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  • RECIPE | Pumpkin Soup

    I find the process of hollowing out a pumpkin quite tedious, so the last thing I want to be doing afterwards is chopping other vegetables to go in a soup that will just be blended anyway. Take the pressure off and keep this super simple (and cheap!) by using a frozen vegetable mix of carrots, onion, and celery. By using ham stock your tapping into the bacon / pumpkin squash classic flavour combo but saving pennies & calories too by not using any actual meat. This recipe showcases how simplicity really can bring out the best in flavours.

    Serves 4 (can be frozen)

    Prep 15 mins
    Cook 30 mins

    Starter / Inexpensive / Quick & Easy / Antioxidant Rich

    PUMPKIN – 100g of flesh is only 26 calories. Pumpkin is also recommended by dieticians in cholesterol management and for weight loss programs. Also in 100g of pumpkin flesh comes around 246% of your recommended intake of vitamin A. Pumpkins, like carrots contain carotenes and anti-oxidants that help promote good eye sight. B-complex vitamins are also abundant in the pumpkin; folate, niacin, B-6, B-5.

    Ingredients.
    450-500g pumpkin flesh (save the seeds and roast them for 10-15 minutes, lovely!)
    250g frozen vegetables (carrot, onion, celery)
    1000ml hot water
    2 ham stock cubes
    1 birds eye chilli

    Method.
    1. Heat a large saucepan and place the frozen vegetables in for 5 mins to defrost and soften.
    2. Add the pumpkin, chilli, hot water, and stock cubes and bring to the boil.
    3. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
    4. Take off the heat and use a hand blender to blend until smooth.
    5. Serve with freshly grated nutmeg, smoked paprika and some pumpkin seeds scattered on top.

  • RECIPE: Chicken Coal

    Nuggets. Notoriously loved. Notoriously unhealthy. Not these!

    CREDIT: Jordan Lohan

    (more…)

  • From Porn To Movies, Frankie Is Off To Hollywood

    Frankie Valenti aka Johnny Hazard is the latest gay porn star to go legit and act in a movie where he keeps his clothes on (nearly) the entire time.

    It won’t win him any Oscars but is should get him more roles in independent movies such as this as he has more talent than just his larger member that has endeared him to so many gay men already. We will publish our full review when the movie gets released next year, but meanwhile here is a sneak preview of Frankie in action in Wade Gasque’s TIGER ORANGE.

    It’s a path that many have trodden and failed so miserably i.e. think François Sagat’s leaden performance in the dreadful Man In Bath that we reviewed recently. When you think that the few lines that porn performers are forced to trot out just consist of stunners like ‘I’m here to fix your plumbing’ or ‘Give it to me big boy’, they really don’t need to be actors per se.

    Frankie, following the recent successful movie debut of Sean Paul Lockhart aka Brent Corrigan in TRUTH (reviewed in The Gay UK), has put in a surprisingly good performance playing one of two estranged gay brothers struggling to connect after the recent death of their father in ‘TIGER ORANGE’. Chet is an introvert who has never ‘come out’ or even left his small hometown, whereas rebellious Todd left for LA at the age of 18 and is out and proud and very loud. Easy to guess which one Frankie played.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Curing Room

    ★★★★ | The Curing Room

    “It made the recent Globe production of Titus Andronicus look like a teddy bear’s picnic!” And indeed over 90 minutes we had been subjected to a deluge of blood, guts and gore, couple with full frontal male nudity the likes of which I have never seen before on the stage.

    David Ian Lee’s The Curing Room throws seven Soviet soldiers into the empty cellar of a monastery, stripped of all belongings and their clothes. Abandoned by their captors, and left without food, the men resort finally to murder and cannibalism in order to survive. The play asks questions about how we redefine ourselves in extreme circumstances, how the constraints of normal civilised society and military rank cling to us, or don’t.

