Some Dutch

I forgot to tell you about the Dutch discoverys in my startiti-phase. Some weeks ago, when I just wanted something new and fresh with no spoilers and no prejudice I found a dutch storyline. E couple of weeks ago when I was on spring break I found another.

Ferry Doedens as Lucas Sanders in Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden.

The Nedtherlands hav produced more than just Lucas Sanders and his partners Edwin, Menno, Bilal and others in Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden. (And I have to confess, I haven't seen the Ludwin storyline yet, but now I know where to watch it after a tip from a very kind reader, but I am saving that storyline for later.) Well, the Dutch also produced SpangaS.

Tobias and Flip in SpangaS.

SpangaS is a youth series about the students and staff at the Spangalis College somewhere in the Netherlands. In SpangaS we get to know Flip van Hamel (Jasper Gottlieb) and his twin brother Tobias van Hamel (Marius Gottlieb) who also conveniently enough are twins in real life. Flip comes out in the first season (at leat I think and dates Mick for a while but Flip is not really in love with Mick and it's in second season the magic starts.

Jasper Gottlieb and Derk Stenvers as Flip and Koen in SpangaS.

And, it's in the second season we are invited, because the Flip and Mick storyline doesn't really exist on Youtube. But in the second season Flip develops feelings for Tobias friend Koen van Wageningen (Derk Stenvers) and they start dating. It is really cute in a a bit gawky way. Really sweet!

Flip and Jeffrey Hamilton as Koen in SpangaS.

Well, a few months later there's a new actor in the part of Koen, which reminds me of another series I'm watching right now... Anyway, Jeffrey Hamilton replaces Derk Stenvers and it is still cute. I haven't watched the full storyline yet, but I really like it. I am a sucker for youth series, I have to confess.

Jörgen Scholtens as Sytze in ONM.

Well, and last week I discovered ONM. At least I discovered Sytze and Karif in ONM. ONM (Onderweg naar Morgen) is a now cancelled Dutch soap opera where Sytze Eyzinga (Jörgen Scholtens) comes out just a couple of months before the series ended. What a waste with a great storyline! At first it was a bit trembling and the scenes between the actors was a bit awkward, but I that's how it is in the beginning, for every couple when you're young and unexperienced. I guess. And the storyline really grew upon me! So, short story shorter, Sytze met Karif Baz (Soner Keskin) and realized he flirted with him, got interested, discovered he was engaged and muslim, didn't give a damn about that, snogged a bit, got gay-bashed, came out, broke up - the end. To bad. I liked it. And Jörgen Scholtens who played Sytze: great! If you do watch the storyline, beware of when he hunts Noa down and rails her!I do love that scene because Sytze is so brutal! In a good way. Unfortunately there's just crappy photos of Sytze and Karif, but here they are:

Sytze and Karif in ONM.

I really enjoy Dutch storylines because I am so fascinated of the Dutch language! And I do understand quite a lot. Dutch is quite simmilar to Swedish in some aspects. So I am really looking forward to watching the Lucas and Edwin storyline!

A little bit of age difference

Well, if you have read my blog I guess it doesn't come as a surprise that I am a huge Lari and Kalle shipper right now! I think they are perfect for each other. But there are some people that doesn't agree, both in the series and in real life. The biggest objection about a relationship between the two are the age difference. But I don't really get what all the fuzz is about.

Pete Lattu as Kalle and Ronny Roslöf as Lari.

Ok, there are 16 years between them, but that's nothing! Been there, done that. Lari is of age, and Kalle is both warm and kind. Lari has been through so much that he really needs a mature boyfriend, and that is not Elias right now. Just go for it!

Dennis Grabosch as Roman and Igor Dolgatschew as Deniz.

There has been some couples with a bit of age difference before. One of the clearest examples are Deniz and Roman, DeRo. Ok, Deniz Öztürk was 17 when he joined the series in 2007, which makes him born 1990, that's 7 years younger than the actor. Anyway, Roman turned 30 in 2009 or 2010 or something, if I haven't gotten it completely wrong, which makes him about 10 years older than Deniz. And that is nothing! Nothing to worry about there. Maybe when he was under age, but that's niceties. The biggest issue with these two was that they persistated on breaking up all the time!

