Planet Homo

BillyBoy* & Lala Edie Superstar

Now They Want to Be Tops

GLAAD has announced the nominees for its annual media awards with networks here! and Logo and publications including The Advocate and Newsweek vying for top prizes.

Gay television networks here! and Logo together swept the Outstanding Television Movie category, with nominees including the here! Donald Strachey movies Ice Blues and On the Other Hand Death and Logo's East Side Story. Movies vying for top wide-release film in the GLAAD awards include Milk, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Brideshead Revisited, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and RocknRolla.

The annual aw  ards reco  gnize and honor media outlets for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBT people and the issues that affect their lives. This year's nominees suggest a deeper interest in transgender issues and events, with several related nominations, including America's Next Top Model's first transgender contestant, the story of Thomas Beatie giving birth to his daughter, and news piece "Becoming" from WCAX-TV in Burlington, Vt.

The Advocate is up against media outlets including Newsweek and Entertainment Weekly for Outstanding Overall Magazine Coverage and ESPN.com for Outstanding Digital Journalism Article.

MSNBC personality Keith Olbermann is nominated for an award in the category of Outstanding TV Journalism Segment for his Special Comment on California's Proposition 8.

America's Next Top Model host Tyra Banks will receive an Excellence in Media Award and also has three nominations for Outstanding Talk Show Episode for The Tyra Banks Show. Financial guru Suze Orman will receive an honorary award for her work as a "one-woman financial advice powerhouse."

Univision led Spanish-language television networks with 14 nominations, followed by Telemundo with six and Azteca America with four.

The ceremonies will be held in New York March 28, in Los Angeles April 18, and in San Francisco May 9. Visit GLAAD.org/mediaawards for the full list of nominees for 41 categories. (Advocate.com)

A Brief History of the Internet

Stick it in

The USB (Universal Serial Bus) takes a surprising turn as the minimoo shows up as various animals, ready to plug and play. Sheep, pigs, moose and gorillas all get a turn as an expensive toy to the tune of $199 each.

Why We Love Models

Airing Tonight: Prayers for Bobby

Premieres Jan. 24 at 9 pm et/pt. Encores Jan. 25 at 8 pm and Jan. 27 at 9 pm et/pt

Homo History: Death In Venice

Death in Venice (in Italian Morte a Venezia) is a 1971 film directed by Luchino Visconti and starring Dirk Bogarde and Björn Andrésen. The film is based on the novella Death in Venice by Thomas Mann. The film centers around composer Von Achenbach (reportedly based on Gustav Mahler, who is the composer of the music) who vacations in an increasingly plague-filled Venice, where he encounters the young Tadzio, a polish boy. In his autobiography, A Postillion Struck by Lightning, Bogarde recounts how the film crew created the deathly white skin which his character displays in the final scenes of the film, just as he dies. Bogarde recalls that the make-up department had tried various face paints and creams, none of which had been satisfactory, as they smeared. When a suitable cream was found and the scenes were being shot, Bogarde recalls that his face began to burn terribly. The tube of cream was found and written on the side was "Do not let this come into contact with the skin": the director had ignored this and had been testing it out, as small patches, on various members of the film crew, before finally having it applied to Bogarde's face.
Rumors circulated in America at the time of the film's release as to whether or not Andrésen was homosexual (as the role demanded that he appear to exchange romantic glances with the protagonist and on other occasion be kissed and caressed by another teenage boy). Andrésen emphatically denied these, and later recounted his discomfort at being forced by director Luchino Visconti during filming to visit a gay bar, where he attracted the attention of a number of older men. Eager to dispel the rumors regarding his sexuality and to shed his "pretty boy" image, Andrésen thereafter avoided homosexual roles and parts which he felt would play off of his good looks, and was angry when feminist writer Germaine Greer used a photograph of him on the cover of her book The Beautiful Boy (2003) without first obtaining his personal permission. Although Greer did consult with photographer David Bailey (who owned the copyright for the image) before publishing the book, Andrésen maintained that it is common practice when a party uses an image of a person which has been copyrighted by a different individual to inform the individual and that he would not have given his consent for Greer to use his picture if she had informed him of her plans.

