Meme Spirited

 

Connect on Goodreads to see if the Hemingway classic made my list HERE.

Weekend Tennis Roundup

Roger Federer and Mary Carillo were inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame while Ignacio Buse and Diane Parry captured the last warmup titles before the US Open, which is now under way. Full report plus all the ATP beef that's fit to post BELOW.

Bottom Heavy

Carlos Alcaraz says that after being sidelined for four months with an injury, he expects to be himself at the U.S. Open, which starts on Sunday. Although I don't see any of these former champions giving him too much trouble, it's hard to feel super confident about his game. Please share your thoughts and predictions in the comments.

How are they with wrists? 

Love All

 

Although we're still planning our annual all-day pilgrimage to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Tuesday, my guy and I decided to splurge on (the best I've ever had) tickets for last night's mixed doubles extravaganza. 

While the new exhibitionistic format has been ripped to shreds, we ended up having a blast. 

First up was Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina against Fabio Cobolli and Belinda Bencic, who I guess have played together before in Indian Wells. It was a thriller, but the French-Ukrainian duo ended up losing in a match tiebreak, derailing their chances of becoming what I would imagine would be the first married couple to win a major in the Open era.

That was followed by Jakub Mensik and Karolina Muchova against Andrey Rublev and Mirra Andreeva, which was another nailbiter with both teams have match point before the Czech duo prevailed.

In the final, which was played moments later, Mensik and Muchova overcame some erratic play to topple the Italian-Swiss duo, 6-3, 1-6, [10-6] in the only match that featured traditional sets, but still a match tiebreak. 

It was great to see gay tennis icon and current USTA president Brian Vahaly on hand to hand out the trophies, where Muchova joked that in the end it was her team's "matching outfits" that made the difference!

And even better, was getting to celebrate my three-year wedding anniversary with this sweet man, whom I would not have met without the sport we both love! xo

On the Rag, Vol. 922

 

This week's rag 'n' mag roundup features Luke Evans, Brett Goldstein, David Sedaris, Dolly Parton, Harry Styles, Paul W. Downs and more BELOW.

Men's Health: How Brett Goldstein got into leading-man shape at 46 ... watch HERE

Remains of the Day (08/26)

People: Praying for this personal trainer's full recovery -- or at least enough that he could be easily taken advantage of

The Grio: Everton Blair, Georgia's first out man elected to Congress, reflects on making black LGBTQ history in the South

PinkNews: Ghana Anglican Church officially speaks out against country’s new anti-LGBTQ laws

Boystack: Tim Curry, the original Dr. Frank-N-Furter in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," dies at 80

Wrestle Wednesday: Anyone else want to give him a massage?

W42St: Like many of us, Michael Musto is suffering from post-Parton depression

WABE: Atlanta's Out on Film festival returns with over 150 LGBTQ screenings

The Randy Report: Judge strikes down Texas ban on drag: “Just don’t go”

HRC: Gay rights group honors the love, advocacy and legacy of Dolly Parton

Gr8er Days: Jaye P. Morgan, "Gong Show" favorite who was a successful recording artist in the '50s and '60s, dies at 94

Hot Cat of the Day: Nicole Kidman has a new leading man

Dolly Parton Dies at 80

Heartbreaking. Even if she hadn't written "I Will Always Love You," "Jolene,” "Two Doors Down," "9 to 5" and on and on and on, she will never be forgotten because she was such an incredible person. xo

Tennis Tuesday

 

I might need to move to São Paulo, because this strapping endocrinologist is looking for someone to play with. More BELOW.

Remains of the Day (08/24)

Mug Shot Monday: Former Upstate New York teacher sentenced to four years for sexual relationship with student

Deadline: Woody Allen, 90, to start shooting next project in Spain in October

The Caftan Chronicles: Brontez Purnell, author of "100 Boyfriends," opens up about his messy past, his reflective present and why he sometimes dreams of giving up writing to wait tables again

Page Six: Rarely seen Susan Saint James celebrates 80th birthday

Gr8er Days: Shelley Fabares -- of "Johnny Angel," “Donna Reed Show,” and “Coach” fame -- dead at 82 following a brief illness

Attitude: Guy Pearce says the long-awaited “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” sequel is expected to film in 2027 for a 2028 release, with the late Terence Stamp set to return posthumously

Washington Blade: Russian LGBTQ rights group to shut down

Queerty: “Obsession” breakout Michael Johnston looks back on the “terrifying” experience of coming to terms with being gay while playing his first gay role on “Teen Wolf”

Greg in Hollywood: "GMA Weekend" anchor Gio Benitez is back at work, but here are some of his vacation pics with hubby Tommy DiDario!

PinkNews: Gay adult performer Christian Styles dies at 29

Hot Cat of the Day: Mimi, Harvey's borderline feral cousin, is always happy to greet Uncle Damian! 

Weekend Tennis Roundup

Arthur Fils and Coco Gauff won the big one in Cincinnati. Full report plus all the ATP beef that's fit to post BELOW.

Remains of the Day (08/21)

AN5: I feel extra bad for the family of 31-year-old Conor Anderson, whose bizarre demise while on a business trip to Nashville has turned into a social-media frenzy. (FWIW: For the life of me I can't understand why the police are being blamed for not somehow "saving" him. It's not their job to provide taxi service to people -- particularly not to able-bodied grown men, no matter how hot they are.) 

MFD: Ginger daddy Mark explains the tale behind his latest cover story

TRR: A record 12% of U.S. adults now identify as "LGBTQ+," but is it really an increase if anyone can be "queer"? As Patty told Charlotte on "Sex and the City" when Miss York explained how much she identified with the lesbians who embraced her: “Sweetheart, that’s all well and nice; but if you’re not going to eat pussy, then you’re not a dyke.” 

