Leapin' Lizards!

Stephen: "I want to return to the theatre in the title role of Annie, with no irony or camp, just me belting out Tomorrow in that iconic little red dress & fright wig. Junior can play Sandy. The rest of the cast will be really talented & appropriate for their roles with the added attraction of a big, old, hairy man as Little Orphan Annie."

The Husband: "I think you are on to something, but I see it with 5-11 year old girls in all the other roles, including a 4' Daddy Warbucks in a bald cap."

Swoon

Gosh almighty, I have such a crush on him going all the way back to Trainspotting in 1996. Ewan McGregor loves playing gay, or he must at least loving getting paid for playing gay. He’s played gay in The Pillow Book (full frontal Mcgregor), The Velvet Goldmine, & I love You, Phillip Morris.

Right now, this magazine is on my coffee table, as yet, unsoiled

McGregor: “I did have a sex scene with Christian Bale, which I did to the best of my ability. C’mon, it was great! I was playing an Iggy Pop-type rock star & we have a shag on top of a rooftop in Kings Cross but they wanted to shoot it from another rooftop. We heard, ‘Action!’ so we started to slowly go at it. Then it went on & on—we were really going at it…with a reach-around... Then I thought, I would have cum by now so I went round to Christian’s ear & went, ‘I think I would have cum by now. I’m going to have a look.’ I looked over & they were packing up the cameras!  I think they thought it was a sensitive thing, they should just leave it to us. I remember when I kissed Johnny (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). It was just a rush at the end of the day. It was just an electrical moment, because you look around & some of the British electrician guys — who are all mainly closeted homosexuals, I think — were sitting around going ‘Fuck, no.’ But I like kissing boys on screen. As a straight guy, it’s quite an interesting proposition. Anything on a film set that takes you by surprise like that, that gets your blood up, is good.”

Along with I love You, Phillip Morris, I am crazy for his work in: Trainspotting, Emma, Moulin Rouge! (he sings! He was in Guys & Dolls on the West End!), Down With Love, the very under-rated Ghost Writer from 2010, & last year's Beginners.

I am worried that he couldn't be any more adorable or desirable. McGregor turns 41 years old today.

Perfectly Frank

"I'm gay, I'm left-handed, I'm Jewish. There's a lot of things that I'm supposed to do that I don't do."


I love him for his ire & for his wit. I think he is a true American Hero. Barney Frank yields real power now & he is wielding it in a characteristically idiosyncratic manner. He remains a national symbol of outré sexuality as well as a rare wit in humor lacking in politics in DC.


Barney Frank on being harassed by Tea Party members: ''More than one. My partner, Jim, & I were walking from… it was a nice day! We walked from one House office building to another. There was a great deal of shouting, you know, waving of fists & signs, & sort of people getting very close & yelling. & a number of the comments were homophobic... really, sadness. As Jim said, we're adults… I haven't really got a lot of respect for these people, to be honest. So, who cares what they say to me? But you do have to think about it. I'm serious about this, this bullying in junior & high school. It's a big problem. What occurs to me is, there are kids all over the country watching this, not as a game but as real life. Watching so-called respectable politicians cheering them on, & that was just discouraging, that at this point in our history, we couldn't have a rational debate with these kind of thug tactics that were being used.''


On coming out to himself, Frank says he realized he was gay when he was 13 years old: "I was aware when I was 11 and 12 that my sexual feelings were different than the other guys'. But I thought I was just a little slow to get those feelings. & then it just hit me like a thunderbolt one day. It was terrifying & emotionally very devastating."


Frank attended Harvard, & graduated in 1962. He taught undergraduates while pursuing a Ph.D. He left in 1968 before completing the degree in order to work as Boston Mayor Kevin White's chief assistant. In 1972, Frank won a seat in the State Legislature. The following year, he introduced the state's first 2 gay rights bills.


In 1980, Pope John Paul II ordered all Roman Catholic priests to withdraw from electoral politics. Father Robert Drinan, who represented the Fourth Congressional District in Massachusetts, complied. More than a dozen local politicians vied for the seat. Frank narrowly won the election. His slogan was "Neatness Isn't Everything," a reference to his rumpled wardrobe.


