gay icons

If you were one of the fortunate souls to be out enjoying the gorgeous summer sun this weekend with a few choice friends, you might have missed that our favorite Diva release a brand new song "You and I". I caught it because, well... I have no life and was working all weekend. But once again I digress. And as much as many of you may hate Twitter or don't "get it" this is where all of the "important" bits of news happen. (Shameless plug; follow us here: @Homopop.) Two of my favorite feeds are @gagadaily and of course @LadyGaga, which are the actually words from the pop star's mouth herself! (I also love love LOVE @djchichilarue for all of her smut talk and the fag with his finger on the pulse @Perez Hilton. Anyway, this youtube link popped up and I was tickled pink! It's basically some queen in the audience of Elton John's White Tie and Tiara Ball who filmed it on their phone, but the best part is that Gaga herself posted it later through her own twitter feed! (By the way, I caught wind of this vid and re-tweeted before Perez. A small coup for us!) I love the fact that she embraces the fact that if it wasn't so accessful to her fans, she wouldn't have reached her icon status at her ripe old age of 24. What else can I say... just enjoy the soulful new song, my friends.

We have been saving this little nugget for a long time waiting for the right opportunity to unveil our very special interview when Robby O catches up with Mink Stole. If you don't know who Mink is then a) we might have to take away your gay card and b) you better watch every John Waters' movie ever made because she is the one staple actor in every. single. film. (If you ask who John Waters is then I feel very, very, very, very, very sad for you.)

Ok maybe I'm being a little harsh because I am sure some of you 20-something gays may not have been born yet during the hay-day of such classic queer cinema like Female Trouble, which is currently out of print or Pink Flamingos. But I am sure you have seen Mink (pictured here with Rexx during Philadelphia QFest) in recent independent hits like Out at the Wedding and A Dirty Shame. And that's why we are here! Recently, the Eating Out series has birthed a new feature and Mink is once again part of it. Traditionally Stole portrays the quirky female character that always throws a curve ball into every plot and in Eating Out: All You Can Eat (the third in the series is written by the dynamic gay writing duo Q. Allan Brocka—Rick & Steve & Boy Culture, and Phillip J. Bartell) she stars as Aunt Helen. You have to see the movie because we aren't going to give you any more details my friends. But know this... the third installment features young, hot boys—twinks and studs alike—so run right out and get your copy today! Or just order online here.

Regardless, we are so thrilled that the legendary, avante-garde actress was able to take time out of her busy schedule (she is busy with her band and advice column) and chat with us a for a few minutes. We are not worthy Mink Stole. We are not worthy.

I don't know if you all know this, but there is a sexy, indie gay-themed film coming out in theaters in NYC and LA this Friday on Nov. 13th called Dare. It might have fallen off your radar or maybe you haven't heard of it yet, but this hot little gem is a flick you need to check out. Since Brokeback Mountain exploded on the scene a few years ago, quality gay indie movies seem to have jumped the shark like Fonzy did in the Happy Days' Hawaiian episode. Now it seems that almost every movie being released has some sort of "homo" character as part of the supporting cast who's listed waaaay down at the bottom of imdb.com film page. After wading through the muck for a few years, along comes this seductive and provocative coming-of-age narrative that will restore your love for independent films again.

Dare (starring Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford, Ashley Springer, Sandra Bernhard, Alan Cumming and Ana Gasteyer) orginally splashed down during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival where it received a whole lot of buzz, and shortly afterwards director Adam Salky and writer David Brind landed a distribution deal for their baby. So we sent film critic Robby O on the case to interview the thought-provoking director and here's what he had to say... READ MORE

I had a wild time watching the MTV Video Awards last night – I think everyone did! Just to let you know, I’m a little suspect of this award show because MTV only shows videos on their minor channels, but I digress. If you didn’t see the show, I am sure you've all heard about Kayne West's Hennessy-enduce rush to the stage during during Taylor Swift's acceptance speech. The self-proclaimed “greatest musician in the world” was angry that Ms. Swift beat Beyoncé's "Single Girl" video for Best Female Video. (Then check out "You Belong to Me" and be the judge.) But did you see Pink's tweet during the chaos? She wrote: "Kanye west is the biggest piece of shit on earth. Quote me." We did. Thank you Pink for giving us the okay to do so.