ATP:  I'd be a lot more excited that Jannik Sinner withdrew from the U.S. Open due to knee injury if the returning Carlos Alcaraz had played a match since April

Saturday 'Stache: 6'3" 252lb. LSU defensive end Dylan Carpenter is 24 years old

Daily Mail: This tabloid isn't just pernicious, it doesn't even know what "nepo baby" means. (There is no "modeling career" and he's gotten no undue success based on his parents' fame, yet he gets to be harangued.)

Instinct: Kit Connor is Cyclops -- so are we getting the X-Men throuple?

Matt Calkins: A longtime Seattle Times sports columnist resigned after editors refused to publish his piece on transgender athletes in women's sports, further proving the left has needlessly allowed the right to turn a nonissue into a wedge that rallies conservatives and divides the thoughtful rest

GQ: The best tennis brands elevate every part of your game

Speedo Sunday: Now Rocco Ritchie is giving away free foot content

Queerty: Colton Underwood puts three beefy NFL offensive linemen through a very different kind of drill, stripping them down to their skivvies for a runway show

Out: John Stamos leaves little to the imagination in sexy bathroom selfie

Funny Girls: I think it's lovely that Rosie O’Donnell is having a moment and people are even sharing sweet things about their experiences with her. Still, there’s no shortage of irony in remembering the stories I used to hear via her driver about what a monster she could be during the heyday of her (pre-social media) talk show, not unlike a certain blond pixie whose behavior also didn't jibe with her daytime image. 

Advocate: 11 anti-LGBTQ Republicans dogged by gay rumors

Boystack: My pal Matt provides an update on Zafar Mawani and Guillermo Hidalgo, his dear friends who were found murdered in Mexico

Hot Cats of the Day: Which kitty did Madonna proudest? 

"1992": Anthony Doncque’s acclaimed gay coming-of-age short is back on Dekkoo!

"Waves" of Joy: Carly Simon's new album is a triumph on so many levels, regardless of her age (83) and physical condition (Parkinson's). What a gift!

The Bitterest Pill

Two weeks ago, when a daily pain pill (Celecoxib) was added to my morning routine following shoulder surgery, I broke down and bought one of those pill organizers like my parents have. 

I felt smug knowing that none of the medications -- omeprazole (acid reflux), escitalopram (social anxiety), The Rosacea Pill(TM)/doxycycline (vanity) and a multivitamin (I don't really believe in them, but it makes my mother-in-law happy) -- were for anything particularly age-related.

Then it dawned on me that I was using the contraption because I can't remember whether I'd taken my meds each day, and my smugness went right out the door.

On the Rag, Vol. 921

This week's rag 'n' mag roundup features Josh Daicos, Benson Boone, Mark S. King, Rob Jetten, Paul Anthony Kelly, Jacob Elordi, Charles Melton and more BELOW.

Remains of the Day (08/19)

Uncloseted Media: From Gay.com and AOL chat rooms to Manhunt and Grindr, a look back at 32 years of gay hookup culture moving online

Socialite Life: Taron Egerton opens up about his estranged father -- and the grueling physical toll of getting into racing shape for "Apex"

Advocate: Nancy Pelosi on AIDS, trans rights, the legacy she resists claiming -- and why Democrats must "win big"

CNN: I can hardly wait to find out why Nick Kyrgios's fans think it's not his fault that he was provisionally suspended for cocaine use

Wrestle Wednesday: Major flex appeal

Just Jared: Derek Chadwick exits Goose, weeks after launching gay dating app

CBS News: NYC's iconic Carnegie Deli set to reopen in Midtown

Instinct: Playboy's new gay editor says he will make the mag playful again

McSweeney's: Julie Klausner loses her cookies

Greg in Hollywood: A mostly shirtless photo tribute to film legend Robert Redford, who was born 90 years ago

Pitchfork: After 71 years -- and countless too-good-to-be-true offers of albums for pennies -- Columbia House is finally shutting down

The Randy Report: Judge blocks ICE from deporting a gay man to Guyana after he warned: "They're going to kill me"

Out: How a friend's AIDS-related death changed the life of Nasty Pig's co-founder

People: Amy Schumer to make a "brutally honest" divorce comedy after her split from Chris Fischer

MNPP: Jonathan Bailey: "Just the tip"

Hot Cat of the Day: Someone made sure Madonna's birthday dinner in Corfu was purrfect! 

RIP: Peggy Webber, prolific radio actor who had a memorable turn in Hitchcock’s “The Wrong Man,” dies at 100

No Country for Old Cowboys: Damian and I caught a screening of "The Misfits" at the Quad, as part of a John Huston festival of sorts. I was a massive Marilyn Monroe fan in college -- just as home video made it possible to access just about everything -- so it had been some 40 years since I'd seen the film. I was excited to finally experience it on the "big screen" -- before remembering the theater's screens are smaller than our television! -- and was surprised by how little seemed familiar.

Although it was little-appreciated when it came out in 1961, it's easy to see why it's been reappraised over time, with so many incredible performances and themes to unpack: loneliness, aging, masculinity and the fading mythology of the American West, all embodied by a group of people desperately clinging to their independence while just as desperately trying to connect. (Life may have been imitating art given that Arthur Miller adapted the screenplay from his own short story specifically for then-wife Marilyn, even as their marriage was falling apart during production.)

Bonus points to Thelma Ritter, who steals every scene she's in! 

Footnote: Filming wrapped on November 4, 1960, just 12 days before Clark Gable's death; "The Misfits" was released on what would have been his 60th birthday, February 1, 1961, and Marilyn Monroe died 18 months later, making it the final completed film for both stars. For his part, Montgomery Clift would die about five and a half years after the film's release at just 45.