I don't usually care what people do for sex online, offline, whatever. But I have just learned two new bits of information about Clay Aiken that might give us a little insight into something other than where and how Clay Aiken has sex.
It looks like Clay Aiken is back on Manhunt. Via notsoglamorous it looks like he is back on the Manhunt prowl. Back to the online world of dirty sex and anonymous hookups and webcam solo sessions. Good for him! I mean, he's a new dad, but even daddy's need some gay sex now and then. Ever heard of a DILF? Yup, that's Clay Aiken. Go to it, Clay!
But here's the thing. I just confirmed with Clay's former publicist at RCA that he has been dropped from his label. Why? Does RCA have something against the gays? They wouldn't drop him because he just came out, would they? Poor Clay. The last thing a new gay dad needs is to have his career threatened because he's gay. I know. I watch Mad Men. You don't think he's doing what that monstrous article in Out magazine says we do? He's not feeling bad and lonely and reaching out to strangers to fill some . . . lack, now that his career is over? Is he? He's not trying to make up for Spamalot by reaching out to the first gay thing that comes along on the internet, is he?
Nah. He's just horny.
From the current issue of Newsweek: "The test for the next president is whether he can use the powers of government to act on behalf of Americans. That's a liberal idea."
This is such an elegant explanation of why Americans are moving left. There is so much talk of game-changing, of purple states, of the demolition of the red states and blue states, but not a lot of talk of why. Yes, Bush has been mentioned over and over again by the Obama campaign. But why was the presidential race so close before the economic crisis? As this article points out, it's because people need help. And they're willing to ask for it.
If the polls are to be believed, today's hard-strapped Joes have more in common politically with Joe Biden. And millions of them are preparing to do something that they never thought they'd do in a million years—vote for a black guy with the middle name Hussein for president of the United States.
. . . When people are scared, whether it's after 9/11 or heading into a recession, they turn to government for protection. Cultural issues like gay marriage and resentment of elites fade. Even though voters don't trust Washington any more than Wall Street, it's their only option.
. . . Obama is lucky. Had Wall Street collapsed in 2009 instead of 2008, he would have had a much harder time shifting the political center of gravity. The critically important fact for Obama's agenda is that a conservative Republican (President Bush) is the one who has essentially nationalized banks with more than a trillion dollars in public money. That discredits the GOP argument on spending but also on the proper role of government, which is essentially what separates liberals and conservatives on domestic issues.
. . . Reagan's revolution in 1980 was so striking that it conditioned a whole generation to believe it was permanent. Many scholars even believed the GOP had an "electoral lock" on the presidency—an insurmountable geographical advantage in the Electoral College. Bill Clinton's victories in 1992 and 1996 didn't do much to change the map; he won both times with less than 50 percent of the vote, thanks to the presence of independent Ross Perot in those races.
. . . Now we're confronting a big deficit again—seemingly a recipe for a Democratic president to pull his liberal punches once more. But the political context has changed in ways that would give a President Obama more running room. Instead of a Democratic Congress that's out of gas after 40 years in power, as Clinton faced, Obama would have allies on Capitol Hill determined to prove that they can address problems in a practical way. Instead of an almost religious devotion to the libertarian ideas of Alan Greenspan, we're moving back toward what might be called neo-Keynesian economics.
Read the entire article over at Newsweek.
This photo, released on September 19, 2008, shows a new species of soft coral (octocorals) recently found on Australia's coral reefs.(GARY GRANITCH/AFP/Getty Images)
From The Big Picture:
World Animal Day was observed earlier this month - on October 4th. Started in Florence Italy in 1931 at a convention of ecologists, World Animal Day has since expanded its focus from its original intent, which was to bring attention to endangered or threatened species. The day is now set aside as a time to reflect on all of the animals we share this world with, and our involvement with them - and to spur action to commemorate that respectful relationship. Half the world's mammals are declining in population and more than a third are probably threatened with extinction, according to an update of of the Red List (an inventory of biodiversity issued by the IUCN), released on October 6, 2008. Below is a collection of recent photos of animals around the world - Happy (belated) World Animal Day.
Click thumbnails to enlarge.
