Television by Blase DiStefano

queer as folk

Showtime's groundbreaking series returns for its third season

Does bed-hopping Brian (Gale Harold) truly love Justin (Randy Harrison)? Does Justin truly love Ethan (Fabrizio Filippo)? Will Emmett (Peter Paige) and Ted (Scott Lowell) take their friendship a step further? Will Lindsay (Thea Gill) and Melanie (Michelle Clunie) have another baby? Will Ben's (Robert Gant) HIV status interfere with his relationship with Michael (Hal Sparks)? There's only one way to find out: Tune in Sunday, March 2, 9 p.m. on Showtime for the first of 14 new episodes (each episode repeats the following Wednesday).

When I was a girl

Ellen DeGeneres and many other women regress to their childhoods

When I Was a Girl is a new half-hour series, produced by Linda Ellerbee's Lucky Duck Productions, that showcases high-profile women of all ages and backgrounds who reveal personal stories from their childhood. While their stories are different, collectively they illustrate a common theme - they were all once little girls.

Hosted by Sex and the City's Kristin Davis, the original episodes airing in March on WE: Women's Entertainment (every Monday at 9 p.m.) will feature:

March 3: India.Arie, Melissa Etheridge, Jo Dee Messina, Tanya Tucker, Lee Ann Womack, and Donna Summer.

March 10: Ellen DeGeneres, Sandra Bernhard, Candace Bushnell, Jane Kaczmarek, and
Teri Garr.

March 17: Melanie Griffith, Susan Lucci, Joan Chen, Gladys Knight, Jean Smart, and Jane Pratt.

March 24: Lisa Ling, Mary Steenburgen, Kathy Najimy, Chris Evert, and Sigourney Weaver.

"The caliber of women who participate in this project is astounding," comments executive producer Linda Ellerbee. "It reaffirms that women appreciate sharing stories and establishing common bonds, no matter where you live or what you do. Emotional ties connect women. They are the ties that bind us, move us, and often make us double-over with laughter. They are connections of the heart. I wanted to create a documentary where women could share their experiences and celebrate our collective history as girls."

More ELLEN

Ellen DeGeneres returns to HBO later this year in an all-new stand-up special, which will tape at New York City's Beacon Theatre (the site of her last HBO special) in May, with debut slated for June.

DeGeneres headlined her first full-length stand-up TV performance in eight years with the 2000 HBO special Ellen DeGeneres: The Beginning. Her other HBO credits include two solo specials and executive producing and starring in a segment of the HBO Films drama If These Walls Could Talk 2. DeGeneres was star of the hit CBS sitcom Ellen, which ran from 1994 to 1998.

This month, DeGeneres begins a national stand-up tour (she'll be in Houston on March 29, www.cc.com for tickets), culminating with the taping of the HBO special. Her other upcoming projects include a syndicated daytime talk show, debuting in the fall; the animated feature film Finding Nemo, scheduled for May; and a book of comedic short stories and essays from Simon & Schuster, scheduled for November.

Oliver Beene

His buddy is fabulous

This new sitcom, set in 1962, revolves around 11-year-old Oliver Beene (Grant Rosenmeyer), a kid whose world is full of comedic chaos. His eccentric family is made up of his father Jerry (Grant Shaud-remember him as Murphy Brown's boss?), a dentist whose idea of a fun Sunday is drilling the kids' molars; his mother Charlotte (Wendy Makkena), a homemaker who idolizes Jackie Kennedy; and his older brother Ted (Andrew Lawrence), a sports fanatic. One of his best friends is Michael (Taylor Emerson), the most fabulous kid in school who has an impeccable sense of style and a penchant for Judy Garland musicals. Uh, think he might be gay? Oliver Beene premieres Sunday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. on Fox.

NORMAL

Tom Wilkinson and Jessica Lange undergo a change

Every long-term relationship faces challenges. Who do you love-the person you see on the outside or the person who exists on the inside?

After 25 years of marriage, Roy (Tom Wilkinson) tells Irma (Jessica Lange) that he's a woman trapped in a man's body and wants a sex change. A poignant and funny story of love and acceptance, the HBO Films production Normal is a portrait of a marriage, showing the heart and soul of two people who have made a lifetime promise to each other. The Midwestern couple must look for what defines their relationship, and they find some unexpected answers.

Normal is directed by Jane Anderson, who adapted the script from her play Looking for Normal. Debuts on HBO Sunday, March 16, 9 p.m., with repeat airings throughout the month.

The film recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. (Click here for more.)

Six Feet Under

Aren't you just dying for the new season?

On the first show of Six Feet Under's third season, David (Michael C. Hall) and Keith (Mathew St. Patrick) start couples therapy, Fisher & Sons is now Fisher & Diaz, and Rico (Freddy Rodriguez) is trying to make sure he's no longer a "gofer." Claire (Lauren Ambrose) takes an interest in crematory worker Phil (J.P. Pitoc-remember him in Trick?), and Catherine O'Hara makes her debut as Lisa's (Lili Taylor) quirky boss and landlord. Kathy Bates, who returns this season as one of the directors, also guest stars as a friend of Ruth's (Frances Conroy). Don't miss the fun on Sunday, March 2, at 8 p.m. on HBO. Repeat March airings: 4 (10 p.m.), 5 (8 p.m.), 8 (11:45 p.m.), and 22 (9 p.m.).

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