Once upon a time, I enjoyed As the World Turns. Those days seem so long ago and far away now, though, that they might as well be from some fairy tale about the days of knights and castles and spinning wheels. Today's episode had me questioning why I'm still torturing myself by watching the Nuke scenes.
Mind you, it wasn't really any worse than any other story we've seen on the show recently. I think I may just finally be reaching the point where I can't endure any more. Or maybe I just can't stand to see wonderful actors, like Van Hansis, forced to choose between trying to bring meaning to this dreck or phoning in the sort of performance that this crap actually deserves.
All right, so we picked up where we left off, with Luke & Noah at the station with Casey, discussing Riley not really being Riley. Luke & Noah decided that he'd probably never even really talked to Hasbro for permission to film on the base.
The three of them ignored Margo's order to stay at the station, with Luke heading to meet with Damian and sign papers for the foundation, Noah leaving for Java to try and get some of his shifts back now that the filming on the base wasn't going to happen, and Casey going home to check on his mother.
Noah only made it as far as the door of Java, which was where Colonel Mayer, bleeding from his gunshot wound, grabbed him. Noah was suitably shocked and then angry to discover that his father was alive and had let him go on believing he was dead all this time.
Mayer went on about having to take this risk to see Noah again and convinced his son not to call for a doctor but to go somewhere private with him so they could have a chance to talk.
Luke showed up at Java to meet his boyfriend and found out that Noah hadn't been there. Then he found Noah's backpack outside the door and went straight to Damian to ask if he'd pissed off any more crazy Grimaldis lately! When Damian assured him he hadn't, Luke called Casey to ask if he'd seen Noah.
By that time, Casey was at the hospital with his mother and said he hadn't seen him. He then added, in a totally offhand way, that Noah's dad was "in town" before remembering to add that Colonel Mayer was also alive. You know, just in case Luke thought his corpse had been reanimated.
Luke filled Damian in and they began to try and figure out where Mayer and Noah could be. While they were doing that, the Colonel took Noah to Hasbro's office to talk.
Now, these scenes between Noah and the Colonel actually weren't that bad. It would have been nice if the show had taken some time on this aspect of the story, rather than focusing on the Psycho of the Month angle. But, a fish has to swim, a bird's got to fly and Passanante's got to fill her monthly psycho quota.
Noah and his dad talked about that last moment on the boat, where they'd actually been feeling a connection again, before Mayer accused Noah of betraying him and jumped overboard. The Colonel said that as soon as those words came out of his mouth, he'd known they weren't true, but it was too late.
The Colonel explained that he'd been keeping an eye on Noah and looking for some sign that he might be willing to forgive him, and when he heard about the movie Noah was making, he finally had hope. Noah informed his father that he'd been trying to understand, not to forgive, and that he hadn't been able to.
The Colonel talked about wanting to make things right and Noah told him the only way he could do that was to pay for what he did to Noah's mother by turning himself in. Mayer said that was not an option and asked Noah to come away with him so they could start again, that everything he'd ever done had been out of love for his son.
Noah refused, of course. Winston then asked his son to help him get away, giving him the choice of helping him or seeing him die a free man, since he was still bleeding from his gunshot wound.
Damian and Luke, meanwhile, had decided that Hasbro might be involved in what was happening. Damian placed a call to the Lieutenant, telling him that Colonel Mayer was going to be leaving the country on one of his ships and Damian needed papers for him.
Hasbro bought the ruse and met with Damian on the docks, with Luke hiding behind a crate right beside them. Hasbro had papers for Noah, too, but before Damian could find out more, a dock worker showed up and blew Luke's hiding place. Luke & Damian then chased down this tough army guy, dangled him by his feet above the river until he cracked in three seconds flat and told them everything. It was so completely ridiculous and so painful to watch!
Luke and Damian showed up at the abandoned army base where Mayer had been hiding out. Wait, so Riley went to see Hasbro there, before he knew it was really Colonel Mayer, and never caught on to the fact that the place was obviously abandoned except for this one random office?! And Noah wasn't supposed to notice that either when Riley brought him there to see 'Hasbro'? Come on! They're not even trying any more, are they?
Noah was attempting to get a weakened Colonel Mayer out of there when Luke spotted them and came running up. Luke whipped out his phone to call the police, but Noah asked him not to, saying that he couldn't live with sending his own father to prison. As Damian showed up and grabbed Mayer, who was clearly not doing well by that point, Luke convinced Noah that his father would haunt him forever if he didn't turn him in, that he'd always wonder where he was and what awful things he was doing. Luke could have saved a lot of time, I think, by just telling Noah that his dad had shot Casey's mom, but oddly enough he never mentioned it.
Anyway, Noah saw the light and placed the call himself.
I became a lifelong fan of Van Hansis during Luke's coming out story and I love the onscreen chemistry that he has with Jake Silbermann. Even those things, though, are starting to feel like not enough of a reason to continue to endure the God awful writing on this show. It's not even just bad writing, either, it's bad writing at warp speed, which just means that instead of a terrible story lasting for a few months, we have to endure many terrible stories, one after another, in that same time period.
Take, for instance, this latest return of Colonel Mayer. He shows up in one episode, shoots Margo in the second, and is turned in to the cops in the third. Wham, bam, f--- you Passanante.
I'm just so sick of it. A recent column by Roger Friedman stated that Proctor & Gamble wants out of the soap business (something that's been pretty obvious to fans for at least a decade now) and, far from trying to save the longest running show in history, actively drove Guiding Light into the ground.
This continuing reign of terror by Passanante and Chris Goutman at As The World Turns makes perfect sense when viewed in that light. If someone at the top didn't want to kill off As the World Turns, those two would have been shown the door a few years ago. I can't think of any other reason a soap would allow a producer/writer team to continue for this long as ratings plummet and the show becomes a bad joke.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Rafe & Adam: The Hook Up
Today we picked up right where we left off on Friday's The Young and the Restless, with Rafe still not having responded to Adam's questions about 'having feelings'.
Adam told the silent Rafe to forget it, that he was 'just some client', and Rafe corrected him, saying that they were friends. Adam told Rafe that he should never have said anything about his feelings and Rafe asked why he did. Adam explained that everyone in town always looks at him with suspicion and he can take anyone looking at him that way except Rafe.
Adam said they should just forget he'd said anything, but Rafe moved in close and, as he caressed the side of Adam's neck, said that they couldn't. Adam looked decidedly nervous at that point, as they faded to commercial.
When we next saw the two of them, it was after the sex, with Adam buttoning up his shirt and Rafe already fully dressed and fixing his tie. I didn't really think we'd see them in bed together today (we haven't even seen Luke & Noah in bed together, remember!), but I had hoped for a kiss or, at the very least, some mutual shirtlessness!
Adam was looking decidedly freaked out by what had just happened between him and Rafe, and his new lover noted that he was quiet and offered to go- or to stay, if Adam wanted. Adam quickly said that Rafe should go, using the fact that Adam's father was in the house as an excuse.
Rafe told Adam that he knows that he's with Heather and that everyone sees him a certain way, so if he's confused at all... Adam interrupted to say that he was fine and Rafe departed with a rather awkward "Take it easy."
As soon as Rafe was out the door, Adam rather hilariously grabbed his cell phone and called up his girlfriend, Heather, telling her that he needed her. When Heather showed up, the fresh from the shower Adam practically launched himself at her, obviously in an attempt to re-establish his heterosexuality to himself.
I rather cynically thought the next scene would be the two of them in bed together, something we didn't get to see with Adam and Rafe, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that they treated the two scenes exactly alike. When we came back from the commercial, Adam and Heather were doing the post-sex dressing routine and Heather was noting that she had to get back to work.
The only real difference, then, was that Heather and Adam kissed onscreen and Adam and Rafe did not. Still, they should hopefully have more opportunities in the near future to remedy that!
After Heather left, Adam got a call from Rafe, who asked how he was. When Adam not very convincingly said he was fine, Rafe told him that what he'd said before he left was just an attempt to give Adam some space, but that it must have come across as detached. What he should have said, Rafe admitted, was that he had the same feelings that Adam had talked about.
That's where things were left today. So, it's obvious that this was Adam's first time with a guy. He could still be bisexual, of course. His reaction to the situation- immediately sleeping with Heather- seems more in tune with someone who is freaked out by having enjoyed what he'd just experienced, rather than with someone who'd coldly done what he had to do and felt nothing about it.
It will be really interesting to see where things go from here between these two. Clearly, Adam achieved his objective, since Rafe not only stopped his search but seemed to drop his suspicions about Adam altogether. But how much farther is Adam going to go to keep Rafe from causing him trouble? And, perhaps more importantly, what exactly is Adam going to end up feeling about Rafe and about what they're doing together?
Unlike with pretty much any story Luke & Noah have ever had since they became a couple, I'm excited to tune in next time and find out what happens!
Adam told the silent Rafe to forget it, that he was 'just some client', and Rafe corrected him, saying that they were friends. Adam told Rafe that he should never have said anything about his feelings and Rafe asked why he did. Adam explained that everyone in town always looks at him with suspicion and he can take anyone looking at him that way except Rafe.
Adam said they should just forget he'd said anything, but Rafe moved in close and, as he caressed the side of Adam's neck, said that they couldn't. Adam looked decidedly nervous at that point, as they faded to commercial.
When we next saw the two of them, it was after the sex, with Adam buttoning up his shirt and Rafe already fully dressed and fixing his tie. I didn't really think we'd see them in bed together today (we haven't even seen Luke & Noah in bed together, remember!), but I had hoped for a kiss or, at the very least, some mutual shirtlessness!
Adam was looking decidedly freaked out by what had just happened between him and Rafe, and his new lover noted that he was quiet and offered to go- or to stay, if Adam wanted. Adam quickly said that Rafe should go, using the fact that Adam's father was in the house as an excuse.
Rafe told Adam that he knows that he's with Heather and that everyone sees him a certain way, so if he's confused at all... Adam interrupted to say that he was fine and Rafe departed with a rather awkward "Take it easy."
As soon as Rafe was out the door, Adam rather hilariously grabbed his cell phone and called up his girlfriend, Heather, telling her that he needed her. When Heather showed up, the fresh from the shower Adam practically launched himself at her, obviously in an attempt to re-establish his heterosexuality to himself.
I rather cynically thought the next scene would be the two of them in bed together, something we didn't get to see with Adam and Rafe, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that they treated the two scenes exactly alike. When we came back from the commercial, Adam and Heather were doing the post-sex dressing routine and Heather was noting that she had to get back to work.
The only real difference, then, was that Heather and Adam kissed onscreen and Adam and Rafe did not. Still, they should hopefully have more opportunities in the near future to remedy that!
After Heather left, Adam got a call from Rafe, who asked how he was. When Adam not very convincingly said he was fine, Rafe told him that what he'd said before he left was just an attempt to give Adam some space, but that it must have come across as detached. What he should have said, Rafe admitted, was that he had the same feelings that Adam had talked about.
That's where things were left today. So, it's obvious that this was Adam's first time with a guy. He could still be bisexual, of course. His reaction to the situation- immediately sleeping with Heather- seems more in tune with someone who is freaked out by having enjoyed what he'd just experienced, rather than with someone who'd coldly done what he had to do and felt nothing about it.
It will be really interesting to see where things go from here between these two. Clearly, Adam achieved his objective, since Rafe not only stopped his search but seemed to drop his suspicions about Adam altogether. But how much farther is Adam going to go to keep Rafe from causing him trouble? And, perhaps more importantly, what exactly is Adam going to end up feeling about Rafe and about what they're doing together?
Unlike with pretty much any story Luke & Noah have ever had since they became a couple, I'm excited to tune in next time and find out what happens!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Last Week's Kish
There was only one Kish day on One Life to Live last week, on Tuesday, though Kyle did appear by himself on Thursday and Friday.
On Tuesday, Kyle had another confrontation with Schuyler, this time at the gym. Schuyler tried to get the name of Shane's real donor from Kyle, first through pinning him down with a barbell and, when that didn't work, through harassment and guilt trips.
Kyle offered the same deal to Schuyler that he had to Gigi: get Natalie to drop the blackmail charges and he'll give up the name. After Schuyler left, a brief flicker of what seemed to be remorse and shame flickered across Kyle's face. Brett Claywell is doing a good job of showing us that Kyle is desperate and feels backed into a corner, but is not a complete monster. That will be important, since there is no way that Fish would ever be with someone who didn't feel guilty for doing the things that Kyle has been doing.
Meanwhile, Fish and Layla were discussing their date in front of Cristian back at their apartment. Layla told Fish she'd had a nice time, had enjoyed the concert and thought the yellow roses were beautiful, while Cristian looked on with thinly disguised jealously. After she left the room, Cristian started in again on treating her right. Fish pointed out that one date didn't mean they were dating and wondered if Cristian didn't have feelings for Layla himself.
Cristian denied this just before Layla came back into the room and the discussion turned to Layla's search for a job. Fish asked her if she'd ever considered police work and a laugh from Cristian seemed to have Layla immediately determined to become a cop just to spite him. Fish explained that he just meant that Detective McBain was looking for an administrative assistant and Layla asked for an application while still entertaining the idea of the police academy.
Fish then headed to the gym, where we had our only Kish scene of the week. The guys ran into each other and Kyle quickly apologized for having potentially embarrassed Oliver in front of the woman he'd been with in the park. Fish explained that Layla was his roommate and Kyle seemed to perk up a bit at that news, at least until Fish quickly added that they were also dating.
Kyle's response was a wry "Lucky you. She's beautiful." Fish just looked as unsettled as he usually does around Kyle.
As I said, Kyle was on by himself on Thursday and Friday, when he blackmailed Roxy yet again, this time into trying to get Natalie to drop the charges against him since Roxy raised Natalie and is still an honorary mother of sorts to her. He promised to keep the donor a secret if she did this for him.
Gigi and Schuyler, meanwhile, ended up telling Natalie and her husband Jared the truth about the whole mess and the two of them dropped the charges against Kyle and then demanded to know who the real donor was, promising to reinstate the charges if he didn't come clean.
I can't wait to see more happen with these guys! I do love that they're doing a slow build and taking their time, though. It's so much better than some other soaps, which tell (bad) stories at the speed of light!
It looks like things may not come to a breaking point for Fish until August, when another gay character, Nick, will show up in town and cause a bit of jealousy. Nick will be played by openly gay stage actor Nicholas Rodriguez, a relative unknown, but it was rumored that a few former soap stars tried out for the part, including Agim Kaba, most recently seen as Luke's brother Aaron on As the World Turns. That would have been awesome, I have to say, but either way I can't wait to see things heat up for Kyle and Fish when Nick comes into the picture.
