for Sequined Handjob, 2011

Top Ten Most Fuckable Late Night Talk Show Hosts

From: Fleshbot

1

Stephen Colbert 

The Late Show

Ugh, Stephen, what am I going to do with you! I had a crush on Stephen Colbert way back when I watched Strangers With Candy as reruns in high school. The things I would do to his gorgeous head of jet-black hair, sexy thin-lipped smile, fuzzy bod, and fucked up ear are downright unconstitutional. The fact that Colbert's hilarious and doesn't mind talking major shit about Donald Trump on network TV means that he's the full package. What I'm tryin' to say is that I've thought about him while masturbating. 

Do you have any favorite late night talk show hosts that were left off this list? Are there any in other countries that trump all these guys? Sound off below!

Elton John’s 10 Most Underrated Songs

From: NewNowNext

1

“The Last Song”

Recorded shortly after the death of Freddie Mercury, “Last Song” tells the story of a father reuniting with his estranged gay son, who is dying of an AIDS-related illness. It peaked at #23, but even 20 years later it’s incredibly affecting.

Cosmo Centrefold Hall of Fame

From: Cosmo UK

Bruno Tonioli

Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars Judge

Bruno Tonioli (Italian pronunciation: [ˈbruno tonˈjɔli]; born 25 November 1955) is an Italian choreographer, dancer, and TV personality.

He appears as a judge on the British television dance competition Strictly Come Dancing and its American adaptation Dancing with the Stars on ABC TV in the US.

Tonioli co-created and appeared on the BBC talent show DanceX, and its American adaptation, Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann.

365 Groovy Books Worth Reading

From: Deep Dish

25

Split Image: The Life of Anthony Perkins 

by 

Charles Winecoff

1996

This interesting and sad biography of the actor (Psycho) reveals his struggles to hide his homosexuality (he died in 1992 at age 60 from AIDS-related pneumonia).

40 Musical Reasons Why Dolly Parton Is A Groundbreaking Genius, In Chronological Order

From: OMG

34

The Grass Is Blue 

1999

A reminder that Dolly was as good a singer and songwriter as she ever was.

Cosmo Centrefolds 2010

Adam Levine

Here's someone we'd like to put our Hands All Over - Maroon 5 lead singer. Adam Levine! Admitting to Cosmo that he spends most of his life naked, we think we could live with that!

Adam Noah Levine (born March 18, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, and record producer. He is the lead vocalist for the pop rock band Maroon 5.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Levine began his musical career in 1994, when he co-founded the alternative rock band Kara's Flowers, of which he was the lead vocalist and guitarist. The band split up after their only album, The Fourth World (released in 1997), which did not gain popularity. In 2001, the group was reformed – with guitarist James Valentine joining the line-up – and began a new musical chapter, changing their name to Maroon 5. In 2002, the band released their first album, Songs About Jane, which went multi-platinum in the US. Since then, they have released four more albums, It Won't Be Soon Before Long (2007), Hands All Over (2010), Overexposed (2012) and V (2014). He also has released two singles "Don't Wanna Know" and "Cold." As part of Maroon 5, Levine has received three Grammy Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, two American Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award and a World Music Award.

Since 2011, Levine has served as a coach on NBC's reality talent show The Voice. The winners of the first, fifth and ninth seasons, Javier Colon, Tessanne Chin and Jordan Smith, were on his team. In 2012, he made his acting debut as a recurring character in the horror television show American Horror Story: Asylum for the series' second season. He also starred in the film Begin Again.

As an entrepreneur, Levine launched his own eponymous fragrance line in 2013. The same year, he collaborated with K-Mart and ShopYourWay.com to develop his menswear collection. He also owns a record label, 222 Records. In 2013, The Hollywood Reporter reported that "sources familiar with his many business dealings" estimated Levine would earn more than $35 million that year.

History's 125 Hottest Gay-Porn Stars:

From:  Boy Culture

Young Blue Eyes

103 

Kris Evans 

1986—

This 6'4", muscular Bel Ami model first tried out with the thriving company at the tender age of 18. His ridiculous body is his calling card; it's served him well in scenes with fellow Bel Ami buddies like Lukas Ridgeston. As has happened with several others, Evans was scandalously revealed to be in this disreputable line of work while simultaneously serving as a cop in Eastern Europe, leading him to have to step down. But it's okay—he's pretty good at switching positions.

