Today was both a Luke & Noah day on As the World Turns and an American Idol performance night. It was also an incredibly busy day for me, so I'm going to deal with both in one blog.
The only thing that really needs to be said about Idol is that Adam Lambert was once again amazing. He took a rather cheesy 70's song, Play That Funky Music, and made it his own, giving a really great performance.
I was especially looking forward to tonight to see if he was going to keep the more clean cut look he was sporting last week. Honestly, as much as I liked it, I was hoping he would revert back to his own style and stay true to himself in that sense.
He seems to have found a compromise between the two looks, though, and it really works for him. His voice remains pure Adam, of course, and that's why he's so amazing.
I also have to admit that I've developed a little crush on Kris Allen as well. He could someone not, though, when he's completely adorable? I think he's also a decent singer who has impressed me a lot more than some of the other contestants, especially a few who have been overly praised.
Moving on to today's Luke & Noah scenes. Luke & Noah headed to WOAK after Luke got a phone call from Kim Hughes saying that a wealthy man had come forward to offer to fund PSAs about Housing Discrimination. On the way, Luke shared with Noah Holden's theory that Damian may have been involved with Luke's 'accident', hiring someone to hit him just so he could save the day and try and win Luke back.
At the police station, Holden was relating the same theory to Margo Hughes, who wondered if perhaps Damian didn't have another possible motive: scaring Luke out of using Grimaldi money for Gay Rights causes. Still, Margo told the Snyders there was nothing that she could do officially without evidence and warned Holden against taking the law into his own hands. She also advised again that they all keep a low profile for the time being.
Not surprisingly, the mystery donor that Luke & Noah met at the television station was Damian himself and Luke refused to accept his help. Once they were back at Java, Noah wondered yet again if perhaps Damian was really trying to change, but Luke reminded Noah that he didn't know Damian and what he was capable of. He asked Noah to think about how he'd feel if his own father showed up after all he'd done, saying the same things Damian was saying.
Later, Damian showed up and Holden & Lily's, spying on them through the window as they kissed until Lily spotted her peeping tom of an ex. Damian was there to try and convince Lily to plead his case with Luke about the PSAs. Lily called Luke and asked her to meet him at the TV station and after hanging up she informed Damian that the PSAs were a great idea, but they'd do them without his money.
While Luke & Lily were at the station, filming the first of the PSAs which Lily had announced that she was personally funding, Damian returned to the Snyder house and looked all lurk-y and suspicious as he placed his hand on the doorknob. Later, Holden & Lily returned to find their living room trashed and mud tracked all over the floor. The clueless maid (they referred to her as a maid more than once, but I thought she was little Ethan's nanny? Hell, next week she'll probably be the chauffeur, why worry about details on this show?) who'd been just upstairs and yet had somehow heard nothing while the house was trashed reported that she'd seen a man matching Damian's description in the garden.
Meanwhile, Damian stopped by Java, tracking in a lot of mud on his shoes, to tell Luke that he'd got the message and was leaving town. He also told Noah it was nice to have met him and that he regretted that he wouldn't have the chance to know him better.
Damian was checking out of his hotel when Margo showed up and took him down to the station for questioning. In true Oakdale P.D. fashion, the questioning took place in the lobby of the police station, with Holden, Lily, Luke & Noah all present to assist top cop Margo in her job.
Damian denied having broken into the house and reluctantly gave his expensive Italian shoes to Margo so she could see if they matched the prints or not. Margo told Damian not to leave town without her permission and Holden then ominously warned Detective Hughes that if she couldn't protect his family, he'd do whatever it took to do so himself.
On his way back to Java after parting with Luke, Noah ran into his boyfriend's Bio Dad who urged him to give him a chance and help him show Luke he'd changed. Noah, though clearly more willing that anyone else to believe Damian might really be sincere, refused to help.
Overall, it was a typical poorly written episode that moved way too fast. I hope this isn't as good as Damian's return is going to get! I'm looking forward to Thursday, though, when the twins debut.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
A Sneak Peek and Dire Soap News
We Love the Soaps has a sneak peek up of new As the World Turns characters Zac & Zoe, the twins who will be interacting with Luke & Noah. Rumor has had it for a long while that Zac will be a gay or bisexual character who will come between Luke & Noah.
I avoid spoilers, so I didn't even watch the sneak peek (though it's very tempting!), but the twins will be debuting on this Thursday's episode. Between Damian's return and the potential for Daytime's first all gay love triangle, things could definitely be heating up.
Meanwhile, sources are saying that Guiding Light, a soap which has been on the air since 1937 (it first aired on the radio and then moved to television in 1952) will likely be cancelled by September. GL has been the lowest rated soap for quite some time and cancellation rumors have become frequent, but this time it sounds like it could be the real thing.
It's a shame to think that a show that has been on since before some of my grandparents were born could be gone soon, but the sad truth is that all soaps will be headed in that direction if they don't start making the right sort of changes. Much of what these shows are doing to try and save themselves just makes things worse.
All it would take would be good writing for a multi-generational cast. Instead, we get the same sort of stories over and over again, each one less well written than the last, and shows keep ditching long running cast members who are over 40 in exchange for a bunch of young, inexperienced actors with pretty faces. This is their misguided attempt to appeal to the youth market, but what they don't realize is that their much coveted demographic could be just as interested in a compelling story about older characters. Look at the ongoing popularity of The Golden Girls in reruns! I know a few people who weren't even alive when the show was on the air who absolutely love it and I watched it all the time when I was growing up.
Yet these fools seem to think that all anyone wants from soaps is a bunch of hot young things 'acting' out increasingly awful stories. If that were true, Passions would not only still be on the air, it would be a ratings powerhouse!
Daytime should be about groundbreaking stories and well written drama, and it should be about growing up following familiar characters year after year, characters of all ages, races, and sexual orientations. I've always loved that I can turn on Days of Our Lives and still see characters I watched before I even started elementary school (though there are getting to be fewer and fewer of them now).
These shows have just lost their way and it sounds like Guiding Light will be the latest, but not likely the last, victim of just how out of touch the people in charge of soaps have become.
Sadly, if the show does get the ax, budding LGBT couple Olivia & Natalia would be lost along with it.
I avoid spoilers, so I didn't even watch the sneak peek (though it's very tempting!), but the twins will be debuting on this Thursday's episode. Between Damian's return and the potential for Daytime's first all gay love triangle, things could definitely be heating up.
Meanwhile, sources are saying that Guiding Light, a soap which has been on the air since 1937 (it first aired on the radio and then moved to television in 1952) will likely be cancelled by September. GL has been the lowest rated soap for quite some time and cancellation rumors have become frequent, but this time it sounds like it could be the real thing.
It's a shame to think that a show that has been on since before some of my grandparents were born could be gone soon, but the sad truth is that all soaps will be headed in that direction if they don't start making the right sort of changes. Much of what these shows are doing to try and save themselves just makes things worse.
All it would take would be good writing for a multi-generational cast. Instead, we get the same sort of stories over and over again, each one less well written than the last, and shows keep ditching long running cast members who are over 40 in exchange for a bunch of young, inexperienced actors with pretty faces. This is their misguided attempt to appeal to the youth market, but what they don't realize is that their much coveted demographic could be just as interested in a compelling story about older characters. Look at the ongoing popularity of The Golden Girls in reruns! I know a few people who weren't even alive when the show was on the air who absolutely love it and I watched it all the time when I was growing up.
Yet these fools seem to think that all anyone wants from soaps is a bunch of hot young things 'acting' out increasingly awful stories. If that were true, Passions would not only still be on the air, it would be a ratings powerhouse!
Daytime should be about groundbreaking stories and well written drama, and it should be about growing up following familiar characters year after year, characters of all ages, races, and sexual orientations. I've always loved that I can turn on Days of Our Lives and still see characters I watched before I even started elementary school (though there are getting to be fewer and fewer of them now).
These shows have just lost their way and it sounds like Guiding Light will be the latest, but not likely the last, victim of just how out of touch the people in charge of soaps have become.
Sadly, if the show does get the ax, budding LGBT couple Olivia & Natalia would be lost along with it.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
GLAAD Award for Nuke; Another Gay Character?
As The World Turns won a GLAAD media award this week for their Luke & Noah storyline. The only other nominee, of course, was All My Children for their Bianca & Reese story. Since the awards have less to do with the plot of the show than with raising LGBT awareness in the medium, I'd have to say that the show was deserving of this win. I do wish there were more competition driving the show to tell better stories, of course.
That may actually be the case next year, though, and I'm not just talking about Guiding Light's Olivia & Natalia. Soap reporter Nelson Branco (who, honestly, isn't always correct in his scoops) has revealed in his latest Suds Report that a character on the number one rated daytime soap, The Young and the Restless, will be coming out of the closet very soon!
Y&R is one of the soaps that have never even attempted a gay story before, so if this proves to be true it would be a step forward. I don't think we'd be seeing this happen if it wasn't for how popular Luke & Noah have proved to be with fans and how much attention their pairing has brought to ATWT.
Of course, Y&R could follow the more 'traditional' route, most recently depicted with General Hospital's long since vanished Lucas, by just writing a coming out story and then either dropping the character afterward or never giving them a love life. With Nuke, Rianca, and Otalia as recent examples, though, I hope they'd realize that telling a gay story these days means telling a love story.
Only time will tell.
That may actually be the case next year, though, and I'm not just talking about Guiding Light's Olivia & Natalia. Soap reporter Nelson Branco (who, honestly, isn't always correct in his scoops) has revealed in his latest Suds Report that a character on the number one rated daytime soap, The Young and the Restless, will be coming out of the closet very soon!
Y&R is one of the soaps that have never even attempted a gay story before, so if this proves to be true it would be a step forward. I don't think we'd be seeing this happen if it wasn't for how popular Luke & Noah have proved to be with fans and how much attention their pairing has brought to ATWT.
Of course, Y&R could follow the more 'traditional' route, most recently depicted with General Hospital's long since vanished Lucas, by just writing a coming out story and then either dropping the character afterward or never giving them a love life. With Nuke, Rianca, and Otalia as recent examples, though, I hope they'd realize that telling a gay story these days means telling a love story.
Only time will tell.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Luke Has Two Hot Daddies
Please bear with me if this isn't up to my usual efforts. It has just been a really rough day.
We picked up right where we left off yesterday on As The World Turns, with Damian in Luke's hospital room. Luke pulled his hand away and asked what Damian was doing there and Damian told 'Luciano' that he cared about him. Luke reminded him that his name is Luke Snyder, and that Luciano Grimaldi (the name on Luke's birth certificate) doesn't exist.
Damian told Luke that he'd like to make peace with him, that he's not proud of the way he handled the 'situation' the last time he was in town. Luke informed Damian that the 'situation' hadn't changed and that he's still gay.
Damian asked who Noah, the guy Luke had asked for, was, and Luke curtly replied that Noah was his boyfriend. Damian wondered if it was serious and if Noah made his son happy, but Luke wasn't buying the sincerity behind the questions. Damian assured Luke that he hated himself for how he'd acted when his son came out, but pleaded with Luke to understand that the way he was raised made it difficult for him to understand Luke's choice.
At which point, Luke pointed out that being gay wasn't a choice, that it was the way he was born. Damian replied that he'd love to get to know the man Luke has become, to get to know his son again, but Luke told him that it wasn't going to happen.
I have to say that Van Hansis was really incredible in these scenes. A lot of actors would probably have made this a one note performance all about Luke's anger towards Damian, but Van brought a lot more than that. You could really feel that Luke was sad, scared, and angry all at once. In spite of everything, there was even a touch of longing there, deep down, for acceptance and love from Damian. Human emotions are so complicated, we can feel twenty different conflicting things at once, and Van clearly gets that and can convey it in his performance. That's part of what makes him such an incredible actor.
Around that time, the walking, talking exposition showed up. By that I mean Holden, Lily, and Noah who, having just come from the police station together, still found it necessary to recap amongst themselves everything that was going on with Luke's hit and run in question and answer form, as if they'd just run into each other for the first time all night. They were busy with this when they suddenly heard Luke shouting at someone to get out of his room.
They all ran in, no doubt expecting to find that the hit and run driver had returned to finish the job. In fact, I think Holden and Lily would have actually preferred that to finding Damian in their son's room.
Luke's parents immediately tossed Damian out into the hall and Noah was left to express his amazement that he'd actually just seen Luke's infamous bio dad in the flesh. Noah thought that there was still a connection between Luke & Damian, like it or not, but Luke felt that Damian would never really accept him for who he is.
Out in the hall, Lily and Holden made it clear that Damian was not welcome, even after they realized that he was the one who'd brought Luke to the hospital. Damian claimed that he just wanted a chance to rectify his mistakes and start fresh, that he loved Luke. Holden reminded Damian that he'd tried to 'fix' Luke and that wasn't love, it was possession.
After Holden went to sign Luke's discharge papers (wow, that was fast! Luke suffered paralysis from falling down a mild slope awhile back, but plow him down with a car at high speed and he's out of the hospital a couple of hours later with a few scrapes on his face!), Damian tried to plead his case to Lily, but she raked him over the coals for having played on her emotions after Luke came out and for encouraging her to push him to be straight.
Luke was all ready to head home, except for not being able to find his watch, the one that Noah had given him for Christmas. Lily asked how he was doing after seeing Damian so unexpectedly and Luke assured his parents that he wasn't going to let Damian get to him this time.
Noah, ever the loving boyfriend, told Luke that he was going to head to Java and get someone to cover his shift and then would be with Luke as soon as possible. They had a really sweet moment which included mutual "I love yous" and then a nice kiss, with Damian lurking unseen in the background, watching. The look on his face was definitely inscrutable. Of course, even if he truly has come to accept Luke's sexuality (doubtful), it's probably still not easy to see him kissing a guy for the first time.
Later, Noah was hurrying to finish up at Java so he could be with Luke when Damian walked in. Awkward! Damian introduced himself and gave Noah Luke's watch back, saying that a nurse in the E.R. had given it to him. Noah was surprised to find out that Damian had been the one who took Luke to the hospital.
Noah mentioned that he'd given the watch to Luke and Damian said that he'd read the inscription and knew that it must mean a great deal to Luke. Since he knew he wouldn't be welcome at Holden & Lily's and that Noah and Luke were 'friends', he thought Noah could return it for him.
Noah quickly reminded Damian that he and Luke are more than friends. Damian noted that Luke had told him they were very happy together and then shook Noah's hand and said it was nice to meet him. Hmmm. Clearly, Damian knows that the way to his son's heart is through his boyfriend. Especially when the boyfriend has unresolved Daddy issues of his own.
