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Anderson Cooper’s Interview With Las Vegas Mayor Was A Wild Ride

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman speaks to CNN’s Anderson Cooper (screen capture)
News watchers were glued to their screens this afternoon as Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman spoke with CNN’s Anderson Cooper regarding opening up the city’s businesses in spite of the ongoing coronavirus threat. From CNN:

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman on Wednesday repeatedly called for the city’s businesses to reopen while refusing to provide any social distancing guidelines on how to do so safely.

“I am not a private owner. That’s the competition in this country. The free enterprise and to be able to make sure that what you offer the public meets the needs of the public,” Goodman, an independent, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

“Right now, we’re in a crisis health-wise, and so for a restaurant to be open or a small boutique to be open, they better figure it out. That’s their job. That’s not the mayor’s job.”

On Tuesday, during an interview with MSNBC’s Katy Tur, Goodman said, “What I assume is that everybody is a coronavirus carrier — that 100% of our population is asymptomatic, but a carrier. My whole opinion is: get our people back to work.” Goodman added, ”Assume everybody is a carrier. And then you start from an even slate. And tell the people what to do. And let the businesses open and competition will destroy that business if, in fact, they become evident that they have disease, they’re closed down. It’s that simple.”

The problem with that approach is, of course, it can take weeks for it to become evident a restaurant or casino has become an epicenter for the disease. Cooper and Goodman spoke for a lengthy 15 minutes that seemed to ricochet from angle to angle. Nearly halfway through the segment, Cooper attempted to explain how businesses in China are rearranging seating to try and tamp down infections, but as he brought up a graphic of a seating arrangement, Goodman replied, “This isn’t China, this is Las Vegas.” Cooper could only offer up, “Wow, that’s really ignorant.”

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Earth Day 2020: Uniting The World For Climate Action

(image via TheOUTfront.com)
Guest post by Lawrence Pfeil, Jr. While a picture is worth a thousand words, some images tell stories which change the course of humanity and whose values are immeasurable by any standard known to mankind. Such is the case of the photograph taken in 1968 by the crew of Apollo 8 and became globally known as “Earthrise.” Neil DeGrasse Tyson explains:

Today the Blue Planet marks not only the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, but even during a global pandemic and social distancing, the world is coming together in one common goal, Climate Action. The vision is straightforward and simple. From the website:

“Our world needs transformational change… As an individual, you yield real power and influence as a consumer, a voter, and a member of a community that can unite for change… When your voice and your actions are united with thousands or millions of others around the world, we create a movement that is inclusive, impactful, and impossible to ignore… The time is long overdue for a global outpouring of energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to create a new plan of action for our planet. Earth Day 2020 can be the catalyst that galvanizes an unparalleled global collaboration.”

How can you help S.A.V.E. our planet? For 24 hours “Earth Day Network” will be inspiring change with streaming content bringing viewers together for performances, teach-ins, calls to action, and global conversations meant to empower people to make a better environmental future for our planet.

Earth Day Network LIVE

“We must build the largest, most diverse online mobilization in history in defense of the environment. Our world needs a united response for bold action. On Earth Day 2020, we say enough is enough. We say we believe in science. We say that everyone can make a difference. We say that the protection of our planet and the wellbeing of the people who live upon it are the top priorities. On Earth Day 2020, we say that we’re committing to vote, we’re registering to vote and we’re showing up to vote. Human health and planetary health are inextricably linked. Learn more about Earth Day activities, Climate Change information, and joining forces with others around the world making a difference in their future at EarthDay.org

Our Planet Our Home credit: Ernesto Yerena Montejano)

Lawrence Pfeil, Jr., is a freelance writer/playwright who has reviewed film and theatre, both on and off-Broadway, for media outlets including The Randy Report, the New York Blade, and Edge Publications. You can follow him at TheOUTfront.com.

