This mournful remembrance has been brought to you by... Dell's beleagured spokes-slacker Steven comes in for some abuse in Tunku Varadarajan's critique of advertisers' plans to hold a No TV Commercials Day on 9/11/02.

Life According to MTV - Undressed is not a television show you watch for its realistic plotlines. However, the verisimilitude of two developing stories struck me. I don't expect these stories to live up to their lifelike premises. True to its soap-operatic nature, Undressed sorts everything out in four or five neat mini-episodes. But it should still be fun to watch:

In the "high school" segment, Amy falls for Jodi, her castmate in Romeo & Juliet. Jodi is willing to play around but rejects Amy's attempts to make it a more meaningful relationship. Embittered, Amy tells Jodi "you just won't accept who you really are," but Jodi, who seems to enjoy the attentions of boys at least as much as Amy's affections, explains that being a lesbian just doesn't fit into her Hollywood-bound future. Ah, the trouble those heteroflexible women can cause!

For the boys, there's the "post-college" story of the meek gayboy Barry who runs into his old high school tormenter Fred, who later became captain of the college football team and BMOC. The plot plays on the secret attraction Barry always had for the jock, even as the jerk would pin him up against the lockerroom wall or call him "queer" and "faggot" to get a laugh from teammates. After unsuccessfully trying to avoid his harrasser, Barry gets cornered and cringes at an expected attack when -- surprise, surprise -- Fred, who doesn't recognize Barry, ends up hitting on him instead. A gay basher is actually gay? A geek with a crush on his jock enemy? Who'd've thunk it?

Damn those lowered tolls ... I knew it would come to this - Adam's commentary on the last frontiers of oceanfront development, Virginia's Eastern Shore. He took particular umbrage at "that scumsucking restaurant owner [who] smarmed, 'You can't stop development, just like you can't stop the sun from shining.'" Actually, Virginia is home to some of the last undeveloped Atlantic Coast ecosystems, including some famous seashore parks. Maybe Jamie and I should do some land speculating?

They're coming to America - The kids sheltering in the boardwalk gazebo in Rehoboth Beach. The grocery baggers at the Food Lion in Corolla. And lifeguards throughout the Washington, D.C. area. Jamie and I have definitely noted the sudden ubiquity of Eastern European college kids this Summer. The once extremely scarce sounds of Slavic dialogue are now heard all over. Nice to know we're still popular somewhere in the world.

Five years and counting - Another nice relaxing beach weekend, this time in the Outer Banks with my boy, the 'rents, and sis and her gal pal. Celebrated Jamie's and my anniversary with dinner at Blue Point. (Call a week in advance for reservations.) You could get used to this lifestyle.

Somebody get Graham Norton on the phone! - Our trans-Atlantic correspondent sends us news of the prominent Tory's coming out. It's the talk of the town in London. Conservative Party leaders have taken the frontpage news with aplomb, a fact taken as a sign of changing times in the U.K., an auger of things to come. Commenting on the hulabaloo, a former Tory MP discusses the old code of silence under which gays previously served the party.

Adam wonders if he will "ever see the day when the Republican Party would embrace one of their own after such an announcement ..." Of course, the GOP has always had its own homos, some of whom are out and some who are not. Note to Adam: The official reaction may be more muted here than in Britain, but the big tent approach isn't rejected by all Republican leaders. Dubya probably couldn't quite summon up the welcoming attitude of Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith -- I can see Ari Fleischer with his stock "a person's sexual orientation is a private matter" comment -- but we're getting there.

Life in Jacksonville - Thanks to John Y. for this little vignette of North Florida.

Adam Buckman is an Idiot - Wow, the New York Post employs perhaps the worst TV critic to be put into print. In a throwaway review of a new special called Gay Weddings, he makes this statement: "You have to actually watch a show before you can really judge its value." Genius!

Now, here's a real review of Six Feet Under from Slate. I may completely disagree with it, but at least its got substance.

From the Frontlines of the Kulturkampf - The Fairfax County (Va.) school board has postponed a decision on adding sexual orientation to its non-discrimination policy. Professional homophobes would likely have sued the board if they had approved the action, so they decided to seek an opinion first from Attorney-General Jerry Kilgore, advising whether such a move is permitted under Virginia law.

Kicking the question upstairs isn't going to quell the debate, but the prospects aren't good. In 2000, the Virginia Supreme court struck down Arlington County's domestic partner benefits in a decision holding that the law violated the so-called Dillon Rule. This ancient (and therefore, in Virginia, venerated) legal doctrine gives local governments only those powers specifically granted by the state. (The opposite result was reached in our sister state.)

It will be interesting to see how Kilgore handles this legal technicality. A negative response seems reasonably likely given our local political environment. Kilgore holds the only statewide office in the hands of GOP, and he has designs on the Governor's mansion. Gay-baiting always makes good politics (and lucrative fundraising) in Virginia. But how far does the A-G want to push the Dillon Rule in interferring with the power of a local government to manage its employees? That concern may offer some counterbalance to conservatives' desires to cut down those liberal urban jurisdictions that have issued progressive non-discrimination policies. Look for the Virginia Log Cabin Republicans to be as ineffectual as usual in lobbying this issue.

