Adam Shankman, the big queen of So You Think You Can Dance, took a moment away from judging young dancers to remind the audience and viewers that, hey, Prop 8 was just struck down and stuff. Which seemed like a perfect time to propose.
[flv:http://media.queerty.net/danceproposal.mp4 https://queerty-prodweb.s3.amazonaws.com/wp/docs-null/2010/08/danceproposal1.jpg 650 400]
After seeing Lauren’s dance with Pasha, Nigel Lythgoe was overcome with … arousal. Adam played right in to it, asking Nigel — who used to be scared of two dudes together — to marry him. For now, it’s a maybe.
jeffree
LOL: I cannot imagine anyone wanting to marry either one of them!
Yo Qty: Nice copyediting there! Today you managed to spell Nigel wrong & get Prop. 8 attorney Walker’s first name spelled without the requisite H.
Too much liquor has the same effect on me, too!
redd
I was very disappointed at how glib Adam was when discussing the repeal of Prop 8.
Millions of people watch this show and he just made a very important civil rights issue into a joke.
If gay men can’t speak in a thoughtful matter how can we expect others to understand how important this truly is.
Cam
SYTYCD has really showcased the ridiculous homophobia in the dance world. They know the stereotype of male dancers being gay and so every episode is filled with Nigel talking about one of the female dancers being hot. Then they do uncomfortable interviews with the contestents where the male dancers all pretend to be excited about dancing with whichever female dancer they are dancing with. Or talk about what a “Ladies Man” one of the other male dancers are.
The worst thing is that every single routine with a male and female dancer has the underlying story of first love, a break up, flirtation, jealousy etc…
Yet, this season because there is only one femal dancer left there have been a bunch of male/male routines and every single one of them has been about fighting, competition, trying to win a girl etc..
In a world where so many of the people are gay, the fact that not one corographer would think to make a routine with teo men be about flirtation etc… combined with the fact that obviously gay dancers seem to be told to talk about women every episode just gets grating and ridiculous.
Blake J
@Cam:
Travis Wall just choreographed a great emotional routine, but they unfortunately had to claim it was about a friendship ending!
These shows are popularity contests and unfortunately straight women (no doubt the biggest group of viewers) cannot vote purely on talent and base their decisions on “sex appeal” as well.
So an openly gay contestant loses some major points!
Through the seven years (seasons) of the show there have been many “obviously” gay contestants, but unless they officially state it (none of them ever did), the women will ignore it!
Just take comfort that the truly talented (many gay) can go directly to dance companies, etcetera and get jobs based purely on the merit of their performance skills.
Jane
@Blake J: Then explain Adam Lambert! Millions of straight women (myself included) think he’s sex on a stick! Sexual orientation has nothing to do with sex appeal… sexy is sexy.
SYTYCD may have decided to claim the dance as the end of platonic relationship instead of a romantic one, but I doubt it has anything to do with catering to the straight female voter. I found the commitment both men made to the emotion of the dance extremely attractive and I have no idea what the sexual orientation is of either dancer. I just enjoyed the comfort level they displayed.
Terri
Dancing and/or singing should not be about your sexual orientation. It should be about individual talent. I think that when they prepare the choreography it is with traditional partnering in mind. When they had the guy /guy couple audition in that ballroom dance, it just looked uncomfortable and unnatural. If a same sex couple does a romantic routine, then it will need to be with a choreographer that can have the dancers tell the story without looking seamy. The Travis Wall routine was recognizable as being about more than friendship and it was done well.
alex
Don’t blame the contestants or choreographers for not being out.
I’m certainly not a Hollywood insider, but one of my college friends is a writer/producer on a scripted drama. I’ve talked to her about LGBT-related issues and her take on things is that the guys with the money are always reluctant to move in any pro-LGBT direction for fear of backlash from the majority viewer.
Shows like SYTYCD are money-making commodities. So, I don’t think it’s a stretch to imagine Executive Producers have told both dancers and choreographers that they can’t discuss being gay. Is it fair? Of course not. But, it’s hardly surprising.
Cam
@Blake J:
You know whats funny Blake? I have a feeling that the straight viewers wouldn’t have a problem with it. They would think he’s their cute new best friend etc… Lambert came in 2nd on Idol. I think it’s probably the burned out old gasbag producers.
Although, I do have to blame one coreographer. They have this wreck there named “Sonya”. She has a mohawk, tattoos, lip rings, everything about her screams “LOOK AT HOW EDGY AND UNIQUE I AM!”. Yet when two male dancers partnered to try out for the show, she acted like she’d never even heard of a gay person before. “Oh My god, two male dancers, how can I critique that.”
Funny how little miss “Edgy” sounded just like a dumpy old Mormon churchwife when push came to shove.
Peter
Except for the great dancing, I loathe SYTYCD because of the judges and their “dance-is-a-masculine-sport” agenda which comes off as homophobic. As Mia Michaels likes to say, it’s “disgusting” – but in the true meaning of the word, not her gibberish. Nigel, as co-producer, seems to control the show that way (e.g. IMHO, Adam Shankman’s face always looks a little pansy-whipped, like he might say the wrong thing and get kicked off).
The dance world attracts the sensual man, a man in touch with his body and emotionally uninhibited – who, unsurprisingly, tends to also be the homosexual. Yet Nigel and his ilk try to bash dancers into tiny little boxes of what a male dancer “should” be, effectively truncating the full artistic dance- or choreography-potential of homo dancers on the show. I’m sorry mincing Nigel is so insecure; but his pro-hetero dance agenda is grating, homo-bashing, and often makes him look like a slimy perv.