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Battle of the "Gypsy"s. There was Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly and Bette Midler. There was even the possibility of Barbra Streisand as Madonna's mother. And now comes Bernadette Peters in the Sam Mendes production of the show theater guru Frank Rich called his favorite musical. This surely begs the question: who's the swellest, greatest, world-on-a-platiest Mama Rose ever? And who are your top five desert island Mama Roses? (Note: participation weighs significantly on your sexuality...contribute at your own risk.)
posted on Apr-22-03 at 12:27 AM

"Once Upon A Classic." A Boston Globe article by Ty Burr (reprinted on the PT Anderson website) that lists the new "classic" film canon for the post-MTV generation. Here's the top five: 1. Pulp Fiction, 2. The Godfather, 3. Fight Club, 4. Run Lola Run 5. Amelie. Discuss!
posted on Apr-15-03 at 6:34 PM

Pulitzer?! I don't even know her! Yes, folks, the 2003 Pulitzer Prizes have been awarded. Jeffrey Eugenides wins the Fiction award for Middlesex (a NYT link to the book's first chapter), Stephen Hunter of the Washington Post wins for criticism (that links you to his LOTR Two Towers review, which made me laugh) and this picture (NYT link) and this cartoon (also NYT) also won.
posted on Apr-8-03 at 8:46 PM

Language Bullies! An interesting somewhat compelling article asking us to forgive Bush's "nuccular." But will you forgive these needless exclamation marks?!!!!!
posted on Mar-30-03 at 8:42 PM

Wanna bet we'll win the war? No, seriously: you can. Check it out yourself: Go here and click on "World Events" to see the odds for "The US Embassy in Pakistan Being Blown Up By A Nuclear Weapon" or "Date Line In Which Osama Bin Laden Will Be Consigned (Dead or Alive) To US Authorities." Ah, America.
posted on Mar-21-03 at 10:35 AM

Yaddo: The Artist's Retreat. "Collectively, artists who have worked at Yaddo have won 55 Pulitzer Prizes, 55 National Book Awards, a Nobel Prize, and countless other honors. Visitors from [John] Cheever's day include Milton Avery, James Baldwin, Leonard Bernstein, Truman Capote, Aaron Copland, Philip Guston, Patricia Highsmith, Langston Hughes, Ted Hughes, Alfred Kazin, Ulysses Kay, Jacob Lawrence, Sylvia Plath, Katherine Anne Porter, Mario Puzo, Clyfford Still, and Virgil Thomson." A place to go to get your mind off war.
posted on Mar-19-03 at 9:22 PM

The Stewart For America Petition. "We, the undersigned, hereby request that French Stewart immediately change his name to 'Freedom' Stewart." Long live America.
posted on Mar-14-03 at 6:43 PM

Did you hear the one about the Harvard girls and the large snow phallus? Oh, and here's the response featuring the memorable line: "it means that we, as women, must be subject to erect penises whether we like it or not."
posted on Feb-23-03 at 9:43 PM

Gay porn legend Jeff Stryker releases a country album. It's true! The site provides links to several mp3 samples, but don't miss the brilliant "Pop You In The Pooper!".
posted on Jan-29-03 at 9:15 AM

The Sex Film Project. Fans of John Cameron Mitchell and "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" can now audition via videotape for his next film: "The Sex Film Project." The catch? You must be willing to have full hardcore sex on film. Oh, and warning: once you click "Accept" prepare for a background pic featuring an act of autoeroticism. Enjoy!
posted on Jan-18-03 at 11:13 PM

Who the h*ll is Michael Musto talking about when he writes these columns? [And, furthermore, why do I read them?]
posted on Jan-6-03 at 9:36 PM

Lesbian sues over locker room ban. A 14-year old middle school girl is forbidden from sharing a locker room with the other girls because she is a lesbian. Meanwhile, on the other coast (NYT link): New York gay rights bill passes.
posted on Dec-17-02 at 10:23 PM

Metafilter, you are my friend. This made me laugh A LOT. Plus you can replace "metafilter" with your friends' names and win brownie points! (Requires Flash and if you're at work, turn the sound down...)
posted on Dec-13-02 at 9:59 AM

The therapists are divided and the film geeks are disappointed but I, for one, thought last night's "Sopranos" season finale was fantastic (mostly due to the brilliant Edie Falco). What did you think?
posted on Dec-9-02 at 9:31 PM