Dish of the Day #1868: Drop the Towel Week

Today's Dish is Derrick Davenport
From: Deep Dish

Cosmo Centrefolds 2011

From:  Cosmo UK

The Hunks

Ripped? Yes! Vain? Definitely! Our latest guilty-pleasure reality TV stars The Hunks couldn't wait to strip off for Cosmo - Marc Burgum even confessed to plucking his pubic hair for the occasion. TMI!

The Hunks was a reality television series which first aired on 19 April 2011 on Sky Living. The series follows 10 "Hunky" males spending the summer in Newquay, Cornwall and lasted for 6 Episodes until 24 May 2011.

The series was never released on DVD.

Cast

Andy Bradley

Dom Carpenter

Florian Raffone

Idris Bamiro

Jamie Spencer

Marc Burgum

Sam Grant

Samy Thompson

Sean Chard

Vaughan Bailey

ART HOUSES PROTESTED AS ‘1984’ HEADED BACK TO THEATERS

Yesterday, it was “1984” again in movie theaters across the country.
From: Bear World 

About 190 art-house theaters banded together to show the 1984 big-screen adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece as a pointed comment on the presidency of Donald Trump, whose “alternative facts” administration has already sent “1984” back up the bestseller lists .

“It’s what’s in the air. People want to do something,” says Dylan Skolnick, an organizer of the event and co-director of the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, New York. “This started with a conversation about: ‘We need to do something. Well, what do we do? We show movies.’ So the obvious answer was: We should show a movie.”

Cinemas around the country are increasingly programming with political protest in mind, playing movies that have newfound resonance for those who disagree with the policies of the Republican president. In May, some 60 theaters are planning to screen films from the predominantly Muslim nations targeted by Trump’s proposed travel ban. That initiative has been dubbed the Seventh Art Stand and billed as “an act of cinematic solidarity against Islamophobia.”

Cinemas, particularly independent ones, are places to gather and connect, and they are finding under Trump a renewed sense of mission that goes beyond the usual arguments for the big-screen experience over streaming.

“To really genuinely connect with other people – which seems to be a consistent theme our country is struggling with – it’s all about being in a corporeal public sphere together, and doing that in and around art,” says Courtney Sheehan, executive director of Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum and an organizer of the Seventh Art Stand. “We’re not just an ancillary component of social change conversation. This is ground zero for action.”

A Trump effect has already been partially seen in the recent box-office success of Jordan Peele’s horror hit “Get Out” and Raoul Peck’s James Baldwin documentary “I Am Not Your Negro” – movies that offer straight talk on racial issues that might be lacking in Washington. On the small screen, Turner Classic Movies more cheekily programmed Elia Kazan’s “A Face in the Crowd,” with Andy Griffith as a populist radio personality who rises to political demagogue, to air on Inauguration Day.

“1984,” the second movie version starring John Hurt and Richard Burton, played in 175 cities and 44 states, as well as a few internationally in Canada, England and Sweden. The event was organized under the name United States of Cinema; its website lists the participating theaters. April 4th was selected because that’s when Orwell’s Winston Smith begins his forbidden diary as a rebellion against his oppressive government.

“It’s just a work that has a lot of resonance with what’s going on. It hits a lot of crucial notes,” says Skolnick. “Orwell wrote about and the film talks about the essential thing of being able to say two plus two equals four, even if the government says, ‘No, two plus two equals five.’

A similar motivation fueled Richard Abramowitz, founder and president of the indie film distributor Abramorama. He and Sheehan began discussing organizing something at the Sundance Film Festival in January and their plan has attracted the support of Steve Buscemi, Jonathan Demme, Woody Harrelson and more. Other companies have joined, as well; the online video hub Vimeo will show shorts focused on refugee stories.

Since first announcing the Seventh Art Stand two weeks ago, Sheehan says participating theaters have doubled from 30 to about 60. The most, she says, are in Indiana. Theaters have a long list of films from which to choose from Iran, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya and Somalia. (The most recent version of the travel ban has thus far been blocked by the courts.) Most notable is Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar-winning “The Salesman.” The celebrated filmmaker boycotted February’s Academy Awards, where he won his second Oscar, because of the travel ban.

