GGN Flashback :: We celebrate the release of  Bohemian Rhapsody, the story of Queen and Freddie Mercury, in Canadian theatres November 2nd, with this re-release of a tribute piece published by GGN last year. 

Watch for an open-hearted performance from Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) – what he serves is is so buzz-worthy we bet he will garner an Oscar nod and possibly even win – for his Mercury. No one has ever met the challenge of playing the complicated musical genius formerly known as Farrokh Bulsara from Tanzania, East Africa  before – imagine how daunting. 

Malek’s intelligent performance hinges on Mercury’s humanity, as much as his flamboyance, which is impressive. A lesser actor might have propped their portrayal up with Mercury’s bigness, showing us a caricature instead of a man.

It’s worth seeing such a queer icon immortalized at last in a bio pic, even though the script is thin. We don’t see Mercury’s very busy sex life at all, and his acquiring of HIV/AIDS is downplayed, except as catalyst to drive the story to it’s inevitable conclusion. Then again, packing the life of a band like Queen and its lead singer into 90-odd minutes is impossible, no matter who tries.

Oh and warning: Mercury’s teeth in the film are so awful we had to look away sometimes to give our eyes a rest. Holy chompers. Mind you, the theatre was packed and we sat in the second row. 

“More space in the mouth, more range,” as Mercury states early on in the film, to dental detractors. The superstar had a comeback for everything, we learn.  We’re glad he’s come back, in spirit, in 20th Century Fox’s Bohemian Rhapsody.

Tickets: https://www.bohemianrhapsodytickets.com

Freddie Mercury was one of the most famous and flamboyant men in rock and roll history.

A man with one of the most powerful singing voices the world has ever heard; a man loved by heterosexual hooligans, glam boys, and everyday people. Freddie Mercury broke the rules. He took the rigid concepts of gender and not only bent them, but transcended them.

Gender Roles

Between the socially accepted extremes of sexuality and gender lies a vast spectrum of anything and everything else. These differences were initially observed by Dr. Alfred Kinsey in the U.S., who devised the Kinsey Scale in 1948 “in order to account for research findings that showed people did not fit into neat and exclusive heterosexual or homosexual categories.”

Kinsey, in his own way, opened the door of social acceptance to the LGBT community proving that human sexuality does not fit into any prescribed gender roles; that most of us fit into the spectrum that is indeed fluid from moment-to-moment. There is much freedom in being authentic and molding one’s own gender.

Glam

Gender-bending was part of the fun of  the Glam Rock movement that took the UK by storm in the early 1970s, lead by the super sexy and super androgynous Marc Bolen of T. Rex. David Bowie, Gary Glitter, Alice Cooper, and Sweet among others, followed in shocking suit with boys in make-up and long hair, wearing outrageous glitzy costumes and platform boots. While Bolen was a huge Glam influence, the man who fronted Queen took Glam, performance, and popular music to new heights previously unseen.

Of Glam, Freddie Mercury said in 1973, “We’re confident people will take to us, because although the camp image has already been established by people like Bowie and Bolan, we are taking it to another level. The concept of Queen is to be regal and majestic. Glamour is part of us and we want to be dandy. We want to shock and be outrageous instantly.”

The newfound sexual freedom of the time had many people exploring what had been previously considered taboo. Freddie Mercury was no exception – he began his sexual expression with bi-sexual experimentation before fully embracing his homosexuality. “I’m as gay as a daffodil, my dear!” he once said.

The Mercury Image

Freddie was born Farrokh Bulsara, to Persian parents in Zanzibar, attended an English boarding school near Bombay, and settled in the UK in 1964. He was a part of a post-psychedelic 60s movement that spotlighted sexual and gender experimentation and changed rock music forever. Glam inspired the New Romantics of the early 80s and the androgynous metal hair bands of the mid-80s, all the way up to modern acts like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Adam Lambert.

Freddie sang with an amazingly powerful voice with an astonishing range, wrote classic generational anthems, and rocked and inspired millions of people. He predicted his legendary status and thought of himself as a “musical prostitute”. He was a star, he knew it, and he worked it: “I do deliver sex appeal. It’s part of modern rock. I sell sex appeal with my body movements on stage.”

