Straight Guy,
Tonight is the premiere of Logo's The A-List: New York. I say I won't watch it, but I know I need to see it just once. The preview clip alone tells me how unhappy it will make me, not to mention angry.
From what I see from the preview clips and advance press--written in both breathless anticipation and generalized weariness and disappointment--it will show a slice of gay life that I know nothing about personally. I'm an urban gay, so I've seen from afar the rarefied breed of guys like those in the "A-List," but don't know any. They make up such a tiny fraction of the world, why would I know them? More to the point, why would Logo make a reality show about them? Who needs a gay male version of Real Housewives?
The A-List -- "A-Gays," as they are better known -- is a grown up (?), male version of the characters in "Mean Girls." Okay, the guys aren't necessarily mean, but they are urban gays who prize and usually posses perfect bodies and the latest styles, guys who always seem on the cutting fashion edge and are always at the right party. They are stylish, status-conscious and shallow--at least I have to believe they are shallow in order to keep my self esteem functioning.
The men on Logo's The A-List live on a steady diet of celebrity and the crumbs tossed by VIPs. They book appointments for models, they cut hair, they work the velvet rope. Not a lawyer, optometrist, teacher, landscaper, social worker, carpenter or wage slave in the bunch.
Hank Stuever, one of my favorite Washington Post reporters, nailed it in yesterday's review. His perfect sentence: "In this, one of the most exciting and politically pivotal eras to be alive and gay, Derek [one of the show's main characters] defines himself through his passing acquaintance with Lindsay Lohan." Take that!
So why am I mad? I don't get mad at Real Housewives, which, from the few episodes I've seen, is just plain ridiculous. It's that I don't want people "out there" thinking that this is all gay men are. I need to calm down and give the world more credit.
Readers, watch and write in, please.
--Gay Guy
7 comments:
Baby steps, GG: What is Logo? I went to the site - is it a LBGT cable channel or just heavily skewed that way?
Reality shows are like derogatory jokes for the 21st century. You can't tell jokes about rich Italian-American housewives in NJ who look like whores...but it's okay to make a show about them. Ditto the A-list houseboys. "It's not insulting - they're making money and they WANT to do it!" It's just insulting to everyone else who gets lumped in. Like the doctors, lawyers, war veterans disavowed by DADT, etc.
It's the post-colon "New York" that should really have you worried. That means that they are considering this as a franchise that can work in multiple cities.
Live and let live. I'll even give a pass on the speedos. But giant balls and suggestive poses with exploding champaign bottles? Really?
I think I get logo somewhere in the high 300s of my digital cable, but not sure.
I'm with Straight in Upstate. WTH is Logo? Is this a special channel that requires some sort of magic key in my cable box to unlock?
Sweetie, I couldn't help but think that you were describing every frivolous show on tv...this one just happens to be about gay guys. We women have been dealing with the gold-digger stereotype since the beginning of time. You want to feel better? Check out Jerseylicious on the Style Network....and tell me you'd wouldn't rather be anyone than a girl from Jersey. What scares me is how many people watch this...crap...and believe everything they see/hear.
Down economy, perfect time for more shows to stoke the fire of envy. Does it say how they became rich? Models? Sugar Daddies? Mommy & Daddy picking up the party tab?
I think that I'll need to turn in my gay card. I had no idea this show was on, but then again I don't watch any of the Real Housewives shows either.
GG:
I feel I understand where you're coming from. I'm SBF from a single parent family, I'm college educated as are my siblings, we have no kids. Its like being a unicorn.
I see shows on and it always the stereotypical gum snapping, neck rolling, "baby mama" black woman. I know there's people out there that think we ALL act like that.
Is that the feeling your getting?
I watched a moment of it the other night and was like...um. no. not wasting time watching this again.
I've watched it. It's a train wreck. There's not one gay man with an ounce of class on the show. As someone who had to work for authenticity and being genuine, I rate this show an F-
The cast members are shallow. I don't watch any of the Real Housewives Franchise either but like you said the average housewife isn't in danger of being stereotyped because of what they see on the show.
People will see this "A-List" show and think they've met gay men. Ugh.... Logo is a gay channel...a great idea with horrible programming. Occasionally, they'll run gay-themed movies and that's refreshing. I've watched a show called "1 girl, 5 gays" and it catches my interest....that's it.
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