News: Clive Owen, Ex-Gays, iPhone, Mr. Blackwell
Ex-gay billboard prompting protest in Phoenix.
Clive Owen is to be the new face of Lancome: "It's a somewhat surprising move for Clive, who is known for his somewhat craggy, unshaven good looks and whose previous endorsement deals include a series of cool short film ads for BMW. But the handsome actor admits he's not averse to a little cosmetic help when it comes to looking after his appearance. 'I use much more now, I'll tell you that much.'"
A few hands-on reports of the Apple iPhone are starting to appear. Gizmodo: "Well CD players and iPods both play music. But elegant design at the fundamental level of how it plays tunes is what helped it transcend the category. From what I saw, first hand, I think the iPhone is going to do this for cellies. I have a bit of sympathy for our friends at RIM and Nokia." NYT: "The Web browsing experience is incredible. You see the entire Web page on the iPhone’s screen. You double-tap any spot to zoom in. Or you use the two-fingered spread-apart gesture to “stretch” the image larger, or pinch your thumb and forefinger on the glass to zoom out again. The manipulation is seamless, smoothly animated—and useful."
Whitney Houston to unload prized mannequins at auction.
Skating on thin ice? AfterElton expands on the Mark Lund trashing of Johnny Weir we showed you yesterday: "It’s one thing to see homophobia from the straight community (especially in sports), but seeing something so close to antigay bigotry coming from an openly gay man like Lund is especially egregious. Frankly, the whole thing felt like an orchestrated attack on Weir who apparently is far more popular than the official figure skating world cares for."
Mr. Blackwell releases annual "Worst-Dressed List".
Former staff of XY magazine launches Qr, a new publication for young gay men. Publisher: "We started Qr after being frustrated by 'the norm'. How the media represents us, how our generation feels left out, how we're not quite 'Generation X,' and we’re so different from the pioneering gays that came before us. Young gays aren't defined by their sexuality, and Qr is a magazine that doesn't tell them who to be, what to buy or what to wear. Instead, Qr is a soapbox to shout from and a community to share."
Well, Qr, just remember, you wouldn't have an audience to appeal to if it weren't for those gays who are "defined by their sexuaility." You can thank the older gays for putting their reputations, jobs, and in some cases lives on the line to be who they are.
You're welcome!
Posted by: Anon1 | Jan 10, 2007 12:08:54 PM
Good to see that Eric (aka evijhserf) is being productive on the Western side of the pond.
Posted by: bob | Jan 10, 2007 12:21:48 PM
The iPhone is an amazingly advanced piece of technology. I don't personally have a need for it, but I know that it's going to be indespensible for millions.
You can watch several demos of the iPhone in action on Apple's homepage:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/
Posted by: Rob | Jan 10, 2007 12:27:02 PM
I think we should have our own I QUESTION HETEROSEXUALITY billboards...
.... the IPhone? oooooooo, honey... I luvit.. now I can Google my tricks at the baths...
Posted by: miss dna | Jan 10, 2007 12:42:01 PM
Mark Lund is sad and pathetic....why didn't towleroad give this issue of gays hating gays its own comment section instead of "burying" the sad fact that most queeny gays hate other gays????
Posted by: alan brickman | Jan 10, 2007 12:49:03 PM
Oh, another gay magazine you'll have to look at with a magnifying glass to find a person of color. "Frustrated by the norm," my ass.
Posted by: 000000 | Jan 10, 2007 12:51:27 PM
"Most queeny gays hate other gays"? I think there are a lot of SAGs who hate other gays too. I know a lot of queens who definitely do not hate other gays. I'm not sure what you mean Alan Brickman.
Posted by: Brucie | Jan 10, 2007 1:02:06 PM
AHHHH!!! this angers me so much.
i'm a 22 year old homo and ya...i remember when i was 15 and the only gay mag they had at borders was xy, so i was forced to by it...i went to the QR website..."the diverse life of all gay men"?!
um...look at the pictures on the website...are you SERIOUS?! are they SERIOUS?! this is how they're promoting gay life...
as young white skinny club "bois".
and yes, i spelled bois with an i...grr.
i could continue to rant about this and i probably will later on, but...
i'm pissed, and out.
peace.
Posted by: Leo | Jan 10, 2007 1:03:43 PM
A follow-up to Miss DNA's comment...
