News: Tagg Romney, Frank Ocean, 'Toxic' Row, 'The Hobbit'

Tagg Romney on father Mitt's failed presidential run: "He wanted to be president less than anyone I’ve met in my life... If he could have found someone else to take his place ... he would have been ecstatic to step aside.

More 90s nostalgia from New York City's Duplex and Fire Island's Drag Invasions.

Outgoing Rep. Barney Frank won't say yes or no to becoming an interim-Senator should John Kerry become Secretary of State.

Anti-gay forces in France spent their pre-Christmas weekend protesting plans to pass marriage equality there.

Texas Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison says she supports banning large ammunition magazines like the one used in the Sandy Hook school shooting. "I think we ought to be looking at where the real danger is, like those large clips, I think that does need to be looked at," she said on CBS' Face The Nation. "It’s the semi-automatics and those large magazines that can be fired off very quickly. You do have to pull the trigger each time, but it’s very quick."

Movie spoilers circa 1982.

Frank Ocean wrote a song for Django Unchained but it wasn't used, so he posted it online. It's called "Wise Man" and you should check it out.

The Hobbit topped the weekend box office with about $150 million.

A look back at Glee's biggest 2012 moments.

British Prime Minister David Cameron's plan to legal same-sex marriage there has sparked a civil war in his conservative party. "...Cameron was last night battling to contain his party split over gay marriage after a delegation of senior MPs urged him to reconsider the plans – and two Tories had a ‘toxic’ public argument in the Commons over the issue. The confrontation between fiercely anti-gay marriage MP Sir Gerald Howarth and rising star Gavin Barwell took place in front of shocked colleagues in the Commons Tea Room."

Out rugby and fitness star Gareth Thomas on coming out to his dad: "My family were amazing - once it was taken in, my dad, who is a very tough man, sat me down at home with the family; he opened a bottle of champagne and said 'this is a toast to the rest of your life son.' It was overwhelming, and my family as a whole have been superb."

Gay singer Matt Gold discusses releasing his new album, Drown Before You Swim, without a label: "A label can help take you to that next level, in terms of visibility. Happily, there are artists out there on labels who are able to maintain their authenticity and remain true to themselves. That’s one of the reasons I respect Adele so much. She’s out there, doing her own thing in her own style, and it’s all about her voice, and people like it. When I see someone like Adele succeed, it gives me hope that my songs might be received in the same way."

Shia LaBeouf steps out with a new lady.

Hmmm. A study from the University of Melbourne suggests that of LGBT people, lesbians are more likely to be depressed and problem drinkers and then dubiously concludes these women can overcome such problems by having children. Childbearing "builds a woman’s resilience" said the lead researcher, Professor Ruth McNair.

News: Olivia Culpo, Sentient Kitchen, Jake Tapper, Log Cabin

Dan Stevens and Jessica Chastain look dashing and gorgeous on Broadway.

Federal prosecutors are charging New Jersey man Ronnie McMillian with two counts of "transmitting threats to injure another through interstate commerce" after he allegedly made threatening calls to Rep. Michele Bachmann and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, whom he reportedly singled-out for their anti-gay politics: "Prosecutors allege McMillian regularly called the offices of public officials and used vulgar language to attack the person's position on gay rights."

Outgoing Rep. Barney Frank doesn't just think Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is a homophobe; the Democrat thinks Scalia is "an unreconstructed bigot."

In light of Brazil's São Paulo State legalizing marriage equality, Rex Wockner has an updated list of where same-sex couples can tie the knot.

Religious universities debate how to cope with same-sex marriage: "For religious colleges, that can mean making another decision about who can and who can’t wed in their chapels -- and, in states that do not permit same-sex marriage, whether those couples can hold another ceremony to honor their bond. Many colleges already restrict chapel weddings to students, graduates and employees. But as denominations shift their positions on homosexuality, colleges may find themselves navigating more controversial issues within the church."

One Direction and a shirtless Shemar Moore were at the same tattoo parlor in Los Angeles last night.

Late Sen. Dan Inouye was celebrated as a "quintessential American" during a memorial service in DC today. "While this may be a quiet ceremony for a quiet man, it will endure long after the respects are paid," Republican House Speaker John Boehner said of the Democrat. "For when this rotunda returns to life and the tour guides give their pitch, they will always speak of Daniel Inouye, the gentleman from Hawaii and one of freedom's most gallant champions."

