On the Rag, Vol. 892

 

This week's rag 'n' mag roundup features Wyatt Dorion, Pietro Boselli, Tommy Paul, Lorenzo Musetti, Jack Tracy, Mike Maimone and more BELOW.

Remains of the Day (01/21)

KIT212: Olympic gold medalist charged with raping coach's 13-year-old daughter 

Socialite Life: Try to guess if Alexander Skarsgaard isn't really bisexual, as he hinted while promoting a gay movie

The Athletic: Bill Kennedy, Robin Roberts, Jason Collins highlight LGBTQ Sports Hall of Fame inductees

HotSpots: Cozy up with these winter reads for queers

Attitude: LGBTQ authors report falling royalties amid U.S. bans

Wrestle Wednesday: When XL met XS

Instinct: Ricky Martin ex Jwan Yosef reacts to Milan photo with Hudson Williams

HuffPost: Irritable Male Syndrome (IMS) is an actual condition -- and it could explain a lot

Gr8er Days: The enduring beauty of Guy Madison

GCN: Knicks set to host Pride Night at Madison Square Garden Jan. 27

SCMP: Meet Giancarlo Giammetti, longtime partner of the late fashion designer Valentino Garavani

NYT Opinion: Americans are turning against gay people

Decider: "Heated Rivalry" star Francois Arnaud shuts down Andy Cohen’s question about his personal life: “None of your f***ing business”

MetroWeekly: Jason Elliott on his year as Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather

Out: Everything we know (so far) about "Red, White & Royal Blue 2"

Deadline: "Boots" was Netflix’s most-watched recent series to be canceled and did better than shows that were renewed

HotSpots: Antoni Porowski wants you to talk about sex -- and PrEP -- like you talk about food

People: Christopher Reeve's TV newsman son Will Reeve marries Amanda Dubin in Miami wedding

Hot Cat of the Day: Wishing Larry the cat at Downing Street a belated 19th birthday! 

The Caftan Chronicles: Tim Murphy's "Heated" chat with a scholar who wrote a New York Times essay about that gay hockey show

 Final Chapter: You may have read that pioneering gay book publisher Don Weise died unexpectedly last week at just 59. Although his old-school ways left him largely unprepared for the 21st century take on the industry, I'll always be grateful to him for signing me in 2013 to write my memoir, "Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?" My deepest condolences to those who adored him, and there were many. xo 

Even More 'Tubular' Festival Coming This Summer

 

As I've mentioned, I generally hate music festivals. But where was this line-up -- even sans Dave Ball (RIP) -- when I let my guard down for the Totally Tubular Festival last month?! I quickly ran afoul of the male singer from Animotion when I mentioned that these things typically attract the "wrong" nostalgia acts. (No word on how Astrid Plane feels.) But if I'm honest, I just as easily could have cited "headliners" Men Without Hats and A Flock of Seagulls, especially when compared with the Human League, Soft Cell and Alison F**king Moyet. All I can say is I doubt tickets will go for 22 bucks the day before!

Am I his obsession? 

Tennis Tuesday

See if Frenchman Rayan Ricci can quench your thirst BELOW.

Broadway, Booze and a 'Blizzard'

Was a little MIA these past few days because we had my brother Terence in town to celebrate his 61st birthday. 

It was a bit of a whirlwind, including but not limited to:

Two plays: "All Out" at the Nederlander Theatre (sort of "Laugh In" meets "SNL" with a band playing in between sketches) and "The Honey Trap" at the Irish Repertory Theatre (suspenseful and thought-provoking) 

And he wasn't even the honey trap!

Five restaurants (Viand Cafe, Westside diner, Friend of a Farmer, Rosa Mexicano, Elmo) 

Three bars (Dublin House, P.J. Clarke's, Central Park Tavern)

and 

One reunion with our former colleagues from our college jobs answering phones in the Arizona Republic and Phoenix Gazette circulation department. 

Photo highlights below:

Thursday: Toasting the birthday boy on the Upper West Side 

Friday: Catching Simon Rich's latest, which consists of live readings of short stories about "ego, envy, greed, and basically just New Yorkers in general." Simon is the son of my former NYT colleague Frank Rich. 

Saturday: Woke up to a winter wonderland that amazed Harvey

Can't say enough about this one. Bravo to writer Leo McGann and director Matt Torney -- and to actor Harrison Tipping's tits 

Have been friends with these two lovelies since 1986, sisters Mary (far left) and Kristin, who happened to be in town from Arizona and Italy for their uncle's 96th birthday. On weekends we would sometimes arrive to work at the Republic & Gazette's circulation call center having been out partying all night -- still lightly drunk or in the early stages of a hangover -- to field calls from angry subscribers whose papers weren't delivered or even worse: were missing the coupons on Sunday!

Mary and Kenny

Terence

"Circulation, may I help you?" 

Terence left on Sunday and Damian and I even managed to go to the gym despite another snowfall! 

From my Instagram HERE.

'Injustice Anywhere Is a Threat to Justice Everywhere'

Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested 29 times.

Not for crimes, but for conscience -- acts of civil disobedience and the kind of trumped-up charges designed to slow a movement: loitering, minor traffic violations, existing while demanding justice.

It was from an Alabama jail cell, on April 16, 1963, that King wrote his "Letter From Birmingham Jail," laying out a truth that still makes people uncomfortable: that unjust laws deserve to be broken, and that waiting politely for justice often means waiting forever.

King understood that progress doesn’t arrive on schedule, and it certainly doesn’t come from silence.

As he put it, with clarity that still cuts:

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

On MLK Day -- and every day -- it feels less like a quote and more like a warning Americans are needlessly living inside.