Category: Uncategorized

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Video Highlights: Broadway Bares 2017 Raises $1.6 Million

Produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Broadway Bares: Strip U raised $1,568,114 in two performances on June 18, 2017 at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom.

Broadway Bares: Strip U was the 2017 edition of the striptease spectacular that is one of the hottest tickets in town each year.

At Broadway Bares 2017, a spirited audience of thousands went back to campus with stripped-down collegians who offered a sexy lacrosse scrimmage, Pavlovian psychology experiment, pumped-up pep rally and fierce feminist studies class.

Broadway Bares 2017 stripped away the fears of freshmen and saluted seniors as a journey across the Strip U campus took us to a seductive observatory, exploding chemistry lab, steamy fine arts class, frat party-turned-Greek god fantasy, a lesson in stiletto strutting and on a trip to Cuba for a sizzling semester studying abroad.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations.

By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised more than $285 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

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CNN’s Jim Acosta: White House Spokesman Sean Spicer Is “Kind Of Useless”

CNN’s Jim Acosta is pretty much DONE with the lack of communication coming out of the White House these days.

Today saw the White House daily press briefing devolve into an off-the-air, no cameras, no audio recording “gaggle” where Spicer basically offered no answers to questions asked by the White House press corp.

“The White House press secretary is getting to a point, Brooke, where he’s just kind of useless,” Acosta told CNN’s Brooke Baldwin. “You know, if he can’t come out and answer the questions and they’re not going to do this on camera or audio…why are we having these briefings or gaggles in the first place?”

According to Politico, Spicer is pushing to move into a new position that would oversee communications for the entire White House, advocating for a new press secretary to take his place. Fox News personality Laura Ingraham has apparently met with the powers that be in the Trump administration about the position.

The president hasn’t held a true press conference since February.

Watch Acosta’s justified frustrations below.

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Have You Heard About The “New” Rainbow Flag?

You may have heard about the recent kerfuffle regarding the Pride folks in Philadelphia adding black and brown stripes to the Rainbow Flag in an effort to display inclusivity for black and brown LGBTs.

The new stripes opened a can of worms between those who appreciated the added inclusivity and those who think the flag was perfect as it is.

My thoughts?

Whatever gets your Pride on. I’m all about everyone being included. So, if you want to fly an 8 striped rainbow flag versus a six striped flag, have at it.

If you were to ask me which flag I prefer, I have to say the six striped version we’ve all come to love for 40+ years.

Why? Because as an artist I honor the flag that was designed with thought by LGBT activist Gilbert Baker. His flag was based on values, not race – Life, Healing, Sunlight, Nature, Serenity, Spirit.

Baker’s flag was/is fundamentally inclusive of everyone already.

That said, over the years there have been other variations on the rainbow flag to represent certain groups within the LGBT tribe like the bear flag and the transgender flag.

Bear community flag

Transgender flag

At the end of the day, I say go with whatever flag gets your pride up. What matters to me is that everyone get out and proud and visible as your authentic, awesome selves.

Happy Pride, kids!

Watch out my buddy and radio host Joe Votruba share both sides of the (silly) argument.

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Mark Your Calendars – Will & Grace Returns To NBC September 28


 Will & Grace will return to NBC on September 28th as part of the peacock network’s Thursday night “Must See TV” comedy block.

With Superstore slated for 8PM, followed by The Good Place at 8:30PM, the long-awaited Will & Grace revival will premiere at 9PM, and Great News will close out the laugh-fest.

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News Round-Up: June 19, 2017

Facial hair didn’t keep these two from finding gay bliss
(via Instagram)

Some news items you may have missed:

• A religious leader for Russia’s Old Believers is urging Russian men to stop shaving because growing a beard will “protect themselves from homosexuality.” The man has clearly never attended Bear Week.

• A straight man, who was the victim of anti-gay animus for years because his employers perceived him to be gay, has been awarded $17.4 million in a discrimination law suit.

• As the Texas legislature heads back to Austin for a special session called by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in part to consider an anti-transgender “bathroom bill,” a new poll by the University of Texas/Texas Tribune shows only 44% of Texas voters feel the bill is “important” while 47% do not.

