Old Timey Hotties, Triple Hobbits, Gay Rejection and Olympic Nonsense

Mihai Eminescu, age 19, 1860

I first found My Daguerreotype Boyfriend on Tumblr about a year or so ago. I completely forget where the link came from, but many of the photos (most from the late 1800's into the early 1900's) are intriguing, to say the least. I think I was most surprised at how many of the men featured there looked so modern. Granted, not every photo is a gem, but what you find attractive and what I find attractive won't always be the same. K and I are usually amazed when we find the same guy attractive, while my friend Laura and I rarely disagree (though the guy we usually find most attractive is also most likely to be the first to die in a horror movie - Tuc Watkins in The Mummy, for example).

Many of the guys featured on MDB are unnamed prisoners and Civil War soldiers, though there are plenty of portraits of famous men in their youth, like Teddy Roosevelt, Charlie Chaplin and Lionel Logue (the real speech therapist featured in The King's Speech). The blog also has a whole section dedicated to men from the past who look like stars from today. MDB is currently searching for photos of hot Olympians from 1896 - 1936. 

Now, as gorgeous as some of those men may be, I don't think they can compete with modern athletes like Phillip Boy or Jonathan Horton or Danell Levya. Of course, being the dirty old man I am, Uncle P is really only interested in seeing the Men's Gymnastics; Men's Swimming; Men's Diving and Greco-Roman Wrestling events. But honestly, that's always been the case for me, old or young.

And speaking of rings (wow - talk about stretching for a segue), director Peter Jackson has formally announced (via - among others) that The Hobbit will indeed be a trilogy. Seriously? I know it's been a very long time since I read Tolkien's "prequel" to The Lord of the Rings (I think I was 13) but I don't remember there being enough material to support three feature-length films. Or maybe I'm wrong. I do know that while I really liked reading the LOTR trilogy, I enjoyed The Hobbit a whole lot more. Personally, I just can't wait to see how Jackson imagines Smaug!

And finally, I initially missed the first video in this series, but Towleroad has posted these very amusing tutorials on dealing with rejection for gay men, by TipsForLife:

He's already got the whiskey and the gin - he might as well add vodka, rum, tequila, sweet and sour mix and Coke to make an LIT.  If you're going to drink, it should at least taste good, no? And honestly, no one knows more about gay rejection than yours truly... Oh, that sounded a little pathetic, didn't it? Trust me, I have had my share of acceptance, though the scales do seem to have been tipped in the other direction. Not that I'm complaining... (well, maybe just a little).

More, anon.

Prospero

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Bloggers Can Make a Difference

Dan Pearce writes a blog called SDL which stands for 'Single Dad Laughing.' I haven't had much of a chance to read the rest of his posts, but his recent post called I'm Christian, unless you're gay has gone viral and caused quite a stir. To date, he has received over 5,000 comments on that single post. While many of those comments were negative, the vast majority have been positive.

It's an amazing piece and if you haven't already read it, I strongly suggest that you do so. The post isn't about Christianity or homosexuality. It's about Humanity. It's about how we all need to treat one another as we we would want ourselves to be treated. It's about the "Golden Rule." It's about realizing that our differences are what make us the same. But mostly, it's about love. 

I have an amazing family. My mother, sister and brother-in-law are amazingly supportive of me and love me for who I am. Of course, my family isn't limited to the people to whom I am related by blood. My family includes some amazing human beings (D; K; Q; Dale; Tracy and a few others) who genuinely love me (and whom I love so very much). I am also lucky enough have a wide group of friends who love me, as well. And I love all of them. I also happen to have a day job where my co-workers not only respect me, but don't care about my sexuality. It's simply a non-issue. In fact, most of them don't understand why anyone's sexuality matters. I think of myself as truly blessed to have have all of these wonderful people in my life, even though I would never consider myself to be religious in any way. Blessings don't have to be supernatural to matter.

