First a public service announcement about Dan Harmon's firing from Community ... WHAT THE FUCK?

I can't view this move by Sony/NBC as anything other than a cynical business move. They want to give Community just enough episodes for syndication (bare bones really) so that the show can make the real money so they fire the creative guy who has faithfully grown the show into something special just so the last thirteen episodes can be delivered on time and under budget. I think you're dreaming if you think NBC/Sony intend to renew this show after this season. So we are left with the final chapter, usually a story's best moments, to be given to us by two guys who have never been with the show until this season and have probably been instructed by Sony/NBC to make the show "more accessible" so that it can grow a bit in audience (maybe) to get it the finish line. FUCK YOU, NBC/SONY. Community = Dan Harmon. It is his crazy vision that makes the show so special. I am not saying the show won't be funny without him, it probably will and I trust the actors enough to do their absolute best to inject as much crazy as they can into the show.... but it will be different.... the bad kind of different. Over the past few days, as I've had time to mull over why this firing feels so personal, I have come to the conclusion that the reason I love Community so much (besides the actors and their amazing chemistry) is that it is the only show on TV where I sit down and I have NO IDEA what will happen in the following twenty four minutes. Even if I've read a plot synopsis, even if I know what "genre" the episode will tackle, the show ALWAYS surprises me. In a TV atmosphere where 95% of the shows on the air feel like cookie-cutter where you can tell the "plot twists" coming from eighty miles away, Community stood alone as being the most unexpected, unique shows on TV and that was, I'm fairly certain, 97% Dan Harmon's doing. Genre-bending, genre-shattering... it reminds me how amazing TV can be when it's not afraid to be different, not afraid to fall flat on its ass in complete failure. It always went someplace uncharted and was never afraid to say something about its characters and their relationships, even when the show was at it's most absurd (an episode in a videogame???).

And now for something completely different...

As we enter a lull in programming as we wait for Summer programming to begin and wish certain shows would just came back to us already (TIERRA DE LOBOS....BOMB GIRLS....COME BACK TO ME), it is nice to know that there are certain parts of the globe that have stepped up and given me more (gay) things to obsess over. Bless you, internet. In other words... THIS IS A DRIVE BY GAYING POST. Well, more like a drive, stop, open door and momentarily stop to toss goodies out of the car.

Bold & the Beautiful



Why should you care about this? Crystal Chappell playing another lesbian on soaps...that's why. Alas, I believe this will be a short stint on the show, but it is still worth checking. If you are NOT like me and know the character background of every person to ever be on soaps, some info on this. Bold & the Beautiful's Joanna Johnson is back on screen after a lengthy absence as Karen, mother of Caroline. Johnson has been on B&B on and off since I was a kid, first as Caroline and then as her twin sister Karen. This storyline hits a bit close to home for Joanna Johnson because she recently came out as a lesbians in real life Twelve year old me was very excited about this news since she and Katherine Kelly Lang were my crushes for about five seconds back in the day. But back to the storyline which involve Caroline (the daughter named after the dead sister) has a new boyfriend who wants to meet her family. Karen must decided whether to come clean to the town that she got married to a woman (Chappell) since last we saw her in town. Ohhhh!

( So much more gayness... )

Before we get into what may be your new favorite TV shows next season, I'd like to take a few moments to discuss a couple of season finales that aired this week. Gossip Girl and Smash ... WHAT THE FUCK? The level of destruction and fucking fucked-ness these two shows brought into my home on Monday night was enough to almost toss my television out the window. Gossip Girl destroyed Dan and Blair, a relationship that was a union of equal, a healthy, supportive, mature relationship so that Blair could go crawling back to Chuck and get pissed all over by Chuck... AGAIN. Jesus Fucking Christ. I have never been more raged at a TV show .. ever. Oh, but then 10pm rolled around and Smash turned into an hour of "Katharine McPhee is the greatest singer/actress ever to happen to our network". I feel personally victimized by Smash for putting my favorite character, Ivy, through what was tantamount to an hour of kicking her in the face and then lighting her corpse on fire. I actually might have to write a long post about Smash because the rage feelings haven't subsided and it's been four days and I feel like I need to vent in journal form so that I don't blow out a retina from all the building blood pressure.

