adamfoxie*blog International

Political Elephants Graveyard

2012-02-17T00:00:00.007-05:00

Last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference was another step on the road to defeat for this year’s eventual Republican presidential nominee. Pandering to the far right in the Republican Party as exemplified by the speeches given at CPAC will only move independents more solidly into the Democratic fold.

The nation is focused on the economy and creating jobs. Congress, which can’t get its act together to move forward on a real jobs program, has reached a new low with only 10 percent of voters believing they are doing a good job. We will again have an election where Bill Clinton’s mantra, “It’s the economy stupid” will be the issue on which most voters decide who shall be our next president.

Although things still aren’t great for many Americans, the economy is slowly improving and jobs are being created. This election won’t be decided based on the actual unemployment percentages but on the trend and how confident the American people are that the trend toward an invigorated economy will continue. All indications now are that this favors a second term for Barack Obama. I have assumed that Obama will have a hard time winning this election but Republicans can blow their opportunity, and judging by the spectacle at CPAC they are doing their best to do just that.

The fight over contraception is only the latest issue for those who want to blur the separation of church and state in favor of church doctrine being imposed on everyone. The majority of Catholics use contraception and the people are clearly in favor of civil law being fairly administered especially when they understand that it is not encroaching on religious freedom. When the Republicans make this about contraception, not religion, which Santorum is leading the way on, they will lose big.

Rick Santorum standing in a church in Texas with the minister intoning and laying on hands is not how most Americans see their president. When Mitt Romney vociferously comes out against the court decision declaring Proposition 8 unconstitutional, voters can rightfully ask, “And what will your position on LGBT rights be tomorrow?”

When politicians couch everything they do in terms of “God told me to do it” or “my beliefs direct my policy” we should all be very wary. God apparently speaks differently to each of us. He/she respects that we have differences even if some of his/her followers don’t. When Newt Gingrich stands before CPAC and speaks boldly about being pro-family, but advocates for policies that are anti-woman, anti-poor, anti-LGBT and tries to portray himself as the next Ronald Reagan, you have to laugh. He speaks to this ultra-conservative group as a disgraced politician, thrice married adulterer and they applaud. Watching him and his attentive current wife Callista, you’re reminded of what Maureen Dowd recently wrote in the New York Times, “Remember anytime a mistress marries her lover it creates a job opening.”

The highlights of the candidates’ speeches to CPAC included Santorum saying “our rights don’t come from government; they come from a much higher authority” and promising, “We will surround ourselves and this administration with people who share our values.” Romney, in the midst of a host of platitudes about flag and country, said, “I prevented Massachusetts from becoming the Las Vegas of gay marriage and I will defend DOMA, and fight for a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman when I am president.”

These statements alone need to remind us that the next president may get to appoint two Supreme Court justices. The result of CPAC is that each of the candidates has made it more difficult for Republicans to meet their goal of making Obama a one-term president.

Even some supporters who see Obama as a flawed president see him as a good man. They give him high marks for keeping the nation safe and for his foreign policy. They appreciate that he is keeping his commitment to bringing our troops home and to ending the two wars he inherited from George Bush. Now they also see the beginning of an economic rebound and are realizing that his economic policies are having a positive impact on their lives and the lives of their families. From the bail out of the auto industry to the stimulus program that kept teachers and police on the job, things are slowly getting better and consumer confidence is again rising, which will lead to Obama’s re-election.

By Peter Rosenstein washingtonblade.com

Is This Homosexuality? Should We Think with The Other Brain? Video

2012-02-17T00:00:00.006-05:00

Must-see videos from Ryan James Yezak: “What Homosexuality is Not” and “It’s Time to Think Differently”

By Greg Hernandez greginhollywood.com

Videos in support of LGBT equality. I especially love the second one.

Independent filmmaker Ryan James Yezak whose trailer forSecond Class Citizens, a planned documentary about the gay rights movement, went viral almost instantaneously upon its release last month.

Santorums’ Win in MN Spells Trouble for Him and GOP

2012-02-17T00:00:00.005-05:00

Well, with Romney finishing a distant third, T-Paw is looking less influential than ever, isn't he?

Rick Santorum crushed his Republican presidential competitors during yesterday's Minnesota GOP caucus, but the victory is only as significant as the momentum it generates for his campaign in states that have more consequential primaries.

That's because Minnesota's caucus is non-binding. There are two more rounds of local GOP conventions before Minnesota officially selects a Republican nominee during the state convention coming up late this spring.

Consider 2008. That year, Romney trounced his competitors during the Minnesota caucus, winning 41 percent of the vote compared to second-place John McCain's 22 percent. But by the time the state convention came around in late May, McCain had emerged as the national choice, and the Minnesota delegates fell in line, awarding all 41 of the state's delegates to the Arizona senator.

