Comedy Central to air Queer Eye parody

Cable network Comedy Central is planning to turn the make-over hit Queer Eye for the Straight Guy upside down with a new show called Straight Plan for the Gay Man. Debuting in February, the new show will parody the Bravo channel's Queer Eye series and male stereotypes in general as a team of straight comedians--the "Flab 4"--teaches a succession of gay men how to pass as heterosexuals. The make-overs include lessons in such areas as spartan home decorating, oafish manners, less-than-fashionable wardrobes, and an overdeveloped ego to mask all personal failings, production executive Lou Wallach told Reuters on Monday. He said the network is currently producing three hour-long episodes centering on three gay men looking to go straight for a day to satisfy some personal curiosity about life on the "other team." Jonathan, an upscale fashion salesman seeking greater insight into the lives of blue-collar workers, will try to get a job as a meatpacker. Roger, a yoga instructor who has always wanted to play a round of pickup basketball, will square off in a competitive game of street hoops. And Stephen, an entertainer with lots of female friends, will venture into the hetero club scene to try his luck as a smooth-talking babe magnet. As the end of each episode, the Flab 4 will accompany their straight-A students to see if they "pass their tests." The format is a role reversal of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, in which five gay men with expertise in good grooming, food, fashion, culture, and interior design come to the aid of a hapless heterosexual slob. The show has drawn the highest audience numbers ever on Bravo, and a half-hour version proved popular on sister broadcast network NBC. A spokesman for NBC and Bravo, which are owned by General Electric Co., said the networks were aware of the plans for the parody show but had no comment.