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Funny: Michael Henry Explores How We’re Using Our Quarantine Time

Michael Henry (screen captures)
The latest from funnyman Michael Henry posits a truly relatable aspect of the current coronavirus/stay-at-home situation: Evolve or devolve? In “My Quarantine Routine,” our hero gives us both sides of his inner self here – jogging, self-improving Michael Henry versus cyber sexing, wine guzzling, bean eating Michael Henry. Michael Henry #1: “Oh, it’s been amazing. I’ve taken this time to really meditate, center myself, to take stock of my life.” Michael Henry #2: “I slept until 2pm and then I sat by the window thinking about something dumb I said in a conversation five years ago.” MH #1: “I’ve been pressing my own juice.” MH #2: “I threw my back out sleeping.” I won’t give too much away, but I totally feel both sides of this equation.

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News Round-Up: April 28, 2020

Gus Kenworthy and Birdie (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • New York Times: National Institutes of Health scientists in Montana last month inoculated six rhesus macaque monkeys (considered the closest equivalent to humans) with single doses of a vaccine developed by the Oxford University’s Jenner Institute. The animals were then exposed to heavy quantities of the virus that is causing the pandemic — exposure that had consistently sickened other monkeys in the lab. But more than 28 days later all six were healthy. • InstaHunks: I spent about a year studying the guitar when I was younger, and I was terrible. Woofy Gus Kenworthy (top) has really learned a lot in just two months. Color me impresssed. But it looks like his best fur pal Birdie isn’t feeling it. Watch below.

 

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I’ve spent the past two months trying to learn the guitar and my dog is… honestly not very impressed.

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• Reuters: A study of more than 1400 LGBT+ women – one of the largest of its kind – found 37% of lesbian mothers in the UK suffered discrimination from other parents, while the same number’s children were victimized. • Bloomberg News: Donald Trump indicated today he’s considering withholding COVID-19 financial assistance from blue states unless they agree to do away with sanctuary cities. Note: states like California and New York, which have sanctuary cities, already send much more to the federal government than they receive.

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Two people in Georgia drank liquid cleaning products over the weekend in misguided attempts to ward off COVID-19, according to the Georgia Poison Center. Both men had histories of psychiatric problems and are expected to recover. • The Gaily Grind: ABC News correspondent Will Reeve, the son of the late “Superman” actor Christopher Reeve, accidentally revealed to the nation that he wasn’t wearing any pants while doing a live report on “Good Morning America” from his home. The 27-year-old’s camera was angled down and revealed that the correspondent was not wearing any pants as he sat on a stool immediately generating reactions on social media after the moment on “Good Morning America” went viral.

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Hillary Clinton Endorses Biden: ‘I Wish He Were President Right Now’

(image via Twitter)
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endorsed her longtime friend and colleague, former Vice President Joe Biden, for president today adding, “I wish he were president right now.” From the New York Times:

Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee and a political veteran who knows firsthand what it is like to compete against President Trump, threw her support behind Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Tuesday, the latest party leader to make the case for returning the White House to Democratic hands in November.

“I’ve been not only a colleague of Joe Biden’s, I’ve been a friend, and I can tell you that I wish he were president right now but I can’t wait until he is — if all of us do our part to support the kind of person that we want back in the White House,” Mrs. Clinton said on Tuesday afternoon during a virtual town hall-style event with Mr. Biden about the impact of the coronavirus on women.

Accepting her support, Mr. Biden said: “I really appreciate your friendship. What a, just a wonderful personal endorsement.”

Here’s the full Town Hall video from today:

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Mike Pence Tours Mayo Clinic Without Mask Despite Recommendations

Vice President Mike Pence is the one without a mask (photo via press pool video)
The White House Coronavirus Task Force recommends wearing a face mask when out in public. And yet… From CNBC:

Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday toured the Mayo Clinic without wearing a mask, despite that renowned medical facility telling him that masks are required for visitors and everyone else there to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Video from a journalist pool camera at the Mayo Clinic at one point shows that 10 people in the area around Pence, including a patient, were wearing masks and personal protective equipment.

Pence leads President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force.

The Mayo Clinic, which is located in Rochester, Minn., is requiring all patients, visitors and staff to wear a face-covering or mask to slow the spread of Covid-19.

CNBC goes on to report that the Mayo Clinic tweeted that it had, indeed, informed Pence of its mask-wearing policy. A half-hour later, the tweet was deleted. Pence’s spokeswoman, Katie Miller, told the New York Times last week Pence didn’t need a mask because, “Vice President Pence is negative for Covid-19 and is therefore not asymptomatic.” Donald Trump has also said publicly that, despite medical experts recommendations, he doesn’t feel the need to wear one. Remember when leaders led by example?

