Jesse Archer just can't get enough from the City of Brotherly Love!  The actor, screenwriter and travel journalist will be returning to Philadelphia for an exclusive book signing "You Can Run: Gay, Glam and Gritty Travels in South America" (Haworth Press, 2007) at Giovanni's Room, 345 S. 12th St., at 5:30-7:00 PM, on Thursday, August 9.

The handsome native Oregonian caught wanderlust at an early age and has been traveling ever since, including living aboard in Paris and Buenos Aires in addition to being bi-coastal residing in both Los Angeles and New York City. 

Archer's book chronicles the two intrepid years the author spent glittering through the rough and tough of South America with a co-dependent ex-boyfriend, a prissy Argentine, and a
hot pink wig. The writing fiend also contributes a popular monthly column in Out Magazine.

The multi-talented Archer recently starred opposite Rising Star Award recipient, Charlie David, at the opening night premiere of director Caspar Andreas' "A Four Letter Word," 
which he also co-screen wrote, on July 12 at the 13th Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (PIGLFF) 2007 where he was in attendance. Archer previously worked with Andreas in first queer feature, starring in "Slutty Summer." The team of Andreas-Archer recently won a best screenwriting award at OutFest in Los Angeles.

The event is being held in conjunction with Where Magazine's publisher Laura Burkhardt and BUCKmonkey's Thom Cardwell and James Duggan, publishers of QUEERtimes.

For more information, call (215) 923-2960.

Are you sick of Perez Hilton yet? 

Is he just a media flash in the pan?  Will he become last year's news next year?   Perhaps. Perhaps not. It's hard to tell with a self-proclaimed "Queen of All Media." But you have to love that a queer Cuban-American, far away in Miami, gathered the attention of the media and the entertainment industries in New York City and Los Angeles, enough to have achieved in a relatively short time possible "overexposure" in the mainstream media.

Yet one more unemployed (or unemployable) actor, transplanted in Manhattan, after studying acting for a while at the prestigious New York University, Perez started his now-famous, even infamous, celebrity gossip blog, Perezhilton.com, as a whim, a hobby, for fun, in 2004. Now he's become his own industry. His name recognition alone is the easily the envy of every public relations agency on both coasts. (Perez himself claims that he doesn't actually have a publicist. He says that he's too good at it and self-promotes as well as the next person.)

He actually "wished himself on 'The View' by mentioning how much he love to be a guest on that day time hit show while he was appearing, as a guest on another TV talk show.  Most recently, Perez had made appearances on "The View," on Victoria Beckham's reality special on NBC, Kathy Griffin's reality TV show on Bravo, "Nightline," and Gossip on VH1. And that was just a few highlights during the month of July. The financial worth of that level of national exposure is the wet dream of any topnotch entertainment publicist. But in his hands, it's Perez just being, well, Perez

In the fall, the no-longer 15-minutes-of-fame queer celebrity tell-all expert will have a five-part series on VH1, directed by queer filmmaker/TV director (and my personal long time friend) Glenn Gaylord of "Lez Be Friends," that premiered last month at PIGLFF 2007 in our city.

"I'm doing things on my own terms," Perez told writer Mireya Navarro in The New York Times (Sunday, July 29, SundayStyles), "I don't have to answer to anyone but me."

Nowadays the 29-year-old  Mario Armandoi Lavandiers, Jr. (his real name), the orange-haired pop cultural icon himself has clearly parlayed the art of talking about celebrity into the success that he currently enjoys as a "celebrity" expert.

"I'm like Madonna. I'm not afraid to offend," Perez told the newspaper's interviewer.  You'll want to stay tuned for future developments with Perez who, Madonna-like, I have a feeling, will be back again and again as a recreation of himself.

Hometown TV queer celebrity host Butch , of "In Bed with Butch,"  will be taping the premiere of his eighth season with queer adult superstar Michael Lucas and guest pop recording artist Ari Gold on August 26 for airing on WYBE and DUTV on October to audience in the tristate area. Happy Anniversary for your 8th year in queer broadcasting!

Both Lucas and Gold appeared at the premiere of "Starrbooty" with iconic entertainer Ru Paul XIX at the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue.  The eternally handsome and gracious Lucas has become something a regular at PIGLFF, having appeared in 2006 and 2007. The ever-creative and intelligent Gold remains a queer musical voice of his own during his prestigious and soaring career. I adore them both!

Cordova said that he'll be asking "many probing questions" from the two New York-based queer celebrities about their alternative lifestyles, from Lucas about owning an adult male production company producing a high-budget remake of "Dangerous Liaisons" to Gold about how to become a pop impresario in the challenging music industry as an incredible self-promoter. Just do it, Butch, baby!

Sure, go ahead and quote me:

On open-relationships among gay males:  "My stylist is gay and lives in L.A. and when he came to Miami, he went out. . .I asked, 'Your boyfriend doesn't care?' And he said, 'We have an understanding, if I'm out of the city.' When I saw George Michael, he said the same thing." --Enrique Igelsias (Genre, August 2007)

America's World-Class Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual &

Transgender Bookstore for Queers & Our Friends @

12th & Pine Streets in Philly's "Gayborhood"

Aloha, welcome to Hawaiian paradise, chef/Roy Yamaguchi will be hosting Roy's Island Hop Dinner in celebration of the culinary riches of the islands, 6:30 p. m., Tuesday, August 7, at Roy's Philadelphia, 124-34 South 15th St., with a prix fixe, five-course Hawaiian fusion dinner, at $85 per person, not including tax and gratuity. The menu, conceived by Roy Yamaguchi himself, invites the restaurant's chefs across the country to create "five personal interpretations of diverse aspects of the Hawaiian Islands" to diners throughout the special evening.

The first course, entitled "ranch," features Pupu Style Honoka'a Spiced Sirloin Steak from chef/partner  Percy Oani and sous chef Gene Villiatora, from Roy's Flamingo Las Vegas; the second course, "shell," a Pan Flashed Hawaiian Abalone & Crab Salad comes from chef/partner Ty Mahler from Roy's San Francisco; the third course, "fin," the Seared Rare Ono Sashimi, Lobster, Hearts of Palm & Pancetta is the creative interpretation of Hawaii's most popular fish from chef/partner Larry Koucrek of Roy's Austin; the fourth course, "mixed plate," a Grilled Venison Chop, Kalbi Pork Belly & Thai Citrus Shrimp, from chef/partner Ryan Kelly at Roy's Sarasota; and, for dessert, a Guava Chiffon Shortcake, Lilikoi and Strawberries, "inspired by the fruit of guava trees found on the landmark drive that connects Maui's most populated and most isolated cities" from Roy's corporate pastry chef Noah French.

For more information, call (215) 988-1814; or visit www.roysrestaurant.com

Thom Cardwell of BUCKmonkey, Guillermo Vega; General Manager of Mixto, Jeff Liebreich  of The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation and Mixto Owner, Jorge Mosqura, at the PIGLFF 2007 Closing Night Party held at Twenty21.

For more event photos visit

BUCKmonkey.net

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Summer in the city just got hotter! It's about boys in their Speedos as the ever-popular PhillyGayCalendar.com presents the 4th Annual "Boys of Summer Swimsuit Party," Friday, August 10, 9 PM to 3:30 AM, at Pure Nightclub, 1221 St. James St., in Philadelphia's Gayborhood.    

You'll join hundreds of the hottest guys from the region who will obligingly strip down to their swimsuits for the incredible all-night party.     

Highlights of the event will include Brittany Lynn, hostess of the evening, drink specials until 11 pm, and featuring DJ Carl Michaels, with live performances from special guest stars and hottie Quentin Elias, one of the rising stars of the club scene from New York City to London.  

You'll appreciate this year's team of local lifeguards, hand-picked by the staff of PhillyGayCalendar.com who have a reputation for having an impeccable taste in men. 

Tickets are only $10 in swimsuits and $15 for voyeurs. Proceeds underwrite the costs of maintaining the free web site as a service to the community throughout the year.  You must be at least 21 years old to attend this event.  

For more information about the event, visit www.phillygaycalendar.com  

For information about PURE, visit www.purephilly.com
 

Where's my bat boy? It's the Fifth Annual Gay Community Night at the Phillies with Gay Days, Thursday, August 9, with an official league game, the Phillies versus Florida Marlins.     

Organizers told QT that this event is "an excellent opportunity in joining hundreds of other queers, their families and friends to celebrate our community as we enjoy the nation's favorite past time. 

Despite the fact that August seems to be flying by, the hot days of summer, according to meteorologists, will continue into the early fall.  So you needn't bother rushing off to purchase your new fall wardrobe quite yet. Besides, predictions are that, for fall, the new black will be "black."  That means you should enjoy the bright, happy colors and the wild, all-over, patterns of summer on garments from casual dress shirts to surfer swim trunks.

Guys--are you flipped over flip-flops?  

These days it seems that way. Once the lowly men's footwear was relegated only to the beach and the college campus, now flip-flops have captured the imagination of designers across the industry, from Mossimo for Target (priced at the all-time-low $5) to Hermes, the high couture French fashion house (priced at a whopping $250).  

No doubt about it--flip-flops have reached a definite "fashion status." And they're an essential part of every man's cool, urban, forward-fashion wardrobe, in a wide variety of colors, patterns and materials. In fact, men may now own several pairs of flip-flops, like athletic footwear, for different reasons and at different price points.

Shopping for flip-flops can be fun and easy with almost every retailer offering its own label or, for the high-end designers, their own signature name, in flip-flops. Can you believe that there's even a status thing going on with flip-flops? Check out Gap (rubber at $10.50), available at all area Gap stores, including Walnut and South Streets, Nautica ("Zori," rubber at $19.95), available at Macy's, Adidas ("Leucadian," nylon and rubber at $20), available on South Street at their new store, J. Crew (grosgrain, nubuck and rubber at $22.50), available at the Shops at Liberty Place, Center City, and Diesel Footwear ("Jobim," nylon, mesh and leather at $50), available at Diesel on Walnut Street.

Signature designers also feature flip-flops, including Polo Ralph Lauren ("Dentric," rubber, at $20), available at Ralph Lauren, Shops at the Bellevue, Park Hyatt Hotel, A/X Armani Exchange  (polyester and rubber, at $32), available at all area stores, and Puma ("Footie," rubber, at $15), available at Foot Locker. Other high-end flip-flops have been designed by Paul Smith, Dolce & Gabbana, Hugo Boss, Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton, Oakley and Salvatore Ferragamo.

The only downside of flip-flops are warnings from foot doctors who suggest not wearing them all the time as the insert can cause irritation and infection between the toes and the lack of support can be hard on the bottom of your feet, especially if you're hitting the concrete most of the time walking around the city in your favorite, most stylish flip-flops. This means that you should alternate wearing flip-flops with sandals, athletic footwear and even, yes, your shoes.

What to wear with your flip-flops? 

For a casual, hip, beach look, even when you're out partying in the city, you can sport the latest and greatest in board (as in surf board) shorts. Quicksilver features a retro, psychedelic, screen-print, three-dimensional graphic design, actually inspired, by record album designs from Grand Funk (priced at $45) and available from Quicksilver Boardriders Club stores.