Planet Homo

Rating the Networks

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has released a list of the top US television networks for the representation of gay and lesbian characters.

The third annual Network Responsibility Index found that HBO, which airs True Blood, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency and Entourage, came out top for representation among the 15 networks surveyed.

ABC came out top of the broadcast networks for LGBT inclusion. Of its 1,146.5 total hours of primetime programming, 24 per cent were representative of LGBT people, including nine per cent which were trans-inclusive.

Fox, which received a failing grade last year, has risen to third out of the five broadcast networks, with 11 per cent of its programming being representative. However, GLAAD suggested that it had aired some "problematic" representations.

CBS came bottom, with just five per cent LGBT-inclusive content.

Among the ten cable networks, TBS came bottom with just half an hour of LGBT-inclusive broadcasting. A&E aired two hours.

GLAAD reviewed 4,901 hours of primetime broadcasting for inclusion of LGBT characters or issues on the five major networks (ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox and NBC) between June 1st, 2008 to May 31st, 2009.

It also examined all original primetime programming - 1,212.5 hours - on ten cable networks (A&E, FX, HBO, Lifetime, MTV, Showtime, Sci Fi, TBS, TNT, and USA).

Each network was given a grade of excellent, good, adequate or failing.

Among the five broadcast networks, ABC and The CW ranked first and second respectively, as they have done since the index began.

Nurse Jackie

Nurse Jackie premiered last night and from the moment the song, Valley of the Dolls reached the screen, many of us were hooked. Hooked is an interesting idea here, for Nurse Jackie is certainly hooked on speed and pain killers. Edie Falco (of Soprano fame) is brilliant as Nurse Jackie; a good nurse with some big problems. Her problems come in the form of substance abuse, incompetent doctors (Dr. Cooper, played by Peter Facinelli) who has a peculiar sexual issue, a sexual relationship with the hospital pharmacist and a boss who is keeping her eye on her. What is so great about Nurse Jackie is that she is in many ways played out like a guy. She has casual sex, though she is married with two children, and is unapologetic about it. She has a hot friend, Mo-Mo, played by the sizzling Haaz Sleiman, a friendship with the very droll, Dr. O'Hara, and of course her best friends, the pills. I'm not sure if this was an hour show or half hour, but it ended too soon. Written by Liz Brixius & Linda Wallem, both out lesbians, Nurse Jackie has bite, edge and a lot of character. Indeed, life is full of little pricks, but this is not one them.

The Tony Awards

Broadway. The Tony Awards. Theater. What is it about American Theater that makes one sentimental and believe in the beauty of human ability? The musical theater in particular is something of an aberration: it is not real. People do not sing on rooftops, or form peculiar tribes that sing adoration of their hair. But that is just the ticket that makes musical theater so special: we wish it were so. We are reminded of the Oscars, the film industries tribute to their own special management of reality. With film, you have performances embedded in flickering images, edited and directed by directors. It is a director’s medium, they control what you ultimately see. Theater on the other hand, is really about performance. It is live, which means it is prone to accident, mood, and circumstance. And therein lies the difference. Theater is immediate, and despite its flight into imaginary circumstance, it is hopelessly human. It is one of the few arts unaffected by our modern age. There is no Internet influence, no financial confluence that can make or break it. It just is. Year after year, the Tony Awards present a show that is the polar opposite of the Oscars. People seem genuine. Joy seems real. Exuberance is expected. And so it was, on the 63rd Tony Awards, a show brilliantly hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. As he said sang at the end of the show, it was the gayest of shows. That aside, The Tony’s always seem to touch the heart, to reach deep inside all of us and remind us, that we are capable of greatness and art. And we all leave singing.

Bette Davis as The Decorator

Bette Davis was the star of this pilot, produced by Aaron Spelling, in 1964. It was never shown on TV.

