Thursday Ad Watch

I honestly can't remember the last time I went to Splash. But I'm sure I never saw him there.

Page 1 Consider (01/30)

Eat Your Heart Out, Judy Blume: Author Brian Sloan's first novel, "A Really Nice Prom Mess," is being released in paperback next month by Simon Pulse with a whole new gayer look. The book is about two boys who go to prom on a secret double date that doesn't stay secret for very long and leads to a heap of trouble involving a bisexual Russian drug dealer, some half-naked go-go boys and most of the D.C. Police force. (Amazon)

Probing Report: The news team over at 365Gay.com reports that civil unions are slow to catch on in the Czech Republic, but come on! Who wants to shack up with all of those Bel Ami boys running around? (Story)

Reading List: In "Bang Crunch," gay Canadian Neil Smith’s debut collection of stories, "average people find themselves in decidedly unusual situations, as the mundane and the fantastic collide. The title story zeroes in on a girl with Fred Hoyle syndrome (an imaginary disease named after Sir Fred Hoyle, the real-life British astronomer who criticized the Big Bang theory), whose age expands and contracts like the universe. The members of a support group for people with benign tumors begin to suspect that their meekness has caused their medical woes. A woman mourning the loss of her husband finds solace in talking to his ashes, entombed in a curling stone." (Amazon)

She Works Hard* for the Money: Forbes names the Top 10 Cash Queens of Music and you guessed it, just like in bed Madonna's right on top. (AP) (*lip-syching and dancing at the same time is hard, right?)

Fresh Prince of Mumbai: Gay Indian Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, who was absolutely adorable on Oprah earlier this when he discussed his "unconsummated marriage" and coming out in a country where homosexuality is still illegal under an archaic 1861 law put in place by British colonists, says he plans to adopt a child so that he will have a royal heir. (Towleroad)

Cover Girl: Kathy Griffin's got Farrah's famous hair and the Advocate photog Mike Ruiz's got the angel's Pearl Drops teeth.

Best Man -- Ever: Did you know Colin Farrell has a 'mo brother? And guess who is standing up in his gay wedding? (PinkNews)

li>Hoosier Daddy, Now? Indiana's Senate has approved a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would limit marriage to opposite-sex couples. There are tears in the hearts of one Wakarusan tonight. (365Gay)

Eye Confess

The past two months I've been having problems seeing out of my right eye. What seemed to be a bad case of pink eye (singular) in early December eventually led me to make a desperate visit to a random optometrist on New Year's Eve searching for relief. He -- who like myself is not a medical doctor -- agreed that it was conjunctivitis and gave me some anti-inflammatory (steroid) drops to calm the eye down. Nearly a month later and with my eye still not better (hey, I really can do this blog with one eye closed!) I finally saw an ophthalmologist yesterday afternoon and the news was very alarming. Although she could not make a definitive diagnosis because the drops I've been using are masking the underlying problem, there is an infection in my cornea that in a best-case scenario is of a bacterial nature, and in a worst-case (which she feels is more likely) a viral one. Although I just met the woman, she seemed to me to be very alarmed by what she saw and said so in as many words. As a precaution she is having me use drops to treat either type of infection (she assured me there is no risk of injury by using drops for something I potentially do not even have) until she can have a new look post-steroids on Monday. The treatment requires one drop three times a day for the one -- and one drop every three hours for the other (you are allowed eight hours off for sleep, however). Depending on how things go she did tell me there was the potential for vision loss (apparently your cornea is kind of important for seeing) and I made the mistake of looking the topic up on the Internet and saw nothing but horror stories of how the viral-infection drugs are not very effective -- and the impending cornea transplant I will need (it wasn't a fun night at work). What concerns me the most is that I've actually had problems in my right eye FOR YEARS and kept seeing my regular optometrist who insisted nothing was wrong. He kept giving me allergy drops and about four years ago I had to give up my beloved contact lenses because the right eye had completely rejected them, although no one could ever explain why -- or why in just one eye. I'm scared that I've let some god-awful virus eat away at my cornea for years, which makes me so angry at myself because I'm the first person to remind people that optometrists are not real doctors. (Are eye patches in style?)

The upside of it all is my eye is already working a lot better and I feel good knowing that I'm finally -- after two months of my eye working on and off, being blurry then not blurry, using drops and then not using them -- doing something about the problem. Eye'll keep you posted. (OK, even with one working eye I know that was bad, but come on!)

FOOTNOTE: Larry was diagnosed with "eye herpes" earlier this month (too?) but the vet insists there's no way he could have passed it on to me. Mmm.

Potent Quotables

"Government governs best when it governs least -- and stays out of the impossible task of legislating morality. But legislating someone's version of morality is exactly what we do by perpetuating discrimination against gays.

"When you get down to it, no American able to serve should be allowed, much less given an excuse, not to serve his or her country. We need all our talent." -- Former Republican Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona on the ban on gays in the military.

(Thanks, Marc!)

