The L Word Premiere Party in New York

By BetteAndTinaForever

>>>PHOTOS<<<

WARNING: contains minor spoilers

My arrival to New York for the premiere party of season four of The L Word almost turned into a nightmare at first. As I was checking in to my hotel on Saturday night, I was discussing the opportunity to go and look around the Crobar club where the event was to be held because I’ve never been to Chelsea before. As soon as I mentioned Crobar, the reservation clerk told me that the club was closed by the police the night before. He even showed me a newspaper article about it.

“Never panic” is my motto when I’m traveling so I quickly made all the necessary phone calls and also checked my email the next morning and learned that the venue for the premiere was moved to the Copacabana club instead.

When I arrived to the club the next day early enough to observe the situation, the fans already began forming the line just after 3 pm. Even though there were some problems with running the event smoothly, the premiere went very well, considering that the organizers only had one day to make the changes and accommodations.

The club had separate entrances for the VIPs and the press, so as soon as the doors were open at 6 pm, I went to the VIP area and waited for the arrival of the cast members that were scheduled to appear. Jennifer Beals, Ilene Chaiken, and Marlee Matlin were expected; however, the premiere attracted additional celebrities who were in some way connected with The L Word.

I noticed the comedienne Kate Clinton (Bette and Tina’s sex therapist in season 3) with her partner Urvashi Vaid came together with Ilene Chaiken, series creator. Rose Troche, Amy Ziff, and Alyson Palmer (from “Betty”) came a little later when the program upstairs already started.

Kirsten Price, the new up-coming artist who recorded the “Magic Tree” video for Showtime, and the duo “God-des and She” were also among the special guests and later they performed for the fans on stage before the actual screening of the episode.

Of course, the anticipated arrival of Ilene Chaiken, Marlee Matlin, and Jennifer Beals was the highlight of the whole evening. Once again I realized that meeting the cast members in real life and seeing them on my TV screen are two completely different experiences.

Marlee Matlin was very friendly and accessible to the fans as she always has been, every time I had an opportunity to meet her. After initial greetings and photographs by the fans and the press, she was left alone with her interpreter, and I was able to ask her a few questions.

I must confess first. I love spoilers and I read all I could find before the season began, so I’ve read the synopses for all episodes of the fourth season and pretty much knew where the new season was going.

As you all might know, at first, Showtime announced that Marlee Matlin was signed for 11 episodes in the upcoming season, but just a few weeks later it was changed, and the actress was named as another regular cast member on the series.

Armed with that knowledge, I asked Marlee if she will continue with the show when Showtime will approve season five. Marlee replied that, in fact, she was signed up for three seasons. In a way this is good news for those fans who already warmed up to Matlin’s character, Jodie Lerner, and also for all the rest of the fans of the show because it could mean that we will get more than just five seasons of The L Word.

However, this information might not be very good news for TiBetters (fans of Bette and Tina couple) because I asked Marlee next if she knew where they were taking the storyline of Jodie and Bette. Marlee told me that I would have to ask Ilene about it because she doesn’t know yet, but personally she wants her character to be with Bette.

Well, who doesn’t?

After I digested this information that was painful for my tender TiBette heart, I asked Marlee if it was harder or easier for her to do the love scenes with Jennifer Beals since they have known each other for a very long time and whether it creates a problem between actors who are friends in real life.

Marlee replied that it was easier for her for exactly that reason, that they were friends already. She said the filming of their scenes together were hilarious and they had a lot of fun together.

Next I talked to Kate Clinton and asked her about her experience on the show. Kate told me that she has a lot of fun filming, especially because she’s not an actress, but working with Jennifer Beals and Laurel Holloman helped a lot. They were truly wonderful to her in their scene together.

Finally, the moment we were all waiting for arrived. Jennifer Beals was the last to appear and she was elegant, classy and beautiful. She was instantly surrounded by the photographers and fans who wanted a picture, a word, or even a touch. Though, to be fair, it wasn’t completely overwhelming for the actress.

Since Ms. Beals was in such a high demand, I could only take a few pictures and also introduce myself and shake her hand. Need I mention that this hand will never be washed again?

Finally, everyone settled down and I went upstairs into a regular area where almost 1,500 fans were dancing, drinking, talking and eagerly waiting for the program to begin.

Before the cast members came up to introduce the episode, the audience was treated with few performances. First, we were introduced to Kirsten Price, a young artist from London, who recently moved to New York and is working now on her first album, which is going to be released in April.

As I mentioned already, Kirsten recorded a video “Magic Tree” that is now shown on Showtime and the song is also featured on the new The L Word soundtrack, “L Tunes: Music From and Inspired by ‘The L Word’.” She performed several songs for the excited fans and surprised everyone with her multitalented skills.

Later I was able to talk to her and interviewed her about the video, her career and The L Word. Check back with the news section of the l-word.com for the complete interview and an article about Kirsten Price.

Next the duo “God-des and She” performed several of their songs, including “Lick it” that the group introduced in season three at Shane’s bachelorette party in Whistler. The audience eagerly participated in singing this song together with the group, screaming with enthusiasm,

Lick it, better lick it right
Touch it, better touch it right
Kiss it, better kiss it right
Do that pussy right

The group was received with wild applause, especially after an R-rated kiss on stage between God-des and her girlfriend.

Then Joe Solmonese, the President of the Human Rights Campaign, talked a little about the HRC mission and then finally introduced Ilene Chaiken who, in turn, invited Jennifer Beals and Marlee Matlin to join her on stage. The room exploded with applause, screams, and whistles as soon as Jennifer and Marlee came out and lasted for a very long time.

Marlee talked next and she was very jovial and excited about the premiere party and also about the great opportunity to be on The L Word. At the end of her speech Marlee signed with excitement, “And the best thing was that I got to f***ing make out with Jennifer Beals,” which brought a laughter from Jennifer, who was calm and composed during the whole speech. After Marlee said that, Jennifer was smiling and kept repeating, “You’re so bad…you’re so bad.” This admission was met with loud screams and applause from the audience.

Marlee passed the microphone to Jennifer, who said, “…I feel really lucky to have a friend that I’ve known since I was 19-years-old…she sounds like she’s all excited to make out with me, but I had to teach her how to use tongue.”

The fans raved with more excitement and applause as Marlee Matlin laughed with surprise and almost had a shocking expression on her face, as Jennifer Beals gave microphone to Ilene and bowed. They were marvelous.

After the cast members said their final goodbyes, waved and left the stage, I hurried downstairs into the VIP section so I could continue with my interviews and pictures and to watch the episode.

Episode 401 was received very well, especially the long-awaited appearance of Marina Ferrer and her almost three-some with Jenny and Claude.

The cast left shortly after the episode began, and I spent the rest of the evening watching the episode, mingling with the fans, and the remaining guests, interviewing Kristen Price and enjoying the company of my friends.

As it happened at all premieres across the country, the fans received free staff that included a Hope necklace from The L Word collection, The L Word massager, advanced copy of the second episode, copy of the GO Magazine with the article about season four, and information about L-merchandise.

Next up: the San Francisco DVD signing and the Curve party!!! Keep an eye here on l-word.com for more reports and photos!!