FIRST LOOK at Kerry Washington as Anita Hill in the HBO film Confirmation

New TV Project presents a Black Gay lead character

A new series in development at HBO. The producer of Dear White People, Lena Waithe, Redtails director Anthony Hemingway, and TV writer Ben Jones has created, BROS (It was called Bros before Hos)a story about a gay black man and his brothers.

This story is also a page from Ben's real life. Here's what he had to say about the concept

Bros Before Hos isn’t a black story or a gay story – it’s a family story about three brothers, who happen to be black, and one who happens to be gay. I do have a particular interest in stories about the black male experience because I want to tell stories that reflect how I walk through the world. There seem to be more stories that deal with the interior lives of black women, but it’s hard to find stories that deal with the interior lives of black men. We’re either thugs or athletes, but there’s so much more to who we are that falls in between that spectrum. It’s ironic that in 2014, and even with a black president, one of the hardest things to be in this country right now is a young black man. So, yes, I am voracious about presenting images of black men that reflect our everyday humanity. Plus, I went to Morehouse, and I don’t want them to take back my degree if I’m not moving the needle forward.

Here's a sneak peak of the pilot

New Trailer: The War Against Gays In Russia

Question of the Day

Are you going to watch The Normal Heart tonight?

The Comeback is coming Back to HBO

I'm so excited!

HBO confirms that the short-lived comedy, The Comeback, will be back this fall with six episodes.

If you don't know, The Comeback was a series starring Lisa Kudrow as D-list TV star Valerie Cherish trying to make a career comeback while filming a reality show. If was so good and so funny. I loved the Hell out of it!

Lisa said:

“It was almost too fun to play Valerie Cherish the first time around. I look forward to revisiting this resilient and ironically self-unaware character.” 

Production will begin later this month.

source

New Trailer: The Case Against 8

Since Chad Griffin is it, haters will cry

Team Richie

I think I am here for him...

New Teaser: The Normal Heart

Update: Looking gets a Second Season

Some hope for HBO's Looking.

The series hit an all time high last Sunday. Deadline reports that 519,000 viewers tuned in, which is up 54% from the series premiere. The numbers are growing, but not fast enough.

Hopefully, the show can pick up soon. If not, it could be canceled, especially with True Detective blowing up.

BTW, are you watching that show? It's intense!

Poof, the series got a second season. Hopefully, it will get better. 

Question of the Day

Why do you think HBO's Looking is failing with viewers?

It's Gets Better for Looking... In the Ratings

Looking actually gain some viewers. According to Futon Critic, Looking had around 466,000 adults 18-49 watching. That's about an 0.37 rating.

A bit better than the 338,000 debut, but not good. These numbers are still cancellation numbers. Maybe it will get better... Maybe.

source

Not a Good Look for HBO's Looking

HBO's Looking is off to a slow start. The show premier averaged around 338,000 viewers and later grew up to 606,000 viewers with encores. Compared to the other HBO shows, this is low and not so hot.

With all of the promotion, this is not a good payoff. We will see what next week's episode does for the ratings.

source

My Bullet Point review of HBO's Looking

So, I watched the first episode of Looking.

It was okay, but it didn't excite me. I wasn't captivating or interesting. The characters were meh and it looked so dirty in SF. But, enough talk here. I'll go into my bullet point review after the jump.

First Promo footage of HBO's The Normal Heart

10 Things I get from the Trailer of HBO's LOOKING

So the full trailer is out and this is what I see so far

1. Looking for love in a big city is hard. We know because we followed Carrie Bradshaw for 6 years.
2. There's no life in LA? Interesting.
3. Hipsters have replaced the Gays in San Francisco (Invasion of the Body Snatchers is Real!)
4. English guys are better as advise givers, or spiritual guides. Just ask Buffy about Giles.
5. There's a lot of White gays in SF.
6. Hot guys still go to bathhouses.
7. Do you need a beard to be Gay?
8. The lead character is the stereotypical 'Hopeless Romantic', just like Noah, Carrie, Michael, Joan and most other lead characters. Will his HR be different or sappy?
9. SF is cloudy.
10. There's possibility with this series. Hopefully, it will challenge us.

New Teaser for HBO's LOOKING

From this teaser, I'm getting stereotype in big letters. The music, the hipster look, the lack of diversity... so far, not impressed.

New Trailer: Valentine Road

The premise

Feb. 12, 2008, started like any other day at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard, a California beach town northwest of Los Angeles. Eighth-grade students filed into computer lab to do an assignment on the topic of tolerance. But before the class was over, 15-year-old Lawrence "Larry" King lay fighting for his life, shot twice in the back of the head at point-blank range by classmate Brandon McInerney. Two days later, on Valentine's Day, Larry died, the victim of a crime that grabbed national headlines and dramatically changed the lives of the students, teachers and community. 

