The Real L Word aired on Showtime from 2010 to 2012. It was one of the first reality television series to follow the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who lived in Los Angeles. The original cast starred me, Jill Goldstein who was my fiancé at the time, Tracy Ryerson, Rose Garcia, Whitney Mixter and Mikey Koffman.
With a successful career behind the lens in entertainment, I’m often asked why Jill and I chose to put our lives on camera. The answer is simple: Seeing relatable stories and experiences on television can be validating and empowering.
As our narrative in the series was about wedding planning (which was legally unrecognized and unlawful in 2010 in California), we told our story to be seen and heard, to be visible outside of our community, to normalize our love for one another as no different than a traditional union between a man and a woman.
With a successful career behind the lens in entertainment, I’m often asked why Jill and I chose to put our lives on camera. The answer is simple: Seeing relatable stories and experiences on television can be validating and empowering.
As our narrative in the series was about wedding planning (which was legally unrecognized and unlawful in 2010 in California), we told our story to be seen and heard, to be visible outside of our community, to normalize our love for one another as no different than a traditional union between a man and a woman.
- 6/15/2023
- by Nikki Weiss-Goldstein
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
About two years ago, I interviewed some amazing friends who work behind the scenes in Hollywood. They were (and in some cases, still are) responsible for the creatures in Lord of the Rings and Narnia, the clothes on True Blood, the girls on America's Next Top Model, the "look" of Itty Bitty Titty Committee, and Tyra Banks' production needs. Jealous? Yeah, me, too.
Well, it's been too long since we pulled back the curtain on Tinsel Town, so over the next few days, you'll meet a few more talented women who help bring you the shows you know and love. Beats working a desk job. And... action!
Cynthia Childs, Supervising Producer
Surrounded by The Real L Word storyboards
If you think shaping and telling stories for reality shows is easy, think again. Cynthia Childs knows a thing or two about making the most of what you've got, having story produced shows like Project Runway,...
Well, it's been too long since we pulled back the curtain on Tinsel Town, so over the next few days, you'll meet a few more talented women who help bring you the shows you know and love. Beats working a desk job. And... action!
Cynthia Childs, Supervising Producer
Surrounded by The Real L Word storyboards
If you think shaping and telling stories for reality shows is easy, think again. Cynthia Childs knows a thing or two about making the most of what you've got, having story produced shows like Project Runway,...
- 12/27/2010
- by Dara Nai
- AfterEllen.com
Plus meet Brother Gaga, Jai Rodriguez sports a new look, and we go "Over the Rainbow" on a cat organ.
The nation and indeed the world took some time to remember Sept 11, 2001 over the weekend. Beyond a couple incidents, it went smoother than I had anticipated. I did find a memorial page to the Glbt victims of September 11. It was so many more than just Mark Bingham.
The story of NYC professional photographer Bill Biggart is stunning. He walked toward the towers that morning, taking pictures with three cameras, two film and one digital. Eventually he got so close documenting the tragedy that he was crushed by debris. His camera bag was recovered, and the film was ruined, but his flash card was preserved. His last photo is stunning, and indeed the 150 photos on the digital camera tell the story of his day.
Because Big Brother hadn't been that offensive this season,...
The nation and indeed the world took some time to remember Sept 11, 2001 over the weekend. Beyond a couple incidents, it went smoother than I had anticipated. I did find a memorial page to the Glbt victims of September 11. It was so many more than just Mark Bingham.
The story of NYC professional photographer Bill Biggart is stunning. He walked toward the towers that morning, taking pictures with three cameras, two film and one digital. Eventually he got so close documenting the tragedy that he was crushed by debris. His camera bag was recovered, and the film was ruined, but his flash card was preserved. His last photo is stunning, and indeed the 150 photos on the digital camera tell the story of his day.
Because Big Brother hadn't been that offensive this season,...
- 9/13/2010
- by Ed Kennedy
- The Backlot
By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith
HollywoodNews.com: Engaged couple Nikki Weiss and Jill Goldstein of Showtime’s “The Real L Word” aren’t surprised that the series – Season 1 comes out on DVD Oct. 19 — has been the subject of controversy. What has surprised them is, “The lesbian community has been the most critical of us. That was amazing to me. I was shocked. I joked in one of the episodes that Jill and I don’t define ourselves by our sexuality; it’s part of who we are along with being aunts and daughters and the rest of the things we are. That comment sparked hatred. People were very vocal on our fan page,” Nikki says.
On the other hand, fans have written in thanking them for making their lives easier and making other comments “that are so rewarding for us.”
“It would be a pretty tall order to...
