We still haven't seen the heroic gay character that, when the chips are down, kicks down the door, shoots everybody and saves your butt.” In other words, now the gay character has to be an actual character. Break out the champagne, Martha! We’ve finally arrived!

INSERT CLEVER STAR TREK PUN HERE
Mr. Sulu has come out! Actor George Takei, in a new interview in Frontiers magazine, finally let’s the world know that he is gay. "The world has changed from when I was a young teen feeling ashamed for being gay," says the 68 year-old thespian, now starring in a Los Angeles production of Equus. He follows in the footsteps other gay television icons like Dick Sargent (Darren on Bewitched) and Robert Reed (Mr. Brady on The Brady Bunch). Of course, Takei’s “revelation” was no surprise to anyone who read his 1994 autobiography, To the Stars, in which the actor mysteriously had no personal life whatsoever.

IS THE BOOK CLOSING ON BOOK OF DANIEL?
Word has it that NBC’s mid-season replacement Book of Daniel, with Christian Campbell as a conservative gay man, is in danger of failing before it has even aired. NBC cut their initial order from thirteen to eight shows--not a good sign. Sort of like going on a blind date and refusing to order more than an appetizer until you see how the first fifteen minutes go. The network says the cuts are due to costs, as well as a glut of other shows. Notice they didn’t say a glut of “good” shows. How many times have you watched Joey this year? Or ever, for that matter.

NBC hasn’t exactly covered themselves with glory this year either what with Martha's version of The Apprentice and Surface, two of their big, splashy reviews, both struggling. A look at last week’s TV rankings shows the Peacock Network with zero shows in the Top Ten and only two—the medical drama ER and Law and Order: SVU–in the Top Twenty. And everyone knows how fresh and hip ER is after two centuries on the air. So why don’t we all email the network at nbcshows@nbcuni.com or jeff.zucker@nbc.com and tell them we’ll forgive Fear Factor if they give Book of Daniel a real shot.

SO MAYBE THEY’RE NOT COMPLETELY CLUELESS
NBC affiliates in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco have announced their intention to pick up Will and Grace veteran Megan Mullallay’s new talk-variety show set to air in 2006. Frankly, I’m disappointed, as I hoped to see Megan awarded her own entire network. And I’m none too thrilled about the “talk” part of her show, however. We need that like Florida needs another hurricane. But as Barry Wallach, president of NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution said, “Mullally has unique talents as a host, singer and Emmy Award-winning comedic actress."

Given that Ms. Mullally almost single-handedly kept Will and Grace worth watching, I’d say Mr. Wallach is a master of understatement. Meanwhile, co-stars Eric McCormack and Debra Messing have been hired to fetch Megan’s coffee and dry-cleaning. See? There is justice after all.

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