DJ Earworm - United State of Pop 2010

KETK Poll Fail

Yesterday, KETK, an NBC station out of Tyler, TX, conducted a day long poll asking viewers, "Will acceptance of gays be the downfall of America?"  They received hundreds of calls, mostly in favor of god fearing Christians.  Here is a clip from last night's newscast.  It's funny to see how uneducated these people are.  Even the people calling in to support us, saying that some guys are born with female brains....it's scientific fact.  It's just sad.



GLAAD has worked with the station in the last 24 hours.  They have since issued an apology for posing such an insensitive question.  The station manager is planning on going on air soon to denounce the piece.

The damage has already been done.

I'm Sick

The three of us have been out of commission since Saturday afternoon.  It started as a nasty chest cold.  Now, I'm starting to get flu symptoms.  I feel like I've been beat with a tire iron.  At the moment, it's all I can do to put a rational sentence  together, let alone a series of posts.  There have been a number of very important stories that have come across the wire in the last couple of days that I've wanted to talk about, so I'll do my best to post when I can.  Keep checking back regularly.  Thanks.

Wordless Wednesdays

Lebron's New Nike Ad

Lately, between Tiger and Lebron James, it seems like Nike makes more ads to rebuild reputations than they do to sell shoes.  This latest spot is a powerful one.  It's honest, funny at times, and well thought out.  Take a look.

CDC Confirms Man Contracted HIV Through Blood Transfusion

The CDC has recently confirmed that a Colorado man that was undergoing a kidney transplant contracted HIV from a blood transfusion.  The donor, a bisexual male, lied about his sexual history and was in the early stages of infection.  He was not aware that he was HIV positive.



There has been a nationwide ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men since the early '80s.  Earlier this year, the FDA decided to uphold the ban.  With this news coming from the CDC, it will likely be decades before the ban is lifted.

Three Gay Men Attacked Outside Denver 7-11

Over the weekend, three gay men were attacked while standing outside a Denver area 7-11.  One suffered a concussion, while another has a broken jaw in two places.  Police are looking at surveillance footage to determine suspect information at this time.

This story hits close to home for me.  I used to stop at this same 7-11 every morning on my way to work, when I lived in Denver.  It's one of the closest convenience stores to Capitol Hill, Denver's gay neighborhood, and is one of the few convenience stores between Capitol Hill and Interstate 25.  This store gets a ton of gay traffic, or at least, it used to.  For early morning commuters, this was one of the few stops for coffee and a donut.

This happened in a part of town where gay people felt safe.  It was close to home for a lot of them.  It was walking distance to the clubs.  Now what?  I'm saddened and disgusted.  Here is Denver's local 9News' coverage of the beating:

Mash Up Monday - Stayin' Alive In The Wall

This week's mash up is brought to you by Wax Audio.  The only word that comes to mind when listening to this is "seamless".

I Came Out To My Mother Yesterday

Yesterday, my mother sent me an email, asking me if I could send her my address so she could send my daughter something.  For some reason, she doesn't understand that if ties are severed between her and I, they're severed for my family as well.  She seems to think that she'll be able to have a perfectly normal relationship with her granddaughter even if she's no longer talking to her son.  I don't understand how her mind works.

In the response to her email, I told her that, considering the bang up job she did parenting me, I wanted her nowhere near my daughter.  I also decided to get a number of things off of my chest.  I told her for the first time about my PTSD, and that it was caused by years of child abuse that I had endured.  Finally, I told her about my bisexuality.

Lastly, I'm bisexual.  I've known this since I was about 11 years old.  Growing up was pure hell in that house.  I had absolutely no one I could talk to.  I had no friends.  I couldn't even talk to my own mother.  Everyday I was getting my ass kicked, being called a fatass and a faggot.  I contemplated suicide on a daily basis for most of my teenage years.  And I knew that if I opened up about what I was going through, I would be bullied by my family too.  Growing up, I wanted to come to you and tell you about the crushes I had on just as many boys as I did girls.  It wasn't just Anne and Ambre.  You have no idea how alone I was, but I knew what the consequences were if I told you.

I'm not expecting a response.  I don't want to ever speak to her again.

Ooh, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme

I know what I want for Christmas:



Four and a half hours of music videos on 3 DVDs and a hardcover book.  The DVDs include all 35 music videos filmed during Jackson's solo career, and they're the full "mini movie" videos.  From what I can tell, it's going to retail for about $39.99.  It comes out November 22.

Adam Lambert - It Gets Better

I Love You Phillip Morris (Video NSFW)

This movie is finally getting released.  It had a hard time finding a U.S. distributor due to its explicit gay sexual content.  The comedy, which is based on an amazing true story, is set for a limited release on December 3rd, with a wide release later in the month.

Dan Choi, Shut The Fuck Up

Dear Dan,

Over the last week, I haven't been able to turn on a television without seeing your face.  It seems that every 10 minutes, you're on a different cable news network, talking about DADT.  I don't follow you on Twitter, yet somehow I know your every move.