Am I still anti-religion? Definitely. Religion has been the source of more social strife than any other issue in the history of civilization. Millions have been killed in the name of "God." Families have been torn apart; lives have been shattered and countless people have committed suicide because they just couldn't reconcile who they were with who their religions said they should be. But I am not about to condemn anyone for what he or she believes. What I will condemn is using what they believe to justify hating someone else for believing differently. 

Today, Dan posted a video featuring some of the comments he received on his post. Watch the whole thing. The fact that this eloquent man changed so many minds gives me hope. 

Thank you, Dan. And thank you to all of my readers who get it. Keep fighting the good fight, folks. Love is all you need, as some band sang way back when.

More, anon.
Prospero

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Unconditional Love

The Most Adorable Boy on TV

I have already shared what I'm about to talk about on Facebook, but I think it deserves as wide an audience as possible, so I'm talking about here as well.

You all know I've officially declared Darren Criss The Most Adorable Boy on Television (and one of the few reasons I still watch "Glee"). Uncle P may be getting on in years, but that doesn't mean he can't appreciate beautiful (not to mention talented) things when he sees them. But this post isn't about me. Or Darren Criss. It's about two amazing parents and a very self-aware child who they love no matter what.

You may remember Nerdy Apple Bottom, the NY wife of a cop who defended her young son's choice to wear a Daphne (of "Scooby-Doo") costume to school last Halloween. Now comes this post from Gets Too Obsessed, who told the story of her six year-old son's crush on Blaine (Criss' "Glee" character) and his admission that he only wants to kiss boys. Here's an excerpt:

Then the other day we were traveling across the state listening to the Warblers album (of course), and in the middle of Candles, my son pipes up from the back seat.

“Mommy, Kurt and Blaine are boyfriends.”

“Yes, they are,” I affirm.

“They don’t like kissing girls.  They just kiss boys.”

“That’s true.”

“Mommy, they are just like me.”

“That’s great, baby.  You know I love you no matter what?”

“I know…” I could hear him rolling his eyes at me.

When we got home I recapped this conversation to his Dad, and we stood simply looking into each other’s eyes for a moment.  Then we smiled.

“So if at 16 he wants to make a big announcement at the dinner table, we can say ‘You told us when you were six.  Pass the carrots’ and he’ll be disappointed we stole his big dramatic moment,” my husband says with a laugh and hugs me.

Only time will tell if my son is gay, but if he is I am glad he’s mine.  I am glad he has been born into our family.  A family full of people who will love and accept him.  People who will never want him to change.  With parents who will look forward to dancing at his wedding.

And I have to admit, Blaine would be a really cute son-in-law.

Wow! Just... Wow! I can't imagine better parents than these two. Can you imagine how much better the world would be if every parent was so accepting, so loving and so nonjudgmental? The Ann Coulters, Rick Perrys, Rick Santorums and Michelle Bachmanns of the world would cease to have relevance. NOM, Maggie Gallagher and her supporters would be universally ridiculed and the Westboro Baptists would melt like the Wicked Witch under a bucket of love. 

And to be honest, I can't blame the boy for crushing on Blaine:

Here's the thing: No matter who or what your child is; no matter who or how they love; no matter what happens in their lives, your children are a direct reflection of you. Love your children; support your children and let them know that no matter what, you will always love them. Gay, straight, bi or trans, your children deserve your love and support no matter what.

To parents who don't get it, or think that God hates their gay/bi/trans child - you are wrong. And you know that in your heart. Please share that post with everyone you know. Love is never wrong. Hate is always wrong. Don't confuse the two. 

Another rant over.

More, anon.

Prospero

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The Gayest Nonsense You'll See This Week

Most of tonight's post is made up of last night's (far from sloppy) left-overs. I say "most," because I did find one of the items below this afternoon.

And before any of y'all get up in my face, I know that's a ROYGBIV rainbow in the picture of Pegasus, but when I Googled 'gay rainbow unicorn' and found what is literally the antithesis of that phrase, I couldn't not use it. Oh irony, how you mock me. Or something.

Then again, I suppose the rather phallic (not to mention psychedelic) mushrooms do push the whole thing from 'mythological' to 'gay.' By the way, what does a gay Pegasus eat? Haaaa-aaay! I'm here all week. Try the veal and tip your servers.