Madison Avenue Flash - TiVo, Ivy League universities... while we're on the subject of technology and advertising, here's an article on one advertiser's successful use of pop-under ads. Apparently, Orbitz learned from X10.com's mistakes and is seeing consumer click-through. I have to say their ads do tend to grate my nerves a bit less, but that hasn't slowed the popularity of anti-pop-under software. Do any of those programs work? I find they usually interfere with the proper functioning of websites that use window-opening javascript to display content.

Tales of the Attractive and Stupid - I didn't do it, nobody saw me, you can't prove anything. Oh, there's a video? I wuz drugged! Probably the same excuse they use in Seattle (credit Ben on that one).

Dear Nigeria: Stop e-mailing me! - What is up with the recent resurgence of the Nigerian wire fraud e-mail scam? It's one of the oldest in the book, but for some reason I started getting them again, at least one e-mail a day (in various iterations), beginning about two weeks ago.

The Couple that Blogs Together - Jamie has offered me his first suggested link, and I can't say I like it at all. Besides, hearing about these flash-animated college acceptance websites just makes me feel old. What ever happened to the old "fat versus thin envelope" system?

Technological Marvels - Fingerprints being used to pay for groceries! What will they think of next--a national ID card? How come I never get to be a guinea pig for this kind of technology? Only years after the fact did I get to use one of those nifty scan-it-yourself machines when visting a Kroger in Columbus. Although, I suppose I did have a chance to use the payment system at High Tech Burrito in Berkeley.

And Now, A Word From Our Sponsors - On the heels of various comments about how Tivo could destroy the institution of free television in America (or not), there's word that Bank of America is airing commercials while you wait for cash to be dispensed at ATMs.

As a loyal BofA customer, (since 1994, according to my check card featuring what is perhaps the worst picture ever taken of me), I have already had the pleasure of viewing Connie Chung's smiling face while withdrawing funds. And, in my opinion, its a vast improvement over the lame BofA commercial they had been showing previously--a woman kicking ass in a karate class...who turns out to be blind!

Blood Banking - For no real reason, I was recently thinking about all the blood that was donated by people post-September 11th. This article from The New Republic addresses most of my questions and it even calls for a renewed look at the ban on gay men donating blood.

Springfield, USA - Wait, Portland doesn't have a monorail or a tire fire or a squidport!

Help Me, Please - Okay, so the TV was left on by my mom, who wanted to keep her two-year-old golden retriever company. But, why did she chose Lifetime? And why, after I got home, did I find myself sucked into the very special Original Movie "Dangerous Child" starring Delta Burke?

Blasphemy - Notes on crab substitutes in the Washington Post. I'll reserve judgment for those particular seafood lovers with ties to the Chesapeake Bay.

Idol Eyes - Some brief observations on last night's "retro episode" of American Idol Live. It was my first viewing of the series. After I got used to his sneer, I found myself liking the show's snobby judge Simon Cowell the best. At least he tells it like it is, which is that some of these contestants just aren't superstar material. Actually, at this late point in the competition, I'm rather surprised by the poor showings by many of them. But will the pre-pubescent girls who do most of the voting figure that out, or will they just keep voting for that winsome whiner Justin? I thought the other boys rather fay (especially R.J.), but since they will likely bow out soon, it seems unlikely we'll see a repeat of the "surprise" announcement from the winner of the British series. Tune in to find out. (Or not.)

Gender Bender - My German teacher once gave us exactly this same lesson back in high school. The Frau, as we called her, overheard someone using the P.C. term "gender" to refer to the division of human beings into males and females. "Words have gender... people have sex," she instructed us sternly. (I'm inclined to think she was a big ole dyke too, just like Norah.)

Zima's Revenge - Oh, damn! I thought I was being trendy quaffing a Smirnoff Ice in Rehoboth Beach. As the Post reports,

[A]necdotal evidence gathered in the District indicates that many drinkers of legal age -- especially those who might hit expensive clubs, wear trendy swimwear and smile coolly to members of the opposite sex -- are uninterested or downright antagonistic to the wonderful world of malty, fruity drinks.

Actually, I liked the "Mule" flavor (available only in Britain) better anyway. That still makes me cool, right?

Hip to be Square - Is Drew trying to talk ghetto?

The Real World, Chicago - No, I didn't see Tonya, but Kevin and I still had a fantastic time on our trip to Wisconsin and Illinois this weekend. Our hosts Rob and Tom did a great job in coming up with things for us to do during our visit.

We arrived Thursday evening and went to the Festa Italiana at the Summerfest grounds in Milwaukee. Pretty damn good food, for a festival...none of your typical meat-on-a-stick. After Festa, stopped by a fun bar in Milwaukee, Safe House. Friday, we absorbed the history of the Miller family in Milwaukee, through a visit to Miller Park and a tour of the Miller Brewery. Our visit to America's Dairyland was topped off by the astonishingly good treat of frozen custard before returning to Chicago.

That evening, we saw the uproarious "Thank Heaven It Wasn't 7/11" show at Second City. Saturday, we shopped on Michigan Avenue and then walked to the the outdoor photographic exhibit of Earth from Above. Plenty of cute, beefy, corn-fed fratboy types were out appreciating the art as well. On our way back, we did pass by the Granville Anvil, but didn't make it in...maybe next time, because we're sure to return sometime soon.

