The Next Gayest Things You'll See This Week

I was going to talk about Jonathan Winters' passing, but I've had enough sad stuff this week. And yes, I will finish yesterday's post. I'm still trying to figure out how I want to say what I want to talk about, without coming off as maudlin or sappy. Again, it's been a tough week.

So instead, tonight I thought I'd I'd write about some pretty funny; somewhat sexy and very, very gay things.

First up (via) comes a film industry oddity - a teaser trailer for a movie that hasn't even started shooting (um... so where did the teaser footage come from?). Anyway, the movie (for which I can find no IMDb listing) is called TOM, a long-rumored biography of illustrator and designer Tom of Finland. Born Touko Laaksonen in 1920, Tom of Finland's illustrations influenced and informed mid-century gay culture with his stylized, hyper-masculine erotic art. Featuring leather-clad muscle boys; tightly-uniformed sailors and fetish-wearing Pony Boys (most with impossibly large um... 'equipment'), Laaksonen's work most certainly influenced The Village People and the controversial Al Pacino movie Cruising in the late 70's and early 80's. The teaser's very amusing (and fairly safe for work until the last 30 seconds or so). Nathaniel at The Film Experience identifies the adorable actor playing the artist as an actor named Olli Rahkonen. I love his dirty smirking!

It also reminds of the time I was playing the Cowardly Lion in a 1978 production of The Wizard of Oz and my innocent young sister bought me a greeting card with Dorothy and Toto in a leather bar, lamenting about not being in Kansas. That card was funny to a 10 year old girl in a very different way than it was to her 16 year old gay brother. Yikes! If only she'd known.... wait. DUH!

In less salacious gay entertainment news. Britain's ITV has released the trailer for "Vicious," (via) about a bickering older gay couple (Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi - wow!) whose lives are changed when a new neighbor moves in. I should be so lucky...

If "Vicious" is a hit, it won't be long before we see an American version. Who would you cast? I can see Fred Willard and Martin Mull. Scott Thompson (so happy to see him on "Hannibal" this week!) and Stephen Rutledge, perhaps? Now there's a duo I'd love to direct.

More, anon.
Prospero

The (Possibly) Gayest Boy Band You'll See This Week

One Direction

I don't get Boy Bands. Never did. Oh, I certainly get Marky Mark and (to a certain extant) Justin Timberlake (gotta love a cutie with a sense of humor). I guess I was already too old when 'NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and NKOTB came into popularity. Of course, I never got any of the teen idols of my own generation, either. David Cassidy? Really? Davy Jones? No, thanks. Though in full disclosure, I once had a very dirty dream about Donny Osmond. Of course, I had a very similar dream about '68 Comeback-Era Elvis (Damn, he looked fine in that black leather!)... But give me a big, furry bear over a skinny twink, any day. 

Still, the Boy Band phenomena still persists, especially with the latest British import, One Direction. Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry and Louis were signed by Papa Bear Simon Cowell's Syco Records after placing third in the British version of "X-Factor." That's all I know (and really care to know) about them. They draw hordes of screaming tween and teen girls to their concerts and are apparently quite popular. I've never heard (nor do I care to) a single one of their songs. In fact, they were barely a minor blip on my pop-culture radar.

That is, of course, until the video below appeared today on Boy Culture. A collection of photo stills, the Vimeo clip begs the question: Are they gay or just European? I'll let you decide.

One Direction - Gay or European from Tiffany Vicente on Vimeo.

Honestly, I don't care. The songs they produce are simply more musical pablum for children who wouldn't know good music if it bit them on their bums.

Holy crap! Have I become my parents? (Shudder...)

More, anon.
Prospero