So Many Favorite Things in One

Jimmy Fallon + Glee + Tina Fey + Betty White =

as seen on Tales of a Super Nova (http://talesofasupernova.blogspot.com/)

Why Do We Like The Golden Girls?

This post has been on the calendar for some time, but expedited as a result of recent events.

First, Betty White (Rose) hosted the best SNL episode of the season (yes, I place it above Tina Fey and James Franco).

And the second wasn’t such a happy note. Rue McClanahan (Blanche) passed away early last month. This one’s for you, girl. Thank you for being a friend.

The thought has been on my mind for a while, but I’ve finally processed it. Why do gay men like a television show about four women?

Reason #1 : “The Fourmula”

NBC’s Golden Girls was a pioneer of television in many ways, and one sheer sign of success is imitation. The show presented a trend which was imitated at least three times. Rose, Blanche, Dorothy, and Sofia came together as four female friends seeing each other through the happiest and hardest times of their lives.

Each of the women stood out, exemplifying some aspect of womanhood (a topic I’ll discuss later in this series); however, together the ensemble aspect of the show proved a force to reckon with in the world of television.

The following year, another network, CBS, presented it’s own take on the female ensemble comedy. Designing Women premiered in 1986—one year after Golden Girls.

Well-received, but shuffled around in time slots the show was nearly cancelled before the network found a strong pairing with another show featuring another opinionated women Murphy Brown. The show echoed the political and feminist issues of Golden Girls featuring a younger cast.

Following a strong seven-year run, Golden Girls evanesced into television history in 1992. Though the show left a short-lived spinoff in its wake (The Golden Palace—not about a retirement home). The following year another show featuring four women premiered with its own spin on the “fourmula.”

Living Single brought together four independent, single, Brooklyn-based African American women. Honestly, this is a show that deserves revisiting on my part. Growing up in Utah, this show on Fox didn’t really hold much appeal because I didn’t know that many single ladies at the age of 10 let alone African American single ladies.

In watching a few clips, I’ve come to appreciate early Queen Latifah (one of my heroes) as well as an older Kim Fields (Tootie from The Facts of Life). They manage to make being single, successful, and different fashionable for the 90s generation in the wake of an endearing 80s sitcom.

One cannot wrap out this part of the series without a nod to perhaps the most successful show featuring a female foursome.

Interestingly, Sex and the City first appeared on HBO only months after Living Single wrapped up in 1998 and is still fresh in our minds with the latest film installment, adding more sex, fashion (of the shoulderpad-less variety), and (of course) Manhattan to the picture.

Clearly, Golden Girls (at least in the form of its subsequent incarnations) has had an impact on television. In a world largely dominated by men and male-ensemble casts, a place was reserved for a new type of television show thanks to four women in night coats bonding over late-night cheesecake.

My Favorite Things #5

Daria

So, if any of you know me on facebook you’ve probably registered my excitement for the newest TV-DVD release. Daria is on it’s way to my home from Amazon, and I’ve got to celebrate somehow.

In high school, I remember discovering it and watching it with Nate and Chenese. It got rather awkward when the subject of sex came up explicitly. We all looked around, blushed and switched it to a different episode.

Also, there were times in which (as a brunette with glasses) people would make reference to me as a “male Daria.” To think, I considered that as much a compliment as when people (okay one person) call me a “male Tina Fey.”

Yay for brunettes with glasses.

What the Heck is Boxing Day? and Other Holiday Lessons I’ve Gleaned from TV

TV may rot our brains, but sure makes up for it sometimes.  Christmas is one of those times (and every Wednesday night there’s an episode of Glee showing). 

Inspired by the resident TV-holic’s column on mental floss, I came up with a list of my favorite holiday lessons:

1. Boxing Day?  What kind of a holiday is that!?

I’m sure that many of you have looked at a calendar and wondered about little ol’ Dec. 26.  Behind Christmas and  Christmas Eve, this little holiday gets overlooked (mostly because we don’t celebrate it here).  It’s the day that servants and royalty traded places for a day to learn about each other.  Winchester works in the kitchen while Klinger acts as Coronel.  Perspective is the only present anybody unwraps on this day. 

2. Being with Those You Love Is Healing in Itself

Snowed in, the gang of The Mary Tyler Moore Show agrees to participate in the filming of a holiday-themed episode of Sue Ann’s show The Happy Homemaker.  Due to a series of squabbles earlier, Murray, Ted, Lou, and Mare start out pretty testy, but by the end of the night, their hearts are warmed by the holiday spirit and each other’s company.  See the transition here:

 

3. Singing Can Get You Out of Any Awkward Situation

Perhaps not a very good lesson (or true), but hilarious.  For those of you who don’t know, this delightfully edgy show (The Catherine Tate Show) out of the UK.  It’s also the basis of the first conversation I ever had with Mark.

Perhaps, the better lesson is have some tact.

4. Every Family is Dysfunctional

I often tell people that my second mission in life is to keep 30 Rock from becoming the next Arrested Development (cancelled after three seasons after winning a countless number of awards).  Episodes like Ludachristmas are the reason for that. 

Jack’s insanely cold mother, Colleen (played by Elaine Stritch), is in from Florida for a holiday visit.   This trip coincides with that of the hyperbolically stable and supportive Lemons, Liz’s family.  As Jack starts to identify with the Lemons and prefer their company, she makes it her mission to teach him a valuable lesson.  The holiday message of this episode is bold: every family has its problems, so there’s no reason to envy or compare yourself to someone else’s family situation.

