Happy Birthday To Megan Mullally!

If she had only brought me Karen Walker, Megan Mullally would have a place in my heart forever. You know during the 8 seasons of Will & Grace, there were times you just wanted to smack the 2 leads for being so annoying? But Jack and Karen? They were never less than hilarious. Megan Mullally, won two Emmy Awards & 3 Golden Globes for her delicious portrayal of Karen Walker. She turns 51 years old today. I think we need a nice big double martini & we can celebrate by watching a compilation of her funny moments from the show:


I first made note of her as a call girl in Risky Business starring Tom Cruise & Rebecca De Mornay. Mullally went on to make a run of guest appearances in various popular sitcoms: Wings, starring Timothy Daly; Seinfeld, Mad About You, Caroline in the City, & 3rd Rock from the Sun. She made her Broadway debut in 1994 in a revival of Grease in the role of Marty, with Rosie O'Donnell & appeared in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying with Matthew Broderick. She is heard in the cast albums of both productions. She opened in her own one-woman show, Sweetheart, in Los Angeles in 1999. The Husband & I saw her in the Seattle try-out of the Mel Brooks musical, Young Frankenstein as Elizabeth, the role made famous by Madeline Kahn in the original film, tough shoes to fill, but we loved her in the role & she has received nearly unanimously outstanding reviews. Mullally is also performs in her own group called The Supreme Music Program. The band has released three albums, The Sweetheart Break-In, Big as a Berry & Free Again!. She also recorded a duet with Carly Simon on the track The Right Thing To Do for the Will & Grace: Let the Music Out! soundtrack. Mullally commented in an interview in The Advocate magazine, "I consider myself bisexual, & my philosophy is, everyone innately is." Mullally dated actor William H. Macy while in college. Her first marriage, in the mid-1990s, was to talent agent Michael Katcher. In 2003, Mullally married actor Nick Offerman (who guest-starred on Will & Grace during its fourth season). She currently lives in West Hollywood, California, with her husband & two poodles, Willa & Elmo. The" industry buzz" about her is that she is super nice.

Blast From The Past

My radio station (I listen in the car) KINK FM 101.9 (it is so funny, my work computer's porn filter won't let me look at KINK's website) is doing their entire catalogue in alphabetical order. This is such a cool, locally owned station & they do their own programming! On any given set you might hear The Clash, Lyle Lovett, & Foo Fighters. I love to listen to KINK & they do good work in the community. This afternoon I had a real blast from the past while driving- Dog & Butterfly. I was never real big on Heart, but I did like them.  Anne & Nancy Wilson are from Seattle. I did many voice-overs at Bad Animals Studio in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood, which they own, & I would see them in the hallway sometimes & be a little star struck .I have worked with Nancy's husband-  director Cameron Crowe in Singles. I always thought they were very cool Bitchin'  Women of Rock n' Roll, & I loved the Dog & Butterfly album. In 1978, I loved to crank it up loud, whenever I heard the single- Dog & Butterfly... just as I did this afternoon, as KINK make their way through the Ds.

Born On This Day- November 11th... Sexy Stanley Tucci

I have been zany for him since the mid-80s, when he had a story arc on 30 Something. He is truly 1 of my favorite actors. This summer, in Julie & Julia, I thought that his Paul's love & adoration for his wife- Julia Child was the glue that made that movie really old together.Sadly, he lost his own wife to cancer around the time of  he release of this lovely film. Although he does well playing adorable, he is a versatile actor, good at comedy & drama. The buzz is that his work as a child murderer in The Lovely Bones (out in December) is a sure Oscar nomination. He wrote & co-directed & starred in Big Night & The Imposters, both of which I loved. Other favorite performances include The Devil Wears Prada (he & Streep just seem to bring out the best in each other), A Midsummer Night's Dream ( an unlikely & very good Puck) & Shall We Dance. The Husband & I both find him to be Yumaliciuos & A+ sexy.

Born On This Day- November 10th... My 80s Fantasy Man Jack Scalia

Yeah, in the 1980s, I had a major thing for actor/model hottie- Jack Scalia. Good to see that he has aged nicely. He turns 59 today. Jack, baby... I want to thank you for all those special times that your photo layouts provided, including that Playgirl spread.

