Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (May 9, 2008)

As always, great weekly recap Michael.

Small details about John Barrowman's and Scott Gil's civil partnership. It actually took place in Cardiff, Wales (where Torchwood is shot) and only John wore a kilt. He's Scottish and has an excuse (unlike most other men, as I am forever reminding my straight cousin who is not Scottish but has taken to wearing the damned things). Scott is actually English, so he probably thought that a kilt would be a bit much. He may also be shy about his legs.

...you are the greatest. Thanks for the recap.

I thought the last two episodes were VERY funny,which of course include several "gay" jokes."Is this about something you tried in college?", XD

I`m a HUGE fan of the show but I do feel sometimes disappointed the way they handled gay kenny`s story line.Since the beginning of this season the "gay" episode totally rocks,which finally gave me some hope.I`m so happy how the story line turned out and the writers did a brilliant job.Altough I`m not quite such about the way this episode ended.Would Officer Stuart finally go gay for our kenny?Hope they will reveal that in the upcoming episodes.

btw,I don`t usually fall for this type,and maybe it`s just me,but isn`t Mike O'Malley[Officer Stuart] a cutie or what?Although he`s twice my age.sigh....

Michael Jensen. Thank you for another great recap. Brent MUST jump on the B&S bandwagon, he's missing out. Sheesh.

And now, for some of my ramblings:

1) The AFA = "Stupid is as stupid does" in everything they do.

2) Perez Hilton = An embarrasment to gays everywhere. Period...end of story.

3) Brothers & Sisters = I'm still a mushbag since last Sunday and I'm counting the milli-seconds until this Sunday.

4) Reverends Wright and Hagee = "Devoted" to the church and spread hate at the same time? What's wrong with this picture?

5) John Barrowman and Scott Gill = The picture perfect gay couple.

6) Noah Mayer = Finally growing a pair when it comes to dear old Dad.

7) My selections for the Hot 100 = So many men, so little time. :)

Regards,

dgd417

I'm conflicted about the Perez thing. My initial reaction (once I had to figure out, who I'm pretty sure you're referring to) was, don't we, as a community, want society to get to the point where it could be nonchalantly mentioned who someones dating (by source or by pictures) without reference to sexuality at all? In that regard, I see it as a positive thing. His post wasn't made (as long as I have the right one!) with any of his usual "COME OUT ALREADY" comments, so I don't think Perez even thought he was doing that - perhaps it was just an assumption that it was known he was already gay?

Although assuming one is gay JUST because they are so closely aligned with gay causes only leads to stereotyping and generalizing. On the other hand, if they aren't publicly out, to quote 'SOURCES' and what not, than of course, I agree with everything you say (and I agree with it regardless actually in the long run), and what he's done in the past has been despicable. My ex-boyfriend's father was gay, but not out, and he'd go on relentlessly about how he wish he'd come out, so much so that he thought about outing him, and I would just tell him that it wasn't his decision to make, and coming from a different time, and upbringing, he needs to respect that.

Oh also, my comments are not pro-Perez. I can't stand him at all.

You made a mistake, Michael. You wrote the "anti-gay Wright," when I'm sure you meant the "anti-gay Hagee." Please correct the mistake so that we don't have legions of gays thinking that Wright is homophobic - some are looking for more reasons to hate him as it is. From what I've read, he's been inclusive to gays in his church.

Your grades for Luke's hair.... your B is my A. Your A is my C.

Nicholas Gob doesnt play gay in A Love to Hide, he plays the brother of one of the gay men persecuted. And he does it brilliantly by the way.

Cant really believe the nutjobs at the AFA, and they call themselfs christian. They are up there right next to Perez Hilton.

I have been delighted this the serials from across the pond this week, and have high hopes for the next one. Fuming about Les Blues and waiting how it all turns out.

Great column this week, had a little of everything. Keep it up.

The whole perez situation didn't surprise me (what does these days?) and this won't be the last time...I just roll my eyes and move on. calling him out has never stopped him unfortunately. he's....unstoppable. *sigh*

...and I say that not just because you liked my picks for the AE Hot 100 so much. :P

I did the same as you did and searched the net for more information about Nicolas Gob. I found the same interview and also used Google translation. And like you, I was disappointed in his comments, so much so that I had to replace him in my Top 10 list for the Hot 100. I really hope his true sentiments got "lost in translation".