Anyway, I posted about the rainbow dude the other day and I guess I was right on the cusp of a meme, because yesterday I found a clip that makes the single best use of of AutoTune, ever:

Genius! I'd really love to meet the Rainbow Guy. I mean, how many of us can honestly say we have something that brings us that much insane joy?

And speaking of insane, the ever-expanding Cheezeburger network is holding a contest on Failblog. An Evil-You-Know-What contest that they're calling the ClownFail Contest. I would post an image, but I love too many coulrophobes to do that... Brave souls like you and I who find creepy clowns to be supercalifragilcalilisticexpialidociously fun, check out the gallery and vote for your favorite EYKW. New photos are added daily.

Did someone say "creepy photos?" What? Oh, my mistake. Yes, "Pathetic Celebutard Court Video" is very different. The Cult of Celebrity is nothing if not bizarre. We elevate people based on the slimmest of merits, then watch like rabid hyenas as they fall, drooling to tear them apart. I know I've taken plenty of potshots as 'Lilo,' here. I try to stay away from the celebrity gossip, mostly because I despise bloggers like Perez Hilton, who make their money exploiting rumors, innuendo and altered photos. But the once adorable and truly promising child star that was Lindsay Lohan has become a bigger train wreck than Britney and Paris combined. All the stupid bitch needs is a sex tape and she'll win the title... No... I know. Lilo needs a Sassy Gay Friend to pull her from the depths of despair. Honestly, I must admit to a certain sense of schadenfreude when I saw the video of her sentencing; and based on the comments on several websites that carried it (the majority of which were: "Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!"), so did many millions of others. Still, I can't help be saddened to see another promising young talent throw it all away.

And finally, tonight over at Towleroad, I found this rather amusing clip of gay blogger and reporter Jesse Archer and his visit to Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to be Girls in celebration of the release of Miss Vera's book of the same name:

Don't forget, tomorrow is a special 2nd Anniversary Edition of Caliban's Revenge, featuring an updated version of my first ever movie post and a few bonus surprises...

More, anon
Prospero

You have read this article Blogs / Celebrity / Evil Clowns / Nonsense / Ramblings / The Gayest Thing / Unicorns / Video with the title Blogs. You can bookmark this page URL https://tammycross.blogspot.com/2010/07/the-gayest-nonsense-you-see-this-week.html. Thanks!

The Gayest Things You'll See This Week

An unusual Saturday Night Quickie here at Cali's R, but I came across a couple of things today that I just had to share and they were far more appropriate here, rather than the Double Z (could I sound more pretentiously hip tonight if I tried? -- And if I do, please free to slap me the next - or first - time you see me*).

Anyhoo, I know it's July and Pride month is over in the U.S., but Pride celebrations are held all over the world all year long and in Madrid, they just had their annual High Heel Race. It's been linked several places, but this clip is from Joe.My.God. I love how the British commentator calls lipstick "lippy.**"

Also via JMG, this hilariously filthy gay sex primer, as explained by mimes (very likely NSFW):

I've watched that clip about 6 times now and it still makes me laugh like an insane hyena on mescaline -- wow, talk about disturbing analogies...

I'm heading over to the Zone in a few minutes. The church carnival thing actually kind of fell apart (it is a holiday weekend, after all), but that's okay. It allowed me to discover an intriguing new NBC show, which I'll be reviewing tomorrow, once I've watched the remaining two episodes OnDemand.

More, anon.
Prospero

* You won't believe this, but I found that image by Googling "old Asian woman." Hand to God. Try it for yourself. Go on; I dare ya! I double dog dare ya! Ah... Chicken! (Please... what the hell is wrong with me, tonight?)

**And man am I dating myself with that reference.

G'night, Gracie.

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Meg's Dad Rocks!