Noah gave Luke back the watch and revealed that Damian had been the one to save him. Noah wondered if maybe Grimaldi wasn't all that bad after all. Luke reminded Noah about his own father and said that the Colonel and Damian would have made great drinking buddies. More to the point, he told Noah that Damian would fake whatever he had to in order to get what he wanted from someone.
Meanwhile, Lily set up a meeting with Damian and told him that Luke was still incredibly hurt by his actions and that if he really loved Luke as much as he claimed to, he'd leave town.
Damian tried to plead his case again, asking her to believe in him and give him a chance to show that he'd changed. He got downright angry when Lily pointed out that he'd given up the right to call Luke his son a long time ago, telling her that Luciano is his flesh and blood and nothing will ever change that.
Holden showed up around that time and he and Lily both more or less ordered Damian to get on a flight back to Malta that night. After they left, Damian muttered rather menacingly to himself that he wasn't going anywhere until he got what he wanted.
I think this will be interesting. Damian is an intriguing character in that he does really love his son, but not as much as he loves himself. He's shown in the past that he's not above using Luke as a means for personal gain.
I also really doubt that his macho Italian pride has truly cooled to the point where he's accepted Luke being gay. I think it would actually be great if we got to see that happen onscreen, over time, rather than have him just return as an accepting father.
Either way, I'm feeling really good about this story at the moment. Well, as good as I can about any story in the hands of these writers. Plus, Damian has that whole sexy Italian thing going on, which never hurts! All of which begs the question: Which of Luke's fathers is the hottest? We have Holden to the left and Damian to the right. Tough choice! I think I'd go with Holden if I absolutely had to pick just one, though.
We picked up right where we left off yesterday on As The World Turns, with Damian in Luke's hospital room. Luke pulled his hand away and asked what Damian was doing there and Damian told 'Luciano' that he cared about him. Luke reminded him that his name is Luke Snyder, and that Luciano Grimaldi (the name on Luke's birth certificate) doesn't exist.
Damian told Luke that he'd like to make peace with him, that he's not proud of the way he handled the 'situation' the last time he was in town. Luke informed Damian that the 'situation' hadn't changed and that he's still gay.
Damian asked who Noah, the guy Luke had asked for, was, and Luke curtly replied that Noah was his boyfriend. Damian wondered if it was serious and if Noah made his son happy, but Luke wasn't buying the sincerity behind the questions. Damian assured Luke that he hated himself for how he'd acted when his son came out, but pleaded with Luke to understand that the way he was raised made it difficult for him to understand Luke's choice.
At which point, Luke pointed out that being gay wasn't a choice, that it was the way he was born. Damian replied that he'd love to get to know the man Luke has become, to get to know his son again, but Luke told him that it wasn't going to happen.
I have to say that Van Hansis was really incredible in these scenes. A lot of actors would probably have made this a one note performance all about Luke's anger towards Damian, but Van brought a lot more than that. You could really feel that Luke was sad, scared, and angry all at once. In spite of everything, there was even a touch of longing there, deep down, for acceptance and love from Damian. Human emotions are so complicated, we can feel twenty different conflicting things at once, and Van clearly gets that and can convey it in his performance. That's part of what makes him such an incredible actor.
Around that time, the walking, talking exposition showed up. By that I mean Holden, Lily, and Noah who, having just come from the police station together, still found it necessary to recap amongst themselves everything that was going on with Luke's hit and run in question and answer form, as if they'd just run into each other for the first time all night. They were busy with this when they suddenly heard Luke shouting at someone to get out of his room.
They all ran in, no doubt expecting to find that the hit and run driver had returned to finish the job. In fact, I think Holden and Lily would have actually preferred that to finding Damian in their son's room.
Luke's parents immediately tossed Damian out into the hall and Noah was left to express his amazement that he'd actually just seen Luke's infamous bio dad in the flesh. Noah thought that there was still a connection between Luke & Damian, like it or not, but Luke felt that Damian would never really accept him for who he is.
Out in the hall, Lily and Holden made it clear that Damian was not welcome, even after they realized that he was the one who'd brought Luke to the hospital. Damian claimed that he just wanted a chance to rectify his mistakes and start fresh, that he loved Luke. Holden reminded Damian that he'd tried to 'fix' Luke and that wasn't love, it was possession.
After Holden went to sign Luke's discharge papers (wow, that was fast! Luke suffered paralysis from falling down a mild slope awhile back, but plow him down with a car at high speed and he's out of the hospital a couple of hours later with a few scrapes on his face!), Damian tried to plead his case to Lily, but she raked him over the coals for having played on her emotions after Luke came out and for encouraging her to push him to be straight.
Luke was all ready to head home, except for not being able to find his watch, the one that Noah had given him for Christmas. Lily asked how he was doing after seeing Damian so unexpectedly and Luke assured his parents that he wasn't going to let Damian get to him this time.
Noah, ever the loving boyfriend, told Luke that he was going to head to Java and get someone to cover his shift and then would be with Luke as soon as possible. They had a really sweet moment which included mutual "I love yous" and then a nice kiss, with Damian lurking unseen in the background, watching. The look on his face was definitely inscrutable. Of course, even if he truly has come to accept Luke's sexuality (doubtful), it's probably still not easy to see him kissing a guy for the first time.
Later, Noah was hurrying to finish up at Java so he could be with Luke when Damian walked in. Awkward! Damian introduced himself and gave Noah Luke's watch back, saying that a nurse in the E.R. had given it to him. Noah was surprised to find out that Damian had been the one who took Luke to the hospital.
Noah mentioned that he'd given the watch to Luke and Damian said that he'd read the inscription and knew that it must mean a great deal to Luke. Since he knew he wouldn't be welcome at Holden & Lily's and that Noah and Luke were 'friends', he thought Noah could return it for him.
Noah quickly reminded Damian that he and Luke are more than friends. Damian noted that Luke had told him they were very happy together and then shook Noah's hand and said it was nice to meet him. Hmmm. Clearly, Damian knows that the way to his son's heart is through his boyfriend. Especially when the boyfriend has unresolved Daddy issues of his own.
Noah gave Luke back the watch and revealed that Damian had been the one to save him. Noah wondered if maybe Grimaldi wasn't all that bad after all. Luke reminded Noah about his own father and said that the Colonel and Damian would have made great drinking buddies. More to the point, he told Noah that Damian would fake whatever he had to in order to get what he wanted from someone.
Meanwhile, Lily set up a meeting with Damian and told him that Luke was still incredibly hurt by his actions and that if he really loved Luke as much as he claimed to, he'd leave town.
Damian tried to plead his case again, asking her to believe in him and give him a chance to show that he'd changed. He got downright angry when Lily pointed out that he'd given up the right to call Luke his son a long time ago, telling her that Luciano is his flesh and blood and nothing will ever change that.
Holden showed up around that time and he and Lily both more or less ordered Damian to get on a flight back to Malta that night. After they left, Damian muttered rather menacingly to himself that he wasn't going anywhere until he got what he wanted.
I think this will be interesting. Damian is an intriguing character in that he does really love his son, but not as much as he loves himself. He's shown in the past that he's not above using Luke as a means for personal gain.
I also really doubt that his macho Italian pride has truly cooled to the point where he's accepted Luke being gay. I think it would actually be great if we got to see that happen onscreen, over time, rather than have him just return as an accepting father.
Either way, I'm feeling really good about this story at the moment. Well, as good as I can about any story in the hands of these writers. Plus, Damian has that whole sexy Italian thing going on, which never hurts! All of which begs the question: Which of Luke's fathers is the hottest? We have Holden to the left and Damian to the right. Tough choice! I think I'd go with Holden if I absolutely had to pick just one, though.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Idol
I know it's probably getting old reading my raves about Adam Lambert each week, but once again he was incredible! He sang such a beautiful version of Tracks of My Tears, one that had the entire audience, lead by Smokey Robinson himself, giving him a standing ovation. The judges loved him, the audience loved him, and I pretty much want to have his children, if that were at all biologically possible.
It was perfect. I was really glad that Adam chose to do a slower song this week and show his range as a singer. His voice is just so amazing.
He also opted this week to go in a different direction from his usual glam rocker appearance and went for something a bit more classic (picture from Adam-Lambert.com):
I like it. I like it a lot! I think the clean cut look really suits him. Then again, I also love his more glam look, black nail polish and all, so I hope we haven't seen the last of that.
I had to laugh when Randy Jackson was praising Adam's look and talking about how he could 'straighten out' and Adam got this funny little smile on his face and you just knew he was amused by Randy's choice of words.
Anyway, he was fantastic and I can't wait until he puts out his first CD and goes on tour. I have no plans to see the American Idol tour they all go on, but I'm totally going to the first Adam Lambert concert that comes my way!
It was perfect. I was really glad that Adam chose to do a slower song this week and show his range as a singer. His voice is just so amazing.
He also opted this week to go in a different direction from his usual glam rocker appearance and went for something a bit more classic (picture from Adam-Lambert.com):
I like it. I like it a lot! I think the clean cut look really suits him. Then again, I also love his more glam look, black nail polish and all, so I hope we haven't seen the last of that.I had to laugh when Randy Jackson was praising Adam's look and talking about how he could 'straighten out' and Adam got this funny little smile on his face and you just knew he was amused by Randy's choice of words.
Anyway, he was fantastic and I can't wait until he puts out his first CD and goes on tour. I have no plans to see the American Idol tour they all go on, but I'm totally going to the first Adam Lambert concert that comes my way!
Rally? Really?
Today was another Luke & Noah day on As the World Turns (and so is tomorrow! If they're not careful, a casual viewer might discover there are gay characters on this show!) and the guys were the main focus for a change.
The show started out with Luke picking up Noah from work. Noah thought they were heading out to go shopping for the apartment but Luke had other plans. He'd put together an instant Gay Rights Rally for that very afternoon, hoping to capitalize on the momentum from the television appearance.
Meanwhile, Lily was showing the threatening note to Margo Hughes, who advised her to make sure they all kept a low profile until the cops figured out if the note sender was dangerous. Which, since this is Oakdale, would mean never showing their faces in public again.
Holden returned home from a business trip in time to hear Margo's warning about the note and Lily had just finished filling him in when Luke & Noah showed up to tell them about the Rally and ask Lily to speak.
Lily agreed right away, but Holden thought the whole thing was a bad idea. Noah agreed with Luke's father, but told them all that he knew there was no talking Luke out of something when he'd set his mind to it. Luke promised to have someone checking bags at the door to make sure no one smuggled in any weapons and left it up to his parents whether to attend or not.
After the guys left, Lily told Holden that she had to speak at the Rally because she's still making it up to Luke for her behavior when he came out to them, including nearly letting Damian send him to a Scared Straight camp (though, of course, Lily didn't know about that until the last second, and it was finding that out which finally opened her eyes to how she'd been acting. Not that this show really cares too much about what happened yesterday, let alone two years ago).
Over at Metro, the local nightclub, Luke & Noah were raving about how many people had showed up for the rally even though it was thrown together at the last minute. Of course, the show only sprang for seven or eight extras, so unless Oakdale has a total population of like 80 people, no one could really consider this a big turnout.
Luke got up to address the crowd about the discrimination he and his boyfriend faced and how this rally wasn't about them, but about the fact that LGBT people are still facing this kind of discrimination every day and how they're going to fight for their rights and make a difference.
Leaving everything else aside, it is very nice to hear this sort of direct stance on gay rights on a daytime soap opera, considering how conservative the medium still is overall. So kudos to the show for that.
Luke spotted his parents walking in and introduced Lily to the crowd. As soon as she got up to speak, people started shouting out questions about the TV appearance. I guess all nearly ten of them showed up just to see Lily. She is pretty fabulous.
Someone asked about negative reactions and Luke & Lily told them about the coward who left the note at their door. Luke informed the crowd that they weren't going to let that stop them and that he'd been researching how earlier gay movements handled that sort of thing.
I had to laugh when he told everyone he'd left his research in the car and that he'd be right back. Who stops their own rally to run out to the car and get research? What, is he planning on reading it all to the crowd? This is the worst Gay Rights Rally ever!
Holden offered to get the papers for him, but Luke said he'd be fine (uh oh!) and thanked Holden for coming. Luke grabbed the info and was on his way back in when a car came out of nowhere and ran him down at high speed. I have to say, they did a really good job on the actual hit and run. I've seen other people on this show get run down before and it always looks so cheesy. This time it was believable.
The next thing you know, some mysterious person is strolling up to Luke's unconscious form and picking him up in their arms and walking off with him. You know, because moving accident victims is exactly what they tell you to do. It won't hurt them at all, don't bother with waiting for an ambulance, just toss them right over your shoulder and jog to the hospital.
Back inside Metro, Holden mentioned that Luke was taking a long time getting those papers and Noah joked about what a mess Luke's car is. Holden decided to go out and give his son a hand, but of course all he found were scattered papers and a little puddle of blood.
Noah & Lily came outside, too, and Lily started freaking out when she saw blood on Holden's hand. While Holden called the cops to alert them to what had happened, the mysterious stranger was putting Lily's phone number on Luke's chest as he lay in a hospital bed.
Lily got the call that Luke had been dropped off in the E.R. and seemed to be the victim of a hit and run, and the gang all rushed to his bedside. I really liked that Noah was sitting at his side, holding his hand and urging him to wake up and talking about their apartment. It was a nice little moment. If they didn't feel the need to tell a story at warp speed, they could have drawn this out and given us a bit more of that.
Instead, Luke opened his eyes right on cue and wanted to go back to the rally. Margo showed up around that point to tell him that he needed to lay low until they figured things out, but Luke said that would be letting the writers... um, I mean, bad guys... win.
Noah promised to keep the momentum of the movement going and gave Luke a really sweet kiss goodbye when Margo took him and Luke's parents down to the station to answer some questions about the whole thing. I thought they only took suspects in to the station? Then again, this is a show where the cops let countless people wander in and out of the interrogation room at will, so who knows?
Luke was resting with his eyes closed when the Mystery Man came in and took his hand. Luke smiled and said "You just can't get enough of me, can you Noah?" before opening his eyes and seeing his biological father, Damian, standing there.
Which, of course, would have shocked only people who know nothing about soaps. Even if you don't follow casting news, the fact that Damian has been mentioned constantly lately would have alerted you that he was about to return to town.
I'm really looking forward to this. There is so much drama to be mined between Luke & Damian, and Noah & Damian, for that matter. I can't wait for the two of them to meet. Best of all, it should keep Luke & Noah onscreen more often than they typically are.
All right, I'm off to watch Adam Lambert sing on American Idol! It's Motown week and I think Adam is going to be awesome.
The show started out with Luke picking up Noah from work. Noah thought they were heading out to go shopping for the apartment but Luke had other plans. He'd put together an instant Gay Rights Rally for that very afternoon, hoping to capitalize on the momentum from the television appearance.
