Sean Hayes to 'Save the World' as a Gay Dad

Sean Hayes is returning to TV in a comedy titled Sean Saves the World, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Broadway World writes:

Sean (Sean Hayes, "Will & Grace") is a divorced gay dad who juggles a lot - his successful but demanding career, offbeat employees, pushy mom Lorna (Linda Lavin, "Alice"), and weekends with his teenage daughter, Ellie (Sami Isler). So when his 14-year-old bundle of joy moves in full-time, it's a whole new world. Never one to do anything halfway, Sean's intent on being the best dad ever, so he loads up on parenting how-to books and plans Pinterest-worthy family dinners. But it seems his company's new owner has decided Sean and his team should work longer hours, putting a damper on his homemaking plans and throwing a kink in Sean's perfectly constructed work/life balance. Ellie, a normal girl who wants to hang with her friends and eat on the run, sees this development as a plus. She loves her dad, but he's clearly going overboard. From keeping his boss happy, his employees motivated and enduring his mother's tactless "advice" to raising a smart, grounded and healthy kid, it's going to be a growing experience, to say the least. But if anyone can handle it all, it's Sean.

Also co-starring are Reno 911's Thomas Lennon, Lindsay Sloane from Weeds, and Echo Kellum from Ben and Kate.

Family of Slain Gay Mayoral Candidate Marco McMillian Asks for Help of Justice Department: VIDEO

The family of slain gay Clarksdale, Mississippi mayoral candidate Marco McMillian held a press conference Thursday asking the Justice Department to review the case because they don't believe they have been told the truth about McMillian's murder.

McMillian's body was found late in February near a levee after being dragged, beaten, and burned. The coroner has released an autopsy report that detailing “multiple areas of blunt trauma to the head that are consistent with a beating.”

22-year-old Lawrence Reed has been charged with McMillian's murder. The family believes he did not act alone.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

The OXD Mirror: New Music For 5.10.13

BY OCCUPY THE DISCO / JOSH APPELBAUM

The OXD Mirror is a weekly music column brought to you by the boys of OCCUPY THE DISCO (OXD), a New York City based movement created by three music lovers, Ru Bhatt, Josh Appelbaum, and Tadeu Magalhães, who want to share their love for disco, house and dance music with the world.

We are on Spotify!  Subscribe to our 'As Featured on Towleroad' Playlist to listen to tracks posted from past weeks.

 

Slow Knights vs Coleco: 'Shame'

Derek Gruen, better known as Del Marquis, has kept quite busy since his band The Scissor Sisters went on hiatus at the end of October, 2012.  His new project, Slow Knights, has begun to take off with their recently released debut record Cosmos, and their first official show in New York City on May 18th along with Midnight Magic.  'Shame' is a track that features Mykal Kilgore (from the national tour of Book of Mormon) belting out some serious soulful inspired vocals.  Canadian disco-house producers Coleco, who we've been following on OXD since they released a slew of free EPs last summer, give this song a shot of energy to make it a true dancefloor anthem.

 

Softwar: 'Believe'

Sydney's own Softwar saw the release of their Believe/One Day EP this past week.  The duo have been traveling around the world bringing their brand of house music alongside acts like Mark Ronson, Horse Meat Disco, Greg Wilson and LCD Soundsystem when they're not headlining at various clubs around Australia.  They've also produced remixes for Groove Armada, Azari & III and Two Door Cinema Club.  'Believe" is a "late night ode to the time when music was the answer, a true moonlight-maker," according to the band.  This rich track has a sound that evolves and changes, starting with a heavy bass found in many deep house bits and moving quickly into the drum breaks and synths found in classic house production.

 

Close: 'My Way feat. Joe Dukie'

Tad featured Close's first single 'Beam Me Up' a few weeks ago and now the British producer is back with his follow up single, 'My Way.' His debut album, Getting Closer, drops on June 3rd, and this particular single only appears on the album as a remixed version by Tanner Ross and Slow Hands.  The original version is a simple yet beautiful jazz-inspired song, featuring smooth vocals from Joe Dukie, minimal drums and light bass.  Although often we tend to gravitate towards heavy production on this column, this particular track struck a chord with me and I am equally as excited to hear the remixed version on the album as well.

 MORE NEW MUSIC, AFTER THE JUMP...

Isaac Tichauer: 'Take over You'

We've been following Sydney's Isaac Tichauer closely since last summer when we saw singles like 'Doing What I Got' surface, showcasing his knack for tropical house tunes later found on his Devotion LP.  The French Express signee is back with a free EP, Take Over You, just in time for the warm weather.  This soulful, deep, bass-heavy track will easily set the mood for a beautiful summer's night out.

 

a/jus/ted feat Miss Bee: 'Stay Up Here'

Justin Strauss and Teddy Stuart met in New York City in 2012 and formed a/just/ted together after Stuart's work caught the attention of NYC legend Strauss.  Soon the two were together in a studio with an Arp piano and laying out the chords to their first single 'Stay Up Here'.  Since then they've completed many tracks and brought on British vocalist Michelle Bee (Miss Bee) to add in her brand of "made-for-disco" vocals. Other producers like Satin Jackets and Mario Basanov have also borrowed her vocals to take their tracks to the next level.  'Stay Here' is a pulsing house track with a chic and polished feel to it – pulling off the difficult feat of having a decidely "New York City" feel.