*Breath*

Upfronts are now done and I can safely say no pilot I was super interested in was picked up. Alas, no Bridget Regan in the Old West for us this season (THAT PILOT BETTER LEAK OR I WILL HIT SOMEONE IN THE FACE). Alas, no American version of the Bad Girls, no remake of 80's dirty soapness in Scruples and ... well ... basically nothing that interest me. I don't think I've been this meh about a pilot season ever.

For a list of complete pilot pick-ups and new schedules:
NBC | Fox | ABC | CBS | The CW

And now for a few notes...

— Let's get the fucking bullshit out of the way first... FUCK YOU, NBC. NBC, in its infinity wisdom, decided to renew most of its comedy block but give them a half season order, no more than 13 episodes and then ordered a crap-load of new comedies that all look horrible. 30 Rock is ending its run this season and got a shortened order. Parks & Rec, Up All Night and Community were all brought back, but all got a shortened 13 episode order (scratch Park & Rec... it got a 22 episode order.. I was going off old reports before NBC confirmed). The Office and Whitney (oh, yes WHITNEY) were also renewed, but they both got a full 22 episode order. YES, WHITNEY GOT A FULL SEASON, Y'ALL. Then, because everyone at NBC is a fucking genius, they have paired Whitney with Community and moved them to Friday night where they will die a slow death. NBC can finally wash its hands of Community, giving them just under the 100 episodes that broadcasters like for syndication. When Community is canceled next season, NBC can go "well, we renewed it and gave it a chance when we really didn't have to... it just didn't perform." FUCK YOU NBC! Also, Dan Harmon isn't signed up for next season of Community so the show may every well be back without its main creator force. Urgh.

— One of the pleasant surprises of this Upfront season was how many shows got pick-ups that are fronted by a non-white lead actor. It's almost like we are living the 21st Century or something. ABC'S Last Resort is being fronted by the amazing Andre Braugher. NBC's Infamous is headed by D.E.B.S. alum Meagan Good. The CW's Beauty and the Beast reboot has Kristin Kreuk as it's Beauty. Fox has Mindy Kaling as the lead in The Mindy Project. With ABC's Scandal and The CW's Nikita, the networks now have six networks shows with a non-white actor as its lead and that is something to be very happy with. MOTHERFUCKING PROGRESS! Still a ways to go ... yo, networks, were are the Latinos as leads, but it is still something worth nothing.

— The big trend this season was ... SUPERNATURAL AND REBOOTS AND COMEDIES... OH MY! On the comedy front, all the networks are looking to branch out and pack their schedules with new comedy blocks on new nights. Fox is doing a solid 2 hour night of comedy on Tuesday. NBC is opening up a new comedy blocks and Wednesday and Friday. ABC is also looking to reclaim Friday nights, once the home of their successful TGIF comedy block during the 80s/90s. NBC is actually abandoning a drama hour on Thursday nights at 10pm, the slot filled for all of my adult life by their best dramas .. LA Law, ER. Every network except CBS has at least one show about the supernatural and/or fantasy. The CW couldn't even wait until Smallville's corpse had cooled before it rolls out its re-imagining of the Green Arrow/Oliver Queen character.

— But wait... there's more! Networks are also holding a lot of shows back until midseason to see how their Fall line-up shakes out. NBC has THREE really high profile shows that will eventually make it onto the schedule. The reboot of The Munster fronted by Pushing Daisies' Bryan Fuller is still in development and will likely find a place on the schedule in 2013. The reboot of Hannibal, which got a straight to series order, will also make its debut in 2013. NBC also picked up another series, also straight to series, about Pirates. YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT, PIRATES. I was all what are you doing NBC .. until I read the show was being written and produced by the man responsible for BBC's Luther. Yes, you read that right.. THE WRITER FOR LUTHER IS WRITING A PIRATE SERIES. So I will reserve judgment... the show, Crossbones, is looking to air in 2013.

