Tag: Madonna

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News Round-Up: March 31, 2021

Trainer Michael Blevins

Trainer Michael Blevins
Fitness trainer Michael Blevins (screen capture via Boy Culture)
Some news items you might have missed: • Boy Culture: Michael Blevins (above), a close personal friend of actor Henry Cavill’s who has trained him since 2011, used Instagram Stories to argue against the COVID-19 vaccine and face masks, leaning on his belief that the main reason the virus has been so deadly — well over a million killed worldwide — is because too many of you are fat, fat, fat. • PBS: A record number of bills to limit transgender rights have been introduced this year in state legislators across the country, with lawmakers in 28 states considering 93 bills targeting the rights of transgender Americans. • KTLA: NSYNC’s Lance Bass is getting ready to open the nation’s largest gay club in West Hollywood. Bass signed a lease to rent the space that was once home to famed gay nightclub Rage, which closed in September after a 37-year run over a landlord dispute.

• AP: As Wisconsin stands on the precipice of another COVID-19 surge, the state Supreme Court struck down Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate on Wednesday, stripping the governor of one of his last remaining tools to curb the spread of the coronavirus. • New York Times: Pfizer and BioNTech report that their coronavirus vaccine is extremely effective in adolescents 12 to 15 years old, perhaps even more so than in adults. No infections were found among children who received the vaccine in a recent clinical trial; they produced strong antibody responses and experienced no serious side effects. • PEOPLE: Former half-term governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, has announced she has tested positive for the coronavirus and is urging people to wear face masks. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Over at KIT212 the ‘Song of the Day’ is Madonna’s “Live To Tell,” inspired by a Facebook post by one of my favorite LGBTQ journalists, Jeremy Kinser, who declares the tune is Madge’s best ballad. I agree with Jeremy and Kenneth. (Although, ‘Rain’ comes in a close second…)

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GOPer Blames Madonna, Kathy Griffin For Capitol Attack

Madonna was blamed by a member of Congress for the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week
Madonna was blamed by a member of Congress for the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week
Madonna (image via Depositphotos)

Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado raised eyebrows today when he attempted to blame international pop-star Madonna and comedian Kathy Griffin for the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week.

The statement came during hours of debate today on whether to approve an article of impeachment against Donald Trump for inciting a violent mob that invaded the U.S. Capitol building as Congress was certifying the Electoral College votes.

Buck told his colleagues that Americans were ‘frustrated’ by a laundry list of things including the Special Counsel investigation into the Trump campaign’s links to Russia, efforts by Congress to impeach Trump (the first time), and more.

“They were frustrated when members of this House spoke over and over about impeaching the President days into his administration,” Buck said. “And then the socialists in Hollywood joined their allies in Congress.” 

The socialists in Hollywood…here we go…

“Robert De Niro said that he wanted to punch the president in the face,” continued the Colorado lawmaker. “Madonna thought about blowing up the White House. Kathy Lee Griffin held up a likeness of the President’s beheaded head, and nothing was heard and nothing was said by my colleagues at that point in time.”

That’s not accurate, of course.

Griffin received considerable pushback from members of both political parties at the time of her ‘severed head’ stunt. 

According to Newsweek she was investigated by the Secret Service and the FBI, placed on the no-fly list for months and lost her New Year’s Eve CNN gig with Anderson Cooper. She also found it difficult to book stand-up comedy appearances for a long period of time.

And while it’s true that Madonna did allude to ‘blowing up the White House,’ Buck takes her comment totally out of context.

Her statement occurred at the women’s march on Washington in January 2017 opposing the inauguration of Donald Trump.

Here’s the remark in full:

“Yes, I’m angry. Yes, I am outraged. Yes, I have thought an awful lot of blowing up the White House, but I know that this won’t change anything. We cannot fall into despair. As the poet W.H. Auden once wrote on the eve of World War II: ‘We must love one another or die.’ I choose love. Are you with me? Say this with me: We choose love…”

Madge clarified her comments on Instagram the very next day writing, “I am not a violent person, I do not promote violence and it’s important people hear and understand my speech in it’s entirety rather than one phrase taken wildly out of context.”