Another factor mitigating the importance of Santorum's decisive Minnesota win was low voter turnout. This morning, NPR's Steve Inskeep mentioned that the percentage of Minnesota voters turning out for the GOP caucus was about two percent, prompting this wry response from MPR's Bob Collins:
Importantly, however, the Minnesota (and Missouri and Colorado) results show that a key swath of GOP voters are unsatisfied with the notion of Mitt Romney as the Republican presidential candidate. Furthermore, Gingrich's last-place Minnesota finish shows that the GOP's anti-Romney contingent is looking for yet another anyone-but-Romney alternative, and Santorum is the last option left standing.

As Salon's Alex Pareene writes:

Romney was far more popular with Minnesota Republicans four years ago.

Republican voters have realized (for the second or third time) that Romney is an aloof job-destroying multimillionaire rentier and Newt Gingrich is an erratic narcissist scam artist. Being mostly ignored turned out pretty well for Rick Santorum, whose repellant bigoted sanctimony reads as righteous piety to the die-hard evangelicals and old cranks actually showing up to vote in these increasingly depressing Republican contests.

Faced with uninspiring choices, the low turnout indicates many Minnesota Republicans stayed home last night. And almost half of those who turned out ended up supporting a far-right candidate who may be too divisive to defeat President Obama in a general election, prompting Minneapolis DFL operative Zack Farley to offer up the following analysis:
Meanwhile, in terms of pledged delegates, Romney continues to enjoy a large lead over the pack. Fueled by his victory in delegate-rich Florida, Romney already has secured 80 pledged delegates, compared to just 31 for second-place Gingrich, 15 for Ron Paul, and 10 for Minnesota's unofficial choice, Rick Santorum.
By Aaron Rupar
http://blogs.citypages.com

Cuba Jr’s Dad Asked Tom Cruise if He Was Gay

2012-02-17T00:00:00.004-05:00

by Stephen Gray

Cuba Gooding Jr. has said he “almost fainted” when his father asked actor Tom Cruise whether he was gay on the set of Jerry Maguire.

The American actor is to appear on Graham Norton’s show tomorrow night and has told the presenter about his experience working with Cruise on the 1996 hit film.

He describes the awkward moment when his father arrived at the studios and tackled Cruise directly on the gay rumours which have dogged the actor for years.

Gooding says: “He gave Tom Cruise a hug and said, ‘I love you man. Now seriously, are you gay or not?’ I almost fainted and thought, please Lord, let me disappear. Tom just laughed and said ‘no’.”

Gooding went on to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in that film.

Be he said he also wished people would stop saying his character’s signature line “Show me the money”.

He added: “It doesn’t go away. I get it all the time. I wish I had a wand that would make people disappear whenever they say it.

“It’s hard especially when some drunk in a bar asks and finally you say it and he says, ‘No, say it like you said it in the movie!’”

Before Jerry Maguire, Gooding had been in A Few Good Men with Cruise. The Graham Norton show airs on Fridays on BBC2.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk

Indian Court Decriminalize Homosexuality Saying It Was The British That Impose it

2012-02-17T00:00:00.003-05:00

Men kiss as they celebrate the Delhi High Court ruling decriminalising gay sex, in Mumbai. The court ruled that treating consensual gay sex as a crime is a violation of fundamental rights.

A day after raising questions over meaning of the term “order of nature” in Section 377 of the Indian penal Code (IPC), the Supreme Court on Thursday referred to sculptures of Khajuraho to emphasise that gay sex was not an offence before the British enacted the IPC in 1860.

On the second day of hearing on 16 petitions challenging the Delhi high court verdict decriminalising homosexual acts between consenting adults in private, a bench of justice GS Singhvi and justice SJ Mukopadhya said homosexuality should be viewed in the context of changing society.
“Many things, which were earlier unacceptable, have become acceptable with passage of time,” the bench told senior counsel Amarendra Sharan, who is representing the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

“Social issues could not be decided on the basis of sculptures,” Sharan replied.

“It is a reflection of society of that time and homosexuality should not be seen only in terms of sexual intercourse,” the bench, which had raised questions over the term “order of nature” in section 377 of IPC in the age of test tube babies and surrogacy, said.

“Who is the expert to define the term order of nature?” the bench had asked on Wednesday. On Thursday it said: “These things should be seen in the light of changing times where phenomena of live-in relationship, single parents and artificial fertilisation have become normal.

“Take the recent phenomena of live-in relationship, single parents and surrogacy. There is a case where a man is unmarried but wants to be a father and engage a surrogate mother. Thirty-forty years ago it was against the order of nature but now artificial fertilisation is a thriving business,” it added.

It also said many things, which were considered immoral twenty years ago, have become acceptable to society now.

Court’s specific query is an attempt to get at the bottom of the controversy surrounding Section 377 of the IPC that criminalised homosexuality before HC read it down partly. It states that a person can be prosecuted if he has “carnal intercourse” and “unnatural sex” with a man, woman or an animal.

hindustantimes.com/India

An Incomplete Victory For Gay Marriage But A Victory Still

2012-02-17T00:00:00.002-05:00

Gay rights advocates are celebrating the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional, but the legal battle for same-sex marriage is far from over. The appellate court itself was divided on the ruling, with one out of three of the judges on the panel dissenting. This particular battle for California's gay marriage rights may be nearing a decision, but the war over the issue in general is only just beginning. In response, conservative groups have already started filing an appeal to higher powers.

Meanwhile, whether or not gay couples will be allowed to marry again in California hinges on a current suspension of the case, which was issued by the court while appeals are filed. Despite the jubilant atmosphere of the LGBT community and its supporters, the reality is that the case is still up in the air.

This does not mean that there is no cause to celebrate. Despite the long process ahead before the dispute is brought before the U.S. Supreme Court, the decision of the 9th Circuit Court has set off a wave of optimism for more victories for gay rights. The very next day, the state of Washington passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. Governor Chris Gregoire is expected to sign the bill into law on Monday. New Jersey's legislature is also voting on a similar bill next week. However, these gains and others could all be threatened as decisions about Prop 8 continue to change, especially if the controversy surrounding the proposition reaches the Supreme Court.

Under the leadership of Chief Justice John G. Edwards, the conservatively-dominated Supreme Court has made a string of questionable decisions that overwhelmingly tow the GOP line. One example of these questionable decisions is in the 2012 case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, where the Supreme Court ruled that there is no law limiting the amount of money corporations spend on political campaigns. Given the pattern of recent decisions, the most likely outcome of a Supreme Court ruling would be to nullify the 9th Circuit's declaration and uphold Proposition 8's legality. Such a result would effectively legitimize discriminatory laws banning gay marriage, but would that decision be consistent with the court's mission to uphold the Constitution?

Conservative groups argue that the government must intervene in order to protect the sanctity of traditional marriage. The only problem is that such a goal runs counter to the First Amendment. Every definition of the word "sanctity" includes either the word "religion," "religious," "holiness" or "sacred".

The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion," meaning that it is not the business of the government to uphold or denigrate religious, or even irreligious, values.

Justice Hugo Black interpreted the Establishment Clause as an extension of Thomas Jefferson's belief in separation of church and state when he wrote the majority opinion in Everson v. Board of Education. Black said, "Neither [a state nor the federal government] can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another. Neither can force nor influence a person to go to or to remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion."

If the court rules in favor of upholding Proposition 8, which was brought about through the tireless efforts of religiously-based "family values" groups, they will have caved to partisanship and failed to keep religious ideology out of the American legal system. Most importantly, the 9th Circuit's decision showed that Proposition 8 also violated the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, which protects all Americans from unequal protection or discrimination under the law.

"Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples," said Judge Steven Reinhardt in the majority opinion.

Proposition 8 was written to effectively marginalize an entire segment of American society by subordinating their desires to the desires of a "moral elite," so that those moral elitists can to impose their values on the rest of the nation. Christian conservatives, whether the Supreme Court agrees with their ideology or not, ought to be aware that legalizing religious discrimination directly conflicts with every American's duty to uphold our nation's Constitution and protect the rights of all its citizens, gay or straight.

theusdvista.com By Mike Kowalski

5% of Aussie 'Rules Football' Players are Gay

2012-02-17T00:00:00.001-05:00

Jim Buzinski.

AFL's Daniel Jackson was part of a campaign against homophobia

Jeff Kennett, former Australian political official and also past president of an Australian Rules Football club, says 5% of AFL players are gay but afraid to come out.

“Not only am I not surprised at the number of players in the AFL who are suffering from stress, anxiety and depression – many of whom haven’t sought help for fear of being ridiculed or not selected – I’m also quite sure within the AFL there are a number of young men who are gay, who keep that fact to themselves, worried about how they’re going to be treated by their colleagues,” Mr Kennett told Adelaide radio station 5AA.

Mr Kennett said out of a playing group of 800, he would be “very surprised” if 40 or less weren’t gay.

Of course, the 5% figure could be applied to any sport, given that the percentage of gays in society is estimated between 3% and 10%. Kennett also runs an Australian initiative that deals with depression. He says that he now believes the climate in the AFL is good for a player to come out.

“If he were to do so, I’m quite sure the players would embrace him, I’m quite sure the sort of comments that you could imagine being said in locker rooms, would not be said if, in fact, the playing group knew that one of their own was gay or was suffering a depressive illness,” Kennett said.

On a related note, AFL player Robert Murphy decried what he calls a “sick fascination” with trying to figure out which players are gay.

“It’s about an environment of accepting not just people who are gay, but from all walks of life and different outlooks on things. The culture of footy now is one that’s very accepting. This club’s one of great acceptance.”

Asked why he regarded such curiosity as sick, Murphy said: “There’s an undertone of something that I don’t really like too much.”

The word “sick” strikes me as odd. There is a fascination simply because we know there are gay pro athletes, yet they remain hidden, and speculation is human nature.