His costumes, part of his onstage persona, were specially designed for him by Zandra Rhodes and later by Diana Moseley – from tight sequined or harlequin jumpsuits to macho leather jackets, and from dreamy floating caftans to regal ermine-trimmed capes, Freddie said, “I dress to kill, but tastefully.”

The Mercury Legacy

Freddie Mercury moved many of us for all sorts of reasons. GGN asked some staffers and friends what Freddie meant to them:

Freddie was a man comfortable in his own skin and that comfort continues to inspire other men to seek and hold their own confidence in their dress and their attitude. I love Madonna but he was the original “Express Yourself”.   – Shaun Proulx, Shaun Proulx Media

I think my impression of him now is mostly fantasy. He is wilder, crazier and gayer in my mind’s eye than he could possibly have been in real life. There are some lyrics or bits of live performance that steal you away from the purity of my original listens to the records, but if I go back to my young mind where gay and straight didn’t exist, I can hear Queen the way I like to hear them: without subtext, back story or bias – lovely.”  – Mark Wigmore, producer, JazzFM

Freddie Mercury was to my mind one of the gay world’s pioneers. He broke the hard ground of suspicion and intolerance and won acclaim and respect. I am saddened and frustrated by the fact he, and others like him, can’t see today what good he has done in winning us more acceptance. Ironically, I suppose, his loss has been our gain. – Barry

He was the showstopper, no question. He was easily one of the greatest performers ever. Performing was his gift–along with that superb voice! And truthfully, we all knew he was a gender-bender; that is one reason why I became more and more open to lifestyles like his. It made me realize connecting with both sides of our sexuality can produce great talent–the fruits of which will remain unforgettable. – Tim

– GGN 

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The Queen of Lincoln Road – a.k.a. Irene Williams, was a unique, one-of-a-kind, no-nonsense, intensely creative individual who lived in South Beach, Florida. This autonomous free spirit refused to live by society’s expectations of her and lived alone as an independent woman who operated her own small business as a Notary Public and stenographer/secretary into her old age. An (un)intentional early feminist.

It wasn’t just her typing skills that she was known for – when Irene left her apartment at one end of Lincoln Road and walked to the other end to get to her office, she was the centre of attention and the visual highlight of some people’s days. This tiny woman created fantastic, original, brightly-coloured clothing in outlandish fabrics and materials, and wowed everyone who saw her. Always coordinated and neat as a pin, Irene donned incredible outfits – most with matching hats – and caught the attention of Gianni Versace and Annie Leibovitz, who shot her in the late ‘90s (in exchange for her daily stenographer’s fee).

Were it not for Eric Smith, this little gem of a human being may have been forgotten forever, but fortunately for us, the New York designer and filmmaker discovered Irene in the 1990s and carried on a nine-year friendship with her. He captured Irene on video and created a short “bio pic” which gives us some insight to this interesting woman. Click to watch.

Eric, a self-proclaimed Hag Fag, now living in San Francisco, gave some insight when I interviewed him recently and told me more about who Irene was and what she stood for.

Style

Irene could create entire outfits for almost nothing and prided herself on being able to do so. She had no training in sewing or pattern-cutting but trusted her instincts. Out of necessity and with very small or no budgets, Irene’s creations were made of scraps and left-overs and other surprising materials like towels and toilet seat covers. Everything was coordinated from her hand-made hats down to her shoes. Her apartment overflowed with her creations – she made over 100 hats and almost as many coordinated outfits.

In a charming scene in the film, Eric takes Irene on two shopping trips to show her two extremes of fashion to open her eyes and show her some new things. Versace and Chanel did brightly-coloured clothing that season and Eric thought she’d enjoy seeing the collections. Not surprisingly, the high-end designer clothing was not to Irene’s taste nor her budget (she scoffed at the prices and couldn’t believe anyone would pay that much for something she could make for almost nothing!). Next, they went to Marshall’s, where she went straight to the clearance rack (“I’m drawn to it, like gravity!”) but she didn’t buy anything.

With all of these fearless sartorial achievements, there is irony at the end of this stylish little firecracker’s life: Irene, creator of dozens and dozens of coordinated outfits and hats, insisted on not wearing clothes at all.

“If I ever lose my memory,” she says in a recording with Eric, “nudist colony, here I come.” He believes she predicted the dementia that took her life at the age of 87 in 2004.

Irene’s Legacy

Irene would have celebrated her 100^th birthday this year. To Eric’s delight, Florida’s Jewish Museum displayed 33 of Irene’s hand-made hats (now in the museum’s permanent collection), historical photos, and some (well-typed) letters in an exhibition this summer. Have a look at some of the highlights here.

The response at the opening was overwhelming. Eric said that some people at the event knew her or worked with her, other people attended the exhibition from a historical fashion point of view, and still others saw her and recognized her, but never got the chance to get to know her.

“I was mesmerized to see what kind of unique individual she was inside the clothes,” Eric is quoted as saying in the Miami Herald article that covered the event. “Not a lot of people stopped to get to know her—mostly people knew her visually and superficially.”

Eric told the Herald that Irene would have been humbled and proud to have other see what she stood for.

“I think Irene’s message was trust your own instincts, find your own inner passion; everyone has a passion so we should try it. Don’t be afraid. Listen to yourself. Don’t give a lot of concern to what other people may think.

“Irene wanted to bring happiness to people.”

By Leah Morrigan, GGN Editor

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My grandmother loved Liberace. He was on TV a lot when I was a kid in the 70s, and every time he was on a variety show, she would sit glued to the set.

She loved his sparkling costumes, the jewelry, the furs, and of course, his ivory-tinkling (he was an extremely talented pianist). I don’t remember her talking about him so I never got to find out what it was about this rouged and sequined piano player that drew her attention.

Time passed and along came the 80s. I had a grand-daughterly deja vu with a flamboyant musician myself, so I understood where she was coming from. I immediately fell in love when I heard Culture Club’s Time (Clock of the Heart) on the radio in 1981, and for the next few years, I had Boy George’s face plastered all over my bedroom walls. There was something about him that I was hopelessly drawn to – his individuality, his creativity, and the courage to be himself. But surely, I was attracted to him, he was a man after all… but something was amiss.

My love of Boy George confused me, just like my grandmother’s attraction to Liberace – both of us had rigid cultural gender roles stuffed down our throats, and any behaviour that strayed from what was considered “normal” for men and for women at the time was suspect – illegal in fact, during my grandmother’s era – but these were entertainers and allowed to be a little “eccentric”.

Though publicly closeted, Liberace was the first gay man to have his own TV show; he starred in movies, he was raking in $50,000 a week at the Riviera in Las Vegas, and he sold millions and millions of records. Women adored him.

He wore outrageous costumes for a man at the time – hell, even for a woman at the time, and I wonder if his female fan following had to do with a mutual love of glitz and girlish glamour.

Fashion

The American Fashion Foundation called Liberace the best-dressed man in show business back in the day. Liberace, known as Mr. Showmanship, modeled himself after 19th century Bavarian King Ludwig II, a suspected gay man and patron of Wagner. To me, Liberace was more like a fabulous, flamboyant papal drag queen complete with dainty gold slippers and flowing robes.

Liberace’s tremendous wealth enabled him to surround himself in homes decorated in Rococo style; he drove high-end cars and played custom-made pianos. He wore the most elaborate, heavily sequined, plumed, and embroidered costumes, encrusted with diamond buttons and pounds of Swarovski rhinestones. Even his shoes were custom-made to match his outfits.

He was a costume designer’s dream and commissioned a new wardrobe every year. In a 1982 interview, Michael Travis, Liberace’s costume designer during the late 70s and early 80s,  said of Liberace, “There’s nothing he will not do. He’s very flexible.”

The article describes Liberace’s most expensive outfit ever – a $300,000, 137-pound shimmering fox fur with a 16-foot train worn over a bejeweled tuxedo valued at $50,000.

“Every time he plays to a new audience he wants to see what he can shock them with,” Travis said.

