What To Watch This Week on TV: 'Murder' Returns, Ellen Debuts 'Design Challenge'

Bobby Hankinson

www.towleroad.com/2015/01/-what-to-watch-this-week-on-tv-murder-returns-ellen-debuts-design-challenge.html

Ben Carson: Gays Might Find Poison in Wedding Cakes

Same-sex couples should think twice about ordering cakes from bakeries that don’t want to serve them, says the potential presidential candidate.

read more

Trudy Ring

www.advocate.com/politics/politicians/2015/01/26/ben-carson-gays-might-find-poison-wedding-cakes

7 Snow Day Charts To Help You Weather The Storm
Snowpocalypse, Snowmageddon, whatever hyperbolic name you’re calling it, it’s here.

The Northeast is facing a snowstorm of epic proportions so we’re getting prepared the only way we know how: making sarcastic charts about our impending doom. Don’t you worry, though. As long as you’ve got shelter, food, water and Netflix, you’re probably going to be okay.

So for those of you who find yourself out of work, out of school or out of shows to stream during the storm, scroll down for 7 charts that will help you put #Snowmageddon2015 into perspective.

Images by Andy McDonald

www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/26/funny-snow-day-charts_n_6549364.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Egyptian Appellate Court Upholds Acquittal of 26 Egyptian Men

Today, an Egyptian court of appeals upheld the acquittal of 26 Egyptian men in a widely watched case.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/egyptian-appellate-court-upholds-acquittal-of-26-egyptian-men?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Sam Smith Forced To List Tom Petty As “Stay With Me” Co-Writer, Dish Out Royalty Checks

There are famous, woefully obvious cases of musical plagiarism. Vanilla Ice’s unauthorized sampling of Queen and David Bowie’s Under Pressure in his much more forgettable Ice, Ice Baby comes to mind first.

That’s the clearcut, shaking my head sort of copyright infringement. But the waters get much murkier in terms of who owns what in a musical canon that isn’t getting any smaller. There are only twelve notes in the Western scale, and only so many ways to arrange them.

Which brings us to the bit of news that Tom Petty has been awarded a percentage of songwriting royalties and a writer’s credit on Sam Smith‘s 2014 breakout hit “Stay With Me.”

Huh? You might ask.

Well unbeknownst to us, when the track was released in April of last year, many well-tuned listeners thought the chorus bared a striking resemblance to Petty’s “Won’t Back Down.”

Petty’s lawyers agreed, and reached an agreement with camp Smith for a whopping 12.5% of royalties. They settled back in October, but the details have only just emerged.

In addition, Pettey and singer-composer Jeff Lynne (of ELO fame) have been given songwriting credits, as shown here on the song’s credit on ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers):

Consequence of Sound quotes one source close to the case saying:

“When Sam’s track was originally released, it was clear to a lot of musicians that there were notable similarities between the tracks,” referring specifically to melodies of the respective choruses. “After it was pointed out to Sam’s camp, they didn’t try to fight it and amicably dished out royalties. It wasn’t a deliberate thing, musicians are just inspired by other artists and Sam and his team were quick to hold up their hand when it was officially flagged.”

A rep for Smith added:

“Not previously familiar with the 1989 Petty/Lynne song, the writers of ‘Stay With Me’ listened to ‘I Won’t Back Down’ and acknowledged the similarity. Although the likeness was a complete coincidence, all involved came to an immediate and amicable agreement in which Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne are now credited as co-writers of ‘Stay With Me’ along with Sam Smith, James Napier and William Phillips.”

“Stay With Me” was one of the most successful singles of 2014, selling around 4 million copies. It’s also up for Best Pop Performance and Record of the Year at the 2015 Grammy Awards.
Here are the two choruses played over one another. What do you think? 

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/uFAlnIwQFYc/sam-smith-forced-to-list-tom-petty-as-stay-with-me-co-writer-dish-out-royalty-checks-20150126

Alabama's First Openly Gay Lawmaker Threatens to 'Out' Anti-gay Colleagues Having Extramarital Affairs

Kyler Geoffroy

www.towleroad.com/2015/01/alabamas-first-openly-gay-lawmaker-threatens-to-out-anti-gay-colleagues-having-extramarital-affairs.html

WATCH: Bobby Jindal Wants a Federal Marriage Amendment Too

The Louisiana governor and possible 2016 GOP presidential hopeful says if the Supreme Court strikes down his state’s marriage ban, he’s all for amending the U.S. Constitution.

read more

Sunnivie Brydum

www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2015/01/26/watch-bobby-jindal-wants-federal-marriage-amendment-too

Matt Palmer, LGBT Musician, Releases 'Break-Up'
This one is going to get stuck in your head for sure.