These comments about gays in the AFL came in response to media attention Down Under to news that prominent rugby referee Matt Cecchin is gay.

Hat tip to longtime reader Noel for the items.

outsports.com

Let Them Put Aspirin Between Their Legs{Super PAC Millionaire For Santorum }

2012-02-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

In a startling outburst Thursday, the multimillionaire who’s given most to a super PAC supporting former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) for president remarked that universal contraception coverage for women shouldn’t be needed because, “Back in my day, they used Bayer aspirin for contraceptives.”

“The gals put it between their knees and it wasn’t that costly,” he told MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell.

The comment comes by way of Foster Friess, the 71-year-old multi-millionaire former investment manager who’s become the largest donor to the Red, White and Blue fund, which supports the Pennsylvania Republican.

Aspirin is a painkiller, not a contraceptive. It’s not clear exactly what Friess meant, but the seeming implication is that women should just keep their legs closed to avoid pregnancy, instead of using modern contraceptives.

The saying is an old addage that has, at least in one case, promoted the type of sexual ignorance that ruins lives. A “Dear Abby” column in 2007 addressed the very same saying by recounting the tale of a 15-year-old girl whose father told her to put an aspirin “between her knees” to avoid pregnancy. The girl’s mother wrote that she ended up pregnant after having sex at age 15, mostly because that phrase was the extent of her sexual education.

Santorum, who’s avidly anti-abortion and anti-contraception, has previously said that if he were elected president, he would ensure that criminal charges are filed against doctors who carry out abortions. He’s also called for an end to hormonal birth control, which would apply to virtually all of the most common forms of female contraception, including “the pill.”

Friess has explained he thinks Santorum would be the best candidate for Republicans because he has the least amount of political baggage out of the other leading candidates.

All private health insurance policies will be required to provide contraceptive coverage later this year as part of the Affordable Care Act’s mandate for free preventative care. Religious organizations will be exempt from paying any part of this coverage if they object, the Obama administration said last week.

Romney Signed Anti Porn Pledge, He Accepts Money From SM Porn Site Owner

2012-02-16T23:09:00.000-05:00

BY: MICHAEL MATSON

Last October, Willard Mitt Romney joined fellow GOP presidential candidates Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich in signing an anti-pornography pledge with Morality In Media, the “leading national organization opposing pornography and indecency through public education and the application of the law.”

In a written statement, Romney pledged, “(I)t is imperative that we cultivate the promotion of fundamental family values. This can be accomplished with increased parental involvement and enhanced supervision of our children. It includes strict enforcement of our nation’s obscenity laws, as well as the promotion of parental software controls that guard our children from Internet pornography.”

However, Think Progress reports that campaign filings from last September show Romney accepted the maximum campaign contribution of $2,500 from Dean Staton, the chairman of Friends Finder Networks, Inc., a company that owns (among other properties) Penthouse, LikeMyNudePhoto.com, and Bondage.com. Filings also show that Romney accepted $2,000 from Stanton and $2,300 from company CEO Mark Bell during his failed run for president in 2008.

The President and CEO of Morality in Media, Patrick Trueman, has issued a statement to Think Progress that asks Romney to return the money from Stanton:

"While Governor Romney cannot police all activities of his donors to determine whether to accept or reject donations, he would do well to return contributions from those like Daniel Staton who are know [sic] to own obscene or hardcore pornography websites once such contributions are called to his attention. We have no reason to disbelieve Mr. Romney regarding his pledge."

Think Progress has previously reported that right-wing campaigns like Morality in Media's seek to ban pornography outright, rather than enforce existing obscenity laws.

Romney's campaign has not responded yet to MIM's request to return the contribution.

gay.net

A Clip For The Woola From John Carter

2012-02-16T21:25:00.002-05:00

When Vulture recently sat you down to tell you that there may be some changes coming because we're in love with Woola now (though it doesn't mean we love you any less), there was very little footage of the ugly-adorable John Carter creature online to show you. Well, that all changes today. In a brand-new clip from Disney's megabudget sci-fi vehicle, the titular human (played by Taylor Kitsch) meets Woola, who is just happy to laze around, open his GIGANTIC MOUTH, and be friends. Carter doesn't really appreciate the animal companion at first, but wait until he sees how fast Woola can go. (Very fast!) Consider this movie's worrisome tracking problem solved! All hail Woola!

Kyle Buchanan

vulture.com

Gay Marriage Bill Sits On The Governors Desk in NJ

2012-02-16T21:11:00.001-05:00

(NEWSER) – Gay rights advocates are celebrating in New Jersey, even though their victory will be short-lived. The state Assembly today passed a bill to legalize gay marriage 42-33, with every Republican in the chamber voting against it, reports the Star-Ledger. Because the state Senate already passed it, the legislation now goes to the desk of Gov. Chris Christie, who has promised a "very swift" veto, notesAP.

