Nichevo

Best of the Web This Week

2012-01-28T07:50:00.004-06:00

There's not much going on around here this weekend. Just a peaceful couple of days now that I have all the necessary chores and errands out of the way. I gathered almost 1000 new photographs for my archives this week so it took me a little while to make my selections for the today's review. It sure seems as if the man candy available on the Internet is prodigiously multiplying giving all of us almost more than we can find time to enjoy. However I must admit to finding some time to explore new territory for hot hunks to share with you guys here. While you are perusing all the male pulchritude I have a great play list to please your ears as you please your eyes. The play list is comprised of Violin Concerti Numbers 17 in G Major; 18 in E Minor; and 19 in D Minor by Rodolph Kreutzer performed by San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra conducted by Andrew Mogrelia featuring Axel Strauss on Solo Violin. Have a fabulous weekend and we will see you back here on Monday. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

This, That And The Other Thing...

2012-01-27T03:40:00.012-06:00

I managed to get all my chores and errands done in a timely fashion yesterday except for the lovely chore of doing the laundry which I will be doing this morning. While having all your clothes clean is a really great thing, trudging to the laundromat with all the things that need washing is not my favorite activity. It usually only takes about an hour and a half and a roll of quarters, yet I find myself putting the task off as long as I can. One day I will live in a place with laundry facilities built into my unit but until then I have to make the trudge, like it or not. But on to more pleasant things.

Back in November, you probably saw the It's Time video in support of marriage equality in Australia on line. Since the video aired, a college student in Washington DC, Daniel Wein, has been organizing a team to acquire the rights and raise funds for a stateside airing of the 2-minute video that never fails to make everyone cry. You can watch an interview with Daniel about his efforts by Matt Baum of Marriage News watch and you can also check out the Facebook Page created to support those efforts. Look, Like and Donate if you can to advance marriage equality here in the USA.

In my news feed from the Towleroad news site, there was an article about the premiere of a new show on NBC, Smash, to be aired on February 6. The article contained the full length pilot episode that also includes some preview highlights of the first few episodes. The show is a behind the scenes drama of the making of a Broadway Show that Stars Debra Messing, Angelica Huston and a bunch of really hot guys. The show does not shy away from the heavy Gay participation inherent in the real world of Broadway but so far as I have seen, does not play to stereotypes in its Gay characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the pilot so I think I will have another must see weekly show to add to my schedule.

Another thing I ran across in my web wanderings is the website for My Queer Testimony which is a site where you can view real life stories of LGBT people around the world or upload your own story for others to see. It is a great site with moving, emotional stories and another great resource so LGBTQ folks by viewing and sharing their own stories will not have to feel alone in their journey to self acceptance.

Last but not least today, January 27, 2012, is the 256th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. To celebrate the day I have Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major (Turkish) K219, performed by Janine Jansen violin, with the European Union Youth Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting from a performance at the BBC Proms in 2006 followed by the Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K622 performed by the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra conducted by Gerard Schwarz featuring David Shifrin on an A Basset Clarinet. To complete the celebration I have my favorite Mozart Symphony, Number 40 in G Minor, K550 performed by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra with Dennis Russell Davies conducting. Happy Birthday Wolfie! The video is followed by another smoking hot edition of Naked or Nearly So to get you in a weekend frame of mind. Thanks for visiting, stop in tomorrow for this week's photographic review of the Best of the Web This Week. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Chores, Errands, Music and Men

2012-01-26T08:30:00.001-06:00

It is chore and errand day around here for this week, so I have lots to do today. At least it has stopped raining so I don't have to trudge around dodging raindrops and mud puddles to get things done. I will probably have to work for a little while to night as one of the bosses wants to leave early to go visit a friend who is in town for the day. It will only be a couple of hours but extra hours are extra money which is always a good thing in my book. Nothing too earth shattering blipped my radar news wise so there is not really much to expound upon there either. Therefore I will just proceed on to the entertainment and the eye candy then get on with my chores. For today's play list, we once again turn to Sweden for our featured composer with String Quartet Number 3 in F Major, Opus 18 (1904) and String quartet Number 4 in A Minor, Opus 25 (1904) by Wilhelm Stenhammer performed by the Gotland Quartet. Following the play list is this week's edition of Men In Jeans for your daily eye full of man candy. Thanks for the visit, be sure to stop in tomorrow when I will have some more half naked (or more) hotties in this week's edition of Naked or Nearly So. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Random Thoughts

2012-01-25T07:30:00.001-06:00

When I sat down to write this post, I could not come up with anything that I really wished to say. It happens to me every once in a while and this is one of those times. I suppose I could expound on the State of The Union address by the President last night, but there are already many sites where you can read the analysis of the speech so it would be superflous of me to add to what is already out there. If you want you can read the Towleroad take on it as well as watch portions or the whole speech by clicking here.

