Maman Poulet

And soon on the red carpet (if not walked into it)

For 2 hours before the major awards ceremonies the US TV companies broadcast the entrances of the stars. At last weeks Golden Globes, E! launched a new team to present the comings and goings, who wears what and who designed what.

Star Jones has been replaced with Isaac Mizrahi, an out gay fashion designer (nope I had never heard of him either). And his debut has hit the headlines. Instead of just cooing over the dresses and the performances that had brought about the nominations, Mizrahi went that bit further

The Observer reports that Mizrahi focussed on underwear, handbag contents and relationship strengths.

I wanna know about the underwear you've got on,' he announced, before making a lunge for her ample bosom. 'I just wanna feel it. Ooh, ooh, oh, I just love that!' When Johansson protested, he simply shot her a little-boy-lost glance. 'I'm just taking notes,' he said.

The fun did not stop there. While other celeb interviewers looked on lamely, Mizrahi went straight for the questions that really matter. 'How much of your hair is real?' he inquired of Sarah Jessica Parker. 'You know who loves redheads?' was his ice-breaker with Marcia Cross, flame-haired star of Desperate Housewives. 'My dog!' Developing before our eyes was a very real Dennis Pennis.

Watching a repeat of the programme last night I did not take much notice of Mizrahi until he interviewed Charlize Theron and berated her for her choice of characters in her films to date. Theron was stunned into silence when Mizrahi referred to her Oscar winning performance as a 'scary dyke with bad teeth'. This comment brought complaints from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

E! responded by saying that Mizrahi was the last person one could accuse of homophobia. Why because he is a gay man? No gay man has every uttered a homophobic remark his life then - ah come off it. Maybe if GLAAD named it as lesbophobic Mizrahi's employers would take more notice. The odd lesbophobic remark from gay men is of course nothing new to Maman Poulet (and indeed it operates both ways). However I think Theron did play a scary looking lesbian in the movie (and it was a great performance) , a character whose sexuality was completely blown out of proportion indeed to highlight that straight women would never commit such a crime. (Oh pull the other one!)

And GLAAD might be better off highlighting the mysogny in Mizrahi's performance and questioning of women which did not focus on their talent or intellect but of course only on their looks or lack of them.

The organisers of the Oscars have indicated that Mizrahi's direct interviewing approach may not be welcomed at their ceremony next month. If I were Mizrahi I might be on the look out for scary looking avenging lesbians and their friends.

posted by Maman Poulet @ 1/22/2006 09:06:00 p.m.