Oh, my dear sweet friends. Such disappointing news to share with you about Our Hero, Rafael Nadal. He had a very tough day at the office today and wound up losing in the Wimbledon Second Round to 100-ranked Lukas Rosol from Czezh Republic in 5 sets 6-7 (9) 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. It's a rough loss for Rafa. Going out this early in the tournament is not what he wanted or what anyone expected. He's gonna lose a lot of ranking points because of this too. And he hasn't faced an exit this early to such a low ranked competitor... ever? Seriously. But as we saw with Serena in the French Open, play enough tennis for enough years and these flukes do turn up.
All we can do is shrug and say, "It happens." Rosol played the match of his life today. Anyone can beat anybody in that kind of rare form, regardless of what the rankings say. Seriously, it was just ace after ace after ace, after service winner for Rosol. There wasn't a lot Rafa could do. In all three sets he lost he suffered an early service break and then didn't even get to see break point chances on Rosol's serve. It wasn't that Rafa wasn't taking his chances, he really wasn't presented with any. It looked like Rafa had turned it around in the 4th set with Rosol reeling, but then they stopped the match for 40 minutes to close the roof due to darkness, and when they resumed play. Rosol had settled, Rafa was stiff and the break in the first game of the 5th set spelled certain doom. Really, Rosol could've/should've won in three sets with Rafa barely edging him 11-9 in the first set tie break.
I'm disappointed for Nadal, but in my heart I felt like he was going to lose this match from the beginning. It's just a gut thing. Rosol's form was too good. Experience would say he could not sustain it over a five set match, but the games were flying by so quickly, I suspected he could and would. Nadal will bounce back from this. It is one loss. He can have his Wimbledon revenge at the Olympics later this summer. My allegiance now completely shifts to Brian Baker, who was also in Rafa's quarter and would've ran into him in the fourth round. Baker is the US comeback story of the year and now I hope he gets through his 3rd round match and then tears through Rosol should he be there in Round 4. Take it all the way Baker.
I know this loss has to hurt Rafa. But all your fans still love you. You are a true champion and will rise to glory again soon! VAMOS!
Welcome Back, Dance Fans! Have you missed me? I have missed you. I'm so glad we are finally ready to meet our Season 9 Top 20 in this very special 200th episode of our Show of Shows. Some have asked me why I don't recap the SYTYCD audition and Vegas rounds and it's mostly because every year they introduce a ton of dancers who don't make it through and it's traumatic and we get to a Top 20 with several people we've never even seen before. Suffice to say, the auditions rounds happened. Lots of people were awesome, lots of those awesome people were cut. And now we find ourselves here. We're currently at 35 and have to get down to 20. 15 dreams left to crush. Will your favorite dancer survive the Green Mile and dance for you on the live show? Welcome... to So You THINK You Can Dance! Cue the music and roll the credits!
Cat's on stage in an outfit that might also be some kind of art installation. It's pink and gold and white and sequins and stones... it's a lot of look. She of course makes it look beautiful. We love her!
(One of these things is not like the others.)
We have jidges! Mary Murphy, Conductor of the Hot Tomale Train. Executive Producer Nigel Lithgoe (evening, suh!) and for no real discernible reason... Zooey Deschanel. She is on hand to assess the quirkiness of the Top 20, I guess. We make a note that this year there will be two winners: A Guy and a Girl, which is fine with me because that's how they eliminate them throughout the season anyway. Cat throws us to a video recap of Vegas week and head to commercials!
We're back. It's time to meet our Top 10 Guys and Top 10 Gulls! Who's walking the long green mile first? Alexa! The final cut from last season. She had a lot of screen time in Vegas and the judges yelled at her until she cried - and the judges LOVED it! Did she finally make it? Of course she did! Good for her. Perseverance pays off.
The second person up is George. He had a great audition in Atlanta and then you basically never saw him in Vegas. But I remember him from that first audition, so that's a good sign!! He's in!!