I understand that you were devastated when you were discharged.  The Army was your life, and this country needs more linguists like you.  You've made your point.  Now would you please shut the fuck up.  You're a drama queen and an attention whore, and you're starting to make straight people think the rest of the gay community is full of drama queens and attention whores.

You always have to go over the top.  Dan Choi can't quietly protest with the rest of the crowd in front of the White House, he has to chain himself to the front gate.  Dan Choi has to go on a hunger strike (I still don't understand what that accomplished).  Dan Choi can't reenlist quietly like all the other gay and lesbian service members that have been discharged.  NO.  You have to alert the media beforehand, and reenlist in Times fucking Square.  While other servicemen and women are having to endure ridicule and torment while filing for their reenlistment, yours was easy and pain free.  Of course it was.  You had CNN behind you on the other side of the glass.  And on your reenlistment papers, why couldn't you have just said you were discharged for being honest about your sexual orientation, and leave it at that.  Why would you ever put something so melodramatic as, I "refused to lie about my cherished partner"?  Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?

Do you realize that your actions not only affect every one of the 14,000+ that have been discharged under DADT, but the country's perception of the gay community?  This is not about you.  You are a drop of water in an ocean.  You are not our spokesperson, and you sure as hell won't be our martyr.  When the history books are written about DADT , your name won't even be mentioned.  Do us a favor.  Quit before you embarrass us any further.

Sincerely,

Twitch

President Obama - It Gets Better

I know.  Say what you will about DADT.  I'm pissed off about it too.  But think about it.  To have a sitting President send a message directly to young gay Americans, encouraging them to stay strong in the face of anti-gay bullying, is pretty significant.

Reagan didn't mention AIDS until 1985, and didn't make a speech about it until October of 1987.  By then, more than 20,000 people had died of the disease.  Neither of the Bushes were exactly friends of the gay community.  President Obama has decidedly shown himself to be more friend than foe, and right now, I'll take what I can get.  Thank you Mr. President.

Steven Tyler Butchers The National Anthem

Steven Tyler sang the National Anthem before the Boston Bruins game on Thursday night.  Actually, he screamed the National Anthem.  It's shocking that this man is getting paid next year to judge a televised singing contest.



At least he got the words right, I think.  Francis Scott Key must have rolled over in his grave.

Brilliant Halloween Marketing

Sears has introduced a brilliant new website for Halloween that features their Sears.com site but in "Zombian":

The funny wears off in about 3 minutes, but you can go to sears.com/zombies to check it out.

Update

I haven't been posting at all lately.  I've been in a bad funk.  My Tourette's is getting progressively worse.  I've also been having more PTSD episodes recently.  In fact, earlier this week I had one of my worst flashbacks in months.

As a child, when I went shopping with my mother, I would sometimes get distracted and walk away from the cart.  To teach me a lesson, she would often keep walking ahead of me, or intentionally hide behind a display so I couldn't find her.  She would make me become lost.

A few days ago I was in a large bookstore with my wife and my little girl.  They were looking at books in the area in front of the restrooms, and I decided to use the restroom.  I came out, expecting to find them there, and they were gone.  I had a flashback of when my mother would make me wander around the store lost and crying.  I went into one of the worst panic attacks I've ever had.

The rational part of my brain was saying, "Relax, they're in the children's section", while the panicky side of my brain was saying, "They've left me and they're never coming back."  I was ticking, almost in tears, and grabbing my chest when I finally found my wife.

I don't want to go into too much detail, but things have been really tough financially.  When I went on disability last year, I made the mistake of not immediately adjusting our expenses (rent, cable, 2 cars) when my income decreased.  We fooled ourselves into thinking that we would be able to keep living the same lifestyle we were living while making 40% less than we were.  I don't know what we were thinking.   By the time we realized we needed to make some adjustments, we were so far behind that we couldn't catch up.

Last week, I was able to reach out to a childhood role model of mine.  He gave me some much needed advice.  I'm back on my feet.  I know you're not reading this, but thank you.

We were running some errands yesterday and pulled up to a red light.  On the corner was an older woman begging for money to pay for a family member's funeral. I gave her the only dollar I had in my pocket.  Beside me, a minivan pulled up and stalled.  The lady in the driver's seat tried probably 20 times to start it, but couldn't.  She just sat there, crying.  Then it hit me.

We're doing OK.

How I've Been Feeling Lately(But Without The Advertisement)

2010 MTV Video Music Awards - More VMA Video

Mash Up Monday - Beatles Extravaganza

I was scanning the net last night for a tune to post on the blog today, and I ended up finding two.  The Beatles are arguably the most influential rock band in history, and it's interesting to see how there influence carries over to other genres of music.

Both of today's mixes were done by DJ Faroff, who was responsible for last week's Ray No Speak Americano.

The first mash up is of the following songs:

The Beatles - Come Together
Joan Jett - I Love Rock and Roll
House of Pain - Jump Around
Cypress Hill - Insane in the Brain

The first few seconds of the song has the opening bars of Rage Against the Machine's 'Killing In The Name', which was really unnecessary.  I couldn't stop smiling while listening to the rest of the song, though.



