Adam Lambert - a concert at the Nokia Theater on Tuesday

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I feel like I am a 17 years old school boy... hahaha.

Lafayette & Jesus (True Blood S3E2)

A blog from The Gays Of Daytime

I'd like to put a blog from The Gays Of Daytime. The original blog is here.

"Danny finds it hard to kiss a boy = Danny Miller is the biggest homophobic bastard asshole who ever roamed this planet and how dare he say this, as a professional actor?"

Much has been made out of a quote from an interview Gay Times had with Danny Miller and Marc Silcock. And as is done so very often, this quote was repeated - including on this website - without providing proper context.

So, we're filling in the holes for you:

Directly from the magazine:
[Opening paragraph]: "It was never going to be easy. You're young actors, playing what you hope will be perceived as a hard-hitting but realistic interpretation of gay life in a Yorkshire village. Then suddenly you've got people getting a little bit obsessed with you, or worse, shouting abuse. So a little trepidation is understandable as Danny Miller and Marc Silcock undertake their first photoshoot together. [...] As well as appearing on the cover of Britain's longest running gay mag - a big enough deal for two straight lads- they're getting ready to shoot their first proper kiss the following day."

What's the reaction been from the public? I heard you'd had people shouting at you?
Danny: You do obviously unfortunately, being in a soap, get the people who can't separate the soap from real life. You have had unfortunate homophobic comments, and that is quite sad because you think from a heterosexual's point of view, "What does it matter to you, if I was gay in real life? What's it got to do with you, it's none of your business." And I think it's given me more perspective to understand how gay men and gay women feel when that kind of thing is shouted at them. But other than that - that's the negative stuff - it's been really positive and everyone's been singing the praises of the storyline.

I know that you're doing a scene tomorrow where you two get together. Is that difficult, given that you both have girlfriends in real life?
D: I don't.

And now comes THE question that led to what has been perceived as a controversial answer from Danny, who is 19- and even though not new to acting, certainly new to the high-profile, on-the-cover-of-a-magazine, take-your-shirt-off-hottie media frenzy that's been going on since the storyline started on EMMERDALE:
How do you prepare for a scene like that? Personally, and not meaning any offence, I wouldn't want to kiss a girl so it must be slightly difficult to have to do something like that? (Editor: You would call me crazy if I went on a big rant now, calling the interviewer misogynistic, wouldn't you? And you'd be right. So what exactly is wrong with the responses that now follow?)
Danny: Yeah, it is, obviously. it's difficult because you're kissing the same sex and you know, you're not attracted to them, you're not a homosexual and you're not attracted to them in that way. So it is hard, yeah, but you realise it's not real, so, it's all for TV and you've got to get on with it.
Marc: For the first time we just had a chat about it. And we had a chat about tomorrow as well. It's just a case, like Danny was saying, it is difficult to kiss a member of the same sex because you're not attracted to them. But you know, it's got to be done. But the only way we can do it is the way we find most comfortable. So the only way of doing that is to sit down and have a chat and just try and make it look as real as possible, we don't want it to just look like it's two straight blokes kissing each other. We want to make it look like it's as real as possible, whilst getting over the difficulties that there are involved in it.


After talking about having their pictures taken involuntarily by people just walking up with their mobile phones (ANNOYING and IRRITATING - they're both human beings, just ASK them), the interview then trails off to have Danny talk at great length about his love for Cheryl Cole (professed before in other interviews) and giving nothing away about what will happen to the characters, minus that their personalities won't change.

See? Much ado about, ultimately, nothing.

I would like to thank to The Gay of Daytime.
When I read some negative reactions to Digital Spy article, I felt sorry for them. They are young and new actors. Let them be themselves.
I think the difficulties are same as actors play roles that they are very different form themselves, but I agree with a point of view that some people pointed out. Most of time, interviewers don't ask gay actors about kissing girls but they do ask straight actors about kissing boys.

Interview: Danny Miller & Marc Silcock

Danny Miller: 'Kissing a boy is hard'
Wednesday, June 16 2010, 18:13 BST By Paul Millar

Emmerdale actor Danny Miller has admitted that he can find it difficult to play his homosexual on-screen persona.

Speaking to Gay Times, the 19-year-old actor was asked about his relationship with his alter ego Aaron Livesy's love interest Jackson Walsh (Marc Silcock).

Miller said: "It's difficult because you're kissing the same sex and you know you're not attracted to them, you're not a homosexual and you're not attracted to them in that way. So it is hard, yeah."

Silcock added: "But you know, it's got to be done. So the only way of doing that is to sit down and have a chat and just try to make it look as real as possible.