"Today, the Legislature has brought us to the promised land," said the leader of the gay rights group Garden State Equality. "We know the governor won't let us enter, but we finally behold the view of our dreams and we will never turn back."

Homophobe Pat Buchanan Leaves MSNBC {Time for Champagne}

2012-02-16T20:34:00.000-05:00

Pat Buchanan after being suspended from MSNBC

last January by president Phil Griffin; Has either quit or been fired. Too early to tell for sure.

He worked for 10 years spewing hate for any body who was not an anglo-saxon in race. Racist, homophobic, anti women and living in another century that for sure did not belong to him.

To said it all, he worked for Richard Nixon. He was the communications director and speach writer for a homophobic, anti black, hispanic, women and even your dog if it did not have papers. A Lier, crook and someone who was forced out of office after the water gate scandal. That’s part of Buchanan's resume. He also ran for president but he was never a serious contender, so that would have to go under after risk* He was hired because those were the times of loud mouths super right conservative speakers that some network thought they needed after fox put out their own and radio had Limbaugh. Bye Bye and the same to You!

Adam Gonzalez, for adamfoxie*blog International

Click here to read the news on adamfoxie* after he was suspended
msnbc-dumps-buchanan-it-took-too-long.html

Whitney’s Room Is it Rented Yet?

2012-02-16T18:56:00.000-05:00

It's only been 3 days since Whitney Houston died in room 434 at the Beverly Hilton hotel ... but TMZ has learned ... the room has already been RE-OCCUPIED.

A hotel reservations agent tells TMZ, room 434 is officially back in rotation -- and someone is staying in it right now.

According to the rep, the room has become a prize for the macabre-obsessed -- we're told the agents are getting flooded with requests for the death room.

But don't count on getting in there any time soon ... we're told the room -- which rents for no less than $375/night -- is booked for the "foreseeable future." The rep wouldn't give the next available date.

TMZ.com The Picture also exclusive of tmz

{ Australia } Marriage Equality Planning a Big Ramp Up March 2

2012-02-16T00:00:00.008-05:00

After delivering 3,000 roses to the Australian parliament for Valentine’s Day, campaigners propose the world to say ‘I Do’ on 2 March

Slick same-sex marriage campaigners Australian Marriage Equality (AME) have announced they will ramp-up their already well-sustained pursuit on 2 March, with ‘I Do’ day. On that day, AME are asking for displays of support onFacebook, signatures on their petition and volunteers in capital cities across the world. The group have kept quiet about what those volunteers will be doing, but those who want to play a role should email the campaign.

AME are bound to be planning something special for the big day after their romantic gesture today (Valentines Day). According to the Sydney Morning Herald AME delivered 3,000 long-stemmed roses to MPs and Senators at Canberra’s parliament to woo them into saying yes to marriage equality.

The campaign is heating up as political support for same-sex marriage in Australia is gathering momentum. The legal and constitutional affairs committee is currently examining the issue at aSenate inquiry, Labor MP Stephen Jones announced a private member’s bill for marriage equality this week and there were signs that opposition backbench MPs would be allowed to vote independently on a marriage equality bill, improving the chance that enough MPs will support the bill for it to pass into law (as long as they like red roses).

Watch the 'I Do' campaign video here:

BY ANNA LEACH .gaystarnews.com

Is Charlie Sheen Pissed or What? { "Pile of Teaming Axx" }

2012-02-16T00:00:00.007-05:00

CHARLIE SHEEN'Men' Is a'Steaming Pile of Ass'

Charlie Sheen still has hard feelings for Warner Bros. -- CLEARLY.

Charlie tells TMZ ... he's delighted the company that fired him has sent him a cease and desist letter, warning him and his new production company not to use photos of himself from "Two and a Half Men" for his new show, "Anger Management."

Here's what Charlie told us:

"I"m thrilled. It insulates me from having to redundantly see myself in the idiotic bowling shirt. Perhaps if Warner Bros. spent as much time and energy focusing on THEIR show, it wouldn't be such a steaming pile of ass."

And we thought revenge was best served cold.

.tmz.com

Adele Surpasses Whitney {Bodyguard}

2012-02-16T00:00:00.006-05:00

Typically the Grammys boost the sales numbers of winning albums after the telecast. Considering Adele nabbed 6 awards for “21“, her sophomore effort will definitely receive a nice bump. Even though Billboard only tabulates weekly sales ending on Sunday, the effects of Adele’s big night won’t be felt til next week’s numbers. That being said, the hype surrounding her Grammy return already benefited the singer. This week, “21″ moved another 237,000 copies representing a whopping 95% increase over the previous week. Not too shabby.

With those kind of numbers, it should come as a surprise that Adele once again landed at the top of Billboard’s 200 Album chart. A few weeks ago, I wrote that the British songbird sunk the “Titanic” soundtrack and was aiming at “The Bodyguard’s” record. Well, this week Adele is only one week away from passing Whitney Houston’s record at most weeks at No. 1. Both artists topped the charts for 20 weeks each. With the Grammys inevitably giving Adele’s album a boost, she’ll break the record next week… or will she?

