News Round-Up: July 13, 2020

Jwan Yosef (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • ManCrush Monday: That time when Ricky Martin’s other half, Jwan Yosef (above), showed off his ‘baby lifting arms.’ #dangGold Derby: Openly gay former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg has been entered for Emmy consideration in the category of Best Comedy Guest Actor for his guest-hosting stint on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” • CNN: The body of former GLEE actress Naya Rivera, 33, who was missing since Wednesday, has been found floating in a Southern California lake. Rivera’s role on GLEE gave queer Puerto Rican representation to millions. She is the third original GLEE cast member to die. In 2013, Cory Monteith died of a drug overdose and Mark Stalling committed suicide in 2018 after being found guilty of possessing child porn. • TheaterMania: Hamilton has become the first cast recording to reach the top two on the Billboard 200 albums chart since 1969 thanks to the musical’s premiere on Disney+. In 1969, the original cast recording of Hair spent 13 weeks in the no. 1 slot. Hamilton had previously peaked in the no. 3 position back in 2016, tying with The Book of Mormon. • Miami Herald: Florida resident Joseph Fucheck is facing criminal charges for waving a pistol at a Black homeowner in North Miami-Dade while claiming to be a 35-year Navy SEAL veteran. Except – it was a decades-old lie perpetrated by Fucheck. The Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, which maintains paperwork for all SEALs since World War II, has no record of him. • CBS17: An Arkansas police officer told a colleague he would ‘shoot any protesters’ who might come to his door. But Calvin Salyers, 33, has now been charged with manslaughter after shooting through his door on June 3 killing a fellow police officer who dropped by to pick up a patrol car. • Podcast of the Day: A podcast about gay TV,  Gayest Episode Ever, explores LGBT+ themed one-off episodes that classic sitcoms (like The Golden Girls, Frasier, and Cheers) would do back in the day when it was rare to see queer characters represented on broadcast television. The podcast – hosted by Drew Mackie, a journalist, and Glen Lakin, a screenwriter – offers insight into the evolution of queer visibility, gay rights, and how culture can both affect — and BE affected by — what we see on TV. The episode below dissects a 1977 episode of Maude when Bea Arthur’s title character argued with her neighbor Arthur over the opening of a gay bar in town.

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. #ByeGurlsOut 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.

Ricky Martin Confirms New BF Jwan Yosef – “Yup”

A photo posted by Ricky (@ricky_martin) on Apr 15, 2016 at 9:59pm PDT

While Ricky Martin hasn’t previously confirmed that he’s seeing Swedish artist Jwan Yosef, I’m guessing the “Yup” caption on this pic from Brazil is his casual way of sharing the news.

Martin has been spotted all over the globe with Yosef, from Japan to Malibu to New York to Puerto Rico in recent weeks.