The Malcontent

UPDATED — Boob on the Tube

Heads up: The Malco-narcissist will again be on the "Gay Blogosphere" feature of "CBS News on Logo," starting this evening (the first hit is 7:57 p.m. EDT, second one is at 10:55 p.m.), and airing randomly throughout the weekend.  For you Manhattanites with Time Warner Cable, it is channel 155.

This time, instead of commenting on the gay news in general, they will be using a few of our recent video clips as fodder for the conversation.

OK, it ain't CNN or TRL (scroll about halfway down), but Jason and Itay are hotter than Carson Daly, so nyah.

Per usual, I will post the video for all to mock, ridicule or use as J/O material.

UPDATE: Here's the video, y'all, in ultra-high-res Malcovision.  Don't blame me if they wanna talk TV and not Mary Cheney.

[Watch video – 3:37, WMV format, high bandwidth]

[Watch video – 3:37, WMV format, low bandwidth]

The Gayest Story Never Told

If you think you know the whole story behind ABC's never-aired reality show "Welcome to the Neighborhood," think again.

The series, yanked by the alphabet net at the last minute last summer, was to have shown a white, Christian, conservative cul-de-sac in Texas called "Circle C Ranch" that was tasked with deciding the winner of a home worth about $500,000 in their neighborhood.  The candidates, however, included Wiccans, Hispanics, African-Americans, a family with a stripper mom, and finally, a gay couple and their African-American son.

While much of the media coverage leading up to the premiere-that-never-was focused on bigotry and discrimination, the ending turned out to be fairly positive – and probably one that America would do well to see.  (ABC still won't allow the show to air, however.)

In its second episode last night, "The Advocate Newsmagazine" on Logo told us more about the rest of the story, focusing on an especially hard-boiled Texan known to his neighbors as "The Governor."

The results might surprise you.  And if you don't get at least a lump in your throat while watching it, you might want to check yourself for a pulse.

[Watch video – 14:53, WMV format, high bandwidth]

[Watch video – 14:53, WMV format, low bandwidth]

Willie ♥s Cowboys Who ♥ Willies

A week after debuting Rufus Wainwright's Brokeback-related song, Logo's "NewNowNext" premiered a video that's a little more closely related to the subject matter.

Willie Nelson's "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly (Fond of Each Other)," which hit iTunes on Valentine's Day, is now a delightfully campy music video.

The premise is a "video within a video," with hot cowboy line dancers under Willie's watchful eye and directed by a strangely swishy Burt Reynolds.  (I smell yet another career resurgence for the toupeed one.)

But damn Logo for keeping that idiotic "TV-PG" disclaimer over Burt's face for far too long at the beginning!  It's bad enough that the censorious prigs in our nation made the networks adopt the TV ratings system in the first place, but they really don't have to piss all over artistic integrity in the process.

Once again, the high-res version is in double the normal MalcoVision resolution.

[Watch video – 5:39, WMV format, high bandwidth]

[Watch video – 5:39, WMV format, low bandwidth]

New Rufus

Rufus Wainwright's video for "The Maker Makes" from the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack debuted at midnight last night on Logo's "NewNowNext."

The haunting song about longing in the face of divine ambivalence is juxtaposed with images from the movie, along with simple visuals of Wainwright at a piano, and in close-up against monotone black and white backgrounds.  In a brief interview segment before the video, Wainwright explains that the song is as much about the nation's current political climate as it is a commentary on the characters in Brokeback.

The high-res version is sampled at twice the normal bitrate.  Enjoy.  [Thanks, Celeste!]

[Watch video – 5:02, WMV format, high bandwidth]

[Watch video – 5:02, WMV format, low bandwidth]

Lights, Camera, Homos

Think you might be the next John Waters or John Cameron Mitchell?

The Logo series "The Click List: Best in Short Film" is showcasing up-and-coming GLBT filmmakers.

One of the films recently featured was the New York-shot "Seeing You in Circles," directed by Sam McConnell.  It's a poignant story about ex-boyfriends meeting up again at their favorite hang-out.  It is told in a style not dissimilar to Rashômon, with an individual focus on each of the characters.

I've grown a little weary of those who think networks like Logo don't fill much of a purpose.  I'm sure the vast swath of Americans who don't have access to a gay and lesbian film festival like those of us in the big cities, for example, might have a differing view.

[Watch video – 20:33, WMV format, high bandwidth]

[Watch video – 20:33, WMV format, low bandwidth]

On the Getting of Frank

Bizarre Guevara-like imagery accompanies fawning film

One is hard-pressed to think of a better defender of Bill Clinton during the 1998 impeachment proceedings than Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.)  Whether in his countless TV interviews or his dogged defense of the President on the House Judiciary Committee, Frank flexed his formidable intellect and talent before the American people.

Of course, Frank was also ideally suited to run interference because he, like Clinton, had previously been involved in a sex scandal of his own making, which nearly resulted in the end of his political career.

