ultranow

which m*a*s*h star just came out?

not klinger. not father mulcahy. it's major charles emerson winchester iii, david ogden stiers, who has come out as gay at 66 in an interview with gossip-boy.com. delicious! not just for him coming out and the (hopeful) peace it will bring him, but for a celeb doing so in some other outlet besides people or the advocate. not that he would have made the cover of either. george takei didn't.

golden girls moment

blanche: david ogden stiers is so gay he drives a pink cadillac convertible with the top down on the hershey highway, gets in the exit only lane, and ends up at a weenie roast in hugh jackman's backyard while surrounded by petunias.

dorothy: that's [beat] pretty gay!

now i know the gossip-boy interview is dated march 11 (at least at the moment) but it is new as far as mainstream media is concerned. now when's alan alda going to come out as bisexual? oh you know it's true. the leap from male feminist to bisexual male feminist is a short one.

celebrity interview: brini maxwell

Television hostess, producer, author, podcaster, inspiration, Brini Maxwell is the picture of grace, panache, ingenuity, moxie, charm and elan.  The fetching star of The Brini Maxwell Show on the Style Network and author of Brini Maxwell's Guide to Gracious Living, she expresses her ideas and passions in an accessible, high-spirited manner that makes you feel she is speaking directly to you, not unlike Mr. Rogers' one on one approach to communicating with his grateful audience.  Listen to Brini, read Brini, see Brini and you'll know you can be you and create a space in the world around you that reflects who you are, a space into which you can invite your fellow human, and maybe a cutie pie terrier (or two).  You can create your own life.  As someone who went from hosting her own NYC cable access TV show out of her '50s and '60s treasure trove apartment all the way to her multimedia success of today, Brini Maxwell is truly a self-made Brini.

ultranow:  They say first impressions are everything.  Can you share a tip or two on how to create the best first impression?

Brini:  First impressions can be so important. I think the best way to make a positive first impression is to treat everyone with respect and dignity. If you display the nobler characteristics across the board you can’t help but leave everyone thinking highly of you.

ultranow:  You’re a gal on the go and now thankfully all us other gals or guys on the go can take you with us, thanks to Brini Maxwell's Hints for Gracious Living, your enchanting weekly podcast on alt.NPR. My favorite so far has been “Cheese – Milk’s Leap to Immortality”.  What's your favorite thing about podcasting?

Brini:  My favorite thing about podcasting is my favorite thing about recorded media in general – it’s a performance that is created and can be experienced for indefinite times hence. I love that my performances go out into the world and reach people everywhere.

ultranow:  You’ve found a way to share ideas for living without feeding into the whole “Keeping up with the Jones'” mentality that permeates so much of society today.  How do you do it?

Brini:  I think it has to do with individuality. It’s important to find out who you are and to be yourself as unselfconsciously as you can. If you’re treading your own path then the Jones’ and what they’re doing don’t really figure into it.

ultranow:  Say it’s my third date with a guy, and I’m finally ready to invite him over to my apartment.  Assuming I don’t live in a castle, what can I do to help create a romantic mood?

Brini:  Lighting has a lot to do with it. If you don’t already have them, install some dimmer switches. Having control over the level of light in your room is all important to creating a mood. Add some candles and you’re sure to win your man!

ultranow:  If you could be a home economics teacher for a day, what’s a project you would give the kids?

Brini:  Probably sewing. It’s becoming a lost art.

ultranow:  What’s next for Brini?

Brini:  Look for a line of products that I design for a new company – Felix Populi and also later this summer, look for a new podcast – this one will be video and will feature segments from the original access show that started my career. In the mean time, stop by my website: www.brinimaxwell.com for information on all my projects as well as handy tips and recipes.

ultranow:  Thank you Brini!

[Photo: Bradford Noble.  Brini with a duster from the book Brini Maxwell's Guide to Gracious Living.  Photo via www.brinimaxwell.com.]

celebrity interview pre-bonanza

manhattan offender scored a delightful interview with lypsinka and now i'm giddy about trying to get my own celebrity interview for ultranow. which basically means forwarding an e-mail questionnaire to about 100 pr reps hoping someone bites. so now i have to find the balance between a celebrity low rent enough to deign to be on my blog, yet successful enough to actually have something to promote that's not porn.

in another guise, i've interviewed a couple of celebrities for a newspaper - a famous comedian and an infamous infomercial host - but that was easier for me because they were phone interviews. an e-mail questionnaire just sits there. so before i write the actual questions, let me work a few bad ones out of my system.

• why are you so ugly/stupid/unpopular?
• why is your mother so ugly/stupid/unpopular/dead?
• speaking of your success, how do you get cum off silk?
• global thermonuclear war - yay or nay?
• how much do you hate your fans?
• is one of your key masturbatory fantasies a mental image of river phoenix writhing around on the sidewalk dying and stuff?
• don't you just want to kill hot guys who wear pants with pleats?  haven't they heard of flatfront?
• not to encourage you to make powerful enemies or anything, but what don't you like about oprah?
• what narrowminded, solipsistic thing are you going to do today?
• so how's this jewish thing working out for you?
• do you know where i can buy a decent coffee table?

wish me luck landing an interview without a newspaper behind me.  i'm going to need it.  i'm thinking rebecca romijn is out.