Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (June 13, 2008)

Now I totally understand that Stanford and Anthony are peripheral SATC characters, and I guess it’s nice that they got any screen time in the movie at all. But to give them a story so at odds with everything we know about them from the series? On the TV show these two despised one another, and their mutual aversion helped to make them seem like real people. To have them paired off with one wordless New Year's Eve kiss seemed like a travesty. I’d much rather they’d had a brief scene where they just sniped and bickered at each other. Like old times…

Now those were the good old days.

I’m really curious what AfterEltonites think about SATC: The Movie. Did you like it? Or like me did you think it wasn’t nearly as relevant to gay male viewers as the series was? Share your thoughts in the comments.

SOAP OPERA DEATH MATCH

Verbotene Liebe's Christian (left) & Olli

Let's take a moment to compare the relative merits of German soap opera Verbotene Liebe (Forbidden Love) versus As the World Turns. The former offers a passionate gay love story between two incredibly handsome guys who must overcome tough (though relatively realistic) obstacles in order to be with one another. The latter... um.. well the latter is in English. Which is actually a big plus when you're trying to provide timely recaps and video clips like we do here on AfterElton.com.

Native tongue advantage aside, I think we can all agree that As the World Turns just isn't in the same weight class as Verbotene Liebe. And that's not just because of Christian and Olli's superior gay romance storyline. The German show seems to have higher production values all around: stronger writing, a more charismatic cast, better music on the soundtrack, etc.

How is that possible? I find it hard to believe that the German production company that puts out Verbotene Liebe has a bigger budget to work with than what Proctor & Gamble allocates to As the World Turns. Or maybe I'm wrong about that? (If anyone has more specific information about Verbotene Liebe's viewership/budget in comparison to ATWT please share in the comments.)

For years now, American television has routinely been exported to other countries. Subtitled versions of Baywatch, Dallas, and Young & The Restlerss, for instance, have all had huge footprints in foreign language markets. But except for the occasional British import, foreign television series haven't really been able to crack the U.S market. Blame it on American audiences' general aversion to subtitles.

But at some point in the near future that could change. Thanks to the internet, American audiences are now able to sample quality programming from other countries. (The Verbotene Liebe "Ollian" clips are a case in point). How long before that material makes the leap to American broadcast and cable networks? Maybe instead of financing their own productions, Proctor & Gamble should just license some good foreign language soaps instead.

They could hardly do worse. Honestly, have you seen Guiding Light lately? I used to watch (and love) it as a kid, but the once venerable show has deteriorated to the point where few people would actually miss it. The way it's now shot — outside the studio with a single not-so-steadicam — it's more like Blair Witch: The Soap Opera. The show has simply gone round the bend, and it is only a matter of time before its most enduring character, Reva Shayne (Kim Zimmer), delivers a terrified tent confessional with a handheld video camera shoved up her nose. Put it out of its misery and give us a subtitled Verboten Liebe and/or Hollyoaks in that timeslot instead.

As for As the World Turns, I'm not quite ready to throw in the towel just yet. Sure, the once promising Luke & Noah storyline has been frustrating as hell, but the show at least deserves credit for tackling a gay teen storyline. And even if the material is bad, the actors involved, particularly Van Hansis, always make the most of what they're given.

And hey, the often shirtless Casey & Brad are a nice bonus!

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