I'm loving this story so far, even while a lot of it is still be told through subtext. I can only imagine how great it will be when the guys face their feelings for each other!
On Tuesday, Kyle had another confrontation with Schuyler, this time at the gym. Schuyler tried to get the name of Shane's real donor from Kyle, first through pinning him down with a barbell and, when that didn't work, through harassment and guilt trips.
Kyle offered the same deal to Schuyler that he had to Gigi: get Natalie to drop the blackmail charges and he'll give up the name. After Schuyler left, a brief flicker of what seemed to be remorse and shame flickered across Kyle's face. Brett Claywell is doing a good job of showing us that Kyle is desperate and feels backed into a corner, but is not a complete monster. That will be important, since there is no way that Fish would ever be with someone who didn't feel guilty for doing the things that Kyle has been doing.
Meanwhile, Fish and Layla were discussing their date in front of Cristian back at their apartment. Layla told Fish she'd had a nice time, had enjoyed the concert and thought the yellow roses were beautiful, while Cristian looked on with thinly disguised jealously. After she left the room, Cristian started in again on treating her right. Fish pointed out that one date didn't mean they were dating and wondered if Cristian didn't have feelings for Layla himself.
Cristian denied this just before Layla came back into the room and the discussion turned to Layla's search for a job. Fish asked her if she'd ever considered police work and a laugh from Cristian seemed to have Layla immediately determined to become a cop just to spite him. Fish explained that he just meant that Detective McBain was looking for an administrative assistant and Layla asked for an application while still entertaining the idea of the police academy.
Fish then headed to the gym, where we had our only Kish scene of the week. The guys ran into each other and Kyle quickly apologized for having potentially embarrassed Oliver in front of the woman he'd been with in the park. Fish explained that Layla was his roommate and Kyle seemed to perk up a bit at that news, at least until Fish quickly added that they were also dating.
Kyle's response was a wry "Lucky you. She's beautiful." Fish just looked as unsettled as he usually does around Kyle.
As I said, Kyle was on by himself on Thursday and Friday, when he blackmailed Roxy yet again, this time into trying to get Natalie to drop the charges against him since Roxy raised Natalie and is still an honorary mother of sorts to her. He promised to keep the donor a secret if she did this for him.
Gigi and Schuyler, meanwhile, ended up telling Natalie and her husband Jared the truth about the whole mess and the two of them dropped the charges against Kyle and then demanded to know who the real donor was, promising to reinstate the charges if he didn't come clean.
I can't wait to see more happen with these guys! I do love that they're doing a slow build and taking their time, though. It's so much better than some other soaps, which tell (bad) stories at the speed of light!
It looks like things may not come to a breaking point for Fish until August, when another gay character, Nick, will show up in town and cause a bit of jealousy. Nick will be played by openly gay stage actor Nicholas Rodriguez, a relative unknown, but it was rumored that a few former soap stars tried out for the part, including Agim Kaba, most recently seen as Luke's brother Aaron on As the World Turns. That would have been awesome, I have to say, but either way I can't wait to see things heat up for Kyle and Fish when Nick comes into the picture.
I'm loving this story so far, even while a lot of it is still be told through subtext. I can only imagine how great it will be when the guys face their feelings for each other!
Nuke Day #2: He Shot the Sheriff (or something like that)
Friday was the second Nuke day of this past week, and it started with the guys at Java, discussing their trip to the army base. Noah was having second thoughts about letting Luke sneak in and when Riley showed up Noah told him what Luke was planning and asked him to explain why it was a bad idea.
Riley convinced the guys to let him talk to 'Hasbro' first and see if something could be worked out. He then hightailed it to Colonel Mayer and told him that Luke was determined to come with Noah to the base. The Colonel ordered Riley to make sure that didn't happen, unless he wanted Margo Hughes to find out his true identity.
Riley called Noah up and said that Hasbro might be willing to give Luke a pass after all, but that Noah had to come alone first to talk it over with him. Noah readily agreed, but when he filled Luke in on this turn of events, Luke said he had a bad feeling about the situation and didn't want Noah to go.
Noah talked Luke around, pointing out that nothing would happen to him on an army base full of people, and saying that if it didn't work out, they'd go back to the original plan and have Luke sneak in. No sooner had Luke agreed to this, though, than Casey Hughes was flying through the front door, waving around a letter he'd just received from the V.A. about his inquiry into Riley Morgan.
The letter informed Casey that the real Riley Morgan had been killed by a bomb in Afghanistan and included a picture of the man, who of course was not the same guy who'd been living in the Hughes house and claiming to be a friend of the late Adam Hughes.
As Casey was explaining all of this to the guys, Riley showed up to take Noah back to the base for his meeting with 'Hasbro' and overheard everything. As the guys all headed to the police station to fill Margo in, Riley made a mad dash for the Hughes house to pack up and get out of town.
Colonel Mayer, meanwhile, was impatient over the fact that Riley hadn't delivered Noah to him yet and decided to take matters into his own hands, grabbing a gun on the way out the door.
At the station, Margo greeted the boys with a rather snide comment about playing amateur detectives again and how well it worked out last time. Which time, Margo? When they figured out who killed Reg & Elwood? Or the time that Damian saved them from evil fake twins before you even showed up?
Anyway, Casey broke the news to his mom that the guy she has bonded with is a scam artist, while Luke and Noah stood around to provide 'support'. Margo told the boys that she'd handle the situation and ordered the three of them to stay at the station.
At the Hughes house, Riley was on his way out the door before he stopped and grabbed a pad and a pen to leave Margo a note. After hesitating for a moment about what to write, he abandoned the attempt and opened the door to find himself face to face with Colonel Mayer.
Riley quickly informed Noah's dad that the jig was up and that he had to get out of town. The Colonel raised his gun to Riley's face and declared that Riley was no longer of use to him. Before he could shoot, though, Margo was behind him with her own gun drawn, ordering him to drop his weapon.
When the Colonel turned to face Margo, she lowered her gun in shock. Oh, lord. Do they seriously have to write Margo as this inept? I mean, she's a cop. Hell, she's not only a cop, she's the Chief of Detectives! Surely with all her training, she'd never lower her gun when faced with an armed assailant, even if it was someone she thought was already dead.
The Colonel then pulled the old 'turn to look at one guy while swinging your gun around under your arm to shoot the other' trick. Is that really an old trick? I have no idea, but it was actually a good bit of thinking on the Colonel's part. After he shot Margo, he and Riley struggled for the gun and Colonel Mayer took a bullet in his side before running off.
Riley, or should I say Adam, then dropped down to Margo and to absolutely no one's shock yelled "Mom!"
It looks like the Colonel will continue his rampage next week. Maybe you can muster up more excitement about that than I can, but I'd strongly suspect you of being on some really powerful drugs if you could.
Riley convinced the guys to let him talk to 'Hasbro' first and see if something could be worked out. He then hightailed it to Colonel Mayer and told him that Luke was determined to come with Noah to the base. The Colonel ordered Riley to make sure that didn't happen, unless he wanted Margo Hughes to find out his true identity.
Riley called Noah up and said that Hasbro might be willing to give Luke a pass after all, but that Noah had to come alone first to talk it over with him. Noah readily agreed, but when he filled Luke in on this turn of events, Luke said he had a bad feeling about the situation and didn't want Noah to go.
Noah talked Luke around, pointing out that nothing would happen to him on an army base full of people, and saying that if it didn't work out, they'd go back to the original plan and have Luke sneak in. No sooner had Luke agreed to this, though, than Casey Hughes was flying through the front door, waving around a letter he'd just received from the V.A. about his inquiry into Riley Morgan.
The letter informed Casey that the real Riley Morgan had been killed by a bomb in Afghanistan and included a picture of the man, who of course was not the same guy who'd been living in the Hughes house and claiming to be a friend of the late Adam Hughes.
As Casey was explaining all of this to the guys, Riley showed up to take Noah back to the base for his meeting with 'Hasbro' and overheard everything. As the guys all headed to the police station to fill Margo in, Riley made a mad dash for the Hughes house to pack up and get out of town.
Colonel Mayer, meanwhile, was impatient over the fact that Riley hadn't delivered Noah to him yet and decided to take matters into his own hands, grabbing a gun on the way out the door.
At the station, Margo greeted the boys with a rather snide comment about playing amateur detectives again and how well it worked out last time. Which time, Margo? When they figured out who killed Reg & Elwood? Or the time that Damian saved them from evil fake twins before you even showed up?
Anyway, Casey broke the news to his mom that the guy she has bonded with is a scam artist, while Luke and Noah stood around to provide 'support'. Margo told the boys that she'd handle the situation and ordered the three of them to stay at the station.
At the Hughes house, Riley was on his way out the door before he stopped and grabbed a pad and a pen to leave Margo a note. After hesitating for a moment about what to write, he abandoned the attempt and opened the door to find himself face to face with Colonel Mayer.
Riley quickly informed Noah's dad that the jig was up and that he had to get out of town. The Colonel raised his gun to Riley's face and declared that Riley was no longer of use to him. Before he could shoot, though, Margo was behind him with her own gun drawn, ordering him to drop his weapon.
When the Colonel turned to face Margo, she lowered her gun in shock. Oh, lord. Do they seriously have to write Margo as this inept? I mean, she's a cop. Hell, she's not only a cop, she's the Chief of Detectives! Surely with all her training, she'd never lower her gun when faced with an armed assailant, even if it was someone she thought was already dead.
The Colonel then pulled the old 'turn to look at one guy while swinging your gun around under your arm to shoot the other' trick. Is that really an old trick? I have no idea, but it was actually a good bit of thinking on the Colonel's part. After he shot Margo, he and Riley struggled for the gun and Colonel Mayer took a bullet in his side before running off.
Riley, or should I say Adam, then dropped down to Margo and to absolutely no one's shock yelled "Mom!"
It looks like the Colonel will continue his rampage next week. Maybe you can muster up more excitement about that than I can, but I'd strongly suspect you of being on some really powerful drugs if you could.
Nuke Day #1: Return of the Colonel
There were two Nuke days this past week. The first was on Tuesday, which marked the much anticipated return of the beloved Colonel Winston Mayer. I don't know about you, but I've been feeling like the show really hadn't been the same since he dove to his 'death' in the murky waters of that river in New York City last year.
Ah, bitter sarcasm. I must be writing about As the World Turns again!
On Tuesday, aspiring documentary filmmaker Noah found out that he'd been denied permission to film on military bases. He shared this news with his producer/camera man/sexy boyfriend Luke, who suggested that he call up Lieutenant Hasbro, the friend of his father's that he interviewed a few weeks ago, and see if he could be of any help.
For some reason, though, Hasbro refused to take Noah's call. Luke's next suggestion was that they enlist the only other military personnel of their acquaintance: Riley Morgan. Noah was hesitant, given that Casey hates the guy and might have a problem with his friends going to Riley for help. Luke, the dear little optimist, declared that Noah could end up winning an Oscar for this film, so Casey will get over it.
The guys set off to Java to meet Riley and explained the situation to him. Riley pointed out that he was no longer in the military, that his tour was over. The guys said that he had a better chance of getting Hasbro to help Noah than they did, since he and Riley had the whole military connection in common. Riley brought up Noah's own connection with a decorated Colonel, but Noah explained that his father isn't just dead, he also disgraced the uniform.
When Noah left to take a call about some rented equipment, Luke suggested that Riley help them as a way to show Casey and Margo that he really is a good guy. That suggestion seemed to appeal to Riley and he agreed to help.
Luke and Noah went back to the Snyder house (seriously, when does this summer lease on their apartment start?! It's almost July!) to look at pictures of Noah as a kid. Luke ooohed and awwed over how cute the five year old Noah was and how happy he looked. Noah explained that he'd just opened a great Christmas gift in that photo: the rocking horse his father had made him by hand.
The guys discussed again how hard it is for Noah to reconcile the father who clearly loved him with the man who murdered his mother and tried to kill Luke, and they hoped that the film would help Noah with this.
Riley, meanwhile, showed up at Lieutenant Hasbro's office, only to find Colonel Mayer swiveling around to face him from Hasbro's chair, chomping on a big cigar and grinning like a true soap villain back from the dead.
Riley informed the Colonel that he'd met Hasbro before and knew that Mayer wasn't him. Noah's dad informed the other man in turn that he knew that he wasn't really Riley Morgan, either. Oh, my God! Who could have seen that coming? Besides anyone who has watched even a minute of Riley's storyline, I mean.
Colonel Mayer proceeded to introduce himself to Riley and tell him that if he didn't follow his orders, everyone in Oakdale would know Riley's secret.
Later, Riley showed up at Luke & Noah's and told them that Hasbro had agreed to allow Noah access to the base, but only Noah. Luke couldn't go with him, since he had no affiliation with anyone in the military. Noah protested that Luke was his camera man, so he couldn't do it without him, but Luke quickly agreed with the terms set by 'Hasbro'. After Riley left, Luke told Noah not to worry, that they'd find a way around the regulation.
Riley called the Colonel, who was watching the stolen DVD of Noah's film, and told him that he'd done what he asked. Mayer told him that if everything didn't go according to plan, he would hold Riley responsible.
Ho, hum. Honestly, even as badly written as this show is, I expected the return of the Colonel from the dead to be a bit more dramatic than this. If the story is going to be this dull, they could at least throw in some Luke & Noah kisses to distract us!
Ah, bitter sarcasm. I must be writing about As the World Turns again!
On Tuesday, aspiring documentary filmmaker Noah found out that he'd been denied permission to film on military bases. He shared this news with his producer/camera man/sexy boyfriend Luke, who suggested that he call up Lieutenant Hasbro, the friend of his father's that he interviewed a few weeks ago, and see if he could be of any help.
For some reason, though, Hasbro refused to take Noah's call. Luke's next suggestion was that they enlist the only other military personnel of their acquaintance: Riley Morgan. Noah was hesitant, given that Casey hates the guy and might have a problem with his friends going to Riley for help. Luke, the dear little optimist, declared that Noah could end up winning an Oscar for this film, so Casey will get over it.
The guys set off to Java to meet Riley and explained the situation to him. Riley pointed out that he was no longer in the military, that his tour was over. The guys said that he had a better chance of getting Hasbro to help Noah than they did, since he and Riley had the whole military connection in common. Riley brought up Noah's own connection with a decorated Colonel, but Noah explained that his father isn't just dead, he also disgraced the uniform.
When Noah left to take a call about some rented equipment, Luke suggested that Riley help them as a way to show Casey and Margo that he really is a good guy. That suggestion seemed to appeal to Riley and he agreed to help.
