Good Girl Goes Good

I'm not sure whether I'm more surprised by the fact that Leighton Meester has seen the inside of a recording studio, or the fact that this song has been out for three months and this is the first time I'm hearing about it.

I'm torn. I love me a spoonful of Blair Waldorf every now and then, but this is a little too sketchy for me. It's too reminiscent of the Paris Hilton/Stars are Blind days— I feel dirty listening to it.

Trying to get the bad taste out of your mouth? I recommend listening to this.

The Sassy Gay Friend Strikes Back

The Second City is at it again; this time, I'm not so sure it was a good decision.

Like many people lost in the realms of YouTube, Second City enjoyed brief facebook fame a few weeks back when the Sassy Gay Friend: Hamlet edition began raping my newsfeed more than Farmville. Attempting to do it again, Second City has just uploaded a Sassy Gay Friend for Juliet Capulet.

I'm not a fan of this one, I liked that the first video was far less complicated. I must admit, this new video has a few catchy nuances, but it just seems a bit more rehearsed. Sorry guys, but the smell of desperation is not a cute one.

Hamlet Goes Viral

I didn't like this video at first, but it's just one of those viral necessities that grows on you after hearing it resonate through the sea of office computers about 20 times an hour. Intellectual wit turns me on, and I'm newly attracted to coworkers now after learning that they had a basic grasp of Hamlet.

This video comes only days after I learned about Second City and the truly high-larious things they manage to pull off. Anyhow, Brian Gallivan is a riot. The kind of sassy gay friend I'd like to have one day when I'm pushing 40. Until then, I'll have this.

Bares + Shirts = Backwards

Broadway Bares is probably one of the most exciting things that I look forward to every year. Seeing all of my talented crushes prance around on stage in their privies has to be the most raw form of entertainment (pun intended!) this side of the Hudson. I'm certain that this past year, I wasn't the only gay man on the dancefloor questioning my sexuality when the sight of the Blickenstaff/Foster boob-combo-cameo made me shriek louder than the fact that I was less than four feet away from Jake Wilson's dick.

…Now that I got that out of my system: you can imagine my excitement when I was given tickets to see Broadway Backwards this year (the perks of my job are slowly becoming apparent to me). Unfortunately, the thing that caught my attention most was the pair of sub-Saharan wild animals that purchased seats directly in front of us.

Aside from that, the less-than-par tickets were definitely worth seeing how many Swarovski Crystals the costume designers could fit onto Florence Henderson's blazer, and a short (but sweet) Chita Rivera revival from a barely recognizable Nick Adams.

Some of the most surprisingly delightful performances came from Anthony Marantino Mario Cantone, Raúl Esparza, and Wicked sensation Julia Murney. Becki Newton was unimpressive— perfect for Ugly Betty. Less than perfect for anything else.

All in all, Broadway Backwards 5 was a breath of fresh air. A few steps down from porn, it was a great way to make sure my Broadway faves were still alive— and clothed! Although my companion and I agreed the show could have done with more shirtless flavor, at least it can tide us over till June.

(Nick Adams and his haircare products at the "afterparty.")

Diva of the Day!

Celine Dion - River Deep, Mountain High

To Shirt or Not to Shirt?

Gay marriage: uh-oh.

It's been creeping up on us like a crazy witch in a Disney movie. Now at the forefront of legislation in a number of states, we're forced to face the topic in a head-on collision. Now, more than ever, we need to watch what we're saying. We need to come together as a community and fight for what is rightfully [or so we think] ours.

That being said, this post isn't about gay marriage. I hate popping zits in the mirror.

I feel so strongly about negative terminology: fag, dyke, nigger, ginger, spic. The list goes on. I remember growing up in a suburban Michigan neighborhood where "that's so gay" was more common than a barbeque or alcoholic father. One thing I don't remember is ever being offended by the phrase. However, as I've grown older I have realized that it's not the phrase that is shocking, but how prevalent it has become. I never try to let it bother me too much, I feel the only way we're going to get over derogatory language is to forget it even exists; people would stop using the word nigger if nobody reacted or cared. (Right?)

I'd like to think of myself as setting a good example when I refuse to use words like 'fag' or 'dyke' to describe my friends. Working in the gay entertainment industry especially, I see it's become all too commonplace. Bars, clubs, magazines— they're all guilty of dipping into distasteful advertising. A gay bar that advertises a night called "Fag Fridayz" is not cute. It just highlights someone's lack of creativity.

