Punk Smurf pens a bilingual blog

EO-presentator Arie Boomsma staat op de cover van James Magazine, een mannenmodeblad dat als bijlage bij de Playboy van mei zit. Op de foto’s in de reportage God’s Gym is Boomsma met ontbloot bovenlijf te zien.

Begin maart werd de presentator nog drie maanden geschorst door de EO, omdat hij schaars gekleed in een homo-editie van het blad Linda staat. De EO vond de foto’s “in strijd met de missie”.

Voor de fotoshoot in James gaf de EO vooraf ook geen toestemming, laat een woordvoerder van de omroep weten. Wel was de EO door Boomsma voorbereid op de verschijningsdatum van het blad. “Het gaat ons niet om de aard van de foto’s, maar om de afspraak dat Arie fotoshoots vooraf met zijn werkgever moet overleggen”, aldus de EO-zegsman.

Boomsma komt niet opnieuw in problemen, want de fotoshoot voor de James is eerder uitgevoerd dan die voor L’Homo. [AKN]

First off: happy Jesus zombie day!
The “Charlie & Joey” saga (aussie soap Home & Away) continues. Actress Esther Anderson talks about in this interview. Want to know what happened after that first kiss? A YouTube user is sharing that with the rest of the world; watch it here.

I hope Charlie and Joey get a meaningful relationship. Without either turning out to be psycho, getting pregnant (with the subsequential custody battle) or killed off.

This $2 million marketing and ad campaign is aimed at out-of-towners looking to get their gay on in the one place that has more queers per square foot than all of San Francisco. It boasts gay-friendly travel packages and provides extensive information on the city’s seasoned and sometimes even unpleasant gay history. It also chronicles important gay landmarks, a calendar of events, listings for nightlife, parties, organizations, gay-friendly hotels and restaurants and tons more, and seems to strive to be the one stop spot on the web for gay NYC travelers. With the roughly 47 million people that visit New York every year, and 10% of those visitors are reportedly gay, it’s kind of surprising that NY hasn’t taken more advantage of this well-known fact until now…

Also earlier this week a woman finds a $357,959 cashier’s check and returns it. Frankly - call me crazy - I would have done the same thing.

I haven’t given in to the Twitter craze - even though I know how easy it is to stay in touch with others that way. Apparently, Serena Ryder is on Twitter…

The last time it happened was over a decade ago.

I’ve put on some weight since then, and it actually shows (much better than before) that I’m not a boy. Anyway, I was running errands during lunch time (I’m allowed 30-minute-lunch breaks) and totally minding my own business. I just scored two tickets to a Gaslight Anthem concert, and was stoked.
To save a little time I decided to take a short cut, that basically means using an alley normally used for trucks delivering stuff for adjacent stores. Short of rounding a corner I heard voices, but didn’t think anything of it. Having turned the corner I noticed several teenaged boys; not meaning to stereotype, but they were exactly the kind I see in juvenile court. I immediately ignored them, tuned them out, and walked on (without changing my pace).
I don’t know what they were talking about (probably tall stories, judging by the tone of their voices) but just as I passed them I heard one of them say “faggot”. Even though he said it under his breath, he said it loud enough for his friends to hear, and for me to hear it as well.

Frankly, I wasn’t surprised, and I didn’t respond to it. I played deaf and dumb, and walked on.
What a retard.
Wait. That would be offensive to people who are backward by genetic default…

As you probably know by now, actress Natasha Richardson was taken off life support last night at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan after being transported there following a ski accident north of Montreal.

Richardson’s accident was not one of extraordinary circumstances, and the chain of events which led to her death make its occurrence that much more difficult to absorb: “Ms. Richardson, who was not wearing a helmet, had fallen during a beginner’s skiing lesson, a resort spokeswoman, Lyne Lortie, said Tuesday. ‘It was a normal fall; she didn’t hit anyone or anything,’ Ms. Lortie said. ‘She didn’t show any signs of injury. She was talking and she seemed all right.’”

Among Richardson’s acting achievements was her role as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, for which she won a Tony. Alan Cumming, her co-star in Cabaret, remembered her on his blog: “I, like everyone, am totally devastated by the sudden death of Natasha Richardson. The term ‘life force’ seems trite but that is what she was: a woman who powered through life and fascinated everyone she encountered. I have been thinking about the times I spent with her since I heard the news of her tragic accident, and the strongest memory I have is of her laughter, her unmistakeable throaty laugh. I think that’s a great way to remember someone.”

Another aspect of her life’s work should be noted. Richardson was an advocate for people with AIDS. Her father, Academy Award-winning director Tony Richardson, was bisexual and died of AIDS in 1991. Via amfAR: “[Richardson] joined the amfAR board in September 2006. [She]… conceived, organized, and spearheaded a number of highly successful amfAR events, most notably Unforgettable: Fashion of the Oscars. (1999), an auction of Oscar dresses that raised more than $1.5 million. [She] served as an event chair, host, or committee member for many amfAR benefits. Her service to AIDS organizations here and in the United Kingdom [included] work with Bailey House, God’s Love We Deliver, and Mothers’ Voices, in the US; Aids Crisis Trust and National Aids Trust, for which she [was] an ambassador, in the UK. [Richardson] received amfAR’s Award of Courage in November 2000.

Richardson was 45.

Edit: AfterEllen.com has also taken a moment to remember Richardson.

Both happened in NY:

Chad Lindsey, an aspiring actor, rescued a man who had fallen onto the subway tracks at the Penn Station stop on Monday. Shortly ater that he managed to melt back into the anonymity of the city, escaping the notice of the police, paramedics and subway workers. Read the story here.

Update: watch Rachel Maddow’s interview with Chad *here*

Remember Eric Nies from The Real World? He saved a dog from a freezing lake in Bear Mountain. Read the story here.

It’s good to know there are still people out there who care for their fellow human beings

“I understand the anger about poverty. I understand the anger about AIG. I understand the problem about the banks. I understand the problem about Afghanistan and the Taliban and everything else. But I don’t understand the preoccupation with gays being permitted to marry.

We’ve got a lot of trouble in this country. We’ve got a lot of trouble in the world. Why the state should be interested in proscribing the word marriage from two people who love each other, who are responsible, tax-paying, productive people, who have created a family … why the state would have an interest in proscribing that kind of conduct, I don’t understand.”

– Judge Judy (Sheindlin) speaking to Larry King

Currently listening to Beth Hart (dvd: Live at Paradiso)

I admit: I never watched The OC that much. Too much drama, and too many things I don’t relate to. Then the media announced the show was going to get some lesbionic action (I still didn’t tune in just to see it happen). Then I saw pictures and such reviewing aforementioned storyline. Call me stupid, but Olivia Wilde didn’t drive me wild. Not as a blonde on the OC.

Fast forward in time: the media announce several new additions to House. And imagine my surprise as I see Olivia Wilde as a brunette. A brunette with blue eyes. Helloooow.

As far as I know Dutch TV has only recently (read: earlier this week) aired the episode where suddenly all the doctors were discussing Thirteen’s sexual preference.

It is as the enigmatic Thirteen where I really started to notice Olivia as more than just a pretty face. Beautiful. Mysterious. Bisexual. Damaged.

The eighth episode of CSI: New York’s upcoming fifth season will be episode 100 for the series. New York is celebrating the landmark with a group of special guest stars. The episode’s storyline will revolve around a serial killer who is targeting people named Mac Taylor.

Gary Sinise’s character won’t be the only one in danger. It was previously confirmed that Rumer Willis would be playing one of several Mac Taylors in the episode. Two more names have been added to that list. Scott Wolf will play another Mac Taylor, and Chris Daughtry has been cast to play Machiavelli Taylor. The character is described as “an attractive 30-something year old musician.”

CSI Files’ earlier article stated that Nelly will be returning in his recurring role as a confidential informant. Julia Ormand was also named as a new detective that will appear in the episode.

According to this article Nepal recognizes a third gender. It’s surprising, but certainly a good thing if that means people of a sexual minority get legal protection.

Fans of Garbage and Shirley Manson: rejoice! Shirley made her television debut on Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles earlier this week.  

For those who haven’t seen it yet, click here for a recent interview with actress Lena Headey - who plays Sarah Connor in the series - who talks about looks, her tattoos and her lesbian fans.

Out host Rachel Maddow who recently got her own prime-time news show, makes US politics easier for non-Americans. To me it looks like an ordinary mud slinging contest between a bunch of adults who run for Office. Maddow sorta spells it out by analyzing what is happening. Watch some here. And if you’re a big fan of Palin as I am, you have to check out “Women against Sarah Palin”. I may be on the other side of the Atlantic right now, but that woman scares the crap out of me. I cannot believe Mr. McCain chose her as his running mate, other than using Palin as an easy way to try and win disappointed Hilary Clinton fans over to his camp.

Scottish singer/songwriter Sharleen Spiteri performed in Brussels, Belgium: she headlined the Unicef Stars of Europe event on September 19th. The picture above was taken then - an attractive woman wearing a pant suit is a good excuse for me to post it  She starts touring early next year.

Surfing the web I came across this (it’s in Dutch, or rather: Flemish, but it mainly consists of audio clips, so you will be able to understand it without any translation). Funnily enough, from the moment I heard “All the times I cried” I had the feeling I had heard the song before. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Listening to the clip it makes sense. Now, Sharleen’s always listed Marvin Gaye, Prince and Motown amongst her musical influences, and she’s stated in interviews that her solo album “Melody” is her hommage to 60s music…

Currently listening to Within Temptation (Black Symphony)

I took the train to Maastricht earlier today to run some additional errands for my Indonesia trip. At the end of it I noticed I was hungry (I had a late breakfast 5 hours earlier) so I went to Simply Bread - which is on the way to the train station. I hadn’t been there in over a year, and hadn’t noticed their change in opening hours; Simply Bread is now exclusively a breakfast and lunch place, and they close at 1600 hours. But opening hours now include Sundays. I didn’t know that.

Anyhoo, when I walked in it was a quarter to four, clueless about the opening hours. The girl on shift was already cleaning the place and asked if I wanted to order (yes, please) then proceeded to tell me the kitchen had already closed for the day but I was free to get any of the remaining prepackaged sandwiches (prepared this morning) with a 50% discount. Oh, ok… I then asked her about the opening hours. After she rang the cash register and was looking for a paper bag to put the sandwich in the girl asked me if I wanted some croissants. (Huh? Did she just ask me that?) She must have seen the clueless look on my face because she repeated the question, and added they would be free. It took a moment for it to sink in before I graciously accepted the offer. They were left over and it would be a shame to throw them out.

So, I am going to enjoy a tasty brunch tomorrow, consisting of croissants, pains au chocolat, and fresh OJ.