Category: News

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New Music: Crazy, Sexy Ride On The Adam Roberts Side “Glue”

Adam Roberts (photo: WadleyWadley)
Singer Adam Roberts has just released his debut single and music video, “Glue.” Roberts created the track and video while on the road with the National Broadway Tour of Miss Saigon, integrating different musical genres, changing up musical and visual textures. In true collaborative form, several musicians and actors in the Miss Saigon company took part as the creative team for “Glue” including choreography, videography, orchestrations, recording session players, and the music video love interest played by Garrick Macatangay. Beautifully shot and directed by Anna-Lee Wright, the video takes the viewer on a rollercoaster ride of romance as Roberts’ vocals shift with equal ease from effortless, whispering falsetto to rich, robust musical muscle. Roberts describes his songs as being, “Based in truth and experience.” “‘Glue’ is about getting out of your own way, taking a risk and giving love a chance to bloom and flourish despite doubts or fears of the unknown,” says the artist. “Something I believe we can all relate to in some capacity.”

I recently spoke with the handsome artist about the new track and video.

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The Randy Report: Congratulations on the debut single. Musically, “Glue” moves in and out of different tempos and sonic textures. What inspired the change-ups? Adam Roberts: My favorite type of music that impacts me most is the kind that builds, is dynamic and that takes me on a ride. I wanted the mood of the song to musically fit the narrative journey of the text. For instance, I crafted the middle orchestral section paired with my vocals to be indicative of the ebb and flow of a relationship and to have a yearning quality to it, while the final chorus has more of a sprinting urgency to it. TRR: With years of experience on stage in Broadway shows, did you find story-telling via the recording studio to require a different approach? AR: Amazing question! I did actually. On stage, you’re playing to the back row. In a recording studio booth, it’s just you and a mic several inches from your face, which is much more intimate. I found that I allowed myself to let go of the physical and facial expressions and reroute the emotions into a more concentrated and zeroed-in manner, pouring it all into my voice. I was very strategic with how I played with a whispery softness versus a chesty belt or a chilly straight tone opposed to a ringing vibrato.

TRR: What do you do outside of music that contributes to your creativity? AR: I get my biggest kicks traveling the world because it broadens my horizons and helps me gain perspective. I never get so inspired as I do experiencing life outside of my comfort zone, in a new setting, surrounded by beauty in all its forms. If I’m not in a place financially to jet set, I take myself on a date wherever I am to have an adventure. Constantly shocking the system sparks new ideas and gets the juices flowing more-so than being sedimentary.

TRR: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? AR: In a 1997 essay written by Mary Schmich she implores the reader to, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” I try to abide by her wise words daily, training myself to be more brave than I innately really am. I recently hiked a scary, haunted, ghost tower in Bangkok alone and I was petrified. On the way down, I fractured my foot and spent the rest of my vacation in a cast sprawled out. Initially, I was bummed, but then I made the most of my forced downtime, picked up my guitar, and ended up writing some of the best songs to date by the pool. Climb the ghost tower! LOL

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Roberts made his Broadway debut in Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, which was followed by the critically-acclaimed Broadway revival of Pippin. Prior to his current gig in the national tour of Miss Saigon (where he covers the lead role of ‘Chris’), he traveled the country in the national company of Dirty Dancing. He also recently served as co-director/co-choreographer for Broadway Backwards, the annual celebration where men sing songs originally written for women and vice versa. In doing so, gay and lesbian stories are told through the great songs of musical theatre and sung by our favorite Broadway performers. “Glue” is available on iTunes here, and you can follow Adam Roberts on Instagram here.

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Intel Official: Trump Often Doubts Intelligence Reports

Donald Trump (image via Flickr/WhiteHouse)
CNN reports that Donald Trump frequently doubts reports presented to him by the federal government’s intelligence community.

One of President Donald Trump’s most common responses to intelligence briefings is to doubt what he’s being told, former Deputy Director of Intelligence Susan Gordon said Tuesday. Gordon, an intelligence veteran of more than 30 years, said Monday that Trump had two typical responses to briefings. “One, ‘I don’t think that’s true,’” Gordon told the Women’s Foreign Policy Group. “The one is ‘I’m not sure I believe that,’” Gordon continued, “and the other is the second order and third order effects. ‘Why is that true? Why are we there? Why is this what you believe? Why do we do that?’ Those sorts of things.” Gordon’s remarks about the President at the group’s gathering may be her first since Trump veered from protocol to block her from rising to become the acting director of national intelligence after the July resignation of Dan Coats.

