As if perpetually-in-motion RuPaul didn’t have enough on his plate, now we get word that the two-time Emmy Award winner will soon star in a new series for Netflix titled, AJ and the Queen.
Ru will team-up with Michael Patrick King (2 Broke Girls, Sex and the City) for the new original comedy series.
According to Deadline, King and RuPaul will pen the new sitcom which will feature RuPaul as “Ruby Red, a bigger-than-life but down-on-her-luck drag queen who travels across America from club to club in a rundown 1990’s R/V with her unlikely sidekick AJ, a recently orphaned, tough-talking, scrappy 11-year-old stowaway.”
So two misfits – one tall, one small – sashaying across the country, spreading a message of acceptance and love.
Kind of like BJ and the Bear meets Touched by an Angel just with a lot more sass.
Oh, and apparently Mama Ru will perform a killer musical number in all the drag clubs visited.
Just as we come off our Love, Simon high, Netflix steps up to the plate with their own take on questioning high schoolers.
In the new coming-of-age film Alex Strangelove, produced by Ben Stiller, we meet way-cute, wide-eyed high school senior “Alex Truelove” (played by Daniel Downey) who seems to have it all.
Life seems pretty sweet for young Alex until his girlfriend (Madeline Weinstein of Beach Rats) begins to pressure him about that major teen milestone – losing his virginity. Suddenly, Alex isn’t so sure about which team he plays for.
Adding to the confusion is “Elliott,” a gay teen (played by out actor Antonio Marziale) who clearly sparks an interest in Alex.
Here’s the official synopsis:
High school senior Alex Truelove (Daniel Doheny) has it all – the grades, the girlfriend (Madeline Weinstein), and the motley crew of hilarious friends. Everything is smooth sailing until Alex shares that he’s decided to part ways with his virginity – and meets Elliott (Antonio Marziale), a sweet and confident gay boy who isn’t shy about his instant crush on Alex…who may or may not feel the same. Rocketed into a endearing and amusing journey of sexual and self-exploration, Alex ultimately learns that like so much of growing up, love can be confusing. And that’s okay.
Director Craig Johnson (The Skeleton Twins) recently told Entertainment Weekly that he’s thrilled the film landed at Netflix, “because you can be a closeted kid in rural Wyoming and access it, where you might not have gone to it were it playing in the theater.”
The film feels very much in the same vein as recent hit Love, Simon, and we couldn’t be happier. More gay rom-coms!
Alex Strangelove premieres on Netflix June 8. Watch the trailer below.
Thanks to Matt Rettenmund of Boy Culture, who knows all things Madonna, for finding the intersectionality of a recent social media post by Madge and one of my favoritest moments in movie history.
Inspired by this tweet earlier this week following the Met Gala:
Literally one of my favorite moments ever from a film – from Postcards from the Edge between Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine – “It TWIRLED up!”
Six weeks after the deadly bombing spree by 23-year-old Mark Conditt in Austin and San Antonio police are still searching for clues as to the motivation for his actions.
New evidence suggests it’s possible internalized homophobia may have played a part.
Conditt’s early life revolved around being home-schooled by his conservative Christian family. He attended church each week and took part in Christian youth groups.
But in 2012, Conditt penned an online essay while attending Austin Community College that virulently denounced homosexuality.
The blog post read, in part:
Homosexuality is not natural. Just look at the male and female bodies. They are obviously designed to couple. The natural design is apparent. It is not natural to couple male with male and female with female. It would be like trying to fit two screws together and to nuts together and then say, “See, it’s natural for them to go together.” In addition, political protection of a sexual practice is ludicrous. I do not believe it is proper to pass laws stating that homosexuals have ‘rights.’ What about pedophilia or bestiality? These are sexual practices. Should they also be protected by law? If homosexuality is protected by law, why not those as well?
It was around this time that Conditt also cut off a childhood friend, Sierra Jane Davis, whom he knew from the Pflugerville home-school community.
When she shared the news that she was transitioning, “He told me that he couldn’t support my decision to live this life,” said Davis.
But then there was a turning point for Conditt.
He ceased attending church, quit Christianity and announced he was an atheist.
It was that revelation that led police to discover he had used Grindr to exchange messages with men.
It’s not apparent if his family knew he was out.
When asked about the possibility, Davis says, “It’s not something we talked about, but I do know that it would have been difficult for him and his family.”
Currently there’s no proof that he was working with a terrorist or paramilitary organizations. Nor are there any white supremacist or racially-motivated clues to point to at this time.
White House communications aide Kelly Sadler demonstrated yesterday the Trump Nation disdain for being “politically correct” by offering a distasteful assessment of Sen. John McCain’s opposition to Trump’s nominee for CIA director, Gina Haspel.
Said Sadler of McCain, “It doesn’t matter, he’s dying anyway.”
Special assistant Kelly Sadler made the derisive comments during a closed-door White House meeting of about two-dozen communications staffers on Thursday morning.
“It doesn’t matter, he’s dying anyway,” Sadler said, according to a source familiar with the remarks at the meeting.
The White House did not deny the account of Sadler’s remarks, which came amid a discussion of Haspel’s nomination and McCain’s opposition to it.