And shock he did, much to the delight of his femme-heavy fan base.

Behind the Candelabra

People don’t realize how Liberace inspired entertainers of our modern era. In the wildly-praised 2013 HBO special, Behind the Candelabra, a film based on the book by his former lover, Scott Thorson, the true and somewhat tragic story of the outrageous pianist comes to light. Rob Lowe, who plays Dr. Jack Startz, Liberace’s plastic surgeon who once gave him a face lift so tight that Liberace couldn’t fully close his eyes, says that Liberace invented bling.

“The rappers of today wouldn’t be wearing or doing anything of what they’re doing without Liberace first,” Lowe insists. For all we know, it may have been Liberace that inspired Prince’s sequined boots and ruffles.

Liberace was a true original and fantastically talented man who sadly denied his sexuality to his grave.  Glitz, glamour, loneliness, and denial – the story of his life, but it is through him that my grandmother’s gaydar found its glow, and I am pleased to have inherited it.

– Leah Morrigan is the Editor of GGN and a men’s image specialist

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We’re celebrating #GGNSummerOfPride with a new series on prominent gay men who have significantly contributed to fashion and music and shaped our culture. Leah Morrigan,our new newsletter editor, kicks it off by looking through the eyes of Tom Ford:

Tom Ford, superstar clothing designer, business man, filmmaker, husband, and father, personifies BOLD in his designs, his business dealings, and as an individual.

He’s audacious as hell, he does what he wants and he does it well, otherwise he wouldn’t carry clients like Johnny Depp and Daniel Craig. Yet with all that going for him, with all the success and power and wealth, Tom Ford remains human.

Business

Ford, a jack-of-all-trades with a Midas touch, took Gucci from near-bankruptcy to $3 billion a year in sales, launched his own menswear label in 2007, aligned himself with Estée Lauder for the Tom Ford Beauty Brand, and counts 98 international retail Tom Ford stores among many other achievements, including a directing and co-writing credit for 2009’s A Single Man, a tasteful and tragic tale of gay angst in the early 1960s, that starred Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. Ford’s debut film won many awards and Firth received an Oscar nomination for best actor.

Despite what we might think an outrageously successful billionaire designer who caters to high-end clients like Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Drake might be like, Tom Ford is a real and surprisingly regular person.

Images of beauty 

Ford studied architecture before he turned to fashion and understands how to build things. He uses geometry in his designs and creates sensuous lines and angles in magnificent, often textured, deeply-coloured fabrics in his menswear collections.

He has an inborn sense of balance and opulence and learned about fashion through his mother and grandmother. “My mother was very chic, very classic,” he recalls in an interview with Biography. “My paternal grandmother was very stylish in a very Texas way—everything big and flashy, from jewelry to cars.”

When asked if Texas has influenced his designs, Ford told FDLuxe,  “I have certain notions of glamour that I never lost… I like a heel on a boot. I feel better with a heel. That Texas taste—big hair and a lot of makeup—was my first notion of beauty. And I have to say, to this day, I still have a thing for big hair.

“The images of beauty you get in your childhood stick with you for life, so there’s a certain flashiness at Gucci—Texas-inspired—with a certain Western feel.”

The big, bold, and flashy has been woven into Ford’s designs for Gucci and used in his own menswear line. In his spring/summer 2015 menswear line for example, the casual luxury of his Western-inspired collection included suede jackets with tasselled sleeves, jeans, denim shirts, and jean jackets–a far cry from his iconic suits and shirts, dapper enough for 007 himself.

“What we wanted to do was to expand sportswear so that our customer has something to wear for every occasion of his life,” Ford says of the collection.

Tom Ford the Human

Tom Ford is sensitive and romantic and loves to be in love and be in a relationship. ”I’m someone who likes being part of a couple and always wanted that and always sought that,” he says, “And it would probably be true for me whether I was gay or straight.”

When Ford saw his long-term partner, Richard Buckley, the former Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Hommes International at a fashion show in 1986, it was love at first sight. More than 25 years along, Ford and Buckley married in 2014 and welcomed their son, Alexander John Buckley Ford (Jack), into the world in 2012. Ford has proven to be a devoted partner and father.

