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Gays of our Lives (March 30, 2009)SOAP STUD OF THE WEEK Cristian Vega is one of those typical temperamental artists. You know the kind that look incredibly hot splattered with paint. That kind. And never mind worrying about stained shirts because he usually didn’t wear one.
David Fumero, (Cristian, One Life To Live) But with all the women in and out of his life (this man’s door is a turnstile), he’s much too busy to get any painting done. To be fair, Cristian was a famous artist ... until he faked his death and came back a brainwashed assassin. Hey, you can’t make this stuff up – and why would you when soap writers do it for you?
This forced Cristian into boxing for a period of time, but, alas, that didn’t work out when his manager tried to let him take the fall in a boxing scandal. Fortunately, his lady lawyer got him cleared of the charges which naturally led to their falling in love. That ended when she fell into a coma, but like most soap opera studs, he grieved for a few weeks before moving on and falling in love with a woman he met in prison. (Don't ask.) Basically Christian is a babe magnet, but those babes are usually nothing but disaster. He really should go back to painting as life was much simpler then. He wore less clothes, too. for all those reasons and more, he is our SOAP STUD OF THE WEEK.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Submitted by on Sun, 2009-03-29 20:07. |
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Great column, as usual
First, thank you SO much for the interview with Dennis Grabosch--he is a terrific spokesman for the gay community and a wonderful actor; perhaps if he settles down with his husband in London he could land some work in UK or US films--I'd love to see more of him!
And thanks for the spoiler pics from Les Bleus! I'm beside myself with anticipation to see the new episodes. I love this show and Nicolas Gob's portrayal of Kevin so much!
As I don't follow Y&R, I guessed Kevin Fisher, simply because I think he's hot--but hasn't he been involved with various women over the years?
Yes....
AFAIK, all the men currently on the show have had relationships with women to varying degrees, including Kevin, who is currently married. So whoever the guy turns out to it'll turn out to be a situation where he either A) has been hiding that he is gay all this time or B) is just now discovering that he is gay and we'll see that struggle play out. My guess is that it'll be the latter.
I'm looking forward to Les Bleus as well and I really enjoyed the interview with DG. I've done a few since starting this column and I gotta say I think his was my favorite.
Hopefully one day, we'll
Hopefully one day, we'll get a U.S. soap actor to give the same kind of interview that Dennis Grabosch gave. He sounds like a fun and naughty lad. His comment about doing an all-gay episode of AWZ was really funny.
The CLARA SHILLER clip is beyond HOT! Gilles is an Adonis, and what CS has is really is a well-told and complex story. There's no villain in it and the characters are just trying to do the best they can with their given situation.
It's a shame that a year ago both HOLLYOAKS and VERBOTENE LIEBE were on a high with their JP/Kieron and Ollian stories, respectively. JP/Kieron was a great love story but this Kris/Nancy/Ravi is just a hot mess. Who do you root for in this triangle?
As for VL, it's almost 1 year since Christian admitted his love for Olli and now we just see them as scenery on VL. Here's hoping that will change soon.
Superb work as always, Anthony. Thanks!
Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!
"Screaming like a school girl" would not begin to describe my reaction to the last part of the Clara Sheller clip. I am hoping with all my might that they'll release this season on DVD with English subtitles so I can have it in my collection!
On a more somber note, Hollyoaks has really fallen by the waysides since the John Paul era. If they're serious about getting their ratings back, they need to create something more sensational and realistic than the three-way boredom from hell.
P.S. Les Bleus! I missed you!
Visit my blog: http://darkesaint.wordpress.com/
Take a break and explore the world of hedonism and pleasure-seeking!
Chuckles!
Great, as always.
Very insightful interview with Dennis Grabosch, he is kind of cheeky isnt he?
Great news about Les Blues. Exited about Damians return, its about the only thing that will get me interested in that show.
On Y&R, those spoilers are a dead giveaway. What makes you think its him? It would be great! Much better than his recent involvements, but I would have thought about a much obvious and recent addition to the cast. Oh well, awaiting expectantly.
Thanks again.
Thanks!
