(SOAP Q) From Nuke to WilSon: The History of U.S. Daytime Gay Soap Kisses Part THREE!

Not to be outdone, ABC sudser One Life To Live gave us another gay supercouple with police cop and valiant FUB Oliver Fish and formerly shady medical intern Kyle Lewis.
Former "frat brothers" (snork), people are confused why Oliver is so uptight when Kyle is around. Eventually we learn that they shared a moment or two in college, but Oliver has roared and clawed back into the closet, and when he's confronted by Kyle, tries to deny his feelings. But a kiss changes everything.

SOAP Q: KISH has very different reactions to this week’s Daytime Emmy nominations

Via Greg in Hollywood:

They did such stellar work on One Life to Live this year and last in a very high-profile breakthrough storyline.

But Brett Claywell, Scott Evans and their Kish storyline was snubbed when the 2010 Daytime Emmy Award nominations were announced on Wednesday.

Brett did not hide his disappointment posting this message on his Twitter account: We tell a story that was groundbreaking and powerful, then lose my job and am overlooked for a nomination. Daytime is such a joke.

In contrast, Scott was more diplomatic: Congrats to all the nominees!! Scotty Clifton, Ms. Williamson, Mr. Kerwin and our wonderful directors- you are truly remarkable!!

Brett, who is straight in real life, has been so articulate about how playing this gay man has changed his life and it makes a lot of us so grateful that the role of Kyle was in such good hands.
He told Entertainment Weekly last month: “We were the first [gay] love scene in daytime. It had a lot to do with the writing, but it also has a lot to do with the way Scott and I played the roles.

We made a choice in the beginning that we were going to underplay a lot of this storyline. We just wanted it to be really honest and really authentic and just simple. Just tell a love story. That was the most important thing to communicate — love between two men, honestly, on television. I think that people really responded to that because there weren’t a lot of bells and whistles.”

SOAP Q: GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios talks to Greg In Hollywood about KISH!

GLAAD’s President Jarrett Barrios and I had a chat at the recent media awards in Los Angeles. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation works to empower people to share their stories, tries to hold the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helps grassroots organizations communicate effectively.

Recently, GLAAD issued a Call to Action against CNN for featuring discredited “ex-gay” Richard Cohen on a segment regarding California’s “gay cure” bill as well as ABC daytime’s decision to pull the plug on the One Life to Live gay storyline that featured the gay characters of Oliver Fish (Scott Evans) and Kyle Lewis (Brett Claywell).

Greg in Hollywood spoke to Barrios:
Q. Let me ask you about what happened on One Life to Live and the Fish and Kyle storyline being written out. It was like a dagger in our hearts.

A. When you think about the demographic of the folks that we need to persuade to support gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender equality, it’s a lot of those women – and men – who stay at home during the daytime and watch daytime television. Having an openly gay character in a relationship, having an openly gay depiction of affection and love, it’s so important. When we talk about gay marriage, it’s not about special rights, it’s about people who love each other. If you can’t understand that love because you’ve never seen it, you’re not as likely to support our equality. That’s why that storyline has been so important. It’s really unfortunate that things didn’t continue.

SOAP Q: Scott Evans talks to AfterElton.com: “Gay people need to be seen on TV in order to find acceptance.”

This past Monday marked the final appearance of out actor Scott Evans as gay cop and new father Oliver Fish on the ABC soap One Life to Live.

The young actor recently spoke with AfterElton.com about his breakthrough storyline and its unfortunate end. Here are some excerpts:

AfterElton.com: How are you feeling about everything that happened?
Scott Evans: Sad. That’s the best way to describe it. I mean I could have been mad and angry, but you know what? You can’t be mad. If a storyline gets written off or something changes and you lose a job, that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Everybody loses jobs, and that’s fine. I’m more sad about the fact that gay people need to be seen on TV in order to find acceptance — not so much tolerance, but acceptance — and for us to be written off is sad.

AE: Do you buy the reasons?
SE: I don’t know the reasons. The reason they say was that the focus groups and the backlash, and Nick Rodriguez [ex-Nick Chavez] came forward and said all our coworkers were saying stuff. So I don’t know. If that’s what they need to resort to in order to make it okay, then fine. It just sucks. It really, really sucks.

AE: Were you surprised when if happened? How did you find out?
SE: I was surprised, but only because I had done a couple of interviews the week before all this came out, and they asked what’s the future, and I was like, “I don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out. There’s the baby storyline.” And then I find out online, and I was like, “What’s happening?” I asked Brett what was going on, and he said, “I found out yesterday that I was being let go.”

