Ryan Phillippe and the "gay look"

[Rick Munroe]

The Tony-winning author of "Avenue Q" once again addresses Jay Leno's fag jokes.

 

http://www.whitless.com/

[ariadne1880]

To me, there is nothing less "funny" these days than the endless jokes on late night TV about John McCain's age. If it isn't appropriate (and none of them do it) to make jokes about Hillary Clinton's gender or Barack Obama's race then it isn't funny or appropriate to make jokes about John McCain's age.

 

Age, gender, sexuality, race. All the same. Why is it OK to make fun of old people but not blacks or women or gays?

 

Mark

[Guest EuropTravl]

<I've gotta ask: would you ask a guest to make their "blackest face?" Their "Jewiest face?">

 

I thought the first half of the letter was excellent. The last part was not.

 

Stonehill/Stonewall. OMG, he should be shot.

[JamesK840]

Except that it is the definition of racism or sexism to see that attribute as a handicap, whereas advanced age has a real potential to be.

 

There's two choices: McCain's blurring the line between Sunni and Shia because he really is Bush's protégé, or he's doing it because he can't remember that (much like Saddam Hussein) Iran will have nothing to do with Al Queda's brand of religious extremism and the *only* way a 'foreign policy maven' could forget that fact is senility.

[+ Lucky]

Ryan deserves credit for standing up to Leno on national television and refusing to give in to Leno's stupid request.

[Rick Munroe]

>Ryan deserves credit for standing up to Leno on national

>television and refusing to give in to Leno's stupid request.

 

Yeah, true, but he didn't want to do it because it would be humiliating, not because Jay was being homophobic.

[ariadne1880]

We are not talking about a serious discussion of Mr. McCain's age. We are talking about making jokes about Mr. McCain's age. That's no different than making fun of Mr. Obama's race or Mrs. Clinton's gender.

 

They are two completely different things. If we want to have a serious discussion about his age, fine. If one wants to have a serious discussion about race or gender, fine. But to make fun of his age while refusing to do the same about their race or gender?

 

That's unfair and it's wrong. IMHO.

 

Mark

[ariadne1880]

Whenever people make comments about Christians or trailer park trash or poor white folks I always say substitute Jewish for Christian or black for white and see if anyone still thinks it's funny. It's not. And it's not funny when it's gay or white or yellow or female.

 

Of course, transgender stuff is ALWAYS funny.

 

Mark

[+ Lucky]

So now you can read his mind?

[Rick Munroe]

He said, "Wow. That is so something I don't want to do. Are you just going to embarrass me tonight, or --"

 

He didn't want to make a "gay face" because it would be embarrassing, not because he thought it was an offensive thing for Jay to say. No mind reading necessary.

[+ Lucky]

I saw the whole interview and I respectfully disagree with your interpretation.

[Rick Munroe]

As Mark said below, if Jay had asked Ryan to "act black" or "make an Asian face," and Ryan had said that doing so would be embarrassing (but not offensive to blacks or Asians), I think your interpretation might be a little different. Look beyond the cuteness, Lucky...

[+ Lucky]

I find your last remark offensive, and here I was trying to respectfully disagree with you. You have no better idea what Ryan was thinking than anyone else. If we "looked beyond the cuteness" we would have to ignore the majority of your silly Barbie doll posts.

[Rick Munroe]

Ouch.

 

Speaking of Barbie dolls, the new Holy Grail of celebrity dolls is Ethel Mertz as Santa Claus. It currently goes for over $1000 on eBay. There's nothing silly about that (scary, yes, but not silly). :o

 

http://www.barbiecollector.com/images/showcase/products/M2604_9993_main.jpg

[Guest EuropTravl]

Number 1, that looks like Lucy and not Ethel.

 

Number 2, I watched the Leno/Phillipe thing and think Ryan should be given credit for obviously (to me) not wanting to play along with Leno for other reasons than purely selfish. Ryan was being serious about how the first gay teen in soaps might have been a breakthrough and it was a serious sub-plot, not silly - and here Jay comes in with "Oh I bet your mom -poor thing- my son's the GAY one!--" (Leno giggles here) - and Ryan turned it serious again then Jay does the "gayface" thing. I don't thing Ryan was laughing along, but REALLY trying to get Leno's foot out of Leno's mouth, and to MOVE ON, in a "Tonight Show" fashion, without drama.

 

Anyway, people going on about "gay face". Wasn't Leno assuming it was so funny - Ryan's mom watching her favorite soap and her son is on and...oh no...he's the GAY GUY! - not as bad if not worse?

[Rick Munroe]

OK, I see your point; I'll give the kid a break. As for the doll, that is definitely supposed to be Ethel. Here is the Lucy Ricardo as Santa version:

 

http://www.barbiecollector.com/images/showcase/products/K4558_9993_main.jpg

 

(It's all in the eyes...)

[Rick Munroe]

>Anyway, people going on about "gay face". Wasn't

>Leno assuming it was so funny - Ryan's mom watching her

>favorite soap and her son is on and...oh no...he's the GAY

>GUY! - not as bad if not worse?

 

Yeah, you're absolutely right; the whole thing was just really ugly.

[Guest EuropTravl]

The only time I remember Ethel Mertz in heavy eyeliner and red black lipstick is when she appeared in the door frame in a strapless leopard skin dress with a brass ring around her bicep after going to Miss Phoebe Emerson's Charm School. (Fred: "Who's that? What's that!?")

Now I'd pay for that doll. The "Ethel Mertz as Santa" is just a Lucy head, sorry.

[Rick Munroe]

Update

 

Update: Jay apologizes!

 

http://www.glaad.org/media/eotm_detail.php?id=4300

[Guest zipperzone]

RE: Update

 

>Update: Jay apologizes!

>

>http://www.glaad.org/media/eotm_detail.php?id=4300

 

Rick: Don't you EVER go to bed? It must be almost 4 a.m. there!

[Guest PWIT]

RE: Update

 

>Update: Jay apologizes!

 

Does an apology on April 1st count?

[Rick Munroe]

RE: Update

 

>Rick: Don't you EVER go to bed? It must be almost 4 a.m.

>there!

 

Ever since I was hired by Barnabas Collins for an overnight appointment, I seem to be awake at night and asleep during the day. I'm not sure why...

[Rick Munroe]

RE: Update

 

Touché. :+

[a_nice_guy]

RE: Update

 

>>Rick: Don't you EVER go to bed? It must be almost 4

>a.m.

>>there!

>

>Ever since I was hired by Barnabas Collins for an overnight

>appointment, I seem to be awake at night and asleep during the

>day. I'm not sure why...

 

Rick,

 

Barnabas, eh? Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long, long time. In fact, I didn't make the connection until I read your post a second time...LOL.

 

I'm sure "Dark Shadows" outdates you, Rick--do you get the show on a cable network? I've never noticed it in syndication.

 

Note: sorry, guys, if this gets posted to the forum twice--I posted once and it didn't show up, so I'm trying again...

 

Gregg

[Rick Munroe]

RE: Update

 

It's almost (with just a few box sets left to be released) ALL on DVD. That's 1,225 episodes, 40 per box. We discovered it for the first time in the 90's, when it was rebroadcast on the SciFi channel. And now we have the DVD's. A real camp classic with really good (over the top) acting.