Recently in Brothers & Sisters Category

You don't expect the handsome and talented Luke Macfarlane to spend all of his time being Scotty to Matthew Rhys' Kevin on ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" do you?

Luke is moonlighting these days as F. Scott Fitzgerald in the Blank Theatre Company's production of Allan Knee's play "the Jazz Age" which runs through.March 22. Also starring are Jeremy Gabriel as Ernest Hemingway and Heather Prete as Zelda Fitzgerald.

The new play goes inside their minds to fantasize on the question of "inspiration". Punctuated by the pulsating beat of a live jazz trio and asks the question "Why do we do what we do?"

The play is directed by Michael Matthews, and Grammy Award winner Ian Whitcomb and his Bungalow Boys accompany the play with an original score by Whitcomb.

The Blank Theatre Company is located at 6500 Santa Monica Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90038. For tickets or more information call 323-661-9827 or visit www.TheBlank.com.

To see more terrific photos from this production, go to BroadwayWorld.com.

I sure like this picture of Rachel Griffiths... Maybe it's because I took it! She was at last weekend at AIDS Walk Los Angeles. It was so nice to see her and all. Rhen a minute or so later, when I did an interview with her, things got dicey for a minute there.

The first two episodes of "Brothers & Sisters" had been, in my opinion and to many other people, a bit annoying with silly plotlines (Kitty's book?) and a lot of full-on family fights. When we chatted, it was before episodes three and four aired and I wondered how the actress who plays Sarah on the show felt about the feelings of fans.

"I didn't know they were saying that!" she said.

Gulp.

" I've been having just great feedback from people," Griffiths added. "From my litmis test at the supermarket, I've had the most uncritical enthusiasm for the show of all the seasons so far. People are saying, 'Love the premiere! Loved the show last night!' It's news to me."

Okay then. Let's move on.

Twice nominated for an Emmy for her performance on "Brothers & Sisters," Rachel is one of the few performers who has successfully segued from one beloved series to another. She played Brenda on HBO's "Six Feet Under" for five seasons winning the Golden Globe for her work and earning two Emmy nods. (She also was Oscar-nominated for her role in the film "Hillary & Jackie" and had roles in such films as "Muriel's Wedding," "Step Up," "The Rookie" and "Me, Myself and I.")

On the "Brothers & Sisters" front, Sarah very dramatically quit her job at the family company after just one too many battles with her late father's mistress who, through a string of circumstances, became a partner.

"I have a great season where I get involved with this start-up company," she said. "We're also really hit with this economy and it becomes this very precarious thing where she's taking on a risk at a time that turns out to be the worst financial crisis in American history so it's great. She's not immune to this and she's not immuned to taking on a second mortgage on her house and really feeling like they might not make it and they might be moving back with her mother. So it's a really real story which I love."

"The great thing is, you kind of see her excitement for business again which she kind of lost. She went into Ojai (Foods) because she thought it would be fun and it's just been two years of quite painful business decisons. So you see why the girl got an MBA."

With the vote on Prop. 8 just weeks away, I wanted to talk about her feelings on gay marriage (on-screen brother Kevin (Matthew Rhys) had a commitment ceremony with his partner Scotty (Luke Macfarlane) at the end of last season.

"I'm just hoping that the younger voter who doesn't feel that gay people getting married is a threat to their ever getting married, doesn't feel the same way as the older generation. Sometimes you're just not going to get them to stop washing the tin foil. The truth is, it could be a generational thing. Just as my grandmother found it very difficult to not have a visceral reaction to an interracial situation. It was a lot of messages that she was given when she was growing up, as much as she knew that was wrong in her later life. I think it is going to change over time."

She thinks her show might be helping educate as well as entertain: "I love that the voice of our show is the political through the personal. The greatest way to change people's thinking is to make them familiar and care about people who are gay or who have AIDS. Not to be told anything but to just fall in love and say, 'Oh my God, I really love this character and he's gay and I really want him to get married and it kind of shocks me. You find yourself just wanting the best for that character just like you would your own son."

I love ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" as you all know. But the truth is, I could use a lot more Kevin and Scotty and a lot less Walker family fights. The first two episodes have featured all-out brawls over A) Tommy firing Kevin as the attorney for the struggling family business and B) Kitty writing a book about her husband's presidential bid in which she seems to malign every member of the family.

