Lindsey Lohan in court

There are times when one can seriously suspect that a performer’s agent plants a story just to follow the reaction in the press and public. This is one of them. Allegedly, according to “an individual familiar with the negotiations” that Lindsey Lohan is in early talks about starring in a Lifetime TV movie about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

And if the story’s response from commenters on-line is any indication, Lohan’s agent should start looking for small roles for her. For a couple of years now, the public response to Lohan’s legal dramas has been “Throw her ass in jail. It saved Robert Downey’s life.” Now, the take-away from the outrage over her playing Taylor comes down to “Do a Winona Ryder.” Ryder came out of her legal problems with a couple of

Elizabeth Taylor in "Cleopatra" -- when she met Richard Burton

uncredited parts, a string of minor supporting roles, larger supporting roles and finally is co-starring again. It’s taken seven years, and no one ever publicly referred to Ryder as a skank. Rebuilding a career is not an overnight thing. Even Robert Downey, Jr., had to slowly rebuild his career after being in jail and has only broken out into major hits in the past four years.

Lohan sank too low for her to be in consideration for any starring role at anything. She now has to do what she didn’t do in her first career arc – prove herself. Going from child actress to teen star is not proving any real acting ability. She’s an adult now. Being a former teen celebrity doesn’t carry films. An incredibly small percentage of teen actors transition into respected adult careers with taking a break to learn their craft or separate themselves from their teen persona. Roddy McDowall took a few years off to do his transition on the Broadway stage, even though he had access to the same studio system that carried Elizabeth Taylor and Judy Garland into their adult careers.

And now, having been very polite and very nice, it’s time for the big question: Look at these two women. Can you see Lindsey Lohan, who is just 25 as Elizabeth Taylor at 31? That one goes way beyond the “suspension of disbelief” needed for any performance.

Related articles

• Hicks: Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor? (mercurynews.com)
• Lindsay Lohan to Star in Elizabeth Taylor Biopic? (thehollywoodgossip.com)
• Lindsay Lohan In Talks To Play Elizabeth Taylor (newsy.com)
• Lindsay Lohan Is In Talks To Play Elizabeth Taylor In A Made-For-TV Movie (pinkisthenewblog.com)
• No way! Lindsay Lohan in early talks to play Elizabeth Taylor on the small screen (bazaardaily.com)
• Lindsay Lohan’s Comeback Role: Elizabeth Taylor?! (eonline.com)

photo by Creative Commons

In spite of a petition with over 200,000 signatures on it, in spite of being Olbermann’s Worst Person in the World all week, in spite of criticism from religious leaders of all faiths, Lowe’s is sticking with its decision to not place ads on the TLC series All-American Muslim.

Lowe’s says it is purely a business decision based on the shows ratings and the possible return on their advertising money. The company denies that pressure from the Florida Family Association had anything to do with their decision to yank their ads. Other companies also removed their ads when presented with the threat of boycotting by anti-Muslim groups who objected to the series not presenting Muslims as terrorists.

Freed from the restraints of the Bush administration, conservatives and Republicans have gone on a jihad against Muslims in the past three years. Republican lawmakers have proposed and passed laws banning Sharia in states, though there is no evidence that anyone has ever been able to use Sharia as a defense in a criminal case. The only time Sharia has been allowed to impact a legal situation is in the complex Sharia inheritance laws, where the personal choices of the deceased are primary in decisions about disposition of estates. The hysteria surrounding the building of a Muslim community center in lower Manhattan was ridiculous in the extreme. Bigots portrayed the site as “overlooking” Ground Zero, when it is two blocks north and half-a-block east of the northeast corner of Ground Zero and at 11 stories is “overlooked” by the new World Trade Center complex.

All-American Muslim tries to break through the misinformation about Muslims in America and show that they are here for the same freedoms as the rest of us, most are not immigrants and they do not pose a threat to our way of life. Advocating acceptance and assimilation is anathema to conservatives, who need an “enemy” to define our nation and justify their desire to invade or bomb Iran. They prefer to feed the fear rather than confront the fear-mongering and hate-mongering that has people calling for nuking all one billion Muslims in countries that span half the globe. Rational thinking has nothing to do with candidates like Michele Bachmann insisting that if we don’t attack Iran, they will drop a nuke on an American city, in spite of all the radar stations and satellites from here to Iran and their lack of any weapon that could deliver such a bomb without being shot down over the Atlantic.

Fear-mongering is bread and butter to the Republicans right now, from creating irrational fear of Sharia law taking over our country to claiming headless corpses in the Arizona desert. It is a sad situation, having a major political party that cannot stand on our strength or our positive values instead of portraying the United States as weak and vulnerable.

Related articles

• The Racists Are Coming! Campaign Against Sharia Law a Threat to Indian Country (indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com)
• What That Lowe’s Commercial Yanked From ‘All-American Muslim’ Might Have Looked Like (laist.com)
• Florida Family Association Fights Norming of Sharia by “All-American Muslim” Show (counterjihadreport.com)

Cenk Uygur of "The Young Turks"

The right wing insists that MSNBC is an extreme left-wing media source, the ultimate “lamestream” media outlet. Don’t expect Cenk Uygur to agree with that assessment. Cenk is the host of the online news show “The Young Turks,” and after Keith Olbermann left MSNBC, Cenk took over the 6 p.m. Eastern slot from Ed Schultz, who moved to 10 p.m. while Lawrence O’Donnell moved to 8 p.m. Cenk’s tenure at MSNBC was very brief. He’s just too progressive for a news/opinion network that tries very hard to be reasonably balanced. Cenk is even further to the left than Dylan Ratigan, who has his share of censorship problems with MSNBC’s corporate management.

Current TV is the true home of rampant progressiveness. Keith Olbermann is now the news director of the network and his first acquisition is Cenk Uygur’s “The Young Turks.” They will be premiering Monday, December 5 at 7 p.m. Eastern, 6 Central.

Current has a very small carriage rate, far behind Fox, CNN and MSNBC. Fox is carried on the greatest number of cable systems, with CNN trying to balance the inequality with contracts in most airports. MSNBC is on a higher subscription level than the two old men of cable news. We discovered that Current isn’t carried by a major cable system in suburban Atlanta of all places. I expected it to be on a major market, even if it is in the Deep South.

Cenk’s show will be running against “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” (which is re-aired at 7 p.m. so you don’t have to choose between them) and against whatever the heck it is Fox is running in Glenn Beck’s old time slot.

Aside from being openly progressive, Cenk has a cynical sense-of-humor that frequently grates on people. He lacks the corporate glam and PC-ness we have come to expect from our television news sources. Cenk is as “real folks” as Ed Schultz, just not as blue-collar and union. But we’re talking about Current here, Al Gore’s network, the place where Keith Olbermann discovered life-after-necktie. Cenk was born in Turkey, brought to the United States at age 8, and has an embarrassing past – he used to be a moderate Republican lawyer. We all make mistakes. How we correct them is what’s important.  The title of his online news show has less to do with his national origins than with the use of the term “young turks” to describe hot, young, up-and-comers.  The term is used to describe the Eric Cantor-Paul Ryan crowd in Congress. 

The more of us who take the time to tune in to Current, for Keith or Cenk or the exceptional documentary series “Vanguard,” the greater the possibility that Current will be picked up by more cable systems. The same holds true for CNN and MSNBC. I’ve been in a town in Virginia that doesn’t carry either of the non-Fox news channels. The first way to thwart the Republican agenda for one-party control of our nation is to force more cable systems to carry news sources other than Fox, so that people can be exposed to facts and rebuttal to the crap on Fox. Sure, many of us get our news from the Net, but for the sake of the progressive movement, just turn on your television and tune your cable to one of these news sources. They need the ratings to justify expanding their reach.

Related articles

• The Young Turks With Cenk Uygur To Debut On Current TV Dec. 5 (mediaite.com)
• ‘The Young Turks with Cenk Uygur’ To Launch on Current TV Monday, December 5 at 7pm ET (tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com)
• Young Turk’s Cenk Uygur Headed To Current TV (huffingtonpost.com)
• Cenk Uygur: Glenn Beck doesn’t get the Internet (gigaom.com)

Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly, 2010

Editor’s Note:

Here is our story about the interview

• Gabrielle Giffords’ First Interview (With Video)

The memoir has been released. She’s on the cover of People. So, the interview had to be next. On Monday night’s edition of 20/20, Diane Sawyer will be interviewing Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly.

Since being shot in the head on January 8 in Tucson by Jared Loughner (who shot 19 people and killed 6 that day) Giffords’ recovery has been characterized as “miraculous.” It may not seem so to those watching the interview. Giffords still has difficulty speaking and has some residual paralysis on her right side. The miracle is in what might have been her fate. The bullet passed through the left side of her brain. It could have exploded inside her head, turning half her brain to soup. It could have shattered her skull more extensively than it did, filling her brain with bone shards. It could have left her in a vegetative state or severely brain damaged. It could have destroyed her motor functions, leaving her in a wheelchair or a hospital bed for life. It didn’t. That was the first miracle. The injury could be overcome. She could learn to talk and walk again and function at or near her pre-shooting levels.

That is what people need to see when they watch on Monday, not how far she still has to go, but how far she has come from lying comatose, head wrapped in bandages, face swollen and bruised, plugged in to a dozen tubes to sustain her life a mere 11 months ago.

The Arizona Democratic Party is holding her place for her, not putting forth an alternative candidate for her House seat. Giffords has said she will make the decision on whether or not to run in this year’s election by mid-spring. In the meantime, friends like New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand are making sure that there will be enough money for Giffords to run if she chooses to. One potential Republican rival has already learned the hard way that the one thing no one should use when campaigning against Giffords is her physical condition. The people of Tucson will not tolerate it.

Check you local listings for time and channel for 20/20 on ABC.

The Fox News newsroom

Fox News has declared a ratings war on the three broadcast networks. They want to build up their 6:30 p.m. (Eastern) newscast to garner greater ratings than CBS, ABC or NBC. The plan, or maybe not a plan, didn’t mention PBS, which also runs news in the 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. time frame.

 Bret Baier, host of the 6:30 program on Fox set it hout like this, in an interview with The Wrap: “To be honest, we’re looking up to try to get to CBS or one of the networks at 6:30 during my timeslot. For the midterm election in 2010, the coverage we had led all the networks, networks and cable news channels.” Analysts point to the fact that the midterms in 2010 were very Republican-driven elections and Fox News was acting more as promoter of Republicans than as an objective source of news.

 For April through June, 2011, the three broadcast networks nightly newcasts collected audiences ranging form 5.5 to 8 million views each. Their hour-long news programs, 20/20, 60 Minutes and Dateline NBC rated just below that. The three highest rated shows on Fox are O’Reilly at 2.9 million viewers, Hannity at 2 million and Baier at 1.9 million.

 Fox is available on basic cable and satellite systems, the cheapest rung of programming, and reaches 102 million American households. Fox International is a separate entity that has tried to buy up a satellite system in Europe. In North America, Canada flat out banned it. Though Fox Entertainment has a channel in Mexico, Mundofox, Fox News doesn’t.

 CNN is also basic system, and reaches 100 million homes, but the network has separate contracts that bring in airport waiting rooms and approximately 890,000 hotel rooms. (There is one motel we stayed in once in Virginia that blocked CNN and only carried Fox, so the hotel numbers may be regional instead of national.) CNN also has extensive international systems, being present in 212 countries and territories.

 MSNBC is second-tier cable and satellite and only reaches 78 million households. They make up a lot of the deficit with internet viewing, being the most popular news network for computer viewing, and have carriage in Canada, South Africa, parts of Latin America and North Africa and is partnered with satellite systems in Europe. Current TV, Keith Olbermann’s new home, reaches only 30 million households in America, on either second or third cable tier depending on the system, but is orienting itself into the satellite market more than cable. It is partnered with satellite systems in the United Kingdom, Italy and South Africa already, with plans to expand its international network.

 The overall ratings for periods like the election coverage can be deceptive. The 24/7 cable news channels long ago overtook the broadcast networks for coverage of major events like political conventions or the O.J. Simpson Bronco chase. Anything that involves all-day coverage is going to get higher ratings on the cable channels because the broadcast networks are no longer willing to devote that much time to covering these events. Viewers tend to get testy when a network preempts soap operas or Ellen or a football game to watch a political rally.

 Aaron Brown, former ABC and CNN journalist who now teaches at the Arizona State Walter Cronkite School for Journalism, told The Wrap that the broadcast networks would be making a huge mistake if they ignore this gauntlet thrown down by Baier. “Nothing in my experience with them, beginning in 2001, suggested to me that [CNN] understood the threat that Fox presented to their franchise. The attitude at CNN…was very dismissive.” Brown also believes that a lot of Fox’s success has to do with Roger Ailes deciding to “label” and define their competitors instead of just defining Fox. It goes beyond Fox’s “fair and balanced” tagline, to constantly calling the other news sources biased and unfair.

