Sunday, November 30, 2008

Quote of the Day

"I knew this would happen." -- Liz Romero, the grandmother of the 8-year-old boy accused of shooting his father and a boarder in Northern Arizona.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Most Viewed

I can't imagine why this shot of Alan Ritchson is the most viewed image in my Hotties Gallery. Click HERE to view the complete set of most popular photos. Hint: No. 2 is below ...

Friday, November 28, 2008

On the Rag, Vol. 14

A weekly look at what's making news in New York's free gay rags:


HX's 900th issue celebrates 17 years of covering the New York gay scene and the people who made it fabulous.

Next takes a sneak peek at Liza Minnelli's much-anticipated return to Broadway. (I already have my tickets!!!)
View all On the Rag posts HERE.

Next Stop, 'Urinetown'?

Is Mark Wahlberg auditioning for a role on Broadway? It's funny, because I heard "Good Vibrations" in a restaurant the other day and I was thinking what a douche Marky was these days for distancing himself from the two best things he's ever done: that song and "Boogie Nights." This public urination now ranks as my favorite Mark Wahlberg "work."

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you all have a great holiday. With the sickening turn of events in Mumbai yesterday, I'm especially grateful for the love and safety of my sweet guy, my wonderful family and my fun friends. Here's hoping you're spending the day with the ones you love, too.

(Photograph by Mark Allen)

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

He's a Hitter

Well, Joshua Walter, our "gangster" teen model, doesn't seem to be taking too kindly to the attention he's receiving now that the world knows he's shacking up in Queens with his haggy fired schoolteacher "shorty." ("Beauty and the Beast") He also bluntly admitted he didn't love 37-year-old Gina Salamino -- the mother of his child -- and when asked if she loved him, he offhandedly responded, "It is what it is." (Talk about a charmer.) A report obtained under the state's Freedom of Information Law reveals that investigators were initially tipped off about the inappropriate relationship after the then-17-year-old student admitted to an unidentified witness that used condoms and underwear found in the teacher's bedroom were his. (Gross.) Are straight guys -- even good-looking ones -- really this desperate for sex?

365 Days of Beef

The only way the Icon Men 2009 calendar could be any hotter would be if every month were cover men John Kesler (front) and Rusty Joiner (back). Get your copy HERE.

The Swedest Taboo

He may not be lucky in love, but Bjorn Borg has some sexy kids modeling his fashions.

In the Same Strip Mall as the Zelda Fitzgerald Center for Mental Well-Being

Just saw in The Buzz section of the new Inside Tennis that Ed Begley Jr. Bjorn Borg has launched a new dating service, Love for All, whose motto is "THE DATING SITE WITH 100% GUARANTEED SUCCESS." I mean really, who better than the oft-near-bankrupt former heartthrob Swede, whose success in the romance department rivals only that of his results at the U.S. Open: His marriage to his childhood sweetheart, tennis player Mariana Simionescu, ended in divorce after he fathered a child with Jannike Bjorling, a teenager he met while judging a wet T-shirt competition (she was a contestant). That also did not last -- surprise! -- but an ugly custody battle for their son, Robin, dragged on for years. In 1989 Borg was married for a second time, to Loredana Berte, a messy Italian rock star who used to appear half-naked and doused in glitter on the cover of her albums. (Her signature song was "Non sono una signora" -- "I Am Not a Lady.") The same year he wed her Borg was taken to a Milan hospital where he had to have his stomach pumped after a drug overdose. (Naturally, Borg denies it was suicide attempt.) Borg divorced Loredana in 1993.. He married wife No. 3, Patricia Ostfeldt, in 2003, and their son, Leo, was born the following year. (They were apparently still together as of post time.)
  
So where do you sign up, you ask? Right HERE! Of course, as this ad indicates, you guys won't have the same problems you've been having with the cult leader over at eHarmony:

 

Do We Really Need to Say 'Accused'???

Now THAT'S talent.

'Milk,' Does a Body (and Soul) Good

A.O. Scott's review of "Milk" is in today's Times and -- deep breath -- it's a RAVE. I saw the film last Tuesday and I couldn't agree more. It works equally well for people who have never heard of Harvey Milk (educational and entertaining) and people who know all there is to know (Sean Penn has Milk's friends doing double-takes and James Franco's touching portrayal of Scott Smith brings a human element to the gay rights martyr that was intentionally omitted from the Oscar-winning documentary, "The Times of Harvey Milk.") Despite its tragic outcome, just seeing the camaraderie Milk and his fellow San Francisco activist friends shared during that pivotal time in our history brought to the life washed those Prop 8 blues right out of my hair and reignited my resolve not to give up hope.