Emmys - Some pleasant surprises in Emmy news. Six Feet Under garnered the most nominations, including one for every major member of the cast. Especially deserving, in my mind, was Lauren Ambrose as Claire Fisher. John and my favorite-for-different-reasons Frances Conroy was also nominated for her role as mother Ruth Fisher.

The West Wing was also recognized with nominations across the board. Every single regular cast member but Rob Lowe was nominated for their roles. Even the cloying Mary-Louise Parker, who wasn't even a full cast member this season, got a nod!

Buffy, once more, was passed over for nomination, even with the submission of the stellar musical episode "Once More, With Feeling." Just because a show is on UPN doesn't mean that it isn't great TV.

And the star of my favorite "What if Felicity became a spy?" show, Alias, Jennifer Garner, got a nod for best dramatic actress. John, you can still catch up on what you've missed. ABC Family Channel is rebroadcasting the episodes of this engaging and action-packed series this summer.

Salon's Sexy Summer - Salon again hits home with an article on metrosexuality, the new phrase they've coined to describe "gay sensibilities" rubbing off on straight men - a trend noted last year in the Village Voice.

In the story, they note that "the typical metrosexual is a young man with money to spend, living in or within easy reach of a metropolis -- because that's where all the best shops, clubs, gyms and hairdressers are." He probably has a designer wardrobe to fit his ripped, hairless body and compliment his tastefully highlighted hair...but he's straight! The most important distinction made about the metrosexual is that, above all others, he loves himself, with witty and insightful examples from films like Fight Club and especially Spider-Man. Good to see that narcissism is finally coming out of the closet.

Minor Report - This Salon article takes on the child abuse argument, speculating that some older, post-adolescent male minors might be willing participants in sexual activities with men who have reached the age of majority. Some relevant points are made, but it's such a touchy (no pun intended) subject to tackle. People in positions of authority, taking advantage of the power they hold over others is a very different scenario than a younger person intentionally seducing an older person. However, it's all about context and perception, and so I can support the argument for taking drastic steps to provide for the safety of all children.

Family Ties - The trip to Rehoboth and back traversed the ancestral homelands of Jamie's family. During Friday night's drive to the coast, we made a slight detour for dinner at Portside Seafood Restaurant, owned by Jamie's Aunt Martia and Uncle Bill. It's located in Cambridge, Maryland, right across the Choptank River from Oxford. (These Eastern Shore towns come by their Anglophonic names honestly -- from the original Elizabethan settlers.) After a delightful meal heavy on blue crab, we fought food coma for the 90 minute drive across the sleepy backroads of Delmarva. Along the way we encountered such landmarks of Jamie's heritage as his great-grandparents' old farm house, just across the "other" Mason-Dixon line, in Hardscrabble, Delaware. The return trip featured a stop at his mom's aunt's house, perched on a bank of the Nanticoke River at the inland port town of Seaford. We also drove by the office of his grandfather's insurance company in Federalsburg, Maryland.

Geography has the power to evoke strong emotions, particularly of beloved departed relatives associated with special places. My boy spent some wonderful carefree days in these towns during his youth, and I'm glad he shared his nostalgic journey with me.

The Boys of Summer - Jamie and I spent the weekend on my first trip to Adam's favorite little beach town, Rehomo. "First trip ever??? What took you so freaking long?" he asks. Being a native of Norfolk, I never saw much reason to venture hours up the coast when Virginia Beach was in my backyard. "Vah Beach" may not have the greatest reputation, but to locals who know how to avoid the tourons and party people, it's got gorgeous, uncrowded sands. Even though I now live in D.C., I figure if I'm gonna have to drive three hours to get to the coast, I might as well stick with what I know. But Jamie's from Baltimore and likes gay-friendly spaces, so I let him arrange the trip.

Saturday morning found us pounding the planks of the boardwalk in search of Poodle Beach. We loaded up with our usual beach gear and started the hike to the southern city limits (about 1/2 mile) to the spot "where the boys are." As a first-time visitor, I found the gay beach to be a fascinating sociological phenomenon. First of all, unlike your typical beach it was very much an adult crowd, notwithstanding the occasional child-from-an-earlier-marriage visiting with his "two dads." Second, it was overwhelmingly male. (Later we read that the womyn prefer the state park beach north of town.) Third -- and this observation applies equally to the gay scene in the town -- it was older. I would guess the average age was getting up there near 40. The 18-and-up crowd I'm used to seeing in gay ghetto must not make it out to the shore (except to bartend). After all, weekending at the ocean is an expensive proposition.

There's something reassuring about seeing so many 40-ish men in their tiny square-cut bathing suits. While body image is obviously as important among these gays as anywhere else, most in Rehomo are getting to an age where they really can't pull off the abs of death anymore. They still spend way more time at the gym than their straight, married-with-kids brothers. Yet there was a modest belly and even a thatch of chest hair sighted here and there above the Speedos. On the other hand, it was a preppy scene with its share of circuit boys, so honest-to-goodness bears didn't make much of a showing. The overall effect was something like I picture on a European beach, where the men tend to wear clothing just a tad too tight to be entirely flattering.

