In this cold, cruel, economically punishing more-Precious-than-Pinocchio-world it's rare that dreams ever come true anymore. But don't tell that to Rocky Bennett, a 21-year-old British chap who starred in his own real life fairy tale last week when he met Prince Harry at a bar and convinced the royal fire crotch to trade a kiss for a Stella Artois.
Bennett told News of the World, "I went up to him and told him I would love to buy him a drink
-- if he gave me a kiss. Harry just burst out laughing, threw his arms around
me and kissed me on the left cheek. I'm not going to wash my face for a month now!"
A rep for Prince Harry confirmed that he was enjoying a night out with his friends at Liquid night club located in Stevenage, Herts.
"He was with about eight other guys and security was tight but when I went
over to him he was lovely. I told him how much I had admired his mother
Princess Diana and how I thought she would be proud of him. He seemed very merry but he was still willing to talk to people," Bennett said. Sam Smith, a friend out with Bennett added, "Afterwards we saw him in the McDonald's across the road. Harry ordered a
quarter pounder meal with a coke -- I think he wanted to sober up."
Because famous or not famous, royal or commoner, gay or straight, the thing that unites us all is McDonald's French fries.
When it comes to the paranormal, I've always really, really wanted to believe -- I just haven't been given any reason to thus far. Growing up my grandmother's family was incredibly superstitious: No seating 13 people at a single dinner table, no traveling on Friday the 13th, and her grandmother supposedly lived next door to a werewolf somewhere in Germany. As the story goes, he was a really nice guy -- you just had to lock up your chickens whenever there was a full moon or the next morning he'd have eaten them all. Beyond that, my little brother may or may not have been abducted by aliens (he spent most nights sleeping on a mattress on my bedroom floor because he was too scared to be in his room alone in case they came back for him), but I've never had an actual close encounter of the supernatural kind.
Until last week. I met psychic, medium, and wine merchant Craig McManus at the Cornelia Street Cafe to shoot the above Face to Face video. McManus had mentioned to me that while dining there a few weeks earlier all of the lights in the dining room had gone off and no one seemed to know why. When he asked about the incident -- and whether or not there might be a ghost to blame -- the host admitted that there might be a male entity inhabiting the back room of the restaurant.
Experiences like that one are nothing new for McManus. Being a psychic and medium runs in his family and when he's not busy selling wine at his shop, Wine Ventures in Tenafly, NJ, he's writing his incredibly popular books about the ghosts of Cape May, New Jersey. After we did our interview I chatted with him (and his lovely partner Willy) over drinks and McManus did a reading for me. While I have to confess a good 80 percent of what McManus said meant nothing to me, the 20 percent that did register made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
McManus knew things that no one else would know -- even going so far as to tell me that my father, who died two years ago, said, "Send my love to Ruth." Ruth is my mother's middle name, and while no one else calls her by that name, my father used it almost exclusively to refer to her. I don't know exactly what was going on last Tuesday afternoon and I can't say for sure that my dead father was sitting next to me in the corner of the Cornelia Street Cafe, but I'd be willing to say that something out of the ordinary did occur. It was chilling, it was exciting, it was bittersweet and until the aliens land or someone can finally prove that the afterlife exists, it's all I have to go on in my recreational quest for contact with the paranormal.
McManus will be giving a talking on his two careers -- mediumship and wine -- Halloween night from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the Astor Center at 399 Lafayette St. (at East 4th St.) in New York City. The old building, once the home of a large book printing company in the
1800s, is allegedly haunted and should provide the perfect setting for McManus to lead a tasting of some of his favorite wines while educating the audience about
the dark and mysterious regions of the Spirit world, including an
exploration of the ghosts of Astor Center and other haunted New York
City hot spots. McManus will also demonstrate his
channeling ability on a few lucky participants. For tickets, head here.
For more on Craig McManus and to purchase his books on the ghosts of Cape May, head to his website.
Do you have several hours to kill? Play "Is it a steakhouse or is it a gay bar?" You'll be given the name of an establishment -- like Hindquarter or CC Slaughter's or BJ Rooster's -- and you have to choose whether it's a steakhouse or a gay bar. Once you've chosen you'll learn if you were right, where the venue is located, and how many other people agreed with your choice. It seems simple -- even stupid but trust us: you might as well kiss your afternoon goodbye right now!
In honor of the Bloody Mary's 75th birthday, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City has just declared October 5 Bloody Mary Day. We already celebrate this holiday weekly, on Sundays, but hey, what's a Monday thrown into the (worcestershire and horseradish) mix for good measure? According to The New York Times, arbiter of accurate information at important political moments like this one, the Bloody Mary's "alleged creator -- Fernand Petiot, known as Pete -- mixed the spicy, tomato-based cocktail in New York City in the fall of 1934." We suggest you take the rest of the day off to properly commemorate this important occasion in hangover history.
Actress Arlene Dahl models the drink of the day preemptively, at a 2006 Oscar party. Photo: Getty Images.
Our favorite foppish piano man, Rufus Wainwright, has once again shacked up on the record store shelves with his brand new live CD/DVD Milwaukee At Last!!!
