Do you like ‘power play’ in the bedroom, or it all about being romantical for you when getting physical? That’s the question funnyman Michael Henry explores in his latest YouTube video, ‘Are You Into Power Play?’ While properly socially distancing on the patio with Henry and Tim (Kornbread), Todd (Darren Bluestone) posits the question and each of the trio definitely has their own take on personal dynamics when doing the ‘wild thing.’ Turns out that Todd is a dom – a dom bottom. “So, you’re an aggressive bottom?” asks Tim. Todd’s reply: “You think I go to the gym and work out just for nothing?” Tim loves being a dom top, and being a sub bottom, and sub topping, and dom bottoming….and, well, you get the picture. Henry, however, is not into power dynamics in the bedroom. He wants to have “the real you” when getting busy, not some role play. “I don’t want to go to dinner and drinks with a florist and then jump into bed with the executioner,” Henry announces. It’s an interesting chat on the idea of whether we need just the ‘flesh’ or the whole ‘fantasy’ during encounters of the physical kind. Hit the play button below.
Helen Reddy (photo: Francesco Scavullo – public domain) I was so sad to hear the news that Australian pop star Helen Reddy passed away on Tuesday at the age of 78. The singer had battled dementia for years. As longtime readers of The Randy Report know, I’m a fan of those pop music voices that are so singular you can recognize them in an instant. Reddy was one of those artists. Her first success in the U.S. came after her future-husband, Jeff Wald, talking Capitol Records into recording a single with Reddy. The release (“I Believe in Music”) was a flop but led to an accidental B-side hit with “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar hitting #13 on the Billboard charts. Of course, Reddy’s biggest hit (and one of the few she co-wrote) was her iconic anthem, “I Am Woman,” from 1971. The hit song made her the first Australian-born singer to reach #1 on the Billboard charts and garnered the Aussie her only Grammy Award (Best Pop Vocal Performance – Female). In accepting the honor, she famously thanked God, saying: “Because She makes everything possible.” She followed that with a string of hits including “Delta Dawn,” “Angie Baby,” “Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)” and “Ain’t No Way to Treat a Lady” – which would earn a second Grammy nod for the artist in 1975. Hollywood embraced Reddy as well as she appeared in movies and TV shows including starring in Disney’s Pete’s Dragon (featuring Reddy singing the Oscar-nominated “Candle on the Water”) and handling semi-regular hosting duties on the 1970s variety series The Midnight Special. In 1973, she also had her own summer variety show, The Helen Reddy Show.
In the 1980s, she found artistic and financial success starring in stage musicals, most notably taking over the lead role of “Mrs. Johnstone” in Blood Brothers on Broadway. She also starred in productions of Anything Goes, Shirley Valentine and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Here’s what looks to be press footage from Blood Brothers featuring the star singing “Easy Terms” and the finale, “Tell Me It’s Not True.”
Thanks to those successes, she recorded an album of theater songs for Varese Sarabande Records in 1997 titled Center Stage. My husband, Michael, was the Vice President of Marketing and Publicity at the time and worked with Reddy in promoting the collection, including a cheeky photoshoot with several shirtless hunks (which Reddy LOVED). At the end of the shoot, she told Michael he had to be a part of the shoot and demanded he take off his shirt. And so, this happened. My hubby Michael Caprio with Helen Reddy and friends (photo: Kevin Merrill) I loved the album which featured such wide-ranging songs as “The Writing on the Wall” (Drood), “The Party’s Over” (Bells Are Ringing), “Blow Gabriel Blow” (Anything Goes) and this terrific take on “Knowing When To Leave” from the 1960s hit, Promises, Promises.
Reddy was a singular talent who rightfully deserves her place in music history. Rest in peace, Helen Reddy.
