Knocked Up fun

C-Lebrity sighting: Rebecca from the Bravo show Workout sat behind Steve, brother-in-law John, and myself at the screening. She's small and cute and fun.

Okay, so on to the movie Knocked Up.

You know what? It was pretty great.

While Katherine Heigl is amazing and the jokes move from extreme to charming, the real hero is Seth Rogen (the dude on the right).

First off, his voice and intonations remind me of writer Dave White. Not sure why, but they do. And that's not the real reason why he's so great in the film.

It's not even that he's super funny with one liners and a lot of improvised moments. (And, in fact, there are many great actors in this movie for that stuff. Even Ryan Seacrest-- I know, you'll be stunned. One of the best is Kristen Wiig from Saturday Night Live who, for some reason, I never met while in Groundlings classes. This is only odd because we have a pretty close mutual friend. OW! I dropped that name...)

Anyway, the reason Seth rocks is that this is a tricky movie-- he's a loser who gets a girl pregnant and, amidst her being crazy and hormonal, has to do the right thing while being really funny. There's no way it would work if he wasn't such an incredibly likable protagonist. So it's not just one thing that makes this work, it's all of them coming together really well.

Yes, the movie could have had ten minutes of random crap shaved off, but Seth is from Canada. I love Canadians. I practically lived there over a three-year period. They're polite. And funny. And, it turns out, good actors.

The Cemetery, Dinner, Celebs and Hong Kong

The past weeekend our friends were out of town and we didn't want to get too crazy so we hit the cemetery screenings with brother-in-law John, Matt and Paul, Trevor and Joe. Watched Vertigo, which is obviously a great film but when you've had a bunch of wine and you're sitting in the back of a grassy field wrapped in blankets, you get drowsy. Afterwards we went straight home and to bed.

Sunday we hiked, went out for drinks with Megsbian to The Abbey because it was sunny and pretty. Nothing major to report.

Monday was a bust. So much for keeping things easy. Though we did hike through Elysian Park by the house.

Last night Steve and I had dinner at All' Angelo for my Metrosource column. Wonderful, complex dinner that we adored. It's definitely a special occassion dinner, but well worth it, especially if you're out with friends.

Oh! And there was a celeb sighting (we think). Former Revlon model Joan Krystosek Kors, whom you may recognize as being the mother to designer Michael Kors of Project Runway fame. She was eating at All' Angelo with a friend.

Then, as we drove home, we passed Kevin Weisman who played Marshall on Alias. He was driving a silver Mercedes (we know it was him, not so sure about the car) up Highland toward Melrose.

Off to see Knocked Up, starring Katherine Heigl of Grey's Anatomy fame tonight. We hear it's pretty good. I'll let you know tomorrow.

Then nothing the rest of the week. Steve leaves for Hong Kong again this coming Saturday, June 2nd. Trying to keep things mellow and close to home since that' s a killer trip and we don't need him flying exhausted on a giant germ tube.

More to come...

Super Models and the Star Wars Convention

Check out our friend Steve Gizicki sporting a "Roslin for President" T-shirt at the Star Wars Celebration IV here in LA. He looks H-O-T!

Latest T-Shirts! Super Excited!

We've got three shirts up now at the Rick & Steve store. This latest one is our favorite thus far.



Note that we now have the Battlestar Galactica logo on color shirts. Sweet!

That's all we got for this week. Everyone have a great and safe weekend.

The Idyllwild Weekend

The reason Steve and I hit Idyllwild last weekend was for Glori Daze. The weekend was hosted by long-time friends Glen and Lori (Hence, the "Glori" part; I won't explain where the "daze" comes from, but I will point out this cute picture of Lori on the left.). We were there to celebrate their birthdays, but part of me also wanted to go and reconnect. As you may recall, months ago an old friend of ours died and we decided it would suck ass if the only time we all hung out was at funerals. So we went and had a blast.