 Some people believe that MSNBC, which set itself up as the counterweight to Fox’s right wing agenda and has the back-up of the NBC News organization, could also draw viewers away from the three broadcast networks, if they ever thought it through. MSNBC has no actual newscasts, just a day-long collection of analysis of news with an emphasis on politics. They have had problems with their 6 p.m. Eastern slot, going through several hosts in the past couple of years.

Fox pulled in more viewers for its coverage of the Republican conventions in 2004 and 2008 than the broadcast networks and its coverage of the 2010 midterm election results had a viewership of almost 7 million people. It does not, however, draw the same level of viewership for non-Republican events. What takes most people by surprise is the fact that Fox is thriving in spite of all the criticism it receives for bias, misinformation, malevolency, deceit, and its clear involvement in shaping the news instead of reporting it. As much as Tea Party followers want to believe they were a grassroots movement, it was first Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, and then all of the Fox Network working with Koch-financed Tea Party Express that spread the movement. Michael Clemente, senior vice president of Fox’s news department really, truly believes that there is a separation of news and opinion on his network, or at least that’s the corporate line he espouses. “It actually works quite well as a model even with this saturation of information. You read the news [as you would a newspaper] and then see what people are yakking about in opinion. If you watch Fox and Friends, you are waking up to find out what happened overnight. Most people start with ‘What’s the weather?’ ‘Oh, Awlaki was killed.’ Most people by night, if you don’t know anything, you’d have to be a horse with blinders on.”

And if Clemente believes that, he’s a bigger idiot than the WalMart executive I heard once telling the staff of a superstore that their customers “drop the kids off at school, pick up their mamas and go shopping.” The bimbo sandwich on Fox and Friends doesn’t know how not to insert their opinions into everything anymore than Megyn Kelly does. There have been enough defectors from Fox for us to know that they so-called journalists and news readers are given instructions about how to slant stories to the conservative perspective. Bill Shine, senior vice president of programming, claims that Fox brought “fun” to the news – somewhere between interviewing Hooters waitresses and O’Reilly’s game show, perhaps – and also feels that their programming is not opinion-based. You look at Brett (Hume), Shepard (Smith), Jon Scott, Bill Hemmer, Jenna Lee, those are rock solic journalists,” Shine told The Wrap. The obvious omission is Chris Wallace, son of CBS’s great Mike Wallace, who admitted to Jon Stewart just how biased the network is. Shepard Smith is the only one on that list who truly qualifies as a journalist, having on more than one occasion refused to follow the Republican Party/Fox News line in his stories.

As for the separation of news and opinion, I suggest that Clemente go on line and watch the September 28 episode of The Daily Show, where Bill O’Reilly was bragging about “breaking” the news story about the $16 muffins at a Federal conference. The fact that O’Reilly was completely wrong (the $16 was the per person cost for the whole breakfast buffet, not the cost of an individual muffin) didn’t diminish his pride in his journalistic coup. O’Reilly has his Masters Degree in Journalism and from time to time desperately wants to be a journalist.

And the idea that everyone in the world has the option of keeping track of the news all day long is just arrogant. The network evening newscasts draw viewers because people don’t have the opportunity to listen to or watch the news all day. They need that newscast in the evening, and they don’t tune in to the broadcast networks for the weather. They watched their local channels for that if they aren’t tuned into The Weather Channel. People who get their news primarily from television want and need two good newscasts daily – the first before they leave for work and the second when they get home from work. The broadcast networks understand that. Those newscasts are their strong suit.

Fox has one area where they are really inadequate – foreign news. They deserved the scorn that was heaped on them for their “correspondent” in Tripoli who refused to leave the Rixos Hotel. The broadcast networks and other cable channels don’t do enough, but at least what they do is better than Fox. The best place for international news is any PBS station that carries BBC News. Even BBCAmerica doesn’t carry it anymore, which is half of why BBCAmerica sucks these days.

The broadcast networks have come under fire in the past few years for getting too human-interest oriented, not covering enough hard news, getting all corporate feel-goody and mediocre. The criticism is valid. The very existence of the blogosphere shows how many of us are looking for better news sources. We don’t necessarily just want news that reflects our biases, we want a full spectrum of news – local, national and international. We don’t want to be bombarded 24/7 with the latest missing co-ed in Aruba or political spins. We do want good, solid journalism, presented by people who know what they are talking about.

The first network that remembers why we used to watch Walter Cronkite is the one we will turn into a ratings leader.

Related articles

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• Fair and balanced? Fox News celebrates 15th birthday as ratings winner (100gf.wordpress.com)

Leonard Nimoy

At a Chicago Star Trek convention, celebrating the 45^th anniversary of the premiere of the most iconic science fiction television/movie franchise in American entertainment history, 80 year old Leonard Nimoy announced that he is finally hanging up his ears and will no longer be trekking.

At the conclusion of an hour-long speech about his life and career, Mr. Nimoy thanked the fans for their support and affection over the years. Some were holding signs saying “We love you Leonard! Live long and prosper!” For almost thirty years, Mr. Nimoy has attended conventions, maintaining a very positive relationship with the fans.  In between conventions and Star Trek movies and television shows, Mr. Nimoy was a very talented actor with an extensive resume, a director, an author, a poet, a photographer, singer, songwriter, and a husband and father.

When Star Trek premiered on NBC, 45 years ago last month, when it was cancelled two years later and then revived and recancelled a year later, no one thought it had made such an enormous impression on its fans that public demand would bring it back to life in so many forms. It was a true grass roots movement – the fan magazines, the fan-created stories and books, the networks of fans who eventually created the first conventions…..and all of this before the internet, when people had to do this stuff with snail mail and landline telephones. And just for the bloody, damned record, we were Trekkies and proud of the term. That whole “call us Trekkers” thing came from the next generation of fans.

Six series, eleven movies, magazines, comics, games, hundreds of novels, the conventions and a fully functional language…all from those simple words “These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.”

My children once figured out that if I cried, the new series or movie would be a hit. In the first movie, it was when the transport moved around the dry-dock and you caught your first sight of the Enterprise. In the first episode of Next Generation, it was the moment when DeForest Kelley said “treat her right and she’ll always bring you home.” When Spock died in The Wrath of Khan, I was bawling. As the years went by, I cried less, until 2009. By then, we had lost both DeForest Kelley and James Doohan. When Karl Urban nailed Def Kelley’s so-subtle Southern accent, that did it. And then the marvelous Simon Pegg….I was a lost cause.

Leonard Nimoy has been a true gentleman about Star Trek. Though he had his share of wishing people would forget Spock and let him get on with the rest of his career, he came back to Spock over and over again, providing the needed bridge to the new incarnation, the logical explanation of how and why they could restart a beloved myth.

To anyone who has managed to get through a few centuries of the reinventions of King Arthur, the 2009 re-invention of Star Trek makes perfect sense. A great myth is adaptable to the times. The origins are never really forgotten, but the manner in which the story is told can be altered to match the way people prefer their stories to be told or to reflect changes in the culture. King Arthur changed over time, forever being relevant to England and its problems. Star Trek has also proven it can change over time, reflecting our changing culture and problems. It was born at a time when the United States was in flux, generations, classes, races and ideologies warring with each other. The series took the freedom of science fiction, the ability to, as Robert Burns said we could not, “see ourselves as others see us,” and held a magnifying glass to our traumas. By the time we hit Star Trek: Voyager, our nation was in the midst of a cultural lull, a quiet before the next storm. 2009 was exactly the perfect time to re-invent the myth and explore new conflicts, explore the mechanics of the creation of a world government and the Federation.

Leonard Nimoy has been a vital part of the myth, the parenthesis on the first incarnation of Gene Roddenberry’s universe, there at the beginning – the real beginning, that first failed pilot – and there as the torch was passed. For forty-five years, he personified the ideal of Star Trek, a universe in which infinite diversity lives in infinite combination. We thank him, so very much, for those 45 years, and sincerely hope that he will “Live Long and Prosper.”

Related articles

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Sean Maher

The explanation for why the “I don’t do LGBT stories” lady got this one is simple – I’m the only staff member who’s a devotee of Firefly.

For seventeen hours – a two-hour pilot, thirteen episodes and a feature film, we watched poor Kaylee pining away for the aloof Dr. Simon Tam. As she so graphically put it in the film, “It’s been nigh on six months since I had anything twixt my nethers weren’t run on batteries.” Kaylee may have finally gotten her man, in fact Jewel Staite got him again on an episode of Warehouse 13, but that’s fiction and in the real world, no woman darkens Sean Maher’s door.

Anyway, Sean Maher has finally, after 14 years in Hollywood, come out of the closet, just in time to really confuse people over his new role in the series Playboy Club.

Surprised? No, not really. Frankly, my dear, he’s too damned good looking to be straight. Lesson learned frm 1950′s heartthrobs like Richard Chamberlain and Tab Hunter. It’s part of why people thought Paul Rudd was gay – he’s too gorgeous to be straight.

Thirty-six year old Sean came out in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly magazine given at Little Dom’s Italian bistro in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles where he lives with his partner of nine years, Paul, and their two children, Sophia Rose, 4, and Liam Xavier, 14 months. Now how the hell he kept that a secret in a town notorious for a media that turns rocks for fun is the real mystery.

Also not surprisingly, Sean is feeling very liberated right now. It has been standard advice in Hollywood since coming out became possible at all, that keeping gayness a secret helped fuel female fantasies and bolstered an actor’s acceptability. It’s the kind of advice that comes from male agents and publicists who don’t understand straight women. It doesn’t matter what a man is in real life, the fantasy is in the characters he plays. Real live men scratch in embarrassing places, belch at the wrong times, smell when they sweat and have advanced cases of selective hearing – as in they never hear what their women say. No one really adores Fabio, they adore the image of Fabio.

Jewel Staite and Sean Maher

So, congratulations to Sean Maher on his liberation. As much as I like him as an actor, and he’s a very good actor, I’m not planning on watching Playboy Club anymore than I’m going to watch Pan Am. I lived through those times. I don’t need to see them rewritten by someone who didn’t. But I will keep an eye out to see if Jewel Staite shows up because I like the chemistry between them.

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• Firefly Alum Sean Maher’s Coming Out Ball (geeksaresexy.net)
• ‘Playboy Club’ star Sean Maher opens up about his sexuality: ‘This is my coming out ball’ (insidetv.ew.com)
• ‘Firefly’ Actor Sean Maher on Coming Out as a Gay Actor (aoltv.com)
• ‘Playboy Club’ and ‘Firefly’ Actor Sean Maher: I’m Gay (towleroad.com)
• Actor Maher reveals he’s gay (hollywood.com)

Cue the Choir – Hal- a- loo-OOL – YAH!!!!! (Yes, I know that’s not how it’s spelled.)

Fourth season premiere, Castle, 10 p.m. Eastern, 9 Central, ABC. You will be forgiven for not being a Firefly fan and not getting half the in-jokes, but will not be forgiven for not thinking that Nate and Stana are THE smartest, wittiest, sexiest couple since….oh, Bruce and Cybill. And Stana’s got better legs. Boy, has she got legs. ZZ Top legs. But to borrow a line from Rizzoli and Isles, which thankfully ended its season last week – “Who the hell wears heels to a crime scene?”

And speaking of in-jokes, if you still haven’t figured out the Halloween costume Susan Sullivan was wearing – you need to check out her stage credentials instead of her IMDB filmography. She specializes in Noel Coward.

And, just to complete the evening (unless like me you are a SyFy fan and still have a couple of weeks to go on Eureka! and Warehouse 13), Dancing With The Stars premieres at 8 p.m. Eastern with Chaz Bono’s first appearance. If everyone who swore they wouldn’t watch because Chaz is on keeps their threats, it should decrease voting for other contestants, increasing the chance that Chaz will survive a few rounds of voting. If you are a SyFy fan, you can still vote because DWTS is on until 10:01 and if you skip the closing credits for Warehouse 13, you can catch the phone number. Heck, if Mama Grizzly’s legion of followers could keep Miss Teen Alaska on, we should be able to keep Chaz on.

Now I need to get my niece to teach me how to vote on my cell phone……

Related articles

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1 September 2011 by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

The Hub has released its first glimpse into the new reality series Majors & Minors. The show will follow several artists as they serve as mentors for young artists. Among those who will be appearing in the show are Adam Lambert, whose sophomore album is set to drop later this year, as well as Avril Lavigne, Colbie Caillat, Sean Kingston, Leona Lewis, Jordin Sparks and Brandy.

One of the show’s producers is Evan “Kidd” Bogart, who has been working with Lambert on that sophomore album, and this may have been part of why Lambert was chosen to be part of the show. Of course, Lambert’s dedication to children, such as is evidenced by his support for the Trevor Project and the It Gets Better Project, both of which deal with the issue of teen suicide.

The series is set to premiere on 23 September. Here is the clip:

Related articles

Gather.com’s Renee Snyder has some more about this that can be read here.

• Adam Lambert Other Stars To Mentor Young Artists (lezgetreal.com)

1 September 2011 by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

While there is certainly a bit of a mob forming over the inclusion of Chaz Bono, who is transsexual, and Carson Kressley, who is openly gay, to Dancing With The Stars’s 13th season lineup, do not expect that there will be an uproar over a same-sex couple any time soon…because they are not planning on allowing that to happen. Executive producer Conrad Green made it rather clear.

