Cheering the Home Team

David Beckham shows that when you live in L.A., you've gotta be seen at a Lakers game.

Jackson Whole

And I thought the Advocate wasn't allowed to put gay people on the cover ...

In a revealing interview in the new issue of the Advocate, dreamy Cheyenne Jackson opens up about his childhood cartoon foot fetish, the price of being "out" in Hollywood -- and why it was the right choice for him, his longtime love, Monty, making peace with his religious family and why he doesn't let militant gays bring him down. (Please go out and buy a copy. They've been reduced to printing the magazine on recycled crepe paper and the feel of it is enough to make my skin crawl.)

Previously:

Sox Appeal

ONJ Is Xanadu-ing a New Guy

When You're Young, You're Gold

 

Or so says Bruce Weber's sexy boys-only Abercrombie & Fitch commercial. Part 2: 

Page 1 Consider (03/31)

Move Over, Bennifer: I finally got around to watching the "Make Me a Supermodel" reunion show. What a hoot! I didn't even remember who half of them were yet some of 'em were acting like the who show had been around them. (Dom?) Everyone is talking about the crazy gay-straight alliance between finalists Ben and Ronnie. Bravo even surprised them with their own Brangelina-esque T-shirt dubbed Bronnie, which seemed just about right since Ben's first in control but most of it is about Ronnie. The big winner is announced on this week's show, but I haven't a clue who's going to win. My guess is Ben and Ronnie will split the vote, leaving Holly or Perry to win. (But I'm guessing Perry because he pretty much deserves it and even though Holly's a good model, she's so annoying.) (EthanSays)

America's Next Top Transsexual: Has Jennifer Finney Boylan unwittingly become the new face of transsexualism? I didn't really know there was a competition, but if I had I would have thought Calpernia and Andrea were the top seeds. (CP)

Citizen Huff: Here's an interesting article about the rebranding of The Huffington Post into being an "Internet Newspaper." Who knew the lost Gabor sister was a brainiac and such a shrewd businesswoman? (NYT)

Movie Night: Michael and I went to see "Stop-Loss" over the weekend. In case you've been living under a rock, the film stars Ryan Phillippe as an Iraq War veteran sent back against his wishes for another tour of duty and Channing Tatum as his fellow soldier and childhood best friend. I had high hopes for this one, knowing that it wasn't a hard-core Iraq War film -- but a look at soldiers and the effect the ongoing war is having on them. But it left us both a little cold. (Apparently we're not alone: it opened at No. 8 at the Box Office making a dismal $4.5 million.) Both the guys are smokin' hot (Channing Tatum rolling around in the mud in a pair of briefs might have been worth the 12 bucks alone) and do the best they can with the material, but there's just not a lot of character development and I never believed any of the things the characters were doing. (Abbie Cornish is gorgeous but wasted as a would-be Army wife who says about two lines in the whole film.) (Boston)

Paging David Naughton: Dr Pepper has offered to buy every person in America one of its soft drinks if Axl Rose were to ever finish his long-overdue album, "Chinese Democracy." That Axl Rose has somehow become the low-rent modern day equivalent of Brian Wilson -- whose legendary mindfuck masterpiece "Smile" did eventually come out a couple years ago -- is pretty hilarious.(E!Online)

Biting Off What He Can Chew: Democratic front-runner Barack Obama waded deep into Clinton territory Thursday evening at a private LGBT fundraiser in Manhattan. And while the overall reaction was good, he sounds very much like Bill Clinton was forced to during the gays in the military days when it comes to gay issues: same-sex marriage? Ain't gonna happen -- think civil unions. transgender-inclusive ENDA? For gays, yes; for trannies, no. Just like it was for President Clinton: it's the votes, dummy! (Are you reading this, Melissa Etheridge?) (Advocate)

Fall of the Roman Empire: This new documentary about Roman Polanski sounds fab. (NYT)

Most God-Like News Ever: Evangelical Group Seeks To Move Away From Anti-Gay Focus (AP)

'Girls' Behaving Badly

 

When last we saw Coco and Evie, Coco was trying to trick an unsuspecting man into being her sperm donor. This time around, Coco's a proud mother -- and her mother (played by Scott Thompson) is in town for a visit with her new grandson. Starring Jack Plotnick as Evie and Clinton Leupp as Coco. Written and directed by Richard Day ("Arrested Development.") 

