Chicks and Dicks

It's been a busy but beautiful day here on the hill.

No anecdotes today, but here is a news item than keeps getting me steamed. NBC won't air an ad for a documentary because they believe it is critical to the President.

Excuse me? Nevermind that the ad is not explicitly critical of the President, I believe that being critical of the government is not only the right of every American, it is the duty of every American. Criticism of the government is the original patriotic duty. The ad is for a documentary about the fall out from the one line one Divxie Chick said in a concert in France: "I'm ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." Basically, the documentary is about knee-jerk, thoughtless censorship which comes from criticising the president/goverment in this New McCarthy era. Sort of like a corporate network censoring...you get the picture.

NBC bans ad for Dixie Chicks Documentary


Another thing that's been bugging me for days has been the arrogant attitude of Reichen Lehmkuhl and his blow up before an interview that ultimately didn't happen on local radio station 92.7. Basically, Mrs. Lance Bass was scheduled to shill his new book in an interview with the wildly popular Fernando and Gregg on the NRG radio station. When he got there, he said that any discussion about his relationship with his super-publicised boyfriend or his coming out was off limits. That's part of the story and one of the only really interesting things about Reichen (this is is radio, pretty doesn't count), so that's one if the things the DJ's insisted they talk about. Both sides got steamed and the interview was canceled.

The DJs were understadably pissed because this is an entertainment show and Reichen's biography and issue of gays in the military are, in the case of the former, unintersting, and in the case of the latter, preaching to the choir and not all that funny and entertaining for a morning entertainment radio show.

Reichen got all heated and way up on his high horse. He said the topic was off limits because Lance was writing his own book about coming out and the publishers won't let them talk about it. Fine-- but such a non-disclosure statement should apply to Lancy Boy and not his bf. And the publicist who booked the gig--Lance's publicist by the way--should have made it clear to the interviewers that the celebrity relationship was a verbotten topic.

My annoyance at all of this is the holier/A-listier-than-thou attitute of Reichen. He is, at the base of it, a game show contestant who has tried to make a career out of being pretty. He models for calendars and landed himself a celebrity boy band boyfriend. Yes, gays in the military is a big issue, but he shouldn't make himself out to be a martyr for the cause--he is shilling a book on a book tour. The only reason he got the publicity for the book or any of these interviews is he is now 'celebrity' for being the older model boyfriend of the 27-year-old former teen-popular singer who just came out.

He has made his entire 'career' a quest for celebrity, so he should not say that his celebrity relationship is off limits for an entertainment interview. Had he been devoting his life to and were known for his work for Lamda Legal, that would be a different story. Yes he was a gay officer in the Air Force, and yes he was sexually assaulted--however the description of the event reads more like porn. In the excerpt I read, he was forced to receive a blowjob until he orgasmed. He was suicidal, and I sympathise, but it is not really a topic for an energy-dance-radio morning show and I wouldn't expect the DJs to want to laugh about it. They did not agree to a "very special episode." He should go talk to Terry Gross.

If Entertainment Tonight were to interview Marlo Thomas raising money for St. Jude's she would not refuse to talk about how Phil is doing if he had just accomplished something newsworthy. Reichen is certaily less famous, but it's akin to interviewing Katie Holmes and not mentioning Tom Cruise. The boyfriend is why she is in the news.

Reichen has by all accounts been a media whore desperate for celebrity-- to deny an interview including but not limited to his celebrity life and his highly public, high-profile relationship and then cry foul when the interviewers decline to let him stump for his book on their show is hypocritcal. The DJs were happy to talk about the book, the issue, and the boyfriend. If he was really adamant about his cause, he would use his celebrity to raise the issue.

But it seems he is using the issue to raise his celebrity.

I hope Kathy Griffin gives him a lesson about life on the D list. She and Lance are big fag/hag buddies you know.

Update: Reichen is now reporting to the media the hate mail and death threats he has been receiving for his speaking out for gays in the military. News outlets refer to him in headlines as "Lance Bass' Boyfriend" as in "Lance Bass' Boyfriend Target of Threats"