Zachary Quinto is gay, proud and HAWT!

Over the weekend, New York magazine published an interview with the American actor Zachary Quinto (Sylar of TV's 'Heroes' and Spock in the 2009 reboot of the Star Trek franchise) in which the star acknowledges what many media outlets, especially those in the gay media, have long speculated - that he is a proud and sexy gay man. Okay, so he didn't call him 'sexy' (I kinda added that coz I think he's a total babe) but he did refer to himself as 'a gay man' twice. I am loving the fact that Zachary Quinto publicly acknowledged his sexual orientation for the first time in such an astute manner - he put it in the context of a greater discussion about the advancement of gay rights and the continued struggle for equality. It was sensitive and incredibly smart as it deflects some of the attention that inevitably comes whenever a public figure officially 'comes out'. He reveals that what prompted him to talk about his political status as a gay man (let's face it - in the world that we all live in, to lead an open life as a gay person is a political statement, whether intended or not) was the recent suicide of American gay teenager Jamey Rodemeyer. Zachary commented on his intention for talking about his private life on his website:

'when i found out that jamey rodemeyer killed himself – i felt deeply troubled. but when i found out that jamey rodemeyer had made an it gets better video only months before taking his own life – i felt indescribable despair. i also made an it gets better video last year – in the wake of the senseless and tragic gay teen suicides that were sweeping the nation at the time. but in light of jamey’s death – it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it – is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality. our society needs to recognize the unstoppable momentum toward unequivocal civil equality for every gay lesbian bisexual and transgendered citizen of this country. gay kids need to stop killing themselves because they are made to feel worthless by cruel and relentless bullying. parents need to teach their children principles of respect and acceptance. we are witnessing an enormous shift of collective consciousness throughout the world. we are at the precipice of great transformation within our culture and government. i believe in the power of intention to change the landscape of our society – and it is my intention to live an authentic life of compassion and integrity and action. jamey rodemeyer’s life changed mine. and while his death only makes me wish that i had done this sooner – i am eternally grateful to him for being the catalyst for change within me. now i can only hope to serve as the same catalyst for even one other person in this world. that – i believe – is all that we can ask of ourselves and of each other.'

I'm excited to see how Mr Quinto will be able to affect social change now that he has lifted the veil on his identity. Judging from how articulate he is, I have no doubt that he'll become a refreshing new voice in the advancement of gay rights in the US. In the meantime, let's enjoy this rather odd videoclip of him getting drenched in milk (in reverse motion, no less!) by Tyler Shields from May 2009. Implicit coming out statements don't get more explicit than this!

X-Factor loser

Poor Matt Cardle, his first single since winning X Factor UK last year (the winner's single that comes out just after the show finishes doesn't count since the voting public's initial euphoria always dies off after the first few weeks) 'Run for Your Life' just debuted at number 6 on the UK singles chart. I predict a speedy slide from the lower half of the top 10 straight down to obscurity. Let's hope, for his sake, that 'From Popstar to Opera Star' comes calling...and fast! This makes me wonder if the current season's eventual winner will end up another Joe McElderry (like our Matt 'ere) or will we finally have another Leona on our hands. I think there's a chance that it could be the latter if the fabulous Misha B wins. Go, gurl!

Burlesque!!

OMFG!!! I am so excited about 'Burlesque', the original movie musical that's coming out in America around Thanksgiving. It's going to be Christina Aguilera's big screen debut and it's about a small town girl who moves to the big city to become a star...not the most original storyline but who fucking cares. The movie costars Cher....fucking Cher! Cher won the Oscar for 'Moonstruck'....and don't you forget it!!! I really love that Cher got top billing over Christina, too...it's all about respect!

Emmy nominations 2010!!!

Sooooo, it has been a while since my last post....my life has been a bit hectic in the past few weeks but I won't bore you with the details. Still, I couldn't let the day end without commenting on the nominations for this year's Emmy awards, which were announced today. How exciting!!! Well, it is for me, anyway. Some of my favorite shows and tv actors have been recognized and that makes me a very happy chappy. On the drama series side, two of my favorites 'Mad Men' and 'The Good Wife' are nominated are best show while several stars from both shows have been individually mentioned. It looks like it will be a hat trick for 'Mad Men', the reigning champ in the best drama series for the past two years. Jon Hamm and January Jones, as troubled married couple Don and Betty Draper, are nominated in respective lead acting categories while their costars John Slattery, Christina Hendricks and Elisabeth Moss feature in the supporting acting categories. These are the first nominations for Jones and Hendricks.

My favorite freshman drama series has got to be 'The Good Wife', which has taken the seemingly exhausted courtroom procedural and given it exquisite new life. Its star Julianna Margulies is the frontrunner in the lead actress category so it looks like Glenn Close will not be winning that third Emmy for her ferocious work on 'Damages'. This past third season has been shakey but Ms Close's performance has never been less than riveting. Back to 'The Good Wife' and I am thrilled to see that the show also landed two nominations in the best supporting actress categories for the elegant Christine Baranski and the exciting Archie Panjabi. How awesome is Panjabi on this show? Her tough, cynical, sexually ambiguous but most definitely sexual investigator Kalinda Sharma has got to be one of the most original characters on network television in the US and how refreshing is it to see a performer of South Asian descent be nominated for such a high-profile award in America....and she's a Brit, no less!!!

