Olivia Newton-John with daughter Chloe Lattanzi (photo: Michelle Day)
Podcast: Olivia Newton-John & Chloe Lattanzi Chat On New Single “Window In The Wall”
Olivia Newton-John Sings “Valentine” With Jim Brickman
Olivia Newton-John sings Jim Brickman’s hit song “Valentine”
New Music: Matt Thompson, Starbird And The Phoenix, Pale Waves, Joshua Sade James
Starbird and the Phoenix
Matt Thompson (photo: Leans Vision)
Pale Waves
Joshua Sade James (photo: One2One Photography Media)
Michael Henry Wonders On His ‘Oneness’ This Valentine’s Day
Michael Henry wonders on his ‘oneness’ this Valentine’s DayWith Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we know many folks may be making plans with their special ‘someone,’ but for others it can be an annual reminder that a ‘love connection’ hasn’t happened just yet.
Funnyman Michael Henry was all set to shoot a hilarious “Quarantine Cruising” video skit with his buddy Terry (played by drag queen Meatball) but Henry is in a pensive mood
“I just want to know why I’m nobody’s Valentine?” wonders Henry aloud with a quivering lip.
With perhaps slightly less tenderness than Henry was expecting, Terry responds, “Oh my god, it’s just a silly holiday, you stupid b*tch!”
Henry goes on to share that he’s never actually had a Valentine: “Never had a boyfriend, never been in love.”
It seems our hero has friends who fall in love “so easily,” so he’s been pondering, “What’s wrong with me???”
Meatball brings some dating realness to the conversationHenry reveals that his oneness isn’t for lack of trying: “I’ve dated, I’ve played games, I’ve had games played on me…I like guys so much that I’m crushed and heartsick when they don’t like me back.”
Cue Terry with some more stone cold advice deduced from his own romantic history (which apparently includes a boyfriend stealing his passport, but, another story…) which ultimately concludes with, “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
While it seems sad, Terry does manage to slip in some of those ‘quarantine cruising’ jokes in including a truer-than-true Florida joke and something about an unfortunate glory hole mishap.
As usual, Henry delivers a spot-on snapshot of what many in LGBTQ culture might feel around this time of year without being preachy or heavy-handed.
If it’s any comfort, though, I can admit I went through all of Henry’s dating woes well into my 30s before the universe sent me hot hubby Michael. I always consider those misfires lessons in learning to appreciate hubbs when he finally arrived.
Hit play for a well-deserved mid-day brain break. Happy Friday!
Podcast: Country Star TJ Osborne Comes Out, Pete Buttigieg & More
In this episode of The Randy Report podcast: • Country music star TJ Osborne comes out as gay • Pete Buttigieg becomes first openly gay White House Cabinet member approved by the Senate • President Biden issues memorandum promoting/protecting LGBTQ rights abroad • Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says passing The Equality Act is a “priority” • A white Florida man shoots and kills his Black lover but only gets one year in prison • Out singer/songwriter John Duff drops his latest pop bop, “Do It” All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report You can subscribe/listen to The Randy Report on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud and wherever you find your favorite podcasts. If you enjoy catching up on LGBTQ news in a quick podcast, please consider sharing with your friends or on social media 🙂
LGBTQ Critics Announce Nominations For Best Films Of 2020
L-R Stanley Tucci, Colin Firth in Supernova (image via The Bureau)
GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, comprised of 250+ active professional journalists covering film and television, has announced the nominations for its 2021 Dorian Film Awards.
Due to the pandemic’s affect on the industry, GALECA extended the consideration period for full-length theatrical releases and digital theatrical releases to January 1, 2020 through February 28, 2021.
The highly-acclaimed Minari leads the list of nominations with six nods including Best Film and Best Foreign-Language Film.
YAY! Dorian Film Awards: ‘Minari’ Tops Nominations From LGBTQ Entertainment Critics https://t.co/AwMqZspslS via @thr
— GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (@DorianAwards) February 11, 2021
Nomadland scored five nominations including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay (Chloé Zhao), Best Actress (Frances McDormand), and Most Visually Striking Film.
Rounding out the Best Film category are Promising Young Woman (4 nominations), First Cow (3 nominations), and Sound of Metal (3 nominations).
Emerald Fennell, another double-nominee, garnered nods for both writing and directing Promising Young Woman.
In the Best LGBTQ Film category, the queer critics nominated the romantic period film Ammonite, Spanish-language love story I Carry You with Me, the intimate Stanley Tucci-Colin Firth helmed Supernova, writer-director Alan Ball’s comedy Uncle Frank, the all-star screen adaptation of The Boys in the Band, and the acclaimed bio-pic Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
A scene from Ammonite (courtesy of See Saw Films)The folks at GALECA also like to have fun with their awards, so other featured categories include Campiest Flick and the “We’re Wilde About You!” Rising Star Award.
Additionally, the Wilde Artist Award honors “groundbreaking” artists in the world of entertainment. This year’s nominees include the late Chadwick Boseman, Chloé Zhao, Regina King, Elliot Page, and international superstar Dolly Parton.
Last September, queer streaming platform Revry presented the star-studded Dorians TV Toast of 2020 which featured appearances by Hollywood heavy-hitters including Hugh Jackman, Regina King, Janelle Monáe, Billy Porter, Dan Levy, Laverne Cox, Shangela, Thomas Roberts, Bruce Vilanch, Stephanie Miller, Dave Koz, Rafael Casal and more.
The winners will be announced on April 18 in a special event, the Dorians Film Toast 2021, set to air on queer streaming platform Revry.
Launched in 2009, the nonprofit GALECA celebrates both mainstream and LGBTQ-centered content.
View the complete list of nominations below. (Disclaimer: I am a voting member of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics)
BEST FILM First Cow Minari Nomadland Promising Young Woman Sound of Metal
BEST LGBTQ FILM Ammonite The Boys in the Band I Carry You With Me Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Supernova Uncle Frank
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM Another Round Bacurau I Carry You With Me La Llorona Minari Two of Us
BEST DIRECTOR Chloé Zhao, Nomadland Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman Kelly Reichardt, First Cow Lee Isaac Chung, Minari Regina King, One Night in Miami
BEST SCREENPLAY (original or adapted) Chloé Zhao, Nomadland Eliza Hittman, Never Rarely Sometimes Always Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman Lee Isaac Chung, Minari Radha Blank, The Forty-Year Version
BEST UNSUNG FILM Driveways First Cow The Forty-Year-Old Version Miss Juneteenth Never Rarely Sometimes Always Shirley The Assistant
BEST DOCUMENTARY Collective Crip Camp Dick Johnson Is Dead Disclosure Time Welcome To Chechnya
BEST LGBTQ DOCUMENTARY A Secret Love Born To Be Disclosure: Trans Lives On Screen Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado Welcome To Chechnya
BEST FILM PERFORMANCE — ACTRESS Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman Frances McDormand, Nomadland Nicole Beharie, Miss Juneteenth Sidney Flanigan, Never Rarely Sometimes Always Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
BEST FILM PERFORMANCE — ACTOR Anthony Hopkins, The Father Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal Steven Yeun, Minari
BEST FILM PERFORMANCE — SUPPORTING ACTRESS Amanda Seyfried, Mank Candice Bergen, Let Them All Talk Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Movie Film Olivia Colman, The Father Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari
BEST FILM PERFORMANCE — SUPPORTING ACTOR Chadwick Boseman, Da 5 Bloods Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah Leslie Odom Jr., One Night In Miami Paul Raci, Sound of Metal Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
MOST VISUALLY STRIKING FILM Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn Mank Nomadland Soul Wolfwalkers
CAMPIEST FLICK Bad Hair Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga The Prom Wonder Woman 1984
“We’re Wilde About You!” Rising Star Award Alan S. Kim Kingsley Ben-Adir Maria Bakalova Radha Blank Sidney Flanigan
Wilde Artist Award (to a truly groundbreaking force in entertainment) Chadwick Boseman Chloé Zhao Dolly Parton Elliot Page Regina King
Bad Boy Series: A Wild & Wacky House Warming Party – Bring Your Own Towel
L-R Artie O’Daly, Drew Canan (screen captures)In the latest episode of Artie O’Daly’s Bad Boy web series, the wild and wacky cast of characters continue to spin out while O’Daly’s “Scott” tries to keep his footing in the middle of the insanity.
Whitney (Theresa Ryan) is hosting a house warming party in her ‘new home’ (really Scott’s house, but she keeps ignoring that fact) and everyone is waiting for ‘Bad Boy’ Jim (Drew Canan) to arrive.
He’s apparently been waylaid by a longer than usual shower in the guest house with a buddy. You know how these things go…
Suddenly, FBI agent Calista (Alina Bock) shows up disguised as Whitney’s sister/Jim’s mom but no one seems to see through the disguise except for Scott.
Whitney: “I see your teeth grew back.” Calista: “Let’s not talk about the past. Let’s focus on the present.” Whitney: “How dare you tell me to focus when you know I suffer from rolling blackouts!” (as she takes a big swig from a bottle of wine)
Meanwhile, ‘Bad Boy’ BJ (Braden Davis) has decided to get decked out in a leather harness and snap some selfies: “I’m gonna go take thirst traps on the couch…”
Braden Davis as BJ (screen capture)Finally, hottie Jim shows up (in a towel thank god) and Calista’s charade looks like it might come crashing down.
But what we really want to know is: Does Daddy Scott finally hook up with Jim?
Kudos to O’Daly & company for keeping the off-kilter banter continually bouncing from character to character in fast-paced farcical fashion.
With this 15th installment, the Bad Boy series is clearly developing a loyal fanbase on YouTube. Check out my previous coverage of the web series here.
The Daily Show: ‘Best Of’ Trump Bootlicking By Lou Dobbs
The Daily Show has put together this video montage remembering the highest heights of Lou Dobbs’s Trump bootlicking during the Donald’s time in office. Lou Dobbs was fired last week after Fox News was hit with a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit by voting software Smartmatic. The lawsuit named the network, Dobbs, and his Fox colleagues Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro. Dobbs’s show was cancelled the next day. Dobbs wets himself throughout the video praising Trump as a “true leader,” the country’s “greatest” president, and a man who “has set a standard for presidents that most mortals won’t be able to beat.” Perhaps the biggest whopper of all: “You’re also the most loved and respected in history.” Folks – this is how we got to the January 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol building. Fawning over-praise like this for a man who couldn’t even bother to read intelligence reports.
News Round-Up: February 8, 2021
Russell Tovey (image via Instagram)
• Jerusalem Post: An Iranian cleric warned followers not to go near people vaccinated for COVID-19, claiming the vaccine turned them gay. Ayatollah Abbas Tabrizian wrote on his Telegram social-media platform: “Don’t go near those who have had the COVID vaccine. They have become homosexuals.” • Reuters: Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of lye to the water supply. “The guy was sitting there monitoring the computer as he’s supposed to and all of a sudden he sees a window pop up that the computer has been accessed,” Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said. “The next thing you know someone is dragging the mouse and clicking around and opening programs and manipulating the system.” • CNN: Senate leaders reached an agreement Monday giving House impeachment managers and Donald Trump’s lawyers up to 16 hours each to present their cases and creating the option for a debate and vote to call witnesses — if the House impeachment managers seek it.
New: McConnell and Schumer close to a deal on trial rules. Some of the details below, per person familiar pic.twitter.com/FbnwKQgltz
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 8, 2021
Olivia Newton-John On GREASE Criticism: ‘We Need To Relax A Bit, Enjoy Things For What They Are’
International pop star Olivia Newton-John (photo: Michelle Day)With the coronavirus pandemic impacting lives around the world and social issues like LGBTQ rights and the Black Lives Matter movement, do we really need to ‘cancel’ a 42-year-old movie musical?
The mega-successful 1978 movie musical Grease was aired over the holidays on one of the BBC channels in the U.K. and some folks took to social media to decry the film as homophobic, racist, sexist, and even ‘rapey.’
In a recent interview, international pop-star Olivia Newton-John, who played ‘Sandy’ in the film, was asked about the kerfuffle.
“I think in this particular instance, it’s kind of silly because the movie was made in the ’70s about the ’50s,” the Aussie shared with the podcast ‘A Life of Greatness.’ ”It’s fun. It’s a fun movie musical and not to be taken so seriously.”
“I think everyone is taking everything so seriously,” added the 4-time Grammy Award winner. “We need to relax a little bit and just enjoy things for what they are.”
Newton-John has previously addressed criticism that the finale of the movie is sexist when ‘Sandy’ becomes a ‘bad girl’ to get her man played by John Travolta.
“Everyone forgets that, at the end, he changes for her, too,” notes the 72-year-old.
Olivia Newton-John with daughter Chloe Lattanzi (photo: Michelle Day)For her part, Newton-John prefers to take a more positive view of life.
In 2018, the “Physical” singer shared with the world she was battling stage four breast cancer for the third time.
But today Newton-John says she’s feeling strong thanks to treatments ranging from western medicine to ‘kinder, gentler’ plant-based medicine.
“I think every day is a blessing,” she told The Guardian in an interview. “You never know when your time is over. We all have a finite amount of time on this planet, and we just need to be grateful for that.”
That said, Newton-John isn’t ready to spend her time sitting still.
She recently released a new pop single, “Window in the Wall,” with her daughter Chloe Lattanzi that looks to connect folks, not cancel them.
The music video for the single quickly hit #1 on the iTunes Music Video chart and stayed at the top spot for over a week. Newton-John says the new track will be part of a soon-to-be released collection of duets.