Abramowitz calls the movie theater “a safe space now,” where people can experience other cultures “that are being more threatened now than before.”

“We recognize that there are far more people that are welcoming in this country than not. And we wanted to try to create spaces all over the country where people could recognize this,” says Abramowitz. “We thought maybe this would be a good way to engage the community rather than sit around and fume.”

NCAA Caves to North Carolina After False Repeal of HB2, ‘Reluctantly’ Agrees to Consider Bids from State

From: Towleroad

The NCAA Board of Governors “reluctantly voted to allow consideration of championship bids in North Carolina” following the sham repeal of HB2 last week, which removed the law but effectively left discrimination against LGBT people in place.

The NCAA’s full statement:

In August of 2016, the NCAA Board of Governors instructed the relocation of NCAA championships scheduled in North Carolina during the 2016-17 academic year because of the cumulative impact HB2 had on local communities’ ability to ensure a safe, healthy, discrimination-free atmosphere for all those watching and participating in our events.

Last week, the elected officials of North Carolina enacted compromise legislation that repealed HB2 and replaced it with a new law, HB142, that addressed a number of the concerns that led to the relocation of the NCAA championships. As with most compromises, this new law is far from perfect.

The NCAA did not lobby for any specific change in the law. The Board of Governors, however, was hopeful that the state would fully repeal HB2 in order to allow the host communities to ensure a safe, healthy, discrimination-free atmosphere for the championship sites. While the new law meets the minimal NCAA requirements, the board remains concerned that some may perceive North Carolina’s moratorium against affording opportunities for communities to extend basic civil rights as a signal that discriminatory behavior is permitted and acceptable, which is inconsistent with the NCAA Bylaws.

However, we recognize the quality championships hosted by the people of North Carolina in years before HB2. And this new law restores the state to that legal landscape: a landscape similar to other jurisdictions presently hosting NCAA championships.

We are actively determining site selections, and this new law has minimally achieved a situation where we believe NCAA championships may be conducted in a nondiscriminatory environment. If we find that our expectations of a discrimination-free environment are not met, we will not hesitate to take necessary action at any time.

We have been assured by the state that this new law allows the NCAA to enact its inclusive policies by contract with communities, universities, arenas, hotels, and other service providers that are doing business with us, our students, other participants, and fans. Further, outside of bathroom facilities, the new law allows our campuses to maintain their own policies against discrimination, including protecting LGBTQ rights, and allows cities’ existing nondiscrimination ordinances, including LBGTQ protections, to remain effective.

In the end, a majority on the NCAA Board of Governors reluctantly voted to allow consideration of championship bids in North Carolina by our committees that are presently meeting. The NCAA championships previously awarded to North Carolina for 2017-18 will remain in the state. The board, however, directs that any site awarded a championship event in North Carolina or elsewhere be required to submit additional documentation demonstrating how student-athletes and fans will be protected from discrimination.

NBC Out to Launch Inaugural #Pride30 List

From: NBC News

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community has so much to be proud of, and Pride Month gives us — and our allies — an opportunity to celebrate our successes and those of us who are making positive contributions to society.

This is why NBC Out has decided to launch its inaugural #Pride30 list. This year, we will use Pride Month as an opportunity to recognize and celebrate LGBTQ people who are making the community proud. Starting on June 1 and ending on June 30, we will highlight one LGBTQ change maker, innovator or rising star each day — and we want YOU to help us choose our list of 30.

Who can nominate and be nominated?

Anyone who self-identifies as LGBTQ, is not a household name and is making a positive contribution to society is eligible to be a nominee. There is no age limit and no limit to what their positive contribution may be.

And anyone — regardless of whether or not they are part of the LGBTQ community — can nominate someone. To do so, simply email PRIDE30@nbcuni.com by April 23, and let us know:

• Your name
• Your nominee's name
• Why you think your nominee should be on our #Pride30 list
• Your nominee's contact information (if you have it)

How will the list be narrowed down to 30 people?

