Category: Entertainment

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Is There Pride Or Shame In The PDA Game?

L-R Michael Henry, Chris Renfro, Michael Fariss
Funnyman Michael Henry’s latest video takes a dive into the sometimes divisive discussion of public displays of affection (PDAs) among the gays. Chris Renfro brings up the topic while hanging out (with perfect social distancing btw) with Henry and Michael Fariss. After some initial confusion on Henry’s part, he’s happy to extol the virtues of public affection: “I love it! Hugs and kisses!” “It’s gross and it’s showy,” says Fariss. Renfro agrees chiming in, “Yeah, I don’t need to see someone sucking face or holding hands at a Jamba.” But when Henry shares that he’s gone so far as having actual “sex” in front of people, our naysayers are totally down with THAT. “Oh, I’m ok with public sex,” agrees Fariss which seems to short-circuit Henry. So, holding hands is bad, but performing oral sex in public is cool? Apparently, these guys view holding hands or a public peck as “inappropriate,” “desperate,” and “phony.” Says Renfro, “That kind of behavior is for private.” After running down a series of scenarios that are either full-on womp-womp or merely affectionate, Henry shares that he likes letting the world know “this is my guy.” “But WHY do you have to let everyone know?” Fariss asks. “I don’t have an answer for you,” adds Renfro. “I just know that when a man holds my hand – it makes me uncomfortable. When I see a couple making out in front of me at the store – I’m uncomfortable.” Like all of his videos, Henry brings up some great questions regarding how the LGBTQ community views itself. One commenter on the YouTube page writes, “‘Public sex is okay but PDA isn’t’ is just a sign of the gay community being overly sexualized but not being okay with love and feeling something in a relationship.” Another responded, “Because we grew up seeing us represented only in adult entertainment.” What do you think readers? Is this a generational issue? Is it a safety issue? Is there pride or shame in the PDA game? Who likes holding hands in public? Who can’t handle it? Let us know in the comment section below.

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New Music: ANTIBOY ‘Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)’

Check out the second music video released posthumously for the late Harry Hains (most noted for American Horror Story and The OA), an eerie, pop-synth re-imagining of the classic Nancy Sinatra song, “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).” Created by Harry’s brother, 3D artist and designer Sam Hains, the video is set against the backdrop of glitchy computer game-style production and dubstep skittering drums. Viewers are transported into a video game utopia where art, music, and gaming converge. Harry, who was gender fluid, tragically lost his battle with drug addiction earlier this year. Through the prism of his artistic alter-ego, ANTIBOY, the genderless transhuman, Hains imagined a digital utopia where there is no inequality, prejudice, or toxicity. This is Hains’s second track from the forthcoming concept album A Glitch in Paradise out next month. I previously covered the first single, “Good Enough,” here. An amalgamation of rock, electronica and gothic pop, A Glitch In Paradise explores the virtual world of ANTIBOY as he re-lives his mistakes in order to try to correct them and find happiness. But ANTIBOY experiences glitches and gets stuck in an endless loop of heartache, inspired by Harry’s relationship with then-partner Mike.

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Out Music: David Hernandez ‘Boomerang’

American Idol alum David Hernandez drops his latest music video, “Boomerang,” shot on location in Palm Springs during the pandemic.

Don’t worry – the whole shebang was done on the up and up according to COVID-19 protocols with social distancing, and only actual couples that have been quarantined together were doing the kissing, like Hernandez and his boo, Derek Caldera. Continue reading “Out Music: David Hernandez ‘Boomerang’”

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Senior Producers Depart As Ellen Issues ‘Tearful’ Apology To Staff

Ellen DeGeneres (image via Depositphotos)
Variety reports executive producers Ed Galvin and Kevin Leman, and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman will depart from The Ellen DeGeneres Show after the production began an internal investigation into allegations of a toxic work environment that included sexual misconduct and racial insensitivity. During a videoconference on Monday, Ellen broke the news to more than 200 staff members reportedly becoming “emotional to the point of tears.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, DeGeneres said:

I’m so so sorry for what this has become.

I’m a multi-layered person, and I try to be the best person I can be and try to learn from my mistakes.