My very sweet friend Megan is coming down from Connecticut next Sunday to see Sordid Lives and have lunch and a visit with me. I'm very excited to see her, as it's been at least a year, though we send one another silly emails and links to pictures of hot boys like a couple of adolescent girls (she just turned 30 and I, as you know, am older than dirt). She's staying overnight at another friend's close by, making the most of her time in NJ.



Anyway, she and I were IMing earlier this evening and she mentioned her Dad had a blog. Now, she had told me before that he was doing a big charity cross-country motorcycle trip, but I forgot about the blog. I immediately visited it and was most pleasantly surprised. It's best to explain in his own words:



This is the beginning of an adventure. I am planning a cross country trip by motorcycle in the spring of 2010. Sharing that adventure with others is one of the goals.



In 2009, I have been concentrating on the trip planning and riding my 2008 Honda Shadow Spirit 750. As a senior, one of my concerns was how many miles could I travel in comfort considering the changeable weather and traffic conditions. So far I have done well, logging three trips of 650 miles, 210 miles and 500 miles. With this experience, I know my limits and can more realistically plan for the trip. Particularly helpful in the trip planning was the website Motorcycle Touring for Beginners at http://tinyurl.com/ybvlhdr



Cheers,

Free Spirit



As far as I can tell, that is the only time he signs an entry. The pictures are often breathtaking and "Free Spirit's" writing is funny, poignant, instructional and inspirational. I'm now following Free Spirit at his blog, Coast to Coast and highly recommend his very well-written travelogue. You can also link to Coast to Coast from my blog list on the lower left side of this page. Meg's dad is currently in Utah, which means his trip is almost over, but you can (and should) start at the beginning.



I'll be posting on the ZZone tomorrow (though not next Saturday, the 26th) and I'll be back here Sunday, but I wouldn't expect a whole lot more until after Sordid Lives closes on the 27th (unless the JTMF YouTube vid is ever finished...). See? Now you know I'm tired when I get really bitchy. I'm sorry. The man is doing us a favor... When the clip is finally online (dear Lord, please by tomorrow), I will post it here; on the JTMF blog; the JTMF Facebook page and my Facebook page. I am excited to see it, especially after seeing the same videographer's final edit of Psycho Beach Party. You'll know as soon as I do.



More, eventually.

Prospero

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I Actually COULD Care Less

Few things make your Uncle P crazier than bad grammar. Now, I'm not talking about the occasional typo or misspelling. I never had a typing class in my life and I have been known to misspell and/or mistype on occasion. But the abuse of the English language (admittedly, the most ridiculously difficult language on the planet) just drives me to the brink of insanity (as if I weren't already close to it, as it is).

In particular, the misuse of several phrases makes me want to send everyone back to repeat the 5th Grade. This post's title is one of them. The phrase "I could care less" implies that one cares, at least a little bit. What people mean to say is "I could not (or couldn't) care less." I bring this up because I read a post tonight by a blogger whose opinions I generally respect and with whom I usually agree, in which said blogger actually typed the words "I could care less,' when he really meant the exact opposite. This is not only bad grammar, but lazy speech and (even worse) lazy writing. Is it any wonder the U.S. Education System is failing on almost every level?

And of course, the other phrase that makes me want to pull my hair out by the roots is : "a whole nother." Folks, I am pleased to inform you that there is NO SUCH WORD as "nother." It should be either "another whole" or "a whole other." I've heard national newscasters use this un-word on air, and it makes me want to smash my TV with a sledge hammer. This isn't rocket science, folks. It's basic English, supposedly (and don't get me started on people who say "supposably") taught to you when you were 10 years-old.

Almost as bad (at least in my book), is poor punctuation. In particular, the misuse of commas; colons; semi-colons and parentheses. As you have probably ascertained by now, even if you've only read one or two of my posts, I am quite fond of parenthetical sentences and phrases. But when I do use them, I make sure to punctuate them properly. A punctuation mark always goes after the closing parenthesis, unless the parenthetical sentence stands alone (which is rarely). And the semi-colon is probably the most misused punctuation mark; semi-colons should only be used when a new idea is presented as part of the same sentence or when writing lists in sentences in which commas have already been used. A comma should never be used before or after the the word "and" (as evidenced by the example just cited), and may be used before or after the word "but," at the writer's discretion. Apostrophes are used to denote contraction and possession: Leon's hos weren't bringing him the money they owed him, so he beat them until they gave him all of their johns' money. When the denotation of possession belongs to a plural group, the apostrophe always goes after the plural S.

