Newsgasm: Why Doogie Howser came out - 
by Tabloid Baby
Sure he's a neat dresser, seems a little fussy and appeared in Broadway musicals. But it wasn't the pressure of general "gaydar " speculation that led Neil Patrick Harris to follow T.R. Knight and declare his homosexuality to sob sister People magazine yesterday. Doogie Howser's proud "coming out" statement followed days of frantic attempts at spin control, after one of his publicists inadvertently "inned" the actor-- whose sexual preference hasn't exactly been a secret in the Industry.
It all came to a head last week, after a Canadian website reported that Harris had "pulled strings" to get "longtime sweetheart" David Burtka a role on his sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. Harris' publicist became an instant laughingstock when he responded by stating: "He's not of that persuasion."
Whether the flak meant the "nepotist persuasion" wasn't clear, but the statement was taken as a challenge by gay- and gossip-themed websites, which have been reporting on Harris' gay escapades for years-- like bringing Burtka as his date to the Emmys (CBS reportedly forced them to sit in separate rows). The publicist's boner got the gay and gossip media all riled up, and led many to label Harris a hypocrite. Some of the more hilarious reader comments (and scandalous accusations) can be found on the gay Towleroad site, which led the charge.
More amazing than Harris' announcement is the fact that his management team and CBS allowed him to make it. Once again, TV leads the way in giving viewers the credit to accept gay actors in hetero roles. While no "leading man" in Hollywood movies has gone public with his homosexuality, prime time television now has at least two openly gay actors portraying heterosexual, sexually-active-- and in Harris' case, womanizing-- characters.
Now, we have to wonder: Who's next? In Washington and Hollywood alike, it's open season on closeted public figures-- and not just by fringe media. Comcast & Disney's E! Online columnist Ted Casablanca makes a living with thinly-veiled blind items. Still scurvier web gossips have been openly "outing" one prime time dramatic action star for months now. How long will take until he... or another TV fave... is approving a statement for publication in People?
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Comments
Dennis Haysbert is gay???
Posted by: c-wise![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tvgasm.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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November 4, 2006 5:25 PM(#1 of 8)
Are you effing kidding me? He played Mark in Rent. If that's not gay, I don't know what is.
----
(Note: Yeah, I know straight people have played Mark. I'm not narrow-minded.)
Posted by: Mark![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tvgasm.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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November 4, 2006 6:39 PM(#2 of 8)
"It all came to a head last week"
I have always wondered about this phrase. Doesn't it specifically refer to acne? Which makes it a totally, skeevily, fucking GROSS thing to say?
Posted by: Memememe![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tvgasm.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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November 4, 2006 7:09 PM(#3 of 8)
Nonono. Actually the origin irefers to a steam engine. We speak of getting up
a head of steam, but 'come to a head' could refer to time you have to wait
until the engine puts out a head of steam to power the engine. The pimple or boil definition which follows the "culmination of a crisis" definition in Merrian-Websters, is actually relevent when referring to pimply, spotty teenage doctor Doogie Howser, though. Plus, we get two sexual double entendres out of the phrase with "come" and "head"!
Posted by: Tabloid Baby![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tvgasm.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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November 4, 2006 7:22 PM(#4 of 8)
This
Is
AWESOME!
I've never been politically active, however the fact that, as the story stated, most production companies will purposely prevent an actor from coming out to "save face." Straight actors have been playing gay for years and no one balks, but the opposite is still considered unacceptable. It makes me want to remind all of these people, incase they have forgotten or don't realize, that it is indeed two thousand and freakin' six! As T.R. Knight said, in a very "classy, top notch 3 billion dollar a year industry way" that being gay is usually the most uninteresting thing about someone.
All that being said, I still love finding out who is gay, not as gossip or fodder (mostly) but so I can count down the days until he finally has the cajones to say it publicly. To quote an episode of Roseanne "Way to go Doogie!"
Posted by: fozziebare13![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tvgasm.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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November 4, 2006 10:31 PM(#5 of 8)
Damn it... another guy I'm hot for is gay.
At least he got to see Dr. Will's woody when he gueststarred.
Posted by: redhaiku![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tvgasm.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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November 5, 2006 12:32 AM(#6 of 8)
Zzzzz...
Posted by: Ubiquitous![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tvgasm.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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November 5, 2006 5:10 AM(#7 of 8)
Yes, there are now "two openly gay" actors playing it straight on TV. But let's not forget, they were cast in those roles before they publicly outed themselves. Will they still get as many hetero roles? I think TV is just as narrow in their casting as film is on this issue. It just happens that these two actors got cast before they came out publicly.
Posted by: fycin![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tvgasm.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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November 5, 2006 9:25 PM(#8 of 8)