Scarecrow and Ms. King

Your caption here

Music News: 1986

It's been a long time since I knew what was going on in the world of popular music ...

What were your top albums of 1986?

R.E.M.'s "Lifes Rich Pageant" tour makes a stop in Mesa, Ariz.

A review of the B-52's last album recorded before the death of Ricky Wilson

As seen in the Mesa Legend. I miss you, Lynn Milner! 

The Brady Bunch

Or is it a bunch of Bradys? In preparation for this weekend's Super Bowl vs. the Giants, the Boston Globe is having a Patriots lookalike photo contest. There are dozens of lookalike pics of all different players, but here a few from the Tom Brady section that I thought you'd enjoy ...

EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING

I'M FEELING IT ...

I SEE IT, BUT AM NOT FEELING IT ...

GIVE IT TIME, BOYS ...

SERIOUSLY MISGUIDED ...

WE HAVE A WINNER ...

MEANTIME ...
The real Tom Brady was fending off an indecent proposal from a reporter from Mexico City.

Rosie Intervenes ...

Wow. It's so cool to see my brother Bill, my friend Mark and I aren't the only ones completely obsessed with A&E's brilliant "Intervention." (Obsessed!) In this vlog post, Rosie O'Donnell reaches out to this week's subject, Tressa, who grew up gay in northeastern Nebraska with a "very Christian" family that does nothing but judge her and make her feel worthless when they're not commiting adultery or other sins on their own.

It was a harrowing story, watching this world-class athlete go from being on the verge of competing in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney (shot put) to becoming a crystal meth addict, injecting it into her arm every chance she gets. Rosie was obviously moved (she says her Kelli's upbringing was very similar) and ended up offering Tressa and "three friends" a free R Family Vacation so she can see what it's like to be around people who accept you for who you are. Great stuff from a great woman.

Click to play

Melbourne Days, Melbourne Nights

They sure don't make 'em like this anymore, so how fitting that former Australian tennis champ Patrick Rafter would be immortalized with a bronze statue of himself during his world-class pontytail days. The unveiling occured at a ceremony at Rod Laver Arena during last week's Australian Open in Melbourne.

In addition to being honored, Pat and his wife, Lara Feltham, caught the women's final between Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic ...
And later, the ridiculously good-looking duo attended the Australian Open Ball. (Novak who?)

Napoleon Complex

Regular readers know that I'm a real sucker for a trip down Memory Lane. I don't consider myself the type to live in the past, but I really embrace every chapter of my life and find great comfort (and joy) in having friendships that have lasted for decades. The Internet has only fueled my obsession with nostalgia, with everything from access to photos of old toys, old commercials, old cereal boxes and most importantly, old friends.

No sooner had I gotten through last night's hunt for old friends did my friend Mark (you know, whom I met in sixth grade camp) told me about a great new site for stalking searching for people called Pipl. (This thing searches EVERYTHING -- including all the social networking sites.) Putting the questionable spelling aside, I immediately looked for my old TA Donna Rutkowski but alas came up empty handed. With J-school on the brain, however, I then typed in the name of one of my favorite classmates from back in the day -- Landon J. Napoleon (do you love it?) -- and voila, I got a match! Although I'm guessing he would remember me too, he probably doesn't know how important his friendship was to me for that semester (Spring 1988) we had Reporting (JRN 301) together. I had just come out to a few people and was adjusting to my crazy new part-time homo life, which included lots of new gay friends and partying till all hours of the night. Landon was a few years older and had this very calming, outdoorsy Colorado free spirit way about him. He was a lot of fun but knew when to take things seriously, and that's just what I needed at that point in my life. I remember hitting it off with him immediately (he must have laughed at my jokes) and eventually when we were assigned to write an article as a team, Landon and I, along with the older married re-entry student (Janice Klinefelter) went to work. Although I had a little bit of a crush on Landon, it was really the way a smart, handsome straight guy accepted me for who I was that made me like being around him so much. Sure, my new gay friends welcomed me, but somehow Landon's acceptance meant more. Landon, Janice and I worked really well as a team and our piece about local sperm banks earned us the only A in the class (Dr. Sharon Bramlett-Solomon didn't believe in A's, but even she had to admit it was pretty good). Since I was on staff at ASU's school paper, the State Press, I submitted it to my editor and they ended up running it complete with fun illustration.

My fondest memory of that period was when a bunch of us went out to the Warehouse Deli on University Drive for a "victory" celebration when the whole thing was over and done, and we ended up spending the entire afternoon playing chandeliers. We all got pretty hammered (I can still remember hugging the toilet at one point and Landon coming in to make sure I was all right) and I'm pretty sure Landon and Janice started making out at some point and I was pretty crushed (why wasn't it me -- and where was her husband, "the attorney," anyway?). But all in all JRN 301 was probably the funnest class I ever had during my four years of college.

