Mia Kirshner On I Live Here, Intimacy

Posted by Monet Lucki on March 4th, 2010

Many of us are familiar with Mia Kirshner from her roles in films such as Exotica, Not Another Teen Movie, and Black Dahlia, and TV series such as The L Word and Vampire Diaries.

But let’s take a second look at this actress and give her the praise she deserves as an activist and a writer. Kirshner recently completed a book called Intimacy. Each page is handmade and crafted, using photographs taken by the actress at an L Word Convention in Liverpool. A love story between two women, the limited edition book sold out surprisingly quickly.

Kirshner’s first book I Live Here (2008) left many enthralled by her artistically creative documentation of raw, unheard stories from around the world. By capturing these emotions with journal entries, comic strips, and drawings, Kirshner evoked a strong intimate connection between these women and children, and her readers. And this is not the end; I Live Here has become more than just a book, but an organization with plans to further extend and grow. For more information on this organization and how you can help, please check out the website.

Monet Lucki: What was your inspiration for writing this book?

Mia Kirshner: Intimacy? Well I was really antsy after I Live Here came out to do something else that was much smaller in scope. And when I was at the L Word convention, which will be my last convention that I go to, I was really struck by the fact that it was so not about the show. But it was really about the community of women coming together and sort of various women coming to these things to meet each other and to just have a safe place to be together. So I began to take pictures while I was there and then I began to ask the women to write about their lives, like how they came to be here, where they come from, their first kiss, sort of in the same style as in I Live Here. And then from there myself and this woman Mia B out of New York, a designer, put together Intimacy, which is basically inspired by the writing of the women. And it’s a love story between two women I guess with a bit of erotica in it.

ML: How did you get everything together to make this possible?

MK: The process of putting a book together is never easy in the sense that you can’t just make something in a day then expect it to be right. It’s taken months and months and months to just really make sure that each page reflects what the story is saying. We drew a lot, we re-photographed the images that I took.

ML: Are you doing any book tours to help promote this book at all?

MK: No this really is a tiny limited edition book and it was really done specifically for the group of women who attended the convention. And because it’s in such a small print run we sold a couple, then we sold more and now we’re sold out.

ML: Wow

MK: Yeah, it’s exciting. We’re looking at offering some of the prints that we made because each page really looks like a sort of old French new wave poster.

ML: So you weren’t expecting it to sell out that quick?

MK: No. It’s great, because I Live Here I think has really become this movement. And I think a lot of people support the work we’re doing and really like our approach to design and that’s sort of where the emphasis came from. It just takes a long time to do these things. With each project I always forget it doesn’t take a day or a month. I mean I could easily just keep on working on this book for years but that’s not possible.

ML: What was your inspiration for I Live Here?

MK: Well I think that stories can change the world, and I just feel like especially with the way our media is right now, you really have to search for individual stores from people in isolated communities, and how they live, what they’re going through. And really I felt that I had a lot to learn so the book really started out months ago, with just wanting to pick four different countries and focus on getting people to write about their lives so we could learn about them, and to make a book that was accessible and really used art as the medium to express the story, something that I thought my friends might want to read.

ML: It’s a lot more personal that way because it evokes more emotions because you can see their feelings through their artwork and from their writing.

MK: That’s what we tried. Mike Simons and Paul Shoebridge did the book we did it together and with James MacKinnon who all live in Vancouver. They worked so hard on this book. The book is what it is because of them and our collaboration.

ML: Did you have any fears when starting this project?

MK: I mean I thought that it would take a year. I had no idea that it would take this long. I had no idea how much money it would cost. At the time, I didn’t apply for grants because I just felt like, I don’t know what this book is going to be when I’m finished with it because I’ve never done one of these things before, so I spent all my money on it. Which is a good thing to do in life because you get time in what you’re trying to produce. But yeah I guess I was, when you’re working on it at the time I wasn’t even thinking about it getting published. That was a big scare, if people would actually like it or read it.

ML: How would you describe your overall experience doing this project and visiting these four countries?

MK: I mean it was really a life changing experience. Once you start that kind of stuff, it’s kind of in your blood. It’s definitely not easy and it definitely eclipsed my whole life, in the sense that it really became clear to me that in order to do this, I had to make a hundred percent commitment. Because I went to the places and collected the material, but after that the process of putting the material together is the most labor intensive part. It’s definitely a challenge and it also is a challenge being able to let go of a page when you are finally thinking it’s done. Because it never feels done. You’re never quite sure when it’s ready to be sent off. It definitely took a lot of patience and it taught me a lot about working with people.

