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Nearly 10 months after HBO Max ordered a new series of “Degrassi”, the popular Canadian teen franchise, and also picked up the streaming rights for all 14 seasons of “Degrassi: The Next Generation”, Et has confirmed that reboot is no longer moving forward.

Originally eyed for a 2023 debut, the new “Degrassi” series was going to consist of 10 hour-long episodes and be run by showrunners Lara Azzopardi and Julia Cohen, with filming set to begin over the summer in Toronto.

The entire library of “Next Generation” episodes, meanwhile, is still available to stream on HBO Max, after first joining the platform this spring.

“Degrassi” is about the high school experience and the roller-coaster journey of self-discovery. Set in Toronto, the updated series explores a group of teenagers and school faculty living in the shadow of events that both bind them together and tear them apart. The show travels deep into the hearts and homes of diverse,...

In 2003, Degrassi: The Next Generation aired a two-part episode titled "Pride," in which high schooler Marco (Adamo Ruggiero) came out as gay to one of his friends. Viewers already knew about Marco's sexuality, but it remained a secret to the rest of the school, mostly because Marco feared their

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Other Links From TVGuide.com PoseSchitt's CreekDan LevyDegrassi: The Next GenerationOne Day At A Time...

In 2003, Degrassi: The Next Generation aired a two-part episode titled "Pride," in which high schooler Marco (Adamo Ruggiero) came out as gay to one of his friends. Viewers already knew about Marco's sexuality, but it remained a secret to the rest of the school, mostly because Marco feared their

...

Read More >

Other Links From TVGuide.com PoseSchitt's CreekDan LevyDegrassi: The Next GenerationOne Day At A Time...

Drake’s former castmates from “Degrassi: The Next Generation” had a blast reuniting for his latest video, “I’m Upset,” shot this past weekend in downtown Toronto from the Air Canada Centre, where the rap star’s beloved Raptors play basketball, in addition to the Degrassi set in north Toronto, where the long-running teen drama still films.

He released the video Wednesday night and it already has more than 2.5 million views on YouTube.

From 2001 to 2009, Drake, then known by his birth name Aubrey Graham, played Jimmy Brooks in the series, a rich kid who ends up in a wheelchair after getting shot.

He appeared in over 100 episodes, and again in “Degrassi: Minis” (2005-2007). He also released his first mixtape, “Room For Improvement,” in 2007.

For the video, directed by recent Prism Prize winner Karena Evans, Drake — inexplicably sleeping on a bed at the Raptors’ centre court at the Acc — gets a...

Drake hasn’t forgotten where he came from. The rapper just reunited pretty much the entire cast of “Degrassi: The Next Generation” for his “I’m Upset” music video.

Reprising their roles were Shane Kippel, Stacey Farber, Adamo Ruggiero, Lauren Collins, Jake Epstein, Christina Schmidt, Andrea Lewis, Melissa McIntyre, LinLyn Lue, Stefan Brogren, Ephraim Ellis, Jake Goldsbie, Marc Donato, Dalmar Abuzeid, A.J. Saudin, Miriam McDonald, Cassie Steele, Nina Dobrev, Sarah Barrable-Tishauer, and Paula Brancati.

Even Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith brought back their Jay and Silent Bob characters for a cameo recalling their original cameo.

Also Read: Drake Addresses Blackface Image Used on Pusha T's 'The Story of Adidon'

Next to the rapper, whose real name is Aubrey Drake Graham, Dobrev is the breakout star of the regular group. She starred on The CW’s “Vampire Diaries” from 2009-2017.

Drake/Graham played Jimmy Brooks from 2001-2009 on “Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Drake gets back to his “Degrassi” roots in the new music video for “I’m Upset,” a song which is expected to be included on his upcoming fifth studio album “Scorpion.” Drake appeared as the character Jimmy Brooks for eight seasons on “Degrassi: The Next Generation,” and his new music video includes nineteen actors who also starred on the series during its run.

The following cast members you’ll spot in the video below include (via TVLine): Shane Kippel (Spinner), Stacey Farber (Ellie), Adamo Ruggiero (Marco), Jake Epstein (Craig), Christina Schmidt (Terri), Andrea Lewis (Hazel), Melissa McIntyre (Ashley), Linlyn Lue (Ms. Kwan), Stefan Brogren (Snake), Ephram Ellis (Rick), Jake Goldsbie (Toby), Marc Donato (Derek), Dalmar Abuzeid (Danny), A.J. Saudin (Connor), Miriam McDonald (Emma), Cassie Steele (Manny), Nina Dobrev (Mia), Sarah Barrable-Tishauer (Liberty) and Paula Brancati (Jane).

The music video also features Jay and Silent Bob, played by Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes.

Drake is doing whatever it takes to make sure his latest music video goes viral, enlisting some help from his former Degrassi: The Next Generation co-stars.

The rapper, who played Jimmy Brooks on the Canadian teen drama from 2001 to 2009, stages a high school reunion in the Karena Evans-directed music video for his latest single “I’m Upset,” sending him back to his old stomping grounds.

In addition to Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith (aka Jay and Silent Bob), who appeared on Degrassi for a few episodes in Season 4, the following 19 alumni show up in the video: Shane Kippel (Spinner...

1955: Search for Tomorrow's Joanne married Arthur.

1981: Another World's Sandy told Mac that he was his son.

2003: As the World Turns' Jack tracked Carly down in Montana.

2004: General Hospital's Carly interrupted Jason and Sam's wedding."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1944: NBC Radio aired the final episode of its soap opera Kitty Foyle, which starred Julie Stevens as Kitty.

1955: On Search for Tomorrow, Joanne Barron...

The Summer of Degrassi Nostalgia continued Wednesday night with easily the biggest event yet. (Yes, even bigger than last month’s Next Generation series finale.)

RelatedDegrassi Series Finale Recap: Indecent Promposals

I’m talking about the long-awaited reunion between Drake, who played wheelchair-bound Jimmy Brooks, and his former co-stars, which finally went down at the Toronto premiere of the new web series We Are Disorderly.

PhotosDegrassi‘s Top 17 Couples, Ranked: Eclare vs. Fimogen and More

Lauren Collins (aka Miz Paige Michalchuk) shared the above photo — featuring herself, Drake, Daniel Clark (Sean) and Adamo Ruggiero (Marco) — on Instagram with the caption...

Started from the bottom... Drake reunited with his Degrassi co-stars last night at a screening for the new web series We Are Disorderly.  The rapper, whose been busy headlining Ovo Fest and beefing with fellow rapper Meek Mill, managed to take time out of his busy schedule to support former castmates Al Mukaddam and Mazin Elsadig, prompting an impromptu Degrassi reunion when he posed for a pic with Adamo Ruggiero (Marco), Lauren Collins (Paige) and Daniel Clark (Sean).  "It was a #Degrassi reunion tonight at the screening for the hilarious new web series @wearedisorderly," the official Degrassi Instagram page captioned a pic of the former...

Whatever it takes, these pals will make it through! Drake took a break from feuding with Meek Mill to take part of, basically, the Best. Reunion. Ever. The rapper walked down memory lane when he hung out with some of his former Degrassi costars at the We Are Disorderly premiere in his native Toronto on Wednesday, Aug. 5. The "Hold On, We're Going Home" entertainer, 28, was joined by Degrassi: The Next Generation's Lauren Collins (Paige Michalchuk), Daniel Clark (Sean Cameron), and Adamo Ruggiero (Marco Del Rossi). "Some [...]...

Drake may be a world famous rapper but he hasn’t forgotten his roots on cult Canadian show “Degrassi: The Next Generation.” On Tuesday, the “Take Care” rapper joined former co-stars Daniel Clark, Adamo Ruggiero and Lauren Collins (pictured above) at the Toronto premiere of the new web comedy series, “We Are Disorderly.” Drake was back in his home town this week for the Ovo Fest at the Molson Amphitheatre — where he amplified his beef with Meek Mill in the most hilarious fashion — and took time out from performing to pose for photos with the producers and stars of “We Are Disorderly,...

This is one high school reunion to which we’d definitely R.S.V.P.

Degrassi: The Next Generation‘s past and present is colliding this week as TeenNick films It Goes There: Degrassi‘s Most Talked-About Moments, a retrospective special airing July 31 (8/7c) in conjunction with the long-running drama’s series finale. (The follow-up series, Degrassi: Next Class, hits Netflix in 2016.)

RelatedDegrassi to End Its Run on TeenNick in July After 14 Seasons

Among the stars in attendance: Stacey Farber (Ellie), Lauren Collins (Paige), Shane Kippel (Spinner), Jake Epstein (Craig), Charlotte Arnold (Holly J.), Miriam McDonald (Emma), Ana Golja (Zoe...

Whatever it takes, they know they can make it through.

Degrassi stars Shane Kippel, Lauren Collins, Jake Epstein and Adamo Ruggiero reunited Monday while shooting promos for the show, which got canceled earlier this month after 14 years on the air – but is coming back with 20 new episodes in 2016 thanks to the powers that be at Netflix.

Still, every fan of the Canadian tween/teen drama knows that the show really hit its stride in the Next Generation years, with Kippel's slacker Spinner, Collins' queen bee Paige, Epstein's bipolar rocker Craig and Ruggiero's proudly out Marco ruling the hallways.

Look who I stumbled across.

Here is last week’s caption pic winner. This week’s caption pic is at the bottom of the page.

Thanks to everyone for participating! The winner is …

“Ed Kennedy’s worst dreams come true – cats breed with the Cybermen and take over the world!”

Thanks to neo1194 for this week’s winning caption!

Weekend Birthdays! Alexandre Depatie (above) is 28, Liam Neeson is 61, Prince is 55, Joan Rivers is 80, Bonnie Tyler is 62, Johnny Depp is 50, Natalie Portman is 32, and Adamo Ruggiero is 27.

The Out List: Photos from Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’s New HBO Documentary.

In ratings news, The USA debut of Graceland, with Broadway Babe Aaron Tveit opened strongly.

Behind-the-scenes of Season Four of The Walking Dead.

Congratulations!

Does Neil Patrick Harris want to host his own talk show?

Here’s the trailer for Varla Jean and the Mushroomheads, which premieres today on Here TV.

This made my day.

Via NewNowNext comes this Danish ad for Coke.

Here is last week’s caption pic winner. This week’s caption pic is at the bottom of the page.

Thanks to everyone for participating! The winner is …

“Though best known for her flags, Betsy Ross’s other designs were more profitable.”

Thanks to kevin9y9 for this week’s winning caption!

Weekend Birthdays! Wentworh Miller (above) is 41, Sharon Gless is 70, Corey Hart is 51, Brooke Shields is 48, Jake Silbermann is 30, Heidi Klum is 40, Andy Cohen is 45, Colin Farrell is 37, and Gregory Harrison is 63 (more with him below)..

Courtney Love on … American Idol?

But as expected, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj officially announced their departures.

Finishing up our AI block of news, apparently a failed former contestant is about to make his gay porn debut.

The Backstreet Boys hold pandas.

Wanda Sykes tells Ellen why old people smell like pee.

Mark Cuban has joined Athlete Ally.

Nasa: “It Gets Better”

Darren Criss...

Joe Manganiello in this month’s Men’s Health.

Birthday shoutouts go to Idina Menzel, who is 42, and Wynonna Judd is 49.

Cheyenne Jackson has joined the cast of the upcoming film Love Is Strange, where he’ll play a gay police officer.

Prepare yourselves: Grumpy Cat, The Movie may be happening.

Matthew Morrison debuts the music video for “It Don’t Mean A Thing.”

Robbie Rogers cheered in his road debut as an openly gay player.

Below you can see Lady Gaga in the trailer for Machete Kills. Unfortunately, it also has Mel Gibson.

“Noah’s Gay Wedding Cruise” has been updated.

And here’s The Weekly ShoutOUT™. Each week we’re going to focus on one out athlete/performer and feature a daily pic and career timeline. We’ll be showcasing the big names, but also the lesser-known gay celebs who deserve more recognition. This week we give a ShoutOUT to … Adamo Ruggiero.

Birthday shoutouts go to Adrian Paul (above, in Tides Of War), who is 54, Annette Bening is 55, Melissa Etheridge is 52, and Rupert Everett is 54.

Here’s the most unsurprising news of the day.

Our long national nightmare is almost over.

10 Gay Lessons from The Golden Girls

Neil Patrick Harris will host this year’s Emmy Awards, and don’t forget he’s also hosting this year’s Tony Awards. C’mon, Motion Picture Academy … do the right thing.

James Blake joins fellow tennis players Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish as an Athlete Ally.

Gender-bending action hero cartoon SheZow to debut on children’s network The Hub. Breitbart is already screaming about it, and I can’t wait to see the reaction from One Million Moms. You can see the intro below.

And here’s The Weekly ShoutOUT™. Each week we’re going to focus on one out athlete/performer and feature...

Birthday shoutouts go to out singer Mark Feehily (above), who is 33, and Justin Kirk is 44.

In ratings news, Behind The Candelabra was HBO’s highest rated original film in almost a decade.

Congratulations to Ben and Matt, who’ve finally tied the knot.

Will Scotus take note of the new same-sex marriage laws?

Frank Rich takes a look back at gay history.

Teapot Hitler

Chandler Massey and Freddie Smith are both nominated in the Younger Actor category at the Daytime Emmy Awards, and below you can see the clips they selected for Emmy voters. Up first is Chandler, who selected the scenes after his character Will got drunk and snogged Kris Kristofferson‘s son.

Here’s Freddie’s Emmy Reel. His character Sonny doesn’t have the hysterical drama that Will has, so Freddie’s scenes are much quieter, as he tells Will’s dad that he has feelings for the misty-eyed blond.

Below you can see the trailer for the web comedy series Boystown, starring Adamo Ruggiero, his fellow Degrassi alum Ben Lewis, and Richard Lee.

It follows three single twenty-something gay boys as they navigate a thriving out and proud community filled with its own tribes of twinks, bears, ricequeens and gymbunnies. This series is not only sassy and hilarious, but tackles issues of sexual racism that are absolutely prevalent in the gay community.

Instead of Kickstarter, the show is up for "view-based funding." Would you like to see it go to series?

Tags: BoystownAdamo RuggieroDegrassiIMDbTeaser Photo: ...

"Degrassi" stars Adamo Ruggiero and Ben Lewis are starring in a new comedy web series called "Boystown" along with Richard Lee and Brett Donahue. The Toronto-based series is about three gay friends looking for love and sex.

The premiere episode explores race and fetishes, specifically with Asian men within the gay community.

"Boystown," which is directed and written by Austin Wong, is adding to the recent influx of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (Lgbt) web series such as "The Outs", "No Shade" and "Girl Play."...

Here is last week's caption pic winner. This week's caption pic is at the bottom of the page.

Thanks to everyone for participating! The winner is ...

"There's no croixing in baseball."

Thanks to Kim Vicious for this week's winning caption!

Weekend Birthdays! (Note: Birthday shoutouts are for out entertainers, allies, or for any celeb that seems to have a following on Ae). Adamo Ruggiero (above) is 26, Natalie Portman is 31, Julianna Marguiles is 46, Sonia Braga is 62, Michael J. Fox is 51, Bonnie Tyler is 61, and Johnny Depp is 49. What are your Johnny faves? Here are mine: 5. A Nightmare On Elm Street, 4. Private Resort (so much ass), 3. Cry Baby, 2. Edward Scissorhands, 1. Ed Wood. Frank Langella Was a Happy Slut.25 Lgbt Films Perfect For Celebrating Pride.Male flesh feast Strike Back will return for its new season on Cinemax on August 17th, with a preview after this Sunday's True BloodCBS Files Restraining Order Against...

Klaus should really indulge his appetites more.

Welcome back to Celebrity Twitterwatch, where we try and make sense of what the beautiful people are talking about, or at least create a narrative thread more coherent than the plot of the Glee Christmas episode.

Joseph Morgan is a big part of the reason that there are no unwatched episodes of The Vampire Diaries on my DVR, while shows I've loved for years like Supernatural languish for weeks going on months. He proves that it's possible to play a powerful, ancient baddie with an understated, quiet menace. I just wish he spent more time out of his clothes. I can't wait for his brothers to pop up, but for now I'll just go with this image.

I'm not surprised that Dave Salmoni prefers animals to humans in any way. But I think the definition of weird needs to be discussed - are we talking Teddy Bear,...

Happy 25th Birthday to Adamo Ruggiero

There's going to be commotion at Sunday night's Tony Awards, as members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees plan to picket the show. "Celebs attending the show will have to walk past a giant inflatable rat set up by the union, which was angered after losing its traditional deal to set up the event’s red carpet and tents." Speaking of the Tonys, Popeater chats with host Neil Patrick Harris about what to expect during the show, as well as his twins and the upcoming Smurfs thingy. Chicago Pride is reporting that Darren Criss and his band will be performing on Saturday, August 14th at Market Days, the largest two-day street fair in the Midwest. Below you can see the latest Save The Date With Keith Edwards, as our man-on-the-street visits the summertime gay mecca of Fire Island Pines, just outside of NYC,...

Hunky Jeremy Renner (who I always picture in black boxer briefs from The Unusuals) will be picking up the Bourne Identity spinoff series. I’m hoping for lots of chances to ogle him.

According to numbers king extraordinaire Nate Silver, same-sex marriage opponents are now in the minority in the United States. It seems likely that they’re still in the majority among likely voters, and likely to get on cable news.

Mel Gibson gave an exclusive interview to Deadline.com, with nothing off the table (other than what a court order prevents him from discussing). I’m nowhere near ready to forget his past, but he does sound oddly …centered about what happened. And I’d like to believe him when he say this: “I’ve never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality -- period. I don’t blame...

Just a housekeeping note: Today in the United States it is President’s Day. We’re going to be giving you new content today, but on a slightly reduced schedule.

The gleeful reporting on many blogs that Anonymous was going to take on the Westboro Baptist Church could have done with some fact checking. Not only did it inspire Wbc themselves to gloat, it wasn’t even real. As Anonymous says, they have bigger fish to fry.

It’s not quite our normal news beat around here, but I feel it would be remiss not to acknowledge the protests in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, and yes, Wisconsin. I hope that I’m not reading about more violent deaths in the future.

Unknown edged out the much more heavily promoted I Am Number Four for the weekend box office, but once the four day weekend is accounted for, Gnomeo & Juliet may come out on top,...

Happy New Year to you all, and congratulations on making it to another year, and even another decade, depending on how you want to count it.

Even more congratulations are in order, because singer-songwriter Patrick Wolf tweeted that he’d been upgraded by his boyfriend William Charles Pollock to fiancé status.

Meanwhile, Aslie Pitter, founder of one of the first gay football clubs in England is being recognized by the Queen herself with a Member of the British Empire (MBE) for his 20 years of work fighting homophobia in sport.

The end-of-year lists are still hitting the news. Our friends over at The Bilerico Project have listed their Top Ten Lgbt Stories of 2010. It was truly an eventful year, some good, some bad. You might have the events ranked in a different order, but what they included is fairly comprehensive.

Vanity Fair has named their Gayest Moments from Glee. Sadly (for us at AfterElton.

Vampire Diaries' Nina Dobrev spotted gorgeous at Gemini Awards. CW, Vampire Diaries,hottie Nina Dobrev was recently spotted out at the 2010,25th Annual Gemini Awards Gala in Toronto,Canada this past Saturday night. Nina appeared to be having a great time,and looked absolutely gorgeous in her nice,blue dress. According to sources, Nina was spotted at the Winter Garden Theatre venue. At one point, she took a photo with Hawaii Five-o actress Grace Park before the awards ceremony began. During the awards ceremony, Nina took part in a tribute to "Degrassi," and was joined by fellow alumni Adamo Ruggiero.

And According To Me, The Winner Is!

Since every media outlet in existence including American Woodworker, Embalming & Burial and Prison Guard Weekly has already weighed in with their Emmy pics for this Sunday's award show, I thought I'd do something different. Like … take the week off. But the rest of the staff objected to that for some reason.

So instead , since this column is called the Best.Gay.Week.Ever!, I thought it would be fun to look back to the dawn of time and name the gay shows, characters, actors, writers I think most deserving of, well, let's call them the Gay Emmys, or following the lead of Kathy Griffin, the Gemmys!

Here are the categories for which I'll be selecting winners as if these nominees were competing against each other for an Emmy: Best Drama Series, Best Comedy Series, Best Gay Actor Comedy, Best Gay Actor Drama, Best Writing Drama,...

Have a question about gay male entertainment or life? Contact me here (and be sure and include your city and state and/or country!)

Q: I’m 21 years old, and my boyfriend is 23. We’ve known each other three years, and I moved in with him early this year. He proposed to me yesterday. I was stunned. I said I wasn't ready, but now he seems to be avoiding me. I didn't say no, just that I need more time. He seem doesn't understand that. I love him, but I’m too young to get married. Help me make him understand! – Ash, Las Vegas, Nv

A: Try to look at this from his point-of-view. There’s nothing that involves a greater degree of personal risk than proposing to someone – except maybe alligator wrestling or criticizing Bill O’Reilly. And naturally, when your boyfriend proposed to you, he expected you to...

July 1st is Canada Day, and we thought we'd take a moment to honor our friends to the north. Canada has always seemed like a friendlier version of the U.S., and is far ahead of us when it comes to marriage-equality. Plus they've given us such fabulous pop culture treasures as Sctv, The Kids In The Hall, Degrassi, Bumper Stumpers, You Can't Do That On Television and Ryan Reynolds.

Most importantly, they taught as that no one, no one! can take away our right to fight and to never surrender.

Canada can also be proud of their contributions to gay visibility, and we're spotlighting some of those men here. This is just a smattering of the out Canadians we admire, and feel free to add your own favorites.

Btw, we haven't forgotten about Canadian lesbian icons k.d. Lang and Tegan & Sara, but this list is just about dudes.

Plus Sean Hayes won't be bringing up "you know what" at the Tony Awards, win a trip to San Francisco, and scared actresses are hilarious!

Happy Birthday to Adamo Ruggiero, who tuns 24 today.

Can't wait until this fall to see Nate Berkus on TV again? No worries! Before his syndicated talk show premieres you can watch him co-hosting the Primetime Emmy Awards Red Carpet Special on NBC August 29. Blogger and TheaterMania contributor Patrick Lee passed away earlier this month at the age of 51. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. One thing I've always wanted to do before I die is make love in a Volkswagen Beetle as it goes through a carwash. And another thing I've always wanted to do is visit San Francisco! Now the second dream can be a reality thanks to The San Francisco Insider Sweepstakes. Enter to win a trip for two to...