They didn’t need to let me know I was being let go because I’m not a contract. They didn’t need to tell me. As a recurring character all they need to do is stop calling me.

SOAP Q: One last KISH!

Although Kyle Lewis will make an appearance later this week, Monday marked the final appearance on One Life to Live of Kyle (Brett Claywell) and Oliver Fish (Scott Evans).
It’s sad and makes me mad that the best-written gay couple ever to appear on a daytime soap in the US are being kicked to the curb. I will not be able to watch the show for awhile, if ever.
I’ve already been distancing myself from the show which is why you will find all of the Kish scenes from the past few weeks all here in one post rather than incrementally. In the episode that aired Monday, Oliver wins custody of Sierra Rose, the baby he fathered in a drunken one night stand.

“This baby will have everything she needs, especially love,” he tells the judge.

In the clips below, we see what went on leading up to the custody decision, how Oliver went from not wanting to be a father to being completely in love with his child. But, unless the show has a change of heart and can secure the services of the actors involved, we won’t get to see Oliver and Kyle as parents or see how Oliver’s parents would react to being grandparents, or see Oliver’s BFF’s Layla and Cristian be surrogate aunt and uncle.

No big exit for this new family, just last seen walking out of the courtroom into soap limbo.
They deserved better and the fans deserved better.

SOAP Q: “We Love Soaps” catches up with soap star Scott Evans who is auditioning for post-OLTL roles

It’s so great that one of my daily must-reads, We Love Soaps, caught up with One Life to Live’s Scott Evans who has completed his breakthrough work as gay police officer Oliver Fish.

The out actor has a lot of people rooting for him in his post-OLTL life. Here are some excerpts from the interview:

We Love Soaps: How are you taking care of yourself?
Scott Evans: Back to the grind. Back to auditioning, and trying not to focus on it. It’s a bummer the way it all went down. Having to find out right before the GLAAD awards [made] the red carpet become about, “it’s canceled,” as opposed to, “what a wonderful storyline.” It’s a bummer, but it happened. It happens. People are mad…

We Love Soaps: And so what are you doing? Have you moved to L.A.?
Scott Evans: No, I’m an East Coast boy, my family is from Massachusetts. I lived in L.A. for a short period of time and being 3000 miles away from my mother and my sisters and my father was torture. I love this city more than anything in the world. I don’t really have a plan for the future. I might go to L.A. for a month or two this summer but we’ll see. It’s been an exciting audition season so far.

We Love Soaps: So you are auditioning in L.A.?
Scott Evans: Yes, I’ve gone a few times to test for a few things.

SOAP Q: Brett Claywell talks to Entertainment Weekly about his remarkable storyline on “One Life to Live”

Brett Claywell’s last appearance as Kyle Lewis on One Life to Live is on April 12. We all know it’s a completely bonehead move by the show’s producers and the network which has alienated a huge segment of new fans by writing off Kyle and his boyfriend Oliver Fish played by Scott Evans.

But if we have to look at the bright side, which we should, the story gave us the opportunity to not only fall in love with the characters, but also with the wonderful actors who inhabit them. Both have built a tremendous fan base that will no doubt follow whatever they do in the future.

Brett, who is straight in real life, has been so articulate about how playing this gay man has changed his life and it makes a lot of us so grateful that the role of Kyle was in such good hands.

Here is an excerpt of an interview Brett has done with Entertainment Weekly:

Why do you think Kish resonated with fans?
We were the first [gay] love scene in daytime. It had a lot to do with the writing, but it also has a lot to do with the way Scott and I played the roles. We made a choice in the beginning that we were going to underplay a lot of this storyline. We just wanted it to be really honest and really authentic and just simple. Just tell a love story. That was the most important thing to communicate — love between two men, honestly, on television. I think that people really responded to that because there weren’t a lot of bells and whistles.

Why the decision to go with a sex scene?
I don’t think they were intentionally building towards something. I think that scene came because of fan reaction. It was more from demand than anything. Because there is a community out there, a large percentage of people who are misrepresented in media, in television, in all forms of art.

