My Guilty TV Pleasure

Nick Cannon Pranks the Judges

The recorded episodes of my Reality TV guilty pleasure are over for the season. The top 47 of 48 acts have been chosen for the remaining live shows of "America's Got Talent" at Radio City Music Hall (the 48th is still being voted on, online). You can read the full list here, if care to see it. And while it's still early enough that I don't yet have a 100% favorite, I was pleased to see several of my favorites are going into the live rounds at Radio City. I was also sad to see a few favorites not make it. And a couple I'm still not sure about.

Of the male singers to make it through, Miguel Dakota is both talented and adorable. If he would only ditch the stupid knit hat.

On female singers, I'm torn, though I am so pleased that quirky, beautiful and talented Emily West (which also happens to the name of a very talented actor I am lucky enough to have directed).

Damn! That performance was so hot, even I'M turned on! Ms West, regardless of the outcome, is about to become a star!

Magicians are a harder call. Remember, a ventriloquist has won AGT, but a magician has never made it into the finals. Could this be the year? There are several exceptional close-up magicians this year and I am torn:

Musicians and bands? Emil and Dariel are amazing, but I take umbrage at the judge's claims of originality and can't believe that none of them have seen a video of my Croatian hotties Luka and Stjepan of 2Cellos. Personally, I adore the adorable Wills Clan. They are a 21st Century American Von Trapp Family!

Dancers are an easy choice this season. Blue Journey took something we've seen plenty of (dance, shadows, projection) and did something completely new and amazing and totally deserved to be put through before "judgment week."

Kids acts (despite Season 1, when the show was still finding it's feet) don't generally win, though at least one (Jackie Evancho, anyone?) has gone on to a professional career. This year I am loving unassuming Broadway belter Mara Justine. I've never heard a white girl pull this off:

And my life-long love of circus and variety also has me torn between Valo and Bobby:



Or who I think will end up being my favorite until he's booted, the exceptionally adorable Christian Stoinev:

That body! That smile! That strength! That dog!

There are some serious contenders this year and I can't wait to be able to start voting. Do you watch AGT? Who is/are your favorite(s) this season? Oh, and if you haven't seen it, the photo above is from a brilliant prank AGT's producers and host Nick Cannon pulled off on judges, Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel:

I do so love this show, as much as I am loathe to admit it.

More, anon,
Prospero

The Gayest Things You'll See This Week

Adorable Aussie Olympian Matthew Mitcham

So many things at the Olympics to talk about in this insane digital age. Yes, Twitter and Facebook were both around during the Beijing games, but London is proving to be the first truly E-Olympics. People have been disqualified and ejected from the games for Tweeting. Granted, they tweeted stupid, hateful things without thinking. They thought they were being funny. A-holes! Of course there's the new record for Best Olympian Ever (wouldn't that always be Zeus?), Michael Phelps - the new patron saint of swimmers and stoners everywhere. 

Butta Face Phelps (like I'm such a 10) may well be the Best Olympian, but openly gay Australian diver Matthew Mitcham has been declared Most Adorable Olympian Ever by BuzzFeed Sports (via) and I must agree. Just look at the boy's impish expression in that picture. How can it not melt your heart? 

Okay - that's maybe a bit too Zooey Deschanel quirky for my taste, but who can stay mad at that punim? Seriously. Of course only another athlete could keep up with a boy that flexible and strong. The first Cirque show I ever saw live was Saltimbanco. I practically had to drag my dear Elizabeth (of whom I do NOT see enough, these days) to go, trying to convince her she wasn't about to see a traditional circus. As if I would travel all the way into the city for some lame circus. Her objections were silenced in the first 60 seconds of the show. Our mutual obsession was born. Part of that show featured a pair of brothers who did an amazing and breathtaking lifting act that had us both drooling. She and I both decided that they would only ever be able to be satisfied by each other, whether it was true or (99.999% more likely) not. Of course, it was merely a fiction we created to feel better about neither of us ever having a shot in hell with the muscled beauties.

Cathy's House of Hate continues to be in the news, but mostly because the LGBT community's response was pretty lame. Friday's kiss-in was not nearly as well attended as the response to the Right's lies about this being a First Amendment issue. I think, sadly, a lot of people were actually afraid to go. And that's a shame. There were no reports of problems at any of the company's stores where people did participate. 

More than a few restaurants have come up with anti-CFA chicken sandwiches. A Houston restaurant called Beavers is offering a "Chick-on-Chick" sandwich, described as: ”two loving chicken breasts married on toasty buns with a honey mustard witness and joined in celebration with tolerant fries.” Closer to my home is Schnipper's Quality Kitchen, with two locations in Manhattan. All through the month of August, Schnipper's is going to donate $1 to Marriage Equality for ever chicken sandwich they sell. I am currently working on a Facebook event to eat chicken sandwiches at Schnipper's. 

I made my own hate-free,  Bass Ale-battered chicken for dinner tonight, along with sliced garden tomatoes and sweet bi-colored corn on the cob... simple, delicious and decidedly gay. You want an incredibly delicious fried chicken sandwich, baby? Come on over. I'll make you one.  (Wow. Just creeped myself out - lol).

Finally, here's also adorable Randy Rainbow's take on the latest battle in the Culture Wars (via):

Have a fabulous Monday!

More, anon.
Prospero