A weekly look at what's making news in the free gay rags:
Next is ready for summer with its 2012 swimsuit edition. More photos HERE.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Sunday Girl
Swedish beauty Malin Akerman has been cast to play Debbie Harry in Randall Miller's indie about legendary punk club CBGB. Alan Rickman will play owner Hilly Kristal, and "Harry Potter" star Rupert Grint will co-star as Cheetah Chrome, the guitarist for the Dead Boys. Not sure how I feel about Akerman playing the Blondie singer -- she'll always be Juna Milken from "The Comeback" to me and I have concerns about her ability to Debbie's accent -- but I suppose it's better than Kirsten Dunst. I wonder if they can at least get Debbie doppelganger Michelle Pfeiffer to do a cameo as the older Debbie at Hilly's funeral? Variety has more details HERE.
South of Houston
Strangers have begun leaving flowers outside the SoHo residence of Stanley and Julie Patz -- on the 33rd anniversary of the disappearance of their son and the day that a man was finally charged in little Etan's death. A shocking turn of events.
Make Me Laugh
Jason Zinoman wrote a fun piece for the New York Times about the plethora of comedians writing books these days, a phenomenon he traces back to Tina Fey's "Bossypants." (You know, way back in 2011!) If you're considering reading any of these comedic memoirs -- Joan Rivers, Lizz Winstead, Rachel Dratch, Mindy Kaling and Michael Ian Black all have 'em out -- it's a great way to sample the goods, even if I don't necessarily agree with his assessment on the one(s) I've read. Read HERE.
33 Years Ago Today
Etan Patz went missing on May 25, 1979, which, like today, was a muggy Friday before the Memorial Day weekend. And now 33 years later police have a man in custody for this heinous crime, one that changed childhoods forever. For the sake of Stanley and Julie Patz, I sure hope the man who confessed to murdering their son is telling the truth. I tend to agree with Jim Dwyer that the police should have held off on the publicity, and searched for evidence first. (Cases built on confessions alone tend not to end well.) But if you're anything like me, you're guilty of being completely engrossed in all the coverage going on -- however conflicting and erroneous. This "Crime Scene" graphic is from today's NY Post HERE.
And James Barron's article in the New York Times, Since 1979, a Vigil for the Face on Milk Cartons and the Ages He Would Miss, will move you, marking the events that have passed in the 33 years since the little boy went missing. This photo of Etan's parents in their SoHo loft in 1979, shot as police officials answer phones in the disappearance, reduced me to tears, imaging the fear and anguish they must have been feeling -- and knowing that they still are. A timeline HERE shows all the fits and starts in this case, which drives home why it's so important that this not be another false hope.
Although I noted that kooks do try to insert themselves into high-profile crimes all the time -- the Lindbergh kidnapping and JonBenet Ramsey come to mind -- I guess this is different in the sense that Pedro Hernandez did (at the very least) have the means to commit the crime. While he claims he did not sexually assault Etan -- a claim police are skeptical about -- perhaps it's true he did just simply suddenly feel "the urge to kill," which makes the parallels between this case and the recent abuction and slaying of Leiby Kletzky all the more chilling.
Who'd You Rather: Mark Sanchez or Tim Tebow?
Since I can't be an athlete (bum foot), I choose to be an athletic supporter. And based on these photos from Jets training camp in Florham Park, N.J., there's a lot to cheer about. For the record, I'm on Team Mark -- and not just 'cause his 'stache is back, although it certainly doesn't hurt. (Did you know he grew a Joe Namath "tribute mustache" back in 2010? Totally missed that one.)
You're Gonna Like the Way They Look
In the market for a summer suit? The New York Times has the look for you that is decidedly not Today's Man -- I guarantee it. See HERE.
That '70s Slideshow
With Memorial Day weekend nearly upon us, Curbed has 18 fantastic "Summer in the 1970s in New York City" photos that you do not want to miss HERE. You can almost hear Gerald Ford telling the city to go fuck itself drop dead!
Separated at Birth? David Lee Roth and ...
I may have been a big flamer dating back to the late '70s, but two guys the girls swooned over -- David Lee Roth and Steve Perry -- always escaped me. Hindsight has only made it more confusing. As awful as the on-again, off-again Van Halen frontman looked then, though, it pales in comparison to now. Can't decide of he's more bunghole enthusiast Beavis or grab ass cock enthusiast Roy Horn. Either way, it ain't cute.
Pride (In the Name of Love and Infatuation)
More photos from Long Beach Pride, courtesy of my friend Danny -- aka Frieda Laye, "Chico's Angels" fame!
