Rise and Shine

Forget about bedroom eyes ... this guy's got bedroom everything.

(Thanks, Nuno!)

Vote for Jake!

Smile! The Academy Awards are only five days away and Oscar ballots are due today.

Gold Wood: Henrik Lundqvist

Henrik Lundqvist the best thing to happen to the New York Rangers since Mike Richter -- and now he's just led his native Sweden to the Olympic Gold. And did I mention that smile? ...

Page 1 Consider (02/28)

Oh, Master P: Say it isn't so ... A day after appearing on the "Dancing With the Stars" finale, Master P headed to court Monday where a judge ordered the hip-hop mogul and his younger brother to stand trial on weapons charges. I had such high hopes for you and Drew. (AP)

Media Racist? The RetroCrush has a nice recap of the low moments of 2005. No. 3 is particularly disturbing, how the news channels covered the disappearance of the missing white teen Natalee Holloway in Aruba around the clock, while Hispanic woman Carmen Sandiego remains missing with no media attention whatsoever. (RetroCrush)

Equality Bites Us in the Arse: London gay bars and clubs will be unable to turn away straight revellers on the basis of their sexuality or gender when the Equality Bill comes into force, according to a leaked Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) memo. “If customers were turned away only because their answers to these questions indicated that they were straight, this could be discrimination,” the memorandum states. OK, then. But don't expect us not to stare when the man-on-woman dancing and makeout sessions get going. (PinkNews)

Fatty Watch: With the growing concern of obesity in young children, recent studies reveal that a significant number of children each year are being diagnosed with a form of diabetes, which normally affects middle-aged adults. / What is this country going to do with a whole generation of 30-year-olds who are medically disabled, can't work, and have no health insurance? (Hillary Rodham Clinton was on to something 10 years ago.) It's stunning that even in a must-walk city like New York the streets are littered with obese kids. I look at them struggling to walk down the street and just think how sad (and disgusting) it really is. (AllHeadline)

Looking for a Mr. Goodbar: Are elementary schools the new singles' bars? / Fifth-Grade Teacher Held on Charges of Sex With Boy, 11 (LA Times)

R.I.P.

As reported earlier this month, something was horribly wrong with my iPod. Everyone kept trying to reassure me that it was probably nothing serious, that it probably just needed to be reset. But a parent knows when something is seriously wrong with his or her child. (It's a feeling in your gut.) Yesterday at the Apple store in SoHo, my worst fears were confirmed. My iPod was pronounced dead on arrival. The cause: SiDS (Sudden iPod Death Syndrome). My little iPod was barely two months old. The nice guy (Patrick) at Apple said that it looked like I "had taken really good care of it," but there was just nothing that could be done.

Apple is sending a special container for the remains so I can ship it to its final resting place. I'll be getting my replacement iPod in the mail within a few weeks, I suppose. But I know deep down it will never be the same. You never forget your first.

My iPod and me in happier times.

Morning Wood: Paul Walker

My (straight) brother Terence says it must be nice to "win the genetic lottery" like Paul Walker did. Indeed. It's certainly nice for us gay brothers to look at, too. It's a shame Paul can't find a decent project. He's currently starring in two films out -- a children's movie and a violent mobster film -- but neither of them was appealing enough to lure me in to see those blue eyes on the big screen. But I could look at this cover photo from TORO, Canada's Magazine for Men, all night long ... (thanks, Lavi!)

Related:

Walker, Ocean Diver

Morning Wood: Paul Walker

Sid 'N' Susie

Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs (of Bangles fame) have transformed into Sid 'N' Susie for a collaboration album of their favorite '60s pop and folk tunes. "Under The Covers Volume 1" will be released via Shout! Factory on April 18 and features the two singers doing their own takes on songs by The Beatles, The Bee Gees, The Who, The Beach Boys as well as other popular and obscure tracks. Covers albums by established artists frequently deliver mixed results, but I've already heard a bunch of tracks off this one and I've gotta say that there are some instant classics here. Susanna's versions of "Different Drum" and "Sunday Morning," plus the duo harmonizing on "Run to Me" are all just delightful. They've certainly picked an impressive collection of songs that seem to suit their styles nicely. Susanna, whose solo work has been sorely overlooked, has recorded a vast amount of material that has never seen proper release. It's really a shame. But I'm glad that this album will be coming out soon -- a long-awaited return from a true pop princess ...

