Seriously Dude, I'm Gay!

TCamen

HOLLYWOOD (Zap2it.com)

In "Seriously, Dude," the FOX network says the "current pop culture craze for all things gay is taken to an outrageously satirical extreme" by giving two straight "guy's guys" a crash course in gay culture and setting them off on a series of challenges.
(At least that's what the original press release said, along with the opening line "It's a heterosexual male's worst nightmare: Turning gay overnight." The network sent out an amended version of the announcement a couple hours later, apologizing for its "failed attempt at humor [that] was ill-chosen and inappropriate.")

Those include coming out to friends and family and going on a blind date with another man. The winner gets $50,000.

Each contestant will move into a separate loft in West Hollywood with three gay roommates, who will presumably teach the straight men how not to be straight. A panel of judges -- "made up of gay men from all walks of life," FOX notes -- will award the prize to the guy it believes did the most convincing job.

Amanda Byram ("The Swan," "Paradise Hotel") will serve as host for the two-hour special.

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Makes me think of the episodes of 'My New Best Friend' on C4/E4 when the guy had to tell all his friends and family that he was gay. Could be funny or very very cringy.
Don't ya just love reality game shows

Oh, and what FOX exec is Amanda Byram screwing?!

monkeymagic

Sounds great and not at all stereotyping of gay guys. So do you have to act liek Julian Clarey to win?

ixoy

It sounds highly intelligent. I commend the makers of this show for clearly outlining to us once more that gay men always act very differently to straight men. Clearly this show is going to bring us greater understanding of all things homosexual. I look forward to viewing it soon so I too can learn to be a better homosexual.

Stark

"Each contestant will move into a separate loft in West Hollywood with three gay roommates, who will sexually harrass him day and night"

BuffyBot

"Dear Program Makers,

I am a dour and humourless homosexual. Stop making programs which portray us as funny, non-melodrama filled human beings instead of the agonised closet cases/assault victims/HIV sufferers/bed-hopping/drug taking/ABBA liking stereotypes we so often appear on television as.

Please be a aware that as a agonised closet case/assault victim/HIV sufferer/bed-hopping/drug taking/ABBA liking homosexual, I find this selfish need to portray happy, adjusted gay men as being like this on national television disgraceful.
Please return to the dour and humourless programming I love so much.

Disgusted of Narnia"

or - the condensed version:

No matter what way gay people are portrayed on TV, someone isn't happy. *sigh*

ixoy

Originally posted by BuffyBot
No matter what way gay people are portrayed on TV, someone isn't happy. *sigh*

The problem is there's generally only two ways: the AIDs suffer/closeted one and the happy-go-lucky camp variety who loves to share fashion tips. Whilst the latter is a preferable change, I'd still like to see a greater variety too. I think the likes of Keith and David from "Six Feet Under" are closer to what I want to see - nice amounts of depth and so forth. Also this is a FOX production, the television arm of right-wing conservatism, so I'm curious to see how they handle it.

alleepally

Originally posted by ixoy
The problem is there's generally only two ways: the AIDs suffer/closeted one and the happy-go-lucky camp variety who loves to share fashion tips. Whilst the latter is a preferable change, I'd still like to see a greater variety too. I think the likes of Keith and David from "Six Feet Under" are closer to what I want to see - nice amounts of depth and so forth. Also this is a FOX production, the television arm of right-wing conservatism, so I'm curious to see how they handle it.

I guess it's a case of different programmes for different target audiences? Light entertainment with low production values V comedy drama with high production values.

ixoy

Originally posted by alleepally
I guess it's a case of different programmes for different target audiences? Light entertainment with low production values V comedy drama with high production values.

That's a fair point. I guess it's a somewhat philosophical point that I have (and I'm venturing off here a bit), in that the guys in these shows, their characters, are often defined entirely by their sexuality. He's the "gay one". As if their sexuality is the singular most important element of their life, and the ones by which they measure themselves. Whereas I'd rather see characters who are gay, as well as being many other things, where their sexuality - as either a focus of repression/trauma/camp comedy - isn't all there is to say about them. The only people really doing it well in US TV are the wonderful folks at HBO - Omar from "The Wire" being another excellent choice.

Stark

That's American TV for you. You have the jock, the queer, the bitch, the nerd etc. The poor ****ers actually think Fair City is quality viewing they're so used to blatant stereotypes in their own programming.

David from Six Feet Under is another great example of a gay character done well. Keith is good as well, although he's a bit too butch.

TCamen

FOX has scrapped plans to air Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay, a reality show where two straight guys would compete for $50,000 by pretending to be gay.

The show was plunged into controversy from the outset, when the FOX publicity department issued a press release containing various attempts at humour that didn't quite work. FOX later re-issued the release and apologised for the "inappropriate" content contained within.

FOX then showed the Gay and Lesiban Alliance Against Defamation a preview of the show. GLAAD's executive director, Joan Garry, and the organisation's executive media director, Stephen Macias, said that the show was "an exercise in systematic humiliation." According to GLAAD, the show featured contestants "referring to the experience as their 'worst nightmare' and complaining that they were 'trapped in gay hell'." As if it were possible, the show even went downhill from there, with one contestant having to "fork-feed dinner to a blind date, get the man to spank him and fool him into securing a second date."

Given the content of the show, GLAAD requested a meeting with FOX executives. A few hours after the meeting had been scheduled, FOX pulled the show from the network's schedule.

Garry said: "Fox deserves a lot of credit for doing the right thing here. They offered us an advance copy of the show and were incredibly responsive to our grave concerns. They worked with us to schedule a meeting and preempted that meeting with a decision to shelve the show."

GLAAD also revealed that FOX is organising a meeting to discuss the network's on-air representations of the LGBT community.