Garlic Bread, Tom Hardy, Takedown Rules, Kanye West, Golfing While Black, Amazon Key, Ariana Grande: HOT LINKS

Garlic Bread, Tom Hardy, Takedown Rules, Kanye West, Golfing While Black, Amazon Key, Ariana Grande: HOT LINKS
runssm

JEFF SESSIONS. Attorney General won’t recuse himself from Michael Cohen probe: “By staying involved in the Cohen probe, Sessions is entitled to briefings on the status of the investigation, which is being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York. That could put Sessions in the position of being asked by Trump, who strongly condemned the FBI raid on his longtime lawyer, to divulge information about the Cohen investigation.”

BOOZE. New studies on drinking paint risks in starker contrast: “In particular, an impressive new meta-study involving 600,000 participants, published recently in The Lancet, suggests that levels of alcohol previously thought to be relatively harmless are linked with an earlier death. What’s more, drinking small amounts of alcohol may not carry all the long-touted protective effects on the cardiovascular system.”

SAD! Kanye West reveals his love for Donald Trump.

A HIGHER LOYALTY. Fired former FBI Director James Comey sold 600,000 of his books in the first week.

CHRISTOPHER WYLIE. Cambridge Analytica whistleblower meets with Democrats: “Wylie is meeting privately with Judiciary Committee members and staff, as well as staff from the Oversight and Government Reform panel. On Wednesday, he is scheduled to meet behind closed doors with House Intelligence Committee Democrats.”

TAKEDOWN RULES. Facebook reveals 25 pages of takedown rules for hate speech.

PORTSMOUTH, UK. Man says he was drugged and raped by man he met on Grindr.

GOLFING WHILE BLACK. Police called on group of black women golfers for playing two slowly. “The women said they were very familiar with golf etiquette, since they are part of a larger professional group called Sisters in the Fairway, and they were doing nothing wrong.A white co-owner of the club, they explained, came up twice to rush them along and complain about how they were playing. But they picked the wrong women to mess with that day. One of the women, Sandra Thompson, is an attorney and the head of the York chapter of the NAACP.”

FOCUS ON THE FAMILY. Anti-LGBT hate group says it changed its IRS classification to “Church” to protect the identities of donors: ‘Paul Batura, vice president of communications for Focus on the Family, told The Christian Post that the news stories on their reclassification as a church give “sinister and fictitious motives to our application.” Batura explained that the main reason for the reclassification was to protect the identities of donors to the conservative Christian organization.

BEHIND THE SCENES. Of Ariana Grande’s “No Tears Left To Cry” video.

COMET FLYBY OF THE DAY. Rosetta spacecraft flies by Comet 67P. “In August 2014, the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft pulled up to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and studied the gritty, duck-shaped object for 2 years.”



DINNER FROM SPACE OF THE DAY. Garlic bread.

IN-CAR DELIVERY OF THE DAY. Amazon Key will let people in anywhere. Would you feel safe using this?

TRAILER OF THE DAY. Tom Hardy in Venom.

TOO HOT FOR TUESDAY. Runssm.

Instagram Photo

The post Garlic Bread, Tom Hardy, Takedown Rules, Kanye West, Golfing While Black, Amazon Key, Ariana Grande: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad.


Garlic Bread, Tom Hardy, Takedown Rules, Kanye West, Golfing While Black, Amazon Key, Ariana Grande: HOT LINKS

Diversity in the Spotlight on “American Idol”

Diversity in the Spotlight on “American Idol”

Jurnee and Ada Vox have become fan favorites during this season of “American Idol.” While both delivered show-stopping performances this week, neither was voted into the top 10. Instead, Jurnee and Vox,  both LGBTQ people of color, had to be saved by the judges to move on to the next round.

“Never have I ever seen a more qualified woman for the job and still not get the job. What’s the disconnect, America?” said Katy Perry, one of the show’s three judges and a longtime HRC supporter, when Jurnee did not qualify to move on.

On social media, many made clear that they believe the disconnect was due to the contestants’ race, sexual orientation and gender identity.

