It not just violence that is fuelling the instability in Thailand’s deep South. Cross-cultural romances between Thai soldiers and Muslim women are also a factor. AFP photo

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Randy Rainbow, an under-appreciated theater gay who makes hilarious YouTube videos, has done it again with his latest. In the video above, he tries to convince his boyfriend Kirk Cameron (whom he met on Grindr, obvi) to settle down and tie the knot, while Kirk spits back his nonsensical lines, like marriage is as old as dirt. It ends on a musical number, naturally.

As the Kirk Cameron controversy wanes, another queen has produced some creative content from it: Rosie ODonnell! Here, she rails again Cameron in an impassioned rant calling him an impious imp and a bad Christian.

Also late to weigh in on the whole thing: the idiotic American Family Assocation. Notice how they can spell neither Piers Morgans first name nor GLAAD.

Head over to GLAADs site to sign their petition to tell Kirk Cameron to grow up, if youre so inclined.

CAZENOVIA — Students from the Cazenovia High School Drama Club will give the audience a glimpse of an Iowa State Fair filled with romance in 1946 during three performances of “State Fair.”

They will take the stage Thursday at 4 pm, and Friday and Saturday at 8 pm in the high school auditorium.

The musical is a story of blossoming romances and adventure as the Frake family spends three days at the annual state fair in 1946.

Every Tuesday at 8 pm, millions of viewers eagerly tune into Glee to listen to its flawless covers of the latest hit songs, to follow up on drama among the characters and to catch the latest details on the budding romances between Kurt and Blaine as well as Brittany and Santana.

If you’re unfamiliar with the show and wondering if I made a mistake in the previous sentence, I did not. Two guys, two girls — and yes, people do want to know what happens between two people of the same sex. Many critics have lauded Glee for unabashedly portraying gay and lesbian characters that are key to the storyline, along with its inclusion of sensitive topics such as coming out, homophobia, bullying and sexual identity.

Although progress has been achieved on the surface, the show’s unrealistic and incomplete depiction of gays and lesbians detracts from the visibility and understanding it seeks to bring to the LGB community.

Viewers have witnessed two characters officially come out: Kurt and Santana. All of their classmates and parents accept them wholeheartedly without question.

They do suffer some resistance through Dave Karofsky who bullies Kurt, and Santana’s grandmother who painfully rejects her. But Dave only appears at intervals in the show and the scene with Santana’s grandmother just lasts only a few minutes, making the homophobia that does exist in the show seem inconsequential.

In the latest episode, Dave attempts to commit suicide after he is outed by his peers. But the fact that he appears inconsistently leading up to the tragic event, fails to show viewers a complete picture of a teen struggling to accept his sexuality.

The portrayal of Kurt and Santana as strong and empowered gay teens may have been written to influence viewers positively, but it significantly downplays the gravity of homophobia in our society and makes coming out seem unrealistically simple. Sexuality is not an ephemeral guise. It is an integral part of one’s identity.

Furthermore, the relationship between Brittany and Santana is made to seem less important than Kurt and Blaine’s. Their relationship is borne out of romance while the lesbian relationship appears to stem from a brief sexual encounter that took place before Santana even acknowledged her sexuality.

A skeptical viewer might even see how Brittany and Santana were choreographed to tantalize the eyes of straight men. Their relationship develops abruptly and is often inconsistent, allowing viewers to forget that lesbian relationships based on love and commitment do exist in real life.

When critiquing Glee, we must first think about why we watch TV in the first place. We watch TV because it makes us feel less alone on a rainy Friday night, because it allows us to laugh uncontrollably when the stress of a midterm sits in the pit of our stomachs and because it causes our hearts to beat quickly as we watch a crazy fight scene. TV is candy for our eyes and ears.

Bob Schoenberg, director of the LGBT Center, reminded me that Glee, after all, seeks to entertain. “As a show, Glee is unrealistic, and you can’t watch it like a documentary,” he said. “How is it realistic that the characters suddenly break into song in the middle of the hallways, while singing and dancing perfectly? There needs to be a certain degree of suspension of disbelief when it comes to TV.”