And thus unfolds the tale upon which rookie director Bart Everly hangs his 2003 film "Let's Get Frank," a documentary that is now airing on Logo.

Everly uses the 1998 committee hearings that ultimately resulted in articles of impeachment against Clinton as a dramatic device to frame his portrait of Frank.  But it is a portrait that both supporters and detractors of the congressman will probably find lacking in many ways.

Pontificating and Bloviating

As promised, here is the Logo clip:

[Watch video – 3:43, WMV format, high bandwidth]

[Watch video – 3:43, WMV format, low bandwidth]

Heads Up

I will be on Logo again this evening to talk about what's new in the Gay Blogosphere, possibly with replays at some point, although I wasn't exactly clear on the replay schedule.

The first airing should be either a few minutes before 8 p.m. EST or a few minutes before 9 p.m.

Normally, they do the Gay Blogosphere segment on Fridays, but their coverage of Sundance will be tomorrow instead.

I was having a horrible hair/face/sleep day/week, but I still cowboyed up for my favorite gay network.  So tune in!

Or, if not, I'm sure we'll post it on MalcoVision.  Seeing how I pimp for every other blogger, I might as well whore for us too.

Stop Drinking the Haterade, Yo

Business in the gay media today is starting to look like some big Eros-drenched orgy.

First PlanetOut got gay-married to LPI (parent company of magazines such as The Advocate), and now The Advocate is bumping uglies with the Logo cable channel (which itself has many incestuous ties to its sister networks including MTV, VH1, CBS, and BET) with a new joint production.

The first episode of "The Advocate Newsmagazine" on Logo seems patterned after that other CBS staple, "60 Minutes."  (Please, no jokes about whether the Logo version should be redubbed "69 Minutes.")

Drawing heavily on the resources of MTV News, rather than the fledgling CBS News on Logo, the show had long-form and well-produced segments on "Don't Ask Don't Tell," Sheryl Swoopes, Robert Trachtenberg's book "When I Knew," and the subject of this edition of MalcoVision, "Homophobia and Hip Hop."

The segment took as its starting point Kanye West's famous August 2005 MTV interview in which he condemned homophobia.  (Of course, my goodwill toward Kanye lasted two weeks until his fatuous post-Katrina comments about George Bush.)

While the piece makes clear that there are some individuals who are trying to make positive change within hip-hop, they fighting a swift current.  Even Kanye West himself hasn't been in a hurry to stand by his gay-friendly remarks.

Instead, what we see in general terms is a culture of denial and indifference, and far too often, outright hostility to gays.

[Watch video – 13:19, WMV format, high bandwidth]

[Watch video – 13:19, WMV format, low bandwidth]

Pride, Wyoming Style

I come from Wyoming, where the total population of men – about a quarter-million – is roughly equal to the low-end estimate of the number of rats in New York City.  (No comparison is implied.)  And it could be far fewer, actually.

Yet given all the attention Wyoming has received lately, you'd think that every one of them was a cowboy and gay. The men, that is, not the rats.  (OK, this blog's fixation on "Brokeback Mountain" hasn't helped matters any.)

The feedback loop fueled by "Brokeback" surfaced yet again in the pages of today's New York Times, which found real gay cowboys in my non-fictional home state. (Reg. req.)

Mathematically speaking, of course, there are only so many gay men to go around in a state of half-a-million people, so it stands to reason that the media would eventually find themselves interviewing the same ones over and over.  One of these men, Joe Corrigan, was interviewed by the Times for having started an annual mountain gathering of gay men in Wyoming.

He was also a central figure in the documentary "Farm Family: In Search of Gay Life in Rural America," made about two years prior to "Brokeback" but currently airing on Logo in hopes of riding the feature film's publicity wave.

The film is a frank look at gay life in flyover country.  Many of the interview subjects (surprisingly to some city folk, perhaps) paint a less-than-dismal picture of where they live.  They are drawn to rural America by many of the same traits that bring their straight counterparts: the remoteness, the bucolic existence, the agrarian values.

Having escaped my tiny Wyoming town nearly 17 years ago without really looking back, I am not much dissuaded by "Farm Family" from believing that I made the right decision.  However, one of the most powerful and helpful political statements a gay person can make is the simple act of coming out, and it takes extra courage to do so outside of America's urban centers.

If "Farm Family" can help ease that journey for even a few more people, then it is a good thing.  And whatever we can do to help put the "equality" into "the Equality State" is fine by me.

[Watch video – 10:24, WMV format, high bandwidth]

[Watch video – 10:24, WMV format, low bandwidth]

24 Frames Per Second of Gayness

It's a very queer movie year, and a new Logo special, "Quintessentially Queer Cinema," looks at the films the gays have loved to watch down through the ages.

I didn't learn anything too earth-shattering.  (Yes, we love Judy and Liza.  Yes, many straight characters of early Hollywood were just proxies for gays.)  But then again, with authorities such as Frank DeCaro and Austin Scarlett commenting, I didn't expect to.

