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Posts tagged as the gays

Tragedy Plus Time

When Comedians Come Out

by | February 19th, 2013

Welcome to the latest installment of Tragedy Plus Time. Each segment will focus on a particular ‘life crisis’ — sometimes globally tragic, sometimes more of a personal affair — and we’ll explore how many of the comedians we know and love have dealt with it.

Though we've made tremendous strides towards embracing homosexuality in the past few years, our society still has an incredibly long way to go. Being openly gay is still a very risky proposition in parts of the United States and the rest of the world. Even in places where we've achieved ‘acceptance,’ there are still numerous ignorant stereotypes to overcome.

Gay comics are in the [...]

Big Picture

The State of Gays in Comedy

by | April 11th, 2012

Today over at Blackbook, Tyler Coates has an excellent look at the state of gay comedians. He talked to folks such as James Adomian, Gabe Liedman, Eliot Glazer, Brent Sullivan, and Dave Holmes about being out in the comedy world and the challenges they face. “I think Hollywood script writers have just recently discovered the phenomenon of the masculine gay man,” says Adomian, who was a finalist on Last Comic Standing in 2010. “There are a lot of people who are beginning to feel comfortable being themselves and not fitting into the straight narrative, but they may not follow the standard gay pattern of going to the White [...]

It Gets Better

Rebecca Drysdale's "It Gets Better" Music Video Takes the Campaign to the Next Level

by | January 5th, 2011

The It Gets Better campaign has been amazing, with thousands of LBGT adults from all walks of life making videos assuring teenagers going through high school hell that yes, life does get better. But none of those videos have been quite like comedian/actor/director Rebecca Drysdale's (sister of Eric! Funny family, eh?) insane and amazing music video (produced by Kay Cannon). Sure, it's got a serious and heartfelt message, but it also includes lines such as "Someday you'll look back and you won't give a fuck/when you're swimming through your pussy vault like Scrooge Fuckin' McDuck."

TV

How Roseanne Helped Make It OK to Be Gay on TV

by | December 22nd, 2010

Before there was Kurt Hummel, before there was Mitchell and Cameron, before there was Oscar Martinez, before there was Tara and Willow, before there was Will and Grace, and before there was Ellen, there was Roseanne Conner.

Roseanne, of course, isn’t gay, unlike every other name listed (minus Grace), but I’d argue that she did more for the ways homosexuals are portrayed on television than any single gay character or couple has done in the years following.

It’s tough remembering a time where gay characters on TV weren’t featured on issues of TV Guide, a time where even just the mention of a two women or, even [...]

Web Video

Alec Baldwin Wants to Marry Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson

by | October 20th, 2010

Heterosexuality be damned, Alec Baldwin wants to marry Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and he doesn't want anyone standing in his way. So he made this video for the Fight Back PAC explaining his take on things.

Intolerance

A Utah NBC Affiliate Won't Run 'The New Normal' Because Gay People

by | August 27th, 2012

Utah, bastion of Mormonism and tolerance, is home to KSL, the single NBC affiliate refusing to air upcoming comedy The New Normal. The show centers on a gay couple conceiving via a surrogate, and the wackiness that naturally surrounds such endeavors. And clearly, that will not stand. Jeff Simpson, CEO of KSL’s parent company, Bonneville International, justified the exclusion by saying that "For our brand, this program simply feels inappropriate on several dimensions, especially during family viewing time." Of course, all the rape-and-murder-filled Law and Order franchise is fine. Naturally, this didn't sit well with GLAD, who released a statement that said in part: “We invite Jeff Simpson [...]

The Onion

"Mom And Dad, I'm Gay And Also Stronger Than Both Of You, So Don't Try Any Shit"

by | July 26th, 2011

The Onion is perfect: "Look, I'm not naïve. I know how you feel about homosexuality, because you've been very clear on that subject in the past. That's why it took me so long to tell you. Dad, you've said some very hateful things, not considering for a second that I might be gay, and it hurt. Not nearly as much as it will hurt when I throw you across the room if you ever say any of those shitty things again, but it still stung."

