Robert De Niro returned to SNL in his recurring role as special Counsel Robert Mueller for the show’s cold open last night.
In the skit, Mueller – along with Attorney General William Barr (Aidy Bryant) and Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) – played out their separate roles in the release of the report from the Special Counsel.
Each performer offered an introduction at the start of the sketch. De Niro said, “Dear Attorney General Barr, officials from the Justice Department and esteemed members of Congress.”
Bryant said, “Hey, guys, William Barr here. You might want to sit down for this one.”
And Baldwin said, “Guess what? Guess what? Guess what? Daddy is about to freak.”
De Niro: “I am submitting these 380 pages.”
Bryant: “I am writing almost four pages.”
Baldwin: “I am reading zero pages, but Sean Hannity has read it and he was so excited that he texted me an eggplant.”
De Niro: “On the charge of obstruction of justice, we have not drawn a definitive conclusion.”
Bryant: “But I have, and my conclusion is: Trump’s clean as a whistle.”
Saturday afternoon, the Trump administration announced the end of hundreds of millions in annual aid to the Central American countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
“We were paying them tremendous amounts of money. And we’re not paying them anymore. Because they haven’t done a thing for us. They set up these caravans,” said Trump.
“At the Secretary’s instruction, we are carrying out the President’s direction and ending FY 2017 and FY 2018 foreign assistance programs for the Northern Triangle,” a State Department spokesperson said. “We will be engaging Congress as part of this process.”
Folks in the political sphere called out the move as as deliberate calculation to make the migrant crisis in those nations and at the Mexican border worse for political gain.
Fox & Friends discussed the issue Sunday morning, but check that headline above.
“Trump Cuts U.S. Aid To 3 Mexican Countries”
This is an actual banner from “Fox & Friends Weekend.” 6:03am today. I double checked because I didn’t believe it at first. Hat tip @BadFoxGraphicspic.twitter.com/tTNH0Y7a25
Fox News thinks that there are 3 countries in Mexico. Sounds about “white” for them.— Ryan Knight 🇺🇸 (@ProudResister) March 31, 2019
People at my work place didn’t know Puerto Rico is a US territory, that we are US citizens too or where it is located. 🤦🏻♂️ Can’t wait to go to work tomorrow and hear about Mexico’s 3 countries.— Jaime (@JaimeMino) March 31, 2019
Just to prove it wasn’t Photoshopped, here’s the video.
• Sometimes, you need to stick with what you know works – like this pose (above) by InstaHunk Fran Dullon. Stay tuned – we’ll check back later to confirm.
• In a guest column for Deadline, George Clooney calls for boycotting Los Angeles hotels owned by Brunei-based companies over the imminent implementation of the death penalty in the country for homosexual acts between consenting adults.
• A new report shows bisexual youth are more likely than gay or lesbian youth to be bullied and/or consider suicide.
• Zuzana Caputova, a lawyer and LGBTQ ally, could be about to become the first ever female president of Slovakia. You know my last name is Slovacek, right?
• Yep, looks like this is still working for Mr. Dullon.
• Former NBA star Tim Hardaway is complaining the only reason he’s not in the Basketball Hall of Fame is because he went on a homophobic rant in 2007 where he said:
“You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don’t like gay people and I don’t like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don’t like it. It shouldn’t be in the world or in the United States.”
Hardaway later changed his mind and became an LGBTQ ally. He’s on his fifth year as a Hall of Famer finalist. What do you think? Should he be forgiven and voted into the Hall of Fame?
• A 61-year-old woman in Nebraska just gave birth to her gay son’s child.
• A survey of gay & lesbian Realtors shows LGBTQ folks are less likely to purchase a home than heterosexuals, in part because they worry whether their neighbors will be welcoming.
• Yep, I think we’ve confirmed this is a winning pose for the Spanish InstaHunk.
Experts who study Americans’ bedroom habits say there are a number of factors driving the Great American Sex Drought. Age is one of them: The 60-and-older demographic climbed from 18 percent of the population in 1996 to 26 percent in 2018, according to the survey. The share reporting no sex has consistently hovered around 50 percent, and because that age group is growing relative to everyone else, it has the net effect of reducing the overall population’s likelihood of having sex.
