Adam Rippon Turns 30, Celebrates with Emotional Skate to Ben Platt’s ‘River’ — WATCH
Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon turned 30 years old today, and celebrated by taking to the ice for a skate to Ben Platt’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s “River”, from the Netflix show The Politician.
Said Rippon: “Today is my 30th birthday. I couldn’t be more grateful for everything and everyone in my life. Thank you for always sending love and positive energy my way. I hope I’m always able to do the same for you. I wanted to do something fun for myself so I asked one of my old skating choreographers, Cindy Stuart, to put this together with me. She is amazing. And Ben Platt is also amazing (duh) and when I heard him do a cover of this song I knew I had to skate to it. A huge thank you to On Ice Perspectives for putting it all together ”
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’ Gives Us a B*Witching Ode to Girl Groups [RECAP and RANKINGS]
Another week, another enjoyable trip across the pond for RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. At this point, I’m ready to declare myself a Drag Race ex pat.
Entering the half-way point of the competition, I’ve really come to appreciate just how prepared these queens are. Something we’ve seen contestants consistently dinged for is showing up to the workroom unprepared for the season’s standard challenges.
Last week, the entire cast came correct for Snatch Game. Every single queen had a POV, practiced their look and mannerisms and came with at least a few ha-has in their pockets. Of course, some folks will just never be comedians or impressionists, but no one was starting from scratch.
Similarly, it feels like the ladies were locked and loaded for this week’s reading mini-challenge. Granted, I’m not sure I exactly followed everyone’s jokes, but they all seemed like they were having a GREAT time. Even the struggling queens, like Blu, Cheryl and surprise winner Crystal were armed with some weapons-grade shade.
This was a strong week for Blu overall. She even echoed my sentiment about being unfairly robbed of a third-place spot last week. It doesn’t matter, because Blu is clearly more confident now. (She didn’t even hesitate to tell Viv and Baga they didn’t deserve a double win.) She had an ambitious, but ultimately dysfunctional prop gag during the mini-challenge involving a paper bag that she sold through pure charm.
Crystal’s win came with maybe the most powerful mini-challenge prize yet: The ability to pick the teams for this week’s maxi-challenge. That’s a pretty big advantage. She snatches up The Vivienne, a noted singer, and Cheryl, a dancer and, as we’re reminded over and over, a HUGE fan of girl groups.
Cheryl’s knowledge will come in handy as the queens pay homage to the likes of Little Mix, Fifth Harmony, Girls Aloud and others. They’ll be recording verses and lip-syncing the track for the judges.
The edit this week leaves very little to the imagination, and it becomes pretty clear Crystal underestimated Divina, Baga and Blu (collectively calling themselves The Frock Destroyers). The ideas are just pouring out of them, and you can see the creative sparks fly.
Meanwhile, Crystal reveals she can’t really sing nor dance, which is not great news. Vivienne seems annoyed to be stuck with the middling Crystal and Cheryl.
But in rehearsals, it’s Cheryl that shines. She smartly uses her Essex accent to add lots of color to her verse, and she leads the choreo for their performance. Vivienne has a strong vocal, and Crystal, as she warned, can’t seem to really do either.
The other group is clearly coming out ahead. Divina steps out to the forefront, choreographing a killer routine even novice dancers could nail and revealing her secret weapon: she can pull off straight-up Mariah Carey whistle notes.
This is a game changer.
OK, the whistle notes might just be kind of a cool gimmick, but Divina’s choreo skills alone deserve praise. So many experienced dancing queens get overly ambitious with their steps, setting up their two-left-footed friends to fail. Baga and Blu are both pulling their weight, keeping up with the steps and dazzling with their verses (Baga for her vocal talent, and Blu for her always just a little too filthy phrasing).
Before these groups’ debut/farewell performances, the conversation around the makeup mirror turns to growing up gay and bullying. Divina reveals her difficult childhood facing discrimination and violence from her peers. At the time, a law prohibited teachers from “promoting” homosexuality, so many were reticent to even step in. It’s heartbreaking for Divina, and also heartbreaking for so many of us who can relate.
