On November 7th, the Disney Channel premiered a new show, Shake It Up!, that tells the story of a group of teens who work as dancers on a local TV show. But they’re often sabotaged in their efforts to get ahead by the flamboyant, stereotypically “gay” German exchange student Gunther (and his twin sister Tinka).
Shake It Up!'s Tinka (Caroline Sunshine) and Gunther (Kenton Duty)
Meanwhile, TeenNick (the channel known as The N until last year, an off-shoot of the children's channel Nickelodeon) is airing new episodes of DeGrassi (formerly DeGrassi: The Next Generation), which includes the character of Riley Stavros, a formerly closeted jock who is slowly working his way out of the closet.
Degrassi's Riley Stavros (Argiris Karras) and boyfriend Zane Park (Shannon Kook-Chun)
What’s this? Are gay characters finally appearing on American television aimed at younger teenagers and tweens – programming that is, in actually,...
Shake It Up!'s Tinka (Caroline Sunshine) and Gunther (Kenton Duty)
Meanwhile, TeenNick (the channel known as The N until last year, an off-shoot of the children's channel Nickelodeon) is airing new episodes of DeGrassi (formerly DeGrassi: The Next Generation), which includes the character of Riley Stavros, a formerly closeted jock who is slowly working his way out of the closet.
Degrassi's Riley Stavros (Argiris Karras) and boyfriend Zane Park (Shannon Kook-Chun)
What’s this? Are gay characters finally appearing on American television aimed at younger teenagers and tweens – programming that is, in actually,...
- 12/23/2010
- by Brent Hartinger
- The Backlot
This week's Battle of the Network Gays includes a couple of angry young men finding their softer side, a cornea convalescent, and a gay senior dealing with some bad news. It's anybody's guess who wins. More on the candidates - and a chance to vote below. And before anybody asks why Neil Patrick Harris isn't represented here for his Glee turn – to be included in BnG you have to be a fictional gay character or a gay reality show contestant. Nph playing a straight character doesn't fit in either category.
Emmerdale's Aaron Livesy
Why? Talk about the ultimate coming out scene! To escape jail time Aaron has to come clean before a stern judge and a courtroom packed with people. It was riveting. If you missed it, here's the clip:
Degrassi: The Next Generation's Riley Stavros
Why? This hotheaded closeted football player (played by Argiris Karras) has some anger management issues,...
Emmerdale's Aaron Livesy
Why? Talk about the ultimate coming out scene! To escape jail time Aaron has to come clean before a stern judge and a courtroom packed with people. It was riveting. If you missed it, here's the clip:
Degrassi: The Next Generation's Riley Stavros
Why? This hotheaded closeted football player (played by Argiris Karras) has some anger management issues,...
- 5/21/2010
- by dennis
- The Backlot
Friday night's episode of Degrassi: The Next Generation saw the return of Riley Stavros (Argiris Karras), the closeted gay jock who has had some serious issues not just in coming to terms with being gay, but managing an anger management problem. Think of him as Canada's Aaron from Emmerdale. Both are guys that tend to throw punches that get them in hot water.
Speaking of which, the episode opens with Riley, seemingly not controlling that infamous temper as we see him and his friend Peter go round and round in a circle apparently about to come to blows. Fortunately, Riley gets his temper under control and as the camera pulls back — fake out!
Peter: Way to not punch me out, Riley!
Peter and Riley weren't fighting. This was an exercise in anger control and Riley passed. Yay, Riley.
It's a good thing too, as Riley is going to find his...
Speaking of which, the episode opens with Riley, seemingly not controlling that infamous temper as we see him and his friend Peter go round and round in a circle apparently about to come to blows. Fortunately, Riley gets his temper under control and as the camera pulls back — fake out!
Peter: Way to not punch me out, Riley!
Peter and Riley weren't fighting. This was an exercise in anger control and Riley passed. Yay, Riley.
It's a good thing too, as Riley is going to find his...
