Weekend Jam: Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - The Feeling Kind

Here's what I think: not enough people listen to Thao & The Get Down Stay Down (or Thao and/or Thao and Mirah). Which is a shame because Thao Nguyen is talented, cool and overall pretty awesome. All of this is no news to those who have a warm and fuzzy relationship with her. But no worries if she's a new acquaintance: today's a great day to get to know her. That's because the tune for this weekend is my current favourite song. It goes like this:

Weekend Jam: Goldfrapp - Yes Sir I Can Boogie

Knowing Alison, this could as well be Yes Madam I Can Boogie, relating to her relationship with film editor Lisa Gunning, who in my opinion, is one of the luckiest women around.

Alison is one of my favorite people ever and I've been listening to Goldfrapp for over ten years. I love all of their eras and they've never let me down with any of their albums. And I truly love Alison's enchanting voice as I admire her witty and intriguing personality. She seems like a lady who wouldn't let anyone walk over her but at the same time, warm and down to earth.

If you search Youtube a bit (I warmly recommend you do) you'll also find out she knows how to bake quite a fine cake. Alison, I'd never hesitate to be your piece of cake, so to speak.

Carol! Carol! Carol!

When rumour had it that no other than Cate Blanchett was to star in a lesbian themed film I pretty much flipped. I watch way too much stuff, it's become my main hobby really, and if anyone even hints of possible lesbian content, I will be watching. Or at least checking out if it's worth it. But it hasn't been just once or twice that I've spent more time pondering on why am I watching the film in the first place than on any other aspect of it. Let's face it, when it comes to motion pictures, queers and quality don't often go hand in hand. I thought that I wouldn't set my expectations too high for the upcoming film: seeing Cate in it would actually be more that one could ask for. But turns out there really might be more into it!

The film is called Carol and it's based on Patricia Highsmith's novel The Price of Salt. (There's a hot reading tip for you: it's a great read so maybe that's the next book you should grab if you haven't done it already! Or actually, there's no better time for re-reading for now that you know the cast you can imagine the characters as them – sweet!) The description on IMDb says this of it: ”Set in 1950s New York, a department-store clerk who dreams of a better life falls for an older, married woman.” Gay old times and falling for older woman? A.k.a. a way to my heart!

Chances are I got a tad bit obsessed when I found about the project. To the extend I checked the film page on IMDb on weekly basis trying to find if there would be more information. Or well, any information. The film was announced in Cannes in 2012 and then for a year nothing happened – except scheduling conflicts. I was worried these Hobbit people would take possession of Cate and she'd have to drop the project. As this thing now finally seems to make progress, she's the only one of the original combo left standing: Mia Wasikowska (cast as the department-store clerk) was replaced by Rooney Mara and the director John Crowley by Todd Haynes. The latter fact sent my expectations through the roof, to the skies and to space and to other galaxies and I thought it couldn't get any better really.

Until it did. Because just recently it was revealed that the one playing this fore mentioned older, married woman's (i.e. Cate Blanchett's character's Carol's) ex-lover and confidant is is played by Sarah Paulson. I had just marathoned American Horror Story for hours and I was an emotional mess so when reading the news I was ready to shed tears of joy. Plus you know, more gays not only the merrier but also probably believable and just better. This may be the most expected film of my entire existence. Even more so than Spice World. And that's something.

Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara and Sarah Paulson. The dream team? Soon not only in my dreams.

Things you should see: The Fosters

Stef (Teri Polo) and Lena (Sherri Saum) hugging their daughter Mariana (Ciarra Ramirez) in ABC Family's The Fosters.

  

I wasn't supposed to write about TV series two times in row but then again I was supposed to go to sleep hours ago and not dilly dally around the world wide web, so there you go. Anyhow in short: The Fosters – watch it. Rest of this post is a more wordy version of the very same tip.

The Fosters is kind of a sappy and melodramatic family series and those aren't necessarily my cup of tea. I mean, family relations as a topic, yes please, but think more like Mommie Dearest. That being said, I counted days until the return of all this teenage angst, parenting problems and other things that don't necessarily have anything to do with my life. Because how often do you really get it: a family show that revolves around multicultural family with foster kids and two mothers. That's a jackpot my friends!

