Ulster County Fair: Slide Show

As promised, here's some of my photos from the Ulster County Fair in New Paltz last weekend. It was a little rainy the day we attended which made for some interesting shots since the place was practically empty. We even chatted with some of the "carnys" who didn't have too much do (like the guy in the ice cream truck, a Polish student on his summer abroad). Later on, a dense fog rolled in making for some otherworldly shots of the fair at night.

Ulster County Fair: Pig Races

I've always had a thing for county fairs. It started back in high school when a group of my theater friends would make our annual trek to the Montgomery County Fair in Gaithersburg, MD where we would check out the freakshow ("Headless Model Kept Alive By Medical Miracle!"), watch the tractor pull (before it was even that ironic) and hit all the spinny rides (which usually ended with someone throwing up). Ah...good times!

This weekend, I attended the Ulster County Fair up near New Paltz and got to see one of my old fair favorites; The Pig Races. When I've tried to explain this in the past, I usually get blank stares so this year I took some video. I recorded the second heat of the 8:30pm race and the winner was Tammy Faye Bacon, with Arnold Schwarzenhogger a close second and Hilary Rodham Clintham in third. The prize was a trough of feed which is just visible behind the starting gate. And some Oreos if the pigs really gave it their all. Tomorrow....I'll be posting my fair slide show!

Mad About The "Mad Men"

I'm still tearing through Season 2 of MAD MEN on DVD and loving every booze soaked, cigarette smoke filled minute of it. In fact, I'm so into the world of MAD MEN that I MAD MEN-ed myself today. Yep, that's me above, circa 1962, heading into my copy writing job at Sterling & Cooper with my morning doughnut, of course. I think I really got my hair just right too, though it took more than a dab of Brylcreme. Behind me is Joan in one her classic bombshell dresses, either waving hello or giving me a sassy WTF look regarding my casual Friday attire which is about 3 decades too early. God, I love Joan...especially when she gets all bitchy!

Anyway, you can create your own MAD MEN avatar online at www.madmenyourself.com. I think it's the perfect way to waste some time and/or procrastinate on a summer Friday morning. Hey--it worked for me!

Someone Wants To Ban My Book

You would think in 2009 that talk of actually banning books would be a thing of the past. Well, not in West Bend, Wisconsin where local Christians are in an uproar about books promoting the "gay lifestyle" at their local library. The big difference now is that they are not using the word "ban" but instead, asking for the books to be "not carried', "recategorized for adults" or placed in the "Reference section". These people are getting smarter...and scarier too.

Recently, CNN reported on this story which actually started back in February when West Bend couple Jim and Ginny Maziarka left a letter in the library's overnight book drop containing a list of 38 books (including my first novel "A Really Nice Prom Mess") which they wanted removed from the Young Adult section of the West Bend Library due to the portrayal of gay characters and so-called "pornographic" situations. Additionally, they asked the library to remove a page from their website which listed 58 LGBT YA titles. In early June, after a contentious public meeting and circulated petitions, the library's board voted not to remove the webpage or the YA titles putting the issue to rest...for now.

Yesterday, I got in touch with West Bend's wonderful YA Librarian Kristin Pekoll, who informed me that there are currently no challenges to these books and all the listed books remain availble in the teen section. Which is where they belong. I mean, can you imagine someone looking for a book about a gay dude going to prom in the Reference section?! They'd never find it...which was exactly the point. However, the Maziarka's have promised to continue their efforts to rid the library of these books and have even suggested a list of other titles the library should add to their collection; charming books like "The Battle for Normality" and "Homosexual No More"(!).

All this is to say that the fight goes on. Personally, I'm thankful for librarians and staff like the group at West Bend who fought and won their skirmish in this ongoing battle. Each year there are more than 500 book challenges at libraries across the US. In fact, earlier this month the American Library Association celebreated it's annual Banned Book Week as a way to keep people vigilant about this persistent and insidious threat. As Oscar Wilde put it so well, "“There is no such thing as a moral book or an immoral book. Books are well written or badly written. That is all.”

She Bust The Windows Out Your Car

A great new clip from FOX's new high school show "GLEE" has been posted online...along with news that the series will start up again on September 9, a week earlier than originally planned. FOX aired the pilot for this unique musical comedy after the "American Idol" finale in May leaving fans hanging for four months for the next episode. A lucky few saw episode 2 at Outfest in LA and there were raves--GregInHollywood has some details and great pix.

Anyway, if you haven't seen GLEE, it's on HULU and it's amazing. One of the best pilot episodes for a series I've seen in years. But then again, as a gay man who writes teen novels/movies, I just might be their target audience. ;)

GeekOut! It's The New Tron 2 Trailer

Alright...I know I posted about this before, but Disney released a new HD trailer at ComicCon '09 last week and it is badass. The only thing about it that sucks is that we have to wait til next year to see it. Originally, the release date was 2011 but I guess having seen the rabid fan boy response to that first trailer, someone at the Mouse House got wise and moved it up.