Kitties love a sentient kitchen.

ABC's ever-reliable White House correspondent Jake Tapper is leaving the network to join CNN as an anchor and also as a White House correspondent.

Trans-friendly beauty queen Miss USA Olivia Culpo is now Miss Universe, still as a trans-friendly beauty queen.

Have yourself a merry quaint holiday.

New York City's Fire Department is being criticized for confiscating apartment building lobby's live Christmas trees. "It's like 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas,' and not just Christmas, but all holidays that are celebrated," said one dispirited citizen.

Texas State Rep-elect Kyle Kacal on gun control: "I've heard of people being killed playing ping-pong—ping-pongs are more dangerous than guns. Flat-screen TVs are injuring more kids today than anything."

Everything old is new again: "A quantum version of a Victorian counting machine could be just what quantum computers need to race ahead of the pack."

The Voice introduces us to two up-and-comers, Shakira and Usher.

Oy. From Christian Post: "Porn Use Linked to Gay Marriage Support..."

Does Mat Staver from the anti-gay Liberty Counsel really think marriage equality is going to spark a civil war? "This would be the thing that revolutions are made of. This could split the country right in two. This could cause another civil war." Right.

The Log Cabin Republicans are happy to hear Newt Gingrich is facing the reality of marriage equality. "Gingrich speaks for many Republicans who are concerned about our party's future," Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper said in a statement. "It is particularly important and welcome to hear that Gingrich now understands the difference between church ceremonies and a civil marriage license, and that equality is no threat to religious freedom."

News: Dianne Feinstein, Indiana Poll, Kelly Clarkson, UKIP

As of this writing, almost 50,000 people have signed a petition calling on the White House to designate Westboro Baptist a hate group.

South Carolina's Rock Hill Herald apologized after running an advertisement for guns next to a news story about the shooting. "Advertisements are usually placed days before the newspaper lands on your doorstep. In this case, the advertisement in question was placed Thursday morning," wrote editor Paul Osmundson. "But we at The Herald should have recognized the unfortunate juxtaposition of the advertisement with stories and a photograph about gun violence."

In the wake of the Connecticut shooting, Fox is airing repeats of Family Guy and American Dad tonight instead of new episodes that contain "possibly sensitive material."

From author Liza Long's piece on raising and caring for a mentally ill and potentially dangerous son, "I Am Adam Lanza's Mother": "No one wants to send a 13-year-old genius who loves Harry Potter and his snuggle animal collection to jail But our society, with its stigma on mental illness and its broken healthcare system, does not provide us with other options. Then another tortured soul shoots up a fast food restaurant. A mall. A kindergarten classroom. And we wring our hands and say, 'Something must be done.'"

Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she plans to introduce an assault weapons ban next month. "It will ban the sale, the transfer, the importation, and the possession. Not retroactively, but prospectively. It will ban the same for big clips, drums or strips of more than 10 bullets," she said. "There will be a bill."

The U.S. Army's experiments in chemistry: "In 1953, a catastrophic amount of EA 1298—a version of mescaline—had been injected into a patient named Harold Blauer, who had a violent reaction: shock, coma, and then death. Blauer, a professional tennis player, had been admitted to the institute for depression, and was never told that he was part of a military experiment."

Openly gay Rep. Barney Frank on his forthcoming retirement: "I'm hoping to get paid well to do what I do now for nothing."

Latest polls show Indiana voters split on legalizing gay marriage: "The survey taken for the Bowen Center for Public Affairs at Ball State University and WISH-TV found that 45 percent of those surveyed supported allowing gay people to wed, while 45 percent opposed the idea. Ten percent had no opinion."

Homeland actor Mandy Patinkin was very excited to hear that Fox New York morning show host Dave Price's wife was going into labor.

Kelly Clarkson announced today via Twitter that she and her manager's son, Brandon Blackstock, are getting married.

Can the Spice Girls really exist without Victoria Beckham?

Martin Short knows all the right people in his SNL monologue.

For sperm, it's not just the head that matters, but length too: "Most fertility research has focused on the size of sperm and the size of the swimmers' heads, but a new study suggests the variability in the length of sperm also may put a wrench in successful reproduction. Like a factory churning out products of inconsistent sizes, ejaculates with varying sperm lengths can be a problem, said James Mossman of Brown University in Rhode Island."

