Tony Award winner Gavin Creel turns ‘Something Wonderful’ into pulsing pop goodness Everything old is new again as hottie actor/singer Gavin Creel reinvents the classic “Something Wonderful” from The King & I into a fresh, modern pop song that celebrates gay love. The richly-layered arrangement, by Nadia DiGiallonardo, shifts the tune effortlessly from classic King & I mode to a contemporary Coldplay vibe. The track opens simply, but at the 2:00 mark begins a slow, churning build to pulsing pop goodness. Creel wisely trusts not only the material but his own considerable vocal prowess never overreaching to wild, sky-high screaming that some try to pass off as singing today. “This project excited me because it was really about honoring beautiful songwriting but also reimagining it to create a new way in which we might listen to and enjoy this brilliant material,” the openly gay singer told The Advocate.
Creel made his Broadway debut in 2002 as “Jimmy Smith” in the hit musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. That was followed by acclaimed performances in Hair, The Book of Mormon, She Loves Me, Waitress and finally his Tony-winning turn as “Cornelius Hackl” in the Bette Midler revival of Hello, Dolly! Later this month he heads to London to reprise his role as the hunky Dr. Pomatter in Waitress with pop star Sara Bareilles. This track is the latest from the R&H Goes Pop! series which puts contemporary twists on timeless classics from the Rodgers & Hammerstein catalogue. The series began with a rocking “Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin” by Jeremy Jordan (Supergirl, SMASH), and has since featured a same-sex take on “We Kiss In A Shadow” by Jelani Alladin (Frozen) and Matt Doyle (The Book of Mormon).
L-R Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellThe Washington Post reports Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will transmit the articles of impeachment against Donald Trump next week.
As recently as Thursday, Pelosi continued to insist that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) should release a resolution laying out rules of a trial before the articles were transmitted.
The crux of the Democrats’ case is the allegation that President Trump tried to leverage a White House meeting and military aid, sought by Ukraine to combat Russian military aggression, to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to launch an investigation of former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, as well as a probe of an unfounded theory that Kyiv conspired with Democrats to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.
Pelosi has delayed transmitting the articles for weeks in an effort to pressure Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to announce the rules for the impending trial. On Thursday, McConnell told senators they should keep their schedules flexible for the end of next week when they might take up impeachment. In related news, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine says she is working with a small group of fellow Republican senators towards the goal of ensuring witnesses will be called during the Senate trial.
Arizona state Sen. Sylvia Allen (screen capture) A homophobic Arizona lawmaker who proposed legislation outlawing the word “homosexuality” in her state’s schools is now reconsidering her bill. State Senator Sylvia Allen, a Republican from Snowflake (I kid you not), has been virulently homophobic for years opposing same-sex marriage and anti-discrimination laws that would protect queer people. Senate Bill 1082, which she authored, sought to remove the word “homosexuality” from all public school teaching materials reports NBC affiliate 12News in Phoenix. Plus, it would prohibit any student under age 12 from any sex education. Some political observers felt the bill was Allen’s response to Arizona repealing its “No Promo Homo” law in April 2019. That law banned any instruction in schools regarding HIV/AIDS that “promotes a homosexual lifestyle” or “suggests that some methods of sex are safe methods of homosexual sex.” After Allen was publicly ridiculed for her bill, she announced in a statement the media was “misinterpreting the language” of her legislation. “Several news outlets have reported that my bill to provide parents more access and information on sexual education courses also prohibits the inclusion of homosexuality as part of any chosen curricula,” wrote Allen. “That was absolutely not my intention,” she added. “I regret that it has diverted attention from the main goal of the bill, which is to assist parents with more access and transparency, so that they could make informed decisions about the health and welfare of their children.” Saying she would remove the offending provision, she concluded the statement saying she hopes “to return the conversation on this bill back to my original intent – to provide meaningful opportunities for parents to engage and be contributory on this very important issue.” Arizona School Superintendent Kathy Hoffman said she was “appalled” by Allen’s bill. “It appears to undo the progress we have made as a state,” Hoffman said in an interview Thursday. “It could put the state at risk of another lawsuit.” Allen has a history of trying to promote wildly conservative legislation. In 2015, she told the press her state needed a law that would require all citizens of her state to attend church. During a speech in 2019, she warned white Republicans that if they don’t reproduce at a quicker rate “we’re going to look like South American countries very quickly.” In the video below, Allen attempts to explain her bill.
