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NYC: Broadway Flea Market 2018

Tom Viola of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

It’s a great day in the Broadway neighborhood today!

Gorgeous weather, happy crowds of theater fans finding treasures of all kinds in Shubert Alley and down W. 44th and 45th Streets at the 2018 Broadway Flea Market.

Lots of money being raised that will soon be put to very good work.

From the executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Tom Viola, a man I’m proud to call my friend:

Thirty-two years ago, the #BroadwayFlea Market & Grand Auction was little more than the cast of A Chorus Line selling some scrounged-together items from their dressing rooms to raise money for friends living with AIDS. Look how far we have come.

I’m so proud and humbled to see this remarkable event grow into the biggest day of the year for the Broadway fan in all of us – whether we work onstage, backstage or cheer from the audience. Every dollar earned today will go back into our community and across the country as Broadway Cares continues to provide vital, lifesaving support to the people who need it most. The money we raise from a signed Playbill or prop, a walk-on experience or opening night ticket package has the potential to change someone’s life.

Thank you to everyone who is helping make our 32nd edition already a smashing success. And we’re just getting started. We’ll be here until 7 o’clock tonight. So if you’re in New York, come join us in Shubert Alley and along West 44th and West 45th Streets for a day theatre lovers won’t soon forget.

Thanks to Larry at The OUTfront for sending some pics my way (below) from the happy event.

What can you find at the Broadway Flea Market? Tons of stuff!

From autographed Playbills, show posters and cast albums to super-special items like the red dress Broadway legend Chita Rivera wore in her Chita Rivera and All That Jazz tour and Broadway teddy bears from Rachel’s Bears.

Plus, there’s an autograph table where stars of the Great White Way will give you their signature for a $35 donation.

The flea market continues today until 7pm, so if you’re in the NYC area, head on down!

Broadway favorite Jen Cody helps sell CDs and Playbills – and Chita Rivera’s dress! – at the
32nd Broadway Flea Market

How adorbale is this Hello, Dolly! teddy bear?

And this Dear Evan Hansen teddy bear?

Plus, hotties from the annual blockbuster event, Broadway Bares

Plus, scores of folks registered to vote in NYC and districts across the nation.

(photo by Tom Viola)

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InstaHunk Round-Up: Weekend Edition

Checking in on my fave Insta-Hunks this weekend, starting with med student Marco (above) who takes breaks from studying by getting in some flex time.

More eye-candy below. Happy Sunday everyone!

A post shared by Fran (@frandullon86) on Sep 29, 2018 at 1:02pm PDT

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SNL Cold Open: Matt Damon’s Delivers Epic Take On Brett Kavanaugh

Epic cold open on SNL last night as Oscar winner Matt Damon delivered a spot on Judge Brett Kavanaugh testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Asking the questions were Senators Chuck Grassley (Alex Moffat), Dianne Feinstein (Cecily Strong), Amy Klobuchar (Rachel Dratch), Thom Tillis (Mikey Day), Cory Booker (Chris Redd), John Kennedy (Kyle Mooney), Sheldon Whitehouse (Pete Davidson), Lindsey Graham (Kate McKinnon) and prosecutor Rachel Mitchell (Aidy Bryant).

So many great lines here, I don’t want to say too much. But you will definitely find a lot to laugh at here.

Damon is on fire right out of the gate with his opening statement.

“Let me tell you this,” he said. “I’m going to start at an 11. I’m going to take it to about a 15 real quick. First of all I showed this speech to almost no one — not my family, not my friends. … This is my speech. There are others like it, but this is mine. I wrote it myself last night while screaming into an empty bag of Doritos.”

Former SNL-er Rachel Dratch was dead on as Klobuchar inquiring about Kavanaugh’s drinking habits in school.

Asked if he drank too much, Damon’s Kavanaugh replied: “Look, I like beer. O.K.? I like beer. Boys like beer. Girls like beer. I like beer. I like beer.”

Dratch pressed on, asking, “Did you ever drink too many beers?”

And in total prep school perfection, Damon’s Kavanaugh replied, “You mean was I cool? Yeah.”

And then there was Kate McKinnon’s take on Sen. Lindsey Graham’s now-infamous tirade. “I know I’m supposed to shut up because I’m a single white male, 5’10” uncut. But I will not shut up because this is a bunch of crap,” he said.