Pence is literally the only one here ignoring the Mayo Clinic mask policy. Just staggering arrogance. https://t.co/aRBvt45c7q

— shauna (@goldengateblond) April 28, 2020

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Colton Haynes Is The Daddy We Always Knew He’d Be

Colton Haynes shares in a new YouTube video that he’s finally a daddy! Ok, not that kind of ‘daddy,’ and it’s complicated… It seems the time had finally come for Colton to bring a cat into his life: “Hey y’all…meet my son…Timothee Chalameow!” But our hero may have had unrealistic expectations about cuddling and playing with Timothee right off the bat. Cut to Colton trying to coax his new buddy out from under the furniture. “This is my life now, folks – trying to win the affection of a cat,” muses Colton as Timothee stares from the relative safety under the couch. “I’m so excited! I was born to be a cat dad.” “Come here,…come cuddle with me,” pleads Colton to an aloof Timothee. “I just want your love and affection.”

L-R Colton Haynes, Timothee Chalameow
Colton swears to the camera that Timothee cuddles with him, but the new cat of the house doesn’t seem as drawn to the camera as his cat dad. Is it possible Colton had a dog in mind and got confused? And then, there’s the inevitable ‘incident.’ “Man, this whole fairy tale of getting a cat…Whoo! Not all it’s cracked up to be,” Colton shares. Apparently, there was a knock at the door, a deliveryman and a freak out involved, although Colton does see a silver lining of sorts. Showing off his new scar, Colton shares that Timothee did attack him, but in a ‘super chic way.’  “It looks like a sexy vampire bite, so now I have that.” I don’t want to give away the whole story, but all in all, it’s a pretty cute diversion from the outside world. Hit the play button below to see if/how/when Colton and Timothee ever find common ground.

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GLAAD Livestream Event Raises Over $250K For LGBTQ Community Centers

On Sunday night, GLAAD’s livestream event, “Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone” brought together stars from film, TV, YouTube and more to help raise over $250,000 for LGBTQ community centers across the country. Barbra Streisand, Billy Porter, Adam Lambert, Rosie O’Donnell, Pete & Chasten Buttigieg, Wilson Cruz, Tyler Oakley, and more made appearances during the livestream digital event hosted by Billy Eichner and Lilly Singh. “During this truly unprecedented time, tonight’s event brought together some of the world’s biggest stars to send necessary messages of support, solidarity, and community to LGBTQ people across the world, as well as the heroes on the frontlines battling this pandemic,” GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. “LGBTQ people are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, and we have a responsibility to highlight the impact of this pandemic on our community, as well as to ensure that LGBTQ people are not left behind.” “LGBTQ community centers and GLAAD are cornerstones of the community and we are proud to help their important work to help LGBTQ people everywhere.” said Ariadne Getty, president and executive director of Ariadne Getty Foundation (AGF), which donated $150,000 for the cause, the event’s largest single donation. Donations went to CenterLink which connects nearly 250 LGBTQ community centers from 45 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, as well as Canada, China, Mexico, and Australia. These centers are often the only place providing critical services such as medical care, shelter for homeless LGBTQ youth, mental health counseling, filling prescriptions, providing hot meals, checking on the elderly, and more. Funds raised in the digital event will go to directly support LGBTQ community centers and the 2 million LGBTQ people who use the centers each year.  

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News Round-Up: April 27, 2020

Jwan Yosef (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Ricky Martin’s hubby, artist Jwan Yosef (above), says he’s taking the ‘clothing optional’ approach to sheltering-at-home. #ThankGod Follow him on Instagram here. • NewNowNext: HIV hero Michael Cavnaugh was able to obtain 500 medical-grade masks and donated them to the volunteers at God’s Love We Deliver. The NYC-based organization and its network of volunteers provide thousands of free, freshly cooked, medically tailored meals every day to New Yorkers who are too sick to cook or grocery shop for themselves. • TV Insider: Check out this sneak peek from the upcoming series  Love, Victor – the TV spinoff of the coming-of-age, coming-out feature film Love, Simon. You may never look at a latte the same way again. The series debuts June 19 on Hulu.

• The Advocate: Christiaan Otto, who has spent years spewing anti-LGBTQ vitriol and claimed the current health crisis is a punishment from God, appears to have been cruising for sex on Grindr. The group Expose Christiaan Otto posted screenshots of what it said was Otto’s Grindr account including a reported shirtless selfie. One message translates as “I thought I could trust you, dude. You say you deleted the Grindr chats. What are you trying to do? Delete and block me!” • The Daily Beast: Trump supporters Diamond & Silk (aka Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson) have been dismissed from their streaming gig on FOX Nation streaming service after promoting lies about the coronavirus health threat like the COVID-19 death toll is false, that the disease was made in a lab, caused by 5G networks, and was a product of the “deep state. #ByeGurls • Out Music: Pop/R&B vocalist Malia Civetz recently released her new single and video, “Heart Broke,” chronicling the relatable feeling of early, exciting, whirlwind romance – regardless of potential heartbreak. Malia’s passionate voice booms over the punchy production like a clarion call asking, “What’s a girl gotta do to get her heart broke?” Back in March, I shared Civetz’s “Broke Boy” music video here.

