Next to Alice Ripley

On my way to work, I stumbled into the Broadway Flea Market—I forget about it every year, then always enjoy it so much when I find myself at it.

This year, I arrived with $3 in my pocket, which is deadly considering the tables sagging with fun ephemera, autographs, old magazines, mementos and other junque. Making my way through, I spotted a silver-looking box that was engraved "Jane MAME Angie 1966-1968" and immediately regretted not having money. The dates matched up to the original Broadway production of Mame. I went to get some, came back...and it was gone. So annoyed. But then I just got it in my head that it wasn't gone and dug around a bit and sure enough it had been buried under a bunch of worthless VHS cassettes. It was mine for $5. Not sure, but it seems like a gift to an original cast member, and it says "Reed & Barton The World's Finest Silverplate" on the bottom. Angela Lansbury could be the "Angie"—she did the show from 1966 to 1968. A Jane Connell was also in the show. Intriguing.

Better than porn

I'm not shiny, I'm just beaming—Cheyenne Jackson does that for a body

No, the title is not the answer to some convoluted Crazy Days and Nights blind item.

Last night I was invited by my pal John to cover a reception and screening of One Night Stand at NewFest: The 23rd Annual New York LGBT Film Festival. I support NewFest (which has supported me!) so I was definitely considering going. But when I was told one of the film's stars, Cheyenne Jackson (whose underpants photos spiked my traffic back in the day), would be in attendance and would be available for press, I knew that a One Night Stand with Cheyenne Jackson even without an interview was a big yes—NSA!

Cheyenne with the directors (L and R) and NewFest's Lesli Klainberg

I showed up to SVA1 in Chelsea just after the reception began and was able to meet the film's directors, Elisabeth Sperling and Trish Dalton, and several people who appeared in this documentary that chronicles the making of four 15-minute original musicals, start to finish to showtime, in a 24-hour period.

With (L to R) Jenkins & McKay

The talent involved was "out"standing (even if the film itself is not explicitly gay in any way)—along with Jackson, the musicals had enlisted the (sometimes reluctant) participation of actors, composers, playwrights and directors including Rachel Dratch, Alicia Witt, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Richard Kind, Mandy Gonzalez, Tracie Thoms, Nellie McKay, Michael Longoria, Benj Pasek (pictured with me) & Justin Paul, Roger Bart, Rinne Groff, Gina Gionfriddo, Lance Horne, Gabriel Kahane, Tamara Tunie, Scarlett Strallen, Theresa McCarthy, Capathia Jenkins, Marnie Schulenburg, Jonathan Marc, Robin Goldwasser, Ted Sperling, Trip Cullman, Maria Mileaf, Sam Gold and probably others.

The fun part was that none of the people in the plays had yet seen the documentary about their harrowing/edifying experience, and in fact a number of them expressed to me that while they'd signed releases they'd been rather hazy that an actual documentary was being produced. I bet quite a few would have thought twice about participating considering how poorly they might have come off on film. (No one came off poorly.)

Above, People (December 6, 2010) offers a glimpse of "shirtless sibs" Zac Efron and his little bro Dylan. Below, James Marsden looks like he'll be making Modern Family even more of a must-see in the New Year, via Entertainment Weekly (December 3, 2010):

I think James Franco's GQ cover and interior portrait (December 2010) are enough to make one howl:

More after the jump...

As of midnight tonight, it will be exactly five years since my first post. It's hard to imagine it's been that long, and a lot's changed—the tone and subject matter are different, how often I post, my limits (no nudity in a couple of years due to ad constraints). I've devoted a crazy amount of time and money and energy to this blog for a very small financial return (you couldn't guess low enough), but it's always rewarding to have this forum with which to express myself, keep my writing ability fluid, perhaps influence a couple of people here and there, share obsessions with strangers (in both senses of the word) and learn new things.

Take That's Howard...can you believe this happened onstage at a pop concert?

Here are some of the posts that were most important to Boy Culture's history. For the uninitiated, some of the oldest ones refer to Boy Culture, the movie made of my novel; I started the blog at the time Boy Culture was being filmed as a way to keep people informed of the progress...and it all snowballed from there.

