California Outlaws Gay 'Cure' for Minors

Kudos to California for becoming the first state to ban so-called gay conversion therapies for minors. My pal Speaker John Perez was instrumental in getting this law passed -- let's hope other states follow suit. Read HERE. 

Weekend Wood

'Dick Will Make You Slap Somebody'

 Our hostess says good sex can be a religious experience that can make a woman do something crazy, but not everyone is buying it.

 

On the Rag, Vol. 218

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

Boi Magazine: The model on the cover of the Chicago rag's "best of" issue gets two thumbs up from me. Online edition HERE.

Odyssey New York puts Aaron Tone of "Bear City 2: The Proposal" out front. Online edition HERE.

Get Out! Cover man Willie Starr looks good out of green. Online edition HERE.

Next: Eclectic British singer-songwriter Patrick Wolf celebrates a decade of sound—and he hasn’t even turned 30. Read HERE.

Metro Weekly: Patti LuPone isn't difficult. She's just the ultimate perfectionist, on and off the stage. Read HERE.

Rafael Nadal Is an Ass Man

    With an ass like Fabio Fognin's, who could blame Rafael Nadal for patting it and knocking his towel off?

Thoroughly 'Modern' Larry

 My brother tells me a (bratty) cat named Larry was the star of the season premiere of "Modern Family." When do our royalties kick in?

A Little More Love for ONJ

Got a great response to my birthday post for Olivia Newton-John -- even found out she's doing not one but THREE songs from "Totally Hot" on her current tour. In the process of trying to verify this, I came across this nice review from her Palm Springs show on the Randy Report -- who has always been kind to me -- who even got to meet the Aussie queen! That's ONJ and pal Lindsay Wagner, who I was just reading had turned herself into a holistic healer. (Are Sleep Number beds holistic?) More photos and Randy's review HERE.

Quote of the Week

 "In music news: During a recent concert, Carrie Underwood brought a 12-year-old boy onstage and gave him his very first kiss on the lips. Of course, Madonna got wind of this, and she's always been the most provocative entertainer. So she brought a fetus onstage and fucked it." -- Joe McHale on "The Soup"

Gay It Forward

 Here's a nice public service announcement from Live Out Loud, part of its "Gay It Forward" campaign for the Homecoming Project, where LGBT individuals return to their high schools to discuss life after alienation.  For more information, click HERE.

Downtown Train

I consider myself a pretty polite person, but I think it's a two-way street. I was on the F train coming home from work last night when it stopped at 42nd Street/Bryant Park and these two 20-something women got on. I was alone on a three-person bench, so they joined me -- only Chick 1 had a huge backpack that she (no exaggeration) proceeded to hit me with before allowing it to rest ON MY RIGHT LEG as she sat at an angle to continue talking to her friend. I immediately tapped her on the shoulder and said  "Get your bag off of me." Looking stunned , she stared at me slack-jawed for a moment, like I had just told her she was a stupid cunt, then pulled it away -- without even a hint of an apology (did I mention she had no idea that she had just parked her backpack ON ME?) -- and I could hear her mumbling to her friend how RUDE I had been to her. Mind you, my reaction wasn't overly aggressive -- it was a perfectly monotone (Midwest) way of speaking, but definitely in the imperative form. To be honest, if I had tried to use any sort of polite or conditional phrasing in my instructions, it would have come off much worse, like:

"Would you please get your bag off of me?" would have sounded more like, "Would you PLEASE get your FUCKING bag off me[, you stupid cunt]?"

I'm sorry, but your being incredibly rude to me -- even by way of negligence -- does not necessitate my being polite in asking you to stop being an asshole to me. If you don't know how to go out in public with a backpack slapped on your back, perhaps leaving home isn't the right thing for you.

Tired of Being a Pawn

  Spotted on West 18th Street in Chelsea last night.

Song of the Day: 'Total Eclipse' by Klaus Nomi

 Klaus Nomi's name came up during a panel discussion last Sunday with James Wolcott, Cynthia Carr and Nile Rodgers at the Brooklyn Book Festival (I still need to write that up!). I must admit, when I first saw "Urgh: A Music War" back in 1981, I was pretty terrified by everything except the Go-Go's and the Police. My brother and I were just discovering X at the time -- Exene's voice is an acquired taste! -- but Klaus Nomi's performance definitely left an impression on me. Still, it wouldn't be for another 10 years or so before I realized what a beloved artist he was and that he yet another talent from my era who had died of AIDS. This is "Total Eclipse" -- and the felt Klaus from HERE. (For those unfamiliar with the avant-garde legend, I strongly recommend "The Nomi Song," a documentary available on Netflix HERE.



(Just noticed all of the comments on this clip are about Lady Gaga and how she's no Klaus Nomi. Um, OK.)