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Las Vegas Entertainment Community Unites In Song ‘Needing Each Other’

The world-famous Las Vegas Strip
The world of Las Vegas entertainment comes together in this inspirational video, “Needing Each Other.” Written and produced by Keith Thompson (Musical Director for Jersey Boys, creator of The Cocktail Cabaret, founder of The Composers Showcase at The Smith Center) and co-produced by Alan and Kathi Glist, the song’s accompanying video features messages of hope and optimism from well-known entertainers and athletes who are standing in solidarity with each other. Since the Las Vegas Strip went dark in mid-March, hundreds of Las Vegas entertainers have been forced off the stage and sidelined. To help out-of-work performers, musicians, and those in the arts and entertainment community who are in need of financial assistance during this difficult time, the TCS Entertainment Community Relief Fund has been established.
Composer/music director Keith Thompson
To donate, please visit thecomposersshowcase.com and click on Donations – Relief Fund. Those wishing to apply for monetary relief from the fund can receive an application by emailing a request directly to composersshowcaselv@gmail.com, with “relief fund application request” in the subject of the email.  All requests are confidential and recipients will remain anonymous.

Big props to everyone involved for stepping up and contributing their talents: Video production and editing was provided by Jeff Lester and Jesseca Zwerg of Big Picture Studios, and audio production was provided by Jeff “Bonzai” Caruso of Green Lion Recording Studios Las Vegas. Featured singers include Vin A., Vinny Adinolfi, Jay Alger, Jassen Allen, Susan Anton, Tony Arias, Brent Barrett, Dennis Blair, Bernie Blanks, Karalyn Clark, Travis Cloer, Douglas Crawford, Jimmy Dennings, Nicole Pryor Dernersesian, Vita Corimbi Drew, Daniel Emmet, Bruce Ewing, Kaylie Foster, Elisa Furr, Gret Menzies Gonzalez, Cherity Harchis, Todd Hart, Bucky Heard, Dr. Richard Hodges, Clint Holmes, Kelly Clinton Holmes, Liz Hyde, Chadwick Johnson, Michelle Johnson, Colte Julian, Randal Keith, Amanda King, Liza Likins, Dana Martin, Krissy Johnson Millstein, Christine Hudman Pardy, Effie Passero, Kevan Patriquin, Ron Remke, David “Dai” Richards, Niki Scalera, Dan Schumann, Giada Valenti, Janien Valentine, Kelly Vohnn, Maren Wade, Jonathan Williams, Valerie Witherspoon, Jaquelyn Holland-Wright and Eric Jordan Young. The orchestra consists of Philip Fortenberry on piano; John Miceli on drums; Danny Miranda on bass; Lauren Cordell, Rebecca Sabine, Rob Taylor and Sage West on violin; De Ann Letourneau and Yunior Lopez on viola; Lindsey Springer, Moonlight Tran and David Warner on cello; Gary Cordell, Dan Falcone, Gil Kaupp and Wes Marshall on trumpet; Andrew Boostrom and Nathan Tanouye on trombone; Eric Tewalt on saxophone; and Beth Lano on French horn. Messages of hope on the video were provided by Susan Anton, Australian Bee Gees, Rick Barry, Dennis Bono, Lorraine Hunt Bono, Artie Butler, Carrot Top, Clint and Kelly Clinton Holmes, Frederick da Silva, Joyce DeWitt, Roy Firestone, Mick Fleetwood, Ronnie Foster, Mat Franco, Spencer Haywood, Thomas John, John Katsilometes, Frank Marino, Deana Martin, Myron Martin, Bill Medley, Stevie Nicks, Paige O’Hara, Tony Orlando, Chaz Palminteri, Marianne Phoenix, Irwin Raymer and Thunder From Down Under.

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News Round-Up: April 21, 2020

(via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Woofy Steve_in_LA (above) chilled with his bestie today. What a handsome dog…the canine is a looker, too. Follow Steve on Instagram here. • Instinct Magazine: World of Wonder Productions, in partnership with The Stonewall Inn, will present a live-stream concert on Thursday, April 23rd at 8PM ET/ 5 PT, hosted by Michelle Visage and Tyler Oakley with proceeds from the event to benefit LGBTQ+ nightlife industry professionals affected by COVID-19. Among those scheduled to appear are Alan Cumming, Betty Who, Greyson Chance, John Cameron Mitchell, Kim Petras, Lorna Luft, Peppermint, Rufus Wainwright, Shoshana Bean, Todrick Hall, Troye Sivan, VINCINT and a special performance by Cyndi Lauper. • NBC News: The crew for The Ellen DeGeneres Show is furious over lack of communication from the producers, a proposed pay cut during the coronavirus threat, and the hiring of a non-union tech company to help DeGeneres tape remotely from her home in California. • Advocate: According to a new independent poll from Levada Center almost one in five (18 percent) of Russians believe that LGBTQ people should be “eliminated,” while 32 percent of Russians believe that gays and lesbians should be “isolated from society.” And that’s actually an improvement from past surveys. • Pink News: A trans woman was stabbed 20 times and had her eye gouged out to ‘send a message’ to Colombia’s LGBT+ community, say local leaders. • Politico: The Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday reaffirmed its support for the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of putting Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Tuesday’s bipartisan report, from a panel chaired by North Carolina Republican Richard Burr, undercuts Trump’s years of efforts to portray allegations of Kremlin assistance to his campaign as a “hoax,” driven by Democrats and a “deep state” embedded within the government bureaucracy. • Out Music: LA-based indie artist Onsen releases the new song “Be There”, a track about the one that got away. Though the track is about lost love, it was written when the epiphany of desire occurred but before the letdown. As a result, it reflects on the relationship in a positive light.

Drew Straus, aka Onsen, gives his side of the story: “After playing it cool for too long, a person I liked had drifted away. ‘Be There’ is a confession, that I took them for granted and realized foolishly late that I’m on board and want to make it work.”

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Podcast: Leslie Jordan’s InstaStardom, Idaho Challenged On Anti-Trans Laws, All-Star Celebration Announced For Sondheim’s 90th

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: • A Texas couple tragically dies within hours of each other due to COVID-19 • Idaho’s new anti-transgender laws are already being challenged in court • Actor Leslie Jordan has become an Instagram sensation surging from 80K to 3 million followers. Find him on Instagram here. • The new Netflix documentary Circus of Books chronicles the journey of a middle-class, straight Jewish couple from everyday entrepreneurs to accidental LGBTQ activists • A vintage photo of two men named ‘Tommy’ and ‘Buzz’ has captured the romantic imagination of gay internet • Huge stars will perform on the streaming event, Take Me To The World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration, on April 26 All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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Sexy New Boy Butter Ad Will Air During ‘Real Housewives’ On Bravo

More delicious eye-candy from personal lubricant manufacturer Boy Butter. Starring woofy TV actor Facundo Rodriguez, this new ad spot is inspired by the timeless and iconic 90’s underwear ads of the 90s.

“We wanted to elevate the brand and portray a strong confident male figure that unabashedly owns his sexuality while still appealing to both men and women,” says Donna Feldman, co-founder of Straw Hat Productions, who produced the thirty-second spot.

“This is the perfect time for brands not to put their marketing in quarantine,”she adds.

The sexy new spot will begin airing during new episodes of Bravo’s Real Housewives of NYC Thursday nights starting April 23rd at 9 pm / 8 Central across Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City.

“Boy Butter’s ultimate demographic loves the Real Housewives on Bravo and by highlighting our water based Clear lubricant formula, a favorite across genders and sexualities we feel it’s a natural fit.” says Boy Butter founder Eyal Feldman.

“We don’t just want to deliver gay images but also make a fun sexy distraction for people in these times of lockdown.”

I am NOT mad at this.

