Category: Entertainment

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X-Treme Brothers Offer Sneak Peek Into ‘Extravaganza – The Vegas Spectacular’

The oh-so-easy on the eyes X-Treme Brothers
The newest production to arrive on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip is Extravaganza—The Vegas Spectacular at Bally’s Las Vegas, which features the captivating talents of some of the most talented, sexy and breathtaking artists from around the world – including dancers, acrobats, aerialists, skaters, ventriloquists, comedians and, the return of the iconic showgirl to the legendary Jubilee Theatre. The gorgeous production had only given its first preview performance before Nevada’s governor called for all non-essential businesses to shutter for the time being due to the COVID-19 threat. In this installment of Vegas at Home, the X-Treme Brothers, a hand-balancing act featured in Extravaganza, serves up a sneak peek of what to expect when the coronavirus pandemic crisis is over and the show can officially open. Las Vegas Magazine recently launched the Vegas at Home series to showcase the many talented performers who call the Las Vegas Strip home.

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Mid-Day Brain Break: Colin O’Leary Is Back!

Colin O’Leary and his mom, Carol (screen capture)
They’re baaaaaaaaack! Colin O’Leary and his mother became viral sensations pairing Colin’s over-the-top musical theatre lip-sync performances with mother Carol’s seemingly unflappable, stoic non-reactions. Take a few minutes and enjoy Colin’s wild & wacky sense of theatrical humor. You can find his 2018 edition here and 2019 here.

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International Transgender Day Of Visibility: ‘I Am Samantha’

L-R Benjamin Scheuer, Samantha Williams
In honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility, singer-songwriter Benjamin Scheuer releases his new song, “I Am Samantha.” The touching track recounts the real-life journey of Samantha Williams – a transgender woman who Scheuer first met and befriended at a coffee shop in New York City. As Scheuer learned about Samantha’s story – and she, in turn, learned about his career as a singer/songwriter – she reflected on the fact she’d never heard a song about someone named Samantha. He promised her to change that, filling notebooks with details of her life and her journey to transition, and ultimately writing what is now “I Am Samantha.” “I Am Samantha” is the story of one trans woman. It is also the story of what it means to love and be loved. With uncommon empathy, Scheuer unpacks not just Samantha’s journey, but the human journey we all take to find identity, acceptance, and love. Today’s release comes accompanied by a powerful music video directed by T Cooper (director of the award-winning documentary Man Made) and starring a cast of 27 trans actors (believed to be the largest trans cast assembled to date). The visual was also helmed by an all-female, LGBTQ, and/or person of color crew.

The song is being released today, March 31st on International Transgender Day of Visibility in partnership with a host of incredible organizations including the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF), GLAAD, Trans Lifeline, and The Ally Coalition. Of their partnership on the project, TLDEF Program Manager AC Dumlao shares: “‘I Am Samantha’ is more than a song and a music video, it is a message that trans communities are resilient and multifaceted, and our stories are meant to be seen and heard. At TLDEF’s Name Change Project, where we connect low-income trans folks with legal representation in the name change process, we work with hundreds of trans folks every year, who like Samantha, are looking to live in their truth with their chosen name. TLDEF is excited to collaborate with Canvasback Music for the release of ‘I Am Samantha.’” Benjamin Scheuer’s journey to this debut is not your standard singer/songwriter story. Well known throughout the theatre world on both sides of the Atlantic for his one-man show THE LION (2014), (which delivered a clutch of awards including a Drama Desk Award for “Outstanding Solo Performance,” an off-West End Award for “Best New Musical,” and an ASCAP “Cole Porter Award for Songwriting”). Below you can check out the behind-the-scenes action from the making of the music video for “I Am Samantha.”

Samantha Williams penned this short essay to explain who Benjamin Scheuer is to her, how the song and video came to be, and what it means to be called by your name:

He’s a customer at the West Village coffee shop where I work, a fellow artist (I’m a writer; he’s a musician) who attended a reading of one of my screenplays and gave truly helpful notes, a tall guy with a boyish face and steampunk style, with cherry-dyed hair, elaborate boots and epaulets, and yet announcing his presence most resoundingly with his seemingly ever-present smile and earnest, enthusiastic greetings.

