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Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (June 27, 2008)
BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! On television, Friday night should be interesting as Bravo broadcasts the GLAAD awards. Gosh, I hope they pulled any Heinz ads. Awk-ward! Bravo has shrewdly programmed Brokeback Mountain to air right after the awards ceremony. It was either that or all 98 episodes of Project Runway — again. I keep telling you folks to watch The Graham Norton Show and Saturday night is no exception with Joan Rivers and Alicia Silverstone dropping by. That should be even more interesting than last week's guest chef Gordon Ramsay who kept saying hilariously embarrassing things about Graham's friends and their "waxing" habits". Also Saturday night is a new Color Splash and the season finale of Groomer Has It featuring Jai Rodriguez. I hear the challenge this week is to make Jai sit up, play dead, and fetch. And for those sports-minded, Wimbledon is in full swing and has snicks demonstrated this week, there are plenty of hot guys on the tour! If tennis isn't your thing, but you happen to be in the U.K this weekend, not only does Captain Jack (John Barrowman) show up in the season finale of Doctor Who (consisting of three episodes) but so does Ianto (Gareth David-Lloyd)! We're counting on to tell us all the details! There hasn't been much of a reason to watch ABC's American Gladiators, but Monday's episode features the show's first ever openly gay contestant, Sean Hetherington. Go, Sean!
Sean Hetherington Tuesday has a new ep of Bravo's Flipping Out, Wednesday has a new ep of Bravo's Shear Genius, and Thursday has a new Kathy Griffin: My Life on the d-List. Can't you just hear CBS doing a Jan Brady and whining "Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!" If you plan on going out on a date this weekend and think you might get lucky, perhaps you should watch Daniel Leary's latest episode of Mores for Gays. It has some very helpful info. And if you're looking for a good bar to go to for that date, then check out John Polly's "The 50 Best Gay Bars in America". AfterElton.com reader Robert B. was so taken by the site of Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann presenting Ellen DeGeneres her Emmy award last week that he and other Nuke fans are petitioning the talk show host to bring the duo on her show. If you'd like to help with the effort, visit Ellen's site and say so! As you might know, Brent and I took a little break and went on an Alaskan cruise. While we mostly lounged around in the thalassotherapy pool, ate and read, we did actually get off the boat occasionally to gaze at the grandeur that is Alaska. Here is proof!
It truly was beautiful! Now I'll shut up so you can have the BEST.GAY.WEEK.EVER! Submitted by on Fri, 2008-06-27 00:15. |
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News, Reviews & Commentary on Gay and Bisexual Men in Entertainment and the Media
Missed You
Hey Michael! Loved the others, but I really missed reading your commentary, especially rating the weekly television programs. I agree with you all the time. This week I have been hooked on Hollyoaks. Things really blew up there, but fortunately the characters (and dozens of youtubers) are far more upset at Myra ruining the wedding than the JP/Kieron relationship. Ooo. Its so good.
I am so jealous that you get to interview the producers of the show. I look forward to the interview with Marc Cherry. I am sure we all have a few questions for him.
Congrats of getting married. I am sure you won't have a problem getting married on the weekend.
Thanks, Karen! Appreciate
Wedding info
According to the West Hollywood City Hall website, you can fill out the application online and pick up the marriage license at City Hall, where you can also get married. They have all their information listed here:
http://www.weho.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/nav/navid/424/
On the off chance you're not familiar with the area, West Hollywood is just East of Beverly Hills, so it shouldn't be more than a mile or two out of your way to detour to WeHo City Hall (8300 Santa Monica Blvd). Best wishes!
Thanks for the link and
Welcome back Michael
Nice to know you guys had a nice trip.
I have a question about Pretty/Handsome. A show about a doctor who is questioning gender roles and maybe gender itself, specifically his own.
I watched the leaked pilot last night. I found it a very good show. Its dark, but very humane. One of the stories, not the lead, really moved me.
Do you know if it has been picked up? or Where is it going? If anywhere. It would be fantastic to see this mans journey.
I also saw True Bloods pilot (maybe not final cut), it was quiet good, needs improvement though. But it got me quite interested. There is a gay character whose attitude I loved. It would be interesting to know where would they be willing to go with him.
On the "question" issue, in an ideal world this question should not be asked. Do you ask a straight actor what he is? So I get why people might call you on it.
But I know that representations and role models of LGTB people are scarse and finding those who are willing to be out is important. So for now I think is perfectly valid to ask if there are reasons to do so.
