New Lost Post

I'm a newly-minted 37 year-0ld. But the world has to keep spinning. You can find my new Lostseason finale recap on gay.com right here.

Check it out, but be warned of spoilers!

Headed Home from Maine

I had a fantastic vacation this past week in Maine. From having a crazy good time drinking, eating, and dancing at The Front Porch and Maine Street in Ogunquit to exploring the coast of Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, the trip was truly amazing.

What a gift to spend a restful time with my friend Jeff for a week (and with Lars for a few brief days). It's really a joy to see a new part of the world with friends you love. And really, the only stressful time at all was driving through Boston today.

Even if you follow Google maps, directions from locals, and real-world foldout maps, you are sure to somehow get sucked into the wrong tunnel while driving through Boston. As I told Jeff, "The City of Boston sure doesn't suffer fools when it comes to driving." Miss one exit, and it might take you upwards of an hour to get back on track.

But even with the hectic driving today, Jeff and I still got to see a bit of Cambridge and Harvard Square and we spent a few precious hours at the new ICA museum on the water. (I'll have pics up later.)

But just wanted to let all of you know that you should head to Maine. I'm sure Maine is beautiful in the spring and summer, but this past week in late-winter the state showed us melting icicles and rivers of snow water cascading off of rocks. It not only makes me daydream of its beauty, but it also makes me wonder when I'll head back to Maine next.

A Lazy Day In

Today we got up fairly early for a lazy day--9:30 a.m. I guess. We had expected there to be a few inches of snow, according to the weather forcast. Of course we woke up and it was cloudy, but that was about it.

Lars, Jeff, and I spent the morning reading magazines. Then around noon we went down to the village market in our sweat pants and hats (because we hadn't showered) and we got sandwiches and chips and dip. We came back to the house and I had my steak superbomb sandwich and read two issues of dwell magazine. I loved the magazines, but they made me sad just like Architectural Digest used to--I can't afford any of that stuff.

We played Monopoly. Lars destroyed me and and then went on to beat Jeff, but not as badly as I was creamed. I think I landed on luxury tax at least 4 times and I didn't land on a property to buy for 5 or six whole turns in the beginning of the game. Them's the breaks.

We're headed to a nice dinner at MC's at Perkin's Cove in Ogunquit. It's supposed to have a gorgeous view of the water. Then we'll tie one on at Maine Street again tonight I'm sure. Check out the pic from the other night.

Ogunquit, Freeport, and Kennebunkport

Jeff, Lars, and I are having a blast in Maine. Yesterday we drove an hour from Ogunquit to Freeport to see the flagship LL Bean store. It's a huge campus with 4 large stores--hunting and fishing; clothes; bike, boat, and snow; and the outlet.

After shopping at LL Bean and few other outlet stores nearby, we headed back down the coast through Portland to Kennebunkport. It was a bit tricky, believe it or not, to find the coast of Kennebunkport. But we saw the Bush compound (from afar) and some of the most beautiful New England coastal houses you can imagine. Look at this gorgeous one in the picture. Really hard to imagine the fantastic view they must have.

After sightseeing and a lot of driving, we returned to Ogunquit where we had a night on the town beginning at the Front Porch. We were too late to get one of the 25 free corned beef and cabbage dinners for St. Patrick's Day, but I ordered it anyway. It was great.

Then it was Maine Street where we had fun dancing and singing. Basically just goofing off. After that we headed back to our cottage for a late night dip in the hot tub.

A Short Drive from Boston and We're in Maine

Just wanted to say hello to all of you out there still in the doldrums of winter. My friend Jeff and I decided to tackle winter head on and give it one last gasp. But we're doing so on the coast of Maine in a gay-friendly little town called Ogunquit. Oh, and did I mention our little house has an outdoor hot tub? I'm no dummy.

There's still snow on the ground here in Ogunquit. Not tons, mind you, but it's white nonetheless. Forecasters are calling for some more snow tomorrow morning. Keep your fingers crossed that we get it--I think it'd be nice.