Filmed at the historic Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, WI, during his 2007 Release The Stars Tour, the 10-track CD and 23-track DVD include songs from his Release The Stars, Want One, Want Two, and and the hugely successful Rufus Does Judy albums along with backstage footage and rehearsals.
Other than peddling his new CD/DVD, Rufus will be taking time out of his busy schedule writing a new album and readying his first opera, Prima Donna, for its North American debut in Tornoto at the Luminato Festival in June 2010 to play a benefit concert for the Ali Forney Center which aids homeless queer youth in NYC.
The A Place At The Table event takes place Monday, October 5, at the Chelsea Art Museum and will feature a cocktail reception with food tastings from up-and-coming NYC chefs, live and silent auctions, and a solo performance by Rufus and NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Council Member Lewis A. Fidler will be honored. Money raised will benefit the center which is the nation's largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to homeless queer youth.
We recently caught up with Rufus and he graciously answered a few questions about Milwaukee At Last!!!, A Place At The Table, and Courtney Love:
Out: You’ve performed all over the world. Why did you choose Milwaukee, WI, of all places to be the show you released as the live CD/DVD? Rufus Wainwright: Well don’t worry, it isn’t the beer! [Laughing] But it does have to do with beer. The Pabst Theater is an amazing opera house in the middle of the Midwest and a great treasure -- I’ve always wanted to perform there.
How did you get involved with the A Place At The Table fundraiser? I was asked to do it and I was almost a gay homeless person myself at one point so I know what it’s like. I’m happy to be involved.
The night before A Place At The Table you’re playing a fundraiser for The (RED) foundation (which aims to eliminate AIDS in Africa) along with your sister, Martha Wainwright, Antony, Bono, and Courtney Love, among others. Do you have any good Courtney stories? One of my good friends is Melissa Auf der Maur who played bass in HOLE. We’re both from Montreal and Courtney once deemed us the King and Queen of Montreal!
You’re currently recording a new album. Can you give us a little preview? A solo piano voice record. I need to take a break -- and so do you. [Laughing] Of course in writing these songs it’s turning out to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’m all alone out there!
For more information about Rufus and Milwaukee At Last!!!, available in stores now, check out his website.
The A Place At The Table fundraiser takes place at the Chelsea Art Museum, 556 West 22nd Street on Monday, October 5. Tickets are available for $150, VIP tickets are $250, and sponsored tickets range from $1,000 - $2,000. To purchase tickets, get more information abut A Place At The Table and the Ali Forney Center, head to their website, aliforneycenter.org.
In honor of the Pride Festivities taking place this month, famed New York candy shop, Dylan's Candy Bar -- which considers itself the sweetest, sassiest spot in the city -- is offering Popnography readers a delicious deal on their already irresistible confections.
From now until June 28, you can get 10% off any item in their exclusive Candy Pride section of DylansCandyBar.com*. The Candy Pride section features rainbow sculpted chocolate, bracelets, rings, cheeky men's and ladies' tanks, their signature whirly pops, a 2-lb chocolate bar surrounded by a brilliant striped wrapper, and flavored mints & chocolates in every color.
They've also got treats of a more scandalous nature: edible posing pouches (pictured left -- think of a candy necklace, but for your crotch), molded Lover Boy and Lover girl novelty chocolates, chocolate covered nuts (ha!), Giant Sugar Daddies -- everything you need to get you -- and whomever else -- in the mood to celebrate!
*The fine print: Get 10% off any item in the "Candy Pride" section. Enter promo code CANDYPRIDE at checkout to trigger discount. While supplies last. Not valid with previous purchases or orders. Valid for online orders only. Can not be combined with any other offer or discount. Dylan's Candy Bar reserves the right to modify, withdraw, or cancel the offer at any time. Offer expires 6/28/2009 at midnight EST.
A bit of horror mingled with helpless laughter and a dash of arousal is the general reaction to the latest Tyler Shields video portrait of Zachary Quinto, best known for his role as Spock in Star Trek and psycho killer Sylar on Heroes. We bet he's never had a role quite like this before. In the name of art, he lets himself be doused in milk in slow motion -- first in reverse than right-way-forward, just to draw the visuals out. It's even more fascinating to watch than the video of Matt Dallas with his Kyle XY co-star Jaimie Alexander pouring a bottle of Jim Beam on his face.
Like a new breed of extremely suggestive "Got Milk?" adverts, Quinto is a trooper, smoldering at the camera with the white stuff dripping down his chin. Milk facial, anyone? And if you want to up the ante, it's tons better with the sound on mute so that you can substitute your own soundtrack. "Down In It" by Nine Inch Nails has a particularly good ring to it.
[Ed note: Though the women in this video are clothed throughout, the extensive groaning and moaning and skimpy bathing suits might make this NSFW.]
We still haven't recovered from the horror that was 2 Girls, 1 Cup (we're not even going to link you -- that's how scarring it was -- if you haven't seen it and feel you have to, you can Google it yourself -- and don't say we didn't try to warn you!) and now the (apparently sick and twisted) folks at Playboy and Quizno's have decided to shoot a commercial riffing on the poo-eating viral video sensation.
It makes us want to never eat another sub sandwich ever again -- which isn't exactly the most brilliant marketing decision, now is it?
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