Thanks for the fantastic news about Russell Tovey. I can't imagine the BBC going ahead with a Being Human series without him, so I doubt we need to worry there. He is great in the pilot and is simply brilliant in the comedy series Annually Retentive.

Michael, The one kissing Adam Samberg's dad is actor, Jonah Hill... I know you wrote BLANK, which kinda made me laugh. Just thought I should tell you this...but if that BLANK was intentional...then it's kinda funny too. LoL :P

KC

Maintainer of Luke MacFarlane Online

afhickman

"It takes a village (to make Village People)"

Thanks for another great recap, Michael, even though we're never going to agree on what constitutes "good" hair. I was just beginning to wonder how you do it week after week when you announced you weren't going to be doing it (regularly) anymore. Well, you deserve a break, and I hope you get one. Meanwhile, thanks for re-posting my pictures of Xavier, Gael, and Dominic. I was a little disappointed that you'd left off Jeremie Renier, and then there he was, with the lovely M. Gob. I hope everybody has a chance to see "A Love to Hide." Also, if I've piqued anyone's curiosity, you might want to see Xavier Naidoo in a video; well, here's his video for "Bevor du gehst," which appears to have been inspired by "Eyes Wide Shut": www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDjiwD8dDks The chorus means something like "Look me in the eyes once more before you go / I won't take you seriously unless you are standing in front of me." It's from 2002 or thereabouts.

I watched the new Ugly Betty last night + was so happy (as in my tongue was nearly wagging) at the sight of Eddie Cibrian. That man is gorgeous. Had I seen him again before I voted for the Hot 100 Men, he'd have taken a spot. Also, I would have included Janice Dickinson model Dominic Figlio, whom I completely forgot about until I saw him in a blog earlier. One word for those two. Gaw-juss.

P.S. I've always found Brian Peeler kind of adorable, though I haven't really watched much of Work Out to judge his personality.

Yeah, Nicolas Gob did not play gay in "A Love to Hide". He didn't play gay in "Sa Raison d'Etre" though he does have a passionate kiss with the gay character in the 2-episode film. You wanna see? I've taped it, but have NO CLUE on how to get that stuff from my TV onto YouTube..

I can't find the French version of the interview you are all mentioning. Give me the link and I'll check what he says in French. I can't believe either that he seems to find it necessary to insist on the fact that he's not gay.

By the way - don't know if it's clear - but Nicolas Gob is not French but Belgian, from Brussels. ... Just like me. I'm not Belgian, but I'm from Brussels. So I speak French, so if you give me the link of the article... etc.

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R.I.P. - Heath Ledger [1979 - 2008]

Michael, as always enjoyable. But you might want to be more careful in the lower paragraphs talking about Perez's outing of that actor - in today's lowered standards of journalistic integrity, your lack of "allegedly" and "Supposedly" in that later paragraphs will be picked up by some gossip site as independent confirmation of the story, even if you used them in the first paragraph. That seems to be the level "news" has fallen to in this day and age.

afhickman

"It takes a village (to make Village People)"

I too am torn about this. If we say outing is a bad thing, are we just being realistic about the state of the modern world or are we saying that being gay is something to hide from? If the actor is appearing in public with his partner, he is surely aware of the chance he's taking. When Jake Gyllenhaal appeared in public with a young friend who appeared to be more than just a buddy, the gossip mongers went mad. Jake, however (at least as far as I can tell), simply ignored them and they were forced to go away. Now, the people that want to believe Jake is gay can do so, and the people who don't want to believe don't have to. In other words, nothing's changed! The same will be true of this actor, if he keeps his cool and doesn't do or say anything he might later regret. Mind you, I don't care whether Jake or any other actor is gay or straight, but nothing I say is going to stop the press and others from speculating, and that includes this Perez person. But just saying someone's gay doesn't make it true.

is played by the brilliant and babe-a-licious Bruno Todeschini. One of France's very best young actors he's played gay before in Patrice Chereau's masterpiece Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train (where he has a sensational kiss-and-more-than-a-bit-more in a train restroom with Sylvain Jacques) and straight too as the homophobic brother dying of  a rare blood disease who turns to his rejected gay brother (the lovely Eric Caravaca) for help in Patrice Chereua's Son Frere. (Do you sense a pattern here? Yes, Patrice Chereau is the greatest living gay filmmaker.)

