Carrie Brownstein: Blogger/Comedian

January 27, 2008

And you maybe thought she was just a musician. Well, if you can take a break from your last twelve years of rocking out to various Sleater Kinney albums, you could check out what she’s up to now.

Brownstein has a nice little blog over at NPR called Monitor Mix. This has been going on for a couple of months but we’ve just caught up by reading all of her January entries. It’s well written, entertaining and even at times enlightening. It focuses on music but strays to all sorts of other topics like politics, films, comedy and literature. Recently she’s written about the presidential candidates’ choice of theme songs, interviewed comedian Todd Barry (he’s funny!), and pontificated on her lack of pickiness about cinema.

If you’re not too into reading, but would rather watch some hilarious, strange and indie-infused videos, check out Carrie and Fred Armisen’s (of SNL fame) ThunderAnt. We especially like “This is Nice” and “The Perfect Song.”

Heath Ledger, 1979-2008

January 22, 2008

NEW YORK (AP) _ Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan apartment. The Australian-born actor was 28.

Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the residence in the tony SoHo neighborhood, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. A housekeeper who went to let him know the massage therapist had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

A large crowd of paparazzi and gawkers began gathering Tuesday evening outside the building on an upscale block, where several police officers guarded the door.

Ledger was nominated for an Oscar for ''Brokeback Mountain,'' where he met Michelle Williams in 2005. The two lived together in Brooklyn and had a daughter, Matilda, until they split up last year.

Ledger most recently appeared in ''I'm Not There,'' in which he played one of the many incarnations of Bob Dylan _ as did Cate Blanchett, whose performance in that film earned an Oscar nomination Tuesday for best supporting actress.

Ledger was to appear as the Joker this year in ''The Dark Night,'' a sequel to 2005's ''Batman Begins.'' He's had starring roles in ''A Knight's Tale'' and ''The Patriot,'' and played the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton in ''Monster's Ball.''

Ledger grew up in Perth, and began doing amateur theater at age 10. At 16, he moved to Sydney to pursue an acting career, quickly landing TV movie roles and guest spots on Australian television.

After several independent films and a starring role in the short-lived Fox TV series ''Roar,'' Ledger moved to Los Angeles and costarred in ''10 Things I Hate About You,'' a teen comedy reworking of ''The Taming of the Shrew.''

Offers for other teen flicks came his way, but Ledger turned them down, preferring to remain idle than sign on for projects he didn't like.

''It wasn't a hard decision for me,'' Ledger told the Associated Press in 2001. ''It was hard for everyone else around me to understand. Agents were like, 'You're crazy,' my parents were like, 'Come on, you have to eat.'''

International Mr. Gay Crowned

January 22, 2008

PHOTO BY BRIAN PUTNAM

Not with a tiara or anything. Anyhow, the winner is… Mr Argentina otherwise known as Carlos Fabian Melia. We weren’t there, so weren’t not sure what exactly swayed the judges but as you can tell from the photo, he has a pretty nice profile. He also won Mr. Photogenic.

The first runner up was Mr. Venezuela, Juan Bracho (who also won the swimwear award) and the second runner up was Mr. UK, Mark Edward Carter (a policeman!). Mr. Congeniality went to the Josh Robers, Mr. USA and Mr. Philanthrophy was Iran Montego, Mr. Cuba.

We don’t have many details on how the competition went, but we do have pictures. Enjoy!

PHOTO BY BRIAN PUTNAM

PHOTO BY BRIAN PUTNAM

PHOTO BY BRIAN PUTNAM

A Gay Utopia, Finally

January 22, 2008

A new website called Gay Utopia and subtitled “A Symposium on Sex and the Future” is now available for your interested and lengthy consumption. Here, you will find work by writers, activists, artists, comic creators, smutmakers and academics. It is all put together by Noah Berlatsky who defines his gay utopia thus, “The gay utopia is an imaginary future in which gender, sexuality, and identity are fluid and in which pleasure is unregulated by either external or internal censors. It's a place where taboos dissolve and sublimation vanishes; every relationship is erotic, every action sensual.”

We haven’t had time to peruse the entire contents yet, but we are already thrilled by Scott Treleaven’s art, Ursula K. Le Guin’s poetry, and the comics by Edie Fake, Ariel Schrag, and Dewayne Slightweight. If you’re sick of looking at airbrushed photographs of guys with great abs, this is a good place to start anew with a more subversive and radical queer consciousness. You can get your brain and your guts involved while still retaining the erotic elements.