Can't get enough of bad girls Evie and Coco? "Girls Will Be Girls" has its own official site now where you can see all of the latest short films based on the hit cult film..

'Leatherheads'

I can't really place my finger on why, but I have an overwhelming desire to punch George Clooney in the face in this photo.

Move Over, Mr. Miyagi

 

 Forget about that lesbian Ralph Macchio. What if Matthew Shepard or Lawrence King had known how to defend themselves? Diana Lee Inosanto's new film, "The Sensei," examines that question in a tale of a young man who learns to overcome both homophobic hatred -- and self-hatred.

"The Sensei" will be shown at the 24th L.A. Asian Pacific Film Festival

Sunday, May 4th, at 4 p.m.

Hosted by Visual Communications

For ticket information visit www.vconline.org or call: (213) 680-4462

Go to the film's official MySpace page here.

Synopsis: "The Sensei" is about a lonely gay teen named McClain Evans (Michael O’Laskey) growing up in a small town in Colorado during the dawn of the AIDS epidemic. Constantly the target of hate and bullying, after a near fatal beating by three school mates, he finds himself the secret student of a woman "sensei" named Karen Nakano -- O’Neil (D. Lee Inosanto) who teaches him the martial ways to protect himself and the path to inner peace. But there are some lessons in life that don’t come easy.

CAST: 

Keith David ("Crash," "There’s Something About Mary”) 

Louis Mandylor (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding," "The Quest”) 

D. Lee Inosanto (“The Prodigy) 

Mike Olaskey (“3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain”) 

Tzi Ma (“Rush Hour," "Alpha Dog”) 

Sab Shimono (“Southland Tales," "Waterworld”) 

Emily Kuroda (“Gilmore Girls”) 

and introducing Mark McGraw (son of baseball icon Tug McGraw, and brother of Tim McGraw)

Love Match

Is Andy Roddick getting married to model Brooklyn Decker? (DownTheLine)

Ride 'er, cowboy!

Lofty Ambitions

Ready for spring?

Good Stuff

I've long loved The B-52's. But something about their first new album in 16 years -- and first with all four surviving members in nearly 20 -- just wasn't all that appealing to me. Sure, I still loved listening to their old music (I'm a huge "Mesopotamia" fan!), but every time I'd see photos from their latest concert tour it just made me feel kind of sad. (It didn't help that 1998's Greatest Hits add-on "Hallucinating Pluto" pretty much convinced me they'd run out of new ideas.) So call it a cosmic thing (or was planet Claire aligned just so?), but Michael and I just happened to be walking home from dinner in the East Village on a gorgeous spring evening in Manhattan earlier in the week when we came upon the Virgin Megastore. Staring at me from the window in Union Square was a huge lighted promotional poster for the band's new album, "Funplex." Suddenly, I was 16 again. I ran in to buy it (only 10 bucks -- the price CDs should be!) then raced home to play it. I'm the only person I know who doesn't listen to the radio, so I hadn't even heard the title track -- which my brother had mentioned "picks up exactly where they left off" -- so I didn't really know what to expect.

But right from the opening song, "Pump," to Kate and Cindy's perfect retro harmonies on "Juliet of the Spirits" and the full-band experience of "Funplex" and "Eyes Wide Open," it felt like the party had never ended. (If only Blondie's "No Exit" had been half this fun.) I see I'm not alone here. "Funplex" has been Number 1 on Amazon.com, and the buzz all around it is great. (I hope they tour for it without the True Colors outfit. I hate festivals.) Having played the new album another dozen times now I began to wonder why I ever thought The B-52's had become sad. Sure, they're not 22 anymore (in their advanced they've even dropped the erroneous apostrophe in their name). But neither are their fans -- and there's certainly nothing wrong with having a good time at any age.

