Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Some days you just want to ride a big pink thing. Just ask Eliad Cohen (above)…LOL • Bloomberg: The state of Michigan has approved a charter for the first-ever LGBTQ credit union set to open in 2020. • KIT212: Happy Hump Day! You know what that means over at kenneth-in-the-212… Wrestle Wednesday! • HuffPost: Talk about underhanded politics… After promising there would be no votes until Wednesday afternoon out of respect for 9/11, North Carolina GOP lawmakers in the state House took advantage of Democrats attending memorial ceremonies to push through an override of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the state budget.
Rep. Deb Butler of North Carolina slammed Republicans for overturning a veto while Democrats were at a 9/11 ceremony.
• Washington Post: The Supreme Court has ruled the Trump administration’s policy to bar many Central American migrants from seeking asylum in the United States may go into effect while legal challenges move forward. Since 1980, the U.S. has said those who say they are fleeing persecution and violence in their home countries have the right to at least apply for asylum. • NY Times: The White House was directly involved in pressing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to denounce the weather forecasters who contradicted Donald Trump’s claim that Hurricane Dorian would probably strike Alabama. Mick Mulvaney, acting White House chief of staff, told Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary, to have NOAA publicly disavow the forecasters’ position that Alabama was not at risk. • New Music: Tony Award winner drops his newest music video, the uptempo, pulsating “Rain,” from his album Sing To Me Instead. Platt’s upcoming September 29 concert at Radio City Music Hall is not only sold-out (huge place, don’t you know?) but it will be filmed for a future Netflix music special. And of course, there’s the upcoming Netflix series The Politician, by Ryan Murphy, which he stars in alongside Jessica Lange, Gwenyth Paltrow, and his Dear Evan Hansen co-star Laura Dreyfuss.
Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter FAZE releases his new single “Magic” from his upcoming EP. The chill mid-tempo was the last song recorded on for the EP, to be titled Eclipse. “Stylistically I wanted to go for something that was influenced by my Persian background – which was outside of the norm for me and also different from mainstream music” says FAZE. The handsome artist says the song captures “falling for someone or something in a way that you’ve never felt before.” “Spirits talking heavens watching” is the voice in our head that reminds us the world is always watching, judging and ridding yourself of those perspectives,” explains FAZE. “Whether it’s the initial spark in a relationship or on a more personal level, the underlying message behind Magic is about stepping outside of your comfort zone and embracing it. It’s about feeling good, feeling sexy and feeling magical”.
A member of the LGBTQ community, FAZE has spent years working to find his most authentic creative voice, with the intent on making his art as inclusive as possible. The San Diego native spent years grappling with not only his sexual orientation but with a diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome at the age of seven. But music would prove to be his emotional salvation, and by the age of nine he’d learned to play both piano and cello. “My idea of fun when I was a kid was just sitting in my garden, listening to classical music and playing my cello,” he recalls. By his early 20s, he’d begun joining in songwriting sessions for leading artists, which went a long way in sharpening his songcraft and refining his vision for his own work. “Even when I was writing for other people, I was always pulling from my own experiences—I can only write what’s real to me,” says FAZE. “But now with Eclipse, I feel like it’s the first time I’m stepping out into the world, and fully showing who I am as an artist.”
Out singer/songwriter Parker Matthews drops his latest track, an upbeat synth-pop banger titled, “Live For Your Crazy.” The track features an infectious vocal hook and polished, top-shelf production. Effortless and euphoric, it’s a breezy end-of-summer bop. In the video, directed by Nicolas Wendl, Matthews envisions sexy Mother Nature coming to save him from the sweltering desert heat. I chatted with the rising pop star about the new song, sweaty desert realness, and what’s on the horizon for him. The Randy Report: Your last music video, “Good Enough,” was set in a dark theater, serving up a melancholy Parker in ‘leading man’ mode. In “Live For Your Crazy,” it’s a complete 180 taking us out into the middle of nature, busting moves right and left, and chilling in a grove of palm trees. Where did the inspiration for the video come from?
Parker Matthews: I wanted to show the next step in my evolution on this journey both as an artist and as a person. In the beginning of this video, I let go of the rose petals I was holding on to from the darker place of Good Enough, and symbolically, set out to find my own way.
My whole life, women have saved me, in various ways, and I wanted to depict that by having a Mother Earth figure as my saving grace. Between everything currently going on with climate change, and the destruction of our planet, I wanted to show the beauty of nature by actually going on location and in some ways, how delicate it can actually be.
The locations that we shot this video on have never been filmed on, nor will they be filmed on again. My team and I partnered up with CNLM, a non-profit organization that focuses on protecting endangered species and plants, was gracious enough to allow us to captivate such epic visuals. It was a 16 hour day, in 118-degree heat, but with their help, we were able to film something amazing.
TRR: What does 2019 Parker know today that it would have been handy if 2017 Parker might have known? Is there anything you’ve learned in the past two years that you thought, “That would have been really useful to know…”
PM: There are so many things I’ve learned since getting into this game, but I think one of the biggest things has been learning to always be my unapologetic self, no matter how ‘uncool’ that might be. Standing up for my own vision, and surrounding myself with a team that believes in me is what truly makes the difference. I can confidently say that I’ve found myself, and now, its full speed ahead. I have my team locked down, and as for new music… I have a lot to say 😉
TRR: You’ve been turning out really terrific tracks for some time now. What’s the ’next step’ career goal?
PM: I have one more record for you this year, and then I’m taking some time to record my first EP. I have most of the songs already written, and I have a title, that you’ll find out about all in good time J
By having a bunch of singles that took listeners around the ‘map’, I showed my versatility and malleability, but I want to have this EP to really focus on the artist that I am, what I stand for, along with my overall brand. (You can expect that around the end of March).
TRR: Random question: Name three artists you wouldn’t mind being compared to?
PM: I don’t really compare myself to anyone, because I am me. I write my own records, and I create my own visual ideas, but if I had to choose other artists, I’d pick ones with like-minded values, and would honestly all be women. Lady GaGa, Christina Aguilera, and Julia Michaels all have a spot in my heart. Being real is what stands out the most to me, and that’s where I give the utmost respect J
For more info on the handsome Mr. Matthews, check out my previous coverage of his music here. “Live For Your Crazy” is now available on all digital download sites. Check out a few peeks behind-the-scenes of the making of “Live For Your Crazy” via Parker’s Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/B1PguG1lHTP/ https://www.instagram.com/p/B1K-c8hFeVT/
L-R Shannen Doherty, me, Ian Ziering, Jennie Garth, Michael Caprio Some news items you might have missed: • Monday Memory: One of those “Can you believe this is happening?” moments – back when Beverly Hills 90210 star Ian Ziering was the celebrity guest host of Chippendales here in Las Vegas, and his two 90210 co-stars Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth came to see Ian in the show. This was snapped backstage before the show. #Goodtimes • Yahoo News: Four months before the wedding of a gay couple in the UK, the mother of one of the grooms received an anonymous note claiming it was the ‘consensus of the village’ that if the wedding was going to happen then “it should do so far, far away from the village.” The mother did not tell her son before the nuptials, but police are investigating the homophobic note. • OUT: Only five of the long list of Democratic presidential candidates have confirmed for both of the upcoming LGBTQ-centric events – the GLAAD-sponsored LGBTQ presidential forum in Iowa, and the HRC-sponsored LGBTQ CNN Town Hall. • TIME: Hollywood’s wonder gay Ryan Murphy has announced he is adapting the legendary Broadway musical A Chorus Line into a 10-episode miniseries for Netflix. #Hmmm • Hollywood Reporter: The cast and creators of the CW series Riverdale, as well as actress Octavia Spencer, will be honored at this year’s GLSEN Respect Awards on October 25 in Los Angeles. • Out Music: Last month, I shared out singer/songwriter Kyle Motsinger’s groovy anthem for positivity, “Love On Each Other,” and today he drops the equally groovilicious music video. He’s paired his 70s disco beat bop with images of hippie love kids dancing and prancing in the park. Check it out below.
Out singer/songwriter Stewart Taylor encourages his fans to be playful and adventurous with their significant others with his latest music video, “Mess Your Hair Up.” The R&B funk track was inspired by Taylor’s own long-distance relationship. “I had recently moved to LA from New York and my partner sent me a super sexy picture,” he shares about the genesis of the new song. “I told him I wanted to jump on him and mess his hair up! The chorus of the song came to me almost immediately afterwards.” “Everyone deserves to be happy in and outside of the bedroom,” he reflects. “While ‘Mess Your Hair Up’ may appear simplistic and perhaps more superficial than my previous tracks, sometimes simple and fun is better. One of my favorite Prince songs is literally about wanting his lover’s ‘extra time and their KISS,’ and it’s still iconic.: His optimism shines through in the colorful music video for “Mess Your Hair Up.” “The video celebrates white, black, Latino, and even drag queen hairstyles because all of it is beautiful to me,” he adds. “I also had the privilege of working with LA-based choreographer Johnny Rice (Taylor Swift, Adam Lambert) on the dance numbers in the video, so hopefully it makes people want to get up and dance, too.” Visit www.stewarttaylorofficial.com for more info on Stewart. Hit the play button and bounce through Hump Day a little easier.