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Morning Wood

John Travolta On Top

Talk about balls. The guy who wrote "You'll Never Spa in This Town" -- a book that claims John Travolta  frequented gay bathhouses -- tried to sue the actor for libel(!) after Travolta's lawyer sent out a letter questioning author Robert Randolph's mental health, in an obvious attempt to discredit the book. The judge agreed with Travolta that the letter was protected by the First Amendment, although I'm fairly certain Randolph isn't a "public" figure, which means the First Amendment only works as a shield when what you're saying is in fact true. (Ouch.) My take-away: Don't ever rub Scientologists the wrong way. Read HERE.

Order HERE (paperback) or HERE (Kindle).

Photo of the Day

Via Daily Mail: Heartrending moment caught of tiny, terrified baby orangutan being plucked to safety after he and his mother were found starving in an isolated patch of forest in Sumatra caused by the spread of oil plantations. Read HERE.

Unwilling to Grin and Bear it

The Daily News' "Celebrity Teeth Makeovers" gallery is pretty good, although they neglected to mention two of the most famous ones in recent memory -- Ben Affleck and Shannen Doherty. View HERE.

Looks Can Be Deceiving?

Have a Hairy Jolly Christmas!

    It seems THIS is a big seller in my Amazon store, although our cover hunk barely has any fur to speak of.

'With This Money I Can Get Away From You'

I'll bet that ingrate bitch Veda would like to get her hands on this dough! Read HERE.

Mug Shot Thursday

 With thanks to Patric: You gotta envy the hooker who was paid to have sex with this 23-year-old employee of an off-campus Princeton University bookstore. He even provided free snacks! (I've already submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for the security footage.) Read HERE.

See also: Ivy League Perv

'Hit' Men

With thanks to my BFF Mark, who pointed me to this riveting documentary about Stock Aitken and Waterman, the legendary '80s music producers whose Hit Factory was responsible for some of the most memorable songs of the era, and turning a bit player Aussie soap star named Kylie Minogue into an international superstar. (Their Hi-NRG production was as recognizable as Phil Spector's Wall of Sound.) While I was familiar with their biggest successes -- Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up,," Dead or Alive;s "You Spin Me," Bananarama's "Venus" and Donna Summer's "This Time I Know It's for Real" -- it was still fascinating to learn about the sequence of events that led to their scoring more than 100 Top 40 hits and 13 No. 1 singles  in the UK. For instance, did you know their dance hit "You Think You're a Man" by Divine was their first success or that Mel of Mel and Kim (of "Respectable" fame) died of cancer at the height of their fame? I'll always be grateful to SAW for their better-than-the-LP remixes of Bananarama's "More Than Physical" and Debbie Harry's "In Love With Love," which put my girls on dance charts at No. 5 and No. 1 respectively. Have a look, you'll even get to see a very young (and much fitter) Simon Cowell!

 

Thursday Ad Watch

I've always had a thing for Steve Young -- his wife even worked against Prop 8 -- so of course I approve of his suit-and-tied campaign for VanHeusen, with Jerry Rice and Matthew Stafford.

Tina Has 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'

All I'm gonna say about Tina Fey's Holly Golightly is that I loved her book!

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

Song of the Day: 'Picture Me' by Susanna Hoffs

Susanna Hoffs debuted her romantic new video, "Picture Me," yesterday on RollingStone.com. The '60s-inspired pop single gets a 21st century twist following three couples -- made up of hipsters and lesbians -- through a day at the beach. You'd have to be heartless not to like this one, although mine belongs strictly to our chanteuse, who at 53 is as shockingly beautiful as ever. (Sue's on tour, see dates below.)


Tour Dates
Susanna and the band will be hitting the road for the first installment of the Someday Tour in late October. Ticketing information can be found on the website.

10/29 - Eddie's Attic - Atlanta, GA
10/31 - Jammin' Java - Vienna, VA
11/2 - Center for the Arts - Natick, MA
11/4 - World Cafe - Philadelphia, PA
11/5 - City Winery - New York, NY
11/6 - City Winery - Chicago, IL
11/8 - Sunset Session-Radio Event - Las Vegas, NV
11/13 - Anthology - San Diego, CA
11/14 - Largo at Coronet Theater - Los Angeles, CA
11/15 - Red Devil Lounge - San Francisco, CA
11/17 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR
11/18 - Triple Door - Seattle, WA

Sign Language

 No spelling or usage problems, just good fun!

Joanie Loves Chesterfields

 Jesus, how pathetic. No one's saying former child stars are losers if they don't grow up to be Jodie Foster or Justin Timberlake. But they are if they grow up to be losers. Read HERE.

Cyndi Lauper Uncensored

  OK, girls. Who wants to have some fun? Finally got my copy of Cyndi Lauper's new memoir -- anyone reading it? Pervy relatives, accusations against Gloria Estefan and Michael Jackson, venom for Jeff Goldblum and plenty of sour grapes against Tommy Mottola, what more could you ask for??? -- and have been invited to interview her. I have some questions in mind, but would love for your input. If you would like to ask the ever-unusual one something, please e-mail me HERE. 

Meanwhile, you can order "Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir" HERE (hardcover) and HERE (Kindle).

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