Page 1 Consider (02/02)

Ugly on the Inside: HBO is reportedly developing a biopic of Anita Bryant, whose career as a former beauty queen turned singer and orange juice pitchwoman was overshadowed by her hateful work as anti-gay activist. "Sex and the City" creator Darren Star is on board to direct so you know it's going to be good. (Anyone have any good casting ideas?) (Hollywood Reporter)

Fasten Your Seat Belts: President Clinton truly wanted gays to be able to serve openly in the military when he took office in 1993. Will today's initial calling off of the dogs be the start of the fulfillment of that promise made on the campaign trail 18 years ago, or is it just the beginning of yet another major disappointment? (Boston)

Scandal Rag: You can thank novelist James Ellroy and his lurid masterpiece "L.A. Confidential" for inspiring Henry E. Scott's marvelous pop history "Shocking True Story," which details the rise and fall of 1950s scandal rag Confidential. The result is incredibly timely, what with TMZ and Gawker, and the National Enquirer's coverage of John Edwards' love child. Like it or not, these are gossip's glory days. (USA Today)

Cliffhanger: As we await closing arguments and a verdict in the federal lawsuit challenging Prop. 8’s legality, California state Sen. Mark Leno introduced a new bill that protects clergy who don’t want to perform marriage ceremonies that conflict with their beliefs. (SFBG)

Most Popular Films: We keep hearing about "Titanic" and "Avatar" being the highest grossing films of all time. But don't let the box office receipts -- adjusted or not -- fool you. WAY MORE people saw "Gone With the Wind," "The Graduate," "The Sting," "101 Dalmatians" and so on. It's the number of people that counts -- not the money spent on tickets. (USA Today)

Liberal Bellwether: Howard Kurtz tries to decide if there is a deeper meaning behind Jon Stewart's Obama barbs on "The Daily Show." "He's clearly become an important cultural arbiter," says Robert Lichter, director of the Center for Media and Public Affairs. "He's pulled off the trick of being taken seriously when he wants to be and taken frivolously when he wants to be." (WaPo)

Honest to God: While Stuart Elliott tries to make sense of the Tim Tebow & Mom Superbowl ad, I suggest we all just pray for the Big Gator to disappear into the Canadian Football League. (Maybe he can perform free circumcisions up there, too.) (NYT)

Miss Congeniality: The answer to the question could Sandra Bullock win the Oscar and the Razzie in the same year is clearly yes. What I'm not sure about is which of her crap films would win which. (The Envelope)

On the Rag, Vol. 879

This week's rag 'n' mag roundup features Josh O'Connor, Michael Musto, Charlie Hunnam, 6-foot-3 Malik Delgaty, Miles Heizer, Niecy Nash and more BELOW

On the Rag, Vol. 910

This week's rag 'n' mag roundup features Michael Johnston, Tom Holland, Belmont Cameli, Stephen Kalyn, Anna Camp, Michael Urie and more BELOW.

A Train Pigs Three-Course Meal

Here's hoping he's too chicken to do this again

As much as I'd love to claim that I'm the genius behind the blog Train Pigs -- "Exposing subway eaters. One mouthful at a time." -- I'm really not. (The "How to Capture and Expose Your Pig" tab really has people suspicious.) For those who don't live in New York City, eating on the train may not seem like such a violation, but when you're trapped in a small space with hundreds of people and someone has oil and vinegar on their salad, or fried anything, the stench can be overwhelming, not to mention how loud they can be (smackers love subways) and the rats their messes attract. Posting these three pigtastic videos probably isn't going to bolster my claim of innocence much -- the Doughnut Pig uses the glaze-covered napkin to wipe off her face! -- but I swear they're from "a friend." (The true owner of transpigs.com is hopelessly tech unsavvy and doesn't seem to know how to upload them on the site, so I consider this an act of public service.) As great as the videos are, it's my friend Christopher's captions that always leave me hungry for more. And if you think he and the blogger behind it all are being a bit harsh, here's an idea: Don't eat on the fucking subway!

Visit all the Train Pigs HERE.



"Do not fuck with this chick. She is very serious about her cruller, not caring at all where her flakes of dried corn syrup fall. Watch her gear up for the mondo last bite at :30, when she inhales half her beasty feast in one giant chomp -- then immediately inserts her sugar-coated finger in her ear! But like they tell the kids these days, IT GETS BETTER. The dainty napkin also doubles as a sweat rag, and she does some impressive chugging of nuclear-red soda. Ah, breakfast of champions at her kitchen table on the 1 train."

