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Orlando: Interim Memorial Honoring Victims & Survivors Of Pulse Nightclub Shooting Unveiled

The new interim memorial for the victims and survivors of the Pulse Nightclub shooting was unveiled yesterday in Orlando, Florida.

The tribute features panels and murals honoring not only the 49 victims of the deadly shooting which took place on June 12, 2016, but the families, first responders and community members who came together in the aftermath of the tragedy.

According to Pulse nightclub owner and foundation founder Barbara Poma, every aspect of the design came directly from those affected by the shooting.

“Everything you will experience here is intentional,” Poma told the press. “It has purpose.”

Photos, commemorative art and images of LGBTQ pride left behind by visitors for almost two years, are now on display on the wall that surrounds the former nightclub. Visitors can leave messages on a digital board in front of the main mural.

Additionally, the iconic Pulse fountain, which had been badly damaged during the shooting, has been rebuilt.

After a dedication ceremony, Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, told the Orlando Sentinel the temporary memorial would give survivors of the shooting, as well as the Orlando community, a more appropriate setting to reflect.

“As a gay, Latino man who lives here in Orlando there’s no way that this tragedy couldn’t have been deeply deeply personal for me,” Smith said. “We can’t forget what happened here on the darkest day of our city’s history. It’s also part of our world and human history.”

This tribute will remain until the permanent memorial and museum designs are selected.

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NYT: Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen Received Payments From Russian Oligarch

Michael Cohen

You have to ask – is this the Russian collusion?

 The New York Times has the details:

A shell company that Michael D. Cohen used to pay hush money to a pornographic film actress received payments totaling more than $1 million from an American company linked to a Russian oligarch and several corporations with business before the Trump administration, according to documents and interviews.

Financial records reviewed by The New York Times show that Mr. Cohen, President Trump’s personal lawyer and longtime fixer, used the shell company, Essential Consultants L.L.C., for an array of business activities that went far beyond what was publicly known. Transactions totaling at least $4.4 million flowed through Essential Consultants starting shortly before Mr. Trump was elected president and continuing to this January, the records show.

Among the previously unreported transactions were payments last year totaling about $500,000 from Columbus Nova, an investment firm in New York whose biggest client is a company controlled by Viktor Vekselberg, the Russian oligarch. A lawyer for Columbus Nova, in a statement Tuesday, described the money as a consulting fee that had nothing to do with Mr. Vekselberg.

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Arrow/Teen Wolf Star Colton Haynes Files For Divorce

Arrow and Teen Wolf star Colton Haynes has filed for divorce just six months after marrying florist Jeff Leatham
Colton Haynes (L) and Jeff Leatham (R) in happier times
(image via Instagram)

TMZ is reporting that Arrow/Teen Wolf star Colton Haynes has filed for divorce in Los Angeles from celebrity florist Jeff Leatham, his husband of six months.

According to divorce documents, Haynes cites irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.

He is asking a judge to terminate spousal support for both and indicates that each will pay their own lawyer fees.

Haynes married Leatham last October in a lavish wedding in Palm Springs officiated by reality celebrity, Kris Jenner.

Some assumed Leatham had cheated after the Arrow star posted a demo song titled, “Man It Sucks”, to his Instagram account.

But Colton defended his ex-husband-to-be on Twitter asking fans to lay back, writing, “Jeff would never cheat. He is an amazing man. Please stop being mean to him.”

Eagle-eyed social media folks recently noticed that Haynes had unfollowed his husband and deleted just about every pic of Leatham from his Instagram.

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News Round-Up: May 8, 2018

Birthday boy Nyle DiMarco

Some news items you might have missed:

• Happy, happy birthday to Nyle DiMarco! The DWTS/ANTM champ turns 29 today! The handsome model and actor is currently working as a producer on Broadway repping the revival of the hit play, Children of a Lesser God.

• An 88-year-old grandmother shut down her son’s homophobia in two sentences.

• Madonna served up fashion in a dramatic vein last night at the annual Met Gala where she sang “Like A Prayer,” “Hallelujah” and debuted a new song apparently titled, “Magic.” The theme for the evening was Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.

• Raul Castro’s daughter is making the push for marriage equality in Cuba.

