Kissing Kamal

Happy Thursday folks!  Please sit back and enjoy this live performance of All The Lovers by Kylie Minogue and Scissor Sisters.  There’s something about this slowed down version that I really like, and I love the energy of the performance as it looks kind of impromptu and done with very little rehearsal time.

If you want to see Kylie or the Scissor Sisters live you have a few options coming up in the next couple months.  Kylie is performing at The Patriot Center on April 30^th.  Tickets were still available on Ticketmaster as of this morning.

The Scissor Sisters are opening for Lady Gaga at the Verizon Center on February 24^th (surprise treat) and performing on their own at The 9:30 Club on March 7^th.  Full Scissor Sisters tour information is available here.

If you’ve been in a hair salon lately then you know that Halle Berry and her baby’s daddy Gabriel Aubry are having problems.  It was reported last week by People magazine that Aubry allegedly “used a racial slur against [Berry]” as the custody fight over their daughter continues.

Per the usual, the internet took off reporting all news Halle (do they still play that tired Halle Berry video in JR’s on Sundays?), and questions were asked as to how she could know a man for 4 years and have a child by him, only to later find out that he was allegedly capable of a racial slur.

So Halle, Gabby and the internet got me to wondering: is it possible to date someone who is racist and not know it? Read more…

Photo by Matthew Principe

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Trying to find an empty cab on New Year’s Eve was proving impossible so Jarrod, Tyler, Matt and I ended up walking to the restaurant to meet Mischa and his friends.  We were well on our way to tipsy and Jarrod and Matt were being completely animated and acting like goofballs.  Tyler and I walked behind them; exchanging conspiratorial glances with each other that said, “Are we really dating these guys?”

We finally reached our restaurant destination, Balthazar, and the line to get in was ridiculous.  “Is this a restaurant or a club?” Tyler asked.  We all looked at each other wondering if we were going to get in before midnight when Jarrod received a text from Mischa directing us to a side entrance. Read more…

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“New York’s Penn Station in 20 minutes.  Penn Station.”  Matt and I enjoyed our leisurely train ride into The Big Apple and were about to embark on our NYC New Year’s Eve adventure.  We came up the day before NYE to explore the city and have some alone time before Jarrod and Tyler arrived.

The train pulled into Penn Station and we cabbed it downtown to our hotel; a cute little boutique that was suggested by a friend of a friend.  The hotel room itself was amazing: a double suite encompassing a shared living room, dining room and kitchen area with two bedrooms at opposite ends.

“What a great suite” said Matt.

“Yeah it is.  If the room is any indication then I’m sure we’re going to have a blast ringing in the New Year.”

“Ring-a-ding Ding.”  Matt pulled me close for a long passionate kiss. Read more…

Chyna & Sable Hewlett | Photo by Derek Hewlett

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“So Kamal, when are you going to get a dog of your own?  This is the second time you’ve reached out for animal advice and I think you should bite the bullet and become a full-time owner.”

“Gus, the jury is still out on that one but in the meantime I’m content with seeing Peanut whenever I can.  So tell me, why won’t this dog crap in my backyard and is it something I should be worried about?”

“Before I tell you, promise me that you’ll come out for Pasta for Pets.  It’s a great fundraiser for Washington Animal Rescue League happening March 19^th at Eastern Market.  I’ll send you the invite on Facebook.” Read more…

Mariam Wallentin & Andreas Werlin met and married in 2004 while at Gothenbrug’s Academy of Music and Drama in Sweden.  With her powerful voice and his experimental percussion, the duo perform under the name Wildbirds & Peacedrums, and are known for experimental music which mixes elements of pop, jazz and everything in between.

My Heart is a song from their second album Snake.  I invite you to watch the live performance of this song.  I am literally blown away every time I watch this by the emotion and power Mariam puts into her performance.  It’s obvious that she is deeply in love with her husband.

Their latest album Rivers is excellent.  You can download their music via Amazon and iTunes.

I was pounced on at happy hour Tuesday night by some friends who wanted to discuss my post about dating a Fair Weather Boyfriend.  It was a good happy hour special and these guys were ready for a lively discussion on the topic.