Tele(lack of)vision Now

With the writers strike no where near being settled, television seems headed in a season of reruns and more inept reality shows. Some shows will not be missed. What is missed and sad really is that Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip will not be returning. Having just rented the DVD, it is unfortunate that this series did not  survive. I am a huge Aaron Sorkin fan. The West Wing was one the best television series ever produced. Studio 60 , while not quite as brilliant as West Wing, had many Sorkin touches. Politics always enter into Sorkin projects, and Studio 60, from its first episode usually touched on some political element current in the culture. What Studio 60 offered was an entry into the world of television series writing, clearly modeled after Saturday Night Live. Head writer, Matt Albie was brilliantly played by Matthew Perry, who with the help of producer, Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford) formed a unique alliance and friendship. We see it in Boston Legal's Denny Crane and Alan Shore, two men profoundly fond of one another. With Studio 60, the friendship would take on a shorthand of understanding, as these two men who had worked together for some time, would completely understand the inspirations, the desperations and quiet aspects of one another's personalities. They made each other better. What Sorkin has always done for me is make me feel something for his characters and their particular trials. Studio 60 was about relationships, and the relationship between Albie and cast member Harriet Hayes (Sarah Paulson) was particularly real and sweet. One episode has the two them in a real life moment of wanting to kiss (they have broken up) to the backdrop of Sting singing "Fields of Gold" (on the show) and as the song, and the moment passes, and nothing happens, it is a moment lost. Just like this wonderful series. So instead this season, we were treated to the banal, mostly lustful wanderings of the cast of Private Practice. I swear every time they showed that Santa Monica coastline, I prayed for a tsunami. And Boston Legal?  Yes, the ocassional brilliant speech is there (I continually document them), but the series has become cartoonish, with bizarre judges ridiculing midgets, plot lines that seem to serve particular political agendas and the construction of a law office that is beginning to defy reality. The saving grace? Alan Shore and Denny Crane, cocktailing and cigar-puffing a "what's-it-all-about ending".

Now if we could make sense of the new season of Lost.

What War?

A new Project for Excellence in Journalism study finds that of the three major cable news networks, Fox News has given lowest percentage of coverage of the Iraq war. It has also devoted twice as much time to the Anna Nicole Smith story as have MSNBC and CNN.

When Bugs Attack!

VH1 Trailer

Reality sucks

Discussions are underway for a new gay reality TV show called "Fem&Men". 10 men are brought together to live in a house for three months. The catch: five are effeminate. Apparently a series of tasks will be presented to see who is better at various physical and mental challenges. The producers are currently auditioning men nationwide in their search to find the perfect candidates.

"We're asking butch and fem men everywhere to audition for the pilot show," said producer Lane Curson. "This is a unique opportunity for gay men, from the crazy "straight-acting" to the total sissy to come together and explore the differences...we expect love."

Bill Maher + Guests Talk Gay

Bill Maher, Jason Alexander, Martha Raddatz and the venerable Dan Rather talk gay issues in this weeks Real Time.

Daytime Emmy Nominations

The 34th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were announced today. Among the nominees was Rosie O' Donnell, Ellen, and for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series was Van Hansis for his portrayal of a gay son on the eternal, As the World Turns.

Speaking of eternal, Bob Barker, 83, was nominated for his  18th Emmy for The Price is Right. He has already deservedly won a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The 34th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will take place in L.A. on June 15th.  They will be telecast on CBS.

Visit www.emmyonline.org for a complete list of 34th Annual Daytime Emmy Award nominees.
(Special thanks to Alan Light)

Oscar Watch

It will soon all be over. The 8.5 ounce golden statuette is handed off to the winner while a disputable billions of viewers watch (the number is closer to the high millions). Fashions are paraded and commented on by far less well dressed commentators, actors are asked insipid questions from not particularly bright, but bright enough to be on the red carpet interviewers, and the music will crescendo as the winner exhales a litany of people they feel they need to thank. And we love it.
Our favorite woman in a tux, Ellen DeGeneres, will host, while writers Bruce Vilanch, Carrie Fisher and Carol Leifer search frantically for a theme for the night (though Ellen and her writing team will be writing the intro, complete with a Happy Penguin dance sequence). There will lots of Dreamgirls there, each singing the others part, but no diva Diana Ross, who claimed she wasn't interested in promoting that movie (she hasn't seen it, still). The bets are on Little Miss Sunshine or the The Departed for best film, while Crash-tainted Babel and the extraordinary Letters from Iwo Jima, could only sneak up from behind and lend an air of surprise and unpredictability, much needed. The evening has sentimental favorites Alan Arkin, Peter O' Toole and Martin Scorsese in attenance, though the best actor and actress categories seem to already be engraved with the names Whitaker and Mirren. The best supporting category has some truly great actors, perhaps the most interesting of all, though sadly neglected is the performance by Japanese actor and musician, Kazunari Ninomaya, who nearly stole the movie from a towering performance by Ken Watanabe in Letters from Iwo Jima. Unfortunately for America's greatest living director, Clint Eastwood, his recent Oscar win might prevent him from winning this year despite his efforts in both Flags from our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima. So it goes. And while many will pooh-pooh the Oscars as extravagant, out of touch with the movie going audience (few of the nominated films are big at the box office) they are reflections of a craft that few of us can live without, and when the light dims and music goes minor to remember those are gone, we will know that.