The most emotionally evocative moment comes via a story Divina recounts about working with today’s youth. One of the kids called her a slur, and instead of piling on, the other kids were mad and knew it wasn’t right. It still sort of sounds like a sad story on the surface, but compared to Divina’s growing up, this is progress.
On the mainstage, it’s Crystal’s team (Filth Harmony) up first. Cheryl is clearly in her element, and you can’t be blamed for mistaking her for an actual girl group member. Vivienne just sort of fades into the background, mumbling the lip-sync and phoning in the steps. Crystal is playing the bad girl, but comes off more like the girl you know that’s, like, TOO into wolves?
When the Frock Destroyers take the stage, I can’t help reaching for my wallet to throw my credit cards at the screen in an attempt to buy tickets to see the act live. It’s that good. All three ladies are totally in sync and their personalities come blasting through. It’s a total slam dunk in every way. (It helps that the actual track is one of the best the show has ever made for this kind of challenge.)
The runway theme is horse races, and the ladies have a few interesting interpretations. We’ll pick ’em apart in our rankings below.
As expected, Divina’s team takes top honors, and Ru awards all three a RuPeter badge. Cheryl is spared from her team, leaving Crystal to lip-sync against former frontrunner The Vivienne.
I know Viv would disagree, but thank god she’s down there. Finally, we see a true Drag Race caliber lip-sync! Performing to a track from Little Mix, Vivienne gives us attitude, face, competent dance moves. It’s all fully realized and polished.
Crystal … I don’t know what Crystal is doing. It’s a little character-y, it’s a little comedy, it’s not really fully anything. Vivienne basically mops the floor with her.
Where does that leave the remaining queens? Let’s break it down in our rankings below.
She’s been nipping at the heels of The Vivienne for weeks, but, finally, Baga has surpassed her bosom buddy. She’s never looked better than she did on tonight’s runway. The yellow floral headpiece was just the right touch to elevate the whole ensemble, and she surprised everyone with her singing voice. This is the second week she scored a RuPeter badge that may not have been wholly earned. Could the producers be pushing her to the top?
Watch out, because Divina is on the rise. She was a sleeper the first few weeks, but, now, she has arrived. She was the star among stars in her group, and her jockey-inspired runway was a singular moment. Plus, she’s getting lots of opportunities to show her personality and tell her story. She’s a top-three lock, for sure.
The Vivienne took a spill this week. She’ll be able to bounce back, but she can’t afford to give Baga and DDC opportunities to surge. Maybe her performance brain-fart was a fluke, and this was one of her more disappointing outfits. The lip-sync gives me hope, though.
Another strong showing from Blu. Not only on the runway, but even in confessionals, Blu’s personality is blossoming. She looked great in the performance and in her horse-headed runway. Between her adorable little face and her connection to the struggles in Northern Ireland, I want to see more of her. I think she could surprise us with a “surprise! we’re doing a top FOUR!” moment in the season’s penultimate episode.
Don’t get me wrong, Cheryl was the fourth best performer in the maxi-challenge, but her cumulative run has been pretty mediocre. Her runway was very off-the-track; less day at the races, more day at the dogfights, if that makes sense? I’m glad she got this chance to excel at her dream challenge, but I don’t see her being able to top (or even meet) this moment.
I guess we fully tapped Crystal‘s weirdness last week, and now there’s nothing left. It was all very awkward. I don’t think there was ever a question who needed to be sent home this week. She dropped the ball every step of the way. She’s got some cool, got some edge, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of versatility.
Bullied Teen Wallops Kid Who Was Calling Him ‘Faggot’ in School Classroom and the Internet is Cheering — WATCH
Jordan Steffy, a bullied high school student, after fighting back against a student who he later said had been calling him a “faggot” since the second grade. The fight is said to have taken place at Laporte High School in La Porte, Indiana. Two clips of the altercation have been viewed more than 10 million times.
“Back the f**k up out of my face, now,” said Jordan. “Cause I’m not playing with you.”
“Why you in my face, faggot?” replied the bully.
Don’t f**king play with me. Don’t f**king do it,” said Jordan to the bully.