"Mama needed her roughage on the downtown C, so she unleashed a surprisingly noisy salad. I hadn't planned on filming her for quite so long, because I really only wanted to see her stuff the giant artichoke heart in her maw, which she saved until almost the last bite. Dessert! Note the smooth mouth-wiping technique at :51 and 1:21. Who needs napkins when your greasy fingers will do?"



"Girlie and her friend were loving themselves sick with the Wendy's fries, making a big greasy stink in the E train. She really went to town licking up every last bit of salt and lard off her little hooves."

Paul Weller Gives the People What They Don't Want in NYC

Michael and I saw Paul Weller on Friday night at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square. Decked out in a pinstripe suit and a blue-striped tie, Paul looked and sounded like a million bucks, as he had when I met him earlier in the week at the WSJ Cafe. While we had a great time -- his backup band was in excellent form and there was even an orchestra section! -- there did come a point in the evening when I started to feel like he was being unnecessarily cruel to his loyal fans.Like any artist who's been around a long time -- much less one that released his first album in 1977 and has essentially put out a new record every other year since, not to mention hundreds of b-sides -- I realize it's impossible to please everyone. Especially if you're an artist who detests nostalgia.

But to play some 34 songs -- including opening with your new LP, "Sonik Kicks," in its entirety, 14 straight with not so much as a "Hello" -- and then to still barely touch on any of your older material did seem rather mean-spirited. Not only did he ignore all but one of The Jam's legendary hits -- the ballad "English Rose" was thrown into the acoustic set, and the No. 1 "Town Called Malice" was in the encore -- he did ZERO songs from the Style Council years (my personal favorite). I've seen him throw "Shout to the Top" in before, but nada this night. And even if you wanted to argue that "it was a Paul Weller show," he only did TWO songs from his own best-of CD(!), which essentially turned the show into a solo album-tracks showcase.

(Speaking of cruelty to his fans, was it completely necessary for the woman on my right to spend the entire evening taking PHOTOS with her gigantic iPad? The light was a nagging distraction, but more than anything I just wanted to pull her aside and say, "What is WRONG with you?") 

As fanatical as the crowd was -- there were Weller-emblazoned Union Jacks hanging from the balconies -- this decision frequently alienated them, and they started to talk and get restless. This, of course, had me screaming inside to myself: Why not do "Going Underground"? Why not do "That's Entertainment"? Why not do "Eton Rifles"? Why not do "Start!"? Why not do "The Bitterest Pill"? Why not do "Beat Surrender"? You have the ability to make 2,100 people EXTREMELY HAPPY, yet you're choosing not to. I'll never be a legendary musician , but I truly do not understand what they get out of not giving their fans what they want -- especially after they had been so incredibly patient during a 45-minute opening set of your new album. Oddly, just like when we saw Paul in 2008, one of the highlights of the show wound up coming from the audience instead of the stage. This time, these three overly excited brothers were just being completely and utterly obnoxious -- bumping into everyone and turning a camera on themselves to film themselves "at the show," paying no attention to how rude they were being to those around them. A former colleague of mine named Joe happened to be standing near us -- we didn't know each other, but he recognized me and we started chatting -- while these shenanigans were going on. The next thing we knew, Joe grabbed one of the brothers like a rag doll and shoved him across the floor, instructing him to stop acting like an asshole. (The guy's defense? "Come on, bloke. We're British.") It was one of those "My Bodyguard" moments where you see how the other half lives -- those who aren't too weak and too scared to stand up for themselves. It's not that I'm advocating violence, but this asshole needed to be straightened out -- and Joe was just the guy do to the job. Everyone in the area thanked Joe, and treated him like he was a hero! (You may recall nearly the EXACT same thing happened in 2008 back when the place was called the Nokia Theater.) I'd be lying if I didn't say this was more entertaining than large chunks of the concert.

In the end, Paul (wisely) ended the show with an "In the City" / "Art School" one-two punch, from the Jam's debut, and everyone went home happy. Still, I'm not sure I will be returning anytime soon. Even the "Jam" and "Style Council" nights he promised at Irving Plaza back in 2007 turned out to be misrepresented, a handful of old songs and then a lengthy solo show, which proves you can never go home again -- especially if Paul's the one holding the keys.

