Solo Out On The Scene

Boyzone/Russell take the gay route

BOYZONE LAUNCHES ‘GAY’ VIDEO
Boyzone are apparently the first ‘boy band’ (aren’t they all grown men now?) to feature a gay couple in their music video as singer Stephen Gately gets sensual with a male actor in their latest single ‘Better’. In the video the other members of the band can be seen getting close with girls while Stephen Gately chooses to get cosy with a man.
“For me, it’s just me being me and I don’t think there should be a real big issue about the whole thing anyway,” said Gately. “I just think it’s just a beautiful video and I think it works superbly for the song. I’m hoping this video will have a good, positive, all-round reaction.”
The decision to include a gay couple in the video was a joint one by the whole band, he added, saying that ‘the lads’ told he him had to do it, that it would be fantastic. Indeed. We don’t want to sound cynical but with a new single out, Christmas en route and the recession already here, any point of difference is worth exploring when it comes to garnering much-needed headlines.

RUSSELL’S GAY LINE
As we mention in Solo Tabloid Tales this month, scandal-ridden Russell Brand is gone off to America, not caring either way about his UK career or how he might have traumatised Manuel from Fawlty Towers, and sure enough up he has turned on the US TV. The comedian decided to go for more ’shock’ tactics and told American audiences on David Letterman’s show that he pretends to be gay to trick women into bed. It helps that these gals often assume he is gay apparently, therefore feel less threatened by his advances because they don’t believe that he fancies them.
“In spite of appearances, I’m a heterosexual male,” he said. “Because I’m so well dressed, people think, ‘He must be gay. Look at his haircut, he must be gay. Look how sensitive and vulnerable he is, he must be gay.’ That means women feel safe around me. They trust me. Then bang! Pregnant! Bang! Pregnant! Bang! Pregnant! Another generation. We continue.”
Oh Lord. Meanwhile, Brand was clearly playing it sort of safe as there was no mention of the voice message he and Jonathan Ross left on actor Andrew Sachs’ answering machine.

PINK POUND UNFAZED BY CREDIT CRUNCH
Gays and lesbians in Australia will continue their discretionary spending habits more than heterosexuals during the current global economic crisis, according to marketing and business experts, who also urge advertisers to continue investing in the gay market. Robert Manuel, director of Australian gay marketing agency OutAds, said that many gay and lesbian couples, known as ‘double income no kids’ (DINKs) may not be as badly affected as heterosexual families.
“We are all impacted by higher fuel prices, rising food and rent costs, though this being a classic DINK segment will definitely weather the storm better, financially, than their married-with-kids heterosexual counterparts,” he said.