Ask the Flying Monkey! (July 8, 2008)

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on July 8, 2008

Have a question about gay male entertainment? Ask the Monkey!

Q: Is there a gay anthem? -- Art

A: There may be gay anthems, mostly divided along generational lines. The Flying Monkey can’t speak to the under-35 set, but contenders for songs of his generation include the Village People’s “Go West” (the best version of which is by the Pet Shop Boys) and “True Colors,” popularized by Cyndi Lauper, who has since fully embraced the song’s gay-supportive subtext with her series of True Colors Tours — fundraisers for GLBT rights.

That said, the Monkey thinks the absolute best choice for a gay anthem is “Over the Rainbow” from the Monkey’s namesake, The Wizard of Oz. Even if it hadn’t been popularized by Judy Garland, the gay icon to end all gay icons, the song perfectly captures something that the Monkey thinks is basic, and maybe universal, to the gay experience: a sense of discomfort with the here and now, and a yearning for something different from what exists, for something nameless and wonderful just above the clouds. As kids, the song expresses the secret sense that most of us feel, that we’re different from others, in a way we often quite can’t put into words. As adults, the song expresses our impossible hope for a place where our love is fully accepted and celebrated.

If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why oh why can’t I? It’s a damn good question, ain’t it?

Judy Garland in Wizard of Oz

Q: I recently caught the pilot episodes of Do Not Disturb and Pretty Handsome, two shows in the running for next years TV season. I was surprised to see that one show featured an openly gay character (played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and the other a transsexual male (played by Joseph Fiennes). I was wondering, do you know anything about the possible future of these shows? Have they been officially picked up? – Audra

Jesse Tyler Ferguson (left) & Joseph Fiennes

A: FOX has definitely picked up Do Not Disturb (which is a working title), ordering 13 episodes for the fall season, and they’re pushing it hard. Starring Jerry O’Connell, it’s the Upstairs/Downstairs-like story of a posh New York hotel. Ferguson, last seen in The Class, plays something of a bitchy gay queen — pretty stereotypical, at least in the pilot. Maybe Ferguson has the chops to pull this off, but the show itself seemed to the Monkey like a typical sitcom in every way. It’ll debut in September.

Pretty/Handsome, which the Monkey hasn’t seen yet, seems more interesting. It’s the latest from Nip/Tuck’s provocative (and out) creator Ryan Murphy. Shakespeare in Love’s Joseph Fiennes plays a transgender character just coming out to his family (including The Matrix’s Carrie-Anne Moss). FX has shot the pilot, but a spokesman tells the Monkey that the network has not yet ordered it to series. They’ll make a decision in the next couple of weeks, but even if they do, it’s unlikely we’ll see it on television before winter.

What’s the common element in both shows? Robert Wagner. At age 78, he’s pulling a “Locklear” (named after Heather Locklear, who made her name in the 1980s starring simultaneously in both Dynasty and T.J. Hooker), appearing in at least the pilots of both shows.

Robert Wagner