 |
Tyler, Bear and Bandit know when the phone rings and I say “come on in,”
the pool man is here and ready to be barked at.
The pool man cometh…
Darren Criss of GLEE on Broadway
Rumors are flying that Darren Criss of GLEE fame may take over the lead of “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying” on Broadway from current star Daniel Radcliffe.
Negotiations may begin soon, with sources saying Darren Criss would take over for a few weeks in January. With rehearsals he would only miss about “an episode and a half” of GLEE taping.
In a funny bit of irony, Darren Criss became an internet YouTube celebrity as the star of ‘A Very Potter Musical’ and ‘A Very Potter Sequel’. To see him take over the lead on Broadway from the original Harry Potter is just too serendipitous to believe.
Here’s hoping we see this all work out. I think Darren definitely deserves his Broadway debut and he’s a great fit for the role.
Zach Wahls & Family Join the NOH8 Campaign
|
| Zach Wahls and his mothers for the NoH8 Campaign – click to enlarge |
From the NoH8campaign: University of Iowa student Zach Wahls became a familiar face among the LGBT community earlier this year when a video went viral of Zach delivering an impassioned speech about his family and growing up with gay parents to the Iowa House of Representatives.
Zach’s speech was in response to an Iowa bill that would have ended civil unions in Iowa, and the response to the simple elegance and power of the speech fueled the video to spread throughout the internet overnight, gaining several million hits.
Zach’s mothers were honored at the Eychaner Foundation’s Matthew Shepard Scholarship Awards Dinner. While in attendance, Co-Founders Adam Bouska and Jeff Parshley (who were also headlining the event) had the chance to speak with Terry Wahls and Jacqueline Reger.
As luck would have it, Zach was scheduled to be in town the very next day – so Team NOH8 rented a car and drove out to Iowa City to meet with Zach’s family and photograph them for the campaign.
For anyone who may have missed this young man’s amazing speech, here it is. Watch this 3 minute speech, and feel good about the future of America:
Pic: Final Space Shuttle Landing
The space shuttle Atlantis makes it’s final landing marking the end of the space shuttle program.
Click the picture to see an enlarged version.
(photo credit: NASA)
Sec. of Defense & Joint Chiefs to certify repeal of DADT
Julian Barnes, Pentagon reporter for the Wall Street Journal, is reporting via Twitter that Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and the Joint Chiefs of Staff are expected to certify tomorrow that the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell “is consistent with the standards of military readiness and effectiveness, unit cohesion, and military recruiting and retention.”
The certification requirement was a key component of the compromise that allowed the repeal to finally move through Congress last December.
The repeal will then go into effect 60 days after President Obama makes the same certification.
My recent appearance on CandiNKelly – Blog Talk Radio
Listen to internet radio with CandiNKelly on Blog Talk Radio
This past Sunday, I joined singer/songwriter Matt Zarley on the “CandiNKelly” radio show on blogtalkradio.com.
The topic was “GLBT – Uncensored”. Of course, I get on my ‘sassy American soapbox’ a bit during the hour about some LGBT political issues, but I think it’s pretty clear that’s what you get with me. 🙂
It is an hour long, so listen when you have the time to take it all in, or listen to a bit and skip around. We covered a lot of topics.
It was a lot of fun. I really recommend you check them out and listen in often.
Thanks for having me Candi and Kelly!
(Ignore the video commercial at the beginning if the video seems “off.” I embedded the show as normal, I think the video is just a different size.)
Stocks surge on rumors of debt talk progress
From CNN: U.S. stocks surged on Thursday, following news that European leaders reached an agreement to contain Greece’s debt crisis.
Gains were further fueled by reports that the White House and House Republicans may have reached an agreement regarding the country’s deficit problems and the debt ceiling. Both the White House and House Speaker John Boehner ‘s offices denied the reports.
According to preliminary tallies, the Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) ended 153 points higher, or up 1.2%, at 12,724 the S&P 500 (SPX) added 18 points, or 1.4%, to 1,344 and the Nasdaq composite (COMP) rose 20 points, or 0.7%, to 2,834.
President Obama indicated earlier this week that he would support a plan to raise the debt ceiling that had been floated by a bipartisan group of senators. But investors are still concerned that the Gang of Six’s plan may not have enough time or support to make it through Congressional negotiations by Aug. 2.
I’m joining the Cougar Chat crew
This looks like it’s going to be fun. Beginning this coming Monday, I’ll join the crew of “Cougar Chat” every other week as their Entertainment Correspondent, contributing current celebrity news. The hosts are a lot of fun, and apparently no question goes un-answered. Ruh-roh. Here’s the info: Call in Number: 717-496-9900 Mondays – 7pm EST/4pm PST Hosts: Michele Nardone, Jennifer Baker Hitt and Nan Coleman Click here for more information.
Short list of rights denied to same-sex married couples by Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
Research group the Williams Institute, together with the UCLA School of Law, submitted as part of their testimony to the recent “repeal DOMA” hearings research that demonstrates the very real impact DOMA has on married same-sex couples.
Listed below is just a short list of the many ways same-sex married couples are discriminated against by the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act.” While not a complete list, but it illustrates how many important civil rights are denied by the law.
As you can see, none of the rights listed below have anything to do with religious or church-based issues. These are all civil benefits extended by our civil government to married couples. In a country that espouses “all created equal”, clearly all married couples in this country are not enjoying the same rights and privileges.
Denied Equal Social Security Survivor or Spousal Benefits — Unlike opposite-sex couples, same-sex spouses cannot continue to claim their partner’s higher rate of benefits after their spouse has died. This can result in an average loss of $5,700 per year. This is just one way in which DOMA impacts social security and survival benefits.
Denied Equal Treatment for Bi-National Couples — There are nearly 26,000 same-sex couples in the United States who are bi-national and could be forced to separate because they cannot participate in green-card and accelerated citizenship mechanisms.
Denied Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Benefits — Estimates suggest that 43,000 employees would qualify for medical leave pay but are denied it because FMLA does not cover leave to care for a same-sex partner.
Denied Benefits for Spouses of Federal Employees — The Williams Institute estimates there are around 30,200 federal employees with a same-sex partner who, not being federal employees themselves, are denied spousal benefits because the federal government does not recognize same-sex marriages. This impacts health care coverage and work/injury compensation to name but a few.
Denied Veteran Partner Benefits — Around 68,000 veterans have same-sex partners that are barred from pension benefits, educational assistance and vocational training, as well as many other benefits.
Denied Equal Treatment in Taxation of Employee Health Benefits — If a company has implemented a health benefit scheme that covers same-sex partners, benefits that are taxed under federal law mean an unfair burden on both employees and employers. The Williams Institute suggests this disparity may run to over $1,000 a year.
Denied Equal Treatment in Inheritance Tax — Same-sex spouses are treated as legal strangers by the federal government and are therefore subject to different rules governing inheritance tax, so for couples that exceed the non-taxable transfer of assets there is an additional tax burden that the institute calculates could amount to, on average, as much as $4 million.
Read more at Care2.org
Choreography for the seated
Very creative considering he’s sitting down practically the whole time.
Of course you knew all along that it’s a cell phone ad, right?
Apparently it’s an ad from France. Clearly, the French have MUCH longer attention spans than Americans. Can you imagine this running on US TV?
(via joemygod)