P.S. Here are clips from when I met Paul last week.

Paul also did a special show at the old CBGB location, now home of John Varvatos. Here's a clip of him performing "In the City" and "Art School":

More photos and setlist HERE.

On the Rag, Vol. 915

This week's rag 'n' mag roundup features Nick Novak, Yuri Almeida, Michael Bradway, Anna Camp, Abdul El-Sayed and more BELOW.

On the Rag, Vol. 885

This week's double-wide rag 'n' mag roundup features Pedrin, Jack Fowler, Weslley, Jaymes Vaughan, Jonathan Bennett, Sandra Bernhard, the hot guy from "All’s Fair" and more BELOW. 

On the Rag, Vol. 882

 

Jonathan Bailey, Peter Daut, Matt Bomer, Romeo Beckham and more in this week's rag 'n' mag roundup BELOW.

On the Rag, Vol. 916

This week's rag 'n' mag roundup features Parker Van Noord, Crush Daddy, James Norton, Simone Deromedis, Lorenzo Musetti, the men of Mounderwear and more BELOW.

On the Rag, Vol. 6: Madonna Edition

A weekly look at what's on the cover of New York's free gay rags:

With Madonna in town for a week of shows, it's only natural that the free gay weeklies would feature her royal highness on their covers. While the reviews from the first show have been surprisingly ambivalent -- even Matt's not ready to call it love at first sight -- surely you have an opinion as to which cover did Madonna better. (Kudos to HX, for the "flip" front to its Gay Erotic Expo supplement. While either side could technically be considered the cover, we all know -- as is often the case -- that this sexy cover boy really belongs on the bottom ...)

Read all "On the Rag" posts here.

On the Rag, Vol. 875

This week's rag 'n' mag roundup features Aaron Fuller, Artemus Muah, Rock Biggs, Jackie Beat, Andy Bell and more -- plus I've added publications from the 10+ biggest cities in the country BELOW.

On the Rag, Vol. 858

 

This week's rag 'n' mag roundup features Jon Hamm, Benito Skinner, Luke Evans, Jonathan Groff, Kitt Williamson and more BELOW.

On the Rag, Vol. 873

 

This week's rag 'n' mag roundup features Freddie Stroma, Alan Ritchson, Tiago Luzes, Anrdy Hernández Romero, Ethan Hawke, Dylan O'Brien and more BELOW.

On the Rag, Vol. 911

 

This week's rag 'n' mag roundup features Filipe Renan, Nicholas Galitzine, Dermot O’Leary, Louis Tomlinson, the founders of a lifestyle brand inspired by '80s erotica and more BELOW.

On the Rag, Vol. 854

 

This week's double-wide rag 'n' mag roundup is about as stuffed as Walton Goggins's banana briefs, featuring a sex bomb named Rustin; Carnal+ exclusive Grant Ducati; the hottest Polish American since John Krasinski; a red-headed road trip; 25 albums turning 25 in 2025; Nathan Lee Graham; Baltic babe Arnas Fedaravicius; and much more BELOW.

On the Rag, Vol. 812

In bed with Kevin Gregory; Dolly Parton is finally getting her due; the Castro Theatre receives an overhaul; and more in this week's rag 'n' mag roundup BELOW.

On the Rag, Vol. 914

This week's rag 'n' mag roundup features Carl Cashman, Edgars Snepsts, Bailey O'Brien, Margaret Cho, On Mekahel, Max Knott and more BELOW.

On the Rag, Vol. 872

"Boots" star Miles Heizer; DNA's hottest men in 2025; Nyle DiMarco; calendars for 2026; the late Frank Maya; Victoria Falls; Holger Rune; a Jason Priestley flashback; and more in this week's rag 'n' mag roundup BELOW.

On the Rag, Vol. 876

 

This week's rag 'n' mag roundup features Pierson Fode, Oliver Stark, Jordan E. Cooper, Tyriq Withers, James Van Der Beek and more BELOW.

On the Rag, Vol. 822

(Check back for updates as more covers are released.)

The best sex toys for men; on the tour bus with Chappell Roan; transgender leaders rising; and more in this week's rag 'n' mag roundup BELOW.