America needs to get it together. Jurnee and Ada Vox are both way too talented to not have received America’s vote. #americanidol

— Johnny Q. (@JohnnyQuaranto) April 24, 2018

. @katyperry Here’s the disconnect. Jurnee is a woman, she’s black, and she’s a lesbian. In much of America she has three strikes against her. One of the best singers on the show.

— David Hoffman (@atDavidHoffman) April 24, 2018

Millions of viewers tune in each week to watch “American Idol.” More than 10 million watched this year’s season premiere, according to a ratings breakdown released by Variety.

This means that “American Idol” is uniquely positioned to reflect the breadth and diversity of talent within our communities. Both Jurnee, 18, from Littleton, Colorado, and Vox, 24, from San Antonio, Texas, reflect that diversity.

And we thank the judges for acknowledging their incredible talent, and hope voters will, too, as the competition continues.

HRC stands committed to promoting racial diversity within the LGBTQ movement and to fighting bias and discrimination in all forms, including many of the unique challenges facing LGBTQ communities of color.

“American Idol” airs Sundays and Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Join us in rooting for Jurnee and Vox!

Photos via ABC/American Idol

www.hrc.org/blog/diversity-in-the-spotlight-on-american-idol?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

OH SNAP! Lively is Bringing Back the 90s With #Lively90sWeek

OH SNAP! Lively is Bringing Back the 90s With #Lively90sWeek

Put on your flared jeans and brush up on your boy band knowledge because the ’90s are coming to Lively, the fun team trivia app from Zoosk Labs. Starting Tuesday April 24th, Lively players will have the chance to win cool prizes or be on the same trivia team with some totally major ’90s icons

The post OH SNAP! Lively is Bringing Back the 90s With #Lively90sWeek appeared first on Zoosk.

about.zoosk.com/en/blog/announcements-blog/oh-snap-lively-bringing-back-90s-lively90sweek/

Senate confirms anti-LGBTQ lawyer Kyle Duncan to a lifetime judicial appointment

Senate confirms anti-LGBTQ lawyer Kyle Duncan to a lifetime judicial appointment

Kyle Duncan has an extensive record combatting civil rights including being the opposing counsel in Gavin Grimm’s case and working to undermine marriage equality

NEW YORK – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today voiced outrage after the Senate confirmed anti-LGBTQ lawyer Kyle Duncan for a lifetime appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit which covers Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Duncan has a long ideologically-driven record seeking to undermine civil rights including fighting to undermine marriage equality and targeting transgender rights by defending North Carolina’s infamous anti-transgender law HB2 and serving as the opposing counsel in Gavin Grimm’s case.

“The U.S Senate is standing idly by as President Trump fills multiple branches of the U.S. government with people like Kyle Duncan, whose ideologically-driven record displays that he is a direct threat to LGBTQ Americans,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “Voters are watching and will not forgive Senators who allow President Trump to stack the courts with judges united in dismantling civil rights and rolling back our hard-fought progress.”

Throughout his career, Duncan has relied on the unscientific arguments of anti-LGBTQ hate groups in an attempt to undermine transgender rights, trying to delegitimize transgender identity by calling being transgender a “delusion” and advocating for parents not to support trans kids. This hate-mongering language is a strategy the Trump administration has also adopted in their ongoing efforts to ban open transgender military service. 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Kyle Duncan’s Anti-LGBTQ Record

  • Represented the Gloucester County, VA school board in its fight to prevent transgender teen Gavin Grimm from using the bathroom that matches his gender identity; Duncan argues that the matter is “really to let gender identity trump all other considerations of sex and privacy.”
     
  • In a 2016 speech to Heritage Foundation, reportedly bemoaned that “Our federal government is telling us—not merely what it thinks the law is—but what “is a man” and what “is a woman.” Something has gone wrong” (Note: Heritage has since deleted this event from its archives; it was here).
     
  • Wrote an essay arguing that the Supreme Court’s 2015 marriage decision “swept away the value of the democratic process” in states that had put civil rights up to a ballot.
     
  • As a special counsel represented Louisiana in challenges against the state’s discriminatory marriage ban.
     
  • Prior the Supreme Court’s marriage ruling claimed such a ruling would “do incalculable damage to our national civic life.”
     