So, Perez' website? It's a gossip website, so he did to 'that actor' what he would do to everyone else, gay or straight. I think by Perez' standards, the posting was surprisingly respectful and I don't really see how it's any different from this post (and the comments to it), that appeared on AfterElton on May 2, 2008: http://www.afterelton.com/node/16322

If the protection of this particular actor was so important, somebody should have taken it upon themselves to modify or delete all the posts that do EXACTLY THE SAME AS PEREZ... Also, I agree with a previous comment that the post insinuates that Perez didn't out this guy, but assumed that him being gay was somewhat common knowledge / not a big deal. I also think that actor probably isn't so insecure that he needs our protection- he'll be fine. Point in case: Neither him nor his supposed boyfriend bothered to have their publicists release denials or confirmations at this point. They've moved on, so should we.

On a personal note, I find it sad that we have to do this 'that actor' from 'a certain show' thing in 2008. What's up next? Do we have to ring a doorbell and say the special code to visit AfterElton?

And, Nicolas Gob? Any straight actor who plays gay has the right to say he's straight. I've read the French version of the article and he isn't mean about it or anything. Of course someone who's playing gay for the first time and has to kiss someone of the same-sex presumably for the first time (or get phyiscal) will be a little weirded out. Maybe the gay media should just start asking GAY actors who play straight the obvious: 'Did it feel weird to have to kiss a woman?' and we'd be even.

The important things remain: Nicolas Gob did a commendable job portraying Kevin on LES BLEUS and he's a hottie. Is that just disappointment speaking he doesn't play for our team?

--

The Gays Of Daytime

Not trying to speak for Michael or AE, but I'm guessing the issue is this line "Sources reveal exclusively to PerezHilton.com".

The AE forum posters are not portraying themselves as proprietors of a popular media site with secret insider knowledge. For them, it's simply what they've heard or read somewhere.

This is the Nicolas Gob interview to which Michael was referring:

http://www.toutelatele.com/article.php3?id_article=8778

And the specific part in the original French:

Nicolas Gob : La question ne s’est pas posée, car Alain Tasma m’avait déjà pressenti pour le rôle de Kévin. Mais si j’avais eu le choix, j’aurai fait celui-là, car j’aime à le défendre. Ce garçon est la gentillesse même mais il a aussi un côté « space ». Il est assez proche de moi, tout en étant assez éloigné (rires). Disons les choses clairement : non je ne suis pas homo ! Ca, c’est un point que je dois souligner, c’est quelque chose que je dois vraiment jouer, ça ne m’est pas familier !

Not bad at all :)

At the end, it says something like "Let's say things clearly, no I'm not gay! That is a point I must stress, it's something I must really play, it's not familiar to me". And then, after the question about how difficult were the intimate scenes with the other guy, "Afterwards, we need to prove to ourselves we're guys, but otherwise it's ok! We switch off for 5 minutes and after each scene, it's rather manly, with big handshakes."

So, on one hand, I don't think he has any problem playing a gay role, and on the other hand, he does feel the need to stress he's a MAN, as opposed to what?, something that's not a man since it's attracted to a man?? Frankly, this is a big turn-off for me.

François
---------------
http://gaycomicslist.free.fr

I learn something new all the time. I didn't know that John Stamos and Sean Maher were in a movie called Wedding Wars. I'll have to see if I can order it. I'm a Firefly fan, so I would watch it just for Sean Maher, but it sounds like the subject matter will be very interesting as well.

I can't wait for Scotty and Kevin's gay wedding. I'm a little shocked that they're having this wedding so early in the show's lifespan. But as long as it's a good episode, I'll be happy.