Did you think the sex scene was explicit?
No. I keep saying that if you take Milk and you take Brokeback Mountain and you take the work we did, I feel like we stand toe-to-toe with the work that was done. But we told the story differently. The love scene between Oliver and Kyle…it was a moment where one man was finally coming to terms with sexuality after years of denying it and after his family disowns him. He was finally coming to terms and accepting the fact that he is comfortable with this man loving him. For Kyle, my character, it was a moment to be nurturing and loving towards somebody who’s going through a really hard moment to become comfortable with himself.

Here is a LINK to the entire interview!

Soap Q: Fish finds out in today’s episode that he is the father of Sierra Rose!

An ABC rep tells TV Guide Magazine that the last scheduled appearance for Kish is set for April 12. Viewers will see Kyle (Brett Claywell) one more time after that in a hospital scene airing April 16. On today’s episode, Fish (Scott Evans) will find out he’s the father of baby Sierra Rose, via his boozy tryst with nutcase stripper Stacy Morasco (Crystal Hunt). Even though Stacy’s dead and Fish suspects he might be the kid’s only living parent, he’s been refusing to look at the DNA test to know for certain.

“There are a lot of angry fans saying, ‘Why doesn’t Fish just man up and be responsible?‘ But they’re missing the bigger picture,” Evans tells the mag. “This is a scary thing Fish isn’t ready for. He’s just out of the closet. He’s just started a new relationship. People take nine months to prepare to welcome a child into their lives. Fish isn’t mentally prepared to take this next step forward.” Adds the openly gay actor: “I can relate in a way. If I suddenly found out today that I was going to be a father, I don’t know what I’d do!”

SOAP Q: Fans Rally in support of 'Kish'

Fans of "One Life to Live's" gay couple Kyle Lewis (Brett Claywell) and Oliver Fish (Scott Evans), collectively known as "Kish," have planned a Times Square rally to protest their favorite characters being written off of the soap.The fans, who call themselves the "Kish Army," will gather outside ABC's "Good Morning America" studios starting at 6:30 a.m. ET on Friday, March 26.

The Save Kish website, which is helping to spread awareness about the event, accuses ABC of "giving in to bigots."Protesters are encouraged to make signs and wear t-shirts that support the actors or characters, and organizers are expected to appear in the "Good Morning America" studio audience as well. Fans plan to not only support "Kish," but also gay representation in the media in general, and gay story lines on daytime television.Never underestimate the power of TV fans in large numbers!

News Flash: Chris Evans to be Captain America

His brother Scott Evans is looking for a job now that One Life to Live has inexplicably written out his storyline. But Chris Evans isn’t waiting for work, according to The Hollywood Reporter.The hunky star of the Fantastic Four films has accepted the role of Captain America.

Evans’ offer would include starring in up to three America movies plus The Avengers movies and appearances in several other Marvel movies. While an offer to star in America may seem like something you don’t have to mull over too long, one possible complication is that Evans is committed to co-starring in the Anna Faris romantic comedy What’s Your Number? Both are scheduled to shoot this summer.The role of Captain America and his alter ego Steve Rogers has been one of the most heavily scrutinized parts by the industry, the media and the comic book fandom in recent memory.Evans wasn’t in the initial round of actors being considered, which for the most part leaned to the newcomer side.

Michael Cassidy, Patrick Flueger, Scott Porter, Wilson Blethel and Mike Vogel, on top of John Krasinski and Chace Crawford, were those testing and reading. Garrett Hedlund was also someone Marvel was interested in.Joe Johnston is directing America which shoots in England.Evans, also repped by 3 Arts Entertainment, has the DC Comics adaptation The Losers in the can and also appears in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Edgar Wright’s adaptation of the popular Oni Press graphic novel series.

Soap Q: Pushing the KISH envelope

Via Boston Globe:

IT IS sweet — and telling — how attached people get to TV characters, and how desperately they protest when their favorites are written off. But few campaigns are as passionate as the current one, from fans of the soap opera “One Life to Live,’’ to keep Kyle Lewis and Oliver Fish on the show.

Like so many power couples, these two men are known by a nickname, “Kish.’’ And the fact that they recently made onscreen love in a bona fide soap-opera way, surrounded by burning candles and backed by a lite-pop score, represented a groundbreaking moment in daytime TV.

Groundbreaking, to a point: Within months of the sex scene, ABC announced that the Kish storyline was ending and the actors would be relieved of their regular roles. TV Guide reported that ratings had been dipping — a standard woe for soaps these days — and that the network thought the show didn’t “resonate with the mainstream audience.’’