Though I often complain about today's action movies resembling computer games (see ridiculous jungle chase in "Indiana Jones 4" or any scene from "Fast Furious 4"), Tron Legacy would be the exception to this rule because, uh, it is a video game. Except now with deadly consequences!

The Lady Is A Champ

On Saturday night, I went to Joe's Pub to see the amazing Lady Rizo in her first solo show. It was fantastic! She has been described as everything from a modern Mae West to a male Justin Bond to a naughty Barbra Streisand. But the bottom line is that this Lady is one of the most dynamic and original and hysterically funny performers I have seen on the downtown circuit in quite a few years. And she easily held the stage on her own, like she's been doing it for years. As it turns out, she has...sorta.

She has performed at Joe's, the Highline Ballroom and other venues around town along with the Burlesque honeys "The Assettes". She's also an accomplished recording artist, having worked with Moby and Yo-Yo Ma. But seeing her live is the thing. Her 90 minute show had a little bit of everything, from her unique covers of pop songs (Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" as a polka? YES) to her heartbreaking singing on ballads like "Lilac Wine". There was even a rousing Edith Piaf number which practically turned into an audience sing-a-long.

She also had a sassy, spontaneous rapport with the audience between numbers that was often hiliarious. She even asked a couple people in the crowd to come onstage and help her with her costume changes, of which there were a few. This is a woman who wears gowns like nobody's business yet, by the end of the show, had showered her torso in glitter while wearing a sheer wrap. Now that's range!

At one point, Lady Rizo lamented that not enough people were writing about her. So I'm going to start a trend here with my second Hi-Fi post about her, after previously mentioning her standout appearance in Your Hit Parade at Joe's Pub back in April. If you want to check out this uniquely talented chanteuse, she's at Joe's Pub solo again this Friday July 31st. And back again with her Assettes on August 22nd and 23rd. You will be entertained....I guarantee it.

Star Trek Meets "The A-Team"

There have been many versions of this genre of mash-up on You Tube, where someone takes an ensemble drama and mixes it into the opening sequence of "The A-Team". The "Star Trek" one is my favorite. Of course, I'm a big Trekker so that has something to do with it. But they've done the best job matching the original opening shot by shot...and there is one section where I consistently LOL, the freeze frame moment above where Spock jams. Check it out...and have a fun weekend!

Obama Born In The USA....Still

Believe it or not, there are still people in this country who think President Obama is not a US citizen. A disturbing YouTube video was featured last night on the NBC Nightly News, showing a "birther" at a recent town hall meeting in Delaware getting all bent out of shape because she wants "my country" back.

Fortunately, Brian Williams followed this with a thoughtful discussion including Washington correspondent Pete Williams about how most reasonable Republicans (even somewhat unresonable Michael Medved!) don't believe this is true. They also recalled how this issue has dogged Presidents and candidates from John McCain (born in the Panama Canal zone) to Barry Goldwater (born in Arizona when it was a territory) to President Chester Arthur (born in northern Vermont but maybe the woods of Canada). They then aired a piece thoroughly debunking the notion that Obama is not an American, producing not only the mystical Obama birth certificate but also a birth notice in the Honolulu daily paper published a week after he was born.

I find it curious this non-story, a regularly recurring one throughout the 2008 campaign, is even in the news again...especially in the first segment of the evening news. But then I realized that this week, the President is trying to push through a massive reform of the nation's health system. As happened throughout the campaign, the re-emergence of this issue is yet another distraction from the real issue at hand; the health care crisis in this country. After 20 years of political distractions from Vince Foster to Monica Lewinsky to Swift Boats to Sarah Palin, it's time for our government to take care of business...namely the business of the nation's health. And that's what this American President is trying to do.

That Bearded Guy On "Mad Men" Is Kinda Cute

I never particularly noticed actor Michael Gladis as one of the ad boys on AMC's brilliant, Emmy award winnning series "Mad Men". But as I work my way through Season 2 via DVD, I find myself intrigued and somewhat drawn towards his character, the debonair, nattily dressed junior adman "Paul Kinsey". Maybe it's just the new beard, which gives him a sort of early Orson Welles quality. Or maybe it's the way his character is so 60's-style suave, drinking brandy at a party or puffing on a pipe in the office. He's also the one guy on the show who seems to have aspirations outside of advertising, as he pecks away on his Great American Novel using an IBM Selectric (stolen from the office even!). Finally, he's causing a stir at Sterling/Cooper with his new relationship with a black woman. So Paul seems to be the new, subversive bad boy of the bunch. And he's kinda cute too.