I ecord that and watch it in the evenings when I'm home. The storyline about Lily and Holden's son who has severe kidney disease being gay is great drama. He is being blackmailed by a glamourous African American woman named Jade.She is making him pretend to be her boyfriend to con the Snyder family. Luke the young closeted gay man who is being blackmailed is getting even more heated up. His internal homophobia and fear of being hated by his family is making his illness work. In this case homophobia even internalized kind does make one ill. The body and mind are one after all. The mind is not just some abstract concept. Holden his dad (not biological but dad in all ways that counts) is not homophobic but is confused about all this. He thinks Luke might be homosexual and now that he thinks Jade is Luke's girlfriend he is happy. He would rather Luke be involved with this golddigger than be a young gay man. This drama is intense and well written and acted material. Jade is a gorgeous young woman with a heart of pure ice. I urge all people who are interested in gay issues to start watching this. This storyline is more than just soap rubbish. And watch out when my heroine Lucinda sorts all this stuff out. The acting by the woman who plays Jade is really great. Sweet, eery and sociopathic all at the same time. Great stuff.

I wouldn't call it innovative, but it's entertaining. And Van Hansis, the kid that plays Luke, is a very good actor as is the young woman that plays Jade, mostly because you have no idea where she's coming from. Sometimes she seems very sincere in her concern for Luke, encouraging him to come out to his family, but other times it's obvious she's playing everybody. And Jon Hensely, who plays Luke's smoking hot daddy, is good as well. Frankly, I think he knows deep down that Luke is gay, but is unable to face it.

I'm hoping that the show brings back Kevin, Luke's potential boyfriend and deals if whether Kevin is gay or not, which the show is being very cagey about. Luke is supposed to finally come out to his family in April so maybe this storyline, which has been moving very slowly, will finally shift into high gear.

Anthony

i stumbled upon that yesterday while flippin' channels (i DO watch young and the restless, so i'm not tryin' to PRETEND i just "stumbled upon" it) it was intriguing.

don't think i wanna' add another soap opera to my list, but keep us informed of how it plays out...

Don't forget today and Monday are ATWT 50th anniversary episodes. Slightly off topic, but important to soap fans.

I haven't seen a soap in years, but wouldn't innovative be having all the gay actors play gay roles on the show? wink

Or would that just make it LOGO with a budget?

Not really. After all, LOGO goes out of its way to salute all the straight actors who, ahem, "have the guts to play gay." wink

[ March 31, 2006, 08:52 PM: Message edited by: ursaminorjim ]

Those special 5oth anniversary episodes were great. The first episode that spoofed old tv comedies was a riot.

I've been watching ATWT since before Hank came out of the closet back in 1988 or whatever. I'm glad the show made the choice to have the gay character this time be a part of a major family, so he can't be written off and never heard from again like Billy on OLTL and Kevin on AMC. I agree this has been an interesting tale but I'm ready for Luke to come out already. Last night I watched Everwood and a 15 year old high school kid was struggling with the same issues. I was surprised at how surprised I was - I mean, I guess I just think it's easier for kids these days, with so much more positive visibility, to deal with being gay. So many kids come out so much younger now, which is awesome, but I guess I take it for granted that there's still that same process of coming to terms with it. I'm glad ATWT took its time and let Luke deal with all of that - I'm sure he'll continue to once his friend Kevin finds out.

(sunglasses & hood on) I, too have been a closet ATWT fan since, well, put it this way, since Dusty, Lily & Holden were teenagers. Can the Luke coming out storyline be any more drawn out? sheesh. We now know the date of the big day; Tuesday, May 9. Martha & Van will appear in public service announcement for GLAAD:
(sorry do not know how to hyperlink)
http://www.glaad.org/media/release_detail....c13b295c9ebfb30

Well come on out of the closet! No need to be ashamed of ATWT.

I read in one of the soap magazines that Lily is going to be the one with a negative reaction to his coming out. This intrigues me. While I love Martha Byrne, I am not a big fan of Lily. I sure do miss Rose though...

Thanks for the encouragement to come out of the closet. Lily as the homophobe? Interesting. Way back when Hank Elliot had AIDS wasn't it Lisa with the bad reaction? Or am I mixing up bigotries (is that a word?)with the reaction to the interrracial pairing of Duncan and Jessica?

[ May 01, 2006, 08:28 PM: Message edited by: Aznbutch ]

Yeah it should be interesting to see Lily's reaction. I don't know if she'll be a homophobe, so much as a parent coming to terms with her child's homosexuality.

I don't remember Lisa's reaction to Duncan and Jess. I was watching Another World then (God, I miss that show!), but I Lisa seems pretty friendly with Jess now, and was always close with Duncan and Jessica's daughter Bonnie, who is rumored to be making a return to the show later this year.

I swear, if I could, I would make money off this stuff.