The Washington Blade reports:
A courtroom showdown between the Democratic National Committee and its former gay outreach director, Donald Hitchcock, is likely to occur next year. Hitchcock was fired from his DNC post in 2006, shortly after his domestic partner, Paul Yandura, wrote an open letter to gay Democrats urging them to withhold donations to the party because he felt Dean wasn’t doing enough to combat anti-gay state ballot initiatives.
Hitchcock later filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Dean and the DNC alleging, among other things, anti-gay discrimination. The DNC has denied the claims. Final efforts at mediation failed in September and a pretrial conference has been set for Jan. 5. Alan Kabat, an attorney for Hitchcock, said the trial date will not be set until the completion of that conference. He said the actual date would depend on the judge’s calendar as well as the calendars of attorneys for both sides.
The Republican Party is breaking apart
Time columnist Joe Klein without a seat on the McCain or Palin planes the past four months. Maureen Dowd got banned, too! "I had had a great relationship with John McCain for 16 years, through columns he liked and didn't like. So at first I thought it was a mistake and doublechecked with the press office."
Trying to assess the state of each candidate's health to understand what it might mean to the presidency
The Power of Powell's Rebuke. "Colin Powell demonstrated his eponymous 'Powell Doctrine' of overwhelming force on Sunday when he endorsed Barack Obama on Meet the Press. The one-time chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff systematically marshaled his assets to neutralize the Republican endgame strategy, which is to suffuse the air around Obama with a vague mist of terrorism, socialism and 'otherness.'"
Jon Stewart's Jason Jones interviews the current mayor of Wasilla
Janice Dickinson's models get a Parke and Ronen gig.
More Maddow. Rachel Maddow doubles the audience for her cables new show
Gruesome new show from Survivor's Jeff Probst. The show, Live Like You’re Dying, will feature a person who has been given a terminal diagnosis with a finite amount of time to live and “take them on the last adventure of their life,” according to Probst. Top 10 most underappreciated horror movie deaths
Hollywood adjusts to new economy
Palin failed on SNL? According to these women she did.
AskMen.com's Top 49 Most Influential Men for 2008. . . Makes me wonder if there's going to be a Bottom 49. Nothing wrong with flipping.
The Torchwood boys make out off set . . . too.It's not the radiation. Nope. It's the nickel that'll get you!
And, yeah, Madonna and Guy are fighting. Madonna likes to watch, apparently.
Over at We Love Guys, they love the same kinds of guy I do. Today, anyway. Joey Kirchner is a little sweeter, but no less sexy, than yesterday's Evan Wadle.
Click thumbnails to enlarge. Two bonus NSFWish pics after the jump.
Pork here with this week's new music.
It’s October 21st, 2008! That means one thing to me: Labelle! The legendary and inimitable trio reforms and returns after a 32 year absence with Back To Now, a (near) brilliant return to form. No one will ever move me like Patti LaBelle can, and it’s an edgy breath of fresh air to see her reunited with Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash and a relief to see that in these times of chasing trends, Labelle can make you come to them instead of the other way around.
That being said . . . for those of you who may have heard the massively unfortunate first single “Roll Out” (produced by Wyclef Jean) . . . don’t be afraid! This desperate attempt at modernizing Labelle’s sound is both unnecessary and undesirable. It is also as out of place on this very album as it is in Labelle’s discography. Of the various producers (including Lenny Kravitz and the classic songwriting/producing team, Gamble & Huff) Wyclef is the only one silly enough to make such a misstep with his complete disregard for who he was producing. Only a fool would put the most powerful voice (ever) in soul music through a vocoder! SHAME ON YOU, WYCLEF! PatTi-Pain? How dare you! It should be taken off the future pressings it’s so offensive. (Mind you, I used to have nothing but love for Wyclef Jean and I have entertained many of his questionable moves into “experimental” hip hop graciously. “Roll Out” is insulting.) Signs of true life are visible all over the rest of the album. Labelle truly is “re-ignited” (as Ms. Hendryx likes to call it) and by the end of the first chorus of the first song, “Candlelight,” Labelle smoothly creeps right back under your skin and into your soul promising “if you leave out your candle light, I’ll be comin’ for you tonight.” Only Labelle could deliver such a romantic line and yet somehow also hint that you’d better be careful what you wish for. Their unmistakable vocals and harmonies are on full display in this sexy-funky slow jam that Ms. Hendryx actually began penning back in the day.
