Playing Chicken

So, I've been asked by a dear friend to write for the blog site "West Hollywood Wives."  You see, it's quite simple, it's a site dedicated to West Hollywood and Los Angeles, and I live in Chicago.  Why not, right?  Well, I'm going to be submitting some stuff to them from time to time (thanks, Ashley), and this is the first piece that's up on their site, giving the folks from LA a little insight to the recent Chik Fil-A story here in Chicago.  If you'd like to "like" West Hollywood Wives on Facebook, go to https://www.facebook.com/WestHollywoodWives?ref=ts and check it out.  I'd love it if you did.  Now, onto the piece...

I was born here.  Even in our worst times, I can feel a sense of pride in this city.  Nine times out of ten, it’s easy to be proud of my hometown.  We’ve led the nation in several gay issues.  And, quite frankly, this is just a kick-ass place to be.  I’ve lived in Chicago or its surrounding area all of my 40 years, and it is likely I will draw my last breath here.

I’ve never had Chik Fil-A.  This is not by design, merely accident.  I literally had one chance to have the food about 10 years ago, but it was Sunday.  I remember thinking to myself “what kind of food business closes its doors on a Sunday?”  It would only be a couple of years later that I’d see my first “Eat Mor Chikn” ad, and I thought it was a cute campaign.  But, hey, they weren’t in Chicago, so there was no more that I could give than an outsider’s view to something.  Sort of like Sonic.  I’ve been seeing Sonic commercials for years, but have yet to come across an actual location.

Chik Fil-A opened a location on the Mag Mile about a year or so ago.  From what I understand, the location has done incredibly good business.  But, as I do not live or work downtown, I hadn’t had the chance to go give it a try.  However, I do work in Logan Square, and there’s been talk about a Chik Fil-A going on Elston Avenue right in the heart of the business section of the neighborhood. That is, until the bru-ha-ha.

In recent times, Dan Cathy came out against gay marriage.  Now, he owns Chik Fil-A, and he apparently uses his money  to help aid anti-marriage organizations.  I found this to be disheartening, because it seemed that I was finally going to be able to try the product in a location I could easily get to, and now the owner of the company doesn’t seem to like me wanting my rights.  Okay, well, that’s that, then.  Since I don’t know what I’m missing, I don’t need to worry about boycotting a place or never having their food again.  Simple as that.  But it wasn’t.

For those of you on the west coast who are unfamiliar to our city government other than for the scandals that you see on the major news networks, we have 50 Wards that comprise the city.  Each Ward has an Alderman, who is the City Council representative for the Ward.  Aldermen are elected at the same time as the Mayor.  The location of the proposed Chik Fil-A in the Logan Square neighborhood is in the 1^st Ward.  It’s Alderman, Proco Joe Moreno, is a guy who is very much on the side of minorities.  And he’s an across the board kind of guy.  Very supportive of gay issues, and has come out stating he thinks marriage should be a right for everyone.  However, his recent statements on the Chik Fil-A circus bothered me, and it ignited a firestorm.

Alderman Moreno has said he wants to pull the zoning for the proposed location.  He has stated that a company with values such as Chik Fil-A should not be allowed to set up shop in the local marketplace of Logan Square, where values like inclusion and equality ring supreme.  A day later, Moreno was all over every news outlet in the country, and Mayor Emmanuel was backing his guy.  And within days, Mike Huckabee is stating that our marriage rights are so dangerous to the health of this country that his followers should ignore their own health issues and go to a fast food restaurant to show their outrage.  And then there’s kiss-ins scheduled at locations across the country only 2 days after that.

To quote Ron Burgundy in the movie Anchorman, “that escalated in a hurry.”

I’ve got to be perfectly clear, here.  Am I going to be patronizing a Chik Fil-A now that I know what the company’s owner’s values are, and how much he seems not to like folks of my ilk?  No.  Do I think that a company like that has any business being able to open a location in a city like ours where we stand for equality?  Yes.  I do.  I know this sounds so antithetical to everything that my brethren are saying right now while filling up the internet airwaves with messages condemning the far right.  But I have a real reason for this.

The last time I checked, and it does get sketchy at times, we live in America.  Dan Cathy, no matter how much I disagree with him (and let’s be perfectly clear, everybody… I disagree with him), has every right to say whatever he wants and donate to whatever organizations that he chooses, so long that he does these things staying short of becoming violent or encouraging his followers to become violent.  We have to remember that in the fight for our own rights, we’ve got to remember that what we’re asking for is equal rights, not special ones.  And we’re not asking for anyone else’s rights to be taken away from them, either.  Sure, we’d like that.  We’d like to strip the rights of those with whom we disagree, because in the back of our minds, we just figure it would be easier if those who controlled the rules think exactly like we do.  But that’s not how it works, for better and unfortunately worse.  But there’s a peaceful easier way to make a point without screaming or discriminating.

You always hear “people vote with their wallet” when it comes to election seasons in this country.  People vote for candidates based mostly on what their economic vision for the next few years is.  It doesn’t just mean the voting booth, either.  If Chik Fil-A opens in a neighborhood where the values do not match those of the company, and if the citizenry of that neighborhood really don’t want a business like that to be there, it will vote with its wallet.  The store will become nothing more than a place where you might find tumbleweed blowing around, and it will be forced to close its doors a short time after opening them.  A company will have been given a right to perform the functions of its business in a legal manner, and the residents will be given a chance to voice its concerns and not patronize the location.  The system will work.

And if it doesn’t work that way?  If the location of the restaurant actually somehow does bang-up business and is able to not only survive, but flourish?  Then perhaps we’re underestimating or incorrectly estimating the pulse of our own city and neighborhood.  Then, perhaps it’s time to put the microscope back on ourselves just to make sure we are who we think we are.

