Well, it's being reported that Kristin Chenoweth has already landed a starring role in a new series. You know I adore Kristin completely and will totally be watching. I'm happy for her, but I'm also sad for two reasons.
First, this is totally the nail in the coffin for Pushing Daisies. Yes, it was already canceled, but there was always the hope, however slight, that some other network would pick it up. Now, with Bryan Fuller back at Heroes and Kristin getting a new show, I have to accept that Daisies is really over.
The other reason I'm sad is that the show Kristin has landed is a new legal drama by David E. Kelley. It's called Legally Mad and is set at a law firm in Chicago. Does this sound familiar? How about this description of Kristin's character: "a cheerful and brilliant attorney who nonetheless exhibits flashes of psychosis — and enjoys being mistaken for a teenager."
Does this not sound like Ally McBeal redux? Okay, Ally wasn't usually cheerful, but flashes of psychosis? I have to admit that, once upon a time, I was a major McBeal fan. In its first few seasons, I thought it was incredible. But then it became all about pratfalls and silliness. It became less a fun show with quirks than a show built on nothing but quirks.
I just worry that the same thing will happen with Kristin's new show. I think Kelley does legal dramas far better than he does legal comedies, and even though this is described as a drama in the article, it sounds more along McBeal lines to me.
The real kicker, of course, is that her character's name is going to be Skippy Pylon!
I'll be watching for Kristin and one thing I'm sure of is that she will spin whatever gold she can out of the material and make it fun to watch.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Kennedy Pro/Con; Brown v. The Forces of Darkness
Ellen Goodman has written an essay at Truthdig that is pro-Caroline Kennedy for appointment to the U.S. Senate seat that will soon be vacant in New York. I've already voiced my opinion on the matter a few times, but Goodman does so much more eloquently than I could:
'But I find myself unable to dredge up even a modicum of outrage at the idea of this Kennedy bumping to the top of the list of Senate candidates. Her résumé shows no more chutzpah than Al Franken’s. Her celebrity is no greater than that of her cousin-in-law Arnold Schwarzenegger, “Kindergarten Cop” and governor. Is she any less entitled to this post than the business leader who decides that his acumen at widgets qualifies him to lead a country?
There is something refreshing in seeing a mother and public citizen auditioning for a second act. Beyond that, there is something tender and timely in seeing this particular woman coming home to the family business.'
...............
'I don’t know if Kennedy is tough or politically talented enough for the back-to-back races she would face to win a full term. Appointed candidates do not have a high rate of success in elections. But I do have a sense that this woman is less focused on the Kennedy legacy—perhaps even less than the rest of us—than the Obama beginning.
She described her reasons for supporting Obama, saying: “My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined.”
So are the reasons for seeing her as a Sen. Caroline Kennedy. Pick Caroline and you are not choosing the latest scion of a dynasty. You are choosing the emblem of a generation—and maybe a country—coming back to life. Public life.'
Truthdig also has an essay up by Joe Conason on the same topic that isn't entirely anti-Caroline Kennedy, but does raise some key questions about such an appointment:
On another subject, California's Attorney General Jerry Brown surprised everyone today by submitting a brief to the state Supreme Court arguing that Prop 8 should be overturned.
Brown personally opposed Prop 8 last month but was still largely expected to argue in favor of upholding it in his position as Attorney General.
I applaud Jerry Brown for doing the right thing. No Majority should ever get to decide a basic rights issue for any minority. That's not equality and it's not democracy.
Those defending Prop 8 have recruited the odious Ken Starr to present their case before the court. You know, if I was a prop 8 supporter, just having Ken Starr on the same side as me would be enough to make me change my mind!
The case isn't going to be heard until March at the earliest, but all eyes are on California.
Truthdig also has an essay up by Joe Conason on the same topic that isn't entirely anti-Caroline Kennedy, but does raise some key questions about such an appointment:
'Aside from money, celebrity and tradition, what else does Kennedy need to propel her candidacy? New York Gov. David Paterson, who will actually make the interim appointment, may have asked himself that question when she called to inform him of her interest. As he told reporters, “She’d like at some point to sit down and tell me what she thinks her qualifications are.”
In the governor’s remark, there is an edge that expresses what many politicians may be thinking. Unlike members of Congress who want the promotion, Kennedy, a nonpracticing attorney, has little familiarity with the legislative process. Unlike them, she has never tested herself in the brutal arena of electoral politics. And unlike many of them, she has lived in a world of privilege quite remote from the concerns of most voters.
It is not hard to imagine the difficulties Kennedy might confront in a race against someone like Rep. Peter King, the first Republican to declare his intention to run for the Senate seat no matter whom the governor appoints. How would the soft-spoken lady from the Upper East Side hold up in a debate against a self-styled populist from Long Island?
Nobody who knows Kennedy doubts her intellect or her commitment. But beyond her endorsement of Barack Obama at a crucial moment in the Democratic primaries, nobody knows much about her positions on public policy. Presumably, the governor will explore that question when they meet.
The same criticism—that she’s only where she is because of her name—was leveled at her Uncle Ted when he first ran for the Senate. Then again, we know how he turned out. If that is what she means to become, New York could do much worse.'
On another subject, California's Attorney General Jerry Brown surprised everyone today by submitting a brief to the state Supreme Court arguing that Prop 8 should be overturned.
'In a brief submitted to the court Friday, Brown’s office said the measure should be invalidated because it deprives people of the right to marry—an aspect of liberty that the Supreme Court has concluded is guaranteed by the California Constitution.
“Proposition 8 must be invalidated because the amendment process cannot be used to extinguish fundamental constitutional rights without compelling justification,” Brown’s brief said.
Brown argued that in order to invalidate such a fundamental right, the court “must determine that there is a compelling justification to do so.”
But in the marriage cases that the court ruled on earlier this year, striking down the ban on gay marriage “the court found that no such compelling justification exists. Accordingly, Proposition 8 must be stricken,” the brief said.'
Brown personally opposed Prop 8 last month but was still largely expected to argue in favor of upholding it in his position as Attorney General.
I applaud Jerry Brown for doing the right thing. No Majority should ever get to decide a basic rights issue for any minority. That's not equality and it's not democracy.
Those defending Prop 8 have recruited the odious Ken Starr to present their case before the court. You know, if I was a prop 8 supporter, just having Ken Starr on the same side as me would be enough to make me change my mind!
The case isn't going to be heard until March at the earliest, but all eyes are on California.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Van Hansis Interview, Stage Pictures
Luke was on As The World Turns again today, though not really in his own story. His cousin (and former beard) Jade returned to town and Luke was immediately embroiled in her drama, just like the last time she blew into town.
This time around, Jade is running from the law and showed up to ask Luke for enough money to help her disappear for good. Luke agreed to help her but called Lily on the sly and together the two of them convinced Jade to turn herself in to the Oakdale P.D. and get the pesky charges for armed robbery dismissed. It seems Jade was with the wrong guy at the wrong time and now the police think she helped him rob a convenience store.
Instead of dismissing the charges, though, they're extraditing Jade back to Florida, where she probably won't get bail since she's already proven to be a flight risk. This left a dejected Luke telling Lily that even when he tries to do the right thing, he messes it up.
I'm glad Jade is back because Luke needs a confidant and Jade, for all her faults, was always there for him in that way. Well, except for when she was blackmailing him over his sexuality while he was still closeted. But, hey, nobody is perfect, right? Since it looks like they're also introducing Jade's long lost biological father, though, she may be more involved in her own story than in Luke's.
Meanwhile, Van Hansis has given an interview (which does have some minor spoilers about New Year's Eve and Noah's ex Maddie's return) to Michael Fairman. Van puts my fears about Brian being the show's latest psycho further to rest:
This time around, Jade is running from the law and showed up to ask Luke for enough money to help her disappear for good. Luke agreed to help her but called Lily on the sly and together the two of them convinced Jade to turn herself in to the Oakdale P.D. and get the pesky charges for armed robbery dismissed. It seems Jade was with the wrong guy at the wrong time and now the police think she helped him rob a convenience store.
Instead of dismissing the charges, though, they're extraditing Jade back to Florida, where she probably won't get bail since she's already proven to be a flight risk. This left a dejected Luke telling Lily that even when he tries to do the right thing, he messes it up.
I'm glad Jade is back because Luke needs a confidant and Jade, for all her faults, was always there for him in that way. Well, except for when she was blackmailing him over his sexuality while he was still closeted. But, hey, nobody is perfect, right? Since it looks like they're also introducing Jade's long lost biological father, though, she may be more involved in her own story than in Luke's.
Meanwhile, Van Hansis has given an interview (which does have some minor spoilers about New Year's Eve and Noah's ex Maddie's return) to Michael Fairman. Van puts my fears about Brian being the show's latest psycho further to rest:
MICHAEL:
Is it “ATWT’s” intent to show Brian’s confusion over his sexual identity? He is not going to be ‘creepy’ towards Luke, is he?
VAN:
I don’t think that’s where they are going. Of course, there are some uncomfortable aspects of this story, but it’s not going to be about this older lecherous man going after this younger guy. He is not a bad guy and that was not the intention for the character. I think his confusion might be
perceived as this, because he is lying to himself and he is lying to other people. I don’t
think he is being malicious at all.
Van also had this to say, about Prop 8:
MICHAEL:
Luke and Noah’s story is all the more compelling now with the recent passing of “Proposition 8” that bans gay marriages. What are your thoughts on that, since you play a gay character on the show?
VAN:
I think that whatever my job is, as playing a gay character or an accountant, my feelings are the same. It is not right to limit people’s options they have in life. I think it’s incredibly un-American to do something like that. Proposition 8 passing was really kind of a blow to what America should stand for.
You've got to love Van!
It looks like Luke & Noah will have some story coming up, though apparently not anything too heavy for a few months, since an official ATWT spokesperson told the interviewer the following:
“I can tell you that Luke and Noah at the beginning of March are featured heavily and they will continue to have storyline. They will have front and center story and we are committed to telling their story.”
Van's new musical Dance Dance Revolution, discussed here in The Village Voice, is ending its run this Saturday and in honor of that, I wanted to post a picture that I came across of him in costume for the show, in which he plays a character named Wiggles.
Can I just say again how jealous I am of everyone who got to see Van singing and dancing around in those short shorts? In fact, here's another shot to show what I missed. Van is on the right:
The next time Van does something on stage, I'm totally going to New York.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Take the Good With the Bad?
Good news and bad news today on the Obama/LGBT front. The bad news is that Obama will be having Pastor Rick Warren, an ardent supporter of Prop 8, give the invocation at his inauguration. This is troubling, to say the least, especially in light of the issues during the primary campaign in South Carolina.
The good news is that Obama's pick for Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, backed a proposal for a high school for LGBT & other bullied youths in Chicago as the city's CEO of Public Schools. Having such a man in charge of the Department of Education will be a huge shift over the current Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, who was no sooner in office than she was attacking a PBS animated show that depicted lesbian characters, claiming that most parents wouldn't want their children 'exposed to such lifestyles'.
It's disappointing that the same President-elect who would pick officials like Duncan and Nancy Sutley to serve under him would be open to someone like Warren playing a role in his inauguration.
I'm not excusing Obama in any way for his inclusion of Warren, but I will say that if given the option between a President who lets a homophobe speak at his inauguration yet chooses pro-LGBT Government officials or a President who has a gay friendly inauguration but appoints anti-gay officials, I'd certainly choose the former.
Still, there are many who continue to worry about the President-elect's true stance on gay issues, and Warren's inclusion doesn't help the matter any.