With that being said: I was asked recently to purchase a shirt (below) for a cause that I'll be attending in February. Needless to say, I have some major issues spending money on a 100% cotton billboard that deconstructs my cause and humiliates me.

I'm gay and proud. That doesn't make it alright for me (or anyone, for that matter) to jokingly demoralize myself via t-shirt. How far do you think Martin Luther King Jr. would have gotten in a t-shirt that said "Nigger?"



It's cute, just not my style.

You've Been Blocked

My newest guilty pleasure: Nicco Sky at Randy Blue the overnight 'I-can-blog-on-my-own' sensation, guysiblockedongrindr.

A marriage between hours of laugher and a perfect platform to humiliate my ex, the website is a breeding ground for publishing those scary photos of men who peruse Grindr late at night. Needless to say, after realizing 98% of the guys on this website are real, I couldn't turn the compass function on my Grindr app off fast enough.

Although its novelty has worn off, revisiting some of the fan-favorite photos will never get old. The only thing left to do is erase my browser out of fear that someone may discover I frequent a blog hosted on tumblr. Gross.

Diva of the Day!

Whitney Houston - Heartbreak Hotel

Revolver

I guess Madonna is coming out with a new album?

That's great, it's always nice to teach an old dog new tricks. Kudos!

It's supposed to be a "rock" album? What's up with that? Clearly I need more information before I make a decision. Ambiguity is one of the many things I love about my Madge, but "rock?" Really?

You can't have your cake and eat it to (under these circumstances). Why don't we make one choice and stick with it…

Rampant Resolutions

Wait, it's a new year already?

I'm fine with letting each day mesh into the next, but heaven forbid we don't create an excuse to have a party over the change of digits on the World Clock! I'm in it to win it; any excuse to rekindle my flaky relationship with José Cuervo is a good one to me.

The thing I really don't get about New Years is the notion of resolutions. Why do people make New Years resolutions? Better yet- do you know anyone who has ever been able to stick with them? Everyone wants to lose weight, stop smoking, work out, eat healthier, find a new job— what makes them think today is any different than yesterday? If you ask me, I would venture to guess that people wouldn't have any more self-control to do these things on January 1st than they did on April 16th.

If you want to lose weight and stop smoking, why do you need a holiday to celebrate it? I'm all about taking charge of your own life; do the things you want to do today.

C'est la vie, 2010!

I will be brilliant.

I've been thinking a lot about dreams lately. Not the kind of dreams you fall asleep with, but the kind that drive you crazy while you're awake. I think about the kind of dreams that you dedicate your life to chasing.

Everyone has dreams. Four-year-olds dream of being doctors and firefighters- although our dreams change throughout the years, they never lose their essence. It seems to me that the older some people get, the more apt they become to settling into someone else's dream; whatever happened to hard work and dedication?

I admire people that achieve their dreams. I also believe that dreams die with your body- you work is never complete. I'd rather be 50 years old with 20 dreams in progress than 20 years old with 50 dreams in my wastebin.

My dreams are who I am, my talent is mine forever. So why do people give up on their dreams so early in life? Whatever happened to becoming a star, a designer, the President of the United States?

You can't teach an old dog new tricks, right?

Wrong. You're terribly wrong.

Guilty Pleasures

One of the best parts about being a college student is having access to the library. That's right, I'm a book junkie.
One of the best parts about going to a liberal arts school (that specializes in BFA degrees in dance, musical theatre, and acting) is the fact that the school library has absolutely nothing to do with books. The better part of our school library is taken up by people singing showtunes, rehearsing steps for African Dance class, and preparing monologues— all of which are not quiet activities. Our library would be more well-suited if the bookshelves were removed and pianos were put in their place.

You've all heard me complain about the noise level in the library before, but one of my guiltiest pleasures while trapped in this godforsaken place is snooping around the industrial printer and picking up other people's papers— it keeps me sane. These papers boost my ego; they make me feel incredibly intelligent. The best part about most of these papers is the fact that they don't make any sense at all; did anyone in this school pass the grammar section in third grade? If this is my competition in the real world, I'm bound to be one of the most successful people in history.

A passage from one of the papers I recently read, in all its glory:
"I think that wone of the points the author was really trying really hard to make was the point of being comfortable with oneself in pubic. How cant you walk of the house in the morning without being wholesomely confident in you!!?"

I can't even begin to dissect this. I especially enjoy the part about being comfortable with yourself in pubic.

Kudos to me.

