I'll Miss You Most of All, Declan

I hadn't had time to watch the last few episodes of Kyle XY, which ended its three season run last Monday, until this afternoon. I knew that the unexpected cancellation would probably mean that the show wouldn't get to truly resolve anything. I was bracing myself for an ending that left me wanting more.

It turned out to be even more frustrating than I thought it would be, though. They ended on a cliffhanger that left so much unanswered. None of the characters got a proper send off and I was just left feeling really bitter towards ABC Family for doing this to such a great show. The least they could have done was given them either enough notice to end the show in a better way or a few more episodes to truly wrap things up.

That was the nice part about the extended break I took from television a few years back. I didn't get hooked on any shows that I really loved only to have them yanked off TV while a bunch of mediocre or downright awful shows enjoy extended runs. With Kyle XY & Pushing Daisies both cancelled so prematurely, I'm starting to wish I'd never got back into watching televison.

At any rate, if you were a fan of the show and would like some idea of what should have been, Julie Plec, a writer and co-producer of the show, took the time to give us some answers about what they were planning to do next on the show and how everyone would have ended up.

In case you were wondering, Kyle and Declan DO end up together! At least they do in a way. Plec says that though Declan and Lori would have ended up together romantically, Declan would have become the man in Kyle's life:

"...Declan will always have two priorities --- Lori and Kyle. For Battlestar Gallactica fans, he's Colonel Tighe to Admiral Odama. Declan would assume protection of Kyle from Foss and be his best friend and fiercest protector for life. Lori would be the only woman who could understand that, because she feels just as strongly about Kyle."

Aww. I knew Declan and Kyle were meant to be. Seriously, though, I loved their friendship on the show. I loved every relationship between the various characters on this show, though, except maybe for Kyle & Amanda's during the final season. This was just one of those shows where everything clicked and it truly was something special.

Twitter

As you can see over to the side ------>, I've joined the whole Twitter revolution. Feel free to follow me for enthralling updates into my glamorous life. (Warning: Actual updates likely to be exceedingly boring. Do not operate heavy machinery while following me.)

Triangle Awards; And The Band Played On

I noted the Finalists for the Lambda Literary Awards the other day and now the Publishing Triangle has announced their finalists for their 21st Annual Triangle Awards. Each of their awards are named for people who have previously distinguished themselves in that area.

They gave this year's Bill Whitehead Lifetime Achievement Award to writer Martin Duberman.

Their LGBT fiction award is named for writers Robert Ferro and Michael Grumley who were life partners. They died within weeks of each other from AIDS back in 1988.

The Ferro-Grumley Awards for LGBT Fiction:

Alison Bechdel, The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For
David Ebershoff, The 19th Wife
Andrew Sean Greer, The Story of a Marriage
Blair Mastbaum, Us Ones In Between
Ben Taylor, The Book of Getting Even
Ellen Wittlinger, Love and Lies

The Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction:

Evan Fallenberg, Light Fell (Soho Press)
Alistair McCartney, The End of the World Book (University of Wisconsin Press)
Shawn Stewart Ruff, Finlater (Quote Editions)

The Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry:

Jericho Brown, Please, (New Issues)
Mark Doty, Fire to Fire (Harper)
Ely Shipley, Boy with Flowers (Barrow Street Press)

The Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry:

Elizabeth Bradfield, Interpretive Work (Red Hen Press)
Maureen McLane, Same Life (Farrar Straus Giroux)
Elaine Sexton, Causeway (New Issues)

The Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction:

Regina Kunzel, Criminal Intimacy (University of Chicago Press)
Nancy Polikoff, Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage (Beacon Press)
Andrea Weiss, In the Shadow of the Magic Mountain (University of Chicago Press)

The Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction:

Linas Alsenas, Gay America (Amulet Books/Abrams)
Bob Morris, Assisted Loving (Harper)
Kai Wright, Drifting Toward Love (Beacon Press)

This last award is of course named for Randy Shilts, the author of The Mayor of Castro Street, And The Band Played On and Conduct Unbecoming.

I didn't plan on writing about this until I'd finished the book, but I think I need to do so now. I've been reading And The Band Played On this week. I bought a copy last winter, at the same time that I bought The Mayor of Castro Street, but I'm only just now getting around to reading it. I'm a little over a third of the way through the book and it's truly an incredible work.

I'd seen the movie version years ago, but either I'm too far removed from it now to recall whatever impact it had on me at the time or I just wasn't in a place back then to be truly affected by it. Perhaps a film version just couldn't quite do what Shilts' writing does, which is to bring to life these all too real stories of the first five years of the AIDS epidemic. Shilts made every aspect of it very human, bringing it all down to a personal level. This is especially important in retrospect, when so many hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost in the United States alone and it can all seem so impersonal and hard to truly wrap your mind around.

I knew it was going to be a book that was very hard to read, emotionally speaking. I don't know how anyone with a heart could read a book like this and not have it just completely tear them up inside. At the same time, I think it's one of the most important books I've ever read.

The other side of the emotional coin as you're reading, of course, is a sense of overpowering anger. I've long since known that the Reagan Administration and the media's lack of response to an epidemic that was at first seen to only be killing gays made things much worse than it ever should have been. Knowing that, though, still doesn't prepare you for reading the actual day to day, year by year details of the struggle to get some answers about AIDS and try and prevent its spread in the face of the massive indifference of those in power.

I think this book should be required reading for everyone, but especially for LGBT youth. A lot of studies are showing HIV infections on the rise in younger gay men, guys who never had to live through any of these awful years and who don't see, because of advances in treatment that keep many of the infected alive for longer periods, HIV/AIDS as that big of a threat. Reading this book would certainly help open their eyes.

I think it would also broaden their understanding of their own history as an LGBT person in this country. I know that it has done so for me.

Rest in Peace, Natasha Richardson

You've probably seen the terrible news that actress Natasha Richardson has died tonight from injuries she suffered in a skiing accident two days ago, at the tragically young age of 45. I feel so incredibly sad for her family, especially her husband Liam Neeson and their two young sons. To lose a parent at such a young age has to be one of the worst things that can happen in life.

Natasha was incredibly beautiful and talented, but she was also a humanitarian. None of the U.S. based articles on her death that I've read so far have mentioned this, but The Guardian notes that she was on the board of amfAR, the AIDS research foundation, and they included a quote from an amfAR spokesman:

"Our hearts go out to her family. This is a catastrophic loss for them, and it is a terrible loss for amfAR and the fight against Aids. Natasha Richardson was a dedicated Aids advocate and an eloquent spokesperson for amfAR. She generously contributed her time and resources to amfAR for over 15 years. Natasha's passion for the cause and tireless efforts gave hope and inspiration to the scientists and healthcare workers on the front lines of this deadly epidemic, as well as to the millions of people living with HIV/AIDS around the world."

Natasha's own father, the film director Tony Richardson, passed away from AIDS in 1991, which no doubt played a role in her dedication to the cause.

This is a truly senseless loss.

A Small Step

You've probably seen the news already, but the United States has endorsed a call by the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality all over the world. Now, the statement by the U.N. is non-binding, so they're not going to actually force the 70 U.N. member countries that make it illegal to be LGBT to change anything, but it's still a step in the right direction.

It's also a pretty big gesture of change by the Obama administration, since the last occupant of the Oval Office had refused to let the United States back this resolution. While they never actually needed any reason for this beyond their own homophobia and general dismissal of human and civil rights, the logic the Bush Administration used was that supporting this non-binding resolution might endanger 'States Rights'. The rights, in other words, for a state to discriminate in housing and employment laws against LGBT people. It also may have jeopardized, or so they felt, their stance on gays in the military.

We were the only Western country not to endorse this under Bush, highlighting yet again how backwards and out of touch his administration was.

It sickens me that in so many countries across the globe people are still punished and even executed by their Governments for being the person they were born to be. They might as well criminalize having blue eyes or execute them for being too tall, since that would make just as much sense.

So this is a big gesture by President Obama, but still a largely symbolic one. Lets see some real progress, not only in the global community but right here at home. There are so many equality issues facing gays and lesbians that need to be addressed in this country, from marriage to discrimination in employment, to not being allowed to serve our country in the military unless we lie about who we are. These are but a few of the issues that we're fighting for real change on.

