Queer Beacon

The Gay on Lost

The QB was right! M.C. Gainey, whose character name is Tom (nom-de-drag "Mr. Friendly"), is indeed our gay on Lost.

On tonight's episode "Meet Kevin Johnson" Tom even kissed his, uh, friend, Arturo (played by Francesco Simone).  It is not clear if Arturo is Tom's boyfriend or just some sort of rent-boy.  Watch the episode to see the context of the gay revelation (you can read the spoilers at lostpedia -- I will post pictures as soon as I get my hands on them).

Talk shows and homophobia

I saw the video below on Towle the other day. In the video we see Ellen talking about a boy who was killed because of homophobia -- the video sandwiches a clip from an appearance of comedian Harland Williams on Conan O'Brien:

The story Ellen talks about is precisely the reason why I started this blog.  I continue to firmly believe that the often negative portrayal of the gays in the media can cause many damages to our lives, it causes gays to stay closeted and out gays to suffer, be killed.  Things need to change.

Male, white, heterosexual talk show hosts vary the degree of negativity with which they refer to gays, but they are invariably negative -- damaging to us. The leader in the nasty homophobic jokes circuit always seemed to be Jimmy Kimmel.  Case in point: his latest lame attempt at comedy, which sadly got the support from major stars.

(You can read more and watch the Kimmel video at Towle). 

But Jimmy is not alone, and his Ben Affleck stint is not even amongst his worst homophobic bits -- do you remember his nasty comments about Brokeback? Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno and David Letterman are all together in making homophobic jokes.  David Letterman, who I sometimes think is the least damaging of them, the other day said he was happy that the Spitzer incident at least did not involve an airport restroom.  I guess he could just be jabbing at the Republicans with the reference to the Senator Larry Craig story, but his comment could very easily be seen as "at least he (Spitzer) is not gay"...

Hopefully those comedians will change soon, especially Conan and David -- both have talent and are better positioned to negatively influence people and instill greater homophobia in society. Conan, for example, could have said something to Harland after he was done with his "joke."  Kudos to Ellen and the maker of the Ellen video above for shedding some light on the issue of homophobia.

Kathy Griffin on Larry King

What a great show last night.  Larry interviewed Kathy Griffin for the third time, and bitch was crazy! Watch her hit on Coop (there's a reason for that):

[via Queerty / Virtual Matter]

Kathy Griffin on The View

Kathy Griffin talking about her beef with Barbara Walters is one of the funniest moments in stand-up comedy -- you have got to see it over and over:

Now it seems the two are fine, and there's even a chance Kathy might replace Rosie on the show.  Last night on Larry King (yes, I actually watch that show) former View host Debbie Matenopoulos suggested something interesting: she suggested a gay man should replace Rosie. I think Kathy Griffin could be a decent surrogate for a gay man...but what do you think?  Maybe Rupert Everett could work, he's been all bitchy about not getting more major movie roles.  I think Ross the Intern could be hilarious too, but probably not as biting.  Who else?

30 Rock - Will Arnett Goes Gay

I have been meaning to post about 30 Rock for a while now.  The show is great.  It really is hilarious.  Tina Fey is kicking ass!  And there's always a little bit of gay content (usually neutral to positive).  Like, this one time, Tina went out with a lesbian and had no problem with the whole thing.  Sometimes we have more than just a little bit of gay content.  Watch the clip (before NBC removes it from youtube):

In the episode above, Will Arnett plays an executive who wants Alec Baldwin's job, and Alec has Jack McBrayer help him keep Will out of the picture.  Alec fears our gay, professionally.  Go Gays! Go Will! Oh, and what about that super short bathrobe?

The Tudors - Gay Action on Showtime

In the above clip of The Tudors, you see lord William Compton (played by Kris Holden-Ried) seducing a young male singer, Thomas, in the dark, winding hallways of an English castle.  The straight members of the royal court aren’t the only ones that get to have some fun!

This isn’t the first time Kris goes gay: He starred in the 2004 gay romantic comedy Touch Of Pink. 

The Tudors premieres on Showtime on April 1! [Thanks, Kurt!]

Naked Josh

My reader Alan just told me about ShowCase's Naked Josh.  It looks like it was such a great show. 

Naked Josh was a Canadian comedy series in which we followed "the overdue coming-of-age of Josh Gould [played by Daniel Julian Hirsh], a young, brilliant Oxford graduate.  Josh Gould returned to Montreal a hero. With a PhD in hand, he became the youngest anthropology professor ever to be hired by his department. An enthusiastic teacher, Josh's personal life becomes a (sometimes unwitting) source of insight as, in each episode, he plunges into the intriguing world of Montreal's dating scene to experience first-hand the courtship ritual and social mores he teaches in class."

