“Don’t drink the water” is a common warning that can be disregarded with CamelBak All Clear’s UV purification system that turns any tap or clear natural water into potable drinking water in just 60 seconds. For more info, go to camelbak.com.

Eagle Creek makes some of the most innovative and convenient packing tools on the market. Its Pack-It line helps compress items to maximize packing space, while it minimize wrinkles. The convertible bag is a teeny pouch weighing less than a pound, those folds out into a tote, backpack or duffel bag. For a look at the full line of products, priced from as low as $22, go to shop.eaglecreek.com.

There are times when you want to take a photo and don’t have anybody you can ask. That’s when the Tiltpod comes in handy. It easily attaches to a camera or small phone, has a magnetic base that pivots and comes with a wrist. It is reasonably priced at $14.95 at gomite.com/products/tiltpod.

Kate Spade’s two-tone leather passport holder, comes with interior slots for a passport and three cards, plus a clear ID window and an exterior slot for stashing a boarding pass, making getting through security a breeze. Available at saturday.com for $50.

Maybe it’s my inner hippie speaking, but I love to give a gift that gives back. The compact, seven-ounce WakaWaka solar charger juices up a phone in just a few hours and has a built-in light that can shine for more than 60 hours. Best of all? For each charger purchased, the company donates one to the typhoon relief effort in the Philippines. Available from wakawaka.com for $69.

Remove all doubt as to which is their suitcase at the luggage carousel with a gift of Jonathan Adler’s “This Is Mine” leather luggage tag. A snap closure allows a space to put personal info. Available at joanthanadler.com for $38.

Hotel room bedding can be suspicious, even in the best of places. Let them put a layer of silk between their skin and unfamiliar bedding with a DreamSack (which comes in its own 8” x 4” pouch). Made of silk with a built-in pocket for a pillow. It is machine washable, quick-drying and only weighs 6 oz. Flight Spray helps prevent viral infections by creating an unsuitable environment for inhaled germs to reproduce. Both are available at magellans.com.

Your gift recipient will never have to pay for overweight luggage again with the Balanzza digital luggage scale. It’s small enough to pack and strong enough to weigh up to 100 pounds. It indicates pounds and kilograms making it ideal for the international traveler. Available at many retail stores and web sites for less than $20.

Laugh all you want about the Home Shopping Network, but for every bedazzled denim jacket for plus sized ladies, there’s a terrific product. One of my favorites is the Grid-It! Organizer. Its compact size makes it easy to slip into a briefcase or backpack and ends rummaging around for stuff that falls to the bottom of the bag. It’s only $19.95 and available in a plethora of colors at hsn.com.

My final entry comes from one of my favorite sites, Flight 001. “Airline: Style At 30,000 Feet” is a fascinating book examining every aspect of airline style, from the interior design of planes to the days when flight attendants wore haute couture instead of polos and khakis. It’s only $14.95 at flight001.com.

“We started in New York City 16 years ago, and our concept was a place for people to come, have a drink or two, enjoy a meal, and have fun with the girls in the show,” says Lamé. “My partner had a club, and once a week we had open mic night. We opened it to the female impersonators, and it was a huge hit.  That’s how Lips was born.”

After that, “We moved on to San Diego—that was 13 years ago—and then finally we opened in” Oakland Park, she explains. “Now we are going to Atlanta, and it will be the grandest Lips of all. We once again have Brenda Star as the decorator, and we have very high ceilings,” says Lamé, painting a mental picture of the décor. “There will be grand chandeliers with lots of fabric everywhere.  We are located about five minutes from Buckhead”—Atlanta’s uptown district—“with lots of our own parking. We have already got several of the girls lined up for the shows, to mirror exactly the lineup in Fort Lauderdale,” Lamé reveals, noting that the opening is slated for early 2013.

Lips’ Sunday hostess Nicolette explained how someone new can break into drag entertainment. “I was living about 30 minutes away from Monroe, Louisiana, and I heard there was a drag show. I thought, ‘Wow! I want to go.’ The first time I tried was September 1995. I admit I wasn’t very good, but I kept going back and guess what? I won.”

The experienced performer was ripe for sunny South Florida. “Right after that I decided to move to Fort Lauderdale. I was hired at the original Deck Hotel and Restaurant,” she remembers. “It was great. I was taken under the wing of the late Moldavia Ishtar, and from there I took over the show on Friday and Saturday, and we opened up the stage to those who wanted to come up and work on their craft.