Tracks: "I See The Rain" (The Marmalade) "And Your Bird Can Sing" (The Beatles) "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" (Bob Dylan) "Who Knows Where The Time Goes?" (Fairport Convention) "Cinnamon Girl" (Neil Young And Crazy Horse) "Alone Again Or" (Love) "Warmth Of The Sun" (The Beach Boys) "Different Drum" (The Stone Poneys) "The Kids Are Alright" (The Who) "Sunday Morning" (The Velvet Underground) "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" (Neil Young And Crazy Horse) "Care Of Cell .44" (The Zombies) "Monday Monday" (The Mamas And The Papas) "She May Call You Up Tonight" (The Left Banke) "Run To Me" (The Bee Gees)

Page 1 Consider (02/27)

Winning Ways: Hunky German tennis star Tommy Haas wins his second straight tournament this weekend, in Memphis, beating Robin Soderling of Sweden 6-3, 6-2. (AP)

The Face of Evil: President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has launched a blistering attack on homosexuality in a speech to mark his birthday. Mugabe, who has previously described gay people as worse than"dogs and pigs" used an hour long speech to warn Zimbabweans of the dangers of homosexuality and threatened pro-gay clergy with prison sentences. Has he ever heard of a cake and ice cream? (PinkNews)

Race Swap: Some of the participants on the new FX reality show "Black.White." -- who through the magic of Hollywood assumed a new skin color -- have been quoted as saying that they were "treated differently" in their new personas. Did it ever occur to these people that people were treating them differently because they looked like a bunch of freaks -- not because they were "that other race"? Get a load of the "white" son on the right. I see not a lot has improved in the world of makeup artistry since "Soul Man" ... (NYT)

Olympic Bore: Ciao to the Winter Games ... and not a minute too soon. At least it was a good reason for Ricky Martin to prance around looking hot ... (WP)

Be Warned, J.Lo: New Light Shed on Critic of Fannie (WP)

Father Figure: Pop tart George Michael was arrested for possesion of drugs after the singer was found slumped over the steering wheel of his car. Are they sure he wasn't just giving an undercover passenger head? (Reuters)

Nights on Broadway

My boyfriend is the least spontaneous man I know. If he doesn't have 24 hours' notice about anything I want us to do, forget about it.

So imagine my surprise on Saturday afternoon when Michael proposed -- out of f**king nowhere! -- that we go see a Broadway show -- that night.

A). We don't go to Broadway shows
B). We don't do things spur-of-the-moment
C). B

"Tonight?" I asked -- repeatedly. Surely he was talking about some Saturday in June, maybe for my birthday. "Yeah, tonight. Do you have any interest in seeing 'Barefoot in the Park'?" he asked. "Do I?!" I replied.

"Barefoot in the Park" is one of my favorite films of all time, and I hadn't even heard that it was back on Broadway. Then when he informed me that Amanda Peet, Patrick Wilson, Jill Clayburgh and Tony Roberts were the principal actors, I really couldn't wait. (Can I reiterate that I'm still in shock about this outing more than 24 hours later? If you know anything about the play's Paul Bratter then you know what I've been married to for the past four years -- only Paul's more easy-going!)

And so we went to the Cort Theater to see the first-ever revival of Neil Simon's classic (and first) hit. What an evening: The sets were wonderful! The Isaac Mizrahi costumes were pure '60s heaven! Neil Simon's one-liners still delivered 40 years later! Amanda Peet -- whom I've loved since her days on "Jack & Jill" and who is the most adorable actress in Hollywood -- encompassed Corie's spirit perfectly. Patrick Wilson -- who is a stage favorite also known for his role as the Hot Mormon in "Angels in America" -- brought to Paul the perfect blend of uptight yet still completely lovable. Tony Roberts is a fave since the Woody Allen days and Jill Clayburgh, although miscast as Mrs. Banks, still delivered the biggest laughs.