(That said, if you do wanna feel really old, check out these adorable clips from 1978 of the band performing at the Downtown Cafe in Athens. Kate was already pushing 50 even then, but the rest of 'em are babies -- and you get to see the adorable Ricky Wilson: "Downtown," "Rock Lobster," "52 Girls," "Runnin' Around," "Devil's in My Car," "Hero Worship" and
"Dance This Mess Around." (I assure you, they can no longer do all 16 dances -- and neither can I!)

(Perhaps it's fitting that all this B-52s stuff has reignited my love of fellow Athens rockers, R.E.M. I haven't been able to stop listening to "Lifes Rich Pageant" and "Dead Letter Office," two discs I haven't thought of in ages. Their new album, I believe, comes out Tuesday. Time for another stroll into Union Square?)

Cry for Help

Did you hear what Lindsay, Britney and Paris did last night in Hollywood?

Oops -- you've just been rickrolled. Let ChartRigger and The Los Angeles Times explain it to you. (And you're welcome.)

Why I Love England

These guys are considered models ... (VitalityShow)

Afternoon Delight: Novak Djokovic

Saw this one on an interesting new site called GaySPORTSblog.

Movie Wood: Alessandro Calza

For some strange reason, the post I did earlier in the week about the new film "Ciao" and one of its stars, Alessandro Calza, seems to be the most popular item I've come up with in awhile. The director, Yen Tan, e-mailed me to let me know that the trailer has now been watched nearly 5,000 people via my site and others that linked back to it. On the off chance that this handsome Italian had anything to do with the excitement, I've taken the liberty of posting a few new photos I found of him. And if you happen to wonder what he looks like in a jockstrap, be sure to click here.

Page 1 Consider (04/26)

Rabbit Test: Holy Billy Crystal! Where's Joan Rivers when you need her? I'm just glad the LGBT community isn't doing anything weird to freak mainstream society out. (ABC)

Hillary for Veep: Has the Obama-Clinton drama taken a new turn? She can’t win without him, said one Hillary adviser, and he can’t win without her. They’re stuck with each other. (NYT)

That's Author AC Slater to You: Who knew that Mario Lopez's career would have a second act? (Defamer)

Rumor Report: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom for California governor? (365Gay)

Never Gonna Give Him Up: Any excuse to have Rick Astley back in the news is OK with me. (FishBowlNY)

Wild Boys: There may not be a new moon on Monday after all. Simon LeBon forgot the words to some songs and pretty boy bassist John Taylor stormed off the stage in a dizzy during the band's opening show in New Zealand. (Reuters)

God Forbid: The Roman Catholic Church is escalating its opposition to a British Columbia government teacher guide that encourages diversity in the public school system. (365Gay)

H&R Crock: Tax preparation giants H&R Block have been accused of charging gay couples more to file in Texas. (AP)

Just Like Mommy: Did you see Chelsea Clinton rip a kid at Butler University new a-hole for asking about Monica Lewinsky? Ouch.

Thursday Ad Watch

Dominic Figlio makes me weak (again) for 2(x)ist, above; former Giants star (and current Oakland safety) Gibril Wilson sure cleans up nicely, in Eredi Pisano; whatever Jack Victor is selling, I'm buying ...
This Tom Ford eyewear ad is hot, minus the foot; That said, it might have worked if it'd been this Dolce & Gabbana's guy's (is that Perry from "Make Me a Supermodel," btw?)
K-Swiss has done a beautiful job of using Tommy Haas in its ads. Keep 'em coming ...
Nordstrom shows off its Rock & Republic look, while Bloomingdale's goes with a classic all-American guy in a Hugo suit ...