I care about each and every one of you. I am grateful for each and every one of you. I feel like I’ve kind of let the ball drop a bit because I’m focused on the show, I go in and I do the show, and I’ve just let everybody to do their jobs – to run different departments.

And it just became a well-oiled machine, and I think that is the problem. It’s not a machine. This is people. These are human beings that are working hard every single day to put this together. This show would not be what it is without all of you.

Executive producers Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner and Derek Westervelt will remain at the show alongside host DeGeneres, and the show’s resident DJ, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, has been promoted to co-executive producer. Michael Plonsker, an attorney representing Leman, issued this statement:

The fact that a deeply flawed BuzzFeed article has led to the termination of an innocent man – a popular figure and a creative force behind the Ellen show and a string of other projects produced with Ellen – is shocking. Kevin is devastated by being scapegoated and is not yet ready to comment.

At the end of July, Ellen had penned a mea culpa to the crew vowing to make changes. “As we’ve grown exponentially, I’ve not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done. Clearly some didn’t. That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again.” DeGeneres told the staff on Monday she fully expects the fall season of the talk show to “come back strong” when the series returns this September. DeGeneres was quoted as saying it will be “the best season we’ve ever had.”

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Podcast: Ricky Martin, Kamala Harris, 5 ‘Gayest States In US’

The Randy Report podcast

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' In this week’s podcast from The Randy Report: • Longtime LGBTQ ally Sen. Kamala Harris is Joe Biden’s pick for running mate in the 2020 presidential election • Plus, Harris has named a proud Black lesbian political heavyweight as her chief of staff • A judge in Kentucky says a photographer can legally discriminate against LGBTQ people • Ricky Martin told OUT Magazine he once feared he’d never be a parent because of his sexuality, and now he’s a father of four 🙂 • Disney introduces its first bisexual character on ‘The Owl House’ • And the top 5 “Gayest States in the Country” All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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More Wit & Wisdom From Andrew Joseph Duffer

Andrew Joseph Duffer (via Twitter)
Our guy Andrew Joseph Duffer serves up some more southern-fried critical thinking from Texas as he breaks down everything from how the US is currently the world leader (well, at least in terms of COVID-19 and divorce) and how Donald Trump has succeeded in dividing the country for his own gain. Duffer walks his talk and fits in a LOT in only four minutes. I’m pretty much in agreement with everything young Andrew has to say here.

(h/t Gerald with a hard ‘G’)

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News Round-Up: August 12, 2020

Danny Jones (via Instagram)
Some news stories you might have missed: • InstaHunks: I gotta say, we’ve all been there Danny “Tree Man” Jones (above), who shares, “Took four scoops of pre-workout and ended up at In N Out.” When you need the In-N-Out burger, you need it. You still got it going. #AintMadAtYou • LGBTQ Nation: Police have arrested four teenagers – three minors and one adult – who they believe attacked a gay couple, broke into their house, threatened to kill them, and destroyed their home. • Page Six: RuPaul sent followers into a frenzy last month when his Instagram posts began mysteriously disappearing from the app. Many assumed the drag icon’s account was hacked, but Page Six reports Ru deleted posts because he wants to “disengage” and lay low. “The truth is things like Black Lives Matter is overwhelming for someone like Ru. He gets backlash for appearing to not … support the community and [he receives] a lot of negativity, so he disengages,” a source told Page Six. • LA Times: “I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s never even had her first kiss,” reveals Alex Borstein, who plays Midge’s outspoken manager on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, sharing her thoughts on her character’s sexual orientation:  She’s absolutely in love with Midge to some degree, but I think she falls in love with minds.” • Andrew Christian: Check out this (NSFW) essay on the reality of shower sex from the popular underwear/swimwear designer’s blog. • Washington Post: Conservatives can’t decide if newly-announced Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris is a liberal extremist or if she’s a snub to liberal extremism. • COVID World: The UK’s first socially distanced concert is happening now in Newcastle. Attendees have their own private viewing area with 6-feet of space between them.

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What To Watch: Acclaimed Short Film ‘Requited’ Explores Holding On Versus Letting Go

The acclaimed gay-themed film short Requited is available to stream for free for the first time since it made a splash at film festivals in 2011. The 20-minute short follows a 20-something gay New Yorker, Nicholas (played by Chris Damon), who’s considering whether or not to attend the wedding of his unrequited high school crush, Aaron (Matthew Watson). Complicating the equation, attending the nuptials would mean missing the departure of his current boo, Gregor (Max Rhyser), who’s relocating to San Francisco. Shot in an intimate, unpretentious style, it’s easy to imagine Requited as a precursor of sorts of HBO’s LGBTQ series, Looking. With the short, Sal Bardo made his debut as both writer and director of a film project. He recently told HuffPost he was inspired to pen the short due to the dearth of good LGBTQ narratives in Hollywood at the time. “I wanted to write something for myself that depicted characters and stories I could relate to,” Bardo told HuffPost in a recent interview. Having based the story loosely on a real-life friendship he’d had as a young adult, he added, “It’s definitely a snapshot in time. Looking back, the film feels very cynical. I think maybe I’m a tiny bit less cynical now!” Premiering at the 2011 Seattle International Film Festival, Requited was well-received on the indie film festival circuit and was honored with the Audience Award: Best First Time Filmmaker at Washington D.C.’s International LGBT Film Festival, Reel Affirmations. Describing Requited as his “first pancake,” Bardo looks back fondly on his first film. “The first pancake is never as good as the rest ― you have to warm up the pan,” explained Buardo. “My work has gotten much better, but I’m still really proud of ‘Requited.’” Previously, the short was only available as part of the compilation Blue Briefs. Following the success of Requited, Bardo’s 2015 film Pink Moon scored the Jury Prize for Best Film Short at the Big Apple Film Festival, and his music video for Paper Ring’s “Great Escape” was nominated for the Iris Prize, the world’s largest LGBT short film award. You can watch the full 20-minute version of Requited for free below.

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News Round-Up: August 10, 2020

Broadway star Ramin Karimloo (screen capture)
Some news stories you might have missed: • Pink News: Dr. Allen Bergin, an influential Mormon therapist who advocated for conversion therapy for decades, has reversed his position and apologized for his harmful views after learning that his two sons and grandson are gay. • Edge Media: A candidate for the Washington State House of Representatives may face charges after ripping down a rainbow Pride flag flown by a church and then threatening witnesses to the act, telling them that “If it gets put back up, I will take it down.” • YouTube: How I haven’t done a full post about the oh-so-talented Ramin Karimloo (above) is beyond me. Please enjoy the perfection that is Ramin singing “Being Alive” from Stephen Sondheim’s Company. The performance was part of the KINGS OF BROADWAY 2020: A Celebration Of The Music Of Jule Styne, Jerry Herman & Stephen Sondheim charity event.

• Instinct Magazine: Poland’s President Andrzej Duda was sworn into his second term last week after his campaign described the LGBT rights movement as a dangerous “ideology,” and declared that LGBT folks “not people.” And so, LGBT people are now leaving the country. • Gay Star News: More from Poland as thousands of LGBT people and allies protested in Warsaw, Poland on Friday and Saturday – resulting in police brutality. Commentators say the events are a possible ‘Stonewall moment’ for Poland as people stood up to two years of mounting LGBT+ hate. • Cox Media: According to a report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, 97,078 children tested positive for the novel coronavirus between July 16 and July 30. As of July 30, 338,982 children tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. • Instagram: Academy Award-winner Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) has been announced to star in a film about the life of famed counter-culture artist Andy Warhol. Leto broke the news on his Instagram account.

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LA’s Annual LGBTQ Film Festival Goes Digital & Outdoors For 2020

Outfest, Los Angeles’ annual LGBTQ film festival, is going digital and outdoors with 6 nights-of drive-ins, 160+ films, including 35 world premieres, 10 North American premieres, and 4 U.S. premieres. This year’s hybrid streaming/outdoor festival boasts the most inclusive and diverse festival in history – with over 70% of films directed by women, trans, and people-of-color filmmakers. The 2020 film festival takes place from August 10-20. Click here for a list of films and festival passes.