The good news is that Obama's pick for Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, backed a proposal for a high school for LGBT & other bullied youths in Chicago as the city's CEO of Public Schools. Having such a man in charge of the Department of Education will be a huge shift over the current Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, who was no sooner in office than she was attacking a PBS animated show that depicted lesbian characters, claiming that most parents wouldn't want their children 'exposed to such lifestyles'.
It's disappointing that the same President-elect who would pick officials like Duncan and Nancy Sutley to serve under him would be open to someone like Warren playing a role in his inauguration.
I'm not excusing Obama in any way for his inclusion of Warren, but I will say that if given the option between a President who lets a homophobe speak at his inauguration yet chooses pro-LGBT Government officials or a President who has a gay friendly inauguration but appoints anti-gay officials, I'd certainly choose the former.
Still, there are many who continue to worry about the President-elect's true stance on gay issues, and Warren's inclusion doesn't help the matter any.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Now That's Good Soap!
I have to say, I was pretty impressed with today's Luke & Brian scenes on As The World Turns. It's pretty rare these days to see two characters on this show sit down and actually discuss a problem like adults, but that's exactly what happened today.
It started out looking like it was going to be yet another episode of Luke sniping at Brian and Brian denying that anything had ever happened between them while trying to point out all the ways that Luke is messing up his life.
Luke came home from a winter hike in the woods (taken, apparently, to avoid spending time with his family en masse at cousin Jack's wedding) to find Brian alone downstairs, reading the paper, while Grandmother Lucinda slept upstairs.
The two followed their usual pattern and Luke was about to storm out the door after telling Brian off yet again for denying what happened. Finally, though, Brian owned up to everything. Their discussion was so well done that I'm going to quote key parts rather than try and describe it. For the full effect, of course, you could always watch it here.
Brian: ...Kissing you was wrong. What was worse was making you think that it was all in your head. It wasn't.
It started out looking like it was going to be yet another episode of Luke sniping at Brian and Brian denying that anything had ever happened between them while trying to point out all the ways that Luke is messing up his life.
Luke came home from a winter hike in the woods (taken, apparently, to avoid spending time with his family en masse at cousin Jack's wedding) to find Brian alone downstairs, reading the paper, while Grandmother Lucinda slept upstairs.
The two followed their usual pattern and Luke was about to storm out the door after telling Brian off yet again for denying what happened. Finally, though, Brian owned up to everything. Their discussion was so well done that I'm going to quote key parts rather than try and describe it. For the full effect, of course, you could always watch it here.
Brian: ...Kissing you was wrong. What was worse was making you think that it was all in your head. It wasn't.
Luke: So you admit it. You came on to me.
Brian: I admit I'm attracted to you. Who wouldn't be?
Luke: Well, generally, straight men? So I guess this kind of proves-
Brian: No, I told you, I don't like labels.
Luke: Then you're in denial.
Brian: No, I'm not denying anything. I'm trying to be honest with you.
..........
Luke: So You're saying that you are responsible for what happened between us?
Brian: Yes. But once it happened, I didn't know how to handle it. And so I took the coward's way out. But of course denying the truth just makes it worse. I know I put you in an impossible situation and I know I hurt you. I wish I could make the hurt go away.
Their scenes got even better from there, as the conversation turned to Brian's sexuality and the potential deception of Lucinda, with Brian swearing that he truly does love Luke's Grandmother.
After Brian explained all the ways he feels he & Lucinda are compatible and make each other happy, Luke raised an important objection that also, thankfully, touched upon an issue that has always upset Nuke fans.
Brian: I admit I'm attracted to you. Who wouldn't be?
Luke: Well, generally, straight men? So I guess this kind of proves-
Brian: No, I told you, I don't like labels.
Luke: Then you're in denial.
Brian: No, I'm not denying anything. I'm trying to be honest with you.
..........
Luke: So You're saying that you are responsible for what happened between us?
Brian: Yes. But once it happened, I didn't know how to handle it. And so I took the coward's way out. But of course denying the truth just makes it worse. I know I put you in an impossible situation and I know I hurt you. I wish I could make the hurt go away.
Their scenes got even better from there, as the conversation turned to Brian's sexuality and the potential deception of Lucinda, with Brian swearing that he truly does love Luke's Grandmother.
Luke: ...Look, I know what you're going through. But once you come clean, everything kind of gets a little better.
Brian: I know what you want me to say, but that's not who I am.
............................
Brian: ...She's an incredible human being and I love every minute of being married to her.
Luke: Are you... are you having sex with her?
Brian: That's none of your business.
Luke: Well, you made it pretty clear that you wanted to have sex with me. But somehow I'm crossing the line by asking who else you might be having sex with?
Brian: No, Lucinda and I are not having sex. She's not really well enough yet.
Luke: Yet? So you plan to?
Brian: I plan to be a good husband to her. Don't judge me, Luke. You can't know what my feelings are.
Luke: I'm not judging you, Brian. But trust me, I do know. I've been there. You're gay, and you're too scared to admit it.
Brian: .... to me, life is a bit more complicated than trying to find one word to define a whole person.
Luke: Hey, if you want to stay in the closet your whole life, more power to you. Personally, I find it a little suffocating.
Brian: I'm just saying we shouldn't judge each other. You're gay, you're out, you're proud, good for you. That's the way you chose to live your life. I made other choices and they're equally valid.
Luke: But it's not a choice. It's just who you are.
Brian: I know what you want me to say, but that's not who I am.
............................
Brian: ...She's an incredible human being and I love every minute of being married to her.
Luke: Are you... are you having sex with her?
Brian: That's none of your business.
Luke: Well, you made it pretty clear that you wanted to have sex with me. But somehow I'm crossing the line by asking who else you might be having sex with?
Brian: No, Lucinda and I are not having sex. She's not really well enough yet.
Luke: Yet? So you plan to?
Brian: I plan to be a good husband to her. Don't judge me, Luke. You can't know what my feelings are.
Luke: I'm not judging you, Brian. But trust me, I do know. I've been there. You're gay, and you're too scared to admit it.
Brian: .... to me, life is a bit more complicated than trying to find one word to define a whole person.
Luke: Hey, if you want to stay in the closet your whole life, more power to you. Personally, I find it a little suffocating.
Brian: I'm just saying we shouldn't judge each other. You're gay, you're out, you're proud, good for you. That's the way you chose to live your life. I made other choices and they're equally valid.
Luke: But it's not a choice. It's just who you are.
After Brian explained all the ways he feels he & Lucinda are compatible and make each other happy, Luke raised an important objection that also, thankfully, touched upon an issue that has always upset Nuke fans.
Luke: Except in bed.
Brian: Well, relationships aren't all about sex.
Luke: Oh, trust me, I know about that. I already went through one without it. But Brian, don't you think being attracted to the person you're with is a really important part of a relationship?
Brian: Well, relationships aren't all about sex.
Luke: Oh, trust me, I know about that. I already went through one without it. But Brian, don't you think being attracted to the person you're with is a really important part of a relationship?
Brian assured Luke that he is attracted to Lucinda in many ways and urged him to not let what happened between the two of them ruin what he & Lucinda have together. After admitting that he doesn't know what the right thing to do is, Luke agreed to keep Brian's secret rather than hurt Lucinda.
These were some really incredibly well done scenes. Van Hansis started out playing Luke as angry but slowly turned that anger into reluctant compassion once Brian started opening up. Laurence Lau, meanwhile, truly impressed me as Brian for the first time. His portrayal of this tightly controlled man as his facade began to crack just a bit, emotions coming to the surface, was excellent.
For the first time, I also have real hope that they're not going to make Brian into yet another psycho of the month character who does something to Luke to keep his secret quiet. Today, I felt that Brian was a character with real potential onscreen, rather than just in my ideas about how the show should go.
It was fantastic to see Brian put an end to the denial and to see Luke's perception of Brian shift from that of a villain to just a rather sad man, a picture perhaps of what Luke himself could have become if he'd stayed in the closet.
Again, there is a generational story that could be told here if the show was really willing to invest in it. Luke is a modern gay man, someone who came out in high school. Brian is a man who grew up in a time period not all that long ago where being gay was still classified as a mental illness. There was no Will & Grace, no Queer as Folk, no Gay Straight alliances in schools, nothing much to help Brian see being gay from anything but the official perspective.
I really hope the show explores this issue more and continues Brian down a path towards coming out. I'm not sure where today's episode leaves Brian & Luke. They agreed at the end that they'd cleared the air and were good with each other, so maybe we'll see a friendship begin to develop.
Whatever happens next, I find myself actually interested in it, rather than just bracing myself for the worst. I've been expecting Brian to go psycho on Luke at any minute, since the writers of this show seem to have little concept of creating any other sort of story. One of many examples from the past couple of years would be Noah's father, Colonel Mayer, who could have been written as homophobic and provided realistic, ongoing drama for Luke & Noah, but was instead written as homophobic and psychotic, trying to kill Luke to keep Noah from being gay.
I appreciate that homophobic characters aren't written as heroes, but it's irresponsible to make them all into total monsters like they did with the Colonel.
They tend to take everything to the extreme on As the World Turns, which is why today's scenes between Luke & Brian were even more impressive.
These were some really incredibly well done scenes. Van Hansis started out playing Luke as angry but slowly turned that anger into reluctant compassion once Brian started opening up. Laurence Lau, meanwhile, truly impressed me as Brian for the first time. His portrayal of this tightly controlled man as his facade began to crack just a bit, emotions coming to the surface, was excellent.
For the first time, I also have real hope that they're not going to make Brian into yet another psycho of the month character who does something to Luke to keep his secret quiet. Today, I felt that Brian was a character with real potential onscreen, rather than just in my ideas about how the show should go.
It was fantastic to see Brian put an end to the denial and to see Luke's perception of Brian shift from that of a villain to just a rather sad man, a picture perhaps of what Luke himself could have become if he'd stayed in the closet.
Again, there is a generational story that could be told here if the show was really willing to invest in it. Luke is a modern gay man, someone who came out in high school. Brian is a man who grew up in a time period not all that long ago where being gay was still classified as a mental illness. There was no Will & Grace, no Queer as Folk, no Gay Straight alliances in schools, nothing much to help Brian see being gay from anything but the official perspective.
I really hope the show explores this issue more and continues Brian down a path towards coming out. I'm not sure where today's episode leaves Brian & Luke. They agreed at the end that they'd cleared the air and were good with each other, so maybe we'll see a friendship begin to develop.
Whatever happens next, I find myself actually interested in it, rather than just bracing myself for the worst. I've been expecting Brian to go psycho on Luke at any minute, since the writers of this show seem to have little concept of creating any other sort of story. One of many examples from the past couple of years would be Noah's father, Colonel Mayer, who could have been written as homophobic and provided realistic, ongoing drama for Luke & Noah, but was instead written as homophobic and psychotic, trying to kill Luke to keep Noah from being gay.
I appreciate that homophobic characters aren't written as heroes, but it's irresponsible to make them all into total monsters like they did with the Colonel.
They tend to take everything to the extreme on As the World Turns, which is why today's scenes between Luke & Brian were even more impressive.
Monday, December 15, 2008
A Great Read
What I love best about being a lover of books is when you come across something that just completely sweeps you up, a story in which you lose yourself entirely. This is a rarer experience that you'd expect. Most of the time, even when I really enjoy a book, it's not quite on that level. I'd say it probably only happens with two or three books a year.
I had that experience today. There I was at work, shelving in a brief respite between helping customers, when this book on a display table caught my eye. I had the vague sense that I'd seen it several times without really noticing it, had probably even shelved it without giving it a second glance, so I'm not sure why exactly it caught my eye just then.
The title was the first thing that grabbed me- The Uncommon Reader. My first thought was that it was a new release of Virginia Woolf's The Common Reader, until I looked closer. Then I noticed that it was by the playwright Alan Bennett, the man who, among many other plays, wrote The History Boys, a favorite of mine.
