07/02/2007
NEWS: HEIDI FLEISS, REAL ESTATE PORN, WHITE HOUSE CLEANING LADY
First Family: The Advocate examines how The Simpsons took the fear out of queer: Homer's gay panic made us hip for TV. Now he hits the big screen. D'oh!
Activist Murdered: A badly decomposing body found in a Seattle home has been identified as longtime gay activist and former radio talk-show host Mike Webb. Webb was last seen April 13. Police said that several computers and other personal effects were missing, but have few clues in the case. In 10 years at Seattle talk-radio station KIRO the left-wing Webb had made a number of enemies -- he had a concealed-weapons permit because of several death threats from angry listeners -- but he had not worked at the station since 2005 when he was fired after being convicted of filing a false insurance claim.
Pride Arrests: Four people from a Georgia evangelical group were arrested Saturday at gay pride celebrations in St. Petersburg after they violated a city order restricting demonstrators to a "free speech" zone a block from the festival. Most members of the evangelical group, from Georgia, obeyed the city order limiting where they could protest. Some held signs reading "Sodomy, It's To Die For" and "Adam & Eve, NOT Adam & Steve" while others used a bullhorn to denounce gays. People attending the festival largely ignored the demonstration, with some waving and others blowing kisses at them.
Dirty Laundry: Onetime Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss is bringing new meaning to the term fluff and fold: she's opened a 24-hour coin-op laundromat in Nevada.
Blame Sam Champion: A senior Church of England bishop says floods that have caused widespread damage in the UK are the result of God's wrath on a permissive society that endorses gay rights. "We are in serious moral trouble because every type of lifestyle is now regarded as legitimate," the Rt Rev Graham Dow, Bishop of Carlisle, told the Sunday Telegraph.
Speaking of Floods: The government's repairs to New Orleans' hurricane-damaged levees may put the French Quarter in greater danger than it was before Hurricane Katrina, a weakness planners said couldn't be helped, at least for now. Experts say the stronger levees and flood walls could funnel storm water into the cul-de-sac of the Industrial Canal, only 2 miles from Bourbon Street, and overwhelm the waterway's 12-foot-high concrete flood walls that shield some of the city's most cherished neighborhoods.
If You Have To Ask ... Not just anyone gets to see this real estate company's $135 million listing in Aspen.
Cleaning Lady: Hillary Rodham Clinton thinks the White House needs a "clean sweep."
Box Office: I don't know how I feel about a rat preparing food.
Posted 11:43 AM EST by Kenneth Walsh | Permalink
Like it?
Subscribe to FREE Towleroad daily headlines with our RSS feed!
RECENT STORIES:
The problem with that Simpsons episode featuring John Waters was that it ended with Homer saying that being gay is a choice. I don't remember the exact line, but he says to Bart, "Whichever you choose is fine with me" or something like that. Homer needed to be corrected and told that being gay isn't a choice... PERIOD!
Posted by: Big Dave | Jul 2, 2007 11:57:23 AM
Correction to my above post. The exact dialogue is this:
Homer: You know, Bart, maybe it's the concussion talking, but any way you choose to live your life is okay with me.
Bart; Huh?
Lisa: [whispering] He thinks you're gay.
Also in the episode, Homer looks at all the gay steel workers and says, "You're all sick!" Charming, huh?
Posted by: BIG DAVE | Jul 2, 2007 12:03:19 PM
Carlisle floods regularly (http://www.carlisle.gov.uk/carlislecc/main.asp?page=2270). It's undoubtedly a result of God's displeasure at having a bishop who takes his name in vain.
Posted by: Mike | Jul 2, 2007 12:12:12 PM
Ha ha, Russian pride! I was there, we ignored the christian freaks until they broke out of their cages, I mean free speech zone. They were getting tired of no one knowing they were there. Plus they had to get their mugs in the paper some way. One lady tried to douse them with her beer but missed and hit my friend, who was none the happy about that! It was so friggin hot.
Posted by: davefromtampa | Jul 2, 2007 12:24:14 PM
Hi there just an FYI, The St Petersburg pride article refers to St Pete, Fl
Posted by: Kris | Jul 2, 2007 12:24:47 PM
They city did away with free speech zones, and the protesters were arrested for violating a standing city ordinance pertainng to street closures. See the below links from the St. Petersburg Times that explains both incident and the rules.
See below the link from the local paper:
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/07/01/Southpinellas/Color_this_parade_div.shtml
and this
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/06/29/Southpinellas/Free_speech_rules__wi.shtml
Posted by: Ken Peterson | Jul 2, 2007 12:38:49 PM
Oh, St. Pete, Florida, USA! Ah... Now it makes sense.
Posted by: anon (gmail.com) | Jul 2, 2007 12:56:52 PM
This was my first time at St. Pete's pride, as I just moved here from Ohio. I have visited Columbus, OH's pride and Chicago's pride celebrations, and what struck me as different in St. Pete was that the "free speech" zones weren't very well enforced. I saw MANY protesters walking right down the middle of the street, through the festival with their hateful signs! Of course, they were all men, so I figure they were all secretly there to check out the guys, and I'm sure they went home afterwards to jack off...
Posted by: Mike | Jul 2, 2007 1:13:23 PM
In those episodes of the Simpsons (which I think are the same episode) Homer is (as usual) an ignorant symbol of ridicule. Anyone who thinks that the episode is approving his bigotry isn't really paying attention. I still laugh at the line from Bart saying "why did you bring me to a gay steel mill?"
Posted by: Daniel | Jul 2, 2007 1:31:30 PM
Re: Ratatouille.