Luke and Noah went back to the Snyder house (seriously, when does this summer lease on their apartment start?! It's almost July!) to look at pictures of Noah as a kid. Luke ooohed and awwed over how cute the five year old Noah was and how happy he looked. Noah explained that he'd just opened a great Christmas gift in that photo: the rocking horse his father had made him by hand.
The guys discussed again how hard it is for Noah to reconcile the father who clearly loved him with the man who murdered his mother and tried to kill Luke, and they hoped that the film would help Noah with this.
Riley, meanwhile, showed up at Lieutenant Hasbro's office, only to find Colonel Mayer swiveling around to face him from Hasbro's chair, chomping on a big cigar and grinning like a true soap villain back from the dead.
Riley informed the Colonel that he'd met Hasbro before and knew that Mayer wasn't him. Noah's dad informed the other man in turn that he knew that he wasn't really Riley Morgan, either. Oh, my God! Who could have seen that coming? Besides anyone who has watched even a minute of Riley's storyline, I mean.
Colonel Mayer proceeded to introduce himself to Riley and tell him that if he didn't follow his orders, everyone in Oakdale would know Riley's secret.
Later, Riley showed up at Luke & Noah's and told them that Hasbro had agreed to allow Noah access to the base, but only Noah. Luke couldn't go with him, since he had no affiliation with anyone in the military. Noah protested that Luke was his camera man, so he couldn't do it without him, but Luke quickly agreed with the terms set by 'Hasbro'. After Riley left, Luke told Noah not to worry, that they'd find a way around the regulation.
Riley called the Colonel, who was watching the stolen DVD of Noah's film, and told him that he'd done what he asked. Mayer told him that if everything didn't go according to plan, he would hold Riley responsible.
Ho, hum. Honestly, even as badly written as this show is, I expected the return of the Colonel from the dead to be a bit more dramatic than this. If the story is going to be this dull, they could at least throw in some Luke & Noah kisses to distract us!
Rafe & Adam: The Beginning
Last Friday marked the real beginning of Rafe's storyline on The Young and the Restless. I hesitate to say Rafe & Adam's story, since it's far from clear if there will be anything long lasting between the two of them. In fact, rumor has it that Philip Chancellor III, played by the recently returned and openly gay actor Thom Bierdz, will be the long term love interest for Rafe.
Of course, it wasn't that long ago that the talk was of Philip Chancellor IV, who will be played by John Driscoll, as Rafe's love interest, so only time will tell for sure.
At any rate, last Friday's episode saw the beginning of Adam & Rafe's affair, if indeed that's all it proves to be. Adam is now played by the very sexy Michael Muhney, who is shown below from his debut episode on Thursday (picture from Daytime Confidential):
Here's the basic run down on Adam's recent activities: he was released from prison into house arrest at his father's ranch because he'd begun losing his eyesight through a disease that his late mother also suffered from. As it turned out, though, Adam was secretly injecting his own eyes with something or other to induce the blindness and keep himself out of prison.
He also began to secretly terrorize his father's pregnant fiancee, Ashley, until he caused her to fall down the stairs and have a miscarriage. Most recently, he pinned the whole mess on his father's housekeeper Estella, who also happens to be Rafe's aunt.
On Friday's episode, Rafe showed up to confront Adam about his suspicion that Adam was really the one trying to gaslight Ashley. Adam brought up all the usual reasons why it couldn't be him: he's under house arrest and he can barely see his own hand if he holds it in front of his face. Rafe suggested that Adam could be paying someone to help him and then pointed out that if Adam really had nothing to hide, he wouldn't mind Rafe looking around his room.
Adam, of course, had plenty to hide, with evidence waiting just under the bed where he'd shoved it when Rafe knocked on the door.
As Rafe looked around and got ever closer to finding out the truth, Adam acted quickly, stopping Rafe from searching by saying the following, all while slowly beginning to touch him:
Of course, it wasn't that long ago that the talk was of Philip Chancellor IV, who will be played by John Driscoll, as Rafe's love interest, so only time will tell for sure.
At any rate, last Friday's episode saw the beginning of Adam & Rafe's affair, if indeed that's all it proves to be. Adam is now played by the very sexy Michael Muhney, who is shown below from his debut episode on Thursday (picture from Daytime Confidential):
Here's the basic run down on Adam's recent activities: he was released from prison into house arrest at his father's ranch because he'd begun losing his eyesight through a disease that his late mother also suffered from. As it turned out, though, Adam was secretly injecting his own eyes with something or other to induce the blindness and keep himself out of prison.
He also began to secretly terrorize his father's pregnant fiancee, Ashley, until he caused her to fall down the stairs and have a miscarriage. Most recently, he pinned the whole mess on his father's housekeeper Estella, who also happens to be Rafe's aunt.
On Friday's episode, Rafe showed up to confront Adam about his suspicion that Adam was really the one trying to gaslight Ashley. Adam brought up all the usual reasons why it couldn't be him: he's under house arrest and he can barely see his own hand if he holds it in front of his face. Rafe suggested that Adam could be paying someone to help him and then pointed out that if Adam really had nothing to hide, he wouldn't mind Rafe looking around his room.
Adam, of course, had plenty to hide, with evidence waiting just under the bed where he'd shoved it when Rafe knocked on the door.
As Rafe looked around and got ever closer to finding out the truth, Adam acted quickly, stopping Rafe from searching by saying the following, all while slowly beginning to touch him:
Adam: I can't believe you of all people would accuse me... listen! Rafe, listen to me, it hurts me to think that you would think these things about me. I thought we knew each other better than that. You know, that it's not just a lawyer client relationship, that there's something there that's deeper, that's special. Rafe, I have feelings, don't you?
The cliffhanging sentence was asked as Adam touched Rafe's bottom lip with his thumb, something that I personally found incredibly sexy. Rafe was left staring into Adam's eyes with a vulnerable look on his face and he'll answer the question on Monday's episode. Yani Gellman had nothing to do in the scene as Rafe except react and he did it beautifully!
Yes, Adam is a rather evil character who is clearly using Rafe. Is Adam gay? Not likely, given his sexual relationships on the show thus far. Is he bisexual? Quite possibly. He's certainly willing to have sex with Rafe to keep him from finding out the truth. If he is actually straight, that just makes him all the more fascinating in my view!
Some people were complaining about this story in advance, about a straight character using a gay character in this manner. Most of these complaints, of course, came before we knew that Adam was actually going to sleep with Rafe, when it just seemed likely that he would lead him on. That would have been troubling to me, but the sexual aspect of the whole thing makes it a very intriguing story.
As for Rafe being used, that's all part of being a character on a soap! I love that we're to the point where a gay character is treated just like a straight character! Using sex as a tool of manipulation is nothing new on a soap, but this is the first time that a gay character has been the one being taken advantage of. Honestly, I love it!
Rafe will be likely be hurt in the long run, but it sounds like a real romance may follow for the character after this thing with Adam. If this was the only relationship that Rafe ever had I would be less than thrilled, but I really think this is just the beginning for him.
I also think this all makes Adam one of the most fascinating characters in daytime right now, while Rafe's vulnerability (and eventual heartbreak) make him all the more lovable. I'm really enjoying this story so far!
The cliffhanging sentence was asked as Adam touched Rafe's bottom lip with his thumb, something that I personally found incredibly sexy. Rafe was left staring into Adam's eyes with a vulnerable look on his face and he'll answer the question on Monday's episode. Yani Gellman had nothing to do in the scene as Rafe except react and he did it beautifully!
Yes, Adam is a rather evil character who is clearly using Rafe. Is Adam gay? Not likely, given his sexual relationships on the show thus far. Is he bisexual? Quite possibly. He's certainly willing to have sex with Rafe to keep him from finding out the truth. If he is actually straight, that just makes him all the more fascinating in my view!
Some people were complaining about this story in advance, about a straight character using a gay character in this manner. Most of these complaints, of course, came before we knew that Adam was actually going to sleep with Rafe, when it just seemed likely that he would lead him on. That would have been troubling to me, but the sexual aspect of the whole thing makes it a very intriguing story.
As for Rafe being used, that's all part of being a character on a soap! I love that we're to the point where a gay character is treated just like a straight character! Using sex as a tool of manipulation is nothing new on a soap, but this is the first time that a gay character has been the one being taken advantage of. Honestly, I love it!
Rafe will be likely be hurt in the long run, but it sounds like a real romance may follow for the character after this thing with Adam. If this was the only relationship that Rafe ever had I would be less than thrilled, but I really think this is just the beginning for him.
I also think this all makes Adam one of the most fascinating characters in daytime right now, while Rafe's vulnerability (and eventual heartbreak) make him all the more lovable. I'm really enjoying this story so far!
Another Soap Star Out Due to Gay Storyline
I did not pick a very good week to go on vacation! A lot happened in the world of gay soap characters this week that I will be attempting to catch up on and then write about tonight.
One piece of news is that yet another soap actor will no longer be playing a role due to objections over a gay storyline. This time, the story is One Life to Live's Kyle and Fish and the person in question is actress Patricia Mauceri, who has been fired from the show for refusing to play a scene in which her character, Carlotta Vega, mistakenly thinks her son Cristian is gay and is accepting of what she thinks is his sexual orientation.
The scene is said to be a comic one, in which Cristian tries to convince his mother that he really is straight. Mauceri's problem was with the depiction of her character as being someone who would accept a gay son and she reportedly refused to play the scene unless it was rewritten and didn't go against her beliefs. So, in other words, she refused to play it unless her own homophobic views were incorporated into the show as her character's views.
One Life to Live responded by showing her the door and recasting the role with former Guiding Light star Saundra Santiago.
Why do people like Mauceri and Chris Engen even want to be in the business of acting if they're not going to be able to leave their own feelings and prejudices aside to play a role? Seriously, go into a business where you won't have to pretend to be something you're not, if it bothers you that much!
The most irritating part is that you know these people would have no problem playing a killer or an adulterer or just about anything else except a gay role or, in Mauceri's case, a supportive mother of a 'gay' character.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Patricia.
One piece of news is that yet another soap actor will no longer be playing a role due to objections over a gay storyline. This time, the story is One Life to Live's Kyle and Fish and the person in question is actress Patricia Mauceri, who has been fired from the show for refusing to play a scene in which her character, Carlotta Vega, mistakenly thinks her son Cristian is gay and is accepting of what she thinks is his sexual orientation.
The scene is said to be a comic one, in which Cristian tries to convince his mother that he really is straight. Mauceri's problem was with the depiction of her character as being someone who would accept a gay son and she reportedly refused to play the scene unless it was rewritten and didn't go against her beliefs. So, in other words, she refused to play it unless her own homophobic views were incorporated into the show as her character's views.
One Life to Live responded by showing her the door and recasting the role with former Guiding Light star Saundra Santiago.
Why do people like Mauceri and Chris Engen even want to be in the business of acting if they're not going to be able to leave their own feelings and prejudices aside to play a role? Seriously, go into a business where you won't have to pretend to be something you're not, if it bothers you that much!
The most irritating part is that you know these people would have no problem playing a killer or an adulterer or just about anything else except a gay role or, in Mauceri's case, a supportive mother of a 'gay' character.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Patricia.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Rent!
I just got back from seeing Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal in Rent and it was just so incredibly good! Ever since I fell in love with the show, I've felt so sad that I never got a chance to see the original cast do it on stage. The feature film is great, of course, but it's just not the same thing. This was such an amazing chance, to see Anthony and Adam performing live as Mark and Roger.
They were fantastic, as was the rest of the cast, some of whom I'd seen on the DVD of the last Broadway cast in the final performance.
Adam Pascal is a beautiful man and he looks damn sexy in the sleeveless shirt he wears for part of the show. The power of his voice, and the raw emotion that he manages to bring to Roger, even after all this time, just blew me away.
I found myself more drawn to Anthony Rapp, though. Maybe it's because I feel more of a connection with his character, Mark, or maybe it's because I read his memoir, Without You, fairly recently. Or maybe it's just because he's completely adorable, I don't know. Whatever it was, I totally have a crush on him. I've always liked his character a lot (three of my four favorite songs are at least partially his: La Vie Boheme, Tango Maureen, and What You Own; my other favorite is Take Me or Leave Me), but tonight I just fell for Anthony!
He brings so much to Mark, even after all of these years, it amazes me. I'm fairly sure this will be the only time I'll ever see him do Rent live, but if it's at all possible, I hope to see him again, in something else. Maybe it will be on an actual Broadway stage! I'd love that.
We had great seats tonight, quite close to the stage, since I decided that if I was going to pay to see the show live I wasn't going to be way the hell up in the second balcony. Seeing it play out right in front of me, this show that I've come to know so well through the film version, the DVD of the last Broadway performance, and from listening to the original cast album, was almost surreal. It was also just downright incredible.
I wish I could see it again! I know there are hardcore Rent fans out there who have seen the show countless times, but for me, this one night will remain a very special moment in my life.
I may write more about this in the next few days. I just felt I had to say something tonight, while I was still on my Rent high!
I'll be writing about this week's gay soap character happenings on Sunday, when I've had a chance to sit down and catch up.
They were fantastic, as was the rest of the cast, some of whom I'd seen on the DVD of the last Broadway cast in the final performance.
Adam Pascal is a beautiful man and he looks damn sexy in the sleeveless shirt he wears for part of the show. The power of his voice, and the raw emotion that he manages to bring to Roger, even after all this time, just blew me away.
I found myself more drawn to Anthony Rapp, though. Maybe it's because I feel more of a connection with his character, Mark, or maybe it's because I read his memoir, Without You, fairly recently. Or maybe it's just because he's completely adorable, I don't know. Whatever it was, I totally have a crush on him. I've always liked his character a lot (three of my four favorite songs are at least partially his: La Vie Boheme, Tango Maureen, and What You Own; my other favorite is Take Me or Leave Me), but tonight I just fell for Anthony!
He brings so much to Mark, even after all of these years, it amazes me. I'm fairly sure this will be the only time I'll ever see him do Rent live, but if it's at all possible, I hope to see him again, in something else. Maybe it will be on an actual Broadway stage! I'd love that.
We had great seats tonight, quite close to the stage, since I decided that if I was going to pay to see the show live I wasn't going to be way the hell up in the second balcony. Seeing it play out right in front of me, this show that I've come to know so well through the film version, the DVD of the last Broadway performance, and from listening to the original cast album, was almost surreal. It was also just downright incredible.
I wish I could see it again! I know there are hardcore Rent fans out there who have seen the show countless times, but for me, this one night will remain a very special moment in my life.
I may write more about this in the next few days. I just felt I had to say something tonight, while I was still on my Rent high!
