I Dish, Therefore I Am: Performing Toothy Tile and Ted Casablanca

Since March 2003, E! Online gossip columnist Ted Casablanca has published a series of blind items about Toothy Tile, a rising young actor who allegedly is at war with his management over his desire to come out, something he has threatened/promised to do at the Academy Awards presentations and in a magazine interview.  None of these incidents have taken place, however, and there is still no definitive answer to the question of Toothy Tile's identity or even his existence, all of which have been topics of heated discussion on various online gossip sites.  The Toothy Tile story represents the intersection of various performances:  Bruce Bibbey's performance as gossip columnist Ted Casablanca, the public and private performances of the actor identified only as Toothy Tile, the performance of closeted actors in general and the performances of the various posters debating the issue, often using names and identities manufactured for the internet.

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