Category Archives: MISC

61st Annual Grammy Awards nominate a huge number of LGBTQ artists across all categories

61st Annual Grammy Awards nominate a huge number of LGBTQ artists across all categories

Brandi Carlile

The 61st Annual Grammy Awards are going to look extremely queer this year with a huge number of LGBTQ artists nominated across all of the categories.

“Not only are LGBTQ listeners some of the most engaged fans, but we are also writing, producing, and performing some of music’s biggest and most influential hits across all genres,” said Zeke Stokes, GLAAD’s Vice President of Programs. “This year’s extensive list of LGBTQ Grammy nominees is a reflection of an emerging reality in the industry and it’s long overdue.” 

Out country singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile earned six nominations, making her the most nominated woman at the 2019 Grammys. Carlile’s song The Joke was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best American Roots Performance, and Best American Roots Song. Her album “By The Way, I Forgive You” was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Americana Album.

Lady Gaga A Star is Born

Bisexual singer Lady Gaga received five nominations this year, for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and Best Song Written For Visual Media for Shallow from the soundtrack to the film A Star Is Born. She was also nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance for Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Goin’?)

Janelle Monáe, who came out as pansexual last spring, was nominated for Album of the Year, for her iconic album “Dirty Computer.” Monáe is also nominated for Best Music Video for PYNK.

Janelle Monae

Bebe Rexha was nominated in the Best New Artist category. Last spring, Bebe said that she could “fall in love with a man or a woman.”

Also over the Song of the Year category, Aussie songwriter Sarah Aarons was nominated for co-writing The Middle for Zedd feat. Maren Morris and Grey. Sarah performed her hit track for the first time at GLAAD’s Spirit Day concert this past October. And transgender songwriter Teddy Geiger was also nominated in the Song of the Year category for co-writing In My Blood for Shawn Mendes.

Sarah Aarons

Transgender singer SOPHIE was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album for “Oil Of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides.”

St. Vincent was nominated for Best Rock Song for the song Masseduction and Best Alternative Music Album and Best Recording Package for her album of the same name.

Out musical theater songwriter Benj Pasek was nominated for Best Song Written For Visual Media for This Is Me from the soundtrack to The Greatest Showman. The soundtrack, which Benj helmed along with his songwriting partner Justin Paul, was also nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media.

Meshell Ndegeocello was nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album for “Ventriloquism.” And Linda Perry was nominated in the prestigious Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical category.

In additional ally nomination news, friend of GLAAD Kacey Musgraves was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Country Album for “Golden Hour,” as well as Best Country Solo Performance for her song Butterflies. She was also nominated alongside out country songwriter Shane McAnally for co-writing her track Space Cowboy. Country singer/songwriter Waylon Payne was nominated for Best American Roots Song for co-writing All The Trouble with and for Lee Ann Womack.

Lastly, Dolly Parton will be the Recording Academy’s 2019 MusiCares Person of the Year. 

December 7, 2018

www.glaad.org/blog/61st-annual-grammy-awards-nominate-huge-number-lgbtq-artists-across-all-categories

Trump Picks Former ‘FOX & Friends’ Correspondent Heather Nauert as UN Ambassador

Trump Picks Former ‘FOX & Friends’ Correspondent Heather Nauert as UN Ambassador

Donald Trump picked former FOX & Friends correspondent Heather Nauert as Ambassador to the United Nations, replacing Nikki Haley who resigned last month. Nauert has served as a spokesperson for the State Department since April 2017.

Bloomberg reported: “Nauert, 48, is an unusual choice for the UN role given that she had little experience in government or foreign policy before joining the administration in April 2017 after several years as an anchor and correspondent for Fox News, including on the “Fox and Friends” show watched by Trump. Haley also lacked foreign policy experience when she took the UN posting, but she had twice been elected governor of South Carolina.”

NPR added: “Nauert was camera-ready when she came to the State Department in April 2017, having worked at ABC and Fox. She never traveled with and was not close to her first boss at the department, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. With Mike Pompeo in charge of State, Nauert has been on the road much more. Yet she faced some criticism for a tourist-like Instagram post from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on a trip that was meant to focus on the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. There have been other missteps, including the time when she cited D-Day — the Allied invasion of Normandy against the Nazis — as an example of America’s strong relationship with Germany. She’s been a strong defender of Trump’s at the podium, something he has clearly noticed.”

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Trump Picks Former ‘FOX & Friends’ Correspondent Heather Nauert as UN Ambassador

Kevin Hart Steps Down as Oscar Host After Furor Over Past Homophobic Statements

Kevin Hart Steps Down as Oscar Host After Furor Over Past Homophobic Statements

Kevin Hart has stepped down as host of the Oscars after past homophobic tweets surfaced online.

