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Daytime Boss Addresses ATWT's "Nuke" Fallout
Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann by Jason Kempin/WireImage.com
Why won't As the World Turns let gay teens Noah (Jake Silbermann) and Luke (Van Hansis) kiss on screen, much less have sex? Are execs at the CBS Procter & Gamble soap homophobic? Are they running scared of antigay Christian groups? Or is this a brilliantly masterminded tease guaranteed to make salivating Nuke fans tune in tomorrow?
Whatever the case, this is the biggest controversy to hit soaps in years. Legions of pissed-off Nuke-anistas — a lot of them straight — have spammed the media with complaints about bias against the duo, and many are calling for a viewer boycott. Meanwhile, the right-wing American Family Association reportedly wants the teens dropped from the soap and has asked P&G to make it happen. P&G has banned ATWT executive producer Chris Goutman from speaking to the press about Nuke, so I contacted CBS daytime chief Barbara Bloom to get her POV.
"I can assure you there is no homophobia on the part of the network, nor are we pandering to any group," Bloom claims. "We have not censored ATWT or asked them to hold back in any way." And she's all for having the two boys go all the way — some day. "I really hope the show will continue to evolve the Luke and Noah story, and that they culminate their relationship the way all couples in love do."
But until then, why the almost puritanical lack of intimacy? At Christmas, the camera panned away as the boys were about to smooch, and focused instead on the mistletoe. On Valentine's Day, every ATWT couple shared a liplock except Nuke. And the roadblocks! Earlier this month Noah married Iraqi refugee Ameera (Tala Ashe) to keep her from getting deported.
"I understand why all this makes people scream," Bloom admits. "The only thing you're going to get out of me is that the pacing is slower with Luke and Noah than it is with other romances on ATWT. But that's good storytelling. We're in the business of getting people to watch more."
My take? I think the folks at ATWT are loving the scandal and milking it for all it's worth. How else to explain that recent scene where Luke — in a nod to the controversy — leaned into Noah and seductively whispered, "What is hotter than a forbidden romance?" — Michael Logan
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Apr 2, 2008 1:57 PM
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why isn't TV Guide updating the daily recaps?
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Apr 2, 2008 4:11 PM
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We're looking into it....
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Apr 2, 2008 4:13 PM
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Explain it away however you want Bloom.
You guys started something that you're now afraid of.
You're probably hoping Van or Jake decides to leave the show so you can break them up or write them off together.
What a joke...
What is also a joke is the episode I remember before this Ameera story began where Luke and Noah were discussing how they want their "first time" to be.
It's insulting to have them discussing sex when they can't even kiss.
Although I must admit the flirting they do back and forth is pretty hot.
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Apr 2, 2008 4:19 PM
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"Always leave the audience wanting more" is something soaps do best. I believe ATWT is milking it (as it should).
Whether or not Luke and Noah kiss is not the issue I'm having, it's the lame "marry the foreigner for the greencard story". Yawwwwwwwwwwwnnnnn.
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Apr 2, 2008 5:27 PM
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I tuned back in this week after a few weeks off because I was over it because I want to see Gwen and Will's exit and see Martha Bryne until HER exit and yes this Ameera story is insulting, crap, and a nice way to have the boys keep their hands off of each other. Give an award to the writer who came up with that convenient excuse.
What I am hoping is that this Ameera story was done by the scab writers and it will wrap SOON.
One good thing about ATWT is the stories move at a fast clip.
On other shows Carly would still be faking that she's dying and you know that's true.
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Apr 2, 2008 5:39 PM
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It sure looks to me like this started out as total fear of retribution, such as campaigns to boycott P&G products from certain whacko "christian" groups, and then P&G gained the unexpected backlash from true fans of Luke & Noah (sorry I refuse to call them that stupid nickname, name combining is lame and silly!)allowing them to explain it away as milking the story. IF this were the least bit realistic storytelling then those two would have been hitting the sack months ago. Actually, these days most kids are coming out in high school and if they don't they at least have some support networks built up online. Bah, I never really thought daytime could address a gay relationship properly.
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Apr 2, 2008 7:56 PM
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And MY take is that..
A) Logan is right: ATWT struck gold with Luke & Noah and ARE milking it for all its worth. As long as Luke & Noah DON'T kiss (and we get endlessly teased that it's about to happen every time Luke & Noah lean in), fans will breathe heavily, the press will go ga-ga, and the soap will continue to be watercooler-worthy. The minute Luke & Noah smooch again, it will be daytime's version of Moonlighting.
