It's Not Easy Being 'Blue'

Something fun happened last week. It turns out Scott Prendergast, the writer/director/costar of a film I wrote about last month called "Kabluey," is a regular reader of my blog and kindly invited to a press screening tomorrow afternoon here in New York. Meanwhile, another reader who is a film critic in Michigan wrote to let me know that he was seeing the film at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck over the weekend and just sent me a review for me to share with you guys right now.

"Kabluey," guest-reviewed by James Sanford of Mlive.com:

Salman (writer-director Scott Prendergast) is a 32-year-old hard-luck case who was recently fired from a printing company for overenthusiastic laminating. With no money and no place to stay, he moves in with his bedraggled sister-in-law Leslie (a thoroughly deglamorized Lisa Kudrow), who needs help with her kids while her husband is in Iraq on extended duty. Yes, it's a comedy built around stop-loss, and how many of those do you think you'll see this year?

The kids are mini-maniacs whose hobbies include screaming, running around the neighborhood in the nude and trashing the house. As Salman tries in vain to tame them, "Kabluey" looks like it's setting itself up to be a contemporary "Mr. Mom," an idea that's underscored by the presence of "Mr. Mom" star Teri Garr in a wacky supporting role.

But before long, Salman has landed another job, dressing up in a bulky blue costume to serve as the mascot for a failing Internet company. The humor is initially broad and slightly overplayed: A little shouting goes a long way, even in a farce. But as the screenplay goes on to touch on several serious topics (maxed-out credit cards, endless work days, the war's toll on family life, etc.) "Kabluey" turns out to be unexpectedly thoughtful and bittersweet.

Prendergast has a real eye for shot composition and finding sharp little details within a scene, such as the plastic spoon that whirls around aimlessly in Leslie's coffee cup, a perfect reflection of her own confused state of mind. As an actor, he makes great use of his disbelieving eyes and letter-perfect hangdog expression, and Kudrow -- cast against type -- is outstanding as a worn-down woman sorely in need of a little compassion. It's her best role since "The Opposite of Sex" and she makes the most of every moment.

Sounds good. I will report back my own feelings later in the week. I never watched "Friends" but loved Kudrow in "The Opposite of Sex," then loved her even more in "The Comeback" (and thought "Happy Endings" was a real treat, too), so I will be curious to see if I agree with James on this one.

"Kabluey" release dates:

NEW YORK CITY at CINEMA VILLAGE
starting July 4

LOS ANGELES at SUNSET LAEMMLE 5
starting July 11

SAN FRANCISCO at LANDMARK LUMIERE
starting Aug. 1

Official site here.

Page 1 Consider (05/29)

Color Me Intrigued: Anyone hear about this indie movie called "Kabluey"? It stars Lisa Kudrow, Scott Prendergast, Teri Garr, Christine Taylor, Conchata Ferrell, Chris Parnell, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan and is described as "a hilarious, unique, and heartfelt film that focuses on Salman (Prendergast) who comes to help his sister-in-law (Kudrow) tend to her homicidal toddlers while Salman's brother is off fighting in Iraq. Salman must take a humiliating job as a giant blue corporate mascot to help make ends meet and hold the family together." I'm soooooo there! (OfficialSite)

The Forgotten Arm: Aimee Mann has a new album coming out and she's named it for all those guys in gay bars who like to come up to you and say, "Smile." (Billboard)

The Kite Runner: Former Wimbledon finalist and '70s heartthrob Roscoe Tanner is hot water for writing bad checks again. It's a shame that I never feel sorry for people who live off their serves. (AP)

The Devil Has Good Taste: Sean Avery, hottest Vogue intern ever? (People)

Mark Your Gay Calendars: California officials are telling county clerks that they can start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on June 17. The state Office of Vital Records says it chose June 17 because the state Supreme Court has until the end of business on June 16 to decide whether to grant a stay of its ruling legalizing gay marriage. New marriage license forms also will include lines for "Party A" and "Party B" instead of bridge and groom. (AP)

Tattooed Love Boy Man: You may recall that I was sniffing around him when he was just 17, but up-and-coming French tennis player Jonathan Eysseric's He's finally legal, so feel free to check out sexy his sexy inked backside. (TSF)

