Planet Homo

On Exhibit Now

June 27 - July 7: With tons of erotic imagery and plenty of juicy photographs of scantily clad boy dancers, Thairin Smothers goes deep inside the lascivious world of men who shake it for cash.
World of Wonder Gallery
6650 Hollywood Blvd. Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-603-6300

It's Rudy Homosexual!

The funny people who run the American Family Association’s OneNewsNow site are so frightened of gays that they've set up a filter to change every instance of the word "gay" to "homosexual."
And while they may have fixed this particular instance, it looks like they haven't gone back through their archives and corrected other articles where this happened, such as this article where professional basketball player Rudy Gay is referred to as "Rudy Homosexual."

Like A Rainbow

Cyndi Lauper's True Color's Tour is a very gay experience. "The tour is a nonstop, five-hour music party with a message," Lauper says in a prepared statement. "So let's celebrate and have fun this summer while we spread the word to get out the vote and all become a part of the changes in this country." The tour features the B-52's, comic Wanda Sykes, Andy Bell of Erasure, The Dresden Dolls, The Cliks and a giggling host, Carson Kressley. Missing in action was the female equivalent of a bear, Rosie O'Donnell and Britney Spears. This was five and a half hour concert held in the lush fire-hazardous area called the Greek Theatre. An open-air theatre, the Greek is an intimate venue, and the setting was perfect for what was eventually to become a party.
The B-52s are America's answer to Abba. This is rocking feel-good music that is hard to sit still to. After thirty years, the band has lost none of its gloss. The members, all now in their 50s and 60s are energetic and the music seems strangely current. They sailed through the hits, Rock Lobster, Love Shack and the delightful, Roam, as Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson sang complex harmonies only to be eased by Fred Schneider's nasal sprechgesang (spoken-word) vocalese. Their music is ultimately West Coast borrowing images and sounds that reflect the bizarre mix of surf, modernism, retro and pop cultures.
In between "fashion expert" Carson Kressley hosted the show with some offbeat humor that often slipped into bad taste, though he managed to deliver a few very funny lines about giving a hand job with some expensive moisturizer.
The real star was Cyndi Lauper, who at age 54, was literally all over the place. The real secret of Cyndi Lauper is that she is a great singer; full of various styles and textures: she has musical range, charisma and most of all, energy. Many, many years ago, I did a cover photo shoot with Ms. Lauper, ironically, of her as Lady Liberty (see photo) for an anniversary in New York City.  I was putting on a record (yes dears, a record, vinyl) of Gypsy, and out of the corner came this big voice, it was Cyndi singing. She sang the entire “Everything’s Comin’ Up Roses”.  This was not the voice of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”; this was Broadway, Ethel Merman, it filled and rocked the room. And that is what she did last night, she rocked the house, she wandered up the aisles, shook hands, blew kisses, strummed a dulcimer or autoharp, a guitar and kicked ass on many a reinterpretation of her older songs. Her version of  “Time After Time” performed on an autoharp (reminiscent of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You) seemed to consist of two chords and provided a lush foundation for her soaring vocals. This was a magical moment. She ended the show with the anthem “True Colors” as all the performers took to the stage and sang the song in unison as dozens of colorful balloons were released into the air.

Broadway Cares: The Book

BACKSTAGE PASS is the photographic chronicle of how one bright young man in a loincloth, dancing atop a giant drum on a Broadway stage, began one of the Great White Way’s most worthy and exciting traditions! Future Tony®-winner Jerry Mitchell was amazed at the tremendous attention his nearly naked body garnered in Tommy Tune’s production of The Will Rogers Follies in 1990. He quickly capitalized on this fascination with exposed skin to raise funds for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA). Over the next 18 years, this “ah-ha” moment grew into the annual tradition that is Broadway Bares —an event where the most beautiful bodies of New York City’s theatre community take it all off and do what they do best—strut their stuff! Proceeds from the sales of BACKSTAGE PASS will benefit BC/EFA.

