Happy Easter!

From Osaka, with love and chocolate bunnies! 

Weekend Tennis Roundup

Damian and I are off to Japan for the next two weeks, so I decided to share my photos early without even knowing who won the second stop of the Sunshine Double yet. (Predictions welcome!) For now, the return of "short shorts" is examined plus lots more ATP beef from Miami BELOW.

On the Rag, Vol. 802

 

The "admirable" Ramon; Jake Shears on "Cabaret," Tammy Faye and Elton; a look back at three decades of HIV coverage; and much more in this week's magazine roundup BELOW.

Aisle of Lesbos

New York City Council(all)man Erik Bottcher shared this hilarious text today, to which I say: If THIS is what a lesbian looks like, then sign me up! 

Ironically, I happened to have watched two notorious sapphic flicks over the weekend that I've been meaning to mention: First up was the Talia Shire vehicle(!) "Windows" (1980), which was kind of a pre-"Basic Instinct" psycho butch thriller, with Elizabeth Ashley playing the part to a T. 

As much as I understand why the film was panned -- it was even disowned by the director Gordon Willis, who made a name for himself as a cinematographer of "The Godfather" trilogy and many Woody Allen pictures -- for me it was fun to watch 40+ plus years later just to see any type of representation from back in the day. (I'm a bad gay -- I felt the same way about "Cruising," "Partners" and the depiction of Jack Tripper!) 

Of course it helped that Joe Cortese, as the cop on the case, was awfully easy on the eyes. 

He has a cute son with ex-wife Kim Delaney, both seen here with the Bidens 

Then I watched "Personal Best," a movie I feel like I've seen but never actually watched from beginning to end. My déjà vu may have been the result of deep-seated memories of Siskel and Ebert's review of it in 1982, discussing "homosexuals" as if they were legitimate people. (I was completely mesmerized -- that was something I really needed to hear in JUNIOR HIGH -- yet felt I had to be on the lookout that no one even saw me watching the review as I was sure that alone would "out" me.) On the original PBS incarnation of the show, Siskel and Ebert practically showed the entire movie, to which they both an enthusiastic "yes" in the pre-"thumbs up"/"thumbs down" days of "Sneak Previews."

Kudos to writer/director Robert Towne, whose script doesn't even seem dated now -- the relationship was handled very matter-of-factly and was every bit as tedious as all real-life lesbian relationship I've encountered since! -- even if I could see why gay audiences might have been disappointed with the (inevitable) outcome. 

Hard to believe that Mariel Hemingway's real-life jock co-star -- Patrice Donnelly, who is sort of a more masculine version of Ralph Macchio -- isn't a lesbian in real life. And say what you will about advances in fitness and better styling, boy was that the heyday for hunks, as displayed throughout the film! 

Pleased to check both of these off my list of Films I Should Have Already Seen. 

(Correction: Mariel's character's randomly being half Native American didn't exactly age well, but at least it wasn't a dated reference about The Gays!) 

Remains of the Day (03/27)

Out: Colton Underwood is living proof that "coming out journeys aren't always clean and pretty"

Gr8er Days: Celebrating 80 years of Diana Ross with a look at her 20 best solo singles

Reuters: Thailand moves closer to legalizing same-sex unions as parliament passes landmark bill

MPR: 19 Bar, a Minneapolis gay bar open since the 1950s, closes after crash sparks fire

Wrestle Wednesday: Take it all off, big boy

Into: Nicholas Galitzine says he “feels so lucky” to keep playing gay roles

The Randy Report: The GOP operative who accused Matt Schlapp, head of the American Conservative Union, of sexual assault has abruptly dropped his lawsuits against Schlapp and his wife

Caption Me: Don't tease me, Daddy

BAR: Postal service says stamp honoring slain gay college student Matthew Shepard too "negative"(!)

THR: Jean Smart says she’s “thrilled” to be considered a “gay icon” at Human Rights Campaign dinner

New Times: Changing Hands Bookstore -- where I bought my used(!) copy of "The Joy of Gay Sex" back in 1988 -- celebrates 50 years in metro Phoenix

WPR: Federal lawsuit details alleged abuse of first grader by principal for having gay parents

NBC News: Amid book bans, DEI cuts and "Don't Say Gay" laws, 7 states will mandate LGBT-inclusive curricula

GCN: "Bathhouse.PPTX" ignites Off-Off Broadway with artistry and heart

WaPo: White House vows to repeal GOP-led ban on Pride flags over U.S. embassies

Hot Cat of the Day: That's one way to cut down on snacking!

Under the Covers: I live for stuff like THIS, so quickly added "Crimson and Clover" (Joan Jett and the Blackhearts), "Stop Your Sobbing" (Pretenders), "The Tide Is High" (Blondie), "Dear Prudence" (Siouxsie and the Banshees) and "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" (Saint Etienne). The second I hit post, I realized I also should have included "Venus" (Bananarama -- duh!) and "Hazy Shade of Winter" (Bangles). Tell me your picks in the comments. 

Tennis Tuesday: Jake Lacy

 

I'll give you one guess if "Apples Never Fall" -- a sudsy true-crime-inspired miniseries on Peacock about a dysfunctional tennis family starring Annette "I should already have an Oscar" Bening and Jake "the hot guy from 'White Lotus' who couldn't let anything go" Lacy -- is my favorite show of the year. See the latter's manspread moment BELOW.

Big Yellow Taxi

 

You don't see one of these every day! 

UPDATE:

Based on the number of vintage cars in the area, safe to say some kind of period piece was being filmed near the Hotel Chelsea! Anyone know which? 

Remains of the Day (03/25)

Strand: Brian Sloan's "I Think I Do" (starring Tuc Watkins, Alexis Arquette and Guillermo Diaz) is getting a 25th anniversary restoration and re-release:

The world premiere of the new 4K version of the film is happening April 15 as part of NewFest’s annual "Queering the Canon" series at BAM, with most of the cast on hand. It's in good company too with "Go Fish" and "My Own Private Idaho." Later that week, on April 19, the film will be available for streaming on Amazon/Apple. 

Out: 6-foot-5 Lee Pace rings in his 45th birthday with sexy, shirtless pool pics

People: Meet Marcia Gay Queer Harden's three children

L.A. Times: Celebrating the women who’ve been there since Day 1 for gay people

Manspread Monday: If this doesn't get you thrown out of the pool, nothing will

Book Review: In “Long Live Queer Nightlife,” the LGBT studies scholar Amin Ghaziani visits a new generation of ad hoc dance parties that have risen from the ashes of the gay bar

NYT: Former deacon excommunicated after his son is sexually abused by a priest ... for real

NYDN: Nadia Vitels, former Sugarpova exec allegedly killed by swatter in Kip's Bay apartment, helped son launch green business

WDET: Judge struck down Michigan’s gay marriage ban 10 years ago

The Randy Report: Disgusted Biden sacrifices LGBT Pride flags at U.S. embassies to pass "critical" spending bill

Variety: Josh O’Connor in talks to star in Luca Guadagnino’s gay romance film, "Separate Rooms"

Gay Cities: How the "Godfather of the Circuit Party" created the world’s largest gay party

AP: Concacaf Nations League final stopped twice due to anti-gay chants ... in 2024

Washington Blade: Professor at Baptist university in Virginia found dead in Florida gay sauna

The Advocate: Neo-Nazis suspected of killing 72-year-old gay man after escaping from prison

Hot Cat of the Day: Happy birthday to Harvey's little sister from another mister! 

Rest in Peace: David Mixner lovingly remembered this morning in a memorial service at Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City

Weekend Tennis Roundup

The Miami Open is in full swing. Lots of photos from the second stop of the Sunshine Double and more BELOW.

Remains of the Day (03/22)

Dazed: Inside the '80s club that transformed New York’s punk and drag scenes

MetroWeekly: A gay, Ted Cruz-friendly developer plans to transform a New York City complex that once housed the Playboy Club into a gay-friendly hotel, restaurant and nightclub 

The Gay Curmudgeon: Where have all the old punks gone?

