Video: Mean Moon Man

Video: Maria Sharapova Nike Ad

Only version of "I Feel Pretty" I know of where "gay" is replaced with "bright" - but still a great commercial. Now I want to buy something Nike. Yes, they got me because I'm a sucker for Bernstein. But still, I'm a tiny bit disappointed they couldn't have gone with "gay".

iTunes' "Back to School" Playlists: Hmmmm. Ok.

For anyone with iTunes (that's about everyone) check out the Music Store ASAP if you can. iTunes always puts together playlists for certain time periods, big artists, moods, etc, but today I noticed a group of playlists called "Back to School". Each playlist is supposed to represent different college stereotypes. I literally burst out laughing when I read some of these.

"Certain symbols or page numbers from sacred texts"? And they have a picture of a cross right above the description? Half-drunk Latvian girl? Who writes this stuff? Apple is so hip.

Video: The Rapture Shows Jessica Simpson How It's Done

The Rapture's new video is a nice little homage to Jessica Simpson. I hope Jessica feels violated - feels violated like Madonna felt violated when Jessica ripped off "Holiday". Hey, you act like a bitch, you're gonna get smacked like a bitch. Oops, bad Ace.

Because this roller skating music video....

...is better than this roller skating music video.

MTV VMA Awards Are Back In The Big Apple

Ok this THURSDAY - that's just 3 days from now - the MTV VMA Awards are on. And finally, thank goodness, they are back in New York like they should be and it's gonna rock. Miami wasn't working for me. Jack Black hosts it this time with some hot performers like The Killers, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera. Madonna better show up! I'm already planning ahead to have my homework finished in time by 8pm on Thursday when they start. You know the opening number is gonna blow everyone away. MTV has a cool site up for the awards. It's a map with all these hotspots that you wouldn't find on any other map. Check it out HERE.

Life: August 28th, 2006

And so it begins.

College, yeah, it's time to talk about college. I've only mentioned it here a couple times, but in my real life, the subject is becoming unavoidable. Everyone I run into asks me something along the lines of "What schools are you looking at?" or "What are you thinking of studying?" or worse "Where are you applying?". Next month I'm going to look at some schools in Ohio. Not my idea - my parent's. I know nothing about schools in Ohio, except that some of them are "hot". The only school that I've fallen in love with is Wesleyan in Middletown, CT. Something amazing happened to me when I visited there: I could actually see myself there, taking great classes, learning a lot, and having great friends. One reason why I'm so interested in the school is because of its gay factor. I KNOW that I'll be out by the end of my senior year, and I want to be totally out in college. Quite honestly, I feel like I need an environment with a lot of fellow gays. During high school, I've never even had an out gay friend my own age, and I think that I've missed out on a lot because of that.

In the next month or so I'll be narrowing things down. Even though it's a little late in the game, my parents are hiring a college coach to help me deal with it all. Well, more than helping me - I'm the first kid in my family to head off to college and even though my parents did their college stuff when they were my age, they know less than I do.

Now for something entirely different...

A good friend of mine from school transferred away last year. She's one of my favorite people in the entire world and we lost touch last year and over the summer. Her parents are Swiss and she has dual citizenship - lucky. A while ago my parents met her parents and they hit it off. So this past Saturday, my parents and I went over to their house for dinner. My friend and I totally caught up on each other's lives and had a great dinner, and afterwards, while the parents got drunk, we watched The Libertine. I hated it. I never have a problem handling violence or grossness or sex or nasty diseases, but the movie definitely pushed my taste level. It was also just a weird movie. It was REALLY well acted, I mean, it's Johnny Depp and Samantha Morton and John Malkovich and Rosamund Pike. Super cast. But the writing went nowhere and the direction was horrendous. So thumbs down. Ouch.

Oh another thing about that night: another couple was at the dinner and as I was helping to serve dessert the guy flung his arm out and made me spill ice cream and chocolate syrup all over my shirt. My brand new shirt. I got most of it off and it was fine. It was hard to be mad at him. He was pretty young and fairly cute.

And...

Yesterday a bunch of my friends and I had a tea party. Yes, a tea party. It was beyond, beyond very gay - it was very British. We made little round sandwiches with cucumbers, cheese, olives, lox, shrimp, tomatoes, and herbs. They were awesome. For little desserts, we made this French cake thing which tasted amazing and jam puffs which would have turned out better if we had had enough yeast. I LOVE tea and I had 2 cups - one of my all time favorite, Lady Grey, and one of this great plum spice that I've never tried. We had the party at the house of one of my best friends who's leaving for college in just a couple days. If I ever came out "officially" to my friends, it would be to her first.

The group that was at the tea party is part of this unofficial "cooking party" club that we started. Every now and then on a weekend, we go to one of our houses and cook. And we cook good stuff. We regularly pull off 6 course meals that take 3 hours to make and it's always fun. I can't wait until I come out to them and reveal my secret identity (my real name isn't Ace in case you haven't figured it out) to you guys. I have so many pictures from the cooking parties and it's gonna be a blast to introduce you to all my friends, because they fucking rock.

