Kinda VERY Homophobic Newsweek Editorial on Gay Actors- Page 2

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/5/10 at 10:40pm

The writer is a closeted piece-o'-SH*T and Newsweek is dead.

====

Washington Post Co. puts Newsweek magazine up for sale

Newsweek, founded in 1933, generated only $8 million in online ad revenue last year.

By Frank Ahrens and Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, May 6, 2010

The Washington Post Co. is putting Newsweek up for sale because the company can foresee no path to profitability for the money-losing magazine, The Post Co. said Wednesday.

Though no buyer is imminent, company officials said, The Post Co. hopes to execute a "rapid sale," Chairman Donald E. Graham told Newsweek employees during a Wednesday morning meeting at the magazine's office in New York.

The Post's magazine group, of which Newsweek is the biggest piece, lost $29.3 million last year after losing $16.1 million the previous year. Graham said he expects it to lose money this year.
Washington Post Co. puts Newsweek magazine up for sale

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/5/10 at 10:42pm

I do hate to see publications die. I betya GLAAD will try to take credit for it!

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 5/5/10 at 11:39pm

Wow. This guy has a lot of balls to make statements that even he must know aren't true.

Are there gay actors (not "out" celebrities, just actors who are, you know, kinda obvious about it through their actual performances) who cannot play straight? Sure, we see them all the time. But there are still plenty of gay actors out there who play straight totally fine. I had NO IDEA Victor Garber was gay for instance.

For him to state that gay actors who can play straight simply "don't exist" is just plain stupid.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 5/5/10 at 11:49pm

Best12.... Rock Hudson also made a movie titled "All That Heaven Allows" (1955) with Jane Wyman. In the film, he plays a working class guy who falls in love with a wealthy upper class widow...who happens to be a number of years older than he. I personally thought he played a convincing straight character, when I saw it some time ago on cable. from RC in Austin, Texas

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/6/10 at 12:01am

I love "All That Heaven Allows" and the other film he made with Jane Wyman, "Magnificent Obsession." Both classics, and no bubble bath scenes.

[PReeves2]

Posted: 5/6/10 at 1:04am

I came to this board to post the same article about Newsweek being put up for sale. Looks like Newsweek is the one being put in the closet.

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 5/6/10 at 1:47am

It's articles like this that keep people from coming out. When Sean Hayes finally came out he said the reason he waited so long is that he feared losing roles because people would forever label him as gay. I find it repugnant that someone could be so narrow-minded as to think something like this article has any real use. What's rather sad is that there are countless other examples of gays and lesbians convincingly "playing straight" (other than my two favorites that were mentioned by the OP, NPH and Portia). But most of those people will stay in the closet, thus limiting the amount of open gays convincingly playing any role, BECAUSE of idiotic writers like this.

It is somewhat similar to the idea that gay people are everywhere: your neighbors, your teachers, your lawyers, your sons and daughters, etc. Yet most people don't count them as gay because they just don't know it. Thus, the common image many people have of gays is just the flamboyant one. My best friend was raised in the Mormon church. When we first became friends he told me that I completely changed his mind about gay people. Before he met me he thought they were all just over-the-top, in-your-face, SUPER Gay. Once he got to know me, he realized that (like all things that are a part of defining you) gays come in all shapes, sizes, and degree of Queer.

[TimesSquared]

Posted: 5/6/10 at 2:29am

I don't care if the author is gay, this article is a transparent homophobic rant.
I despise when self-haters like this become the "gay voice" of a publication or organization.
Thanks for the welcome news, Joey, that Newsweek's days are numbered. These days it's no more than a news-feed anyway (except apparently for a little gay bashing when they can get it in).

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 5/6/10 at 7:23am

Wow, this is the stupidest column ever. I am insulted as a straight woman, journalist, movie lover, and human being.

I agree with most everything everyone else has written. Especially about the insight the writer thinks he has gleaned about Rock Hudson. Pfft!

Just about every conclusion is wrong. And what does this even mean:

"The fact is, an actor's background does affect how we see his or her performance—which is why the Tom Hankses and Denzels of the world guard their privacy carefully."

Ahhh, so that's why the guard their privacy...

I have news for you idiot. You will NEVER know how many gay actors have convincingly played straight. Quite a few more than you think, in fact you are watching them every day.
Updated On: 5/6/10 at 07:23 AM

[MariusPontmercy]

Posted: 5/6/10 at 8:07am

You will NEVER know how many gay actors have connvincingly played straight. Quite a few more than you think, in fact you are watching them every day.

I think that's his (stupid and nonsensical) point - that it's only if you know the actor is gay that you won't be convinced by them playing a straight role. If you didn't know, it would be OK - in other words, if you're a gay actor and ever want to play a straight character, don't come out because people won't be able to take you seriously. Lovely.

[twinbelters]

Posted: 5/6/10 at 12:11pm

Yeah, I think Kevin Spacey, Sean William Scott, and Sarah Paulson all play "straight" successfully. As one poster said, the journalist came to his own conclusion then looked for flimsy evidence to back it up. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

[TimesSquared]

Posted: 5/6/10 at 12:17pm

Good on Bway World posters for condemning this article.
Stage Door Sally, you got it ALL right.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 5/6/10 at 12:26pm

Unbelievable. I wonder what he thinks of very publicly straight actors who are rather ambiguous like John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Peter Sarsgaard, Jamie Lee Curtis, et al.

