoke success with “Jessie’s Girl.” (News flash: That song is a huge hit at lesbian bars.)

Dear Keith Urban —

This is a tough letter to write, Keith. I’m not sure how to explain my infatuation with you, though I know it must end.

You see, I’m not a huge country music fan and I’ve been a card-carrying lesbian since 1996. So we could never work. Besides, Nicole (or Nicky as we like to call her, huh?) has stood by you through so much. It just wouldn’t be fair to her if we were to continue.

It won’t be easy to get over your guitar-shredding, country-crooning Aussie ways. Your long hair (before the semi-recent cut, that is); your slight lisp when you speak (it makes you seem vulnerable) and the way you teared up during the mass wedding during the 2014 Grammy’s just melt my heart.

I’d be less-than-genuine if I didn’t confess that you’re the primary reason I watch “American Idol.” (Well, at least since M.K. Nobilette left the show earlier this season.) And it won’t be easy to see you on the screen each week, though directing my gaze toward Jennifer Lopez will help lessen the pain somewhat.

As a final goodbye, I’ll be deleting your most recent television performances on the Grammy’s (“Cop Car” with Gary Clark) and the Country Music Awards (“We Were Us” with Miranda Lambert) from my DVR. I know it seems silly, but I’ll otherwise never get over you as even now I find myself watching you in this video more than Miranda, like a good lesbian would.

Goodbye, boys, and thank you all for being so pretty. You see, my crushes on guys like you were like baby steps that eased me into recognizing that I actually liked girls. And for that, I will always love you.

The post To all the men I’ve loved before first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Nicole Pacent on set of of SHE4ME filming at the Andaz West Hollywood
(Photo by Rodney Bursiel)

BY NATASIA LANGFELDER
Lesbian.com

The talented Nicole Pacent is an actress, singer and model. She’s also one of the few out bisexual women in Hollywood. Her fans know her best from the web series, “Anyone But Me,” in which she portrayed the lovable Aster. Now, she’s back and starring in the SHE4ME PSA for marriage equality alongside actress Gabrielle Christian.

As a member of the LGBT community, Nicole has a vested interest in furthering equality. She sat down with Lesbian.com to discuss the behind-the-scenes fun on the SHE4ME set and her advice to fans on how to navigate the world as a bisexual person.

How did you first hear of the SHE4ME PSA and why did you choose to get involved with this project?

Well, really, I was sort of there when it was being conceived. I heard about it from my manager Sue Melke. She introduced me to Nicole Conn because they had been speaking about it and collaborating.

Nicole wanted to bring me on board as the bride and I just jumped on board. From there, the next thing we had to do was find another bride. It really was a meeting of minds. I decided to do it because it’s a cause I’m very passionate about, obviously, and I like Nicole Conn’s aesthetic.

What was it like working with director Nicole Conn?

Nicole is really clear on what she wants. It’s always great to work with a director who is that way, that way you can give them what they want. It’s refreshing.

Did you know Gabrielle Christian was going to play the other bride?

Sue forwarded me some ideas on who would be playing the second bride. When they settled on Gaby, it was really cool because we had sort of been orbiting in the same circle for so long, but we had never met or worked together. So we finally got to meet. She is such a doll.

Judging from the blooper reel, there was a lot of fun on the set. Can you dish on any of the behind the scenes hijinks?

It was all shot in one day! There were so many moving parts that everything was going on at once. There was no time for anything really crazy like would happen on a longer shoot. But the atmosphere was very jovial the whole time and during the wedding scene people just started doing funny dances. Everyone was just really happy to be there and have fun with each other.

You’ve been out as a bisexual woman for most of your career. How do you think that’s affected your journey?

It has affected it vastly. I can’t imagine how the journey would be different in terms of being more positive or negative thus far. I really don’t know. I’m glad I did it. In terms of the feedback, I’ve never gotten flack for it as far as I know. Everyone has been really accepting both within the gay community and outside of it. It’s really been wonderful.

Part of Aster’s popularity was because I was out to the fan base. I got a lot more projects out of that. I don’t know how things would have been different. It shaped it in ways I’m aware of and not aware of. But I’ve never doubted it and I’ve never second guessed it.

