Happy Halloween!

Change Hurts But I Like It

Live from the Rally to Restore Sanity -- gorgeous day in Washington.

Crossing the Delaware

Or some river in the Delmarva area, at least.

Electric Youth

If Best Buy's earnings are our this quarter, then they may have my young bus neighbor to thank. He's been all but simultaneously using a BlackBerry, laptop, flip-phone and iPod -- all while reading his Kindle -- ever since we boarded the bus to DC. Just looking him seems to have completely exhausted my iPod, which was fully charged when I left the house this morning, but was inexplicably dead when I went to use it a second ago. This NEVER happens when I take it to the gym, but has happened the last three times I've traveled, only adding to my sour Apple syndrome ...

Mall Rat

Michael and I are heading down to Washington in the afternoon for the big Stewart/Colbert Rally to Restore Sanity on Saturday. I can't say I'm really excited about going -- seeing old friend will be great, but I used up my enthusiasm for these type of big-crowd things when I was supposed to -- when I was young. But still, unlike the explicitly LGBT-focused National Equality March that took place last year, which I was completely incapable of mustering up the energy to go to, something deep inside is compelling me to be at this one.

With friends at NOW's March for Women's Lives, April 1989

I feel fortunate to have been able to attend two historic gatherings in our nation's capital -- NOW's March for Women's Lives in 1989, which took place in the shadow of Missouri's anti-abortion laws pending before the Supreme Court, and the Bush administration siding with anti-choice lunatics, explicitly urging reversal of Roe v. Wade, as well as the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1993 -- both of which were obviously more serious events than this one.

With my friend Paul at the March on Washington, April 25, 1993

But as the title indicates, we are living in an unprecedented era of insanity, and I don't think I could live with myself if I didn't stand up and be counted as someone who wants this "be-proud-that-you[re-ignorant," "make-up-shit-as-you-go-along-and-never-get-called-out-on-it" era to stop. Ironically, as much as I blog and tweet about how horrible things are becoming, my heart actually believes that good will surely win out over evil, and that equality will overcome the scare tactics and partisan hysteria, despite how frustrating the slowness of progress can be. But even so, it deeply disturbs me that we've allowed certain wingnuts to commandeer the national debate. So if standing up with these two smart men who have the balls to call these dispatriots out on their crap, I'll get in touch with my inner-youth for the afternoon and be there.

You've Come Along Way, Indeed

In conjunction with its new logo, the WTA posted this clip highlighting the tour's greatest players of the last 37 years, dating back to the famed Original Nine. The video really made me smile, but would have been even better with a dash of Andrea Jaeger ...

The Original Nine: Left to right, seated: Judy Tegart Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Rosie Casals, Gladys Heldman (standing in for daughter Julie), Kristy Pigeon. Standing, left to right: Valerie Ziegenfuss, Billie Jean King, Nancy Richey, Peaches Bartkowicz.

A 1980 reunion of the Original Nine in New York City. Showing their symbolic dollars are women's tour catalysts Gladys Heldman and Billie Jean King, with original pros Valerie Ziegenfuss, Peaches Bartkowicz, Phillip Morris' Joe Cullman, Nancy Richey, Julie Heldman and Rosie Casals

A 1986 reunion of the Original Nine: Judy Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Rosie Casals, Julie Heldman, Billie Jean King (seated), Kristy Pigeon, Peaches Bartkowicz, Nancy Richey and Valerie Ziegenfuss.

Off-Kilter

Not that he can't completely pull it off, but this hot fitness model on the box of the X-Factor home gym sure looks like he's wearing a sassy little black skirt.

Morning Wood

One-Stop Shopping

Plaza Sweet

 

 Charlie Sheen's Plaza meltdown gets the Taiwanese CGI treatment ...

Timothy Adams: Boxers or Briefs

 

  The New York Post has a nice little piece on Timothy Adams, the 43-year-old soap hunk who has added a new title to his resume in recent years as the king of romance novels, gracing the covers of more than 100 books. These pictures give you a pretty good idea of what we're working with here -- and his bio, below, reveals that he and I have soooo much in common -- but it was his "surprise" appearance on "The View" a few years ago that will forever be burned in my memory.