L-R Sen. Bernie Sanders, Mayor Pete Buttigieg The latest poll from Monmouth University shows Pete Buttigieg with a slight lead in the upcoming New Hampshire primary. Of the Democratic voters polled, 20% expressed support for Buttigieg, 19% for former Vice President Joe Biden, 18% for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and 15% for Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. The survey also showed 7% of Democratic voters remain undecided.
Monmouth poll: Buttigieg, Biden, Sanders and Warren in tight race for New Hampshire primaryhttps://t.co/W1x5IXEpmD
A Justice Department inquiry launched more than two years ago to mollify conservatives clamoring for more investigations of Hillary Clinton has effectively ended with no tangible results, and current and former law enforcement officials said they never expected the effort to produce much of anything.
John Huber, the U.S. attorney in Utah, was tapped in November 2017 by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to look into concerns raised by President Trump and his allies in Congress that the FBI had not fully pursued cases of possible corruption at the Clinton Foundation and during Clinton’s time as secretary of state, when the U.S. government decided not to block the sale of a company called Uranium One.
As a part of his review, Huber examined documents and conferred with federal law enforcement officials in Little Rock who were handling a meandering probe into the Clinton Foundation, people familiar with the matter said.
Current and former officials said that Huber has largely finished and found nothing worth pursuing — though the assignment has not formally ended and no official notice has been sent to the Justice Department or to lawmakers, these people said.
Trump stills says “Lock her up” at his current rallies, still pushing the lie.
Some news items you might have missed: • LGBTQ Nation: A priest was removed from ministry after he was caught taking ‘disturbing’ photos of high school wrestlers. A bystander saw the priest taking zoomed-in photos of the young men in their wrestling tights and contacted authorities. • The Advocate: Culture Club frontman Boy George, who was once a pioneer in unconventional gender expression, was called out for being transphobic after hateful comments regarding respecting people’s pronouns. • NY Daily News: A wacko customer at a Manhattan gay bar mailed a powder-filled envelope with a message reading “It’s called anthrax. Enjoy,” to an employee after he was threatened with a ban from the watering hole, prosecutors charged Monday. Unhinged patron Ameen Keshavjee has allegedly menaced the male employee at Nowhere Bar in the East Village since February. He now faces up to ten years in prison. • Allure Magazine: Emmy Award winner Billy Porter is the first-ever male to grace the cover of Allure Magazine as he stars in their Art of Beauty issue.
• LA Times: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who flirted with the idea of running for president but skipped the 2020 campaign, endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination on Thursday. • Arizona Capital Times: Arizona state Senator Sylvia Allen (R) has proposed legislation to remove the word “homosexuality” from all public school teaching materials and to prevent any student below the age of 12 from receiving sex education. • Daily Dog: This beautiful little mama gave birth today to six puppies. How precious is this video?
Loulou gave birth to 6 puppies today. 4 males and 2 females.She did so well and we are so proud of her.We want to thank you all for your sweet messages and it is so heartwarming that everyone was waiting with us for her puppies. You are all the best, we really appreciate this 😘 pic.twitter.com/jKniaJeeDJ
Deloitte’s quarterly survey of nearly 150 chief financial officers shows 97 percent believe that a downturn (recession or slowdown) has already begun or will occur by the end of 2020. At this time last year, 88 percent felt there would be a downturn by December 2020. Today, 43 percent believe consumer spending will be strong in 2020, while last year that number was 54 percent. Only 22 percent say they expect to see strong business spending this year compared with 32 percent who thought spending would be strong in 2020.
Donald Trump (image via public domain/White House) A new survey of 37,000 adults from 33 countries by Pew Research found 64 percent of respondents lack confidence in Donald Trump to do the right thing on the global stage. Only 29 percent said they had confidence in him. In nearly all nations where trends are available, Trump receives lower ratings than his predecessor, Barack Obama. That said, 54 percent reported having a favorable view of the United States as a whole. From Pew Research: “Across the 33 countries surveyed a median of 54% express a favorable opinion of the United States, while 38% have an unfavorable one. Favorable opinion of the U.S. declined dramatically when Trump took office and remains significantly lower than during the Obama era.” Trump’s strongest support came from the Philippines, India, Israel, Kenya, Nigeria and Poland indicating support at 77 percent, 56 percent, 71 percent, 65 percent, 58 percent and 51 percent, respectively. By contrast, only 8% of Mexicans said they were confident in Trump’s ability to handle world affairs.