Matt Palmer is a pop/R&B musician whose EP “Stranger Than Fiction” served as his debut as an openly gay artist. The first track off of the EP, “Break-Up,” has just been released with it’s own video — and we love it!

The Huffington Post chatted with Palmer this week about “Break-Up” and his vision for the video.

The Huffington Post: What is your concept for “Break-Up”?
Matt Palmer: The concept was created by me and the director Ryan Bartley. The verses show my character’s actual reaction to getting broken up with in a public place while the choruses are essentially how he sees these memories. He’d like to think he stayed calm, cool and collected while his world crumbled around him but clearly — that’s not what happened!

Who is Matt Palmer as an artist?
I think of myself as a singer-songwriter at my core. While I love a polished, well-produced pop track more than anybody, all of my favorite songs can be played with just a piano and vocals and still hold up! I grew up listening to artists like Babyface, Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson, so I always try to write songs that really have emotional resonance like all of their work.

Many argue that R&B as a genre has historically been rooted in homophobia. How do you aim to combat it through your work?
I don’t know that I’d say R&B is rooted in that history, but I’m sure many R&B fans have listened to artists with homophobic or misogynistic points of view on their records. I think I combat that by writing autobiographical songs that people outside of my specific demographic can relate to. If someone with no experience with gay people likes my music and can relate to the lyrics, maybe they’ll see that we’re not all that different.

What does the future hold for Matt Palmer?
This year I want to do everything I can to get people to hear “Stranger Than Fiction”! I’m so proud of this collection of songs, and I am going to do my best to get people listening. I hope to play more live shows and start writing songs to pitch to other artists later this year.

Want to see more from Matt Palmer? Head here.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/26/matt-palmer-break-up_n_6549042.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Houstonians Closely Watch Upcoming Trial, Ready for HERO to Take Effect

Today, jury selection begins in the trial over petitions to repeal the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO).
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/houstonians-closely-watch-upcoming-trial-ready-for-hero-to-take-effect?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Police Rush To Richard Simmons’ Mansion After Concerned Friend Fears The Worst

Two LAPD officers showed up to Richard Simmons’ Hollywood Hills home Friday evening after a concerned friend contacted them fearing the Sweatin’ to the Oldies star was in trouble, TMZ reports.

The friend was worried because Simmons hasn’t been seen in almost a year. Afraid the fitness guru was being abused, he emailed the L.A. County D.A.’s Elder Abuse Unit. When officers showed up for a welfare check, Simmons answered the door. He was sporting a long tangly beard.

Police say the 66-year-old was very gracious and appeared to be in good health as he welcomed them into his mansion.

According to TMZ, Simmons went MIA about a year ago, shortly after appearing in this amazing online ad for Bumble Bee tuna. He cut himself off from his friends, stopped going into his Beverly Hills fitness studio, and hasn’t made any public appearances. Friends say this sort of behavior is not like him, and that there is no way Simmons would voluntarily shut himself off like this. They believe something sinister must be going on.

His manager, however, says Simmons is depressed over a knee injury and that’s why he hasn’t left the house.

Simmons told officers Friday that he was “exhausted” after living the past 30 years in the public eye. “I just want to spend time with myself,” he said. Then he added that he keeps in regular touch with the people who matter most to him.

And as for his fitness studio, “I’ve got people who run things. I don’t need to be there,” he said.

Police say Simmons was walking with a slight limp, which is “consistent with a knee injury.”

Here’s hoping he’s able to pull himself out of this funk.

Get well soon, Richard!

Related stories:

WATCH: Richard Simmons Has Never Been This Excited About Tuna Before

16 Reasons Richard Simmons Is (Still) Winning The Internet

Richard Simmons’ Daytime Drag: Which Look Is Best?

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/nHdN6zYcJnk/police-rush-to-richard-simmons-mansion-after-concerned-friend-fears-the-worst-20150126