Sign Of The Times: A Downtown Stroll Through Brooklyn

Downtown Brooklyn—which I fell madly in love with in 2010 strolling down Fulton Mall while working for the U.S. Census Bureau—is in the midst of major gentrification. In the past month, Gap opened a massive Factory Store there, with H&M and TJ Maxx on the way later this year.

While it's nice to see the once-decaying area return to life, it's also sad to witness the typical fallout that comes in every neighborhood on the rise: the shuttering of local businesses, who can no longer afford escalating rents.

So before I bid a final farewell to the fabulous array of wig stores, pawn shops, bodegas and discount vendors, I took another trip with camera in hand to capture what I suspect is going to look very different a year from now. With love to downtown BK. *

Saturday: Sunny And 60 In The City

I've said it before: If this is what Global Warming is all about, who's to complain? The beginning of March in NYC is typically vile, cold, blustery and icy. Sixty degrees? I'm stomping all over that carbon footprint. Photos: West Village, Brooklyn Heights Promenade. *

Seems Like Old Times

Earlier this week I joined Donna, her man Ty and Ayhan—that guy that was my partner for 10 years—for a delish Turkish din din at Limon on 24th Street and Third Avenue. How very familiar it all felt. *

Model Perfect: Actor, Model Marcus Patrick Packs It In

Talk about a large resume. Handsome Brit Marcus Patrick is a model, singer, actor and practices Tae Kwon Do, winning championships at the Junior and Men's Heavyweight level. On TV, he has manned meaty roles in soaps All My Children, Passions and Days of Our Lives. The 37-year-old was also featured on tele drama Beyond the Break. In all, he has endowed 10 films, most recently 2011's The Dark Party.

In addition, Patrick has modeled for any number of men's catalogs, including a 2012 campaign for Ruffskin (below) and a 2007 layout in Playgirl (fully nude, edited here). The angelic, chaste Smoking Nun does not post nekid photos, however, if you are an adult and have interest in seeing Marcus Patrick's full manhood, access pics here. Me? I just love those gorgeous teeth. *

Jason Mecier's Whitney Houston Portrait: Collage Of Prescription Pills

Now that Whitney Houston has been buried, bless her heart, it's appropriate for the reverent tributes to be supplanted with a little tough love... We all know that despite her wondrous gifts, Whit has been a mess for more than a decade and that Celine Dion is right: Ultimately, drugs killed the 48-year-old singer.

And so... how brilliant is this? Artist Jason Mecier, who creates celebrity collages from unexpected materials—circuit boards for Lady Gaga, bathroom notions for Carol Channing, household doodads for Tina Fey—has come up with a series of homages to those that left us too soon, including Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger and now, Whitney Houston. Her portrait is constructed out of brightly colored prescription pills. Genius. *

SURPRISE! It's Meryl Streep!

Hilarious... This pictures requires absolutely no caption, eh? *

Former Kid Star Kirk Cameron Deems Gays 'Unnatural, Destructive'

Kirk Cameron, the former lead of mid-1980's Growing Pains family TV series, is apparently suffering his own internal pain in moving past a mindset that is as outdated as his relevance as an actor.

During an interview Friday, March 2, with CNN's Piers Morgan, the born-again Christian and evangelist (who, among other things, refutes Darwin's theory of evolution) yammered that homosexuality is "unnatural, detrimental and destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization."

Cameron, 41, who now makes his fortune producing & starring in Christian-themed movies about action heroes fighting the Antichrist after the Rapture, also shared his views on marriage equality, according to my pal at the Randy Report. Kirk told Morgan: "Marriage is almost as old as dirt, and it was defined in the garden between Adam and Eve. One man, one woman for life, till death do you part. So I would never attempt to try to redefine marriage. Do I support the idea of gay marriage? No."

When asked what he would do if one of his six kids told him that he's gay, Cameron responded, blinking manically, "I wouldn't say, 'That's great, son, as long as you're happy.' There are all sorts of issues we need to wrestle through in our life. Just because you feel one way doesn't mean we should act on everything we feel."

Good to know that, Kirk. So if you happen to walk by me on the street, I should not act on dumping a dozen rotten eggs in your bigoted face. Got it. *

NYC Then & Now: Sweet Street-Side Vendors

Thankfully, Mayor Bloomie hasn't yet decided to rid New York City of its charming street-side convenience vendors, where you can pick up a newspaper, gum, pop or pack of smokes without having to stop in the neighborhood Duane Reede. Of course, NYC's Dictator has done his share of damage: That same pack of cigarettes that cost 25 cents in 1945 is now $12. Alas, this remains a sweet site of the city. *

Justin Bieber Turns 18: Countdown Begins Toward Bad Behavior!

Justin Bieber turned 18 yesterday, March 1. As an adult, let the spoils begin! Any moment now, the Biebs should begin decimating his teen-age role model image, requisite for celebs.

Look at Miley Cyrus, who devolved from sweet Disney heroine into trailer trash trollop, posing near-nude for Vanity Fair, pole dancing in live performances and admitting to an ongoing love affair with weed. Fabulous!