It's wonderful that our nation supports decriminalization the world over, but we're still second class citizens in our own country in many ways and changing that needs to be a top priority.

Ring of Fire

I just finished watching tonight's American Idol, the theme of which, as I mentioned the other day, was country music. I couldn't quite picture any of these contestants doing opry music, of course, but I had the most difficulty with imagining what Adam Lambert would do. Out of all the contestants, he's the farthest away from country music as you can get.

As it turned out, he picked the classic Johnny Cash song Ring of Fire, but he sang it in a way that was pure Adam Lambert. He found an arrangement with sitar music and a Middle Eastern theme and he sang it in a very sensual way with a couple of dramatic flourishes.

It wasn't my favorite Adam Lambert performance so far, but I really liked it a lot. Of course, the theme was Grand Ole Opry music, which was never going to be his strongest week in the competition as far as song selection is concerned. I loved that he just completely made it his own and remained hot while doing so, though. I don't think anyone can make love to a camera with his eyes like Adam can! Plus, his voice is truly amazing, no matter what he sings.

Unlike last week, the judges' reviews were mixed. Randy flat out loved it and Paula & Kara both gave it somewhat favorable comments (Kara said it left her "Confused but kind of happy"), while Simon hated it and said it was 'self indulgent rubbish'.

I'm voting for Adam as I write this and I hope plenty of other people are, too. There were some pretty bland and boring performances tonight, and Adam was certainly neither of those things.

As much as I'm all for Adam winning this thing and wouldn't dream of voting for anyone else, I do have to say that I'm also kind of blown away by Allison Iraheta each week. She's got such an amazing voice, especially for someone so young.

Back to Adam, I was sent a link to a red carpet interview he did with Access Hollywood after making it into the Top 13. It really highlights why I love him so much (aside from the fact that he's an amazing singer and performer, of course!).

The interviewer, Laura Saltman, asks him if he's googled himself that week, the week that the pictures of him kissing another guy were showing up all over the Internet.

Adam: I did. When my parents and family and friends told me to, I did.

Laura: Oh, no. But they, you know, they're like, whatever, this is Adam.

Adam: You know what, I have nothing to hide, I am who I am, and this is about singing. Nothing else.

Laura: Exactly.

Adam: I'm an entertainer. It doesn't change anything.

Laura: But you kind of, like, have to know that kind of stuff is going to get out there, right?

Adam: Yeah, I've never been shy about anything. (laughs)

How can you not love the guy? Vote Adam! Vote often!

Lambda Literary Awards

The Nominees for the 21st Annual Lambda Literary Awards were announced yesterday. Looking over the list, I'm sad to say that I've only read one of the nominees. On the bright side, the picks will add to my own ever growing list of books to read.

The one book I have read is Joseph Olshan's The Conversian, which is nominated for Best Gay Fiction and which I really enjoyed. I found that it spoke to me as a lover of books as much as it did as a gay man, since it had a literary setting and theme.

Here's the full list of Nominees:

BISEXUAL

* Open, Jenny Block, Seal Press
* Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women's Love & Desire,
Lisa M. Diamond, Harvard University Press
* The Bishop's Daughter, Honor Moore, W.W. Norton
* Kinsey Zero Through Sixty: Bisexual Perspectives on Kinsey, Ron Jackson Suresha, Taylor & Francis Journals
* Rimbaud, Edmund White, Atlas & Company


TRANSGENDER

* 10,000 Dresses, Marcus Ewert & Rex Ray, Seven Stories Press
* Intersex (For Lack of a Better Word), Thea Hillman, Manic D Press
* Two Truths and a Lie, Scott Schofield, Homofactus Press
* Boy with Flowers, Ely Shipley, Barrow Street Press
* Transgender History, Susan Stryker, Seal Press


LGBT ANTHOLOGIES

* A Casulty of War: Gay Short Fiction, Peter Burton, Arcadia Books
* Live Through This, edited by Sabrina Chapadjiev, Seven Stories Press
* Love, West Hollywood, edited by Chris Freeman and James J. Berg, Alyson
* Our Caribbean, edited by Thomas Glave, Duke University Press
* Big Trips: More Good Gay Travel Writing, edited by Raphael Kadushin, University of Wisconsin Press


LGBT CHILDRENS/YOUNG ADULT

* Hit the Road, Manny: A Manny Files Novel, Christian Burch, Simon and Schuster
* Out of the Pocket, Bill Konigsberg, Dutton
* How They Met & Other Stories, David Levithan, Knopf Children's Books
* Mousetraps, Pat Schmatz, Carolrhoda Books
* What They Always Tell Us, Martin Wilson, Random House Children's Books
* Love & Lies: Marisol's Story, Ellen Wittlinger, Simon and Schuster


LGBT DRAMA

* Phi Alpha Gamma, Dan Bernitt, Sawyer House
* Radical Acts: Collected Political Plays, Martin Duberman, The New Press
* The Second Coming of Joan of Arc, Carolyn Gage, Outskirts Press
* Two Truths and a Lie, Scott Schofield, Homofactus Press
* Vile Affections, Vanda, Original Works Publishing


LGBT NONFICTION

* Me as Her Again, Nancy Agabian, Aunt Lute Books
* If I Could Write This in Fire, Michelle Cliff, Univ of Minnesota Press
* Dishonorable Passions: Sodomy Laws in America 1861-2003, William N. Eskridge Jr, Penguin Group
* Beyond (Straight & Gay) Marriage, Nancy Polikoff, Beacon Press
* Loving The Difficult, Jane Rule, Hedgerow Press
* Drifting Toward Love, Kai Wright, Beacon Press


LGBT SCI-FI/FANTASY/HORROR

* The Archer's Heart, Astrid Amara, Blind Eye Books
* The Magician and the Fool, Barth Anderson, Bantam Del Rey
* Wilde Stories 2008, Steve Berman, Lethe Press
* Sea, Swallow Me and Other Stories, Craig Gidney, Lethe Press
* Turnskin, Nicole Kimberling, Blind Eye Books


LGBT STUDIES

* Tomboys: A Literary & Cultural History, Michelle Ann Abate, Temple University Press
* The Dividends of Dissent: How Conflict and Culture Work in Lesbian and Gay Marches on Washington, Amin Ghaziani, The University of Chicago Press
* Criminal Intimacy: Prison and the Uneven History of Modern American Sexuality, Regina Kunzel, The University of Chicago Press
* Political Manhood: Red Bloods, Mollycoddles, & & the Politics of Progressive Reform, Kevin P. Murphy, Columbia University Press
* Screening Sex, Linda Williams, Duke University Press


LESBIAN DEBUT FICTION

* Red Audrey & the Roping, Jill Malone, Bywater Books
* Passing for Black, Linda Villarosa, Kensington
* Closer to Fine, Meri Weiss, Kensington
* Love Does Not Make Me Gentle or Kind, Chavisa Woods, Fly by Night Press
* The Bruise, Magdalena Zurawski, Fiction Collective Two/University of Alabama Press


LESBIAN EROTICA

* Lipstick on Her Collar, Sacchi Green and Rakelle Valencia, Pretty Things Press
* Periphery: Erotic Lesbian Futures, Lynne Jamneck, Lethe Press
* In Deep Waters 2: Cruising the Strip, Radclyffe and Karen Kallmaker, Bold Strokes Books


LESBIAN FICTION

* The Slow Fix, Ivan E. Coyole, Arsenal Pulp Press
* The Sealed Letter, Emma Donoghue, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
* Map of Ireland, Stephanie Grant, Scribner
* All the Pretty Girls, Chandra Mayor, Conundrum Press
* Breaking Spirit Bridge, Ruth Perkinson, Spinsters Ink


LESBIAN MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY

* Wrestling with the Angel of Democracy, Susan Griffin,
Shambhala Publications
* Intersex (For Lack of a Better Word), Thea Hillman, Manic D Press
* Sex Variant Woman, Joanne Passet, Da Capo
* Sex Talks to Girls: A Memoir, Maureen Seaton, University of Wisconsin Press
* Case of a Lifetime, Abbe Smith, Palgrave Macmillan