Oddly enough, there isn't much to write about. I mean, sure, I could mention the married straight dude who last month realized he was a cross dresser, which is only odd because these are my straight of friends so having queerness seep in (other than Steve and I) was unexpected.
NOTE TO OTHERS: Thanks for the heads up, dudes!

I could talk about how his wife is basically okay with this. Or discuss the low-slung Bedazzeled women's jeans and blouses he wore (I'm told bra and panties were underneath, but we didn't check). Or how he needs lessons when it comes to walking in heels, but how Steve and I didn't want to intimidate him with any sort of Top Model moment. I could even talk about how he snored and tooted like a semi truck all night-- no joke-- but I won't. Because the weekend was all a lot of fun (Crossy Farts included).
We knew there would be much eating so Steve and I pushed for a hike. We took a group with us and here is the photo proving it. Glen and Lori are center-- he in the cowboy hat, she being the only girl in the photo.

Then we went back to the rented house and started eating. And drinking. I made jello shots with Louisa. Burgers for lunch, guacamole and spicy bean dip with cream cheese were snacks Steve and I made. Lori made these sensational vegetarian stuffed mushrooms-- she and Glen supposedly went vegan last Monday. Ew. As Steve said, "I'm gonna eat air!"

There was also homemade ceviche that was sensational; one of the dudes, Temo, is a chef for Hornblower-- don't laugh-- in San Diego. Amazing. He also gave me a recipe for carne asada that I think we're going to try this weekend. Louisa is his wife and she was super fun. She encouraged drinking. And speaking of drinking, one of my oldest and dearest friends, Mike McCullock, brought Absynth. Cheers.

Funny, though, Steve and I quickly had everyone hooked on our low-carb cocktails. We call it Summer Punch!

1/4 glass mandarin vodka
Crystal Light Pineapple Orange drink
ice

The best meal was yummy filet mignon Steve and I paired with our new friend Ann's homemade bread. She baked it on site, filling the house with warm, comforting smells. It was so hearty, with a wonderful chewiness, soft crust, and a slightly sweet background that reminded me of cornbread but without corn. We spread sweet cream butter on the bread and just ate that with the meat. YUM!

Needless to say, we got back on the diet Monday morning. LA Gay Pride is also in two weeks (or as we like to call it, "Shirtless Holiday LA"). But Steve will have been in Hong Kong the week before, so I think he may just sleep through this year altogether. If he does, I'm sure as hell calling Ann for that bread recipe. Word!

Photo of the Day

I was going to write about Steve's and my weekend trip to Idyllwild, but I have a very big Wednesday and no time right now.

Instead, I'll leave you with this photo of a license plate Steve and I saw while driving into the Greek Theater to see Stevie Nicks.
Genius.

Steve touched Stevie Nicks

Last night Steve and I attended the Stevie Nicks concert at The Greek Theater. It was absolutely incredible, and let me just say that being in the pit, three rows from the stage was AMAZING.
Here Stevie is, standing just above Steve's hat.

The show opened with Chris Isaak-- the woman behind us got up on stage and flashed her bra to the crowd; she was immediately removed from the stage.

Then the woman sitting next to us bought us kettle corn and we happily chomped on that.

After a very short break, Stevie came on and rocked the house, starting with "Stand Back" (sans treadmill, of course) and kept it going through the night. Here is the moment during "Edge of Seventeen" when she walks around and shakes hands with people in the front row. Steve is somewhere to the left, but he's short and tall people on chairs blocked me from getting a shot of him.

Steve said, "I love you." She smiled and nodded. I wanted him to say, "I love you, I think you're my Mom, and why don't you come over to our house for wine and cheese sometime?" but he was so nervous he forgot.

Anyway, we had a packed weekend and I'll write more tomorrow, but I'm on a deadline and have to dash, so I'll leave you with this pic of the very wonderful Stevie Nicks.

C-Lebrity Studded Weddings

Oh those C-Lebrities. They certainly know how to boost up a wedding by making it about themselves. I learned this at our friend Colet's beautiful wedding last weekend-- here she is with Steve and I, looking quite beautiful-- where a certain entertainment news show host gave the only bridal speech and yet somehow managed to drop a million names and make it about herself.

