In this week’s podcast: While ‘Sex and the City’ star Cynthia Nixon fell short in her bid to become the Democratic nominee for governor in New York state, she did change the election’s trajectory. Plus…
• A Pennsylvania university will not let a gay man take his last two classes for his degree.
• A new study shows same-sex couples are getting married at an older age than heterosexuals.
• RuPaul and the Fab Five celebrated at this year’s Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report.
Hit the play button below. AND – don’t forget to share 🙂
It was revealed this past Wednesday that Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, has been accused of sexual misconduct back in his high school days.
Now, the accuser has come forward – Christine Blasey Ford, a college professor who’s been widely published in academic journals.
According to reports, she told a therapist about the incident in 2012.
And, she’s apparently taken and passed a lie detector test about the alleged incident.
Speaking publicly for the first time, Ford said that one summer in the early 1980s, Kavanaugh and a friend — both “stumbling drunk,” Ford alleges — corralled her into a bedroom during a gathering of teenagers at a house in Montgomery County..
While his friend watched, she said, Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed on her back and groped her over her clothes, grinding his body against hers and clumsily attempting to pull off her one-piece bathing suit and the clothing she wore over it. When she tried to scream, she said, he put his hand over her mouth.
“I thought he might inadvertently kill me,” said Ford, now a 51-year-old research psychologist in northern California. “He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing.”
Ford said she was able to escape when Kavanaugh’s friend and classmate at Georgetown Preparatory School, Mark Judge, jumped on top of them, sending all three tumbling. She said she ran from the room, briefly locked herself in a bathroom and then fled the house.
Ford said she told no one of the incident in any detail until 2012, when she was in couples therapy with her husband. The therapist’s notes, portions of which were provided by Ford and reviewed by The Washington Post, do not mention Kavanaugh’s name but say she reported that she was attacked by students “from an elitist boys’ school” who went on to become “highly respected and high-ranking members of society in Washington.” The notes say four boys were involved, a discrepancy Ford says was an error on the therapist’s part. Ford said there were four boys at the party but only two in the room.
Kavanaugh has denied the allegations as has Mark Judge, the ‘friend’ identified by Ford.
Donald Trump took to Twitter this morning to repeat his claims of “witch hunt” about the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller which now includes guilty pleas from 5 former Trump associates.
“The illegal Mueller Witch Hunt continues in search of a crime,” Trump whined Sunday morning. “There was never Collusion with Russia, except by the Clinton campaign, so the 17 Angry Democrats are looking at anything they can find.”
“ALSO, not allowed under the LAW!” Trump added, which is perplexing since the investigation was ordered by Trump’s Department of Justice.
The illegal Mueller Witch Hunt continues in search of a crime. There was never Collusion with Russia, except by the Clinton campaign, so the 17 Angry Democrats are looking at anything they can find. Very unfair and BAD for the country. ALSO, not allowed under the LAW!
Folks continue to speculate that the Trumpster may pardon former campaign chair Paul Manafort or fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions or Special Counsel Robert Mueller in an attempt to end the scandal.
Of course, doing so would only exacerbate the issue.
Any move by Trump to pardon Paul Manafort, or dangle a pardon, would be a further act of obstruction of justice. When he was running, Trump said he was going to drain the swamp, but the only person who’s draining the swamp is Mueller. Trump is threatening to pardon the swamp. pic.twitter.com/iAhols6Qsj
.@jonkarl: “What happens if the president pardons Manafort?”
Ken Starr: “He has the power to do that, then I think it really becomes an issue of is that an abuse of power on the part of the president in light of an ongoing investigation?” https://t.co/YzlRv0u0R5#ThisWeekpic.twitter.com/szQuKY6v6V
Ken Starr, the former independent counsel during the investigation of President Bill Clinton, says it would be “unwise” for President Donald Trump to pardon Paul Manafort: “It would just be an imprudent decision” #CNNSOTUhttps://t.co/bNHFpPa9ncpic.twitter.com/ZIQFXCRZH6
Ryan Worley of the world famous Chippendales (via Instagram) Some sexy Saturday eye-candy via Ryan Worley (above) of the world famous Chippendales here in my town, Las Vegas, plus some news stories you might have missed. Continue reading “News Round-Up: September 15, 2018”
For over a year, Donald Trump has ranted that the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller is a “witch hunt” and an expensive waste of taxpayer money.
….At what point does this soon to be $20,000,000 Witch Hunt, composed of 13 Angry and Heavily Conflicted Democrats and two people who have worked for Obama for 8 years, STOP! They have found no Collussion with Russia, No Obstruction, but they aren’t looking at the corruption…
Actually, that “witch hunt” has now seen FIVE Trump associates plead guilty to felony charges.
A lot of witches out there, huh?
This week, former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort joined that elite group of Trumpers who have copped to felony charges.
The previous four are: Michael D. Cohen, the president’s longtime personal lawyer; Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser; Rick Gates, the former deputy campaign chairman; and George Papadopoulos, a former campaign adviser.
And about that “waste of money” charge?
Check this from NY Magazine – a little nugget that was slightly overlooked by manyin the heat of the news of Paul Manafort’s plea deal this week.
Manafort will forfeit many of his assets as part of the deal, including money in several bank accounts, an apartment in Trump Tower, and one in downtown Manhattan; worth about $46 million, these assets single-handedly cover the cost of the Mueller investigation.