In “Memory Lane,” out singer/songwriter Raph Solo takes a moment to look back on a deeply personal experience that nearly extinguished his self-esteem: his unsuccessful attempt at erasing his homosexuality through conversion therapy. The song’s lyrics, taken from the diary he kept at the time, were written as a prayer. “It’s a conversation between God and myself where I made a promise to never be filled with self-hate again,” he explains. “I believe the ultimate key to inner peace and happiness is self-acceptance and loving yourself the way God made you.” “Memory Lane” is Solo’s second release from his new album, LIFE, his powerful collection of retrospective ballads available now on Apple Music, Spotify, and all digital download outlets. The new acoustic ballad is comprised of three basic elements (vocal, piano, and strings) that also represent three important aspects of Raph: his music, voice and soul. Similar to the other songs on the LIFE album, “Memory Lane” encapsulates the theme that “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” “I grew up thinking that being gay and believing in God were incompatible but what I know now is God is love and love is love and love can be platonic, romantic and of more than one orientation,” says the Lebanese/Chilean singer. The music video has a very European sensibility in its look and feel. Check it out below. For more information, visit raphsolo.com
TIME Magazine covers the rise of Lil Nas X (screen capture)
These are heady, well-earned times for rapper Lil Nas X.
Less than a year ago, the college drop-out was living on his sister’s floor.
Fast-forward to the release of his mega-hit single, “Old Town Road,” now the longest-running number-one song sitting atop the Billboard Hot 100 for 19 weeks now.
Along that journey, Lil Nas decided during Pride Month to come out as gay as his single continued its meteoric trajectory.
And now, the chart-busting country/hip-hop artist is covering TIME Magazine.
A post shared by TIME (@time) on Aug 15, 2019 at 5:08am PDT
In an interview for the venerable publication, Lil Nas explains what having THE number one song represents to him.
“To me, ‘Old Town Road’ being the longest-running number-one song of all time means that…everybody has great taste in music,” says the 20-year-old with a sly smile before adding, “I’m joking.”
“My reaction, just like, me…I was in a complete state of shock,” he adds in a candid moment. “I cried a little bit.”
For someone who grew up poor, being shuttled from one divorced parent to another, it can only be mind-boggling that, in addition to the chart action, “Old Town Road” has been streamed – on Spotify alone – over a billion times.
TIME notes how disparate the stars that have aligned are that brought this to be.
“There aren’t many black stars in country music; there aren’t many queer stars in hip-hop,” writes Andrew Chow for TIME. “There aren’t many queer black stars in American culture, point-blank.”
“The fact that Lil Nas has risen so far and so fast testifies not only to his skill but also to the erosion of the systems that for generations kept artists like him on the sidelines,” adds Chow.
Chow points to social media and streaming platforms for ‘democratizing’ the path to possible success in the music industry today.
A post shared by TIME (@time) on Aug 15, 2019 at 8:48am PDT
That said, Lil Nas isn’t doing the cocky walk any time soon.
He tells TIME, “Everything lined up for this moment to take me to this place,” adding that he feels “chosen” to be in this place at this time.
The country-trap artist didn’t expect “this time” to include coming out, but, here we are.
“I know the people who listen to this the most, and they’re not accepting of homosexuality,” admits Nas. “I never would have done that if I wasn’t in a way pushed by the universe.”
As “Old Town Road” continued its reign at number one, the U.S. entered Pride Month, and the artist says he saw “Pride flags everywhere” and “couples holding hands.”
And so, he tweeted one of the most casual ‘coming out’ moments in music history.
some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care, some of y’all not gone fwm no more. but before this month ends i want y’all to listen closely to c7osure. 🌈🤩✨ pic.twitter.com/O9krBLllqQ
“I definitely feel the need to use my platform to spread positivity and do good things for the world,” he says thoughtfully. “I don’t want to be, in the last minute like, ‘Dang, I should have said something about this, you know?”
“From here, I just want to keep making whatever my ears catch hold to and happen to love.”