Green, possibly referring to discussions with Portia DeGeneres, said “We’ve discussed (such) pairings in the past. But the traditional role in ballroom (dancing) is for men to have a female partner, so that’s what we’ll do.”

Senior producer Deena Katz also stated “I’m surprised when people get upset about the partnering. This is not a social dancing show, it’s a dancing competition. A man should dance with a woman, no matter what your sexual orientation, in ballroom. If I’d put Chaz with Mark (Ballas), for example, it would have looked like I was trying to make controversy. We’re not setting people up on dates.” Well, given that Chaz is a straight man, it seems unlikely that pairing him with another man would be a good fit.

Of course, part of the problem is that they is precedent on a same-sex paring. On the Israeli version of the show, Gili Shem-Tov and Dorit Milman were partnered together. This was back in 2010, and according to Katz, that is when the producers started feeling the heat. Still, she is rather adamant about that saying “On our show, a man dances with a woman. There’s a male part to the dance — he’s the picture frame — and the woman is the picture. Never say never, but it really is about a man and a woman dancing these dances together.”

Ballroom dancing is changing in a lot of places, though. Classes are starting to be held for same-sex couples to learn ballroom dancing, and it often does not change the actual structure of the dance itself. The question is, perhaps, more of whether or not women and men will be willing to see men as the picture and not just the frame and women as the frame and not just the picture.

Here’s a segment of Shem-Tov and Milman dancing:

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• ‘Dancing’ execs vote down same-sex pairings (theclicker.today.com)

1 September 2011 by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

The thing about acting dynasties is that there is always the possibility of an actor and their acting parent working together. In the case of Angelica Houston, her father, John, directed her in his final film The Dead. Well, for fans of True Blood, getting to see Alexander Skarsgård acting opposite his father, Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård, is something that they would love to see. Unfortunately, it is not to be.

According to Stellan, who has been in films such as Good Will Hunting and Pirates of the Caribbean, he has been asked to appear on the vampire show, but, as he told E! Online, “I don’t have the time.” He is currently promoting the DVD of his latest film Thor.

Stellan does appreciate what his son has done saying that “I think it’s very well done and he’s great in it,” speaking of the show. In fact, he takes absolutely no credit for Alexander’s success saying In fact, he wants you to know that he takes no credit for Alex’s massive success. “I don’t give him any advice at all, because for my kids, from the age of 16 their lives are their responsibility. If he had the feeling that it was thanks to me that he had any of his success, it would just be half a success. He owes everything to himself.”

Stellan just finished up with the upcoming The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and is currently finishing up The Avengers in the US before he is off to Brazil for another film. Busy does not seem to quite cover it.

1 September 2011 by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

It should not be surprising that there are some who are less than thrilled with the decision by ABC’s Dancing With The Stars to have Chaz Bono on the show as a competitor. In fact, there are some who will complain about anything that does not match their Christian Fundamentalist views of the world. Well, Cher is not taking the criticism lightly. The sixty-five year old singer took to twitter to defend her son, who is 42.

Cher wrote that she supports Chaz no matter what he does and said “This is Still America right? It took guts 2 do it. . .Mothers don’t stop Getting angry with stupid bigots who (mess) with their children!”

Chaz is partnered with pro dancer Lacey Schwimmer for the reality show that is set to return on 19 September.

Fans of DWTS have taken to the show’s message boards to both support and condemn the choice of Chaz Bono for the show One even said “ABC should be ashamed of theirselves for harassing mainstream Americans and Christains. [sic]” Another, this time a supporter, stated “I never and mean NEVER watch DWTS but will this season to support/vote for (Chaz).”

Still, Chaz has made it clear that the criticism is not going to stop him. He took to his own Twitter page to thank his mother and the fans who have supported him saying “Thanks for all your support mom. The haters are just motivating me to work harder and stay on DWTS as long as I possibly can.”

At the end of last season, Castle’s Detective Beckett was shot while giving a funeral speech for the late Captain Montgomery. So, what does Richard Castle, the central character of the show choose to do? Why tell Beckett his true feelings for her. While it has not been exactly a secret that Beckett survives being shot, there have been some unanswered questions- who will replace Montgomery? What will happen to the relationship? Will there be more references to Firefly?

On 19 September, the wait will be over, but some of these questions are being answered sooner rather than later. For instance, Captain Montgomery will be replaced by Captain Victoria Gates. Her inclusion means that Nathan Fillion, who plays Castle, is no longer the show’s only former space captain. Gates is played by Penny Johnson Jerald, the actress behind Captain Cassidy Yates on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Gates, whose nickname is “Iron”, is less than pleased with with the less than formal atmosphere that permeates the precinct.

According to the ABC official synopsis:

In a riveting opening that picks up just moments after last season’s climactic finale, Detective Beckett (Stana Katic) fights for her life as Castle (Nathan Fillion), plagued by guilt over his role in the events, struggles to uncover who’s behind her brutal shooting. Meanwhile, back at the precinct, Ryan (Seamus Dever) and Esposito (John Huertas) have to adjust, as Victoria “Iron” Gates (Penny Johnson Jerald, “24?) becomes the precinct’s new uncompromising Captain.

The network also released some stills, and especially the cast photograph. The stills can be seen here at Screen Rant.

And here is the teaser trailer for the season for premier entitled “Rise”. That airs on 19 September.

31 August 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

Nathan Fillion will be crossing swords, or fangs with Jessica Tuck of HBO’s True Blood this upcoming season on Castle. Well, not necessarily swords or fangs, but wits. Tuck, who was recently promoted to a series regular on True Blood, will be playing a wealthy art benefactor who ends up being a suspect in a murder investigation.

Fillion has been known for his roles in the past including on the cult series Firefly. Tuck has played Nan Flanagan, the spokeswoman for the American Vampire League, on True Blood since 2008, but starred on a lot of soaps including One Life to Live and Days of Our Lives. She was also in the series Saving Grace and Judging Amy.

Also appearing in that episode as an art insurance investigator is The Killing’s Kristin Lehman.

Castle left its fans in a state of suspense when, at the end of the third season, Kate Beckett is shot and fans are left wondering if she will be alive for the fourth season. The fourth season premiers on 19 September.

31 August 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

A sex scene between Captain Jack Harkness and a man on BBC’s Torchwood netted the show some 500 viewer complains out of some 3.4 million viewers. Given the history of the BBC, one has to wonder exactly why the complaints occurred. Was it because it was a scene between two men?

Or, as Coupling rather handily pointed out:

Steve: [the men are in the pub talking about screen nudity] Britt Ekland!
Patrick: Oh, oh, oh… Britt! Britt Ekland spells naked!
Steve: Can I just mention the film…”The Wicker Man”?
Patrick: The dance in the hotel room?
Steve: Birth of my libido!
Jeff: Mine too!
Patrick: It was on the other night. I think I taped it.
Jeff: Let’s all go to Patrick’s.
Steve: No, no, no! I was only six. I had seen parts of Britt Ekland I couldn’t even name!
Jeff: I was seven. I didn’t realize television could do that! I started watching it all day every day, just in case it did it again.

The episode aired last week in the UK and featured a scene involving a flashback of Harkness in bed with an Italian immigrant in 1927. There have been numerous other scenes involving gay romance story lines in the series, but this particular scene apparently lasted longer than the others.

The BBC stated The BBC released a statement saying, “We aim to depict sexual relationships in an honest and realistic way. These scenes are not meant to cause offense.”

So, is this too racy for 9pm? This video, btw, is NSFW:

It should be pointed out that there was an entire season of Benny Hill that was deemed to be too racy for American television and four episodes of Upstairs/Downstairs that never made it to the states because two of the maids slept in the same bed and it was just implied that they were lovers. Additionally, in 1999, the BBC ran a movie about a post-op trans woman that included full frontal nudity at 9pm. The movie also included a sex scene.

31 August 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

Pretty Little Liars is planning on adding a few new faces for the return of the second half of its sophomore season. This is sure to delight some of the shows fans, though probably not many of its critics like the Florida Family Association. PLL’s executive producer Marlene King recently teased about the series adding in “two new Rosewood hotties”, but offered more information about the addition of Alexander Nifong in what is being described as a “significant role” in the series.

King stated “[Nifong] plays a blind student at the blind school where Jenna [Tammin Sursok] did her rehabilitation in Philadelphia. And he’s going to play a significant role in the show.” Nifong will be playing a character named Sam.

Also joining the cast for at least two episodes is Shane Coffey who will play a ‘childhood friend of Aria (played by Lucy Hale). King offered up that “He’s the first guy we’re casting as our male pretty little liar. He comes in with a big lie that’s really fun.”

Digital Spy noted that:

Nifong has previously guest starred in shows such as Glee and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, while Coffey played Jimmy in several episodes of The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Also on the cast list is Anthony Tyler Quinn.

The move will undoubtably please many of the young, straight women and young, gay men who watch the show which has tended to center around the four principal characters, all of whom are female. The show has made some waves over the fact that one of the main characters, Emily, is a lesbian.

The second half of the season is slated to air next year.

Meanwhile, RE/MAX and General Mills are both trying to clarify why they pulled their ads from the show. The two companies pulled their ads soon after the Florida Family Association claimed that the coming out of Emily “sends the wrong message to these young viewers” and launched a campaign to get advertisers to pull their spots from the show.

The FFA claims that their campaign is why the ads were pulled, but the companies are taking a different line. A General Mills representative told FOX News that “We make advertising decisions based on audience demographics and relevance for our brands, not based on the sexual orientation of characters.” RE/MAX has claimed that they pulled the spots also due to demographics. RE/MAX is a realty company.

Of course, any move to pull advertising was going to be seen as a victory for the FFA. David Caton, the founder of the anti-gay group, stated “We would love to see the program change its content to remove the explicit lesbianism that is then presented to an audience of girls. That would be something we’d love to see but we know that producers are not likely to do that, so we’re going to continue to contact companies that are paying the advertising costs and sponsorship for the program as long as it stays on the air. We’re in this to make a difference.”

By difference, they mean that they hope to drive more teen lesbians and gays to suicide. As The Advocate Executive Editor Diane Anderson-Minshall pointed out “Studies show that LGBT teens have much lower suicide rates, and much higher happiness and self-acceptance markers, when they live in communities, families, and cultures that accept them for who they are.

“I hope ‘Pretty Little Liars’ can continue to tell my teenage nieces and all the LGBT teens and young adults watching that it’s okay to exist and demand to love and date and get your heart broken over whomever you want. That’s a message FFA won’t like, but General Mills should.”

ABC Family has refused to change the show and even said “We strive to reflect the rich diversity of our audience and the world around us. We’re incredibly proud of the engaging characters and authentic storytelling that define ABC Family.”

So far, the show does not appear to be suffering any loss of revenue.

30 August 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

There are lesbians everywhere. . .any woman who dares to have a spine is a lesbian…any woman who is independent is a lesbian…any woman who dares not have a man is a lesbian…that appears to be the thinking behind the Florida Family Association and their attacks on the ABC Family show Pretty Little Liars. Perhaps they believe that Pretty Little Liars is going to turn into something like the webcomic Penny & Aggie where one lesbian character multiplies into five by the end of the series.

The FFA recently stated “McDonald’s and Chrysler are leading advertisers on [the] lesbian TV show watched mostly by girls under 18. Unlike any other show on unrestricted advertiser-supported television networks, the majority of the primary cast on Pretty Little Liars are lesbians. The series has grown from one lesbian lead character to three.”

There is one problem, unlike the Penny & Aggie where one lesbian character did, eventually, end up having four other lesbian characters surrounding her, there is only one lesbian character on Pretty Little Liars.

They have begun to try and get businesses to pull their advertisers from the show, and so far, very few have done so. In fact, so far, only one seems to have fled- RE/MAX. Their CEO Margaret Kelly told the FFA that “We have informed our media company to be sure to reference our list of shows that we do not want to advertise on…. this show is on the list. This should not happen again.”

Well, actually, it is two who have pulled out. General Mills has also asked that their ads not run during Pretty Little Liars. The reason being given? Well, the usual- the show is the wrong target demographic.

WetPaint.com noted:

Clearly RE/MAX has failed to notice the positive impact Emily (Shay Mitchell)’s sexuality has on PLL viewers. Em and her poker-playing lesbian besties inspire fans to be open and proud of their sexual orientation, and even helped ABC Family score a top GLAAD rating!

Ah well, it seems like there are going to be more than enough advertisers who want to come along and take those spaces since there does not appear to be any actual problems with the show getting revenue.

On a sad note, the webcomic Penny & Aggie, which I mentioned in this article, comes to an end tonight after seven years. It started out as a collaboration between writer T. Campbell and artist Gisele “Giz” Lagacé. Eventually, Lagacé would move on to other projects and Jason Walthrip would take over the art.

23 August 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

If there is anything in this world that is a certainty, it is that we live in a day and age when my childhood is being repackaged, reworked, resurrected, and remade. So, why should the Muppets be any different? This November, the Jason Segel-driven reboot of the Muppets will be hitting the big screen, and what is a show or movie without a theme song?

