Author: Randy Slovacek

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A Photo Between Father & Son Struck Some As ‘Awkward?’

Hunter Biden with his dad, Joe Biden
Part of what’s wrong with some folks today…I just see a father who loves his son. My dad had no problem telling me he loved me. But apparently, some on Twitter think this is ‘awkward.’ The photo was from an interview feature for Popular Mechanics in 2016 between former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter after the death of the vice president’s other son, Beau, to cancer. Tom Nichols at USA Today gets it right:

It is, in its way, an awkward image. The son looking into the camera, his face calm but haunted. The father’s face is partly hidden, as he embraces his son and puts a kiss on his cheek.

The son is young and strong, and his arms are sturdy as they gently rest around his father. But the father, while old, is even stronger. One arm is in front of his child, the other around the son’s shoulder, as if to hold on to him and to protect him at the same time.

It is a picture of Joe and Hunter Biden, but it would be moving enough were it of any father and son. Even strangers to these men would know what it means. All of us, after all, were once children. (The picture is really a portrait of the son, not the father.)

In this case, to know the circumstances in which it was taken is to know that it is a picture full of pain, love, forgiveness and acceptance, and to look at it for even more than a moment is to experience at least some of those emotions, especially in the memory of our own parents or children.

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‘The Prom’ Serves Up Big Stars & Sweet Same-Sex Romance

Meryl Streep and James Corden in The Prom (image via Netflix)
Netflix has dropped the Glee-tastic first trailer for the upcoming movie musical, The Prom, starring Academy Award winners Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman as well as Tony Award winner James Corden and Andrew Rannells. The film follows Dee Dee Allen (Streep) and Barry Glickman (Corden) as New York stage actors whose latest big Broadway musical flops and the actors scramble to revive their careers. At the same time, high school student Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman), in small-town Indiana, has been banned from bringing her girlfriend, Alyssa (Ariana DeBose) to prom even though she has the backing of her principal.
The cast of The Prom (image via Netflix)
When Dee Dee and Barry decide that Emma’s predicament is the perfect cause to help resurrect their public images, they hit the road with Angie (Kidman) and Trent (Rannells), another pair of cynical actors looking for a professional lift. But the quartet finds, as often happens on the silver screen, that self-absorbed celebrity activism can backfire, leaving the four thespians in chaos even as they struggle on to give Emma a night where she can truly celebrate who she is. The film’s sweet, teenage love story is balanced by big, splashy production numbers. And let’s face it – does anyone do over-the-top egocentric character roles better than La Streep?
Meryl Streep (center) in The Prom (image via Netflix)
The stage production of the musical opened in November 2018 to rave reviews winning the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical.  When the Broadway cast appeared on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade that year, the performance featured the first-ever same-sex kiss in the history of the annual event. And the show went out with a bang with two same-sex members of the production exchanging vows onstage right before closing night. The cast also includes Kerry Washington, Keegan-Michael Key, Tracey Ulmann, and Nico Greetham. Hollywood wonder-boy Ryan Murphy directs the musical created by Chad Beguelin, Bob Martin, and Matthew Sklar. The Prom arrives on Netflix and in theatres on December 11. Watch the trailer below.

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News Round-Up: October 22, 2020

Me, Olivia Newton-John, Michael and Lindsay Wagner (2012)
Some news items you might have missed: • Throwback Thursday: I was reminded of this moment in 2012 (above) when Olivia Newton-John played a concert in Palm Springs and the one and only Lindsay Wagner showed up! Michael and I squealed like the Bionic Woman fans we are 🙂 • NBC News: Seventy percent of Americans support same-sex marriage, according to the 11th annual American Values Survey, the highest percentage recorded by a major national poll. The results, released Monday, found just 28 percent of respondents oppose the right of gay couples to wed. • Edge Media: TikTok announced in a statement that the social media platform will ban anti-LGBTQ content, including that which promotes conversion therapy. Users appear to trust TikTok, as it has become a space for survivors — and younger LGBTQ people who fear being subjected to conversion therapy — to find and connect with one another. • Kenneth in the 212: I’m a day late, but Kenneth’s ‘Wrestle Wednesday’ entry this week is definitely worth clicking over to 🙂 • VICE News: Almost 21,000 Election Day polling places have been eliminated heading into the 2020 U.S. election, a drastic dip in voting locations driven by a heavy shift to mail voting, coronavirus-related consolidations, cost-cutting measures, and voter suppression. • Coronavirus: Spain became the first Western European country to exceed 1 million COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, doubling its tally in just six weeks despite a series of increasingly stringent measures to control the second wave of the virus. • Fox News: Donald Trump holds a narrow advantage in Ohio, while voters in the three battleground states that put him over the top in 2016 prefer Joe Biden, according to Fox News polls of likely voters. Biden leads by 12 points in Michigan (52-40 percent), 5 points in Pennsylvania (50-45 percent), and 5 points in Wisconsin (49-44 percent). Trump carried each of these states by less than a percentage point in 2016.

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Donald Trump Releases Whiny, Defensive 60 Minutes Interview

Donald Trump

Donald Trump on 60 Minutes (screen capture)
Donald Trump followed through on his threat to release the “full video” of his interview with CBS News journalist Leslie Stahl prior to airing on “60 Minutes” on Sunday night. From the Washington Post:

Trump was interviewed by Stahl at the White House on Tuesday but abruptly ended the interview after declining to participate in a scheduled walk-and-talk that would have included Pence.

Later that day, the president said on Twitter that he was “considering” posting the White House’s copy of the video, “so that everybody can get a glimpse of what a FAKE and BIASED interview is all about.”

Then, on Thursday morning, after he again teased a release of the video (“the vicious attempted ‘takeout” interview of me”), a 37-minute-clip of the interview appeared on the president’s Facebook page.

As with numerous business agreements in his past, Trump violates the agreement with CBS News in releasing the video. The White House had previously claimed their camera was “for archival purposes only,” according to a network official with knowledge of the interview.

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‘Happy Days’ Stars Reunite For Democrats And Scott Baio’s Not Happy

The cast of ‘Happy Days’
Deadline reports much of the cast of the 1970s ABC sitcom Happy Days will come together for a cast reunion that will benefit the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Fans of the show will recall the series was set in Milwaukee in the 1950s. Scheduled to take part are stars Henry Winkler, Ron Howard, Don Most, Anson Williams, Marion Ross and more on Sunday, October 25. It’s only going to be live-streamed once at 6pm CT on Sunday, October 25th. Fans and interested viewers must donate at least $1 to access the virtual fundraiser. Click here for more info. “We’re thrilled a show made famous in Milwaukee is coming back home to help make Donald Trump a one-term President,” said Ben Wikler, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “We know all roads to the White House go through the Badger State, and with the cast of Happy Days helping us raise money to take back the White House, we believe even more we can deliver a victory on November 3rd.”
Scott Baio on Fox Business (screen capture)
That said, Scott Baio, a proud Trump supporter who played ‘Chachi’ on the show, is not thrilled and not taking part. More about bitter Baio from Yahoo News:

Baio told anchor Maria Bartiromo a show like Happy Days with “traditional American values” shouldn’t be used to promote people like Biden and Kamala Harris. He also took aim at John Stamos, who offered to play Baio’s character “Chachi,” labeling the actor an “elite Marxist.”

“I think Stamos always wanted to be Chachi instead of paying second fiddle to a three-year-old,” Baio said, referencing Stamos’s hit show Full House which starred child actors Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

“I have been, you know, [whacked from pillar to post] for the past four years and by people who were supposed to be all-inclusive and understanding and loving,” Baio said. “And they’re all basically… they’re fascists and you’re not allowed to think outside of what they think, and I find it disgusting.”

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Betty Buckley To Trump: Stop Using My Music ‘Your Presidency Is The Very Antithesis Of Art’

Tony Award winner and proud Texas Democrat Betty Buckley (photo: John Boal)
Do not mess with Broadway legend Betty Buckley. She. Will. Call. You. Out. Buckley, a proud Texas Democrat, became aware that the Trump campaign has been playing the recording of her Tony Award-winning performance of “Memory” from CATS at the Donald’s rallies. Months ago, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Trump campaign asking that his music not be played at the events, but was clearly ignored. And so, the mighty Ms. Buckley has now fired off an open letter to the Trump/Pence campaign demanding they cease and desist using her music. “We must insist that you stop this misappropriation of music and performance that has nothing to do with the representation of your regime. Your presidency, completely devoid of empathy or humanity, is the very antithesis of art.” She goes on to note his “disastrous mishandling of the pandemic” which is responsible for closing down Broadway and theaters across the country as well as his “super spreader events” which are “undoubtedly exacerbating the problem.” Buckley also underscores the many artists who, like her, have asked that their music not be associated with Trump’s “deplorable mendacity and ill behavior.” Among those musicians are Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Phil Collins and many more. The star closes her epic takedown writing, “The good news is that we, the voters, have the ultimate say. We will reject you at the polls, and by January the utter hell of your presidency, your criminal enablers and regime will be nothing more than a (wait for it) memory.” Buckley recently produced a new music video in which she sings a beautiful medley of “For the Beauty of the Earth / Jesus Loves the Little Children” with the School of Arts & Enterprise Virtual Choir in a gorgeous arrangement by longtime collaborator Christian Jacob. The video was created to promote social justice, turn out voters in her home state, and encourage donations for the American Civil Liberties Union, Save The Children, Black Lives Matter, and Voto Latino. In a statement, Buckley shared:

“I grew up as a military brat on Air Force bases around the World.  My Father Ernest Buckley was a Major turned Lt. Colonel in the United States Air  Force. Kids of every race and color were my classmates and our neighbors.

“When I  was in the fifth grade my father retired from the military, and we settled in Fort Worth,  Texas. Every Sunday morning we went to the Methodist Church. I sang in the Youth Choir on Sunday evenings. ‘For The Beauty Of The Earth’ is one of my favorite, most beloved hymns. I learned ‘Jesus Loves The Little Children’ when I was very young at  Vacation Bible School.

“It is my hope that via the remembrance of the simple truths contained in the beautiful music and lyrics of these two traditional hymns some persons will feel a call to a soul remembrance of Truth. And it is my hope that the gorgeous faces and voices of the Children of the School of Arts and Enterprise will touch hearts and minds to remember our connected humanity.

“These children, their teachers and families did these recordings from their homes. Over 200 people have participated in creating this project. If this music and the images in this video touch one person, ten or one hundred, it will have been worth it.”

Watch and listen to Buckley’s hymns for humanity below. #Bravo

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Campaign Spot: Let’s Agree We All Love This Country And ‘Go From There’

A new campaign ad for Joe Biden premiered on Tuesday during the first game of the Major League Baseball World Series featuring a voiceover from iconic film actor, Sam Elliott. Titled “Go From There,” the voiceover plays out over a simple piano accompaniment of the “Star-Spangled Banner.” The message of the spot: “There is only one America.” “No Democratic rivers, no Republican mountains, just this great land and all that’s possible on it with a fresh start. Cures we can find, futures we can shape, work to reward, dignity to protect.” “There’s so much we can do if we choose to take on problems and not each other.” “Joe Biden doesn’t need everyone in this country to always agree, just to agree we all love this country — and go from there.”

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Pope Francis Calls For Civil Union Laws For Same-Sex Couples

Pope Francis (image via public domain)

Pope Francis (image via public domain)
In a new documentary that premiered in Rome on Wednesday, Pope Francis signaled a break from the Catholic Church’s official teaching calling for civil union laws for same-sex couples. And this from the Catholic News Agency:

“Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it,” Pope Francis said in the film, of his approach to pastoral care.

After those remarks, and in comments likely to spark controversy among Catholics, Pope Francis weighed in directly on the issue of civil unions for same-sex couples. “What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered,” the pope said. “I stood up for that.”

Francis has expressed an interest in reaching out to the church’s LGBTQ followers in the past, but his comments have primarily been along the lines of general ‘welcoming’ and not substantive policies.

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News Round-Up: October 20, 2020

Matt Morton (screen capture)
Some news items you might have missed: • Edge Media: Thirst-trapping, self-described ‘typical alpha male footballer’ Matt Morton (above) comes out at 30-years-old. • NBC News: The Texas Board of Social Work Examiners voted unanimously to remove anti-LGBTQ discrimination protections from a section of its code of conduct last week following a recommendation from Gov. Greg Abbott. Abbott’s office said the change was suggested because the board’s nondiscrimination clause went beyond the state’s policy on social work. • Boy Culture: Donald Trump and Mike Pence were set to be interviewed by 60 Minutes, with Trump and Pence appearing together for a walk-around at the White House. But Trump apparently bailed 45 minutes into his interview with Lesley Stahl, then took to Twitter to shame her for not wearing a mask. Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris are also set to appear in the episode, and their segments apparently went off without problems.

• US Elections Project: Of the states that provide party-registration information (which includes battleground states Florida, Nevada and Pennsylvania), about 53% of early votes have been cast by registered Democrats compared with 25% by registered Republicans. • Politico: The Fox News crowd may be salivating over the recent stories about Hunter Biden, son of former Vice President Joe Biden, but over 50 former senior Intelligence officials say the reports have “all the classic earmarks of Russian disinformation.” • CNN: A poll worker in Shelby County, Tennessee, was fired last week for asking voters to turn their Black Lives Matter t-shirts inside out before letting them vote, violating his training as a nonpartisan election worker. The state bans voters and poll workers from wearing clothing that endorses a political candidate, but Black Lives Matter is neither a candidate nor a political party. • Law and Crime: Miami police officer Daniel Ubeda was photographed Tuesday morning at a Florida polling location wearing a “Trump 2020: No More Bullshit” face mask, a move the department said is an “unacceptable” and a violation of MPD policy. Florida election law Chapter 102.101 states that “No sheriff, deputy sheriff, police officer, or other officer of the law shall be allowed within the polling place without permission from the clerk or a majority of the inspectors, except to cast his or her ballot.”

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Breonna Taylor Grand Jury Member: We Weren’t Given Opportunity To Consider Homicide Charges

Deceased ER tech Breonna Taylor (AFP/Getty Images/Fair Use)
A ruling from a Kentucky judge has allowed an anonymous grand juror in the Breonna Taylor case to come forward and speak publicly about court proceedings. The juror shares the grand jury was never given an option to even consider homicide charges regarding the police officers who shot Taylor bed in the middle of the night. From ABC News:

“Being one of the jurors on the Breonna Taylor case was a learning experience. The three weeks of service leading up to that presentation showed how the grand jury normally operates. The Breonna Taylor case was quite different.

“After hearing the Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s press conference, and with my duty as a grand juror being over, my duty as a citizen compelled action,” the statement said. “The grand jury did not have homicide offenses explained to them. The grand jury never heard anything about those laws. Self defense or justification was never explained either.”

They said “questions were asked about additional charges,” but the grand jury was told there would be none because the prosecutors didn’t feel they could make them stick.

“The grand jury was not given the opportunity to deliberate on those charges and deliberated only on what was presented to them. I cannot speak for other jurors but I can help the truth be told.”