Goodbye, Charles Nelson Reilly

A sad day in the (212) with the passing of Charles Nelson Reilly, who died on Friday of complications from pneumonia at 76.

Like most queers of my generation, Reilly was really one of the first gay people we ever knew about. Although his campy ascot-wearing persona could be considered the 1970s equivalent to Jack McFarland on "Will & Grace," just having him sitting there alongside the other stars on "The Match Game" and being loved and accepted was a subconscious comfort to all of us gay boys in our early development. Although he later lamented being best known for his game show appearances, it's hard to imagine those shows working without him. (Tony Tripoli pays a wonderful tribute to Charles playing him in the L.A. stage production of "The Mismatch Game," below.) Reilly won a Tony Award in 1962 for his role in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" and was nominated again in 1964 for "Hello, Dolly" and in 1997 for directing "The Gin Game."

The Bronx-born Reilly is survived by his long-time partner, Patrick Hughes. He will be missed. (NYT)

Krugman Nails It

In his column on Monday, Paul Krugman beautifully summed up the state of American politics heading into the 2008 presidential election:

The truth is that the nightmare of the Bush years won’t really be over until politicians are convinced that voters will punish, not reward, Bush-style fear-mongering. And that hasn’t happened yet.

Here’s the way it ought to be: When Rudy Giuliani says that Iran, which had nothing to do with 9/11, is part of a "movement" that "has already displayed more aggressive tendencies by coming here and killing us," he should be treated as a lunatic.

When Mitt Romney says that a coalition of "Shia and Sunni and Hezbollah and Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Qaeda" wants to "bring down the West," he should be ridiculed for his ignorance.

And when John McCain says that Osama, who isn’t in Iraq, will "follow us home" if we leave, he should be laughed at.

But they aren’t, at least not yet. And until belligerent, uninformed posturing starts being treated with the contempt it deserves, men who know nothing of the cost of war will keep sending other people’s children to graves at Arlington.

Long Hot Summer

If this weekend is any indication, it's going to be a long, hot summer. Hope yours is starting out on a high note. Just a friendly reminder: If you're out in the sun, don't forget your sunblock ...

Memorial Day

Remembering all of the men and women who gave their lives so we could be free. (WP)

Earful

Looking forward to...

Throw It On Me Lyrics Timbaland	Make Me Better Lyrics Fabolous
Breakin Dishes Lyrics Rihanna	Close To You Lyrics Ryan Leslie
Fall For You Lyrics Kylie Minogue	This Is My Now Lyrics Jordin Sparks
Lovestoned/I Think She Knows Interlude Lyrics Justin Timberlake	For Reasons Unknown Lyrics The Killers
Let It Go Lyrics Keyshia Cole	More Lyrics Black Eyed Peas

Eric Dane Wallpaper

Because he's just too dreamy not to spend the long weekend with. (By Greg Jelinek)

Previously:

Man About Town

Morning Glory

Wedding Wars

Sexiest Man Alive

The Great Dane