While my gut instinct was to urge my mom (and other loved ones) to see "Milk," after talking to her this week and realizing she'd never even heard of him (heck, many of my gay friends haven't either, so I'm not faulting her), I decided to buy her a copy of the documentary and I'm going to ask her to watch that instead. While I think Harvey's subway pickups and messy relationships depicted in "Milk" only make him more endearing to his fellow gay brothers (the crowd of guys I saw it with loved them and believe me, the depiction is rather PG-rated), I decided Mom would learn more about the gay rights movement's greatest champion from archival footage of him in action and interviews with friends and coworkers who loved and admired him than a recreation of it all. My hope, of course, is that she's so moved by the documentary that SHE chooses to go see "Milk" because she wants to. Unlikely, yes. But as Harvey says, you gotta give 'em hope, and hoping, indeed, I am ...

Music Box: Aztec Camera

Aztec Camera was the smartest pop band to emerge from the '80s new wave scene, with the Scottish boy wonder Roddy Frame its star attraction. "High Land, Hard Rain" (1983) was one of those flawless debuts that almost screamed that the only way from there was down. But with the likes of songs as brilliant as "Oblivious," "Walk Out to Winter," "We Could Send Letters" and "From Pillar to Post," there certainly was plenty of room on the fall to keep making great music for a lifetime. Five more Aztec Camera albums (really in name only, as Roddy was the only consistent performer) never failed to have shining moments, from "All I Need Is Everything" on "Knife," "Deep and Wide and Tall" on "Love," "The Crying Scene" on "Stray" (a surprise hit in the homeland), the Ryuichi Sakamoto-infused "Dreamland," and so on, before Roddy decided to officially go "solo" in 1998 with "North Star" (yet another delightful effort). "Surf" in 2002 and "Western Skies" in 2006 were equally enjoyable as loyalists thoroughly enjoyed watching Roddy mature as a writer. Yet looking back 25 years since that stunning debut, nothing (naturally) will ever compare to those Scottish glory days ... 

  You said you're free for me, that says it all ...


From pillar to post, I am driven, it seems


  • Read all Music Box posts HERE.
  • Sporting Goods: Wally Szczerbiak

    The Knicks game was on last night at work and I kept noticing this incredibly handsome No. 10 on the opposing team. Turns out hunky Wally Szczerbiak now plays for the Cavaliers, which led to these two photo treasure finds. (You're welcome.) More shirtless Wally HERE.

    Tuesday, November 25, 2008

    Beauty and the Beast

    Read the update HERE.


    Sure, I'm shallow. But THIS really is one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen -- and they even have a child together.


    Here he is at work ...

    Afternoon Delight: Max Wettstein

    Meet Max Wettstein, fitness model, actor, author, Jet Blue pilot -- and the Model of the Week at OnDisplayMen.com. (Photos by Nate Jensen Creative)



    If Only Larry Were This Helpful ...

    Make Me Laugh: Anthony Jeselnik

    "My family is a lot like the Brady Bunch ... not because I had a lot of brothers and sisters. But because my dad did die of AIDS." (Learn more HERE.)

    All You Need Is Love

    MetroSource NY serves up its list of 55 people they love, from cover hunk Luke MacFarlane to the men of "Milk," singer Duffy, actor Neil Patrick Harris and model Ronnie Kroell. Check out the complete list HERE.

    How Heather Got Her Groove Back

    Lifetime's new film "Flirting With 40" is categorized as a romantic comedy, but it sure has all the telltale signs of a science fiction thriller. A freakish-looking lead character in a completely implausible situation -- aka Heather Locklear playing a 39-year-old(!) single mom who gets involved with a hunk played by Robert Buckley who's "13 years younger than" she is. Sure, she's really flirting with 50 and 20 years his senior, but who am I to complain when we get to see the "Lipstick Jungle" boy run around half-naked for two hours? (Watch the trailer below and you'll see what I mean.)

    Page 1 Consider (11/25)

  • Sunny and Share: I don't know about you, but I have to tell you that Carol Burnett and I are really excited about Rosie O'Donnell's new variety show, "Rosie Live."

  • Playing Gay: So, why are there no openly gay leading men in Hollywood?

  • Body on Tap: A man in upstate New York is obsessed with collecting discontinued products. Don't believe it? Wait'll you show up at his house and he serves you a Josta.

  • DramaQueen.com: If that headache plaguing you this morning led you first to a Web search and then to the conclusion that you must have a brain tumor, you may instead be suffering from cyberchondria.

  • '90s Flashback: Do you remember when Jean-Claude Van Damme seemed like the hottest man alive? Would you believe he's still alive?

  • The Scarlett Letters: Lawmakers in Indonesia's remote province of Papua have thrown their support behind a controversial bill requiring some HIV/AIDS patients to be implanted with microchips -- part of extreme efforts to monitor the disease. Local health workers and AIDS activists called the plan "abhorrent."