“I feed Jack, I dress him, I change his diaper, and I have a good two or three hours with him every morning, just me and him,” Ford says. “At night, again, I put him to bed and try to spend as much time with him as possible.”

Now that he’s raising a child, his perspective of the world has changed. In particular, he no longer receives Botox injections, and says that things he used to care about just don’t matter as much anymore.

It’s refreshing that a superstar like Tom Ford understands his limited relevance and shelf-life. “No matter how hard you try, there is a cultural moment, but eventually that window’s gone, your time on Earth is finished, and you might as well leave,” he says. “I could absolutely die tomorrow–I would not care. I feel like I’ve lived, I feel like I’ve had a great life.”

 Tom Ford‘s Style Advice:

• “Keep your jacket buttoned. Always. It’s just really flattering – it will take pounds off you.”
•  “At home, off-duty, I wear T-shirts from Fruit of the Loom but I have them tailored – if the sleeves are cut over the tricep your arms look much better.”
•  “A man should never wear shorts in the city. Flip-flops and shorts in the city are never appropriate. Shorts should only be worn on the tennis court or on the beach.”

  

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LOVE THIS SHOW! Get thee a television whisperer! You know, that one friend who can find you anything on TV even if it’s never been released here? And fast – Vicious – written by the executive producer of Will & Grace for ITV in Britain, is our new obsession. Sirs Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi play lovers of 40-plus years, with an outstanding Frances de la Tour in a Karen Walker-esque role she makes all her own. It’s a real treat to see such fine acting poured into a sitcom that has all the biting rapartee you’d expect from the man who helmed one of America’s funniest and groundbreaking shows. With it’s typically short season of just seven episodes (though it’s been renewed), Vicious is so LOL funny and at the same time heartwarming that we’ve been savouring each episode and then taking a break for weeks – no binge-watching this treasure. It began airing in the US in June, 2014 but has yet to hit Canadian airwaves.

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LOVE LIST :: Where we bring you the latest in good, great and bloody friggen’ awesome stuff guaranteed to make your life even better:

Philomena :: We went and saw this without knowing the plot; Dame Judi Dench is in it – it’s what one does. There we were, minding our own movie business, when along comes this big gay twist mid-film. Dench stars opposite the very lovely, very handsome Steve Coogan (who wrote and produced too), as a plain as Guinness Irish woman searching for the child she gave up for adoption, er, was stolen from her. Expect sobs, laughs, and, as we said, a big gay twist. Dench has already been Golden Globe nominated, so too has Coogan for his writing. Now playing in theatres everywhere.

English Laundry :: So there we were, naked but for undies and socks before our dermatologist at our annual mole check appointment, when, as he was studiously examining our backside, we hear: “Wow. Great underwear. English Laundry? Where did you get them?” Awkward yes, but we couldn’t agree more with our discerning doc. English Laundry, a rock-meets-Brit-meets arrogance fashion line makes our new favourite underwear. There’s real room in the front for your junk; no longer will you be flattened like a Ken doll. They make your butt look better than it already does. Fun colours. Cool branding. Washes well. Various prices on EnglishLaundry.com. (PS: No skin cancer!)

Oh Dear, Sylvia :: Dawn French – in a book! You love her in French & Saunders anything, you totally appreciate that she was in fact the original Saffy, having co-created the F&S skit that eventually became AbFab, and then there’s her advocacy on behalf of plus-size girls everywhere. Now let’s talk about her books. Oh Dear, Sylvia is her second novel, about a woman in a coma whose real life truths come out through visits of those near and not so dear to her. A funny exploration of Big Life Themes in a book with a truly unique narrative. Couldn’t put it down and it’s a long-lasting read. Approx. $15 at bookstores.

Kahlua Gingerbread :: We’re not huge fans of most of the new, sticky, flavoured versions of classics like vodka and gin, but, as we’ve mentioned before, sometimes a winning combo emerges, like Kahlua Gingerbread. Just in time for the holidays, this is just what the kid in you ordered; the coffee liqueur is infused with vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and clove. Lovely on ice or with voddy. $16.25 375 ml, wherever you buy your spirits.