British conservatives upset with Prime Minister David Cameron's push for marriage equality appear to be turning toward anti-EU political party UKIP. From Reuters: "UKIP, which wants Britain to exit the EU, has pledged to exploit Conservative divisions over the issue and polls showed its support reaching new highs, putting it in third place ahead of Cameron's junior coalition partners the Liberal Democrats."

RIP: "Gustavo Archilla, whose marriage in Canada in 2003 after almost six decades of a quiet and committed relationship inspired supporters of same-sex marriage, died on Nov. 27 on Marco Island, Fla., where he lived. He was 96."

Finally, an inflatable bee beard.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/12/16/3144695/liberal-icon-frank-eyes-high-profile.html#storylink=cpyFinally, an inflatable bee beard.

Barney Frank Discusses Life as an Out Congressman in a 'Washington Post' Exit Interview: VIDEO

The Washington Post's Ed O'Keefe sits down with retiring Congressman Barney Frank to talk about his coming out and life in the public eye for an out gay lawmaker:

Frank said he’s never counseled another lawmaker about coming out, just a few state legislators. They should publicly disclose their homosexuality, if they are ready, he said, “because your ability to live as an integrated human person is more important than anything.”

“Do it if you feel that strongly, forgetting about the political consequences,” Frank said. “Once you do, then your job is once you’re out, if there are people who are deeply prejudiced against you because of who you are, forget them, you can’t waste your time on them.”

Gay politicians also need to avoid being pigeonholed as single-issue candidates only concerned with gay issues, Frank said — suggesting that gay candidates should go so far as to avoid meeting with or campaigning alongside gay rights groups.

“If I can’t take gay and lesbian people for granted, I can’t win,” he said.

Watch the interview, AFTER THE JUMP...

Barney Frank: Liberals Needs To 'Empower' Themselves

Rep. Barney Frank is still mulling his options as he looks toward retirement.

Though there's nothing set as of yet, Frank told WBUR reporter Bob Oakes that he hopes to write a book about the LGBT movement here in the States and perhaps another book advising liberals on growing their political base.

Basically, according to Frank, liberals need to "empower" themselves and be sure to stay out of the government-bashing fray.

I have a couple books in mind: one is what I think liberals should be doing. The fundamental point is going to be that we need to empower ourselves to do more with government than we’ve been doing, both as an end in itself and then there’s a viscous cycle.

People don’t like government, so they deny government the resources, we deny ourselves — which is what government is, ourselves acting collectively — we deny ourselves the resources to be effective and then because we don’t do things right, people get angrier so they deny more resources. The way to break that cycle, in my judgement, is with substantial reduction in America’s worldwide military commitments. I want us to do a better job of using our collective resources through government to improve the quality of life.

Frank later remarked, "I think the mistake many liberals make is in the current situation where government is unpopular, to join in the critique of government but then advocate specific expansions of government authority." And as for the gay rights movement, Frank would like a potential book to address the debate over which tactic is more effective: political activism or demonstrations. Frank prefers the former.

Listen to audio of Frank and Oakes' AFTER THE JUMP.

Barney Frank Blames Tea Party For Gridlock

Appearing on CNN's State of the Union today, Rep. Barney Frank blamed ongoing Beltway gridlock on the Tea Party's 2010 rise.

"I do believe that there were elected some people in 2010, tea party influence, who repudiated the notion of compromise, and some of them said it exclusively," said the openly gay lawmaker. "You have to start from a position of principle and then you work together. I think in 2007 and 2008 we showed how can you do that."

Unfortunately, CBS News predicts that we'll see more gridlock as the new Congress gets into action, or rather inaction. And that potential scenario won't be the Tea Party's fault:

When the next Congress cranks up in January, there will be more women, many new faces and fewer tea party-backed House Republicans from the class of 2010.

Overriding those changes, though, is a thinning of centrist veterans in both parties. Among those leaving are some of the Senate's most pragmatic lawmakers, nearly half the House's centrist Blue Dog Democrats and several moderate House Republicans.

That could leave the parties more polarized even as President Barack Obama and congressional leaders talk up the cooperation needed to tackle complex, vexing problems such as curbing deficits, revamping tax laws and culling savings from Medicare and other costly, popular programs.

Frank of course won't have to deal with those headaches. He's retiring at the end of this session.