News Round-Up: January 15, 2021

Chippendales calendar

Chippendales calendar Some news items you might have missed: • Chippendales: It’s a new year which means it’s time for a new calendar. This year’s edition of the iconic Chippendales calendar (above) is an all-star affair packed with fan favorites. • NBC News: The Arizona Republican Party will vote on a measure to censure Cindy McCain, the widow of Sen. John McCain, on January 23, in part because of her support for President-elect Joe Biden and for same-sex marriage. • The Hill: Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s confirmation hearing for the role of Transportation secretary will be held Thursday. If he’s approved, Buttigieg will be the first openly gay Cabinet secretary to be confirmed by the Senate.  

BosGuy: The veteran Boston blogger celebrates Furry Friday and we’re all the better for it 🙂 • New York Times: Prosecutors in Georgia appear increasingly likely to open a criminal investigation of President Trump over his attempts to overturn the results of the state’s 2020 election, an inquiry into offenses that would be beyond his federal pardon power. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Check out the weekly round-up of the what’s what in LGBTQ publications like this week’s issue of MetroWeekly (below). Cover of MetroWeekly MagazinePeople: In a new interview, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson does not hold back saying Donald Trump is “grossly limited in his ‘understanding of global events, his understanding of global history’ and hamstrung by his own attention span.” • Arkansas Online: Peter Francis Stager, 41, caught on video using an American flag and flagpole to beat a police officer during the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot was arrested by federal authorities Thursday night. Remember, these are the folks who were upset at people taking a knee during a football game.  

Nyle DiMarco To Star In Comedy Series About ‘Smart Deaf Man In Modern Times’

Nyle DiMarco (photo: Denise Truscello)
Over the past few years, we’ve watched as the dashing and devastatingly handsome Nyle DiMarco has conquered just about everything he’s set his sights on. The latest in his long string of successes – DiMarco has sold a scripted comedy TV series to Spectrum. According to Deadline, DiMarco will star in the “irreverent  comedy centered around his experiences as a charismatic, smart deaf man in modern times.” “The episodes look to offer funny, character-based storytelling designed to provide a deeper perspective on the experiences of the deaf and hard of hearing communities in America,” Deadline adds. Dimarco will executive produce along with Hawaii Five-O’s Daniel Day Kim as well as John Cheng and Tara Bohn and Melrose Placed’s Sami Housman. DiMarco took to Twitter to celebrate the series news tweeting, “If I told my younger self that I would eventually have my own series about Deaf culture, I wouldn’t believe it. Deaf people leading in a series about deaf culture? Not possible! This is huge for me… thank you all!” https://twitter.com/NyleDiMarco/status/1283115014488899584 The ‘sexually fluid’ model and actor first came to the national spotlight when he won the 2015 season of America’s Next Top Model. He is the only deaf contestant in the show’s history, and the second male to win. From there, he snatched up the mirror ball trophy as the Season 22 winner of Dancing with the Stars. Check out his freestyle championship dance with Peta Murgatroyd to “The Sound of Silence.” As you watch, remember – Nyle can’t hear any of the music. This is waaaaay impressive. Although he’s best known for his victories in reality TV, the 31-year-old has also appeared in several scripted TV series like Station 19, Difficult People and Switched at Birth. And don’t forget his sold-out run on the Las Vegas Strip as the ‘Celebrity Host’ of the world-famous Chippendales in September 2016. https://www.instagram.com/p/BKbeANzh9hO/ In 2018, he was on the team of producers who brought the award-winning, Deaf-themed play, Children of a Lesser God, back to Broadway. So, yeah, this is a guy who does a LOT of things well. #NoSlackerHere DiMarco has also used his celebrity to advocate for more representation for deaf individuals in Hollywood and increased literacy in sign language for deaf children. He launched The Nyle DiMarco Foundation in 2016, which works to bring educational resources to deaf children and their families. I interviewed the very handsome Mr. DiMarco as he was about to open his run with Chippendales here in Las Vegas. Here’s my chat with him from my podcast:

And since we’re talking all things DiMarco, let’s peruse some of his woofy Instagram feed: https://www.instagram.com/p/CCcVaLalqpa/ https://www.instagram.com/p/BuUPAj8FbV3/ https://www.instagram.com/p/BsgS2CoANjr/ https://www.instagram.com/p/BqXpKTug0g7/

