Juicy

'Desperate' But Not Serious

No surprise here that the West End musical version of "Desperately Seeking Susan," set to Blondie's back catalog and based on the 1985 movie of the same name, will close on Dec. 15, just one month after the show's opening night at the Novello Theatre. Just one look at the lead actresses in "character" and you knew this was coming.

In the play's defense, however, it did last longer than Debbie Harry's one and only Broadway show. "Teaneck Tanzi : The Venus Flytrap," which co-starred the least funny person of all time, Andy Kaufman. The 10-round "wrestling match" opened with the matinee and closed after the evening performance back on April 20, 1983, at the Nederlander Theater. If any of you happened to see this (there were also 13 previews that Deb swears were great -- "it was really hysterical. I’m telling you, it was really funny" -- I'd love to hear from you. (Playbill)

Ringmasters: Debbie Harry is still rasseling the world of entertainment, but her "Teaneck Tanzi" costars, Andy Kaufman and Caitlin Clarke, have both retired to the wrestling ring in the sky. Kaufman died of lung cancer the year after the play in 1984 and Clarke succumbed to ovarian cancer 20 years later, in 2004.

Afternoon Headlights (11/30)

Come Hill or High Water: A tense standoff at a presidential campaign office of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in Rochester, N.H., ended shortly after 6 p.m. this evening when a man later identified as Leeland Eisenberg was taken into police custody after holding at least four people hostage. There were no apparent injuries. The standoff, which had lasted more than five hours, .began when Eisenberg threatened to detonate what he said was a bomb he had strapped to his chest, demanded to speak to Clinton and held young staff members and volunteers captive. They were released one by one over the afternoon. There's no question Eisenberg suffers from mental health problems because he was calling CNN’s Situation Room throughout the afternoon. (NYT)

Didn't Ask, Didn't Tell: In rebroadcasts of the Nov. 28 CNN/YouTube debate for Republican presidential candidates, CNN expunged, without disclosure, a segment in which retired Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr asked the candidates to address "why you think that American men and women in uniform are not professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians." Kerr is a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Americans for Hillary Clinton steering committee and a co-chairman of Clinton's Veterans and Military Retirees for Hillary Committee. In rebroadcasts of the debate at midnight ET and 3 a.m. ET on Nov. 29, CNN omitted the Kerr question, as well as the candidates' answers to his question. If it was wrong of CNN to clearly identify who Kerr was the first time around is it any less wrong to just omit the whole thing and pretend like it never happened now? (MediaMatters)

Redskin Arrest: The Miami-Dade Police Department arrested four people yesterday -- including three teenagers -- in connection with the murder of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor. Police have recently been calling the shooting a "random act" but inside sources are saying what I've believed all along: he was targeted because of who he was. (NYT)

Graveyard: If working the late shift causes cancer then I'm a goner. (AP)

Jumped the Shark: Evel Knievel, the red-white-and-blue-spangled motorcycle daredevil whose jumps over crazy obstacles including Greyhound buses, live sharks and Idaho's Snake River Canyon made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69. He had just settled a federal lawsuit earlier this week over the use of his trademarked image in a popular Kanyse West music video. (AP)

Broadway Jake: Jake Gyllenhaal will play Joe Namath in the football star's biopic. He's certainly got the legs for it. (ESPN)

I See London, I See France

I see Jake Gyllenhaal's (CK) underpants. (Via EthanSays)

Making Donny Osmond's Dreams Come True

Fuck Marie and her creepy doll collection. Donny was always the hot one.

Models, Inc.

It seems I'm not the only one who celebrated a milestone birthday this year. Wilhelmina Models hit the big 4-0, and it was a beautiful people only crowd at the big event, yesterday at the Angel Orensanz Foundation in New York:

Mr. Halle Berry himself, Gabriel Aubrey, was the evening's No. 1 hunk. Below, the company's president, Sean Patterson, is flanked by Mark Vanderloo -- who isn't quite the dreamboat he used to be (sorry, Mark) -- and Aubrey

Fergie and Justin Chambers, below

Justin and his cute wife and mother of their FIVE children, Keisha; Aubrey, and the always-delicious LL Cool J with legendary model Beverly Johnson

(WireImage)

NASCAR Dad in Training?

Here's cutie Nick Lachey hanging out with NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson. It sure was a lot hotter when Nick was dating hanging out with Matt Leinart. (I don't like where this is going.)

Excuses, Excuses

Sorry for the lack of blog posts today. It was a "good news/bad news" combo that knocked me out of commission late last night. The good news was it looks like I sold another one of my essays and I was busy doing edits on it for this publication's January issue. (I'm completely thrilled!) The bad news was my cable went out as I was finishing up the rewrites, so when I went to start blogging I couldn't connect to the Web. I just got woken up (this is early for me -- I work nights!) by a repairman who was here to fix my intercom, but I'm thinking of jumping back in bed for a while (Larry needs a nap!). More later ...

Morning Stiffler: Seann William Scott

This man's facial hair could be the death of me. Woof!

