Wow, did you catch part one of Tuesday night's General Hospital: Night Shift finale? While most of the episode focused on a trip down memory lane with Robert Scorpio (which even had me feeling nostalgic, even if I mostly missed it, we got some emotionally effective moments with kyle (Adam Grimes) and Eric (Chad Allen).

If you missed it, you can find two clips and major SPOILERS after the break:

Tonight is the beginning of the two-part General Hospital: Night Shift season finale. The General Hospital spin-off has certainly been a pleasure for us to watch this season because of gay doctor Kyle Julian (Adam Grimes), while longtime GH fans have enjoyed the ability of the series' new headwriter, Sri Rao, to show an appreciation for GH history and skill at conceiving storylines not involving the mob.

While us die-hards have been enjoying the past twelve episodes, it's not too late to jump in on the drama. Here's a recap of Kyle's season-so-far so you can be caught up for the season finale fun.

Adam Grimes and Carrie Southworth

The new Night Shift season starts on the first day for new interns Kyle and Claire (Carrie Southworth). Unfortunately, it turns out that Dr. Leo Julian (Ethan Rains) is in charge of interns and Leo has graduated from the Dr. Cox School of Insulting Your Interns into Effectiveness. A quick friendship forms between Kyle and Claire: they make a marriage pact and to move into an apartment together. Unsurprisingly, Kyle turns out to be the Felix of the house.

Doctors Leo Julian and Perry Cox:
Is there something about curly hair that makes you mean to interns?

Leo seems to like to pick on Kyle more than other interns. After a fight breaks out in the prep room, Kyle and Leo admit to being brothers, with Leo's being adopted.

"Mom always liked you best!"

Lots more, including love for Kyle, after the jump!

T.R. Knight says NO to the tune of $50K

Following this 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.

• Some good news and some bad news. The good news is that T.R. Knight has donated $50,000 to help defeat Proposition 8, which would strip same-sex couples in California of their right to marry. The bad news: The supporters of the bill are ahead in fundraising efforts and in the polls, so we need more people like Knight (the first gay Hollywoodian to pony up that kind of cash) to step up to the plate. For more info and to donate to the cause, check out NoOnProp8.

• The optimistically-titled LA Times piece "California Leads the Nation in Gay Rights" points out that even if Proposition 8 goes through (*shudder*), the state is still the pioneer for LGBT equality. Replied New York: "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!"

Marc Felion and Fausto Fernós of Feast of Fools with drag queen Teri Yaki as Amanda

• I'll totally watch the October 17th What Not to Wear episode where the gay Feast of Fools guys throw their female friend Amanda to the ever-fabulous Clinton and Stacy for renovation. Apparently the producers have said that it's "the gayest episode ever" ... isn't that kind of like saying that one of the Golden Girls eps was the "most menopausal"?

• Out British comedy actor Richard Wilson (Merlin, Doctor Who, One Foot in the Grave, Father Ted) will host the next Stonewall Awards, which honor entertainers who have had positive impact upon the lives of LGBT people.

Chad Allen (with Adam Grimes) is among the few out actors in soaps

• TVGuide Canada's soaps editor posted a lengthy discussion of why there are so few out actors in daytime (Lea DeLaria and Chad Allen, who's technically in nighttime, being the only two), when gay characters are becoming more common both before and after naptime.

• And in today's "gay porn past" news: Defamer is reporting that the new VP of casting for FremantleMedia (the company behind American Idol and The Price is Right) began his Hollywood career as gay porn star Jordan Young. Idol from the Sky, indeed!

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Since most soap opera news sites hurt my eyes, I usually get my fill of behind-the-suds rumors from message boards. Over at the Television without Pity forums, one poster is reporting that Jason Thompson (who plays the Chief-of-Staff on both General Hospital: Night Shift and the daytime mothership) told fans that we can expect a third season of Night Shift. Even better, gay head writer Sri Rao should be returning for the third season.

That mixes interestingly with the rumor that Kyle might start working during daylight hours (possibly bringing his boyfriend, Eric, with him) once this season wraps up. That rumor didn't leave me very happy since (back in my soap geek days) I learned to avoid any soap where (current General Hospital Executive Producer) Jill Faren Phelps is in charge. (A lesson that has saved me lots of money from not having to replace TV sets broken by flying objects.)