Tweeted Hart: “I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscar’s….this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past…I’m sorry that I hurt people.. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again.”

I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscar’s….this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.

— Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) December 7, 2018

I’m sorry that I hurt people.. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again.

— Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) December 7, 2018

The controversy began after a gay son ‘comedy’ bit from a 2010 stand-up comedy special resurfaced on Twitter.

In the bit, Hart makes a “joke” about not wanting a gay son, saying, “One of my biggest fears is my son growing up and being gay. That’s a fear. Keep in mind, I’m not homophobic. I have nothing against gay people. Be happy. Do what you want to do. But me, being a heterosexual male, if I can prevent my son from being gay, I will.”

Hart continued, telling the audience he’s worried about “handling his son’s first gay moment correctly,” saying that when your kid has his “first gay moment…you gotta nip it in the bud right then.”

“Hey, stop! That’s gay! Quit it!”, says Hart, to gales of laughter. Hart then goes on to describe seeing another boy “grinding on [his] son’s ass,” telling the audience that he “panicked” and “knocked them both down.”

Another tweet read “Yo if my son comes home & try’s 2 play with my daughters doll house I’m going 2 break it over his head & say n my voice ‘stop that’s gay’.”

Hart posted two Instagram videos on Thursday. The second said that he had received a call from the Academy who told him to apologize or lose the hosting gig. Hart said he would “stand [his] ground” and see what happened.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Stop looking for reasons to be negative…Stop searching for reasons to be angry….I swear I wish you guys could see/feel/understand the mental place that I am in. I am truly happy people….there is nothing that you can do to change that…NOTHING. I work hard on a daily basis to spread positivity to all….with that being said. If u want to search my history or past and anger yourselves with what u find that is fine with me. I’m almost 40 years old and I’m in love with the man that I am becoming. You LIVE and YOU LEARN & YOU GROW & YOU MATURE. I live to Love….Please take your negative energy and put it into something constructive. Please….What’s understood should never have to be said. I LOVE EVERYBODY…..ONCE AGAIN EVERYBODY. If you choose to not believe me then that’s on you….Have a beautiful day

A post shared by Kevin Hart (@kevinhart4real) on

 

View this post on Instagram

 

I know who I am & so do the people closest to me. #LiveLoveLaugh

A post shared by Kevin Hart (@kevinhart4real) on

 

In a Reddit AMA in 2014, Hart was asked, “You find a lot of comedy in male insecurities, including a famous bit where you express fear that your son will be gay. You praised Frank Ocean at the MTV VMAs in 2012 for having the courage to come out, and recently said in an interview that you don’t do jokes any more about gays. What changed your mind on this subject of humor?”

He replied:  “It’s just a sensitive topic and I respect people of all orientations. So, it’s just best left alone.”

He later told Rolling Stone: “It’s about my fear. I’m thinking about what I did as a dad, did I do something wrong, and if I did, what was it? Not that I’m not gonna love my son or think about him any differently. The funny thing within that joke is it’s me getting mad at my son because of my own insecurities — I panicked. It has nothing to do with him, it’s about me. That’s the difference between bringing a joke across that’s well thought-out and saying something just to ruffle feathers. I wouldn’t tell that joke today, because when I said it, the times weren’t as sensitive as they are now. I think we love to make big deals out of things that aren’t necessarily big deals, because we can. These things become public spectacles. So why set yourself up for failure?”

In 2015, Hart said he would never play a gay role  because of his own insecurities, revealing that he turned down a spot in 2008’s Tropic Thunder because the role was for a “flagrant” gay character.

Said Hart: “Not because I have any ill will or disrespect, it’s because I feel like I can’t do that because I don’t think I’m really going to dive into that role 100%. Because of the insecurities about myself trying to play that part. Like, would I think people are going to think while I’m trying to do this is going to stop me from playing that part the way that I’m supposed to. ”

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Kevin Hart Steps Down as Oscar Host After Furor Over Past Homophobic Statements

Living Coral, Lady Gaga, ‘Drag Race All Stars’, Paul McCartney, Jeff Sessions, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ted Malloch: HOT LINKS

Living Coral, Lady Gaga, ‘Drag Race All Stars’, Paul McCartney, Jeff Sessions, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ted Malloch: HOT LINKS

EMERGENCY POWERS. What if Trump decides to declare a National Emergency? “There is a vast set of laws, an entire parallel legal regime, that becomes available to the president when he declares an emergency. Some of these laws and the powers they give the president are perfectly sensible, but some of them are more like the stuff of authoritarian regimes. We’re talking about powers to shut down wire communications, to freeze Americans’ bank accounts, to deploy the military to act as a domestic police force and more. This is some very frightening stuff.”

JEFF SESSIONS. Done with politics? “No. I mean, no,” the 71-year-old former senator said when asked whether he misses the chamber in which he served for two decades. “I could go back and spend time in the woods. I’ve got 10 grandchildren, oldest is 11.”

$100 MILLION. Expensive Friends.

DEAR STRAIGHT PEOPLE. Stop singing the word “faggot” in The Pogues “Fairytale of New York”.

TRUMP 2020. Ditching Mike Pence? ‘On Monday, Trump hosted a 2020 strategy meeting with a group of advisers. Among the topics discussed was whether Mike Pence should remain on the ticket, given the hurricane-force political headwinds Trump will face, as demonstrated by the midterms, a source briefed on the session told me. “They’re beginning to think about whether Mike Pence should be running again,” the source said, adding that the advisers presented Trump with new polling that shows Pence doesn’t expand Trump’s coalition.’

TED MALLOCH. Trump aide’s appearances on RT Russian television are new focus for Mueller. ‘Malloch disclosed that he was questioned about RT to his friend Jerome Corsi, a rightwing author who is himself a target of the investigation. “They thought maybe he was coordinating with Russia – and RT is Russia,” Corsi told the Guardian. Malloch denies any coordination.

INTO. Grindr publication Into apologizes for writer’s ridiculous Ariana Grande “Thank U, Next” takedown: ‘Users tore apart the pseudointellectual analysis, which claimed the music video was guilty of “transmisogyny, heterosexual pride, and blackface” without offering evidence.  One bizarre argument in the essay is that the pop song — which makes playful references to popular films like Mean Girls13 Going on 30, and Bring It On — is guilty of transphobia, allegedly because an appearance by Kris Jenner is an intended insult to her ex-spouse, Caitlyn Jenner.’

PAUL MCCARTNEY. The music legend has been frequenting Alan Cumming’s Club Cumming in NYC’s East Village. “Sir Paul seems to be becoming a regular…He and his friends drank quietly during our party, Haus of Cumming.”

GREECE. Four policemen charged in death of gay activist Zak Kostopoulos to appear in court: “The policemen have all denied the charge, claiming they never beat Kostopoulos and that they were only performing their duty to detain what they were told at the time was a robber wielding a sharp object. Two coroners called in to investigate the circumstances that led to the 33-year-old’s death have ruled that he suffered a fatal heart attack as a result of the brutal beating.”

BALTIMORE. Police investigating transgender woman’s shooting death. 

PANTONE COLOR OF THE YEAR. Living Coral.

JAKE GYLLENHAAL. Brokeback’s Jack Twist joined Instagram to confirm he’s in the new Spider-Man movie.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

I just realized I’m not playing Spider-Man.

A post shared by Jake Gyllenhaal (@jakegyllenhaal) on

ACTOR CHAT OF THE DAY. Lady Gaga and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

DISH SESSION OF THE DAY. RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 4.

THIRSTY THURSDAY. Sold a Telly.

The post Living Coral, Lady Gaga, ‘Drag Race All Stars’, Paul McCartney, Jeff Sessions, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ted Malloch: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.


Living Coral, Lady Gaga, ‘Drag Race All Stars’, Paul McCartney, Jeff Sessions, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ted Malloch: HOT LINKS

GLAAD celebrates a strong year for LGBTQ-inclusive Golden Globe Awards nominations

GLAAD celebrates a strong year for LGBTQ-inclusive Golden Globe Awards nominations

Pray Tell in Pose
FX

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced the nominees for the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Tuesday morning and it was a very good morning for out producer Ryan Murphy. Once again this year, there were several LGBTQ-inclusive nominees amongst this year’s Globes honorees.

Murphy, who received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame the day before this year’s nominations were announced, was honored for his groundbreaking new series Pose, which features five transgender women of color in leading roles. Pose received two nominations; one for BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA and one for BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA, for leading man Billy Porter in the iconic role of Pray Tell.

Darren Criss Gianni Versace

Murphy’s FX limited series The Assassination of Gianni Versace also did extremely well with nominations for BEST TELEVISION LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION, along with nominations for BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION for Darren Criss playing the role of Andrew Cunanan, BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION for Edgar Ramirez playing the titular role, and BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION for Penelope Cruz as Donatella Versace. Also in the limited series category, Amazon Prime’s A Very English Scandal was nominated.

