Out in Reality TV: March 2007 Archives

Somebody's gotta say it: Why don't Ryan Seacrest and Simon Cowell just get a room already and get it over with!
The gay-baiting that so often (too often) takes place between these two grown men on "American Idol" is just baffling. Do they think it is funny to act like 12 year old boys on the playground? Are they secretly in lust with each other? What is the deal?
On this week's live performance show, Melinda Doolittle came out to perform wearing four-inch heels.
Ryan asks Simon if he had any advice for her wearing the high heels. Simon, thinking he's oh-so-clever, replies: "You should know, Ryan."
Then Ryan throws Simon a pitch that he probably not help but knock out of the park: "Stay out of my closet!"
To which Simon says: "Come out!"
Ryan ends the flirtation with this line: "This is about the Top 12, not your wishes!"

Like I said guys, get a room and give us all a break!

TMZ.com is reporting that "American Idol" is retaliating against Rosie O'Donnell and "The View" by forbidding the gabfest from showing "Idol" clips, after Rosie slammed the world's biggest TV show one too many times.
Rosie, Barbara, Elizabeth and Joy started to talk about "Idol," but had no video to go with it. Rosie explained the lack of footage was because "Idol" was unhappy over her slamming of the judges, her suggestions about Paula's "possible inattentiveness," and her accusations of racism and sizeism. If ya ask me, since Rosie's comments, Paula has been far more coherent and focused as a judge. She is actually doing her job and doing it well. I can't say that has always been the case.
Walters said of the "Idol" flap caused by Rosie: "You don't insult them with your left hand and ask for favors with your right." Joy Behar suggested a solution for the problem -- putting an on-screen Ro-Screed disclaimer that warns, "Rosie's views are Rosie's."

Rang up Jim Verraros the other day for a freelance piece I'm working on and took the opportunity to get some material for Out In Hollywood on the first openly-gay "American Idol" finalist who is now making movies and recording anothber CD. Jim, 24, was among the final 12 during season one of the show and came out publicly after the show and the Idols tour that followed. Since then, he has released a CD, starred in "Eating Out" and "Eating Out 2" and will begin filming a horror film next month ("I play a straight guy!").
Jim tells me that "Eating Out 2," which made its debut at LA Outfest last summer, is coming out on DVD in May but first will be the opening night movie at a gay film festival in London this month.
“The reaction to the sequel has been mixed for some reason," he says. "When I read the script, I thought it was 10 times better than the original. But some people like the simplicity of the first one which was donhe in such camp."
He heads into the recording studio for his new CD soon and hopes to have it complete by mid-April for a summer release. "It's shaping up to be the makle equivilant to Kyle Minogue," he explains.
Jim didn't win on "American Idol," Kelly Clarkson did. But he draws inspiration from another losing finalist: Jennifer Hudson.
"It's amazing that she's achieved what she has. Simon [Cowell] was like, 'You have no talent, no style or look and then she comes back and gives that ["Dreamgirls"] performance. She's given the show some hard-core cred."