A WH official confirms WH aide Kelly Sadler mocked John McCain’s cancer diagnosis saying “he’s dying anyway” in response to his opposition to Haspel nomination. The “joke… fell flat” the official said.
Meghan McCain on Kelly Sadler’s comments about her father: "I don't understand what kind of environment you're working in when that would be acceptable and then you could come to work the next day and still have a job." (via ABC) pic.twitter.com/WpiMGPlYUw— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 11, 2018
“It was a hard day yesterday,” Meghan McCain says on @TheView, but adds: “My father’s legacy is going to be talked about for hundreds and hundreds of years. These people? Nothingburgers.”
The White House communications official who mocked “dying” McCain during a meeting, is @kellysadler45. Our taxes pay her damn salary. Oh, one more thing. Kindly, don’t ever talk to me again about the cruelty of a “smoky-eye” joke. https://t.co/sGtDlcsJD4
For those who may not recall, McCain served his country in the Air Force, was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for years where he was tortured, spent decades in Congress and was the 2008 Republican presidential candidate.
Whether you agree or disagree with his political positions, few have dedicated their lives to the U.S. as McCain has. Surely in a White House meeting a little more decorum could be found?
Out singer-songwriter Be Steadwell has released her first full studio album, Queer Love Songs, featuring first single “Sometimes.”
This is quite delicious.
In announcing the release, Steadwell shares, “I’m a black, queer, woman, singer songwriter and I believe that everybody deserves a cheesy love song. That’s why I wrote Queer Love Songs.”
Steadwell describes “Sometimes” as a sweet and earnest love song reflecting on the experience of loving a gender non-binary partner.
The track has a sweet, undeniable honesty and authenticity reminiscent of Joni Mitchell; intoxicating and warm like a full-bodied chardonnay.
Queer Love Songs is the follow-up album to last summer’s Breakup Songs which was the impetus for her second sold out European tour in the fall of 2017.
Steadwell was a part of the star-studded line up of 2017’s Women’s March in Washington DC, sharing the stage with Madonna, Ashley Judd, Janelle Monae, and The Indigo Girls among many more artists standing up for women’s rights and social freedom in the current political climate.
Head over to Steadwell’s official website for all up and coming tour dates.
Hit play below and enjoy. “Sometimes” – it just feels good.
So, who’s up for breaking the record for the world’s biggest orgy?
An organization called Menage Life has sent out a clarion call for folks to come take part of what they hope to be a record-breaking event in Las Vegas on June 2.
The goal is to get 1,000 folks to check in and put the sin in Sin City. The previous record was in Japan with a paltry 500 people in 2007.
According to Las Vegas Weekly, participants will have to pay to play.
Players must purchase an appropriate Sin City 8 pass (for the orgy, couples are $200 and single women are $25) and arrive with a registered partner (no single men are allowed) and photo ID before getting down.
And mutual consent will be strictly enforced by onlooking security officers “who are members of the lifestyle,” according to the website. Those making advances without permission or failing to heed the word “no” will be removed from the premises.
Participants will also receive free condoms, lubricants, towels, hand sanitizer and other sex complements, with event organizers promising a clean space with clearly marked and separate receptacles for waste and linen disposal.
Menage Life will also distribute masquerade party-style masks for those requiring discretion, setting the stage for a giant, Eyes Wide Shut-like fantasia.
Now, gay couples aren’t mentioned in the info, so maybe you and the bf go check in as a couple.
Or, find a gal pal to attend with you. I have a feeling if the men attending are all swingers, someone is going to have an itch you can scratch.
Anyway, if groups – and I mean BIG groups – are your thing… check it out.
(I’m using the GH cover as this version has been remastered)
A little #TBT action as I sit back a relive the days I wore down my cassette tape (!!!) of this duet, “If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful,” by Jermaine Jackson and a young Whitney Houston.
A bit of history about this recording: Whitney was deemed ineligible for “Best New Artist” in 1986 when her first solo album dropped because this duet with Jermaine had been released prior and she was considered “not new.”
Isn’t that silly? Anyway…
Everything here takes me back: the oh-so-80s music production, Jermaine’s light but shining vocals, and then – my girl.
So much here was a sign of what was to come. So sweet in the beginning, but take note of moments like the 2:40 mark and 3:32. Boom!
My bestie Matt and I rewound those tapes over and over and over to hear the awesome over-the-bar key change and those rocking riffs.
The summit will be the first face-to-face meeting between a sitting American president and the North Korean leader. Releasing the hostages removed a significant obstacle for Mr. Trump as he heads into the peace talks. A senior United States official said their release was an American condition to the talks.
The president praised Mr. Kim and said he was “nice in letting them go before the meeting.” Last year Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim threatened nuclear war against each other’s countries.
“We’re starting off on a new footing,” Mr. Trump said early on Thursday.
Mr. Trump hopes to convince Mr. Kim to abandon his nuclear weapons and the missiles that can carry them.
The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th. We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!
Condoleezza Rice on Trump’s summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un: “The North Koreans have a history of, when they’re under sanctions and they start to bite, coming to the table, making promises, and then not carrying through with them.” https://t.co/S4sNu8OPIApic.twitter.com/rZ2x9HYwRK
