Posts

Posted on

Fox News’ Shepard Smith: “Kim Jong Un Got It All For Actually Doing Nothing”

Fox News’ Shep Smith wasn’t drinking the North Korea summit Kool-Aid this afternoon.

This is how Shep opened his show today:

“The United States made concessions in exchange for no hard promises, stopping joint military exercises with South Korea while North Korea makes a vague commitment to work together towards denuclearization. The agreement the leaders signed is very short on specifics. But Kim Jong Un, he wanted the photos, the seat at the table.

“He wanted the legitimacy that came with the event, the handshake with America’s president, and he wanted those military exercises with the Americans and the South Koreans that happen every year to stop. Kim Jong Un got it all for actually doing nothing.

“Plus, he got a promise, lacking specifics, granted, of security for the North Korean regime. A regime that has an estimated 120,000 political prisoners across the nation. A regime that tortures and murders its own citizens, imprisons children for the actions of parents and grandparents, and a leader who has committed crimes against humanity.

“President Trump insisted the people of the most entrenched land in all the world, North Korea, love their leader. President Trump says he trusts Chairman Kim, and that he’s ready to start a new chapter with North Korea. What will the president’s special bond with Kim Jong Un mean for the US and its allies? No specifics. No specifics of how to do it. No timeline on getting it done. No verification, no inspection. No, nothing else — just generalities.”

Posted on

Video: Will & Grace Stars Chat On “Profoundly Emotional” Return Season

The cast of ‘Will & Grace’

In a bonus video from the new DVD, Will & Grace (The Revival) Season One, the stars of the show chat on the experience of coming together again after an 11 year hiatus to the incredible reception from the audience.

Sean Hayes was admittedly surprised by the reaction. “It’s like, wow, people still really enjoy the show and want more of it,” said Hayes. “And we’re so thrilled to supply that, you know?”

The roller-coaster ride continued as production began. Everything was “a moment.”

“We’re done shooting the first scene, and it’s all very electric in the room, and there were so many laughs from the audience,” says Megan Mullally.

Debra Messing on taping the first new episode: “It was profoundly emotional. I think we were all surprised by it. There really is nothing that compares to the experience of a live taping.”

“It was fantastic to be front of them again,” said Eric McCormack. “We felt like rock stars and we had so much fun. And the material’s so good – these writers are on fire.”

“I’m excited and proud of what we’re producing,” he added.

The new DVD collection contains all 16 episodes from the latest season (which would technically be season 10 for the show) as well as a blooper reel and a special behind-the-scenes look at the taping of the first new episode.

Thanks to the overwhelming response, NBC has already ordered TWO more seasons of the hit sitcom.

Look for new episodes this fall and check out the gang below as they look back on the first new season of Will & Grace.

Posted on

News Round-Up: June 12, 2018

Brandon Haagenson and David Merten in Afterglow (photo: Mati Gelman)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Congrats to long-running play Afterglow (above) celebrating it’s one year anniversary running off-Broadway tonight.

The one act play follows Josh and Alex, a married couple in an open relationship, who invite Darius to share their bed one night. What follows is an exploration of individual definitions of love, loyalty, and trust as futures are questioned, relationships are shaken, and commitments are challenged.

• And speaking of New York City, an Uber driver kicked a lesbian couple out of his car for sharing a quick peck/smooch.

• Alec Baldwin gleefully told Howard Stern he’d win if he ran for the White House, but he’s busy hosting the reboot of the TV gameshow “Match Game.” You know he’s just f*cking with the Trumpster…

• Maine has become the third state to approve a third gender for state-issued drivers licenses and IDs.

• A drug used to treat alcoholism appears to improve viral suppression in folks with HIV.

• This tweet of a grandmother ironing her granddaughter’s Pride flag has gone super-viral:

Posted on

Remembering The 49 Lost In The Pulse Nightclub Shooting

In the two years since the deadly Pulse Nightclub shooting massacre, there have been a LOT of prayers and thoughts sent out for those affected by gun violence. Unfortunately, that’s close to all we’ve gotten. In a country that polls show support commonsense gun legislation (background checks, no guns for those on the ‘no-fly’ list) to the tune of almost 90% politicians are still afraid of the 3 million-member National Rifle Association. Two years ago today, 49 innocent people lost their lives in what was, at the time, the deadliest shooting massacre in the history of the country. Additionally, 53 more were injured. On that night, the gay nightclub, one of our safe spaces, became a war zone and an emergency room. Since the Pulse shooting, there have been more mass shootings and more unnecessary deaths. And still we wait.