Yesterday's NYT magazine section (reg req'd) featured a profile of Jack Osbourne---whose family's show premieres its second season tomorrow---and discussed the unpleasant repercussions of his new fame: a prescription to Zoloft, a discontinued high school education and severe threats that warrant his own eye-patched bodyguard. Is this kind of exposure (especially in a reality TV context) too much for a 17 year old kid to handle?
posted on Nov-25-02 at 6:48 PM

Lusty Linens! "Inspiring lovemaking and pleasure with our beautifully designed, finely crafted erotic bed linen and other home accessories." Perfect holiday gifts for your favorite pervert!
posted on Nov-22-02 at 5:14 PM

Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Matter If You Are Fluent In Arabic, Despite Our Serious Need For That.... This story hits very close to home. This is a friend from college (Emory) who was just thrown out of the army when they discovered he had a boyfriend. Particularly ridiculous is the fact that he had just achieved fluency in Arabic and would have been (among other gay soldiers) extremely useful to the cause at present. Apparently, heterosexual couples discovered coupled in their rooms at the same inspection were given 10 days restriction and extra duty.
posted on Nov-13-02 at 1:47 PM

You know that horrible Lee Performance Khakis commercial where the woman spills red wine on her pants? Well this article from Slate.com critiques it and then tests it...to surprising results.
posted on Oct-26-02 at 10:33 AM

The Commercial Closet. The world's largest collection of gay advertising.
posted on Oct-8-02 at 7:49 AM

Another awful D.J. prank.... not even a prank, just plain cruelty: calling Darryl Kile's widow on-air and asking if she has a date to Thursday night's playoff game. Funny, eh?
posted on Oct-5-02 at 1:47 PM

Spike Jonez's hilarious new IKEA ad (click the TV to watch it, you'll need Quicktime)... ...and here's the Slate.com article that led me to it.
posted on Sep-24-02 at 9:52 PM

Lost on "Mulholland Drive." At a film festival in Boulder, Roger Ebert dissects David Lynch's masterpiece frame-by-frame and comes to the conclusion that, well, he doesn't really come to a conclusion. Or does he? Meanwhile, the DVD was released last week and instead of a commentary track or funny bloopers, it came with a simple insert that provided "David Lynch's 10 Clues to Unlocking This Thriller." For the sake of space, I'll post them in the comments section and let's see if anyone out there can (or wants to) answer them.
posted on Apr-16-02 at 5:02 PM

Nathan Lane's Successor in "The Producers" Is Fired. (NYT Link). Replacing the hottest Broadway actor in the hottest Broadway musical and getting fired 4 weeks later's gotta suck a lot.
posted on Apr-15-02 at 2:30 PM

The Pulitzer Prizes 2002. The New York Times gets 7; Richard Russo's "Empire Falls" gets Best Fiction; and Best On-Screen Kiss goes to Britney Spears and the guy from "Crossroads" because it made jurists William Safire and Henry Louis Gates Jr. "all teary-eyed."
posted on Apr-8-02 at 2:51 PM

Gay Food. Hot Dogs: No; Pigs-In-A-Blanket: Yes. (From Slate.com)
posted on Apr-4-02 at 11:43 AM

Battle of the Blurbs. The producers of the badly reviewed Broadway show "The Smell of the Kill" have pissed off Times critic Bruce Weber. Good strategy or Bad Karma? Well, at least they didn't make up their own critic.
posted on Mar-30-02 at 10:23 AM

Is President Bush Gay? (Answer: No, but he says "fabulous" a lot.) Is Billy Joel washed up? (NYT required) (Answer: Sounds like it.) Is Star Wars Episode Two any good? (Answer: Yes, beyond your wildest dreams.)
posted on Mar-18-02 at 9:58 AM

In light of Steven Speilberg's editing of the soon to be re-re-released "E.T.", Slate offers its own (mostly funny) editing suggestions for the remaining Speilberg canon. By the way, is anyone else repulsed by what Speilberg's doing?
posted on Mar-15-02 at 8:39 AM

So in the spirit of this New Yorker Talk of the Town piece on different city's choosing books for everyone to read, what book would you like to make everyone in YOUR city read? And, what city would that be?
posted on Mar-6-02 at 11:09 PM

Madonna to make West End debut. (from Broadway.com)
posted on Mar-4-02 at 5:31 PM

"Dude," a lawyer who lives in Tribeca said last week, "I hope this story doesn't break before I get paid." The New Yorker on the (mis?)application of Red Cross funds.
posted on Feb-20-02 at 12:56 PM