Once I picked it up and read the description, I knew that I had to read it. Basically, Queen Elizabeth II ends up following her barking corgis to a mobile library truck that makes a stop near the kitchen entrance at Windsor Castle once a week for the staff. Simply to be polite, Her Majesty checks out a book.
From that point on, the Queen, who has never been a pleasure reader, becomes a true book addict, devouring books non-stop until it begins to change her life and upsets everyone from her palace servants to the Prime Minister.
It's a novella, only 120 pages long, and I devoured it tonight after work. I laughed out loud several times and completely loved this story. Bennett infuses it with so much humor and with a love of books that I could easily relate to. I only wish it had been a full length novel since I was nowhere near ready for it to end when it did!
I don't want to give too much away, especially since it's not a very long book, but I'd recommend it for any other book addicts out there and for anyone who likes to laugh, especially at the absurdities of protocol and public officials.
I had that experience today. There I was at work, shelving in a brief respite between helping customers, when this book on a display table caught my eye. I had the vague sense that I'd seen it several times without really noticing it, had probably even shelved it without giving it a second glance, so I'm not sure why exactly it caught my eye just then.
The title was the first thing that grabbed me- The Uncommon Reader. My first thought was that it was a new release of Virginia Woolf's The Common Reader, until I looked closer. Then I noticed that it was by the playwright Alan Bennett, the man who, among many other plays, wrote The History Boys, a favorite of mine.
Once I picked it up and read the description, I knew that I had to read it. Basically, Queen Elizabeth II ends up following her barking corgis to a mobile library truck that makes a stop near the kitchen entrance at Windsor Castle once a week for the staff. Simply to be polite, Her Majesty checks out a book.
From that point on, the Queen, who has never been a pleasure reader, becomes a true book addict, devouring books non-stop until it begins to change her life and upsets everyone from her palace servants to the Prime Minister.
It's a novella, only 120 pages long, and I devoured it tonight after work. I laughed out loud several times and completely loved this story. Bennett infuses it with so much humor and with a love of books that I could easily relate to. I only wish it had been a full length novel since I was nowhere near ready for it to end when it did!
I don't want to give too much away, especially since it's not a very long book, but I'd recommend it for any other book addicts out there and for anyone who likes to laugh, especially at the absurdities of protocol and public officials.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
A Shoe or Two
I had a long day at work today, so I'm going to keep it super short tonight.
If you hadn't heard yet, President Bush had two shoes thrown at him by an Iraqi reporter during a press conference today in Iraq. I'm linking to the video of the attempted shoe-ing because I just find it so fitting that one of the happy, grateful, liberated Iraqis Bush did so much for should mark his last Presidential visit to the country this way.
One has to admit that if nothing else, Bush has excellent reflexes.
If you hadn't heard yet, President Bush had two shoes thrown at him by an Iraqi reporter during a press conference today in Iraq. I'm linking to the video of the attempted shoe-ing because I just find it so fitting that one of the happy, grateful, liberated Iraqis Bush did so much for should mark his last Presidential visit to the country this way.
One has to admit that if nothing else, Bush has excellent reflexes.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
TV & Film Talk
I'm not going to blog about The Mayor of Castro Street tonight. I was supposed to have the day off today, but things didn't quite work out that way. Hopefully I'll have time at some point over the next few days to write about it.
Just a few quick things tonight. First, fans of Pushing Daisies have started a campaign to save the show by getting it moved to another network. These fan campaigns are not always successful, of course, but sometimes they do work.
Take, for instance, the Kiss Campaign and accompanying media blitz enacted by Nuke fans that lead to the end of the months long dry spell between kisses for Luke & Noah on As the World Turns.
Shows moving between networks isn't unheard of, either. It has happened in both daytime and primetime, most memorably in recent times when Buffy The Vampire Slayer jumped from The WB after five seasons to run for two more years on UPN. For the most current example, there is the sitcom Scrubs which will be moving to ABC this January after seven seasons on NBC.
Moves like this are the exception, of course, not the rule. Still, we can always hope some other network will take a risk on the show and fans showing their support certainly helps.
Of course, Bryan Fuller has already returned to Heroes, starting with this season's 19th episode, so saving Daisies might not even be an option, at least not with him involved, unless he could do double duty on both shows.
I do have to say that I'm looking forward to his return on Heroes, especially after I checked out his exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly. I think he's just what the show needs.
Second, I wanted to confess that I watched a really cheesy movie last night about an artist that I don't even like. Why did I sit through an hour and forty five minutes of saccharine Hallmark Channel-esque nonsense? Two words: Jared. Padalecki.
I'm talking, of course, about Christmas Cottage, the film 'inspired by' the life of artist Thomas Kinkade. As an artist, Kinkade reminds me of our Christian Fiction section at work. The same ladies I see browsing there for books that present a safe, idealized version of the world (usually without any troublesome minorities of any kind, let alone of the LGBT sort, around to muddy the waters) probably love his paintings.
Okay, to be fair, my own Grandmother, who is an open minded, intelligent woman, names him as her favorite artist. So, I know I really shouldn't make sweeping generalizations about fans of his work. It's just not my cup of tea.
At any rate, if you'd told me a couple of years ago that I'd see a movie about Kinkade, that in fact I'd move it to the top of Netflix queue and wait impatiently for its arrival, I would have had one response: which hottie is starring in it?
Jared Padalecki has to be one of the hottest guys alive. My God that man is beautiful! Plus, he looked really adorable in his little scarf and hat combo:
I already knew, from Supernatural, that he knocks any emotional scene out of the park, but this mediocre movie definitely gave him a chance to shine in that regard. There are a couple of scenes where Jared gets a chance either to cry or to be on the verge of tears, and he totally blew me away. I just wanted to grab him and hug him.
Jared really rose above a script that should have been filmed for a cable channel at best (as it was, it was released directly to DVD). Peter O'Toole hammed it up in his part as a dying artist trying to paint one last picture, while Marcia Gay Harden had one decent scene opposite her character's ex husband (Desperate Housewives' Richard Burgi) but was otherwise bland as Kinkade's mother. Aaron Ashmore was cute as the younger brother, but had absolutely nothing to do, and the cast was otherwise filled out by familiar faces from old TV shows. So, if you're anxious to see Bull from Night Court, Mrs. Garrett from The Facts of Life and Lou Grant from The Mary Tyler Moore Show get a chance to do their thing, it may be worth checking out.
As for me, Jared made it worthwhile, but I really do hope he can pick a better film next time. I mean, after the remake of Friday the 13th, which he's also the lead in. Yet another movie I'll have to see that I otherwise wouldn't have! Thanks a lot, Padalecki! Maybe you'll at least show some skin in that one?
Just a few quick things tonight. First, fans of Pushing Daisies have started a campaign to save the show by getting it moved to another network. These fan campaigns are not always successful, of course, but sometimes they do work.
Take, for instance, the Kiss Campaign and accompanying media blitz enacted by Nuke fans that lead to the end of the months long dry spell between kisses for Luke & Noah on As the World Turns.
Shows moving between networks isn't unheard of, either. It has happened in both daytime and primetime, most memorably in recent times when Buffy The Vampire Slayer jumped from The WB after five seasons to run for two more years on UPN. For the most current example, there is the sitcom Scrubs which will be moving to ABC this January after seven seasons on NBC.
Moves like this are the exception, of course, not the rule. Still, we can always hope some other network will take a risk on the show and fans showing their support certainly helps.
Of course, Bryan Fuller has already returned to Heroes, starting with this season's 19th episode, so saving Daisies might not even be an option, at least not with him involved, unless he could do double duty on both shows.
I do have to say that I'm looking forward to his return on Heroes, especially after I checked out his exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly. I think he's just what the show needs.
Second, I wanted to confess that I watched a really cheesy movie last night about an artist that I don't even like. Why did I sit through an hour and forty five minutes of saccharine Hallmark Channel-esque nonsense? Two words: Jared. Padalecki.
I'm talking, of course, about Christmas Cottage, the film 'inspired by' the life of artist Thomas Kinkade. As an artist, Kinkade reminds me of our Christian Fiction section at work. The same ladies I see browsing there for books that present a safe, idealized version of the world (usually without any troublesome minorities of any kind, let alone of the LGBT sort, around to muddy the waters) probably love his paintings.
Okay, to be fair, my own Grandmother, who is an open minded, intelligent woman, names him as her favorite artist. So, I know I really shouldn't make sweeping generalizations about fans of his work. It's just not my cup of tea.
At any rate, if you'd told me a couple of years ago that I'd see a movie about Kinkade, that in fact I'd move it to the top of Netflix queue and wait impatiently for its arrival, I would have had one response: which hottie is starring in it?
Jared Padalecki has to be one of the hottest guys alive. My God that man is beautiful! Plus, he looked really adorable in his little scarf and hat combo:
I already knew, from Supernatural, that he knocks any emotional scene out of the park, but this mediocre movie definitely gave him a chance to shine in that regard. There are a couple of scenes where Jared gets a chance either to cry or to be on the verge of tears, and he totally blew me away. I just wanted to grab him and hug him.
Jared really rose above a script that should have been filmed for a cable channel at best (as it was, it was released directly to DVD). Peter O'Toole hammed it up in his part as a dying artist trying to paint one last picture, while Marcia Gay Harden had one decent scene opposite her character's ex husband (Desperate Housewives' Richard Burgi) but was otherwise bland as Kinkade's mother. Aaron Ashmore was cute as the younger brother, but had absolutely nothing to do, and the cast was otherwise filled out by familiar faces from old TV shows. So, if you're anxious to see Bull from Night Court, Mrs. Garrett from The Facts of Life and Lou Grant from The Mary Tyler Moore Show get a chance to do their thing, it may be worth checking out.
As for me, Jared made it worthwhile, but I really do hope he can pick a better film next time. I mean, after the remake of Friday the 13th, which he's also the lead in. Yet another movie I'll have to see that I otherwise wouldn't have! Thanks a lot, Padalecki! Maybe you'll at least show some skin in that one?
Friday, December 12, 2008
Book Blog Updates
I just wanted to note that my all time favorite lit blogger, Sandra of Book World, updated her blog today. Sandra bid farewell to the blogging world last April but has made sporadic posts since then, to my delight. Her writing, especially about her visits to the London Library (which this new update touches upon a bit), has occupied some of my most enjoyable hours online in the last few years.
I was crushed when she decided to stop blogging and focus her energies on her writing, but happily she has years worth of archives that can still be enjoyed, along with her occasional updates.
Another of my favorite lit blogs, Tales From the Reading Room, had a really enjoyable update today musing on comfort reading and the differences between literature and popular fiction and reading in various genres. I must confess that I'm not familiar with the authors mentioned, but then that's the great thing about book blogs! You're always discovering something you might not have heard of otherwise.
Speaking of blogging about books, I've been meaning to write about The Mayor of Castro Street ever since I finished it and I think I should be able to do that tomorrow. It's already two books ago for me, but it made quite an impression. I only wish I could see Milk sometime soon! Sadly, it's not playing anywhere near me yet.
I was crushed when she decided to stop blogging and focus her energies on her writing, but happily she has years worth of archives that can still be enjoyed, along with her occasional updates.
Another of my favorite lit blogs, Tales From the Reading Room, had a really enjoyable update today musing on comfort reading and the differences between literature and popular fiction and reading in various genres. I must confess that I'm not familiar with the authors mentioned, but then that's the great thing about book blogs! You're always discovering something you might not have heard of otherwise.
Speaking of blogging about books, I've been meaning to write about The Mayor of Castro Street ever since I finished it and I think I should be able to do that tomorrow. It's already two books ago for me, but it made quite an impression. I only wish I could see Milk sometime soon! Sadly, it's not playing anywhere near me yet.
Time Will Tell
Truthdig has a new article by E.J. Dionne about the much reported feelings of despair on the left that Obama isn't appointing a progressive cabinet. Dionne ties these reported feelings to similar worries back in 1960 and points out that Obama's cabinet, as announced so far, is already to the left of the one Kennedy picked, if only because of the cultural and political differences between 1960 and 2008.
Two key Senators were interviewed:
Two key Senators were interviewed:
Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who proudly describes himself as a democratic socialist, has as much of a claim as anyone to speak for the left. He thinks those who see Obama as drifting right are overlooking the importance of the president-elect’s past as a community organizer and also his “sense of history.”
“I believe he understands that he is coming into office at a time when the country faces more problems than at any time since 1933,” Sanders told me. “The American people are prepared to support strong action.”
Sanders acknowledges “concerns” that key Obama appointees supported financial deregulation in the past. He called them “some of the people responsible for getting us into where we are right now.”
But Democrats, Sanders says, realize the burden they bear with full control of the government’s elected branches: “If they don’t begin to really deliver for the middle class in this country, they’ve got nobody to blame but themselves.” Obama’s pledge on Thursday to push hard for health care reform suggests that he shares Sanders’ view.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, another hero to economic populists, argues that even Obama’s appointees among the middle-of-the-road veterans of Bill Clinton’s administration “have all moved from where they were” because economic circumstances have changed so much since the early 1990s.
“I think they pay much more attention to middle-class needs right now—the shrinking middle class and the gap between rich and poor,” the Ohio Democrat said. “I think they understand their mistakes on deregulation.” Like Sanders, Brown stresses Obama’s past as an organizer. “I think his sentiments are progressive,” Brown says.
I think only those who truly felt that Obama was a very liberal candidate are seriously disappointed so far. To anyone watching the debates and the campaign unfold, it was obvious that the only true liberal running for the Democratic nomination was Kucinich. The rest were centrists. To be surprised that we've now got a centrist President-elect, you'd have to have been paying little attention for the last few years.
I think Obama will be a hell of a lot better on most issues that Bush & co. have been, but for the most part, we're just going to have to wait and see what he does in office. To get panicked about his administration before it has even started just seems silly.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Brian Gets Frisky, Luke Gets Tough, Noah Still Sucks
Luke spent most of today's episode of As the World Turns in a bar, but in spite of that he's now been completely sober for two episodes in a row. Noah, meanwhile, is continuing to build on his own streak as Oakdale's crappiest boyfriend.
Today found the guys hanging out at Yo's, the local watering hole, for the bachelor party of Luke's cousin Jack. Brian was there as well, having been invited along by Luke's dad Holden. As soon as the evening's entertainment arrived, in the form a stripper, Brian began overcompensating in a major way, tossing back scotch and hooting and hollering at the exotic dancer like a horny teenager. It was painful to watch.
Luke, meanwhile, tried to patch things up with Noah yet again. Noah first tired to bolt after Luke admitted that he'd like to drink because being sober is forcing him to examine what a mess his life is and drinking would at least be a temporary escape. What a nice guy Noah is. His boyfriend with a drinking problem is finally sober but trying to open up to him about how hard it is for him, and Noah responds with "I can't listen to this."
To be fair, Luke once again threw Noah's own time in the closet back in his face, asking him if he defends Brian all the time because it reminds him of the 'good old days' when he was pretending to be straight.
In spite of all this, Luke asked Noah yet again to think about giving him another chance, but Noah said that he couldn't and then practically ran out the door.
If you can't tell, I really am unhappy with the way Noah is being written. Luke stood by him through his sham marriage to Ameera and in the aftermath of his father's death, when he was pushing Luke away and tried to join the military. Noah, however, has showed Luke zero support since this crisis started.
Originally, Noah said that before they could be together, Luke needed to deal with his unresolved issues with Kevin that lead to him stealing the election. But Kevin hasn't been mentioned in weeks. Is he still Noah's reason for not being with Luke? If not, what is? The drinking? The issue with Brian? Most of all, how does Noah justify basically looking the other way while Luke risked his life with his destructive drinking? He didn't tell anyone and didn't try to get Luke any help at all.
It's all really ridiculous. I don't believe for a second that Noah, as he was written before this, would have acted this way. It just doesn't make sense. They're obviously grasping at any reason to keep them apart, which is par for the course with a soap, but they could at least come up with something that made sense story wise and was in character.
Anyway, while Luke managed to stay sober Brian was another story. He pounded back a few too many scotches and then asked Luke to take him home. Luke reluctantly agreed and once they were back at the house he got Brian some water instead of the drink Grandpa really wanted. When Brian spilled the water all over his shirt, Luke started to clean it up for him and Brian grabbed his hand and looked rather intensely into Luke's eyes.
Luke tried to put on the breaks, saying "Brian, you don't want to do this." Brian's response was "Yes. Yes I do," as he moved in for a kiss, only to stopped short by Holden & Lily returning home at just the right moment.
Later that night, Brian came downstairs for another drink and Luke was waiting for him, leaving him speechless with the following warning:
"I don't know what your story is. Whatever you're hiding is your issue, not mine. But you married my Grandmother and I will not watch her be taken for a fool. Consider this a warning, Brian. If you ever come on to me again, I will tell her everything."
I enjoy seeing Luke being strong and in control of himself, especially after the last month or so. I'd love to see it carry over to his relationship with Noah, too, instead of having Luke constantly beg for a guy who, as he's written at the moment, totally isn't worthy of him.
As for Brian, I'm hoping they'll surprise me and not go the route I increasingly think they're going to go, which is Brian shutting Luke up by trying to kill him or locking him up somewhere. Daytime has already had one married character who killed people to cover up the fact that he was gay (this was on One Life to Live a couple of years ago) and I'm hoping that As the World Turns isn't going to do anything similar. It would be so much more interesting to see Brian having to come to terms with his sexuality and his attraction to Luke. As I've noted before, we haven't really had a character his age come out before in daytime, it could make for a good story.
Today found the guys hanging out at Yo's, the local watering hole, for the bachelor party of Luke's cousin Jack. Brian was there as well, having been invited along by Luke's dad Holden. As soon as the evening's entertainment arrived, in the form a stripper, Brian began overcompensating in a major way, tossing back scotch and hooting and hollering at the exotic dancer like a horny teenager. It was painful to watch.
Luke, meanwhile, tried to patch things up with Noah yet again. Noah first tired to bolt after Luke admitted that he'd like to drink because being sober is forcing him to examine what a mess his life is and drinking would at least be a temporary escape. What a nice guy Noah is. His boyfriend with a drinking problem is finally sober but trying to open up to him about how hard it is for him, and Noah responds with "I can't listen to this."
To be fair, Luke once again threw Noah's own time in the closet back in his face, asking him if he defends Brian all the time because it reminds him of the 'good old days' when he was pretending to be straight.
In spite of all this, Luke asked Noah yet again to think about giving him another chance, but Noah said that he couldn't and then practically ran out the door.
If you can't tell, I really am unhappy with the way Noah is being written. Luke stood by him through his sham marriage to Ameera and in the aftermath of his father's death, when he was pushing Luke away and tried to join the military. Noah, however, has showed Luke zero support since this crisis started.
Originally, Noah said that before they could be together, Luke needed to deal with his unresolved issues with Kevin that lead to him stealing the election. But Kevin hasn't been mentioned in weeks. Is he still Noah's reason for not being with Luke? If not, what is? The drinking? The issue with Brian? Most of all, how does Noah justify basically looking the other way while Luke risked his life with his destructive drinking? He didn't tell anyone and didn't try to get Luke any help at all.
It's all really ridiculous. I don't believe for a second that Noah, as he was written before this, would have acted this way. It just doesn't make sense. They're obviously grasping at any reason to keep them apart, which is par for the course with a soap, but they could at least come up with something that made sense story wise and was in character.
Anyway, while Luke managed to stay sober Brian was another story. He pounded back a few too many scotches and then asked Luke to take him home. Luke reluctantly agreed and once they were back at the house he got Brian some water instead of the drink Grandpa really wanted. When Brian spilled the water all over his shirt, Luke started to clean it up for him and Brian grabbed his hand and looked rather intensely into Luke's eyes.
Luke tried to put on the breaks, saying "Brian, you don't want to do this." Brian's response was "Yes. Yes I do," as he moved in for a kiss, only to stopped short by Holden & Lily returning home at just the right moment.
Later that night, Brian came downstairs for another drink and Luke was waiting for him, leaving him speechless with the following warning:
"I don't know what your story is. Whatever you're hiding is your issue, not mine. But you married my Grandmother and I will not watch her be taken for a fool. Consider this a warning, Brian. If you ever come on to me again, I will tell her everything."
I enjoy seeing Luke being strong and in control of himself, especially after the last month or so. I'd love to see it carry over to his relationship with Noah, too, instead of having Luke constantly beg for a guy who, as he's written at the moment, totally isn't worthy of him.
As for Brian, I'm hoping they'll surprise me and not go the route I increasingly think they're going to go, which is Brian shutting Luke up by trying to kill him or locking him up somewhere. Daytime has already had one married character who killed people to cover up the fact that he was gay (this was on One Life to Live a couple of years ago) and I'm hoping that As the World Turns isn't going to do anything similar. It would be so much more interesting to see Brian having to come to terms with his sexuality and his attraction to Luke. As I've noted before, we haven't really had a character his age come out before in daytime, it could make for a good story.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Obama's Fist LGBT Appointment; My Double Standard on Kennedy
Sources are saying that President-elect Obama will name his administration's first LGBT official with the selection of Nancy Sutley, the openly gay Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles for Energy & the Environment, to lead the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
While this is not as huge as naming an openly gay Cabinet member (though there are still a few of those positions open which could go to LGBT individuals) it is still a pretty big step. It's also pretty amazing that we're going to have a President who actually cares about the Environment. The news of her new position pleases California's League of Conservation Voters and gives hope that, with the environmental team Obama has assembled, we'll actually make progress towards cleaning up the planet. What a nice change from the continual downward spiral on environmental issues we've been in for the last several years!
Meanwhile, Marie Cocco makes some really good points in a piece on the excitement over Caroline Kennedy potentially filling Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. As I've noted before, I actually really like the idea of Caroline becoming New York's new Senator, largely because of my admiration for her. But Cocco rightly points out that Kennedy's family connections and good works alone shouldn't qualify her for a seat in the Senate.
The fact remains, though, that Senate appointments often go to people who've never held elected office before- Ted Kafuman, the new Senator from Delaware, for instance, or Jean Carnahan of Missouri who was appointed in her husband's place when he died just before winning the election. If we want to change this, we'd have to end the appointments of Senators to vacant seats and just hold immediate special elections instead, like they do in the House.
No matter who Governor Patterson appoints, they won't have to be elected by the people of New York until 2010, and possibly not even then if they decided not to run. I honestly think Caroline Kennedy would make a hell of a Senator. And if if turned out that she didn't, the people would have their say in two years, like they will on whomever the Governor chooses.
I'm completely biased, though, and freely admit that I was disgusted by Ted Kafuman's appointment. I felt it should have gone to someone who'd held elective office and wasn't just a friend of Joe Biden. This situation is a bit different, given all the good works that Caroline has done, but I can still see that I'm totally embracing a double standard on this.
But, what can I say? Nothing is ever black and white in life. While Kaufman's appointment is blatantly that of a seat warmer for Beau Biden's run in 2010, Kennedy's would be that of a woman who could become a true liberal leader in the Senate for decades to come.