LESBIAN MYSTERY

* Blind Faith, Diane and Jacob Anderson-Minshall, Bold Strokes Books
* Whacked, Josie Gordon, Bella Books
* Sweet Poison, Ellen Hart, St. Martin's Press
* Losers Weepers, Jessica Thomas, Bella Books
* Calling the Dead, Ali Vali, Bold Strokes Books


LESBIAN POETRY

* Interpretive Work, Elizabeth Bradfield, Arktoi / Red Hen Press
* Kissing Dead Girls, Daphne Gottlieb, Soft Skull Press
* love belongs to those who do the feeling, Judy Grahn, Red Hen Press
* Same Life, Maureen N. McLane, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
* Two Minutes of Light, Nancy K. Pearson, Perugia Press


LESBIAN ROMANCE

* Finding Home, Georgia Beers, Bold Strokes Books
* A Pirate's Heart, Catherine Friend, Bold Strokes Books
* The Kiss That Counted, Karin Kallmaker, Bella Books
* Hotel Liaison, JLee Meyer, Bold Strokes Books
* The Lonely Hearts Club, Radclyffe, Bold Strokes Books


GAY DEBUT FICTION

* Shuck, Daniel Allen Cox, Arsenal Pulp Press
* Light Fell, Evan Fallenberg, Soho Press
* The Screwed-Up Life of Charlie The Second, Drew Ferguson, Kensington
* The Steve Machine, Mike Hoolboom, Coach House Books
* Finlater, Shawn Ruff, Quote Editions


GAY EROTICA

* Best Gay Erotica 2009, Richard Labonte & James Lear, Cleis Press
* The Secret Tunnel, James Lear, Cleis Press
* Hard Working Men, William Maltese, Victor J. Banis, Jardonn Smith, & J.P. Bowie, MLR Press


GAY FICTION

* Stray Dog Winter, David Francis, Macadam/Cage Publishing
* The Torturer's Wife, Thomas Glave, City Light Publishers
* We Disappear, Scott Heim, HarperCollins
* The Conversion, Joseph Olshan, St. Martin’s Press
* The Boomerang Kid, Jay Quinn, Alyson


GAY MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY

* Bringing Him Home, Aaron Cooper, Late August Press
* Swish, Joel Derfner, Broadway Books
* Assisted Loving, Bob Morris, HarperCollins
* Edward Carpenter: A Life of Liberty and Love, Sheila Rowbotham, Verso Books
* King of Shadows, Aaron Shurin, City Lights Publishers


GAY MYSTERY

* The Fisher Boy, Stephen Anable, Poisoned Pen Press
* Sundowner Ubuntu, Anthony Bidulka, Insomniac Press
* Mahu Fire, Neil Plakcy, Alyson Books
* First You Fall, Scott Sherman, Alyson Books
* Spider Season, John Morgan Wilson, St. Martin's Press


GAY POETRY

* Want, Rick Barot, Sarabande Press
* Please, Jericho Brown, New Issues
* Fire to Fire, Mark Doty, HarperCollins
* Now You're the Enemy, James Allen Hall, Univ. of Arkansas Press
* My Vocabulary Did This to Me: The Collected Poetry of Jack Spicer, Jack Spicer, edited by Peter Gizzi & Kevin Killian, Wesleyan University Press


GAY ROMANCE

* Mexican Heat, Laura Baumbach & Josh Lanyon, MLR Press
* Got 'til it's Gone, Larry Duplechan, Arsenal Pulp Press
* The Protector, N.L. Gassert, Seventh Window Publications

Nuke vs. Housing Discrimination

As the World Turns kicked the week off the right way, with a Luke & Noah episode, and this time the boys were taking on anti-gay housing discrimination.

We started off with the guys at Java, where Noah was on the clock and Luke was on his laptop. Luke explained that he was brainstorming some Gay Rights issues for the Foundation that he was going to run by his mother later, and then made fun of himself for working with his Mommy, without mentioning that he actually still lives with her, too.

Luke commented on how far Lily has come since he came out to her, and Holden too for that matter (though Holden was always supportive), and mentioned that his biological father wasn't supportive and that using his money to fight for Gay Rights would drive him crazy. Ah, subtle foreshadowing! I love how soaps will go months or years without mentioning a former character and then quite suddenly, right before they return, they're mentioned all the time.

Noah brought up the awkwardness of his roommate, who apparently possesses the world's worst timing, coming back early and walking in on the two of them in the dorm the night before. While most of the audience proceeded to get lost in wishing and imagining that they were Noah's roommate at that moment, the boys continued their discussion about the lack of privacy in the dorm (and, it goes without saying, at the Snyder residence).

Noah had a solution, though: they should move in together.

I, of course, got ready to call them out on the complete 180 Noah has apparently done in the month since the last time they discussed moving in together, but the writers were apparently ready for that because Luke was as surprised as I am.

Noah explained that he had to move out of the dorm anyway in a few months and that he thinks they should sublet a place for the summer to try it out. Luke pointed out that Noah's change of heart might be because Luke himself is now a bit more stable than he was when they last talked about living together, and Noah more or less agreed that Luke getting his life together played a role in changing his mind.

They joked around about how it would just be a trial situation for the summer and that if either one had any bad habits that drove the other crazy, they'd be out the door. It was really a pretty cute scene.

Of course, it just set things up for the arrival of their potential landlord, Mr. Reese. Noah had already found the perfect place through a broker and even filled out the lease, knowing that Luke would love the place since it was similar to the one he'd liked a month ago. After the guys introduced themselves to Mr. Reese he told them that the apartment was only a one bedroom and Luke assured him that was all they needed.

Mr. Reese hovered in the background looked disgusted while Luke & Noah talked about the apartment, its working fireplace, and possibly staying longer than just the summer if things worked out. Before they could give him their references, though, Mr. Reese abruptly informed them that the apartment had already been rented and quickly departed Java, leaving Noah to wonder what had just happened.

Luke, though, saw the obvious, that they'd just been the victims of discrimination. He got back on his laptop and discovered that it was illegal in the state of Illinois to discriminate against LGBT people in housing and felt that they should try and get an investigation going against the landlord.

A random cute guy named Tyler, who is apparently one of Luke's many off screen gay friends, overheard their conversation and told them that he and his boyfriend had the same problem with Reese, that he refused to rent to them because they were a couple. Tyler gave them the card of a more gay friendly broker and then exited, never to be heard of or from again until the next time the writers want to throw together a 'light hearted' murder mystery in twenty seconds or less.

Noah seemed ready to just let things drop, to take the "What can we do about it?" approach while Luke, who has probably been watching his copy of Milk, wasn't so willing to back down in the face of discrimination.

The guys headed back to Luke's place, where they filled Holden & Lily in on their plans to move in together. Luke's parents were very happy and supportive, and subsequently outraged to an appropriate degree when they heard about Mr. Reese.

Lily suggested that they use the Luke Snyder Foundation to do something about the discrimination and Luke thought that was a fantastic idea. The guys returned to Java (where Noah is not only an employee, he's a customer!) so that Luke could do some research. They were shocked to see how many states don't offer any protection against discrimination towards the LGBT community in housing or employment.

Luke discussed his intentions to start bringing more visibility to the issue, to petition online and pressure politicians to do the right thing. Noah told Luke that he likes him when he's 'all charged up' and Luke suggested that Noah call the gay friendly broker to find them a place while he gets to work on the research.

I'd started to think that they idea of them living together would be dropped just to focus on the discrimination issue, so that last line made me pretty happy. I really want to see Luke & Noah in their own place, so it had better not be an off screen residence we only hear about!

I was really happy with this episode overall. While parts of it did feel a bit too Very Special Episode, I can't even begin to tell you how much I'd rather see the guys tackling real life issues, especially ones related to Gay Rights, than what we had to sit through during their most recent storyline.

Broadway On Lambert

I just came across this Broadway.com article on Adam Lambert, in which several of his former stage co-stars talk about the Adam they know. I just thought I'd share it because as you all know by now, I'm totally enthralled by all things Adam and feel that everyone else should be as well!

