Saturday, August 31, 2019

Saturday ‘Stache


Friday, August 30, 2019

Valerie Harper Dies at 80


RIP, Rhoda. Thanks for all the laughs. xo




Remains of the Day (08/30)


The New York Times: Many genes influence same-sex sexuality, not a single "gay gene"

Instagram: His condom size? Extra large

The WoW Report: Alex Trebek has completed his chemo and is back to work on the new season of “Jeopardy”

Towleroad: Sexual abuse against gay and bi men brings unique stigma and harm

Back2Stonewall: The Equality Act introduced to Congress and 45 years later we are still waiting #BellaAbzug

Baseline: Kim Clijsters inducted into U.S. Open Court of Champions


Dlisted: Gabrielle Carteris was reelected as president of SAG-AFTRA

TV Line: Could sex bomb Chris Meloni return "Law and Order: SUV"?

Washington Post: As vaping-related lung illnesses spike, investigators eye contaminants

NewNowNext: Lambda Legal’s employee union finally secures a contract

Metrosource: What will happen in the return of “Downton Abbey”?

BosGuy: For fans of furry men only


Boy Culture:  Troye Sivan pissed that a gay mag asked: TOP OR BOTTOM?

The Randy Report: Just when you thought Trump had sunk as low as he could

Greg in Hollywood: NFL player Ryan Russell comes out as bisexual

USA Today: Renée Zellweger lived with Judy Garland in her head for two years. Why it made her cry

Gay City News: Bed-Stuy man indicted in anti-LGBTQ stabbing

OMG Blog: Ballet dancer Roberto Bolle naked, in a lot of memorable poses 


On the Rag, Vol. 569

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












Lavender (Minnesota): The divine and fabulous










Song of the Day: 'Cruel to Be Kind' by Letters to Cleo


Fun gender-flip cover of the classic Nick Lowe single. And all this time I thought they only had one song! Apparently they also covered Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" on the "10 Things I Hate About You" soundtrack. (Who knew?)

Page 1 Roundup (08/30)






















Morning Wood


A sneaky subway pic from a pal. Another one HERE.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Remains of the Day (08/30)


New York Post: Found out my friend Joe is running a bar out of his garage!

Instinct: Debra Messing just added flames to her alleged feud with Megan Mullally

Back2Stonewall: The CDC formally recognizes AIDS as an “epidemic” in 1981

Baseline: Things get weird at Flushing Meadows

Instagram: Current DNA cover man Alessandro Cavagnola also bulges in red on social media

Towleroad: Joel Schumacher says he’s had sex with 10,000 or 20,000 men (how precise)


Donald McCarthy: The unexpected hobby that helped me face my body dysmorphia

Matthew's Island: Models wearing blue underwear

CBC: Man angry his photo was used to prove all hipsters look alike -- then learns it wasn't him (ICYMI)

Metrosource: This is what gay life looked like in WW II. Can you add to the story?

Dlisted: A woman broke into a Botox clinic with a power saw

Gr8er Days: See what "Roxanne" stud Rick Rossovich looks like at 62


Vulture: Woody Allen’s Italian distributor pities American audiences

Washington Blade: LGBT forum for 2020 hopefuls gets boost from GLAAD, Cory Booker(!)

Greg in Hollywood: Now that's what I call a body

The Randy Report: Trump tells supporters "Fox News isn't working for us anymore"(!)

Opinion: A goal for Democrats: Make the White House boring again

OMG Blog: Skeet Ulrich wants you to know he's still got it


Hot Cat of the Day: The tail never clocks out ...

Unfavorable Business Climate



Trump administration to roll back Obama-era limits on methane, a major cause of climate change. Read HERE.

Thursday Ad Watch


Thank god "truth in advertising" laws aren't strictly enforced.


So help me -- if Chris Mazdzer even thinks of shaving his chest ...

Song of the Day: '17 Again' by Eurythmics


Had a long talk with my sister yesterday, something we don't do nearly as often in the digital age. My nephew, AJ, who just turned 17 and is starting his senior year of high school, was a major topic of conversation. I've long been urging him to go away to college, having felt like I missed out on a big life experience by living at home for most of my higher education. (Don't think it's a coincidence that I still have friends from every era of my life dating back to age 11 but don't really have a "college group.")