What would tell young fans who may be struggling with their bisexuality?

There are challenges that bisexuals face that you don’t get if you’re straight or gay. People don’t have enough information. And I’ve experienced that in my life. But in terms of my experience with work it hasn’t been a problem so far, which is awesome.

People message me about this all the time and it’s really hard because I wish I had time to respond to all of them. I would say there’s no blanket anecdote in terms of coming out for everybody. It’s different for everyone based on family situations or the country you live in. I can’t say come out and be who you are because it’s not that easy in many environments.

But that said, the more that you are able to be yourself and accept yourself as who you are, not only the happier you’re going to be, but the less you are just going keep hiding for your whole life. Whether they’re a total nerd or a cheerleader or if you have a non-traditional sexuality, if you spend your whole life fighting that, you’ll get tired after a while. It wears on you. It’s generally just a better path to go down to accept who you are and trust you’ll find your way. I really do believe that.

Finding spaces that are more accepting and attending support groups are always really good ideas. Connecting with other people, making sure you don’t feel alone. Those things are paramount. For me, it was so important to be surrounded by the bisexual and gay community even before I came out.

It’s so cliche, I know! But the older I get I have to tell you that’s what it’s all about. The constant struggle of having to let go of the idea that I have to be something other than what I am. It’s not worth it. It’s a losing battle. Just be who you are!

“South of Nowhere” ended in 2008 and many fans were able to dry their tears by moving onto “Anyone But Me.” In fact, one of the YouTube comments on the video is “Aster + Spencer = Perfection.” Do you think Spencer and Aster would have ever hooked up?

That’s so funny! I think from Aster’s point of view, she was so young. Vivian was her second girlfriend, but like first real love. Spencer and Aster could definitely have slept together maybe later in life.

Tell us about your favorite interaction with a fan.

Oh man, there are so many, especially because I’m now friends with some fans as a result. I remember this one instance quite well. A couple years back, before “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed, there a woman who messaged me and came out to me. She couldn’t tell anyone but me. She wasn’t out to anyone else. But she had seen “Anyone But Me” and she felt like I provided a safe space where she could be herself. Her job was defending our country and she couldn’t come out. That was pretty incredible. I have to say that messages like that where people have come out because of “Anyone But Me” or because I’m out about my sexuality or anything like that is endlessly inspiring to me and sort of unbelievable.

If you could star in a remake of any movie, which movie would you choose?

“Star Wars!” There’s not even a question in my mind. I could die happy if I was in that.

I would want to be Princess Leia 110 percent. She’s such an awesome female character. I grew up playing Princess Leia on the playground. I love that time period, too, episodes 4-6, of course!

In my adult years, I’ve been able to look back at it and appreciate it on so many other levels, including how strong Leia is as a female character. She is tough and she’s sarcastic and in charge and not submissive at all. She’s just feisty and fun with a dry sense of humor. She’s the type of character I would love to play.

Where can your fans find you?

There are a couple things in the works. There’s a short film that I did that’s going to be released mid-April, “It’s a Cold Cold Night.” I play a pretty funny, wacko character my fans will love.

And, if you are in Los Angeles, you can see me in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “All’s Well That Ends Well” at my theater company. Check my Twitter or Facebook, if you want to know more.

The post Nicole Pacent: The SHE4ME bride with the heart of Princess Leia first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda

BY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com

“9 to 5” costars Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda are teaming up for a new Netflix sitcom, “Grace and Frankie.” The 13-episode, single camera sitcom will feature the veteran actresses as rivals who are grow closer after their husbands declare their love for each other and reveal their plans to marry.

Written and created by Marta Kauffman (“Friends”) and Howard J. Morris (“Sullivan and Son”) will premiere on Netflix in 2015.

“Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are among the funniest and most formidable actresses ever and it’s an incredible privilege to give them the opportunity to run riot on Netflix,” said Netflix’s Ted Sarandos via media announcement. “The show created for them by Marta and Howard is warm, very funny and anything but wholesome. We can’t wait.”

You can keep up with the show on Facebook and Twitter.

The post Tomlin, Fonda reunite for Netflix sitcom first appeared on Lesbian.com.