The third guy is... tall. Seriously they blew by him so fast! His name is Will. Does anyone even know where he auditioned? I rewound and Cat throws in quickly he came through LA. He puts his hands on his face so quickly in astonishment I barely got a look at him. Well, maybe he'll stick around a few weeks so we can find out more about him.
Then we quickly axe two dancers. The awesome Meghan who the judges loved all the way until the end when she's suddenly not good enough. They also cut a cute boy named Colin whom the judges kept saying was the best, but the show editors never wanted us to actually see him dance. The judges hope he'll come back to us next year when maybe he'll actually get some screen time.
Amber now has dyed-blonde hair and tried out twice before with her natural coloredhair. She got cut in Vegas both times and thought she'd never audition again. But she couldn't let the dream go... and now it's her reality! She's in the top 20!
(Are we falling? Are we falling in love?)
Alexa Anderson, Amber Jackson, George Lawrence II, and Will Thomas are all in! So now that we have four contempos revealed, it's time for them to dance for us. They are doing a Tyce routine. Meh. It's set to a mellow version of We Found Love In A Hopeless Place, (BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge Version) by Jessie J. I can't listen to this song without singing "We Found Drugs In A Wholesome Place." as alternate lyrics. Anyway, I don't like Tyce's choreo here. Nothing new in that statement. I would not like it in a box. I would not like it with a fox. And the dancers are all foxes! Still, they all manage to shine. They are seriously beaming with excitement to be there even if I'm not particularly taken with what they are given to do. George and Alexa really stand out for me, but I instantly like all four of them. When it's done, the judges say nothing of importance to them in their praise, so I won't be mentioning them again during this recap. After this rather short routine Giant Will is already a totally sweaty mess. Cat is gonna get drenched this season!
We have 16 dancers left to go before we get a Top 20 Dance Routine from MIA MICHAELS! Holy crap, Cat Deely. You can't just drop that on us so quickly and sneak off to commercials. At least we have a l break to recover and process MIA'S RETURN!
Have you gathered yourself? We are back. Let's check in with the ballroom kids next. Nick came to Vegas dressed in a tux and is gonna have a total emotional breakdown on the Green Mile if the judges don't pick him. He seriously can't even stand up in front of them. How's he gonna face America if he can't face the judges? I guess we'll find out, because he makes it. Thank goodness they picked him, otherwise he would've been headed to a mental hospital for 2 weeks of observation.
Ballroom BFF's Whitney and Lindsay are sent in to face the music together. The judges try to fake them out, saying they will only take one of them, but Mary is the one giving the news and she can't really mask her excitement that they both made it through!!
(hot hot heat!)
Witney Carson, Lindsay Arnold and Nick Bloxsom-Carter are all in! Dance #2. They are doing a trio dance by Jason Gilkinson to Dance Again by Jennifer Lopez featuring Pit Bull. Trios are always tough in ballroom, but I instantly love all three of them. Okay it must be noted that, Nick is no Pasha, but who among us besides Pasha is Pasha? Nobody. Nick's very boyish, instead of manly, but I think Nick has enough personality to grow over the course of the show. And Witney and Lindsay are both super super hot. They are ready to bring it. I especially love Witney. She is definitely one of my early favorites.
4 contempos and 3 Ballers stand revealed. 13 to go!!! Teasers before the commercials seem to indicate they are NOT gonna take both of the amazing ballet boys into the Top 20 which I think is MADNESS.
We return and get to the ballroom babies. Eliana is the pole-dancing ballet Cirque du Soleil girl! She is wearing amazing blue shoes as she stomps down the Green Mile to see the judges. She is in! YAY! Then we get to the two ballet boys who have basically given up their steady professional gigs to audition for the show. But the judges only have room for one! Really? If you were faced with Checon and Daniel, would you actually choose between them or just take them both? The judges aren't stupid. They take them both! We really haven't seen a whole lot of rejection tonight, have we?
(Black Swans, all dressed in white)
Daniel Baker, Eliana Girard and Chehon Wespi-Tschopp are all in! Dance #3. Ballet time!. They are Dancing to Romantic Inclinations / Like a Shot / Fury by P. Mottram S.Everitt G. Shadid and T. Marberger. Choreo is provided Desmond Richardson and his partner. Don't get me wrong, they are all powerhouses, but I think the routine looks a little off. Individually they all are gorgeous, but they're not locked in with the timing especially Daniel and Chehon. Chehon is a little slower than Daniel. Also, Eliana seems to wearing a tutu made out of scrap metal and glass shards that looks like it's designed to mortally wound her two dance partners. It's odd. Both guys look a little uncomfortable getting too close to its razor edges - especially Cheon. Still, I look forward to seeing all these three partnered and dancing in costumes not designed to kill anybody. 10 spots remain! Commercials begin!
We return and we now have to see who gets through for Jazz and Hip Hop. Jazz first! Tiffany and Audrey look almost identical. They are short. They have the same long wavy brown hair. They are both athletic dynamos. Tiffany gets in first making Audrey very nervous.But then Audrey gets in too! How will we be able to tell them apart on stage??
Then there's a bunch of people who are veteran auditioners who don't make it through. We hardly knew ye!
Then Janelle the belly dancer is walking the green mile. The show has never had a belly dancer... until now! Janelle maybe fake hits her head coming out to greet everyone still in the holding room. But maybe she did it for real? Hard to tell. Anyway. somehow she's sick and is not dancing in Meet the Top 20. A bad omen? Please, let's have an injury and illness free run of shows! I hate when people can't compete!
(Mirror Image Assassins!)
Audrey Case, Tiffany Maher, and Janelle Issis(sitting out this week) are all in! Dance #4. The two remaining twin girls do a Sonya Tayeh routine that is totally kick ass. They are dancing to Sail by Awolnation. They are both so strong and the choreo fits them so well. Love love love it. You'll never be able to tell them apart though. Season 8 winner Melanie Moore is in the audience looking amazing as always. Also, Cat Deely is a full 3 feet taller than the two gulls on stage. Amazing. 7 spots left, folks! Commercials!
Commercial note: Bring It On The Musical which opens on Broadway August 1st features SYTYCD All-Star Neil Haskell! Don't miss it if you're in NYC. It's gonna be awesome!
Now, it's time for the Jazz boys to get the news. Joshua is up first. He's the one who basically almost died doing a flip at the end of Vegas Week. And he doesn't make it to Top 20! Nooo! Sadness! And then Jasmine, the girl whose brother was a veteran auditioner and got in that horrible car accident doesn't make it! NOOO!!! Oh, that one makes me really sad. I thought she was a gorgeous dancer and a shoo-in. Come back next year, girl!
Then Ryan Gosling gets in to the Top 20. Seriously, the dude looks just like him! Where was his video package in the earlier rounds? How'd I miss him? His real name is Matthew.
Then Dareian, the gorgeous boy with feet like bricks and nipples like daggers, is walking the Green Mile... and he gets in! He's not a tall guy at all, which can sometimes cause lifting issues, but he's super strong and has a great smile. He could go far!
With boys settled, we jump back to gulls. It's down to 3 girls for 2 spots, and the decision is between two girls you know and one girl you don't: Come-from-behind firecracker Janaya, Amelia the silent movie star and some other girl everyone on the panel insists is amazing. It's Amelia and Janaya who make it in. She has amazing alabaster skin that is gonna pop on stage in the group numbers. Mark my words!
(You can never have enough contempo dancers! They make up almost half the field!)
Matthew Kazmierczak, Dareian Kujawa, Janaya French and Amelia Loweare all in! .Dance #5 Stacey Tookey Jazz. The music is Modern Drift by Efterklang. It's beautiful. There's this amazing spin jump that Amelia leaps into Darian's arms and it looks physically impossible that he could catch her that way but he does. And I was right. Amelia looks like a Stephenie Meyer vampire on the stage. Strong and beautiful. She's one to beat. Commercials!
We're back. 3 spots left for the guys, Dance Fans. Who will it be?? Well, it won't be a tapper. Both guys who made it to the Green Mile as tappers don't get any further. At least they can console each other on the way out. I bet when the judges asked to see them together they figured at least one of them was going through. That's rough.
So no tappa tappa tappa this year. But we do get our first ninja! Score! That would be Cole. I'm so happy he go through. I liked him since his first audition, but didn't see much of him in Vegas. And we also get our first stepper! That's awesome. His name is Brandon. He might have gotten the least screen time so far of any of the Top 20, but the few times they did show him, I had a feeling it was planting the seed for future awesomeness.
The final spot is either going to go Cyrus, who we have seen in clips and interviews for weeks, or this excellent dancer we've never talked to before. You will not be surprised to learn they choose Cyrus. You might be surprised to learn that with these three slots filled there are no straight up b-boys or hip hop dancers in this season/s Top 20. That's way crazier than having no tappers. I like that all these other dance stylists are featured this year, but we'll see how the dancers really adapt to different genres of dance.
(A whole new ballgame!)
Brandon Mitchell, Cyrus “Glitch” Spencer and Cole Horibeare all in! They are doing a baseball routine with choreo by Christopher Scott. The music is Resolve by Nathan Lanier. There's also an intro by an “announcer” over the track running play-by-play about the dancers. It's a very very cool routine highlighting all their unique talents. The whole thing then turns into a commercial for the All-Star Game on Fox as Nigel begs for an early Season 10 pick up from Fox. Whatever it takes, I say. So the last three spots go to three firsts: a stepper, an animation popper and a martial artist. Bring it, Season 9. I'm ready. See you next week, America!
Wait, there's still more? We're not done yet? THREE more routines to go? Man, this one episode a week format means we have to cram in a lot of show in two hours. Top 10 Guy Routine, Top 10 Girl Routine and Mia Michaels Top 20 routine. All coming at ya! Let's go!!
Also, National Dance Day is happening again. Google it if you're interested.
(Doorway to Heaven)
Top 10 Girls (really 9, no Janelle still.) Routine: Choreo by Travis Wall. Song: Where the Light Gets In by Sennen. Concept: All girl Dancers go to Contempo Heaven. It's very ethereal. There's literally a door to back lit heaven and Alexa is ushering them all inside. Once again, Amelia's vampiric skin tone makes her stand out from the crowd. Overall, strong work from the girls.
(No Shirts, No Shoes, Still Service!)
Top 10 Guys Routine: Choreo by Sonya Tayeh. Song: Precognition (Steed Lord Machine Mix) by Steed Lord. Concept. Shirtless guys in maternity pants do male on male choreo action! Guys are shirtless in rehearsal and it's revealed that while most of the guys have abs of steel as you'd imagine, Giant Will actual has a little jiggle going on down there. I instantly feel 100 times better about myself as I scarf down another lean pocket. The boys routine is very strong and several of them are thrown or lifted very high in the air as boy dancers tend to do with other boy dancers. The outfits are very odd, but the dance itself I think is better than the girls.
(Their future is so bright they have to wear shades!)
Top 20 (Really 19!) Routine: Choreo by MIA MICHAELS. Song: Eyes by Kaskade Coacella Live 2012 Version. Concept: Wearing Your Sunglasses at Night with Mia Frickin Michaels! So many dancers on stage! They are a;ll in a line. They do amazingly precise movements! They wear sunglasses! They remove the sunglasses! They leap into each other! They walk around! Look, I'm not doing it justice, folks. It's beautiful. The choreo is slightly altered because there are really 19 of them on stage instead of the full 20. When there is partnering work, one guy is odd man out. I only notice it because I'm looking for it. As comment afterwards, Nigel just says to Mia "Welcome home, Mama,
you've been missed." Agreed! Glad to have her back this season!
So no show next week as Cat Deely throws all the dancers a 4th of July BBQ. How exciting that they get to enjoy it this year without the threat of elimination hanging over anybody! Then the following week the partnerships are revealed and we get to see who wants it bad enough to make it to Top 10 and All-Star action! For now, we must wait, but we get to watch an extended amount of the end credits during which the Top 20 free-dance to the show's theme song. That is perhaps my favorite time of the whole show. I'm so glad we're all back together taking this journey again.
Once again, here's your list of Top 20 Dancers! More than half of them are not of legal drinking age. Deep sigh...
Contempos
Alexa Anderson, 19
Amber Jackson, 21
George Lawrence II, 19
Will Thomas, 19
Matthew Kazmierczak, 21
Dareian Kujawa, 20
Janaya French, 20
Amelia Lowe, 18
Ballers
Witney Carson, 18
Lindsay Arnold, 18
Nick Bloxsom-Carter, 20
Ballerinos
Daniel Baker, 24
Eliana Girard, 21
Chehon Wespi-Tschopp, 23
Ladies and Gentleman, Our Hero, Rafael Nadal, is once again our Champion. Rafa has won the French Open for a record-breaking seventh time! It was an incredibly tense, dramatic, hard-fought, well-played final, spanning two days and several rain delays. It was emotionally draining for ME, I don't know how they actually got through it! At the end though, the sun came out and Rafa found his best form and beat Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. I couldn't be happier! GO RAFA!
(Moments later, Rafa himself in the face lowering the trophy back down. Luckily he didn't draw blood but he got a nice bump under his eye. Oh, Rafa! Be careful!)
It's Rafa's 50 tournament win of his career. His 4th tournament win of the year. His third consecutive win in a final over Novak over that infamous streak of losing 7 finals to Novak throughout last year and this year's Aussie Open. People can argue over who's the Greatest Player of All Time until their faces are as blue as the clay in Madrid, but there can be no dispute that Nadal is the true King of Clay. His results over the past 8 years speak for themselves. Year after year he has totally dominated on the red clay of Europe. Federer has not been able to beat him in Roland Garros. Djokovic has not been able to beat him in Roland Garros. He surpassed Borg's record of 6 French Open titles. Nadal is the KING! He now has 11 Grand Slam titles, tying him with Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg on the All-Time list. One more ties him with Roy Emerson. 3 would tie him with Sampras! Those benchmarks are not guaranteed, but they are not unreasonable. At the top of his game Rafa has to be considered a strong contender for any major title. He's won them all before. He can win them again.
(My little figure, Nafa Radal got some new body art yesterday after Rafa's win. The Reds mark the French Opens, Green is Wimby, Silver is Aussie Open and Blue is US Open. There's still room on him for more!)
I'm thrilled for Rafa that he was able to take this title one more time. He is in such great physical and mental shape right now. I wish him tons of success moving from the clay courts to the grass courts for the summer. It will last longer than usual as he'll most likely do the tune up in Halle, then Wimbledon, then return to Wimbledon later in the summer for the Olympics! Rafa's won Wimby twice before, as well as Olympic Gold in Beijing, so you have to believe he's feeling confident heading to grass. As always, we'll be watching and cheering him on. VAMOS!
(comforting his friend Ferrer after a total thrashing.)
I will take this Rain Delay in the men's final to write my blogpost about how Our Hero, Rafael Nadal, won his French Open semifinal match against David Ferrer 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. What promised to be a challenging match up for Nadal proved to be anything but. Nadal convincingly beat Ferrer at his own game with excellent speed, variation of shot and complete court coverage. Mentally Ferrer went out of it very early and then never recovered. This was not very surprising given that the day before in his press conference he basically gave himself no chance at winning the match. Not the best place to approach a match mentally.