Over 3 million views in less than 12 hours. Watch below. Good times.

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Idina Menzel & Kristin Chenoweth Reunite For WICKED’s 15th Anniversary

The blockbuster Broadway musical's original stars, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, will reunite for the show’s 15th anniversary this fall.
Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth in “Wicked”
(photo: Joan Marcus)

 Wicked fans are about to lose their minds 🙂

The blockbuster Broadway musical’s original stars, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, will reunite for the show’s 15th anniversary this fall.

The duo who conquered Oz as “Glinda” (Chenoweth) and “Elphaba” (Menzel) will headline a special tribute concert on NBC in October.

The producers of Wicked offer this synposis:

Winner of over 50 major awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards®, WICKED is the untold story of the witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. WICKED tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

To refresh your memory, here’s the spectacular Tony Award performance in 2004 of the act one closer, “Defying Gravity.”

Joining the pair of Broadway veterans will be recording artists like Ariana Grande and Pentatonix with more guest stars to be announced..

NBC special programs and late night exec Doug Vaughan issued this statement about the casting coup:

“Wicked is a blockbuster musical playing all over the world and still selling out night after night after 15 years on Broadway, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Emmy and Tony-winning producer Marc Platt and the entire Wicked team to celebrate the enduring success of this show.”

The terrific twosome will return to Oz, on Monday, October 29, when the Wicked special airs on NBC.

In May of 2016, Kristin and Idina reunited for a special studio version of their duet, “For Good.”

Oh yeah, the magic is still there 🙂

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54% Of Republicans Feel Kavanaugh Should Be Confirmed Even If Sexual Misconduct Allegations Are True

A recent Marist poll shows a majority of Republicans - 54% - feel Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh should be confirmed even if the allegations of sexual misconduct by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford are true.

A recent Marist poll shows a majority of Republicans – 54% – feel Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh should be confirmed even if the allegations of sexual misconduct by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford are true.

Drilling down a bit deeper, the results showed 48% of Evangelical Republicans don’t mind his confirmation even if the accusations by Ford are true. That says something, doesn’t it?

Thirty-two percent of Republicans do not believe Kavanaugh should sit on the high court if Ford’s allegations are true.

Only 12% of Democrats believed that he should be confirmed if the allegations are true.

The same poll showed Kavanaugh is upside down in his approval ratings with 31% approval versus 37% disapproving.

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North Korea:”No Way” We Will Disarm Nuclear Weapons First

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho

North Korea’s Foreign Minister announced today at the United Nations that it will not disarm itself of nuclear weapons while sanctions remain in place on his country.

From NBC News:

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the United Nations on Saturday that continued sanctions on Pyongyang were deepening its mistrust in the United States.

“Without any trust in the U.S. there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first,” Ri told the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

The comments come as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo prepares to travel to Pyongyang next month for his fourth trip to North Korea, his third as secretary of state. Discussions of a second summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are already underway.

China and Russia have said the U.N. Security Council should reward Pyongyang for steps taken after U.S. Trump and Kim met in June and Kim pledged to work toward denuclearization.

“The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe-dream of the people who are ignorant about us. But the problem is that the continued sanctions are deepening our mistrust,” Ri said.

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“Hilary Clindon” Applies For A Job On Reboot Of “Murphy Brown”

Hillary Clinton makes a cameo on “Murphy Brown”

I meant to post this yesterday from the premiere episode of the Murphy Brown reboot this past Thursday night.

Hillary Clinton made a cameo appearance as “Hilary Clendon” (one “L”) applying to be Murphy’s secretary.

“For four years I was the secretary of a very large organization,” declared the former Secretary of State.

Asked if she had basic secretarial skills like working with computers and emails? “Emails. I do have some experience with emails.”

For those who didn’t follow the sitcom during its original run, there was an ongoing gag each week about Murphy running through secretaries that could often be hysterical.

Watch below.

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Australia: HIV+ Man Receives 4.5 Years In Prison For Knowingly Infecting Boyfriend

An Australian man has pleaded guilty to infecting his former boyfriend with HIV.
Martin Peter Jaksic (image via Facebook)

An Australian man has pleaded guilty to infecting his former boyfriend with HIV.