I'll be writing about this week's gay soap character happenings on Sunday, when I've had a chance to sit down and catch up.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
More Broadway Bares & a Scott Evans Interview
Just a couple of things I wanted to highlight tonight. First, in relation to what I wrote last night about Broadway Bares, you should check out author Matthew Rettenmund's review of the show from his blog, Boy Culture, including pictures and some great video clips!
By the way, one of the very first gay themed novels I ever read was Matthew Rettenmund's book Blind Items. I stumbled across it at the library and checked it out on the sly, hiding it from my family so they wouldn't know I was reading it and realize that I was gay! It all seems so amusing now, looking back on it, but at the time just checking the book out felt like such a huge deal!
The other thing I wanted to note was Scott Evans' interview with The Advocate. I love this guy more and more! Here's a bit of what he had to say, but be sure and check out the whole thing:
By the way, one of the very first gay themed novels I ever read was Matthew Rettenmund's book Blind Items. I stumbled across it at the library and checked it out on the sly, hiding it from my family so they wouldn't know I was reading it and realize that I was gay! It all seems so amusing now, looking back on it, but at the time just checking the book out felt like such a huge deal!
The other thing I wanted to note was Scott Evans' interview with The Advocate. I love this guy more and more! Here's a bit of what he had to say, but be sure and check out the whole thing:
What do you think gay soap fans can expect from this couple?
I think the journey for them is going to be what people should watch for. More than anything being so specific that it is only a gay story line… it’s a love story line, and a story about their journeys and dealing with it, and how they react with each other.
Has Fish always had feelings for Kyle?
It’s like with your “first” of anything. This was sort of a first time in college and there were feelings then, and they are there now. It’s a matter of how you deal with them.
Has Kyle been hiding his sexuality?
I don’t think it was ever revealed.
Do you consider yourself an "openly gay" actor?
I do.
Any mixed emotions about letting people in the industry know you are gay?
It was something I thought about. Maybe I should have thought about it more, but it was like I wanted to put myself first before my career. I did not want to go through life having to deal with extra issues when I am dealing with trying to get a job. So I went, “OK, this is me. Either you like or you don’t. Hopefully you can accept it, and if you can’t, bummer. If you can hire me, great.” It was that sort of thing.
By the way, there is now a message board for Fish/Kyle fans that calls itself Kishmet, so I guess Kish is winning out over Fyle as the couple's requisite fan nickname. This is why I never bet on anything, I inevitably back the loser!
I know that today was a Nuke day on As the World Turns (and may well have been a Kish day or a Rafe/Adam day on Y&R), but I haven't had a chance to catch any of today's soaps yet. Hopefully I'll have a chance to catch up tomorrow.
I know that today was a Nuke day on As the World Turns (and may well have been a Kish day or a Rafe/Adam day on Y&R), but I haven't had a chance to catch any of today's soaps yet. Hopefully I'll have a chance to catch up tomorrow.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Broadway & Vacation
AfterElton has some exclusive pictures of last weekend's Broadway Bares extravaganza, the annual show that benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and features some of the hottest guys on Broadway in next to nothing.
In other words, yet another reason I wish I lived in NYC! It looks like such a fun show. This year, in addition to the numerous hot guys of Broadway, the show featured Allison Janney, Michael Urie, and Mo Rocca.
But the men... oh the men! In addition to AfterElton's pictures, you can also visit the official site for more hotness, including video snippets of the annual shows.
One of my current crushes, Gavin Creel from Hair, was there as well, though I only see him in one photo on AfterElton. Ever since his performance at the Tonys, I've been wanting to see more from Gavin.
I bought the title song from the new version of Hair (I don't really know the rest of the show, but I liked that number) and I noticed that he'd put out an album a few years ago called Goodtimenation. Needless to say, I bought it from iTunes and I've been listening to it a lot lately. There's not a song on the CD that I don't enjoy. I love the slower, more serious songs that he pours so much emotion into, and I love the upbeat, catchy songs that are just a lot of fun to sing along to.
If I had the money, I would be going to New York this summer, just so I could see him in Hair! Alas, it will have to wait until some other time. I'm sure he'll be in plenty of shows in the future.
Well, posting may be a bit light here for the next week. I'm on vacation and even though I'm not really going anywhere specific, I have a ton of things planned, including seeing Rent with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal! I've been looking forward to it for months, so I'm really excited about that.
It'll be as close to Broadway as I've ever been and as close as I'm likely to get for the next year or two, at least.
I will write about anything that happens with gay soap characters this week (and there should be some good stuff!) but it may not be on the day the episode airs.
In other words, yet another reason I wish I lived in NYC! It looks like such a fun show. This year, in addition to the numerous hot guys of Broadway, the show featured Allison Janney, Michael Urie, and Mo Rocca.
But the men... oh the men! In addition to AfterElton's pictures, you can also visit the official site for more hotness, including video snippets of the annual shows.
One of my current crushes, Gavin Creel from Hair, was there as well, though I only see him in one photo on AfterElton. Ever since his performance at the Tonys, I've been wanting to see more from Gavin.
I bought the title song from the new version of Hair (I don't really know the rest of the show, but I liked that number) and I noticed that he'd put out an album a few years ago called Goodtimenation. Needless to say, I bought it from iTunes and I've been listening to it a lot lately. There's not a song on the CD that I don't enjoy. I love the slower, more serious songs that he pours so much emotion into, and I love the upbeat, catchy songs that are just a lot of fun to sing along to.
If I had the money, I would be going to New York this summer, just so I could see him in Hair! Alas, it will have to wait until some other time. I'm sure he'll be in plenty of shows in the future.
Well, posting may be a bit light here for the next week. I'm on vacation and even though I'm not really going anywhere specific, I have a ton of things planned, including seeing Rent with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal! I've been looking forward to it for months, so I'm really excited about that.
It'll be as close to Broadway as I've ever been and as close as I'm likely to get for the next year or two, at least.
I will write about anything that happens with gay soap characters this week (and there should be some good stuff!) but it may not be on the day the episode airs.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Y&R's Gay Storyline About to Heat Up
Next week should be a big week for the gay storyline between Rafe and Adam on The Young and the Restless. It will also, thankfully, be the end of Chris Engen's run as Adam, when the gay themed scenes he just wasn't willing to perform hit the air.
Nelson Branco's latest Suds Report has this heads up:
• DVR ALERT: On June 24, fans are forced to say goodbye to Chris Engen as Adam. The next day, Michael Muhney replaces him as Genoa City’s biggest psycho — well, next to Mary Jane and myself! As for Engen, The Suds Report can now reveal, that according to our sources, the reported reason the actor bolted was because he refused to film a scene in which Rafe and Adam have sex, which airs later next week. We didn't want to ruin the story, so we kept the plot twist under wraps by saying it was just a kiss. Yep, that's right — Adam sleeps with Rafe to keep him quiet. And it's not the last time they "do it."
Rafe has had very, very little to do since he came out to Colleen awhile back, so I can't wait to see things finally start happening for him!
Nelson Branco's latest Suds Report has this heads up:
• DVR ALERT: On June 24, fans are forced to say goodbye to Chris Engen as Adam. The next day, Michael Muhney replaces him as Genoa City’s biggest psycho — well, next to Mary Jane and myself! As for Engen, The Suds Report can now reveal, that according to our sources, the reported reason the actor bolted was because he refused to film a scene in which Rafe and Adam have sex, which airs later next week. We didn't want to ruin the story, so we kept the plot twist under wraps by saying it was just a kiss. Yep, that's right — Adam sleeps with Rafe to keep him quiet. And it's not the last time they "do it."
Rafe has had very, very little to do since he came out to Colleen awhile back, so I can't wait to see things finally start happening for him!
Fyle Day: Separately Shirtless
Both Kyle and Fish were on today's One Life to Live, though they didn't have any scenes together. They did, however, each have shirtless scenes, which only served to fuel the anticipation of the day when they have a shirtless scene together!
I'll cover Fish's scenes first, since he had fewer. Today his scenes were actually more about his two roommates, Layla and Christian, than about him. The two have been having one of those classic soap relationships, where they start out hating each other and bickering non-stop and end up in love. They've reached the stage where they're now friends who bicker a lot, all while clearly fighting their feelings of attraction.
Today, after some completely unfounded jibes from Layla about Christian needing to work on his abs, Layla revealed that she and Fish were going out on a date. Christian got on her case about dating their roommate, since they need Fish's third of the rent and if things go bad he could walk. He also reminded her that Fish dumped her for Stacey Morasco, but Layla countered that she and Fish had never really dated before.
In the middle of all that, Fish came out of the shower sans shirt and Layla made a point of telling him he had nice pecs. Hilariously, Christian chimed in with a slightly sarcastic "Yeah, nice pecs," of his own, leaving Oliver looking slightly confused.
After Oliver was ready for the date, Christian sat him down and gave him a stern warning: Layla has been jerked around by guys too often in the past, so Fish had better not hurt her. Fish quickly agreed that he'd be a perfect gentleman and Christian recommended that he get her yellow roses, which are her favorite. Layla, of course, was eavesdropping on all of this with a huge smile on her face. Even if he were straight, Fish wouldn't stand a chance with her at this point!
Kyle had far more to do today than his past and future love interest did. First, another bit of background information. Since the whole mess about the stem cells (which has been my least favorite story on this show since Carlivati took over as Head writer, mostly because I can't stand Stacey Morasco at all) is playing a big part in Kyle's scenes today, I guess I should explain it in a nutshell. Or as close to a nutshell as you can get with a complicated soap story.
Shane, the young son of Gigi Morasco and Rex Balsom, was diagnosed with leukemia a few months back. Everyone was being tested as a potential stem cell match but they weren't having any luck finding one. Gigi's sister Stacey, who has been in love with Rex from afar since she was in high school, stumbled upon a secret that Rex's mother, Roxy, was keeping.
Roxy had refused for years to tell Rex who his real father was and most recently lied to him, saying that his real dad had been so awful that Roxy had actually killed him. Rex bought the story, but in reality his father was still alive, though in a coma. He is apparently such an evil person, though, that Roxy doesn't want Rex to know his real identity.
Roxy tested the comatose mystery man on the sly and found out that he was a match for Shane. Roxy couldn't come forward and save her grandson without telling her son who his father really is.
Stacey offered to pretend to be the match and they enlisted Kyle in the ruse. Stacey took things a step further, though, and blackmailed Gigi into breaking up with Rex. No break up, no stem cells to save Shane. To save her son, Gigi faked an affair and broke Rex's heart and even though Shane is now doing well, Gigi can't tell Rex the truth in case Shane has a relapse and needs another transplant.
Schuyler and Gigi have recently figured out that Stacey wasn't the real donor, but they need to find out who was before they expose Stacey, or she could disappear and take the information with her, dooming Shane if he ever needs another transplant.
Kyle recently blackmailed Roxy, who owns the Angel Square Motel, into giving him a room for free after he had some problems with his roommate. (Hmmm....)
Today, Roxy tried once again to get Kyle to move out, showing him an ad for a studio apartment, but Kyle told her he wasn't going anywhere until the blackmail charges he's facing are behind him. There was a moment between the two where we saw that Kyle isn't a completely heartless blackmailer, that he doesn't enjoy having to do this to Roxy. He just sees himself as having no other option.
After Roxy left, Kyle headed for the shower and was fresh from it (and sans shirt of course) when Gigi showed up for their meeting. Gigi, a hardworking single mother, was trying to take a page from her sister Stacey's handbook by showing up in a slutty dress and trying to seduce the truth about Shane's real donor out of Kyle. She assumed that seduction was the way that Stacey got Kyle to help her in the first place, though the truth is he went along with the plan because Stacey and Roxy convinced him that it was the only way to save Shane.
Gigi told Kyle that she was there because she owed him an apology for Schuyler's accusations. When Kyle started to put a shirt on, Gigi told him to leave it off and then removed her coat, revealing the slutty dress underneath.
I'll cover Fish's scenes first, since he had fewer. Today his scenes were actually more about his two roommates, Layla and Christian, than about him. The two have been having one of those classic soap relationships, where they start out hating each other and bickering non-stop and end up in love. They've reached the stage where they're now friends who bicker a lot, all while clearly fighting their feelings of attraction.
Today, after some completely unfounded jibes from Layla about Christian needing to work on his abs, Layla revealed that she and Fish were going out on a date. Christian got on her case about dating their roommate, since they need Fish's third of the rent and if things go bad he could walk. He also reminded her that Fish dumped her for Stacey Morasco, but Layla countered that she and Fish had never really dated before.
In the middle of all that, Fish came out of the shower sans shirt and Layla made a point of telling him he had nice pecs. Hilariously, Christian chimed in with a slightly sarcastic "Yeah, nice pecs," of his own, leaving Oliver looking slightly confused.
After Oliver was ready for the date, Christian sat him down and gave him a stern warning: Layla has been jerked around by guys too often in the past, so Fish had better not hurt her. Fish quickly agreed that he'd be a perfect gentleman and Christian recommended that he get her yellow roses, which are her favorite. Layla, of course, was eavesdropping on all of this with a huge smile on her face. Even if he were straight, Fish wouldn't stand a chance with her at this point!
Kyle had far more to do today than his past and future love interest did. First, another bit of background information. Since the whole mess about the stem cells (which has been my least favorite story on this show since Carlivati took over as Head writer, mostly because I can't stand Stacey Morasco at all) is playing a big part in Kyle's scenes today, I guess I should explain it in a nutshell. Or as close to a nutshell as you can get with a complicated soap story.
Shane, the young son of Gigi Morasco and Rex Balsom, was diagnosed with leukemia a few months back. Everyone was being tested as a potential stem cell match but they weren't having any luck finding one. Gigi's sister Stacey, who has been in love with Rex from afar since she was in high school, stumbled upon a secret that Rex's mother, Roxy, was keeping.
Roxy had refused for years to tell Rex who his real father was and most recently lied to him, saying that his real dad had been so awful that Roxy had actually killed him. Rex bought the story, but in reality his father was still alive, though in a coma. He is apparently such an evil person, though, that Roxy doesn't want Rex to know his real identity.
Roxy tested the comatose mystery man on the sly and found out that he was a match for Shane. Roxy couldn't come forward and save her grandson without telling her son who his father really is.
Stacey offered to pretend to be the match and they enlisted Kyle in the ruse. Stacey took things a step further, though, and blackmailed Gigi into breaking up with Rex. No break up, no stem cells to save Shane. To save her son, Gigi faked an affair and broke Rex's heart and even though Shane is now doing well, Gigi can't tell Rex the truth in case Shane has a relapse and needs another transplant.
Schuyler and Gigi have recently figured out that Stacey wasn't the real donor, but they need to find out who was before they expose Stacey, or she could disappear and take the information with her, dooming Shane if he ever needs another transplant.
