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Moderators Announced For Presidential Debates

L-R President Donald Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden
The non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) has announced the moderators for the 2020 general election presidential and vice-presidential debates. The moderators, and the schedule and locations for the debates (as previously announced), are as follows:

First presidential debate: Chris Wallace, Anchor, Fox News Sunday, Tuesday, September 29, Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH

Vice presidential debate: Susan Page, Washington Bureau Chief, USA Today, Wednesday, October 7, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

Second presidential debate (town meeting): Steve Scully, Senior Executive Producer & Political Editor, C-SPAN Networks, Thursday, October 15, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, FL

Third presidential debate: Kristen Welker, Co-Anchor Weekend TODAY, White House Correspondent, NBC News Thursday, October 22, Belmont University, Nashville, TN

Trump is not pleased with the selections while Biden has called for live fact-checking in a crawler during the debates.

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CDC Tells States To Prepare For Possible Vaccine Before Election Day?

The first confirmed case of the omicron variant in the U.S. has been discovered in California.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have informed public health officials in all 50 states that two different vaccines for the coronavirus could be available as early as late October or early November before the completion of clinical trials. From the New York Times:

The new C.D.C. guidance is the latest sign of an accelerating race for a vaccine to ease a pandemic that has killed more than 184,000 Americans. The documents were sent out on the same day that President Trump told the nation in his speech to the Republican National Convention that a vaccine might arrive before the end of the year.

Over the past week, both Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, and Dr. Stephen Hahn, who heads the Food and Drug Administration, have said in interviews with news organizations that a vaccine may be available for certain groups before clinical trials have been completed if the data is overwhelmingly positive.

Public health experts agree that agencies at all levels of government should urgently prepare for what will eventually be a vast, complex effort to vaccinate hundreds of millions of Americans.

But the possibility of a rollout in late October or early November has heightened concerns that the Trump administration is seeking to rush the distribution of a vaccine — or simply to hype that one is possible — before Election Day on Nov. 3.

It normally takes years to develop a new vaccine. Anyone else a bit squeamish about receiving a shot of something that hasn’t been fully vetted? President Ford rushed a vaccine to the public in 1976 for the swine flu. It didn’t go well. Four-hundred fifty people who received the vaccine developed the paralyzing syndrome Guillain-Barré and of those, more than 30 died.

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Bright Light Bright Light Celebrates Gender Expression “It’s Alright, It’s OK”

Bright Light Bright Light (aka Rod Thomas)
Recording artist Bright Light Bright Light (aka Rod Thomas) serves up the perfect diversion for Hump Day with his new music video for “It’s Alright, It’s OK.” The track, a collaboration with Canadian pop trio Caveboy, is a celebration of gender expression and empowerment. “I was in the studio with Babydaddy of Scissor Sisters and we wanted to make something that would make us dance, and as we were building the sounds it started to remind me of Ghetto, a queer club in London that is long gone, but where Scissor Sisters songs were blasted in a tiny basement club where anyone and everyone under the LGBTQ+ umbrella used to go,” said Rod about the inspiration for the track. He added, “It makes me feel so at home so I ended up writing the lyrics about identity, belonging, and the fight to free yourself from being put into a box.”

Did you come as a boy or a girl? Or did you come as yourself, even better If you want to be part of a world where your heart doesn’t hurt Say the word and we’ll make it there together

The video stars gender-fluid drag performer and activist Glow Job coping with life in lockdown by getting all dolled up to stay home and live her best life complete with an apartment stripper pole and rooftop stage all to herself.

On Instagram, Glow shares the astounding news that she was hit by a motorcycle while riding her bike to a protest in July resulting in a broken leg and clavicle just weeks before the video shoot. “Pole community, don’t judge too harshly,” jokes the queen decked out in regal red. “But the song isn’t about what I am physically able to do, but how I am simply able to be,” added Glow Job. “Able to be me in whatever way that looks. What you are seeing is my life. That is my home. This is my expression.”

 