HollywoodNews.com: Engaged couple Nikki Weiss and Jill Goldstein of Showtime’s “The Real L Word” aren’t surprised that the series – Season 1 comes out on DVD Oct. 19 — has been the subject of controversy. What has surprised them is, “The lesbian community has been the most critical of us. That was amazing to me. I was shocked. I joked in one of the episodes that Jill and I don’t define ourselves by our sexuality; it’s part of who we are along with being aunts and daughters and the rest of the things we are. That comment sparked hatred. People were very vocal on our fan page,” Nikki says.
On the other hand, fans have written in thanking them for making their lives easier and making other comments “that are so rewarding for us.”
“It would be a pretty tall order to...
- 9/12/2010
- by Beck / Smith
- Hollywoodnews.com
By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith
HollywoodNews.com: Nikki Weiss and Jill Goldstein of Showtime’s “The Real L Word” have certainly been subject to the ups and downs of California’s same sex marriage ban within this past week — as the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overruled Judge Vaughn Walker’s earlier decision to strike down Proposition 8, leaving same sex couples in a holding pattern until December. They were on the verge of celebrating when the appeals court decision came in.
As followers of the Showtime reality show are aware, Nikki and Jill have been pouring their energies into planning for their October nuptials — whether or not their marriage is considered valid in California.
“We became the wedding story of the show. It’s sweet and endearing,” says Jill, who first met Nikki when the two were kids at summer camp. They met again as adults,...
HollywoodNews.com: Nikki Weiss and Jill Goldstein of Showtime’s “The Real L Word” have certainly been subject to the ups and downs of California’s same sex marriage ban within this past week — as the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overruled Judge Vaughn Walker’s earlier decision to strike down Proposition 8, leaving same sex couples in a holding pattern until December. They were on the verge of celebrating when the appeals court decision came in.
As followers of the Showtime reality show are aware, Nikki and Jill have been pouring their energies into planning for their October nuptials — whether or not their marriage is considered valid in California.
“We became the wedding story of the show. It’s sweet and endearing,” says Jill, who first met Nikki when the two were kids at summer camp. They met again as adults,...
- 8/18/2010
- by Beck / Smith
- Hollywoodnews.com
Celebrities widely applauded a federal judge's decision Wednesday to overturn California's referendum against same-sex marriages.
The Real L World 's engaged stars Nikki Weiss and Jill Sloane Goldstein told TVGuide.com they are "so thankful" for the decision that gays' constitutional rights to equal protection were violated by Proposition 8. The couple has been seen on the Showtime reality series planning for their October wedding in California.
"I could tell you that I held my breath for most of the morning...
Read More >...
The Real L World 's engaged stars Nikki Weiss and Jill Sloane Goldstein told TVGuide.com they are "so thankful" for the decision that gays' constitutional rights to equal protection were violated by Proposition 8. The couple has been seen on the Showtime reality series planning for their October wedding in California.
"I could tell you that I held my breath for most of the morning...
Read More >...
- 8/5/2010
- by Kate Stanhope
- TVGuide - Breaking News
"This just in: Equality won!" Ellen DeGeneres jubilantly posted on Twitter as word spread throughout Hollywood on Wednesday that a federal judge had overturned Proposition 8, California's gay marriage ban.
"And justice is served. We are equal once more. God bless the letter of the law," director-producer Adam Shankman chimed in a few moments later with a tweet of his own.
But screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, one of a handful of Hollywood heavyweights who helped fund the case by forming the American Foundation for Equal Rights, also warned that the battle for gay and lesbian rights is far from over because the potentially landmark case is being appealed by Protect Marriage -- a coalition of religious and conservative groups that sponsored the ban -- to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and from there could go to the Supreme Court.
"We're all celebrating today, but everyone who worked on this,...
"And justice is served. We are equal once more. God bless the letter of the law," director-producer Adam Shankman chimed in a few moments later with a tweet of his own.
But screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, one of a handful of Hollywood heavyweights who helped fund the case by forming the American Foundation for Equal Rights, also warned that the battle for gay and lesbian rights is far from over because the potentially landmark case is being appealed by Protect Marriage -- a coalition of religious and conservative groups that sponsored the ban -- to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and from there could go to the Supreme Court.
"We're all celebrating today, but everyone who worked on this,...
- 8/4/2010
- by By Gregg Kilday and Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The ladies of "The Real L Word" are pissed at Elisabeth Hasselbeck who made enemies again when she thought older women become lesbians because they can't get men. During Television Critics Association presentation of Showtime, the open lesbians whose life is captured on camera called the "The View" host "ignorant".
