New York love story: how one gay couple wound up on a J. Lo movie site – On the Web
Adam B. Vary
Gay couples such as Team Guido on CBS’s The Amazing Race last year and the cast of the Bravo channel’s recent Gay Weddings are now common on reality TV, so it’s no surprise that reality entertainment on the Web is no different.
Gary Bonilla, 38, and Rodney Collins, 30, are one of 28 couples competing in the Maid in Manhattan Love Story Sweepstakes, found at the Web site for Maid in Manhattan, the Jennifer Lopez movie due for release December 13. In tribute to the film’s romantic theme, each couple has been chosen for their “New York story” of how they met. Each week in November, the site has posted 45-second clips for seven of the couples, and site visitors have voted for their favorite. Whichever of the four finalist couples gets the most votes between November 27 and December 18 will win a weekend getaway at New York City’s St. Regis Hotel.
Bonilla admits that being the lone same-sex match in the competition had Collins and him wondering, “Are we the token [gay couple]?” But the two consider their matter-of-fact inclusion a small sign of progress. “In high school, I would’ve been thrilled … seeing [a] gay couple represented,” Collins said.
Though far outnumbered by straight couples, Bonilla and Collins are confident their “New York story” will prevail. “It’s a Jennifer Lopez movie,” Bonilla said. “The [winning] couple should be a gay couple!”
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