EMBRACING LIFE, CULTURE, AND THE SUBLIMELY RIDICULOUS
{ Monthly Archives }
tornados ripped through kansas yesterday, causing damage to hundreds of homes and businesses - and even starting fires in their wake.
while we have yet to hear about god’s official reason for striking the quiet mid-western state, pat robertson is hard at work trying to figure out what the people there did to deserve this.
if they can’t think of anything else, i’m sure the christian coalition can blame it on us fags. there has to be at least a few gay people in wichita, right??
for those of you who do not know, i am a part of a book club that meets once a month. it is unquestionably the highlight of the week, and the meeting this past monday was no exception.
this month we read a fascinating, entertaining piece of historical fiction called in the company of the courtesan. it tells the tale of a fictional courtesan, fiammetta bianchini, her right-hand man (who just happens to be a dwarf), bucino, and the diverse cast of characters they encounter… including a gossip writer (or as they might call him today, an “entertainment journalist”) and a suspicious witch.
the majority of the novel takes place in 16th-century venice during a time that was both opulent and oppressive. there are several twists and turns in the plot, but i won’t give anything else away. instead, if this sounds of interest to you, i encourage you to head over to amazon.com to find out more. i absolutely loved this book.
on a side note, i picked up another book this month, recommended by my uncle - the night listener by armistead maupin (of tales of the city fame). while i didn’t enjoy it as much as courtesan, i would still recommend it. after reading it, i discovered that it has been made into a film starring robin williams as the gay main character, gabriel noone. the night listener, which also stars toni collette and sandra oh, is currently scheduled for release this coming august. let’s hope it doesn’t suck.
i’m quite certain that nathan cooper, who co-founded the up-and-coming new wave/electro-synth group the modern, knows that he’s good looking. i would consider that a negative if i weren’t so prone to agreeing with him. thus, the dirty pretty thing is this week’s hot rocker… even if he’s probably more pop.
the fledgling u.k. outfit scored a minor hit last year with “jane falls down” (which entered the u.k. singles chart at no. 35). unfortunately, the band’s rise hit a glitch earlier this month when their follow-up single, “industry,” was banned from the u.k. charts when overzealous fans purchased multiple downloads of the track. d’oh!
while cooper may be handsome, i have yet to decide if i’m a fan of his group. he provides lead vocals along with emma cooke, which only furthers the human league comparisons. also, their passion for fashion and (often bizarre) theatrics gives the impression that they’re trying too hard. i hate to say it, but goldfrapp does it better.
on a positive note, i do quite like “industry.” if the modern can deliver more in that vein, they might win me over. their full-length album, love in the modern world, will be released in the u.k. in may.
i came across this dirty little secret over at found, which i think is one of the most amusing sites on the web. there are several priceless finds over there, but this one in particular made me smile.the tranny-in-training who wrote this little note declined to comment on the more pressing matter: granny panties or thong?
a friend of mine passed along a special treat today: a sampling of pink’s new album, i’m not dead. i was already super excited about this record, and after hearing it, i must say that i was completely blown away. i dare say it’s even better than pink’s biggest success thus far, m!ssundaztood.
yes, “stupid girls” is fantastic… but it’s not the album’s shining star. the track that really moved me was her open letter to our commander-in-chief, “dear mr. president” (which features the indigo girls, by the way). i intentionally refrain from being overly political on here, because the aim of this blog is to be light, fun and entertaining. but damn! pink really hit this one out of the park. “president” is perhaps the most brazen, scathing political statement i’ve heard in ages, and i couldn’t have said it any better.
i’ll let you judge by giving you a sample of my favorite lyrics, starting with the chorus:
“how do you sleep while the rest of us cry / how do you dream when a mother has no chance to say good-bye / how do you walk with your head held high / can you even look me in the eye and tell me why”
“how can you say no child is left behind / we’re not dumb and we’re not blind / they’re all sitting in your cells / while you pave the road to hell”
“what kind of father would take his own daughter’s rights away / and what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay / i can only imagine what the first lady has to say / you’ve come a long way from whiskey and cocaine”
hell yeah, pink! you are my hero.
i think i can speak for most gay men when i say that we love us some black women. it could be their sass, their style, or the way they carry themselves. i’m not too sure… but often the feeling is mutual.
as for me, well, i’ve got a special place in my heart for those who are living large and in charge. my favorite famous big girl would have to be the lovely and talented mo’nique (sorry queen latifah!).
she was the funniest comic in the queens of comedy (if you haven’t seen it, what are you waiting for!?!), and she even managed to bring a bit of spice to network television with her sitcom the parkers. her new flick, phat girlz, opens nationwide april 7, and i think it’s going to be hysterical. even if it’s bad, it’ll be better than b.a.p.s.
i’m not a massive fan of british pop star will young’s music, but i do quite enjoy it when he wears tight trousers. the openly gay pop idol winner continues to flaunt his bulge, as seen here in the latest photo from the video shoot for his new u.k. single, “who am i.” though i prefer his more up-tempo tracks, this ballad is definitely a grower… i can see that mr. young, on the other hand, is a shower.
if you have yet to check out will’s video for “switch it on,” you must (watch it in high or low resolution). the top gun-style parody clip shows much more of will posturing and posing - which of course makes it my favorite.
(photo via popjustice)
i didn’t see larry king’s recent interview with liza minnelli, but i know miss liza was crazy as ever. one thing i didn’t hear until yesterday was that the diva just finished filming a movie called the oh in ohio with my beloved parker posey. it turns out she’s playing a sex therapist (as did fellow fag hag barbra streisand, who i actually liked in meet the fockers).
the truly shocking part (at least i hadn’t heard it)? liza claims that parker is one of her best friends. what the fuck?!?
while this is indeed a surprising turn of events, it sort of makes sense if you think about it. both parker and liza love new york. they’re both very quirky (though perhaps liza is a a bit beyond quirky!). also, they both have a gay following.
hmmm… i am intrigued.
the suits at vh1 made a smart move by including transgender alexis arquette in the newest season of the surreal life. one thing’s for sure, she is definitely a hot mess! i can’t wait to see what sort of trouble she causes in the coming weeks.
what i’m really happy about is the way the show has handled her gender identity issues. even florence henderson refers to alexis as “she,” including her with the other “ladies,” since that is what arquette prefers.
i know vh1 chose alexis for the entertainment value, but i still think it’s a positive thing… even if in episode 1 she offered to to fuck one of her fellow housemates - before she gets it snipped and turned into a vagina. alexis told playboy’s andrea lowell, “i’ve been told that i have a very large penis!” honey, we’ll just take your word for it.