News, Reviews & Commentary on Gay and Bisexual Men in Entertainment and the Media

Nip/Tuck

Ryan Murphy to bring some "Glee" to primetime TV

Out producer Ryan Murphy is hoping to bring the bane of my high school existence, the Glee Club, to TV this season, with a one hour comedy for FOX.

Glee has been given a pilot commitment, and if all goes well, could air in March as a companion to American Idol: 

"Glee, which takes place in the Midwest, centers on Will, a Spanish teacher suddenly called upon to coach the glee club at the high school. The club is one of the worst in the nation -- but the adults and kids are inspired to turn things around.
Murphy's looking for a multicultural cast, as well as a mix of straight and gay characters.
The show's leads won't break out into song, but Murphy said the series will contain at least four songs per episode -- organically sung onstage by the choir. Taking a page from Idol, the performers will croon popular, well-known tunes."

As opposed to his Nip/Tuck or tabled transgender drama Pretty/Handsome, this show will have a much lighter tone, although it will keep what Ryan calls the "Fox Edge" (which I assume means lots of torture scenes):

"It's a 9 p.m. show, it's not designed for 8," he said. "But it is designed for families to watch together. It's sweet, but it will appeal to both kids and adults, it's written for both of them."
"There's so much on the air right now about people with guns, or sci-fi, or lawyers running around," he said. "This is a different genre, there's nothing like it on the air at the networks and cable. Everything's so dark in the world right now, that's why 'Idol' worked. It's pure escapism."

Well, if this show can come anywhere close to Ryan's late, lamented classic Popular, it'll definitely be worth watching, even if the subject matter conjures bad memories. Every year I tried out for the Glee Club, and every year they would say the same thing after my rendition of "Flashdance- What a Feeling": "Well, we appreciate your ... enthusiasm". Bastards.

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How can one of the most gay-inclusive shows on television also feature TV’s worst gay stereotypes?

Two Gay Guys Passing Judgment video blog:

After a refreshing holiday break, Michael and Brent (aka Two Gay Guys) are back with a new installment of their Passing Judgment video blog. In today's episode they discuss the newly Californicated (and somehow even gayer) season of Nip/Tuck, the brand-new Fox action series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and something called a "book".

Check it all out!

Two Gay Guys Passing Judgment

Nip/Tuck: Best Gay Friends, Gay Porn, and more!

I'll say one thing for FX's hit drama Nip/Tuck, it's never, ever boring. This show has more going on in one episode than some show's cover in an entire season. Actually, I'll say something else for Nip/Tuck, for better or worse, gay and bisexual people are part of this world. One of the standards by which this site judges programming is by how gay and bi inclusive it actually is.

Some shows, say Men in Trees or Grey's Anatomy, might have one nominal gay character that shows up once in a while. Or they very occasionally do a gay subplot, but for the most part us gay folks aren't really part of the landscape. For better or worse, that definitely isn't the case on Nip/Tuck as last night's episode clearly points out.

It featured out actor/singer/queer guy Jai Rodriguez as Chaz Darling, Best Gay Friend of the show's new teenage villainness Eden Lord. She's the daughter of Olivia Lord (out acrtress Portia DeRossi) who is currently lovers with Julia McNamara (Joely Richardson).

The episode starts with Chaz dropping by McNamara/Troy because he's got a little something he wants fixed.

Turns out going to the White Party with a nipple that large is just a big ol' no-no. This scene gives us our first inkling of what a bad egg that Chaz is going to turn out to be. In fact, he later goes on to tell Eden, already too skinny, that she needs liposuction because a negative size two is the new size zero. It's not exactly a positive portrayal of gay men as Chaz is utterly obsessed with looks and body image. Thanks to Eden's help, he forces Troy to perform surgery to repair this horrible flaw with his chest. Here I was thinking a really big nipple ring would distract from it and be a whole lot cheaper.

Nip/Tuck/Sigh: New season promises more gay touch-and-go

I'll admit, I've never given Nip/Tuck a full run for its money, but I've certainly tried. The leering unpleasantness of it all just doesn't appeal to me. It's odd, because gay creator Ryan Murphy's previous series, Popular, is still one of my favorite series of all time. I guess I'd rather watch Leslie Grossman play identical twins separated at birth and Tammy Lynn Michaels run down the prom queen than see transgender teens have their genitals hacked off by homophobic fathers.

This season the fellas open up shop in Los Angeles, and from what the season preview suggests, the gay stereotypes are there to roll out the red carpet. Granted, all the characters on the show seem pretty despicable, so it's not just the gays that are given the short shrift ... at least it's equal-opportunity misanthropy!

Check out the trailer below for more...

The network's original programming leaves a lot to be desired for gays.

To Make a Long Story Short ... Nip/Tuck's new hottie, Passions, and more!

  • 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!
In 2006 gay actors came out, gay characters got more screen time and,the closet case returned.
Borat gets naked, Rosie rocks "The View," and ESPN's Brian Kinchen says something gay.

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