 

Flight Facilities: 'I Didn't Believe feat. Elizabeth Rose (Extended Version)'

Australian duo Flight Facilities have fianlly returned after their last original release, 'Clair De Lune,' back in November.  The Future Classic-signed duo has seen significant success with past releases like 'Crave You' and my personal favorite, 'Foreign Language.'  Their latest, 'I Didn't Believe,' is along the lines of the very decidely disco sound Flight Facilities has shown in the past.  Fellow Sydney-based electronic-pop singer/producer Elizabeth Rose helped compose the song and provides the vocals.  I'm especially excited to hear the remix by Tiger & Woods that is included as part of the single release.

 

This Sunday: Plastic Plates at Paradisco at THE OUT NYC

If you're a regular reader of the OXD Mirror on Towleroad, you're probably familiar with producer, DJ and drummer Plastic Plates (we've featured him here, here, here and here for starters).  We are excited to announce that he will be DJing at our weekly daytime party, Paradisco, at THE OUT NYC from 3-8 this Sunday.  This is the first time he has been featured at a gay party in New York City and we're looking forward to hearing his signature synth-heavy nu disco music under the spring sun.  More details can be found on our site.  We're looking forward to seeing all you Towleroad readers there on Sunday!

This week's post was written by Josh Appelbaum.

For more information on OXD, check out our website and accompanying blog at www.occupythedisco.com, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter: @OccupyTheDisco.

New York Jets Linebacker DeMario Davis: Gays are Sinners But I'd Welcome One to the Team

New York Jets linebacker DeMario Davis says he thinks gays are sinners but that doesn't mean he wouldn't welcome one to the Jets, the NY Daily News reports.

Said Davis:

"If someone was to come out on our team, we’re a team that’s about winning. When it comes to the (Jets), I put my personal beliefs separate from the team....According to the scriptures, and God’s law, homosexuality is wrong. The act is wrong. I’ve got homosexuals in my family who I love to death. I’ve got drunks in my family. I’ve got people who have premarital sex in my family. And I don’t agree with any of those things, but I still love and respect those people....The way that person would be viewed would not be changed. If that person were to go on and say he’s a Christian and he’s homosexual that doesn’t change how I feel about him. That’s his view, and I have mine."

Added Davis: "Anybody that can help our team, we’re more than happy to have them. It’s that same open-arms approach: we respect all in our locker room. We love all in our locker room.”

Warhol Muse and Beat Poet Taylor Mead Dies at 88: VIDEO

Beat poet, actor, and Warhol friend Taylor Mead died on Wednesday in Colorado at the age of 88.

The film critic J. Hoberman called Mr. Mead “the first underground movie star.” The film historian P. Adams Sitney called one of Mr. Mead’s earliest films, “The Flower Thief” (1960), “the purest expression of the Beat sensibility in cinema.”

“The Flower Thief,” directed by Ron Rice, stars Mr. Mead as a bedraggled mystic wandering the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco with open-mouthed wonder. He carries with him his three prized possessions: a stolen gardenia, an American flag and a teddy bear.

Check out the following clip shot by Craig Highberger in which Mead talks about Jackie Curtis, Candy Darling and Holly Woodlawn, Max's Kansas City and getting beat up (and rejected by the hospital) for being gay in the 60's.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

'Lavender Scare' Documents Government's Gay 'Witch Hunt' Lasting Four Decades: VIDEOS

Back in 2011 I posted about a documentary in progress called The Lavender Scare, chronicling the U.S. government's gay 'witch hunts' beginning in the 50's and 60's and efforts by early gay activists like the late Frank Kameny to put a stop to them.

The filmmakers are funding the home stretch of their film via Kickstarter and are excited to debut a couple of new clips from the project on Towleroad. Anyone with an interest in LGBT history should find these fascinating.

The first clip, “You can’t be gay and work here” is the story of Jamie Shoemaker, a linguist for the National Security Agency.

The filmmakers write:

When it was discovered he was gay, his supervisor demanded his resignation, took his ID card, and had him escorted out of the building. This happened in 1980 – long after the time most people associate with the anti-LGBT witch hunt. Jamie immediately called Frank Kameny, who had been successful by that time in protecting the jobs of gay people in non-sensitive agencies. Jamie was different, in that his position required top-secret security clearance. The conclusion of the story (which is not revealed in the clip) is that after a six-month fight spearheaded by Frank Kameny, Jamie became the first gay person in history to be allowed to keep his top-secret clearance. It was a front-page story in the Washington Post.

The second clip, “We do not hire homosexuals” is the government’s response to the early days of the gay rights movement.

In 1965, Frank Kameny and Jack Nichols organized the first gay rights demonstrations the nation had ever seen. With a handful of others, they picketed the White House and other government buildings to protest the on-going ban on hiring gay and lesbian workers. On August 28th, they picketed the State Department. At a news conference the day before, Secretary of State Dean Rusk was asked about the protest. The derisive laughter from the press corps and Rusk’s dismissive response to the protest is chilling and hard to believe when seen from today’s perspective.

You can check out the filmmakers' Kickstarter HERE.

And the film's official site HERE.

I've reposted the trailer, AFTER THE JUMP...