Look Who's Hawking: Are you excited to read former White House press flack Scott McClellan's new memoir, "I Knew It Was a Mistake but Didn't Say Anything Until I Got a Book Deal"? (NYT)

Pink Triangles: Germany unveiled a memorial Tuesday to the Nazis' long-ignored gay victims, a monument that also aims to address ongoing discrimination by confronting visitors with an image of a same-sex couple kissing. The memorial -- a sloping gray concrete slab on the edge of Berlin's Tiergarten park -- echoes the vast field of smaller slabs that make up Germany's memorial to Jewish victims of the Holocaust, opened three years ago just across the road. (AP)

Coitus Interruptus: Didn't make it to the big "Sex and the City" movie premiere? Neither did I. But you can read all about the after-party here.

24-Karat Burger: And I thought Better Burger in Chelsea was overpriced. (AP)

Working Girl: She's awfully cute, but would you trust this nine-year-old tortoiseshell cat named "Tama" as the conductor of your train? (Yahoo).

Remains of the Day (04/24)

WSJ: It’s not you. Those "I am not a robot" tests are getting harder.

The Oregonian: Fans are campaigning to save "So Help Me Todd," Portland-set TV show that CBS canceled / Creator Scott Prendergast gets emotional about the outpouring of support HERE.

The Caftan Chronicles: Aging, friendships, loneliness, daddiness, monogamy, open relationships: Let's go deep with a gay NYC therapist

WTB: Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova is getting a divorce after 20 months of marriage

Wrestle Wednesday: Did that guy just steal the hunk's underwear and slip 'em in his bag?

People: I could go either way with these twin daddies

Variety: Cole Escola’s "Oh, Mary!" to open on Broadway after sold-out downtown run

DM: I feel like we've heard this before, it's being reported that a group of top male footballers "are planning to come out as gay and have set an announcement date for next month -- including couples in a top league"

The Athletic: Everyone loves a "high butt factor"

NYT: A man hailed as former Supreme Cindy Birdsong’s rescuer is accused of exploiting her

People: Josh Hartnett is having a(nother) moment: Check out four of his hottest Teen People covers and his adorably awkward quotes

Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama is still as awful to LGBT people as you think

The Randy Report: Caribbean island nation Dominica's high court overturns ban on same-sex relations

THR: Marcia Queer Harden to receive advocate award during GLSEN’s Respect Awards in New York

The Daily Beast: The "We’re Here" queens fought drag bans and anti-gay hate

Hot Cat of the Day: "I'm the baby in this family, kiddo,"

Teri Garr Uncensored

(NOTE: This 2008 interview with Teri Garr is making the rounds again because of Dustin Hoffman's "Tootsie" interview that has gone viral.) 

I'm not sure anyone loves Teri Garr as much as I do. It started as a young boy watching "The Sonny and Cher Show" and continued throughout my life, with memorable roles in "The Conversation," "Oh, God!," "The Bob Newhart Show," "One From the Heart," "Tootsie" and "After Hours," plus countless appearances on David Letterman and SNL. But even a fan without a restraining order against them will LOVE this lengthy interview with the A.V. Club in which the lovable actress pulls no punches -- she has MS and an aneurysm nearly killed her in 2006, so why should she? -- discussing Dustin Hoffman, Sydney Pollack, Francis Ford Coppola, Sonny Bono, Cher, her not getting the Oscar for "Tootsie" and more, plus has some great things to say about Martin Scorsese and "After Hours" (my all-time fave) and my pal Scott Prendergast, who directed her in "Kabluey." Read HERE.

Related: Are you a member of the 'After Hours' club?

Turning of the Tide

Speaking of people insisting there isn't much light between the Republican and Democratic parties. Take a look at this New York Times article Gay Marriage, a Year Later. It features my friends Scott and Daniel and look what Scott said!

Mr. Prendergast: My husband’s parents are immigrants from Korea. They were a bit hesitant and frightened by the idea of a big public wedding. They wanted us to keep the whole thing more private, discreet. It was very helpful to have the actual president of the United States on television saying this was a good thing. The tidal wave of news and social media posts about gay marriage gave us some legitimacy at the exact right moment.  