“After that, Madame’s opened in Miami and I was brought on as one of the originals. Electra moved her show to Lips, and I was brought on and have been hosting ‘Sunday Gospel Brunch’ since,” Nicolette notes, adding that, even after five years, “Lips is a wonderful place to work.”

There have been sacrifices. “The one thing I don’t like is pulling myself out of bed on Sunday morning,” she admits, “but having a religious background, it’s been a good fit.  My ‘sister’ Franny and I work so well together that it’s been a great fit. Mix in the other girls and we have a great time.”

On Wednesday, November 14, Lips will host a benefit for the Live Free Be Strong Foundation. The “Salute to the Women of Country”—brought to you in part by the Florida Agenda and our sister publication, Guy Magazine—will be hosted by Nicolette and fellow performer Misty Eyez. Lips will donate a portion of sales from the entire week to the foundation. For more information about Lips Cabaret, visit floridalips.com, and for reservations call (954) 567-0987.

By Manley Guy

The one and only piece of sex advice I ever got from my Dad—before I made him change the subject—was, “Son, the tongue is not a wash rag.” (Growing up in a repressed High Church Episcopalian family, I had the good sense and taste not to confirm with Mom the truth of Dad’s technique.)

Equally apropos is something a wise go-go dancer once told me: “A kiss is more intimate than a @#%! and a hot kiss is even hotter than a hot @#%!” Which means that if you want to personally test the truth of both of those claims, then you need to get your kissing game in order.

Understand that there’s no such thing as a “perfect kiss,” since each kiss can be perfect of itself, and every kiss that is shared between a couple is special, regardless of whether you’re going for romantic or pants-dampening sexy.

Shut Up and Kiss Me

It stands to reason that what you consider to be a great kiss might not have the same definition for someone else. Some universal tips that will help you get your game on, Sir Smoochalot.

Smooth Operator Use a damp toothbrush to exfoliate your lips, and keep those smackers plump and juicy with regular use of lip balm (which also prevents chapped lips).

Breathless No garlic or onion at least ONE FULL DAY before you plan on smacking someone special on the lips. True Story: These odors originate in the lungs, not in the mouth, and can last for up to TWO ENTIRE DAYS, something that Binaca or Double Mint won’t erase.

Lemon, Fresh Despite the no-garlic-rule, you should still take care that whatever odors you can fight are kept at bay. Anything that has a strong taste—like eggs, or pepper, or flavored meats—should be treated by popping a piece of lemon or lime into your mouth and chewing it up (you’re a big boy now, so tough it up) or a piece of parsley (this is after all what it’s doing on the plate in the first place).

Your Body, My Body, Everybody That fresh, kissy mouth should be accompanied by the freshest bod you can conjure, but just make sure you don’t get loose with the douche or Eau de Parfum—this can have the opposite effect of what we’re going for, Cyrano.

A Kiss is Still a Kiss A kiss should fit the occasion. A good night kiss can be passionate, but always evocative of tenderness. The smack you lay on the lips of the hottie on the Tea Cruise should build heat as part of—you hope—foreplay, and better (and bigger) things to come. Affectionate kisses are short, closed-mouth, and can be viewed by children (or your grandmother).

Never forget that your partner’s needs and wants must be at the top of your list. Don’t kiss thoughtlessly! If your mouth is too cold—say, from eating gelato, or drinking something icy—let it hit room temperature before you move in for the kill. Don’t take a bite of your donut before smacking your bf on the lips. And never reach in for one with a mouthful of toothpaste breath.

Kiss Me Deadly

You have now entered the Holy of Holies, young disciple. Master Manley will now impart to you the wisdom that has eluded millions of men who have lived and died before you: The perfect way to kiss, and keep ’em coming back for more of the same.

A passionate kiss is one that is best performed with a mouth that is partly-opened; the best ones last longer than a minute. This is a kiss that builds memories. Help things along by wearing a lip gloss that contains an emollient, but which won’t overpower—or worse, become the subject of—the kiss. The world’s greatest kissers live entirely in that moment—both physically and emotionally—and provide a sensual invitation for their partner to get lost in the experience with them.

Speaking in Tongues

You’ve been wondering when we would get inside your mouth. Fair enough. The best tongue kissing mimics foreplay (and real sex). Passionate kisses can cement deep connections. They tell your partner, “I trust you,” and “I want more of you.”

Although deep, penetrating, passionate kisses can use the tongue, it isn’t necessary to overwhelm your kissing-partner with the whole enchilada all at once, or for prolonged periods. Teasing is the true art of the coquette: The give, and the pullback.

