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Video: Check Out The Sexy Highlights From ‘Broadway Bares 2019’

Cast members of ‘Broadway Bares: Take Off’
(photo: Billy Bustamante) 

Broadway’s sexiest event of the year, Broadway Bares, offered a spectacular romp around the world this past weekend, and we’ve got the video to prove it.

Over two performances at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City Sunday night, Broadway’s hottest dancers raised a record-breaking $2+ million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. Thanks to BC/EFA, men, women and children across the country receive lifesaving medications, health care, nutritious meals, counseling and emergency financial assistance.

This year’s theme, Broadway Bares: Take Off, featured nearly 200 performers onstage including Tony & Grammy Award winner Billy Porter, two-time Tony nominee Christopher Sieber, GLEE alum Alex Newell and Grammy/Tony nominee Ashley Park.

Check out the highlights reel:

The travel theme allowed the creators to take the audience on a sexy, sensual, fun-filled trip around the world.

One number, titled “Ground Crew,” showed what happens when a flight is delayed on the tarmac and the all-male ground crew has to sweat through their shift.

Led by Adam Perry, the number (choreographed by Andrew Turteltaub) featured buff baggage handlers taking care of business.

Other highlights included a sexy ‘mile-high club’ number; an all-female excursion through Amsterdam’s Red Light district; and a Parisian fashion show led by Pose star Billy Porter that evolved into a vogueing battle.

With this year being the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, the show’s travels ended (where else?) with a performance set in the historic Stonewall Inn.

Porter also returned at the end of the show to perform his new Pride anthem, “Love Yourself.”

Addressing the packed crowd, Porter spoke passionately of “community” and “unbowed determination.”

“Broadway Bares is about the joy of community, the love we share and the care we show for each other,” said the Tony Award winning actor. “These are both glorious and difficult days. We have so much to celebrate and be proud of. But at the same time we are surely shaken, angry and saddened by the cruelty, inequality and torrent of lies that confront us on a daily basis.”

“But as I look over this beautiful audience and see thousands standing together, unbowed, we will not be dismissed or demeaned. For we are empowered by love, determination and courage,” he continued. “We will not be stigmatized for the very things that make us beautiful, expressive beings.”

And yes, it does take a village. In addition to the 200 onstage performers, backstage there were 41 stage managers and 700 volunteers, including 70 MAC makeup artists, all helping to make the magic.

With 29 editions of the ‘striptacular’ event now on the books, Broadway Bares has raised an amazing $21.1 million for BC/EFA.

Since its founding in 1988, BC/EFA has raised over $300 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses.

Just to give you a sense of how massive the event is, here’s a clip from the finale via Broadway Bares creator, Tony Award winning director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell:

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Never-Before Heard Recording By Freddie Mercury “Time”

After four decades, a previously unreleased version of the song "Time," recorded by Freddie Mercury for the concept album of the stage musical of the same name, has been released by songwriter & producer Dave Clark.
Freddie Mercury

After four decades, a previously unreleased version of the song “Time,” recorded by Freddie Mercury for the concept album of the stage musical of the same name, has been released by songwriter & producer Dave Clark.

According to USA Today, Clark had asked the Queen frontman to record the track for a concept album for the sci-fi rock musical.

Due to the success of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s pre-production albums for Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, the practice of asking popular recording artists to cover songs from an upcoming stage musical became a popular marketing tool for new shows.

The concept album for Time featured big name artists of the day including Mercury, Julian Lennon, Murray Head, Dionne Warwick, Leo Sayer, and Ashford & Simpson.

I actually saw the musical in London’s West End in 1987.

As I recall the story was about a rock star (originally UK pop star Cliff Richard, later replaced by David Cassidy) and his band mates being transported across the universe where they had to defend planet Earth from destruction before a galactic tribunal featuring a projected floating head (a recorded Laurence Olivier).

Relying greatly on massive sets and special effects, the show ran for two years.

Mercury’s recording of “Time” featured bombastic orchestrations and what sounds like a choir of backup singers. But before the session with Mercury was done, Clark asked the rock star to record a bare-bones, piano accompaniment version of the song.

Clark tells USA Today that hearing Mercury sing the stripped-down version in London’s Abbey Road  studios gave him “goosebumps.”

“It (became) a mega-production, which I was happy with and Freddie loved,” says Clark. “But I didn’t think about what we had originally done until a decade or so later, when I thought, ‘I’ve never felt that sort of goosebumps feeling that I got on that original run-through at Abbey Road with just Freddie and piano.'”