Megan Hilty, who was in Wicked with Adam and is currently on Broadway in the new musical 9 to 5 as Doralee, the Dolly Parton character, was one of Adam's co-stars who spoke about him:

How did you meet?
We met on tour with Wicked, and then worked together again in the L.A. company [of the show]. Since he was the Fiyero understudy we got to have our little moments together onstage, whenever I was lucky enough.

What did you think the first time you heard him sing?
The first time he went on as Fiyero, I couldn’t believe it. I was warned before how amazing he was, but you can only be prepared for so much. It’s funny because we’d go out and do karaoke for fun, and the whole party would stop when he got up to sing. It was kind of, like, ‘He’s too good, I can’t go after that!’ He’s a joy to be around, so they’re very lucky to be around him out there in Hollywood.

Favorite performance of his?
It was always during karaoke. There’s a DVD of it somewhere. Oh, God. It was some rock song I’ll never remember the name of, but the whole bar—people we didn’t even know—just stopped. No one could believe what they were hearing. His voice is in a different stratosphere.

Favorite memory?
Oh, gosh. We were always doing silly things. What I can say is he’s an excellent board game player, and we always wanted him on our team. He always won everything.

What kind of artist do you see him as?
One of the great things about Adam is I can’t say he’s the next so-and-so. He’s so unique, and has such a special talent that I think he’s going to be the next Adam Lambert.

What do you think when people say he is too “theatrical” for Idol?
I think saying someone’s too musical theater is b.s.! Frankly, that’s offensive. It’s the easy way out to try and find something wrong with him when there’s nothing wrong. It also gives a stigma about who “Broadway” people are. I mean, we’re not people that overly indicate and put on a show wherever we go. I’m tired of people putting the “Broadway label” on someone as if it were a bad thing.

Personal Song Request: He’s done so much rock stuff, I’d love him to show off any slow tunes in general. People think they’ve seen what he can do, but you haven’t seen anything yet. I think he’ll show it off. He’s a smart cookie!

Check out the whole article if you're interested in Adam at all, there is some really cool stuff about him.

Speaking of 9 to 5, by the way, this is another show I really wish I could see, not only because I love the film version and think Dolly Parton (who wrote the songs for the musical) is amazing, but because one of my favorite actresses, Allison Janney, is starring in it as Violet, the Lily Tomlin character.

I really need to just plan a trip to New York, but I don't think I'll be able to afford it any time soon!

By the way, I was reading online that next week is going to be Grand Ole Opry week on American Idol. I can't quite picture any of these 11 contestants singing country music, so that's going to be interesting, to say the least.

At Long Last, Milk

Some friends dropped in before I could start watching Milk, so I ended up not watching it until nearly midnight. Hence this late night/early morning post about the movie, while it's still fresh in my mind.

First of all, I'm now very relieved that I didn't get a chance to see it in the theatre, since I ended up crying my eyes out at various parts. Not even just at the parts I expected to feel emotional about, either, like Harvey's assassination, but also during the marches and the scenes of the community coming together for the first time ever. It was just really powerful and moving.

I read The Mayor of Castro Street three or four months ago and it really opened my eyes to a lot about Harvey Milk that I didn't know, even after watching the documentary The Times of Harvey Milk a couple of years back. Things like all the years he'd spent as a closeted New York Republican, for instance. A lot of what the movie included probably would have surprised me if I hadn't read that book first. As it was, all I could think about was how true to everything I'd read they were being with the film.

While I was reading the book I bascially cried through a lot of the final chapters, but there was one moment earlier on in the book that really affected me. I hadn't thought about that moment being repeated in the movie for some reason, but there it was and seeing it played out on the screen was almost as hard as reading about it.

I'm talking about the scene where the teen from Minnesota calls Harvey and tells him that he's going to kill himself because his parents are going to send him away to be 'cured'. Harvey urges him to get on a bus or a train and make his way to a big city instead and the kid says that he can't get on a bus, he can't run away: he's in a wheel chair.

Reading that in the book, I had to put it down for several minutes and cry. The image is just so tragic and heart wrenching and so hopeless. But, in the book as in the movie, Harvey later heard from the kid, who'd managed to find a way to take Harvey's advice and get away.

That story, for me, really sums up everything Harvey Milk is about. I know it was the tag line to the movie, so I'm not exactly original in saying this, but Harvey was all about giving people hope and he's still doing so over thirty years after his murder.

The thing is, Harvey didn't give people hope that things would just change and get better. His kind of hope wasn't the 'This too shall pass' kind. He gave them hope that they themselves could change things, could change the world we live in. What I mean is, he didn't just give them something to believe in so much as he helped them to believe in themselves and in the LGBT community coming together for the first time in history as a major movement.

I can't remember the first time I heard the name Harvey Milk. I really wish I could, but by that point, I was already reading a lot about LGBT culture and history, taking in a lot of things at once. I have no recollection of learning of his story, though I know I heard of it on my own, long after my public school days were over.

I remember being a lost and confused kid figuring out that I was gay and having very little to look towards in terms of role models, or even just to feel less alone in the world. It would have made a world of difference, I think, if I'd known the story of Harvey Milk then.

I think that's one of the greatest things about this film. It has brought Harvey Milk back to mainstream attention, where he should have been all along. He's a civil rights hero as much as he is a gay hero, but tons of gay kids are going to know his story now. We need that, we need to keep our history alive.

As for the film itself, I though everything was perfect. The cast was amazing, the script was entirely deserving of the Oscar that Dustin Lance Black won for it, the way they recreated the era was so painstakingly well done. It's really a masterpiece of a biopic and a beautifully done film. I really wish it had won the Oscar for Best Picture. I haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire, but I think Milk is everything film should be.

Reading back what I've written, I think I'm coming off like someone who cries constantly, and I swear I'm not! It's just that certain subject matter really gets to me and this era is one of those things. It's the idea of this huge movement coming together for the first time, the new freedom and equality they were fighting for, winning, and enjoying, and us knowing in retrospect that AIDS was lurking just around the corner and would destroy so much of it. The idea of it literally haunts me at times.

Not long after reading The Mayor of Castro Street, I actually had a dream where I was somehow in the 70's myself and I'd met this guy that I really liked, but I knew that I had to go, that I was going to be pulled back to the present at any second, and I was urgently trying to convince him before I left that he had to start using condoms and getting other people to do so, too. It probably sounds silly, but in the dream I was so desperately trying to make him understand what was coming, what the near future had in store, and I couldn't. I failed. When I woke up, it really felt in those first few moments of consciousness that I really had been there, and that I really had blown my chance to warn them. It was a terrible feeling.

But, I digress. Seeing Milk, in spite of the tragic way things ended for Harvey, didn't depress me. It truly isn't a film about the end of one life, but about the beginning of something that continues to this day and gets stronger all the time. I'm so glad I finally got to see the movie and I'll be buying my own copy very soon.

Back In Business

Luke & Noah were front and center again today on As the World Turns and for the first time in weeks I was able to watch their scenes without wanting to do any bodily damage to any ATWT writers! Even better, their last scene of the day was downright awesome.

It all started out in a way that made me nervous: Luke & Noah leaving the police station after having given their statements about Mark. They were discussing the whole mess- hereafter forever unmentionable, or at least I hope so- and Luke was feeling bad that Kevin had been arrested, too, and charged as an accessory after the fact.

Noah praised Luke, saying that by not giving up he'd helped catch a dangerous killer/drug dealer, but Luke was still feeling, in his own words, like crap (maybe he's been watching the same show I've been watching, because that will do it!).

Meanwhile, Lily got a call about Luke & Lucinda having a meeting scheduled that afternoon for Luke's foundation, something that Brian had set up before he left about possibly partnering up with another foundation. Lucinda, whom I don't think we'd seen since Brian's coming out episode, didn't feel up to going, given that she's currently undergoing radiation for her cancer and it's wiping her out.

Lily tried to contact Luke but only got his voicemail, which lead to Lucinda & Lily discussing how lost and depressed Luke has become since being kicked out of school.

Luke & Noah were discussing much the same thing across town, since apparently Holden was right and Luke was using That Which Shall Not Be Mentioned to keep his mind off his own problems and now that it's all over, he doesn't know what he should be doing with his life.

Noah played the supportive boyfriend and told Luke that finding out what you want to do in life is trial and error for everyone and that he himself is figuring it out in college. After Noah left to go study for a midterm, Luke headed home and told Lily that he didn't feel up to going to the meeting, saying she could go in his place. Lily, who is on the board of the foundation but knows nothing of its day to day business, was less than pleased.

After she left, Lucinda called Luke a spoiled brat and confronted him about turning his back on the foundation. Luke admitted to his Grandmother that he's not the same naive person he was when he started the foundation and Lucinda told him that helping people is never naive.

Luke confessed that he really started the foundation to throw it back in his 'so called father' Damian's face, to do something he knew Damian would hate with the guilt money he'd given Luke. He just doesn't feel like he's the do-gooder everyone thinks he should be to run the foundation. Lucinda warned Luke that he won't always be able to do anything he wants in life and that he should take advantage of things while he can or he'll regret it later.

Lily, meanwhile, enlisted Noah's help for the meeting since he knows more about the foundation than she does. They both shared their worries about the funk Luke is in, but Noah advocated patience. Just as the meeting was about to start, Brian walked in the door, saying that he thought he should be there since he was the one who'd set up the meeting.

Noah called Luke to tell him about Brian's arrival, and Luke showed up just as the man they were meeting, the head of the Starglow Foundation, said that he felt the mission statement for Luke's foundation was too vague. Luke, back in fine form, sailed in and declared that the mission statement was all too clear.

Luke: Now, let me try and guess what it is that you don't like. Could it be our support for the gay film festival? Our contribution to the Campaign for Hate Crime Legislation? Well, it's like you said in the very beginning, Brian, some professionals don't like things that are so 'controversial'. But this foundation is dedicated to equal rights for everyone. Now you can stay and help make that a reality, or you can go and we can do it without the help of the Starglow Foundation.

The head of the Starglow Foundation asked if Brian agreed with all of that and Lily quickly pointed out that Brian no longer worked for the Luke Snyder Foundation, but that everyone who does supports Luke completely. Luke told Brian to go ahead and speak his own mind and Brian surprised everyone by saying that he supported Luke completely, that the foundation is a private one endowed by Luke, who has a wide variety of interests, including Equal Rights.

The Starglow jerk advised them to started looking for other partners and left, but by that point, no one really cared since they were all thanking Brian for changing his tune about the foundation and being glad that Luke was showing some interest in it again.

Lily invited Brian back to the house to see Lucinda, who just that morning had admitted to her daughter that she missed her ex and how he'd made her feel. Once they were all back at the house, Lily somehow or other nominated herself to take over Brian's old job as Administrator of the Luke Snyder Foundation (so, no one has been administering it for the last few months since Brian left?) and then they all left Lucinda alone to catch up with Brian.

They had some nice scenes, demonstrating that they both still care for each other, and we learned that Brian, though not ready to come out to the world yet, seems to be far more comfortable with his sexuality. He's also accepted a new job with a foundation in Minnesota and the two of them decide to be friends, which is sweet. I just wish we could see the friendship onscreen and that Brian was going to be sticking around more than just for this one episode. I still think he'd be a very interesting character to explore.

But back to Luke & Noah, who'd headed to Old Town, where Noah told Luke how proud he is of him for showing up after how he'd been acting. Luke admitted that he'd been kind of down and Noah told him that he'd finally seemed like himself again.

Noah asked if Luke was really going to get back to work on the foundation and Luke said that he was, that there was a lot of work to be done and no reason to wait to do it.

The following conversation took place on a bench in Old Town, with the two speaking softly, leaning in to each other, holding hands, sharing little touches, and then kissing. It was, in other words, very romantic, sweet, sexy, and just what Luke & Noah should be about:

Noah: You know who you reminded me of today?

Luke: Who?

Noah: The guy I first met. The first thing I remember about you is just how comfortable you were in your own skin, and that was so amazing to me.

Luke: Well, you were pretty amazing to me, too.

Noah: I was a mess! I was half in the closet and half in denial. I was lucky if I remembered my own name.

Luke: Yeah, but I knew you'd get past that.

Noah: If I did, it was because of you. And watching you go through all of this, I just wanted to tell you that you are still the man you were when we first met. I didn't know how to help you get it back, but you did it yourself, today.

Luke: So you're proud of me?

Noah: Yeah, I already told you.

Luke: Why don't you show me?

Noah: Yeah? Why don't you come back to the dorm and let me?

(they kiss)

Luke: All right, but don't expect to be getting any studying done.

(they kiss again)

Yes! Scenes like this one make me forget everything bad that has ever happened in the entire history of Nuke. The chemistry between Van & Jake has a life of its own and when they're given a scene like this, it sets the screen on fire.

Together, they're like nothing we've ever seen before between two men on daytime TV and for all the venting I've done about this show recently, the fact that they do give us the occasional scene like this needs to be commended. I worried that once Luke & Noah had finally made love they wouldn't really be written romantically any more, that it would all be left off screen. Today proved otherwise.

I'll be back later tonight with my thoughts on Milk!

Idol Talk

Not surprisingly, Adam Lambert made it into the Top 11 tonight on American Idol. I honestly wasn't too worried, given his amazing performance and a few pretty bad performances by some of his fellow competitors.

I love that he chose a song about equality and that he sang it so well. I think it's quite possible he was sending a personal message with the choice, and I'm hardly the only one who has mentioned this in the online world today.

AfterElton had a post about Adam's performance and Brian Juergens raised an important point:

"It's interesting that as we get to know the contestants better as the pool is whittled down, we learn nothing about Lambert other than that he lives in LA and has supportive parents. We asked the show directly if Lambert is openly gay and were told that the show doesn't comment on the sexuality of its contestants. Funny, because most of the other competitors have mentioned their spouses, children, significant others, etc. in their bio videos.

Is Lambert being given that opportunity, or is the decision being made for him? At this point, seeing as how he's a likely bet for the finals, we may never know. "

Honestly, I tend to fast forward through all of those personal videos except for Adam's, but even in high speed I noticed the abundance of everyone else's personal life in their videos and the lack of it in Adam's.

I'm hoping that before the competition is over, Adam will be able to show off his boyfriend (assuming he's seeing someone), maybe in one of those videos or perhaps sitting in the crowd and identified onscreen, like other contestant's partners and family are.

Will this happen? It doesn't seem likely, but then again, there is a first time for everything and the farther Adam goes in this competition the more barriers he can break down.

The big twist they mentioned is that the judges now have the chance to overrule the vote and save someone from elimination, but they can only do so once all season and it has to be unanimous among the four of them.

As I said yesterday, I'm new to the show so no change is very shocking to me. I honestly think it might work better altogether if they changed the whole system and after America voted each week the judges had to pick who to eliminate out of the bottom two each week, at least until it was down to the top 5 and then America could have final say for the remaining weeks.

I can't believe I actually put thought into how American Idol should work! I said yesterday that I'd gone over to the dark side completely and didn't even care, but the truth of the matter is that I haven't actually told anyone I know that I'm watching the show. I'm a total closet Idol watcher.

On another subject, Milk arrived in the mail today from Netflix, so I'll finally get to see the film! I'll write about that tomorrow. I'll also be writing about As The World Turns, since it's a Luke & Noah day, the first post-murder mystery crapfest Nuke day, in fact! I saw in the preview at the end of today's show that Brian will be back tomorrow, too, which I think is great. I know it's only a brief return, but I can't wait to see what's been happening with him since he finally came out.

All About Adam

There are no words for how fantastic Adam Lambert's performance was tonight on American Idol. Seriously, it was just unbelievable. I thought he'd brought down the house with Satisfaction a couple of weeks ago, but tonight blew that right out of the water. It was Michael Jackson night on the show and Adam chose to do Black Or White. It was a great choice and he just completely killed with the song. It was... wow. Just, no words. Incredibly sexy performance.