One of the things that piqued my interest in my web wanderings yesterday was this beautiful letter from a young medical student in the UK named Charles. He wrote the letter to his parents as his way of coming out to them. His parents response was loving and accepting which is the way it should be but not always is. Coming out to one's parents is probably one of the hardest parts of our arduous journey to self acceptance. I never got to come out to my parents, rather I was outed due to my Mother's snooping in my briefcase where she read a letter I wrote to a friend about my back of the bus adventure when I moved back to Texas from San Diego back in 1976. It is a scene I will never forget that has had its effects on my entire life. We never spoke of it again until I finally spoke the words "I am Gay" to her when I was in the hospital after my stroke in July of 2009. We still have difficulties in our relationship and it still affects me to this day. It is getting better although I do not think she will ever be "OK" with the fact, however that is her problem and not mine.

Now on to something more pleasant than the subject of my Mother and I. For your musical listening pleasure today, I have a play list containing Piano Trio Number 1 in D Minor, Opus 34 (1862); Piano Trio Number 2 in A Major, Opus 112 (1878); and Piano Trio Number 3 in B Flat Major, Opus 121 (1881) by Josef Rheinberger performed by the Berlin Gobel Trio. While you are listening you can check out the fine examples of Random Hotness from my archived collection of photos from the Eyecatcher blog on display below the play list for your perusal. Thanks for spending a part of your Wednesday with me, come again tomorrow, please! Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Food For Thought

2012-01-24T08:39:00.000-06:00

In my wanderings on the Internet yesterday, I found some interesting reading material that I thought I would share with your today to give you some food for thought. The first article I would like to share with you is from An Enduring Vision blog, written by a reparative therapy survivor, in response to the death by suicide of 14 year old Phillip Parker. In Gay Kids Choose To Be Bullied, the author gives an excellent analysis of the situation facing too many of our young people, eventually asking: "how many children must we lose before the American people fully recognize that being bullied because of one’s sexual orientation is wrong?" The article is incisive and is told from the author's 'been there/done that' point of view.

When I was a child growing up in Texas, I spent a lot of time involved in the Southern Baptist Church including entire summers in Vacation Bible School. My Mother was the regional roving Bible School President who went to various churches directing the VBS's and mission studies all summer long. I have since come to differ greatly with the Southern Baptist point of view in light of my acceptance of my orientation and their rejection of the same. However, not all Christians adhere to the radical fundamentalist ideology, rather they embrace the love and acceptance of everyone as espoused by Jesus and the example he set for us. I ran across the Canyon Walker Connections website whose stated purpose is to "repair the breach between the church and the LGBT Christian Community". In Ten Things I Learned About Gay People In Ten Years / A Christian Perspective, the author relates her journey from a typical Christian with no knowledge of real Gay people to the enlightenment she now enjoys and shares with others seeking the truth of God's love for us all. I wish more Christians would learn these same 10 things which she has taken to heart. She also points the way to the Gay Christian Network which is a "nonprofit ministry serving Christians who happen to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, and those who care about them." I am not one to prosyletize, but if you are seeking a better understanding of being both Gay and Christian, either website would be a good place to start.

Finally on your reading list for today, is an excellent political rant over at SnipeMe that addresses both the Left and the Right, pulling no punches in the process. You're Voting For The Wrong Reasons takes both sides to task on the three major hot button issues that are constantly being used to try to gather votes to a particular party or platform, Abortion, Gay Marriage and Gun Control. Rather than basing your vote on these "personal" issues, the author urges you to base your vote on the issues that affect the country as a whole while "sending these fucking politicians the very clear message that we are WATCHING what they are actually DOING, not just buying their bullshit moral messages!" This one is a must read for any of you out there who are or hope to become politically aware.

Now that you have your reading list, how about some music to soothe the savage beast? Today's play list is comprised of String Quartet Number 20 in A Minor, Opus 74 and String Quartet Number 21, Opus 74 by Louis Spohr. Both pieces are performed by the New Budapest Quartet. "The Opus 74 string quartets are among Spohr's best. They are fine examples of his musical personality but based on the principles set down by Mozart." The quote is by Wilhelm Altmann writing in his Handbook for String Quartet Players. Then before you head off to read the above mentioned articles, scroll down the page and cast an admiring glance or two at the Sexy Studs in Swimwear taken from the pages of the Eyecatcher blog who are cavorting about the page waiting for your lascivious leers. Thanks for the visit, come again tomorrow when I will have more music, more men and whatever else happens to suit my fancy on the morrow. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

The Good, The Bad and The Sad

2012-01-23T00:01:00.004-06:00

It has been an interesting weekend news wise and I will try to hit the major high and low points. I suppose I should start with the good news which is that SOPA/PIPA is basically dead in the water as the bills have been shelved in Congress. This is a spectacular win for the Internet because "but it is the first time that the Internet flexed its muscles in such a conspicuous fashion and the first time we won." The quote is from this post by Myrddin on Americablog. As the post points out, we have won this round but the fight for a free Internet is not yet over and vigilance on this front is still required.

The bad news is that the good people of South Carolina are obviously still stuck in the past with the lust for prejudice in politics as exemplified by the results of the Republican primary held on Saturday. The winner by a wide margin was race-baiting serial adulterer Newt Gingrich with 40% of the vote. Coming in a distant second was flip-flopping Mormon cultist Mitt Romney with 28% of the vote. Even further behind was the despicable homophobic Rick Santorum with 17% and racist/homophobic Ron Paul in fourth place with 13% of the vote. This throws the whole Republican nomination into a tizzy as this is the first time in Republican primary history that 3 different candidates have won the Iowa Caucuses (Santorum), and the New Hampshire (Romney) and South Carolina (Gingrich) primaries ensuring a prolonged contest with no real winner as yet. Any one of the prospective nominees would be bad news for us as LGBT folks as any of them would work to curtail or strip us of any civil liberties we now have or hope to have in the future. The race bears watching, but we should actively advocate the defeat of any of the Republicans who might win the nomination. The reelection of Barack Obama is the only reasonable choice for those of us who hope to continue our march to true equality with our heterosexual brothers and sisters.

Finally the sad news is that we have lost another beautiful light in the world to homophobic bullying with the death last week of Phillip Parker, 14, of Gordonsville, Tennessee by suicide. His parents told WSMV-TV that Phillip was constantly bullied for being Gay. They reported the incidents of bullying to Gordonsville High School multiple times but the bullying kept getting worse. A Facebook page has been set up by friends to honor and remember "the boy who told everyone they’re beautiful." This is another reason we must stand strong and fight homophobia/bullying wherever we find it. Please, "If you or someone you know needs support, please don’t hesitate to call the Trevor Project‘s Lifeline at 866-488-7386." My heart goes out to the family and friends of this young man in their time of loss and grief.

I was going to add some sports news about who is going to the Super Bowl, but in light of the rest of the news, a glorification of overpaid athletes in the annual excess that is the Super Bowl seems superfluous and irrelevant. So I will move on to today's featured composer, Alexander Glazunov with a play list that encompasses two of his lesser know works. The first is the Kremlin, Opus 30 performed by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Konstantin Krimets and the second The Sea, Opus 28 performed by the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Igor Golovchin. The play list is followed by this week's edition of Monday's Undies for your visual appreciation. Thanks for the visit, come again tomorrow and bring your friends. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Best of the Web This Week

2012-01-21T05:20:00.003-06:00

It has been a quiet night for my night off but that is a good thing as I had over 1100 photographs that I collected this week to go through. It seems as busy as I was, I managed to gather more photos than I usually do, thus making the selection process a bit longer than usual. I do believe you will like the ones I have chosen, there is around a hundred and fifty of them for you to drool over. Before we get to the photos, of course I have a play list so you will have something to listen to while perusing all the photos. Today's play list is the Septet in E Flat Major (1824) by Franz Lachner performed by Ensemble Villa Musica. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with me, see you again on Monday. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Politics, Music and Men!

