Memorial Day

Hope you enjoyed the long weekend as we salute the men and women who gave their lives for this nation of ours.

Fleet Week

Hugh Jackman -- and his scooter -- stops to pose with two Marines, who are visiting New York as part of Fleet Week. "Who is this guy?" their faces seem to be asking.

An American in Paris

You just never know what to make of Robby Ginepri. Just when I think he should hang up his Under Armour and become a bathhouse model, he knocks out a former French Open champion to become the last American standing in Paris. (How do you say deja vu in French?) His 7-5, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-4 win over Juan Carlos Ferrero was yet another impressive result, yet every time you think the hunky American is on a roll, he seems to fall apart again. Whether it's injuries, mental deficiencies or just bad luck, here's hoping my boy finds some momentum that lasts through the summer.

Passings

Sad to read about the passing of Dennis Hopper, Gary Coleman and Jeanne Austin, the matriarch of the tennis family that produced two-time U.S. Open champ Tracy.

I've never seen most of Hopper's most famous roles -- time to put "Easy Rider" in my Netflix queue? -- but he will live on forever thanks to his role in "Blue Velvet," which was the first film I saw in the Memorial Union at Arizona State on Dollar Movie Night. Incredible stuff.

What can you say about Gary Coleman? All I can add is that when I heard he was gravely ill earlier this week, I said to Michael that for the tormented actor's sake, I hoped he would pass peacefully. I don't think I've ever seen a more miserable and tormented person than Coleman -- I don't think you ever get over being exploited by your own parents, as you forever lack that reserve of love and support people need to cope with life's ups and downs, which we now know are particularly hard on child stars. It's truly a shame that he never found peace while alive.

What I remember about Jeanne Austin (seen here at the Jack Kramer Club in 1966 with Jeff, Tracy, Pam, husband George, John and Doug) is that I know almost nothing about her (it took her passing for me to learn that she grew up in Beverly Hills and attended UCLA -- who knew?). In an era of awful "tennis parents" -- I'm looking at you, Roland Jaeger -- a phenomenon that has only grown worse (Damir Dokic), Jeanne Austin followed in the footsteps of Chris Evert's mom, Colette, and let her daughter's game do the talking. The only real memory I have of Mrs. Austin is the story Tracy told about what she and her mom did to celebrate her defeating Chrissie in 1979 to become the youngest winner of the U.S. Open in history: they went to McDonald's! My condolences to the entire Austin brood.

Near Straight-Acting Avenue

'Family' Reunion

So heartwarming to see Justine Bateman, Michael J. Fox and TV mom Meredith Baxter together again. (I was a huge "Family Ties" fan -- did that show get the recognition it deserved?). The gals came out to support Alex P. Keaton this week at a fundraiser for his Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in Los Angeles.

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'The Harvey Girls' (1945)

No Tired Old Queen would be complete without an affection for Judy Garland, and this week Steve Hayes does not disappoint:

Judy Garland is a waitress on a mission in George Sidney's riotous "The Harvey Girls" (1945). Co-starring John Hodiak, Angela Lansbury, Cyd Charisse, Ray Bolger, Virginia O'Brien and everybody's favorite bold-as-brass chaperon, Marjorie Main, the Harvey Girls set out to bring civilized dining to the old west and tame a few cowpokes in the process. With music and lyrics by Johnny Mercer and Harry Warren, it has all the color, singing, dancing and spectacle that made MGM the number one studio for movie musicals during the Golden Age of Hollywood. It also features the Academy Award winning song "The Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," which I defy anyone to keep from humming for days once they've heard it. Judy, fresh from her triumph in "Meet Me in St. Louis" is funny, warm and adorable as a gal with enough gumption to single-handedly tame a town. Angela Lansbury is her match as the bad saloon girl with the heart of gold. So, "park yer carcass," settle back and let MGM and Judy Garland show you how it's done in "The Harvey Girls."

Beyond the Pale

Bernard, Scooter and I happened upon a protest outside a BP filling station in SoHo yesterday, so I snapped a few pics. Today the story is all over the news -- as well it should be.

Battle of the Bulge

Connexion is teaming up with Baskit to search for the next Baskit Underwear models! Voting is now open HERE!

Happy Feet

Hugh Jackman makes one of these normally annoying scooters seem almost fun.

In Too 'Deep'

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'Friday Night Lights' Shine On

Longtime reader may be wondering why I haven't mentioned "Friday Night Lights" for over a year now when it was all I could talk about when it first came on the air. After "bumping" into Taylor Kitsch and Scott Porter while they were filming a scene for Season 3 back in January '09, I sort of decided to pull away from the show when I found out first-run episodes were going to be airing on DIRECTV, with NBC getting them later. (This was the cost-saving plan the Peacock network came up with to keep the highly loved but lowly rated show on the air.) The writing appeared to be on the wall, so I decided to preemptively dump the show before the network did it first. But here we are more than a year later, and yet another season has aired on DIRECTV, and now they're running on NBC. Immediately feeling left out, I got Disc 1 of Season 3 through Netflix and got through it last week -- and Disc 2 arrived today. The show didn't miss a beat moving to DIRECTV it turns out, and now I kicking myself each week as a new episode airs and I'm forced to wait to watch it later on (on DVD in a year, perhaps?). I haven't gotten to the episode where Tim Riggins and Jason Street are shopping at a cheap-suit shop outside The New York Times building yet (I'm hoping by walk-by made it into the scene), but with the news this week that ABC Family has picked up reruns of "the first FIVE seasons of the show," that means we're guaranteed to at least one more new season. NBC says it will be the final installment, but since I haven't seen most of the third, none of the fourth and the fifth hasn't been shot yet, all of that alone guarantees the show will be around longer than most new shows I fall in love with (I'm talking about you, "Sons and Daughters," "The Comeback" and "Kath and Kim").

