IMHO — THE WEEK IN GAY TV
This was actually a pretty busy week for television's gays. From doomed college romances to gay film festivals to gay advertising execs, our fellas were out and active on the tube.
As the World Turns: Well, after months of inaction it's hard to not get at least a wee bit excited about Luke and Noah's return to consciousness this week. Sure, the "GaygaygaygayGAYgaygay!" talk is a bit wearying, but I'd rather have Luke's sexuality be the topic of conversation than it never be mentioned at all. And considering he's coming into his own (though it stops there, if you catch my meaning) in terms of his identity as a gay man, it's not that unrealistic. Just let's have some juicy gay soap action, shall we? Oh, and welcome back, Reg!
Brothers & Sisters: I personally am not a fan of the Walker clan to begin with (sorry, but the problems of the rich and overentitled really don't garner much sympathy from me), but as Steven Frank beautifully put it in his recap, this week's avoidance of several of the show's cliches (including the family's boozy pity-parties) made it actually fairly watchable.
Dancing With the Stars: This week's DWTS was a win-win for the gays after Lance Bass's best-yet performance and the hilariously camp stylings of the shirtless Los Vivancos all-male dance troupe and resident (until sadly eliminated) Peter Allen and flamingo aficionado, Rocco DiSpirito. Throw in a sassy gay judge giving pelvic thrusting lessons (thanks, Bruno!) and you've got the gayest 90 minutes of primetime all week.
Forbidden Love: I know, I know, light the torches and head to Brooklyn. But the boys didn't have much to do this week, so it's hard to give them an up-arrow. And the background nipple-tweak definitely saved them from a dip!
General Hospital Night Shift: Talk about going out with a bang! Gay doc Kyle and his ailing love interest Eric were sadly parted, but it's not necessarily the end of the line for them. But we can't necessarily say the same for Kyle's on-again-off-again BFF Claire, who may have been caught in the biggest tragedy to hit the hospital since Antonio Sabato, Jr. showed back up!
Greek: Okay, this week's Greek finally got good again on several levels. Not only did we get back into some old-school backstabbing between Casey and Frannie (which was what made the show great to begin with), but Calvin shrugged off his barely-there invisibility cloak and actually got some screen time. Unfortunately for Max Greenfield fans, that screen time regarded the dissolving of Michael and Calvin's relationship ... but fortunately for Heath fans, it looks like Calvin's indiscretion with Kappa Tau's cutest brother will be leading to a reunion after all.
And shirtless, basketballing Calvin? It's about time! I've actually included a clip that has all of Calvin's recent scenes in it later in the column, so keep on reading if you want to see what all the fuss is about.
Mad Men: Um, WOW. This week newcomer Kurt came out of the closet over free donuts (and while wearing mechanic's coveralls ... anyone know what that was all about?), effectively giving poor closeted/married Sal (Bryan Batt) a grand mal in the process. Having an out gay guy in the office is a brilliant, game-changing move, and assuming that they don't make Kurt give any more makeovers (although Peggy does look more thoroughly modern...) I'm all for it.
Project Runway: Well, it's hard to even rate this one, as the season overall has been a big fat dud and there weren't even any gay men in the finals (though two, Suede and Jerell, showed at Bryant Park as decoys). If the show does really move to Lifetime (which is still undetermined), I'll miss it ... but not in the style that it went out. It was nice to see Tim Gunn as the finale guest judge ... too bad it was out of necessity when Jennifer Lopez canceled at the last minute and not a genuine gesture of thanks.
True Blood: Although this week's funereal episode was slower than most, I actually liked that things cooled for a few eps so that we could get to know the characters a little better, and a lot actually happened this week. We learned that Lafayette was a concerned friend (with a pharmacy full of perks), Jason is crazier than we thought and Tara's in deeper than she imagined with her mama.
Plus, Sookie's screaming at the town to "shut the f*ck up!" at her grandmother's funeral, the pecan pie to end all pecan pies and the sex scene ending on a bloody cliffhanger were killer TV.
Next page: Are conservatives hacking gay websites? Kittens to the rescue!
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