As a gay man, do I want to have the right to marry?  Of course I do.  It’s only in recent times in having met a very special individual that it’s begun to mean so much to me.  One day, I will marry my partner (just as a note to him, this isn’t a sneaky way to ask you to marry me, I would do that in the proper time and context, don’t worry).  And I’ll be on the right side of history, as we’re coming closer and closer to a time where it’s just not going to matter anymore.  But I want the process to be done in the right way.  I don’t want to fight discrimination with discrimination.  I don’t want to make myself a party to denying rights to others while trying to secure them for myself.  I just want the ability to love who I love, go about my life in a peaceful manner without discrimination, and to eat a chicken sandwich that is both tasty, and isn’t going to make me look like a total tool to my community.  Is that so much to ask?

Again, I love this city.  I’m proud of it.  It may not be Los Angeles, and it may not be New York, but we’ve got a lot going on here, albeit a lack of good seasons for the Chicago Cubs.  I’ll defend my home to the death, but I also would hope that my home would fight the good fight, and defend me to the death along the way.

He Started A Joke

I hope everyone's Memorial Day is off to a happy and safe start.  Let's not forget that this isn't just "Monday BBQ Day," but a chance to remember those who died in service of keeping this country what it is, whatever you consider it to be.

I'd also like to take the chance to remember a fallen hero of mine, Robin Gibb, albeit a week late (I've not had a lot of time to just sit and write since then, busy week).  No, he's not American, and he wasn't in the military, but he meant a lot to me.  As a child born in the 70s, the Bee Gees made some of the first music with which I fell in love.  As a youngster, it was easy to dance to the likes of "Jive Talkin'," "Night Fever," and "Stayin' Alive."  Maybe I didn't understand the context of the songs, but I knew they had a great beat and I liked bopping around to them.  Even after their career-peak of the 70s, I continued to appreciate their music, and began to discover the music they wrote well before the disco era began.  It began to occur to me that they were much more than just a funky beat with a high falsetto.  With songs like "New York Mining Disaster, 1941," "I Started A Joke," and "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart," I saw that they could write a song of just about any style.  And in the 80s, they even had a huge hit that they never recorded  in "Islands In The Stream" sung by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.

By the time their album One came out in 1989, they were considered well past their prime.  But that didn't stop me from saying yes when my dad asked if I wanted to see them live in concert at the now defunct Poplar Creek Music Theater in July of that year.  When we got to Poplar that night, it was apparent that there weren't too many kids my age at the venue, and most looked like they were there under duress.  I couldn't have been happier to be there.  And, unlike them, I had a chance to go meet them after the show thanks to my father's having worked for the label for which they recorded at that time.  I'd gone through this drill before and met several musical celebrities, so I knew the drill: go backstage, hand them something to autograph, tell them you liked the show, and move along so that others could talk to them.  I was so wrong about what was about to happen.

There had to be about 20 of us in the backstage hospitality room waiting for the Brothers Gibb to arrive after what I remember to be about a 2-hour show.  They had to be tired, right?  They had to want to get in and get out, right?  Wrong.  They walked in the room, and the first thing I remember is Barry Gibb seeing my father and recognizing him right off the bat, having been stuck in an elevator together about 10 years earlier (that's right, my dad's job involved his sometimes just being stuck in an elevator with rock stars for 45 minutes shooting the breeze, although I'm sure he didn't plan the mechanical malfunction).  And just after saying hello to a couple of people in the room, twins Maurice and Robin saw that there was a younger chap in the room, and made a bee-line right to me.  Perhaps it was a schmoozing the next generation thing, but I'd like to think it was more than that.  What followed was one of the coolest experiences of my life.

It was like nobody else in the room mattered.  They sat me down at one of the tables and just started to talk to me like they'd known me all my life.  Maurice was a huge baseball fan, and Robin was just starting to appreciate the sport.  They were living in Miami, and there had been a rumor that they were about to get a team down there (now the Marlins).  They talked to me about my love for the Cubs, and asked if I ever thought they'd end up finally winning the World Series.  I said "of course they will!"  Ah, the naivety of youth.

Robin asked me what kind of music I was into, "and you don't have to say us, it's okay."  The truth was, though, I WAS into them, and didn't mind telling them that.  I mentioned how I was a big fan of Prince, and Robin told me how he was also a huge fan, being a huge fan of the album Sign O' The Times that had just been released a couple of years earlier.  "There's so much on that album, and not just because it's a double.  It's a tour de force."  I mentioned Tears For Fears being on my radar, and I remember Maurice saying that he liked their music, but when they had met TFF that they were kind of aloof.   Conversation actually got down to what I'd been doing that summer, and what my plans were before school was to start up again.  We were sitting there talking for close to 45 minutes about, really, everything.  I remember Robin asking "you get good grades, kid?" and "you like to sing?"  Thankfully, I was able to answer yes to both questions.

Other people from the record label would come up and say hello, and the twins would pretty much give them the standard "nice to see you" with this attitude of "look, don't you see we're busy in conversation, here?"  It was awesome.  I was sort of an outcast in school (king of the outcasts, if you will, sort of an ambassador to the cooler kids at times), and the fact that these 2 musical legends wanted to sit and talk to me was one of the bigger thrills of my life.  It didn't matter that I was the son of a guy who was an executive at their label, it didn't matter that other label employees wanted to talk to them.  They wanted to talk to me.  Paul Simon didn't want to talk to me all that much.  Peter Gabriel was a downright prick when I met him.  Don't even get me started about Linda Ronstadt.  Maybe the Twins Gibb didn't remember the experience even a week after it happened, but I've held onto that night for the rest of these almost 23 years.

