Is Rizzoli & Isles the next Xena Warrior Princess?

 

 I say yes. Maybe. But Rizzoli has some pretty big boots to fill.


OK, so Angie Harmon will probably never be doing scissor kicks and I doubt Sasha Alexander will ever be crowned Queen of the Amazons but just give me a minute. The two shows have a few things in common. One of them being a strong lesbian following. And since Xena left the air in 2001, TV hasn't been the same. The L Word did not count.  The L Word was a soap opera. Xena was an action show about two friends who happen to be women and who might be lovers. Replace Xena's sword and chakram with a gun and a badge and it’s pretty damn close…if you squint a little. OK, maybe kind of close. Sexual tension, girl rescuing girl in peril, tongue in cheek innuendo. The potential is all there. And of course, Angie Harmon is no Lucy Lawless but who is? Besides, Angie recently declared on The Chelsea Handler Show that she loves the gays. That's something. Right?


Here are 5 reasons why Rizzoli & Isles might be the next Xena and Gabrielle.

1. Two strong female leads. What is an action show without two heroes? OK, so to call R&I an action show is a bit of a stretch. It’s a cop show. A buddy cop show. And the two buddies happen to be women. And it never hurts when the buddies are easy on the eyes. And like to get into bed with each other. And go
to gay bars.  Speaking of which…


2. Subtext. Yes, the S word. Xena fans know it well. But in Xena's case, it took one full season for subtext to really emerge. But once the producers realized fans were reacting to it, they amplified it. By the end of XWP's 6 season run the subtext had become main-text.
Rizzoli & Isles is not wasting any time. I won't name all the R&I subtext moments from season one here (there isn’t enough room) but type 'Rizzoli and Isles subtext' into Google and spend a few hours going through the results.

It’s doubtful that R&I will ever jump the shark and give its lesbian fans what they want. Or at least what they think they want. Good sexual tension only exists when there isn't any sex going on (just ask the
producers of 'Moonlighting'). But even if the two leads were lesbians, angst and flirting
is way more fun than an actual relationship. On TV, anyway.



3. Fan Fiction. There are plenty of R&I fanfic stories populating the web. Some are more graphic
than others. R&I itself reads like a tag line for a new Uber XWP fanfic story. The tall, dark, butchie detective and the smart, quirky, femme medical examiner team up to fight crime and form a strong bond along the way.

4. YouTube Videos. There are at least a dozen fan made videos on YouTube of R&I being cute and hot together set to songs like "My Life Would Suck Without You", "Falling For You" and "More than a Friend". And while R&I has a long way to go to match XWP’s hundreds, maybe thousands of fan videos online, it’s a start. Fan videos don't lie. Which brings us to number 5.

5. The Fans. I guess number five is more of a summary. There is an often ignored fan base out there waiting for a show to love and relate to. Though I cannot personally relate to murder victims and autopsies I can
relate to the bond two women share trying to navigate all of life's obstacles. And whether the obstacles include the Irish Mob or Gods and Monsters, friendship endures. And the R&I fanfic and fan videos are evidence that there are a lot of us out there. The fans have spoken.


While there will probably never be Rizzoli & Isles conventions and costume contests (although a Rizzoli Halloween costume wouldn't be a bad idea this year) there is something to be said for how quickly R&I has become a fan favorite among Xena fans.

So let's hope the subtext continues and the writers keep toying with our Xenite emotions in Rizzoli
& Isles season 2, coming this summer. It’s nice having another 'girls that kick ass and then take baths together' show on the air again (the bath part is wishful thinking).

Cat Crimins

 Let us know what you think? Is Rizzoli and Isles the next Xena? Are we forgetting an action show with lesbian subtext?

Show some Rizzoli love with our Boston Homicide softball jersey!

We Love Marlowe The Monster and So Should You

 

Marlowe the Monster is one of the most unique online comics you'll ever find. It chronicals the life and times of Marlowe, a monster. Through Marlowe we learn that even monsters have to navigate life's trials and tribulations, like dating, family politics and asexual reproduction.

Marlowe is brought magically to life by creator and artist Shing Yin Khor. Marlowe and his other cast members are hand sculpted and live in a world of miniatures. Each week Shing brings us a brand new masterpiece made of clay, extra small props and hilarious captions. Shing is not only a creative artist, she's damn funny too.

 There's a new Marlowe every Wednesday. Until then you can catch up on what you've missed here;

www.sawdustbear.com/marlowe/

 Marlowe is also on Facebook.

www.facebook.com/Marlowe-the-Monster/

We're pretty sure once you get to know Marlowe, you'll love him too.

Cat Crimins

TomboyTeez.com Is Alive!

The shirts are folded and ready to go.

Our spell-check is exhausted.

TomboyTeez.com is officially here!

Holy crap.


This website started as an idea about 10 years ago. I have been collecting funny t-shirts for as long as I can remember and thought it would be fun to make my own. I started making a list of t-shirt ideas that I'd like to make one day (none of which have made the cut). But I just sat on the idea. I didn't have the resources or the time. I was way too busy working on bad, low budget indie movies and following Sleater-Kinney around Southern California and the Pacific Northwest.

Cut to January of this year. The time was right. I had friends that knew what they were doing (project managers, online marketers, designers and graphic artists) and I had the time (working in the family business has its advantages).  

