Saturday, July 31, 2021

German Engineering


Say what you will about the brilliance of Roger, Rafael and Serena, but none of them ever came close to accomplishing what Steffi Graf did in 1988. (Talk about pressure!) Novak still has a shot at the Grand Slam, but even he couldn’t match Steffi’s mettle. 


P.S. What Djokovic’s loss to Alexander Zverev showed more than anything is just how different men's tennis would likely be if the majors were best of 3 instead of best of 5.




Saturday 'Stache

 

Two weeks ago I featured a mustachioed hunk who had been tortured and murdered along with his eight-months-pregnant wife -- so you can imagine my surprise when I was watching "Dateline NBC" the same weekend and stumbled upon this kid. More BELOW.

Friday, July 30, 2021

My Abusive Relationship With Giacomo

 

Because no complaint is too minute to share on the internet, please allow me to vent. I'm starting to wonder if some small businesses -- the owners of whom we have been raised to worship -- fail for a reason. 

Latest case in point: When we moved to the Upper West Side in May we went out of our way to seek out the mom-and-pop shops in our area. One place in particular stood out -- Giacomo Fine Foods -- because it not only looked like it could be our new coffee joint, it also had an incredible-looking menu of takeout sandwiches. 

I work second shift so normally take my "lunch" at 5 p..m. Two weeks ago I went to Giacomo's at about 5 o'clock and though the door was open, the guy (I presume to be the owner or at least manager) barked: "We closed at 5." 

Thrown off, I said, "Oh, it says you're open until 6 online." 

"That's OLD," he scoffed, because it's my fault that his Google listing is outdated.

Today I decided to try again, so I went over there at 4:30. Again, the door was open -- they're open till 5, according to Mr. Friendly -- only this time the cashier cut me off mid-order to tell me "the sandwich station is closed." 

"Is this something new?" I asked, knowing Damian had successfully gotten sandwiches from there last week at the same time. (They were really good, which is why I was back.) 

"No," she replied, shifting her body as if I had tried to steal something out of her purse. "We'll be open again tomorrow." (Mr. Friendly looked up from behind the station in back of her, scowling again.)

No apology. No "we're sorry, we clean up early on Friday." No explanation of any kind. Instead, both times they made me feel like I had done something wrong by trying to patronize the business. 

Stunned again, I ended up in a Rite Aid to buy some odds and ends and there was a Starbucks next door. Inside I bought a sandwich and chips. The employees were also rude to me, but at least I was able to fill my stomach and get back to work.

UPDATE:


I'm not a fan of online reviews but I took a peek and apparently this is his brand of homespun charm!


UPDATE 2:


Because I always have to do everything myself, I just got Giacomo's hours fixed on Google Maps. (Was that so fucking hard?)


On the Rag, Vol. 669

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












Song of the Day: 'W.M.' (Initial Talk Remix) by Tom Aspaul Featuring Kim Wilde


Here are a couple of fun ones for fellow Kim Wilde fans: Both are collaborations with Tom Aspaul, an openly gay writer, producer and performer who has penned songs for a host of artists including Kylie Minogue. "W.M." is my favorite of the two, which is a remix of a song that originally appeared on Tom's solo debut, "Black Country Disco." (He followed it up with remix album, cleverly titled "Black Country Discotheque.") And the second is a new track included on Kim's upcoming retrospective, "Pop Don't Stop," due Aug. 6.


This whole arrangementt reminds me a bit of another talented gay musician getting to work with his dream diva -- Mr. Gabe Lopez, who wrote and produced the track "Sun" a few year ago for Belinda Carlisle who returned the favor. Didn't I hear murmurs of another collaboration between those two?


Tom Aspaul: "W.M." featuring Kim Wilde (Initial Talk Remix)


Kim Wilde: "You're My Karma" featuring Tom Aspaul

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Hot Cat of the Day: Harvey's cousin Leo knows where they keep the good stuff.

Oly Wood

 

Arno Kamminga is what we call a Dutch treat. Shirt comes off BELOW.

Thursday, July 29, 2021

Tweet Nothings

What a twisted individual. Glad he won't be able to harm anyone else. 

Love any and all MTV nostalgia 

😁 

I wanna have a witty response, but this sure seems like a fake 

Congrats! 

