Category Archives: NEWS

Do Early Birds Really Get the Worm or Are Night Owls Built for Success? – VIDEO

Do Early Birds Really Get the Worm or Are Night Owls Built for Success? – VIDEO

Asap

Whether you’ve been up and active for the past few hours or are still trying to sleep and recover from some late night Black Friday shopping, be sure to check out this ASAPScience video on early birds versus night owls.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP

 


Kyler Geoffroy

www.towleroad.com/2014/11/does-the-early-bird.html

PHOTOS: “Queer Youth” Photo Series Captures New Era Of Teen Revolutionaries

PHOTOS: “Queer Youth” Photo Series Captures New Era Of Teen Revolutionaries

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“I was a gay teen myself, and it was sort of a tough time, in the ’80s, to be a gay teen,” photographer M. Sharkey tells Queerty. “I wished things had been different, and that I had had the opportunity to be more open about my sexuality. And I felt like this was an opportunity for me to give voice to some of these kids who were demanding to be heard.”

Queer Kids: Coming Out In America is a documentary photography exhibit by M. Sharkey runs through January 4, 2015 at Stonewall National Museum in Wilton Manors, FL.

Sharkey began shooting the editorial portraits in the early 2000s. He found his subjects through LGBT organizations like GLSEN or high school GSAs, as well as online networks like Myspace.

“As far as I’m aware, we’ve never had ‘queer kids’ in human history,” he explains. “And by ‘queer kids’ I mean a self-identified group of young people that fall outside the normative expressions of sexuality and gender. It is wholly new and because of that I felt — and continue to feel–an immense amount of responsibility to portray this radical — I would even say revolutionary — community in the most honest and thoughtful way possible.”

Sharkey says he hopes audiences walk away with a better basic understanding of queer youth today.

“There is nothing terribly complicated about the project,” he continues. “It is simply a portrait of a group of people that have come to a point in history, in their history, where they insist on being seen and heard for who they are. That’s it. Take it or leave it. Where you once perhaps didn’t have a clue about who these people were or what their lives were like, now hopefully you do.”

Scroll down for a sampling from Queer Kids, and see more of M. Sharkey’s work on his Instagram page and website.

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Mars_2

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Anton

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Published for one-time use only with permission from M. Sharkey. Photographs may not be saved, copied or republished on any other website.

Related stories:

The Beauty And Diversity Of Today’s Queer Youth Captured In Stunning Photojournalism Project

A Deep Dive Into Identities Of Queer Teens

PHOTOS: Long Island Gay Teens Enjoy A Rite Of Passage At A Prom Of Their Own

Graham Gremore

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Imagine If Hedwig And Rocky Balboa Had A Drag Queen Love Child

Imagine If Hedwig And Rocky Balboa Had A Drag Queen Love Child

Writer/director Shaz Bennett’s sassy yet heartfelt 2012 short queer film, Alaska Is A Drag, made a splash on the film festival circuit and is now headed for the feature film treatment with a $50,000 Kickstarter campaign. The deadline is December 12.

Philadelphia-born, Los Angeles-based star Martin L. Washington Jr. plays Leo, a young queer African American who fosters dreams of drag queen stardom under shining glitter balls while toiling away in a humdrum Alaskan fish cannery. His twin sister, Tristen, provides much-needed support — and taught Leo to fight against the local bullies — but it’s a new kid in town, Declan, who may truly help motivate some change in Leo’s life.

According to the filmmakers: “It’s a fish out of water story, like Billy Elliot in reverse or Rocky in Drag. If Hedwig and Rocky had a love child that might best describe Alaska Is A Drag.” Bennett was inspired by her experiences working in an Alaskan fish cannery for a summer, and performing with a 7-foot-tall African American drag queen, and developed the feature version’s script through Naked Angels and the AFI Directing Workshop For Women.

Meanwhile, those with all-region DVD players can see the original – which was featured at Wales’ prestigious Iris Prize festival for LGBT short films — by ordering the UK gay short compilation DVD Boys On Film 11: We Are Animals.