— You may be asking yourself.. any GAY we should know about. Why yes... thanks for asking. In the trailer for NBC's Chicago Fire EMT Leslie Shay (played by Hawaii Five-0's Lauren German) says she is gay. We shall see if that is actually the case. If that is the case, they basically made "the hot girl" on the show gay which is ... awesome. Also, there is no word if ABC's Mistresses will keep the gay story for the British version of the show, but there IS a character named Alex on the show's official website which as you probably remember is the name of the gay character played by Anna Torv in the Brit series. The U.S. Alex will be played by Shannyn Sossamon.

( And now for some trailers!!! )

But stop the presses... hold the phone... the only new series you should care about is this one. Rachel Nichols as a time traveling cop. Let me say that again. RACHEL NICHOLS AS A TIME TRAVELING COP. Thank you, Canada. Bless you and your growing commitment to making shows that are amazingballs.

"At a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married."

And most of us who have been following Obama's two steps forward, one step back policy on gay rights can just say, "FINALLY". Whether the timing of this announcement was imposed upon him by Vice President Joe Biden's vocal support of gay marriage (thanks, Joe!) on Meet the Press over the weekend or if last night's passage of the constitutional amendment in North Carolina was the true catalyst, only Obama knows for certain, it does put the President down in the history books as the first sitting Commander in Chief to support gay marriage. What does this mean for the 2012 election? Probably nothing. Maybe something. A few notes...

1. While the position has been called "ballsy" in an election year, let's be real... anyone who is anti-gay rights would not have voted for Obama anyway. This move actually solidifies Obama's base and, perhaps, make certain segments of the population who may have been apathetic to his re-election campaign suddenly very excited.

2. Even more important for the electoral perspective, most of the regions that are anti-gay are States that Obama would have never carried in the general election anyway. Obama was never going to win the Deep South or most the Midwest. In the places that are up for grabs, I'm betting the campaign is hoping the influx of immigrants and population demographic shifts will work in the campaign's favor. Also, those areas may be more willing to put social issues aside now that there is the very REAL issue of the economy actually effecting life on a daily basis. That wasn't the case in 2004 when this issue was last a major issue in an election year.

3. From what I gather of Obama's decision process (from what I've read about him), he is a pragmatist and a student of history. He looks at issues from every angle and decides a course of action. It wouldn't surprise me if he is starting to view this issue through this lens and, perhaps, see himself as a bit of a Lyndon B. Johnson. Am I saying that Obama will go as far with gay rights as LBJ did with Civil Right? Nope, not at all. But Johnson emerged from that particular part of history as a champion of the movement, a leader of it and secured a place in history as someone who stood apart from what his advisers and his party to do what was right (although we can argue forever if that was actually Johnson's place). LBJ essentially lost the South for the Democrats, probably for good, in favor of doing the right thing. I wouldn't be surprised a bit of Obama is already thinking about legacy. We all know where this opposition to gay marriage and gay rights is heading. We all know that this issue will be viewed in thiry years time the way inter-racial marriage is viewed now. I think Obama wants to be on the right side of history with this.

4. Is there a risk of losing the election because of this? Yes, but it definitely a slimmer chance than even a mere four years ago. The biggest risk the Obama campaign that might stem from this move is it will galvanize and unite the base for Romney, a base that was completely apathetic to him, but with this announcement coming so early in the election cycle, I think the campaign is hoping that any passionate that it might stir right now will run out before November. I mean, there are SO many ways Romney can alienate the base between now and then.

5. The real political "danger" in this announcement might actually come from Obama's supporters who will now ask the perfectly legitimate question, "if you believe in gay marriage and think those States that outlaw it are wrong, what are you going to do about it?" This is question he may be able to dodge through the general election, but if he does get re-elected, I think there will be more of a push back this time around for something akin to LBJ's legislation on Civil Rights.

