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Gay is the ‘New Black’

LGBT storylines threaded through a wide bounty of returning shows

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Taylor Schilling, Orange is the New Black, Netflix, gay news, Washington Blade
Jason Biggs, Taylor Schilling, Orange is the New Black, Netflix, gay news, Washington Blade

On tap in TV: Jason Biggs and Taylor Schilling in a scene from Netflixā€™s ā€˜Orange is the New Black.ā€™ (Photo by Barbara Nitke; courtesy Netflix)

Netflixā€™s hit original series ā€œOrange is the New Blackā€ continues to be a popular choice for subscribers and was renewed for a second season. Set in a womenā€™s prison, it features many lesbian relationships and a richly developed transgender character played by Laverne Cox.

The ā€œ65th Primetime Emmy Awardsā€ airs Sept. 22 on CBS at 8 p.m. with host Neil Patrick Harris. Top acting award nominees include Jim Parsons, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Zachary Quinto. ā€œ30 Rockā€ is the most nominated series for its final season.

ā€œMasters of Sex,ā€ starring Lizzy Caplan and Michael Sheen, premieres on Showtime on Sept. 29 at 10 p.m. The two play Virginia Johnson and Dr. William Masters, researchers who pioneered the field of human sexuality from the 1950s to the 1990s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqwahKjI2bg

Toni Collette stars in ā€œHostagesā€ as a surgeon ordered by terrorists to kill the president during surgery in order to save her family. The show airs on Mondays at 10 p.m. on CBS and premieres Sept. 23.

ABC premieres ā€œTrophy Wifeā€ on Sept. 24 at 9:30 p.m. on ABC. Malin ƅckerman stars as the new wife of Bradley Whitfordā€™s character. She raises her new stepchildren and deals with her husbandā€™s ex-wives, played by Marcia Gay Harden and Michaela Watkins.

On Sept. 10, ā€œAmerican Mastersā€ profiled Billie Jean King, the first time an athlete was the subject of the biographical series. Sept. 20 marks the 40th anniversary of Kingā€™s victory in the ā€œBattle of the Sexesā€ match.

Anna Faris and Allison Janney star in ā€œMom,ā€ a CBS sitcom airing Sept. 23 at 9:30 p.m. Faris plays a single, alcoholic mom who moves to Napa Valley to rebuild her life. Janney plays Farisā€™s mother.

ā€œProject Runwayā€ is just a few episodes away from its season 12 finale on Oct. 17 at 9 p.m. on Lifetime. This season features mentor Tim Gunn in a more active role in the judging process.

The Newsroom, Dev Patel, Olivia Munn, Thomas Sadoski, Sam Waterston, John Gallagher, Jr., Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer and Allison Pill, television, HBO, gay news, Washington Blade

The cast of ā€˜The Newsroom.ā€™ From left are Dev Patel, Olivia Munn, Thomas Sadoski, Sam Waterston, John Gallagher, Jr., Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer and Allison Pill. (Photo courtesy HBO)

ā€œThe Newsroomā€ wraps up its sophomore season this Sunday. Will, Mackenzie and the rest of the news team face the aftermath of ā€œGenoaā€Ā  as General David Petraeusā€™s affair comes to light during election night coverage. The season finale airs at 10 p.m. on HBO.

Lil Mama, KeKe Palmer and Drew Sidora star in ā€œCrazySexyCool: The TLC Story,ā€ on VH1. The film premieres on Oct. 21 at 9 p.m. Surviving TLC members T-Boz and Chilli served as consultants and executive producers of the biopic.

LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian will star in a new VH1 reality show to premiere in December. ā€œLeAnn & Eddieā€ will explore their marriage and tabloid presence.

Sean Hayes stars in a new NBC sitcom, ā€œSean Saves the World.ā€ Hayes plays a divorced gay dad whose teenage daughter moves in with him full-time. Megan Hilty also stars in the show as Seanā€™s best friend. Linda Lavin (ā€œAliceā€) also has a role.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QqNLDrJGB4

Season three of ABCā€™s ā€œRevenge,ā€ starring Emily VanCamp and Madeline Stowe, premieres Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. Season three will see Gabriel Mannā€™s character Nolan Ross in another same-sex relationship.

Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan return for the final season of ā€œHow I Met Your Motherā€ on Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. on CBS. Cristin Milioti joins the cast as ā€œThe Mother.ā€

ā€œThe Amazing Raceā€ began its 23rd season on Sept. 2 at 8 p.m. on CBS. The show consistently features a diverse cast. This season includes Shane Partlow and Rowan Joseph, the duo behind ā€œThe Queen of Bingo,ā€ a comedic drag show.

ā€œGleeā€ returns Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. on Fox. The first two episodes of the season will pay tribute to The Beatles while the third episode will address Cory Monteithā€™s passing.

ā€œModern Familyā€ will kick off season five with a nod to the recent legalization of same-sex marriage in California. The hour-long premiere airs on Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. on ABC.

Ryan Murphyā€™s ā€œAmerican Horror Story: Covenā€ premieres on Oct. 9 at 10 p.m. on FX. Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson and other series regulars return and welcome newcomers Angela Bassett, Patti LuPone and Leslie Jordan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkPwDPt4JOA

Andy Sambergā€™s ā€œBrooklyn Nine-Nineā€ premieres Tuesday 17 at 8:30 p.m. on Fox. The series will feature Andre Braugher as the openly gay captain of the 99th Precinct.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1UzmW77F30

Season 39 of ā€œSaturday Night Liveā€ airs on Sept. 28 at 11:30 p.m. on NBC with Tina Fey hosting. The cast includes rising star Kate McKinnon, the third openly gay actor in the showā€™s history. One episode will feature Lady Gaga performing double duty as host and musical guest.

Maggie Lawson stars in ā€œBack In The Gameā€ on ABC with the series premiere on Sept. 25 at 8:30 p.m. The series features child actor J.J. Totah as a gay adolescent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf3ttSBq09g

ā€œWeb Therapy,ā€ starring Lisa Kudrow, wraps up its third season with guest stars Lily Tomlin and Alan Cumming. The show was created by Kudrow and married couple Dan Bucatinsky and Don Roos. Episodes air Tuesdays at 11 p.m. on Showtime with the season finale on Sept. 24.

Lisa Kudrow will also guest star in an arc on season three of ā€œScandal.ā€ Star Kerry Washington is nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, which could make her the first African-American to win in the category. The season premieres Oct. 3 at 10 p.m. on ABC.

ā€œGreyā€™s Anatomyā€ kicks off its 10th season with a two-hour premiere Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. Season nine ended with the birth of Meredithā€™s baby, Arizona and Callieā€™s marriage rocked by infidelity and an unconscious Richardā€™s fate unknown.

ā€œOld Dogs & New Tricksā€ is a web series that explores the sex lives of older gay men in West Hollywood. The series returns next year for a third season and current episodes can be found online at OldDogsNewTricksTheSeries.com.

ā€œHusbandsā€ has been picked up by CW Seed for its third season. Originally an independent web series by Brad Bell and Jane Espenson, it stars Bell and Sean Hemeon as gay celebrities facing life together after drunkenly marrying in Las Vegas. New episodes can be found on CWSeed.com.

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Neo-noir ā€˜Femmeā€™ offers sexy, intense revenge fantasy

A work of real and thrilling cinematic vision

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George MacKay and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett star in ā€˜Femme.ā€™ (Photo courtesy of Utopia)

They say ā€œrevenge is sweet,ā€ and it must be true. Why else would so many of our popular stories, dating all the way back to ā€œMedeaā€ and beyond, be focused on the idea of getting ā€œevenā€ with the people who have done us wrong?

Itā€™s a concept with obvious appeal for anyone who has felt unjustly used by the world ā€“ or, more accurately, by the people in it ā€“ but that has particular resonance, perhaps, for modern queer audiences, long used to being relegated to the status of ā€œvictimā€ in the narratives we see on our screens. In ā€œFemmeā€ ā€” the new UK indie thriller helmed by first-time feature directors Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping, now in limited theatrical release and expanding wider over the next two weeks ā€” it provides the irresistible hook for a gripping tale of calculated vengeance in the face of anti-queer violence. Like the best of such stories, however, itā€™s as much a cautionary tale as it is a wish-fulfillment fantasy.

Set in London, it centers on Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), aka Aphrodite Banks, a popular drag performer in the cityā€™s queer club scene who, after a performance one night, steps out in full costume to buy a pack of cigarettes and becomes the victim of a traumatic ā€œgay bashingā€ incident at the hands of a young man goaded to violence by a thuggish gang of friends. Months later, though heā€™s recovered from his physical injuries, he is still deeply affected by the inner scars that linger. Robbed of the confidence that allowed him to perform, heā€™s withdrawn into a reclusive life, until concern from his friends and housemates prompts him to finally venture out into the world for a night of cruising at a gay sauna ā€“ where he encounters his bully doing the same thing. 

Unrecognizable and anonymously masculine out of his drag persona, Jules finds himself beginning a dangerous and duplicitous game in which he plans to ā€œoutā€ his former attacker ā€“ whose name, as he learns, is Preston (George MacKay) ā€“ in the most humiliating way possible. As his scheme begins to play out, however, he encounters an obstacle: in getting to know the closeted Preston, he is surprised to discover not only empathy for someone living their life in terrified camouflage, but a mutual attraction that develops despite the horrific history between them.

Framed as a self-described ā€œneo-noirā€ story, a designation that implies a certain flavor of moral ambiguity as much as it does a tense and shadowy tale of intrigue or a psychologically complex tone, itā€™s a movie that relies heavily on style in order to sell its conceptual premise. Realistically, we might question the boldness that permits our protagonist to enact such a potentially hazardous scheme, but in the context of its genre trappings we are lulled into accepting it. And while most of us are likely ā€œjadedā€ enough to question the possibility of tenderness between its two leading characters, the accepted conceits of the film noir form are enough to sell it to us ā€“ or at least allow us to grapple with it alongside Jules, whose righteously Machiavellian master plan is threatened by the feelings he ā€œcatchesā€ in spite of himself.

That, of course, is part of the whole point. ā€œFemme,ā€ though it establishes itself by virtue of its very title as a testament to the struggle to ā€œpassā€ for straight in a world that places a value judgment on perceived adherence to a strict norm for gender and sexuality, hinges on the idea that such things arenā€™t quite as clear-cut as we want to make them. Despite the black-and-white certainty we cling to when it comes to the subject of abusive or toxic relationships, thereā€™s an emotional component that can only be ignored or dismissed at our peril, and even our most resolute intentions can be undermined by the shades of gray we discover in our hearts. 

Freeman and Ng ā€“ who also wrote the screenplay, adapting their own BAFTA-nominated short film from 2021 (starring Harris Dickinson and Paapa Essiedu) into a feature-length expansion ā€“ seem bent on challenging our snap judgments, on forcing us to sympathize with our oppressors by showing us the ways in which they, too, are prevented from living a fully authentic life by the expectations of their cultural environment. Even more challenging for many modern audiences, perhaps, may be the unavoidable observation that, in enacting his plan of revenge, Jules crosses the line between being a victim and being a victimizer ā€“ a fine point that may trigger uncomfortable implications in a social environment that has become marked by divisive moral constructs and hardline ethical posturing.

Before we scare you off with discussion of high-concept themes and ā€œculture warā€ rhetoric, however, itā€™s crucial to bring up the elements that lift ā€œFemmeā€ above and beyond the level of so many such narrative films and makes it a somewhat unexpectedly potent piece of cinematic storytelling ā€“ and all of them have to do with the skill and intention behind it.

As to the former, the movieā€™s first-time directors manage a remarkable debut, steeping their film in moody, genre-appropriate visuals and murky morality. They pave a path beyond the easy assessments proscribed for us by conventional thinking, and force us to follow our sympathies into a disquieting confrontation between what we ā€œknowā€ as right and what we feel as true; at the same time, they push back against any natural sentimentality we might have about the situation, stressing the toxicity of the relationship in the middle of their film, the ironically-reversed insincerity of its dynamic ā€“ and, perhaps most importantly, the reality of the defining circumstances around it. While we might find ourselves longing for a happier resolution than the one we expect, the film makes no pretense that these two men might overcome the deep denial and traumatic associations ā€“ not to mention the calculated lack of honesty on the side of its de facto protagonist, to achieve some kind of ā€œhappy endingā€ between themselves. Nevertheless, we hope for it, in spite of ourselves.

That delicate dynamic works largely because of the movieā€™s lead actors. Both Stewart-Jarrett (ā€œCandymanā€) and MacKay (ā€œPrideā€, ā€œ1917ā€) deliver fully invested, utterly relatable performances, finding the emotional truth behind their interactions with as much palpable authenticity as they bring to the chemistry between them. They force us to abandon our preconceived ideas about each character by finding the human presence behind them, and it makes the storyā€™s final outcome feel as heartbreaking as it does inevitable.

As for intention, ā€œFemmeā€ ā€“ which premiered at last yearā€™s Berlin International Film Festival and went on to gather acclaim across the international film fest circuit ā€“ might be a little hard to take for the easily triggered, we wonā€™t deny it. Still, itā€™s a work of real and thrilling cinematic vision that goes beyond easy morality to highlight the tragedy that comes from being forced to live behind a mask for the sake of societal acceptance. Itā€™s also exciting, smart, and unexpectedly sexy ā€“ all of which make it a highly- recommended addition to your watchlist.

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Tommy Dorfman makes directorial debut in ‘I Wish You All the Best’

Film premiered at SXSW

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(Courtesy photo)

Editor’s note: Jack Morningstar attended SXSW.

Based on Mason Deaver’s novel, “I Wish You All the Best” follows Ben DeBacker (Corey Fogelmanis), a nonbinary teen who is thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister and her husband.

The film premiered at SXSW last week and stars Corey Fogelmanis, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Alexandra Daddario and Cole Sprouse, Lena Dunham and was produced by Matt Kaplan and Tommy Dorfman. In addition to directing and producing, Dorfman also adapted the screenplay. 

ā€œI had never read a book that centered on an experience that mirrored mine so vividly ā€” just being a queer kid from the South ā€” so I immediately was interested in adapting it and was putting myself up for that,ā€ she said.

The heartwarming film brings awareness to the plight of LGBTQ kids who grow up in conservative families and communities, while also emphasizing that, as Dorfman noted, ā€œsafety can be found in many places.ā€ In this case, the main protagonist, Ben, finds refuge in their friendship with Nathan. Fogelmanis, who plays Ben, explains that “together they have so many first-time experiences. Learning to let your walls down with someone that is a stranger, or that you don’t have a biological bond with is really scary. And then just to see all the stuff that comes up and have that person still accept you is just the greatest thing for Ben.ā€

Fogelmanis and Gutierrez-Riley were obvious choices for the roles of Ben and Nathan.

ā€œIt was really clear to me from a filmmaker perspective. There were a couple of people for each role that I was interested in and enjoyed working with, but Fogelmanis, from that first tape to the last chemistry read made it so clear who Ben was, who Ben is, and who Ben could be. Miles, who plays Nathan, is so amazing as well,ā€ Fogelmanis added. ā€œIt was really effortless in a way. Reading Tommy’s words was super easy to find my way into.ā€

Dorfman found it particularly easy to work with Gutierrez-Riley as well since they attended the same acting program at Fordham University. 

ā€œI remember when I was working with Miles in the audition process, I was like, oh, I know how to talk to you. That’s huge. It helped me as a first-time director,ā€ she said.

