Some news stories for you as we head into the weekend:
• Instinct Magazine: After photos of Pedro Pascal and male model Christian Hogue (above) vacationing aboard a yacht in Mallorca, Spain, surfaced in late July, social media began to rumor they were a couple. Hogue responded on Instagram saying nope – “I am not gay nor am I for hire.”
• Queerty: A NYC-based fashionista called out the gays for a number of trends that he finds disingenuous: “curated body hair, vintage basketball shorts, Le labo scents and performative freeballing.”
Carly Rae Jepsen (promo photo) Some news items you might have missed: • The Advocate: A federal judge in Montana has temporarily blocked the state law banning drag queen story hours and restricting other drag performances. The block comes just in time for Montana Pride, which begins in the state capital of Helena July 30. Continue reading “Montana’s Anti-Drag Law Blocked + Carly Rae Jepsen + More News”
The 2023 Emmy Awards will be announced September 18 Some news items you might have missed: • The Advocate: The nominations are in for 75th Primetime Emmys, and tons of LGBTQ talent and entertainment are represented. Awards show airs September 18. Continue reading “2023 LGBTQ Emmy Award Nominees + More News”
Louw Breytenbach (via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • Queerty: Louw Breytenbach, a former Mr. Gay World pageant winner, has hired a lawyer to defend himself against the organization after it served him with a gag order. Breytenbach refused to sign the final contract when he realized it stipulated the organization would be his exclusive agent for any bookings or acting gigs. Continue reading “Former Mr. Gay World Lawyers Up + More News”
• InstaHunks: Steve Raider and Ocan Jan (above) barely fit in the same photo. #TheresTheBeef
• CBS News: The House voted 230-198 to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt of Congress for obstructing a probe into the administration’s failed bid to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
• Twitter: A gay teen, Brandon Austin, slayed the inter webs with his graduation ‘death drop’ on Twitter, which has now been ‘Liked’ over 230,000 times.
— Brandon Austin (Sophia Stardust) (@sophia_stardust) July 12, 2019
• NBC News: A Florida man is in custody for allegedly using a pair of scissors to cut off the penis of a man he suspected of sleeping with his wife, according to a police report.
• Axios: The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) projects the federal deficit will surpass $1 trillion this year, the first time the U.S. deficit has surpassed the $1 trillion level since the 4-year period following the Great Recession. In 2016, Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to wipe out the deficit and also the entire federal debt, which has surpassed $22 trillion.
• Netflix: The streaming giant gave a giant slap to the folks at the upcoming ‘Straight Pride’ event for using their logo and claiming Netflix was a ‘possible’ sponsor. In their cease and desist letter, the legal team for Netflix wrote, “Our legal department is here, its queer, and its telling you to steer clear.”
• Out Music: Carly Rae Jepsen teamed up with Jordan Alexander and Bud Light for a performance of the ‘Pride Remix’ of her single “Feels Right” at Toronto Pride. The single is from her fourth album, Dedicated, out now.
• It’s the one year mark since Bruno the wonder dog crossed over the rainbow bridge. I’m celebrating his life today. My remembrance of The Brun here. He was the best dog I’ve ever worked for.
• The United Methodist Church on Tuesday voted to strengthen its ban on gay and lesbian clergy and same-sex marriages stating that “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.”
• “Call Me Maybe” singer Carly Rae Jepsen proves she’s soooo not a one-hit-wonder dropping two new tracks today: “Now That I Found You” and “No Drug Like Me.”
Check out the totally banging dance track “Now That I Found You” below, and click here for “No Drug Like Me.”
• Donald Trump may think having a dog could make him look ‘phony,’ but InstaHunk Naor Yazdan says he’s already found his Valentine’s date, and this looks like true love to me.
• After Ellen Page called out movie star Chris Pratt for promoting his church, virulently anti-LGBTQ Hillsong Church, Pratt finally took to social media to defend the church saying it “opens its doors to absolutely everyone.” Let’s just say it didn’t go over well with the Twitter people.
• Season 3 of Netflix’s Emmy Award winning ‘make better’ series, Queer Eye, is set for release on March 15, and the streaming giant shared the news with a Valentines-themed video clip accompanied by a new track from pop star Carly Rae Jespen, “Now That I Found You.”
After two seasons in Atlanta, the series is changing locations to help our folks in the Kansas City area. Hit play below for the upbeat vid.
We all recall the huge reception Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” music video received when it was released in 2012.
Fans hit the video up to the tune of over 1 billion views.
The light-hearted story for the video featured Carly Rae pining for the hunky, shirtless guy next door, but in the end he gives his phone number to a male member of her band.
Well, it turns out the actor who played the hunky neighbor, Holden Nowell, wasn’t all that thrilled with how the music video turned out.
“It’s what people began to recognize me as and know me as, and it was only that,” Nowell recently told iHeartRadio Canada. “It was really difficult for me and really frustrating.
“I was always the ‘Call Me Maybe’ guy, everywhere I went, and after awhile I got really sick of hearing that.”
And a big part of his unhappiness came in having to play gay at the end of the video.
“The fact that they had to make me gay at the end of the video … it was all very … I didn’t like being known as the gay guy in the ‘Call Me Maybe’ video. It was just something I wasn’t used to,” Nowell recently told iHeartRadio Canada.
According to Nowell, the original script for the video called for “hunky neighbor” to kiss Carly Rae’s band guy. And Nowell was not having it.
“I was like, ‘I’m going to be completely honest with you. I’m not going to kiss a guy, especially for $500.’ I said, ‘I really don’t think I’m comfortable kissing a guy for a music video.”
Nowell says it was his idea to end the video with handing his phone number to the band member.
The 29-year-old also seems a tad bitter he was never paid any royalties for his one day of work on the video. “I don’t know who ended up making my money, but I never saw a single penny for it,” says Nowell.
The actor also shares he hasn’t spoken to Jepsen since the video premiered. “I personally don’t have anything positive to say about Carly Rae,” he said. “She won awards because of that video and she never reached out to me.”
He also doesn’t have many fond memories of working in the modeling industry.
“‘Gay for pay’ is literally what runs the male modelling industry and I don’t get down like that. I think people should be allowed to love who they want to love, but I love women. There’s no amount of money, no amount of fame that could ever make me… I couldn’t do something that didn’t feel right in my soul.”
Now, Nowell’s mad about how the interview ended up because he feels it paints him in a homophobic vein.
He posted the url to the interview on his Instagram saying, “I guess it’s true what they say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity… but man, this is pretty bad… Apparently I’m a narcissistic – bitter – slanderous gay bashing – Hitler loving – free thinking – outspoken – “conspiracy theorist” who bags on his pops… Wait, but, aren’t you?!?! I mean, aren’t I?!?! 🤪#GottaLoveJournalists “Thanks for the support, Asshole.”
This is where folks have to learn that everything that comes out of their mouth in an interview can be read by millions of people.
Nowell released his debut album Fade II Black on June 6 under his rap alter-ego SixXx’Tre, and feels confident about the work.
“This is going to be the most groundbreaking iconic hip hop album since probably The Marshall Mathers LP,” says Nowell. “I know my worth as a human being, as an artist. This is my calling.”