Jesus Has Left the Building

'Celebrity' Detox

 

 I absolutely love this drunken tirade by the mother of former "Hills" cast member Audrina Patridge. It exemplifies how quickly fame (even of the reality-show variety) can twist one's perception of reality -- Mom clearly doesn't realize 99% of the world is saying, "Audrina who?" -- and kind of helps me better understand how a band like The Trammps can be on Where Are They Now? shows and reminisce about being "the biggest band in the world" back in the day (when in fact they had a couple of hits, but are considered by most to be a one-hit wonder) and imbeciles like Camille Grammer can say with a completely straight face that her (soon-to-be-former) husband, Kelsey Grammer, is one of the "greatest actors" of his generation. (He is???????) I really need to read Rosie O'Donnell's book about fame -- she's really on to something.

Morning Wood

"Anyone wanna help me straighten out the spare room?"

Courier News

If anyone in America is ever going to care about the Davis Cup again, they're going to have to do something about the ridiculous schedule. That said, the USTA was wise to appoint Jim Courier to succeed Patrick McEnroe as captain of our team. (The Confirmed Bachelor defied my prediction this year and tied the knot -- to a woman!) Michael passed Patrick after having lunch with me yesterday -- says he's way more handsome in person -- after having passed Scott Disick on the way to meet me.

David Beckham Scores One for Ellen

With thanks to my guy for this one, I can't imagine I'd be nearly as composed as this massage therapist was when Mr. David Beckham showed up in her place of business for a rubdown. Luckily for her, she doesn't have to worry about getting a photo-op with the soccer stud -- it was a Cyrano de Bergerac-inspired hidden-camera prank orchestrated by Ellen DeGeneres, who may have just executed the greatest product-placement in the history of television.

 

All the Right Movies?

Via Towleroad: Am I equal part "Robocop," "Raising Arizona" and "Taxi Driver" with a dash of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"? (Sounds about right!) Weigh in on the debate HERE.

A Night at the Theater

Since I'm anything but a Broadway feen, yet I get a lot of inquiries from readers around the country for theater recommendations, thought I'd share this informal review my friend Steve -- a brawny, black Siouxie Sioux fan-addict with a major crush on Morrissey -- wrote of "Fela!" (His write-up, by the way, is WAY more entertaining than most of the shows I've seen!) Here is it, enjoy!

so we took our young corsican guests (antonin & lola: cutest brother & sister ever, who came to see MUSE in newark on sunday) to see FELA! last night. the show's actually pretty good. the band is tight, the dancers' bodies are tight (some serious chocolatey goodness on that stage. and they work it OUT. bill t. jones' african choreography is no joke) and the show moves along at a pretty good pace.

but ok... PATTI LABELLE is in the show at the moment. kind of a distraction. her part is a relatively small but important one. she really only has two songs, but of course, she tears that shit UP. especially the second one. even i had to shout, "SANG miss patti!" with a gay finger wave. lol

we got pretty good seats, down near the front but off to the side. luckily, my buddy works at the theater and was able to upgrade us to the best seats in the house! the center aisle through which the dancers run during the show. i was informed that i sat in the very seat that madonna occupied when she saw the show. and no, i didn't sniff it. (but i do have an appointment at the free clinic this afternoon...) miss patti shook my hand as she went through the crowd! thanks, buddy!

the elderly french-speaking (haitian?) lady sitting next to lola turned out to be the grandmother of the guy who was playing fela. after the show, she had a nice chat with us (antonin & lola are french and richard is fluent), most of which i caught, in spite of my terrible french. while we were hangin with granny, we realized that some chairs were being set up on the stage and people were running down to grab front row seats. talkback!

not sure if they do it every night but several of the cast came out to answer questions. eventually, so did patti. she made sure to apologize for being late (do not mistake her for an aloof diva!), she was simply waiting for someone to tell her when to emerge.

the talkback couldn't last long, because they had to close the house. the poor house manager was trying to wrap things up and clear us out, but miss patti would not leave! she hung out, shook hands (grasped mine with BOTH hands the second time! i had to call my mom!), signed autographs and posed for pix. what wendy williams says about her is absolutely true: if you queen-out at patti, she will queen-out right back at you. several people gave her a "haaay miss patti! we love you!" and without missing a beat, she was all "haaay gurl. how you doin'? thank you for coming." so sweet. during the talkback she even talked about how she sweats a lot because she's menopausal. lol

if you're a b'way show looking for a way to sell tickets and you get a name like patti labelle in your cast, a talkback after the show is a great idea. they should publicize it more. miss patti WILL hang!

