Saturday, November 30, 2013

Paul Walker Dies in Fiery Car Accident


Heartbreaking news out of Los Angeles. It sounds like the handsome actor was doing charity work for victims of the typhoon in the Philippines when he was involved in a fiery one-car crash. He's always been one of my favorites and seemed like a genuine person. He leaves behind a 15-year-old daughter named Meadow. Just tragic.


"Fast and Furious" movie star Paul Walker has reportedly died in a car accident Saturday afternoon in Southern California, reports TMZ. The accident occurred in Santa Clarita - outside of Los Angeles - when Walker's Porsche apparemtly lost control and crashed into a tree, TMZ reported. The car burst into flames and exploded, TMZ reported. Authorities are still investigating but TMZ reported Walker, 40, and another person in the vehicle died in the one-car accident. It is unclear who was driving at the time, TMZ reports. The actor has been taking people on test drives of the car at a car show to raise money for victims of the typhoon in the Philippines, TMZ reported.
The irony is palpable: Not only was he most famous for high-speed car movies, he was also the victim of a recent Internet hoax that he had died.


On Saturday (November 30) the actor's reps officially confirmed that Paul Walker is not dead. “He joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. He's still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet,” they said. Some fans have expressed anger at the fake report saying it was reckless, distressing and hurtful to fans of the much loved actor. Others say this shows his extreme popularity across the globe.
UPDATE: Sunday's New York Post:


Ivy League Whore Story



Samuel See died of unknown causes in New Haven, Conn., jail cell. He was known as a brilliant Yale University professor, but he was apparently linked to escort service websites that contain sexually explicit photographs, report says. 

Anyone know more about this bizarre and tragic story?


Samuel See was described as gifted by Yale students. The mystery surrounding his jail death has deepened with reported connections between him and sexually explicit male escort websites.


Sunder Ganglani, seen here, is the estranged husband of Yale University professor Samuel See, who was found dead inside a New Haven, Conn., jail cell jail after being arrested following a domestic dispute.

Friday, November 29, 2013

RIP: Peter Kaplan, Editor Who Gave Snark a Good Name


Peter Kaplan, Who Brought a Cutting Edge to The New York Observer, Dies at 59

Wow, completely stunned and saddened to read about this one. Had only heard he went to Fairchild after leaving the Observer a couple years ago, had no idea he was even sick. The city has lost another one-of-a-kind.

From his NYT obit:
Among Mr. Kaplan’s greatest coups was hiring a little-known freelance writer named Candace Bushnell to write a column about the hunt for love, or something approximately like it, in the urban jungle. Ms. Bushnell’s column, “Sex and the City,” which appeared in The Observer from 1994 to 1996, became the basis for the hit HBO series starring Sarah Jessica Parker.  
“The more cancellations we got for her column,” Mr. Kaplan wrote in an essay in New York magazine in 2011, “the more the paper knew we had hit the jackpot.”  
Though he went on to help carry The Observer across the digital threshold, overseeing the creation of its website, Mr. Kaplan was regarded by those who knew him as a throwback to an earlier age — to the New York of the Stork Club, the Automat and the Algonquin. He revered the stuff of that era, from classic black-and-white films that portrayed the city at its noirish finest (he knew the credits of nearly all of them by heart) to newspapers as they were originally conceived: damp, sweet-smelling and black and white, or, in his case, black and pink.
RIP, Peter.

On the Rag, Vol. 279

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


Next: Jack Mackenroth looks positively great on the World AIDS Day issue / Online edition HERE.


Get Out wants you to meet Pete Forjohn, now tending bar at G Lounge in Chelsea / Online edition HERE.


Odyssey New York: He'll be your mirror / Online edition HERE.


Frontiers is ready to help make your holiday season a bit smoother with its 2013 Gift Guide HERE. (Tell me if you spot anything interesting in the books section!) Meanwhile, Margaret Cho takes on stand-up, the Web and "comic rock" HERE.


9. Wasn’t Tomorrow Wonderful? Andy Cohen called this memoir—by Kenneth M. Walsh of the blog Kenneth in the (212)—“heartwarming and hilarious!” Young Kenny dreams about moving to NYC, but will he ever get there? $19.99 list price
Sadly, the publisher has postponed the release until early next year, so gift-giving is out.

'Bureau' of Inspection


I have so been meaning to stop by the Bureau of General Services - Queer Division. First Tim Teeman raved and now THIS. Expect to see me over the weekend, boys! 

Heavenly Gifts



How do you put a price on something this divine? 


Sign Me Up


Retro Ad Watch


Working, playing ... day or night. Jack Scalia had the look that was right ...

