Tuesday, April 10, 2012

N.J. Governor Chris Christie's Just Desserts

Oh, man this is about the funniest accidental layout gaffe I've seen in a millennium. Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, is, of course known for his addiction to food and outrageous girth (to match his outrageous Conservative views). I'm assuming The Huffington Post didn't mean to line up these two perfectly parallel stories... but it turns out to be... genius! *

Santorum Finally Has The Gumption To Quit G.O.P. Prez Race

So long Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich and now, at last the most dangerous of all... Rick Santorum. He believed that birth control was wrong, that working mothers were un-American, that offering Welfare needlessly "makes black people's lives better" (among so many racist quotes) and of course... he is anti-abortion and anti-anything-gay... same-sex marriage, gays in the military, sodomy laws (he's the asswipe who compared homosexuality to "man on dog sex" and said that same-sex marriage was akin to the 9/11 terrorist attacks).

One by one the evangelical conservative fringe G.O.P. Presidential candidate brigade has whittled itself away until we ended up exactly where knew we would before this madness started... with Mitt Romney as the obvious candidate. I have to say: Thank god.

Oh, those months and months of delightfully damning debates—where the entire mandate was based on nothing but who is the most conservative—and thus, the most out of touch with middle America.

Seldom was a word mentioned about the economy, jobs or home foreclosures, simply because none of these candidates had anything else on their plates other than a heaping helping of Jesus and prejudice. I almost feel a little sorry for Mitt Romney for having to break bread with such a nitwit parade.

And now the real game begins: It's time for President Obama to stop trying so hard to please everybody that he stands for nothing. The moment has arrived for him to stand tall and talk like a Liberal... to remove the Republican mindset that it's a dirty word. If Conservative is so proudly employed to mean homophobic and small-minded, the least the Prez can do is show that he is anything but. Bring dignity back to being a Liberal Democrat: Belief in justice for all and equality for everyone. *

Survey Offers Scientific Evidence That Homophobia Is Self-Phobia

A new study published in ScienceDaily adds empirical scientific evidence to the long-held belief that homophobia is more pronounced in individuals with an unacknowledged attraction to the same sex. It also offers evidence that those who grew up with authoritarian parents who forbade such desires tend to also exhibit homophobia.

The study is the first to document the role that both parenting and sexual orientation play in the formation of intense and visceral fear of homosexuals, including discriminatory bias, implicit hostility towards gays and endorsement of anti-gay policies—providing evidence to support the theory that the fear, anxiety and aversion some seemingly heterosexual people hold toward gays and lesbians grows out of their own repressed same-sex desires.

Conducted by a team from the U of Rochester, U of Essex, England and UC Santa Barbara, the research states: "Individuals who identify as straight but in psychological tests show a strong attraction to the same sex may be threatened by gays and lesbians because homosexuals remind them of similar tendencies within themselves," according to lead author Netta Weinstein.

In addition, "In many cases these are people who are at war with themselves and they are turning this internal conflict outward," says author Richard Ryan.

The research also sheds light on high-profile cases in which anti-gay public figures are caught engaging in same-sex sexual acts. The authors cite such examples as Ted Haggard, the evangelical preacher who opposed gay marriage but was exposed in a gay sex scandal in 2006, and Glenn Murphy, Jr., former chairman of the Young Republican National Federation and vocal opponent of gay marriage, accused of sexually assaulting a 22-year-old man in 2007.

That incongruence between implicit and explicit measures of sexual orientation predicted a variety of homophobic behaviors, including self-reported anti-gay attitudes, implicit hostility towards gays, endorsement of anti-gay policies, and discriminatory bias such as the assignment of harsher punishments for homosexuals, the authors conclude.

Boy, I guess that means there are a lot of Republican closeted gays, huh? See more about the study here. And thanks to The Randy Report for the tip. *

Matt Zarley's New Single & Video: 'Trust Me'

One of our consistent fave artists Matt Zarley has released a new single and video for "Trust Me" from his stellar album Change Begins With Me. The music clip features a remix by Cahill (Lady Gaga, Leona Lewis) about a fictional sweater-vest-wearing GOP Presidential candidate who gets caught in a hot tub with his male lover—while his all-knowing wife enjoys the fruits of his political success.

It's certainly not out of the realm of the many homophobic Republicans we've seen over the years who hide their pathetic homo tendencies behind a veil of hatred, right? (And likewise, whose wives turn the other way, because the ride is just too bountiful to resist.)

The storyboard, in a nutshell: When video footage of GOP Prez candidate "Matt Zarley" surfaces showing him at a '70s party making out with a sexy younger man, he miraculously recognizes that coming out from his faux marriage and a life of lies makes him a braver man. In the finale, America embraces his honesty and—eureka—elects its first openly gay president!

The video, directed by Benjamin Pollock and choreographed by Benjamin Allen, is a blast, with its era-ripened facial hair, furry chested men, disco balls, Playboy bunnies and hot tub... not to mention it's sexy as all get out. See it below, or here on YouTube.

"Trust Me," written by Matt, Mark Picchiotti and Joe Hurt, is already scaling the European dance chart, catapulting from No. 30 to No. 7 in two weeks. It was also a standout at the recent White Party in 2002, while Matt is scheduled to perform at numerous Pride festivals this summer and will the closing act of Broadway Bares at Fire Island this June.

