The L Word's LAUREL HOLLOMAN (Tina) To Appear at Dinah Shore 2014!

LAUREL HOLLOMAN 

JOINS CLUB SKIRTS DINAH SHORE WEEKEND’S CELEBRATION OF THE 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE L WORD

ICONIC CAST MEM7BERS KATE MOENNIG (SHANE), LEISHA HAILEY (ALICE) AND LAUREL HOLLOMAN (TINA) EXCLUSIVELY REUNITE AT THE DINAH’S "L WORD POOL PARTY” PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH SHOWTIME

PALM SPRINGS, CA – Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend has just announced the addition of Laurel Holloman to its celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the L Word’s TV premiere.

Holloman, better known as Tina Kennard, will be joining her former co-stars Kate Moennig (Shane McCutcheon) and Leisha Hailey (Alice Pieszecki) for an exclusive cast member reunion at the Dinah’s “L Word Pool Party” presented in association with Showtime.

The L Word actress and accomplished painter will be showing and selling her prints of a series entitled “Written on the Body”, poolside at the Palm Springs Hilton Hotel, all day, Saturday, April 5 during the L Word Pool Party and Sunday April 6 during the “Wet & Wild Pool Party”.

Holloman’s appearance at the Dinah will mark her second exclusive private showing for Club Skirts, something she wanted to give to her fans and art lovers for their continuous support. Dinah attendees will be able to purchase posters of her pieces and meet with The L Word star that will be on hand to personally sign each copy.

We all remember the famous episode in Season One that saw Shane, Alice, Jenny, and Dana embark on an eventful road trip to The Dinah. Not only did we found out about Bette and Tina’s first kiss, were privy to a few comical moments between the gang, got introduced to weird Tonya, but most importantly we also were given for the first time ever on national TV an exclusive preview of what the legendary Dinah Shore weekend was all about.

Now a decade later, Club Skirts and SHOWTIME are proudly commemorating the nostalgia of a memorable era in lesbian culture that celebrated out loud our “girls in tight dresses who drag with mustaches” with three of its most beloved characters!

Holloman began her film career with her breakout role as Randy Dean in The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love. She has appeared in many independent and feature films including Boogie Nights and Tumbleweeds. Most recently she had an 18 episode stint on TeenNick's Gigantic, which co-starred Meryl Streep's daughter Grace Gummer. But it was her iconic role as Tina Kennard opposite Jennifer Beals (aka Bette Porter) on The L Word that not only earned her a Golden Satellite Award as Best Actress in a Drama series, but also captured our hearts and forever got her the undivided attention of millions of lesbians around the world.  

After acting for 20 years, she successfully made the transition to the art world solidifying her reputation as an established abstract expressionism artist known for using intense colors and mural-sized canvases. 

Since the launch of her studio, LaurelHollomanStudio.net, Holloman's artistic career has naturally evolved from painting for charities, to solo exhibits in Europe. After hosting her first two solo art shows “Coeur Libre” and “Free Falling” in Paris, France, and Venice, Italy, respectively, she recently presented her new exhibition of large scale murals called "All The World Inside” at the sumptuous “Palazzo Italia” in Berlin, Germany. 

One of her greatest acknowledgement in the art world came in June 2013 when she was invited to exhibit her painting, "Swell," in the 55^th“Biennale”, the prestigious international arts festival held in Venice, Italy. In addition, in 2012  “Let Me Fall” sold for a record 125,000 Euros - a breaking price point record for female painters.

A true Renaissance woman, Holloman is at once a talented actress, exquisite painter and devoted mother to her two daughters Lola and Nala.  And before hopping on her next flight to Europe for another exhibition of her spectacular portfolio, she will be at The Dinah in Palm Springs, CA, autographing posters of her  “Written on the Body” artwork for fans to add to their L Word memorabilia collection!

"Holloman's paintings take us elsewhere, and at the end of the day, this is what art is all about" - Lea Mattarella, art critic La Repubblica

“Holloman has created an oeuvre that distances itself from all attempts at facile art categorization.  Her paintings are timeless, neither backward looking nor asserting a renewal of any specific theoretical concept of what painting ought to achieve.”   - Gesine Borcherdt, review from ALL THE WORLD INSIDE, Berlin, Germany

EDITORIAL: Letting Go: 3 Scenarios Where Love Just Ain’t Enough

by Bo Sellers

Sometimes I meet people who instantly speak to my soul.  It’s this exact scenario that led me to discover I actually prefer women. I love being in love and I love loving. Everyone you meet has a unique purpose for coming in to your life, but on your quest for true love, how do you recognize what it is? What kind of love are you genuinely feeling towards this person? Lover? Friend? Soulmate?  

My passion for loving is so intense I develop a bit of a word vomit when it comes to disclosing the “L” word. When I dated men, this was a quick way to weed out the ones incapable of handling my white girl crazy, but with women, my own comfort level has allowed others to break down their walls and go on adventures of the heart with me.