The Moves Like Jagger

Being in the (kissing) moment means a lot more than focusing on how much lip or tongue pressure to use (although once you’re expert at it, that becomes second nature).

Use your body to enhance the kissing experience. Run your hands on your partner’s neck and face (being sensitive to his individual “touching” sensibilities). Move your fingers through his hair and down the length of his back. This is about passion and the lips are just the opening act (so to speak).

Nibble. Enough said.

Tilt your head for maximum comfort for both of you. Being in the moment means subtly checking to see what feels good, and what feels right.

Remember to communicate—both physically and verbally—with your kissing partner so you’ll know what each of you likes. Some people like to be bitten, some don’t. Don’t be offended or turned off if you don’t hit it right with the first kiss. There’s always time to regroup.

Pay attention to the important things like your breath and the condition of your lips, but don’t over think things to the point of paralysis. You don’t want to be such a “rules lawyer” that you miss out on all the fun that comes from experiencing the best kisses.

The Gayborhood’s unofficial main “drag”—which runs from Wilton Drive north(ish) through Five Points, before becoming North Dixie Highway—has seen two recent combatants in the “Yogurt Wars,” as our gourmand, Richard David Chamberlain, has dubbed it. Like Dr. Livingstone before him, he trekked into these unchartered places—in this case, Nuts About Yogurt on Wilton Drive, and Menchie’s on North Dixie. See what just what all the fuss is about Wilton “Cultures,” in a new Dining column.

There’s anecdotal evidence that a substantial number of America’s historic, literary, and cultural giants—Alexander Hamilton, Walt Whitman, and possibly even the Great Emancipator himself, Abraham Lincoln—sported rainbow handkerchiefs in their “knickers.” Writer Robert Elias Deaton takes us to the nation’s capital—as its Capitol—for a gay old look at the Arsenal of Freedom, Washington, D.C., this week in Travel.

Leaving the tricks to you, we also add to your Halloween treats with writer Adam Strong, from our sister publication GUY Magazine, with some excellent tips on how to “Host a Fabulous(ly Scary!) Halloween Party.” Talk about scary: Fitness expert and trainer Tom Bonanti will make you sweat ’til you can’t sweat no (any) more. And Justin Jones presents an All Hallows love story—with a “germy” twist—in an all new Love Jones.

BOO! CD

Chris Crocker, best known for his tearful YouTube plea to “Leave Britney Alone!” is the newest gay “celebrity” to dive into the murky waters of adult film. He recently announced a deal with OLB Media (the porn company behind Onthehunt.com, Fraternityx.com, Straightmen.com, Parolehim.com, and Maverickmen.com) to create, develop, and manage his own adult site, ChrisCrockerXXX.com, which will premiere later this winter. His first film, which Chris filmed with ex-boyfriend Justin Goble, is available for download now at Maverickmen.com.

He spoke with the Agenda’s Joseph Norman.

FA: How does one go from pleading for everyone to “Leave Britney Alone!” to launching his own adult film brand?

CC: I was 19 when that [Britney YouTube] video came out. I’m 24, turning 25 now. As my HBO documentary (“Me At The Zoo”) pointed out, I’ve used film as an emotional outlet for years. I’ve filmed myself being crazy, having fun, crying. Filming myself having sex is just an extension of what I already do.

FA: Why was the YouTube video such a phenomenon?

CC: I think the video was just straight from the heart and it made people uncomfortable. They didn’t know whether to laugh at it or to take it seriously. They just knew to watch. I also think me being an effeminate male crying over a woman added to the interest. FA: How have you grown in the last five years? I’ve shifted my interests quite a bit. I went from crying over pop stars to becoming one. I’ve sold nearly 100,000 songs on iTunes.

FA: You also “butched” up. It was a natural evolution. I felt the change coming on inside of me and wanted to act on it. It wasn’t a calculated decision to distance myself from my old persona. I simply felt new inside. FA: You’re being criticized for promoting bareback sex in your films. What’s your response?

CC: I see the complaints. I don’t necessarily disagree with them but at the same time, I represent myself, not the community. I’m not a role model because I don’t play a role.

FA: But as a public persona, do you not feel a responsibility to promote safe sex among your audience, many of whom are young gay men?

CC: As I said, I answer to myself. Lots of people are public figures. The public shouldn’t assume that just because someone receives attention, they’re fit to be a moral compass. I do promote safety to youth. I was in a relationship with the guy in the video so I didn’t wear a condom.

