Sporting Wood: J.J. Hardy

Baseball season may be over, but we can always look forward to next year thanks to Milwaukee Brewers shortstop and native Tucsonan J.J. Hardy.

Despite Straight Lines

I met the photographer Sophia Wallace at the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association annual conference over Labor Day weekend in San Diego. For reasons I do not even recall, I asked her and fellow attendee Johnny Diaz if they had watched Logo's gender-bender reality show "TransGeneration." At the end of the conversation Sophia -- (perhaps) sensing my (perhaps) unusual interest in the subject -- handed me a compact disc of a project she had done called Bois and Dykes. I took it home and was intrigued by her photographic examination of women who live within a broad spectrum of identities ranging from dyke and butch, to tomboy, aggressive, and transgender.

In an interview with OutImpact.com, Wallace explained how the project came about: "The Bois and Dykes project was inspired by my experience as an open lesbian living in New York City. I was disturbed by the limited, and often butch-phobic ways lesbians were portrayed in the media, and I wanted to create a visual documentary of my community that felt truthful. I wanted to show butch women and trans men the way that I see them: as incredibly sexy, courageous, beautiful, and powerful. I also wanted to inspire audiences who weren't queer to look at my subjects and challenge their preconceived notions of what it means to be 'butch.'" Click here to view/learn more about her work.

Whole Lott of Trouble?

Is gay hustler Benjamin Nicholas the real reason Senator Trent Lott has suddenly announced his resignation? We all know that Lott's "buddy" Strom Thurmond was the segregationist with a black daughter, so it certainly wouldn't be hard to believe that this anti-gay leader is a Mississippi sissy when no one's looking (he has the official creepy closet-case haircut, after all). And this certainly fits in nicely with what Larry Flynt promised us in October. Interestingly, Nicholas was the hooker with a conscience who spoke out against Mike Jones for airing preacherwhore Ted Haggard's dirty gay laundry. (Via Towleroad and BigHeadDC)

Super Clone?

According to an anonymous reader, the underwear-clad photo of Brandon Routh I posted earlier today is actually a Brazilian soap stud named Reynaldo Gianecchini. The facial resemblance is strong -- especially in profile -- although the guy in the "Routh photo" is far more ripped than Reynaldo appears in this video clip. Which is not to say he isn't even hotter here ... anyone know for sure?

X Man: Shayne Ward

Sexy "X Factor" winner Shayne Ward performs his new single, "Breathless," over the weekend on the television show "Sound" in London. Perhaps if any of the "American Idol" contestants were ever this talented good-looking I would tune in to the Fox smash ... (WireImage)

Previously:

Flesh for Fantasy

Morning Wood: Shayne Ward

Page 1 Consider (11/26)

Superhitched: "Superman Returns" star Brandon Routh tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Courtney Fox, Saturday in Santa Barbara. (No, the photo above has nothing to do with the story. But are you complaining?) (People)

King for a Day: It wasn't his vagina that made Pasadena City College think Andrew Gomez was unsuited to be the school's homecoming king. It was his pesky ear-piercing that didn't sit well homecoming committee. (SGVTribune)

Box Office: Some 20 years after "Can't Buy Me Love" made him a movie star, Patrick Dempsey returned to the top of the Box Office with "Enchanted," which brought in $50 million in its opening weekend. Michael and I ended up seeing the former box office king "American Gangster" on Saturday. I'm probably the only person in the world who isn't into mobsters (I've never seen any of the "Godfather" movies, "Goodfellas" or a single episode of "The Sopranos"), but Mikey wanted to see "American Gangster" and when I heard it was based on a true story (I am a fan of real-life crime dramas) I reluctantly agreed. My review? Good -- but not great. First off -- big surprise -- the film is WAY TOO LONG. I wish there had been more development of the main characters. I didn't really have any sense of what motivated either Denzel Washington's gangster Frank Lucas or Russell Crowe's detective Richie Roberts (at 158 minutes you'd think we'd know more about what makes these guys tick). It's a shame the film didn't turn out a little bit better given its enthralling ripped-from-the-headlines story and top-drawer director and cast. (But how about a best supporting Oscar nod for sexy Josh Brolin who gives the film's strongest performance? (NYT)

Brotherly Loving: Philadelphia Mayor John Street has officiated at a commitment ceremony for a same-sex couple -- a first for the mayor and for City Hall. (365Gay)

Reality Bites: Former "Bachelor" contestant Mary Delgado was arrested in Florida on charges of assaulting Byron Velvick, the bachelor who gave her the final rose -– and a marriage proposal -- on the sixth season of the never-ending ABC reality show "The Bachelor." According to police, Delgado sucker-punched Velvick in the face, splitting his upper lip. Velvick refused medical treatment at the scene although he reportedly did not give her a rose later that evening. (People)

Baby Shower at 'The Office': Angela Kinsey, who plays the hilariously uptight Angela Martin on "The Office," is expecting her first child in May. (Does Dwight know about this?) (USWeekly)

The Lion's Mouth: Apparently in Scientology-ese, "flop" means "hit." (AP)

The Killers: Three men convicted of beating Michael Sandy then chasing him onto a highway where he was struck by a car and killed were sentenced to prison on Tuesday, prosecutors said. All three had been part of what prosecutors called a hate-inspired robbery scheme. (AP)

Superman: Kudos to Sen. Barack Obama for setting the nuts over at the "700 Club" straight on so-called "special rights" for gays. If you continue taking a stand on issues, Mr. Obama, I might actually want to vote for you. (PageOneQ)

TransEquality: Michigan governor's has signed an executive order banning discrimination in state employment based on gender identity or expression. The legislation applies to the approximately 50,000 state employees in Michigan's executive branch, which makes up 95 percent of all state employees. The order will protect not only transgender workers but also any state employee who faces discrimination because he or she does not conform to traditional gender norms in behavior or appearance. Makes me proud to be a Michigander. (Advocate)

Live Free or Die: Same-sex couples in New Hampshire will be able to apply for civil union licenses in about a week the state agency that oversees marriage licenses has announced. Let's hope either of the gay couples living there take advantage of this exciting opportunity at equality. (365Gay)

New 'Kid" on the Block: You mean to tell me Joey McIntyre isn't a fag? (People)