Kish: Revelation

We opened on an awkward moment at Oliver's place, where Rex was giving Fish a huge wad of cash for services about to be rendered (minds out of the gutter!), completely oblivious to the fact that across the room Kyle and Stacy were each trying to quietly kill the other using only their eyes.

Rex apologized to Kyle for cutting into his time with Fish, but Kyle said it wasn't a problem and then snarkily added that he wouldn't want anything to happen to Stacy. Ms. Morasco got a phone call from her partner in crime at that point and took it out in the hallway, sans protection. I'd have loved it if Mitch Laurence and Nurse Charles had popped out of the apartment across the hall and grabbed her!

Kyle asked Rex if he was sure he could afford round the clock protection for Stacy, and Rex said he'd do anything to protect his child. Kyle looked appropriately weighed down by his knowledge of Stacy's secret.

Once they were alone, Fish was going on about the money he was making from this job and how he could afford to buy Kyle that new phone he wanted. Aww! Kyle told Fish to keep the money in a tone that clearly said "I want no part of it" and Oliver asked him what was wrong.

Kyle said that he felt bad for Rex and Fish agreed, saying that he wouldn't watch Mitch Laurence coming after his kid, either. (Seriously, enough already writers! We get it!)

Kyle noted that in addition to psychopath Mitch, there was also sociopath Stacy to consider. Oliver came to her defense, sort of, by saying that she's not all bad and that he can see why Rex was drawn to her, that she can be seductive.

Kyle: Says the gay man.

Fish: Okay, I wasn't always gay! Okay, I was always gay, but I had my faux hetero moments and, you know, Stacy definitely took advantage of my confusion.

Kyle: Wait, are you saying you slept with Stacy Morasco?

Well, I guess Kyle and Oliver hadn't had this particular conversation yet after all. I thought at first that they might have had it offscreen, but once Schuyler filled Kyle in on the extent of Stacy's machinations and Kyle wasn't worried about the timing, it was pretty obvious that they hadn't talked about Fish's fling with Stacy yet.

Needless to say, Kyle was a little freaked out by this news and Oliver pointed out that Kyle knew he'd slept with women in the past. Kyle asked when Oliver had slept with Stacy and Fish told him about getting drunk at last year's Go Red Ball on Valentines day and going home with her. Although, I'm pretty sure that he wasn't actually drunk that time. It seems to me that he was feeling dejected over Layla not paying attention to him at all during the Ball and that Stacy basically just grabbed him and had her way with him.

Kyle seemed relieved that it was that far in the past, but asked if that had been the only time. Fish admitted that there had been one other time, the night before he came out. Poor Kyle looked like he was about to pass out over the implications of the timing.

Kyle sat Fish down and asked him to tell him everything that had happened between him and Stacy. Oliver was understandably taken aback by this, but Kyle asked him to humor him. Fish recapped the whole getting drunk after his confrontation with Layla/seeing Kyle with Nick thing, and sleeping with Stacy afterward. Kyle realized that it was the same week that Stacy had tried to seduce him.

Fish assured Kyle that he'd been tested after sleeping with Stacy and was totally clean. I'm glad they addressed that, by the way, since unprotected sex is always potentially dangerous but soaps tend to gloss over any risks involving heterosexual partners to tell accidental pregnancy or doubtful paternity storylines. Kyle assured Fish that being tested wasn't the issue here.

Fish: So then what's the problem? You can't think that I'm not committed to you or that I'm not actually gay?

Kyle: I know that you're gay. Okay, I knew before you did. And I know you love me. I love you, too.

Kyle proceeded to tell Fish about what he'd overheard between Schuyler and Stacy at the hospital, and about Stacy losing Rex's child and deciding to find someone else to get her pregnant again.

Fish: Schuyler.

Kyle: Actually, she came to me first.

Fish: Are you kidding?

Kyle: I'd helped her with some scams in the past. I guess I just drew the line at having sex with her.

Fish: Yeah, but I didn't. (a look of realization crosses his face) Oh, my God.

Kyle: Look at the timing. Stacy loses Rex's baby and in the course of a week she tries me, no dice, Schuyler, and then you. Bingo, she's pregnant.

Fish: So you're saying that the baby could be mine.

Brett Claywell and Scott Evans both did an excellent job today. Brett was great with projecting the almost physical weight that Kyle has been under since finding out Stacy's secret, and once Kyle realized that the baby could be Fish's, he came across as almost shell shocked.

As for Scott, he nailed Fish's reaction to the news, which seemed to be "I've totally screwed up my life" mixed with a dash of terror. It's probably scary enough to find out you're unexpectedly about to become a parent, but to realize that you're going to be tied to Stacy Morasco and the mess that is her very existence for the rest of your life... yikes!

I especially love that the show didn't have Kyle drag out keeping the secret. As soon as he realized Fish could be involved, he spilled the beans.

Great stuff, I can't wait to see what happens next! Fish is no Schuyler Joplin, so Stacy's secret isn't going to be under wraps much longer. The best part is that now that Fish knows, we've officially heard our last annoyingly clueless "If the baby were mine" comment!

Nuke Day: The Doctor Is In

Today's Nuke scenes on As the World Turns opened with Luke pacing the floor, waiting for the celebrated Dr. Oliver to call him back regarding Noah's case. Noah himself was sitting on the sofa, complete with his blind man's walking cane. At first I wasn't sure if it was really Noah because he didn't seem to be arbitrarily lashing out at Luke at all, but then I realized that he was probably just on a break.

After Lily came in and helpfully supplied the news that Dr. Oliver's waiting list was a year long, the man himself finally called Luke's cell phone. After mentioning that Luke had called his office about three dozen times, Dr. Oliver wasted no time in being a complete jerk, first sneering at Oakdale itself as if it were some hill town in the Ozarks, and then telling Luke that he wouldn't be taking Noah's case because it 'bored him to tears'.

Wow. That was kind of awesome. Dr. Reid Oliver is an arrogant jerk and yet somehow I want him to get into Luke's pants as soon as possible!

After Dr. Oliver hung up on Luke, our Mr. Snyder assured Noah that he wouldn't be giving up and neither should Noah. Lily suggested finding another doctor, but Noah told her that there was no one else who could do what Dr. Oliver could do.

Noah was clearly discouraged and now that he isn't acting like Rage is his middle name, I feel for the first time like we're seeing our Noah dealing with this, rather than someone else who happens to have the same name and face but a completely different personality.

Lily took Luke aside and pointed out that there was no one who knows how to call in a favor like his dear old Bio Dad Damian. Luke headed for Damian's office, keeping Noah in the dark about his intentions so that he wouldn't get his hopes up.

Damian suggested offering Dr. Oliver more money, but Luke had already tried that. Damian then said that Luke should make the good doctor 'an offer he can't refuse' instead. With Damian looking on proudly, Luke called Dr. Oliver back and bluffed about having his medical license revoked with documented proof of just how often he'd bent the rules in the name of healing people. The doctor immediately folded, asking Luke what he wanted.

You know, if I were Luke I'd be worried about entrusting my boyfriend's health to someone who gives in that easily to a very vague threat like that. It might just make me wonder what medical mishaps the guy was worried about covering up.

Luke, of course, had no such worries (that would require a bit of intelligence and common sense, something this pod person version of Luke is lacking at the moment) and told Dr. Oliver that he had his father's jet waiting at the airport to bring him to Oakdale so he could examine Noah.

Damian told Luke how proud he was of him, while I mourned for the real Luke, lost the day that he inexplicably decided to go to work for his biological father.

There was some small vestige of the old Luke remaining, though, as he expressed guilt to Damian for the way he'd just blackmailed Dr. Oliver. Damian told him that the end justified the means and that you do anything you have to when you love someone.

When Luke later filled in Lily about his actions she was far from pleased. By that time, though, Luke seemed to have had enough of Damian's Kool Aid to be comfortable with having threatened someone.

Meanwhile, Noah's ex girlfriend Maddie showed up to talk to him about a new Vlog she's doing about relationships for an online newspaper. He greeted her with bitterness and self pity turned on full force, but Maddie didn't let him push her away or wallow in his feelings and suggested going out for something to eat. I'm so happy that Alexandra Chando is back in the role of Maddie, by the way. I always liked her and she and Jake Silbermann seem to have very good chemistry together as onscreen friends.