Lawrence Ferber

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/F0Ru9aJ8DOE/imagine-if-hedwig-and-rocky-balboa-had-a-drag-queen-love-child-20141128

The OXD Mirror: Fill Your Plates with New Music From Little Boots, Anna Lunoe and More

The OXD Mirror: Fill Your Plates with New Music From Little Boots, Anna Lunoe and More

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BY OCCUPY THE DISCO / JOSH APPELBAUM

Happy Thanksgiving, Towleroad readers!  Today I am thankful for all the great music that comes across our desk – enjoy this week’s picks.

Little Boots: ‘Heroine’

There’s something undeniably charming about British artist Little Boots. The singer/producer/DJ, born Victoria Hesketh, started her career with electro group Dead Disco in the mid-2000s. After leaving the band, Boots embarked on a solo career that has netted two full length albums, a few EPs, and some noteworthy singles including ‘New In Town’ and ‘Every Night I Say a Prayer.’  She’s never made much fanfare around her image or music, but has consistently churned out innovative and even at times sweet electronic music. Her new EP, Business Pleasure, is out next month, and includes the slick cut ‘Heroine.’

Fill your plate with more new music, AFTER THE JUMP

  • German House producer Lovebirds teamed up with vocalist Holly Backler again for the soulful and funky ‘Give Me a Sign’. You can hear their first collaboration from 2012 here.  
  • As part of her remix EP for this summer’s ‘B.D.D. (Bass Drum Dealer),’  Anna Lunoe included a new single with fellow Aussie wordlife called ‘Midnight.’  It’s a serious dancefloor banger with a sexy spoken-word (sometimes whispered) vocal track. Grab it as a free download.
  • Deetron can always be counted on for a great remix; I’m especially a big fan of the work he’s done for Ben Westbeech. The swiss producer  just premiered his original track ‘Photon,’ a synth-heavy instrumental house track that gives us a robust piano presence in lieu of vocals.
  • Drop Out Orchestra partnered up with Little Boots‘ remixer and past tourmate Ronika for the lush ‘Dream Denial.’ Husky provides a slightly house/disco remix that complements the ethereal feel of Ronika’s voice.
  • Nurvous Records has brought back indie dance duo Kraver for their latest singles, ‘Fires Burning.’  I’m keen on A.N.D.Y.‘s take on this song, which is rife with dramatic pauses, rises and falls.
  • Berlin duo Tender Games put out their sweet and soulful track ‘Tender Games’ this past summer. The downtempo original does a great job of showing off their delicious falsettos, while this new remix from Ben Pearce adds in a tropical(ish) dance beat.

The OXD Mirror is a weekly music column brought to you by the boys of OCCUPY THE DISCO (OXD), a New York City based collective created by three music lovers, Ru Bhatt, Josh Appelbaum, and Tad Haes, who want to share their love for disco, house and dance music with the world.   

OCCUPY THE DISCO (OXD) curates and recommends music events to the gay community in NYC—in an effort to move the focus of the nightlife scene beyond the promoter and venue and to the music itself. OXD’s goal is to educate, entertain, engage and empower the gay audience to reclaim their ability to question and experience the unknown. The OXD Mirror will serve to showcase tunes that are definitely off-the-beaten-path but rightfully deserve the attention of the gay ear.  

Be sure to check out these tracks and more on our Spotify Playlist. For more information on OXD, check out our website and accompanying blog at www.occupythedisco.com, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter: @OccupyTheDisco.


Occupy the Disco

www.towleroad.com/2014/11/the-oxd-mirror-fill-your-plates-with-new-music-from-little-boots-anna-lunoe-and-more-1.html

John Oliver Comments on the Strangest Thanksgiving Tradition: VIDEO

John Oliver Comments on the Strangest Thanksgiving Tradition: VIDEO

Oliver

John Oliver is on hiatus right now but “like a psychotic ex” he’s “still sending you videos from time to time to remind you what you’re missing.”

Oliver took a moment this week to discuss the annual presidential tradition of pardoning the turkey.

Find out why he thinks it’s a bad idea, AFTER THE JUMP


Andy Towle

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