Some Food For Thought

I was led to this piece by Peter Tatchell in today's Guardian. It's quite shocking to hear that even in the UK, gay men were still not allowed to donate blood - even if HIV negative.

Apologies for not being so productive over the last few days but have been reorganising the flat which is now slightly less sparsely furnished thanks to a very fruitful visit to Encants last Wednesday, from which I came back with a sofa, and half the contents of a gynaecologist's clinic. As a result, we had to change everything around, which was basically just like moving again. All is back to normal now - in fact better, because the office now sits in the best room in the flat - so the blog should be running as normal within the next 24 hours.

Woody's new first lady

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy 

Model, singer, First Lady ... now actress! Carla Bruni-Sarkozy will be starring in Woody Allen's next film. Let's see how she fares at that one.

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A Royal Visit ...

King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain 

The joke at this end is that the King and Queen of Spain are visiting Malta to discuss my marriage to one of their citizens ... which - much as I love my partner - is highly unlikely. The true reason for the royal couple's visit - according to The Times of Malta - is to sign six agreements between the two countries.

Best behaviour please, otherwise I'll never hear the end of it.

No Retouching on Pirelli

Terry Richardson photographs Marloes Horst for Pirelli 2010

Even better news than the one that Terry Richardson (one of the coolest men existing, in my eyes) has photographed the Pirelli calendar is that the photographs will not be retouched, so those who are lucky enough to lay their hands on a copy (not yours truly, unfortunately) will be able to see the likes of Marloes Horst, Daisy Lowe, Lily Cole and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as raw (and as sexy) as they come. The Telegraph has published a selection of pics, though they have been cropped for "family safe viewing!!

So Faye ...

Faye Dunaway, 1977, by Terry O'Neill

Someone mentioned Faye Dunaway on Facebook this morning and I can never hear her name without thinking of the fabulous photograph shot by Terry O'Neill (who was later to become her husband) at the Beverly Hills Hotel the morning after she won her Best Actress Award at the Oscars for her role in Network. As far as morning after pics go, you can't really get any better!

Where Marc Goes ...

Marc Jacobs 

Has Marc Jacobs finally succeeded in setting a trend which many have tried to push, but failed? H&M's ss2010 lookbook features skirts for men. Enough said.

At the AMA's

Lady Gaga at the American Music Awards

Gaga rocked
Lambert shocked
and J-Lo had a little tumble

Am I Going Gaga for the Lady?

A couple of days ago, the blogger Tavi asked: HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT LADY GAGA? It’s a question I’ve been pondering a lot lately, ever since I saw her video for Bad Romance - the first track from the album The Fame Monster - in fact. It’s been a long time since I watched a music video three times in a row – which is exactly what I did with this one - and then found myself going back onto YouTube and watching over and over again. And I’m a 42 year-old man, which technically puts me way out of her target demographic.

I admit: I hated her at first sight. It was about a year - possibly two - ago, and I saw a picture of her on one of the freebies you pick up outside the tube station in London. She was photographed stepping out of a recording studio in the bitterest of winters wearing a skimpy outfit, and I thought, Oh Christ, another one!

I take it back! This much time later, she has grown on me to the point where I think that we possibly could have found the 21^st century version of that other Italo-American icon we love to hate and hate to love, Madonna. She’s definitely got the energy, the balls and the ability to create a visual persona that sets apart the mediocre from the ones who will be there for a long time.  It is perhaps a disadvantage to her that these comparisons are made, but inevitable. If, as is the case with La Ciccone, gay boys hyperventilating at the very mention of your name are a measure of success, then it seems like the lady born as Stefani Germanotta has far to go.

And the music? Because it is, after all, all about the music? Again, at first I thought she would be yet another one of those one hit wonders but the last couple of singles are making me change my mind. I definitely think that Bad Romance is a great song. It’s dark, it’s sexy, and it makes you – or at least it made me – want to dance – which is always a plus.  And she writes – or co-writes – a lot of the stuff herself, another point to her advantage.

I suppose what will determine how she fares with me is the upcoming Monster Ball tour which kicks off in Chicago this week, and hits Europe early next year.  Unfortunately she won’t be visiting Spain, so I won’t be able to see her, but I’m sure I’ll be watching clips online. Possibly over and over again!

The Fame Monster is released tomorrow 23 November.