    The play is something of a tour de force for the seven brilliant actors, who literally bare all before the audience. Director Joao De Sousa is unflinching in his depiction of cannibalism and there is, as I said earlier, a lot of blood. My companion spent much of the latter part of the evening with his head turned away from the stage. This play is definitely not for the faint hearted, and if your only reason for going is a prurient desire to see seven men naked, well you soon get used to that. The gore is harder to cope with.

    It would be invidious to pick out any one of the actors. They all work as a close-knit team, and all, without exception, give excellent performances. De Sousa’s pacing is brilliant, and I was gripped throughout. Once away from the theatrical brilliance of it all, though, a few minor doubts crept in about the writing and about the play itself. For much of the play, the characters come across as mere cyphers, as representatives of certain types; the stiff upper lip captain, the honourable senior lieutenant, the slightly simple young private, the old retainer and so on. This could be the reason I found it ultimately less involving than I should have. Though the horror of what unfolds before you certainly draws you in, ultimately ones cares little about the fate of these soldiers as individuals.

    None the less, The Curing Room is well worth seeing if you have the stomach for it. I doubt we will see anything like it again for some time.

    The Curing Room is at the Pleasance Theatre until November 9th.

  • FILM REVIEW | The Last Impresario

    ★★★★ | The Last Impresario

    Gracie Otto’s affectionate documentary on the charismatic and adventurous English theatre and film producer Michael White is a movie long overdue. Despite his enormous contribution in a prolific career that spanned three decades he is as Anna Wintour succinctly put it, ‘the most famous person that you’ve never heard’. Ms Wintour also so accurately summed up his rich and tumultuous career by describing him as ‘a true Renaissance man’.

    Michael ‘Chalky’ White was born in Glasgow in 1936 to wealthy immigrant Jewish parents who packed him off to Boarding School in Switzerland at the tender age of 7. This small shy boy who suffered from asthma and couldn’t speak a word of French was something of a loner and although fiercely independent developed a skill in befriending everyone, a character trait that would end up changing his life.

    From Switzerland, he went to study at the Sorbonne which was followed by a stint as a Wall Street runner in the 1950s. Somewhere along the line this well-travelled young man discovered a passion for the theatre and landed himself a job with the impresario Peter Daubney in London producing international theatre seasons. At the ripe age of 25 White produced his first play in the West End. It was not a conventional drama but a production of Jack Gelber’s Living Theatre group called ‘The Connection’ and it depicted the life of drug-addicted jazz musicians. It had a mixed reception with its detractors up in arms about the debauchery on stage which showed men shooting up, something totally unheard of back in 1959 when every play was still censored by the Lord Chamberlain’s Office.

    It was however not the last time that White would break all the rules as he pursued anything avant-garde and different than the norm in a career in which he mounted 101 stage productions and produced 27 films.

    He introduced London to art ‘happenings’ with Yoko Ono, contemporary dance with Merce Cunningham and Pina Bausch, discovered the ground-breaking ‘The Rocky Horror Show’, joined forces with Kenneth Tynan to produce the all-nude review Oh Calcutta’, gave Barry Humphries aka Dame Edna Everage his first big break. Then as his career moved into movies he produced ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’, John Water’s ‘Polyester’, and the classic ‘My Dinner with Andre’.

    Otto starts her movie almost at the end when after casually meeting White at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010 she is intrigued about this charming septuagenarian who literally knows everybody worth knowing. And what’s more, they all totally adore him. From British royalty to the Hollywood A list via mega-rock stars to model superstars, White has hung out with them all, and many of them, including ex-wives and girlfriends, eagerly line up to give witness to all the joyous times they have spent together. Even Wintour the Ice Queen cracks a rare smile on her face when she talks about her times with White.

    White’s professional success (and sometimes failure) is because he is a gambler. Unlike any of his peers, he is happy to take a chance on people and their productions simply if he believes in them, almost in the same way that he bets on horses too. His personal ‘success’ is because he is an optimist and believes that everyone is his friend. ‘Some people have cheated me, but I have no enemies at all.’

    Now after a couple of strokes, although White refuses to acknowledge the ageing process, he is obviously not in a good shape physically or financially. Whilst he is happy to talk about his life (with the rare exception such as losing the lucrative rights to The Rocky Horror Show) he adamantly refuses to let Otto in to find out much about him as a man. Several colleagues drop very broad hints that part of his present demise is due to not just the excessive partying but the use of recreational drugs, but Otto chooses not to pursue any of this.

    His legacy will not just be all the thousands of photographs he took to chronicle his life with a whole galaxy or stars, or the correspondence with the rich and famous that he had hoarded for decades. It will be the way that his approach of leading with his heart and not his head completely propelled London into being a true world-class stage and discovering and giving a voice to such a remarkable array of talent. It also helped that he was also a professional charmer.

    The world is definitely a better place because of Michael White, the like of whom we will never see again.

  • The Sexiest Religious Video… Ever

    Andrew Christian releases racy religious themed underwear video…

    VIDEO: FORGIVE ME, FATHER

    MUSIC: “TIME4HIGH” By New Vision Recordings/Poisonflow/Rareform/Urban Sickness Audio/ Getty Music

    MODELS:Designer Andrew Christian, Rocky Santos, Murray Swanby, Cheddy Oakafor, Cory Zwierzynski, Pablo Hernandez

    ALSO FEATURING: Steven Andrade, Kevin Benoit, Luis Gonzalez And Jonny Manzanares (Our Champion Pole Dancer…Yep…They Have Competitions For This)

    Our newest model Steven Andrade debuts in Forgive Me Father. We love Steven because he is not only pure of heart and has a HUGE cock….but is also the first “gaybie” we have met; and by “gaybie” we mean he was adopted by two gay dads. Growing up with two gay dads, Steven naturally thought he was gay…but eventually he had to come out of the closet as straight. We didn’t really believe he was straight until his make out scene with Pablo during which we were all looking to see if he got hard….and sure enough he didn’t….damn. I guess there is such a thing as a straight male fag hag after all.

    Get 15% off & enter to win $100 in AC* Text AC to 33733

    Written and Directed by: Jeff White

    Assistant Director/Editor: Will Schoenfeld

    Stylist and Promo Photographer: Erica Dorsey

    Assistant Editor: Christian Dean

    Production Assistants: Danny Katz

  • 17-Year-Old Boy Raped By Two Men In Manchester Park, E-Fits Released

    Manchester Police are calling for witnesses and information with regards to a brutal rape of a 17-year-old boy in a Salford Park in Manchester.

    The 17-year-old unnamed victim was attacked by two men as he walked through Buille Hill Park, Eccles between 12:10 Am and 12:42AM on Wednesday 8th October.

    The police have released e-fits in a fresh appeal for witnesses.

    Police believe two men were standing at the gate of the Seedley Road entrance to the park and followed the boy along the path into the park. The victim then lost sight of the men and continued to walk further into the park, but a short time later the offenders approached him, one from the front and the other from behind, and raped him.

    Since the attack the victim has been supported by specially trained officers and detectives have been carrying out a number of inquiries. The victim has now managed to give a detailed description of the offenders and officers have today released the E-Fits.

    The men, both described as white, one in his late twenties and slim, the other in his thirties or forties and overweight, were both wearing shorts and hoodies with the hoods up. The slim male had blonde hair and was wearing glasses.

    Detective Inspector Kenneth Blain said:

    “This horrific incident left a boy traumatised and I’d like to reassure both him and the community that we are determined to catch those responsible.

    “The victim has managed to provide enough details for us to put together the E-Fits, so I would now like people to have a look and tell us if they recognise either of the men.

    “I would like to make a direct appeal to anyone who may have been walking near to where the incident took place to contact police immediately.”