After the beach and a shower, we hit the town. Drinks at Blue Moon (like JR's but with a back deck sporting a cool retractable awning) were followed by the most amazing dinner at Planet X Cafe (where the waitstaff delighted the eyes as much as the food did the palate). By the time we arrived at 10pm, thumping house music had finally dispersed the dinner crowd out of Cloud 9. That was just a prelude to the real dance party at The Renegade, an odd combination of motel and warehouse dance club out on Highway 1, where we partied until about 1:30am, finally cabbing it home to the Atlantic Sands to call it a night. In the morning, we checked out, loaded up the car and belatedly figured out you can buy a permit to park in the residential neighborhood right near the gay beach (no more hiking!). A few more hours in the sun, then we headed for home.

Our brief stay at Camp Rehoboth was a fun and educational experience. Certainly, it's no celebration of diversity, but I can imagine it would be a lot of fun once you get to know the regulars. I overheard the comment that everyone on the beach is either catching rays or socializing. The local gay rags all refer to people by their first names. It's a scene that I wouldn't mind checking out in greater depth, so keep an eye out for a report on our return visit.

Camille - Drew heralds the return of Camille Paglia, and so do I. I'm not sure how I feel about FrontPage Magazine, since it appears to be a David Horowitz vehicle, but I'm glad Paglia found an outlet after leaving Salon amidst that company's economic misfortunes. The subject of her review, "The Great Gay Debate," aired on C-SPAN last week.

Paglia is an internationally known social critic and author, noted for her focus on sexual issues, media and art. Of her two most famous books Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson, and Vamps and Tramps: New Essays, I've read and enjoyed the first. I really appreciate her savvy wit and the relish with which she skewers the intellectually weak, sloppy or just plain lazy. Those more familiar with her style might find this item amusing.

Yeah, so I'm a groupie, what of it?

Big Gay Brothers and Big Gay Sisters - As pathetic as they are, I usually laugh at the antics of the "One Million Moms." This time I want to cry. OMM is trying to blackmail BB/BS into rescinding a non-discrimination policy covering gays, and they are using the worst kind of fear-mongering bigotry to do it. Here's a choice excerpt:

Some researchers have found that 73 percent of the homosexual men they surveyed had engaged in sex with boys aged 16 to 19 or younger. One study of 229 convicted child molesters found that 86 percent of offenders who molested boys described themselves as homosexual or bisexual .... As one member of OneMillionMoms.com recently email us, "They are targeting our children. It's a shame they are getting this low."

Please tell me no one really believes this shit anymore.

Your papers, please? - Sometimes the right-wingers display a healthy libertarian respect for privacy. The Wash Times reports on Dick Armey's efforts to eliminate some of the more authoritarian measures from President Bush's homeland security bill. (Even Nancy Pelosi and the ACLU are said to approve.) I certainly see how Operation TIPS could give people the willies. On the other hand, what is the big deal with a national ID card?

Critics have called the ID card "an internal passport," and Armey insists that "authority to design and issue these cards shall remain with the states." Yet these guys even oppose having national standards for state drivers licenses or providing funds to update state databases and link them together. To me, a uniform ID is an eminently logical and, more importantly, practical concept. But it is one that has consisently met with remarkably effective ideologically-based resistance. Perhaps Rob can enlighten me as to the hidden dangers...?

Practice What You Preach, Part Deux - Hey, has Drew been reading Beaverhausen? Or maybe his readers just tipped him off. See "New York Times Hypocrisy" here.

All We Need is PLUR - The Washington Post fronts an article about that mean old Joe Biden who has railroaded out of committee a bill that would expand the existing federal crack house law, which makes it a felony to provide a space for the purpose of illegal drug use, to cover promoters of raves and other events. According to the bill, "raves have become little more than a way to exploit American youth." Ravers and the ACLU are fighting back. Don't trust anyone over 20, man!

To Be an Actor and Gay in LA - Rethinking our discussion about gay youth, I wondered if there isn't a parallel in the entertainment world. Like in high school, the "rewards" for coming out, emotional well-being etc., probably pale in comparison to the "penalties," which in Hollywood are economic. Coming out always presents the greatest risk to those who go first, while those who choose to come out last risk the least. Sure, if everyone came out at once, then the first / last rules wouldn't apply, but we know that can't happen. Simple game theory explains why those rules tend to create a mutually reinforcing code of silence. Actors are more likely than high school kids to follow the logic and act rationally by staying in the closet.

Emmy Fever - Half of Beaverhausen will be gone this weekend, off to Chicago, but expect a post on the Emmy nominations upon my return. Initial surprises: Jennifer Garner nominated for Alias!

Real Bore - Watched the Real World Chicago reunion last night. Yawn. Entertainment Weekly has the details. But the show offered hardly any surprises at all. No one had dramatically changed their look. Theo seemed to have reverted back to his angry-young-black-man who "disagrees" with the gay lifestyle.

Tonya, having broken up with Justin, was now on a course of self-discovery and self-improvement. (The breakup was especially delicious given her vitriolic speech about love between two men when comparing Chris and Kurt's relationship to her own perfect match.) Having actually watched the episodes of the show, Tonya now realizes that she had come off as a mean, antisocial bitch...and she just didn't like that about herself.

