07/21/2008
News: Dark Knight, Pope, Lawrence King, Madonna Sex Tape
Australia: Pope's apology for clergy abuse not good enough. Clash between pilgrims and protestors after condoms thrown.
The Dark Knight shatters box office records, taking in $153.34 million. Check out the list of records it broke.
Man claims possession of sex tape featuring A-Rod and Madonna.
Obama campaign snubs New Yorker reporter from foreign trip press plane following Muslim cover flap?: "Forty journalists, including such leading correspondents as Dan Balz of The Washington Post, will be aboard his plane for next week's swing through Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and England. The campaign received 200 requests for press seats on the plane. Among those for whom there was no room was Ryan Lizza, Washington correspondent of The New Yorker. The campaign, which was furious about the magazine's satirical cover this week, cited space constraints in turning him away."
Hundreds of dead baby penguins wash ashore on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro.
George Clooney works mustache for Martini.
Australia's first LGBT retirement village to be built an hour outside of Melbourne: "The estate will feature 120 two and three-bedroom apartments, a tennis court, bowling green, open-air theatre and a multi-million dollar leisure centre with a pool, spa, gymnasium, cafe, restaurant, piano room and business centre. Managing director and major shareholder Peter Dickson said the village filled a gap in the market. 'Whether we're in a relationship or whether we're single, we want to be surrounded by friends,' he said. 'I wanted Linton Estate to be different to other retirement facilities and this has now come about.'"
Young, gay, and murdered: Haven't had a chance to dive into this yet, but here's Newsweek's take on the Lawrence King tragedy.
Following registrar Lillian Ladele's lead, a Christian policeman says he's been victimized over his opposition to Gay Pride: "Graham Cogman, a constable with 15 years experience, is taking action against Norfolk Police as he claims he was victimised for refusing to wear a pink ribbon on his uniform to mark a 'gay pride' event, and for questioning the force's stance towards gay men and lesbians."
Human Rights Campaign hires trans woman Allyson Robinson as new Associate Director of Diversity?
Man dies during New York triathlon: "Race director Bill Burke said other competitors alerted medical personnel to the man during the 1,500-meter swim in the Hudson River, and he was unconscious when he was pulled from the water just before 8 a.m."
University of Maryland swimmer Fred Deal is out and proud.
Ian Thorpe: It's a girl!
Chace Crawford hangs with the international spokesmodel for Ralph Lauren’s Black Label for men and POLO Black fragrances at a Polo match in the Hamptons.
Showtime orders up two new series with significant gay content: "The first announced was the tentatively titled thirty minute dark comedy Nurse Jackie, starring The Sopranos’ Edie Falco as an iconoclastic, opinionated, self-medicating nurse in New York City...Greenblatt also announced that The United States of Tara, starring Toni Collette, had been ordered to series. Based on an idea by Steven Spielberg and written by Academy Award-winning writer Diablo Cody, the comedy features Collette as Tara, a suburban mother suffering from dissociative identity disorder (more commonly known as multiple personality disorder). Her various personalities include a rebellious teen girl, a biker, and others that impact in a variety of ways both her husband (John Corbett) as well as her children including out gay teen Marshall."
Posted 2:30 PM EST by Andy Towle in Alex Rodriguez, Australia, Barack Obama, Brazil, Chace Crawford, China, Discrimination, Film, George Clooney, Great Britain, Heath Ledger, I'm Gay, Ian Thorpe, Lawrence King, Madonna, News, Polar Bears, Pope Benedict, Swimming, Television | Permalink
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did I hear something buzzing in here?
Don't I recall that Showtime did Queer as Folk? And that it was a huge hit? And that it's not exactly full of hot bi babes (or at least not at the expense of man-on-man action)? Now what that would have to do with voting Democrat is anyone's guess. The republicans, or at least their right-wing base, would want it ALL off the airwaves.
Posted by: kevinvt | Jul 21, 2008 8:03:56 PM
The New Yorker hasn't fallen in line with the Barack Messiah Obama campaign. When they learn to kiss his ass instead of f*cking him in the ass they'll get a seat aboard his newly remodeled campaign jet. All hail the chosen one.