Why Do We Like Mean Girls? Part 3

Reason #3: The Heart

Tina Fey is as successful as she is because she is able to make social commentary funny without you noticing it is indeed social commentary. Her Mean Girls screenplay is actually an adaption of Rosalind Wiseman’s book Queen Bees and Wannabes, a parenting book. The book’s subtitle (Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence) reveals a bit of what the movie actually gets at if we take is as more than just a romp through the high school social hierarchy.

Don’t feel betrayed there’s social propaganda in your mindless teenage comedy. In the end, it doesn’t matter how it got there. It makes for a good combination (like that peanut butter in a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup—for those of you who don't get that reference, watch this).

Wiseman’s book (and Mean Girls, by extension) tries to put into perspective what really is important in the long run. Will popularity and glamour get us anywhere without substance? Will going out on dates with three different guys every weekend get me into the career of my choice?

Naturally, the answer is no.

Although Mean Girls takes a playfully sarcastic tone towards these issues, it forces us to reexamine the manner we look at ourselves and the ways that we treat each other.

After clawing her way to the top of the high school food chain, Cady comes to realize at the end of the film that:

Calling somebody else fat won't make you any skinnier.Calling someone stupid doesn't make you any smarter. And ruining Regina George’s life definitely didn't make me any happier.

Mean Girls is a gross exaggeration of the nature of high school. Everyone is a bit self-centered, delusional, and needy, but probably not to this degree. The same can be said of gay world (and my portrayal of it in these posts). In addition to the entertainment and fanasy values of the film, Mean Girls offers us a subtle lesson:

While we all want to belong and take control of our situations, what it really boils down to is being able to have the confidence to stand on our own and be who you are rather than what others expect you to be or some stereotype society has fed us. That's what makes us strong and why we like Mean Girls.

Why Do We Like Mean Girls? Part 2

Reason #2: The Underdog

Continuing in this reading of the movie as a foil for gay culture, let us examine briefly the structure of the movie. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before. It’s a romantic comedy and a teen movie, but at it’s most basic level it is an underdog story.

Mean Girls is about finding your place and belonging. I’ve got to admit that I felt a lot like Cady, the movie’s main character, when I entered gay world. I was overwhelmed by the intricate social cues and expectations, the pressure to dress and maneuver well through society, and to avoid any huge pitfalls.

Gay world exhibited a certain sense of exoticism. It was all so foreign and alluring. Cute guys were all around me, but there was no one I could connect with on a romantic or a platonic level. I was basically a Martian. Within a matter of months, I had made my way to the inner circle (without compromising my morals).

Ultimately, Cady becomes a diva— in charge and high-fashioned. This is a dream that everyone can connect with. Lots of times, we feel like nobodies and just want to be noticed whether that’s to complete us somehow or out of some need for a superficial type of love. Everyone wants to belong and if a little power comes along with that, all the better.

In the end, though, I came to question the of having a respected place in gay world, just as Cady did in Mean Girls: Does being popular or glamorous or influential really amount to anything?

Next time: Reason #3

Why Do We Like Mean Girls?

Back in the day, Lindsay Lohan was not just the butt of child star jokes. She actually had a career. Thanks to the genius of Tina Fey’s Mean Girls (which she wrote and starred in) Lohan’s status as a teen icon was cemented only to crumble away in a couple of years really.

Now, my purpose here is not to discuss some fallen Hollywood starlet. There is a contrast to be made: though her fame might have fallen by the wayside, this movie has managed to remain pretty significant, especially within gay culture.

In a recent conversation with another Gay Mormon Boy (GMB) online, one of us quoted a line from Mean Girls. Without thinking, the other responded with the next line from the movie. We went back and forth 10-15 times before we realized just how well we knew that movie, begging the question “Why?”

Reason #1: The Parallel

There is an obvious correlation to be made by a gay audience:

Girl World = Gay World

The Plastics: Gretchen, Regina, and Karen

In both of these worlds, there is just a comparable amount of drama, cattiness, and social maneuvering. In fact, there are entire Facebook groups (such as this one) devoted to this connection.

One observation (one of many) made in Mean Girls requires very little translation, but applies to both spheres quite easily. The main character’s statement:

Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.

…with a simple change becomes…

Halloween* is the one night a year when [gay boys] can dress like a total slut and no other [gay boys] can say anything about it.

[*Alternate translation: Pride]

Based on this evidence, I think it would be possible to produce a shot-for-shot remake of Mean Girls featuring gay men. Such a change would be minor and realistic. As evidenced above, the script rewrite would not be difficult.

Continuing in this line of thought, the next line in the script:

The hard-core girls just wear lingerie and some form of animal ears.

would become:

The hard-core [gay boys] just wear lingerie and some form of animal ears.

And casting the movie’s Mean Girls (replacing the girls seen above in said ears) would not be difficult either:

Amos as Regina George

Chad as Gretchen Weiners

…and…

(brace yourself)

Timothy as Karen Smith

As much as we don’t like to be stereotyped or parallel the drama satirized by this movie, those of us that fit this mold (stereotypically slutty gay men), often ruin things for the rest of us. As a result, we identify with this movie because of the unfortunate parallel between girl world and gay world. We want justice for the characters harmed by the slutty, drama-addicted, catty characters.

As we observe the meaningless drama in the film (fighting over boys, revenge, etc.), we’re forced to step back and realize that our own situations are, in many ways, trivial and something we can overcome just like Cady, the movie’s main character.

Next time: Reason #2