Taiwan Pop #1 - Sodagreen

Sodagreen is one of Taiwan's best indie pop/rock outfits - and yes, they have a pretty big indie scene out there at present.

The lead singer - heck, the whole band - is rumored to be gay. I'm thinking that ain't a big pill to swallow.

This song is a little big Sigur Ros/Radiohead-ish.

And that lead singer reminds me a bit of Chet Lam, Hong Kong's openly gay urban-folk star.

You likes? If so, more Taiwan pop to come!

L

Reni Jusis Time!

Time for a little escapism with a music video by Poland's own Kylie Minogue, Reni Jusis.

Love her!

I should go to Poland and direct one of her videos.

L

Steven Weber Hates Prop 8

I love actor Steven Weber, and my Advocate.com interview about his new film Choose Connor touches upon his Huffington Post blog posts. Love him!

L

Me Am As!

Charming, affirming clip. Well... at least she can't vote on Prop. 8.

L

Gay Days in Anaheim

Although one could argue Disneyland is always chock full o’ gays, the weekend of October 3-5th saw red-shirted LGBT guests overtake the parks for the 11th Annual Gay Days Anaheim. And despite the fact Orange County is pretty “Yes on 8” (sadly, 5 minutes off the plane at Long Beach Airport and I spotted a “Yes on 8” bumper sticker on a car – along with a McCain/Palin sticker) as a generalization, gay couples merrily paraded hand-in-hand.

The party Wonderland kicked things off on Friday – Alec Mapa was in the house, along with a bunch of folks dressed like the Alice in Wonderland characters. Come Saturday it was all about going for a ride, and a sassy Cruella DeVille met visitors at the gate. “Ain’t you gonna clap for Tinkerbell? The fairies are dying,” she told a bunch of kids during a photo op. “But we’re feeling just fine!” a queen responded. “Not you, you’re the good fairies,” she winked back, before literally shooing the kids away with a “now get outta here, go.”

The bears were out in full force – notably during the Hungry Bear Lunch in Critter Country, while The Trevor Project hosted a Youth Lunch behind Thunder Mountain. At the California Adventure park, a group of acrobatic queens – lubricated with cocktails from the crowded bar – started an impromptu Cirque du So Gay, doing flips and splits and other America’s Got Talent-ready displays (who didn’t love that baton twirler this season?).

Meanwhile, Chad Allen and Brad Rowe screened their here! productions, Ice Blues and Shelter, respectively, at Gay Days headquarters, Disney’s Grand Californian. An overall grand, fun, and not too messy – barring a drunk, shirtless queen prodded to put his shirt back on by a Downtown Disney security guard after the Wonderland shindig – Gay Days. Oh Mickey, forever shall we hold our banner high, high, high!

Lawrence Ferber

Religion Meets Synth Pop Meets...

I don't even know where to start. This is INSANE. An electro-dance number from religious/cult zealots The Way International. Credit to Savage Love's blog and Kid Icarus.

Says Icarus/Savage: This is the single most amazingly choreographed video of a Christan synth-pop boogie down bunch on YouTube I’ve ever seen,” says Slog tipper Kid Icarus. “Try not to lose it around the 1:54 mark.”

I made it to 2:00 before all but doing a spit take.

Doesn't the guy look a bit like John Travolta's PULP FICTION character? But, you know, doing this?

L

Revenge on Spammers

I'm beginning to phase out my AOL e-mail because I get like 200 bait SPAMs a day - the "I am Mr. Zombu Mubiwa from Zimbabwe and have $3million to share with you" type - and it's just getting tiring to go through the e-mail and spam filters with scrutiny every time I check them.

Anyway, there is a BRILLIANT website devoted to revenge on the a**holes who are responsible for sending those evil SPAM notes, The 419 Eater. It's sort of like Perverted Justice, except the focus is on wasting these SPAMmers' time and exacting revenge rather than getting them arrested (which is tough due to international laws, etc) in clever, downright absurd ways.

It's sooooo gratifying.

L

McCain Doesn't Know Where Spain Is

Anyone who doubted McCain is Dubya #2, here's your evidence.

Another piece on this doozy.

Congrats!!!

L

Lies, Mary Pt. 2

Yeah, yeah, I know, if it's not FOX it's the "liberal media," but this CNN report is full of FACTS and shoves McCain/Palin's lies in their faces.

Yep, it catches Barack in a bit of an exaggeration, too. It's not biased.

Watch it.

L

The Burma Chronicles

This past weekend I went to the Brooklyn Book Fair, where I picked up the new Guy Delisle graphic novel/memoir, The Burma Chronicles, from amazing publishers Drawn & Quarterly. It's great so far... Delisle is an artist/animator who has worked and lived in some pretty fascinating/repressive Asian countries and cities, most notably Pyongyang, North Korea. His Pyongyang memoir, of working amongst brainwashed North Koreans, is an absolute must and ranks amongst my top ten graphic novels ever.

They also serve as a contrast as to how much more repressive a government and society can be.... but these days, when people actually think Palin is a super duper candidate to be a likely president, well, you see how shit like that happens. And we're maybe inching closer to those situations. Except we have the internet and cable TV.

L

Lies, Mary

Thanks for the lies, "Maverick!"

What the hell. McCain and his ilk toss out actual lies and nobody in his party seems to do anything about it. Republicans need to start taking McCain and Palin to task as Democrats did Hillary when she talked crazy (the Bosnia thing). How can you respect your party when its leaders do this crap? Kick them to the curb, Republicans! Stop them from hoping Americans are too stupid to question this crap. It's insulting.

If you want me to respect the Republican party again, and consider voting Republican for that matter, then kick these shitheads TO THE CURB and CALL THEM ON THEIR SHIT.

L

Women Against Palin

She looks like Liz Lemon, and Hillary Clinton (or any other progressive, globally-aware/traveled) she isn't, a fact women are now voicing on a blog.

Thank you, women!

Meanwhile, please someone explain to me how having someone smarter, better-traveled, more intuitive, sage, and talented at leadership in public/government office is a BAD thing?

I'm waiting to overhear someone saying "Me as be am like Palin McCain, as they be us! Me was want us am be!"

L

Return of the Differently Abled 80s Videos pt. 2

OK, I love the 80s band Blue Zoo, seen here performing on Top of the Pops.

Watch the lead singer: Jake Shears meets Limahl. Or is it just me?

L

Return of the Differently Abled 80s Videos

Back in 1988, while shopping a record store in New Haven as I recall, I found a bunch of UK 7" singles. One was by a group called Personal Column, "Strictly Confidential." I like it. Total 80s pop. After doing a google to try and find the song again - since that 7" is missing - I found a fabulous website devoted to the band with a whole bunch of free songs to download, including "Strictly Confidential." To boot, I found a music video for it on YouTube. And boy, is it RIDICULOUS. Shall I count the ways? I might have to.

Meanwhile, go and lap up that fantastic, all-too-obscure UK 80s pop from Personal Column!

L

A Musical Break

L

McCain's Speech Fact Checked

Gosh, what a surprise that McCain's speech was riddled with lies, misinformation, misleading statements...

And the Repubs throw tantrums about the "liberal media" when this sort of thing gets brought to light.

My bile is rising.

L

Palin Fact Check

Some fact checks re: Palin's speech from Yahoo.

Please, people, check the facts. So far The Daily Show has been doing a good job catching the Republicans (and everyone else) when they make a hypocritical statement. Watch it!

L

Prop 8

Palin

I have had some conversations today with women, most of whom really liked Palin's speech last night - how she was on the attack and stood up. So, I asked, what do you think of her record in office and her stances on issues like guns, the environment, a woman's right to choose?

They didn't know anything about that.

A commentary by CNN's Hilary Rosen sums things up well for those who want to know Palin, the politician and what she will stand for, a little better.

Everyone should read it. Everyone!

L
PS - For the record, it sucks that McCain didn't choose a more progressive female VP. Then we'd have an exciting election and choice to think on. Now we just have another divisive culture war.

Sobering

Words from Michael Moore's blog about the whole Palin shebang - which you would think keeps getting "worse," what with the daughter being pregnant, a drinker, etc. - but only seems to make Americans love Palin more:

But before everyone gets all smug and self-righteous about the Palin selection, remember where you live. You live in a nation of gun owners and hunters. You live in a country where one out of three girls get pregnant before they are 20. You live in a nation of C students. Knocking Bush for being a C student only endeared him to the nation of C students. Knock Palin for having kids, for having a kid who's having a baby, for anything that is part of her normalness -- a normalness that looks very familiar to so many millions of Americans -- well, you do this at your own peril. Assuming she's still on the ticket two weeks from now, she will be a much tougher opponent than anyone expects. You live in a country that voted for Dan Quayle.

I'm so depressed.