Time Out: Drummer Gene Krupa’s 100th Birthday

In this clip, swingin’ Krupa looks like a madman. Happy 100th.

Gay Zombies! (No I don’t mean Tina Queens)

In case you missed Otto, a gay zombie flick:

If we take away the entrail chewing and the gay zombie orgy, i.e., the money shots, Otto vaguely resembles Kaspar Hauser, the legendary “lost boy.” It’s part of LaBruce’s shtick to make fun of pretentious art films, but Otto’s black-and-white intro montage, followed by our hero rising out of a churchyard grave, is pretty good by any standard. Otto stinks and his eyes are odd. “It’s not easy being undead,” he says, just before chomping on a giant road-kill bunny on his way to the big city. This movie takes advantage of the fact that, at any given hour, most of the people in Berlin look like zombies anyway.

East Bay Express | Movies | Defiant Jews, Gay Zombies

Syphilis often shows no symptoms, can be tested and cured in minutes

A new prick test can give you accurate results in minutes. Syphilis is easily transmitted and often shows no symptoms. Syphilis has been majorly on the rise internationally in gay men since 2000. Have you had sex since then? How do you know you aren’t carrying it? Who have you passed it to? The only way to know is to get tested.

The number of syphilis infections in Victoria jumped from a single case in 2001 to nearly 1000 in the past two years, according to the Department of Human Services.

Melbourne Sexual Health Centre clinical Associate Professor Marcus Chen said the outbreak in Victoria had so far been detected only in gay men and mirrored a worldwide trend.

“It’s part of an international phenomenon,” he said.

“For decades after World War II in most industrial countries syphilis became very well-controlled and so became a relatively uncommon condition.

“But in the early 2000s a marked increase, specifically among men who have sex with men, emerged in quite a number of industrial countries in Europe and North America.”

A new finger prick blood test, similar to the way diabetes is detected, was today launched in a bid to stem the rapid rise of syphilis.

The on-the spot test takes 15 minutes to produce a result and is hoped to lead to an increased detection of the disease that is treated with penicillin but if left undiagnosed can lead to brain and heart infections.

“What’s quite disturbing about syphilis is a high proportion of cases are asymptomatic, in other words, when someone’s infected they actually don’t know so if you don’t test you won’t detect .. but if you do detect it’s completely curable,” Associate Professor Chen said.

Fears over rise of syphilis | theage.com.au

Eric Kuhlmann, Australian Bear, Sings Songs of Sex

Totally awesome! I wish he would perform in DC! Bear Invasion! Hire this guy!

Eric Kuhlmann

Eric Kuhlmann… Born in Canberra. Lives in Adelaide. Bit gay. Spent his early teens climbing out of his bedroom window to go and have sex with strange men in toilets, take drugs, and have psychotic episodes. He decided to write some songs about it, and the result is I Was A Teenage Dirty Old Man, a show that explores the unexplorable, and was reviewed in the Adelaide Advertiser as “extremely funny – like Ian Dury meets Billy Bragg in a public toilet”.

“It’s basically telling stories based on my experiences and those of people I know. I used to wag school to go down the beat – it’s all very interesting when you’re young. The show’s about sex, beats, under-age sexuality, mental illness – all the most fascinating, funny, and amusing topics,” says Kuhlmann, a visual artist who has been writing and performing songs since he was out of primary school, and is now the lead singer in an Adelaide bear band called Armpit Stench.

A song cycle of taboo tales – Music – Entertainment – theage.com.au

SF Movie Bears were part of Cinemark Milk boycott

Drew Galleni, co-founder of San Francisco Movie Bears, a gay men’s social group who gather together to watch movies at local theaters, announced the group’s boycott against Cinemark theaters in an e-mail to members after he learned about Stock’s donation. The boycott marks one of the few times members of the bear community have been actively involved in a political issue, Galleni says.

No Milk money for Cinemark : Kansan.com

Ann Rostow: World Stability, Economy, then Equal Rights

(M)uch is being made of an old Obama questionnaire from the late 1990s, in which our pending prez told the Windy City Times that he supports same-sex marriage. But…but…but, we stutter en masse, didn’t he tell the American people that he only supports civil unions? Indeed he did, presumably because he wanted to be elected President of the United States. Sad to say, the bland middle ground of civil unions is a lot easier on the electorate’s palate than the wasabi mustard of marriage equality. But you know Obama likes wasabi in the privacy of his own sushi bar.