Meanwhile, Lily was showing the threatening note to Margo Hughes, who advised her to make sure they all kept a low profile until the cops figured out if the note sender was dangerous. Which, since this is Oakdale, would mean never showing their faces in public again.
Holden returned home from a business trip in time to hear Margo's warning about the note and Lily had just finished filling him in when Luke & Noah showed up to tell them about the Rally and ask Lily to speak.
Lily agreed right away, but Holden thought the whole thing was a bad idea. Noah agreed with Luke's father, but told them all that he knew there was no talking Luke out of something when he'd set his mind to it. Luke promised to have someone checking bags at the door to make sure no one smuggled in any weapons and left it up to his parents whether to attend or not.
After the guys left, Lily told Holden that she had to speak at the Rally because she's still making it up to Luke for her behavior when he came out to them, including nearly letting Damian send him to a Scared Straight camp (though, of course, Lily didn't know about that until the last second, and it was finding that out which finally opened her eyes to how she'd been acting. Not that this show really cares too much about what happened yesterday, let alone two years ago).
Over at Metro, the local nightclub, Luke & Noah were raving about how many people had showed up for the rally even though it was thrown together at the last minute. Of course, the show only sprang for seven or eight extras, so unless Oakdale has a total population of like 80 people, no one could really consider this a big turnout.
Luke got up to address the crowd about the discrimination he and his boyfriend faced and how this rally wasn't about them, but about the fact that LGBT people are still facing this kind of discrimination every day and how they're going to fight for their rights and make a difference.
Leaving everything else aside, it is very nice to hear this sort of direct stance on gay rights on a daytime soap opera, considering how conservative the medium still is overall. So kudos to the show for that.
Luke spotted his parents walking in and introduced Lily to the crowd. As soon as she got up to speak, people started shouting out questions about the TV appearance. I guess all nearly ten of them showed up just to see Lily. She is pretty fabulous.
Someone asked about negative reactions and Luke & Lily told them about the coward who left the note at their door. Luke informed the crowd that they weren't going to let that stop them and that he'd been researching how earlier gay movements handled that sort of thing.
I had to laugh when he told everyone he'd left his research in the car and that he'd be right back. Who stops their own rally to run out to the car and get research? What, is he planning on reading it all to the crowd? This is the worst Gay Rights Rally ever!
Holden offered to get the papers for him, but Luke said he'd be fine (uh oh!) and thanked Holden for coming. Luke grabbed the info and was on his way back in when a car came out of nowhere and ran him down at high speed. I have to say, they did a really good job on the actual hit and run. I've seen other people on this show get run down before and it always looks so cheesy. This time it was believable.
The next thing you know, some mysterious person is strolling up to Luke's unconscious form and picking him up in their arms and walking off with him. You know, because moving accident victims is exactly what they tell you to do. It won't hurt them at all, don't bother with waiting for an ambulance, just toss them right over your shoulder and jog to the hospital.
Back inside Metro, Holden mentioned that Luke was taking a long time getting those papers and Noah joked about what a mess Luke's car is. Holden decided to go out and give his son a hand, but of course all he found were scattered papers and a little puddle of blood.
Noah & Lily came outside, too, and Lily started freaking out when she saw blood on Holden's hand. While Holden called the cops to alert them to what had happened, the mysterious stranger was putting Lily's phone number on Luke's chest as he lay in a hospital bed.
Lily got the call that Luke had been dropped off in the E.R. and seemed to be the victim of a hit and run, and the gang all rushed to his bedside. I really liked that Noah was sitting at his side, holding his hand and urging him to wake up and talking about their apartment. It was a nice little moment. If they didn't feel the need to tell a story at warp speed, they could have drawn this out and given us a bit more of that.
Instead, Luke opened his eyes right on cue and wanted to go back to the rally. Margo showed up around that point to tell him that he needed to lay low until they figured things out, but Luke said that would be letting the writers... um, I mean, bad guys... win.
Noah promised to keep the momentum of the movement going and gave Luke a really sweet kiss goodbye when Margo took him and Luke's parents down to the station to answer some questions about the whole thing. I thought they only took suspects in to the station? Then again, this is a show where the cops let countless people wander in and out of the interrogation room at will, so who knows?
Luke was resting with his eyes closed when the Mystery Man came in and took his hand. Luke smiled and said "You just can't get enough of me, can you Noah?" before opening his eyes and seeing his biological father, Damian, standing there.
Which, of course, would have shocked only people who know nothing about soaps. Even if you don't follow casting news, the fact that Damian has been mentioned constantly lately would have alerted you that he was about to return to town.
I'm really looking forward to this. There is so much drama to be mined between Luke & Damian, and Noah & Damian, for that matter. I can't wait for the two of them to meet. Best of all, it should keep Luke & Noah onscreen more often than they typically are.
All right, I'm off to watch Adam Lambert sing on American Idol! It's Motown week and I think Adam is going to be awesome.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Here's The Story, of a Lovely Gay Guy...
Luke & Noah were back on As The World Turns today. The show started off with Luke & Noah discussing the discriminating landlord with Lily and talking over their plans to try and put together a class action law suit against him and other such landlords.
In an effort to get other people who've been discriminated against to come forward, Lily suggested that they make an appeal on television, since she just happens to own the local station herself. I love how she seems to forget that she owns the station until she needs to make a plea for a kidney or battle discrimination and then she's all Media Mogul, throwing her weight around.
Luke & Lily headed for WOAK and talked to Oakdale Now producer Kim Hughes about doing a segment on the Foundation's efforts. Kim loved the idea and wanted to make it an even more personal story about how Lily had overcome her own negative reaction about Luke coming out to become an activist working at his side.
It just so happened, of course, that Kim needed a replacement for a segment going live in ten minutes time, so Luke & Lily had no sooner walked in the door than they were on the air talking about discrimination, the foundation, and Lily's own evolution into the supportive mom she is today.
Noah watched proudly from the behind the camera and as soon as Luke & Lily were off the air, the phones were lit up with calls. Kim informed them that most of them were people calling to report their own discrimination stories or offer to help, and that one disapproving mother had even reported that she'd been moved to call her estranged gay son after hearing Lily's story.
Apparently Oakdale Now is the landlord, Mr. Reese's, favorite show in the world. He doesn't even Tivo it for later, he watches it live! How else can you explain the fact that he was at the station moments after the cameras have stopped rolling, telling Luke & Noah that the apartment was theirs if they wanted it, that he doesn't want all the trouble of a lawsuit?
The guys agreed to move in if he changed his discriminatory ways and all lived happily ever after. Seriously, this show wraps things up faster than an episode of The Brady Bunch and with just as much believability.
Ah, but you see, the discrimination story was just a minor plot point on the road to the real story, so why waste time making it worthwhile? Wrap it in a bow and move on!
No sooner were Luke, Lily, and Noah back home celebrating than there was a knock on the door. All three of them acted like someone knocking on the door at that moment was incredibly odd, like they knew that everyone else was out of town that day, so who could it be?! Such is the show's subtle way of letting us know that this knock was going to be something surprising or just downright ominous.
Lily opened the door to find nothing but an unmarked, sealed box. So, we're going for ominous, then, which isn't surprising since Noah seemed to make a point of asking Kim about the negative calls that Luke & Lily's appearance on the show garnered.
Lily & Noah were concerned about the box, but Luke just ripped into it like it was the last present under the Christmas tree, joking all the while about it being a bomb. Instead, it was just a handwritten note that someone took the time to deliver wrapped up in an otherwise empty box. Um, okay. I love it when hate filled bigots are polite like that! So much classier than a brick through the window with a note attached by a rubber band!
The message on the note: Stop defending perverts and sinners, or you'll live to regret it.
Lily and Noah wanted to go to the police while Luke felt they were just overreacting. In soap terms, that means that Luke is totally doomed, and the previews for tomorrow back that up. Why did I think the show would actually take the time to tell a story about discrimination in a thoughtful way? Yes, Luke's foundation is going forward with their work, but now that Luke & Noah's own problem is resolved, it will likely only be mentioned in passing from here on.
Still, I'd take this stuff over wretched murder mysteries or Iraqi brides any day.
In an effort to get other people who've been discriminated against to come forward, Lily suggested that they make an appeal on television, since she just happens to own the local station herself. I love how she seems to forget that she owns the station until she needs to make a plea for a kidney or battle discrimination and then she's all Media Mogul, throwing her weight around.
Luke & Lily headed for WOAK and talked to Oakdale Now producer Kim Hughes about doing a segment on the Foundation's efforts. Kim loved the idea and wanted to make it an even more personal story about how Lily had overcome her own negative reaction about Luke coming out to become an activist working at his side.
It just so happened, of course, that Kim needed a replacement for a segment going live in ten minutes time, so Luke & Lily had no sooner walked in the door than they were on the air talking about discrimination, the foundation, and Lily's own evolution into the supportive mom she is today.
Noah watched proudly from the behind the camera and as soon as Luke & Lily were off the air, the phones were lit up with calls. Kim informed them that most of them were people calling to report their own discrimination stories or offer to help, and that one disapproving mother had even reported that she'd been moved to call her estranged gay son after hearing Lily's story.
Apparently Oakdale Now is the landlord, Mr. Reese's, favorite show in the world. He doesn't even Tivo it for later, he watches it live! How else can you explain the fact that he was at the station moments after the cameras have stopped rolling, telling Luke & Noah that the apartment was theirs if they wanted it, that he doesn't want all the trouble of a lawsuit?
The guys agreed to move in if he changed his discriminatory ways and all lived happily ever after. Seriously, this show wraps things up faster than an episode of The Brady Bunch and with just as much believability.
Ah, but you see, the discrimination story was just a minor plot point on the road to the real story, so why waste time making it worthwhile? Wrap it in a bow and move on!
No sooner were Luke, Lily, and Noah back home celebrating than there was a knock on the door. All three of them acted like someone knocking on the door at that moment was incredibly odd, like they knew that everyone else was out of town that day, so who could it be?! Such is the show's subtle way of letting us know that this knock was going to be something surprising or just downright ominous.
Lily opened the door to find nothing but an unmarked, sealed box. So, we're going for ominous, then, which isn't surprising since Noah seemed to make a point of asking Kim about the negative calls that Luke & Lily's appearance on the show garnered.
Lily & Noah were concerned about the box, but Luke just ripped into it like it was the last present under the Christmas tree, joking all the while about it being a bomb. Instead, it was just a handwritten note that someone took the time to deliver wrapped up in an otherwise empty box. Um, okay. I love it when hate filled bigots are polite like that! So much classier than a brick through the window with a note attached by a rubber band!
The message on the note: Stop defending perverts and sinners, or you'll live to regret it.
Lily and Noah wanted to go to the police while Luke felt they were just overreacting. In soap terms, that means that Luke is totally doomed, and the previews for tomorrow back that up. Why did I think the show would actually take the time to tell a story about discrimination in a thoughtful way? Yes, Luke's foundation is going forward with their work, but now that Luke & Noah's own problem is resolved, it will likely only be mentioned in passing from here on.
Still, I'd take this stuff over wretched murder mysteries or Iraqi brides any day.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Insomniac Ramblings
Lately, insomnia has been haunting my nights. I'm not quite sure why, since I've never really been a sufferer of that particular affliction before.
Since I'm still awake, I figured I might as well write about something.
I think my adoration of Kristin Chenoweth is fairly well documented by now, so you'll probably understand how excited I was to read about her upcoming memoir, A Little Bit Wicked. I'd actually read about it last summer but I hadn't heard much about it since then until I saw an article today about some of the more, uh, interesting moments that have happened in the theatre.
It's coming out on April 14th and you know I'll be all over it!
One of the best parts about working in a bookstore is the discount, of course. One of the worst parts about working in a bookstore, though, is also the discount! The result so far is eight overflowing bookcases here in my apartment and a significantly larger portion of my check given back to the company than I'd ever have if I worked in any other kind of store.
I read something recently about a man who had so many books that they lined every single wall, in every single room and hallway of his rather large house and he'd still had to have a shed of sorts built in his back yard to house the overflow. Sometimes I wonder if my own future will look at all similar to that!
Thinking about my own ever growing book collection doesn't even take into account the books that my future partner, at the moment completely hypothetical, will bring to the relationship! There's a great essay in one of my favorite books about the love of books, Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader. It's called Marrying Libraries and is all about her and her husband having to combine their separate libraries, decide how to organize the books, and choose which duplicate copies to say goodbye to.
It would probably seem silly to anyone who isn't a big book person, but it's so easy to get attached not just to the wonderful words between the covers, but to a particular copy of a book that can hold memories of when and where you bought it and first read it, of the person you were at that time in your life.
I can't imagine ending up with someone who isn't a book person to some extent. The romantic in me dreams of leisurely Sundays spent with our noses in our books and discussing what we've been reading.
I see that sort of relationship now and again at work, in couples who come in together for books. It always makes me smile when one will ask the other "Have we read this yet?" They're usually older and so far always heterosexual, but it still proves that it's possible!
Of course, it's silly to place any kind of restriction on who you'll love. I'm sure I could be equally happy with someone who wasn't a book person, I just wonder what we'd talk about as time went on. I think all relationships need that common ground, that bond over something beyond just the fact that you love each other.
I'm rambling on. Blame the insomnia.
Since I'm still awake, I figured I might as well write about something.
I think my adoration of Kristin Chenoweth is fairly well documented by now, so you'll probably understand how excited I was to read about her upcoming memoir, A Little Bit Wicked. I'd actually read about it last summer but I hadn't heard much about it since then until I saw an article today about some of the more, uh, interesting moments that have happened in the theatre.
It's coming out on April 14th and you know I'll be all over it!
One of the best parts about working in a bookstore is the discount, of course. One of the worst parts about working in a bookstore, though, is also the discount! The result so far is eight overflowing bookcases here in my apartment and a significantly larger portion of my check given back to the company than I'd ever have if I worked in any other kind of store.
I read something recently about a man who had so many books that they lined every single wall, in every single room and hallway of his rather large house and he'd still had to have a shed of sorts built in his back yard to house the overflow. Sometimes I wonder if my own future will look at all similar to that!
Thinking about my own ever growing book collection doesn't even take into account the books that my future partner, at the moment completely hypothetical, will bring to the relationship! There's a great essay in one of my favorite books about the love of books, Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader. It's called Marrying Libraries and is all about her and her husband having to combine their separate libraries, decide how to organize the books, and choose which duplicate copies to say goodbye to.
It would probably seem silly to anyone who isn't a big book person, but it's so easy to get attached not just to the wonderful words between the covers, but to a particular copy of a book that can hold memories of when and where you bought it and first read it, of the person you were at that time in your life.