I was at the airport ready to fly to San Francisco with my ex when I heard about the premature death of Maurice in 2003, and I honestly didn't have time to react to it as I was too excited about my pending trip.  I happened to be at home last week when the news about Robin broke.  It wasn't even a surprise, as he'd been ill on and off for the better part of two years.  That didn't stop me from having a completely emotional reaction.  I put on their 1997 song "Alone" (ironically thinking that could describe Barry in the whole scheme of things) and began to cry like I was a little boy again.  Perhaps it was out of sadness for the loss of such a musical genius.  Perhaps it was a feeling that part of my childhood had just died.  What I do know is that it hit home that there's a period in my life, and the lives of so many others that had ended, as with Barry being the only Bee Gee left, there's really no shot at a reunion (let's face it, we're just an accidental meeting of Paul and Ringo at an Arthur Treacher's Fish n Chips in England away from a possible "Beatles Reunion," as hollow as that would ring).  These folks from the musical past are all going to start dropping now, and that's a sad thought.

Over time, this broken heart will mend.

Let's Pretend We're Married

First of all, the name of this week's post is a Prince song title, I'm not asking you for your fake hand in marriage; however, I will entertain offers.  I will always entertain offers.  However, I will tell you this: it better be a spectacular ring, and you'd better not propose at a restaurant with a candle on the table.  So 20th Century.

Did anything happen in the gay marriage front this week?  I hadn't heard anything of any significance.  Oh, yeah, the current Presidential Administration came out in support of the idea of gay folk like me having the ability to get married.  And boy, did it set off some serious debate.  Even some Republican advisers are now telling their party-mates that it's time to "evolve" (I love the use of that word, btw) and get on the right side of history.  I'm fairly pleased with what the President had to say, but we need to remember a couple of things.

One, all he did was say something.  There was no instant mandate, and while a conversation with my mother the night regarding the announcement started with her saying "So, are you married yet," it's still not something I can do here in Illinois (although I can have a Civil Union in about 3 weeks here).  We've still got a lot of work to do to ensure our civil rights are finally realized.  But let's face facts, it's a very important step.  It's akin to the first time a major political figure said that African Americans and Caucasian Americans should be able to marry, and even then it took "a few minutes" to get that realized in many states.  But the fact that our very own President is now coming out (pun intended) in favor of marriage equality is a huge step in this nation, and a step he didn't take lightly.  Sure, maybe Joe Biden sped up the process, but let's face facts, is that such a bad thing?  The Veep is commonly chided for running off at the mouth and having his statements get him into trouble.  As far as this blogger is concerned, it finally worked to someone's advantage.

Also, I'd like to address my gay brethren who say "he should've done this sooner," and those who have complained that he hasn't done enough to address gay rights in America.  I'd like to touch on this on a couple of levels.  Let's not forget that a Presidential term is 4 years, and that there's a lot of priorities that any President has on his (and someday, her) agenda, especially this one.  Not sure if you've noticed, but the economy has been a complete dumpster fire in recent years, and he's had to do his best to figure out -with the help of advisers- what the heck to do about that.  The war in Iraq wasn't just going to end itself, folks; same with figuring out when to end major operations in Afghanistan.  Osama bin Laden?  Yeah, not sure if it matters, but he also wasn't just going to walk up to ally troops, kneel down on the ground and say "look, if you shoot me right in the temple, I'll be dead pretty quickly."  And whether you agree with his health care plan or not, he's the first guy in office to get anything done in that regard.  Anything.  The POTUS has had a great deal of fruits and vegetables on his plates, and just because it took him a few minutes to get to the fruits (again, pun intended) doesn't mean he doesn't care about our plight.  He'd already gotten rid of "Don't Ask, Don't Swish" from the US Military policy, making it legal for gays and lesbians to openly serve in the Armed Forces.  Do you think he would've fought for that if he didn't believe that it was our right?

Sure, maybe it's a political tactic.  Maybe he's doing this right before an election to help ensure our vote.  But let me ask you something: wouldn't you rather he did it now than not at all?  And let's face facts, this isn't exactly a slam dunk to his re-election.  Not sure if you've ever noticed, but old people still vote in the largest numbers.  Side note, the percentage of voters in an age group can be tied to the first digit in their age.  Traditionally speaking, 90% of those folks in their 90s vote, 60% of those folks in their 60s vote, etc.  Do you think that a lot of folks between 70-100 years old who grew up in a time without Ellen, Will & Grace, and RuPaul's Drag Race are really going to be pleased with this announcement?  How about the supposed "Reagan Democrats" out there who might be on the fence between Obama and Romney right now, as well as folks who consider themselves highly religious?  It's not exactly what they wanted to hear, making this -while calculated- a very risky move on his part.

It might bring down his chances to be re-elected.  And if it does, I will hold a major amount of respect for the President.  If he goes down, he's going down on his terms, and swinging at a pitch instead of letting it go over the plate waiting for the electorate and the talking heads to call it a ball or strike.  He's not just licking his finger and putting it up to the air to see which way the wind is blowing.  He's blowing the wind himself.  I may not agree with everything he's done while in office, but the sheer fact of the matter is, he's tried to get things done.  And again, he's done these things within one term, even if it wasn't all within the first 100 days in office like some folks would've wanted.  You can't really ask for more than that... except my hand in marriage.  I'm still waiting, people! ;)

To end on a different topic, I said last time that we'd probably be discussing the death of Bee Gee Robin Gibb.  Shortly after that post, he woke up from his coma, so we thankfully get to postpone that conversation to another time.  I was going to possibly talk about the suicide of Junior Seau from the NFL, or the untimely death of the Beastie Boys' Adam "MCA" Yauch, but I wanted to keep today's message positive, so let's just say that both deaths were tragedies for their own reasons, and that I hope they rest in peace.

See you soon, maybe even while we exchange vows!