I was starting to wonder if my crush on him was coloring my perception of how good he really is as a vocalist and a performer, since that has been known to happen in the past with me. I'll have a little celebrity crush on someone and convince myself that they're a fantastic actor or singer or whatever, and only later, when the crush has faded, do I realize that they weren't nearly as great as I'd thought, that it was mostly just good looks coupled with passable talent.

I'm convinced now, though, that crush or not Adam is the real thing. The judges all agreed, too, with Simon saying he was in a different league from the others and the rest saying things like he could record an album right now and go to the top of the charts and that they're amazed someone hasn't already scooped him up and made him a recording star before this. They also praised him for being himself, which I loved since that's part of why I think he's so awesome.

Kara even said that she hoped Michael Jackson was watching the show, though surely at 27 Adam is a way too old for him? (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

Honestly, it was like watching a group of amateur performances, some of them very good, some not, and then having a honest to God superstar show up and perform in the middle of it all.

I think my favorite part, aside from the entire performance itself, was Adam's very genuine reaction to the judges. He got teary eyed during Paula's praise (or should I say outright adulation?) and it just made me love him even more, if that's even possible.

I don't think I have to be nervous at all about Adam's chances, but I'll probably worry a bit until he's safely through to the next round. They said that two people will be eliminated tomorrow night, instead of the usual one, and that they'll be announcing something that will totally change the shape of the competition. Given that the whole thing is new to me, I guess it won't be too much of a shock, whatever it is.

I've been writing this with the phone in the crook of my shoulder, hitting redial over and over to vote for Adam. I've totally gone over to the dark side and I don't even care. It really seems possible that we might have an openly gay American Idol in the near future!

Which reminds me, the L.A. Times has an article that addresses Adam and the history of gay contestants on the show. The title of it is 'American Idol Needs to Open the Closet Door', which should give you an idea of their point of view. It's not just about the show keeping gay contestants closeted, though, its also about them whitewashing every aspect of these contestants lives that don't 'fit' with the show's image:

"Idol's" closet contains much more than sexuality, though. It includes language differences, religious affiliation and its contestants' complex family lives. The daring Lambert might break down the wall of homophobia this season, but it's just as likely one of the show's several Christian worship leaders, including Lambert's main male rival Danny Gokey will push the producers to let fundamentalist Christianity out of the box in which it's not very well contained.

Or perhaps this year's outlier will be Jorge Nuñez, making a mark for the Latino community by insisting on singing songs in Spanish. Then there's Scott MacIntyre, who is legally blind, and who might keep forcing the producers to adjust to a front-runner with an obvious disability."

I feel like I picked a really good time to start watching this pop cultural phenomenon that I'd successfully avoided for so long.

Jackson, Lambert, Westwick

I just saw the news that Glee, the upcoming Fox show that I'm already very excited about, just got even better: out hottie Cheyenne Jackson will be guest starring in an early episode. Excellent! The downside is that I was thinking the show would begin its run this spring and I found out that only the pilot will be airing this May, after American Idol. The series won't officially start until next fall.

Ah, well. I guess good things are worth waiting for, right?

Speaking of American Idol, I'm really looking forward to seeing Adam Lambert perform again tomorrow night! I'm glad that the Wild Card thing didn't take a whole week, like I'd thought, but just one night last week. I'm excited to see what Adam does next.

I was going to mention, by the way, that Entertainment Weekly online had a Q&A with the Top 13 (they added an extra singer, so it's no longer the Top 12) and asked Adam Lambert if he was ready for people digging into his past (a polite way to reference the photos of him kissing another guy). Adam's response:

"I feel fine. I know who I am. I'm an honest guy, and I'm just going to keep singing."

I love this man!

Another guy I love, if you'll recall, is Ed Westwick. Not enough to watch his show, I admit, but enough to love seeing pictures of him online and to scour YouTube for clips of him speaking in his real life sexy as hell British accent.

Anyway, there have been rumors before about Ed and his co-star/roommate, Chace Crawford, being romantically involved. In fact, Joy Behar on The View even asked about it a couple of months ago and interestingly enough, the guys just sort of laughed but never said one way or another if it was true or not. (They have, though, said in other interviews that they are straight).

The reason I bring this up is that Ed has caused quite the stir by getting very friendly with a male companion at a Knicks game. From what I was just reading, Howard Stern (who was at the same game) even mentioned it on his radio show.

So, of course, I had to see the pictorial evidence.
They do look pretty cozy together. Even if there's nothing going on with them beyond friendship, I'd love to be pals with Ed if that's how he treats his buddies!

Honestly, though, it's really nice to see two guys being so affectionate together in public. Yes, of course it raises all sorts of speculation (and gets a lot of peoples hopes up!), but so what? It's not Ed or his friend's fault that most guys are too uptight to display any emotion except anger towards another man.

I almost kind of hope Ed is completely straight, because then I'd love him even more for being so awesome. Only almost, though, because who wouldn't want Ed playing for their team?

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

I just finished watching the film Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist and I really enjoyed it a lot. I wasn't sure if it would be any good or not, but I knew that the Young Adult novel it was based on was very gay inclusive and the previews I'd seen looked pretty good.

Other than a tiny bit of bathroom humor (quite literally), I thought it was pretty much a perfect film of its type. I just kind of wanted to wrap myself up in it and live it for awhile.

It was definitely gay inclusive, with three of the main characters being gay, and there were a few really sweet scenes between the gay couple in the film and one fantastic scene between one of the gay characters and his straight friend that I think is destined to be a classic scene.

Michael Cera & Kat Dennings were perfect as the title characters and there wasn't a single person miscast. Ari Graynor was especially great and quite the scene stealer as Caroline. I think I can honestly say that I've never seen anyone play drunk as well, certainly not in a comedic performance.

Also, where have Jonathan B. Wright & Rafi Gavron been hiding?! They were so perfect together as 'Beefy Guy' and Dev, I totally had a crush on them as a couple. Wright looks like a blond Josh Hartnett, too, which gives him high marks in my book.

The only thing the movie was lacking was a kiss between the guys, though they did have some nice romantic moments. I watched some of the commentary and heard that Dev did have a kiss with a guy in the crowd during the concert at the beginning, but it didn't make it into the film.

What I really loved about the movie, though, was that the gay characters were just people. They weren't stereotypes or there to serve a specific purpose or deliver a message, and there wasn't even a huge deal made about their sexuality, they were just characters who happened to be gay. I think one of my favorite things was when 'Beefy Guy' fixes Nick's car, clearly being at home under the hood. That's not an image that most people have of gay guys and not one you really see in films. Even better, it was a gay character who defended the group's honor at the end against the obnoxious (straight) jerk.

We really need more movies like this one which depict LGBT people so casually, as people first instead of walking, talking, sexual orientations.

If you haven't seen the movie, you should rent it. I was feeling pretty down before I watched it and it totally lifted my spirits. I'm going to have to buy a copy for myself, since I know I'll want to watch it again & again.

Bad Times

This isn't the typical Seth in the City post, but I've got a lot on my mind tonight and I thought I'd just purge a bit of it in blog form.

This economic mess we're in seems to be getting worse by the day and I don't think there is anyone out there who is unaffected by it. I've certainly not been immune. For the last month, the store I work for has had to drastically slash hours for all non full time employees (which is most of the staff) and a lot of us are trying to get by on 12-16 hours a week at the moment, which is of course impossible.

The truly awful part is that it's not expected to improve any time soon. The only way we will be able to get more hours is if people start quitting and there are fewer employees to spread the hours among. Of course, no one can quit because there aren't any other jobs out there!

This was bad enough, but this week we lost two co-workers, both of whom have worked at our store for years, to layoffs. One of these women had worked for the company for about a decade and the other for nearly eight years, and just like that they were unemployed.

I have an awful feeling that this just the beginning and that more layoffs, or even store closures, will follow before long, and I feel like everything I've known for the last several years is suddenly unstable, that the life I've built for myself since leaving home is hanging by a thread.

It's an incredibly scary feeling, and one that many people all over the country are living with on a daily basis. I've just finally joined the club.