I can't imagine ending up with someone who isn't a book person to some extent. The romantic in me dreams of leisurely Sundays spent with our noses in our books and discussing what we've been reading.
I see that sort of relationship now and again at work, in couples who come in together for books. It always makes me smile when one will ask the other "Have we read this yet?" They're usually older and so far always heterosexual, but it still proves that it's possible!
Of course, it's silly to place any kind of restriction on who you'll love. I'm sure I could be equally happy with someone who wasn't a book person, I just wonder what we'd talk about as time went on. I think all relationships need that common ground, that bond over something beyond just the fact that you love each other.
I'm rambling on. Blame the insomnia.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Fonda Tweets?!
I've been having an incredibly relaxing (read: lazy) day here. There was a ton of stuff that I planned on getting done today, but when I woke up this morning I just felt like taking a mental health day. I pretty much stayed in bed all day reading and surfing the net on my laptop. I caught up on a lot of YouTube videos.
Usually the only time I stay in bed is when I'm not feeling well, so this made for a nice change. It's not something I'd want to do very often, but I think we all need a day like that now and then.
Anyway, among the many things I discovered today is that Jane Fonda is on Twitter! Who knew? Apparently the over eight thousand people who were already following her. I guess my ignorance can be excused by the fact that I'm completely new to Twitter myself.
This discovery lead to another, which is that Fonda is also a blogger! There's no excuse for me not having known that.
Fonda writes very well, which I already knew from having read her autobiography a few years back, and I'm really glad that I discovered her blog and that I can follow her on Twitter. I just wish I could head to New York and see her on stage in 33 Variations!
Usually the only time I stay in bed is when I'm not feeling well, so this made for a nice change. It's not something I'd want to do very often, but I think we all need a day like that now and then.
Anyway, among the many things I discovered today is that Jane Fonda is on Twitter! Who knew? Apparently the over eight thousand people who were already following her. I guess my ignorance can be excused by the fact that I'm completely new to Twitter myself.
This discovery lead to another, which is that Fonda is also a blogger! There's no excuse for me not having known that.
Fonda writes very well, which I already knew from having read her autobiography a few years back, and I'm really glad that I discovered her blog and that I can follow her on Twitter. I just wish I could head to New York and see her on stage in 33 Variations!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
So Disappointing!
I hate it when you find out something about a person that you really admire that totally ruins who you thought they were. It doesn't necessarily alter what you liked about them in the first place, of course,yet they'll never be quite the same in your eyes again.
I've always really liked Mary Tyler Moore. Well, who doesn't, really? I guess I just always assumed that she was a politically progressive person in addition to being generally awesome as an actress and comedienne.
I was just doing some insomnia fueled web surfing and I saw a link on Towleroad to a Parade Magazine article on Mary in which she discusses her political views briefly. Turns out, the woman I've long admired is a self described libertarian centrist who says she likes watching Bill O'Reilly and Fox News and would have campaigned for McCain if asked!
Everyone is entitled to their personal views, of course, and she does go on to demonstrate that she isn't opposed to Stem Cell Research, which is something (though she seems to excuse Bush for opposing it by noting that he felt an 'obligation to his religion', when religion should NEVER play a part in the governing of this country!).
It just made me sad to find out that she's not exactly who I pictured her to be.
Oh, well, at least we still have Betty White! Who, let's be honest, is way cooler than Mary anyway!
I've always really liked Mary Tyler Moore. Well, who doesn't, really? I guess I just always assumed that she was a politically progressive person in addition to being generally awesome as an actress and comedienne.
I was just doing some insomnia fueled web surfing and I saw a link on Towleroad to a Parade Magazine article on Mary in which she discusses her political views briefly. Turns out, the woman I've long admired is a self described libertarian centrist who says she likes watching Bill O'Reilly and Fox News and would have campaigned for McCain if asked!
Everyone is entitled to their personal views, of course, and she does go on to demonstrate that she isn't opposed to Stem Cell Research, which is something (though she seems to excuse Bush for opposing it by noting that he felt an 'obligation to his religion', when religion should NEVER play a part in the governing of this country!).
It just made me sad to find out that she's not exactly who I pictured her to be.
Oh, well, at least we still have Betty White! Who, let's be honest, is way cooler than Mary anyway!
Friday, March 20, 2009
I'll Miss You Most of All, Declan
I hadn't had time to watch the last few episodes of Kyle XY, which ended its three season run last Monday, until this afternoon. I knew that the unexpected cancellation would probably mean that the show wouldn't get to truly resolve anything. I was bracing myself for an ending that left me wanting more.
It turned out to be even more frustrating than I thought it would be, though. They ended on a cliffhanger that left so much unanswered. None of the characters got a proper send off and I was just left feeling really bitter towards ABC Family for doing this to such a great show. The least they could have done was given them either enough notice to end the show in a better way or a few more episodes to truly wrap things up.
That was the nice part about the extended break I took from television a few years back. I didn't get hooked on any shows that I really loved only to have them yanked off TV while a bunch of mediocre or downright awful shows enjoy extended runs. With Kyle XY & Pushing Daisies both cancelled so prematurely, I'm starting to wish I'd never got back into watching televison.
At any rate, if you were a fan of the show and would like some idea of what should have been, Julie Plec, a writer and co-producer of the show, took the time to give us some answers about what they were planning to do next on the show and how everyone would have ended up.
In case you were wondering, Kyle and Declan DO end up together! At least they do in a way. Plec says that though Declan and Lori would have ended up together romantically, Declan would have become the man in Kyle's life:
It turned out to be even more frustrating than I thought it would be, though. They ended on a cliffhanger that left so much unanswered. None of the characters got a proper send off and I was just left feeling really bitter towards ABC Family for doing this to such a great show. The least they could have done was given them either enough notice to end the show in a better way or a few more episodes to truly wrap things up.
That was the nice part about the extended break I took from television a few years back. I didn't get hooked on any shows that I really loved only to have them yanked off TV while a bunch of mediocre or downright awful shows enjoy extended runs. With Kyle XY & Pushing Daisies both cancelled so prematurely, I'm starting to wish I'd never got back into watching televison.
At any rate, if you were a fan of the show and would like some idea of what should have been, Julie Plec, a writer and co-producer of the show, took the time to give us some answers about what they were planning to do next on the show and how everyone would have ended up.
In case you were wondering, Kyle and Declan DO end up together! At least they do in a way. Plec says that though Declan and Lori would have ended up together romantically, Declan would have become the man in Kyle's life:
"...Declan will always have two priorities --- Lori and Kyle. For Battlestar Gallactica fans, he's Colonel Tighe to Admiral Odama. Declan would assume protection of Kyle from Foss and be his best friend and fiercest protector for life. Lori would be the only woman who could understand that, because she feels just as strongly about Kyle."
Aww. I knew Declan and Kyle were meant to be. Seriously, though, I loved their friendship on the show. I loved every relationship between the various characters on this show, though, except maybe for Kyle & Amanda's during the final season. This was just one of those shows where everything clicked and it truly was something special.
As you can see over to the side ------>, I've joined the whole Twitter revolution. Feel free to follow me for enthralling updates into my glamorous life. (Warning: Actual updates likely to be exceedingly boring. Do not operate heavy machinery while following me.)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Triangle Awards; And The Band Played On
I noted the Finalists for the Lambda Literary Awards the other day and now the Publishing Triangle has announced their finalists for their 21st Annual Triangle Awards. Each of their awards are named for people who have previously distinguished themselves in that area.
They gave this year's Bill Whitehead Lifetime Achievement Award to writer Martin Duberman.
Their LGBT fiction award is named for writers Robert Ferro and Michael Grumley who were life partners. They died within weeks of each other from AIDS back in 1988.
I'd seen the movie version years ago, but either I'm too far removed from it now to recall whatever impact it had on me at the time or I just wasn't in a place back then to be truly affected by it. Perhaps a film version just couldn't quite do what Shilts' writing does, which is to bring to life these all too real stories of the first five years of the AIDS epidemic. Shilts made every aspect of it very human, bringing it all down to a personal level. This is especially important in retrospect, when so many hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost in the United States alone and it can all seem so impersonal and hard to truly wrap your mind around.
I knew it was going to be a book that was very hard to read, emotionally speaking. I don't know how anyone with a heart could read a book like this and not have it just completely tear them up inside. At the same time, I think it's one of the most important books I've ever read.
The other side of the emotional coin as you're reading, of course, is a sense of overpowering anger. I've long since known that the Reagan Administration and the media's lack of response to an epidemic that was at first seen to only be killing gays made things much worse than it ever should have been. Knowing that, though, still doesn't prepare you for reading the actual day to day, year by year details of the struggle to get some answers about AIDS and try and prevent its spread in the face of the massive indifference of those in power.
I think this book should be required reading for everyone, but especially for LGBT youth. A lot of studies are showing HIV infections on the rise in younger gay men, guys who never had to live through any of these awful years and who don't see, because of advances in treatment that keep many of the infected alive for longer periods, HIV/AIDS as that big of a threat. Reading this book would certainly help open their eyes.
I think it would also broaden their understanding of their own history as an LGBT person in this country. I know that it has done so for me.
They gave this year's Bill Whitehead Lifetime Achievement Award to writer Martin Duberman.
Their LGBT fiction award is named for writers Robert Ferro and Michael Grumley who were life partners. They died within weeks of each other from AIDS back in 1988.
The Ferro-Grumley Awards for LGBT Fiction:
Alison Bechdel, The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For
David Ebershoff, The 19th Wife
Andrew Sean Greer, The Story of a Marriage
Blair Mastbaum, Us Ones In Between
Ben Taylor, The Book of Getting Even
Ellen Wittlinger, Love and Lies
Alison Bechdel, The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For
David Ebershoff, The 19th Wife
Andrew Sean Greer, The Story of a Marriage
Blair Mastbaum, Us Ones In Between
Ben Taylor, The Book of Getting Even
Ellen Wittlinger, Love and Lies
The Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction:
Evan Fallenberg, Light Fell (Soho Press)
Alistair McCartney, The End of the World Book (University of Wisconsin Press)
Shawn Stewart Ruff, Finlater (Quote Editions)
The Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry:
Jericho Brown, Please, (New Issues)
Mark Doty, Fire to Fire (Harper)
Ely Shipley, Boy with Flowers (Barrow Street Press)
The Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry:
Elizabeth Bradfield, Interpretive Work (Red Hen Press)
Maureen McLane, Same Life (Farrar Straus Giroux)
Elaine Sexton, Causeway (New Issues)
The Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction:
Regina Kunzel, Criminal Intimacy (University of Chicago Press)
Nancy Polikoff, Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage (Beacon Press)
Andrea Weiss, In the Shadow of the Magic Mountain (University of Chicago Press)
The Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction:
Linas Alsenas, Gay America (Amulet Books/Abrams)
Bob Morris, Assisted Loving (Harper)
Kai Wright, Drifting Toward Love (Beacon Press)
Bob Morris, Assisted Loving (Harper)
Kai Wright, Drifting Toward Love (Beacon Press)
This last award is of course named for Randy Shilts, the author of The Mayor of Castro Street, And The Band Played On and Conduct Unbecoming.
I'd seen the movie version years ago, but either I'm too far removed from it now to recall whatever impact it had on me at the time or I just wasn't in a place back then to be truly affected by it. Perhaps a film version just couldn't quite do what Shilts' writing does, which is to bring to life these all too real stories of the first five years of the AIDS epidemic. Shilts made every aspect of it very human, bringing it all down to a personal level. This is especially important in retrospect, when so many hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost in the United States alone and it can all seem so impersonal and hard to truly wrap your mind around.
I knew it was going to be a book that was very hard to read, emotionally speaking. I don't know how anyone with a heart could read a book like this and not have it just completely tear them up inside. At the same time, I think it's one of the most important books I've ever read.
The other side of the emotional coin as you're reading, of course, is a sense of overpowering anger. I've long since known that the Reagan Administration and the media's lack of response to an epidemic that was at first seen to only be killing gays made things much worse than it ever should have been. Knowing that, though, still doesn't prepare you for reading the actual day to day, year by year details of the struggle to get some answers about AIDS and try and prevent its spread in the face of the massive indifference of those in power.
I think this book should be required reading for everyone, but especially for LGBT youth. A lot of studies are showing HIV infections on the rise in younger gay men, guys who never had to live through any of these awful years and who don't see, because of advances in treatment that keep many of the infected alive for longer periods, HIV/AIDS as that big of a threat. Reading this book would certainly help open their eyes.
I think it would also broaden their understanding of their own history as an LGBT person in this country. I know that it has done so for me.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Rest in Peace, Natasha Richardson
You've probably seen the terrible news that actress Natasha Richardson has died tonight from injuries she suffered in a skiing accident two days ago, at the tragically young age of 45. I feel so incredibly sad for her family, especially her husband Liam Neeson and their two young sons. To lose a parent at such a young age has to be one of the worst things that can happen in life.
Natasha was incredibly beautiful and talented, but she was also a humanitarian. None of the U.S. based articles on her death that I've read so far have mentioned this, but The Guardian notes that she was on the board of amfAR, the AIDS research foundation, and they included a quote from an amfAR spokesman:
Natasha's own father, the film director Tony Richardson, passed away from AIDS in 1991, which no doubt played a role in her dedication to the cause.
This is a truly senseless loss.
Natasha was incredibly beautiful and talented, but she was also a humanitarian. None of the U.S. based articles on her death that I've read so far have mentioned this, but The Guardian notes that she was on the board of amfAR, the AIDS research foundation, and they included a quote from an amfAR spokesman:
"Our hearts go out to her family. This is a catastrophic loss for them, and it is a terrible loss for amfAR and the fight against Aids. Natasha Richardson was a dedicated Aids advocate and an eloquent spokesperson for amfAR. She generously contributed her time and resources to amfAR for over 15 years. Natasha's passion for the cause and tireless efforts gave hope and inspiration to the scientists and healthcare workers on the front lines of this deadly epidemic, as well as to the millions of people living with HIV/AIDS around the world."
Natasha's own father, the film director Tony Richardson, passed away from AIDS in 1991, which no doubt played a role in her dedication to the cause.
This is a truly senseless loss.
A Small Step
You've probably seen the news already, but the United States has endorsed a call by the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality all over the world. Now, the statement by the U.N. is non-binding, so they're not going to actually force the 70 U.N. member countries that make it illegal to be LGBT to change anything, but it's still a step in the right direction.
It's also a pretty big gesture of change by the Obama administration, since the last occupant of the Oval Office had refused to let the United States back this resolution. While they never actually needed any reason for this beyond their own homophobia and general dismissal of human and civil rights, the logic the Bush Administration used was that supporting this non-binding resolution might endanger 'States Rights'. The rights, in other words, for a state to discriminate in housing and employment laws against LGBT people. It also may have jeopardized, or so they felt, their stance on gays in the military.
