What Everyone Said About Madonna's New Songs This Weekend
Madonna’s new music sprung a leak last week, before she’d even had the chance to make an official announcement about her forthcoming album. The singer handled the situation in the most Madonna way possible: She shirked her critics and dropped six songs on our iTunes doorstop early Saturday morning with no precedent. (The Guardian called it a “partial Beyoncé.”)

Within hours, #RebelHeart — the name of her 13th album, now set for release on March 10 — became a trending topic on Twitter and Facebook. Each track became an iTunes best-seller, and as of Monday morning, all six are among the service’s current 20 most-downloaded songs.

Three (“Illuminati,” “Unapologetic Bitch” and “Bitch I’m Madonna,” which marks Madonna’s third collaboration with Nicki Minaj after “Give Me All Your Luvin'” and “I Don’t Give A”) are infused with EDM and dance-groove sensibilities, thanks in part to production work by the likes of Kanye West and Diplo. Jim Farber of the New York Daily News said the trio is “less dignified” than the other three songs. Many have noted that “Living for Love,” the album’s first single, is anthemic in a way that’s reminiscent of “Express Yourself” and “Like a Prayer.” Farber also praised the other two tracks, “Ghosttown” and “Devil Pray,” which are folksy by comparison. “The best of the new songs present the 56-year-old Madonna in a way that’s finely tailored to her essential style,” he wrote.

Billboard’s Keith Caulfield echoed Farber’s ovation in his review of “Living for Love,” also comparing the song to her earlier hits. “When the song weaves its way toward a throbbing drop, Madonna continues crooning, refusing to be relegated to the background,” he wrote.

Therein lies the weekend’s consensus: Madonna has bridged the contemporary dance-pop trends she feverishly chased on 2012’s “MDNA” while evoking the more traditional dance palate for which she is known. (The country-tinged “Devil Pray,” for example, recalls the 2000 hit “Don’t Tell Me.”)

“For a start, that was always her calling card, her ability to be on or just ahead of a musical or fashion style that might have been breaking in the clubs or alternative/underground scenes but had yet to transfer to the mainstream,” Bernard Zuel wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald. “That and a great ear for the right producers and co-writers to help her transfer the trend into marketable music.”

Over on Twitter and Instagram, a score of fans, critics and A-listers joined the chorus, incorporating hashtags that Madonna has used on Instagram throughout much of 2014: #unapologeticbitch, #rebelheart, #livingforlove. On Saturday, Madonna posted a collage of fans who’d re-created her album artwork.

I love my fans creativity!!! Thanks for your support! ❤️#rebelheart ❤️#livingforlove

A photo posted by Madonna (@madonna) on Dec 12, 2014 at 3:14pm PST

Diplo, Pharrell Williams, Diddy, longtime friend and “A League of Their Own” co-star Rosie O’Donnell and “Glee” star Kevin McHale all expressed their support, but it was Ariana Grande who walked away with the splashiest shoutout from the queen of pop.

@Madonna thank u santa

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) December 20, 2014

.@arianagrande You’ve been such a good girl this year I wanted to give you something special ❤️ #RebelHeart

— Madonna (@Madonna) December 21, 2014

Madonna will have a busy few months leading up to the release of “Rebel Heart,” which will contain 19 tracks, according to its current iTunes page. She revealed in a Q&A with Billboard that she will “possibly” perform “Living for Love” with a cabal of other singers at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 8, right around the time she is planning to unveil another set of songs.

Listen to Madonna’s six fresh tracks below:

www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/22/madonna-new-songs_n_6366422.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Florida Could Jail Clerks Who Let Gays Marry

Imagine going to jail for a year because you let a gay couple get married.

That’s the insane situation that Florida clerks will face in the first few days of 2015. It’s happening because the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed marriage to start on January 6th, in accordance with a federal ruling a few months ago. But the law remains on the books, including the bizarrely stuff penalties for any clerk who issues a license to a gay or lesbian couple.

So now, the statewide association for clerks and comptrollers has warned its members that they could face a fine and jail time for allowing marriages to begin. (To be fair: they’re only following their lawyers’ advice. And those lawyers have in the past recommended that the state repeal its marriage ban.)

This is, obviously, completely nuts. Can you imagine the outcry if a SWAT team stormed into a wedding in a clerk’s office to arrest everyone? The outcry would be enormous. And yet, considering that it’s Florida, we wouldn’t rule out something so ludicrous. After all, this is the state that can’t seem to go five minutes without a machete attack, alligator-related crime, or someone getting their face eaten.

So now the big question is: will there be a clerk brave enough to make themselves the test case? And if they do, will some enterprising homophobic Sherriff take it upon himself or herself to raid the wedding? Stay tuned.

matt baume

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/l1slPuJ0Ng8/florida-could-jail-clerks-who-let-gays-marry-20141222

Celebrate the End of 2014 With This Mega Mash-up of 330 Films Released This Year: VIDEO

Kyler Geoffroy

www.towleroad.com/2014/12/celebrate-the-end-of-2014-with-this-mega-mash-up-of-330-films-that-were-released-this-year-video.html

Why Emily Blunt Hopes To Become A Gay Icon
Emily Blunt stole the show in “The Devil Wears Prada” and can currently be seen in the film version of one of the most beloved musicals of all time, so it’s only fitting that the 31-year-old Golden Globe-nominated actress is hoping to go a step further by becoming a full-blown gay icon.

“I know that’s my demographic. That’s been made clear to me by my fans,” the “Into The Woods” star tells The Advocate. “I love it. I think it’s so cool, because one day I hope to be a gay icon.”

Blunt, who recently welcomed her first child, Hazel Krasinski, with husband John Krasinski, went on to defend the rights of same-sex parents.

“I’m shocked and appalled this is still an issue,” she said. “I have friends who are with partners of the same sex. They have children and they are amazing parents. They’re far better than some 16-year-old who gets knocked up by her boyfriend. Why should she get more rights than they do?”

“There’s not enough support out there for [same-sex parents],” she added. “Everybody should have equal rights and everyone has the right to be a parent.”

To read the full Advocate interview with Emily Blunt, head here.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/22/emily-blunt-gay-icon-_n_6364390.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

#GSNspotlights2014: 14 reasons why 2014 will be loved forever

From love letters in the sky to cheeky digs at Putin – this was 2014

read more

danb

www.gaystarnews.com/article/gsnspotlights2014-14-reasons-why-2014-will-be-loved-forever221214

HRC Foundation’s Youth Ambassador: Jeydon Loredo

This fall, Jeydon joined 10 other LGBT and allied youth as an HRC Foundation Youth Ambassador.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/hrc-foundations-youth-ambassador-jeydon-loredo?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed