Arts & Entertainment

Gays galore

LGBT storylines, actors, characters and hosts pepper fall TV season

Published

14 years ago

September 13, 2012

Juliette Ebner

Wanda Sykes is hosting a set of election specials, “NewNowNext Vote with Wanda Sykes” on Logo. (Photo courtesy Logo)

Many summer series are wrapping up just in time for the fall series to premiere.

Perennial favorite “Glee,” started its fourth season on a new night, Thursday, with a few new faces and most of the original cast, including Blaine, Kurt, Brittany and Santana, Lima, Ohio’s resident gays. This season will include another Britney Spears tribute episode and some big guest stars such as Kate Hudson and Sarah Jessica Parker. The show will air Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Fox.

Ryan Murphy will be pretty busy this season. His new series, “The New Normal” started Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. on NBC. The show revolves around a single mother, her mother and daughter, and the gay couple, played by “The Hangover’s” Justin Bartha and Broadway’s Andrew Rannells, for whom she is acting as surrogate.

Another returning series is “Grey’s Anatomy.” When the eighth season ended, Callie Torres was at Seattle Grace, unaware her wife, Arizona Robbins, and others, including the father of her baby, had been in a plane crash on their way to another hospital. The ninth season premieres on ABC Sep. 27 at 9 p.m.

“Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars” premieres Sep. 24 at 8 p.m. featuring 13 returning contestants including boy band members Drew Lachey and Joey Fatone, Bristol Palin, Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson, actress Kirstie Alley and Pamela Anderson.

ABC also has the return of “Modern Family,” starring Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet. It premieres on Sep. 26 at 9 p.m. and a new series, “Last Resort,” starring Max Adler, best known as Dave Karofsky on “Glee.”

Look for gay actor Jonathan Croff on the second season of STARZ series “Boss” with Kelsey Grammer. It run through Oct. 19.

ABC Family’s “Pretty Little Liars” may have already aired its summer finale, but the series will have a special Halloween episode airing Oct. 23.

PBS is premiering “Love Free or Die” on Oct. 29 at 10 p.m. The documentary follows Gene Robinson, the first openly gay person to be elected bishop in the high church traditions of Christianity in 2003. He pushed for greater inclusion within his church and has become a standard bearer in the fight over the rights of LGBT people to receive full acceptance in church and state.

CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory,” starring out actor Jim Parsons, premieres Sep. 27 at 8 p.m. and “How I Met Your Mother,” starring Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan, returns Sept. 24.

On the same network, “The Good Wife,” featuring Alan Cumming and bisexual character Kalinda, premieres Sept. 30 at 9 p.m. There will also be some big-name guest stars this season including Nathan Lane and Kristin Chenoweth, who will be returning after suffering a head injury last time she was on set.

Wanda Sykes has a new special, or actually, specials, “NewNowNext Vote with Wanda Sykes” for Logo, which premiered Monday at 10 p.m. The second special is slated to air Nov. 5, at 10:30 p.m. The specials will touch on topics such as gay marriage, Supreme Court appointments, the economy and health care. The first special included guest panelists Barney Frank, Thomas Roberts, Joe Solmonese and more.

The second season of “Be Good Johnny Weir” will return to Logo Sept. 17 at 10 p.m. This season is said to dive more into the gay figure skater’s work and personal life as well as show him branching out into various entertainment endeavors including releasing his first single, publishing a book and more.

The cable station will also be starting a new documentary series, “What!? Logo Documentaries” kicking off with the world premiere of “Loving Large” on Oct. 2 at 10 p.m. The series will also feature the Logo premieres of “Pedigree Dogs Exposed” and “The Most Hated Family in American” and the U.S. premieres of “Pink Ribbons, Inc.,” and “Super Tiny Animals.”

Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Miami” premiere Thursday and will air weekly at 9 p.m. The show will feature returning housewives Lea Black, Adriana de Moura and Marysol Patton and newcomers Lisa Hochstein, Joanna Krupa, Ana Quincoces and Karent Sierra. Alexia Echevarria will also be returning in a recurring role.

Look for “The Girl” on HBO on Oct. 20 at 9 p.m., a dramatization of the sometimes-tense relationship between Tippi Hedren and Alfred Hitchcock.

Several pop divas are slated for upcoming episodes of the rebooted VH1 show “Storytellers.” Look for Taylor Swift on Nov. 11, Alicia Keys Nov. 12 and Pink Nov. 13 (all at 11 p.m.).

Don’t forget all the talk shows featuring LGBT hosts. Ellen DeGeneres started the new season of her syndicate show on Monday. CBS’s “The Talk” features Sara Gilbert as one of its five hosts along with Sharon Osborne. And of course the finally out Anderson Cooper as well.

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Theater

Don’t miss summer productions at Clear Space in Rehoboth Beach

‘Cher Show,’ ‘Pretty Woman’ among season’s standouts

Published

16 hours ago

August 10, 2026

Peter Rosenstein

Abby Lynne and Caetano de Sá (Photo by Deny Howeth)

“The Cher Show” at Clear Space Theatre is wonderful. I am always amazed at the talent they attract for their summer series. Kudos to Wes Drummond, the artistic director of the theater. “The Cher Show” is written by Rick Elice. Compliments to the talented director, James FitzSimmons, who brought to life this production. His immensely talented cast includes Shannen Hofheimer as Star, Breanna Lemerise as Lady, Abby Lynne as Babe, and Anya Kay, as young Cher. Each is a pleasure to both watch and listen to. They command the stage. Then more kudos to the entire cast and ensemble. Also, the creative team, which includes among so many who make this show a hit, choreographer Shondelle Graulich; scenic designer, David Chappell; lighting designer Brendan Smith; costume designer Valerie Beardsley; and the entire orchestra led by conductor, Jerry Birl.

But the actor who I was looking forward to seeing in the production, was a young actor I had written about, and reviewed, when I saw him at Clear Space two years ago. In this production he is Sonny Bono, and he definitely didn’t disappoint.

Let me introduce Caetano de Sá. I have written about him before, but his resume is worth repeating. It says; Height: 5’7 ½, Eyes: Brown, Voice part: Tenor G2 – C5, Build: Athletic. All true. Then you add to this he speaks Brazilian Portuguese, is certified in stage combat by the Society of American Fight Directors, and is a 2^nd Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. Then as his resume of roles confirms, he can act, sing, and dance with the best. He does a great job as Sonny and is fun to watch on stage. Here he displays his talents as a singer and actor, and they are as good as I remembered them when I first met Caetano while he was still in school in 2024, and was starring as Frankie Valli in “Jersey Boys,” at Clear Space. At the time he was a rising senior at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee BFA Musical Theater program. I interviewed him, and Harry Sperduto, who played Tommy Devotee, after seeing them in the show, and being amazed by their talent. Since that time, I have followed their careers. When I heard Caetano was coming back to Clear Space for the summer, I reached out, and he agreed to sit down and chat, which we did. I knew Clear Space Theatre was planning a busy summer season. Their lineup of shows included “The Cher Show,” “Mean Girls,” and “Pretty Woman.” They always have talented casts, including the many college students who are getting their first chance to shine, which was the case for Caetano in 2024. Now he is back as a graduate, with more experience under his belt, a little more established. This season he was going to play Sonny in their production of “The Cher Show,” Martin/Coach Carr, in “Mean Girls,” and Mr. Hollister in “Pretty Woman,” and being a part of the ensemble. He told me he really enjoys being at Clear Space, and that his castmates are all talented. He is a lot more experienced than when he was here before, having performed in productions at the Prairie Repertory Theatre, the Emerald Coast Theatre Company, Firehouse Center for the Arts, and the Sullivan Rep, among others. In productions as diverse as “Oklahoma!,” “Mystic Pizza,” “Hairspray,” and “Rock of Ages.” He now lives in New York City and clearly New York is the perfect place for an aspiring actor. He has an agent at Bramante Artists, who is getting him gigs, like the one he had at 54 Below and even a TV commercial for AFLAC.

“The Cher Show” is the second show I have seen at Clear Space this summer. After our chat I got one of the last tickets available that evening for “Pretty Woman.” In that production he has a smaller role, and is part of the incredibly talented ensemble. It is also an entertaining show and its very talented stars, Abby McDonough as Vivian, and Jaiden Leo Riley as Edward, are a pleasure to watch. Kudos to the talented director, Ashley Williams, and the entire creative team.

For anyone living at the beach, or coming for a visit, I urge you to plan a night at Clear Space. You won’t regret it. But know tickets for all the shows, and Sunday evening cabaret nights, sell out fast. So, I suggest you see what’s available online and buy yours today.

Photos

PHOTOS: World Pride March

LGBTQ rights demonstration held in Amsterdam

Published

2 days ago

August 9, 2026

Michael Key

A scene from the 2026 World Pride March in Amsterdam. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The 2026 World Pride March was held on Saturday, Aug. 8 in Amsterdam. Tens of thousands of participants marched from Martin Luther Kingpark to the grounds of the Pride Village at Museumplein.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)