As a side note, this is the same Colet who was head writer on Fashion House and American Heiress.

Here are some highlights:

Host Girl: "When Colet said she wasn't going to have any bridesmaids, I was stunned. I mean, we've been best friends for seven years. So I told her she had to let me give a speech and she said okay."

She cried a bit in there. No one knows why. Now we get plot about her having a hard time coming up with anything to say.

Host Girl: "I mean, I'm on the E! Television Network every night of the week in front of 60-million people! You'd think I could come up with something, right?" As a side note-- Honey, you don't write your own dialogue. And you're not really in front of 60 million. It's called a camera, and then you're edited to look/sound good before your bosses decided to send it out to millions of people.

But I digress... Let's interrupt this rant by showing a photo of Colet with Ted Koland, who wrote with us on Fashion House and was the head writer on Saints & Sinners.

Host Girl: "So I asked my co-host Ryan-- you know, Ryan Seacrest-- to help me and he suggested this book..." Tangent about the book. Bottom line, she's still having writer's block, which is only funny because she's not really a writer.

Host Girl: "So then I asked my friend for help because her husband is a very successful writer and makes lots of money-- he's the head writer on Grey's Anatomy."

FYI: not exaggerating.

Host Girl: "So then I ask my fiance because he speaks at a lot of public events..." Now what's so passive/aggressive and annoying here, is that her husband won The Apprentice Season 1 and is sitting at the table right there so everyone knows who he is but she's making such a deliberate point to NOT say who he is. Nice.

My only satisfaction? (Besides all of us at the gayble looking at one another and literally asking out loud, "Are you f-ing kidding me?!") None of the Persians at the wedding understood her.

Oh, and without naming names, when this C-leb finished, Ted looked at us and muttered, "I think I just vomited a little in my throat."

Steve's response: "Oh, you just DePandied, huh?"

At least we got a good photo with Robert Buckley of Fashion House and American Heiress fame. He's lovely.

Guess Who I'm Interviewing at 10:30am

Um yeah...
Lynda Carter. Wonder Woman.
10:30am.
I have her cell number.

This will not be the first time we've spoken, but it's going to be the best!

As you may recall, Lynda had a cabaret show in San Francisco that Steve and I could not attend. She's coming to LA in June to do the show here, and I get to interview her.

Today. 10:30am.

The irony? Steve and I will be in New York for Xanadu and Gay Pride when her show opens here in LA, so I still won't be able to see her perform or meet her in person.
I KNOW!

Oooh the humanity!!!!!

But while I'm interviewing her, why don't you flashback to this great clip of Lynda Carter guest starring on an Olivia Newton John music special. My friend Bruce just e-mailed this link to me from Canada. VERY fun!

STATS ON LYNDA'S SHOW

WHAT/WHO: Scott Stander and Associates is proud to present TV’s one and only Wonder Woman, after a 20-year absence up close and personal. LYNDA CARTER appears, by popular demand, in her LA début at the Catalina Club. Under the musical direction of Johnny Harris and accompanied by Michael Orland of American Idol, An Intimate Evening with Lynda Carter is already promising to exceed her record breaking San Francisco premiere.

WHEN: June 22, 23, 24 - FRIDAY & SATURDAY 8:30 AND SUNDAY 7:30PM

WHERE: Catalina’s Jazz Bar & Grill: 6725 Sunset Blvd Hollywood, CA 90028
TICKETS: $50 General Seating (2 drink Minimum) $60 Reserved Seating with a ($30 minimum for Dinner) $75 VIP Priority Seating with a ($30 minimum for dinner) Call 323-466-2210 or on-line at www.catalinajazzclub.com

You, Sir, are a racist!

In the last blog, I posted the "Wiggah please!" shirt Steve and I designed. The graphic upset his cousin Beth, and on the assumption that others were bothered but didn't write, I want to clear some stuff up.