The second mash up of the day is surprisingly quite simple.  It's a mash up of Bob Marley's 'No Woman, No Cry', with The Beatles' 'Let It Be'.  I never realized how strikingly similar these songs were in regard to tempo and melody.

Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues

I think about Johnny every day.  I miss him like I miss a grandfather.

Becoming Jared Leto

For those of you who don't know who Jared Leto is, he is the lead singer of 30 Seconds To Mars and was the cute blond guy in Fight Club.  This guy:

Now, I don't know why a girl would suddenly get the idea "Hey, I think I can become Jared Leto". Maybe someone told her she sorta looked like him.  Would that be an insult or a compliment?  Edward Norton said in Fight Club that he wanted to destroy something beautiful.  It looks like she wanted to create something beautiful.  This video is shocking.

My Princess Boy

Just saw a story from Dangerous Minds about the lengths a family and a school will go to to make a child feel safe and accepted.  It's really a heartwarming story.  A family in Seattle has a five year old son that likes to wear dresses and dress up like a princess and in jewelery.  At first, his mom thought he was dressing up this way because there was a lack of boys costumes at school.  When her son was dressed in a yellow dress after she donated kung fu outfits to play in, she knew it wasn't a fluke.

This video was produced by a local program in Seattle.



Her book is also available on Amazon.

I Can't Get This Song Out Of My Head

The Black Keys - Tighten Up

Prince Poppycock - It Gets Better

My darling Poppycock, or should I say his alter ego, John Quale, produced a video for the Trevor Project and for the It Gets Better project started by Dan Savage a few weeks ago.  Take a look.

No Posts For A While

Hi everyone.  I haven't had an internet connection in my apartment for the last couple of days.  Something wrong with the connection.  At the moment, I am borrowing a connection from a neighbor with an unsecured network(and it's slower than slow).  So, that being said, I won't be in a position to post anything until the cable company gets here to fix the problem.  Sorry.

Anti-Gay Humor In New Vince Vaughn Movie

If you haven't seen the preview for Vince Vaughn's new movie, The Dilemma, you probably already know what to expect.  What you wouldn't expect in the first five seconds of the preview is a gay joke.  Check it out:


The Dilemma Trailer - Watch more Movie Trailers

After protests from a number of groups, including GLAAD, Universal claimed that they pulled the ad off of the internet and all theatres this previous weekend.  I happened to find the above video within 30 seconds.  In fact, when doing a Google search for the trailer, I was able to find the original trailer before finding the re-cut trailer that didn't have the joke.

If the recent wake of LGBT youth suicides has taught us anything, it's that words can hurt.  Faggot is the new N-word.  Universal would obviously never allow that joke with the word faggot, but gay was fine.  Likewise, they wouldn't have used the N-word in a joke, but they wouldn't use the word black either.

At this point, Universal is refusing to take the joke out of the movie.  GLAAD is petitioning the studio to remove the offensive content from the film before it's January release.  What can you do?

1. Take Action Now:  Click here to sign your name to an email to Universal Pictures and urge its representatives to remove offensive anti-gay language from the upcoming movie "The Dilemma"

2. Twitter users, please click here to post this tweet.

3. Share this page, http://www.glaad.org/thedilemma, on Facebook

Watch 'Trevor' Here

Trevor started it all.  Made in 1994, this Academy Award winning short film is the story of a teen that tries to take his life.  It became the inspiration behind The Trevor Project.  Again, the number for the Trevor Lifeline is 1-866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386).  Enjoy the film.

Buck Angel - It Gets Better

The first time I saw Buck Angel was on Maury.  It was one of those episodes where the audience was guessing if guests were male or female.  Buck was one of the guests.

Buck took the world by storm in 2004.  He was the first female to male transgendered porn star in history.  In 2007, he became the first transsexual man to win AVN's Transsexual Performer of the Year.  His video for the It Gets Better Project is the most emotional one I've seen yet.  Get a tissue.



Update:  I sent an email to Buck last night, thanking him for making the video.  Last weekend, I saw at least a dozen F2M young transgendered individuals at Pride.  I told Buck that he's a role model to those young people, and by making that video, he may have just saved one of their lives.

He emailed me back this afternoon.  For privacy reasons, I can't publish the email.  In a nutshell, he said that he didn't anticipate getting emotional, and he got a little freaked out about it, but he realized in the end that it wasn't about him but about helping others.  He ended the email with a "Woof!"  LOL.

La Roux - In For The Kill

The new single from the group that brought you Bulletproof.  The more I hear from these guys, the more I like them.

Vote November 2nd, Or Everyone Loses

Curiosity Sex

In an episode of How I Met Your Mother, Barney said one of the 100 reasons to have sex was curiosity.

Curiosity. As in what would it be like to do it with a really tall girl. Not a big girl, a tall girl. Like if a normal girl were seven, seven-and-a-half feet tall, and had a very short denim skirt, I would have to know what that was like.

On Saturday night, I wanted curiosity sex.  I spotted her on the way to the club.  We were stuck in traffic about a block away from the club and she was standing on the sidewalk. She was standing by herself. I noticed her right away because of her dress.  It was very similar to one my wife owned.   Other than that she didn't stand out.

It wasn't until I saw her later in the club that she really got my attention.  Seeing her in the midst of the other people made me realize how special she was.  She stood head and shoulders above most of the other club goers.  She was easily 6'3" or 6'4". Plus sized, but not fat.  She was dressed modestly and wore what looked like a red wig.  Most of the night, I only saw her from a distance.  I couldn't tell if she was transgendered or not.

Then, she walked past me.  Her septum was pierced and she had a tattoo across her chest.  She was cute.  If she was transgendered, I couldn't tell...and I didn't care.  By now, the curiosity factor was in full force.  I was going to buy her a drink, but unfortunately, she slipped out before I could do so.

I would still like to know what it would be like to do it with a really tall girl.

Who Needs Bluetooth?

Controversy On The Simpson's Couch

If you watch The Simpsons, you look forward to each episode's opening sequence.  Each week, they find a new and exciting way to put the family onto the living room couch.  If you saw last night's episode, you may have wondered why it had a decidedly more somber tone to the scene.  It was a "behind the scenes" look at how the Simpsons was made.  Sweatshop conditions in the animation studio.  Kitten fur as toy stuffing.  A decapitated dolphin head licking boxes shut.  Take a look.



I thought it was funny.  It was just such a departure from what you would expect to see, it took you off guard.  Last night was the first time that Fox had "outsourced" the couch gag to an outside artist in their 22 season run.  The artist?  The British underground graffiti artist, Banksy.  Banksy, whose real identity is unknown, was the subject of the 2010 documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop.  A brilliant artist, whose medium is exclusively spray paint, he is known for being outspoken and pushing the envelope.  In the past, his paintings would just spontaneously appear in the Louvre, MoMA and at the Museum of Natural History in New York City and would go unnoticed for days.

Banksy has a history of biting the hand that feeds him, just to make a statement.  No one really knows who he is.  The vast majority of his works are public pieces that aren't commissioned.  He has nothing to lose.  It's Fox that looks like the fool here.  It will probably be another 22 seasons before they let another outsider work on their show.  If you would like to see more of Banksy's work, here is a video of just a fraction of what he had done.  There are a number of videos on Youtube you can view.

Sex With Ducks

While at Tucson Pride, I saw a skit based on the song and video below.  It was from a duo named Garfunkel and Oates.  A bit of background on the song:  In April of 2009, Congress passed a National hate crimes bill.  The following morning on the 700 Club, Pat Robertson asked if, in addition to gays and lesbians, the bill would protect "some really weird person who likes to have sex with ducks".  The duo ran with the quote and made the following pro-gay marriage tune...

In Honor Of Columbus Day

Sure, let's have a holiday for someone that accidentally didn't discover this country and started a 400 year campaign of enslavement and genocide.  Yay America!!!

Condom And Lube Giveaway

As I posted earlier, I was at Tucson Pride this last weekend.  I came back with a bag full of condoms and lube samples.  The condoms are courtesy of One brand condoms.  They have some really cool packaging.  For a preview, check them out at onecondoms.com.

The condoms come in gay themed packaging.  For those readers that aren't gay, the condoms inside aren't gay either.  Once the wrapper is removed, trash is trash.

I also have samples of ID water based lubricant.  It's safe for use with toys and condoms.  I have a couple of samples of their "Millennium" line of silicone based lube.  Silicone based lube breaks down toys and latex condoms.  If you want to give the silicone stuff a shot, though, let me know.

Shoot me an email at thedailytwitch@gmail.com, give me your name and address, and I will send you a few condoms and a sample of lube.  Happy sexing and be safe.

National Coming Out Day

Today is National Coming Out Day in the United States.  It's tomorrow in the U.K.  I came out to the world a year ago today, and you wouldn't believe the size of the closet I was in.  For more than a decade, I lived a life of lies and denial that nearly destroyed my life.

Today can be the first day of a new life for you.  Take the first step.  Leave a comment, even if it's anonymous, and say I'm ______________.   You'll be surprised how good it feels to say it out loud.  When I finally came out, it was like coming up for air when I had almost drowned.

Have courage.  Have pride.

Mash Up Monday - Ray No Speak Americano

A couple of weeks ago I posted a pretty bizarre hand dancing video a couple of weeks ago that featured a song called We No Speak Americano.  Well, it's back.  This time, it's mashed up with Ray Charles' I Got A Woman. Makes for a pretty jumpy tune.  Enjoy.

Chaz Bono - It Gets Better

This video was released a few days ago, but I was out of town, so I didn't have a chance to pass it along.  The Trevor Project has done an amazing job at showing a diversity of voices from the LGBT community in their It Gets Better campaign.  Videos from transgendered adults have been noticeably rare.  It was wonderful to see Chaz Bono step forward to say some encouraging words for the gay, transgendered, questioning and transitioning youth out there.

