“Yesterday was a testament to the military’s dedication in relentlessly hunting down an enemy through many years of war. And we thank our president, we thank President Bush for having made the right calls to set up this victory.” – former half-term governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, gives Bush credit for something 2 and a half years after he left office, but never stops to blame Obama for the current economy…
“How many gay people must God create before we accept that he wants them around?”
At Minnesota’s hearings on the proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, state Rep. Steve Simon (D) asked: “How many gay people must God create before we accept that he wants them around?” Watch.
The bill advanced along party lines.
2011 Tony Award Nominations – Complete list
Nominations for the 2011 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards®
Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing
Tune in to the Tony Awards June 12 on CBS
Best Play
Good People
Jerusalem
The Motherf**ker with the Hat
War Horse
Best Musical
The Book of Mormon
Catch Me If You Can
The Scottsboro Boys
Sister Act
Best Book of a Musical
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
The Book of Mormon
The Scottsboro Boys
Sister Act
Best Original Score
The Book of Mormon
The Scottsboro Boys
Sister Act
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Best Revival of a Play
Arcadia
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Merchant of Venice
The Normal Heart
Best Revival of a Musical
Anything Goes
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Brian Bedford, The Importance of Being Earnest
Bobby Cannavale, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Joe Mantello, The Normal Heart
Al Pacino, The Merchant of Venice
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Nina Arianda, Born Yesterday
Frances McDormand, Good People
Lily Rabe, The Merchant of Venice
Vanessa Redgrave, Driving Miss Daisy
Hannah Yelland, Brief Encounter
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me If You Can
Josh Gad, The Book of Mormon
Joshua Henry, The Scottsboro Boys
Andrew Rannells, The Book of Mormon
Tony Sheldon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Sutton Foster, Anything Goes
Beth Leavel, Baby It’s You!
Patina Miller, Sister Act
Donna Murphy, The People in the Picture
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Mackenzie Crook, Jerusalem
Billy Crudup, Arcadia
John Benjamin Hickey, The Normal Heart
Arian Moayed, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Yul Vázquez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Ellen Barkin, The Normal Heart
Edie Falco, The House of Blue Leaves
Judith Light, Lombardi
Joanna Lumley, La Bête
Elizabeth Rodriguez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Colman Domingo, The Scottsboro Boys
Adam Godley, Anything Goes
John Larroquette, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Forrest McClendon, The Scottsboro Boys
Rory O’Malley, The Book of Mormon
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Laura Benanti, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Tammy Blanchard, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Victoria Clark, Sister Act
Nikki M. James, The Book of Mormon
Patti LuPone, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Todd Rosenthal, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Rae Smith, War Horse
Ultz, Jerusalem
Mark Wendland, The Merchant of Venice
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt, The Scottsboro Boys
Derek McLane, Anything Goes
Scott Pask, The Book of Mormon
Donyale Werle, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Best Costume Design of a Play
Jess Goldstein, The Merchant of Venice
Desmond Heeley, The Importance of Being Earnest
Mark Thompson, La Bête
Catherine Zuber, Born Yesterday
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Martin Pakledinaz, Anything Goes
Ann Roth, The Book of Mormon
Catherine Zuber, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable, War Horse
David Lander, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Kenneth Posner, The Merchant of Venice
Mimi Jordan Sherin, Jerusalem
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington, The Scottsboro Boys
Howell Binkley, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Peter Kaczorowski, Anything Goes
Brian MacDevitt, The Book of Mormon
Best Sound Design of a Play
Acme Sound Partners & Cricket S. Myers, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Simon Baker, Brief Encounter
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Jerusalem
Christopher Shutt, War Horse
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, The Scottsboro Boys
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Catch Me If You Can
Brian Ronan, Anything Goes
Brian Ronan, The Book of Mormon
Best Direction of a Play
Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse
Joel Grey & George C. Wolfe, The Normal Heart
Anna D. Shapiro, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Daniel Sullivan, The Merchant of Venice
Best Direction of a Musical
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys
Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys
Best Orchestrations
Doug Besterman, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Larry Hochman, The Scottsboro Boys
Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus, The Book of Mormon
Marc Shaiman & Larry Blank, Catch Me If You Can
* * *
Recipients of Awards & Honors in Non-competitive Categories
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Athol Fugard
Philip J. Smith
Regional Theatre Tony Award
Lookingglass Theatre Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Isabelle Stevenson Award
Eve Ensler
Special Tony Award
Handspring Puppet Company
Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
William Berloni
The Drama Book Shop
Sharon Jensen and Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts
Trump: On being anti-gay and long putters
Donald Trump likes to say he “likes” gays and lesbians but just doesn’t believe in our having equal rights.
He recently made a statement to the NY Times declaring himself a “traditionalist,” but comparing same-sex marriage to long golf putters:
TRUMP: “It’s like in golf. A lot of people — I don’t want this to sound trivial — but a lot of people are switching to these really long putters, very unattractive. It’s weird. You see these great players with these really long putters, because they can’t sink three-footers anymore. And, I hate it. I am a traditionalist. I have so many fabulous friends who happen to be gay, but I am a traditionalist.”
So somewhere in there, he doesn’t want gays to have marriage equality because we have long “putters?” Kind of Freudian something-or-other in that.
I’m also not so convinced he has “so many fabulous friends” who ‘happen’ to be gay. And if he ever did, I’d love to know how many he still has after his “traditionalist” view of “long putters.”
Let me know if you understand this. Then tell me.
Thanks.
Marriage equality rally in Rhode Island
Marriage Equality Rhode Island is organizing an anti-civil unions rally at the state house. While some activists believe the votes are there for full marriage equality, other pro-gay legislators don’t agree.
I’m not sure. Obviously I’m not in the thick of the debate there.
Some days I’m of a mind it’s better to get something than nothing, and fight again another day; other days I’m firmly in the camp that believes “separate but equal is never equal” so why bother?
I just wish everyone had equal rights.
Responses and thoughts on a historic event
“It’s been a dampening mood in America quite frankly. We needed a win – and we got a win tonight.” – from the instantaneous celebration in front of the White House
Obama in his remarks last night: “Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children. We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies. We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda’s terror: Justice has been done.”
Obama’s political opponents react with congratulations:
Mitt Romney – “This is a great victory for lovers of freedom and justice everywhere. Congratulations to our intelligence community, our military and the president.”
Tim Palwenty – “This is terrific news for freedom and justice. I want to congratulate America’s armed forces and President Obama for a job well done.”
Former President Bush – “I congratulated him (Obama) and the men and women of our military and intelligence communities who devoted their lives to this mission. They have our everlasting gratitude.”
Last night was thrilling to watch the news being announced. While it doesn’t bring back any of our dead from 9/11, there is at the very least a small sense of closure.
Sad to say, there are some who have taken to saying that Obama “didn’t do anything” or “was in the right place at the right time.” Sad. Simply sad.
We are all Americans and when simple minded people make statements like that at a time of massive international news, it belittles us all. He is our President. He is the Commander in Chief. He oversaw hours and hours of intelligence and counter-terrorism meetings, and ultimately he made the call to send the mission. IF it had gone wrong, trust and believe he would have been blamed.
However, to the contrary, the mission he gave the “go-ahead” to succeeded. Beyond wildest dreams. Not only was the “most wanted terrorist in the world” captured and killed, but tons of intelligence, hard drives and computers were retrieved for future use in the war on terrorism.
Bin Laden’s death sends an indirect but clear rebuttal to all those who questioned Obama’s toughness on foreign policy and bats down the criticism from the right that Obama’s rhetoric is too soft. Obama supporters will say it proves it’s not tough talk that matters – but rather action.
While Trump was making headlines asking for birth certificates and school records, President Obama was getting the job done. It makes all that silly “birther” business seem very small now, doesn’t it?
The past few years have been difficult. Nothing has united Democrats, Republicans, and independents — until now. As President Obama said last night, “Let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.” As I read on MSNBC’s website, “there was never going to be a V-E Day after 9/11, but this is as close as the country will get to one.”
It is my hope, as the stock markets rise and the price of oil dips on this news today, that we again find that sense of unity and now move forward as a nation.
Markets Up, Oil Down
U.S. stocks are expected to rally Monday morning in response to the news of Osama bin Laden’s death, with markets in Japan and South Korea already jolting upward overnight.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up between 0.5 and 1 percent since President Barack Obama announced the news in a late night speech. Nasdaq and S&P 500 index futures are also up, buoyed by the news.
Values of the dollar and euro have been up by less than one percent throughout much of the day, while crude oil prices for June delivery have fallen in the range of about $2 per barrel.
In Japan, the Nikkei Stock Average rose 1.6 percent to 10,004.20, edging it over 10,000 for the first time in six weeks. South Korea’s Kospi was up 1.7 percent on the day. Markets throughout much the rest of Asia were closed for holidays, and Japan’s market will be closed until Friday.
(via Politico)
Picture of the Day – Firefighters in Time Square
NY Firefighters arrive in Times Square to amazing cheers! Celebrate!
True Heroes! Thank you NYFD! New York’s Bravest!
Obama to address the country
Several news sources including CBS News indicate that Obama will announce that Osama Bin Laden is dead, and the USA has his body.
Obama gives due credit – in his address to the nation – to our troops, counter-terrorism teams and intelligence teams.
Notice how accurate Faux News gets it…. Check the “Breaking News”:
“Usama Bin Landen Dead Fox News Confrims”
Obama teases Trump at annual Correspondents Dinner
This is HYSTERICAL!
At the Annual Correspondent’s Dinner (where it’s a tradition that the President make some jokes at other’s expense) Obama made some funny points about not only Michelle Bachmann and Mitt Romney but Donald Trump who was in attendance as a guest of the Washington Post.
It seems Trump doesn’t seem to have much of a sense of humor.
Funny, funny stuff…
Obama FTW!