Marriage Begins in South Carolina

HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/marriage-begins-in-south-carolina?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

7 Iconic Mike Nichols Movie Scenes To Revisit
Oscar-winning director Mike Nichols died Wednesday at the age of 83. The film, television and stage director was responsible for some of the most acclaimed movies released over the last 50 years, including “The Graduate,” “The Birdcage,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and more. To remember the Hollywood icon, here are some of Nichols’ most iconic scenes:

“The Graduate”

The ending of “The Graduate” is something everyone knows, whether they’ve seen the movie or not. Dustin Hoffman’s Benjamin Braddock running to the chapel on foot, banging on the glass and calling out for Elaine (Katharine Ross). The two lovers riding away together in the back of a bus unsure of what the future holds. It’s a sequence that may never leave our cultural consciousness.

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

From start to finish, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is a non-stop adrenaline injection of the powerful dynamic between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. In this scene in particular, Martha (Taylor) begins spouting insults at George (Burton) about his youthful lack of ambition, intentionally fueling his anger until he finally smashes a glass on the mantlepiece.

“The Birdcage”

Picking out just one sequence from the “Birdcage” is a rather unjust act since the film is filled with some of the best moments from Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. There’s Williams’ “Fosse Fosse Fosse” and Lane’s dramatic “I’m hideous,” but the truly unforgettable “Birdcage” scene is when Williams teaches Lane to walk like John Wayne: “Just get off your horse, and head into the saloon.”

“Closer”

Nichols’ 2004 drama about the infidelity and deceit is full of vulgar language and tense dialogue. While Clive Owen and Julia Roberts’ shouting fight is undoubtedly a memorable moment, Natalie Portman’s stripper scene stands out as iconic. As Alice (Portman) teasingly circles Larry (Owen) to the sound of Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up” the sexual tension and sad desperation continues to grow. There’s also the famous line: “Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes of, but it’s better if you do,” which even became the title of a Panic! At the Disco song.

“Silkwood”

Nichols’ 1983 film told the true story of Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep), a nuclear power whistleblower and union activist. In the film, the shower scenes were intense moments as plant workers were subjected to hot, disinfecting showers after possible radiation exposure. After the film came out, however, the term “Silkwood Shower” became a popular comedy trope referenced in everything from “Seinfeld” to “30 Rock.”

“Angels in America”

The entirety of Nichols’ award-winning HBO miniseries is powerful, but it is most heartfelt when Louis (Ben Shenkman) visits Prior (Justin Kirk) during a dream sequence for one last dance together.

“Heartburn”

The confluence of an autobiographical screenplay by Nora Ephron with performances by Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson, under the direction of Mike Nichols, gives “Heartburn” some show-stopping moments. For instance, as Streep gives a quintessential monologue about the realization that her marriage is flawed, she unexpectedly slams a pie in Nicholson’s face.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/20/best-mike-nichols-scenes_n_6191426.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Honoring Lives Lost to Anti-Transgender Violence
The Human Rights Campaign joins in today’s commemoration of Transgender Day of Remembrance.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/honoring-lives-lost-to-anti-transgender-violence?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

PHOTOS: The Boys and Gurls of Hells Kitchen Get Into the Finale of So You Think You Can Drag

Over 400 Hells Kitchen boys and gurls came out for the finale of NYC’s So You Think You Can Drag, hosted by Showbiz Spitfire Paige Turner at New World Stages. Alexis Michelle took home the crown last Thursday after competing with the top five queens: Schwa de Vivre, Holly Box Springs, Maci Sumcox, and Dusty Ray Bottoms for nine solid weeks. Chelsea Piers and Nomi Sas joined Paige Turner and the Spitfires for an opening number that brought down the house, and Sutton Lee Seymour and Honey Davenport, two winners from past seasons, made special appearances throughout the night. Paige Turner pulled out all of the stops with her quintessential rendition of “99 Red Balloons.” Alexis Michelle won a cash prize, a photo shoot with Andrew Werner, and her own show at New World Stages.

Photo credit: JJ Mack

jjkeyes

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/-2C_7uMSsoY/photos-the-boys-and-gurls-of-hells-kitchen-get-into-the-finale-of-so-you-think-you-can-drag-20141120

The Brand New 'Pitch Perfect 2' Trailer Goes for the Side-Splitting Notes: VIDEO

Andy Towle

www.towleroad.com/2014/11/pp2.html

Hating Katherine Heigl Is A Sexist 'State Of Affairs'
Middlebrow is a recap of the week in entertainment, celebrity and television news that provides a comprehensive look at the state of pop culture. From the rock bottom to highfalutin, Middlebrow is your accessible guidebook to the world of entertainment. Sign up to receive it in your inbox here.

With her return to television, Katherine Heigl is re-visiting the sort of redemption tour that we first saw when she appeared on the cover of Entertainment Weekly in March of 2010. Four years later, she’s still quite sorry, this time that Shonda Rhimes (and America) has a “crappy impression” of her. She’s hoping “State Of Affairs” and her turn as a woman named Charleston will set things straight.

“The Reason Why People Still Hate Katherine Heigl Isn’t The Reason You Think,” “Katherine Heigl Suing Duane Reade Is Yet Another Reason People Hate Her,” ”Does Everyone Still Hate Katherine Heigl?” the headlines read, both automatically assuming that we have such “hate” for this woman and wondering why that’s the case. But her alleged diva behavior on set isn’t enough of an explanation. It’s fine to skip “State Of Affairs” because it’s a lazy broadcast version of “Homeland,” but reports of Katherine Heigl being “ungrateful” aren’t good enough reason to not give Charlie a chance.