Death & Other Fun Topics

• A lot was said this week about the death of Dick Clark, and rightfully so.  The man accomplished much in his career, and was a seminal figure in the world of rock and roll without ever picking up an instrument.  One guy who did pick up an instrument (or several) was one of the co-founders of The Band, Levon Helm.  While Levon wasn't exactly the most pleasant person to look at, and while his voice wasn't exactly "dulcet," he was a pioneer in the world of rock.  Without The Band, the concept of Southern Rock would've had to wait a while, as he and his band mates basically introduced the concept to the world with such classics as "The Weight," "Up On Cripple Creek," and "The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down."  While Robbie Robertson may have written these songs, and all the others that The Band performed in their career -except for a couple of early songs co-written with Bob Dylan- Levon Helm was the undeniable force behind one of the seminal bands in rock history.  Many folks forget that when Dylan was making his transition from acoustic to electric guitar compositions in the mid 60s, The Band was, well, his band.  It would be after they parted ways that the Southern Rock style would start.  And when you think about it, it's quite ironic.  Sure, Helm was from Arkansas, but Robertson, Garth Hudson, the late Rick Danko and the late Richard Manuel weren't from the south at all.  They weren't even from America.  They are/were Canadian.  But nobody cared about that.  Once Helm's southern drawl took over, and Robertson's writing style veered towards a more southern sound, it didn't matter that not everyone was from below the Mason-Dixon line.  All that mattered was that they were forging a new style of music in a then-still-growing medium called Rock and Roll.  I'd have to say that bands like Lynyrd Skynrd, The Allman Brothers and even the Black Crowes never happen without The Band.  While Helm's name may not been at the forefront of everyone's mind when it came to the history of Rock and Roll, he certainly had a hand in writing said history.
• Can we just admit that the Cubs season has as much chance at being a success as The Band has at having a full reunion tour this year?  Yes, I realize we're calling this a rebuilding year.  Yes, I realize Rome wasn't built in a day.  But as a lifelong fan, I'm sick of hearing "rebuilding."  You can't rebuild what was never properly built in the first place.  I'm kind of done with having patience and waiting for next year.  No, I didn't expect miracles, but I also didn't expect a complete bed-crapping to start the season either.  Six straight losses, and only a half-game above having the worst record in the National League doesn't make me excited for this season, it makes me suspect for what's to come.  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results.  Well, they didn't make any good trades, they didn't make any good off-season signings, and now we're still expected to believe that this train is on the right track and isn't going to careen off said track killing hundreds.  I, for one, can't do that anymore.  No, I'm not saying I'm giving up being a fan, and believe me when I tell you that I hope they prove me wrong.  But I think it's time to stop drinking the Kool Aid.  And I don't just mean me, I mean everyone.  More people (than the last 2 seasons) have to stop buying tickets to go to games for "the experience."  When we hit the organization in the wallet, and make them realize that we're going Twisted Sister on them ("We're Not Gonna Take It"), perhaps that rebuilding process will hit a record pace.  If the Cubs still have massive attendance and people are still pouring money into their coffers, it'll be more like Talking Heads' "Once In A Lifetime" lyrics (same as it ever was) instead of truly BEING a once in a lifetime experience.  And, seriously, I'm not asking for a dynasty.  I'm not greedy.  My grandfather died without a World Series win, as did my father.  Is it wrong to not want to be a third generation to go without?  I didn't think so.

Okay, two topics today is enough.  Unfortunately, the next time we meet, I'll probably be blogging about the death of one of the nicest celebrities I've ever met, Robin Gibb.  But, until then, let's keep things positive, even though I just spent an entire paragraph being negative.

Where on Earth have I been?

"You know, you haven't blogged in a while"--Anonymous.

Wow... it's been since Oscar Sunday. I've been thinking about it a lot, but haven't put fingers to typewriter in a while. Was sick for a bit, and honestly, I just didn't feel like complaining to y'all. Well, at least about that. So, I'm going to try something different today. An early morning blog before I leave for work. Let's just hope this all makes sense. Let's do this.

• Ozzie Guillen, former White Sox Manager, is in the news for comments he's made... again. This time, he's seemingly crossed a line by claiming he respects and loves Fidel Castro for his ability to stay in power for so long. First of all, Ozzie obviously hadn't been watching the news the last couple of years, as he's apparently not aware that Castro hasn't been in power for about 2 years. Now, what makes this even worse? He's now the Manager for the Miami Marlins. You know, Miami. Not a lot of ex-Cubans there at all. Oh, wait. Here's my question to you: are you surprised at this? This is a guy who mouths off at any opportunity. A man who famously called a local Chicago sportswriter a fag just might be the candidate for position of someone who would say something positive about a longstanding brutal dictator. But here's the thing: everyone's outraged, and a lot of people want him to lose his job. As much as I don't agree with his comments, as much as I think he'd have been better off saying "you know, I'm into torturing puppies" to the citizens of Miami, we have to take a step back and remember one thing: he has the right, in America, to say whatever he wants short of threatening folks. Do I like what he said? Hell no. We're all aware that Castro was a pretty mean dude, putting it very lightly. We're aware that he spent the better part of 50 years depriving his citizenry of, well, just about anything and everything for the sake of a Communism, something that has just as much life in 2012 as the Macarena or Ricky Martin's singing career. We're also aware that so many people had to flee Cuba for their lives, risking them by traveling the 90 miles between Cuba and Miami on make-shift rafts that would've made Tom Hanks' character in Cast Away cringe. But that's the thing about freedom of speech, people. We face this all the time with folks like Rush Limbaugh running off at the mouth with statements that only incite a country. Now, do WE have the freedom to say that we don't like his comments? That we would like to see him fired? That we'd enjoy seeing him pelted with eggs? Sure, just as long as "eggs" doesn't really mean "bullets." But, again, he's got the right to say what he wants here. We don't have to like it one bit... hey, look at that, we don't. But to go so far as to say he should be fired for what he said is jumping the gun, if you don't mind that turn of phrase. This is just another example of Ozzie being Ozzie, and if anyone thought he'd suddenly turn into a choirboy once he was hired in Miami, that's just naivety at work.
  