It's too much! Can't they just all get along?

I was glad to see some Scotty (Luke Macfarlane) and Kevin (Matthew Rhys) pics on AfterElton.com from the Oct. 26 episode. Go to the site to see the others. I believe thec couple is having dinner with Scotty's parents. If you recall from last season, Scotty's mom is not cool with the gay thing.

OMG I'm exhausted.

Sunday night's season premiere of "Brothers & Sisters" had more Walker family drama than usual with just too much packed into one episode, too much to process. I'm guessing it's because last season was cut short and storylines had to be moved forward but the only characters that had any really sweet and thoughtful scenes (except for one shared by Justin and Rebecca at the end) were our gay newlyweds Kevin and Scotty whose getaway weekend in Laguna ended up being overrun by Walkers.

The scenes I did enjoy were between Sally Field and Patricia Wettig which were very Krystal and Alexis from "Dynasty" and it was cool, and very out of character, the way Sally's Nora dropped the bit of info to Patricia's Holly that late family patriarch William Walker had another child with another woman.

Holly: "I don't believe you.'

Nora (smiling smugly): "Yes you do."

Okay, I'm still hooked. But slow it down! Sheesh.

Season three of "Brothers & Sisters" begins Sunday night. Between that and last night's return of "Lipstick Jungle," I just don't know how much more happy and complete my life could be. Here is a scene featuring Kevin (Matthew Rhys) and Scotty (Luke Macfarlane). We've missed you guys!

Season three of "Brothers & Sisters" is right around the corner and that means lots of fresh material on Kevin and Scotty, the couple played by Luke MacFarlane (above) and Matthew Rhys. It's been a wonderful storyline for the show, for viewers and for society - especially with the scary Sarah Palin's of the world fighting against equal rights for gays. Kevin and Scotty on prime-time TV and Luke and Noah on daytime's "As the World Turns" and the just married Ellen DeGeneres put us into people's living rooms in a way that is positive and real and not shame-based.

What's even better about Luke Macfarlane is that after two years of playing Scotty, he came out publicly as a gay man in an interview with the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail.

I had a wonderful chat with Luke last spring and he said of coming out: "I'll say that I decided to do that interview, I decided to answer those questions in an effort to make my life simpler and that's going to contunue to be my motto."

There are more Kevin and Scotty photos at AfterElton.com.

Earlier posts:
-- Exclusive: Matthew Rhys and Luke Macfarlane on their Television Nuptials-- Kevin and Scotty are Hitched in Beautiful Ceremony
-- Videos: My Favorite Kevin and Scotty Scenes
-- The "Brothers & Sisters" Siblings Talk About the Union of Kevin and Scotty

Luke Macfarlane is soooooo cute. There really isn't any other way to put it, OK? JustJared.com has a bucha pics of the "Brothers & Sisters" star at the 2008 Rome Fiction Fest in Italy.

Luke, who came out publicly in April, joined seres costars Balthazar Getty and Dave Annable to promote their show and he also talked up his new mini-series "Iron Road."

"Brothers & Sisters" may have ended its second season on Sunday night but it left viewers with enough cliffhangers to mull over all summer long. One of the most intriguing involves the potential romance of Justin (Dave Annable) and Rebecca (Emily VanCamp), who he thought was his half-sister.

I gotta wonder if the writers of the show decided to make Rebecca not blood-related to the Walker clan after noticing the obvious on-screen chemistry between the two enormously attractive co-stars. They met in the middle of the show's first season when Rebecca was revealed to be the love child of the late family partriarch.

"We were both certainly aware that there was (chemistry)," Emily told me recently. "Because we were two people who had just met as well, just like these characters. It's not far-fetched that this might happen."

The two temporary siblngs had bonded from the start and you have to wonder if the writers changed the direction of Rebecca's storyline to allow for a romance.

"It's not incestious, we do find out she wasn't a Walker," Dave said, a bit defensively. "But just because she's not doesn't mean they're going to be romantically involved. Our show revolves around the family dealing with these bigger issues and obviously this is a big issue. Whichever way it goes, I think it's gonna be a lot of drama to be had."

I suggest to Emily that one way for Rebecca to become a Walker again is to marry Justin. She's already thought of that: "I know, I hope so! I want to be a Walker again so they better marry us, I'm telling you."