Born On This Day- November 8th... Songbird Sam Sparro

Yesterday evening, we had a yummy dinner at the home of cute, young J & M’s tasteful home. Why these 2 boys want to hang out with a couple of geezers is beyond my comprehension, but we all seem to enjoy each others company. During cocktails J mentioned that the tune- Black & Gold from my September Mix was on continual re-play in his head. I know what he means. This song has been playing at Post Apocalyptic Bohemia for 6 months. I have it in 3 versions; the original, a Basement Jaxx remix & a cover by Katy Perry. It is a very infectiuos song.

Talented hottie Sam Sparro was born in Australia, but moved to L.A. when he was 10, as his gospel musician father found work in the music industry. Sam was a child actor, starting with a McDonald’s Commercial & sang with hos father’s various gospel groups, where he was discovered & championed by Chaka Kahn. He moved back to Sydney as a teen & then to London seeking a career in music. He returned to L.A., working in a coffee shop frequented by industry types. It was a depressing & difficult time for him, but he did manage to write Black & Gold. Sam is currently on tour & is busy promoting his new album. He lives in L.A. with his partner of 3 years- stylist Adrian Gilliland.

"When You Take A Photograph Nothing Is Ever The Same As They Said It Was". Diane Arbus

It is all about the packaging...

"Men Are Only As Loyal As Their Options" Bill Maher

The Husband’s friend, fellow designer & sometime collaborator- the talented & lovely KJ & her husband D, treated us to a delicious & special dinner at Portabella last night. While sipping coffee & sharing dessert, KJ leaned across the table & shared- “your problem, Stephen, is that you fall in love too easily”. I think she was referring to remarks I had written in my blog posts. But wow, is it that transparent? Just last week, I asked the Musical 8 Ball what the future would hold for me, & the answer was Frank Sinatra singing- You Fall In Love Too Easily. This morning I was surmising what sorts of men catch my attention: talented, funny, a bit dangerous… & mature. I am offering 3 men, over 50, who easily hold my attention:

"Ideally, people find mates with whom they can express both their masculine and feminine sides."  Scott Bakula

“`cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run” 

 Bruce Sprinsteen

"New Rule: Politics is about compromises. Really stupid compromises.


That's how we got such laws as... Blacks are 3/5 of a person. Slaves are property, unless they make it to Ohio. Interning the Japanese, but not the Germans. Slaughtering the Indians, but letting the ones who survive run the Keno parlors. Porn, but not hardcore porn. Booze, and then no booze, and then booze again. But no pot. Except medical marijuana. Which is legal to possess, but illegal to obtain. And my favorite; you can't have stem cells, except the ones we already have.
Now in this spirit, I would like to offer a few compromise suggestions for the knotty issue we face today: same sex marriage.
Why not this? It's okay to be gay, if you're already gay, but no new gays. We'll grandfather you in if you're already an organ grinder, but that's it. Or, how about, let gays marry, but come out against gay mortgages?
Or, maybe the answer to this is as plain as the nose in my lap. With both sides so set, one being all for gay marriage, and the other completely against it, how about we just let the lesbians marry?
I mean, come on, marriage is a chick thing, anyway. It is. Monogamy and marriage were invented by women and the church as a way to address female insecurity, and to stamp out oral sex as we know it. And don't give me some line about how two women can't reproduce. As long as David Crosby is alive and can swallow a Viagra, that's not a problem.
Plus, let's face it. When people talk about homosexuality being unnatural, and abomination, they're not talking about the women.
No, no, they're talking about the men. Nobody seems to find anything so abominable about Britney Spears tonguing Madonna. Or Gina Gershon in bed with Jennifer Tilly. Or anything else on the third shelf of my "library."
No, in America, when a man puts something in another man, it had better be a bullet.
So isn't it time both sides compromised a little on this issue? The statistics tell us that anywhere from 2-10% of people in America are gay. Although it seems higher at my bath house.
So look, conservatives, I know you're sincere. I know you think you're doing God's work. But in a hundred years, people traveling by jet pack to Mars are not going to be tripping on gay marriage. The whole issue is just going to be a joke. On you.

So my advice is simple: They're here, they're queer, get bored with it."
Bill Maher

“Unless a picture shocks, it is nothing.” Marcel Duchamp

Getting To Know Me

I have sensitive red-head skin & this autumn I have been vexed by an ugly, painful & persistent rash at my waist. It would almost go away & then return nastier than ever. I went to a specialist last week & was diagnosed as being allergic to nickel. The dermatologist explained that the metal in belt buckles & on the buttons on my jeans was the cause. I have yet to find a suitable stainless steel buckled belt or an alternative. The Husband suggested a piece of rope, but I have never been big on the Jethro Bodine look. I have taken notice that no one in my life seems to bat an eye when I announce- “I can’t seem to keep my pants on”. Why would that be? The rash is gone now.