The group OK Go has done a version of the Muppet Show Theme Song for the film, and released a music video for the single which is off of the “Green Album”, which is a lot of the more famous and familiar songs done by contemporary artists. The album has a version of “The Rainbow Connection”. That particular song has always been one of my favorites, and I even have the version done by the Carpenters.

And here is the original from the Ruth Buzzie episode.

22 August 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

The television show Pretty Little Liars is getting ABC Family into some hot water with the anti-LGBT hordes that are out there. While they were recently honored by GLAAD, they are now under fire from the Family Research Council. GLAAD stated not long ago “This year, ABC Family becomes the second network, cable or broadcast, to receive an ‘Excellent’ rating in this report due to the quality and diversity of its many LGBT impressions,” the group noted. “Of the 10 cable networks evaluated, ABC Family posted the largest increase (+18%) and ranked highest for LGBT-inclusive original content.”

Perkins, of course, tends to see it as “indoctrinating children.”

Of course, Perkins is probably worried that all the children watching ABC Family, including their show Pretty Little Liars which has a lesbian character on it, are going to turn children into mini-Dr. Franknfurters from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. In many ways, that is the stereotype and view that Perkins and others have of lesbians and gays. They believe that gay men spend their days having the butt sex that he probably longs to engage in while cross dressing and drinking fruity cocktails when the reality would probably shock him to death.

Here is the clip of Perkins saying this via ThinkProgress

PERKINS: Michael Riley, ABC’s chief executive, said he was “proud” to be honored. Celebrating homosexuality, he said, is “very important to us.” That’s a serious problem, considering that ABC Family is the highest-rated network for 12 to 34-year-olds. Most parents trust the channel, which used to be owned by Disney. But it’s a different story now that the network’s going out of its way to indoctrinate kids. That won’t change until you get involved. Contact ABC. Tell them what they gain by being gay-friendly doesn’t compare with what they’ll lose. And that’s viewers.

Of course, the funny thing is, they have probably already lost all of the viewers that Perkins has sway over.

20 August 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

The Florida Family Association is up in arms over the fact that Pretty Little Liars’ Emily Fields is a lesbian. They have launched their campaign to get advertisers to drop their advertising on the show. The first was Remax Realty, which pulled its ads at the beginning of FFA’s campaign, but the announcement by General Mills has also pulled their ads as well.

The FFA was quick to crow about their possibly victory with General Mills, which is a cereal company. They published an email from GM’s Director of Consumer Services Jeff Hagen which reads “We have investigated this matter and confirmed that our advertising did air as you have reported. We have informed ABC Family Channel and our agencies that Pretty Little Liars is not a program that we will sponsor. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”

According to E! Online, FFA launched their campaign because of Field’s sexuality calling it irresponsible imagery. They also reported “The association even went so far as to describe the lesbian content on the show as ‘using salacious and glamorizing scenes portraying young, pretty women as lesbians’, saying it ‘sends the wrong message to these young girls, a message that reinforces and legitimizes this homosexual lifestyle in a manner that could affect these young girls’ sexual identity for a lifetime.’”

AfterEllen did confront GM about pulling their ads, and a rep for the company stated that “We make advertising decisions based on the audience demographic reach of a program and relevance for our brands, and we make changes to our ad buys all of the time. That should not be misinterpreted. The decision is entirely based on the relevance of the show’s audience for our brands, not because of the sexual orientation of individual characters,”

Actress Shay Mitchell has been more than a bit pleased with her character, though. She has reportedly been very pleased by Emily going from being a shy, confused girl to someone a bit more bad ass. She recently told E! Online “From the beginning of season one we saw that Emily is dealing with her sexuality and over the season she has come out to her parents, which I think is amazing,” Shay told us. “And you see how other people are accepting it. With [these latest] episodes there is a little bit of [anti-gay] bullying. I think it was important for the writers to put that in there, but it’s [also] fun. [Emily's]‘s going to have a good time [standing up for herself].”

She has also gotten a lot of positive feedback from people around the globe about Emily being a lesbian. She has stated “Young girls and guys just come up to me on the street and say things like, ‘Thank you, I related to your character unlike any other, especially when she was first discovering who she was and then come out to her dad—it gave me courage and strength to come out to my parents.’ That’s amazing, I couldn’t imagine playing a better character. I am very fortunate.”

Of course, GM might want to consider what this looks like, and the fact that their email is being used by an anti-gay group as proof that their attacks on diversity and attempts to hurt young people are succeeding.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart remains the best place to get Fox News distilled down to essential streams of propaganda. Last night’s episode began with a combination of Fox’s reactions to Warren Buffett’s call for increasing taxes on the rich and the overarching theme of Fox, that the “poor” are a “moocher class” of “parasites,” “racoons” and “irresponsible animals.” The best part of the segment was a piece that Stuart Varney did explaining how the “poor” have a very high standard of living.

The technical definition of being poor is a family of four with an income of $22,350 a year. That’s $429.81 per week, less $18.05 in payroll taxes. Now, even though an income that small will result in a refund of Federal and State income taxes, they are nonetheless deducted from paychecks, so figure an additional loss of around $13.00 a week. That brings the take home income to $398.76 per week.

First of all, in his little rant about the standard of living enjoyed by the “poor” Varney didn’t define them. The chant on the right is all about how 51% of Americans don’t pay any income tax, ignoring the other taxes they pay. It’s a fair bet that when Varney talks about the “poor” he’s talking about anyone with an income below median, which has slipped to around $51,000 a year.

Varney and a guest ran down a list of luxuries that the “poor” enjoy – starting with how 99.6% of the “poor” have refrigerators. The impression they gave was that everything on their list was purchased by the “poor” and not included in a rental property. Unless I’m deeply mistaken, every state has a requirement that a rental property include a refrigerator, even if they don’t include a stove. A fair number of apartments also include dishwashers, which a whopping 25% of the “poor” have. How old these appliances are is not discussed, but from personal experience I can tell you that low rent apartment refrigerators are so old they need to be defrosted manually. In some parts of the country, air conditioning, which 78.3% of the “poor” enjoy is also included in the rental, though it might not be used very often since the electricity is not included and the :”poor” have to pay for that themselves.

Among the other “luxuries” of the lifestyle of the “poor” are microwaves, 81.4% (available for around $15 in a thrift store), cell phones, 54.5% (trac phones and prepaid cells are cheaper than landlines which require deposits), and coffee makers, 48.6% (Really? A coffee maker is a luxury? How about $9 at Walmart.). And about those cell phones…..the town I lived in in Georgia had a pre-World War II phone system that was constantly breaking down. It got so bad that when the Bell South repairman came, they would simply say “dead squirrel” as short hand for the latest failure of my phones. We went all cellular because we needed reliable telephone service. You will find, if you care to look, that a lot of the inner city and small city low-income neighborhoods have similar infrastructure failures.

The only thing on Varney’s luxury lifestyle list that might be arguable is the 63.7% of the “poor” who have cable or satellite television. He should be grateful they do, because without it, he wouldn’t have an audience would he? As I look around my neighborhood, there are several converted old houses with two to four apartments in them that have satellite dishes. The dishes were installed by the owner of the building. The tenant pays to hook them up. Varney’s luxury list didn’t stipulate if the cable was basic or a higher level. He didn’t point out that 99+% of American homes have televisions. He didn’t point out that in some communities, basic cable costs less per month than taking a family of four to one movie. Comcast basic cable costs around $30 a month in Vermont. Without it, you don’t get television at all because our broadcast channels have gone digital. You need some kind of box to receive broadcast and then you need to be on the right side of the mountain to get any reception at all. People who live in big cities have no idea what the hassles are in getting television reception in the rest of the country.

I’m really, really, sorry, Mr. Varney, but even the poor deserve some kind of entertainment from time to time. With all the cutbacks in local government fundings, it’s getting harder to even go to the library and take out books, that is if one was lucky enough to go to a school system that didn’t let people “graduate” who were functionally illiterate.

Surprisingly, Varney’s list also didn’t include cars. Apparently, in his mind, owning a 20-year-old clunker isn’t a luxury.

Aside from the obvious as listed above, Varney’s little list ignored a simple reality. Not everyone who is poor today was poor four years ago. With between 14 and 20 million Americans unemployed, it’s a fair assumption that some of them actually had decent incomes before being laid off. It’s also a fair assumption that the elderly, who are now the elderly poor, had a lifetime of decent income to acquire possessions. The didn’t necessarily acquire estate-level possessions, just the ordinary possessions of an ordinary life – things like televisions, coffeemakers, microwaves, window air conditioners, cars, and for the younger, newly impoverished, gaming systems and computers. This computer is five years old. I can’t afford to upgrade or replace it.

Fox News and right wing radio keep accusing the Democrats of conducting “class warfare.” They are right. That’s what is building. As the Republicans insist on blaming the unemployed for being unemployed, as they block the things that would restore our economy and try to take our nation back into the late 19^th century instead of into the 21^st, as they classify the newly impoverished as moochers and leeches, as they defend the right of one man to make $3 billion on a single financial transaction that cost a million people their homes, they are building up the anger, frustration and hatred that fuels revolutions. The American Revolution was the only one in the history of mankind that was mostly political, and slightly economic. All the others have been driven by economics, by the gap between rich and poor. And as Jon Stewart pointed out, America is pushing itself into dangerous territory with that income gap.

A healthy nation needs a strong middle class, not a coddled, pampered upper class. In the last thirty years, since the rise of conservativism under Ronald Reagan, we have seen the middle class dwindle to a ghost of what it was in the days of Eisenhower, when we had high union membership and a 90% top tax rate. If the right wing can’t figure that out pretty soon, the class warfare they are whining about will turn into a real revolution. A little socialism saves a whole lot of capitalist ass. So does a fair economy.

After posting this story, we came upon the following analysis of Varney’s rant about appliance ownership among the poor.  It is worth reading because it does a much better job of explaining where Varney got that nonsense than either Stewart or we have done. 

http://5thstate.wordpress.com/2011/07/30/how-republicans-and-the-non-existent-poor-can-solve-america%E2%80%99s-deficit-with-used-appliances/

Image via Wikipedia

08-15-2011 by Linda S. Carbonell

A very long time ago, I received a booklet in the mail the use of which would make us a “Neilson Family.” We had to record every 15 minutes of television viewing by everyone in the house over a seven-day period. We filled it out, laughing the whole time because our principal viewing was The Weather Channel (it was summer tornado season in Florida), The Discovery Channel and BBCAmerica. We figured we were doing serious damage to their statistics.

Today, my mail included an envelope from Arbitron Ratings. They are the other company, the one that primarily does radio ratings. I opened it expecting a booklet, a means of recording individual shows or radio programs…..on the back of the “Your opinion counts!  You’ve been specially chosen to help with an important research study about television viewing and radio listening in the Rutland area.” introduction was a one page “study.”

Arbitron should be ashamed of itself. This was the most pathetic excuse for a media study imaginable. The “important research” questions consisted of:

1. Which types of shows do you watch regularly? (Check all that apply) Comedy, Drama, News, Sports, Other:___________. What year is this? Where are the reality shows, the DIY shows, the alternative entertainment networks, movies, documentaries? We have hundreds of channels with the greatest range of entertainment and information in history and their question could have been asked in 1955.

2. In a typical day, about how many hours of TV do you watch? 0, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7+. Where’s the tag for “it’s on all day as background noise”? Where’s the choice between “actually sit down and watch” and “sort of listen to while doing something else”?

3. What is your favorite TV show or channel? Wow, finally, something that resembles a ratings question. Show or channel? What is that supposed to prove?  There are four shows I watch regularly which are the only shows I watch on those channels. 

Repeat those three questions for radio, then there were access questions. Do you have internet, a cell phone, a landline? How about, how much television do you watch on your computer or even on your cell phone instead of your television?

The rest of the questions were demographics, ethnicity, age, race. I can use the pre-paid snail mail envelope, call a telephone number or log on to their website. My $5 for participating was mentioned five times.

This is a media study? For what purpose?

Someone will use the results of this “study” to prove something, but it won’t be an accurate picture of Rutland’s viewing habits or preferences. According to Ipsos, 51% of American homes have at least basic cable, 26% have satellite, 1% have both and 22% have neither. That 22% should have been broken down into “have antennas” and “don’t have TVs.” I would be willing to wager that cable and satellite usage in Vermont is above the national norm. Thirty years ago, half the kids in my elder daughter’s second grade class had HBO already. Seventy-eight percent of Americans can provide completely accurate ratings through our systems. People who use computers to watch TV can also have their viewing habits collected for accurate measures. The only thing that can’t be determined by gathering our cable, satellite or internet viewing patterns is our demographics. The census bureau will not allow a ratings company to match an address to a census record and find out the ages and ethnicities of the residents. The demographics are important so that advertisers know which programs to put their products on.

Arbitron sent $2 with the survey, and promised $5 when I return it. This idiotic excuse for a media survey is costing someone some substantial greenbacks. Someone is going to use this to justify something.

So, if you ever see the words “According to Arbitron…” you now know exactly what information Arbitron gathered and how totally useless the survey is. It sort of makes you wonder about all the other “surveys” and “polls” and statistics used to excuse, justify or prove anything.

Related articles

• I’m the reason you don’t like what’s on the radio (toddpack.com)
• Radio Makes People ‘Happier’ Than TV or Internet, New Study Finds (huffingtonpost.com)

14 August 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

Bert and Ernie are based off of a pair of characters that, well, most people in this day and age probably do not remember, or only vaguely remember. They are based off of Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison. You, the reader, may be wondering who those two were. They were the main characters of the play, movie and television series The Odd Couple. It has been claimed that Felix and Oscar were based off of Mel Brooks and Speed Vogel, who roomed together for three months.

This creates a conundrum. While campaigners are calling for the two to marry in a same-sex ceremony, the makers of Sesame Street are being clear that this will not happen. According to them “They remain puppets and do not have a sexual orientation.” According to the BBC, the makers of Sesame Street went on to say:

But they conceded that the pair are “male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics”.

The confirmed bachelors have lived together for 40 years and sleep in the same bedroom, albeit in single beds.

“Bert and Ernie are best friends,” the statement from Sesame Workshop added. “They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves.

The online petition does state that “We are not asking that Sesame Street do anything crude or disrespectful. It can be done in a tasteful way. Let us teach tolerance of those that are different.”

There is something else to take into account. No muppet has ever gotten married with one exception- Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, and even at that, it is not clear if that was considered legal. In other words, muppets do not get married. So, given that it has never been that any opposite sex muppets have married, it seems unlikely that a same-sex muppet couple will get married.

The headline says it all. Snooki in Florence got more viewers than the Republican candidate debate. She and her friends drew 7.4 million viewers, while the debate only got 5 million. The second season premiere, the previous week, garnered 8.8 million viewers, so even with ratings dropping, Jersey Shore beat the Repubs.

Of course, the Shore gang scored highest in the 12 to 34 year olds demographic. Exempting sports events, the show holds one of the top 15 viewership slots on cable for the year.

Only five million televisions were tuned to the debate? Only 5,000,000 of us gave a damn what these people had to say? We have approximately 260 million televisions in American homes. They only got 1.9% of the televisions in America? If you pull it as pure population numbers, 5 million out of 311 million people watched the debate. That’s only 1.6% of us.

Now, aren’t those lovely statistics?

Related articles

• Jersey Shore Italy Is Mtv’s Biggest Season Premiere – Watch Now (binsidetv.net)
• The Jersey Shore Still Breaking Ratings Records (ksfm.radio.com)

08 August 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

The downgrade of the American credit rating did not go unnoticed by politicians, or, for that matter, late night comedy. This is especially true of both Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. In fact, the two offered their own, unique perspectives on the downgrade through their own humor.

So, for those who did not see them, here are their takes on this issue:

The Daily Show

Colbert Report

08 August 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

The new Korean Broadcasting System drama entitled “Daughters of Club Bilitis” is facing something of an uproar in that country because it contains content that relates to same-sex couples. The drama premiered on 7 August and depicts lesbian relationships across the generations. It “tells the story of 50-year-olds Choi Ran and Choi Hyang Ja, 30-year-old career women Han Go Eun and Oh Se Jung, and high school students Jin Se Yeon and Ahn Ji Hyun.”

The show drew controversy even before it aired. KBS put it on at midnight and rated it for 19 year olds and up. This did not stop people from being opposed to the idea of KBS even airing a lesbian-themed drama.

According to Allkpop.com:

Critics praised the drama for having “taken a detailed look into the lives of the LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender] community and for accurately depicting their pain and obstacles.”

Some viewers, however, were skeptical. Even before the drama aired, netizens flooded the drama’s message board with posts strongly opposing its broadcast.

As of August 8th, comments like, “KBS needs to wake up from this illusion”, “This will negatively influence the youth”, and “This drama is a crime against humanity”, remain on the board.

Other viewers took to the social networks to defend the drama stating “The acting, directing, and script were all of high quality”, and “This is a brave attempt.”

Allkpop also reported that:

A representative of the broadcasting industry said, “There are LGBT persons around us. Just because a drama is LGBT-themed does not mean that it’s meant to purposely be stimulating, yet people still view it through those lenses. Because KBS is a public broadcasting network, there remains obstacles on airing dramas of such content. Still, we hope that people will view the drama for what it is: a drama.”

Lesbian and gay relations between consenting adults is legal in Korea. Overall, the status of LGB relationships in Korea mirrors much of the same level of legality and respect as found in much of the United States with growing acceptance and lacking any legal recognition such as marriage.

Ever since the major networks decided to limit their fictional offerings in favor of “reality television” the cable networks like AMC, SyFy, TNT and USA have stepped in to provide viewers with the best in fictional programming. They operate on a very British scheduling concept – short half-seasons averaging 7 to 8 episodes. The half seasons not only avoid the old network problem of running everything against each other in September, they keep the programs fresher. It’s very easy for a show to get repetitive and boring when it’s doing 21 to 24 episodes a year one after another starting in the fall. (Having said that, so far, Castle is doing a great job of avoiding that pitfall.)

TNT has developed a reputation for showcasing female characters in well-written, well-produced dramas, and they have attracted top-level talents for their shows. Their flagship is Kyra Sedgewick’s The Closer. Holly Hunter took us for a wild ride through Oklahoma City and God in Saving Grace. The latest ratings hit is Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander.

Set in Boston, the show focuses on the exploits of an Italian-American cop with a family that just manages to not be an ethnic stereotype and a medical examiner who was adopted by one of the old-money, Hahvahd Yahd families. Just don’t look for much in the way of resemblance to Tess Gerritson’s books. As developed by Janet Tamaro, Rizzoli & Isles stands alone, just as Bones stands alone from Kathy Reichs’ books.

The show premiered last year and is in the middle of this year’s offerings. TNT has announced that it has been renewed for next year already.

Angie Harmon is a veteran of Law & Order, wife of former football player Jason Sehorn and mother of three adorable kids. She brings a very street-wise, smart-ass attitude to Jane Rizzoli along with the believability needed to watch her shoot herself to take down a bad guy. Sasha Alexander was a regular on NCIS until her character Kate took a bullet for Gibbs, and is Sophia Loren’s daughter-in-law and mother of two kids with great genes. Her character’s upper-class upbringing is neither overdone nor overbearing. Maura Isles is Temperance Brennan with a wicked sense of humor – the consummate detached professional in the lab. And there are the shoes – the four-inch designer shoes that Alexander wears so very well. But at a crime scene?

The supporting cast is also excellent, with Lorraine Bracco going back to the city roots we haven’t seen from her since Medicine Man and one of my favorite character actors, Bruce McGill, who has built a solid career since riding a motorcycle up the frat house stairs in Animal House as the “old man” in the squad.

The show is fast, funny, engaging and original, well, as original as any crime drama can be as television pushes past its sixtieth birthday. Rizzoli & Isles has settled in as TNT’s second-highest rated series after The Closer, which is also its time slot, Monday at 10 p.m. Eastern, right after Ms. Sedgewick . They debuted this year at 8.6 million viewers. As Michael Wright, executive vice president and head of programming at TNT, TCM and TBS said, “This summer, Rizzoli & Isles has proven that last year’s record-breaking ratings were just the beginning of this show’s remarkable track record.”

If you are a fan of the television show, don’t hesitate to check out the books. Though very different from the show, they are the best things veteran crime writer Tess Gerritson has produced and well worth the time.

Related articles

• TNT Renews Rizzoli & Isles for a 15 Episode 3rd Season (tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com)
• TNT’s The Closer Draws 7.2 Million Viewers, While Rizzoli & Isles Nabs 6.4 Million in Sizzling Summer Premieres (tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com)
• Angie Harmon Gives a Glimpse of ‘Rizzoli and Isles’ Season Two on ‘The View’ (VIDEO) (aoltv.com)
• Rizzoli & Isles (dalypics.wordpress.com)
• Rizzoli & Isles, a Must See TV Show (pmispa.wordpress.com)

05 August 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

That is a wrap people. For devoted fans of the antics of the women of Wisteria Lane, today is a black veil day as they learn that ABC will be announcing this Sunday “the Television Critics Association’s press tour that this 2011-2012 season will be the last for long-running Desperate Housewives.” Cast members Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross and Eva Longoria are reported to be shocked and saddened by the news.

Marc Cherry, the series creator, had indicated that he had wanted the series to go on for nine seasons. In fact, ABC had already gotten options for a Season 9. Cherry, though, is not helming the series this upcoming season as he has pulled back to being a consultant on Season 8 while concentrating on other projects.

It has not helped that there are some embarrassing stories surfacing regarding the series. According to Deadline Hollywood:

Cherry also was slapped by former castmate Nicolette Sheridan with an embarrassing lawsuit over a purported slap which is still winding its way through the Los Angeles courts. Her claims of battery, wrongful termination, and unlawful retaliation will be argued in front of a jury.

The provocative and profitable series has been on the air since 3 October 2004 and it has been a solid perform in the ratings as well as earning numerous Emmy and Screen Actors Guild awards.

Penelope Keith

There are two things that fans of British television shows on PBS are accustomed to – the repertory quality of casting and old houses. Pick an actor or actress from a Britcom or Masterpiece Theatre production, look him or her up on the IMDB and you will find a dozen or more listings that you recognize. From the beautiful Sarah Alexander to the “oh, God, where do I know him from?” John Alderton to the vastly underrated Sophie Thompson and a couple of great Dames – Dench and Mirren, British actors and actresses slip constantly from films to television to stage. One who has graced our home screens since the early 1970′s is Penelope Keith, most famous as Margo Leadbetter in The Good Life and Audrey fforbes-Hamilton in To The Manor Born, but also the star of six other sitcoms, numerous dramas and the British stage, where she has concentrated her work since the 1990′s. Her television appearances in the past two decades have been limited to hosting shows about events like the famous Chelsea Flower Show and reunion/reviews of her old shows.

As for the houses….we have seen some of the most famous palaces and castles used as background, from the elaborate Castle Howard (Brideshead Revisted) to the stark Bamburgh Castle on the desolate Yorkshire coast (Michael Praed’s Robin Hood) to stately homes that have their own casting agents, we’ve seen the full range of these historic buildings. Now, the two, Penelope Keith and a real stately home, are coming together for a British version of This Old House.

To The Manor Reborn is a four hour series about the restoration and renovation of 500-year-old Avebury Monor in Avebury, Wiltshire, England. Avebury is most famous for its large stone circle, sort of a kid brother of Stonehenge which lies about 16 miles due south. The property, which belongs to the National Trust (that’s the government preservation agency aristocrats will their houses to when they can no longer afford the upkeep), consists of the manor house, a few assorted smaller buildings and the gardens, all of which were “restored” back in the 1930′s. A lot of these Depression-era restorations consisted of installing central heating systems, modern bathrooms and kitchens and creating very modern gardens. Well, modern for Hercule Poirot. Depending on the owner at the time, little attention was given to historical preservation or compatibility.

Avebury Manor

The BBC has teamed with the National Trust for the Avebury Manor project. Historians and restoration experts will work with volunteers to refurbish the house, keeping the work historically accurate while upgrading it for modern use and energy needs. Ms. Keith will be hosting the show along with Flog It! presenter Paul Martin. Flog It! is a variation on Antiques Roadshow. People bring in their antiques for appraisal and then, unlike the Roadshow, they can choose to auction them off.

Ms. Keith has specialized in aristocratic roles during her career, though her personal life is far more normal. Married since 1978 to former policeman Rodney Timson, she is the adoptive mother of two brothers and noted for her public service and charity activities. They live in the village of Milford, southwest of London. In 2002, Ms. Keith began a one-year term as the High Sheriff of Surrey, only the third woman appointed to the post. She has been president of the Actors’ Benevolent Fund since 1990 and is president of the South West Surrey National Trust. She was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 1990 and elevated to a CBE Commander of the British Empire) in 2007. She also has a beautiful hybrid rose named for her.

The series will eventually be shown in America, though at this point it could show up on any number of cable networks as well as PBS. It should be interesting on many levels. For Anglophiles and fans of British films and television, it’s an opportunity to really get inside a stately home. For the DIY set, this is a house more than 300 years older than anything we’ve ever seen restored or renovated on American television. It will present construction dilemmas that would astonish Bob Vila and Ty Pennington. Since hundred-year-old construction can render wireless modems impossible, what havocs can 500-year-old English oak and cut nails cause to modern electronics? The gardens will also be getting a makeover, for all those who prefer the outdoor parts of home renovations.

Related articles

• Walking with local history day 1 (debievans.wordpress.com)
• cycling to Stonehenge or Avebury? (ask.metafilter.com)
• How is a medieval manor house different from a Renaissance or Tudor style manor house (wiki.answers.com)
• David Mach, Ed Ruscha and Leonardo da Vinci – the week in art (guardian.co.uk)

04 August 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

Gretchen Carlson cannot understand why children like SpongeBob SquarePants. This might be because she and the other hacks at Fox News have never actually watched it. (For the record- I love watching SpongeBob and I don’t have children). But, now, Carlson and Steve Doocy are upset with SpongeBob and Nickelodeon. Apparently, they are not too happy that the little yellow sponge is talking about global climate change…you know, at a time when Texas is experiencing record heat like they have never had before.

