THIS IS NO JOKING MATTER
Openly gay funny man Stephen Fry, whom fans mostly recently saw playing a brave gay man in V for Vendetta, is brave in real life as well. Fry has decided to talk about the manic depression from which he suffers and that led him to attempt suicide some years ago. In a two hour program on Britain's BBC2 Fry talks about life with the mental illness. He also talks with Carrie Fisher and Richard Dreyfuss who both suffer from bipolar disorder. Hats off to Stephen for coming forward to help others.

NEITHER IS ANDERSON COOPER
This week the nation's television critics are gathered in Los Angeles to hear what the networks have to say about the upcoming television season. You know the drill: We've never been more proud! You've never seen anything like THIS dramedy! God, if I don't get a hit soon I'm going to have move back to Topeka and drive a Hyundai!

During a press conference with ABC hacks, er, honchos about ABC's new show Help Me Help You, a reporter asked if a joke about Anderson Cooper being gay would be included when the pilot actually aired this fall. The answer? After much hemming and hawing, no one has a clue. My hunch? Bush is more likely to find weapons of mass destruction in the Rose Garden than we are to find the joke anywhere other than the cutting room floor.

Speaking of the fall television season, TheFutonCritic.com has reviews up of two of the four new network shows with any real gay content. I'm sorry to say the buzz isn't good for either. ABC's Brothers and Sisters seemed to me be the strongest; FutonCritic also says its quite well done, but very depressing and makes an odd pairing with Desperate Housewives. Meanwhile CBS' sitcom The Class gets tagged as unfunny. Like that ever hurt Will & Grace.

SO THE OXYGEN NETWORK IS BAD BECAUSE IT'S NOT WELCOMING TO MEN?
Allessandra Stanley of the New York Times wrote an article this week about how Bravo is the “premier” gay network as opposed to Here! and Logo. Ms. Stanley's reasoning is that Bravo appeals to a wider audience by having a variety of programming while Logo and Here!--horror of horrors!--goes after gay views and isn't as welcoming to outsiders. The audacity of Logo! The arrogance of Here! What are they thinking!

Don't get me wrong as I love Bravo and truly appreciate how matter-of-factly they incorporate gay folks into their programming. But Ms. Stanley's point is just silly. Bravo is not the premier “gay” network, nor do they want to be. They are doing something very different than Logo and Here!; something that is increasingly necessary as the broadcast networks produce fewer and fewer shows with gay content. Ms. Stanley ends her piece by saying “Bravo is best known for lighthearted, gay-oriented shows that also have wider appeal.” Personally, I think the gay community is entitled to expect more than that from their “premier” network.

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