Headed To Tucson Pride

Posts over the next couple of days will probably be scarce.  We're getting ready to go to Tucson for Pride this weekend.  We're super excited and I'm looking forward to posting pictures and possibly video of the event (if I can remember where I packed my Flip cam).

Gay Bowl X In Phoenix This Weekend

For those of you in the Phoenix area, you may want to check out Gay Bowl X this weekend.  Phoenix is the host city this year.  26 teams from 19 cities will be playing for the championship from Thursday through Sunday.  For information on the event, go to Gay Bowl's official site.

More videos from Steve Kardynal

From the guy that brought you the Katy Perry video.  He has his own channel on Youtube, and let me tell you, he has some really funny stuff.  Here is some of his best.  First, another Chatroulette video.  This one is of him doing Lady Gaga's Telephone.



Second, is a video made on an IMac computer in an Apple store for Eminem's Love The Way You Lie.  Surprisingly, no one stops him.  They just give him strange looks.



I wish I had the balls to make a fool of myself like that.

Katy Perry - Peacock

Chatroulette version.  Let me make this clear...I hate...HATE...this song, but I could not take my eyes off of this video.  I couldn't stop laughing.

Shirtless Guy Does Kristin Wiig

...Better than Kristin Wiig.  Hilarious video on Youtube.  Was featured on Perez Hilton's site today.  This guy has a number of videos mimicking SNL skits.   Some really funny shit.

Say "Fuck Yeah" For FCKH8

FCKH8.com Straight Talk About Gay Marriage from FCKH8.com on Vimeo.

Glee - I Wanna Hold Your Hand

This clip is likely to be pulled off of Youtube soon.  It's a tearjerker.

It Gets Better/Love Is Louder

I'm at a crossroads when it comes to It Gets Better and Love Is Louder videos.  It seems that the whole thing has jumped the shark in a sense.  The Trevor Project reports that they have received over 500 It Gets Better video submissions so far, and MTV is getting every D list celebrity to do a Love Is Louder video.  Today, I had a Love Is Louder video in my inbox from Snooki and JWoww from Jersey Shore.  What wisdom can they impart?

While part of me has the attitude of "more is merrier", I see an It Gets Better video from a straight celebrity and I think, "What experience can they speak from?  How is a gay kid going to look at Anne Hathaway and think, "She knows where I'm coming from."?"

As a blogger, I have decided to lay off from forwarding the videos on from the net.  I am especially going to limit the messages from the Love Is Louder campaign.  Most of their videos are from people on their reality shows and their network personalities.  It's almost as if they are requiring their employees to make videos for the campaign, which, if that's the case, it's a completely bullshit campaign anyway.

I will still show those videos that I think are heartfelt and have the potential to be truly inspiring.  There are hundreds of people that have recorded their experiences in order to help LGBT youth that feel like they're alone and have nowhere to turn.  When I was a teenager, I was a questioning youth.  I was so lost.  I thought about killing myself on a daily basis.  I wish I would have had access to something like this back then.

As a bisexual adult, as a blogger, it's my duty to publish these stories for others to see.  It's my responsibility to tell others that it does get better, someday, somehow, whether you believe it or not, it does.

Chris Colfer For The Trevor Project

Margaret Cho Goes Gay On DWTS

On Monday night's Dancing With The Stars, Margaret Cho dressed in her brightest rainbow dress to show her pride for the gay community.  "We wanted to celebrate pride.  It's a tough time for the gay community", she said, shortly after dancing the samba with her parter, Louis van Amstel.  Her performance to Barry Manilow's Copacabana garnered a total of 18 points from the judges on Monday night.  Here is the video:



Unfortunately, viewers didn't appreciate her show of support to the gay community.  She was voted off the show on Tuesday night.

Stars "Give A Damn" About Hate Crimes

A new PSA debuted yesterday featuring Elton John, Ricky Martin, Wanda Sykes, Rachel Harris and Idina Menzel.  It is for the Give A Damn campaign against hate crimes.  Previous spots from the campaign have included celebrities such as Jason Mraz, Anna Paquin and Sharon Osbourne.  For more information, go to wegiveadamn.org.

Robbie Williams Wants A Gay Kid

Here is a video from Robbie Williams and his former Take That bandmate Gary Barlow.  It's called Shame.  It could have very easily have been on the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack if it were released a few years earlier.

Robbie Williams has always been a gay friendly artist.  Now, in a recent interview, he has said that he would like to have a gay kid.  When asked if he and his wife, Ayda Field, would like a boy of a girl, he said, 

"I genuinely don't care. I always thought I want a boy ever since I was little but now I'm like, 'Oh yeah girls, they're daddy's girls aren't they?'

"If it's a guy I'm going teach it to play footy and all of that stuff and if it's a girl I'm going to protect her to my death."

Then he said,

 "I want a gay one, we've talked about it and that's what we want, whatever it is."

He wouldn't elaborate any further.

Tim Gunn - It Gets Better

An It Gets Better video from Project Runway's Tim Gunn.  In it, he reveals his failed suicide attempt at the age of 17.

A Message From Kathy Griffin

Comedian Kathy Griffin has released a statement concerning anti-gay bullying and the attitudes toward gay people in the religious community.  Earlier tonight, she announced on Larry King Live that her entire salary from her Dec. 16th show will be donated to The Trevor Project.

December 16th, she will be performing at the Gibson Theatre at Universal Citywalk in Los Angeles.  To get tickets, click here.

New Game - Def Jam Rapstar

I have always been a big fan of singing/karaoke style video games.  To date, I practically own them all.  I own practically every Singstar game for PS3.  I own all of the Lips games for XBox 360.  I have both RockBands, with a shiteload of DLC, but never use any of the instruments.

A new game, called Def Jam Rapstar, has piqued my interest.  It's a karaoke game, but with nothing but rap music.  Now, I'm white.  Whiter than white.  Rap music is not usually my forte'.  From what I've seen of the tracklist, it's quite impressive.  Everything from Busta Rhymes' Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See to Slam by Onyx.  And from what I can tell in these gameplay videos, the Lips wireless microphones are compatible with the game.





The game comes out tomorrow, and is available on PS3, 360 and Wii.  It's on my shopping list once I get paid.

Neil Patrick Harris Sends Message To Gay Youth

Neil Patrick Harris, star of How I Met Your Mother and Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, recorded a video message for MTV, encouraging gay youth to stay strong and have pride in the midst of bullying.

MTV Shows

MTV has started a new campaign called Love Is Louder, in which celebrities are making encouraging and inspiring videos.  I personally don't know why they couldn't have just endorsed Dan Savage's It Gets Better campaign.  There is really no need to have two competing campaigns out there in the media, in my opinion.  "Love Is Louder" sounds stupid, anyway.  But, the more the merrier, I guess.

Gaga Joins Plastic Ono Band For Lennon's 70th

It all started with the Tweet: "WE ARE PLASTIC ONO"

Over the weekend, she joined Sean Lennon, along with members of Sonic Youth, Iggy Pop's band and RZA at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, for a performance of the Plastic Ono Band.  The performance was one of many over the weekend to commemorate what would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday on October 9th.  Here's some video...

Jan Brewer: Hypocrite On Health Care

Earlier today, AZ Governor Jan Brewer declared this 'Arizona Child Health Day'.  Just three short days ago, on October 1st, budget cuts went into effect that will deny organ transplants, dental procedures and other much needed medical work for the state's poor.  In order to close a $1 billion budget shortfall, the state House of Representatives agreed to cut the state's AHCCCS (Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System) by $5 million.

The cut to AHCCCS accounts to only one half of one percent of the total budget shortfall.  Brewer has the ability to call the House into special session to re-fund AHCCCS.  When asked recently if she'll do so, she said that no one in the House has requested it.  Of course, she has the authority to call a special session without being asked.  She can also sell one or both of the personal jets that she flies on for business.

In a recent interview with KTAR, state Attorney General Terry Goddard said,

"As of October first, basically, Jan Brewer signed the death warrant of many individuals who were on the list for significant transplants…and that's just inexcusable.  I right now ask her, plead with her, call a special session, get this problem resolved."

Chord Overstreet Not Playing Kurt's Boyfriend On Glee

I had a post back on 9/24 about a possible new gay character on Glee.  Well, it appears that I was wrong.  According to Ryan Murphy, the show's creator, Chord Overstreet will "definitely" not be playing Kurt's boyfriend.  BUT..."the new character (Darren) is certainly an option".

Who's Darren?  Darren is Glee's newest cast member Darren Chriss.  He is an actor-singer-songwriter, who most recently played Matt Dallas' brother on the series Eastwick.  On Glee, he'll be playing Blaine, a gay student from a rival glee club, the Dalton Academy Warblers.

"He sort of becomes Kurt's mentor and then maybe love", hints Ryan. "He had to leave his own school because of bullying...so Kurt really admires and respects him."  Stay tuned.

Stars Come Out To Say It Gets Better

More than 500 videos have been posted on Youtube since Dan Savage introduced the It Gets Better project last month.  While some have been quite inspirational, it seems that many have jumped on the bandwagon as a way to get some sort of publicity.  There have been reports of blogs getting video submissions from dozens of reality show stars and B list celebrities.  Just do a search on Youtube for "It Gets Better" and take a gander at some of the VH1 reality show nobodies that show up.

Below are some of the better videos I have seen over the last couple of days.  Cyndi Lauper submitted this video on behalf of The Trevor Project:



Secondly, an It Gets Better message from the cast of the Broadway musical Wicked:

Mash Up Monday

This week's entry is from DJ Maggie Mash.  It's a mashup of The Killers' Human and Katy Perry's Teenage Dream.  I'm not really a fan of Katy Perry, but it's a pretty good mix.  Enjoy.


Human Dream from dj maggie on Vimeo.

Inspiring Performance Of Under Pressure

Amazing Video Of Volcano

This video was recently taken, from a distance, at Marum Volcano on Vanuatu's Ambrym Island:



Isn't Mother Nature amazing?

