Ben Cook

[Todd]

Ben's dad mentioned in his blog entry that Ben had spoken on national television. Anyone know what show it was ?

[gpcolo]

30 Rock. He played "Young Jack" in an episode I believed aired in December.

[Todd]

Interesting. Sorry I missed seeing him on there. Does anyone know if Ben is working his way into being a full-time Michael, or was this performance more of a "fill in" after which he will return to regular tall boy duty ?

[angelenroute]

Interesting. Sorry I missed seeing him on there. Does anyone know if Ben is working his way into being a full-time Michael, or was this performance more of a "fill in" after which he will return to regular tall boy duty ?

Sorry for the late post but I know how good the other Forum members are and often rely on them to post info. =) But I wanted to let those watching here know that Ben is on as Michael on alternate performances this week and I heard he will be on tonight if you're hoping to catch him. Feel free to confirm elsewhere. I know a couple BEeps are already planning to be there.

Sean

[ERinVA]

Disclaimer: If anyone books the show because they want to see Ben, and he turns out not to be on for your chosen performance, remember, you have done so at your own risk.

[angelenroute]

Disclaimer: If anyone books the show because they want to see Ben, and he turns out not to be on for your chosen performance, remember, you have done so at your own risk.

Thank you, agreed! =) I inferred this but as always an important reminder!

[ERinVA]

Glad you got to see him.

[tyty]

And the way he plays him doesn't make him too gay (like some do), but just enough so that it made me wonder "Is Michael really gay, or just thinking he is because he isn't getting all the attention Billy is and therefore wants attention" kinda thoughts.

Too gay? As Mrs. Wilkinson would say, I've never heard anything so bigoted and ridiculous in my life! But that's not a joke, I really do find that incredibly offensive and tasteless.

Do you care to explain what "too gay" means? Exactly how gay is Michael allowed to be? It's extremely common for people Michael's age to already know without a doubt that they're gay, so don't try the "it's just a phase" or "he's too young to know for sure" excuses. By that logic, is Debbie "too straight" for offering to show Billy her hoo-hoo? Are the "too gay" Michaels "too" flamboyant or colorful? Should they not have unique personalities?

Let me just point out that you're suggesting that many Michaels shouldn't express themselves, but instead should act "less gay," tone down their personalities, and not act too different from everyone else. Yes, you're saying this about Michael, the character who sings Expressing Yourself, a song about rejecting such suggestions.

And are you really suggesting that Michael pretends to be gay/acts gay/thinks he's gay because he wants more attention? What? That makes absolutely no sense. Can you honestly imagine a straight adolescent boy pretending to be gay just for attention? Aside from that idea being absurd, it doesn't make any sense within the plot and timeline of the show. Michael only "acts gay" when alone or around Billy; he "acts gay" before he ever finds out about Billy's ballet classes; and he never "acts even gayer" once he does find out.

-Ty

[ERinVA]

Welcome to the forum, tyty. I see you've been with us for a few months, but this is your first post.

In the interest of civil discussion, I am going to allow this post to remain; however, if an argument ensues or things get out of hand, I will lock this thread.

Just yesterday an announcement was posted asking members to review our Rules and Policies, and this is a good time to point out one rule in particular:

•Members may not make personal attacks on other members or their views in posts. Any vehement disagreement should be directed over PM. Personal attacks are never allowed, even over PM.

As I said, as long as things don't get out of hand, I will allow this to remain, as some other members might want to weigh in on the subject.

[ERinVA]

Michael's dialogue with Billy in the Winter Scene makes it fairly certain that he is gay, when he says, "You won't tell anyone, will ya?"

But "Expressing Yourself," which most people tend to focus on, isn't really about "gay" or "not gay," as I see it. Lots of people assume that cross dressing is strictly a gay thing, but in fact, from what I have learned from watching programs and reading articles on the subject from time to time, many cross-dressers are heterosexual, which may well explain why Michael says his dad "does it all the time." The number is really more about having a lot of flamboyant fun than it is about sexuality, incipient or otherwise.

Different Michaels play it differently, of course. Some may seem more "effeminate" in this number than others, often just because of their looks, or physical build, or what have you. And sometimes the contrast between what Michael looks like and how he acts in this number adds to the comedy. I always loved Jonty Bowyer's Michael for just this reason. He looked like a little linebacker (on an American football team), so the image of him in a dress, giving "fashion advice" to Billy as he rummaged through his mother's clothing collection was funny, especially in conjunction with his deadpan delivery.

I am sorry that I have not gotten to see Ben play Michael. My hat goes off to him, and to every boy who does. It is not a simple role to play, and it takes a lot of confidence to do it.