Cooking, chocolatey, college-bound,
Ace

Video: Paris Hilton, She's Smart and Isn't Single Anymore

Larry King Tonight: Project Runway Folk

Check it out. Heidi Klum. Tim Gunn. Daniel Vosovic. All the cool people.

Friday Flickr Fetch: August 25th, 2006

Ace Got His MySpace

Yes, I give in. Take me, devour me, eat me alive, waste my time Myspace. Friend me!

Tom Cruise Gets Snipped From Paramount

At last, at last, Tom Cruise gets booted off the lot. Finally, film executives realize that people like me are less likely to go to a film when we think that star is a closeted nut job. I'm so happy! As Kathy Griffin would say, "it's like a hug from Jesus". Or Xenu.

Skeletal Viacom executive presence Sumner Redstone has finally tinkled the gilded bell beside his desk, the sound of which let his minions know that he is displeased with Tom Cruise and that his Paramount Pictures movie studio must immediately sever its ties with the actor's production company. As security personnel in riot gear swarm upon Cruise/Wagner's offices on the Melrose lot and commence the tear-gas and rubber-bullet attack informing their employees that their services are no longer required, Redstone told the Wall Street Journal that Cruise's recent predilection for couch-abuse, anti-psychiatry pamphleteering, and the siring of mysteriously unseen infants harmed M:i:III's profitability, an unforgivable sin that triggered the end of the studio's 14-year relationship with the star.

BREAKING: Paramount Booting Tom Cruise Off The Lot [Defamer]

Random Thought of the Day: August 22nd, 2006

If you tell someone that you have eclectic music tastes, you better be ready to back it up.

Friday Flickr Fetch: August 18th, 2006

Life: August 17th, 2006

Soon, I'll be starting my senior year in high school. As I'm getting closer and closer to going back, I'm trying sort out my feelings. On one hand, I'm really looking forward to seeing all my friends, having fun in class, doing homework together, talking about how crazy Tom Cruise is, and all the other things that don't happen during summer. On the other hand, I've realized that this is my last chance to come out to a lot of people. I hate the thought of knowing all these people, graduating, then all of us separating and going to college, and to have them not know "officially" that I'm gay.

I know some people would say that it's my business and that the majority of the people already suspect. I would agree, it is my business. But I want to tell them on my terms. People having a suspicion isn't enough for me. Whether I like it or not, I feel like I have to justify to people why I didn't have girlfriends or why I didn't go to parties or why I dressed the way I did or talked about the things that I talked about or never expressed ANY interest in sports.

Emotionally, I'm not sure how hard it's gonna be, I still haven't dealt with the parents, but I have a feeling that the actual, technical, physical act of coming out at my school would be easy. My school LIVES on gossip, so I could tell one person, and I kid you not, everyone would know by the end of the day - not an exaggeration. Also, since I'm sure everyone suspects, they wouldn't need convincing.

Okay, now I'll try to end on a happier note. The other day I had senior pictures, which until I got my little postcard, I didn't know happened in the summer. So the other day I go to school - very weird to be there after months of not being there - and I go to the gym area where they're taking them. Someone tell me if I shouldn't be surprised, but I couldn't believe what a production it was. You can take up to 5 different photos:

1. School ID picture - just normal sit down, in front of gray background
   

2. Casual - in front of fake lockers, fake brickwork, and fake archways
   

3. Closeup - leaning over velvet board

4. Formal - white bib fake shirt thing + bowtie + shabby jacket = tux
   

5. Environmental - standing next to trees, looking over a wooden bridge
   

I am so not into preserving and remembering my school experience. I never got a class ring, even after my entire grade got pulled out of class for an hour and half so we could listen to how our school experience was incomplete without something to remember it by. So how can you remember your high school experience? Buy a cheap metal ring with fake stones in it! You can personalize it! With your initials! Look, watch this video about how we make our rings and how only our rings will be cool to wear!

So when I looked over and saw people leaning across this shitty piece of velvet covered plywood - and I had other places to be - I said "hell no," and skipped #3. I got through all the pictures pretty quickly. I do theater a lot and I've done tons of archive shoots where you're posed and asked to do things - like a model. And also, most of the time, the school photographers are asking kids to stop doing gang signs and gangsta' poses in their tux.

Hey nice segue, Ace.

So I'm getting my tux pictures taken in various poses. The women, who was actually very nice, had me doing the "over the shoulder" shot where I turn my body away from the camera, but turn my head back and smile that little smirk. She's taken a couple pictures of me in that pose when she says "Turn your head back farther, like your saying 'Hi' to the girls," - I literally burst out laughing. It was bad. I made a bit of a scene, laughing at the complete irony of it all.