FA: You came to Britney’s support. Do you think she would support your decision to do porn?

CC: Probably not. Judging from her “X Factor ” audition clips, she seems easily weirded out by people. But I don’t need her approval or anyone else’s. I’m my own idol now.

Frenchie Davis first hit the world stage in Season 2 of “American Idol.” Since then she has starred on stage in the Broadway and touring productions of “Rent,” “Dream Girls,” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (a performance that earned the singer her first Grammy nomination).

Last year, she hit the national spotlight again, joining Team Christina on NBC ’s hit show “The Voice,” and becoming one of the top four finalists. After her cover of “When Love Takes Over” landed at number three on the iTunes Dance Chart, she was ready to get started on an album—teaming with international singer/songwriter Janice Robinson to record “Love’s Got a Hold On Me,” her first single from the upcoming album, “Just Frenchie.” Hear it live when she performs the track this Saturday, October 13, at Bill’s Wilton Manors, on Wilton Drive. Mario Weir caught up with Davis for the Florida Agenda.

FA: Have you been in love?
FD: Love has been painful in the past.
These days it’s pretty wonderful. I’m in love
with a woman I think I can be with forever.

FA: Is being a prisoner to love a good
or bad thing?
FD: You have to find a balance. You want
to give your all to your partner without
losing yourself. You don’t want to wake up
one day not having a clue who you are anymore.

FA: What do you love about singing?
FD: I feel free when I sing and I love to create colors with my voice.

FA: Did you love starring on Broadway?
FD: Musical theatre was my first love, and how I first fell in love with music. The best part
was developing the discipline and endurance required to do eight shows a week. You hear
so many stories about performers suffering from exhaustion. After surviving the Broadway
schedule for five years, I believe I can survive anything.

FA: What part did hitting number three on iTunes play in releasing your own music now?
FD: It made me realize, maybe I can still do this. And maybe I can do dance music instead of
R&B. There are enough big black girls doing R&B already.

FA: Tell us about your first single, “Love’s Got a Hold On Me.”
FD: It’s a dance track written by my dear friend Janice Robinson, best known for the songs
she’s written for Deborah Cox and Ashley Tisdale. The track was produced by Magnificent, a
really talented artist from NYC. Brian Friedman, who I love for his work with Britney Spears and
“The X Factor,” co-directed and choreographed the video.

FA: What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
FD: I love to go swimming at the beach. It relaxes me, and it is awesome exercise.

FA: What’s next?
FD: In addition to my debut album, I’m putting the finishing touches on my Christmas album.

And I’m really excited to be in talks about starting my own line of plus-size bras and lingerie!

For more information, visit FrenchieDavis.org and Facebook.com/OfficialFrenchie.

You can also follow her at Twitter.com/FrenchieDavis.

In his own words, Hess’ bartending career “started in 1968, at a resort in Iowa. When I first moved to Fort Lauderdale, I landed a job at the world famous Chardee’s dinner club for several years,” he recalls.

“I loved working for Tony Dee—and some of the stories I could tell,” he adds with a mischievous smile.

Go on. “I’ll never forget the first time I met Eartha Kitt. She [came into Chardee’s wearing] a fur and a turban. She walked right up to me with something that looked like a black cat in her hand, and with her very distinctive voice said, ‘Darling are you my hairdresser?’

“What was in her hand was her wig, and there was a hairdresser—but it wasn’t me,” he finishes with a laugh. “Then there was Jennifer Holiday, back in the ‘large’ days.

She was doing two shows, and after the first, she ordered a plate of pasta and shrimp, which was large enough for three people. She devoured the entire plate, and then ordered an end cut of prime rib—which was huge. She ate the whole plate, and then did the second show. I was amazed.”

His partner, Wentzel, started bartending in the late 1980s, in Pennsylvania. “I decided to move to Fort Lauderdale for the better weather,” he remembers. “Don’t get me wrong, there are times that I miss the snow, just not the cold. I’ll take the sun and warmth anytime,” he adds.

“We met at the old Cathode Ray, the one on the canal [on East Las Olas Boulevard],” says Hess. “We became r o o m m a t e s when Gary’s ex moved back to Pennsylvania. We never had a problem relating and talking to each other, and found that we liked many of the same things.

