Marrying for money

A few of my friends (and even more acquaintances) are in relationships with men who are a little bit older than them and who also make a lot more money than they do.  Part of me is a little jealous with their co-habitation arrangements.  Yes, I like paying my own way, but sometimes a little help is always appreciated.

They claim they love their men with all their heart, but that's partially true.  And although I know love is blind, a little cash helps with the ugly.  Sugar daddies are always sexy.

To prove this fact, I asked one of my friends if he'd still find his his man attractive if he was poor.  It took him two seconds to say, "No."

These guys are all young(ish), in shape, good looking with pleasant personalities and a modicum of intellect, so they could - technically - have anyone they wanted.  I was never young or sexy enough to garner the attention of anyone with money.  As it turns out, due to my old age and lukewarm looks, inevitably I would be the one who'd have to shell out the cash, even though I'm a firm believer of equality.

But, at the end of the day, looks fade and everyone gets old.  They'll enjoy the perks of youth, but if they have nothing to back it up with, then who cares?  No one wants to shack up with a fat old man, especially if he's broke.  I guess that means I have to start exercising and saving up for cosmetic surgery in a few years.

The big deal with Steve Grand

Recently, the blogs have been picking up a story about a singer/songwriter who just released a new video.  What's the news?  The song is country-tinged pop about a guy falling for/being attracted to his best straight friend.  Oh, and they're both really hot and have those I-workout-six-days-a-week and only-eat-macrobiotic-foods kind of bodies.

Did I forget to mention the singer is also an underwear model?

The ruckus/backlash is starting because of his looks (which are striking), his "message" of the video (a gay man who pines for a straight guy who he knows won't return his affections), and how he's selling sex in order to sell records (if you got it, flaunt it).

There is some sadness, though.  His parents didn't initially accept him being gay and sent him to "therapy" (to de-gay him), but they later came around.  And yes, he's strapped for cash because producing music and a video isn't cheap (what he did with his modelling money, I'll never know).

In this auto-tuned society of today, showing a little skin still is an easy way to download music from iTunes.  And with all his engineered glory (there is a lot of pro-tools going on in the song), Grand is just following the leads of others who paved the way, straight or gay.

But, even after the story's been told and the song has been sung, the short version of the story is this:  If he was an unattractive, out of shape guy with an incredible voice, no one would make a peep.  Would the legends of years past - Aretha, Elton, etc. - make it today based solely on their music?  Probably not.  Sad really.  In most cases in today's world, it's really about the image and not about the talent.