- 5/18/2010
- by michael
- The Backlot
Welcome to another edition of Gays of Our Lives. This week we start with Gool Theater where Luke and Noah’s new story arc begins. And if you think Oakdale’s cutest gay teens have had some strange storylines before … this one takes the cake. Plus, Fer faces losing his boyfriend when David might have to move away in Física o’ Química, Simon ‘Doctors’ a boy being bullied and helps to console a gay man who might lose custody of his adopted daughter. And Riley looks to be de-gayed on Degrassi: The Next Generation.
Gool Scoops And Spoilers has the dish on Emmerdale as bad boy Aaron Livesy acts out, Luke gets a really bad idea on As the World Turns (what else is new?), Kyle and Oliver celebrate their first Thanksgiving together on One Life to Live and the Walkers go to Hawaii for Justin and Rebecca’s wedding on Brothers & Sisters.
Gool Scoops And Spoilers has the dish on Emmerdale as bad boy Aaron Livesy acts out, Luke gets a really bad idea on As the World Turns (what else is new?), Kyle and Oliver celebrate their first Thanksgiving together on One Life to Live and the Walkers go to Hawaii for Justin and Rebecca’s wedding on Brothers & Sisters.
- 11/24/2009
- by Anthony D. Langford
- The Backlot
This week’s column kicks off with Gays Gone By featuring As The World Turns’ first gay character all the way back from 1988. Gool Theater has the return of Spanish teen soap Física O Química and some steamy clips from All That Matters. Plus spoilers of domestic unrest on Forbidden Love and a shocking kiss on EastEnders. Meanwhile, Gool Newsbeat has the dish on what’s ahead for The Young and the Restless’ Rafe Torres and Raising the Bar’s Charlie Sagansky. And as always, I've got the Snapshots and Soap Stud Of The Week for you!
Table Of Contents
Feature: Gays Gone By
Gool Theater
In My Humble Opinion (Imho)
Scoops & Spoilers
Gool Sneak Peeks
Gool Newsbeat
Bits & Pieces
Ratings & Rankings
Snapshots
Soap Stud Of The Week
Question Of The Week
Gays Gone By — As The World Turns’ Hank Eliot
While As The World Turns’ Luke Snyder (Van Hansis...
Table Of Contents
Feature: Gays Gone By
Gool Theater
In My Humble Opinion (Imho)
Scoops & Spoilers
Gool Sneak Peeks
Gool Newsbeat
Bits & Pieces
Ratings & Rankings
Snapshots
Soap Stud Of The Week
Question Of The Week
Gays Gone By — As The World Turns’ Hank Eliot
While As The World Turns’ Luke Snyder (Van Hansis...
- 6/17/2009
- by dennis
- The Backlot
This week we’ve got our first annual Gool Summer Preview to help you get set for what’s coming up on your favorite soap operas, as well as all sorts of other dish. Gool Theater features some All That Matters clips you won’t want to miss, as well as the first in our series of clips featuring the return of out actor Thom Bierdz to The Young and the Restless.
Speaking of Y&R, we’ve got the latest scoop on more gays coming to Genoa City and the hottest casting news As The World Turns has had since Noah Mayer came to town. Plus, Snapshots And Soap Stud Of The Week!
Table Of Contents
Feature: Summer TV Preview
Gool Theater
In My Humble Opinion (Imho)
Scoops & Spoilers
Gool Newsbeat
Bits & Pieces
Ratings & Rankings
Snapshots
Soap Stud Of The Week
Question Of The Week
Summer TV Preview
Welcome...
Speaking of Y&R, we’ve got the latest scoop on more gays coming to Genoa City and the hottest casting news As The World Turns has had since Noah Mayer came to town. Plus, Snapshots And Soap Stud Of The Week!
Table Of Contents
Feature: Summer TV Preview
Gool Theater
In My Humble Opinion (Imho)
Scoops & Spoilers
Gool Newsbeat
Bits & Pieces
Ratings & Rankings
Snapshots
Soap Stud Of The Week
Question Of The Week
Summer TV Preview
Welcome...
