boy culture

The Real Humorless Slim Shady?

It seemed staged because why wouldn't Eminem have moved? Yet his reaction seemed quite disgusted and humorless (remember his Triumph run-in ages ago?)—Sacha Baron Cohen/Bruno dropped in on Eminem during The MTV Movie Awards with his ass hanging out, and everyone will be talking about whether it was real or fake.

How about it was staged, but Eminem didn't know about the bare ass? My guess.

What In God's Name

Prominent doctor George Tiller of Kansas—known to abortion foes as a man whose women's health clinic performed later-term abortions in extreme cases and who was vilified as a murderer by the right wing for the past 20 years—was gunned down in cold blood AT CHURCH today. This story is a microcosm of the abortion argument—the religious nuts who think terminating an unwanted pregnancy is the same as shooting an adult man probably timed this to coincide with today being the anniversary of the 2003 arrest of anti-abortion TERRORIST Eric Rudolph.

Then you have anti-choice crazies Operation Rescue issuing a statement deploring his murder, though they demonized him relentlessly and could not resist mentioning in their statement, "We pray for Mr. Tiller's family that they will find comfort and healing that can only be found in Jesus Christ."

The man's clinic has been bombed and vandalized and he was shot in both arms once before (that lunachick is still imprisoned, thankfully). It was only a matter of time before this happened. Especially with explicit cheerleading from the likes of Bill O'Reilly:

Tiller was charged with performing late-term abortions without consulting a truly independent second source; he was exonerated. That was not good enough for his enemies; he was executed.

They must be desperate, seeing that President Obama will have two, three or more chances to alter the makeup of the Supreme Court. Expect more.

UPDATE: President Obama has denounced Tiller's assassination in no uncertain terms, even as anti-choice leader Randall Terry seems to blow it off and reiterate his side's duty to "protest" abortionists everywhere—including at their churches, which is where Tiller was assassinated.

I'm Not Perfect, But I'm Perfect For You

Quinn (right) with her partner Kim Catullo.

A very interesting CNN piece on marriage equality in New York quotes Christine Quinn as being cautiously optimistic about its passage.

Of her visits with undecided and leaning-against lawmakers, she says:

"It was amazing how much openness there was. We just all have to create a moment for them to step forward. So I really think it is going to happen this month, before the legislative session is over." (Our enemy, Maggie Gallagher of NOM—a woman who took cash from the Bush Administration in exchange for writing what they wanted her to write—says, "I don't think they will be passing a gay marriage bill this session.")

Also of interest is Quinn's pragmatic take on President Obama's position on marriage:

"He's not perfect on this issue and I want him to be perfect. And I'm fairly certain that pretty soon he will be perfect on this issue and what we just have to do is keep talking to him and keep educating him and keep working on him."

Meanwhile, the prez was in New York to see Joe Turner's Come and Gone with his wife (Republicans are bitching about the cost, as if Bush's jaunts to Crawford were free or something) and I actually had a ticket in the orchestra purchased...then the agent called to say they didn't have the ticket after all and they'd refund my money. Would have been fun to attend with the first couple and report on what happened inside...

Thump, Thump, Drag

A couple of weeks ago, I Facebooked some derogatory comments about the unsubtly titled Drag Me To Hell; I was misinterpreting it to be a trashy horror flick with a terribly unimaginative title (a la I Spit On Your Grave of yore), when in fact it's a sort of pomo revisiting of the genre, a knowing recreation of...a trashy horror flick with a terribly unimaginative title.

It doesn't count as bad if you know you're making a "bad" movie; instead it comes off as nostalgic and if not necessarily cerebral, somewhat smart. It was directed by Sam Raimi of Evil Dead and more recently Spider-Man fame, so I should have known better.

I just closed on a refinance and I must admit it went better than this.

Still, the 94% raves it's gotten at RottenTomatoes.com are a bit much—that makes it as well-reviewed as Slumdog Millionaire. I get that expectations play into this, but please!

As I watched, I certainly enjoyed it, but kept trying to figure out its pedigree—part Tim Burton (its fable quality), part Disney (it's only PG-13 and despite gross-outs feels harmless), part Brian DePalma (it's so over-the-top it can't even see the top anymore). But by the end, it was shockingly apparent that rather than a mix of those elements, it's really just 100% one thing—it's a slightly longer, slightly better-than-average Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode.

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The Hairy Angel Plucks Defeat From The Jaws Of Victory

Fine, she was overhyped. But come on, people, she deserved to win.

Just as Adam Lambert lost American Idol chiefly because people get sick of sure things, Susan Boyle lost Britain's Got Talent. But at least Adam lost to a cutie-pie with talent—Susan lost to a cheesy dance troupe. Yes, I acknowledge I could not dance as they do; nor would I want to.

That said, she really was at her best on that one song, and her follow-up performance was not legend-making. But also like Adam, she will be making platinum records shortly.

Adam Lambert Finally Answers "The" Question!

I wish Perez had given Adam Lambert a hot minute to actually come out—it appears he is about to do so on the cover of Rolling Stone, so all the teasing he's doing is actually funny, not frustrating. It always seemed obvious to me that Lambert would be that rare and special thing—a gay person who admits it while simultaneously seeking to entertain the world. He never struck me as a Sean Hayes douche.

Shirley You Can't Be Against Marriage Equality, or The Million Dollar Baby

Huntley "doesn't believe in it" when it comes to marriage equality, but backs lavender 100%.

Former President Bill Clinton's view on marriage equality is "evolving"—that's the word for when you begin to feel you can safely say how you've really felt all along. But "Democrat" Shirley L. Huntley, a state senator from New York, has never been shy to let people know she is not down with gay marriage. Even a call from Maya Angelou herself did not move her. In response, Huntley said, "If they gave me a million dollars, tax free, I just wouldn't vote for it."

Angelou graciously told Huntley she understood. I, for one, do not.

First of all...who said anything about money? Sounds like New York's got their own Roland Burris here—you don't vote for things based on how much money it will make you...or does she?

Love At 1st Sight

Rafael Nadal pops up on Men's Journal (June 2009) and Men's Fitness (June/July 2009). Tennis, anyone?

Guydar X 20

More after the jump...