Take a look at the pic of Jeff from the Marginal Way trail on Perkin's Cove. Really breathtaking scenery. You can see the rest of the pictures here at Flickr.

Graham and Teller (and Ian)

Last Wednesday evening I had the good fortune to see the last dress rehearsal of The Folger Theatre's production of MacBeth. I have my good friend Tim Swoape to thank for the tickets.

The show is co-conceived and co-directed by Teller--the well-known magician and other half to Penn. Because of Teller's involvment, this version of MacBeth featured a few pretty cool illusions, and when you think about the play and its supernatural elements, the magic tricks fit in nicely.

A great many seats were taped off for the photographer who was snapping photos for publicity, and somehow we found four really great seats up front but to the side. After sitting down, I noticed that the sign next to me said "Teller" and I thought for sure it was saved just in case he sat down. But minutes before the show started, Teller came in and sat down right next to me.

A few thoughts on Teller: a) He does talk. He talks a lot actually. b) He seemed very dedicated to the show--furiously scribbling suggestions in his little notebook. c) Though he's super smart and nice, he's not really all that outgoing or friendly. Before the show (and during intermission) he would comment on a number of things about the play, and when I would respond, he would just stare at me. I'm not sure if he just had an earth-shattering concentration on the show or if he was just upset he was sitting next to a dullard like me.

But the show was terrific. MacBeth is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays to begin with, and with the dark and scary spin Folger puts on it, it's even better. Go see it if you can. Oh, and sit as close as you can to MacBeth. Grrrr. Ian Merrill Peakes is a good looking Scottish King.

Life is Weird

The past few days have been crazy. The three day weekend really wasn't as restful as I had planned. And in the middle of it, my cell phone stopped working, which was a real pain in the ass. 

Then I had some life stuff pop up. Stuff you hate to deal with when you're 36 and you wish the world could treat you a little better. I feel like i put good karma out there, but oh well.  And just as soon as I had a handle on that life issue, my iMac decided to break. (Or at least get really sick).

Long story short, I'm back on track. Life stuff is still...eh, it could be better.  But a new cell phone is on the way--go to hell Sprint!  And I also treated myself to a new laptop. It's a beautiful black MacBook. My promise to myself was that I could only buy it if I write more and take it with me on trips. And I did just get that new copy of Short Story Writers Market. 

I've just been playing around on the new computer tonight. A few of the programs seem to be nothing more than previews or teasers for programs to buy--Garage Band especially. I mean...what kind of garage band only has a grand piano? Oh, I see...I have to buy new instruments.  Ugh.

Well, one of the cooler programs is photo booth and here's my scary glowy picture. I can't wait to play around more. Y'all keep on me so that I write more blogs and get my short stoies and other work out in the world.

One last Seattle pic from my trip

Not a great picture at all...but SNOW! Yay!

Seattle Pics 2

Dig it man!

Some Seattle Pics

My trip with Elke in Seattle so far...

Golden Globes Not So Shiny

Well, we all knew it was going to be weird to have a faux Golden Globes. The best part of the show has always been that you had tv stars mixing it up with film stars. But because of the writers' strike, this year's Golden Globes had no stars, no quips, no fashion no-no's. It was just a list of winners. How boring...

Things that made me happy:

1) One of my favorite new shows, Mad Men on AMC, took home the best drama award and the hunky star Jon Hamm took home Best Actor!

2) The Coen brothers won for best screenplay beating out the overrated Diablo Cody (of Juno fame). I thought Juno was great, but I never really bought the voice of the teenage girl--it was too old for her.

3) Rock on, Tina Fey. Who would have thought she'd beat out the other ladies for Best Actress in a Comedy?

4) Jeremy Piven won again for Entourage. I want to hug it out with Piven.

Things that weren't so great:

1) Daniel Day-Lewis winning Best Dramatic Actor in a film over George Clooney. I admit I haven't seen There Will be Blood yet, but Michael Clayton was superb.

2) I love Cate Blanchett, but haven't bothered to see the Bob Dylan movie. Eh, it looks bad. I wish Tilda Swinton had one for Best Supporting Actress in a film for Michael Clayton. She was amazing.

