Jerry Curl

[ Editor's note ] Last night, TINA TURNER was....she was...... well she was more than what one word can convey! Before I get into what details I can paste together from my TINA hangover, a little background on TINA and I. My fandom for TINA TURNER stretches back to tape. She was the first musical artist I loved. She was this 6-year old gay boys first Diva. I played that tape 'til I had memorized all the words, Side A and B. As I grew older, so did my love. Then one not so special TINA worshiping day, my mom tells me that TINA and I share something in common: her photographer. Apparently, the same guy who would photograph TINA took my baby pictures! Now, I know that doesn't say much about the guys career (from TINA to baby photographer), but it meant the world to me. The truth of this conversation was later evidenced by a trove of TINA pictures my mom had socked away some where. I lost my cookies. Fast forward to October 30th, 2008. Picture it if you can: the same gay boy is...

Jessica Kalish's estranged wife stabbed her with a screwdriver 222 times in the garage of the Boynton Beach home where they lived, police said Wednesday. Though most of the wounds were not enough to kill, investigators said, the fatal blow was to the neck, severing the spinal cord. Carol Anne Burger, 57, then put her wife's body in the back seat of Kalish's BMW and drove the car to a medical lot in the 2300 block of South Congress Avenue where she left it. Though police are still reviewing evidence, Lt. Gary Chapman said it is believed Burger then left Kalish's keys and wallet behind a business at 548 East Gateway Blvd., about 5 miles away. Burger, a triathlete, then walked home. That was on Oct. 22. The next morning, Burger filed a missing person's report with police, saying Kalish did not show up to work and missed a doctor's appointment. Police found Kalish's body that night. On Friday, Burger fatally shot herself in the head in their backyard. More detai...

Proposition 2 : The Florida Marriage Amendment. Florida law already prohibits what this amendment seeks to ban: gay marriage. So the only thing it would do is enshrine discrimination in our state constitution. This amendment is mean-spirited and misguided. It targets gay and lesbian couples, but it would cause grief and suffering to other couples, whether they're gay or not. That's because of ambiguous language that says any legal union that is the ''substantial equivalent'' of marriage would not be recognized. This would jeopardize the benefits and health insurance that many companies provide to unmarried, heterosexual couples. The amendment threatens the property rights of elderly people who live together for convenience, economics and safety. Hospital-visitation rights of unmarried couples would be at risk. The amendment doesn't protect marriage and threatens many lifestyle choices. Both the Miami Herald and Jerry Curl recommend a NO vote.

The full cast has been announced for the forthcoming Broadway revival of West Side Story . The role of Maria will be played by Josefina Scaglione, a 21-year-old actress and opera singer from Buenos Aires, who originated the role of Amber Von Tussle in the Argentine production of Hairspray . Her star-crossed lover, Tony, will be played by Matt Cavenaugh (of A Catered Affair and Grey Gardens ); Karen Olivo ( In the Heights ) will play Anita, and Cody Green ( Movin’ Out ) will play the Jets’ gang leader, Riff. The West Side Story revival, directed by Arthur Laurents and choreographed by Joey McKneely, is to begin previews at the Palace Theater on Feb. 23 and open on March 19. --> I love when my interests in things-passed make a comeback. In this case, my "interest" in West Side Story is putting it diplomatically. I'm utterly, completely, gayly obsessed. I own the DVD, purchased the soundtrack only last week, and know just about all the cheesy lines. As a self-proclaime...

Harry Potter and Twilight actor Robert Pattinson has been slated to play Salvador Dali in Little Ashes , a new film that suggests Dali had a love affair with Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca. Javier Beltran has been tagged to play Lorca, and these are some of the first shots. Last November, the Guardian wrote: "Described by its producers as 'racy' and 'sexy', the film will show Dalí and Lorca's feelings deepen into a love affair which the sexually repressed artist tries and fails to consummate. As a substitute, Lorca sleeps with a female friend, with Dalí present as a voyeur. The interpretation, by British screenwriter Philippa Goslett, is likely to cause controversy among biographers and historians. Although a physically intimate relationship between the men has long been rumoured, Dali told interviewers more than once that he rejected the homosexual Lorca's attempts to seduce him." (Via Towleroad )

Joey Kirchner as featured on We Love Guys .

Declaring a state of emergency in Florida because of long voting lines, Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday extended early voting hours across the state to 12 hours a day. The executive order comes after record early voting turnout has contributed to long lines at polling sites. Current Florida law allows for early voting to be conducted eight hours a day each weekday and for a total of eight hours during the weekends. With Crist's order, early voting sites will be open the rest of this week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. They will be open a total of 12 hours on Saturday and Sunday, the last day of early voting. ''It's not a political decision,'' Crist said moments after signing the order. "It's a people decision.'' (Via Miami Herald )

According to a new study, men find women sexier if they're sporting a crimson hue rather than, say, blue or green. However, red won't make you look smarter or more competent, says study author Andrew Elliot, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester in New York. "We only found the effect for attraction, so males don't rate females in red as more intelligent, more likable, or as having a better personality; they only rate her as sexier and more attractive," he says. Men also were more likely to say they wanted to have sex with a woman and that they would be willing to spend more on a date if she were in red, according to the report in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. (Via CNN )

Chris Dattola as featured on Major Models .