To sum up...
Will this support of gay marriage hurt Obama? Maybe a little but not enough to really matter.
Will it cost Obama some States that might have swung his way in the election? I think more analysis is needed.
Is Obama an awesome mofo? Yes.
I should vote for him in November, right? Yes, do it.

Party Post!!!

When last we left the ladies of Lip Service Cat was fucking up her life by fucking Frankie. Frankie was just fucked up. And Sam was too busy being too hot for this show and too good for the girl cheating on her with the fuck up. Lesbian drama. Series two of Lip Service premiered last week in the U.K. and let's just say, I hate everyone. Why am I watching this show? Oh, right, because I need to take my lesbian representation where I can get it. Below is the glorious episode in its entirety if you haven't yet seen it. Watch it fast before it disappears.

Lip Service



Look away if you don't want to be spoiled.

— My one word reaction to just about everything featured in this episode is WHY? WHY? For the love of god, WHY? Why is Cat still cheating on the world's most perfect girlfriend? She takes you on vacation. She treats you with respect. She doesn't want to fuck you in dark, dirty alleys. She looks like Heather Peace. She owns handcuffs. Why, for the love of Pete would you cheat on her, Cat?

— WHY? Frankie? Why? I think the more appropriate observation is how? How is someone so self-involved and fucked up have so much of a hold over someone who is generally level-headed and rational? I don't care about your shit, Frankie and if I keep on having to deal with your shit, I may have to stop watching.

— Oh, Tess. Dump your girlfriend. Please don't cheat on her with your new roomie.

— New roomie is hot and she can stay. Tess get on that.

— Oh wait, new roomie Lexi has the hots for Sam who is in love with Cat who is shagging Frankie who is living with Tess who is has the hots for Lexi. Did I get that right? What could possible go wrong here?

— Cat and Jay getting high. A favorite.

— No, seriously, new roomie is hot.

( And Other Glorious Gay Stuff... )

My allergies are killing which can only mean one thing ... Spring is here ... which leads to another thing... PILOT SEASON IS IN FULL SWING. The most glorious time of year when the possibility of two major networks airing two different remakes of the Beauty and the Beast concept is entirely possible. Networks won't make their final decisions about pilots until the Upfronts next month, but I'd like to take a moment to blah-blah (it's been so long since I've blah-blah-ed) about them. First, there are a couple of show that have already been green-lit straight to series. ABC will air a remake of the UK hit Mistresses next spring (will it or won't it have the gay remains to be seen) and NBC will has ordered a TV series based on Red Dragon...yep, Hannibal Lecter is coming to your TV every week. Yeah, I am not sure exactly how that will work either.

If we were to sum up this year's development slate into two categories... it is Fairy Tales and Westerns which means after a solid decade of seeing show after show about lawyers, cops and doctors, we are getting just a bit more creativity back on TV (well, okay, creativity in airquotes, but you know what I mean). Credit the success of Once Upon a Time, Grimm and cable shows like Justified, The Walking Dead and Hell on Wheels for this strange phrase. I will enjoy it while it lasts. Also, a tip of the hat to Downton Abbey since there are a few shows that seem to want to embrace the British hit's take on upper crust soapy-ness. Ditto to for Revenge which seems to have inspired a revival of the thoroughly adult prime-time soap. For a complete list of pilots go here.

For my picks of most intriguing pilots, click on the cut ... also known as pilots I think are good but will either not be picked up or cancelled after three episodes.

( Networks playing games with my heart... )

And now for something completely different. I've ended to get this off my chest for while.

( Real Talk Under Here )

It's been too long...your moment of zen... remember these two idiots...

