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Would You Hold The Rock’s Snake?

Jack Whitehall (L) and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson (R)

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, currently in production for his next flick, Disney’s Jungle Cruise, posted a pic to his social media recently with co-star, comedian/actor Jack Whitehall.

The photo featured the jovial Johnson having a good time as Whitehall handled The Rock’s snake.

No, not that kind of a snake – a real snake.

In the caption, Johnson shared, “On set of our DISNEY’S JUNGLE CRUISE and I made friends with a big ‘ol hungry Anaconda.”

Let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to make friends with Johnson’s anaconda?

“While my brave co-star and good buddy @jackwhitehall did his best to smile thru his fear of snakes,” continued the 46-year-old movie star. “Good times with the animals of the Amazon. Next, me and Jack will swim with the piranhas… completely against his will. The adventure of the lifetime. #AllAboard #Disney #JUNGLECRUISE”

For his part, Whitehall (who reportedly plays a gay character in the film) does seem good-natured about handling Johnson’ long buddy.

According to IMDB, the upcoming movie is “Based on Disneyland’s theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles, but with a supernatural element.”

The film, which also stars Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada, The Girl on the Train) is set for an October 2019 release.

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Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper Make Beautiful Music In ‘A Star Is Born’ Remake

Lady Gaga makes her feature film debut in the new film, aptly titled A Star Is Born, and critics are loving it.

 Lady Gaga makes her feature film debut in the new film, aptly titled A Star Is Born, and critics are loving it.

In this 4th iteration of the now-famous story (previous versions in 1937 with Janet Gaynor, 1954 with Judy Garland, and 1976 with Streisand) of a fading star falling in love with an unknown on a meteoric rise, Gaga is making her film debut as “Ally,” an unknown singer/songwriter who is discovered by Bradley Cooper’s hard-drinking country rocker, “Jackson Maine,” performing in a drag bar.

Sparks become chemistry becomes love, and off we go with Cooper and Gaga as he introduces her to the world and she tries to save him from his own self-destruction.

The movie, also Cooper’s directorial debut, recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival to spectacular results.

Critics raved:

 Entertainment Weekly says Gaga “deserves praise for her restrained, human-scale performance as a singer whose real-girl vulnerability lands miles away from the glittery meat-dress delirium of her own stage persona.”

“There’s a lot to love in Bradley Cooper’s entertaining remake of A Star is Born,” writes The Hollywood Reporter, adding Gaga is “captivating.”

The Guardian gushes about the film using terms as glowing as “outrageously watchable.” “colossally enjoyable” and “supercharged.”

Variety can’t seem to find enough superlatives: “Rapturous and swooning, but also delicate and intimate and luminous.”

And TIME gives much credit to Cooper’s directorial instincts that know the proper moments to step out of the spotlight: “Cooper fades into the corner at just the right moments, allowing Gaga to shine.”

A Star Is Born currently rates a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film is set for wide release October 5.

Check out snaps from Gaga’s gorgeous arrival on the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival below.

A post shared by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) on Sep 1, 2018 at 4:01am PDT

A post shared by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) on Sep 1, 2018 at 4:05am PDT

A post shared by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) on Sep 1, 2018 at 4:03am PDT

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Trump Celebrates Labor Day By Trolling Labor Union Head

Donald Trump celebrated Labor Day by criticizing the head of America's largest labor union, Richard Trumka of the AFL-CIO.
Donald Trump

Donald Trump celebrated Labor Day by criticizing the head of America’s largest labor union, Richard Trumka of the AFL-CIO.

Trumka had dared to suggest that Canada needs to be a part of any North American trade deal.

A few hours earlier, Trump boasted about low unemployment numbers ( a trend established over 7 years of the Obama administration) and “big progress” being made on the U.S. economy.

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Billboards In Texas To Showcase Anti-Cruz Trump Tweet

The race for Ted Cruz’s U.S. Senate seat keeps getting more and more heated as polls show Cruz in almost a dead heat with Democratic challenger, Rep. Beto O’Rourke.

Texas hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate in three decades.

Last week it was reported that an activist group is raising money to place anti-Cruz billboards in the state quoting a 2016 Donald Trump tweet which claimed Cruz was “all talk, no action.”

Trump has now announced that he would be holding a “major rally” for Cruz in Texas next month.

Several recent polls have shown Cruz and O’Rourke in a dead heat, though the deep-red state has not elected a Democrat to the Senate in three decades.

In related news, possible 2020 presidential challenger Michael Avenatti says he will hold a competing “resistance rally” in Texas at the same time as the Cruz/Trump event.

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First Tease Of ‘Roseanne’ Reboot Reboot – ‘The Connors’

Fans of the now-defunct sitcom Roseanne get their first tease of the reboot of the rebooted series, The Connors.

Fans of the now-defunct sitcom Roseanne get their first tease of the reboot of the rebooted series, The Connors.

The official synopsis reads:

“After a sudden turn of events, the Conners are forced to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before. This iconic family — Dan, Jackie, Darlene, Becky and D.J. — grapples with parenthood, dating, an unexpected pregnancy, financial pressures, aging and in-laws in working-class America. Through it all, the fights, the coupon cutting, the hand-me-downs, the breakdowns — with love, humor and perseverance, the family prevails.”

Television patriarch John Goodman spilled the beans this week in an interview with The Times that Roseanne’s character will definitely be killed off, saying, “I guess he’ll be mopey and sad because his wife’s dead.”

Goodman also commented on Roseanne’s now-infamous tweet that got her kicked to the curb by ABC that compared former White House advisor, Valerie Jarrett, to an ape.