Kyle came off as even more conceited than he had one the show. Having moved to LA to pursue his dream of acting, he turned down a role on the schlocky, but popular NBC soap opera, Passions. Dude, Kyle...glad to hear your parents are subsidizing your career, because most aspiring actors wouldn't turn down a paying role of any sort.

The "Bloody Mary" thing came up again during the reunion. I really think they could have edited the whole thing out of the episodes. I find it hard to believe that any viewers understood or cared about it. The whole Halloween skit story arc was even worse than the tedious fashion show RW Hawaii put on.

Even though this season showed promise early on, upon reflection, the cast and their stories were not very compelling. Here's looking forward to the upcoming Las Vegas season, as well as the much anticipated "lost" Vancouver season.

Meet Michelangelo Signorile - Martha Stewart apologist.

Silicon Dominion - Speaking of technology, my governor, a former northern Virginia venture capitalist, announced today that the Commonwealth has become become the first state in the nation to make the state homepage and government information services accessible via wireless devices:

My Mobile Virginia offers citizens on the go the option to access government information and services through numerous types of hand-held personal digital assistants (PDAs), including wireless telephones, Palm Pilots, and Pocket PC's with Internet access.

I'm sure I'll be checking it often.

Danger Lurks Beneath the Waves... Film at 11 - Not to be alarmist, but any trip to the water during the dog days of summer usually involves a run-in with the dreaded stinging sea nettle. According to reports, through the miracle of modern science now you can at least predict where you run the greatest risk of being stung. Ain't techonology grand?

Portrait of Der Führer - Ben, what's your professional (okay, want-to-be-professional) take on the spate of young Hitler movies targeted at the MTV demographic?

You or me, pal - It's down to just the two of us, Ben. The Washington Post reports that Washington-Baltimore and San Francisco have emerged from the U.S. Olympic Committee's final round of site visits as apparent front-runners in the quest to land the U.S. nomination to compete for the 2012 Summer Games. Only one can win. But we'll be happy to host you and Kevin when you come to watch the D.C. games.

To Be Young and Gay in LA - This LA Weekly story deals with the fact that kids are coming out earlier and earlier, a topic we've addressed before on Beaverhausen, in terms of MTV True Life and the private gay school in Dallas. Yet the question still remains for me, why would you come out to your family, at such a young age, when circumstances are such that you might end up on the streets? I also have a great deal of difficulty identifying with people who claim to have been having sex since they were 6 or having their first boyfriend at 13. How can you have any sense of clarity at such a young age, about sexual identity or anything else? Even with greater societal acceptance and positive media portrayals, I remain closeminded (and a little jealous) toward adolescents who (seemingly) are able to successfully integrate their sexual identity into their lives at at such a young age.

Moist Towelettes Can Be Most Refreshing - What is it with Yassir Arafat and baby wipes? The photos are all over the Internet. The Washington Post even confirms the story, mentioning that a bombing in Arafat's living quarters caused a "fine dust [that] covered the Baby Wipes dispenser on his bedstead." Where's Paul Harvey to give us the rest of the story?

Credit to Slate, Opinion Journal, and John for finding this story.

Practice What You Preach - In the fine bloggist tradition, allow me to bash the NY Times. On a day when the Internet content juggernaut released its second quarter earnings, the editorial staff of its flagship paper issued a broadside against the Congress for not overruling the prevailing accounting of stock options. (In brief, the eds want companies to expense stock options used as employee incentives, which would of course reduce corporate earnings.) But -- wait for it -- here's the kicker: a review of the gray lady's recent SEC filings shows that they don't do it either. Now, making the change is particularly painful for technology companies, but wouldn't it be nice if the Times could put its money where its mouth is?

Playing Favorites - Discussing the relevancy of the Outfest gay film festival, LA Weekly also asks filmmakers about their favorite gay films. I am ashamed to admit that I have not seen the vast majority of movies named on this list, especially some of the most often listed: Parting Glances, The Boys in the Band and Taxi zum Klo.

For movies that might be considered to have a gay sensibility, I think PeeWee's Big Adventure is an inspired choice. Big Daddy seemed to have the right intentions in depicting its gay couple, but the audience I saw the movie with wasn't able to handle the comedic, fairly chaste kiss between the two men. One film that didn't make the list, but that would certainly get my nomination is Madonna: Truth or Dare. I might even grant the campy, over-the-top comedy of Clue inclusion on my personal list. My oddball choice for that list is an 80's-teen-sex-comedy called Just One of the Guys, about a female high school student who goes undercover as a boy at a rival high school in order to be taken seriously as a journalist. The character trying to gain insight into the the adolescent male world of lockerroom bravado definitely carried a gay sensibility for me.

In terms of films that are more direct in their portrayal of gays, surprisingly, I found the lesbian-centric Bound to be a a powerful and erotic movie. I would add Chasing Amy to the list, with its not-so-subtle subtext of the love Jason Lee's character has for Ben Affleck's character. I was also astounding to find that no one had mentioned Beautiful Thing, a small but touching movie about two British lads who fall in love. And for all its silliness, I would have thought that at least one person would have mentioned Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

For a more mainstream selection of gay Top Tens or a wider variety, see the lists at About.com and PlanetOut.

