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Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders

I grew up in Texas, and as such, it was a genetic requirement to be a Dallas Cowboys fan.  But a lot of fans tune in for different action on the sidelines.  The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders have been an iconic part of football for over 4 decades.  I get a lot of mileage out of joking about making note of the “costumes” when watching football, but in this instance, it’s kind of hard to miss.  And let’s face it – when you’ve got a Porsche, you don’t keep it in the garage.

Whether gay or straight, how could you not love the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders?  They’re gorgeous and clearly love what they do.

The Auditions
Each spring up to 600 young women from across America converge on Texas Stadium in pursuit of their dream to become a member of the DCC. The basic requirements are: (a) Ladies must be at least 18 years of age; (b) They must be a high school graduate; (c) They must be attending college or hold a part-time/full-time job – yes, being a full-time mother and homemaker counts; and (d) if selected they must reside in the Dallas/Fort Worth area during their tenure as a Cheerleader. And although they receive a bye into the Finals, even the members of the previous years squad must once again compete in the hope of reclaiming a position.

The Uniform
Since first introduced with the formation of the squad in 1972, there have been only six modifications to the uniform. In May of 1989 the original “go-go” boot had gone out of style and a more western oriented design was selected. In 1991, the large buckled belt was left behind in favor of shorts with a more flattering cut. 1992 brought a cowboy-style boot to the uniform, and in 1993 crystals were added to outline the fifteen stars on the vest and shorts. 1994 brought a more western shape to the blouse lapels, and finally, in 1999 crystals were added to the fringe line of the vest.

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My 1,000th blog post

Wow – my 1,000th blog post.

I began this blog on January 28th of this year.  It was Michael’s idea.  Michael has enjoyed my writing (and coped with my opinions) for a long time, and has always encouraged me to do more.

When Michael suggested the idea of my starting a blog, all I could think was “who would read it besides Michael?”

I also wondered what would I say?

And would I offend anyone?  (this was bound to happen….)

Since then, I have gone from 3,000 visits my first month (still wondering how that happened) to over 30,000 visits this past month.  The blog has opened the door to my writing several magazine articles, and I’ve been flattered to have been a guest on some very fun radio shows.

More than those things, I really enjoy doing this.  A lot.

I realize I tend to obsess on some topics: marriage equality, equal rights, the former half-term governor of Alaska, the Congresswoman & Ladybird Bachmann, the Chippendales, the incredible Ben Cohen, Vanessa Williams and of course, my favorite werewolf Joe Manganiello, among other things.

I’m guessing readers have gotten to know a bit about who I am, what I care about, what I think is funny, and how I got here through all the bits and pieces I’ve posted.

A big ‘thank you’ to all of you who check in here at The Randy Report – not only for my serious political voice, or my musings on life with Michael, the Brun and the puppies, but for my silly posts that I hope make a few minutes a day a little more fun.  That’s a big point of this.  This isn’t cancer research.  And I know a little something about that, too.

Please keep coming back (often).  It really is a lot of fun thinking someone gets something out of this.

I know I do.

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The Unisphere in Flushing Meadows near the US Open

Gorgeous pic of the Unisphere, as photographed yesterday by terrific NYC photog Inga Sarda-Sorensen, in Flushing Meadows near the US Open Tennis Tournament.

12 stories high, the Unisphere is one of Queens borough’s most iconic and enduring symbols. Commissioned to celebrate the beginning of the space age, the Unisphere was conceived and constructed as the theme symbol of the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair.

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Brad Pitt Will Produce ‘The Normal Heart’ movie

The long-gestating film adaptation of ‘The Normal Heart,’ Larry Kramer’s blistering autobiographical play about the early years of the AIDS epidemic, is now closer to becoming a reality with superstar producer Brad Pitt on board, reports Variety. 

Pitt’s Plan B production company will coproduce the film with Ryan Murphy, who will also direct.

The film is expected to star Mark Ruffalo as Ned Weeks, the character author Larry Kramer based on himself, and Julia Roberts as Dr. Emma Brookner. No start date has been announced.

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NOM’s Brian Brown goes on auto-pilot and loses Fox News marriage equality debate

Well, bless his little, tiny, itty-bitty, eentsy-teensy heart – Brian Brown of the mean and nasty “National Organization for Marriage” clearly decided he would take this TV appearance but forgot to turn off the “auto-pilot.”

John Stossel asks, quite directly, ‘how does same-sex marriage threaten heterosexual marriage’ and Brian just starts with his tired old talking points as if he can’t even hear the questions anymore.  PS – he never answers the question.

It’s almost sad, if it weren’t so icky what he does to the LGBT community.  Never does he articulate HOW a same-sex marriage threatens anyone else’s marriage.  The one tired idea he comes up with (twice) is that marriage benefits a child in having a mother and father.  But many marriages are childless – people who don’t want children, people who marry after child rearing years, etc… and he never addresses why those couples are not in the mix with gay or lesbians couples who may not have children?

Marriage is a civil issue.  It is based on a civil marriage license issued by a civil government that attaches civil rights to a legally married couple.  Thus, a legal marriage license is about civil rights.

Having been with my husband for 17 years, and legally married for 8 years, I haven’t noticed the sky fall any where near me.  I have heterosexual friends who’ve known me for decades (who are also conservatives) who don’t care about my marriage.  And I have neighbors who know Michael and I who have said clearly “we don’t care about any of that.”

I am guessing that Brian Brown is probably more interested in his paycheck than anything else.  The tide is clearly changing and the more it changes the more likely it is that Brian Brown will soon be out of a job.  He will not be able to divert so much of the funds that NOM collects into a nice, healthy paycheck for himself. It will be interesting to see how long he stays in this line of work when it doesn’t pay well.

The more older, more traditional voters/citizens pass on, and the more the younger, more accepting voters/citizens attend the ballot box and don’t care about NOM’s sad divisive screed, the less Brian Brown will find a place for himself in this evolving world.

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Joe Manganiello – in clothes

OK.  So the obvious question is: why post pictures of Joe Manganiello in clothes?

Then a few more come to mind:
1. Who knew he had all these clothes to wear?
2. More important – WHY does he have all these clothes to wear? When you’ve got a Porsche, you don’t keep it in the garage…

Here are a few from a blog post entitled “35 Hottest Pictures Of Joe Manganiello Wearing Clothes.”  If you’d like to see more hit this link to see all 35 pics of Joe….  yes, wearing clothes…

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Poll: Majority of North Carolinians Oppose Amendment Banning Same-Sex Marriage

From Equality North Carolina: Fifty-six percent (56%) of North Carolina voters oppose or strongly oppose an amendment to the state constitution that would ban same-sex marriage, a five-point jump in the last two years, according to a February 2011 Elon University Poll, a non-partisan polling service.

The poll also showed a strong majority (57%) of North Carolinians support marriage or civil unions for same-sex couples, revealing a dramatic 9% increase in public support for marriage equality in only two years. This result mirrors two separate polls conducted by Public Policy Polling in March and July that also reveal majority support of legal recognitions for same-sex couples.

“Over the past year, Equality North Carolina has had thousands of conversations with citizens from across the state of every age, race and background who oppose this discriminatory legislation and the harm it would cause to LGBT North Carolinans, our economy and our state’s reputation,” said Alex Miller, interim executive director at Equality NC. “These polls reflect these findings and track with national data that suggests the appetite for constitutional bans of same-sex marriage is waning. When our legislators push this anti-gay marriage amendment, they do so without the approval of the majority of the citizens of our state. ”