We were the only Western country not to endorse this under Bush, highlighting yet again how backwards and out of touch his administration was.
It sickens me that in so many countries across the globe people are still punished and even executed by their Governments for being the person they were born to be. They might as well criminalize having blue eyes or execute them for being too tall, since that would make just as much sense.
So this is a big gesture by President Obama, but still a largely symbolic one. Lets see some real progress, not only in the global community but right here at home. There are so many equality issues facing gays and lesbians that need to be addressed in this country, from marriage to discrimination in employment, to not being allowed to serve our country in the military unless we lie about who we are. These are but a few of the issues that we're fighting for real change on.
It's wonderful that our nation supports decriminalization the world over, but we're still second class citizens in our own country in many ways and changing that needs to be a top priority.
It's also a pretty big gesture of change by the Obama administration, since the last occupant of the Oval Office had refused to let the United States back this resolution. While they never actually needed any reason for this beyond their own homophobia and general dismissal of human and civil rights, the logic the Bush Administration used was that supporting this non-binding resolution might endanger 'States Rights'. The rights, in other words, for a state to discriminate in housing and employment laws against LGBT people. It also may have jeopardized, or so they felt, their stance on gays in the military.
We were the only Western country not to endorse this under Bush, highlighting yet again how backwards and out of touch his administration was.
It sickens me that in so many countries across the globe people are still punished and even executed by their Governments for being the person they were born to be. They might as well criminalize having blue eyes or execute them for being too tall, since that would make just as much sense.
So this is a big gesture by President Obama, but still a largely symbolic one. Lets see some real progress, not only in the global community but right here at home. There are so many equality issues facing gays and lesbians that need to be addressed in this country, from marriage to discrimination in employment, to not being allowed to serve our country in the military unless we lie about who we are. These are but a few of the issues that we're fighting for real change on.
It's wonderful that our nation supports decriminalization the world over, but we're still second class citizens in our own country in many ways and changing that needs to be a top priority.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Ring of Fire
I just finished watching tonight's American Idol, the theme of which, as I mentioned the other day, was country music. I couldn't quite picture any of these contestants doing opry music, of course, but I had the most difficulty with imagining what Adam Lambert would do. Out of all the contestants, he's the farthest away from country music as you can get.
As it turned out, he picked the classic Johnny Cash song Ring of Fire, but he sang it in a way that was pure Adam Lambert. He found an arrangement with sitar music and a Middle Eastern theme and he sang it in a very sensual way with a couple of dramatic flourishes.
It wasn't my favorite Adam Lambert performance so far, but I really liked it a lot. Of course, the theme was Grand Ole Opry music, which was never going to be his strongest week in the competition as far as song selection is concerned. I loved that he just completely made it his own and remained hot while doing so, though. I don't think anyone can make love to a camera with his eyes like Adam can! Plus, his voice is truly amazing, no matter what he sings.
Unlike last week, the judges' reviews were mixed. Randy flat out loved it and Paula & Kara both gave it somewhat favorable comments (Kara said it left her "Confused but kind of happy"), while Simon hated it and said it was 'self indulgent rubbish'.
I'm voting for Adam as I write this and I hope plenty of other people are, too. There were some pretty bland and boring performances tonight, and Adam was certainly neither of those things.
As much as I'm all for Adam winning this thing and wouldn't dream of voting for anyone else, I do have to say that I'm also kind of blown away by Allison Iraheta each week. She's got such an amazing voice, especially for someone so young.
Back to Adam, I was sent a link to a red carpet interview he did with Access Hollywood after making it into the Top 13. It really highlights why I love him so much (aside from the fact that he's an amazing singer and performer, of course!).
The interviewer, Laura Saltman, asks him if he's googled himself that week, the week that the pictures of him kissing another guy were showing up all over the Internet.
As it turned out, he picked the classic Johnny Cash song Ring of Fire, but he sang it in a way that was pure Adam Lambert. He found an arrangement with sitar music and a Middle Eastern theme and he sang it in a very sensual way with a couple of dramatic flourishes.
It wasn't my favorite Adam Lambert performance so far, but I really liked it a lot. Of course, the theme was Grand Ole Opry music, which was never going to be his strongest week in the competition as far as song selection is concerned. I loved that he just completely made it his own and remained hot while doing so, though. I don't think anyone can make love to a camera with his eyes like Adam can! Plus, his voice is truly amazing, no matter what he sings.
Unlike last week, the judges' reviews were mixed. Randy flat out loved it and Paula & Kara both gave it somewhat favorable comments (Kara said it left her "Confused but kind of happy"), while Simon hated it and said it was 'self indulgent rubbish'.
I'm voting for Adam as I write this and I hope plenty of other people are, too. There were some pretty bland and boring performances tonight, and Adam was certainly neither of those things.
As much as I'm all for Adam winning this thing and wouldn't dream of voting for anyone else, I do have to say that I'm also kind of blown away by Allison Iraheta each week. She's got such an amazing voice, especially for someone so young.
Back to Adam, I was sent a link to a red carpet interview he did with Access Hollywood after making it into the Top 13. It really highlights why I love him so much (aside from the fact that he's an amazing singer and performer, of course!).
The interviewer, Laura Saltman, asks him if he's googled himself that week, the week that the pictures of him kissing another guy were showing up all over the Internet.
Adam: I did. When my parents and family and friends told me to, I did.
Laura: Oh, no. But they, you know, they're like, whatever, this is Adam.
Adam: You know what, I have nothing to hide, I am who I am, and this is about singing. Nothing else.
Laura: Exactly.
Adam: I'm an entertainer. It doesn't change anything.
Laura: But you kind of, like, have to know that kind of stuff is going to get out there, right?
Adam: Yeah, I've never been shy about anything. (laughs)
How can you not love the guy? Vote Adam! Vote often!
Laura: Oh, no. But they, you know, they're like, whatever, this is Adam.
Adam: You know what, I have nothing to hide, I am who I am, and this is about singing. Nothing else.
Laura: Exactly.
Adam: I'm an entertainer. It doesn't change anything.
Laura: But you kind of, like, have to know that kind of stuff is going to get out there, right?
Adam: Yeah, I've never been shy about anything. (laughs)
Lambda Literary Awards
The Nominees for the 21st Annual Lambda Literary Awards were announced yesterday. Looking over the list, I'm sad to say that I've only read one of the nominees. On the bright side, the picks will add to my own ever growing list of books to read.
The one book I have read is Joseph Olshan's The Conversian, which is nominated for Best Gay Fiction and which I really enjoyed. I found that it spoke to me as a lover of books as much as it did as a gay man, since it had a literary setting and theme.
Here's the full list of Nominees:
BISEXUAL
* Open, Jenny Block, Seal Press
* Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women's Love & Desire,
Lisa M. Diamond, Harvard University Press
* The Bishop's Daughter, Honor Moore, W.W. Norton
* Kinsey Zero Through Sixty: Bisexual Perspectives on Kinsey, Ron Jackson Suresha, Taylor & Francis Journals
* Rimbaud, Edmund White, Atlas & Company
TRANSGENDER
* 10,000 Dresses, Marcus Ewert & Rex Ray, Seven Stories Press
* Intersex (For Lack of a Better Word), Thea Hillman, Manic D Press
* Two Truths and a Lie, Scott Schofield, Homofactus Press
* Boy with Flowers, Ely Shipley, Barrow Street Press
* Transgender History, Susan Stryker, Seal Press
LGBT ANTHOLOGIES
* A Casulty of War: Gay Short Fiction, Peter Burton, Arcadia Books
* Live Through This, edited by Sabrina Chapadjiev, Seven Stories Press
* Love, West Hollywood, edited by Chris Freeman and James J. Berg, Alyson
* Our Caribbean, edited by Thomas Glave, Duke University Press
* Big Trips: More Good Gay Travel Writing, edited by Raphael Kadushin, University of Wisconsin Press
LGBT CHILDRENS/YOUNG ADULT
* Hit the Road, Manny: A Manny Files Novel, Christian Burch, Simon and Schuster
* Out of the Pocket, Bill Konigsberg, Dutton
* How They Met & Other Stories, David Levithan, Knopf Children's Books
* Mousetraps, Pat Schmatz, Carolrhoda Books
* What They Always Tell Us, Martin Wilson, Random House Children's Books
* Love & Lies: Marisol's Story, Ellen Wittlinger, Simon and Schuster
LGBT DRAMA
* Phi Alpha Gamma, Dan Bernitt, Sawyer House
* Radical Acts: Collected Political Plays, Martin Duberman, The New Press
* The Second Coming of Joan of Arc, Carolyn Gage, Outskirts Press
* Two Truths and a Lie, Scott Schofield, Homofactus Press
* Vile Affections, Vanda, Original Works Publishing
LGBT NONFICTION
* Me as Her Again, Nancy Agabian, Aunt Lute Books
* If I Could Write This in Fire, Michelle Cliff, Univ of Minnesota Press
* Dishonorable Passions: Sodomy Laws in America 1861-2003, William N. Eskridge Jr, Penguin Group
* Beyond (Straight & Gay) Marriage, Nancy Polikoff, Beacon Press
* Loving The Difficult, Jane Rule, Hedgerow Press
* Drifting Toward Love, Kai Wright, Beacon Press
LGBT SCI-FI/FANTASY/HORROR
* The Archer's Heart, Astrid Amara, Blind Eye Books
* The Magician and the Fool, Barth Anderson, Bantam Del Rey
* Wilde Stories 2008, Steve Berman, Lethe Press
* Sea, Swallow Me and Other Stories, Craig Gidney, Lethe Press
* Turnskin, Nicole Kimberling, Blind Eye Books
LGBT STUDIES
* Tomboys: A Literary & Cultural History, Michelle Ann Abate, Temple University Press
* The Dividends of Dissent: How Conflict and Culture Work in Lesbian and Gay Marches on Washington, Amin Ghaziani, The University of Chicago Press
* Criminal Intimacy: Prison and the Uneven History of Modern American Sexuality, Regina Kunzel, The University of Chicago Press
* Political Manhood: Red Bloods, Mollycoddles, & & the Politics of Progressive Reform, Kevin P. Murphy, Columbia University Press
* Screening Sex, Linda Williams, Duke University Press
LESBIAN DEBUT FICTION
* Red Audrey & the Roping, Jill Malone, Bywater Books
* Passing for Black, Linda Villarosa, Kensington
* Closer to Fine, Meri Weiss, Kensington
* Love Does Not Make Me Gentle or Kind, Chavisa Woods, Fly by Night Press
* The Bruise, Magdalena Zurawski, Fiction Collective Two/University of Alabama Press
LESBIAN EROTICA
* Lipstick on Her Collar, Sacchi Green and Rakelle Valencia, Pretty Things Press
* Periphery: Erotic Lesbian Futures, Lynne Jamneck, Lethe Press
* In Deep Waters 2: Cruising the Strip, Radclyffe and Karen Kallmaker, Bold Strokes Books
LESBIAN FICTION
* The Slow Fix, Ivan E. Coyole, Arsenal Pulp Press
* The Sealed Letter, Emma Donoghue, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
* Map of Ireland, Stephanie Grant, Scribner
* All the Pretty Girls, Chandra Mayor, Conundrum Press
* Breaking Spirit Bridge, Ruth Perkinson, Spinsters Ink
LESBIAN MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY
* Wrestling with the Angel of Democracy, Susan Griffin,
Shambhala Publications
* Intersex (For Lack of a Better Word), Thea Hillman, Manic D Press
* Sex Variant Woman, Joanne Passet, Da Capo
* Sex Talks to Girls: A Memoir, Maureen Seaton, University of Wisconsin Press
* Case of a Lifetime, Abbe Smith, Palgrave Macmillan
LESBIAN MYSTERY
* Blind Faith, Diane and Jacob Anderson-Minshall, Bold Strokes Books
* Whacked, Josie Gordon, Bella Books
* Sweet Poison, Ellen Hart, St. Martin's Press
* Losers Weepers, Jessica Thomas, Bella Books
* Calling the Dead, Ali Vali, Bold Strokes Books
LESBIAN POETRY
* Interpretive Work, Elizabeth Bradfield, Arktoi / Red Hen Press
* Kissing Dead Girls, Daphne Gottlieb, Soft Skull Press
* love belongs to those who do the feeling, Judy Grahn, Red Hen Press
* Same Life, Maureen N. McLane, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
* Two Minutes of Light, Nancy K. Pearson, Perugia Press
LESBIAN ROMANCE
* Finding Home, Georgia Beers, Bold Strokes Books
* A Pirate's Heart, Catherine Friend, Bold Strokes Books
* The Kiss That Counted, Karin Kallmaker, Bella Books
* Hotel Liaison, JLee Meyer, Bold Strokes Books
* The Lonely Hearts Club, Radclyffe, Bold Strokes Books
GAY DEBUT FICTION
* Shuck, Daniel Allen Cox, Arsenal Pulp Press
* Light Fell, Evan Fallenberg, Soho Press
* The Screwed-Up Life of Charlie The Second, Drew Ferguson, Kensington
* The Steve Machine, Mike Hoolboom, Coach House Books
* Finlater, Shawn Ruff, Quote Editions
GAY EROTICA
* Best Gay Erotica 2009, Richard Labonte & James Lear, Cleis Press
* The Secret Tunnel, James Lear, Cleis Press
* Hard Working Men, William Maltese, Victor J. Banis, Jardonn Smith, & J.P. Bowie, MLR Press
GAY FICTION
* Stray Dog Winter, David Francis, Macadam/Cage Publishing
* The Torturer's Wife, Thomas Glave, City Light Publishers
* We Disappear, Scott Heim, HarperCollins
* The Conversion, Joseph Olshan, St. Martin’s Press
* The Boomerang Kid, Jay Quinn, Alyson
GAY MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY
* Bringing Him Home, Aaron Cooper, Late August Press
* Swish, Joel Derfner, Broadway Books
* Assisted Loving, Bob Morris, HarperCollins
* Edward Carpenter: A Life of Liberty and Love, Sheila Rowbotham, Verso Books
* King of Shadows, Aaron Shurin, City Lights Publishers
GAY MYSTERY
* The Fisher Boy, Stephen Anable, Poisoned Pen Press
* Sundowner Ubuntu, Anthony Bidulka, Insomniac Press
* Mahu Fire, Neil Plakcy, Alyson Books
* First You Fall, Scott Sherman, Alyson Books
* Spider Season, John Morgan Wilson, St. Martin's Press
GAY POETRY
* Want, Rick Barot, Sarabande Press
* Please, Jericho Brown, New Issues
* Fire to Fire, Mark Doty, HarperCollins
* Now You're the Enemy, James Allen Hall, Univ. of Arkansas Press
* My Vocabulary Did This to Me: The Collected Poetry of Jack Spicer, Jack Spicer, edited by Peter Gizzi & Kevin Killian, Wesleyan University Press
GAY ROMANCE
* Mexican Heat, Laura Baumbach & Josh Lanyon, MLR Press
* Got 'til it's Gone, Larry Duplechan, Arsenal Pulp Press
* The Protector, N.L. Gassert, Seventh Window Publications
The one book I have read is Joseph Olshan's The Conversian, which is nominated for Best Gay Fiction and which I really enjoyed. I found that it spoke to me as a lover of books as much as it did as a gay man, since it had a literary setting and theme.