Noah, Maddie, and Maddie's co-worker/potential love interest Hunter had lunch together at Al's and Noah was actually relaxed, smiling, and having fun for a change. Afterward they went somewhere to listen to really loud music, which was supposed to be about testing Noah's other senses to see if they were actually heightened, but which really didn't make any sense at all, unless they expected Noah's head to explode from being able to heard loud music more loudly than the non-blind do.

Later, at the hospital, Luke and Dr. Oliver came face to face. Luke acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened between them, but the doctor wasted no time in saying that he hoped Luke would choke on the big silver spoon in his mouth and proceeded to add that most people wait their turn for his services, rather than thinking the blue blood in their veins made them more deserving.

Wow, it's even hotter when Dr. Oliver insults Luke to his face! I'm not sure why it's so hot seeing this guy being rude to Luke, but it really is. The Nuke storyline has been bogged down in boredom for so long, and the introduction into the story of the wet blanket that was Mason did absolutely nothing for it. I really think Reid Oliver could shake it up, though, and make it watchable again.

Many a great soap relationship has started with one or both of the people actively hating the other. I think I could get behind a Luke/Dr. Oliver pair up. You definitely get the feeling that the arrogant doctor would enjoy taking the spoiled rich boy down a peg or two, which makes for some interesting chemistry between them.

Anyway, Noah finally showed up at the hospital and Dr. Oliver pulled him into an examining room for fifteen minutes alone, which sounds kind of naughty but probably wasn't. When Dr. Oliver came back out he told Luke that he didn't like him, but that Noah hadn't asked for this, so he'd help him on the condition that he never has to see Luke again once he's restored Noah's sight.

Luke agreed to the deal and then Dr. Oliver got a bit creepy and said that Luke had better agree, since Reid was the one who'd be cutting open Luke's boyfriend's head.

Luke went in to see Noah and told him what he'd done to get Dr. Oliver to come to Oakdale. I expected Noah to be upset by Luke resorting to blackmail, but instead he thanked him and they had kind of a nice moment, I guess, not that they touched or kissed or did anything but stand there and awkwardly smile at each other.

That was all for today. I'm liking the introduction of Reid Oliver, hating the way Luke is being written, but feeling better about the way Noah was acting today, both with Luke and definitely in his scenes with Hunter and Maddie.

Kish: Baby Mamas and Bar Fights

Today's Kish scenes picked up where we left off on Friday, with Fish having just told Kyle that he was going to be protecting Stacy and her unborn child. Oliver noticed right away that something was bothering his boyfriend and asked him what was wrong.

Kyle said that he hated that Mitch Laurence was threatening Stacy's baby, but Fish could tell that something else was upsetting him. Kyle admitted that he'd found something out at the hospital but that he couldn't tell him what it was because of doctor patient confidentiality.

Fish understood and told Kyle that there would be stuff from police investigations that he wouldn't be able to share either.

The two had just settled back on the sofa and Oliver was about to help Kyle forget the bad day he'd had when Fish's phone rang. Rex was calling to ask Fish to come over and baby mama-sit Stacy for an hour while he ran some errands. Poor Oliver said that he'd just got off (he meant from work, of course, though if Rex had just called a little later...) but Rex promised to double his rate if he'd do it.

Fish apologized to Kyle but explained that it was extra cash and he was helping to keep a baby safe. Kyle seemed frustrated but understanding.

At Stacy's place, Oliver promised to guard Stacy like the baby was his own child. It was cute at first, but they're really starting to over do having people make unwitting references to the baby being Oliver's.

As soon as he was alone with Stacy, Oliver opened with a reference to the last time he was at her place, but Stacy shut him down, reminding him that the two of them hooking up that night was a big mistake and never happened.

Fish rather adorably said that if he'd known she was pregnant, he'd have been too afraid to touch her. He was in the middle of asking if that could have hurt the baby when they were interrupted by Stacy's friend Kim. Oliver went out in the hall to stand guard and leave the women to their scheming.

I'm not quite sure why exactly, but Scott Evans seemed even hotter than usual in this scene, not to mention downright adorable as Fish bumbled along, making awkward conversation with Stacy.

Meanwhile, Kyle headed to Rodi's, where he was just in time to break up a very one sided food fight between Roxy, Gigi and Schuyler. Kyle's BFF wasn't taking too kindly to seeing the woman her son loves making out with the new man in her life, so she bombarded them with whatever drinks and food she could get her hands on at the bar until Kyle broke it up.

You have to love Roxy!

Kyle took Roxy to a table and bought her a drink, but not before he told Schuyler that he thought he'd earned the treatment that Roxy had just been dishing out.

Roxy and Kyle had a very sweet conversation about how Kyle has Roxy's back, but then it got awkward when Roxy brought up the fact that if Stacy wasn't carrying Rex's child, Rex and Gigi never would have broken up.

A guilty Kyle went back over to the bar and confronted Schuyler again, telling him how Roxy was over there talking about a grandchild that wasn't even really related to her. Kyle told Schuyler that he had to tell the truth and Schuyler claimed that he would when it was the right time. He then twisted the knife a bit by saying that he was just trying to stop someone he loved from ending up with the wrong person and that Kyle knew what that was like.

Funny, I don't remember Kyle lying and scheming to make sure Oliver didn't end up with Layla. I'm really starting to hate Schuyler at the moment, I think they're ruining the character by having him keep this secret. It just doesn't make sense.

Oliver returned to his apartment, his babysitting shift over, and Kyle was knocking on the door before he could do more than set down his gun. Kyle said that he was glad Oliver was home in one piece and added that whenever Fish is on the job, he just feels glad when he comes home safely.

Oliver pointed out that this was 'just security work', which seems awfully naive to me in this case. I certainly wouldn't want to be standing between Mitch Laurence and something he's determined to have! It's not a very safe place to be.

Fish went on to say that he can't let anything happen to Stacy's baby and that it's weird that even though the child isn't his, he understands how a parent feels. Again, they're way over doing these references! It's a very minor quibble, but I don't think references like this add to the dramatic tension at all. Just let Oliver be shocked when he finds out the news, we don't need all these ironic comments along the way!

That was it for Kish today. Stacy is determined to induce labor a month early, on Valentine's day, so that her delivery date matches up with when she originally got pregnant by Rex. This means that our guy Oliver could be a daddy by this time next month. I'm still hoping Kyle and Fish end up raising the baby together, though I'm not sure they're really at that stage in their relationship yet.

The Future Looks Bright

I usually avoid spoilers, but when I saw a headline hinting at Glee's Kurt getting a boyfriend on the show, I had to know more!

Show creator Ryan Murphy gave Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello a hint of what the near future will hold for some of the characters, including Kurt Hummel, and it sounds fantastic:

“We just announced we’re doing a nationwide search for the season 2 cast, and [a boyfriend for Kurt is] one of the three roles that we’re adding. And we’re going to make them a power couple. We’re not going to do the whole hiding in the shadows thing. We’re going to make them popular, and out and proud and glamorous. Like prom king and king. We’re doing the opposite of what’s been done.”

How awesome does that sound? I can't wait to see this. We've come so far from the first gay teen who was a regular character in primetime! Jack McPhee's one kiss per season and barely there storylines were a mere decade ago on Dawson's Creek, but it seems light years away from the gay teen power couple we'll soon be watching on Glee.

The rest of Murphy's preview was pretty exciting, too, so check it out. I just wish we didn't have to wait until April for new episodes to begin airing.

Very Random Thoughts on the Golden Globes

The 67th Annual Golden Globes aired tonight and I decided to jot down some thoughts while I watched the show. No doubt they'll be completely random.

First off, I love Ricky Gervais, I think he's incredibly funny. I've been a fan since I saw his series Extras, but I have to confess that I haven't yet watched his more famous show, The Office (or the American remake of it). Anyway, I thought his opening tonight was very funny.

Of course, part of the fun of the Golden Globes is scanning the crowd for the wide variety of celebrities from TV and movies. It always looks like such a fun night, as opposed to the Oscars where you know the fun doesn't start until the show is over.

I spotted David Burtka, partner to Neil Patrick Harris, right away while the camera was lingering on Keifer Sutherland. David is such a cutie!

