Check out what's queer on the small screen this summer.
JUNE 1
"Portrait of a Marriage"
9 p.m. Logo. This British melodrama follows the torrid love affair between feminist writer Vita Sackville-West (Janet McTeer) and her childhood friend and novelist Violet Keppel (Cathryn Harrison) during post-World War I England. Despite the affair, she maintains her unique marriage to politician Harold Nicolson (David Haig), who has a few secrets of his own. Jealousy and obsession soon begin to taint their relationships as Vita struggles to endure the hardships of submitting to her passions.
Part 1 – Thursday, June 1, 9 p.m. Part 2 – Thursday, June 1, 10 p.m.
Part 2 – Thursday, June 8, 9 p.m. Part 4 – Thursday, June 8, 10 p.m.
JUNE 2
"TransGeneration."
Check local listings for time. Sundance Channel. The show follows the lives of four transgender college students at campuses across the U.S., one from Michigan. Through personal narratives and conversations with friends, families and communities, "TransGeneration" highlights the younger generation confronting gender identity. For those who didn't catch it the first time, tune in for encore airings every Friday, starting June 2.
JUNE 4
"Big Reality Sunday"
6 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Logo. Get a big dose of reality by watching real people reveal their real stories of struggle, triumph and romance with Logo's "Big Reality Sunday." From the daily lives of competitive, lesbian surfers in "Curl Girls" to the intimate stories and motivations behind the participants of the AIDS/Lifecycle in "The Ride: Seven Days to End AIDS," these stories will inspire and enlighten. Other programs include "Real Gay," "True Life: I'm Gay and Getting Married," "True Life: School's Out: The Life of a Gay High School in Texas," "Open Bar" and "Coming Out Stories."
JUNE 7
"Can't Get A Date" (Original Series Premiere)
10:30 p.m. Logo. This original series, co-produced with VH1, follows a group of people who have trouble with dating. The host guides these people in their journey to find romantic and emotional fulfillment through a dramatic transformation of their people skills as well as their physical appearance. Through interactions with the host and the helping hands they encounter along the way, each of the people is offered genuine insight into both their flaws and strengths and gains the chance to use what they learn on their dates.
JUNE 10
Margaret Cho's "Revolution."
11:35 p.m. Sundance Channel. Filmed live at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, "Revolution" is comedian Margaret Cho's triumphant return to the screen with the same unbridled, no holds-barred humor that infused her previous two concert films. In "Revolution," Margaret tackles the axis of evil, her travels through Thailand's red light district, the explosion of child birth, bartering sex for household chores, revolutionizing one's self-esteem, the joy of bodily functions, her loser ex-boyfriend, and of course, her now world-famous mother.
"Real Momentum: When Ocean Meets Sky"
9 p.m. Logo. "When Ocean Meets Sky" reflects on the political, environmental and social struggles of the Fire Island Pines community through the eyes of its residents. Known for its luscious beaches and lavish gay events and parties, Fire Island Pines has become one of the world's most prominent gay resorts. This two-hour documentary offers a thorough look into the history and evolution of the gay mecca from its origins as a nudist colony to its developmental stages to the gradual influx of gays and lesbians that shaped the community into what it's known for today.
JUNE 11
"The Broken Hearts Club"
10 p.m. Logo. On his 28th birthday, Dennis (Timothy Olyphant), a single gay photographer in West Hollywood, reflects on the angst and instability of his life. He confides in his group of gay friends, including Benji (Zach Braff), a party obsessed young man with a weakness for muscular men, Cole (Dean Cain), a handsome actor who effortlessly steals men away from his friends, and Taylor (Billy Porter), who prided himself, until recently, on his long-term monogamous relationship. They all find solace in the paternal Jack (John Mahoney), who leads a softball team called the Broken Hearts and runs a restaurant where many of them work.
JUNE 12
"Keep Not Silent"
9 p.m. Sundance Channel. Three Orthodox Israeli lesbians, members of a secret support group called "Ortho-Dykes," open up about the painful dilemmas they face because of their forbidden sexual orientation in this film, winner of the Israeli Oscar for Best Documentary. While Alexander provides anonymity to two of her subjects – both wives and mothers of several children apiece – the film boldly explores the everyday realities of their lives, revealing women who have searched long and hard to strike a balance between the faith they love and the identity they cannot change.
JUNE 18
"World's Greatest Film Dads"
1 p.m. – 12 a.m. Logo. Celebrate the joys of fatherhood with films like "The Sum of Us," where a father's love and acceptance of his son's homosexuality adds tension to his son's potential relationships, and "Daddy and Papa," a documentary following four stories of adoption and family building. Other programs include "The Adventures of Sebastian Cole," "Hollow Reed," "Holiday Heart" and "Raising Teens."