The WestJet Holiday Video :: This video went viral fast for good reason (and someone in marketing just got a super fat raise). A huge branding exercise that is good and so heart-warming that we’ve decided to help the good vibe grow. Enjoy again (or for the first time if you haven’t already; where have you been?)

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Buried Hope :: A multi-country, multi-varietal collection from Corby released in November includes a Cabernet Sauvignon from North Coast, California. Think ripe berry and cassis and rich plum. It’s perfect with red meat, game and cheeses. $19.95. (More on Buried Hope wines, here.)

Oyster :: Think Netflix or Rdio, but for books. Oyster is a new membership subscription app that’s perfect for the reader who can’t get enough, or those who can’t commit to just a single title. And like Rdio, you can make your reading public by sharing on social media. Now we know what we’re giving Oprah for Christmas. $9.95 / month – iTunes

Kim Crawford :: No one makes a Sauvignon Blanc like New Zealand and reigning vineyard Kim Crawford – whose chief winemaker says 2013 produced “the vintage of a lifetime” – has another winner. A pale lemon colour, it’s dry and packed with taste and a lingering finish. We need some oysters – stat. $18.95

Happy Planet Health Shots :: ‘Tis the season of over-indulgence, one-more-for-the-road, night-caps and oh-mah-head the next day. So we’re loving Happy Planet’s Hangover Relief Detox All-Natural Body Revitalizer. The formulation includes Burdock, Milk Thistle and Ginger Root plus vitamin fortifications, all to remove toxins and prevent nausea. Happy holidays. $2.99 / 75 ml at health stores across Canada.

Black Diamonds :: Black is the new white where diamonds are concerned, as white diamond’s little brother gains more and more popularity with the chic set. This men’s black diamond ring is from LaFia. Approx. $1500.00

Melissa Endean :: We are crushing on this lesbian electro-indie-pop artist from small-town British Colombia who’s currently riding high and gaining notice for her single, I Could Be Your Boi, a slinky, sultry suggestive song with an ambitious (stretch that budget girl!) video to match. (We’d let you be our boi, Ms. Endean.) This is I Kissed A Girl only ten times better, real. Watch it now:

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR WINNERS!

TANK YOU VERY MUCH :: It may be cold out but the look this season is a skimpy WorldPride 2014 tank. Last month TheGGN hit the beaches of Miami, the hills of Hollywood and the deserts of Palm Springs sharing the WorldPride Toronto 2014 love courtesy of Toronto Tourism.

Want to win one of these WorldPride 2014 tanks we shared with our sexy sisters down south? Tweet: “I love TheGayGuideNetwork.com’s new look! #WorldPride2014″ and we’ll do a random draw next week! For more pics, visit our WorldPride 2014 Facebook page!

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The September Issue :: Follow Anna Wintour as she puts together the biggest issue of the year at Vogue. You decide how devilish she really is. (2009)

Bill Cunningham New York :: The original street-style photographer is documented and it’s just lovely. If you are a photo geek, this is your dream. (2012)

The Eye Has To Travel :: The real “Devil Wears Prada” was actually Diana Vreeland, who edited US Vogue in the Sixties. Go inside her life; this is our favourite of all fashion films. (2011)

Lagerfeld Confidential :: The first authorized insight into the life of one of fashion’s most important figures. (2007)

Valentino: The Last Emperor :: A guilty pleasure for fans of the legend, this doc charts the days leading up to his 45th anniversary in Rome. Stunning. (2009)

MEET US IN MEXICO! Enter to win a trip for two to Puerto Vallarta here!

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LOVE LIST :: Where we bring you the good, the great and the bloody friggen’ awesome stuff guaranteed to make your life even better:

Movember Mittens :: Holt Renfrew and Paul Smith have teamed to create limited edition mittens, kittens. Every pair purchased will help support the men’s health programs run by Movember; Holt’s goal is to raise $100,000 this month. For us, this beats growing a mandatory mo’ – everyone looks good in mittens. Order online or at all Holt Renfrew locations across Canada. $50.

