18 February 2006

The Washington Post had an interesting piece in yesterday's Style section about American figure skater Johnny Weir. The story is here. The boy is BEYOND gay, but won't come out and say so. I usually don't agree with that sort of thing, but I can understand his decision after reading the article. And you know what? He doesn't HAVE to. It would be one thing if he was totally closeted or living some kind of "double" life. The kid wears sequins, he's obsessed with Christina Aguilera, and calls himself a "diva." But I respect Johnny for not giving into demands (mostly by the media) that he "define" himself, so middle America can dismiss him or put him in a neat little box. I think he thinks he's beyond that: "I am who I am, and I don't need to justify anything to anyone." Right on.

17 February 2006

DC has formed it's own Olympic Committee and is petitioning the International Olympic Committee to recognize it. They say the IOC approved teams for the other territories of the United States, like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, so why not DC? The petition is HERE. The group held its kickoff event at Adams Mill bar. DC's shadow senator Paul Strauss (check out his website -- it's a hoot) gave a speech and the group toasted right at the point when the team from "Denmark" gave way to the team from "Estonia" -- alphabetically, the point where the "District of Columbia" should be marching. From the organizers: "If the District is going to be lumped in with the other red-headed stepchildren of American representative democracy, we should at least be able to compete with our own Olympic teams like other territories. The first team we are organizing is curling, but we are looking for athletes for other sports for both the winter and summer games. So, if you live in the District and want to compete (or be a coach) sign up today!" Right on!

17 February 2006

Speaking of petitions, you can sign a petition HERE to save the Tony Danza show. There's so much to make fun of here, but my partner's mom went to a taping recently and is a huge fan, so I'll refrain. I am concerned, though, that in the petition letter to the ABC "powers that be" is this: "When it comes to celebrity guests, Tony sure gets his share of A-listers. Whether he's interviewing such luminaries as Judith Light or a talking parrot, his questions are always hard-hitting." Troubling.

17 February 2006

So one of the hosts of my show got pulled over by the cops in Alexandria, VA because he went through a stop sign...he was (as usual) late getting to the studio and was a bit rushed. Thank God the cop was a fan of the show...he apparently went on and on about how much he loves the show and my host's recent book (which he signed and gave to the cop.) Needless to say, he didn't get a ticket.

16 February 2006

Just saw this come across the wires.

Country legends reach out to gays on Oscar-nominated movie soundtracks
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Never mind that country music is considered bedrock conservative, the unofficial red-state soundtrack. This year, some of country's most famous names are singing in movies with gay and transsexual themes.
Dolly Parton received an Oscar nomination for "Travelin' Thru," a song she wrote and sang for "Transamerica." Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris are heard on the Oscar frontrunner "Brokeback Mountain."
Nelson, always an iconoclast in his music and politics, even released a gay cowboy song on Valentine's Day, "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly (Fond of Each Other)."
But don't expect a wave of gay love songs to sweep across the heartland anytime soon.
Veteran country stars like Parton, Nelson and Harris are free to reach out to a gay audience because they already have loyal fans. Their careers aren't driven by hit records because country radio already ignores them.
Parton has always embraced her large gay following.

I see and meet high-fallutin' people all the time at my job, but when I met Dolly I couldn't have been a bigger dork. I told her how much I loved her in "Steel Magnolias" and generally just stood there and blushed. She couldn't been sweeter or nicer.

15 February 2006

Bloomberg has an interesting story about what some are calling the "Manhattanization" of DC. The story is here. The piece points to -- among other things, like skyrocketing housing prices -- the revitalization of the U Street corridor and the Gallery Place/Chinatown/Penn Quarter area. If it means the Metro will start smelling like urine, then we gotta rethink this whole thing.

15 February 2006

Random quote of the day: "I learned that it's good to be on top" -- Al Roker, on doing the double luge with Matt Lauer ("Today").

14 February 2006

Just noticed a HUGE branch down in our backyard. Must be from all that wet snow. I may actually have to purchase a hacksaw and get some friends involved to help me. But I also noticed this beautiful sunset. This was taken off our front porch.

14 January 2006

THAT's amore! The girl and I are staying in tonight to celebrate Valentine's Day. I was all ready to take her out, but she says it's a rip off and we should just stay home. So she's making me my favorite meal -- homemade pizza! Which is all very interesting because I was emailed a press release today proclaiming that pizza is "right up there with cupid's arrow as a symbolic image to convey love, romance and Valentine's Day." More from the release: "After all, as one of the most familiar love ballads proclaims: 'When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore.' That's not all. Historically, many of your favorite pizza toppings are known to contain sexual-stimulant properties and researchers have noted the smell, taste, and even appearance of certain foods, such as pizza, can act as potent aphrodisiacs that not only get you in the mood for love, but also may even make you a better lover." Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

14 February 2006

Interesting item in the Washington Post. According to a new study, it costs the government -- that means me and you -- over $350 million bucks over the last 10 years to discharge and replace gay service members under the current "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Such crap.

13 February 2006

Ah, the joys of homeownership. We're getting new storm doors installed today because our old doors (original to the house which was built in the early 30s) are totally energy inefficient.

Meanwhile, how great is that story of Dick Cheney accidentally shooting someone while quail hunting? LOVE it!

12 February 2006

Woke up to a winter wonderland this morning. About a foot of snow. Just took this picture off our back deck. It's quite pretty.