Here's the full list of Nominees:
BISEXUAL
* Open, Jenny Block, Seal Press
* Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women's Love & Desire,
Lisa M. Diamond, Harvard University Press
* The Bishop's Daughter, Honor Moore, W.W. Norton
* Kinsey Zero Through Sixty: Bisexual Perspectives on Kinsey, Ron Jackson Suresha, Taylor & Francis Journals
* Rimbaud, Edmund White, Atlas & Company
TRANSGENDER
* 10,000 Dresses, Marcus Ewert & Rex Ray, Seven Stories Press
* Intersex (For Lack of a Better Word), Thea Hillman, Manic D Press
* Two Truths and a Lie, Scott Schofield, Homofactus Press
* Boy with Flowers, Ely Shipley, Barrow Street Press
* Transgender History, Susan Stryker, Seal Press
LGBT ANTHOLOGIES
* A Casulty of War: Gay Short Fiction, Peter Burton, Arcadia Books
* Live Through This, edited by Sabrina Chapadjiev, Seven Stories Press
* Love, West Hollywood, edited by Chris Freeman and James J. Berg, Alyson
* Our Caribbean, edited by Thomas Glave, Duke University Press
* Big Trips: More Good Gay Travel Writing, edited by Raphael Kadushin, University of Wisconsin Press
LGBT CHILDRENS/YOUNG ADULT
* Hit the Road, Manny: A Manny Files Novel, Christian Burch, Simon and Schuster
* Out of the Pocket, Bill Konigsberg, Dutton
* How They Met & Other Stories, David Levithan, Knopf Children's Books
* Mousetraps, Pat Schmatz, Carolrhoda Books
* What They Always Tell Us, Martin Wilson, Random House Children's Books
* Love & Lies: Marisol's Story, Ellen Wittlinger, Simon and Schuster
LGBT DRAMA
* Phi Alpha Gamma, Dan Bernitt, Sawyer House
* Radical Acts: Collected Political Plays, Martin Duberman, The New Press
* The Second Coming of Joan of Arc, Carolyn Gage, Outskirts Press
* Two Truths and a Lie, Scott Schofield, Homofactus Press
* Vile Affections, Vanda, Original Works Publishing
LGBT NONFICTION
* Me as Her Again, Nancy Agabian, Aunt Lute Books
* If I Could Write This in Fire, Michelle Cliff, Univ of Minnesota Press
* Dishonorable Passions: Sodomy Laws in America 1861-2003, William N. Eskridge Jr, Penguin Group
* Beyond (Straight & Gay) Marriage, Nancy Polikoff, Beacon Press
* Loving The Difficult, Jane Rule, Hedgerow Press
* Drifting Toward Love, Kai Wright, Beacon Press
LGBT SCI-FI/FANTASY/HORROR
* The Archer's Heart, Astrid Amara, Blind Eye Books
* The Magician and the Fool, Barth Anderson, Bantam Del Rey
* Wilde Stories 2008, Steve Berman, Lethe Press
* Sea, Swallow Me and Other Stories, Craig Gidney, Lethe Press
* Turnskin, Nicole Kimberling, Blind Eye Books
LGBT STUDIES
* Tomboys: A Literary & Cultural History, Michelle Ann Abate, Temple University Press
* The Dividends of Dissent: How Conflict and Culture Work in Lesbian and Gay Marches on Washington, Amin Ghaziani, The University of Chicago Press
* Criminal Intimacy: Prison and the Uneven History of Modern American Sexuality, Regina Kunzel, The University of Chicago Press
* Political Manhood: Red Bloods, Mollycoddles, & & the Politics of Progressive Reform, Kevin P. Murphy, Columbia University Press
* Screening Sex, Linda Williams, Duke University Press
LESBIAN DEBUT FICTION
* Red Audrey & the Roping, Jill Malone, Bywater Books
* Passing for Black, Linda Villarosa, Kensington
* Closer to Fine, Meri Weiss, Kensington
* Love Does Not Make Me Gentle or Kind, Chavisa Woods, Fly by Night Press
* The Bruise, Magdalena Zurawski, Fiction Collective Two/University of Alabama Press
LESBIAN EROTICA
* Lipstick on Her Collar, Sacchi Green and Rakelle Valencia, Pretty Things Press
* Periphery: Erotic Lesbian Futures, Lynne Jamneck, Lethe Press
* In Deep Waters 2: Cruising the Strip, Radclyffe and Karen Kallmaker, Bold Strokes Books
LESBIAN FICTION
* The Slow Fix, Ivan E. Coyole, Arsenal Pulp Press
* The Sealed Letter, Emma Donoghue, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
* Map of Ireland, Stephanie Grant, Scribner
* All the Pretty Girls, Chandra Mayor, Conundrum Press
* Breaking Spirit Bridge, Ruth Perkinson, Spinsters Ink
LESBIAN MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY
* Wrestling with the Angel of Democracy, Susan Griffin,
Shambhala Publications
* Intersex (For Lack of a Better Word), Thea Hillman, Manic D Press
* Sex Variant Woman, Joanne Passet, Da Capo
* Sex Talks to Girls: A Memoir, Maureen Seaton, University of Wisconsin Press
* Case of a Lifetime, Abbe Smith, Palgrave Macmillan
LESBIAN MYSTERY
* Blind Faith, Diane and Jacob Anderson-Minshall, Bold Strokes Books
* Whacked, Josie Gordon, Bella Books
* Sweet Poison, Ellen Hart, St. Martin's Press
* Losers Weepers, Jessica Thomas, Bella Books
* Calling the Dead, Ali Vali, Bold Strokes Books
LESBIAN POETRY
* Interpretive Work, Elizabeth Bradfield, Arktoi / Red Hen Press
* Kissing Dead Girls, Daphne Gottlieb, Soft Skull Press
* love belongs to those who do the feeling, Judy Grahn, Red Hen Press
* Same Life, Maureen N. McLane, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
* Two Minutes of Light, Nancy K. Pearson, Perugia Press
LESBIAN ROMANCE
* Finding Home, Georgia Beers, Bold Strokes Books
* A Pirate's Heart, Catherine Friend, Bold Strokes Books
* The Kiss That Counted, Karin Kallmaker, Bella Books
* Hotel Liaison, JLee Meyer, Bold Strokes Books
* The Lonely Hearts Club, Radclyffe, Bold Strokes Books
GAY DEBUT FICTION
* Shuck, Daniel Allen Cox, Arsenal Pulp Press
* Light Fell, Evan Fallenberg, Soho Press
* The Screwed-Up Life of Charlie The Second, Drew Ferguson, Kensington
* The Steve Machine, Mike Hoolboom, Coach House Books
* Finlater, Shawn Ruff, Quote Editions
GAY EROTICA
* Best Gay Erotica 2009, Richard Labonte & James Lear, Cleis Press
* The Secret Tunnel, James Lear, Cleis Press
* Hard Working Men, William Maltese, Victor J. Banis, Jardonn Smith, & J.P. Bowie, MLR Press
GAY FICTION
* Stray Dog Winter, David Francis, Macadam/Cage Publishing
* The Torturer's Wife, Thomas Glave, City Light Publishers
* We Disappear, Scott Heim, HarperCollins
* The Conversion, Joseph Olshan, St. Martin’s Press
* The Boomerang Kid, Jay Quinn, Alyson
GAY MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY
* Bringing Him Home, Aaron Cooper, Late August Press
* Swish, Joel Derfner, Broadway Books
* Assisted Loving, Bob Morris, HarperCollins
* Edward Carpenter: A Life of Liberty and Love, Sheila Rowbotham, Verso Books
* King of Shadows, Aaron Shurin, City Lights Publishers
GAY MYSTERY
* The Fisher Boy, Stephen Anable, Poisoned Pen Press
* Sundowner Ubuntu, Anthony Bidulka, Insomniac Press
* Mahu Fire, Neil Plakcy, Alyson Books
* First You Fall, Scott Sherman, Alyson Books
* Spider Season, John Morgan Wilson, St. Martin's Press
GAY POETRY
* Want, Rick Barot, Sarabande Press
* Please, Jericho Brown, New Issues
* Fire to Fire, Mark Doty, HarperCollins
* Now You're the Enemy, James Allen Hall, Univ. of Arkansas Press
* My Vocabulary Did This to Me: The Collected Poetry of Jack Spicer, Jack Spicer, edited by Peter Gizzi & Kevin Killian, Wesleyan University Press
GAY ROMANCE
* Mexican Heat, Laura Baumbach & Josh Lanyon, MLR Press
* Got 'til it's Gone, Larry Duplechan, Arsenal Pulp Press
* The Protector, N.L. Gassert, Seventh Window Publications
Monday, March 16, 2009
Nuke vs. Housing Discrimination
As the World Turns kicked the week off the right way, with a Luke & Noah episode, and this time the boys were taking on anti-gay housing discrimination.
We started off with the guys at Java, where Noah was on the clock and Luke was on his laptop. Luke explained that he was brainstorming some Gay Rights issues for the Foundation that he was going to run by his mother later, and then made fun of himself for working with his Mommy, without mentioning that he actually still lives with her, too.
Luke commented on how far Lily has come since he came out to her, and Holden too for that matter (though Holden was always supportive), and mentioned that his biological father wasn't supportive and that using his money to fight for Gay Rights would drive him crazy. Ah, subtle foreshadowing! I love how soaps will go months or years without mentioning a former character and then quite suddenly, right before they return, they're mentioned all the time.
Noah brought up the awkwardness of his roommate, who apparently possesses the world's worst timing, coming back early and walking in on the two of them in the dorm the night before. While most of the audience proceeded to get lost in wishing and imagining that they were Noah's roommate at that moment, the boys continued their discussion about the lack of privacy in the dorm (and, it goes without saying, at the Snyder residence).
Noah had a solution, though: they should move in together.
I, of course, got ready to call them out on the complete 180 Noah has apparently done in the month since the last time they discussed moving in together, but the writers were apparently ready for that because Luke was as surprised as I am.
Noah explained that he had to move out of the dorm anyway in a few months and that he thinks they should sublet a place for the summer to try it out. Luke pointed out that Noah's change of heart might be because Luke himself is now a bit more stable than he was when they last talked about living together, and Noah more or less agreed that Luke getting his life together played a role in changing his mind.
They joked around about how it would just be a trial situation for the summer and that if either one had any bad habits that drove the other crazy, they'd be out the door. It was really a pretty cute scene.
Of course, it just set things up for the arrival of their potential landlord, Mr. Reese. Noah had already found the perfect place through a broker and even filled out the lease, knowing that Luke would love the place since it was similar to the one he'd liked a month ago. After the guys introduced themselves to Mr. Reese he told them that the apartment was only a one bedroom and Luke assured him that was all they needed.
Mr. Reese hovered in the background looked disgusted while Luke & Noah talked about the apartment, its working fireplace, and possibly staying longer than just the summer if things worked out. Before they could give him their references, though, Mr. Reese abruptly informed them that the apartment had already been rented and quickly departed Java, leaving Noah to wonder what had just happened.
Luke, though, saw the obvious, that they'd just been the victims of discrimination. He got back on his laptop and discovered that it was illegal in the state of Illinois to discriminate against LGBT people in housing and felt that they should try and get an investigation going against the landlord.
A random cute guy named Tyler, who is apparently one of Luke's many off screen gay friends, overheard their conversation and told them that he and his boyfriend had the same problem with Reese, that he refused to rent to them because they were a couple. Tyler gave them the card of a more gay friendly broker and then exited, never to be heard of or from again until the next time the writers want to throw together a 'light hearted' murder mystery in twenty seconds or less.
Noah seemed ready to just let things drop, to take the "What can we do about it?" approach while Luke, who has probably been watching his copy of Milk, wasn't so willing to back down in the face of discrimination.
The guys headed back to Luke's place, where they filled Holden & Lily in on their plans to move in together. Luke's parents were very happy and supportive, and subsequently outraged to an appropriate degree when they heard about Mr. Reese.
Lily suggested that they use the Luke Snyder Foundation to do something about the discrimination and Luke thought that was a fantastic idea. The guys returned to Java (where Noah is not only an employee, he's a customer!) so that Luke could do some research. They were shocked to see how many states don't offer any protection against discrimination towards the LGBT community in housing or employment.
Luke discussed his intentions to start bringing more visibility to the issue, to petition online and pressure politicians to do the right thing. Noah told Luke that he likes him when he's 'all charged up' and Luke suggested that Noah call the gay friendly broker to find them a place while he gets to work on the research.
I'd started to think that they idea of them living together would be dropped just to focus on the discrimination issue, so that last line made me pretty happy. I really want to see Luke & Noah in their own place, so it had better not be an off screen residence we only hear about!
I was really happy with this episode overall. While parts of it did feel a bit too Very Special Episode, I can't even begin to tell you how much I'd rather see the guys tackling real life issues, especially ones related to Gay Rights, than what we had to sit through during their most recent storyline.
We started off with the guys at Java, where Noah was on the clock and Luke was on his laptop. Luke explained that he was brainstorming some Gay Rights issues for the Foundation that he was going to run by his mother later, and then made fun of himself for working with his Mommy, without mentioning that he actually still lives with her, too.
Luke commented on how far Lily has come since he came out to her, and Holden too for that matter (though Holden was always supportive), and mentioned that his biological father wasn't supportive and that using his money to fight for Gay Rights would drive him crazy. Ah, subtle foreshadowing! I love how soaps will go months or years without mentioning a former character and then quite suddenly, right before they return, they're mentioned all the time.
Noah brought up the awkwardness of his roommate, who apparently possesses the world's worst timing, coming back early and walking in on the two of them in the dorm the night before. While most of the audience proceeded to get lost in wishing and imagining that they were Noah's roommate at that moment, the boys continued their discussion about the lack of privacy in the dorm (and, it goes without saying, at the Snyder residence).
Noah had a solution, though: they should move in together.