We both loved working in the yard, and we had a penchant for classic cars,” he notes. The ‘two’ became ‘one’ during a trip with friends to Key West (where else?): “At that time we were only roommates, but we truly liked each other,” Wentzel remembers. “Then when it came time to go to bed, one friend wanted to sleep in my bed and I wanted to sleep with Mark. Well, that sort of ‘sealed the deal,’” and the rest, as they say, is history.

About working together behind the bar, Hess offers, “We are so busy at the Alibi. It’s such a high-production bar that we don’t have time to really even speak, and once we get home, we already know what our day has been like, so we don’t talk business. It’s a great life.”

“Classics” themselves, they share a previously mentioned love for classic cars. “We currently have two,” notes Hess. “One is a 1965 Bonneville convertible, and the second is a 1976 Buick Limited, but we are constantly looking and trading our classics.

We belong to the Lambda Car Club.” Stop in and see the bar-stars at the main bar at Alibi, in the Shoppes of Wilton Manors (2266 Wilton Drive), and tell them the guys from The Agenda say “hi.”

Matt Auslander is no stranger the bar and grill business. For years, he was the general manager at venerable Wilton Manors staple Georgie’s Alibi. Thinking that the grass might be greener out west, Auslander decided to pull up stakes and give Las Vegas a spin. As he likes to put it, he soon learned “there ain’t much grass in Vegas.”

After about a year in the arid Intermountain West, he returned to Fort Lauderdale. It wasn’t his first stop on the ‘service train,’ one that first pulled away from the station almost 30 years ago. “My first foray into the hospitality business was in 1985,” the native of Manhattan recalled. “There was a restaurant in my neighborhood that I frequented. I was in one night and the maitre d’ came up to me and asked, “Do you want to work here?” Auslander turned out to be a “quick study.”

“I began as a server, then two days later I was promoted to bar back. I worked in that position, and then two days later I started bartending. I worked one summer for Julius in [Greenwich] Village [located about a block from the historic Stonewall Inn]—which was a real happening spot and I then in 1994 I moved to Fort Lauderdale.”

Auslander worked at Club Elektra in Fort Lauderdale, and eventually to that Gayborhood standard, the Alibi. The experience would leave an impression. “Having worked for George at the Alibi, it gave me the freedom to go to another part of my career. I got to work in Saint Pete, and then opened Alibi Palm Springs, which was a great experience, but I really wanted my own place.”

That place would be Matty’s on the Drive, which he would locate at the northern tip of Wilton Drive, within throwing distance of Five Points. Auslander is proud of his accomplishment. “Since we opened four years ago, we have won ‘Best New Bar’ in 2008, in 2009 we won ‘Best Signature Martini,’ and in 2012, ‘Best Bar,” he noted before adding, “and now onto the next frontier.”

Ironically, that next frontier takes him back to where it began. “We recently purchased the former Oscar Wilde bar,” in New York City’s Manhattan, “and while we are still working on the details, we are very excited about the addition,” Auslander says.

Even as he plans for expansion to the New York tavern, Auslander is determined to provide great service to his existing local patrons. “We have our employee Turn-About show coming up October 15, and we will be heavily involved with Wicked Wilton Halloween on the 31st, including a dance floor and”— now hear this—“a castle we are building to coincide with the theme,” he said, adding ‘wickedly,’ “Anything can happen in the Castle.”

Last Sunday, September 23, Auslander celebrated a birthday, which he insists makes him one year closer to 40. That “extra” year has made him a little wiser, too, and made him one of the community’s business owners who help make Wilton Manors a destination spot. Stop in and say hi to Auslander at Matty’s on the Drive, located at 2426 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors.

Possibly the only downside to living in the most perfect climate on earth is that we South Floridians don’t get to “experience” the change of seasons. (I might add that it’s a small price to pay, but then you’d think me an idiot for stating the obvious.) This is easily corrigible, since the arrival of autumn is a perfect time to snazzy-up your home in a way that evokes the colors, textures—even the smells of fall.

Faux Foliage

Open bookcases and shelves are perfect spots to place silk fall leaves, available at any local craft store. Strategically placed along the shelves—and pressed inside a picture frame—orange, gold, and yellow autumn-colored leaves will add some free-fall to your spaces.

Pumpkins and Pedestals

Pumpkins (yes, it’s that time of year again) placed on a shelf, on a hall pedestal, or as a table centerpiece will give a healthy hint of autumn to any zone in your place. Miniature pumpkins stacked near a fireplace, or place in a bowl, also invoke the memories or fall. THOSE Are Pumpkins?