Dave's character could use a happy ending. He has been through drug problems, being seruously wounded in the Iraq War then getting hooked on prescription drugs while recovering from his leg injury. But in the season's later episodes, Justin is surfing again and showing far more flashes of his trademark humor.

"I was given some well-written stuff and I did the best I could and I hope that in the future there's more good stuff," Dave said. "But yeah, it's sort of nice to (have Justin) having some fun and hanging out and get a crush on your half sister."

The actor's character still lives at home with his mom, Nora (Sally Field): "Eventually I'd like Justin to get a job and move out of Nora's house but you know what, I get to work with Sally Field more so you can't really complain about that. It kinda of rocks, I gotta be honest. It's kind of amazing as an actor to look across at Sally every day. I wouldn't change anything, it's fantastic."

The images of Kevin and Scotty on "Brothers & Sisters" exchanging vows on "Brothers & Sisters" Sunday were powerful ones. Two young men, in love, being united on prime time television and becoming a family. I loved it.

But there was so much more that went on that had me feeling all kinds of emotions.

In the first alone scene between Scotty (Luke Macfarlane) and Kevin's mom Nora (Sally Field), he thanks her for helping with the ceremony and she said: "I should be thanking you for making Kevin so happy - and, I get another son."

Contrasting Nora are Scotty's parents who decline to attend. He tells Kevin (Matthew Rhys): "I'm tired of banging my head against that particular wall - there's nothing I can do about it." Kevin and his brothers road trip it to Arizona in a last ditch effort to get the parents to reconsider. The mom says she loves Scotty but "don't expect us to sit there and rub our noses in this present wedding."

Scotty's dad won't dare go against his wife but as Kevin leaves, he does something that showed exactly where his heart is: he handed Kevin a box with a pair of cuff links inside. He wore them when he got married and promised Scotty he could wear them on his wedding day. It's a beautiful moment when Kevin hands Scotty the box which we learn he had made for his dad in 7th grade shop class.

Kevin had wanted a no-frills ceremony but Nora went ahead and gussied things up anyway and there were flowers EVERYWHERE. When Kevin protests, his mother tells him: "You and Scotty deserve this night to be as romantic and memorable as anyone else's." Kevin softens and hugs his mom.

Here are some scenes from the show. The ceremony is in the second clip...

Talk about uncomfortable interviews. My "chat" with Ron Rifkin at the GLAAD Awards last month was a prickly affair for some reason. I could not engage the man who plays uncle Saul on "Brothers & Sisters" during our brief chat but will share with you what was said. I wouldn't bother with it at all but the character came out to the entire Walker clan last night after Scotty and Kevin's wedding leading Justin (Dave Annable) to say: "This is the gayest week of my life!"

Here is our very strange chat:

Q.Good to see you, I;'ve seen you a few times now.
A. Yes.
Q. I've seen some photos of the commitment ceremony between Scotty and Kevin. People are really touched that that's gonna happen. Since we're at the GLAAD Awards here, what are your thoughts about it?
A. Well, yes. How can we not be moved by it? It's time.
Q. And what about your character...
A. What about my character?
Q. What's happening with him?
A. Well, I think he comes out.
Q. Is he gonna come out?
A. Yes, I think he does.
Q. This is a man of a different generation. How do you feel it's been portrayed?
A. "I think it's wonderful that on network television, we have a man of a certain age who's conflicted about his sexuality, who comes from a generation that hid things like that. And we're able to watch television at 10 o'clock on Sunday night in our houses and see this guy struggle with this and hopefully come out on the right end."
Q. How is it for you as an actor? Are you enjoying it creatively?
A. I'm thrilled to be here.
Q. And how about being at the GLAAD Awards?
A. How great is that? Yeah, we're thrilled to be here.

Gee, coulda fooled me.

Tonight's the night! ABC, 10 p.m., Kevin and Scotty commit to each other before their families (except Scotty's parents) and friends. To get you up to speed on this great TV romance, here are some of my favorite scenes between two of my favorite TV characters - ever:

The early days (Scotty was far more flamboyant then, and just as cute!)

Making up and making out in the kitchen...

Post lobster dinner kiss...

Making up...and making out in the car...

and finally...the proposal...