  
• The Three Stooges movie: was this entirely necessary? I don't need to see the movie to say the following: I doubt it was. It just shows that Hollywood is running out of original ideas, and that they'll do anything for a buck. Think about this for a second... Sean Penn was originally slated to play Larry, and Benecio Del Toro was picked to play Larry. They're both Oscar winners, and they both had the good sense to consider the project for the better part of about 20 seconds before they decided not to sink their careers into the toilet with said roles. This brings up a question that my friend Andy and I discuss when major award winners pick projects that seem beneath them (see: paycheck): Should Sean Hayes, who won multiple Emmys for his fantastic portrayal of Jack on the hit TV show Will & Grace, be forced to to give back his Emmys for deciding to play Larry in this movie which is bound to be an absolute disaster? Well, I guess if you take my previous paragraph into consideration, the answer is no. If we've got freedom of speech, I guess we've also got the freedom to take whatever job we feel we want/need to at that time, whether we think the movie will be the 16mm version of the Hindenburg or not. That said, I can't NOT see this movie fast enough.
  
  
• Another Cubs season has begun. I say it just like that, because this season's going to be a great example of "second verse, same as the first." Except, in this case, this is about verse 102 in what is the longest most painful poem in American sports history. The thing is, this time we at least seem to have a direction. The new GM is the former Red Sox GM, Theo Epstein, who knows a thing (or two, technically) about ending baseball curses. I've got very low hopes for this particular season, looking at it very much as transitional. But Epstein isn't going to just sit there and let it happen. He'll look at how this season goes, take the blank checkbook that he's been handed by the Ricketts family, and start to make changes that will benefit the club. In fact, he may have already started to do it. There's some signings he made during the offseason (David DeJesus, anyone?) that could end up being good moves in the long run. That's the thing about sports, you just never know.
  
  
• Speaking of which, let's wrap up this year's Masters tournament. Going in, we had 3 main favorites to win: Tiger Woods (not sure why, the guy has absolutely no history with winning major golf tournaments... oh, wait), Phil Mickelson (the winner at Augusta no less than 3 times), and Rory McIlroy (winner of last year's US Open, and the "hot" name on the tour for the last 12 months). Well, by the time Friday night rolled around, Tiger was an afterthought, Rory was in position, and Phil was almost ready to make a charge. By the time Saturday night rolled around, only Phil was in contention. Well, he took care of that in one shot on Sunday as he hit a shot off the 4th tee that I'd probably make, and I've never played a full round of golf in my life. Who did we get as a champion? A guy named Bubba. Not just a guy named Bubba, but a guy named Bubba who has appeared in a music video wearing nothing more than a pair of bib overalls. A guy named Bubba who, earlier this year, purchased the original General Lee from the show Dukes of Hazzard. At a time where folks all over the country are clamoring for Augusta National -the host of the annual major tournament- to stop being a group of "good ol' boys" and start admitting women to their exclusive country club, we got... well, according to the Dukes of Hazzard theme, a good ol' boy as champion. Here's the thing: he really IS a good ol' boy, in the more strict version of the term. The guy has wanted nothing more than to be able to adopt a child for the last 2 years (and was finally successful in doing so less than a month before the biggest win of his life). He's done so much charity work, he makes Tim Tebow look like a slacker. And you want a good story? This guy won the most prestigious tournament in golf without -get ready for this- ever having a formal golf lesson in his life past his dad once showing him how to grip a golf club at age 10. It's tough to root against him, even if his name is Bubba. Remember the last guy we all called Bubba? Bill Clinton. How'd things work out for THAT Bubba? Yeah, pretty well, I'd say. I'm not saying that Bubba Watson is going to rip off another 4-10 majors or anything like that, but I think we oughta take a few moments and enjoy a regular guy, "just a good ol' boy never meanin' no harm," and his major victory. Just as long as we never have to see him in overalls again. Wanna see that video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM2NocuEihw He's the one all the way to the right to begin the video. Then again, given that I told you about the overalls, I probably didn't need to tell you that.
  
  
• What am I listening to right now? Get ready to have my age exposed to you in a big way:
  Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball. This is one angry little record, when Bruce is at his best.
  Paul McCartney - Kisses On The Bottom. Despite the near porn-like title, it's a pretty little album of jazz standards with one original composition that will have you feeling good and relaxed.
  Little Dragon - Little Dragon. This is an older record, but I got turned onto it recently by my friend Lee. Laid back, yet modern sounding. Perhaps we've all got an album from recent times that sound like this, but this is the one that's grabbing my attention at the moment. Go check it out, I think you'll like it.
  Madonna - MDNA. I'll be honest, I'm listening to it, but probably not for much longer. I want to like this album because everyone's talking about how great it is and what a comeback it is. Maybe I should give my gay-card back, but I just don't see it. There's a couple of decent tracks, but nothing really write home about. To me, it sounds like she's trying to impersonate Lady Gaga, a woman who has been accused of trying to impersonate her. The thing about her, though, is that she's at that age where she really doesn't have to be innovative anymore, she's just got to put something out that her core fans will like, and I guess she was successful there. And you have to give her credit, I'm not sure as many gay men have EVER watched the Super Bowl as they did this year just waiting for her performance (likely turning off the game before the second half).