Carlson stated Wednesday “SpongeBob is talking a lot about global warming, and he’s only looking at it from one point of view.” Yes, because, well, that is her job.

According to the Huffington Post

The criticism stems from a July 20 Department of Education event called “Let’s Read! Let’s Move!,” which featured author Maya Soetoro-Ng (also President Obama’s half sister), as well as NFL linebacker Chris Draft reading to students and encouraging them to exercise.

CNSNews.com, a conservative news site, reports that the students at the event received a book called “SpongeBob Goes Green! An Earth-Friendly Adventure.”

(The Huffington Post has contacted the Department of Education to verify that this book was given to students. They have not yet confirmed that this book was distributed at the event.)

Fox also played a clip from what they claim was an episode of SpongeBob where Mr. Krabs sais “Thanks to global warming, the temperature will soon go through the roof, and we’ll have an endless summer.” So, what does Carlson say, well “The government agency showed kids this cartoon and handed out books that blame man for global warming, but they did not tell kids that that is actually a disputed fact. Oops.”

Except that the evidence for man made climate change far outweighs that in the opposite direction.

Doocey then said:

“Clearly Nickelodeon is pushing a global warming agenda, and while there’s no disputing the fact that the earth is getting a little warmer, the big question is, is it man made, or is it just one of those gigantic climactic phases that we’re going [through]? … For a while we’re cold and then we get warmer and then we get colder and warmer, which one is it? There’s science on both sides. There are a lot of scientists who say, ‘It’s this,’ others say, ‘It’s that.’”

According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 97% of scientists believe that humans cause climate change. Even if they do not cause it directly, there is a lot of evidence that humans are having a major impact on the global climate.

Still, Carlson said that, for her, SpongeBob is “hard to follow sometimes.”

Media Matters put together this clip of their attacks on SpongeBob:

01 August 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

The joys of science fiction mean that one is not exactly going to be easily pegged as monosexual or even bisexual…after all, there are at least five genders, and we can always come up with a number of different sexes and aliens that, somehow, something as silly as two guys getting it on just seems, well, silly. Really, if you can shag an alien, who cares if you’re also shagging some bloke.

Barrowman, who plays Captain Jack Harness on Torchwood, feels that there really shouldn’t be a problem with Harness’ ‘omnisexuality’. He told the Daily Telegraph:

“I don’t see who I am or the life I lead as being an issue, so therefore it’s completely normal and natural to me. I know some people still raise it as an issue. I don’t think it’s a big deal but I know there are people out there who don’t have voices who don’t feel like they’re being represented on television.

“If you look at television right now, America has the most gay characters on television in any country but what I don’t agree with is that a lot of them are all stereotypes. What I love about Jack is that he’s not a stereotype. Jack is omnisexual, but people who watch this series will think he’s completely gay because he only has sex with men.

“I remember when I kissed the Doctor in Doctor Who it didn’t even make the headlines, nobody even bothered about it. But it was only when Jack had his own spin off show and he was saying that he was omnisexual and that he would have sex with anything with a postcode that people started going ‘ooh’.”

Of course, Harness doesn’t shag The Doctor, but we do presume that River Song does…after all, those two get married.

Related articles

• John Barrowman: ‘Kissing Doctor Who didn’t even make the headlines’ (telegraph.co.uk)

Rosie O'Donnell

Rosie O’Donnell’s new talk show will premiere on the Oprah Winfrey Network at 7 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, October 10. Her new show will run five nights a week.

In a Reuters interview, Rosie announced that in addition to celebrity chat, games, news topics and the signature Rosie humor, “We’re going to have a controversy segment…….No, we’re not. We are not going to look for controversy, but should it be germane to what is happening in the world, I am sure we will bring up current events.”

Rosie’s original show ran from 1996-2002, and she did a brief stint on The View in 2006. But Rosie had a controversial and confrontational side that tanked her popularity. Between 2002 and 2005, she practically disappeared, but came back with a variety of acting roles from Riding the Bus with My Sister to Drop Dead Diva. Her personal life was also somewhat controversial. She and Kelli Carpenter were together for years before marrying in San Francisco in 2004. They adopted three children and Carpenter gave birth to their fourth. When they announced that they wanted to adopt their foster child, Mia, they ran headlong into Florida’s no-gays adoption law. The state removed Mia from their care. Rosie and Kelli separated in 2007, but didn’t announce it for two years. Rosie and her family divide their time between a home in historic Nyack, New York (north of New York City, where theater legends Helen Hayes and her husband Charles MacArthur lived and are buried) and Star Island, Miami, Florida. Rosie’s brother, Daniel, who is gay, is a New York State Assemblyman, representing the Upper East Side of Manhattan and had the privilege of voting for same-sex marriage in New York.

Rosie, who is 49, chose to return to the talk show format on OWN because, in her words, “It’s a huge stamp of approval that is beyond anyone’s dream. It’s almost like being knighted.” When asked about how she will fit with the aspirational nature of OWN’s programming, she said “I think the reason for my success is taht I am not aspirational, but inspirational because people relate to me because I am not Madonna. I am more the audience….a no-one is at home going ‘if I could only be Rosie O’Donnell, an overweight lesbian who yells too much.” Not the best way to explain it, but it sort of gets the point across. Rosie is like ordinary women, not some size 0, botoxed woman trying to deny aging by any means money can buy. Rosie is real – loud, passionate about her beliefs and capable of flashes of extraordinary talent.

Rosie is hoping to attract celebrity guests, and her wish list includes Russell Brand (“fascinating”) and Adele (“epic gorgeous and fantastic”). The 7 o’clock slot may prove to be a wise choice. It’s either new, reruns of network shows or the Jeopardy/Wheel duo at that hour for most of us. Rosie could be a refreshing change.

Related articles

• Oprah Makes Surprise Appearance To Introduce Rosie O’Donnell At OWN TCAs (omg.yahoo.com)
• Rosie O’Donnell doesn’t let a small injury keep her from chillin’ (pbpulse.com)
• Rosie O’Donnell’s new talk show gets premiere date (insidetv.ew.com)
• WATCH: Rosie O’Donnell Arrives At Harpo For New Show (huffingtonpost.com)

28 July 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

Adam Lambert is a talented man with a great voice and a wonderful presence on stage. This has made him a celebrity even after he did not win American Idol. He is also, from what people say, a really nice guy. He came out back in 2009 as gay, and has been helping the LGBT Community ever sense as well. While we here at LGR appreciate his music, we also really love that he is working hard for the LGBT Community as well unlike some other openly gay celebrities out there.

Lambert is going to be featured on VH1′s Behind the Music, and a preview clip from it has been released. In it, the “For Your Entertainment” artist discusses how he was presented as a stereotype on American Idol as well as having to keep quiet about being gay. The man who eventually went on to win that season of American Idol, Kris Allen, is also interviewed.

The two discuss how they were, basically, marketed by American Idol with Allen being marketed as the love song singing ‘boy next door’ and Lambert being the effeminate metrosexual guy in makeup. Allen states “The show knew exactly what they were doing, obviously. They wanted to pit us against one another.”

Lambert had to deal with the press speculating about him being gay, which he did not think was important. He did feel that he should have been part of the conversation. He says “It was hard for me, because technically, I wasn’t able to talk. It felt out of my control.” Idol contestants are not allowed to talk during the season.

Still, it would have been better for the LGBT Community if Lambert had been able to come out during the season and show LGBT youth that it is possible to get ahead as a gay man, and that is something that he seems to know well. When the season came to an end, Lambert talked to Rolling Stone about being gay and said “I wouldn’t want to go through my career hiding anything, or covering up. It’s just not my style… I’m proud of my sexuality.”

Lambert is working on his sophomore album which is due out in October.

27 July 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

He sings, he dances, he appears on Glee, and he apparently is hoping to appear on Broadway soon…as a replacement for Daniel Radcliffe, but don’t be buying your tickets to see Darren Criss in How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying just yet.  In order to do this, Criss would have to miss about half a season of Glee.  In fact, the actor who plays the very out Blaine Anderson has even stated “it’s definitely not confirmed by any means.”

The prospect of Broadway comes at a time when Criss is looking at possibly being around Glee a lot more.  He just got upgraded to series regular as the boyfriend of gay student Kurt Hummel played by Chris Colfer.   He recently told TV Guide: “I’ve been invited to this party that was swinging before I got there. So to feel entitled to anything at this party is absurd. I’m just happy that they’re having me around.”

With regards to replacing Radcliffe, Criss said “People keep asking me about it, and it’s kind of cool that that’s out there in the world, but I cannot confirm anything at all. I mean, yeah, that would be really cool. That’s certainly a wonderful role and a great show, and it would certainly be exciting to be a part of it. … But it’s not confirmed by any means.”

It is, though, nice to see young actors willing to walk the boards and get into the stage these days as well.  Sir Derek Jacobi once said that ‘you do movies for the money, television for the exposure, and stage for the love of acting.’  So, good luck Criss, and even if this one doesn’t pan out, there will be other opportunities to appear on Broadway.

26 July 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

“Good news everybody.” Futurama will be returning for another two seasons. This good news came out this past Comic-Con when David X. Cohen told a packed ballroom that the Emmy-nominated animated series was renewed by Comedy Central. Cohen told the crowd “The mood is better now. Pressure’s off now that we’re in our second life – we didn’t expect to be back.”

The show aired for four season on FOX News before being picked up by Cartoon Network, and then resurrected by Comedy Central. After four movies, the series was brought back fully when the sixth season debuted in June 2010.

Yahoo News reported:

“Futurama” and “The Simpsons” creator and executive producer Matt Groening shared his excitement for the show’s “Best Animated Series” Emmy nomination for its sentimental episode “The Late Philip J. Fry,” which follows the almost-failed romance of Fry (Billy West) and Leela (Katey Sagal).

Cohen said he promises more tender moments in a seventh season finale, where Bender gets over-clocked, becoming “a super god-like being with no interest in human affairs” — meanwhile Fry and Leela are considering their own future together.

The cast also have other projects that they are working on. In the new Looney Tunes series, Billy West has taken on the voice of Elmer Fudd and Phil Lamar, who plays Hermes, is co-starring with Hugh Jackman in “The Real Steel”. Meanwhile, Katey Segal is also working on the show “Sons of Anarchy”.

Futurama made a splash recently with the episode ‘Proposition Infinity’ in which Amy and Bender fight to legalize robosexual marriage.

25 July 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

As the abysmal sales of “Tickle Me Bender”….er, sorry…as the abysmal ticket sales for the Sarah Palin biopic The Undefeated begin to rack up, Victory Film Group and ARC Entertainment, the distributors of the film, have announced that the documentary will be available via “Video on Demand and Pay-Per-View access through national and regional cable and satellite operators” beginning on 1 September. That’s right, you two can enjoy a night in with Sarah Palin beginning on 1 September rather than having to travel the hundreds of thousands of miles to go see her in the fourteen…er…ten….er….however many theaters it will be showing in by this weekend.

What is more, the DVD will be launching on 4 October. This means that you can also own a piece of the Palin. ARC is planning on the initial pressing to be about 250,000 units with a ‘special edition’ DVD which will contain additional content and will be sold only at Walmart. ARC is also planning on expanding the film’s release throughout August and September because demand across the country supposedly remains high. This is why ticket sales were off by two-thirds despite expanding into four new theaters over the weekend.

According to the press release:

Trevor Drinkwater, CEO of ARC Entertainment, said, “Since the film opened in select markets across the country on July 15th we have been inundated with requests from people wanting the film to be made available in their market. After methodically analyzing the most effective ways to bring this galvanizing film to the widest audience as soon as possible we have determined that continued limited theatrical distribution, Video-on-Demand, Pay-Per-View and DVD sales will be the best modalities by which to deliver this film as widely as possible. We have created partnerships with national cable, satellite and mass retailers to achieve our distribution goals.”

“This title is absolutely perfect for Video-on-Demand and Pay-Per-View backed by a traditional and significant marketing campaign. We are incredibly excited about having this film made available to the entire country earlier than expected,” said Glenn Bracken Evans, the film’s producer. “A traditional windowed release would not have allowed us to maximize viewership of this highly sought after film,” continued Evans.

“The Undefeated is a terrific case study for a digital cinema release. We have been nimble, efficient and brought this film to many eager viewers with almost no turn around time,” said Jill Newhouse Calcaterra, chief marketing officer at Cinedigm, the film’s digital distributor. “We look forward to bringing this film to many more audiences across the country during the next month.”

Filmmaker Stephen K. Bannon stated, “Given the strong audience reaction we have determined there is overwhelming demand for us to get this film out broadly enough to cover the entire nation in September and October. In a 90-day period from August to November we will be able to effectively cover the nation through multiple distribution modalities.”