  • City's Darkest Hour: With "Milk" set to come out this Friday, Dianne Feinstein has been talking about that tragic day in 1978 when Dan White gunned down Mayor George Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk. "I was the one who found his body," she told Maureen Dowd. "To get a pulse, I put my finger in a bullet hole. It was a terrible, terrible time in the city’s history." In the midst of all of the sadness she also became the city's acting mayor: "I inherited a city that was stunned and divided. The divisions were fueled by both hatred and sorrow. Over time, we were able to put the city back together, but the events of that day will remain seared in our memories forever."

  • Justice Is Blind: The New York state overseerer of insurance companies has told companies they must treat legally married same-sex couples the same as they treat opposite-sex married pairs. In addition, Gov. David Paterson in June issued a directive instructing state agencies governing insurance and health care -- to immediately change policies and regulations to recognize gay marriages performed in areas where they are legal.

  • The Victims We Know So Well: A trial began in London on Monday for Boy George on charges he shackled a male escort, chained him up, and assaulted him.

  • RIP: Betty James, who came up with the name Slinky for the stair-walking spring that has delighted children for more than 60 years and who ran the toy company after her husband, the inventor, left it and his family in 1960, died Thursday in Philadelphia. She was 90. As successful as Slinkys have been for 63 years, there have been slumps. In 1960, with sales down, Mr. James joined what his wife considered a religious cult and moved to Bolivia, leaving her with six children and the company. Mr. James died in 1974.

  • RIP: Karl Bissinger, whose lustrous black and white portraits created a memorable gallery of the leading figures on the postwar American arts scene, died Wednesday at his home in Manhattan. He was 94. As a photographer for magazines like Flair, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and Town & Country, Bissinger created indelible images of the new generation of writers, actors, dancers and free spirits who were reshaping American culture after World War II. One of his most recognizable photographs, taken in 1949, shows Gore Vidal, Tennessee Williams, the Balanchine ballerina Tanaquil LeClercq, the artist Buffie Johnson (who died in 2006) and others seated around a table in the garden of the Cafe Nicholson in Manhattan, their faces bright with promise. It is, in effect, a class picture of the young and the talented in the American arts, more than ready for their close-ups.
  • Do the Right Thing

    The N.Y. Times editorial page calls on the California Supreme Court to toss out the ballot measure that stripped gays of the right to marry: "Treating Proposition 8 as a mere amendment would set a precedent that could allow the rights of any minority group to be diminished by a small majority. The measure passed 52 percent to 48 percent. ... The justices’ job is to protect minority rights and the State Constitution -- even when, for the moment at least, it may not be the popular thing to do."

    Lip Service

    The Daily News is reporting that despite a recent resurgence in Hollywood -- on the lips of George Clooney and Brad Pitt -- the mustache is officially out of style. This is news indeed because I can't remember when it was ever "in" style. Just ask quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whose performance during Green Bay's humiliating 51-29 loss to the Saints was about as convincing as his recent 10th-grade attempt at facial hair ...

    Hugh Jackman Takes Manhattan

    The sexiest man alive and Nicole Kidman at last night's New York premiere of "Australia" at the Ziegfeld Theater.

    The Birthday Girl

    Here's wishing my cute mother a very happy 67th birthday! I love you, Mom.

    Monday, November 24, 2008

    Horror Show


    Funny, and so TRUE.

    Mommie Dearest Racist

    A hunky college hockey player and his madcap racist mother? It's gotta be Must-See TV! Meet the Bojanowskis, one of three mother-son pairs on "Momma's Boys," Ryan Searcrest's new reality show featuring overprotective moms helping their sons choose mates. (Debuts Dec. 16 on NBC.)

    Although Khalood Bojanowski is an "Iraqi Catholic" (and you know how popular those are back in the homeland, Mom), she has all sorts of problems at home in Michigan with her son JoJo not dating a "white girl." (Why do I suspect likeminded parents in Macomb County feel the exact same way about their white daughters dating her "ethnic" son?)

    "I cannot have a black one; I can't have an Asian one; I can't have a fat-butt girl," Mom says on the show. She's even more adamant about Jews. "Nooo! No Jewish girl! No way, no way!" she says. "I cannot stand them! I'm sorry, but I can't handle them. It has to be a white girl."

    On a later episode she's even seen threatening to "kill" her son after she observes him from a helicopter making out in a hot tub with one of the black women. "I'm going to kill him, that's what I'm going to do!" she screams. "I'm going to strangle his balls! I swear, I'm ready to kill somebody!" She later confronts the black woman, telling her, "Don't ever put your freakin' lips on my kid!"
    Apparently her hateful ways are creating so much negative energy that she's now demanding police protection the night the show debuts. Good luck with that, lady. I wonder how she feels about her son being featured on a blog for GAY MEN. Why don't you all tell Mom what you think of him, with his sexy compact 5-9 175-pound hockey-player bod and million-dollar smile ...