Okay, that's enough for today, and I didn't even get to the political scene this time around. I promise not to take as much time between now and my next post. And I promise the next one will be a touch funnier. This is what happens when I try doing this when I first wake up. But hey, that's what blog experimentation is all about, right?

L’Oscars.

Of the nine Best Picture nominees, I’ve seen five as of the morning of the Oscars. I may or may not watch Tree Of Life later today (time/mood permitting). The Chances of my seeing War Horse are slim to none, ditto Hugo (I’m sorry, I’m just not fond of Scorcese films, and then it’s for kids?). And I think that it’s a matter of “too soon” with Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. I’m on the fence with Tree Of Life. Now, to the movies I have seen:

· Midnight In Paris: I’ll give it this, we’ve found the person who best plays the “Woody Allen” character of the neurotic freak outside of Woody himself, and that seems to be Owen Wilson. Problem is, it’s Owen Wilson. “Wildcat. Wildcat,” may have been that man’s best acting ever, and it was approximately 10 seconds in a two-hour film. I really did enjoy the premise of this movie, and liked seeing some well known folks playing well known folks (like Kathy Bates playing Gertrude Stein or Adrian Brody stopping by the set for an afternoon to do about three minutes of Salvador Dali). And I love Marion Cotillard. The problem I had was, even as slow as it felt for much of the film, it seems like it ends in the blink of an eye. Well, here’s your happy ending, b’bye now.

· Moneyball: We all know I’m a big baseball fan. I hadn’t read the book Moneyball, but a good friend of mine, Adam, had. He also saw the movie. Said that the movie is only a portion of what the book is about and represents, but that it was a good film. I figured “why not?” and headed to see it with another friend in the early fall. Good stuff. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure why it’s up for Best Picture, but it’s still a damn good movie. The best part is Jonah Hill by a mile, and I’m glad he got a Supporting Actor Nomination for his work. He was restrained, and it was the first time I’ve seen him do something other than the wacky dude thing. Very refreshing. It was also nice to see Chris Pratt in something else outside of Parks and Recreation, and not so goofy as well. Scary was Philip Seymour Hoffman as Art Howe. They needed to age PSH a great deal if they were going to make him look as old as Howe was even back in the early 2000’s, and shit-howdy, did they succeed. Pitt? Yeah, he was fine.

· The Descendants: It’s not that I dislike George Clooney, it’s more that I just don’t care. I will enjoy him in certain things, and not as much in others, and it depends upon the script. I did enjoy Michael Clayton quite a bit. And his Oscar nominated directing achievement, Good Night And Good Luck, is quite a damn good movie, but Clooney just doesn’t move the needle with me. No offense to him, seems like a nice guy. Paraphrasing Rick Sutcliffe, he’s constantly “over there in Africa… solving this thing.” But I just don’t care. That said, I thought he was fantastically good in The Descendants. It wasn’t just the smug Clooney thing you normally associate with him. It was a very nuanced performance, and the kids in the film were also outstanding. Pretty depressing stuff, though. I mean, I’m not sure how you can really lighten up a woman in a coma where the husband finds out she’s been cheating on him, and now she’s going to die before he ever gets a chance to talk to her. You… you just can’t. But again, that said, it was a very crafty and well done piece of filmmaking.

· The Help: Wait, where were the Beatles? Ha ha, I know. Obviously, as a white man (even with the whole gay thing thrown in) from a modern time, I cannot know what the struggle of the African American housekeeper could’ve been like in the deep south of the 50’s and 60’s, so I don’t know whether what was presented in The Help is watered down or not. What I can say is that it was a very enjoyable movie, and I think that it conveyed a correct amount of preachiness without going overboard and being a gospel, as it were. I like Emma Stone, too. To me, she’s like if Lindsay Lohan didn’t go all deep-end bat shit. But that’s just me. And I loved Sissy Spacek in the “old woman” role, a part I guess she’s old enough to play, now. The two front-runners for acting Oscars, Davis and Spencer, seem to be very worthy recipients should the cards fall that way. Side note: shit in a pie… wow. Wow.

· The Artist: easily my favorite of the five movies that I’ve seen. And here’s the thing. Like Rock and Roll from about 1956-1963/4, I find the silent movie era to be so simplistic. Everyone overacts and looks coked out of the gourds, and the plotlines have to remain simplistic. The only redeeming factor, for me, of the old-time silent films is the music, which had to drive the picture. Again, The Artist is my favorite of the nominees I’ve seen, and possibly my favorite film of the last few years. A silent film about the death of silent films, and how it allowed some actors to rise to fame, and caused others to fall from grace with the weight of a lead zeppelin. And like silent films of the past, the music of this movie drives it. Honestly, if you had only one “lock” to pick for the night’s festivities, The Artist winning Best Score is it. Upsets could come from just about anywhere, but not here. It’s just off the charts good music, and without it, the movie is dead. You could almost name it as one of the actors of the film. And let’s be real, when you’ve got a film up for Best Picture, and John Goodman speaks 75% of the dialogue, you’ve done something right. You’ve done something damn right. Juan DuJardin is probably going to deny George Clooney a Best Actor statue. I don’t think Berenice Bejo will win for Supporting Actress, but she was so adorable in this film, and a woman I’d actually considering “flipping” for. Just saying.

Also to be mentioned is that I’m glad Melissa McCarthy got a nomination for her work in Bridesmaids, a surprisingly funny film, and a very disturbing and uncomfortable performance from Miss McCarthy. As for the Awards themselves, I’ll be honest, I may or may not be awake when they finish. I’ll guess awake, but who knows. I’ve got The Artist for Picture, its Director whose name I can’t spell off the top of my head to save my life, DuJardin for Actor, Davis for Actress (although Streep wouldn’t surprise me), Spencer for Supporting Actress, and Christopher Plummer gets Supporting Actor in the “Crap, Have We Not Given One Of These To YOU” awards we see every couple of years. Hope everyone enjoys the show, Billy Crystal (who I secretly want to flop, for some reason), and all the fashion. Pregame starts in, what, 5 minutes? 5 seconds? Better go tune in…

No? Nothing in the news? Nothing?