OMG - LILY is big as a HOUSE! I used to watch the show years ago, when she was much younger. I didn't realize she was on a 'fast food' diet!!

She's pregnant! Like 8 months now too.

Thanks for posting the date of Luke's big coming out. I keep taping the show and then fast forwarding it through all the boring stories or characters (that would be you, Jade) I don't like (someone please get Barbara laid already so she'll stop bugging her eyes out in every scene and find something better to do than annoy Will and Gwen). I'll start tuning in more regularly again to see Lily's reaction to Luke's news - having her struggle with this will make it very interesting to watch. (And I miss Rose, too!)

Luke came out to Will and was told that your parents will love you no matter what - easy for a convicted killer, high school dropout newlywed janitor to say! Why did he kill Rose again?
For a laugh see the protest of the upcoming coming out episode and PSA which calls GLAAD "one of the most dangerous organizations in America". If you are brave enough to go to the TVC website, check out the pic of the exuctive director!! Drag queen city.

http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2706

Will "accidentally" killed Rose by poisining her mouthwash. He was trying to scare her away from marrying Paul.

I don't know if I should be ashamed of all my useless soap knowledge. But I will say...Will did Rose a favore...old Paul was nice and hot and would have made a great husband. This Paul, is just Todd from OLTL, without the scar. He's too dark, with little redeaming value. He and Meg are perfect for each other!

General Hospital is also doing a gay kid story. Nurse Bobbie Spencer's adopted son has come out as gay.

Yeah...on GH, Lucas came out back in November. No one talked about it again until he was "gay-bashed" back in February, and was outed at the hospital while seeking treatment. It really was just a sweeps ploy, both times. I think it was mishandled, badly on GH.

Yeah, the GH version is a shoddy mess. ATWT has taken forever to get to this point but aside from some annoying Jade moments, they've really told a well-crafted story. I saw a report on Logo that today was the day Luke told Lily and Holden so I set my VCR. And Shep, I agree with you: the old Paul was sexy. This new Paul is all sneer and bad hair. Not that anyone is visible to me on screen if Mike Kasnov is around. Damn!

As a "One Life to Live" fan, I wish Roger Howarth (currently on "As the World Turns" as Paul) would return to "OLTL" as Todd--the actor currently playing that role has none of the necessary malevolence and guilt-weight.

And, to "As the World Turns," isn't Henry supposed to be gay?

~Adam

VCR Alert - yesterday's episode ended with Luke telling his parents he is gay, so we'll get the see the reaction today.

As to Henry, you would think he is gay, and for a while the actor (Trent Dawson) thought the character might be gay, he is so in love with Katie that if the character is gay, he is not acknowledging it to himself or anyone else.

I was actually home yesterday afternoon and got to catch Luke coming out. Nicely done...and I do remember saying, "Damn, I've been waiting since Novmber for this!"

I'm DVRing today's episode and will watch to see Holden and Lily's reaction.

And Mike K...super hot. I love Jack too, although he is in desperate need of a hair cut.

what about Sergio P, who is coming back to Oakdale? He is the hottest guy ever on ATWT!

Are you talkinga bout Paulo Sagentti as Damien? He is a good looking man, and he is on the way back to Oakdale. He's Luke's biological dad. Simon's coming back too. Hopefully it will be the good Simon, not the ass who appeared last time. They nearly wrecked his character the way they wrote him the last time.

I watched the coming out episode and really enjoyed it. Holden is surprisingly okay with it. Lily is not homophobic just in shock. She loves Luke and will accept it. I don't know about the biological dad though. And wasn't it nice that after the episode aired the actors who play Lily and Luke came on with a public service announcement about GLAAD and how some people are abused just for being gay. Great stuff.

It was a pretty good episode. I actually identified a lot with Lily, which was suprising because I expected to identify with Luke. It made me think a lot of my mom and when I told her.

It really is tough for parents/family/friends when someone comes out, and I think when the person comes out doesn't get an immediate "everythings OK, we love you and all the gays", they take it as a negative and sometimes homophobic reaction. It's not always, and I think that gets lost. The writers did a nice job showing that with Lily yesterday, and that there is a certain amount of grief, mourning if you will, that happens when someone comes out. I mean, did we not do that with ourselves before we came out?

I loved, LOVED, when Holden said something to the effect that we need to honor and respect his "truth". I thought that was one of the best lines of the whole episode. Well that and when that bitchy Jade was trying to be bitchy and said that Luke had a "big ole man crush" on his friend Kevin. I did laugh at that.

Big ole man crush was a funny line. That Jade is something else. I wonder if her character is a long term one. And I watched the wedding of Brad and Victoria on Y AND R. My favorite on Y AND R at the moment is Judith Chapman's gloria. She is a great actress and I like the glamourous 60 year old being used in a major storyline. Y AND R let middle age people and over sixties have great storyline. No ageism on that show.

