Trends

Hollywood Trends That Perturb Me

OK, I think it’s time I commented on some trends in entertainment and let people know why it is they are annoying me.

I want to preface this by saying I am not offended by these trends, I just don’t like them. I am not a religious zealot; I could not even tell you when I last went to church. I don’t get offended easily if ever. When I object to a film like Brokeback Mountain it isn’t because I am some high-minded Christian Conservative. I have enjoyed movies that would make most god-fearing Catholics hide under their pews.

So with that in mind I would like to mention a few things. Some NBC affiliate stations have announced that they are refusing to air a show called The Book of Daniel. The show, which depicts a priest with a homosexual son, promiscuous straight son and drug dealing daughter having conversations with an actual Jesus, has drawn the ire of not only Catholics but family groups.

So here is my take on yet another show/movie centered on homosexuals. Enough already. It’s way, way past the point of being unoriginal now and it’s ventured into the realm of intellectual laziness. Find a plot. Now, I know that people in Hollywood generally hate the traditional family and Catholics as a whole, and I understand that Hollywood figured out the whole gay things really pisses those groups off, but please guys—try and resist the temptation. It’s getting boring.

Need proof of intellectual laziness? Here are but a few examples:

• The Book of Daniel—gay son


• Yes Dear—Lesbian neighbors with a teenage son


• The Practice—Lesbian Daughter


• Will and Grace—Pretty much everyone’s gay


• The Krumbs—Fred Savage is returning to TV to play a gay man in a bad family


• Er—Carey Weaver turned gay, took a lover, adopted a child


• NYPD Blue—an entire plotline about a gay cop in it’s final seasons


• Brokeback Mountain-you should know this by now


• Vegas—2 recent episodes with gay characters front and center


• Queer Eye for the Straight Guy—No explanation needed

I know there are many more examples that I am missing, both in the movies and on television. It’s boring, it’s old, find some new way to fix tired plots ok? Please.

I hate to break this to the writers and directors responsible for this. Pssst…..gay people are still a minority. As in, not every single family has a gay son or daughter. Not everyone has 12 gay neighbors. Gay’s aren’t 1 in 3 people. Ok? You wanted to represent this very vocal group, you have now saturated the market with them. In fact, if you look hard enough I am sure you will find some other minority group that is now being underrepresented because of this predilection for using gays whenever your out of ideas.

How about disabled people? They don’t complain loudly, but they seem underrepresented in film and television. Orientals? Indians? Mexicans? Blacks? All of these groups certainly, while more prevalent in everyday society, are not depicted nearly as much as homosexuals. Why is that? Are they not as amusing?

I think the fact Brokeback Mountain, despite considerable acclaim and buzz, is faltering at the box office is evidence that I am not the only one bored with this. Your Hollywood writers, we pay you to be creative and fanciful, not predictable and droll. Knock it off.