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♦ ôecluded
O f his role in the new film Jeffrey (which is
based on the stage play about a gay man who falls
in love just as he is swearing off intimacy), actor
Steven Weber declares: “If anybody is uptight
about this movie, I think they have a problem.”
Ironically, Weber took that stand on Entertain
ment Tonight, where host John Tesh has been
more than a little uptight about gays lately.
On the Aug. 2 broadcast of ET, Tesh intro
duced a segment on Jeffrey by noting: “Steven
♦ Qjiiet
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REPORT HOMOPHOBIC VIOLENCE
Weber is constantly looking for love on the NBC
series Wings, and he finds it in the new movie
Jeffrey." Pausing gravely, Tesh then intoned:
“But you’ re in for a shock when you see who’s on
the other end of Steven’s big movie kiss.” ET
showed the kiss in slow-motion (though it was
unclear if the effect was intended to heighten or
dampen the “shock”).
J
|BAIMK.
l“ r
PROUDLY PRESENTS
P ortland O pera ’ s
1995-1996 S eason
STILL TIME TO SUBSCRIBE! BUT HURRY!
G. Puccini’s breathtaking
T urandot
On Sale
Nov»’-
September 23, 25, 27, 30, 1995
exploits of the cast.
In one national survey of young men 15 to 19
years of age, 89 percent said that sex between two
men is “disgusting” and only 12 percent “felt
confident that they could befriend a gay person.”
Television’s silence not only fails to challenge
such homophobia, but actively supports it.
Encourage NBC to finally “mention” homo
sexuality on Saved by the Bell', remind the net
work how important it is to regularly include
lesbian, gay and bisexual characters in program
ming for children and young adults. Contact Saved
by the Bell, 3000 W Alameda, Studio 9, Burbank,
CA 91523, (818)840-2250; and NBC Viewer
Services, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY
10112, (212) 664-3370.
W elcome A board
The Crew is a new situation comedy broadcast
by the Fox television network. The series is based
around the lives of four airline flight attendants,
one of whom is gay.
The Crew is the creation of producer-writers
(and real-life gay couple) Marc Cherry and Jamie
Whooten. “Jaime and I have a vested interest in
making sure this is a very positive portrayal,”
Cherry said of the sho w ’ s gay character. Speaking
to a group of television critics, Cherry added:
“W e’re very thankful for the network to let us
have this voice, because it’s not a voice that you
see on every show.” He reminded the audience
that “you can’t deny the existence of gay people
throughout this country.. .people who have a dis
tinct comedy voice and should be heard.”
Actor David Burke plays “Paul,” the gay mem
ber of The Crew. Cherry and Whooten previously
wrote for The Golden Girls, where they were
responsible for creating another queer character,
Blanche’s gay brother. According to Whooten,
homophobic organizations like the American
Family Association “came after us big time” over
that portrayal. “They went after the advertisers.
They did the whole thing,” he said.
Support can be sent to: Marc Cherry and Jaime
Whooten, The Crew, d o Fox Broadcasting, PO
Box 900, Beverly Hills, CA 90213; and Chase
Carey, President, Fox Broadcasting, at the same
ad d ress,
(310) 277-2211,
e-m ail:
foxnet@delphi.com.
R. Strauss’s sumptuous
I n S hort
D er R osenkavalier
November 4, 6, 8, 11, 1995
Steven Weber
S. Sondheim’s musical thriller
S weeney T odd
February 17, 19,21,24, 1996
L. Janacek’s riveting
J enufa
March 30, April 1, 3, 6, 1996
W. A. Mozart’s enchanting
T he M arriage of F igaro
May 18, 20, 22, 25, 1996
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Fortunately, E T did allow Weber himself to
celebrate Jeffrey as a film that “extols love and
living.” Viewing the chance to play a gay man as
a professional opportunity, Weber said: “I’m just
an average hetero idiot male, and it was an inter
esting excursion into trying something different.”
He concluded: “A kiss is really just a kiss.”
Send constructive criticism to John Tesh, En
tertainment Tonight, 5555 Melrose Ave., Holly
w ood, CA 900 3 8 , (2 1 3 ) 9 5 6 -4 9 0 0 , fax:
(213)956-4954. Support for Jeffrey should be
directed to Len White, CEO, Orion Pictures, 1888
Century Park East, Los Angeles, CA 90067,
(310) 282-0550.
F or W hom the B ell T olls
Lea Delaria— the out and proud lesbian
comic— recently taped an episode of Saved by the
Bell, the popular NBC-produced series that tar
gets young viewers. Delaria will appear as “Miss
Hearst,” a hard-edged high school teacher. Ac
cording to an NBC spokesperson, however. Miss
Hearst’s sexual orientation “is never mentioned.”
Apparently, there is a “don’t ask. don’t tell”
policy in force at Bayside High, the fictional
school that provides the setting for Saved by the
Bell. And just like the U.S. military, Bayside
adheres to a firm double-standard.
Scripts for the show constantly mention the
heterosexual orientation of the program’s charac
ters. In fact, since its inception, the series has
focused on little more than the “boy meets girl”
A classroom poster depicting famous lesbian,
gay and bisexual people and events throughout
history is available from Project 21: A Lesbian/
Gay/Bisexual Coalition for Curriculum Advo
cacy. For details, contact Kristy Billuni, Project
21 Poster, 1360 Mission St., Suite 200, San Fran
cisco , CA 94103, (415) 8 61-3021, fax:
(415) 861-4893, e-mail: gladdp21 @aol.com.
Shelf Help: “Hollywood’s greatest secret” is
the subject of The Sewing Circle: Female Stars
Who Loved Other Women, a new book authored
by Axel Madsen and published by Carol Publish
ing Group (1995; $22.50).
Pink on Blue: Alan Bush, writing for USA
Today (Aug. 8), reports that actor Bill Brochtrup,
who plays the role of a gay secretary on NYPD
Blue, will be returning next season. According to
Bush: “Now, Brochtrup, 31, is ready for even
more air time. Having sparked more fan mail
during his six-episode stint than any other charac
ter on the show, he’s slated to be a recurring
character....” Only this May, USA Today was
reporting that the character’s future was in serious
doubt. Keep those (obviously effective!) cards
and letters coming. Contact Steven Boccho and
David Milch, Executive Producers, NYPD Blue,
Steven Boccho Productions, 10201 W PicoBlvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90035; and Ted Harbert, Presi
dent, ABC Entertainment, 2040 Avenue of the
S tars, Los A ngeles, CA 90067, fax:
(310) 557-7170, e-mail: abcaudr@ccabc.com.
Written by A l Kielwasser o f the Gay and
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, San
Francisco Bay Area chapter.