Lenny Kravitz does what Wyclef couldn’t on “System” and deep inside I knew that’d be the case. Who’s going to do retro-rock-and-soul better than King Kravitz?
The re-ignited energy sparks and flows through the bulk of Back To Now and is capped off by a vintage, live recording of “Miss Otis Regrets.” Some say the recording is from 1969 and some say 1970 . . . either way, it’s a very rare, aural glimpse into a truly different time.
You haven’t and won’t hear another album like this in 2008 or anytime soon. It’s true soul . . . with guitars . . . that will make you listen . . . and feel. Read the full Labelle review. . . .
Back To Now has me happily submerged in a 70’s vibe, and that was around the time I began my music collection . . . with 8-tracks. One of my very first was Kiss’ Double Platinum 8-track. It just about literally rocked my world, and today they are releasing a 4-CD box set called IKONS. Each disc highlights a different band member and their musical contributions over the years. How can you give Peter Criss his own CD, you might be wondering? Well, that’s where you’ll find “Beth” which was on my Double Platinum 8-track and always showed me that it was okay to rock hard and soft and love hard and soft.
Over on the other side of town, James Taylor, known as much for his sincere songcraft as his tender delivery, has taken on a project of covers. Usually one for an acoustic and retrospective moment, Covers is surprisingly upbeat, yet bluesy and almost bouncy in a country kinda way. The collection is made of up songs he has been performing live in his concerts over the years, but has never recorded . . . until now. Fans have been clamoring for this type or record from James for years and now’s their chance to hear their hero roll out his favorites by John Anderson, The Temptations, George Jones, Keith Urban, The Drifters, Glen Campbell, Buddy Holly, The Dixie Chicks, Leonard Cohen, and Eddie Cochran.
Of the project, James says “I've done covers of other people's songs since the beginning. Looking over the various collections of my tunes a fair-sized portion of my "hits" have been covers: ‘You've Got a Friend,’ ‘How Sweet It Is,’ ‘Up On the Roof,’ ‘Handyman’ . . . so this is not uncharted water for me. I've always thought that writing an original song and reinterpreting someone else's were similar processes; just as making music is a lot like listening to it.
What has been so memorable about this album were the sessions themselves: ten days in deep January in a converted barn in the woods of Western Massachusetts. It's remarkable and unusual today to put 12 musicians in the same place at the same time. It's a type of "live" recording sadly seldom seen in these days of the overdub. You get an immediate energy and it's a whole lot of fun. It sweeps you up and it carries you along and when it's done, it's done.”
I personally have always found his cover of Joni Mitchell’s “California” to be pretty interesting. I’ll toss it up in The Media Bar for you all to check out soon. Probably an Acoustic Monday. :]
Read the full James Taylor review. . . .
Indie-heads . . . today’s the day for Sea & Cake and Of Montreal. Soak it in.
Uh-oh! Here it comes! It’s . . . The List
The Full Reviews
and
All New Music Releases - October 21st, 2008
after the jump.
The List
All New Music Releases - October 21st, 2008
+/- (Plus Minus) - X’s On Your Eyes
AC/DC – Black Ice
An Albatross - An Albatross Family Album
Brett – Hope for the Hopeless
Kenny Chesney – Lucky Old Sun
The Dears – Missiles
Neil Diamond – “He Is . . . I Say: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love” (Hardcover) (You gotta love that title.)
Eminem – The Way I Am (Hardcover) . . . Slim spills the beans.
Sebastian Grainger – Sebastian Grainger and the Mountains
Waylong Jennings – Waylon Forever
Montell Jordan – Let It Rain
Kiss – IKONS
Labelle – Back To Now
Lake – Oh, the Places We’ll Go
Lineland – Logos for Love
Madonna – Confessions (Hardcover with overly-gratuitous photos by Guy Oseary)
Mary Mary – The Sound
MF Doom – Born Into This
Of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping
Pit Er Pat – High Time
Pompeii – Nothing Happens for a Reason
Sea & Cake – Car Alarm
Soundtrack: High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Stereolab – Chemical Chords
Sugababes – Catfights and Spotlights
Tommy Sunshine – Relax, This Won’t Hurt
Hank Williams, III – Damn Right, Rebel Proud
Lee Ann Womack – Call Me Crazy
As is to be expected at this time of year, there is a slew of Re-Issues, Re-Masters, Re-Packaging or even simple Re-Formatting (lots of stuff is being released on 180-Gram Vinyl!) by the likes of Black Sabbath, The Byrds, Glen Campbell, The Doors, Eagles, Eno/Fripp, Jefferson Airplane, Joan Jett, Gladys Knight & The Pips (2 collections), Van Morrison, Prince and the Revolution (“Purple Rain” on 180 Gram Vinyl), Sting, Thin Lizzy, Van Halen and even the fine folks @ A Very Special Christmas.
