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Showing posts from October, 2011

Happy Halloween

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Samhain, which is the pagan name for this time of year has evolved into what we now know as Halloween, a unofficial holiday that runs the gamut from emulating monsters and fright nights to people running around in costumes parading up and down streets and drinking themselves silly in bars. It’s the perfect excuse for men to put on dresses or gay priests to wear tutus. It is not in its origins quite all that. The Apostolic tradition usurped this pagan festival and turned into All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days. (Hallows = Holies or Saints; E’en = Eve) The late Scott Cunningham wrote quite a few books on Wicca and Paganism in his short time on the earth. And since this is the time of year to remember those who have passed on let’s recall what he had to say about it. At Samhain … say farewell to the God. This is a temporary farewell. He isn’t wrapped in eternal darkness, but readies to be reborn of the Goddess at Yule. Samhain also known as November Eve, Feast of the Dead, Feast of Apples, H

Your Sunday Song: Live It Up

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“Give a butch roar or a girlish shriek, I don’t mind who does what, sort it out for yourselves!” – Dusty Springfield Dusty was born an O'Brien into a Catholic family in 1939 London but there is a lot more to her than that. She was furnished with a lot of soul which came forth in many of her recordings. "Live It Up" was recorded in New York City in 1964 and written by Leon Huff, a stalwart of the music of Philly, who would eventually co-produce Dusty's second Atlantic album, A Brand New Me , as a precursor to the Philadelphia International Sound. Dusty's 60s recordings, especially, were derivative of Classic RnB, but she had no intention of eclipsing it. Instead she celebrated it. Martha Reeves with whom she had a special relationship says as much in the BBC documentary Full Circle . In fact, "Live It Up" is reminiscent of the Vandellas' "Dancin' In the Street." Dusty's vocal is inspired and inspiring. It's a song, much like &quo

Saturday Beefcake Gettin' You Through the Night

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Your Saturday Beefcake Foreplay

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Your Saturday Beefcake Main Course: Young Evan

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Saturday Beefcake: Antipasto

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Edited from WiseGeek.com: Antipasto [ Antepasto ] means before the meal and is the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. Some have compared antipasto to hors d’oeuvres , but there are several distinctions. Hors d’oeuvres are served while guests are still standing, and tend to be served off trays in the most formal settings, or placed on a table. They are enjoyed with drinks prior to the meal. On the other hand, antipasto is served at the table and signifies the beginning of the Italian meal. Most table settings will feature a central antipasto plate, and small plates for each diner to enjoy this warm-up to the other courses. The most traditional offerings are cured meats, marinated vegetables, olives, marinated and/or roasted bell peppers and various cheeses, perhaps provolone, or fresh mozzarella. Other additions may be anchovies, or bruschetta, toasted bread, upon which one may stack the meats or cheeses. The antipasto is usually topped off with some olive oil. Mea

Love In the Afternoon Beefcake: Trevor Adams

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Trevor Toujours!

Saturday Beefcake Lunch Bunch

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Creamy Beer Soup A Taste of Heaven (2009) Ingredients: 1 (750-ml) bottle Achel Extra (about 3 1/2 cups) or your favorite Achel or Rochefort beer 2 tablespoons sugar 4 large egg yolks 6 tablespoons crème fraîche or heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper Method: Pour the beer, 2 cups water, and the sugar into a large soup pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat. Beat the yolks, crème fraîche, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Slowly add 1/2 cup of the hot beer mixture to the egg mixture, whisking until well combined. Pour the egg mixture into the pot of beer, stirring constantly, and cook for a couple more minutes over low heat without bringing to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately Chicken Kitchen Chop Chop Chicken and Rice: 1 whole bone-in chicken breast, skin on (about 1 ½ pounds) 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat the chicken) Salt an

Your Late Morning Trevor Adams Moment

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Stay Awake Saturday Beefcake with Trevor Adams

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Wake Up Beefcake

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Friday Feature: Labors of Love from A Scootch

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One is proactive because it is less frustrating living life when setting things in motion. Good things need to be nurtured and allowed to flourish. There are two organizations which are the beneficiaries of one of the many projects of The Imperial Court of NYC : Lifebeat.org and The Jan Hus Community Church. It is a very special labor of love to charge up (pester) people to help out either as talent or an attendee. In the old neighborhood there was a slang expression for a pest, "scootch." In the Urban Dictionary it is spelled, "skutch." The etymology is the same, the Italian verb scocciare , pronounced in dialect, skoochar -- picture a young child tugging on a mother's skirt or apron: un bambino socciante. Essere scocciante in some cases is also a labor of love. So, here goes : The Jan Hus Church and Neighborhood House is located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and is home to the Jan Hus Playhouse Theater. This church was built in 1877 and gets its name

Gay Thursday: Teddy Sears

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Looks like American Horror Story is playing the gay stereotype card with their ghostly gay couple, especially with Zachary Quinto's performance. Stereotypes do exist and it's not as if some of the other ghostly characters in this show aren't over the top. Teddy Sears plays Patrick who does something also stereotypically associated with gay men. If Dylan McDermott is nearby who among us would not? This show has so much to draw us in ... watch it! We hope it can maintain its momentum.

The Wednesday Word: Keene

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Missy Keene and Ken Lundie "Missy Keene Sizzles At Feinstein's" declared a reviewer of her recent successful return run at Feinstein's at the Regency. In 2002, Missy inaugurated their popular Monday night series. Trained at The Juilliard School, some of Missy’s other cabaret appearances include The Iridium , Don’t Tell Mama’s and Backstage at Dopo Teatro . She has been seen in theatrical productions as Sandy in Grease , Kim in Bye Bye Birdie , Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell . Missy is particularly proud of her musical participation in numerous events honoring Olympian Athletes and commemorating the heroes and victims of 9/11. Her new CD, As Long As I’m Singing , was released this past summer to coincide with her Feinstein's appearance. Missy’s Christmas Wishes CD was released December 2009. Ken Lundie continues to be one of the busiest audition pianists on the New York theatrical scene having played for hundreds of Broadway and regional shows. Ken beg

Your Tuesday Talent: BethAnn Bonner

BethAnn Bonner is a unique, multifacted individual with a big heart. She performed at Bacharach to the Future on World AIDS Day in 2008 and replicated the same performance for Broadway Cares the following year. Thanks to Alex Rybeck, Burt Bacharach and BethAnn's soul there evolved a performance to remember. BethAnn will deliver yet another on November 4 check it out here .

The Monday Musing: A Kiss Is Still A Kiss

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Tim Tebow (Denver Bronco And Focus On The Family Spokesperson) kisses Demaryius Thomas Though Tim Tebow infamously filmed a Superbowl commercial in 2010 for the anti-gay, anti-abortion organization Focus On The Family, he seems to have no problem sharing a male-on-male lip lock in front of thousands (millions?) of onlookers. On Sunday, the Denver Bronco kissed Demaryius Thomas after Thomas caught a touchdown pass. The Broncos, led by a rally by Tebow, went on to beat The Dolphins 18-15. Towleroad notes that this isn't the first time Tebow, who has been referred to as the "Bieber of Football," has shared a same-sex kiss on the field: Tebow was pecked by University of Florida teammate Tony Joiner a few years ago. Tebow's feelings about homosexuality and gay marriage remain unclear. This summer, when asked about gay marriage by the Washington Post, his publicist jumped in and rejected the question. But, considering his ties to Focus On The Family, he's probably not

Your Sunday Sermon: Giving, Loving Out Loud

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I was born with bugle horns and trumpets in my heart, Mandolins & accordions & voices in three parts Pounding drums and guitar strums And choirs singing out I was born to love, love out loud From 2001 to 2005 with the help of Chris Meloni 's participation in eBay auctions it was, needless to say, rather easy to raise funds as an individual. Meloni provided an identity for the process that was an extension of his own personal generosity. It seemed a natural progression as a member of the Smart + Strong family to raise the bar as far as fund-raising was concerned. It was gratifying that Ilene Kristen of One Life to Live was the very first to step up when the idea was formulated. When All My Children 's Thorsten Kaye came on board the first event started to take shape because loyal fans stepped up to give it life, especially in New York. Fund raising as a team, as an entity, if you will, with individuals using their personal resources to do so, can utilize events with o