Today was my favorite of all days, a Kish day on One Life to Live. Their scenes began with Fish and Layla on another date, this time at the fancy Palace Hotel. Layla was surprised that Fish could afford the place on a cop's salary, but Fish told her they had something to celebrate. Before he could tell her exactly what that was, though, she took a phone call from Cristian, who asked her if she wanted to stop by his family's diner, The Buenos Dias, for dinner. Layla, of course, wasted no time in telling him that she was out with Fish.
Layla and Fish had just been seated but hadn't even ordered yet when Cristian called Layla back, on the pretext of telling her that she needed to buy more orange juice because she'd finished the last of it that morning. While Cristian was talking, Kyle came into the Buenos Dias and overheard him say something about Layla being on a date with Fish.
Kyle asked if Cristian meant Oliver Fish and Cristian explained that Fish was his roommate and that he was dating his other roommate. Kyle said he'd seen them together at Capricorn and that Layla seemed sweet. "Too bad it's not going to work out."
That, of course, peaked Cristian's interest and he asked what Kyle meant. Kyle tried to cover by saying that he just meant it wouldn't work because of the whole roommate thing, but Cristian said that if there was anything he needed to know about Fish, Kyle should tell him. Kyle said that Fish was a great guy and that there was nothing Cristian needed to know that he wouldn't find out eventually.
Cristian still wouldn't relent, though, and asked if Fish was bad news for Layla. Kyle admitted that she could end up getting hurt and Cristian demanded to know what that meant. Was Fish abusive? As if! I can barely picture the adorable Fish busting a perp for jaywalking, let alone beating a woman! Kyle quickly squashed that idea but did tell Cristian that Fish was using Layla.
Back at the Palace Hotel, Fish ordered champagne from a flirty waiter who was practically devouring Oliver with his eyes, and told Layla that they were celebrating her new job: John McBain had approved her application to be his assistant.
Layla was thrilled, of course, and after they'd toasted her new job she raised a glass to Fish for being a guy 'cute enough and comfortable with himself enough not to care who's checking him out.'
Fish was confused, but after Layla told him that the waiter was into him he insisted that the guy was just being friendly. Layla rather hilariously informed Fish that she has impeccable gaydar and can always tell when someone is gay. She assured her date that the waiter was crushing on him (and who could blame him?).
Oliver was completely unsettled by this, so much so that Layla brought it up again over their soup, noting that it was flattering to be noticed by men and women. Fish replied that being noticed by a hot girl was one thing, but...
Layla told him that getting uptight about these things is not hot and that just because the waiter is gay doesn't mean Fish is gay. Oliver quickly changed the subject, suggesting they leave the restaurant. Layla pointed out that they hadn't had their main course and Oliver said that, whether it was because of the champagne or because she was so beautiful, he wanted to finish their date back at their place.
Layla joked she wasn't easy and that a bottle of champagne would only get him to first base, maybe second. Could he handle that? Fish told her that he could and when her back was turned he exchanged a glance with the waiter and gave him an awkward little wave, which may have just been his way of asking for their check, but still seemed full of subtext.
This was another really good episode, even though Kyle and Fish didn't actually have any scenes together. They're continuing to show us just how uncomfortable Fish feels about his sexuality and how hard he's working to try and prove to himself that he's straight.
I also like that Layla and Cristian are so clearly into each other that Fish isn't going to end up breaking her heart when he finally accepts who he is. We've seen that story play out on other shows, from Germany's Verboten Liebe (Christian of Christan and Ollie had a girlfriend when he fell for Ollie, and Ulli of Tom and Ulli did as well on the same show ten years before that) to As the World Turns (Noah was with Maddie when he fell for Luke) and even Dawson's Creek (Jack was with Joey when he came out, not that he had a boyfriend to be with after that!). I'm glad OLTL is going a different route.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Nuke Day: Zoom In As They Burn the Past to the Ground
Today's As the World Turns opened with a close up of Luke's hand on top of Noah's as they sat together at Java. Luke was asking Noah if he was sure that he was ready for the two of them to move in together, since the big day has finally arrived! I guess summer doesn't officially start in Oakdale until you've faced down the first psycho of the season?
Noah assured Luke that he was ready, but Luke persisted in pressing Noah to make sure that he was certain, that he didn't need more time to deal with the Colonel Mayer situation first. The scene turned downright cute when Noah asked if Luke had been watching Dr. Phil and Luke replied "No! No. A little bit." The two then joked around about how Luke would freak out if Noah actually admitted to having second thoughts.
Noah told Luke he was going to go back to his dorm room to get the rest of his stuff and asked him to meet him back at Java in an hour. Luke realized that their moving in together was actually going to happen and the two shared a really nice moment of happiness together, staring into each others eyes.
Sometimes, when I'm hating this show with a bitter passion, a moment like that makes me remember why I love Luke & Noah so much. If only they could deal with more realistic problems and issues! I know soaps are always going to be a bit over the top, and that's why I love them, but the trick to good soap stories has always been to ground things in as much reality as possible, to have characters face real life issues in addition to the occasional high drama story. That doesn't happen on this show. It's more like a bad parody of a soap opera, the sort of thing that non soap fans imagine all soaps to be.
After leaving Noah, Luke headed for the foundation office, where Damian and Lily were working, and hit them up for $500 so that he could pay the movers. Luke really is a trust fund baby, and neither Damian nor Lily batted an eye at the request before Lily handed over the cash.
When Luke left and Lily commented on how happy he seemed, Damian remarked that finding true love will have that effect. Lily marveled at how far Damian had come in accepting Luke's sexuality. Damian admitted that he still didn't fully understand it, but knowing Noah helped and the trick was to change with the times. Lily told Damian that she was really glad he'd come back into Luke's life.
Noah, meanwhile, was leaving his dorm room with a box when a random college guy stopped to say goodbye to him (they're just moving out of the dorms in July?) and rather oddly informed Noah that the top flap on the box he was carrying was open, as if Noah couldn't see that for himself. Apparently, though, he couldn't, because he thanked the helpful hunk and then set the box down to fix the flap.
While he was doing so he caught sight of Colonel Mayer's purple heart medal and had a little freak out before running off and leaving the box in the middle of the hall. This was followed by a scene where Lily and Damian discussed how young the guys were to be settling down and Lily noted that she felt okay about it because Noah was a rock, that he'd had to be with all he'd dealt with growing up with his father.
Luke waited impatiently at Java for all of ten seconds before he headed for Noah's dorm room and found it empty, with the box of Colonel Mayer's stuff abandoned in the hall. Noah going missing usually equals a kidnapping, of course, so Luke immediately called Lily and Damian.
Damian had the bright idea to check the abandoned army base where Colonel Mayer had been hiding out, and that was where Luke & Damian found Noah, who was having trouble dealing with sending his father to prison and with letting go of all the issues he had with dear old dad. Noah told Luke & Damian that the Colonel was always there, in his head, and Damian decided that he had the perfect solution for Noah.
The three of them (and Lily, whom Damian called to join them for no reason at all) headed to the Snyder pond, where they built a bonfire on a little raft and Noah let go of everything in true Viking fashion, throwing all of his father's stuff into the flames, including the movie he'd been making, and then setting it adrift.
As the guys watched Noah's daddy issues burn, Mayer wondered what he was going to do for his senior project now that he'd destroyed his film. This, of course, should lead nicely into the introduction of Noah's gay film school advisor.
So, the guys are finally going to be living together! I know I've said this more than once since the idea first came up last Spring, but we'd better actually get to see their apartment. It's never a good sign on a soap when a character doesn't actually have an onscreen residence.
Noah assured Luke that he was ready, but Luke persisted in pressing Noah to make sure that he was certain, that he didn't need more time to deal with the Colonel Mayer situation first. The scene turned downright cute when Noah asked if Luke had been watching Dr. Phil and Luke replied "No! No. A little bit." The two then joked around about how Luke would freak out if Noah actually admitted to having second thoughts.
Noah told Luke he was going to go back to his dorm room to get the rest of his stuff and asked him to meet him back at Java in an hour. Luke realized that their moving in together was actually going to happen and the two shared a really nice moment of happiness together, staring into each others eyes.
Sometimes, when I'm hating this show with a bitter passion, a moment like that makes me remember why I love Luke & Noah so much. If only they could deal with more realistic problems and issues! I know soaps are always going to be a bit over the top, and that's why I love them, but the trick to good soap stories has always been to ground things in as much reality as possible, to have characters face real life issues in addition to the occasional high drama story. That doesn't happen on this show. It's more like a bad parody of a soap opera, the sort of thing that non soap fans imagine all soaps to be.
After leaving Noah, Luke headed for the foundation office, where Damian and Lily were working, and hit them up for $500 so that he could pay the movers. Luke really is a trust fund baby, and neither Damian nor Lily batted an eye at the request before Lily handed over the cash.
When Luke left and Lily commented on how happy he seemed, Damian remarked that finding true love will have that effect. Lily marveled at how far Damian had come in accepting Luke's sexuality. Damian admitted that he still didn't fully understand it, but knowing Noah helped and the trick was to change with the times. Lily told Damian that she was really glad he'd come back into Luke's life.
Noah, meanwhile, was leaving his dorm room with a box when a random college guy stopped to say goodbye to him (they're just moving out of the dorms in July?) and rather oddly informed Noah that the top flap on the box he was carrying was open, as if Noah couldn't see that for himself. Apparently, though, he couldn't, because he thanked the helpful hunk and then set the box down to fix the flap.
While he was doing so he caught sight of Colonel Mayer's purple heart medal and had a little freak out before running off and leaving the box in the middle of the hall. This was followed by a scene where Lily and Damian discussed how young the guys were to be settling down and Lily noted that she felt okay about it because Noah was a rock, that he'd had to be with all he'd dealt with growing up with his father.
Luke waited impatiently at Java for all of ten seconds before he headed for Noah's dorm room and found it empty, with the box of Colonel Mayer's stuff abandoned in the hall. Noah going missing usually equals a kidnapping, of course, so Luke immediately called Lily and Damian.
Damian had the bright idea to check the abandoned army base where Colonel Mayer had been hiding out, and that was where Luke & Damian found Noah, who was having trouble dealing with sending his father to prison and with letting go of all the issues he had with dear old dad. Noah told Luke & Damian that the Colonel was always there, in his head, and Damian decided that he had the perfect solution for Noah.
The three of them (and Lily, whom Damian called to join them for no reason at all) headed to the Snyder pond, where they built a bonfire on a little raft and Noah let go of everything in true Viking fashion, throwing all of his father's stuff into the flames, including the movie he'd been making, and then setting it adrift.
As the guys watched Noah's daddy issues burn, Mayer wondered what he was going to do for his senior project now that he'd destroyed his film. This, of course, should lead nicely into the introduction of Noah's gay film school advisor.
So, the guys are finally going to be living together! I know I've said this more than once since the idea first came up last Spring, but we'd better actually get to see their apartment. It's never a good sign on a soap when a character doesn't actually have an onscreen residence.
Y&R: Nikki Talks; Plus a Great Michael Muhney Interview
On today's episode of The Young and the Restless, Rafe was nowhere to be seen and Adam was engaged in plotting against Ashley, but Nikki Newman was still focused on the kiss she'd walked in on between the two in yesterday's episode. Who can blame her, really? The image would have been burned in my mind as well, had I actually seen it.
Nikki headed to the hospital, where the family is keeping vigil while Victor & Nikki's young granddaughter is in a coma, and promptly spilled the beans to her daughter, Victoria, though she did at least make her promise first that she wouldn't say anything to Victor or to her brother Nick.
Victoria was shocked to hear that her half brother had been seen making out with Rafe, but they quickly decided that it made sense that Adam was gay: maybe that's why he kept everyone at distance, emotionally speaking. The two women agreed that being the secretly gay son of Victor Newman must put an awful lot of pressure on Adam.
Nikki noted that while Victor is all for diversity elsewhere, it doesn't apply to his own family. Victoria agreed, saying that Victor expected his family members to be strong, successful, and married with at least two children, one of them preferably male. And God help the male Newman who isn't moulded in Victor's own image. Nikki said that even her straight son, Nick, has suffered terribly in trying to live up to Victor's expectations of him. What must it be like for secretly gay Adam, then?
Victoria wondered if Heather, who has been involved with Adam on and off for over a year, knows the truth. Nikki had another concern: Adam was one of the suspects in the gaslighting of Ashley. What if he was using Rafe and it ended up hurting Estella's case?
With that in mind, Nikki decided that she might have to tell Victor after all, for Estella's sake. When Nikki ran into Heather (who happens to be the district attorney) she asked her, hypothetically speaking, what someone should do if they knew that a lawyer was romantically involved with another suspect in the crime their client was accused of.
Heather told Nikki that telling the truth was usually the best policy and Nikki headed off to tell Victor that his son is into guys. Of course, they were interrupted by a phone call before she could actually out Adam, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.
Meanwhile, AfterElton has a fantastic interview with Adam's portrayer, Michael Muhney. Until reading this interview, I knew very little about Muhney other than that I was really enjoying his performance as Adam. Now, having read this interview, I'd have to call myself a fan.