Oh, what a formal bunch to give the applause, geez.
Have a good week. In fact, the best week ever.
No, I don't ask a straight actor if he is straight, but
a straight person's sexuality is almost always revealed in an article, especially if it's a profile of that person. Folks talk about husbands, wives, boyfriends, first loves, sex, crushes, dating, etc. Journalists also talk with friends and family about the celebrity and again, via casual discussion, the subject almost always comes up in a natural fashion. "I remember when so-and-so and I went a doubledate. He was such a lady-killer!" "He was so driven to succeed that his work always came before his boyfriends." "He really understands that character because his first wife was eaten by a python, but that wasn't so bad because then he could be with his boyfriend."
But with gay celebrities you can often see them dancing around the issue by never revealing that side of themselves.
In last week's Monkey, Brent mentioned that he suspected years ago that George Takei was gay after reading his autobiography. Why? Specifically because Takei made absolutely no mention of that side of his life.
As gay people, that sort of behavior practically sets off alarm bells because we know what is going on -- something isn't being talked about because of the stigma still attached to being gay. And as a journalist I strive not to perpetuate that kind of attitude. I ask the questions I'd ask of anyone and if someone declines to answer that is absolutely their perogative, but I include that info in the article.
The gay/straight question.
It's an interesting question. I think of it mostly in the context of when AE posted the option for people to submit questions for two certain actors from a German soap and people got into arguments about whether the gay/straight question should be asked. With half of the against people arguing that it would be improper and the other half saying they didn't want to know because if they confirmed they were straight it would ruin the illusion for them.
It seems an interesting interplay between being gay and playing gay. For example, I get rather tired of a straight actor playing a gay role being asked for the 100th time about what it is like to kiss a man. And it always seems rude to me when regular magazins (or even just fans) ask if somebody is gay just because they are playing a role in real life. Yet if the sexuality of the performer really makes no difference, then by that logic it should also not be disappointing if an actor of a gay role turns out to be straight.
On the other hand you have the fans who find it highly annoying when it seems like the playing straight actors feel the need to stress their heterosexuality in every intervie even when it wasn't the topic of the interview or article.
What I wonder, would you ask every person you interview if they are gay or straight if you don't know for sure/don't have any info? Or just the ones where you have a particular reason to suspect? Would you ask Van Hansis if he was gay if you decided to interview him considering that AE took a hard stance against rumors about his private life?
Well, I wouldn't say "I suspect" someone of
being gay. :-) No, I don't ask every single person I interview if they are gay or not, but it usually comes up during the course of a conversation. And if I were to interview Van again I would no doubt broach the subject.
Sometimes I just come out and ask. When I interviewed Tuc Watkins of Desperate Housewives I simply asked if he had a Desperate Housewife or Househusband of his own. Thanks to our celebrity culture where we know most everything about anyone remotely famous, most of the time I usually know the person's sexual orientation before I interview them. Susan Sarandon is clearly straight just as George Takei is clearly gay.
Adam & Steve vs Hellbent
I agree with you on the asking the question question. Straight actors always are asked or comment on who they are dating or married to--though they sometimes refuse to comment as well. But as soon as they say "my wife" or "my girlfriend" we know. I have found it annoying in the past to NEVER hear and actor say he or she is gay--they admit it more often than they used to but it's still uncommon. I remember when the movie Adam & Steve came out how great it was that both the lead actors were gay and out. It made me feel an affection for the film that far outweighed any of its problems. On the other hand I hate to read or hear interviews (usually with directors or producers) about how great it is that all the actors playing gay roles are straight--Hellbent springs to mind. Or how a gay or lesbian actor playing the GLBT role wouldn't have had the same impact--the interviews of the writer-director of Boys Don't Cry is the first one I think of. Even though I get annoyed with the answers sometimes I think the question is still important.
DVD releases
Welcome back, Michael, looks like you and Brent enjoyed a well-deserved vacation (I love Alaska).
I did want to point out that André Techiné's The Witnesses (Les Témoins) was released on DVD this week; all about the early days of the AIDS crisis in France, featuring a powerhouse cast; Sami Bouajila won a Cesar Award (the French Oscar) for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a bisexual cop.
Also, I don't know if this was mentioned previously, but a month ago a two-part BBC documentary/docudrama about Tchaikovsky was released on DVD--I happened to watch it last week, and was pleased to see that it dealt with Tchaikovsky's homosexuality in a forthright manner; it acknowledged that while he was at times tortured by the social stigma of being gay, he also enjoyed plenty of passionate romances with men, some of whom served as muses; also, a few hot kisses between Tchaikovsky and his lovers.