But changes at the other end of the age spectrum may be playing an even bigger role. The portion of Americans 18 to 29 reporting no sex in the past year more than doubled between 2008 and 2018, to 23 percent.
The share of men younger than 30 reporting no sex has nearly tripled since 2008 to 28%, while female peers only report an 8% increase.
Experts point to unemployment as a factor in younger men’s sex lives.
The data shows 54% of unemployed Americans don’t have a steady romantic partner versus only 32% of employed Americans.
Plus, more younger men are still living with their parents. Data shows that in 2014 35% of men between 18-34 years-old were living with their parents versus only 29% of women in that same age group.
Clearly, it’s a bit more awkward to get it going if you might be bringing a romantic partner back to your parent’s house.
Moreno, who gained widespread fame in the film “West Side Story,” will be honored at the Peabody Awards annual gala in New York City on May 18.
“Rita Moreno is a unique talent who has not only broken barriers, but whose career continues to thrive six-plus decades after her acting debut,” Jeffrey P. Jones, executive director of Peabody Awards. “We are delighted to celebrate her many contributions to entertainment and media, as well as her passion for children’s programming and important social issues.”
Most recently, Moreno starred in three seasons of the popular Latino remake of Norman Lear’s classic sitcom, “One Day at a Time” on Netflix, which was nominated for a 2017 Peabody Award, She also signed on to be an executive producer in Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story — a film in which she is also co-starring.
By a vote of 34-0, the Massachusetts state Senate approved a bill banning the practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ on minors.
Previously, the Massachusetts House of Representatives approved a similar bill by a 147-8 vote.
Senator Patrick O’Connor, one of six Republicans in the Senate, voted for the bill. The remaining five GOP Senators voted ‘present.’
The bill now heads to Gov. Charlie Baker (R) who has indicated he intends to sign the bill into law.
‘Conversion therapy,’ or ‘ex-gay therapy’ purports to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of people.
Major medical organizations like the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychiatric Association have all denounced the practice which can lead to depression, anxiety, and in some cases, suicide.
Massachusetts would become the 16th state plus Washington, D.C. to ban the harmful practice.
The new law will allow adults to seek conversion therapy if they want.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z were honored with the Vanguard Award at the 30th annual GLAAD Media Awards on Thursday in Los Angeles.
Each year, the GLAAD Media Awards presents the Vanguard Award “to media professionals who have made a significant difference in promoting equality and acceptance of LGBTQ people.”
Before taking the stage, however, RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Shangela rocked the crowd with a lip-sync performance to a medley of Beyoncé’s hits including “Bootylicious,” “Partition,” “Single Ladies” and “Flawless.”
“Whether it’s our fans, or our family, the LGBTQI community has always supported us and lifted us up. We’re here to promote love for every human being, and change starts with supporting the people closest to you. So, lets tell them they are loved. Let’s remind them they are beautiful. Let’s speak out and protect them. And parents, let’s love our kids in their truest form. We would like to request that we continue to shift the stigma in this community, especially the stigmas in black families, towards accepting queer black and brown family members.”
She also paid tribute to her late uncle who died of HIV.
“Lastly, I want to dedicate this award to my Uncle Johnny, the most fabulous gay man that I have ever known…who helped raise me and my sister. He lived his truth. He was brave and unapologetic during a time when this country wasn’t as accepting, and witnessing his battle with HIV was one of the most painful experiences I’ve ever lived,” she said. “I am hopeful that his struggle served to open pathways for other young people to live more freely. LGBTQI rights are human rights. To choose who you love is your human right. How you identify and see yourself is your human right. Who you make love to and take that ass to Red Lobster is your human right.”
Jay-Z honored his mother, Gloria Carter, in his speech who came out as a lesbian via his song, “Smile.”
“Life, this journey, is filled with highs, lows, and a lot of learning. This is a momentous night. I also want to, because I didn’t get to do it last year, honor my mother, who received the award last year, and follow in her footsteps of spreading love and acceptance and her beautiful speech at the end of the song ‘Smile,’ for her allowing me to tell her story. I want everyone to acknowledge that, and her strong message of love who you love and souls that connect.”
Additionally, Sean Hayes of Will and Grace received the Stephen F. Kolzak Award, presented to him by Allison Janney, and Love, Simon was honored as Outstanding Film.
