Why I Still Love Elliot (Spitzer)

He doesn't just call them like he sees them, he calls them out.

Recess until January? That's just wrong.

Pride 2007

This is what it means to be out.

And this is why it matters to march.

Take That Revival at Hikaruland: Sure & Could It Be Magic

Little known "fact": The video for Sure was a saving-face measure after C4 said no to the pilot for a Take That sitcom. It would've given AbFab a run for its money, what with Robbie playing an M & S & S & M queen (Is Mark his Master?), Mark trying to keep the lads from going to court over child endangerment, Gary coming up with cute little melodies, and Jason & Howard doing...something.

Again with the video having nothing to do with the lyrics in the song. In fact the theme here is how often can we see Mark Owen's bare torso and Robbie Williams look alternatively petrified and deliriously happy. At least we're spared Gary Barlow dancing...for the most part.

Take That Revival at Hikaruland: I Found Heaven & Everything Changes

Continuing the Take That revival theme.

1. Interesting how they look pissed off for half of the video, and beaming for the other half.
2. What's with the liberal bare-chested shots of Gary, Howard, Mark? (I understand Howard & Mark, but why Gary? And hell, why not Jason & Robbie for that matter?)
3. The video does look like it should be the theme song to Lie Down With Dogs.
4. The hair! The hair! Gary Barlow is not Dolph Lundgren.

Several things:

1. What the hell does the video have to do with the song? Exactly whom are they saying doesn't change?
2. Why is a group of young British men from 1995 invading a Lower East Side cafe circa 1920? Why aren't the regulars pissed off? I'd be if my pleasant afternoon was shattered by a bunch of people prancing around telling me that I haven't changed.
3. Gary Barlow isn't dancing!
4. Robbie must've thanked his lucky stars that he didn't have to sing this live, that's one brutal falsetto.
5. Shot on the same day with the same extras? Kylie Minogue's video for Give Me Just A Little More Time.

Take That Revival here at Hikaruland

Quite unexpectedly, I'm in the midst of a Take That nostalgia kick, spurred on by seeing the documentary that was released last year.

Very interesting stuff, I must say.

Some observations:

• Gary Barlow hit the wall...hard, none of the others did.
• I don't care what sort of justification Robbie Williams came up with, he damn well should've gone to the reunion.
• Mark Owen still looks 12.
• They really did market Howard as the sex symbol of the group, though he never really did it for me.

And the most interesting one:

• For the love of god, when the hell is Jason Orange going to come out? It looked like he was on the verge of saying it through the whole show: the gender-nonspecific pronouns, the aimless journey in search of himself, the fact that he appeared to have no love life whatsoever, and using Lulu as a beard!

It says something when Mr. Out & In [the closet] Robbie Williams comes across as more accepting of his sexuality than poor Jason.

By the way, what the hell went on between him & Robbie? That tiff between them sounded like something way more personal than just bandmates having friction. You don't get that sort of enmity without some serious deep feelings being tread upon.

The Idiot Mayor Gets A Clue

...and changes his political affilation.

Shame he didn't do it in 2004, when it would've really mattered to everyone living in 4 mile radius of Madison Square Garden!

2007 Tony "Post-Mortem": The Quest for Relevance

Not really a genuine post-mortem since the show is still going on as I type this, however, the winners this year seem to be very predictable and for the most part deserving (although Coast of Utopia: Molitva at this year's Eurovision in my view), so I'm wrapping it up with 20 minutes to go.

Supposedly, this is the last year that CBS is broadcasting the show, and I almost think this is a good thing, as the Tonys struggle to find some type of relevance in a world that has largely passed them by.

I'll get back to that cerebral thought in a moment, but first...

My god, I cannot believe that there hasn't been a duff winner yet.

• Spring Awakening seems to be deservedly sweeping every category its nominated in.
• Julie White won against all odds, however, if you saw her in Little Dog, this is no surprise. She was that good. As much as I despise Douglas Carter Beane as a writer (particularly in terms of plot), he can write amazing monologues and female characters...he just bombs badly in every other aspect.
• Mary Louise Wilson gave the best acceptance speech so far: "This was not a surprise."
• Bill T. Jones came very close to Wilson for best acceptance speech (certainly won it for best winner's walk to the podium).
• A special award should go to Eddie Izzard as presenter for Special Theatrical Event (aka the most boring category imaginable). I don't know if he was scripted or ad-libbing, but it was probably inherently better than the two nominees in that category. (Kiki & Herb were robbed, even though they probably didn't stand a chance, but they would've won that knife fight.)

Now to the negativity.

I don't get the accolades for Coast of Utopia but I reckon it has more to do with people wanting to appear smart rather than for the play itself.

We all understand that the Tonys are televised more out of tradition rather than for ratings, but the way that everything is synergised for maximum cross-referencing is just dire. Try as hard as they might, Viva Laughlin will likely not become more than a mere footnote for the 2007-08 season, and a camp/cult rerun 5 years after, no matter how much they hype up Hugh Jackman & Melanie Griffith.

Yet, that's not the worst part. That dubious honour goes to this year's tagline: "There's A Little Bit of Broadway in Everyone."

Christ on a stick, that is stupid as hell.

The last thing I want to see or hear is some random bleach blonde bimbette claiming how she loved going to see Cats when she was young...all of 2 minutes ago.

"Broadway" is near death, praise god. Let the new theatrical phoenix arise.

Update: Tonight's only shocker was the newly out David Hyde Pierce winning Best Actor. What the hell was that? And the newly divorced Taye Diggs & Idina Menzel co-presenting...that was most definitely odd.

Hey Kettles, You're Black Too!

Bob Gedlof and Bono say that Canada is slumping on aid to Africa.

While that may very well be true under Prime Idiot Harper, let us not forget that here are two very wealthy men (one of whom tax dodges, at least according to the Daily Record, which while no Independent nor Guardian, is at least not The Sun) telling a nation to fork over more money.

Gold card/Khaki Socialism is one thing, but this is just ludicrous.

Normal Service Will Be Resumed Soon

Moving is such fun!