Monday, January 21, 2008
Law and disorder
HARMAN! City of Vice, Channel 4, 9pm Labels: BBC1, Channel 4, city of vice, Damages, gay, Glenn Close, nigel harman, TV
City of Vice actually started last week, but passed us by a bit as we had other things to preview, starring Jane Asher. In fact, it's on at the same time as The Palace, so really you'll need to record it or watch it on C4+1 or 4OD.
The series is based in London, just prior to the development of the Metropolitan Police and stars Ian McDermid and Iain Glenn as the crime-fighting Fielding brothers. Tonight's episode also features the enticing (well, for some, we never really got the appeal) prospect of Nigel Harman gaying it up. He plays a transvestite rent boy and we see a glimpse of the gay scene in a time where you needed to hide your sexuality for fear of death. Although we make no promises of accuracy.
From the publicity shots of frocks and whatnot, however, we're guessing, that the show will emphasise the camp and melodramatic rather than the serious business of people being killed for who they fancy. Or maybe we're just a bit cynical.
Anyway, it's Channel 4 post-watershed, and they've been trailing the whole series as being full of sex and violence (ie a bit like a period Torchwood), so at the very least you're pretty much guaranteed lots of shots of young men with their tops of. Not that we'd suggest your average lowculture viewer has one thing in mind, or anything....
CHANGING! Damages, BBC1, 10:35pm
We know we only previewed Damages a fortnight ago, but we needed to bring it to your attention today because it has suddenly moved from a Sunday to a Monday.
By Rad :: Post link
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Thursday, November 22, 2007
Cowboy builders
LABOURERS! The Street, BBC1, 9.00pm Labels: BBC1, gay, manual workers, The Street, TV
Homoltuous events in Jimmy McGovern's here's a typical setting peopled by typical people but with all the different people getting their turn in the dramatic spotlight at some point because people are interesting and these are typical people with typical people's stories because that's what good drama's all about, people, and no we didn't just nick this premise from Clocking Off series this week, as the particularly fine Vincent Regan and the hadn't really noticed Will Mellor take centre stage as loving husband/father/demolition labourer (yes, we know it's not quite the same thing as being a builder but we weren't going to waste a headline like that) Charlie and his homosexualist workmate Tom. On a working trip to Blackpool, Charlie finds himself growing closer to Tom while they share a room together. 'Growing closer'. Oh, you know what we mean. Come on.
Gays! Yes, it's time for The Gay Episode Of The Street, and whatever you think of the prospect of Will Mellor as a gay (though it can't be any more nightmarish than a double dose of shifty David Thewlis playing two different characters as he did a couple of weeks back), it certainly makes for better sport than watching annoying sixth form boys circling each other timidly for months and months and endless fucking tedious months over on Channel 4 (for example). Naturally, gayness leads to problem after problem, and there's the requisite 'But I'm not gay' / 'As a married family man life would be so much easier for me if I wasn't secretly gay' / 'Gosh look at his arse' business from Charlie as he succumbs to Tom's advances and life becomes a mass of lies and deceit and paranoia as he tries to avoid being rumbled by his beloved but sadly penisless wife.
Which is all great, because as much as happy gays make heartwarming TV and send our share prices skyrocketing, there's nothing more engaging than watching a genuinely appealing character wrestle with the general turmoil and heartache that comes with mostly living in the closet while savouring the brief, wonderful moments when he gets to grapple with another man's big arms, heavy shoulders and strong legs (we've seen the promotional photos). And they're Proper Workmen, so it's not like they'll just be sitting around typing and playing the piano and smelling of lavender for the rest of the time, either. Testosterotastic!
By Nick :: Post link
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Friday, February 16, 2007
Lowe culture
SUSPENSE! American Idol, ITV2, 8.30pm Labels: American Idol, Deuce, gay, North and South, Tom Lowe, Tom Watkins
For some of us, nothing is more excruciating than the weeks of well orchestrated bad auditions for American Idol that somehow still inspire people to ponder "do they actually think they are good?" Well, of course they don't. This year, fewer of the people remotely good are even appearing on the show, making the transition into stage two of the series slightly more welcome.
One contestant who auditioned for the show and actually does have a rather good impression of himself is Tom Lowe. Tom is of course formerly of the Tom Watkins boyband creation (and lowculture favourite) North and South (post-Deuce, pre-Grand Designs) who went on to spend some time in the usual West End productions before fucking off to Harvard as a back-up plan.
Now he would like to be famous again and does not seem too concerned that being a gay or taking some of his clothes off for the university's sex journal is going to get in the way. The way this LA Weekly piece pulls at straws in hope of a scandal all seems rather confusing and silly. The way they go on, you would think they had uncovered a taste for chunky thighs, sauna sex and watersports.
Indeed, the real scandal here is the gross imbalance of Massachusetts tourism guides, Star-spangled Banners, student films, Tigers and comedy cross-dressing compared to the lack of No Sweat episodes on the internet. Tom really deserves another big break.
Tonight, we will discover the fate of 'Thomas Lowe' as the Hollywood group are narrowed to a mere twelve boys and twelve girls. The fact that his audition has so far only aired on UK television and not at all on the American broadcast should in no way predict his fate.
Well, really!
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