we capped the night off with dinner at our favorite times square spot to take visitors: the skybar at the novotel hotel. the terrace gives you a great view of times square. perfect for tourist pix and totally free (you don't have to eat at the restaurant or drink at the bar).

tonight, we're taking the kids to a dance piece in soho. (followed by jock strap night at the eagle? hmmm.... maybe not.)

anyway, fela! is definitely worth seeing.

He Liked It, and a Ring Ensued

So, what do we think of Maria Sharapova's newly intended, Sasha Vujacic? The L.A. Lakers guard popped the question with a $250,000 engagement ring this week and the "Russian" tennis champ apparently said yes. Sasha is 26 and was born in the former Yugoslavia to a Slovenian mother and a Serbian father -- I always thought she had a think for Nole! -- but beyond that I don't know too much more about him. I hope they're happy, but I have to say I liked the idea of her with Charlie Ebersol way better -- but that may have just been my OWN desire to have Susan St. James as my mother-in-law!

Charlie and Maria

Fun-Girl Alert!

 

 

During a sleepover at my childhood best friend Mark's house in Fraser, Michigan, he once declared to me in the dark after a lengthy conversation about the female friends in our lives that he "loved being best friends with hilarious girls!" (With Nina, Rosanna and Kristen in our lives, it really summed it up rather perfectly.) It was the closest either one of us ever came to coming out to one another until college -- when he admitted he was gay and I confessed my own bisexuality (mwwwuuuaaah!!!!!) -- and I'm pretty sure it was chicks like Melinda Hill that made us feel the way we did.

United Nations of Underwear

Click HERE to meet a handful of underwear designers from around the world whose work you may not know about.

Let's Just Assume It was a Bowl-a-Thon for MS?

Here are "Real Housewives of D.C." villains Tareq and Michaele Salahi last night at the relaunch of Strike at Bowlmor Lanes in Bethesda, Maryland. (I don't think I ever admitted this on the blog, but I did finally cave in and watch this one.) As god-awful as these two were -- and believe me, their inability to give a straight answer to even the most basic question could push the sanest person over the edge -- they were far from being the worst people on the show. Mary Schmidt Amons is not only dingbat, she couldn't even hide her petty jealousy of the couple, repeatedly accusing them of "hijacking our show" when she wasn't busy making snide comments about Michaele's former job as a makeup saleswoman at her local mall back when. (Um, aren't they part of "our"?) Lynda Erkiletian thinks it's a badge of honor to be rude and insulting to people's faces so she can boast that she's not "two-faced." (You're not two-faced, Lynda, your one "face" is pure ugly.) Why she thinks it's her place to tell everyone what they can and cannot do is anyone's guess. Cat Ommanney has her issues -- she can't even feign politeness if something isn't her "scene"? -- but at least is a bit of fun. And Stacie, who was by far the most sane and likable person throughout the season, had to go and ruin it by dragging her god into my civil rights. Why don't we let the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints make laws regarding black people in 2010? You're smarter than that, Stacie. Shame on you. And as awful as you all were, "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cast member Camille Grammer makes you all seem like decent human beings. Don't even get me started ...

Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places

This "personal" ad that some lovelorn 40-year-old guy in Harlem posted all over New York City is the talk of the town yesterday. He's a fanny-pack-wearing fattie who lives with his mom, but of course is only willing to date blondes or redheads who are big-chested, leggy and voluptuous ("NOT FAT") who have a "gorgeous face." (Um, OK.) The whole thing sounded pretty fishy to me, but it was the ad's perfect spelling and punctuation that had me nearly convinced that it was a fake -- I'm not being judgmental, but even middle school principals in the city apparently can't write a simple note this perfectly. But then I realized our Kinko's Casanova did misspell something, which happens to be one of the key attributes he was looking for in his dream lover: he wants her to be "very promisuous." I think he's real, ladies -- and his number's above!

Jesus Chrysler!