The majority of our #Pride30 list will come from public nominations, which will be open from April 4 to April 23. After the submission window closes, a committee comprised of NBC journalists and executives will go through the submissions and narrow down the list. The committee will consist of:

• NBC Out Managing Editor Brooke Sopelsa
• NBC News & MSNBC Senior Vice President Yvette Miley
• Out@NBCUniversal Global Chair Jayzen Patria
• NBC News Director of Multicultural Initiatives Ryan Williams
• NBC Out Contributor Alamin Yohannes

A smaller group of our #Pride30 changemakers, innovators and rising stars will be directly nominated by LGBTQ celebrities and community leaders.

Nate Beck: Reflective Exhibitionism

From: Favorite Hunks & Other Things

Nate by Daniel G Lam

'The very first time when I stripped all the way down, I was surprised how nervous I was. Though I’d been used to being naked in the locker room at the gym, this for some reason was different. I was so nervous I had to sit down for a few minutes to pull myself together before we could start the shoot.'

Nate Beck

Nate by YogaBear Studio

 With FH now in it's 10th year, there are certainly qualities and attributes in artists and models, that I have come to admire more and more. Comfortably with self has to be near the top of the list. There is a difference between confidence and comfortably, it is subtle, but distinct. There are many models who, especially when posing naked, look confident. They are proud of their bodies, and the work they have put into achieving their fitness goals. They don't necessarily however, always appear comfortable.

Nate by YogaBear Studio

The first shots I saw of writer and model Nate Beck were those from his work with Lucido Photography. Nate looked so incredibly comfortable and relaxed that it only added to erotic intensity of the images. Now most people aren't naturally comfortable, especially when standing naked in front of a camera. It something many acquire with age, experience and in Nate's case, also with reflection and practice. Although he always wanted to model, Nate remembers seeing images hot male models but was not convinced that he had the right look. Nate wasn't deterred, and for fun would do self-portraits with auto timer, just to give it a try and see what it felt like.

Nate by YogaBear Studio

Nate by YogaBear Studio

 'But... there was a photographer’s gallery around the corner from where I was living in San Francisco, with photos of all kinds of guys including guys who looked kind of like me. I got in touch with the photographer and asked if he would be interested, and he said to come in for an audition. So right before the audition I shaved off my body hair, thinking this was the look he’d want (this was the 1990's, and smooth was the predominant look at the time). He took one look at me and said, “Why did you do that? Come back when it’s grown back in.” At that point I knew there was a niche for a guy like me, and also I could stop shaving my chest! And it turns out that, yes, there are enough photographers out there who like my look that I’ve been able to build up a good portfolio.'

Nate by Levi Smith Photography

'I really like it when the photographer has a concept or “sees something” that I wouldn’t have thought of, and then when it’s all put together it’s a great surprise. I’ll typically bring a bag, or even a suitcase full of all kinds of clothes so we have a range to choose from. The photographer will then usually go through the clothes, and it’s interesting to see what they pick out and what they put aside. They’ll usually pick out stuff I wouldn’t have expected, and then often supplement it with stuff of their own. So the result is a fun kind of dress-up where together we put together something that resonates for both of us. Then when they send over the finished product it’s something new and different that I wouldn’t have imagined before. Even with the nude shoots, there are usually clothes to get started. In fact, I really love shoots where it strips down from dressed to nude. Recently I did a shoot where I started fully dressed in a suit and overcoat, and piece by piece stripped down to briefs and then nothing. I loved it!'

Nate by Levi Smith Photography

Speaking of posing nude, Nate says stripping down for the camera was something he always wanted to try. Nate describes his goal as not so much to have the final photos, but the thrill of the process itself. Nate was incredibly nervous the first time he shot naked, but today, those inhibitions are long gone. So much so in fact, a photographer recently laughed about his lack of inhibitions, commenting on how comfortable he seemed being naked. 'I don’t even think about it. In fact, I think the exhibitionist side of me really gets a kick out of it.'On his writings site, Nate wrote a bit about how his confidence with being naked in public grew through his visits to a nude beach.

