YouTube's Greatest Hits In 4 Minutes

What?! You mean you haven't seen THAT video? You know, the one with the baby/cat/kid/plane/panda/diet coke/etc.? How is that possible?!?!

If these sort of insistent queries from friends and neighbors often puzzle you, someone out there in Internet-land has compiled all the greatest hits of YouTube in a concise 4 minute package. There is also a helpful list on the video's YouTube page if you want to seek out the original clips. The only glaring omission is the infamous Gay Weatherman vs. Cockroach. What's up with that?

In the spirit of this weekend's March for Equality in Washington, I say equality for all stupid videos....even the ones with screaming weather-queens.

The Wilderness In New York City

I've had a few posts recently about what Manhattan was like 400 years ago when the Dutch arrived. Basically, it was a wilderness of astounding beauty that, if it had not become a great city, would likely be one our greatest national parks.

Today, though most of New York City has been paved and developed many times over, there is a surprising amount of green space here considering it is one of the densest places on the planet. In fact, NYC is probably the greenest city in the world with roughly 25% of it's total acreage reserved for parks. That means that within the borders of the five boroughs there are roughly 33,000 acres of public parkland. Astounding. And 8,000 acres of that land has been designated as "forever wild" which means it will never be developed or managed or anything. What that means is that if a tree falls in one of those woods, not only does no one hear it, no one will ever remove it either.

A few years back, NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe wanted to catalog the city's natural beauty. So he approached well-known street photographer Joel Meyerowitz and asked him if he'd be interested in documenting the city's parks and creating a modern archive. Meyerowitz took some 3,000 images which have been distilled into a book of 250 photographs called "Legacy: The Preservation of Wilderness in New York City Parks". The book, published by the Apeture Foundation, is out now and the Museum of the City of New York has an exhibit opening today which features a selection of these photos. The pictures, like the one above of the Bronx, are stunning in that you would never guess they are scenes shot in the city. And they're a great reminder to get out and see a little wilderness in this urban jungle.

Japanese Robot Idol

Japanese robotics are getting crazier and creepier. Now they have this life-size fembot who can actually carry a tune. Note that this is not a recording of someone else singing but apparently the results of a voice synthesis software by Yamaha called Vocaloid. However, if they're going for realism, one thing they might add to the upgrade is having the singing robot take a "breath".

A Gay World War II Musical

When people complain that there is a dearth of new musicals on Broadway, I usually tell them they are looking in the wrong place. In fact, there are plenty of new American musicals these days at small theatre companies (like Second Stage, where "Next To Normal" got its start) or local theatre festivals (like NYMF, which is currently going on now).

Last night, I got an interesting look at one of the most unusual and compelling musicals of the current season; the gay Word War II tuner "Yank!". The JCC presented the show's all-in-the-family creative team, brothers David and Joe Zellnik, as they sang a few selections from the tuneful score and talked about how they collaborated on their third stage musical.

Named after the Army's own newspaper written by and for soldiers during the war, "Yank!" is an old fashioned show with a new fashioned twist; a gay love story during wartime...with tap numbers! The story of "Yank!" follows a young inductee named Stu as he falls for another man in uniform named Mitch. Thoroughly researched, the show is based on the secret history of The Greatest Generation gays who, in many ways, laid the groundwork for Stonewall and the modern gay rights movement. Other than Allan Berube's amazing book "Coming Out Under Fire", these stories have stayed fairly hidden over the last 60-odd years. David Zellnik pointed out that in Tom Brokaw's bestselling book about the war, he didn't find one gay veteran to interview.

Thus "Yank!", like the soldiers it portrays, is on a mission not only to entertain but enlighten. And the show, which I saw in its earlier incarnation at the Gallery Players in Brooklyn, does just that. So if you're looking for a fun new musical, "Yank!" is definitely one to check out. It's happening at the York Theatre, with previews beginning February 16, 2010. Tickets are already on sale at their website so do yourself a favor....go see a real, live NEW American musical.

The Best Donuts In New York

As the temps fall, my interest in donuts always seems to rise. Maybe it's those pumpkin donuts that start showing up on the rack at Dunkin' and Starbucks. Or maybe, now that the layering has started up again, I have less concerns about over-donuting.

Well, I don't think I'm on the only one whose interest perks up this time of year. Over at NY Daily Photo, there's a great photo (reposted here) and feature today about The Doughnut Plant (their spelling) on the LES. I've mentioned them on the blog before but his post offers a little more detail and history too. Basically, they make exquisite donuts with mad crazy real ingredients and no high fructose corn syrup in the mix. They are a little pricey at 2-3 a pop but this is New York, dammit...what isn't?

In other donut news, there is even a new play on Broadway this fall about donuts. Sorta. No, it's not the musical version of The Simpsons. It's a serious, straight play called "Superior Donuts" which comes from the same writer who brought us last seasons' "August: Osage County". Just like it's name, this new work by Tracy Letts, which chronicles life in a Chicago donut shop, is supposed to be a bit lighter, fluffier and sweeter, with reviews comparing it to a genial 70's sitcom. And there's certainly nothing wrong with that! It sounds a bit like a white "What's Happening" or "Archie Bunker's Place" with cream-filled concoctions instead of cocktails. Either way, I plan to check it out this fall, if only to see if donuts are on sale in the lobby.

