Dallas blogger branches out
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| BLOG IT, BOY: Nanthavongsa is gearing up for 2009. DANIEL KUSNER/Dallas Voice |
Due to ‘legal issues’ with boyfriend, TreyCruz.com now PopWired.com
In June of 2007, University of Texas at Arlington student Tracy Nanthavongsa launched TreyCruz.com. It’s a blog that could easily assume Perez Hilton’s audience if, like, a defamation lawsuit completely shut down Perez’ site.
This week, Nanthavongsa kept tabs on: "Who wears a Speedo better: Giorgio Armani or David Beckham?" and Brody Jenner loving that people describe "Bromance" as homoerotic. According to site tracker Alexa.com, TreyCruz averages about 238,000 page views in a week.
Soon, you’ll have to bookmark a new URL address. Nanthavongsa says he’s launching PopWired.com — the new name of his blog.
The name "Trey Cruz" was a mash-up: "Trey" was a nickname bestowed by an uncle, and "Cruz" is the last name of a boyfriend, with whom Nanthavongsa is having "legal issues."
Nanthavongsa says PopWired "covers mainly pop culture and gossip revolving around the men. … Almost like afterelton.com."
The launch date of PopWired is expected sometime in 2009.
We’ll miss you, Johnny Cakes
Police say the actor who portrayed the gay lover of a closeted mobster on "The Sopranos" has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in New York.
On Dec. 18, John Costelloe was found dead in an apparent suicide at his Brooklyn home. Police were called to his residence after family members were unable to reach him. The 47-year-old former New York City firefighter gained fame in 2006 when he was cast as short-order cook Jim "Johnny Cakes" Witowski opposite Joseph Gannascoli, who played gay mobster Vito Spatafore on the hit HBO show.
At the time of his death, Costelloe was performing as a hustler in a theater production of "Gang of Seven."
Blind item
Which diminutive comedy dynamo — who "sleeps with his Emmy (the only woman he’s ever slept with)" — is in the running to become next token queer on "Dancing with the Stars"?
The new season returns March 9 on ABC.
Lisa Kudrow takes a ride with ‘Dirty Girl’
What happens when the school slut grabs a closeted classmate and goes on a road trip of self-discovery? We’ll all find out when "Dirty Girl" hits theaters, boasting a notable pedigree. Producers include Richard Kelly ("Donnie Darko") and legendary lesbian indie queen Christine Vachon ("I’m Not There"), and co-stars include Lisa Kudrow and Camryn Manheim.
Look for "Dirty Girl" to tramp it up later this year.
Shankman sails with ‘Sinbad’
From big screen confections like "Hairspray" to the subversive online delight "Prop. 8: The Musical," gay director Adam Shankman thrives on spectacle. So it’s a no-brainer that the box-office-friendly filmmaker would want to resurrect a vintage crowd-pleasing hero like high-seas adventurer Sinbad.
Shankman’s been hired to direct "The 8th Voyage of Sinbad," and he’s eager for the project to leave port and start sailing soon. Getting a leading man confirmed would help — though both Keanu Reeves and Vin Diesel have been attached to the project, neither are currently signed. Of course, if this long-in-development project creeps along at the pace it’s been moving, the kid from "Two and a Half Men" will soon be old enough to play Sinbad. So like everything in Hollywood, it’ll happen when the stars align.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 2, 2009.