 'Lying on my towel, I’d marvel at the guys who’d just stand up and walk down the beach naked. It took a long time for me to muster up the courage to go down to the water without my swimsuit on. Sometimes I’d see a group of guys walking along with some clothed and some naked, and think how weird…'

'Now having had years of stripping down at the beach, I’m much more comfortable with nudity. I think some of this comes with age too, as well as being confident with my sexuality. Of course it also helps that the beach is never crowded, so running around naked with relatively few people around doesn’t feel like such a big deal.'

Visit to Black Sand Beach

 'It’s such a great feeling to be naked outdoors. But all of the shoots have been done under controlled conditions, whether it’s a nude beach where it’s OK to be naked, or a quiet place in the forest where there’s nobody around. There have been shoots where there may be people in the vicinity, then it’s a fast drop-of-the-pants and take a few quick shots. But then there was one shoot where the photographer had a private ranch with acres of woodland, and I hiked around naked the whole time. That was fantastic!'

Nate by GayGroundZero

 'There are times when it can be a bit weird with other people around. Once I did a shoot in Balboa Park in San Diego, at a big amphitheater there with lots of people milling around. It was a wardrobe shoot and I had a few outfits like t-shirts and blazers, but then the photographer told me to take off my shirt. There are plenty of circumstances where not wearing a shirt is no big deal, but at that place with a fair number of people around all in regular clothes, it felt odd, and even odder to be there having photos taken. That’s probably my self-consciousness reasserting itself! But then I just thought, ‘who cares, I don’t know any of these people,’ and I just focused and blocked out the surroundings. And when the photos came back it was all worth it!'

Nate by Jeremy Lucido Photography

'My chest seems to get the most attention, and I’m happy with how it looks and that it’s strong. I wasn’t athletic as a kid so as an adult it’s nice to have some upper-body strength and have something to show for it. More recently I’ve been happy to finally have an ass! Even as a young adult I didn’t have much of an ass, but with age and workouts I’ve finally got some results back there. That’s been a nice unexpected surprise!'

Nate by Jeremy Lucido Photography

'As for why I model, maybe there’s a bit of narcissism, particularly since I was an awkward kid so it’s nice to see myself as something different. The first time I got some really good photos back from a photographer I thought, ‘Holy crap, is that me?’ It was really affirming, and allowed me to put some old ghosts to rest. But then trying to be more reflective about it, I think it’s a combination of expression and exhibitionism. I definitely have an exhibitionist tendency, so part of it is just liking to show off and have fun. But then when I see the final result of the photos or artwork, it also feels like creating art. As the model I’m part of the composition but there’s a whole lot more that goes into it, from the setting to the props to the lighting. In that sense it’s a real collaboration with the photographer, as part of their vision. So in particular I like working with all kinds of photographers and artists, since the process and results are so different each time.'

Nate by Jeremy Lucido Photography

Nate Beck Writings

Nate Beck on Instagram

Nate Beck on ModelMayhem

ALPHABET OF STUFF I’M INTO: M

From: Badwolf Blog

 M is for…

Massage – At one point I thought I was really going to be a masseur. I like doing it, but man, doing it all day/every day is exhausting. 

I’m not bad at it though, and really enjoy working on somebody who likes getting worked on. Somebody who knows how to groan like they mean it. Somebody who’s more than willing to give up control and let you do whatever you want to their body. Who wouldn’t enjoy that?

ALL HOT, ALL GOOD!

From: Bear World

When I was invited to come to Atlanta to see a movie about male strippers, I took a nano second to say yes. I mean it’s not every day you have a legitimate reason to go see hot guys take off their clothes. So last weekend I was thrilled to be in the audience for the premiere of Gerald McCullouch’s documentary about the dancers and staff at Atlanta’s only all male and all nude strip club Swinging Richards.

Sponsored by Out On Film, Atlanta’s LGBT Film Festival, the showing was well attended and even one of the dancers featured in the film and his wife were there too. That’s right, he is straight but is happy to strip and entertain the clientele of Swinging Richards who are either gay men or straight women.

 The film itself focuses on what the dancers think of their work and why they do it. McCullouch cleverly lets them just tell their story, and we the viewer just get to listen. At Swinging Richards on stage every night are approximately 75 different dancers, the film focuses on six of them, Steven, Sean, Pierce, Dallas, Matthew and Tory (stage names of course) and as well as capturing their thoughts outside in the parking lot and also in the dressing room, we do get to see these guys dancing, and it truly is all nude.

