The BBC has been flooded with complaints after screening a gay kiss on EastEnders before the 9pm watershed. The "offensive" scenes were screened on Tuesday's episode of the soap and showed Christian Clarke (John Partridge, 36) and Lee Thompson (Carl Ferguson, 27) engage in a passionate kiss.
Tuesday night's scenes saw Christian and Lee caught in the act by busybody Dot Cotton as they kisses on Arthur Fowler's memorial bench. She tells them that she is as liberal as the next person, but does not approve of canoodling in public places.
The latest outrage comes 21 years after EASTENDERS screened the first gay kiss in a British soap. Back then, Colin Russell – played by Michael Cashman, 57, who is now a Labour MEP – gave Barry Clark (Gary Hailes, 42) a kiss on the forehead.
The move resulted in a record number of complaints and there were even questions asked in Parliament about whether the scene was appropriate. In a statement the BBC confirmed it had received complaints - but refused to say how many.
"We approach our portrayal of homosexual relationships in the same way as we do heterosexual relationships. We believe that the general tone and content of EASTENDERS is now widely recognised. Parents can make an informed decision as to whether they want their children to watch."
Austin Peck helped design the set for his mother's new showIn a one-woman show called "Passionate Broadway," running through Saturday at the Prince Frederick Masonic Lodge, O'Shea presents a montage of music from well-known composers and lyricists.
The lodge has been transformed into an intimate theater, thanks to the work of Northern High School's Amy Contanza, who provided the black stage curtains. Producer Janine Naus and lighting coordinator Daniel Beach were responsible for set design, along with O'Shea's son, Austin Peck, a New York actor who works on AS THE WORLD TURNS.
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ATWT's Scott Holmes to be honored by his alma mater
PostThe Blue Masque Hall of Fame will induct its first class of honorees at 10:30 a.m. October 19 in the Peeler Crystal Lounge of the Robertson College-Community Center.
The purpose of the Catawba College Blue Masque Hall of Fame is to recognize and perpetuate the noteworthy theatre tradition of Catawba College by honoring and memorializing individuals who have made outstanding contributions to this tradition. Inductees into the Hall of Fame must have either attended Catawba College as a full time student, been employed at Catawba as a full or part time faculty/staff member, or contributed to the success of the Blue Masque by performing outstanding service as a volunteer. One of the honorees is ATWT star Scott Holmes.
Scott Holmesis a 1974 Catawba theatre and music graduate. He has appeared in numerous productions on Broadway and in Broadway touring companies, including "Evita," "Grease," "The Robber Bridegroom," "Shenandoah," and "The Rink." Holmes is best known for his 21-year run as Tom Hughes in the daytime drama, AS THE WORLD TURNS for which he has received best supporting actor and best actor awards and nominations. His nightclub act, "Alone For The First Time," is another extension of his strong talent.
DEEP SOAP: Virtual Reality
Sara A. Bibel writes: "It’s no wonder that younger viewers are abandoning not only soaps but the often equally technologically illiterate primetime television. There is an on-line generation gap. Many soap writers are older and therefore less likely to use the internet for social networking. As a Gen Xer who lives an increasing amount of her life on-line, I know how it is transforming interpersonal relationships. While soaps tend to portray the internet as socially isolating, I know that it’s the opposite."
The impact of Matthew Shepard death in media
The years since Matthew Shepard’s death have seen no shortage of LGBT victims of hate-fueled murders - Gwen Araujo in 2002, Michael Sandy in 2006, Sean Kennedy in 2007, and most recently Lawrence King, a 15-year-old boy gunned down in school by a classmate last February, to name but a few. But none of these murders have dominated the mainstream media news cycles like Shepard’s murder, and none of them have inspired the wave of artistic representations that followed Shepard’s murder. Brent Hartinger, a regular contributor to the gay pop culture blog AfterElton.com, said that for better or worse, the audience interest in stories about anti-LGBT violence has largely evaporated in the ten years since Shepard’s murder, both among LGBT and mainstream audiences. He said when Shepard’s story managed to break through to the mainstream media in 1998 and through that into pop culture it changed the way the public thought about anti-LGBT violence.
By way of example he pointed to a storyline earlier this year from the soap AS THE WORLD TURNS, which has an ongoing plot arc involving a romance between two gay teens, Luke and Noah. A group of homophobic bullies attack the couple after their car breaks down by the side of the road and shouts homophobic slurs at them. The episode ended with a public service announcement urging viewers to work to end intolerance and discrimination. Hartinger said the response from AfterElton readers was that the story felt overly preachy and clichéd. He said readers felt that the story was a throwback to the days when gay characters on mainstream television were relegated to "very special episodes" where the characters’ entire reason for existing was to teach straight audiences about the trials and tribulations of being gay.
Y&R's Davidson on location in ParisEileen Davidson and her 5-year-old son Jesse Thomas rest on a bench between scenes as her soap, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, films in Paris on Wednesday.
Eileen, 49, and Jesse's father Vince Van Patten wed in 2003.
Y&R's Gross to emcee fundraising event
LCF Tournament of Roses Association’s annual fundraising gala “An Evening of Wine and Roses,” featuring the premier appearance of the 2009 Rose Queen and her Royal Court, will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2, at the La Cañada Flintridge Country Club.
Chaired by Sharon Boettcher, the emcee for the event will be actor Michael Gross, who received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and his master of fine arts from the School of Drama at Yale University. He is currently starring as River on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS.
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