In 1987, Frank became the first congressman to voluntarily announce his homosexuality publicly.

In 1989, Frank found himself in a major scandal. 4 years earlier, Frank had engaged the services of a male escort named Stephen Gobie. Frank later hired Gobie as a driver despite knowing that he was on probation. Frank also used his House privileges to waive Gobie's parking tickets. When Frank discovered that Gobie was running a prostitution service out of his Capitol Hill apartment, he fired him. Gobie responded by telling his story to the news media. Attempts to expel or censure Frank, led by members of the House Ethics Committee who included the charming Representative Larry Craig, failed. Frank initially decided not to seek reelection in 1990; however, he changed his mind & would win with 66 % of the vote. He won reelection in 2008 with 70% of the vote.


Frank resides in a studio apartment in Newton, Massachusetts & small apartment in DC. His boyfriend, Jim Ready, is a pot smoking surfer who lives in Maine. Last year, Ready nearly got Frank, in a bit of trouble when he got arrested for growing marijuana while Frank was in the house with him. He told off to a couple of Right Wing Christian ladies who were heckling Frank on a plane flight. Ready is my kind of boyfriend.

On November 28, 2011, Frank announced that he would retire from the Congress at the conclusion of his term in 2013. On January 26, 2012 it was announced in The Hillthat Frank intends to marry Ready this summer. Barney Frank celebrates his 72st birthday today. Happy Birthday & thanks for fighting the good fight.

My Second Favorite Structure In The World.

Remember that crazy period in the aughts when Americans were required to be anti-French. Freedom Fries? Well, I never bought it. I am an unabashed Francofile. I took the stairs to level 3, & I stood on the observation deck, & everywhere I went I tried to sneak a view of it every chance that I could find. I have only been to Paris once, but I can't ever get tired of looking at The Eiffel Tower in photos & in films. The landmark turns 123 today.

The Doctor Is Out! Born On This Day-March 31st... Richard Chamberlain

Is it embarrassing that I shared a crush with my mother? 50 years ago, my mother & I would settle in to watch Dr. Kildare. It aired on Thursdays at 8:30pm, a school night. I am not sure how I got away with that, but I enjoyed that thrill of dreamy Richard Chamberlain making my head spin, my heart thump & a pajamas stir… all in black & white on NBC.

Richard Chamberlain has had a 4 decades long career in film, stage, pop music & TV as well. Chamberlain co-founded a Los Angeles-based theatre group, Company of Angels, & in 1961, blue eyed & dreamy Chamberlain gained fame & the attention of 7 year gay boys as young heartthrob intern- Dr. Kildare. The show established the handsome Chamberlain as a romantic leading man, & made him an overnight sensation, & his pin-up status was solidified by his singing ability which led to several hit singles in the early 1960s. I owned his album- Richard Chamberlain Sings & I would listen to him warble The Theme From Dr. Kildare & Love Me Tender, while getting all moony over his cover shot.

Chamberlain appeared in some of the most widely seen projects in TV history: Shogun, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Centennial, & of course- The Thorn Birds. 110 million viewers watched the tale of Father de Bricassart’s doomed love for Meggie, the Australian sheep rancher, making The Thorn Birds among the highest rated mini-series ever.

Chamberlain’s cinema career consisted of an crazy mix of projects: The Madwoman of Chaillot, Ken Russell’s The Music Lovers, The Towering Inferno, The Swarm, The Three Musketeers & my favorite Chamberlain performance in Peter Weir’s The Last Wave (rent this film!).

Deeply closeted for most of his life, Chamberlain was outed by the French magazine Nous Deux in 1989, but it wasn’t until 2003, at the age of, ironically, 69, that he acknowledged his homosexuality in his memoir- Shattered Love (which is oddly a chapter title on my own memoir- Jockstraps & Vicodin: the Early Years).

Chamberlain has continued to work in TV: Will & Grace, Chuck, Nip/Tuck, Desperate Housewives, & as the HIV-positive love interest of Ron Rifkin. He starred on Broadway in a revival of My Fair Lady, in the title role of Ebenezer Scrooge in Scrooge: The Musical, & as King Arthur in Spamalot.