Surly Cruise

Slugger Likes to Show Off His Bat and Balls

I want to personally thank Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria for texting a photo of his, um, wood to a girl he "met" on Facebook. It's moments like this that make the Internet's destruction of music, magazines and newspapers (almost) seem worthwhile. Read all about the ingrate chick who didn't appreciate his kind act ("Hey Evan Longoria, Stop Sending Me Pictures of Your Cock. Sincerely, Jenna") HERE.

(Via Tabloid Prodigy)

It Keeps His Weight Down

The world was outraged to hear about this chainsmoking 2-year-old in Indonesia yesterday. I was alarmed too, until I read that he only smokes when he drinks.

Photo Hosting

Thursday Ad Watch

Brazilian model Andre Ziehe for 2(x)ist.

Just Call Me 'Scoop' Walsh

When the National Enquirer gets its long-overdue Pulitzer for this groundbreaking story, all I'm saying is that I want it to be noted that you read it here first!

Music Box: Chrissie Hynde

OK, I'm not saying I'm the most important music fan in the world. But up until a month ago, I was one of the few who actually paid for music -- CDs, to be more specific. So it always amazes me when I hear about a song or album or concert by one of my all-time favorite acts after the fact, leaving me to ponder the oft-asked question: "If I didn't know about this, who did?" Such was the case last night when Sandra Bernhard tweeted about having just seen Chrissie Hynde, JP Jones and the Fairground Boys performing new songs together here in the city: chrissie hynde jp jones and the fairground boys at housing works book store tonight singing their beautiful songs from new album fidelity. chrissie and jp jones have created one of those albums that will tear your heart out when it's real nothing can stop it. That I missed the boat on this great chance to see Chrissie in an intimate setting was upsetting enough. But as I searched the Internet for more information about this upcoming album, I also stumbled upon a duet she did with her ex Ray Davies -- from last December. When I was a kid, it would have been impossible for something like that to get by me. You'd watch MTV News every day. You'd listen to Rock Over London on the radio. And you'd read Smash Hits, Cream and Rolling Stone from front to back -- and you were covered. While information is so much easier to "come by" these days, it's really starting to feel like an overload from which I will never recover. I guess Google Alerts were invented for a reason, but something tells me they'd just pile up like my other 1,315 unread e-mails I'm still working my way through. (Who knows, maybe there was a note from Chrissie herself in there.) The story about this Davies-Hynde duet is a real pisser. But suffice it to say that the man for whom she famously became "The Adulltress" (she didn't wanna be-ee-ee) some 30 years ago and then split from remains someone with whom she has no interest in being in the same room. (Wait'll you see the special effects they used to get them "together" in the video!) The collaboration, it seems, was the work of their 26-year-old daughter, Natalie Ray Hynde, but somehow I think a cover of "Fairytale of New York" would have made for more interesting listening. Let's hope this new group project is as good as Sandy says it is!

 

Nadal 2.0

Venus Williams' negligee isn't the only fashion statement sending shock waves through the tennis world. "Cro-Magnon brute" Rafael Nadal's new $525,000 wristwatch is raising eyebrows too -- which is to say nothing about his new country-club-ready attire -- with some asking what Uncle "Fly coach, drive Kia" Toni has to say about his protege wearing a watch that costs 10 times more than the average Mallorcan worker will earn in a year. Others think athletes wearing a watch at all is ludicrous, but I certainly remember back in my tennis heyday (late '70s and '80s) that I never played without one. That it was a Snoopy tennis watch -- with a denim watchband that needed to be replaced three times a year -- was only incidental as I continued to wear one into adulthood, starting with my first Jazz watch.

Fun Couples

Move over, Jason Lewis and Dan Abrams: Robert Buckley and E! News anchor Jason Kennedy -- seen here looking incredibly gay cute together at the Chateau Marmount -- just may be my new favorite couple. (But can two bottoms really make it work?)

'Tard and Feathered

I'm fine with removing the terms "mentally retarded" and "mental retardation" from federal labor, health and education laws when it comes to describing people with actual intellectual disabilities. But what about the other 48 percent of the nation?

Morning Wood

That's What He Said

Via The Huffington Post

Marco Da Silva's Not-So-Basic INSTINCT

Continuing its pledge to feature only openly gay men on its covers, INSTINCT magazine features ruggedly handsome Marco da Silva on its June "pride" issue. Inside, the dancer and budding DJ talks all about his years on the road with Kylie, his crazy coming out experience and why tattoos are his preferred form of expression.