"We don't want it to just look like two straight blokes kissing each other. We want to make it look as real as possible, while getting over the difficulties that are involved in it."
[Source]


Marc Silcock (Jackson Walsh, 'Emmerdale')
Tuesday, June 8 2010, 00:02 BST By Kris Green, Soaps Editor

Earlier this year, former Hollyoaks actor Marc Silcock joined Emmerdale as Jackson Walsh, a new love interest for sexually confused teen Aaron Livesy (Danny Miller). Having met Jackson in a gay bar, Aaron took a keen interest and the pair eventually shared a kiss outside a club, witnessed by Adam Barton (Adam Thomas). Aaron and Jackson's friendship, however, took a turn for the worse when Aaron punched him in The Woolpack - presumed by locals to be a homophobic attack. Aaron's case reached court and with Jackson sat in the public gallery, Aaron seized the opportunity to publicly come clean about his sexuality. Here, we chat to Marc about Aaron and Jackson's future, Pauline Quirke and Emmerdale's rejuvenation.

What are your thoughts on the reaction to the Aaron and Jackson storyline?
"It's been unbelievable the amount of people that have been in contact with myself and Danny throughout the storyline. We set out to make a point and showcase the issues that we have been. Personally, I never expected it to be as big as it's become. It's a massive weight off our shoulders to know that people in the same situation are relating to the characters. It's been fantastic."

Do you think Aaron and Jackson are meant to be together?
"There are points where it looks like they're the perfect couple but on the other hand, there are underlying problems with both characters, especially Aaron. It'd be difficult for them to be together forever - it's probably be too much of a fairytale for Aaron to settle down with his first ever boyfriend. They'll be together for a while, but it'd be Disneyland to think that they'll end up as 40-year-old blokes getting married and adopting kids."

Are you excited about Pauline Quirke joining?
"Pauline's such a fantastic actress - I'm so excited that I'm going to be working with her. It'll be great to know a little more about Jackson's family!"

What's it like working with Danny?
"When he's out of work, he's one of the funniest guys but when he's at work, he's so focussed on every single scene. It's scary sometimes having to work with him because you know that at no point there'll be any let-up! He knows exactly where his character is from the scene before, what time it was… It's fantastic, though, because it makes me want to work harder!"

Were the kissing scenes awkward to start with?
"Danny and I sat down and had a quick chat about it beforehand. We're not going to lie and say that it's not difficult for two straight guys to kiss each other, because it was difficult and a bit awkward. But it's only as uncomfortable as you make it, so we had a chat, decided what we were comfortable with and just got on with it. We're not going to start doing it in our spare time!"

Do you think Danny deserved to pick up something from the Soap Awards?
"Don't even get me started on the Soap Awards! It's the way the voting goes, though. Danny apparently had the problem of coming second in a lot of categories. The stuff he filmed with Dominic Brunt was incredible. I do think it was wrong that he didn't get anything, but there's always next year. It's brought the whole cast together and it's made us all want to work that bit harder so we don't go through the same thing next year."

Aaron turns to Jackson during next week's episodes and confides that he's being bullied at community payback…
"The relationship between Aaron and Jackson's still a bit frosty since Aaron attacked him. Now Jackson's working in the village, they're trying to make it a little easier for each other to get along. Aaron 'lets slip' that someone is bullying him at his community service for being gay. Jackson's quite dismissive of him, though."

What happens when Jackson sees Aaron about to be attacked by Wayne?
"The bully, Wayne, follows Aaron back to the village and Jackson sees their altercation - Wayne's actually threatening him with a spanner! Jackson eventually goes over to help Aaron and sort Wayne out. Jackson knows that if Aaron gets into another incident, he'll be sent to prison. Wayne eventually skulks off and that's the key turning point in the thawing of Aaron and Jackson's relationship. As soon as you see it, you see that Jackson really does like Aaron."

What happened after that?
"They end up going to the pub and talk turns to Aaron's suicide attempt. It's the first time Aaron's opened up about it and Jackson just wants to understand why. At this point, you actually start to see that Jackson wants a relationship with Aaron because it seems like he's finally coming to terms with his sexuality. From that, they take the next step and end up back at Smithy where they have their first passionate kiss. It all leads from there."

Aaron and Jackson become involved in Holly's drug story, don't they?
"Yeah, they do. With Aaron comes Jackson and they get trapped by the whole situation and have to start keeping secrets from everyone else. But where that leads I actually don't know."
[Source]

MAKING THE ALBUM - Episode 7

Kevin Alejandro - AfterElton Interview

One of my favourite actors, Kevin Alejandro. Especially when he speaks Spanish, it makes me....
Here is an interview by Michael Jensen who is the chief, I suppose, editor of AfterElton. Original article is here.

