Sports Illustrated Barbie

Sports Illustrated celebrated it's 50th Anniversary swimsuit issue.  Of course, as a GAY MAN, I have absolutely no interest in scantily clad dames in swimsuits.  From a fashion perspective, it could be slightly interesting.  However, my interest was actually piqued when Sports Illustrated decided to include my favorite (Gal That has Everything) --- Barbie Doll!!!!  She's part of the "Unapologetic Campaign."  I guess, like Keira Knightly, she's tired of justifying her naturally thin frame and taking the blame for anorexic girls everywhere.

 

Now, if you want to talk about a cheap $19.99 "Target Exclusive" that sold out quickly, went onto back order, then became "unavailable" online, then remained still "unavailable" for $29.99 --- bickering about an uneven seam line sewn on bathing suit and glue seeping out of ears and necklines of a cheaply made doll in the "Model Muse" pose --- (little articulation --- for display purposes only) --- THEN and only THEN --- do we have something to really talk about!!!!  Deep breath.  Whew!  Essentially: I missed out.  And, after two weeks of obsessing over something I didn't really need, I'm over it.  Or at least still trying to convince myself so.

That's right, Barbie!  You're too fashionable, fabulous and successful to keep putting up with this crap!  Well, folks wanted to make a big deal about it, but on the cover are THREE bare booties all posed together.  And, folks want to make a big deal out of Barbie?!?  Shhhh.  She's a D-O-L-L, people!!!  If I had to choose between three female bare booties or Barbie's unapolegetic derrière, then make mine plastic and fantastic!!!!

Snow White Takes a Tumble

I know this is completely wrong, but I find this absolutely hilarious!!!  Stupid Snow White!!!  She probably shouldn't have been carrying all those poison apples in her designer bag.

Brenda Starr: A Dream Come True

 

This is my own personal geeky triumph.  For YEARS, I collected Brenda Starr Reporter comic strips.  My Grandmother would save the comics section from the Washington Star for me every weekend.  She'd fold them, then stack them up daily on top of the fridge next to the toaster, for my weekend visits.  I was regaled by Brenda's adventures with her Mystery Man, Basil St. John.  The Washington Star folded and I lost touch with Brenda.  As a young adult, I started making trips to the library.  I discovered microfiche!!!  Sound ancient?  It is.  Really.  I found Brenda in the P.G. Journal, then the Chicago Tribune.  What followed was complete insanity.  Every AWS day, every other Tuesday off (Government speak for: Alternative Work Schedule - a day off), I would go to the library and print out a ton of Brendas.  It took YEARS to compile everything.  But, I did it.  I shrank them down, lined them up, taped them to pages, then bound them together as spirals.  Before I knew it, I had almost all of Brenda's adventures from 1948 - 1995.  The 40s were a little harder to find, but I got some good stuff!!!  I went to a convention.  I met Ramona Fradon who drew Brenda for 15 years and even worked with the comic goddess herself --- Dale Messick!!!!  Well, I do things obsessively.  I'll binge on creativity.  And, I binged on the Dale Messick/Ramona Fradon years of the Brenda Starr strips I'd collected.  I put them together in cute little spirals, created covers and marketed them --- to myself!!!!  I have four beautiful Brenda Starr volumes.  And, I just wanted to say --- Yahoo!!!  At last!!!  A dream come true!!!!  (Can't you see how happy I am?)

And, Brenda is still being commemorated.  Effanbee and Tonner Dolls has an entire line of Brenda dolls.  There's a chapter movie in 1945 starring Joan Woodbury.  Then, there's a movie in 1976 with Jill St. John as our glamorous red head.  And then, one in 1986 (though released in 1992) with the beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Brooke Shields.  Plus, the books just keep coming.  Brenda paper dolls.  Brenda's first have been adventures reprinted:  Brenda's dailies (Even though it skipped stories!!!).  And, now --- Brenda comic books in bondage!!!  Shriek!  Gasp!  Clutch!  (Well, not really in bondage.  The covers were just re-drawn that way with beautiful new covers of "good girls in bad situations" before the comics codes during the Jack Kamen Period - pre-comics code.)  All I can say is --- bring on more Brenda Starr!!!

And, here's more!!!

Federal Beach Barbie

Sheeeeee's back!

Trouble for Hello Kitty?

Gay Print Media Is Not Dead

Tonight I got called out.  I went to an old gay establishment in my old neighborhood of Dupont Circle. (Washington, DC, folks.)  I lived off the 17th Street strip which is apparently the "gay area" now.  It used to be all of Dupont Circle.  Not just 17th Street.  (Thank you, Straight People.  Really.  Not.)  I never particularly liked Annie's, because I thought it was a dump.  But, once it was remodeled during the HGTV phase of the world --- it became cute.  It really is adorable.  On the way out of the door, I came across some of my old school (or is it "old skoolz"?) publications.  Newspapers.  Remember those?  I truly don't believe that print media is dead.  As a good friend of mine says to her technology advanced son, "The paperless system is a myth."  I believe it, too.  She's right.  Paper ain't going nowhere anytime soon.  (Yes, I'm a fogey.)  I gathered up these publications in my arms.  Because ... truthfully, this is what we used to do.  The kids would go out to party, but were educated on their way out.  So, I waltzed out of Annie's.  And, two feet out of the door some random queen on a cellphone on the street called me out for doing so.  We all laughed about it, because it was actually funny.  But, that's how we older gays got our community conscious news back in the day!!!  The Washington Blade and Metro Weekly!!!  (This DC MidCity is new to me.  But, looks cute.)  Oh, how I miss those days.  Everything is so digital now.  Yes, I sound old.  (Yes, I download my comics, BUT --- I buy the paper graphic novels when they eventually come out.)  Anyway, those were the good old days that these "new, young gays" know nothing about.  But, you know what?  I love print media and I still love books.  I support the Kindle and other electronic media because technology should constantly advance.  But, I still love the feel of a book.  I still love marking a book with a paperclip or folding the corner of a page or using an actual BOOKMARK.  And, let's face it --- every now and then I need to see how far I've gotten into a book.  Or how far I have to go.  Or what paper smells like.  (Yes, people, I will sniff a book.  It's a smell I've always loved.)  And, even though I haven't read those gay publications yet --- I'm glad I have them.  Oh, the memories.  I miss those days of clubbing and then coming out half cocktailed and sweaty from dancing, then finding out what had been going on in the world and what we needed to change for the better.  For everyone.

New Life and Comic for Josie and the Pussycats?

Maybe I'm just trying to get some stuff started, but it all began with this incredible drawing by Fiona Staples for the 24th alternative cover for Life With Archie: The Married Life.  In case you don't know, this series is about the life of Archie Andrews after he marries Veronica Lodge and not Betty Cooper.  The question of who Archie loved best --- Betty or Veronica was finally answered.  Then, I think America got mad. Then, he married Betty.  But, how?  Through an alternative timeline storyline and a walk UP Memory Lane.  The "Life With Archie" books still continue.  (SPOILERS: Ms. Grundy dies from cancer.  Cheryl Blossom has cancer.  Kevin Keller marries his partner, Clay.  Jughead gets Midge pregnant.  Moose acknowledges his anger issues and becomes Mayor of Riverdale.)  Recently, the series has been doing alternative covers, which is nothing unusual in the comics world.  Well, Josie and the Pussycats finally surfaced in an issue.  This STUNNING and BEAUTIFUL rendition by the obviously incredible Fiona Staples depicts a NEW Josie and the Pussycats.  (Really, it was just a guest appearance, but this interpretation has left me very hopeful that someday it will become a reality.) Archie Comics just put out Digital Exclusives of "She's Josie" (Josie Jones's first appearance in her own comic book) and "Josie and the Pussycats - The Complete Manga," (a short lived extra from "Archie and Friends").  With a new cartoon and extreme re-vamp for Archie and the Gang AND Sabrina The Teenage Witch (who celebrated her 50th anniversary) coming, maybe --- just M-A-Y-B-E ... Josie and the Pussycats will get another opportunity to shine.  Valerie Brown breathed new life into the group when she hooked up with Archie Andrews, thus creating a love-fest that everybody seems to love.  Even Betty and Veronica realize that they may lose their beloved Archiekins forever

But, what about Josie?  What about The Pussycats?!?  The beautiful cover by Fiona Staples makes me hope that Archie Comics will take a deeper look into this simple cover --- and give these gals another chance at comic stardom.  There's a Josie and the Pussycats "Digital Exclusive" coming in December 2014.  Yes, a whole damn year from now.  But, maybe that means good things are also coming for my favorite girl band.

 Archie Digital Exclusives

 

 

 Dan Parent makes them look --- GREAT!!!

 

Josie and the Pussycats MANGA!!!

CUTE!!!

 

We ALL know the cartoons.

 

I did love the movie. Especially, the look!

Tara Reid, Rachel Leigh Cook and Rosario Dawson

 

 

 The soundtrack ROCKED!!!!

 

 

 

 Yes, they had dolls!