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As the World Turns - Luke and Noah (Videos)

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Daniel:
I am not normally interested in the inane drivel that seems to spout from the lips of soap opera performers, but on some rare occasions, some of the storylines are actually interesting, the scenes poignant, the actors right on the spot from an emotional level. It was sad that no soap opera seemed to pursue a homosexual relationship though. Passions I believe was one of the first to look at this idea with some acceptance, but with a poor reaction in their demographic from what I understand (causing it to change channels several times).

Had I but realized it, As the World Turns made daytime history with the first gay kiss between two main characters this past August. The story of Luke and Noah is captivating, compelling, and hits the head of the nail straight-on in so many ways that it is sometimes unnerving. They must have a damn good writer.  You can find most of the storyline of Luke and Noah on youtube, and the storyline has skyrocketed the viewership of the show, according to the performers blogs. (From what I understand the youtube version of the kiss was the second most viewed video for three days after showing, so the actors must be doing something right). Of the mail sent to the show in response to the gay kiss and its intricate storyline, the viewers seem to indicate close to 99% approval rating. Now we're getting somewhere.

[youtube=425,350]DVsX9RnoHGk[/youtube]

Daniel:
In youtube land, it seems that the Luke and Noah story is known as the Nuke story, apparently as an indication of the chemistry that seems to be present in their first encounters. Not to mention, the type of blasting effect it had on the social conventions of daytime dramas.

moremojo:
Thanks for bringing my attention to this story, Daniel. Though The Young and the Restless was my soap back in my regular soap-watching days, I have seen As the World Turns from time to time, and it remains my aunt Carolyn's favorite daytime drama. But I had no idea of this exciting new storyline; I was aware of some daytime soap dealing with a lesbian character quite some time ago, but, apart from a guest appearance of RuPaul on, I believe, All My Children, I believe this is the first occasion for a gay male storyline to be dealt with in this genre. And a kiss, no less!

I think this is another solid illustration of the acceptance and even interest for lesbigay issues that has taken root in mainstream America. Boy, things sure have changed since when I was a kid! 

moremojo:
Rereading your initial post, Daniel, I noted your mention of Passions, a show with which I am not familiar. They actually had to change channels more than once because of a gay storyline/character? I guess I shouldn't be surprised--when I was growing up, it was not unusual to hear people react to homosexuality with undisguised contempt and loathing.

Daniel:
Yes, I used to watch Passions for a bit when I was younger, the other ones were obviously much more complicated and had a whole lot of history going on in them that I wasn't aware of. Not that I needed to actually see much of the history; it seemed almost like every episode had bit of a recap session and made repeated references to the same event. Not that there's anything wrong with this, it just seemed a little sappy and unrealistic... lol.

My mother was into several of them right around when I was born, but she said she had to get off them because they were enveloping too much of her life. And I found it surprising that she remembered some of the main characters in As the World Turns including Cheri, whom I believe is Noah's mother. Her ghost is in the last youtube video I posted.

Also, to clarify things, Luke is the blond, Noah is the dark-haired.

One of the great things about Youtube is that the film-makers edit it pretty thoroughly, so that it is a continuous story of relevant scenes, instead of the jumbled jump-to-another-scene-as-soon-as-it-gets-interesting format you might be used to seeing during the daytime dramas.

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