Each of the guys we meet has a different story, most of them are straight with girlfriends, and in one case a child to bring up and support. But they all come across as nice enough guys who are different to one another and very real people.

What Mccullouch has achieved is not to degrade the guys or even really promote stripping, he presents a peek behind the curtain of the dancers at work and also behind why they do what they do. The movie showcases men working hard to achieve either a life’s goal or to survive life and get by. Like the famous phrase “If you think sex workers ‘sell their bodies’, but coal miners do not, your view of labor is clouded by your moralistic view of sexuality”. The dancers are only doing a different kind of work with their bodies, they just get paid a hell of a lot more than coal miners ever did. 

Right at the end comes a hell of a punch that hits you harder than you might expect, all becuase you actually get to like every single one of the guys presented. Go see it and change your mind about male strippers for ever.

All Male, All Nude will be available to stream later this month for $9.99 only atwww.allmaleallnude.com, sign up on the site for a notification of when it’s live. Release Date is April 15th 2017

The soundtrack is by Corey Tut, check out his Bandcamp site: coreytut.bandcamp.com

LGBT Job Discrimination Is Prohibited by Civil Rights Law, Federal Appeals Court Rules

From: NBC News

A federal appeals court in Chicago ruled Tuesday that long-standing federal civil rights laws prohibit discrimination on the job against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees.

It was the first ruling of its kind from a federal appeals court.

The decision, from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago said "discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination."

Federal law forbids workplace discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, but it does not explicitly mention sexual orientation, and the U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled on the issue.

But the appeals court, in an 8-3 decision, said "it would require considerable calisthenics to remove the 'sex' from 'sexual orientation.'"

The ruling is an immediate victory for Kimberly Hively, a part-time professor who claimed she was denied a full-time post because she is a lesbian. She said Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend, Indiana, never even interviewed her for a full-time position.

Greg Nevins of the LGBT rights group Lambda Legal, which represented Hively, praised Tuesday's decision.

"Federal law is catching up to public opinion: 90 percent of Americans already believe that LGBT employees should be valued for how well they do their jobs, not who they love or who they are," said Nevins. "Now, through this case and others, that principle is backed up by the courts."

In the past, every federal appeals court to consider whether gay employees are entitled to non-discrimination protection has ruled that they are not, though the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently said they are protected.

But in Tuesday's ruling, written by Chief Judge Diane Wood, the appeals court said its conclusion was based on previous Supreme Court decisions involving employment discrimination and gay rights, "as well as the common-sense reality that it is actually impossible to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation without discriminating on the basis of sex."

Writing for the court's dissenters, Judge Diane Sykes called the ruling "momentous" but said it was the equivalent of "a statutory amendment courtesy of unelected judges," resulting in "the circumvention of the legislative process by which the people govern themselves."

The majority opinion also said it was not deciding whether the case might have come out differently had Ivy Tech been a religious institution.

"We hold only that a person who alleges that she experienced employment discrimination on the basis of her sexual orientation has put forth a case of sex discrimination" for purposes of federal civil rights law.

Last month, by a 2-1 vote, a federal appeals panel in Atlanta reached the opposite conclusion in the case of Jameka Evans, who claimed she was targeted for termination because she didn't "carry herself in a traditional woman manner" in her job as a hospital security officer.

Congress has repeatedly rejected a federal non-discrimination law for gays and lesbians, but 22 states have laws prohibiting workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. 

Al Abajian Photographed by Bruce of Los Angeles

From: Male Models Vintage Beefcake

Jimmy Hart Photographed by Bruce of Los Angeles

From: Male Models Vintage Beefcake

Heath Ledger Documentary Debuts Official Trailer on What Would Have Been His 38th Birthday

From: Towleroad

Actor Heath Ledger would have been 38 yesterday.

And Spike TV has chosen that occasion to debut the first trailer for the upcoming documentary about Ledger’s life and work, which will have its TV premiere on May 17 after a debut at the Tribeca Film Festival and a brief run in theaters.