We loved everything about it -- or so we thought. You see, we're not theater people (the last play we saw was "Taboo" and we loved that, too). So when I got home I had to see what Ben Brantley of the NY Times had to say our evening's entertainment. Oh, dear. After reading this review I'm beginning to think that we didn't have a good time after all ...

Read: Early Simon, Dressed by Mizrahi

Sunday Worship: Tim Daly

I fell for Tim Daly the first time I laid eyes on him in Barry Levinson's classic film "Diner." A decade as the uptight Joe Hackett only made me love him more. These days, my Michael reminds me a lot of Tim, so "Wings" may be long over, but I'm still flying high ...

Off to the Regal Beagle in the Sky

I'm wearing my ascot at half-staff this evening with the passing of the great Don Knotts. He was best-known for his role as Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show," but I was of the era that loved him for his portrayal of Ralph Furley (he was the best thing to ever happen to "Three's Company"). Knotts also starred in dozens of films. I remember loving him in those old "Apple Dumpling Gang" movies, and we never let my little sister, Jennifer, live down the time she claimed to be too scared to go to bed one night after seeing "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken." (It's easy to understand why: Knotts played a typesetter(!) who dreamed of becoming a reporter by spending the night in an alleged haunted house! Talk about spooky!)

Thanks for all of the laughs, Mr. Knotts. Rest in peace.

Don Knotts, TV's Barney Fife, Dies

Spring Has Sprung

Non-roster invitee/dream boat Gabe Kapler (still recovering from an Achilles injury) works out with the Boston Red Sox.

It wouldn't be spring training without making the rookies run around in their undies. (Don't any of these guys wear just a jock?)

Spring Training photo album

(Via London Calling Luv)

Ad Watch

This handsome devil caught my eye.

Colt '92

When I was in my early 20s, I once interviewed for a job in the marketing department of Colt Studios. I sort of applied for the job on a lark and was nervous/titilated when they actually called me. Their offices were up in the Valley, in someplace like Studio City on Ventura Boulevard. I figured it would probably be just like any other office, but the second I walked in I saw the familiar solid red and blue sets that are used in all of the Colt books and calendars. As I was meeting with the marketing guy, all of these brawny gorgeous men were coming and going from the joint. I must have looked like a (starved) kid in a candy store, 'cause I didn't get the job. The guy seemed to think that I wasn't serious and that working for the maker of "adult products" would stigmatize my hitherto mainstream career. He was probably right, but I sure will never forget seeing the guy in the picture above come to life right before my eyes. (UPDATE: In 2011, I learned the model's name was Neal/Neil Kennit.)

Of course, this was pretty tame compared with what happened a few months later when I moved into a roommate situation in a cute West Hollywood bungalow. It was only later that I realized one of my new roomies was Mike Henson ...

Crack Addict: Eric Balfour

Eric Balfour will always be foot-fetishist Gabe Dimas from "Six Feet Under" to me, but his body's sure come a long way since then. (Is it just me, or does he kind of look like sexier version of Screech?) 

Is Mr. Balfour doing porn these days? Have a look at XXX this, but don't do it at work.

Japan's Gold

Japan's Shizuka Arakawa performed a lovely program to Puccini's "Turandot" and took home the gold medal. Now can someone get the girl some Crest White Strips?

Japan's Shizuka Arakawa Wins Gold

Page 1 Consider (02/24)

You've Been Drudged: Matt Drudge's infamous technique brought a gay man to his knees yesterday. That's gotta be a first. (PinkNews)

What a Dick: In a classy move, the Dubai firm offered last night to delay part of its $6.8 billion deal to take over significant operations of six U.S. ports. Meanwhile, our clueless president had the balls to go on national television and say: "The more people learn about the transaction that has been scrutinized and approved by my government, the more they'll be comforted." Herein lies the problem with this president. (WP)