Charlie Carver in ‘The Boys in the Band’ (image via Instagram)Charlie Carver, one of the actors starring in the new Netflix screen adaptation of The Boys in the Band, shares in an interview with Variety that he decided to publicly come out five years ago after being on the receiving end of a literal slap to the face for not appearing masculine in public. According to Carver, he was attending an Emmy Awards party in 2015 when a gay colleague criticized him three times throughout the evening for how he ‘presented’ himself. “I was told that I needed to ‘get it under control’ around people in the business,” Carver shared with Variety. At the end of soiree, Carver ran into his friend while waiting for his car at the valet. Asking his colleague for ‘clarification’ about the earlier comments, the man slapped Carver across the face. “It wasn’t playful but intentional, pointed and meant to be instructive. A slap,” says the actor. “I told him that if he ever touched me again, I would name him.” While the episode was certainly shocking for its physicality, Carver, who is 32-years-old today, says, “That was the moment when I said to myself, ‘I can’t do this. I cannot police myself in that way.’” The actor, who was best known at the time for regular appearances on Desperate Housewives and Teen Wolf, came out a few months later in January 2016 via his Instagram account.
Two years later, Carver made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning revival of Mort Crowley’s iconic play about gay men at a birthday party in Greenwich Village, The Boys in the Band. All of the actors in the highly-acclaimed production were openly gay/bisexual. The entire cast was reunited, along with the production’s director Joe Mantello, by producer Ryan Murphy for the newly-released TV version of the play. Carver stars in Boys as the hunky “Cowboy,” a hustler hired as a gift for “Harold,” the birthday boy in the story played by Zachary Quinto.
Carver is also currently appearing as a series regular in Murphy’s new psychological thriller for Netflix, Ratched, in which the handsome actor plays “Huck Finnagan,” a disfigured hospital orderly. And he’s set to appear in the upcoming The Batman alongside Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz. Carver recently told The Advocate he’s “felt this sort of sense of relaxing” into himself since coming out. “To have kind of other champions in this business who gave me a chance, Ryan Murphy being one of them, they saw something in me and they let me be a part of it,” Carver shared. “Then opportunities led to other opportunities … I started kind of stepping into myself, and I believe when you do that, doors open.” You can catch Carver (and all the ‘boys’) in The Boys in the Band, currently streaming on Netflix.
Show poster for Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music (photo: ThinkingCouch/Flickr – CC license) From my favorites list on YouTube, the legendary Lena Horne in her Tony Award-winning one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music. The autobiographical show opened on May 12, 1981, and after 333 performances, closed on June 30, 1982, Horne’s 65th birthday. Horne subsequently toured with the show in the U.S. and Canada, as well taking the show to London and Stockholm in 1984. For her extraordinary performance, Horne won the 1981 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. She was also honored with a special Tony Award at the 35th Tony Awards, a special award from the New York Drama Critics’ Circle, and the City of New York’s Handel Medallion. At the 24th Grammy Awards, Quincy Jones and Horne won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album, and Horne took home the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Having touched on “Stormy Weather” earlier in the show, Horne circles back for this powerful, visceral take on the song which became synonomous with her career. It’s like she was telling us, “Yes, kids, there’s always another verse to the song.” The video adds her encore: an earthy, richly-layered performance of her personal anthem “If You Believe” from the musical The Wiz. Seeing the passion in her performance, it will come as no surprise that Horne also applied that heart and soul in her work as a civil rights activist in the 1960s and 1970s. Folks, THIS is star quality. Seeing this as a young acting student taught me much and gave me permission to break rules when it came to exploring material. This. Is. Art. Lena passed away in 2010 at the age of 92.
Greg Driscoll and Brendan Eprile in ‘Party For Two’ Catching up on new music releases this week: Fab The Duo, biracial glam pop-rock duo and real-life couple, released their brand new single,”Party For Two.” The perfectly-timed quarantine bop is a celebration of staying in and bringing down the house with your dance partner of choice when you’ve got “nothing to do.” The music video features the jubilant pair bringing the party to life as they tear up the floor with each other alongside a quartet of energetic backup dancers, offering inspiration in a time when it’s needed most: “I know the world is frustrating and angry and oh so annoying. But sometimes you’ve got to close your eyes, grab that bottle of wine and dance the night away.”