I previously shared Boy Butter’s ad featuring Facundo churning butter in the dunes of Fire Island here. Who doesn’t love a good metaphor? You’ll want to click on that link 🙂

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All-Star Streaming Event Announced For Stephen Sondheim’s 90th Birthday Celebration

(image via Broadway.com)
Deadline reports a cavalcade of stars will take part in Take Me To The World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration, a virtual 90th birthday celebration for legendary Broadway composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim Meryl Streep, Audra McDonald, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin, Kristin Chenoweth, Sutton Foster, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kelli O’Hara, and many more are scheduled to appear on Sunday, April 26, which just happens to be the 50th anniversary of the opening night of Sondheim’s iconic musical, Company. The streaming event will be hosted by Raúl Esparza beginning at 8 pm ET and will be available for free at Broadway.com and the Broadway.com YouTube channel. Esparza has a long history with Sondheim’s work having starred as Bobby in the Tony Award-winning revival of Company in 2006, as George in the Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration productions of Sunday in the Park and as Charlie in Merrily We Roll Along in 2002. Additionally, he starred in City Center’s Encores! productions of Anyone Can Whistle and last year’s Road Show. “The world is in a hard place, and we are all searching for something great,” says Esparza in a statement. “Well, Stephen Sondheim is greatness personified. So, we’ve assembled a group of people who love Steve and have worked with Steve and have been inspired by Steve to sing his music and share some joy and some heartache together. We may be far from Broadway right now, but Broadway is never far from us. Besides, Stephen Sondheim turned 90. How many times do you get to be 90? 11? So come on, say it, get it over with, come on, quick…happy birthday.” Mary-Mitchell Campbell will be the music director, with Paul Wontorek serving as director. This online event will act as a fundraiser for ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty), the organization conceived by Campbell and Juilliard students to transform the lives of youth through art.

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Stanley Tucci’s ‘Soothing’ Video Making A Negroni Goes Viral

Following the internet success of celebrity chef Ina Garten’s demonstration on how to make a (massive) Cosmopolitan, Emmy Award winner and Academy Award nominee Stanley Tucci has seen his own cocktail-making go viral giving this soothing tutorial on how to make a perfect Negroni. After more than 3.6 million views of the video, it’s clear the Tucc has his own animal magnetism.

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Study: More Deaths Among Those Given Malaria Drug Vs Standard Care

Donald Trump has famously been promoting the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential cure for COVID-19 but a new study at Veterans Health Administration medical centers shows the drug had “no benefit” for those diagnosed with the virus. In fact, there were more deaths among those who received the drug versus standard care. While not a huge experiment, researchers looked at the use of the drug on 368 male veterans who were hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infection and were either discharged or died by April 11. According to the Associated Press, 28 percent who were treated with hydroxychloroquine plus usual care died, versus 11 percent of those provided with just standard care. Among a group of patients given hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin, 22 percent died although the researchers indicate the group wasn’t large enough to rule out other factors.  Additionally, the study found the drug didn’t seem to make any difference in regard to patients needing a ventilator. Although side effects were not tracked specifically throughout the study, researchers did note the drug might have caused damage to other organs. This doesn’t come as a surprise as hydroxychloroquine has long been known to have side effects like causing blindness or affecting heartbeats. Scientists in Brazil who were studying an older version of the drug, chloroquine, ended part of their research after a quarter of those being given a higher dose developed heart rhythm issues. Interestingly, POLITICO recently reported that Trump and his buddies at Fox News have all suddenly fallen silent regarding the medication. Trump’s last mention of the drug came on April 14 just days after the study ended. As I recently reported, Gilead Sciences’ experimental drug remdesivir seems to be the front-runner in terms of a drug that may actually help COVID-19 patients.

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Video: Colton Haynes Attempts DIY Haircut

Colton Haynes (screen capture)
Colton Haynes (The Flash, Teen Wolf) returns to YouTube for the first time in four years to offer this light-hearted, “mild entertainment” as he bravely gives himself a haircut with basically no experience to rely on. Continue reading “Video: Colton Haynes Attempts DIY Haircut”