Attempting to cling to relevance for his probable upcoming presidential run, former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee called into question the Obamas’ parental judgment in an interview with People that was published last week, highlighting the (false) dichotomy of Barack and Michelle’s encouragement of both broccoli and Beyoncé in their daughters’ lives. In his book he called the singer “obnoxious and toxic mental poison in the form of song lyrics”, and yesterday in an interview with ABC’s Martha Raddatz he doubled-down by claiming the pop diva’s lyrics are “unwholesome” to put in one’s brain.

Alyssa Rosenberg at The Washington Post has a rundown of some of Beyonce’s songs that utterly eviscerate Huckabee’s talking points about the lack of “wholesomeness” of Beyoncé and the mistake that the Obamas have made by allowing Sasha and Malia to listen to her tracks. 

You can watch Huckabee speak for himself AFTER THE JUMP…

Morgan Reynolds, the man who mended his broken heart by singing Barbra Streisand all over the world last year, is back with a slowed down mash up of Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” and NoDoubt’s classic “Just a Girl” that might just melt your heart.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP…

Closing out his four day trip to the Philippines with an outdoor homily in Manila earlier today, Pope Francis railed against “insidious attacks” against the family in a thinly veiled reference to gay rights, the AP reports:

Pope Francis denounced Monday what he calls the “ideological colonization” of families and the developing world, where he says progressive, Western ideas about birth control and gay rights are increasingly being imposed by groups, institutions or individual nations — often as a condition for development aid.

Francis said Catholics don’t have to “be like rabbits” and have more children than is safe or responsible. He said there are plenty of church-approved ways to regulate births. But he said most importantly, no outside institution should impose its views on families. […]

During the Vatican’s recent meeting on the family, African bishops denounced how aid groups and lending institutions often condition their assistance on a country’s compliance with their ideals: allowing health care workers to distribute condoms, or withdrawing assistance if legislation discriminating against gays is passed.

“When imposed conditions come from imperial colonizers, they search to make people lose their own identity and make a sameness,” he said. “This is ideological colonization.”

Earlier in his trip, Pope Francis had warned gay marriage threatened to make the family “disposable.”

A record 6 million people were believed to have gathered on the streets of Manila to hear the pope’s speech today. Watch footage of the cheering crowd, AFTER THE JUMP…

Colin Farrell is to appear on Irish state broadcaster RTE this evening to discuss the issue of same-sex marriage, reports The Journal.

Farrell’s brother Eamon (above left) married his partner Stephen Mannion in Canada.

In a pre-recorded section to be aired tonight on Claire Byrne Live, the actor – who has long been a supporter of gay rights and same-sex marriage – says:

“I remember [my brother] coming home with blood on his shirt, and he got plenty of beatings and he got just called names continuously…so he had a very, very, very tough time, a lot of cruelty, like real, absolute shameful cruelty that was placed upon him.

“To see [Eamon and Stephen] every day live their lives as a happily married couple is an amazing thing.

“To think that they had to leave their own country to do that is sad and disappointing and just grossly unfair I feel.

“It’s too easy for heterosexuals to be parents, if you want the truth. It’s too easy. There are too many of us who find it too easy to have a kid.

“Too many parents around the world don’t parent their kids, because it was a five minute thing…and there it is. We’re talking about Irish society being the best version in any referendum, divorce, same sex marriage, being the best version of ourselves that we can be.

“I carry Ireland with me everywhere I go, and I love my country deeply.

“This is my coming out of the closet as it were publicly and saying that I support this vote with every fibre of my being.”

The decision by Irish health minister Leo Varadkar to come out yesterday has been regarded by many as a boon to the “yes” campaign in a referendum this May on same-sex marriage.