A Kodak Moment

The Joy of Lube

What is it about weathermen? They always seem to have a lot of time on their hands, or in this case, a lot of Crisco on their hands. ABC's Good Morning America weatherman Sam Champion demonstrates the benefits of Crisco as a moisturizer. What else?

Who Knew?

A recent interview with actor/singer John Barrowman in the magazine for the show Doctor Who, made some remarks that have raised more than a few eyebrows among the readers.
Barrowman, 39 — who has played bisexual Captain Jack Harkness in the series and the spin-off Torchwood — shocked readers by boasting that his manhood was “really too big”.
He went on to talk about Torchwood director Ashley Way, saying: “He’s a real hotty. I like him. He has a nice bum.”
John also spoke of how he fancied former Doctor Christopher Ecclestone and “sexy” current star David Tennant. And he recalled a recent daydream where he woke up aroused.
Outraged readers complained that the content was too explicit for a family magazine. Fan Robert Mitchell, from Brighton, said: “The magazine is called Doctor Who Magazine and not Gay Times.”
Editors from the magazine issued this statement: “We consider the magazine is for older readers, but some of this content may have overstepped the mark. Apologies.”

Anatomy in Crisis

The Los Angeles Times ran a piece today on the effects of the Grey's Anatomy gay-slur flap and how it reflects on Hollywood and the media in general. A slice:

If Hollywood, as the cliché has it, holds up a mirror to society at large, the Gibson-Richards-Washington scandals prove that the reflection often ain't pretty. In his case, Washington, who is black, was accused of directing hatred toward another minority group — and that fact is kicking up painfully mixed emotions even among megaphone-wielding activists who typically view the world through an us-against-them lens.

The incident has stirred new tensions: Why, some black commentators have wondered, are gay activists more outraged by Washington's slur than they are by Shirley Q. Liquor, a cartoonish ghetto character who speaks in an exaggerated ebonics style ("How you durin'?") and is impersonated in blackface and drag by white performer Chuck Knipp?

GLAAD officials, who initially expressed indignation and demanded an apology from Washington, seem over the last few days to have grown more circumspect. According to spokesman Marc McCarthy, the organization is weighing whether to respond to the complaints about Shirley Q. Liquor and declines to offer any comment on ABC's or Rhimes' handling of the Washington controversy. "We hear there's tension out there," McCarthy explained. "We certainly sense it."

The piece, written by columnist Scott Collins explores how Grey's Anatomy was heralded as a showcase for multicultural inclusiveness, but that has sadly been dispelled with the latest reports on-set friction.

We Know Jack

Dirt, the FX Tuesday night series about a tabloid magazine managed by one heartless bitch (Courtney Cox) is truly addictive, if not spectacular in what it presents on American television. Last Tuesday's episode, "You Don't Know Jack" had  many twists and turns, but the sheer amount of homosexual (in this case, both lesbian and gay) content was staggering. Drug dealer, aptly named Garbo, was all over TV star Julia Mallory (Laura Allen), and editor-in-chief's Lucy Spiller's (Courtney Cox) gay brother was having a very short affair with action star, Jack Dawson (left) (Grant Show). Dawson was seen getting head from his personal trainer, while a mortified Leo Spiller (Will McCormack) watched. Proving that revenge is sweet when your sister helms a tabloid, they both agree to have crazy photographer, Don Konkey (Ian Hart) photograph a deep tongue session, complete with groin groping. It beings new meaning to the word, outing. Ian Hart remains the most interesting character, with his bouts of psychotic surrealism and willingness to go to any lengths (losing a finger) to get the photo for best friend and editor, Lucy Spiller. But his betrayal cannot be far behind. While Dirt is certainly no program of any telewriting note, it does capture our current fascination with celebrity and tackles some of some big issues in its own tabloid, sleazy manner.