We got married three months after the Supreme Court ruling. The parents had a great time at the wedding. In the end, I think they wished they had invited more family. And despite their initial requests for discretion, the national public embrace maybe made it easier for them to tell family back in Korea.

I Wonder if She Used the 'C' Word ...

What's better than finding out one of your ALL-TIME FAVORITE actresses has a blog? (She also Twitters!) Finding out about when your friend is on it, that's what! There's the triple-threat Scott Prendergast backstage with Jane Fonda, after seeing her in the Broadway play "33 Variations" at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre. Scott's in town for work on an upcoming film he's directing (and rewrote) and is also doing some casting for yet another project. "Barefoot in the Park," "Fun With Dick and Jane" and "9 to 5" are three of my favorite movies ever (oh, and "On Golden Pond"), so I pretty much HATE Scott right now. Let's hope he calls me for lunch today and tells me ev-er-y-thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Song of the Day: 'Heatstroke' by Magic Bullets

Heard this one while re-watching my friend Scott Prendergast's 2007 film, "Kabluey," about a ne'er-do-well who comes to help his sister-in-law (Lisa Kudrow) care for her two kids while her husband is stationed in Iraq. I appreciated it a lot more this time. I'd been a bit lukewarm in 2007 because certain plot points didn't quite ring true, so I got uptight. But this time around I realized it was meant to be slapstick, so I just sort of went with it and enjoyed it a lot. It also had more heart than I remembered, which is right in my wheelhouse. The soundtrack actually has a number of good tracks, but this one seemed the most appropriate given the heatwave we're experiencing here in the city.

Sorry, No Comment(s)

Blogging inspiration is strange sometimes. You'll get an idea for a post about something and then before you can even start to write it, the topic begins to take on a life of its own.

A couple weeks ago, as I was planning for my trip out West, someone left a particularly disturbing anonymous comment. Although some bloggers like to claim that these things don't bother them, the truth of the matter is they often do. When I started this site nearly five years ago, the idea of anyone even leaving a comment -- positive or negative -- seemed pretty far-fetched. I'd only created my blog to be able to share things with my closest friends in one fell swoop and I was pretty sure none of them would even bother to read it, much less comment on it. (Suffice to say that if Facebook had been around back then I'd have never "met" most of you, which, I must tell you, would have been a huge loss for me.) Over the years, my readers have become an integral part of my blog -- some feel like friends while others have become real life "in the flesh" friends -- and there's no question 95 percent of the comments and e-mails I get are heartfelt and frequently heartwarming. (There truly is something mutually nurturing about realizing you weren't the only boy in the world who grew up wanting to be Tracy Austin and be with Sam Elliott.) But, as is often the case, that other 5 percent -- those anonymous freaks who come out in the middle of the night -- can still weigh disproportionately on a guy's psyche.

So the week leading up to my leaving for Los Angeles, I decided to do something I thought I'd never consider doing. I changed my commenting policy to require that people be logged in -- i.e. to one of the myriad ways one can be identified online -- before they could post a comment. Period. Sure, I'd already turned the moderation function on. But that still left me to read through all of the idiotic comments too, many of which would "dare" me to post them to prove that I'm not a coward. I knew this act would likely lead to no comments at all (too much of a hassle to log in, I figured), but I just wasn't in the mood to deal with it anymore.

I then left for L.A. happy with my decision, pleased knowing that my guest-blogging friend Frank -- who received his own "hate mail" while DOING ME A FAVOR in years past (some thanks!) -- would be able to fill in for me in peace.

Scott took the news hard when he found out Comment of the Day was no longer to be

No sooner was I feeling great about my decision did I end up over at my friend Scott Prendergast's apartment in Los Feliz when he mentions how my Comment of the Day "feature" was his new favorite thing on my blog. As regular readers know, I had taken to dealing with my frustration with these anonymous cowards by turning the tables on them and posting their handiwork for all to see, complete with my "take" on their efforts. While this did possibly mask my feelings and did provide a certain level of satisfaction (my intelligent readers, such as Scott, would in turn write comments blasting the commenters and thus make me feel vindicated), somehow eliminating the whole thing seemed like an even healthier choice -- until my blogger/exhibitionist tendencies realized my cool readers were now missing out on a part of my life. Had I reacted too hastily or under blogger duress?