*Emerges from isolated cave* What month is it? No, seriously. I've been in what feels like a work prison for the past four months, a sensory deprivation tank, where I was only allowed to look at a computer to write code with my brain only able to spit out occasional tweets and sometimes a paragraph or two on Tumblr. But all that is behind me. I am free and finally able to enjoy life again ... as poor programming nomad in search of another gig, but who cares about all that when I can FINALLY write long paragraphs about the gay things I love. Who needs money, right! *Sets up a tip jar*

When last I left you, back in 2011 before Whitney Houston died and when Rick Santorum was still considered a "fringe" candidate for the Republican nomination (oh dear lord, I have been gone a while), I was more or less lamenting about the lack of gayness on North American television. Spain, England and, well, Spain were filling the hole nicely since pretty much every other gay on US TV was either in background (are Callie and Arizona even on Grey's anymore?), dead or cancelled (THE PLAYBOY CLUB... NEVER LETTING YOU GO!). As if it heard my violent sobbing at night over the lack of good gay representation, Canada decided to show me some mercy and gave me Bomb Girls. I am pretty much assuming that everyone has heard about this series already and have probably seen all the episodes and you don't need me to explain how this show is perfect, not just because of the gay, but because everything about it is perfect. Everything I have ever wanted in a TV show. Oh, Canada. You are too good to me. You send me Pat Kiernan and now this! I might even have to learn your national anthem.

But back to Bomb Girls... if you are one of the two people reading this right now who haven't seen the show yet. First, what is the matter with you? Second, stop reading this and try to find a way to watch it. I'll wait. I'll be here when you get back. Set in a munitions factory during World War II, the series follows women who are called to action and thrust into the work force, many for the first time and the invariable obstacles that follow. This is the kind of series I've been hoping for because it is such a rich time period to set a show in. Women got their first taste of real economic freedom during this era and there was really no going back after that, as much as the 1950's tried to force women back into the kitchen and their roles as subservient, obedient housewives. But wait, I am getting ahead of myself and this could turn into a lengthy dissertation on proto-feminism and the confluence of world and social moments creating a "perfect storm" in which female power - economic and social - was a real possibility for the first time. NERD! You might be asking yourself, when does this post get gay? Hold on. Soon. Before I get into the gay, I will state at the outset that if you've only seen the Kate/Betty storyline via YouTube, I would implore you to find the entire show because all the characters are fantastic. Gladys Witham (IMPECCABLY played by Jodi Balfour) would be my favorite character if Kate and Betty didn't exist. Gladys, you are perfection and I really do need to show you more love on Tumblr because... so perfect. Ditto for Lorna Corbett (the always awesome Meg Tilly). I could write a fifty page essay about how these show is the most honest and adult portrayal of female sexuality (as in wanting to have sex) and desire and ownership of said sexuality I've seen in a drama in a long while with these two at the heart of it.

And now gay... We have arrived at the tricky part of this post where I try to explain why I love Kate and Betty so much, both separately and together, without just repeating over and over again MY EMOTIONS, MY IRRATIONAL EMOTIONS, OHMIGOD BETTY'S TEARS KILLS KITTENS, KATE WHY WON'T YOU LET YOURSELF BE HAPPY WITH THE FIRST REAL FAMILY YOU HAVE EVER HAD, LOVE EACH OTHER, KIDS, LOVE EACH OTHER! Insert GIF of Tobias sobbing in the shower from Arrested Development here. *Take a deep breath*

Betty McRae, you beautiful rule-breaking moth. The tough, no-nonsense farm-girl turned star factory worker with a heart of gold. Like many other characters I've adored over the years, she is a hard candy shell with a soft, marshmallow center and most of her melting is reserved for Kate. Although not made explicit, one gets the feeling that Betty ran away from her rural life to get a decent shot (her only shot) at having a life without the expectations of a husband and children dictating her life. For women like Betty, the war couldn't have happened at a better time. It was a chance at freedom. She probably felt different and didn't really understand those feelings until she came to the big city. I imagine (what else do I have to do for a year until the new season but imagine) Betty has taken baby steps towards living her life as a gay woman or as much as society would allow back then, but I don't think she completely and fully understood who she was, as a gay woman, until Kate entered her life. She has probably never been in love before and certainly wouldn't have let those feelings gestate as they did had she not felt a bit "safer" to let them happen. She is completely unable to control the way Kate effects her. I love her for trying to hide it, but her devotion to Kate is completely written all over her face every time she looks at her. Oh, Betty, if you are trying to hide your feelings, your face didn't get that memo.