Now, ABC is being coy; a spokeswoman would only release a statement praising the storyline and noting that “the door is always open for their return.’’ But the conspiracy theories are widespread, since the culture wars are far from settled. When the Kish saga launched last summer, ABC recast an actress who reportedly refused to play scenes in which she’d be tolerant of a gay son.

It’s tempting to lament the fact that the networks will only resist so much; they still seem willing to cave to a loud minority of viewers who refuse to watch anything that doesn’t track their politics precisely. It’s even sadder, at a time when Ellen DeGeneres casually jokes about her sexuality on “American Idol,’’ that anti-gay politics still carries the perception of economic clout. And that gay-rights opponents can twist the debate to sound as if they’re the ones who aren’t being tolerated.

But it’s also worth celebrating how much the soaps have pushed the envelope. And it seems reasonable to expect that, for as long as soaps exist, more gay couples will come. Soaps might seem the least likely place to break cultural ground, but they’re actually tailor-made for exploring social change. They’re all about relationships laid bare. And with so much airtime to fill, so many viewers’ lives to represent, the writers have to come up with new kinds of love stories to tell. (One true family story: Scott Evans, the gay actor who plays Oliver Fish, is the nephew of US Representative Mike Capuano of Somerville, a gay marriage supporter.)

That’s why soaps have long been on the vanguard of social issues, from rape to domestic violence to gay rights. Back in 1993, Ryan Phillippe played a gay teen on, yes, “One Life to Live.’’ Recent years have seen a flood of gay soap couples, from Natalia and Olivia on the recently cancelled “Guiding Light’’ to teen heartthrobs Luke and Noah on “As The World Turns.’’ They were known as “Nuke,’’ and they sparked a buzz two years ago when CBS found creative ways to keep the pair from kissing on the air.

By those standards, Kish’s love scene set a high new bar. But what’s most striking about the Kish storyline isn’t the sex, but the politics. Theirs was a classic coming-out story, but it intersected with the current struggles for gay rights. A pivotal moment came at a group commitment ceremony — held because gay marriage isn’t legal in Pennsylvania, where the show is set. There were protesters, tears, and declarations of love. It was more powerful than any statement Adam Lambert made when he kissed a man at the American Music Awards.

So Kish may go away, but reality marches on. The District of Columbia just joined the ranks of places that honor gay marriage — through a legislative vote, not a court order, it’s worth noting. Now that gay marriage has been legal in Massachusetts for nearly six years, isn’t it time for opponents to concede that their nightmares didn’t come true? Who is the bigger threat to “traditional marriage’’: a gay suburban couple, or Rielle Hunter?

Indeed, if anyone represents family values, it’s Kish; TV Guide reports that — spoiler alert — they’ll be heading off into the sunset to raise a new baby. It sounds like an un-soap-like happy ending. And if that’s ABC’s parting message, it’s a meaningful one.

Soap Q: Nicholas Rodriguez: “I absolutely treasure my part in the creative process with KISH!"

The handsome and talented Nicholas Rodriguez, whose character of Nick was for a time part of a love triangle with Kyle and Fish on One Life to Live, spoke with Daytime Confidential about his castmates Brett Claywell and Scott Evans who have been abruptly written out of the ABC soap “I am so proud of them both for how they are handling this situation,” says Nicholas, who is currently in Washington D.C. performing in the musical Light in the Piazza.

“I am truly proud of all our work together and the honesty and sincerity that came with these relationships. Not only was there an emphasis on professionalism and good acting, but there was always an obligation to present these gay men as honest, true, fully fleshed out human beings. I absolutely treasure my part in the creative process with Brett Claywell and Scott Evans. I have no doubt they will go on to do many more incredible things.”

Soap Q: "Kyle" Speaks Out About His Firing!

Check out great interview from Deep Soap:

Last week soap opera fans were shocked by the news that ‘One Life To Live’s groundbreaking gay couple Kyle (Brett Claywell) and Oliver (Scott Evans), better known as Kish, was being written off of the show. Ironically the news broke days before their storyline won a GLAAD award. Claywell sat down for a candid interview about why he was let go, how the rumors about his departure make him feel, and what his experience on OLTL meant to him.

When did you find out you were being written off the show?

I was stopping by One Life To Live [last week] to drop off my Emmy reel and I found out the same day.

That’s some strange timing.

Yeah. That’s some irony right there. The next day the story broke on-line.

Were you surprised?