• InstaHunks: Max Souza looking ridiculously perfect in Brazil. #woof
• Norwich Evening News: A bus driver in the UK has been suspended pending an investigation after refusing to drive a bus he said “promotes homosexuality” because the ID number of the vehicle was written in a rainbow typeface.
• Washington Blade: Cleveland Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. defended his sexuality after posting a photo of himself posing in Calvin Klein underwear.
• NY Times: Former Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado is considering ending his presidential bid and entering the race for his state’s Republican-held Senate seat, potentially giving Democrats a strong candidate in a race they must win to have hopes of retaking the chamber in 2021. Folks in Texas have urged former Rep. Beto O’Rourke to challenge GOP Sen. John Cornyn in his reelection bid.
• The Advocate: As the first gay Black man to play the coveted role of ‘Freddy Eynsford-Hill’ (singing the Lerner/Loewe classic, “On The Street Where You Live”) in My Fair Lady on Broadway, Christian Dante White is blazing a new trail.
• New Music: Brazilian singer, songwriter and the first drag queen to be nominated to a Latin Grammy and the MTV EMAs, Pabllo Vittar, releases her new single and music video for “Flash Pose” featuring Charli XCX.
Vittar is currently the most followed drag queen on social media in the world, and also #1 on VEVO and Spotify globally.
Vittar spent her 2019 summer touring Pride events across the US and Canada including Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco.
• InstaHunks: Terron Beckham (above), the ridiculously jacked cousin of the Cleveland Browns’ Odell Beckham Jr., shows off some gym humor along with his ‘big-is-best’ everything else. #thosecalves
• OUT: A new study shows some men may be reticent to recycle because it might be perceived as ‘feminine.’
• Variety: At her Madison Square Gardens concert over the weekend, Barbra Streisand offered up a tweaked version of “Send in the Clowns” that trolled the current clown in the Oval Office.
• Twitter: A police officer busts some moves to Steps’ 2017 hit “Scared Of The Dark” while attending Brighton Pride in the UK. The clip went viral after his police department shared the clip on social media.
— Herts Police LGBT+ 🚔 (@HertsPoliceLGBT) August 4, 2019
• Red Flag Bill: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is collaborating on a “red flag” bill with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) that would start a federal grant program to help encourage states to create “‘red flag’ protection order” laws, which are meant to make it easier for law enforcement to identify mentally ill people who should be banned from purchasing guns.
• NY Magazine: A new profile on Ivanka Trump quotes a friend who says the Trumpette, “Has no idea she’s privileged. She genuinely thinks she’s earned everything she has. She goes on and on all the time about how hard she works.”
• Out Music: Make-up artist Deney Adam (whose work has been seen in Vogue, NY Times, Interview) puts down his brushes to drop his wild and wooly new track and music video, “Heartdrop.”
The visual, directed by the fab Mike Ruiz, is a fast and furious, animalistic affair featuring a nearly naked Deney locked inside a glass case.
“I wanted to convey that feeling of being trapped in a situation; when just at the moment that you think you are finally free from it, you find yourself right back where you started,” says Deney.
Musically, the track continually switches gears resulting in a visceral, heart-pounding (or should that be ‘heart-dropping?’) ride. Hit play below.
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Some days you just want to ride a big pink thing. Just ask Eliad Cohen (above)…LOL • Bloomberg: The state of Michigan has approved a charter for the first-ever LGBTQ credit union set to open in 2020. • KIT212: Happy Hump Day! You know what that means over at kenneth-in-the-212… Wrestle Wednesday! • HuffPost: Talk about underhanded politics… After promising there would be no votes until Wednesday afternoon out of respect for 9/11, North Carolina GOP lawmakers in the state House took advantage of Democrats attending memorial ceremonies to push through an override of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the state budget. 
The Randy Report: Your last music video, “Good Enough,” was set in a dark theater, serving up a melancholy Parker in ‘leading man’ mode. In “Live For Your Crazy,” it’s a complete 180 taking us out into the middle of nature, busting moves right and left, and chilling in a grove of palm trees. Where did the inspiration for the video come from? 
TRR: Random question: Name three artists you wouldn’t mind being compared to? 
“Everyone deserves to be happy in and outside of the bedroom,” he reflects. “While ‘Mess Your Hair Up’ may appear simplistic and perhaps more superficial than my previous tracks, sometimes simple and fun is better. One of my favorite Prince songs is literally about wanting his lover’s ‘extra time and their KISS,’ and it’s still iconic.: 