• No Justice No Pride, the group that temporarily disrupted the Capital Pride Parade in Washington, D.C., last week, say they are planning a similar action for the upcoming New York City Pride March this coming Sunday. The group opposes, among other things, allowing police officers to march in Pride parades, increasing the number of black and brown queer and trans on Pride committees and ending corporate sponsorships by companies that have a determined negative impact on the LGBTQ community.

• The New York City Council is considering a proposal that would make it illegal for anyone to charge a fee for therapy that aims to change a person’s sexual orientation.

• MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle highlights the increasing number of anti-LGBTQ bills, noting that more than 100 bills in 29 states have been introduced in statehouses across the country. The majority of these bills target the transgender community, or aim to give taxpayer-funded agencies and employees a ‘license to discriminate’ against the LGBTQ community. Watch below.

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Video: Jared Kushner Speaks!

For some months now, folks have noted that Trump son-in-law (and White House advisor) Jared Kushner keeps a relatively low profile when it comes to the public.

In fact, most of us have never heard the sound of his voice.

Today, Kushner spoke to technology executives about plans to address outdated systems that are as much as 56 years old and hinder the work of departments like the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Department.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you… Jared Kushner.

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Boy George Reinvents Village People Classic “YMCA” For Aussie Marriage Equality

Boy George, currently serving as a judge on The Voice Australia, has teamed up with YMCA Australia to reinvent the Village People hit, YMCA,” in an effort to shine a spotlight on issues important to Australian youth like marriage equality, mental health and youth unemployment.

But George did pause, initially, in approaching the iconic disco hit.

Via The Daily Telegraph:

“I thought absolutely not. How could you cover that song?” he said. “The thing about covering songs, you have to get inside the song and see if it works and when I started to listen to the lyrics they were weirdly revealing.”

Now, after recording the song as part of the charity organisation’s new campaign, the 56-year-old loves the new, stripped back version. “I started to think, this is going to really work in my shows.”

I always find the idea of slowing down a classic hit in order to mine “new gold” an interesting premise. As we’ve all seen with other covers, not every song benefits from a thoughtful revisit. I agree with BG here, though. The lyrics do have something new to offer, and he’s found something here.

I like 🙂

Watch the music video below.

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Trump Silent On Terrorist Attack Targeting Muslims

Terrible attack this morning in London leaving 10 dead.

Via CNN:

A man arrested after a van plowed into a crowd of worshippers near a mosque in north London is now being held on suspicion of terrorism offenses, police say.

A man died and 10 people were injured in the assault, the latest in a series of terror attacks to hit the UK this year.

The 47-year-old white man was wrestled to the ground by members of the public and then arrested at the scene, officials said.

Eyewitnesses reported chaotic scenes as the incident unfolded just after midnight, when evening Ramadan prayers had finished.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said the attack was directed at Muslims and condemned it as “every bit as sickening” as deadly Islamist attacks that hit the country in recent months.

President Trump, who usually leaps to his Twitter account to denounce terrorist attacks, has been strangely silent this morning.

But then, the targets here appear to be Muslims, and Trump does have a history of moving slowly in terms of standing up for the Muslim community.

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Georgia Congressional Race Tightens Heading Into Election Day

Everyone following politics these days is focusing on tomorrow’s race in Georgia for the state’s 6th Congressional seat where Republican Karen Handel is in a tight, tight race with Democrat Jon Ossoff.

Polls show Ossoff with a small lead heading into election day, and the political rhetoric reflects that as Handel’s surrogates are spouting brash, baseless lines to her supporters to gin up votes at the ballot box.

Worst of the bunch is Brad Carver, GOP chairman of the neighboring 11th Congressional District in Georgia, who speaking about the recent shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise told the Washington Post, “I’ll tell you what: I think the shooting is going to win this election for us.”

Additionally, President Trump made a pitch to his followers this morning with this tweet.

In April, Ossoff won the primary with 48% and Handel trailing a distant 20%.

Of the 15 best-educated districts in the country, this traditionally Republican district is the only one Mr. Trump won in November, and by only a scant 1.5% margin.