There were some classy moments—very classy moments. The most heart-felt one that put me to tears was the Michael Jackson tribute. It started with one icon, Madonna (showing up unannounced), giving a beautiful introduction about the King of Pop (read the whole thing here or watch it.) Following Madge came a video tribute with synchronized dancers performing to each of his videos. This was truly amazing to watch...and you can relive it again before youtube pulls it. Then it was Janet's turn. I hate to admit it, but she fell of the radar. After her Superbowl wardrobe mal-function; we haven’t really kept up with this superb performer. But she is one of the original divas, and last night was no exception. She hit every choreographed step with precision, getting us all hot and bother about Janet again. Sorry that she decided to lip sync, but hey... it was still great to see her perform again.

And then there was the fashion. What the hell is Lady GaGa wearing? Well, I dig it because she certainly shocked everyone and is the "other" star everyone is talking about after Kayne, Taylor. The evening ended on a high note when Beyoncé invited Ms. Swift to come back on stage to give her acceptance speech without a rude interruption. Certainly the classiest moment of them all.

Well that's my report from my couch. If you want to see who won, click here.

Vapid I know, but we recently discovered a trailer for Gaze, which is this documentary being made right now! Ok we really didn't discover it but we feel its really worthy to post. Why? Here are 4 reasons:

1) It's GAY folks.
2) Rebel filmmaker Matt Riddlehover (Watch Out) sent it to us.
3) It features 20 of the hottest gay artists (photographers, fimmakers, etc...) who put their ass and work on the line for the sake of gay visibility.
4) Because it looks really fucking sexy and we want to help out our gay brethren.

Gaze profiles amazing artists like Adam Bouska (he is responsible for the photographs of the "No H8" campaign), decadent illustrator J. David McKenney and of our favorite fucked-up avant garde filmmakers Bruce La Bruce, (Otto; or, Up with Dead People, Hustler White) just to name a few.

I do think Matt is touching on something important here and that beauty is not only defined by washboard abs, even though we love our HOMOPOP boys Dwayne's and Mike's abs; rather it is define by what you think is beautiful. Hmm, insightful if I do say so myself.

This does lead me to this past weekend when Mike and I traveled to DC to hang out with Jade and Shannel from "RuPaul's Drag Race". Talk about two beautiful people - seriously. For those who thought these ladies were bitches, well there is more to them than what meets the eye. We had a blast following them around to the White House and then shopping for beauty supplies. I can't wait to get up the video of our trip. They really are two classy ladies even though later that evening we caught them hanging out in a back alley and then coming out of a port-a-john. Hey, to each there own, right?

Ok, this is just too important and too good a story...
...so I'm gonna take a break from being a snotty bitch for five minutes.

First he is dealt a nasty blow that's typical for Hollywood but not typical for the man - the ever popular sex scandal that seems to rear its head when someone becomes famous. Then he shows how fucking cool he really is by addressing the mess head on, and without bullshit.

Proving he's a bigger person than most people walking the planet these days - or at the very least, most openly gay celebrities who prove that they're human by admitting to mistakes yet still remaining steadfast in their beliefs - Dustin Lance Black held his head high and showed up in person in Hollywood this past Saturday to be honored by Lifeworks Mentoring, a group which offers mentoring opportunities for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth.

His speech was passionate, long, and dead-on amazing. We'll say it again... we love you Dusty!

Click here for Greg in Hollywood's full coverage and Dustin's speech.

UPDATED SATURDAY 7/13/2009:
Cock exposure makes one speak out. And thankfully, Dustin has done the right thing, by addressing the dramz "head on" so to speak... which makes us love him even more. In a statement given to Mark Malkin of E! Online, the Oscar-winner and unwitting pornstar said:

"It is unfortunate that individuals and other outside parties are trying to profit from material which is clearly private. I have had the privilege to speak to people across the country, both gay and straight, on a number of critical issues including safe sex. More important than the embarrassment of this incident is the misleading message these images send. I apologize and cannot emphasize enough the importance of responsible sexual practices."

WE LOVE YOU, Dustin!

Click here to read the original post and to see the pickle pics...

Legendary porn star and entertainer John Robert Stillman, better known as Jack Wrangler, died today. Jack Wrangler was a true gay sex icon. His rugged good looks set the tone for a decade of gay men’s fashions. Wrangler was best known for his performance in the classic porn film, Kansas City Trucking Co., but he was also a promoter and entertainer. TLA Releasing's terrific film, Jack Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon tells his whole juicy life story, which you don't want to miss. After Wrangler wound down his porn career, he traveled the US doing a stand-up routine and mini-concert that culminated in a hot striptease. The video above is part of a
performance in the gay resort town of Saugatuck, MI. Wrangler is a man whose legacy will live on in a body of work that many gay men will treasure forever.