Network TV Shows: March 2007 Archives

This would be funny if it weren't so annoying.
One of the castaways on ABC's "Lost" was revealed to be gay in this week's episode: Boone, portrayed by the very pretty Ian Somerhalder. Just one little problem: Boone was killed off in the first season! And during that initial season, which remains the show's best, the only attraction Boone seemed to have was toward his stepsister Shannon! And it is through Shannon, in a flashback sequence, that we learn about Boone's sexuality. In the scene, the step-siblings are in the airport and she rips on him for hitting on every cute guy he sees. At least show us him hitting on a cute guy...give us SOMETHING!
What a ripoff. Maybe the show has plans to have more flashbacks with Boone making out with Jack (Matthew Fox) or Sawyer (Josh Halloway). I'd forgive them anything if we had that. But since neither Sawyer or Jack are gay (that we know of!), that ain't gonna happen. If I were a gay guy trapped on that island, i don't know how you don't fall for Jack.
I was ticked when Ian was killed off because he's been on my radar ever since he was on a long-ago and short-lived WB drama "Young Americans." He fell in love with a girl who was pretending to be a guy so she could attend the all-boy boarding school and he started to think he might be gay because of his strong attraction to this guy...who was really a girl.
And Ian showed in the indie gem "Rules of Attraction" that he isn't afraid to play gay or do a same-sex love scene. His kiss with co-star James Van Der Beek was semi-hot but even hotter was a sexy dance he did on the bed in his hotel room with another guy whose name I don't remember. But he was really gay in "Rules" and went after who and what he wanted.
Anyway, I'm pretty much off "Lost" this season anyway but if I hear they are going to explore this gay angle a bit more via-flashbacks, I'd be back in the fold.

It's always a happy day when you have reason to post a picture of Robert Gant. And if he happens to be shirtless in that picture, all the better! Gant, who came out publicly while a cast member of Showtime's "Queer As Folk," is going to appear in tonight's episode of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" in an episode that involves a string of showgirl murders, according to Brian's Blog on AterElton.com.
Gant, who co-stars with Chad Allen and Judith light in the indie feature "Save Me" which was featured at Sundance a few months ago, is one of those truly talented and nice people who you root for to have great success.

I'd love to see more regular gay characters on network television because let's face it, Kevin Walker can't carry the load for everyone and I'm not even so sure Andrew Van De Kamp is still gay we see so little of him. But one recent trend that has been good to see is how a growing number of series are producing gay-themed episodes. In the past seven days alone, there has been gay characters as guest stars on three different shows: "The New Adventures of Old Christine," "The Wedding Bells" and "The Winner."
Last night's episode of the new sitcom "The Winner" (pictured above) had star Rob Corddry becoming friends with a recently-single (and rather hunky) gay man whom he refuses to believe is gay because the guy likes football, among other "straight" things. Two nights earlier on "The Wedding Bells" featured Stephen Guarino (pictured, left) as a flamboyant groom who everyone is sure is gay.
I've already written about the "Old Christine" episode that aired on Monday so click HERE to read that but in a nutshell, Charles Esten (pictured, right) guested as Christine's former brother-in-law who is coming to terms with being gay. Esten was so funny (and gorgeous) that I want him to have a recurring role!
AfterElton.com explores this topic in its BLOG today and I recommend reading their take.

I'm still catching up on TV shows after my all-to-brief vacation. Monday night marked the welcome return of the very, very funny Julia Louis-Dreyfus sitcom "The New Adventures of Old Christine." I have loved this show since its premiere last year and it remains FUNNY.
The first show that aired on Monday was a repeat but I had never seen it before Old Christine's ex-hubby Richard (his new girlfriend is known as new Christine to avoid confusion) has a really hot brother named Joe who is played by Charles Esten. Joe is struggling with being gay but realizes, after kissing his former sister-in-law Christine, that he is indeed gay! He's not ready to come out to big bro but old Christine, always the blabber mouth, spills it. A series of lies and misunderstandings follow and it is all very funny. New Christine even blurts out that she was briefly a lesbian while in college.
TV Guide, in its weekly "Cheers and Jeers" column, gives a cheer to Esten "for his witty turn as Julia Louis-Dreyfus' ambiguously gay ex-brother-in-law." The magazine notes that Esten is an alum of "Whose Line is it Anyway?" and "is one of those rare actors who's equallyg funny AND handsome."
So here's my idea: why not have him show up on a regular basis to stir things up? Maybe he can hook up with Christine's brother who's not gay but sure seems like he should be!

So it was pay raise time over at "Grey's Anatomy" which has had almost as much drama off-screen lately as it has on-screen. Ellen Pompeo, who plays the title character on the show, will now make nearly $200,000 per episode. SAG winner Chandra Wilson, a far more talented actress in my opinion, was given a raise to about $125,000 per show - the same amount that James T. Pickens Jr., who plays the chief of staff on the show, will be getting. Hottie Justin Chambers and openly gay T.R. Knight are close to new signing new pacts for the same amount as Wilson and Pickens.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, terms of the new deal are retroactive, going back to the first episode of this season. There are 22 episodes in a season. You guys do the math. I'm figuring they are making a lotta cash!
The contract status for Isaiah Washington was not clear. It has been rumored that he might continue on the show without a raise in light of the recent controversy surrounding his use of a homophobic slur, but his communication with the show's producer, ABC TV Studio, has been kept under wraps.
Yet to close new deals are Patrick Dempsey, Sandra Oh and Katherine Heigl. Details on Heigl's stalled contract renegotiations were leaked to the media late last month making it clear that she was not happy with whatever bump she was being offered. Apparently the supporting players headed into the renegotiation process as a group that quickly dissolved, leading to individual contract talks between each cast member and the studio. Clearly they are not as tight a group as the cast of "Friends" which always, without fail, negotiated as a group, and got so rich that even if none of them ever have another hit, they are more than set for life.

Shortly after Isaiah Washington won the NCAAP Award last Friday for best actor in a drama series, Entertainment Weekly tracked him down to ask whether he'll be back at Seattle Grace next season.
''I don't know the facts of what's going on,' the actor said, cryptically.
Washington's future employment has been endlessly debated since the f-word incident involving co-star T.R. Knight
and is comment to EW seems to cast doubt on whether he'll return for season 4. Tthe studio says he's not going anywhere as does his newly-hired publicist Howard Bragman who says ''we are going to do our business in private, not in the press,'' adding, ''I'm looking at the bigger picture. I will not let [the f-word incident] define him. He will not let it define him.''
Washington was also asked about a "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off that would star Kate Walsh as well as Taye Diggs and Tim Daly: He said: ''I don't know when it came about — or why. They don't tell me anything!'

The season finale of "The Class" left me feeling flat! You would think the creative forces behind this promising show would want to end their first (and hopefully not last) season with a bang. Instead, it all ended kinda blah. The one brief ray of sunshine? A brief return of Perry Pearl! I love this guy! I don't care if he's gay or straight, he's such a wit and brilliantly played by the underused Sam Harris.
After Nicole's husband Yonk has had a heart attack (just before she was to leave him for Duncan) and is in the hospital, the gang is in the hospital waiting room looking grim. In flounces perky Perry. He checks in on Nicole and says: "I don't know how you're holding up in this light?" Then he takes one look at Nicole's obnoxious, complete slob of a stepdaughter (the running joke was that she kept eating vending machine food the entire episode) and says ever so sarcastically: "It's like Audrey Hepburn is back among us."
Meanwhile, Kyle (Sean Maguire) is planning for the return of his boyfriend Aaron who has been in Chile. He walks into Ethan's apartment with a bouquet for Aaron and says: "There's nothing like two guys hugging at the airport with flowers to freak the old people out."
So at episode's end, do we get to see a reunion of the happy couple and once again gaze upon the beautiful Chrisitian de la Fuente who played the role for half the season? Uh no. (the photo is from an long ago episode) We get to see the back of some random actor's head with hair similar to de la Fuente's! He coulda been hugging someone from the studio audience for God's sake.
Anyway, lame ending to the season but overall, "The Class" gets a passing grade from me...for now.

So tonight brings the first season of "The Class" to a close. All I have to say is, there had BETTER be a second season of this sweet and funny show. I think Jason Ritter has gotten more confident and funny as the season has progressed and reminds me of his dad, John Ritter, during the physical comedy bits.
I have been disappointed though that Kyle (Sean Maguire) started the season with a hunky boyfriend (Christian de la Fuente pictured at right) but the boyfriend went missing around November. I hear he will re-appear fleetingly in tonight's episode.
If I have some trepidation about "The Class" returning, there's good reason. Last year, CBS cancelled the very good "Out of Practice" which starred Stockard Channing and Henry Winkler among others and had a terrific lesbian character who was attractive, confident and had a real love life. I do know thaT "The Class" has had better ratings than "Practice" did but I do believe "Practice" was a top 25 show. Channing was Emmy nominated for her role. Instread, we get a stupid sitcom with David Spade and another season of "King of Queens."