Al Sharpton on Anderson Cooper's Afterlife

George Michael's Birthday Party

We spent last night celebrating George Michael's 45th birthday. It was a small affair, held at the Forum in Los Angeles. We haven't seen George in twenty years, so he apologized and made this promise: "I hope by the end of tonight, you'll have forgiven me for my absence… In fact, I'm going to make sure you forgive me, we'll have a fucking wicked time!"
How odd to think of George as 45. That's a lot of music under the bridge and George made every attempt to get to most of it in this 140-minute performance. Beginning with the beautiful "Waiting" one couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to be GM at that very moment, singing:
"You look for your dreams in heaven
But what the hell are you supposed to do
When they come true?" Accompanied by a 15-piece band, the show was also a multi-media extravaganza as a large screen in the background continually beamed Technicolor images. But it was his voice, a commanding voice that stood stage center. He worked through "Fastlove", "Too Funky", and "Star People 97" and reached back into the catalog for 1984's "Everything She Wants" from his WHAM! days and commented  "This song is from 1984. Just turn to the person next to you and imagine them with four times as much hair, and you're almost there. But you'll have to help me, I'm an old man, and I can't hit the high notes anymore…” which wasn't true at all. It's hard to imagine commanding the attention of thousands of people for three hours but that is just what Michael’s did: he sang his ass off. This was never so evident as when he took front stage with three members of the band and launched into jazzy versions of  "Roxanne" and "Kissing a Fool" only to return to the danceable "Amazing", "Flawless (Go To The City)" and the deeply personal "Outside."  We all sang Happy Birthday twice and Bo Derek brought out what appeared to be a large cardboard cake. It is the vulnerable side of George Michael that often makes an appearance and last night was no different. He dedicated songs to his lovers, both living and departed and there was sense of growing older, which can only be expected on a 45th birthday, and he turned that emotion to good use as he sang a "A Different Corner" "Jesus to a Child" and the heinously apropos "Praying for Time". As the night drew to a close, George asked the audience what one song they would like to hear and though the shouts seemed to be of many different songs, it was the upbeat favorite "Freedom 90" that sealed the deal. Indeed we forgave him, Los Angeles forgave him, we only hope it won't be long before we see him again.

National Gay and Lesbian Inclusive Advertising Award Nominees Announced by Commercial Closet Association

New York – June 25, 2008- Commercial Closet Association has announced the nominees for the 4th annual Images In Advertising Awards, recognizing companies that best demonstrated inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals (GLBT) in mainstream advertising campaigns that appeared in 2007. The award winners will be announced during a ceremony on July 28 at New World Stages in New York City hosted by Commercial Closet Association, a nonprofit organization that educates advertisers about GLBT references for a more accepting society and more successful business results.

 
“This year more than ever we saw ads with gay and lesbian couples airing on national media,” said Michael Wilke, executive director of Commercial Closet Association. “In 2007 the U.S. gay and lesbian population had an estimated spending power of $641 billion, according to Community Marketing, Inc. Advertisers recognize the spending power and influence of the GLBT community and are bringing GLBT advertising campaigns not only to GLBT media, but to the mainstream.”

Nominated for the night’s top honor of Outstanding TV Commercial are national brands Wrigley’s Eclipse, Orbitz.com, Levi’s, Chemistry.com, and Dolce & Gabbana, along with their respective ad agencies. Past winners of Outstanding Commercial included last year’s “Living Room” ad by IKEA and advertising agency Deutsch, which includes a collage of diverse families in their respective living rooms including an African-American and Asian-American male couple.

In addition to “Outstanding Television Commercial,” a winner will be announced in each of the following categories: print/outdoor ad, travel campaign, diversity/journal ad, TV campaign for domestic GLBT media, print campaign for domestic GLBT media, interactive ad, nonprofit campaign, international commercial, and international print/outdoor.
To view all the nominees go here.

NIce Design

Highest Recommendation

Last night on PBS, we were introduced to Emile Norman. At age 90, he continues to work on his craft. The stunning documentary, Emile Norman: By His Own Design is a beautiful and poetic look at the life of a gay man who creates transcendent art and his own life is a reminder of the power of love not just emotionally, but also in art. His greatest art being his own life. This documentary cannot be recommended enough. Please check your local PBS station for dates and times. From PBS:
Emile Norman: By His Own Design is a portrait of the self-taught California artist, Emile Norman, who at age 90 is still working with the same passion for life, art, nature and freedom that inspired him through seven decades of a changing art scene and turbulent times for a gay man in America. The film tells the story of Norman's independent spirit—how it developed from his early days on a walnut ranch in the San Gabriel Valley and brought him success in New York City in the 1940s and 1950s. This independent spirit later gave him the confidence to leave the New York art scene and find freedom in Big Sur, where he and Brooks Clement, his partner of 30 years, built a house and created a haven for a circle of friends that still grows today. None of this came without struggle. From the beginning, Norman's natural talent and love of art came into conflict with the conventional ideas of his parents, while his sexual orientation had to be hidden in a time when "gay" meant "sissy." The film shows Norman's work glittering in Bergdorf Goodman's windows, on chorus girls' headdresses in the Fred Astaire movie "Blue Skies," and winning rave reviews at New York City gallery shows. Even then, however, he had to be portrayed as "the California rancher-turned-artist." It wasn't until Norman met Brooks Clement that he was able to live openly. Then, as his long-time friend, costume designer Willa Kim relates, "He didn't just come out of the closet, he burst out of the closet!" In 1946, Norman and Clement moved from Los Angeles to Big Sur, an enchanting place already home to a growing artist's colony. There they met a generous benefactor in Florence Pfeiffer. She helped finance their purchase of a spectacular ridge-top spread overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Lucia Mountains. Together, they built their own home by hand; it was a labor of love that still serves as a tribute to their lives together and to their many talents. Extending along the coast and back-dropped by steep mountains, the geography and wildlife of Big Sur helped open Norman up to the possibilities of work inspired by nature and the divine. Clement told Norman, "You go into the studio and I'll show the world what you're doing." Emile Norman at work by his window And he did. Clement assisted Norman with his biggest commission, the four-story "endo-mosaic" window in the lobby of The Masonic Temple on Nob Hill in San Francisco and the marble frieze outside. He also opened and ran Norman's gallery in Carmel, and chronicled his art and original techniques in still photos and 16mm films. The two made a place for themselves and their friends on the mountaintop where, finally, it was safe to be "out." Brooks died of cancer in 1973, but their relationship continues to inspire a new generation. Today, Norman primarily creates playful wood inlay sculptures of animals using glass and composite materials. At times the work resembles "primitive" art with the textures and patterns created by thousands of pieces of inlaid material. In documenting the unique life and work of this gifted artist, Emile Norman: By His Own Design shows the importance of art in channeling individual expression and shaping society.
Emile Norman: By His Own Design
Winner of the HBO Audience Award at the 2007 Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
directed by Will Parrinello and produced by Michael Tucker, Jill Eikenberry and Will Parrinello.

Classical Gas

It could be worse. And most likely it will. The cost of gas in America has risen 144% in the past five years. While no one can reasonably explain the increase, we endure. The good news is that the Hummer is becoming the most treasured car in Venezuela, where gas is a breathtaking $.12 a gallon. The bad news is that this isn't just about cars, its about trucks and planes. Which suggests we are not likely be flying anywhere exotic soon.
The result will eventually be that many cities will need to develop mass transit. In Los Angeles, we have a mysterious, deep dark secret: we have a subway. No one knows about it, and few people I know actually use it. We have buses. Ugly, large, get-out-of-my-way buses that generally create more traffic problems than they solve. Then again, someone in the Los Angeles Public Transportation system thought it wise to build a subway underground in Los Angeles, where the ground has not seriously been shaken in years, which can only mean that when an earthquake occurs, it will likely be major. One can only hope not to be on a subway at that time.
John McCain recently proposed an incentive program that would actually pay someone to come up with an alternative battery that would replace or mitigate our current oil usage. It is actually brilliant. I recently had a conversation with some people who actually believe that we never went to the moon. They also believe that the cure for many diseases is known but not available for financial reasons. This is something like the thinking that sees Mr. Bush as an oilman (which he is) and somehow all the profits for oil are going into his buddies pockets (which could be true). Although how in the world we are in possession of the third largest oil producing country in the world and we (the people) have to pay for the war, the reconstruction and marketing of that war is undeniably one of the great mysteries of the 21st century.
What the map does show is that we are not alone. Great Britain, France, Turkey and Germany have been paying prices that will make most Americans shudder.
Hopefully someone, some genius out there will take McCain up on his offer. It does seem ironic that if we can scoop up a piece of land on Mars, we should be able to make it easy to travel locally.