Though Houston didn’t win any Grammys at this year’s awards, her untimely tragic death will have a positive effect on her discography. The 48-year-old singer passed away on Saturday and immediately her singles and albums began selling like hotcakes. With only one day of sales included in this week’s tabulations, Houston saw her “Greatest Hits” compilation re-enter the Top 10 of Billboard’s 200 selling 64,000 units.

According to Nielsen SoundScan, there were more Whitney albums sold this past few days than all of 2011. Her records sold around 101,000 copies in total, which is 5,994% increase from the 2,000 sales number collected the week prior. Here’s how each some of her albums fared. Her debut “Whitney Houston” sold 8,000 units (up 3,901%), and record-breaking soundtrack LP of “The Bodyguard” pulled in 8,000 (up 5,213%). Her last album “I Look to You” garnered 5,000 copies (up 3,901%), 2nd eponymous effort “Whitney” sold 5,000 (up 2,274%), and “The Preacher’s Wife” soundtrack sold 4,000 (up 3,913%). Her singles have also seen massive boosts, most notably “I Will Always Love You” with 195,000 downloads. Other singles seeing bumps include “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, “Greatest Love of All”, “How Will I Know”, “I Have Nothing”, “Saving All My Love For You”, “One Moment In Time” and her rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner”.

If “The Bodyguard” manages to move enough units, it’ll be interesting to see if it can claim the top spot next week. Realistically though, Whitney’s “Greatest Hits” has the best shot of hitting No. 1. Either way, I predict Adele’s “21” will eventually reach 21 weeks on top. How fitting would that be? With the Brit finally releasing “Rumor Has It” as an official single in the coming weeks, that album achievement is all but a forgone conclusion. Congrats to her.

homorazzi.com

{Michael Ian Black} "if somebody wants to stick something up my aXX, that’s fine.”

2012-02-16T00:00:00.005-05:00

Michael Ian Black is notoriously self-effacing, but we don’t ever know that he’s pushed a gay joke about himself this far.

In an interview with Esquire magazine about his new book,You’re Not Doing It Right, the comic jokes, “I am so comfortable in my sexual skin right now that if somebody wants to stick something up my ass, that’s fine.”

He qualifies, though, that he’d like a whiff of Poppers first.

“Just give me the drugs,” he says. “I’ll be fine. I guess what I’m saying is, I will willingly trade drugs for gay sex.”

MIB also displays a canonical knowledge of gay slang, and he thinks that gay men don’t lust for him anymore (totally false!). Here’s a snippet from the interview:

Esquire: You describe yourself in your book with the gay slang “chicken.” I had no idea what that was, so I Googled it.

What’d you find?

You sent me down a very dangerous path, sir.

Let me guess. Chicken led you to chicken hawk. And then where did you go? Did you get to butt plugs?

We really shouldn’t—

Did you get to trunk butt?

Trunk butt? Dear God, no, I didn’t get to trunk butt.

That’s when…

Please stop. Please, just no.

Am I sharing something that’s disturbing you?

Here’s a sentence from your book: “Women don’t seem to find me nearly as adorable as do fifty-year-old men in leather pants.” Why this specific age demographic?

I probably could have gotten thirty-year-old men in leather pants, too. There was a moment in my life when I was very attractive to gay men. But that moment has since passed. I don’t get the whistles anymore. I don’t know who wants to have sex with me these days.

Queerty.com

How Does Ricky Martin Stays in Shape? He Says ‘Sex'

2012-02-16T00:00:00.004-05:00

The 'She Bangs' hitmaker - who came out as gay in 2010 - admits having three-year-old twin sons Matteo an Valentino helps him stay trim, but he likes to supplement the childcare with intimacy with his partner Carlos Gonzalez.

He told Details magazine: "I'm a father of two toddlers. And lifting them is a workout - this is biceps, this is triceps. I also try to make love. That helps."

Despite his closeness to his sons and boyfriend, Ricky admits marriage with Carlos is not on the cards at the present time.

He said: "Everybody is asking me when I'm going to get married. People that I don't know are pushing it. But it's not something that we're talking about."

Although unsure about getting hitched himself, he thinks prejudiced people should understand that "love manifests" in various ways.