Brian Ferrari: Remembering Angela McCluskey, a voice you know

Saturday 'Stache: 6-foot-2 in boxer briefs, for your pleasure

PinkNews: I must be the only gay who's relieved this isn't real

People: Paul Simon opens up on ending friendship and partnership with Art Garfunkel

The Randy Report: No charges will be filed in connection to the fight that happened the day before Nex Benedict, a nonbinary high school student, died by suicide in Oklahoma

NYDN: J.K. Rowling threatens lawsuit against "Harry Potter" fansite over lies about her daughter

Speedo Sunday: I see plenty to smile about

Socialite Life: Ricky Martin reflects on his decision to come out publicly as gay

Just Jared: This should make all the bitchy queens happy

AP: "Don’t say gay" law would be expanded to all public school grades in Alabama under proposal

Into: How a gay frat boy used his dorm decor to come out

Boy Culture: Famous faces who have gone full-frontal

Hot Cat of the Day: Someone went to the vet today ...

and he wasn't very happy about it! #HarveyTheCat

READING LIST:

Can't wait to check out fellow Arizonian Holly Lorka's gender-dysphoria memoir, "Handsome: Stories of an Awkward Girl Boy Human":

As a horny little kid, Holly Lorka had no idea why God had put her in the wrong body and made her want to kiss girls. She had questions: Was she a monster? Would she ever be able to grow sideburns? And most importantly, where was her penis? The problem was, it was the 1970s, so there were no answers yet. 

Here, Lorka tells the story -- by turns hilarious and poignant -- of her romp through the first 50 years of her life searching for sex, love, acceptance and answers to her questions. With a sharp wit, endearing innocence, and indelible sense of optimism, she struggles through the awkward years (spoiler: that’s all of them) and discovers that what she thought were mistakes are actually powerful tools to launch her into a magical -- and ridiculous -- life. Oh, and she discovers that she can buy a penis at the store, too.

Order HERE.

On the Rag, Vol. 801

 

Take a gamble on a Venezuelan, DJ Minx is in tune with herself; Chef Dominique Crenn "is a rebel with a cause"; and more in this week's magazine roundup BELOW.

Remains of the Day (03/20)

Stolen Holiday:  A case for the films of Zalman King and Patricia Louisianna Knop

WCT: Ireland's gay prime minister, Leo Varadkar, resigns in surprise move

SF Standard: Willie Brown at 90: The straight ally who decriminalized gay sex in California

NBC News: 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. have suffered from religious trauma at some point in their life, according to a study: “Imagine being told by everyone you trusted that you’re going to hell because you like men.” 

Wrestle Wednesday: Your sausage is served

Today: Natasha Richardson’s hunky son Daniel Neeson pays tribute 15 years after her death

AP: Maryland labor attorney becomes first openly gay judge on 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

PinkNews: Comedian Tom Allen’s new BBC show will give one lucky gay couple their dream wedding

Greg in Hollywood: Reclusive Richard Simmons, 75, reveals he has skin cancer days after cryptic online posting about dying

Chronicle of Higher Education: How queer theory turned its back on gay men:

Gay [white] men have been the special targets of some queer theorists’ most characteristic resentments, made to bear the symbolic burden of the ills of capitalism, racism, imperialism, etc. to other member groups within an imagined coalition of sexual minorities.

Even as they face, as they historically have faced, particularly intense challenges of homophobic violence, discrimination, and sexual health, gay men are made to appear as living emblems of privilege and dubious political action -- just as they had earlier in the discourses of the communist left and nationalist right. The academic field dedicated to overcoming our vast inheritance of homophobia ironically perpetuates it.

Out: Talk about an upgrade

WaPo: RBG Award gala canceled after Ginsburg family criticizes honorees

Telegraph: Konstantin Koltsov, former NHL player and sometime boyfriend of tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, dead at 42 after jumping from hotel balcony

Moscow Times: Russia arrests gay club managers in first LGBT "extremism" criminal case

People: Former "Jeopardy!" producer Mike Richards opens up about being fired after one day as host 

Hot Cat of the Day: The Miami Open is off to a galloping start!