Lea Michele's category, Best Actress in a Television Comedy, was one of the first presented and as much as I would have liked her to win for Glee, I do think Toni Collette is amazing in The United States of Tara and deserved a win. I still have issues with her show being considered a comedy, though. I think it's a drama with comedic elements.

I really wanted Neil Patrick Harris to win Best Supporting Actor. I think John Lithgow is awesome in pretty much everything he does (I haven't watched him on Dexter), but Neil is so overdue for a win!

I completely teared up when they showed Michael C. Hall in the audience during Lithgow's acceptance speech and he was wearing a stocking cap because of his cancer treatment. He was fantastic in Six Feet Under and I really hope he beats this.

I was glad to see him win for Best Actor in a Television Drama, too, and when the little voiceover informed us that he'd been in Cabaret on Broadway it was news to me. I've never heard him sing, but now I want to!

Seeing Ryan Kwanten in the audience makes me think I really do need to watch True Blood, if only for the shallowest of reasons! I was fast forwarding past something and stopped and backtracked to see who that beautiful man I'd just caught a glimpse of was.

Speaking of unexpected glimpses of hot guys, Juliana Margulies' husband is a total hottie! I don't think I'd ever seen him before tonight, but I'd certainly like to see more of him!

I can't believe Sigourney Weaver lost again for Prayers for Bobby! She really deserved the recognition.

Alec Baldwin just beat Matthew Morrison for Best Actor in a TV Series Comedy or musical. I like Alec Baldwin, but it seems like he's already won plenty of awards for 30 Rock. Matthew looked very hot, though, and it was nice to see his Glee co-stars behind him in the crowd, cheering him on. There have been far fewer shots of the Glee cast than I expected tonight, given how popular the show is. Maybe NBC doesn't want to promote it more than they have to?

I love Zachary Levi. I wish he was nominated instead of just presenting. I'm glad Chuck is finally back for its third season. Between Zachary and Ryan McPartlin, Monday nights are hotter than ever.

I've been seeing Taylor Lautner's face everywhere for months, especially at work with all the endless Twilight merchandise we carry, but tonight was the first time I'd ever heard him speak. I know there are countdown clocks out there for all the people waiting for him to be legal, but he just comes across like a kid to me. His voice sounded like that of someone who hasn't quite hit puberty yet.

I really need to see (500) Days of Summer. Have I mentioned what an incredible actor I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt is?

It sucks that they chose a presenter from Gossip Girl and it wasn't Ed Westwick! Chace is very pretty, but he can't hold a candle to Ed for sheer sexiness.

How could Jane Lynch not win for Best Supporting Actress??!? Recount! Seriously, that's the one award I really felt certain Glee would win tonight. I'm very disgruntled, probably more so because Chloe Sevigny has always been one of those people that I find incredibly irritating for no particular reason.

Jane looked fantastic, and I can only hope that she'll have better luck at the Emmys and at next year's Golden Globes. I'm sure this won't be her only nomination for playing Sue Sylvester!

How hot does Matt Damon look? I know that's a given, of course, but the man seems even sexier now that he did over a decade ago when I fell for him completely in Good Will Hunting. How is it possible that he keeps getting better with age?

Leonardo DiCaprio still looks good, for example, but I'd definitely pick Leo from The Beach over the Leo of today. I'd chose current Matt over Good Will Hunting Matt without a second thought, though.

Sorry, my casually jotted down thoughts seem to run towards hot guys more than anything else. What can I say?

Oh my God, how much do I love Ricky Gervais for his Mel Gibson introduction?! That was awesome! Best joke of the night. Wow! It helps that I loathe Mel Gibson, of course.

Glee won for Best Comedy!!! Yes!! There was much shouting for joy in my apartment, which is particularly sad since I'm watching by myself. It was so great to see the cast on the stage together, looking so happy.

I didn't really have much to say about the rest of the awards. I haven't seen any of the nominated films in the Comedy or Drama categories, which says a lot about my movie going habits these days. Once upon a time, I practically lived at the movie theater on weekends, but for the last two years in a row I've seen a grand total of two films per year on the big screen. The saddest part is that last year my two choices were real winners: Friday the 13th and Wolverine. Yikes!

I really just prefer to wait and watch films through Netflix these days. It's certainly cheaper that way, though I do miss the excitement of the big screen experience.

Well, The Golden Globes have come and gone. Next stop, The Oscars, where I'll try (and fail) to be less random in my observations.

Kish: Baby Drama

We picked up right where we left off yesterday, with Rex asking Fish to protect Stacy and the baby while across town Kyle overheard Schuyler saying that the unborn child was his, not Rex's.

Fish asked Rex if he was sure that Stacy was telling the truth about Mitch coming after her, given her track record with honesty. Rex assured him that it was true, but Oliver turned down the job, saying that he barely got to spend any time with Kyle as it was between his job and Kyle's med school schedule.

Fish said that he'd ask around the station and see if any of the other guys were interested, but Rex laid on the guilt, pointing out that with the new police commissioner being in Mitch's pocket, Rex couldn't trust just any cop. He needed Fish, whom he knew was trusted completely by John and Bo.

In the end Oliver agreed to help out, which was inevitable since he's too nice of a guy to say no to helping someone in need, especially once Rex played the 'You're our only hope' card.

At the hospital, Stacy demanded to know what exactly Kyle had heard and he admitted to knowing that Schuyler was the father of her child, not Rex. Schuyler rather pathetically tried to come up with a believable cover for that statement being just metaphoric, but Kyle told him he was a terrible liar and suggested he take some lessons from Stacy.

Kyle called them out on what they were doing to Rex and on Schuyler not 'Man-ing up' and taking responsibility for his child, and told them that Rex's mother was a good friend of his.

Stacy warned Kyle to keep quiet and not mess everything up for her, first by throwing his own shady past in his face and reminding him that he had no moral high ground to stand on, and then by saying that doctor patient confidentiality prevented him from telling anyone.

Schuyler, Kyle's fellow med student, picked up on that latter point and reminded Kyle that he'd already been kicked out of med school once and was on shaky ground if he breached patient confidentiality. Kyle wondered aloud what had happened to Schuyler, who had once seemed like such a stand up guy. Yeah, I've been wondering that myself, Kyle. On a shallow note, it was hot seeing Kyle get all up in Schyler's face like that!

Kyle told them both that he wouldn't say anything and stormed off, but Stacy still didn't trust him, especially since she'd gotten him into so much trouble over the past year and felt like he might want to use this information for revenge.

Schuyler went after Kyle and apologized for coming on so strong. He told Kyle that he hadn't slept with Stacy willingly and when Mr. Lewis scoffed at this, Schuyler filled him in on Stacy drugging him and on her desperation to get pregnant again after losing Rex's baby.

The pieces fell into place for Kyle, who told Schuyler that Stacy had tried to seduce him, too, and at least he now knew why. It was a good thing, Kyle said, that he was gay and had turned her down flat.

Kyle still didn't understand why Schuyler was going along with the lie, but agreed not to say anything because for once, he was happy with his own life and it was none of his business what Stacy or anyone else did. Right after Schuyler walked away, Rex went by Kyle in the hallway and I thought I detected a flash of guilt on Kyle's face. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out the next time he's with Roxy.

Oliver called Kyle to ask to see him after work, saying that he had something he needed to run by him. Kyle was at Oliver's door in no time and they kissed as if they hadn't seen each other in days instead of since that very morning. Oliver told Kyle that he wanted to apologize in advance and then explained that he was going to be very busy over the next month, since he was moonlighting for Rex to keep the baby safe from Mitch Laurence.

Oliver noticed the strange look on Kyle's face and asked him what was wrong, and that's where we left things for today.

I hope Kyle doesn't keep quiet for too long. Does doctor/patient confidentiality really apply when the person is not your patient and you're not actually a doctor yet?

On another note, I thought that Markko's over the top jealousy today after he walked in and saw Langston sitting innocently next to a shirtless Ford on the sofa was the perfect contrast to the scene with Kyle, Oliver, and Ford yesterday! It really highlighted the maturity of Oliver and Kyle's relationship, as opposed to the insecurity on the part of Markko, who after all is a college freshman in his first serious relationship. The contrast between the two scenes was very well done.

Something More on Y&R?