Kyle recently blackmailed Roxy, who owns the Angel Square Motel, into giving him a room for free after he had some problems with his roommate. (Hmmm....)
Today, Roxy tried once again to get Kyle to move out, showing him an ad for a studio apartment, but Kyle told her he wasn't going anywhere until the blackmail charges he's facing are behind him. There was a moment between the two where we saw that Kyle isn't a completely heartless blackmailer, that he doesn't enjoy having to do this to Roxy. He just sees himself as having no other option.
After Roxy left, Kyle headed for the shower and was fresh from it (and sans shirt of course) when Gigi showed up for their meeting. Gigi, a hardworking single mother, was trying to take a page from her sister Stacey's handbook by showing up in a slutty dress and trying to seduce the truth about Shane's real donor out of Kyle. She assumed that seduction was the way that Stacey got Kyle to help her in the first place, though the truth is he went along with the plan because Stacey and Roxy convinced him that it was the only way to save Shane.
Gigi told Kyle that she was there because she owed him an apology for Schuyler's accusations. When Kyle started to put a shirt on, Gigi told him to leave it off and then removed her coat, revealing the slutty dress underneath.
Kyle: That's quite an outfit.
Gigi: Just something I threw on. You should see what else is in my closet.
Kyle: So this little get up that you threw on was just to come over here and talk?
Gigi: Who said anything about talking? (moving closer to Kyle) Apologies don't always have to have words.
Kyle (moving quickly to the door and opening it for her): Apology accepted! Thanks for coming by.
Gigi: But Kyle, I feel so bad. (closing the door) I just really want to make it up to you. The way my sister does.
Kyle: What are you talking about?
Gigi: I've seen you two together and I know how Stacey operates. I have something you want, you have something I want. Let's make a trade.
Kyle: What do we have to trade? What could I possibly have to offer you?
Gigi (winking): We can figure it out.
Kyle: Baby, I seriously doubt there's anything you have that would interest me.
Gigi: Just something I threw on. You should see what else is in my closet.
Kyle: So this little get up that you threw on was just to come over here and talk?
Gigi: Who said anything about talking? (moving closer to Kyle) Apologies don't always have to have words.
Kyle (moving quickly to the door and opening it for her): Apology accepted! Thanks for coming by.
Gigi: But Kyle, I feel so bad. (closing the door) I just really want to make it up to you. The way my sister does.
Kyle: What are you talking about?
Gigi: I've seen you two together and I know how Stacey operates. I have something you want, you have something I want. Let's make a trade.
Kyle: What do we have to trade? What could I possibly have to offer you?
Gigi (winking): We can figure it out.
Kyle: Baby, I seriously doubt there's anything you have that would interest me.
Gigi didn't take the hint, though, and pulled Kyle into a kiss. Before we could see if Kyle would break away and declare that he's not into women, Gigi was the one who ended the kiss, realizing that she couldn't go through with the seduction.
Gigi ended up laying all the cards on the table: she and Schuyler have proof that Stacey wasn't the real donor, but before they expose her they need to know who actually saved Shane, in case he needs another transplant. Her son's life could depend on it. How, she asked, does Kyle live with himself?
Kyle told her, rather morosely, that it wasn't easy. He then offered her a trade of his own: He'll tell her exactly who the donor is and everything else he knows if she can get Natalie Buchanan (the sister of her ex boyfriend Rex) to drop the blackmail charges against him. Given that Natalie now hates Gigi for supposedly cheating on her brother, Gigi has little hope of convincing her to drop the charges against Kyle.
Kyle came pretty close to admitting that he wasn't into women today. Since the character hasn't had a romantic life onscreen yet, I wasn't sure if he was as in denial as Fish seems to be, or if he's completely out. After today, I'd say he's definitely closer to the latter position, but I can't wait to find out for sure.
Oh, if you didn't notice from the title, I've decided to use Fyle as the couple's nickname, since at least it sounds like a real word. If whoever it is that makes these vitally important decisions comes up with a different nickname for the guys, I'll adopt it instead.
Gigi ended up laying all the cards on the table: she and Schuyler have proof that Stacey wasn't the real donor, but before they expose her they need to know who actually saved Shane, in case he needs another transplant. Her son's life could depend on it. How, she asked, does Kyle live with himself?
Kyle told her, rather morosely, that it wasn't easy. He then offered her a trade of his own: He'll tell her exactly who the donor is and everything else he knows if she can get Natalie Buchanan (the sister of her ex boyfriend Rex) to drop the blackmail charges against him. Given that Natalie now hates Gigi for supposedly cheating on her brother, Gigi has little hope of convincing her to drop the charges against Kyle.
Kyle came pretty close to admitting that he wasn't into women today. Since the character hasn't had a romantic life onscreen yet, I wasn't sure if he was as in denial as Fish seems to be, or if he's completely out. After today, I'd say he's definitely closer to the latter position, but I can't wait to find out for sure.
Oh, if you didn't notice from the title, I've decided to use Fyle as the couple's nickname, since at least it sounds like a real word. If whoever it is that makes these vitally important decisions comes up with a different nickname for the guys, I'll adopt it instead.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Fish & Kyle: The Beginning
Today's One Life to Live featured the first scenes between Kyle Lewis and Oliver Fish (who generally goes just by the name Fish) since the news broke that the two of them had a secret romance back in college that would be revived on the show in the near future.
Before I talk about today's scenes, I should catch the uninitiated up on what has happened between the two onscreen up until now (also, if you'd like, you can follow this link to see a compilation video of their earlier scenes).
Kyle & Fish first ran into each other at the gym a few months ago, when they both went for opposite ends of the same punching bag at the same time (awww!). It was the first time the two had seen each other since they were in college and frat brothers at the KAD fraternity.
After some awkward catching up about what they'd been up to in the years since then (Fish is a cop, Kyle a Med student working as a lab tech), Oliver couldn't seem to get away from Kyle quickly enough.
After that, the two started running in to each other more frequently. Fish was working on the KAD serial killing case and the connection between him, Kyle, and the frat served to make both of them suspects, to some degree, for the audience. (Background: in 1993, Marty Saybrooke was raped at the KAD frat house by Todd Manning, Powell Lord, and Zach Rosen. The frat was closed down after that and Kyle & Fish were brothers years later, in the first year that the frat was reinstated on the campus in a new house. This year, someone began killing people connected to Marty and leaving the letters K, A, and D on their bodies)
At the same time, Kyle was involved in his own shady dealings. He agreed to help fake a lab report that showed that Stacey Morasco was a stem cell match for her nephew Shane, who had leukemia, and then to secretly harvest the stem cells from the actual match (it's a long story).
He also figured out that Jessica Brennan, who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder, had switched Todd Manning's grandchild shortly after birth with her own dead baby. Or, rather, that one of Jessica's other personalities, Bess, had done so. Kyle chose to use this information to attempt to blackmail Jessica's sister Natalie, who also knew the truth, for a hundred thousand dollars, explaining that Med school is expensive.
Things came to a head the night that the KAD serial killer- Powell Lord- and his accomplice, Kyle's sister Rebecca, were holding Todd Manning, Marty Saybrooke, and two other women hostage at the old KAD house. Kyle inadvertently stumbled into the mess when he showed up at Todd's house to offer to sell him the information about the baby switch since Natalie wasn't forking out the money that Kyle had demanded. He was surprised when he found his sister there instead of Todd, keeping an eye on Mannings' two young sons while Powell was off doing his serial killer thing.
When Kyle told Rebecca why he was there, she asked him to stay with the kids (who, unbeknownst to him, were not upstairs sleeping like his sister claimed but were actually locked in a closet) and she proceeded to go and kidnap the baby and take her to Powell at the frat house.
Long story short, Fish ended up having to arrest Kyle when it looked like he'd been involved in the kidnapping of four people and the murders of three others. Kyle is no longer suspected of having been involved with Rebecca and Powell's plan, but he is facing blackmail charges.
Most recently, Fish broke up a fight between Kyle and Schuyler Joplin (a character who has figured out that Kyle helped Stacey pretend to save Shane's life) but when Kyle thanked Fish for his help, Fish made it clear that he doesn't think very highly of Kyle at the moment and that they no longer have any sort of personal relationship.
All right, so that's the background on the two of them up until now.
On today's show, Fish (looking damn sexy in his uniform!) ran into his new roommate/former crush Layla in the park playing with her dog. After a joke about writing her up for breaking the leash law fell flat and left Layla acting rather cold, Fish wondered if she was still hung up about the 'whole Stacey Morasco thing'.
Fish had a crush on Layla and they were supposed to share a dance on the night of the Go Red Ball. He even took dancing lessons! But Layla blew him off all night long, time after time, and so when Stacey threw herself at him, he ended up going home with her for what turned out, to his disappointment, to be a one night stand. Layla, for some inexplicable reason, chose to see this as a betrayal at the time.
At any rate, the two quickly agreed that the whole thing was ancient history and at about that time, Kyle came jogging by. Kyle thanked Fish again for saving his ass from Schuyler and assured him that it had all been a misunderstanding. Fish said that he hears that a lot, usually from people trying to get out of a crime they've just committed.
We did see a brief flash of something like feelings for Kyle on Fish's face when Kyle noted that he'd just lost his sister, but then he just rather coldly offered his sympathy.
Kyle wondered if this was how it was always going to be between them now and told Fish that he's trying to get his life back together. Fish was less than impressed and Kyle sarcastically thanked him for being a pal and resumed his run.
Layla wondered why Fish hadn't introduced her to Kyle and he explained that he's not someone she would want to know, that he's in trouble with the law. The rather astute Layla asked if Fish was sure that was all there was between the two of them and Fish explained that they'd once been frat brothers. When Layla remarked that it must bother Fish to see Kyle, Oliver got a slightly panicked look on his face until Layla said that she meant because Kyle is now in trouble with the law.
Fish rather tellingly changed the subject by wondering if Layla and their other roommate, Christian, might be more than friends, which Layla quickly denied. Was there any way, Fish asked, that Layla could give him a second chance? Layla explained that she didn't think that was a good idea, given that they were roommates now and it could get awkward.
Fish seemed to accept that, but mentioned that he had some really great tickets, so he'd thought he'd ask. Layla perked up at that news and agreed to give it another try after all! This was especially amusing since Fish never even said what the tickets were for! For all she knows, he's going to take her to a monster truck rally or Disney on Ice!
After Fish left to go back to work, Layla wondered aloud to her dog just what exactly had gone down between Fish & Kyle.
So, there wasn't all that much with Kyle and Fish today, but it was clear that Kyle cares about what Fish thinks of him. It was also pretty telling that Fish followed up the encounter by asking out Layla, as if he were afraid of his own feelings for Kyle and had to do something to prove they weren't real.
Meanwhile, Gigi Morasco is planning to try and seduce Kyle into telling her who the real stem cell donor for her son Shane was and she called him at the end of today's show to ask for a meeting. It should be interesting to see how Kyle reacts to this attempted seduction by a woman!
I wonder what the requisite name combining nickname for the couple will end up being? Kish? Fyle? It will be exciting not only to see Fish coming to terms with his feelings for Kyle, but also how the relationship itself, between the straight laced police officer and the shades of gray lab tech, works.
I know there was a lot of background info crammed in here, but even though their own story has barely begun, they're both already very connected to other plots. As I mentioned before, I love the writing on this show. I especially love how the stories overlap and connect to each other, which is how a good soap should always play out!
Before I talk about today's scenes, I should catch the uninitiated up on what has happened between the two onscreen up until now (also, if you'd like, you can follow this link to see a compilation video of their earlier scenes).
Kyle & Fish first ran into each other at the gym a few months ago, when they both went for opposite ends of the same punching bag at the same time (awww!). It was the first time the two had seen each other since they were in college and frat brothers at the KAD fraternity.
After some awkward catching up about what they'd been up to in the years since then (Fish is a cop, Kyle a Med student working as a lab tech), Oliver couldn't seem to get away from Kyle quickly enough.
After that, the two started running in to each other more frequently. Fish was working on the KAD serial killing case and the connection between him, Kyle, and the frat served to make both of them suspects, to some degree, for the audience. (Background: in 1993, Marty Saybrooke was raped at the KAD frat house by Todd Manning, Powell Lord, and Zach Rosen. The frat was closed down after that and Kyle & Fish were brothers years later, in the first year that the frat was reinstated on the campus in a new house. This year, someone began killing people connected to Marty and leaving the letters K, A, and D on their bodies)
At the same time, Kyle was involved in his own shady dealings. He agreed to help fake a lab report that showed that Stacey Morasco was a stem cell match for her nephew Shane, who had leukemia, and then to secretly harvest the stem cells from the actual match (it's a long story).
He also figured out that Jessica Brennan, who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder, had switched Todd Manning's grandchild shortly after birth with her own dead baby. Or, rather, that one of Jessica's other personalities, Bess, had done so. Kyle chose to use this information to attempt to blackmail Jessica's sister Natalie, who also knew the truth, for a hundred thousand dollars, explaining that Med school is expensive.
Things came to a head the night that the KAD serial killer- Powell Lord- and his accomplice, Kyle's sister Rebecca, were holding Todd Manning, Marty Saybrooke, and two other women hostage at the old KAD house. Kyle inadvertently stumbled into the mess when he showed up at Todd's house to offer to sell him the information about the baby switch since Natalie wasn't forking out the money that Kyle had demanded. He was surprised when he found his sister there instead of Todd, keeping an eye on Mannings' two young sons while Powell was off doing his serial killer thing.
When Kyle told Rebecca why he was there, she asked him to stay with the kids (who, unbeknownst to him, were not upstairs sleeping like his sister claimed but were actually locked in a closet) and she proceeded to go and kidnap the baby and take her to Powell at the frat house.
Long story short, Fish ended up having to arrest Kyle when it looked like he'd been involved in the kidnapping of four people and the murders of three others. Kyle is no longer suspected of having been involved with Rebecca and Powell's plan, but he is facing blackmail charges.
Most recently, Fish broke up a fight between Kyle and Schuyler Joplin (a character who has figured out that Kyle helped Stacey pretend to save Shane's life) but when Kyle thanked Fish for his help, Fish made it clear that he doesn't think very highly of Kyle at the moment and that they no longer have any sort of personal relationship.
All right, so that's the background on the two of them up until now.
On today's show, Fish (looking damn sexy in his uniform!) ran into his new roommate/former crush Layla in the park playing with her dog. After a joke about writing her up for breaking the leash law fell flat and left Layla acting rather cold, Fish wondered if she was still hung up about the 'whole Stacey Morasco thing'.