When Steve and I created the shirt, it was never intended to be a racist joke against African Americans, people of color, or people in bi-racial relations. Quite the opposite.

This shirt is intended to be a social commentary toward privledged asses-- generally white kids from Beverly Hills, The Valley, or subrbs-- who don the wardrobe, speech, and manners of urban youth without having any understanding, perspective, or respect toward their lives or cultures. Notice that I don't say black youth, because that same usurping happens with the cultural characteristics of Latino and Asian kids we see every day in Echo Park. It's also why we spelled the word "wiggah" and not "wigger", to specifically reference the over-the-top vernacular these kids adopt in an attempt to look cool.

They need a smackdown. We're giving it... with humor.

Social commentary, sarcasm, and humor are sometimes tough things to convey. Look at how Sarah Silverman uses them in her movie and TV show, or in Gustavo Arellano's column and new book Ask a Mexican. The words are meant to shake us all out of our politically correct-induced comas and think-- God knows Steve and I fall prey to that as well.

Indeed, the two of us have spent much of the past two days discussing that delicate balance when art and racial/cultural issues collide. For us, I know, those discussions have been good things. They ground us. They help us evolve.

I do realize a person's individual story or community can influence how messages/art/words are interpreted, and being in liberal California we sometimes forget about the struggles people in other States face being recognized as equal and whole individuals. So to anyone who was offended, we're sorry.

Now, may the larger discussions begin...

New T-Shirts and The Weekend

WHOOP! There it is!

Check out our latest design. Super fun. We just learned how to put images on colored shirts-- this one has eight colors to choose from-- so we're pretty excited.

You can check that and our Battlestar Galactica shirts at our Rick & Steve store on Cafe Press.

And for those who have asked, we should be putting Galactica on a black shirt very soon.

Tomorrow is our friend Colet's wedding (the same head writer from Fashion House and American Heiress. Don't worry, we're not planning on any catfights, though I know we're being sat at the gable (gay table).

It's not segregation, we asked to be there. Gaybles are so much more fun to sit at during weddings.

"Know what you're making before you make it." --Georgia Rule#1

Steve and I saw Georgia Rule last night, which is happily billed as being "From the director of Pretty Woman and The Princess Diaries." Sweet! A charming chick-flick with gay sensibilites from director Garry Marshall.

And that's where the problems begin.

While the movie has some great moments, no one knows what kind of movie is being made so it feels really uneven. Felicity Huffman is making a drama (very well) as a messed up mom who tried to steer clear of her own mother's mistakes and ended up making things worse. Jane Fonda is that misunderstood old bitty who, in a drama, would bring comedic relief and eventual understanding. And Lindsay Lohan is an out-of-control teenager doing a Garry Marshall comedy, in the same safe way Julia Roberts was a hooker in Pretty Woman. Add in a bunch of quirky other bits (and I'm not talking about the token Hector Elizondo scene that happens in every Marshall film) colliding against a really heavy topic and you don't know how to take it.

What really sucks? This could have a been a great drama.

I know critics love tossing blame on one sole creative person-- I've seen it done to friends plenty of times-- but clearly there's a problem with tone that started when the film was shot and which emerges onto the screen. Lohan is not a bad actress but I think she's only as good as the director she's working with, and if he can't keep her in line (and we all read how that was near impossible on this production) then her performance will flounder. It's a shame because she' s working with two amazing women and this could have become an award-winning piece for all three of them.

Alas, that ain't gonna happen this time.

That Big Ol' Fire

Whew! It's HOT up in here!

But in case you're wondering, the fire is close but not so close that we'll be evacuated... yet. It would have to blaze through a bunch of leather queens in Silver Lake first. I feel safe.Two things do worry Steve and I. One is that we're seeing Stevie Nicks in a couple weeks at The Greek Theater. We pray it won't burn down.

The other is Griffith Observatory, which is on the right in this pic and it looks like the helicopter is shooting it with the light. Not only did they just renovate that place, but it was in TWO episodes of Wonder Woman. Oy! The tragedy if that goes!