I'm loving the Damian's return storyline. It's such a treat to have Paolo back. Damian has always been one of my favorites and the story hasn't hit a false note yet, even if it's moving a bit too fast. I do hope Holden will be more involved though, though I have the feeling that it'll mostly be about Lily and Luke, which makes sense, but the Holden/Lily/Damain triangle was a big one back in the day.
As for Y&R, the character I'm thinking of is also supposed to have a major new storyline coming up, according to the show. That's what pointed me in his direction. But we'll see. There are other possibilites.
I'm just thrilled that Y&R is going to do this, even though the last thing I need is another TV show to have to follow. LOL! But, I'm very confident that it'll be well done. Y&R is probably the best soap airing right now so the writing will be there. They have excellent production values. And since Sony in part owns the show and not P&G, it's unlikely they'll have to deal with the same issues and restrictions that ATWT has.
Y&R is even more constricted
In the early 90s, ATWT had an interracial romance between Jessica and Duncan that was very popular with fans. In the late 90s, Y&R had an interracial romance which caused death threats, hate mail, and the ending of the storyline (which wasn't that great anyway).
Y&R had a lesbian story in the 70s, with Katherine Chancellor and a younger woman she befriended, but the story was ended abruptly due to ratings loss.
Y&R is still a very conservative show. the men are either arrogant jerks or complete weaklings. The women are either psychotic, pathetic, victims, or some combination of all three. The black characters are segregated in a shockingly blatant manner. I just hope they will do a better job with their gay story than they have with any pro-female or racially progressive stories in the past few years.
I will definitely be
I will definitely be watching the Y&R story with interest.
It concerns me, a little bit, because the Bell family are all staunch conservative Republicans and have somehow created a fashion world on B&B that's totally devoid of gay people.
Loving DG
Love DG. His passionate opinions on being out and being political are always a pleasure to read. And though it is not politically correct, I can't help but love his little digs at "unsexy bisexual" :D
You should totally make another interview with him where you chide him on not giving away any hints about Roman getting a new story. I would actually an all gay episode. AWZ is actually crazy enough that that might work. They have had some hilarious and out there dream sequences before.
Very interesting news about Y&R. Have they confirmed that it's going to be a guy?
As for VL, while I am pretty much the top person to complain about the state of VL in general and the state of Ollian in particular, I do think that you are doing the Ollian advice stories wrong. The Gregor and Luise storyline, albeit slow and old fashioned is one of the few things that is working on VL. With Luise as the new core princess of the show being heralded as pretty much the best new addition the show has had since ages. I can see why it might not be completely satisfying because so far Gregor mostly gets to be clueless while it is more HER storyline than his (all very classic, princess in a golden cage, yearning for freedom, fighting her oppressive caretaker, angsting because she thinks Gregor and Rebecca got back together, etc)I was actually predisposed to not liking her very much (I'm dubious about the new aristocratic isfocus and I was very fond of Gregor's chemistry with ex-wife Sarah, but I even have to concede that the actress is excellent and very charming).
As for Olivia and Sebastian? I don't really like how Olivia is currently written in this storyline, but their chemistry was excellent during their short winter storyline where Olivia fell in love with him when he tried to teach her fine table manners My Fair Lady style. And the storyline where Olivia teamed up with Lydia and Rebecca to save Sebastian's life was at least amusing. (as for why she would want him, well, he is the spawn of the aristocratic family; and money has and fame has always been an excellent motivator for Olivia;)
Lola...I agree with you
Lola...I agree with you regarding the Gregor and princess storyline. Although i'm not a lover of these type of sugary sweet fairytale type stories, it's not all that bad. And the actress who plays the princess Luise is a decent and likeable actress.
I don't really like the role Olivia is playing at the moment, running after Sebastian like some crazed woman. I think the actress who plays Olivia deserves a better storyline and more screen time since she is one of the better actors on the show. I know she's often written as a pretty selfish character, but right now she just comes across as a nasty person that not many people want to be around.
As for the wonderful Christian and Olli...as much as I would love for them to have an on going storyline, I also undrstand it doesn't work that way on SOAPS. There are many other storylines which are now in progress. In fact, i'm just happy to see Ollian still getting a far amount of screen time even though they are clearly secondary characters at the moment. Plus...I would rather wait a while for the writers to come up with something decent for Ollian, than to have any rubbish thrown out to the audience just for the sake of having them be in a storyline.