Stereotypes

The Office's Gay Caricature

by | January 3rd, 2011

The office on The Office is a fairly inclusive place — African-American, Indian-American, alcoholic, or evangelist, all may work together more or less harmoniously. Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling), for instance, is one of the most fully realized minority characters on television right now: a woman whose obsessions with celebrity gossip and Netflixing romantic comedies far outweigh the practically insignificant fact of her race. With Kelly undergoing business training, practically anyone could take over the office, once manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell) departs at the end of the season! Anyone, that is, but the show’s token gay man, Oscar, who has been marginalized and mocked over seven seasons.

Oscar (Oscar [...]

Quicklink

"I'm sure I can figure out how a little bit of child abuse is all part of God's plan."

by | November 17th, 2010

One of my favorite sections of The Onion is American Voices, and today's is especially great. The subject: "According to a study from the UCLA, zero percent of children who were raised by a lesbian couple reported being victims of physical or sexual abuse. What do you think?" One answer: "Give me a second—I'm sure I can figure out how a little bit of child abuse is all part of God's plan."

Movies

Vince Vaughn Defends Controversial Gay Joke From The Dilemma

by | October 15th, 2010

Vince Vaughn has spoken out about the gay joke that was cut from the trailer for The Dilemma if not from the entire movie. Here's his statement: "Let me add my voice of support to the people outraged by the bullying and persecution of people for their differences, whatever those differences may be. Comedy and joking about our differences breaks tension and brings us together. Drawing dividing lines over what we can and cannot joke about does exactly that; it divides us. Most importantly, where does it stop."

On the one hand, he is right that it's difficult to put firm lines in the sand as to what you [...]

Movies

'After Hours' and the Rarity of a Comedy That's Not Afraid Someone Might Think It's Gay

by | August 6th, 2012

Whenever I go to the theater to see a mainstream Hollywood comedy or cue one up on Netflix streaming — and even with some indie comedies — I have to prepare myself for the uncomfortable moment when the filmmakers suddenly turn against me. So often in, for example, any of the thousand Judd Apatow productions of the past several years, I’ll be laughing my ass off, or at least smiling hard, having invested myself in the characters and whatever fate awaits them, when suddenly one of them makes an unnecessary, malicious gay joke or a put-down centered on homosexuality.

It’s like there’s an unwritten rule in the current generation [...]

The Awl

Why Aren't Gays Funny?

by Choire Sicha | May 3rd, 2011

Sure, there are funny gays in various entertainment fields, such as shoe design and Condé Nast magazines, but let us think of gays in actual comedy. Okay, so there's Ellen. That guy ANT. Neil Patrick Harris. And… hmm.

Oh right. Scott Thompson. And Graham Chapman, of Monty Python. These two might prove a comedy "rule" that gays are often funny when in groups of straight people. Or when they are English: Stephen K. Amos, Simon Amstell, Matt Lucas, Julian Clary, Paul O'Grady. And Kenny Everett and Frankie Howerd and Kenneth Williams, RIP! Or when they are of an English province: Trey Anthony, say, from Canada. And Tommy Sexton. And [...]

Politics

The Onion Nails the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal

by | December 22nd, 2010

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was just repealed (huzzah!), and The Onion was ready for it with this classic masterwork: "Repeal Of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Paves Way For Gay Sex Right On Battlefield, Opponents Fantasize." "Our men need to know they can count on each other in battle, and we can't have them getting distracted by illicit romantic dalliances," said Gen. James T. Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps. "Especially if one's a little blond Adonis farm boy and his buddy's a real tough street kid straight out of Brooklyn. I mean, think about it: What if they lock eyes and abandon their post to start ripping each [...]

Excuses

Ron Howard's Weasely Defense of The Dilemma's Gay Joke

by | November 1st, 2010

After a bit of an outcry in response to a gay joke in the trailer to Ron Howard's upcoming The Dilemma, the joke was cut from the trailer. It's being kept in the movie itself, however. Now, Ron Howard has responded, defending his use of the joke. Here's a bit from his statement on it: Did you think it wasn't offensive? I don't strip my films of everything that I might personally find inappropriate. Comedy or drama, I'm always trying to make choices that stir the audience in all kinds of ways. This Ronny Valentine character can be offensive and inappropriate at times and those traits are [...]

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