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I know I am not alone in feeling like this year has really put us through the wringer. One thing that gives me solace is that I really feel I am discovering the truth about a lot of things including myself these days. I was super honored to be asked to star in Bright Light Bright Light’s latest music video because the lyrics spoke to exactly how I was feeling about myself. Bright Light called me on July 9th to ask if I was interested. I listened to the song and immediately knew I HAD to be in this video! I popped my headphones in my ears and got on my bike to head to a protest all the while I started fantasizing about what the video would be like, and then BAM!!!!! I got hit by a motorcycle. I think I convinced Bright Light I was barely hurt and I would be good to go in 4 weeks time when the video was to be shot, even though I had just broke my leg and clavicle and had a huge 12” gash along my calf. I couldn’t move for the first 2 weeks and leaned on so many friends and family to get me through. But exactly 1 month later, I was able to shoot this video. Pole community, don’t judge too harshly, my leg and clavicle were technically still broken, and I discovered then and there how much I could do! But the song isn’t about what I am physically able to do, but how I am simply able to be. Able to be me in whatever way that looks. What you are seeing is my life. That is my home. This is my expression. I hope this song touches y’all the way it did me. I hope it encourages you to explore your self expression and gender identity. I hope you know we will get there together! I hope it also gets you to dance! 🙂 Thank you @brightlightx2 for including me on this album in this way! I am honored!! Thanks @tylerrayjensen for directing! Stying by me with some awesome leather work and harnesses by @jglifeboats . The good wigs styled by @shelby_late_queen – love my new Neon one! And thanks for @everybodyloveskaek for helping me on the day of the shoot, playing assistant, getting me in and out of outfits, and providing the support I needed. VIDEO LINK IN BIO 🎵: @brightlightx2 📹: @tylerrayjensen 👗: @queenglowjob 🐄: @jglifeboats . #musicvideo #genderfluid #nonbinary

A post shared by My Name Is Glow… Glow Job (@queenglowjob) on

“It’s Alright, It’s OK” is the latest single leading up to the September 18 release of Bright Light Bright Light’s new album, Fun City. Thomas chose to record the vocals for Fun City on the empty dance floor of East Village gay club Bedlam as a way to channel the energy of the queer trailblazers that influenced him like Sylvester, Erasure, Scissor Sisters, and Hercules & Love Affair. The new album explores the ways marginalized people “stay strong, focused and creative through times of social and political hardships.” The collection includes collaborations with high profile artists including Andy Bell (of Erasure), Jake Shears (of Scissor Sisters), Justin Vivian Bond, Mark Gatiss, Niki Haris & Donna De Lory, and Sam Sparro.

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Netflix Drops Official Trailer For ‘The Boys In The Band’

Netflix drops the official trailer for the upcoming screen adaptation of The Boys in the Band which premieres on the streaming platform September 30. From Netflix:

Based on the Tony Award-winning play that changed a generation, The Boys in the Band follows a group of nine gay men who gather for a birthday party in 1968 New York City – only to find the drinks and laughs interrupted when a visitor from the host’s past turns the evening upside down.

Starring Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesús, Brian Hutchison, Michael Benjamin Washington, and Tuc Watkins. Produced by Ryan Murphy. Directed by Joe Mantello. Based on the groundbreaking work of Mart Crowley.

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Buttigieg Announces New Podcast “The Deciding Decade”

Former South Bend Mayor and presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg announced this morning he will be launching a new podcast titled “The Deciding Decade.” “We know that this, the first year of the 2020s, has been one of chaos and anguish,” Buttigieg said in the announcement video. “But I believe now is the beginning of America’s deciding decade, a time that will present leaders and all Americans with decisions that will shape life in this country for the rest of this century.” The first episode will be released on September 9th and then weekly each Wednesday after that. Listeners can stream on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere podcasts are heard. His first guest will be former U.S. attorney Preet Bahara.

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Podcast: Cher Stumps For Biden, LGBTQ Icon Honored By Her State, New Music From NIKO

The Randy Report podcast

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' In this week’s podcast: • The Trump campaign claims the Donald is the “most pro-gay president in American history” – but don’t fall for that • A federal court rules in favor of a gay couple granting their daughter her legal US citizenship • Scientists discover an HIV strain resistant to PrEP • LGBTQ icon Marsha P Johnson gets honored in her home state • The one and only Cher raises $2 million for Joe Biden hosting an LGBTQ fund-raiser • Out singer/songwriter NIKO dropped his newest single “Try” dedicated to his partner All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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News Round-Up: September 1, 2020

Channing Tatum (via Instagram)
Some news stories you might have missed: • The Advocate: Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, gives a fascinating and personal account of what it was like to be on the campaign trail with the first openly gay presidential candidate of a major party. Chasten releases his memoir, I Have Something To Tell You, today. • New York Times: The Democratic National Party has announced presidential candidate Joe Biden will visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, “as soon as possible,” but wants to defer to local officials, including Governor Tony Evers, who had asked Donald Trump to cancel or delay his visit to allow the city time “to heal.” • BosGuy: Celebrating the release of the 2021 Men in Kilts calendar! Squeeee!!! • Politico: Twitter said Monday it will begin displaying warning labels on shared posts that contain misleading or doctored videos after facing complaints that it failed to do enough to limit the spread of deceptive clips targeting Joe Biden’s campaign. • CNN: Channing Tatum (top photo) is releasing his first children’s book, “The One and Only Sparkella,” dedicated to his 6-year-old daughter, Everly. The actor says he’s spent much of quarantine with his daughter finding his ‘inner child.’ The book is centered around a young girl named Ella, who likes sparkly things and gets teased at school for wearing disco ball shoes. But her father teaches her lessons about expressing herself and loving herself.