ML: Seeing it finished and as a whole, and how successful it’s been so far, must feel really good.

MK: You know what feels good, is when I made the decision in Malawi, in Kachere Juvenile Prison, to start the I Live Here Projects. We [Kirshner and James MacKinnon] worked hand in hand on that chapter. James and I talked about the fact that no body was in that prison helping those kids at the time, and nobody was advocating for their rights. It was really a very quick decision. I was like, I don’t think the book is enough, so I think we need to start the I Live Here Projects, which is going back to the places that we worked in, and setting up programs that really seek help for the communities. That really helped us.

So again these decisions are really made quickly but we’ve grown a program in that prison which I’m really proud of. I think because of the book, the prison is has more visibility, which is great. These kids can’t slip through the cracks anymore because I wrote about it once a month for The Huffington Post. There are a lot of people that know about this prison now.

We put composting toilets into each cell, and we set up a school. And something that I’m really proud of is, the kids weren’t getting enough food, and their nutrition was totally off. And because of that, the kids were getting sicker and sicker. So we started a garden around the prison walls, based on the concept of permaculture, which is basically only using what’s available from the area you’re working in; no chemical fertilizers, learning how to save your seeds. So it really saves the farmers a lot more money in the long run, and gives them healthier food. Because they don’t have to rely on the big seed companies.

So yeah, we also look after legal rights in the prison. We’ve been able to get a lot of kids released who shouldn’t have been there. We’ve been able to help this kid with a tumor on his head now who I met with when I last was there in January, who’s being released and getting medical care. So I’m really proud of what we’ve done.

ML: That’s amazing.

MK: What’s cool about it is our team. Because we are all volunteers, the only people that are paid are the staff in Malawi. Finally, we just hired somebody to work full time with us on the administration of this stuff, because if you can imagine it’s a lot of work. You know, we really have a team; if you can include their names because they’ll read this, and I think it would make them feel really good to be recognized because they worked so hard. Erica Solomon, who’s a teacher in LA. Judy Battaglia who’s a professor at LMU. They really came forward and helped develop the I Live Here Projects to be what it is today. And James, Mike, and Paul just because I want to make sure they get the credit, because they deserve a lot of it.

ML: It sounds also like it would be a very emotional experience. Did you ever feel overwhelmed with what you were seeing that was going on there?

MK: Actually, you know, yes. Definitely in Malawi. I think it’s a couple things that are overwhelming at first because of the magnitude of people’s problems when you’re looking at poverty. It is so overwhelming because you don’t know where to start. Like, do you give somebody a net for malaria, do you look after their nutrition, do you look after their legal rights? It’s hard to choose just one, whereas most major organizations just choose one thing to look after. And I wasn’t able to choose so we decided to do as much as we could.

I think that the thing that’s the most disturbing to me at this juncture is the larger organizations that we have tried to deal with in the past. I feel as organizations we should all work together to help each other with the common goal of helping these kids. We approached UNICEF because the government won’t supply cleaning supplies to the kids in the prisons. And we asked UNICEF if they could, and we got a letter back saying we don’t think the kids should be in prison, so we can’t, and we’ll work on the justice side of things. But they’re not, because we work on the justice side of things. So I know for a fact that nothing is going to be done.

ML: So you asked them to help with supplies and they said no?

MK: Yep. Because they said they believe that kids shouldn’t be in prison. And I was like, but they are. It’s sort of like, what are you going to do with those kids that are in there now? I believe kids shouldn’t be in prison either, but that is the reality, so how can you not help them. And the kids in there are really sick. I mean we can do as much as we can, but after a certain point larger organizations must come in and do more, and help. And that’s been sort of difficult. We are doing more than any other organization working in the prison, and I think that rocks for a group of girls who are just volunteers, and just working our butts off to do the best we can.

ML: So ideally, what would you like the results of the project to be?

MK: I Live Here is a multi-faceted thing, one facet of which is continuing the series of anthologies. The second part is our projects. Now, in terms on where we are going next, we are going to create an online community for people whose stories go unheard, for example people who have been affected by the recession, newly homeless people who can’t afford health care, things that affect us in North America. They will have a place to put their stories online with video, sound, and photographs and then we’ll make a book from that in addition to keep on running the Malawi program.