When I’m in love with someone, they’re the first person I think of in the morning, and the last one I think of before I fall asleep, and even in my dreams, they still never leave me. The excitement of such happenstance introductions sets off my over-analytical mind and I begin to rifle through every possible scenario of their impending significance.  

Once the initial intensity winds down, my mind becomes less-clouded and I'm able to better assess someone’s purpose in my life. But sometimes my emotions have landed me into situations where it wasn't until much later than I should have realized it takes more than love to sustain a relationship, or as Patti Smith once sang so honestly, “sometimes love just ain't enough.”  I've experienced three very different, and very real scenarios, where no matter how strongly I found myself loving someone, it could never be.

3.  You have nothing in common, except that you love each other - You've met someone. You shared an instant connection and decided to explore your infatuation further. It isn't until you've invested months, or even years in each other you've awoken to the fact, every time you say black, they say white. They’re not TRYING to be difficult. It’s not because they don’t love you. It’s just because, it’s who they are. From religion, to choice in music, to career aspirations, if your major deal-breakers aren't aligning, it’s best to appreciate the time you've shared and move on. While some differences should be celebrated, sacrificing your own passions to support your partners' is not necessary. You deserve to be with someone who encourages you to be the best YOU can be, not the you they’d like you to be.

2.  Mental or Physical Abuse - Love is amazing, but it should never come at the expense of your own well-being. Before dating women, I could more easily recognize abuse from a man, but for some reason I'm having a harder time with women. While I'm learning to draw the line between playful rough-housing and actual harm, I've decided to adapt a new rule of thumb. If something makes me uncomfortable, and I clearly communicate it to my partner, and they continue to engage in the aforementioned behavior, I'm done. No matter HOW much I think I love them. I've also noticed I'm more tolerant of such behaviors when I'm not loving myself as much as I should be. To quote The Perks of Being a Wallflower: “We accept the love we think we deserve.” Remember you deserve the best, simply because you are the best. The best you.

1.  She’s married - This one may seem like a no-brainer, but sometimes things happen and before you know it, you’re caught up in a whirlwind romance that feels more perfect than anything you've experienced before. None of the perfect moments or feelings take away her prior commitment to her family, and your own commitment to yourself and your individual happiness. You told yourself you would never date a married person, but now you’re in deeper than a diver searching for remains of the Titanic, and your love story is even more beautifully tragic than Rose and Jack’s. Yet, you must walk away. For her benefit, for her family’s benefit, and most importantly for your own. Perhaps you’ll meet again, in a different lifetime, but this one is obviously not your shared happily ever after.

Loving someone is a splendid journey, and I would much rather fall in love a 1,000 times than spend my life being afraid of it. Don’t ignore all self-preservation. You control your own happiness, so work on finding a balance between giving love away equal to that which you receive. Lesbian love is the greatest love I've ever experienced, but I'm still learning and discovering new boundaries along the way. I have to remember to keep my intuition clear to the signs that may show I need to let go of the less than perfect idea of love I'm holding on to, to find the love truly meant for me.

Up & Coming LGBT Music: Sugar Bomb

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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY: Which Women Have Inspired YOU?

So here’s the thing, you gays. This Saturday (March 8th) is International Women’s Day. This is probably something you wouldn’t have in your diary – even if you had heard of it – unless you were highly into feminism or ladies, but it should be something we celebrate together more widely.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “Inspiring Change”. For your (hopefully educational) pleasure, I’ve taken the time to compile my top 3 personal favourite ladies who have really changed the course of history, politics, entertainment, and the like. So here goes!

For the entire article, head over to Pink Lobster Dating by clicking HERE!

And don't forget to tell us who YOUR favourite women are in the comments below!

The Dinah Shore Weekend Reveals Its BIGGEST LINE-UP EVER!

TEGAN AND SARA, MARY LAMBERT, EVE AND IGGY AZALEA 

HEADLINE THE EPIC CLUB SKIRTS DINAH SHORE WEEKEND 

THE BIGGEST LESBIAN EVENT OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD!

PALM SPRINGS, CA - More than 15,000 women from all over the world are once again expected to gather in Palm Springs, CA, to attend the biggest lesbian event of its kind in the world, Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend -  the original Dinah Shore Weekend - slated for April 2 to April 6, 2014 (www.thedinah.com).

Celebrating this year its milestone 24th Anniversary, The Dinah is a one-of-a-kind destination where women of all ages, interests, ability, relationship status, cultural background and profession come together for one big giant celebration of the community.  A life changing experience offering lesbians the opportunity to express themselves, to be who they truly and gain a tremendous amount of self worth. 

The Dinah is also a unique five-day affair of lesbionic luxury and fun complete with epic pool parties, unique high-profile nightlife events, celebrity appearances, live performances, a famous celebrity Dodgeball game, a film festival, a Celebrity Poker Tournament, philanthropy, the hottest women, the best DJs, and so much more.