The VoD and PPV releases are going to be backed by a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign, which will probably raise awareness of the film by about two iotas. The press release notes that the film did debut to several multiple sold-out runs, but fails to mention that this was entirely on the opening day as the rest of the opening weekend tended to have no one there. Perhaps people were turned off by Andrew Breitbart talking about eunuchs. The press release also mentions that the opening weekend per-screen average was above $11,000, which is incorrect. In reality it was about half that at just under $7,000 per screen. This past weekend, it dropped to just under $2,000 per screen. The film has brought in just over $101,000 since release.

24 July 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

For the most part, the winners and losers on American Idol get forgotten. Still, those that do make it do pretty well. Carrie Underwood, Adam Lambert and Clay Akins have all gone on to have pretty good careers, with Lambert and Underwood raking in the money. By and large, Underwood is making the most money at $20million with Chris Daughtry and Adam Lambert making $6million apiece. Of course, Lambert may be about to make a lot more when his sophomore album debuts later this year.

These calculations are based on before taxation and before subtraction of agent and manager fees.

According to Adam Kluger, the president of brand partnership company the Kluger Agency, “[American Idol is] a money-making machine. It’s like having the Super Bowl every week.”

According to Showbiz Spy:

Earning an estimated $20 million, Underwood, 28, has five Grammy Awards to her name, and in 2010, made her feature film debut in Soul Surfer. Having recently surpassed Kelly Clarkson as the best-selling Idol of all time, Underwood’s most recent disc, Play On, has sold more than 2 million copies in the U.S. since its 2009 release. (Clarkson ranked fifth on the current Forbes list, with estimated earnings of $2.5 million.)

It should be noted that Underwood has a four year head start on Lambert who released his first album, For Your Entertainment, in 2009 and is finishing up work on his second album. This was the first time that Lambert made the list, in fact. It should be expected that, by next year, his star will have risen further given that his is becoming a rapidly better known star thanks to his work on behalf of LGBT youth, his talent, and his image. Compared to the other big names from Idol, Lambert has had the fastest rise.

Here is the full list. Hopefully by next year, Lambert will have gotten a higher total:

1. Carrie Underwood: $20 million
2. Chris Daughtry: $6 million (tie), Adam Lambert: $6 million (tie)
3. Fantasia Barrino: $4 million
4. Jordin Sparks: $3 million
5. Kelly Clarkson: $2.5 million
6. Jennifer Hudson: $2 million
7. Kellie Pickler: $1.8 million
8. Clay Aiken: $1.5 million
9. Katharine McPhee: $1 million (tie), David Archuleta: $1 million (tie), David Cook: $1 million (tie)

22 July 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

Seven people have helmed Star Trek at different times. The first, of course, was William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in the first series, which lasted three seasons, as well as the subsequent six movies. Kirk would return to the screen, this time played by actor Christopher Pine, in the latest Star Trek incarnation.

The documentary “The Captains” interviews six of the seven actors who have helmed Star Trek at various times. Jeffrey Hunter, who played Captain Christopher Pike in the original pilot episode of Star Trek, passed away before the series really got started.

“The Captains” is a series of interviews by Shatner of the various living actors who helmed the franchise. He did the interviews in different locations, including, apparently, talking to Scott Bakula, who played Captain Jonathan Archer in Star Trek: Enterprise, while horseback riding. He arm-wrestled Chris Pines on Los Angeles’ Melrose Avenue.

The documentary was discussed by Shatner at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con which was moderated by Kevin Smith. Shatner has said that he has always loved the series, but now he has a new fondness for the fellow actors who helmed the series. He also called the documentary “a work of love” and that it “was a voyage of discovery”. He said that he learned a lot about himself while making the film.

Avery Brooks was not only interviewed, but he scored the film. Brooks played Captain Benjamin Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Shatner, who is 80, said “I discovered traits among the six of us that I had no idea about, and I discovered things about myself. That’s what my voyage was on this film.”

According to AP

The actor said he’s also developing a new show about fan conventions because he has been so moved by “Trek” fandom.

At first, he said, “I rejected it… but I finally see that people have taken `Star Trek’ into their hearts.”

21 July 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

John Barrowman apparently is none too happy that a sex scene between Captain Jack Harkness and a barman was cut from the third episode of the fourth season of Torchwood. The BBC bosses deemed that the scene was too racy for primetime and pulled the scene. They maintain that the edit did “not change the story in any way”. Barrowman, though, adamantly believes that the scene and the romance are vital to the plot.

Barroman recently said “It’s not gratuitous sex, it facilitates the story. It’s nothing they grab just to put on the camera to sensationalise it. You go back into the history with Jack and you discover an integral relationship that is part and parcel to what is happening. It’s a massive story.”

The episode has already aired on STARZ in the United States, but is slated for Thursday evening for the BBC.

Related articles

• BBC Cuts Steamy Gay Sex Scene From Torchwood (lezgetreal.com)

20 July 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

is a British television show dealing with cars. It airs in Britain, of course, and here in the United States on BBC America. Given the fact that I know about as much about cars as I do about brain surgery, I can say that I haven’t watched. Still, apparently a joke at the expense of George Michael is making something of a fuss with, well, George Michael.

On Sunday, Jeremy Clarkson made a joke about the on-road performance of the new Jaguar XKRS. He said “It’s very fast and very, very loud. And then in the corners it will get its tail out more readily than George Michael.”

A fan then posted the clip on Michael’s Twitter page, and the openly gay singer then angrily slammed Clarkson calling him homophobic. In fact “Good grief Mr.Clarkson, I wasn’t implying your towering heterosexuality was in question. I had no desire to insult you! But I do now, you pig-ugly homophobic t**t!!!!!” Um, yes, because, let us face it, calling someone a crude and very vulgar slang term for a woman’s vulva is alright and not in the least bit misogynistic, but making a joke at the expense of a guy who was arrested for giving blow jobs in a bathroom is.

In all honesty, Clarkson would have used just about any celebrity’s name if they have a tabloid history of, basically, being seen as rather slutty. From the sounds of it, Michael not only decided to be a misogynistic prat, but he a touchy one at that.

He has previously requested that the show be more gay-friendly and “jokingly posted a clip of himself talking about a bright pink Bentley.” As Crowley shows in Good Omens, the only colour that a Bentley should be is classic black.

This is the pink Bentley that started it all:

Source

19 July 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictorie

It appears that fans of the British version of Torchwood won’t be getting an eye full of Captain Jack Harkness and an unnamed barman despite the fact that it apparently already been broadcast in the US on STARZ. The BBC bosses thought it was too explicit. This, from the network that included a full on nudity scene involving a post-op transsexual in a movie exploring transsexuality.

The Sun reports that a source, which hopefully wasn’t hacked into by reporters working for News Corp, that the executives felt that the scenes were just too sexy to show primetime audiences. The source said “It wasn’t that it was a gay scene that worried people, but just the fact it was such an explicit sex scene, full stop. You can get away with scenes like that on American cable channels, but you can’t on primetime BBC1.

A BBC spokeswoman did confirm that this scene was cut along with another that they deemed to be too explicitly violent. She said “The UK and US versions of ‘Torchwood’ are slightly different. However, these differences do not change the story in any way and the strong storylines are first and foremost to the series.”

John Borrowman did promise show fans that the new series would be the sexiest yet, and it would include “man sex” and “full-on” nudity.

The BBC has not shied away from nudity or conversations which are rather explicit. Certainly the show Coupling was never lacking in sexual talk, and there was a conversation about seeing the original Whicker Man on BBC television by a couple of the characters therein.

Source

19 July 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

I can imagine that groups like Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, and the rest are, right now, throwing a screaming fit because another character has come out of the closet. Steve Jinks, played by Aaron Ashmore, came out to Claudia Donovan, played by Allison Scagliotti, on last night’s Warehouse 13. The decision to make Jinks gay came from the network, apparently. Ashmore joined the series this season.

According to the star of the show, Jack Kenny, it was the network who pitched the idea, and according to Kenny “We were pitching this character and a couple of the execs are gay and said, ‘What if Steve was gay?’ We immediately jumped on the idea – but it’s just a part of who he is, it doesn’t define the character.”

Ashmore liked the idea, noting that romance isn’t a huge part of Warehouse 13. He said “[T]he show’s not really about romantic relationships. These people’s lives are crazy trying to save the world, so there’s not a lot of time for love. I think when he interacts with some people, in the back of my mind as an actor, I’ll decide that he thinks a guy is cute. But it doesn’t play into how he does his job.”

During the episode, according to OnTheTop:

Steve and Claudia collide over Claudia’s frequent references to being the senior agent on their investigation as they share the front seat of a car during a stakeout. Steve tells her to “relax” because it’s just the two of them on the mission, which Claudia takes as a come on.

“I felt it too, that crackling chemistry between us,” Claudia says. “It’s just that I really need to focus on my career right now. I don’t have a ton of bandwidth for other stuff. As attractive as that other stuff may be.”

“Oh my god, I’m not hitting on you, I’m gay,” Steve interrupts.

“You’re how now?” Claudia asks.

“Gay. You know when two people of the same sex find each other …”

The scene ends with the revelation taking the pair from adversaries to friends.

LGBT characters are popping up all over the place lately. This means that many people in the anti-gay movement are busy complaining about the ‘indoctrination of children’, after all, they want us to be obsessed with the children like the Roman Catholic Church. The anti-gay groups often attack Hollywood for portraying LGBT people as real people instead of the caricatures that they want to use instead. These are people who believe that LGBT people choose to be the way that they are.

It is good to see more positive LGBT characters on TV, especially when they are being treated as just part of the show rather than a lot being made over their orientation. It brings us one step closer to being seen as equal.

18 July 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

It has not been officially announced yet, but apparently, Adam Lambert may be slated to appear on Project Runway with Tim Gunn, who is also openly gay. Project Runway returns for its ninth season on 28 July. So far, everyone is being mum about whether or not Lambert will be showing up on the show.

There are rumors about it, though. Lambert was recently in New York City, where the show is taped, but the rumors began with someone who claims to know a cameraman for the show. This is one of those “my cousin’s friend’s cousin’s friend’s uncle’s nephew’s great-aunt saw it” kind of rumors. There were a few other possible indicators though.

It has been reported that Nina Garcia, a Project Runway judge, listed Lambert as one of the people to follow on Twitter. In fact, that tweet was “#FF @adamlambert @AmandaHearst @SergioKletnoy @marieclaire @zrobertsrassi @dolcegabbana @MichaelKors @ProjectRunway @HugoGloss @csiriano”

The writer at Gather did say “Yes, Nina’s tweet could just be a coincidence and at this point Adam has not been confirmed as a judge for Project Runway by anyone. However, these hints all lead to a high possibility that the rumor is true.”

An RCA representative has also been rather mum about this. The representative only posted a ‘wink’ emoticon on Lambert’s official message board when asked directly about this.

The move would not be a bad one. Let us face it, there are a lot of fans that Lambert would bring with him to an episode or two or a whole season of Project Runway, which airs on Lifetime (Finally corrected).

18 July 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

As the documentary made about her mother has crashed and appears to be on fire right now, Bristol Palin is tirelessly promoting herself so that she can enjoy the lifestyle that her mother wants her all the while ignoring the fact that she is a single mother who really should be taking care of her children, if one follows with what she was brought up to believe.

At least the younger Palin understands that she should be focusing on positive things unlike her mother who seems rather focused on driving the crazy train to American oblivion. Appearing on FOX News, a franchise of Rupert Murdoch, she said

We might as well be doing good things. And, hopefully, with my book and with this new show coming up, it’ll be doing good, positive, productive things.

The next show that I’m going to be doing will be with Chris and Kyle Massey and we’re going to be doing a reality show and it’s charity-based and it’s going to be out of California.

Over at Mediate, they noted:

The internet helpfully informs us that Kyle Massey is a Disney Channel star that you might recognize from such shows as Cory in the House and That’s So Raven. His older brother, Chris Massey, has acted on Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101, once home to another famous young mom, Jamie Lynn Spears.

Brisol’s son, and Sarah’s grandson, Tripp will also be in the new show, and Bristol hopes that the experience will teach him “to give back.” That is a wonderful thought, but he may be a bit young to understand that concept right now. Then again, apparently at 47, Bristol’s mother hasn’t learned that lesson, so you never know.

Well, Bristol must be hoping that this is going to go better than her attempt at a career about how abstinence is the best policy before marriage, her family’s other reality show, her family’s bus tour, her mother’s political career, and just about everything that makes one really wonder who the suckers are who buy into her.

14 July 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

The comic strip series Funky Winkerbean has been around so long that there have been at least two generations of High School students depicted in the series. In fact, in order to have the series return to being about High School, the strip did a ten year time jump that does not involve a jump to the left. This is the problem facing the series Glee. What to do when everyone graduates? What makes this worse is that one of those departing the series will be Kurt Hummel, played by Chris Colfer.

Colfer has just been nominated for an Emmy for this role, and it is now known that, when the series beings again this upcoming season, it will be his last. Series co-creator Ryan Murhpy said about this “You can keep them on the show for six years and people will criticize you for not being realistic, or you can be really true to life and say when they started the show they were very clearly sophomores and they should graduate at the end of their senior year.”