- 6/2/2009
- by dennis
- The Backlot
In The Spotlight – Degrassi: The Next Generation, Clara Sheller, and River City
This week we look at three very different series that hail from three different countries. But all have one thing in common: each tell interesting and intriguing stories about the lives and loves of gay men.
First up, Degrassi: The Next Generation and ‘The Life of Riley’.
Riley Stavros, played by Argiris Karras, is the long running Canadian teen drama’s latest entry in its much-lauded history of depicting the lives of gay characters. But two recent episodes clearly showed Riley is very different from Degrassi’s last gay character, Marco (out actor Adamo Ruggiero). Where Marco was openly gay and never struggled with his sexual identity, it’s been nothing but a constant battle for Riley. In fact, he hates being gay and desperately wishes things were different. But as we see in this first clip, he...
This week we look at three very different series that hail from three different countries. But all have one thing in common: each tell interesting and intriguing stories about the lives and loves of gay men.
First up, Degrassi: The Next Generation and ‘The Life of Riley’.
Riley Stavros, played by Argiris Karras, is the long running Canadian teen drama’s latest entry in its much-lauded history of depicting the lives of gay characters. But two recent episodes clearly showed Riley is very different from Degrassi’s last gay character, Marco (out actor Adamo Ruggiero). Where Marco was openly gay and never struggled with his sexual identity, it’s been nothing but a constant battle for Riley. In fact, he hates being gay and desperately wishes things were different. But as we see in this first clip, he...
- 3/2/2009
- by dennis
- The Backlot
Degrassi: The Next Generation has a long history of prominent gay characters and this season is no exception. Earlier this year we met Riley Stavros, a teenager struggling with his sexuality, unable to accept that he is gay. With an episode featuring Riley set to air this week on The N, we decided to chat via e-mail with Argiris Karras, who plays the troubled young man, to get his thoughts on his role.
Argiris Karras
AfterElton.com: Tell us something about yourself. How old are you? Where are you from? What do you do for fun? What kind of music do you listen to?
Argiris Karras: I'm 19 years old and I was born in Toronto, Ontario, one of the greatest cities around!
For fun I often chill with my friends and do a whole bunch of random things such as play soccer and video games, watch movies and listen to music.
Argiris Karras
AfterElton.com: Tell us something about yourself. How old are you? Where are you from? What do you do for fun? What kind of music do you listen to?
Argiris Karras: I'm 19 years old and I was born in Toronto, Ontario, one of the greatest cities around!
For fun I often chill with my friends and do a whole bunch of random things such as play soccer and video games, watch movies and listen to music.
- 2/9/2009
- by dennis
- The Backlot
In this edition of Gays Of Our Lives, we introduce “In The Spotlight,” a new recurring feature where we examine in depth a particular series, character or storyline of gay interest.
First up, Casualty’s Dr. Toby De Silva, played by Matthew Needham, who bid goodbye this past week to the long running BBC medical series after a story arc during which the character struggled not only with his sexuality, but with his decision to become a doctor as well.
When Toby first joined the show in September 2007, his conflict over whether or not to be a doctor was quickly apparent as we learned that his overbearing parents had forced him into medicine. And while his relationships with women were rare, fleeting and usually disastrous, there hadn’t been much of an inkling regarding Toby being gay – at least not until he was found in bed with Ben Harding (Mark Letheren...
First up, Casualty’s Dr. Toby De Silva, played by Matthew Needham, who bid goodbye this past week to the long running BBC medical series after a story arc during which the character struggled not only with his sexuality, but with his decision to become a doctor as well.
When Toby first joined the show in September 2007, his conflict over whether or not to be a doctor was quickly apparent as we learned that his overbearing parents had forced him into medicine. And while his relationships with women were rare, fleeting and usually disastrous, there hadn’t been much of an inkling regarding Toby being gay – at least not until he was found in bed with Ben Harding (Mark Letheren...
- 1/12/2009
- by dennis
- The Backlot
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