VALENTINE ROAD explores the murder of a teenager who had begun exploring his gender identity, revealing the circumstances that led to the shocking crime, as well as its complicated aftermath. Directed and produced by first-time filmmaker Marta Cunningham and shepherded by award-winning producers Sasha Alpert (HBO's "Autism: The Musical") and Eddie Schmidt (HBO's "Twist of Faith"), the film raises issues about the safety of LGBT teens, juvenile justice and the ability of the country's educational and social service systems to prevent such tragedies. 

 VALENTINE ROAD debuts this Monday at 9pm ET on HBO.

John Legend, Can you can take the "DL" Rapper out of your New HBO Drama Project? I don't want to see him!

I just read on Deadline, that John Legend is developing a show called "Down Lo", here's the premise:

In a competitive situation, HBO has bought for development Down Lo, a drama project from singer-songwriter John Legend and producer-director Tony Krantz. Set in Miami’s South Beach, the edgy ensemble drama explores the intersection of three worlds — the party town’s popular music scene and sports and fashion circles. It deals with fame and secrets, with the stories told from multiple points of view. One of them will be that of a gay rapper living on the down low as homosexuality is still not readily accepted in the hip-hop community.

Oh so original, once again we are given the 'Gay Mammy Role' as being DL. Seriously, I'm sick of anything that speaks on the DL drama. Come on now! Can a gay brother get a non DL Black gay character? Please?

This is why I am so over anything that pushes the DL storyline. It's a lazy go-to idea, like casting Blondes as the damsel in distress and the Black or Latino male as a crimelord or gangbanger. And it perpetuate the notion that the DL life is so fascinating.

Trust me, it's not.

 I can not understand why anyone would continue to think a DL storyline is interesting. Hell, why would you want to be reminded of a dark time of your life?

Yes, please give me more stories about the days when I hated myself.

If this character turns out to be the stereotypical Black Gay character, then you can keep that character and this show!

Ain't nobody got time for that!

6 Questions about HBO's 'Gay Sex and the City' pilot

Hera help me!

HBO has greenlit a pilot dubbed as a 'Gay Sex and the City' (cringe). Here's the premise:

The untitled project hails from Brothers and Sisters' David Marshall Grant and Bored to Death's Sarah Condon and revolves around the thirtysomething trio also grappling with the complexities of life and the modern gay experience. Michael Lannan (Remember Me) penned the script, which Grant supervised. Andrew Haigh will helm the pilot, which is based on Lannan's feature script Lorimer.

Sounds original... Anywho, I looked into this story and this is what I know:

• Jonathan Groff is the lead
• It's about three gay thirtysomethings living in San Francisco
• And the cast will 'grapple with all the options in contemporary life and the complexities of the modern gay experience'

Okay, so here comes the questions.

1. What is a Modern Gay Experience? With so many sub-cultures and themes within our community, can we say there is a modern gay way? And by who standards are we coining this phrase from? I smell Privilege.
2. A Gay Sex and the City? Child Cheese, SATC was already gay, what can you do it? Add songs and break out dance numbers?
3. It takes place in San Fran... Great, so will we see Gay life from a White male perspective? 
4. Will any gay character of color be in the main storylines? And if so, I hope they are not sexless, assistants, side-kicks, drag-queens or a NeNe Leaks/Charro carbon copy.
5. Will the stories be something new or a reflection of the tired gay Web series that keep popping up like zits on a teenager's face?
6. 'Girls' was a game changer. Will this series challenge the stereotypes and themes we have seen over and over again?

I know we haven't seen it, but so far I'm not sure if it will be something I'm waiting for every week. 

Jonathan Groff lands lead in HBO Gay Comedy Pilot

Jonathan Groff (Glee and Zachary Quinto's man) just landed the lead in HBO's possible gay comedy pilot.

The story is about gay friends living in San Francisco.

Here's more 

Groff will play Patrick in the untitled Lannan vehicle about three thirty-something friends living in San Francisco who grapple with all the options in contemporary life and the complexities of the modern gay experience. Patrick is described as a gay man with a successful career as a video-game developer who is less successful in his personal life.

In addition, Juilliard grad Frankie Alvarez will co-star as Augustin, an artist's assistant and Patrick's best friend, who has a strong ego and for whom politics make it difficult to settle down with his boyfriend.

Interesting to say the least.

source