The Ryan Thomas Collection

The long awaited day is here; Madonna’s US release of her 11th studio album Hard Candy. Brand new tracks. Brand new sounds and beats that make you want to get up and dance all night. Go to iTunes. Go to the store. Buy the album. You won’t regret it. Having listened to it for the last week, this album is a great addition to her discography. Buy it now!

Popularity: 8% [?]

The 2009 Hummer – Destruction at its Finest

Popularity: 17% [?]

A strike of reality hit me and a group of friends this weekend. A three hour drive found four of us, all gay men, in Reno, Nevada to celebrate my 25th birthday with some drinks, gambling and fun in a less glamorous way than Las Vegas.

Describing Reno is rather difficult. One may be able to equate it with Atlantic City, NJ. Reno is known as the “The Biggest Little City in the World” and this may be the best way to describe it. Having lived in Hillcrest (San Diego’s gay neighborhood) and now living in San Francisco, day to day life typically excludes feelings of being the odd man out. However, the four of us were hit with the hard stick of reality on Saturday.

Taking a casual daytime stroll down the streets of downtown Reno, a car of African-American men drove by us yelling, “Faggots!” Thankfully it has been a long time since I have encountered such bigotry on a personal level, but we were all a bit taken back. Comfortable with what I assume these men would call our “alternative lifestyle,” a part of us was able to laugh at the sheer ignorance of our these men. Another part of us just wanted to say, “Really? Did you really just say that? Come on. It’s 2008!”

Above, the ignorant men were described as African-Americans purposefully. The irony of this is found in that these men are a part of society continually suffering from racism and ignorance. These African-American men are unable to correlate their use of the word “faggot” with the use of “ni**er.” This is where one can find comedy in the ignorance, while also frustration in the inability to make this association.

One can almost feel sorry for these men. For one, they have nothing better to do than call out vicious names to strangers. Secondly, they must feel so powerless and so threatened by four gay men casually strolling down a street that they need to call out these names in attempt to feel power and strength in a society that continues to see this race struggling for equality.

This is why I don’t feel anger towards these individuals. One has to feel sorry for such people and sometimes you just have to laugh it off. Sometimes it is easier to laugh than it is be angry.

Popularity: 18% [?]

I continue to watch American Idol season after season, despite being frustrated with the show for various realistening to the singing and the music of the show (sin country music nights.) However, this season has proven to be significantly dull.

Last night’s show really got me fired up annoyed and if you want to make a gay man really angry, you do what happened on AI last night. Dedicate a night to the Broadway music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and have inexperienced singers put their amateur twists on it.

After Madonna sang “You Must Love Me,” you can’t mess up the lyrics like Brooke did. She was doomed to fail before she even started singing. This was one of the first movies Madge acted in and you actually believed her with all sincerity. Sorry Brooke, you lose and you made my blood boil with your rendition.

Ending the night was Carly singing a song from one of my all time favorite musicals, Jesus Christ Superstar. She sang the title track and ruined that song, as well. She missed the cunning, questioning sarcasm that goes along with the song. The tongue in cheek aspect destroyed by Carly’s overly layered version of the song. I am supposed to laugh a bit when the line, “Did Muhammed move a mountain or was that just P.R.?” I am sons. I do enjoy not supposed to cringe.

If you want to make a gay man angry, ruin Broadway songs on an overproduced and overly formulated televison program like American Idol.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Turn “going green” a daily challenge of trying to find new ways to help Earth.

A month ago, I took a stance against Washington Mutual (WaMu Credit Card, not banking) and stood up for the world.

Washington Mutual has been sending me paper statements monthly, while my other credit and banking institutions including Chase, Capital One and Wells Fargo Bank have allowed me to go paperless. I both emailed and called WaMu about going paperless and they informed me that the option is unavailable and no timeframe for moving paperless is set. I informed her that paper bank statement is a poor use of paper and also harmful to the environment in the form of extra waste.

The WaMu customer service supervisor informed me that if I do not use the card, then I do not receive a statement. I told her if she would not make arrangements to allow my account to go paperless, I would then be forced to no longer use their card. She said, “We respect any decision you make.”

My decision: WaMu Credit Card goes into the file cabinet and will not be used. Do not be fooled by WaMu’s clever marketing tactics. They may erase your overdraft fee or provide free checking, but it is at the cost of Mother Nature and I’m not standing for it.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Madonna’s latest addition to the music world will be released a week from today. Its title is “Hard Candy” and from sample listens, as one may expect, it is a new sound. Madonna speaks to her new album, ”The title is a juxtaposition of tough and sweetness. Kind of like I’m gonna kick your ass but it’s going to make you feel good. And of course, I love candy.” However, since the release is a week away, a Madonna fix can be fulfilled in four minutes.

“4 Minutes” featuring Justin Timberlake has been released as the album’s first single and comes with a fantastic video where Madge and Justin run throughout London. Dance remixes of the song are available on iTunes and although these remixes don’t quite hit the same mark that some of the remixes from Confessions on a Dancefloor did, they provide plenty of entertainment whilst awaiting the release of “Hard Candy.”

Popularity: 7% [?]