Brava!

There have been rumblings for some time about Showtime/VH1 owner Viacom creating an all-gay television network, tentatively titled "Outlet." Most recently we heard it has been put on the "back burner" for now. Too late, General Electric has beat them to it: Bravo will more than suffice. They're getting a lot of press about the new "Boy Meets Boy" and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" series, but a perusal of their programming schedule reinforces the image. A mid-day marathon last Sunday, of last year's "Gay Marriages& series. Frequent runnings of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, profiles of Cher and Madonna, and the Cher Farewell Tour. Upcoming, But I'm A Cheerleader, a coming-out and conversion therapy-themed comedy with a screenplay by a fellow college alum of mine. And I don't even need to go into the broad-appeal (but really appealing to a lot of gay men I know) of all their Cirque du Soleil programming or specials on/movies starring Ben Affleck.

Oddly enough, I haven't seen quite the backlash even I expected. When Ellen came out, the Southern Baptists boycotted everything Disney. Does this mean that there is an impending boycott of GE appliances and lightbulbs in order? Brings a whole new meaning to "living in the dark ages."