ML: When are you planning on starting your second project?

MK: I think post-July.

ML: Is there anything else that you want people to know about this project, the book, or anything that you’ve been doing?

MK: We always want to hear people’s stories, and that is something we’re collecting now. People send us videos all the time. This is a random example: “I am a teenager who’s struggling with depression and I don’t know what to do.” Or, “I am a gay woman and I was just discharged from the military.” So I hope people will send us their stories because this is something that we’re really able to curate once we build our site.

ML: There are a lot of unheard stories, and people don’t feel comfortable talking about them, or they don’t know where to go.

MK: Yeah. When you’re in it, certainly nobody’s life is easy.Sometimes when we’re going though a problem or an issue we feel like our problems aren’t important enough to voice. And to have a safe place to go for people to do this, and to be able to be heard, if we feel valued maybe it’ll make our community stronger, because we will feel better about ourselves and our lives.

ML: And to know other people out there are going through the same exact thing.

MK: Yeah. Exactly, exactly.

Interview with Mia Kirshner

by Dara Nai, Senior Writer, August 20, 2009 from afterellen

Who killed Jenny Schecter? A mere five months ago, that was the burning question on lesbian lips in living rooms and local bars from Los Angeles to Little Falls, New Jersey.

Mia Kirshner (Miss Conception, The Black Dahlia, 24) — the astonishing actor who played Jenny, and managed to find the humanity in a character known for uttering, "Adele, the appliqué on the back of your jeans was declared an abomination by the Geneva Convention," and other psychotic bon mots — is in fact a thoughtful woman who'd rather spend time with her friends than bask in the spotlight of Hollywood.

After a record six years as Showtime's longest running original series, The L Word finally ended in March, putting our love-to-hate relationship with Jenny Schecter to rest, not to mention relieving us of those annoying alliterations.

What many people don't know is, all that time, Mia was also focused on humanitarian issues, and in October, 2008, she published her first book, I Live Here, a collection of "visually stunning" narratives told through journals, stories and images, by refugees and displaced people from around the world.

The normally press-shy actress talked to AfterEllen.com and opened up about working on The L Word, her reaction when she found out Jenny was dead, and furthering her efforts for I Live Here with an upcoming fundraiser that will include L Word cast members Jennifer Beals, Laurel Holloman and Rose Rollins.

AfterEllen.com: Now that The L Word is over, can you tell us what your overall experience was like?
Mia Kirshner: It's hard to talk about an overall experience, because each year was so different. But looking back now that a few months have passed since it ended, I miss seeing the girls. They were really fun to work with. I miss that dorm atmosphere that happened on the set. I miss giggling with them. I think in retrospect, in spite of some of the weirdness with the storylines, particularly with my character, it was wonderful. Showtime gave us a lot of freedom, and I realize how rare that is, and how lucky we were to have those jobs.

AE: How was it to work with so many women and so few men? That's a rare thing.
MK: It is a rare thing. When I first started the show, I was worried about it because in high school, there were packs of girls that reminded me of packs of wolves. I always felt like a group dynamics [can get] nasty. I remember in the pilot, I kept to myself. But now, I can only say it was a really wonderful experience – on the social side of it and the creative freedom that we had.

Working with all women is a great thing. Women talk more about how they're feeling, what they'd like from each other, and what they don't like. It can be a more sympathetic environment, if that makes any sense.

AE: You were all doing something groundbreaking, a show about lesbians, and going through it together. Did that help?
MK: We never thought of it like that. I didn't at the time. And we had all had our own experiences in the gay community, with women, whatever. Not all of us, but some of us. It wasn't a big deal. And we were shooting in Vancouver, so we were in a little bubble.

AE: So, being cut off from Hollywood fostered a little esprit de corp?
MK: Yeah, it was nice. We had dinner in each other's homes. Leisha [Hailey] and I lived together the first year. It was a special, special time.

AE: Who were you closest to in the cast? Who do you miss the most?
MK: I would say I was close to Leisha. Kate [Moennig] and I hung out a lot. But it was always group stuff. Leisha, certainly, because I lived with her the first year and the second year. We got to know each other very well.