The Chrysler Building from 20th floor of Waldorf-Astoria, looking south.

James Franco: Rough Trade

Not sure if James Franco is making a film about gay sex in the '70s or what, but I like it.

Throwing in the Towel

Just a quick note to the person who finally ripped the front off the paper-towel "dispenser" at the Cosi in Chelsea: Could you please step forward so I can hug you and let the world know you're my hero?

What a relief to finally see I'm not the only person out there who has noticed that these so-called paper-towel dispensers are the most user-unfriendly, unintuitive pieces of crap in the history of engineering. (Do I need a post-graduate degree from M.I.T. to dry my fucking hands off?) What was so wrong with the old metal ones that had a little crank on the right side? These companies have only ONE job to do -- make their products dispense papers towels -- yet they can't even do THAT? This indented plastic dial that I'm supposed to somehow A) know is a crank and B) get a grip on when my hands are wet? No. And that's one of the "good" ones. I only wish I had thought to photograph some of the doozies I've seen over the years. Until then, my hero, my (paper) hat off to you.

Tuesday Ad Watch

This Joseph Sayers ought to be illegal.

'Violet' Femmes

Hard to believe it's been a year and four months since I spent the day working as an extra on the set of the new Casper Andreas film, but the New York City premiere is finally upon us! "Violet Tendencies" -- the story of a fag hag (played by "Facts of Life" star Mindy Cohn) trying to distance herself from her gay friends in an effort to land a straight boyfriend -- will open Friday, Nov. 5 at The Quad in the West Village. (Pre-order tickets HERE.)

    After working 10 hours on the set of "Campus Man" -- the 1987 Morgan Fairchild classic about the making of the first beefcake calendar -- and not seeing myself on-screen for even a split second, I've been assured by a blog reader in New Zealand(!) who's seen the film that I can be seen (however briefly) in the film's opening scene, so suffice it to say I will be there opening night. (Oh -- because I've heard the film is REALLY good, of course!) Check out the film's promising trailer and see for yourself ... and pre-order your tickets HERE. I hear that the (real) cast and crew will be at the 7 and 9:30 p.m. showings -- hope to see you there!

   

 "Violet Tendencies" opens Nov. 18 in Los Angeles at the Sunset 5.

Boo, You're It

As the city continues to grapple with the seeming uptick in hate crimes, bullying and issues of race and sexuality, I was heartened on my way home from work yesterday to see that the "I Love My Boo" campaign -- which features black and Hispanic gay couples in ads encouraging young gay men to be proud of their sexuality -- has moved out of the bathrooms of gay bars and into the city's subway cars. The effort is spearheaded by the Gay Men's Health Crisis, and also encourages people to get tested for HIV. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that men of color are the least likely group to be aware of their HIV status, a stat the GMHC attributes to racial taboos against homosexuality. The subway posters are considerably toned down from the ones that appeared in gay bars, below, but their message is powerful nonetheless.

Morning Wood

I'd like to join this one's, uh, book club.

'Why Do You Keep Calling Me Calvin?'

Kinda sweet seeing Christopher Lloyd, Michael J. Fox and Lea Thompson together again for the release of the 25th Anniversary Trilogy Blu-Ray edition of "Back to the Future." (And to think, it could have been Eric Stolz standing there.) It's a shame Crispin Glover wasn't there, and even sadder that Wendie Jo Sperber -- aka Linda McFly -- is no longer with us.

'Daisy' Chain

A lot of big names turned out for opening night the Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Driving Miss Daisy," starring legends James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave over at the Golden Theatre. (Tickets HERE.) Some of my faves from the night ... with why they're my faves in parens.

Hugh "I show up at the opening of an envelope" Jackman ("Someone Like You" -- for the underwear scene -- which I'm pretty sure is the ONLY movie of his I've seen, not counting "Scoop")

Isabella Rosselini ("Blue Velvet," "Cousins" and "Death Becomes Her" -- who could pick one?)

Glenn Close ("The Paper")

Brooke Shields ("Just You and Me, Kid" -- she and George Burns were magic!)

Ralph Fiennes ("Quiz Show")

Sarah Paulson ("Jack & Jill" -- MY "Sex and the City" before I started watching SATC!

And speaking of which: Mario Cantone, just because