A Boy Fest compiled by Alan Light

For Those Whose Lives Are Lush, Too...

Urbane, witty and diminutive, Billy Strayhorn was the Truman Capote of the jazz world. Inextricably linked to the 20th century’s greatest jazz composer, Duke Ellington, Strayhorn’s genius for original melodies and lyrics never achieved popular acclaim partly because of his bold decision to live openly as a gay artist beginning in 1939 until his death from esophageal cancer in 1967. Preferring to be the man behind the music, Strayhorn brought even more elegance and verve to Ellington’s repertoire: Take the A Train, Something to Live For and the ultimate lounge ballad, Lush Life are just a few jazz standards that came to life through the seamless collaboration of these two genius musicians. Joined at the hip, professionally and in a more complex way, emotionally, it is said that Ellington went into a long seclusion to recover from the untimely loss of his muse and closest friend. You can see the whole story on the PBS, Independent Lens broadcast of “BILLY STRAYHORN: LUSH LIFE", February 6th.

—Henry Fearnot

James Spader in Drag

Boston Legal added a second character in drag on last nights episode, "Dumping Bella", in the shape of James Spader doing Candice Bergen. The episode, directed by actor/director Eric Stolz, had the law firm participating in an office costume party, where they were asked to come as someone they admire. Denny Crane chose Dick Cheney, Shirley Schmidt came as Diane Sawyer and Alan Shore came as Shirley Schmidt. The other character usually in drag, Clarence (Gary Anthony Williams) came as Oprah (Ms. Cannick would  approve!) Spader looked sensational and entirely believable, even to point, the in usual series denouement, Denny Crane and Alan Shore waltzed through "As Time Goes By" as sung by that wonderful singer Jimmy Durante.

Anderson Cooper: A Dish

Ever since the election, Fox News and other "right wing" media have been hard-pressed to come up with topics that engage their particular audience in the face of the fact that most Americans are simply tired of Republicans. We have seen stories on Hillary's video, in which flowers were in bloom, suggesting something, and now, we have this devilish dish on Anderson Cooper. It's curious to see so-called news people so openly jealous and venting their wrath so freely.

The Dirt on Lesbians

Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox-Arquette will kiss. In the season finale of Dirt, the FX tabloid drama series, the two will play sparring, rival lesbian editors, who kiss and make nice, as much as two people in publishing can. Scheduled to air on March 27th, the show will reunite the two former Friends stars, who have not performed together since 2004. Aniston is no stranger to the lesbian lip kiss as she kissed Lisa Kudrow and Winona Rider on Friends, and smooched Dagmara Dominczyk, in the film Rock Star. But this is her first "outing" as a card-carrying lesbian.The website afterellen.com has a comprehensive look at the lesbian legacy of Friends.

Evangelical Sex

In a new HBO documentary, "Friends of God", disgraced Pastor Ted Haggard asserts that: " Evangelicals have the best sex life." The film is by Alexandra Pelosi, daughter of House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. Haggard served as Pelosi's tour guide during the making of the documentary and proclaims "You know all the surveys say that evangelicals have the best sex life of any other group." Alexandra found Haggard to be a "reasonable, normal everyday man," and added that she found it, "hard to stomach" the scandal that forced Haggard from his position as president of the National Association of Evangelicals. Pelosi spent nearly a year seeking out the evangelical strongholds, during which Haggard resigned and her mother became the first woman Speaker of the House. "It was a lot harder walking up to the front door and saying to people, 'I'm from HBO' than saying my last name," she says. "Most of the people couldn't get over the fact that I was from New York. Plus, you know, I talk fast and look like someone who belongs in New York. I don't think anyone even heard my last name."
The documentary is scheduled to air this Thursday on HBO.

Something you can sink your teeth into...

here!, America's premium gay television network, is pleased to announce that it has wrapped production on the first season of the new provocative original, scripted series The Lair. The first of six half-hour episodes will premiere on the network in Spring 2007.

"The Lair continues here!'s substantial rollout of provocative original programming in 2007 that can only be seen on here!," said Paul Colichman, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of here! Networks. "This newest addition to our line up authentically and unapologetically reclaims the horror genre for a LGBT audience."

Set in a small coastal town, The Lair opens as the bodies of young nameless men are turning up dead with vicious wounds to their necks. A young journalist is investigating a series of mysterious John Doe murders. Clues to these crimes lead him directly to a private gentlemen's club called The Lair, where the deepest, darkest desires are fulfilled. As he gets closer to solving the mystery, Thom finds himself ensnared in a blood thirsty coven of vampires.

The Lair stars Peter Stickles, who gathered a following this year from his work in the acclaimed indie Shortbus, as Damian, the leader of the coven of gay vampires, as well as newcomer David Moretti, who takes the lead as Thom.

"With a strong, talented cast, we are pleased to add The Lair as another original scripted series to our growing slate of projects," noted Meredith Kadlec, here!'s Vice President of Original Programming. "Our programming runs the gamut, from sexy soap operas to thought-provoking documentaries, and The Lair is a welcome addition to that line up." 

Recent and upcoming here! original films, series and specials include: The DL Chronicles, an award-winning series focusing on the diverse stories of men of color who by consequence and by choice, live sexually duplicitous and secret lifestyles; The Lair, a provocative and sexy vampire horror series; Dante's Cove, ranked "Best Soap of the Year" by The Advocate; the critically acclaimed Shock To The System: A Donald Strachey Mystery, the second installment in the series of original films starring Chad Allen as a gay private investigator; the provocative six-part docu-series Lesbian Sex and Sexuality, an unblinking look inside the world of lesbian culture from award-winning producer Katherine Linton; and the original film Shelter, an indie romantic drama about love, family and trying to stay true to yourself.

Seriously Funny

Jacob or "Jake" Gyllenhaal opened Saturday Night Live last night with a "Brokeback" parody that lead to an unexpected tour de force performance.  Bravo.

Ching Chong Wrong

Poor Rosie. First she picks a fight with perpetually perky Kelley Ripa over the where abouts of Clay Aiken's hand, and now, the 44 year old comedian has offended Chinese Americans. Her use of the slang "ching chong" is in the words of Unity: Journalists of Color, Inc., representatives: "a cheap jab at Chinese Americans" and  "essentially condoning racial and ethnic slurs". Now one wonders: if you didn't know this phrase or word, if you had never heard of it, does making a big deal out of it, give it more power? On Thursday's show, O'Donnell said: "To say 'ching chong' to someone is very offensive, and some Asian people have told me it's as bad as the n-word. Which I was like, 'Really? I didn't know that.' The Unity people seem to be getting ALOT of publicity out of this: Karen Lincoln Michel, president-elect of Unity, said her remarks "really didn't sound like an apology." Rose scored a very low rating on the ApoloMeter™, which measures sincerity when celebrities apologize. But Rosie is Rosie and warned America that her next racial slur could come at anytime: "But I'm also gonna give you a fair warning that there's a good chance I'll do something like that again, probably in the next week, not on purpose. Only 'cause it's how my brain works," she added.

How to solve a problem like Norton?

British TV personality Graham Norton has been given another show after his late night news program, The Bigger Picture faltered. Aptly called "The Graham Norton Show" , it will be based on the people, trends, stories and aspects of celebrity culture that interest him most, and that would not make it onto the news. Good, he'll be calling me up soon. Mr Norton has been a controversial figure in England has he has admitted to "prolific" drug use. Having met Mr Norton in person, at a local bar, this would appear to be true. Should one be able to catch programming for  BBC Two, tune in. 

A review is in....

Hollywood Reporter writer Barry Garron apparently does not like A&E's Wedding Wars which airs tonight.
"The characters are one-dimensional, the performances are exaggerated, the ending is ill-conceived and unsatisfying and the budget is so tight that it practically suffocates the entire production. Old stock video and graphics are employed to suggest a national movement. " he writes. The show which stars John Stamos and Eric Dane as brothers, one straight, one gay who after a long absence reconnects, at least professionally. Garron goes on to write:  "Gay marriage is ripe for dramatization. There is no end to the stories about same-sex partners who have suffered needlessly because of laws that refuse them equal footing with hetero couples. Exec producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron and writer Stephen Mazur approach the issue on a lighter note, camouflaging their arguments within what is otherwise a 1950s screwball romantic comedy."  Tonight at 9 on your local A&E station.