Thanks for the reminder re: Tchaikovsky & Witnesses
I'm really looking forward to seeing both of these films, Joe.
Have a great time this weekend -- maybe we'll run into each other at the parade!
I plan to be there!
My first ever Pride Parade! I'm so excited!
Check out my blog: http://radicalsexy.blogspot.com/
Get your bricks ready to hurl as
TCA's
I look forward to your report after you come back!
I came to the Greek party late. As in the show on ABC Family (of all networks). But, if possible, I would appreciate any info on next season. I love the Calvin character and the Cappie/Casey relationship even intrigues.
Also, welcome back.
What to Do With Gay Books You've Read
Since you brought up some great gay books, I thought I'd suggest what folks can do with their gay books when they are done reading them.
First, consider contacting gay community centers (www.gaycommunitycenters.org) and seeing if they would like the titles for their collections. Especially consider those in less populated and less out areas where budgets infrequently permit their volunteers to make such purchases. Contact them before sending any or dropping them off to make certain they do not already have them and how best to send them.
Second, contact your public library and find out their donation policy. Many have review committees which select which ones to add to their collections and since the American Library Association (ALA - www.ala.org), for example, is an inclusive organization, more libraries than you think have and accept glbt works for their collections. Budgets for public libraries are also limited so the books you have that are in good condition can be a wonderful addition to your local library. Libraries may also have their catalog online so you can see if they already have copies or not. If however you do not find glbt titles in their catalog, do not assume they aren't looking for glbt books. Just ask their directors about it. Getting your books into circulation where others can enjoy them is a wonderful way to educate and entertain the public, and other gay people, with novels and other books about gay lives and perspectives.
Welcome back, Michael
I'm glad you are as fond as I am of Hollyoaks. I enjoy the other shows you cover on your site, but it's only on Hollyoaks that, after watching a scene, I can be left thinking, "What a good piece of art!" They do have their share of easy and sensational subject matter, but it feels as if the writers take time to really think about and plan out the storyline. There is a an attention to detail that shows somebody really cares.
By the way, if you manage to get away from the paparazzi, I wonder are you going to release any official wedding photos anywhere? Since you are both published authors and repected journalists, perhaps your marriage may be of interest to some gay themed, pop-culture news and blog site? ;)
Interesting you should ask, we've contacted People, The Advocate
Entertainment Weekly, and CNN to see if they want to bid on the photos. Strangely, no one has returned our calls. Suspicious, no?
Actually, we won't be having a wedding as we did that with our committment ceremony, but we will definitely post photos of us getting the license, celebrating, my pulling the garter off of Brent's leg with my teeth -- all the fun stuff! And we plan on doing a vlog about the whole thing as well. Knowing how weird we are, Lord only knows what that will turn out like!
look forward to seeing it
I'm sure it will be funny and entertaing as usual. As for those phone calls, that is funny business, but my bet is they're probably just jealous. =) But, I'm sure we're all glad over here to be getting the exclusive scoop. ;)
Girls just want to make hits (redux)
afhickman
"It takes a village (to make Village People)"
Need I mention that Cyndi's new album features a song by Kleerup, "Lay Me Down"? Kleerup is the Swede who produced Robyn's "With Every Heartbeat" and "Longing for Lullabies" by Titiyo, for whom I'm still pimping. "Lullabies" now has more than a quarter of a million hits on youtube, and that's just one of several postings! Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luIBrGyFNq0
Book recs
Dominic Cooper bares all!
afhickman
"It takes a village (to make Village People)"
British heartthrob and AE Hot 100 runner-up (well, I voted for him!) Dominc Cooper explains how he got to be such a big star on IMDB today:
Cooper Wears Padded Trunks For Mamma Mia! 27 June 2008 5:07 AM, PDT British actor Dominic Cooper insisted he be given a padded pair of swimming trunks to wear in new movie musical Mamma Mia! - to ensure every part of his body looks good on screen. The 30-year-old stars alongside Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth in the big-screen adaptation - and spends most of his screen time half-naked. He admits he felt pressured into hitting the gym to achieve the muscular body he boasts in the film, because he was always surrounded by dancers who would be working out whenever they were not shooting. He says, "I'm keeping the body up, now that I've actually got it. It wasn't just for the part, it was the fact that there were about 30 dancers around me every day constantly doing press-ups and lifts made me think, I better sort this out. And the thought that I was going to spend the entire movie in a pair of Speedos, I thought I'd better make sure I don't look like a potato...!" And he confesses to getting a little extra boost in the swimwear department: "This was a padded, armoured, ultra-colourful Speedo unit. So when that's freeze-framed on the DVD..."
My thought: He needn't have bothered. He looks just fine to me!
Glad You're Back...
.... you were missed! Your fill-in did a great job, but I've always enjoyed your version of the column the best. Nothing against the others, however.
Thanks for the book tips, I'm already on my way to Amazon.com!
In terms of comparing ATWT to the foreign soaps, the thing is there are American soaps willing to pay for better writing and higher production values. Unfortunately they're on another network. I think if CBS actually owned ATWT, which they do not, things might be very different.
Also I think the reason why Luke and Noah are so wholesome is because the show is afraid of how it would look, both to fans of the couple, those who want them off the air and to society in general. Personally, I'd love to see Luke and Noah join the rest of Oakdale in terms of the seamier side of life. But, I think the show doesn't want to do anything to show their gay characters, the only ones in daytime, in a negative light, even if they're doing the exact same bad acts on the show as everyone else.
give me a break....
If Jake and van are on Ellen…..I wonder what they would talk about. I mean, just because you present someone with an Emmy……why does that mean they have to be on her show now? Because they play a gay couple? (lemme remind you that they are barely a couple) Because it’s groundbreaking? (which it WAS…not anymore) I find the Jp/priest storyline more groundbreaking than this….
If people want van and Jake on her show sooooo bad just because they are Luke and Noah, then we might as well get her to invite Matthew Rhys and Luke MacFarlane…and then John Barrowman and Gareth David-Lloyd…..and maybe just thore and jo as well!
The whole thing is so inutile to me.
Paulo Szot
Your column
James Sutton
Great minds think alike! I swear just this morning I was
Fingers and toes crossed
Michael - If the James Sutton interview could at all possibly work out for everyone involved, that would be fantastic.
btw - Congratulations on your upcoming marriage.
Love me less, but love me a long time - Les Chansons D'Amour
Does GLAAD annoy the crap out of anyone else?
AWZ and 30 Days
Thank you for answering my question about AWZ. Much appreciated :)
As for 30 Days, I don't know, I got the distinct feeling like the episode was trying to play both sides. So people on one side of the aisle would be able to watch it and feel justified and people from the other aisle would be be able to do the same and feel just as justified. Like they were trying to create a balance between the two potential viewerships than a balance of truth. And considering that the creator got famous for a sort of pseudodocumentary where he tries to walk around and check facts, it felt a bit odd.
However, this is the only episode of the program I have watched, so I don't know how it stacks up against others.
Welcome back, the pictures from Alaska look gorgeous.
30 days
Hey Lola...I've forgotten where you live, so I don't know if you will be able to see this...but here is a link to where you can watch the episode where a straight, anti-gay bible-thumper goes to stay with a gay man in San Francisco
http://www.hulu.com/watch/5293/30-days-straight-man-in-a-gay-world#s-p2-so-i0
Other than the choice of sending him to the Castro district (which makes it seem like ALL gay communities/people are that stereotypical), I thought it was a very positive episode, and that the man seemed very much changed by his experience.
1. Congratulations on your
1. Congratulations on your upcoming marriage. Do you & Brent feel differently about it than your DPs?
2. Did you guys encounter any strange looks or homophobia on the cruise?
3. Re: the lack of diversity in fashion - Biases don't play a role there. From what I've been told, it's just market forces at work.
I definitely feel differently about our DP versus marriage as
as I view domestic partnerships as separate and unequal seats in the back of the bus. We signed up for our DP because we wanted to take advantage of the few rights it did afford and to show TPTB that gay people did want our relationships recognized and would take advantage of what rights we did have. Which isn't to say I don't understand those who refuse anything other than marriage.
As for homophobia on the cruise, we first did a cruise ten or so years ago and definitely encountered homophobia. Our cabin steward looked at Brent and I as if were freaks, as did much of the rest of the crew. And we certainly didn't show any public affection on the boat. Worst of all, the cruise had a comic performing onboard. Being the shrinking violet that I am, I immediately marched out of the theater and found the entertainment cruise director to say, "I did not just pay thousands of dollars to get insulted by that homophobic twit."I was pissed and then wrote a letter when I got home.