Rose Rollins is definitely one of my best friends. I speak to her every single day. I love her very, very much. And I would say Jennifer [Beals], as well.

AE: So, that notion that women don't support each other, or try to keep each other down — you didn't see any of that?
MK: No, absolutely not. I didn't. Also, I was working on I Live Here, the whole time I was in Vancouver, so I had other things I was thinking about. I was focusing my energy on the book. I wasn't that involved in the politics.

AE: Did you like the way the series ended?
MK: No. No. No, I didn't. But what can I say? We had so much freedom on The L Word, I think we became used to being able to have our say, and being heard on the show. But that's not normal. That's definitely a privilege that [creator and executive producer,] Ilene [Chaiken] and [executive producer,] Rose Lam gave to the cast.

Therefore, when things went down the way they did, it was surprising not to be asked, "Are you OK with this? What do you think of this?"

But they don't have to do that. We were lucky to have jobs.

AE: What did you think when you got the script and found out Jenny was dead?
MK: I remember so clearly being so shocked at my own reaction. We were shooting the scene where Niki [played by Kate French] is trying to seduce [laughs] – I call everyone by their real name – Alexandra Hedison's character at the club. We had just come back from lunch and finally, I had heard. There was all this speculation about what was happening, and it was really toward the end of the show. I remember being really upset by it, and being surprised by how upset I was.

There was the logical mind, where I was like: "This is just a character. You're lucky that you worked so long, and it gave you opportunity to do so much." But there was another part of me that was so sad because I tried to find the best in Jenny, in order to play her.

I agree with most of what people say about her, but here was a girl, if I can defend Jenny, who at the end of the day, seemed bi-polar to me. And an artist in search of herself. I never wanted Jenny to be a hero. I admired Ilene for making her a complicated, often unlikable character, but perhaps a truthful character that pushed people's button.

But especially [during] Prop 8, what does this say about a show that was supposed to be about friendship? I guess I was just sad that there was no redemption on that end.

AE: Did any of the writers or producers tell you they knew who killed Jenny?
MK: No. I'm not sure who did it, or why. Well, "why" is clear, but it's still remains murky to me and I'm OK with that.

AE: Who do you think did it? Some people speculated Jenny killed herself.
MK: I don't know. When you see this character you've worked so hard on, for so long, just become a stereotype of a lunatic, I was very sad about that. I haven't done a lot of press for the show because I don't want it to be misinterpreted that I'm trashing the show. These are my own feelings about someone in search of herself, becoming something I thought she wasn't. The work that had been valuable to me and my experience.

And I said to the girls as I was leaving on my last shot, that I had never known a greater group of people since I was in grade school.

AE: Were you comfortable doing all those nude scenes and sex scenes?
MK: [laughs] Really? Are you asking me that?

AE: Yeah. Sorry.
MK: Uh, I don't know. For me, it's a job.

AE: Fair enough. OK, moving on. Did you ever get confronted by angry fans that couldn't separate you from your character?
MK: It happened once at a club. We were at a gay club in Vancouver and one girl came up to me and said, "I hope you die."

AE: Whoa.
MK: Yeah. I asked her to come outside with me, and I was like, "Listen, why are you at this club tonight?" And she said, "I'm here to have a good time." And I said, "So am I. Do you have a job?" And she said, "Yeah." And I said, "Why do you work?" And she said, "To make money." And I said, "That's why I work, and that's why I have a job and I need to make money. And that's what I do. So when you say, 'I hope you die,' I assume you're talking about my character, and not me. And it's not nice. It's not me, it's my job and it's what I do to pay my bills. And I just ask you to have a little kindness."

AE: What did she say to that?
MK: She seemed kind of shocked and taken aback. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable but I really wanted to make the distinction it's a job; a lucky job to have. But she was pretty rude and unkind.

AE: Did you experience a lot of that?
MK: No, I think out of all the cast members on the show, I keep an extremely low profile and I don't go out that much. So, I'm not really exposed to that kind of stuff. I know it's a boring answer.

AE: Hey, if I were playing a character everyone hated, I'd keep a low profile, too.
MK: You'd keep a low profile? No, it wasn't that. I keep a low profile because when I'm not at work, I just want to hang out with my family and friends. I guess I'm not ambitious about what actors are supposed to do.

AE: You're not missing anything. Which was your favorite Sounder?
MK: Sounder. Oh, I hated that stuff. I really just don't know what to say.