    Anyone with information should phone police on 0161 856 5360 quoting log number 61 of 8 October 2014 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

    If you are affected by the issues raised in this article and would like to talk to someone please call LLGS on 0300 330 0630 or visit: http://www.llgs.org.uk

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Woman In Black, Sheffield Lyceum Theatre & National Tour

    ★★★★★ | The Woman In Black, Sheffield Lyceum Theatre & National Tour

    et in an old theatre in the late 1950’s, a solicitor, Arthur Kipps, enlists the assistance of a young actor to tell his story. His tale revolves around a terrifying incident when he was younger, when he travelled to the Eel Marsh House to settle the estate of a long standing deceased client. Initially finding a conspiracy of secrecy from the locals, he makes his way across the Nine Lives Causeway, which is cut off at high tide. Alone in the mansion, he is plagued by the sound of a pony and trap, an unexplained banging noise and a door which appears to be locked from the inside. What secrets does the estate hold, what lurks in the swirling mist… And who is the woman in black he keeps seeing?

    This chilling and effective ghost story is beautifully crafted and used simple techniques to create an immensely taught atmosphere in the theatre. The lighting design in particular was exceptional. Who would have thought that a dark stage with just a door highlighted would draw worried mumblings from those around you? This is a theatrical experience like no other.

    The production slowly cranks up the tension, which quite literally draws you to the edge of your seat and then throws you back into it with “cattle prod” jolts that elicited genuine screams of terror from the audience. The narrative of the piece completely draws you in; and the production avoids spoon feeding you the story, leaving you as the audience to create your own horrors in your imagination. The set, staging and props were remarkably effective in their simplicity and created an atmosphere where you held your breath with the central character as he explored the darkness. Setting the show in a theatre made you instantaneously part of the production and the dark atmosphere and low level lighting only add to the gloominess and intimacy of the piece.

    The performances from the two leads were both excellent, with Matt Connor playing the part of The Actor and Young Kipps, and Malcolm James providing the elderly Kipps and the other characters he comes across. It came as a surprise just how effective a simply staged double hander could be and the way in which the audience is manipulated via the events unfolding on stage is testament to the outstanding writing behind the show.

    This show is not akin to the recent film, so those expecting the Daniel Radcliffe version will be disappointed. It is faithful to its original source material, the book by Susan Hill. If anything, it is more reminiscent of “The Haunting” (1963) which leaves everything to the imagination. Here, the effective equivalent of the tradition of sitting round an open fire and telling ghost stories proves that there is more to what is unseen than what is seen; and is an absolutely perfect pre-Halloween treat or a superbly chilling way to spend a dark, stormy winter evening.

  • Russell Tovey Shares Cute Kissing Photo From News Series of Looking

    Hunky Russell Tovey has shared a sneaky picture from the set of HBO’s new series of Looking…

    https://twitter.com/russelltovey/status/525314796967583747/photo/1

    The star, who is currently in the US filming the second series of HBO’s Looking, captioned the picture, ‘So in love’.

    In the show Russell plays Kevin Matheson, described as a “video-game wunderkind” who has feelings for one of his employees, Patrick Murray, played by Jonathan Groff.

    Looking is one of the only television series to focus solely on gay storylines since Queer As Folk, which ended in 2005.

    Russell recently starred in a film called Blackwood, which TheGayUK’s Greg Mitchell gave four stars.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Solomon and Marion, The Rep, Birmingham

    ★★★★ – Witty, Endearing, Unforgettable

    “Solomon and Marion” hits the studio theatre of The Rep with an edgy bang. Lara Foot’s play is set in the post-apartheid period, and the essence of her story transports us back twenty years. It does not seem too long ago, when racial differences were a hot topic in the Western World, but more so in South Africa.

    “Solomon and Marion” delivers a perspective from both sides: Solomon represents a poor black boy, whose family have died, and who is, on a daily basis, fighting for survival. Marion is a white and middle-class lady who, throughout the play, is writing to her daughter Annie who is living in Australia with “a very good accountant.” – She reminds us… constantly.

