Watching Showtime

The GLAAD Awards were this weekend, and man oh man were the stars out and about in all their glory! Bill Paxton brought his son, Ellen and Portia looked fabulous, and the lovely ladies of the L Word accepted a special recognition award!

The few and the proud who showed up to accept the award on behalf of the entire L Word cast looked as gorgeous as ever. Jennifer Beals stunned in her springy yellow dress, while Ilene Chakin belted her stunning grey number.

Actresses Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig snuck past red carpet cameras but showed off their basic black numbers on stage with Chakin and Beals, accepting the award on behalf of the entire L Word cast.

Jane Lynch stepped up her basic black suit, stunning as always!

Tons more pictures follow after the jump from the red carpet, the after party, and more! Look for a few QAF faces to make their appearances as well!

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Just as The L Word has taken it’s final bow, it will be nominated by GLAAD with a Special Recognition Award.

The Los Angeles ceremony, which is set to take place on April 18, 2009 in the Nokia Theater in LA, will honor many people, including Kathy Griffin and Bishop Gene Robinson.

The Special Recognition Award will be given to The L Word because the show “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”.

With a cast full of out lesbian and bisexual women, the show is now aired in 39 countries, bringing worldwide recognition to the GLBT community. Ilene Chakin, along with cast members Jennifer Beals, Leisha Hailey, Kate Moennig, and Pam Greer will accept the award that evening.

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Once again, Showtime’s fabulous shows were shunned at an awards show. And while I should be sad about it, some amazing shows won awards – it’s a fabulous year for awards shows in general – so I can’t be too bitter. Besides, we got to see our favorite new married couple hit the red carpet for the second time this month!

Newlyweds Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter made their second red carpet appearance in less than a month, and the pair looked much more comfortable in front of the cameras this time around. More smiles, more touching, and in general they looked happier to be the center of all that attention.

While I’d wondered at the Emmy’s why the pair looked so shell-shocked, seeing them this time around, looking much happier and at ease, makes me wonder if they were more nervous about spilling the beans on their wedding earlier in the month!

In any case, Jennifer looked gorgeous (and much less anorexic), and Michael shined as always. While neither walked away with any awards (again), it was good to see them out!

Don’t forget to check out the Watching Showtime Twitter for even more Showtime news, gossip, and stories!

This year’s Golden Globes held more than a few surprises for viewers, the least of which was Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter stepping out for the first time together since their New Year’s Eve wedding.

The couple wed outdoors in Big Sur and reports have been surfacing that they were trying to keep the nuptials a secret. I’m wondering if they were concerned about show ratings, what with fans being incredibly eeked out just at the thought of the on-screen siblings dating in real life. Apparently it crosses some sort of imaginary moral line?

No wedding shots have been released, and other than the tidbit that the pair were wed outdoors, no other information has been leaked. i like that they’re keeping their private lives private, actually. It would be nice if more stars did the same, a la Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johanson.

Here’s to the happy couple!

(Mary Louise Parker, at the Showtime after party)

While this years’ Golden Globes had it’s share of drama and intrigue (Kate Winslet forgetting Angelina’s name, Renee Zellweger’s dress), none of it centered on Showtime’s stars, who once again walked away with less than they deserved. Despite six nominations in five categories (two for best Actor in a Drama!!), not one Showtime star walked away with a trophy. And while I know it took years for HBO stars to begin to be recognized, I cannot wait for it to be Showtime’s turn!

Below (under the cut, for ease of reading) you’ll find a complete list of the television category, with the winner in bold (thanks to Watching New Celebs).

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Several Showtime stars were on hand for the 19th annual GLAAD awards held last night at the Kodak Theater. While the after-party pics are still rolling in, here’s a few from the red carpet and the awards ceremony itself.

Jennifer Beals on the red carpet.

Laurel Holloman on the red carpet.

Ilene Chakin on the red carpet.

A little TiBette love on stage at the awards.

Maria Roman (transgender activist, one of the stars of Trantasia) on the red carpet.

For tons more pics from the event, head over to Showtime Watch.

Some would say that winning a Peabody is more prestigious than winning an Emmy, so the creators and stars of Dexter must be celebrating, as their show has been granted the prestigious honor. Along with such greats as 30 Rock, Planet Earth and even Project Runway (the first reality show to take home such an honor), Dexter will be officially honored on June 16 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. The Peabody committee is acknowledging Dexter for its “complex and ambiguous meditation on morality�?, a tremendously accurate description of the show and the title character.