Subtle

Some of these posts are milestones when it comes to the hits they provided but most are filled with original writing and/or photography and video and are just the posts of which I'm proudest. I hope you'll take some time to click on them and send their links around to others—and some time is what you'll need...

MY ART

Boy-crazy

FROM BOY TO MAN: BC B.C. (2007): The entire history of my novella, novel and movie Boy Culture; might be my ultimate post.

From '07, one of my faves. Old iPhones were better because they were worse.

"Your pictures suck" (2008): An art critic attacks me, but not without sustaining some hits in return.

GUYDAR (since at least January 17, 2008) & ENDS OF THE WORLD (since at least January 13, 2008): Attractive men of the world—I got your backs. Your fronts, too.

i-i-i (phone)

TriBeCa is for Boy lovers...

BOY ON FILM (2006): An account of the NYC launch party for Boy Culture as it played the TriBeCa Film Fest.

I was left "Reeling" by the experience

FRIENDS AND "FAMILY" (2006): The movie version of Boy Culture hits Chicago.

RAPT PUPIL (2006): The final night of Outfest with Boy Culture; I was fat but on the other hand got to meet Bryan Singer.

Let's call it a draw

DRAWN TOGETHER (2008): How my desire to draw related to my secret desire. One of my absolute favorite posts.

ME

Death of the party—Jeff in high school, already halfway through his life

BURNING MAN (2007): Tribute to my late high school friend and first romance.

I had the Fever for Jon-Erik Hexum

AN OBSESSION IS BORN (2009): One of my best posts about my obsession with...obsession.

Death becomes here

ILLINOIS DEATH TRIP (2007): Ruminations on death while revisiting a past home, and the past.

Life is short and meaningful

PASSING BY (2008): Mourning the loss of a person I only met once.

I was given the red-carpet treatment

HAVEN'T WE MET? (2010): Celebrating my time with someone I've only met once—Madonna.

Cheyenne Jackson by Doug Inglish for Out (November 2010):

Nice cock! Danilo Gallinari from Italian Vanity Fair (20 Ottobre 2010):

Dapper Ed Burns from People (November 1, 2010):

One more after the jump...

Cheyenne Jackson's just the latest canary swallowed up by Glee

Reading Out (November 2010)'s interview with out icon Cheyenne Jackson, I see I wasn't the only one with a painful Wonder Woman fetish back in the day:

"Even from a distance of 25 years, the memory of his weekly Lynda Carter fix gives Jackson goosebumps. A few years ago, his father found an old woodburning art kit of the kind once popular among boy scouts. The idea was to use a woodburning pen to etch around a suitably masculine image on a piece of wood, in this case a muscle car. Jackson, however, must have lost interest part way through. 'It was as if I started it and was, like, "Eh, I don’t want to do that." And then I turn it over, and on the other side, I’d freehanded a portrait of Wonder Woman. Not only that, I’d added watercolors. I had her blue undies and her red thing. I just thought that was a perfect encapsulation of me as a child.'"

Jackson also talks about registering for a domestic partnership with his longtime significant other Monte Lapka, just in case reading about Wonder Woman made you fall in love with him a little.

Back issues (Jesus, Cheyenne, you're killin' me here!)

Jackson video after the jump...

Note: I am very open to receiving IDs of any- and everyone in this post! 

Tons of sensationally hot videos are here. Tons more ditto pictures are here. And support Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS!

  My third Broadway Bares, directed by Josh Rhodes and assistant director Lee Wilkins and produced by Jerry Mitchell with a Monopoly theme, was the best yet even if the star power was not as jaw-dropping as one might expect for a 20th anniversary show—no matter, because who the fuck cares about Missy Tony Winner when you've got a stage filled with the country's best, brightest and nakedest Broadway dancers? The night was like one big no-handed edging session. I'm not sure if the experience is untoppable, but if it isn't, it's definitely a power bottom in sequins.