Napster 2: One of the largest eDonkey2000 P2P communities, Razorback2 has been shut down. The network, with more than 3 million users, has been switched off after a Federal Belgian Police raid. Razorback2's servers and a suspected administrator were seen being pushed into paddy-wagons. (After Dawn)

iDon'tGetMac: On Tuesday, security experts announced the discovery of another vulnerability in Apple's Mac OS X operating system. It is the third vulnerability found in less than a week. Security and antivirus firms have issued advisories classifying the flaw as "extremely critical." I work on a Mac and I just don't get it; Macs have to be least intuitive machines I've ever encountered. And I got an iPod for Christmas and it's already broken. What is the appeal? (CIO)

Kids E-mail the Darndest Things: Jennifer Schultens, an associate professor of mathematics at the University of California, Davis, received this e-mail message last September from a student in her calculus course: "Should I buy a binder or a subject notebook? Since I'm a freshman, I'm not sure how to shop for school supplies. Would you let me know your recommendations? Thank you!" To: Professor@University.edu Subject: Why It's All About Me (NYT)

Who Could Have Seen This Coming? Violent Cycle of Revenge Stuns Iraqis (NYT)

Bla, Bla, Bla-ck Sheep?

I saw a story about this on "Nightline," but have found that most people hadn't heard about it. Given my earlier post about the accidental e-mail to the world, I thought it only right to share this. One thing first, though: would you really want to work with someone who can't spell "blah, blah, blah"?

2 e-mailers get testy, and hundreds read every word (Boston Globe)

Once again, a friendly reminder: The next time you're tempted to send a nasty, exasperated, or snippy e-mail, pause, take a deep breath, and think again. Then consider the tale of local lawyers William A. Korman and Dianna L. Abdala.

Korman was miffed that Abdala notified him by e-mail this month that, after tentatively agreeing to work at his law firm, she changed her mind. Her reason: ''The pay you are offering would neither fulfill me nor support the lifestyle I am living."

In his e-mail reply, Korman told Abdala that her decision not to have told him in person ''smacks of immaturity and is quite unprofessional," and noted that in anticipation of her arrival, he had ordered stationery and business cards for her, reformatted a computer, and set up an e-mail account. Nevertheless, he wrote, ''I sincerely wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors."

Her curt retort: ''A real lawyer would have put the contract into writing and not exercised any such reliance until he did so."

His: ''Thank you for the refresher course on contracts. This is not a bar exam question. You need to realize that this is a very small legal community, especially the criminal defense bar. Do you really want to start pissing off more experienced lawyers at this early stage of your career?"

Abdala's final three-word response: ''bla bla bla."

That's when the exchange, confirmed as authentic yesterday by Korman and Abdala, began whipping through cyberspace, landing in e-mail in-boxes around the city and country, and, eventually, across the Atlantic.

In short order, it has become yet another cautionary tale that you should definitely not put in an e-mail anything you wouldn't want the rest of the world to read.

Read the full story here.

Window Shopping

Michael and I saw a huge window-sized version of this photo on Fifth Avenue the other day. I think our jaws dropped simultaneously. A few years ago I would have made the mistake of actually buying the shirt and then wondering why it didn't look this way on me. I'm happy to report that I am now old enough (and wise enough) to know better. Take that, Madison Avenue!

Mercy Reef, Mercy Me

There are a number of rumors floating around regarding the change in casting for the pilot of the new Aquaman series.

First off, I've read that hunky "American Idol" alum Alan Ritchson, who played the role on the WB's "Smallville," was not even considered for the role (apparently the word on the street was nice body, not-so-nice acting abilities). Then the unknown Will Toale was dubbed the new Arthur Curry just last month. When word leaked out yesterday that "Passions" stud Justin Hartley was in and Toale was out, the rumor mill had it that the merger of UPN and the WB had led to some new CW executives entering the picture, and these new execs met Will Toale (who looks way too much like Matt Damon to be Aquaman, in my opinion) and didn't care for his "arrogant attitude."

I've arranged a line-up of the the three Aqua wannabes -- along with the one and only original. So who do you think would be best-equipped to fill those tights?

Retro Sporting Wood: Joe Montana

A nice reader named James sent me these pics of Joe Montana. He said he got a little Abercrombie circa the 1980s vibe off them, especially the last one. I think he's right.