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‘Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration’ Was A Musical Gift That Kept Giving

L-R Audra McDonald, Christine Baranski, Meryl Streep (screen capture)
It began with some tech problems, but when Broadway.com’s salute to legendary composer Stephen Sondheim – Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration – finally got underway it was truly a gift for musical theatre fans. So many fantastic performances of Sondheim’s lengthy and rich catalog. One of the highlights was easily Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski and Audra McDonald serving up a spectacular “The Ladies Who Lunch” from Company as a kind of  Zoom cocktail hour. Donning white robes and pouring generous drinks, the approach was not only hilarious but solved the problem of trying to live up to Elaine Stritch’s legendary performance of the song. In case you missed it, I’ve cued up Christine, Meryl and Audra’s brilliant performance below, but you can view the entire 2+ hour livestream below. Other highlights include: • Melissa Errico’s “Children and Art” (Sunday in the Park with George) was the picture of understated perfection at the 41:04 mark • Mandy Patinkin, standing outside alone amid an enormous, empty grassy field, shared a moving a cappella “Lesson #8” (Sunday in the Park with George) at the 54:21 mark • Laura Benanti – “I Remember” (Evening Primrose) at 1:08:28 mark • Chip Zien, the original “Baker” (Into the Woods) was heartbreaking as he reprised his song “No More” at 1:14:06 • The event’s host, Raúl Esparza, sang a beautiful take on the event’s title song, “Take Me to the World” (Evening Primrose) at 1:50:59 • Donna Murphy’s poignant, pensive rendition of “Send in the Clowns” (A Little Night Music) at the 1:53:55 mark • Bernadette Peters closing out the event with a gorgeous, a cappella take on a song she didn’t sing in Into The Woods, “No One Is Alone” at 2:11:18
Bernadette Peters (screen capture)
In truth, there are tons of terrific performances – I’m sure I’ll have missed mentioning something I loved. If you click here, you’ll find the full show with a complete breakdown of shortcuts to each individual performance. Stay with it to the end as there’s a much fun postscript to the shindig with the song “Broadway Baby” from Follies. The event served as a fundraiser for ASTEP – Artists Striving to End Poverty. You can donate at this link.

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Trump Wanted To Disperse Unemployment Benefits Via Imaginary Federal System

Donald Trump
Donald Trump took to Twitter today to lay the blame on Democrats for any delays Americans see in receiving additional unemployment funds provided under coronavirus relief legislation. “Blame the Democrats for any ‘lateness’ in your Enhanced Unemployment Insurance,” Trump tweeted. “I wanted the money to be paid directly, they insisted it be paid by states for distribution,” Trump added. “I told them this would happen, especially with many states which have old computers.”

As I’m sure you know, there is no federal system by which unemployment benefits can be paid. All unemployment is paid via each individual state. The $2.2 trillion emergency relief package overwhelmingly passed in Congress last month expanded the size and scope of unemployment benefits, kicking in an additional $600 to weekly unemployment checks. The legislation also expanded benefits to include freelance workers, self-employed and participants in the gig economy. One of the issues delaying these benefits is the fact that states have never paid benefits to those workers, so the sign-up process has required adapting systems in every state. But many people report encounters of crashing systems and busy phone lines as states struggle with unprecedented unemployment levels. CNN reports payments will be applied retroactively for claims starting March 29 in most, if not all, states.

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Billy Porter Debuts Music Video: “I Want My Art To Make A Difference”

During former Vice President Joe Biden’s streaming event on Saturday celebrating the one-year anniversary of his entry into the 2020 presidential race, Emmy/Tony/Grammy Award winner Billy Porter premiered the lyric video for his new single, “For What It’s Worth.” Biden’s “Soul of a Nation” event encouraged supporters to take action to help support their local communities as well as thanking front line essential workers and first responders. It was a theme of community that inspired Porter to record the ubiquitous classic: “I decided to record ‘For What It’s Worth’ because I wanted to have my art and my music matter, make a difference. I come from the generation where the music reflected what was going on in the world. I wanted to have a hand in bringing that back and speaking truth directly to power.” Tying into the theme of Biden’s event, Porter called for citizens to make sure they are registered to vote and then do so in November. “Our voices and our votes matter now more than ever,” said Porter. “I’m not going to tell you who to vote for, I just want you to vote. I, personally, will be casting my vote for Joe Biden.” You can register to vote by clicking here. For the song’s video, Porter turned to artist Kameron Neal to create a compelling and important piece of visual art. “This lyric video is EVERYTHING!,” said Porter. “Kameron Neal did an amazing job of capturing the right tone with the right imagery, usage of color, the interesting typography, and the reference to the classic Selma to Montgomery March photo. When I saw the final version, I cried.”