The Trouble with Mobility - Current transportation woes result in lofty transportation plans for the future, in both the Bay Area and the Southland. Who wants to bet that most of these recommendations never come to light? Double-decker roadways in earthquake country? A new southern crossing of the SF Bay? Seeing as how they've been talking about these solutions for years, I would think that traffic conditions would have to be at a perpetual standstill before these alternatives would receive substantial consideration.

Road to Perdition - Saw the likely-to-be-Oscar-nominated film this weekend. It was well acted, beautifully photographed and just a little bit emotional. However, every critical piece of the plot was revealed in the trailer, which sort of destroyed the overall experience for me. Jennifer Jason Leigh gets fourth billing for barely 5 lines of dialogue. Although, there is precious little dialogue anywhere in the movie, as backstory is told through action rather than words such as a piano duet between Sullivan and Rooney (Hanks and Newman) showing their complex relationship and the constant smile/sneer exhibited by Rooney's son, Connor. But, overall, I do have to agree with Salon's review of the movie describing it as being directed with an "airless grip." The issues of morality and father-son relationships are clearly critical to the film, but I didn't find myself especially invested in the characters to see how they were addressed. The ending was visible from the moment the main plot points set into action. I also found myself agreeing with Roger Ebert's review of the film, where he knew that he admired the movie, but wasn't sure if he liked it or not. Road was a very solid, but never truly drew me in to its emotional core, so I'd have to give it a B-.

The Achievement Gap - Having spent the weekend at an education curriculum conference addressing the issue of the achievement gap between high and low performing students, I found this article at Salon to be exceptionally relevant. The overriding message of the conference was that the number one thing teachers can do to prevent race or gender or socioeconomic status from keeping a student from high performance is to break the cycle of low expectations.

At the same time, taking the examples from this story, as well as others like the plagarism scandal in Kansas, where students are abusing the system and threatening both the district and their teachers with litigation makes me understand why our nation is in a crisis to find qualified teachers. And instead of learning the value of hard work, students are learning that the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Having to contend with "sophisticated" parents who know the pressure points of the system, it becomes clear that the parents who complain the loudest and most threateningly are the most successful. Therefore, the parents who are less savvy, and often non-English-speaking, struggle even harder to help their children achieve academic success.

The NY Times highlights this fact with regard to accomodations for SAT testing, with a quote from the Dean of Admissions at Pomona College, "It's very clear who's been getting extended-time: the highest-income communities have the highest rates of accommodations." However, these actions further undermine the notion that all students should be given the benefit of high expectations. Instead, it guarantees that expectations for students are arbitrary, and takes the focus away from raising levels of acheivement for high- and low-performing students alike.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - The intellectual shortcomings of our elected leaders are never so apparent as when Congress wades into matters of business. Michael Lewis offers one vignette from last Monday's hearings of the House Financial Services Committee:

There, as [WorldCom's] Jack Grubman and Bernie Ebbers stared stoically into the middle distance, California's Maxine Waters referred to the corrupt research reports of a Wall Street investment bank she called "Salomon Barney Frank.'' And she was reading from a prepared statement.

Lewis says "it doesn't really matter whether a politician is able to distinguish between Smith Barney and Barney Frank, or to know that EBITA is not a brand of beer." (Actually, Mike, it's EBITDA.) I don't know if I can agree. I saw similar embarrassing displays of ignorance by the House Transportation Committee last September when the panel hauled airline executives before them to discuss the post-9/11 industry bailout. Ellen Tauscher of California was a pleasant surprise, but her insightful questions and thoughtful analysis of the business and financial issues presented were the exception that proved the rule. Go figure - she was a Wall Street investment banker for 14 years.

When Animals Attack - It's not quite Piranha! but now that our little local secret of the ravenous Chinese walking fish has gone national, I'm blogging the story of the carnivorous alien that the Post has been following for awhile. Keep an eye on it: "northern snakehead" is on the Yahoo Buzz "movers" board.

Ooh, do tell! - Speaking of Cooter, Blake pointed me to this item from the CNN website: "You may know him as Bo Duke of 'The Dukes of Hazzard' or as a top Christian music singer, but John Schneider has a secret he's never revealed -- until now. Tune in [Friday night] for this Larry King Live exclusive." In the natural history of my own sexuality, Schneider may have been the first male celebrity for whom I both had an attraction and a conscious awareness of that attraction. (The episode when the Duke boys lost their clothes and had to streak home across Hazzard County comes to mind.) These days, though, I think I might be more of a Luke fan.

Iraq Attack! - As the NY Times continues its occasional series trying to sabotage the Bush hawks by publishing secret U.S. war plans, even Dan Savage comes out in favor of bombing Saddam. (I'm blogging this for our readers who don't regularly also read Drew.) Way to go, Dan! Of course, it only proves that some left-wingers do have a brain. Has CNN contracted out for theme music yet?

At least we didn't go to the gym instead of saying goodbye - It's surprising to me that the season finale of Real World Chicago was such a big ratings draw. The show really went out with a whimper, and I was disappointed by the lack of conflict and action this season.

