The Goodbye 'Girls'

Can't say enough about how relieved I am that "Girls" is finally over for good. I was loyal to the end but definitely think my life was in no way enriched for the experience of watching an entitled brat whine about life as, well, an entitled brat. While some were at least enjoying hate-watching it, I was busy hating myself for religiously tuning in -- ironically in sort of a Hannah-OCD kind of way -- wishing I had jumped ship the way Sexy Charlie had. (These people had no real problems, and I get angry every time I think of how stupid and implausible it constantly was. Remember when Hannah orally raped Ray in a coffee truck and it flipped off the road? And when everyone at Marnie's wedding jumped into a muddy pond in their white suits BEFORE the ceremony????? And when Jessa and Adam completely destroyed every single item in their apartment like two lunatics??? And when Desi randomly had a wall built in a rental???? And how everyone was constantly buck-naked in front of everyone else?????) Last week's episode was the perfect finale for the show about four insufferable and solipsistic young women, yet Lena Dunham couldn't leave well enough alone, opting for a pointless -- and horribly forced -- "jump ahead" sendoff, filled with painstakingly obvious motherhood moments. I'd say "What was she thinking?" but the more I watched her (not) mature as a writer and person (Dunham) and character (Hannah), the more I realized I just didn't care. Looking forward to hearing a lot more from Issa Rae, whose female-driven HBO show, "Insecure" is funny, charming and rings true in a way "Girls" never did.

UPDATE:

!!!

Kimmel's Arresting 'Girls' Routine

From HERE.

Feeling really uncomfortable that Jimmy Kimmel is totally turning me on here -- is he allowed to be hot? But not nearly as squeamish as the final season of "Girls" has made me. Would love to hear from others who have also watched "Please Like Me" (gay Aussie comedian Josh Thomas's series) so we can compare notes on how they're the same show, each featuring one less likable and less likely character after the next, each of whom engages in more self-sabotaging behavior per episode than even my most flighty friend has in an entire lifetime. And each starring a revolting narcissist who uses their position of power to cast love interests who would never in a million years have sex -- let alone be in a relationship -- with their characters in real life! 

Andrew Rannells Is a Big 'Girl(s)'

If you say Elijah's hilarious audition for "White Men Can't Jump" then it might not surprise you to know that it was based on something that really happened to Andrew Rannells! Watch HERE.

'Girls' Behaving Badly

Read HERE.

No, it's just you.

I guess the first red flag from these three reviewers is that one of them made a reference to not crying this much since "the second season of 'Grey's Anatomy.'" (Oh, dear.)

Actually, despite the headline, one of them got it mostly right:

 MARGARET LYONS:

I liked last season! I liked this season, too, though I’m in the minority because I absolutely hated “The Panic in Central Park,” where Charlie re-emerges and turns out to be a heroin addict. And I did not love “Homeward Bound,” last week’s episode where Hannah dumps Fran, jumps on Ray, and eventually hitchhikes back to New York. But I wanted “Hello Kitty,” the Kitty Genovese episode, to last for nine hours; I was riveted, and the closing moments, when Hannah realizes that Jessa and Adam are together, just knocked me out. I would have called it the best acting moment of the “Girls” season, but Elijah’s slow crumple as he realizes his not-quite-boyfriend Dill is rejecting him might best it.

I would go on about how I rewatched some of the first season and confirmed that four years later the characters are now less-mature caricatures of what they started out as -- my friend Greg says Lena Dunham went to the Ryan Murphy School of Forgetting What You Previously Wrote -- but I'm so exhausted by this show/topic I will just reiterate how relieved I am that this season is over.

Corey Stoll on Bottoming for Andrew Rannells on ‘Girls’

Elijah's relationship with superfamous TV anchorman Dill is the most interesting thing about "Girls" these days. Read what Corey Stoll has to say about his compromising position HERE.

Song of the Day: 'My Mistakes' by Eleanor Friedberger

About the only thing good to come out of last week's episode of "Girls," featuring a plus-size Charlie.

'Girls' and Boys

Hate-watching "Girls" is getting a lot more fun now that they're including full-frontal male nudity.

I'm also excited to see sexy Corey Stoll as Elijah's love interest.

On the Rag, Vol. 395

A weekly look at what's making news in the free gay mags:

Next: Anyone else excited for/dreading the new season of "Girls"? Andrew Rannells finally gets romantic this time around ...

Read HERE.

How gay were the Nazis? How the myth of homosexual influence within the Nazi party ranks took hold / Read HERE.

Get Out!: Say hello to Jason, Vinny Vega, Nikco Fume, Seth Fornea, Dennis Budesheim & Ben Mendoza /  Online edition HERE.