I'd be happy enough if the castrada singer would just come out of the closet—god forbid he goes the slut route, a la Lindsay Lohan, and starts sharing his lil' winkie via Twitter or exposes a YouTube video attempting to have sex. Ewwwww.

Admittedly, Justin is beating the odds of most teen idols, with two years of success under his belt and no apparent peak in sight. That in itself is pretty remarkable. Even more so: the fact that he's ugly as sin and continues to make little girls swoon.

During an appearance Thursday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Bieber got a birthday surprise: a $100,000 Fisker Karma, "the first true electric luxury vehicle," from his manager Scooter Braun and Usher, who has no doubt bankrolled millions after getting the little squirt signed in the States in 2009. So perhaps it's going to be the Mel Gibson story, driving drunk. God knows he'd be more interesting as a bad boy; perhaps he'll even grow dreadlocks... Can't wait to see! *

Happy March 2012 From Rodiney Santiago

Happy March, cool cats! The month comes in like a sexy lion, indeed. And yet, as we see below, The Smoking Nun's consummate living example of mankind Rodiney Santiago is as sexy with clothes on.And yet, we'll enjoy any which way Rod chooses to present himself, for sure. *

Celine Dion Scraps Vegas Shows Through June: On Vocal Rest

God bless Celine Dion. And more so, those thousands of poor folks traveling from all over the world just to see her phenomenal sold-out Las Vegas show at Caesars Palace.

Celine was diagnosed with a viral illness and weakness in her right vocal cord during an examination at UCLA Medical Center Monday, and ordered to rest her voice for six to eight weeks. She won't resume performances until June 9.

On her webbie Tuesday, the savior of Vegas entertainment said, "I tried to sing at my sound check last week, and had no control of my voice whatsoever. We thought after a few days' rest I would improve, but it wasn't getting any better." She added, "I feel worse knowing I'm disappointing my fans. I'm so sorry... I hope they forgive me."

Dion's three-year residency at Caesars began last March, with tickets going as high as $250 a pop. Her previous run at Caesars Palace, "A New Day," drew 3 million fans from 138 countries between 2003 and 2007, sold out 723 times and grossed more than $400 million. Tickets for the canceled performances will be refunded. Dion's next run of performances is scheduled from June 9 to Aug. 19.

Meanwhile, a new Celine waxie was revealed at the Las Vegas Madame Tussauds last week... pretty stunning job, I'd say. *

Stunning Surprise: 'GOP Seeks To Keep Focus On Economy'

A page 1 story in today's Wall Street Journal reveals that the "GOP Seeks To Keep Focus on Economy." Well, I'll be damned. What happened? Gay bashing and religious bed-wetting not working out so well for the party, after all? They've actually recognized that the majority of Americans believe in civil rights—and want the economy fixed, instead of focusing on anti-abortion and same-sex marriage. Frankly, I'm stunned.

The piece shares, "Republican leaders cautioned that the party's presidential candidates risk losing ground with voters if they keep a focus on social issues that seem peripheral to the public's overriding worry: the fragile economy. Some voiced dismay that candidates have taken to discussing social issues that consistently appear toward the bottom of surveys ranking the public's concerns."

So wait... You mean Republican candidates are going to—for the first time—talk about the need for jobs, an improved economy, the home mortgage collapse and lower fuel costs? Wow, they must have done a lot of research to come up with that.

The word "simpleton" just keeps floating across my eyes. Fortunately, one reason the GOP has never discussed these issues is simply because they have no better solutions than Democrats. So I hope that Romney, Gingrich and Santorum continue to focus on tearing one another to bits, as Obama (and the nation) sits back and recognizes that for the past eight months, they've all been talking out of their collective ass. The fact is, the only things the Republican candidates have in their bag of tricks are Jesus and fear. *

Bigoted Freak Organization Whines Archie Comics Is A Threat To Kids

Freakazoid conservative imbeciles One Million Moms is threatening to boycot Toys 'R' Us because it dares to stock the recent Archie Comics issue featuring the joyous wedding of openly gay character Kevin Keller.

The group, an underling of dictatorial American Family Assn., whines on its webbie: "Unfortunately, children are being exposed to same-sex marriage in a toy store. This is the last place a parent would expect to be confronted with questions from their children on topics that are too complicated for them to understand."

Let's get real: Is a 5-year-old really going to comprehend the social issues behind a comic book cover? And if they actually do, the answer is easy enough for parents living in the real world in 2012: "Becky Sue, some girls marry boys, like your Aunt Ruthie Becca, who has had four husbands; while some boys, like Rolph—who dyes Mamer's hair and keeps it from looking like a brillo pad—marry other boys." The end.

Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater quickly responded to the bigoted faction, stressing, "Riverdale is a safe, welcoming place that does not judge anyone. It’s an idealized version of America that will hopefully become reality someday. We’re sorry the American Family Assn. and One Million Moms feels so negatively about our product, but they have every right to their opinion, just like we have the right to stand by ours. Kevin Keller will forever be a part of Riverdale, and he will live a happy, long life free of prejudice, hate and narrow-minded people."

One Million Mom's is the same backward group that went after JCPenney because it appointed Ellen DeGeneres as a spokeswoman. That protest, of course, made OMM a national laughing-stock. *