Also on the television side, ally Debra Messing was honored in the BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY category for her role as Grace Adler in NBC’s long-running gay sitcom, Will & Grace.

Recently-announced Golden Globes co-host Sandra Oh was nominated for BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA for her role playing a bisexual spy in Killing Eve.

The Favourite

Over on the film side, queer period piece The Favourite received four nominations, one for BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY and one for each of its leading actresses. Olivia Colman was nominated for BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY for playing Queen Anne, while Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz will face off against each other in the BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE category.

Both Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant were nominated for their roles in the brilliant dark comedy Can You Ever Forgive Me? The former for BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA and the latter for BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE.  

Can you ever forgive me

Mahershala Ali received a nomination for BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE for playing gay piano virtuoso Dr. Don Shirley in Green Book

Lucas Hedges was nominated for BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA for his role as Jared Eamons in the conversion therapy drama Boy Erased. He’ll face off against Rami Malek, who was nominated for playing Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.

There are two LGBTQ-inclusive nominees each this year in the BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA category; Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born. And there are three nominees in BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY; Crazy Rich Asians, The Favourite, and Green Book.

Bisexual singer/songwriter/actress Lady Gaga was double-nominated for A Star Is Born; for BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA and for writing and performing the song “Shallow” from the film’s soundtrack.

Lady Gaga A Star is Born

In fact, there were three LGBTQ nominees in the BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE category. Joining Gaga, are Troye Sivan and  Brett “Leland” McLaughlin for their song “Revelation” from the soundtrack to Boy Erased, as well as Linda Perry, who co-wrote “Girl In The Movies” with Dolly Parton for the Netflix original movie Dumplin’

The HFPA began the day by announcing the creation of a new award this year to honor the biggest names and brightest talents in television. Likened as the equivalent of their annual Cecil B. DeMille Award for the film industry, the award will be for lifetime achievement. The award’s namesake and this year’s inaugural recipient will be announced in the coming days, along with the announcement of this year’s Cecil B. DeMille recipient.

The 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards will take place on Sunday, January 6, 2019, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and will be co-hosted this year by Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg.

December 6, 2018

www.glaad.org/blog/2019-golden-globes-include-strong-amount-lgbtq-inclusive-nominees-film-and-television

Milo Yiannopoulos Dumped by Fundraising Site Patreon After One Day

Milo Yiannopoulos Dumped by Fundraising Site Patreon After One Day

Reportedly $4 million in debt, white supremacist homocon troll Milo Yiannopoulos was kicked off the fundraising site Patreon after one day using the service, because the platform doesn’t allow “association with or [support of] hate groups.”

Hi there, thanks for the tweet. Milo Yiannopoulos was removed from Patreon as we don’t allow association with or supporting hate groups on Patreon. For more info, please see our Community Guidelines. t.co/L7737I1ENi

— Patreon (@Patreon) December 5, 2018

Wrote Yiannopoulos on his Patreon page: “I’ve had a miserable year or two, banned and de-platformed and censored and blacklisted … and now I need your help. I want to get back on my feet and come roaring back in 2019 with the fabulous comedy and insightful, serious commentary that made me famous in the first place…The past two years hasn’t been easy. I am one of the most censored and most lied-about people in the world. Even my fans sometimes believe things about me that aren’t true, because journalists lie more about me than perhaps anyone else in America. They can’t stand the idea of gay man who thinks for himself and says what he thinks.”

According to documents assembled by his former Australian tour promoters and seen by Guardian Australia, Yiannopoulos is more than $2 million in debt.

However, after that figure was reported, Yiannopoulos took to his Facebook page and claimed that the number was too small, writing, “I was shocked to read more lies in the press about me today. They say I owe $2m. I don’t! It’s at least $4m. Do you know how successful you have to be to owe that kind of money?”

The Guardian reported: ‘The documents indicate that as of April 2018, Yiannopoulos owed $1.6m to his own company, $400,000 to the Mercers, $153,215 to his former lawyers, $76,574 to former collaborator and Breitbart writer Allum Bokhari, and $20,000 to the luxury jewellery brand Cartier. As of 2 October, Yiannopoulos owed sums of several thousand dollars to far right writers including Ian Miles Cheong, anti-Islamic ideologue Pamela Geller and science fiction writer Theodore Beale, aka Vox Day, the documents indicate, amongst others. They were published on the website of an Australian far right figure and United Patriots Front member.’

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Milo Yiannopoulos Dumped by Fundraising Site Patreon After One Day