Since the second season  of BBC America's teen drama Skins recently aired its second episode, I thought it time to check in again on Maxxie (Mitch Hewer), the show's gay character. At the end of last season, I had mixed feelings about the show, finding it stronger at the end then at the start.

So IMHO, how is Skins faring thus far? Much to my surprise, I have to give it an up arrow. Find out why after the jump!

n this week's Two Gay Guys, Brent and Michael are feeling very cranky thanks to the latest Star Wars movie, the animated The Clone Wars, the new BBC America show Skins, and the new gay movie Another Gay Sequel. Why? You'll have to watch to find out.

Check it out after the break!

Mitch Hewer as Maxxie on Skins

In a continued effort to bring you all that is important in the world of gay entertainment and ensure that you are being spoon-fed images of gorgeous, commoditized manflesh, we present the newly-minted AfterElton Briefs. Following the usual assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• Fans of randy British teen dramas rejoice! Skins, a beloved (and racy!) nighttime soap featuring Mitch Hewer as gay teen Maxxie, will premiere on BBC America in August.

• John Barrowman took second place as Britain's cheesiest celebrity, barely nosing out Graham Norton but losing to former EastEnders star Shane Richie. The contest was run by a cheese company who should probably put themselves on the list next year for devising such a pungent promotion.

• And speaking of Barrowman, could he be on the list of Doctor Who companions who might be killed off (if you listen to rumors) in this weekend's big finale?

• Good news: Both Neil Patrick Harris and T.R. Knight have made the Emmy nomination "short lists". No, I'm not making fun of their stature.

• Gay video retailer (and porn distributor) TLA is coming under fire for making Heath Ledger's full-frontal in I'm Not There the selling point for the DVD in their catalog. On the one hand, the pickle-shot in question is certainly news to me. On the other, a dead guy's junk is a pretty trashy way to sell a DVD.

And today's Briefs are brought to you by...

Out actor Russell Tovey 

Not that we needed further proof that American television is woefully behind the rest of the world in terms of censorship and content, but when the evidence is this round and perky, it's hard to ignore it.

Just this week on British television, two young actors bared their buns in two different dramas. Actually, probably a dozen more actors in a dozen more shows did the same, but for our purposes we'll focus on these fellas. Wait, did I say "focus"? I meant "drool".

First up is gay actor Russel Tovey, in the BBC drama Being Human. Well, the title says it all, really, as Tovey is featured as stripped-down and human as you can get several times in the show. Here's a relatively demure shot, and I've snuck in a few racier pics after the jump. 

Did I mention that Tovey plays a werewolf in this show? I guess even werewolves are manscaping in 2008.

Folks may know Tovey as sporty Rudge from The History Boys, but many don't know that he's openly gay. We're looking to see much more of this talent in the future ... wait, let me rephrase that ...

Our other bun-flasher is Mitch Hewer, who plays the beloved gay character Maxxie on the teen drama Skins. Nice to see that an otherwise straight show about teen relationships is objectifying the gay kid just like it does everyone else ... and it certainly doesn't hurt that Hewer has a body that could make a Bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window.

Enjoy more pics (a few are NSFW) after the jump! (For more, check out this site, who was kind enough to screencap all of this wonderfulness.)

From Rupert Everett to Stephen Fry, from Graham Norton to Sir Ian McKellen, there are several openly gay British celebrities who seem to have made the transition across the pond to American consciousness. But one who has yet to do so is 28-year-old comedian and TV presenter Simon Amstell - and in the meantime, I think Americans are missing out.

Amstell first became a part of my life as a co-host on the cult Sunday morning pop music show Popworld (2000-2006), which took an acerbic - not to say savage - approach to its musical guests, as opposed to the fawning approach favored by most TV shows. While I sometimes felt a bit sorry for the bland cheesy pop stars who trotted into the studio, only to be ripped to shreds by Simon, he was also capable of putting the boot in where it was truly deserved.

In an interview with notoriously homophobic reggae star Beenie Man, for example, Simon explained that he had just broken up with his boyfriend, and then asked for a hug. (Beenie Man said no. Simon gave him a banana with his phone number written on it). In an interview with Lloyd Banks, of 50 Cent’s macho, humorless G-Unit, Simon innocently asked “When was the last time you said ‘Come on fellas, get into the spirit! It’s gay night!’” In an interview with the fat rapper Bizarre, of Eminem’s group D12, Simon first asked to touch his stomach, and then, when Bizarre refused, said “I bet you’ve let Eminem touch it.”