Sorry for the Delay

I'm working on a new series of articles that have my head a bit muddled at the moment. I hope to have more for you by tomorrow or Thursday.

Promise.

Brownie Surprise!

Steve and I enjoy inviting friends over for dinner. Generally we make a fabulous feast, sit around eating and drinking, and then when everyone's gabbing about how lovely the meal was we tell them it was one of our diet recipes.

We spend lots of time converting recipes from Food Network, cook books, and testing out diet recipes so that we can have a really varied menu; after all, the easiest way to stay on a diet is by making sure your food is super yummy and easy to make.

We even enjoy some of the South Beach diet recipes, and when Steve found the The South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook we were very excited-- and the first meals we cooked were wonderful. Then I found a recipe for brownies and thoughts I'd give it a try...

Yes, it looks like poo for a reason.

First off, the book skips the all-important step of when/how to add the dry ingredients, but I've made enough brownies to figure that part out. But when I cooked them, the mixture was literally sitting in a pool of bubbling butter. They looked like fried brownies, and yes the pig in me considered that may be a good thing (because most fried foods are).

I sampled a bit. It was horrible. So I dumped them in the trash.

Then last night our friend Jorge Palomo was in town from El Salvador-- he's one of the artists in Mondo Homo-- and we wanted to make something fun.

Dinner was lovely: chicken Marsala with pesto-stuffed mushrooms and a spinach salad with white beans, roasted bell pepper, artichoke hearts, buffalo mozzarella and pine nuts in a balsamic vinaigrette. Yum. But I wanted dessert and knowing it was a special occasion I pulled out Nigella Lawson's very wonderful book Feast: Food to Celebrate Life.

I love this book (And I love Nigella-- can't you see it in my "crazy gay eyes" picture?), which may not seem to go along with our diets, but Nigella has so many fantastic recipes and some can be adapted... like her brownie recipe.

No joke, we changed a couple ingredients and they were super good. I swear, this is going to be our next big treat. No, it's not entirely healthy but it's certainly better for you. Here's our twist on it:

--1 1/2 sticks plus 1tbs unsalted butter
--7oz best-quality (71% cocoa) bittersweet chocolate
--3 eggs
--1/2 cup superfine sugar
--1/2 cup Splenda sugar substitute
--1/2tbs pure vanilla extract (good stuff)
--1/2 cup organic multi grain flour
--1/4 cup plus 1 tbs regular flour
--1/2 tsp salt
--4oz white chocolate buttons

Oven at 350 - degrees, line your pan with foil.

Melt butter and dark chocolate ion the stove and then let it cool.

Beat eggs with sugar, Splenda, and vanilla.

When chocolate is cooled, beat it into the egg mixture. Fold in the flour and salt. Stir in the white chocolate buttons and scrape into the pan.

Lick your spatula.

Bake for 20 minutes for fudgey brownies (Her recipe calls for 25 minutes, but ovens vary.) Cool, cut, and decorate with candles or sprinkle with more Splenda if you want.
Eat and enjoy life.

Kurt's birthday & Attention Battlestar Galactica Fans!

Last night we celebrated Kurt's birthday. Steve, John, and myself (Jeff was out of town on business) took him out to Rambutan Thai in our 'hood for yummy dinner.

We also bought him Battlestar Galactica, both second season box sets. Yes, we're all about getting people addicted to the show.

Speaking of which... Have you seen the new shirt Steve and I made for fans of Battlestar?

We're selling these on Cafe Press. In the next couple weeks we plan on having more pop culture related shirts, but I was so excited I wanted to post this now. We have them in various styles, and the fitted shirt is perfect for gay bodies! Hurray!

We're keeping the prices low at the moment, but if they become hot you know I'll be raising them! Mamma's gotta eat.

You can either go to Cafe Press' website and type in "Roslin, President, Battlestar" in the search (or a combination of those words) and it will be one of your choices. You can also skip that step and go straight to the Rick & Steve store!

Okay, that's it. I'm on a deadline. More tomorrow (hopefully).