Left to my own devices

The Arizona state legislature recently passed a law which would allow businesses the right to refuse service to gay people based upon their religious convictions. Aside from some of the more obvious issues (How do you know for sure if a customer is gay? Can you ask them?) , the legality and morality of the bill has been under intense public and media scrutiny. The pressure is on Arizona now to see where it stands in the history of civil rights. While Governor Jan Brewer (who, for the record, I rather dislike) has the power to veto the bill, and it's even come under fire from three Republican state senators who voted for the damn thing, I have to admit to some astonishment that it's even come this far. This is Arizona. It's not a state of the Old South. I guess my expectations were perhaps too high. Regardless, we're in the year 2014 AD. Isn't our society supposed to be beyond such discrimination and segregation? Of course, one reason for my astonishmen...

Our latest Pic of the Week is UK diver Jack Laugher, featured here in a spread from Gay Times in the Autumn of 2013. Enjoy!

It's a Sunday morning. On a Sunday morning 3-4 years ago, probably around the same time as I sit writing this blog entry, I would have been at Carmon's Creperie in downtown Champaign, enjoying a savory crepe concocted by Chef Kerry, served by either Grant or Bridget, and in the warm company of host/owner Mike. The sausage gravy crepe was my favorite. As it disappeared from the plate, I would have conversed with Ashley, perhaps heard a joke or two from Grant, and engaged in some light banter  with Mike. Kerry likely would have waved at us from the kitchen a time or two. The weekends (and some week nights) spent at Carmon's Creperie were filled with such warmth. I remember Mike saying to us one time, "You're family," and he was right. At least, that's how we felt when we were there. Much of that was down to Mike. Yes, Grant, Bridget and Kerry certainly were part of that atmosphere and experience, but Mike, as owner and host, was the outward glue of...

Actor Ralph Waite, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 85, didn't know it, but he starred in at least three detective stories. They were written by yours truly and, of course, never published, but they exist. Three stories completed, one pretty much done but in need of editing, and strands of a few more in-progress. That, dear reader, is the life of an old detective who was portrayed by Mr. Ralph Waite.

In honor of the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics, this week we feature former Olympian Apolo Ohno. Enjoy!

It's been another year of movies, and so it's time for another round of  The Matt Awards , the most-anticipated movie awards of the season (well, by me, anyway)! Every year I pick the best in film, in various categories. Been doing this since 1997, when my Best Picture was  Titanic . There are few mediums that resonate with a person better than film, and this is my way of acknowledging and keeping track of those movies, actors, actresses, directors, etc. that have had the greatest impact on me year-by-year. 2013 was a pretty decent year for movies. It seemed to have a fairly diverse line-up, with a selection of styles and subject matter that could please nearly everyone. As it stands, I've seen (almost) every film from the past year that I have an interest in, and so here are the winners of the  2013 Matt Awards . Enjoy!

It may sound bad, but I'm all out of outrage. Perhaps that's putting it too strongly, but the fact of the matter is, I feel inundated, daily, with news, headlines, Facebook updates and e-mails that are meant to get me riled-up and ready to fight (figuratively). Honestly, I feel like there's too much of it and, ironically, it's making me want to tune-out.