After finding the original recording in the spring of 2018, Clark asked the original session pianist, Mike Moran, to record an updated piano accompaniment to pair with the song.

The music video above was created using video footage shot at London’s Dominion Theatre in 1986.

The acoustic version is a compelling showcase for Mercury’s iconic vocals. And lyrics like “Time waits for no one” seem to resonate even more when considering Mercury’s early passing in 1991.

In this 1986 interview, Clark and Mercury discuss the evolution of the recording:

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LGBTQ Campaign From NIKE: ‘No One Wins Alone’

"Every winner knows victory doesn't happen alone," says the narrator in a new video from Nike released for Pride Month. "But none of us can truly win until the rules are the same for everyone."

“Every winner knows victory doesn’t happen alone,” says the narrator in a new video from Nike released for Pride Month. “But none of us can truly win until the rules are the same for everyone.”

The new clip features athletes and allies of the LGBTQ community who support equality for all athletes including WNBA’s Brittany Griner, Sue Bird, Jewell Lloyd and Jordin Canada; skaters Fernando Bramsmark, Eric Koston, and Elissa Steamer; runners Kerron Clement, Caster Semenya, Scout Bassett and Chris Mosier; and soccer player Mark McKenzie.

From Nike:

It doesn’t matter what you play. Nobody wins alone.

Whether it’s as a team, within our community, or anyone who celebrates our victory as their own — progress only comes if we get there together.

Through decades of game-changing dedication from LGBTQIA+ athletes, those who work to make sport a more inclusive space for all, and the expression of icons like designer Gilbert Baker, the playing field becomes more level every day.

But as far as we’ve come, the game won’t be equal until we all win.

Hit play below and check it out.

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Woofy Matthew Camp Stars In Sex Docu-Series ‘Camp Chaos’

Actor and social media star Matthew Camp (Getting Go: The Go Doc Project; Hurricane Bianca: From Russia with Hate) stars in a 3-part sex-positive docu-series called Camp Chaos produced by Men.com.

Actor and social media star Matthew Camp (Getting Go: The Go Doc Project; Hurricane Bianca: From Russia with Hate) stars in a 3-part sex-positive docu-series called Camp Chaos produced by Men.com.

Via press release:

Camp Chaos is a provocative meditation exploring formative sexual memories. The series takes on the form of a hybrid documentary / experimental film / art project. It uses explicit sex as part of the exploration of Matthew’s formative sexual memories.

Each episode will cover a distinct sexual experience from Camp’s life. He first shares the story with viewers and then sets about recreating the encounter in explicit detail with a new partner.

The series blends reality and fantasy in a way that creates what feels like a true and authentic portrayal of Matthew Camp. What you see is what you get, Camp is truly and unapologetically himself.

Check out the very sexy and cool trailer. Warning NSFW:

“I feel like it’s important as gay men that we exercise our right to want to have sex, to make content with it, and profit off it. It’s sort of a revolutionary act,” says Camp.

In February, Camp told Attitude Magazine, “It’s important to document sex because there’s nothing wrong with it, there’s nothing shameful about it and there’s nothing crazy about it. You should be able to watch sex as entertainment.”

Camp Chaos also functions as a time capsule of what gay relationships and encounters are like in a post-online dating and social media world. It is current, timely, real and treats sex the way millennials treat sex.

Camp Chaos had its world premiere at the Inside Out LGBT Film Festival in Toronto on May 31st and will be having its American premiere at Frameline International LBGT Film Festival in San Francisco on June 28th, 2019.

The first episode (a different episode from the one screening at festivals) will be available to stream on Men.com June 28th.

Camp has over 574K followers on Instagram, 65K followers on Twitter and a gigantic presence on the OnlyFans platform.

Last December, I had the chance to chat with Camp on The Randy Report podcast just as he was prepping for the new Camp Chaos project. It’s easily one of my favorite interviews to date.

An intoxicating blend of good-looking country boy with a side of danger, I found him to be thoughtful and well-spoken. It’s a disarmingly charming equation.

And his sex-positive message is something everyone should hear. So many of us are taught to be ashamed of sex instead of celebrating it.

He’s also designed his own line of t-shirt and leather gear fashions. Matthew says he took a couple of classes in construction and pattern making a few years ago for the ABCs of it all, but admits to having an interest in fashion since he was a kid.