 

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Madonna and Kathy Griffin were soon trending on Twitter for this very surprising reason.

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News Round-Up: July 29, 2020

Men’s saunas may make a comeback in San Francisco
Some news items you might have missed: • Gay Star News: San Francisco may finally see gay bathhouses return thanks to the city relaxing rules it brought in at the height of the AIDS crisis. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the city’s governing council, voted unanimously on Tuesday to remove the restrictions on saunas in hopes that the businesses will now ‘reopen as part of the city’s COVID-19 economic recovery’. • Meidas Touch: A Democratic super PAC is launching an anti-President Trump ad that uses former President Reagan’s comments in a 1980 presidential debate when he was challenging then-President Carter. The ad is set to air exclusively on Fox News over the course of the next week and features Reagan’s famous debate moment when he asked the country if it was “better off” than it was four years ago.

• Queerty: Actresses Indya Moore and Angelica Ross, of FX’s Pose, have criticized the Emmy Nominations, just one day after their announcement. The two transgender actresses attacked the Television Academy for ignoring the trans performers on the show, and lashed out at the show’s network, FX, for a lack of promotion. • KIT212: Kenneth helps us all over Hump Day with his latest installment of ‘Wrestle Wednesday’ (below). • Boy Culture: When the man who wrote Encyclopedia Madonnica 20: Madonna from A to Z, literally THE BOOK on Madonna, calls the international superstar out over COID-19 batshittery, you know it’s serious. • The Gaily Grind: Four plainclothes NYC police officers were caught on video jumping out of an unmarked grey Kia minivan in broad daylight, snatching an 18-year-old transgender protester off the street, wrestling her to the ground, and throwing her into the vehicle before speeding away from the intersection.

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Madonna Posts COVID-19 Conspiracy Theory, Gets Deleted

Madonna (image via Instagram)
Madonna raised eyebrows on Tuesday night when she posted a video of coronavirus conspiracy theory proponent, Dr. Stella Immanuel, who claims hydroxychloroquine can ‘cure’ COVID-19. “The truth will set us all Free! But some people don’t want to hear the truth,” Madge captioned the Instagram post. “Especially the people in power who stand to make money from this long drawn out search for a vaccine Which has been proven and available for months. They would rather let fear control them and let the rich get richer and the poor and sick get sicker.” Madonna closed the post writing, “This woman is my hero … Thank you Stella Immanuel.” Instagram blurred the video and labeled it “False Information.” The social media platform provided viewers with a link to a page debunking the claims and clarifying that there is currently no coronavirus vaccine. Instagram then deleted the post hours later. Raki Wane, a spokesperson for the social media platform, said in a statement the post was removed “for making false claims about cures and prevention methods for Covid-19.” The video shows Dr. Immanuel, a primary care physician in Houston, Texas, appearing on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday with a group called America’s Frontline Doctors. In addition to claiming hydroxychloroquine is a COVID-19 ‘cure,’ Immanuel announced face masks aren’t necessary to stop the spread of the disease. More about Immanuel from The Daily Beast:

Immanuel, a pediatrician and a religious minister, has a history of making bizarre claims about medical topics and other issues. She has often claimed that gynecological problems like cysts and endometriosis are in fact caused by people having sex in their dreams with demons and witches. 

She alleges alien DNA is currently used in medical treatments, and that scientists are cooking up a vaccine to prevent people from being religious.