Kevin Alejandro Played Gay So Many Times, We Had no Choice but to Interview Him
by Michael Jensen, Editor
June 10, 2010

We’re starting to think actor Kevin Alejandro is stalking us. Yes, the 34-year-old Texas native is straight, married to a woman and has a child, but the actor can’t seem to stop taking roles that simply compel us to write about him.
First he was on Big Love as a gay hustler, then he played Justin’s dad on Ugly Betty which included a wonderful scene where he stood up on a subway full of people to defend his “theatrical” son. Alejandro followed that up by starring in Southland which attracted our notice due to the presence of gay cop John Cooper, then next played a gay part on the reboot of Melrose Place, and now he has joined the cast of True Blood as the love interest for Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis).
Finally we had no choice but to cry “Uncle!” and do an interview with Kevin about his role as Jesus on True Blood and much more about this handsome and fascinating man.
AE: What was the casting process like for Jesus on True Blood?
KA: It was a pretty long one, actually. I probably went to four or five auditions here and there, and then finally the deciding audition, where they have what's called the chemistry read. It was down to four or five people, and they had us all come in there and read one at a time with Nelsan to see where the chemistry lay and who had it. You know, who fit with him. And I guess that was me.
AE: What sort of scene did they have you read for the chemistry test?
KA: It was a scene they made up and it was just sort of how we meet each other, like we met at a bar or something like that, and it was sort of flirty. You know, how can you flirt and to see what's real and not go over the top and that kind of thing. I can't remember the scene exactly, but we were playing darts in a bar … sort of back and forth, sort of chit-chat and sort of talking smack to each other. But in a flirty way, you know.
AE: Who were you up against for the part?
KA: They were really good about allotting a specific time so we wouldn't come and see who else ... there were a handful of us, though. So I didn't really see who I was up against which I like better, because I don't like to be intimidated.
AE: What can you tell us about Jesus?
KA: I can tell you pretty much what you already know, man. I am the love interest to Lafayette and we meet because I'm taking care of his mother in sort of a hospital. There's a strong connection between Jesus and Lafayette and all of that sort of unfolds throughout the season.

Nelsan Ellis as Lafayette and Alejandro as Jesus
in a scene from the upcoming season of True Blood.

AE: I know that the show is pretty tightlipped on what's going to happen, but can you tell me, was it love at first sight between Jesus and Lafayette?
KA: There's definitely a connection at first sight. You'll understand later why I say that. It's kind of one of those things where they explore throughout each episode. You see a lot unfold. You see it that way.
AE: Is Jesus an out gay guy, or is this something he discovers about himself? Can you say anything about that?
KA: I can't really tell you much about that. Sorry!
AE: Hey, I'm a journalist, I gotta try. Maybe you can't answer this question either, but again, True Blood can be pretty hot and heavy. Do the two of you end up kissing or having a romantic scene at some point?
KA: You are just gonna have to watch. Just remember: it's True Blood.
AE: Speaking of which, True Blood is known for being a rather erotic show and for getting its actors naked pretty frequently. Ryan Kwanten recently joked that he was going to be leaving the nudity up to the other actors this season. So I'm curious if you've been hitting the gym just in case.
KA: Oh dude, everybody on this show is hitting the gym. Because there's always that, “Oh man, it's gonna come, it's True Blood, it's coming. It's coming, it's coming!” So yeah, man, I've been going through some pretty hardcore exercising lately. But it's good, though, because I do it in general, but I had to step up my game a lot more especially being in a freaking show with a guy like Ryan, who looks like he was built by a woman.
AE: His body's kind of scary, isn't it?
KA: Yeah, it's ridiculous! I don't want to be in a scene with him with my shirt off.

AE: Despite your leading man looks, you’ve played a wide variety of parts. When you pick roles, are you purposefully going for this really wide range? You're certainly not getting typecast.
KA: A really good buddy of mine is my manager, and we really do kind of go through and see what the next step is. Like when True Blood came along, because Southland was still in the middle of, you know, trying to figure out what's going on … we both sat there and really thought about it: "You know, this would be a really good move...". So we do, man, we sit around and talk about, you know, what the next step is for us to take ... and so far, knock on wood, I feel like it's been working pretty well.