Brian Williams will be hosting the event, and although it won’t be televised, I’m sure we’ll get some great pictures of the red carpet. Congratulations to Dexter for the win!

Are you going to be watching the Oscars on Sunday night? If so, you should think of heading over to Mamapop Sunday night at 7pm (EST) to talk trash about all the outfits and speeches!

There’s some great news coming down about Jonathan Rhys Meyers recently! First off the star has signed on to help the Hope Foundation, started out of his native Cork, Ireland. The foundation helps street children in Calcutta, and Meyers sees his ability to throw his name and money behind it as a privilege. No word yet as to how much direct work he’ll be doing with the foundation or if it will be more about publicity, but either way it’s good to see him giving back and using his star powers for good!

Meyers, along with Showtime’s The Tudors, also won big last night at the Irish Film & Television Awards in Dublin. All told, they walked away with seven awards, the most any single film or television show has ever won. They won for costume design, hair and makeup, and best drama series. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Maria Doyle Kennedy and Nick Dunning all won awards as well. Congrats to all!

Every year at Emmy time, the voters are bombarded with DVDs galore from studios trying to make sure they see every single episode of every single season in time to make the “right” choice. This year, Showtime is doing it a little different.

Instead of sending out the usual 20 disks, they’re paring it down to just three, full of select episodes. In the packet that will come with these three disks, there will be a password that the Emmy voters can use to view every episode of every show. Online.

The site will give them access to Dexter, The L Word, and new seasons of The Tudors and This American Life, along with Weeds and Californication (did I miss anything?) for three months.

This isn’t just going to help cut down on clutter, though. It’s helping the environment, AND it’s saving Showtime thousands of dollars. Possibly more. It’s also a way to test out this HD-quality streaming, something Showtime is interested in making wider use of in the future?

What this means for us? If all goes well, we could be able to stream Showtime shows in HD quality right to our tvs (much like using ITunes now, but better quality pictures), instead of having to buy the DVDs. It’s about time!

By the way, did you know Britney’s been committed? Follow all the latest over at Britney Spears Watch.

While he may not have won a much-deserved SAG last night for his portrayl of Dexter Morgan on Dexter(James Gandolfini beat him to it), Michael C. Hall looked extremely dapper in his classic suit and striped tie. I wish we could be celebrating a win, but I’m sure no one will complain at his hotness!

(don’t forget to enter our comment contest! you’ve got until the end of the week to get your name in!)

The Irish Film and Television Awards have handed out their nominations for the February 17th ceremony, and The Tudors took home eight nominations!

Drama Series/Soap
Director Television - Brian Kirk
Actor Lead TV - Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Actor Support TV - Nick Dunning
Actress Support TV - Maria Doyle Kennedy
Costume Design - Joan Bergin
Hair & Makeup - Jennifer Hegarty, Dee Corcoran
Production Design - Tom Conroy

That’s a pretty hefty take-home package, and if they get even half of them I won’t be suprised! Here’s hoping Jonathan takes home the award for Lead TV Actor, as he certainly deserves it!

I’ve been seriously slacking in getting this posted! Here’s a rundown of all the nominations our beloved Showtime shows and actors have received in the Golden Globes this year! Congrats to all!

The Tudors - Best Television Series (drama)

Michael C. Hall - Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series (drama)

Jonathan Rhys Meyers - Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series (drama)

Californication - Best Television Series (comedy or musical)

Mary-Louise Parker - Best Performace By An Actress In A Television Series (comedy or musical)

David Duchovney - Best Performace By An Actor In A Television Series (comedy or musical)

Jason Isaacs, The State Within - Best Performance By An Actor In A Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made For Television

Despite the Writer’s Strike, still unsolved after writers walked out and took to the streets on Nov. 5, their annual awards ceremony will take place. And up for several? Showtime’s own Dexter! They’re being nominated for Best Drama and Best New Series. It was also “given a nod” for episodic drama for a single writer. Whatever that means.

So now that Dexter’s writers have been nominated, I’ll be excited to see pictures of the event start to filter back through the internet. And with Dexter coming back for a third season, that means even better storylines to come. If the writers are ever given what they deserve by the studios, that is.

Last night Jennifer Beals was spotted at the Matthew Shepard Benefit Foundation Honors. She was one of the presenters at an amazing event honoring “individuals and organizations for their longstanding leadership in replacing hate with understanding compassion and acceptance.”

And co-hosting the event? Queer As Folk’s Peter Paige! What a great night!

Jennifer Beals, Matthew Shepard Benefit Foundation Honors, Peter Paige