When I was a college sophomore, this was my pinned Tweet

It's a weird feeling when your biggest regret in life is also likely the reason you're still alive. If you'll recall, Rock Hudson had just announced he had AIDS in July 1985, during the summer before I started college. And the year before one of the cooks at a restaurant called the Salad Bar where I briefly worked during my junior year of high school tried to get me to go to Hotbods, which I later learned was Phoenix’s answer to Studio 54. 



I was terrified (OK, mortified) that he even asked -- what was it about this bleach-blond Howard Jones wannabe in suede boots from Judy’s and Bananarama badges that made him think I would even consider going to a gay club, even on a lark?! -- and politely declined. Although there's no way of knowing for certain, it seems highly likely I would have been exploring my sexuality if not sooner -- I was 20 when I finally got down to business -- than with more abandon if I’d gone away to school. (You can only go so wild when you're expected home in your childhood bedroom each night.) As a small consolation, my semester internship away on Capitol Hill gave me a taste of dorm life ... 30 years later and I'm still waiting for David Vilter to pay me the $300 he owes me for the phone bill!


When I took little AJ to the Coffee Plantation, one of my old college haunts

My sister, her husband and AJ's grandparents are all concerned he's too "immature" to go away to college. (You have to wonder what they’d be thinking if he didn’t have a university AND a major in mind!) In fairness, he did just get his driver's license and the second day he drove to school he hit a parked car in the lot! The owner of the injured vehicle became hysterical, but not because she was harmed in any way. Turns out her previous car had recently been totaled. But when everything calmed down AJ paid $800 to have her car fixed without involving the insurance agencies, per the girl’s mother’s wishes. (That must have been the poor kid’s entire earnings from his summer job as a lifeguard, which his parents think made it a “valuable lesson.") 


Still, I'm happy my sister is taking a “wait and see" approach about college -- she agrees it's just not the same if you're a commuter student -- encouraging her firstborn to apply to his dream school as well as local colleges. (AJ doesn’t know it, but I’ve already been in touch with an adviser where he wants to go.) Depending on what kind of financial aid/scholarships he qualifies for -- his late Uncle Bill left him some money, too -- and the fact that people can mature a lot in one year's time, my nephew may avoid my fate. I wouldn't want to be 17 again. But it feels nice to help someone who is.


Page 1 Roundup (08/29)


























Morning Wood


Sometimes waiting in line isn't ALL BAD.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

New Life on Chelsea's Beleaguered 8th Avenue


When Bareburger closed at 18th and 8th, I assumed it was because of slow business. (The location at 14th and 6th also closed). But what do you know, it's just relocating to where Chuck and Blade was between 19th and 20th. The space is kind of cursed -- it's been nearly a dozen things since I've lived in the neighborhood -- but perhaps I'll give it a second chance now that it has a bigger dining room.


And just next door in the former home of Rocking Horse Cafe there's a Hummus Kitchen moving in. It appears to be a local chain of sorts -- the menu looks promising.

Got a tip? Write to me HERE.

Remains of the Day (08/28)


Sun-Sentinel: "Bachelorette" couple from Miami marry in Mexico

NY1: One hair stylist's mission make sure the stars of the U.S. Open look their best

Slate: Trump and the New York Times have something in common

NPR: College Board drops plans for SAT student adversity scores

Instagram: Jockstraps are for jump pages

Newsweek: A Yelp reviewer didn't want to hear about slavery on her plantation tour -- this historical interpreter has a lot to say about that


WSJ: How did I not *write* this headline?

NewNowNext: Lambda Legal calls for disbarment of Tennessee DA who refuses to recognize “homosexual marriage”

GQ: The best black jeans to wear right now

Washington Blade: Executive director of Log Cabin Republicans resigns after the group's executive board endorsed Trump

Boy Culture: More wrestling hotness

The WoW Report: I thought Leslie Jones had left "SNL" for the movies years ago


The New York Times: Orlando Suero, photographer of notables, including the Kennedys, dies at 94

HuffPost: 10 books about love and life for LGBTQ teens

Washington Post: A black TV host’s co-anchor compared him to a gorilla. He responded with compassion.

The Randy Report: Trump's approval ratings in battleground states have plunged, but is he plummeting too soon?

Socialite Life: Hunky rugby players hit the runway for Jockey underwear New Zealand fashion show

Metrosource: This is how Popeyes beat Chick-Fil-A at its signature sandwich


Hot Cat of the Day: “Obese? I prefer the term ‘excessively fluffy’” ...