It is not just Colfer who will be leaving, series regulars Lea Michele and Cory Monteith will also be departing. All three of their characters will be graduating.

How Colfer learned of his departure may make for some tough explanations for Murphy. While Michele and Monteith were in on the whole process, Colfer learned via Twitter. Colfer, though, is taking it pretty well saying “I didn’t necessarily know that it was going to be our last season next year. I knew something like that was coming up eventually. I mean, we can’t be there forever. I don’t necessarily want to leave so soon, but I mean, it’s fine. It’s what it is. And all things come to an end.”

What will the future hold? Who knows. Perhaps they will introduce a few more lesbian or gay characters, and perhaps even deal with transsexuality, a subject that is not often treated on television in any meaningful manner. Other than one episode of the series The Closer, most shows dealing with transsexuality have tended to be full of stereotypes or downright offensive such as Seth McFarlane’s much touted (by him) and much reviled (by everyone else) episode dealing with transsexuality.

Ah, but the future is always unwritten.

Source

14 July 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

It is not exactly the familiar sound of the TARDIS phasing into our reality, but it certainly is a sound that amounts to many a person typing themselves as far away from Netflix as possible. Recently, BBC Worldwide decided to set up a way for fans of Doctor Who to rent specific episodes for $1.50 per 48 hour period. Included in all of these appear to be most, if not all, of the Doctor Who episodes, and for someone who grew up watching bits and pieces of the show, that is marvelous.

This move also comes at a time when Netflix is announcing a defacto price hike. The movie rental company has announced that they are splitting their services come September and if a person wants to watch movies over the internet and get DVD rentals to their home, they will have to fork over for both. Right now, it costs $10 for a person to use both, but as of September, subscribers will either have to purchase one or the other, or purchase both if they want to continue using both services.

According to Techland:

Netflix rolled out an $8 per month streaming-only plan back in late November of last year and bumped its one DVD per month plan from $9 up to $10—that plan included streaming content as well, though. As recently as April of this year, Netflix foreshadowed that the licensing fees required to secure the rights to streaming content would “increase substantially.”

……

And while the amount of postage Netflix spends on sending DVDs out in the mail far outweighs the cost of streaming movies online, consumer demand for streaming content seems to have resulted in increased licensing costs—an estimated $700 million this year and a whopping $1.2 billion next year.

Netflix explained the whole move thusly:

“Last November when we launched our $7.99 unlimited streaming plan, DVDs by mail was treated as a $2 add on to our unlimited streaming plan. At the time, we didn’t anticipate offering DVD only plans. Since then we have realized that there is still a very large continuing demand for DVDs both from our existing members as well as non-members. Given the long life we think DVDs by mail will have, treating DVDs as a $2 add on to our unlimited streaming plan neither makes great financial sense nor satisfies people who just want DVDs. Creating an unlimited DVDs by mail plan (no streaming) at our lowest price ever, $7.99, does make sense and will ensure a long life for our DVDs by mail offering. Reflecting our confidence that DVDs by mail is a long-term business for us, we are also establishing a separate and distinct management team solely focused on DVDs by mail, led by Andy Rendich, our Chief Service and Operations Officer and an 11 year veteran of Netflix.”

The decision to bypass Netflix and deliver Doctor Who directly via Facebook may be a big boon for movie and television distributors if it works. Since the studio will directly sell their items through something like Facebook, they can cut down costs and maximize profits.

The Doctor Who episodes will be available in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and includes one storyline entitled “The Greatest Show in the Galaxy” which has never been released to DVD. According to BBC Worldwide Chief Executive John Smith (who is not related to Matt Smith, the Eleventh Doctor), this move comes in response to the following that the current reboot of Doctor Who has had with fans and the show’s following on the official Facebook page.

Smith said “As we have grown internationally, we’ve seen through our Facebook channel that fans who are loving the new series are asking for a guide into our rich Doctor Who back catalogue… We see this service as a perfect way to give our fans what they want, as well as a great way for them to get their fix between now and late summer when Series Six continues.”

Of course, the production values of the older Doctor Who episodes are rather bad. The show has always been rather campy, but it still ranks as the longest running TV show in the history of the BBC. While that may be the case, a lot of people will still probably enjoy going through the back catalogue and see how the Doctor evolved over the years.

The episodes are available through Facebook.com/DoctorWho.

Alex Fox

I started with your typical sports. Tee-ball when I was old enough, moving into softball, dance (tap, ballet, jazz), eventually basketball, then when I was in eighth grade, out of nowhere, I turned to my stepmom and said:

“I want to play soccer.”
“What? Why? That’s too manly of a sport.”
“I want to play soccer.”
“No.”

Ok. There went that dream.

For the time being.

Without her approval or signature on the little slip, I decided to change the conversation:

“I want to play volleyball.”
“Oh how fun! That’ll be so much fun for you..!”

So there it was. I was a volleyball player.

NO OFFENSE! I love standing around and hitting balls, but coooome oooon! I wanted to run! I wanted to run and kick balls! But… No. It wasn’t “feminine” enough.

Two years later, I tried again.

“I want to play soccer.”
“No.”
“I’m going to play soccer.”

And so I did. And I LOVED it. Excuse me. LOVE it.

It is something they have been searching for…

Individual sports for women have always had greater success and longevity than team sports. One of the oldest professional sports for women in the United States is golf. Established in 1950, it only took two decades for it to become an international organization. Even women’s professional bowling was established before the 1960s. Women’s tennis in the 1970s. All still going strong.

It is something they have fought for…

Something they have earned…

On the opposite side, we have women’s professional team sports, which have always had a difficult time surviving and stabilizing. Why? Well, some people argue that it is the masculine image of team sports that has inhibited some women from participating. The aggression. The sweat. The contact. The competitiveness… All these “unladylike” attributes… And yet men don’t think women sports are intense or aggressive ENOUGH, so there goes that fan-base…

It is something they are slowly receiving…

Respect.

Not only as women, but as female athletes.

The professional female athletic organizations and systems are finally gaining acceptance as offering respectable and entertaining sports that are worthy of public and national attention. Now it is up to the management of these organizations to attract more spectators in order for them to be considered successful and for women’s athletics to permeate society as a whole.

Considering the lack of acknowledgement soccer has received in the United States, it doesn’t exactly surprise me that rumored gay-thletes are hesitant to come out and embrace their assumed sexuality/relationships (cough-cough Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe). The seductive looks… The matching hair… the on- and off-field chemistry… It’s all there. We see it.

And we LOVE it.

While some of us may agree that it would be extremely liberating and show immense support for the gay community, I personally don’t think it’s solely their decision to keep their relationship and sexual preferences a secret. Their “agents” more than likely view homosexuality as a “threat” to their “brand.” Even some college coaches threaten their players about announcing and admitting to their tendencies while some coaches won’t even allow gay-thletes on their team. I mean even going from the long-haired, ponytail, feminine brunette to a hair cut that just screams LESBIAN!, Wambach took a huge step forward; she now looks the “part” to fit the rumors.

And with the recent, undeniable success of the U.S.A. National Women’s soccer team? The last thing the owners/coaches/players/agents/organizations want is a reason to deter any of their potential fans.

Yet, what they neglect to consider is the number of fans they would ATTRACT by openly admitting to who they are. Showing that they have personalities outside of the soccer facade. A new [and dare-I-say and improved] role model for younger female athletes. Although some may ridicule, others would relentlessly support. Those who may have never been interested in soccer before, now would be.

BASICALLY, all I’m saying…

Abby. Megan. When you read this, just know:

1. Your sexuality is acknowledged.
2. You should embrace it.
3. You have more support than you know.
4. You would make one HOT couple.

GO U.S.A.!

Want more information on this or other gay-thletes? Contact me, Alex Fox, at theunluckyfox@gmail.com.

Richard Harris As Albus Dumbledore

13 July 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

Dumbledore is gay. We all know this. We also know that gay men make up a very small portion of those who molest childre. Of course, that is not something that a lot of people ever quite get. By and large, child molesters target children because they are sexually attracted to children, and not to any particular sex. They target boys rather than girls out of a belief that boys won’t tell. Of course, such things do not usually get discussed in polite company, but that’s ok, we have reality television to remind us of what isn’t really polite in the world.

CBS’s British import Big Brother caught on tape one of their contestants or whatever he is by the name of Jeff Schroeder going off after learning that Dumbldore, the late (in book) headmaster of Hogwards School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is gay.

Schroeder, as the following video shows, rather heatedly said “He’s in a school with little kids. You don’t want to make that guy gay. I don’t think it’s the right thing to have a little kid’s book and have the headmaster that you’re locked away with in a magical land be gay. I don’t think that’s the right thing to do.”

Well, somebody needs a hug…preferably from something spiky.

Kalia Booker, one of the other people there, protested stating that she didn’t have a problem with Dumbldore being gay. Schroeder, who apparently has been living under a rock for several years now, exploded back at her “I can see your PC view. I don’t think it’s the right thing to do. OK, listen. You know exactly what I’m saying. Don’t make it seem like you’re doing the right thing by saying it’s not (wrong). You’re going to let a storybook, where they go away to fantasy camp, and it’s all little kids without their parents, and the guy is gay…”

CNN also reported that the rest of the conversation went like this:

“Just because he’s gay doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with him,” Booker said.

But Schroeder obviously remained far from convinced.

“Get the f— out of here!” he shouted before accusing Booker of simply giving the “right answer” for TV.

CBS issued this statement via EW.com

“Big Brother is a reality show about watching a group of people who have no privacy 24/7 — and seeing every moment of their lives. At times, the houseguests make comments, reveal prejudices and other beliefs that we do not condone. Any views or opinions expressed in personal commentary by a houseguest appearing on ‘Big Brother,’ either on any live feed from the house or the broadcast, are those of the individual(s) speaking and do not represent the views or opinions of CBS or the producers of the program.”

Of course, this guy must have been in a coma or under a rock, or in outer space. After all, we all learned that Dumbledore was gay, what, two, three years ago now.

Here’s the clip:

11 July 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

The latest incarnation of Doctor Who has spawned two spin offs including Torchwood, which is coming to the United States on Starz. Russell T. Davies is the man who resurrected Doctor Who, and who created Torchwood and Queer as Folk. Now, he is working on a new show tentatively titled Cucumber which will resolve around gay men, and BBC Worldwide Productions is busy producing it. Showtime, which aired the American version of Queer as Folk, is also apparently considering picking up the show.

According to OnTop Magazine:

“Details about the plot have been hard to come by,” the site reported. “It’s a good bet it’s getting a hard look” from Showtime executives.

On Friday, Davies’ latest series, Torchwood: Miracle Day, premiered on the Starz cable network. The action-oriented sci-fi spinoff of the BBC hit Doctor Who is helmed by Captain Jack Harkness, played since 2005 by openly gay actor John Barrowman. The time traveling Harkness is bisexual.

Davies has maintained that there was no pressure to alter or change the sexuality of the series’ characters when it came to the United States. While America is, by and large, less progressive than the UK when it comes to the portrayal of LGBT characters (as far back as 1999, movies and TV shows were already exploring the issues of homosexuality and transsexuality on the BBC), the nation has progressed significantly in the years since Queer as Folk first aired on Showtime.

And, for the record, Davis is openly gay.

The question of “what is in the garment bag?” was answered when Princess Catherine stepped from their limo onto the red carpet outside the restored Belasco Theater in a pale lavender, elegant, classic Grecian gown, with boat neck, cap sleeves and a matching beltby Alexander McQueen. She definitely made some of the guests look under-dressed and over-exposed.

The “Brits to Watch” event hosted by BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) was a red carpet to match the Oscars. Prince William opened the event with “I would like to thank Colin Firth for my perfect opening line – I have a voice,” quoting from The King’s Speech, the Oscar winning film about his great-grandfather, George VI. The gathering was an opportunity for the power players in Hollywood to meet 42 new British actors, producers, writers and videogame designers. “Please give them the opportunities that you have always extended to some of the brightest and best that Britain has to offer. When American and British creative talent gets together, magic happens. Let’s continue the winning formula.”

Writer-actor Stephen Fry, who has a recurring role on Bones as Gordon Gordon, expressed the opinion that promoting British talent while the royals were in town was brilliant. “Royalty creates a glamour, prestige and luster that trumps anything Hollywood can produce.”

The guest list was formidible – Barbara Streisand and James Brolin, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Jack Black, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Garner, chef Gordon Ramsey, James Gandolfini, Piers Morgan and dozens of stars, producers and executives. It was also a charity event, with a table going for $25,000.

Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Princess Catherine, Nicole Kidman, Prince William

Following the event, the couple took a few minutes to mingle with the fans gathered outside.

The BAFTA event and the reception Friday night at the home of Consul-General Dame Barbara Hay were the only celebrity-filled events planned for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Today they will be visiting a youth center in Los Angeles’ Skid Row, an area of old LA known as the homeless capital of America, and a job fair for discharging military personnel.

"Fantastic Four" Ioan Gruffudd and wife Alice Evans

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