VANCOUVER'S NEXT GAY TOP MODEL
Winter Wonderland Revisits Our City

As I watch the red-carpet coverage on E! for this evening's Screen Actors Guild awards and wonder to myself if Angelina Jolie could possibly become any more beautiful (and as I also wonder why Mickey Rourke has his left hand partially down his pants as he's interviewed), I'm getting excited to head out to Pulse later on to check out Vancouver's Next Gay Top Model's WINTER WONDERLAND show.

Tonight's Winter Wonderland show is going to be the first chance I've had to try to see or do anything related to 2009's hotly-anticipated run of last year's funnest event in Vancouver's gay community, the Gay Top Model competition in support of the Friends for Life society.

I don't think I've ever actually seen Miss Cotton live, so I'm kinda looking forward to that part of the show, too. But most of all I just really wanna lay my eyes on all the dudes that have been selected as contestants for this year's VNGTM contest.

The show's going to be hosted by the 2008 winner Aaron Ursacki. He's rather yummy and he had a great story leading up to his win last year, as someone who overcame obesity to achieve not only healthy physical conditioning, but also his own fair share of hotness.

I actually bumped into Aaron last summer at the Aquarium and couldn't resist saying hi and introducing myself to him. Not something I normally do since I'm a bit shy around boys, but he was really sweet and left me with the distinct impression that he totally deserved to win.

There's a series of public events leading up to the crowning finale in early April, so that means there's lotsa fun to come. As you consider checking out these events PLEASE keep in mind that the proceeds from the cover charges, etc. for the events or shows you might go to are going straight to Vancouver's Friends for Life Society which, according to their mission statement: serves as a catalyst to enhance the wellness of individuals living with a life threatening illness by providing complementary and alternative health and support services.

Chances are we all have someone in our lives who has had their life touched by something that means one day they - or you - might need to call on an organization like Friends for Life for a bit of support or assistance. Think about it...

Meantime, my fingers are crossed that Danny doesn't bail on me tonight to come with me to Winter Wonderland, and that we get to have a great time.

See ya there, eh! And good luck to all of the Vancouver's Next Gay Top Model contestants tonight and throughout the competition ;-)

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL MEETS 90210
Disney star in Beverly Hills for Make-a-Wish Foundation

Last night in the what's-old-is-new-again zipcode, Ashley Tisdale showed up lookin' all glam with boyfriend Jared Murillo at Wish Night Gala 2008, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles' annual charity dinner.

image: jordan strauss/wireimage.com

I gotta admit that I hadn't heard about this dude until now, but apparently Ashley's boyfriend is in a new boy band V Factory. Go ahead and check out their MySpace page.

Also apparently he's not one to shy away from selling his name for product promotion, or from maybe trying to get all the cool kids over at Disney/High School Musical hooked on the alleged benefits of Goyin. See for yourself...

Here's a bit more on Wish Night Gala 2008 from the organization's website:

In addition to high-profile honorees, there is always great entertainment, like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Micky Dolenz of The Monkees, and fun auction items.

Wow, I haven't thought about Big Bad Voodoo Daddy since some time around Clinton's first term in office.

There were a couple other people at last night's party whom I like, so let's take a look at their pics taken on the red carpet.

Carmen Electra posed with Guiliana Rancic from E! I totally love Guiliana and always get a kick out of watching her own red carpet coverage on E! for shows like the Emmy Awards. Her style is just so inviting and she's a hip gal with lots to say and lotsa love for what she does. She certainly must have the most unlikely name for a TV broadcaster. Her name turns generic names like "Karen Taylor" or "Jim Hodge" right on their ears! Guiliana totally gets thumbs up from me.

credit:wireimage.com

Then there's Carmen Electra. While I do generally get a kick out of her, I just have to LOL at this 'over the shoulder' pose. It's just so... contrived. She does look good in yellow, though.

credit: wireimage.com

It obviously makes sense for Disney to stay aligned with an organization like the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I hope a sizable portion of Disney's corporate donations are directed towards bringing a little light to the life of sick kids.

It's easy to feel a bit inspired by their mission:
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is the nation's largest wish-granting organization. It has fulfilled the wishes of more than 161,000 children in the United States and its territories since 1980. Based in Phoenix, the Make-A-Wish Foundation serves every community in the United States, Guam and Puerto Rico through its 67 chapters.