Plus, he launched a line of provocatively named fragrances (8.5, Transgression) that are inspired by, and conjure up, his memories of working in bars around sexy men.

Hit the play button below for my chat with the charming Mr. Camp.

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Cast Of Netflix’s Tales Of The City Reads ‘The Coming Out Letter’

More than 30 years after it was published, Armistead Maupin's Letter To Mama is still so powerful that Laura Linney, Ellen Page, and their Tales Of The City co-stars can barely get through reading it without crying.

More than 30 years after it was published, Armistead Maupin’s Letter To Mama is still so powerful that Laura Linney, Ellen Page, and their Tales Of The City co-stars can barely get through reading it without crying.

Such an incredibly talented cast. Watch how Olympia Dukakis takes in each line before connecting with the camera with devastating honesty.

If you haven’t watched the new Netflix revival of Tales of the City, you really must.

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Pride Music: Matt Zarley “Change Begins With Me”

Billboard recording artist, Broadway veteran and People Magazine’s first-ever openly gay“Hottest Bachelor,” Matt Zarley has received critical acclaim as an out LGBTQ artist for years.

It’s worth noting Zarley was never closeted as an artist. Long before it was considered ‘brave’ decided to come out, Zarley proudly took center stage – no mask, no hiding.

In a recent Instagram post in honor of Pride Month, he wrote: “When I released my very first recording in 2002, I was out. I have always been out. I was out when some called it brave and a risk to be. I was just me.”

With his uplifting music video, “Change Begins With Me”, Zarley scored the 2012 OUTmusic Single of the Year.

Oh, he also picked up Album of the Year that year.

He’s alright – if you like talent.

I never grow tired of this.

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News Round-Up: June 19, 2019

Chippendales ‘take a Tebow’
Some news items you might have missed: • That time the men of Chippendales (above) “took a Tebow” during a photo shoot. I think I know who did it better 🙂 • A new Hill/YouGov poll shows only 24% of Americans approve of the Trump administration’s handling of LGBTQ rights. • In 1989, with no real knowledge of the case, Donald Trump took out a full page ad calling for the execution of the five men accused in the ‘Central Park Jogger’ case where a woman was raped and assaulted. The five men were convicted and sent to prison only to be exonerated by DNA evidence. White House reporter April Ryan asked the Trumpster if he ever felt like apologizing for demonizing the black men. The answer was predictable.

• A new study by Pew Research shows bisexual adults are less likely to come out to important people in their lives than gays or lesbians. • In the middle of Pride month, the U.S. Senate confirmed another anti-LGBTI Trump judge, Matthew Kacsmaryk, to a lifetime appointment to the federal bench in the Northern District of Texas with a 52-46 vote. • In a 243-183 vote, the Democratic-controlled House passed an amendment to the $1 trillion Defense spending bill that prohibits Donald Trump’s transgender military ban from being funded. • Check out the new music video from Lucy & La Mer, “Blue Dress,” about discovering one’s bisexuality and the “lightbulb” crush that begins bisexual exploration. I liked the quirky, folky, fun aesthetic. “I wrote the song right after a first date — last year, actually — just reflecting on that initial lightbulb experience about being curious and attracted to another gender than you thought you were,” Lucy told Billboard. “I wanted it to be something that was positive and energetic, not so serious or tortured or anything like that.”

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Pride Music: Tom Goss “Bears”

Pride Month includes all of our diverse communities, so I love sharing this music video.

Back in 2013, over 200 “bears” joined together to make guitar-toting Tom Goss’s super-fun music video for “Bears.”

Complete with lots of robust, hirsute men playing with Super Soakers, careening down a slip and slide, and dancing in a club (usually in slow motion), the video celebrates all the furry goodness.

Prominent figures in the “bear” and LGBTQ community star in the film including model and Bear World Magazine’s “Bear of the Month,” Miles Windsor (a.k.a. Lumberjack Bear), Charger Stone (DC Bear Crue), and well-known drag queen, B’Naka.

Aside from his personal tastes (his husband since 2010 is a self-professed Bear), Tom wanted to showcase the diversity of the gay community in a high caliber production.

“We are overrun with images of perfect men, in perfect clothes and perfect bodies, and as a result, many people doubt their self-image,” says Goss.  “This video showcases what it means to be beautiful and sexy, regardless of size,” he continues.

Even before it’s formal release, the buzz both online and through the production had already resulted in Goss receiving dozens of emails from men thanking him for boosting their self-image.