  • Authored amicus brief arguing against marriage equality.
     
  • Defended North Carolina’s notorious anti-transgender law, HB2.
     
  • Represented a birth mother who wished to deny visitation to a same-sex spouse.
     
  • In making an anti-trans case as a lead counsel in in Carcano v. McCrory, he and his team relied on testimony from anti-trans doctor Quentin Van Meter who insisted that the “ethical and logical” course for trans children is for the “patient and family to rear the child in conformity with natal sex” (pg 211), insisted that “gender identity that does not match natal sex is a mental disorder (pg 215), and advocates for “recovery and a healthy, productive life” for transgender patients referred to him (pg216).

 

###

April 24, 2018

www.glaad.org/blog/senate-confirms-anti-lgbtq-lawyer-kyle-duncan-lifetime-judicial-appointment

Chris Evans Knows His Gay Brother Scott Very Well, and Vice-Versa: WATCH

Chris Evans Knows His Gay Brother Scott Very Well, and Vice-Versa: WATCH
chris evans scott evans

Chris Evans’s gay brother Scott joined him on Late Night with Seth Meyers, and the siblings took a test on how well they know each other, answering questions about each other’s favorite books, Disney movies, and with whom they had their first kisses.

Said Scott after Chris guessed correctly that Scott’s first kiss was with a girl named Emily Benton and Chris’s with a girl named Maggie Sullivan:  “They’re watching. Emily’s like…’I turned him gay.’”

RELATED: Chris Evans and Michael Cera Are Men in Uniform in Kenneth Lonergan’s Superb ‘Lobby Hero’: REVIEW

The game went on to reveal where Scott hid his Monopoly money (down his pants), what Chris told his first grade class that their dad did for a living, and that Chris once split Scott’s head open with a book.

The post Chris Evans Knows His Gay Brother Scott Very Well, and Vice-Versa: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.


Chris Evans Knows His Gay Brother Scott Very Well, and Vice-Versa: WATCH

‘American Idol’ Judges Save Ada Vox in Dramatic Move After Powerhouse Performance of ‘And I Am Telling You’ – WATCH

‘American Idol’ Judges Save Ada Vox in Dramatic Move After Powerhouse Performance of ‘And I Am Telling You’ – WATCH

Drag Queen Ada Vox was sent to the Top 10 on American Idol last night by the judges after viewers did not send Vox enough votes to make her an automatic advance. Vox therefore had to sing for her life.

But a show-stopping performance of “And I Am Telling You” from Dreamgirls had Katy Perry removing her earrings and putting her foot down.

Said Perry: “I don’t know everything. I’ve got a lot to learn. But I have worked my butt off for over 10 years in the spotlight and these gentlemen on my side (pointing to Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan) – all of us collectively together – how many years would that be, maybe 60? Collectively? I think we do know talent when we see it. I would say that we would like to make an executive decision right now that Ada – (points over to where the top 10 are seated).”

And the audience, who had been chanting “a-DA, a-DA” heartily approved of the move.

Watch:

Perry later told reporters: “When the Ada moment came, it wasn’t just one person’s idea. We all looked at each other and we saw the math … excuse us, we’re going to step in now. Were we allowed to do that? We found out we were. We messed up the timetable a bit, but you know what it was, we felt so strongly about it, we didn’t have to wait for that vote. Enough was enough and you put your foot down when it’s real. We stand for truth and for justice.”

Said Ada, in a comment on the YouTube video: “Hey, y’all!!! Firsrly, I wanted to start by saying that I love you all!!!
Secondly, I wanted to make note that I am aware of my much less than perfect vocal. Haha not only did my emotions run wild on me, but before the show, I had an allergic reaction to our lunch which made my tongue and throat swell up almost immediately. So that was fun… Lol
Thank you to everyone who did vote!!! If you want to see me continue on, make sure to vote next week! I promise it will be so much better!”

The post ‘American Idol’ Judges Save Ada Vox in Dramatic Move After Powerhouse Performance of ‘And I Am Telling You’ – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.


‘American Idol’ Judges Save Ada Vox in Dramatic Move After Powerhouse Performance of ‘And I Am Telling You’ – WATCH