Fish had a crush on Layla and they were supposed to share a dance on the night of the Go Red Ball. He even took dancing lessons! But Layla blew him off all night long, time after time, and so when Stacey threw herself at him, he ended up going home with her for what turned out, to his disappointment, to be a one night stand. Layla, for some inexplicable reason, chose to see this as a betrayal at the time.
At any rate, the two quickly agreed that the whole thing was ancient history and at about that time, Kyle came jogging by. Kyle thanked Fish again for saving his ass from Schuyler and assured him that it had all been a misunderstanding. Fish said that he hears that a lot, usually from people trying to get out of a crime they've just committed.
We did see a brief flash of something like feelings for Kyle on Fish's face when Kyle noted that he'd just lost his sister, but then he just rather coldly offered his sympathy.
Kyle wondered if this was how it was always going to be between them now and told Fish that he's trying to get his life back together. Fish was less than impressed and Kyle sarcastically thanked him for being a pal and resumed his run.
Layla wondered why Fish hadn't introduced her to Kyle and he explained that he's not someone she would want to know, that he's in trouble with the law. The rather astute Layla asked if Fish was sure that was all there was between the two of them and Fish explained that they'd once been frat brothers. When Layla remarked that it must bother Fish to see Kyle, Oliver got a slightly panicked look on his face until Layla said that she meant because Kyle is now in trouble with the law.
Fish rather tellingly changed the subject by wondering if Layla and their other roommate, Christian, might be more than friends, which Layla quickly denied. Was there any way, Fish asked, that Layla could give him a second chance? Layla explained that she didn't think that was a good idea, given that they were roommates now and it could get awkward.
Fish seemed to accept that, but mentioned that he had some really great tickets, so he'd thought he'd ask. Layla perked up at that news and agreed to give it another try after all! This was especially amusing since Fish never even said what the tickets were for! For all she knows, he's going to take her to a monster truck rally or Disney on Ice!
After Fish left to go back to work, Layla wondered aloud to her dog just what exactly had gone down between Fish & Kyle.
So, there wasn't all that much with Kyle and Fish today, but it was clear that Kyle cares about what Fish thinks of him. It was also pretty telling that Fish followed up the encounter by asking out Layla, as if he were afraid of his own feelings for Kyle and had to do something to prove they weren't real.
Meanwhile, Gigi Morasco is planning to try and seduce Kyle into telling her who the real stem cell donor for her son Shane was and she called him at the end of today's show to ask for a meeting. It should be interesting to see how Kyle reacts to this attempted seduction by a woman!
I wonder what the requisite name combining nickname for the couple will end up being? Kish? Fyle? It will be exciting not only to see Fish coming to terms with his feelings for Kyle, but also how the relationship itself, between the straight laced police officer and the shades of gray lab tech, works.
I know there was a lot of background info crammed in here, but even though their own story has barely begun, they're both already very connected to other plots. As I mentioned before, I love the writing on this show. I especially love how the stories overlap and connect to each other, which is how a good soap should always play out!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Nuke Day: Broke Noah and Spoiled Luke
Luke & Noah were back on As the World Turns today, in scenes that didn't have anything to do with Riley Morgan for a change.
The show started off with the guys watching the scintillating footage of Noah going through all three things in his late father's box of personal items sent by the army. Luke, ever the good boyfriend, raved about how powerful the film was going to be and suggested that Noah do a bit with his father's medals and what each of them was for, and about both the fear and the respect Noah felt towards his Dad while he was growing up.
Noah told Luke that he wouldn't be able to finish the film because he'd already spent all the money and didn't have enough for the computer software for editing and for a plane ticket to interview soldiers who knew his father on the bases where he was stationed. I'm sorry, was Noah's budget made up entirely of a week's tips from Java? He's got a volunteer film crew, so what exactly have his expenses been so far?
Noah explained that he can't work at Java 24/7 to earn the money, especially not when he wants to spend time with Luke and when they're supposed to be moving into their summer apartment. Finally! I thought the show was going to completely drop the apartment thing.
At any rate, Luke immediately offered to provide Noah with funding from the Foundation, but Noah refused and pointed out that he's not a charity. Luke wanted to help, though, so Noah handed him a stack of grant applications and asked him to start filling them out while he worked his shift at Java.
Noah was barely out the door before Luke decided that there had to be an easier way to fund Noah's film than filling out paperwork. He immediately set off to find Damian, from whom he apparently no longer has any qualms about asking for Grimaldi money.
Luke found his biodad and his Aunt Meg on a date of sorts, sharing ice cream cones on a bench in Old Town. He wasted no time in asking for help funding Noah's film and Damian whipped his checkbook out at the speed of light. Luke asked for 'a couple of thousand' and was handed a check for twenty grand. He sort of protested at the large amount, but just in a perfunctory way, and then ran off to give the money to Noah.
Meg, meanwhile, pointed out that Damian was more or less buying his son's affection and wondered if Luke should really be rewarded in such a way, given that he was kicked out of school and isn't working. Damian tried to bring up the foundation (leaving out Luke's freelance crime fighting and film crew work), but Meg countered that as great as the work that her nephew does is, he only works there when he feels like it.
Damian seemed to give that some serious thought. I wonder if it will actually lead to anything? I'd love to see Luke doing something with his life again, honestly. What happened to him wanting to be a writer? That hasn't been mentioned in a really long time.
Over at Java, Luke presented Noah with the check, though of course Noah said he couldn't take it: If Luke wanted to be supported by his family, that was one thing, but Noah isn't Luke. Luke freely admitted to being a spoiled brat, but talked again about how important Noah's film is and how if it helps him forgive his father and move on, it will be worth it.
Finally, the two reached a compromise: Noah will accept Damian's check but spend only what he needs of it, and then they will pay Damian back with the grant funding that Noah is sure to get when all those tedious forms are filled out.
Later, Noah noticed that the DVD with the footage they've filmed so far was missing from his laptop. Who, he wondered, would steal a DVD but leave the laptop behind? Since the footage is all backed up on his hard drive, Luke said it didn't really matter, though Noah was clearly perplexed.
I'm sure it was a rival film student who knew that Noah's documentary was so amazing that his own film stood no chance against it! Either that or the 'late' Colonel Mayer snuck into Java in some clever disguise (coat rack? potted plant?) and made off with it. Maybe he thought it was some gay porn that he had to 'save' Noah from.
The show started off with the guys watching the scintillating footage of Noah going through all three things in his late father's box of personal items sent by the army. Luke, ever the good boyfriend, raved about how powerful the film was going to be and suggested that Noah do a bit with his father's medals and what each of them was for, and about both the fear and the respect Noah felt towards his Dad while he was growing up.
Noah told Luke that he wouldn't be able to finish the film because he'd already spent all the money and didn't have enough for the computer software for editing and for a plane ticket to interview soldiers who knew his father on the bases where he was stationed. I'm sorry, was Noah's budget made up entirely of a week's tips from Java? He's got a volunteer film crew, so what exactly have his expenses been so far?
Noah explained that he can't work at Java 24/7 to earn the money, especially not when he wants to spend time with Luke and when they're supposed to be moving into their summer apartment. Finally! I thought the show was going to completely drop the apartment thing.
At any rate, Luke immediately offered to provide Noah with funding from the Foundation, but Noah refused and pointed out that he's not a charity. Luke wanted to help, though, so Noah handed him a stack of grant applications and asked him to start filling them out while he worked his shift at Java.
Noah was barely out the door before Luke decided that there had to be an easier way to fund Noah's film than filling out paperwork. He immediately set off to find Damian, from whom he apparently no longer has any qualms about asking for Grimaldi money.
Luke found his biodad and his Aunt Meg on a date of sorts, sharing ice cream cones on a bench in Old Town. He wasted no time in asking for help funding Noah's film and Damian whipped his checkbook out at the speed of light. Luke asked for 'a couple of thousand' and was handed a check for twenty grand. He sort of protested at the large amount, but just in a perfunctory way, and then ran off to give the money to Noah.
Meg, meanwhile, pointed out that Damian was more or less buying his son's affection and wondered if Luke should really be rewarded in such a way, given that he was kicked out of school and isn't working. Damian tried to bring up the foundation (leaving out Luke's freelance crime fighting and film crew work), but Meg countered that as great as the work that her nephew does is, he only works there when he feels like it.
Damian seemed to give that some serious thought. I wonder if it will actually lead to anything? I'd love to see Luke doing something with his life again, honestly. What happened to him wanting to be a writer? That hasn't been mentioned in a really long time.
Over at Java, Luke presented Noah with the check, though of course Noah said he couldn't take it: If Luke wanted to be supported by his family, that was one thing, but Noah isn't Luke. Luke freely admitted to being a spoiled brat, but talked again about how important Noah's film is and how if it helps him forgive his father and move on, it will be worth it.
Finally, the two reached a compromise: Noah will accept Damian's check but spend only what he needs of it, and then they will pay Damian back with the grant funding that Noah is sure to get when all those tedious forms are filled out.
Later, Noah noticed that the DVD with the footage they've filmed so far was missing from his laptop. Who, he wondered, would steal a DVD but leave the laptop behind? Since the footage is all backed up on his hard drive, Luke said it didn't really matter, though Noah was clearly perplexed.
I'm sure it was a rival film student who knew that Noah's documentary was so amazing that his own film stood no chance against it! Either that or the 'late' Colonel Mayer snuck into Java in some clever disguise (coat rack? potted plant?) and made off with it. Maybe he thought it was some gay porn that he had to 'save' Noah from.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
A Gay Character for the New Melrose Place
I wrote a few months back about how much I was anticipating the upcoming revival of the 90's prime time soap Melrose Place, mostly because of the return of Laura Leighton as Sydney Andrews and Thomas Calabro as Michael Mancini.
In the time since then, someone on a message board neglected to spoiler a major plot twist and I accidentally read something regarding the character of Sydney that has made me feel like I'd be enjoying the show less than I'd hoped. If you enjoy knowing plot twists in advance and you haven't heard about this one yet, you can read about it here. Me, I like to be surprised, but the Internet can make that very difficult at times.
I'll still be checking out the show, of course, and I haven't given up hope that it will prove to be as much fun as the original show was.
The new cast includes some attractive guys, including the adorable Michael Rady, whom I loved as Max on Greek, and now comes word that there will indeed be a gay character on the updated version of the show. EW's Michael Ausiello has revealed that the show is casting a character named Caleb, who will be "an extremely masculine gay publicist".
AfterElton has some tongue in cheek suggestions about who to cast in this oh so masculine role (and I am a bit put off that the show chose to emphasize the character as masculine, as if being gay automatically precludes that!), but mostly I'm just hoping that whoever gets the part will have more of a love life to play than poor Matt ever did as the token gay character in the original series.
In the time since then, someone on a message board neglected to spoiler a major plot twist and I accidentally read something regarding the character of Sydney that has made me feel like I'd be enjoying the show less than I'd hoped. If you enjoy knowing plot twists in advance and you haven't heard about this one yet, you can read about it here. Me, I like to be surprised, but the Internet can make that very difficult at times.
I'll still be checking out the show, of course, and I haven't given up hope that it will prove to be as much fun as the original show was.
The new cast includes some attractive guys, including the adorable Michael Rady, whom I loved as Max on Greek, and now comes word that there will indeed be a gay character on the updated version of the show. EW's Michael Ausiello has revealed that the show is casting a character named Caleb, who will be "an extremely masculine gay publicist".
AfterElton has some tongue in cheek suggestions about who to cast in this oh so masculine role (and I am a bit put off that the show chose to emphasize the character as masculine, as if being gay automatically precludes that!), but mostly I'm just hoping that whoever gets the part will have more of a love life to play than poor Matt ever did as the token gay character in the original series.
AfterElton Interviews Scott Evans
AfterElton has an exclusive interview with Scott Evans, the openly gay actor who plays Oliver Fish on One Life to Live. I've had a crush on Scott since he first started playing Fish and I noted last week how excited I was when word broke that Fish would be involved in a relationship with another man on the show.
Scott is so new to being a star that this interview with AfterElton is actually his first ever! The whole thing is great, a must read for fans of Scott (and if you're not yet, you probably will be soon enough!).
I think my favorite part of the interview, other than finding out that Scott was single(!), was when they brought up the whole mess with Chris Engen breaking his contract with Y&R so he wouldn't have to play a gay character. Scott discusses his take on playing roles that are human first, no matter what their sexual orientations, and on being an out actor:
Scott is so new to being a star that this interview with AfterElton is actually his first ever! The whole thing is great, a must read for fans of Scott (and if you're not yet, you probably will be soon enough!).
I think my favorite part of the interview, other than finding out that Scott was single(!), was when they brought up the whole mess with Chris Engen breaking his contract with Y&R so he wouldn't have to play a gay character. Scott discusses his take on playing roles that are human first, no matter what their sexual orientations, and on being an out actor:
AE: There's another daytime actor who reportedly reacted poorly when he learned his character was going to be involved in a same-sex relationship. When the writers approached you with this plot twist, what was your reaction?
SE: This is a job, it's an acting job. No matter what happens, I'm telling the story of a person. It doesn't matter if he's gay, straight, man or woman. It doesn't matter. You're telling the person of a real human, a story they want to tell. No matter what you're portraying, you should take it as work and you wanting to get the story out there for people to see.
AE: That answer makes a lot of sense in a perfect world, but unfortunately, as we all know, it's not a perfect world. Presumably, the other actor was straight and had some concerns with playing a gay role. Flipping that on its head, as an out man, did you have any concerns about playing a gay role? I know some gay actors I talk to are worried about getting stereotyped with "the gay guy has to play the gay character." Do you worry about that?
SE: I don't worry about it. I've been playing a straight man on the show for so long and didn't have a problem with that, and now that I'm playing a gay man, I don't have a problem with that. As long as I keep telling Oliver's story and his adventures, that's my job and that's all I need to do.
AE: I'm sure you're aware that there are still gay actors in Hollywood who are so concerned about being gay hurting their careers, they remain closeted to some extent. What informed your decision to be an out actor? I've interviewed Chad Allen about this, and some other actors, everyone has a slightly different take, so I'm curious about your thought process.
SE: You know, I have to tell you, I don't think I ever really had a thought process about being an out actor. I came out when I was 19-years-old, and then I became an actor. I didn’t want to be one of those people who goes back into the closet and tries to hide because I knew it would come out. With the success of my brother, I didn't feel it was necessary to hide it once I'd come out. I'm an out person, as opposed to an out actor, I suppose.
Reading the interview just made me like Scott even more than I already did. I can't wait for the Fish/Kyle story to really get started!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
(Belated) Nuke Day: Worst Documentary Ever
Luke & Noah were on yesterday's episode of As the World Turns, but I didn't have a chance to watch it until this evening.
