It was only a kiss

More than a few TV viewers in Mexico were upset Aug. 3 when Televisa cut a 25-second scene near the end of Alfonso Cuarón’s classic movie “Y tu mamá también.”

What did Televisa not want its viewers to see? Why—surprise, surprise—it was the brief, steamy scene in which male stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, shirts off, exchange a passionate kiss.

The thing is, some critics pointed out, Televisa shows other hot kisses so long as they’re properly hetero. One blogger, Citius64, noted that the very same film included a scene in which actress Maribel Verdu gets touchy with Garcia Bernal in some rather sensitive areas of his body, and Televisa didn’t censor that. And violence onscreen doesn’t seem to even phase the network.

At any rate, the censored scene, for those who haven’t seen the film or just want to refresh their memories, is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzy0e_pzvhc. (And honestly, isn’t any excuse good enough to justify a chance to watch Garcia Bernal lock lips with another guy?)

Pete Wentz’s Kissing 101

Kissing was also on Fall Out Boy Pete Wentz’s mind recently. While he says he’s not gay (well, sort of) the heavily tattoed pop star expounded on the differences between kissing boys and kissing girls:

“Kissing boys is definitely different from kissing girls. Guys tend to be much more aggressive when it comes to making out. Guys in the U.S.A. tend not to take that good care of themselves when it comes to grooming and in that respect girls definitely have better breath, cleaner hair and such.”

Well, I’d swish some mouthwash around before making out if you wanted, Pete, maybe even shave. But anyway, back to the gay thing—Pete told Q magazine that people think he’s more gay than he really is.

“People’s perception would be a six or a seven, but on mine I’d be a two or a three,” Wentz said. “I am not interested in dudes too much. Sexuality is a gray scale. Can I say a guy is attractive? Yes. Am I going to smoke some pole? No.”

Yeah, but, come on, Pete, wouldn’t you “smoke some pole” with, say, Gael Garcia Bernal?

Kissing cousin

A member of Russia’s parliament who definitely doesn’t want to be caught locking lips filed suit against Russian gay activist Nicolas Alexeyev last week for outing him.

Alexeyev appeared on a TV talk show in Moscow in June and said that Russian MP Alexander Cheuv was well known for his gay relationships. Alexeyev called Cheuv “a coward and a liar” for sponsoring laws to ban “gay propaganda.”

“I am ready to prove at any court or prosecution office that deputy Cheuv is gay and to produce corresponding proofs,” Alexeyev said.

Last week Cheuv charged Alexeyev with slandering him. Alexeyev said he welcomes the opportunity to expose Cheuv and other Russian leaders in court.

“On the one hand they are saying all the time that no one is discriminating against gays in Russia and that there is no problem being gay, and on the other hand they are investigating whether the word ‘gay’ can be insulting,” Alexeyev said.

Macho men?

Victor Willis, the cop in the Village People, is embarking on a comeback tour and has a new book out in which he talks about being frustrated by the gay label hung on the group.

“They’re straight, they’re gay, they’re Catholic, Protestant. …It’s black, white, Indian, it’s a very diverse group,” Willis said.

Um, dude, it’s the Village People. It doesn’t get any more gay than the Village People—you know, “YMCA.”

That’s not gay either, Willis’ publicist, Alice Wolf, told the Canadian Press.

“Victor Willis wrote about the YMCA and having fun there, but the type of fun he was talking about was straight fun. When he says, ‘Hang out with the boys,’ he’s talking about the boys, the fellas,” Wolf said. “But it’s one of those ambiguous songs that was taken that way because of the gay association with Village People.”

Yeah, OK, let me just bop over to YouTube and watch the original “YMCA” video again. Oh, yeah, that’s really straight—the red bandana around the cowboy’s neck, the handcuffs bouncing off Victor’s belt in his crotch, the leather guy. Geez, looks just like your average Bears tailgaters at Soldier Field. What could we possibly have been thinking?