A view of the world through the eyes of a 45 year old gay male living the heart of the Bible Belt. Posts may be about anything from gay news to entertainment to what I ate today. I hope you'll join in the discussion.
There might even be some eye-candy, but I have another blog for more of that sort of thing. If you want the address to that blog, you'll have to contact me to get it!
London (CNN) — Singer Amy Winehouse, infamous for erratic public behavior, arrests and drug problems, was found dead at her apartment in London Saturday, the UK Press Association reported. She was 27.
Her death came less than two months after her latest release from a rehabilitation program and weeks following a disastrous performance where she was booed off a Belgrade stage by disappointed Serbian fans.
Winehouse died at the same age as four other music legends. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison each died of drug overdoses when they were 27. Kurt Cobain was 27 when he committed suicide, soon after his release from rehab.
Police called the death “unexplained” early in their investigation.
SAN DIEGO — Gay service members from Army soldiers to Air Force officers are planning to celebrate the official end of the military’s 17-year policy that forced them to hide their sexual orientation with another official act – marriage.
A 27-year-old Air Force officer from Ohio said he can’t wait to wed his partner of two years and slip on a ring that he won’t have to take off or lie about when he goes to work each day once “don’t ask, don’t tell” is repealed. He plans to wed his boyfriend, a federal employee, in Washington D.C. where same-sex marriages are legal.
He asked not to be identified, following the advice of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a national organization representing gay troops, including the Air Force officer, that has cautioned those on active duty from coming out until the ban is off the books.
“I owe it to him and myself,” the officer said of getting married. “I don’t want to do it in the dark. I think that taints what it’s supposed to be about – which is us, our families, and our government.”
But in the eyes of the military the marriage will not be recognized and the couple will still be denied most of the benefits the Defense Department gives to heterosexual couples to ease the costs of medical care, travel, housing and other living expenses.
The Pentagon says the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act – which defines marriage for federal program purposes as a legal union between a man and woman – prohibits the Defense Department from extending those benefits to gay couples, even if they are married legally in certain states.
In September, when ABC’s All My Children signs off that network for the final time, it won’t be the end of the legendary soap. A deal has already been struck that means that All My Children will continue only 3 days later, in its full one-hour format, on the web only! In fact, Susan Lucci has already signed a deal (terms and length unknown at this time) to continue playing the irrepressible Erica Kane.
Maybe, finally, this will be the beginning of a change in Hollywood where TV execs will realize that no one cares about networks, sponsors, etc. anymore…if they ever really did. Entertainment consumers want to be able to have their favorites anytime, anywhere they want, and on any device they want. Up until now, they just haven’t seemed to get it, but I think that’s about to change. What remains to be seen is how this will be handled. With very little doubt there will be commercials and ads to deal with, but let’s hope this new production house doesn’t try to charge for access to the show. That has never and will never work. It’s just not on the consumer’s radar to pay up front for content….ask Netflix about that.
The 1 DVD+streaming plan that was 7.99, then 9.99 is now being raised to 15.99…even though they have actually lost some content in their streaming catalog! If you are a Netflix user, I suggest you CALL and cancel…don’t do it online…complain!
OH MY GOD….I am having a geekgasm!!! If you were ever a fan of the Dallas TV show, you MUST, MUST, MUST click and watch this trailer!!! I’ve got goosebumps on my goosebumps! First of all, I grew up watching Dallas, and was in love with Patrick Duffy, who STILL looks damn good in my opinion, for a man of 62. And Larry Hagman, not so easy on the eyes, but evil personified as J.R. Ewing, was always amazing. Next Summer, TNT is reviving the series, not as a reboot, but as a continuation. Patrick Duffy, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Steve Kanaly, and Charlene Tilton are all on board for the new series with the addition of Jesse Metcalf <drool> of Desperate Housewives fame, and Josh Henderson <adorable>. There are also some females for them to play with, but who am I kidding, I could care less who they are!
Watch the trailer for the new Dallas series here and let me know what you think….if you’re too young to remember Dallas, you probably won’t care, so we don’t need those comments!
THIS is when I get upset with our President. I’m tired of the doublespeak and broken promises.
President Obama, who signed the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010″ late last year, continues to send mixed signals and infuriate gay servicemember groups by supporting the discriminatory law. The latest confusion sent by way of the Obama Administration arrives in a request asking the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider last week’s landmark anti-DADT ruling.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered that the enforcement of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, be immediately halted. In other words, no more discharges, period.
Their brief reads as follows:
Appellee/cross-appellant’s motion to lift this court’s November 1, 2010, order granting a stay of the district court’s judgment pending appeal is granted. In their briefs, [the United States] do[es] not contend that 10 U.S.C. § 654 is constitutional. In addition, in the context of the Defense of Marriage Act, the United States has recently taken the position that classifications based on sexual orientation should be subjected to heightened scrutiny. [The United States] state[s] that the process of repealing Section 654 is well underway, and the preponderance of the armed forces are expected to have been trained by mid-summer. The circumstances and balance of hardships have changed, and [the United States] can no longer satisfy the demanding standard for issuance of a stay.
Artist Gilbert Baker of San Francisco was the first to appropriate the rainbow for this purpose in 1978, but bright colors have historically played a significant role in gay culture, according to “Sunshine and Rainbows: The Development of Gay and Lesbian Culture in Queensland” by Clive Moore:
Bright colors have always been forms of gay identification, particularly green, yellow, pink, lavender and purple. . . . In the second half of this century, until the rainbow flag, the most recognized gay and lesbian symbol was the pink triangle, but because of its horrible significance not everyone felt comfortable with its symbolism. Purple, or more accurately, lavender, also became a popular signifier of gay pride in the 1960s.
Baker’s original, self-made flag was composed of eight stripes: hot pink (for sexuality), red (for life), orange (for healing), yellow (for sunlight), green (for nature), blue (for art), indigo (for harmony) and violet (for the human spirit). When Baker first attempted to commercially produce the flag, hot pink wasn’t readily available, so the flag was reduced to seven colors. The following year, for a parade in protest of the assassination of Harvey Milk, the flag was changed to be only six colors (dropping the indigo stripe), so that it could be split in half and evenly line two sides of the street while the parade marched through. This six-stripe flag has persevered since then, the only change being its increased popularity.
In what is believed to be a completely unscripted (or perhaps “lightly scripted”) moment on the last stop of the Glee Live Tour, Santana and Brittany share a quick peck of a kiss, to the delight of the audience. But then it got even more interesting when, in character as Kurt, Chris Colfer is obviously surprised by a full on the mouth, no holds barred kiss from Darren Criss, also in character as Blaine. Enjoy the clip below!
Chord Overstreet has not been picked up as a regular on the next season of Glee. Word is he may appear as an occasional guest star, but that’s it. There hasn’t been any official word on why the decision was made. I hope we’ll find out what the deal is soon.
In better news, previous guests Darren Criss and Harry Schum, Jr. have been made series regulars!! Congratulations boys!