A little bit but slowly the story had been dwindling. I really only filmed four or five days since New Year’s Eve. They were obviously pulling back from our story. I was surprised because I really felt like we had really made an impact. But, at the end of the day, I also wasn’t surprised because I could see the writing on the wall.

Were you given a reason for being written off?

I think the reason that has come out is pretty much the reason I was given: we didn’t test well with their mainstream audience.

Do you think Kish was blamed for the show’s ratings drop?

I’m not going to accuse anybody or speak on things that I really don’t have knowledge of. I feel like we did tell a really good story. I feel like we brought a lot of new viewers to the show. We have a very loyal fanbase but evidently the network and One Life To Live didn’t feel like we were contributing as much as we maybe thought we did.

There was a column in TV Guide Canada that alleges that you two were written off for performance issues. I wanted to give you the opportunity to respond to that.

Scott informed me of that yesterday. It’s amazing to me that two people can put so much of their heart into a story that can be so passionate and serious and tell a story as honestly and as truthfully as we tried to and just open our hearts to the world and just try to make a difference, try and touch people and stories like this will come out that are absolutely, 100% false. I’d love for anyone to watch one day of any of the work we’ve done and tell me that Scott and I were not 100% committed to what we were doing. We were so dedicated to our work. It’s hurtful. I’m really offended that someone would make completely false claims. I’m angry. It’s slander.

It struck me that if you were being unprofessional, you probably wouldn’t have gotten an Emmy pre-nomination.

One of the last days that Scott and I worked together, the argument scene that just aired two weeks ago when I had the DNA test, we had all these scenes that were from different episodes, 41 pages of dialogue that Scott and I filmed in maybe an hour and a half. We work so methodically together and so well together. We would film scenes in one take like everybody does. You ask the directors we worked with. The fact that you can spend a year and a half pouring your heart into a story and one person with one article can try to bruise that reputation you have, it’s disheartening and it’s offensive.

Have you taped your final episode?

Yes. The day the story broke was my last day on set.Do you think there is any chance the show will bring you back, since Kish are not going to be killed off or sent out of town?I think they intentionally left it open. Whether or not it’s going to happen, I can’t predict the future. But Scott and I would both love to work together again. We filmed our last day together and we didn’t even know it was our last day together. I feel like there’s still some closure [needed] both for the story and us working together.

What has the response to Kish’s departure been from your fans?

The fans are what made me so proud of what Scott and I did together. Everybody used to say that I have no idea the type of impact we’re making. I never really have paid too much attention to it. I do my work and that’s what I’m putting out for the world and hopefully it’s received well but it’s not my business how it’s received. Now I kind of get an idea and it makes me very proud and appreciative of all the support we’re getting. It makes me proud of the work we’ve done because we’ve showed we made a difference in people’s lives. All the people that come up and speak to us, all the people that tell us their story or how our story related to theirs.

What was it like attending the GLAAD awards?

I honestly expected it to be a little crazier than it was. Scott and I had a good time together. It wasn’t as much of a maelstrom as I thought it would be. At the end of the day Scott and I felt like we did good work and felt like we tried to tell the story as truthfully and honestly as any that’s on daytime television. We tried to tell it no differently, as accurately and as honestly as any story that’s on television or film. I think if you put the Kyle and Oliver story against any love story that’s been told, I feel like we’d stand up. That night was just a night to celebrate that even if just for Scott and I.

How do you feel about headwriter Ron Carlivati and Executive Producer Frank Valentini?

I want to make sure that I put on the record that from my eyes and from my perspective I have no bitterness or no anger towards Frank and Ron. Frank, he kept me around. The character was created. The character was revealed to be a gay man. Through the whole process we had nothing but communication and support and belief and trust with Frank Valentini. People need to remember that this story never would have been told without either of them. Without Ron’s writing but especially without Frank’s support. I never would have played this role probably without Frank’s support. At the end of the day it was sad to go. It’s our family in a lot of ways and a little part of us feels like we’re being thrown under the bus by our family, maybe, but I am appreciative and indebted to Frank for being bold enough to tell this story and to tell it as truthfully as we did. That truth may have shocked some people. It may have created discussions in households and in places that never would have had the discussion. To be bold enough to make that choice and to stand by it is why we did the work. I forever will be grateful to Frank and I think people should understand that… It might be a slower train than we want for equality to be on the streets or on the air but this still was progress. The support that ABC gave us, the bravery that One Life To Live had as a show, the beauty in the words that Ron wrote, and the strength of the performances that Scott and I gave, this should be nothing but a celebration for a year that changed daytime television.This was story that had the potential to bring in new viewers. It seemed like ABC as a whole did not do much to publicize it, especially the groundbreaking love scene.I think they knew for a while that maybe they were fading us out. For the greater good of the show, you’re not going to push stories that don’t have a future. I kind of feel like maybe that was the case. I definitely believe that we could have made this bigger than it was but at the end of the day my job is to do the work and let other people do the job that they do..

