Who Is That: Jill Sobule

Name: Jill Sobule
Occupation: Singer/Songwriter
Genre: Alternative
Born: January 16, 1965

"She's gonna sing! You're gonna listen!"

There are not enough adjectives to accurately describe Jill Sobule: Talented, intelligent, witty, educated, pretty, ambitious, quirky, opinionated, personable, relatable, vulnerable, hilarious, empowered. Her outstanding career and staggering output as a singer/songwriter spanning the last two decades has blurred the boundaries of musical genre and has made successful forays into film, television, and live theater.

Sobule is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

She began playing guitar in junior high and went on to release her first album entitled Things Here Are Different for MCA in 1990. The fates of success, however, would not smile on her until several years after the release of this album, when Atlantic Records released her MTV staple and national Top 20 hit, "I Kissed A Girl", which was featured on her self-titled album, Jill Sobule.

"That song was a double-edged sword for me," said Sobule. "It was perceived as a novelty hit, but on the other hand it was the first song with an overtly gay topic to be aired on Top 40 radio. I am quite proud of that." The album also yielded another hit song, "Supermodel", included in the Clueless soundtrack.

Since then, she has made four more critically acclaimed albums, Happy Town, Pink Pearl, Underdog Victorious, and 2009's California Years, which Jill released on her own record label, Pinko Records, after collecting over $85,000 from fans who funded the project.

Sobule is a prolific collaborator, writing and performing both with other musicians and with artists from non-musical disciplines, including blogger Ariana Huffington, television producer Sue Rose, and comedienne Julia Sweeney.

She has also served as songwriter/composer for the hit Nickelodeon network show "Unfabulous" during that show's three-season run. She composed the music for the off-Broadway show Prozak and the Platypus and co-starred in the Eric Schaeffer film Mind the Gap.

Sobule toured twice with the late Warren Zevon, whose penchant for sardonic storytelling she shares. She, like Zevon, despite a deep well of great works, is best known for a single fluke hit (Zevon's being "Werewolves of London", a personal favorite of mine).

And speaking of personal favorites, if you haven't already, I recommend listening to the following Sobule gems: "Resistance Song", "Margaret", "A Good Life", "San Francisco", "Houdini's Box", "Mexican Wrestler", and "Manhattan in January". These songs are, of course, only a small sample of the vast talent and originality that this amazing woman brings to this world on a regular basis.

I sincerely hope this self-proclaimed "hopeful cynic" continues to grace us with her unique brand of magic and all around awesomeness.

I also hope she continues sharing photos of her neighbors' gay cat. That delights me.

Below is some fun footage of Jill singing the wonderfully tongue-in-cheek song "Manhattan in January". The song was written in a matter of days in response to Al Gore's depiction of the current and potential state of global climate disaster.

R.I.P. David Carradine

Television icon and film star David Carradine brought a lot of joy and fascination to people the world over, starting with his star-making cult classic TV show "Kung Fu" and more recently with his intriguing performance as Bill in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films, of which I am a big fan.

As I'm sure everyone is already aware, he was found hanged in his hotel suite in Bangkok, Thailand. He was 72 years old.

Carradine successfully carried on a legacy started by his father, legendary film star John Carradine. David was well loved not just by his many fans, but also by his family, friends, and colleagues.

His friend and Kill Bill costar Michael Madsen said, "David was one of the first actors I ever worked with when I started my career and the closest person to a brother that I ever had in my life. It is shocking to me that he is no longer with us. I had been thinking about calling him for the last several days, and advise anybody who has been thinking about reaching out to a loved one to do so."

Carradine's niece, actress Martha Plimpton, writes, "My Uncle David was a brilliantly talented, fiercely intelligent and generous man. He was the nexus of our family in so many ways, and drew us together over the years and kept us connected. I adored him as a child, and as an adult I admired and respected him."

To read updates as to Carradine's cause of death, check out msnbc.com. The latest suspicion (at the time of this post) is accidental death due to auto-erotic asphyxiation.

Regardless of how or why David Carradine died, he leaves behind many fond memories, a strong message of perseverance, and an obvious love for his life and everyone in it.

To quote David directly, "You can't quit; even coming in dead last has honor."

We'll miss him.

A Gay Moment: Christian Bale and Sam Worthington

This Gay Moment is brought to you by the film Terminator Salvation.

Christian: We've been fighting a long time. We are out numbered by machines. Working around the clock,without quit...

Sam: Okay, relax. I'll suck your cock.

Christian: Cheers, thanks a lot. **zip**

Michael Urie Should Ask Me Out: Reason One

A while back, a few friends of mine told me that I resemble actor Michael Urie who is best known for his role as Marc St. James on ABC's hit series "Ugly Betty".