Difficult talents are about as common to Hollywood as weird crimes are to Florida. The problem for Heigl isn’t that she is allegedly hard to work with. It’s that she’s allegedly hard to work with … and stopped bringing in big box office numbers. “The Big Wedding,” though an ensemble effort, was a relative flop, making less than $22 million in domestic gross. Her last lead role, 2012’s “One For The Money,” made under $27 million. The reported on-set antics of her and her mother Nancy might be a bit easier to stomach if she was still breaking out hits like “27 Dresses” (nearly $77 million in North America) or “The Ugly Truth” ($89 million) or “Knocked-Up” ($149 million). Those three proceeded a series of projects where she seemed to repeat similar characters and plot lines with the ferocity of an industrial era rom-com factory. Hollywood turned on her, and now she’s back on television.

That explains the industry’s issue with her. What’s America’s problem, though? Is the movie-and-television-watching public so concerned about what demands K. Heigl and her mom have for their trailer? It would appear that we, as consumers of celebrity, have a huge issue with perceived personalities of female stars. The hatred for Anne Hathaway stemmed from the feeling that she was the type of person who had been to drama camp and might pronounce it “the-a-ter.” Now, as Kevin Fallon wrote over at The Daily Beast, “the court of public opinion [has] convicted [Heigl] of the celebrity crime of ‘seeming a little bitchy.'”

There is a ton of sexist malarkey embedded in the fact that strong, successful women are criticized for “seeming a little bitchy.” Male actors, male CEOS, male anythings can get away with being “a little bitchy” except for them it’s just “a little assertive.” The phenomenon is a bit more complex than that when it comes to the ladies of Hollywood, though. A public personality is an obligation for female stars, in a way that it isn’t for male ones. Chevy Chase, James Cameron, Isaiah Washington and Christian Bale are all supposedly “difficult.” Where are the think pieces about why people hate them? A man who is hard to work with might be susceptible to falling out of favor with industry executives if he can’t bring in big box office numbers anymore. The celebrity-obsessed public seems largely unbothered by that reality, while the possibility of “bitchiness” is all-consuming for their female counterparts.

So what if Katherine Heigl is hard to work with? An element of this is that part of her clash has come up against Shonda Rhimes, the rightful reigning queen of television. Let’s just assume Rhimes is completely in the right for bringing up Heigl’s name during an interview where she also discussed a “no-assholes policy.” As consumers and audience members, we should be concerned with quality of performance, not whether the actor is fussing over how many lines she’s given backstage. It’s about much more than that, though. We hold women to a completely different standard in Hollywood. It’s impossible for them to be judged solely on their work, because imagined brattiness means infinitely more than talent. Heck, maybe Katherine Heigl is, as a one character calls her on “State Of Affairs,” “one of the most obnoxious creatures, man or woman, roaming the planet.” But the man or woman portion of that sentiment isn’t irrelevant. It makes a huge difference.

Follow Lauren Duca on Twitter: @laurenduca

www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/19/middlebrow-katherine-heig_n_6186944.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

This text convo between a gay 13-year-old and his 'bro' will warm your heart

Fist bump for cuteness

read more

joem

www.gaystarnews.com/article/text-convo-between-gay-13-year-old-and-his-bro-will-warm-your-heart201114

Brooklyn Man Nicknamed “Sally Fingers” Denies Pinning Down And Inappropriately Touching Male Colleague

Plaintiff Michael Sabella leaving the courthouse.

“My name is out there on the street now,” Salvatore Buzzetta lamented after testifying in Brooklyn Federal Court last week. “They call me ‘Sally Fingers!’”

Buzzetta, a married father of three, has been accused by a former male colleague of having “loose hands,” allegations the longshoreman calls “appalling” and “all lies.”

The lawsuit was filed by Michael Sabella, who alleges that, while he was employed at the New York Container Terminal, Buzzetta, who was his supervisor at the time, threw him over a desk, grabbed his crotch, and shoved his finger up his butt. When Sabella filed a complaint with the Waterfront Commission about the alleged attack, he claims he was suspended and ultimately banned from the pier in retaliation.

“I was attacked,” Sabella testified. “[Buzzetta] went to grab my crotch and I pushed his hand away. He threw me over the desk and I couldn’t get out — he was strong.”

His voice cracking, he continued: “He put his finger in my ass. Everybody was looking. If it wasn’t for the old-timer, he said, ‘Let go of that boy.’”

But Buzzetta says he never touched Sabella’s private parts, though he did acknowledge there was some “wrestling with the men” at times in the workplace.

“I played around with the guys,” he testified. “Horsing around.”

Sabella’s lawyer, Matthew Blit, then asked what parts of men’s bodies Buzzetta specifically touched when he was “horsing around.” Buzzetta said it was “only their arms, shoulders, and heads.”

“Mr. Buzzetta, what is your sexual orientation?” lawyer Janine Bauer then asked.

“I like women,” he replied.

As a result of the sexual harassment allegations, Buzzetta says he was mocked so badly by colleagues that it forced him to find a different job on the waterfront.

“The men were just absurd, this thing with this case and all this was too much stress for me,” he said.

Related stories:

NYC Steakhouse To Pay $600K In Male-On-Male Sexual Harassment Suit

This Lesbian’s Boss Thinks She’s Too Ugly To Sexually Harass

What’s Man-on-Man Sexual Harassment Gonna Cost Cheesecake Factory? $345k

Graham Gremore is a columnist and contributor for Queerty and Life of the Law. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/AyAfWGyQpls/brooklyn-man-nicknamed-sally-fingers-denies-pinning-down-and-inappropriately-touching-male-colleague-20141120