The gay characters and stories that were featured last summer on The Young and the Restless were more or less dropped by fall.

Here's a quick recap, if you've forgotten: Philip Chancellor III returned from the dead after twenty years and revealed to his family that he'd faked his death because he was gay and hadn't felt that he'd be accepted. At the same time, Victor Newman's scheming son Adam felt that his lawyer, the openly gay Rafe, was getting too close to uncovering Adam's crimes, so he pretended to have feelings for him, even going so far as to hook up with him to keep him from learning the truth.

There were rumors that a Philip and Rafe pairing was in the offing, but then the show wrote Philip out and Rafe went back to occasional appearances in his capacity as a lawyer, with no hint of a love life. Adam, meanwhile, moved on and is now married to his former sister in law, even though he also secretly took her child and let her think it was dead.

I was a bit bitter over the way that the stories were handled on Y&R, especially after co-head writer Scott Hammer made the following statement at the end of the summer:

"At this point, we are not doing a gay story, and we never actually were doing a gay story. What we were playing with Rafe was the lengths to which Adam will go to accomplish his goals. And what we were really seeing was that he would stop at nothing. And, at this point, I don't see a future for Rafe and Adam."

Still, I knew that the adorable Yani Gellman was still appearing as Rafe now and then, and after I read that Thom Bierdz would be returning to the role of Philip in early 2010, I wondered if there might be a pairing between the two after all and started keeping a closer eye on things.

On today's show, Rafe and Billy Abbott met for drinks. Billy was digging for dirt on Adam for a story he's writing and knew that something had gone on between Rafe and Adam. After telling Billy that, as a lawyer, he'd worked with lowlifes and sociopaths galore but had never met anyone as devious as Adam, Rafe said he'd like to see Billy bring Adam down.

Rafe mistakenly thought that Billy had already found out that he and Adam had been involved and proceeded to open up on the matter.

Billy: Look, I'm going to need the whole story if I'm going to nail this guy.

Rafe: I don't even know the whole story. I was getting close, though, and he knew it. That's the only reason it happened Billy.

Billy: Uh huh.

Rafe: He played it perfectly. Reluctant, unsure, the whole time just reeling me in.

Billy: So it was a con?

Rafe: See, nobody gets that! Heather thinks it was my idea, she still barely even talks to me.

Billy wasn't sure what Adam's ex girlfriend had to do with anything and Rafe explained that she'd been jealous over the time he was spending with Adam.

Billy: Yeah, but you were his lawyer.

Rafe: No, not by this point. You can't get involved with a client, you'd get disbarred.

Billy: (after a few speechless moments) You... you and Adam.. you were.. um.. you were.. you were... you were involved, involved? Like-

Rafe: You said you knew!

.......

Billy: You're telling me that Victor Newman's son is a bisexual?

Rafe: No.

Billy: He's gay?

Rafe: No. It was an act.

Rafe went on to explain that he'd been getting too close to uncovering the truth after his aunt was falsely accused of gaslighting Ashley, that Adam had proceeded to distract him until suspicion shifted to someone else, at which point Adam's feelings for him had suddenly vanished.

Billy wondered how big Adam's secrets must be if he'd be willing to go to such extreme measures to keep them quiet. Rafe was a bit offended, but Billy asked if Rafe would ever consider sleeping with a woman to save his 'own little ass' and Rafe agreed that he'd never do that.

It wasn't much, but now that Billy knows about the affair and plans to expose it, there could be more going on with this story in the near future. I'd certainly love to see more of Rafe, though I'm probably getting my hopes up for nothing given this show's track record with LGBT stories.

Kish: Built Ford Tough

Fish was featured on yesterday's One Life to Live, but I didn't write it up since there wasn't much going on. Both Fish and Layla were worried about their job security with a crooked new Commissioner running things at the police department. They were also concerned about being able to afford their apartment if they both lost their jobs.

Enter Ford, the new hottie in town. He met Cristian and Layla last week at the gym when he tried to pick up Layla and then stuck around to work out and compare muscles with Cristian. Yesterday he showed up to keep a gym date with Mr. Vega and while Cristian was getting ready Ford got the news that his graduate housing at the University had fallen through.

Cristian, Fish, and Layla offered Ford the third bedroom in the apartment, since Cristian and Layla are practically sharing a room now anyway, and he accepted their offer.

On to today. Fish came out of his room to find Ford wearing nothing but a very skimpy pair of black boxer briefs. The look on Oliver's face was priceless as he took in the incredible hunk standing before him. What a way to start the day! Seriously, if I were Oliver, between Ford and Cristian parading around shirtless, I'd never leave the apartment!

It got even better when Ford told Oliver that his back was bothering him and asked Fish to crack it for him by "grabbing hold and squeezing really hard." Fish, looking a bit nervous and yet eager at the same time, wrapped his arms around Ford from behind and was mid-squeeze when Kyle walked in the door.
Fish spun around, taking Ford with him, so that they were both facing Kyle, and then put his new roomie down and backed off, looking incredibly guilty. I'm not sure who I was more envious of in this scene, Scott Evans or David Gregory! I'd happily have filled in for either.

Fish said that he'd thought Kyle was starting his obstetrics rotation at the hospital that morning and Kyle explained that he'd had some time before he had to be at work, so he decided surprise Oliver with breakfast. Kyle dryly noted that now he can see what Oliver does in his spare time.

Fish introduced Ford as his new roommate and Ford explained that he'd been offered the third room at a very cheap price. Kyle thought this was great, since it meant that Ford could afford to buy himself some clothes. Ha! But, seriously, shut up Kyle! There is no clothing budget for the character of Ford and that's how it needs to remain.

Fish: You see, Ford hurt his back.

Ford: And Oliver cracked it for me.

Fish: That's all.

Ford: I feel a lot better. That's a great guy you got here.

Kyle: Yeah, that's why he's my boyfriend.

Ford: Relax, bro, I'm straight.

Kyle: Yeah? (to Fish, after Ford has walked away) I feel like I've heard that one before.

Kyle said that he'd never known that Fish was a chiropractor and that he couldn't wait for him to crack his back. Fish assured Kyle that nothing had happened and that there was no reason to be jealous. After joking that 'the lady doth protest too much', Kyle assured Oliver that he was just having some fun with him.

Fish: Listen, this is all pretty new to me, remember?

Kyle: Okay, well, something else you need to know is that it's okay to look.

Fish: I don't want to!

Kyle: Are you kidding me? Your new roommate, he's kind of hot.

Fish: (sarcastically) Oh, is he? I hadn't noticed.

Kyle: Did you also notice he looked pretty ripped, too? Because I did.

Fish: Yeah, well, you're not so bad yourself.

Kyle: Aw, thank you.

Fish: And the only guy for me. Listen, I don't sleep with straight guys.

I really liked that they've put Ford in close contact with the Kish story, which I didn't see coming. Most shows would have kept him strictly in contact with the two characters he's destined to be in a triangle with, Langston and Markko, but I've always loved how all the stories on this show are perfectly blended together. Nothing exists in an isolated story bubble, whereas on most of the other shows, that's how everything works!

As for jealous Kyle, he definitely gave Ford a 'hands off my man' vibe, which was funny to see, but I liked that he trusted Oliver completely and wasn't really uptight about his boyfriend now living with two hot guys. Both Kyle and Fish have been incredibly mature about their relationship, which is nice to see. Still, I was hoping to see a tiny bit of jealousy from Kyle, and I think we did get that in his interaction with Ford.

I also loved that Kyle told Oliver that it was okay to look, because I think Oliver would honestly have felt like even looking could be a betrayal, and yet how can you not look at someone like Ford?!

While Ford went on to parade his hot bod for Langston, first in work out shorts, then in a towel, and finally in just a pair of jeans (like I said, the clothing budget for actor David Gregory is perfect just as it is!), Oliver gave Kyle a ride to the hospital, where Kyle got in one last tease about Ford before they parted. These two are seriously adorable together!

That was all for Kish, but the Stacy baby story is starting to come into play more now that she's just a few months away from delivering. Rex, who thinks he's the baby daddy, asked Fish today to moonlight as protection for Stacy and the baby, since Mitch Laurence tried to kidnap Stacy with the intention of raising his 'grandson' in his own image among his followers.