Chris and Tonya go to work out on the roommates' final night together? What was that about? Tonya never really wanted to be there in the first place anyway. Kyle, who showed so much potential early on in the season, ended up being being embarrassingly overconcerned about his appearance and, yes, "fake." I was disappointed that he and Kari never had a moment of true passion - whether it be a sexual encounter or a huge blowout fight. Instead, we were treated to a couple edited disagreements, showing how their relationship fizzled.

As usual, the person made the most outrageous statements about not tolerating others ended up being the one to grow the most. Theo not only became close friends with two gay people but actually seemed to make a real impact in the life of Nelson, one of the boys working on the mural project. In the long Real World tradition of sheltered youth being exposed to different kinds of people, from Julie of New York (Season 1) to Julie of New Orleans, Theo was the emotional core of the show as he learned tolerance and acceptance.

O'Cooter Where Art Thou? - Can someone explain how I got onto the email list for the Ben Jones for Congress campaign? Count me out of the "Cooter Crew."

Fleet-A-Pita - Examining the Middle East conflict through food, the NY Times has an engaging article about falafel, otherwise known as "crunch patties."

The Future is Now - Salon delves into the technology and infrastructure of the future shown in Minority Report.

Insta-Poll - The Washington Post has done something impressive with the infamous "online" instant poll. In their OnPolitics section, readers are invited to respond to a question of current interest. However, instead of tabulating the unscientific results of "those Internet users who have chosen to participate," the WP simply compares your personal response with the results of a recent scientific national survey conducted by the Post and ABC News. Not only is it a nice tie-in to their other content, it's also a great example of a news organization operating with a modicum of integrity in an era of CNN QuickVotes.

It's HOT - No wonder I'm so lethargic.

Cribbing from Cruel Intentions - Man, it must be nice to have friends in the publishing industry. You can write a post-millenial bildungsroman based loosely on your preppy upbringing and send it off to your dad's best friend, who happens to be a publisher. Voila! You're the Brett Easton Ellis of Generation Y. Combine the hype with this kid's good looks, and he should get invited to all the right parties at Harvard.

Eye on Hampton Roads - Jamie and I went to the beach last weekend. No, not Rehomo. Back to my roots in Virginia Beach. We didn't see one single article of Prada the whole time, but there were plenty of authenticly hot surfer boys, sporting minimal body fat and shaggy stoner haircuts, all without assistance from Bruce Weber's lighting and makeup people. Let's see... we did drag my sister out to this tapas and martini place on Friday night (she had a beer), but Saturday night was spent at the MacArthur Center watching MIB2 and on Sunday we stopped by our old bayfront oyster shucking spot before heading back into town.

Jamie and I did sample the gay nightlife in Norfolk on Friday and Saturday as well. Ben, I wish you could have been there. The first night we hit The Wave, an 18-and-up dance club with a backroom consisting of three pool tables. Mixed crowd leaning toward the baby homos in their raver getups enjoying the smoke machine and lasers. Then after the movie Saturday we stopped in at the Garage, whose name predates the music trend by a decade or more. It's also home to BEHR. When was the last time you saw a NASCAR t-shirt in a gay bar? Son, when you go blue collar in Norfolk, it's not just for dress-up.

In sum, Ben and I both "went home" for the weekend with our significant others and spent nights out on the town including stops at the local gay watering holes. Yet I don't think friends who get along as well as we do could have had more divergent experiences. Wonder what that says about us?

Like a chip off the old ice block - It's not the first time the kids have tried to make a buck off dad's good name, but keeping the old man on ice certainly gives the story a new age twist. What I really love is the Alcor Life Extension Foundation -- wasn't that the name of a suicide cult led by Hal Sparks? I really envy the lawyers who are gonna fight this one out.

Eye on LA - After the movie, we hit West Hollywood and stopped at The Abbey. Walking along Santa Monica Boulevard, it's interesting to note how different the gay "scene" in LA is, even from other large gay ghettos. The emphasis on appearance and fashion knocks you out, with the one-two punch where "LA" and "gay" collide. But what's most interesting to me is that even so, the atmosphere is very relaxed, and racially diverse. The bars and restaurants on Santa Monica have wide open courtyards and front patios where people can leisurely hang out. And because the Abbey is both a coffeehouse and a bar, it appeals to a wide range of people, with clientele young and old(er), black, white and Asian. That type of diversity, while visible in the SF Pride parade, is generally not seen on a daily basis in the Castro. However, with relative diversity of race and age, the Abbey was totally lacking in any diversity of body type, as though there was a one-item-of-Prada minimum for each lean A&F-model body.

We did later venture down the road to Silver Lake to hit the Faultline to glimpse a more bear-ish crowd. But even there, the LA influence was definitely visible, even with stockier builds and facial hair, you'd see none of the smelly-big-beer-belly-and-ZZ-Top-beard-types you might find at the Lone Star in San Francisco. Reminded me a bit of the manly-but-buttoned-down crowd I observed at the Green Lantern in DC --comfortable with their masculinity and with a little chest hair, but still needing a professional appearance for their daytime hours working on the Hill or as a wonk. I'm interested to hear additional thoughts and reactions from John on his recent travels.

LA Weekend: Reviews Galore - Had a very restful weekend in Southern California, enjoying the Fourth of July with my family and Kevin. Between BeanScene Blasts and lambic beer, we did have time to see a couple movies.

