tello Films Review: Brunch with Bridget

by Lauren W

When a member of the tello Films team offered me a year's free subscription on their site, I couldn't have been happier. tello is one of those companies I'd known the name of for years, but, like a magical, otherworldly unicorn, I never quite saw it with my own two eyes.

Am I being too cryptic? Probably.

So... What is tello?

tello, in it's own words, is "a subscription web-series site dedicated to producing quality lesbian series. Every series on our site is made by, for, and about lesbians and lesbian-friendly allies."

If that description alone isn't enough to tempt you, I don't know what will.

Naturally - being a lesbian of habit - I jumped right to a web series I'd already seen seven years ago. That web series was Brunch With Bridget.

I wonder if Cersei Lannister can wield a banana gun as well as this?

Yup, hold on to your panties, that is lesbian favourite Queen Bitch Cersei herself, Lena Headey.

Of course, I had to (re)watch this episode first, because BwB was filmed before Game of Thrones even started, so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at a humble Lena before she was too big of a superstar. (Granted, she'd already been in blockbuster hit 300 at this point, but the majority of heterosexuals were talking about Gerard Butler after that movie, and not our gay little florist from Imagine Me & You, which is a cardinal sin in itself, if you ask me.)

Turns out, Lena seems 100% the same today as she did back then; down-to-earth, slightly mean, and very hot.

Anyway, more to do with the web series itself.

Brunch With Bridget is hosted every week by lesbian comedian, Bridget McManus. (She may look familiar because she was a regular on The Queen Latifah Show up until recently.)

Every week, Bridget invites someone gay - or someone who's played gay - into her bed for a candid interview which ends in a pillow fight to the death. (And if that hasn't enticed you into subscribing to tello, I'm pretty sure you've stumbled across this website by accident).

tello brought back so much nostalgia by giving back this web series that I was transported way back to 2008 when I was a teeny, tiny, 16 year old baby dyke, who was still crying because The L Word was almost over.

Bridget (left) with regular SNL cast member, Kate McKinnon.

Just as I remembered, Bridget was a crazy yet hilarious host, and never seemed to be intimidated by the guests she was speaking to. Why is this a good thing? Well, it meant she could ask them the most embarrassing questions that no one else would dare to. And let's face it: those are the type of questions we really want answered.

If I were you I'd seek Brunch with Bridget out right this second; there are over 60 episodes for you to catch up on! Plus, it's really fun to see all of these lesbians and allies from before they became household names.

Anyway, I'm off to watch Nikki & Nora for the first time.

Subscribe to tello at http://www.onemorelesbian.com/tello/.

LesBook Review: "Too Late... I Love You" by Kiki Archer

by Lauren W

If you're a long-time reader of All Things Lesbian, you may remember that way back in the ethereal haze that was 2012, I reviewed British lesbian author Kiki Archer's first novel, But She Is My Student. (Click HERE if you want to take a look).

Now, in 2015, Archer has provided us, the lesbians, with her sixth novel (that's right, I said SIXTH), Too Late... I Love You.

Wow, where should I start?

Firstly, you should know that I devoured this book within two days. (I would have read it all in one sitting, but my room mate came home from work and demanded that we watched Masterchef Australia. We can't always get our own way, but I digress...)

Like her previous books, Archer's writing is so easy to read. She doesn't beat around the bush (no pun intended), and every part of her storytelling has a purpose. There is no straying away from the storyline. Too Late... focuses entirely on its protagonist, Connie, and the world that turns around her. Even when you think the plot line is going off-topic, each twist brings you back to the pivotal story and connects you back to its main character.

Without spoiling too much, I'll summarise the book like this: Connie, a 'straight' lady with a boyfriend and a young son finds her solace in writing inside the cupboard under the stairs. (Yes, this is both a Harry Potter reference and a euphemism for being stuck in that closet we all know and hate.) When she realises that her life isn't as perfect as it seems, Connie meets a very interesting lady at her son's playgroup, where everything takes an unexpected turn.

I really can't say any more. In fact, I've probably already given too much away.

I can say, however, that this novel is a vast improvement on Archer's first novel. The editing was clearly near-perfect, the storyline was far less predictable, there was complexity within the story-telling... Everything down to the book's font was an improvement. I especially welcome back some of the very British references included by the author, specifically when she mentioned the now defunct ladies' clothes store, Ethel Austin. That one made me giggle in a way that no American could understand.

This book is what all young lesbians are in search of when they start reading romance novels. Kiki Archer is the lesbian answer to Helen Fielding (Bridget Jones' Diary), Sophie Kinsella (Remember Me?), and Cecelia Ahern (P.S. I Love You). I for one remember reading a Sophie Kinsella book when I was around fifteen years old and thinking "why am I reading about a heterosexual relationship that I have no interest in? Oh, probably because there is VERY LITTLE GOOD LESBIAN ROMANCE FICTION OUT THERE."

Hopefully, young lesbians today will pick up this book and realise there is someone out there who wants to give young women and girls that happily ever after story in a way that rings true to what their lives represent.

If I had to be really nit-picky and pick a fault, I guess it would probably be my distaste of the character of Ryan; Connie's gay best friend. He's a very stereotypical, loud-mouthed, flamboyant gay man, but I kind of get that these characteristics were essential to the plot in many ways, so I can forgive it.