From DNC chairman Tom Perez:

“Two years ago, our nation witnessed one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history. It was an attack on the LGBTQ community, the Latinx community, and LGBTQ people of color everywhere. It was an attack on the American people and the values of diversity and equality that all of us should cherish. And it was an all too common reminder that our nation is in dire need of common sense gun reforms.

“On this anniversary, let us honor the lives lost that night by recommitting ourselves to the fight for a world where no one faces discrimination, where no life is taken by hatred or bigotry, where everyone is treated with respect and dignity – no matter who they are or who they love. As we celebrate Pride Month, we recognize that the fight for LGBTQ equality is far from over, and the Democratic Party will continue to stand with LGBTQ communities in America and around the world who are fighting for the rights they deserve.”

From Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin:

“Every day, we carry forward the memories of the 49 people whose lives were cruelly and tragically taken at Pulse.”

“As our nation marks two years since this tragedy, we must never lose sight of the unfulfilled hopes, the families shattered and the love lost in this preventable act of mass murder. The thousands more killed by gun violence since Pulse underscores the glaring failure of our elected officials to take common sense steps to combat the scourge of gun violence that plagues our nation.

“We remain as resolved as ever to honor those taken with action, and to work with our coalition partners to ensure that lifesaving steps are finally taken so that all of us may live safe from violence.”

We remember: Stanley Almodovar III, 23 years old Amanda L. Alvear, 25 years old Oscar A. Aracena Montero, 26 years old Rodolfo Ayala Ayala, 33 years old Antonio Davon Brown, 29 years old Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 years old Angel Candelario-Padro, 28 years old Juan Chavez Martinez, 25 years old Luis Daniel Conde, 39 years old Cory James Connell, 21 years old Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 years old Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 years old Simón Adrian Carrillo Fernández, 31 years old Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 years old Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 years old Peter Ommy Gonzalez Cruz, 22 years old Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22 years old Paul Terrell Henry, 41 years old Frank Hernandez, 27 years old Miguel Angel Honorato, 30 years old Javier Jorge Reyes, 40 years old Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 years old Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years old Anthony Luis Laureano Disla, 25 years old Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 years old Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years old Brenda Marquez McCool, 49 years old Gilberto R. Silva Menendez, 25 years old Kimberly Jean Morris, 37 years old Akyra Monet Murray, 18 years old Luis Omar Ocasio Capo, 20 years old Geraldo A. Ortiz Jimenez, 25 years old Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years old Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years old Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25 years old Jean Carlos Nieves Rodríguez, 27 years old Xavier Emmanuel Serrano-Rosado, 35 years old Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 years old Yilmary Rodríguez Solivan, 24 years old Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old Martin Benitez Torres, 33 years old Jonathan A. Camuy Vega, 24 years old Juan Pablo Rivera Velázquez, 37 years old Luis Sergio Vielma, 22 years old Franky Jimmy DeJesus Velázquez, 50 years old Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years old Jerald Arthur Wright, 31 years old

Posted on

Pentagon Refuses To Acknowledge Pride Month For First Time Since ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

For the first time in six years, senior Pentagon officials have declined to acknowledge LGBTQ Pride Month.

Ever since the misguided ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy was repealed in 2012, the Pentagon has issued an official memo which served as an official endorsement of Pride Month and effectively encouraged local events.

A former senior Obama administration official, speaking off the record, told The Washington Post, “It makes it known that there’s an authorization, that there’s support.”

But this year, there was no memorandum issued for Pride.

That said, there was an event held at the Pentagon on Monday by DoD Pride, the LGBTQ employee group at the Defense Department. However, unlike previous years no high-level department officials showed up to address the crowd.

According to The Washington Blade, the tension at the DoD event was “palpable” as folks were keenly aware of the elephant in the room – President Trump’s proposed ban on transgender service members.

Even though the policy proposal is held up in four federal courts, LGBTQ military service members are wary.

In another sign of lagging support, the Defense Department’s Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity’s web site lists event-specific posters designed for Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Dr. Martin Luther King Day. But nothing for Pride Month.

So, DoD had to create its own poster (see above).

When asked why there was no official declaration this year, Pentagon spokewoman Air Force Maj. Carla Gleason sidestepped the question.

“The Department of Defense supports diversity of all kinds across our military and we encourage everyone to celebrate the diversity of our total force team,” said Gleason. “We value all members of the DOD total force and recognize their immense contributions to the mission.”

This is also the second year that Donald Trump’s White House failed to acknowledge Pride Month.

There were presidential proclamations to recognize June as Great Outdoors Month, National Ocean Month, National Caribbean-American Heritage Month, African-American Music Appreciation Month, and National Homeownership Month, but no presidential proclamation for Pride Month.

