Anyone that knows me, knows that at my core, cooking is comparable to certain sexual acts for me. The whole process of creating a meal from start to finish from scratch, especially something I’ve never undertaken, makes me a little leaky. I love cooking.

And I love television. I spend plenty enough time outdoors recreationally to justify my secret love for TV. And now, thanks to a little scamming (nothing leading to jail time), I now receive 200 channels, one of which I’ve been missing from my life. I didn’t know the Food Network could actually complete me as a person. I feel as if I was lost at sea, NO…adopted, and have finally met my birth parents. And they’re all friendly to the camera, have perfect hair and makeup, and every one of them cooks for me.

Now my budget’s being a little blown lately because, well, monkey see monkey do, but after just a short while I thought for anyone else that cooks out there, I would give you four shows that make me warm and runny on the inside, because EVERYONE should cook.

Nigella Bites

It is absolutely SHOCKING how many people I mention this name to, who have no idea who I’m talking about. This goddess is all busts and hips, and I fell in love with her the minute she put on a rubber glove to peel beets, and told me that the “matron will be gentle”. Nigella Lawson has made cooking sexy (speaking of warm and runny), and whether she has her hand in a chicken cavity, or is licking fresh whip cream off of her fingers, she always does it with a little heavy eyeliner and a wink. I’m not the biggest fan of british cooking, but when she says “delectable trifle”, she oozes heat with every syllable. Woof.

Read the rest of this entry »

There’s nothing better than having a really good gay friend. Although I have been out for almost eight years, it is only in the last few that I’ve really found what it is to connect with another gay guy in a non-sexual way. Below is my list of best things I’ve learned through my gay friendships:

The Mark – Gossip is bad…but oh so good

We spend our days talking to other people and it’s just natural that we end up talking about others at points. Gay guys are great at getting people to talk to them – people love us and want to tell us their secrets. Maybe not always such a good idea…we’re sharers. When I was younger my friend Mark and I thrived on knowing all the good gossip. Since we’ve grown up I think we’re both quite a bit more careful with the information people share with us – but it’s still great to be in the know.

Read the rest of this entry »

The post below is from my book. (Something every parent who has a child should read!) Excerpt from: “Love Won’t Let Me Be Silent” and also included in, “They Say That I Am Broken” by Terry Angel Mason.

Believe it or not, this statement has been heard in the ears of The Creator more times than you or I could ever imagine! It is the prayer of the desperate mother and father who fear that he or she has done something so wrong in rearing their child, until the outcome has been disastrous. Minutes go by, hours go by, and to the dismay of the parent(s), his or her petition has not been answered. Not a peep from Heaven, not even a whisper. But it never occurs to that mother or father that maybe the lack of a response to their desperate plea is an answer in itself.

Days go by, and a trillion questions fill the mind of that mother and father – with the most pressing questions being: What did I do wrong? Why is my child this way? What are my friends and relatives going to think? What are the people at church going to say? Does this mean my child will never marry someone of the opposite sex and I may never have grandchildren? Who’s going to carry on the family name? Did this happen because I was too overbearing as a mother? Did he turn out this way because he did not spend enough time with his father? And the list goes on. And of course for the mother and father who have deep religious convictions arises the ultimate question: “Will my child go to Hell because he or she is gay?”

Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever wondered where the cast members of The Hills were before their MTV reality debut? Kristin, Lauren, and Heidi (pictured above) have a less shadowed past as they started on Laguna Beach and we’ve watched them progress from high school juniors and seniors into, well, “adults”. But what about all the other supporting characters? I took the time to dig up some dirt on the The Hills cast for you and here is what I found.

Audrina Patridge

Audrina Patridge grew up in Yorba Linda, California which is a suburb of Orange County just southeast of Downtown LA. Audrina may be the only brunette principal character on The Hills, but during her high school days at El Dorado High, she was, you guessed it, a blonde! Audrina was prom princess and a member of the school swim team. After graduation, she aspired to be a model and an actress but decided to attend university. After being “discovered” in an acting class, she dropped out of university and moved in with Whitney, Heidi and Lauren to begin filming The Hills. In 2008, nude photos of Audrina surfaced on the internet. She stated in interviews that these were before her “Hills Days” as a struggling model and actress. She was naive and very trusting of people around her. Audrina is a very active individual. She participates in various workout and fitness classes as well as taekwondo, and dance.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Barbara Walters and Host of The View,

Today I viewed a clip from The View where hosts of the show and D.L. Hughley were discussing men who are DL (on the “down-low”) and men who have had gay sex in the last 30 years not being able to donate blood. While I do, to some degree, agree with the FDA’s decision to bar potentially dangerous blood donors from contributing to national blood banks, provided there is proven substantiated risk to those who would receive this blood donation. I can never agree with information being disseminated through the media via Television or any other means that is incorrect. African-American women are contracting the virus in the African-American community at an alarming rate, but it is not solely because DL men are infecting them with the virus, but do to the fact that they are having unprotected sex with multiple partners at an alarming rate, which can be confirmed by the CDC, who incidentally, also disagrees with the misinformation. And what is even more alarming and horrific is the fact that when made aware of the true facts and statistics, D.L. Hughley and Sherri Shepherd refused to retract or recant their statements.

What irritates me even more is the fact that people constantly talk about men living on the “down-low” in the African-American Community but never get to the root of the problem (which was lightly touched upon in their conversation).The root cause in my opinion) is that the African-American heterosexual community is equally to blame for the spread of the epidemic and the perpetuation of the “DL LIFESTYLE” because of their adamant refusal to allow people be who they were created to be. Until we are willing to face the fact that there are millions of same-gender-loving people of color in our churches and communities, and embrace them by allowing them to be who they really are, we will continue to die at disproportionate rates.

Read the rest of this entry »

Below is a piece of fiction submitted by one of our readers.

It was the kind of look you get in passing. They sparsely last a moment and so you have to know
what you’re looking for before it happens. Knowing it was going on as it was happening was tough, but
tougher still was acting on it. The excitement was electrifying. He had definitely given me the look.
Sometimes you think it’s the look, and an unfortunate and unsubstantial glance is just that. When the
guy takes off his sunglasses he’s usually trying to tell you something. He wants it to be irrefutably clear
without tinted lenses to obscure the meaning. I want him to want that anyway.

I looked back in that split second to give him an affirmative. I had to make sure it was slow and
deliberate, but also delicately nonchalant; like I was trying to act surprised or sneak up on a grazing
deer. I gave the slightest wink that might have only been me moving my eye, but he knew what I was
doing. It was a sultry gesture that meant take me, and do it now.

Read the rest of this entry »

I remember how excited I was to experience my first Pride. I had come out just a short year before and was excited to join in the festivities with fellow homos who were free to express who they were, and weren’t letting anyone come in their way. I had a boyfriend at the time and we were looking forward to holding hands while walking in the parade, enjoying the concerts planned in the park and of course, the big dance party to wrap up the weekend. I had all of these preconceived notions of what this was going to be like. A part of my predictions were true, but my mind and more importantly, my heart were not prepared for some of the ‘behind the scenes’ that no one had warned me off.

Pride festivals and parades began as a commemorative ceremony celebrating the riots at Stonewall Inn in New York city in 1969. This was the first time recorded in history where an LGBT community fought back against a government-sponsored system that persecuted homosexuals. This event has been the defining moment that sparked the start of the gay rights movement in the United States. The first “pride parade” happened in November, 1969 under the direction of Craig Rodwell. In the 80′s, a cultural shift began and the small pride ceremony to remember Stonewall became less radical and more organized by gay communities world-wide and have become what we know today as “Pride Week/end” in your respective cities. Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama have even declared June Gay and Lesbian Pride Month for 2000 and 2009. Pride festivals are now seen as a chance for the LGBT community to celebrate their liberation and freedom within society and their success in social acceptance within nations that once oppressed them.

Read the rest of this entry »

Kris Searle is about to see his star shine brighter. The BBC featured artist in the UK has a successful career both sides of the Atlantic. Since his third award win in Los Angeles, Kris has gone on to win other awards including VH1 SONGWRITER and other accolades – his career is skyrocketing. After just winning his 3rd Los Angeles Music Award this year for AAA Single of the Year, Kris now has three movie placements in 2010, 2 trans-Atlantic collaborations for MTV Base channel, and a collaboration coming out with his record label Inspire U Records called “Inspired Artists”. His current single “I Would Give You It All” is being placed on a film titled, “Truth About Kerry” with Stana Katic from ABC’s “Castle”. He has 2 UK releases with Big Brother Celebrity Darnell and UK Rapper AYO with songs “Warning Signs” and “Honestly Remix” and he has also partnered with music company Reputation Label where his radio shows on Fridays is attracting more than 400,000 listeners!”

I had a chance to listen to Kris,’ “Warning Signs” single, which will be released globally on July 26th. Bouncy beats, heartfelt lyrics – Bittersweet love. “I could not be there for you because I could not break inside,” Kris sings, wearing his heart on his sleeve & keeping it real. Kris is in the music in the words. Kris is the music. I can see this easily becoming a dance anthem at all the clubs.

I was also lucky enough to be able ask Kris is a few questions. A down too earth and easily approachable. He may well be reaching new heights, but his feet seem firmly planted on the ground

Interview after the jump…