Posted by: nobama | Jul 21, 2008 8:18:51 PM
Ian Thorpe and a woman?
:everyone in Australia: "Yeah...right!"
Posted by: Wirrrn | Jul 21, 2008 8:32:31 PM
Yippee! Jason aka "AproposofNothing" is back with his illuminating insights into pop culture. Ok, you convinced me. I'm going to vote Republican, because, god knows, they'll be filling the media with hot bimale-male action!
On another note, the only people who are appointing Obama the Messiah are the ones who can't stand him. Odd, that.
Posted by: Ernie | Jul 21, 2008 8:49:09 PM
Showtime had one show (Queer as Folk) with male-male celebratory content. Whoop-te-doo!! One show out of how many? Keep in mind, also, that QAF pandered to the male heterosexual viewpoint of where male-male content belongs - i.e. in a segregated, non-mainstream context. It's a phony acceptance based on segregation. Liberal media organizations are famous for it.
Contrast this with how Showtime treats female-female - i.e. as mainstream - and you'll get my drift.
Posted by: jason | Jul 21, 2008 8:58:24 PM
``Someone needs to seriously check this guy out. He's practically screaming for help...``
Rami, I found that guy`s comments as creepy as you did. Interestingly, he also commented on another Newsweek article on Scouts that he was shown at age 17 that homosexuality ``is unacceptable, but with a way out`` and that he could change. He is obviously full of unresolved conflicts that guide his (many} obsessive and hateful comments.
Posted by: anonymous | Jul 21, 2008 11:05:22 PM
Huh. Did we read the same Newsweek article? I found it pretty good at detailing the complex issue and showed people like King's father and the lawyer, Quest, as homophobic/ignorant. The article also showed that Brandon came from a violent home.
The article also had some great education for the ignorant:
Whatever Epstein said to Larry, it's clear that his coming out proved to be a fraught process, as it can often be. For tweens, talking about being gay isn't really about sex. They may be aware of their own sexual attraction by the time they're 10, according to Caitlin Ryan, a researcher at San Francisco State University, but those feelings are too vague and unfamiliar to be their primary motivation. (In fact, Larry told a teacher that he'd never kissed anyone, male or female.) These kids are actually concerned with exploring their identity. "When you're a baby, you cry when you're hungry because you don't know the word for it," says Allan Acevedo, 19, of San Diego, who came out when he was in eighth grade. "Part of the reason why people are coming out earlier is they have the word 'gay,' and they know it explains the feeling." Like older teenagers, tweens tend to tell their friends first, because they think they'll be more accepting. But kids that age often aren't equipped to deal with highly personal information, and middle-school staffs are almost never trained in handling kids who question their sexuality. More than 3,600 high schools sponsor gay-straight alliances designed to foster acceptance of gay students, but only 110 middle schools have them. Often the entire school finds out before either the student or the faculty is prepared for the attention and the backlash. "My name became a punch line very fast," says Grady Keefe, 19, of Branford, Conn., who came out in the eighth grade. "The guidance counselors told me I should not have come out because I was being hurt." [pardon the long quote.]
Decades ago I ragged on Newsweek for failing to cover a gay march on Washington, but this time I think they did a good job.
Posted by: David R. | Jul 22, 2008 1:01:34 AM
I read the Newsweek article and found it to be very evenhanded. It seems that Larry was a very trouble teen who happened to be gay/tran. It is not the schools responsibility to accomodate one child at the expense of the rest of the student body. Larry had problems, he acted out, detroyed property and clearly had no regard for authority. And he happened to be gay. Reading thees comments, it seems as if everything Larry did is somehow okay because he is experimenting with his sexuality and everyone else in the school needs to let him do what he wants.
sorry, but if we are to be included we also have to respect other people's boundaries, even the straight guys (who many here seem intent on making out to be villains).
No, this should never have happened, but it goes a lot deeper than "they were picking on the trans kid". From my reading the trans kid had a lot issues of his own, as did the perpetrator. It does not do any good to blindly advocate on someone's behalf just because they are gay.
Posted by: Ron | Jul 22, 2008 9:57:21 AM