Free Buses To The March For Equality 10/11

Broadway Impact is providing free bus rides from NYC to the March For Equality in Washington DC next month. The March For Equality is the largest gathering of Gays, Lesbians and everyone else who believes that every American should have equal protection under all areas of federal law....just like the Constitution promises. I've posted this video below which gives the basic rundown. So get on the bus, Gus, and head to DC on October 11th. Let's make that Million Moron March look super small, okay? :)

And Speaking of Music Videos....

So yesterday I posted about the oldest music videos and today, I have what could be the future of music videos.

In the last few months, there have been a rash of DIY music videos burning up the blogosphere, with their unique and hilarious takes on hits by Whitney Houston and Miley Cyrus. Now we have a group of Canadian students who have given the Black Eyed Peas Fall '09 party anthem their own, Janet Jackson-esque spin. Though this cost about 1/1000th of Jackson's not exactly one-shot wonder from 1986. What this has that that glossy production didn't is the unbridled spirit and contagious energy of fresh, collegiate youth. Enjoy!

Music Videos Waaay Before MTV

Most people date the birth music videos to that infamous August night in 1981 when MTV took to the cablewaves with "Video Killed The Radio Star". However, music videos actually got their start in the late 1950's with something called Scopitones. These were 16mm film clips with magnetic striped sound that played on a large, dimly lit screen planted on top of a jukebox. These early music videos were very popular in France and West Germany then migrated to the US around 1964.

Lately, Scopitones have been randomly popping up in my cultural consciousness. I watched a bunch of them on a BoingBoing.net's in-flight channel on Virgin America. Then a friend emailed this clip below of a handsome lad named Bobby Vee who had some big surfy hits in the early '60s. These proto-music videos are corny and silly with super-low production value but man, can those kids dance!

If you like this Bobby Vee number, there is a whole website dedicated exclusively to Scopitone's with some pretty hilarious clips. I'd recommend Neil Sedaka doing "Calendar Girl". He's a very talented singer/songwriter and a pretty cute guy too but man, this white boy can't dance or even move his hands convincingly to the beat. But it doesn't stop him from trying, God bless him.

Chi-chi-chi-chia Obama

Somehow this one slipped under my cultural radar until yesterday, when I received a Chia Obama in the mail as a belated birthday present. I totally LOL'd on opening up the package and realizing it was not a gag but a true Chia-thingy that has been Obama-ized. There are two likenesses available, "determined" and "happy" (I got the serious Obama). Anyway, I'll keep you updated as the fro grows....

The Gay Youth of America

As a novelist who has written two books and more than a few screenplays with gay teen protagonists, I am often asked how realistic my portrayals of gay teens are and how many gay teens are really out in high school. Having done many school and library events in the last few years, I explain that there are plenty of out teens and that, if anything, my fictional characters are toned down versions of the gay teenagers in real life. Still, people always seem somewhat skeptical of my answers because I am a writer of a certain age.

This weekend, I read a thoughtful and remarkable article on the topic of gay teens by Benoit Denizet-Lewis that was published in the TIMES magazine. The article, however, is not just about gay high schoolers.... it's about gay middle schoolers. Out gay middle schoolers.

As the average age at which people come out in high school keeps dropping, the tweeners have started getting in on the act, declaring their sexuality at even earlier ages. Kids as young as 11 are now self-identifying as gay. To research this phenomenon, Denizet-Lewis travels to Oklahoma and New England and North Carolina where he meets with tween students, some of whom are involved in Gay Straight Alliances groups. These GSA's, numbering more than 4,000 across the US, initially started forming in high schools but now are taking root in middle schools as kids figure out their orientation at younger and younger ages.

The intial slant of the article is that some people, parents in particular, find this shocking. Of course, if you ask any gay men when they truly knew they were gay, the age is usually even lower than 11. (There's a great book and subsequent HBO show called When I Knew which documents this fact.) There was one quote in the article that really stood out for me, from a mother reacting to her son Austin (pictured above), who has recently come out:

“We just couldn’t wrap our heads around the idea that Austin would know what he was at 13, and that he would want to tell other people.”

I find this statement curious in that most 13 year old straight boys know pretty damn well they like girls by that age. So why not guys?

Actually, many of the parents in the article, including the one quoted above are quite supportive of their gay or bi or questioning kids. In fact, the article ends with the touching story of Austin's father taking him to the Chicago Gay Pride Parade. It almost makes me wonder if the real story here is how much parents and parenting has changed in the last 20 years in regards to dealing with sexual orientation. Probably due to the Internets, kids seem to have a more open dialogue with their folks about sex and sexuality.

Anyway, this article is really a must-read for anyone curious about how much times have changed for gay kids today. Granted things are still tough in terms of acceptance and there is still a long ways to go, but it's really stunning to see how far things have progressed in the couples decades since I was in high school. It actually gives one hope.