Does Glee have to become an “after-school special?” Do we watch it because it provides educational value or do we watch it for pleasure? With this in mind, perhaps Glee should not be expected to live up to high standards.

As much as we think we can ignore what we see and hear every day, we cannot. Our society is teeming with evidence of the media’s influence. Magazines tell us that we need to be a certain size, weigh as little as possible, dress in the latest fashions and work out excessively. The media has altered our perception of beauty and has the same power to shape our understanding of gays and lesbians.

As Glee gains a larger following, it will have to consider the potential effects it has on its viewers’ understanding and perception of the LGB community. The show’s success to date gives it the potential to reverse ignorant views of gays and lesbians that plague society.

But unless the show thinks twice about how it portrays its characters, Glee could easily become just another show with gay and lesbian characters.

Robert Hsu, a College and Wharton freshman from Novi, Mich. His email address is rohsu@sas.upenn.edu. The Casual Observer appears every other Wednesday.

Love knows no bounds. Last month, Dick Van Dyke, 86, wed a 40-year-old make-up artist, and Madonnas 24-year-old boyfriend proposed to the 53-year-old pop star, according to the Daily Mail.

Here are some other famous May-December romances.

While at a Ford press event, one of the spokespeople caught me caressing the fender of the 2013 Escape a little too fondly. I simply could not help it as a study in small and sexy crossovers, this new Escape looks to be a real pussycat. I mean that in the most sincere way.

Why is it good for the Rocky Mountains?

Turbocharging is one invention we high altitude folks enjoy and there are only a handful of SUVs that have turbocharged engines. The 2013 Ford Escape will offer two turbocharged, EcoBoost 4-bangers and a normally aspirated engine for their base model.

*The base engine will make 168 horsepower and 167 lbs-feet of torque. The 1.6 liter EcoBoost, turbocharged engine will make 173 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque while the beefy 2.5 liter EcoBoost engine makes 237 hp and a whopping 250 lb-ft of torque. As typical for EcoBoost engines, peak torque will be fairly flat from about 1,500 rpm to about 5,000 rpmhellip; almost diesel-like.

*The horsepower numbers are fairly reliable, but they may be adjusted a minor percentage when the Escape goes on sale.

Youssou dreams of one day returning to rebuild the cultural school. But for now, thanks to better mobile and Internet service in Senegal, he still considers himself a leader in his village–just by proxy. People call him all the time for advice or financial help. Still, he acknowledges the split he feels between the US and Senegal will never go away. “It’s hard to be just in one place,” says Youssou. “You feel like you’re heart is in the other side but you go in that place and you feel the same way about the other side.”

For better or worse, not everyone falls in love in the Peace Corps. I returned from Romania as single as I left. Was my timing off? Was the dopamine not firing in my brain? Or it could be, as the Romanian superstition goes, that I sat at the corner of a table one too many times? Whatever the case, I was happy witness to many, many Peace Corps romances.

Janice and Glen? They now live in Washington, minutes from that Holiday Inn where they first met.

“Sometimes we walk in the lobby,” says Janice. “The Holiday Inn guy is always like: ‘Can I help you?’ And I’m like: ‘No, we’re just going to stand here next to the elevator bay.’”

“You know, just to get the aura of the day we first met. Because that’s where I sprang the orchid question to her was in the lobby of the hotel,” says Glen.

“And since then we’ve gone to the orchid exhibit a lot,” says Janice.

A few years ago they were married quickly and quietly by a judge, on their lunch hour. I never got to give them a proper toast. I had the speech all planned out. To the toughest job you’ll ever love: marriage.

Share your experience in the Peace Corps: What was your best day? Your worst day? Your best moment? Your worst moment? Share it with us!

Read More
• PRIs The World: Remembering 50 years of the Peace Corps
• Peace Corps
• YouTube Channel: Peace Corps

Television romances are not limiting themselves to the jaded idea that only the young can be in love

Cupid strikes again on Indian television. After hordes of shows on young romances, its now the turn of the older lot to turn on the heat. We have shows like Bade Achche Lagte Hai and Kuch Toh Log Kahenge, which have proved with its on-going popularity that audiences are enjoying the adult love-stories.