Tempo Run :: It can be a fresh kind of hell trying to find the perfect music to match your run. Stop skipping through songs that spoil your stride as your run wastes away with this awesome app. Temp Run will automatically categorize your music into levels from 1 to 10, based on tempo. Level 1 is a walk, 5 is a jog, and 10 is a sprint. Easily manage your songs and speed and keep track of your training history. Or just walk the dog to the perfect music. iTunes. $3.99

Cherry Cola :: With their release of CherryKran vodka, Absolut now let’s you create the adult version of one of our favourite drinks of our youth: cherry cola. With the natural flavours of cherries, white cranberries and plums (no sugar or added preservatives) this vodka is incredibly easy to mix. Pour over cola and garnish with a Maraschino cocktail cherry. Absolut CherryKran select liquor retailers everywhere – approximately $27.

Damages The Complete Season :: OMG the twisted pleasure of Glenn Close in a show-stopping role that makes boiling bunnies look like child’s play. As unscrupulous top litigator Patti Hewes, Close shines, especially when her mentor – played by the incredibly wardrobed Rose Byrne – becomes her mentor. The series pulls from international headlines ranging from Haliburton to WikiLeakes and breathtakingly climaxes with a face-off between the two arch-rivals – in court. Along the way Tate Donovan, Lily Tomlin, Ted Danson, Jenna Elfman, Marcia Gay Harden and Ryan Phillippe  join in the fun of this often underrated show that is truly not to be missed. To win the entire five-season series on DVD simply sign up for one of our newsletters. Already receive them? Just click here and update your profile to be automatically entered. When you’re done, sample the charms of Patti Hewes below. Suggested retail price $95.99.

MEET US IN MEXICO! Enter to win a trip for two to Puerto Vallarta here!

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LOVE LIST :: Where we bring you the good, the great and the bloody friggen’ awesome stuff guaranteed to make your life even better:

War Paint :: We haven’t laughed so hard since Margaret Cho entered our lives. Last Comic Standing winner Iliza Schlesinger‘s one-hour stand-up special for Netflix bitingly mocks the relationships between girls, sweetly turns Sarah McLachlan’s animal charity ad on its tail – and then there’s that whole twisted pharmacist part. Appallingly funny, sexy, clever and memorable comedy – all at the same time – from a new great. You’ll share this one with friends. Netflix.

Colour Your Feet :: From the streets of Paris to the runways of New York, coloured shoelaces took footwear by storm this year. If you thought it was an accessory trend about to end, we assure you there isn’t one in sight: shoes are now coming with coloured laces. That said, we still love how Stolen Riches‘ individual dress laces let us add the colour until our feet’s content. Order online thru Gotstyle. $17.50

Cucumber Vodka :: Finally, someone got it right. We have tasted every manner of infused vodka out there and much of what we taste is sugar and in one case even medicine-y. Enter Iceberg Vodka to save the day: their cucumber infused vodka is sublime, sophisticated and not sickly sweet. We knew it was possible! Currently only available in Newfoundland – coming soon to other provinces.

Radius Toothbrushes :: The common toothbrush hasn’t changed  much since stick + neem tree. The Radius is a smile game-changer. A natural toothbrush, it improves gum health with soft and wide massage and cleans better than you’ve ever experienced. Oh, and it lasts up to nine months and has a version for left-handed people. At health stores everywhere – approximately $8.

Secret Project Revolution :: Madonna the edgy, message-driven artist returned from her L-U-V phase at the end of September with the highly anticipated unveiling of her Secret Project, inspired by the social injustices she saw during her MDNA world tour of duty. A collaboration with Steven Klein, here is M at her artistic, beautiful best with a powerful but simple message, stunningly presented. The best seventeen minutes you’ll spend today:

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SIZE QUEENS :: Brit boys, it would seem, strongly feel the bigger the better – at least where big bags for boys are concerned. (All photos: Shaun Proulx Media)

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Nam Prik Pao :: This mild seafood chili sauce sweetened with tamarind and palm sugar is currently putting the delish in delicious in our kitchens. We’re adding it to everything from Thai chicken curry to veggie-infused quinoa. We love the homemade version by Linda Modern Thai, who are the first Canadian recipient of the Thai Select Premium designation.