I didn't realize Luke is supposed to be only 16 y.o. Geez - no way Van looks that young. Loved Lucinda's pro-gay reaction, and even better was when she asked Lily if she ever experimented!

Isn't Jon Hensley (Holden) great? Not to mention smoking hot himself. He's been very good in this storyline, doing such a good job portrayal Holden's own uneasiness with his son being gay, but always supporting Luc and putting Luc and his emotional needs first. I think one of my favorite moments was back when Holden confided in his cousin about Luc and Holden wasn't sure how to broach the subject with Luc, his primary concern being "I don't want Luc to think being gay is something wrong." It was great.

Anthony

Those were great scenes. Lucinda was wonderful. I loved it when she bascially said 'well, that explains everything, ready to go have lunch?' And I laughed out loud when she asked Lily if she ever experimented. Lily's response was priceless!

Anthony

I think the ATWT is great. The psa for GLAAD was a nice touch. Now the far out right wing group THE TRADITIONAL VALUES COALITION is threatening the sponsors of ATWT with a boycott. They want to 'save' kids from the evils of homo sexuals. Well TTVC can kiss my ass.

The Luke storyline is the only one I'm enjoying on ATWT. Van Hansis has been superb. And I loved Lucinda's reaction.

I like Paul Ryan and Emily too. That poor girl has lost her mind being around Paul. It is so funny to me that Paul calls his mom 'BARBARA'. I think Paul's new haircut looks really nice. Not long anymore. There are tons of red heads on that show. All look nice.

Van Hansis has a really nice speaking voice. Don't you all agree with me about that?

I don't like Paul at all. I think he's as nutty as Emily.

Love everything about Van.

Paul is funny in a warped way. His mom is nuts too. Isn't Jennifer Landon, the daughter of Michael Landon doing a great job on the show? A superb young actress. I hear that Jennifer Munson 's character is to be recast very soon. I like her. I don't understand the need for a recast. And Mr. McCouch who plays Dusty is one hunky man. I want to see him naked.

The actress wants to leave the show and they need the character, so a recast is in order.

Anthony

I wish the young actress who is leaving all the best. She is a great actress. Very striking looks too. I hope the recast is equally as good.

Now Luke's biological dad Damien Grimaldi has stopped in for a visit with his son. I hope Damien accepts his son as he is. It ended yesterday with Lily telling Damien that Luke is gay. Luciano as Damien calls his son.

I think it is safe to predict Damien is going to be a homophobic as@h#@le, at least initially.

Wonder how they are going to write off Martha Byrne (Lily) for her maternity leave?

According to soap opera weekly, Damien intends to send Luke to a camp where they will try to turn him straight. There are of course camps like that in real life. These places do alot of harm to gay kids. Trying to brainwash their homosexuality away just causes emotional problems.

I think it's a great story! I can't wait to see it.

P.S. I really hate that Jade! I can't beleive she slept with Will.

Yes, Jade is one wicked lady. But I love to hate her character. The actress playing her is really talented. And Will Munson should be damned ashamed of himself for sleeping with her. Just wait till Barbara finds out. Hell hath no fury like Barbara Ryan. LOL.

You'll find out on tomorrow's show.

Anthony

Well I watched yesterday's episode. Lily has fallen down the stairs. She had investigated the camp that Damien wanted to send Luke too. Luke thought she was involved in the scheme and in an emotional scene Lily fell down the stairs. A good way for Martha Byrne who plays Lily to take maternity leave as she is really pregnant in real life. This storyline is excellent. Better than usual soap opera fare.

Hot ATWT star Grayson Mccouch has a website at www.graysonmccouch.com

I haven't watched ATWT on a regular basis in years, however, I've made a point to check it out lately. I was a teenager back in 1988 when ATWT introduced the show's first gay character Hank. However, that character had no real ties to the major families/storylines of the show and was quickly written off of the show in a matter of months. From what I've seen so far, this current storyline featuring Luke seems to be well written and acted. I love the scenes between Martha Byrne and the actor playing Luke.

Also, on a side note, I used to be a big fan of The Young & The Restless back in the 1980's and early 1990's. I stopped watching for a while and started back again a few years ago during the fantastically written and acted "Katherine Being Jill's Mother" storyline. In my opinion, the show completely "jumped the shark" with that storyline and has been on a downward spiral ever since. The show appears to have lost it's glory.

Y and R has it's good points and bad ones. This storyline of Victor losing his mind is really silly. Eric Braeden is doing a great job playing Victor in this manner however. I love Judith Chapman's character. I visited her website and sent her a message. Guess what? She sent me a very nice signed picture of herself and a fact sheet on herself. She of course plays Gloria. The new storyline about Brad's secret past is pretty interesting. I watch Guiding Light too. Jonathan is a great character. Almost James Deanish rebel type.

And next week on ATWT the character of Jennifer will die. I will probably cry a river.