News Round-Up: June 22, 2020

Chippendales’ Jeffrey Garrovillo and co-star (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Book a ‘Chippendales at Home’ party (above) and you never know – you might get two woofy Chipps for the price of one. • Instinct: Why are some gay Republicans unhappy about the recent Supreme Court victory for LGBTQ protections in the workplace? • Politico: A coalition of advocacy groups sued the Trump administration on Monday over its rollback of LGBTQ patient protections, arguing that last week’s Supreme Court decision extending workplace legal protections to gay and transgender employees invalidates the new rules. • LGBTQ Families: Family Source Consultants, Fertility Centers of Illinois and International Fertility League Group are hosting an expert-led discussion on family building for the LGBTQ+ community on June 25th at 5pm CDT via ZOOM. The informational event is focused on couples and individuals who are interested in building their family through third party reproduction. • Newsweek: Kentucky has slashed the number of polling locations for Tuesday’s primary elections to just 170 in-person polling stations across the Commonwealth — a major drop from the standard 3,700 sites usually made available for voters. The decrease comes as state officials heavily encourage residents to vote by mail amid the coronavirus health crisis. Many of the state’s most populous areas, like Jefferson County, home to half of the state’s Black residents, will have ONE polling location. • NY Post: A defiant shopper fought his way into an Orlando Walmart after he was denied entry for refusing to wear a face mask, a viral video shows. The incident occurred on the same day masks became mandatory in the county. In the viral video, an employee tries to block the man from entering. “You gotta wear a mask, bro!” the man behind the camera says. The older man then shoves the Walmart worker, even falling to the ground at one point.

Chippendales@Home: A New Way To Beat The Quarantine Blues

L-R Jayson Michael, Ryan Worley of the Chippendales
Need a break from binge-watching? Looking for a different kind of ‘self-care’ from home? With their Las Vegas home on lock-down, the world-famous Chippendales have come up with the perfect solution to beat the quarantine blues: a virtual night out with friends as the hunks stream into your homes. And yes, men are totally welcome. “Chippendales@Home” is the perfect way to make sure birthdays, bachelor/bachelorette parties, or just plain “let’s have fun” nights all have their own special moments. The new streaming experience gives folks the chance to hang out and party with the men of Chippendales right in your own homes. Get to know the guys in a private, virtual setting as they host your party, play games like “Never Have I Ever?” or guessing what’s in a Chipp’s pants, get or give a virtual lap dance and experience some of the interaction Chippendales live shows thrive on. Each 30-minute party features at least two Chippendales cast members and will be hosted utilizing streaming platforms such as ZOOM, House Party, FaceTime, or Google Hangout. Said one participant, “Hands down my FAVORITE quarantine experience thus far!” And another, “I liked that it was interactive – and the fruit/vegetable in the pants game was hilarious!” Check out this one-minute video (warning – bare butts ahead) from a recent “Chippendales@Home” party featuring Chippendales emcee Jayson Michael (wearing cuffs and collar) and Ryan Worley (wearing…a guitar).

For a limited time, Chippendales is offering their streaming service for free as a thank you to all first responders and health care workers as well as to any ticket purchaser that was unable to attend one of their postponed shows. For more information about booking “Chippendales@Home,” visit chippendales.com. In addition to “Chippendales@Home,” the brand has been cranking out online experiences as people are urged to stay inside. Recent digital offerings include at-home workouts with cast members, Instagram Live chats with alumni of the brand, and light-hearted digital content such as one of the current cast members performing a lap dance for a 12-pack of toilet paper. Here’s more from the men of Chippendales via Instagram:

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#Chippendales quarantine day 14.

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News Round-Up: March 27, 2020

Ryan Worley (image via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Chippendales’ Ryan Worley (above) has the right idea for a Friday night. Man, this week kinda kicked my butt… How are you folks doing? Thinking best thoughts everyone’s way. • Fox News: Former Vice President Joe Biden bests President Donald Trump by nine points in a 2020 ballot test, in the first Fox News Poll since Biden became the de facto Democratic nominee. Notably, Biden has an eight-point edge in battleground states (48-40 percent). However, Biden’s advantage grows to 25 points, 57-32 percent, in close counties (where Hillary Clinton and Trump were within 10 points in 2016). NewNowNext: Click over to read a deep dive into the many husbands of “Joe Exotic,” one of the stars of the bizarre docu-series Tiger King. I watched the first two episodes last night after seeing everyone talk about it. It’s quite the odd assortment of big cat ‘private zoo’ characters. • Out Music: Bounce into the weekend with this new cut from Bright Light Bright Light – “This Was My House,” a sugar-rush of dancefloor pop featuring Madonna’s longtime backing vocalist duo Niki Haris and Donna De Lory. “The song is about how the safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community have been fractured of late with a palpable uprising of anti-LGBTQ+ and xenophobic rhetoric, which is scarily even more real now as these public spaces are closed for the foreseeable future due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said the artist.