What are you going to do now?

I’m flying to Los Angeles next week to have some meetings. I should be moving out very shortly.

You were originally cast as Schuyler, who is also being written off. Looking back, are you glad you ended up playing Kyle?

I feel like I was given an opportunity to showcase my work in a way that Schuyler would not have allowed me to do. Your whole career as an actor you’re just trying to get somebody to notice that you have talent. You’re just trying to get somebody to notice how good you can be, your potential. The whole three years I was on One Tree Hill I kept asking for a storyline, “Give me something to do.” They never would. I even had somebody tell me, “You’re going to be much better at comedy then drama. You’re not a dramatic actor.” To finally have someone write me a story that allowed me to show what I can do, I felt like Kyle gave me this opportunity to show what Brett Claywell can do as an actor. The journey with Scott and the work that was done, I think absolutely at the end of the day playing Kyle was my destiny for this show. It was definitely the role I was supposed to play.

Soap Q: The fight is on to save Kish!

It’s just astounding that ABC is kicking One Life to Live’s Kish storyline to the curb. In his weekly Gays of Our Lives column, Anthony Langford has shed some light on what led to the shocking decision to completely do away with the soap’s two main gay characters played by Scott Evans and Brett Claywell:

Sources say that despite the couple’s growing fanbase and critical acclaim, they hadn’t been a hit with mainstream audiences and the ratings told the story, with a downturn during key moments in the Kyle and Oliver saga, most notably during the highly publicized same sex wedding arc from last November, a plot that was cut short following a number of angry phone calls and letters from offended viewers.

The show followed that with a gay bashing plot that, again, didn’t go over well with the audience and, as with the gay wedding storyline, ABC ordered the story cut short. Concerns began to grow about what to do with the couple. Kyle and Oliver and their romance had been well received and even tested positively among focus groups. It was the stories they were involved in that were the problem.

Initially the plan was to keep Kyle and Oliver, but bring an end to the heavy gay-themed stories and put them in more traditional soap opera plots. With the show struggling for its very survival and already planning to cut the budget and weed out the bloated cast, executive producer Frank Valentini reportedly made the very difficult decision to end their story.

Head Writer Ron Carlivati was said to be ‘devastated’ by the decision and buzz is that he is currently lobbying to get his bosses to change their minds. Meanwhile, fans reacted swiftly, with angry letters and phone calls to the network and several campaigns underway to get ABC to reconsider. Prominent soap bloggers such as Nelson Branco, Damon Jacobs and Jamey Giddens have used their websites to express opinions and encourage fans not to give up the good fight.

There is a rally planned for Friday at Times Square. If you want to register your feelings to ABC. the site Keep Kish out of the Closet has links that makes it very easy for you to do so via email, telephone, snail mail and a petition. I’m going to send them an email right now myself and suggest you do the same!

Soap Q: Scott Evans reacts to the end of KISH!

According to Greg in Hollywood:

One Life to Live deservedly won the GLAAD Media Award last night for outstanding daily drama.

Actors Scott Evans and Brett Claywell, aka Oliver Fish and Kyle Lewis, were both on hand to accept the prize which comes just days after it was learned that their groundbreaking gay love story is coming to an end.

It’s outrageous that the network or sponsors or whoever is behind this decision is allowing its only gay characters to take a fall for a dip in ratings.

Evans seems positive about his future in this red carpet interview as well he should. He’s become a big fan fave: “We told a fantastic story. Of course you feel there’s always more places it could go. … Now we’re done and moving on. I’m excited to see that’s next in store.”

Soap Q: GLAAD fighting for dumped Kish storyline to continue!

According to numerous reports:

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has stepped up and in a statement Friday said: “GLAAD today advocated for continuation of the storyline of characters Kyle and Fish on One Life and spoke out on the importance of bringing fair and accurate media images of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people to Americans. Last summer, One Life brought a ground-breaking relationship into the homes of millions with Kyle and Fish’s story, one that built acceptance and understanding of gay people. While we understand that the close of storylines is a frequent occurrence on daytime dramas, cancelling this story just as it gains momentum is a step backward in ABC Daytime’s representation of the lives of gay Americans.”

GLAAD continues: “When news reports broke yesterday, GLAAD spoke to ABC Daytime to voice concerns over the cancellation and advocate that the storyline continue. We remain disappointed that ABC Daytime has chosen to stop sharing this powerful story with viewers of One Life. GLAAD will continue to advocate that in the near future, producers and writers at ABC Daytime incorporate gay and transgender characters in their programming.”

Here is ABC’s response to GLAAD: ”The groundbreaking Kyle-Fish relationship on One Life to Live was embraced by fans both as a great story and a fair and honest reflection of the LGBT community. We’re glad their story resonated with the audience, and understand the fans’ disappointment now that it has concluded. The show has a history of bringing LGBT stories to the screen — earning two GLAAD awards in the process — as well as returning popular characters when they serve the ongoing story. These great characters remain in Llanview, and while there are no immediate plans to advance their story, the door is always open for their return.”

Soap Q: KISH Axed!

PLEASE SAVE KISH!

‘One Life To Live’s groundbreaking gay couple, Kish, is being written off the show. According to TV Guide, Scott Evans (Fish) and Brett Claywell (Kyle ) will leave the show in April after their current storyline wraps up. Kish were the first gay couple on daytime television to have a sex scene. *Spoiler Alert* Fish will confirm what the audience already knows, that he is the father of Stacy’s baby. After gaining custody of the child, he and Kyle will raise the child off camera. Is it homophobia? Or is the show practicing a scorched earth policy surrounding the phenomenally unpopular character of Stacy (Crystal Hunt)? Scott Clifton (Schuyler), the other potential baby’s father was also let go. Stacy’s best friend Kim (Amanda Setton) is leaving due to Setton’s decision to move to Los Angeles.

While Kish was ultrapopular on-line, dominating messageboards and winning prestigious awards from the gay media, the show’s ratings fell while they were front and center. Given that numerous other stories were happening simultaneously, it is impossible to know what caused the fall. Perhaps the decision to link Kish to a farcical pro-gay marriage storyline alienated viewers who might have otherwise been interested in their love story. Perhaps Mitch’s less than compelling return was the culprit. (His character is rumored to be written off, too.) Perhaps some viewers did not buy Todd and Tea’s love story, which was a far bigger storyline. Perhaps Stacy really was enough to drive viewers away from Llanview. Whatever the reason, someone either at the show or at the network made the decision to shift the show in a new direction.



In the past couple weeks OLTL has embarked on a slew of new storylines: Jessica’s amnesiac regression to adolescence, Kelly’s (Gina Tognoni) return to Llanview, the Marty/John/Natalie love triangle. In my opinion, the decision to write Kish off is a mistake. I found their love story touching. They fit in seamlessly to Llanview’s police and hospital storylines. Kyle’s bitchy stand-offs with Kim made me want to see him as a power player — perhaps becoming involved in a struggle for control of Llanview Hospital. In recent weeks, the ratings have improved. The actors are talented and well-liked enough to merit Daytime Emmy pre-nominations. While there are always going to be some viewers who are uncomfortable with gay love scenes, there are also going to be viewers who dislike plots about a retconned child who messes up the show’s timeline. Dani and Tea are still around. I hope that Kish are not being scapegoated, but it is difficult to see this in any other way. Given the writers and producers obvious enthusiasm for the pairing, I assume this decision was made with a heavy heart. It is unfortunate that, with the impending end of As The World Turns, gay men are on the verge of disappearing from daytime, especially given the increasing visibility of GLBT characters on primetime.

Check OUT Michael Fairman's recent KISH interview:

Brett Claywell & Scott Evans Interview from Michael Fairman on Vimeo.

SOAP Q: Kyle confronts his boyfriend Fish about his denial about possibly being a father

According to Greg in Hollywood:

The truth is, the whole baby drama, we can focus on how it affects OLTL's Fish and Kyle’s relationship.

In this past Monday’s episode, we see just how much Oliver does NOT want to be the daddy of the baby who’s been at the center of all the drama. But Kyle is pushing him to wake up and smell the coffee.

Fish doesn’t even want to find out one way or another by taking a DNA test so Kyle takes things into his own hands. Come on FISH!