The counter point to "Fucking Up The Family's" Question Homosexuality - Change is Possible is this...
If it's so easy for a gay man to turn straight, it would be equally easy for, say James Dobson to turn gay, right?
...not that any self-respecting gay man would want that troll who showers with young boys.
Posted by: MikeinSanJose | Jan 10, 2007 1:09:54 PM
Um ..... isn't the boilerplate "we're so different from our fossil ancestors" stuff that they're using for QR the same bullcrap rationale that they used to launch XY? And what happened to XY?
Posted by: FML | Jan 10, 2007 1:49:37 PM
PRINT! That's what these young'ns want. Nothing like good old interactive PRINT to build community.
Personally, I never saw anyone under 50 buying XY. Always thought it should be sold polybagged with a small packet of lube.
Posted by: 24play | Jan 10, 2007 1:54:49 PM
"Personally, I never saw anyone under 50 buying XY. Always thought it should be sold polybagged with a small packet of lube."
You mean under 22.
Posted by: Jake | Jan 10, 2007 2:00:05 PM
Kudos to 000000 and Leo for their comments!
I don't think I have ever seen a gay magazine yet that has reflected my interests and tastes as a gay man of color. The articles, the ads, & the sponsors are always geared toward the Caucasian Chelsea airheads with the ubiquitous barbed tattoo around their steroidal bicep!
Now its Caucasian manorexic, chickenhawk bait. Boy, talk about progress! Blech!
Posted by: soulbrotha | Jan 10, 2007 2:12:40 PM
Hey everybody! On a lighter note, Maude is finally on DVD!
All hail the ORIGINAL Dorothy Zbornack!!
Posted by: soulbrotha | Jan 10, 2007 2:16:41 PM
As near as I could ever tell, XY was pretty much one guy who irregularly cobbled together a staff to put out an issue or two. I don't think a contiguous year of the publication ever actually existed (but I could be wrong about that). The first time I saw it in the late 90's, it was obviously softcore gay boyporn in a slick package. Then there was an XY website that billed itself as a place for teens - but it never seemed to actually have any users. And the website and "new" XY magazine being touted in like 2001 or so had the same youth uprisal tone (and pretty much the same phrasing). It's kinda hard to sort out the "legitimacy" of a gay teen magazine when it is inevitably adults who are the people who create magazines. The 3 or so issues of XY I have ever seen seemed pretty sexualized for a "teen" magazine - but then again, that would have been pretty appealing to me as a gay teen. Maybe it's a sign of how far we've come that a gay "teen" magazine has been around long to enough to start recycling old material...
Posted by: kipp | Jan 10, 2007 2:19:22 PM
I heart Clive Owen. Sexy, sexy, SEXY man!
Posted by: peterparker | Jan 10, 2007 2:25:36 PM
I second Peter - honestly, I could watch Clive clip his toenails for two hours. What?
Posted by: MattGaymon | Jan 10, 2007 2:42:15 PM
QR, XY, HX, DNA. All the same bullshit. Next Shirley Q. Liquor will have a magazine every month to rival Oprah's, because there hasn't been inclusion for white gays who like to be racist on the outside.
Posted by: 000000 | Jan 10, 2007 2:43:17 PM
Leo & 000000, you are so right. But it seems to me all gay magazines are pretty bad with very little content at all. Genre, Out, The Advocate even, are all as empty and vacant as the eyes of the models on their covers.
Posted by: Brucie | Jan 10, 2007 3:08:43 PM
Every generation says that the generation before them dosn't represent them and are out of touch.
This isn't new.And hardly earth shattering.
Its the same advertising tag lined to used to sell publications that are "geared" toward a specific generation and published by people a generation older than who there trying to sell too.
And as for "not telling them who to be,what to buy and what to wear".
What crap.
Lets see what the advertising in this "magazine" is? and you know there will be.Otherwise the publication would'nt exist in the first place.
Its the same"don't trust anyone over 30" or in this case over 22.
Lets hope that todays generation,who are more likely to get there information over the net.than from a magazine,are smart enough to see this as just another marketing ploy.
I'm betting they are.
