...and got a new name along the way. Starting today, new blog entries will be posted here:
Enchanting Women|Bezaubernde Frauen - MeL's Blog
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Friday, July 31, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Verbotene Liebe Recap: While Stella & Carla are busy taking care of their families, Nina Ryan returns! (Well, sort of...)
After finally becoming more flirtatious last week, this week Stella and Carla were in only one very brief scene together, as they were both busy taking care of various family members. In order to ease the withdrawal, I added a little lesbian goodness from VL history to this entry as a bonus. Enjoy!
Monday, July 20th, 2009 (3431)
No Stella & Carla scenes.
Elisabeth decides to leave the castle and Lahnstein Holding. Carla tries to convince her to stay, telling Elisabeth that she’s part of the family. When Maria, as ordered by Ansgar, affirms her request that Elisabeth leaves the castle, both Carla and Leonard get angry and argue with their “mother”, especially when Maria also asks them to try to reconcile with Ansgar.
At the family lunch, Carla picks a fight with Ansgar, who revels in his success.
Watch the relevant scenes of this episode on YouTube
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009 (3432)
Again no Stella & Carla scenes.
Carla and Leonard are still fighting with Ansgar when Maria enters the dining room to announce that Elisabeth has left Königsbrunn. Leonard and Carla are shocked, and Carla loses her temper and yells at Maria that her attempts to reconcile the family are ridiculous.
Carla (Claudia Hiersche) and Leonard (Lars Korten) fight with their brother Ansgar (Wolfram Grandetzka, right)
Later, Carla tells Leonard that she’s talked to Elisabeth, who’s on her way to the airport to visit her daughter Nina (yes, the lesbian!) in Greece. When Leo considers to leave as well to visit his wife Sarah in Boston, Carla convinces him to stay, arguing that they have to stick together to prevent Ansgar from winning.
The next day, Carla is working at the Holding when someone approaches her from behind and puts their hands over her eyes. She thinks (hopes!) that it’s Stella, but it turns out to be Constantin, her little brother, whom she asked to come over from London where he currently lives. He’s shocked when Carla tells her that their mother is still alive and back at Königsbrunn, and demands to see “Francesca”. But when he meets Maria and she reaches out for him, he backs off and declares that Maria is not his mother.
Watch the relevant scenes of this episode on YouTube
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009 (3433)
Still no Stella & Carla scenes.
Constantin’s reaction towards Maria makes Carla even more suspicious, but when she starts to question Constantin about it, Ansgar intervenes and makes Maria leave with him. Back at the castle, Constantin expresses his doubts about Maria being his mother, but Carla and Leonard tell him about the seemingly indisputable DNA test.
Meanwhile, Stella tries to cheer up her cousin Christian who is depressed because he had to give up boxing for medical reasons. To distract him, she hires him to do some gardening at the castle, where he gets into a fight with Rebecca and falls head first into the pool.
Stella (Anne Wis) tries to cheer up Christian (Thore Schölermann)
Watch the relevant scenes of this episode on YouTube
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 (3434)
No Stella & Carla scenes.
Stella tells Rebecca about Christian’s medical condition.
Watch Stella's scenes of episode 3433 and 3434 on YouTube
Friday, July 24th, 2009 (3435)
Gregor and Louise return to the pension from their getaway in the forest and are being greeted by Stella, who tells them that people were desperately trying to get a hold of them. Meanwhile, at Königsbrunn, Louise’s father Wilhelm asks Carla for a loan to safe Waldensteyck, their family estate, but she has to decline as the risk for Lahnstein Holding would be too high. When they ask Stella for Louise’s whereabouts, Stella tells Wilhelm and Carla that Louise has returned and was planning to come to the castle.
Watch the relevant scenes of this episode on YouTube
Bonus: A Look Back at Lesbians Past - Nina Ryan
During Tuesday's episode, Carla mentions Elisabeth's daughter Nina.
Nina Ryan was the resident lesbian on VL from 1998 to 2001, a few years before Carla von Lahnstein first set a Stiletto-clad foot into Schneider's. Her sexual orientation was made clear from the very beginning and became obvious when she fell for Erica Sander, owner of an ad agency and mother of two. Back then, Erica was living with Arno Brandner (who later married Nina's mother Elisabeth and who is the father of Carla's now ex-wife Susanne). After some back and forth in true soap opera style, Erica finally declared her undying love for Nina and moved in with her. But as undying lesbian love never lasts forever, at least not on TV, while Nina is out of town for a few days, Erica ends up in bed with Arno. When Nina learns about Erica's infedility and that Erica has lied to her about it, Nina breaks up with her. Erica eventually decides to leave town and move to London.