Cate Blanchett :: We’re getting in early and predicting an Oscar win for her performance as Jasmine in Woody Allen‘s Blue Jasmine, which we’ve now seen three times. Run, don’t walk. Now playing in theatres everywhere.

Derek :: Ricky Gervais crosses a lot of lines in bringing us a fairly repugnant character – disgusting greasy hair, underbite for miles, twitching  – in his new Office-esque TV show set in a UK nursing home. But then, just as you’re fascinated like watching a car crash, Derek hits you over the head with a tonne of heart. Genius, sure-fire hit – unless the free world’s gone mad. Exclusively on Netflix.

Flatline :: This sweet new single by MKS – Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan, the original line up The Sugababes – is fantastic. Have a listen below and don’t tell us you didn’t get an ear worm. Available on iTunes.

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BLUEBERRY MARTINI :: We love a fill-in-the-blank-tini as much as the next guy, but time to extol the virtues of the world’s #1 super-fruit. Most people know blueberries are ranked first in antioxidant activity, but when you think blueberry, think wild.  The lowbush wild blueberry has, for thousands of years, thrived naturally in Eastern Canada and Maine. They are far more healthier than the cultivated variety, known for their unbeatable flavour, colour and versatility. The more versatile the fruit the better, we always say.

In our search for more to do with the berry than throw it in our famous breakfast smoothie, we’ve discovered Van Dyk’s By Nature 100% Pure Wild Blueberry Juice ($14.95 / 500 ml).

Think drinking blueberry pie.  Each bottle contains 1.5 pounds of wild blueberries, with no sugar, no water, no preservatives added at all, making it perfect to add to vodka.

That’s right: let’s drink:

Wild Blueberry Martini:

2 oz blueberry juice
1 oz citrus flavoured vodka (who’s kidding who here?)
1 oz Creme de Cassis
Squeeze of lime.
Add to a shaker filled with crushed ice.  Shake for 30 seconds, strain and pour into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with fresh or frozen blueberries.

We’ve also been adding the sexy juice to oil and vinegar for a delicious salad dressing, making chutney, mimosas, the possibilities are endless.  For more recipes, click here.

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MINIMUS AMAZEMUS :: Reason 8,405 why we’re lovers of good design: New Balance‘s Minimus X20v3. Its state-of-the-art shoe design allows the feel of barefoot-like performance without having to keep wearing those fugly barefoot shoes. There. Said it. Hate those barefoot shoes.

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New Balance’s engineering allows the natural movement of the foot and body during a gym or circuit workout, without sacrificing protection and versatility. In other words, you can feel the ground and achieve optimum power during a record breaking lift without risking safety, or run that mid-distance run feeling barefoot but enjoying cushion comfort. An anatomically correct last allows the body to align to a more natural state, decreasing the risk of injury. The shoe conforms to the foot in all directions, letting it move with the body rather than against it, which is what happens often in more rigourous workouts (like yours).

Of course it goes without saying they’ll also look pretty hot on the street this summer, when you’re showing off the hard-won results of said workouts. Good design thinks of everything.

Available at Sport Chek and Sports Experts: $119.95

– TheGayGuideNetwork

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FUSION IN THE BAG :: Sully Wong is the collaboration brand created between designer George Sully and sneaker aficionado Henry Wong. Together, the team has been all about bringing clean smart sneaker design to kicks. But with the introduction of their new Sully Wong Micro Traveler, the gents appear to have latched on to an idea we’ve long known to be true: it’s all about the shoes and the bag.

Made from signature SW ballistic nylon, the roomy, lined Micro Traveler has vegan leather-wrapped handles and an adjustable shoulder strap, and we love its versatile colours mesh and match with so much of our wardrobe. The latest result of the Sully Wong North American-Asian culture clash is just in time for quick winter getaways, or if that tired old gym bag you’ve been lugging around (we’ve seen you) deserves a toss (it does). $95 at TSOQ (The Store on Queen) and GotStyle

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