Dandy Design

Lambert's Loss

I caught the very end of the American Music Awards last night, and was completely repulsed by Adam Lambert’s performance. I woke up this morning to a mess of people claiming that his performance perpetuated gay stereotypes and was a setback for the gay community. Lately, we have been under so much scrutiny; the last thing we needed was to see a crazily flamboyant (and self-proclaimed “bisexual”) lunatic grab his pianist’s face and explore it with his tongue.
I understand where these people are coming from, but I think we should feel more offended for the integrity of the music industry. Time and time again, rising artists with raw talent are ignored— it pains me to think of Adam Lambert getting attention because he does a barrel role on stage with a perfectly manicured faux-hawk.
Where is the talent going in the music industry? I don’t know anything about financing an image, but I would think it would be cheaper to invest in someone with a genuine talent who could carry their own weight. The birth of Auto-Tune brought the death of talent. Until we can start recognizing it, I guess we’ll have to settle for stars like Adam Lambert.

Going GaGa

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past two years, you should know (and be completely obsessed with) Lady GaGa. If you've known me for more than two years, you're familiar with the fact that I absolutely could not stand GaGa all throughout her early months. It wasn't until I understood what she was completely about until I started letting her into my life… and boy, am I glad I did! It's like a joke that I'm finally in on, it's like the popular kids have asked me to sit with them at the lunch table.

I went into a meeting with my boss the other day. It was about an hour long— ten minutes consisted of talking about the business; the other 50 were spent gushing over GaGa. She raised an issue that irked me: A tough question to consider:

She recognized that Lady GaGa has an incredible raw talent (which I believe is still completely untapped) and it pains her to see stars like GaGa, Beyonce, and Madonna beginning to pay more attention to their music videos instead of their music. Whether you agree with this blanket statement or not, you have to agree that music videos have become more fierce in the past few years, and our lives are all a bit more glamorous as a result.
I argued that stars like GaGa and Beyonce aren’t just about the music; they are a packaged deal. When I look at GaGa, I love the performance aspect of her. Just like Madonna, I believe that GaGa is more than music; she is a walking piece of art. That's why I personally believe that the music video isn't a lack of focus on her part, but an extension of who she is. Take Madonna for instance: do you think the 'Like a Virgin' tour sold out because people wanted to hear Madonna's voice?

Thoughts?

Diva of the Day!

The Library that Could

As I type this, sitting in the library at school, an interesting thought has come upon me.

I look to my left, and an overweight girl is undressing while boisterously laughing with her friends about how she resembles Grizabella from the musical Cats. I look to my right, and there is a group of dance majors using a radiator for balance as they prepare for a midterm in dance class. I look straight ahead— a group of four giggly girls and one overly outrageous boy discuss the relevance of photos posted to a friends' facebook page.

What do all of these things have in common? It really doesn't matter. What does matter is the fact that I am in the library, and all of these people have a blatant disregard for civility. Where is one supposed to go in order to study if the library is full of people dancing, laughing, and talking on the phone?

I believe that this library is just simply a hidden metaphor for a society that has completely gone to shit. I wonder if things like this happen downtown in the NYU Law Library…

Diva of the Day!

Céline Dion - My Heart Will Go On

...what a way to make a livin'!

Yesterday was such a great day. I feel like I’m starting to reach the pinnacle of my time in New York thus far; I feel like I'm starting to achieve real goals, things that I set out to New York in the first place for.

Now that I have been working for the magazine for 11 months, my Editor has trusted me with more and more important tasks. I started out doing office work, I moved up to writing film and theatre reviews, on top of listings for a weekly column that appears in the middle of the magazine. Just recently I've had the opportunity to write feature articles that appear not only on the cover of the magazine, but in full-page spreads throughout. Needless to say, I'm very proud of what I've been able to accomplish while working for them.

Just recently, my Editor gave me the task of hunting down a drag/comedic group and writing an article about them for the issue due out in the first week of November. Just yesterday, I got to meet with one of the members of the group and give my first interview! It was great, I feel so accomplished. I was nervous at first (I've heard some interviews from hell), but as soon as we sat down, I wasn't nervous anymore; it was actually pretty fun!

Anyway, now that the interview is complete, I have the daunting task of writing up an article about the group. I feel a lot of pressure, because the group is just starting to get a lot of recognition in the community, and this is going to be their publication debut. I hope I do them justice!

Wish me luck :)

Cherry cherry boom boom

I officially got the last pieces of my Halloween costume yesterday; now it's officially complete.

Can you guess who I am!?