White pumpkins—naturally white, not painted—are a novel (and striking!) way to add some jazz-and-snazz to your autumnal décor. They are also known as Ghost Pumpkins, Snowballs, Luminas, and Caspers—with the tiny ones (about the size of a baseball) called Baby Boos (that’s so sweet, I need an insulin shot now).

White pumpkins are a little more expensive than their orange relatives, but their “ghoulish” look makes for an interesting canvas to draw or paint Jack O’Lantern faces, and of course just displayed by themselves, uncarved. (When you carve them, you find that they have orange flesh beneath the white rind, which just adds to their ghostly appeal when you place a candle inside.)

For the Birds

Pheasant feathers and artificial owls, displayed with pinecones and gourds, add an organic, woodsy, and rustic touch, turning a fireplace mantel, countertop or hutch into fall vignette. Pomander? I Don’t Even Know Her.

A pomander (from the French pomme d’ambre, “apple of amber”) is a ball made of perfumes, such as ambergris (from whence comes the name), musk, or civet. First mentioned in 13th Century literature, the pomander was worn or carried in a vase, and used both as protection against infection (during times of plague) and as a natural deodorant. Pomanders were also used as an early form of aromatherapy.

In modern times, pomanders are made by studding an orange (or other fruit) with whole dried cloves, and then letting it ‘cure dry.’ The modern pomander can be used to perfumes and freshen the air, and to keeping dresser drawers with clothing and linens fresh, pleasant-smelling—and moth-free. Like Victorians and medieval royals, you can use the sweet-smelling scent of pomanders to mask odors and to fill your home with citrus freshness.

There are several different ways to make pomanders (all of them using sweet smelling cloves), but oranges work best, I think. You can find a complete “recipe” for homemade pomanders this week, at guymag.net. Fall into fall, baby!

In the HEAT of the Night: Hard Rock-style

The highlight of the 2013 South Florida Firefighter’s Calendar debut Aug. 20 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino had to be the moment when the Sexy First Responders lost their constraining outerwear to reveal their hard pecs, ripped abs, and sexy “stud-muffins” with a catwalk prowl for screaming fans.

The calendar’s 20th anniversary edition features South Florida’s hottest heroes, who came together to support some of the area’s charities, including Safe Haven For Newborns, Here’s Help, and the Friends Forever Humane Society.

You can purchase the calendar by visiting firefighterscalendar.com/cart2/ products.php?catid=1, or drop by one of the numerous scheduled events and meet the Firehouse Hotties in person (and get your calendar signed). Over past two decades, the calendar has raised more than $240,000 for local charities.

I Guess It Depends on WHAT He’s Smoking “Down Under”

The leader of Australia’s Christian Lobby (ACL) said last week that smoking is healthier than same-sex marriage. During a debate at the University of Tasmania, Jim Wallace claimed that health statistics among gays are worse than those for smokers.

“I think we’re going to owe smokers a big apology when the homosexual community’s own statistics for its health – which it presents when it wants more money for health – are that is has higher rates of drug-taking, of suicide, it has the life of a male reduced by up to 20 years,” Wallace said, adding that “the life of smokers is reduced by something like seven to 10 years, and yet we tell all our kids at school they shouldn’t smoke.” Sounds like he thinks kids should trade in one kind of “fag”—cigarettes—for another.

Stevie Wonder Backpedals Over Frank Ocean Comments

Over the Labor Day weekend, Stevie Wonder issued a statement that clarified his recent remarks about R&B singer Frank Ocean’s sexuality.

In an interview last week with the Guardian, Wonder questioned Ocean’s coming out in July via a Tumblr post in July (just prior to the release of his debut album, “Agent Orange”). “I think honestly, some people who think they’re gay, they’re confused,” Wonder told the UK publication. “People can misconstrue closeness for love. People can feel connected, they bond.”

On Sunday, Wonder told MTV, “I’m sorry that my words about anyone feeling confused about their love were misunderstood. No one has been a greater advocate for the power of love in this world than I, both in my life and in my music.

“Clearly, love is love, between a man and a woman, a woman and a man, a woman and a woman and a man and a man. What I’m not confused about is the world needing much more love, no hate, no prejudice, no bigotry and more unity, peace and understanding. Period.” We feel you, Stevie.

Nicki Minaj Goes Back in the Closet

Rolling Stone reports that claims by rapper Nicki Minaj (early in her career) that she was bisexual were made just for the attention. “I think girls are sexy,” La Minaj cutely offered. “But I’m not going to lie and say that I date girls.” Mmm-hmmmmm.