“Trust Me,” is the third single from Matt’s CD Change Begins With Me. He was my No. 1 Male Artist for 2011, with three singles in the year-end countdown: No. 9's "WTF," No. 17's "Forgive Me (For Not Forgiving You)" and "Change Begins With Me" at No. 26. Check out mattzarley.com for more. *

William Levy Falls Short During 'DWTS' Rock Week

No, it wasn't William Levy's best performance, by far. For Rock Week on Monday's Dancing With The Stars, Will and partner Cheryl Burke performed a "Jive" dance to Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" (a song Will admitted he had never heard).

Their moves were a little off, for sure. Judges score: 22, placing them toward the bottom of the pack this week... I've not watched the other contestants yet, so have no idea who is likely to be booted Tuesday night... but given the screams of ecstasy every time Willy flashes a smile, I think ABC knows that its ratings are riding solidly on the presence of America's hottest new superstar. I cannot imagine that he's going anywhere anytime soon. *
Here's William with his show trainers. Woof!

Zac Efron Covers May 2012 'Men's Health'

Zac Efron, now 24, covers the May 2012 Men's Health with two covers... It's still hard to believe that our cute boy is all growed up into a handsome (albeit still pretty) young stud.Below is Zac at a hotel room in Australia, where he had an obvious itch for breakfast. *

William Levy Appears In 'Life & Style,' April 9, 2012

William Levy is at last starting to appear in some mainstream entertainment press (still waiting for the Us or People mag cover!). Life & Style ran a full-page mini-feature in its April 9, 2012 issue. *

Monday, April 9, 2012

President Obama At Last Begins To Hint At Equality Stance

Barack Obama's Minnesota campaign made it clear that the President is opposed to a homophobic state ballot initiative that would define marriage as between one man and one woman: "While the President does not weigh in on every single ballot measure in every state, the record is clear that (he) has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same sex couples."

Similarly, Obama's campaign in North Carolina issued a statement in March with the same language in opposition to a constitutional state amendment that would also prevent same-sex unions. Of course, the Prez has yet to actually defend gay marriage, sticking by his tiresome statement that his views continue to "evolve."

Perhaps once Romney wraps the Republican nomination and Obama begins campaigning in earnest, he can reveal his true beliefs and like Lyndon B. Johnson before him—who steamrolled Civil Rights legislation in America—at last force the hand of true justice for all. *

William Levy: You Oughta Be In Pictures | New Lays Commercial!

William Levy Preps 'Jive' For Monday's 'DWTS'

Monday eve's Dancing With The Stars (April 9), tackles Rock Week, as William Levy and partner Cheryl Burke work up their latest fancy footwork with a "Jive" dance. On Twitter over the weekend, Will expressed, "Finally I'm starting to get the hang of this fricking dance!! Man!!! I'm sooo frustrated!!"

This week's dance follows Levy's previous masterful Cha Cha Cha, Quickstep and Salsa performances during DWTS' first three weeks, the latter which earned the pair a score of 28 last week, second only to Welsh opera singer and Barbie doll Katherine Jenkins and her popular partner Mark Ballas.

Jack Wagner & Anna Trebunskaya were eliminated from the competition last Tuesday; while Gavin DeGraw & Karina Smirnoff, and Gladys Knight & Tristan MacManus scored near the bottom among the remaining couples.

Tune in tonight at 8 p.m. for Episode 4... and check out the show's Facebook page here! Don't forget to vote here once the action's over! *

'Titanic In 3D' Sails To No. 3 At Weekend Box Office

For the third consecutive week, The Hunger Games satiated the box office at No. 1, reaping $33.5 million, for a cumulative total of a staggering $302,839,000. The sci-fi thriller reached the $300 million benchmark in just 17 days, making it the sixth fastest movie to reach the milestone.

At No. 2 was the fourth installment of franchise American Reunion, which launched with $21.5 million. And coming in boldly at No. 3 with Titanic In 3D, the second all-time top grossing film—timed to the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking—which added a respectable $17.4 million to its total (beginning in late 1997) of $1.8 billion. (Rounding out the Top 5 flicks were Wrath of the Titans and Mirror Mirror.)

Of course, synonymous with Titanic's success is Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On." Written by Oscar-winning composer James Horner with Will Jennings, the soaring ballad was the world's best-selling single of 1998, it has sold more than 15 million copies since, won four Grammy Awards, an Oscar for Best Original Song and ranks at No. 14 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 greatest movie songs. Indeed, it remains Celine's signature song and one of the finest pop tunes in history.

"As with all phenomena, it's a triangulation of events," says Craig Marks, editor in chief of the music site Popdust.com. "It's the biggest movie that's both for grown-ups but especially for ardent teenagers who see emotions as these big huge things that are uncontrollable. The song matched that feeling. There is no bigger-sounding song, really, than 'My Heart Will Go On.'"

And here, from my pal Gary Trust at Billboard, are some Celine stats: With the movie's re-release, the song rises from 6,000 to 8,000 downloads sold this week.

As for Dion's top-selling songs, here's how they stack up physically/digitally... 1) "Because You Loved Me" 2) "My Heart Will Go On" 3) "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" 4) "The Power of Love" 5) "Beauty and the Beast," with Peabo Bryson. He adds that while "Because" takes overall best-seller honors, "Heart" is easily Dion's most popular download, which reinforces its appeal more than 14 years after its original release, when Titanic first stormed theaters. *