% who have confidence in Trump to do the right thing regarding world affairs
Philippines 77% Israel 71% S Korea 46% Japan 36% Australia 35% UK 32% Italy 32% Canada 28% Brazil 28% Russia 20% France 20% Turkey 11% Mexico 8% (feels high)
All tea, no shade! Some of the most famous drag queens in the world are taking over the Las Vegas Strip when RuPaul’s Drag Race LIVE! hits the stage at Flamingo Las Vegas beginning Thursday, Jan. 30. From the creative team behind the Emmy Award-winning series RuPaul’s Drag Race, RuPaul’s Drag Race LIVE! will be the most sickening eleganza extravaganza in Las Vegas herstory. The revue is everything you love about the TV show and then some. Each live performance will be packed with outrageous comedy, eye-popping fashions, over-the-top singing and dancing, heartwarming moments, plus twists and turns that will leave the audience “gagging” for more. The atmosphere of the show is interactive and encourages audience members’ participation as if they were attending a live episode of the world-famous competition. Seven queens will be featured in each show from a rotating cast of Aquaria, Asia O’Hara, Coco Montrese, Derrick Barry, Eureka O’Hara, India Ferrah, Kahanna Montrese, Kameron Michaels, Kim Chi, Naomi Smalls, Shannel and Yvie Oddly. RuPaul’s Drag Race LIVE! will perform Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 9:30 p.m. Click here for ticket info.
Alexander Leon (image via Instagram/Gökhan Tanrıöver) Alexander Leon, an LGBTQ activist and writer at the queer group Kaleidoscope Trust, found a tweet of his go viral when he seemed to crystallize the process young queer people experience regarding identity into just two sentences. “Queer people don’t grow up as ourselves, we grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimise humiliation & prejudice,” wrote Leon. “The massive task of our adult lives is to unpick which parts of ourselves are truly us & which parts we’ve created to protect us.”
Queer people don’t grow up as ourselves, we grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimise humiliation & prejudice. The massive task of our adult lives is to unpick which parts of ourselves are truly us & which parts we’ve created to protect us.
His thread went on to wonder if “being confronted with the need for profound self-discovery” isn’t, in fact, a “gift in disguise. We come out the other end wiser & truer to ourselves.” “All of this is to say – be kind to yourself,” he added. “Discovering who you really are is an enormous task it doesn’t happen overnight, nor does it happen without some hiccups along the way. Be patient, be compassionate, be vulnerable and exist loudly. And most of all – be proud!”
All of this is to say – be kind to yourself. Discovering who you really are is an enormous task it doesn’t happen overnight, nor does it happen without some hiccups along the way. Be patient, be compassionate, be vulnerable and exist loudly. And most of all – be proud! 🏳️🌈
The initial post has been liked 194,000+ times and retweeted 53,000+ times. Folks in the Twitterverse found the message resonated with their own experiences as well. Here are just a few of the comments: “100% spot on. I feel like I’m living my teenage years trying to discover who I am and being comfortable and confident with myself.”“Omg. I’ve never seen someone articulate this so well.”“So completely true, but I’ve never seen or thought it like that in words before. Thank you – from someone who for various reasons has recently had to start from scratch.”“Beautifully put and painfully true.”“Hell, I grew up in a loving home with people who accepted me for being gay but I was playing the role so I can live up to what people think I should be. This tweet hit so close to home. Because you can have loving people in your life but still you play that role.”“Literally what I try to explain to people. You grow up and think you know who you are until you come out and have to go through finding yourself all over again after so many people are already past that point.”“This stopped me in my tracks, the words you used really hit home for me and a lot of people it seems. Gorgeous analysis of why a lot of gay men have identity issues throughout their lives.” Last year, the Trevor Project released its National Survey On LGBTQ Youth Mental Health which showed a majority of young LGBTQs are closeted at some point in their life. That study indicated less than half of LGBTQ youth were out to an adult at school, and 71 percent of young LGBTQs reported feeling sad or hopeless for at least two weeks in the past year. As his tweets went viral, Leon shared he was humbled and overwhelmed by the reaction to his words. He also took the opportunity of increased visibility to call attention to the Australian bushfires which are ravaging his country.
This has blown up unexpectedly and I’m very humbled ❤️ If this meant something to you & you are able I’d really appreciate any donations to help families affected by the Australian bushfires. I am Australian and seeing my country burn is heartbreaking.https://t.co/AWeUgit7Jl
