¡viva la graham!

my co-workers know how much dakota fanning frightens me, so one of them posted this photo on my locker with a harrowing note:

“dear graham, we love you. and we are multiplying just for you. we watch you every night in your sleep.”

yikes! let’s hope dakota’s little sis, elle, doesn’t go into acting, cos i really don’t think i could handle that shit.

i’m not sure why, but all-american rejects frontman tyson ritter has promised fans that the band will strip down if they make it to number one on trl. he declined to say whether or not they would circle jerk or just shake their dicks around helicopter style. for some reason i thought these guys had higher aspirations.

nevertheless, i can’t say i wouldn’t like to see them succeed. for some reason i’m convinced that tyler is packing. i guess we’ll have to wait and see whether or not my hunch is correct…

i’ve been meaning to post about tina fey’s new sitcom, 30 rock, but somehow it slipped through the cracks. if you have yet to see it, you need to smack yourself… because it is hysterical!

last week’s episode involved alec baldwin’s character setting liz lemon (tina fey) up on a blind date. the punchline? it turns out he thought liz was a lesbian. when the gal asks liz if anyone had ever made the mistake before, a fantastic flashback gives us the answer, as a butch gym teacher advises a gawky, teenage liz: “lemon, don’t let these girls give you a hard time about who you are.”

haha!! i knew tina fey was going to hit another one out of the park. yes, i’m still sad that rachel dratch isn’t a major player, but the superior end product has almost erased that fact from my memory.

don’t take my word for it, though. you can check out the blind date episode over at youtube (parts 1 - 2 - 3).

glitter is one of my all-time favorite bad movies. we all know that mimi (that’s her in the background) has rebounded from that glorious mess, but no one seems to recall the other players that have since gone on to notable success.

terrence howard, who played a shady record producer, went on to score an oscar nod for his role in hustle & flow. the latest glitter star to make good is padma lakshmi, the d-lister who currently hosts bravo’s top chef. despite her questionable qualifications for judging food, kudos to her for overcoming the curse of mariah. i assume “has-been” da brat will never enjoy a similar fate.

talk about frightening! here’s my favorite annoying child actor, dakota fanning, dressed up like snow white for halloween. the bitch should have gone as the wicked witch! i’m still waiting for her to bust it out drew barrymore style… even if bungalow 8 is a poor substitute for studio 54. dakota, what you waiting for?

she actually looks kinda hot with black hair, like christina aguilera in the “fighter” video. and that’s really the only nice thing i have to say about her.

it seems like every “gay” novel includes an obligatory coming out story. while michael holloway perronne’s novel, a time before me, is no exception, thankfully it doesn’t form the crux of the tale. yes, it is about growing up and figuring things out, but it’s also about relationships that develop and/or evolve as that happens.

the book follows the trials of mason hamilton, a naive, small town mississippi boy who loves madonna almost as much as he loves his best friend, billy. one drunken night, after plenty of build up, billy finally pounces on mason (this is pg-rated, mind you, so it’s strictly on-top-of-the-clothes stuff!). afterwards they both repeatedly drop hints about the incident, but neither are brave enough to drop the facade.

after billy pulls the big gay cliche by running off to new york, the book meanders through moderately engaging plots concerning mason’s family - none of whom really understand him. things liven up sporadically, like when mason’s sexually adventurous new friend (one of my favorite characters, daniel) introduces him to a backwood gay bar; and when he ends up in new orleans working for his aunt savannah at a popular drag bar in the french quarter.
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i had heard the buzz on u.k. band the feeling, but it wasn’t until today that i actually gave them a listen. my interest was piqued after lead singer dan gillespie sells spoke openly about his homosexuality in the latest issue of attitude (apparently he’s talked to the press about it before, but it was news to me). it’s unfortunate, but in such a crowded scene, sometimes even the most deserving acts slip through the cracks. and it’s a shame, cos i was missing out!

i’m not just saying this because i now know that dan’s on my team. i swear! what i’ve heard so far by the feeling is probably the best i’ve heard from any melodic rock band all year. unlike more flamboyant acts (that includes you, my beloved scissor sisters!), the feeling couldn’t really be pigeon-holed as a gay band despite the orientation of their frontman. and i think that’s refreshing.

their newest overseas hit, “love it when you call,” is irresistable, as are several other tracks from their album, twelve stops and home. if you’re a fan of britpop, this could be right up your alley. it’s also very nice that the rock ‘n roll fags like myself have someone cheerful to look up to… because morrissey is far too depressing (yeah, i said it!).

if you live in the u.s. and haven’t yet heard of lily allen, now is the time. the sprightly brit is poised to break big when her smash debut alright, still… comes out stateside in january, and you’ll want to be the first person to tell your friends how brilliant it is.

in britain, they are of course ahead of us lazy yanks. they’re already on her third single, and it’s a lush mid-tempo number called “littlest things.” the video is sort of a throwback to old hollywood black & white films. it’s very well done, and it’s a lovely compliment to a beautiful track. check it out, it’s the video of the week!

oh my goodness, i wasn’t expecting this today! the brand new gwen stefani single, “wind it up,” has turned up on the internet the same day it made its radio debut (get it while it’s hot - and still available, which surely won’t be long).

with its high school sass and marching band beat, the track is very similar to “hollaback girl”… and to be completely honest my first impression isn’t very positive. maybe i was expecting something different, i don’t know. i think it will grow on me, but i can’t see it becoming a favorite. boo hiss! this doesn’t bode well for the rest of her new album, but i’m going to hope for the best regardless.

special thanks to popbytes for the heads up (and for the birthday shout out!).

…is good enough for me.

as i said yesterday, i’ve been meaning to post about butch walker for a while. he’s definitely a hot rockstar, as you can see in the above calvin klein ad from several years back. welcome to the club, mr. walker!

butch has definitely changed as the years have gone by. he’s been in the business as far back as the late ’80s, when he was in a hair metal band (mark slaughter, eat your heart out!). before his current gig as frontman for the let’s-go-out-tonites, he gained fame as the main attraction in goth-rock trio marvelous 3.