Turning this year again the city of Palm Springs into the ultimate entertainment hub, the 2014 Dinah Entertainment Roster delivers an epic slate of Top Ten Billboard headliners that make up one hell of a line up - one of the greatest in The Dinah's history.

Headlining this year is Lesbian cult favorites Tegan and Sara. The pop sensation duo will bring their “Heartthrob” world tour to The Dinah with an exclusive concert on Saturday, April 5 at "The Black Party" at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The twin sisters have been on an unstoppable meteoric rise since the release of their 7^th studio album “Heartthrob” and the massive success of their lead single "Closer". Their Dinah performance marks the first time the pop stars perform at an all lesbian event.

Also headlining the "Black Party" is female rap titan Eve. The Grammy-Award winning rapper will perform her slew of music anthems including "Satisfaction," “Who’s That Girl”, "Gangsta Lovin’”, and "Let Me Blow Your Mind". Also set to top the bill at the epic lesbian party is hip-hop’s biggest revelation Iggy Azalea who will take center stage at the iconic "White Party", Friday, April 4 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

The Dinah 2014 will also be rocked with special performances from 2014 Grammy nominee Mary Lambert, the voice behind Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ VMA award-winning pro-equality  “Same Love”; Grammy Award-Winning R&B diva, Evelyn "Champagne" King known for her multi-million selling classic old-school smashes  “Shame” and ”Love Come Down”; Thea Austin, the legendary voice of "Rhythm is a Dancer" by Snap!; and power, pop/punk band and stars of “The Real L Word” Season 3, Hunter Valentine, to name a few.

On the comedy front, “The Dinah Comedy Night” hosted by Suzanne Westenhoefer will be headlined by Fortune Feimster of E! "Chelsea Lately". The loveable Southern comic will be joined by Last Comic Standing alumni, British comic Gina Yashere and stand up’s fastest rising star, Erin Foley.

Returning this year is the “Celebrity Poker Tournament” with all proceeds going to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Celebrities joining the poker tables include Jill Bennett ("Second Shot"), Chef K (ABC "The Taste"), Guinevere Turner ("American Psycho"), Ari Fitz ("MTV The Real World Ex-Plosion"), Gloria Bigelow ("Wanda Sykes Presents Herlarious"), Tracy Ryerson ("The Real L Word"), and Brittany Wiener (Bravo "Millionaire Matchmaker") among many others.

Also coming back is The Dinah Film Festival presented by OML, held on Friday, April 4, at 8:00 p.m at the Hilton Hotel. Produced by award-winning filmmaker JD DiSalvatore  (the producer of Shelter, Marine Story and Elena undone, to name a few), the Dinah film Festival will showcase a variety of quality lesbian films including “Little Horribles”  "Nikki & Nora", "Kiss Her I'm Famous", "Dyke Central", and the short film "Secrets & Toys", among others.  

New this year is the "Battle of the DJs" hosted by Dinah's resident DJs Lezlee, Asha, Lisa Pittman, Saratonin and Amara. The competition held over two-days will feature some of the best DJs on the West Coast!

If that wasn’t hot enough, did we mention the exclusive L Word Pool Party? 

Hosted in association with Showtime, The L Word Pool party will be held on Saturday April 5 at the Hilton Hotel. 

L Word iconic stars, Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig will, respectively, step back one more time into their famed Alice Pieszecki and Shane McCutcheon shoes for an exclusive meet and greet hosted from 2:30pm to 5:00pm in the grand Ballroom.  As this year marks the 10^th Anniversary of the official television debut of The L Word, Club Skirts and SHOWTIME are proudly commemorating the nostalgia of a memorable era in lesbian culture that celebrated out loud our “girls in tight dresses who drag with mustaches”!

The epic five-day world-renown weekend is already making a lot of noise and is well on its way to be the biggest Dinah EVER. 

You'd never seen anything like it yet … this is going to be an unforgettable year!

For all the latest updates, the full Dinah 2014 schedule of events, entertainment line-up, as well as hotel information, tickets and VIP package options please go to: www.TheDinah.com

Follow us on Twitter: @dinahshore

Connect with us on Facebook: Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend

Mary Lambert EP Giveaway WINNERS REVEALED!

Thank you to all of you who entered!

Contest winners were chosen at random.*

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

Brittany, Missouri.

Amber, Pennsylvania

Verna, Illinois.

*Please note: This competition was restricted to US-residents only. Apologies if you entered and were not US-based, we will try our best to bring you some more global competitions in the future!

WIN 2 TICKETS TO THE DINAH SHORE WEEKEND! (2 DAYS LEFT TO ENTER!)

Oops! Looks like we forgot to tell you about THE COOLEST GIVEAWAY OF ALL TIME!

There are only 2 DAYS LEFT TO ENTER so don't miss out!

All you need to do is email us with your name to allthingsles@gmail.com.*

It's as simple as that!

You'll get TWO ALL ACCESS PASSES and (we think!) tickets to the ever popular and famous White Party!

What are you waiting for?! DON'T MISS OUT!

*please only enter if you are aged 21 or above.