And last, but certainly not least, the Brazilian government wants you to "do whatever you want, just do it with a condom."
This week's eye-catching advertisements

Gimme Moore!

I love how glamorous Demi Moore looks just strolling around the city. (It was a gorgeous day in Manhattan yesterday, I must say.) And I love that her fan base is all old queens.

Love it, love it, love it!

21 Days

Just three weeks from today Michael and I will be home with my family in Phoenix with the niece and nephew. I can't wait! As you can see, Ally isn't a baby anymore and AJ is growing up so fast -- even playing on his first baseball team. Watch your back, A-Rod! My sister, Jennifer, should be so proud!

Alan Ritchson Saves the Day!

Uncensored images HERE.

The blogosphere was in a tizzy when word got out that former "Smallville" star Alan Ritchson was the new, uh, face of N2NBodywear. The full set of photos can be seen here, but to be honest I wasn't really digging the new look. (What's up with that hair? Bring back Scott Andreasen!) But no sooner had my interest in the onetime Aquaman begun to fade did I receive this sexy new advertisement from a kind reader who spotted Alan hawking Orbit gum in Russia. Now here's the sexy superhero I know and love ...

Roddick in Full Bloom

Andy Roddick helped his clothing sponsor Lacoste celebrate its 75th anniversay at Bloomingdale's in Manhattan. As part of the celebration of the days events, 10 percent of Bloomingdale's day's sales will be donated to the Andy Roddick Foundation, a charity that benefits abused, at-risk and terminally ill children. It's great to see Roddick looking fit and happy. He's off to a great start this season, with two titles under his belt and big wins over Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. With Roger Federer not playing up to par lately this could be a huge opportunity for the Omaha native to erase that Single Slam Winner title once and for all.

For those of you who prefer your tennis champions more serious, may I recommend this look via TennisServedFresh:

Page 1 Consider (03/26)

This Just in From No Shit Newswire: A rep for Priscilla Presley says Elvis' ex was the victim of a bogus plastic surgeon. (People)

GayTube: "Funny gay dudes reviewing the latest cars" and "hot crooning shirtless guys strumming guitars on their Web cams" ... Daily Motion has added a new gay and lesbian portal to this YouTube style site. (DailyMotion)

Leech Therapy: Not only do most of Demi Moore's movie suck, so does her beauty regimen. (AH)

Party Crasher: In his new political memoir, former GOP senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island rips into President Bush on gay marriage, war and abortion. Um. I hate to break it to you, Senator. But you're a Democrat. (AP)

Another Heartbreak: Twenty-five years of research and god knows how many millions (billions?) of dollars later and leaders at a "summit meeting" are saying an AIDS vaccine is nowhere close to being found. (WP)

Just Back From Zales: Jamie Lynn Spears' hot sperm donator borrowed her credit card to buy her an engagement ring. (People)

What a Drag: Memo to All: if you're ever going to go on Workers Comp saying you're too injured to work then don't allow yourself to be videotaped running a 40-yard-dash in women's clothing and high heels. (AP)

Ugly Report: Wanna know the secrets to a successful marriage? Marry an ugly guy. (DailyRecord)

Killer Aide: The defense in the Linda Stein murder case is making an issue of the fact that the so-called realtor to the stars had male DNA mixed in with her blood. Um, yeah. Have you seen her killer, Natavia Lowery? (DailyIntel)

L.A. Law: This trial of sleazy private eye to the stars, Anthony Pellicano, is supposed to be the talk of Hollywood, but every story I read is either about Garry Shandling (yawn) or so convoluted that I can't really get into it. Today, however, I finally recognized a few names, and learned that Freddy DeMann -- the Maverick Records executive and former manager of Madonna and other acts -- had paid some $80,000 to Pellicano to confirm his suspicions that his daughter’s husband was being unfaithful to her and that the husband was actually gay. (Now we're getting somewhere ...) (NYT)