Photogenic Ace

Video: Sierra Mist Commercial

Following the liquid/gel threat and subsequent list of banned materials, this commercial just got a whole lot better. Plus it has Kathy Griffin. Score.

Thanks to The Consumerist

South Paw Pay

Is there a connection between this and the whole lefty=gay thing?

From Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Left-handed men, often seen as having an advantage over right-handed counterparts in sports like tennis, also enjoy much better paydays, a new study says.

Left-handed men with at least some college education earned 15 percent more than similarly educated right-handers, while those who finished college earned about 26 percent more, wrote Christopher S. Ruebeck of Lafayette College, and Joseph Harrington and Robert Moffitt of Johns Hopkins University in a paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

There are "several suggestive and economically and statistically significant results that suggest further support for the notion that handedness matters," they wrote. "We do not have a theory that reconciles all of these findings."

Oh by the way, I'm left-handed.

For Exhibitionists

Those crazy Swiss, what will they think of next? This toilet is surrounded by one way mirrors so you can look out into the crowd while doing your business. You know some people are gonna do more than just use the toilet in there. I hope this story isn't old.

Friday Flickr Fetch: August 11th, 2006

That Mac Is Hot

Time to geek out...

If you're into Macs then you know that Steve Jobs gave his keynote speech at the World Wide Developers Conference today. There were no surprises on the hardware side, with Mac Pros and new Xserves being announced, but software wise, there was one little gem that caught my ear. Apple's universal Access, built right in to OS X, is designed for the people who have trouble using computers. Universal Access includes Voiceover, which is a utility that can read text aloud. In the new version of OS X, called Leopard, Voiceover has gotten a makeover. The new voice is named Alex. Alex's voice is crazy hot. I'm not joking. Give it a listen here.

Life: August 5th, 2006

I have discovered something truly amazing. It's called Cricket Cola. It's made from kola nut, sugar cane, and green tea. It is phenomenal. I think I'm in love. I'm not really into soda that much either, but I love this! Has anyone every tried it?

Gosh. Please excuse that irreverent shout out to my favorite soft drink.

Anyways, tonight I got a nice little confirmation that most people know that I'm gay after meeting me. I know this musician guy. He's probably 30 years old and he has a younger sister. I just met his sister tonight. She was really cute and was wearing a pair of those old school skates with the huge wheels. So she and I are talking and at some point she skates off. About 2 minutes later I see this really hot guy skate by on her skates. Another couple minutes later I see her again and I ask her "So who was that guy on your skates?" and she says "Oh I can't remember his name, but he has a boyfriend."

Ha. Just a little thing, but it's so nice that I don't have to go around telling everyone.

Friday Flickr Fetch: August 4th, 2006

"Same Sex Sells" Says TIME Europe Magazine

An article about the increasing spending power of gays and how advertisers are coming after them. Definitely worth reading...

A New Ad Adage: Same Sex Sells [TIME Europe]

Video: Gay Beer Commercial

Have All My Dreams Come True? Teddy Is Gay?

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Towleroad this morning, Teddy John from "8th & Ocean" could be gay. Teddy has a special place in my heart because he essentially launched this website. I have received thousands and thousands of hits from people searching for him on Google - and for good reason - I covered Teddy like crazy. Below is a list of all the posts I did about Teddy. Enjoy.

Teddylicious
Teddy Encore
Teddy...Once More Again
Teddy Update: March 28th, 2006
Teddy - Center of Hotness
"8th & Ocean" - Teddy's Profile at Work
Let's Talk About Teddy and "8th & Ocean"
8th & Ocean - Teddy
8th & Ocean - More Teddy
8th & Ocean - Extra Teddy

Superman: I have pondered...

After countless hours of pondering, I have decided that I really do like Superman Returns. Privately, I know that some of you were disappointed that I didn't give it a rave review - and believe me I wanted to. In my earlier post, I pointed out some problems in the film. I still feel like those are issues, but I did concentrate on them too much. Since I saw it on IMAX the night before it opened, I have seen it in a normal theater. It is a great movie. There is so much nuance and subtlety that you miss seeing it in IMAX. I downloaded the soundtrack and I highly recommend it, especially "How Could You Leave Us" one of the most beautiful film score pieces I have ever heard. I play it so freaking loud on my stereo so that the walls shake and I think of that amazing scene between Lois and Superman over Metropolis. Ah. Maybe I should see it again.

Ace

V for Vendetta on DVD

One of my favorite movies of the year, V for Vendetta, is on DVD. Vendetta was one of those few movies that I see in theaters more than once - just because I loved it so much. I've never seen an action movie with such heart and pure idea. Even though I already liked her, Vendetta was the icing on the cake of my love for Natalie Portman - how many actresses would take a role like that? Well, if you're gonna get the DVD, get the Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition like I am. Oh, by the way, a certain SNL rap video is included. Score.