Friday, August 31, 2018

Remains of the Day (08/31)


The Wall Street Journal: Boston braces itself for the back-to-school invasion -- I'm totally fine with it!

Towleroad: Fox News host Greg Gutfeld brags that Trump was "radicalized by us"

Gothamist: Very sad to read the Village Voice is officially dead

Instagram: How do I get the job putting on and taking off Borna Coric's compression bands!!!

NYT Opinion: Do public school students have constitutional rights?

Just Jared: How to stop being "skinny fat"


Dlisted: As expected, Aretha Franklin's funeral was a star-studded musical extravaganza

Hunk du Jour: Ben Hunt is EVERYONE's type

HuffPost: Here's how "Kate & Allie" brought queer subtext to TV in 1984 (someone needs to write a dissertation about it on "Too Close Comfort"!)

TVLine: I guess this "Conners" spinoff is really happening (first look)

Matthew's Island of Misfit Toys: I'll bet this "subtle" swimsuit would get me banned from Google AdSense

Greg in Hollywood: See Bette Midler's final "Hello, Dolly!" curtain call


OMG Blog: You're in luck, guys -- John Krasinski is showing off his behind in the shower on "Jack Ryan"

The Washington Post: Trump to cut millions in funding to U.N. Palestinian agency, a move that will harm the most vulnerable and likely spark unrest

Metrosource: "Lured" lets audiences look Russian gay persecution in the eyes

The WoW Report: Convicted murderer Marcus Bellamy stars in new gay thriller "The Breeding"

The Randy Report: Trump's disapproval ratings hit new high, yet we're still saddled with him for six more years (just watch)

The Daily News: New Jersey couple ordered to turn over money raised for homeless man who gave his last $20 to help them


Hot Cat of the Day: Do it again, Dad! Do it again!

Stan the Carb Man


I think he's entitled ... and will probably need all the energy he can get versus Miles Raonic tonight.

On the Rag, Vol. 525

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








DNA (Australia): 35 of the sexiest men alive







QX (London):Meet the Duchess


Adelante: Hola, Luis!


Between the Lines (Detroit): 'Check your blind spots"


Ambush (New Orleans): Welcome to Southern Decadence 2018




Gay Times (U.K.): Meet Miss Vanjie 




GCN (Ireland): Meet Chanel (No. 69)


Song of the Day: 'Let Me Live in Your City' by Paul Simon


Music history is littered with brilliant songs that didn't start out as good. "That's Jungle for You" -- the original refrain from became Culture Club's delightful "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" -- "You Always Hang Around" -- the inferior first take of the Breeders' "Divine Hammer"and "The Disco Song" -- the heartless first crack at Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and the so-wrong demo of the Pretenders' "Brass in Pocket," where Chrissie sings "you're special, so special" -- quickly come to mind. But I think this early version of Paul Simon's "Something So Right" might be the biggest improvement of them all. It's not that there's anything wrong with it. It's just the idea of there not being a song so optimistically unoptimistic makes me shudder.

When something goes wrong 
I'm the first to admit it 
I'm the first to admit it 
But the last one to know 
When something goes right 
Well it's likely to lose me 
It's apt to confuse me 
It's such an unusual sight 
I can't get used to something so right 
Something so right



Can you think of any songs that got major overhauls for the better? 

Page 1 Roundup (08/31)









Morning Wood


Thursday, August 30, 2018

Remains of the Day (08/30)


Socialite Life: I forgive you, Noah Cenitneo

Dlisted: Prince Harry answers the question, "Is it possible for my ears to orgasm?"

Towleroad: The National Enquirer had decades of Trump dirt -- and he wanted to buy it all

Politico: Trump is so busy looking out for working people that he's eliminating pay raises for civilian federal employees next year

Columbus Dispatch: 145 former Ohio State students accuse former university physician of sexual abuse

New York Post: Was it necessary to body slam a Speedo-clad prankster who jumped into an inflatable pool?


Think Progress: Where on earth would this man have gotten the idea that this was acceptable behavior?

Deep Dish: The original poster for Sam Elliott's "Lifeguard" is more than a bit Tom of Finland 

HuffPost: Glenn Greenwald still isn't very bright

Boy Culture: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s love child is his muscular mini-me

The Washington Post: Yet another reason to love Beto O'Rourke -- he was in a punk band!

Gothamist: Woody Allen's "A Rainy Day in New York" has been "shelved indefinitely" by Amazon


Gay City News: Rashawn Brazell's accused killer convicted in separate murder

The Daily News: Sen. John McCain remembered during memorial services in Arizona

TV Line: The 10 biggest music divas of all time

Greg in Hollywood: I have a new blond obsession

The WoW Report: Piers Morgan is still awful

Gay Star News: Ohio politician arrested on 26 sex charges involving teenagers

A post shared by Bodega Cats (@bodegacatsofinstagram) on

Hot Cat of the Day: I like this guy's little trot! 

Song of the Day: 'Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes' by Paul Simon


Few songs make me as happy as this romantic ditty does. 

And she said honey take me dancing
But they ended up by sleeping
In a doorway
By the bodegas and the lights on
Upper broadway
Wearing diamonds on the soles of their shoes

I haven't had the guts to look at the upcoming setlist to see if it made the cut.



Page 1 Roundup (08/30)























Morning Wood


Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Tweets From a Stranger


These people just make it too easy ...

Remains of the Day (08/29)


Towleroad: Guy claims to be lover of Chris Watts, the hunky Colorado man charged with killing his wife and two daughters

KIT212: How progressives are doing #TeamSerena wrong

Dlist Hot Slut of the Day: Sparkling White Grape Jell-O

The New York Times: Trump's ludicrous attack on big tech

Boy Culture: Trump favorite DeSantis warns Florida not to "monkey this up" by electing his black challenger

The Hill: North Carolina Republicans warn of "unmitigated chaos" after judges strike down House district maps


Beantown Cuban: Catching up with sexy Danny Pino of FX's "Mayans M.C."

USA Today: California becomes first state to condemn intersex surgeries on children

Reuters: Crazy Donald unblocks more Twitter followers after U.S. court order

Gay Star News: Boy George discusses his long-rumored feud with Madonna, who probably doesn't know about it and couldn't care less if she does

NewNowNext: Wilson Cruz recalls when he was erased from an ad for "My So-Called Life'

The Daily News: I guess if you're going to run off with one of your teachers the wrestling coach is the way to go


Greg in Hollywood: I'm not the only one with eyes for Robert Farah

The WoW Report: This is not conspiracy -- Alex Jones caught with trans porn on his cell phone

The Randy Report: Sarah Palin was not invited to John McCain's funeral

Metrosource: The untold story of Cecil Beaton comes to the cinema

The Washington Post: White House counsel Don McGahn will leave his job in the fall

OMG Blog: "Big Brother U.K." star Tom Barber gets naked ... again


Hot Cat of the Day: Did somebody leave the door open?

Let Sleeping Catsuits Lie


Look, if the choice is between living in a society where we completely deny racism and misogyny are alive and well and occasionally inserting accusations of them into situations where they do not exist, I'll gladly choose the latter. But as an ardent tennis fan for more than 40 years, I must say I'm growing a bit tired of well-intentioned people who don't know much about the sport misapplying their "woke" playbook to it ONLY when Serena Williams is involved. If you want to complain that tennis is too stuffy, fine. But you must understand that no one is persecuting this billionaire woman of color. Decades before Serena returned to Paris, cisgender white female Anne White (a blonde!) received similar treatment when she wore a "cat suit" at Wimbledon in 1985. If you want to say it was gratuitous of the French Tennis Federation to make this announcement two months after the event, one could argue that it was far more respectful than what Wimbledon did to White, who was forced to change during a mid-match rain delay whereas Serena was allowed to wear hers throughout the tournament. Similarly cisgender white male Jurij Rodionov of Austria was reprimanded on-court and forced to change his unmentionables when he wore (virtually unnoticeable) blue undies at Wimbledon and so forth. But this is the game of tennis, a sport Andy Roddick said sometimes needs to "get out of its own way." It's been uptight with all of its players forever. How long before the uninitiated wake up one morning and tell me Andre Agassi was harassed in the 1990s about his hair and clothing because he is an Arab?


Wanna talk about humiliating?

Kudos to Serena for now trying to de-escalate the situation -- although adding the "blood clot" detail only after the fact sure smells like a sympathy ploy with a hint of a persecution complex. (Which is understandable: even superstars have feelings and want the public to be on their side.) Serena readily admits the Grand Slams "have a right to do what they want to do" and that the French Tennis Federation was NOT told about the said health benefits of her sartorial selection, going so far as to say that the FTF would have been FINE with her choice HAD THEY KNOWN. (How is this unreasonable in any way?) Ditto for her pregnancy: I don't remember one of my forward-thinking friends raising hell when cisgender white females Kim Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka -- both former No. 1 players with blond hair(!) -- et al. were also unseeded when they returned from having babies. But then when the same rules are applied to Serena, it’s suddenly a personal slight. Again, if you think the policies are unfair, then lobby for change. But stop trying to make everything about race that isn’t. We have more than enough real problems in that department. All of this reeks of virtue signaling -- and if you really want to put your "wokeness" to good use where tennis is concerned, why don't you speak up about income inequality in the game? Do Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams really need to make $3.6 million for winning a major instead of $1 million when up-and-coming players are paid so little they have to sleep in their cars just to pursue their dreams? Oh, wait. Why stick your neck out on that when you know it won't get you a thousand likes on Facebook. There are a lot of reasons to be on #TeamSerena: Her unparalleled talent, athleticism, resilience, competitiveness, etc. But none of them have anything to do with these conspiracy theories spawned from worthwhile underlying principles that have been aggressively misapplied. It's great that we're on the lookout for racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, ageism and so on. But progressives are smarter than this imaginary scandal and we can -- and must -- do better.

UPDATE:


Here is yet another example of the tennis establishment screwing up. But again, if this had happened to Serena it would’ve been blown into an international episode about tennis officials "being disgusted by her curvy black body," when it fact it's just the sport not getting it right once more.


Wrestle Wednesday


And he looks reasonably OK when he's not in a singlet, too. Judge for yourself HERE.

Song of the Day: 'He Was My Brother' by Paul Simon


Finally broke down and bought tickets for Paul Simon's upcoming "Homeward Bound" farewell tour. Wish to God I were going with my brother Bill -- who introduced Terence and me to Simon and Garfunkel in the basement of our house on 13 Mile Road when we were boys -- but I will just have to cherish the memory of the Walsh brothers seeing Art at Carnegie Hall in 2015 before life was irrevocably changed for the worse. Hard to believe it's my first time seeing Paul.