NY Daily News: New Yorkers should be prepared for the city to remain in “pause” due to coronavirus through May even as President Trump gives Americans “false hope” the country will reopen by Easter next month, Mayor de Blasio said Friday. “We have to be ready for that and I think it’s going to spread in the country,” de Blasio said when asked if the city would be closed through May. “This idea of Easter is, unfortunately, a false hope. It would be better for the president to be blunt with people that we’ve got a really tough battle ahead.” • KIT212: Kenneth rounds up the best of local gay rags in the U.S. and around the world including DNA Magazine featuring Nordic hottie Patrik Isoaho (below).

Who Wants To Work Out With The Chippendales At Home?

Ryan Worley of the world-famous Chippendales
With all of the hotels and casinos on the Las Vegas Strip temporarily shut down, as well as the area gyms, the world-famous Chippendales are getting creative in finding ways to keep in shape while doing the self-quarantine thing at home. Ryan Worley, who performs in the troupe’s Vegas-based production at the Rio Hotel & Casino, is making a series of videos sharing his tips for working out at home. The clips are short, easy to understand and definitely easy on the eyes. “We’re quarantined here in Vegas but we’ve got to keep our spirits high and we’ve got to stay in shape because we’ve got a show to come back to,” says Worley. The first video offers Worley in the trademark “cuffs & collar” offering info for working out your shoulders. He uses two one-gallon jugs of almond milk (about 8 lbs each) to hit all three heads of the shoulders – front, side, and rear. Not for nothing – Worley is giving you cute-icious face and body. The Chipps’ second video features a more G-rated Worley in a tank-top (dangit!) coaching us on how to get our glutes tight. Worley recommends doing a hip thrust (aka glute thrust, we like that term better) at home with a pillow under your upper back and your feet either on the floor or on a stair-step. Press through your heels so your upper body goes as high as possible, hold for a few seconds, then lower. The winsome Worley recommends 15-20 reps in a set depending on your fitness level, and if things get too easy you can add some weight to your hips. Worley shares that he’s a licensed personal trainer and plans to do several more videos in the near future. Side note – Worley’s colleague Pat Tanski is taking a different tact keeping busy at home by busting moves as his adorable dog takes it all in. Hit the play button below – you’re going to like this 😉

As Worley mentions in the videos, there’s no down-time for the Chippendales because the (fingers-crossed) plan in Las Vegas is to hopefully have casinos, hotels, and shows back up and running sooner than later. The governor in Nevada ordered all non-essential businesses to close for a 30-day period which expires on April 16. And a Chipps-approved body doesn’t happen on its own. The Chippendales are hoping to be back in full-swing when Vinny Guadagnino of Jersey Shore fame returns to handle celebrity hosting duties again. The ‘Keto Guido’ is currently scheduled to rejoin the men of Chipps from April 24 to June 7. You might recall when the Jersey Shores star flashed his ‘mini-Vinny’ onstage and the cell phone video of the moment went viral? #goodtimes Not one to sit idle, Worley recently launched a new “fantasy dates” website – BodyKink. “This is a platform that connects models with fans,” says Worley. “It’s a strictly legal website and we do fantasy dates and companionship. He adds, “BodyKink is a safe place where people can express their kinky desires and they don’t have to be ashamed for it or anything like that.” The hunky former Mormon shares that a portion of the proceeds will be donated each month to Golden Rainbow, a local charity founded by the entertainment industry that provides housing and financial assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS in Southern Nevada. Check out a few shots from Worley’s thirst-tastic Instagram:  

 

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Loving life

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Free the nip

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News Round-Up: January 30, 2020

Ryan Worley (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Ryan Worley (above), of the world-famous Chippendales, is totes adorbs watching this kitten’s fascination with a string of lights. Follow him on Instagram here. • Advocate: The South Dakota House of Representatives Wednesday approved a bill that would make it a crime for doctors to give gender-transition treatment to minors. Doctors could receive up to a year in prison and a fine of $2,000. • Super Bowl: RuPaul took to social media to remind folks that he was the first drag queen to star in a Super Bowl commercial back in 2000. Here’s some #TBT action for you:

AP: A bill proposed by a group of Republican lawmakers on Wednesday that would have amended the Iowa Civil Rights Act by removing protections against discrimination for transgender people is dead. • ABC News: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says Donald Trump would “definitely” encourage primary challengers to run against any GOP Senators who vote against him in the ongoing impeachment trial. “You could very well see the president encouraging or creating primaries against senators that are up this year if they went and voted the other way,” • Sesame Street: The long-running children’s television show announced on Facebook today that Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award winner Billy Porter will be “bringing those fierce vibes to Sesame Street” in an upcoming episode. The post showed Porter posing in his iconic tuxedo dress from the Oscars.

News Round-Up: January 21, 2020

Joss Mooney and Rogan O’Connor
Some news items you might have missed: • Chippendales: MTV’s “The Challenge” hottest dynamic duo and reality star heartthrobs, Joss Mooney and Rogan O’Connor (aka JOGAN) will join the world-famous Chippendales as celebrity guest hosts for four shows only, January 24 and 25 (8:30 pm and 10:30 pm) at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. • New York Times: The impeachment trial of Donald Trump is underway, and it’s pretty much what I expected. Check-in with the New York Times for the lowdown on today’s developments including the Senate Republicans blocking subpoenas for new evidence. • OUT: Katie Sowers, who is an assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers, will make history when she steps on the field. Having been with the 49ers for just two seasons, she will become the first female, and the first openly LGBTQ+ assistant coach to work at the event • The Gaily Grind: Vice President Mike Pence called on all Americans to remember the words of Martin Luther King Jr. “in these divided times” while attending a church where an anti-LGBTQ bishop claimed that homosexuality is caused by “a demonic spirit” and is wrong because of “plumbing.” • Davey Wavey: It seems porn star Diego Sans finds kissing even more intimate than having sex (I can understand that) and so sex-positive DW offers some tips on the art and intimacy of kissing. Note – NSFW language. • HRC: The Human Rights Campaign has released its 2020 Corporate Equality Index, an annual report that measures how effectively America’s leading companies include and protect their LGBTQ employees and this year’s results show a record-high 686 businesses and law firms earned a perfect 100 on HRC’s scoring system. • Self-Improvement: Singer Calum Scott shared pics of his progress to get fit in 2020 and it’s pretty impressive. Good on him – slow and steady wins the race.

News Round-Up: December 27, 2019

(image via Instagram/Chippendales)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: My brother is in town for the holidays, and that means we have to head down at some point to see the world-famous Chippendales (above) at the Rio Hotel here in Las Vegas. The sold-out show totally rocked. If you can’t get to Vegas, the Chipps just announced a 30 city tour beginning in late January. Click here for dates and tix. #GrrrJoeMyGod: A teenage boy who alleges sexual abuse by a priest killed the priest by shoving a crucifix down his throat. • The Gaily Grind: Disney has cut a brief scene featuring Star Wars’ first same-sex kiss from its new movie “The Rise of Skywalker” in Singapore, a country where same-sex marriage is illegal and sex between men is punishable by up to two years in prison. • KIT212: Kenneth has the lowdown on the what’s what in gay rags across the country like Chicago’s GRAB Magazine celebrating ‘The Men of Bullies and Biceps.” Washington Blade: Amid speculation Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will leave his position to pursue his old job as U.S. senator in Kansas, Donald Trump is considering U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell –  who’s also the highest-ranking openly gay person in his administration – as a replacement. • NY Times: Foreign teachers at some private schools in Indonesia have been required to answer questions and many more like them in what has been billed as a psychological exam to determine teachers’ sexual orientation and attitude toward gay rights. A 2015 government regulation prohibits international schools from hiring foreign teachers who have “an indication of abnormal sexual behavior or orientation.” • HuffPost: Donald Trump likes to brag that he donates his $400,000 annual salary as president to charities. But according to folks tracking the Trumpster’s golf habit, his passion for the links has now cost taxpayers $118 million – or about 296 years of that presidential salary. Remember when he said if elected he’d “never leave the White House…?”

News Round-Up: December 18, 2019

Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Here in Las Vegas, they do things a little differently during the holidays. For instance, a cactus could be used as a Christmas tree. But I could only find this pic (above) of a Chippendale and…what was I saying? Dangit – I know I had some point to make. Oh well 🙂 • The Daily Beast: Stonewall House, the first-ever LGBT-welcoming senior housing development in New York City has officially opened. The first residents are expected to move into the 145-unit building in Brooklyn before Christmas, with the rest of the residents moving in throughout January. • CNBC: A judge on Wednesday dismissed New York state criminal charges filed against Paul Manafort, the fallen Republican lobbyist who served for several months as President Donald Trump’s campaign chief in 2016. Judge Maxwell Wiley said during a hearing in Manhattan Supreme Court that New York’s double-jeopardy law barred the state indictment against Manafort. • Medium: Over 1,000 American historians have signed a letter supporting the impeachment of Donald Trump. “It is our considered judgment that if President Trump’s misconduct does not rise to the level of impeachment, then virtually nothing does.” • Reuters: Germany could become the first major European power to ban so-called ‘conversion therapy’ across the entire country. The legislation, which parliament is expected to pass by the summer, will punish violations with imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 30,000 euros ($33,100). • Christmas Music: In its first 12 months, the 1984 all-star charity recording “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” raised £8 million to help efforts to ease famine in Ethiopia. The original recording remains one of the biggest selling singles in UK history.