So. I'm hoping the next time we see Kyle it'll be on a new season of Night Shift, but I'm curious how everyone else is feeling about Kyle and Eric. If you could choose, would you wait until a new season of Night Shift is ready to see Kyle again (under the same writer who created him)? Or would you rather see Kyle head to the daytime soap and go up against Nuke (even if that means a new creative team for Kyle)?

Since we haven't had much of a chance to talk about Kyle and Eric, I'd love to hear how you're feeling about their current storyline. I'm enjoying their story so far ... not only do Adam Grimes and Chad Allen have great chemestry together, Night Shift has nicely demonstrated why they would be drawn to each other.

Let's discuss it in the comments, and take our Night Shift poll after the break!

David Burtka and Neil Patrick Harris on the Emmy Awards red carpet

Is being an out gay actor still an issue in Hollywood? Gay actors like Neil Patrick Harris and TR Knight are currently flourishing on television and testing the boundaries of that age-old argument, but will we ever have an openly gay star on the level of a Tom Cruise or Will Smith?

That’s the topic at hand in an article that appeared in Sunday’s edition of the New York Times that takes an in-depth look at the changing landscape for gay actors in Hollywood. Much has been made about the recent GLAAD report that found over 80 LGBT characters on television for the fall season, and even though a great deal of them play second fiddle to the straight leads, their presence still represents a dramatic change in the approach to being an out actor.

Gay publicist Howard Brageman is quoted as saying “We’ve gone from the revolution to the evolution”, and while that is in some ways true, Hollywood still has a great deal of evolving to do. Gays in the media now are arguably as visible as we’ve been at any other time in history, but the “revolution” doesn’t seem to extend beyond television. While television stars like Harris and Knight can play straight characters by day and walk the red carpet with their partners at night, that luxury doesn’t seem to extend to their movie-star counterparts. Internet chatter and innuendo on some of our big stars is deafening, yet we’ve still yet to see one take the next step and come out.

We are still, in the words of USC media professional Larry Gross, “Waiting for the Jackie Robinson moment”. Whether or not this moment ever truly comes is a question that won’t be answered for some time, but the article also highlights some promising new developments surrounding young actors like Fringe’s Jasika Nicole, who are defying the closet and maintaining successful careers. 

                                                     Out Noah's Arc star Daryl Stephens

The question really isn’t whether or not there are gay actors in Hollywood (anyone who has ever had any interaction with theatre geeks knows that it’s nearly impossible for all those ‘mos to get lost in translation on the way to the Walk of Fame), but rather when they will start to take their tentative steps out of the closet.

Three of our most well-known out actors (Harris, Knight, and Chad Allen) were outed or nearly outed by some form of tabloid intervention, so their coming out (while honorable and noteworthy) was less bold than, say, an actor who did so with no provocation while promoting a $100 million movie which bore his name above the title.

The first steps out of the closet from actors like the aforementioned as well as now officially out Noah’s Arc actor Daryl Stephens serve to show that the closet foundation is rattling, but the movement is still waiting for a big, splashy movie-star pioneer to open the door to the future of openly-gay actors in Hollywood.

Of course, we follow this topic rather closely here day-to-day, so the article wasn't much of a bombshell. Did anyone catch the article and have any thoughts? Share in the comments! 

In the stirring conclusion of host Daniel Leary's interview with Chad Allen, they tackle topics regarding life in the spotlight, babies with peanut allergies, and Daniel's drinking problem. Don't forget to catch Chad Allen heat up the screen with Adam Grimes on General Hospital: Night Shift, tonight!

Check it out after the break...

Before you see them steam up the small screen, hear what Chad Allen and Adam Grimes have to say about their romantic encounter on General Hospital: Night Shift (which starts tonight!). In this episode, Daniel asks about gay fans and how they prepared for their big kiss ... which they shot moments after this interview. Stay tuned next week for even more with the incomparable Chad Allen!

Check out Mores for Gays Episode 14 after the break!

We got all fanning-self-wildly-excited a few weeks back when we heard that out actor Chad Allen would be visiting the surprisingly solid General Hospital: Night Shift as Eric, a patient and love interest for Dr. Kyle Julian (Adam Grimes). As mentioned in today's column, Chad's arc starts next Tuesday, and we just got the first pics of their scenes together, courtesy of SOAPNET.

(All pics credited to Ron Tom/SOAPNET) 

Bunches more after the jump!