I say big deal. If Obama secretly supports same-sex marriage, that’s preferable to a sincere conviction that civil unions should be our final goal. I suspect, in fact, that although he believes in equal rights, he doesn’t care that much either way. Most people don’t. And with the economy on the ropes, war breaking out in the Middle East, health care in crisis and the world facing ecological disaster, gay rights is starting to slip down my own priority list as well.

I’d put it at number three, right after international stability and economic recovery, but ahead of global warming and education. Don’t tell, OK?

San Francisco Bay Times

LOL @ Queerty

To Madonna:

Look, we’re the gays, your biggest fans, we’re with you no matter what you do. But you’re the woman who redefined what it means to be a woman. You’ve broken every taboo, flouted every societal norm and made millions doing it. With the Baby Boomers greying and fading into retirement, you could reshape the whole idea of what it means to get old. You could make old sexy and fun and erotic, but instead, you’re running around with Britney Spears in what’s starting to look like a desperate attempt to seem young and relevant.

An Open Letter to an Aging Madge / Queerty

Why not just say “Americans?”

Note to MSNBC: Some whites choose inauguration over work too! And Asians, and Latinos, and…

Some blacks choose inauguration over work – Race & ethnicity- msnbc.com

American Idol: ‘Bikini Girl’ was horrible, but new judge shouldn’t sing, Emily Wynne-Hughes, Danny Gokey my faves

One of my favorite American idol contestants so far is the punk chick with the tattoos and pink hair who nailed Heart’s “Barracuda.”. Emily Wynne-Hughes, who sings with Go Betty Go. I’m listening to “City Lights” now on their MySpace page. It’s got a melodic hook and a rock attitude. Even if she doesn’t make it past Hollywood’s first week, her band will no doubt benefit from the exposure.

Last night’s commercial with David Cook in reverse was pretty awesome.

Danny Gokey auditions on American Idol

And though Danny Gokey’s grief over his recently deceased wife was a bit overdone by the teasing and editing and producing (I can just hear the producer’s thinking “C’mon Danny cry for us!”), his singing was pretty good, and in my eye, he’s friggin hot. A muppet on American idol! Glasses? Check. Crazy reddish hair? Check (but probably dyed). Scruff or goatee? Check. A little stocky? Maybe check, but he’s not skinny. Way cute face? Check! Self depreciating humor and fun attitude? Check. Visit Ricky.org for video. He’s my other fave for now.

Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell’s behavior on Tuesday night’s Idol was disgusting. Bikini Girl, a.k.a. Katrina Darrell, wasn’t a very good signer and she didn’t deserve to go to Hollywood.

The new judge Kara DioGuardi was right about the contestant, but DioGuardi should limit her judging to critique and not one-upmanship, no matter how much an auditioner says, “Oh yeah, well you couldn’t do any better.” It makes her look petty. She’s the music pro. We expect her to be able to sing better, so doing it proves nothing.

It only took “American Idol’s” judging newbie, Kara DioGuardi, one episode to leave a memorable mark on season eight of the televised talent search.

In an attempt to dash the dreams of a bikini-clad hopeful, the panelist sang over the wannabe and gave the contender a pointed piece of her mind. Her tactic didn’t work, as Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson have a preference for talent-packed bikinis, but DioGuardi told Ryan Seacrest she has no regrets.

Tidbits: ‘Idol’ judge defends attack on Bikini Girl – Tabloid Tidbits- msnbc.com

Gay Advice for Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama

Queerty looks at past first ladies and gives some advice to Michelle:

Soon-to-be First Lady Michelle Obama turns 45 this weekend, and you have to say her husband’s given her a hell of a birthday present. Michelle’s no-nonsense style, grace, commitment to being a mother and fist-bumping skills have already put her in the running for the title of coolest First Lady since Jackie-O. And the gays? We love her.

All the (First) Ladies in the (White) House Say ‘Gay’ / Queerty

Gay Bishop Robinson Says Obama ‘Stands With Us’

Appearing last night on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow show, openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson said President-elect Barack Obama “stands with us,” and signaled he was ready to move past the controversy of his invitation.

Robinson is the controversial New Hampshire Episcopal bishop whose consecration in 2003 has split the Anglican Church.

He has been invited to give an opening prayer at a Sunday inaugural event attended by Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Obama is scheduled to speak at the event which will be broadcast on HBO.

Gay Bishop Says Obama ‘Stands With Us’ | On Top Magazine :: Gay & Lesbian News, Entertainment, Commentary & Travel.

Video from MSNBC: