Author: Randy Slovacek

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ABC cancels “Work It”

ABC’s cross-dressing sitcom Work It has been fired.

The series, which received flak months ahead of its debut, premiered to exceptionally low ratings on January 30. Work It’s second episode saw ratings plummet by 20 percent, leading ABC to today announce the cancellation of the series.

“While many of ABC’s positive and groundbreaking portrayals of LGBT people have been critical and popular successes, the public had little interest in this outdated show,” said Herndon Graddick, Senior Director of Programs and Communications at GLAAD. “As a result of this campaign, an important dialogue has been started in Hollywood and mainstream media about the real discrimination faced by transgender people today.”

In addition to the negative reaction from the LGBT community, the show was roundly panned by critics.

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Washington: Two votes needed for marriage equality

Washington state is just two senate votes short of legalizing same-sex marriage. But in Washington, even one vote can be hard to come by.

Gov. Christine Gregoire, now in her final year of office, has voiced support for marriage equality. The Democrat-dominated state house overwhelmingly supports equality, too. But in the senate, where the Democrat majority is slimmer, the drive for equality hinges on a shrinking number of undecided legslators. Reuters quotes Sen. Ed Murray, the man behind the legislative push for marriage equality:

“Our gay and lesbian civil rights bill, which took 29 years to pass (in 2006), was always one vote short and I believe this situation is pretty much the same,” said Murray, a gay man who hopes to wed his long-term partner in the state.

“We are grandchildren of people who immigrated and homesteaded this state,” he said. “We hope that after 20 years of basically being engaged together that we would be able to legally marry in our native state.”

Just in case the needed two votes are found, anti-marriage activists are mobilizing to ban same-sex marriage with a November ballot initiative.

According to the Seattle Times, attorney Stephen Pidgeon, of Everett, is seeking to collect the necessary 241,153 signatures demanding such an initiative by the July 6th deadline.
(source)

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Rick Santorum chosen by anti-gay groups as preferred candidate

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins announced on a conference call that social conservatives had officially settled on Rick Santorum as their preferred candidate for the Republican nomination.

The decision was made today after three rounds of balloting at a meeting of more than 150 social conservative leaders and political activists held over the last two days in Brenham, Texas.

Though the meeting was widely seen as an effort to settle on a candidate to stop Mitt Romney, Romney’s own campaign sent a representative to make an appeal to the group and Perkins said it was “not a bash Romney weekend” and “not a lot of time” was spent discussing him.

Jon Huntsman’s campaign was the only campaign not to participate in the meeting.
(source)

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George Clooney speak out on behalf of gay marriage

George Clooney tells E!’s Marc Malkin that he’ll be playing AFER attorney David Boies in the L.A. production of Dustin Lance Black’s ‘8’.

Clooney’s participation was announced in December, but until now it was unclear what role he would be playing.

Said Clooney to Malkin: “I think the world is changing and it’s becoming less and less of an issue and I think it shouldn’t be long now,” Clooney said. “I think younger people are looking at this like, ‘Who cares?’ I do believe it’s generational, much like the civil rights movement. Young people started taking to the streets and things changed. This really is the final leg of the civil rights movement.”

Clooney told The Hollywood Reporter in December: “It is astonishing that gay and lesbian Americans are still treated as second-class citizens. I am confident that, very soon, the laws of this nation will reflect the basic truth that gay and lesbian people — like all human beings — are born equal in dignity and rights.”

‘8’ will run one night only at Los Angeles’ Wilshire Ebell Theatre on March 3.

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Random pics in Sydney

A few random funny/cool pics of Sydney since we arrived.
Click on a pic to see larger view.

First Welcome sign we saw in the airport.  Excited to be here!

As we left the plane, the excellent flight attendant gave us a bottle of champagne
and a bottle of chardonnay! It clearly pays to be nice to everyone 🙂

Right outside our hotel and all over Sydney:
the movie poster for Olivia’s new movie “A Few Best Men”
We’re here for the world premiere!

Burger King is called “Hungry Jacks” in Oz. Who knew?

My radio show co-shot Candi tasked me with trying as many new Aussie wines
as I can.  I take up the challenge and began my mission here. More wine!

Favorite sign so far. This sign is on the ground at practically every corner.
Clearly a lot of Americans and Europeans who don’t pay attention – like this blond boy –
get hit stepping in front of the wrong lane of traffic.
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Michael and Randy in Sydney – Day 1

First day in Sydney, Australia, and we had fantastic summer weather. So we HAD to get the famous, iconic, tourist pics done just in case the weather turned.

By the way, click on a pic to see a larger view.

Some more fun Sydney pics coming up too. Thanks for indulging me the “tourist pic” thing 🙂

This had to be the first pic we took.
Two famous structures: Michael and the Sydney Opera House.

Me in front of the Sydney Opera House
Um, am I beveling?

Your tour guide Michael Caprio, traveller internationale.

Michael in front of the Sydney Opera House

Michael said we really needed to take this pic.  Cool, huh?  Amazing day.

Two iconic pics in one – Sydney Opera House & Harbor Bridge
OH!  And me of course…

I’d love to call this “on the steps of the palace” – Sydney Opera House

Michael and I with that famous building

The view from our room of the Opera House and Harbor

Michael and I on the sandstone steps overlooking the harbor