While this is not as huge as naming an openly gay Cabinet member (though there are still a few of those positions open which could go to LGBT individuals) it is still a pretty big step. It's also pretty amazing that we're going to have a President who actually cares about the Environment. The news of her new position pleases California's League of Conservation Voters and gives hope that, with the environmental team Obama has assembled, we'll actually make progress towards cleaning up the planet. What a nice change from the continual downward spiral on environmental issues we've been in for the last several years!
Meanwhile, Marie Cocco makes some really good points in a piece on the excitement over Caroline Kennedy potentially filling Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. As I've noted before, I actually really like the idea of Caroline becoming New York's new Senator, largely because of my admiration for her. But Cocco rightly points out that Kennedy's family connections and good works alone shouldn't qualify her for a seat in the Senate.
The fact remains, though, that Senate appointments often go to people who've never held elected office before- Ted Kafuman, the new Senator from Delaware, for instance, or Jean Carnahan of Missouri who was appointed in her husband's place when he died just before winning the election. If we want to change this, we'd have to end the appointments of Senators to vacant seats and just hold immediate special elections instead, like they do in the House.
No matter who Governor Patterson appoints, they won't have to be elected by the people of New York until 2010, and possibly not even then if they decided not to run. I honestly think Caroline Kennedy would make a hell of a Senator. And if if turned out that she didn't, the people would have their say in two years, like they will on whomever the Governor chooses.
I'm completely biased, though, and freely admit that I was disgusted by Ted Kafuman's appointment. I felt it should have gone to someone who'd held elective office and wasn't just a friend of Joe Biden. This situation is a bit different, given all the good works that Caroline has done, but I can still see that I'm totally embracing a double standard on this.
But, what can I say? Nothing is ever black and white in life. While Kaufman's appointment is blatantly that of a seat warmer for Beau Biden's run in 2010, Kennedy's would be that of a woman who could become a true liberal leader in the Senate for decades to come.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
For Sale: One Senate Seat
I'm sure you've probably heard by now that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been arrested and charged with corruption for, among other things, trying to sell the Senate seat that Barack Obama recently resigned. The Governor has allegedly been trying to get the best deal for himself from those interested in the seat while using the threat of appointing himself to it should a better offer not be made.
The truly awful part of this tale is that, under the law, Blagojevich is still going to have to choose the new Senator, unless he resigns immediately as Governor, which is unlikely.
Senator Dick Durbin, the other Senator from Illinois, has called for a special election to fill the seat in light of this turn of events. This would certainly make more sense than allowing Blagojevich to appoint someone who would remain tainted for the next two years by association with this mess and likely lose the seat in the 2010 election because of it.
This certainly isn't a promising start for the new Administration and Congress, having this mess to clean up.
The truly awful part of this tale is that, under the law, Blagojevich is still going to have to choose the new Senator, unless he resigns immediately as Governor, which is unlikely.
Senator Dick Durbin, the other Senator from Illinois, has called for a special election to fill the seat in light of this turn of events. This would certainly make more sense than allowing Blagojevich to appoint someone who would remain tainted for the next two years by association with this mess and likely lose the seat in the 2010 election because of it.
This certainly isn't a promising start for the new Administration and Congress, having this mess to clean up.
Monday, December 08, 2008
ATWT Bores, B&S Improves
Luke was back on As The World Turns today, but overall it was a pretty dull episode. Luke sought out Brian's ex-wife to find out why they'd divorced and she told him it was none of his business, even after Luke explained about Lucinda and strongly hinted at his own interactions with Brian. She later called Brian to tell him all about Luke's questions.
Meanwhile, Lucinda made it clear to her new husband that she expects them to have a full sex life and he put her off by promising that they will as soon as she's up for it health wise. Lucinda seems to be starting to suspect that something isn't quite right.
After failing to get answers from the former Mrs. Wheatley, Luke went to see Noah at Java, since Noah is apparently the only one he can talk to about this, no matter how little support Noah shows him. Brian barged in in the middle of their conversation and pulled the whole "Who they hell do you think you are!" outraged trip on Luke, denied being gay once again, and told Luke to think about whose life exactly he might be ruining the next time he 'outs' him to somebody.
Luke later told Noah that Brian is probably the reason his Grandmother is recovering so well from her cancer recurrence and he doesn't want to hurt her, but that he just can't let her live a lie.
On a positive note, Luke was sober for the entire episode.
I'm starting to think that this whole thing with Brian is going to turn out to be little more than another excuse to keep Luke & Noah from being together. Since it started, Noah has barely been on and has not been written as a very good boyfriend when he is on.
Of course, it could be worse. They could be as unwatchable as the rest of this show. As the World Turns has a very strong cast overall, probably one of the strongest on daytime, and they're wasted on some of the worst writing in a medium that specializes in bad writing these days.
When a soap is well written- as One Life to Live has been for the past year or so, for instance- it can be pure magic. There's nothing else like it on television. But because the networks and producers seem to insist on recycling the same tired Head Writers from soap to soap long after their pool of ideas has dried up, getting good soap on the air is very rare indeed.
Primetime TV has never been better than it is now at hiring writers who can work magic with continuing stories, which were once mostly the domain of the soaps. I wish daytime would wake up and find some fresh writing talent with new ideas before it's too late, but quite honestly I wouldn't bet on that happening.
Speaking of improved writing, I've been pretty hard on Brothers & Sisters this season and it has deserved it. Last night's episode, though, was fantastic. Suddenly, so much of that magic that was present in the first two seasons was there onscreen again. It was funny, there was some very good character driven drama, Scotty & Kevin had some excellent scenes that really established them as a married couple, and it set up the story for future episodes. Best of all, Rob Lowe's character was barely in the episode!
I'm hoping that when the show returns in January this episode will prove to be a turning point, rather than a fluke.
Below, borrowed from Superherofan, is a picture of my favorite moment in the episode, when Kevin & Scotty comforted each other in Kevin's hospital bed. This is a strong, loving gay couple that is every bit an equal part of a larger family unit. It's very impressive.
Meanwhile, Lucinda made it clear to her new husband that she expects them to have a full sex life and he put her off by promising that they will as soon as she's up for it health wise. Lucinda seems to be starting to suspect that something isn't quite right.
After failing to get answers from the former Mrs. Wheatley, Luke went to see Noah at Java, since Noah is apparently the only one he can talk to about this, no matter how little support Noah shows him. Brian barged in in the middle of their conversation and pulled the whole "Who they hell do you think you are!" outraged trip on Luke, denied being gay once again, and told Luke to think about whose life exactly he might be ruining the next time he 'outs' him to somebody.
Luke later told Noah that Brian is probably the reason his Grandmother is recovering so well from her cancer recurrence and he doesn't want to hurt her, but that he just can't let her live a lie.
On a positive note, Luke was sober for the entire episode.
I'm starting to think that this whole thing with Brian is going to turn out to be little more than another excuse to keep Luke & Noah from being together. Since it started, Noah has barely been on and has not been written as a very good boyfriend when he is on.
Of course, it could be worse. They could be as unwatchable as the rest of this show. As the World Turns has a very strong cast overall, probably one of the strongest on daytime, and they're wasted on some of the worst writing in a medium that specializes in bad writing these days.
When a soap is well written- as One Life to Live has been for the past year or so, for instance- it can be pure magic. There's nothing else like it on television. But because the networks and producers seem to insist on recycling the same tired Head Writers from soap to soap long after their pool of ideas has dried up, getting good soap on the air is very rare indeed.
Primetime TV has never been better than it is now at hiring writers who can work magic with continuing stories, which were once mostly the domain of the soaps. I wish daytime would wake up and find some fresh writing talent with new ideas before it's too late, but quite honestly I wouldn't bet on that happening.
Speaking of improved writing, I've been pretty hard on Brothers & Sisters this season and it has deserved it. Last night's episode, though, was fantastic. Suddenly, so much of that magic that was present in the first two seasons was there onscreen again. It was funny, there was some very good character driven drama, Scotty & Kevin had some excellent scenes that really established them as a married couple, and it set up the story for future episodes. Best of all, Rob Lowe's character was barely in the episode!
I'm hoping that when the show returns in January this episode will prove to be a turning point, rather than a fluke.
Below, borrowed from Superherofan, is a picture of my favorite moment in the episode, when Kevin & Scotty comforted each other in Kevin's hospital bed. This is a strong, loving gay couple that is every bit an equal part of a larger family unit. It's very impressive.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Music Talk
Can I just say how much I love Kristin Chenoweth? I know that I've said it before. I know that I'll say it again. But I just completely adore her.
I watched last Wednesday's episode of Pushing Daisies last night and it had this fantastic scene where her character, Olive Snook, sings Eternal Flame. One of my favorite moments in season one was a similar scene in which the lovesick Olive sang Hopelessly Devoted to You and I'd been hoping that they'd have Kristin sing again before the show ended. I totally wasn't expecting it when it happened, though, so it was a great surprise.
I bought Kristin's holiday CD, A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas, today and- no shock here- I really like it. I have her two earlier CDs already and I listen to them all the time, especially Let Yourself Go, which has some really fun songs on it. I'm kind of sad that I'm only going to be able to listen to this new CD for one month every year!
I'm going to have to buy the Wicked and You're A Good Man Charlie Brown Broadway cast recordings next, I guess. I really hope some smart TV Exec snaps Chenoweth up for a new show soon now that Pushing Daisies is going off the air.
All right, so to sum up, I basically worship Kristin Chenoweth. I'm probably even going to see Four Christmases just because she's in the cast. I haven't had a non-sexual crush like this since I loved Sarah Michelle Gellar back during her Buffy heyday, but that ended after I saw one too many interviews with her and discovered that it was actually Buffy I liked, not Sarah!
Speaking of music, I've been meaning to mention that I think one of the best CDs that was released this year was Jay Brannan's album Goddamed. I first discovered Jay's music on YouTube (although I'd seen him before that in the movie Shortbus, I didn't actually realize that he was the same guy at first) and was really impressed, especially with the song Housewife. If you aren't familiar with his music, you should check out his videos on YouTube where you can find him singing most of the songs from the CD.
I had a chance to go see him in concert a few months back, but of course I had to work and couldn't find anyone to cover my shift, so I missed out, which is the way things usually go with me! I'm hoping he'll come back this way someday.
I watched last Wednesday's episode of Pushing Daisies last night and it had this fantastic scene where her character, Olive Snook, sings Eternal Flame. One of my favorite moments in season one was a similar scene in which the lovesick Olive sang Hopelessly Devoted to You and I'd been hoping that they'd have Kristin sing again before the show ended. I totally wasn't expecting it when it happened, though, so it was a great surprise.
I bought Kristin's holiday CD, A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas, today and- no shock here- I really like it. I have her two earlier CDs already and I listen to them all the time, especially Let Yourself Go, which has some really fun songs on it. I'm kind of sad that I'm only going to be able to listen to this new CD for one month every year!
I'm going to have to buy the Wicked and You're A Good Man Charlie Brown Broadway cast recordings next, I guess. I really hope some smart TV Exec snaps Chenoweth up for a new show soon now that Pushing Daisies is going off the air.
All right, so to sum up, I basically worship Kristin Chenoweth. I'm probably even going to see Four Christmases just because she's in the cast. I haven't had a non-sexual crush like this since I loved Sarah Michelle Gellar back during her Buffy heyday, but that ended after I saw one too many interviews with her and discovered that it was actually Buffy I liked, not Sarah!
Speaking of music, I've been meaning to mention that I think one of the best CDs that was released this year was Jay Brannan's album Goddamed. I first discovered Jay's music on YouTube (although I'd seen him before that in the movie Shortbus, I didn't actually realize that he was the same guy at first) and was really impressed, especially with the song Housewife. If you aren't familiar with his music, you should check out his videos on YouTube where you can find him singing most of the songs from the CD.