READ MORE > >

GLAAD Media Award Nominees Announced

January 21, 2008

Recently we told you who and what GLAAD deemed the worst, but now they’re recognizing the best. The best in terms of being fair, accurate and inclusive of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender characters, issues and stories. The categories range from newspaper articles to drama series, with even comic books and theatre thrown in for good measure.

There’s nothing incredibly surprising about most of the nominees including Brothers and Sisters, Ugly Betty, As the World Turns, The L Word, Oprah and a smattering of Logo shows. There is, refreshingly, a lot of attention given to transgender representation and issues both in television shows and the printed word. Christine Daniels of the LA Times and Susan Stryker’s article for Salon.com, “Why the T in LGBT is Here to Stay,” were just two of the writers nominated.

Of course, we here at Bravo made the cut as well. We racked up three of the five nominations in the reality television category with Kathy Griffin’s D List, Project Runway and Work Out. An idea for our new slogan: We do gay reality right, bitches.

Half-Naked Navy Guys Climb Slippery Pole

January 21, 2008

Phew. These pictures should keep you entertained for a while. It’s like an Abercrombie and Fitch ad gone wild. It’s like a young boy’s afternoon, homoerotic daydream come to life. It’s like omg, is this for real?

In reality, it’s some sort of traditional hazing that the freshmen at Annapolis Naval Academy undergo. They have to climb to the top of this phallic shaped monument that’s coated in lard, while being sprayed with water, by climbing on each other’s naked shoulders. Um, we actually can’t even think of anything gayer than that. Except maybe actual gay sex.

Karl Lagerfield Action Figure

January 18, 2008

The perfect gift for your fashionista boyfriend with geeky, toy collecting tendencies. Lagerfield has designed a miniature lead figurine of himself that will be sold only in Paris and for $300. And there’s only a 1,000 being made, so hurry up and book your flight over to grab one before it’s too late.

I mean why not? Zac Efron has like two tiny plastic versions of himself. Maybe other unexpected people of note will start making little versions of themselves. Maybe a wee duo of Dolce and Gabbana. How about a small Dick Cheney? A diminutive Dr. Phil? And if we had an itsy-bitsy Ann Coulter, we’d constantly make her make-out with other girl dolls. That would be really fun.

Some Things Never Get Old

January 16, 2008

Like David Bowie! Or at least the idea of him. This MLK weekend in New York City, Don Hill’s hosts BowieBall complete with glam makeovers and lightening bolt cookies. But if you show up in your own glamilicous outfit, you get in for $5 less and there’s a costume contest to boot.

Our own Christian and Kevin from Project Runway will be on hand to host and look fabulous, we’re sure. Paddy Boom from the Scissor Sisters will DJ, but there’s also burlesque and bands and a portion of the proceeds go to School of Rock. And you thought there weren’t anymore excuses to wear dramatic makeup!

Gay Relationships Better, More Awesome

January 16, 2008

The Advocate reports on a recent study by psychologist Robert-Jay Green at the University of San Diego that shows that homosexual relationships may be healthier than heterosexual relationships. This only confirms what we have always suspected. Lesbian relationships are apparently the healthiest of all.

The why and wherefore seem to be mainly about bucking of traditional gender roles and more sharing of household and child-rearing responsibilities. “It all comes down to greater equality in the relationship, “ Green says. There’s also something about gays being more nurturing. It’s true, we are so nurturing. Take that American Family Association!

Zac Can Handle It

January 15, 2008

Zac Efron’s on the cover of the new Details and the details inside don’t plunge too deeply past his iconic, good-boy status. He’s even gracious when asked about Perez Hilton and the gay rumors stirred up by him. “I know it’s very addictive to read that kind of stuff. It’s entertainment. Perez has obviously struck a chord in the public eye. He’s doing something right. That deserves admiration—I think he does a great job. Honestly, if the worst he can say about me is that I’m gay, then I think I’ll be fine. I can handle it.” For reals, how does he stay so sweet?

Details does get in their own take on his gay icon status, “Somewhere in the world, right this second, a little gay boy is making a plastic Zac Efron kiss another plastic Zac Efron.” That’s a pretty picture. In the short video interview he mentions how he does always try to look his best, which we already knew and honestly like about him. And when asked about celebrity crushes for some reason he brings up Leonardo DiCaprio, but then says he was so popular that he innately hated him. A funny answer to an easy question

“thirtysomething” Cast Still Around

January 15, 2008

They’re just not acting much. But they’re directing and producing all kind of television from “Brothers and Sisters” to “Dirty, Sexy Money.” The Wall Street Journal has a nice article catching up with the cast and probing into why they didn’t all go on to bigger acting careers. It turns out that the set of “thirtysomething” was a sort of directors training camp, which set them all on the paths they’re on now.

We miss that show so much. Especially Melissa, she was the coolest. It was groundbreaking in so many ways, but especially memorable to us is that episode in 1989 when to two gay men were shown in bed together. What a shitstorm that caused. Consider us officially joined in the outcry from fans for the series to be released on DVD

A Sneak Peek at Mr. Gay International

January 14, 2008

We talked with John Michael Beck, an associate producer of the Mr. Gay Competition, about the genesis of the event, their goals for the future of it and why they think it’s more than just a beauty pageant. If you live in LA, tickets are on sale now for $20. Not much for a chance to ogle some attractive yet cerebral studs.

Outzone: Tell us a bit about the background and structure of the competition.

John Michael: The background of it is that we started it about 3 years ago. Don Spradlin was a big party promoter in San Francisco. I was doing a lot of theatre work there. We ended up both moving to LA at same time. In 2004, Don threw this event called the Cutie in the Castro contest. And that was sort of the genesis of the Mr. Gay Competition. It worked like a test model. So our first Mr. Gay was in 2005 and I came aboard as stage director and associate producer.

The way we did it those first two years is that we were looking for the winner for the next year. This year we’re actually going to name a champion on the spot for the first time. So the first year was in Palm Springs. There were 12 contestants and 5 US contestants. There were two acts. The first act is the US finals and then there’s an intermission and the US winner competes in the International finals. In 2006, 40 guys competed. The US competition was on a Friday night, International on a Saturday. This year we’ve broken it up into three separate weekends. In October, they had the US finals. So it’s the international competition that’s coming up on the 20th at the Music Box in Hollywood.

Don started it because he was troubled by the way gays are represented in the media. Gays are always represented as the most risqué and over the top. And so it was this idea that “Gay is not the stereotype,” that he wanted to put into it. So the guys we’re looking for are more boy next door types. They’re more well rounded, not always at the bar and the gym. But the goal is to move the gay community forward by being inclusive to the larger society while still retaining our individuality as a community.

READ MORE > >

Never Before Has a Boy Asked For More!

January 08, 2008

The British idea of reality TV is a lot cooler than ours. Mainly because they really revel in the musicals. A new BBC One series, I'd Do Anything, will find three orphan Olivers and one heart-of-gold trampy Nancy to star in the production of that fine musical. Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber will be a judge along with Cameron Makintosh (the 16th most influential gay in Britain?) and gay comic Graham Norton will host.

If only we were a young Brit... Oliver! made being an orphan and a pickpocket so appealing. Well actually maybe that was the Artful Dodger. Either way, this is way more up our alley than, say, The Bachelorette or whatever.

How Long Is Your Ring Finger?

January 08, 2008

Wasn’t there an episode of the L Word about this last season? The idea being that women who have a more male ratio of index finger to ring finger (as in the ring finger is longer) are more likely to be lesbians. Even though the sexual orientation conclusion is controversial, ring fingers have been linked to extra sportiness (apparently professional footballers tend to have an exaggerated ratio) and also to increased chances of osteoarthritis. This could be because of extra exposure to prenatal testosterone.

The all-knowing Tyra Banks had a scientist on a couple of weeks ago that could allegedly tell people’s sexual orientation just by looking at them. His “gaydar” isn’t a sixth sense but rather he looks at a combination of factors such as hair growth, body language and finger length. He did score six for six when tested.

This raises many questions. Lesbians have been cruising hands for years, but have they always been subconsciously looking for the long ring finger? When your gaydar clicks on, is it a similar assessment of physical characteristics? Or is it just because some guy was yelling, “Fabulous!” across the room and wearing expensive shoes? Things to ponder.

2008 Just Started and Already So Much Exciting New Music

January 08, 2008

We can’t decide if we’re more excited about Cat Power’s “Jukebox”, a mostly covers album, or Magnetic Fields’ first album in 3 years, “Distortion”. While many hailed Cat Power’s last album “The Greatest” as well, the greatest, we weren’t quite so into it, having always preferred her more lo-fi, bare bones and depressing older stuff. But we did indeed love her last covers album, so I suppose it’s mitigated excitement. As for the Mag Fields, they just don’t ever let us down. Never, not ever. So that excitement is pretty much barely in containment.