3) I never thought Ryan Gosling would win for Lars and the Real Girl, but I was hoping for a miracle I guess. It was my favorite movie of the year and he gave an outstanding performance.

Fingers crossed that the Oscars take place this year. I'm betting they will.

My LatestGossip Girl Blog from Gay.com

From my post at gaytvblog.com:

Last night was the last "Gossip Girl" for quite a while because of the writer's strike, and it was a doozy. If you didn't watch, it was all about how harshly young women are judged when it comes to sex. You know...the double standard that if a guy sleeps around in high school (or an Upper East Side prep school, as the case may be) he's a stud, but if a woman beds more than one guy she's a whore.

Life is full of those unfair double standards really. And if I were to get into them, say talk about how severely a certain female candidate for president is being criticized while some of her other male opponents seem to be treated with kid gloves...well it wouldn't be pretty. And I would get angry. So let's move on to say that Blair, Queen "B" on "Gossip Girl", had to give up her throne because the whole school found out she slept with two guys in one week. Oh the shame! The shame...yawn.

More perplexing to me is one of the conceits of the show as a whole--that all of these prep school kids are getting the latest, most up-to-date scandal sheets delivered to their cell phones and PDA's from the same site. Like it's a must read feed for their zip code. Maybe that's the way school is nowadays. Still, I'm a little circumspect about the whole "high school scandal blog" thing.

But of course the moment of the episode belong to Dan Humphries, played by the adorable Penn Badgley. My heart raced as Dan told his girlfriend he loved her. And when she asked him why, he said without even a hint of sarcasm, "Because I actually like it when you interrupt me, which is often by the way." My friends, he really is a man after my own heart.

I Vow to Write More

One of my New Year's resolutions is to write more.

So hear me now...whether it's a short story at home or a blog for y'all, I'm gonna be more on the ball when it comes to getting my thoughts down and my creative juices flowing. In fact, I vow to blog every day if possible...even if it just turns out to be a picture of the day.

How's that for chutzpah?

Lars and the Real Girl

I had one of those celluloid love affairs this weekend. You know, where you go to the movie and it couldn't be more perfect. It turns out to be exactly what you wanted (and needed). That's the way it was with Lars and the Real Girl.

First off, I know I should have a picture of Ryan Gosling up next to this post, but why do that when I have just discovered my new love Paul Schneider? Man, is he good looking. But I'm going to skip past Paul's dark eyes and large hairy forearms and talk about the movie.

If you don't know, the movie's about a man who falls in love with a life-size plastic sex doll he ordered over the internet. He develops a delusion that his "girlfriend" Bianca is real. As titillating as the movie's description sounds, the movie never wanders into obscene or even creepy territory. Overall, it's about Lars (Ryan Gosling) and his search for connection in life. And Gosling shows that his performances in Half Nelson and Fracture weren't just flashes in a pan--he's a gifted gifted actor. Emily Mortimer and Paul Schneider are great as Lars' sister-in-law and brother, and Patricia Clarkson hits a homerun as a psychiatrist who helping Lars with his girlfriend. Clarkson is cooler than cool in this role--really outstanding.

Lars reminds me of the little jewel of an indie movie you get every year or so about a town coming together to help one of its loved ones. The Full Monty, Calendar Girls, Chocolat--you get the idea. And when you pair Lars, his family, and the townfolk with the stark, cold rural Wisconsin scenery, everything just pops into life.

Lars and the Real Girl is the kind of movie that just makes you feel good to be alive--as cornball as that sounds. In a nutshell, it's about how we're all different and how that doesn't really much matter when push comes to shove. The people in Lars' small town embrace his "girlfriend" Bianca...and it's touching and beautiful. The movie just kind of whistles along your heart.

Brothers and Sisters: The Gayest Show on TV?

A lot has been going on with the Walker clan on ABC's primetime soap opera "Brothers & Sisters." If you follow the show on Sunday nights, you know how loud, goofy, and fun the family can be. And it certainly doesn't hurt that you have actors and actresses as talented as Sally Field, Calista Flockhart, Ron Rifkin, Patricia Wettig, and Rachel Griffiths leading the pack.