For Sale

At auction this weekend in looney Las Vegas is a 47 minute silent 8mm film of Marilyn Monroe. Said to be fetching a price tag of $20,000, the reels have never been seen before and depict a happy Monroe on the set of the 1961 film, The Misfits.

Twist and Shout

Effigies and Aliens Cavort in a Cross-Dressing Wonderland, so writes Ben Brantley in his review of Joey Arias and Basil Twist in the apparent new hit show, "Arias with a Twist". The New York Times review is nothing less than sensational.
"Mr. Arias registers as a figure of solid human flesh aching to be transported into a world of celluloid dreams. Costumes and makeup can only take a fellow so far. That’s where Mr. Twist comes in, with a fluid mise-en-scène that allows Mr. Arias — and, vicariously, you and me — to go the distance, all the way over the rainbow," writes Brantley. To read the full review go here.
You lucky New Yorkers! Can Broadway be far behind? A Tony?

A shout out must go to Sara Krulwich who took the amazing photographs that accompany the review.

The show is at the Here Arts Center, 145 Sixth Avenue, at Dominick Street, South Village; (212) 352-3101.

Viva Viagra

This CBS Report on the surge of Viagra usage among young men due to "performance anxiety" is primarily about heterosexuals but one can only imagine the "anxiety" among gay men, where in a state of exhaustion, most men have simply decided to lay back and relax.

What Ever Happened To...

Jeff Gannon. Former conservative reporter who was notorious for his gay website past and lack of credentials has a new job. Read the article here.

"Gannon's ability to gain regular access to daily White House briefings, despite not being able to obtain a permanent "hard pass" or a congressional press pass, sparked new discussions among reporters and White House staff about who should be granted regular access at the time. Gannon boasts that he was a pioneer in online-only White House access and coverage."

Goodby Jack

Jack Marquette 1948-2008
Our very dear friend Jack Marquette passed away early this morning,
after bravely battling a long illness. His partner, Fredrick Ascher
was by his side. All of your thoughts, prayers, visits and love over
the past few months touched him deeply. Jack meant so much to all of
us, he will be greatly missed.
Jack Marquette was a pioneer in the underground scene in Los Angeles during the 80s.
He is also curated the undeniably sad website theoretical.com, where in the West Wing, one is forced to remember how many beautiful and talented people died of AIDS.

AFI's Top !0

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Snow White, Dorothy Gale, the HAL 9000 computer, Charles Chaplin's Little Tramp and Marlon Brando's Godfather share top billing among the American Film Institute's best genre movies.

Films featuring those characters were among the No. 1 picks Tuesday on the AFI's top-10 lists of the finest flicks in 10 genres, including mystery, Westerns, sports tales and courtroom dramas.

The winners included "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" for animation; "The Wizard of Oz," featuring Dorothy and her little dog, for fantasy; "2001: A Space Odyssey," with HAL the demented computer, for science fiction; Chaplin's "City Lights" for romantic comedy; and Brando's "The Godfather" for gangster flicks.

All the results in all the categories can be found here.

Joey with a Twist

"Two national treasures unleash their epic imaginations to conjure a modern and intimate fantasy.  Twist’s signature magic envelopes Arias’ legendary voice, transporting us to unpredictable worlds, channeling ecstatic desires, lavish nightmares and bizarre premonitions in a bejeweled cabinet of curiosities that could only be found in one of downtown's last enclaves for bohemian New York style."
In other words, Joey is back!  The ageless, iconic Joey Arias, after a six-year run in Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity in Las Vegas as the emcee "Mistress of Seduction", is back on home turf with the curiously named Basil Twist, performing together in "Arias with a Twist" at the HERE Arts Center in New York City.
Basil Twist is a puppeteer whose original creations include The Araneidae Show, Symphonie Fantastique, Petrushka, Master Peter's Puppet Show, Dogugaeshi, and La Bella Dormente nel Bosco.
Opening night is June 18 and the show will run through July 13.
The show will feature wardrobe from fashion designer and muscleman Thierry Mughler, with musical arrangements from Eliot Douglas (my former piano teacher) and Jean-Francois Houle.
To get a glimpse as to just how twisted this show will be a, a short movie can be viewed here.