He added: "I don't want to blame the government. I think there's a stolen faith - an interpretation of what God 'says'. That's your God. I have my God. It's about civil rights. I'm not telling you what to believe. I wish people understood that love manifests in different ways. Allow me to have my life and I won't mess with yours."

winnipegfreepress.com

Update:

BroadwayWorld has confirmed that in the upcoming Broadway revival of Evita, Ricky Martin will play 'Che' as originally written. A show representative revealed: 'The narrating role of “Che” is reverted to the way it was written for the original concept album – as an “everyman” of the lower/working class, serving as the voice of the people; not Che Guevara. Using Che Guevara as inspiration for the role was a choice made by Hal Prince when staging the original production.'
The musical stars Olivier Award-winning Argentinean actress Elena Roger making her Broadway debut as Eva Perón, world renowned music artist Ricky Martin as Che and Tony Award-winner Michael Cerveris as Juan Perón. The cast will also feature Christina DeCicco as the alternate for Eva Perón (Weds eve; Sat mat), Max Von Essen as Magaldi and Rachel Potter as the

Movie Maker Brett Ratner Fired For Homophobic Language { Wants to make Vids on Tolerance?? }

2012-02-16T00:00:00.003-05:00

Nikki Nelson / WENN.com

Moviemaker Brett Ratner is to team up with gay rights activists to direct a series of new videos promoting tolerance, just three months after he stepped down as the producer of the 2012 Oscars for using a gay slur.

Ratner’s resignation in November came four days after he told movie fans that “rehearsal’s for f-” at a question-and-answer session to promote his new movie “Tower Heist.”

The remark led to a weekend of outrage among gay rights groups and prompted the Rush Hour director to apologize for his slip-up.

He also met with Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) officials to discuss how he could help them rally support for program.

And now it seems he will produce and direct a video campaign for GLAAD.

He met with the group’s Board of Directors earlier this week and can’t wait to get started on his new campaign project.

A statement from Ratner reads, “Working together with GLAAD has been a very positive and enlightening experience for me, and I could not be more pleased to be developing this crucial campaign to help educate people that we all share the same humanity. I am excited to get to work on this program and hope that minds and hearts are opened by what we create.”

The upcoming video series will feature Hollywood celebrities, athletes, musicians and politicians, who will “come out of the closet” as supporters of equality. Participants will share personal stories about why and how they support the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and call on all Americans to do the same.

Nov 2011 Incident:

AP Photo/Peter Kramer

Brett Ratner resigned Tuesday as producer of next year’s Academy Awards, one day after apologizing for using a gay slur at a screening of his latest film.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed Ratner’s departure. President Tom Sherak said in a statement that the 42-year-old filmmaker “did the right thing for the academy and for himself.”

“Brett is a good person, but his comments were unacceptable,” Sherak said.Filmmaker Brett Ratner has apologized for using a gay slur at a recent movie launch event.

Previous story: The director was promoting the new film “Tower Heist” at a Los Angeles theater on Friday when he was asked about rehearsing movie scenes with his cast during a post-screening question-and-answer session.

Ratner told the event’s moderator, “Rehearsal’s for f-.”

The remark became a big item online over the weekend, prompting Ratner to issue an apology.

He writes, “I apologize for any offense my remarks caused. It was a dumb way of expressing myself. Everyone who knows me knows that I don’t have a prejudiced bone in my body. But as a storyteller I should have been much more thoughtful about the power of language and my choice of words.”

It appears his ill-judged comment won’t cost him the job of being the producer of next year’s Oscars – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak insists the director will not be asked to step down over the blunder.

Sherak says, “Brett made a very inappropriate remark, a remark that goes against our most important beliefs and the beliefs of the creative community we represent. He very quickly issued an apology because he knew he had made a mistake.

http://blog.sfgate.com/

{The Police in Bogota Says} Two Gay Priest Committed Suicide Because of AIDS

2012-02-16T00:00:00.002-05:00

Two gay Roman Catholic priests hired hitmen to kill themselves after one of them discovered he had Aids.

Rafael Reatiga, 35, and Richard Piffano, 37, who had been close friends since training, were discovered shot dead in a car in Southern Bogota, Colombia, in January last year.

Authorities initially suspected robbery but this week prosecutor Ana Patricia Larrota said investigators had determined that it was a case of suicide by hitmen.

Suicide: Colombian priests Rafael Reatiga (left) and Richard Piffano hired hitmen to kill themselves after discovering Reatiga had Aids

The priests gave members of a criminal gang the equivalent of $8,500, said chief investigator Maritza Gonzalez, as two of the four alleged assassins appeared before a judge for processing.

Gonzalez said the two priests had originally planned to throw themselves off a cliff into a canyon north of Bogota but apparently lacked the nerve.

She told the court Reatiga asked his parishioners to pray for him and gave the choirmaster a list of songs for his funeral shortly before the bodies were discovered.

In addition to Aids, Reatiga had syphilis and witness testimony indicated he was a regular visitor to places frequented by gays in central Bogota.

The bodies of the two priests were discovered in car in southern Bogota, Colombia (pictured)

Three weeks before their deaths, Reatiga had transferred his possessions to his mother.

Piffano withdrew about $3,700 from his bank account on the day of his death, Gonzalez said.

Investigators said they located the alleged killers based on telephone numbers the priests had called from their cell phones in the days before their deaths.

Authorities found the stolen cell phone of one of the priests on a gang member months after the killing.

