Thank You For Smoking

Remember Marco Dapper from Eating Out? Well, he's back and he's let the chest hair grow out. That's enough to make me violate my no smokers rule.

Click to make it bigger. See lots more at Squarehippies.

Advocate Cover Man Matthew Mitcham

And this guy can't get an endorsement deal?

Click it to make it bigger.

Via Towleroad.

It's Official: Lesbian Leads Iceland

On Tuesday, I wrote about the probable new Prime Minister of Iceland, openly lesbian Johanna Sigurdardottir. She took office today and has officially become the world's first and only openly gay head of state. Bonus: she's totally hot.

GOP to America: Drop Dead

President Obama's economic stimulus bill passed the House of Representatives yesterday with exactly zero Republicans voting aye. They claim they weren't consulted enough and weren't given enough concessions which is, of course, a complete load of crap.

When the GOP was in control of Congress and the White House, Democrats were completely shut out while the Republicans rubber-stamped anything Dubya wanted. Now that they're out of power, they've turned into a bunch of cry babies. In fact, Obama did consult with Republicans, watered down the bill with questionable tax cuts and deleted money for family planning and STD training because the Republicans flew into a sex panic. The GOP returned the favor with a big FU.

So, the economy is in a tailspin because of Republican economic policies and the GOP is actively working to undermine the popular President's efforts to revive it. Unemployment is soaring and the Republicans are playing political games. If they really think that's the way back out of the political wilderness, they seriously need some new leadership.

Saddlebacking Defined!

The votes are in and Dan Savage has announced the definition of Saddlebacking (and heir to Santorum):

"Saddlebacking: the phenomenon of Christian teens engaging in unprotected anal sex in order to preserve their virginities." After attending the Purity Ball, Heather and Bill saddlebacked all night because she's saving herself for marriage.

Perfect.

Lesbian PM for Iceland?

Via Sullivan comes news that the next Prime Minister if Iceland will probably be openly lesbian Minister for Social Affairs, Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir. Iceland's government has collapsed and the nation has been wracked by riots after the failure of it's economy. If it happens, Sigurdardóttir will be the first openly gay prime minister in the world.

SAGS Soar

The Hollywood awards season plowed on last night with the SAG awards, you know, the one everyone really, really wants more than an Oscar because it comes from their peers.

The night was pretty predictable. When Meryl Streep's win qualifies as a surprise, you know the mystery is gone. Mad Men and 30 Rock vacuumed up almost all the TV awards. They're two of the best shows on TV, so it's all good.

I would just like to say that John Hamm is one fine hunk of man, but the boy bangs are getting out of control.

Sean Penn won best actor for Milk, hopefully securing his Oscar.

Meryl Streep won best actress for Doubt and Kate Winslet won best supporting actress for her impressive breasts, I mean her leading role in The Reader. She and Meryl will compete head to head at the Oscars, of course, and Kate will win.

Excuse me, those awards were best Female Actor and Male Actor and Female Supporting Actor. Please forgive me for being insufferably miscogenist.

Heath Ledger won best supporting Male Actor. Like I said, no surprises.

James Earl Jones' lifetime acheivement award was overdue and he was quite dignified.

Slumdog Millionaire with that cute, jug-eared Dev Patel won best cast or outstanding cast or whatever it is. Best picture. There, I said it.

There She Is

There's a new Miss America folks, and her name is Katie Stam and she's from Indiana. Here she is at the crowning moment, tearfully praising Jesus and showing leg all at once. She's a natural!

I don't have much to say about this year's pageant because my girls Miss Texas and Miss South Carolina basically got certificates of participation. Check out Miss Texas, Rebecca Robinson:

Her scholastic ambition is to obtain a doctorate in Luso-Brazilian literature! I don't even know what that is, but I don't think it involves waxing. This smart, pretty Texas blond couldn't even make the top 15? Then there's my Carolina girl, Anna Perry:

She plays the piano and wants to be a doctor! Seriously, she didn't even place? What a world.

Monday's Man: Ezra Klein

I guess it's no secret that I'm totally turned on by passionate, smart, politically engaged, slightly wonky types, thus today I'm featuring Ezra Klein, who's excellent blog I've linked for a while. He's wonktacular!

Here he is at the Mall on Inauguration Day, looking a bit cold and dare I say slightly hung over at the crack of dawn. Adorable! Can I get you anything, Ezra? Some hot chocolate?

Here he is being all wonky and smart and stuff...with scruff! You know what scruff does for me! Especially from the 22nd most important liberal in the media.

Unfortunately no skin pics, but I'll keep looking.

Update: Here he is on super-cute video! Bonus cute guy Jon Cohn:

Haggard Had a Boyfriend He Didn't Pay For?

In the least shocking news of the decade, New Life Church of Colorado Springs has revealed that a man has come forward and claimed that he and Ted Haggard had a sexual relationship. The guy was a member of the congregation and in his early 20s at the time. Apparently the church discovered this relationship consisted of "sordid conversation" and "improper relationships" which is apparently evangelical talk for homo sex.

Abusing the relationship of a minister and congregant for sex is beyond disgusting. I hope this guy has a good therapist.

Paterson Picks Gillibrand

NY Gov. David Paterson has chosen upstate Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate. Interesting pick since she's known as a friend and ally of Hillary's. I can't imagine that Hillary was thrilled with the idea of Caroline Kennedy taking over her seat. When Caroline and the other Kennedys came out early for Obama, it was a huge blow to Hillary's presidential campaign. Interesting that Caroline's once-pristine public reputation is being trashed in the press with rumors about her marriage, her taxes, and other vague allegations while a friend of Hillary is headed for the Senate.

Korean Heat

Check out this sexy commercial from Korea, then try to imagine it on US TV.

Oscar Noms and Predictions

The Oscar Noms are out! This is the morning when all the actors and all the queens wake up at the crack of dawn to watch and then tell everyone they slept through it. Here are the noms and my oh so brave predictions. I'm not as brave as Junior who predicted the technical awards, but I do what I can.

Best Supporting Actress:

Amy Adams for Doubt. Sparking star who held her own with Meryl and PSH.

Penelope Cruz for Vicky Christina Barcelona. She stole every scene. This is what this category was invented for.

Viola Davis for Doubt. She made you forget Meryl was in the scene. Has anybody ever done that before?

Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The fresh-faced find of the year.

Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler. I've loved her since Vinnie and she totally deserved the Oscar, plus, she got naked at her age! (But weren't people saying that about her last year?)

This is the toughest category of them all, I believe, and it's really all about Penelope Cruz and Viola Davis. Both deserve it but I'm going to go out on a limb and predict Viola Davis will win.

Who will win: Viola Davis

Who should win: Viola Davis

Best Supporting Actor:

Josh Brolin for Milk. An amazing performance in a film full of amazing performances.

Robert Downey, Jr. for Tropic Thunder. E! would have you believe this is one of the big surprises, but he's been talked about throughout the awards season.

Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt. Another strong performance from a consummate actor.

Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight. He blew me away. I've never seen anything like it.

Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road. The only major nom for this picture and a well-deserved one. Like Cruz, this category was invented for a role like this.

What's there to talk about? Heath Ledger will win. Period. This isn't about his death, it's about a haunting performance.

Who will win: Heath Ledger

Who should win: Heath Ledger

Best Actress:

Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married. Love her and love the performance. Finally, she's getting the attention she deserves after being snubbed for Brokeback Mountain.

Angelina Jolie for Changeling. The-Academy-Loves-Clint-Eastwood slot for this year.

Melissa Leo for Frozen River. Wonderful recognition for a veteran actor.

Meryl Streep for Doubt. When this casting was first announced in 2007, Film Experience predicted then and there that Meryl would win it.

Kate Winslet for The Reader. That supporting actress ploy didn't work, thankfully. This is a leading role.

I believe this category is all about Hathaway and Winslet. If Winslet had snagged a supporting actress nom for The Reader and a lead actress nom for Revolutionary Road, I would say Best Actress is Hathaway in a walk. But that didn't happen. Winslet's performance was attractive and revolting, sexy and scary, and deep and complex, plus she's been nominated about 37 times. She will win and Hathaway will join Amy Adams in the you're-young-and-have-plenty-of-time waiting room.

Who will win: Kate Winslet

Who should win: Kate Winslet. No wait, Hathaway should win! No, Winslet. Oh gosh...Hath...no, I'm sticking with Winslet.

Best Actor.

Richard Jenkins for The Visitor. See Melissa Leo, above.

Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon. See Melissa Leo, above. Plus, he was overlooked last year.

Sean Penn for Milk. Stunning performance in an important film.

Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Best make-up/CGI of the year. Oh wait, this is an acting category?

Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler. Obviously, the comeback of the year. Will he thank his dead dog again?

Sean Penn will win. He became Harvey Milk.

Who will win: Sean Penn

Who should win: Sean Penn

Best Director and Best Picture:
The two categories mirrored themselves this year which is unusual. There's no odd man out, so I combined them for purposes of predictions.

Slumdog Millionaire, David Boyle, Director. Cinderella film of the year.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, David Fincher, Director. Big, soaring Hollywood pic of the year.

Frost/Nixon, Ron Howard, Director. Serious, politically important film helmed by a beloved director.

Milk, Gus Van Sant, Director. Serious, politically important film executed beautifully.

The Reader, Stephen Daldry, Director. Deep, complex film (am I repeating myself?).

I want Milk to win. I hope Milk wins. Milk deserves to win. That being said, I also want my predictions to be correct so I'm going with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Best Picture is a genre (so says Nathaniel of Film Experience). Button fits that genre better than any nominated picture. It's a big, soaring spectacle, a Hollywood pic and not an indy. It will win.

Who will win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and David Fincher

Who should win: Milk and Gus Van Sant

Caroline Kennedy Withdraws Bid for Senate

I take an hour to go get some quesadillas and this happens. Then I was going to blog about it in some cute and clever way, but Lazy Circles commenter J. Clarence scooped me. Too bad. I think she would have made an excellent senator.

John Cornyn = Roadblock

Hillary Clinton's confirmation as Secretary of State has hit a small snag in the form of a Texas Senator. Not Kay Bailey Hutchinson; the other one, dense guy with a huge forehead. What's his name? Oh yeah, John Cornyn (R, Dubya). He's got "ethical questions" and, without a trace of irony, his spokesbot actually said "Senator Cornyn’s goal is to create transparency on all levels of government.”

This is, of course, all bullshit. Just for shits and grins, let's watch Cornyn's bizarre cows ad from last fall. It's all about "common sense" and "Texas values."



He was all about workin' together to solve problems. Anyone who actually bought that load of crap voted for the Senator they deserve. The rest of us have to put up with it.

Update, 3:39 CT: The Senate just confirmed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State and Cornyn got his face on the Fox loop for a few hours.

Jill Biden's Wow Factor

Did you see Jill Biden's inaugural gown last night? Smashing. The strapless Reem Acra showed off her stunning figure beautifully. I love a gal who's not afraid to wear what my mother always called Go-to-Hell Red.

It's Official: Toyota Overtakes The General

In 2008, Toyota became the world's biggest carmaker, relegating General Motors to the number two position. The old phrase "the Big Three" seems quaint and outdated. GM sold 8.35 million cars in '08 while Toyota sold 8.97 million. GM still outsells Toyota in the US by a wide margin, but worldwide, Toyota sets the pace. GM has held the number one position since 1931. 2008 was GM's 100th anniversary and it was marked by 14% drop in sales, a near-bankruptcy and now this.

Lesbian and Gay Band Salute President Obama

Via Joe.My.God, here's coverage of the Lesbian and Gay Band Association's entry in the inaugural parade. Looking good and I love the drum major!



At first I thought those Azalea queens were with the gay band!

A Commitment to All Americans

Moments after the inauguration, I went to WhiteHouse.gov and saw this page. It truly is a new era. An excerpt:

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."

-- Barack Obama, June 1, 2007

Now on to the Important Stuff...

The dress! I think Michelle Obama has an amazing fashion sense and looked smashing in her lemongrass-yellow coat and dress designed by Cuban-born New York designer Isabel Toledo. The green gloves and shoes were flawless and a touch daring. After four years of the Midland librarian it's great to have a first lady with style.

President Obama

It's hard to believe, but it's actually happened. Barack Obama is President of the United States and George W. Bush is officially former President Bush. For me, the best moment of the entire event was watching Executive One lift off, carrying Dubya away from Washington. We have survived Bush and have entered an exciting new era.

Inauguration Day!

We are mere hours from the inauguration of Barak Obama as President of the United States. In short order, George W. Bush will leave Washington for his fake ranch and the harsh judgment of history. The long national nightmare is almost over. Soon, we can all exhale. Rejoice.

Monday's Man: Jensen Atwood

Jensen Atwood of Noah's Arc and Dante's Cove never seems to be able to keep his shirt on.

Not that I'm complaning.

Inaugural Concert De-Gayed

I suscribed to HBO today specifically so I could watch Bishop Gene Robinson and the Gay Men's Chorus of DC represent GLBT America in today's inaugural concert, broadcast exclusively on HBO. What a fool I was to think they would let us have a full seat at the table. Bishop Robinson's invocation was blacked out and the Gay Men's Chorus was never identified. The network that gave us Six Feet Under lost their courage and chose to pretend gays don't exist. You can read Bishop Robinson's invocation here. You can contact HBO and express your feelings here.

Joe.My.God has more here.

You can be damned sure Rick Warren won't miss a second or air time.

How small are the crumbs they expect us to accept.

Ending DA/DT

I'm an Army veteran and am passionately opposed to Don't Ask/Don't Tell. It was a lame-brained compromise on an issue for which there is no room for compromise. Either we're full citizens or we're not. Either we're security threats or we're not. Either we're a threat to "unit cohesion" or we're not. As I've written before, the "unit cohesion" canard was fabricated from whole cloth by lawyers in the Pentagon (some of whom I knew well) who were tasked with inventing a justification for keeping the homos out. Unit cohesion was never the reason for DA/DT, rather, it was invented as the straight-faced argument to be used in court challenges. DA/DT was implemented by a Pentagon leadership infuriated at President Clinton for trying to foist fags on the military.

Now that it looks like Obama will keep his campaign promise to end DA/DT, James Joyner has written a terrific piece on the ban which points out the bizarre culture that creates a threat of blackmail by criminalizing "homosexual acts" and forcing gays into the closet. He continues:

"One of the great misconceptions about DADT is that people think it began the ban on gays in the military. In fact, it was an attempt to allow gays to serve if they kept their sexuality to themselves. Perversely, however, it led to a witch hunt mentality in which suspected gays had to be “caught” since they couldn’t be asked."

I disagree with him a bit on this. DA/DT was, as he points out, an attempt to allow gays to serve in silence, but the result was a stronger gay ban than the explicit one that Reagan implemented. Life for gays in the military became much more difficult after DA/DT and commanders suddenly became highly attuned to any sibiliant "s" or gal with a bad haircut. This injustice is long overdue for repeal.

...ing For Blog Readers

Create yours here.

From Joe.My.God

And it's All Tax-Free

Take a look at the Morman Church's involvement in passing Prop. 8.

Yeah, and Your First Issue is You're Totally Freaking Delusional

Ted Haggard is now describing himself as "heterosexual but with issues." Pastor Ted seems to be on his own little press tour to promote the documentary on his life called "The Trials of Ted Haggard," produced by Alexandra Pelosi, daughter of Nancy. Never one to miss an opportunity at self-promotion, he plans to be on Larry King on January 29, the same night the doc premieres on HBO. He's currently selling insurance and "remains in serious debt" despite the $300,000 worth of cash and stuff the New Life Church forked over to the Haggards to make him go away.

What the hell does it take for this guy? The closet has cost him his career, his reputation and his wealth. Yet he continues to cling to it as it continues to pull him down. I know it's a hard road from fundamentalist Christianity to healthy gay man, but a lot of people have done it and kept their faith intact. There are vast resources out there for someone with a little willingness.

For God's sake Ted, come out and save yourself. Be a man.

AM Annoyance

I checked my email this morning and read this message from my friendly neighborhood Volkswagen dealer:

Boardwalk Volkswagen Park Cities is proud to offer 0% financing on all 2009 Volkswagen Passat's, Passat Wagon's, Routan's and the Touareg 2's. Please contact Boardwalk Park Cities Volkswagen at 1-866-647-8009 for these great deals or visit us at www.parkcitiesvw.com to view our entire inventory.

Excuse me? Passat's what? Routan's what? Am I the only one who finds obvious apostrophe errors annoying? Do they not teach English grammar in school anymore? If I made that mistake, my 7th grade English teacher would jump up out of her grave and snatch me bald headed, as Miss Daisy would say.

By the way, if you're one of the 2 people who've been Jonesing for a Routan, now is the time.

Poor Mrs. Huck

Mike Huckabee has declared on his tee vee show

"I am definitely not pro-sodomy."

Happy Birthday Charles Nelson Reilly

The great Charles Nelson Reilly was born on this day in 1930. He would be 79. Celebrate his life with this clip from Match Game.

I Like Her More and More

In an interview on her father's Presidential campaign, Meghan McCain had this to say about Miss Mooseburger of 1984:

“Sarah Palin is the only part of the campaign that I won’t comment on publicly.”

I always thought she was too cool for all that nonsense.

Via Andrew Sullivan.

Luke and Noah Do Much More Than Kiss

Luke and Noah, the gay couple on As The World Turns, have broken new ground by having sex on the soap. No, there were no X-rated scenes, and you only see them before and after, but it's warm, cute, loving and completely positive. Watch it:

Monday's Man: Aaron Eckhart

If you read my Globes coverage below, you knew this was coming.

If not, then scroll down and read all about it.

It's the Globes!

I was totally going to boycott the Golden Globes this year after their unforgivable snub of Milk. But, I started watching the red carpet pre-show and one thing led to another and next think I knew Kate Winslet was winning and I was into it. So, here is my liveblog of the Globes...at least it would be if I knew how to live blog. Instead, here are some random thoughts that I jotted down.

Ashton Kutcher is way prettier than Rumer Willis.

Kate Winslett won the first award of the night, Best Supporting Actress. She should win the Oscar too, but if she wasn't the lead actress in The Reader, who was?

Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are presenting. Aren't they in that new Gay Star Trek?

Ricky Gervais has had a drink or 5, but nobody's better at skewering Hollywood's self-importance.

Meryl Streep was robbed for Best Actress in Comedy or Musical! Emma Thompson looked radiant. Loved Sally Hawkins in Happy Go Lucky, but Good Lord will someone get that woman a ham sandwich?

JAKE!


Sigh...........I need a moment............There, I can go on now.

Drew Barrymore was the most radiant woman there. Breathtaking. Jessica Lange looked the best she has in years. I think she's been laying off the Botox. They've both been drinking.

Tom Hanks looks so much better with his new haircut than he did with that Da Vinci Code look he sported a few years ago. He looks younger. Age appropriate is always best. Plus he can pronounce "Budapesht" right.

Tom Cruise stole Emile Hersch's nomination. Thank God he lost to Heath Ledger. Ledger was extrordinary. Cruise can suck it.

When did Tom Brokow become a pear-shaped old woman?

Colin Farrell is the must fuckable trainwreck ever.

Aaron Eckhart takes my breath away. Nobody slinks like Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Gerard Butler was wearing way too many clothes.

No screenplay nom for Dustin Lance Black for Milk. Criminal.

Alec Baldwin won for 30 Rock. He gets hotter and hotter every day. That Entourage guy looked pissed. He was lucky to be there.

Terrence Howard annoys the crap out of me. What's up with that?

The phrase "growing old gracefully" was invented for Glenn Close.

Pierce Brosnan has the best looking hair plugs in history.

That Slumdog Millionare guy is totally cute and that movie is going to be a major Oscar contender. I guess it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure that out.

Jarvier Bardem wasn't there for his category. He was off somewhere being lusty and Mediterranean.

Colin Farrell won Best Actor in a comedy/musical because everybody in the room wants to fuck him. Face it. You know you want to. Just once.

Vicky Christina Barcelona won best pic, comedy or musical. It was the best Woody Allen film in years and richly deserved it, even if it did have to beat Mamma Mia.

Kate Winslet won twice! She was truly stunned. I like it when they're obvously really grateful. Angelina is doing her goddess routine.

Mad Men, the best show on TV, has won. Christina Hendricks has positioned herself directly in front of the camera, and her cantilevered bosom is truly impressive.

Micky Rourke won over Sean Penn who received Milk's only nomination. Criminal.

Rourke was a mess, but if he had shown up in flawless Armani, it would have been so wrong.

He thanked his dog. I guess that answers the question of whatever happened to Carre Otis.

Mith Tom Cruise gave the best pic award to Slumdog Millionare. Yay, it's over. I can go to bed now.

My pick for most beautiful woman: Drew Barrymore. Not even close. She looked like a dream, slightly messy hair and all. In fact, the slightly messy hair made the look even better.



My pick for most beautiful man: Aaron Eckhart. How can one man be so spectacular?

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Final Finger from George?

Unemployment has soared to the highest level in 16 years. The rate in December rose to 7.2% as over half a million jobs were lost. Economists expect unemployment to keep rising for at least several more months.

Let's see...Gaza in flames and record unemployment and that's just in the past few weeks. Will this be George's final farewell gift to America? Hold on to your hats because he's still got over a week to go. That's time to start another war or two and maybe destroy another major industry.

Seattle Gay Bars Targeted by Terrorist

Eleven Seattle gay bars received a letter from someone claiming to have the deadly poison ricin, "I have in my possession approximately 67 grams of ricin with which I will indiscriminately target at least five of your clients" said the letter sent to Re Bar. A letter was also sent to the offices of the alt paper The Stranger, addressed to "obituaries." Here is a copy of one of the letters:
Click on it to make it bigger. Odd that he or she said "in hospital" instead of the more American "in the hospital."

The FBI is investigating.

So, Mike Huckabee, have we passed the violence threshold yet? Will Rick Warren take time out of his condom-burning crusade to notice? Will The Catholic League's Bill Donahue be as outraged at this as he was at graffiti on a Catholic church? Don't bet on it.

Patrick Swayze Fighting Hard

I've written before about Patrick Swayze and his fight against pancreatic cancer. He told Barbara Walters, in an interview to air tomorrow, that he's "going through hell" and "I've only seen the beginning of it." Despite all this, he spent five months shooting his new TV series The Beast and only missed a day and a half of filming. He never took pain killers, even though pancreatic cancer is extremely painful. "When you're shooting, you can't take drugs." The Beast premieres Sunday January 15 on A&E and I intend to watch it.

My mother died of a stroke on Christmas morning. It was sudden and unexpected. While the doctors were trying to save her they discovered pancreatic cancer. She had been in pain for several months and doctors had not determined the cause. Now we know and at least she was saved the suffering that Swayze is going through. My heart goes out to him and his family.

He's Good Enough, He's Smart Enough and Gosh Darnit, 225 People Like Him

Al Frankin has been declared the winner of the Minnesota Senate Race over over smarmy Norm Coleman. The margin of victory? 225 votes. Basically, nobody in the Gopher state really liked either one of them, but a win is a win.

Monday's Man: Ralph Fiennes

I saw Ralph Fiennes in the exquisite new film The Reader over the weekend. He's always had a certain tortured, British, still-waters-run-deep thing that's terribly attractive.

Don't you agree?

I know I've been gone for a little while. I had a family emergency and spent a week out of town unexpectedly. It's good to be back.