Carlo Degen as Joscha and Alexander Gier as Kai.

Well, I guess the writers of Alles was zählt like a bit of age difference in their gay storylines. Joscha and Kai, that we had the pleasure of following last year until May this year had a little bit of age difference to I guess. If I understood it right Joscha was about 20-22. Well Kai was a doctor, who had been working for a while, so he have to had been in his thirties. I guess there was about 10 years between those cuties to. And we have already noted that 10 years are nothing! Even 16 years are nothing!

James Sutton as John Paul and Stephen Billinton as Danny.

And then there's John Paul MacQueen and Danny Lomax who had a fling last year. Danny and John Paul worked together and also started sleeping together. Ok, John Paul actually was 17 in 2006. That makes him 25 now. He looks older. That might be because James Sutton is 31. But anyways, Danny Lomax has grown up children so he would be at least 40. I would guess about 45. That means about 20 years of age difference! That is quite a lot, but if everyone is happy it is not a problem. And really, that is just fur years older than 16 years, and as stated before, that is nothing. The problem here was that Danny was married. And, just as an anecdote, he is also Ste's biological dad. Ste and John Paul is dating right know. And Danny also died in a car crash.

Ferry Doedens and Dave Mantel.

There is also suppose to be an age difference between Lucas and Menno from Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden, but I haven't seen that storyline yet and they also broke up so I don't really have much to say about them. But I will see it, of course. Anyone who know how much of age difference there was?

So, my point is that age difference is a phenomenon from real life that we also see in soap operas, and not just with yung girls and rich older men. There is nothing shocking with a little bit of age difference so stop nagging about it and let Lari and Kalle snog in peace. Amen.

Favourite fanvids ep.3

It's been a while since I shared some of my favourite fanvids. We must do something about that I think. I actually love fanvids! I can sit for hours just watching all sorts of fanvids, even though gay themes are the favourites. Today I have to share a new favourite. I have so fallen in love with Stendan! Ste and Brendan from Hollyoaks that is. I know that it's a brutal love story, but I love it anyway. I so hope that also they will get a sunset ending in the end.

This is a couple I loved even before I started watching it by watching fanvids and clips on youtube. I guess I love them because their story contains those ingredients that I have a penchant for, that is denial, on-and-off and a certain amount of violence. And passion of course. I know, I am weird. But I also love the characters Ste Hay and Brendan Brady. And by that I mean I really really love them! And I love the actors Kieron Richardson and Emmet J. Scanlan. I absolutely adore them! And this is also a great song. Lovely indeed!

Another great video I watch sometimes is actually one with a storyline I haven't seen. The dutch soap Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden has a regular character called Lucas Sanders (Ferry Doedens) that has had a couple of partners through the years. His first real boyfriend (I think) was called Edwin Bouwhuis (Raynor Arkenbout) and I would really like to watch their storyline but it is really impossible to find! What I shame I have to say because the story seems really amazing.

In the meantime before anyone tells me where I can watch the story (or download it) I have to make do with great fanvids and clips on youtube. This one is my favourite. And if you want to practice your spanish, here you have the chance. I actually think that every fictional gay couple should have a fanvid with Halo by Beyoncé. And there are more than one out there already. Some day I will make a post only Halo-fanvids. I do happen to know what happened to Lucas and Edwin, Ludwin that is, which I have blogged about before. And I also know what happens to Lucas after Edwin, which I have also blogged about. I even do know what happens after that, but that will be another post. If anyone knows how to watch the Lucas and Edwin storyline, or another Lucas storyline, please do tell me!

I will also serve you a very short and rapid fanvid, but yet a lovely one! One of my favourite couples of all time is Cenny, Lenny and Carsten, from the German soap opera Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten, which also is quite hard to find. But I know how, hehe. Anyways, this is another storyline with a little violence, but it is very beautiful and it has a happy ending for Lenny Cöster (Alexander Becht) and Carsten Reimann (Felix Isenbügel) and if you want to see the really quick version of their storyline you should watch this video.

It is not in chronological order but you will get the essentials of the story. If you, like me, are  Cenny shipper (the new word again) and sometimes get some Lenny and Carsten cravings, this is an excellent remedy. Enjoy!