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HHS Announces Free PrEP For Those Without Health Insurance

The Department of Health and Human Services announced details Tuesday for applying for free PrEP medications through the federal government. The new program – called Ready, Set, PrEP – will distribute pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medications to help prevent people currently HIV-negative from becoming infected with the virus.  Drugstore chains CVS Health, Walgreens and Rite Aid, which have a combined 21,000 locations across the country, will donate prescribing services for the program. Folks can go to the new website GetYourPrEP.com to apply for the medications or call toll free 855-447-8410. In order to qualify, an individual must be HIV-negative, lack prescription drug coverage, and obtain a valid prescription for the medication. Earlier this year, drugmaker Gilead Sciences announced it would donate 2.4 million bottles of Truvada to up to 200,000 uninsured people annually through 2030. Gilead is the manufacturer of both Truvada and Descovy, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for PrEP use on October 3 this year. They are the only approved drugs for use as PrEP by the FDA. In its announcement, Gilead said the offer would “transition to Descovy if it is approved for use as PrEP.”  Gilead has also announced a generic version of Truvada will become available by 2020. Ready, Set, PrEP is part of the current administration’s ‘Ending the HIV Epidemic Plan’ which was announced during President Trump’s State of the Union address this year. The plan has a goal of reducing the number of new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. by 75 percent in five years and by 90 percent in 10 years. Today’s news comes as the federal government is currently suing Gilead for patent infringement regarding PrEP. In a press release on November 6, the Health and Human Services Department announced the United States had filed a complaint in federal district court alleging Gilead had profited from research funded by hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars and reaped billions from PrEP through the sale of Truvada® and Descovy®. Currently, a month supply of Truvada in the United States sells between $1,600 to $2,000 for those without prescription drug coverage, while in other parts of the world it is available for as low as $70. In 2018 alone, Gilead amassed $3 billion in the sale of Truvada.

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GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter Pleads Guilty To Stealing Hundreds Of Thousands From Campaign

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA50)
GOP Congressman Duncan Hunter pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from campaign funds for his personal use. Expenditures included a weekend-long bachelor party and a $140,000 family vacation to Italy. Not an accounting mistake; not a ‘witch-hunt’ as he previously claimed. From the Department of Justice:

U.S. Representative Duncan D. Hunter pleaded guilty in federal court today to the major count in his indictment, admitting that he knowingly and willfully stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds that he and his wife used to maintain their lifestyle.

According to the plea agreement, Hunter and his wife, Margaret, who pleaded guilty in June 2019, illegally converted more than $150,000 in campaign funds from 2010 through 2016 to purchase goods and services for their personal use and enjoyment, and engaged in 30 or more illegal transactions using campaign funds for personal use.

As detailed in the indictment, the Hunters stole money from the campaign for items as inconsequential as fast food, movie tickets, and sneakers; as trivial as video games, Lego sets and Playdoh; as mundane as groceries, dog food, and utilities; and as self-indulgent as luxury hotels, overseas vacations and plane tickets for their family pet rabbits, Eggburt and Cadbury – all while their family was otherwise deeply in debt.

During the course of the conspiracy, the Hunters overdrew their bank account more than 1,100 times in a seven-year period resulting in $37,761 in “overdraft” and “insufficient funds” bank fees. They racked up $24,600 in finance charges, interest, and other fees related to late, over the limit, and returned payment fees for their credit cards. Hunter returns to court on March 17, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. for sentencing where he’ll face possibly five years in prison and $250,000 fine.

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Ambassador To Zambia Denounces 15-Year Prison Sentence For 2 Gay Men

(stock photo via Depositphotos)

(stock photo via Depositphotos)
(stock photo via Depositphotos)
Two gay men in Zambia were arrested for having gay sex in a private hotel room, and the High Court of Zambia has now sentenced the men to 15 years in prison for being intimate behind closed doors. The south-eastern African country, which retains its colonial-era laws, offers no legal protections for LGBTQ people. The men, Japhet Chataba and Steven Samba, booked the room in 2017. According to reports, a female worker peeked through a window and saw the men being intimate. Last week, a judge dismissed an appeal against their convictions for crimes against the order of nature (the legal term for gay sex in Zambia) sentencing them both to 15 years in prison. World map showing Zambia on continent of Africa The U.S. ambassador to Zambia, Daniel Foote, said in a statement: “I was personally horrified to read about the sentencing of two men, who had a consensual relationship, which hurt absolutely no one.” Foote implored the government of Zambia to review the case but received a fervent backlash for speaking out. In an official embassy statement, Foote announced he was forced to cancel attending World AIDS Day events due to threats against him. “I was shocked at the venom and hate directed at me and my country, largely in the name of “Christian” values, by a small minority of Zambians,” wrote the ambassador. “I thought, perhaps incorrectly, that Christianity meant trying to live like our Lord, Jesus Christ. I am not qualified to sermonize, but I cannot imagine Jesus would have used bestiality comparisons or referred to his fellow human beings as “dogs,” or “worse than animals;” allusions made repeatedly by your countrymen and women about homosexuals.” Foote’s official statement also made mention of the $500 million in annual assistance Zambia receives from the United States saying, “In these countries were we contribute resources, this includes partnering in areas of mutual interest, and holding the recipient government accountable for its responsibilities under this partnership.”

In an interview with Sky News, President Lungu defended his country’s homophobic laws saying, “Even animals don’t do it, so why should we be forced to do it?…because we want to be smart, civilized and advanced and so on.” “If there are such countries which will allow bestiality, let them do it but not here,” he added. Ah, yes – the old ‘compare being gay to having sex with animals’ argument. How fresh, how new… Zambia’s president told Sky News his government will officially complain to the Trump administration over Foote’s remarks. (source: Sky News)

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Trump Loses Appeal To Block Congress From Bank Docs

Trump walks past reporters with no comment
Donald Trump (image via public domain/White House)
From the New York Times:

A federal appeals court said Tuesday that Deutsche Bank must turn over detailed documents about President Trump’s finances to two congressional committees, a ruling that is almost certain to be appealed to the Supreme Court.

The decision was a victory for House Democrats as they investigate Mr. Trump and his businesses. It means that extensive information about Mr. Trump’s personal and business finances — which the president has spent years fighting to keep secret — has moved a step closer to becoming public.

Democratic-controlled congressional committees issued subpoenas to two banks — Deutsche Bank, long Mr. Trump’s biggest lender, and Capital One — this year for financial records related to the president, his companies and his family. Mr. Trump sued the banks to block them from complying.

Team Trump has seven days to appeal. Bet that they will.

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Elton John Drops F-Bomb Tirade On Security Guards Mid-Song

Pop superstar Elton John shocked his audience on Sunday when he stopped mid-song to go on a curse-laden rant at two security guards “Hey, you two security guards with the girl. F— off. Bring her back here immediately,” he said. “Come on you c—s. Morons, you both are, morons. You don’t treat girls like that. Leave her alone, you turds.” After hearing some gasps from the audience for using the c-word, Elton John apologized. “I apologize for the ‘c-word,’ I just hate people being assaulted, especially women by security guards. I have a pet hate of security guards anyway.”

Speaking to the Australian morning show Sunrise, journalist Peter Ford came to the defense of the security guards and added some behind-the-scenes info:

“A patron was in an area where she was not ticketed to be. The security guards, acting on the instructions of Elton John’s own team, tried to get her out. Elton caught it out of the corner of his eye and decided, I think, to play to the crowd by going on this rant.

“These were two people doing their job. Imagine how demeaned they would have felt at being abused by Elton John on the stage and then to have thousands of people in the crowd cheer him on. I think it was an appalling thing to do. If he’s got an issue he should be taking it up with his team, and today he should offer some sort of apology to the guards.”

(image via Depositphotos)

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News Round-Up: December 2, 2019

Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Woofy Wes Dupree (above) answers the eternal Sondheimian question “Does anyone still wear a hat?” • The Atlantic: John McWhorter does a better job expressing what I tried to say last week about that Pete Buttigieg ‘Lying MF’ hit piece essay. • NY Post: A woman in Brazil was sentenced to 25 years in prison for stabbing her gay son to death after the hitmen she hired didn’t get it done. • Tweet of the Day: Paul Rudnick re-captions this photo from the White House in perfect form.

• White House: For the third year in a row, Donald Trump did not mention LGBTQ people in his World AIDS Day proclamation. It goes without saying that, while not a ‘gay’ disease, HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects LGBTQ people. • The Hill: Donald Trump loves to nickname his political opponents and he’s decided the latest entrant in the Democratic primary will be called “Mini Mike Bloomberg.” For the record, Bloomberg is 5’8″ tall. • Esquire: Still handsome, confident and charming at 82, Billy Dee Williams comes out as gender fluid in a new interview. Williams returns to the role of ‘Lando Calrissian’ in the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. • Christmas Music: From the “required-listening” classic holiday album,  Barbra Streisand – A Christmas Album (1967).

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New Buttigieg Ad Goes Up In South Carolina

Mayor Pete Buttigieg listens to an African-American woman speak.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg listens to an African-American woman speak. The Hill reports Mayor Pete Buttigieg is putting $2 million behind his first campaign ad buy in South Carolina in advance of the upcoming Democratic primary in February. As has been widely reported, while the mayor has surged in Iowa and New Hampshire, he’s struggled with attracting black voters, which explains the new ad in South Carolina where black voters make up 60+ percent of the Democratic voting base. Says Buttigieg in the ad: “In our White House, you won’t have to shake your head and ask yourself, ‘Whatever happened to ‘I was hungry and you fed me. I was a stranger and you welcomed me.’ When I say we’ve got to unify the American people it doesn’t mean pretending that we’re all the same. It means unifying around issues from wages and family leave to gun violence and immigration. The hope of an American experience defined not by exclusion but by belonging.” According to the RealClearPolitics average, former Vice President Joe Biden has a strong lead in South Carolina, at 35.3 percent followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), at 16.3 percent, and Sen. Bernie Sanders(I-Vt.), at 12.8 percent. Buttigieg is in fourth place, at 6.5 percent.

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Elizabeth Warren’s Emotional Moment With LGBTQ Teen

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has an emotional moment with LGBTQ teen about acceptance Sen. Elizabeth Warren had a touching exchange about acceptance with a young LGBTQ voter during a campaign stop in Marion, Iowa. The Democratic White House hopeful was taking questions from the audience when a 17-year-old named Raelyn asked a question about acceptance. “I was wondering if there was ever a time in your life where somebody you really looked up to maybe didn’t accept you as much, and how you dealt with that?” asked the teen. Warren paused before answering, “Yeah – my mother and I had very different views of how to build a future.” “She wanted me to marry well, and I really tried, and it just didn’t work out,” continued the senator quietly as her voice broke. “And there came a day when I had to call her and say, this is over. I can’t make it work. And I heard the disappointment in her voice. I knew how she felt about it. But I also knew it was the right thing to do.” “And sometimes you just gotta do what’s right inside and hope that maybe the rest of the world will come around to it,” explained Warren. “And maybe they will and maybe they won’t. But the truth is, you’ve gotta take care of yourself first and do this.” Warren then walked over to the teen and the two hugged.

Raelyn (she asked to not share her last name) told ABC News after the event that Warren’s “care for the LGBTQ Community” is what captured her attention in the first place because “it’s been a struggle with that, with people close to me.” “She gives me hope, which is not something that I’ve really had with other politicians, and I’ve followed politics for a while,” she added. Raelyn says she’s also following the campaigns of openly gay Mayor Pete Buttigieg and progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, it’s Warren’s ‘authenticity’ that draws the teen in. “I just think she actually cares about the people that she talks about,” explained Raelyn while waiting in Warren’s selfie line. “I know everybody always says, oh, they’re just politicians. They’re just saying things to get your vote, but I don’t think it’s like that with her. I think she actually genuinely cares about what she’s saying.” Raelyn shared with the Massachusetts senator she plans to be a precinct captain for her campaign during the upcoming Iowa caucuses. (source: ABC News)