Well, a lot has happened since I last checked in, and I don't even feel like writing about all of it. Let’s get started.

• · I don’t necessarily want to say congratulations to the New York Giants, so I’ll just say “well done” on winning the Super Bowl. Eli Manning is now Rafael Nadal to Tom Brady’s Roger Federer. I wonder who would win the clay-court match-up. I have to say, though, the game wasn’t terribly exciting until the last 10:00 game-minutes, and the commercials really lacked this year. The best ones had been leaked on the internet days earlier, and even they weren’t that great (don’t get me started on the Ferris Bueller ad… don’t)

• · Hmmm, has something big happened in the news in the last 24 hours? No, okay, I’ll go back to bed. Seriously, though, whether you like Whitney Houston or not, never a fun thing to see someone young die when it never had to happen. There’s no clearly marked cause of death yet, but given her last 15-20 years, I think we can safely assume she didn’t accidentally fall on a knife. Maybe it’s ‘cause it’s Sunday morning, maybe it’s because I’m trying to be nicer about these things, but when thinking about her last night and this morning, I prefer to try and stay away from the crazy Whitney and go back to one moment in time (ha!) where she may have mattered the most: her performance of the national anthem at the Super Bowl in 1991 was epic on so many levels
  1.Country at war, troops thousands of miles away.
  2. Never had they put such a huge orchestra on the field for the national anthem.
  3. Never had the Super Bowl taken a chance on using a version of the song with a slightly different arrangement (specifically check out the second stanza of the song for proof of this).
  and most importantly
  4. She killed it. She absolutely killed it. We’ve seen so many people attempt to sing the Star Spangled Banner, and be eaten alive in the process. Whitney –at the top of her game and not yet talking about how certain substances were whack- nailed it. The recording went platinum. A recording of our country’s national anthem went platinum. What the hell?
  I was more of a fan of hers back when I was a kid when she was in her hey-day, hadn’t really gotten into her in quite some time. And while I’d never expected that one last comeback after she’d all but destroyed her voice, I never want someone to die in a blaze of ingloriousness. Well, maybe one or two people, but not her. ;) I will say this, her death just made tonight’s Grammys broadcast must-see TV.
  

• · Speaking of which, anyone want to take a last minute walk on the edge and say that Adele loses any of the major categories? No? I didn’t think so. Honestly, I could see her going 6 for 6. I’d also be okay with and actually like her going 6 for 6. Thankfully, the leading contender to win album of the year is actually the best album of the year. Voters for Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Rhianna cancel each other out, and if Foo Fighters win, I’ll eat my entire collection of hats. Hats, people. Hats. That said, given the news of the weekend, and the fact that Adele is making her return to performing tonight, it should be an interesting night of award show viewing. Enjoy!

'Sup

Hey peeps... As I sit on the massage-chair, I figured "let's write a bit." Here we go...

• For the first time in my life, I'm sitting here actively rooting for the New York Giants. Of course, they're up against Green Bay, so that's a no-brainer. Let's say GB wins, here's what I think will go down...
  Green Bay will beat San Francisco, who will make it a very close game (I think SF would beat the Giants). New England makes it past Baltimore setting up a rematch of Super Bowl "whatever one it was" from the mid-90s, Favre's only win. In that instance, I've got to think that Brady will outplay Rodgers. Brady's been on a mission in recent weeks, including his record-tying performance last night against the Denver Tebows.
  
  
• Speaking of which, can we lay off of him a bit? He plays quarterback, he's only meh, he likes God, he talks about it. Good for him. When you've got guys killing dogs, shooting themselves in the leg in a nightclub, and getting arraigned on attempted-murder charges, perhaps a guy wearing his religion on his sleeve isn't the worst thing in the world. And there's no mystery why he's getting so much coverage: besides having been a big college name who is still somewhat of an x-factor in the NFL, and having all those negative stories to report, why NOT gravitate towards someone who only seems to want to do good things for other folks (Tebow's charitable work in East Asia is well-known, as well as his ministry work all over the country and world). Again, he's a Quarterback, he likes God, big deal. He's also out of the playoffs now, and as a football fan, that's all that matters to me at the moment. Sidenote: he does say some goofy things from time to time, and even I admit I make fun of it.
  
  
• Can someone please explain Channing Tatum? Not him, not his abilities, but his name. Last name of Carol Channing, and first name of Tatum O'Neal, and it's a man's name. Um... okay... sure thing...
  
  
• I'll tell you what, this GOP Presidential race is starting to get boring. Everything's starting to come up Romney, and I'd really like a closer battle that splinters the party a bit more. Any help we can get in the fall would greatly be appreciated. Problem is, any of the people who could give Mitt trouble are whack-jobs in one way or another. Seriously proves the point that I should've ran for the nomination. I could've made it a lot of fun. The liberal queer mid-westerner on the GOP ticket? Gold. Sheer gold.
  
  
• Tonight starts the Australian Open. Well, it'll technically be "tomorrow" in Melbourne, but thankfully I can watch tennis on TV every night for the next 2 weeks. Going into the season, the women's side is a huge mystery. The #1 player (Wozniacki) has yet to prove she deserves the ranking, Venus is still out, Serena's foot/love for her craft is an unknown factor, Clijsters has been out of the game for a few months... might as well put some lottery balls into a machine with everyone's name on the balls and pick a winner that way. On the men's side, it's 4 names: Can Djokovic continue the torrid streak he began a year ago? Can Nadal's shoulder hold up? Can Roger Federer get one more Slam? Can Andy Murray benefit from having Ivan Lendl as a coach and finally win a slam? In that order: Probably not, maybe but not likely, yes, and we'll see. That all said, I think this is the Slam that Federer sneaks in. He ended the year hotter than any player on tour, and with Nadal and Djokovic's health in question, if he's going to do this, it should probably be now. That said, I also think Fed's the favorite at the Olympics this year. It's the one major title he doesn't have, and it's at Wimbledon, a place he has conquered 6 times.
  