The thing that makes "Brothers & Sisters" so great is that the more you watch, the more the characters become real. They may do some outlandish things--but you seem to understand their motivations, because after all, most of us belong to some kind of family. But another refreshing aspect of the show is that it's also chock full of gay.

One of the six Walker siblings is Kevin, an out gay attorney played by the adorable Matthew Rhys. In the year-long history of the show producers haven't shied away from portraying Kevin's sex life, but they also haven't been salacious about showing it. Kevin has boyfriends. He makes out with them. Fights with them. Goes to dinner with them. It's nice that it's not always about his being gay or about having sex--it's more about Kevin's need for connection and love.

The show's openess must owe a great deal to the showrunner Greg Berlanti, who also created the wonderful and gay-friendly tv show "Everwood" a few years back. But credit should also go to two key players from the older tv program "Thirtysomething," a show that (like "Ellen") was a watershed for the portrayal of gays on television. Ken Olin directs most of the the episodes of "Brothers & Sisters" with the same honest, emotionally open tone that was leant to "Thirtysomething" when he was the show's featured actor. And a number of the "Brothers & Sisters" scripts are written by actor and writer David Marshall Grant. Grant is an icon of sorts, not only for being an openly gay actor with a resume pages long, but for also being one half of the first gay male kiss on television in a 1989 episode of "Thirtysomething."

Boy have the times changed in the nearly 20 years since that kiss. But in an interesting twist, "Brothers & Sisters" is winking at that very sea change in gay acceptance. For the past few episodes, the writers have hinted that Kevin's older uncle Saul, played by the amazing Ron Rifkin, is himself a closted gay man. And they've brought on sultry Michael Nouri as the object of Saul's affection--an old friend who just happens to have become newly available after a divorce from his wife.

I feel like the storyline realistically demonstrates how the sea change in gay acceptance has (or hasn't) affected many gay men of an older generation. When you're a 40, 50, or 60 year-old man and suddenly it seems like it's okay to come out and be gay, to lead a gay life, how do you change your worldview? Do you want to live a different life?

The story is one that deserves to be told, but like the recent Senator Craig interview on the "Today Show," it's also hard as hell and uncomfortable to watch. Maybe it's just how earnestly Uncle Saul is portrayed by Ron Rifkin, and how his Lady McBeth-like protests to his nephew sting us because they hit close to home. Or it could be that the storyline seemingly came out of nowhere. But in either case, I have decided to trust the capable hands of Berlanti et. al. to take us on an honest journey.

So when I call "Brothers & Sisters" the gayest show on tv, I mean it with affection. It's nice to see myself on tv. (Well, if I were a really rich, good-looking lawyer with a bed full of nice, hot boyfriends.) But still, the show embraces family in all its messiness, love, and aggrivation, and it doesn't sift out the relationships or stories that just happen to be gay.

Friday Nights Hunk is a Tie

Friday Night is a tie for Graham's Television Hunk of the Night (also live at Gay.com). Two smoking hot guys for the price of one, people. It doesn't get any cheaper than that. But before we get to them, let's give the two other guys their due.

I'm not a "Men in Trees" fan. I've lived in Alaska for like three years and I never saw men like that. And honestly, most Alaskans would chase Anne Heche out of town. Plus...If you want a really cool Alaska dramedy to watch, rent "Northern Exposure." That being said, lots of people do love the show and one of the reasons is hunky hunk hunk James Tupper. Even with the longish curly hair (which I hate), he still grabs my attention.

And "Friday Night Lights" has some action going on too. There are a number of studs to choose from, but folks, I'ld pick Jesse Plemons any day. I love me a red head, or a speckled trout, as my friends and I call them. Very nice. And believe me when I say Plemons looks like a great specimen.

Interestingly enough, "Lights" brings one of our ties for Friday's Hunk. Kyle Chandler pretty much rocks my world. The 42 year-old green-eyed dark haired stud has been one of my true loves for years--from "Homefront" and "Early Edition" to his "explosive" turn on "Grey's Anatomy." Kyle has it going on and he also just seems like the nicest guy ever.