MalcoVision has a clip, but really it's just an excuse to share screen captures of some of the great iconography of gay cinema.

[Watch video – 4:55, WMV format, high bandwidth]

[Watch video – 4:55, WMV format, low bandwidth]

The Malco-Whore (Update)

UPDATE: The video is below.

Heads up: Once again, I will be appearing on "CBS News on Logo" discussing the ins and outs (I like them both) of the Gay Blogosphere with Itay Hod, and also pimping for The Malcontent.  (Logo airs on Time-Warner channel 155 in New York City.  Click here to see if it is available in your area.)

The topics we covered (but which might not necessarily make air) include:

• The latest legal saga of Spokane's anti-gay gay mayor


• The Oscar hype surrounding Brokeback Mountain


• "Tom Cruise" in the closet on South Park


• The "outing" of a Northwestern University sports fan-blog


• And, of course, the Cooper-Seacrest exclusive video, first seen here on The Malcontent.

The broadcast schedule for the segment should be similar to last time.

[Watch video – 3:36, WMV format, high bandwidth]

[Watch video – 3:36, WMV format, low bandwidth]

Gay TV Gets Real

"This is the true story of 15 gay people who were picked to be on various TV reality shows, who sit down to chat with host Kim Coles, and find out what happens when their 15 minutes are up and they go back to being real."

MTV's "The Real World" defined the modern television reality show, and from the very beginning, gays have brought a special sensibility to the genre.  In truth, the stereotypically homo brand of cattiness, conniving and honesty have been reality TV's lifeblood.

Logo, MTV's queer offspring, has brought together some of the more memorable GLBT reality stars for some behind-the-scenes dish in a one-hour special called "Real Gay."  A bit surprisingly, the show includes clips from networks other than the Viacom-CBS-MTV family.

Malco-Vision brings you a couple of clips:

Chip Arndt, who with his then-partner Reichen Lemkuhl won "The Amazing Race 4," shows that his emotions over the experience are still a bit "close to the surface."  (If a hottie like Reichen broke up with me, I'd be a bit verklempt too.)

And Will Wikle of "Big Brother 5" (and now host of Logo's travel series "Round Trip Ticket") tells how his family learned of his first sexual experience.

[Watch video – 3:54, WMV format, high bandwidth]

[Watch video – 3:54, WMV format, low bandwidth]

Must Be Trouble for "South Park"

The New York Post says gay men love Comedy Central's foul-mouthed fourth graders as much as they love Queer Eye.

But if you're like me, then you don't know any self-respecting gay man who still watches the tired, uninspired and definitely un-Fab Five.

[HT: Gawker, whose shot about gay men not liking Logo I would dispute.  It's not quite fair to pass judgment on a channel that has clearance in barely 10 percent of U.S. households.]

Bleg Alert Canceled

I still have a few hooks and crooks lying around the house and managed to capture the Logo video last night.

So without any further adieu ...

[Watch video – 10.6mb, 2:09, WMV format, high bandwidth]

[Watch video – 788kb, 2:09, WMV format, low bandwidth]

A Rare "Bleg"

I just did Logo TV, and it was a blast!  I hope they have me back again soon.

Cutiepie Jason was out today (and I can confirm that it was definitely not the "bottle flu"), so equally cute Itay took the anchor chair.  Thanks to him and to Court for making me feel at home.  (Wearing a pink striped shirt in Logo headquarters didn't hurt, either.)

I rarely ask anything of readers except to keep reading and to tell us when we're jackasses, but I do need to ask if someone could see it in their heart to record and digitize the segment for me.  (Time Warner Cable is on my shitlist for this in a big way.)  And if doing it out of the goodness of your heart isn't enough, I can make it up to you some other way.

Here is the schedule for my segment (all times EDT):

Tonight:
8:49p
11:57p

Saturday, 10/15/05:
2:00a           10/14/05
12:56p          10/14/05

Sunday, 10/16/05:
5:52a           10/14/05
7:15a           10/14/05
9:26p           10/14/05

Bright Lights, Big Ego

Andy has done it.  Perez has done it.  And now it's The Malcontent's turn to do the regular "gay blogosphere" segment on "CBS News on Logo."

I will be catching a crosstown ark for a chat with Jason Bellini that begins airing tonight.  If experience is a guide, it will first air a few minutes before 9 p.m. EDT, then again before 1 a.m. EDT and probably throughout the weekend.

Of course, my video-capture capabilities would choose now to go on hiatus.

Back to Reality

We head back to the Apple in a little more than an hour (sob).  It has been a terrific week in Ptown.

And yes, we did indeed go through with it.  No runaway brides here.  (Although you have to admit, if a gawky Georgia woman can make headlines for days on end, the a runaway gay groom would have made a helluva front-page story!)

I hope to post more about how things actually went down in the next day or so.  Until then, thanks for following us to the Cape.