First, we saw My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which had been hyped as a hilarious romp. It was amusing enough, especially any time Andrea Martin was onscreen. But overall, I felt like the timing lagged, the characters cartoonish, and I simply didn't buy the development of the relationship between the bride and groom. The mother and father of the groom seemed especially lacking in any depth at all, even of a stereotypical nature. Joey Fatone notwithstanding, I didn't enjoy Wedding anywhere close to what I had expected, and therefore, I must give it a C.

Next up, we saw Cherish at the trendy new upscale theater for-movie-lovers-by-movie-lovers on Sunset and Vine, Arclight. Cherish is a fun, lightweight arthouse flick, with Robin Tunney of The Craft. It's set in San Francisco where a wrongfully accused woman is placed under house arrest for running over a cop. With most of the action taking place within a single room, Cherish is much more amusing than you'd imagine, featuring cameos from Jason Priestly and Nora Dunn. I'd give it a solid B/B+.

As for the Arclight, its shtick is that you get reserved seating in their new, plush, THX-equipped theaters; screening that are guaranteed to start on time; and a friendly usher who introduces the film and stays in the theater to ensure that the conditions are perfect for viewing. There's an onsite cafe with a bar and interesting menu, which is convenient, but the execution leaves something to be desired. The chicken on my "Grilled" Chicken Caesar salad and on Kevin's Chinese Chicken salad was exactly the same bland, flavorless meat boiled until it was devoid of color. A fairly tasty Ambrosia martini and passionfruit mousse almost made up for it.

Summertime and the [city] livin' is easy - Here's another item is our very occasional series on urban planning. You know, something to keep Adam reading.

Law & Order - The Washington Post comes clean with an exposé of the cause-and-effect relationship between bad (or at least casual) fashion and corporate crime. Beware the beard-wearer in the boardroom!

Undressed - Speaking of hot, young actor-models, the sexiest show on television is back for another season. Such a guilty pleasure. Glad to see they are jumping right into the gay plotlines, too. You go, MTV!

Whacked on Scooby Snacks - Well, I bowed to my partnerly duties and accompanied Jamie to see Mystery Inc. on Monday. I set my expectations low and -- zoinks! -- was mildly amused, at least until the ending got out of hand. True, they cut way back on the stoner / lesbian / slut jokes, but luckily I found myself in a mood to appreciate a good fart scene or two.

More interesting, however, was the subtext of the "college kid" guests of Spooky Island and the way their lifestyle was presented. They were all quite good-looking young men and women, presented in fashionable Abercrombie and American Eagle knock-offs and engaged in decent, clean fun (though one scene did take place in a lounge with adult beverages) with a hip edge to it (think Mark McGrath and Old Navy ads). In one scene at the evil mastermind's training camp, his zombie-like minions are instructed to spout strikingly ghetto-influenced slang as "normal" kidspeak so they can assimilate into youth society. (Oh, the irony.)

What does the intended teenybopper audience make of these images? As a male Gen X'er, I don't recall so much trendy, body-conscious marketing directed at me when I was that age. (Certainly no one could take the MTV stylings of the 80's era metal pop bands as a serious guide.) Today's kids have the the WB, the Disney Channel and others beaming them constant scenes of fresh-faced young actor-models, subliminally teaching them the right way to dress and act. Oh well, I guess 11-year-olds want to be fabulous too...

Gay Mafia - Former powerbroker to the stars, Mike Ovitz claims that the "gay mafia" is responsible for his downfall in Hollywood. Included in the Lavender Cabal:

• David Geffen - dated Cher, oft-rumored to be married to Keanu Reeves
  
• Bryan Lourd - ex-husband of Princess Leia herself, Carrie Fisher
  
• Barry Diller - widely reputed to be gay, but recently married fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg.

At least no one has brought Ricky Martin's good name into all of this cattiness!

Be Yourself, Change the World - It is always dangerous to make generalizations about a place you are just visiting, where you are a stranger, but here are my thoughts on SF Pride anyway. I was very impressed by what I saw of gay San Francisco this past weekend. Admittedly, I had a skewed perspective, having spent most of my time surrounded by rugby players, and many of them were not even from the Bay Area. Nevertheless, from the spectators at the Bingham Cup to the revellers on Castro at the Pink Party to the people I saw at the Pride Parade and Festival, I've never witnessed a more diverse gay community. The marchers included everything from gay cops to gay streetsweepers.

There is no definable "gay look" in San Francisco. Literally, you've got every ethnicity and tendency represented. I attribute this great showing to the fact that San Francisco has elevated gay tolerance past the point of acceptance truly to the point of celebration. Pride there isn't a matter of protesting by political activists or holding a neighborhood block party for an insular gay ghetto. In an environment where even straight people happily join the party, how could you not participate if you are gay? The resulting diversity testifies to the maxim, rarely witnessed in public, that gay people really do come from every walk of life.

Joisey Boys - I caught the article Ben mentioned from the NY Times on the flight out to San Fran. The good folks at Lambda are at it again, this time returning to the site of their Boy Scouts victory and trying to win the marriage rights they almost achieved in Vermont. With heavy involvement expected from the Catholic Church, this ought to be a good fight.