Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (May 30, 2008)

So we're not going to see the TA again? There won't be a relationship, a break up or even a one night stand? What was the point of bringing him on in the first place if the show never intended on doing anything with he and Calvin? Why bother?

Your memories of staying home from school and watching game shows got me to reminiscing, too. For me, it was all about The Joker's Wild, Tic Tac Dough, and of course, The $25,000 Pyramid

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I'd much rather see kissing on TV than lots of bedroom stuff. Verbotene Liebe is a good example-- how cute are Olli and Christian with all their little pecks and domestic interactions? That feels really real, really everyday. THAT is what I'm hoping to see more of on Torchwood next year; given that Ianto has essentially been promoted by necessity, I want to see him and Jack out of the office more, on dates, not working (I hear they get to go on dates in the books). I'd love to just see them wake up together. Steamy stuff is nice, but I love the little moments that make you smile and go "awww."

Excellent rundown - although I can't be the only one who thought it was obvious that there was a lot more than kissing going on between Torchwood's Jack and Ianto in the hothouse - their hands were awfully busy below the camera line!

I just want to point out that Daniel Sunjata was not the only man from Sex And The City to appear on Broadway in Take Me Out. David Eigenberg, who plays Miranda's husband Steve, was quite good as Toddy, one of the baseball teammates, and was not shy about dropping towel in the shower and locker room scenes. He's not everyone's type, but I find him adorable and kinda hot in a nerdy way.

May I also second your call for seeing more moustaches and hairy chests in modeling, theater, television and movies? Although there has been a bit of a resurgence in the past couple of years, there's still far too few unshaved/unwaxed men willing to show what God gave them. 

Oh, and thanks for the heads up regarding Passing Strange - I haven't heard much of anything about the show, so I'll have to try to catch it next time I'm in NYC. Do you know if the Colman Domingo in the cast is the same guy who joined Logo's Big Gay Sketch Show in Season 2? His "Maya Angelou Reads Craigslist Ads" sketches were a definite highlight for me.

And I know you put that picture of my boyfriend Timothy Olyphant right on the front page just for me, didn't you?

*sigh* I can go to bed happy now.

Great work, Steven! And thanks for bringing up the topic of how the image and presentation of the male body has changed over the years. I alluded to this in an ATWT thread (it's particularly true on soap operas, male actors largely seem to be selected based on their muscular definition and not their acting ability; which is why I celebrated schlubby Marc on Ugly Betty and enjoy the fit but not extremely muscled bodies of Christian and Olli on Verbotene Liebe), but it's nice to see it echoed elsewhere. And, yes, the hairless presentation is tiresome; but, hirsute men have been making a comeback in gay culture, so maybe that will cross over to the mainstream culture...?

 

 

 

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Steven -- great job on your first BGWE. Of course, I'm sure you didn't think that you would make it through totally unscathed, without someone nitpicking about something. I know that you are not responsible for the pictures that appear in the piece, or the captions that go with them, but the actor in the Savage Grace picture is not Stephen Dillane, it is Eddie Redmayne. Dillane is in the movie (he plays the husband), but he is not in that picture.

A serious re-evaluation of this much-misunderstood play is long overdue. Mart Crowley is a total sweetheart, and I do hope Malcom Gets is playing "Harold" in this production.

Oh and that's Eddie Redmayne with Julianne Moore in that still from Savage Grace which I reccomend with caution and a MBTIFSGM ("May Be Too Intense For Some Gay Men") rating.

...speaking of men kissing, I came across this wonderfully schmaltzy and romantic clip (via a different comment on the Clara Scheller thread); best experienced in full screen with the music up high:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-rRll9X1_k

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I loved your Torchwood recaps and BGWE is just as much fun. I love that we have the same sense of humor. Congratulations!! I look forward to reading more. Peace, Brenda

Personally I'm of the opinion that it's more important (albeit less titillating) for same-sex couples to be shown in love on TV than to show them in bed together.  From a socio-political standpoint it is a far more powerful message in these days when the question of same-sex marriage looms large over American discourse.

Nobody doubts that two-men can have sex with each other.  Indeed, anti-gay folks seem positively fixated on the fact that men have sex with other men (they are noticeably less stressed about lesbians, possibly because they enjoy the thought more).  But the idea of same-sex couples falling in love and forming committed relationships is in many ways more threatening to them than just sex.  This is because it defies all the stereotypes they've harped about for so long, such as claims that gays are all about sex, gays don't know what love is (only male-female couples can know real love of course) and so on.