The doctor is also hideously homophobic having posted numerous times on her Facebook page demonizing LGBTQ people writing, “practicing and celebrating [homosexuality] will take you to hell.” Immanuel thanked The Daily Beast in a tweet for properly summarizing her views:

Madonna has revealed some interesting thoughts during the COVID-19 pandemic. In one post on Instagram, she’s shared that she ‘took a test’ and ‘found out she has the anti-bodies.’ “So tomorrow, I’m just going to go for a long drive in a car,” says Madonna. “And I’m gonna roll down the window, and I’m gonna breathe in, I’m gonna breathe in the COVID-19 air.” In another post, later deleted, she shared a video showing her in a bathtub filled with rose petals. In the clip, she said, “That’s the thing about Covid-19: It doesn’t care about how rich you are, how famous you are, how funny you are, how smart you are, where you live, how old you are, what amazing stories you can tell. It’s the great equalizer, and what’s terrible about it is what’s great about it. What’s terrible about it is it’s made us all equal in many ways.” In any case, Twitter wasn’t having Madonna’s trip down in the underbrush of insanity:

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News Round-Up: May 4, 2020

Some news items you might have missed: • Monday Memory: I came across this photo (above) from a couple of years ago when Michael, I and some friends were invited to the opening of a new club in Las Vegas. We got there kind of early I guess as not many people were there. A photographer told us to pose for a pic laying down and flexing. For some reason, I (top right) was more fascinated with my cocktail than my bicep. • Boy Culture: Matt Rettenmund reminisces on Madonna making her Broadway debut in David Mamet’s acclaimed play, Speed-the-Plow, thirty-two years ago. • NBC News: On April 20, Trump estimated the death toll in the U.S. from the coronavirus threat could be 50,000 to 60,000; by that point, there had been 40,000 U.S. deaths related to COVID-19. Earlier last week, he spoke of 60,000 to 70,000 deaths. During a Fox News town hall Friday night, Trump shifted his estimates to perhaps 100,000. At this writing, there are over 68,000 COVID-19 deaths in the US.

• Gay Star News: Reports of Tunisia recognizing a same-sex marriage have put LGBT+ people in danger. Tunisian LGBT+ organization Mawjoudin – We Exist – told GSN the reports were probably based on an administrative mistake. Moreover, they said the reports have caused ‘a wave of queerphobic speech, attacks, and bullying’. • Twitter: Star Trek star George Takei jokes about people disregarding social distancing guidelines, “I’m starting a rumor on the Breitbart (conservative website) chats that Covid-19 turns you gay. That should keep a lot of these idiots at home.

• Instinct: Trenton Councilwoman Robin Vaughn became unhinged during a city council conference call and launched vicious, homophobic personal attacks against Reed Gusciora – Trenton, New Jersey’s first openly gay Mayor. The slur-laden screed included calling the mayor a “pedophile” and “bitch-ass.” Gov. Murphy has called for her resignation. You can hear the conference call here. • Pink News: Homophobe Franklin Graham has been asked to pack up his tents and leave New York after exploiting the setting up of a tent hospital during the coronavirus crisis to discriminate against gay people and evangelize. • People: And finally, something uplifting to end this round-up. Check out the video below 🙂

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News Round-Up: May 1, 2020

DJ/producer David Nazar (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: DJ/producer David Nazar (above) sends regards from his “balcony vacation” in Miami, Florida. Follow him on Instagram here. • Human Rights Campaign: May is officially recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month, and now more than ever, it’s crucial to shine a light on mental health in the LGBTQ community. Click the link for information about how LGBTQ people are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, lowered self-esteem, and even suicidal thoughts compared to their straight and cisgender peers. • Broadway Bares: The 30th-anniversary performance of the annual striptease spectacular, featuring the sexist dancers on Broadway, is being postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. While the June spectacle has been postponed, plans are in the works to still celebrate Broadway Bares online this summer. Check out this clip from last year’s “Game Night” edition.

