Simon Webbe

Simon, Simon, Simon... The simple fact of the matter is that Simon Webbe is Sex personified. Forget your American dime-a-dozen imports, your Jensen Attwoods, your Tyson Beckfords, your Wilson Cruzs. Simon Webbe is all you need. The man is the definition of Sex. Not sex, Sex. What the hell, SEX. SEX! He also doesn't mind having his butt groped my male fans. Handy information to have. Sadly though, there doesn't seem to be much doubt that Mister Webbe is a Heterosexual (let's hope it's just a phase). On the other hand, during a late night, alcohol-fuelled troll of YouTube, I happened across the video for Guilty, which includes the following lyrics from Simon and (or is it to) bandmate Lee: Simon: I never wanted just to be the other guy Lee: (Be the other guy) Simon: I never wanted to live a lie Oh er, missus... It's at about 1.38 in the video (below). Have a peek. Check out the look they share as they breathe the words "be the other guy" to each other... Now, let's have it right, kids, I'm not accusing Simon & Lee of a hot, sexy, down-low romance during their time in Blue. All I'm saying is that we should float our fantasies on the sea of imagination, and *sigh*. Finished? Jolly good. You can draw your own conclusions. Simon's third studio album, apparently called Run, is rumoured to come out this year. He's also said to be in talks to appear in the next series of the high-brow sociology experiment I'm A Celebrity... Well, let's hope he loses most of his clothes out there in the jungle.

Vote Now: The 50 Greatest Gay Books

Over at AfterElton.com, voting has started on the 50 Greatest Gay Books. After the (albeit pretty predictable) travesty that was the 50 Greatest Gay Movies, make sure you have your say, and nominate your own personal top 5. Voting is open until October 31st and the results will be published in November.

Deciding upon bestest-most-favourite-ever-type things is never easy. Only John R. Gordon's works, my appreciation of which I've talked about previously, were guaranteed a place. I have a fondness for Alan Hollinghurst, but it's hard to single out any one novel. Larry Duplechan's books are all excellent and deserving of a wider audience. Shyam Selvadurai's Funny Boy is a joy. In any case, my five nominees are:

1) Skin Deep by John R. Gordon

2) Black Butterflies by John R. Gordon

3) Blackbird by Larry Duplechan

4) The Spell by Alan Hollinghurst

5) Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai

What will yours be?

There's Probably No God

It's a rare beacon of rationality in a world increasingly poisoned by religious extremism, and a sign that the enlightened are finally hitting back at fundamentalist propaganda. The British Humanist Association (BHA) will pay for the slogan "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life" to be displayed on buses in London from January, and potentially in Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh. Hanne Stinson, chief executive of the BHA, said: "We see so many posters advertising salvation through Jesus or threatening us with eternal damnation, that I feel sure that a bus advert like this will be welcomed as a breath of fresh air. If it raises a smile as well as making people think, so much the better." The man who wrote the best-selling The God Delusion, Professor Richard Dawkins, supports the campaign: "Religion is accustomed to getting a free ride - automatic tax breaks, unearned respect and the right not to be offended, the right to brainwash children. Even on the buses, nobody thinks twice when they see a religious slogan plastered across the side. This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think - and thinking is anathema to religion." That says it all really. Personally speaking, I'm deeply opposed to organised religion, particularly the rapidly encroaching threat of Islam, and the long-running hate campaign we like to call Christianity - both of which threaten to drag civilisation back to the middle ages. I don't necessarily believe religion should be banned, but it should certainly be discouraged. A bit like smoking, in fact. I can't wait to see the Truth displayed on buses. In fact, I think it's a Godsend.

The Lego Man

I have a confession. I was a Lego kid. I loved the stuff. But I'm not going to embarrass myself by revealing how old I was when I finally stopped messing about with it, except to say that I lost my virginity before I lost my Lego sets. Let's just leave it at that. Some years later, I spent a small fortune on eBay buying back those 1980s sets I'd once owned, and which my adolescent self foolishly disposed of. They're now housed behind glass, unplayed with, and untouched by human hands. Nathan Sawaya is a man who's taken his plastic passion a bit further; his New York studio is home to more than 1.5 million bricks, which he uses exclusively to build some pretty amazing sculpture. He can even recreate you - yes, YOU - as a full-size Lego replica. I think I'd like that. See more of the man and his art here.