As if it weren't enough that Fish is about to become involved in protecting an unborn child he doesn't know is his, at the end of the episode Kyle walked in on his fellow med student Schuyler declaring to Stacy that she was carrying his child, not Rex's!

FYI, Schuyler found out that Stacy wasn't as far along as she was claiming to be and to stop him from telling everything to Rex and Gigi, Kim and Stacy told him the baby was his and that he'd lose any chance of being with Gigi if she found out. Schuyler keeping this secret has never felt true to his character to me, I have to admit, especially since he knows that Stacy drugged him to get him into bed. Gigi would have understood that! Of course, Schuyler and Stacy never actually slept together, because even in his drugged haze he realized that it was Stacy and not Gigi he was with and kicked her out.

Now, Kyle was the first one that Stacy tried to seduce in her effort to get pregnant again after she miscarried Rex's baby. I'll never forget his now classic line "My people flirt too!" after he told a disbelieving Stacy and Kim that he was gay.

I'm assuming that Kyle knows that Fish slept with Stacy again right before he decided it was time to come out, though he may not. We haven't seen that conversation onscreen, but it doesn't mean that it hasn't happened. If it hasn't, my guess is that it will be taking place in the near future.

Either way, Kyle now has enough pieces of the puzzle to slowly start putting together the realization that Oliver is about to become a father. It will be interesting to see how long this takes and how it all plays out. Our boys are staying right in the mix of things story wise and I love it!

Thoughts on the GLAAD Nominees

Yesterday, the nominees for the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards were announced and I was very pleased with several of their choices.

In the film categories (there's one for Wide Release and one for Limited Release), I've only actually seen one of the ten nominated films (I Love You, Man; I've had a thing for Paul Rudd since I saw him in The Object of My Affection!) so I don't really have an informed opinion. However, based simply on the fact that I loved the book so much and can't wait to see the film, I'm hoping A Single Man wins in the Wide Release category.

For Outstanding Drama Series, they've nominated Brothers & Sisters, Grey's Anatomy, Mad Men, Skins, and True Blood. I've never seen Mad Men or True Blood, so I can't speak to either of those shows.

I loved the first two series of Skins, even though gay character Maxxie wasn't really given a leading story in the first series. Still, his brief hook up with lead (and otherwise completely straight) character Tony during their trip to Russia was a pretty cool direction for the show to take, demonstrating the fluidity of sexuality and being something you'd never see happen on an American show. In the second series, Maxxie did have more to do, but he still never got a serious onscreen romance.

I believe the GLAAD nomination is for the third series, though (I've never watched the show on BBC America, but I think that's what they're currently showing), and I was only able to endure the first episode of that before tuning out forever. The nearly complete change in cast was just too jarring and I couldn't connect with any of the new characters.

Grey's Anatomy? I watched the first season on DVD and about half of the second season in real time, and that was about half a season too much in my view. As a rule, I avoid cop shows and medical shows, since they're always so predictable and depressing. I broke my rule for Grey's Anatomy because I'd heard so many good things about it, but it quickly became everything I hate about such shows.

There weren't any LGBT characters when I was watching and I haven't followed any developments since, so I'm not sure exactly what it has been nominated for.

Which brings us to Brothers & Sisters, a show that I have followed since the beginning. I love Kevin & especially Scotty, so I guess they would be my choice to win, though even Brothers & Sisters is feeling pretty tired and almost too depressing to watch these days.

Maybe I really do need to start watching True Blood like I've been told I should!

For Outstanding Comedy Series, GLAAD has nominated three shows that I love against one another: Glee, Greek, and The United States of Tara. Modern Family and Beautiful People, neither of which I've seen yet, round out the list.

Looking just at their LGBT representation, it's hard to pick between the three shows. The United States of Tara has gay teen Marshall, who is completely accepted by his family and who had a love interest in a confused minister's son (who ended up making out with one of Marshall's mom's other personalities).

Glee has Kurt, of course, who came out to his friend Mercedes and to his father and was accepted by both. I especially love the relationship between Kurt and his dad.

Greek has gay frat brother Calvin, who has been out since the first season and who faced some difficulties in the beginning with his brothers over his sexuality. Most recently Calvin has started a relationship with Grant, his closeted roommate in the frat.

The show also features Calvin's ex, Heath, who is a brother in a rival frat and who is also out to his brothers. Heath was completely accepted from the moment he came out, but other than his on again, off again relationship with Calvin, he hasn't had much of an onscreen love life.

This past season it also featured sorority girl Rebeca questioning her own sexuality after a kiss with a visiting sorority alum.

It's really hard to pick which show is the most deserving of recognition. I'd be happy with any of them winning.

GLAAD also nominates individual episodes that deal with LGBT issues on shows without regular gay or lesbian characters. Supernatural, one of my favorites shows, was nominated this year for their episode entitled 'The Real Ghostbusters' and I really would like to see them win for this.

The episode was very meta in that lead characters Sam & Dean went to a Supernatural fan convention. On the show, their adventures have been published in book form by a character who turned out to be a prophet. These books, which no one realizes are based on a real Sam & Dean, have a cult following.

The episode was a way for the show to deal with its own fans in a tongue in cheek way and it was very funny. The LGBT element came in the form of Barnes and Damien, two of the geeky Supernatural fans who attend the convention, role playing as Sam and Dean.

They quickly realized that there were very real ghosts threatening the lives of their fellow convention attendees and ended up stepping up and helping to save the day, because it was 'what Sam and Dean would do'.

At the end of the episode, when Dean was saying his goodbyes to the characters and asked how they knew each other, they revealed that they were partners, which made an earlier moment when Damien turned back to save Barnes instead of running off to save his own life, and the encouragement they gave each other during the fight, stand out all the more.

I've never seen any of the other nominees in this category (two episodes of Private Practice, an episode of The Listener, and an episode of Parks & Recreation), but Supernatural is a show that has always playfully acknowledged their gay fans (as well as their female fans who write endless slash fiction stories about Sam and Dean, or Jared and Jensen) and this episode gave us gay characters who were not only different from most gay characters we see on TV, but also ended up risking their lives and heroically saving the day.

For Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-series, I don' think there can be any real competition. Prayers for Bobby should win, hands down. Pedro wasn't a bad film, but Prayers for Bobby was better. I haven't seen the Torchwood mini-series or An Englishman in New York.

Outstanding Daytime Drama: need you ask? One Life to Live is far superior (not only as a show overall, but in their gay storyline, which is what the award is for) to the other three nominees: As the World Turns, Guiding Light, and All My Children. In fact, if there was an overall category to award the best LGBT Media Representation in all of film and Television, Kish should win for their love scene on New Year's Eve alone.

Adam Lambert was nominated for Outstanding Music Artist for his album For Your Entertainment. He's nominated against Lady Gaga, Gossip, Otep, and Brandi Carlile, and in my admittedly biased mind, he's the clear choice.

AfterElton was nominated for Outstanding Digital Journalism Article for Bret Hartinger's excellent "Why Can’t You Just Butch Up? Gay Men, Effeminacy, and Our War with Ourselves".

There are several other categories, as well, so check out all the nominees.

Upcoming Books

One of my favorite blogs, Band of Thebes, has a new post up on some of the books that will be released in 2010 that they're most excited about. I usually don't pay all that much attention to upcoming books, unless they're by a favorite author, since most of what I read has usually been out for a few years at least. Reading this list, though, makes me think 2010 might be different in that respect.

Looking at the authors listed, I saw several reasons to be excited. First, Andre Aciman has a new novel coming out next month. His debut novel, Call Me By Your Name, was fantastic and while it doesn't look like Eight White Nights will be about LGBT characters, I'll be checking it out because he writes so beautifully.

Ali Smith has a short story collection called The First Person and Other Stories, which is actually out today. I really enjoyed her novels The Accidental and Hotel World, so I'll have to take a look at the short stories.

New titles by Martin Amis, John Banville and Ian McEwan are always worth a look, and they all have books coming out later in the year as well. Gay writers Christopher Rice, Bob Smith, and K.M. Soehnlein all have new novels coming out, and though I wouldn't list them among my favorite writers, I have read their earlier works and will probably check out their latest, too.

Most exciting of all, though, was seeing the name Stephen McCauley on the list! I have loved every single one of McCauley's five novels so much, and I can't wait until his latest, Insignificant Others, is released in June!