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of its landmark premiere, Entertainment Weekly interviews the entire cast of Roseanne, (including Tom Arnold) and discovers a lot of juicy details that have never been revealed before. (Via EW )

"In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." - Eric Hoffer

Mart Crowley's The Boys in the Band is coming out for the first time ever on DVD on November 11th. The film, shot in 1970 and directed by William Friedkin, was based on the 1968 off-Broadway stage production. It certainly comes off as a period piece, but is one of the few pre-Stonewall depictions of gay life in film. The film has been restored and color-corrected for DVD with stereo sound and Friedkin notes, "This is the best this picture has ever looked or sounded." The DVD also includes documentaries about the play's creation, the making of the film, and interviews with Friedkin, Crowley, Executive Producer Dominick Dunne, Tony Kushner (Angels in America, Munich) and cast members Peter White and Laurence Luckinbill, along with a commentary track with Friedkin. (Via Towleroad )

Justin Gaston (AKA Miley Cyrus' BF) as featured on JustJared .

Weekend Top Five #1 High School Musical 3: Senior Year ($42M) #2 Saw V ($30.5M) #3 Max Payne ($7.6M) #4 Beverly Hills Chihuahua ($6.92M) #5 Pride and Glory ($6.33M)

I've been avoiding this story in hopes that I'd eventually have something good to report. Unfortunately, the worst in an already bad situation has been confirmed. The body of 7-year old Julian King, nephew of Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson was found dead in an SUV on Monday. Late last week, Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were found shot to death in their Chicago home. Julian's stepfather, William Balfour, was detained over the weekend for questioning in connection with the case, a police spokesperson told CNN. He was subsequently transferred to prison on a parole violation charge, the spokesperson said. More at CNN.com Our deepest and sincerest condolences go out to Ms. Hudson and her family.

Max Rogers as featured on Major Models .

The first official photo of Heath Ledger from his final film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus directed by Terry Gilliam, has been released. Ledger, as you know, died while production was underway. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law subsequently came in to complete Ledger's role. They donated their income from the making of the film to Ledger's daughter Matilda. (Via Towleroad )

Today would've been Celia Cruz's 83rd Birthday. Five years after her death, her legacy remains as bright as it ever was. Giants never die.

Via Queerty comes this off-putting tidbit. Draw your own conclusions.

More at PostSecret .

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama wrapped up a two-day barnstorm across Florida with a packed rally at Miami's Bicentennial Park Tuesday night, urging voters to get to the polls. ''We're going to have to fight for every one of these last 14 days,'' Obama said. "We can't let up Florida and we won't.'' He stressed the economy in a state hit hard by job losses and the mortgage crisis. "When Senator McCain calls me a 'socialist' and says I want to give a tax cut to people who don't pay taxes, he knows that's not true. My middle class tax cuts are for people who work and pay taxes.'' (Via Miami Herald )

Richard Lima as featured on Nous Models .

After a decade-long decrease, U.S. suicide rates have started to rise, largely because of an increase in suicides among middle-aged white men and women. White people age 40 to 64 have "recently emerged as a new high-risk group for suicide," according to the study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Suicides increased between 1999 and 2005 by about 3 percent annually in white men and 4 percent in white women age 40 to 64, according to Susan Baker, M.P.H., of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, and her colleagues. Suicide rates remained the same in Asians and Native Americans, and declined in blacks. Overall, the suicide rate rose in the early 1980s, then dropped each year from 1986 to 1999. From 1999 to 2005, however, the rates have increased 0.7 percent annually. In all, 32,637 people killed themselves in the United States in 2005, a rate of 11 per 100,000 people. Guns are the most common method of suicide, but their use has...

Read the article and look for the rest of the 100 at OUT .

Brandon Stoughton as featured on Towleroad.

Weekend Top Five #1 Max Payne ($17.6M) #2 Beverly Hills Chihuahua ($11.4M) #3 The Secret Life of Bees ($10.5M) #4 W. ($10.5M) #5 Eagle Eye ($7.03M)

By Gary Markstein

Via Kenneth in the (212)

Tyler Kenyon as featured on jdvision .

"There are certain romances that belong in certain cities, in a certain atmosphere, in a certain time." - Sammy Davis, Jr.

Weekend Top Five #1 Beverly Hills Chihuahua ($17.5M) #2 Quarantine ($14.2M) #3 Body of Lies ($13.1M) #4 Eagle Eye ($11M) #5 Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist ($6.5M)

Public school officials in Chicago, Illinois, are recommending approval of a "gay-friendly" high school because harassment and violence are causing gay students to skip class and drop out at alarming rates. The School for Social Justice Pride Campus, which officials say will not be exclusive to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, is aimed at being safe and welcoming for any student looking for another school option, said Josh Edelman, executive officer in the Chicago Public Schools' Office of New Schools. "It is not going to be a 'gay high school,' but yes, in a way, it is meant to target kids who feel they have been victims of bullying for their sexual orientation or perceived orientation," Edelman said. Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan announced his recommendation Wednesday. Officials said Pride Campus would be separate physically but be attached administratively to the School for Social Justice. School officials said the standards a...

Sam Webb as featured on Queerty .

[ Editor's note ] I have a sinking suspicion that America's love affair with the inane stems from some sort of identification between ourselves and stupidity. These notions of "soccer moms and Joe Six-packs," of failures and false celebrities making movies, recording albums, running Wall Street, and leading the country are the norm nowadays. One need only follow current politics or the entertainment world to find a slew of untalented, uninformed, and otherwise uninteresting people making headlines and filling airtime. Take shows like America's Got Talent or Auditions week of American Idol , for instance. The contestants on these programs, often times with little or no talent to speak of, vie for a chance to become rich and famous at the expense of what's left of their dignity. The sad reality is that they achieve what they seek all to often. I mean, who can forget the meteoric rise of "talents" like William Hung and Sanjaya Malakar? Almost overnight...

Bell Soto as featured on Major Models .