Other January album’s worth mentioning: The Shondes (who we wrote about a couple of weeks ago) self-released “The Red Sea” and Bodies of Water’s “Ear Will Pop Eyes Will Bling” which we’ve actually already listened to but are still trying to decide about. It’s sort of like Polyphonic Spree and Arcade Fire in that there are a lot of singers.

Rosie's Really Annoying, Colbert Preferable to Any Presidential Candidate

January 08, 2008

Not that Parade magazine necessarily has their finger on the pulse of the country, but if they do Rosie's more annoying than Ann Coulter! Okay, sure she's really annoying but more than Ann Coulter?!! And it's pretty much a no-brainer that people would rather be stuck on a desert island with Stephen Colbert than with Hillary Clinton or George Bush.

Other obvious things: Michelle Rodriguez more likely to return to prison than Martha Stewart, 90210 better than One Tree Hill and Britney Spears is a worse parent than Kate Moss. One more surprising thing: gay kisses were very popular in the best movie kiss category with Talladega Nights and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry getting a combined 31% of the vote. Hmmm, not even hot gay kisses though.

The Worst of the Worst

January 04, 2008

GLAAD keeps track of these things for you, in case you forget who might have called you the F word, immoral, part of a network of lesbian gangs, a she-male or just said that they hate you, on TV or in the paper. Too bad they can’t keep track of all those people that yell that stuff out of moving cars or on the subway platform.

Anyhow, they’ve given us their list of the Worst Anti-Gay Defamers of 2007.

Among them are the usual suspects Ann Coulter, Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh. Other highlighted foul mouthers of the year include the memorable Isaiah Washington, Snickers for their dumb Super Bowl ads and General Peter Pace. What about Huckabee (who won the Iowa Republican Straw Poll last night) and his AIDS comments? Maybe they don’t count since they’re technically from 1992. But still.

The L Word Really Gets You

January 04, 2008

We’ve often marveled at the "L Word’s" ability to bring in so many actors that played roles that were so pertinent in our web of past pop culture obsession. It’s like they dug into a lesbian’s mind while she was asleep and flipped through all the tapes from her mental VCR. Jennifer Beals as the sexy stripper/welder in Flashdance, Laurel Holloman as the lucky tomboy in The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love, Pam Grier as the baddest ever Foxy Brown, Leisha Hailey as the pink-haired girl in All Over Me, Katherine Moennig who moonlighted as Jake in Young Americans and Cybill Shepherd as the irascible Maddie Hayes from "Moonlighting." Well, we could go on but you get the point.

And now they’ve gone and done it again by digging up Wallace Shawn who played the clever and nefarious Vizzini from The Princess Bride. His character will have a four episode arc on the new season as a financier who backs Jenny’s movie. How do they do it and who’s next? What’s her name from Personal Best? No, or even better, Meredith Salenger from The Journey of Natty Gan! That would be so sweet.

Gay Muslims Like to Dance Too

January 03, 2008

Think it’s hard to be gay in America right now? Try being a gay Muslim. But at least they have a dance club, albeit in Germany. The New York Times has a fascinating article about a monthly club night at SO36 in the Kreuzberg neighorhood in Berlin. The night is called Gayhane (hane means home in Turkish) and offers a safe (and fun) haven to those who have the hardest time finding one.

Complete with a fabulous trangender organizer and MC, Fatma Souad and a world-traveling lesbian DJ, Ipek Ipekciouglu who spins a style she calls “Eklektik BerlinIstan”, this club night sounds amazing and exceptional. It has always seemed obvious to us that the best parties happen in the most oppressive environments and this is just another pertinent and timely example.

You Are a Terrible Driver

January 03, 2008

According to some “important” study somewhere, gay men, straight women and lesbians underperformed against straight men at spacial awareness and navigation. Apparently, women and gays navigate more by local landmarks and men are better at using geometrical clues to tell north and south. Although, “Gay people appear to show a ‘mosaic’ of performance, parts of which are male-like and other parts of which are female-like.” Yeah, mosaic.

Of course the article doesn’t delve into all the things that really cause bad driving (i.e. horrible accidents) like aggressive driving, cell phone talking, stupid kids fighting in the back seat, driving wasted etc. etc. We’d wager that straight men might outperform women and gays in the cocky, aggressive driving department as well. But gender aside, everyone knows (and statistics support) that old people are the bane of the road. So get prepared to take your parents’ car away and give them a walking stick and a bus pass.