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

It was a surprisingly calm night at work last night, so all is well that ends well on that front. I have to go get some lab tests done first thing this morning for my doctor visit next Friday, so I will be rather brief today. The best news from yesterday is that Rick Perry dropped out of the Presidential race for the Republican nomination. I have contended for a long time that electing Mr Perry to the Presidency would be like giving the whole nation a barbed wire butt plug, and now it looks like we have avoided the pain of that. Newt Gingrich's ex-wife number 2 laid a big bomb about him on late night TV and Mr Gingrich was all over the debate questioners for even bringing the subject up. Guess he did not enjoy having the vengeful ex-wife drop his dirty laundry on national TV. That leaves the race really between the cultist and the sanctimonious ones, Romney and the despicable Santorum. With either of them we would lose our freedoms, Romney would turn us into a Mormon Cultist State and Santorum would lead us further down the path to a theocracy where we as gay people would remain second or third class citizens with zip for civil rights. Either way the clear choice for any LGBT citizen out there would be to continue on the path we are on with Mr Obama. As they use to say around here, don't change horses in the middle of the stream. We could do a whole lot worse than another 4 years of Obama followed by Hilary as the first woman President. The only drawback to that is I don't think Bill would take kindly to being First Lady, lol! Besides he would probably look horrible in drag anyway! Enough about politics, let's get to the entertainment! As this is Friday, I have another smoking hot edition of Naked or Nearly So coming up after today's playlist. Speaking of which, I have a marvelous play list that contains the complete Violin Concerto Number 2, Opus 32 by Charles A. De Beriot performed bythe Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Kirk Trevor. Now I must needs get ready to head out to the clinic for my lab work. Thanks for stopping by, be sure to come again tomorrow for this week's review of the Best of the Web This Week. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Lots to Do and Little Time to Do It!

2012-01-19T08:30:00.000-06:00

Today is payday and I have a busy morning ahead of me with the weekly shopping and errands to do. I also have to work tonight as Sean is feeling poorly and wanted the night off, so I get some extra hours this week which will help next week's pay check. So I guess I best be getting my act together so I can get things done. I do have a couple of things video wise for you today as well as some hunkalicious guys below the vids. First up is a great little video "The Cure for Homophobia" which I know you will enjoy, then there is today's play list. You guys know how I love the music of and for the Cello so today's play list has Cello Concerti Numbers 1 and 2 by Joachim Raff performed by Daniel Muller-Schot with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Stadlmair. Then I have the aforementioned photographs of some hunkalicious Men in Jeans for you to drool over and dream about while your listening to the excellent concerti in the play list. Thanks for the visit, see you here again tomorrow. Now I have got to go get things done. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Midweek Concert

2012-01-18T06:00:00.008-06:00

Uncle has been a busy boy on his day off. We got Will all set up for his medical coverage this year in short order this morning, we had our ducks all in a row so we were in and out of there in 20 minutes flat. That is somewhat miraculous when it come to dealing with any sort of medical office, much less a public health service, so I was very happy as was Will. On the way home we stopped by Best Buy to pick up some blank DVD's so I could burn a copy of Win7 Ultimate 64 bit so Will could upgrade Sean's desktop when he puts in the new video card to replace the one that died. Then I took Will to the house while I made a run to a couple of stores for a minor replenishment of household good that were needed. Then I spent quite a bit of time on the Internet where I found some interesting things to share with you today.

One of the things I found was this piece of news about the Gay Indiana Youth Group who became the first in the nation with their own specialty automobile license plate with their logo on it. $25 of the $40 fee for the plates goes to directly support this group whose volunteers travel throughout the state providing support for often-troubled adolescents. They also provide training for schools and service agencies and work to promote tolerance.

Then there was the story in one of my feeds about a dozen African American pastors who joined anti-gay extremists on Tuesday in a protest to condemn the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for using its “hate group” label to describe faith-based organizations that demonize the LGBT community, characterizing it as part of an orchestrated liberal plot. SPLC spokesman Mark Potok responded to this group of whackos and their accusations by saying:

“Our listing of anti-gay hate groups is completely unrelated to religion, Christianity or the Bible. These groups are listed because they repeatedly lie in an effort to defame LGBT people, an exercise they’ve been extraordinarily successful at. The idea that we are criticizing these groups because they represent Judeo-Christian morality is simply ludicrous.