Martin Peter Jaksic was diagnosed as HIV positive in 2010. But he never shared that news with the man he would soon meet and go on to date for six years even though he was fully aware of the risks.

In a Sydney courtroom on Wednesday, Jaksic pleaded guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily hard to his former boyfriend.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the 31-year-old told the court in a letter than he had been in denial after receiving his own diagnosis and admitted that what he had done to the victim was “cowardly and unthinkable.”

Judge Peter Zahra showed no sympathy for Jaksic saying, “The offender’s conduct was a gross betrayal of trust and a contemptible and callous disregard for the victim’s life.”

“At all times (he) would have been aware of the grave risk of the victim suffering serious illness which had the potential to be life-threatening,” the judge added. “The continuing effect of the harm caused to the victim is incalculable.”

The former boyfriend shared in his victim impact statement that due to his infection he now faces “internal wounds and emotional struggles” that will never heal.

The ex-boyfriend told the court that when he entered into what he believed to be a “close and loving” monogamous relationship more than 6 years ago, Jaksic did not share his HIV status.

Even though the couple had unprotected sex during their relationship, Jaksic never suggested using condoms or any other protection.

The victim added that after trusting Jaksic during their six year relationship, he nows sees him as someone who behaved “dishonestly, callously and ruthlessly.”

Jaksic was arrested at the airport in January 2016 attempting to flee Sydney.

He received the maximum sentence of four years and six months in prison.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 24 states in the U.S. have laws which specifically require persons who are aware that they have HIV to disclose their status to sexual partners.

Penalties vary from state to state with some treating the transmission of HIV as a felony and others as a misdemeanor.

There has been a movement, however, in recent years to repeal these HIV-specific laws due to the success of antiretroviral therapy which can bring viral levels down to undetectable.

In that the CDC’s current medical policy is that “undetectable=untransmittable,” many feel those who are HIV+ but undetectable shouldn’t be prosecuted in the same manner as they once were at the height of the epidemic.

The REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act was introduced in Congress in 2011. The legislation would call for a review of all federal and state laws involving the criminal prosecution of people for HIV-related offenses.

(h/t Sydney Morning Herald)

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Jury Awards $31 Million For Bungled Circumcision

A jury in Georgia has awarded a young boy $31 million for pain and suffering after a botched circumcision left his penis severely deformed.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the boy was only 18 days old in October 2013 when his mother took him to Riverdale’s Life Cycle Pediatrics to be circumcised.

It’s estimated that 81% of American males have undergone the minor operation.


But an accidental slip by nurse midwife Melissa Jones during the procedure left the boy with part of his penis severed.


Dr. Brian Register informed the owner of the clinic, Anne Sigoin, as well as the boy’s pediatrician, Dr. Abigail Kamishlian of Daffoldil Pediatric and Family Medical.

At the time, the tissue was placed in a refrigerator and no efforts were made to reattach the tissue via emergency surgery. The bleeding boy was sent home with his mother.


For years now, the boy has had to undergo multiple surgeries just to be able to urinate while his mother had to insert a medical instrument into his penis several times a day to keep it from closing.

Aside from the obviously painful physical effects of the accident, doctors are unsure if the boy will be able to have children.

The attorney representing the boy, Neal Pope, addressed the emotional and social issues the boy will face as he gets older including embarrassment as he begins dating.

“It will take a special person to accept the boy’s deformity,” said Pope.

During the trial, Pope showed the jury a photo of Lebron James explaining the NBA star earned $99 million in three years, and then pointed out that the boy’s life expectancy could be another 69 years.

Pope concluded his point by saying, “I think the case is a $100 million case.”

Terrell W. Benton, the attorney representing Jones and Register, recommended to the jury that $1 million would have been a fair amount to cover the boy’s ongoing medical expenses, long-term therapy and suffering.

Jones, Register, Sigouin’s Life Cycle Pediatrics and Life Cycle OB/GYN, Kamishlian and Daffodil Pediatric and Family Medical were all included as defendants in the suit, but Jones and Register were the only ones found to be liable.

The boy’s mother has asked that all of the defendants contribute to the $31 million award.

(h/t Atlanta Journal-Constitution)