Benjamin Scheuer (pronounced SHOY-er) is a storyteller with a guitar, sharing through song his own very personal trials and triumphs as well as those of others. I already knew this when in his presence I complained to a coworker, as we listened to the Foo Fighters song “Sean” (also my fellow barista’s name), that there were no popular songs about “Samantha,” the name I had taken as my own about a year before (though I’m still not sure this oversight of songwriters throughout contemporary music history is actually true).

“I Am Samantha” was conceived in that moment of everyday food-service-industry banter, both songwriter and subject knowing this wouldn’t be just another lighthearted serenade or would-be rock hit in which the name was chosen simply because it rhymed with something or had the right number of syllables.

This was highlighted for Benjamin when I told him the origin of “Samantha,” that it had been the only name my parents could agree on prior to my birth, not yet knowing what was between my legs—which would ultimately lead to a name I went by for decades before all but erasing it from identifying documents (Ohio being one of four states that don’t allow changes to one’s birth certificate).

Benjamin and those involved in every aspect of the recording, producing and upcoming release of “I Am Samantha” have each endeavored to understand and do right by the story of my transition from [dead name] to the fully realized, confident person I am today.

Each of them I’ve had the pleasure of meeting is just as evidently excited as I am to share this song, this story of struggle and self-discovery, with the world—so that it might do what art uniquely can, which is to increase empathy by revealing the world through someone else’s eyes, while also, I can attest, making some of us feel just a little less lonely.

Benjamin Scheuer and Samantha Williams in Los Angeles
Benjamin Scheuer and Samantha Williams in Los Angeles (photo: Noa Griffel)
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Music Video: Justin Utley Is The Action Hero We Need In ‘American Nightmare’

Justin Utley
Today I’m chatting with OUTMusic Award-winning singer/songwriter Justin Utley who just released his new music video and single, “American Nightmare,” where he plays a Jason Bourne-like action hero taking aim at conversion therapy and the current state of our union’s blind allegiance with political parties and religion. The single, which features an edgy rock-centric sound, is a different genre for the handsome singer who first rose to prominence in the country/pop/Americana realm. Justin explains, “This whole album has been about exploring edgier, darker themes that I’ve always wanted to take on but hadn’t because I was told to stay in my safe zone.” The music video is an adrenaline-driven roller-coaster ride; the track is a powerful rock anthem that perfectly frames Utley’s muscular vocals.

I first interviewed Justin back in 2012 when he had just won two OUTMusic Awards for his debut single, “Stand For Something.” He’s a highly sought-after performer who’s appeared on stages across North America and Europe. Along the way, he has shared the stage with top international acts including Dan Reynolds, Icona Pop, Tegan & Sara, Margaret Cho, and Billy Porter.

Justin Utley (photo: Ryan Bakerink)
In addition to taking stages by storm, Justin has also been an outspoken activist for the LGBTQ community working to outlaw so-called conversion therapy which seeks to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity through debunked pseudoscience. Thanks in great part to Justin’s efforts, his state of Utah became the 19th state to prohibit the harmful practice. Justin has appeared as a guest contributor on CNN, NPR, SiriusXM’s OutQ and MSNBC. He is a two-time recipient of the FBI’s “Inspiring Citizen of the Year” award, and “Artist of the Year” by SiriusXM’s OutQ Radio. This past fall, Justin Utley released his third studio album, Scars, a brutally honest, thought-provoking collection of songs. Hit the play button below and listen as I chat with the oh-so-talented Justin Utley.

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News Round-Up: March 30, 2020

Ryan Worley of the Chippendales (photo: Noel Photo Studios)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Ryan Worley of the Chippendales (above) says he’s missing performing in the long-running Las Vegas production asking, “Who wants to save a horse?” #RideACowboy • The Advocate: According to a recent report from the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of anti-LGBTQ hate groups is continuing to rise. In 2018, there were 49 groups classified as an LGBTQ hate group. In 2019, that number increased 43 percent to 70 anti-LBTQ hate groups. • Entertainment Weekly: Andy Cohen will continue to host Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, coronavirus be damned. Bravo announced Monday that new episodes of the late-night talk show will begin airing Monday at 11 p.m. ET direct from Cohen’s New York City apartment via video chats with his guests. • NowThis: Watch the hilarious way sportscasters are passing the time while they’re out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic by calling play-by-play of daily tasks.

• NewNowNext: Singapore’s High Court has ruled against a challenge to the country’s law criminalizing gay sex, which punishes the act with up to two years in prison. Justice See Kee Oon rejected arguments against Section 377A of the penal code, which not only punishes men who have sex with other men, but also anyone who aids in or attempts to participate in, such an act.  Justice See argued the law “serves the purpose of safeguarding public morality by showing societal moral disapproval of male homosexual acts.” • Daily Beast: A new survey conducted by Ipsos provides some of the clearest evidence to date that the president’s attempts to paint a rosy picture about the coronavirus’ spread throughout the country are not resonating beyond a small segment of the populace with a small exception for those who say they’re getting their information from Fox News. • Buzzfeed: Click over for a collection of some of the best of gay Twitter including…

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Italy: Violin Twins Go Viral Covering Coldplay’s ‘Viva La Vida’

Here’s a feel-good moment for your Monday afternoon. These talented twins in Sicily have gone viral with their amazing rendition of Coldplay’s ‘Viva La Vida’ during a quarantine lockdown in Italy. Mirko and Valerio, shared the performance on YouTube, along with the caption (translated): “We thought we’d spend a bit of time with you all, from north to south. For us, music is a source of relief, and we hope you guys can use it too.” “‘Viva la Vida’ by Coldplay seemed like the perfect song for this Sunday, full of sunshine and hope.” Watch the viral violin twins’ performance below.

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Village People’s “YMCA” Honored By Library Of Congress

(image via Facebook)
The world’s largest library, the Library of Congress, has inducted the Village People’s disco-tastic gay anthem “Y.M.C.A” to its National Recording Registry. To be eligible for the consideration for the registry, tracks and albums must be least 10 years old and be viewed as “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” Written in 1978 by the band’s lead singer Victor Willis, the bop describes life at the Y as a kind of gay cultural center. It’s since gone on to be a mainstay at weddings and other social events. In a statement from the Library of Congress, Willis shares that he “had no idea when we wrote ‘Y.M.C.A.’ that it would become one of the most iconic songs in the world, and a fixture at almost every wedding, birthday party, bar mitzvah and sporting event.”

Also honored with inclusion in the registry this week is Whitney Houston’s pitch-perfect cover of the Dolly Parton hit, “I Will Always Love You,” from the 1992 movie, The Bodyguard.

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Elton John To Head Up ‘iHeart Living Room Concert For America’ On Fox TV

Elton John
Deadline reports international pop star Elton John will host a celebrity TV concert on Fox TV this Sunday.

Fox TV and iHeartMedia are bringing out some big guns in the coronavirus relief effort. Elton John is to host Fox Presents The iHeart Living Room Concert for America, an hourlong special set to air commercial-free from 9-10 p.m. Sunday, March 29 — in the slot that had been set for the iHeartRadio Music Awards.

The program comes at a time when concerts have been sidelined by the COVID-19 outbreak and many artists are giving free concerts online. It will feature performances by such stars as Billie Eilish, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Tim McGraw, Backstreet Boys, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, and others — all filmed from their homes using their own audio and video equipment. The special will be simulcast on iHeartMedia stations nationwide and its app.

The iHeart Living Room Concert for America also will pay tribute to the front-line health professionals, first responders and local heroes who are putting themselves in harm’s way to help their neighbors and fight the spread of the coronavirus. It also will encourage viewers to support Feeding America and First Responders Children’s Foundation — two of the many charitable organizations helping victims and first responders during the pandemic.

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Ryan Murphy Donates ‘POSE’ Medical Props To Help Fight COVID-19

Writer/producer Ryan Murphy has announced the medical props used on the hit FX show Pose (featured in scenes related to the AIDS epidemic) are being donated to Mount Sinai Hospital to help fight the COVID-19 health threat. Murphy shared on his Instagram: “On my FX series POSE, one of our regular sets and locations is a hospital where in season 3 (spoiler) Blanca works as an AIDS/hiv counselor. Today we donated all our prop supplies to Mount Sinai hospital to help nurses and doctors battling the Covid outbreak. Let’s all keep giving when and where and how we can. More to come…”