After having her heart broken by Erica, Nina soon finds a new love interest in Jule, but the relationship eventually fails because Nina can't get over Erica. To top it all, Nina learns that she has a daughter, Lara, who she gave birth to at age 13 (!) but forgot about because of the traumatic event of the birth and who was therefore raised by Nina's aunt. But her newfound motherhood still can't keep her from eventually leaving Düsseldorf to open a hotel in Greece with her best friend Simon.
In 2005, for the 10th anniversary of the show, the producers brought back some couples from the past for cameo appearances, including Nina and Erica. Erica has finally decided to leave behind a lonely life in rainy London to live in Greece with her true love Nina, Simon and Lara, who has moved to Greece as well. It seems that at least this once, a lesbian soap opera couple gets a happy ending.
Nina (Freya Trampert, left) and Erica (Raphaela Dell) are finally together again.
Read more!
Monday, July 20th, 2009 (3431)
No Stella & Carla scenes.
Elisabeth decides to leave the castle and Lahnstein Holding. Carla tries to convince her to stay, telling Elisabeth that she’s part of the family. When Maria, as ordered by Ansgar, affirms her request that Elisabeth leaves the castle, both Carla and Leonard get angry and argue with their “mother”, especially when Maria also asks them to try to reconcile with Ansgar.
At the family lunch, Carla picks a fight with Ansgar, who revels in his success.
Watch the relevant scenes of this episode on YouTube
Again no Stella & Carla scenes.
Carla and Leonard are still fighting with Ansgar when Maria enters the dining room to announce that Elisabeth has left Königsbrunn. Leonard and Carla are shocked, and Carla loses her temper and yells at Maria that her attempts to reconcile the family are ridiculous.
Carla (Claudia Hiersche) and Leonard (Lars Korten) fight with their brother Ansgar (Wolfram Grandetzka, right)Later, Carla tells Leonard that she’s talked to Elisabeth, who’s on her way to the airport to visit her daughter Nina (yes, the lesbian!) in Greece. When Leo considers to leave as well to visit his wife Sarah in Boston, Carla convinces him to stay, arguing that they have to stick together to prevent Ansgar from winning.
The next day, Carla is working at the Holding when someone approaches her from behind and puts their hands over her eyes. She thinks (hopes!) that it’s Stella, but it turns out to be Constantin, her little brother, whom she asked to come over from London where he currently lives. He’s shocked when Carla tells her that their mother is still alive and back at Königsbrunn, and demands to see “Francesca”. But when he meets Maria and she reaches out for him, he backs off and declares that Maria is not his mother.
Watch the relevant scenes of this episode on YouTube
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009 (3433)
Still no Stella & Carla scenes.
Constantin’s reaction towards Maria makes Carla even more suspicious, but when she starts to question Constantin about it, Ansgar intervenes and makes Maria leave with him. Back at the castle, Constantin expresses his doubts about Maria being his mother, but Carla and Leonard tell him about the seemingly indisputable DNA test.
Meanwhile, Stella tries to cheer up her cousin Christian who is depressed because he had to give up boxing for medical reasons. To distract him, she hires him to do some gardening at the castle, where he gets into a fight with Rebecca and falls head first into the pool.
Stella (Anne Wis) tries to cheer up Christian (Thore Schölermann)Watch the relevant scenes of this episode on YouTube
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 (3434)
No Stella & Carla scenes.
Stella tells Rebecca about Christian’s medical condition.
Watch Stella's scenes of episode 3433 and 3434 on YouTube
Friday, July 24th, 2009 (3435)
Gregor and Louise return to the pension from their getaway in the forest and are being greeted by Stella, who tells them that people were desperately trying to get a hold of them. Meanwhile, at Königsbrunn, Louise’s father Wilhelm asks Carla for a loan to safe Waldensteyck, their family estate, but she has to decline as the risk for Lahnstein Holding would be too high. When they ask Stella for Louise’s whereabouts, Stella tells Wilhelm and Carla that Louise has returned and was planning to come to the castle.
Watch the relevant scenes of this episode on YouTube
Bonus: A Look Back at Lesbians Past - Nina Ryan
During Tuesday's episode, Carla mentions Elisabeth's daughter Nina.