Alejandro as a gay hustler on Big Love

AE: What appealed to you and your manager about playing Jesus?
KA: Well, the fact that I hadn't done that yet. You know, you see a little hint here and there, you know, like in Melrose Place, there's a hint of gay. You know, with the hustler there was a different kind of ... like, an edgier guy. I'm not trying to give too much away about my True Blood character, but it was just different.
And all these actors are so great and to play opposite of Nelsan was a really big factor in our decision as well because he's such a solid actor. And that's what I love to do, I love to work with good people and it's just the whole formula. Alan Ball, being part of his company, his name has class and I want to be part of projects that are that way. So there's a whole lot of things that went into it, into the decision.
There's so much that happens to Jesus and there's a really nice arc that this character goes through. It's one of my most challenging roles. You'll see why, once it starts coming out. We'll do another one of these and you'll be, like, "Ah! I get it!"
AE: But part of the appeal was that it was a gay character?
KA: Yeah, because it's different. It was part of the appeal because I'm going straight from family man with kids, playing a detective in gang territory on Southland. We thought it would be a really nice balance and challenge to go from that to Jesus.

Alejandro as Justin's supportive dad Santos on Ugly Betty

AE: How many episodes have you done for True Blood so far?
KA: I was just trying to figure that out this morning. I think I've done ... I'm on episode eleven right now, so I think I've done nine episodes.
AE: So we see a fair bit of Jesus in the series.
KA: Oh yeah yeah, definitely.
AE: What was it like to work with Alfre Woodard and Nelsan?
KA: It's so great, dude, you know? I learn a lot working with Nelsan. And Alfre, the character she plays is great, and she has the opportunity to just sort of go someplace else that's completely not part of who Alfre is. You really see her focusing and really getting into what she's trying to create. It's a really fun, sort of crazy character.
I think the three of us make a really good team. 0

AE: True Blood is obviously a very zeitgeist-y show. What it's like to step onto a show that's got that much buzz about it?
KA: Actually, it's very intimidating. You go through, you do your thing, and you do the best you can and you get the role and it's exciting. And you know, for me it was the first day at the table read ? I was like, "Phew. Okay, now I have to prove to these people that I didn't just do a fluke audition."
You come in and you listen to all these great characters ? I mean, everyone on the show is a character actor ? they're so good at creating these people. It's quite a bit intimidating. I hope I can live up to it.
Then I have to force myself to get over it, like dude, get out of your head. You know, play with these people. That's the whole thing is I had to let myself go enough to be able to go toe to toe with these people, because they're not thinking about that. So yeah, very intimidating, but it's also a driving force to make me want to do better.
AE: A show like True Blood is so intense, I'm curious what the set is like. Is it a loose set and people have a lot of fun or is it pretty serious given the subject matter?
KA: To do a show like True Blood, you have to have a good time. Sometimes the hours are long and the weather's not right and schedules are changing here and there. It's one of the coolest groups of people I've had the opportunity to be part of. We play jokes on each other, we laugh, but when it comes down to it, we get it done. When we have to be serious we are serious. It's a pretty good balance of people and humor and everything.
AE: You recently appeared as part of Cyndi Lauper's Give a Damn campaign and I'm of curious how that came about.
KA: I was actually asked if I would do it and without a second thought I said absolutely. It sort of just came up. You know, I have a lot of gay friends and people who deal with these kind of issues, and so it's very close to my life and part of the world that I'm in. I was so honored that I could be part of something like that.
AE: As I mentioned before, you're a handsome man and your profile is going to go up considerably with this show. Are you prepared to be even more of a sex symbol? You’re going to get a lot of new gay fans.
KA: You know, I don't really think of it that way, but I'm prepared for anything that comes my way. I'm flattered by that kind of stuff. I'm just doing what I'm doing. You know ... it's such a hard question. I don't know about being a sex symbol, but we all like flattery.
AE: One last question and I'll let you go. You were on one of my favorite shows last year, Southland, and I'm curious about your status. Is Nate going to be back when the show comes back?
KA: Nate will be back when the show comes back. Yeah, he will. I read somewhere the other day that John Wells took a meeting and announced that I would be coming back. Because on True Blood I started out as a recurring and I got bumped up to a series regular...
AE: Oh, I didn't know that. Congratulations.
KA: Oh, thank you. So we're going to work something out where I'm going to be able to sort of float back and forth, you know, if all goes well by the end of this season.

Alejandro as Det. Nate Moretta on Southland

AE: Any other projects you have coming up?
KA: I'm just really hyped and excited for the premiere of True Blood. There's a movie called The Legend of Hell's Gate that people can look out for that a buddy of mine did. It's a western that a bunch of friends of mine and I did together. It's starting to get a little bit of hype.
True Blood returns Sunday, June 13th at 9 PM on HBO.

White Collar - Screeing Room Interview

original

French McDonald's ad with subtitles

Thank to The GAYS OF DAYTIME, he lets us know about a clip on YouTube with English subtitles. Here it is.

White Collar - USA Network promo