“Don’t f**king put your hands on me faggot,” the bully replied, approaching Jordan.
“Don’t f**king do it,” said Jordan, taking the first of several walloping swings at his classmate, knocking him off balance. “What’s up. Cause I’m motherf**king done with you. Call me a fag one more f**king time and I’m gonna f**king pop your ass. Wassup? Wassup motherf**ker?”
“Wassup, bitch?” said Jordan, landing several blows on his tormenter.
Replying to Twitter users after the clips went viral, Jordan said, “I honestly was just looking for an apology but he acted like it was no big deal and that has been the word to define me since 2nd grade.”
He also thanked people for showing him support: “I really can’t believe people actually are around to tell me that it was ok to stick up for myself !”
When someone called him a “king,” Jordan replied: “Noooo I can’t be found any better than any person just because I stuck up for myself I want other kids who are going through the same thing day in to day out from friends ,classmates ,random people to stick up for themselves and to better them for them and to have confidence !!”
Another Twitter user told him to take up karate or MMA, to which Jordan replied: “I don’t fight really so it would be pointless I wanted him and others to know I was done with the constant hating comments that were made towards me constantly.”
Jordan said both he and his bully were suspended, but he was suspended for longer because of the fighting. He added, “I am taking it as a lesson to not be anyone’s doormat and to leave your shoes at the door.”
He also said his mom was pulling him out of school: “My mom is pulling me into homeschool just because she doesn’t agree with how it was handled.”
To a mom who told him he did good, Jordan replied, that his mom told him the same thing: “She told me that she does not condone fighting but this is something she told me it was ok to use to stick up for me and many people who are who they choose to be.”
While some social media users are telling Jordan he should have gotten physical, the majority are cheering him on for standing up for himself. Others are scolding the teacher and school for not intervening in the situation.
How Pete Buttigieg is Reviving the Pragmatic, Progressive Ideals of the Social Gospel Movement
Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign has attracted new attention since his aggressive performance in October’s Democratic primary debate.
One late October poll of Iowa Democratic caucus-goers, the first voters to weigh in on the party’s 2020 nominee, showed the South Bend, Indiana, mayor in third place. He trailed front-runners Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren but had surpassed Bernie Sanders. Other polls have shown a similar rise in support for Buttigieg.
Several factors explain the growing interest in Buttigieg, a former naval intelligence officer who is the first openly gay presidential candidate.
At age 37, he is considerably younger than his leading rivals. Buttigieg appeals to the many Iowa voters who are seeking, in the words of pollster Ann Selzer, a “new generation of leadership.” He has also drawn the support of many centrist Democrats, especially with his criticism of Warren’s Medicare for All plan to provide government-paid health care for all Americans.
As a historian of religion, I believe that Buttigieg’s popularity also stems from another source: his linking of faith to his political positions. In interviews, Buttigieg has said that “Christian faith” can lead one “in a progressive direction.” He has also said that Christianity teaches “skepticism of the wealthy and the powerful and the established.”
With these arguments, Buttigieg has tapped into a tradition of religious liberalism that once flourished in the American Midwest.
Focus on improving the world
Much of my scholarship examines the vibrant period for religious liberalism of the early 1900s. In this era, Midwestern states were at the center of a movement – the Social Gospel movement – that linked Christianity with progressive politics.
The movement gained wide popularity in American Protestantism at the beginning of the 20th century. Its proponents proclaimed the need to improve the world rather than focusing on being saved in the next life – a common message espoused in most U.S. churches.
One exemplar of the Midwestern roots of the Social Gospel was the Methodist clergyman Francis J. McConnell, who became known as an advocate for progressive policies.
McConnell grew up in a small town in Ohio before attending Ohio Wesleyan University. From 1909 to 1912, he served as president of DePauw University in central Indiana.
While there, McConnell published a book arguing, as Buttigieg does today, that faith should inspire social action. He wrote that “moral impulse calls for the betterment of all the conditions of human living.”
In this way, McConnell “participated in the promotion of an evolving welfare state,” according to historian Susan Curtis.
Other prominent Social Gospel proponents lived and worked across the American Midwest at the time. From his Columbus, Ohio, church, pastor Washington Gladden became famous for urging greater protection for workers and the poor. Farther west, in Kansas, the Congregationalist minister Charles Sheldon urged Christians in his 1896 book, “In His Steps,” to improve the lives of those around them.
Challenge to big business
At the time, small cities and towns in the Midwest were the heartland of the Social Gospel.
Leaders of the movement sought to apply Christian principles to daily life. They focused particularly on economic issues, and advocated for better conditions for workers and greater government oversight of business.
The movement emerged in response to the development of massive national corporations in the U.S. in the late 19th century. These companies consolidated wealth and power in large cities, often quite distant from Midwestern communities.
Demands for a social safety net for workers were rising in places like Columbus and Indianapolis as much as in larger metropolises like New York or Philadelphia.
These leaders urged the creation of a social safety net to provide a living wage for all workers. They also advocated increased government oversight of corporations, which they believed had grown too large. At a time when many churches supported big business, this was a controversial position.
Lecturing back in his home state of Ohio in 1912, McConnell likened modern “corporate kings” to the absolute monarchs of previous centuries. Corporate titans exerted great power at a distance and could inflict harm.
McConnell believed organized Christianity could inspire people to challenge big business. “Corporations thrive best morally when they enjoy the full light of publicity,” he wrote.
Not radical, but pragmatic
While some Social Gospel movement leaders on the East Coast openly advocated socialism, their Midwestern counterparts tended to be more restrained in their proposals. The Social Gospel in the Midwest had a pragmatic nature.
People like McConnell objected to socialist proposals such as government ownership of industry, suggesting that such solutions were impractical. Noting that Americans are “on the whole conservative,” McConnell saw little hope for those who desired “any radically changed social system.” A better solution, in his view, was an improved social safety net and efforts to reform the excesses of capitalism.
Pete Buttigieg’s emphasis on policies that appeal to centrists rather than liberal positions reflects this pragmatic tradition.
He has echoed previous generations of religious liberals in that his Christian beliefs make him skeptical of concentrated corporate wealth. But his advocacy of a gradual approach to issues like expanding medicare and breaking up major technology firms places him firmly in the midwestern tradition of the Social Gospel.
Buttigieg Plan Promises Free College Tuition for Americans Earning Under $100K
Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg unveiled an economic plan on Friday that promises free tuition at four-year public colleges for Americans earning under $100,000.
We need an economy that delivers more. As president, I won’t just measure success by looking at the size of the stock market or GDP—I’ll look to you. Today, I’m announcing a plan to raise incomes, lower costs, and build a brighter future for all Americans. t.co/yEHC43el71
The Washington Post reports: “The move is part of a package of new economic policies aimed at boosting the fortunes of middle- and working-class Americans and positioning Buttigieg as a clear alternative to more liberal candidates. While Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have proposed making college free for everyone, Buttigieg is taking a more targeted approach of giving free tuition only to families he considers middle-class and lower. His new policy calls for reduced tuition at public universities for families earning $100,000 to $150,000 and no tuition for those below that threshold. … Buttigieg also proposes expanding Pell Grants to help low-income students pay for housing and fees and investing $50 billion in historically black colleges.”
Actor Brian J. Smith, best known for playing Will Gorski in the Netflix series Sense8, has come out as gay. Smith, who also stars in the USA Network’s Treadstone and BBC One’s World On Fire, grew up in rural Texas and told Attitude magazine, “I could never be who I was. I was constantly having to check myself and make sure I wasn’t looking at someone too long or making someone feel uncomfortable.”
Said Smith: “At school I really couldn’t fit in anywhere. I wasn’t a jock or a nerd. Forget about any LGBTQ union or groups. There was absolutely nothing. I was completely alone. I heard all the names: pussy, faggot. … I had to be very, very careful about telling people the truth about myself. It still reverberates. A lot of my work is about that. The things that move me as an actor are those echoes that come up.”