We asked you which gay or bisexual TV characters you think are the best, and you told us – with tens of thousands of votes cast.

Now we have the results.

But first, a few interesting statistics.

We have quite a few familiar faces – characters who made our last poll of the best gay and bisexual characters two and a half years ago – and a few missing ones, namely Vince D’Angelo (from Will & Grace), George Huang (from Law & Order: Svu), and Waylon Smithers (from The Simpsons), all of whom didn’t even make the top 50 this time around.

Meanwhile, we also have many new faces – from shows that have debuted since our last poll.

Every single character except two comes from a show that ran in the 00s (although some shows, like Will & Grace, did debut in the late 90s). The exceptions? Jodie Dallas, played by Billy Crystal, on Soap...

It’s been quite an amazing twelve months for Scott Evans, who until mid-summer of last year, was a minor recurring character on the ABC soap One Life to Live. But that was before the talented and daring writing crew at the show decided to reveal nerdy cop Oliver Fish as closeted and in love with his college lover, Kyle Lewis (Brett Claywell). Thus Kish was born and the couple quickly became one of daytime’s most talked about duos.

While other soaps have feared to tread too far into gay territory, Oltl has gone full bore crafting daytime’s first same-sex love triangle, boldly tackling the topic of gay marriage and giving fans the romantic payoff of the first love scene between two men on daytime television.

We talked to Evans about the past year, how it’s affected his life, his views on political subjects, working with his movie star brother Chris Evans,...

Welcome to another edition of Gays of Our Lives. This week in Gool Theater, we’ve got some very good clips from As the World Turns. And yet, the show still managed to annoy me. Am I just picky? Watch for yourself and see. Plus, Good Times, Bad Times (Dutch) starts an intriguing plot arc, Roman risks his life on All That Matters and One Life to Live continues to astound and amaze. Thankfully, it’s in a good way.

Gool Scoops And Spoilers has the dish on the new gay storyline on Emmerdale, Kyle and Oliver each make a commitment to Nick on One Life to Live, but can they keep their promises? Plus, Ravi comes to the defense of his sisters on Hollyoaks, Ian is trapped in a dicey situation on Shameless (U.S.), the kids from Glee make it to Sectionals in the final episode until – gasp!

There’s really something of a holiday movie curse, isn’t there? Hundreds of Christmas movies have been made over the years, but most are terrible. You can count the number of decent ones on one hand.

I’d love to be able to say that Make the Yuletide Gay, the latest film from gay indie writer-director Rob Williams (Long-Term Relationship, Back Soon), breaks the holiday movie curse.

It doesn’t.

I feel like I have a lump of coal in my heart writing a negative review of this sweet, simple gay-themed holiday comedy. But it’s just not a very good movie.

Gunn, a young gay college student who is totally out on campus, still hasn’t come out to his parents. On the way home for the Christmas holidays, he stops at a public restroom to “de-gay” himself, changing his clothes and messing up his hair (but disappointing...

Knock, Knock. Who's There? The Closet. you're Still Around? You Better Believe It!

There's been a great deal of discussion on the site over the past couple of weeks about gay celebrities, the closet and what constitutes being "out." And even though we've discussed the issue numerous times before, it seems like it is once again time to revisit the topic. And it's a subject that is as tricky as ever and that can have real consequences for the celebrities involved.

Perez kicked the latest round of debate off when he posted an item about White Collar's Matthew Bomer. Without citing a source or saying how he knew, Perez simply claimed Matt was an out gay man. If true, we were certainly interested in writing about Matt and his show, but as we aren't a gossip site, I wasn't going to simply repeat Perez's claims — for lots of reasons.

A week loaded with oh-so-worthy awards season contenders is offset with the comic relief of Jim Carrey's performance captured flailing, George Clooney's self-deluded staring, and the teasing promise of an affordable(!) trip to the ballet.

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"The Box"

You could make the argument that if Richard Kelly could only get the whole world to come over to his house and listen to his record collection, he might not feel the need to make films at all. That said, his fall from grace following the flop of "Southland Tales" was so total that he went from the director anointed as the hipster's David Lynch to the arthouse M. Night Shyamalan overnight. With much riding on this comeback, Kelly has turned to Richard Matheson's short story "Button, Button," previously immortalized as an episode of "The Twilight Zone,...

Have a question about gay male entertainment? Send it to aftereltonflyingmonkey@yahoo.com! (Please include your city and state and/or country.)