So needless to say -- jumping ahead 20 years -- I was thrilled when Landon's personal site came up last night -- and I was even more thrilled to discover that he's become every bit the success I imagined he would. His first novel, "ZigZag," based on his experiences as a Big Brother to an abused, mentally handicapped child, came out in 1999 and sounds fantastic. His second book, "The Spirit Warrior's Handbook: A Practical Guide to Finding True Freedom" -- which sounds exactly like the kind of book I'd imagine him writing -- followed in 2005. And a third one ("The Rules of Action") is in the works.

Even more glamorous, "ZigZag" was made into a film in 2002 starring John Leguizamo, Wesley Snipes, Oliver Platt, Natasha Lyonne (love her!!!) and Luke Goss. (It's available on DVD here.) Landon's photos from the set are pretty great, and I have to say all of this success couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

Page 1 Consider (01/29)

Crowning Achievement: When I read that the new Miss America was from Michigan and had an eating disorder I had to stop for a second and think, Did I win? (AP)

Thx 4 Nothing: If you can't advertise for a hit man to kill your married lover's wife on Craigslist then where can you? (AP)

Gay for Pay: Be sure to check out Perry and Casey's homoerotic photo shoot from Bravo's latest reality offering, "Make Me a Superhomo Supermodel." (OutZoneTV)

Game Boy: A gimpy Tom Brady arrives in Phoenix for Sunday's big game. (NYDN)

Double Standard in the (313): It wouldn't be the mayor's office of Detroit without corruption, but why is the married city leader's lover resigning for doing the exact same thing he did? (NYT)

Da Lovely: How cool that a gay man is now the top dog over at The Arizona Republic, which happens to be where I began my journalism career back in the 1980s. With his promotion, Editor and Publisher says Randy Lovely has become the only openly gay editor of a major U.S. newspaper. When I e-mailed an old co-worker of mine about the cool news she replied, "Oh I heard it's all nellies and fat chicks there nowadays..." (Add trailblazer to my Special Skills, thank you very much.) (E&P)

Snap in (A)Z Formation: Why did I ever leave Arizona? First Tom Brady shows up needing a little TLC. Then they name an openly gay editor to run The Arizona Republic. Now the state's Democratic governor, Janet Napolitano, has told President Bush where to put his $1 million for "abstinence-only sex education," tell the Texas fraud that the programs "just don't work." (Snap!) (365Gay)

The Devil's Lezzie: As if Mitt Romney weren't unlikable enough, now Lynn Cheney is working for him. (AP)

'Hitchcocked'

 This short film was written and directed by David M. Young and stars Yuval David and David Grant Beck. It's somewhat disturbing, but Yuval is kinda hot in a Matt Lattanzi kind of way so it's worth watching for that reason alone. Check out the trailer, above.

 

The Brothers Djokovic

I'm not sure why, but I really love this photo of Novak Djokovic and his two brothers ...

Have You Seen This Woman? (Donna Rutkowski)

I'd been thinking about my former teaching assistant turned friend Donna Rutkowski lately when I got an e-mail last night from a girl woman I had interned with on Capitol Hill back in 1989 who told me she'd come across my blog by searching "Sears Intern Program." In that post about my semester interning for Rep. Major Owens I made a point of noting that half the reason I was writing it was in hopes of other interns would Google their way here and we could start a little online reunion. With the success of hearing from Joy Jones (if you're reading, Joy, I will write you back this week!) I was inspired me to try to use a similar ploy to find Donna, who ironically I last saw in person the day before I left for that DC internship back in January 1989. We stayed in touch for a number of years by phone -- the photo is one she mailed me back in 1992 -- but she moved back to the Chicago area (Naperville, when last I heard), and eventually we lost touch. Any of my Chicago readers know where I can find my girl? I'd love to hear how she's doing. She could always make me laugh.

Separated at Birth?

I mean this as no offense to any of the Muppets, but doesn't "Rock of Love 2" whore Daisy DeLaHoya bear a striking resemblance to Janice of the Electric Mayhem? If I were Bret Michaels, I'd pick Janice any day. She plays guitar and she doesn't have Hep C. (Thanks, Jerry!)

Red Carpet Man Watch

Well, the writers' union has managed to ruin every other awards show. So "kudos" to them for giving all the big stars the green light to attend SAG's own show, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, turning the usually low-key event into A Night of a Thousand Stars. Here are a few who caught my eye for one reason or another:

Get Scruffy: Brad Pitt's working his natural hair color with a grey van dyke while Ryan Gosling shoot for the full-on Paul Bunyan, 20something style ...

Country Men: Javier Bardem, who even without his Emo Phillips 'do does nothing for me (sorry, rest of the world!) and sexy Josh Brolin clean up their acts for the night ...

Stiffs: Michael C. Hall looks a little too Dexter-y in the eyes here; Zac Efron couldn't attend the awards because of his appendix emergency but was kind enough to send this wax statue of himself so his fans wouldn't be too disappointed ...

(WireImage)