Ask the Flying Monkey! (July 29, 2009)

Have a question about gay male entertainment? Ask the Monkey! (Please include your city and state and/or country.)

Q: Is the opossum couple Crash and Eddie in the Ice Age movies The Meltdown and Dawn of the Dinosaurs gay? I swear they have very, very good chemistry together! – Warren, Toronto, Ontario

A: Well, Crash and Eddie are fraternal twin brothers, which explains their chemistry. So while one or both might be gay, they’re almost certainly not a couple.

That said, they’re voiced by Seann William Scott and Josh Peck, so I’m sure many readers wish they were a couple!

Josh Peck (left) and Seann William Scott (right) voice Crash & Eddie

Q: I recently heard rumors that NBC is getting ready to debut a spin-off to Will & Grace called Karen & Jack, set to star Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes, in the fall of this year.  Is there any truth to this rumor? - Will & Grace Fan, New Hampshire

A: You know how you can’t believe everything you read on the Internet? You also can’t believe everything you read in The National Enquirer, which is where that rumor comes from, in an article last October (although, to be fair, it was widely repeated online as well).

Megan Mullally recently confirmed that there were no plans for such a show, and that she and Sean got a big laugh about that article. But at the same time, she said they haven’t necessarily ruled the idea out forever.

Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes

Q: Oh Most Revered Heavenly Monkey, I recently watched the original Grease and I wanted to know if Olivia Newton John is seen as a gay icon. She has been a brilliant and loving gay advocate in such gay movies as It's My Party, and, of course, Sordid Lives. Has she ever gone out on a limb and supported our cause? -- Mark, Castro Valley, CA

A: Oh, God yes! Newton John has been a proud and consistent supporter of GLBT rights, singing at pride events, and even recording perhaps the first safe-sex song by a mainstream artist, “Live and Let Live,” back in 1988.

So why haven’t more people called her a gay icon? Well, some people have. Xanadu? Hello!

Olivia Newton-John performing at LA's 2008 Gay Pride Festival

But it’s true that she doesn’t have quite the gay cachet of, say, Cher or Bette Midler, despite having arguably as big a career. Why? It’s always dangerous to speak of such things, for fear of offending devoted fans, but I think it has to do with two factors:

First, her image is the opposite of “larger-than-life.” Even after getting down with “Physical,” her image is wholesome and all-American (or is that all-Australian?), and her stage demeanor is refreshingly modest, almost shy. It just doesn't scream "diva."

Second, unlike Cher and Midler, Newton-John hasn’t really made the jump into timelessness; she’s so associated with Grease and the 70s and 80s that her celebrity image doesn’t really exist apart from that. In short, she’s more retro and camp than iconic.

But she’s absolutely a long-time and passionate supporter of GLBT rights.

Next page! Straight/gay friendships on film. Plus, John Partridge's dancing roots.