Being the apparent narcissistic bitch that I am (even though I personally think our resemblances are minimal), I have since become rather keen on Michael based on his UB performances and a few of his interviews I've seen. I think he's intelligent, witty, talented, and, obviously, way cute.

I have come to the conclusion that Michael Urie should ask me out, and thus begin my semi-regular posts as to why.

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Reason #1: He's dorkaliciously cute. I like that. Who wouldn't like that? And people say we're similar which means I am also dorkalicioulsy cute. Again... Who wouldn't like that?

We should go on a dorkalicious date Michael. Think about it.

Who Is That: Edward Asner

Name: Edward Asner
Occupation: Actor
Genre: Television / Voice Over
Born: November 15, 1929

Ed Asner is a longstanding favorite of mine. This fantastic character actor, and former President of the Screen Actors Guild, won over the hearts of millions with his Emmy Award winning portrayal of Lou Grant on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and is currently winning over audiences of all ages with his vocal talents as the lead in the Disney/Pixar smash hit Up.

His credit list is incredibly vast with a career spanning over 50 years! This is just a small list of some of his more well known credits.

Before landing his star-making role as Lou Grant in 1970, Asner appeared in guest spots on some of the top television shows of the 1960s including "Gunsmoke", "Mission: Impossible", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "The Outer Limits", "Outlaws", and "The Untouchables".

Asner won multiple Emmy and Golden Globe awards for his portrayal of Lou Grant, not just on "Mary Tyler Moore", but also in his own spin-off series "Lou Grant" which ran from 1977-1982. This makes him the only actor to win an Emmy in both Sitcom and Drama categories for the same role.

He also won a Golden Globe and Emmy for his work on the television film "Rich Man, Poor Man", and won the Emmy for his supporting role in "Roots". He has since had guest spots on such hit television series as "Mad About You", "Arli$$", "The X-Files", "The Closer", "Dharma and Greg", "The Practice", "Touched By an Angel", "ER", and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" among many, many others. He is currently appearing on a semi-regular segment of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" entitled "Does This Impress Ed Asner?"

Asner has also appeared in the films JFK, The Bachelor, and Elf, as well as Broadway productions of The Threepenny Opera, Face of a Hero, and Born Yesterday. He is set to appear in the upcoming films Trim (with Bruce Dern) and Stride (with Danny Glover).

The bulk of Asner's work since portraying Lou Grant has taken place in the recording studios, providing voices for some of the most successful animated series of the past three decades including voicing Hudson in Disney's "Gargoyles", J. Jonah Jameson in "Spider-Man", Master Vrook in "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic", Roland Daggett in "Batman: The Animated Series", and Hoggish Greedly in "Captain Planet and the Planeteers".

He has also done guest voice work for series such as "The Simpsons", "Recess", "Animaniacs", "Hercules", "Superman", "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command", "King of the Hill", and much more!

An avid comic book fan, Asner is a member of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a free speech organization that's dedicated to protecting comic book creators and retailers from prosecutions based on content. He is also listed as an adviser to the Rosenberg Foundation, an organization founded by the children of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg which provides benefits for the children of political activists, and as a board member for the wildlife conservation organization Defenders of Wildlife.

He was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Screen Actors Guild and has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Model and television personality Jules Asner is his former daughter-in-law and 42nd Mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsom is his nephew.

The man has had (and continues to have) one amazing career and a very full life. He is, to put it far too simply, an amazing human being.

Below is a brief interview, along with footage and photos from his various films and television shows. Don't miss Edward Asner's memorable voice work in Up!

Happy Birthday Danny Elfman!

On this day, May 29, 1953, Daniel Robert Elfman was born in Los Angeles, CA.

This man would go on to lead a band of unlikely stars into the spotlight of alternative rock with Oingo Boingo, as well as becoming one of the most well known and loved film and television composers of all time with his scores including iconic successes such as Edward Scissorhands, Batman, Batman Returns, Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Men In Black, Good Will Hunting, Spider-Man, Milk, and the theme music for the hit television shows "Tales from the Crypt", "The Simpsons", and "Desperate Housewives". He has won a myriad of awards and is both a Grammy and Academy Award nominee.

His music has brought much joy and inspiration to my life since I was a child. I look forward to the continuation of his magnificently original work and wish him the happiest of birthdays!

Long live Danny Elfman.

	Music by Danny Elfman - Main TItle
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

A Gay Moment: Zachary Quinto

This Gay Moment is brought to you by J.J. Abrams' Star Trek.

Zachary: I will not allow you to lecture me about the merits of "marriage protection"!