Separated at Birth?

Actor Michael Emerson has signed on to play singer Klaus Nomi. OK, we're kidding.

A fo Abs

This tantalizing bit from gaywired.com:

Even though AC Slater couldn’t save Broadway’s A Chorus Line—and even though I’m not typically attracted to male dancers—even I have to admit Chorus Line star Nick Adams is a hot piece of ass.

Though Mario Lopez was allegedly pissed he had to stand next to someone with better body definition than him on stage, the boys made it work and gave gays two for the price of one when they stripped down to their tights and danced their asses all across the stage. Too bad Nick walked away with the “best biceps on Broadway” title. Mario probably put a pipe bomb in his locker.

Nick’s been quite the Broadway player for the last several years, doing time in everything from Chicago to The Pirate Queen. And when he’s not on stage, the gay undies industry has taken notice, casting him as the face/bod of their latest brief.

Cuz you know when underwear wants you, you’ve officially made it.

Not Getting Married

Matthew Shepard Foundation press release

The ceremony was strictly ceremonial, this is by no means a commitment between T.R. and his 19-year-old boyfriend Mark Cornelsen. I think that if they were to get married they would be swept up in the excitement of the new laws, and it might not be the most considered decision. By most accounts they’ve only been dating for a few months. While it’s great to join in a civil union with the one you love, the last thing you want to be is the first gay couple to divorce under the new law!

T.R. spoke about the new laws, saying “Once you are given something that you were never allowed before, you realize how much of a second class person you were before,” he told Us. “That is horrible and fantastic at the same time. It makes me want to sob and scream with joy all at the same time.”

If It Be Your Voice

If the concept of music is to emotionally connect, then the singer Antony has me with this one. From the superb documentary, "I'm Your Man", British singer Antony moves at 78 RPM in a 33 RPM song, for whatever reason. But if you ever wanted a nervous breakdown in song, this is one to behold.

YSL Dead at 71.

"I've known fear and terrible solitude, tranquilizers and drugs, those phony friends. The prison of depression and hospitals. I've emerged from all this, dazzled but sober."

Legendary designer Yves Saint Laurent, who reworked the rules of fashion by putting women into elegant pantsuits that came to define how modern women dressed, died Sunday evening, a longtime friend and associate said. He was 71.

Pierre Berge said Saint Laurent died at his Paris home following a long illness.

A towering figure of 20th century fashion, Saint Laurent was widely considered the last of a generation that included Christian Dior and Coco Chanel and made Paris the fashion capital of the world, with the Rive Gauche, or Left Bank, as its elegant headquarters.

In the fast-changing world of haute couture, Saint Laurent was hailed as the most influential and enduring designer of his time. From the first YSL tuxedo and his trim pantsuits to see-through blouses, safari jackets and glamorous gowns, Saint Laurent created instant classics that remain stylish decades later.

He first came to the fashion world's attention when he was seventeen and studying in Paris. He won first prize in a dress design competition sponsored by the International Wool Secretariat.

When Christian Dior saw Saint Laurent's designs, he was so impressed that he offered the young man a job as an assistant and was soon referring to Saint Laurent as his "dauphin." When Dior died in 1957, Saint Laurent took over the house. His first collection for Dior in 1958, the Trapeze line, was greeted enthusiastically and increased Dior's sales by 35 per cent.

Also in 1958, Saint Laurent met Pierre Bergé, who was at the time the manager and lover of the Parisian painter Bernard Buffet. At a weekend party Buffet met his future wife, and Saint Laurent and Bergé commenced a romantic relationship that lasted until 1976. After their breakup Bergé continued to serve as Saint Laurent's business manager and remained living in their jointly owned home until 1986.

Although his sexuality was hardly a secret in the fashion world, Saint Laurent did not publicly acknowledge his homosexuality until 1991, in an interview in the French daily newspaper Le Figaro.