Fell asleep as it looked like she was going to lose to Rybakina. What a difference a night makes! 

Time to bribe these morons

Mask4Masc

 

Enjoying all of Gus Kenworthy's Olympics coverage I see on Instagram. Perhaps his finest moment BELOW.

Thursday Ad Watch

 
Find out what Eagles tight end -- and fetching new bleach blond -- Zach Ertz's Sleep Number is BELOW.

Song of the Day: 'Walking Down Your Street' by the Bangles


I was reminded of this quirky clip featuring Little Richard(!) by reading what I now believe to be definitive piece on the history of the Bangles on Chris O’Leary's blog called 64 Quartets, which somehow left me -- who bought the gals' debut EP in 1982, saw them open for the Psychedelic Furs in 1984, attended their reunion show on the Sunset Strip in 2000, produced a compilation of their rarities in 2004, befriended Annette Zilinskas on Facebook, and have attended every tour and meet-and-greet since -- feeling like a Bangles neophyte. Set aside a couple hours to read and click through on all the wonderful links HERE.

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Oly Wood


With thanks to Chad, today's Olympic pick is American swimmer Caeleb {sic} Dressel -- who just happened to win a gold medal last night! More BELOW.

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Tweet Nothings

Your free smile of the day 

Sending all my lovin' to his friends and family ... all my hugs and kisses, too  

"Food must be pretty bad if they’re actively seeking customers who can’t taste anything." -- A friend 

Correction: Robert will kill them 

As seen on TV 

Yikes. I wonder if it will portray his horrific (alleged) abuse of mom Oracene Price 

Nole pursues history

Wrestle Wednesday

 

This one's gonna make you sweat. See BELOW.

Song of the Day: 'On the Wrong Side' by Lindsey Buckingham


Today's pick is a great new one by exiled Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, from his upcoming self-titled solo album. The song features his trademark guitar work, while contemplating the final chapters of life. 
"'On the Wrong Side' is about the peaks and valleys of life on the road with Fleetwood Mac," Buckingham said in a statement. "The song evokes 'Go Your Own Way,' in that it’s not a happy song, subject-matter wise, but it was an ebullient song musically. This was sort of the same idea."
Although I have seen Mr. Big Love live twice with Fleetwood Mac, I'm thinking itt would be wise to catch him on his recently announced solo tour. He's 71 and underwent open-heart surgery a couple years ago, so he definitely fits my criteria of people I'd go out of my way to see now.


Page 1 Roundup (07/28)

BREAKING:


This is probably for the best. I know when I called in sick for work then showed up at my office Christmas party later that night in ‘98, my boss was not amused. πŸ˜†


























Hot Cat of the Day: "Excuse me, what is going on here????"

Oly Wood


I really should have started this on Monday -- there's certainly never any shortage of eye candy at the Olympics -- but leave it to Turkissh gymnast Ibrahim Colak to finally make me fly right. More BELOW.

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Tweet Nothings

Always 

My classmate played Ralph in "Just One of the Guys

As if I could love her any more, how adorable is this woman? 

☝☝☝ 

Is it Wednesday yet? 

Upsets aren't just for women 

Never thought I would live to see Nole eating cafeteria food! 

A living legend. 

Tennis Tuesday

 

I wonder if Vladislav needs any help with his stroke production? Huh-huh. More BELOW.

Song of the Day: 'The One That You Love' by Air Supply


With thanks to RetroNewsNow for reminding me that "The One That You Love" was the No. 1 song in the country 40 years ago this week. I can practically hear it playing on the radio of my brother Bill's Toyota Corolla as we drove to La Casita to play tennis in the thousand-degree heat in Phoenix. While the Aussie duo is largely remembered as a punchline, they still sell out concert halls around the globe, while this, "All Out of Love," "Every Woman in the World" (their second best), "Here I Am," "Sweet Dreams," "Even the Nights Are Better" plus "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" (their worst) and "Lost in Love" (their best) are still constantly played on the radio. 


Trivia: Did you know the hit version of "Lost in Love" from 1980 was actually a superior rearrangement and recording of a song that first appeared on the band's 1979 album, "Life Support," sans crazed falsetto?!!! Hear the inferior original HERE.

Page 1 Roundup (07/27)