Now Nadal is locked in battle with Novak Djokovic in the final. Novak handily beat Sampras in the other semi-final but his level of play throughout the tournament has not been up to Nadal's for the past two weeks. Rafa is currently leading 6-4 5-3 with play about to resume. I hope that Nadal can pull off the second set quickly and then plow through the third. I have brunch plans at 2pm! I can't stay here all day and these two guys play SO DELIBERATELY SLOW. Still, we must cheer on Our Hero. VAMOS RAFA!!!!!!
(As if manhandling Almagro during the match wasn't enough, this also happened. Rafa is all hands!)
In another straight set victory, Our Hero, Rafael Nadal, shrugged off friend and compatriot Nicolas Almagro to reach the Semifinals of Roland Garros, 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-3. It was a tougher contest than Rafa had previously faced this tournament, but still the result was the same.
Nico's strategy seemed to be to hit the ground running, playing with as much aggression as possible and hoping to get a slight advantage in the opening set and see where that got him. He hung very close, but Nadal took him down in the tie-break, so after being neck and neck with Rafa, he was suddenly a set down and only getting further behind. It's always amazing how quickly that can happen to Rafa's opponents. They seem to be playing at an even level, but Rafa wins all the important points - saving break points on his serve, converting break points on his opponent's serve - and suddenly he's miles ahead of them!
Rafa's road to his 7th French Open title definitely runs through Spain, as the #1 Spanish player faced the #4 Spanish player in the 4th Round (Monaco) the #3 Spanish player in the Quarters (Almagro) and now will face the #2 Spanish Player in the Semis (Ferrer). None of these players are slouches. They all have had terrific results in 2012. Almagro had one more clay court matches than Rafa. Ferrer has 3 titles already this year. The competition is not easy breezy, by any means, but Rafa is making short work of everyone. Even Ferrer admitted he doesn't really believe he can win tomorrow's match with Rafa playing the way he is playing this week. Rafa is just two wins away from making history with his 7th French Open title. VAMOS!
(Demolition Man. Monaco doesn't know what hit him after he loses handily to Rafa in the 4th Round.)
Rafa: Any shot you can hit, I can hit better! I can hit any shot better than you.
Monaco: No you can't.
Rafa: Yes I can!
Monaco: No you can't!
Rafa: Yes I can!
Monaco: No you can't... yes you can! yes you can!
Damn. Rafa just annihilated Juan Monaco this afternoon in their Round of 16 match at the French Open. Our Hero took down his opponent in blistering fashion - 6-2, 6-0, 6-0. I mean...seriously? Monaco wasn't even playing badly! Rafa still handed him a double bagel. Monaco's game played into all of Rafa's strengths, so even though he was playing well, he couldn't get Nadal out of rhythm. Things just got better and better for him as the match progressed. Rafa's too strong and feeling too confident to be threatened by Monaco's game. It was brutal. Rafa was merciless as he fought his way into the quarterfinals.
Next up, Rafa faces Nicolas Almagro. A fellow Spaniard who - like Ferrer - has been playing very good clay court tennis this Spring. Will it matter? Is he playing anywhere near the level at which Nadal is currently playing? He's not. Rafa currently looks unstoppable. But every day in tennis is a new day. The outcome is never set in stone. Still, Rafa is the heavy favorite. Let's hope he gets through quickly. VAMOS!
Today Our Hero Rafael Nadal won his third round match against Eduardo Schwank 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 at Roland Garros. It was another example of Rafa's dominance, and his ability to save the occasional that pops up when he momentarily gets bored of beating people so handily. Next up in the Round of 16, he'll play Juan Monaco - a player he likes very much and has practiced with and played against many times. This should be another very winnable match for Nadal.
(a super special cake for a super special guy!)
But before he gets to that, Rafa has a birthday to celebrate on Sunday! Happy Birthday, RAFA! Our guy is turning 26 - my favorite number! Hopefully, it will be a very successful year for him on and off the court. VAMOS!