Song of the Day: 'Dressed to Kill" by Cher


My sister and I went in on horribly overpriced Cher tickets for my mom's birthday this week. As regular readers know, Cher holds a special place in my heart, dating back to dating back to dancing to "Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves" with Mom in her bedroom to watching "The Sonny and Cher Show" with my family when I was a little boy in Detroit. While I'm a huge fan, I'm not the kind who still races out to buy every album she puts out. This irked my Cher-obsessed friend Dishy to no end, so he sent me "Closer to the Truth" to add to my iPod for the trip home this week. As of this writing, I've only played about half of it. The scrapped Lady Gaga duet is still my favorite so far, but the song "Dressed to Kill" plays like such a caricature of Ms. Bono that I haven't been able to stop singing -- and laughing about -- it since! See if you feel the same way ...now don't disappoint me Cher: make sure you give Mom a healthy helping of the past on this tour ... it is going to be your "last," after all. 

Morning Wood


Thursday, November 28, 2013

Giving Thanks


  Michael and I are in Phoenix enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving with the family. I hope you're having a great time wherever you are. I'm thankful for many things this year, including all of the readers who come by to see what I'm up to. I wouldn't still be doing this without all of the positive feedback and friendships that have resulted from it. Thanks, everyone!

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Brief Encounter


See what happens when a straight, 50-year-old married father of two decides to revisit a youthful dream of becoming the next Jim Palmer HERE.


Song of the Day: 'Learn to Fly' by the Knocks


Coffee place discovery.

'Big' in Chicago


"I Am Big" wants you to meet Cassandra, who founded Project Fierce Chicago with a mission to reduce LGBTQ youth homelessness. 


More "big" stories HERE.

Morning Wood


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

The Way Me Were




Light posting this week as Michael and I are in Arizona for my mom's birthday and Thanksiving. One of the walls in the guest room where we're staying is covered with old family photos -- some of which are altered depending on who the guest of honor is. Looks like me at about age 2, senior year at Dobson (taken summer '84) and my "Hollywood headshot 1991" this time around -- plus a Kenny and Michael snapshot on one of the nightstands! 


Retro Ad Watch


Because everybody loves a gay top.


Gaga for Kermit


The coming week in television has a few high spots, including a "Barbra Streisand Back to Brooklyn" and "Lady Gaga & The Muppets’ Holiday Spectacular," which airs Thursday at 9:30 p.m. on. ABC. Always love my Kermit, although I doubt there's anything Gaga can do to top their "Rainbow Connection" duet or Deb punking out to "Call Me" with the whole Muppet gang!


Song of the Day: 'Little White Doves' by Dirty Vegas


Funny how the first time I heard this I thought it was the most inane thing ever, and the second time the most infectious song ever.

Morning Wood


Monday, November 25, 2013

Madonna and Jellybean at Sigma Studios in NYC, 1982


Ronald Reagan wasn't the only one who loved a good Jellybean back in the '80s. 
(Via Maddenis)




Constant Craving


I've been writing about sexy Alan Ritchson since I started my blog -- from his nearly naked spreads and jockstrap shoots, to his football look and show off his naked bubble butt. While he never achieved superstardom as Aquaman, he's (apparently) in the Hunger Games movies, which was enough to get International Jock to go into its archives and pull up a dozen shoots from his modeling days. See 'em all HERE.

Song of the Day: 'The Wire' by HAIM


One of the (many) ways you realize how old you're getting is when you learn about "hot new bands" by way of "Saturday Night Live." But it's true that I saw sister-act HAIM the other night and was kinda blown away by their blend of folky California AOR and R&B. Sure, the blonde's kind of annoying. But Patti Smith in the middle and the fun one who also plays percussion kick ass! 

Last Tango in Argentina


Sounds like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Juan Monaco had a lot of fun over weekend in Buenos Aires sending David Nalbandian off into the sunset, although he's kind of seemed half-retired at times throughout his career:

Novak writes:
I'm glad I was part of the farewell of David Nalbandian -- a great player that we will miss on tour. I cannot forget to mention how much fun Rafa, Pico, David and I had these few days Argentina is beautiful! I even danced Tango

Morning Wood


I'm the kind of Facebook friend who'd give you the shirt off my back. Apply HERE.

Healthy Fast Food Chain Energy Kitchen Abruptly Closes


  I would say I'm stunned by this news -- the place is always packed and the phone is always ringing off the hook when I'm there -- but given the fact that EVERY place Michael and I frequent (Recharge, RUB barbecue, Better Burger, La Chinita, the list goes on) goes belly-up, I'm really not. Read HERE.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Wanted: Naked Roommate


This is almost as good as the Straight Guy Looking for Gay Roommate Craigslist ad I posted a few months ago!


Brotherly Love?


Ed Burns writing ‘Brothers McMullen’ sequel 

 Not sure how I feel about this. Sometimes it best to leave a classic alone ...


Friday, November 22, 2013

Who'd You Rather?


Maks or Val Chmerkovskiy?

    Make your final decision HERE.