The trailer features friends and family talking about the actor, who starred in the 2005 classic Brokeback Mountain and 17 other films, and his aspirations to be a director.

Watch:

George Michael ‘Sexual Freedom Party’ to be Held at London Park Where He Used to Cruise Men

From: Towleroad

A “Sexual Freedom Party” in honor of George Michael is being planned for April 8 on Hampstead Heath, the London park and well-known gay cruising area where Michael used to pick up men.

The party was announced by the Camden LGBT Forum and Queer Tours of London.

They write:

In the week that George Michael was finally laid to rest Camden LGBT Forum in partnership with Queer Tours of London announce they are working together to organise this event as part of a programme of activity that also marks the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967. While the passing of this law was a momentous moment in our history we know far too well that it wasn’t the end of the struggle.

This fact is highlighted very clearly by the fact that such a confident and successful individual as George Michael still found it impossible to be open about his sexuality in the late 1990’s.  His sexuality was used to both criminalise and humiliate him; sadly despite his and many others who have bravely fought back this still goes on for so many of us.  So we want to use this celebration of one of the LGBTQIA+ community’s finest to continue to challenge the barriers that still remain.

Said Queer Tours of London organizer Nell Andrew: “No longer with us but with presence stronger than ever, we gather at the world famous cruising  area on Hampstead Heath, to ‘Go Outside’ in honour of George Michael.  It will be a celebration of how he too back control after a very nasty public outing and turned it into a celebration of sexuality and sexual freedoms with the song Outside and his every statement and action following this episode said screw the judgement of others. We dance and sing and roll together and shout out, in the immortal words of George, “This Is My Culture!”

More info HERE.

Randy Rainbow Talks Taco Trucks on Every Corner with ‘Latinos for Trump’ Founder

From: Towleroad

In Randy Rainbow’s hard-hitting interview, the seasoned politico took on Latinos for Trump founder Marco Gutierrez to ask him the question on everyone’s mind: “Bitch are you crazy?”

Gutierrez made headlines and sent Twitter into a frenzy over his comments that he is supporting Donald Trump because Latino culture is a “very dominant culture” and that if we’re not careful there will be “taco trucks on every corner” in the United States.

Rainbow spoke for many when he said, “A taco truck on every corner…I don’t know that that would necessarily be a problem so much as it would be a solution to all my problems.”

Watch as Randy, Gutierrez and a second Randy weigh in on this  head-scratcher from Election 2016.

Trump’s Authoritarian Vision

From: Los Angeles Times

Standing before the cheering throngs at the Republican National Convention last summer, Donald Trump bemoaned how special interests had rigged the country’s politics and its economy, leaving Americans victimized by unfair trade deals, incompetent bureaucrats and spineless leaders.

He swooped into politics, he declared, to subvert the powerful and rescue those who cannot defend themselves. “Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it.”

To Trump’s faithful, those words were a rallying cry. But his critics heard something far more menacing in them: a dangerously authoritarian vision of the presidency — one that would crop up time and again as he talked about overruling generals, disregarding international law, ordering soldiers to commit war crimes, jailing his opponent.

Trump has no experience in politics; he’s never previously run for office or held a government position. So perhaps he was unaware that one of the hallmarks of the American system of government is that the president’s power to “fix” things unilaterally is constrained by an array of strong institutions — including the courts, the media, the permanent federal bureaucracy and Congress. Combined, they provide an essential defense against an imperial presidency.

Yet in his first weeks at the White House, Trump has already sought to undermine many of those institutions. Those that have displayed the temerity to throw some hurdle in the way of a Trump objective have quickly felt the heat.

Consider Trump’s feud with the courts.

He has repeatedly questioned the impartiality and the motives of judges. For example, he attacked the jurists who ruled against his order excluding travelers from seven majority Muslim nations, calling one a “so-called judge” and later tweeting:

Just cannot believe a judge would put our country in such peril. If something happens blame him and court system. People pouring in. Bad!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 5, 2017 

It’s nothing new for presidents to disagree with court decisions. But Trump’s direct, personal attacks on judges’ integrity and on the legitimacy of the judicial system itself — and his irresponsible suggestion that the judiciary should be blamed for future terrorist attacks — go farther. They aim to undermine public faith in the third branch of government.