  
• Finally, a personal note. A year ago tomorrow, a very special guy and I decided to take the dating we'd been doing and turn it into something a little more concrete. I'd just like to send him a special shout-out here, and thank him for an utterly fantastic last 365 days (plus the several weeks leading up to that day). Riley, you're awesome, and I can't wait to continue growing together and seeing where this goes! I love you.
  

Well, y'all have a good week, kids.

Year In Review/A Look Forward

Well, that's it, the 2011 holiday season is officially over, and I'd like to welcome you all to 2012 and wish you a happy new year. Been absent (thanks, holidays), so this may get lengthy. Or, I may be lazy, let's see what happens.

• I was thinking about a year-end list for favorite albums. Then, I realized that I didn't really have 10 good albums to list out that I could put on a year-end list and feel really good about. So, I'll do a top three:
  3. kd lang & The Siss Boom Bang - Sing It Loud: I've never been a kd hater, but I'm not the biggest fan she has, either. However, there was something about this album and when it was released this year that really struck me. "Sorrow Nevermore" could be my second-favorite song of the year (favorite to be listed shortly). kd has always had a way to write a purely beautiful, and sometimes devastating song, and this album is no different. Also, she's always had a knack for doing a good cover song. Little River Band's "Reminiscing" is totally made her own on this record.
  2. Radiohead - The King Of Limbs: It's no secret that I'm a Radiohead apologist. But I'm not blind, and they've released some stuff of which I've not been that fond (well, not that much, but still). TKOL contains my favorite song of the year, "Bloom." triplets over a 2/4 beat, lyrics that are so deep you spend months trying to figure out what they mean, and the typical recent Radiohead-weirdness rules the day on "Bloom." TKOL is also a compact album, the shortest of their career, and says what it needs to say and leaves you alone. Much like the rest of their catalogue since their 2000 release Kid A, it's not the most accessible album, but it's damn good.
  1. Adele - 21. Duh. I mean, I've been singing the praises of this album since I started the blog, why stop now? This is an album that transcended generations, color lines, age, and attitude. Not too many people heard this album and said "meh." Sure, you may be sick of "Rolling In The Deep" by now, I'd understand if you are. But you can't deny the shear talent this young lady has, and you can't deny that she followed up a Grammy winning performance on 19 with an album that is going to beat the living daylights out of her competition this awards-season. And it's because she deserves it. This is an album that we'll be talking about for years to come.
  
  
• Movies: look, I saw Moneyball and Bridesmaids, and that's really it. Maybe I saw something else on DVD I'm not recollecting, but obviously they're not worth it. I did enjoy those two films, btw. Let's move on.
  
  
• The Year In Chicago Sports: meh. Bears could've been special if they weren't made of Japanese art-paper. The White Sox disappointed (I'm okay with that), the Cubs were the Cubs, the Blackhawks had a hangover... the Bulls were the only game in town this past year, and it looks like they may be continuing this trend into 2012. At least the Cubs made a great front-office hire in Theo Epstein; maybe he can do something about Soriano's contract... maybe not. All I know is, it couldn't get much worse in 2012. "Much." Things I'm looking forward to this year are less Chicago-based. Will Novak Djokovic continue his torrid 2011 pace of 3 Grand Slam wins, will Nadal go back to #1, or will Federer have a swan-song year, just in time for the Olympics to be at Wimbledon (aka: Roger Federer's summer-home)? Can Tiger Woods use the momentum he had late in the season and finally start to put the Humpty Dumpty of his career back together again? Will this be the end of the Williams sisters as we know them? Can somebody PLEASE beat the Packers in the playoffs? Justin, I'm looking at your Saints, here... :)
  
  
• 2011 Politics: well, that was fun, wasn't it? Good luck to the GOP this election season. And by that, I mean... well, you know what I mean.
  
  
• As we head into a new year, I'd like to take time to babble a bit about having turned 40 just before Christmas. I was afraid. I know, silly, but I had the same aging fears everyone else does, I guess... or almost everyone else does. You know what I've been? Calm. Very calm. I don't understand it one bit, but it's true, and I'm riding it. All I know is, I turned 40 with the following truths: family that cares about me and assists me when I need it, a fabulous new place to live (see the first point), wonderful friends, a steady job from which I finally get insurance for the first time in a decade, and a wonderful guy in my life for whom I'd walk in front of a truck of explosives if necessary. Point is, my 40th was filled with a lot better news than, say, my 30th. Or even 37-39. If this is where life begins, I guess I could be getting off on a worse foot. Thanks to all of you who helped make my transition an easy one. Especially you, Riley.
  
  
• One final thought... This past weekend was the 10th anniversary of my father passing away. It never gets "easier" in the traditional sense, but it gets easier in the dealing with things sense, 'cause you learn more about that every day. I get sad about it from time to time, and I certainly did for a little while this weekend. But when I get down, I think about something dad used to say to me all the time, and that I've been sharing with others a lot in recent years. "Look, when things are their lowest, and you really don't know if you're going to make it through, just remember one thing: 500,000,000 people in China don't care. They just don't." Right now, I know that fact to be true. I do know one person that does care about you, dad: me. Wish you were here so we could joke about music and the Cubs together. I've wished that every single day for the last 3,654 days.

Happy New Year, everybody! Be safe.