CHARLES BUSCH and 10 OTHERS ANSWER THE QUESTION: “WHAT’S YOUR PERFECT VALENTINE’S DAY?“

Love, love, hooray for love! L-O-V-E. That certain four letter word has been the inspiration for an infinite cornucopia of music, poetry, art, mediocre stand-up comedy, and tacky greeting cards throughout history. Love hurts. Love is a battlefield. Love makes the world go round. And as a fallen diva once said, “Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all!” Hey, I‘m all for loving myself– at least twice a day! But whether you’re a hopeless romantic or a love-scarred cynic, one thing’s for sure: On February 14th, love will be in the air! This month, iconic Playwright/Actor Charles Busch and ten other community movers and shakers share their idea of the perfect V-Day! So today– whether you’re having an intimate evening all by yourself, or sharing the love with that special guy (or two, or three…)– we at Jed Central wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day! Chocolate, candles, and flavored lube are optional… And remember, my love don’t cost a thing! As Facebook says, “It’s free– and always will be!”

CHARLES BUSCH: “I like nothing better than a really old fashioned box of chocolate truffles. But the box is the most important thing. A red satin or velvet heart with a lovely flower on it and lots of ribbon. The surfaces of things can be the most profound.”
(Award-winning Playwright and Actor Charles Busch is now appearing as Mother Superior in “The Divine Sister”, his “holy outrageous new comedy”, at NYC’s Soho Playhouse. For tickets and more info, visit http://www.divinesisteronstage.com/.  Also visit http://www.charlesbusch.com/. )

J. JULIAN CHRISTOPHER:
“The perfect Valentine’s Day is when you share it with someone– friend or lover– who accepts you for all that is you and that brings out the best aspects of your true self. Oh, and truffles never hurt!“
(J. Julian Christopher is a Playwright (“Man Boobs“) and Co-Creator and Producer of “BULK-The Series“, an exciting, raw, sexy, dramatic web series exploring the Bear Community in New York City.) 

P.A. COOLEY:
“My partner Orlando and I have discussed our ideal Valentine’s Day and it would involve 36 hours in Madrid Spain with perhaps Valentine’s Day in the middle of it. Manchego Cheese and and Toreadors! Woof!!!”
(P.A. Cooley tells me, “I am probably the Bay Area Cub for all time since there isn’t a successor to my title. I was crowned in 2009 as the BAC 2010.” P.A. is currently writing the blog http://www.actorfoodie.blogspot.com/ about “an actor leaving the theater and involving himself in his first serious relationship after decades of Tom Catting around.” )

JUSTIN JOHN COSTELLO:
“Spending the day in the arms of Pierce Brosnan and Scott Bakula, both smoking cigars and shirtless, showing off their deliciously hairy pecs. The three of us are serenaded by none other than George Michael, also shirtless and deliciously hairy, as he sings an a capella version of ‘FREEEK‘! Yup, all three taste a hell lot better than chocolate!”
(Justin John Costello is Mid-Atlantic Leatherboy 2006 and filmmaker. His upcoming projects are Producing the Mr. Rawhide NYC 2011 competition on March 11-13, and then entering production on “Amongst The Living“, a feature film starring Joe Zaso, Derek Long and Dirk Shafer, where the man character is a gay Leatherman…)

RUSS DONALDSON: “Being with someone so special that candy, flowers, or a romantic candlelit dinner do not matter. The heart knows that what truly matters is in the non-tangibles!”
(Russ Donaldson is Mr. Tri-State Leather 2010. Between now and competing at IML this May, he’ll be doing a lot of fundraising, including guest bartending gigs at On Broadway in Cincinnati, a Bar Night at Shooters in Cincinnati on February 26th, and a weekend of interactive cooking demos at his catering business.)

FRANK KING:
“Paul and I are not really Valentine’s Day people. We try to do things together throughout the year as opposed to setting aside one special day. Our idea of Valentine’s is simply spending time together. It usually involves a project of some kind, whether it be painting a room, re-arranging furniture, or simply playing a game on the computer together. Quality time spent together doing something special or simply nothing at all does it for us!”
F(rank King is Mr. Double L Leather 2010. He and his partner Paul are owners of the all-male, clothing optional Rams Head Inn in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. They are in the planning stages of organizing a “Sash-Fest”. Also in the works is a “Bear-B-Q” being planned for the summer. Stay posted at http://www.theramshead.com/  for deets!)
 

MICHAEL KRAMER:
“The perfect V-day for me is spending the entire day with the man (or men) that I love through and through!”
(Michael Kramer is Mr. D.C. Eagle 2011. He will be competing at IML in May. You can meet him at the upcoming Long Island Ravens Anniversary Run in March, where he’ll be on stage for the Ravens’ Master/Slave auction as well!)
  

JJ MACK:
“What I want for Valentine’s is to have the feeling of giving love to everyone and receiving love from everyone. I want them to have the same feeling as the one I still have: my hubby and I completely in love to each other, for more than 8 and a half years. The clue is indeed to love yourself first. That will make you confident for success in loving others. Teaching and learning is essential in this life, and I want to see more of that happening to believe that love can make everything happy and mentally alive. Felíz día de Los Enamorados a todos ustedes.”
(JJ Mack is a photographer, model, and well-known man-about-town in NYC nightlife. His work can be seen in “Edge NY” Magazine.)

PEPPERMINT:

“The perfect V-day for Miss Pep is a quiet night in with my man, roses, chocolate, and a home cooked meal. But it will probably be fighting off advances from old men while I’m waiting in line at Kennedy Fried Chicken, before going to the movies alone. I do have a Valentine’s Day crush though. I’m just working up the nerve to let him know! I’ll keep you posted. If you see me in line at Kennedy Fried Chicken, you’ll know…!”
(Drag diva Peppermint has a new “Moulin Rouge”-inspired music video called “Fresh”. You can get a sneak peak here: You can celebrate V-day with Peppermint at Barracuda in NYC or see Miss Pep in any of her other shows at Vig 27, Splash, Therapy and XES. See http://www.peppermintonline.com/ for more!)

 

TOM RAGU:
“I think that laughter is the key to world peace, the way to a man’s heart, and truly, the best medicine. It’s also the best way to spend Valentine’s Day. It doesn’t matter how you do it – tickle your man’s feet, tell your man old Judy Gold jokes – or (preferably) take your man to see my next show, called “Bear-ly Funny” – at The Metropolitan Room on Friday February 18th. Who says that Tom Ragú can’t work some form of shameless self-promotion in every sentence?”

(You can also see bedroom-eyed funny man Tom Ragu every month at NYC’s Stonewall Inn for The Tom Ragú Comedy Revue. Visit http://www.TomRagu.com for more.)

ROD McCOY:
“Let’s see…flowers delivered to me at work…a nice romantic dinner at a fancy restaurant…walking to a posh hotel where we’ve taken a room for the night…then after some fierce lovemaking, we call up some hot guys for an all-out orgy after midnight!”
(Rod McCoy, AKA Onyx Rod, is Leatherman of Color 2011. You can meet him at NYC’s upcoming Leather Pride Night and Folsom Street East, at DC Leather Pride, and hopefully at the Charm City Festival in Baltimore. He also has monthly Bar Nights at the DC Eagle. Check their website http://www.dceagle.com/ for dates and times. Rod will also be at Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend (CLAW) in April, and will be competing at International Mr. Leather (IML) in May.)