Where were you when the lights went out in NYC?

With undying gratitude to Rodrigo: A bevy of shirtless male models at a fashion show last night.

See if you agree with Time Out New York's picks for the sexiest chorus boys on Broadway. I can think of several who were left out. Among their picks, I only recognize Grasan Kingsberry immediately, but all are hot.

In New York (January 16—23, 2012), 35-year-old David Regelin displays proper yoga techniques and/or shows off what yoga has brought him...

Ageless (actually, he's 40 today) Jared Leto looks lithe and loony in New York (January 2—9, 2012). The piece correctly singles out the messianic flirtations of Leto and his band 30 Seconds to Mars. Leto says:

"I have this drive to help deliver all of us—me included—to a place where we can feel free."

Kudos to him for taking music seriously (he hasn't acted in a film in years), but I must say that when I saw the band do a fan gathering, it bordered on creepy. (And one of them gushing how Atlas Shrugged had changed his life didn't help me away from that feeling.) But I still wanted a picture with him.

In New York's "Reasons to Love New York" issue (December 19—26, 2011), reason #4 is that "after 64 years together, Louis Halsey and John Spofford Morgan finally got hitched." The story, by Jesse Green, is about how the men—who met on May 17, 1947—held out all these years for marriage equality and finally took the plunge on November 11. It's truly endearing.

UPDATE: That was fast; Ratner, who's supposed to produce the Oscars so came under more pressure than he might have normally, has apologized for not expressing himself better.

Brett Ratner, uberdouchebag director of Tower Heist, unleashed this gem when asked if he rehearses with his actors before shooting:

"Rehearsing is for fags."

As New York Magazine points out, so is his next dream project Wicked. But I doubt gay people have the collective spine to resist a movie version of Wicked, even if it were directed by Marcus Bachmann himself.

P.S. Interesting that his new movie stars Mr. Ironic Homophobia himself, Eddie Murphy. Also, note that I'm well aware I used the word myself two posts ago; I think the context is demonstrably different and humorous in an inclusive way, as opposed to Ratner using it to mean something dismissive. But fire away if you disagree.

Prove it!

As of midnight last night, it was exactly six years since my first post. It's been a tough thing to keep up with a dayjob and outside activities, and just when I think I might walk away, a valuable connection or interesting opportunity or a kind word comes my way. Thank you all for reading me.

Of whom are you more jealous?

Here are my favorite 100+ posts out of nearly 11,000. Please take some time to read (or re-read!) a couple and tweet or Facebook any you like.

xoxo Matt

The pocket pool championships were intense this year

BOY CULTURE

Boy-crazy

FROM BOY TO MAN: BC B.C. (2007): The entire history of my novell and novel Boy Culture as well as the movie version; might be my ultimate post.

Jonathon Trent & Derek Magyar make an Allan Brocka sandwich

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.

No one would've mistaken me for Taylor Lautner

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

 

MY ART

 

Construction worker (shot this week) vs. James Dean

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)

Not totally built

Unaltered iPhone image that still blows me away

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

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.

The shirtless one

LOST ANGELES (2009): My favorite photographic travelogue of L.A.

Even then, New Yorkers feared 9/11 was the beginning of the end

ART IMITATES LIFE (2006): My 9/11 and my distaste for grief tourism.

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.

Signed, sealed (eventually) delivered

LOST BOY FOUND (2011): There is a book in here somewhere.

Be Italian

CIAO HOUNDS: OUR TRIP TO ITALY (2011): Finally got José to Europe.

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.

Lots more...

UPDATE: Quinto's blog entry on this subject is very powerful.

Zachary Quinto has come out as a gay man for the first time publicly, in the context of a New York Magazine interview. (Now if he will please not say, "I was always out, what are you talking about?" it will be perfection!)

I don't have a preference for how public figures do it—a splashy mainstream-mag cover, an Advocate interview, to head off an outing by a tabloid or a casual reference in New York Magazine. It's all good. And I think coming out in so many different ways is part of the point, that gayness is everywhere and is not homogeneous.

Good for you, Zachary Quinto. And good for us.

His statement, "We are terrified of facing ourselves"—that's powerful and insightful. Check out the second comment at Joe.My.God. for proof, "Some fem [sic] actor is not a big deal." Jesus, this "masc only" thing is poison in the gay community. Oh, and it's signed by, um, "Guest."

Just in time to combat a rising feeling among Jews that Barack Obama is kinda "meh" on Israel, a clever cover of New York co-opts Bill Clinton's status as the country's first "black" prez, dubbing Obama our first "Jewish" prez.