Good work they're doing! Despite the current economic crisis, maybe you're able to figure out a way to help out the Make-A-Wish Foundation?

LET'S ALL (BAY)WATCH PAMELA ANDERSON'S NEW SHOW
Pam: Girl on the Loose! to premiere on E! Aug 3rd

Maybe playing with Barbie dolls or Fashion Plates as a young lad had something to do with my long-standing love and affection for Pamela Anderson.

I don't want to pander to obvious and superficial popular conclusions based on image, but really it's kinda hard not to do so. Howevs, there's much more to lovely Pamela than blonde hair, ginormous boobies, a tiny waist and youthful speech patterns.

She does Canada proud (born on the country's birthday - July 1st - in 1967) by advancing the cause of PETA and placing a recognizable face on a profound movement to change the way people think.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and Pamela work together - particularly against cruelty to poultry allegedly sponsored by KFC. The PETA campaign has been known as KFC or, Kentucky Fried Cruelty.

Recently, PETA was finally able to end its boycott of KFC Canada thanks to the company's agreement to amend its slaughter practices. You can read about this long overdue development, and in addition here's a quick list of some changes made by KFC Canada:

* Phase in purchases of 100 percent of its chickens from suppliers that use CAK, standing for "controlled-atmosphere killing", the least cruel form of poultry slaughter ever developed. KFC Canada is the first major restaurant chain to commit to phasing in the exclusive purchasing of chicken meat from CAK slaughterhouses.

* Add a vegan faux-chicken item to the menu of all 461 Priszm-owned KFC restaurants (more than half of all the KFCs in Canada).

* Improve its animal welfare audit criteria to reduce the number of broken bones and other injuries suffered by birds.

* Urge its suppliers to adopt better practices, including improved lighting, lower stocking density and ammonia levels, and a phaseout of growth-promoting drugs and breeding practices that painfully cripple chickens.

* Form an animal welfare advisory panel to monitor the changes and recommend further advancements.

So, positive steps have definitely been taken. But, if you actually think for a few moments about why this boycott occurred in the first place, and then actually think for a few moments about having a chicken burger... well, you tend to lose your appetite a wee bit, n'est-ce pas?

Lucky for Pam and her fans, her star will continue to shine even brighter very soon which should mean that she can remain in a strong position to influence the effectiveness of PETA's initiatives all over world.

That's because August 3rd at 10pm is the E! premiere of Pam: Girl on the Loose! It's kind of a docu-series on the cable channel already rife with celebreality shows, but I think Pam's will stand out from the pack. Here's a bit about Pam's new show as reported by zap2it.com

E!'s not-really-a-reality-show reality show starring Pamela Anderson will be making its way to your TV screen in August.

"Pam: Girl on the Loose" is scheduled to premiere at 10 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3. The show promises a "truly personal and in-depth glimpse" into Anderson's life as a mother, working actress and animal-rights activist.

Episodes will feature the former "Baywatch" and "Stacked" star holding a massive yard sale, taking meetings for various business endeavors and tending to her kids without the help of a maid or a nanny.

Anderson is among the executive producers of "Girl on the Loose," along with Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato ("The Eyes of Tammy Faye," "Showbiz Moms & Dads"), Tom Campbell and Jeff Pollack.

TIT-illated? Me too. Here's a preview:

Yeah, so it's gonna be fun to watch at the very least and at best it'll help to educate another demographic about some of the truly important work this woman does.

I do love me some Pam Anderson, indeed. Here she is on recent appearance on Larry King Live with Dan Mathews, her PETA cohort, talking up the good talk. I love what this guy has to say:

Before we wrap up our little trip down Pamela lane, let's have a moment for Fashion Plates:

Fashion Plates, as described on InThe80's, was 'an "artsy" toy from the eighties. By using several thin plates (aligned on a board and colored/traced over with colored pencils), you could create a woman with interchangeable fashionable outfits.'

Ah, such good times - it all flashes me back to grade four with one of the most non-judgmental gal pals of my youth, Tammy T.

I remember creating stunning designs using her Fashion Plates set, and I was inspired by her early acknowledgment of pop culture evidenced by her wearing of a "Who Shot J.R.?" t-shirt.

And... since we're now talking about that ancient reference too..., here's the classic scene from Dallas for anyone else who is as ridiculously reminiscent of the 80's as I am: