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New Music: Jessie Ware, DVRKO, Abby K, Emily Vu

This week’s New Music comes from just about every genre you can think of –  including a selection from ‘the future?’ From disco-pop to electronic dance to folk/Americana to bouncy pop bop, there’s something for everyone here 🙂

Check out these terrific new tracks from Jessie Ware, DVRKO, Abby K and Emily Vu.

In a recent Gay Times Magazine interview, Jessie Ware says her latest single, “What’s Your Pleasure?” is a big ‘thank you’ to the LGBTQ community as she echoes Disco divas of the past.

Noting that Dua Lipa and Lady Gaga have recently done disco music as well, Ware says she thinks “it’s the kind of music that… I think ‘elation’ is such a great word to use. It’s needed at the moment.”

The new track is definitely a recipe for club glory with its sleek disco influence, a touch of funk and the kind of free-roaming rubbery bass lines that would have you dancing relentlessly. It’s the perfect prescription for a world without dance floors.

I have to include the latest from mysterious and enigmatic electronic music producer DVRKO: “Lights Up.”

The masked artist (pronounced Dar-koh) recently told Billboard he “hails from a post-apocalyptic civilization in the not-too-distant future, roaming the earth outcasted from society for his wild past and naughty behavior.”

He uses pirated technology and his futuristic music as his only tools to communicate with the world. Asked to explain his backstory, DVRKO answered, “If I have to explain, you’re not paying attention. Take the trip, crack the code: journey’s worth it. But look, at its core, my message is simple: love and respect mother earth, and your mothers, your brothers and your sisters. I promise you, it won’t suck.”

And while he won’t share more on his identity, he does offer this advice to aspiring musicians: “Don’t listen to Polka and don’t pet squirrels, they will find you and touch you.”

Clever or mysterious, DVRKO’s “Lights Up” features an accessible chorus, bouncy syncopation, and exudes a soaring feeling of optimism that is sure to chase away the blues. Follow DRVKO on Spotify here.

I won’t put a label on indie artist Abby K as her music spans several genres including folk, Americana and alt-country.

She was inspired to write her latest single, “Mom’s Old Room,” after a transgender fan shared their story with her.

Noting the “silent prison” some trans people may find themselves in, the LGBTQ ally says, “Living a life where I couldn’t be myself would break me. This song is dedicated to all the human butterflies in the world. May they have the courage to transform and live their true beauty.”

The lilting song and whimsical music video pair perfectly to tell a lovely tale of self-discovery. Follow Abby K on Spotify here.

“Just Wait,” the latest from SoCal native Emily Vu, explores the vulnerability of falling in love with an engaging self-awareness.

“It’s about being aware of how susceptible I am to love and how being in love or just starting to get to know someone is a very vulnerable thing for me,” Emily explains of the inspiration behind the track. “I’m asking for them to wait for me and just trust the process.”

The music video stars the young pop artist surrounded by a multitude of women with each woman representing a past relationship and how Emily carries those experiences and lessons through life.

Vu launched her career in the summer of 2018 on TikTok playing around with cover songs. Since then, she’s amassed a fervent worldwide fanbase of 1.4M TikTok followers, 388K Instagram followers, and 4M+ Spotify streams.

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Longtime Talk Show Host Regis Philbin Dead At 88

TV personality Regis Philbin (image via David Shankbone)
From the Hollywood Reporter:

Regis Philbin, the indefatigable and downright neighborly host of talk shows and game shows who spent more time in front of a television camera than anyone else, has died. He was 88.

Philbin died Friday night of natural causes, according to a family statement.

Unfailingly perky and personable during his 60-plus years in show business, Philbin hosted live morning programs from Los Angeles and New York from the early 1970s through 2011, sharing cups of coffee and flipping through the morning papers alongside the likes of Ruta Lee, Sarah Purcell, Cyndy Garvey, Mary Hart, Kathie Lee Gifford and Kelly Ripa.

Like Jack Paar before him, Philbin engaged his audience with tales about his personal life and the seemingly mundane events of his day.

You’ll recall Philbin scored a late-career win in 1999 as the host of the wildly popular primetime game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The ratings juggernaut launched ABC into the No. 1 spot regularly drawing audiences of 30 million viewers. According to Guinness World Records, Philbin logged more hours on TV – 16,746.50 – than any other television host in US history. RIP Regis Philbin.

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HRC & Billy Porter: Protest + Vote = Change

LGBTQ civil rights group, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), teamed up with Grammy® /Emmy®/Tony® award-winning actor, singer and activist Billy Porter to release this inspiring video encouraging people to vote as the nation is now j 100 days until the 2020 election. The video pairs Porter’s new cover of the iconic protest song, “For What It’s Worth,” with sound bites from HRC President Alphonso David’s speech at HRC’s 2019 National Dinner. Utilizing images of protest past and present, the video notes that both protest and voting are necessary to create change. Originally written by Stephen Stills in 1966 at the height of the civil rights movement, “For What It’s Worth” is as relevant today as when it was first released. Says Porter: “In pairing the song with Alphonso’s prophetic words about the power of seeing beyond yourself, this new video shares an important message for 2020: keep protesting, but also remember the sacrifices that have been made for our right to vote, and get yourself to the ballot box too.”

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Insurance Company Denies Benefits To Family Of Sheriff’s Deputy After COVID-19 Death

L-R Deputy Shannon Bennett his fiancé, Jonathan Frey
The family of Shannon Bennett, the gay Broward Sheriff’s deputy who died from COVID-19 in April, has been denied insurance benefits covering his death. A 12-year veteran deputy, Bennett became the first South Florida first responder to be killed by COVID-19. Insurance giant AIG denied the family’s claim for accidental death in the line of duty last month.  According to Local10News, Bennett’s family received a letter from AIG saying the company had reviewed the claim and determined Bennett’s death didn’t occur in the line of duty. AIG’s position, according to the letter, is that Bennett’s “death was caused in whole or in part by, or resulted in whole or in part from sickness or disease, which is specifically excluded under this policy.” Shannon’s brother, Darren Bennett told Local 10 News, “Essentially, while my family is grappling with trying to get our bearings back, this type of letter comes in and, of course, it floors us.” The Broward County Sherriff’s Office sent an appeal on behalf of the family as the BSO believes Bennett, who was 39-years-old, contracted COVID-19 while on duty. That appeal was denied a couple of weeks later.  AIG acknowledged that Bennett did likely contract the virus while in the line of duty, but held firm on the decision not to deny his benefits. Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony released a statement which read in part:

“One of the most difficult tragedies to endure in this profession is a line of duty death. We are committed to helping the Bennett family. We pay thousands of dollars each year for this insurance, and I’m extremely disappointed that AIG is denying this claim. We will exhaust all appeals.”

Bennett was engaged and planned to marry his fiancé, Jonathan Frey, in December. The fight over Bennett’s insurance benefits is just the latest chapter in a series of ugliness surrounding his death.  NBC News reports that Dale Engle,  the South Florida police chief who came under fire in April for a homophobic rant referencing Bennett, has tendered his resignation after officers brought the incident up to the Florida police union. According to several deputies in attendance, Engle ordered his employees to line up in formation in a department parking lot and began to berate officers who raised concerns about coronavirus protocol.  During the rant, Engle referenced Bennett’s death telling the officers Bennett died because he was “a homosexual who attended homosexual events.”  He was placed on administrative leave, and this week Engle resigned over the incident. Good.

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Kennedy Center Announces Special Live Concert Series

Vanessa Williams to perform in special concert series at Kennedy Center (via official website)
Since the permanent audience seating can’t be moved for proper social distancing, the Kennedy Center’s famed Opera House is planning a series of concerts putting a limited-size audience onstage spread apart and the artist on an extension built on the front of the stage. From the Kennedy Center official website:

Artists will perform from a stage extension built into the front of the Orchestra-seating level of the hall while concert-goers, entering through the wide loading doors on the Center’s front plaza, are seated in physically distanced pairs on the Opera House stage to watch performances set against the iconic red interior of the theater.