The two highest-rated first-year comedy series of the past season have been scored multiple nominations. 'Glee' and 'Modern Family' are arguably the co-frontrunners of the best comedy series award, considering that after three consecutive wins in this category and a fourth season that was still hilarious but no longer as fresh or novel '30 Rock' will probably have to concede the throne to a new victor. 'Glee' scored one nominee in each of the four series regular categories it was eligible for. In addition to the phenomenal Jane Lynch, whose creation of the iconic Sue Sylvester surely makes her the frontrunner in the best supporting actress comedy series race, the other acting nominees from the show are male lead Matthew Morrison, female lead Lea Michele (I can still remember seeing each of them perform back when they were rising stars on Broadway) and male supporting player Chris Colfer, whose portrayal of a gay teenager who strives to express his identity beyond confines of the small-minded mentality of his high school is groundbreaking in its own glorious way. Meanwhile, the cast of 'Modern Family's collective decision to submit themselves all in the supporting categories paid off - well, at least for five of the six adult series stars. Poor Ed O'Neil didn't make the cut (I wonder if he would have been better off had he submitted himself as the show's lone candidate in the lead category) in the supporting male category but Ty Burrell, Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson were all nominated. On the distaff side, the show's leading ladies, Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara, were also recognized in the supporting race.

Other stars that I'm thrilled to see on Emmy's shortlists are 'Nurse Jackie's Edie Falco and 'Parks and Recreation's Amy Poehler. It's some consolation to see Julia Louis-Dreyfus getting a nomination for what turned out to be the final see of 'The New Adventures of Old Christine'. Were there some notable snubs? Yes, I think that after mediocre second and third seasons, 'Ugly Betty' truly had a creative resurgence in its fourth and final season, especially in the latter half of the season and it's a shame that America Ferrara and Vanessa L. Williams found themselves off this year's list of nominees. I am also really disappointed that Courtney Cox-Arquette wasn't nominated for 'Cougar Town', after ten years of being snubbed for her work on 'Friends'. Still, when the bulk of the nominees is so fantastic, a true television fan like myself really don't have much to complain about so I will just shut the fuck up now and switch the tv on!!!

Uffie - hot new talent!

I have been seeing posters for her debut album, 'Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans', for a while now so I decided to check out her new single 'ADD SUV', which features Pharrell. Uffie's sound is raw and playful - it's synthpop electronic hawtness! 'ADD SUV' is produced by Mirwais, who produced Madonna's 'Music' a decade ago. I like the backstory of this girl - she was born in Miami but grew up in Hong Kong and is now based in Paris. I'm intrigued to see how such a cosmopolitan upbringing will inform her music and I will definitely be checking out her 'Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans'.

A 'Splash' of Aphrodite

No, that's not a drag queen - it's the one and only Kylie Minogue. This past Saturday night, Kylie made an appearance at New York nightclub Splash, which is a bit of a gay institution located in the heart of Chelsea, and performed her new single 'All the Lovers' and some other tracks from her new album 'Aphrodite'. Man, I wish that I could have been there....and not just coz of Kylie.....check out the go go boys on stage with her!

Starstruck by her Disco Stick

I went to The Monster GaGa, hosted by the one and only Lady GaGa, with my sister in Manchester last night. It was my second GaGa concert experience. The first time that I saw her perform was almost a year ago, back in London. The first time was a barebones affair with sets that looked like a bunch of GaGa's friends got together and used their DIY tools to produce them. It was also a much shorter set; one that lasted just under an hour. A lot has changed since last July - she's won a truckload of awards (including two Grammy Awards and three Brit Awards), been the subject of an episode of Glee (which puts her on par in terms of cultural impact as Madonna!), been namechecked by President Barack Obama (at the Human Rights Campaign's 13th Annual Dinner back in October 2009) and released the successful companion piece to her debut album 'The Fame'. With 'The Fame Monster', Lady GaGa's expanded repertoire of songs allowed her to put together a much longer show, one that lasted almost two years and it's rather incredible how many hits she has accumulated in such a short time. Above is a clip of 'Paparazzi' that someone kindly recorded and uploaded from the concert in Manchester the night before I went.

The show began, appropriately enough, with 'Dancing in the Dark' and it was a rather intriguing beginning to the show - as the curtains lifted, we set GaGa already standing at the top of a staircase on the stage, where she remained motionless for most of the song. Not only were the sets bigger and better, employing lots of hydrolics, there were more dancers and much more costume changes. My favorite song from 'The Fame Monster' is 'So Happy I Could Die' and GaGa performed this number in an ensemble that resembled a wedding dress made from folded film that opened and closed like a lizard. That number has so much beauty in its simplicity and serenity and this was literally heightened when she was lifted up high to create the impression of her ascending into heaven. Another striking moment came during 'Monster' when GaGa and her bevy of bodaciously-built male and female dancers acted out the line 'He ate my heart and then, he ate my brain', resulting in GaGa being smeared with red body paint on her chest.

As a live performer, this Lady is pure class and charisma. I am just so awestruck by how someone so young can have such a commanding presence. GaGa's obvious pleasure, comfort and confidence at being onstage and adored by thousands of fans puts the likes of Britney Spears to shame. That she manages to create intimacy that belies the size of the venues that she's performing in nowadays is incredible. That she's a gifted vocalist and musician (she plays GaGa also engages her audience in spontaneous, effortless banter through out the show. I couldn't help but be reminded of Madonna watching GaGa, not because I see GaGa copying Madonna (although we all know that every female pop icon that came after Madonna is indebted to her in one way or another), because both of them embrace the power of image and self-expression and the necessity of projecting all of your dreams and fantasies. My sister and I were on the standing floor and we were literally two meters from the stage. We were on our feet for two hours before she came out and another two hours for the show itself. My feet and my back were aching like mad but I just danced away all the mundane frustrations of daily life and for one night, we were all her little monsters.