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Olivia Newton-John Talks About Grief & Loss Through Her New Album LIV ON

International superstar and multiple Grammy Award-winner Olivia Newton-John, with her friends Grammy nominee Beth Nielsen Chapman and SOCAN Award-winner Amy Sky, joined forces to create LIV ON, a collaborative, eleven-song collection which focuses on uplifting hearts burdened by grief while at the same time bring comfort to the listener.

Olivia Newton-John and her collaborators sat down with me to talk about the new album intended to aid & comfort those experiencing grief and loss while using the power of music to heal.

This inspiring new project grew out of the three artists’ personal experiences with loss and illness, which they all survived to “LIV ON” and celebrate each day with a depth of gratitude.

“LIV ON” – means “to thrive, to have hope and to remember.” The message is clear in the lyrics of the album’s title song:

Live on, Live on
Brighter skies will come again
Cry the tears you cry
And then live on, live on
Love is all we leave when we are gone…Live on

Loss and grief occur for many reasons – whether it’s losing a loved one, a relationship, one’s health, a pet, or a job, to name just a few. It’s important to remember that each person’s grief is as individual as his or her DNA – and there truly is no timeline for healing from loss.

Olivia, Beth and Amy called upon their personal experiences in creating this collection of songs which will aid, uplift and comfort those working their way through the maze of grief and loss.

You can learn more about LIV ON by clicking here.

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Trailer: Upcoming SENSE8 Christmas Special On Netflix

Netflix released a trailer this week for the Wachowskis’ Sense8 Christmas Special that will be released on December 23.

The 2 hour holiday special basically acts as the first episode of season 2 of the popular series that chronicles the lives of 8 individuals who realize they have become connected mentally and physically even though they live scattered across the globe.

While the second 10-episode season will premiere on May 5, this holiday special seems to pick up right where the season one ended.

I loved the first season, although I’d admit it took some time to understand the premise. The creators really took their time letting the story unfold. It wasn’t until about episode 5 that I felt I understood what was going on. And then, of course, the very sexy hot tub scene in episode 6 that made our heads explode over the gorgeous sensuality.

Several LGBT story lines are woven throughout the series, including uber-sexy Miguel Ángel Silvestre who plays “Lito Rodriguez,” a Mexican film star who gets outed during season one.

Don’t miss this premiere on December 23rd.

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North Carolina GOP Governor Signs Legislation That Limits His Democratic Successor’s Powers

Outgoing North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R)

Shady shenanigans going on in North Carolina as sore loser Gov. Pat McCrory called a special session for the Republican controlled state legislature.

The point of the session was to pass bills which would now limit the powers of the incoming Governor-elect Roy Cooper, a Democrat who defeated McCrory in a bitter campaign this fall.

McCrory spent weeks delaying the certification of the election trying to say there had been vote tampering and more. No evidence was found, and Cooper was declared the winner.

But, in the aftermath of that defeat, McCrory took a final slap against his opponent.

From NBC News:

The bill McCrory signed on Friday merges the State Board of Elections and State Ethics Commission into one entity comprised equally of Democrats and Republicans. Previous state law would have allowed Cooper to put a majority of Democrats on the board, which sets the rules for the state’s notoriously burdensome balloting.

The measure also makes elections for appellate court judgeships partisan by requiring candidates to be listed on the ballot alongside their political party.

Protesters packed the halls of the General Assembly Friday as lawmakers voted on another bill that would require Senate confirmation for cabinet appointments. The state Senate voted to approve that measure Friday afternoon, sending it back to the state House for final consideration.

At least 16 people were arrested Friday, according to General Assembly police.

The series of measures were introduced in a surprise move Wednesday during a special session ostensibly called by the General Assembly to consider relief for Hurricane Matthew victims. Lawmakers did indeed approve a $201 million aid package earlier in the day, but then moved onto the legislation aimed at curbing the power of Cooper, who beat Republican McCrory last month by about 10,000 votes.

House Bill 17, which McCrory is expected to sign, legislates that Cooper’s cabinet picks must be approved by the GOP-controlled state Senate.