I had a chance to go see him in concert a few months back, but of course I had to work and couldn't find anyone to cover my shift, so I missed out, which is the way things usually go with me! I'm hoping he'll come back this way someday.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Top Five Out Hotties
I'm in a light mood tonight, so I thought I'd do something fun. After toying with a couple of different ideas, I settled on something that's sure to be a joy for the whole family! Behold, my list of the top five hottest out gay celebrities!
Number Five:
Randy Harrison. I'll always have a place in my heart for Queer as Folk's blond twink Justin Taylor, and for Randy, the openly gay actor who played him. Of course, if his onscreen love interest Gale Harold was gay, he'd be number one on this list! One of my all time favorite Queer as Folk moments was in the first season when Justin's mom takes him to a therapist after she figures out he's gay. Justin's response when asked by the shrink if he had anything to say: "I like dick." It goes on from there, but you get the idea. Randy does mostly theatre now, but hopefully he'll do something onscreen again soon.
Number Four:
Chad Allen. Chad most recently starred on General Hospital: Night Shift as one half of its gay love story. He also has made several film versions of the Donald Strachey mysteries about a gay P.I. He has been out for over a decade now and is quite a hottie. (Picture borrowed from Superherofan)
Number Three:
Luke MacFarlane. Luke, who came out earlier this year, plays Scotty, my favorite male character on Brothers & Sisters. Luke makes Scotty's scenes one of the only reasons to enjoy Brothers & Sisters this season. I find him to be both incredibly sexy and adorable all at once.
Number Two:
Cheyenne Jackson. This guy is just breathtakingly hot. He's probably one of the top ten reasons I wish I lived in NYC, so that I could see him live on Broadway. He's also been completely open about his sexuality from the beginning of his career, which I think is incredible.
And finally, the Number One Hottest out gay celebrity:
Neil Patrick Harris. With Neil, it's more than just his good looks and hot body that makes me love him. It's his whole personality. He's the total package: funny, intelligent, sexy. His partner, David Burtka, is one very lucky man! (Picture borrowed from Superherofan)
Maybe sometime soon I'll do a list of the top five male celebrities I just wish were openly gay!
Number Five:
Randy Harrison. I'll always have a place in my heart for Queer as Folk's blond twink Justin Taylor, and for Randy, the openly gay actor who played him. Of course, if his onscreen love interest Gale Harold was gay, he'd be number one on this list! One of my all time favorite Queer as Folk moments was in the first season when Justin's mom takes him to a therapist after she figures out he's gay. Justin's response when asked by the shrink if he had anything to say: "I like dick." It goes on from there, but you get the idea. Randy does mostly theatre now, but hopefully he'll do something onscreen again soon.
Number Four:
Chad Allen. Chad most recently starred on General Hospital: Night Shift as one half of its gay love story. He also has made several film versions of the Donald Strachey mysteries about a gay P.I. He has been out for over a decade now and is quite a hottie. (Picture borrowed from Superherofan)
Number Three:
Luke MacFarlane. Luke, who came out earlier this year, plays Scotty, my favorite male character on Brothers & Sisters. Luke makes Scotty's scenes one of the only reasons to enjoy Brothers & Sisters this season. I find him to be both incredibly sexy and adorable all at once.
Number Two:
Cheyenne Jackson. This guy is just breathtakingly hot. He's probably one of the top ten reasons I wish I lived in NYC, so that I could see him live on Broadway. He's also been completely open about his sexuality from the beginning of his career, which I think is incredible.And finally, the Number One Hottest out gay celebrity:
Neil Patrick Harris. With Neil, it's more than just his good looks and hot body that makes me love him. It's his whole personality. He's the total package: funny, intelligent, sexy. His partner, David Burtka, is one very lucky man! (Picture borrowed from Superherofan)Maybe sometime soon I'll do a list of the top five male celebrities I just wish were openly gay!
Friday, December 05, 2008
Project Holiday Spirit; Another Senator Kennedy?
Just a few quick things tonight.
First, Project Holiday Spirit has already raised over $2,300 since Monday for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This is the campaign by fans of Van Hansis & Jake Silbermann (a.k.a Luke & Noah on As the World Turns) to donate in honor of them during the Holiday season. Click the link if you'd like to donate as well.
Also, I wrote the other day that Caroline Kennedy's name was being mentioned for Hillary Clinton's Senate seat in New York. Just because she was being spoken of for the position didn't mean that she'd actually want it, of course. Today I read that Caroline is indeed interested in taking over Senator Clinton's seat and I have to admit that I really like the idea, if for no other reason than that I've always really admired Caroline Kennedy.
I should also note that the National Organization for Women has endorsed Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney for the seat and that there are several other women in the Congressional delegation who would be strong choices as well. As I've said, I really hope that the Governor of New York ends up choosing a woman to replace Clinton.
First, Project Holiday Spirit has already raised over $2,300 since Monday for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This is the campaign by fans of Van Hansis & Jake Silbermann (a.k.a Luke & Noah on As the World Turns) to donate in honor of them during the Holiday season. Click the link if you'd like to donate as well.
Also, I wrote the other day that Caroline Kennedy's name was being mentioned for Hillary Clinton's Senate seat in New York. Just because she was being spoken of for the position didn't mean that she'd actually want it, of course. Today I read that Caroline is indeed interested in taking over Senator Clinton's seat and I have to admit that I really like the idea, if for no other reason than that I've always really admired Caroline Kennedy.
I should also note that the National Organization for Women has endorsed Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney for the seat and that there are several other women in the Congressional delegation who would be strong choices as well. As I've said, I really hope that the Governor of New York ends up choosing a woman to replace Clinton.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Economic Woes; Barney Frank
Tonight while I was on a break at work I was flipping through Publishers Weekly in the break room and reading this article about how the big three bookstore chains (one of which I'm employed by) in the United States posted losses for the third quarter in a row this year. According to the article, it may end up being the first year that the big three have had losses in every quarter. The article also notes that consumer spending overall fell in October by the largest amount since the 9/11 attacks.
I'm really not surprised at all. We're busier than we've been in months, but not Holiday Season busy, not by a long shot. For instance, we had a new J.K. Rowling book released today; months ago, when we first heard that this book was going to be released during the Holiday season, we were all bemoaning the fact that they were releasing it right in the midst of the Holiday rush, when we were going to be busy enough as it was. Well, we needn't have worried.
We sold plenty of copies of the book today, but we were no more busy than yesterday. Granted, it's not a Harry Potter book and we weren't doing special midnight release parties or anything like that, but I think it still says a lot about the state of the economy this year. Things are really bad.
On another topic, The Advocate has a really interesting interview with openly gay Congressman Barney Frank. The following part really caught my attention:
I have to disagree with the Congressman that the rallies don't change anything. I think they send a powerful message, for one thing, and make people realize that we're not going to just take discrimination meekly, that we'll fight for our rights, that we have a lot of allies willing to fight with us.
I do agree that just going to rallies isn't enough, though, that you have to make yourself heard through speaking out, contacting those who represent you in Congress, boycotting businesses whose CEO's donated money to help Prop 8 pass, and in countless other ways. Rallies are important, but they do need to be tied in with other forms of activism, including lobbying and getting involved in the political process.
As for Don't Ask Don't Tell, the 'as soon as we get out of Iraq' part of Frank's quote troubles me. It needs to be changed as soon as the new Congress and President are in office, especially since we don't really know how long it's going to be until we're out of Iraq.
Read the full interview if you have the time. Frank is a really interesting guy.
I'm really not surprised at all. We're busier than we've been in months, but not Holiday Season busy, not by a long shot. For instance, we had a new J.K. Rowling book released today; months ago, when we first heard that this book was going to be released during the Holiday season, we were all bemoaning the fact that they were releasing it right in the midst of the Holiday rush, when we were going to be busy enough as it was. Well, we needn't have worried.
We sold plenty of copies of the book today, but we were no more busy than yesterday. Granted, it's not a Harry Potter book and we weren't doing special midnight release parties or anything like that, but I think it still says a lot about the state of the economy this year. Things are really bad.
On another topic, The Advocate has a really interesting interview with openly gay Congressman Barney Frank. The following part really caught my attention:
“Once we get out of Iraq, we’ll get rid of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ ” he tells me. “There’s not going to be that much of a fight over that—people are over it. Plus it’s hard to argue today that 20-year-olds freak out at the sight of a gay guy. We will also get hate-crimes legislation with transgender included, and we will get employment nondiscrimination with transgender included -- if transgender people keep working for it and lobbying for it. Many people assumed that Nancy Pelosi and I could just deliver that, but that’s not how it works. I think they understand now that they have to go to each congressperson and make the case.”
When the conversation turns to gay marriage, Frank says he is “cautiously optimistic” about Proposition 8 being defeated in California. “I just wish more time had passed since it was legalized and this election,” he says. “With discrimination, the fear always outweighs the reality of it. You just hope there’s enough time to show everyone that everything is fine, that gay marriage has no impact on heterosexual marriage.”
Proposition 8 ended up passing, of course, prompting protests across the country. “It’s great that people feel passionate about this,” he says 10 days after the election, when I ask whether the upswing in gay activism pleased him, “but do you really think a rally on the Boston Common does one thing to change anything? I would prefer people channeled that energy -- whether it’s for marriage equality or employment nondiscrimination -- into mobilizing and trying to persuade those who disagree with them. Notice that the NRA never marches. This is my continual debate with people in the gay community, many of whom want to hold rallies instead of doing political lobbying.”
I have to disagree with the Congressman that the rallies don't change anything. I think they send a powerful message, for one thing, and make people realize that we're not going to just take discrimination meekly, that we'll fight for our rights, that we have a lot of allies willing to fight with us.
I do agree that just going to rallies isn't enough, though, that you have to make yourself heard through speaking out, contacting those who represent you in Congress, boycotting businesses whose CEO's donated money to help Prop 8 pass, and in countless other ways. Rallies are important, but they do need to be tied in with other forms of activism, including lobbying and getting involved in the political process.
As for Don't Ask Don't Tell, the 'as soon as we get out of Iraq' part of Frank's quote troubles me. It needs to be changed as soon as the new Congress and President are in office, especially since we don't really know how long it's going to be until we're out of Iraq.
Read the full interview if you have the time. Frank is a really interesting guy.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Nosy Luke, Invisible Noah
Luke was back on today's As The World Turns, though Noah was nowhere in sight. Luke started out the show in Old Town where he was apparently wandering around aimlessly before he spotted his friend Alison and tried unsuccessfully to avoid her. Alison, a nursing student, quickly picked up on the fact that Luke was having a dizzy spell and also that he was intoxicated yet again.
It's odd that no one who actually shares a house with Luke ever notice that he's drunk, even when it happens right in the middle of Thanksgiving Dinner. If the poor guy is drinking as a cry for help, it's certainly falling on deaf ears in the Snyder clan.
After trying and failing to talk some sense into Luke about what drinking could do to him, Alison threatened to call his parents unless he agreed to come to the hospital with her for a completely confidential check up by an intern friend of hers, to make sure that his lone kidney was still functioning.
This being a soap opera, Lucinda was of course having a post-op follow up in the examining room right across from his and Brian ran into Luke & co and discovered what was going on. After the intern told Luke that he'd need a blood test to determine if his low blood pressure was because he was drunk or due to a kidney infection, Brian promised that he'd get one and then insisted that Luke go sleep it off in the empty hotel room Brian is still paying for.
Instead of sleeping, Luke did some snooping and found a letter to Brian from a woman with Brian's last name, saying she'd received his alimony check. Luke seemed surprised that Brian had been married before (which is irritating, since on Monday when Luke told Noah about Brian being a closet case, one of the objections Noah raised was 'Didn't you say he'd been married before'? Continuity, anyone?) and pocketed the letter before making a quick get away when Brian showed up.