The episode started with Luke showing up at Java to meet Noah. They exchanged a quick kiss hello, and I'd be lying if I said that I didn't start grinning like a fool still whenever the guys share even the most chaste peck on the lips. The Nuke kissing embargo was lifted a long time ago, I know, but each kiss still feels like a little victory.
Noah had asked Luke to meet him in order to run an idea by him for his student film. It seems that after Colonel Mayer's death, the army sent Noah a box of his personal effects (why the army still had his effects, given the fact that the Colonel spent his last several months in prison, is anyone's guess) and it had been in the attic at the Snyder farm ever since, unopened.
Since Noah is doing a documentary about growing up as an army brat and about life with his father, he thought it might be a good idea to open it for the first time on film, but was also worried that it would seem exploitative of what should be a private moment. Luke more or less told him to go for it (since, that's sort of the point of a documentary, no?) and the two set off to enlist Casey and Allison as part of the film crew.
I have to say, Noah's documentary is going to be pretty dull if the opening of the Colonel's effects is any indication of the rest of what Noah has managed to capture on film. With Luke operating the camera and Casey & Allison doing sound, Noah opened a small cardboard box to find a folded flag, a smaller box with a picture of toddler Noah in it, and the Colonel's disassembled gun.
Seriously, that's it? I was expecting this moment to kick off some mystery surrounding the Colonel, and that's all we get? I forgot, though, that this story isn't about Luke & Noah at all, it's about Casey and Riley.
Luke asked Noah if he could assemble the gun for them, but Noah explained that he couldn't since it was army issued.
Allison piped up, completely ruining the shot (she's damn lucky Christian Bale isn't in this movie!), by suggesting they enlist military man Riley to assemble the gun on film. Despite Casey's reluctance to have anything to do with Riley, the foursome immediately halted filming to head back to the Hughes house and find Riley.
Um, okay. I don't get why having the gun assembled on camera by someone who isn't even Noah is that big of a deal, but since this is already the worst documentary ever, what the hell?
Riley freaked out a little about being on camera (that's not suspicious at all), so Luke shut it off, but they still wanted Riley to put the gun together. He refused at first to assemble the gun, which of course was a signal for Casey to get on his case and imply that he was a fraud because he couldn't do something taught in Basic Training.
Margo wandered in at that point and wondered what this group was doing walking around with a gun (which is kind of ironic, given that they've solved way more crimes than Margo has this year) and Riley took that at his cue to assemble the weapon while reeling off a bunch of information about its make and model and the fact that it's the type used in the Die Hard films. Yeah, I'm sure the Colonel was a big fan.
That was it for Luke & Noah. I know that I hate how badly written their own stories always are, but I'm more than ready for them to have a plot of their own again.
The episode started with Luke showing up at Java to meet Noah. They exchanged a quick kiss hello, and I'd be lying if I said that I didn't start grinning like a fool still whenever the guys share even the most chaste peck on the lips. The Nuke kissing embargo was lifted a long time ago, I know, but each kiss still feels like a little victory.
Noah had asked Luke to meet him in order to run an idea by him for his student film. It seems that after Colonel Mayer's death, the army sent Noah a box of his personal effects (why the army still had his effects, given the fact that the Colonel spent his last several months in prison, is anyone's guess) and it had been in the attic at the Snyder farm ever since, unopened.
Since Noah is doing a documentary about growing up as an army brat and about life with his father, he thought it might be a good idea to open it for the first time on film, but was also worried that it would seem exploitative of what should be a private moment. Luke more or less told him to go for it (since, that's sort of the point of a documentary, no?) and the two set off to enlist Casey and Allison as part of the film crew.
I have to say, Noah's documentary is going to be pretty dull if the opening of the Colonel's effects is any indication of the rest of what Noah has managed to capture on film. With Luke operating the camera and Casey & Allison doing sound, Noah opened a small cardboard box to find a folded flag, a smaller box with a picture of toddler Noah in it, and the Colonel's disassembled gun.
Seriously, that's it? I was expecting this moment to kick off some mystery surrounding the Colonel, and that's all we get? I forgot, though, that this story isn't about Luke & Noah at all, it's about Casey and Riley.
Luke asked Noah if he could assemble the gun for them, but Noah explained that he couldn't since it was army issued.
Allison piped up, completely ruining the shot (she's damn lucky Christian Bale isn't in this movie!), by suggesting they enlist military man Riley to assemble the gun on film. Despite Casey's reluctance to have anything to do with Riley, the foursome immediately halted filming to head back to the Hughes house and find Riley.
Um, okay. I don't get why having the gun assembled on camera by someone who isn't even Noah is that big of a deal, but since this is already the worst documentary ever, what the hell?
Riley freaked out a little about being on camera (that's not suspicious at all), so Luke shut it off, but they still wanted Riley to put the gun together. He refused at first to assemble the gun, which of course was a signal for Casey to get on his case and imply that he was a fraud because he couldn't do something taught in Basic Training.
Margo wandered in at that point and wondered what this group was doing walking around with a gun (which is kind of ironic, given that they've solved way more crimes than Margo has this year) and Riley took that at his cue to assemble the weapon while reeling off a bunch of information about its make and model and the fact that it's the type used in the Die Hard films. Yeah, I'm sure the Colonel was a big fan.
That was it for Luke & Noah. I know that I hate how badly written their own stories always are, but I'm more than ready for them to have a plot of their own again.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The End of Otalia?
I spent an hour of every weekday afternoon back in the summer of 1993 with my eyes practically glued to the TV screen, tuned in to NBC and Days of Our Lives. You see, that was the summer that the evil Vivian Alamain and her devoted sidekick Ivan buried Dr. Carly Manning alive and it was the most exciting, edge of your seat story I'd ever seen.
First, Vivian gave Carly some rare Chinese herbs that made it appear that she had died. Then, Vivian had a special coffin made that was rigged up with a speaker system that would allow her to taunt Carly from above ground as she slowly ran out of the limited air and water supply that was also included in the coffin.
At one point, the deliciously mad Vivian, played by the wonderful Louise Sorel, even rolled around gleefully in the dirt of Carly's freshly covered grave!
It was all exactly as outlandish as it sounds, but it made for some very exciting TV that summer. After school started back up again most of the kids at school were talking about the story, and it was the only time I ever heard guys my age admit to watching a soap (except for one guy in my junior year of high school who freely admitted to some girls in our English class that he watched Days sometimes because he though Kristian Alfonso was really hot).
Why am I bringing all this up now? Well, it all came rushing back to me, like a flashback on a soap opera, when I read the news tonight that Crystal Chappell is returning to Days of Our Lives as Dr. Carly Manning, a full 16 years after her departure.
I liked Carly back then, but I have to say that I'm surprised that she'll be returning, given that the character has no familial connections left in Salem. Even her love interest on the show, Bo Brady, was at that time played by another actor, so they can't even use flashbacks to establish their past relationship for newer viewers.
I'm not sure how Carly will fit in to the story now, but I'm always for the utilizing of a show's history and bringing back characters from the past. Honestly, though, I'd rather see Vivian Alamain return! After she buried Carly alive, Vivian was rehabilitated with a brief stint in a mental hospital and ended up becoming, sadly enough, a figure used for comic relief until her departure from the show a decade ago. But Vivian as originally written was a perfect soap villainess and Louise Sorel was great in the role.
I digress. The real reason I'm writing this is that Crystal Chappell signing with Days of Our Lives marks something else: the end of Otalia, Guiding Light's lesbian couple made up of Olivia (played by Chappell) and Natalia. CBS has cancelled Guiding Light, which will go off the air this September, but rumors had been flying ever since that the show was in talks to move to the Lifetime Network or elsewhere on cable. Some had even hoped that, if nothing else, Olivia and Natalia would find a second life in a spin off or on Proctor & Gamble's remaining soap, As the World Turns.
Given the fact that Otalia has been one of the most talked about pairings on Guiding Light in years, I think this signals that the chance of the show finding a third life, after beginning on radio and then transitioning to television, aren't very good at all. This is incredibly sad news for fans of the show, and indeed for all soap fans.
Since Olivia and Natalia are currently the only lesbian couple on daytime TV (if, in fact, we can call them that since the characters themselves haven't exactly figured out what they are to each other yet!), the loss of the two of them in particular will be especially sad.
With As the World Turns (and, by extension, Luke & Noah) hanging by a thread as well, I can certainly understand what Otalia fans must be feeling.
First, Vivian gave Carly some rare Chinese herbs that made it appear that she had died. Then, Vivian had a special coffin made that was rigged up with a speaker system that would allow her to taunt Carly from above ground as she slowly ran out of the limited air and water supply that was also included in the coffin.
At one point, the deliciously mad Vivian, played by the wonderful Louise Sorel, even rolled around gleefully in the dirt of Carly's freshly covered grave!
It was all exactly as outlandish as it sounds, but it made for some very exciting TV that summer. After school started back up again most of the kids at school were talking about the story, and it was the only time I ever heard guys my age admit to watching a soap (except for one guy in my junior year of high school who freely admitted to some girls in our English class that he watched Days sometimes because he though Kristian Alfonso was really hot).
Why am I bringing all this up now? Well, it all came rushing back to me, like a flashback on a soap opera, when I read the news tonight that Crystal Chappell is returning to Days of Our Lives as Dr. Carly Manning, a full 16 years after her departure.
I liked Carly back then, but I have to say that I'm surprised that she'll be returning, given that the character has no familial connections left in Salem. Even her love interest on the show, Bo Brady, was at that time played by another actor, so they can't even use flashbacks to establish their past relationship for newer viewers.
I'm not sure how Carly will fit in to the story now, but I'm always for the utilizing of a show's history and bringing back characters from the past. Honestly, though, I'd rather see Vivian Alamain return! After she buried Carly alive, Vivian was rehabilitated with a brief stint in a mental hospital and ended up becoming, sadly enough, a figure used for comic relief until her departure from the show a decade ago. But Vivian as originally written was a perfect soap villainess and Louise Sorel was great in the role.
I digress. The real reason I'm writing this is that Crystal Chappell signing with Days of Our Lives marks something else: the end of Otalia, Guiding Light's lesbian couple made up of Olivia (played by Chappell) and Natalia. CBS has cancelled Guiding Light, which will go off the air this September, but rumors had been flying ever since that the show was in talks to move to the Lifetime Network or elsewhere on cable. Some had even hoped that, if nothing else, Olivia and Natalia would find a second life in a spin off or on Proctor & Gamble's remaining soap, As the World Turns.
Given the fact that Otalia has been one of the most talked about pairings on Guiding Light in years, I think this signals that the chance of the show finding a third life, after beginning on radio and then transitioning to television, aren't very good at all. This is incredibly sad news for fans of the show, and indeed for all soap fans.
Since Olivia and Natalia are currently the only lesbian couple on daytime TV (if, in fact, we can call them that since the characters themselves haven't exactly figured out what they are to each other yet!), the loss of the two of them in particular will be especially sad.
With As the World Turns (and, by extension, Luke & Noah) hanging by a thread as well, I can certainly understand what Otalia fans must be feeling.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Nuke Day: Lights, Camera, Very Little Action
Luke & Noah were present again on today's As the World Turns, though they didn't have a great deal to do. The show started with Noah trying to round up a last minute film crew so that he could interview a visiting Army Lieutenant for his film, someone who'd known his father. Everyone he talked to was busy with other student films, though, so Luke offered to be his camera man and suggested they enlist Casey to do sound.
The guys headed over to Tom & Margo's place, where Tom & Casey were both worried that Margo seemed to be avoiding the grieving process for Adam by replacing him with new house guest Riley Morgan.
In fact, several heavy handed hints that Riley may actually be Adam with a new face were coming fast and furious all during the episode since the writers on this show haven't got a clue what subtlety is, much less how to utilize it in their writing. If Riley isn't Adam, they certainly want us to suspect he might be.
Margo more or less volunteered Riley and Casey to both help with Noah's film, and once the guys were all at the Lakeview setting up for the interview Riley seemed a bit unnerved to learn that they'd be filming an army officer who'd served in the Middle East.
The mystery hunk claimed not to know anything about the new guy or about Noah's late father and explained that the Middle East was a big place and he hadn't spent much time hanging out with the higher ups. When Riley tried to make a quick get away by remembering another appointment, Casey practically screamed something to the effect of "That's just what Adam would do! Offer help and then not deliver!"
As it happened, the Lieutenant showed up before Riley could leave and when he found out that Riley had served in Afghanistan he asked him if he knew some person there or another who'd served there. Riley said that he had, but claimed that the guy probably wouldn't remember him if asked.
After the interview (which wasn't shown) Luke commented that the Lieutenant seemed like a really nice guy and Noah pointed out that his stories had also made Colonel Mayer sound like a nice guy. Riley was surprised to hear that Noah's dad hadn't been so nice to his own son and Luke rather adorably slung his arm around Noah from behind and said it was because Noah was gay.
Casey took the opportunity to demand to know if Riley had a problem with gays, but the question was left unanswered as Luke & Noah made their exit.
Back at their house, the guys talked over how well the filming had gone and Noah confessed that he thought Casey was right to be suspicious of Riley. Something about him just didn't sit right, Noah explained, especially the fact that he'd never heard of Colonel Mayer, a legend among American troops in the Mid East.
Luke teased his boyfriend a bit about Noah being the one jumping to conclusions this time and suggested he get to know Riley a bit better to put his mind at ease.
You'd think the boys would have learned by now that getting overly friendly with anyone new in town is a risk not worth taking. There's at least an 85% chance that they'll turn out to be total psycho by the end of the month!
The guys headed over to Tom & Margo's place, where Tom & Casey were both worried that Margo seemed to be avoiding the grieving process for Adam by replacing him with new house guest Riley Morgan.
In fact, several heavy handed hints that Riley may actually be Adam with a new face were coming fast and furious all during the episode since the writers on this show haven't got a clue what subtlety is, much less how to utilize it in their writing. If Riley isn't Adam, they certainly want us to suspect he might be.
Margo more or less volunteered Riley and Casey to both help with Noah's film, and once the guys were all at the Lakeview setting up for the interview Riley seemed a bit unnerved to learn that they'd be filming an army officer who'd served in the Middle East.
The mystery hunk claimed not to know anything about the new guy or about Noah's late father and explained that the Middle East was a big place and he hadn't spent much time hanging out with the higher ups. When Riley tried to make a quick get away by remembering another appointment, Casey practically screamed something to the effect of "That's just what Adam would do! Offer help and then not deliver!"
As it happened, the Lieutenant showed up before Riley could leave and when he found out that Riley had served in Afghanistan he asked him if he knew some person there or another who'd served there. Riley said that he had, but claimed that the guy probably wouldn't remember him if asked.