Can you stand the wait? I can't! Kevin and Scotty are getting hitched on Sunday night's episode of "Brothers & Sisters." I'm got my box of tissue ready and am gonna throw rice at the TV or something silly like that.

Here is a video of some moments from their romance leading up to the big day...

The last 20 minutes of "Brothers & Sisters" were the gayest yet for this wonderful series. Uncle Saul (Ron Rifkin), after this agonizingly slow coming out this season, finally told all to his nephew, Kevin (Matthew Rhys), who bails him out of jail after he hit a tree while driving drunk. The things Saul said to Kevin were so heartbreaking, how he doesn't know how to be gay at his age (the character is 60 or so) and mourns the lost years he spent not being true to himself. The scene was very well done and moving...

...but it was just a warm up for a really beautiful scene where Kevin Walker, at last, has just the right words for the love of his life, Scotty. He comes home after one of the most trying days ever for his family (family business about to be bankrupt, brother in love with who he thinks is his half-sister, uncle hits tree) and there is Scotty (Luke MacFarlane), a man who he feels comfortable enough to be himself with, who feels like family. He tells Scotty that he is very much in love with him (at this point I'm wiping away a tear), gets down on one knee and asks Scotty to marry him. Scotty does not hesitate: the answer is a heart-felt "Yes!" and they give each other a passionate kiss that woulda freaked out every sponsor on the air 10-15 years ago.
Here is a clip of a scene we will long remember:

The previews for next week's episode (the season finale) show the commitment ceremony between the two men. It should be a keeper.

At the recent GLAAD Awards, I threw a few questions to the organizations president, Neil Giuliano, and here's what he had to say:

Q. How do think things have gone in terms of LGBT representation in the media since last year's awards?
A. "We've certainly made progress. We need more visibility and we need more representation. the ones that we do have are for the most part pretty outstanding but there are not that many. When you look at the number of characters that we are whether it be television or film, or even the way some of our stories are being portrayed in the press, we still have a long way to go."

Q Do we sort of live in a bubble and think there's more than there really is?. I think it's great that we have Luke and Noah and Scotty and Kevin. When I was a kid there was none of that.
A. Because we're so visible in society at-large, we do have an misunderstanding that we';re everywhere from a standpoint of visibility in the media. We';re not as visible in the media as we could be. But, we;re much more visible than we were so we get that kind of perception.

Q. What do you think of the Scotty and Kevin storyline on "Brothers & Sisters"?
A. I think it;s groundbreaking. I'm excited about it. And we;re actually going to have a whole lot of information up on our web site about that for the media to help tell that story fairly and accurately around the country.

Q And what about Luke and Noah on "As the World Turns."? A lot of people have been updset because they didn't kiss for such a long time until last week.
A. I think people have to remember this is daytime drama. Nothing happens quick on daytime drama. They want you to tune in, they want you to come back, they want you to see what's gonna happen next. So they had a kiss, I think that's important. It's great visibility for authenticity of that relationship and we'll see where that storyline goes.

Q. They had seven months without a kiss though. Were you dissapointed?
A. And we had more than seven years without even those characters. So for as frustrated as we are that it hasn't gone as fast as we'd like, we have to acknowledge that we are making some progress.

The season finale of "Brothers & Sisters" features an emotional commitment ceremony between Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys) and Scotty (Luke MacFarlane). I asked some of the actors who play Kevin's siblings on the show what they think of this rare television event:

Balthazar Getty (Tommy) : "We think it;s great. I wish it was a wedding, I wish it were allowed everywhere. We think it's great to have an opportunity to show that, to show mainstream America what's going on out there. It's telling great stories. It's not a show for gay people or straight people, it;s just a story for people, a story for families. Some people happen to be gay, some people happen to have addictions, some people happen to be straight. It's not some marginalized thing when our gay brother gets to get married, or have a ceremony. He's our brother and he's in love and he's having a ceremony and we love and we support him."
Rachel Griffiths (Sarah): "I'm very, very proud to be on a network show where very un-controversially where two people who happen to be the same gender are ready to declare their love, I think it's fanastic. Ten years ago it would have been unimaginable that it would happen without us having eggs thrown at us. It's wonderful. I wish it was recognized on a legal level in a jurisdictions all over the world. ...
What I love about our show is when we deal with politics, we do it through the personal, we don't kind of deal with the political then leave you to make the personal connection. We make you, hopefully, have great actors and great characters that you fall in love with and then through them we expose people through political ideas. You realize you can't reject that person you've grown so fond of. The combination of (Kevin and Scotty) and uncle Saul (Ron Rifkin) coming out I just think is a very real reflection of people's lives out there and hopefully will encourage some people to re-consider fixed ideas that are not really based on anything."