Last year, Chamberlain broke up with his partner of 40 years, hansome actor-writer-producer Martin Rabbett, with whom he shared a fabulous home in Hawaii since mid-1970s.

Last year, in an interview in The Advocate, Chamberlain says : “I wouldn’t advise a gay leading man-type actor to come out. There’s still a tremendous amount of homophobia in our culture. For an actor to be working is a kind of miracle… so it’s just silly for a working actor to say, ‘Oh, I don’t care if anybody knows I’m gay’ — especially if you’re a leading man… Look at what happened in California with Proposition 8. Please, don’t pretend that we’re suddenly all wonderfully, blissfully accepted.” In an era when the President of the United States signs a bill repealing a law banning gay soldiers from serving openly in the military, Neil Patrick Harris plays a ladies man on a popular TV series & hosts awards shows, & Ellen is the #1 daytime star, Chamberlain’s words gave me just a little pause. Maybe the key is stay in the closet until you are too old for leading man roles, & hope that the publication of your memoir will give your career a boost.

After that little diatribe, I have to admit that I stood at the stage door after his potent performance as Richard II at The Seattle Repertory Theatre in 1971 & nearly fainted from his handsomeness & talent. I so wanted to show him my special appreciation when I was 17 years old… & I think I might still go for the chance. Maybe we could star together in gay versions The Gin Game & On Golden Pond. Chamberlain turns 78 today.

Nickelback - This Means War

Sin tiempo casi de disfrutar de "Lullaby", Nickelback ha sacado ya el siguiente vídeo de la canción "This Means War".
Éste es muy diferente al de "Lullaby", ya que sólo salen ellos tocando. Por esa razón no hay demasiado que comentar acerca de él, la canción es buena y el vídeo sencillo.
Aquí os queda "This Means War":

Born On This Day- March 30th... Poet Paul Verlaine

I know of this because I took one class in 19^th century Poetry, a course I would have normally spent doodling, but with a dynamic teacher & the fact that the principals were absinth drinking, opium smoking homosexuals appealed to me.

Verlaine by Courbet

Paul Verlaine's life swayed between the cruel & criminal & the callow & chaste. He married a young girl in 1870 but after a year fell in love with 17 year old poet- Arthur Rimbaud. The pair, along with Charles Baudelair, formed a movement titled The Decadents. In The Decadents’ writing, only the self is important, & the function of poetry is to preserve moments of extreme sensation & unique impressions. In spite of the vagueness of his poetry, Verlaine showed a careful craftsmanship in his compositions, using simple, musical language.

"There is weeping in my heart
Like the rain falling on the city."
(from Romances sans Paroles, 1874)

When Verlaine began his affair with the young Rimbaud, his marriage was shattered. In this impossible situation Verlaine left his family in Paris, adopted the Bohemian life shared with Rimaud in London. Their relationship ended in 1873 when Verlaine, drunk & desolate, tried to shoot Rimbaud after a quarrel. He was jailed for 18 months. When he was examined by the court physicians they noted that his "anus can be dilated rather significantly by a moderate separation of the buttocks & bears on his person the signs of active and passive pederastic habits."

During his imprisonment Verlaine studied Shakespeare & wrote Romances Sans Paroles. "& here is my heart which beats only for you." The collection is considered his masterpiece.

After being released, Verlaine returned to Paris & Rimbaud who proceeded to get Verlaine drunk, beat him & force him blaspheme against his Catholic faith. Verlaine moved back to England where he taught French before returning to France in 1877 to teach at the college of Rethel. It was in this period that Verlaine composed most of the poems, many with religious sentiment that reflects the poet's conversion to Roman Catholicism. In 1879 he gave up teaching, adopted one of his pupils- Lucien Létinois, & they had a farm together. The farm went bankrupt, & Verlaine returned to Paris.