All agreed that the Fair Weather Boyfriend does exist in the dating wilds of DC and even offered alternative names like prick, schmuck, self-important ish head; and others that I can’t print without setting off internet protection software.  From the group came a barrage of stories about dating Fair Weather Boyfriends and the downright douchey behavior of these self-important types.  It was also mentioned that DC doesn’t have the monopoly on this, as you can go to any major city and hear different variations of The Fair Weather Boyfriend’s primal scream: “I gotta do me first” “my boys come first” or; “I’m an actor slash ____.”

After hearing several stories, I put forth a hypothesis to the group that I invite you to consider:

Is there a correlation between our circle of friends and the quality of the men that we date?

Just to be clear, I’m not talking about a situation where friends are drinking the Haterade or blocking you from successfully meeting a potential future boyfriend.  Read more…

3 Dollar Bill (LGBT Reading) | Thursday, Feb 3 from 7:30pm – 10:30pm | HRC Equality Forum

The queer reading event 3 Dollar Bill is part of the 2011 Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference which is happening this week in DC.  3 Dollar Bill will provide the audience a chance to hear works from featured writers and poets in a format that will allow each artist two minutes to read a selection from their body of work.  The event is free and open to the public.  More details via Facebook here.

3 Dollar Bill is part of a lineup of literary events happening around DC in association with the AWP conference.  A full listing of events is available here.

Alfred Hitchcock Retrospective: Part I | Feb 4 – March 31 | AFI Theatre

AFI is presenting a retrospective of Alfred Hitchcock’s work, including Blackmail, The Lodger, and The Man Who Knew Too Much.  Half-price tickets are available for purchase tomorrow, Feb 3^rd as a one day only deal.  View AFI’s website for movie listings and times.

Screening of Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin | Sunday, Feb 13 from 8:00pm – 10:00pm | Busboys and Poets (14^th St)

The National Black Justice Coalition presents a screening of Brother Outsider with a panel discussion lead by NBJC Executive Director Sharon J. Lettman-Hicks.  This event is free and open to the public.

Did you know that Bayard Rustin was one of Martin Luther King’s closest advisors and the organizer of the March on Washington?  Did you also know that he was an openly gay man?  This is a great movie to watch and the panel discussion should be just as good.  More information via Facebook here.

Martin Luther King Library

And finally, I went to the Martin Luther King Jr. branch of the DC Public Libraries the other day to check out Yesterday Will Make You Cry by Chester Himes, which I’ll be posting more about later in the month.  While there, I got hit on / cruised by no less than 3 young, very good-looking guys.

When I mentioned to a friend that I was going to do a post on how the library was a great place to meet a date he said, “oh come on Kamal!  You’re going to roll out that old chestnut?  Every gay man in DC knows about going to the library.”  Well in case you didn’t know or thought, as I did, that the library was full of stinky old trolls, I’m here to say that you should reconsider the library as an option for finding books and maybe a new interest.

xoxo,

-Kamal

Watch the trailer for the new movie Beginners about a man (played by Christopher Plummer) who discovers gay life after coming out at the age of 75. The movie also stars Ewan McGregor and has a June 2011 release date. Thanks to On Top Magazine for the tip.

How to tell if your man is a loser: It snowed and he stayed over, but when it was time to go the next day, he dug only himself out.  #Totalloser

This was the mid-morning Facebook status from my friend Fierce Chick which ignited a veritable snowstorm of comments about whether the man is really a loser or if women should “get their lazy azzez out there” and shovel out their own damn car.

While the discussion was entertaining to read, I wrote most of it off as being Straight People Problems and not something that you’d find in gay dating life.  Numerous dates have helped me shovel snow, dirt, gravel; chip ice; chop wood; install shower heads; fix flat tires; and that’s all before we even get to a second date.  Seriously though, I’ve never had a problem with a guy helping me to do anything so I wrote Fierce Chick’s plight off as a male/female thing until I talked to my friend Kimball. Read more…