These hour-long, intermission-less concerts will take place approximately once per week for a ticketed audience of under 200 once the District of Columbia reaches phase three of reopening.

Select concerts, including performances by four-time Grammy Award® winner and National Medal of the Arts recipient Renée Fleming; Emmy®, Grammy®, and Tony Award® nominee Vanessa Williams; award-winning Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet and Broadway actress Tiler Peck; and award-winning choreographer and Artistic Director of Camille A. Brown and Dancers, Camille A. Brown, will be streamed digitally via the Kennedy Center website.

Additional artists from the worlds of jazz, hip hop, comedy, and Broadway will be announced at a later date. Performance details and ticketing information will be announced as D.C. approaches phase three of reopening. Imagine being your view as you take in these special concerts:

The Kennedy Center Opera House

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News Round-Up: July 24, 2020

(via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • Instagram: The above is from one of my current favorite Instagram accounts, BigKidProblems. Follow them here for more witticisms on adulting. • The Advocate: A new study makes clear what we already knew to be an absolute truth: Male bisexuality exists. The study notes that the most equal bisexual response from the participants were found in men who rated themselves as Kinsey 2s, i.e. straight leaning, despite the vast majority of their arousal tests displaying at Kinsey 3. • New Music: Led by out frontman Tyler Glenn, alt-pop group Neon Trees drops its long-awaited 4th studio album today, I Can Feel You Forgetting Me. I’m digging the latest single, “Night,” which reminds me of 1980s Phil Collins/Genesis pop-rock – in a very good way. Between the brooding, catchy chorus and the pulsing, new wave beat, this is a good thing.

• Buzzfeed News: As the US grapples with a global pandemic that has stretched hospitals to the limit, a Christian university in Tennessee has rescinded a student’s offer of acceptance after learning he is gay. Alex Duron, an ICU nurse treating COVID-19 patients in San Antonio, says a few days after his interview the school called to say he’d “blown them away” and offered him admission. At no point did the school indicate that being gay was an issue. • Theatermania: Writer Alex Wood recently attended the first West End show staged with social distancing. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber hosted an evening at London’s famed Palladium using only 500 of the venue’s 2,000 seats and included a new, refined air filtering system and temperature checks. • CBS-LA: An employee at a Los Angeles area Ralphs grocery store asked a male customer to wear a mask or leave the store. Instead, he rammed her with a shopping cart, so she pepper-sprayed him and called police. Witnesses to the altercation said the employee was defending herself, but she was still suspended for her part in the incident. • Gr8erDays: Matt Rettenmund’s nostalgic Instagram account that remembers stars of yesteryear celebrates uber-handsome Mark Goddard, who played Major Don West in the 1960s sci-fi TV series, Lost In Space. Goddard turns 84 years young today.

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Cook Political Report Moves Florida To ‘Leans Democratic’ Column

The Cook Political Report, considered one of the most accurate data/poll crunchers out there, has updated its electoral college outlook, most significantly moving Florida from Toss-up status to Leans Democratic. We’ve come to think of the Sunshine State as a 50/50 proposition since the winner of the state hasn’t carried it by more than 5 points since 2000. And in four of the last five presidential elections, the race was decided by 3 points or less. But the most recent poll, via Quinnipiac University, shows former Vice President Joe Biden leading Donald Trump by 13 points – 51% to 38%. Quinnipiac’s final 2016 Florida poll showed a dead heat; Trump came out on top by less than 2 points. In fact, the Real Clear Politics average of Florida polls puts Biden 7 points ahead of the Donald. It’s worth noting that a victory for Trump without Florida becomes extremely difficult. Read more from The Cook Political Report’s current perspective here.