I really enjoyed his insights into the character of Adam and the whole situation with Rafe, including his thoughts about Adam questioning his own sexuality after sleeping with his lawyer:
You really should read the whole interview. Michael talks about what's being shown onscreen and leaving things up to the viewer's imagination, he talks about working with Yani Gellman, and even mentions working with Cheyenne Jackson on a pilot, and how Cheyenne clued Michael in about his gay fan base from his role on Veronica Mars.
Honestly, I'd quote the whole interview if I could!
Nikki headed to the hospital, where the family is keeping vigil while Victor & Nikki's young granddaughter is in a coma, and promptly spilled the beans to her daughter, Victoria, though she did at least make her promise first that she wouldn't say anything to Victor or to her brother Nick.
Victoria was shocked to hear that her half brother had been seen making out with Rafe, but they quickly decided that it made sense that Adam was gay: maybe that's why he kept everyone at distance, emotionally speaking. The two women agreed that being the secretly gay son of Victor Newman must put an awful lot of pressure on Adam.
Nikki noted that while Victor is all for diversity elsewhere, it doesn't apply to his own family. Victoria agreed, saying that Victor expected his family members to be strong, successful, and married with at least two children, one of them preferably male. And God help the male Newman who isn't moulded in Victor's own image. Nikki said that even her straight son, Nick, has suffered terribly in trying to live up to Victor's expectations of him. What must it be like for secretly gay Adam, then?
Victoria wondered if Heather, who has been involved with Adam on and off for over a year, knows the truth. Nikki had another concern: Adam was one of the suspects in the gaslighting of Ashley. What if he was using Rafe and it ended up hurting Estella's case?
With that in mind, Nikki decided that she might have to tell Victor after all, for Estella's sake. When Nikki ran into Heather (who happens to be the district attorney) she asked her, hypothetically speaking, what someone should do if they knew that a lawyer was romantically involved with another suspect in the crime their client was accused of.
Heather told Nikki that telling the truth was usually the best policy and Nikki headed off to tell Victor that his son is into guys. Of course, they were interrupted by a phone call before she could actually out Adam, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.
Meanwhile, AfterElton has a fantastic interview with Adam's portrayer, Michael Muhney. Until reading this interview, I knew very little about Muhney other than that I was really enjoying his performance as Adam. Now, having read this interview, I'd have to call myself a fan.
I really enjoyed his insights into the character of Adam and the whole situation with Rafe, including his thoughts about Adam questioning his own sexuality after sleeping with his lawyer:
AE: Now, I hadn't seen it this way, but you said something that made me wonder if you might see if differently: Is Adam sort of curious about this experience, or was this just something he did just because he needed to do it to further his schemes?
MM: I think primarily what makes him tick is self-preservation, so yes, first and foremost, the initial reasoning for doing anything is "How am I going to get out of this scot-free?" It's like act now, think about it later. He doesn't put his emotions first, he puts his motives first.
However, upon doing something like that, I feel as though wouldn't anybody question yourself? Even if the answer to yourself is, "No. No I'm not," aren't you going to at least question it?
Einstein said, "There's no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid answers." He can ask any question he wants, and question that moment as deeply as he might want, and wonder why he did that and why he followed through all the way. Depending on how he can come up with an answer, that's how he's going to be able to handle that situation and digest it and move forward.
I think it would be a natural process to question a situation like that, questioning your sexuality, questioning just how detestable and despicable of a person are you for trying to fool other people into thinking you're someone that you're not. I think if you're not a sociopath, you're gonna question things.
You really should read the whole interview. Michael talks about what's being shown onscreen and leaving things up to the viewer's imagination, he talks about working with Yani Gellman, and even mentions working with Cheyenne Jackson on a pilot, and how Cheyenne clued Michael in about his gay fan base from his role on Veronica Mars.
Honestly, I'd quote the whole interview if I could!
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Aiming for the Iceberg
Maybe we should file this one under 'Be careful what you wish for'. It has been announced that Guiding Light co-head writer David Kreizman will be joining Jean Passanante as co-Head writer of As the World Turns. Now, I've been wanting fresh blood in the show's writing department for a long time and bringing in a co-head writer is often a way of phasing out the person who currently has that job.
So, I should be happy. However, I know that Guiding Light fans feel much the same way about David Kreizman that ATWT fans feel about Passanante: that he basically destroyed their show. Instead of being a good thing, the teaming up of these two particular writers may be the final nail in the coffin for As the World Turns.
The statement from the equally awful Executive Producer of ATWT didn't make me feel much better:
So, I should be happy. However, I know that Guiding Light fans feel much the same way about David Kreizman that ATWT fans feel about Passanante: that he basically destroyed their show. Instead of being a good thing, the teaming up of these two particular writers may be the final nail in the coffin for As the World Turns.
The statement from the equally awful Executive Producer of ATWT didn't make me feel much better:
"I am thrilled that Dave and Jean will make up the new head writing team," said ATWT executive producer Chris Goutman in a statement. "Both writers have an incredible respect for the show's rich history and I am confident this partnership will generate the exciting, character-based stories for which ATWT is known."
You have to wonder, does Goutman know that he's full of shit or is he actually just that deluded? Character based stories?! ATWT hasn't been know for those in a very long time, and certainly not during Passanante's reign of terror. Respect for history? If you're trying to make us laugh, that particular joke is too painful to ever be amusing, Gouty.
Rafe & Adam: Caught!
Rafe & Adam's story continued today on The Young and the Restless. The show started with Rafe being summoned by Adam's father, Victor. Rafe was more than a little surprised when Victor wanted to talk about 'what happened to Adam'. Rafe thought they were talking about all the hot sex that he'd had with Adam the other day (and flashed back to the very sexy thumb on lower lip moment), but Victor was actually talking about something completely different.
Adam recently told Victor that he was attacked by some men in prison who'd stuck a hypodermic needle in his eyes. This lie, of course, was to cover up the fact that Adam has been doing that to himself to induce temporary blindness. Victor wanted Rafe to find out exactly who'd attacked Adam so that he could make them pay.
Meanwhile, Adam was alone in his room, practicing his break up speech for Rafe. He was hitting all the right notes, too: what happened between them caught him off guard, and while he'd enjoyed it, he'd been thinking and it's just not who he is. He's sorry for misleading Rafe but it just can't happen again. He even threw in a 'I hope we can still be friends' for good measure.
Rafe showed up to talk, but before Adam could even begin his well rehearsed speech, his lawyer/lover asked him about the hypodermic needle attack. Rafe found it very odd that Adam hadn't been afraid to file reports when he was beaten and harassed in prison, and had even named his attackers, yet had never mentioned anything about a needle.
Adam claimed that he was afraid, that the guards had forced him to file the beating reports in the first place and he hadn't wanted to make it worse by reporting the men for having a hypodermic.
Rafe didn't buy the story. He told Adam he'd been around many prisons in his capacity as a lawyer and guards didn't force inmates to file reports. The story just didn't make any sense unless Adam was hiding something.
Adam tried to shift gears by asking that they not talk about this. He claimed that he didn't like to focus on this, especially not when he was so happy:
Adam recently told Victor that he was attacked by some men in prison who'd stuck a hypodermic needle in his eyes. This lie, of course, was to cover up the fact that Adam has been doing that to himself to induce temporary blindness. Victor wanted Rafe to find out exactly who'd attacked Adam so that he could make them pay.
Meanwhile, Adam was alone in his room, practicing his break up speech for Rafe. He was hitting all the right notes, too: what happened between them caught him off guard, and while he'd enjoyed it, he'd been thinking and it's just not who he is. He's sorry for misleading Rafe but it just can't happen again. He even threw in a 'I hope we can still be friends' for good measure.
Rafe showed up to talk, but before Adam could even begin his well rehearsed speech, his lawyer/lover asked him about the hypodermic needle attack. Rafe found it very odd that Adam hadn't been afraid to file reports when he was beaten and harassed in prison, and had even named his attackers, yet had never mentioned anything about a needle.
Adam claimed that he was afraid, that the guards had forced him to file the beating reports in the first place and he hadn't wanted to make it worse by reporting the men for having a hypodermic.
Rafe didn't buy the story. He told Adam he'd been around many prisons in his capacity as a lawyer and guards didn't force inmates to file reports. The story just didn't make any sense unless Adam was hiding something.
Adam tried to shift gears by asking that they not talk about this. He claimed that he didn't like to focus on this, especially not when he was so happy:
Adam: Listen Rafe, ever since the last time you were here I've been thinking about that non stop and when you called and said you were coming over, I got really excited.
At that point, Adam put his hands on Rafe's shoulders and moved in for a kiss, but Rafe pulled back and asked just how stupid Adam thought he was? Rafe called him on trying to sweet talk his way out of answering his questions.
Rafe turned towards the door, but then stopped and said Adam's name in a much softer tone of voice. While staring into Adam's eyes, he placed his hand on Adam's and then slowly ran it up his arm until he reached his chest and grabbed a fistful of Adam's T-shirt to pull him into a kiss. Once again, HOT! Yani Gellman and Michael Muhney are managing to make this a very steamy affair, even though the show isn't letting them actually do all that much onscreen.
Now, this is where I get a bit upset. What do they think this is, As the World Turns circa Christmas 2007? Or Melrose Place circa 1993? They must, because they panned away from the kiss before Rafe and Adam's lips ever met.
Come on, Y&R, if you want to tell a gay story these days you cannot shy away from the kisses! That will only upset the fans and make the whole story more about your cowardice than good story telling.
Anyway, it was at that moment that Nikki Newman, ex-wife of Victor and one of Adam's biggest detractors, opened the door. While Nikki got to see the two hunks kissing, we as the audience only saw Adam's lower back with Rafe's arms wrapped around it. Nikki got a nice long eyeful and then closed the door without being noticed by the guys.
Well, Adam is definitely good. He knows exactly what to say to push Rafe's buttons. I was glad that Rafe called him on his obvious attempt to get out of answering his questions, but not surprised when he fell for Adam's next gambit. I mean, honestly, what guy wouldn't melt when hearing Adam say those words?
Now that Nikki has seen the kiss (I think it would have been even better if she'd walked in and caught them in bed, in the throes of passion), this little affair isn't going to stay quiet for long. It will be interesting to see how Adam deals with other people knowing. He can't tell the truth without exposing his other secrets, so will he have to pretend to be bisexual to everyone he knows?
It will also be interesting to see how Victor Newman deals with the news that his son has been with another man. Something tells me he won't exactly be understanding.
Adam: God, I really am stupid. To think that I was hoping-
Rafe: What?
Adam: Forget it.
Rafe: Tell me.
Adam: What happened between us, Rafe, I thought I had found someone that I could be me with. To think that you're accusing me of using that is-
Rafe: No, I was just-
Adam: I was scared. Have you ever been scared? That's why I didn't put it in the report. These people could have killed me. Which is nothing compared to what you just did.
Rafe: Adam, I'm not trying to-
Adam: Rafe, what I did with you, I had never done with anyone before. I thought that what we shared- you know, you should probably just leave. I mean it, get out.
Rafe: What?
Adam: Forget it.
Rafe: Tell me.
Adam: What happened between us, Rafe, I thought I had found someone that I could be me with. To think that you're accusing me of using that is-
Rafe: No, I was just-
Adam: I was scared. Have you ever been scared? That's why I didn't put it in the report. These people could have killed me. Which is nothing compared to what you just did.
Rafe: Adam, I'm not trying to-
Adam: Rafe, what I did with you, I had never done with anyone before. I thought that what we shared- you know, you should probably just leave. I mean it, get out.
Rafe turned towards the door, but then stopped and said Adam's name in a much softer tone of voice. While staring into Adam's eyes, he placed his hand on Adam's and then slowly ran it up his arm until he reached his chest and grabbed a fistful of Adam's T-shirt to pull him into a kiss. Once again, HOT! Yani Gellman and Michael Muhney are managing to make this a very steamy affair, even though the show isn't letting them actually do all that much onscreen.
Now, this is where I get a bit upset. What do they think this is, As the World Turns circa Christmas 2007? Or Melrose Place circa 1993? They must, because they panned away from the kiss before Rafe and Adam's lips ever met.
Come on, Y&R, if you want to tell a gay story these days you cannot shy away from the kisses! That will only upset the fans and make the whole story more about your cowardice than good story telling.
Anyway, it was at that moment that Nikki Newman, ex-wife of Victor and one of Adam's biggest detractors, opened the door. While Nikki got to see the two hunks kissing, we as the audience only saw Adam's lower back with Rafe's arms wrapped around it. Nikki got a nice long eyeful and then closed the door without being noticed by the guys.
Well, Adam is definitely good. He knows exactly what to say to push Rafe's buttons. I was glad that Rafe called him on his obvious attempt to get out of answering his questions, but not surprised when he fell for Adam's next gambit. I mean, honestly, what guy wouldn't melt when hearing Adam say those words?
Now that Nikki has seen the kiss (I think it would have been even better if she'd walked in and caught them in bed, in the throes of passion), this little affair isn't going to stay quiet for long. It will be interesting to see how Adam deals with other people knowing. He can't tell the truth without exposing his other secrets, so will he have to pretend to be bisexual to everyone he knows?
It will also be interesting to see how Victor Newman deals with the news that his son has been with another man. Something tells me he won't exactly be understanding.
Coming Out on Y&R
I thought all of Tuesday's soaps had been pre-empted by the coverage of the Michael Jackson memorial service, but I just discovered that my local CBS station did air The Young and the Restless. Luckily for me, they aired it during As The World Turns' regular time slot, so my Tivo recorded it.
Tuesday was a pretty big day on the show: another character came out of the closet as gay, bringing the grand total of current LGBT roles on daytime soaps to an all time high of eight characters spread out over four soaps. This doesn't include Y&R's Adam, who may or may not be bisexual, even if he is sleeping with Rafe. When Forbes March debuts on ATWT, the number will go up to nine, though of course we'll be losing Guiding Light's Olivia and Natalia in September.
The latest gay character is none other than Philip Chancellor III, played by openly gay actor Thom Bierdz, and on Tuesday's show he came out to his 'widow', Nina.
First, some background. Back in the late 80's, Philip was a wealthy young alcoholic who'd been more or less trapped into marriage by Nina, whom he'd gotten pregnant while he was drunk. He was also facing all the pressures of being an heir to the Chancellor fortune while dealing with his personal demons.
Then, twenty years ago, Philip lost his life in a drunk driving accident, leaving behind a grieving family that included his wife and his young son, Philip Chancellor IV.
Flash forward to a few years ago, when Philip's family learned that there had been a baby switch. The Philip they'd known, loved and lost hadn't been the real Philip Chancellor III. It turned out that a man named Cane, who'd been raised in Australia, was the real Philip. In the years since, he's been living in Genoa City with his long lost family.
Recently, though, Philip's widow Nina returned to town and began asking questions and digging into Cane's story. Before long, Nina was having Philip's grave exhumed and it turned out that his coffin was filled with sandbags. Testing soon proved that there had never even been a body in the coffin to begin with.
Cane ended up taking another DNA test to prove that he was the real Philip, but he switched his fresh vial of blood with one he'd taken from a freezer. The test proved that the blood was from the son of Philip's mother Jill, but further testing revealed that the blood had been frozen.
In true soap fashion, this all lead to a confrontation on last Friday's episode. Nina got Cane to finally admit in front of everyone that he wasn't Jill's son and when Katherine Chancellor demanded to know how he could do this to people who'd shown him nothing but kindness, a voice from off camera called out that Cane hadn't done it- "I did." It was, of course, Philip Chancellor III speaking, in one of those over the top but delicious Friday cliffhanger moments.
On Monday, Philip explained to his family how the 'accident' he'd been in twenty years ago was no accident at all: he'd tried to kill himself. When it hadn't worked, he'd used his fortune to fake his death so that he could escape the life he felt so trapped in and had started over again in Australia.
Feeling guilty years later, he'd tried to heal the family he left behind by concocting the baby switch story and sending them Cane, a good man who could be the Philip Chancellor he himself was never able to be.
Tuesday's show saw Nina and Philip having it out, with Nina demanding to know how Philip could just leave her and their son behind to suffer, to go on believing he was dead. Philip told Nina that if he'd loved her and their child less, he could have stayed, but as it was he just couldn't bear to stay and see them be so let down by him.
That's where we left things, with Nina's mouth hanging open in shock. I can't wait to see how she deals with the news, and how the rest of Philip's family deals with this revelation on top of having him turn up alive after twenty years.
It will also be very interesting to see how the son he doesn't really know, Philip IV (soon to be played by John Driscoll), takes the news. Philip IV is currently in the military and it will be fascinating to see a parent come out to their child on daytime TV for a change! I've wished for such a story before, with an older gay character instead of a teen or twenty something. It makes it even more interesting to have it be a character that the audience knew twenty years ago.
Where will things go for Philip from here? Will he stick around, find a love interest? The rumor that he'll be paired with Rafe certainly seems more likely now than it did before he came out.
Most of all, I love this sudden explosion of gay characters on the soaps! I think we owe it all to the popularity of Luke & Noah with fans. I think it really showed the powers that be that daytime audiences would be very open to LGBT stories and romances.
Of course, it didn't fully start with Luke and Noah, either. There would have been no Luke without All My Children's Bianca paving the way, and there were several minor gay characters on the soaps over the years leading up to her, the first major LGBT character from a core family. It has been a long process, but we're finally seeing it start to pay off in a big way.
I just wish Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful would get with it! They remain the only two soaps that have never had a major gay character, while General Hospital and All My Children have but are currently LGBT free.
Tuesday was a pretty big day on the show: another character came out of the closet as gay, bringing the grand total of current LGBT roles on daytime soaps to an all time high of eight characters spread out over four soaps. This doesn't include Y&R's Adam, who may or may not be bisexual, even if he is sleeping with Rafe. When Forbes March debuts on ATWT, the number will go up to nine, though of course we'll be losing Guiding Light's Olivia and Natalia in September.
The latest gay character is none other than Philip Chancellor III, played by openly gay actor Thom Bierdz, and on Tuesday's show he came out to his 'widow', Nina.
First, some background. Back in the late 80's, Philip was a wealthy young alcoholic who'd been more or less trapped into marriage by Nina, whom he'd gotten pregnant while he was drunk. He was also facing all the pressures of being an heir to the Chancellor fortune while dealing with his personal demons.
Then, twenty years ago, Philip lost his life in a drunk driving accident, leaving behind a grieving family that included his wife and his young son, Philip Chancellor IV.
Flash forward to a few years ago, when Philip's family learned that there had been a baby switch. The Philip they'd known, loved and lost hadn't been the real Philip Chancellor III. It turned out that a man named Cane, who'd been raised in Australia, was the real Philip. In the years since, he's been living in Genoa City with his long lost family.
Recently, though, Philip's widow Nina returned to town and began asking questions and digging into Cane's story. Before long, Nina was having Philip's grave exhumed and it turned out that his coffin was filled with sandbags. Testing soon proved that there had never even been a body in the coffin to begin with.
Cane ended up taking another DNA test to prove that he was the real Philip, but he switched his fresh vial of blood with one he'd taken from a freezer. The test proved that the blood was from the son of Philip's mother Jill, but further testing revealed that the blood had been frozen.
In true soap fashion, this all lead to a confrontation on last Friday's episode. Nina got Cane to finally admit in front of everyone that he wasn't Jill's son and when Katherine Chancellor demanded to know how he could do this to people who'd shown him nothing but kindness, a voice from off camera called out that Cane hadn't done it- "I did." It was, of course, Philip Chancellor III speaking, in one of those over the top but delicious Friday cliffhanger moments.
On Monday, Philip explained to his family how the 'accident' he'd been in twenty years ago was no accident at all: he'd tried to kill himself. When it hadn't worked, he'd used his fortune to fake his death so that he could escape the life he felt so trapped in and had started over again in Australia.
Feeling guilty years later, he'd tried to heal the family he left behind by concocting the baby switch story and sending them Cane, a good man who could be the Philip Chancellor he himself was never able to be.
Tuesday's show saw Nina and Philip having it out, with Nina demanding to know how Philip could just leave her and their son behind to suffer, to go on believing he was dead. Philip told Nina that if he'd loved her and their child less, he could have stayed, but as it was he just couldn't bear to stay and see them be so let down by him.
Nina: ... What was so awful that you couldn't talk to us about it?
Philip: Back then, I couldn't have been honest with you.
Nina: Why?
Philip: I felt ashamed.
Nina: And you thought that I wouldn't understand shame?
Philip: Not mine.
Nina: Because of the drinking?
Philip: No, the drinking, that was just a symptom. That wasn't the cause of it.
Nina: Well then what? You said that you felt like you were letting us down, but you weren't.
Philip: Oh, I knew what was expected of me. I did what was expected, but I was acting a part.
Nina: You felt trapped?
Philip: Yeah.
Nina: In the marriage?
Philip: In my own skin. That's what you guys have to understand. Before anything else, this is not about you, it's not about Mom, it's not about Katherine, this is about me. It's about the truth that I've been hiding all this time.
Nina: What truth?
Philip: I'm gay. I've always been gay.
Philip: Back then, I couldn't have been honest with you.
Nina: Why?
Philip: I felt ashamed.
Nina: And you thought that I wouldn't understand shame?
Philip: Not mine.
Nina: Because of the drinking?
Philip: No, the drinking, that was just a symptom. That wasn't the cause of it.
Nina: Well then what? You said that you felt like you were letting us down, but you weren't.
Philip: Oh, I knew what was expected of me. I did what was expected, but I was acting a part.
Nina: You felt trapped?
Philip: Yeah.
Nina: In the marriage?
Philip: In my own skin. That's what you guys have to understand. Before anything else, this is not about you, it's not about Mom, it's not about Katherine, this is about me. It's about the truth that I've been hiding all this time.
Nina: What truth?
Philip: I'm gay. I've always been gay.
That's where we left things, with Nina's mouth hanging open in shock. I can't wait to see how she deals with the news, and how the rest of Philip's family deals with this revelation on top of having him turn up alive after twenty years.
It will also be very interesting to see how the son he doesn't really know, Philip IV (soon to be played by John Driscoll), takes the news. Philip IV is currently in the military and it will be fascinating to see a parent come out to their child on daytime TV for a change! I've wished for such a story before, with an older gay character instead of a teen or twenty something. It makes it even more interesting to have it be a character that the audience knew twenty years ago.
Where will things go for Philip from here? Will he stick around, find a love interest? The rumor that he'll be paired with Rafe certainly seems more likely now than it did before he came out.
Most of all, I love this sudden explosion of gay characters on the soaps! I think we owe it all to the popularity of Luke & Noah with fans. I think it really showed the powers that be that daytime audiences would be very open to LGBT stories and romances.
Of course, it didn't fully start with Luke and Noah, either. There would have been no Luke without All My Children's Bianca paving the way, and there were several minor gay characters on the soaps over the years leading up to her, the first major LGBT character from a core family. It has been a long process, but we're finally seeing it start to pay off in a big way.
I just wish Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful would get with it! They remain the only two soaps that have never had a major gay character, while General Hospital and All My Children have but are currently LGBT free.
Monday, July 06, 2009
Luke Day: Cake Reunion!
Luke put in a brief appearance on today's As the World Turns. There weren't any Nuke scenes, but we did have a bit of a Cake reunion. Cake, if you don't know, was the fan nickname bestowed upon Casey and Luke during their fake relationship back when Noah was married to Ameera. The only enjoyable thing about that entire endless mess of a storyline was seeing Luke tease Casey about the two of them being a couple. Well, that and Casey yelling "I quit you, Luke!" when he 'ended' things in public!
I digress. Our Cake reunion today took place at Java, where Casey and Luke met up for coffee. Luke explained that Colonel Mayer was being sent to a maximum security prison and that Noah had taken the day off, wanting some time to himself to try and process everything that had happened.
Casey is reluctantly keeping quiet about the fact that Riley Morgan is really his 'dead' brother Adam, since that's what his mother wants. Not even Casey's father, Tom, knows the truth. So, when Luke asked what had happened with that whole situation, Casey covered about Riley's real identity and said that Margo wanted to give Riley a second chance. Then, Casey had the bright idea to have Luke do his dirty work for him.
Casey pointed out that Riley had been involved with Colonel Mayer and played the fear card, planting the worry in Luke's mind that the Colonel may still be planning some sort of abduction of Noah. Luke agreed to tell Tom that Riley wasn't who he claimed to be.
Luke found Tom at the Lakeview and told him that he'd seen a picture of the real Riley Morgan and that it wasn't the guy who was staying at the Hughes house. Not surprisingly, Tom wanted more details, but that was all Luke was able to say, since he'd promised to leave Casey out of it.
That was also the last we saw of Luke today. If you're interested in knowing what happened with Tom, he confronted 'Riley' about not having the right face and Adam covered by showing the burns on his (very yummy) chest and telling Tom he was Riley, but had a new face after being burned in an explosion in Afghanistan.
So, not much for Luke to do today, but Van looked great doing it. I'm very ready for them to bring on Noah's hunky gay film school advisor.
I digress. Our Cake reunion today took place at Java, where Casey and Luke met up for coffee. Luke explained that Colonel Mayer was being sent to a maximum security prison and that Noah had taken the day off, wanting some time to himself to try and process everything that had happened.
Casey is reluctantly keeping quiet about the fact that Riley Morgan is really his 'dead' brother Adam, since that's what his mother wants. Not even Casey's father, Tom, knows the truth. So, when Luke asked what had happened with that whole situation, Casey covered about Riley's real identity and said that Margo wanted to give Riley a second chance. Then, Casey had the bright idea to have Luke do his dirty work for him.
Casey pointed out that Riley had been involved with Colonel Mayer and played the fear card, planting the worry in Luke's mind that the Colonel may still be planning some sort of abduction of Noah. Luke agreed to tell Tom that Riley wasn't who he claimed to be.
Luke found Tom at the Lakeview and told him that he'd seen a picture of the real Riley Morgan and that it wasn't the guy who was staying at the Hughes house. Not surprisingly, Tom wanted more details, but that was all Luke was able to say, since he'd promised to leave Casey out of it.