Shiny, happy people

Jason and I (pictured, above) showed up at 10:35 last night to line up for the midnight show, only to find the line snaking out of Roseland and about three-quarters of the way to 53rd already. It was already a gay-list day—not only did I spot both Leslie Jordan and Paolo Andino on Ninth Avenue, but I got all blogged down by brunching with Kenneth from Kenneth in the (212) and running into Jesse Archer, Joe Jervis (pictured), Jared Eng and Andy Towle at BB. See, not all bloggers spend their lives in the pajamas...though I'm in mine as I type this. Hmmm.

The lovely AJ Thorpe ushered us in

They let us in around 11:30, whereupon we made a beeline for the middle, settling on the inside edge of stage right. It was packed and quite warm (a 90-degree day had preceded) but not too bad. I feel terrible for the cute guy adhered to me from the front (I felt bad, but he felt good) because my camera must have poked him 200 times later on. I saw some of the usual pervs—myself included—many of whom pop up in my videos from previous years.

The show started 20 minutes late, but it unfolded at whiplash pace. Dapper Euan Morton (so brilliant eons ago in Taboo) kicked off the opening number "The Best Game in Town" in a top hat and tails a good little monopolist, introducing us to the lovely ladies who stood in for the iconic game pieces. Each and every one was described in sexually suggestive ways, even the wheelbarrow—you can guess what she's capable of carrying away.

No, THIS is the best game in town

 There she is, Miss...Vanessa L. Williams

The show's biggest star opened the whole thing 

With no build-up, he introduced the biggest stars of the night, the resurging Vanessa Williams (don't even dream that she would be dumb enough to get naked again) and everybody's favorite Christian Broadway bombshell Kristin Chenoweth. The ladies were on point and suitably glam, sporting nice gams.

Josh's entrance (the other one is available to view here.)

Joshua Buscher, a West Side Story dancer in possession of (this must be official somewhere?) the greatest white behind on the Great White Way was someone I picked out last year as a dazzler; this year, he starred in a show-stopping number called "The Bank" set to Lady GaGa's "Money Honey" (OMG, or was he copying Madonna???) that culminated with him dancing totally nude while basically wearing two male peers. It was a well-tailored fit. 

 

Josh puts it allll behind him

If you want all the minutiae about what the ladies accomplished this year, you might need to search for a Girl Culture blog; I love women, but I was so boycrazy I fear I will not do justice to the female-driven numbers. I do know that soon after a rowdy lipstick-lezzie lingerie number called "Connecticut Avenue", a talented, black-bustiered female Alysha Umphress crooned Journey's "When the Lights Go Down in the City" so well that I do hope someone went down on her after the show.

 I have not yet seen the revival of the 1947 musical Finian's Rainbow (in previews now, opens Thursday on Broadway), but have heard great things and would like to see Cheyenne Jackson. Still, I doubt the show—which includes a subplot with a white racist senator who turns black!—or even a reportedly good perf by Jackson could be half as inspiring as the life story of one of its featured performers, 61-year-old Terri White.

White, who'd sung on Broadway in the past and received a Tony nomination for Barnum, found herself homeless last year after a bad break-up and surprise eviction. She slept in Washington Square Park and on available couches. But she bounced back with a lucky break that led to Finian's Rainbow...and now she's going to have a commitment ceremony with her partner (pictured) at the St. James Theater this Sunday.

Read more here. Great stuff.

From Out (November 2009), Karl Simone shoots Cheyenne Jackson. The same issue introduces readers to Tamar Novas (by Mark Abrahams). Novas stars in the new Almodovar film, and his feature begins: "Every decade needs a Spanish heartthrob. We have Pedro Almodovar to thank for finding one as throbbing as Tamar Novas." Don't we have Almodovar to thank for all of the Spanish heartthrobs of the past few decades?: 

Paul DiGiovanni was always the hottest Boys Like Girls member. Here, he's caught in a "man candy" pose by OK! (November 2, 2009):

Paul Wesley is one of the best-looking guys on TV, even if his show (The Vampire Diaries) sucks:

More after the jump...

Some hilarious backstage tidbits from Broadway Bares 19.0, including chats with Nick Adams, Norm Lewis and Cheyenne Jackson (who I didn't even realize was there). Here's my recap in case you missed that, too.