Smith, 38, says he came out to his family eight years ago: “When I came out to my parents they were wonderful. They said they were just waiting for me to say something. They were a lot more advanced than I gave them credit for. I think that’s when I became OK with it, too. Just in terms of being, ‘Oh that’s the world, it’s not as dangerous as I thought it was’.”
Said Smith on Instagram Thursday: “I knew it was time. Hoping there’s other people out there like me (and not like me!) who can relate. Nothin but love! Now let’s go party.”
Cook Islands, Charles Blow, Whitney Houston, Malaysia, Matthew McConaughey, Coldplay, The Queen: HOT LINKS
CHARLES BLOW.Stop blaming black homophobia for Pete Buttigieg’s problems: “Reducing Pete Buttigieg’s struggle to attract black support solely to black homophobia is not only erroneous, it is a disgusting, racist trope, secretly nursed and insidiously whispered by white liberals with contempt for the very black people they court and need.”
MALAYSIA. Five men sentenced to jail, caning, and fines for attempting gay sex: “The Selangor Shariah High Court, on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital, sentenced four men to six months’ jail, six strokes of the cane, and a 4,800 ringgit ($1,163) fine for “attempting intercourse against the order of nature”, the Malay-language daily Harian Metro reported. A fifth man was sentenced to seven months’ jail, six strokes of the cane and a 4,900 ringgit fine for the same offence.”
IMPEACHMENT TRIAL. Lawmakers negotiating deal: “Without a deal, the debate over the rules for the impeachment trial could quickly devolve into partisan fighting, according to the lawmakers, with Republicans only needing a simple majority to force through a resolution setting up the process for the trial.”
COOK ISLANDS. South Pacific island nation says it will retain ban on gay sex: “The self-governing nation of 15 islands with a largely Christian population of about 17,000 people has been debating whether to scrap a law which, despite never having been enforced, would impose a sentence of up to seven years.”
TWITTER. Former employees charged with spying for Saudi Arabia: “The Justice Department has charged two former Twitter employees with spying for Saudi Arabia by accessing the company’s information on dissidents who use the platform, marking the first time federal prosecutors have publicly accused the kingdom of running agents in the United States.”
Chris Evans, Paul Rudd, and a Bunch of Lesbians Join Billy Eichner to Accost Unwitting New Yorkers: WATCH
Captain America Chris Evans joined Billy Eichner for a new edition of Billy on the Street (now on Netflix) to celebrate the show’s 15th anniversary, and pretty person Paul Rudd showed up to put Evans in his place.
Said Gascoigne: “I’m bisexual; I date men and women. I’m open about that. I haven’t had a lot of relationships, though. I’ve only dated three people. I haven’t told my dad, but I don’t think he will mind….he is proud of me whatever I do and whatever decisions I make.”
Gascoigne appeared on the BBC1 show The Greatest Dancer and “sang with Demi Lovato and Urban Voices Collective at the Europe Music Awards and on ITV’s The Real Full Monty: Ladies’ Night” according to The Mirror.
‘EastSiders’ is Back for a Fourth and Final Season with Some Great New Cast Members Including Daniel Newman, Hailee Sahar, Bryan Batt and More
Kit Williamson’s Emmy-nominated series EastSiders is headed back to Netflix on December 1 for a fourth and final season.
Deadline reports: “New cast additions in Season 4 include Jake Choi (Single Parents) playing Thom’s editor Clifford, who makes him question the trajectory of his relationship; Hailee Sahar (Pose) and Tom Lenk (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as Derrick’s co-workers and confidantes at the hospital; Daniel Newman (The Walking Dead) guest starring as a playboy with a heart of gold; Lin Shaye (Insidious) as Quincy’s conservative mother, who he fears will judge Douglas for performing in drag; and Bryan Batt (Mad Men) making an appearance as Cal’s estranged father Richard, whose sudden return challenges Cal’s relationship with his mother Valerie, played by Traci Lords (Crybaby, Swedish Dicks).”
Also returning are Williamson and Van Hansis, Willam Belli and Stephen Guarino, Brianna Brown and John Halbach and Matthew McKelligon and Leith M. Burke.
