The fall TV line-up is beginning. I’m looking forward to my returning favorites, including Two and a Half Men, Desperate Housewives, 30 Rock and Private Practice. I lost track of The Office and Ugly Betty, but I want to get started again.

I’ll always love The Simpsons and Family Guy, so those are a given. I’ll also start watching The Cleveland Show by default. Unfortunately I don’t know much about new shows that are starting, so I’ll have to see what people are watching with those.

What are you going to be watching? New shows, returning shows?


Bea Arthur, my favorite Golden Girl, passed away today of cancer at age 86. It was always a dream of mine to see her perform. I missed the chance on her last stand-up comedy tour, and I guess I always hoped she would give one more show.


Everyone from gay rights activists to the Parents Television Council is angry about last Sunday’s episode of “Family Guy.” But the show’s fan base, which is filled with loyal gay viewers, thinks everyone should lighten up. So what’s all the fuss about?

The episode, titled “Family Gay,” finds the Griffins in a financial crunch. To make some extra money, Peter Griffin signs up for lab testing. In one experiment, he is injected with a gay gene, which instantly transforms him into a flaming queen.

Activists are angry because they feel the episode squeezed just about every stereotype you could imagine into one episode. Gloryholes, show tunes, fisting, open relationships, orgies, the way gay people dress, the way they speak, the ability to cook, the ability to decorate, the limp wrists and feminine mannerisms… Basically any and every stereotype people have about us made it into the episode.

The Parents Television Council has filed a complaint with the FCC, adding criticism over one scene where a horse licks Peter’s ass (it was a very mild depiction of rimming) and another scene where the baby Stewie ate cereal with horse sperm in it.

My two cents on it…

The oldest trick in comedy is taking a complex issue, blowing it up into a hugely exaggerated joke, and through laughter, we are able to deal with the reality. The episode is actually very “pro-gay” if you pay attention to the dialog. There is one scene that summarizes it when Lois tells her newly gay husband that we can’t choose our sexuality anymore than we can choose the color of our skin. She then gives her full support to accepting that Peter is gay. I loved it! This episode is an instant classic.

As far as the group of parents who are pissed off… Look, you are responsible for what your children watch. It is not Fox’s job to raise your children.

The ratings system was specifically created so that parents can block shows that are rated TV-14. All you have to do is set your TV to block any shows that you don’t want your kids to watch. You have the tools to be better parents — use them!

Watch the controversial episode in its entirety here:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/61211/family-guy-family-gay


Is it that time of year already? America’s favorite TV serial killer, Dexter Morgan, is back for season 3 on Showtime tomorrow night.

I personally enjoyed season 2 much more than the first season. A lot of risky plot lines, and they all paid off with an exciting finale. I’m curious to see where this season takes us.

As usual, Showtime has leaked the first episode online. They do that for every series now. It’s a smart marketing move, at least in my opinion.

Just push play:

(I didn’t upload this, so I don’t know how long it will stay online.)


Anyone who saw Sex and the City: The Movie last summer seems to remember one particular scene more vividly than any other part of the film… I’m speaking of course of the shower scene. My only complaint is that we didn’t see more (and I know anyone who saw the movie will agree with me).

The DVD is coming out on September 23rd and there is a standard edition and a 2 disc special edition. Being fans of the TV show and the movie, it’s a DVD Rodney and I intend to purchase.

The Sex and the City special edition promises “fabulous footage not seen in theaters”. Hmmm…

What I really want to know is whether this “fabulous footage” includes more nudity of Gilles Marini. If it does, I’m all over this special edition. But if it’s 20 more minutes of extended conversations that have no real relevance or impact on the film, I’d just skip it and get the standard version.

Anyone know more details about it?


Labor Day is upon us and so is the month of September. A gentle reminder that 2008 is creeping to a close.

Now the holidays are going to pounce on us. This time of year is always very busy for us. We have a lot of fall birthdays too. And I love Halloween. It’s my favorite holiday.

At the risk of sounding like a couch potato, I’m also looking forward to getting back to my favorite TV shows.

Among them:

Pushing Daisies, Two and a Half Men, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Ugly Betty, Survivor, Desperate Housewives, Family Guy, The Simpsons, The Ellen Degeneres Show.

I have not yet decided if I’ll take the day off for Labor Day. Since I’m self-employed, I can get away with it. But I have a sneaking suspicion I’ll do at least a little work tomorrow, just to stay ahead.

I’m hoping things aren’t tragic for New Orleans. It sounds as if most of the residents have cooperated and left town, so I’m glad for that. When Katrina hit in 2005, the heavy rains made their way all the way here to Tennessee.

What are your plans? Anyone going to work when they don’t want to? Anyone taking a vacation? Where are you going, what are you doing?


This summer, I got started on the Showtime series Weeds. I’ve never smoked a joint, but you don’t have to use drugs to appreciate how humorous this show is. I caught up on the three previous seasons before the new one started.

Hunter Parrish plays one of the main characters, Silas. Here’s how he looked in Season 1:

When Season 4 started last month, viewers noticed some very interesting physical changes. Ahem:

Gay message forums started filling up with snapshots from the show, viewers drooling over Hunter’s toned and muscular new body. He’s all grown up now.

In last week’s episode, we got to see a little more of him:

To the writers and producers of Weeds… thank you.


If there were ever an award for the most self absorbed person in reality TV history, I feel fairly confident it would go to Jessie Godderz, a current contestant on Big Brother 10.

I really don’t think I’ve ever seen someone who loves himself that much. If you’ve been watching the show, you know what I mean.

Now some very interesting photos of Jessie are popping up on the internet. Included with the photos are rumors that Jessie is gay. I’m not entirely shocked to hear this news. There have been a couple of times when he threw tantrums, and when he did, his hands started flailing around in a way that only we gay men know how to do. Consider it one of our trademarks.

And yeah, these photos are pretty homoerotic. You can always use that excuse “gay for pay”, but I get the feeling he’s really “gay for dick”.

He does look pretty hot in these photos. I love the one with him posing in the kitchen with a can of Febreze and a candle burning. He must have had beans for dinner that night. But anyway, his personality overshadows any physical attractiveness.

The only way this guy could have a relationship would be if he came with a permanent mute button installed.

What do you think? Gay or straight?


estelle

Estelle Getty, most well known for her role as the mischievous but lovable Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls, passed away today at age 84. As many of her fans know, she has been suffering from failing health for many years now, and most recently had been struggling with dementia. She was just 3 days shy of her 85th birthday.

I’m so sad to hear that she’s gone. But I know she must have been pretty miserable, so I’m glad she’s at peace now.

Thanks for the laughs, Estelle! We love you!


In less than an hour, the 10th season of Big Brother will be starting on CBS. Rodney and I stopped watching during season 8 because we thought Dick’s constant harassment was too much. We completely skipped the 9th season, which was basically a filler season during the 2008 writer’s strike.

So now the show is back for its regular July time slot and it looks interesting again. But I have some questions about the house guests…

The contestant named Libra was born in August. Shouldn’t her name be Leo?

The contestant named April was born in March. Huh?

And finally, a man named Memphis was born and raised in Los Angeles. Okey dokey.

Are these all porn names or what?

We’ll see. I look forward to the ridiculous garbage that is sure to spew from the mouth of Dan, a 24-year-old Catholic school teacher who describes himself as deeply conservative (translation: self-hating homosexual).

Let the good times roll!