It may be because rats are just disgusting creatures, or because I see them on the subway platforms all the time, or because they killed my parents...
but I could not stand Ratatouille. The idea of a rat cooking, the idea of rat doing anything actually besides succumbing to traps, is completely not ok. Even the cartoon rats grossed me out. I tried to like it, I really did. I failed miserably.
Posted by: David | Jul 2, 2007 1:33:34 PM
Big Dave, you're not real bright, are ya?
That Simpsons episode, which incidentally is titled "Homer's Phobia," is a beacon of tolerance and one of the Simpsons' finest moments. If Homer didn't have a negative reaction to the gay steel workers at the beginning of the episode, he wouldn't have been able to learn tolerance and acceptance. His final quote means he's going to love Bart no matter what, including the possibility that he might be gay.
Posted by: chrisb | Jul 2, 2007 2:58:42 PM
To Chris B. and Daniel,
Ask yourself how many openly gay characters does the Simpsons have. Now ask yourself how many regular characters do they have and compare the numbers.
Ask yourself why the writers felt John Waters was the best representation for gays on that episode.
Ask yourself how many other minorities Homer ever called "Sick" besides gay people.
Now ask yourselves why you aren't mature enough to respond to someone else's comments without getting nasty and insulting.
Posted by: Big Dave | Jul 2, 2007 3:30:35 PM
Big Dave, ya gotta take into account that people like Chris B. and Daniel always give hoi polloi too much benefit of the doubt when it comes to brains because they give too much of same to themselves.
I agree that the dialogue needlessly used the verb choose rather than, e.g., "whoever you are is okay with me," and that the persistence of the myth even among "liberals" must be challenged even in cartoon series. But, then, I don't have the power to read every audience member's mind as Chris and Daniel apparently do.
Posted by: Leland | Jul 2, 2007 4:03:25 PM
hum....I'm all for my equal rights....call me silly...or care less...but sometimes...its just nice to watch a cartoon...and not put to much thought into it...it was a funny episode of The Simpsons...it made me laugh...and I thougt it was quite funny that John Waters was used as a representation for gay culture...it made for an even funnier moment...its okay to be able to laugh at oneself...well....that was my humble little opinion
Posted by: EgoPunk | Jul 2, 2007 4:06:54 PM
Oh, Leland, stop flirting with me!
Posted by: chrisb | Jul 2, 2007 4:11:30 PM
The Simpsons also did a later episode where Homer moves in with two gay guys (Hank Azaria once again channeling Agador Spartacus!) and is completely accepting of them. First, it's a cartoon! Second, Smithers is gay (on the same episode that Homer moved in with the Gays, Smithers was rollerblading in gay-town with rainbow daisy dukes on) and nearly every episode comments on the relationship of Lenny and Carl...then there's Marge's sister Patty who came out and Homer actually became ordained so he could marry her and her lover...who by the way turned out to be a man in drag.
The Simpsons rule!
Posted by: Wayne | Jul 2, 2007 4:26:40 PM
Oh, be nice!
Posted by: Gay Steelworker | Jul 2, 2007 6:05:30 PM
firstly, welcome. Andy made a good choice for editor while he's away.
secondly, stay out of TACO Bell and Dunkin' Donuts and you never have to find out if you're right or wrong about being undecided.
Posted by: lexxicuss | Jul 2, 2007 6:30:48 PM
wayne beat me to it ... smithers, patty, the questioning lenny and carl, troy mcclure ?, milhouse?, and hints and teases about many other characters as gay references are often made throughout the series. 'the simpsons' is the most gay-friendly animated sitcom ever. some folks should choose their targets more carefully.
http://www.snpp.com/guides/homosexuality.html
Posted by: el polacko | Jul 2, 2007 6:57:27 PM
.. one of my favorite lines ever : the gay pride parade is passing by the simpson's house and some guys on a float are chanting, "we're here. we're queer. get used to it" and lisa says "you do this every year.. we ARE used to it" hahaha
Posted by: el polacko | Jul 2, 2007 7:03:16 PM
Re: Ratatouille.
Great movie. One of the best from pixar (after the incredible). Excellent story and the animation is incredible. And the best part? no cheesy pop culture references or big names doing the voices.
re: simpsons
My favorite:
Homer: They turned the Navy into a floating joke. They ruined all our best names like Bruce and Lance and Julian. Those were the toughest names we had! Now they're just...
John: Queer?
Homer: Yeah, and that's another thing! I resent you people using that
word. That's our word for making fun of you! We need it!
Posted by: yoshi | Jul 2, 2007 7:19:15 PM
Leland, I guess the thing about the Simpsons is--you've gotta have a sense of humor to understaind it. You think I give the hoi polloi too much credit? I think you give them too much attention. Why don't you stop typing and get off your but and get out into the world and do something.
You don't have to respond to me--I will be out seeing friends, attending theatre, volunteering for various worthy causes (both gay related and just general). Have a happy life.
Posted by: Daniel | Jul 2, 2007 8:15:52 PM
Re: Mike Webb. What took the police so f-ing long to start investigating?
Posted by: shane | Jul 3, 2007 7:53:20 AM
My favorite part of that Simpson's episode is when Homer makes his comments in the steel mill and someone says "be nice" in a lispy voice.
Posted by: shane | Jul 3, 2007 7:55:26 AM
If you're sincerely upset at the way the cartoon Simpson have portrayed gay characters, maybe you should ask yourself if you have become the bizzaro-world version of Jerry Falwell.
Posted by: mark m | Jul 3, 2007 12:49:14 PM
I think it's hilarious that there are queens out there who are anally-retentive enough to get upset over something like The Simpsons. Get over it folks; you couldn't find a more queer/gay friendly *mainstream* program if you tried!
The Simpsons rocks!
Posted by: Chaq | Jul 4, 2007 9:16:51 PM