Academy Award Nominations

Nominations for the 81st Academy Awards were announced on January 22, 2009 by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis and Oscar winner Forest Whitaker.

Ganis and Whitaker, who won an Academy Award® for his lead performance in “The Last King of Scotland” (2006), announced the nominees in 10 of the 24 categories at a live news conference attended by more than 400 international media representatives.

Academy members from each of the branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories – actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, etc. In the Animated Feature Film and Foreign Language Film categories, nominations are selected by vote of multi-branch screening committees. All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees.

Nominations ballots were mailed to the 5,810 voting members in late December and were returned directly to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the international accounting firm, for tabulation.

All active and life members of the Academy are eligible to select the winners in all categories, although in five of them – Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject and Foreign Language Film – members can vote only if they have seen all of the nominated films in those categories.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
For the complete list of nominees click here

Obama's Natal Chart

Watching Barack Obama yesterday one was reminded what a cool character he is—never a hint of his confidence wavering he is perpetually assured and congenial. Well, he's a Leo and you now what that means—think Madonna; the searchlight doesn't find you, you find it, and he certainly delights in being in that beam. The other portions of his chart are more than fascinating: a Gemini moon with Aquarius rising, which explains a lot. The Gemini moon would allow for a mind that is quick and can easily comprehend almost anything in a moment. The fact that it is an air sign indicates that communication and ideas are paramount, especially when in robust Gemini. An Aquarius rising is something you want in a leader: "Often labeled as independent and original children, Aquarius rising natives often feel a little "different" or "special" throughout life. They often feel like they are on the outside looking in, and their ability to observe and deduce is often uncanny. They're also adept at getting things to work, even when the parts that make up the whole seem like a puzzle with unusual pieces--especially when it comes to groups of people. This sets them apart as managers and team leaders."

It's National Drag History Month!

 
As pre-inauguration ennui already sets in, what with the scandals: the Gay Men's Chorus was not identified before singing and Anglican Bishop Gene Robinson's prayer was not aired on usually homo-friendly HBO and of course tomorrow we get to see Ricky Warren conjure up something, let's not forget that  "January 2009 marks the first-ever celebration of National Drag History Month! This month-long event salutes the richness of drag culture and pays tribute to the courageous queens & kings who have fought for equality while inspiring, educating & entertaining us all." And it all can be found on LOGO. Our favorite is "What a Drag: How to Drag Yourself Up featuring Drag queen experts Megan and Phoenix who teach you how to get your drag on. Other episodes feature "Behind the Scenes of RuPauls's Drag Race", "Sissy Squad" and the "Best in Drag Music Video".

Pulled from the vault

A fashion spread for The Advocate circa 1990's. Shot on film (remember film?), it was later developed through a technique called "cross processing", which is developing the film deliberately in the wrong film solution. The results were highly unpredictable, which only added charm to the process. The same or similar results can be had today using Photoshop, but what has been lost is the erratic nature of chemicals reacting to paper.
The story was about bathing suits and i believe it was called "Suit Yourself". Richard Rouillard was then editor in chief;  a man molded in the Diana Vreeland school of drama, Rouillard was a brilliant editor who knew that publicity was half the battle. He managed to get an interview with Madonna, which at the time, was big news. Years later he was fired from the magazine and legend has it that he chased publisher around the offices with an axe.