“I know, I know for a fact she’s not racist,” Goodman told The Times.

In any case, after Roseanne was forced to sign away any future royalties for the upcoming The Connors, the new reboot is set to premiere October 16 at 8pm on ABC.

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Out Actor Kevin McHale Reveals Washboard Abs After 12-Week Transformation

Former GLEE star Kevin McHale

Whoa.

For years, Kevin McHale played wheelchair-bound TV geek “Artie Abrams” on the hit series, GLEE.

Well, check him out now.

McHale surprised folks this week as he revealed he’s gone from ‘high school geek’ to gaining pounds of muscle and shedding layers of fat.

In an interview with US Magazine, the 30-year-old says he was struggling with an intestine and digestion issue that left him “constantly in pain.”

After trying several elimination diets, he found his weight ballooning as his confidence began to spiral down.

The actor, who came out earlier this year, eventually found his way to a personal training studio in Los Angeles called Ultimate Performance.

Powering through 4-5 workout sessions a week, McHale was soon on the road to an amazing physical transformation in only 12 weeks.

Key to the amazing progress McHale made was having a personal trainer who pushed him past his perceived boundaries in the gym and into results mode.

(image courtesy of Ultimate Performance)

And, nutrition became a new obsession. In addition to learning to eat a balanced diet of healthy fats, vegetables, complex carbs and proteins, McHale learned to keep a food diary, tracking every bite he took.

“I became obsessed with logging my food,” McHale told US. “I’d also be rating my energy, sleep and digestion each day.”

Sundays became “meal prep day” as McHale would take the time to plan for the week ahead, ensuring there would be tasty food at the ready.

Happy with his new physical condition, McHale echoed the sentiments of many who have put in the work to get on the road to better health.

“[Before,] I felt bad about my body,” he shared. “When you’re investing your time and energy into yourself in this way, it changes so much of your life.”

Check out the report from EXTRA below.

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California Lawmaker Pulls ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban Bill

California Assemblyman Evan Low

A California lawmaker surprised many when he pulled his bill, Assembly Bill 2943, which would have made so-called ‘conversion therapy’ a fraudulent business practice in the Golden State.

Assemblyman Evan Low (D) was one vote from seeing AB2943 being sent to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk to be signed into law. The measure had already passed by solid margins in both the Assembly and Senate.

But Low pulled the legislation from consideration after meeting with faith leaders who hold strong objections to the proposed law.

From The Sacramento Bee:

Conservative religious groups vigorously objected to the legislation, which they considered an attack on their First Amendment freedoms. Some churches and other faith-based organizations offer programs that they say help individuals to overcome unwanted same-sex attractions.

Because it applies to consumer transactions, AB 2943 would not have outlawed religious counseling to change an individual’s sexuality or other conversion therapy services if they are offered free of charge. But opponents had promised to challenge the measure in court.

In a statement, Low said his meetings with religious leaders left him “feeling hopeful.”

“I believe every person who attended these meetings left with a greater understanding for the underlying reason and intention of this bill to create a loving and inclusive environment for all,” said Low. “However, I believe there is still more to learn.”

California banned the practice of ‘conversion therapy’ on minors by licensed mental health practitioners back in 2012. AB 2943 would have expanded the ban to adults.

Low’s personal investment in the legislation is deeply personal to him as an openly gay man who experienced confusion as a young man coming to terms with his sexuality.

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Cameras Catch Ivanka Trump Texting During McCain Funeral

And my last post on the funeral of Sen. John McCain today.

Just one small moment that illustrates the Trump family’s woeful lack of honest compassion or decency.

During Sen. Joe Lieberman’s eulogy, cameras caught First Daughter Ivanka Trump texting on her phone.

At a funeral.

I really don’t need to add anything else, do I?

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Obama On McCain: We Never Doubted ‘We Were On The Same Team’

President Barack Obama, speaking thoughtfully and with grace, honored his former presidential opponent, Sen. John McCain today, reminding a worldwide audience of McCain’s sense of duty, honor, and yes, humor.

Just a few highlights as the we were all reminded of two of America’s higher angels: dignity and respect.

Obama offered a long view on how class versus crass handles differences in politics. After referencing the “petty” and the “mean,” he closed the thought with a quote from For Whom The Bell Tolls:

“So much of our politics can seem small and mean and petty. Trafficking in bombast and insult, phony controversies and manufactured outrage. It’s a politics that pretends to be brave and tough, but is instead born of fear.

“John called on us to be bigger than that, to be better than that.

“Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be, but what will happen in all the other days will depend on what you do today. What better way to honor John McCain than follow his example.”

Even President George W. Bush couldn’t resist the temptation to draw comparisons between the current occupant of the White House and McCain: “John detested the abuse of power. He could not abide bigots and swaggering despots.”

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Meghan McCain Trolls Trump At Father’s Funeral: “America Was Always Great”

Eulogizing her father, Sen. John McCain, Meghan McCain took a none too veiled swipe at Donald Trump as she reminded the world, "The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because America was always great."

Eulogizing her father, Sen. John McCain, Meghan McCain took a none too veiled swipe at Donald Trump as she reminded the world, “The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because America was always great.”

And the audience broke into applause.

Watch below.

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman offered his own comparison of temperament as he told the gathering, “His death seems to have reminded the American people that these values are what makes us a great nation. Not the tribal partisanship and personal attack politics. In a way, it’s the last great gift that John McCain gave America.”

According to news reports, Donald Trump, who was pointedly not invited to the funeral service of McCain, left the White House midway through Meghan’s eulogy.