This Can't Be Broccoli

About four years ago, I was in a show--a musical--and I heard three of my male cast mates discussing the play Angels in America . MAN #1: No way would I do it, dude. MAN #2: I'm with you, man. Kiss a boy onstage? No way. MAN #3: Yeah, I couldn't do it either. Now, I mention that it was a musical, because at the time I found it more than a little humorous that these guys had chosen to participate in one of the gayest traditions known to man--performing in a musical--and yet, seemed to have reservations about coming across as gay onstage. To be honest, I can't say it really offended me as a gay man. I don't mind that straight guys don't want to kiss me. I don't want to kiss girls, but I wouldn't say I'm heterophobic. It actually offended me more as an actor. They were talking about Angels in America , one of the best plays ever written, and saying they wouldn't do it, given the chance, because they'd be uncomfortable with kissing a guy. Now,...

As of January 30th, here are a few of my favorite things: 1) Big Love . The best drama on television is back. When I first started watching this show, I only made it through two episodes before the whole thing made me so uncomfortable I had to turn it off. After the first season came out on DVD, I tried it again, and I got hooked. The amazing thing about the show is the way it has its characters deal with the situation they're in. One of the nice things about telling a story using television is that you should be able to really progress your characters in a natural and interesting way (cough cough-- Grey's Anatomy --cough cough) and that's what this show does. To be honest, I still don't like Bill Paxton, but he's almost beside the point. This show belongs to the women. Jeanne Tripplehorn's scenes with her mother last year were so amazing, the fact that the Emmy voters didn't recognize it is a crime. Chloe Sevigny is really coming into her own this...

-- Forget random facts.  Let's have a little fun. -- 1)  I've eaten a live pig before it was dead. 2)  I've seen every episode of "The Love Boat: The Next Generation." 3)  My favorite word is "hoopla." 4)  Jesus is my homeboy. 5)  I starred in my own one-man show called "Spectaculation." 6)  To make extra money, I recycle Dr. Pepper cans. 7)  I've always suspected that Prairie Dawn from Sesame Street was actually a streetwalker. 8)  My nickname in school was Whammy Wynette. 9)  Out of my entire family, I'm the most screwed up...Hahahahahahahaha...Sorry, that one was hard to even look at onscreen. 10)  Nickels freak me out. 11)  Popeye was my first childhood crush.  (Wait, that one might actually be true.) 12)  I was once in a band called "Oliver's Twist." 13)  There's a movie based on my life starring Cathy Rigby and Rory Culkin. 14)  I like green olives. 15)  You know who I miss?  Amy Grant. 16)  I've lived on not...

I want to tell you about my grandmother. DAD:  Kev... My mom's mom. DAD:  Kev, it's Auntie. When I was little, she was the one who bought me a movie a week.  Every time I went over her house, I had a new present.  A new treat.  Always a surprise. DAD:  She... When I did the History Fair in fifth grade, I knew my mom wasn't going to be able to come because she worked during the day, but she told my Grandma, and you better believe she was there standing over my little Viking diorama as if her grandson had reinvented wheel. DAD:  She died this morning, Kev. When I started doing theater, she came to every show.  She watched me play a drug dealer, a wolf, a Nazi, a bereaved son, a fop, and a sheriff among other things. DAD:  The wake's the day before New Year's Eve. But this isn't just a story about my grandmother.  It's also about my aunt, who passed away a few days after Christmas. DAD:  I know you hate wakes, but I hope you come. I hate wakes.  This is also ab...

Confession. The title was meant to intrigue you. So if you're reading this, it worked. This week, Rush Limbaugh was quoted--by others, and then by himself, odd--as saying that he hope Obama fails. "See, here's the point. Everybody thinks it's outrageous to say. Look, even my staff, "Oh, you can't do that." Why not? Why is it any different, what's new, what is unfair about my saying I hope liberalism fails? Liberalism is our problem. Liberalism is what's gotten us dangerously close to the precipice here. Why do I want more of it? I don't care what the Drive-By story is. I would be honored if the Drive-By Media headlined me all day long: "Limbaugh: I Hope Obama Fails." Somebody's gotta say it." Now, I certainly don't agree with the above statement. But I do agree with his thinking on this one--I know ,it scares even me. Because people seem to be shocked that he said this. Why? Why would he be? He's Rush ...

As of January 24th, here are my favorite things: 1) Kellie Shanygne Williams hosting Clean House . No, she's no Neicie Nash, but she'll do for now. She's certainly better than Debi "I Have No Personality" Gutierrez and Lisa "I'm Way Too White to Host This Show" Arch. Plus, she was Laura Winslow on Family Matters , which is good enough for me. (I'm also considering watching The Dish just to bring Topanga Lawrence back into my life.) 2) Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher. One of the funniest books I've read in a long time. Every few pages I'd have something new to add to my quote book. My favorite? "If my life wasn’t funny, it would just be true, and that is unacceptable." Amen, Carrie. 3) Lost is back. Enough said. 4) Awake and Sing at the GAMM and The Front Page at 2nd Story. The first is a beautiful Clifford Odets play, and a terrific ensemble piece. The second is a fast-paced comedy set in the newspaper wor...