Josh Duhamel on "Las Vegas" doesn't seem like the nicest guy ever--I bet he's just the biggest flirt ever. This other Hunk of Friday Night, a 35 year-old actor and fiance of Fergie from The Black Eyed Peas, has been on my radar ever since I saw him iron a shirt and make a bed on "The Martha Stewart Show." I even suffered through a rental of "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton" just to see him and to imagine running my hands through all that spikey brown hair. Josh is a perfect cross of pretty boy and masculine stud. "Las Vegas" isn't a great show--just fun. But Josh makes it funner. Er, more fun.

Thursday Night's Hunk Needs No Investigation

In my search for Thursday Night's Hunk (also on gay.com), I have to admit that one of the hottest hunks is on a television show I don't watch: "Ugly Betty." Eric Mabius has that It factor. The guy has dimples for days and blue eyes that kill me. One of these days I'll get the DVD and watch the whole first season.

A few other guys I do watch are Tom Welling on "Smallville" and BJ Novak on "The Office." Both these guys have that earnest look in spades. Welling is so frakking adorable he makes me want to fly, even though he's been doing the Superman schtick for 7 years now. And who would have thought Novak would look so good with his scruffy beard. I think he's been one of the most overlooked actors on "The Office," and I'm glad he's finally getting some real screen time.

"Grey's Anatomy" gives us another set of guys to hunker down and dream about: McDreamy, McSteamy, and McSomething--I don't know, maybe McRude. Patrick Dempsey, Eric Dane, and Justin Chambers keep me coming back to that show, even when the plot lines get embarrassingly contrived. I was never a fan of the whole "Mc"label thing, but these guys--love 'em or hate 'em--have a whole flapjack stack of charisma.

But when I talk about charisma and machismo, and just plain ol' maleness, I don't think Jon Hamm from AMC's "Mad Men" can be beat. His character Don Draper is all brille cream and scotch--a 60's advertising man whose broad shoulders and large pecs can barely fit into his suits. And "Mad Man" actor Bryan Batt as gay ad man Salvatore Romano is stunning and fun to watch. He plays gay in the 60's--a time when nobody talked about it.

But Thursday Night's winner will come as no surprise: George Eads from "CSI." I think he's a longtime favorite of mine (and most everybody I know). There's almost no way for him to look bad--even when they chop his hair up and paste it to his head like they did that one season. I just love him. How do you get past that jaw. The jaw of all jaws. And then right below, that thick rugged neck. He's a dream come true.

The Gossip On Wednesday's TV Hunk

When it comes to Wednesday's search for Graham's Hunk of the Night (on Gay.com) there isn't a huge crowd of guys that make my blood race like on Monday and Tuesday. That said, I will always take quality over quantity and the guys I've assembled for Wednesday certainly fit that bill.

I don't even watch "Criminal Minds," but I sure know who Shemar Moore is. This former soap star is intense and sexy wrapped into one. And the same goes for Steve Gonsalves on Sci-Fi's "Ghost Hunters." Don't laugh, I love the show. And if I were alone in the dark with ghosties, there is almost no one else who I'd want to hold my hand than the hunky, tattooed ghost hunter.

"Private Practice" brings on the hottie triple play of Taye Diggs, Tim Daly, and Paul Adelstein. But no bones about it, Paul is hands-down my favorite. And even cooler is that the former "Prison Break" star is married to another person I love--Liza Weil who played Paris on "Gilmore Girls." ABC Wednesday also sports hottie Lee Pace on "Pushing Daisies." I've already gushed over him far too much, so all I will say is that the crown of Wednesday Night Hunk was a furious two-way race between Lee and Paul--until I watched "Gossip Girl."

Penn Badgley. (Sigh). The show has its ups and downs, but certainly Penn is one of the main reasons to watch. This winner of the Wednesday Hunk of the Night has one of the strongest jaws you've ever seen and the darkest, thickest mop of hair. Now, he's not 21 until November, but that doesn't mean we all can't enjoy the killer smile he slides into on the CW's hit show "Gossip Girl." Give Penn a looksee--you'll be glad you did.

