American Idol

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Photographed by Jason Bell in New York City

Photo: Jason Bell for OUT

HN friend and contributor, Nick Burd, makes the OUT 100 List this week. Full disclosure, Nick Burd is perhaps one of the smartest and chillest guys we’ve ever met– so we’re really excited for him. Read more about Burd’s novel, “The Vast Fields of Ordinaryhere. Purchase a copy here

When Burd’s coming-of-age (and coming-out) novel The Vast Fields of Ordinary debuted in May it proved anything but typical—The New York Times hailed it as “fascinating and dreamy” and “the best kind of first novel.” An alum of the University of Iowa, the New School, and the indie rock band Burn Disco Burn, 29-year-old Burd (right) is a program manager at the literary/human rights organization PEN American Center and is now at work on a new novel he calls “a noirish tale about a gay grifter in Recession-era New York City.”

Other HN favorites include Brad Goreski (”Rachel Zoe Project”), Michael Urie (”Ugly Betty”), poet Mark Doty, Adam Lambert (”American Idol”), Edmund White, Felice Picano, Andrew Holleran, Pedro Almodóvar and, of course, the charming Neil Patrick Harris. [Source: OUT]

My first piece for homo-neurotic was about American Idol, and while I still contest that Simon and perhaps the American viewing public make it overtly homophobic, I couldn’t help but find myself getting sucked in for another season. They added a fourth judge, Kara, and from the beginning her and Paula have teamed up against the boys to protest the advancement of pretty, stupid girls with limited talent, and in support of the camera-friendly male crooners. Girl Power! Though for a while Paula couldn’t always keep her paws to herself and fawned over Kara in a lesbonic fashion. It’s ok Paula; we know it’s just the booze and pills. And as always my boyfriend, Ryan, is lookin’ fine.

This season seems to be less about the homophobia than the racism, and this time it’s not the judges’ fault. If it wasn’t for the judges’ (and surely the producers, Fox, etc.) there would have been only person of color voted into the final 12, Lil’ Rounds, the Mary J. Blige look and sound-a-like (and obviously already the girl favorite of the gays). The judges put through to the finals another African American girl, a Puerto Rican guy, and an Indian guy. How many made it past the first week? Only one, the Indian guy, Anoop. I guess with Slumdog Millionaire, this is India’s year.