“The SPLC does not identify anti-gay hate groups based on their religious views. Instead, the SPLC lists anti-gay groups on the basis of spreading known falsehoods and demonizing propaganda against LGBT people, such as the claim that gay men largely orchestrated the Holocaust.”

Then there was this story over at Out Sports Jock Talk Blog about Brian Healy who is captain of the men’s tennis team at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont who came out to "It's Raining Men". Saint Michael's sports teams combined to make an awesome "It Gets Better Video" of which Brian is one of the editors.

Also in my feeds were several articles on SOPA/PIPA and the gargantuan efforts to stop this stupidity and restriction of freedoms in its tracks. One of the ways you can support these efforts is with your pledge to vote against any and all of your local elected officials who support SOPA/PIPA or otherwise restrict our civil liberties. You can sign the Vote For The Net Pledge by clicking on the link.

While we are talking politics, which I have tried to avoid since the last Presidential election, I read this really good article by Andrew Sullivan over at the Daily Beast about how President Obama just might outsmart his critics from the right and the left, no matter which side they take. I have tried to avoid the political discussions at first because I wanted to give the President a chance to perform, then because I was somewhat disappointed in the lack of progress. However in reading this article from Mr Sullivan, who is a conservative who supports the President, I find I must agree with his assessment of Mr Obama, his accomplishments and his game plan. To be sure, another four years of Mr Obama would be much preferable to any of the many whacko, delusional wingnuts and or cultists who are seeking to unseat him. The front running cultist flip flopper, Mr Romney seems bland in comparison to some like the despicable Santorum, but I don't think I would like to see the good old USA turned into a Mormon Cultist State which it would surely become if he were to be elected. Therefore, I will continue to support the President and actively work against the whack jobs and wing nuts who really need to disappear back under the rock from which they crawled.

I guess that brings us to the entertainment portion of this post, where once again, Uncle has been a busy boy. In recent weeks I have been posting a lot of videos uploaded by GoldieG89 who has over 1200 uploaded videos. I have been working my way from the most recent ones back, however today I have put together a play list of the first twenty five videos GoldieG89 posted to their page. These videos combine to encompass Piano Concerti Numbers 1 through 5 by Anton Rubinstein performed by Joseph Banowetz as the soloist conducted by Robert Stankovsky with the Czecho-Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra making this play list a wonderful midweek concert for your listening pleasure. Then as it is Hump Day, I have posted some 39 Humpable Hunks for you to drool over while listening to the concert. Thanks for visiting, I hope you have a fabulous day and that I will see you here tomorrow. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Overnight Adventure

2012-01-17T07:15:00.001-06:00

I have to take Will out to JPS this morning to re qualify for his medical coverage for this year so I am kinda short on time. However, I do have a story to tell about my overnight adventure at the corner of Crazy Avenue and Stupid Street, more commonly known as my job. About 3 AM this guy comes into the store and asks me to dial 911. The guy does not look injured or anything so I ask him the reason for the call. He would not give me a reason, so I tell him he can make a free 911 call from the pay phone out side. This pisses him off and as he gets to the door, he turns around and tells Sean he should fire me because I did not call 911 for him. We both just sorta looked at him like he was crazy (turns out we were not far wrong). So the guys goes out to the pay phone and calls 911 for himself. In the meantime, the Police Officer from the evidence locker was at the light in the crime scene truck because he was on the way to get a cup of coffee at my store. He was watching the guy from the intersection and sees him take out a box knife and start twirling it around as the Police Officer was listening to the radio call, he was going to respond as he was there anyway when the guy on the phone tells the dispatcher that he is going to go in the store and start slicing an dicing us because he was pissed off at me. So the crime scene truck jumps the light and pulls in the lot to focus the guys attention on him instead of going in to the store to cause mayhem. Well the guys starts out to attack the Police Officer about the same time the Fire Truck pulls in, so the Police Officer and the Firemen wrestle the guy to the ground and take the box knife away from him and search him, finding another knife on him which of course they confiscated. Meanwhile the officer in distress call had gone out and about 5 or 6 squad cars pull in and they surround they guy when the guy tries to escape from the circle of cops and fireman just as the ambulance pulls up. Well they tackle the guy, hand cuff him and toss him in the back of a squad car. The assembled group of Policemen, Firemen and Paramedics discuss the scenario and decide the police will transport him to the Psychiatric Evaluation Unit at JPS. So most of the assembled group leaves while the crime scene guy comes to talk to me to make sure Sean and I are all right, which we were as the Police and Firemen kept the guy from coming into the store to do what he had threatened to do over the phone. So it was kinda weird and exciting at the same time. We never lack for interesting occurrences on the overnight shift, but this one was one for the books. So now I have to run off and take Will to the NE JPS Clinic so we won't be late. So on to today's play list which contains a Cello Concerto by Arnold Bax performed by Rafael Wallfisch with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted Bryden Thomson. The play list is followed by this week's edition of Sexy Studs In Swimwear. Thanks for the visit, see you again tomorrow. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Eyes On The Prize