McCauley doesn't publish all that often, so this is a huge deal. I think I'm going to re-read his earlier books in the lead up to June to remind myself of what I love about his writing and to build up the anticipation even more!

Jane Lynch on Obama

Just when I thought I couldn't love (worship?) Jane Lynch any more than I already did, she proves me wrong!

The woman who makes Sue Sylvester the true star of Glee just gave a fantastic interview to the Guardian which is not only a great interview in and of itself, but also takes on President Obama for his failures on gay rights.

They are, however, projecting their values on to Lynch's private life. This past year saw a nationwide rejection of legalising gay marriage, stripping gay Americans of their hope for equal civil rights. "Shouldn't there be safeguards against the majority voting on the rights of a minority?" Lynch wonders. "If people voted on civil rights in the 60s, it would have never happened. It took somebody like [President] Lyndon Johnson going, 'F all of you! I'm going to do this.'" She pauses for a moment, then says, "Obama won't do it. He's a huge disappointment to me."

And that's how Jane C's it. (Sorry, I couldn't resist!).

While the Guardian's summary is a bit on the dire side (some states did legalize gay marriage this past year, and our hope has not been stripped!), what Jane had to say is completely awesome.

Needless to say, I'm in total agreement with her. If Obama thinks he's going to win the LGBT vote in 2012 by failing to live up to his promises, he's sorely mistaken. It's great to have someone who is very much in the spotlight for their work, as Jane is, speak out about this and bring that much more attention to this complete failure in leadership.

My Favorite Gay Films

I've written about some of my favorite gay themed books, but it occurred to me the other day that I'd never done the same for gay themed films. I decided to make a list of my top 10 favorites, which turned out to be a lot harder than I'd imagined.

A former roommate of mine, who happened to be straight, once asked me if I'd ever seen a gay movie that I didn't like. He was being sarcastic, of course, but the truth is that there are way more than 10 films that I've loved or at least really liked. Still, I've seen a lot of very bad gay films, too, and a fair amount of mediocre ones as well.

I've heard more than once, from other gay men, that there just aren't any truly good gay films, that such a thing has not yet been made. Everyone's opinions are subjective, of course, and I guess if we're talking about full on masterpieces that would stand up against the best films of all time, the pickings would indeed be slim.

My own criteria is less exacting. I look for a movie that is well written and well acted, something that moves me in some way, whether it leaves me in tears, excites the romantic in me, or just makes me feel good.

The true test, of course, is whether or not it's a film that I can watch over and over again multiple times and still love it as much as I did on the first viewing. I ended up leaving off a few of the newer films that I've really liked, simply because I'm not sure yet how they'll stand up to this test.

11. The Trip. In the end, I just couldn't limit the list to 10, so I decided I had to make the list 11 films long instead. The Trip is about two lovers who meet in 1973. One is a gay activist and the other is an uptight, closeted Young Republican. The story takes place in three different segments, in the early 70's, late 70's, and early 80's as the political and social changes of gay life (including the AIDS epidemic), affect their relationship and lives. Steve Braun and Larry Sullivan both did a very good job in the lead roles, and Sullivan's roadside strip tease toward the end of the film is certainly memorable. The supporting characters tend to be a bit broadly written & acted, created with humor in mind more than anything else, but the basic story at the center is a good one.

10. Edge of Seventeen. This is probably the most realistic coming of age film I've seen about a gay character. Chris Stafford was very good as Eric, the lead character, who is coming to terms with his sexuality in the summer of 1984. In real life, most of us don't end up having ideal first times, and this film is full of the sort of awkward and less than perfect experiences people go through when they're coming out and becoming sexually and romantically involved for the first time and just trying to find out who they are.

9. The Boys in the Band. After Stonewall, when the fight for gay rights truly got under way and the mentality of the gay community itself changed, this movie (which came out in 1970) and the stage play it was based on came to be regarded as a negative throwback because the gay characters show such incredible self loathing as the film progresses.

It's certainly true that this isn't a film about the out and proud gay men of the later 70's or today, but there's no denying that it captures the pre-Stonewall mentality of a lot of gay men (at least those in cities like New York), guys who were completely out with each other but who were still seen as freaks by the rest of the world and took that very much to heart. The relationships between the gay friends all seem very real and the psychological impact of the arrival of a straight character at their party makes for a powerful film as they begin to tear themselves and each other apart.

It's very much of that era in the sense that you come away thinking that it's awfully depressing to be gay, and yet at the same time I was amazed to find a film from 1970 that is completely centered around gay characters and is very upfront in discussing their sex lives and relationships.

8. Trick. The adorable Christian Campbell and the incredibly sexy John Paul Pitoc spend an entire night trying to find a place to have a meaningless hook up, only to fall for each other in the process. Trick is funny, it has memorable supporting characters (yes, even the one played by Tori Spelling!), and it's sweet and romantic. Sometimes, after I make eye contact with a really cute guy and he smiles at me, I find myself humming the song that Christian's character is writing for his musical in the movie (Enter you, voila it's showtime...). That's certainly a measure of the film's impact, right?

7. Brokeback Mountain. You may be surprised that this isn't higher on my list. As a film, it's artistically very well done and Heath Ledger was so amazing in this movie. He was understated and brilliant. But it's actually a pretty hard movie to watch, at least for me, because it leaves me feeling so depressed afterward. I certainly don't need a movie to end happily to love it, but this is the kind of film that just hurts, if that makes sense. The love story is just so tragic, so pathetic, and so realistic for that time and place. It's an amazing work and easily one of the best mainstream films ever made dealing with gay themes.

6. Get Real. This was one of the first gay themed movies I ever saw. It's about two middle class British teens who fall in love. One is the school's star athlete and the other is Steven Carter, the character I completely fell for at the time. Most people would probably have fallen for John Dixon, the jock, but Steven's sarcastic sense of humor and goofy grin convinced me that I had to find a guy like that for myself. It's a funny, bittersweet story about finding out who you are and about the choices you make in life. The ending always makes me sad, but I love the film.

5. Shelter. This is a movie about a working class surfer/artist helping to raise his nephew while falling in love with the older brother of his best friend. He has to try and balance his love life and hopes for the future with the harsh realities of his daily life. The romance was beautifully done and Trevor Wright was incredible in the lead role.

4. Latter Days. This film just completely blew me away when I saw it. It's about an L.A. party boy who makes a bet with his friends that he can bed one of the Mormon missionaries who have moved into their building. From that premise and from the beginning of the film itself, you expect something a bit fluffy and light, but what you get is an incredibly beautiful love story that also deals with the harsh realities of what it means to be gay and Mormon. Steve Sandvoss was fantastic as the gay Mormon character (I'm truly surprised that I've seen him in so few films since this one) and the big love scene between him and Wes Ramsey's character was pretty much the best I've seen in any film.

3. The Broken Hearts Club. I love this movie so much! It's my favorite gay film that isn't really about a love story but rather about a group of gay friends. Who doesn't want to have the kind of friendships that this film is all about? The guys in the film are always comparing themselves to characters in other films (Steel Magnolias, St. Elmo's Fire) and by the time you're done watching you're busy deciding which characters in this film are the most like you and all your friends. This movie is funny and sweet and if I could pick a movie to just live in, to be my life, I think it would be this one.

2. Milk. What more can I say about this film? It's the movie that finally provided mainstream film goers with a depiction of a true gay hero. It's not a perfect film, of course. It whitewashed a lot of the sexual realities of Harvey's life and of gay life in general in the 70's, but it is still, in my view, the best mainstream gay themed film to date. It has an incredible cast, was written by a very talented screenwriter, and was a story that was long overdue to be told.

1. Beautiful Thing. This movie will always be number one with me, maybe because it was literally number one, the first gay themed film I ever saw. If I had to pick a movie to be anyone's first gay themed film, this would be the one. I'm very lucky to have stumbled upon it as my own first, thanks to whatever cable film channel I saw it on many years ago.

Whereas Get Real was a film about middle class British teens, this film (which I could recite line for line by heart, I think, I've seen it so often) is about working class British teens, living on a council estate in an environment where being gay could easily have very dire consequences. And yet, it lives up to its title completely. Ste and Jamie don't have it easy, but their love defies all odds in this film. The ending, which I won't give away in case you haven't seen it, is my favorite final scene of any film, ever. It's just so hopeful, so empowering, and so beautiful.