(via Cook Political Report)

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Legislator Calls Mask Mandate ‘Draconian,’ Now Hospitalized With COVID-19

Arkansas State Sen. Jason Rapert (image via Facebook)
A virulently anti-LGBTQ lawmaker in Arkansas who decried his state’s face mask mandate as “draconian” has been hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus.  State Sen. Jason Rapert (R-Conway) has also been diagnosed with pneumonia. ArkansasOnline reports he is in the hospital and responding well to treatment. The 48-year-old self-described social and fiscal conservative criticized Gov. Asa Hutchinson just a week ago when the face mask mandate went into effect. “There is no question that Covid19 is serious and can be very deadly for those with underlying conditions and the elderly,” wrote Rapert on his Facebook page. “But the fact is 99% of our nation has not been afflicted and this pandemic is no worse statistically than other severe outbreaks we have endured without draconian measures isolating the healthy and shutting down our entire economy. Even though he’s told his Facebook followers that “we have all been doing our best to wear a mask,” the senator preached (sans face mask) at the Potsville Assembly of God on July 6 about not being a “slave to fear.”

Earlier this year, Rapert denounced an appearance by openly gay Tony/Grammy/Emmy Award-winner Billy Porter on the children’s television series Sesame Street and called for defunding his state’s PBS affiliate. Rapert promoted an online petition expressing disgust over “Sesame Street’s decision to push drag queens on children,” and demanding that the show drop the episode featuring Porter.

When one commenter asked Rapert if Jesus would “approve of [his] judgment and intolerance,” Rapert dismissed the query saying, “You are totally amiss and you know it. Christians do not support anti-Biblical behavior. The Bible is clear on certain sins — including homosexuality.” Page Six asked Porter about the kerfuffle and the Pose star replied, “If you don’t like it, don’t watch it.” “Like, what about me singing with a penguin [on the show] has anything to do with what I’m doing in my bedroom?”  Rapert has also called for bombing the Middle East with nuclear weapons, and in 2017 sponsored a resolution calling for a federal constitutional convention to add an amendment to the U.S. Constitution defining marriage as between a man and a woman.  In 2015, he claimed Pride parades were held on Sundays to “mock Christians” and “try to intimidate people who believe in the Word of God.” In 2014, the state senator called for impeaching the judge who overturned his state’s ban on same-sex marriage. Rapert is currently the only announced candidate for lieutenant governor in 2022.

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News Round-Up: July 23, 2020

Ellen DeGeneres (image via Depositphotos)
Some news items you might have missed: • US Weekly: Show staffers at The Ellen DeGeneres Show are reportedly gleeful since the publication of a report about the “toxic work environment” at the TV gabfest. “They’re loving that the truth — which has been an open secret for years in the industry — is finally receiving more interest.” • Buzzfeed News: A federal prosecutor arrested for drunk driving used anti-gay slurs and other abusive terms according to an inspector general report obtained by BuzzFeed News. Nine officers went on record saying the unnamed prosecutor used the word “f*ggot” repeatedly. • NY Times: On July 9, the U.S. crossed the 3 million mark in terms of positive COVID-19 tests. Just 14 days later, we crossed the 4 million mark. #SoMuchWinning • KIT212: I’m late but Kenneth nailed this week’s ‘Wrestle Wednesday’ (below). Hit the link for more reverse stripping. • NBC News: Donald Trump finally succumbed to the writing on the COVID-19 wall and has canceled his huge, in-person Republican convention in Jacksonville, Florida. The Republican National Party will still hold virtual events, and the Trumpster will still get to give his acceptance speech. • USA Today: The Senate overwhelmingly passed a massive defense bill Thursday afternoon that includes the removal of Confederate names from army bases and creates a possible showdown between Congress and President Donald Trump, who opposes renaming the bases. The bill passed by a lopsided count of 86 to 14, well over the number required to override a presidential veto. • The Hill: Donald Trump whined today about an ad released by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden that featured former President Obama saying the U.S. is not dealing with the coronavirus pandemic as “smartly” as other countries with similar resources. The conservative anti-Trump group, The Lincoln Project, trolled back asking Trump to identify an elephant in reference to the Donald’s constant preening about passing a dementia test.

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All Of The Nationals & Yankees Take A Knee Before (Not During) National Anthem

Every member of the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees took a knee tonight before the national anthem. Not during – so shut up far-right wackos – but before the anthem. #awesome