As for Perez, he is slime. It's not just because he says that people are gay. That's one thing. It's because, most of the time, he's INCREDIBLY mean about it. Sure, he was fairly polite this time. But he has said some cruel, hurtful, and hateful things (based entirely on hearsay) about some very kind, giving people. He has made his fortune off of bullying people. I hate him and will alway do so, unless he apologizes for his behaviour. (Don't wory. I'm not holding my breath.)

Edit: Actually, I want to edit my post to say that I don't exactly "hate" Perez, because why waste my energy on that emotion. What I feel for him is a completely lack of respect. I do believe it's my job as a good person to stand against him. Of course, the only way to do that, really, is to not ever click on his page. He makes his some of his income from pageviews to his website. I cannot change his behaviour, and will not try to do so. However, I will not, through my actions, help him in the slightest way. I really hope that other AfterElton readers will do the same. One page click may not seem make much difference, but it does add up. Sometimes he says something nice about celebrities we may like, and that might tempt people to ease up on him. But, his niceness to some doesn't redeem his malicious behaviour towards many good people

I suck at translations (never had to do that in school), but I’ll try. I think though, that you might not like what NG says about the not being gay part… I think it would have been best to have an audio of this interview.

-----------------------------

EL: You come straight from Brussels. How did you get to Paris?

NG: I was in a acting school “Paralax” in Brussels [I know that school; been there once]. When we have our end of year presentation it was in front of an audience and on of the two major Belgian casting directors was present. He told me I better get an agent in Paris and he actually found me one right after.

EL: Do you think it is easier to succeed [as an actor] in Paris, rather than in Belgium [note: eternal dilemma of Belgian actors who run to France, ‘cause Belgium doesn’t seem to care much about there actors, except maybe the Dardenne brothers. Also, this must be a French journalist asking the questions, because she ‘compares’ the whole country of Belgium, to the city of Paris.. As if Paris was everything.. oh well..]

NG: I haven’t really thought of it in depth, as I came to Paris very quickly. But I know it [assuming he means Paris] is not easily accessible. It’s always the same directors, same actors, a closed family in which it is difficult to be part of.

EL: How did you get to be part of the ‘Bleus’ adventure?

NG: One year and a half ago, Alain Tasma (AT), the director, called me to offer me a role in ‘Les Bleus’. He sent me the script, I liked it, and I agreed to be part of it.

EL: Did you get your say in the choice of the Kévin character? 

NG: It was never an issue, since AT had already me in mind for the role of Kévin. But had he given me the choice, I would have chosen Kévin, still. Because I like to take his side [or something of that sort]. The guy’s sweetness all over, but he also has a bit of a loony side. He’s quite similar to me and then again, not at all [laughter]. Let’s be clear: I am not gay. I have to stress this. It is a part I really have to play, it’s not familiar. [Told you, you weren’t gonna like it… Not sure why he says it like that..]

EL: You play a cop with muscular arms who hides his homosexuality [Not true! Well maybe at the beginning..]. How did you try to capture the character’s essence. [or something of that sort]

NG: I just thought I shouldn’t lock him into the cliché of ‘big queen’. [?! I like him less and less…] I rather played him ‘guy-ish’ than the opposite.

-----------------------------

I’ll translate the rest later. Have to go for now.

Joseph, you did good!

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R.I.P. - Heath Ledger [1979 - 2008]

I'll have to look out for it. Bruno is also scrumptious eye-candy in Chereau's blockbuster spectacular Queen Margot and plays a key role in Jacques Rivette's Va Savoir.

Reverend Wright said "Goddamn America". That is not "slighty" controversial, that is an outrage. And one has to wonder how someone (Barack Obama) can sit in church for 20 years listening to that garbage. One has to wonder how Obama can let his children listen to that anti-american garbage in church for most of their lives. I am NOT voting for McCain. But, to say that Hagee is the political equivalent of Wright is stupid because McCain did not spend 20 years in Hagee's church. Yes, McCain's policies and proposed policies are deplorable but so is Reverend Wright. Obama has already indicated that he will not protect gay marriages. Yes, CNN protects McCain and other homophobic politicians, and that is outrageous, but that does not mean that they shouldn't cover what Reverend Wright and, most likely, Barack Obama believe.