Sudden Proliferation Of Gay Characters’ Coming Out Stories On Television Series Welcomed Trend, Ramin Setoodeh Returns To Newsweek Where He Remains An Idiotic Voice, John Travolta Odds On Favourite To Come Out This Year, Ryan Gosling Clears Customs, Prince Harry Attends World Dart Championship Somehow Remains Relevant

The Los Angeles Times reports on a welcomed trend: the proliferation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender characters on television shows created for teens. Among the series that prominently feature gay characters shown in the process of coming out, are 90201, Degrassi, Glee, Gossip Girl, and Greek, and although, according to Larry Gross, who specialises in lesbians and gays in the media at USC’s Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism, “Coming out stories are standard, almost a cliché of television stories dealing with gay characters and this goes back to the ‘70s and ‘80s,” he says that “What’s probably different now is that the age is becoming younger and I think this reflects the fact that the sort of battleground for gay people in society includes high school and probably even includes middle school. It’s moved younger in the past decade or so, I think in part ... because younger people are becoming more aware of their identities.”

Newsweek writer Ramin Setoodeh, who famously suggested last spring that Sean Haynes, best known for the role of Jack on Will & Grace, did not make an authentic straight man appearing on Broadway in a revival of Promises, Promises, that in fact audiences could not come to accept an openly gay actor playing ostensibly a gay role. Now, Setoodeh, who returns to Newsweek after something akin to a failure at People, attends the closing night of Promises, Promises Sunday evening and has a revelation: he was wrong, but right. “It’s not just that audiences don’t often see openly gay actors in straight roles,” he says. “What’s more unsettling in that Hollywood doesn’t even allow gay actors to play gay. With the film industry swept up in the congratulatory swirl of awards season, not a single openly gay actor is up for an Oscar nomination. Of course, that’s probably because no openly gay actors even starred in any big films of 2010. The lovable lesbian wives in The Kids Are All Right were played by the heterosexual actresses Annette Bening and Julianne Moore. The quirky couple in I Love You Phillip Morris were portrayed by straight men Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor.” He argues that films need to attract the broadest possible audience, and, according to Setoodeh, “filmmakers worry that if they cast a gay person as a romantic lead, audiences will be too grossed out.” Agreeing with the beyond bitterness that is Rupert Everett, who recently said that he was shut out of Hollywood after coming out because the entertainment industry is a “very heterosexual business,” Setoodeh says “no gay actor has yet to achieve leading-man status – and probably won’t for some time.”

According to something called SportsbookGurus.com, Online sportsbooks such as sportsbetting.com, have made John and his sexuality a highlight in the entertainment betting odds section and online bettors still have time to get in on the action by placing a wager on what they believe will happen in regards to John Travolta admitting to be gay. We are not saying that he is or isn’t, but Travolta may soon be forced to make a statement over the issue.”

Ryan Gosling, and his fine assets, was seen departing from Toronto International Airport Monday.

And Prince Harry spotted leaving the, um, World Darts Championships in London Sunday evening.