Author: Randy Slovacek

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Anti-LGBTQ Organizations Signal ‘Religious Freedoms’ To Be Top Priority For SCOTUS Pick

Far-right conservatives are signaling that 'religious freedoms' should be a top issue in Donald Trump's pick to replace Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy
Donald Trump

Since the announcement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement, LGBTQ activists and advocates have expressed their deep concern about the community’s rights and protections being threatened by what will be a much more conservative successor.

Over the weekend, in an interview with Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo, Trump said he was “putting conservative people” on the high court, but “probably not” ask beforehand how those nominees might vote on specific issues.

What he didn’t say in his answer is he doesn’t have to ask. Trump has a pre-selected list of 25 candidates that have already been vetted by the ultra-conservative Federalist Society. It’s a foregone conclusion that all of them have been screened for far-right positions on the law.

While its unlikely that marriage equality would ever be overturned in a wholesale manner, what many legal experts say consider possible is the Supreme Court handing down ‘carve outs’ in rulings regarding ‘religious liberty’ that would allow for legalized discrimination of LGBTQ people.

This morning, hate group leader Tony Perkins, of the virulently anti-LGBTQ organization Family Research Council, made clear on Fox News exactly what his faction of conservatives are looking at in a new Supreme Court justice.

“Given the fact that the left wants to make this all about abortion – I think it’s much bigger, I think we have religious liberty, we’ve got freedom of speech, the First Amendment in the crosshairs of the left.

“But they want to make it about life and if I were the president, I’d say, ‘Game on. I’m going to pick someone that’s beyond reproach.’ I think this supercharges the president’s base to get behind him in his pick and I think that spills over into the midterm election.”

Even though Trump falsely campaigned on the premise he would be an “LGBT ally,” his actions since taking office have demonstrated exactly the opposite.

Buzzfeed’s Dominic Holden has compiled a list of the many ways the Trump administration has worked against the LGBTQ community including:

• Reversed a federal policy that said transgender workers were protected from discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

• Argued that its legal to fire LGBTQ employees for being

• Supported Colorado baker Jack Phillips at the Supreme Court for turning away gay customers

• Withdrawn guidance that said Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 bans anti-transgender discrimination in federally funded schools

• Proposed banning transgender service members in the U.S. military

• Declined to appoint an LGBTQ liaison for the White House that would help communication between the administration and LGBTQ organizations and advocates

This is clearly a time that we, as a community, have to stay woke. We have to stay vigilant. We have to be involved.

And most importantly, we have to vote.

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Do You Believe? ‘The Cher Show’ Opens In Chicago

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The three stars of ‘The Cher Show’
(photo: Joan Marcus)

Do you believe?

 The Cher Show, the new Broadway-bound jukebox musical chronicling the life and career of superstar Cher, opened this week at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre.

The musical stars Teal Wicks, Micaela Diamond, and Tony Award nominee Stephanie J. Block, who play the iconic actress/singer at three different stages in luminous life and career.

Tony nominee Jason Moore (Avenue Q) directs and the dances are handled by Tony Award-winner Christopher Gattelli (Newsies). Legendary fashion designer Bob Mackie, who has clothed Cher since 1967, is on costume duty and receiving rave reviews for his work.

Cher herself snuck into Chicago to take in the show and shared her review with the Chicago Tribune saying, “Some parts of it are really fabulous. We’re going to work on the other parts. In many parts, it was much, much better than I thought it would be. And there were no parts where I wanted to gouge my eyes out.”

“It needs work. I’m not supposed to say that but I don’t care,” she added.

A post shared by The Cher Show (@thechershow) on Jun 25, 2018 at 10:42am PDT

Theater critics weighed in as well.

Miriam Di Nunzio, writing for the Chicago Sun Times: What emerges from “The Cher Show” is the portrait of an artist – from an insecure teenager who started her career worshipping at the feet of Sonny Bono, to one who gradually and out of necessity emerged as a fiercely independent and strong woman, who realized she was and is second to none. Cher may have sung “All I Ever Need Is You” alongside her beloved “Son,” but truth is, she had all she needed to succeed, deep down inside her. There may not have been a Cher had there not first been a Sonny & Cher. Sonny made a brand out of Cher, but she was born a powerhouse. “The Cher Show” reminds us why America fell in love with the dynamic duo. And why so many will always believe in Cher.

Steven Oxman for Variety: The real star of the show, though, turns out not to be the stars of the show, nor the music, but Bob Mackie’s costumes (he is both the show’s designer and a character), many simply the fantastic fashions he created for Cher throughout her career. They inject needed drama and flash and performative excitement, and generate by far the biggest audience reaction when carefully revealed by director Jason Moore.

The supporting cast include Tony Award nominees Michael Berresse as “Mackie,” Jarrod Spector as “Sonny Bono, and Emily Skinner as Cher’s mother, “Georgia Holt.”

The production runs through July 15 at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago with Broadway performances beginning November 1 at the Neil Simon Theatre and an official opening night December 3.

Jukebox musicals, based on the catalog of a popular artist, have been hits and misses on the Great White Way.

While Mamma Mia (Abba), Jersey Boys (The Four Seasons), and Beautiful (Carole King) have done bank at the Broadway box office, other shows like Good Vibrations (The Beach Boys), Escape to Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffett) and Lennon (John Lennon) found little love and closed fairly quickly.

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Dame Gillian Lynne (CATS, Phantom Of The Opera) Passes Away At 92

Director/choreographer Dame Gillian Lynne (Cats, Phantom of the Opera) passed away today at the age of 92

A legend leaves us.

With heavy heart I share the news that acclaimed director/choreographer Dame Gillian Lynne passed away today at the age of 92.

Best known for her choreography for two of the longest running shows on Broadway – CATS and The Phantom of the Opera – Gillian’s career spanned decades and knew no boundaries.

From ballet to opera to theater to television to movies, Dame Gillian was triumphant in every medium she approached.

More career details from BroadwayWorld:

Gillian was a leading soloist with Sadler’s Wells Ballet, the star dancer at the Palladium, played opposite Errol Flynn in the movies and danced with all the greats on TV. She became instrumental in the development of jazz dance in Britain and her distinctive style – a fusion of classical and jazz – led to her groundbreaking work on the world-famous Cats, which was recognised with a new category of Olivier Award, specially created for her to acknowledge Outstanding Achievement of the Year in a Musical. Cats continues to be produced worldwide Gillian’s 50-plus Broadway and West End shows include: Tonight at 8.30, Love on the Dole, The Match Girls, TomFoolery, Jeeves Takes Charge, Cabaret, The Roar of the Greasepaint, Pickwick, The Card, Phil The Fluter, Hans Christian Andersen, My Fair Lady, Songbook, The Phantom of the Opera and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

For the Royal Shakespeare Company: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Comedy of Errors, The Way of the World, As You Like It, Once in a Lifetime and The Boy Friend. She has previously worked with Adrian Noble on the RSC production The Secret Garden.

Gillian’s opera productions include the direction of Bluebeard, The Trojans, The Midsummer Marriage, The Flying Dutchman and Parsifal. Among Gillian’s ballets are Breakaway, Lippizaner, The Brontes and Journey for the Bolshoi.

On television, Gillian has directed The Various Ends of Mrs F’s Friends, Easy Money, The Look of Love, The Morte d’Arthur, which won the Samuel G Engel Award in America, and A Simple Man, which won a 1987 BAFTA.

She staged many of The Muppet Shows for ATV and her 11 feature films include A Wonderful Life, Half a Sixpence, Man of La Mancha and Yentl.

She was honored with the Olivier Award for her choreography for CATS, as well as Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for the Broadway production. Another Tony nomination came for her gorgeous work on Phantom.

My first big job as an actor in New York City was being cast as “The Magical Mr. Mistoffelees” in a brand-new national touring company of CATS. The job, and the show, saved my life in many ways.

Years later I was able to thank Dame Gillian for her brilliant work that in very real terms created jobs for thousands and thousands of people.

A total class act, she could also be very bawdy and fun.

Rest in Peace, Dame Gillian.

Tony Award winner Betty Buckley, who worked with Dame Gillian on CATS and the London premiere of Jerry Herman’s Dear World, shared her thoughts on the loss on Instagram:

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CNN Airs Video Montage Of Trump’s Verbal Attacks On The Media

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In response to a shooting at a Maryland newspaper which left 5 dead and many injured, President Donald Trump condemned violent attacks on the media.

The key word in that sentence is “violent” because clearly the Trumpster has long demeaned and fed incivility towards journalists.

CNN’s John Berman took time to recognize Trump’s history of verbal attacks on the media with a video montage.

Watch below.

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“Frank Marino’s Divas Las Vegas” Sashays Away After 33 Years

Frank Marino's Divas Las Vegas closes after 33 years on the Las Vegas Strip
Frank Marino and the cast of Divas Las Vegas

Long before RuPaul’s Drag Race, long before RuPaul, long before drag queens had big TV ratings, if you wanted to experience amazing drag entertainment, you went to Las Vegas where Frank Marino has held court as the Strip’s longest running headliner in his revue, Divas Las Vegas.

Last night, the Sin City entertainment community was stunned to hear the news that Divas has suddenly closed.

Originally opening at the Riviera in 1985 as An Evening at La Cage, the show moved to the then-Imperial Palace (now The Linq) in 2010 and changed the show’s title to Frank Marino’s Divas Las Vegas.

Fronting the show as “Joan Rivers,” Marino has continually kept a cavalcade of drag queens performing tributes to Tina Turner, Madonna, Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Diana Ross, Cher and more.

In 2014, Marino celebrated his 25,000th performance with the production.

According the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the decision to close the long-running production was mutual between the show and Caesars Entertainment.