Dorfman wanted to be careful ā€œnot fall into the trap of dramatizing Benā€™s gender or coming out too much. It is important to remember that viewing people solely through the lens of their gender or sexuality diminishes their vast and complex humanity. For instance, my life extends beyond my trans identity. I’m an artist, a wife, a mother to two dogs, a sister to four siblings, an avid reader of classic literature, 10 years sober, have ADHD, enjoy arranging flowers and charming tableware, to name a few things.ā€

ā€œSimilarly, my film’s protagonist, Ben, doesn’t have an identity exclusive to being a queer teenager. Although their coming out experience is crucial and worth exploring, an obvious jumping-off point in my film, it’s what happens after they’re able to open up that inspired me to make ‘I Wish You All The Best,’ Dorfman added. “My film examines the discomfort of being seventeen, falling in love with a classmate, forming friendships, finding a voice through painting and self-expression, learning to love and be loved, navigating anxiety and depression, and coping with the pressures of growing up. These are universal and very human experiences that shape Ben beyond the limits of representation or perception.ā€ 

Dorfman describes being one of the few openly transgender directors as ā€œan honor and a disappointment.ā€ She added, ā€œI wish there were more of us, but there will be. It’s exciting, though, to be part of this next generation of creators and filmmakers entering this space and telling more human experiences.ā€

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Nick Kroll and Andrew Rannells want to adopt baby in ‘I Don’t Understand You’

Film premiered at SXSW in Austin

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(Courtesy photo)

Editor’s note: Jack Morningstar attended SXSW in Austin, Texas.

“I Don’t Understand You” focuses on a couple whose romantic Italian getaway devolves into bloody chaos while they prepare to adopt their first child.Ā 

The film, while veering into hilariously gruesome hijinks, tells the story of a gay couple who is willing to kill for a chance at fatherhood. It sheds light on the hurdles that same-sex couples often go through in the adoption process: Financial burdens, time constraints, fraud, and in this case, a rural Italian family.

The film premiered last weekend at SXSW in Austin and stars Nick Kroll and Andrew Rannells along with Nunzia Schiano, Morgan Spector and Eleonora Romandini. It was written and directed by Brian Crano and David Craig, who are married. They sourced inspiration from their own adoption struggles and an Italian vacay gone wrong. 

ā€œWe were about to leave for Italy when we found out that we had matched with a birth mother and our son would be born in about six weeks,ā€ said Crano. 

According to Craig, the trip was tense and it culminated in their car getting stuck in a ditch on their way to an anniversary dinner.

ā€œWe ended up at an old ladyā€™s house after she rescued us in her Fiat. Her family cooked us a meal and we stayed up drinking with them until 3 a.m., not understanding a word they were saying,ā€ he said.

Without spoiling anything, the couple in the movie go to absurd lengths to ensure that their adoption goes through. Craig explained that the theme of the movie was “what would you do for your kid.”Ā 

“We were three years into our own journey at the time and realized we would literally do anything to make that dream a reality. Itā€™s really a love letter to our son,ā€ he said.

The film is hard to relegate to a single genre. 

ā€œWhen conceiving the story, we saw it as different parts ā€” romantic comedy, horror movie, murder play ā€” but I think by bringing in Nick and Andrew that blend actually became much more of an organic mix where the comedy sustained throughout. They elevated it in a more elegant fashion,ā€ said Craig. 

“I Donā€™t Understand You”was produced by Pinky Promise, a women-led production company with the mission to elevate diverse voices in their storytelling. Kara Durrett, Pinky Promiseā€™s current president was a champion of this script from the beginning. Founder Jessamine Burgum recounts that when Durrett was onboarding, she said ā€œIf you donā€™t get [“I Donā€™t Understand You”] I donā€™t know if this is going to work.ā€ 

It ultimately became one of the first projects Burgum and Durrett collaborated on.Ā 

Kroll and Rannellsā€™ chemistry carried the film. 

ā€œThere was a desire to work with each of them because they had both separately been in such amazing comedian teams ā€” like Andrew with Josh Gad and Nick with John Mulaney. Nick and Andrewā€™s characters are in almost every scene of the movie together, so they needed to be adept to basically doing a shared performance. There was no one more well-positioned to do this as naturally as possible,ā€ said Crano. 

Their characters are easy to root for, yet also deeply flawed. 

ā€œA big thing we wanted to do with this movie, and with all of our work in telling stories, is avoid telling a cliched gay trauma film. Weā€™ve never ascribed to the idea that there is a subcategory to film that is LGBTQ, rather ā€” movies are for everyone. We want to make a movie where gay characters are flawed, not for being gay, but because of who they are. They can be villains, but they are our protagonists,ā€ said Craig. 

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