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution: An internal poll conducted for the Georgia House GOP Caucus held bad news for U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, the former financial executive who dumped millions in stocks after receiving coronavirus briefings in January. Loeffler only received 11% support in the survey regarding her upcoming race this fall, and essentially tied with two Democratic candidates. U.S. Rep. Doug Collins leads the field with 29% of the vote and outpaces Loeffler among Republicans by a 62-18 margin. • KIT212: Check out Kenneth’s weekly look at what’s making news in LGBTQ magazines like South Florida’s Hot Spots! (below). • Gay Star News: Magistrates in Israel have ruled the ironically named Rainbow Color print shop must compensate an LGBT+ association after it refused to print posters for the Ben Gurion University LGBT group three years ago. The Beersheba Magistrates Court said the duty to serve customers comes before religious beliefs. • Instagram: In the middle of Madonna’s ‘Madame X’ themed post on Thursday, the pop-star revealed she’d “taken a test” and found out she “had the antibodies.” Madge didn’t elaborate as to when she was tested. She added, “So tomorrow, I’m just going to go for a long drive in a car, and I’m going to roll down the window, and I’m going to breathe in, I’m going to breathe in the COVID-19 air. Yup. I hope the sun is shining.” Note – scientists have not determined if having the coronavirus makes one immune going forward.

 

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#staysafe #staysane

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News Round-Up: April 13, 2020

InstaHunk Green.Joel
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Hunky Green.Joel (above) makes it black and white – he wants you to “Rise up and attack the day with enthusiasm!!”  • Boy Culture: Matt Rettenmund pays tribute to Madonna on the 30th anniversary of the Blond Ambition Tour with lots of rare video clips from the record-setting production. • The Gaily Grind: Ireland’s prime minister, openly gay Leo Varadkar, will be returning to medical practice to work as a doctor as the country battles the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The prime minister left the medical profession in 2013 after working as a doctor for seven years. By 2017, he’d become the country’s youngest-ever prime minister. • Out Music: California native St. Panther recently released her debut single, “Infrastructure,” in advance of her upcoming album later this summer. The out hip-hop artist brings a 90s sensibility to a very ‘now’ soul sound. Drop the beat below.

• LA Times: Event production companies, that usually build tents, staging and facilities for tens of thousands of revelers at music, sports and dining events have seen hundreds of such events canceled. But they are now busy using their resources to help build temporary hospital stations to help accommodate the COVID-19 pandemic. • NY Times: A member of the crew of the coronavirus-infected USS Theodore Roosevelt died Monday of complications related to the disease, 11 days after the aircraft carrier’s captain was fired for pressing his concern that the Navy had done too little to safeguard his crew. Of the 4,860 crew members aboard the Roosevelt, 585 have tested positive for COVID-19. • NY Post: Bishop Gerald O. Glenn, the Pastor of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Richmond who proudly defied coronavirus safety guidelines in order to hold church services, died from COVID-19 complications on Saturday. He told the congregation he’d keep preaching “unless I’m in jail or the hospital” because “people are healed” in his church. • Broadway Cares: The stream of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ benefit concert celebrating Disney on Broadway’s 25th anniversary will be rescheduled for Friday, April 17, 2020, at 7 PM ET after the American Federation of Musicians dropped its opposition to the stream. The online playback will raise money for Broadway Cares’ COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund, which is helping everyone in the theater and performing arts community impacted by the pandemic.

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Madonna’s Mega-Hit ‘Vogue’ Turns 30

Hard to believe, but Madonna’s monster hit, “Vogue,” turns 30 this week. From my Instinct Magazine colleague Michael Cook:

Behind the scenes, Vogue was the highlight of her musical partnership with musical impresario and legendary musical architect Shep Pettibone. After remixing several of her other tracks, Pettibone was approached to create a brand new song for the Material Girl.

With vocals that he recalls Madonna laying down as “efficient” (with Madonna rapidly tracking all the verse and chorus vocals in order, in single takes). It was Pettibone that suggested the idea of a rap to fill the middle eight portion of the track. He suggested name-checking classic film stars, so he and Madonna came up with a list of names, recording it immediately. Pettibone also came up with the vocal coda (“Ooooh, you’ve got to, let your body move to the music”).