Out of Our Misery

Thank God its finally over! I'm referring, of course, to this putrid storyline on As the World Turns, which seems to have reached its conclusion at last. Even though the story moved just a tad quicker than the speed of light, it still feels as if it lasted an eternity somehow. I guess this is because I usually fast forward the scenes that are this terrible, but this time I was stuck actually watching every minute of them, thanks to Luke & Noah's presence.

It ended just in time, too, because today's episode irritated me so much that I actually felt angry. I've often used the expression "I wanted to throw something at the TV" but I don't think I've ever literally wanted to throw something at the TV before today!

All right, let's take a look at this mess for the last time. Today started out with Luke & Noah at Java, talking everything over yet again. Kevin showed up and Luke expressed his sympathy over Elwood's death, given that he & Kevin were friends. Wait, what? Last we heard, Elwood lived across the hall from Kevin in the dorm and Kevin agreed to keep an eye on him for Luke. Since when were they ever friends?! They can't even keep things straight from day to day in this story.

Kevin seemed a bit nervous, especially when Luke revealed that Matt's car was the one the forced Elwood off the bridge. He left without even buying any coffee after saying something odd about hoping the police won't catch Matt.

Noah suddenly makes the leap that Kevin's odd behavior means that he might have figured out who the real killer is. Okay, yeah, because that's logical! I know that when any of my friends are acting a bit off, I assume they've just solved a crime.

What really made me want to toss a brick through the TV, though, was the next scene, where Noah declared that his suspicions of Kevin aren't just about how he was acting that day, but about how he ran his sleazy campaign. Luke defends Kevin, saying that was more Mark's doing than Kevin's, but Noah thinks Kevin should have reigned in his friends. Noah tells Luke that he knows Luke really wants to trust Kevin, but that he needs to let that go before someone else gets killed.

Again, what?! Last week, Noah was chiding Luke for being so suspicious of Kevin and saying that he thought Kevin was being sincere. Now we've got this whole inexplicable role reversal from out of nowhere. It's almost like Van and Jake accidentally switched parts for this scene and are reading each other's lines. That's the only thing that would make this actually work in the context of the story. But then again, this story has already failed in every other respect, so why am I surprised by this latest development?

Meanwhile, Margo & the cops find Matt's car and because the lock was forced and the SUV was hot wired, Margo uses those finely honed detective skills to determine that Matt couldn't be the killer. Why would he need to hot wire his own car? Um, to back up his story that it was stolen, maybe? I know Matt is innocent, but that's about the worst police work ever there, Margo.

Mark showed up at the hospital and overheard Margo telling Alison that she thinks Matt is innocent. Mark forced Alison to come with him by saying that he's got Casey (who has been released from jail) and will hurt him if Alison doesn't cooperate. Mark's plan, it seems, is to inject Alison (a former drug addict) with enough drugs to cause her to OD and then frame Matt for her death.

Casey, who thinks Alison is in danger from Matt, calls Luke & Noah when he can't find her. He tells them that his mom thinks Matt is innocent and is using Alison to lure him out of hiding. Once Luke & Noah hear that Margo doesn't think Matt killed Elwood, they realize that the only other person who knew about the meeting was Kevin. Noah thinks he's the killer, but Luke doesn't think his old friend is capable of murder. They decide to go and ask him, since it's a well known fact that if you ask a killer if they did it, they're obligated to answer honestly.

Luke & Noah have no trouble finding Kevin at Al's, where he's just finishing up a voice mail to Mark, telling him that the cops are still looking for Matt. Kevin denies that he was talking to 'M', but Noah grabs his phone and sees that his last call was to Mark. Kevin confesses that Mark is the killer and that he himself just found out, but didn't tell anyone because Mark is his friend and he was afraid he'd try and hurt himself.

Luke & Noah convince Kevin that he's got to turn Mark in before he hurts someone else. Mark, after having his plot to kill Alison foiled by Matt, calls Kevin needing money, presumably to get out of town. Kevin agrees to meet him on the bridge where Elwood died (since all the cool kids are going there), and Noah does the first smart anyone has done since this story started and calls Margo to tell her where Mark will be.

Then, of course, our amateur detectives decide that Mark may not show himself if he doesn't see Kevin, so the three of them set out for the bridge together. Luke & Noah try, quite pathetically, to squat down out of sight at one end of the bridge, but Mark, not being blind, sees them and demands to know why Kevin brought them along. Kevin says that he wants to help Mark before someone else gets hurt, and Mark takes that as his cue to hit Kevin with a giant lead pipe that he was oh so craftily hiding behind his back.

Noah manages to get the pipe away from Mark, who leaps up onto the railing of the bridge. Noah yells that the cops are coming and that Mark is sick and needs help. Mark then drops the F bomb, saying "You faggots think I'm sick?" Oh, good, that's just what this story was missing! For the record, that's the third time since Luke came out that they've used that particular expression. I doubt that any soap these days, even in depicting a storyline about racism, would use the N word, but there we are. Yes, I know a homophobe like Mark would use this word, but it's still like a punch to the gut even hearing it on TV, especially in a piece of shit story like this.

Long story short, Mark slips and falls off the bridge, but Luke & Noah pull him up to safety just as Margo and the cops finally show up (must have been heavy traffic on the way from the station, or maybe they couldn't find their car keys?) and arrest Mark.

To make this whole farce even more like an episode of a really bad sitcom about bumbling detectives, they even end the story with a punchline:

Margo: Next time you want to play cops, why don't you apply to the academy.

Luke: Only if I get to be Starsky.

Noah: You are so totally Hutch.

Margo: I withdraw the statement.

Yes, it made me laugh, mostly because Jake & Van pulled it off in a really cute way, but at the same time, it reminded me of the way this story was sold just before it started. The preview was that the guys were going to be involved in a 'light hearted murder mystery'. Light hearted? I guess they were referring to that joke at the end, because the rest was far from it.

It's finally over, though, and if it didn't manage to drive away all fans of Luke & Noah for good its due to the talent of Van & Jake alone.

Glee

I was just reading that Kristin Chenoweth has been cast in a recurring role in Glee, an upcoming musical comedy from Fox centering around 'the worst high school glee club in America'. You know I completely adore Kristin and the show will also star someone else I've been hoping to see more of: Broadway vet and As the World Turns alum Matthew Morrison. The generally awesome (and openly gay) Victor Garber will also be in the cast.

Just reading the description, I think it would be a show I'd want to catch even if the cast were completely unknown to me. Knowing that Kristin will be involved and will get to sing just makes my day! I can't wait. I do wonder what this means for Legally Mad, the David E. Kelley pilot she was starring in. It sounds like Glee will be ready to debut this spring, though, and Legally Mad wouldn't be on until next fall if it's even picked up. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to what sounds like Ally McBeal revisited, although I would of course tune in for Kristin alone.

I'm really looking forward to Glee, though, and I just wish it were already May so I could see it for myself!

Lambert and Fonda and Hansis (oh my!)

First of all, I'm sure if you read any gay blogs online you've probably seen the pictures that have surfaced of American Idol's Adam Lambert kissing another guy.

There wasn't any real doubt for most people that he was gay, of course. I've been hoping he'd be the first American Idol contestant to be out while on the show (and hopefully the first openly gay winner!) and I'd say that these pictures have taken a step in that direction. Some of the comments I've read are speculating the the pictures will turn people against him and he'll be voted out early. I think that even before the pictures came up, people had to strongly suspect he was gay and he still made it in to the top 12.

Besides, you can't be a fan of Luke & Noah on As the World Turns without realizing just how many women and teenage girls love the idea of gay men! I think the only people who'd be alienated by this would be those of the religious right, and they weren't likely to vote for him anyway.

I'm not foolish enough to think that this show is actually all about talent, but I think it does play a large part and Adam certainly has plenty of it. I'll be voting for him and I'm sure many both in and out of the gay community will, too.

I debated posting the pictures or not, but in the end I decided that Adam is clearly out and proud in his life outside of Idol and I honestly don't think he's going to trying and pretend to be straight while on the show, so why not?

Vote Adam! Vote Often!