I have faith that the writers will do the characters good when their story is ready to be up front again. And from seeing the last few episodes, especially todays with the guys shown so much in love, something I think is deliberate on the writers part, I have a feeling trouble in paradise is on its way for their next story.
Great work this week - some thoughts
The Dennis interview is really something. I love his sense of humor and his bluntness! I love that he says he wants to sleep with all the cute men on his show, and maybe some of the women. The only part I don't agree with is that the relationship with Deniz ended based on Deniz being bisexual. 1) Deniz's sexuality confuses the hell out of me, as he still identified as gay even after his relationship with Vanessa 2) Deniz being bisexual wasn't the problem with Roman, it was Deniz being immature, while Roman was too insecure about a relationship he sensed wasn't going to last. As hot as they were together, I'm more than happy for Roman to move on, and I hope this story with the man who bashed him is going to lead to good drama and romance. Is this definitely going to be a romance? Meanwhile, don't you think the Deniz stories are a mess? He routinely goes from saccharine insta-love to being a scheming brat. Nothing in between. Wasn't this character once one of the most well-crafted on the show?
As for Hollyoaks, honestly I don't think they have had any good gay stories since the time John Paul came out and was dating Spike. His relationship with Craig was very seedy and wrecked both characters. His relationship with Kieron was all plot, no romance, and had a very sour, plot-driven ending. His reunion with Craig was blink and you missed it, ignoring most of the real reasons they broke up, with a remarkably wooden performance from James Sutton. They hid behind the popularity of the original story. Now they have nothing to hide behind, because Ravi/Kris/Nancy have nothing which has built them up. The most interesting part for me has been the reaction of Ravi's brother, who seems to be one of those, "If you're going to be with a man, be with a real man" types of pseudo-homophobes, and Nancy's reaction. I love that Nancy has taken this all as a wakeup call to finally try a more normal relationship. Her last normal relationship was with a tattoo artist who was over 10 years her senior. I hope she's going to get together with Russ. And I hope they won't take the failure of this story as an excuse to not have any gay or bisexual men around. I'd like to see them make Ravi's brother gay or bi. Or how about a middle-aged man, like Jack, Neville, or Mike. Or what about Darren?
They're not going to have Luke or Noah cheat with a woman, are they? Either of them cheating would bother me, but with a woman would bother me more, as they've both been established as gay and Noah, in spite of his quick, passionless relationship with Maddie, did not succumb to the temptation from Ameera.
Bisexual Deniz... but since
Bisexual Deniz... but since Vanessa Deniz has "been" with at least three other women. That Paris Hilton wannabe he one night stand slept with. That female client he had sex with and didn't want any money from and where he was crushed when she wasn't interested in him beyond a business arrangement (in harsh contrast to the male client he refused to have sex with despite the money being offered).
And of course Stella whom he fell for and has been puppy stalking rather consistently even though she has no interest in him whatsoever (he organized a huge circus performance for her, he encouraged her to follow her dream, he mopes when she is not around, he is jealous when he sees her with the guy she actually loves).
Sure it can all part of the "confusion" phase, but from DG's POV I can see why he might think "If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck... is is bisexual".
Personally I think subconciously Deniz runs after what he can have and gets bored immediately as soon as he gets it. Whether man or woman. I don't think that he is serious/capable having of any serious relationship anywhere in the near future. I think he will always like the tickle of the hunt and that includes women regardless of whom he has more fun in bed with.
Paris Hilton type
I didn't see that, is that on Youtube anywhere?
I agree that Deniz is probably bisexual, I just wasn't sure if he categorized himself that way. I don't really understand anything they're doing with Deniz, they seem to be wasting what was one of their more interesting and popular characters. Does he even have fans now?
I forgot her name. Long
I forgot her name. Long curly dark hair. The one who introduced Deniz to drugs and parties. They didn't show a sex scene but made it pretty clear that sex happened.