'All I Want' by Whore's Mascara

"All I want is a cute blond boy who snorts cocaine and likes Madonna!"

The only way this (212)-centric video by Whore's Mascara could be more fun for me is if I were in it. Learn more on the band's MySpace here.

Pushing the (Red) Envelope?

Didn't have this one in time for today's Ad Watch, but a kind reader noticed this adorable (and oh-so-progressive) ad in the holiday catalog from Red Envelope. I'm not very familiar with this outfit, but I think this is a commendable move by them and I will definitely be checking them out as I begin my Christmas shopping in the weeks ahead!

UPDATE: See what a couple of real gay dads think of the ad here.

Built for Speed: Milo Ventimiglia

I'm not very familiar with Milo Ventimiglia (he's cute, but someone told me he has a speech impediment, which is not), but here he is looking handsome at the Nissan Live Sets on Yahoo! Music Anniversary Celebration at FOX Studios Lot in Century City, California. (WireImage)

Page 1 Consider (11/29)

Good Tidings: My 10th Christmas season living in New York City and I missed the lighting of the tree in Rockefeller Center again. I sure didn't miss stopping by as a tourist in 1985 ... (NYT)

No Cruise Control: Citizens of Washington state are outraged that taxpayers paid for the trip that former Rep. Richard Curtis took to Spokane where he became embroiled in a gay sex scandal. I'm so sure. Who else should be paying for these "family values" getaways? (365Gay)

I Feel the Earth Move: How magical (pardon my Drew Barrymore) would it be to see old friends James Taylor and Carole King together on one stage? (AP)

Head Scratching: You just read the lede and wonder, is this really going on in America? "Two conservative Christian groups have asked a federal judge to overturn a California law prohibiting discrimination against gays and transgendered students." (365Gay)

Nobody Else: How big of an '80s reject are you? Do you remember Levi's model turned Madonna protege Nick Kamen? My friends Mark and Matt sure do!

Snappity Snap! I didn't watch the GOP "debate" last night, but it was on in the newsroom and the one thing someone pointed out to me is that one of the questions posed (via YouTube) to the all anti-gays-in-the-military candidates was: "Why do you think U.S. troops aren't professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians?" (God, I love this man!) (365Gay)

Benedict Canyon: "Hills" villainess Heidi Montag tells Blender magazine that she plans to win an Oscar. Good luck with that -- although I will admit she is by far the best part of the faux-reality show. (Blender)

Killer Drag Queen: French police have arrested a 68-year old man on suspicion of killing 18 young men, most of them gay, during a 22 year period. The arrest of Nicolas Panard was reported Wednesday by the regional newspaper L'Alsace. Panard is described as gay and a longtime resident of the area near the Swiss border who regularly performed as a drag artist in gay clubs throughout France. (365Gay)

Game Boys

I recognize sexy Joseph Sayers. Anyone know who the brunette is?

Thursday Ad Watch

Hot boys in Levi's 501 jeans ... Black by Pierre Cardin (how retro)

TMZ seems to insert images from its postings into advertisements, like this one for T-Mobile, above ... Brady Quinn hawks EAS Myoplex (I've been drinking these since 2000 and my body has never looked anything like this, below.

A pretty smile for Chanel's Allure, left ... Calvin Klein names his fragrance in text message-ese, right

This week's eye-catching advertisements

Brady Quinn's Shirtless Photo Shoot

'Cause I always have to beat everything into the ground, here's a very fun interview and behind-the-scenes look at this photo layout from Men's Health. In it, we learn that Mr. Notre Dame finds it hard to find pants that fit "such long legs and a small waist" (Polo usually works), he loved vacationing in the Cayman Islands, and "Varsity Blues" and "Rudy" are two of his favorite movies. The best part is when he lets his Midwest roots slip out and calls soda "pop" -- but then quickly catches himself. Very cute! Watch HERE.

Afternoon Delight: David Beckham

David Beckham has been making the rounds in Sydney this week (look for more tomorrow). Here he is looking dapper at the "Foxtel Is Football" party in honor of, well, him. (WireImage)

Brady Quinn's Game Face

I don't know about you, but ever since Brady Quinn went from being a big fish in a collegiate pond to a small fish in the NFL pond, I haven't been seeing enough of his handsome mug (oh, or his hot bod).

Lucky for us the hunky Cleveland Browns backup quarterback is putting his telegenic looks to good use as the spokesman for a new Gillette promotion with Facebook. In the campaign, Brady shows us how he puts his "game face" on -- using Gillette products on his baby face, of course -- and invites his fans to submit photos or videos showing how they get their "game face" on, too. Four lucky winners will get to spend some face-to-face time with the dreamy QB in New York (Chelsea, perhaps?).