In 1883 Verlaine's Lucien died of typhus & his mother died. Even though he was drinking heavily during this period, Verlaine was celebrated as the leading poet of France. He published such critical works, short biographical studies of poets, short stories, sacred & profane verse. He rewrote old poems, which he earlier had not regarded worthy of publication. Verlaine spent time in & out of hospitals, continued to drink, slept in slums, & spent a month in prison. He also suffered from rheumatism, cirrhosis, jaundice, diabetes, & a broken heart.

Voici des fruits, des fleurs, des feuilles et des branches
Et puis voici mon coeur, qui ne bat que pour vous,
Ne le déchirez pas avec vos deux mains blanches,
Et qu'à vos yeux si beaux l'humble présent soit doux.
J'arrive tout couvert encore de rosée
Que le vent du matin vient glacer à mon front.
Souffrez que ma fatique, à vos pieds reposée,
Réve des chers instants qui la délasseront.
Sur votre jeune sein laissez rouler ma tête
Toute sonore encor de vos derniers baisers;
Laissez-la s'apaiser de la bonne tempête,
Et que je dorme un peu puisque vous reposez.

In his last years, Verlaine wasted his royalties he earned on prostitutes he lived with a gay man, Bibi-la-Purée, who was especially famous for stealing umbrellas.

Verlaine: "For me, Rimbaud is an ever-living reality, a sun that burns inside me that does not want to be put out..." In his autobiographical writings he denied any sexual relationship with Rimbaud.

Verlaine died in Paris, at the age of 52, in 1896. His funeral was a public event, with thousands of Parisians following the casket to the Batignolles cemetery. Despite his fame, Verlaine died in poverty.

Born On This Day- March 30th... Tracy Chapman

In spring of 1988 ,Tracy Chapman released Tracy Chapman, the surprise #1 album that would revitalize the folk-rock genre & go on to win 3 Grammys. She wasn't out then & she is not really out now, but after 7 studio albums & another Grammy in 1997, she opened that closet door a crack when she has mentioned her past relationship with Alice Walker. Chapman: "I have a public life that is my work life & I have my personal life. In some ways, the decision to keep the 2 things separate relates to the work I do." But, when it most mattered the most, Chapman moved away from her policy of not giving money to political causes & in 2008, she gave money to defeat Prop 8 & discussed her decision with the media. Her 8th album was released a week after Obama was elected & Prop 8 passed by a wide margin. The album’s title: Our Bright Future.

Chapman picked up the guitar at the age of 8 years old & began to change the world one chord at a time. Her modest upbringing in a single-mother household with very little money or resources propelled Chapman to dig deep & deal with her harrowing experiences through songwriting.

She was accepted into the prestigious & private, Wooster School before attending Tufts University. She graduated in 1987 with a B.A in anthropology & African studies. Years later, in 2004, Tufts University would award Chapman with an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree to celebrate her committed contributions to society throughout her music career.

Chapman was invited to sing her first hit off her debut album, Tracy Chapman, at the televised Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert in June 1988. Fast Car would bring Chapman a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1989. I know that I couldn't get the song out of my head. Chapman also was awarded Grammy Awards for: Best New Artist, Best Contemporary Folk Album for Tracy Chapman & a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song for Give Me One Reason in 1997.

While she has never chosen to publicly discuss her sexuality with the press, instead focusing on her music in interview.  When the subject of their affair in the 1990’s came up in an interview with Alice Walker for The Guardian, Walker said: “Our affair was never really a secret. It was quiet to you maybe but that’s because you didn’t live in our area.” Walker has kept journals recounting her romantic relationship with Chapman & hopes to release them in the future.


Love her!

UAG

Editor's note: I just checked back on this entry a few hours I posted it, and good Lord, that is some terrible Photoshop work. I'm ashamed.

Take That! Robbie Williams is going to be a daddy!

