Ledger Pop Journal - Celebrity News & Sports

"The L Word" creator Ilene Chaiken has put her Showtime series to rest after six seasons, and she's already looking toward new ventures. "We did a pilot for a spin-off, and we're hopeful that Showtime will put it on the air," Chaiken tells us. The pilot stars the openly gay "L Word" star Leisha Hailey. However, Chaiken admits it's not easy getting gay-themed shows on the air.

Chaiken, 'not easy getting gay-themed shows on.' (Image: WENN)

"I think it's still an uphill battle. I think there's a case in point now [with "The L Word"], and people can see that you can tell a story about gay people on television in pop culture entertainment and people will come, but it's still really hard to get our stories told."


A SONG IN HIS HEART: Chikezie Eze will be doing double duty once he heads out on the "American Idol Pop Tour" March 25 in Pennsylvania. He'll be bopping back and forth between tour dates and recording his debut album.

"The album means so much to me … They said they'd work around it," reports the 23-year-old singer. He says his recording will feature a mix of songs that "I love for different reasons. There are a lot of universal themes -- love, hardship -- and songs that are just for a general good time. That's something we need right now."

Last year, he toured more than 50 cities with the "American Idols" live show. This year, he's set to be on the road 'til May 1.

"It's a reunion of sorts," he says. "I originally auditioned in Season 6, then was on the show in Season 7 -- but I know the people from Season 6 who'll be touring, Gina Glocksen, Melinda Doolittle, Phil Stacey. It's always a great time, getting out there on the stage singing for people who paid money to see you."


FINED AND DANDY: TruTV has ordered 20 new episodes of "Speeders Fight Back," planning for a summer second season launch of the show in which everyday citizens give laugh-out-loud defense arguments in traffic court. The announcement is welcome news to Chief Traffic Court Magistrate Brenda Di Ioia. "I believe the second season will be even better than the first because we have a better grasp of the format," says Di Ioia, who landed on the show after her secretary emailed the network about her. As with all first seasons, she says, "you're learning what works and what doesn't. We're making adjustments where we think we need it."

While she is enjoying having the cameras in her courtroom, she admits, "It's been different. The hours were long sometimes. If they had some kind of technical problem, we'd have to do that part over when something couldn't be heard," she recalls. "I noticed other people's reactions more, though. My officer, I haven't seen him that quiet in 10 years, and some of the attorneys definitely seem to come out of their shells."

However, at the end of the day, Di Ioia reminds that it is a real courtroom and people can certainly learn a lot from watching. "They're taping my real court cases, so it's sort of in the realm of documentary. We're not setting anything up for these defendants. It's important to show people what to do and what not to do in court in a very entertaining way."

With reports by Emily Feimster.