Other honorees of the night:
Outstanding Film — Wide Release: Love, Simon (20th Century Fox) [accepted by: Greg Berlanti and cast members including Nick Robinson, Josh Duhamel, Keiynan Lonsdale, and Alexandra Schipp; presented by Gwyneth Paltrow]
Outstanding Comedy Series: Vida (Starz) [accepted by: Tanya Saracho and cast members; presented by Jake Borelli and Alex Landi (Grey’s Anatomy) and Olivia Munn]
Outstanding Reality Program: Queer Eye (Netflix) [accepted by: Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown; presented by Meghan Trainor and Nico Santos]
Outstanding Documentary: Believer (HBO)
Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series w/o a regular LGBTQ character): “Someplace Other Than Here,” The Guest Book (TBS)
Outstanding Kids & Family Programming: Steven Universe (Cartoon Network)
Outstanding Video Game: The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset (Bethesda Softworks)
Outstanding Comic Book: Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles, written by Mark Russell (DC Comics)
Outstanding Magazine Article: “Can a Transgender Woman Get Justice in Texas?” by Nate Blakeslee (Texas Monthly)
Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage: Variety
Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine (Spanish-Language): “Entrevista con Luis Sandoval para National Coming Out Day,” Despierta América (Univision)
Outstanding Digital Journalism (Spanish-Language): “Así pinta la televisión hispana a los personajes LGBTQ, una representación preocupante” por Daniel Shoer Roth (ElNuevoHerald.com)
Special Recognition: Nanette (Netflix)
Special Recognition: TransMilitary (Logo)
Special Recognition (Spanish-Language): House of Mamis (INTOmore.com)
A gay couple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, have been ordered to remove their Pride flag from the outside of their apartment home or be evicted.
Kevin Kollman and Merle Malterer told their local NBC News affiliate they received a note from their landlord at the Country Oaks Apartments on Wednesday informing them flying their Pride flag outside their home was a breach of their lease.
They were given five days to remove the flag.
“It’s a symbol of America, it’s a symbol of our pride in America,” Kollman told NBC2. “Personally, I feel like we’re being singled out here because of what it is.”
When contacted by NBC2, the landlord said the conflict wasn’t a ‘discrimination issue’ but an issue with the appearance of the property.
According to the landlord, “No one is allowed to have flags anywhere, and it’s against the lease agreement.”
The couple was asked in January to remove a Packers flag as well.
However…
A neighbor in the apartment complex, Ken Miller, flies flags outside his apartment and hasn’t received the same written warning.
“I’ve been here for three years, and I’ve had these flags up for at least two years, and I’ve never had any issues with the flags,” Miller said.
In the NBC2 report, several flags could be seen throughout the complex.
Kollman and Malterer say they aren’t backing down, and will continue to fly their Pride flag.
“It’s part of my house, it’s part of who I am,” said Kollman. “My neighbors don’t care – why should he?”
The couple told NBC2they are looking into possible legal action.
Internet power player Google has finally removed from its Google Play store an app from Living Hope Ministries that promoted so-called ‘conversion therapy’ to LGBTQ youth.
After a months-long campaign by Wayne Besen at Truth Wins Out to stop the spread of the app, plus a petition signed by 142,000 people at Change.org, and the Human Rights Campaign withholding its Corporate Equality Index score from the company, Google announced the app had been pulled.
“After consulting with outside advocacy groups, reviewing our policies, and making sure we had a thorough understanding of the app and its relation to conversion therapy, we’ve decided to remove it from the Play Store, consistent with other app stores,” Google said in a statement.
“We are delighted that Google finally backed down and deleted a dangerous app that targeted LGBTQ youth with toxic messages of guilt and shame,” said Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen. “It is still unfathomable why Google stubbornly defended the indefensible for months, when the hateful and destructive content in this app should have been self-evident. We hope this sends a powerful message that ‘pray away the gay’ products are unacceptable and have no place in a decent and civilized society.”
HRC’s President Chad Griffin also released a statement:
“We applaud Google for making the right decision to pull this app from their online store. So-called conversion therapy is a debunked practice that’s tantamount to child abuse and is proven to have dangerous consequences for its victims. Google and other platforms that have pulled this app are taking an important step to protect LGBTQ youth.”