Judy Shepard Speaks Out On Gay Suicides

Via The Advocate:

Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard, issued a statement yesterday regarding the rash of suicides amongst gay teenagers.  The statement, titled We Must All Protect Youth From Suicide, calls for an end to bullying and urges suicidal young people to contact The Trevor Project.  Here it is in it's entirety.

Our family, and the staff and board at the Matthew Shepard Foundation, are all deeply saddened by the devastating report of at least the fourth gay or gay-perceived teen to commit suicide in this country in the last month.

Reports say that Tyler Clementi, 18, leapt to his death from the George Washington Bridge near his New Jersey college campus after a roommate allegedly broadcast him in a same-sex encounter behind closed doors in his dorm room, and apparently invited others, via Twitter, to view it online. Regardless of his roommate¹s alleged tweet, Tyler had apparently made no statement about his own sexual orientation. I¹m sure we will all learn more about this terrible tragedy as legal proceedings unfold, but the contempt and disregard behind such an invasion of privacy seems clear. In the meantime, we send our thoughts and prayers to Tyler¹s family as they mourn their loss.

In the last month there has been a shocking series of teen suicides linked to bullying, taunting, and general disrespect regarding sexual orientation, in every corner of America. Just a few days ago, Seth Walsh, a 13-year-old in Tehachapi, Calif., passed away after 10 days on life support after he hanged himself. Police say he had been mercilessly taunted by fellow students over his perceived sexual orientation.

Billy Lucas, 15, hanged himself a few weeks ago at his Indiana home after years of reported harassment by students who judged him to be gay. Asher Brown, a 13-year-old in Harris, TX, who had recently come out, took his life with a gun after, his parents say, their efforts to alert school officials to ongoing bullying were not acted upon.

Many Americans also learned this week about Tyler Wilson, an 11-year-old boy in Ohio who decided to join a cheerleading squad that had been all-female. As a gymnast, he was interested in the athletic elements of cheering. He was taunted with homophobic remarks and had his arm broken by two schoolmates who apparently assumed him to be gay. He told Good Morning America that since returning to school, he¹s been threatened with having his other arm broken, too.

Our young people deserve better than to go to schools where they are treated this way. We have to make schools a safe place for our youth to prepare for their futures, not be confronted with threats, intimidation or routine disrespect.

Quite simply, we are calling one more time for all Americans to stand up and speak out against taunting, invasion of privacy, violence and discrimination against these youth by their peers, and asking everyone in a position of authority in their schools and communities to step forward and provide safe spaces and support services for LGBT youth or those who are simply targeted for discrimination because others assume they are gay. There can never be enough love and acceptance for these young people as they seek to live openly as their true selves and find their role in society.

Suicide is a complicated problem and it is too easy to casually blame it on a single factor in a young person¹s life, but it is clear that mistreatment by others has a tremendously negative effect on a young person¹s sense of self worth and colors how he or she sees the world around them. Parents, educators and peers in the community need to be vigilant to the warning signs of suicide and other self-destructive behaviors in the young people in their lives, and help them find resources to be healthy and productive. We urge any LGBT youth contemplating suicide to immediately reach out to The Trevor Project, day or night, at (866) 4-U-TREVOR [866-488-7386].

Judy Shepard
President, Matthew Shepard Foundation Board of Directors

Prepare To Cry - Somewhere Over The Rainbow

A vigil was held tonight in New York City, for the gay teens that have committed suicide within the last month.  Instead of candles, the crowd brought glow sticks.  At one point of the vigil, Broadway actor and Glee alum Cheyenne Jackson led the group of thousands in a heart wrenching rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.  Grab a tissue.  I was sobbing while watching the video.

History Of Rap - Must See

This video will likely be pulled off the net by NBC Universal tonight, so watch it while you can.  Last night on the Late Show With Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy and Justin Timberlake got together to do the history of rap.  It was amazing.  They went from the Sugarhill Gang, to the Beastie Boys, to Snoop and then to Jay Z....all in three minutes.

Update:  NBC posted the video on Jimmy Fallon's page.

Rick Sanchez Fired By Jews Who Run CNN

Rick Sanchez is no stranger to controversy.  The journalist, and host of one of CNN's most popular programs, has had a history of making comments that rub some people the wrong way.  It appears that yesterday, Sanchez pissed off the wrong people, his bosses at CNN.

Sanchez was on the program Stand Up with Pete Dominick, on Sirius radio.  He took issue with Jon Stewart, calling him a "bigot".  He said,

"I think to some extent Jon Stewart and [Stephen] Colbert are the same way. I think Jon Stewart's a bigot," he said. "I think he looks at the world through, his mom, who was a school teacher, and his dad, who was a physicist or something like that. Great, I'm so happy that he grew up in a suburban middle class New Jersey home with everything you could ever imagine."

When Sanchez was asked who Stewart was bigoted against, he said, "everybody else who's not like him".  Sanchez eventually retracted his "bigot" claim, and said that instead Stewart was "prejudicial" and "uninformed".  He could have, and should have, left it at that.