This is another film with a memorable cast of supporting characters, and Linda Henry (currently starring on the British soap Eastenders) deserves special notice for her role as Jamie's hard edged but fiercely protective mother Sandra. On top of everything else, the movie has a fantastic soundtrack of songs by The Mamas and the Papas. If you haven't seen this film, you really should!

Of course, I think you should seen all of the films on this list. They're my favorites, after all!

Special Guest Star

There was a rumor flying around the Internet that Adam Lambert was going to be guest starring on Glee as a mentor character for Kurt. Lambert and Glee being two of my favorite things in the world, that would pretty much have made my day.

Adam himself dispelled the rumor on Twitter, though, and went on to say that he'd love to guest star on True Blood (which I haven't yet seen, though co-workers assure me that I must!), Weeds (never seen it), or Gossip Girl (of which I'm not a fan, unless Ed Westwick is kissing another guy).

These tweets lead to Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly coming up with his own dream guest starring role for Adam on Ugly Betty:

I’d cast Adam as a Trevor de l’Abdul, contestant on a Project Runway-esque show for aspiring fashion designers — where Vanessa L. Williams’ formidable editrix Wilhelmina Slater just so happens to be a judge/mentor. Things get complicated when Trevor hooks up with Willie’s gay-in-waiting Marc (Michael Urie) during a Mode-sponsored cocktail party for the contestants. The morning after, Marc can’t figure out if Trevor is just using him to court favor with Willie, while Willie herself gets fearful that if the Marc-Trevor dalliance goes public (thanks to that relentless dish-hound Suzuki St. Pierre!), she could get painted as a less-than-impartial judge. And it’s up to Betty to investigate whether the dashing young designer truly has the hots for her frenemy, or if he’s simply using every angle possible to take home first prize.

I have to say, I can't quite picture Adam on Glee, as much as I'd love to see him there, but Slezak's idea sounds really good to me! The de l’Abdul really made me laugh, and I could easily see this as an actual story on the show. I think Adam would be great in the role, camping it up and being fierce, and how cool would it be to see him working with Vanessa Williams and Michael Urie?

Michael has already tweeted that he'd be on board with the story, so all we need now is Adam. And, you know, the producers and writers of the show.

Ugly Betty is a show that I loved in its first season but have inexplicably only watched sporadically since. I never really made a decision to stop following the series, I just somehow lost track of it along the way. I have always meant to catch up with it on DVD and I'm sure I will at some point.

Slezak challenged the Adam fans to come up with their own dream guest roles for Lambert and I've been trying to imagine him on the various shows that I watch: a glampire on Supernatural, maybe, or a spoiled rock star who is a new client for Ella and Amanda's firm on Melrose Place. I even tried to fit him into How I Met Your Mother as a date of Robin's who turns out to be bisexual and interested in her ex/roommate Ted.

Nothing seemed as good as Slezak's idea, though. Unless, of course, Adam wants to commit to a recurring role on One Life to Live, where he can play Nick's new love interest, a singer that Rex has hired to perform at Ultra Violet on the occasional night when major recording artists aren't stopping by.

Or maybe things could get really interesting when a jilted Rex, dumped by Gigi and with no interest in Stacy, decides to explore his bisexual side, creating a steamy love triangle when Gigi decides she wants Rex back.

Now I'm suddenly picturing a Dynasty-esque catfight between Adam and Gigi in a lily pond on the Buchanan estate! How hot would that be?!

Setback in New Jersey

The fight for marriage equality in the United States suffered the first setback of the new year in New Jersey today, where the state Senate voted 20-14 against a bill that would have legalized same sex marriage.

It was especially crucial for the bill to pass at this point, since outgoing Governor Jon Corzine, a Democrat, had promised to sign it into law, while incoming Republican Governor Chris Christie is on record as being opposed to the bill.

Still, as painful as it always is when a vote goes against us (and honestly, nothing could be more painful or downright infuriating then the idea that our basic civil rights are something people can vote to deny us!), this was just a setback, not a defeat. Stephen Goldstein, the director of Garden State Equality, had this to say:

"Though we didn’t achieve our final victory today, we’re better positioned than we were a few months ago to win marriage equality. On the one hand, we resent, more than you can imagine, remaining second-class citizens a bit longer. On the other hand, the ball has moved forward."

It sounds like the New Jersey courts are the next stop in the fight for equality there.

The new year started with joyous wedding ceremonies for same sex couples in New Hampshire, and that is the image I'm going to carry in my mind all year, through the inevitable ups and downs of this ongoing fight.

Glee: The People's Choice

I typically don't miss many awards shows, even though I tend to fast forward past a lot of stuff that doesn't interest me. One ceremony that I haven't watched in years, though, is The People's Choice Awards.

It's not that I have something against awards chosen by the public, rather than by the industry itself (although, seeing that the night's biggest honors went to Miley Cyrus, Taylor Lautner, and the Twilight movies makes me think that I'm decidedly out of step with 'the public' anyway, since the voters must have all been 15 or under), but because I don't like shows where the winners know who they are in advance and are the only nominees who show up! It takes all the drama and excitement out of the whole thing.

Of course, I haven't watched in about ten years, so maybe they don't do it that way anymore.

I do wish I'd set my Tivo for this year's People's Choice Awards, though. I didn't even know it was on until after it was over, when I read that Glee had won for Favorite New TV Comedy. Looking at the list of winners, I see a few other favorites as well, like Supernatural, which won Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show, and Alyson Hannigan, who won for Favorite TV Comedy Actress for her work on How I Met Your Mother.

I'm glad that Glee is winning the popular vote! I'm hoping that they'll also be getting critical recognition at the Golden Globes and then at the Emmys.

Nuke Day: Who Are These People?

Today was the first Nuke day of the New Year and it was a bit less joyous than the first Kish day of 2010, to put it mildly.

I know that I shouldn't compare the two stories, given that they're on different shows, airing on separate networks and that one is being written by a head writer with talent and the other by the exact opposite, but such comparisons are inevitable. I just want to be clear that if I'm complaining about what's happening with Nuke it's because of the failures in the writing and not because Nuke isn't Kish.

I am still a Nuke fan and always will be, long after new episodes have ceased to air. For as much wasted potential as there has been in this story, Luke and Noah are still the duo that blazed the trail for Kyle and Fish and any other gay male couple that the soaps have in their future. They have meant and still mean a lot to me. It's just that I'm a fan of Luke and Noah, and not of these two strangers who seem to have taken their place in Oakdale at the moment.

With that said, on to today's show. Noah was back from the clinic for good, apparently, but I felt like I've missed a scene somewhere, which is all too common with this show. Noah seems to have been checked out by a doctor and given bad news about his chances of regaining his vision, though none of this is shown or even discussed in much detail.

Noah, Luke, Lucinda and Lily were hanging out in the Snyder living room (or the Grimaldi living room, I guess I should say these days) and Noah was talking about not wanting to feel like a charity case. Everyone was assuring him that they didn't think of him that way in the least, but Noah informed them all that he wanted to fight.

No, he didn't mean fight with Luke, as his overall attitude toward his boyfriend would suggest, but rather than he wanted to fight to regain his sight. There's this doctor in Dallas, Reid Oliver, who has been doing miraculous work in restoring eyesight to people who've been given similar odds as Noah. Apparently, he's assured Noah that he can help him.

Our Mr. Mayer was all for charging ahead with this doctor, but Lucinda suggested that she at least have Dr. Oliver checked out first. Noah snapped that she should check with the people who have their sight back because of Dr. Oliver and Lucinda gently assured him that she'd make those calls, too.

Wait, a hopeless diagnosis and a maverick doctor who the parents (adoptive/ in-laws, in this case) may disapprove of? If Noah ends up being shanghaied to a boarding school in Europe after winning a lawsuit against his new adoptive parents for the right to have the surgery, I think I may have seen this story recently on One Life to Live, only with paralysis instead of blindness.