Gay weddings

Sonny Kiriakis and Will Horton at their wedding.

This week the first gay male wedding i a daytime soap in USA happened. There are a lot of daily, and long-running, soaps in USA so it was about time. The supercouple Will Horton (played by Guy Wilson, previously by Chandler Massey) and Sonny Kiriakis (played by Freddie Smith) from Days of our lives finally tied bands. The couple has been an item since 2012 and finally there was a wedding. It was just as sugery and sleazy as to expect from an american wedding. This with own wedding vows is nothing we are used to in Sweden. We are quite sparing with feelings. But it was cute and we do need lot's and lot's of same sex weddings in american TV.

Kevin Walker and Scotty Wandell in Brothers & Sisters.

It has happened before, but not in a daytime show. In 2008 Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys) and Scotty Wandell (Luke Macfarlane) got married in the ABC series Bothers & Sisters. They even had Calista Flockhart (Kevin's sister Kitty) as a wedding officiant. The couple are cute as hell and they even got children. We need more of those role models in american TV.

There might be more gay weddings in american TV-shows but they are few. And we have some here and there in the world, but it is not naturally obvious that a same-sex couple can get married, not even in soaps. It is not for instance not allowed in Finland and Germany, the home of Larias, Chrolli and DeRo among others. But that didn't stop Christian and Oliver to get married - twice.

Jo Weil and Thore Schölermann as Olli and Christian.

In Germany it is allowed to enter into partnership since 2001, and that's what Christian Mann (Thore Schölermann) and Oliver Sabel (Jo Weil) did in 2010. And then again in 2012 after a divorse they regretted just a couple of days afterwards. But in Verbotene Liebe, Christian and Olli never talked about anything else than that they were going to get married. The first wedding was even in a church, with a homosexual priest. You can make a "real" church wedding, even though you are not allowed to. But it is really about time for Germany to institute same sex marriage while being such a modern and gay-friendly country.

Menno Kuiper and Lucas Sanders in white.

The Netherlands was the first country to institute same-sex weddings in 2001 and this year they even got a soap gay wedding. Lucas Sanders (ferry Doedens) finally got to keep a love and gets to marry Menno Kuiper (Dave Mantel) in white, in a church (it seems) with Lucas father as a wedding officiant. Beautiful!

Christian Clarke and Syed Masood.

And there finally was a wedding between Christian Clarke (John Partridge) and Syed Masood (Marc Elliott in the British long running show Eastenders. It almost didn't happen, but Syed appeared just in the last second before the wedding officiant left. This happened in 2012, but it was not until this year, 2014, the law about same-sex marriages has became reality for the citicens of England, Wales and Scotland. Northen Ireland still has som leaps to go. In the Christian and Syed wedding Christian said in his (yet again quite cheesy) vows to Syed that he loves him more than all the stars in the heaven. If that isn't love, I don't know what is.

David and Fer kissing, after David's been steeling one of the grooms.

There almost was a gay wedding in Spanish Física o Química in 2010 between Fer and Borja, but just as the couple was going to say yes, David entered the chapel and Fer got doubts. After kissing in the rain and becoming wet, fer decided to go for David instead (yay!) and the couple even asked the wedding officiant to marry them right there and then. But she didn't want to. Bummer. The home country of the actors Adrian Rodriguez and Javier Calvo has gender neutral marriage since 2005, so it could have become reality, right there and then. Unfortunately Fer dies in the next season. Bummer again.

Stefan Holmberg and Micki Sandell.

Exept for the wedding between Jens Erik and Thomas Wallin in Danish 2900 Happiness I am not aware of any gay marriages in a nordic soap opera or TV-series but the one between Micki Sandell and Stefan Holmberg in Rederiet in 2000. But, and there is a but, same-sex marriages was not instituted in Sweden until 2009, so this was actually a registered partnership. Why do we always have to be so slow in Sweden? We need more same-sex marriages on Swedish television, and in television in general. Love is beautiful and we really do need to teach our children that lova has multiple faces and why not on TV? I borrow the words from Tiamat and say that: It's about time we all get out and vote for love!