Cazwell – “Ice Cream Truck 2020” Out rapper Cazwell celebrates the 10th anniversary of his hit “Ice Cream Truck” with an updated version co-produced with Vjuan Allure, along with a fresh new music video (NSFW). Cazwell was determined to have his video open up with rarely seen trans male representation. Artist and trans activist, Ezra Michel kicks it off by playing the opening drum line beat. The video has a handful of hotties from the original “Ice Cream Truck” video from 2010 like Geronimo Frias and Alex Maravilla, plenty of new studs and an abundance of butt cheeks.
Kylie Minogue in “Magic” Australian superstar Kylie Minogue drops her latest single and music video, the disco-tastic “Magic.” Produced and mixed by PhD (also known as Peter Wallevik & Daniel Davidsen), “Magic” is an uplifting track interlaced with piano and brass, leading up to a feel-good, melodic chorus. The official video, filmed at London’s iconic Fabric nightclub, is an homage to British club culture, giving Kylie fans a moment of escapism to celebrate on a fantasy dancefloor.
(image via Facebook) The Village People’s straight frontman, Victor Willis, took to Facebook recently to make sure folks clearly understand that the band’s iconic gay anthem, “Y.M.C.A.” is NOT about the gays having a romp at their local Y. “I wrote 100% of the lyrics to Y.M.C.A., so I ought to know what my song is about,” Willis wrote. “Y.M.C.A. is one of the most iconic songs in the world. I will not stand idle and allow it to be defamed.” “Therefore, I will sue the next media organization, or anyone else, that falsely suggests Y.M.C.A. is somehow about illicit gay sex,” threatened the singer. “Get your minds out of the gutter please! It is not about that!” Willis, the original Cop character, left the band at its peak in 1980, but after lengthy court battles he rejoined the group in 2017. It was then that Willis began telling the press the song was never meant to be about gay sexual shenanigans. “It was not written to be a gay song because of the simple fact I’m not gay,” he told News.com.au in 2017. “I wrote it about hanging out in urban neighbourhoods in my youth. ‘You can hang out with all the boys’ was a term about me and my friends playing basketball at the Y. But I wanted to write a song that could fit anyone’s lifestyle. I’m happy the gay community adopted it as their anthem, I have no qualms with that.” In addition to “Y.M.C.A.,” Willis co-wrote many of the Village People’s biggest hits including “In the Navy,” “Macho Man,” and “Go West.”
Out actor Jonathan Bennett (photo: Sonny Tong) Making good on its promise, the Hallmark Channel has announced one of its upcoming holiday TV movies, “The Christmas House,” will feature a same-sex couple as part of its “Countdown to Christmas” lineup. The film will premiere on November 22 (8 EST/PST) and star former Mean Girls actor Jonathan Bennett (above) as part of a gay couple hoping to adopt their first child. The official synopsis for “The Christmas House” reads:
“Working through some difficult decisions, Mitchell family matriarch Phylis (Sharon Lawrence) and patriarch Bill (Treat Williams), have summoned their two grown sons — Mike (Robert Buckley) and Brandon (Bennett) — home for the holidays. It is their hope that bringing the family together to recreate the Christmas house will help them find resolution and make a memorable holiday for the entire family and community. As Brandon and his husband, Jake (Brad Harder), make the trip home, they are anxiously awaiting a call about the adoption of their first child. Meanwhile, Mike reconnects with Andi (Ana Ayora), his high school sweetheart.”
