Kevin Spacey Is Back With His (Now) Annual Christmas Eve Video

Kevin Spacey

Academy Award-winner Kevin Spacey
Academy Award-winner (and accused sexual assaulter) Kevin Spacey posted his third-holiday video on his YouTube channel today. I guess it’s a tradition now? Titled “1-800 XMAS,” this year’s installment takes on a more somber tone than past years. Spacey chooses not to take on his ‘Frank Underwood’persona from House of Cards and instead speaks as himself to people struggling over the holiday season. “If you’re standing in a place that you can no longer remain standing, if you’re suffering, if you need help, if you feel guilt or shame, if you’re struggling with your identity, if your back’s up against the wall, or if you feel that there is no path for you, whatever your situation, I promise you there is a path,” said Spacey. “At this time during this holiday and beyond, even if you don’t feel it, there are people out there who understand and who can help, because you are not alone.” In essence, the video takes on an odd sort of ‘It Gets Better’ messaging. Spacey shared his first ‘holiday’ video in 2018 in the aftermath of being accused of sexual misconduct with a young man in Massachusetts as well as allegations from actor Anthony Rapp. Recorded as what seemed to be his House of Cards character, the message appeared to be a veiled denial of the mounting accusations against him. The Massachusetts man eventually invoked his 5th Amendment rights which led to the charges being dropped. And another accuser, a massage therapist, died before the case could go to court. That man’s estate decided to drop the allegations as well. Last year’s video offered a message to folks that when people do something you don’t like, you should ‘kill them with kindness.‘

Christmas Music: Vanessa Williams “Do You Hear What I Hear?”

In full rotation in my house every Christmas season. What I love about Vanessa’s recordings is she reveals, alongside stunning vocals, her rich and artful musicianship. Her brilliant arranger/music director on her holiday albums, Rob Mathes, brings rich and rhythmic gospel flavor to these takes on “Do You Hear What I Hear” and “The Drummer Boy.” If you don’t have Vanessa Williams’ holiday albums, you’re missing out. Love, love, love.

Melania Dragged For Maskless White House Christmas Tour

First Lady Melania Trump with children wearing face masks at the White House
First Lady Melania Trump is probably very happy to be done with her last Christmas in the White House. Yesterday, her official Twitter account shared a short video showing her showing the White House decorations to young children (all wearing face masks) while she didn’t bother to wear a mask even though that’s the official position of the CDC. That, plus the leaked audio of a conversation with a former aide where she complained about having to oversee the holiday decor of the White House (“Who gives a f*ck about Christmas stuff and decoration…?”), is probably the most transparent perspective we’ll have of the soon-to-be-former First Lady. Twitter wasn’t amused.

InstaHunk Round-Up: Hump Day Edition

Nick Jonas (via VillaOne Tequila)
Checking in with the hunks of Instagram before Santa’s big day. Singer and professional hottie Nick Jonas debuted a new profile pic (above). Joel Green is giving you serious Spanish beach vibes:

 

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A post shared by Joel Green (@green.joel)

Everyone is at the beach it seems – Rodiney Santiago scored some rays in Cancun, Mexico:

 

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A post shared by Ródiney Santiago (@rodineysantiago)

Sean O’Donnell is ready for a 47 hour nap (which sounds pretty awesome to me):  

 

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A post shared by Sean O’Donnell (@theseanodonnell)

Rick and the Griffopotamus are in a penguin kind of mood:

According to Dan Tai, gorillas can’t swim. So, he sat on the edge of the pool:  

 

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A post shared by Dan Tai (@dantai)

Fitness hottie Nathan McCallum has turned it out at the gym this week so hard, he might be seeing things:

 

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A post shared by Nathan McCallum (@nathan)

And Silverjow, my favorite illustrator on Instagram, has one of his hunky guys ready for Santa’s big day (make sure to click through the options):

 

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A post shared by Silverjow’s art (@silverjow)

Podcast: AGT’s Branden James Chats On His Memoir ‘Lyrics Of My Life’

Branden James (right) with his husband James Clark
Branden James (right) with his husband, cellist James Clark
Musician and now-author Branden James first captivated millions as a finalist on Season 8 of America’s Got Talent in 2013 where he received high praise from the judges for his emotional, operatic vocals. During his time in the national spotlight, he hit more than one perfect note as he shared details of his coming out story and his broken ties with his religious family with the TV audience. In his recently released memoir, Lyrics of My Life: My Journey with Family, HIV, and Reality TV, Branden highlights the conflicts of growing up gay in a world that looked upon his true self and beliefs as an impractical, sinful way of life. The cover of Branden James's new memoir 'Lyrics of My Life: My Journey with Family, HIV, and Reality TV' Through it all, he was surprised by one startling realization: how vital it is to be completely authentic in order to help others, as well as continue to heal himself. Lyrics of My Life is authentically Branden sparing no details about his lack of stability as a young adult, estrangement from his close-knit family, and, despite it all, his unbreakable will to overcome adversity. Searching for his own personal freedom, Branden finds reconciliation with his family, rediscovers his faith, and realizes that affliction and hardship are not what define us as human beings. The response to Lyrics of My Life has been awesome. Among many to praise the memoir were the readers of POZ who voted the book ‘Best in Literature’ for 2020.

Since his time on America’s Got Talent, Branden has performed for Pope Benedict and The Mandela Family in South Africa. He has also performed at The Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. He currently tours internationally with his husband, Australian cellist, James Clark in a cello and vocal duo called Branden & James. If you travel to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in the near future, the terrific twosome are in residence at The Palm Cabaret through February 2021 with their new show, The Lady Gaga Songbook. But, for now, join me as I chat with the oh-so-talented talented Branden James. Lyrics of my Life: My Journey with Family, HIV, and Reality TV is available at all major booksellers including Amazon.

Gay Ex-Mormon Recalls Life-Altering Decision To Lose ‘Magic Underwear’

Dr. Jake Jacob (image via Instagram)

Dr. Jake Jacob, an openly gay physician, recently reflected on social media about his process of severing ties with the Mormon Church specifically his decision to stop wearing his ‘temple garments.’

Posting a photo clad in just a white t-shirt and briefs, the beefy doc shared with his 278K Instagram followers that it has been 12 years since he decided to stop wearing the ‘magic underwear’ noting “it made no sense since I was having sex with men which is a mortal sin against the Mormon church’s teachings.”

But rather than a sad moment of reflection, Jacob recalls the decision as “life-altering physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”

“It was my last physical reminder, for good or bad, of my ties to childhood religion,” he continued. “It was liberating for my body to finally remove the oppressive clothing that insisted I always stay covered instead of celebrating the body God gave me.”

For the hunky 39-year-old, shedding the garments represented discarding unnecessary shame and self-loathing that he’d carried for years about who he was and a part of himself that he “can’t and shouldn’t change.”

“It was a necessary step in overcoming years of conversion therapy that taught me I was broken and somehow God was supposed to fix me if I was righteous enough, an ever-moving impossible goal post,” he added.

Jacob also recalled the feeling of “sliding into my sheets without any clothes the first night I felt freedom I’d never experienced before.”

Being able to choose how he presented his body to the world began “a journey of loving my own body, embracing my flaws, of actually looking in the mirror and choosing to like what I see without guilt or forced ‘humility’ which I now know was the quest for impossible constant perfection of body and mind.”

The result was the beginning of loving himself “for who I am independent of a higher power’s approval or acceptance of my peers.”

With good and bad days in the rearview mirror, Jacob’s focus now is on the gratitude he feels having journeyed towards self-acceptance.

“I’m grateful I took a chance stepping into the unknown discovering a life I never dreamed could be so fulfilling,” he writes in closing.

The good doctor offers more than just eye-candy on his social media, although he’s clearly built AF. Check out some other recent posts below and follow the body-conscious Jacob on Instagram here for more of his posts.

Podcast: ‘She’s Not Doing So Well’ With Bobby, Jim & The Miz

Who’s looking for a new podcast to follow? Check out co-hosts Bobby Griffith, Jim (just Jim), and The Miz (Anthony Villiotti) every Wednesday for their fun-filled gay podcast, She’s Not Doing So Well, an irreverent yet empathetic look at everyday life through an LGBTQ+ lens. Described by the crew as a ‘recipe for disaster stemming from unexpected encounters,’ She’s Not Doing So Well provides insightful discussions on topics ranging from relationships and sex to gay life and mental health while incorporating edgy humor to leave their listeners begging for more. “We have no rules and love to talk about things we don’t know much about to be able to learn and grow,” reads the show’s official description. “Nothing is off-limits.” The hour-long episodes delve into commentary and experiences that inspire audiences to transition from surviving to thriving in the cultural challenges that we face as humans as well as some wholesome gay comedy. Check out the guys’ latest episode below and you can find the full catalog of 60+ episodes on Apple Podcasts here.

News Round-Up: December 22, 2020

Dan Levy accepting his trophy at the 2020 Emmy Awards (screen capture)
Some news items you might have missed: • Instinct Magazine: Emmy Award-winner Dan Levy (above) is working on a number of new projects including a new romantic comedy that he may star in. • WeHoVille: West Hollywood’s City Council unanimously approved creating a crosswalk painted in the colors of the transgender flag on Monday night and also updating the rainbow crosswalks to add the colors brown and black to symbolize greater inclusivity. • Out Music: Out Norwegian musician Marie Ulven (aka girl in red) drops this lovely melancholy pop bop, “two queens in a king-sized bed.” Since being discovered on Soundcloud five years ago, Ulven has impressed music fans with her ethereal sound as well as her choosing to lean into her queerness.

• CNN: Donald Trump has begun issuing presidential pardons and among the recipients are former Reps. Chris Collins and Duncan Hunter. Both are Republicans, and both were the first in Congress to endorse Trump for president. • Philly Inquirer: Looks like we found that ‘voter fraud’ folks have been talking about. A man in Delaware county registered his dead mother and mother-in-law to vote using their IDs, and he then cast a mail-in ballot…..for Donald Trump. The 70-year-old admitted to casting the illegal ballot to “further the campaign of Donald Trump.” • The Herald: A wedding venue in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, – the Warehouse on Ivy – denied a same-sex couple the opportunity to hold their wedding there citing its ‘Christian values.’ North Carolina is one of 27 states with no statewide laws offering protection from discrimination against the LGBTQ community.

Video: Boston Cop Brags About Driving Into Protesters

NowThis News shares this report of vehicles being used to attack protesters across the country. In the first clip, a Boston police officer boasts about driving his car through a crowd of protesters. At the 30 second mark, the officer he’s bragging to turns away once he realizes his buddy has just confessed on an active body cam. ‘I’m f*cking hittin’ people with the car,’ says the police officer. The short video goes on to note other violent attacks on protesters with vehicles. Note – I’m definitely not anti-cop. I am anti-bad cop. These jokers make life much harder for the good guys.

Christmas Music: Tom Goss ‘Christmas 2020’

Singer/songwriter Tom Goss ‘Christmas 2020’
Randy Report favorite Tom Goss shares his new holiday tune, Christmas 2020. It’s light, it’s fun, it’s silly – and three minutes of what we need right now. Tom shares via Facebook:

Friday night Mike went for a walk, I picked up the guitar and wrote a song. It was so fun to me that I immediately got on the phone and roped Ned Douglas into production, Mike Lovins into bass and Liz DeRoche into harmony arrangement. I told them everything had to be done immediately!

The next day I had an awesome song and then roped Michael Briggs into making a video with me. This project has made me smile so much, I hope it makes you smile as well.

Moral of the story… there are so many people around you that love you!!!!! Including me. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, love you lots!

You can find my numerous posts about Tom and his music here.