The family includes a son from one of the mothers' previous relationship, adopted twins and two new family members, the foster siblings, who come to live with the family at the beginning of the series. As all these kids are more or less in their teens, there's all that. But don't be fooled; there's so much more. Actually the show brings up pretty heavy themes like expressing your gender or racial and cultural identities. In the latest episode there was a transgendered teen and that's something you don't come across as often as you really should in media. And then there's the fact that both parents of this family are women. But none of these things are too much in your face nor are they handled in too preachy way.

Usually whenever a show has a lesbian character (which kind of still is an achievement itself), it still means one can forget relaxing and fun times. Because that character probably dies. Or they lose a limb. Or they lose anything and everything. Very likely the one they love. Drama series don't acknowledge happy couples, let alone happy gay couples. So you're constantly ready to get your heart ripped out out of your chest and be trampled by a feral band of horses.

But you get none of that crap with The Fosters! Lena and Stef sure have their fair share of problems but fair is really a key word here. Shipping them is so relaxing you almost forget they are a gay couple because you're not worried they could burst into flames out of the blue. Only that you don't forget it for you are so aware of its uniqueness and beauty that your heart is about to burst into pieces: you're happy it's made so believable and real and sad because you aren't used to it and you rarely see it. 

And that's really why this show matters. That's why people should watch it. Those who think there's only one kind of family that's right and those on the fence about all the big themes of the show. But those, too, who need to see themselves and their family and their friends portrayed just as they are.

Weekend Jam: Nina Simone — Four Women

Basically Weekend Jam is ongoing series that weekly has some music in video form that is somehow related to women. It's possible and often likely that there will be longer text posts regarding the artists so Weekend Jam mainly introduces tunes that move and shake us in any way at that given moment. These songs may remind you of an old favourite you haven't listened to for a good while, is just the artist you've been blasting nonstop recently or introduces you to someone new whose music you'll get into. So yey!

Nina Simone performing Four Women in Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969.

Things you should see: The Bletchley Circle

 ITV's  The Bletchley Circle:  Sophie Rundle, Anna Maxwell Martin, Julie Graham and  Rachael Stirling.

I have quite a few favourite things. This list includes but is not limited to: tight groups of females of any age, sisterhood and period dramas, especially those set in the 20th century. When all these meet, I'm more that likely into it. When I was pining with my feelings of loss regarding the TV series Bomb Girls (which has all these elements and more and which everyone and their mother should watch right this minute and of which I am so blogging about in the future), I run into some mention of The Bletchley Circle. As the second series started this January I decided finally to check it out.

I checked out the entire first series and the first half of the second one in one sitting. Well, the first series has only three episodes and the second one four but even if there were twice that many I still would have dedicated my entire life to it. Me binge watching something means nothing and if I'm not obsessive watcher I don't know what I am. However, in this case I got so hooked I just couldn't stop. Also, this is what I would call quality TV. It's the bee's knees.

The Bletchley Circle sets in London in the early 1950's and focuses around women who used to break codes during World War II. Now they use these mad skillz to solve complex crimes. To describe that with just one word: brilliant! It's like all those oh-so-handsome, oh-so-boring American dudes with special  skills in numerous TV shows only that it's gazillion times cooler since it's done by kick-ass ladies doing what the police can't / doesn't bother with. Basically they are like super heroes: they are true rebels and don't give a shit if the men are belittling them and their little ”puzzle solving hobbies”. They help other women in need and are willing to risk their own lives in doing so. That's what I want to see.

And you probably want to see it, too. If you like shows like Sherlock or Endeavour and the like you'll love The Bletchley Circle. Chances are you'll love it even more because, well, hello ladies! The fore mentioned ladies include for instance Anna Maxwell Martin and Rachael Stirling who've both been in filmed versions of Sarah Waters' lesbian favourites: Martin in The Night Watch and Stirling in Tipping the Velvet. Doesn't get much better than that, if you ask me. So yeah, go! Watch! Now!

Old and beautiful, please

It really made my (terribly cold) day to find out there's a new movie coming with Charlotte Rampling. She seems to do quite small but sophisticated and intriguing roles nowadays. Sadly I can't remember where I saw her the last time but I'm glad to see she has worked with François Ozon again. Such a wonderful director who seems to cherish many of my favorite ladies. 