Hallmark Channel faced serious backlash last December when the network pulled a commercial that featured same-sex weddings. While the cable channel quickly reversed course and began airing the spot again, the criticism led to an announcement in July that the Hallmark Channel would be announcing “LGBTQ storylines, characters and actors” in upcoming projects. In August, Hallmark aired “Wedding Every Weekend” that included a same-sex wedding. Michelle Vicary, executive vice president of programming for Crown Media Family Network (Hallmark Channel’s parent company) said in a statement, “Our holiday table is bigger and more welcoming than ever.” “This year’s movies reflect our most diverse representation of talent, narratives and families,” Vicary added. “Our movies are rooted in warmth and positivity, meaningful connections, family gatherings and seasonal traditions — a winning formula we hope will bring our millions of viewers much-needed levity and holiday cheer at the end of a tough year.”
“The Christmas House” will mark Bennett’s third original movie for the Hallmark Channel. In addition to acting gigs, the out 39-year-old out has been a staple on The Food Network handling hosting duties for Cake Wars and Halloween Wars. He’s also jumped into some reality TV competing on the 2014 edition of Dancing with the Stars and Celebrity Big Brother in 2019. Bennett and his boo, entertainment reporter and former host of The Chippendales, Jaymes Vaughan, frequently share their (often shirtless) shenanigans on Instagram. While we’re on the subject, let’s check out some eye-candy action for Hump Day…
L-R Stanley Tucci, Colin Firth in Supernova (image via The Bureau) In the upcoming romantic drama Supernova, a gay couple, together for 20 years, set out on a road trip in an attempt to revisit their past as one of the men is slowly losing the ability to remember due to early-onset dementia. Today we get our first look at the film starring Oscar winner Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, A Single Man) as Sam and Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones, The Devil Wears Prada) as Tusker, a loving couple who in the two years since Tusker’s diagnosis have seen their lives change. Putting their careers on hold – Sam is a classical pianist and Tusker a celebrated novelist – they decide to travel the country in a cluttered RV reconnecting with family and friends. But soon it becomes clear the two have diverging ideas on how to face their future. “‘Supernova’ is a deeply romantic, modern love story,” writer/director Harry Macqueen told Variety when the film was announced in October 2019. “It follows two people who are bound together by their love for each other but being pushed apart by the situation they find themselves in.” Macqueen described the movie as “an intimate, naked portrayal of a relationship facing a fissure that threatens to cut it to its very core.” In the trailer, Tusker stands at a family dinner to address his failing faculties, but the writer finds he’s unsure about reading his own words. And as Sam steps up without pause, we are devastated. We also get cute ‘longtime couple’ moments that put the two stars’ chemistry on display like when they share a narrow bed or, while traveling in the RV Tusker asks Sam is they could perhaps “explore the outer regions of 5th gear.”
In his review for Variety, Guy Lodge writes, “As a couple staring down the barrel of early-onset dementia, a peak-form Firth and Tucci give nuance and ballast to Harry Macqueen’s small but beautifully formed sophomore film.” Writing for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw was effusive in his praise: “The veteran pair are on magnificent form in a drama about love and mortality that is all the more powerful for its restraint.” And noting the “two finely calibrating performances,” The Hollywood Reporter’sStephen Dalton observed, “It is also refreshing, even in 2020, to see a drama about a gay couple that does not make sexuality a key theme or problematic plot point. The film is premiering today at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain and is also slated for its UK debut on October 11 at the BFI London Film Festival. Expect to see the film’s release in time for the upcoming awards season as the duo (who each raise the daddy factor in the film) are already generating a lot of honors buzz.