I, of course, got ready to call them out on the complete 180 Noah has apparently done in the month since the last time they discussed moving in together, but the writers were apparently ready for that because Luke was as surprised as I am.
Noah explained that he had to move out of the dorm anyway in a few months and that he thinks they should sublet a place for the summer to try it out. Luke pointed out that Noah's change of heart might be because Luke himself is now a bit more stable than he was when they last talked about living together, and Noah more or less agreed that Luke getting his life together played a role in changing his mind.
They joked around about how it would just be a trial situation for the summer and that if either one had any bad habits that drove the other crazy, they'd be out the door. It was really a pretty cute scene.
Of course, it just set things up for the arrival of their potential landlord, Mr. Reese. Noah had already found the perfect place through a broker and even filled out the lease, knowing that Luke would love the place since it was similar to the one he'd liked a month ago. After the guys introduced themselves to Mr. Reese he told them that the apartment was only a one bedroom and Luke assured him that was all they needed.
Mr. Reese hovered in the background looked disgusted while Luke & Noah talked about the apartment, its working fireplace, and possibly staying longer than just the summer if things worked out. Before they could give him their references, though, Mr. Reese abruptly informed them that the apartment had already been rented and quickly departed Java, leaving Noah to wonder what had just happened.
Luke, though, saw the obvious, that they'd just been the victims of discrimination. He got back on his laptop and discovered that it was illegal in the state of Illinois to discriminate against LGBT people in housing and felt that they should try and get an investigation going against the landlord.
A random cute guy named Tyler, who is apparently one of Luke's many off screen gay friends, overheard their conversation and told them that he and his boyfriend had the same problem with Reese, that he refused to rent to them because they were a couple. Tyler gave them the card of a more gay friendly broker and then exited, never to be heard of or from again until the next time the writers want to throw together a 'light hearted' murder mystery in twenty seconds or less.
Noah seemed ready to just let things drop, to take the "What can we do about it?" approach while Luke, who has probably been watching his copy of Milk, wasn't so willing to back down in the face of discrimination.
The guys headed back to Luke's place, where they filled Holden & Lily in on their plans to move in together. Luke's parents were very happy and supportive, and subsequently outraged to an appropriate degree when they heard about Mr. Reese.
Lily suggested that they use the Luke Snyder Foundation to do something about the discrimination and Luke thought that was a fantastic idea. The guys returned to Java (where Noah is not only an employee, he's a customer!) so that Luke could do some research. They were shocked to see how many states don't offer any protection against discrimination towards the LGBT community in housing or employment.
Luke discussed his intentions to start bringing more visibility to the issue, to petition online and pressure politicians to do the right thing. Noah told Luke that he likes him when he's 'all charged up' and Luke suggested that Noah call the gay friendly broker to find them a place while he gets to work on the research.
I'd started to think that they idea of them living together would be dropped just to focus on the discrimination issue, so that last line made me pretty happy. I really want to see Luke & Noah in their own place, so it had better not be an off screen residence we only hear about!
I was really happy with this episode overall. While parts of it did feel a bit too Very Special Episode, I can't even begin to tell you how much I'd rather see the guys tackling real life issues, especially ones related to Gay Rights, than what we had to sit through during their most recent storyline.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Broadway On Lambert
I just came across this Broadway.com article on Adam Lambert, in which several of his former stage co-stars talk about the Adam they know. I just thought I'd share it because as you all know by now, I'm totally enthralled by all things Adam and feel that everyone else should be as well!
Megan Hilty, who was in Wicked with Adam and is currently on Broadway in the new musical 9 to 5 as Doralee, the Dolly Parton character, was one of Adam's co-stars who spoke about him:
Check out the whole article if you're interested in Adam at all, there is some really cool stuff about him.
Speaking of 9 to 5, by the way, this is another show I really wish I could see, not only because I love the film version and think Dolly Parton (who wrote the songs for the musical) is amazing, but because one of my favorite actresses, Allison Janney, is starring in it as Violet, the Lily Tomlin character.
I really need to just plan a trip to New York, but I don't think I'll be able to afford it any time soon!
By the way, I was reading online that next week is going to be Grand Ole Opry week on American Idol. I can't quite picture any of these 11 contestants singing country music, so that's going to be interesting, to say the least.
Megan Hilty, who was in Wicked with Adam and is currently on Broadway in the new musical 9 to 5 as Doralee, the Dolly Parton character, was one of Adam's co-stars who spoke about him:
How did you meet?
We met on tour with Wicked, and then worked together again in the L.A. company [of the show]. Since he was the Fiyero understudy we got to have our little moments together onstage, whenever I was lucky enough.
We met on tour with Wicked, and then worked together again in the L.A. company [of the show]. Since he was the Fiyero understudy we got to have our little moments together onstage, whenever I was lucky enough.
What did you think the first time you heard him sing?
The first time he went on as Fiyero, I couldn’t believe it. I was warned before how amazing he was, but you can only be prepared for so much. It’s funny because we’d go out and do karaoke for fun, and the whole party would stop when he got up to sing. It was kind of, like, ‘He’s too good, I can’t go after that!’ He’s a joy to be around, so they’re very lucky to be around him out there in Hollywood.
Favorite performance of his?
It was always during karaoke. There’s a DVD of it somewhere. Oh, God. It was some rock song I’ll never remember the name of, but the whole bar—people we didn’t even know—just stopped. No one could believe what they were hearing. His voice is in a different stratosphere.
Favorite memory?
Oh, gosh. We were always doing silly things. What I can say is he’s an excellent board game player, and we always wanted him on our team. He always won everything.
What kind of artist do you see him as?
One of the great things about Adam is I can’t say he’s the next so-and-so. He’s so unique, and has such a special talent that I think he’s going to be the next Adam Lambert.
What do you think when people say he is too “theatrical” for Idol?
I think saying someone’s too musical theater is b.s.! Frankly, that’s offensive. It’s the easy way out to try and find something wrong with him when there’s nothing wrong. It also gives a stigma about who “Broadway” people are. I mean, we’re not people that overly indicate and put on a show wherever we go. I’m tired of people putting the “Broadway label” on someone as if it were a bad thing.
Personal Song Request: He’s done so much rock stuff, I’d love him to show off any slow tunes in general. People think they’ve seen what he can do, but you haven’t seen anything yet. I think he’ll show it off. He’s a smart cookie!
Check out the whole article if you're interested in Adam at all, there is some really cool stuff about him.
Speaking of 9 to 5, by the way, this is another show I really wish I could see, not only because I love the film version and think Dolly Parton (who wrote the songs for the musical) is amazing, but because one of my favorite actresses, Allison Janney, is starring in it as Violet, the Lily Tomlin character.
I really need to just plan a trip to New York, but I don't think I'll be able to afford it any time soon!
By the way, I was reading online that next week is going to be Grand Ole Opry week on American Idol. I can't quite picture any of these 11 contestants singing country music, so that's going to be interesting, to say the least.
At Long Last, Milk
Some friends dropped in before I could start watching Milk, so I ended up not watching it until nearly midnight. Hence this late night/early morning post about the movie, while it's still fresh in my mind.
First of all, I'm now very relieved that I didn't get a chance to see it in the theatre, since I ended up crying my eyes out at various parts. Not even just at the parts I expected to feel emotional about, either, like Harvey's assassination, but also during the marches and the scenes of the community coming together for the first time ever. It was just really powerful and moving.
I read The Mayor of Castro Street three or four months ago and it really opened my eyes to a lot about Harvey Milk that I didn't know, even after watching the documentary The Times of Harvey Milk a couple of years back. Things like all the years he'd spent as a closeted New York Republican, for instance. A lot of what the movie included probably would have surprised me if I hadn't read that book first. As it was, all I could think about was how true to everything I'd read they were being with the film.
While I was reading the book I bascially cried through a lot of the final chapters, but there was one moment earlier on in the book that really affected me. I hadn't thought about that moment being repeated in the movie for some reason, but there it was and seeing it played out on the screen was almost as hard as reading about it.
I'm talking about the scene where the teen from Minnesota calls Harvey and tells him that he's going to kill himself because his parents are going to send him away to be 'cured'. Harvey urges him to get on a bus or a train and make his way to a big city instead and the kid says that he can't get on a bus, he can't run away: he's in a wheel chair.
Reading that in the book, I had to put it down for several minutes and cry. The image is just so tragic and heart wrenching and so hopeless. But, in the book as in the movie, Harvey later heard from the kid, who'd managed to find a way to take Harvey's advice and get away.
That story, for me, really sums up everything Harvey Milk is about. I know it was the tag line to the movie, so I'm not exactly original in saying this, but Harvey was all about giving people hope and he's still doing so over thirty years after his murder.
The thing is, Harvey didn't give people hope that things would just change and get better. His kind of hope wasn't the 'This too shall pass' kind. He gave them hope that they themselves could change things, could change the world we live in. What I mean is, he didn't just give them something to believe in so much as he helped them to believe in themselves and in the LGBT community coming together for the first time in history as a major movement.
I can't remember the first time I heard the name Harvey Milk. I really wish I could, but by that point, I was already reading a lot about LGBT culture and history, taking in a lot of things at once. I have no recollection of learning of his story, though I know I heard of it on my own, long after my public school days were over.
I remember being a lost and confused kid figuring out that I was gay and having very little to look towards in terms of role models, or even just to feel less alone in the world. It would have made a world of difference, I think, if I'd known the story of Harvey Milk then.
I think that's one of the greatest things about this film. It has brought Harvey Milk back to mainstream attention, where he should have been all along. He's a civil rights hero as much as he is a gay hero, but tons of gay kids are going to know his story now. We need that, we need to keep our history alive.
As for the film itself, I though everything was perfect. The cast was amazing, the script was entirely deserving of the Oscar that Dustin Lance Black won for it, the way they recreated the era was so painstakingly well done. It's really a masterpiece of a biopic and a beautifully done film. I really wish it had won the Oscar for Best Picture. I haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire, but I think Milk is everything film should be.
Reading back what I've written, I think I'm coming off like someone who cries constantly, and I swear I'm not! It's just that certain subject matter really gets to me and this era is one of those things. It's the idea of this huge movement coming together for the first time, the new freedom and equality they were fighting for, winning, and enjoying, and us knowing in retrospect that AIDS was lurking just around the corner and would destroy so much of it. The idea of it literally haunts me at times.
Not long after reading The Mayor of Castro Street, I actually had a dream where I was somehow in the 70's myself and I'd met this guy that I really liked, but I knew that I had to go, that I was going to be pulled back to the present at any second, and I was urgently trying to convince him before I left that he had to start using condoms and getting other people to do so, too. It probably sounds silly, but in the dream I was so desperately trying to make him understand what was coming, what the near future had in store, and I couldn't. I failed. When I woke up, it really felt in those first few moments of consciousness that I really had been there, and that I really had blown my chance to warn them. It was a terrible feeling.
But, I digress. Seeing Milk, in spite of the tragic way things ended for Harvey, didn't depress me. It truly isn't a film about the end of one life, but about the beginning of something that continues to this day and gets stronger all the time. I'm so glad I finally got to see the movie and I'll be buying my own copy very soon.
First of all, I'm now very relieved that I didn't get a chance to see it in the theatre, since I ended up crying my eyes out at various parts. Not even just at the parts I expected to feel emotional about, either, like Harvey's assassination, but also during the marches and the scenes of the community coming together for the first time ever. It was just really powerful and moving.
I read The Mayor of Castro Street three or four months ago and it really opened my eyes to a lot about Harvey Milk that I didn't know, even after watching the documentary The Times of Harvey Milk a couple of years back. Things like all the years he'd spent as a closeted New York Republican, for instance. A lot of what the movie included probably would have surprised me if I hadn't read that book first. As it was, all I could think about was how true to everything I'd read they were being with the film.
While I was reading the book I bascially cried through a lot of the final chapters, but there was one moment earlier on in the book that really affected me. I hadn't thought about that moment being repeated in the movie for some reason, but there it was and seeing it played out on the screen was almost as hard as reading about it.
I'm talking about the scene where the teen from Minnesota calls Harvey and tells him that he's going to kill himself because his parents are going to send him away to be 'cured'. Harvey urges him to get on a bus or a train and make his way to a big city instead and the kid says that he can't get on a bus, he can't run away: he's in a wheel chair.
Reading that in the book, I had to put it down for several minutes and cry. The image is just so tragic and heart wrenching and so hopeless. But, in the book as in the movie, Harvey later heard from the kid, who'd managed to find a way to take Harvey's advice and get away.
That story, for me, really sums up everything Harvey Milk is about. I know it was the tag line to the movie, so I'm not exactly original in saying this, but Harvey was all about giving people hope and he's still doing so over thirty years after his murder.
The thing is, Harvey didn't give people hope that things would just change and get better. His kind of hope wasn't the 'This too shall pass' kind. He gave them hope that they themselves could change things, could change the world we live in. What I mean is, he didn't just give them something to believe in so much as he helped them to believe in themselves and in the LGBT community coming together for the first time in history as a major movement.
I can't remember the first time I heard the name Harvey Milk. I really wish I could, but by that point, I was already reading a lot about LGBT culture and history, taking in a lot of things at once. I have no recollection of learning of his story, though I know I heard of it on my own, long after my public school days were over.
I remember being a lost and confused kid figuring out that I was gay and having very little to look towards in terms of role models, or even just to feel less alone in the world. It would have made a world of difference, I think, if I'd known the story of Harvey Milk then.
I think that's one of the greatest things about this film. It has brought Harvey Milk back to mainstream attention, where he should have been all along. He's a civil rights hero as much as he is a gay hero, but tons of gay kids are going to know his story now. We need that, we need to keep our history alive.
As for the film itself, I though everything was perfect. The cast was amazing, the script was entirely deserving of the Oscar that Dustin Lance Black won for it, the way they recreated the era was so painstakingly well done. It's really a masterpiece of a biopic and a beautifully done film. I really wish it had won the Oscar for Best Picture. I haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire, but I think Milk is everything film should be.
Reading back what I've written, I think I'm coming off like someone who cries constantly, and I swear I'm not! It's just that certain subject matter really gets to me and this era is one of those things. It's the idea of this huge movement coming together for the first time, the new freedom and equality they were fighting for, winning, and enjoying, and us knowing in retrospect that AIDS was lurking just around the corner and would destroy so much of it. The idea of it literally haunts me at times.
Not long after reading The Mayor of Castro Street, I actually had a dream where I was somehow in the 70's myself and I'd met this guy that I really liked, but I knew that I had to go, that I was going to be pulled back to the present at any second, and I was urgently trying to convince him before I left that he had to start using condoms and getting other people to do so, too. It probably sounds silly, but in the dream I was so desperately trying to make him understand what was coming, what the near future had in store, and I couldn't. I failed. When I woke up, it really felt in those first few moments of consciousness that I really had been there, and that I really had blown my chance to warn them. It was a terrible feeling.