Posted on

Video: When You Feel Like Letting Go #HoldTight

Sweet video from New Zealand and Australia touches on that seemingly innocuous moment in life – when you want to hold hands with the person you love.

Straight people do it without thinking.

I have never held my husband’s hand in public without at least a tiny “something” crossing my mind.

Just about every LGBT person I know has done that “thing” where you let go as you approach a crowd, enter your parent’s house or feel the possibility of danger.

Now, to be clear, yes I hold my husband’s hand. But I hate that it crosses my mind to let go.

The only text in this 90 second video: “When you feel like letting go #HoldTight”

Hell yes.

#Forward

Posted on

Trump Produced Hollywood-Style Movie Trailer Starring Himself & Kim Jong Un

Well, this is… something.

It was reported earlier today that Donald Trump presented North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with a slick, four-minute Hollywood movie-styled video that cast Trump and Kim as the heroes of a story about “two men, two leaders, one destiny.”

Destiny Pictures presents a story of opportunity. A new story, a new beginning. One of peace. Two men, two leaders, one destiny. A story about a special moment in time, when a man is presented with one chance which may never be repeated. What will he choose? To show vision and leadership? Or not?

Via Vox:

“History is always evolving, and there comes a time when only a few are called upon to make a difference,” the narrator of the video says. “But the question is — what difference will the few make? The past doesn’t have to be the future. Out of the darkness can come the light, and the light of hope can burn bright.”

The video is heavy-handed in its Hollywood approach — it casts the potential reconciliation between North and South Korea as a “sequel,” and the narrator proudly declares, “Destiny Pictures presents: a story of opportunity.”

The short film was shown before Trump’s press conference after the meetings concluded.

The video is clearly meant to play up to Kim Jong Un’s ego, a tactic Trump must have wholly embraced because he knew HE would respond to such cinematic overtures.

Here’s the video:

Trump was asked if he was “concerned” whether the video might be used by Kim as propaganda?

“I’m not concerned at all,” declared Trump.

Posted on

Citing His “Special Bond” With Kim Jong Un, Trump Signs Agreement To Suspend Military Exercises With South Korea

Kim Jong-Un of North Korea with Donald Trump

After a half-day of “intensive” meetings, Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un publicly signed a joint statement Tuesday agreeing to pursue the denuclearization of North Korea although some described the document as “brief and vague.”

As part of the agreement, Trump promised to suspend joint military exercises with South Korea.

From NBC News:

The pact came at the end of a historic half-day round of negotiations that marked the first time a sitting U.S. president had met with his North Korean counterpart. “From the beginning, we got along,” Trump later told reporters.

Trump also confirmed military exercises involving American and South Korea forces would be put on hold for now. He said sanctions imposed against the Kim regime would not be removed until “we are sure that the nukes are no longer a factor.”

While the agreement fell short of outlining concrete measures that would lead to Kim giving up his nuclear weapons program — the stated long-term goal of U.S. negotiators — it gave Trump and Kim a piece of paper to point to as a sign of progress and a symbol of goodwill.

Trump told ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos just hours after the summit meeting that he believes North Korea will denuclearize because of his newly-found “special bond” with Kim Jong Un.

“I do trust him, yeah,” Trump said. “Maybe in a year you’ll be interviewing and I’ll say I made a mistake. It’s possible. We’re dealing at a high level, a lot of things can change, a lot of things are possible.”

“I think our whole relationship with North Korea and the Korean Peninsula – it’s going to be a very different relationship than it has in the past,” Trump said. He went on to say that he and Kim have “developed a very special bond” and that they spent “a lot of time together today, very intensive time.”

At a press conference after the meeting of the two leaders, Trump acknowledged that he has invited Kim Jong Un to the White House and the North Korean leader has accepted.

Trump also shared that he has no notes from the summit because he doesn’t need them. “I don’t have to verify because I have one of the great memories of all time.”

Posted on

Podcast: Talking With Nevada State Senator Pat Spearman

Nevada state Sen. Pat Spearman

Today I’m talking with Nevada state Sen. Pat Spearman who is running for the Democratic nomination in Nevada’s District 4 for Congress.

The word “qualified” doesn’t even begin to cover the senator’s resume.

In her multi-faceted career, she’s earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science, a Doctor of Business Administration degree, and a Masters degree in Divinity.

A 29 year veteran of the U.S. Army where she achieved the rank of Lt. Colonel, she was elected to the Nevada state Senate in two landslide victories.

Spearman is smart, smart, smart.

She’s the only LGBTQ candidate running in Nevada this election cycle.

Hit the play button as we talk about what’s at stake this campaign season.