Towleroad has an exclusive conversation between Kevin Sessums (whose memoir, Mississippi Sissy, I read last month and really enjoyed), the incomparable Jane Fonda, and playwright/director Moises Kaufman. Fonda will be starring in Kaufman's new Broadway play, 33 Variations, which opens on March 9th. The whole conversation is excellent, covering both the play and a variety of other topics, including Harvey Milk, Prop 8, and Fonda's lack of status as a gay Icon:

KS: And yet, Jane, you never in your amazing career ever became a gay icon like many actresses.

JF: No. I didn’t. I haven’t. And I know why. It’s because I have never been conscious of my presence. All the gay icons have very, very strong physical and emotional presences. Katharine Hepburn didn’t like this about me. When we were filming On Golden Pond she used to take my cheek in her hand and say, “This is your box. What do you want to say with it?” I never really gave a fuzzy rat’s ass about that aspect of it all. I never had that kind of persona. I was never confident enough. I just didn’t look the right way.

KS: But you always came off — in all your evolved selves — as a confident person. Many gay icons have a heightened vulnerability about them. You’ve never seemed vulnerable as part of your public persona. Well, maybe you had a Klute-like vulnerability to you at times.

JF: (laughs) I know what you’re saying. But it’s just not my style to be a gay icon. I wish it were. I think it would be a hoot because most of my friends are gay.

I've always loved Jane Fonda, ever since I adored the movie 9 to 5 as a kid, even though most of the issues it was highlighting went way over my head. To me it was just a fun movie with all sorts of crazy action sequences and even a bit of animation! Watching it as an adult, I appreciate it even more.

I really wish I could see her on stage! From reading this conversation, 33 Variations sounds like a fascinating play.

Finally, I forgot to mention yesterday that Van Hansis has been pre-nominated for a Daytime Emmy for his portrayal of Luke on As the World Turns. Each show's cast and crew vote amongst themselves to put forward two actors or actresses in each category for pre-noms and then the actual Emmy Nominees are selected from among those people.

If you'll recall, Van has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy the last two years in a row, each time in the Outstanding Younger Actor category for those under the age of 25. This year, Van is no longer eligible for that award but the cast & crew have put him forward in the Best Supporting Actor category, which is an even bigger honor, especially coming from the people he works with.

It remains to be seen, of course, if he'll receive an actual nomination, but I think that they'd be foolish not to recognize his work. As bad as the writing usually is, Van manages to spin gold from it all the time.

Congratulations, Van! I hope the third time proves to be the charm.

Some Good News?

In my earlier post bemoaning all things As the World Turns, I forgot to include the good news that the new twins, Zac and Zoe, have been officially cast. It remains to be seen if the rumors about Zac being a gay character who is involved in a triangle with Luke & Noah will be true, but I'm really excited about the story possibilities involved. If nothing else, it would mean a third current gay male character on daytime TV, which would be great.

They don't show up until April 1st, so we've still got a bit of wait. Zac will be played by Nicholas Galbraith, who is the guy on the right in this photo:
I can definitely see him coming between Luke & Noah for awhile! What a hottie. (AfterElton has some even hotter pics here) So, stayed tuned. With this and the return of Damian coming up, things can only get better... right?

The World Can't Keep Turning Like This

Things are continuing to move at warp speed on As The World Turns, which somehow makes the fact that this is a poorly written story all the more obvious. I guess the consolation is that it also means it will be over that much sooner.

Today, Luke & Noah ran into Elwood at Al's, the local diner, and Elwood got in Luke's face for a change, wondering what gave him the right to break into his dorm room. Luke countered with the old standby that Elwood killed Reg and that Luke found the evidence he needed to prove it in his room and gave it to the cops.

Why then, Elwood wondered, was Casey in jail instead of him? (FYI, the drugs that Casey planted in Elwood's backpack ended up in Casey's own bag somehow, so Margo had to arrest her own son for like the forty second time)

Luke has been written as impulsive, stubborn, and self destructive at times, but he's usually also written as an intelligent person, which is why I had a problem with Luke informing Elwood that the cops are holding Casey as a ploy to catch the real drug dealers. If that were true, Luke would be giving the game away, so clearly he'd either be stupid for revealing this or stupid for thinking that Elwood would buy it.

At any rate, Luke's parting shot, that the police knew who M was, apparently struck a chord with Elwood. Noah and Luke then proceeded to have the same conversation they've been having for the last few weeks, Noah wanting Luke to drop this and stay safe and Luke needing justice for the loss of his dearest offscreen friend Reg.

I did like that in the midst of this, the boys exchanged "I love yous" more than once, as in "I love you and I don't want you to get hurt", "I love you, too, and I won't", etc. It's still really nice to hear them talking like that.

Anyway, Kevin showed up to ask about Casey's arrest and Luke informed him that Elwood and Matt were the real culprits. Just then, Elwood called Luke's cell and told him that he was right, and that they needed to meet. Elwood wanted to confess but couldn't go to the police and risk going back to prison. Luke assured him that he'd go to the police on his behalf and that they'd probably give him a deal for turning in 'M'.

They arranged to meet on a bridge and Luke called up Alison to tell her the good news. Alison, who has been seeing Matt, told Casey the news and promised Luke that she wouldn't tell anyone else. Which, of course, lead into the scene where Matt called her and she told him everything about the meeting, since she thought Elwood would be able to clear him and Casey both by revealing who 'M' really is.

Noah went along with Luke and as soon as Elwood started walking towards them on the bridge an SUV came out of nowhere and headed straight for Elwood. It missed, but only because Elwood jumped off the bridge to get out of the way.

Luke & Noah got down to the rocks under the bridge where Elwood landed and attempted to revive him, but it was no use. The poor plot point was dead.

Meanwhile, back at the diner, Alison was surprised to see Kevin's campaign manager Mark suddenly reappear. How subtle of the show to abruptly introduce another shady character with an M name just now! Mark, in addition to being a homophobe who put up nasty videos about Luke online over Kevin's objection, also nearly raped Alison when she was spying on the campaign for Luke.

He's apparently just been released from the Psych Ward and wants to make amends with Alison. After Kevin showed up and apologized to Alison for not bothering to see how she was doing after his friends nearly raped her a few months back, Mark made it clear to him that he's interested in Alison, in spite of that whole silly attempted rape thing.

Matt soon arrived out of breath and informed Ali that his car was stolen. Margo, meanwhile, took Luke & Noah to the station as her only witnesses in Elwood's murder and they gave her a description of the SUV and Noah managed to recall the last three numbers on the license plate. The guys broke the bad news to Casey and to Ali after she showed up with Matt to report his car as stolen.

It was then, of course, that Margo returned to announce that the car that killed Elwood is registered to Matt, who of course has vanished from the station. How, they wonder, did Matt even know about the meeting? Ali confessed her part in that and realized that Casey was right all along and Matt is a bad guy.

Which, of course, he's not. There's no mystery here at all, since the otherwise pointless reintroduction of Mark means that he's going to be the killer. No doubt Kevin, who was there when Elwood called Luke, mentioned the meeting to Mark, innocently or otherwise, and probably also mentioned Luke's suspicions of Matt as well, giving him someone to frame.

So, in the end, this whole story will come down to four or five minor characters who hadn't been seen or mentioned in months being brought back to be killed off, suspected of foul play, or found guilty of it, and all of it will have been more or less pointless.

The writing for Luke & Noah has never been all that great, of course, but it was easier to take when the stories were about them as a couple. This is the first story that they're in where it doesn't really revolve around their relationship, the first story that's more like all the rest of the stories on this show, which I generally fast forward through.

The acting talent that is wasted on all this bad writing is what makes this even more of a travesty. There are more than a few actors and actresses in daytime who aren't exactly great thespians, but the cast of As the World Turns actually has enormous talent being squandered.

It's way past time for some flesh blood in the writing department on this show. If the recent rumors that the Executive Producer has been rewriting a lot of the stories himself are true, then it's obviously time for a change there as well.

Honestly, with how bad the show has become in general over these past few years and how low the ratings are dropping, I'm shocked there hasn't been a change already. Soaps don't have the luxury of being badly written for long periods of time when they're all more or less fighting for their lives.