"Sordid Lives" on Logo Joins Cable's Sizzling Summer

amp160Keep an eye out for Sordid Lives an original scripted series set to debut on Logo on July 23rd Itamp8217s the kind of quirky unique unexpectedly addictive halfhour comedydrama one might associate with Showtime the home of Weeds and Californicationamp160Much of the credit goes to its irresistible cast which includes Bonnie Bedelia Rue McClanahan The Golden Girls Olivia Newton John Caroline Rhea and Leslie Jordan the latter best known for his Emmy winning turn as Beverley Leslie the amp8220frosted miniwheatamp8221 who often sparred with wealthy substance abuser Karen Walker on Will ampamp Grace Jordan steals the show as Earl amp8220Brother Boyamp8221 Ingram the shame of a colorful family of Baptists in the small town of Winters Texas A gay man who is obsessed with and dresses as Tammy Wynette Earl has been institutionalized for over 20 years and is currently in the care of a steely psychologist who intends to amp8220dehomosexualizeamp8221 himamp160Set in the lateNineties Sordid Lives shifts back and forth between Winters and West Hollywood where Ty Jason Dottley the son of Earlamp8217s sister Latrelle Bedelia is trying to build a career as an actor He has had one brief taste of success on a soap opera and in the series opener auditions for a role in the musical Naked Boys Singing despite his distress at the thought of performing nude in front of an audience The opening episode of Sordid Lives takes place on the day Tammy Wynette died which would be April 6 1998 Naked Boys Singing opened OffBroadway in New York in 1999 Unless Naked Boys played in LA before then somebody goofed Ty is also seeking professional help from an everchanging array of therapists in dealing with his sexuality There are all kinds of strange people in Tyamp8217s life in LA especially the therapists just as there are all sorts of oddballs in and around his family back home At less than 30 minutes per episode without commercials the fastmoving Sordid Lives does a fine job of establishing a large number of characters living in two different locations without the luxury of much screen timeamp160The correct title of this nutty little lowbudget treat is Sordid Lives The Series Itamp8217s actually a prequel of sorts to the 1999 theatrical release of the same name which followed a 1996 stage play Ingram family matriarch Peggy amp8211 mother to amp8220Brother Boyamp8221 and his sisters Latrelle and LaVonda died in the movie but sheamp8217s alive and well here as played by the great McClanahan The play movie and series are all the work of writer producer and director Del Shores who has managed to create an interesting little franchise of his own I havenamp8217t seen the play or the movie but I was drawn right into the minidramas and quirky character conflicts on Shoresamp8217 colorful television canvas The humor amid hardship of it all reminds me in many ways of Norman Learamp8217s midSeventies satirical soap opera Mary Hartman Mary Hartman which is reason enough to recommend it That and the fact that itamp8217s great to see Olivia Newton John who was the top female movie star 30 years ago this summer when Grease was the word in a weekly series in which she sings NewtonJohn reprises her role from the Sordid movieamp160The goodbad news is that Sordid Lives will be easy to overlook given the glut of extraordinary scripted programming that is going to debut on basic cable later this month joining the terrific new crime drama In Plain Sight on USA Network the hit Lifetime serial Army Wives and ABC Familyamp8217s easytotake family drama The Secret Life of an American Teenager and cute actioncomedy The Middleman four summer series already in progress USA Networkamp8217s Burn Notice reignites on July 10 TNTamp8217s The Closer and Saving Grace return on July 14 AampampEamp8217s The Cleaner arrives on July 15 USA Networkamp8217s Monk and Psych are back on July 18 AMCamp8217s aweinspiring Mad Men starts its sophomore season on July 27 and Sci Fi Channelamp8217s Eureka returns July 29 Incidentally the Season 2 premiere of Mad Men makes clear that it has lost none of its narrative momentum or insanely clever character advancement since it left AMCamp8217s schedule last fall This sterling show will once again be widely regarded as the best series of the summer if not the year amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160

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"Sordid Lives" on Logo Joins Cable's Sizzling Summer

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"Sordid Lives" on Logo Joins Cable's Sizzling Summer

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Hispanic Leadership Roundtable: Inclusion, Mentorship, and Building the Next Generation (Video) - By Juan Ayala

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