Tuesday's Hunk Will Knock You Dead (my Gay.com post)

Kind of. Sort of kill you. If you're evil. His job is to collect souls for the devil, but we'll get to that soon.

Tuesday has some hot hot guys in primetime starting with two relative newcomers to tv, the funny Kal Penn on "House" and the smoking hot Michael Trevino on "Cane." You'll know Kal best as Kumar in "Harold and Kumar Go to Whitecastle." You love him. You hate him. You want to smack him. Then love him again. But sultry, not funny, is the word that comes to mind when you talk about heartthrob Michael Trevino.

Then you have two uber men on crime procedurals, both oozing with testosterone: Chris Meloni from "Law & Order SVU" and Michael Weatherly from "NCIS." Meloni is just as hot as his "Oz" days, though sadly the networks don't show the nudity that is so common on HBO. And be sure to check out the charming Weatherly who is easy on the eyes in a rather clever procedural.

I don't want you to think I overlooked Jerry O'Connell on "Carpoolers." He's hot I guess, but has never really done it for me. And I also didn't forget forget Noel, er, I mean Scott Foley from "The Unit." But let's be honest, Max Martini is so much hotter on that show in a scruffy kind of dirty way.

But the winner of Graham's Tuesday Hunk of the Night goes to Bret Harrison on the CW show "Reaper." Not only is Bret just crazy-go-nuts adorable, he's also freakishly funny and stars on one of the best new shows of the season. The 25 year-old hunk with messy dirty blond hair plays the lead character Sam whose parents sold his soul to the devil and now he has to catch villians who've escaped from hell. And those people at the CW are no dummies, each "Reaper" episode seems to find a way to show us our shirtless Bret. Thank God for TiVO. And then I begin to think about Bret playing guitar in a band with his actor friend Adam Brody from "The O.C." and I just can't find any more words.

Fall's TV Hunks of the Week

Each day this week, I'll be offering up Graham's Television Hunk of the Night on my Gay.com tv blog. But let's be clear about something: there was no random sampling. I'm also not providing a fully-detailed scientific process for picking each Hunk. No, I simply looked at a majority of the guys on tv each night and the winner just seemed to call out to me.

There are a few caveats I must offer up before we get to the hunks. First off, what happened to men of color? There seem to be fewer hot men of color on tv than ever before. I guess I always knew that, but to actually start looking and analyzing hotness and not see them, well, it was a surprise. Second, if you disagree with any of my choices you disagree. That's what makes the world go round. Make your own list. Third, do yourself a favor and Google all these guys--they're hot.

Monday offered up a bevy of hunks and might have been the hardest night to decide. "Heroes" alone featured up a guy for everyone's taste, from bearish Greg Grunberg to pretty boy Milo Ventimiglia. And don't forget about Adrian Pasdar. Grrr.

Another show chock full of hotness, and don't make fun of me for bringing it up, is "Dancing with the Stars." You have hot hot hot Brazilian racing sensation Helio Castroneves. Check out his dimples sometime folks. And soap opera hottie Cameron Mathison has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Oh, and that brings us to smoking hot dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy. When he shows his chest I want to swoon.

And last but certainly not least, you have dreamboat Dominic Purcell from "Prison Break" who could walk into the Eagle anytime and fit in and tv newbie Zachary Levi as the main character Chuck on the show of the same title. Either of these guys could also have taken the title.

But let's not beat around the bush any more. The Television Hunk of Monday night this fall is Zachary Quinto who plays the evil Sylar on NBC's "Heroes." Thirty year-old Zachary is a dark-haired, dark-eyed 6'2" hunk of television goodness. It may seem like an unlikely choice for tv's hunk when you consider that he's going to be the new Mr. Spock in J.J. Abrams upcoming "Star Trek" movie. But just watch Quinto sometime on "Heroes" with his crackling evil smile. He's so charismatic you want to root for evil Sylar. Or maybe you just begin to think Sylar's misunderstood as you get lost in his dark dark eyes...