Music For This Time Of The Year... I Remember

I had the good fortunate to spend 8 weeks singing this beautiful & haunting song when I appeared in the revue- Side By Side By Sondheim in Seattle circa 1985. That show afforded me the chance to do several songs that I really relished performing, including Too Many Mornings from Follies & Anyone Can Whistle. But this song has always stayed with me & I am reminded of it at this time of the year. It is from 1966’s Evening Primrose, an original musical for television. I chose this version by the great Cleo Laine:

Gratuitous

Just because.

Born On This Day- November 6th... Writer Michael Cunningham

He is responsible for some of the best reading I have ever been given over to the pleasure of being lost in a great book. The Hours transported me in a way that it’s jumping off point- Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway never did. The deeply moving-The Hours won the Pulitzer Prize & was made into a brilliant film, but it isn’t even my favorite Michael Cunningham novel, that would be the amazing 3 generation family saga- Flesh & Blood. I own & have read all of his work starting with the New Yorker short story that would eventually become  A Home At The End Of The World (made into a good film with Colin Farrell, Sissy Spacek & Robin Wright Penn). I even enjoyed the problematic Specimen Days which ends with a section with an alian & a reptile having sex.. I think he is an important, brilliant, elegant & very accessible author & a great looking man. He is on the faculty at Columbia University & lives, with his partner of 21 years, in NYC.

Some Things Are Just Wrong

Although I can consider myself to be very political, I am rarely political at Post Apocalyptic Bohemian. It just seems so wrong to me, that someone's basic civil rights would be put up to the popular vote. This seems down right un-American. Any sensible person should recognize when something is just wrong (like this photo). Am I right?

Happy Birthday, Sam Shepard!

“Democracy's a very fragile thing. You have to take care of democracy. As soon as you stop being responsible to it and allow it to turn into scare tactics, it's no longer democracy, is it? It's something else. It may be an inch away from totalitarianism.”

I find Sam Shepard to be very, very sexy. He is widely considered one of America's greatest living playwrights; Sam Shepard is also an accomplished actor, director, screenwriter, & musician. Shepard has received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama & has been nominated for an Academy Award for his acting. He was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letter in 1986. In 1992, he received the Gold Medal for Drama from the Academy & in 1994 he was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame. His impact on modern theater can be gauged by the numerous scholarly books & articles devoted to his work, as well as the hundreds of productions of his plays, both in this country. & abroad. I think Fool For Love is a nearly perfect play. He is decidedly not gay & has lived with fellow actor- Jessica Lang since 1980.

Born On This Day- November 5th... Angel Voiced Art Garfunkel

On his blog, he has a year by year list of every book he has read since 1968. How cool is that? I have loved his sweet, pure voice for 45+ years. Has there ever been a pop vocal to match the intensity & soaring heights of Bridge Over Troubled Waters? Art Garfunkel's recording of one of my top 5 all time favorite songs- The Waters Of March in 1975, led me on a lifelong obsession with this Antonio Carlos Jobim song, & I now collect different covers of it (I have over 20). His version was the 1st & still my favorite. I always have been moved by his rendition of this Jimmy Webb song:


I bruise you, you bruise me
We both bruise too easily, too easily to let it show
I love you & that's all I know .


All my plans have fallen through,
All my plans depend on you, depend on you to help them grow,
I love you & that's all I know.


When the singer's gone let the song go on...
But the ending always comes at last,
Endings always come too fast,
They come too fast but they past too slow,
I love you & that's all I know .

When the singer's gone let the song go on,
It's a fine line between the darkness & the dawn.
They say in the darkest night there's a light beyond

But the ending always comes at last,
Endings always come too fast
They come too fast
But they past too slow,
I love you, & that's all I know.
That's all I know, that's all I know.

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” Aaron Siskind

From my Men Together Photography Collection, & because, I just posted about dogs, I am offering 3 more photographs, & yes, I know #1 is just a guy & his dog. It doesn't quite fit, but I loved it when I found it, & this snapshot has a prominent place in the house. I think this man & the pup are just delicious & it seems to capture a very specific moment of canine + human= love. I continue to search for photos of male couples & their dogs families. The Husband & I couldn't have been the 1st to be documented!