The cast was apparently told this past Tuesday the show would be dark for a few days and then have a cast meeting on Saturday. It was then that the cast and crew were informed the show would not continue.

In a text message, Marino reportedly told the paper, “Like Scarlett O’Hara said, I will think about this tomorrow, tomorrow is yet another day.”

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Trump Denies He Ever Tweeted That Thing He Tweeted Three Days Ago

Donald Trump

Ok, so this is like shooting fish in a barrel.

For all the Trump supporters who say they’ve never heard Donald Trump lie, this is for you.

On June 27, 2018, Donald Trump tweeted: “HOUSE REPUBLICANS SHOULD PASS THE STRONG BUT FAIR IMMIGRATION BILL, KNOWN AS GOODLATTE II, IN THEIR AFTERNOON VOTE TODAY, EVEN THOUGH THE DEMS WON’T LET IT PASS IN THE SENATE. PASSAGE WILL SHOW THAT WE WANT STRONG BORDERS & SECURITY WHILE THE DEMS WANT OPEN BORDERS = CRIME. WIN!”

NOTICE ALL THE CAPS LETTERS? That means he really, really means it.

Then, this morning, just three days later, the Trumpster tweeted, “I never pushed the Republicans in the House to vote for the Immigration Bill, either GOODLATTE 1 or 2, because it could never have gotten enough Democrats as long as there is the 60 vote threshold. I released many prior to the vote knowing we need more Republicans to win in Nov.”

So, in three days he went from saying House Republicans should pass Goodlatte II to denying he ever said that.

He didn’t even bother to delete the original tweet.

#liar

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U.S. Officials Say North Korea Continues To Build Up Nuclear Production

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump

According to five U.S. officials, North Korea has been stepping up its production of enriched uranium for nuclear weapons, even though the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un told Donald Trump at the recent summit he would “work toward” denuclearization.

Taking Kim at his word, Trump cancelled the U.S. military training exercises on the Korean peninsula.

From NBC News:

U.S. intelligence agencies believe that North Korea has increased its production of fuel for nuclear weapons at multiple secret sites in recent months — and that Kim Jong Un may try to hide those facilities as he seeks more concessions in nuclear talks with the Trump administration, U.S. officials told NBC News.

The intelligence assessment, which has not previously been reported, seems to counter the sentiments expressed by President Donald Trump, who tweeted after his historic June 12 summit with Kim that “there was no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea.”

Analysts at the CIA and other intelligence agencies don’t see it that way, according to more than a dozen American officials who are familiar with their assessments and spoke on the condition of anonymity. They see a regime positioning itself to extract every concession it can from the Trump administration — while clinging to nuclear weapons it believes are essential to survival.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

There’s also evidence that North Korea has made substantial improvements to its nuclear research facilities.

But, remember, Trump says he trusts Kim Jong Un and the nuclear threat is “no longer.”

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Transgender Woman Wins The Crown Of Miss Universe Spain

Angela Ponce has won the crown of Miss Universe Spain and will compete at the Miss Universe pageant this fall
Angela Ponce, Miss Universe Spain 2018

As Pride Month comes to a close, Spain has crowned Angela Ponce as its representative for this year’s Miss Universe competition.

She is the first transgender woman to win the crown and will represent her country in the Miss Universe pageant come this fall.

Ponce has previously competed in the 2015 Miss World Spain competition representing Cadiz but failed to take home the crown that year.

At the time, she told the Daily Mail she felt like a winner anyway saying, “I have the regional crown on my head and I will keep fighting to make us seen, to make us heard and to demonstrate that I am already a queen with my own crown.”

“Society is not educated for diversity and that is what has made me go public,” she added. “Here I am and I’m not weird, I just have a different story.”

The Miss Universe competition has allowed transgender contestants to compete since 2012.

Watch Ponce’s winning moment below.

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Video: Dating While Asian

Model Kevin Kreider shares his experience of discrimination on dating apps because he's Asian

An actor and friend of mine shared this video on Facebook and it really struck me.

First of al,l because my friend and the man in the video, model Kevin Kreider, are both really good looking.

Kreider is straight, my friend is gay, but both encountered the same bias and discrimination in online dating – “No Asians.”

And this isn’t new. From early dating websites to hook up apps today, gay and straight, this is something folks see all the time.

No Asians. No Blacks. No fats. No femmes.

That’s what folks put in their online profiles.

Now, some might say, “Well, that’s their preference.”

But look at what you’re missing out on by putting that out there, up front. You’re missing a great guy whose hot like Kevin Kreider.

It’s important to note, as well, the sinister, negative effects these messages have over time on people.

“I remember growing up wanting to be white. I didn’t want to be Asian. But after all this, I realized I didn’t actually want to be white, I wanted to be treated like I was white.”

Imagine the toll that would take on your psyche over a lifetime.

As Kreider says, he began to abuse alcohol and drugs to cope with slow-growing depression over being constantly dismissed.

It’s a short video, but definitely worth a watch.