I'm happy to say things have changed dramatically. I didn't notice any funny looks from the crew. Other passengers seemed to immediately realize we were a couple and were unfazed by it. And while the comedian still wasn't funny (sorry to say he was racist and sexist).
For me, there's no diff between marriage and DP
Okay, seriously...
Quote: But is it really fair to compare ATWT to those shows or are they more akin to Brothers & Sisters with a bigger budget to pay for better writing and production values?
I guess the truth is somewhere in the middle. Sally Field's salary for B&S per episode more than likely probably pays for a full week of VL ;-). --
The Gays Of Daytime
Ratings: AWZ vs. Brothers and Sister or Ugly Betty
I guess the truth is somewhere in the middle. Sally Field's salary for B&S per episode more than likely probably pays for a full week of VL ;-). --
Well :) According to wikipedia her per episode sallary is probably close to paying for one or two episodes (but here for all actors).
Wikipedia says that GZSZ costs about about 70.000-80.000 Euro (so roughly 100.000 dollars) an episode to make (including all actor salaries) and GZSZ is probably the richest, most expensive of all German soaps.
Meanwhile this is what US stars make for one episode:
Network Prime Time (per episode)
William Petersen (”CSI”): $500,000
Charlie Sheen (”Two and a Half Men”): $350,000
Mariska Hargitay (”Law & Order: SVU”): $350,000
Chris Meloni (”Law & Order: SVU”): $350,000
Hugh Laurie (”House”): $300,000
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (”New Adventures of Old Christine”): $225,000
Ellen Pompeo (”Grey’s Anatomy”): $200,000
Eva Longoria (”Desperate Housewives”): $200,000
Jeff Foxworthy (”Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader”): $150,000
T.R. Knight (”Grey’s Anatomy”): $125,000
Chandra Wilson (”Grey’s Anatomy”): $125,000
Sally Field (”Brothers & Sisters”): $100,000
Cable (per episode)
Kyra Sedgwick (”The Closer”): $250,000
Julian McMahon (”Nip/Tuck”): $125,000
Dylan Walsh (”Nip/Tuck”): $125,000
Joely Richardson (”Nip/Tuck”): $90,000
James Roday (”Psych”): $60,000
All in all I don't think the numbers dispararity is that bad if you consider that Sally Field likely has to shoot 1-3 weeks to complete one episode of a primetime show while soaps are expected to produce many times that number in the same time period.
__
It also all makes sense because if you add it up against population, AWZ makes around 2,3 to 3,3 million viewers out of 83 million Germans. In the US the same percentage would be 8,3 to 12,0 million Americans out of 303 million Americans. Which really is the same category as Ugly Betty, Brothers and Sisters and Heroes.(in fact Heroes actually gets roughly the same numbers, between 2,23 and 3,01 when it airs in Germany, admittedly though at a more competitive timeslot)
Meanwhile VL is on earlier, so their numbers are closer to Smallville in its heyday and about twice the ratings of Gossip Girl if their percentage could be translated equally into the US population.
(naturally all these calculations are rather for naught since we know that overall viewers don't matter and only younger target audiences numbers matter; I'd expect the soaps to do slightly worse here particularly in the male viewer demos ;D)
Thanks for the numbers!
That is interesting. I expect VL to be on par with GZSZ with per episode costs, as public TV in Germany (which is financed through licensing fees like the BBC) tends to dish out a little more even if the audience numbers fall behind.
The point I was trying to make is that I guess if you would get together a bunch of Germans who are not addicted to these shows and show them an episode of, say, BROTHERS & SISTERS back to back with an episode of VERBOTENE LIEBE, I think if you had a little scorecard B&S would probably get more (X) in the 'WHICH SHOW SEEMS TO HAVE THE HIGHER PRODUCTION VALUES ?' category.
We should also not forget that the television market in Germany is completely different from the US. Consider that '24' and 'LOST' are not nearly the huge hits they are here, 'Brothers & Sisters' was canceled after only 12 episodes and 'Ugly Betty' was dropped after just the pilot because it reminded too many people of VERLIEBT IN BERLIN, which is the German adaptation of BETTY LA FEA.
When it comes to soaps, they can not even be called 'daytime' legitimately in Germany, because they are all either on during access- prime time or prime time. Only recently have 'daytime-ish' soaps appeared that are on at roughly the same time slot as ATWT (like DasErste's STURM DER LIEBE). From what I've seen, these shows make ATWT look like a Michael Bay movie executive produced by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.