Ram Kapoor and Shakshi Tanwar in Bade Achche Lagte Hai

The older man–younger girl syndrome has been tried with some success and some duds in films like Lamhe, Nishabd, Joggers Park and Cheeni Kum. Now its television that is experiencing the trend and from the looks of it, is giving the young love stories a run for their money.

Monish Behl and Kritika Kamra in Kuch Toh Log Kahenge

Playing the suave and mature Dr Ashutosh in KTLK, Mohnish Behl has rediscovered a fan base among the young girls Its embarrassing when young girls who are my daughters age find me appealing. In fact, my daughter is always surfing up their comments on me and describes it as drooling. Which man and which actor would not like such a reaction? he smiles shyly before elaborating, I guess the whole process of two people who are a complete mismatch falling in love is what appeals to the audience.

Aamna Sharif

Analysing this trend, he says, This concept is not completely new to television. We saw the theme in shows of the late 90s like Saans, Amaanat and Tara. This was followed by the whole movement of family dramas, and then the reality shows. Now, the mature love stories are back. Our audiences want a change constantly.
Writer Kamlesh Pandey offers an interesting perspective to this, We are talking about two individuals with a 18 year gap. Then there are the logical issues that friends and families bring forth which I am tackling head-on in this show. You will find many girls going for older men because they are looking for a father figure as opposed to younger guys who they find irresponsible and immature.

Nikki Aneja and Varun Badola in Astitiva

Actress Neha Marda who played the 15-year-old bride to her 55-year-old husband in Balika Vadhu echoes a similar sentiment They are experienced, mature and aware. Though my character Gehna is forced into marriage, she has reached a level of comfort with her husband, which is based on trust and understanding if not love

Bade Achche Lagte Hai is another show which has caught on with the audiences in a big way. Happily single Rupali Ganguly candidly reveals that shows like this have saved her from being pressurised into marriage My dad comes from a conservative Bengali family where a daughter has to be married off at a young age, but this show makes him believe that a guy like Ram Kapoor, irrespective of his age, will come in my life eventually.

She echoes the sentiment of many single girls who are busy with their life and career to get bogged down with marriage. Television is doing its bit in showcasing and encouraging this trend. The concept of age gap is proving to be a huge draw. Remember the successful Ajai Sinha directed Astitiva where Nikki Aneja successfully essayed the role of the older wife to Varun Badola. Probably taking a cue from this, we hear that Aamna Sharif is all set to make a TV comeback with a love story opposite a younger guy. TV shows finally seem to have come of age.

