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Liveblogging "As the World Turns": The Celluloid Closet
On today's As the World Turns, things finally start to kick back into gear for the Most Atrophied Same-Sex Couple on Television (MASSCoT). Next week we'll see the return of a major character from Luke's past (the first cut is the deepest, fair Snyder) as well as Reg, the Oakdale Frisky Hot Tub Summer organizer who seems to be constantly circling the boys like a gay buzzard, waiting for their relationship to expire. Wait, I just reread that last sentence and I actually think that description more accurately applies to me. My bad! Back to today's show ... it seems that Luke wants to put fliers (Flier? I don't even know 'er!) for The Luke Snyder Foundation for Kids Who Don't Read Good at a (GASP) Gay Film Festival ... which overbearing Nana-suitor Brian "Wheatables" Wheatley isn't too keen on. Will Luke cave to the pressure? Will Wheats finally go postal on all of them? And will anyone make it out of the screening of Naked Boys Singing with their dignity intact? Click on through the jump and refresh often to find out, as it happens! Lights ... camera ... inaction! 2:55PM EDT: Back at the Lily Pad Lily tells Holden that she gave grandma the beat-down and he's all, "okay, but if this is all because your mom Dusty-blocked you, I'm not down with that" and walks out. Are we really not going to see any of this film festival? No fair ... Preview Time: No Nuke. But looks like there will be some shirtless Dusty, which is never a bad thing. 2:49PM EDT: Meg just caught Paul talking to himself. Heh. Gilded Lily barges in on Lady D and Wheats's shooter party and attacks Drumstick for sending a gay to do an overbearing matron's job. She tells her she doesn't want to see her anymore and she'll never see the grandkids again (except for Luke, who's an adult). Ouch! Well, considering Lily and Holden's parenting skills there's no telling how long any of them will last anyway... 2:38PM EDT: James leaves all of his money to Dusty. Sorry, Paul! Meanwhile, Lady Drumstick and Wheatables are slamming back booze in the conference room and Wheats casually notes, "you are a controlling bitch." Oh, you romantic schemer, you! Luke tries to tell Lily why Lady D did what she did regarding Dusty, but Lily is still resistant to forgiving her. Both Holden and Luke say they're behind her whatever she decides. Suddenly she's all "oh sorry, I have to go!" and she darts out the door. WTF? What, did she just remember she left the kids on a downtown bus or something? Moneyblahblahinheritanceblahrightfullymineblah. 2:25PM EDT: Oh, by the way, Buckshot Dusty and Ice Truck Killer are scrapping at the reading of James's will, and Gilded Lily is telling Holden that she'd like to see Lady D fall on her ass for once. Is this a Very Special Mother's Day episode? Meanwhile, Lady D catches up with Luke and Wheatables in a very drab-looking boardroom and Lady D asks Luke to talk to Lily for her. Luke says he will, and he coldly asks Wheats to "reschedule that conference call". After Luke leaves Lady D starts rifling through the credenza for booze. Atta girl! James's video will ... okay, has anyone ever actually seen a video will? Do they even exist outside of episodes of Murder She Wrote and soap operas? Either our back-from-the-dead COLT man or Prince Valium will be walking away with the entire fortune... 2:17PM EDT: Luke drops some science on Wheatables, asking why it matters that it's a gay festival. Ouch, when he snaps, "It's a film festival, Brian" it actually scares me a little. Should I be concerned that the writers are taking out their frustrations on a character with my name? Let me get my tinfoil hat... Luke asks Brian why he can't just say the word "gay" and admit that he has an issue with gay people ... and Wheats turns around and asks why Luke has to make everything about his being gay. He says that if being gay is the greatest hardship Luke has to face, he's got it was better than the rest of us. He leaves and Luke fumes to Noah, saying that there's nothing wrong with passing out fliers at the fest, and Noah counters that there is a lot more to him than his being gay. He says that he's cute and smart and all that ... and Luke points out that his being gay certainly helps with the fact that he's his boyfriend. The boys kiss and Luke settles it, saying that he's Lady Drumstick's grandson, which means he'll be passing out those fliers whether Wheatabullsh*t wants him to or not. Churrrrrrch! 2:12PM EDT: Okay, I love that there's so little going on with these characters that all we have to talk about is Luke's hair anymore. (Thanks, Ed!) So just one more note: take a look at Luke's new 'do and our beloved Half-Transformed Werewolf, Paulo from Shear Genius:
Just sayin'. 2:05PM EDT: Coif-Me-Sexy Luke and Noah are in the farm kitchen making sammiches when Brian "Wheatables" Wheatley comes in with fliers for the Luke Snyder Foundation for Kids that Don't Read Good. Luke and Noah get all excited about the "reading materials", as they've booked a table at Oakdale U's film festival and these would be perfect promotion. Luke and Noah rhapsodize about concessions and opening night parties until Wheatables asks what "kind" of film festival it is and Luke tells him that it's a Gay film fest, leading Wheats to suggest that maybe promoting the festival isn't targeting the "right kind of donors" after all. Oh, really? You mean the "kind of donors" who will likely land high-paying jobs in growth industries and have dual incomes with no children and excess disposable income? Yeah, you're probably right. Meanwhile Lady Drumstick barges into the Lily Pad without warning, Buckshot Dusty is hanging out with his shirt hanging open, and Ice Truck Killer is having more hallucinations about his dad. Wait, did I already make a Hamlet reference? K, just checkin'. 1:58PM EDT: Wait, before we get to Oakdale's Tribute to Fassbinder, can we discuss The Bold and the Botoxed for just a second? Why can't Oakdale get a batguano crazy lady like this chica who covered old RaftLips in honey and loosed a bear on her and is now literally hiding behind her drapes (what is this, Hamlet?!) and threatening to kill her? This is AWESOME. Submitted by on Wed, 2008-10-08 13:55. |
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News, Reviews & Commentary on Gay and Bisexual Men in Entertainment and the Media
Maybe the next poster...
A Gay Film Festival in Jokedale?
Let's hope they show THIS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yazHYvkgtZ0
or THIS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwveVXIiPx8
or THIS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xynoorRRakw
or THIS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir3s3WzZTRU
Or maybe the World Premiere of THIS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW0lQrWn5VI
Glad my comments
could be as shallow as the storyline we're all sitting through. Seriously, I could comment that it would be nice if Luke had a storyline that didn't center around him being gay, that he and Noah interacted with other parts of the town and just went through other situations as a couple, but that just brings on the depression, and I'm on staycation this week, I can be depressed when I go back to work, not now.
So yes, as Brian so visually pointed out, we're all more interested in his hair than the plot - though the conference room scene also brought out a new shallow thought - either that's a really flattering shirt Luke has on, or Van has pumped up the chest a little.
I'd also like to figure out what Wheatables deal with the gay thing is - the foundation is fully endowed with Grimaldi money, so I don't see why contributions matter at all. And Wheaties just approaches it strangely. If Luke were truly Lucinda's grandson, he would have fired Wheaties long ago, and made sure he never found work again. The Lucinda I remember would never have put up with this crap - she'd have sent Wheaties off to a third world hellhole for the insult.
Gay Gay Gay
I disagree with you when you say that you wish storylines wouldn't center around Luke being gay. Darcolover says it terrifically below, so I'll just summarize and say that if you're newly out and in college it's likely that you'll center everything in your life around the fact that you're gay. In my opinion that's fine and natural. You've just learned the most important thing about yourself you've ever learned, it's truly revolutionary, and you're newly aware of a whole community of people like you that exists. You even have your own "lifestyle", which you didn't even know anything about until recently. It's only natural that most everything in your life will center around this new wonderful self-definition.
(On the other hand, in my opinion that should cease being the overwhelmingly dominant thing in your life by the time you reach 30 or so.)
I Agree....
.... I don't know why Luke is putting up with this nonsense. Brian should have been fired the first time he started twitching funny when the word 'gay' came up.
Wait a sec
Lucinda...
Lucinda didn't do anything to Dusty. She knew he had faked his death and kept it secret. That's why Lily is so mad at her.
I agree that Holden has returned to the moral compass and word of the wise he used to be. But, that's why I've always loved Holden so much. No matter what he was always a good guy who did the right thing. That guy that did Carly is not the Holden I've known for 20 odd years.
Glad he's back.
I think the film festival angle will be revisted on Monday's show when Kevin and Reg show up. I think that's when Brian finds out Luke went against his wishes.
Thanks
I appreciate the info.
Not sure Holden "always did the right thing" though. When he met Lily, she was 15 and going out with Dusty. Holden was older (never really made clear exactly how much older, but he was presumably out of HS) and repeatedly hit on her--fairly graphically. He was both dumb and creepy, yet incredibly hot. He was also a hot-head and irrationally jealous. They added judgemental to the list as well. He's been fairly bland since the early 90's though. I guess Emily sucked all the fire out of him during their brief marriage.
Lucinda just isn't the same
I miss the grande dame of the old days - a woman with so commanding a presence, men's testicles retracted into their bodies with a glance from her. This old whiny woman I don't recognize. In the past, if Lily threatened to cut her off from grandchildren, she'd just have her declared incompetent and have the kids taken from her. I had quit watching the show for a number of years, but normally when they change a character's personality that month, they recast the actress. This is the same indominatible actress, wimpier character.
At least Holden is back to being an absolute moral compass to everyone around him. The speech he just gave Lily-lite about her motives could have come from Holden 20 years ago.
Roger Howarth (Paul) is so entertainingly awful
I have to believe Howarth deliberately acts horrible because he has such contempt for this material; at least he's worth a few laughs ("Yes, what's left of my mind is completely made up!").
I haven't chimed in on Luke's hair, so here goes: it's better than that emo crap-do he sported for the past few years--it's nice to see his face--but it still looks silly.