--
The Gays Of Daytime
And that's why I don't think
it's really fair to compare ATWT to Forbidden Love. If there were a ranking of which shows have access to the best writers, production values actors, etc.So in my mind it would look like this:
US Network shows: Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Ugly Betty
European early evening dramas: Forbidden Love, Hollyoaks, AWZ
US daytime soaps: As the World Turns
With that in mind, comparing the shows as equals is a little bit like comparing apples to fast food -- they're not on level playing fields and isn't quite fair. Which isn't to excuse bad writing and bad acting anywhere.
I figure the difference in
I figure the difference in quality between primetime shows and the European "daytime"/evening shows will always be there because even if more money is put into it, they still have to crank out 5 episodes a week or more. While a fast prime time show seems to have 2 to 3 weeks to shoot a single episode. So shows that air once a week will always have the time to add better special effects, put more thought into writing and dialog, retake a scene 100 times if necessary to get it right.
The early evening soaps of the Europeans really are a different genre in some respect. US daytime shows court the truly daytime audience, stay at home moms, children, people who are at home during the day for whatever reason. While several of the German soaps named try to court the 9-5 audience that it already home by 6 or 7 PM. In the US programming during this time period just doesn't exist because it is passed on to affiliates. It's also a quirk of the European system that both in Germany and in the UK the soaps are schedules after each other even across networks (Verbotene Liebe and Marienhof on ARD are followed by AWZ and GZSZ on RTL). That means that the potential soap audience isn't split like the US where whey have to decide whether they want to watch Day of Our Lives OR Bold and Beautiful OR All My Children. So it's like you could add the numbers of all soaps that are on during the same time up into one soap because usually only one soap airs at any given time. It gives the shows more ratings and more ratings means that more money will be invested in them. Hence, higher production values. (of course Verbotene Liebe is a different beast all together since they are a public channel, do not have commercial breaks and aren't even allowed to make too much money from advertising)
But yeah nobody knows what ratings (and subsequently production values) ATWT could have if it aired at 6 PM where the 9-5 working people could actually watch it. And how many more people it could actually reach.
I do agree that this doesn't excuse poor writing or acting. After all there are other US soaps who have the same issues as ATWT and have better writing and acting. I often wonder if things would be different if Luke and Noah had happened on Young and The Restless rather than ATWT. I'm truly saddended that no other soap has stepped up to the plate and decided to try to make their own Luke and Noah experiment. I mean one would think that one of the other soap writers would take a look at ATWT and think "Man, we can do better, let's show them how".
Sold primetime shows always
Sold primetime shows always make for some very amusing experiences when shows that would be on very different networks in the US suddenly get equal footing. And CW and SciFi and F/X shows suddenly get equal ratings to House and CSI. It's always amusing to see which US primetime hits work just as well in other countries like Germany or Australia and which sink and disappear.
As for Sturm der Liebe and other true daytime shows, based from what I have seen the the truly daytime-ish Rote Rosen and Sturm der Liebe (airing around 2pm) are powerhouses in their own right. Sure they air at a time when fewer people watch TV, but during this time they have insane audience percentages (like up to 25 percent when VL and AWZ are more around 13%-ish) which translates into similar audience numbers than what VL and Marienhof have. But I assume that they are probably slightly more old people/retired shows. I don't know as much about Rote Rosen, but Sturm Der Liebe seems to be a borderline telenovela format.
So considering the huge ratings I'm not that surprised that it is that gorgeous. It looks closer to primetime shows like Schloss am Wörthersee and all those doctor shows than like a soap.
Wedding Crashers!
Interviews - Cool!
Great news about interviewing James Sutton! He's a major sweetie and very supportive of his gay fans.
Michael, Dare we ask how the Jo/Thore interview is going? Might it be coming out soon? Not that I'm chomping at the bit or anything!
Where's The Review for the new Sigur Ros album!?!
. . .or are you aware that their fearless and glorious leader, Jonsi Birgisson, is one of us?
Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust (English translation: With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly) is a magnificent album that was released worldwide June 23rd, and you should have been all over it like Rush Limbaugh on Hillary Clinton.
There more to life than the Tony Awards and As The World Turns, buddy.
;-)
Tom
Well, they didnt send it to me so blame them and besides
You're forgiven, Michael. . .
. . .it's a wonderful recording and I do highly recommend it.
Tom
You guys are too sweet! I'm