Hasselbeck said in episode airing Wednesday, July 28, "All the older men are going for younger women, leaving the women with no one." Her co-host Joy Behar disagreed, saying that one just doesn't wake up and decides to be lesbian. But Hasselbeck countered it back by saying sometimes when you get older, it's more about companionship than something sexual.
Asked for a comment, "Real L Word" cast Nikki Weiss who admitted in her profile she is new to the lesbian scene said, "I know that Elisabeth is really conservative, but it was also a really hurtful and ignorant comment. I don't know why she'd say it.
Hasselbeck said in episode airing Wednesday, July 28, "All the older men are going for younger women, leaving the women with no one." Her co-host Joy Behar disagreed, saying that one just doesn't wake up and decides to be lesbian. But Hasselbeck countered it back by saying sometimes when you get older, it's more about companionship than something sexual.
Asked for a comment, "Real L Word" cast Nikki Weiss who admitted in her profile she is new to the lesbian scene said, "I know that Elisabeth is really conservative, but it was also a really hurtful and ignorant comment. I don't know why she'd say it.
- 7/30/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Filed under: TV News, Fall TV
Viewers will get to see a lot more of the ladies of Showtime's 'The Real L Word' in the last three episodes of their first season.
"You'll see several sexual situations and some nudity," said a sly Whitney Mixter.
Episode 7, in particular, "is epic," teased Rose Garcia.
'Real L Word' cast members Mixter, Garcia, Jill Goldstein, Mikey Hoffman, Tracy Ryerson, Nikki Weiss were joined by executive producers Ilene Chaiken and Jane Lipsitz on a panel at the Television Critics Association press tour. The group previewed the rest of the season, which Chaiken promised will bring some of the "shock value" that was a hallmark of her scripted series, 'The L Word.'
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments...
Viewers will get to see a lot more of the ladies of Showtime's 'The Real L Word' in the last three episodes of their first season.
"You'll see several sexual situations and some nudity," said a sly Whitney Mixter.
Episode 7, in particular, "is epic," teased Rose Garcia.
'Real L Word' cast members Mixter, Garcia, Jill Goldstein, Mikey Hoffman, Tracy Ryerson, Nikki Weiss were joined by executive producers Ilene Chaiken and Jane Lipsitz on a panel at the Television Critics Association press tour. The group previewed the rest of the season, which Chaiken promised will bring some of the "shock value" that was a hallmark of her scripted series, 'The L Word.'
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments...
- 7/29/2010
- by Kelly Woo
- Aol TV.
There's an old saying that a woman can never be too rich or too thin. Unless you're a lesbian on "The Real L Word."
Over breakfast in West Hollywood, Nikki Weiss and Jill Sloane Goldstein, two of the stars of Showtime's sexy new reality show, talked to The Dish Rag about criticism of their upcoming wedding, their yellow diamond engagement bling, their weight and those cruel anorexia rumors.
"They have totally ripped me apart," says a naturally svelte Nikki, of the eating disorder accusations she's received on certain blogs. "And that is so painful because I have the opposite problem. I eat all the time and I can't gain weight. If I do aerobic exercise, I lose weight, so I lift weights to get some muscle mass. Why criticize anyone's size or body type?"
"You become very vulnerable when you invite people into your home for a reality TV show.
Over breakfast in West Hollywood, Nikki Weiss and Jill Sloane Goldstein, two of the stars of Showtime's sexy new reality show, talked to The Dish Rag about criticism of their upcoming wedding, their yellow diamond engagement bling, their weight and those cruel anorexia rumors.
"They have totally ripped me apart," says a naturally svelte Nikki, of the eating disorder accusations she's received on certain blogs. "And that is so painful because I have the opposite problem. I eat all the time and I can't gain weight. If I do aerobic exercise, I lose weight, so I lift weights to get some muscle mass. Why criticize anyone's size or body type?"
"You become very vulnerable when you invite people into your home for a reality TV show.
- 6/25/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
No need to worry now that some of your favorite TV shows are ending. Starting next week with ABC's "The Bachelorette" and Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance, to HBO's "True Blood" and Showtime's "Weeds," it's time for summer TV! Check out "Extra's" complete guide.
2010 Summer TV GuideThe Bachelorette
When: Monday, May 24, ABC Who:Ali Fedotowsky What:Last season of the "Bachelor," Ali made the difficult decision to leave the show early, choosing her job over love.
2010 Summer TV GuideThe Bachelorette
When: Monday, May 24, ABC Who:Ali Fedotowsky What:Last season of the "Bachelor," Ali made the difficult decision to leave the show early, choosing her job over love.
- 5/25/2010
- Extra
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