All in all, this is possibly one of the best lesbian novels I've read (second only to Beyond the Pale by Elana Dykewomon), and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an easy, gritty, yet light-hearted read.

About Kiki Archer:

Kiki Archer is a UK-based, best-selling, award-winning author. Her debut novel But She Is My Student won the UK's 2012 SoSoGay Best Book Award. Its sequel Instigations took just 12 hours from its release to reach the top of the Amazon lesbian fiction chart, and Kiki's third novel Binding Devotionwas a finalist in the 2013 Rainbow Awards. All quickly became bestsellers in their genre. Kiki's fourth offering One Foot Onto The Ice broke into the American Amazon contemporary fiction top 100 as well as achieving the US and UK Amazon lesbian fiction number one. The sequel When You Know went straight to number one on the Amazon UK, Amazon America, and Amazon Australia, lesbian fiction charts, as well as number one on the iTunes, Smashwords, and Lulu, Gay and Lesbian chart. Her latest novel Too Late... I Love You has been her most successful to date making that transition into the mainstream contemporary romance charts. 

Kiki was crowned the Ultimate Planet's Independent Author of the Year in 2013 and she received an honourable mention in the 2014 Author of the Year category.

Click HERE to visit Kiki's website.

YouTube Lesbian Sensation CHRISSY CHAMBERS Needs Your Help To End Revenge Porn

As you may be aware of by now, YouTube star Chrissy Chambers (of BriaAndChrissy fame) has started a petition to end revenge porn, after becoming the victim of it recently.

Head over to Petition.org to sign Chrissy's petition or click HERE if it's easier for you. The petition only needs around 5,000 more signatures to reach the 150,000 signature goal, so please click the link to make a real difference.

Here are a few touching words from Chrissy herself, which help explain what she's been through.

Have you ever seen an embarrassing photo of yourself? You know the type, a notification pops up on Facebook and the picture you see makes you cringe. Now imagine getting a notification that includes your name, but this time when you open it up you see something criminal, something you can’t unsee, and sadly something everyone else can look at too. This time, you see yourself naked and unconscious. 

My name is Chrissy Chambers. Some of you probably know me from the YouTube channel BriaAndChrissy that I run with my girlfriend Bria, but even those of you have been following my life and work for years don’t know this story. 

When I was 18 years old, I started a long-distance relationship with a man who was 6 years older than me. As you might expect, soon enough the relationship grew strained and we broke up. I still cannot believe what happened next. 

Before the relationship ended, and without my knowledge or consent, my ex filmed himself having sex with me, and when we broke up he posted them online and they were shared to over 30 pornography sites. 

It wasn’t until two years after they were posted, when a link to one of those videos was emailed to me, that I found out they existed or even that this sexual encounter had taken place. 

When I first saw them I felt like I’d been stripped of my dignity. Each one included my full name, and my ex had included text calling me a slut and a horrible role model. By the time I found them, they had been viewed tens of thousands of times. Life as I had known it ended. It was like I had been hit in the chest and couldn’t catch my breath.It only got worse when I found out that there was nothing I could do to get them taken down. There are currently no federal laws in the United States that criminalize “revenge porn,” meaning sexually explicit photos or videos posted online without consent. 

How is it possible that this practice is legal? How can there be no consequences for the perpetrators who commit such horrific acts? How would you feel if this happened to you, or your sister, or your best friend? 

My ex posted those videos for revenge, plain and simple. He wanted to hurt me, and to tarnish my reputation. But he won’t succeed. 

I am standing up to fight back, not just for me, but for the tens of thousands of other women (and men) who have been put in this same situation with no way to defend themselves. With the help of our lawyers at the firm McAllister Olivarius, we are bringing the first ever civil lawsuit against revenge pornography in the UK. 

The reality is that what happened to me was a form of sexual assault, and it should be treated that way by the law. No one should be able to get away with posting explicit photos or videos of another person without their consent, or profiting off running a website that hosts that content. 

A bill that would criminalize “revenge porn” in the United States is currently being written by multiple members of Congress, but it will take a lot of public support in order to convince them to push it through. Please stand with me and call on Congress to end this horrific practice once and for all. 

I do not want anyone else to ever have to go through what I did, and with your help we can make that happen.

Don't forget to sign the petition today: https://www.change.org/p/protect-victims-end-revenge-porn-now  

Stooshe To Play at L Fest 2015!

L Fest 2015 are proud to announce that STOOSHE have joined the festival’s already amazing line up! 

This trio of London lasses are a vocal sensation, breaking onto the music scene in 2012 with the emergence of their first single, ‘Love Me’. After being placed in the UK top 40 for over 16 weeks with their enormous hit ‘Black Heart,’ the song received a nomination for ‘Best British Single’ at the 2013 Brit Awards. 

The festival boasts an increasing level of excited attendees, all of which are counting down the days until L ­Day. If you’re looking for an event which hosts thriving music artists, classic cabaret, priceless comedy, fun sports, insightful workshops and of course, women, then this is without doubt the weekend for you. 

With a combination of all of this, including these feisty three, the exceptionally talented Lucy Spraggan alongside many other incredible acts and just three weeks to go till the festival, well, you’d be mad not to buy your a ticket here:  www.lfest.co.uk/tickets