• House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi says if there are Democratic House candidates who want to say they won’t support her as House Speaker, she’s fine with it. “I think if they have to do that to win the election, I’m all for it. Just win, baby.”

• Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team has questioned a Russian oligarch about hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments funneled through his company to President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, after the election. #RuhRoh #DidHeSayRussia?

• The new interim memorial for the victims and survivors of the Pulse Nightclub shooting was unveiled today in Orlando, Florida. This tribute will remain until a permanent memorial can be built.

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Uber Plans To Launch A Fleet Of Flying Taxis By 2023

Uber has announced plans to launch a fleet of flying taxis by 2023.

The plan is to begin in Dallas and Los Angeles with testing to start in 2020.

Instead of picking you up, the plan would be to build “sky ports” where folks can board and disembark in a ride-sharing program.

Each sky port will be able to handle 200 takeoffs and landings an hour.

The air-cars will be flown by a pilot and hold up to four people.

NASA will be involved in creating a system of industry standards and regulations.

Check out the video report below. Who’s up for  an air-taxi?

(h/t JoeMyGod)

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Trump Announces U.S. Will Withdraw From Iran Nuclear Agreement

Donald Trump

Donald Trump announced today that the United States will be leaving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The 2015 agreement between the United States, Iran, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, China, Russia and the European Union eased sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbing its nuclear program.

In withdrawing from the nuclear deal, Trump says the U.S. will reinstate “the highest level” of sanctions against Iran.

Responding to the news, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told his country, “I have ordered Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization to be ready to restart industrial nuclear activities in case we feel it is needed.”

In a rare public expression of disagreement, former President Obama issued a statement which read, in part, “The consistent flouting of agreements that our country is a party to risks eroding America’s credibility, and puts us at odds with the world’s major powers.”

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CBS’ Sunday Morning Takes A Deep Dive Into Broadway’s “The Boys In The Band”

CBS' Sunday Morning takes a deep dive into the 50th anniversary revival of the groundbreaking gay play, The Boys in the Band
Host Jane Pauley for CBS’ Sunday Morning

As the old saying goes, “You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been.”

And so, CBS’ Sunday Morning took a deep dive into the upcoming 50th anniversary Broadway revival of Mort Crowley’s groundbreaking play about New York City gay life in the 1960s, The Boys in the Band.

Premiering in 1968, the play was the first time a mainstream theater audience got a glimpse of what it was like to be gay. Using a birthday party as the setting, Crowley wrote characters who were unabashedly ho-mo-sex-u-al.

The same year Crowley wrote The Boys in the Band, CBS News aired a report on homosexuality that announced, “Americans consider homosexuality more harmful to society than adultery, abortion, or prostitution.”

The attacks didn’t come from just outside the gay community though.

In the era of the Stonewall riots, the community turned on the play and the playwright saying the production cast gay men in a negative, “self-hating” light.

Still, as history can attest, the play became a cultural sensation, ran for over 1,000 performances and was made into a major motion picture. Crowley returned to Hollywood where, among other things, became the head writer of TV series like ABC’s Hart To Hart.

And now, instead of being attacked, the play is being celebrated by the LGBTQ community.

The new revival stars one of television’s highest paid actors, Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory), as well as a gay “who’s who” of successful, out gay actors including Matt Bomer, Zachary Quinto, Charlie Carver and Andrew Rannells.

Currently in previews, the production will have a limited run through August 11 only.

For more info and tickets, head over to the official website at BoysInTheBand.com.

A post shared by The Boys In The Band (@boysbandbway) on Apr 30, 2018 at 5:18pm PDT

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Adam Rippon’s High Flying Quickstep Wows DWTS Judges

Out figure skater Adam Rippon and professional dance partner Jenna Johnson took on the uber-challenging Quickstep in serious style on last night’s all-athletes Dancing with the Stars.

In the pre-performance video, Rippon shared that his grueling ‘Stars on Ice’ tour schedule has him flying all over the country while Johnson travels with him everywhere to rehearse.

It’s airports, hotels, skating performances, 5 hour dance rehearsals, 3-4 hours of sleep a night, then rinse and repeat.

The Olympic bronze medalist says he doesn’t get back to L.A. until the day of DWTS tapings.

But a busy schedule and sleep deprivation did not stand in the mighty Rippon’s way.

Set to “Make Way” by Aloe Blacc, the duo delivered near perfection receiving 37 out of a possible 40 points. That made for a tie, with skating pal Mirai Nagasu and her pro partner Alan Bersten, for the night’s high score.

The judges gushed.

Bruno Tonioli: “No messing around, no distractions! Absolutely fantastic dancing all the way through. Your timing is impeccable.”

Len Goodman: “So much content, so much speed, but so much clarity of movement. Well done!”

Carrie-Ann Inaba: “You better work. So tight!”

“That was stunning, said guest judge Rashad Jennings. Although Adam’s snazzy red/black suit took the former NFL player aback: “This outfit though. Did you pick this outfit?”

“I actually stole it from your trailer,” said Rippon without missing a beat. “We’re the same size. Nobody knew that.”

After the performance, Rippons told Fox News his new Finnish boyfriend, Jussi-Pekka Kajaala, will be moving from Finland to Los Angeles to be with him.

“I live here in L.A. already but he’s in the process of moving here. He lives in Helsinki right now,” Rippon explained.

“He’s coming as soon as the [‘DWTS’] show is over. He’s been to L.A. a bunch of times since the Olympics.”

Bonus video: Adam and Jenna also took part in the group “1970s Football Dance” to the disco hit “Instant Replay.”

I literally learned to dance to this song.

And how about Adam snagging that football pass like a pro? Watch below.

p.s. the pro guy’s look pretty a-mah-zing in those sequin football pants. Just saying… 😉

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New Trailer: “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again”

Cher in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

The second trailer for the upcoming Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was released today and it’s as ABBA-tastic as you’d expect.

The original Mamma Mia film cashed in $609 million at the box office worldwide back in 2008, so it’s no wonder Universal Pictures is taking another kick-ball-change with the ABBA catalogue.

In the new tease, we get more singing, more dancing, more Cher!

The film serves as both sequel and prequel in explaining just how the three dads (Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Dominic Cooper) came into Donna’s life.

And did I mention – Cher?

The movie hits theaters July 20. Watch the new trailer below.

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NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman Resigns Amid Accusations Of Physical Assault

NY Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman (speaking)
Photo: MTA / Patrick Cashin (Flickr)

Holy crap!

After four women with whom he had sexual relationships made claims of physical assault in the New Yorker, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has resigned.

From The New York Times:

“It’s been my great honor and privilege to serve as attorney general for the people of the State of New York,” Mr. Schneiderman said in a statement. “In the last several hours, serious allegations, which I strongly contest, have been made against me.

“While these allegations are unrelated to my professional conduct or the operations of the office, they will effectively prevent me from leading the office’s work at this critical time. I therefore resign my office, effective at the close of business on May 8, 2018.”

His resignation represented a stunning fall for a politician who had not only turned his office into a bulwark of resistance against President Trump, but also assumed a prominent role in the #MeToo movement.

Two of the women, Michelle Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam, said they had been choked and hit repeatedly by Mr. Schneiderman. Both said they had sought medical treatment. Another woman, a lawyer, said she was slapped violently across the face. A fourth woman also said she had similar experiences.

All the women in the article, who had been romantically involved with Mr. Schneiderman, said the violence was not consensual.

Mr. Schneiderman initially denied abusing the women, saying in a statement: “In the privacy of intimate relationships, I have engaged in role-playing and other consensual sexual activity. I have not assaulted anyone. I have never engaged in nonconsensual sex, which is a line I would not cross.”

From The New Yorker piece:

All have been reluctant to speak out, fearing reprisal. But two of the women, Michelle Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam, have talked to The New Yorker on the record, because they feel that doing so could protect other women.

They allege that he repeatedly hit them, often after drinking, frequently in bed and never with their consent. Manning Barish and Selvaratnam categorize the abuse he inflicted on them as “assault.”

They did not report their allegations to the police at the time, but both say that they eventually sought medical attention after having been slapped hard across the ear and face, and also choked. Selvaratnam says that Schneiderman warned her he could have her followed and her phones tapped, and both say that he threatened to kill them if they broke up with him. (Schneiderman’s spokesperson said that he “never made any of these threats.”)