Posted by: griffin1573 | Jan 10, 2007 3:08:52 PM
When I was younger, I hated XY because it made me feel like, left out. Like I was the wrong kind of gay teen because I didn't fit into what they so adamantly pressed was the "forgotten" segment of gay America. I actually felt shameful for feeling that way until I heard I wasn't alone. But I refused to touch the magazine for years out of silly anger.
Then, a few months ago, I picked it up in Virgin Megastore. Some of the articles, had I stopped to read them as a teen, were pretty interesting. Still, not all gay teens are over-sexed 28-inch waist creamboys.com coverboys. It felt pretty wierd that THAT is what they think gay teens want to be, or associate themselves with. That generalization could potentially cause alot of damage. As it almost did with me.
Nevertheless, I wish Qr luck. However, Qr needs to mind its P's and Q's when it comes to the mere fact they can even publish a gay magazine (if not for the generations who've preceded theirs).
Posted by: Derrick | Jan 10, 2007 3:54:46 PM
Qr or Quite Ridiculous: "Qr is our readers' magazine... It's a user-generated product for a user-focused era. The boys who read Qr also drive MySpace and YouTube - they know the value of producing content and enjoy seeing themselves in print. Qr is a magazine for gay youth because we're the only magazine that won't talk down to you... We speak to the pierced, the punks, the skaters, the geeks and clubaholics who feel ignored by gay media."
This nonsense from publisher Eric Bogs of the new Qr magazine, aimed primarily at the younger gay man a la XY magazine, which last time we looked does exactly the same thing. In fact, many staff members of the new Qr are from XY. And in every press release they never fail to mention "their ages" least anyone suspect that a magazine for teens was being published by anyone over 30. Presumably, Eric has a year left on his contract. What seems lost on the publishers is that their readers are actually online, and not reading their magazines. What exactly do you get in magazine that you can't get online? Boys kissing? (they will be presenting a monthly feature of just that). XY and its sister Qr have always felt slightly bogus. While contending they are magazines for youth, one can certainly imagine its the older gentleman who likes youth who is really viewing the magazine. And can we discuss art direction?
Why is it every magazine that aims for a teen market has to look the same? The spread here looks exactly like the spreads in Sixteen magazine, although the slightly Arabic lettering adds to the mystery of what the title is...maybe only teens know. And has any teen magazine every seen a primary color they didn't like? Why bad graphics are suppose to suggest a youthful energy is any body's guess. Bogs goes on to say "The current top U.S. gay publications are mostly aimed towards an older gay and lesbian readership, and lack the authenticity and punch that Qr delivers." Careful Bogs, you will soon be entering that demographic yourself.
Posted by: Randy | Jan 10, 2007 4:09:40 PM
I enjoy all these comments greatly!
I think QR's assertion is partly correct: "Young gays aren't defined by their sexuality". It's evident when you go on sites like myspace or youtube, you'll find that young gays don't address any of the topics we discuss on this site for instance..they don't relate to any of it for whatever reasons, which is why it's hard to rally the younger generations towards any type of protest or activism.
I suppose their only way of protesting is to embrace the fullness of their "queer individuality" (which can be a powerful form of protest), without necessarly wanting to be part of the local queer youth group or heading to the gay bar. It's a bit hard for some of us to understand, it is for me..but I guess QR is trying to speak to the reality of those young gays hoping it can sell their magazine.
Posted by: Da | Jan 10, 2007 4:09:59 PM
after a recent visit to phoenix, and a visit with one of these purported "fossils" -- it certainly explained this "ex-gay" consideration, if that person serves as a role model for intergenerational communication. beautiful body and soul in many cases, but not much in the "gay" catalogue -- at present -- that i'd want to shop. a culture of intrusion has far too many focusing on plenty of the "wrong" things. the shot heard 'round the world -- "britney and paris go commando" -- pure genius, ripley??
Posted by: ricardo | Jan 10, 2007 4:13:11 PM
Ditto Kipp's comments. I was always surprised when a new issue hit the newsstands, because issues were separated by such long breaks between them. I lost track in its later years because the content seemed to get weaker and more superficial. Given the supposed target audience I didn't expect Vanity Fair, but the content wasn't very deep. I hope QR is more diverse and provides better content to its target audience. But, I still have to ask if XY is officially done, or still just plugging away an issue or two a year?
Posted by: Eric | Jan 10, 2007 4:20:06 PM