But, I digress. Seeing Milk, in spite of the tragic way things ended for Harvey, didn't depress me. It truly isn't a film about the end of one life, but about the beginning of something that continues to this day and gets stronger all the time. I'm so glad I finally got to see the movie and I'll be buying my own copy very soon.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Back In Business
Luke & Noah were front and center again today on As the World Turns and for the first time in weeks I was able to watch their scenes without wanting to do any bodily damage to any ATWT writers! Even better, their last scene of the day was downright awesome.
It all started out in a way that made me nervous: Luke & Noah leaving the police station after having given their statements about Mark. They were discussing the whole mess- hereafter forever unmentionable, or at least I hope so- and Luke was feeling bad that Kevin had been arrested, too, and charged as an accessory after the fact.
Noah praised Luke, saying that by not giving up he'd helped catch a dangerous killer/drug dealer, but Luke was still feeling, in his own words, like crap (maybe he's been watching the same show I've been watching, because that will do it!).
Meanwhile, Lily got a call about Luke & Lucinda having a meeting scheduled that afternoon for Luke's foundation, something that Brian had set up before he left about possibly partnering up with another foundation. Lucinda, whom I don't think we'd seen since Brian's coming out episode, didn't feel up to going, given that she's currently undergoing radiation for her cancer and it's wiping her out.
Lily tried to contact Luke but only got his voicemail, which lead to Lucinda & Lily discussing how lost and depressed Luke has become since being kicked out of school.
Luke & Noah were discussing much the same thing across town, since apparently Holden was right and Luke was using That Which Shall Not Be Mentioned to keep his mind off his own problems and now that it's all over, he doesn't know what he should be doing with his life.
Noah played the supportive boyfriend and told Luke that finding out what you want to do in life is trial and error for everyone and that he himself is figuring it out in college. After Noah left to go study for a midterm, Luke headed home and told Lily that he didn't feel up to going to the meeting, saying she could go in his place. Lily, who is on the board of the foundation but knows nothing of its day to day business, was less than pleased.
After she left, Lucinda called Luke a spoiled brat and confronted him about turning his back on the foundation. Luke admitted to his Grandmother that he's not the same naive person he was when he started the foundation and Lucinda told him that helping people is never naive.
Luke confessed that he really started the foundation to throw it back in his 'so called father' Damian's face, to do something he knew Damian would hate with the guilt money he'd given Luke. He just doesn't feel like he's the do-gooder everyone thinks he should be to run the foundation. Lucinda warned Luke that he won't always be able to do anything he wants in life and that he should take advantage of things while he can or he'll regret it later.
Lily, meanwhile, enlisted Noah's help for the meeting since he knows more about the foundation than she does. They both shared their worries about the funk Luke is in, but Noah advocated patience. Just as the meeting was about to start, Brian walked in the door, saying that he thought he should be there since he was the one who'd set up the meeting.
Noah called Luke to tell him about Brian's arrival, and Luke showed up just as the man they were meeting, the head of the Starglow Foundation, said that he felt the mission statement for Luke's foundation was too vague. Luke, back in fine form, sailed in and declared that the mission statement was all too clear.
Yes! Scenes like this one make me forget everything bad that has ever happened in the entire history of Nuke. The chemistry between Van & Jake has a life of its own and when they're given a scene like this, it sets the screen on fire.
Together, they're like nothing we've ever seen before between two men on daytime TV and for all the venting I've done about this show recently, the fact that they do give us the occasional scene like this needs to be commended. I worried that once Luke & Noah had finally made love they wouldn't really be written romantically any more, that it would all be left off screen. Today proved otherwise.
I'll be back later tonight with my thoughts on Milk!
It all started out in a way that made me nervous: Luke & Noah leaving the police station after having given their statements about Mark. They were discussing the whole mess- hereafter forever unmentionable, or at least I hope so- and Luke was feeling bad that Kevin had been arrested, too, and charged as an accessory after the fact.
Noah praised Luke, saying that by not giving up he'd helped catch a dangerous killer/drug dealer, but Luke was still feeling, in his own words, like crap (maybe he's been watching the same show I've been watching, because that will do it!).
Meanwhile, Lily got a call about Luke & Lucinda having a meeting scheduled that afternoon for Luke's foundation, something that Brian had set up before he left about possibly partnering up with another foundation. Lucinda, whom I don't think we'd seen since Brian's coming out episode, didn't feel up to going, given that she's currently undergoing radiation for her cancer and it's wiping her out.
Lily tried to contact Luke but only got his voicemail, which lead to Lucinda & Lily discussing how lost and depressed Luke has become since being kicked out of school.
Luke & Noah were discussing much the same thing across town, since apparently Holden was right and Luke was using That Which Shall Not Be Mentioned to keep his mind off his own problems and now that it's all over, he doesn't know what he should be doing with his life.
Noah played the supportive boyfriend and told Luke that finding out what you want to do in life is trial and error for everyone and that he himself is figuring it out in college. After Noah left to go study for a midterm, Luke headed home and told Lily that he didn't feel up to going to the meeting, saying she could go in his place. Lily, who is on the board of the foundation but knows nothing of its day to day business, was less than pleased.
After she left, Lucinda called Luke a spoiled brat and confronted him about turning his back on the foundation. Luke admitted to his Grandmother that he's not the same naive person he was when he started the foundation and Lucinda told him that helping people is never naive.
Luke confessed that he really started the foundation to throw it back in his 'so called father' Damian's face, to do something he knew Damian would hate with the guilt money he'd given Luke. He just doesn't feel like he's the do-gooder everyone thinks he should be to run the foundation. Lucinda warned Luke that he won't always be able to do anything he wants in life and that he should take advantage of things while he can or he'll regret it later.
Lily, meanwhile, enlisted Noah's help for the meeting since he knows more about the foundation than she does. They both shared their worries about the funk Luke is in, but Noah advocated patience. Just as the meeting was about to start, Brian walked in the door, saying that he thought he should be there since he was the one who'd set up the meeting.
Noah called Luke to tell him about Brian's arrival, and Luke showed up just as the man they were meeting, the head of the Starglow Foundation, said that he felt the mission statement for Luke's foundation was too vague. Luke, back in fine form, sailed in and declared that the mission statement was all too clear.
Luke: Now, let me try and guess what it is that you don't like. Could it be our support for the gay film festival? Our contribution to the Campaign for Hate Crime Legislation? Well, it's like you said in the very beginning, Brian, some professionals don't like things that are so 'controversial'. But this foundation is dedicated to equal rights for everyone. Now you can stay and help make that a reality, or you can go and we can do it without the help of the Starglow Foundation.
The head of the Starglow Foundation asked if Brian agreed with all of that and Lily quickly pointed out that Brian no longer worked for the Luke Snyder Foundation, but that everyone who does supports Luke completely. Luke told Brian to go ahead and speak his own mind and Brian surprised everyone by saying that he supported Luke completely, that the foundation is a private one endowed by Luke, who has a wide variety of interests, including Equal Rights.
The Starglow jerk advised them to started looking for other partners and left, but by that point, no one really cared since they were all thanking Brian for changing his tune about the foundation and being glad that Luke was showing some interest in it again.
Lily invited Brian back to the house to see Lucinda, who just that morning had admitted to her daughter that she missed her ex and how he'd made her feel. Once they were all back at the house, Lily somehow or other nominated herself to take over Brian's old job as Administrator of the Luke Snyder Foundation (so, no one has been administering it for the last few months since Brian left?) and then they all left Lucinda alone to catch up with Brian.
They had some nice scenes, demonstrating that they both still care for each other, and we learned that Brian, though not ready to come out to the world yet, seems to be far more comfortable with his sexuality. He's also accepted a new job with a foundation in Minnesota and the two of them decide to be friends, which is sweet. I just wish we could see the friendship onscreen and that Brian was going to be sticking around more than just for this one episode. I still think he'd be a very interesting character to explore.
But back to Luke & Noah, who'd headed to Old Town, where Noah told Luke how proud he is of him for showing up after how he'd been acting. Luke admitted that he'd been kind of down and Noah told him that he'd finally seemed like himself again.
Noah asked if Luke was really going to get back to work on the foundation and Luke said that he was, that there was a lot of work to be done and no reason to wait to do it.
The following conversation took place on a bench in Old Town, with the two speaking softly, leaning in to each other, holding hands, sharing little touches, and then kissing. It was, in other words, very romantic, sweet, sexy, and just what Luke & Noah should be about:
The head of the Starglow Foundation asked if Brian agreed with all of that and Lily quickly pointed out that Brian no longer worked for the Luke Snyder Foundation, but that everyone who does supports Luke completely. Luke told Brian to go ahead and speak his own mind and Brian surprised everyone by saying that he supported Luke completely, that the foundation is a private one endowed by Luke, who has a wide variety of interests, including Equal Rights.
The Starglow jerk advised them to started looking for other partners and left, but by that point, no one really cared since they were all thanking Brian for changing his tune about the foundation and being glad that Luke was showing some interest in it again.
Lily invited Brian back to the house to see Lucinda, who just that morning had admitted to her daughter that she missed her ex and how he'd made her feel. Once they were all back at the house, Lily somehow or other nominated herself to take over Brian's old job as Administrator of the Luke Snyder Foundation (so, no one has been administering it for the last few months since Brian left?) and then they all left Lucinda alone to catch up with Brian.
They had some nice scenes, demonstrating that they both still care for each other, and we learned that Brian, though not ready to come out to the world yet, seems to be far more comfortable with his sexuality. He's also accepted a new job with a foundation in Minnesota and the two of them decide to be friends, which is sweet. I just wish we could see the friendship onscreen and that Brian was going to be sticking around more than just for this one episode. I still think he'd be a very interesting character to explore.
But back to Luke & Noah, who'd headed to Old Town, where Noah told Luke how proud he is of him for showing up after how he'd been acting. Luke admitted that he'd been kind of down and Noah told him that he'd finally seemed like himself again.
Noah asked if Luke was really going to get back to work on the foundation and Luke said that he was, that there was a lot of work to be done and no reason to wait to do it.
The following conversation took place on a bench in Old Town, with the two speaking softly, leaning in to each other, holding hands, sharing little touches, and then kissing. It was, in other words, very romantic, sweet, sexy, and just what Luke & Noah should be about:
Noah: You know who you reminded me of today?
Luke: Who?
Noah: The guy I first met. The first thing I remember about you is just how comfortable you were in your own skin, and that was so amazing to me.
Luke: Well, you were pretty amazing to me, too.
Noah: I was a mess! I was half in the closet and half in denial. I was lucky if I remembered my own name.
Luke: Yeah, but I knew you'd get past that.
Noah: If I did, it was because of you. And watching you go through all of this, I just wanted to tell you that you are still the man you were when we first met. I didn't know how to help you get it back, but you did it yourself, today.
Luke: So you're proud of me?
Noah: Yeah, I already told you.
Luke: Why don't you show me?
Noah: Yeah? Why don't you come back to the dorm and let me?
(they kiss)
Luke: All right, but don't expect to be getting any studying done.
(they kiss again)
Luke: Who?
Noah: The guy I first met. The first thing I remember about you is just how comfortable you were in your own skin, and that was so amazing to me.
Luke: Well, you were pretty amazing to me, too.
Noah: I was a mess! I was half in the closet and half in denial. I was lucky if I remembered my own name.
Luke: Yeah, but I knew you'd get past that.
Noah: If I did, it was because of you. And watching you go through all of this, I just wanted to tell you that you are still the man you were when we first met. I didn't know how to help you get it back, but you did it yourself, today.
Luke: So you're proud of me?
Noah: Yeah, I already told you.
Luke: Why don't you show me?
Noah: Yeah? Why don't you come back to the dorm and let me?
(they kiss)
Luke: All right, but don't expect to be getting any studying done.
(they kiss again)
Yes! Scenes like this one make me forget everything bad that has ever happened in the entire history of Nuke. The chemistry between Van & Jake has a life of its own and when they're given a scene like this, it sets the screen on fire.
Together, they're like nothing we've ever seen before between two men on daytime TV and for all the venting I've done about this show recently, the fact that they do give us the occasional scene like this needs to be commended. I worried that once Luke & Noah had finally made love they wouldn't really be written romantically any more, that it would all be left off screen. Today proved otherwise.
I'll be back later tonight with my thoughts on Milk!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Idol Talk
Not surprisingly, Adam Lambert made it into the Top 11 tonight on American Idol. I honestly wasn't too worried, given his amazing performance and a few pretty bad performances by some of his fellow competitors.
I love that he chose a song about equality and that he sang it so well. I think it's quite possible he was sending a personal message with the choice, and I'm hardly the only one who has mentioned this in the online world today.
AfterElton had a post about Adam's performance and Brian Juergens raised an important point:
"It's interesting that as we get to know the contestants better as the pool is whittled down, we learn nothing about Lambert other than that he lives in LA and has supportive parents. We asked the show directly if Lambert is openly gay and were told that the show doesn't comment on the sexuality of its contestants. Funny, because most of the other competitors have mentioned their spouses, children, significant others, etc. in their bio videos.
Is Lambert being given that opportunity, or is the decision being made for him? At this point, seeing as how he's a likely bet for the finals, we may never know. "
Honestly, I tend to fast forward through all of those personal videos except for Adam's, but even in high speed I noticed the abundance of everyone else's personal life in their videos and the lack of it in Adam's.
I'm hoping that before the competition is over, Adam will be able to show off his boyfriend (assuming he's seeing someone), maybe in one of those videos or perhaps sitting in the crowd and identified onscreen, like other contestant's partners and family are.
Will this happen? It doesn't seem likely, but then again, there is a first time for everything and the farther Adam goes in this competition the more barriers he can break down.
As I said yesterday, I'm new to the show so no change is very shocking to me. I honestly think it might work better altogether if they changed the whole system and after America voted each week the judges had to pick who to eliminate out of the bottom two each week, at least until it was down to the top 5 and then America could have final say for the remaining weeks.
I can't believe I actually put thought into how American Idol should work! I said yesterday that I'd gone over to the dark side completely and didn't even care, but the truth of the matter is that I haven't actually told anyone I know that I'm watching the show. I'm a total closet Idol watcher.
On another subject, Milk arrived in the mail today from Netflix, so I'll finally get to see the film! I'll write about that tomorrow. I'll also be writing about As The World Turns, since it's a Luke & Noah day, the first post-murder mystery crapfest Nuke day, in fact! I saw in the preview at the end of today's show that Brian will be back tomorrow, too, which I think is great. I know it's only a brief return, but I can't wait to see what's been happening with him since he finally came out.
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