Then, less than a week later, I read in The New York Times that a blogger in Madison, Wis., had been courted by one of her commenters and had recently accepted his marriage proposal! While I'm hardly using my blog as a substitute for Manhunt, something about this sentence in the article gnawed at me: "Certainly a blogger thrives on commenters -- who wants to declaim to an empty e-room?"

And then before I could even process it all, my pal Jesse Archer -- actor/writer and blogger extraordinaire -- ending up penning THIS POST, in which he discusses having his appearance on "Celebrity Apprentice" being written about (and linked to) by uber-blogger Andy Towle:

Thanks Andy! I love Towleroad. It supplies all the information I want to know about, but i have to say that it's sometimes hard to read because of the reader comments. Thankfully, I have really great readers (thank you!) but over at Towleroad the readers are soooo insanely nasty! And you know they had their claws out for me yesterday. I just have one thing to say: I am not trying to represent you, or anyone. I'm just me!

He then goes on to suggest that these vicious commenting queens read "The Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man's World," Alan Downs' book that examines, as Jesse put it, "the reasons behind why I suddenly explode at a check-out girl, or why I sometimes cringe when I see guys even more flaming than I am. Or to know why gay men on the whole are so outrageous, why we go to the gym all the time, decorate so meticulously, dress so fashionably, sleep with so many men: We are validation-junkies!!! This book claims it's all an effort to hide and obfuscate the shame we've internalized -- not our attraction to men -- but our belief, shaped early on, that we are centrally flawed."

So I suddenly found myself at an impasse. A friend made me consider that I might be shortchanging my readers by leaving them out of a sensitive part of my life. A bride-to-be blogger made me think I might be missing out on something by interfering with my commenters. And a fellow gay blogger reminded me that these idiots anonymously lashing out at me were really just damaged goods, something I already knew but allowed my own damaged "good" to forget all too often. (By the way, Jesse. I know exactly how you feel about those Towleroad commenters -- try guest-blogging over there! -- but I actually don't think they're any "nastier" than anywhere else. There's just A LOT MORE OF THEM, which increases the likelihood of a crackpot exponentially.)

After a week away from blogging and then mulling things over on the long flight home, I returned to Chelsea on Saturday night and got right back up on the blogger chair. And what did I discover? I found out that I was right, PEOPLE DON'T SAY THE DARNEDEST THINGS when they have to sign their name to it. And my fear that requiring readers to log in would eliminate most comments couldn't have been more off-base. In fact, the comments were just as frequent, only EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM was respectful, well-written and added something to the conversation. And no, it wasn't suddenly just my "sycophants" (as one brave anonymous commenter once described my identifiable readers) posting comments. People still totally disagreed with me about my taste in movies and men and my view on politics. Yet "oddly" there hasn't been a single person who was willing to engage in the kinds of junior-high attacks that were routinely submitted when things were open-ended.

Some of you may still think what I thought when I began this journey. That a blog is a two-way street, so who am I to stop people from submitting their opinions -- especially people who dislike me. But it's taken me this long -- and, I'll admit it, a number of sleepless nights -- to realize that I didn't begin kenneth in the (212) so others could use me as a punching bag. I know I say things that aren't always kind -- but my name is clearly identified as the person saying it. (I can dish it out. But I CAN also take it -- if I know where it's coming from.)

In fact, I was once been barred from commenting on Gawker for making a crack about Cynthia Nixon's girlfriend looking like Prince Harry. But I got them to reinstate me when I pointed out that their charge of "anonymous slander" (apparently what I said was MUCH WORSE than their calling her "a big ol' dyke" in the headline) was dubious at best given the fact that my comment came "complete with my name, photo and link to my Web site."

Honestly, I'm not trying to stop anyone from bad-mouthing me. God knows I deserve it as much as the next blogger. But I'm no longer willing to provide a forum for others to bash me. (Why not start your own site if you're that consumed with hating me? THAT might even be flattering!). If you have something to say to me, you're 100 percent welcome to do so. But you're going to have to do it in a way that I know who you are. Or until my skin gets a little thicker again and I'm in the mood to bring the hilarious Comment of the Day back. Anything for Scott ...