Nina Ryan was the resident lesbian on VL from 1998 to 2001, a few years before Carla von Lahnstein first set a Stiletto-clad foot into Schneider's. Her sexual orientation was made clear from the very beginning and became obvious when she fell for Erica Sander, owner of an ad agency and mother of two. Back then, Erica was living with Arno Brandner (who later married Nina's mother Elisabeth and who is the father of Carla's now ex-wife Susanne). After some back and forth in true soap opera style, Erica finally declared her undying love for Nina and moved in with her. But as undying lesbian love never lasts forever, at least not on TV, while Nina is out of town for a few days, Erica ends up in bed with Arno. When Nina learns about Erica's infedility and that Erica has lied to her about it, Nina breaks up with her. Erica eventually decides to leave town and move to London.
After having her heart broken by Erica, Nina soon finds a new love interest in Jule, but the relationship eventually fails because Nina can't get over Erica. To top it all, Nina learns that she has a daughter, Lara, who she gave birth to at age 13 (!) but forgot about because of the traumatic event of the birth and who was therefore raised by Nina's aunt. But her newfound motherhood still can't keep her from eventually leaving Düsseldorf to open a hotel in Greece with her best friend Simon.
In 2005, for the 10th anniversary of the show, the producers brought back some couples from the past for cameo appearances, including Nina and Erica. Erica has finally decided to leave behind a lonely life in rainy London to live in Greece with her true love Nina, Simon and Lara, who has moved to Greece as well. It seems that at least this once, a lesbian soap opera couple gets a happy ending.
Nina (Freya Trampert, left) and Erica (Raphaela Dell) are finally together again.Watch how the Nina & Erica storyline unfolded on YouTube or read everything about it on coming out of tv (both only available in German).
Read more!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Must-See of the Week: Best of 1000 episodes of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show"
This video is actually a few weeks old, but I just found it so it's valid as this week's "Must-See".
If you (like a lot of people including me) love Ellen, you are going to love this: A compilation of the best moments of her show from the last 6 years. Enjoy!
See? I told you that you'd love it. :)
Read more!
If you (like a lot of people including me) love Ellen, you are going to love this: A compilation of the best moments of her show from the last 6 years. Enjoy!
See? I told you that you'd love it. :)
Read more!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Verbotene Liebe Recap: Stella gets drunk and Carla gets a kiss
Starting this week, I will try to recap the Stella & Carla (aka "Starla") scenes on "Verbotene Liebe" (Forbidden Love) on a weekly basis.
Monday, July 13th, 2009 (3426)Carla is shocked when the DNA test that was rigged by her brother Ansgar and his wife Tanja seems to prove that Maria Galdi actually is her mother, Francesca von Lahnstein. When Maria tries to reach out for her, Carla tells her that she’s not ready yet to accept Maria as her mother.
The next morning at the family breakfast, Carla leaves the seat at the head of the table to Maria, declaring that it’s not her seat anymore because the family now as a new “matriarch”. When Maria later wants to thank Carla, Carla declares that all she did was to face reality. She tells Maria that she, Maria, still is a stranger to her and that she doesn’t know whether that will ever change.Watch the relevant scenes of this episode on YouTube
Carla (Claudia Hiersche, left) can't believe that Maria Galdi (Simone Ritscher) is her mother
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 (3427)
Stella is at No Limits where she meets Lydia. They talk about the presentation of “Schneider’s No. 1”, Charlie’s very own brand of sparkling wine that will take place that night. Right when Stella makes up a story why she isn’t going to attend the event, Charlie walks in with a box of wine for Olli. When she asks Stella whether they will see each other at Schneider’s that night, Stella enthusiastically affirms that she will attend the presentation while a confused Lydia looks on.Later, Stella visits Königsbrunn, the Lahnstein castle, to pick up some paperwork and runs into Carla, who asks her to stay for a coffee. Stella declines and explains that she wants to go to the wine presentation. Carla tries to talk Stella out of going to Schneider’s that night as she is worried what it would be like for Stella to meet Charlie, but Stella tells her that she wants to act professionally and not stay away from the event because of the breakup. When Carla can’t convince Stella, she offers to accompany her to the event, which Stella gladly accepts.
By the time Stella and Carla arrive at Schneider’s, the presentation is already under way. Stella seems uneasy, but when Carla encouragingly puts her arm around Stella’s shoulder, Stella tells her that she’s glad that Carla accompanied her. Charlie comes over to greet Stella and tells her that the wine is their joint success. They share a long look, but then Charlie leaves a sad-faced Stella to greet a new arrival.
Stella tries to drown her sorrow in wine. When it becomes obvious that she’s had too much, Carla suggests that they leave, but Stella wants to stay and keep drinking. Charlie joins them and enthusiastically tells them that the editor of a famous wine guide gave their wine a very good rating. A now very drunk and still bitter Stella suggests that it’s only because Charlie kept flirting with the man, and asks Charlie whether she has to prove to herself that she's still interesting to men. Stella accuses Charlie of being hypocritical and cold as ice and loudly declares that Charlie doesn’t care about other people’s feelings. She then storms out with Carla in tow, leaving a puzzled Charlie behind.
Carla tries to stop Stella (Anne Wis, left) from drinking
Back at the pension, Stella is too drunk to unlock the door to her apartment, so Carla has to help her. Stella tries to talk Carla into staying and having another drink with her, but Carla tells Stella that she should go to bed to sleep it off. On the way to the bedroom, Stella stumbles. When Carla helps her to stand up and take off her jacket, Stella suddenly says that Carla is the only person to ever be nice to her. Then she kisses Carla.
Watch the relevant scenes of this episode on YouTube
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 (3428)
Stella feels bad about kissing Carla, but Carla tries to react with humour and jokes about the kiss they shared a few months earlier. Stella tells Carla that she’s a wonderful person and that she didn’t want to raise false expectations in Carla. This seems to make Carla sad, and she prepares to take off. When Stella stops her at the apartment door, asking whether she had said something wrong, Carla starts to cry, but tells Stella that she's not crying because of her.Carla tells Stella that Maria Galdi supposedly is her mother, but that it does not feel right to her. Stella offers to listen to her worries, but Carla wants to leave because it's already late at night. She reminds Stella to drink a lot water to prevent a hangover. Stella sees her to the door and smiles as her eyes follow Carla down the hallway.
The next morning, Stella is back at the castle and gives instructions to the staff. Carla comes into Stella’s office and asks her about the hangover. Stella thanks Carla for the tip about the water and asks her whether she would come out to the park with her. When Carla tells Stella that she had actually intended to spend some time with her daughter Sophia, Stella suggests to take Sophia with them.In the park, Stella, Carla and Sophia have a picnic and Stella plays with Sophia. The three have a nice time together, and Carla and Stella slowly get into a flirtatious mood.
Later, Stella calls Charlie and apologizes for her behaviour the night before. Charlie accepts the apology.Watch the relevant scenes of this episode on YouTube
Thursday, July 16th, 2009 (3429) + Friday, July 17th, 2009 (3430)
No Stella & Carla scenes. Both were in a couple of scenes as background for Ansgar and Maria Galdi's attempts to expel Elisabeth from Königsbrunn.
Watch the relevant scenes of episode 3439 on YouTubeRead more!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Happy Birthday, Alex Hedison!
Earlier this week, I asked one of the creators of fanofalex.com for news about Alex Hedison, and she reminded me that today is Alex' 40th birthday. Which is a very good reason to dedicate another blog post to her.
So here are some more pics and also some videos. Enjoy!
One word: Sexy!
Alex in an episode of Designing Blind. This is "Before"...
...and this is "After".
If you want to know what happened, here's the clip:
Here's a clip of Alex and her co-star Rachel Shelley at "Be Scene 2008" at Dinah Shore:
And here's THE love scene of Season 6 between Helena and Dylan:
Dylan & Helena - Back together!
Read more!
So here are some more pics and also some videos. Enjoy!
Have I mentioned that I'm very into women with short hair? Just saying...
One word: Sexy!Alex in an episode of Designing Blind. This is "Before"......and this is "After".If you want to know what happened, here's the clip:
Although I liked that show a lot, it of course wasn't as successful as the other show Alex was in, this little lesbian show called "The L Word". Alex played Dylan Moreland, a supposedly straight film-maker who falls for Helena Peabody, played by Rachel Shelley. After breaking Helena's heart (and relieving her of some of her money), Dylan leaves L.A. at the end of Season 3, only to return in Season 6.
Here's a clip of Alex and her co-star Rachel Shelley at "Be Scene 2008" at Dinah Shore:
And here's THE love scene of Season 6 between Helena and Dylan:
Dylan & Helena - Back together!
Read more!
Monday, July 6, 2009
"Once I had a secret love..."
My friend Anna* is in love. Which is great, because she’s a sweet girl who has gone through a lot lately and deserves to be happy again. And she seems very, very happy right now.
As her friend, I’m of course curious and can’t wait to get to know the woman who won her heart. And here’s the catch: Officially, I’m not even supposed to know about her. Anna’s girlfriend doesn’t want anybody to know about the relationship, because she’s not “out”.
