Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Postcard From the Upper West Side of Minneapolis


I just walked outside my apartment and the *first* person I saw was a young guy who was also wearing a Mary Tyler Moore T-shirt(!). When I smiled and pointed it out, he was more blasé than Penny Marshall as Miss Richards's nurse neighbor, then begrudgingly agreed to a photo. And I was led to believe love is all around! 


Remains of the Day (05/31)




Wrestle Wednesday: I want one






HBO: "Being Mary Tyler Moore" is worth a watch. The documentary did a good job of finding the person who truly was neither Mary Richards nor Beth Jarrett -- the star's Oscar-nominated character in "Ordinary People" -- and charitably left out some of her late-in-life missteps. The rare photos and footage were a revelation -- I also want to be best friends with Beverly Sanders! -- although I'm still reeling at just how awful David Susskind was to her on his chat show back in the day. (WTF?) 

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Meme Spirited


😸😸😸

Remains of the Day (05/30)






Manspread Tuesday: Three tennis studs let it all hang out -- just because yesterday was a federal holiday doesn't mean you don't need your fix


Smart Pop: I think it's safe to say someone had better buy me Matt Baume's "Honey, I'm Homo: Sitcoms, Specials and the Queering of American Culture" for my impending birthday, because it was clearly written with me in mind!


Page SixBuff Orlando Bloom flaunts fit physique while vacationing in France




Hot Cat of the Day: Some girls have all the luck

Tennis Tuesday

 

Talk about star quality. More of the American-Lebanese sex bomb Hady Habib BELOW.

Monday, May 29, 2023

Happy Memorial Day

 

I'm working my day job today (and taking a break from blogging), but hope everyone is having a pleasant long weekend -- and spending a moment or two remembering all of those who gave their lives for (what's left of) our democracy. 


Having to work isn't ideal, but at least I can tune in to Roland Garros. 

Weekend Tennis Roundup


Titles for Fils, Svitolina, Jarry and Bronzetti. Plus all the ATP beef that's fit to post BELOW.


Sunday, May 28, 2023

Sunday Comics


Bah -- there's always a way to make it work!

Friday, May 26, 2023

Meme Spirited

 

Sounds like it paid off, with Siouxsie doing a make-up set in Pasadena after a storm forced the original gig to be canceled! 

Remains of the Day (05/26)






Saturday 'Stache: Cheers, handsome!





The Gay Curmudgeon: How to survive a job search









Free Rides


In case you hadn't noticed, it's Fleet Week in New York City! 

On the Rag, Vol. 761

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


Thursday, May 25, 2023

Remains of the Day (05/25)







GCN: The cult of masculinity










Hot Cat of the Day: Here's my friend's cat, Flora, watching her favorite reality TV show! 

Madonna's 40 Biggest Singles


This fun Billboard list of Madonna's 40 biggest Hot 100 hits popped up on social media the other day and I'm obsessing over it like I'm 15. I'm not entirely sure how it works -- I'd always heard "Take a Bow" was her "biggest" single -- but the column saying "adjusted points" explains what makes this list slightly different. 


Of note: "Take a Bow" was on the Hot 100 the longest (a whopping 30 weeks) while "Rescue Me" was her shortest (just eight weeks). If you had asked me to rattle off what I thought were her 10 biggest hits, this list sounds about right. (As much as I adore "Live to Tell," I love that even after all these years, "Crazy for You" is still such a popular ballad, because it takes me back to high school.)


"Papa Don't Preach" is still my least favorite of her biggies, although I've come to appreciate it a bit over the years, especially when Roger did a gender-flipped cover on "American Dad."


Also a tad disappointing to not see "Beautiful Stranger" on the list -- apparently it wasn't officially released in the U.S., only charting because of airplay -- which is far and away better than several of these, most notably "Hanky Panky," "Oh Father" and the dreaded "La Isla Bonita." (Not even sure why that one sticks in my craw the way it does, along with another fan favorite: "Human Nature"!) The advent of the "airplay only" chart and death of the single were the beginning of the end of Billboard charts for me, and "Beautiful Stranger" might have been the canary in the coal mine … all of which is to say it should have been No. 1 and is a million times better than all 150 of Drake’s No. 1 “hits.”


Knowing how Madonna allegedly feels about "Causing a Commotion" makes its placement at No. 14 sort of amusing. And since I'm just riffing, I'll add that if it were up to me, "Borderline" would be Top 10. (That it was my brother Bill's favorite Madonna song only adds to my love of it.) And "Angel," "Ray of Light," "Cherish" and its fraternal twin, "True Blue," would also all have been even more popular than they were.

Please share your picks and pans in the comments!


See my ranking of Madonna's albums HERE.


UPDATE: I was just pointed to Billboard's "Chart History" feature, which puts "Borderline" at the top. (Is my brother Bill editing from that newsroom in the sky?) The rankings seem to use total number of weeks on the Hot 100 as the only criteria, which technically would make it a tie with "Take a Bow" ... but I can take yes for an answer! 

Page 1 Roundup (05/25): World Mourns Death of Tina Turner

 






















Candles and flowers are placed outside the gate of Tina Turner's home in Küsnacht, Switzerland.





And how adorable are Tina and Marvin Gaye on "Shindig" performing a mashup of "I'll Be Doggone" and "Money"?