Click here for complete rules and to watch other videos of Brady getting all lathered up. (Gillette)

Watch: 

Page 1 Consider (11/28)

Down Low in Iraq: My new pal Michael Luongo has written an article about his recent monthlong adventure checking out gay life in Iraq. The piece looks at men in three different cities -- Erbil and Suleymania in the Kurdish region and in Baghdad and includes interviews with gay and straight American officials at the U.S. Embassy, one of whom also comments on the gay Arabic translator issue for the military. (GayCityNews)

Mother, May I IM With Danger? If a little girl with low self-esteem hadn't wound up dead as a result of a neighbor mother's MySpace hoax on her, this would be the most brilliant and twisted movie plot ever.(NYT)

Closet Raiders: For an old fart, Harrison Ford is looking pretty good back in his old Indiana Jones garb. (AintItCool)

Heaven Sent? Oscar S. Wyatt Jr., the self-made Texas oilman who pleaded guilty in October to violating the rules of the U.N. oil-for-food program, was sentenced Tuesday to a year and a day in prison, but not before a judge heard from Farrah Fawcett (huh?) pleading for leniency on the old man. (NYT)

Hunk a Month: Looking for something to stuff his stocking with this year? How about a 2008 Hot for the Holidays calendar? (OnDisplayMen)

Stonewall Kameny: Tom Brokaw's new book, "Boom! Voices of the Sixties," completely omits the gay-rights movement, and Frank Kameny isn't happy about it. (Advocate)

Basic Ripoff: The Federal Communications Commission lets the cable industry off the hook again, further ensuring the organized crime structure that has been structure since so-called "consumer friendly" deregulation took place in 1984. (NYT)

Battle of the Greats: Pete Sampras beat Roger Federer in straight sets in an exhibition in Macau over the weekend. Sure, Federer won the first two matches on the mini tour, but I'm still a little surprised, even for an exhibition. (AP)

Capital Heights: A new report by District of Columbia health officials paints a bleak picture of Washington's efforts to curb the rising rate of HIV/AIDS, showing that the district has the highest infection rate of any city in the country. (365Gay)

Trainwreck Central: Georgia elected its first openly gay Republican. I'd be happy if the "gay Republican" part didn't still in my craw so hard. (AJC)

LAPD Blue: One of the first officers of the Los Angeles Police Department to come out of the closet testified in court Monday that he hoped taking legal action against the LAPD would help change attitudes there toward gays. (Advocate)

A Wide Stance Production: Don't drop the soap, GI Joe. An online company is selling a Larry Craig "action" doll that speaks, proclaiming in Craig's own words "I am not gay." (365Gay)

Transgression: Two transgender members of the Human Rights Campaign quit Tuesday, saying the group's support of an employment nondiscrimination bill that excluded transgender workers put them "in an untenable position." (AP)

Tom Brady's Straphanger

You know what they say: If you can't be an athlete, be an athletic supporter.

Shirtless Revenge

Ever wonder what would happen if everyone -- not just the cuties who work at the entrance -- walked about Abercrombie & Fitch shirtless? (The best part is when two of them actually get kicked out while trying to buy $45 shirts!)

 

(Via NYmag by way of ImprovEverywhere)

Afternoon Headlights (11/27)

Davis Cup Blog: All week leading up to the Davis Cup final against Russia this weekend, cuties Mike and Bob Bryan will be blogging on ATPtennis.com. (ATP)

The Mole: Baby Gap T loving Anderson Cooper admitted to Ellen Degeneres today that he's addicted to "Hey Paula" and "Tiara Girls." ("Tiara Girls"????) (SoupCans)

Bride and Boom: Talk about your bridezillas. (NYP)

A Lott of Unanswered Questions: So what's up with BigHeadDC and Larry Flynt's supposed scoop on Senator Trent Lott and the gay hooker? Both sides keep claiming to have the smoking -- uh -- gun on the "story," yet we're all sitting here waiting. (Slog)

Thelma and 'Lou': The most hilarious part of this story about two Upper East Side women who robbed apartments during real estate open houses is that everyone thought one of them was a tranny. (NYDN)

Bi-zarre Love Triangle: A married Brooklyn woman fatally slashed the throat of her lesbian lover's husband and then fled barefoot and covered in blood yesterday, law-enforcement sources said. (NYP)

He's Still Hot: The International Tennis Federation has ruled that there is no credible evidence to suggest Tommy Haas was poisoned during Germany's Davis Cup tie versus Russia. (Reuters)

Midwest Meets Mideast: Sad news for all of you hopeless romantics out there: That teenage girl from Michigan who ran away from home for the Middle East to be with her Palestinian "boyfriend" she'd met on MySpace has ended their relationship. Naturally she did it on "Dr. Phil" via satellite. (AP)

Firm-ing Up: This Co-Worker Diet craze is really catching on. Anyone (besides Seimond and Alisa) tried it? (NYP)

Duct Tape and Vasoline: You mean pepper spray infused makeup isn't one of those beauty pageant tricks of the trade? (AP)

RIP: Quiet Riot frontman Kevin Dubrow -- who was as famous for having more hair at 52 than he did at 22 as he was for his band's music -- died mysteriously yesterday in Las Vegas. Autopsy results are pending. (AP)