Towleroad Wins Best LGBT Blog Award

Congratulations to Andy Towle for winning the Best LGBT Blog Award for 2008. Towleroad began in 2003 as personal blog for Andy who was then editor in chief for Genre magazine in Los Angeles. Genre was bought and sold to some thieves (really) who took it to New York City and practically ran it out of business. Andy too moved East and with him his blog. In a few short years Towleroad would become one of the most popular blogs for gay men and women. An interesting mix of politics, cultural reviews and the occasional personal intrigue with science, space and other worldly things, it also became less and less personal. Towleroad garned a militant group of readers called "towletts" who defended his every word, deed and blog entry. And there was much in fighting between commenter's as every subject (and we mean every subject) was analyzed, shredded and commented on with a passion. Certain commentators like the rarely brief Leland, would write dazzling responses while others would mostly defend their positions with nothing less than outright bitchiness. Andy, first and foremost a journalist, rarely entered the fray. Then in the dead heat of July 2008, Andy got personal: Jet Blue lost his luggage! As Andy wrote, "Apologies for breaking from the regularly scheduled programming here, but I'm in a bad way." The sympathy poured in the form of over fifty comments lamenting the lost luggage and Andy's struggle. And then one commentator wrote the unspeakable: "Wait... Towleroad.com isn't the center of the universe?" The commentator was quickly admonished and banished from the kingdom— forced to read Queerty and "other staid blogs" as his punishment. But it was an astounding reaction on the part of the towlettes—never had so much pain and suffering been shared by author and readers. Andy was offered intimate phone numbers of those who could help and yes, even free airfares. It was the first hint that blogging had real power. It is unknown if his luggage and its sentimental contents were ever found.
The fact is Towleroad is the best blog. Andy as editor has a keen eye for a brilliant mix of stories and images; it is something only an editorial background could give you. The breadth of Andy' interests can be astounding, though he has fondness for beginning his day with the latest torture and murder of homosexuals from around the world: He is apparently not a morning person. But this is his job. While most of us struggle to find a moment or a story worth writing about, Andy spends his days scouring the Internet for information. This is how he makes his living. His blog is sluggish with advertisements, which cost upwards of $900 a pop. This year he surpassed rival, ohlalamag.com with 766,829 ad impressions to their 772,913. Of course the queen of all blogs, perezhilton.com has an astounding 58,373,248 ad impressions. Blogging can be big business. The fact that Andy's is not about scribbling moronic remarks on celebrities or ogling every hot male body is testimony to the fact that intelligent blogging can be be successful. Which is why, it can easily be predicated that Towleroad will have less homosexual content with time. It is too confining, too narrow a conceit for a good journalist. It can be witnessed  in this months seasonal banner, the little log cabin in the snow (seen above). Using the tilt-lens effect (easily applied in Photoshop) the tag line to Towleroad though imperceptible is: 'A site with homosexual tendencies." But for now, he has won an award for the best gay and lesbian blog, tomorrow, simply the best blog.

News Flash: Gay Superhero in the Works

SPIDER-MAN creator Stan Lee is to unveil the world’s first gay superhero.

High school basketball star Thom Creed hides his developing superpowers along with his sexuality.

Former Marvel Comics boss Stan, 86 — who also created the Hulk and the X-Men — will unleash the character in an hour-long TV drama being shot in the US.

If it’s a hit there it will cross to the UK.

TV execs hope it will rival the huge success of shows likes Heroes.

Lee developed the idea of a gay character from the award-winning novel Hero by Perry Moore.

A TV insider said: It was only a matter of time before we had our first gay superhero. And if there is one man who can make him a success it is Stan Lee.

There’s a real buzz among comic book fans.

Thumbs Up for Out

 
In the February issue of OUT magazine we are treated to a moment that cheerfully defines why print is not dead, quite yet. Featuring seven all-star photographers, they are asked to interpret the tableau-style images from the erotic male magazines of the 50s. The results are beautiful and the following essay very smart indeed:

Back then, in the ’50s and early ’60s, images of nearly naked muscle guys had to be slyly marketed for “body builders” or “art students.” The other excuse, and the only one that let you show genitals, was the “naturist” alibi. Nudist mags claimed to offer proof of wholesome intentions by photographing families -- including children -- in polite games of naked volleyball.

In a landmark case in the regulation of pornography, Manual Enterprises, Inc. v. Day, the Supreme Court ruled in 1962 that the post office couldn’t refuse male physique publications. A first floodgate for gay porn yawned open. Many of the visuals were created by Athletic Model Guild’s photographer Bob Mizer, whose adventures in and out of bed, the studio, and prison are amusingly recounted in the 1998 film Beefcake.

During Mizer’s checkered career, he shot over 10,000 eager -- but quite often financially desperate -- young men. A minority, like Joe Dallesandro and Arnold Schwarzenegger, became legit. I myself treasure more obscure Mizer muscle-cookies, such as ski-slope-nosed Ed Fury, who later gamboled through Italian gladiator epics and graced the final scene of the Joan Crawford vehicle Female on the Beach.

In the mid ’60s physique photography developed a real aesthetic. Luxurious beefcake mags -- Young Physique, Muscleboys, Demi-Gods, and Muscle Teens -- featured unsigned work by master photographer James Bidgood (one of the artists commissioned for this tribute), whom I lionized in a 1999 Taschen monograph. Legit physical culturist Joe Weider, magnate of today’s billion-dollar sports empire and publisher of Men’s Fitness, was the hidden backer behind all those soft-core mags. We all gotta start somewhere.

A few years later, laws further loosened. Dangling packages and erect members nudged aside posing straps and painted-out genitals. Erotica was replaced by boring frontal get-off shots. Pretensions to aesthetics were flushed down the toilet, and the age of romantic pornography collapsed. But just as no current imitator can reproduce Marilyn Monroe in all her libidinal authenticity, the gay innuendos of the art of the physique pictorial will never be fully resurrected. Too much sensuality has been lost, not to mention the kind of restraint that once led to these miracles of aesthetic invention. -- Bruce Benderson

Grande canzone voce fantastica

Talented...and French!

Their photographs have a look: highly stylized, glazed with post-photoshop retouching and models in unpredictable and ironic settings. There is a certain kind of man they use as models—masculine yet willing and able to wander into that blurred line  in between which creates images that are often striking and iconic. And yet, strangely, not erotic despite the bounty of uncut schnitzel. But they're French. As their own bio reports: Exterface are two 24-year-old French artists, Julien and Stéphane, who have united to create their own company. They produce poetic pictures of sensuality, espacially in the male form - its desires and meanings. Psychologically charged, Exterface push their models to show a hidden side. They attempt to manipulate them - exposing them, stripping them until they are lost between coloured light and darkness. Human isn't a human anymore; human becomes an indecent, urban, disguised, videogenic creature.  Exterface's iconography is sexually charged, but always expresses an interior duality. Each series tells a story as a fresco where the plot is 'all is not what it seems'. Julien and Stephane invite us to attend a spectacle where the model seems palpable yet somehow unreal. More than photographers, Julien and Stephane are directors, painters and scenario writers. They play with artistic currents to prove that human nature hasn't revealed all its secrets just yet.
In an age where, like graphic designers of the 90s, where everbody suddenly became a designer via that curious phrase "desktop publishing", photographers and photography are literally a dime a dozen. Everyone picks up a camera and viola: art! The fact is, indeed everyone might take a great picture, but it is consistency and the unique ability to create memorable images that separates amateur from professional. Exterface are superbly professional, witness yourself here.

Sacha Baron Cohen's Black Jesus Comes to America

The comedian, who has been sued by several people who featured in his film Borat, will be ready for similar reactions after the release of the big-screen debut of his character Bruno.

The title character, a gay Austrian fashion journalist, is already well known for storming runways at designers' shows and aiming to embarrass industry figures in interviews. Clips of his work have become cult favourites on YouTube.

And it is thought that the film version will see Bruno in more outrageous form.

As well as the Jesus character, it is rumoured that Bruno and his boyfriend, Diesel, adopt an orphaned African baby boy called David and parade the child around fashion shows. It is thought the joke is aimed at Madonna, who adopted a Malawian baby called David Banda.

A source reported to have seen the film in a test screening told The Sun: "Sacha has really gone for the shock tactics this time. The characters were created deliberately to wind up certain sections of society and Jesus is one of them."

"It won't be the first time Sacha has landed himself in hot water," the source reportedly added. "The water might be a little hotter this time round, though. Religion isn't always the best place to poke fun."

"Katie Couric is not the center of everybody's universe..."