That was also the last we saw of Luke today. If you're interested in knowing what happened with Tom, he confronted 'Riley' about not having the right face and Adam covered by showing the burns on his (very yummy) chest and telling Tom he was Riley, but had a new face after being burned in an explosion in Afghanistan.
So, not much for Luke to do today, but Van looked great doing it. I'm very ready for them to bring on Noah's hunky gay film school advisor.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
A New Hepburn Exhibit
I don't know if I've ever mentioned it here before or not, but I'm a huge Katharine Hepburn fan. It all started when I was pretty young, maybe 10 or 11, and I saw Bringing Up Baby on American Movie Classics (which actually used to show bona fide classics back then, without commercial interruption! I knew times had changed when I tuned in one evening four or five years ago and they were showing one of the sequels from the Halloween franchise!).
As soon as I saw her in Bringing Up Baby, I became a lifelong fan of Ms. Hepburn, and there were still so many treasures waiting in store for me: The Philadelphia Story, Holiday, and Desk Set, my favorite of her films with Spencer Tracy. That's just the tip of the iceberg, of course. I could probably write all night about which of her films I loved.
Hepburn has been gone for just over six years now, but her work and her legend will likely never die.
The reason I'm bringing her up tonight is that I just read Judy Samelson's article in Playbill about the new exhibit at The New York Library for the Performing Arts. Hepburn's estate turned over all of her papers relating to her work on the stage to the Library and they're now on display there through October 10th.
It sounds like a really interesting exhibit, one that I'd love to see. I'm enough of a fan that I've read just about every biography written about Hepburn and I even bought a second hand copy of the Sotheby's Catalogue for the auction of her estate.
Even if I wasn't such a fan, though, I think an exhibit on her stage career would be fascinating. The films are still accessible, always there to be discovered by new generations of fans, but it's not like there are DVDs out there of her performances on Broadway. They're lost to memory and belong to history, like most of the magic that happens on the stage.
As soon as I saw her in Bringing Up Baby, I became a lifelong fan of Ms. Hepburn, and there were still so many treasures waiting in store for me: The Philadelphia Story, Holiday, and Desk Set, my favorite of her films with Spencer Tracy. That's just the tip of the iceberg, of course. I could probably write all night about which of her films I loved.
Hepburn has been gone for just over six years now, but her work and her legend will likely never die.
The reason I'm bringing her up tonight is that I just read Judy Samelson's article in Playbill about the new exhibit at The New York Library for the Performing Arts. Hepburn's estate turned over all of her papers relating to her work on the stage to the Library and they're now on display there through October 10th.
It sounds like a really interesting exhibit, one that I'd love to see. I'm enough of a fan that I've read just about every biography written about Hepburn and I even bought a second hand copy of the Sotheby's Catalogue for the auction of her estate.
Even if I wasn't such a fan, though, I think an exhibit on her stage career would be fascinating. The films are still accessible, always there to be discovered by new generations of fans, but it's not like there are DVDs out there of her performances on Broadway. They're lost to memory and belong to history, like most of the magic that happens on the stage.
Friday, July 03, 2009
Forbes March On His Latest Role
Over at Advocate.com, they're offering up a guide to daytime TV that is worth reading: Michael Fairman's Soapside column. In the latest issue, Fairman previews an upcoming interview with actor Forbes March. Forbes, formerly of All My Children and One Life to Live, will soon be playing a new gay character on As the World Turns.
Forbes mentions that people have been expressing concern as to how his real life wife is dealing with him playing a gay character, which is of course completely ridiculous and says a lot about the lingering attitudes towards playing gay roles.
He also talks about his take on his latest character's sexuality:
Forbes mentions that people have been expressing concern as to how his real life wife is dealing with him playing a gay character, which is of course completely ridiculous and says a lot about the lingering attitudes towards playing gay roles.
He also talks about his take on his latest character's sexuality:
“The whole gay thing was not a big deal to me. I thought it would be a chance to play something interesting. A lot of my friends are gay. I did call them and asked, 'How would you like to see a gay person portrayed on TV'? I know it sort of sounds like a kind of a funny question. The consensus was, 'Please! Don’t do the campy affected thing.' I have some close friends who are gay and I owe them one.”
I can't wait to read the rest of the interview and, God help me, I'm even sort of looking forward to seeing what happens with this third gay character on ATWT. The show is insisting that there won't be anything romantic between this new character and Noah and/or Luke, but Forbes himself had this to say:
“Just because there is another gay character does not mean they are going to be bed-hopping. However, there are three points to a triangle. I assume there will be a triangle, because otherwise I am going to be looking for another job in six months.”
Let's hope something interesting does happen with the character. I've made it abundantly clear that I'm sick of Luke & Noah facing off with a new psycho every month and I'm still waiting for the first all male love triangle on daytime, though at this point One Life to Live or The Young and the Restless may get there first.
Let's hope something interesting does happen with the character. I've made it abundantly clear that I'm sick of Luke & Noah facing off with a new psycho every month and I'm still waiting for the first all male love triangle on daytime, though at this point One Life to Live or The Young and the Restless may get there first.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Kish: Laying the Groundwork
Kyle & Fish both had scenes on today's One Life to Live, their first together this week. Kyle, of course, has been busy on his own, getting the blackmail charges against him dropped.
The guys ran into each other on today's show outside of the nightclub Capricorn. Fish was there to meet Layla for a date, but was lingering outside the door, looking rather reluctant to go inside. When he ran into Kyle the subject of his impending trial came up and Lewis reveled that all the charges against him had been dropped and that he was innocent.
Fish noted that there was a big difference between charges being dropped and innocence and reminded Kyle of the evidence they had against him. Kyle said that not everything was as it appeared to be and that Oliver should know that better than anyone.
Fish headed inside for his date and the conversation with Layla quickly turned to her application to work as an administrative assistant at the police station. The two joked about Layla eventually going to the police academy and becoming Fish's partner, and that's when Oliver mentioned his father for the very first time.
Fish revealed that his father is an extremely conservative person, so much so that he has an issue with women being police officers. Fish had never even told him that his late partner, Talia, was a woman. At that point in the conversation, Fish spotted Kyle across the room, watching him and Layla. When Kyle raised his glass in a silent toast, Fish quickly grabbed Layla and planted a kiss on her in mid sentence.
Much to my own amusement, Kyle responded to the sudden kiss by rolling his eyes in that timeless "Who's this guy trying to fool?" manner. Cristian, who works at Capricorn and was observing Fish and Layla's date with his own feelings of bemusement, delivered a drink to Kyle from a blonde at the bar and Kyle accepted it but muttered to himself that he already had his eye on someone else.
Said eye, of course, was locked on Fish and Layla, and I suppose that some in the audience who haven't heard what's coming might actually think Kyle is interested in Layla. He has mentioned more than once how attractive she is, after all, though really that seems to be more of an ironic jab at Fish than anything else.
Fish apologized for kissing Layla so suddenly, explaining that he wasn't good at reading signals. Layla said it was fine and that she'd only been wondering why he hadn't made such a move already.
The episode ended with the two listening to music while Fish took Layla's hand and Kyle watched them from across the room.
I love that they're really starting to lay the groundwork with this story now. We see that Kyle is definitely still interested in Fish and thinks that his former lover is obviously in denial. We also see that Fish is unsettled enough by Kyle's presence to try and force himself into something with Layla that he doesn't seem to truly want.
When these two finally do get it together, it's going to be off the charts hot. They've already got such chemistry, just in those glances across the room!
Best of all, we were finally given a hint about just why Fish is living in such denial about his own feelings: a deeply conservative father. That's sure to be a big part of this story, and yet I'm fairly confident that Fish's father, no matter how right wing and irate over Fish's sexuality, will never turn into a psycho trying to murder his son's lover. That in itself will be refreshing, to see a more realistic look at the tension of coming out to a conservative parent.
The guys ran into each other on today's show outside of the nightclub Capricorn. Fish was there to meet Layla for a date, but was lingering outside the door, looking rather reluctant to go inside. When he ran into Kyle the subject of his impending trial came up and Lewis reveled that all the charges against him had been dropped and that he was innocent.
Fish noted that there was a big difference between charges being dropped and innocence and reminded Kyle of the evidence they had against him. Kyle said that not everything was as it appeared to be and that Oliver should know that better than anyone.
Fish headed inside for his date and the conversation with Layla quickly turned to her application to work as an administrative assistant at the police station. The two joked about Layla eventually going to the police academy and becoming Fish's partner, and that's when Oliver mentioned his father for the very first time.
Fish revealed that his father is an extremely conservative person, so much so that he has an issue with women being police officers. Fish had never even told him that his late partner, Talia, was a woman. At that point in the conversation, Fish spotted Kyle across the room, watching him and Layla. When Kyle raised his glass in a silent toast, Fish quickly grabbed Layla and planted a kiss on her in mid sentence.
Much to my own amusement, Kyle responded to the sudden kiss by rolling his eyes in that timeless "Who's this guy trying to fool?" manner. Cristian, who works at Capricorn and was observing Fish and Layla's date with his own feelings of bemusement, delivered a drink to Kyle from a blonde at the bar and Kyle accepted it but muttered to himself that he already had his eye on someone else.
Said eye, of course, was locked on Fish and Layla, and I suppose that some in the audience who haven't heard what's coming might actually think Kyle is interested in Layla. He has mentioned more than once how attractive she is, after all, though really that seems to be more of an ironic jab at Fish than anything else.
Fish apologized for kissing Layla so suddenly, explaining that he wasn't good at reading signals. Layla said it was fine and that she'd only been wondering why he hadn't made such a move already.
The episode ended with the two listening to music while Fish took Layla's hand and Kyle watched them from across the room.
I love that they're really starting to lay the groundwork with this story now. We see that Kyle is definitely still interested in Fish and thinks that his former lover is obviously in denial. We also see that Fish is unsettled enough by Kyle's presence to try and force himself into something with Layla that he doesn't seem to truly want.
When these two finally do get it together, it's going to be off the charts hot. They've already got such chemistry, just in those glances across the room!
Best of all, we were finally given a hint about just why Fish is living in such denial about his own feelings: a deeply conservative father. That's sure to be a big part of this story, and yet I'm fairly confident that Fish's father, no matter how right wing and irate over Fish's sexuality, will never turn into a psycho trying to murder his son's lover. That in itself will be refreshing, to see a more realistic look at the tension of coming out to a conservative parent.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Nuke Day: Will No One Save This Show?
Once upon a time, I enjoyed As the World Turns. Those days seem so long ago and far away now, though, that they might as well be from some fairy tale about the days of knights and castles and spinning wheels. Today's episode had me questioning why I'm still torturing myself by watching the Nuke scenes.
Mind you, it wasn't really any worse than any other story we've seen on the show recently. I think I may just finally be reaching the point where I can't endure any more. Or maybe I just can't stand to see wonderful actors, like Van Hansis, forced to choose between trying to bring meaning to this dreck or phoning in the sort of performance that this crap actually deserves.
All right, so we picked up where we left off, with Luke & Noah at the station with Casey, discussing Riley not really being Riley. Luke & Noah decided that he'd probably never even really talked to Hasbro for permission to film on the base.
The three of them ignored Margo's order to stay at the station, with Luke heading to meet with Damian and sign papers for the foundation, Noah leaving for Java to try and get some of his shifts back now that the filming on the base wasn't going to happen, and Casey going home to check on his mother.
Noah only made it as far as the door of Java, which was where Colonel Mayer, bleeding from his gunshot wound, grabbed him. Noah was suitably shocked and then angry to discover that his father was alive and had let him go on believing he was dead all this time.
Mayer went on about having to take this risk to see Noah again and convinced his son not to call for a doctor but to go somewhere private with him so they could have a chance to talk.
Luke showed up at Java to meet his boyfriend and found out that Noah hadn't been there. Then he found Noah's backpack outside the door and went straight to Damian to ask if he'd pissed off any more crazy Grimaldis lately! When Damian assured him he hadn't, Luke called Casey to ask if he'd seen Noah.
By that time, Casey was at the hospital with his mother and said he hadn't seen him. He then added, in a totally offhand way, that Noah's dad was "in town" before remembering to add that Colonel Mayer was also alive. You know, just in case Luke thought his corpse had been reanimated.
Luke filled Damian in and they began to try and figure out where Mayer and Noah could be. While they were doing that, the Colonel took Noah to Hasbro's office to talk.
Now, these scenes between Noah and the Colonel actually weren't that bad. It would have been nice if the show had taken some time on this aspect of the story, rather than focusing on the Psycho of the Month angle. But, a fish has to swim, a bird's got to fly and Passanante's got to fill her monthly psycho quota.
Noah and his dad talked about that last moment on the boat, where they'd actually been feeling a connection again, before Mayer accused Noah of betraying him and jumped overboard. The Colonel said that as soon as those words came out of his mouth, he'd known they weren't true, but it was too late.
The Colonel explained that he'd been keeping an eye on Noah and looking for some sign that he might be willing to forgive him, and when he heard about the movie Noah was making, he finally had hope. Noah informed his father that he'd been trying to understand, not to forgive, and that he hadn't been able to.