Remains of the Day (05/17)

Vanity Fair: The rise, rise, rise of Glen Powell

The Randy Report: Liechtenstein’s Parliament legalizes same-sex marriage

MetroWeekly: It's always extra depressing when someone so hot is so awful

Vogue: At 78, Debbie Harry proves the punk manicure has no age limit

NYP: "GMA3" host DeMarco Morgan is a man, so what's he supposed to do with his junk when riding a bike?

Scott Prendergast: These would have been the first two pages of Season 3 of "So Help Me Todd" 

WaPo: As much as I'd like to be moved by the reunion of Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson, the fact that nothing was actually resolved sure makes it sound like it's only because the taxman came a-callin'. (God, Ann's husband sounds like a nightmare.)

Boy Culture: Matt Dallas finally offers up his first explicit nude sex scene

CNBC: Supreme Court Justice Alito urged to step off election case over U.S. flag controversy

AP: A Chicago teen entered college at 10. At 17, she earned a doctorate from Arizona State

The Advocate: Adult LGBT role models are instrumental to our youth's mental health

Out: Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal just had an "All of Us Strangers" reunion and we wish we were invited

Athletic: "Perfect Match" traces relationship between Steffi Graf and her bald husband

THR: Alexander Skarsgård Joins Harry Melling in kinky romance "Pillion"

NBC News: Once again, I hate guns. But I hate it even more that Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas thinks it's fine to kill a BLM protester for having one.

People: Woman found living in supermarket store sign with computer and coffee maker for a year, Michigan police say

NYP: Organizers pull plug on NYC-Dublin portal -- for now -- as raunchy behavior runs rampant

Speedo Sunday: Four men plus one very eager to please

Hot Cats of the Day: Hollywood cat-tle call, circa 1961

Gimme Shelter: A house Larry David would be proud of!

RIP: Dabney Coleman -- who along with Pat Harrington's Schneider apparently made every gay boy of a certain age tingle (I used to think it was just me!) -- has died at 92

Calendar: Five-time Grammy Award–winning soprano Renée Fleming takes the stage with Rosanne Cash to discuss "Music and Mind," Fleming's new book to which Cash contributed an essay

Soup to Nuts

Just woke up and am still pinching myself about last night's event at Book Soup. Will write a more extensive post when I get home, but I do want to thank everyone who came out to support me and my memoir -- and give a special shout-out to my friend Scott Prendergast for moderating. Saw so many friendly faces from the past and got to meet so many new and equally friendly faces. I'm truly touched and want you all to know how much it meant to me. Now it's time to go to the pool! 

'Kabluey': War on the Homefront

Just wanted to give a quick shout-out to my new BFF, Scott Prendergast, whose debut film, "Kabluey," just got a great review in The New York Times! (One might even call it "rave"-ish!) I saw this indie "melan-comedy" a couple of weeks ago and found it to be fun and oddly endearing. Scott -- who wrote, directed and starred -- shines as the hapless Salman, a hopelessly unemployed man-child who comes to "help out" his brother's distraught wife (the always-wonderful Lisa Kudrow) and two wild young sons when his brother's National Guard service is extended in Iraq. Things take a funny and surprisingly poignant turn when Salman goes to work as the giant blue mascot at the failing Internet company where his sister-in-law also works.

"Kabluey" opens July 4 in Manhattan; July 11 in Los Angeles; July 25 in Austin, Texas; and Aug. 1 in San Francisco. Check back on the official site to see if it's coming to a theater near you.

Teri Garr, Star of ‘Young Frankenstein’ and ‘Tootsie,’ Dead at 79

I've been meaning to mention that the early '90s gem "Dream On" is now streaming on the Roku Channel -- God it's good! -- and now I'm remembering to do so with the sad news of the passing of the inimitable Teri Garr, who stars in a memorable arch at the beginning of the third season of the HBO series. Rest in peace, funny lady. I will love you forever in "The Conversation," "Oh, God!," "The Bob Newhart Show," "One From the Heart," "Tootsie," "After Hours" and so on. And I'll think of you each time I use my plaster of Paris bagel and cream cheese paperweight. xo

My condolences to David Letterman, who had this to say about his favorite guest:

"Teri Garr’s many appearances on 'Late Night' gave it a cache and importance not possible without her. She was a first class actor and comedian and a lovely human being. A bright star and a real friend to the show. I was lucky to know her. She elevated all, and I’m sad she is gone."

My friend Scott (of "So Help Me Todd" fame) remembers her on his Instagram page:

I had the honor of directing Teri Garr’s last feature film. When I first went to meet her, she walked up to me in a restaurant and said “I’m looking for Scott Prendergast?” I was so stunned to be standing in front of her – to be hearing my favorite actress say my actual name – that I was unable to form a coherent reply. 

I had a small but pivotal role for her in my tiny indie movie (KABLUEY). She would play Suze, a woman mysteriously terrorized by a blue mascot costume. The casting made sense to me, because Teri Garr often played women dropped into “zany” situations: a woman whose husband saw God (OH GOD), a woman whose husband saw aliens (CLOSE ENCOUNTERS), a woman whose boyfriend dressed as a woman to get work (TOOTSIE), a woman whose boyfriend was attempting to resurrect the dead (YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN), a career woman watching her husband unravel at home (MR. MOM). 

In all these films, she stands in for the audience, witnessing strange behavior and reacting like we would – with disbelief, with concern, with flummoxed rage. Her characters were the everywoman, the perfect All-American Mom, your favorite off-beat girlfriend. A reporter once said about her, “She wasn’t quite the girl-next-door, she was more like the girl-next-door to the girl-next-door.” Something unusual happened to that girl, to all her characters, and she had to muddle through, to put up with it, had to smile and play along. She had a way of giving a wry and skeptical look to insane behavior, a look that said “Well…OK.” 

Tonight, on a loop, I'll watch her shriek reaction to Dustin Hoffman "telling her the truth" in TOOTSIE, and her masterpiece "you idiot" look to Randy Quaid in OUT COLD -- a singularly perfect comic moment, singled out by Pauline Kael in a review that propelled college-age-me down to a theater on St. Marks Place in New York to see the film. I went to see every Teri Garr movie. I always stayed up to see her on Letterman. Hearing her name in random conversations throughout my life I would feel a swell of love and pride, like someone had mentioned my hometown. 

She was Teri Garr. She was our Teri Garr. And we will always love, cherish and remember Teri Garr.

And Sandra Bernhard writes:

S.P. Burke remembers:

Remains of the Day (11/22)

CN: As far as deranged assailants go, I could do worse

THR: How low must your IQ be to go after Ron Livingston because his Berger character broke up with Carrie Bradshaw on a Post-It? 

Instinct: Hunky Chris Appleton candidly shares coming out story

Deadline: "So Help Me Todd" creator Scott Prendergast sets light procedural "Pennies" at Fox 

Saturday 'Stache: Did somebody say blond and built?

Queerty: There's hope that comedian Anthony Jeselnik is at the very least bisexual 

IG: I think Adrienne Iapalucci meant to say "nonbinary" ... even though it's definitely not a fad (ICYMI)

Meme Spirited: Does the way you sit reveal your sexual-position preference?

The Randy Report: Further proof that this country's justice system is hanging on by a thread

Boy Culture: Jonathan Bailey's "Bridgerton" butt and beyond

Programming Insider: On this day in 1975 CBS aired the classic “Bob Newhart Show" episode where Bob and his friends get together on Thanksgiving and, while drunk, try to order “moo goo gai pan"

People: Mark Consuelos goes nearly naked in Stuart Weitzman campaign 

Greg in Hollywood: Wishing Billie Jean King a happy 81st birthday

MetroWeekly: Crowd cheers as trans women beaten in Minneapolis

Speedo Sunday: Feast your eyes on Bryce Chapman in a sporty little number

Hot Cats of the Day: This is how Damian and I like to sleep with Harvey

Song of the Day: Al Green covers R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts"

Charge.org: Hear! Hear! There's already a petition to bring back HBO's "Somebody Somewhere," which is one hell of a series

Have you joined BLUESKY yet?