2012-01-16T07:30:00.003-06:00

Today is the day we celebrate the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. here in the USA, a federally recognized holiday on the closest Monday to his birthday which was yesterday, January 15. Dr. King was the foremost leader in the American Civil Rights movement of the 1960's who eschewed the non-violent protest practices he learned from Mahatma Gandhi. One of his closest advisers and the architect of the 1963 March on Washington was Bayard Rustin, a Gay Man. Both Dr. King and his wife, Coretta Scott King were proponents of Civil Rights for all minorities including the LGBTQ Community. Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. federal holiday in 1986. The essence of his philosophy is in the following quote:

"All I'm saying is simply this, that all life is interrelated, that somehow we're caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality."

That is as true today as it was when he first spoke the words. I am sure there will be more than enough articles et cetera written for you to read today so I will not belabor the point other than to reiterate my profound respect for the man and his methods. One of his favorite sayings was "Keep your eyes on the prize" meaning we could endure all things as long as we were focused on the "prize" of equality which we as Gay people still seek today. In keeping with this saying, today's featured musical composition is known as the "Prize Symphony" which is Symphony Number 5 in C Minor, Opus 52 (1835) by Franz Lachner. Franz Paul Lachner (2 April 1803 – 20 January 1890) was a German composer and conductor. Lachner was a well-known and prolific composer in his day, though he is not now considered a major composer. His work, influenced by Ludwig van Beethoven and his friend Franz Schubert, is regarded as competent and craftsman-like, but is now generally little known. His Symphony Number 5 was a gargantuan work for its time, comparable to works by Schubert and Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Today's performance is by the Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Paul Robinson and runs just over an hour albeit a beautiful hour of listening pleasure. Following the video is this week's edition of Monday's Undies to help keep your libido in tune for this holiday Monday. Thanks for stopping by, see you again tomorrow. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Best of the Web This Week

2012-01-14T07:30:00.003-06:00

Welcome to the weekend and this week's photographic review of the Best of the Web This Week. Before we get to all those photos of gorgeous men, I would like to tell you about a free concert, live online at the Digital Concert Hall. The concert will feature the Bundesjugendorchester, the National Youth Orchestra of Germany. This concert will be Sunday, January 15 at 8PM Berlin time (2 PM New York time, 4AM Monday January 16 Tokyo time). The program entitled Dream Worlds includes Insomnium by Detlev Glanert with the main work being Symphony Number 5 by Gustav Mahler. You can listen to the concert live by clicking here. The Digital Concert Hall is a feature of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and you can subscribe to their newsletter, as I have, to be informed of both their subscription and free concerts. The listening experience there is excellent and one that should be had by all.

For today's featured composer, we stay in the Baltic States crossing the Baltic Sea to Finland for a work by Toivo Kuula. Today's performance is his Piano Trio in A Major, Opus 7 written in 1908 and performed today by the Pohjola Trio. Then finally we come to the photographs. Once again I had a hard time choosing just which ones to feature out of so many, however I think you will be well pleased by my selections. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with me, see you again on Monday. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

R.I.P. E.J.B.

2012-01-13T08:30:00.001-06:00

Another beautiful light in this world has gone out with the death by suicide of Gay teen filmmaker Eric James Borges. Although I did not personally know Eric James, as he was known by friends, there is evidence of his beautiful spirit in the videos that he posted on his You Tube page, two of which I have posted below. The first is his "It Get Better" video posted in December of last year. The second, uploaded in November is a poignant short film using real couples to illustrate that Love is Universal. A recollection of Eric James by Blogger Jim Reeves on Queer Landia as well as details of an upcoming memorial at College of the Sequoias can be found by clicking on the link. There is also a Facebook page in Remembrance sponsored by the COS Theater Arts Department where you can read the thoughts of his friends or leave a comment of your own.

After the videos by Eric James, today's musical interlude takes us from yesterday's featured composer, Johan Helmich Roman of Sweden across the Oresundbron to Copenhagen, Denmark, home of today's featured composer, Hakon Borreson. The Oresundbron is a combined twin-track railway and dual carriageway bridge-tunnel across the Øresund strait connecting Malmo, Sweden to Copenhagen. The Oresund is the body of water that separates the North Sea from the Baltic Sea which divides Scandanavia from Northern Europe. Axel Ejnar Hakon Børresen (June 2, 1876 Copenhagen – October 6, 1954 Copenhagen) was one of the foremost Danish composers of the 20th century. The composition featured today is his Violin Concerto in G Major, Opus 11 (1902) performed by Rebecca Hirsch on Solo Violin with the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes. Following the videos is this week's sizzling hot edition of Naked or Nearly So with most of these marvelous men more Naked than Nearly So. Thanks for today's visit, join me tomorrow for this week's photographic review of the Best of the Web This Week. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Cold Weather, Hot Men

2012-01-12T08:30:00.001-06:00

It is a frosty morning here in Texas with a predicted high today of only 45 degrees. I had better bundle up good when I go out to do all my weekly errands or I will regret it. I hope it is warmer where you are. If not, then all the muscular Men in Jeans posted below today's play list will should get you hot and bothered enough that the temperature outside will not matter a great deal. As for the play list today, we once again turn to Sweden for the featured composer. Johan Helmich Roman (26 October 1694 – 20 November 1758) was a Swedish Baroque composer. He has been called "the father of Swedish music" or "the Swedish Handel." In 1744 Roman composed one of his finest works, Drottningholm Music: a large orchestral suite for the wedding of the Crown Prince Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. Drottningholm Music", or "Music for a Royal Wedding" consists of a collection of 24 short pieces ranging in length from about one to six minutes. The wedding took place at the palace of Drottningholm (hence the title). You will notice a great similarity to the style of Handel in this delightful suite of music. I hope you have a great day, thanks for spending part of it with me. Be sure to stop by tomorrow for this week's edition of Naked or Nearly So. Now I have lists to make and errands to run so I will better get to it. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Double Feature Matinee

2012-01-11T08:27:00.003-06:00

Today I thought I would feature a couple of Gay films instead of music just to give you something a little different. Of course there will still be eye candy, after all we would not want you to go lacking for your daily dose of beautiful men. The first film is Breaking The Code (UK 1996) The story of Alan Turing, a Gay man, whose skills in breaking the German Enigma Code were vital to victory in WW II. After the war, he was then persecuted for his sexuality. Starring Derek Jacobi. Director: Herbert Wise. Writers - Andrew Hodges (book), Hugh Whitemore (play). This film was originally aired as part of the Masterpiece Theater series on PBS. The second film is a more recent film, Twist (2003 Canada) Written & Directed by Jacob Tierney, Director of Photography -- Gerald Packer, CSC. Editor -- Mitchell Lackie. Dodge -- Nick Stahl, Oliver -- Joshua Close, Fagin -- Gary Farmer. A gay re-telling of Charles Dickens' classic Oliver Twist. Moved from the poor house to the dark streets of the hustler. Tale told from POV of the 'Artful Dodger'--now Dodge. The prosaically beautiful Oliver is gladly taken in by down-&-out hustlers. Dodge mentors Oliver in the unforgiving arts of drug abuse & prostitution. As Oliver's innocence dissolves, both confront demons & strangely, it is Dodge who finds he cannot escape his past. Format: 35mm Kodak Film. Produced with the assistance of Telefilm Canada. All music rights for use with this film secured (& credited) by the producers. Copyright Victorious Films Inc. (2003). Both films are quite enjoyable although there are dark elements to both stories, you cannot help but feel empathy for the characters portrayed. After the films, there are some engaging photographic examples of Random Hotness from my archives. Thanks for visiting, see you again tomorrow. Until next time as always, Enjoy!