Met Takes Up Fashion Blogging

December 26, 2007

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has more in common with us than we knew. Fashion, blogging, even continuous commentary provided by spectators. Their new exhibit blog.mode: addressing fashion is a collection of 40 pieces from their Costume Institute with blog posts by curators detailing some context and interesting information and most importantly of all an opportunity for anyone and everyone to comment. They encourage people to post subjective opinions and thought-provoking debate on this fashion cum art.

They’ve only gotten through about six of the forty pieces, but the results (as well as the outfit), are pretty spectacular so far. Surely this is the beginning of a new trend of visitor participation in museums, which we think is a fabulous idea. The normal experience of gads of people walking around and all staring in the same thoughtful, quiet pose is outdated. Yeah for blogs! The discussion forum of the modern era!

Everybody Loves Jack

December 26, 2007

Not just us, everybody! Queerty interviewed Jack Mackenroth, the former Project Runway contestant, for their new edition of the home issue and the fashion designer had a lot of insight on everything from home and family to HIV and celebrity status.

The thing we like most about Jack is his simple sincerity. Sure, he’s got all these wonderful fun gay flourishes, but this interview shows just how much he’s willing to let his guard down and isn’t trying to sell some kind of prescribed image. In the interview they talk about Jack being a positive role model and putting a human face to HIV. It’s all the more true because of his wonderful personality.

A Different Take on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

December 20, 2007

Leave it to The Onion to expose the startling real reason behind the military’s exclusion of homosexuals. We always suspected this was the actual reason, but we never had proof until now.

'Gays Too Precious To Risk In Combat,' Says General

Yeah for Gay Prison Movies!

December 20, 2007

Ewan McGregor will play the cellmate and romantic lead to Jim Carrey in an upcoming film titled I Love You Phillip Morris. The film will be directed by Bad Santa screenwriters Glen Ficarra and John Requa and produced by Luc Besson.

The story is based on a book, and apparently a true story, about a married Texas conman, Steven Russell, who gets imprisoned and falls hard for his cellmate. Russell’s intense guy-love for Phillip Morris prompts him to attempt a number of clever and yet doomed escapes, leaving him with a much longer prison sentence. It sounds hilariously tragic and reminds us of a lot of our relationships.

Making Out in High Style

December 17, 2007

You’ve probably already seen these Dolce & Gabbana ads, but just in case we thought we’d clue you in. It’s everything we love in an advert. Hotties, techno, New York, the subway, glitz, glamour and gays. Sometimes we’re watching such a crap show, that this advertisement is actually the highlight. And how cool is it that there’s a girl and a boy version? Really cool.

Special things to pay attention to when watching: the guy’s shoes (what are those? Vans?) and all the couples making out in the background. And then explain the end to us. Are those clones? Do people really just want to make out with themselves? Is that gay?

To watch the videos, click to page two.

READ MORE > >

There’s Nothing Like Dolly In the Spring!

December 14, 2007

Yep, pardners, Dolly Parton will be touring in 2008, including a March show at Radio City Music Hall. Tickets are on sale now, so skeedaddle on over and get your seats to see everyone’s favorite sweet, busty, country singer. Did you know she’s written over 3000 songs? And that she does this amazing project, Imagination Library, where she sends books to kids in the mail so they can learn to love books? And that there’s going to be a 9 to 5 Broadway musical?! On my god, we love her so much.

If you go to her website, you can find the tour dates and see her welcome video where she makes some self-deprecating joke about cookies and milk and a lump of coal. Adorable.

Top Model Crowned

December 13, 2007

Okay, yes, we spent like four hours in front of the tube last night. We started out with the final episode of America’s Next Top Model, which would have been sort of boring if Chantal hadn’t tripped a guy on stilts with the train of one of her dresses in the final walk-off. Also there was that enraging moment where Miss J. Giant Afro and Tyra forcibly psychoanalyzed Jenah. Tyra, just because you’re on T.V. doesn’t mean you’re a therapist. Predictably, Saleisha won, but we’re cool with that because she was maybe the nicest contestant on the show.

Then we were forced into watching the premiere of Crowned, a strange, reality, beauty pageant competition between pairs of mothers and daughters. It would have been really horrible if it wasn’t for Carson Kressley’s scathing-yet-endearingly-queeny comments including: “You look like a couple of Amish hookers,” and “your dresses made my eyes bleed.” But we ended up sort of actually liking it because the sweet Texans that some of the other contestants dissed as not being pretty enough actually got the most points and kudos from the judges. And the cattiest, overconfident pair got booted. Can justice continue to prevail on this type of show? I guess we’ll probably watch it some more to see.

And then of course, we watched Runway, and you can check out our interview with Jack, or our interview with Steven, or our yet-unnamed "we work here and watch the show pretty closely" blog.

Forget the Grammy’s, The Gummy’s Have Been Announced!

December 13, 2007

As in Stereogum’s awards, that bastion of indie information on the Internet. The winners were voted for entirely by readers of the website, not by any secret committees. Radiohead’s new album, “In Rainbows” that was available for download for a payment amount of your choice took best album. In the best video category, the gay’s own Grizzly Bear came in ninth with their video for “Knife” and Kanye West’s video for “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” featuring Will Oldham and piano-tinkling comedian Zach Galifianakis came in third.

Lot’s of queers made the list in various categories, but especially in Mr. and Ms. Indie Rock where Tegan won out over Sara and both beat Beth Ditto (who should win every contest ever). But of course Feist was number one (yawn). On the men’s side Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear, Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy and Bradford Cox of Deerhunter all placed, though none made the top ten. But we do love that sweet Swede, Jens Lekman, who came out on top.

In the Most Overblogged category, Arcade Fire took the cake, even though they also won Best Live Show and came in third for Best Album. So maybe they were overblogged about for a reason? Cause they’re awesome and people really really like them. Amy Winehouse came in a predictable second, with Deerhunter coming in fourth probably because of all that business about poop and young boys on their website.

Fulfill Your Santa Fantasies

December 12, 2007

You don’t even have to gain 50 pounds and grow a beard, it’s easier than that! Many New Yorkers, and other awesome folks around the country, spend a day of Christmas shopping, not for their friends or family, but for needy kids who have written letters to Santa Claus.

They already know about Operation Santa Claus, a volunteer organization, first started by postal workers who started buying gifts for kids whose letters to Santa ended up in their post offices.

You can check your local postal office to see if they’re involved in the program or write or call for letters. The letters range from the heartbreaking to the hilarious and many people who intend to just send one gift, end up taking several letters.

If you’re not yet convinced that you should participate, just read this article about people who have and some excerpts from letters they read. It’s not about guilt, people, just about the opportunity to do something nice for a kid that doesn’t get nice things done for them very much. The act of selfless giving just might make your holiday season.

To further explore: www.operationlettertosanta.com

Have a Yen For Gender-Bending Sketch Comedy?

December 12, 2007

Well, look no further! We’ve found it for you. Pretty Things is a sketch comedy duo that has created what seems like hundreds of the most hilarious, entertaining, weird and gay videos ever. Forget Perez and porn, this is a way better way to pass the work day watching videos online. (www.prettythingsss.com/)

Pretty Things is two friends, Michael Lucid and Amanda Barrett (of the Ditty Bops), who really love wigs and facial hair and have an eerie ability to play a plethora of demented and bizarre characters. We highly recommend their teen soap opera “Mulberry Commons” and the video “Always a Bad Girl”. It’s the weirdest display of genius we’ve seen all year.

Kristen Bell Wears Hottest Outfit Ever

December 11, 2007

Our favorite detective (no, not Columbo, Veronica Mars) dons the infamous Princess Leia gold bikini for the upcoming movie Fanboys.

Sometimes even the most nerd-centric fantasy is hot to the rest of us. Especially those of us who obsessed about Veronica Mars in a slightly, unhealthy way.
Looking at this picture just might make you do that thing you did in the nineties where you licked your fingertip and attempted to touch an imaginary object and made a “tssss” sound. Yes, it’s hot. The movie sounds even a little too geeky for us, but we’ll be tempted just because of her.

The Shondes are Coming, The Shondes are Coming!

December 11, 2007

We’re not going to give up on our duty to get you out of the house, away from the Tivo (that’s what it’s for, to record things while you’re out) and at some good shows this winter. The Shondes (pronounced shawn-duhs) are a Brooklyn-based quartet that play excellent, original, political, orchestral rock. Plus they’re mostly trans, mostly Jewish and entirely hot.