One can only imagine why Brian would show up in a hotel room where he expected to find Luke sound asleep.
You know, I'm glad that Luke has a storyline right now, but where is Noah? They're acting like it's really over between those two and Noah is hardly on any more. Does Noah not exist without Luke? It's been established that Noah has a friendship with the now back-from-the-dead Dusty Donovan. He and Luke actually argued about this friendship not that long ago, since Dusty faking his death lead to Holden's arrest for murder and really hurt Lily. Noah told Luke that Dusty was there for him when Luke was paralyzed and pushing Noah away and had encouraged Noah not to give up on Luke.
Would it be so much to ask, then, that the show give us a few scenes where Noah talks to Dusty what he's going through right now and gets some advice and support? Or even where Noah talks to Casey & Alison about what he's going through?
It's beyond frustrating how badly written this show is most of the time.
Anyway, I believe that this was Luke's last appearance for this week.
Speaking of television, though, Craig from Puntabulous blogged the other day on the untimely demise of Pushing Daisies and other shows that have been canceled before their time. I've already written about how upset I am about Pushing Daisies, but Craig got me thinking about when the last time I was this upset about a show being canceled was.
It's been a really long time. I think the last time that I was truly upset over the loss of a show with a lot of promise was Undeclared, which was way back in the 2001-2002 television season. I loved Undeclared, it was an incredibly funny Judd Apatow show about a group of college freshman and it had a great cast including Charlie Hunnam and Seth Rogen. Fox never really gave it a chance, of course, and it didn't make it a full season. It's available on DVD, though, and it's totally worth checking out!
There have been other shows (like Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me) that I've discovered on DVD after their cancellation and lamented in retrospect, but I think that was the last show I was actually watching in real time that bit the dust way too early.
It's odd that no one who actually shares a house with Luke ever notice that he's drunk, even when it happens right in the middle of Thanksgiving Dinner. If the poor guy is drinking as a cry for help, it's certainly falling on deaf ears in the Snyder clan.
After trying and failing to talk some sense into Luke about what drinking could do to him, Alison threatened to call his parents unless he agreed to come to the hospital with her for a completely confidential check up by an intern friend of hers, to make sure that his lone kidney was still functioning.
This being a soap opera, Lucinda was of course having a post-op follow up in the examining room right across from his and Brian ran into Luke & co and discovered what was going on. After the intern told Luke that he'd need a blood test to determine if his low blood pressure was because he was drunk or due to a kidney infection, Brian promised that he'd get one and then insisted that Luke go sleep it off in the empty hotel room Brian is still paying for.
Instead of sleeping, Luke did some snooping and found a letter to Brian from a woman with Brian's last name, saying she'd received his alimony check. Luke seemed surprised that Brian had been married before (which is irritating, since on Monday when Luke told Noah about Brian being a closet case, one of the objections Noah raised was 'Didn't you say he'd been married before'? Continuity, anyone?) and pocketed the letter before making a quick get away when Brian showed up.
One can only imagine why Brian would show up in a hotel room where he expected to find Luke sound asleep.
You know, I'm glad that Luke has a storyline right now, but where is Noah? They're acting like it's really over between those two and Noah is hardly on any more. Does Noah not exist without Luke? It's been established that Noah has a friendship with the now back-from-the-dead Dusty Donovan. He and Luke actually argued about this friendship not that long ago, since Dusty faking his death lead to Holden's arrest for murder and really hurt Lily. Noah told Luke that Dusty was there for him when Luke was paralyzed and pushing Noah away and had encouraged Noah not to give up on Luke.
Would it be so much to ask, then, that the show give us a few scenes where Noah talks to Dusty what he's going through right now and gets some advice and support? Or even where Noah talks to Casey & Alison about what he's going through?
It's beyond frustrating how badly written this show is most of the time.
Anyway, I believe that this was Luke's last appearance for this week.
Speaking of television, though, Craig from Puntabulous blogged the other day on the untimely demise of Pushing Daisies and other shows that have been canceled before their time. I've already written about how upset I am about Pushing Daisies, but Craig got me thinking about when the last time I was this upset about a show being canceled was.
It's been a really long time. I think the last time that I was truly upset over the loss of a show with a lot of promise was Undeclared, which was way back in the 2001-2002 television season. I loved Undeclared, it was an incredibly funny Judd Apatow show about a group of college freshman and it had a great cast including Charlie Hunnam and Seth Rogen. Fox never really gave it a chance, of course, and it didn't make it a full season. It's available on DVD, though, and it's totally worth checking out!
There have been other shows (like Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me) that I've discovered on DVD after their cancellation and lamented in retrospect, but I think that was the last show I was actually watching in real time that bit the dust way too early.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
An LGBT Inclusive Cabinet?
I really can't believe that it's already December again. What ever happened to the year dragging by? I swear, when I was a kid I counted down the days to Winter Break, Christmas, Spring Break, and Summer Vacation and they were endless. It took forever for those times to finally arrive, and then of course once they had they flew by.
Now everything goes so fast. I know that this is just a consequence of growing up and getting older and that everyone experiences it, but its still pretty jarring at times. One minute its New Year's Day and you're busy dreaming of all that the new year might bring and the next you're Christmas shopping again and wondering what you did with an entire year. It's crazy.
But, I digress. 365Gay has an article up on President-elect Obama's Nominee for Attorney General, Eric Holder, and The Human Rights Campaign's praise of his record on LGBT Civil Rights issues:
Now everything goes so fast. I know that this is just a consequence of growing up and getting older and that everyone experiences it, but its still pretty jarring at times. One minute its New Year's Day and you're busy dreaming of all that the new year might bring and the next you're Christmas shopping again and wondering what you did with an entire year. It's crazy.
But, I digress. 365Gay has an article up on President-elect Obama's Nominee for Attorney General, Eric Holder, and The Human Rights Campaign's praise of his record on LGBT Civil Rights issues:
In a 1999 appearance before the House Judiciary Committee Holder called for LGBT inclusion in federal hate crime law, noting that currently the law “provides no coverage whatsoever for violent hate crimes committed because of bias based on the victim’s sexual orientation, gender or disability, and these crimes pose a serious problem for our nation.”
After eight years of the likes of John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales it's going to be pretty amazing to have someone like Holder in charge of the Justice Department.
In other news, the President-elect is said to be considering nominating the first openly gay Cabinet Secretary in the person of labor activist Mary Beth Maxwell, who is reportedly on the short list for Secretary of Labor.
How amazing would that be? Not only would we have an openly gay person serving in the President's Cabinet, we'd have a Labor Secretary who actually has fought for worker's rights! Maxwell has written for The Huffington Post on labor issues and reading through her pieces, I think she'd be the perfect person for the job.
After eight years of the likes of John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales it's going to be pretty amazing to have someone like Holder in charge of the Justice Department.
In other news, the President-elect is said to be considering nominating the first openly gay Cabinet Secretary in the person of labor activist Mary Beth Maxwell, who is reportedly on the short list for Secretary of Labor.
How amazing would that be? Not only would we have an openly gay person serving in the President's Cabinet, we'd have a Labor Secretary who actually has fought for worker's rights! Maxwell has written for The Huffington Post on labor issues and reading through her pieces, I think she'd be the perfect person for the job.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Under One Roof
As I mentioned earlier, today was a Luke & Noah day on As the World Turns. Luke started out the episode by sneaking a beer for breakfast (so nutritional!) and had only chugged about a quarter of it before he suffered some kind of pain in the general vicinity of his one remaining kidney.
After pouring out the rest of the beer, Luke seemed to be taking some steps towards getting his life back on track. He went to see his father and asked if he could move back in with his parents at their place. Getting away from Grandma Emma's wild lifestyle out on the farm will certainly help keep him sober, right? Actually, maybe it will, since Emma's rules kept him from ever having sex with his boyfriend. That would drive anyone to drink, I'm sure.
Anyway, Luke seemed determined to get his act together and Holden happily agreed to let him move back home. But wait! Is that a plot contrivance in the distance?
It seems that newlywed Grandmother Lucinda decided to have her mansion redone to celebrate having a new husband. The happy couple were going to stay in Brian's hotel room while the work was done, but once Lily heard the plan she insisted that they move in with her & Holden immediately.
First off, Lucinda is a millionaire who could easily afford to rent a place to stay anywhere in the world while her mansion is redone. Forget renting, actually, she & Brian could stay in the cottage that she owns, the one that Noah & Ameera lived in for most of their sham marriage.
But none of that would put Luke & Brian under the same roof, of course, and that's clearly the goal here. Brian didn't seem too thrilled at the idea of living so near Luke (too much temptation?), but it was clear that Lucinda liked the idea and since he's the perfect husband, he agreed.
Luke tried to get himself out of the new living arrangement, but Lucinda took him aside and asked him to give Brian a chance for her sake. Luke, needing someone to unburden himself to, went to see Noah (at work, naturally; the guy must sleep on a cot in the backroom at Java) and told him that Brian had 'come on to him'.
Noah was skeptical, however, and suggested that Luke had misinterpreted something, possibly because he was drunk at the time. Luke revealed that the 'come on' was a kiss, but Noah remained unconvinced. Luke got frustrated and told Noah that he knows Brian wants to sleep with him, just like he knew Noah did (back when Noah was closeted). Um, considering that Noah never actually got around to sleeping with Luke, this might not be the best way to judge the situation!
Meanwhile, Lucinda and Lily both urged Brian to 'take Luke under his wing' and get him more involved in the day to day running of the Foundation to take his mind off his troubles.
Luke came back from his disastrous attempt at getting advice and support from Noah and hit the bottle once again. After Brian caught him and tried to convince him to stop his self destructive behavior, Luke told him to never touch him again and ran out.
I don't quite know where they're going with this yet. They're either going to end up making Brian completely evil (i.e. he'll try and kill Luke to shut him up, or maybe lock him in a basement somewhere; the current writers of this show specialize in this kind of overblown story, we've seen it multiple times in just the last few years) or he's going to have some sort of a coming out drama of his own. If Noah keeps pushing Luke away and Luke keeps drinking, it's even possible that something could happen between them.
In the meantime, I'm already getting tired of self destructive Luke. Don't get me wrong, Van Hansis is doing a great job. You could really feel Luke's determination to make a change in the first half of the episode and then the way he just sort of gave up after Noah didn't believe him. I'm just ready for the real Luke to reemerge and for Luke & Noah to finally be together.
Over on All My Children, lesbian couple Bianca and Reese had a brief love scene in bed together a few weeks back that was groundbreaking for daytime and I'm ready to see Luke & Noah get their turn to make some more history.
After pouring out the rest of the beer, Luke seemed to be taking some steps towards getting his life back on track. He went to see his father and asked if he could move back in with his parents at their place. Getting away from Grandma Emma's wild lifestyle out on the farm will certainly help keep him sober, right? Actually, maybe it will, since Emma's rules kept him from ever having sex with his boyfriend. That would drive anyone to drink, I'm sure.
Anyway, Luke seemed determined to get his act together and Holden happily agreed to let him move back home. But wait! Is that a plot contrivance in the distance?
It seems that newlywed Grandmother Lucinda decided to have her mansion redone to celebrate having a new husband. The happy couple were going to stay in Brian's hotel room while the work was done, but once Lily heard the plan she insisted that they move in with her & Holden immediately.
First off, Lucinda is a millionaire who could easily afford to rent a place to stay anywhere in the world while her mansion is redone. Forget renting, actually, she & Brian could stay in the cottage that she owns, the one that Noah & Ameera lived in for most of their sham marriage.
But none of that would put Luke & Brian under the same roof, of course, and that's clearly the goal here. Brian didn't seem too thrilled at the idea of living so near Luke (too much temptation?), but it was clear that Lucinda liked the idea and since he's the perfect husband, he agreed.
Luke tried to get himself out of the new living arrangement, but Lucinda took him aside and asked him to give Brian a chance for her sake. Luke, needing someone to unburden himself to, went to see Noah (at work, naturally; the guy must sleep on a cot in the backroom at Java) and told him that Brian had 'come on to him'.
Noah was skeptical, however, and suggested that Luke had misinterpreted something, possibly because he was drunk at the time. Luke revealed that the 'come on' was a kiss, but Noah remained unconvinced. Luke got frustrated and told Noah that he knows Brian wants to sleep with him, just like he knew Noah did (back when Noah was closeted). Um, considering that Noah never actually got around to sleeping with Luke, this might not be the best way to judge the situation!
Meanwhile, Lucinda and Lily both urged Brian to 'take Luke under his wing' and get him more involved in the day to day running of the Foundation to take his mind off his troubles.
Luke came back from his disastrous attempt at getting advice and support from Noah and hit the bottle once again. After Brian caught him and tried to convince him to stop his self destructive behavior, Luke told him to never touch him again and ran out.
I don't quite know where they're going with this yet. They're either going to end up making Brian completely evil (i.e. he'll try and kill Luke to shut him up, or maybe lock him in a basement somewhere; the current writers of this show specialize in this kind of overblown story, we've seen it multiple times in just the last few years) or he's going to have some sort of a coming out drama of his own. If Noah keeps pushing Luke away and Luke keeps drinking, it's even possible that something could happen between them.
In the meantime, I'm already getting tired of self destructive Luke. Don't get me wrong, Van Hansis is doing a great job. You could really feel Luke's determination to make a change in the first half of the episode and then the way he just sort of gave up after Noah didn't believe him. I'm just ready for the real Luke to reemerge and for Luke & Noah to finally be together.
Over on All My Children, lesbian couple Bianca and Reese had a brief love scene in bed together a few weeks back that was groundbreaking for daytime and I'm ready to see Luke & Noah get their turn to make some more history.
Clinton Yay, Gates Nay
I have mixed feelings about the announcement of President-elect Obama's National Security team today. On the one hand, I'm beyond thrilled that he picked Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to be his Secretary of State. I think she's an excellent choice and will be a strong force for a return to real diplomacy and rebuilding America's standing in the world.
But to say I'm troubled by his choice to keep Robert Gates on as Secretary of Defense would be an understatement. Gates is on the record as opposing the Iraq withdrawal plan that Obama campaigned on so the decision to keep him on at Defense seems odd if the President-elect really does intend to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Katrina vanden Heuvel of The Nation has an excellent piece on the choice that should be read. Here are a few of the very strong points she makes:
All of this makes me nervous, but I'm willing to wait and see what happens over the first few month's of Obama's administration before I get too panicked. It's too bad that Gates doesn't have to be Confirmed for the job again, though, because I'd like to see some real debate on this nomination.
Meanwhile, CQPolitics has an article on the potential replacements to fill Hillary Clinton's seat in the Senate. It seems like the most obvious choice is the State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who appears to be the most popular pick among those polled and would also eliminate a potential rival in the Democratic Primaries for Governor Paterson.
I'm still hoping that Governor Paterson will select a woman, though, and there are several excellent choices from among New York's Congressional Delegation. The article also mentions the possibility of a 'dark horse' surprise like Caroline Kennedy. In general, I'd prefer someone who has at least held elective office before but I have to admit that I've always greatly admired Caroline and would love to see her in the Senate.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
On a completely different topic, today is World AIDS Day and the 20th Anniversary of the first such day. If you can, please make a donation to help in the fight.
I'll be back later this evening to discuss today's Luke & Noah scenes on As the World Turns.
But to say I'm troubled by his choice to keep Robert Gates on as Secretary of Defense would be an understatement. Gates is on the record as opposing the Iraq withdrawal plan that Obama campaigned on so the decision to keep him on at Defense seems odd if the President-elect really does intend to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Katrina vanden Heuvel of The Nation has an excellent piece on the choice that should be read. Here are a few of the very strong points she makes:
Obama may believe that Gates will give him the cover and continuity he needs to carry out his planned withdrawal from Iraq. But so could many others, including Republicans like Chuck Hagel, who, at least, opposed the Iraq war. By keeping Gates on Obama worsens the Democratic image on national security--- sending the message that even Democrats agree that Democrats can't run the military. And even more troubling for our future security, Gates has sounded ominous notes about how more US troops can pacify Afghanistan. Speaking only days after a National Intelligence Estimate concluded that the US was caught in a "downward spiral" there, Gates asserted that there is "no reason to be defeatist or underestimate the opportunity to be successful in the long run." Extricating the US from one disastrous war to head into another will drain resources needed to fulfill Obama's hopes and promises for economic growth, health care, energy independence and crowd out other international initiatives.
All of this makes me nervous, but I'm willing to wait and see what happens over the first few month's of Obama's administration before I get too panicked. It's too bad that Gates doesn't have to be Confirmed for the job again, though, because I'd like to see some real debate on this nomination.
Meanwhile, CQPolitics has an article on the potential replacements to fill Hillary Clinton's seat in the Senate. It seems like the most obvious choice is the State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who appears to be the most popular pick among those polled and would also eliminate a potential rival in the Democratic Primaries for Governor Paterson.
I'm still hoping that Governor Paterson will select a woman, though, and there are several excellent choices from among New York's Congressional Delegation. The article also mentions the possibility of a 'dark horse' surprise like Caroline Kennedy. In general, I'd prefer someone who has at least held elective office before but I have to admit that I've always greatly admired Caroline and would love to see her in the Senate.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
On a completely different topic, today is World AIDS Day and the 20th Anniversary of the first such day. If you can, please make a donation to help in the fight.
I'll be back later this evening to discuss today's Luke & Noah scenes on As the World Turns.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Hollywood's Closet
My day at work today was a lot less exhausting than yesterday, probably because I went in more mentally prepared. I didn't have any really cranky customers, either, though I did have several of a type that we only ever see during the holidays. I'm talking about the people who come in with a list of five to seven items (sometimes more) and want you to basically be their personal shopper and take them from place to place all around the store, putting each item in their hand.
These customers, more often than not, are friendly and grateful for the help, but they're also incredibly time consuming while six other customers wait for assistance and people are calling for back up at the registers.
We were busier today, which is good. Yesterday we didn't even make half of our sales plan for the day, which is pretty awful for the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.
But, enough about work.
Larry Gross has a really interesting article at Truthdig about the continuing existence of the Hollywood Closet for gay & lesbian actors and how the whole Hollywood system is basically structured around keeping onscreen talent closeted. It's definitely worth reading the whole thing, but here's a little something from it:
These customers, more often than not, are friendly and grateful for the help, but they're also incredibly time consuming while six other customers wait for assistance and people are calling for back up at the registers.
We were busier today, which is good. Yesterday we didn't even make half of our sales plan for the day, which is pretty awful for the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.
But, enough about work.
Larry Gross has a really interesting article at Truthdig about the continuing existence of the Hollywood Closet for gay & lesbian actors and how the whole Hollywood system is basically structured around keeping onscreen talent closeted. It's definitely worth reading the whole thing, but here's a little something from it:
In a recent interview, after he came out publicly, Neil Patrick Harris spoke of the impact on him of seeing Danny Roberts, the gay cast member of “The Real World-New Orleans,” which aired in 2000 (Harris was 27 at the time!): “Danny Roberts was on a reality show, so I was watching him exist in his world and … what was empowering was to see him interacting socially and admiring the way he behaved in any given situation.”
In fact, for younger audiences, the presence of gay people is part of the recipe for establishing the verisimilitude of reality TV. This is important for the growing stream of cable-based reality shows, many highly successful, like “Project Runway” and “America’s Next Top Model,” which are almost as gay as the trend-setting “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” The king of this reality mountain, “American Idol,” has not exactly been welcoming to the possibility of openly gay stars, as Clay Aiken well knew, and as this year’s quickly dropped openly gay contestant, Danny Noriega, discovered.
But reality programming is not the basis for big-budget movie making. Would the coveted young audiences flock to the opening weekend of the next installment of blockbuster franchises like “Mission Impossible,” the “Bourne” series, Spiderman, James Bond or Batman if they knew the lead actor was gay? Would teenage girls still make “High School Musical” a megahit if they knew the romance between Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens was limited to the screen? There’s no way to tell for sure, as no one is about to put the question to the test, but it seems safe to assume that the studios are not being paranoid here.
After all, think about this: If two straight young men go to the movies together, how do they sit? Time’s up. The answer is that they will almost always, if possible, leave an empty seat between them.
The article really highlights for me just how brave those who have come out truly are. Each person in Hollywood who has the courage to be who they are makes it that much easier for the next and eventually the structures in place to keep people in the closet will crumble. It does seem like there's such a long way to go, though.
By the way, I had to include the part with Neil Patrick Harris' comments on Danny Roberts, because I felt the same way about Danny when Real World New Orleans aired! His presence on the show meant so much to me and I still love the guy, even though I haven't seen him since the MTV News special that finally revealed his boyfriend Paul's face.
It was just so amazing to have this gay man who wasn't flamboyant or stereotypical (not that there's anything wrong with that, but up until Danny, that's the only sort of gay man reality TV ever included) on TV.
By the way, I had to include the part with Neil Patrick Harris' comments on Danny Roberts, because I felt the same way about Danny when Real World New Orleans aired! His presence on the show meant so much to me and I still love the guy, even though I haven't seen him since the MTV News special that finally revealed his boyfriend Paul's face.
It was just so amazing to have this gay man who wasn't flamboyant or stereotypical (not that there's anything wrong with that, but up until Danny, that's the only sort of gay man reality TV ever included) on TV.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
So Very Tired
I'm really glad I had that day of rest yesterday, because right now I'm so exhausted! I forget how much working retail in the Holiday season really takes out of me until I'm back in the middle of it again. Hopefully, this will be my last holiday in retail (fingers crossed).
I do have to note that, not surprisingly, we're a bit slower this year than we've ever been during Thanksgiving weekend, and more people are bargain shopping than ever before. I also have to say that I have already noticed that holiday shoppers are even more apt to be cranky this year. This is also understandable but it's completely exhausting and frustrating for those of us on the receiving end.
I spent an exhausting eight hours on my feet today and tomorrow doesn't look much brighter. Poor poor pitiful me, right? I know that I'm damn lucky to even have a job in this economy, let alone one that I genuinely enjoy ninety percent of the time. It's fantastic working in a bookstore, with co-workers who love books as much as I do.
Tonight I'm going to curl up with a book or two (I'm close to finishing The Mayor of Castro Street and also reading some of Noel Coward's short stories) and try and build up some strength for heading back to work tomorrow and doing it all over again.
I do have to note that, not surprisingly, we're a bit slower this year than we've ever been during Thanksgiving weekend, and more people are bargain shopping than ever before. I also have to say that I have already noticed that holiday shoppers are even more apt to be cranky this year. This is also understandable but it's completely exhausting and frustrating for those of us on the receiving end.
I spent an exhausting eight hours on my feet today and tomorrow doesn't look much brighter. Poor poor pitiful me, right? I know that I'm damn lucky to even have a job in this economy, let alone one that I genuinely enjoy ninety percent of the time. It's fantastic working in a bookstore, with co-workers who love books as much as I do.
Tonight I'm going to curl up with a book or two (I'm close to finishing The Mayor of Castro Street and also reading some of Noel Coward's short stories) and try and build up some strength for heading back to work tomorrow and doing it all over again.
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