It's almost not worth mentioning in its lack of eventfulness, but for consistency's sake let me mention that Our Hero, Rafael Nadal, won his second round match at the French Open against Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, 6-2, 6-2, 6-0. Rafa was in control throughout. Istomin never had a chance. Good job, Rafa!
Later today Nadal plays his third round match against Argentinean qualifier Eduardo Schwank. Love the name, don't know the player. They have never met before on the tour. He should not pose a threat to Rafa advancing to the 4th Round though. Fingers crossed nothing extremely crazy happens! VAMOS!
(GL Alan Scott gets a boyfriend. The world astonishingly keeps turning!)
DC Comics said they would announce which of their super heroes was coming out of the closet in June. It's June 1st and they've wasted no time in making the announcement - The New Super Gay is Alan Scott! Green Lantern on Earth-2! That's right. He's not in the main continuity, but I guess an alternative lifestyle befits an alternative DC Universe.
Not to be out-gayed, best-frenemy comic publishing house Marvel is taking the opportunity this month to marry off its most visible gay Super Dude, Northstar, to his not-super-powered boyfriend. The gay gene and the mutant gene are not the same gene, and the bf only has one of the two activated. Mazel Tov, boys! Everybody loves a June wedding in NYC!
(you are cordially invited to the interracial mutant/non-mutant gay nuptials of the year!)
Well... not everyone. The Not Even Close to One Million Moms group is complaining again! First they didn't like Ellen being a spokesperson for JC Penney and now the gays are taking over the funny pages. I think their official quote is hilarious. Here it goes:
“Can you imagine little boys saying, ‘I want a boyfriend or husband like X-Men?’” the organization wrote in a statement.
“This is ridiculous! Why do adult gay men need comic superheroes as
role models? They want to indoctrinate impressionable young minds by
placing these gay characters on pedestals in a positive light. These
companies are heavily influencing our youth by using children’s
superheroes to desensitize and brainwash them into thinking that a gay
lifestyle choice is normal and desirable. As Christians, we know that
homosexuality is a sin.” They go on to reference a passage in Romans.
Would someone please point out to these people that they only believe homosexuality is a sin because they are INDOCTRINATED to think so? Every time they cry out about the "gay agenda" and "indoctrination" it just blows my mind, because it's quite plain that people do not choose their sexuality, but they certainly do choose what religion to practice and what values within it to emphasize. Children and Adults do not scholastically learn who they should be attracted to or who to fall in love with, but they do learn religious teachings, and rituals and practices. These homophobes suspect the gay community of using indoctrination because that's the tool they use to live within their own beliefs. Nothing in the naturally existing world is allowed to threaten that philosophy. Let me be clear, I'm not talking about all religious people. I'm talking about those who aggressively pursue the persecution of others and want the laws we live under to reflect only their own moral code.
And OMM really has no idea how to pick its battles. Even though these two gay moments are happening now, it's not like their haven't been gay characters floating around the comic book world for a long long time. They've been in the independent comic book world for decades, and although he's just getting hitched now, Northstar's been out in Marvel for 20 years! And DC has Batwoman who was re-introduced to the continuity as a lesbian in 2006 and Bunker who was introduced in 2011 as a gay Teen Titan. Archie Comics has had the very popular, very gay, Kevin Keller since 2010 and he just got hitched as well! There are probably a bunch others that don't immediately jump to mind. (You can insert your joke about Aquaman here, but personally I've always thought that he and Mera were legitimately hot for each other.)
(Can you believe the Northstar marriage isn't even the first interracial gay cartoon wedding on the stands? That cutting edge book "Life With Archie beat them to it!)
And to the Not Even Close to One Million Moms' statement. If one of your little boys says ‘I want a boyfriend or husband like X-Men' correcting their grammar should take priority over correcting their sexual orientation. And adult gay men are free to have comic superheroes as role models if they want them. There's nothing wrong with adults liking comics regardless of their sexual orientation. I'm sure more adults visit Comic-Con than belong to One Million Moms anyway.
.JPG)