The Colonel talked about wanting to make things right and Noah told him the only way he could do that was to pay for what he did to Noah's mother by turning himself in. Mayer said that was not an option and asked Noah to come away with him so they could start again, that everything he'd ever done had been out of love for his son.
Noah refused, of course. Winston then asked his son to help him get away, giving him the choice of helping him or seeing him die a free man, since he was still bleeding from his gunshot wound.
Damian and Luke, meanwhile, had decided that Hasbro might be involved in what was happening. Damian placed a call to the Lieutenant, telling him that Colonel Mayer was going to be leaving the country on one of his ships and Damian needed papers for him.
Hasbro bought the ruse and met with Damian on the docks, with Luke hiding behind a crate right beside them. Hasbro had papers for Noah, too, but before Damian could find out more, a dock worker showed up and blew Luke's hiding place. Luke & Damian then chased down this tough army guy, dangled him by his feet above the river until he cracked in three seconds flat and told them everything. It was so completely ridiculous and so painful to watch!
Luke and Damian showed up at the abandoned army base where Mayer had been hiding out. Wait, so Riley went to see Hasbro there, before he knew it was really Colonel Mayer, and never caught on to the fact that the place was obviously abandoned except for this one random office?! And Noah wasn't supposed to notice that either when Riley brought him there to see 'Hasbro'? Come on! They're not even trying any more, are they?
Noah was attempting to get a weakened Colonel Mayer out of there when Luke spotted them and came running up. Luke whipped out his phone to call the police, but Noah asked him not to, saying that he couldn't live with sending his own father to prison. As Damian showed up and grabbed Mayer, who was clearly not doing well by that point, Luke convinced Noah that his father would haunt him forever if he didn't turn him in, that he'd always wonder where he was and what awful things he was doing. Luke could have saved a lot of time, I think, by just telling Noah that his dad had shot Casey's mom, but oddly enough he never mentioned it.
Anyway, Noah saw the light and placed the call himself.
I became a lifelong fan of Van Hansis during Luke's coming out story and I love the onscreen chemistry that he has with Jake Silbermann. Even those things, though, are starting to feel like not enough of a reason to continue to endure the God awful writing on this show. It's not even just bad writing, either, it's bad writing at warp speed, which just means that instead of a terrible story lasting for a few months, we have to endure many terrible stories, one after another, in that same time period.
Take, for instance, this latest return of Colonel Mayer. He shows up in one episode, shoots Margo in the second, and is turned in to the cops in the third. Wham, bam, f--- you Passanante.
I'm just so sick of it. A recent column by Roger Friedman stated that Proctor & Gamble wants out of the soap business (something that's been pretty obvious to fans for at least a decade now) and, far from trying to save the longest running show in history, actively drove Guiding Light into the ground.
This continuing reign of terror by Passanante and Chris Goutman at As The World Turns makes perfect sense when viewed in that light. If someone at the top didn't want to kill off As the World Turns, those two would have been shown the door a few years ago. I can't think of any other reason a soap would allow a producer/writer team to continue for this long as ratings plummet and the show becomes a bad joke.
Mind you, it wasn't really any worse than any other story we've seen on the show recently. I think I may just finally be reaching the point where I can't endure any more. Or maybe I just can't stand to see wonderful actors, like Van Hansis, forced to choose between trying to bring meaning to this dreck or phoning in the sort of performance that this crap actually deserves.
All right, so we picked up where we left off, with Luke & Noah at the station with Casey, discussing Riley not really being Riley. Luke & Noah decided that he'd probably never even really talked to Hasbro for permission to film on the base.
The three of them ignored Margo's order to stay at the station, with Luke heading to meet with Damian and sign papers for the foundation, Noah leaving for Java to try and get some of his shifts back now that the filming on the base wasn't going to happen, and Casey going home to check on his mother.
Noah only made it as far as the door of Java, which was where Colonel Mayer, bleeding from his gunshot wound, grabbed him. Noah was suitably shocked and then angry to discover that his father was alive and had let him go on believing he was dead all this time.
Mayer went on about having to take this risk to see Noah again and convinced his son not to call for a doctor but to go somewhere private with him so they could have a chance to talk.
Luke showed up at Java to meet his boyfriend and found out that Noah hadn't been there. Then he found Noah's backpack outside the door and went straight to Damian to ask if he'd pissed off any more crazy Grimaldis lately! When Damian assured him he hadn't, Luke called Casey to ask if he'd seen Noah.
By that time, Casey was at the hospital with his mother and said he hadn't seen him. He then added, in a totally offhand way, that Noah's dad was "in town" before remembering to add that Colonel Mayer was also alive. You know, just in case Luke thought his corpse had been reanimated.
Luke filled Damian in and they began to try and figure out where Mayer and Noah could be. While they were doing that, the Colonel took Noah to Hasbro's office to talk.
Now, these scenes between Noah and the Colonel actually weren't that bad. It would have been nice if the show had taken some time on this aspect of the story, rather than focusing on the Psycho of the Month angle. But, a fish has to swim, a bird's got to fly and Passanante's got to fill her monthly psycho quota.
Noah and his dad talked about that last moment on the boat, where they'd actually been feeling a connection again, before Mayer accused Noah of betraying him and jumped overboard. The Colonel said that as soon as those words came out of his mouth, he'd known they weren't true, but it was too late.
The Colonel explained that he'd been keeping an eye on Noah and looking for some sign that he might be willing to forgive him, and when he heard about the movie Noah was making, he finally had hope. Noah informed his father that he'd been trying to understand, not to forgive, and that he hadn't been able to.
The Colonel talked about wanting to make things right and Noah told him the only way he could do that was to pay for what he did to Noah's mother by turning himself in. Mayer said that was not an option and asked Noah to come away with him so they could start again, that everything he'd ever done had been out of love for his son.
Noah refused, of course. Winston then asked his son to help him get away, giving him the choice of helping him or seeing him die a free man, since he was still bleeding from his gunshot wound.
Damian and Luke, meanwhile, had decided that Hasbro might be involved in what was happening. Damian placed a call to the Lieutenant, telling him that Colonel Mayer was going to be leaving the country on one of his ships and Damian needed papers for him.
Hasbro bought the ruse and met with Damian on the docks, with Luke hiding behind a crate right beside them. Hasbro had papers for Noah, too, but before Damian could find out more, a dock worker showed up and blew Luke's hiding place. Luke & Damian then chased down this tough army guy, dangled him by his feet above the river until he cracked in three seconds flat and told them everything. It was so completely ridiculous and so painful to watch!
Luke and Damian showed up at the abandoned army base where Mayer had been hiding out. Wait, so Riley went to see Hasbro there, before he knew it was really Colonel Mayer, and never caught on to the fact that the place was obviously abandoned except for this one random office?! And Noah wasn't supposed to notice that either when Riley brought him there to see 'Hasbro'? Come on! They're not even trying any more, are they?
Noah was attempting to get a weakened Colonel Mayer out of there when Luke spotted them and came running up. Luke whipped out his phone to call the police, but Noah asked him not to, saying that he couldn't live with sending his own father to prison. As Damian showed up and grabbed Mayer, who was clearly not doing well by that point, Luke convinced Noah that his father would haunt him forever if he didn't turn him in, that he'd always wonder where he was and what awful things he was doing. Luke could have saved a lot of time, I think, by just telling Noah that his dad had shot Casey's mom, but oddly enough he never mentioned it.
Anyway, Noah saw the light and placed the call himself.
I became a lifelong fan of Van Hansis during Luke's coming out story and I love the onscreen chemistry that he has with Jake Silbermann. Even those things, though, are starting to feel like not enough of a reason to continue to endure the God awful writing on this show. It's not even just bad writing, either, it's bad writing at warp speed, which just means that instead of a terrible story lasting for a few months, we have to endure many terrible stories, one after another, in that same time period.
Take, for instance, this latest return of Colonel Mayer. He shows up in one episode, shoots Margo in the second, and is turned in to the cops in the third. Wham, bam, f--- you Passanante.
I'm just so sick of it. A recent column by Roger Friedman stated that Proctor & Gamble wants out of the soap business (something that's been pretty obvious to fans for at least a decade now) and, far from trying to save the longest running show in history, actively drove Guiding Light into the ground.
This continuing reign of terror by Passanante and Chris Goutman at As The World Turns makes perfect sense when viewed in that light. If someone at the top didn't want to kill off As the World Turns, those two would have been shown the door a few years ago. I can't think of any other reason a soap would allow a producer/writer team to continue for this long as ratings plummet and the show becomes a bad joke.
Rafe & Adam: The Hook Up
Today we picked up right where we left off on Friday's The Young and the Restless, with Rafe still not having responded to Adam's questions about 'having feelings'.
Adam told the silent Rafe to forget it, that he was 'just some client', and Rafe corrected him, saying that they were friends. Adam told Rafe that he should never have said anything about his feelings and Rafe asked why he did. Adam explained that everyone in town always looks at him with suspicion and he can take anyone looking at him that way except Rafe.
Adam said they should just forget he'd said anything, but Rafe moved in close and, as he caressed the side of Adam's neck, said that they couldn't. Adam looked decidedly nervous at that point, as they faded to commercial.
When we next saw the two of them, it was after the sex, with Adam buttoning up his shirt and Rafe already fully dressed and fixing his tie. I didn't really think we'd see them in bed together today (we haven't even seen Luke & Noah in bed together, remember!), but I had hoped for a kiss or, at the very least, some mutual shirtlessness!
Adam was looking decidedly freaked out by what had just happened between him and Rafe, and his new lover noted that he was quiet and offered to go- or to stay, if Adam wanted. Adam quickly said that Rafe should go, using the fact that Adam's father was in the house as an excuse.
Rafe told Adam that he knows that he's with Heather and that everyone sees him a certain way, so if he's confused at all... Adam interrupted to say that he was fine and Rafe departed with a rather awkward "Take it easy."
As soon as Rafe was out the door, Adam rather hilariously grabbed his cell phone and called up his girlfriend, Heather, telling her that he needed her. When Heather showed up, the fresh from the shower Adam practically launched himself at her, obviously in an attempt to re-establish his heterosexuality to himself.
I rather cynically thought the next scene would be the two of them in bed together, something we didn't get to see with Adam and Rafe, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that they treated the two scenes exactly alike. When we came back from the commercial, Adam and Heather were doing the post-sex dressing routine and Heather was noting that she had to get back to work.
The only real difference, then, was that Heather and Adam kissed onscreen and Adam and Rafe did not. Still, they should hopefully have more opportunities in the near future to remedy that!
After Heather left, Adam got a call from Rafe, who asked how he was. When Adam not very convincingly said he was fine, Rafe told him that what he'd said before he left was just an attempt to give Adam some space, but that it must have come across as detached. What he should have said, Rafe admitted, was that he had the same feelings that Adam had talked about.
That's where things were left today. So, it's obvious that this was Adam's first time with a guy. He could still be bisexual, of course. His reaction to the situation- immediately sleeping with Heather- seems more in tune with someone who is freaked out by having enjoyed what he'd just experienced, rather than with someone who'd coldly done what he had to do and felt nothing about it.
It will be really interesting to see where things go from here between these two. Clearly, Adam achieved his objective, since Rafe not only stopped his search but seemed to drop his suspicions about Adam altogether. But how much farther is Adam going to go to keep Rafe from causing him trouble? And, perhaps more importantly, what exactly is Adam going to end up feeling about Rafe and about what they're doing together?
Unlike with pretty much any story Luke & Noah have ever had since they became a couple, I'm excited to tune in next time and find out what happens!
Adam told the silent Rafe to forget it, that he was 'just some client', and Rafe corrected him, saying that they were friends. Adam told Rafe that he should never have said anything about his feelings and Rafe asked why he did. Adam explained that everyone in town always looks at him with suspicion and he can take anyone looking at him that way except Rafe.
Adam said they should just forget he'd said anything, but Rafe moved in close and, as he caressed the side of Adam's neck, said that they couldn't. Adam looked decidedly nervous at that point, as they faded to commercial.
When we next saw the two of them, it was after the sex, with Adam buttoning up his shirt and Rafe already fully dressed and fixing his tie. I didn't really think we'd see them in bed together today (we haven't even seen Luke & Noah in bed together, remember!), but I had hoped for a kiss or, at the very least, some mutual shirtlessness!
Adam was looking decidedly freaked out by what had just happened between him and Rafe, and his new lover noted that he was quiet and offered to go- or to stay, if Adam wanted. Adam quickly said that Rafe should go, using the fact that Adam's father was in the house as an excuse.
Rafe told Adam that he knows that he's with Heather and that everyone sees him a certain way, so if he's confused at all... Adam interrupted to say that he was fine and Rafe departed with a rather awkward "Take it easy."
As soon as Rafe was out the door, Adam rather hilariously grabbed his cell phone and called up his girlfriend, Heather, telling her that he needed her. When Heather showed up, the fresh from the shower Adam practically launched himself at her, obviously in an attempt to re-establish his heterosexuality to himself.
I rather cynically thought the next scene would be the two of them in bed together, something we didn't get to see with Adam and Rafe, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that they treated the two scenes exactly alike. When we came back from the commercial, Adam and Heather were doing the post-sex dressing routine and Heather was noting that she had to get back to work.