What is TomboyTeez.com?  I am a tomboy. Have been since, well, forever. The idea of making tomboy themed and inspired shirts was a no brainer. To the tomboy,  the t-shirt is a uniform, a statement, a staple. The tomboy does not comprise comfort for conformity. But she still wants to look good. And maybe make someone smile in the process (maybe that's just me). So that’s what TomboyTeez is all about. Cool, fun, funny and good looking shirts for all types of tomboys. But I also think guys will want to wear our shirts too. We want you to think of TomboyTeez as shirts by tomboys but not just for tomboys. I also wanted TomboyTeez.com to be a place not only for kick-ass t-shirts, but a community hub. A place to connect with and learn more about, our community.  

So once I had found the perfect domain name it was time to get things moving. My two friends, Brock and Ali, saw the potential of my vision and volunteered their time and enthusiasm. We came up with some designs, got feedback from our friends and decided to move forward. 

Originally I thought that I could screen-print the shirts myself from the get go. I’ll get a book. It can’t be that hard.   I was wrong. Very wrong. Screen-printing is hard. It’s not just something you can master over a weekend. So I started looking for a place to learn the art that is screen-printing. And, thanks to Craig's List, I found the perfect place. Grow Your Own media in Los Angeles. Not only are they helping us master the art, they are also putting inventory on our shelves. 

The next step was to get the website built.  I really had no idea how much work went into building a website. Luckily we found a great design team. And luckily we have Brock. She has been the driving force behind getting the site done.

 So here we are. We have some great shirts with more on the way. The site is up and it is beautiful and fun and more than I ever thought it would be.  At the risk of sounding super cheesy, this is a dream come true.

I am very proud and excited to announce that...  

TomboyTeez.com is open for business!  

We have over half a dozen shirt designs available (oooh) and a whole slew of designs almost ready for print (aaah). Our shirts include a Battlestar Galactica, The Office and Xena Warrior Princess inspired shirts. Shirts for gamers and jocks, and shirts for funny chicks. And just a few of our 'coming soon' shirts include paintball, triathlon, cryptozoology and music inspired shirts.  

From our home page you can jump straight to shopping, sign up for our newsletter, check out our webisodes (starring our shirts!) and our photo gallery, among other cool things. 

But don't take my word for it. Check us out! Right now! Seriously, do it! Do it now!  

Cat Crimins
Tomboy In Charge

TomboyTeez.com Is Alive!

The shirts are folded and ready to go.

Our spell-check is exhausted. 

TomboyTeez.com is officially here! 

Holy crap.

This website started as an idea about 10 years ago. I have been collecting funny t-shirts for as long as I can remember and thought it would be fun to make my own. I started making a list of t-shirt ideas that I'd like to make one day (none of which have made the cut). But I just sat on the idea. I didn't have the resources or the time. I was way too busy working on bad, low budget indie movies and following Sleater-Kinney around Southern California and the Pacific Northwest.  

Cut to January of this year. The time was right. I had friends that knew what they were doing (project managers, online marketers, designers and graphic artists) and I had the time (working in the family business has its advantages).    

What is TomboyTeez.com?  I am a tomboy. Have been since, well, forever. The idea of making tomboy themed and inspired shirts was a no brainer. To the tomboy,  the t-shirt is a uniform, a statement, a staple. The tomboy does not comprise comfort for conformity. But she still wants to look good. And maybe make someone smile in the process (maybe that's just me). So that’s what TomboyTeez is all about. Cool, fun, funny and good looking shirts for all types of tomboys. But I also think guys will want to wear our shirts too. We want you to think of TomboyTeez as shirts by tomboys but not just for tomboys. I also wanted TomboyTeez.com to be a place not only for kick-ass t-shirts, but a community hub. A place to connect with and learn more about, our community.    

So once I had found the perfect domain name it was time to get things moving. My two friends, Brock and Ali, saw the potential of my vision and volunteered their time and enthusiasm. We came up with some designs, got feedback from our friends and decided to move forward.   

Originally I thought that I could screen-print the shirts myself from the get go. I’ll get a book. It can’t be that hard.   I was wrong. Very wrong. Screen-printing is hard. Really hard. It’s not just something you can master over a weekend. So I started looking for a place to learn the art that is screen-printing. And, thanks to Craig's List, I found the perfect place. Grow Your Own media in Los Angeles. Not only are they helping us master the art, they are also putting inventory on our shelves.   

The next step was to get the website built.  I really had no idea how much work went into building a website. Luckily we found a great design team. And luckily we have Brock. She has been the driving force behind getting the site done. 

 So here we are. We have some great shirts with more on the way. The site is up and it is beautiful and fun and more than I ever thought it would be.  At the risk of sounding super cheesy, this is a dream come true.  

I am very proud and excited to announce that...   

TomboyTeez.com is open for business!   

We have over half a dozen shirt designs available (oooh) and a whole slew of designs almost ready for print (aaah). Our shirts include a Battlestar Galactica, The Office and Xena Warrior Princess inspired shirts. Shirts for gamers and jocks, and shirts for funny chicks. And just a few of our 'coming soon' shirts include paintball, triathlon, cryptozoology and music inspired shirts.   

From our home page you can jump straight to shopping, sign up for our newsletter, check out our webisodes (starring our shirts!) and our photo gallery, among other cool things.  

But don't take my word for it. Check us out! Right now! Seriously, do it! Do it now!   

Cat Crimins
Tomboy In Charge