Dave Annable (Justin) "I can't wait for it. I, as a viewer, love the Kevin and Scotty storyline. Every time they're there on screen I love it. They have great chemistry and Luke MacFarlane who plays Scotty is outstanding and he's such a welcome addition to us. We're lucky to have him."

He had them at mango salsa.

When Luke MacFarlane's endearing character of Scotty sat down to dinner for the first time with the Walker clan on "Brothers & Sisters," it was a big outdoor party scene where Sally Field's Nora had just humiliated her late husband's mistress Holly (Patricia Wettig). The tension was incredibly high until Scotty piped up and asked, "Is this salsa mango?"

Scotty Wandell and Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys) had instant chemistry from the minute the financially struggling waiter-turned-chef walked into his law office on a legal matter. He cut through Kevin's veneer with quirky humor and charm and you knew he had Kevin's heart when he bit into a red velvet cupcake and smiled at the end of one of their early episodes..

"My whole experience on the show started off as just a few episodes and it's just become more and more and more and I'm so grateful for that," Luke told me Monday night when we chatted before the start of the "A Conversation With Brothers & Sisters" event at the Television Academy in North Hollywood.

Luke, 28, was among the 12 cast members who participated as he was recently promoted from recurring character to full-fledged series regular: "They are making a regular for season three. It's very, very nice. We all know in television it's hard to get a gig that lasts for a long time so when the agent calls up and says, 'You're guaranteed these number of episodes you feel very, very lucky."

Luke, who studied drama at Julliard, was previously best-known for his role as Pvt. Frank "Dim" Dumphy in the series "Over There." The Canadian actor had never given any interviews about his personal life until discussing his sexuality for the first time in an interview with the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail a few weeks ago 2008. He decided to share that not only is he playing a gay man on TV, but he is a gay man in life.

""It's been relatively simple for me," he said of the increased spotlight. "I'll say that I decided to do that interview, I decided to answer those questions in an effort to make my life simpler and that's going to contunue to be my motto. So, I'll have to say, it hasn't been that hot a light on me at all."

Even though through much of show's first season the writers had Kevin struggling with commitment issues and go on to have relationships with a closeted soap actor (Jason Lewis) and a minister (Eric Winter), Scotty had been a fan favorite from his first scene and audiences wanted to see he and Kevin together.

Said Luke: "Well, I do know that the fans had a lot to do with Scotty staying around as long as he has so I'm grateful for them."

I mention to him that now that Scotty is getting more airtime, the fans now want to get to know Luke himself a little better. He laughed a bit nervously and said, "In time."

We look forward to it.

Don't you just love all the drama of that "exclusive" headline? Well, I guess I'm feeling a little over-the-top after chatting-up both Kevin AND Scotty within moments of each other at a Television Academy event in North Hollywood last night. Oh wait! Kevin and Scotty are just TV characters - gay TV characters - played by actors Matthew Rhys and Luke MacFarlane.

I wanted to get their thoughts on this wonderful plot development that has Scotty and Kevin - an on-and-off-again couple since the beginning of the show - tying the knot in a commitment ceremony in the second season finale in a few weeks.

On the commitment ceremony:
Matthew: "It was great, perfectly put together. We didn't get there easily, there's no wasn't an easy road there up to the last few second, just like the turbulent path that we've had. There's a lot of drama before getting there but then you know, it's all resolved. And about time I think."
Luke: "It means that the audience is ready because, you know, in television we make sure people are ready before we foist anything upon them by sort of testing it and stuff. It means that the world is ready and it also means that the characters in their lives are ready too. It's a beautiful thing that's happening but also a very appropriate thing."

On working together:
Luke: Matthew's a wonderful actor, he just oozes charm. From day one it's always been super simple with him.

Matthew: "We do have (chemistry). It's a real joy to work with him, a pleasure. As much as (Kevin and Scotty's) drama came from their turbulence and the conflict in their relationship, being now in this (committed) relationship opens up a world of drama for them to play out. So, it's all exciting times.
"What's great is they really have picked two very diverse characters, the two of us compliment us very well as characters. Kevin can be a little bit uptight at times whereas Scotty, is a little bit too much of a free-spirit. So when the two meet, it makes for humorous times.