When your investigation costs $17m but you get $46m in forfeitures from Manafort. pic.twitter.com/PZFIMaa35O
Ten days after Nike’s new Colin Kaepernick ad provoked calls for boycotts, shares hit an all-time high, closing at $83.47 Thursday.
It will likely be months, if not longer, until anyone can fully measure the business impact of Nike Inc.’s controversial partnership with quarterback-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick, but early data from Edison Trends show sales tracking well above last year.
Edison scanned receipts from more than 200 online retailers (including Nike.com) and found that that Tuesday after Labor Day, for example, the first full day after Kaepernick’s ad went viral, Nike purchases were 22 percent higher than the same day in 2017. On Wednesday they were 42 percent higher, and Thursday they were 23 percent higher. They remained above 2017 levels through the end of the week.
I guess this answers Donald Trump’s question, “What was Nike thinking?”
On September 5, Donald Trump told the media, “Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts. I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way?”
In advance of her highly-anticipated feature film debut in A Star is Born, Lady Gaga sat down with Vogue for a round of ’73 Questions.’
It’s a rapid-fire sort of affair outside her home in Los Angeles.
Vogue: “How do you prefer I call you – Lady? Lady Gaga?”
Lady Gaga: “Call me Lady.”
V: “What’s something you’re now proud to say is behind you?”
LG: “You know, all the negative stuff that happens to you in your 20s.”
V: “How do you start your day?”
LG: “I start my day with a nice workout, and then I take a shower or a long hot bath.”
V: “What’s the strangest rumor you’ve ever heard about yourself?”
LG: “That I have a penis.”
You get the picture.
The moment that perked up my ears, though, was when the 6-time Grammy Award winner was asked what she’d like to be remembered for?
“I would like to be remembered for the message behind ‘Born This Way,’” says the 32-year-old artist, referencing her acclaimed hit that’s been widely viewed as an LGBTQ anthem for acceptance. “I would like to be remembered for believing that people are equal,” she adds.
And in nod to her well-known love of individuality, she finishes, “I would like to be remembered for being courageous and different.”
The LGBTQ ally has been a “walk the walk” kind of friend to the community for a long time, not only in embracing her gay fans but starting the Born This Way Foundation in 2012, which is committed to supporting the wellness of young people and empowering them to create a kinder and braver world.
There’s an interesting vibe to the video chat in that the camera stays back to keep her framed in full on her patio.
And after the interviewer hands her a gift of a book about David Bowie, she flips through the pages absentmindedly while answering questions.
But then, being ‘interesting’ has been a Gaga trait for some time now, hasn’t it?
She also shares that when it comes to collaborations, she’d love to do “more Tony (Bennett), more Elton (John), and Stevie Wonder.”
When it comes to fashion, the 32-year-old says she loves it because it “can be a form of expression and a form of hiding.”
And one last response that I loved:
V: “Do you prefer a crowd of 300 people or 30,000?”
LG: “Both.”
Cherish that instinct, Lady 🙂
You can watch the chat with Mother Monster below. A Star is Born hits theaters October 5.
After getting slammed for using homophobic language (again) on his latest album, rapper Eminem has now addressed the debacle expressing regret over his choice of words.
First, let’s recap – on the track “Fall” from the new release Kamikaze, Eminem took a verse to swipe at rapper/producer Tyler the Creator.
It seems the 15-time Grammy Award-winner was angry over criticism leveled his way by Tyler who had publicly criticized his Beyoncé collaboration, “Walk on Water,” from Eminem’s 2017 release, Revival.
With that in mind, Eminem dropped this in “Fall:”
Tyler create nothing, I see why you called yourself a faggot, bitch It’s not just ’cause you lack attention It’s ’cause you worship D12’s balls, you’re sacrilegious If you’re gonna critique me, you better at least be as good or better
Immediately, the music industry and the LGBTQ community clapped back at the 45-year-old rapper.
“It’s never ok to say a word that is filled with hate,” said Imagine Dragons frontman (and LGBTQ ally) Dan Reynolds.
it’s never ok to say a word that is filled with hate. I don’t care what year you were born in or what meaning it has to you.
if it contributes to hate and bigotry then it is hateful. period.
Even Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, who appears on the track, took pains to distance himself tweeting, “Was not in the studio for the Eminem track… came from a session with BJ Burton and Mike Will. Not a fan of the message, it’s tired. Asked them to change the track, wouldn’t do it. Thanks for listening to BRM.”
“This is not the time to criticize youth, it’s the time to listen, to act” added Vernon. “It is certainly not the time for slurs. Wish they would have listened when we asked them to change it.”
Which brings us to yesterday as Eminem sat down for a lengthy video interview with rapper/reporter Sway about the new project.
During the chat (which has already garnered over 2.2 million views in a day), Sway asked about using the word “faggot” on the track.
“With the Tyler the Creator thing, man, I realize now, I realize I wasn’t, in the mind frame of – I realize I was angry when I said the sh*t about Tyler,” says the Slim Shady rapper.
“The word that I called him on the album, on that song, was one of the things where I felt like, this might be too far. Because in my quest to hurt him, I realized that I was hurting a lot of other people by saying it.”
This isn’t the Oscar winner’s first trip to the homophobic rodeo, though.
His sophomore album, Marshall Mathers LP, received similar criticism for his repeated use of the word ‘fag’.
And the issue reared its head again when he used the term on the track “Rap God” in 2013.
At the time, he said he didn’t think of it as a slur, just a word he’d grown up using as a put-down in rap battles.
However – at the age of 45-years-old, in the year 2018, is it too much to ask that he leave the homophobic language behind?
