Ask the Ask the Flying Monkey! (June 24, 2008)

Have a question about gay male entertainment? Ask the Monkey!

Q: Both Jack (Project Runway) and Dale (Top Chef) were at the Bravo A-list Awards, but weren't sitting together. I know that they were dating and so my question is are Jack and Dale still dating? – Ashley, Torrance, CA

Jack Mackenroth (left) & Dale Levitski

A: “Dale and I are just friends now,” Jack Mackenroth tells the Flying Monkey. “It was really blown out of proportion by the media. It was just light fun. He's a great guy but we live in different cities, and it was just not meant to be. I saw Dale at the A-list Awards, and he is doing great. I am single and taking applications!”

What else is up with Jack lately? “I just finished making a dress for Heather Tom for the daytime Emmys,” he says. “She’s nominated for best actress on The Bold and the Beautiful, and she is also presenting an award so I am very excited. I fly to LA tomorrow to do a final fitting, and then I get to walk the red carpet with her and attend the awards. After the Emmys we are auctioning off the dress on Clothesoffourback.org and the proceeds will go to 3 different AIDS charities. I'm psyched.”

Q: I just saw the movie Shelter with Brad Rowe & Trevor Wright. What an amazing film! Loved every minute of it! Any rumors/gossip of a sequel with Rowe & Wright returning and continuing the story? That would be fantastic! – Rich, West Virginia

A: The Monkey called up here!, the gay TV network that produced the movie as part of its film division, but alas, there are currently no plans to continue the story. As for other projects with the various cast members, “We would love to,” says a spokesman, “but nothing’s been put into motion at this time.”

Since I hate to leave you completely empty-handed, I’ll mention upcoming gay-indie comedy For Better or For Worse featuring Rowe alongside Chad Allen. Unfortunately, Rowe isn’t playing gay this time!

Brad Rowe (left) & Trevor Wright in Shelter

Q: I'm vaguely remembering reading an article about a gay version of Cole Porter's Anything Goes being produced in the last 15-20 years. Am I crazy? – Greg, Dallas, TX

A: The Monkey recalls a certain Corbin Fisher adult video with this title, but he suspects it’s not a very faithful adaptation of the Cole Porter musical-farce about the antics below-deck on a New York-bound ocean liner. And with musical numbers like “You’re the Top,” Anything Goes definitely seems tailor-made for a gay version.

However, the Monkey is unfamiliar with any officially sanctioned productions. In fact, Variety reported that the holders to the rights of the play specifically declined to allow a gay version back in 1991. Insert your own joke here about how anything apparently doesn’t go.

Cole Porter (right)

Q: What with the recent excitement of Shia LaBeouf's old vid where he uses the F-word, it got me thinking: why have we decided that THAT is the word that offends us the most? There are a lot of other slurs used about gay men (i.e. queer, fairy, etc), but somehow that one F-word has been elevated to our equivalent of the N-word. As a kid growing up, that distinction didn't seem to be made, and I was equally hurt by any derogatory slur against me or anyone gay. At what point did it somehow become worse than the rest? And do you think it's justified? – Mike

A: First, the video in question. He’s a kid who was having a private moment with some friends. Who among us hasn’t said something in private that we wouldn’t want broadcast to the whole world? And did I mention he was a kid? This is what celebrities mean when they talk about the invasion of their privacy and how most people have no idea how horrible the violation feels. The Monkey is not one to be sympathizing with celebrities who, in general, have a pretty sweet deal. But this kind of thing just blows.

Next Page! A gay muppeteer! And much ado about Shia!