I start a week-long vacation tomorrow and have two freelance stories to turn in before I depart. So, my head was splitting last night, I felt overwhelmed. So what did I do? I went to a party! It wasn't just any party, it was a major shindig at Boulevard 3 in Hollywood thrown by Time-Warner Cable celebrating the launch of MTV's LOGO throughout Los Angeles.
It was a star-studded affair charmingly emceed by Wilson Cruz and featured remarks by LOGO President Brian Graden. Bruce Vilanch arrived a little late and missed the red carpet but Joan Jett, Lance Bass, Chynna, the band Erasure, Jai Rodriguez, Jason Stuart, J.P. Calderon, Beth Grant, Tony Tripoli and Doug Spearman were all on time and most took a few minutes to gab with me.
I gotta say, Lance Bass is far more attractive in person! Pictures don't always do him justice. He was very sweet and told me that he would love to be involved in LOGO somehow, "maybe producing a few things." Lance has just announced that he is working on his autobiography, "Out of Sync."
Wilson Cruz, who I profiled for Frontiers magazine last year, told me he has just filming an indie movie called "Ode" and is busy developing a new series "for a network to be disclosed." Hmmmm. Wilson was in the second season of "Noah's Arc" which was recently announced as a feature film: "I don't know that I'll be in the movie since my character sort of wrapped up his storyline. But I would love to be!"
Wilson came out way back in 1995 when he was 19 and starring in ABC's "My So-Called Life."
"I think it's pretty amazing that we now have a gay network on 24 hours a day. In 1995, I would have never imagined that we would have a network to tell our stories by us and for us."
Actor Jason Stuart, whose most recently starred with Cruz in the indie fave "Coffee Date," has been on several LOGO comedy specials and when he's not performing, he watches the network plenty:
"I'm thrilled! Gay TV all the time! I want to watch my peeps." Stuart is especially excited about LOGO's acquisition of the BBC show "Bad Girls."
"A lesbian prison show from England! I can't get enough of lesbians in prison."
"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" cast member Jai Rodriguez says of LOGO: "I'm amazed and proud that a network like LOGO can succeed. And what I really like about LOGO is that the programming is diverse enough to also capture some of the straight audience."
Handsome "Noah's Arc" star Doug Spearman is especially grateful to LOGO because "as an actor, it's given me a TV show and made me a lead. It's every actor's dream. And now they're gonna make me a movie star! Also, as a gay man, LOGO gives me something to watch."
Also gabbed with Tony Tripoli, another one of my past story subjects for Frontiers. Tony came to the public eye as one of Kathy Griffith's "gays" on her "Life on the D-List" show but has since become a busy actor whose most recent gig was a fun guest spot on the CBS comedy "Two and a Half Men."
"I didn't expect to fall in love with Charlie Sheen," Tony told me. "But the entire week, he was right next to me and he was just the sweetest guy." But he laments his wardrobe on the show: "Purple is officially over now. I wore so much purple that the color is now banned on CBS on Monday nights."
And I save the hunkiest for last.
J.P. Calderon, the "Survivor" contestant who came out a few months ago on "Janice Dickerson's Modeling Agency" and has appeared on the cover of Instinct. He could not have been sweeter (or hotter!). I asked him what life has been like since he took the brave step of coming out in such a public way.
"It's been great. I'm in such a happier place now, so much more excited about life. It's about being happy with who you are as a person."
Calderon, a college graduate who played men's volleyball, says he is focusing on modeling and hopes to also do some acting: "I was too afraid before to do it. Now I feel like I can conquer the world!"