Paving Paradise: John Kelly

John Kelly returned to Los Angeles tonight at the Hammer Museum with "Paved Paradise Redux: The Songs of Joni Mitchell." Elegantly tall and wearing a velvet gown he sang much of the Mitchell catalog with a voice that is assuredly early Joni, as she herself can no longer hit the high notes. Initially one thinks he is making is fun of the songwriter/poet/goddess, but it quickly becomes clear that this is a labor of love. Between songs his banter is composed of explanations and negotiations that sound remarkably like what Joni might have said herself, but it is the music itself, the faithful renditions of chordal exchanges and vocal interpretations that make one believe. For the last few songs, washed in amber headlights, Kelly assumes his own persona, finally apparent as he emerges as John Kelly, the man. It’s a revelation and epiphany as he continues to enact Joni Mitchell though it becomes a scenario of one man and guitar, singing the celebrated songs of an artist whom he clearly admires and loves. And that may be the essence of seeing John Kelly: this is a man who has learned to play the dulcimer, the erratic chord progressions and the vocal stylings of someone who he pays tribute to with nothing less than genius. And in the course of this event, you are reminded of the depth of Mitchell's lyrics, the sad introspection of very personal music, and the beauty of song.

Gay Ink

From New York Magazine this report: These are downsizing, belt-tightening times for much of the media industry. But somewhat incongruously, New York–based gay magazines are thriving. “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” says AA Bronson, director of Printed Matter and co-editor of Queer Zines, an encyclopedic history of the genre released this fall. “The seventies saw the first rise in ’zine culture, and then again in the mid-eighties, when the plain-paper copier made life easier. But the last few years have definitely been a new phenomenon.” Bronson credits Butt magazine, founded in Amsterdam and now edited in New York, with influencing a new generation of titles that are at once arty and dirty. “They hit on the right formula at the right moment, which was to deal with the gay world as if it were just part of the world at large, with its own heroes in every field—from porn stars to authors to artists.” And despite the economy, sales at Printed Matter are strong. “They’re something you don’t buy and read and throw away,” says Bronson. “You end up keeping them in plastic envelopes, even though they’re kind of cheap.” Above, a selection, most available at Printed Matter (195 Tenth Ave.).

1. Butt (founded in 2001)
Originated in Amsterdam and now edited by Michael Bullock, Felix Burrichter, and Adam Baran in New York, it intersperses smart interviews with smutty photography. The January 2009 issue, pictured above, features intern Juan Jose Quiceno on the cover.

2. K48 (1999)
Mostly visual work by gay artists, curated by Scott Hug. Issue 7 comes with a CD.

3. Shoot (2001)
A photocopied ’zine of portraiture, all photographed by editor Paul Mpagi Sepuya. Issue 5, above, features all self-portraits.

4. Artfancy (2007)
A collection of art and critical text, not overtly homoerotic, edited by Joshua Thorson.

5. Girls Like Us (2005)
An influential “lesbian quarterly” edited in Amsterdam and published in New York by Sophie Mörner.

6. FashionFashion (2003)
A “non-commercial fashion magazine” by artist K8 Hardy.

7. Pinups (2007)
Photo-portraits featuring friends of editor Christopher Schulz. Each issue unfolds into an oversize poster.

8. Pin-Up (2006)
An architecture magazine partial to nude photo shoots, edited by Felix Burrichter.

9. R.O.M.E. (unknown)
Edited by Vanity Fair columnist George Wayne, it is famously distributed only in-house at Condé Nast.

10. Straight to Hell (1971)
Currently in its third incarnation and now edited by Billy Miller, it has published 64 issues of iconic covers and dirty stories.

11. When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again (2007)
Also edited by Billy Miller, an art project featuring contributions from Bruce LaBruce, Brian Kenny, and Scott Treleaven.

12. They Shoot Homos Don’t They? (2005)
A glossy mix of art, photography, and interviews edited by Shannon Michael Cane, who recently moved from Australia to New York.

13. Ridykeulous (2006)
Edited by A. L. Steiner and Nicole Eisenman as part of a larger art project.

14. Spank (2007)
The magazine offshoot of the Spank Party, a roving loft party organized by Sean Bumgarner, Jason Roe, and William Lynn.

15. BTFA (2008)
An anonymously published new queer sex ’zine.

Bob Barr Changes His Mind

The author of the federal Defense of Marriage Act now thinks it's time for his law to get the boot — but for political reasons, not in support of gays.
"Even more so now than in 1996, I believe we need to reduce federal power over the lives of the citizenry and over the prerogatives of the states. It truly is time to get the federal government out of the marriage business. In law and policy, such decisions should be left to the people themselves."
Read story here.