Born On This Day- November 4th... British Writer J.R. Ackerley

I have posted about my love of canines, & sometimes I feel a twinge of guilt that I like dogs more than people. I started collecting dog books about the time of life with our first dog- Baby (this was 1 of my 1st posts), more that 23 years ago. 2 of my most favorite dog books, on a novel & one a memoir, are by the fascinating Edwardian- British writer J. R. Ackerley: My Dog Tulip & We Think The World Of You are beautifully written, heartwarming, & as with all dog stories, heartbreaking.

From 1935 - 1959, Ackerley edited The Listener, BBC’s weekly literature & arts journal. His skill & eclectic touch brought him to be recognition as one his generation's most brilliant editors of his generation. The Listener had E. M. Forster, Virginia Woolf, W. H. Auden, Christopher Isherwood, & Stephen Spender among the contirbutors. Spender commented that Ackerley "cared immensely about what books were reviewed, & by whom, & what poems he published. He encouraged young writers." Ackerley's own output was just 1 play, 1 novel, 3 volumes of autobiography, & a few of poems, but his candor, frankness, & honesty often upset readers & friends alike. Late in life, he explained his position Stephen Spender; "to speak the truth, I think that people ought to be upset, and if I had a paper I would upset them all the time. I think that life is so important and, in its workings, so upsetting that nobody should be spared."


My Dog Tulip tells the story of Ackerman's being stuck with a dog when his laborer/rough trade lover was sent to jail, & recounts the troubling, erratic behavior, canine tastes, & Ackerley’s determined efforts to ensure an existence of perfect happiness for Tulip, & ultimate love he has for this beautiful Shepard. We Think The World Of You is a novelized account of the same story & it has a formal perfection, with not only a a non-human central character who acts as symbol & representation for love & it's pains, & whose purpose changes as the story matures, but also an ending of solemn resignation & a warning to be careful what you wish for.  It was made into a very good film starring Alan Bates & Gary Oldman. My Dog Tulip has been made into an animated feature, with voice work by Lynn Redgrave, Christopher Plummer, Isabella Rossellini & Brian Murray. It is slated for release this winter.

Don't Judge This Book By This Cover

I just received the galley proofs for the front cover & inside sleeve of my 1st volume of memoirs: Jockstraps & Vicodin : The Early Years:

Born On This Day- November 2nd... Gay Icon k.d.lang

"I'm proud that I was one of the first ones out, singing loud & proud.”

Happy Birthday, Kathryn Dawn Lang! Before there was George Michael, Elton, Ellen, Mellissa or Rufus, there was k.d. lang.This blog is intended to celebrate all things important to me; art, film-theatre-TV, design, books, food, cocktails, travel, friends & lovers, & of course the art form that moves me &informs my life the most: Music. Among the Top 10 musicians that have meant the most to me, k.d. lang may be the artist that speaks to me the most. Her stunning, pitch perfect, unadorned voice, androgynous look (she’s the girl next door & the boy next door) & brilliant performances have fully engaged me & swept me a way to new heights for the past 25+ years. She is the artist (along with Lyle Lovett & Bette Midler) that I have seen in concert more than 5 times.

Lang came out of the closet in 1992 with no real negative affect on her career; indeed she won 1 of her 4 Grammy’s around this time, for Constant Craving & her album- Ingénue was her best selling to date. How would & pick a cut that would be her best or my personal favorite? I know that every time she did Roy Orbison’s Crying in concert, every hair on my body would stand on end. I am crazy for her album of covers about smoking- Drag & I still dig the stripped down pop of- all you can eat.

The Husband loves her, my parents love her, my rock music loving friend-Eiric loves her, lesbians lover her, gay men love her.She is an activist & vegetarian. For just hair raising virtuosity & for the glory of her voice I will post Halleluiah by fellow Canadian- Leonard Cohen from her album of covers written by Canadians- 49th Parallel & a personal favorite- Cole Porter’s So In Love from Red, Hot + Blue with this amazing & somewhat disturbing video:



I Want It All ( from 1995's all you can eat):


All of your body
All of your mind
All your affection
All of the time


All of the comfort
All of the ache
All of the giving
All of the take


Every ounce of you
And your love
Ah, is all I need
Strong or tender
Oh, surrender
I am on my knees


All the illusion
All of the truth
All the confusion
All of the proof


All of the pleasures
All of the pain
All I am losing
All that I gain


I want it all
want it all
I'll take whatever you can give me
But I want it all

Another Photograph From My Collection

Another photo from my "Men Together" collection. The Husband & I have always loved this photograph of 2 gentlemen farmers & their 2 terriers because it could be us a century ago. You can click on the picture for a better view. Great pic?

Found: After Halloween Scary

Found at my MAX train stop:

BOO!