Ayda Field and Robbie Williams © WireImage

Robbie Williams and wife Ayda Field will welcome a little bundle of joy later this week. Robbie revealed the news of his wife's pregnancy on his official website. He wrote a post that was both funny and emotional. It reads:

HEY FRIENDLIES,

I'VE BEEN KEEPING A SECRET FROM YOU ALL... ME AND AYDA ARE GOING TO BE MUMMY AND DADDY THIS YEAR ...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WE HAD SEX! IT WORKS! WE'VE SEEN SCANS AND CRIED.... LOOKED AT BABIES IN COMMERCIALS AND TEARED UP..... THE NURSERY IS ALREADY PLANNED.... BASICALLY I'M IN LOVE WITH A LITTLE PERSON GROWING IN MUMMY'S BELLY.... AND CAN'T WAIT TO BE A DADDY.... CRYING NOW


MUCH LOVE MUCH JOY
ROBERTO, MUM AND LITTLE BUMP
XXXXXX


What great news and what a sweet post! Robbie and Ayda, an American actress, were married in August 2010. Robbie has previously talked about wanting to be a dad, so that he can teach his child how to play football (soccer). He then also said that they were contemplating Sonny or Sunny for a future child. 

KIM KARDASHIAN IS THE MOST OVEREXPOSED CELEBRITY: This probably won't come as much of a surprise to you, but KIM KARDASHIAN is the Most Overexposed Celebrity, according to the E-Poll market research firm.

And sisters KOURTNEY and KHLOE also made the Top 10 at numbers 8 and 10.

 E-Poll insists, however, overexposure is not necessarily a bad thing -- especially in the Kardashians' case.Quote, "A decade ago being overexposed was the kiss of death. But today it's necessary to fuel reality TV."

After Kim, the rest of the Top 5 was LINDSAY LOHAN, SNOOKI, THE OCTOMOM, and PARIS HILTON (???)

Speaking of Kim ... she posted this picture of herself experimenting with colored contact lenses on Twitter, with the caption: 'What I would look like with light eyes.'

Most everyone, however, was distracted by her very ample cleavage and didn’t notice Kim even had a head, much less eyes.

LINDSAY LOHAN OFF PROBATION: After numerous trips to court, rehab and jail, plus dozens of hours of community service and therapy, LINDSAY LOHAN is in the clear. Almost.

A judge ended Lindsay's five-year probation yesterday, but before she did, Judge Stephanie Sautner gave her some advice. 

"I am not going to give you a lecture," The judge said. "Live your life in a more mature way. Stop the nightclubbing and focus on your work. OK?" Linds responded by saying, "I just wanted to thank you, your Honor, for being fair. It's opened a lot of doors for me."

Lindsay is still on INFORMAL probation until May of 2014 for stealing that necklace from a California jeweler. But she doesn't have to actually DO anything. She just has to stay out of trouble

"The only terms left for you on that case are to obey all laws. Not that hard," Sautner explained. "I know it's kinda hard when people are following you all over the place ... but that's the life you chose."

LINDSAY'S COURT STYLE:  So, yeah, she's off probation ... blah-blah-blah ... let's get to what you really want to know. What did Lindsay wear???!!!

Linds showed up looking more business-like and conservative than ever in a blue Givenchy suit, black platform pumps and a white Céline bag ...

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS FOR MARCH 30 – ERIC CLAPTON, CELINE DION AND MORE

QUOTE/UNQUOTE - MEGAN FOX WOULDN'T TRADE PLACES WITH AN UGLY GIRL: MEGAN FOX knows she's got it going on. In an interview with French magazine 'Jalouse', Fox opened up about her good looks.

"I cannot complain," she says. "I would not trade my place with an unattractive girl."

BABY POOP: REESE WITHERSPOON hasn't confirmed rumors that she's preggers, but when she wears something clingy like she did yesterday, it sure makes it look like she is. Baby bump or not?

CELEBRITIES WITHOUT MAKEUP - COURTENEY COX: COURTENEY COX went bare-faced on the set of some movie she's directing ...

SNOOKI SHOWS US HER TWEETS: SNOOKI tweeted her “official” engagement picture yesterday. The photo shows her and fiancé Jionni LaValle, as he holds up her hand to show off the bling …

Asin Thottumkal

Born    
(1985-10-26) 26 October 1985 (age 26)[1]
Cochin, Kerala, India
Nationality
Indian

Occupation
Actress, Model

Years active
2001 – present

Height
5 ft 4 in (163 cm)

Parents
Joseph Thottumkal
Dr. Seline Thottumkal

Website
www.asinonline.com