After the interview (which wasn't shown) Luke commented that the Lieutenant seemed like a really nice guy and Noah pointed out that his stories had also made Colonel Mayer sound like a nice guy. Riley was surprised to hear that Noah's dad hadn't been so nice to his own son and Luke rather adorably slung his arm around Noah from behind and said it was because Noah was gay.
Casey took the opportunity to demand to know if Riley had a problem with gays, but the question was left unanswered as Luke & Noah made their exit.
Back at their house, the guys talked over how well the filming had gone and Noah confessed that he thought Casey was right to be suspicious of Riley. Something about him just didn't sit right, Noah explained, especially the fact that he'd never heard of Colonel Mayer, a legend among American troops in the Mid East.
Luke teased his boyfriend a bit about Noah being the one jumping to conclusions this time and suggested he get to know Riley a bit better to put his mind at ease.
You'd think the boys would have learned by now that getting overly friendly with anyone new in town is a risk not worth taking. There's at least an 85% chance that they'll turn out to be total psycho by the end of the month!
A March on Washington
I've been meaning to post this for a few days but I haven't managed to do so before now. Human Rights Activist Cleve Jones has called for a march on Washington for National Coming Out Day (October 11th) this year, saying "We seek nothing more and nothing less than equal protection in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states."
After reading about Cleve in both The Mayor of Castro Street and And The Band Played On by Randy Shilts, seeing the portrayal of him by Emile Hirsch in the film Milk, and exploring his own website, I almost feel like he's an old friend. He's certainly done so much for the gay community, first at Harvey Milk's side and then on his own, including starting the NAMES Project Aids Memorial Quilt.
He continues to be an inspiring leader and last weekend at the Utah Pride Festival he called for a national march and had this to say about Mormon Church's involvement in passing Prop 8 in California:
"I've got a message for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," Jones shouted. "I've got two words from California ... I've got two words for the prophet ... Thank you. Thank you for uniting us. Thank you for galvanizing us."
I'm not sure if I'll be able to attend the march or not, but I'm certainly going to try! It would be amazing to be a part of something like that on such a national scale.
After reading about Cleve in both The Mayor of Castro Street and And The Band Played On by Randy Shilts, seeing the portrayal of him by Emile Hirsch in the film Milk, and exploring his own website, I almost feel like he's an old friend. He's certainly done so much for the gay community, first at Harvey Milk's side and then on his own, including starting the NAMES Project Aids Memorial Quilt.
He continues to be an inspiring leader and last weekend at the Utah Pride Festival he called for a national march and had this to say about Mormon Church's involvement in passing Prop 8 in California:
"I've got a message for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," Jones shouted. "I've got two words from California ... I've got two words for the prophet ... Thank you. Thank you for uniting us. Thank you for galvanizing us."
I'm not sure if I'll be able to attend the march or not, but I'm certainly going to try! It would be amazing to be a part of something like that on such a national scale.
"I'm proud of my sexuality."
"I'm proud of my sexuality. I embrace it. It's just another part of me."
That's part of what Adam Lambert has to say in the next issue of Rolling Stone, where he confirms the fact that he is gay. He also adds:
"I don't think it should be a surprise for anyone to hear I'm gay. I've been living in Los Angeles for eight years as a gay man."
The issue hasn't hit the stands yet, but Adam has been quoted from it in several other places and I pretty much find myself thinking he's even more awesome than I already did! He's completely upfront and holds nothing back.
What he says about his finding his sense of self worth really moved me, especially because it fits in so perfectly with the Adam who seemed so fearless while performing and so humble as soon as the song was done :
“I finally checked into my self-worth for the first time in my life, and the fact that it coincided with Idol is so sweet. I mean, I still have moments where I think, ‘Oh, my skin is terrible, and I’m a little fat — I should really go to the gym more.’ But for the most part, when I look in the mirror now, I finally see somebody who can do something cool"
I also enjoyed what he said about rooming with Kris Allen during the show:
"Oh, s--t, they put me with the cute guy. Distracting! He's the one guy I found attractive in the whole group on the show: nice, nonchalant, pretty and totally my type — except that he has a wife. I mean he's open-minded and liberal, but he's definitely 100% straight."
All during Idol, I thought that Adam had an incredibly cool family, and what he says about how his parents dealt with him being gay confirms it:
Speaking openly about this subject matter hasn't always come easy for Lambert. He says that during school, he was "so scared" of his sexuality. He never even confirmed the news to his parents, who found out in shocking fashion.
Adam's father Eber caught his 13-year-old son looking at gay pornography on the family computer, and turned to his wife and said 'It's official.'
Later, Lambert's mother asked if he had a girlfriend. He said no. She asked if he had a boyfriend. He said no. Then she asked if he wanted a boyfriend, to which Lambert replied "Yes, that would be nice."
"Suddenly, it was like a wall dropped, and we started gabbing like crazy," Lambert says.
The issue will be out this Friday. I can't wait to read the full article, but that hot cover alone would make me buy it! (The image above is from Just Jared)
Monday, June 08, 2009
OLTL Adds Gay Storyline!
I'm practically jumping up and down with glee! I just read the news that my current favorite soap, One Life to Live, is adding a gay storyline. They've had some gay characters in the past, but none during the tenure of the current headwriter, Ron Carlivati, who has made the show the most enjoyable soap in daytime.
That's not to say that the show is perfect, of course (mention the name Stacey Morasco to any fan and they'll probably rant for an hour at least!), but it's leagues ahead of the other soaps on the air right now (with the possible exception of The Young and the Restless) and the only one I watch every single minute of with no fast forwarding.
I've been hoping for a gay story from the show for awhile now, though, and I highlighted one particular scene awhile back that made me feel that the show would do an excellent job with such a story. Finally, it looks like my wish is coming true. Best of all, they're using two characters already on the show, including one I've come to really love: Oliver Fish, played by openly gay actor Scott Evans!
The other character will be Kyle Lewis (played by Brett Claywell), who has been onscreen in a recurring part for the last three or four months as a shady lab tech. We found out awhile back that Fish and Kyle were old frat brothers and their initial meeting after not having seen each other since college was a bit tense, as if there was something from their past they both wanted to forget.
I wondered at the time if there hadn't been something between the two, sexually speaking, but I figured that was just my own overactive imagination. It seemed far more likely at that point that the tension was really just a way to set up Kyle as one of the suspects in the KAD serial killings.
According to Nelson Branco, though, we're soon going to find out that Fish & Kyle did indeed hook up in college and that they're going to be rekindling their relationship! Fish has been interested in a few women in the last several months and even shared a night of passion with the dreaded Stacey Morasco, so his character may be that daytime rarity: a bisexual! Perhaps he's just deeply in denial about being gay, though. Time will tell! As for Kyle, he's had no onscreen romantic life thus far.
I'm so excited about this, especially since I really have come to like Fish so much as a character and Scott Evans as an actor. I was so happy last week when he moved in with two other characters, Christian and Layla, because it seemed to signal that he'd be getting more screen time himself.
This, though, is beyond my own hopes for the character! I think OLTL, as written by Ron Carlivati, will do one of, if not the, best written gay stories ever seen on daytime TV. You have no idea how many times I've wished that Carlivati was writing Luke & Noah's stories on As the World Turns!
This will also mean that four of the eight soaps currently on the air will have LGBT characters at the moment! That's a milestone in and of itself.
Here is the couple to be, with Fish on the left and Kyle below.
I can't wait for this story to begin! The best part is that I'll be able to write about OLTL on a regular basis! Usually, I'm only writing about a soap that drives me crazy (ATWT), so it will make for a very nice change!
That's not to say that the show is perfect, of course (mention the name Stacey Morasco to any fan and they'll probably rant for an hour at least!), but it's leagues ahead of the other soaps on the air right now (with the possible exception of The Young and the Restless) and the only one I watch every single minute of with no fast forwarding.
I've been hoping for a gay story from the show for awhile now, though, and I highlighted one particular scene awhile back that made me feel that the show would do an excellent job with such a story. Finally, it looks like my wish is coming true. Best of all, they're using two characters already on the show, including one I've come to really love: Oliver Fish, played by openly gay actor Scott Evans!
The other character will be Kyle Lewis (played by Brett Claywell), who has been onscreen in a recurring part for the last three or four months as a shady lab tech. We found out awhile back that Fish and Kyle were old frat brothers and their initial meeting after not having seen each other since college was a bit tense, as if there was something from their past they both wanted to forget.
I wondered at the time if there hadn't been something between the two, sexually speaking, but I figured that was just my own overactive imagination. It seemed far more likely at that point that the tension was really just a way to set up Kyle as one of the suspects in the KAD serial killings.
According to Nelson Branco, though, we're soon going to find out that Fish & Kyle did indeed hook up in college and that they're going to be rekindling their relationship! Fish has been interested in a few women in the last several months and even shared a night of passion with the dreaded Stacey Morasco, so his character may be that daytime rarity: a bisexual! Perhaps he's just deeply in denial about being gay, though. Time will tell! As for Kyle, he's had no onscreen romantic life thus far.
I'm so excited about this, especially since I really have come to like Fish so much as a character and Scott Evans as an actor. I was so happy last week when he moved in with two other characters, Christian and Layla, because it seemed to signal that he'd be getting more screen time himself.
This, though, is beyond my own hopes for the character! I think OLTL, as written by Ron Carlivati, will do one of, if not the, best written gay stories ever seen on daytime TV. You have no idea how many times I've wished that Carlivati was writing Luke & Noah's stories on As the World Turns!
This will also mean that four of the eight soaps currently on the air will have LGBT characters at the moment! That's a milestone in and of itself.
Here is the couple to be, with Fish on the left and Kyle below.
I can't wait for this story to begin! The best part is that I'll be able to write about OLTL on a regular basis! Usually, I'm only writing about a soap that drives me crazy (ATWT), so it will make for a very nice change!
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Thoughts on the Tonys
I just finished watching the Tony Awards and thought I'd share some quick thoughts before heading to bed.
I liked the opening number, a medley of several songs from various shows, and I completely loved Neil Patrick Harris' closing number! It was very funny and what was most impressive is that they had to have come up with all of the lyrics during the show itself.
Seriously, I think Neil must be the world's most perfect man. He's funny, he sings beautifully, he's incredibly talented as an actor, and he's so handsome. He was a great host and when it was all winding down I was only sorry he hadn't done a musical number- and then he did!
As for all the songs performed from the nominated shows, I have to say that I enjoyed the performance from Hair the most. Where has Gavin Creel been all my life?! Okay, I'd heard of him, I knew he was openly gay and I'd seen his picture and thought him attractive, but having finally seen him perform- wow. I think I love him!
I also have to reiterate my love for Anne Hathaway! I loved her reaction when Gavin Creel was dancing with/at her during the number. With her amazing performance in Rachel Getting Married, her song at the Oscars, and now this, I really just adore her.
The performances from Guys and Dolls, Rock of Ages, and Billy Elliot were all enjoyable. I didn't find myself particularly impressed by the West Side Story performance or the number from Shrek, though, I have to say.
Alice Ripley completely blew me away with her performance from Next to Normal. She was so amazing. I really would like to see to her live. I was very glad when she ended up winning her Tony tonight, as much as I love both Stockard Channing and Allison Janney and was sorry to see them lose.
I was disappointed that Jane Fonda's name wasn't called for Leading Actress in a play. The little clip they showed (I wish there had been time to see more from the nominated plays than just a few seconds!) of her onstage made me long to have seen the play. I caught her on Letterman a week or two ago, though, and she said there is a chance she may tour with 33 Variations at some point, so maybe I'll be able to see it then.
I was also really glad to see Angela Lansbury win her first Tony in 30 years and her fifth overall. She's pretty much amazing.
One thing that kept driving me crazy was that they'd show this really good looking guy sitting in the audience. He was sitting next to nominee Jennifer Damiano and was clearly her date for the night. I knew I'd seen him in something very recently and it was driving me mad trying to place him.
It finally hit me, though: Beefy Guy from Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist! I'd just watched that again last weekend, too. He's probably better known as actor Jonathan B. Wright, who was in Spring Awakening a few years ago. I would love to hear him sing.
All right, I have to be up early tomorrow, so I'm off to bed, hopefully to dream of Gavin or Neil Patrick, or, if I'm really lucky, both.
I liked the opening number, a medley of several songs from various shows, and I completely loved Neil Patrick Harris' closing number! It was very funny and what was most impressive is that they had to have come up with all of the lyrics during the show itself.
Seriously, I think Neil must be the world's most perfect man. He's funny, he sings beautifully, he's incredibly talented as an actor, and he's so handsome. He was a great host and when it was all winding down I was only sorry he hadn't done a musical number- and then he did!
As for all the songs performed from the nominated shows, I have to say that I enjoyed the performance from Hair the most. Where has Gavin Creel been all my life?! Okay, I'd heard of him, I knew he was openly gay and I'd seen his picture and thought him attractive, but having finally seen him perform- wow. I think I love him!
I also have to reiterate my love for Anne Hathaway! I loved her reaction when Gavin Creel was dancing with/at her during the number. With her amazing performance in Rachel Getting Married, her song at the Oscars, and now this, I really just adore her.
The performances from Guys and Dolls, Rock of Ages, and Billy Elliot were all enjoyable. I didn't find myself particularly impressed by the West Side Story performance or the number from Shrek, though, I have to say.
Alice Ripley completely blew me away with her performance from Next to Normal. She was so amazing. I really would like to see to her live. I was very glad when she ended up winning her Tony tonight, as much as I love both Stockard Channing and Allison Janney and was sorry to see them lose.
I was disappointed that Jane Fonda's name wasn't called for Leading Actress in a play. The little clip they showed (I wish there had been time to see more from the nominated plays than just a few seconds!) of her onstage made me long to have seen the play. I caught her on Letterman a week or two ago, though, and she said there is a chance she may tour with 33 Variations at some point, so maybe I'll be able to see it then.
I was also really glad to see Angela Lansbury win her first Tony in 30 years and her fifth overall. She's pretty much amazing.
One thing that kept driving me crazy was that they'd show this really good looking guy sitting in the audience. He was sitting next to nominee Jennifer Damiano and was clearly her date for the night. I knew I'd seen him in something very recently and it was driving me mad trying to place him.
It finally hit me, though: Beefy Guy from Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist! I'd just watched that again last weekend, too. He's probably better known as actor Jonathan B. Wright, who was in Spring Awakening a few years ago. I would love to hear him sing.
All right, I have to be up early tomorrow, so I'm off to bed, hopefully to dream of Gavin or Neil Patrick, or, if I'm really lucky, both.
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