The only real difference, then, was that Heather and Adam kissed onscreen and Adam and Rafe did not. Still, they should hopefully have more opportunities in the near future to remedy that!
After Heather left, Adam got a call from Rafe, who asked how he was. When Adam not very convincingly said he was fine, Rafe told him that what he'd said before he left was just an attempt to give Adam some space, but that it must have come across as detached. What he should have said, Rafe admitted, was that he had the same feelings that Adam had talked about.
That's where things were left today. So, it's obvious that this was Adam's first time with a guy. He could still be bisexual, of course. His reaction to the situation- immediately sleeping with Heather- seems more in tune with someone who is freaked out by having enjoyed what he'd just experienced, rather than with someone who'd coldly done what he had to do and felt nothing about it.
It will be really interesting to see where things go from here between these two. Clearly, Adam achieved his objective, since Rafe not only stopped his search but seemed to drop his suspicions about Adam altogether. But how much farther is Adam going to go to keep Rafe from causing him trouble? And, perhaps more importantly, what exactly is Adam going to end up feeling about Rafe and about what they're doing together?
Unlike with pretty much any story Luke & Noah have ever had since they became a couple, I'm excited to tune in next time and find out what happens!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Last Week's Kish
There was only one Kish day on One Life to Live last week, on Tuesday, though Kyle did appear by himself on Thursday and Friday.
On Tuesday, Kyle had another confrontation with Schuyler, this time at the gym. Schuyler tried to get the name of Shane's real donor from Kyle, first through pinning him down with a barbell and, when that didn't work, through harassment and guilt trips.
Kyle offered the same deal to Schuyler that he had to Gigi: get Natalie to drop the blackmail charges and he'll give up the name. After Schuyler left, a brief flicker of what seemed to be remorse and shame flickered across Kyle's face. Brett Claywell is doing a good job of showing us that Kyle is desperate and feels backed into a corner, but is not a complete monster. That will be important, since there is no way that Fish would ever be with someone who didn't feel guilty for doing the things that Kyle has been doing.
Meanwhile, Fish and Layla were discussing their date in front of Cristian back at their apartment. Layla told Fish she'd had a nice time, had enjoyed the concert and thought the yellow roses were beautiful, while Cristian looked on with thinly disguised jealously. After she left the room, Cristian started in again on treating her right. Fish pointed out that one date didn't mean they were dating and wondered if Cristian didn't have feelings for Layla himself.
Cristian denied this just before Layla came back into the room and the discussion turned to Layla's search for a job. Fish asked her if she'd ever considered police work and a laugh from Cristian seemed to have Layla immediately determined to become a cop just to spite him. Fish explained that he just meant that Detective McBain was looking for an administrative assistant and Layla asked for an application while still entertaining the idea of the police academy.
Fish then headed to the gym, where we had our only Kish scene of the week. The guys ran into each other and Kyle quickly apologized for having potentially embarrassed Oliver in front of the woman he'd been with in the park. Fish explained that Layla was his roommate and Kyle seemed to perk up a bit at that news, at least until Fish quickly added that they were also dating.
Kyle's response was a wry "Lucky you. She's beautiful." Fish just looked as unsettled as he usually does around Kyle.
As I said, Kyle was on by himself on Thursday and Friday, when he blackmailed Roxy yet again, this time into trying to get Natalie to drop the charges against him since Roxy raised Natalie and is still an honorary mother of sorts to her. He promised to keep the donor a secret if she did this for him.
Gigi and Schuyler, meanwhile, ended up telling Natalie and her husband Jared the truth about the whole mess and the two of them dropped the charges against Kyle and then demanded to know who the real donor was, promising to reinstate the charges if he didn't come clean.
I can't wait to see more happen with these guys! I do love that they're doing a slow build and taking their time, though. It's so much better than some other soaps, which tell (bad) stories at the speed of light!
It looks like things may not come to a breaking point for Fish until August, when another gay character, Nick, will show up in town and cause a bit of jealousy. Nick will be played by openly gay stage actor Nicholas Rodriguez, a relative unknown, but it was rumored that a few former soap stars tried out for the part, including Agim Kaba, most recently seen as Luke's brother Aaron on As the World Turns. That would have been awesome, I have to say, but either way I can't wait to see things heat up for Kyle and Fish when Nick comes into the picture.
I'm loving this story so far, even while a lot of it is still be told through subtext. I can only imagine how great it will be when the guys face their feelings for each other!
On Tuesday, Kyle had another confrontation with Schuyler, this time at the gym. Schuyler tried to get the name of Shane's real donor from Kyle, first through pinning him down with a barbell and, when that didn't work, through harassment and guilt trips.
Kyle offered the same deal to Schuyler that he had to Gigi: get Natalie to drop the blackmail charges and he'll give up the name. After Schuyler left, a brief flicker of what seemed to be remorse and shame flickered across Kyle's face. Brett Claywell is doing a good job of showing us that Kyle is desperate and feels backed into a corner, but is not a complete monster. That will be important, since there is no way that Fish would ever be with someone who didn't feel guilty for doing the things that Kyle has been doing.
Meanwhile, Fish and Layla were discussing their date in front of Cristian back at their apartment. Layla told Fish she'd had a nice time, had enjoyed the concert and thought the yellow roses were beautiful, while Cristian looked on with thinly disguised jealously. After she left the room, Cristian started in again on treating her right. Fish pointed out that one date didn't mean they were dating and wondered if Cristian didn't have feelings for Layla himself.
Cristian denied this just before Layla came back into the room and the discussion turned to Layla's search for a job. Fish asked her if she'd ever considered police work and a laugh from Cristian seemed to have Layla immediately determined to become a cop just to spite him. Fish explained that he just meant that Detective McBain was looking for an administrative assistant and Layla asked for an application while still entertaining the idea of the police academy.
Fish then headed to the gym, where we had our only Kish scene of the week. The guys ran into each other and Kyle quickly apologized for having potentially embarrassed Oliver in front of the woman he'd been with in the park. Fish explained that Layla was his roommate and Kyle seemed to perk up a bit at that news, at least until Fish quickly added that they were also dating.
Kyle's response was a wry "Lucky you. She's beautiful." Fish just looked as unsettled as he usually does around Kyle.
As I said, Kyle was on by himself on Thursday and Friday, when he blackmailed Roxy yet again, this time into trying to get Natalie to drop the charges against him since Roxy raised Natalie and is still an honorary mother of sorts to her. He promised to keep the donor a secret if she did this for him.
Gigi and Schuyler, meanwhile, ended up telling Natalie and her husband Jared the truth about the whole mess and the two of them dropped the charges against Kyle and then demanded to know who the real donor was, promising to reinstate the charges if he didn't come clean.
I can't wait to see more happen with these guys! I do love that they're doing a slow build and taking their time, though. It's so much better than some other soaps, which tell (bad) stories at the speed of light!
It looks like things may not come to a breaking point for Fish until August, when another gay character, Nick, will show up in town and cause a bit of jealousy. Nick will be played by openly gay stage actor Nicholas Rodriguez, a relative unknown, but it was rumored that a few former soap stars tried out for the part, including Agim Kaba, most recently seen as Luke's brother Aaron on As the World Turns. That would have been awesome, I have to say, but either way I can't wait to see things heat up for Kyle and Fish when Nick comes into the picture.
I'm loving this story so far, even while a lot of it is still be told through subtext. I can only imagine how great it will be when the guys face their feelings for each other!
Nuke Day #2: He Shot the Sheriff (or something like that)
Friday was the second Nuke day of this past week, and it started with the guys at Java, discussing their trip to the army base. Noah was having second thoughts about letting Luke sneak in and when Riley showed up Noah told him what Luke was planning and asked him to explain why it was a bad idea.
Riley convinced the guys to let him talk to 'Hasbro' first and see if something could be worked out. He then hightailed it to Colonel Mayer and told him that Luke was determined to come with Noah to the base. The Colonel ordered Riley to make sure that didn't happen, unless he wanted Margo Hughes to find out his true identity.
Riley called Noah up and said that Hasbro might be willing to give Luke a pass after all, but that Noah had to come alone first to talk it over with him. Noah readily agreed, but when he filled Luke in on this turn of events, Luke said he had a bad feeling about the situation and didn't want Noah to go.
Noah talked Luke around, pointing out that nothing would happen to him on an army base full of people, and saying that if it didn't work out, they'd go back to the original plan and have Luke sneak in. No sooner had Luke agreed to this, though, than Casey Hughes was flying through the front door, waving around a letter he'd just received from the V.A. about his inquiry into Riley Morgan.
The letter informed Casey that the real Riley Morgan had been killed by a bomb in Afghanistan and included a picture of the man, who of course was not the same guy who'd been living in the Hughes house and claiming to be a friend of the late Adam Hughes.
As Casey was explaining all of this to the guys, Riley showed up to take Noah back to the base for his meeting with 'Hasbro' and overheard everything. As the guys all headed to the police station to fill Margo in, Riley made a mad dash for the Hughes house to pack up and get out of town.
Colonel Mayer, meanwhile, was impatient over the fact that Riley hadn't delivered Noah to him yet and decided to take matters into his own hands, grabbing a gun on the way out the door.
At the station, Margo greeted the boys with a rather snide comment about playing amateur detectives again and how well it worked out last time. Which time, Margo? When they figured out who killed Reg & Elwood? Or the time that Damian saved them from evil fake twins before you even showed up?
Anyway, Casey broke the news to his mom that the guy she has bonded with is a scam artist, while Luke and Noah stood around to provide 'support'. Margo told the boys that she'd handle the situation and ordered the three of them to stay at the station.
At the Hughes house, Riley was on his way out the door before he stopped and grabbed a pad and a pen to leave Margo a note. After hesitating for a moment about what to write, he abandoned the attempt and opened the door to find himself face to face with Colonel Mayer.
Riley quickly informed Noah's dad that the jig was up and that he had to get out of town. The Colonel raised his gun to Riley's face and declared that Riley was no longer of use to him. Before he could shoot, though, Margo was behind him with her own gun drawn, ordering him to drop his weapon.
When the Colonel turned to face Margo, she lowered her gun in shock. Oh, lord. Do they seriously have to write Margo as this inept? I mean, she's a cop. Hell, she's not only a cop, she's the Chief of Detectives! Surely with all her training, she'd never lower her gun when faced with an armed assailant, even if it was someone she thought was already dead.
The Colonel then pulled the old 'turn to look at one guy while swinging your gun around under your arm to shoot the other' trick. Is that really an old trick? I have no idea, but it was actually a good bit of thinking on the Colonel's part. After he shot Margo, he and Riley struggled for the gun and Colonel Mayer took a bullet in his side before running off.
Riley, or should I say Adam, then dropped down to Margo and to absolutely no one's shock yelled "Mom!"
It looks like the Colonel will continue his rampage next week. Maybe you can muster up more excitement about that than I can, but I'd strongly suspect you of being on some really powerful drugs if you could.
Riley convinced the guys to let him talk to 'Hasbro' first and see if something could be worked out. He then hightailed it to Colonel Mayer and told him that Luke was determined to come with Noah to the base. The Colonel ordered Riley to make sure that didn't happen, unless he wanted Margo Hughes to find out his true identity.
Riley called Noah up and said that Hasbro might be willing to give Luke a pass after all, but that Noah had to come alone first to talk it over with him. Noah readily agreed, but when he filled Luke in on this turn of events, Luke said he had a bad feeling about the situation and didn't want Noah to go.
Noah talked Luke around, pointing out that nothing would happen to him on an army base full of people, and saying that if it didn't work out, they'd go back to the original plan and have Luke sneak in. No sooner had Luke agreed to this, though, than Casey Hughes was flying through the front door, waving around a letter he'd just received from the V.A. about his inquiry into Riley Morgan.
The letter informed Casey that the real Riley Morgan had been killed by a bomb in Afghanistan and included a picture of the man, who of course was not the same guy who'd been living in the Hughes house and claiming to be a friend of the late Adam Hughes.
As Casey was explaining all of this to the guys, Riley showed up to take Noah back to the base for his meeting with 'Hasbro' and overheard everything. As the guys all headed to the police station to fill Margo in, Riley made a mad dash for the Hughes house to pack up and get out of town.
Colonel Mayer, meanwhile, was impatient over the fact that Riley hadn't delivered Noah to him yet and decided to take matters into his own hands, grabbing a gun on the way out the door.
At the station, Margo greeted the boys with a rather snide comment about playing amateur detectives again and how well it worked out last time. Which time, Margo? When they figured out who killed Reg & Elwood? Or the time that Damian saved them from evil fake twins before you even showed up?
Anyway, Casey broke the news to his mom that the guy she has bonded with is a scam artist, while Luke and Noah stood around to provide 'support'. Margo told the boys that she'd handle the situation and ordered the three of them to stay at the station.
At the Hughes house, Riley was on his way out the door before he stopped and grabbed a pad and a pen to leave Margo a note. After hesitating for a moment about what to write, he abandoned the attempt and opened the door to find himself face to face with Colonel Mayer.
