Ask the Flying Monkey! (April 7, 2009)

Q: Did anyone besides me watch Lifetime’s makeup reality series Blush? Will there be a second season? – Glen, Edmonton, Alberta

A: Alas, there are no plans for a second season. This means you were indeed the only viewer.

The contestants of Lifetime's Blush season 1

Q: MTV’s new reality show Taking the Stage is basically Fame, present day. In the first episode, Malik is shown interacting with another student at the school named Matthew and someone referred to him as "Malik's boyfriend.” So they’re gay? Will there be more of them on future episodes? – Darius, Birmingham, UK

Taking the Stage's principal cast from left to right:
Shaakira, Malik, Jasmine, Tyler, Mia

A: Three years ago, the Flying Monkey spent a semester teaching at a high school for the arts (I’d like to think I was a cross between Lydia Grant and Mr. Shorofsky, but I suspect I was probably more like Mr. Vernon in The Breakfast Club). I was struck by how many of the students were female – about 80%. There were definitely some gay boys, but also a lot of very happy straight boys (because of all those girls). It definitely wasn’t an all-gay school like a lot of people think.

That said, Taking the Stage’s Malik, 17, is gay, and I’m told by MTV that the show will definitely feature the couple in future episodes!

Oh, and you know that the remake of Fame, the movie, that’s coming out later this year will include a gay character, right? What you might not know is that the cast includes Debbie Allen as the school principal, Megan Mullally as the voice instructor, and Bebe Neuwirth as the reigning dance star.

Bebe Neuwirth (right) in a scene from the upcoming Fame remake

Q: Why are there no articles on the Dancing with the Stars’ hot men, especially the French contestant? – Joseph

A: Gilles Marini, the French hottie in question (and the star of Samantha’s full-frontal neighbor-fantasies in Sex and the City: The Movie [2008]), is straight. It’s not that we never write about non-gay folks. It’s just that we tend to give the gay ones preference.

Gilles Marini with dance partner Cheryl Burke

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