If you're anything like me, you like to know something about your gay male escort before you spend your hard earned money... Well, now you can!! That is, thanks to a blurb from Michael Musto in the Village Voice. Introducing: Male For Male Escort Reviews! Musto calls it: "The Zagats of pay-for-gay!" I call it..err...disturbing?
posted on Feb-13-02 at 5:19 PM

Here's Entertainment Weekly's Top 5 Surprisingly Romantic Films for Valentine's Day. (Star Man!?) This begs the question: who actually reads Entertainment Weekly? Oh, and what are YOUR Top 5 Romantic Films for Valentine's Day?
posted on Feb-11-02 at 9:49 PM

Goodbye QWERTY, Hello ',.PY !!! [Or, One Writer's Love Affair with the Other Keyboard Layout.] From Slate.com
posted on Feb-6-02 at 12:51 PM

Was tonight's "Will and Grace" a coming out episode for Rosie O'Donnel? Sure, it was her character that came out---(though, so was Ellen's)---but she seemed a little choked up when she said the line: "Jack, I'm gay." PlanetOut.com discusses the matter and reports that Rosie will be coming out for real in her soon to be published Biography: "Find Me." Either way, though, whether it was just her character or Rosie speaking through the character, it was a prettty memorable TV moment.
posted on Jan-31-02 at 6:50 PM

The Mystery of Britney Spears' Breasts. (Requires Flash)
posted on Jan-28-02 at 6:37 PM

The Great Improbable Trinity. Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, and......Chelsea Clinton? (Click here for picture).
posted on Jan-22-02 at 3:23 PM

Is your dog as yummy as Slate thinks it is?
posted on Jan-19-02 at 4:24 PM

No place for political correctness in film. By Roger Ebert.
posted on Jan-18-02 at 9:08 AM

Season 11 of the Real World started tonight! Among guitly pleasures, this one's gonna be good: 2 person showers! lifeguarding! conflicting interests! I'm hooked.
posted on Jan-15-02 at 8:11 PM

On the implausibility of the Death Star's Trash Compactor. [From McSweeney's]
posted on Jan-10-02 at 12:11 PM

So what are your Top Ten movies for 2001? The NYT's Elvis Mitchell cites "In The Mood For Love" as the best and David Kehr chooses "The Royal Tenenbaums." Then there's Roger Ebert who's #1 is "Monster's Ball" and Harry Knowles who picks, surprise surprise, "The Lord of the Rings."
posted on Jan-2-02 at 9:38 PM

So who saw LOTR? What did you think of it? Were you thrilled like Harry Knowles? Or did you feel closer to Roger Ebert's 3 stars out of 4 review? I just saw it and was more disappointed than I thought I'd be...
posted on Dec-20-01 at 1:26 AM

SANTAS GONE MAD!!! First: Santa Shoots Woman! Then: Child Santa Booted From Mall! And then:Harrods' Santa Bares Botto in the Grotto! Finally: Santa Falls Foul of Anti-Terrorism Laws! Happy Holidays everyone! Jeesh.
posted on Dec-18-01 at 9:18 PM

The Godfather Mystery Goof is now solved. Thanks to Roger Ebert, Francis Ford Coopola, and Mike Spearns from Newfoundland.
posted on Dec-16-01 at 11:49 AM

Babs knew! Look out Miss Cleo, here comes Miss (insert appropriate Barbara Streissand insult here).
posted on Dec-12-01 at 8:40 PM

Grandma's pissed 'cause Hallmark's kiss-kiss boy bears won't kiss.
posted on Dec-8-01 at 1:54 PM

Is The Advocate making too much of "the openly gay" Ian McKellen playing Gandalf? "An openly gay man has been invited to play the lead role in the fantasy lives of the world’s children, for decades to come. What’s more heroic than that?" Or, as Armistead Maupin puts it: "I think the fact that an openly gay actor is going to have his face all over Burger King cups in a matter of months is really quite significant.”

As an interesting contrast, here's McKellen, from his own website, on a certain Kenobi who felt that "It was not appropriate...for gay people to talk publicly about their sexuality nor to campaign openly for law reform."
posted on Dec-6-01 at 8:20 PM

I went out and bought this ...and now on Tuesday they're releasing this! Don't get me wrong, I'm just as excited as the next guy (like Harry Knowles, for example)...I just hate wasting my money.
posted on Nov-30-01 at 1:57 PM

Watch all 6 New York Miracle Spots! I've been waiting for them to put these online for a long time. Which one's your favorite? (Mine's Woody Allen...how'd he learn to do that?!) Oh, and you need RealPlayer to view them.
posted on Nov-27-01 at 12:43 PM