W. Preview!

The new Oliver Stone movie W. looks so bad I can't wait to see it! I love Thandie Newton as Condi!

You're Beautiful?

As a woman who considers herself not a supermodel but not totally butt, I've only been called "beautiful" to my face by a straight member of the opposite sex only a handful number of times. I can't even recall any of my immediate family members ever even telling me I am "beautiful." My gay boyfriends may have called me beautiful, but they use that term loosely to greet many women.

Anyway, the men who have dared to call me beautiful tend to always be undeniably beautiful themselves so I became suspicious and allowed my faltering self esteem to take over. I ask myself such questions as:
1. Isn't he way out of my league?
2. Why can't he find someone as beautiful as he is?
3. Is he crazy?
4. What does he really want?
5. Is he slumming?

But this time, friends, I WILL NOT DO THIS. I will allow myself to be beautiful just as I am. Let's see what happens next.

BEWARE OF THE BABYLONLIZ SMITHINTERVIEW WITH A LEGEND

Bringing back our ability to randomly run into celebrities in New York City, we secure an on-the-street spontaneous interview with the original Gossip Girl...
LIZ SMITH
on this very special
BEWARE OF THE BABYLON
Legendary gossip covered includes...

* Why our movie reviews don't matter (according to Liz Smith)

* Why blogging doesn't really matter (according to Liz Smith)

* Why podcasting doesn't really interest Liz Smith.

* Why Liz Smith doesn't know who Yaz is.

* Why we love Liz Smith and would do anything she says to do.

As alway, this and every BEWARE OF THE BABYLON podcast can be automatically downloaded from iTunes here.
Or listen right this very second on our custom player below...

Everything She Wants

Tonight, I had the pleasure of celebrating 25 years of George Michael at Madison Square Garden with my friends Wyndham, James and Jeff. Yes, it's a scary thought to think I've been a consistent fan for a quarter of a century. I'm old. George Michael is the Sinatra of our generation. The show which clocked in over 3 hours was fantastic. I hope he comes back to entertain us again.

Nobody's Diary!

Tonight I saw the Yaz concert reunion. God, I love Alison Moyet's voice. Here she is back in the day and I have to confess I got a little teary eyed when they opened tonight playing the song. I was transported back to my preteen years and how much I loved this song when I heard it on Rock Over London which was a syndicated radio show I listened to late on night through the help of a coat hanger wired up to my boom box so I could receive the show clearly.

Mama Mia!

Not since Can't Stop the Music, has there been such a joyous screen movie catering gay men and the women who love them. So, if you fall into my circle of friends, run, don't walk to see Mama Mia! starring the everfescent Meryl Streep who makes a cheesey rendition of The Winner Takes it All seem as powerful as the Drink Your Milkshake scene in There Will Be Blood.

Shut Up, Steve

I've been meaning to write about this for a long time, and I finally found the commercial on YouTube. I don't know how the actor playing "Steve" got cast in this ad, but he really is one the most annoying people on television today. Just watching him in this as makes me feel sick about the prospect of ever eating a Cheerio again. And, what's the deal with his eyebrows?

Double Booking

I was supposed to attend a "puppy picnic" today but two of the parties responsible for planning, both "double booked" and the picnic did not happen. A puppy picnic is where you get together on the Christopher Street pier along with your pets. I'm annoyed because I was looking forward to the picnic all weekend and spent Friday night cooking picnic foods including a Thai noodle salad and guacamole. Max had his leash all ready to go. So, friends, if you make plans, please don't forget because NYCBABYLON looks forward to seeing you and is sad tonight watching the Miss Universe pageant.

Batman: The Dark Knight Review

Last night, I went to a screening of the new Batman film. I was skeptical that the film was going to ride on the coattails of the mystery surrounding Heath Ledger's death. I was wrong. The film would be fantastic no matter what. I don't want to give much away, as the film is full of surprises and action. But, I do want to say that Batman is actually very deep and meditates not only on the current state of our current politics but also on the deepest conflicts that plague the human ego. What is right? Do we sell our souls to help our families? Can you really rehabilitate evil? What motivates do-gooders? Do we really know who our real heroes are?

I also have to state that Heath Ledger's final full performance is incredible. The Joker is so fully-realized, scary and plain old batshit crazy that you have to wonder if throwing himself into the performance did take a toll on his mental state.

Displacement Vectors

I have been out on dates with all types of men in my life including actors, rock stars, creative types, money men, screenwriters and journalists. Tonight, however, I had my first date with an astrophysicist which actually made me feel like a dumb blonde. It's very difficult to describe my job in the beauty business to a man who is going out of town next week to try to discover a new planet. I asked him such crazy questions that I'm curious if he'll ever call me again and the crazy thing is, I kind of liked him. Here is some of the crazy questions that popped out of my mouth:
1. Are you a mad professor or more of a nutty professor?
2. Do scientists actually use scientific calculators?
3. What's your favorite equation?
4. Who's your favorite member of the British aristocracy?
5. If you find a planet, what are you going to name it?
6. How big is your telescope?
7. How often do you mention Galileo on a weekly basis?
8. What is your personal velocity?
9. What are you feelings about Duran Duran?
10. What did you think about the movie Contact with Jodi Foster?

Keep you posted. Have a Happy 4th!