New York based photographer Bill Travis was not someone I had known, until he contacted me last year about doing a feature on his work for my old blog Current Obsessions. And I was very glad he did.

Trained in art history at the Institute of Fine Arts, Bill Travis has shown his work in New York, Berlin and Argentina as well as having his work on medieval sculptures published in countries around the world.

But it is his photography of the male nude that brings his exquisite images here to this blog. The male nude, that for him, has been too long over shadowed by its more socially acceptable female counterpart. Indeed, as he says himself: "Not so long ago, few people were willing to accept that the male nude and art belong together. The female nude had a long and glorious tradition in art, but the Classical tradition of the male nude had somehow become the province of stuffy professors and men who lingered over the “wrong” gender. All of this has changed today, especially over the past generation, as artists and photographers have given the male nude a new complexity, ranging from humor to compassion, disease, vulnerability, homosexual longing..."

Powerful and daring portraits that bristle and crackle with life. Reminiscent of unrestored paintings in dilapidated galleries or cracked vases featuring the forms of Ancient Greek Gods, each one of his pictures feels like it exists because it always has. In no small part, this can be put down to his unusual and highly stylised technique: "Technically, I do alternative-process photography, taking digital prints through successive manipulations with oil paint, gold, and other substances. These manipulations are never an end in themselves, but, rather, a way to enhance the images’ sensuality, whether the object represented happens to be a body or a building."

I for one am now a fan, and urge readers of this blog to visit his site and view his galleries. Who knows, you may even have found that you have a new favourite artist.

Bill Travis Photography

this post has been reviewd and updated from a previous piece in on my old blog

Romeo (formerly Lil Romeo) was born Percy Miller Jr in 1989. As the son of legendary Master P. it was probably unquestionable that he would do anything else but go into the entertainment business.

His career as a rapper started in 2001 with the self titled album "Lil' Romeo" and it was from that album that he released the song "My Baby." The song charted at number 1 in the US charts and made him the youngest performer ever to achieve this feat, squashing Michael Jackson's record at the same time. Two more albums followed but negative reviews and a saturated market slowed things down for him. But with his sixth album "High School Romance" out this year he could be about to change that.

He has also featured in Movies "Max Keebles Big Move" to this years "Internet Dating" as well as having appeared in numerous Nickelodeon shows.

As a Basketball player, he plays point guard for USC where he studies and has a glittering career lined up for him as an athlete if he so chooses, hoping to play for The Trojans. That combined with his P.Miller clothing line he's the closest thing to a Renaissance man as you're likely to see.

Last year in November he became an unlikely hero to the gay community as well by speaking out against Ja Rule who had a homophobic rant not untypical of Hip Hop stars. Slamming Ja Rule as "ignorant" he went on to say "It was ignorant of him to say. Gays are everywhere in the industry and society in general. That’s not changing. So why shouldn’t they get to be on TV and in the movies like everybody else?! He can’t really believe that none of the peeps who bought his records were gay, and I bet that he wouldn’t give any of ‘em a refund."

Like most civilized people Romeo believes that it's character that counts in everyone regardless of their sexuality. "It doesn’t matter. I’m cool with everybody who is cool with me. So long as you’re not hurting nobody, I’m not gonna hate on peeps for who they are. I have a few friends who are gay and why not? They alright with me."

Title: Different
Director: Tyrrell Shaffner
Starring: Ben Hogestyn
-------------Emily Stiles
-------------Scott Lembke
Time: 10 mins 41 secs
English Dialogue

In this parallel universe where gay is the norm, Homecoming is rearing its ugly head and Justin needs a date. Lucky for him that Bobby, the most popular guy in the whole school has set his sights on our hero. The only thing is that our hero isn't like all the other kids at his school. Justin is straight.

In this endearing, light hearted take on the perils of being different at school, the roles have been reversed. Shaffners short feels like part of a larger movie, the only thing that sets the film apart from other teen comedies is that it is challenging that which we see as normal. A socio-political comment or dreamy wish fulfilment short? That's for the viewer to decide.


Different - Gay Themed Short Film
Uploaded by doyler1985

Eleven year-old Andy is a precocious boy who enters sixthh grade with ideas of being one of the popular kids. Abandoning his friendship with the obviously gay James, Andy begins to court the attentions of the star football player Mark and his crowd. Not counting his days of playing "Doctors" with James, Andy is determined that this will be the year he finally kisses a boy.

It's easy to forget that all too brief time in our lives between wanting to be play with toys to be wanting to play with boys, but Babcocks charmingly disarming novella manages to bring it flooding back. Andy's internal struggle, the inability to understand his own feelings for heart throb Mark and why he doesn't have those same feelings for Marks girlfriend are extremely relateable. Babcock's writing is wonderfully simplistic, keeping it on the same level as Andy's thought processes will make this book an excellent read for young gays who find themselves in our leads situation.

Andys' relationship with James throughout this book is something keenly insightful. Perhaps just two sides of the same character. While James is portrayed as overly emotional (something Andy hates him for) Andy keeps his in check, focusing all his pent up feeling into writing a fairy tale of a girl abandoned in the forrest with only talking animals for friends and dreams of a handsome prince. James is known as the "school faggot" and Andy teases him in front of the other boys while still calling him at night and inviting him for 'sleepovers.' James is the part of Andy that he, himself must learn to accept and only by accepting his friend as he is can Andy move forward.

This charming, wry, coming of age story is unlike most others because that's exactly what it's not. There's no huge life affirming discovery here, just a quick snapshot of who we were even if it's only who we were for the briefest of times.

As these Screencaps were such a big draw in my last blog and because I have a thing for, the most beautiful, Hayato Ichihara I thought I'd transfer the posts from Waterboys 2. A comedic JDorama about a group of boys trying to start up a synchronised swimming team at their school.