Madonna then returned to Los Angeles & Pettibone added both piano and altered the bassline to fit the vocals. Pettibone and Madonna continued an ultra-successful partnership through several songs (including “Rescue Me”) culminating in the critically acclaimed and Golden Globe-nominated ballad “This Used To Be My Playground.”

Say what you will, but if you’re out at a club and “Vogue” comes out of the sound system, the floor is about to fill up.

Look around, everywhere you turn is heartache / It’s everywhere that you go (look around) You try everything you can to escape / The pain of life that you know (life that you know) When all else fails and you long to be / Something better than you are today I know a place where you can get away / It’s called the dance floor, and here’s what it’s for

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News Round-Up: March 19, 2020

(image via OMG Blog)
Some news items you might have missed: • OMG Blog: This dog (above) recreated Madonna’s iconic photos to hilarious results. • Reuters: A pill containing two HIV drugs that was touted as a potential treatment for the novel coronavirus was not effective, according to a study released late on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. • Slate: The Coronavirus Diaries – “The guys are wild on Grindr right now.” • The Recount: As Trump pivots to coronavirus crisis mode (finally), let’s take a look at the months of downplaying and denial.

• Washington Post: Breaking with tradition, more than 80 career national security professionals have signed an open letter of support for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, saying that President Trump “has created an existential danger to the United States.” • Las Vegas Review-Journal: Little Darlings strip club in Las Vegas will begin offering drive-through strip shows for those who want to indulge in some adult entertainment, but do not want to enter the building, per the CDC’s recommendations that people keep 6 feet in distance between themselves and others. Ten minutes shows will cost $100 plus tip. • CBS News: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has announced the end to her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination after consistently low rankings in national polls and dismal finishes in primary contests. Making her announcement, she endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president. • KIT212: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo chatting with his brother, CNN host Chris Cuomo is pretty funny as the bros fight on-air about who was their mom’s favorite child, calling their parents, and breaking curfew growing up.

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Amid Coronavirus Concerns, Madonna Forced To Cancel Final ‘Madame X’ Dates

Matt Rettenmund's front row ticket to Madonna's Madame X concert

Coronavirus cancels Madonna’s final two ‘Madame X’ dates
Even the Queen of Pop can’t escape the reach of the coronavirus epidemic. Calm yourselves – no, Madonna hasn’t become infected by the virus. But because the French government is currently prohibiting gatherings of over 1,000 in public, Madge’s last two performances of her Madame X tour have been canceled. The concerts, scheduled to take place later this week at the 2,800 seat Grand Rex in Paris, could not be rescheduled. A statement posted to Madonna’s official website read:

Following official notification from the Office of the Police this morning prohibiting all events with an audience attendance of over 1000, Live Nation regrets to announce the final two Madame X performances previously re-scheduled to 10-March and 11-March are forced to be canceled. Tickets are refundable at point of purchase. We regret the disappointment to fans.

Madonna posted her own message to fans via Instagram, writing, “A Bittersweet Farewell. One of the most magical experiences of my life. I take nothing for granted. Thank you Paris.”

According to news outlet France 24, France’s tally of coronavirus cases has reached 1,412 including the country’s Culture Minister, Franck Riester. There have been 25 coronavirus-related deaths in France reported. Madonna wasn’t alone in canceling her shows. Pearl Jam has postponed its North American tour due to coronavirus concerns, and Pentatonix has postponed the European leg of the World Tour. While she may deem her tour a ‘magical’ experience, Madge has trudged on city by city despite injuries sustained in rehearsal. She’s been forced to cancel over a dozen performances due to “unbearable pain,” and has seen two class-action lawsuits filed against her for shows that began hours late. Along the way, she’s shared videos of post-show ice baths and walking with the assistance of a cane on days off.

Take a bow, Madonna. Well-earned.