Song of the Day: 'Dreaming' by Green Day

Just came across this yesterday. I had never even heard of Green Day until Jane Wiedlin wrote "Unforgiven" with Billie Joe Armstrong for "God Bless the Go-Go's" in the early aughts. (I know. But I was in a musical blackout from 1993-1998 when dating a Colombian -- and they never came on my radar when I finally escaped!) In fact, I was at the Eagle in early 2009 with Scott Prendergast and Billy Eichner when we ran into a theater friend of theirs who explained he was working on the Broadway musical "American Idiot" and I snickered, suggesting he better have another job lined up for the week after its premiere. (Oops.) So with that in mind, this probably isn't as thrilling to me as it should be. But I do appreciate that the male pronouns were left intact on this gender-flip cover of what is arguably Blondie's best single, if not best song altogether. Check it out:

Listening/purchasing info HERE.

Remains of the Day (01/07)

Breaking News: Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office.

If he declines, they said, Democrats are prepared to impeach Trump a second time. https://t.co/r4UNXthTTU

— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 7, 2021

Speaker of the House: Remove Trump with 25th Amendment or we will impeach him, again 

Large white male, red hat, lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. https://t.co/hFnyC92FYx

— rosanne cash (@rosannecash) January 7, 2021

D.C. police release photos of Trump mob members wanted on federal charges

They don’t do active shooter drills at the US capitol? Or is that only for middle & high schoolers?

— Franchesca Ramsey (@chescaleigh) January 6, 2021

Capitol breach -- with videos that appeared to show officers allowing rioters in -- prompts urgent questions about security failures 

Biden/Harris's justice team is so beyond impressive: Merrick Garland, Lisa Monaco, Vanita Gupta & Kristen Clarke speaking was what I needed today: https://t.co/DhQnXXnD3H pic.twitter.com/01JhzMfV06

— Matthew Rettenmund (@mattrett) January 7, 2021

Biden announces Justice Department picks 

"Your resume has a gap from 2017 to 2021, what were you doing in those years?"

"I was in prison"

"You're sure you weren't in the Trump administration?"

"Prison. I was in prison" https://t.co/TNjDnWnK7b

— The Democrat Machine (@DemocratMachine) January 7, 2021

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is first Trump Cabinet member to quit after riot 

Merrick Garland, this morning: Finally, it's Merrick's day to shine!

— CJ Ciaramella (@cjciaramella) January 6, 2021

Yesterday's thought bubble! 

Now I’m waiting for a thousand stories with BLACK rural diners and BLACK suburban soccer moms in Georgia and why the Republicans did so poorly and how they need to change.

— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) January 6, 2021

Let’s take a closer look at Trump’s supposedly intimidating 74 million vote total 

Should Trump be impeached again?

“Oy,” Kamala Harris says and walks into an elevator

— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 7, 2021

By a 93-6 vote, the United States Senate has identified its six worst members.

— Del. Danica Roem (@pwcdanica) January 7, 2021

‘Co-conspirators in sedition’: Here are the names of every Republican who voted to overturn election results 

Capitol rioters could face up to 10 years in prison under Trump monument executive order https://t.co/8z5GVePnbS

— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 7, 2021

Irony is off to a strong start in 2021 

To all my queer friends who insisted that Pence "would be worse" I say this: Told you so.

— Kenneth M. Walsh (@kenneth212) January 7, 2021

Yes, his policies are just as bad. But he respects institutional norms and is not an insane narcissist, which is why it would not have "been worse."  

Lindsey Graham, Who Has Enabled Trump for Years, Rants ‘Count Me Out, Enough is Enough, I’ve Tried to Be Helpful’: WATCH https://t.co/QZGQGI2K4G pic.twitter.com/WXfebX2j98

— Towleroad (@tlrd) January 7, 2021

Guy on MSNBC just called Lindsey Graham "Trump's chief Senate fluffer"! 

Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett should have asteriks placed next to their names forever - to denote that they were placed on the SCOTUS bench by a domestic terrorist.

— Scott Prendergast (@ScottyTheP) January 7, 2021

Isabella Roberts: #AshliBabbitt was a terrorist. She was shot for committing terrorism after ample warning. She was NOT a patriot. / More about this QAnon-loving nut HERE.

Reminder: We won the House. We won the White House. And we won the Senate. But will it matter if the republic can't survive 13 more days?