On the Rag, Vol. 35

A weekly look at what's making news in New York's free gay rags:

Next: Rick Day takes to the field with his new book, "Players" (Check out the book HERE.)

HX: The stars of Dolly Parton's Broadway show, "9 to 5: The Musical," show us who's boss

View all On the Rag posts HERE.

The Vegas Connection

"Chico's Angels" are already the toast of Los Angeles with their campy stage shows and hilarious Web series. So what do three glamorous Latina crime fighters do for an encore? Bring "Real World: Las Vegas" superhunk Steven Hill into the picture, that's what. 

 

For news and updates, click HERE.

Page 1 Consider (04/28)

Broadway Mark? The fans at Citi Field were eating up the Jets new quarterback, Mark Sanchez, who signed autographs before throwing out the night's first pitch. Now Madison Avenue types are predicting big things for the 22-year-old hunk, saying he has "Namath endorsement potential in New York." (Bloomberg)

Pillow Talk: Some Republicans say the issue of gay marriage may be turning into more of a hindrance than a help. (The Caucus)

It Never Fails: Why did I just know the Craigslist killer was somehow going to come around to gay sex and trannies? (Towleroad/Advocate)

Change People Believe In: After observing him for nearly 100 days in the White House, most Americans say that President Obama is not your typical politician, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. In fact, a survey finds Obama is even nudging national views on race.

Told You So: If Casey Aldridge had ditched that whore and moved in with me like I asked him to, this trip to the intensive care unit never would have happened. (He's obviously a New York fan.) (People)

Global Fight Against AIDS: Dr. Eric Goosby, a pioneer in the fight against AIDS, is President Obama’s choice to run the American effort to combat the disease globally, the White House announced Monday. With a new administration and a Democratic majority in the House, organizations seeking prevention choices beyond abstinence and fidelity -- including a renewed commitment to distributing condoms -- are eager to try to rewrite the guidelines. Goosby, 56, will probably become the lightning rod for that fight once he is confirmed by the Senate as the State Department’s global AIDS coordinator and ambassador at large. (NYT)

J-School Plays Catchup: As part of its plan to figure out how to teach journalism for the Internet generation, my alma mater, Arizona State, has invested heavily in its mass communication program, including an incredible new state-of-the-art building downtown. So THIS is why they call me three times a day asking for money. (NYT)

Making History: Buoyed by an election victory that gave a strong popular mandate to her three-month-old caretaker government, Iceland’s prime minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, told cheering supporters early Sunday that she would move to protect the country’s battered economy by applying for membership in the European Union as soon as possible. Sigurdardottir is the first openly gay politician to head any government in the modern world. (NYT)

Separated at Birth: Ozzy Osbourne and Mary Kate Olsen? (He's way cuter.) (People)

Haunted by the Ghost: Maybe you can never really get away with murder, after all. First O.J. Simpson. And now Jayson Williams, who was reportedly found with suicide notes and empty pill bottles littering his 15th-floor hotel room. (Are you paying attention, Robert Blake?) (NYDN)

We Haven't Forgotten: What was supposed to be a photo opportunity, a showcase of Air Force One alongside the sweep of New York City skyline, ended up scaring the darts out of many city residents. President Obama, who was not aboard, was said to be furious about the incident. (NYT)

RIP: Frankie Manning, a master of swing-era dance who went from the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem to Broadway and Hollywood, and then after a long break enjoyed a globe-trotting second career as an inspirational teacher and choreographer of the Lindy hop, died on Monday in Manhattan. He was 94 and lived in Corona, Queens. (NYT)

Quote of the Day

Lest you think there is any progress in the peace talks between Israel and Palestine, get a load of this bitchy crack:

“I do not accept it. It is not my job to give a description of the state. Name yourself the Hebrew Socialist Republic -- it is none of my business.” -- The Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, on Monday dismissing a demand by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

For the record, Netanyahu, who took office almost a month ago, has refused to endorse the notion of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel as a solution for the conflict, as many nations urge. But he says Palestinian recognition of Israel as the national state of the Jewish people is crucial for progress in any future talks.

Afternoon Headlights

FNL Draft: The "Friday Night Lights'' executive producer has a lot in common with the general managers at the NFL Draft. They're all looking at their teams, weighing whether to keep older players at the risk of sticking with them one season too long or drafting new, unproven talent. Let's sure hope Taylor Kitsch makes the cut. He may be 28(!), but he's certainly still got all the right moves, on the field and off. (Live)

Star Quality: William Rhoden says with Mark Sanchez, the Jets add some charisma. (And then some!) Read his column HERE. Sanchez is on Twitter now(!) and will be throwing out the first pitch at tonight's Mets game vs. the Marlins.

Times Bare: There are 8 million stories in the naked city, and two Brooklyn rockers brought theirs to the heart of it all -- Times Square. Matt Johnson, 23, and Kim Schifino, 26 -- the two-person indie band Matt & Kim -- are the talk of the music-video world after debuting their clothes-shedding "Lessons Learned." (NYP)

Malcolm in the Middle: Senate Majority Leader Malcolm A. Smith is among a handful of political leaders in Albany who will be responsible for the fate of same-sex marriage in New York. He is facing pressure from his church, which has a socially conservative tilt and opposes it. Read Jeremy W. Peters' report HERE.

A Chat on the Davenport: In Sunday's National report, Monica Davey visits Eldon, Iowa, which once served as the background for Grant Wood's "American Gothic," to better understand how this plain-Jane state finds itself at the front lines of the same-sex marriage debate HERE.

Off and Running: Meanwhile, county officials across Iowa began accepting marriage license applications from same-sex couples on Monday morning, making it the third state to allow such marriages. Read more about it HERE.

Raising Boys: In Sunday's "Modern Love" column, a transgender parent wonders what kind of men her sons will become HERE.

Bullied to Death: On his "By the Numbers" blog, Charles M. Blow writes about two 11-year-old boys in two different cities who buckled under the weight of unrelenting homophobic taunts and hung themselves. To fully understand the scope of this pervasive bullying, he analyzes the data from recent studies HERE.

He'll Be Your Mirror

Most music fans know Andy Warhol designed the covers for the classic "Velvet Underground and Nico" and Rolling Stones "Sticky Fingers" albums. But as great article in The Sunday Times reports: who knew that Warhol, the pioneer of Pop Art, drew more than 50 album covers over the span of his career -- and not just for rock, but for classical music, opera and jazz?

These works are the subject of a lavishly illustrated, fastidiously documented book, “Andy Warhol: The Record Covers, 1949-1987,” published jointly by Prestel and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The author, Paul Marechal, is curator of the art collection at the Power Corp. of Canada, which consists mainly of French decorative art of the 18th and 19th centuries.

A show about the covers as well as the role of music in all of Warhol's work, “Warhol Live,” is on display at the de Young Museum in San Francisco and will open at the Warhol Museum in June, which I may just have to check out. (Who's up for a road trip to Pittsburgh???)