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Iowa State Will Allow 25K Football Fans At Season Opener

Jack Trice Stadium at Iowa State (via CycloneAthletics/Instagram)
Iowa State has announced its football season opener against Louisiana in two weeks will be in front of live fans. The school has reportedly re-allocated the tickets in Jack Trice Stadium to accommodate 25,000 fans – roughly 41 percent of capacity. This comes at a time when new coronavirus diagnoses have skyrocketed in the Hawkeye State. The Washington Post has this:

According to The Washington Post’s state-by-state database, Iowa has seen a 92 percent increase in new coronavirus cases over the past week, the second-highest rise in the country behind South Dakota.

Iowa’s seven-day average of new coronavirus cases stands at 241 per 100,000 residents, the highest among the 50 U.S. states.

In Story County, home to Iowa State’s campus, the seven-day average of new cases per 100,000 residents is 777, nearly a fourfold increase from just a week ago and one of the highest rates in the nation for one county. On Aug. 14, that number hovered around only 50 new cases per 100,000 residents.

The school says face masks will be required and there will be no tailgating allowed at the stadium. “I’ll have personally zero, zero tolerance for any fan that doesn’t comply,” said Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard. “I don’t care how much money they give this institution, if you want to be in the stadium, you’re going to have to comply with what we put together. If you don’t do it, we don’t want you here.” According to USA Today, that 41 percent of capacity figure is the highest level announced by any school in the U.S.

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Data Group Warns Of Election Night ‘Red Mirage’ For Trump

(graphic via Axios)
Josh Mendelsohn, CEO of Michael Bloomberg’s data/analytics firm, recently told Axios there’s “a very real possibility that the data is going to show – on election night – an incredible victory for Donald Trump.” That is – until all the mail-in ballots are counted over the subsequent days. With many more Democrats voting by mail this election cycle – Hawkfish predicts up to 40% of Americans might vote by mail – it could take several days (if not weeks) for states to add up all the ballots. So, on election night, with Republicans voting primarily in person, the tallies may show Trump with a huge lead, but Mendelsohn calls that a “red mirage.” “When every legitimate vote is tallied and we get to that final day, which will be some day after Election Day, it will in fact show that what happened on election night was exactly that, a mirage,” Mendelsohn told Axios. A new NBC/Survey Monkey poll echoed Hawkfish’s findings showing 50% of Democrats plan to vote by mail this cycle while only 18% of Republicans plan to mail in their ballots.

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Mariah Carey Had An ‘Extremely Uncomfortable’ Moment With Ellen DeGeneres

L-R Mariah Carey, Ellen DeGeneres (screen capture)
Add international pop superstar Mariah Carey to the list of folks who have had ‘uncomfortable’ moments with beleaguered talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. In a new interview with Vulture, Carey is asked about a 2008 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that recently resurfaced on Twitter amid the numerous allegations of behind-the-scenes turmoil at the gabfest. At the time of the appearance, rumors were swirling that Carey was pregnant. It turns out she was BUT she hadn’t announced the news yet. DeGeneres pointedly asked Carey about the possible pregnancy and Carey demurred. But, in an attempt to break the news, Ellen pulled out glasses of champagne and challenged Mimi to imbibe. The pop star, clearly a bit distressed in the moment, kept trying to avoid the question. Click the center of the image below to watch.

“I was extremely uncomfortable with that moment is all I can say,” Carey tells Vulture. “And I really have had a hard time grappling with the aftermath.” “I wasn’t ready to tell anyone because I had had a miscarriage,” says the 5-time Grammy Award winner. “I don’t want to throw anyone that’s already being thrown under any proverbial bus, but I didn’t enjoy that moment.” Sadly, Carey did experience another miscarriage shortly after the interview aired. Musing on the moment, Carey says there’s “an empathy that can be applied to those moments that I would have liked to have been implemented.” A clip of the exchange is still posted on Ellen’s video channel with the caption, “Mariah Carey won’t respond to pregnancy rumors, but Ellen knows how to get an answer out of her without saying anything.” Looking to the future, the award-winning singer/songwriter/actress is in media mode as her long-awaited memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, drops on September 29. And the 18th season of The Ellen DeGeneres Show premieres next week. (source: Vulture)