That’s not to say that Amstell necessarily let his gay guests get off easily. In an interview with U.K. gay mag Attitude last year, former Savage Garden star Darren Hayes talked about visiting Popworld in order to promote his 2004 album The Tension and the Spark. Hayes was still closeted at the time, and according to him:

“I sat on Simon’s couch and we were in the middle of the interview and he said ‘so, when are you going to come out then?’ [...] I said ‘Excuse me?’ and he said ‘well, you're obviously gay, but why won't you come out?’ My reaction was so violent. Rather than deny it I said ‘Oh, you want to talk about my sex life, do you?’ [Simon] blinked and I said ‘Yeah, I like to f***, actually. I'm probably more of a top and if you lay on your back I'll show you how I like to f***.’”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this part of the interview was cut when the segment aired. While Hayes refers to Amstell as “a total prick”, he admits that this event was crucial in spurring him to come out (which he eventually did in 2006):

“I had to come out after that [...] I couldn't let any other complete stranger have that power to rubbish me in the public again. [...] I couldn't allow my sexuality to be this flimsy carpet underneath me that could be ripped out at a moment’s notice.”

This episode leaves me torn: While I don’t generally approve of forced outings, and while I’m sympathetic to Hayes, I do also have a certain sympathy for Amstell’s approach of refusing to treat homosexuality as a dirty secret that can’t be mentioned.

For more on Amstell and some clips of him on his show, click on through the jump...

We blogged last year about the first season of the British teen drama Skins. Set in Bristol, it focuses on the lives of eight friends between the ages of 16 and 18 – including an out gay character, Maxxie (played by Mitch Hewer). Although it was refreshing to see an out gay teen who was confident and popular, the ensemble nature of the drama meant that Maxxie didn’t get much development last season. And the plotlines he did have also seemed to revolve around other people’s reactions to him – his Muslim best friend Anwar’s struggle to accept his sexuality, for example, or his heteroflexible friend Tony’s experimental attempts to seduce him.

The first episode of the second season of Skins premiered in the U.K. on Monday night. And although the characterization overall on the show is pretty shallow, there are signs that Maxxie may get a beefed-up plotline this time around. In the season premiere, we saw him being homophobically hassled by a group of boys who live near him – one of whom fairly clearly has the hots for him. This was confirmed later on when, having been chased by the homophobes and got away, Maxxie finds himself tackled to the ground and kissed by the boy, Dale. Initially indignant, Maxxie said “Dale, you can’t just treat me like shit and then just…” before evidently deciding “what the hell” and kissing him anyway.

While storylines involving homophobic abuse and closeted homophobes might seem like earnest clichés for a gay teen character, Skins prides itself (sometimes a little too much) on being politically incorrect and “edgy”. Consequently, Maxxie seemed totally unfazed by the persecution, even when a whole group of boys were chasing him. Having easily escaped from them, he muttered below his breath “tossers”.

Similarly, when he kissed Dale, it came across as being less because of low self-esteem or a willingness to tolerate a closeted boyfriend, than as simple pragmatic sexual opportunism – of a kind in which the other characters in the show regularly indulge.

More on Maxxie and a clip after the jump...

 
Hey, they said it! (Kevin from Brothers & Sisters)

In a continued effort to bring you all that is important in the world of gay entertainment and ensure that you are being spoon-fed images of gorgeous, commoditized manflesh, we present the newly-minted AfterElton Briefs. Following the usual assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• If born-again wingnut Stephen Baldwin were president, he'd make it clear that gay marriage is "not acceptable". If I were president, I'd make it clear that Bio-Dome was "not acceptable". Come on, wasn't this guy in Threesome, Last Exit to Brooklyn and The Usual Suspects, and isn't his brother Billy currently doing wonders for queer visibility on Dirty Sexy Money?

• Although the above pic of Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys) in a dunce cap is the best of the bunch, there are other pics from the upcoming Brothers & Sisters episode over here. 

• We mentioned Tim Gunn's appearance on Ellen in today's Queerview, and here's a video of the sit-down part of the silver charmer's visit. He really is just the coolest.

T.R. Knight at the 27 Dresses Premiere

• T.R. Knight looked dashing as ever at the premiere of BFF Katherine Heigl's new movie, 27 Dresses. Meanwhile, when asked how complicated his duties were as Heigl's bridesman, he replied, "I just stayed out of the way ... I'm not allowed to get married so I have no advice!" Churrrrrch!

• Lifetime's Carson Kressley-hosted new makeover show How to Look Good Naked broke the ratings record for reality premieres with the net's key demographic, so keep an eye out for more shows where gay men parade naked women around for fun. Kinda like Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency on opposite day!

• We know Brit soap Skins had some impressive gay content in its first season, so it's a shame that the otherwise amazing promo for season two that's after the jump doesn't feature any guy-guy stuff. (Note: it does feature lots of shirtless fellas and some gorgeous art direction.)