Cruising Lautner

Twilight's wolf puppy Taylor Lautner is said to have inked a deal for $7.5 million to costar with Tom Cruise in Northern Lights, what critics call a tired pseudo-sequel to Top Gun. Lautner will play Cruise's son (snort).

This is said to be the highest paid U.S. teen actor (with barely any talent, other than a hot bod) fee in history. Lautner is already working on the action film Max Steele, based on... a toy (a few of which I own, but Hey, I saw them in a store in Italy and thought they were a uniquely Euro thing, plus he's hot for a toy).




Lautner was great in Lava Girl and Shark Boy, so hey, who knows? It might not suck.

Cruise is ... Well, I think Katie's contract is up, so he's gonna be available.


Frankly, I don't see the resemblance - to the toy or the Scientoligist.

Nevertheless, let the campy re-titling begin! (Cribbed from AV Club)










Top Gun 2: Werewolves on a Plane
Navy Day School
Northern Lights: Glitterwolf
Braddock: Top Gun 2
Top Gun and a Little Lady
Look Who's Top Gunning Too
Look Who's Docking, Too
Top Gun With A Vengeance
Top & Gun-er-er
Taylor Lautner and the Prisoner of Assgraban
Taylor Lautner and the Chamber of Secretions
Taylor Lautner and the Friendly Fellows
Another 48 Showers
Top Gun: Bare Man's Chest
Top Gun: Back to the Minors
Top Gun 2: The Secret of the Cruise
Top Gun 2: The Legend of Hubbard's Gold
Top Gun 2: Shirtless in the Stratosphere
Top Gun 2: Topper Gun
Top Gun 2: Werewolf in a Plane

The Evolution Will Be Televised

The Courage Campaign urges you to sign the petition urging the televising of the Olson/Boies Prop 8 trial. The presiding judge on the case is inviting public commentary prior to the decision.

The landmark federal lawsuit challenging Prop 8, Perry v. Schwarzenegger (also known as the Olson/Boies case) is about to go to trial starting Monday, January 11. The presiding judge, Chief Judge Vaughn Walker, is holding a hearing on whether the a pool television camera should be allowed to film the trial, given the unprecedented interest in the proceedings. Judge Walker is encouraging the public to submit comments on the issue, and set a deadline of Friday to receive comments. This is your one chance to urge Judge Walker to do the right thing in the name of equality, transparency and accountability. Join the Courage Campaign Institute and CREDO Action and sign this letter to Judge Walker. Optional: Please add your own personal comments. We will personally hand-deliver your comments. DEADLINE: Friday 9 AM.

Sign the petition now or write the Court directly yourself. Here's a PDF from the Court describing how the televising would work, if approved. Focus On The Family is circulating a petition of their own demanding that Prop 8 witnesses be protected from a "violent backlash" of homosexual activists. From the wingnut Washington Times:

Attorneys for Proposition 8 backers said television coverage would expose their witnesses to further harassment and intimidation.

Tough shit, Mary. Whip up a hate campaign, and it's gonna come back in your fat ugly face. The Mormon money-launderers and rightwing bigots are probably more afraid of losing, and being exposed for their corrupt financial dealings and bilious arguments about "morals."

Or is bovine Maggie Gallagher just concerned that TV puts on ten more pounds?

Sign up now!!

Live Like a Refugee

photo: Mayank Austen Soofi)

"My life, as a homosexual, was in danger in my country."

That's what a gay Pakistani man said after being given refugee status in South Korea, according to the Korea Times (photo: is not of the subject: see below).

A Seoul court said Sunday that it has ruled in favor of the Pakistani complainant, who is gay, and sought to overturn an earlier government decision not to recognize his refugee status here.

The individual had petitioned the government for refugee status in February of last year. The Justice Ministry rejected his application four months later, however, saying his petition did not meet the criteria of a "well-founded fear of being persecuted" as stipulated by the U.N. convention on refugees.

The Seoul Administrative Court reversed the ministry's decision, saying that should he be repatriated "there is a high likelihood that the plaintiff will be subject to persecution by the Pakistani government and Muslim society simply because he is gay."


"My life, as a homosexual, was in danger in my country," the plaintiff told Yonhap News Agency on condition of anonymity due to sensitivity of the issue. "My family and relatives were my enemy. They said I was insulting my family, Islam and my country and threatened that they would report me to police," he said.

South Korea signed onto the U.N. Convention and Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees in 1992. Since then, 2,413 foreigners have applied for refugee status and 145 were granted asylum. The first approval was in 2001 for an Ethiopian male.

For more on cultural and political issues from a unique persective, visit mostaqueali.blogspot.com

Photo is from the portfolio of Mayank Austen Soofi, whose commentary suggests that Pakistan is "a country teeming with homosexuals. In the 20-hours long bus journey from Lahore to Karachi, a bearded missionary of Tablighi Jamat advised me to convert to his religion. I politely nodded at his persuasions but was forced to vigorously shake my head when his hand started caressing my thighs. The massage was relaxing but the vibes were clearly sexual."

One wonders when/if the Obama administration will do the same for gay Iraqis and Afphanis, before the murders there continue.


One wonders.

Cuz

Why, cuz?
Cuz, that's why.

Wedded Bliss

Other countries continue to surpass American efforts to legalize gay marriage. Argentina's the latest on that list.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Two Argentine men were joined Monday in Latin America's first same-sex marriage, traveling to the southernmost tip of the Americas to find a welcoming spot to wed.

Gay rights activists Jose Maria Di Bello and Alex Freyre were married in Ushuaia, the capital of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego state, exchanging rings at an informal ceremony witnessed by state and federal officials.

"My knees didn't stop shaking," said the 41-year-old Di Bello. "We are the first gay couple in Latin America to marry."

The slim, dark-haired couple previously tried to marry in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires but were thwarted by city officials citing conflicting judicial rulings. Argentina's Constitution is silent on whether marriage must be between a man and a woman, effectively leaving the matter to state and city officials.

This time around, they traveled to a remote seaside fishing village at the end of South America that is closer to Antarctica than Buenos Aires. The ceremony took place during the region's brief summer thaw.

Tierra del Fuego Gov. Fabiana Rios said in a statement that gay marriage "is an important advance in human rights and social inclusion and we are very happy that this has happened in our state."

An official representing the federal government's antidiscrimination agency, Claudio Morgado, attended the wedding in the city of Ushuaia and called the occasion "historic."

eCATnomic growth

a month ago...



and last weekend...

What's the last fun thing you're doing this year?

Well? What is it?
Here are my suggestions.
I love my day job.
Happy New Year!

Celebrating the end of what Time magazine called "The Decade From Hell" shouldn't be hellish as well. Celebrate the ends and beginnings. For skating, movie-going and museum-going options on the holidays, see Friday and Thursday's listings.



Wanna dance for real? New Year's Eve Country-Western Dance at the Hotel Whitcomb is the place as Sundance Saloon celebrates the new year with its first dance party. Enjoy line-dancing and two-stepping into 2010. $15-$20. 8pm-1am (dance lessons 8pm-9pm). 1231 Market St. at 8th. 820-1403. www.sundancesaloon.org


For a nice sit-down show, enjoy Marga Gomez New Year's Eve Spectacular. Everybody's favorite lesbian Latina comic hosts another annual party, with comics David Hawkins, Ben Lerman and Natasha Muse. John Fisher MCs. DJ O'DJ spins tunes. $25-$30. 7pm, 9pm. 2961 16th St. at Mission. (800) 838-3006. www.therhino.org



If you're looking for something fun to do on Christmas Day, you're in luck ... joy luck, with Kung Pao Kosher Comedy at New Asia Restaurant. The 17th annual gay and Jewish comedy night ­– for those who don't celebrate Christmas, or want a break from all that – features Jonathan Katz (Dr. Katz cartoon show), Brian Malow, Hilary Schwartz and Lisa Geduldig. Enjoy a 7-course dinner banquet or cocktail show veggie egg rolls. $42-$62. Also Dec. 25, 26 dinner 6pm, show 9:30pm. Dec. 27, dinner 5pm, show 8:30pm. 772 Pacific Ave. www.koshercomedy.com

For New Year's Eve spacious outdoor patio fun, and the always thrilling possibility of falling in a swimming pool, Blow Your Whistle at Bambuddha Lounge. Juanita MORE! hosts a poolside New Year's Eve bash, with DJs Pee Play, Stanley Frank, Joshua J, Silencefiction, VivvyAnne ForeverMORE, and, well, more. $35. 9pm-2am. 601 Eddy St. at Larkin. www.juanitamore.com



If decor and creative ambiance are what you seek, Sea of Dreams at the Concourse Exhibition Center is pretty special. It's not gay, but rather festive. Massive New Year's Eve party with amazing decor, circus acts, a dozen DJs, live bands Ozomatli, Bassnectar, Ghostland, Yard Dogs, The Glitch Mob and a lot more. Costumed dress code. $75-$125. 8pm-4:30am. 635 8th St. 18+. www.seaofdreamsnye.com
Sundance Saloon's New Year's Eve dance



Get those resolutions started with a few Yoga Classes at Yoga Tree. Send off the year and start anew with popular instructors. On New Year's Day, Les Leventhal and Karma Moffet Moffet lead a special yoga session with meditation, chanting and music. 4pm-6pm. $30-$35. $60 two-day deal for Leventhal's Jan. 1 & 2 classes. Castro studio, 97 Collingwood at 18th St. 701-9642. Valencia studio, 1234 Valencia St. at 23rd. 647-9707. www.yogawithles.com www.yogatreesf.com

Happy New Year.