I have had more experiences with the paranormal than I would have ever wished. I have seen a ghost & the Husband & I lived in a very haunted house. This house was so frightening that we only lasted about 6 months, despite the house being very beautiful & across the street from the Arboretum in Seattle. In this house there was always a presence. There were spots in the house that were ice cold. Doors & windows opened & closed at night. Pictures on the wall moved. We both felt a breath on the back of our necks when we would travel up or down the staircase. Our room would have an icy chill come over it at night. I got really sick in this house & I had an out of body experience while I was sick. During this experience, I would see a shadow leave the room, just as I would float into it. I followed the shadow & then it turned & followed me. We found this house so frightening that we were willing to leave all our belongings & just walk away from living there, indeed when we did leave, what didn’t fit in the U-Haul, stayed. In the house I grew up in, I was always overcome with fear of the basement, & late at night I would hear talking through the vents of the heating system. Decades later, as an adult, I offered this story to my parents, who admitted that they heard the voices too & that they hated to be in the basement also. I have no fear of spiders, snakes, or graveyards.

Things that I find scary:


*Dolls
*Puppets
*Tripe
*My image in the mirror at 5am
*Ventriloquist Dummies
*My bank account
*Total darkness
*Republicans
*My husband’s displeasure
*Tripe

*Clowns
*My high school graduation photo
*Headcheese
*Hospitals
*Esoteric instrumental jazz
*Diets named after people who have died
*Religious fundamentalists
*Global warming
*Choral Music
*Airplane pilots on laptops instead of flying
*Swine flu vaccine
*The Burger King- King Character
*Syringes
*& did I mention Tripe?

Gratuitous... Bold & The Beautiful's Brandon Beemer Says -"BOO!"

His name is Brandon Beemer & he stars on The Bold and the Beautiful. Brandon posed for Cosmopolitan to raise awareness of male cancer for the Everyman campaign.

Happy Birthday To Broadway Leading Man- Brian Stokes Mitchell

The Baritone voice in song is my favorite sound on earth or the heavens. Check out Broadway leading man Brian Stokes Mitchell's stunning baritone on his self titled album from 2006. Perfection. He is a 5 time Tony Nominess & winner for Kiss Me Kate. I loved him as Frasier Crane's nemesis & neighbor on Frasier. Other credits: George Gershwin's Oh, Kay!, Jelly's Last Jam,  Kiss of the Spider Woman, Ragtime, the 1999 revival of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate, King Hedley II & Man of La Mancha . He appeared in the City Center Encores! productions of Jule Styne's Do Re Mi, Bob Merrill's Carnival!, & Kismet ,& the title role in th Kennedy Center revival of Sweeney Todd, part of Stephen Sondheim's 70th birthday celebration. I am sorry to bring it down to this level, as always, but  OMG!, isn't he too yummy?

Born On This Day- October 31st... Master Voice-Over Actor- David Ogden Stiers

Fellow Oregonian -David Ogden Stiers is the 2 time Emmy nominee for his work on M*A*S*H, who came out of the closet this spring at the age of 67 . He has had a long career on stage, in television & on film, frequently working in the films of Woody Allen. But his greatest success has been in the world of voice-over work. Among Ogden Stiers many voice credits: Cogsworth in Beauty & the Beast, both Ratcliffe & Wiggins in Pocahontas, & the Archdeacon in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He also voiced a character in the English version of Spirited Away, distributed by Disney. Ironically, Ogden Stiers said it was his later, very successful career as a voice actor that caused his reluctance to come out any earlier:

“I enjoy working & even though many have this idealistic belief that the entertainment industry & studios like Walt Disney are gay friendly, [they weren’t always],” Ogden Stiers said. “For the most part they are, but that doesn’t mean for them that business does not come first. It’s a matter of economics…A lot of my income has been derived from voicing Disney & family programming. What they might allow in a more known actor, they prefer not having to deal with in minor players.” Ironically, it was the flamboyant nature of some of those roles that he says contributed to his staying closeted. “Cogsworth, the character I did on Beauty and the Beast, could be a bit flamboyant on screen, because basically he is a cartoon,” he said. “But they didn’t want Cogsworth to become Disney’s gay character, because it got around a gay man was playing him.” Regarding this signature role in the classic Disney film (which Odgen Stiers also narrates), the actor reportedly ad-libbed the last part of Cogsworth’s famous advice to the Beast on what to give Belle: “Well, there's the usual things: flowers... chocolates... promises you don't intend to keep...”