Lily and Lucinda made a hasty and not very subtle exit so that Luke and Noah could be alone. As soon as they were, Noah warned Luke not to try and talk him out of being treated by Dr. Oliver and Luke assured him that he wasn't going to. He was just happy to have his boyfriend back, and he tried to demonstrate it by moving in for a kiss, only to have Noah pull away from him abruptly for the fiftieth time.

Noah told Luke that he wasn't ready to act like nothing had happened and Luke assured his boyfriend that they were still 'us'. Noah snarled that he was trying to deal with what has happened to him, so did they have to drag 'us' into every conversation they have?

Luke apologized for 'pressuring' Noah, who said that he was just trying to do something proactive and not just wallow. Luke said he thought that was why rehab at the clinic had been so good for Noah, but his boyfriend yelled that rehab was not good for him, that finding a doctor with skills would be good for him.

Noah accused Luke of just wanting him to accept his blindness and move on, and Luke told him that wasn't fair or true, that all he wanted was for the most important person in his life to get better... and to do so in Oakdale, with him.

Noah said that being dependent on Luke and his family wasn't the life he wanted and that everything else was secondary to his need to see again.

Luke asked if that included him and Noah didn't answer, letting silence speak louder than words, I guess. The next time we saw the guys they were standing outside the house, where Noah was asking if the evergreen trees were covered with snow. When Luke said that they were, Noah said that he hadn't realize how much he'd always loved seeing that until he couldn't, just like he'd never realized how much his film had meant to him until he couldn't finish it.

Luke sweetly said that what the film meant to Noah was present in every single frame and Noah said that even so, it was just a series of random shots, not a complete film.

I felt like I was helplessly watching a puppy start to run across a busy freeway as Luke smiled and told Noah that the student film committee hadn't thought the film was incomplete at all and then presented him with the award for first place that Noah's film had won.

Okay, I've been harsh to Noah for being so angry with Luke, so it's only fair to note that Luke's brilliant idea to have the cast and crew on Noah's film finish it up without him and then edit it for him was about the worst idea ever. To have done it all, including entering it for an award, without even mentioning it to his boyfriend made it even more moronic.

Luke has a tendency to act from the heart without thinking things through, but this is just a bit too much, especially since he knows that Noah feels like a charity case already. Even if he'd felt it was the right thing in the beginning, Noah's subsequent feelings should have clued him in to the reality of what his reaction would be. But, no. Like that puppy on the freeway, Luke remained utterly clueless as to the consequences of his actions.

Luke told Noah about how easy it was to follow Noah's blueprint to finish the scenes he hadn't shot yet, about the crowd's reaction at the screening and how great the moment had been, just being completely insensitive and totally not the Luke Snyder I've been watching for the past few years.

Luke is an artist, too, a writer, so he above anyone else should get how deeply personal someones work is and how you can't just finish it for them and expect them to be happy about it! But then, they threw out the sensitive writer side of Luke to thrust him into business with Damian and things have just gone downhill from there.

I found myself detesting Luke's clueless naivete as much as I've been detesting Noah for showing no emotion but anger. The writing is so terribly out of character for both of them, but then plot is all that matters to the hack writers on this show. Characterization is the first thing they toss out the window.

Anyway, as anyone with even a hint of intelligence and sensitivity (which for the moment no longer includes Luke) could see coming a mile away, Noah not so gently informed Luke that since he'd finished shooting the film, edited it, and accepted the award, it was Luke's film, not his, and that Luke was once again trying to control him.

When Luke asked why Noah couldn't see that it was still his film, Noah aptly pointed out that he couldn't see, period, and stumbled into the house, slamming the door behind him.

Inside, Noah struggled to put a disc into his laptop (the film?) while out on the porch, Luke was calling Dr. Reed Oliver on Noah's behalf.

The other day, I mentioned that I wanted to see more from Jake Silbermann's performance, that all I was getting was anger, with no hint of all the emotions underneath. Now I understand that the powers that be on this show don't care to see anything but the surface, since that's as deep as their story telling goes.

This isn't the Luke or the Noah that I've come to know over the last few years. I can only hope that they will once again begin to resemble themselves before the series comes to an end.

Kish: Hello Young Lovers

Today brought the first Kish scenes of the new year and the guys are certainly off to a great start. It began with Fish waking up the morning after and breaking out in this huge, completely adorable smile as the events of the night before came rushing back. He turned over and found Kyle propped up on one arm, watching him sleep (in a sweet, romantic way, not in a creepy way!) with a beatific smile on his own face.

The two shared some amusing and completely endearing pillow talk about being boyfriends before Roxy suddenly burst in without knocking. After calling them gorgeous hunks and making a joke, complete with simulated porn music, about her fantasy of playing the sexy pizza delivery girl to them (!), Roxy joined them on the bed and delivered the morning paper, full of the bad news that Dorian had fired Oliver's boss the night before.

When we next saw the guys they'd managed to put their shirts back on, sadly enough, but were still apparently wearing nothing else underneath the sheets. Roxy didn't seem to mind, though, and plopped right down between them on the bed, giving them each a kiss on the cheek and telling them how happy she was for the two of them. It was really sweet.

At that point, Fish got a phone call from John McBain and told Kyle and Roxy that he had to go help transport Mitch Lawrence back to jail. Roxy freaked out and urged Fish to make sure that Mitch stayed in jail.

Kyle and Oliver said a very cute goodbye at the door and once Roxy and Kyle were alone she pressed him for all the details. Kyle was a perfect gentleman, though, so Roxy asked what had happened with Nick.

Kyle explained that Nick had moved out and that he'd been the one who Roxy had talked to on the phone. Kyle apologized for not believing Roxy and for implying that she'd been drinking. Roxy wasn't holding a grudge, though, and told Kyle that he was the gay son she'd never had. My mind immediately came up with a dozen wry comments that Kyle could make about Rex, so when he said "Really?" in a kind of sarcastic way, I actually wondered for a second if he was about to go there!

He didn't, of course. Instead Kyle asked Roxy how his straight 'brother' Rex was doing, and turned the conversation to Roxy's past with Mitch Lawrence. He just couldn't quite wrap his mind around why Roxy had ever been with someone as evil and as crazy as Mitch. Roxy went off about how even touching Mitch, aka 'Satan's wing man', meant putting your soul in hock and told Kyle to stop pushing her about it.

Kyle said that Roxy was one of the best friends he'd ever had, that he knew there was more going on that she'd been able to tell anyone about, and that he was there for her if she needed to talk. Roxy told him that if he really was her friend, he'd never mention Rex's father again.

I know I've already said this about three dozen times, but I love Kyle and Roxy's friendship. When she barged into their room, I thought Fish was going to have a problem with it since he was so uptight about their privacy as a couple before this, but I think Roxy may have won him over. Either that, or he was just too high on the afterglow to really care!

That was all for today. Fish's cop scenes involved him standing in the background (next to Brody, I might add; are they ever going to fulfill my dream and make these two partners?) during the Mitch scenes.

Going back to the subject of Nick, I've been trying to imagine who they could pair him up with if they kept him around, since everyone else on the show is pretty well established as heterosexual. Sure, the very hot Ford just returned to town and we don't really know anything about him yet. He'd be perfect, in fact, if he wasn't so clearly designated to be part of a love triangle with Langston and Markko.

There don't seem to be many other options at the moment, though of course any male character who has been written as straight up to this point could turn out to be bi or just in denial like Fish was. I don't see that happening, though, since they've already told that story with Oliver.

Today I think I finally found the perfect candidate for Nick's new love interest: Dorian's new political aide! I don't think he even has a name yet, but he's very cute. It would make perfect sense that Nick, as a political activist, would come into contact with the Mayor's right hand man. This show is so good at starting new characters out in smaller roles and then building them up into something bigger, so it could really work. Chances are he'll turn out to be one of Mitch's followers instead, but I hope not.

Whatever happens with Nick, Kyle and Fish are completely amazing and I can't wait to see what is in store for them this year. Whether they're in incredible love scenes, smoking hot argument scenes, or just being adorable together like they were today, they're the hottest thing on TV.

A Great Start

Starting today, LGBT citizens of New Hampshire are enjoying marriage equality under the new law passed last year. Many chose to ring in the New Year with wedding ceremonies just after midnight last night.

I can't think of a better way to begin a brand new year and I hope that it is a sign that in the next twelve months more and more LGBT citizens all over the country will be victorious in the fight for our civil rights.