Check out my blog: http://radicalsexy.blogspot.com/
Different Strokes
NUKE IN THE HOUSE - GAY GAY SUPER GAY ALL DAY
I think some of you must have forgotten what it's like to be a gay college student who's newly out and proud. It is all about being gay, gay clubs, volunteering at gay organization, planning gay events, going to gay parties.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT?
Luke consistently stands up for his right to be out and proud and to be involved in the foundation and not be closeted. Do ya'll realize how empowering that is for young people. College aged people. Particularly those who aren't in urban settings where they are exposed to gay people all the time or where it's a lot easier to be out. I think both Luke and Noah could benefit from having a lot more GAY stuff in their lives.
Gay friends, Gay activities, GAY GAY GAY.
I don't think the revolution has come to the point where we need to start complaining about too much gay.
CALVIN (of GREEK) could be a lot more GAY if you ask me.
Everyone keeps saying that Noah's not Gay enough and here's he's planning a gay film festival because he's GAY and loves FILM.
I think that's a HUGE step up from the boy who had to whisper "boyfriend" every time he said it. Sounds exactly like what college students SHOULD be doing instead of spending all of their time trying to sort out that mess of a SNYDER FAMILY FARM FIASCO.
THERE IS ONLY 1, COUNT EM, 1 OUT GAY COUPLE ON ALL OF AMERICAN DAYTIME TELEVISION.
As someone who works with young gays and lesbians everyday, I can tell you that every little bit makes a difference.
The kinds of conversations Luke has with Brian are very similar to the kinds of conversations I've had with well-meaning older gay folks when I was in my 20s and I can tell you, I wish I'd always had the cajones to tell them where to go. Brian's go some serious issues and Luke calls him on it 24/7 which he should.
Even if NUKE isn't exactly all that we want them to be, has it really come to a point where not we're complaining because Luke is TOO GAY? Seriously?
There are a lot of BRIAN WHEATLEYS in the world who are all "don't be too gay", "don't offend" and whether it's because he's closeted and a coward or because he's homophobic and a coward or because he's a conservative businessman who's a cowards, BW will not success in making Luke a coward about being gay because Luke refuses to be closeted or ashamed even a tiny little bit and I think it's starting to rub off on Noah.
Sex or no sex, that's a powerful message to get from 3-5 minutes of a ficking daytime Soap Opera every week or so. I'm just saying
Like I keep telling you people --
Luke's hair is getting its own series.
That's why the film they ought to be showing at the festival is Shampoo.
They really need to come up
They really need to come up with new conflicts.
There's a formula:
1. Luke says or does something that is Teh Gay.
2. Noah expresses hesitation.
3. Luke gets slightly upset/defensive.
4. Noah says something hollowly reassuring
5. Luke calms down
6. They either chastely hug/kiss, verbally reaffirm their chaste love, or disappear from the rest of the episode.
Nuke: To Much Gayness?
You know, this kind of ties into what is being discussed on another thread.
The writers need to somehow wrap their minds around the idea that just because Luke and Noah are gay does not mean that all their storylines need to be about their gayness. While we appreciate the thought behind the PSA, the simple truth is we'd all just like to see them do something that doesn't have to do with the Oakdale population's reaction to them being gay.
Especially if they're not going to have sex anyway. At least put them on something interesting.
Precisely, this is why Luke should work for Emily
It would be terrific for Luke to become involved in a story that is either only tangentially about being gay or not at all; that's why I'd love to see him go to work at Emily's tabloid, creating conflict with his parents (their past with Em); he could uncover some dastardly secret that involves half of Oakdale, etc., etc. An ATWT version of GL's Fletcher Reade.
Check out my blog: http://radicalsexy.blogspot.com/
Well....
I'll admit...
...I love Emily, she's unquestionably my favorite female character on the show. She's all over the map emotionally--funny, crazy, sad, strong, sexy--yet Kelley Menighan Hensley totally makes her real (she was robbed of an Emmy nomination for her obsession/suicide story a few years ago). And you're totally right, the dynamic between Em and Luke--and Kelley and Van Hansis--could be electric, yet without any sex entering into the picture; I miss Em's scenes with Henry, and though Luke isn't as flamboyantly witty as Henry, I'm certain he could give back to her as much as she dishes out to him. And, yeah, there's nobody who could cause as much trouble for Luke as Emily. The stories could practically write themselves.
Check out my blog: http://radicalsexy.blogspot.com/
GAY - ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
I'm not hating this, actually
This conflict with Wheaties actually has some potential to it. Sure, they could expose him as a virulent homophobe and the storyline is over, but I think it's more interesting if he's not really that. He apparently is trying to launch a foundation, and not have it "branded" gay from the outset, to open it up to wider options.
And there are two polar-opposite arguments that stem from that. And I can see validity to both of them. Sure, there is a subtle strain of homophobia that Brian would be trying to coddle, but that isn't necessarily personal homophobia as much as it could be manipulating a homophobic culture to make in-roads.
And...release the hounds!
The blog is remarkably open to wider options.