Q: I´ve been reading the Kathy Griffin book and while it was much less fun than I was hoping for, there was something that really annoyed me -- besides the fact that in her world "the gays" is a synonym for hair dresser or shopping buddy. Kinda makes me wish she´d actually let me at her hair to change that attitude. Anyway, in the book she says that Andy Dick got punched in the face by Wesley Snipes for using (and I quote) "the n-word" in a club. Later there is another Dick story about one of his stand-up appearances where he called the audience repeatedly (and I quote again) "faggots.” So why isn´t it "the n-word" and "the f-word" Or "nigger" and "faggot"? -- Thomas,...

Have a question about gay male entertainment? Send it to aftereltonflyingmonkey@yahoo.com! (Please include your city and state and/or country.)

Q: Does Lucy Lawless regret that they killed Xena? – Craig, Norfolk, Va

A: In fact, she does. In “A Friend in Need,” the two-part Xena: Warrior Princess series finale back in 2001, Xena allows herself to be killed, so she can become a ghost and fight a spiritual being. Later, after Gabrielle finds a way to bring Xena back to life, the Warrior-Princess heroically chooses to stay dead in order to make amends for past sins. The series ends with Gabrielle, a full-fledged warrior at last, carrying on Xena’s legacy.

Gabrielle bids farewell to Xena

But as I’m sure you know, Craig, fans were livid – both at the death itself and over the way she died, which included, um, decapitation.

“At the time, we thought that was a really strong choice,...

Lauren Collins attending the "Degrassi Goes Hollywood" promotion at Planet Hollywood in Times Square, New York City on August 12, 2009. Photo copyright by Sylvain Gaboury / PR Photos. Adamo Ruggiero and Lauren Collins attending the "Degrassi Goes Hollywood" promotion at Planet Hollywood in Times Square, New York City on August 12, 2009. Photo copyright by Sylvain Gaboury / PR Photos. Adamo Ruggiero attending the "Degrassi Goes Hollywood" promotion at Planet Hollywood in Times Square, New York City on August 12, 2009. Photo copyright by Sylvain Gaboury / PR Photos. Adamo Ruggiero attending the "Degrassi Goes Hollywood" promotion at Planet Hollywood in Times Square, New York City on August 12, 2009. Photo copyright by Sylvain Gaboury /...

Proof that "the college years" aren't the kiss of death for every TV show, Degrassi: The Next Generation managed to let its characters grow up without going stale. But the teen-oriented series couldn't follow Paige, Ellie, Manny, Emma, Marco, Jimmy, Craig, and Ashley forever, and we'd seen them through so much. (Seriously: so much!) So Degrassi did what it does -- you know, "go there" -- and introduced a whole crop of younger, new characters, with new problems to be dealt with in straightforward but often awkward ways. Such is life, you guys. But as a hardcore D:tng fan, I missed the old gang. Imagine my delight when word of a two-hour movie surface, my increasing delight to find out it's awesome, and then the total joy-induced apoplexy when none other than Lauren Collins and Adama Ruggiero -- Paige and Marco, Omg -- swung by PopWatch HQ. Read on for...

Filmmaker Kevin Smith has always had a weird, inexplicable fascination with the Canadian TV series "Degrassi," a high school-age dramedy which has seen a number of evolutions over the years. Smith frequently references the series in his work. He even directed and appeared in three episodes of "Degrassi: The Next Generation." If you need hard evidence of Smith's "Degrassi" love, look no further than this short exchange from "Chasing Amy":

Holden (Ben Affleck): So, uh, what do you wanna do tonight?

Banky (Jason Lee): I dunno. Get a pizza, watch "Degrassi Junior High".

Holden: You got a weird thing for Canadian melodrama.

Banky: I got a weird thing for girls who say, "Aboot."

My point is that none of you should be surprised to hear that Smith, along with longtime collaborator and friend Jason Mewes, will be appearing in the upcoming "Degrassi" TV-movie, "Degrassi Goes Hollywood." Those...

'It's exciting and glamorous,' star Adamo Ruggiero says of 'Degrassi Goes Hollywood.'

By Jocelyn Vena

Pete Wentz

Photo: David Livingston/ Getty Images

The Canadian "Degrassi" series has been a phenomenon since it made its debut over two decades ago. Now, several cast changes later, the kids of "Degrassi: The Next Generation" are heading out to Hollywood for a TV-movie version of the show, "Degrassi Goes Hollywood," airing Friday on the N network. And coming along with the cast are familiar faces like Perez Hilton, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes and Pete Wentz.

Smith has always been quite vocal about his love for the show, even making cameos in the past — but show stars Lauren Collins and Adamo Ruggiero reveal to MTV News that this time Smith is giving Mewes the most screen time.

"It was cool, 'cause on 'Degrassi,' it's always been about Kevin ... and Jason's kind...

'You'd better win!' Lauren Collins jokes about Best New Artist nominee.

By Jocelyn Vena

Drake

Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images

Drake has gone from starring on the Canadian teen drama "Degrassi: The Next Generation," under the name Aubrey Graham, to being nominated for Best New Artist at this year's Video Music Awards. And his former "Degrassi" co-stars Lauren Collins and Adamo Ruggiero couldn't be more excited to have one of their own up for a Moonman.

"You'd better win!" Collins joked to MTV News when the duo stopped by to promote their TV movie "Degrassi Goes Hollywood," which airs Friday on the N. "I hope he wins. I think he might."

Meanwhile, Ruggiero has it all planned out about what will happen if Drake wins. "Bring the awards home, and we'll, like, polish them together," he laughed. "We're gonna be so honored to see him there."

Aside from all things Drake,...

Have a question about gay male entertainment? Ask the Monkey! (Please include your city and state and/or country.)

Q: Oh wise and airborne simian, I've noted the massive number of posts on Torchwood over the last couple of weeks, and I wonder if it hasn’t generated more posts than any other topic on After Elton.com. If it hasn't, what subject has? -- Hayden, London, UK

Captain Jack says goodbye to Ianto in Torchwood: Children of Earth

A: First, your salutation made me laugh. Second, the answer is unequivocally yes, nothing else has ever come close to the interest we’ve seen in Torchwood’s “Children of Earth”mini-series – specifically creator Russell T Davies’ decision to kill off the gay character of Ianto. By now, we’ve all made our opinions known ad nauseum, so I won’t get into that again.

But I’ve also talked...

We may be a predominantly gay male entertainment site, but we always try to look out for the ladies here at AfterElton.com. We felt bad that we had to ask our female readers to sit out the Hot 100 voting last month (for that list we wanted a fair representation of whom gay men find attractive), so to make up for it we ran a special poll just for the ladies in last week's Best.Gay.Week.Ever!  We wanted to hear from our female readers about which gay men they find hot.

Call it The Ladies' Choice Hot 50. You'll find the results after the break!

If there's one thing women and gay men can agree on it seems to be Neil Patrick Harris, who headlines both the regular Hot 100 and this list. After some further Hot 100 similarities near the top (John Barrowman, Luke MacFarlane, etc.) things start to diverge considerably.

From 2002 until 2008, twenty-two-year old Adamo Ruggiero played gay teen Marco Del Rossi on the long running teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation. Viewers followed Marco as he struggled to come out to his friends, fell victim to a gay bashing, found love for the first time and simply struggled to find his way in the world as an openly gay man. Behind the scenes, Ruggiero dealt with his own personal coming out story, which mirrored his on screen counterpart’s life in many ways.

Recently, AfterElton.com talked to Ruggiero not only about his decision to come out of the closet, but how it affected his career, his feelings about his years at Degrassi, his thoughts about the struggles of young gay men today, his first feature film and much more.

But we started off by talking about his starring role in Dog Sees God, a stage play about the...

DeGrassi's Marco and Paige

Like Frankie and S Club 7 before them, Degrassi Goes Hollywood is a new feature film coming to The N this summer.

Read on, eh?

If, like me, you're having a hard time learning the names of all the new kids on Degrassi: The Next Generation — let's see, there's the smart nerd with Asperger's, the gay football player with 'roid rage, that gawky Asian girl I call Sandra N. (because she's not yet Sandra Oh), and the pretty boy who won't have sex, just to name a few — you'll be thrilled that everyone's favorite characters from the early years of the Canadian teen soap are coming back.

The N has started airing promos for Degrassi Goes Hollywood, featuring the L.A. adventures of everyone's favorite gay Toronto teen Marco (played by out actor Adamo Ruggiero), as well as Paige, Craig, Manny and the rest of the bunch.

In The Spotlight – Degrassi: The Next Generation, Clara Sheller, and River City

This week we look at three very different series that hail from three different countries. But all have one thing in common: each tell interesting and intriguing stories about the lives and loves of gay men.

First up, Degrassi: The Next Generation and ‘The Life of Riley’.

Riley Stavros, played by Argiris Karras, is the long running Canadian teen drama’s latest entry in its much-lauded history of depicting the lives of gay characters. But two recent episodes clearly showed Riley is very different from Degrassi’s last gay character, Marco (out actor Adamo Ruggiero). Where Marco was openly gay and never struggled with his sexual identity, it’s been nothing but a constant battle for Riley. In fact, he hates being gay and desperately wishes things were different. But as we see in this first clip, he...