You should be glad that I'm not about to go into the abuse of conjugational tenses, as that could lead to another three or four paragraphs which you won't read because you've already grown bored by this topic.

Confused? Who wouldn't be? Is there help? Of course. I highly suggest the purchase of The Elements of Style, by William Strunk, Jr. Written in in 1918, it is still the standard for use of grammar and punctuation when writing in English. Of course, language is fluid. Words and phrases come in and out of style with the regularity of hem-lengths. And of course, the rules of grammar vary from language to language. But in the English-speaking (and writing) world, grammar is a constant and those who ignore it, are doomed to be derided by pompous a-holes like me.

Okay. I feel better now. Another rant is over. If you are an English teacher or grammarian and have seen something in this post that is incorrect, by all means feel free to make a comment which derides my ignorance. Better you should correct me, than let me disperse misinformation. If you you are not an English teacher or grammarian, but you think I'm being an elitist a-hole (which I probably am), then feel free to call me on it. I'm a grown-up and can take whatever you dish out.

Back to my regularly scheduled nonsense, anon.
Prospero

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John Cusack Is a Freak

I've always liked John Cusack. I love Say Anything with its iconic scene of Cusack holding a boom box over his head, playing Peter Gabriel's 'In Your Eyes' in an effort to win back the girl he loves. So romantic. Or his hilarious turn as a hitman attending his high school reunion in Grosse Point Blank (which also features a bravura performance from his equally talented sister, Joan). Then there's the brilliant insanity of Being John Malkovich and the almost scary version of Stephen King's 1408. And let's not forget Sixteen Candles or the completely hilarious Better Off Dead ("...and to drink... Peru!"). Currently (and, I think, sadly) he is starring in Hot Tub Time Machine, a movie I have no intention of ever seeing, even when it shows up for free on TBS in about 3 months.

Anyway, Cusack is also currently a guest blogger on BoingBoing, the Science/Sci-Fi/Steampunk/Free -Speech/Arts-and-Crafts/Gadgets/Bananas/Whatever-the-Hell-They-Feel-Like-Posting-About blog run by Science Fiction author Cory Doctorow. Today, Mr. Cusack posted the video I am about to share with you.

If you have seen Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and thought he must have been smoking some primo ganga while making it, I can't even imagine what you will think about Czech animator Jan Svankmejer's take on Lewis Carroll's seminal work of nonsense incarnate. As a long-time Alice aficionado (I once wrote a play called "Through a Looking Glass, Darkly"), I am always excited to find new takes on Reverend Dodgson's allegorical and politically satirical fairy tale. Svankmejer's disturbing stop-motion/live action short is nothing less than brilliant, though as insane as anyone can imagine:

Cusack also links to another Svankmejer short, Meat Love. I'll leave it to you to form your own opinion:

As if I needed another reason to love Cusack, his taste in bizarro filmmaking only cements my admiration of him further (Hot Tub Time Machine not withstanding).

Interestingly, BoingBoing contributor Mark Fraunfelder also posted this piece about the British Library's online version of Carroll's original manuscript, which is available for your perusal and delight, for free. As you may well imagine, Uncle P is ecstatic about this link. Despite owning several versions of both Alice books (including "The Annotated Alice"), this is the first time I've been able to actually see the original book in his own handwriting, complete with his original illustrations. Nonsense just doesn't get better than this.

If you aren't familiar with Mr. Cusack's or Reverend Dodgson's works, I highly suggest you go to Netflix and/or your local library, posthaste. I promise you will be disappointed by neither. And just as a side note, the best concert I ever attended was Peter Gabriel's in the late 80's. I believe my sister will also attest to that fact.

More, anon.
Prospero




More, anon.

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