AE: What stuff? You mean like the storyline about putting a dog down just to get back at someone?
MK: Yeah. I just didn't understand why. I didn't see what that said about the character. Not that Jenny wasn't mean – she was – but there was a point where I was like, "Whoa. This is not something I'm [personally] comfortable with." But it's what [Ilene] needed to express and that was my job.

AE: Have you heard anything about an L Word movie?
MK: I have no idea. No idea.

AE: If they do one, I can't see how to make Jenny undead. Maybe a prequel?
MK: I don't know. And it wasn't a long time ago, but the show feels like a long time ago. A lot of stuff has happened.

AE: Well, your book came out and now you're really concentrating on the I Live Here project.
MK: After I came back from Malawi, my writing partner, James MacKinnon, and I decided that we wanted to start a program in the juvenile prison there. So we spent a couple of years doing research and that's really what my spare time is devoted to.

If you think of the book as the right hand — the education part of it — then the project is the left hand. You see what some problems are around the world, and then you do things in a concrete way and you fix them.

AE: What crime could a young child commit that would send them to prison?
MK: I would say over half of them are there because of crimes related to poverty, such as stealing food. Many are being held without a proper trial, many of the kids are orphans. Their parents died from AIDS-related illnesses. They're locked in their cells, they're overcrowded. There's one bucket to use the bathroom.

I've been asked, "Why Malawi?" and my answer is, "Why not?" When you see human rights being violated, you have to say something and do something about it. Period.

I don't want to pretend to be an expert on the subject and have the ultimate answers, but there's an attitude that because they live in another country and we live here, they don't affect us. I think it's important to look at the world as a body. And if one part of the body is sick, and not treated, than disease will spread to the rest of the body. It's preventative. That's what I Live Here is trying to do, in its small, humble way.

AE: Your book, I Live Here, uses storytelling as a powerful tool to raise awareness.
MK: Yeah, it's their stories. That's the premise of the book: that stories can change the world. And you give people who often wouldn't be given a chance to speak for themselves, to write about their lives. So I think having people speak for themselves is very powerful.

AE: I read that your father was a displaced person.
MK: My dad was born in a refugee camp after World War II and went through a series of camps. My grandmother on my father's side lost her husband and her son. They were killed, I think. We don't know what happened to them. And that's why I think it's important to archive what happens to people who survive violence and trauma.

AE: Without a record or anyone bearing witness, crimes are lost to time.
MK: I think so. I also think, on a very personal level, if you're asked what or how you feel, and what you want, it makes you feel valued. And if you feel valued, it makes you stronger.

AE: Have you met anyone during the making of the book that really inspired you?
MK: The kids in the Malawi prison. Certainly, at first glance, these kids didn't seem to be hardened criminals. These kids wanted to write and draw. And what came out of their writing was their hope and their humility, and their lack of anger. Many others would be very anger at the fact that their parents had passed away, that they were extremely poor, and that they were in jail and hadn't been charged. It was an inspiring thing. So, I realize how f---ing lucky I was to have a job. I have nothing to complain about.

AE: Well, we're spoiled Americans.
MK: I'm Canadian!

AE: Oops, I forgot. Well, there's a certain cynicism when it comes to going out into the Third World and looking around. It even gets parodied.
MK: I think if you're trying to do a something, then that's a good, great start. It shouldn't be mocked. There's value in everything. It's better than doing nothing, I think. At the end of the day, before someone mocks anything, look at the work, get the facts before anyone forms a judgment.

AE: What's the next phase for I Live Here?
MK: Well, there's the fundraiser on August 22 in Santa Monica. I really really hope people come out for this one. Jennifer Beals, Laurel Holloman and Rose Rollins are all scheduled to be there with me.

AE: An L Word mini-reunion sounds like reason enough to me. Especially for a good cause.
MK: And we're going to debut a huge multi-media installation about the journey in making I Live Here. Then, I go to Malawi at the end of the month to set up the program. We're also doing something called the Ambassador Program, a student curriculum based on issues covered in the book.

AE: It's very ambitious, for a grassroots campaign.
MK: And people are responding. There's a woman named Debra Latourette who wrote to us and held her own backyard fundraiser. She raised over $1,000. How cool is that? Just a total stranger, doing that.

