Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (March 7, 2008)

NATE HELPS GIVE BIG. WE GIVE NATE BIG PROPS
I was a fan of Oprah's decorator-in-residence Nate Berkus quite a while before the tragic Indian Ocean tsunami that killed his partner Fernando Bengoechea. But the way Nate handled himself afterward, appearing on Oprah to share his loss and then going back to help other survivors deal with the aftermath, made me admire him all that much more. So I was very pleased when he was announced as host of Oprah's new reality show Oprah's Big Give which airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m.

But as I mentioned in last week's column, there wasn't a whole lot of Nate to be seen in the premiere. Well, I just got off the phone with Nate himself, and he assures me viewers will be seeing more of him. Says Nate, "I'm always there to give the contestants their challenges and I'm always there for the eliminations, so you'll be seeing a lot of me in the show."

About the show itself Nate said, "I think the takeaway from this show...is that it really gets people thinking creatively about what I like to call being a citizen of the world. ... And how I define that is opening up your mind and your own personal experience to include other people. I think that is what so incredible about this show."

Hmm, that sounds like something us gay boys can relate to.

The show pulled pulled in great numbers for ABC — upward of 16 million viewers — but the critics weren't nearly as kind. All I can say is, give me a choice between the increasingly repulsive Joshuah on the nausea-inducing Big Brother 9 or Nate on the somewhat schmaltzy Big Give, and I'll take Nate every time.

Check back next week for the rest of our interview with Nate where he discusses coming out, his current relationship, and a whole lot more!

SOMEONE IN THIS PHOTO IS PROBABLY GAY
I've been in love with the out Bryan Fuller's Pushing Daisies ever since I saw the pilot last year. So naturally I wanted there to be a gay character. I've periodically pestered Bryan over the months as to whether or not there would be a gay character on the show. Well, according to Bryan, it turns out there is already a gay character.

Despite my harassing inquiring emails, Bryan wouldn't divulge the identity of the Daisy playing for our team. He did tell me it wasn't one of the regulars, so you can stop fantasizing about Ned (Lee Pace) suddenly falling for a gay guy. Bryan did say that character was going to be someone they've established on the show and that would give "a unique perspective on gay life that hasn't been seen on other shows."

So strapping on my Sherlock Holmes cape and hat, I went to IMDB.com and looked for all the characters that have appeared on Pushing Daisies two or more times thus far and aren't series regulars. Bryan never said the character was definitely a man, so I included the one female who qualified as well.

Starting in the upper left-hand corner, we have the coroner (Sy Richardson), Alfredo Aldarisio (Raul Esparza), the funeral director (Brad Grunberg), the narrator (Jim Dale), Ned's father (Jon Eric Price), Oscar Vibenius (Paul Reubens), the delivery boy (Victor Z. Isaac), Ned's mother (Tina Gloss), and the minister (Ed Brigadier).

The odds against it being either of Ned's parents seem pretty long and that goes double for Alfredo who has a thing for Olive (Kristin Chenoweth). Also unlikely IMHO are the delivery boy (who hardly counts), the minister, and the narrator (how boring would that be! Talk about a barely there gay character!) So that leaves us with Oscar, the coroner, and the funeral director. My money is on Oscar as his character seems the most different and interesting, plus it's Paul Reubens and I just like the way he plays the part.

So what are your guesses?