Smalltown Boy

The British press are reporting that a "27-year-old pedophile posed as a teenager in a gay chat room to rape a 14-year-old boy." The man has since been convicted and sentenced to eight years in jail. Although I tend to think of pedophilia as involving children who are prepubescent -- not those who are around the age of consent (a heterosexual marriage between two people of these ages is considered completely normal in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia) -- I'm glad this guy was caught and certainly believe anyone who commits a rape deserves to be punished.

However, after reading what the victim's parents had to say about the ordeal -- they picked the perpetrator up at the train station, took him out for the day, made him a spot of tea, then invited him to stay the night -- is it any wonder this happened?

His 58-year-old father said: "We never suspected Lloyd was an adult. He didn't have stubble or a deep voice. He wore a baseball cap and pretended to be very naive. But we never left them alone and ensured they slept in separate rooms."

The boy's 56-year-old mother added: "We accepted him in our home. I can't believe he had the cheek. [She said "had the cheek!"] This has been a tough lesson. No matter how many precautions you take, pedophiles will find how to worm their way into their victims' lives.”

Good lord. If they'd taken any more precautions they'd have dropped the poor kid off at Gary Glitter's house for a sleepover.

And what kind of news organization wrote this, anyway? They don't even say if the 27-year-old was hot.

Read: Pedophile raped boy he met in gay chatroom (PinkNews)

Read: Tony Blair’s local doctor jailed for possessing gay pedophilia (PinkNews)

Page 1 Consider (02/23)

Hingis Rolls On: Martina Hingis dispatched of former French Open champion Anastasia Myskina, 6-4,6-3, to set up a quarterfinal showdown with Maria Sharapova, whom Hingis crushed recently in Tokyo. It's just beautiful to watch. (AP)

Truly Pathetic: What is up with Donald Trump's ripping on Martha Stewart 24 hours a day over supposed plans for "The Apprentice"? Trumps says Stewart is "so pathetic" to think that they would ever replace him -- "who has the No. 1 show in the country" -- with her. Donald: the only thing really pathetic here is your parsing of words to call "The Apprentice" the No. 1 show ever. No. 1 reality show in a certain demographic during one summer hardly does a No. 1 show make. Ever heard of "CSI"? (Newsweek)

Fat Free Zone: Finally, some good health news for the gay community: Gay men face high bulimia risk (PinkNews)

You've Come a Long Way, Tranny: MSNBC has a nice profile on a transsexual cyclist from Canada who is hoping to compete in the 2008 Olympics. The article also discusses a number of other trans athletes, dating back to a woman named Dora who placed fourth in the high jump of the 1936 Olympic Games -- only to be barred from competition two years later when officials learned she was born Hermann Ratchet. (MSNBC)

Schadenfreude for Breakfast

We've all done it. You immediately get that sick feeling in your stomach the second you hit the Send button. You've accidentally sent an e-mail to the wrong person. A friend of mine in California sent me this play-by-play last night. Suddenly that accidental e-mail I sent to my co-worker (whom I affectionately called) Brown Tooth seems so harmless by comparison (God I love shit like this!):

This drunk mess, Jill, who has her own resellership with her live-in boyfriend Scott for us, sent 4 emails out to her first love -- Dru -- telling him how much she still thinks of him and all about the cute house she lives in by the beach now. She sent it to EVERYONE in her address book!!! She even says she got in a small car accident and "i'm drinking to dull the pain..." then something like, "Well I'd better go before this buzz really kicks-in and I get in trouble." LOLOL THEN- shen she realized what she did, she sent an e-mail around claiming someone hacked her YAHOO account, even though she sent these from her work e-mail!!! She said "Scott is on the phone with Yahoo right now trying to figure out what's going on!" And she claims only PART of what was written was not from her?!! LOLOL she is so screwed! Here's her attempt at a cover-up email:

Subject: Please ignore!!!Hi guys,
Someone broke into my Yahoo! Account and sent all these emails out thatwere NOT from me. at least parts. so, please ignore the email you received earlier and beware of those sneaky jerks!!!Thanks, Jill