AE: Now I feel bad about asking you about those sex scenes and why Jenny is dead.
MK: And I don't want to seem like I was complaining. Who cares what I felt? I was a f---ing actor with a job.

AE: You don't sound like a complainer at all. But I get it. In Hollywood, it's safer to be nice to everyone.
MK: I'd rather tell the truth.

AE: I think it's OK if we raise awareness for good causes and care about what you ate for breakfast, because you're a celesbian.
MK: [laughs] I know. But at the end of the day, that's really what the bottom line is for me: the real world.

AE: So, what did you eat for breakfast?
MK: [laughs] You know what I'm saying.

TLW cast members: what are they doing now…

By BetteAndTinaForever on l-word.com

Jennifer Beals

Well, it certainly seems that Jennifer is the busiest of the bunch. She appears in two movies, one TV show, and several events and benefits.

- On April 4 she is one of the presenters at the 7th annual Illuminations LA benefit for the American Fertility Association. “At this year’s Illuminations LA, The AFA will honor Dr. Daoshing Ni of Tao of Wellness with the Joyce M. Vargyas, MD, Visionary Award, and the cast of ABC’s Brothers and Sisters will be presented with the Advocacy Award. Brenda Strong will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies, and Jennifer Beals and Luke Macfarlane will be among the award presenters at the event, which is designed to raise much-needed support and education funds for The American Fertility Association”
(http://www.ereleases.com/pr/starfilled-evening-afas-illuminations-los-angeles-17882).

- Beals’ French film “Joueuse” appears in the World Narrative Feature Competition at the Tribeca Film Festival, which “unveiled its Narrative, Documentary and Discovery competition roster Monday morning, featuring a new streamlined event with 84 features and 46 shorts screening April 22 - May 3.” Here’s a short description of the film: “Queen To Play” (Joueuse) - directed and written by Caroline Bottaro. (France, Germany). Sandrine Bonnaire plays an inquisitive hotel maid captivated by a vacationing couple (Jennifer Beals, Francis Renaud) playing chess. Thus begins her obsession with mastering the game and transforming her uninspired life. An American expat (Kevin Kline) mentors her in the game that alters both their lives in this delightful feel-good French import” (http://www.indiewire.com/article/2009/03/09/tribeca_unveils_46_world_debuts_in_leaner_line_up_for_2009/).

- “Joueuse” is not the only film that Jennifer Beals was filming recently. “Joining up with Denzel Washington, Beals will co-star in the action-thriller ‘The Book of Eli’. The script, by Gary Whitta with a rewrite by Anthony Peckham, centers on a lone hero named Eli (Washington) who must fight his way across the wasteland of a near-future America to protect a sacred book that might hold the key to saving humanity. Gary Oldman and Mila Kunis are also in the cast. Beals is playing Oldman’s sexual prize and Kunis’ mother, a blind woman doing anything she can to protect her child” (http://www.reuters.com/article/filmNews/idUSTRE50Q10Y20090127) ‘The Book of Eli’ hits theaters on January 15th, 2010.

- On April 18, Jennifer will appear at the GLAAD Awards ceremony along with some other cast members. “Showtime drama The L Word will receive a Special Recognition Award as the show concludes its sixth and final season. The L Word broke new ground for LGBT visibility on television with its focus of exploring the lives and loves of a group of lesbian and bisexual women in Los Angeles. Created by Executive Producer Ilene Chaiken and featuring a talented ensemble cast, the show is unique for prominently featuring women – many of them lesbian or bisexual - both in front of and behind the camera. The show has gained worldwide popularity, airing in 39 countries, and received nominations and trophies from the Emmy Awards, the NAACP Image Awards, the Leo Awards, the Satellite Awards, and the GLAAD Media Awards. Chaiken, along with cast members Jennifer Beals, Leisha Hailey, Kate Moennig, and Pam Grier will accept the award” (http://www.glaad.org/events/ma_detail.php?event_id=179).

- During the L5 Convention Jennifer told the audience that she wouldn’t mind doing another television show, as long as it’s really good. Well, maybe we won’t see her on another show that will last six years but she will appear in a multi-episode arc on Fox’s TV series “Lie to Me” where she will play the ex-wife of Tim Roth’s fib detector and the mother of their daughter, Emily (Hayley McFarland). “Her character, an assistant U.S. attorney by the name of Zoe Landau, hires her former hubby to assist with an arson case, and it quickly becomes apparent that the onetime spouses still have unresolved feelings to work through. Beals’ first episode airs April 29” (http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/03/lie-to-me-exclu.html).