A few years ago, I had a conversation with another friend of mine about whether we would consider a relationship with someone who isn’t “out”. His response was simple and clear: “No way.” Back then, I was surprised by the forcefulness of his reaction. Now, a few years and some not so good experience later, I can understand him much better.
The process of coming to terms with your sexuality is a very personal one and not always easy. Everybody should be able to take the time they need, nobody should be forced to come out of the closet before they’re ready to do it.
But then again, nobody should be forced to stay or even go back into the closet, either. And that’s exactly what happens when you’re in a relationship that your girlfriend doesn’t want anybody to know about. You’re forced to keep silent about it, maybe even lie about it. And believe me, if the woman you just had a very good time with starts to panic the minute she gets out of your bed and tells you “Nobody must know!”, it doesn’t actually make you feel very good. Or, to be more precise: It sucks!
Of course, as always, things aren’t just black or white. There are various reasons why a woman might want to keep her relationship with another woman a secret. For example, to me, if she knows what she wants (which is me and only me!) but is not ready to come out just yet, it seems easier to deal with than if, for whatever reason, she rules out coming out altogether. In the former case, it’s just a matter of time before we can be open about the relationship. In the latter case this time will most likely never come.
Also, how we deal with a situation like that depends on where we are in our life. I have been out for more than a decade now, and being forced to go back into the closet would be unbearable for me. My friend Anna, however, just came to terms with her sexuality herself and isn’t out to a lot of people yet. She and her girlfriend now have the chance to take their baby steps out of the closet together.
Which I hope they do sooner rather than later. Not just for Anna and her girlfriend’s sake, but also for mine.
Otherwise, I might just burst with curiosity.
*For obvious reasons, I had to change Anna’s name. The title of this column refers to the song “Secret Love” by Doris Day.
Read more!
As her friend, I’m of course curious and can’t wait to get to know the woman who won her heart. And here’s the catch: Officially, I’m not even supposed to know about her. Anna’s girlfriend doesn’t want anybody to know about the relationship, because she’s not “out”.
A few years ago, I had a conversation with another friend of mine about whether we would consider a relationship with someone who isn’t “out”. His response was simple and clear: “No way.” Back then, I was surprised by the forcefulness of his reaction. Now, a few years and some not so good experience later, I can understand him much better.
The process of coming to terms with your sexuality is a very personal one and not always easy. Everybody should be able to take the time they need, nobody should be forced to come out of the closet before they’re ready to do it.
But then again, nobody should be forced to stay or even go back into the closet, either. And that’s exactly what happens when you’re in a relationship that your girlfriend doesn’t want anybody to know about. You’re forced to keep silent about it, maybe even lie about it. And believe me, if the woman you just had a very good time with starts to panic the minute she gets out of your bed and tells you “Nobody must know!”, it doesn’t actually make you feel very good. Or, to be more precise: It sucks!
Of course, as always, things aren’t just black or white. There are various reasons why a woman might want to keep her relationship with another woman a secret. For example, to me, if she knows what she wants (which is me and only me!) but is not ready to come out just yet, it seems easier to deal with than if, for whatever reason, she rules out coming out altogether. In the former case, it’s just a matter of time before we can be open about the relationship. In the latter case this time will most likely never come.
Also, how we deal with a situation like that depends on where we are in our life. I have been out for more than a decade now, and being forced to go back into the closet would be unbearable for me. My friend Anna, however, just came to terms with her sexuality herself and isn’t out to a lot of people yet. She and her girlfriend now have the chance to take their baby steps out of the closet together.
Which I hope they do sooner rather than later. Not just for Anna and her girlfriend’s sake, but also for mine.
Otherwise, I might just burst with curiosity.
*For obvious reasons, I had to change Anna’s name. The title of this column refers to the song “Secret Love” by Doris Day.
Read more!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
"Oh how I love this crazy world..."
If it wasn't enough that it's Friday, blogger Dorothy Snarker made the day even better by picking the one and only Julie Andrews as her weekend crush.
"Victor Victoria" ist one of my favorite movies, and just looking at this pic of Julie Andrews as Victoria Grant aka Victor makes me swoon over her all over again:
"Oh how I love this crazy world..."
Read more!
"Victor Victoria" ist one of my favorite movies, and just looking at this pic of Julie Andrews as Victoria Grant aka Victor makes me swoon over her all over again:
"Oh how I love this crazy world..."Read more!
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