On Kevin's growth as a character:
Matthew: "It's been great to over two seasons have this arc, this sort of turbulent arc, and somewhere that he's reached which is what you want. You don't want to be ping-ponging back between old stories. So I'm glad the character's evolving."

On a lighter note, one of the pre-strike episodes had Kevin and Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) joining Scotty and his friends at a karaoke bar. Kevin, tired of being known as uptight, gets real drunk and begins singing to Scotty from the stage. Did Matthew have fun filming such a silly scene?

"It was fun. For me, as a Welshman, to desecrate a Tom Jones song like that, it was I found painful. And then to do the same to a Willie Nelson song, it was painful to be that bad! It came very naturally, of course. What I did was pretty unforgiveable."

Tomorrow: The Walker siblings talk about Kevin and Scotty. I get reaction from Rachel Griffiths, Calista Flockhart, Dave Annable and Balthazar Getty.

We already know they are gonna have a sweet commitment ceremony at the end of the season so it was amusing to watch the lead-up to it on last night's episode of "Brothers & Sisters." Scotty (Luke MacFarlane, above) cuts his hand at work and has to pay $2,500 for an emergency room visit. Kevin (Matthew Rhys), somehow, did not know that Scotty was working 70 hours a week without health insurance. He later comes up with a solution: "Why don't we file for domestic partnership?" Then he lists all the reasons why: health plan, other benefits etc.

Scotty points out that domestic partnership "is our version of marriage, for now at least. At the risk of sounding like a 12-year-old girl, I want my wedding to be special."

You go Scotty!!!

Here are some pics of our favorite "Brothers & Sisters" couple getting ready for their big day. Luke MacFarlane (Scotty) is always adorable but I don't think I've ever seen Matthew Rhys (Kevin) look as handsome as he does in these pictures.

These pictures just warm my heart. Scotty (Luke MacFarlane) and Kevin (Matthew Rhys) will commit to each other (I wish we could say marry each other) in the season finale of "Brothers & Sisters" and it looks like a beautiful ceremony, The fact that Luke recently publicly acknowledged that he is gay adds something to the whole thing. The show's storyline also provides a positive image of gay love and commitment to viewers gay and straight, young and old...

Hooray!

We have another successful TV actor who has publicly come out. Luke MacFarlane, who plays Scotty on "Brothers and Sisters," gave an interview to Canada's Globe & Mail and publicly acknowledged that he is a gay man. This comes as no surprise given that he had been linked to TR Knight and there was much Internet speculation over his friendship with "Prison Break" star Wentworth Miller. But it is a wonderful thing and, I think, will make him more high-profile than ever. Look what it has done for TR and for Neil Patrick Harris.

Here is an excerpt from the article: "Though no secret to his family and close friends, Macfarlane has, until now, been guarded about his personal life as a gay man. Over lunch in Los Angeles, where he lives, he initially insists that he has no concerns about his public revelation - but a few seconds later he is shifting nervously in his chair, and concedes that he is 'terrified.' ... 'I don't know what will happen professionally ... that is the fear, but I guess I can't really be concerned about what will happen, because it's my truth. There is this desire in L.A. to wonder who you are and what's been blaring for me for the last three years is how can I be most authentic to myself - so this is the first time I am speaking about it in this way.'"

He also talked about future plotlines on "Brothers and Sisters" that, I believe, have him and Kevin (Matthew Rhys) getting hitched. Here's what he says about it: "From a standing outside perspective, and also as someone who is gay, I think that it's a very exciting time. How exciting that we're saying, 'This can be part of the cultural fabric, now,' because it is two series regulars, two people that you invite into your home and you see every week. It's telling of the beginning of more waves and I'm very proud of that...Most importantly, in portraying gay people, the more we realize it's just like portraying anybody else and, gay marriage, it's not about two people being gay, it's about two people who love each other and who have decided to commit to each other for the exact same reasons any other couple would get married. Hopefully, the more that becomes part of the cultural awareness it won't be...(he pauses and says, employing a mock, exaggerated voice of a television announcer)...a spectacular Sunday episode."