Best. Gay. Gift. Guide. Ever!
We here at AfterElton.com like to consider ourselves a full
service website for all of your pop culture entertainment needs. And if you’re half as busy as we are during the holiday season then you’re undoubtedly trying to figure out what to buy your Mr. Right, Mr. Right Now, Queer Peer, PFLAG Parents, or even that nasty Born Again Aunt who won’t shut up about what a great guy Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is. So allow us to help you find those last minute
purchases and stocking stuffers!
Suggestions from Editor Michael Jensen
Sex and the City: The Sixth Season $23.95
All the hoopla over the upcoming Sex and the City movie might have you
nostalgic for our favorite gal pals. Written by the out Darren Starr, and featuring the out Mario Cantone as Anthony Marantino and the straight Willie Garson as Stanford Blatch, SATC was often said to actually be about gay men. I suppose there might be some truth to that, but it certainly doesn’t tell the whole story.
There are elements of gay men apparent in the show, especially when it comes to the sexual aspect, but I’d
like to think the show also highlights the best traits of gay men and straight women, including our strong bonds of friendship, our willingness to try new things, reinvent ourselves, and our love of the very gay-friendly New York City where the gay rights movement kicked off with Stonewall.
But I also love how much gay men love Carrie and her friends
(witness the recent reaction when Sarah Jessica Parker appeared on Project Runway). It helps combat that
nasty idea that gay men don’t like women. I, for one, love Samantha’s bawdiness, Charlotte’s sweetness, Miranda’s archness, and Carrie’s earnest search for true love. I can’t imagine a nicer way to spend a cold winter’s night than curling up in
front of the television and catching up with SATC.
I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas
Global warming is something that affects all of us gay, straight, or
whatever label you choose. So why not give a gift that gives something to whole
world? Buy your loved ones carbon offsets to help reduce their carbon footprint
on the global climate. Carbonfund.org
is there to help you do just
that in a few quick steps.
And if you’re looking for a stocking stuffer, why
not pick up a copy of Al Gore’s Academy Award winning An Inconvenient Truth ($19.99) to understand
just what the stakes are for all of us. Visit ClimateCrisis.net to
learn more, and to have a “green” Christmas check out The National Geographic’s Eco
Friendly Holiday Tips.
Music, Music, Music!
It was quite the year in queer music, starting with Rufus Wainwright who made a
splash last year with his homage to Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall. Earlier this
year he released his new CD Release
the Stars ($11.79) to enthusiastic reviews and just last week he
released his Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall ($18.59), practically a gay music icon’s fantasy. Rufus Does Judy includes
“Over the Rainbow,” “Come Rain or Come Shine” and “Zing Went the Strings of My Heart”.
The Scissor Sisters also have a new release just out, Hurrah! A Year of Ta-Dah $15.89), a 2 disc DVD set that includes a full live
concert from the band’s appearance at 02 Fest in London as they toured to
support their latest album Ta-Dah ($11.79).
Jake Shears, Babby Daddy, Ana Matronic and the rest of the band perform “Take Your Mama,”
“She’s My Man”, and the DVD also includes the video for “Kiss You Off”. This is
a queer band well worth your support.
While considerably less outwardly gay than either Rufus
Wainwright or Scissor Sisters, the band Grizzly Bear is fronted by the out Ed
Droste and isn’t afraid to hide their gay roots. Their new EP Friend ($6.69)
is a good introduction to this unconventional band.
Global warming bad,
hot men good!
Proving that not all hot things are bad are the latest collection of
calendars featuring hunky Australian footy players, sexy French rugby players,
cute Mormon boys and more. And some of them are even for a good cause!
de Stade is the crème de la crème when it comes to calendars
featuring hot athletes in the buff. First published in 2001, the series (which
translates to Gods of the Stadium) originally featured only a well-known French
rugby team, but now includes players from other teams and sports. What’s most
refreshing about the Stade calendars is that they don’t shy away from overt homoeroticism.The Dieux de Stade franchise has also been spun-off into
“making of” videos and coffee table books that will keep any gay man warm in
the depths of winter. The 2008 calendar retails for $44.99.
For a Cause ($39.95 AUD) gives the same
idea an Aussie accent and helps raise money for a good cause: the McGrath
Foundation breast cancer charity. The calendar features 28 Australian rugby
players getting nekkid and the website features additional content including
behind-the-scenes video, player of the month pics, and player profiles in case
you’re interested in their minds as well.
Exposed ($14.99) sounds like a site
that should also have "XXX " in it, but is
instead a fundraising calendar featuring twelve bare-chested Mormon
missionaries just back from their overseas mission. The calendar not only raises
money for causes such as Habitat for Humanity (and the homophobic Salvation
Army), but also aims to upend certain stereotypes about Mormons being uptight
and lacking a sense of humor.
Curl up with a good
(electronic) book
Amazon.com’s new wireless reading device, might not be getting rave reviews,
but it certainly takes book lovers one step closer to the Star Trek ideal of having any book available on a handy, go
anywhere device. Users can not only download books, but magazines, newspapers,
and even articles from internet sites such as, oh, say, AfterElton.com.
Kindle ain’t cheap, currently retailing at $399, but if you
know a diehard book fan, especially one who travels a lot, it might be just the
thing so they can read Brainless:
The Lies and Lunacy of Ann Coulter, Armistead Maupin’s latest Michael
Tolliver Lives, William J. Mann’s Men Who
Love Men, or Edmund White’s Hotel
de Dream.