The stars of Schitt’s Creek at the 2020 Emmy Awards (image via Instagram/SchittsCreek) It was a Schitt’s-krieg at the 72nd Annual Emmy Awards Sunday night as the LGBTQ-themed Schitt’s Creek swept the major comedy categories winning a record-breaking 9 Emmys, the most ever for a comedy series in a single year. It was quite the capper for the sixth and final season of the show which has become beloved by straight and queer audiences alike, drawn in by the series’ celebration of inclusivity and diversity. The series spent much of the season on the touching, and often hysterical, same-sex love story between Dan Levy’s ‘David Rose’ and Noah Reid’s ‘Patrick.’ Catherine O’Hara was the first cast member to be honored on Sunday night as she scored for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. The win marked O’Hara’s first at the Emmys. “This is so cool,” said O’Hara from a viewing party in Toronto. “I will forever be grateful to Eugene and Daniel Levy for the opportunity to play a woman of a certain age—my age—who gets to fully be her ridiculous self.” Eugene Levy followed that winning Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as the show’s patriarch, Johnny Rose. His son and series co-creator Dan Levy and his co-star Annie Murphy both picked up statues for their performances in the Outstanding Supporting Actor and Actress categories.
At that point, an overwhelmed Dan Levy tweeted out, “What the actual f*ck!”
But wait! There’s more! Dan Levy was also honored for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series. And finally, the show took home the top honor, Outstanding Comedy Series. In accepting the award, Dan Levy took a moment to encourage viewers to get out and vote. “Our show at its core is about the transformational effects of love and acceptance and that is something that we need more of now than ever before,” said Dan Levy as he accepted the award. “I just wanted to say that for any of you who have not registered to vote, please do so, and then go out and vote because that is the only way we are going to have some love and acceptance out there. Please do that. I’m so sorry for making this political, but I had to!” His dad chimed in thanking his son for taking “our ‘fish out of water’ story about the Rose family” and transforming it into “a celebration of inclusivity, a castigation of homophobia, and a declaration of the power of love.”
Earlier in the week, Schitt’s Creek also won Emmys for casting and costumes at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. It was quite the reversal of fortune for the show which was shut out of contention during its first four seasons. Last year, the Pop TV series garnered four nominations, including one for Outstanding Comedy, but went home empty-handed. In other queer Emmy news, RuPaul’s Drag Race won 6 awards including the show’s third-in-a-row Outstanding Competition Program Emmy Award and Mama Ru’s 5th straight win for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program.
Former Disney Channel star Zendaya (24) also made history as the youngest actress to win in the Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for her compelling work as complicated queer teen ‘Rue’ on HBO’s Euphoria.
In this week’s podcast: • Remembering the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a fierce champion for LGBTQ rights, who died this week at the age of 87 • A Navy veteran sues the Veteran’s Administration claiming he tested positive for HIV over 20 years ago and his doctors never informed him of the diagnosis • A sportscaster suspended for using a gay slur on-air says he’s ‘never said the word’ before that moment • A woman denied Social Security survivor benefits after a 27-year relationship wins in federal court • New data shows the number of same-sex households rising in the US • Burger King lays a whopper on Ronald McDonald for LGBTQ Pride • Academy Award winner Jane Fonda reminds us what an awesome ally she is • And GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Critics announces the best in 2020 TV entertainment. Click here to watch the glitzy honors special on Revry TV (free). All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report
Do you like ‘power play’ in the bedroom, or it all about being romantical for you when getting physical? That’s the question funnyman Michael Henry explores in his latest YouTube video, ‘Are You Into Power Play?’ While properly socially distancing on the patio with Henry and Tim (Kornbread), Todd (Darren Bluestone) posits the question and each of the trio definitely has their own take on personal dynamics when doing the ‘wild thing.’ Turns out that Todd is a dom – a dom bottom. “So, you’re an aggressive bottom?” asks Tim. Todd’s reply: “You think I go to the gym and work out just for nothing?” Tim loves being a dom top, and being a sub bottom, and sub topping, and dom bottoming….and, well, you get the picture. Henry, however, is not into power dynamics in the bedroom. He wants to have “the real you” when getting busy, not some role play. “I don’t want to go to dinner and drinks with a florist and then jump into bed with the executioner,” Henry announces. It’s an interesting chat on the idea of whether we need just the ‘flesh’ or the whole ‘fantasy’ during encounters of the physical kind. Hit the play button below. 
“‘Supernova’ is a deeply romantic, modern love story,” writer/director Harry Macqueen told 