Honestly, that was what annoyed me more than anything else about the Brothers & Sisters finale.  Kevin ditching Scotty on their wedding night to go report the latest evidence of Daddy Walker's infidelities kind of suggested that Scotty is really of secondary importance in his life.  Well, that and the lame ass cheesy at-home wedding.  I was hoping for more focus on Kevin and Scotty and the episode was really more about Kevin and his father.  With a finale of Kevin his sister and mother while his lovely groom is left back at home.

I think that's also the real shortcoming in Torchwood as well.  Let's be honest here, we've seen Gwen and Rhys in bed (on at least one occasion hungover like a couple of uni students).  What I think is really bugging everyone about Janto is that while their relationship has developed it hasn't really been clarified.  The scene in the hot house made it pretty clear that yes, they are having sex.  Jack being "innovative" (as Ianto described him to Martha) I would be surprised if they did it anywhere so mundane as a bed.  But what is still ambiguous about them is whether they're really a "couple" or just two fuck buddies, and I think that is what is really being felt as absent.  Seeing them in bed, having pillow talk for example, would at least solidify them as a couple in viewers' minds.

Reaper was a pleasant surprise however.  Tony and Steve, our gay demon couple, were delightfully fun characters.  I especially liked the episode where, having just found out they're demons, Sam and his pals start trying to avoid them.  When revealed that this was not "homophobia" but "demophobia" the conversations were very funny.  But I wouldn't be too bothered by Tony and Steve being (at least temporarily) split up.  For one thing it's a very positive statement that a gay person (especially a demon!) could win entry into Heaven.  Secondly, it's clear that both of them are clearly good and that Tony and Steve might both be together in Heaven someday. Their total commitment to each other was really nice to see.

We took a bad hit this year because of the strike.  I think that the reduced number of episodes in most series (especially B&S) cost us some of what we might have seen otherwise.  But here's hoping that next seasons will be better!

I just wanted to offer words of congratulations and encouragement to Steven for his first official Best Gay Week Ever column. Nice job.

I'm also eager for my new favorite show to return this summer -- MAD MEN on AMC. What a talented cast and great scripts, and an incredible design as well. Not to mention the beautiful cast (okay, I just mentioned it). It is on my mind because my copy of EW arrived today with MAD MEN on the cover.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to more of your updates and columns in the future. THANKS.

One of the reviews I read mentioned that the Adorably British Hugh Dancy plays one of the son's boyfriends in "Savage Grace' -- but I don't know if I want to sit through the whole thing just for a brief glimpse of him!

I'm not sure if you meant to mention it or not but Justin Theroux was also in The Broken Hearts Club in the role of Marshall.

Btw, well done, Steven!

So you think Owen (monkey boy) is dead?Didn't see him die though did we!Just a thought.

Great blog. 

First of all congrats on your first Best Gay Week Ever column Steven. Your Torchwood recaps, 100% of the reason I started coming to afterelton.

Second, I don't know why Daniel Sunjata isn't a huge star, but seriously it's a crime.

Finally there's something I have to get off my chest because no one in my real life gives a crap, but it's been brewing inside me for years now. Todd Haynes is one of the worst writers in the history of ever. His directing style is lovely and his subject matter is great, but his actual writing vacillates between so boring I could die and completely nonsensical. Imagine for a second how awesome Velvet Goldmine would have been if it had been written by someone who could string together coherent thoughts? Obviously YMMV.

I am so with you on the dancers for Liza with a Z. While I have nothing against muscles per se I still find the photos from that era so much sexier. The body hair, the normal bodies. I love seeing things like Liza with a Z or the old Carol Burnett show for her male dancers.

Amazon eventually got me my copy of "Shelter" this week (why my stuff isn't coming 2-day air, I still can't figure out). I have to say I was stunned - this was an excellent movie, nothing like what I've come to expect from the people that brought us Dante's Cove and The Lair (which I admit to owning on disc) this was a beautiful story, well acted, and elegantly filmed. Despite the subject matter, it didn't feel like a "coming out" film, it was a character driven story about what it means to be family once you grow up. I can confidently recommend it to even straight friends. Also in the box was my copy of Perry Moore's "Hero" which was unique. I'm not sure they could ever get a budget big enough to make a TV show or movie based on the book, but maybe based on the universe of the book. The book was a quick one evening read (I guess I am twice the age of the target audience), and started a little rough on the character development, solid when it focused on the story for the most part, and eventually it more or less came together without trying to be too preachy or teach too much of a lesson - nice beach book.