- Another exciting news is Jennifer’s book of photographs that she took on the set of The L Word during six years. “Jennifer Beals revealed that she is working on a book of photos of the cast throughout the seasons filming and off set. The proceeds will go to charity, including the Matthew Shepard Foundation” (http://www.buzzsugar.com/2697605). In addition to the photos, most of the cast members are contributing a paragraph or two about their experience on The L Word. At the L5 Convention Jennifer told me that she didn’t want to do it at first but Mia Kirshner persuaded her and even set Jennifer up with her own publisher to accomplish that task. Jennifer also said that she is planning to put the book on-line for the fans of the show and raise money for charities that way.

Pam Grier

- Pam is writing her autobiography book that is coming out in January 2010. The book will include a chapter on her six-year experience playing Kit Porter on The L Word. As she told me last year during our interview on the set, “I’m starting my book, my memoir, by Grand Central Publishing, it will be out next year and we talked about these real issues.”

- Pam is also appears in two movies that are coming soon, ‘Identity’ and ‘The Invited’ (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000427/).

Leisha Hailey

- She is appearing at the GLAAD Awards in Los Angeles on April 18.

- Leisha is also signed up for the Australian L Convention in Sydney in January 2010.

- In the meantime she is busy with her band Uh-Huh Her and just recently they sent this message to all their friends on myspace: “Well it's been 3 months of writing and we hit a wall today. We had to go out in the parking lot and play nerf football to let off some steam. The band next door started playing when they were on their cigarette break (smoking kills) and threw our ball up on the roof. It's down now. Our studio is super cute. We've been having a great time in here. Our dreams finally came true and we've been able to write together in the same room for more than 4 days at a time. Cam keeps the air conditioner at some arctic setting and I have to bring layers of clothing to get through the day. She is also on some sort of cleanse so she's a real joy to be around. We have two death metal bands on either side of us as well so we have to get most of our work done before they arrive. We tried to record vocals one night when they were practicing but it sounded like someone was being tortured to death in the background. Even with crazy obstacles like these we can still get a song written, that’s how deep our talent runs. We miss you terribly and promise to be more attentive to your needs. I think we're at the point where we can come out of our little hidey hole and let you know what we're up to. Big kiss, UHH.”

- Also, how can we forget the infamous TLW spin-off “The Farm” where Leisha’s character Alice is in jail, apparently for killing Jennifer Schecter. According to imdb.com, “After being convicted of murder Jenny Schecter, Alice is incarcerated in California's Humboldt State Farm and Prison for Women. Arriving alongside Alice is Valentina Galindo, a seemly humble articulate woman but beneath her gentle exterior lies a ruthless woman. She is feared by all and thought to be the most dangerous woman in California, while only convicted for racketeering, drugs and assault. Valentina is believed to be the Hitler of LA's underground responsible for ordering countless murders. Valentina has many enemies who would offer a handsome reward for her head (IMDB.com).

In her recent interview to mediablvd on-line magazine Leisha stated that she believes that Alice is innocent of that crime when she said, “Alice is falsely accused, in my book.” She also said in the same interview that she’s glad the new spin-off seems different from The L Word or she wouldn’t take it on. “I wouldn’t have taken it on if it felt like a continuation of the same thing. The fact that Alice is in a brand new scenario in prison, and the characters around her are so strong, scary and intimidating, and there are all these brand new ideas, it feels fresh. I think about what it would be like to be me going to prison, and it would be so insane and hard to deal with that that’s going to be a big, exciting acting challenge.".

Ilene Chaiken mentioned at the last event “An Evening with Ilene Chaiken” that right now The Farm is just a pilot presentation and it will be up to Showtime executives to pick it up and turn into a new series. Ilene and Leisha both are full of hope that if the spin-off gets picked up, the other characters might appear in it as well, visiting Alice in jail.