[Calvin]

Posted: 5/6/10 at 12:34pm

What about the Ian McKellens, John Gielguds and Nigel Hawthornes of the world? I guess they don't count because being British is kind of gay anyway.

[Dolly_Levi]

Posted: 5/6/10 at 12:34pm

Wait, Sean Wm. Scott is gay?

[LindaTNo1]

Posted: 5/6/10 at 2:36pm

Piraguy2

I agree with you on Sean Hayes. Example: Kelsey Grammer played Frasier Crane on Cheers and went on to the spin-off Frasier so when a person goes to see him perform in LaCage aux Folles, and they are not able to divorce their mindsets from his character of Frasier and his character in LaCage, then it would be a waste of money and time because the clear objectivity would be futile and a loss. Same goes for David Hyde Pierce too and many other Broadway stars who came from successful television shows and/or success on film.

This reporter seems to have issues so I don't take this article seriously at all.

Actors like Andy Griffith who had his successful comedy show and then later on with Matlock, Alan Alda in MASH and then The West Wing, among others who are versatile in their characters and show it in their work.

If a audience member/viewer cannot allow for openness in their mindsets to enjoy multi-characters in an actors career, then they will find themselves stuck in a rut, so to speak.

It is so great to see Sean Hayes displaying versatility in his character of Chuck and his role in The Bucket List (which BTW he was severely under-utilized).

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 5/6/10 at 5:16pm

Funny, I think Jon Groff plays straight a lot better than the likes of Zac Efron or Taylor Lautner, both of whom have had "girlfriends" and are therefore "straight." Just because Jon Groff has publicly said that he's gay doesn't make him any MORE gay than closeted guys.

[Calvin]

Posted: 5/6/10 at 5:17pm

I think Jim J. Bullock plays straight better than Taylor Lautner.

eta: wait, Andy Griffith is gay? Updated On: 5/6/10 at 05:17 PM

[Marceline]

Posted: 5/6/10 at 5:17pm

I've discovered that we & a handful of other people ever realize that Groff IS gay

I've been lurking this board for years and I'm delurking to say that I didn't know that Jonothan Groff was gay until right now, nor did I care. That writer is a tool.

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 5/6/10 at 6:39pm

As further proof of how incorrect this article is, I had no idea Victor Garber was gay until I read this thread. And he's always been convincing as straight, especially as the totally badass Spy-Daddy on Alias. Plus his two-season run on Eli Stone (and not many people can seem straight while randomly breaking into song!) or as the lecherous Professor Callahan. By the article's logic, we should have expected these characters to adopt a lisp and/or wear a skirt.

[shanna364]

Posted: 5/7/10 at 5:26pm

Nice Comment at the bottom by K. Chenoweth this afternoon


Kristin Chenoweth's comment on this article

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/7/10 at 5:42pm

'm so confused. Alan Alda, Andy Griffith and Sean William Scott are gay? Or just wishful thinking coupled with rumors, which is not the same thing.

[Plum]

Posted: 5/7/10 at 5:51pm

*facepalm* Newsweek has actually done some good work since the whole revamp thing last year. I can't believe they give this **** a forum. Really, editorial staff? Really?! Let's have a counter-column pondering why some people's conception of masculinity is so delicate that the slightest hint of Teh Gay can destroy it.

[BroadwayLuv]

Posted: 5/7/10 at 6:16pm

Everyone who's jumping all over this...just remember it if you make a fuss when a straight actor plays a gay role. Perhaps no poster here has done that, but I know I've heard plenty of complaints about, for ex., 'A Single Man' or 'Brokeback Mtn' from gay/gay-friendly people.

The problem with this story is that it's a trend piece based on only a couple of instances of the alleged trend. I don't think his examples were completely invalid, but he overlooks a whole bunch of gay-as-straight performances that were not problematic. He found a few examples of something and declared it a trend even though it's not.

I too felt Sean Hayes was holding back -- perhaps because he'd slip into "Jack-ness" if he got a bit more hysterical with his reactions? It's also occurred to me that Jonathan Groff's character may be faking his whole interest in Rachel on Glee. Perhaps he's a straight boy just using her to destroy the competition, or perhaps there's an additional layer to his deception: he's using her to destroy the competition AND he doesn't even like girls. Also, I often found T.R. Knight nauseatingly wussy/effeminate on Grey's Anatomy. Was that "gay"? Maybe. And, sorry, I never buy Nathan Lane as straight.

I don't agree with this reporter that gays are never convincing as straight, but I agree with many of the examples he chose to cite. It's the ones he doesn't cite that disprove his "theory."

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/7/10 at 7:35pm

The first problem with your post is that you're acting like straight people haven't been playing gay since gay people started appearing in movies. And I think 90% of the gay characters currently on television are played by straight people.

Also, you found TR Knight nauseatingly effeminate? Really? I agree on the wussiness, and he seems to be something of a pansy, but so effeminate that you were nauseaous? How do you even watch Glee, then? That's the most effeminate show on television.

Let's have a counter-column pondering why some people's conception of masculinity is so delicate that the slightest hint of Teh Gay can destroy it.

Plum, you sure said a mouthful. I spend my existence contemplating that.