Kate Andrews, you beautiful tropical fish. The runaway looking for a new life away from her abusive father. The thing I love most about this character is that on the surface she appears shy, insecure and perhaps a little fragile, but really, she is one of the strongest women on the show. Running away from everything she has ever known to be literally someone else takes all kinds of balls and a strength she is probably not aware she has yet. She is the marshmallow outside with the hard tootsie roll center. She has a quiet strength which effects those around. Notice that within a few weeks of her arrival, she becomes the moral center of her friendship with Gladys and Betty and she slips into that role effortlessly. Disappointing Kate is like choking The Little Mermaid with a bike chain (thanks, Dan Harmon). Kate has lived such a sheltered life that one can imagine "exploring her sexuality" was not even a thought that entered her mind, but you know she is completely devoted to Betty in a way that isn't entirely friendship. Sure, it's part hero-worship, part respect and admiration, but she has some of those same feelings for Gladys and she never looks at Gladys like her feelings are about to consume her. There is a tenderness in her interactions with Betty that are absent in her other friendship. What I like most about her character is that these feelings and their subsequent actions towards Betty are completely natural to her because she has no real concept that her feelings for Betty shouldn't manifest themselves in hand-holding and hugs. When Kate stares at Betty in her "totally in love, Disney-face" way, I can't help but think of her as the Ark of the Covenant from Indiana Jones ... how could Betty possibly have a defense for such face-melting stares (thanks, Dan Harmon, again). There is none...unless you cover your eyes.

And with that introduction full of sentence that make no sense (I'm rusty at this), here are my ten favorite scenes between the church mouse and the brave gay toaster.



( Do You Want to Try a Twirl )

We interrupt your holiday weekend to bring you (possibly) the last drive-by gaying of the year. A film you should be aware of and on the look out for *cough* which is another way of saying that you should Google this sucker and find a way to acquire it and I have already seen version floating around so it shouldn't be too hard to track down... but I can't actually come right out and say that because that's illegal and we all know that it is wrong *cough*.

With Every Heartbeat (Kyss mig)
MIA (Ruth Vega Fernandez) and FRIDA (Liv Mjönes), both in their thirties, meet each other for the first time at their parents' engagement party. Mia's father, Lasse (Krister Henriksson), is about to get married to Frida's mother, Elizabeth (Lena Endre), which will make Mia and Frida stepsisters. Lasse's daughter, Mia, has not visited her father in years and arrives with her boyfriend, Tim (Joakim Nätterqvist), with whom she is about to get married. As Mia and Frida get to know one another, strong emotions begin to stir between them. Their relationship will turn everything upside down for everyone close to them with dramatic consequences.



I know this trailer looks all doom and gloom, but I promise, happy ending. And just look how cute and pretty everyone looks.

A post to mark the holiday season. May your family not drive you crazy. May you get something other than socks (unless you really love socks). And may you survive the coming holiday week enough to smile when your second cousin's significant other asks you why you aren't married yet. Photo I took yesterday...



A drive-by fandom update:
1. Tierra de Lobos ended its second season. TEARS! I've fallen off the deep end with that show and I am in love with all three Lobos sisters and their storylines. Almudena/Cesar...para siempre. *Ugly Crying* Unfortunately, there is no set date for the premiere for the third season. It could be as long as September 2012. I'll hold you if you hold me.

2. Already going crazy without Community.

3. Come to me, Downton Abbey Christmas special. Come to me, Doctor Who Christmas special.

If you are so inclined, leave me some love...

Holiday Love Meme, Secret Santa Style! // My thread

Spam me with comments here if you are bored. I will be avoiding family all holiday weekend. And finally to provide some Christmas joy, a video you should all see...



Happy Holidays Everyone!