B) As someone who watches ATWT every day, I'm not the least bit bothered by Ameera's storyline other than its speed. At NO POINT have the writers had Luke and Noah be threatened as a couple by her and have recently played up Ameera and Casey's attraction to each other! And now that Casey has been "outed" as Luke's boyfriend, the story has become more interesting. What if Casey - a Hughes! - finds himself unexpectedly attracted to Luke? What if Ameera finds she likes being married to Noah, who doesn't return her feelings? Ameera and now Casey are obstacles to Luke & Noah's happiness ... and EVERY great soap romance is filled with many.
C) While there are aspects of the story I am not too thrilled with (the erratic pacing), I thoroughly enjoy ALL of the actors involved. There is no "bad" guy, just characters trying to do the right thing and making some interesting (read: sometimes silly, sometimes misguided, sometimes noble) choices along the way.
Now if CBS/P&G decide to drag this out TOO long, I'll join the critics.
But as Agnes Nixon once famously said about what makes a good soap story, "Make them laugh. Make them cry. Make them wait." As a soap viewer of some 30 years, I wholeheartedly agree that is what good soap opera is all about.
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Apr 2, 2008 9:56 PM
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to answer the first question I am going to go with they don't care. They never replaced the last guy that left for writing the soap coloumn. News seems to be better but no daily recaps and no one to keep up with the 4 soap celebrities they had writing blogs.
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Apr 2, 2008 10:33 PM
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I don't watch ATWT but it is a DAYTIME television show. There are children awake and near the tv at that hour so the fact that they don't show the boys kissing is understandable. Most people that I know don't want to have to explain that sort of thing to a four year old!
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Apr 3, 2008 11:11 AM
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i don't watch the show, but i think it's great that a male gay couple is being featured on the show and generating lots of fans. it's a step in the right direction, so i don't understand why people are complaining. it's better than the characters realizing they are gay and then being written off the show.
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Apr 3, 2008 11:27 AM
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I get the whole milking it for what it's worth thing. However, the whole no kiss for them on Valentine's Day was stupid!! I can let the mistletoe thing slide..it was clever on their parts. I think Luke & Noah kissing every once in a while won't hurt nobody. I don't want them to share a kiss in every single episode they are in but a few won't be the end of the world. If anything, you would just cause more viewers to tune in & wonder when Luke & Noah will be able to steal another kiss again.
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Apr 3, 2008 11:42 AM
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The majority of the daytime audience is STRAIGHT women. I don't want to see two guys kissing, I don't want to see two girls kissing, and to AMC, I don't want to see the girls of Fusion pole dancing at work. I want to see romance, intrigue, core families (stop with all the newbies!), and have lots of fun watching.
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Apr 3, 2008 12:13 PM
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Come on, guys, the soaps are watched mostly by women who are straight and we want to see romance and sensual storylines. We don't want to see two men kissing. It's doesn't mean we're homophobic. I really don't care what other people do in their bedrooms, and I certainly wouldn't preach to them. But I also kind of get grossed out when I see two men kissing. Sorry, but I do. If they want to show it on TV, fine. But I believe alot of women will tune out and on to a different soap.
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Apr 3, 2008 12:50 PM
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This is for pattijen2222:
Some women DO want to see two men kissing. I don't think your position is wildly homophobic, but it is a little teeny bit homophobic. Look at it this way: people are grossed out by all kinds of things. Old man-young woman kissing, Old man-old woman kissing, Tongue kissing by anyone, hairy chests, fat people, etc. You name it, someone's grossed out by it. This is just your chance to step up to the plate and be grossed out. No one's suggesting that every couple should be same-sex. It's one out of hundreds. Besides, it's a pretty safe bet that if you were exposed to it more than once in a while, you'd get used to it.
I think it's nice that they've actually kept pursuing the story. That in itself is a major step forward for soaps. Gay characters are usually introduced for one major plotline involving a homophobic reaction from the community. As soon as it's over, the gay character is almost always written out. If they stay any length of time at all, they don't have a love interest. It is getting to be awfully long for them to be so cutesy about avoiding serious lip contact, though.
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Apr 3, 2008 1:06 PM
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