Suggestions from Brian Juergens
The Internet has revolutionized holiday shopping. No longer are we held
captive to the whims of megastores who push mom-and-pop shops out of
business and oftentimes treat their minority and gay employees like
second-class citizens (if you even set foot in a Wal-Mart this shopping
season, I will personally pinch you 'til it hurts). I've picked an
assortment of totally unique and affordable gifts with character and
class, and all but the last item are from small online vendors (several of
them gay-owned or -operated). I've bought from these vendors and
there's a personal element that one might not think possible with
online shopping. And really, who needs another Old Navy assembly-line
polar fleece whatever? This stuff is just as affordable, and you're
helping small businesses and artists. All right, speech over.
Hogwarts Knit Scarf $24 from FredFlare
Need I note that this is the winter accessory that all the gay wizards are sporting this year?
Aviary Plates $38 from Sprout Home
These adorable, patterned plates are also made of durable,
dishwasher-safe Melamine, so they're perfect for bringing a little
color to everyday dining. Great gift for friends with a whimsical sense
of design.
Two Guys and an Octopus Tee $24 from Shana Logic
T-shirts with interesting graphics are pretty much a staple of any
guy's casual wardrobe. To set your fella apart from the pack, try this
truly unique, eye-catching image that combines old-timey charm with ...
well, tentacles.
Feasting at the Berry Bush Necktie $53 from 2Modern
A delightful pattern from one of my favorites (Deadly Squire), this
necktie will make even the most hum-drum 9-to-5er look so hip it hurts.
The husband-and-wife team who started the business have a great eye for
whimsical, old-timey patterns... and he's from the punk band Les Savy Fav!
Beat that, Hugo Boss!
Strangers With Candy: The Complete Series $45.99 from the Logoonline Shop
I know, any "boozer, user and loser"
completist worth his Glint has seen every episode about 100 times. But
this Trapper Keeper-swathed complete series has one ace up its sleeve
that makes it worth the buy: the original PSA that started it all, "The
Road Back". Yes, the brilliant, three-season Comedy Central series that
brought Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert
into the pop culture mainstream was inspired by a real woman who really
did try to go back to high school after a life of debauchery. And it's
amazing. Plus, a montage of all the dance sequences? Sweet!
Suggestions from Dennis Ayers
MoltonBrown’s Re-Charge Black Pepper Bodywash.
I
know it sounds like something you might marinate chicken in, but trust
me — you want a bottle of this in your boyfriend's shower caddy. The
stuff smells just plain sexy, and the effect is, um, invigorating. Buy it for the guy in
your life
and you both get a Christmas present. Lather up!
Molton Brown's Re-Charge Black Pepper Bodywash available for $25.00 through amazon.com.
the Movie DVD
The 1988 original was director John Waters’ most accessible
and commercially successful film. So sure,
it made sense to do a musical stage version. But for the life of me I couldn’t
see why the world needed a second Hairspray movie. In fact, I was sure this production
would wind up every bit as awful as the film remake of The Producers (another title that went from film to stage and back
to film again — with less than happy results.)
Boy was I wrong. This film had me smiling from the opening
musical sequence, “Good Morning Baltimore” all the way through to the end.
Nearly everyone in it delivered great performances. If I had to nitpick, I’d
say Amanda Bynes overacted a bit, and John Travolta got lost in a mountain of
latex. But everyone else was near brilliant. And that includes Zac Efron, who
was perfectly cast as the teenage heartthrob, Link. This is a definite must have for anyone’s
DVD collection.
I came across this fleecy gem in SkyMall, that ubiquitous airline mail
order catalog. It’s a blanket with sleeves, and so it’s called the “Slanket!”
Sure, it looks quite silly, but it’s just the thing to keep you toasty on a cold
winter night. It comes in lots of colors, but I’m partial to green because then
it can double as a Halloween Jabba the Hut costume! The slanket is $49.99 and is available at skymall.com.
Graveyard Gothic Garden
Have any goth girls or boys on your Chrisitmas gift list? If
so, this mini terrarium of terrifying plants seems like a slam dunk gift. It
features a whole slew of macabre plant life, and makes for a wonderful
conversation piece.
The Graveyard Gothic Garden is avaialble at x-tremegeek.com for $24.99
Love Season 2 on DVD
HBO’s polygamist family drama was a bit of a hard sell to audiences the
first season. The question was, how could you like a male protagonist (played by Bill Pullman) who believes
it is God’s plan for him to have multiple wives? And perhaps more importantly,
how can you respect the women (played by Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, and Ginnifer Goodwin) who consent to the arrangement?
It's a neat trick, but by the end of season one you
wind up really rooting for these characters. Season two (out on DVD
December 11th) got even better and would make an excellent Christmas
present for any of the unwashed masses who don't happen to get HBO.
The box set contains some
interesting bonus features — among them several prequel scenes that explore life for the Hendricksons before the start of season one.
I don’t have this yet, but I want it! It’s an alarm clock
that runs and hides after it goes off — forcing you to actually crawl out of
bed to turn it off. If your gift recipient is a serial snooze button abuser like me, he’ll
no doubt find himself in a love-hate relationship with this little gadget. The clocky is available at sharperimage.com for $49.99.