Now you know what’s new. Listen up. :]
In honor of and preparation for Halloween, I imagine, The Science Times section of The New York Times has a few new articles on blood. In "The Wonders of Blood" Natalie Angier examines what makes blood so, well, wonderful:
Yet to scientists who study blood, even the most extravagant blood lore pales in comparison to the biochemical, evolutionary and engineering marvels of the genuine article.If you need something a little more vampiric, you can check out the article on the real vampires of the world, "A Taste for Blood."
. . . Blood is the one tissue that comes into contact with every other tissue of the body, and it is through blood that our disparate parts communicate, through blood that our organs cooperate. Without a circulatory system, there would be no internal civilization, no means of ensuring orderly devotion to the common cause that is us.
You can also listen to these articles in today's Audio Espresso by clicking "NYT Science Times 10-21-08" on the audio player.
And if that's still not enough, you should read my take on "True Blood." It's one of the best and sexiest things going on TV these days.
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin says she supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, a break with John McCain who has said he believes states should be left to define what marriage is.You have to admit, that within her own misguided ideology, she is remarkably consistent.
In an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network, the Alaska governor said she had voted in 1998 for a state amendment banning same sex marriage and hoped to see a federal ban on such unions.
"I have voted along with the vast majority of Alaskans who had the opportunity to vote to amend our Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. I wish on a federal level that's where we would go. I don't support gay marriage," Palin said. She said she believed traditional marriage is the foundation for strong families.
From CNN.com:
"Sen. Obama's grandmother Madelyn Dunham has always been one of the most important people in his life," spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters.
"In the last few weeks, her health has deteriorated to the point where her situation is very serious. It is for that reason that Sen. Obama has decided to change his schedule on Thursday and Friday so that he can see her and spend some time with her," Gibbs said.
Wake Up With These:
Tell Me More (45:00):
Stories: 1) Colin Powell Endorses Obama 2) ACORN Investigated For Bogus Voter Registration 3) ACORN Responds To Voter Registration Lawsuit 4) Toppling Adult Illiteracy 5) Powell's Endorsement And Getting Over Racism
Fresh Air (45:00):
Stories: 1) Food As A National Security Issue 2) A 'Boogie Man' With A Legacy Of Complicated Moves
This American Life (55:00):
How to Win Friends and Influence People. Stories of people climbing to be number one, including a reading by David Sedaris. How do they do it? What is the fundamental difference between us and them?
The New York Times:
The Front Page 10-21-08, Summarized (4:34)
The Science Times 10-21-08 (21:40)
Audio player after the jump. Or click here to launch the player in a new window so you can browse while you listen. Or, head over to The Media Bar and listen there.
Click below to jump the the full size players, or click here to launch them in a new window. Or just pull up a chair, hang out, and watch them in The Media Bar.
Today's Buffet:
Daily Song:
Heaven 17 - Let Me Go
(Original 12" Extended Version)
Television:Joe Biden on Ellen
with Julia Louis Dreyfuss (7:35)
Politics:
Rachel Maddow
and the spies who watch us
Movies:
9 to 5 clip (4:35)
Because it's the best movie ever made.
Music Video:
adele "Chasing Pavements" in the WTMD studio.
The players after the jump. Or click here to launch them in a new window. Or just pull up a chair and hang out in The Media Bar right next door.
Television
Joe Biden on Ellen with Julia Louis Dreyfuss (7:35)
Movies:
9 to 5 clip (4:35) The best movie ever made. "I tore right through it, Ros."
Politics:
Rachel Maddow and the spies who watch us
Music Video:
adele "Chasing Pavements" in the WTMD studio.