While we're waiting for Noah and Luke to get some screen time on As the World Turns and for JP's friendship with Craig to turn into romance on Hollyoaks, here are a few items to hold you over.

• First off, if you want to know about As the World Turns' recent shoot in Branson, the Springfield News-Leader covered the event and talked with fans who hoped to catch a glimpse of the soap stars. There's not much to read about Van Hansis or Jake Silberman but some of the fans' statements got me thinking about the significance of a character like Luke Snyder. The fans talk about years of watching the show with family members and when you spend that much time with fictional characters they feel like a part of the family. Unlike other gay men on American soaps, Luke has been a part of the ATWT tapestry since birth; after watching the character grow up, this is very much like having a family member come out.
• Meanwhile, Out talks with Silberman. It's short, but when Silberman talks about realizing that the role of Noah was much bigger than the usual acting job, that got me thinking. Usually when you see this much anticipation over a soap opera storyline, there's a popular star or an established, well-liked character returning. In this case, there's been little hype and yet the Net is abuzz over this storyline (which has only been seen for one day in two weeks). I think that demonstrates the hunger to see a male romance in daytime. I've been thinking about what Michael said in reaction to Enrique Iglesias' G-A-Y serenade about how gay men still feel unaccepted by society. Here is another area where that strong desire to feel like an equal demonstrates itself. For years, gay men on soaps have been catalysts for storylines about tolerance, but the Luke/Noah romance would be one of the first times when a gay character was granted a full range of emotions, and not just someone to spur discussions of social issues.


Catch some Passions and Hollyoaks nuggets after the break...

• Bradley Cooper (who memorably played gay in Wet Hot American Summer and appeared on Alias) has joined the cast of Nip/Tuck in an unspecified role -- we just know he won't be anyone's love interest. Very interesting...
  
• The fabulous B-52s are wrapping (not rapping, mind you) their first new album in 15 years. I wonder if Kate and Cindy will fight Amy Winehouse for beehive rights? Or airspace?
  
• Hey -- remember that crazy-hot gay sex scene on Passions a few weeks back? Well, the wife of the "downlow" fella finally knows. From the sounds of it, she must have missed this post -- all the clues were there! Well, except the giant "sea pod"...
• Megan Mullally (Will & Grace) and Roger Bart (The Producers, Desperate Housewives) are confirmed for the Broadway musical version of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein. I just spoke to Bart briefly at the Hostel Part 2 screening the other night (he stars in the film) -- you can't say the guy doesn't know how to diversify his portfolio!

I don't actually watch soap operas (no, shut up, I really don't!), but some of my best friends do, and one of them sent me this link the other day. She said, look, there was gay sex on Passions this week, you should write about it for that gay men's website you blog for.

And I thought, right, gay sex on television, like that's going to happen.

But it did, along with a sort of strange SM/retro-closeted/denial/coming out sort of vibe that kind of freaked me out.

This falls into a personal category of things I call res ipsa loquitur. And then my friends are all, oh Christie, stop trying to act all clever and speaking Latin and stuff, so I translate: this is one of those things that speaks for itself.

But then my editors go, ummm, Christie, we pay you to write, not point dumbly at a YouTube clip and say oh my god, they have the hot and somewhat kinky mansex on Passions.

But just watch this clip after the jump, and then you'll understand why I kind of thought it should speak for itself: