HOUSTON ELECTS A LESBIAN AS MAYOR

Houston - Annise Parker, a lesbian who has never made a secret or an issue of her sexual orientation, on Saturday was elected mayor of Houston, the nation's fourth-largest city.

With the victory, Parker, 53, will become the first openly gay mayor of such a large American city. The population of the Texas city is about 2.2 million.

Her victory comes two days after Democrats in California's Assembly unanimously tapped John Perez of Los Angeles to be their speaker. He will be the first openly gay lawmaker to hold the powerful post.

With almost all of Houston's 738 precincts reporting, Parker had 53% of the vote and Gene Locke 47%, according to the Harris County website.

The fiercely contested battle leading up to Saturday's balloting was marked by anti-gay rhetoric. Locke, 61, condemned such tactics.
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RICK CASTRO & JOHN CARPENTER ON RADIOACTIVE DICK- KILL RADIO

john carpenter & i went on radioactive dick's program on killradio last night-12/11/09, to promote the live performance JOHN CARPENTER RULES THE NIGHT
- TONIGHT-saturday- 12/12/09- 7pm-11pm-
$8 cover.


here is the live radio program. give it a listen- www.radioactivedick.com

antebellum
1643 n las palmas ave
hollywood, ca 90028
323 856-0667
antebellum@earthlink.net

CUTE PROTEST SIGNS

leave it to the gays to find humor in everything.

BONDAGE IN THE MAINSTREAM

this little ditty by travis is perfect for today. a little bondage, a little rain, and a little boy wearing a dirndl skirt.

JOHN CARPENTER RULES THE NIGHT

john carpenter returns to antebellum gallery for a one night only- live performance.




featuring john & his band and special guests-

michael berg
rykarda parasol

please join us for this very special event. see john carpenter before he gets signing to a major label. you can tell your kids, " i saw john carpenter live before anyone knew who he was."

saturday-december 12th, 7- 11pm

$8 cover

no host bar

antebellum
1643 n las palmas ave
hollywood, ca 90028
323 856-0667
www.antebellum.us.ms
antebellum@earthlink.net

A CLASSIC RETURNS

after 8 long years sade has a new CD with this preview single- soldier of love. an instant classic.

GAY REUNION

speaking of ex-gays, i had a great little post-ex gay reunion with my friend josh levy last night. josh and i were gay in the 90's then became ex-gays, and now are doing our best at becoming gay again... we keep slipping and sleeping with women, but our ex-straight sponsors tell us that's to be expected and it's only a matter of time when we will embrace homosexuality once again. we keep fucking up and going to strip bars like jumbo's clown room.

so to make sure we were doing things the gay way, we hit the spotlight, (the only gay bar left in hollywood) and reminisced about the good ol, bad ol days. josh was part of the crew during production of hustler white, (back in 1995). my first all gay feature film and apparently his as well.

GAY VS EX GAY

once again rachel maddow proves how investigative journalism works. watch this clip as she dismantles richard cohen, a leader of the ex-gay movement and author of the book- "coming out straight." all the while rachel never raises her voice, interrupts or insults her guest, instead armed with facts she goes for the juggler and draws ex-gay blood.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

the proposed anti-gay laws in uganda are so horrendous, yet rachel has been the only mainstream journalist who's covering it. rachel is very concerned that the law will indeed be enacted making it legal to kill gays in uganda!!
what in the hell is going on?!

ANCIENT EROTIC ARTIFACTS: NOW REVEALED, THEN MOUNTED AGAIN AND AGAIN

once again, a new exhibit is presenting ancient greek & roman artifacts proving the average citizen was a kink with one thing always on their minds- SEX.

the italians recently acknowledged the findings of leonaro da vinci's erotic works, now we see a mainstream erotic exhibition from the romans & greeks. another example how the world was having a gay ol time, until the christians crashed the party.

BLAST FROM THE PAST!

FETISH IN ADVERTISING

here are some mainstream ads with fetish as the focal point. do they sell the product successfully?

MOMENTS TO REMEMBER ON TV

listen to this interview with ian mckellen on inside the actors studio circa 2002.
among other things he explains section 28. a pathetic bill that was trying to become law in the 1980's- UK- mrs thatcher era.
signaling the modern gay right movement in the UK.


and for those of you that don't remember clause 28, or were too young, here's a blast from the past video from
boy george- circa 1988.