JUNE 19
"U.S. of Ant" (Original Series Premiere)
10 p.m. Logo. "U.S. of Ant" follows the outrageous writer/comedian as he travels across America in search of LGBT life. In this weekly-half hour original series "Ant" captures the diversity of the LGBT community from East to West and all points in between. Seven original episodes will air through Aug. 7.
JUNE 25
"The Crying Game"
10 p.m. Logo. Fergus (Stephen Rea), an Irish Republican Army officer, finds himself becoming friends with a British political prisoner (Forrest Whitaker), who dies tragically during an attempt to escape. He then travels to London with a new identity to seek out the soldier's girlfriend, and through a series of confrontations and flirtations an intimate relationship soon develops. What starts out as a political thriller soon evolves into a complicated one of romance and emotional deception in this Academy Award-winning film.
JUNE 26
"Follow My Voice: With the Music of Hedwig"
9 p.m. Sundance Channel. A rousing look at the making of, and the reason behind, the tribute album "Wig in a Box," featuring covers of composer/lyricist Steven Trask's songs for John Cameron Mitchell's glam-rock musical "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." The disc benefits New York City's nonprofit Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of Harvey Milk High School. "Follow My Voice" weaves in the stories of four bright, courageous Harvey Milk students whose struggles and aspirations are echoed in the album's songs. Yoko Ono and Yo La Tengo, Rufus Wainwright, Jonathan Richman and The Breeders will perform.
JUNE 27
Gregg Araki Triple Feature.
10 p.m. – 1 a.m. Sundance Channel. Saluting the California-born writer/director who brings edge, empathy and a keen pop culture sensibility to stories of the young, beautiful, horny and (sometimes) doomed. The lineup includes the U.S. television premiere of his latest film, the hailed "Mysterious Skin" (1 a.m.), a mesmerizing drama about two young Midwestern boys shaped in different ways by the same childhood trauma. Also making its television bow is the filmmaker's 1997 picaresque "Nowhere" (11:30 p.m.), which follows a loosely connected network of foxy, polymorphously perverse Los Angeles teens over the course of a single day – a sort of "Beverly Hills 90210," Araki-style. Rounding out the triple bill is his 1992 drama/thriller "The Living End" (10 p.m.), a provocative tale about a pair of HIV-positive lovers on the lam.
here! TV also presents the following throughout June:
"Summer Storm"
Tobi and Achim, who are best friends and stars of their local crew team, arrive for the big regatta in Germany convinced that nothing will break their friendship or their chances for a win. But when Achim gets wrapped up in his girlfriend, Tobi finds that he's growing jealous of the new woman in their lives. For the first time, Tobi questions the true background of their relationship. He becomes even more confused when the gay team from Berlin arrives, and he starts to uncover truths about his sexuality he hadn't realized were there. Tensions grow with the same speed and ferocity as the summer storm that is approaching and threatening to spoil the competition.
"Grand Ecole"
In this accomplished coming of age drama Paul, Louis-Arnault and Chouquet are three flat-sharing students at a high-powered business school. Complex emotional entanglements force these 20-somethings to discover the pain of adult longing. Paul and Louis-Arnault are best friends but they become dangerously close. Agnes, Paul's girlfriend tries to come between them and things are further complicated by an encounter with a young Arab painter and decorator, Mecir. Class. Race, love, loyalty and trust are all put in question by grandes passions.
Margaret Cho's "Assassin"
The incomparable Margaret Cho roars back with her latest concert, "Assassin," recorded live in May of 2005 at the Warner Theater in Washington D.C. "Assassin" features fresh doses of Cho's groundbreaking, controversial and hilarious brand of humor. The show will include some of the crowd pleasing routines from her critically acclaimed fall 2004 "State of Emergency Tour" that kicked off at The Apollo Theatre then visited swing states prior to the election.
"Before Stonewall"
Before Stonewall examines the historical background of the gay rights movement prior to the Stonewall uprising of 1969. Stories range from the social experimentation of the Roaring Twenties, to the discovery of the true size of this hidden society during World War II, the scapegoating during the McCarthy era, to the development of the early rights movement – providing an informative and engaging portrait of the history of the gay and lesbian experience in America.
"History Lessons"
Barbara Hammer captures the history of lesbianism with a montage of film and interviews. Included are educational videos from the 50s, early silent lesbian erotica and an Eleanor Roosevelt speech delivered to an all-woman conference. Most of the archival clips, originally shot by men placing lesbians in a negative light, are playfully manipulated to portray a more realistic past allowing lesbians to re-control their history.
