David
10-18-2003, 02:48 PM
Idol Star Goes Gay for Pay
by Michael Ausiello
Tamyra Gray
American Idol lullababe Tamyra Gray is going from thespian to lesbian. The Boston Public grad will play a sapphic singer who develops a crush on Rachel True's Mona character on the Nov. 3 episode of UPN's Half & Half. The 24-year-old crooner admits she had some reservations about making her sitcom debut with such a "challenging" role.
"In the beginning [I was a little apprehensive], but mostly because I didn't know the other actress, Rachel, who I was playing side-by-side with," she tells TV Guide Online. "But it's kind of lighthearted, so it wasn't so bad. It wasn't bad at all, actually; it was pretty easy."
In the story, Mona tries to sign a hot new singer named Zora (Gray) to Delicious Records, but the hetero-leaning exec quickly realizes that the artist is sporting designs on more than just a lucrative album deal. "My character on Boston Public was a little shy," Gray says. "[Zora] is much more outgoing and aggressive."
Um, just how aggressive are we talking here? "There are no kissing scenes," laughs Gray. "That probably would have been my [deal]breaker, because I don't know if I'm ready for it just yet."
When Gray is not pursuing girls, er, acting gigs, she's busy putting the finishing touches on her debut album, which is due out in the spring. "For the most part, I will have written most of my album except for one song," says the Maryland native, who describes the CD as "a blend of old school and new school, with alternative pop and R&B."
And if Gray has it her way, her album's release will coincide with another big career development. "Hopefully by the time my album is about to drop, then I'll be back on Boston Public," she says with a smile, "because [my character] ended with a record deal. So, she'll have something to do." Sounds like Gray may have a future in marketing, too.
http://www.tvguide.com/news/insider/
by Michael Ausiello
Tamyra Gray
American Idol lullababe Tamyra Gray is going from thespian to lesbian. The Boston Public grad will play a sapphic singer who develops a crush on Rachel True's Mona character on the Nov. 3 episode of UPN's Half & Half. The 24-year-old crooner admits she had some reservations about making her sitcom debut with such a "challenging" role.
"In the beginning [I was a little apprehensive], but mostly because I didn't know the other actress, Rachel, who I was playing side-by-side with," she tells TV Guide Online. "But it's kind of lighthearted, so it wasn't so bad. It wasn't bad at all, actually; it was pretty easy."
In the story, Mona tries to sign a hot new singer named Zora (Gray) to Delicious Records, but the hetero-leaning exec quickly realizes that the artist is sporting designs on more than just a lucrative album deal. "My character on Boston Public was a little shy," Gray says. "[Zora] is much more outgoing and aggressive."
Um, just how aggressive are we talking here? "There are no kissing scenes," laughs Gray. "That probably would have been my [deal]breaker, because I don't know if I'm ready for it just yet."
When Gray is not pursuing girls, er, acting gigs, she's busy putting the finishing touches on her debut album, which is due out in the spring. "For the most part, I will have written most of my album except for one song," says the Maryland native, who describes the CD as "a blend of old school and new school, with alternative pop and R&B."
And if Gray has it her way, her album's release will coincide with another big career development. "Hopefully by the time my album is about to drop, then I'll be back on Boston Public," she says with a smile, "because [my character] ended with a record deal. So, she'll have something to do." Sounds like Gray may have a future in marketing, too.
http://www.tvguide.com/news/insider/