Forming a New Bond

Hot Picks: MADE IN DAGENHAM

"My Summer of Captivity"

Well, "Hannibal" is over for its season, and I haven't checked out NBC's

"Crossing Lines" just yet (great cast, but it all depends on execution--some

of that dialogue in the trailer sounded Ultra-Hokey!)

So, the best thing I've seen evidence of so far is last night's debut of

"Under the Dome," based on the Stephen King novel and executive

produced by Steven Spielberg and Brian K. Vaughan (with Neal Baer.)

It's a formidable team of talented vets who do what they do very well,

added to a great cast (I LOVE Aisha Hinds!) and a very intriguing concept!

I love sci-fi, I love mystery and suspense, and I am a huge

fan of character interaction and large cast ensembles...when done

well! Last night's premiers (of the 13 episode 'mini') was a delightful

little aperitif to whet the appetite!

Dissension amongst townsfolk, secrets and lies bubbling to the surface,

displaced lesbian couples, seizures of unknown origin, hot men, psychopaths,

a dozen deaths (and one murder!) and more sexual and violent tension than

you can shake a stick at!

If you were a fan of "Lost" or "Jericho," or a Stephen King fan...

if you enjoy "Revolution" or "The Killing"....

if you like shows that have diversity and characterization....

you'll probably enjoy "Under the Dome."

I'm looking forward to my new summer addiction!

***

"Canceled, On Hiatus, On the Bubble--Oh, MY!"



(sigh.) No more 'Happy Endings,' and no more half-naked 'Max.'

It's the "Attack of the Gays;" backlash for last season's

gay prominence seen in this coming TV season!

Unbelievably, 3 completely awesome and perhaps the

gayest shows on TV--NBC's "Smash," NBC's "The

New Normal," and (my personal favorite show on air,)

ABC's "Happy Endings" have officially been canceled.

No renewals, all the shows that will be broadcast have

been broadcast, "Hast la vista, baby."

And the carnage worsens; The following laundry list

of perfectly good shows didn't make the cut (or they got

cut--however you want to say it!) within this 2012/2013

season (either due to low ratings or series' endings.)

(We're talking gay content, gay characters, gay hosted,

gay subtext, gay sensibilities, gay interest here--yeah, it's

broad! Sue me--I'm dramatic!)

* 30 rock (fabulous!)

* 666 Park Avenue (Vanessa Williams)

* Anderson Live (duh!)

* The Big C

* Body of Proof (Dana Delaney)

* Bomb Girls (tough females)

* Cult (sexy sci-fi)

* Deception (Grrrrl...DRAMA!)

* Don't Trust The B--- in Apt. 23 (sassy and fiesty)

* Drop Dead Diva (Margaret Cho)

* Futurama (gay robot)

* Go On (featuring lesbian character)

* Gossip Girl (teen soap with wit)

* Kathy (Kathy Griffin's talk show)

* Love You, Mean It with Whitney Cummings

* Merlin

* Spartacus (gladiators!)

* Touch

* Up All Night

* Young Justice

...and of course the gratuitous "we're only tuning in for the

hot men" guilty pleasures of  "Do No Harm," "Golden Boy,"

"Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe," and "Vegas." (Somehow I

think "Rookie Blue," which is a hot soapy mess I love, got

renewed, though!?!?)

Even down-the-pike gay greatness like the revived "In

Living Color" and "Political Animals" (Sigourney Weaver)

rumored returns are dead in the water. And there's to be a new

Dr. Who?!?! This is the final season of "Warehouse 13"?!

The question now becomes...what will be the signs of backlash

in remaining shows?

Will "Arrow" cease to be the prime hot spot for Grade-A

fleshy sex sightings?

Stephen Amell shows off his acting chops. (Mmnnnn--chops...slobber!)

Will "Happily Divorced" lighten up on the gay themes or talk?

Will "Modern Family" and "Necessary Roughness" and

"Parks and Recreation" and "Raising Hope" and "Suburgatory"

lose their wit  and sting?

What's most awful is that we gays have taste, and there are some

really lame-ass puke-a-rama shows being KEPT while quality

programs can't get a fair shake. Ugh! (How did "2 Broke Girls"

ever get a green light, let alone a renewal? Why is "Big Brother"

still on the air?)



Julie White portrayed a poignant and original (i.e., 'real') character

 Of course, there are the scores of LGBT hopefuls sure to be

viewed weekly as the contestants of "The Voice" and "American

Idol" are notoriously gay-heavy (How many queens were in the

Final 12 on Idol?!!? JESUS!) And, we can lust at the contestants

on "American Ninja Warrior," and the gratuitously shirtless

characters on"Being Human," "Blue Bloods," "Chicago Fire,"

"Teen Wolf," "Supernatural," and others.

We rise and we fall...and there's always netflix

and hulu if the networks fail us!

**************************************

"Feet on the Ground, Feet on the Ground..."

"...everybody keep they damned feet on the ground!"

After singer Miguel literally crushed a fan during a performance

this week, the video was shot around the world, and he was

quite rightfully bashed on for the ridiculously dangerous move.

The butt (ha ha) of jokes all week, the only thing more

stupid was the interview with the fan (a woman, naturally)

who was just so pleased to have come that close to his ass.

"No big!"

However...

the big news--and Weirdness--happened on the

"Dancing with the Stars" finale, when the above move

(seen here in practice, working) was flubbed beyond all compare--

and everyone pretended that nothing had happened!

Jacoby Jones of The Ravens (sadly, it didn't help, as he

obviously can't fly) was making an attempted leap over

partner Karina's head, but two problems occurred.

First, she was facing him at the time,

and second, he didn't make the height required!

WHAM! She got pecker-faced with a vengeance!

It's a good thing her mouth wasn't open!
It's a wonder she wasn't knocked the fuck out.

It's surprising that she has all her teeth.

But they kept up the pretense that it was planned....

even after he rode her face for many seconds like

it was a XXX film.

And the judges didn't acknowledge the problem at all!
They raved over his performance--and he got a perfect score!

(Fortunately the right person ended up winning, but--WTF!?!
Were they afraid he'd groin-slam them if he got a bad score?
Was it compensatory-discrimination?

Whatever the rationale, it was weird to watch--but having
a mix-up keeps things lively.)

Hey, if you're not on wires, stay on the ground, fellas.

***

The Grande Dame, Jeanne Cooper

She was a consummate actress and professional,

a stalwart presence and striking energy for

daytime viewers for almost four decades!

Her commanding delivery and offscreen

firecracker personality made her highly

popular and found her a place in the hearts

of millions of viewers.

Jeanne died Wednesday at age 84.

Thanks to a true bright light for all the many

memories and inspiration.

***

"Call Me Crazy: A Five Film" (event)

If you haven't been watching, Lifetime has a tremendous series of

shorts entitled "CALL ME CRAZY: A FIVE FILM."

The films sport an incredible cast of actresses and directors,

including Ashley Judd, Laura Dern, Jennifer Hudson,

Jennifer Aniston, Brittany Snow, Octavia Spencer,

and many more!

The five short films deal with a range

of different mental health issues through

a single different woman's personal

journey and struggle.

The project was designed to elucidate what

it is to have mental illness (and to deal with a

loved one who has it,) and is designed to erase the

stigma--to start dialogue and healing.

For a more detailed look at the films, the actresses,

and  to get show times for the next movies, check out

"Call Me Crazy" website

***