Riley quickly informed Noah's dad that the jig was up and that he had to get out of town. The Colonel raised his gun to Riley's face and declared that Riley was no longer of use to him. Before he could shoot, though, Margo was behind him with her own gun drawn, ordering him to drop his weapon.
When the Colonel turned to face Margo, she lowered her gun in shock. Oh, lord. Do they seriously have to write Margo as this inept? I mean, she's a cop. Hell, she's not only a cop, she's the Chief of Detectives! Surely with all her training, she'd never lower her gun when faced with an armed assailant, even if it was someone she thought was already dead.
The Colonel then pulled the old 'turn to look at one guy while swinging your gun around under your arm to shoot the other' trick. Is that really an old trick? I have no idea, but it was actually a good bit of thinking on the Colonel's part. After he shot Margo, he and Riley struggled for the gun and Colonel Mayer took a bullet in his side before running off.
Riley, or should I say Adam, then dropped down to Margo and to absolutely no one's shock yelled "Mom!"
It looks like the Colonel will continue his rampage next week. Maybe you can muster up more excitement about that than I can, but I'd strongly suspect you of being on some really powerful drugs if you could.
Nuke Day #1: Return of the Colonel
There were two Nuke days this past week. The first was on Tuesday, which marked the much anticipated return of the beloved Colonel Winston Mayer. I don't know about you, but I've been feeling like the show really hadn't been the same since he dove to his 'death' in the murky waters of that river in New York City last year.
Ah, bitter sarcasm. I must be writing about As the World Turns again!
On Tuesday, aspiring documentary filmmaker Noah found out that he'd been denied permission to film on military bases. He shared this news with his producer/camera man/sexy boyfriend Luke, who suggested that he call up Lieutenant Hasbro, the friend of his father's that he interviewed a few weeks ago, and see if he could be of any help.
For some reason, though, Hasbro refused to take Noah's call. Luke's next suggestion was that they enlist the only other military personnel of their acquaintance: Riley Morgan. Noah was hesitant, given that Casey hates the guy and might have a problem with his friends going to Riley for help. Luke, the dear little optimist, declared that Noah could end up winning an Oscar for this film, so Casey will get over it.
The guys set off to Java to meet Riley and explained the situation to him. Riley pointed out that he was no longer in the military, that his tour was over. The guys said that he had a better chance of getting Hasbro to help Noah than they did, since he and Riley had the whole military connection in common. Riley brought up Noah's own connection with a decorated Colonel, but Noah explained that his father isn't just dead, he also disgraced the uniform.
When Noah left to take a call about some rented equipment, Luke suggested that Riley help them as a way to show Casey and Margo that he really is a good guy. That suggestion seemed to appeal to Riley and he agreed to help.
Luke and Noah went back to the Snyder house (seriously, when does this summer lease on their apartment start?! It's almost July!) to look at pictures of Noah as a kid. Luke ooohed and awwed over how cute the five year old Noah was and how happy he looked. Noah explained that he'd just opened a great Christmas gift in that photo: the rocking horse his father had made him by hand.
The guys discussed again how hard it is for Noah to reconcile the father who clearly loved him with the man who murdered his mother and tried to kill Luke, and they hoped that the film would help Noah with this.
Riley, meanwhile, showed up at Lieutenant Hasbro's office, only to find Colonel Mayer swiveling around to face him from Hasbro's chair, chomping on a big cigar and grinning like a true soap villain back from the dead.
Riley informed the Colonel that he'd met Hasbro before and knew that Mayer wasn't him. Noah's dad informed the other man in turn that he knew that he wasn't really Riley Morgan, either. Oh, my God! Who could have seen that coming? Besides anyone who has watched even a minute of Riley's storyline, I mean.
Colonel Mayer proceeded to introduce himself to Riley and tell him that if he didn't follow his orders, everyone in Oakdale would know Riley's secret.
Later, Riley showed up at Luke & Noah's and told them that Hasbro had agreed to allow Noah access to the base, but only Noah. Luke couldn't go with him, since he had no affiliation with anyone in the military. Noah protested that Luke was his camera man, so he couldn't do it without him, but Luke quickly agreed with the terms set by 'Hasbro'. After Riley left, Luke told Noah not to worry, that they'd find a way around the regulation.
Riley called the Colonel, who was watching the stolen DVD of Noah's film, and told him that he'd done what he asked. Mayer told him that if everything didn't go according to plan, he would hold Riley responsible.
Ho, hum. Honestly, even as badly written as this show is, I expected the return of the Colonel from the dead to be a bit more dramatic than this. If the story is going to be this dull, they could at least throw in some Luke & Noah kisses to distract us!
Ah, bitter sarcasm. I must be writing about As the World Turns again!
On Tuesday, aspiring documentary filmmaker Noah found out that he'd been denied permission to film on military bases. He shared this news with his producer/camera man/sexy boyfriend Luke, who suggested that he call up Lieutenant Hasbro, the friend of his father's that he interviewed a few weeks ago, and see if he could be of any help.
For some reason, though, Hasbro refused to take Noah's call. Luke's next suggestion was that they enlist the only other military personnel of their acquaintance: Riley Morgan. Noah was hesitant, given that Casey hates the guy and might have a problem with his friends going to Riley for help. Luke, the dear little optimist, declared that Noah could end up winning an Oscar for this film, so Casey will get over it.
The guys set off to Java to meet Riley and explained the situation to him. Riley pointed out that he was no longer in the military, that his tour was over. The guys said that he had a better chance of getting Hasbro to help Noah than they did, since he and Riley had the whole military connection in common. Riley brought up Noah's own connection with a decorated Colonel, but Noah explained that his father isn't just dead, he also disgraced the uniform.
When Noah left to take a call about some rented equipment, Luke suggested that Riley help them as a way to show Casey and Margo that he really is a good guy. That suggestion seemed to appeal to Riley and he agreed to help.
Luke and Noah went back to the Snyder house (seriously, when does this summer lease on their apartment start?! It's almost July!) to look at pictures of Noah as a kid. Luke ooohed and awwed over how cute the five year old Noah was and how happy he looked. Noah explained that he'd just opened a great Christmas gift in that photo: the rocking horse his father had made him by hand.
The guys discussed again how hard it is for Noah to reconcile the father who clearly loved him with the man who murdered his mother and tried to kill Luke, and they hoped that the film would help Noah with this.
Riley, meanwhile, showed up at Lieutenant Hasbro's office, only to find Colonel Mayer swiveling around to face him from Hasbro's chair, chomping on a big cigar and grinning like a true soap villain back from the dead.
Riley informed the Colonel that he'd met Hasbro before and knew that Mayer wasn't him. Noah's dad informed the other man in turn that he knew that he wasn't really Riley Morgan, either. Oh, my God! Who could have seen that coming? Besides anyone who has watched even a minute of Riley's storyline, I mean.
Colonel Mayer proceeded to introduce himself to Riley and tell him that if he didn't follow his orders, everyone in Oakdale would know Riley's secret.
Later, Riley showed up at Luke & Noah's and told them that Hasbro had agreed to allow Noah access to the base, but only Noah. Luke couldn't go with him, since he had no affiliation with anyone in the military. Noah protested that Luke was his camera man, so he couldn't do it without him, but Luke quickly agreed with the terms set by 'Hasbro'. After Riley left, Luke told Noah not to worry, that they'd find a way around the regulation.
Riley called the Colonel, who was watching the stolen DVD of Noah's film, and told him that he'd done what he asked. Mayer told him that if everything didn't go according to plan, he would hold Riley responsible.
Ho, hum. Honestly, even as badly written as this show is, I expected the return of the Colonel from the dead to be a bit more dramatic than this. If the story is going to be this dull, they could at least throw in some Luke & Noah kisses to distract us!
Rafe & Adam: The Beginning
Last Friday marked the real beginning of Rafe's storyline on The Young and the Restless. I hesitate to say Rafe & Adam's story, since it's far from clear if there will be anything long lasting between the two of them. In fact, rumor has it that Philip Chancellor III, played by the recently returned and openly gay actor Thom Bierdz, will be the long term love interest for Rafe.
Of course, it wasn't that long ago that the talk was of Philip Chancellor IV, who will be played by John Driscoll, as Rafe's love interest, so only time will tell for sure.
At any rate, last Friday's episode saw the beginning of Adam & Rafe's affair, if indeed that's all it proves to be. Adam is now played by the very sexy Michael Muhney, who is shown below from his debut episode on Thursday (picture from Daytime Confidential):
Here's the basic run down on Adam's recent activities: he was released from prison into house arrest at his father's ranch because he'd begun losing his eyesight through a disease that his late mother also suffered from. As it turned out, though, Adam was secretly injecting his own eyes with something or other to induce the blindness and keep himself out of prison.
He also began to secretly terrorize his father's pregnant fiancee, Ashley, until he caused her to fall down the stairs and have a miscarriage. Most recently, he pinned the whole mess on his father's housekeeper Estella, who also happens to be Rafe's aunt.
On Friday's episode, Rafe showed up to confront Adam about his suspicion that Adam was really the one trying to gaslight Ashley. Adam brought up all the usual reasons why it couldn't be him: he's under house arrest and he can barely see his own hand if he holds it in front of his face. Rafe suggested that Adam could be paying someone to help him and then pointed out that if Adam really had nothing to hide, he wouldn't mind Rafe looking around his room.
Adam, of course, had plenty to hide, with evidence waiting just under the bed where he'd shoved it when Rafe knocked on the door.
As Rafe looked around and got ever closer to finding out the truth, Adam acted quickly, stopping Rafe from searching by saying the following, all while slowly beginning to touch him:
Of course, it wasn't that long ago that the talk was of Philip Chancellor IV, who will be played by John Driscoll, as Rafe's love interest, so only time will tell for sure.
At any rate, last Friday's episode saw the beginning of Adam & Rafe's affair, if indeed that's all it proves to be. Adam is now played by the very sexy Michael Muhney, who is shown below from his debut episode on Thursday (picture from Daytime Confidential):
Here's the basic run down on Adam's recent activities: he was released from prison into house arrest at his father's ranch because he'd begun losing his eyesight through a disease that his late mother also suffered from. As it turned out, though, Adam was secretly injecting his own eyes with something or other to induce the blindness and keep himself out of prison.
He also began to secretly terrorize his father's pregnant fiancee, Ashley, until he caused her to fall down the stairs and have a miscarriage. Most recently, he pinned the whole mess on his father's housekeeper Estella, who also happens to be Rafe's aunt.
On Friday's episode, Rafe showed up to confront Adam about his suspicion that Adam was really the one trying to gaslight Ashley. Adam brought up all the usual reasons why it couldn't be him: he's under house arrest and he can barely see his own hand if he holds it in front of his face. Rafe suggested that Adam could be paying someone to help him and then pointed out that if Adam really had nothing to hide, he wouldn't mind Rafe looking around his room.
Adam, of course, had plenty to hide, with evidence waiting just under the bed where he'd shoved it when Rafe knocked on the door.
As Rafe looked around and got ever closer to finding out the truth, Adam acted quickly, stopping Rafe from searching by saying the following, all while slowly beginning to touch him:
Adam: I can't believe you of all people would accuse me... listen! Rafe, listen to me, it hurts me to think that you would think these things about me. I thought we knew each other better than that. You know, that it's not just a lawyer client relationship, that there's something there that's deeper, that's special. Rafe, I have feelings, don't you?
The cliffhanging sentence was asked as Adam touched Rafe's bottom lip with his thumb, something that I personally found incredibly sexy. Rafe was left staring into Adam's eyes with a vulnerable look on his face and he'll answer the question on Monday's episode. Yani Gellman had nothing to do in the scene as Rafe except react and he did it beautifully!
Yes, Adam is a rather evil character who is clearly using Rafe. Is Adam gay? Not likely, given his sexual relationships on the show thus far. Is he bisexual? Quite possibly. He's certainly willing to have sex with Rafe to keep him from finding out the truth. If he is actually straight, that just makes him all the more fascinating in my view!
Some people were complaining about this story in advance, about a straight character using a gay character in this manner. Most of these complaints, of course, came before we knew that Adam was actually going to sleep with Rafe, when it just seemed likely that he would lead him on. That would have been troubling to me, but the sexual aspect of the whole thing makes it a very intriguing story.
As for Rafe being used, that's all part of being a character on a soap! I love that we're to the point where a gay character is treated just like a straight character! Using sex as a tool of manipulation is nothing new on a soap, but this is the first time that a gay character has been the one being taken advantage of. Honestly, I love it!
Rafe will be likely be hurt in the long run, but it sounds like a real romance may follow for the character after this thing with Adam. If this was the only relationship that Rafe ever had I would be less than thrilled, but I really think this is just the beginning for him.
I also think this all makes Adam one of the most fascinating characters in daytime right now, while Rafe's vulnerability (and eventual heartbreak) make him all the more lovable. I'm really enjoying this story so far!
The cliffhanging sentence was asked as Adam touched Rafe's bottom lip with his thumb, something that I personally found incredibly sexy. Rafe was left staring into Adam's eyes with a vulnerable look on his face and he'll answer the question on Monday's episode. Yani Gellman had nothing to do in the scene as Rafe except react and he did it beautifully!
Yes, Adam is a rather evil character who is clearly using Rafe. Is Adam gay? Not likely, given his sexual relationships on the show thus far. Is he bisexual? Quite possibly. He's certainly willing to have sex with Rafe to keep him from finding out the truth. If he is actually straight, that just makes him all the more fascinating in my view!
Some people were complaining about this story in advance, about a straight character using a gay character in this manner. Most of these complaints, of course, came before we knew that Adam was actually going to sleep with Rafe, when it just seemed likely that he would lead him on. That would have been troubling to me, but the sexual aspect of the whole thing makes it a very intriguing story.
As for Rafe being used, that's all part of being a character on a soap! I love that we're to the point where a gay character is treated just like a straight character! Using sex as a tool of manipulation is nothing new on a soap, but this is the first time that a gay character has been the one being taken advantage of. Honestly, I love it!
Rafe will be likely be hurt in the long run, but it sounds like a real romance may follow for the character after this thing with Adam. If this was the only relationship that Rafe ever had I would be less than thrilled, but I really think this is just the beginning for him.
I also think this all makes Adam one of the most fascinating characters in daytime right now, while Rafe's vulnerability (and eventual heartbreak) make him all the more lovable. I'm really enjoying this story so far!
Another Soap Star Out Due to Gay Storyline
I did not pick a very good week to go on vacation! A lot happened in the world of gay soap characters this week that I will be attempting to catch up on and then write about tonight.
One piece of news is that yet another soap actor will no longer be playing a role due to objections over a gay storyline. This time, the story is One Life to Live's Kyle and Fish and the person in question is actress Patricia Mauceri, who has been fired from the show for refusing to play a scene in which her character, Carlotta Vega, mistakenly thinks her son Cristian is gay and is accepting of what she thinks is his sexual orientation.
The scene is said to be a comic one, in which Cristian tries to convince his mother that he really is straight. Mauceri's problem was with the depiction of her character as being someone who would accept a gay son and she reportedly refused to play the scene unless it was rewritten and didn't go against her beliefs. So, in other words, she refused to play it unless her own homophobic views were incorporated into the show as her character's views.
One Life to Live responded by showing her the door and recasting the role with former Guiding Light star Saundra Santiago.
Why do people like Mauceri and Chris Engen even want to be in the business of acting if they're not going to be able to leave their own feelings and prejudices aside to play a role? Seriously, go into a business where you won't have to pretend to be something you're not, if it bothers you that much!
The most irritating part is that you know these people would have no problem playing a killer or an adulterer or just about anything else except a gay role or, in Mauceri's case, a supportive mother of a 'gay' character.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Patricia.
One piece of news is that yet another soap actor will no longer be playing a role due to objections over a gay storyline. This time, the story is One Life to Live's Kyle and Fish and the person in question is actress Patricia Mauceri, who has been fired from the show for refusing to play a scene in which her character, Carlotta Vega, mistakenly thinks her son Cristian is gay and is accepting of what she thinks is his sexual orientation.
The scene is said to be a comic one, in which Cristian tries to convince his mother that he really is straight. Mauceri's problem was with the depiction of her character as being someone who would accept a gay son and she reportedly refused to play the scene unless it was rewritten and didn't go against her beliefs. So, in other words, she refused to play it unless her own homophobic views were incorporated into the show as her character's views.
One Life to Live responded by showing her the door and recasting the role with former Guiding Light star Saundra Santiago.
Why do people like Mauceri and Chris Engen even want to be in the business of acting if they're not going to be able to leave their own feelings and prejudices aside to play a role? Seriously, go into a business where you won't have to pretend to be something you're not, if it bothers you that much!
The most irritating part is that you know these people would have no problem playing a killer or an adulterer or just about anything else except a gay role or, in Mauceri's case, a supportive mother of a 'gay' character.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Patricia.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Rent!
I just got back from seeing Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal in Rent and it was just so incredibly good! Ever since I fell in love with the show, I've felt so sad that I never got a chance to see the original cast do it on stage. The feature film is great, of course, but it's just not the same thing. This was such an amazing chance, to see Anthony and Adam performing live as Mark and Roger.
They were fantastic, as was the rest of the cast, some of whom I'd seen on the DVD of the last Broadway cast in the final performance.
Adam Pascal is a beautiful man and he looks damn sexy in the sleeveless shirt he wears for part of the show. The power of his voice, and the raw emotion that he manages to bring to Roger, even after all this time, just blew me away.
I found myself more drawn to Anthony Rapp, though. Maybe it's because I feel more of a connection with his character, Mark, or maybe it's because I read his memoir, Without You, fairly recently. Or maybe it's just because he's completely adorable, I don't know. Whatever it was, I totally have a crush on him. I've always liked his character a lot (three of my four favorite songs are at least partially his: La Vie Boheme, Tango Maureen, and What You Own; my other favorite is Take Me or Leave Me), but tonight I just fell for Anthony!
He brings so much to Mark, even after all of these years, it amazes me. I'm fairly sure this will be the only time I'll ever see him do Rent live, but if it's at all possible, I hope to see him again, in something else. Maybe it will be on an actual Broadway stage! I'd love that.
We had great seats tonight, quite close to the stage, since I decided that if I was going to pay to see the show live I wasn't going to be way the hell up in the second balcony. Seeing it play out right in front of me, this show that I've come to know so well through the film version, the DVD of the last Broadway performance, and from listening to the original cast album, was almost surreal. It was also just downright incredible.
I wish I could see it again! I know there are hardcore Rent fans out there who have seen the show countless times, but for me, this one night will remain a very special moment in my life.
I may write more about this in the next few days. I just felt I had to say something tonight, while I was still on my Rent high!
I'll be writing about this week's gay soap character happenings on Sunday, when I've had a chance to sit down and catch up.
They were fantastic, as was the rest of the cast, some of whom I'd seen on the DVD of the last Broadway cast in the final performance.
Adam Pascal is a beautiful man and he looks damn sexy in the sleeveless shirt he wears for part of the show. The power of his voice, and the raw emotion that he manages to bring to Roger, even after all this time, just blew me away.
I found myself more drawn to Anthony Rapp, though. Maybe it's because I feel more of a connection with his character, Mark, or maybe it's because I read his memoir, Without You, fairly recently. Or maybe it's just because he's completely adorable, I don't know. Whatever it was, I totally have a crush on him. I've always liked his character a lot (three of my four favorite songs are at least partially his: La Vie Boheme, Tango Maureen, and What You Own; my other favorite is Take Me or Leave Me), but tonight I just fell for Anthony!
He brings so much to Mark, even after all of these years, it amazes me. I'm fairly sure this will be the only time I'll ever see him do Rent live, but if it's at all possible, I hope to see him again, in something else. Maybe it will be on an actual Broadway stage! I'd love that.
We had great seats tonight, quite close to the stage, since I decided that if I was going to pay to see the show live I wasn't going to be way the hell up in the second balcony. Seeing it play out right in front of me, this show that I've come to know so well through the film version, the DVD of the last Broadway performance, and from listening to the original cast album, was almost surreal. It was also just downright incredible.
I wish I could see it again! I know there are hardcore Rent fans out there who have seen the show countless times, but for me, this one night will remain a very special moment in my life.
I may write more about this in the next few days. I just felt I had to say something tonight, while I was still on my Rent high!
I'll be writing about this week's gay soap character happenings on Sunday, when I've had a chance to sit down and catch up.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
More Broadway Bares & a Scott Evans Interview
Just a couple of things I wanted to highlight tonight. First, in relation to what I wrote last night about Broadway Bares, you should check out author Matthew Rettenmund's review of the show from his blog, Boy Culture, including pictures and some great video clips!
By the way, one of the very first gay themed novels I ever read was Matthew Rettenmund's book Blind Items. I stumbled across it at the library and checked it out on the sly, hiding it from my family so they wouldn't know I was reading it and realize that I was gay! It all seems so amusing now, looking back on it, but at the time just checking the book out felt like such a huge deal!
The other thing I wanted to note was Scott Evans' interview with The Advocate. I love this guy more and more! Here's a bit of what he had to say, but be sure and check out the whole thing:
By the way, one of the very first gay themed novels I ever read was Matthew Rettenmund's book Blind Items. I stumbled across it at the library and checked it out on the sly, hiding it from my family so they wouldn't know I was reading it and realize that I was gay! It all seems so amusing now, looking back on it, but at the time just checking the book out felt like such a huge deal!
The other thing I wanted to note was Scott Evans' interview with The Advocate. I love this guy more and more! Here's a bit of what he had to say, but be sure and check out the whole thing:
What do you think gay soap fans can expect from this couple?
I think the journey for them is going to be what people should watch for. More than anything being so specific that it is only a gay story line… it’s a love story line, and a story about their journeys and dealing with it, and how they react with each other.
Has Fish always had feelings for Kyle?
It’s like with your “first” of anything. This was sort of a first time in college and there were feelings then, and they are there now. It’s a matter of how you deal with them.
Has Kyle been hiding his sexuality?
I don’t think it was ever revealed.
Do you consider yourself an "openly gay" actor?
I do.
Any mixed emotions about letting people in the industry know you are gay?
It was something I thought about. Maybe I should have thought about it more, but it was like I wanted to put myself first before my career. I did not want to go through life having to deal with extra issues when I am dealing with trying to get a job. So I went, “OK, this is me. Either you like or you don’t. Hopefully you can accept it, and if you can’t, bummer. If you can hire me, great.” It was that sort of thing.
By the way, there is now a message board for Fish/Kyle fans that calls itself Kishmet, so I guess Kish is winning out over Fyle as the couple's requisite fan nickname. This is why I never bet on anything, I inevitably back the loser!
I know that today was a Nuke day on As the World Turns (and may well have been a Kish day or a Rafe/Adam day on Y&R), but I haven't had a chance to catch any of today's soaps yet. Hopefully I'll have a chance to catch up tomorrow.
I know that today was a Nuke day on As the World Turns (and may well have been a Kish day or a Rafe/Adam day on Y&R), but I haven't had a chance to catch any of today's soaps yet. Hopefully I'll have a chance to catch up tomorrow.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Broadway & Vacation
AfterElton has some exclusive pictures of last weekend's Broadway Bares extravaganza, the annual show that benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and features some of the hottest guys on Broadway in next to nothing.
In other words, yet another reason I wish I lived in NYC! It looks like such a fun show. This year, in addition to the numerous hot guys of Broadway, the show featured Allison Janney, Michael Urie, and Mo Rocca.
But the men... oh the men! In addition to AfterElton's pictures, you can also visit the official site for more hotness, including video snippets of the annual shows.
One of my current crushes, Gavin Creel from Hair, was there as well, though I only see him in one photo on AfterElton. Ever since his performance at the Tonys, I've been wanting to see more from Gavin.
I bought the title song from the new version of Hair (I don't really know the rest of the show, but I liked that number) and I noticed that he'd put out an album a few years ago called Goodtimenation. Needless to say, I bought it from iTunes and I've been listening to it a lot lately. There's not a song on the CD that I don't enjoy. I love the slower, more serious songs that he pours so much emotion into, and I love the upbeat, catchy songs that are just a lot of fun to sing along to.
If I had the money, I would be going to New York this summer, just so I could see him in Hair! Alas, it will have to wait until some other time. I'm sure he'll be in plenty of shows in the future.
Well, posting may be a bit light here for the next week. I'm on vacation and even though I'm not really going anywhere specific, I have a ton of things planned, including seeing Rent with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal! I've been looking forward to it for months, so I'm really excited about that.
It'll be as close to Broadway as I've ever been and as close as I'm likely to get for the next year or two, at least.
I will write about anything that happens with gay soap characters this week (and there should be some good stuff!) but it may not be on the day the episode airs.
In other words, yet another reason I wish I lived in NYC! It looks like such a fun show. This year, in addition to the numerous hot guys of Broadway, the show featured Allison Janney, Michael Urie, and Mo Rocca.
But the men... oh the men! In addition to AfterElton's pictures, you can also visit the official site for more hotness, including video snippets of the annual shows.
One of my current crushes, Gavin Creel from Hair, was there as well, though I only see him in one photo on AfterElton. Ever since his performance at the Tonys, I've been wanting to see more from Gavin.
I bought the title song from the new version of Hair (I don't really know the rest of the show, but I liked that number) and I noticed that he'd put out an album a few years ago called Goodtimenation. Needless to say, I bought it from iTunes and I've been listening to it a lot lately. There's not a song on the CD that I don't enjoy. I love the slower, more serious songs that he pours so much emotion into, and I love the upbeat, catchy songs that are just a lot of fun to sing along to.
If I had the money, I would be going to New York this summer, just so I could see him in Hair! Alas, it will have to wait until some other time. I'm sure he'll be in plenty of shows in the future.
Well, posting may be a bit light here for the next week. I'm on vacation and even though I'm not really going anywhere specific, I have a ton of things planned, including seeing Rent with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal! I've been looking forward to it for months, so I'm really excited about that.
It'll be as close to Broadway as I've ever been and as close as I'm likely to get for the next year or two, at least.
I will write about anything that happens with gay soap characters this week (and there should be some good stuff!) but it may not be on the day the episode airs.
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