    For some time, Marion has felt a presence lurking in around her house. One day, Marion is rudely disturbed by a black boy, whom she claims has never met, but walks into her living room, uninvited. It turns out that she used to let him play in her pond as a young child, as she was good friends with his grandmother. A delightful and an endearing connection between them ensues with terms as: ‘My boy’ and ‘Ms Marion’ that make the audience smile with delight.

    Lara Foot created a masterpiece, where she assembles humour with anger; a melancholy and monumental revelation. When Marion sees Solomon wearing her deceased son’s yellow shirt, her reaction is heart-wrenching. She cries and says to Solomon: “You’ve ruined it.” Which may cause some controversy with subtext analysis: was Marion showing a racist streak? She very quickly recovers and begs Solomon to keep it.

    Dame Janet Suzman, who you might recall from watching The Singing Detective, delivers an astonishing and memorable performance. The way Janet embodies Marion with extremely well-thought of physicality and with an emotion that was as if Suzman had gone through the grief and isolation portrayed herself. Janet shines particularly at the end when she breaks down after finding out the truth of her son’s death.

    Khayalethu Anthony breaths a true embodiment of what it would have felt like to live in those harsh times. Anthony is an unexperienced actor by background, but on stage his talent matches the Dame’s, especially when enacting live the murder scene of Marion’s son. His method of talking in mother-tongue gave the play an element of outstanding sincerity.

    The lighting was an effective drama tool, as it aided with the transition between happy daytime, to lonely darkness where Marion would spend all night staring at nothing. The excellent way in which the light shone through the window and when it climbed the walls as the sun was rising. The set was a masterpiece, in naturalistic terms but also it managed to create a nostalgic place for Marion to reminisce the whole life she had spent, and the one she wants to die in.

    “Solomon and Marion” is at The Rep until 1st of November.

  • RECIPE | Posh Cod & Chips

    Serves 4 | Prep 20 minutes | Cook 20 minutes

    B12 BOOSTER / Anti-Oxidant Rich

    I am not normally one to go for fish, I have a strange fear of the sea that extends to fish being on plates. However, this is not fishy in the slightest and I found myself sharing the last fish parcel with a friend the first time I made it. I served mine with sweet potato chips, and had a pot of the left over pesto on the side (like a more refined version of mushy peas, perhaps), and had a posh fish and chips night.

    COD- For every 113g of cod you eat, you are receiving the following of the recommended daily intake; 109% B12, 88% iodine (great anti-oxidant stimulant, thus boosting the immune system), 57% selenium (HIV can deplete someone’s antioxidant / selenium resources so Cod makes a great natural way of boosting levels back up), 55% phosphorous, 42% protein, 21% choline (liver protector)- to name the highest. (SOURCE : http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=133 ).

    INGREDIENTS.

    One batch of artichoke & pistachio pesto

    4 pieces of cod (either fillet or tail-end will work)

    12 slices of pancetta

    few springs of thyme, leaves removed

    Olive oil
    METHOD.

    Preheat your oven to 220c / 200c (fan) / Gas Mark 7

     

    1. If you are using a fillet, then using a sharp knife make an incision in it’s thickest part and slice horizontally to create a pocket (just as if you were stuffing a chicken breast), and stuff with a tablespoon or so of the pesto.
    2. If you are using the tail end (this is what I used) then have where the skin used to be side up, place a tablespoon or so of the pesto on the fish and fold one half of the fish on top of itself sandwiching the pesto.
    3. Wrap each now stuffed fish in 2-3 slices of pancetta (depends how big your slices are) and place in an oven-proof baking dish.
    4. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle a few thyme leaves on top.
    5. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
    6. Remove from the oven, at this point you could choose to pan fry the fish parcels in order to get a bit of crisp on the outside.
    7. Serve with a pot of remaining pesto on the side, or alternatively keep leftover pesto in the fridge to use with pasta the following day.

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