It was what he said next that got him fired.  When Dominick said that Stewart could understand being part of an oppressed minority group, since he is Jewish, Sanchez said the following:

Very powerless people... [snickers] He's such a minority, I mean, you know [sarcastically]... Please, what are you kidding? ... I'm telling you that everybody who runs CNN is a lot like Stewart, and a lot of people who run all the other networks are a lot like Stewart, and to imply that somehow they -- the people in this country who are Jewish -- are an oppressed minority? Yeah. [sarcastically]

CNN officially fired Sanchez today, saying in a statement,

"Rick Sanchez is no longer with the company. We thank Rick for his years of service and we wish him well,'

Have fun anchoring the news in Des Moines, Rick.

Here is audio of yesterday's interview:

Support The Families Of Asher Brown And Seth Walsh

Memorial services are being held this weekend for Seth Walsh and Asher Brown, two of the five teenage boys who committed suicide in September as a result of school bullying.

Please see below for ways you can show your support for the loved ones they’ve left behind.

To support the family of Seth Walsh(California):

-Donations to assist the family can be made at any branch of the Bank Of The Sierra.

For the family of Asher Brown, monetary contributions to the family can be made by mailing them to:

Pulse Missions; P.O. Box 570063; Houston, TX 77257-0063 OR via PayPal on the Web site of Jonathan Truong, Asher’s uncle.

Our Moment Of Silence

As a family, we observed the moment of silence for the five young gay men that took their own lives this month.  Afterward, we told our two year old daughter that no matter what she does, or who she becomes, we will always be there to support her, stand up for her, and fight for her.

She looked right at us, and said "OK guys".

My heart hurts right now for the parents of those kids.

Flight Attendants Go Gaga

Funny video coming from the Phillippines.  I don't know what the deal is with all of these Philipino related stories lately.  Anyway, the flight attendants for Cebu Pacific, a low cost Philipino airline, have decided to make their safety demonstration a little more interesting.  I love the choreography.

50 Cent Is Gay Bashing On Twitter, Again

Earlier this month, 50 Cent caused a stir in the gay community by Tweeting the following message to Perez Hilton:

 "Perez Hiltoncalled me douchebag, so I had my homie shoot up a gay wedding. wasnt his, but made me feel better." 

It appears that Mr. Jackson is back online, making remarks that make him look like a fucking jackass.  Yesterday, he Tweeted:

Now, I personally don't think this Tweet was targeted toward the gay community.  I think that 50 just felt it necessary to expound on his pussy eating philosophy.  This Tweet was likely geared toward straight men that refuse to go down on a woman, rather than gay men.  Still, with nearly 3.4 million people following him on Twitter(which I am not one of), his comments could very easily be misconstrued.

Keep in mind, this is a man worth nearly a billion dollars, but doesn't know the difference between "your" and "you're".  Then again, neither does about 1.8 million of his followers.  It's a case of the blind leading the blank.  This in no way excuses his comments.  One of the first people to address his remarks was actor and gay activist, Zachary Quinto.

It wasn't long before Fiddy Tweeted in response to the controversy:

I personally will let this one slide.  One thing you might want to think about though, we "choose" to be gay just as much as you choose to be black.  Bigotry is bigotry, no matter how you try to explain it off.

Another Gay Teen Commits Suicide

Yet another gay teen has committed suicide.  Raymond Chase, a student at Johnson & Wales in Providence, RI, was found hanging in his dorm room last Wednesday.  The death of the 19 year old culinary student follows those of Asher Brown, Billy Lucas, Seth Walsh and Tyler Clementi.

The Human Rights Campaign and Campus Pride are both demanding that action be taken nationwide to address the bullying of gay teens.  In a statement today, Shane Windmeyer, the founder of Campus Pride, said,

 “The suicide of this openly gay young man is for reasons currently unknown; however, the recent pattern of LGBT youth suicides is cause for grave concern. Campus Pride demands national action be taken to address youth bullying, harassment and the need for safety and inclusion for LGBT youth at colleges and universities across the country. We must not let these tragic deaths go unnoticed. Together we must act decisively to curb anti-LGBT bias incidents, harassment and acts of violence.”

 Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education, has released a statement within the last hour, saying in part,

"This is a moment where every one of us -- parents, teachers, students, elected officials, and all people of conscience -- needs to stand up and speak out against intolerance in all its forms.  Whether it's students harassing other students because of ethnicity, disability or religion; or an adult, public official harassing the President of the University of Michigan student body because he is gay, it is time we as a country said enough. No more. This must stop."

 The Trevor Project is asking for a national moment of silence for the five young men that have taken their own lives this month, and for the others that may have taken their lives without the world knowing of their sexual orientation or the torment they endured.  Please join me in observing this moment of silence at 8pm Eastern time.  ***If you or anyone you know is thinking about harming themselves, please call The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386.***  You can speak with a counselor who can relate to your experiences as someone who is LGBT.  They have been in your shoes.  They can help.  We can't continue to hear these stories in the news.  We cannot let the future of our community take their own lives.