I think the last time the question came up was when Stella called Deniz on having been Roman Wild's boyfriend and I think he acted embarrassed and tried to brush it off. From the recap of Greenwich from the Decemeber 17th episode.
The follow-up to the above conversation (re: "Hey, are you still dating Roman Wild?") was Deniz telling Stella he wasn't gay, which would piss me off, except unlike the writers, I do remember what happened the last time he said that a bunch of times. So Deniz was all, "I was just curious, and women are better 'cause they're... uh, different". (I'm not making this up.)
After that the show followed up with Stella and Marian rolling their eyes. But it does sound like Deniz either doesn't *self* identify as gay anymore or rather that maybe he is very open to switching his self-declaration for his own purposes (trying to get into Stella's pants = I was just curious/experimenting; tying to piss of Marian and be rebellious = gay).
Thanks
I don't think he was on the
I don't think he was on the show back then already. From what I know he joined in January and that was in December. (plus add months between when something is first created and when it airs)
And it seems to me that Roman is getting a slightly better role recently, Roman and Deniz are interacting like normal people again when before it seemed like the show didn't even want them in the same room and of course the announcement that Roman might get a new man.
Besides
(1) Tom Chroust is not the headwriter like he was on VL. He has to write/execute what the headwriters tell him the story is.(and currently it might very well be that Deniz is needed in the Stella story which is the current most important story of AWZ probably)
(2) Tom Chroust was open about the fact that even though he would be open to writing a Roman story (note how he said Roman story and not Roman and Deniz story) he had been brought on mainly in order to write business intrigue stories for the Simone and the Steinkamps
(3) Personally, I don't get the impression that either DG or TC like Deniz much as a character. And I think the stories have generally soured fans too to the character and the pairing. The only reason (IMO) why there are still people rooting for it is because the show refuses to give Roman an alternative. Or rather so far the only alternative has been having no storyline at all for Roman. Who knows what will happen if Roman were to actually get a good NEW partner.
Thanks!
Well it's not like anybody
Well it's not like anybody is asking me. Personally, I don't care either way. They can salvage him, write him off or keep him around as joke, it's all the same to me really.
I just find it borderline homophobic that Deniz gets to have adventures with women all around while the show keeps on pretending that Roman is the only gay man in Essen (or that apparently he is so ugly that no gay man would look at him) and that his one chance for survival is to pine for Deniz to come around.
Corrie
Sean
Cotton...why!?!
Anthony...another terrific column.
I have to agree with you regarding Anthony Cotton and the Sean character he plays on Corre. Sean has to be one of, if not the worst gay characters on British TV. Yet, Sean appears to be one of the most popular and liked characters in a SOAP. Not an award show can go by without Cotton getting nominated for his role as Sean. And he's even won on several occasions.
Cotton himself cannot act his way out of a wet paper bag, and even when interviewed the man doesn't know how to conduct himself well.
Will someone please tell me
Will someone please tell me who the guy is you're pinpointing on Y&R? I haven't watched the show in ages and even when I did I couldn't describe the family trees...
It excites me, but like the other Anthony I don't necessarily need to add another show to my list. I already watch ATWT sparingly on lunch breaks.
ACW 09
twitter.com/anthonycw
Serious Objection to UK reference
Shameless
I love Mickey
I know some fans are annoyed that he's too comedic, but I think he's a great combination of tragedy and comedy. I feel sorry for him and his loneliness, but I enjoy laughing at what he's doing and how he reacts to situations. There's something so free about him, in spite of his being closeted. And he's so sexy. If I were Ian I would grab Mickey and never let him go.
gilles...
Now I'm trying to imagine
Watch Les bleus season 2 online
Dennis Grabosch and his husband Brent Magee (Photos)
Dennis Grabosch and his husband Brent Magee.
Portrait 1:
http://www.charlinerobichaud.com/portrait02_02.html
Portrait 2: http://www.charlinerobichaud.com/portrait02_03.html
Portrait 3: http://www.charlinerobichaud.com/portrait02_05.html
Brent Magee alone : http://www.charlinerobichaud.com/portrait02_01.html
Photos by CHARLINE ROBICHAUD
"Heterosexuality is not normal, it's just common." (Dorothy Parker)