The Village Voice says this about them, “Riot grrrl radicalism wed to classically structured songs, distortion pedals, clashing vocals, and powerful lyrics.” And a lot of people have compared them to Sleater-Kinney, which must be because of the strong, melodic Tucker-like vocals. But in our opinion they’re doing a whole different thing than SK; it’s more textured, draws from more diverse places and it’s more fist-pump, foot-stomp inducing.

So listen to their songs on Myspace, as Internet etiquette requires, and then go see them live at one of these shows:

December 11th at Annie’s Social Club - San Francisco, California
December 14th at Muddy Waters Cafe - Santa Barbara, California
December 16th at Echo Curio Art Gallery - Los Angeles, California
December 19th at The Bluebird - St. Louis, Missouri
December 22nd at The Rudyard Kipling - Louisville, Kentucky
December 23rd at Schuba’s - Chicago, Illinois
January 11th at The Luna Lounge – Brooklyn, New York
January 26th at Tritone - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pimple/Makeup/General Vanity Cause Tension Between Zac and Vanessa

December 06, 2007

MSNBC reports breaking news that Zac Efron totally flipped out when he realized he had a pimple on his way to a party for Vanessa Hudgen’s little sister. Well, who wouldn’t? Anyhow, she had to calm him down by sharing her concealer with him, but it left her peeved, says a super-secret, inside source.

“She wants to date a man, not a little girl,” the source said. “Vanessa told (Zac) to stop being such a sissy and freaking out when he gets blemishes.” Woah. That’s totally harsh, Vanessa. Little girls aren’t the only ones care about their appearance, you sexist.

Apparently she wants him to know that she’d still love him if he didn’t look like a cover model, but we’d like to see what she’d do if he had long greasy hair, a beer belly and bacne. Heh, that’s a funny mental image. Can someone photoshop that, please?

Ding Dong, Bianca’s Dead

December 06, 2007

Last night on our favorite guilty pleasure, America’s Next Top Model, Bianca was given the boot. We clapped and cheered and hooted. She acted like she was competing for America’s Next Top Trash Talker. For a while it seemed like Bianca just particularly hated Heather, but then when Heather was eliminated (sniff, our favorite), she just started in on all the rest.

That’s why we love Saleisha and hope she kicks catwalk butt and wins. She just seems so sweet. But in the spirit of Bianca and her favorite pastime here’s a list of things we won’t forget about her:

That time she ran into a glass door.
How she was too scared to fly on those cool wires in fighting poses.
How she thought it was okay to diss on exotic dancers. (It’s not.)
That time she called Saleisha “borderline plus size”. (She is not!)
How she cried like a baby and whined for weeks when she got her head shaved.

Goodbye Bianca!

Jack and Dale: Dating

December 05, 2007

We love it when there's love in the family! And across shows, no less! So we are thrilled to share the news that our very own Dale Levitski from "Top Chef" is dating "Project Runway's" Jack Mackenroth. How did we uncover this news? We picked up the phone and called Jack, who had this to say:

"It's very baby steps. I really like him a lot. And geography is a bit of an issue, but we'll see where it goes. I like him a lot. I assume he likes me a lot. Unless he's lying...(laughter)... He's adorable. I like keeping it incestuous, keep it in the Bravo family."

SO we immediately had to call Dale, who told us,
"Yeah, we randomly met over Myspace. And then we bumped into each other at the OUT100 party and clicked. He's hilarious. We're just gonna roll with it and see what happens. And he's cute as %&#@. We have the same sense of humor. We giggle a lot, and you know, anytime you end up going through the Bravo-reality-show...we just looked at each other and said, 'yeah...'"

The above picture was described to us, by the way, as "it was the first time we met. All starry-eyed and stupid."
We love things like this, and we'll totally keep you posted.

Radcliffe Nude!

December 05, 2007

Well... sort of. Not here, necessarily, but on Broadway. And soon!

This piece of news, courtesy of The New York Post is like a big, gay Christmas present for Harry Potter fans, theater fans, and Daniel Radcliffe enthusiasts. Equus, the hit London play he starred in recently, is making the leap across the pond, and we couldn't be more excited. Because he's an excellent actor, and it's a wonderful play. No, no, no... it has nothing to do with his nude scenes. Nothing at all.

See you there!

“Milk” Cast Shaping Up

December 05, 2007

We already knew that Sean Penn was set to star in Gus Van Sant’s biopic about the tragic demise of Harvey Milk. But news arrives that Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch and James Franco have also been cast in the picture. Josh Brolin is set to play the murderous Dan White and Hirsch has been cast as activist Cleve Jones. No word on Franco’s role, though he’s our favorite of the three because of Freaks and Geeks, and that smarmy grin of his.

One other interesting factoid about the project is the possible competition of another film about Harvey Milk entitled “The Mayor of Castro Street” that has been in the works for fifteen years (!) but is having setbacks due to the writer’s strike. Bryan Singer is the attached director for that project.

Radical Faerie Sets Gays Straight

December 05, 2007

Okay not really. He really tries to bend them lovingly back towards bent. Don Kilhefner, a Jungian psychologist and radical activist, writes a nice little OpEd piece in the LA Times today where he’s responding to another columnists assertion that “gay is the new straight.”
Kilhefner traces a simple four-step shift between gay assimilation and gay enlightment in queer history. He acknowledges that we are in a period where assimilation rules the roost but declines to accept that a study of same-sex couples accurately represents all of the gay population.
It’s an old argument but one we love to talk about. Are gay people becoming “hetero tapioca pudding?” Is there anything in gay culture worth clinging to, as oppression by mainstream society becomes less of an issue?

How Powerful is The “F” Word?

December 04, 2007

Details Magazine unveils its Power 50 issue today, and right up there with YouTube and Kevin Federline (huh?) is what they delicately call the other “F” word. As in what adolescent boys call each other and what gay-bashers shout at well-heeled individuals walking by. The blurb basically highlights the prolific use of the diminutive adjective by certain celebrities (remember how Isaiah Washington got his hat handed to him?) and people in the media (blech, Ann Coulter) and how it makes them look pretty ridiculous to be dependent on such a loaded and yet school-yard word.

Of course, what it doesn’t mention is the use of the word within the gay community. We’re allowed to call each other faggots, right? I mean, sometimes we mean it downright sweetly. Words are powerful, but context is more so. Point in case: Details also features an article called, “Are You Raising a Douchebag?” That could be construed as an inappropriately anti-woman phrase. But then again, maybe it’s just anti-douche.

Gay Bars, Jewish Delis Disappearing

December 04, 2007

The Boston Globe had an interesting article this weekend mourning the loss of gay bars and other “third places” in the city. Third places being public spaces where people spent time together outside of their normal work and home environments.

Many cities used to host gay ghettos and urban environments that contained gay bookstores, old-fashioned drug stores, pool halls, barber shops and other places for kvetching and catching up. More and more, these places are disappearing and being replaced with chain shopping, chain banks and other kinds of pricey, soulless real estate.

The three causes of this sited in the article are the Internet, gentrification and more acceptance of gay lifestyles. Gays can shop and cruise from home, the cheap real estate of the gay ghetto is now the expensive real estate of the posh neighborhood and when you don’t have to band together for fear of violence, you can live wherever you want. But with the disappearance of places that make cities special and unique, what will be the advantage of living in urban spaces? It’s sad to think about.

Gay Life in Newark Totally Sucks

December 03, 2007

The New York Times had an interesting article (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/nyregion/02newark.html?em&ex=1196658000&en=b89119e63b56de12&ei=5087%0A) this weekend about rampant homophobia and hard times for queers in Newark, New Jersey. Newark is the largest city in a state that is only one of three to recognize same-sex civil unions.

One source for the article, James Creedle, had two quotes that stuck out. “You wouldn’t know Greenwich Village is 10 miles away,” and “all this talk of gay marriage is just a luxury.” The article hammers home two important points in the air of presidential election mania and hence much debate about gay marriage. A lot of queers still have to fear for their safety on a day-to-day basis and legalizing gay marriage is not at the top of their agenda.

It’s an important reminder to not let the struggle for gay rights and equality be boiled down into one issue, when there are so many others worth fighting for.