Wood Lane

Today I could have run with the latest on those persistent rumours surrounding Will Smith, the actor who gets sexier as he gets older, or some sort of post-mortem on my previous entry (not to mention an apology to those who spoke to me during my post-court alcoholic meltdown on Saturday night). Instead, we're going to be wholesome and jolly Londoncentric, with pictures of the new Wood Lane Underground station, the first new station to be built on an existing London Underground line in seventy years. And that's a jolly long time, kids. Wood Lane Underground station doesn't look like a Tube station. Well it does, but it calls to mind clubs, and certain saunas. Or is that just me. Ahem. See more here and here.

Gang Drugs, Injects HIV Blood At Sex Parties

Pictured: Random gay shenanigans.
Well now kids, how about this for a horror story? A gang drugged, raped and injected men with HIV-contaminated blood at sex orgies in Groningen, the Netherlands. There are fourteen alleged victims; twelve of the men are HIV positive or have full blown AIDS. The gang, three men aged 39, 49 and 50, plotted to infect their victims, luring them with sex parties promoted on the internet. Their motive isn't clear. The mind boggles.

LENSED: Tyson Beckford Does London

Hooray! New pictures of Tyson Beckford, which means I don't have to write a lot today. And he's in London too, which makes it Even More Relevant. (Hmm, I wonder what hotel? And is he going to Heaven tonight - it is Wednesday, after all. It's like a BGCLive.com hook-up/bitchfest in there at this time of the week.) Miss Beckford was at the Africa Rising festival in London's Royal Albert Hall, the finale of a global series of art, music and fashion events designed to promote positive images of Africa. Intriguingly, Miss Beckford is adorned with triangular pendants. And you know what that means, don't you, dear reader.
Photo Credit: Getty Images

Things You Thought You'd Never See: A Gay Jamaican Cop

Constable Michael Hayden is a brave man. The Jamaican took the momentous step of coming out whilst still serving in the Jamaican police force. His story of abuse suffered at the hands of his colleagues makes for depressing viewing. Try not to get too distracted by the world's sexiest accent - from the world's most homophobic country.

Source: GBMNews

James Fauntleroy

Don't you just hate it when you hear a song, and think it's the best thing since Roman Heart recorded a scene with Pedro Andreas & Daniel Marvin, only to later discover the song is by someone you loathe? Doesn't it make you feel dirty, guilty and sinful? Or is that just me coming over all Catholic?

It isn't all D'Angelo and Carl Craig here at the ka-os blog, we like our throwaway I-wouldn't-admit-it-to-discerning-friends tunes too. Like that Chris Brown record featuring some yawnsome Christian-right hate-puppet. What's-her-face, the one who won American Pop Idol On Ice? You know who I mean, don't make me say it.

Anyway, if you liked the Chris Brown record No Air, but wished that it didn't feature a conservative, fundamentalist monster singing on it, you can download a demo of said tune, every bit as good as the Chris Brown version, by the very brilliant James Fauntleroy, sans Jordin-homosexuality-is-an-abomination-Sparks. Doh! I said it.

Sadly, I don't know how to put MP3s on blogger, and I've just drunk a bottle of Merlot Rose so I'm not going to invest my limited concentration into finding out. Maybe some kind soul will teach me. In the meantime, you can find the track here at BlakMusicFirst, as well as other delicious tunes by Mister Fauntleroy, Dontae, Atozzio, Sterling Simms and RL.

Breion Diamond And A Fan

Oops, that headline should have read "John Legend And A Fan" - but who's to say which one is the fan? Who's the hostage and who's the terrorist?

Have I entered some weird parallel universe in which mainstream, top drawer R&B stars publicly fraternise with top drawer (in more ways than one) gay erotic artistes? Is this real? It can't be. What next - Tom Cruise turning up at a Matthew Rush signing? Will Smith and Tiger Tyson... no, never mind, that's a completely different train of thought.

Here at the ka-os blog, we have a very deep affection for Breion Diamond. His seduction of Shorty J atop a ladder is a classic cinematic moment... (sigh). The Diamond kid has his own blog, which is worth checking out, and you can see plenty more of him here.
 
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