Saccharin be damned. Her best friend, the appropriately named Sugar, gives 15-year-old Kim a reason to live — and lust — amid the high drama of her increasingly dysfunctional family. Winner of the 2006 British Emmy for Children and Young People programming, the first of these 10 half-hour episodes debuts February 6 on here! TV (heretv.com). — Preview: Nancy Ford
Fear is a formidable motivator. Fear of being outed by the FBI may have caused the brilliant, yet desperately closeted, Jerome Robbins to channel his angst into choreographing some of Broadway’s gayest, most enduring productions, including West Side Story, Gypsy, The King and I, Fiddler on the Roof, and others. Pieces of Robbins’ personal journey airs February 18 on PBS’ American Masters (houstonpbs.org). — Preview: Nancy Ford
If last month’s Golden Globes were a reliable predictor, expect The Wrestler (along with the puffy Mickey Rourke) to wrestle away a few golden statuettes from Milk, a la Brokeback Mountain. Charming Brit Hugh Jackman hopes to repeat the success he experienced as the Emmy Award-winning host of this year’s Tony Awards at this outing, airing February 22, 7 p.m. on ABC (oscars.org). — Preview: Nancy Ford
While primetime has embraced gay characters for years, daytime television was a notoriously sturdy holdout. The conventional programming wisdom seemed to be that the Proctor & Gamble-purchasing, middle-American housefrau could not handle a homo in the hood. Thus, the zip codes surrounding Pine Valley and Port Charles and other fictional towns lush with fake greenery, bleached-out lighting, abundant makeup, and often abhorrent acting, were neighborhoods no gays could enter. Well, no gay characters, at least. All that changed with All My Children.
Described as “a cross between The Sixth Sense and Blue Velvet,” this erotic drama focuses on police officer/psychic Cameron in his quest for the abuser of a young gay man. Laura Reilly and Steven Vasquez direct. February 10. Ariztical (ariztical.com). Preview: Nancy Ford
Writer/director Anne Norda’s quirky winner of best feature film at Los Angeles’ La Femme Film Festival explores what happens between a painter and his wife when a nude model takes on new significance in their lives. February 24. Ariztical (ariztical.com). Preview: Nancy Ford
Gay Adam is murdered by young religious fanatics, and his closeted detective lover must bring his killers to justice. But things really get weird in this dramatic thriller when a straight couple rents the lovers’ former cabin that Adam now haunts. Ariztical (ariztical.com). — Preview: Nancy Ford
Diehard fans of The Munsters may enjoy this probing sci-fi comedy starring Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster). In it, “twisted, demented alien terrorists” land on earth and threaten our way of life. Also features Larry Thomas, formerly the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld. Ariztical (ariztical.com). — Preview: Nancy Ford
Flirtatious Drake (David Rudd) spices up the lives of a group of 30-something gay men in New York City, but not without creating unexpected drama. Imagine that! Directed by Richard LeMay, it won the Audience Award for best feature at Atlanta’s Out On Film Festival. Wolfe Video (wolfevideo.com). — Preview: Nancy Ford
Award-winning director Thomas Stuber’s boarding school drama centers on a group of classmates who dare each other into competing in increasingly dangerous, sexually charged games. Bonus feature: Pascal-Alex Vincent’s homoerotic short, Baby Shark. Picture This! Entertainment (picturethisent.com). — Preview: Nancy Ford
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