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Donald Trump Acknowledges His Followers Were “Vicious” And “Violent” During Campaign

During a stop on his “thank you” tour in Orlando, President-elect Donald Trump on Friday admitted that his followers were “vicious” and “violent” during the campaign:

“You people were vicious, violent, screaming, ‘Where’s the wall? We want the wall!’ Screaming, ‘Prison! Prison! Lock her up!’ I mean you are going crazy. I mean, you were nasty and mean and vicious and you wanted to win, right?”

 “But now, you’re mellow and you’re cool and you’re not nearly as vicious or violent, right? Because we won, right?”

You’ll recall that during the campaign, Trump often denied violence occurred at his rallies, saying any such incidents were caused by “plants” who were paid to disrupt.

Many times, however, Trump told his crowds he would pay the legal fees of any supporter who was arrested for punching an anti-Trump protester.

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FBI Director Now Supports CIA Position That Russia Interfered In US Election To Help Trump

FBI Director James Comey

The FBI now supports the findings by the CIA that the Russian government interfered in the U.S. presidential election to throw the win to Donald Trump.

From The Washington Post:

FBI Director James B. Comey and Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. have backed a CIA assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election in part to help Donald Trump win the presidency, according to U.S. officials.

Comey’s support for the CIA’s conclusion suggests that the leaders of the three agencies are in agreement on Russian intentions, contrary to suggestions by some lawmakers that the FBI disagreed with the CIA.

“Earlier this week, I met separately with (Director) FBI James Comey and DNI Jim Clapper, and there is strong consensus among us on the scope, nature, and intent of Russian interference in our presidential election,” CIA Director John Brennan said in a message to the agency’s workforce, according to U.S. officials who have seen the message.

“The three of us also agree that our organizations, along with others, need to focus on completing the thorough review of this issue that has been directed by President Obama and which is being led by the DNI,” Brennan’s message read.

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Obama On Hillary: “I Don’t Think She Was Treated Fairly During The Election”

At his final White House press conference for 2016, President Obama told reporters:

“I couldn’t be prouder of Secretary Clinton, her outstanding service; I think she’s worked tirelessly on behalf of the American people. And I don’t think she was treated fairly during the election.”

And he’s right.

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San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus Closes Holiday Concert With Tribute To Tommy Tune

The San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus brought their Holiday concert to a close this year with a rendition of “Hooray For Our Favorite Son” from the 1991 Tony-winning musical The Will Rogers Follies.

The number was choreographed, as we now say, “in the style of” Tommy Tune.

Here’s a link to the Tony Award performance of the number back in 1991.

They really nail it, and the crowd clearly loved it.

(h/t JoeMyGod)

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Hillary Clinton: Putin Targeted My Presidential Run Because “He Has A Personal Beef With Me”

Speaking to a group of donors in New York City yesterday, Hillary Clinton acknowledged the effect Russian cyber-hacking had on her campaign saying Russian President Putin targeted her “because he has a personal beef against me.”

Via the New York Times:

“Putin publicly blamed me for the outpouring of outrage by his own people, and that is the direct line between what he said back then and what he did in this election,” Mrs. Clinton said.

It is the first time Mrs. Clinton has publicly addressed the impact of the hacks since the intelligence community concluded that they were specifically aimed at harming her campaign.

“Make no mistake, as the press is finally catching up to the facts, which we desperately tried to present to them during the last months of the campaign,” Mrs. Clinton told the group, which collectively poured roughly $1 billion into her effort. “This is not just an attack on me and my campaign, although that may have added fuel to it. This is an attack against our country. We are well beyond normal political concerns here. This is about the integrity of our democracy and the security of our nation.”

In her remarks, she endorsed the proposal of a bipartisan group of senators to investigate the hacking and said the inquiry should be modeled on the commission set up after the Sept. 11 attacks. “The public deserves to know exactly what happened, and why, in order for us to prevent future attacks on our systems, including our electoral system,” she said.

Mrs. Clinton said the hacking was one of two “unprecedented” events that led to her defeat. The other was the release of a letter by James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director, shortly before the election disclosing new questions about emails handled by her private server. The letter, she said, cost her close races in several battleground states.

“Swing-state voters made their decisions in the final days breaking against me because of the F.B.I. letter from Director Comey,” she said.

I agree with Hillary 100% on the two “events.” While the trickle-out of the DNC email hacking had a slow burn effect, Comey’s letter at the end was like a surgical coup de grâce which sliced off just the right degree of swing voters at the end of the race.