Some of the numbers ended up belonging to a criminal band involved in counterfeiting, fraud and arms trafficking, they said.

It allegedly supplied the killers, including two who authorities say remain at large.

By DANIEL MILLER dailymail.co.uk

{New Study Shows} Gut Bacteria is Keeping The Gut Up

2012-02-16T00:00:00.001-05:00

A new animal study published in this month's issue of the Journal of Proteome Research suggests that bacteria living in the large intestine may play a role in obesity by slowing down the activity of energy-burning brown fat. The researchers said their findings could spur new ways to prevent obesity and promote weight loss, for example by pointing to new drug targets and microbial treatments.

There are two types of fat or adipose tissue in the body: brown fat and white fat. Brown fat burns calories when stimulated (it even burns white fat), while white fat stores energy (calories) and makes hormones.

Brown fat exists in small deposits in the neck area and elsewhere, whereas white fat deposits as flab around the waist and buttocks.

Everyone has both brown fat and white fat, but the amounts vary. Recent evidence suggests thin people have more brown fat than overweight and obese people. Young, healthy women have the most brown fat, while overweight adult men have the least.

In healthy humans, like other mammals, the large intestine is home to trillions of bacteria that help digest food and do other essential things like make vitamins.

Recently we have discovered that gut bacteria also interact with the rest of the body in some surprising ways, for instance they fine tune the immune system, and influence how we use and store energy.

And this is the first study to examine if gut bacteria influences brown fat, said the researchers, from Imperial College, London, UK, and the Nestlé Research Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland.

They ran a series of experiments where they compared regular mice with normal gut bacteria, and "germ-free" mice, bred to lack bacteria in their large intestine.

They found that brown fat in the germ-free mice appeared to be more active and burned calories faster than in the regular mice.

They also found that large-intestine bacteria seemed to be associated with gender differences in weight. br>
Regular male mice were heavier and fatter than their female counterparts, but there were no such differences in the bacteria-free mice.

And they noticed major differences in the interactions between male and female mice and their intestinal bacteria that might shed light on why the obesity epidemic is developing faster in women.

One theory the researchers proposed, was that gut bacteria contribute to host energy metabolism by producing short chain fatty acids through the fermentation of carbohydratesthat would remain undigested if they weren't present.

When the bacteria are not there, the short chain fatty acids are not produced, and this disrupts a number of metabolic processes, thereby triggering calorie burning (lipolysis activity) in both the brown fat and the liver.

The researchers suggest their findings could help find new ways to treat or prevent obesity, for instance by boosting the energy burning activity of brown fat.

The study was funded by Nestlé as part of the Imperial College London-Nestlé strategic alliance.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD
Medical News Today

{Cenk Comfronts Breibart } “Stop Having Sex in Bathrooms"

2012-02-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

Posing a hypothetical on his show Tuesday night, “The Young Turks” host Cenk Uygur asked flamboyant conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart if it would be fair to say to all conservatives: “Stop having gay sex in bathrooms!”

The bizarre exchange was part of Cenk’s rebuttal to Breitbart’s recent outburst at “Occupy” protesters who gathered at last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). In video of the confrontation, Breitbart shouts that members of the 99 Percent movement should “stop raping people,” a reference to reports of crime and sexual assaults at some “Occupy” camps.

Breitbart, to his credit, called the comment a “stunt” meant to leap past mainstream editors and into the public dialogue immediately, and he went on to castigate media outlets for failing to cover crimes committed at occupy encampments. Cenk fired back, bringing mainstream excerpts and a clip from The Huffington Post, insisting that Breitbart is wrong to characterize the media as absent.

That’s when Cenk hit a line-drive off Breitbart’s rape comment.

“So what you’re doing is you’re smearing the entire movement with what some people — who oftentimes, in almost all these instances came into abuse the people that were in that movement — can I then paint with the same broad stroke that you are part of a group, Republicans and conservatives, who like to have gay sex in bathrooms and then gay sex with prostitutes and then smoke crack off their ass? And then I come up to you and your group of friends and started saying ‘Hey! Stop having gay sex in bathrooms! Stop having gay sex in bathrooms! Behave yourselves!’ Would that be fair?”

Breitbart joked that he couldn’t wait to “isolate that clip for the fun of it” and publish it on the Internet — which, ironically, is precisely what he did to former U.S. Department of Agriculture employee Shirley Sherrod, taking a portion of a speech she gave to the NAACP and editing it to make her sound like an overt racist so he could claim evidence of a pro-black conspiracy within the Obama administration.

After she lost her job for what turned out to be a speech about tolerance and overcoming prejudice,Sherrod sued Breitbart for defamation, insisting that the video was “deceptively edited.” The defamation lawsuit is still lingering in the court system, but last week an appeals judge placed it on hold pending a lower court’s explanation of why it denied an earlier motion to dismiss.

This video was broadcast by Current TV on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012.

By Stephen C. Webster rawstory.com