Alexandra Hedison

- The biggest news for Alexandra is her next show in Los Angeles where she is presenting her new series of photographs, Ithaka. This is Alexandra’s fourth solo exhibition of photographs where she uses the rainforest of the Pacific Northwest as a metaphor for the odyssey of life. She will have an open reception and a show at Frank Pictures Gallery (Bergamot Station) on April 4 (http://www.artslant.com/la/events/show/46962-moplas-official-opening-night-exhibition---alexandra-hedison-in-conjunction-with-projekt-la-part-1?print=1).

- In addition to being busy with her photography and the art show, Alexandra is scheduled to appear at the L6 Convention along with Pam Grier, Kate Moennig, Mia Kirshner, Rose Rollins and Guinevere Turner.

Laurel Holloman

- As we learned just barely a month ago, Laurel had at least one audition in her future. When she was at the Farewell Party in LA Laurel mentioned to EW that she couldn’t stay at the party too long because she had an audition the next morning (http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/03/the-l-word.html). The details about this audition are unknown at this time but we wish Laurel all the best in her career.

- Laurel is also scheduled to attend a few events in a near future. First in line is the Bravo’s second annual ‘The A-List Awards’ hosted by Kathy Griffin, which will pay tribute to Natasha Richardson. The show will be filmed on April 4 and shown on Bravo on April 15. This show “celebrates the best in food, fashion, beauty, design and pop culture and honor those who have made an unforgettable mark in the arts and showcase some of the leading creative minds in today's society.” By the way, Bette and Tina love scene in the elevator in episode 509 is among the nominees for the ‘Sexiest TV Moment’. I hope that TiBette scene will win because I think they deserve it.

- The next event for Laurel is the GLAAD Awards in Los Angeles on April 18. Laurel will join Jennifer Beals, Ilene Chaiken, Pam Grier, Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey to accept an award that The L Word will receive a Special Recognition Award.

- Laurel was also asked to do an Australian Convention in Sydney in January 2010, along with Rachel Shelley and Leisha Hailey.

Mia Kirshner

- As you all well aware, Mia used a lot of her savings from her acting job to write and publish her first book, ‘I Live Here’. “With the show ending, Kirshner plans to move to New York. She sees ‘I Live Here’ as the first in a series, and will begin the next one next year” LA Times .

- In another interview Mia also said that her book was just the beginning. “My goal now, I'm going to get that book into as many universities as I can. This book needs to be taught, so I have a whole plan out there. MIT asked me to teach there, so I'm teaching a course on the book in January.".

Marlee Matlin

- The latest information on Marlee can be found on her myspace.com where she posted this message. “More about my book. People Magazine comes out this week with an excerpt from my autobiography ‘I'll Scream Later’. The book comes out April 14 and I’ll be on Good Morning America the day before (plus do several book signings in the New York area that week) to talk about it. I hope all of you go out and buy a copy (or two or three). This is a whole new path I’m taking here, talking about things I’ve never discussed before. It’s my hope that my truth can serve to inspire many many more than me just being the Deaf lady who asked America to ‘read my hips!’ on Dancing with the Stars.”

Kate Moennig

Kate also seems to be busy this year with projects and events.

- Kate Moennig is slated for ‘Three Rivers’, a pilot about a team of transplant surgeons. Kate will play a self-destructive lung/heart transplant fellow. The show derives its title from its Rashomon story-telling style in which each story is told from three points of view, the donors, the patients and the surgeons.

- She is scheduled to appear at the GLAAD Awards in LA and also at L6 in Blackpool.

- Kate will star in the movie ‘Everybody’s Fine’ with Robert De Niro that is in post-production right now.


Rachel Shelley

- Rachel’s horror movie, “The Children”, was released on the DVD and Blu-Ray in the UK on March 30th through Vertigo Films and Contender Home Entertainment. “The Children” is based on a story by Paul Andrew Williams and directed by Tom Shankland. Set on New Years Eve, two families come together to celebrate the holidays but they end up in a desperate fight for survival as one by one the children mysteriously fall ill and turn against their parents with horrifying consequences.

- Rachel is scheduled to appear at the Australian convention in 2010.

- Rachel also joined the UK-based lesbian Diva magazine as their celebrity columnist and she already posted her first article where she shared news about a book of memoir that Pam Grier wrote and about a book of on-set photos that Jennifer Beals is planning to release.

- The best news of all is that Rachel is five-months pregnant. She announced the news to the French Lesbian Magazine ‘Republique du Glamour’ and said that she had decided to put her career on hold for a while. Here’s a two-part podcast with Rachel.