Now, you have got to set aside 14 minutes of your time: This video rocks (it's like a summary of the episode Just Say Mo, from season 3 of Naked Josh). There's a tiny bit of nudity, be warned:

Alan told me that Oxygen showed a few episodes from season 1 in the US.  Hopefully, they will show the whole thing (the last episode aired in July 2006 in Canada).

I will talk about the video a little bit more after jump. [Thank you, Alan!]

Confessions of a Latent "L Word" Junkie

By Guest Reviewer Good As You

I knew there was a character named Bette, as well as another, more promiscuous one called Shane.  I was aware of virtually all of the actresses, having seen their visages at various queer events and on more than a few magazine covers.  I even knew that the initial premise of the series involved a small town "straight" girl moving to glamorous L.A., where she learned more about herself than she had ever planned or imagined.  Yet despite all of this cursory knowledge of Showtime's Sapphic sisters, I had never seen one episode or even given "The L Word" more than a passing thought.  This all changed on January 7, 2007.

My partner away on a business trip, I found myself bored and lonely on a Sunday night.  Being the geeks that we are, television viewing is quite the serious concept in our apartment.  We don't as much watch shows as we do consume, analyze, debate, and discuss them.  This being the case, we NEVER watch one of our regular shows without the other.  Sick, I know -- but it's the truth.  So wanting to take a gander at some TV but not wanting to upset the delicate balance of Hooper-Shulman viewing habits, I decided to make a one-off venture into the West Hollywood world of Ilene Chaiken's imagination.

• Monday, Jan. 8: I watched the entirety of season three on Showtime On Demand.
• Wednesday, Jan. 9: I found a nice deal on the Season One box set on Ebay, and snatched it up faster than you can say "Carmen de la Pica Morales"
• Thursday, Jan. 10: Joyously discovered Season 2 available for download on Amazon Unbox.

You get the picture.

I've since yelled at Faye Buckley, wept over the demise of Dana Fairbanks (and we're talking Shelby's death in 'Steel Magnolias' tears!), and gone from loathing to loving the theme song (then back and forth again between the two emotions several times over).  I've eagerly read Scribegrrl's Monday morning quarterbacking over at AfterEllen.  Lying in bed, I've actually found myself wondering if Tina And Bette have a future, only half admitting that they aren't, in fact, real.  Most disturbingly: During a recent trip to a local used book store, I saw the official companion book for a mere $6.00.  My reaction? A literal, audible squeal!

Yes, I have become an addict, with dyke drama my poison of choice!

You can blame "Queer As Folk" for my initial apprehension.  While that Showtime series will always hold a place in my heart for breaking new ground and unapologetically portraying LGBT lives, it also stands out for far-less-flattering reasons.  I need not go into the details, but let's just say that I wasn't expecting Showtime's newest gay-focused series to artistically shine.  But you know what? It oftentimes does!  Watching the shows in the back-to-back fashion that I did, I certainly see the flaws and ridiculouness about which so many of its ardent fans have bitched (I'm looking in your direction, scene in which Billie Blaikie fellates the prosthetic penis of Moira/Max).  However, there have been more than enough poignant moments to write off the missteps.  There is also a core of actresses that genuinely comprise one of the finest, most capable ensembles on television.  In fact, I genuinely have to question why we live in a world where Teri Hatcher is an Emmy winner for doing such madcap things as falling into bushes, yet none of the ladies of "L" have ever even been nominated for falling into....ooh, must resist.

For those gay men like myself who have previously shied away from the show for whatever reason, I urge you to give the ladies of "The Planet" a shot.  The show is currently in a creative stride, with Cybill Shepherd, Marlee Matlin, and Kristanna Loken bringing in some refreshing new life.  Also, Leisha Hailey is truly standing out this season as an extremely deft comedic actress, while Jennifer Beals and Mia Kirschner continue to shine.  "Vagina wigs", poker debts, discreet soldiers, and sign language -- likely to be far more interesting than anything you'll see over at Wisteria Lane.

So do yourself a favor and tune in to Showtime next Sunday at 10PM.  Now if you'll excuse me, I must go see if another Sunday night cable show, A&E's "Intervention," is seeking applicants for those who've been hitting the Pieszecki pipe a little too hard.

- Jeremy

MTV Real World Denver - Davis and P.J. - and Stephen

I posted here a short clip of last night's episode of MTV's Real World Denver (in that clip, Davis and P.J. make out, and gross out Stephen).  Now, my reader John points me to the video where we can see that there is much more to the story:  Our gay couple teaches a great lesson in equality, and love.  Go Gays!  Watch the video:

[also on Queerty / Thanx, John!]

Man-on-Man Action on MTV Real World Denver

Watch the clip (and the bitching by the jealous bitch):

Episode 15 will air tomorrow, on Valentine's Day. More pics of the m-on-m scene after the jump.

UPDATE ON FEBRUARY 15: a 5-min video is available here.

Here at the QB it's Guest Reviewer Week!