Ask the Flying Monkey (December 23, 2008)

Q: I was surfing the Web this week and found an article about an Italian ballet star named Roberto Bolle. I was wondering if he was gay and if he had a boyfriend? The articles I found had conflicting reports. – Josh, Delmar, Delaware

Roberto Bolle

A: Wow, Josh, you’re not kidding – talk about conflicting reports! Every article ever written about Bolle, the astoundingly handsome former Principal Dancer at La Scala, seems to completely avoid mentioning the man’s personal life, or else strongly hints that he’s gay, but doesn’t say it outright. What in the hell is going on here? Why doesn’t someone just ask?

Well, the Flying Monkey did. And Bolle didn’t respond. So maybe that has something to do with all the caginess.

Q: I finally got around to watching High School Musical 2, and wow. The baseball scene was very ... gay. From the bat topping thing, to lyrics like "I'll show you how I swing," and the overall flirtatiousness of the characters. The best part? In the next scene, Chad and Ryan show up wearing each other’s clothes. So do you think Disney was trying to be subtle, or are they just clueless? Because the whole thing doesn't make sense to me unless it's supposed to be read as gay. – Erin, Garden Grove, CA

Chad and Ryan in HSM2

A: Well, it kinda makes sense without being gay. They’re arguing with each other about which is better: athletics or singing and dancing. Over the course of the number, they realize they’re kind of the same thing. That’s why they end up wearing each other’s clothes.

Hey, it’s a musical, okay?

It seems inconceivable that the producers of High School Musical 3 were unaware of the gay subtext they wrote into that movie. But HSM 2? Much ado had yet to have been made about Ryan being a “coded gay” character. So the Monkey thinks this scene was probably done much more innocently — though, in retrospect, you’re right; it seems pretty gay.

Q: There seem to be a few decent gay-themed films floating around (hurrah!) that I am desperate to see on the big screen, namely Were The World Mine and Ciao, but do you know if either will get a UK release? -- Tom, Iver Heath, South Bucks, UK

A: Were the World Mine will get a US DVD release on May 5^th; a deal for a UK release is in the works and will hopefully be announced shortly.

Tanner Cohen in Were the World Mine

As for Ciao, the Monkey is told it will be available everywhere in the world by mid-2009.

Alessandro Calza(left) and Adam Neal Smith in Ciao

Next page! Prospects for Harrelson and Carrey's big gay parts.