lt;span class=l_infogt;Rated PG-13 | Time: 1:29lt;/pgt;lt;pgt;lt;/spangt;Early in amp;#x93;Like Crazy,amp;#x94; Jacob gives girlfriend Anna a bracelet with the inscription amp;#x93;patience.amp;#x94; lt;/pgt;lt;pgt;Not only is the item emblematic of their long-distance relationship, but it offers the same advice to viewers. If they patiently invest in this simple, subtle and disarmingly powerful movie, the unfolding experience proves well worth it. The recent Sundance winner has the potential to be deemed among this generationamp;#x92;s great romantic movies.lt;/pgt;lt;pgt;amp;#x93;Like Crazyamp;#x94; is a candid look at a young coupleamp;#x92;s love affair, from their carefree college days in Los Angeles through their maturing 20s in London. lt;/pgt;lt;pgt;Jacob (Anton Yelchin) is an American studying furniture design who shares a class with Anna (Felicity Jones), an aspiring British journalist. Anna makes the first move, leaving a complicated note on his windshield with the proviso, amp;#x93;Please donamp;#x92;t think Iamp;#x92;m a nutcase amp;#x85;amp;#x94;lt;/pgt;lt;pgt;Charmed by the message, Jacob admits, amp;#x93;It was a good disclaimer.amp;#x94; lt;/pgt;lt;pgt;Having planned a return to England once her visa expires, Anna instead decides to overstay her welcome to spend the summer with Jacob. The movie is a snapshot that often leaps in months (and perhaps years) as the two attempt to keep their passionate union going when proximity and bureaucracy threaten to keep them apart.lt;/pgt;lt;pgt;These individuals donamp;#x92;t radiate hot-and-heavy chemistry together so much as a legitimate believability. Heamp;#x92;s a bit more earthy, sheamp;#x92;s more worldly. Heamp;#x92;s prone to flashes of jealousy, she to impetuous decisions. The curly topped Yelchin (the hero of the recent amp;#x93;Fright Nightamp;#x94; remake) gets by on pure likability, even when his characteramp;#x92;s motivations are murky. lt;/pgt;lt;pgt;amp;#x93;I donamp;#x92;t feel like Iamp;#x92;m part of your life. I feel like Iamp;#x92;m on vacation,amp;#x94; he says after moving in to Annaamp;#x92;s London flat. lt;/pgt;lt;pgt;The chipper Jones (last seen in amp;#x93;The Tempestamp;#x94;) delivers a more rounded performance. Sheamp;#x92;s the type of character who falls madly in love but never stops to ask why with this guy. The actress is quite a find, managing to concurrently possess a girl-next-door grounding and a stepped-out-of-a-magazine gorgeousness. lt;/pgt;lt;pgt;Director Drake Doremus (who also co-wrote the script with Ben York Jones) reportedly encouraged a great deal of improvising from the actors, providing an outline and letting them fill in the verbal details. He based much of the setup on the experience of courting his Austrian wife. lt;/pgt;lt;pgt;Despite the keep-it-loose quality to the acting, the filmmaking is a bit more calculated. Cinematographer John Guleserian leans on the headache-inducing shaky cam too often in the early scenes. Eventually, he and editor Jonathan Alberts start finding new ways to make jarring transitions more palatable. lt;/pgt;lt;pgt;One sequence denoting the passage of time presents a rapid montage of the sleeping couple in each dayamp;#x92;s different cuddling position. Itamp;#x92;s a clever touch that comes across like a G-rated Kama Sutra. lt;/pgt;lt;pgt;Jacob and Annaamp;#x92;s wordless last scene will likely prove divisive with audiences. Similar to amp;#x93;Lost in Translation,amp;#x94; their ambiguous interaction seems more revealing by what isnamp;#x92;t said (or heard) than what is. lt;/pgt;lt;pgt;Only in movies do romances conclude on a happy note, when everyone is young and in love, and all their conflicts of the past 90 minutes are utterly resolved. But this bittersweet film understands that in real life, relationships donamp;#x92;t just freeze when the credits roll. lt;/pgt;lt;pgt; lt;span class=tagline_creditgt;Jon Niccum, Special to The Starlt;/spangt;

Kenny Chesney Talks Past Romances amp; Wanting A Family

First Published: November 8, 2011 11:18 PM EST Credit: Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Caption Kenny Chesney attends the 59th Annual BMI Country Awards, Nashville, Tenn., on November 8, 2011Kenny Chesney may be known for being country musics most eligible bachelor, but hes open to love.

Do I still believe in falling in love? Sure. Do I think it exists? Yep. Have I felt it? Yes, and who wouldnt want to feel that again, he told Robin Roberts on Tuesdays In The Spotlight with Robin Roberts on ABC.

The country music superstar also said he hopes to one day have a family.

Oh, of course, no doubt about it, he said. I really dont envision, you know, everything in my life revolving around sound check and catering at 5 oclock I dont want that.

Kenny was married in 2005, briefly, to Oscar winner Renee Zellweger, but the union was annulled after just a few months. And when asked about his past relationships having a bearing on his future ones, Kenny said hes learned from the experiences.

I think everybody learns, I hope, Kenny told Robin. I recorded a song one time, called I Done A Lot of Things Different. Of course I would have done things different, in my personal life.

Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.