Other Women on TV

Rachel Maddow

If lesbians around the world can suddenly explain to you in detail what is going on in American politics at the moment or what bills are being debated in the U.S. Congress, and – on top of that – suddenly start to mix the most amazing cocktails, it is most likely because of her: Rachel Maddow.

In 2009, Rachel made learning about stimulus packages, health care reform and secret religious organizations almost fun, and in some heated and emotional discussions, she mangaged to become and remain the liberal voice of reason. She is smart and always very well-informed, which enables her to regularly call guests of her show out on the – as she calls it – “bullpuckey” they try to tell her.

Even though news are usually a very serious business, she still manages to include more light-hearted stories and segments in her show; her love for cocktails is legendary, and her “Moments of Geek” are not only fun to watch because of the things to learn from them, but because of the genuine enthusiasm Rachel displays and which makes her so incredibly cute.

Rachel has not only proven that being smart and a geek can draw an audience, but also that it can be incredibly sexy. We would like to see much, much more of that in 2010, please.

Dunja Hayali

Another news anchor who caught my attention this year in particular was Dunja Hayali.

It was not so much because of her “day job”, which is co-hosting the popular German news show “heute-journal” and the morning show “Morgenmagazin”, but because of a documentary she did for the German TV channel ZDF called “Mein Herz schlägt in Afrika”, which aired this spring. Together with Swedish writer Henning Mankell, Dunja Hayali traveled to and across Africa, and the stories and images they brought back with them were captivating. The audience got to see a side of Dunja Hayali that was very different from the one they were used to – not just the serious newscaster in the TV studio, but a journalist who is introduced to a fascinating new world and who tries to get her own fascination across to her viewers. Which, by the way, she accomplished.

The last couple of weeks, Dunja Hayali left her news studio once again in order to co-host a program on great moments in German history, “Die Sternstunden der Deutschen”, together with her heute-journal colleague Steffen Seibert. Let’s hope that for the years ahead, she has already scheduled many, many more of these “extracurricular activities”.

Real-life Couple

Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi

Some of you might roll their eyes and ask: “Really? It’s them again?”
And the answer is: “Yes, it’s them again, and it has to be.”

Let’s face it, when it comes to a  positive public representation of two women in love, Ellen and Portia are as good as it gets. Ellen is one of the most popular TV personalities in the U.S., equally beloved and adored by viewers of any race, gender, age, religion or class, and Portia is a beautiful, funny and talented actress, who is smart and articulate in interviews and – in a very charming way – even managed to teach Americans a lesson on civil liberties only a few weeks ago.

When they appear in public together, like on Ellen’s talk show in March or on The Oprah Winfrey Show this November, even the most conservative ignoramuses have no choice but to admit that what is between those two is love, pure and simple and so, so sweet. Furthermore, as they are not only a gay couple, but a legally married gay couple, it makes it so much harder for those who are against same-sex marriage to argue why they shouldn’t be married.

Ellen and Portia are living and charming prove that the institution of marriage is not being damaged, not even hurt by allowing two people of the same sex to acquire that status.

Oh, and not to forget, they just make such a cute couple.

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