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Stephen Tropiano

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Reviews

Barney Miller: The First Season

Barney Miller offered a unique blend of comedy and social commentary by making the detectives just as quirky as the colorful criminals coming through the squad room.

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

Straight Plan for the Gay Man

Jonathan wonders what it would be like to spend one day working in the blue-collar world and be as 'unfabulous' as possible (Why? I have no idea.)

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

Brooklyn South: The Complete Series

The first episode features the sort of graphic violence one would expect to see in an R-rated film.

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

The Honeymooners: Classic 39 Episodes

Watch an episode of The Honeymooners and you will understand why the 1950s is remembered as the 'Golden Age of Television.'

Stephen Tropiano

Featured: Top of Home Page

Into the Mainstream

I am optimistic about what lies ahead as the prime time closet door continues to open.

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

It's All Relative

It was only a matter of time before gay men on television were 'promoted' to parenthood.

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

Whoopi

Whoopi is intelligent and topical, infused with politically oriented humor reminiscent of such 1970s Norman Lear sitcoms as All in the Family and Maude.

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

Targets (1968)

Draws parallels between Bobby and Charles Whitman, though there's a much larger issue at stake: the availability of guns, at the root of the rise of violence in America.

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

Lost in La Mancha (2002)

What will most surely whet fans' appetites are the DVD's two 50-minute interviews with Terry Gilliam.

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

The Best of Designing Women

The situation introduced at the start of each episode served as a catalyst for the women's discussions about issues that mattered to them, namely, their bodies, sex, and men.

Stephen Tropiano

Featured: Top of Home Page

Making Prime Time Perfectly Queer

The charm and fashion sense of the Fab Five also eludes some members and/or advocates of the gay community.

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

Frasier: The First Season

In Frasier's freshman season, those episodes pitting father against son are by far the most entertaining and touching.

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

Kiss Me Kate

Culminates with 'Brush Up Your Shakespeare,' a musical tribute to the Bard sung by the two thugs, looking comically uncomfortable in their 16th garb.

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

Beautiful Thing (1996)

A sweet, subtle slice-of-life drama about the sexual awakening of two gay teenagers whose home lives are less than perfect.

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

Cheers: The Complete First Season

Like Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable in 'It Happened One Night', Sam and Diane's sexual tension is channeled through their verbal sparring.

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

The Jeffersons: The Complete Second Season

On occasion, The Jeffersons made some attempt to offer social commentary, but it was difficult for a show so laden with crude humor to suddenly get serious.

Stephen Tropiano

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When a kiss is not just a kiss.

What's different from the kisses that take place between these three couples versus the highly publicized same-sex kisses in the 1990s . . . is the two people kissing now are very much in love.

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy (2002)

'They see a schlub like me get lucky,' Ron Jeremy explains. 'There's hope for everyone else.'"

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

The Cook and Other Treasures (2003)

Both films showcase Fatty Arbuckle's talents for physical comedy.

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

All in the Family: Second Season

In the case of All in the Family and Sanford and Son, 'groundbreaking' is not an overstatement.

Stephen Tropiano

Featured: Top of Home Page

Outing TV's Heterosexual Homosexuals

Soap used Jodie's sexual liaison with Carol as an opportunity to have his character function as a heterosexual on the level of plot, yet simultaneously maintain his position as the show's sexual other.

Stephen Tropiano

Reviews

Good Times: First Season

In effect, J.J. became the comic relief from which there was no relief.

Stephen Tropiano

Featured: Top of Home Page

Living Out Loud

(T)he legacy of 'An American Family' serves as an important reminder of television's untapped potential to move us, to open our eyes, and to see the world beyond our backyard.

Stephen Tropiano

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Barney Miller offered a unique blend of comedy and social commentary by making the detectives just as quirky as the colorful criminals coming through the squad room.

Jonathan wonders what it would be like to spend one day working in the blue-collar world and be as 'unfabulous' as possible (Why? I have no idea.)

The first episode features the sort of graphic violence one would expect to see in an R-rated film.

Watch an episode of The Honeymooners and you will understand why the 1950s is remembered as the 'Golden Age of Television.'

I am optimistic about what lies ahead as the prime time closet door continues to open.

It was only a matter of time before gay men on television were 'promoted' to parenthood.

Whoopi is intelligent and topical, infused with politically oriented humor reminiscent of such 1970s Norman Lear sitcoms as All in the Family and Maude.

Draws parallels between Bobby and Charles Whitman, though there's a much larger issue at stake: the availability of guns, at the root of the rise of violence in America.

What will most surely whet fans' appetites are the DVD's two 50-minute interviews with Terry Gilliam.

The situation introduced at the start of each episode served as a catalyst for the women's discussions about issues that mattered to them, namely, their bodies, sex, and men.

The charm and fashion sense of the Fab Five also eludes some members and/or advocates of the gay community.

In Frasier's freshman season, those episodes pitting father against son are by far the most entertaining and touching.

Culminates with 'Brush Up Your Shakespeare,' a musical tribute to the Bard sung by the two thugs, looking comically uncomfortable in their 16th garb.

A sweet, subtle slice-of-life drama about the sexual awakening of two gay teenagers whose home lives are less than perfect.

Like Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable in 'It Happened One Night', Sam and Diane's sexual tension is channeled through their verbal sparring.

On occasion, The Jeffersons made some attempt to offer social commentary, but it was difficult for a show so laden with crude humor to suddenly get serious.

What's different from the kisses that take place between these three couples versus the highly publicized same-sex kisses in the 1990s . . . is the two people kissing now are very much in love.

The fusion of the real and the imaginary is at the center of Fellini's first and one of his most underrated films, The White Sheik.

'They see a schlub like me get lucky,' Ron Jeremy explains. 'There's hope for everyone else.'"

Both films showcase Fatty Arbuckle's talents for physical comedy.

In the case of All in the Family and Sanford and Son, 'groundbreaking' is not an overstatement.

Soap used Jodie's sexual liaison with Carol as an opportunity to have his character function as a heterosexual on the level of plot, yet simultaneously maintain his position as the show's sexual other.

In effect, J.J. became the comic relief from which there was no relief.

(T)he legacy of 'An American Family' serves as an important reminder of television's untapped potential to move us, to open our eyes, and to see the world beyond our backyard.