Subject: Fwd: FW: Whorebitchsays what?
Taylor and another 5 year old here all weekend driving me crazy. We had fun, but they wore me out. Then, I went to go have lunch with my friend today and some jackass hit my car! I attached pictures…but at least I have an excuse to get a new one! I’m thinking an Audi A6, but at least I still have my truck to use in the meantime. There was more frame damage than anything, but it’ll cost more for me to fix it then to get a new car…plus, I’m been over that car since the second month I had it. Just sucks. So, I’m now having some beers to dull the pain. J It’s workin! ....I’m gonna go drink a few more beers and play darts in the garage…take it from me, never play darts barefoot or in flip flops…it’s a bitch when they get stuck in your foot!Anywho, just thought I’d see what’s shakin. I’m gonna go before my buzz really kicks in and gets me in trouble (or bore the hell outta you with my babble).

Hello love! So, it's been raining here, but you know what that means for me...kick ass surf! So, as I was paddling out in Huntington, I started to think about you. Manny just told me that you were over there and a swarm of emotions came to me...scary shit I tell ya!...I actually startedto cry when I thought about you getting hurt and me never being able to tell you so many things that I've wanted to. We've always been pretty honest with eachother and I have to tell you, while writing my book, I realized how much a part of my life you've been, unintentional or not, and yeah, maybe off and on, but regardless of how long it'd been since I'd seen you, we always just picked right up and I've always known that there is you. You were my first everything, especially love. For me to still think about you all of the time, after all of the bullshit, distance and growth, 16 years later, you still have a piece of my heart.

I would love to try to see you soon. It would be the ultimate test for my willpower, but I miss your mug and would love test it. J I’ll be traveling a lot over the next 3 months, but hopefully we can arrange something for after then? I have some pretty big deals and if I can close them, I will finally be able to take time off to write. It’d be sweet, so it’s taking all of my spare time, but will hopefully pay off. Then I booked a cruise for a “team building trip” for my sales gurus and their families to the Bahamas, then another trip to Jamaica in March. After then, things should be more mellow, so let me know a good time for you…I know you’re probably all over the map too. "That is such a LIE! She makes almost NO money! Unless she's using drug money or something. Her reps ALL got this e-mail! I'll bet they're packing for their trips to Jamaica and the Bahamas with their families!!! they've had like one sale in the past 2 weeks!!! (MY FRIEND SAYS SHE ACTUALLY MAKES NO MONEY AND THERE IS NO SUCH TRIP. I SAID THAT IF I WERE THE OTHER EMPLOYEES, I WOULD SHOW UP TO WORK TOMORROW IN HAWAIIAN SHIRTS WITH MY BAGS PACKED AND SAY TO HER, "WHEN DO WE LEAVE FOR THE CARIBBEAN?")

Subject: My apologies
Hello, Just wanted to give you all an update. Yahoo! is investigating the email fraud, I closed that account and wanted to again apologize for that email. Someone has too much time on their hands and will pay for it. I hope this did not effect you negatively and I apologize if it did. Thank you and Sorry for the inconvenience!

DVR-riffic: 'No Strings'

This month's episode of "No Strings" on The Tennis Channel features dreamboat Robby Ginepri. I've made a big point of saying how little personality he seems to have, but his "real-time performance" before a camera crew reveals he's a lot more fun than his courtside interviews have. For starters, he loves Apple Jacks (that, alone, makes us a perfect couple: we would never fight over what kind of cereal to buy). Secondly, he's an undefeated ping-pong player -- something I'd be happy to change for him. It's really cute how he reacts when this female photog runs him around on the practice court, too. (Oh, and wait till you hear how he pronounces chimichanga.) The show reaches its, uh, climax when some queen photographer decides it would be a good idea for Robby to pose in nothing but a white towel in Robby's racquet club sauna (why is Robby never parading around like this at New York Sports Club?) The Malcontent has just delivered this freshly added photo of the sauna incident -- along with glorious MalcoVision footage -- so now you can see firsthand what all the hoopla was about (woof! woof!)

Afternoon Delight: Justin Chambers

First he caused my -- I mean was the subject of my recent Morning Wood. Now Justin Chambers looks so sexy in these GQ pics that he's caused me to create a special Afternoon Delight posting just so I can share them with you.