Guy (Ft. Lauderdale): Latrice Royale INC. talks business, becoming a better man and conquering the industry / Read HERE.

QX (London): Celebrating a retro, handkerchief-in-back-left-pocket homage to Comptons of Soho! / Read HERE.

Metro Weekly (D.C.): #BlackLivesMatter: Alicia Garza on privilege, justice and founding a movement / Read HERE.

Odyssey New York: Carolos Anthony is hot-hot-hot! / Online edition HERE.

Gus Kenworthy and a mustache seems like a winning combination, yet I'm strangely flaccid ...

Read HERE.

Gloss: Picked this up in San Francisco ... time to add to the roster? RuPaul reveals all about season 8 of "Drag Race" HERE.

Echo (Phoenix): LIVE with Aneesh ... Arizona’s sassiest co-host serves up realness on the radio / Read HERE.

It's Not TV, It's HBO

While Sunday's return of "The Comeback" is my No. 1 TV concern, also excited to see "Looking" and "Girls" come back Jan. 11, although this 10-episode season is such bullshit.

Girls' Quarterly

  I didn't think I'd be watching "Girls" much longer after the first three episodes of Season 3 left me despising every single character in sight. (You've gotta like someone!) But then solipsism intervened -- or would it be reverse solipsism in this case? -- and I started to see myself in Hannah's book drama, so I hung on. (OK, the show jumped a mini shark at the funeral, but the more I thought about it the more I realized Hannah is truly awful and just might do THAT.) But the real turning point for me was when Ms. Horvath landed a job at GQ in the "advertorial" department -- gasp! -- and suddenly the show hit its stride. Love that GQ not only played along, but ran this infographic explaining the truth behind the glamour. It may be Conde Nast, but in this editorial climate, anyone in journalism could have told you bad coffee is all you're gettin' for free these days!

The 3.5-Million Dollar Woman

I'll be reading this apparent homage to "Valley of the Dolls."

The Daily News reports:

Hannah Horvath would be so proud. The Brooklynite’s real-life alter-ego, Lena Dunham, will become a published author before the end of the year. And the “hardest-working millennial” chose a medium befitting of her generation to reveal the cover and release date of the tome – by posting a picture on Instagram. The outspoken writer, producer and actor of the hit HBO series “Girls” posted a split-frame image of the book cover of “Not That Kind of Girl,” and another of her holding her first book. The 27-year-old Dunham, who reportedly got a tony $3.5 million for the book deal by Random House, wrote on Twitter: “It’s official. Coming 10/7/14.” She links to the photo on her Instagram account.

By the way: I should point out that after HATING the first three episodes of "Girls," I am suddenly enjoying it. Of course this has EVERYTHING to do with the Hannah book drama, not to mention her new "writing" job. Ray and Marnie are freaking me out, but at least Shoshanna's boyfriend's ass is hot!

Although it sounds more like this:

No One's Complaining About 'Girls' Nudity Now

I haven't watched Sunday's episode yet, but I'm hearing Evan Jonigkeit's ass stole the SHOW!

Strike a Pose

In her much-discussed cover article, Vogue calls Lena Dunham the "new queen of comedy." But after watching Sunday's premiere, I'm not even sure if "Girls" is supposed to be funny.

'Girls' Will Be 'Girls'

Watched the "Girls" two-fer premiere last night at a friend's place. Not sure if it was because I wasn't alone for a change and actually had to answer to another human being for what I was witnessing or if it was because it really was more heinous than usual, but I really fought the overwhelming urge to punch the television screen nonstop for 60 minutes. My pal Tim and I had no problem ranking their insufferability, from bad to worse -- Shoshanna, Marnie, Hannah, Jessa -- but even the secondary characters are reprehensible. (Marnie's mom!) (And way to throw a black person AND a gay person into the story, Lena.) Can't wait for next week ...

Boy Leaves 'Girls'

I was kind of on the fence with "Girls" again this year, but now that word has leaked that Christopher Abbott -- aka Charlie the hotass -- has left the show, I may be done. He reportedly "clashed" with creator/writer/star Lena Dunham -- gee, that's really hard to imagine -- but whatever the case, it's going to be hard to explain how he and Marnie could have finally worked out their differences in the season finale, and then separated shortly thereafter. Say it isn't so, Charlie!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls! Girls! Girls!

"And cocaine could have been my favorite drug."

 OK, if I was in any way on the fence about whether to recommend "Girls" to people as being the best show on TV today, last night's episode blew that notion right up my nose. (It was the show's best yet.) One word for you: Laird!

Preview Season 2 of 'Girls'

Can't wait for this to return so I can continue to hate-watch!