Art Attack

I've somehow missed that there is a new local magazine, Malibu, which is also available online.

In the lastest issue, they feature a profile of and Q&A with Robbie Conal, the irrepressible guerrilla artist whose posters adorn buildings and light posts throughout Southern California. His work has attacked the war, the Supreme Court, politicians of both major parties, and a lot more.

The magazine reviews his work thusly:

"The product of prolonged pressure and heat, each of Conal’s works emerges as yet another priceless diamond, sparkling from all angles with a witty, gritty social consciousness never before seen in the world of artistic expression. Adorning America’s cityscapes with badges of civil disobedience, Conal and his “get-up” army view the streets as their own personal CNN, broadcasting their message under cover of night, town by town, block by block, street by street. People are definitely watching. And more importantly, they are thinking."

Conal's work is as brilliant as it is unsubtle. His website is here.

Bigger, Faster, Stronger

The early buzz is great for the premier film by Venice's Chris Bell. The documentary "Bigger, Faster, Stronger" opened at the Sundance Film Festival, got rave reviews, won a distributor, and opens in limited release Friday, including a showing at the Arclight in Hollywood. I hear it's sort of like Michael Moore on steroids.

I'm dying to see it. The film's website is here.

Here is the trailer:

The Anti-Marriage Initiative

Yesterday, the Los Angeles Times poll reported that Californians were close to evenly divided on a likely ballot measure that would amend to state constitution to codify anti-gay discrimination, and explicitly ban same sex marriage.

Patrick Range MacDonald of the LA Weekly has taken a look at the poll, and has some interesting observations at the alternative paper's website. Range, who is emerging as a important journalist on the LGBT beat, has started a blog on the paper's site to cover the initiative battle.

Some of his other recent coverage is here and here.

Ill Will

UFC 84: Ill Will, which airs on Pay-Per-View at 7 pm PST, boasts a helluva card, with a dramatic title fight, and a main card full of exciting bouts with major implications.

The headline fight, for the lightweight belt, is between BJ "The Prodigy" Penn and Sean "The Muscle Shark Sherk." Penn captured the title in January by defeating Joe "Daddy" Stevenson. Sherk used to hold the title, but it was stripped from him when he tested positive for steroids. For Sherk, this is a shot at redemption and an attempt to reclaim the title he feels was stolen for him. For Penn, this an opportunity to claim he holds the title legitimately and to put to rest, perhaps for good, the recurring storyline that he is a lazy fighter. There has been lots of bad blood between these two fighters.

Sherk is a relentless wrestler. Penn is a jiu-jitsu marvel. This will be a fun fight. I'll hoping for a Penn victory.

The second hottest fight of the night is Tito "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz versus Brazilian Lyoto Machida.

This will be Ortiz's last fight in the UFC, whose feud with UFC president (and his former manager) Dana White has all the drama and pettiness of a two soap opera divas. The latest installment in the long-running feud: at yesterday's weigh-in, Ortiz wore a t-shirt that said "Dana is my Bitch!" This came a few days after Dana trashed him on a conference call as the "dumbest human being" he has ever met.

Ortiz has gone all Hollywood, dating a former porn star and appearing on Donald Trump's "The Apprentice. " He has been a great fighter, but he is now more showman and ego than fighter. The contrast could not be sharper with Machida, a disciplined, smart, talenter fighter of both Japanese and Brazilian heritage. I'm rooting for Machida.

The third major fight is Keith Jardine versus Wanderlei Silva. They are both impressive fighters - although Jardine has an odd stance that makes him look a cartoon character. Silva, the former champion in the Pride league, has been on a losing streak lately. Jardine's last fight was a stunning split decison victory last fall against Chuck Liddel.

The Persecution Continues

The New York Times reports today that 270 illegal immigrants have been sentenced to five months in prison as part of "a sharp escalation in the Bush administration’s crackdown on illegal workers."

Last year, Congress was thisclose to a comprehensive package of immigration reform -- but it died, largely due to objections from the Right. They refused to compromise, killing the bill, and now they are getting everything they want -- border fences, stiffer penalties, a massive crackdown -- with none of the actual reform.

This sucks. I'm hoping either Obama or McCain will make genuine reform a priority in January -- before more immigrants wind up dead, in jail, in bleak and barren border deserts, or from the coming wave of anti-immigrant hysteria that people like Linbaugh and Lou Dobbs promote.

In Memoriam

In honor of Memorial Day, Arlington West will be up all weekend long by the Santa Monica Pier. A project of Veterans for Peace, Arlington West is an installation in the sand of hundreds of crosses memorializing the military personnel and civilians who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Usually the temporary memorial is installed and open from sunrise to sunset on sundays. This week, it will be open from Saturday morning through late afternoon Monday. From 12:30 to 3:00 pm Sunday, there will be a speaker's program, broadcast live on KPFK 90.7 FM.

An Ode to Barbershops

The cool blog, Art of Manliness, has a post that waxes nostalgic about barbershops.

Only One

This skit from last week's Saturday Night Live is priceless:

I Have No Words

The president of Gambia is saying that gays in his country will be beheaded.

The headline on the story is: "President plans to kill off every single homosexual."

So Much Beauty

One of my favorite cinematic moments:

Jail the Children!

More immigration nonsense.

The federal government is planning on building more "family detention centers" to house not just adults, but also children:

Family detention has been condemned by human rights groups and immigrant rights organizations as punitive and unnecessary. But immigration authorities said it ensures that immigrants show up for their court hearings and leave the country when ordered deported.

The government does not have a great track record with this kind of thing. It has been sued over conditions at one such facility:

When the center opened, children were given hospital scrubs to wear, forbidden to have toys and allowed only one hour of recreation per day, attorneys said. As a result of the settlement, children are allowed to wear pajamas, move freely around the center and bring toys into their rooms.

More immigration Outrages

The newspapers from the past few days have more evidence of the remarkable cruelty and sheer idiocy of the nation's immigration policy.

First, the cruelty: word from the LA Times that border officials are attaching razor wire to the border fence.

And then the idiocy: news from Texas that customs officials are insisting on checking for proof of citizenship during emergency evacuations. Having learned nothing from Katrina, federal officials now want to slow evacuations down with red tape.

Incredible.

FYI - the photo is by the exceptional (and Pultizer Prize-winning) Don Bartletti of the LA Times. He and reporter Sonia Nazarro each won Pulitzers for their artful and moving series on immigration, "Enrique's Journey."

Wet

The Stanford Swim Team. They should make a calendar.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell?

Abercrombie & Fitch couldn't do it better. I'm not sure Falcon video could either.

Every year, plebes at the U.S. Naval Academy engage in a popular and public act of homeroticism. They strip to their shorts, grease each other up, and climb/slid/slide all over each other to mount a large, well-lubed phallic symbol. I kid you not. And it's hit.

Pretty much every gay male feels obligated to post photos on the event. Here is one -- but for a more full gallery, check out Towleroad or OHLALA Mag.

Voices

Some eloquent voices this week worthy of being heard:

The Father of a Transgendered 10 year-old, from Andrew Sullivan's blog.

A gay Peace Corps volunteer on being gay in Mozambique. Thanks to Towleroad for the link.

Thoughts on a Anti-Gay Ballot Initiative from a young gay political staffer - from California Majority Report.

An Ohio University freshman kicked out by roommates because he is gay. Again, thanks to Towleroad.

Will.i.am Campbell's moving essay on his reaction to a photo of a quake victim in China. From Los Angeles Metblogs.