THE FIRST COMMERCIAL AIRLINE IN SPACE

Rutan and Branson make a giant leap for space tourism
The intergalactic entrepreneurs unveil the VSS Enterprise, the world's first commercial passenger spacecraft. Tests are expected to start early next year, and flights could begin in 2011.



Richard Branson celebrates at Mojave Air and Space Port as the VSS Enterprise makes its debut. About 300 people have paid $200,000 each to be among the first passengers to travel in space.

By John Johnson Jr. reporting from mojave
December 7, 2009 | 10:45 p.m.

On a wind-tossed desert night, the dream of space pioneers Richard Branson and Burt Rutan to bring space flight to everyone -- at least everyone who can afford it -- drew closer to reality when the pair unveiled the world's first commercial passenger spacecraft.

To the strings of an ethereal soundtrack, as dreamlike purple lights played across the runway, the VSS Enterprise rolled into view at the Mojave Air and Space Port, about 95 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.

Despite the bracing wind-chill factor, hundreds of people who had flown in from around the world to view the craft burst into cheers and applause.


"Isn't that the sexiest spaceship ever?" shouted shaggy-haired British billionaire Branson.

Mock-ups of the design had been released earlier, but this was the first public glimpse of the much-anticipated craft.

The crowd that gathered for the event, which recalled the trippy music and dancing lights in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," could hardly have agreed more.

But then about 300 of them had already paid $200,000 each to be among Branson and Rutan's first paying passengers on Virgin Galactic.

Rutan gave no specific date for the first passenger flights, but officials said Virgin Galactic hopes to begin testing early next year, with the first flights in 2011.

Among the dignitaries in attendance were Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who bantered with each other as though they were on the rubber-chicken circuit.


The craft was built in Schwarzenegger's state, but it will conduct its operations from Richardson's state, from a base outside Las Cruces called Spaceport America.

Noting that passengers will have four minutes of weightlessness, Schwarzenegger joked: "No one is more happy than Gov. Richardson about that."

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DEBTOR'S REVOLT- AN ONGOING BATTLE

TWO LIVING LEGENDS

amanda lear & john waters- icons/classics

photo courtesy~ scott ewalt

SNEAK PEAK BY RICK CASTRO

here's a little teaser preview of a shoot i just did with one of antebellum's artists~ aaron valenzuela.



not only did aaron create the costume, he is also the model

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO?

JAMES & AMANDA-
were a gay male & fag-hag female singing duo. they were fixtures in weho during the new wave 1980s. i used to see them @ every club and bar on a nightly basis. of course i also went out on a nightly basis so the chance of running into them was high.

i fondly remember greeting james on many occasions to which he would respond with his now legendary stark reply- "HI, HOW ARE YOU?"

i even saw them perform their classic remake of "i need a man," @ the spike. a leather bar on santa monica blvd that's long gone. now a trendy bridge & tunnel bar.

i even saw james & amanda perform @ daddy warbucks in palm spring in the late 80s. glen meadmore opened for J&A.
between the both of them, glen meadmore's crab dance, and jame's flat singing style, they succeeded to clear the room.

TEA TIME

antebellum hosted an intimate tea party for friends & lovers to ring in the holidays

our kinky little group feasted on spicy cheese turnovers, pistachio cookies and blackberries! our "black orchid" tea imported from mariage freres was a perfect compliment. laughs & giggles were had by all.












photos courtesy- bryan barnes & wil shepherd

100 YEARS AGO-TODAY

as the new year approaches and we look for all things new, here are some facts to consider from 100 years ago

One hundred years ago. Here are some statistics for the Year 1910 :

@ The average life expectancy was  47 years.

@ Fuel for a car was sold in drug stores only



@ Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

@ Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.



@ There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles Of paved roads.

@ The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.


The tallest structure in the world was the  Eiffel  Tower!

@ The average wage in 1909 was 22 cents per hour.



@ The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year ..

@A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,

@ A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

@ More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .

@ Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!

@ Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which Were
condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard. '



@ Sugar cost four cents a pound.

@ Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

@ Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

@ Most women only washed their hair  once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

@ Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from Entering into their country for any reason.

@ Five leading causes of death were:

1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

@ The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!

@ Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea Hadn't been invented yet.

@ There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.



@ Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school..

@ Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health'



@ Eighteen percent of households had at least  one full-time servant or domestic help.

@ There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE !  U.S.A.! 

 @ 95 percent of the taxes we have now did not exist in 1909

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.