Is the New Trailer for 'Gravity' Worthy of the Best Space Film Ever Made? — VIDEO

Sandra Bullock becomes untethered in a Space Shuttle-ISS disaster and spins out into the void in the new trailer for Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, which also stars George Clooney.

Director James Cameron (Avatar, Titanic) thought it was out of this world, he told Variety:

“I was stunned, absolutely floored. I think it’s the best space photography ever done, I think it’s the best space film ever done, and it’s the movie I’ve been hungry to see for an awful long time....What is interesting is the human dimension...Alfonso and Sandra working together to create an absolutely seamless portrayal of a woman fighting for her life in zero gravity.”

Check out the trailer and see if you're impressed, AFTER THE JUMP...

Dustin Lance Black Endorses Christine Quinn for NYC Mayor: VIDEO

Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk) argues that NYC mayoral candidate and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn will fight for those who, like her, have felt the sting of discrimination - in particular, LGBT youth who come to New York looking for a place where they are accepted.

Black believes her success and effectiveness will be an inspiration to others, "not just people from the LGBT community, not just women, but any group that has ever been discriminated against."

Watch Black's clip, put out by the Quinn campaign today, AFTER THE JUMP...

America's Best Christian Mrs. Betty Bowers Has a Chat With Vladimir Putin: VIDEO

America's Best Christian Mrs. Betty Bowers chats with Russian President Vladimir Putin about his anti-gay regime and preparations for the upcoming Olympics, warning that with the exception of Broadway, the Winter Games is "the biggest showcase of gays doing something better than the rest of us."

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

 

AFA's Sandy Rios: Gays and Women in the Military Will Undermine Effectiveness of Syrian Strike - AUDIO

American Family Association nut Sandy Rios today warned that any potential U.S. military intervention in Syria may fail as a result of the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell and the opening of additional Navy positions to female service members.

Said Rios on her radio show:

"When I looked at those battleships going into the Mediterranean, supposedly getting ready for battle in Syria, I couldn't help think about all the stories I've read about how women now are in the ranks of the Navy, getting pregnant at exponential numbers; when I think about the folding in and the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell and the homosexual takeover of so much of our military I'm not sure how effective those naval ships will be."

Listen, AFTER THE JUMP...

Los Alamos County Becomes 8th in New Mexico to Issue Marriage Licenses to Gay Couples

As a result of a state district judge's decision to uphold same-sex marriages, the Los Alamos County clerk's office today became the eight in New Mexico to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, Albuquerque Journal reports:

Janet Newton and Maria Tibodeau were denied a marriage license last week and they filed a lawsuit that led to a ruling by District Court Judge Sheri Raphaelson that same-sex couples are entitled to be married in New Mexico

Los Alamos County Clerk Sharon Stover went to court Wednesday to defend her decision, but the judge ruled against the clerk. 

Seven other New Mexico counties (Grant, Doña Ana, Santa Fe, Bernalillo, Taos, San Miguel and Valencia) have begun issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. 25 to go!

LGBT Sports Group Pushes IOC to Consider Human Rights in Selection of 2020 Olympics Host

Pride House International--a coalition group of LGBT sports and human rights organizations--has plenty to say about the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, but the group is already setting its sights on the 2020 games.  According to a press release issued yesterday, Pride House International is calling on the International Olympic Committee to choose a host country for the 2020 Summer Olympics that respects and values LGBT rights:

As the 104 voting members of the International Olympic Committee head to Buenos Aires for the organisation’s 125th session, the Pride House International coalition of LGBT sport and human rights groups is appealing to them to recall the Olympic Charter’s commitment to human rights in their choice of the host of the 2020 Summer Olympics. Pride House International has published resources for use by IOC voters as they consider the finalist bidders Istanbul, Madrid, and Tokyo, and is calling on the IOC to support the creation of an advisory committee for future bids to evaluate the human rights impact of hosting coming Olympic Games.

At its 125th session in Buenos Aires, the IOC will elect the host city for 2020 this Saturday, September 7.  Three cities are in the final running for the honor of hosting the games: Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo.  On its website, Pride House International has compiled a range of human rights information for IOC voters to use in making their decision, with materials from the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the U.S. State Department and the European branch of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.

The IOC does not consider a country's human rights record in selecting which city should host upcoming Olympic games. That policy has faced criticsm in the past--particularly in the case of China's 2008 Beijing games--and the present, with LGBT groups criticizing the Russian town of Sochi as the site for the 2014 Olympics in light of Russia's draconian 'anti-LGBT propaganda' law.

Last month, as we reported here on Towleroad, Pride House International proposed a campaign called the Same Sex Hand Holding Initiative, or SSHHI:

The group is proposing the Same Sex Hand Holding Initiative, which encourages all Olympic participants: athletes, coaches, spectators, staff, media, regardless of their orientation or background, to hold hands with as many members of the same sex as possible as often as possible. That's it.

In addition to its virtual campaigns, Pride House International will be producing posters, shirts and pins to raise awareness of LGBT issues in sports during the Sochi games.  Those materials will be available on the group's website next month.