Page 1 Consider (05/25)
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Pretty in Pink
Those Los Angeles queens have all the fun. First their gay and lesbian center has the coolest fundraiser ever, and now Molly Ringwald has just been named grand marshal of the 2012 Pride parade! (Did you know she has a story about a 6-year-old transgender boy in her forthcoming book, "When It Happens to You: A Novel in Stories"?) Guess I only have myself to blame for not asking Andrew McCarthy to be ours when I had the chance.
Man Confesses to Murder of Etan Patz (Again) (UPDATE)
It's being reported that police are questioning a former SoHo bodega worker who is now claiming he kidnapped, stabbed and strangled Etan Patz, the 6-year-old boy whose disappearance sparked a new era in the hunt for missing children.
According to The New York Post: Sources identified the man as Pedro Hernandez. He was arrested near Camden, NJ, yesterday and taken to New York City for questioning. The man in custody told investigators that he lured the boy with candy, stabbed him, cut up his remains and put them in plastic bags, a law enforcement source told The Post. The suspect lived just a few blocks away from Patz and worked at a neighborhood bodega when the little boy went missing, the source said.
As much as I would like for there to be some answers for the Patz family -- and the nation -- my first reaction is to be highly skeptical of this confession. The intense media coverage last month is just the kind of cat nip to inspire a loon to insert himself into the story. (Remember the freak who confessed to killing JonBenet Ramsey???) And the fact that authorities so far are saying he's provided no information that wasn't already made public -- and that he says he put the body in a box that "went missing" (?????) -- only fuels my skepticism. (That, and the fact that he confessed in 1979 and police dismissed him as a wacko.)
But City Room says the guy has alluded to or confessed to the crime -- without naming names -- over the years, and say he was "very emotional" during the confession. Police are tracking down family members to confirm these alleged confessions, but it remains unclear if authorities have -- or will ever be able to -- independently corroborate Hernandez's version of events. More troubling to me, however, is that there seems to be no motive, so it just doesn't make any sense.
My friend Frank points out this comment on the NYT site:
Paul
Cambridge, Mass.
A tragic case, for which we can only hope that the current investigation will shed light on. It was, however, not the signal event that NYTimes reporters often proclaim it to be. E.g., the "Oakland County Child Killer" (see wikipedia) was responsible for at least 4 abductions and killings from 1976-1977. These cases were heavily reported around the state of Michigan, and around the country. Sadly, there were also other cases in the nation's consciousness before 1979.
Paul
Cambridge, Mass.
A tragic case, for which we can only hope that the current investigation will shed light on. It was, however, not the signal event that NYTimes reporters often proclaim it to be. E.g., the "Oakland County Child Killer" (see wikipedia) was responsible for at least 4 abductions and killings from 1976-1977. These cases were heavily reported around the state of Michigan, and around the country. Sadly, there were also other cases in the nation's consciousness before 1979.
UPDATE:
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told Etan's parents that Pedro Hernandez will be charged in the murder of their son -- completely based on a confession. This has disaster written all over it. The Times disagrees with The Daily Beast's reporting that Hernandez had confessed to the police before. Sounds like a lot of conflicting/erroneous reporting going on. I get it a month before he recants his confession. Stay tuned.
Happy Birthday, Rose!
The birthday girl and hubby get busy.
Sending out a big birthday smooch to Rosanne Cash, a multitalented artist whose work I admire like no other's. It's been an incredible 30-some years. Can't wait to see what's next! With love and admiration, Boswell.
UPDATE: Here's a new song by Rosanne and hubby John Leventhal I just learned about today, written as part of a first-of-its-kind global campaign encouraging travelers to come the United States to find their "Land of Dreams." (Can you imagine, a patriotic Democrat?!!!) Learn more and download the song for free at DiscoverAmerica.com. Queerty notes the inclusion of a gay couple in the video, and has more about the men HERE.
Also, you can revisit Rosanne's living room concert, "Live From Zone C," with this clip of her biggest hit to date:
Photo of the Day
Read about the history of this White House-favorite photo, which has stayed in the West Wing for three years and counting HERE.
'Mansome' Is Just Nuts
Over the weekend, we went to see "Mansome," Morgan Spurlock's documentary about the state of masculinity. Despite a couple of likable subjects -- Movember co-founder Adam Garone, Spurlock himself -- and a fun running conversation with the Bluth brothers (aka Jason Bateman and Will Arnett), the film is a dud. IMDB claims that it was 1 hour and 24 minutes, but it felt more like 30 days, with entirely too much time spent focusing on a competitive beard grower and a Sikh guy who hates himself, and not enough time on other topics ripe for examination (steroids, plastic surgery trends, body dysmorphia, et al.). Still, despite the waste of time and money, I did learn one thing. Apparently when your nut sack gets sweaty and sticks to your legs, it's called "bat wings." And if this is an issue for you, you're in luck: There's a product on the market to combat this called -- what else? -- Fresh Balls. Now that may just have been worth the $13 price of admission.
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