 

So there's no Charlotte in the trailer (I wonder how small her role really will be this time?) which leads me to comfort myself with some Patricia Kaas since the song in the trailer reminded me of her. I love french cinema though and I can't wait for the movie. I hope I just won't be having my oh she'sthere... oh it's 30seconds -- she's gone moment with Charlotte like I did with Cate Blanchett in The Hobbit.  Traumatic.

This song really makes me wish to start stabbing my hear with a quill. I love melodramatic tunes like this one and it's one of my all time favorites when it comes to french songs. A true lady doesn't even need heels to seem elegant and graceful. Formidable!

Heartbeats and Kim Gordon; how and when

I still remember the exact moment. It was night and it was dark and I was alone in the living room, watching a document about something including Kim Gordon. It was love at first sight. I remember how I was blushing and how my heart was racing... And then I realized her age, I realized I'm half her age as back then I was around sixteen, seventeen and she was almost fifty. I went through a short phase of confusion… yes, no… no but yes… I can't… how could I not, yes please, maybe no... and it obviously ended to the hymn of as many lovely yeses as I've been able to count in the rhythm of my heartbeats ever since.

Soon I realized it was truly my calling. And I can honestly say almost every woman I've ever fancied has been much older than me or if they haven't, they've had this "mature aura" which I find hard to describe better but I do know a few younger women like this (in real life also) and it's truly charming. But about older women, I just can't resist the charisma, the beauty, the presence, the intelligence, the maturity… And the most adorable and the most beautiful thing in a woman I can think of are those little wrinkles in their eye corners which are starting to appear when she reaches her mid thirties.

If only I knew where to meet women like this in real life! Specially if they'd be fascinated to get involved with a younger woman like me and not that interested of just brutally breaking my heart. I remember I was once corresponding for a short while with a film director, an older gorgeous woman, who had this same fixation but the other way around… She told me that if I ever go to Los Angeles she's willing to tell me places where older women are looking for younger ones. So if I ever meet a fairy godmother, I'll ask her (after trying to gracefully hit on her of course) to take me to LA.

But meanwhile I'm cherishing and enjoying my vivid imagination and all my so-called celebrity crushes and obsessing over their magical powers. There's so many, the ones that come to mind first are Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore, Donna Tartt, Tori Amos, Charlotte Rampling, Monica Bellucci, Emmanuelle Seigner, Isabelle Huppert, Kate Bush, Susan Sarandon… I could go on and on and on. With most of these I also have such long-term crush relationships which I'm quite proud of as it's just lovely to keep on following how your favorite ladies develop as artists. So of these, and of all the other things imaginable connecting with this subject (believe me, there's truly an endless amount of them), I'll be writing here!

Faithfully yours,
Alisa

Coming out as an appriciator of finer and more mature things in life

Admittedly I have always been attracted to older people. Maybe because I've been surrounded by people more close to my parents' age all my life, it's been kind of the norm. Let's make it easy for you kitchen psychologists out there: I was an only child and my single mother took me to gatherings with her friends. I was often the only kid and surrounded by these women: their attention towards me was warm and welcomed.

When I was in my early teens I fell for this musician from the sixties. (For the record, it was a he as that was the way I rolled before knowing any better.) Even if I fancied the younger 60's cutie, I'd have married the current version in a heartbeat. Our age difference was 39 years. I was thrilled: it wasn't THAT much, less that fourty, it could've been worse! Like in my then-favourite tune, The Who's Pictures of Lily where the kid goes to ask their dad where he could find this dashing lady and turns out she's been long dead and gone. That spoke to me on spiritual level.

In school I didn't always hit it off with my peers and I considered myself more of an old soul. I hung out in the class rooms after the bell had rung and dished on literature, the courses and the essays or practically anything at all with the teachers. I was hopelessly devoted to one especially. I drew her pictures in my diary. If I saw her, I'd write down what she was wearing so that I could remember. One night I had a pretty steamy dream of us making out in the copying room. She sometimes spoke to me in the hallways for no particular reason and I kept doors open for her. In retrospect, she wasn't the first; I was already obsessing over my older women teachers on second grade.

Later on I've developed this form of art into crushing on those how appear on films and TV shows. Or make music. Or make something else that catches my eye. Who happen to take the same public transport with me or merely breath the same air. So on this blog I will gush about fine women: older, a bit younger, those long gone and of the fictive kind. So fasten your seat belts: I hope you'll enjoy the ride. We're on a long and winding road to nowhere.

Sincerely, your captain Puppe