All things Tom Goss can be found at his official website here.

Listen to internet radio with CandiXRandy on BlogTalkRadio

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Sashay Away: Cracker Barrel Cancels Hate Pastor’s Reservation

(image via Flickr/JeepersMedia – CC License)

Tennessee hate pastor and Knox County Sheriff’s Detective Grayson Fritts has been told to ‘sashay away’ by popular southern restaurant Cracker Barrel.

Fritss, who recently made national headlines for a series of sermonshe gave calling for police to round up and kill LGBTQ people (whom he referred to as ‘filthy animals’), had planned to hold a meeting at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Cleveland, Tennessee, on June 29.

But the restaurant has turned the pastor and his church group away citing the company’s zero-tolerance policy for “discriminatory treatment or harassment of any sort.”

Grayson Fritts

In a statement posted to the company’s Twitter account, Cracker Barrel wrote, “We strongly disagree with their statements of hate and divisiveness” and added that Fritts and his group “will not be permitted on site.”

“We take pride in serving as a home away from home for all guests and in showing our communities and our country that the hospitality we practice is open to everyone,” continued the statement.

In closing, the company wrote, “We serve everyone who walks through our doors with genuine hospitality, not hate, and require all guests to do the same,” said in closing.

Local LGBTQ activist David Tierney had spoken to the restaurant and jumped into action organizing a phone campaign.

Speaking to the Knoxville News Sentinel, Tierney said, “It is a small victory for our community and it took a lot of work for us to even get this accomplished.”

“This is all started as an online campaign and action, organized by direct message (online), then grew into a real action, and then got picked up by the states Democratic Party,” Tierney told the News Sentinel. “It really just spread like wildfire over the course of 5 days.”

The community action helped spur the Tennessee Democratic Party to contact Cracker Barrel as well.

Party chair Mary Mancini penned a letter to Cracker Barrel CEO Sandra Cochran reminding the executive of the company’s own pledge to honor inclusivity and diversity.

As Fritts’ controversial sermons went public earlier this month, he was allowed to use paid sick days until a Voluntary Workforce Reduction Buy Out program kicks in July 19 when he will retire with benefits.

Fritts has used his ‘sick leave’ to travel this past weekend to Orlando, Florida, where he took part in the three-day “Death to Gays” rally celebrating the 3rd anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting which left 49 dead and more than 50 more injured.

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Chicago Cop Investigated For Demanding Sex From Trans Woman Or Face Jail Time

(image via Flickr/Paul Woolrich – CC license)

A transgender woman alleges a Chicago Police sargeant forced her to perform oral sex on him to avoid being arrested.

On March 5, the woman arrived at Rush University Medical Center and told the staff she had been sexually assaulted, reports the Chicago Tribune.

According to the unnamed woman, she was in an area on Fifth Avenue in the Lawndale neighborhood known for prostitution. She admitted she was with a man who she referred to as her boyfriend.

A Chicago police car pulled up and asked her what she was doing in the area. The woman says she explained she was “going home.”

According to her statement via police report, he allegedly told her that if she didn’t want to go to jail she would have to perform oral sex on him saying, “Because that’s what you do.”

She says she was ordered to get in the front seat of his car, and the sargeant drove off leaving her male companion there.

He allegedly stopped in an alley, exposed himself and ordered her to perform the sex act in the vehicle. At some point, the woman says she was able to preserve DNA evidence.

During the alleged sex act, the 39-year-old woman says the officer told her, “I can make you one of my regulars.”

At the hospital, she gave staffers the DNA evidence that she said would prove her story.

But she left the hospital before filing a police report saying she was fearful of “retaliation” by police officers.

Eventually, police detectives were able to discern the woman’s identity but found contacting her to be difficult. At the same time, detectives searched through surveillance video in the area she said the assault took place.

Weeks later, detectives became aware the woman was in police custody for a shoplifting charge and were able to interview her.

The Tribune reports that the Chicago Police Department “stripped the officer of his police powers on April 6 based on the findings of an internal investigation.

A week later, the sergeant was allowed to officially retire from CPD without being charged in connection with the alleged assault.

Police say they are still awaiting the results of DNA testing.

According to the Tribune, this isn’t the officer’s first brush with internal police charges.

In 1997, he was investigated after it was discovered he threatened to plant drugs on a suspect unless they handed over a gun. While Internal Affairs recommended he be fired, he was eventually given a 30-day suspension.