¡viva la graham!

here’s another gem from found. this valentine greeting is a little bit sad, actually. poor chloe has it bad for alison, but instead of revealing her true feelings she chooses to emphasize the innocence of their friendship. i know girls send each other valentines, but i’m sure the truly platonic ones aren’t so self-conscious. i hope chloe has come to terms with things since then.

this week’s featured video is a bit more conceptual than last week’s - and a little more soul than rock ‘n roll. “crazy,” as performed by gnarls barkley, has topped the charts in britain for several weeks now. if americans have any sense of good taste (they often do not!), they’ll also embrace this amazing piece of pop music. in my humble opinion, the song is brilliant and the mesmerising promo clip is the perfect visual complement.

chances are you know his face. his name is ryan devlin, and he hosts mtv’s version of entertainment tonight. also, i’m quite certain he likes boys.

beyond that, i can’t decide whether or not i like him (whether or not he’s good in bed is quite another issue). for one, i get the feeling from his hair that he wants to be the next ryan seacrest. one is definitely enough, thank you. secondly, he is just ambiguous enough in his sexuality to come off as metrosexual (even if that trend is so two years ago), but at the same time i could totally see him as an extra on queer as folk. and for some reason that frustrates me.

so which is it, ryan? i know you have hordes of female admirers fawning over you on myspace (but the pre-teens loved chad allen and danny pintauro, too!). i know it’s not time in your career to let on just yet, but something tells me you like to take it doggy style. prove me wrong, i dare ya.

ira elliot, nada surf’s drummer, definitely looks a bit brainy. doesn’t he? i’ve always had a thing for skinny white guys with black-rimmed glasses. well, not all of them… but i think you catch my drift. due to the apparent nerdiness of mr. elliot, i’m gonna say he’s this week’s hot rocker. and yeah, the drummer part totally helps!

i happened to catch the video for their single “always love” the other night, and i found myself singing it later after only one listen. i was a fan of the band when they first came out, but i lost track of them until now (remember their debut single, “popular”? you will when you watch the video!).

come to think of it, i’ve always thought lead singer matthew caws was kinda hot, too, in that same sort of way. bonus.

why didn’t i see this coming? top chef, the latest hit cooking competition reality show, featured a gay wedding last night. for a moment, i was suprised, as it was handled without a hint of controversy. then i remembered the show takes place in san fransisco and it airs on bravo, which is consistently the gayest network on basic cable (i don’t get here! or logo, boo hiss!).

the fact that the cooks were going to cater a gay wedding reception was not mentioned in the episode’s preview, which i felt was a clever marketing trick (let’s shock middle america!). also, i thought it was especially funny that they chose a couple who both have the same name! scott and scott were a very cute pair, and i thought it was lovely that the network didn’t shy away from airing part of the actual ceremony. it was lovely!

thank you, bravo. i was already a fan of top chef (and a few others). last night, with your show of respect, i am officially a fan of the network. i’ll definitely keep tuning in.

so i’m up at 3 in the morning, watching music television, and i have a brilliant idea - why not have a video of the week? there are so many out there that are worthy of attention. yes, it will be difficult to pick out which one i should pass on to you every seven days… but it will also be a lot of fun for all of us.

that said, here is my inaugural clip, “song with a mission.” i’ve written about the sounds before - well, at least their hot guitarist, felix - and i’m sure you’ll agree that lead singer maja ivarsson is just as smokin! check it out, boys and girls. you can thank me later.

as george w. bush’s approval rating continues to plummet, more and more musicians seem to be venting about the fool in the white house.

this week, red hot chili peppers bassist flea joined the fray with a post on the band’s official site. his concerns echo those of many others (”george w bush should definitely be impeached. he is a liar and his lies have [brought] misery to millions of people”), and i respect him for that. but this is all getting to be a bit much for me.

is everyone with an album coming out going to take a shot at the country’s easiest target? i think it is right to take a stand, but even if these artists have their hearts in the right place, it’s so easy for it to come off as publicity-driven. and you know most of the fat cat agents and record company executives (who likely voted for bush) are hoping it works - and that the resulting success allows them to afford that fifth bentley.

sadly, by me writing this i may be aiding their cause. but i digress…. because the new chili peppers video is actually really entertaining. the song is so-so for me (i’ve always been sort of indifferent to them), but it’s fun to see if you can name how many other bands the guys send up.

was it really bo bice that swung at a former nfl player last weekend? we may never know for sure, but page six says that it was.

according to their story, the footballer, glenn parker, approached the alleged american idol runner-up and asked if it was really him. he denied it, visibly upset, saying his name was kevin. a little bit later, “kevin” attacked parker when he apologized for the interruption.

all i am saying is, what if it was just some guy that looked a lot like bo bice? if there’s a paris clone out there, anything is possible. bice is pretty average looking; i’m sure there are guys out there that look a lot like him. and if i were “kevin,” i’d probably be pretty sick of people asking me if i were him! if it kept happening, it wouldn’t be long before i reached my breaking point.

poor kevin. it could be worse… you could look like clay aiken!

those of you who know me personally know how much i love gwen stefani and her band, no doubt. that said, i can’t believe it has taken me this long to sing the praises of the group’s drummer, adrian young - this week’s (long overdue) hot rocker.

his penchant for exhibitionism is a big turn-on, but i also like it when he wears a bit of black eyeliner. it’s theatrical, but somehow still totally masculine and very rock ‘n roll.

i was front and center for a no doubt concert a few years back, and i was rockin’ the eyeliner myself. at the end of the show, as they were taking their bows, adrian handed me one of his drumsticks (not the one i really wanted, mind you, but i was still super-excited)! to this day i maintain that this was due in part to our shared affinity for a little eye make-up.

according to the band’s web site, they’re back in the studio. the next no doubt album is definitely in the earliest stage of production, as the band hasn’t played together for a few years (plus gwen had that little side project thing!)… but for now they’re just writing and “jamming” and seeing what happens. i’m hoping for the best!

if you’re not a pop culture junkie, you might not know chelsea handler. the wickedly funny comedienne-writer- actress made a name for herself with hidden camera show girls behaving badly and her scandalous memoir, my horizontal life.

well, things are taking off for miss handler - she just scored her own show. yes, it’s on e! but i’m still looking forward to it.

one of the promos for its debut is especially promising. in it, chelsea is eating dinner with bono. she proceeds to remark on his status as one of the world’s biggest rock stars - and that he could probably have any woman he wanted, but he married his high school sweetheart. then she unleashes the punchline: “are you retarded?”

spoken like a true mega-slut. gotta love it! the chelsea handler show premieres this friday.

update: just saw the show… and it wasn’t really bono (it was an impersonator). regardless, all of it was really funny. case in point: when chelsea talked about having her own show, she said all she needed was two accessories - a little dog and a gay best friend. i told you this bitch knew what was up! if i can find the sketch about her finding that gay friend, i’ll definitely post it here. stay tuned.

also, i found a clip of her from the tonight show in which she interviews people waiting to see the last star wars flick. watch it! you will laugh out loud, i promise.