The courts are the last line of defense for the Constitution and the rule of law; that’s what makes them such a powerful buffer against an authoritarian leader. The president of the United States should understand that and respect it.

Other institutions under attack include:

1

The electoral process. 

Faced with certified election results showing that Hillary Clinton out polled him by nearly 3 million votes, Trump repeated the unsubstantiated — and likely crackpot — assertion that Clinton’s supporters had duped local polling places with millions of fraudulent votes. In a democracy, the right to vote is the one check that the people themselves hold against their leaders; sowing distrust in elections is the kind of thing leaders do when they don’t want their power checked.

2

The intelligence community. 

After reports emerged that the Central Intelligence Agency believed Russia had tried to help Trump win, the president-elect’s transition team responded: “These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.” It was a snarky, dismissive, undermining response — and the administration has continued to belittle the intelligence community and question its motives since then, while also leaking stories about possibly paring and restructuring its ranks. It is bizarre to watch Trump continue to tussle publicly with this particular part of the government, whose leaders he himself has appointed, as if he were still an outsider candidate raging against the machine. It’s unnerving too, given the intelligence services’ crucial role in protecting the country against hidden risks, assisting the U.S. military and helping inform Trump’s decisions.

3

The media. 

Trump has blistered the mainstream media for reporting that has cast him in a poor light, saying outlets concocted narratives based on nonexistent anonymous sources. In February he said that the “fake news” media will “never represent the people,” adding ominously: “And we’re going to do something about it.” His goal seems to be to defang the media watchdog by making the public doubt any coverage that accuses Trump of blundering or abusing his power.

4

Federal agencies.

 In addition to calling for agency budgets to be chopped by up to 30%, Trump appointed a string of Cabinet secretaries who were hostile to much of their agencies’ missions and the laws they’re responsible for enforcing. He has also proposed deep cuts in federal research programs, particularly in those related to climate change. It’s easier to argue that climate change isn’t real when you’re no longer collecting the data that documents it.

In a way, Trump represents a culmination of trends that have been years in the making.

Conservative talk radio hosts have long blasted federal judges as “activists” and regulators as meddlers in the economy, while advancing the myth of rampant election fraud. And gridlock in Washington has led previous presidents to try new ways to circumvent the checks on their power — witness President George W. Bush’s use of signing statements to invalidate parts of bills Congress passed, and President Obama’s aggressive use of executive orders when lawmakers balked at his proposals.

What’s uniquely threatening about Trump’s approach, though, is how many fronts he’s opened in this struggle for power and the vehemence with which he seeks to undermine the institutions that don’t go along.

It’s one thing to complain about a judicial decision or to argue for less regulation, but to the extent that Trump weakens public trust in essential institutions like the courts and the media, he undermines faith in democracy and in the system and processes that make it work.

“He sees himself as not merely a force for change, but as a wrecking ball.”

Trump betrays no sense for the president’s place among the myriad of institutions in the continuum of governance. He seems willing to violate long-established political norms without a second thought, and he cavalierly rejects the civility and deference that allow the system to run smoothly. He sees himself as not merely a force for change, but as a wrecking ball.

Will Congress act as a check on Trump’s worst impulses as he moves forward? One test is the House and Senate intelligence committees’ investigation into Russia’s meddling in the presidential election; lawmakers need to muster the courage to follow the trail wherever it leads. Can the courts stand up to Trump? Already, several federal judges have issued rulings against the president’s travel ban. And although Trump has railed against the decisions, he has obeyed them.

None of these institutions are eager to cede authority to the White House and they won’t do so without a fight. It would be unrealistic to suggest that America’s most basic democratic institutions are in imminent jeopardy.

But we should not view them as invulnerable either. Remember that Trump’s verbal assaults are directed at the public, and are designed to chip away at people’s confidence in these institutions and deprive them of their validity. When a dispute arises, whose actions are you going to consider legitimate? Whom are you going to trust? That’s why the public has to be wary of Trump’s attacks on the courts, the “deep state,” the “swamp.” We can’t afford to be talked into losing our faith in the forces that protect us from an imperial presidency.

This is the third in a series.

Leonardo Pantoja by Francisco Fernandez

From: Naked Is An Art