Pulse Nightclub Survivors Will Share Their Harrowing Stories On “True Life: We Are Orlando”

The first-of-its-kind docuseries premieres today on MTV's social media channels.
From: NewNowNext

Four survivors of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub last month will tell their stories in an upcoming MTV True Life special called True Life: We Are Orlando.

MTV announced the historic special today along with a new digital docuseries that will precede it, allowing viewers to meet the subjects and follow their stories in real time on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Tumblr while the special is still in production.

According to producers, the “first-of-its-kind format will give viewers the chance to meet heroes and survivors of the attack, hear what happened inside Pulse nightclub, support the entire Orlando community and never forget the innocent lives lost.”

The social docuseries will include “exclusive footage of the subjects of the episode which will not be included in the final TV episode,” the network said in a statement, “as well as interviews and footage of other LGBTQ community members from Orlando who will not appear during the one-hour TV episode, but who were in Pulse during the attack or were impacted by the shooting.”

Among the survivors at the heart of the special are Tony Marrero, Patience Carter, Tiara Parker, and Joshua McGill.

Their stories are as follows:

Tony Marrero

Tony was shot four times during the attack, including once in the back. He faces a long road ahead as he heals from his physical wounds, but is finding it more challenging to accept the loss of his best friend Luis Vielma, who was killed in the attack, and also come to terms with the guilt he feels over being forced to leave an unknown club patron behind as he called for help while Tony crawled out of the club.

Patience Carter & Tiara Parker

While on vacation from Philadelphia, Patience, Tiara and Tiara’s cousin Akyra headed to Pulse for a night out. The three young women hid in a bathroom during the attack where they were shot and trapped in the room with the shooter during his three hour standoff with the police. Patience and Tiara are now starting therapy to deal with the unspeakable actions that they witnessed and begin to move forward.

Joshua McGill

During the attack, Joshua fled over the back wall of the club and hid behind a car where he heard a stranger crying out for help. The injured man was Rodney Sumter, a bartender at the club and father of two, who had been shot multiple times. Joshua crafted a tourniquet out of his shirt to stop the bleeding in both of Rodney’s arms. A police officer then instructed Josh to lie down in the back of his car with Rodney on top of him and squeeze his back to constrict the blood from a third wound as they drove to the hospital – where the two men were separated before Josh had a chance to learn Rodney’s fate.

MTV will begin airing footage on their Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Tumblr beginning Monday, July 25 leading up to the premiere of True Life: We Are Orlando on Monday, August 15 at 8pm.

Kim Chi, Willam, Mariah, Alaska And Laganja Get “Expensive” With Todrick Hall

Check out those ruby Tims!
From: NewNowNext

 Todrick Hall enlisted Drag Race royalty for his new visual album “Straight Outta Oz,” a spectacular treat for the eyes that he dropped in June.

Now, a month later, we’ve got his original song “Expensive” stuck in our heads as he’s pulled a Beyoncé and dropped a standalone video for the catchy new single.

In it, Todrick and his video vixens — Kim Chi, Willam, Mariah, Alaska and Laganja — saunter around an upscale boutique as he raps about the finer things in life, like a pair of ruby Timberland boots:

“This shit is expensive / Don’t ask where I bought it / It’s none of your business” the group sings, serving high fashion lewks for the camera. THIS is our jam for the weekend.

Check it out below:

Keegan Allen On His “Intense” Research Into Gay Porn For “King Cobra”

"I really loved my character—I don't know how a lot of people are going to feel about him."

From: NewNowNext

 Logo hit the red carpet at L.A.’s Outfest to talk to the cast of the new gay-porn drama, King Cobra.

Based on a true story, the film explores the events leading up to the murder of producer Bryan Kocis at the hands of porn actors Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes.

 In the film, directed by Justin Kelly (I am Michael), Christian Slater plays a Kocis-type character who discovers rising star Brent Corrigan (former Disney star Garrett Clayton) and is then targeted by Kerekes (James Franco) and Cuadra (Keegan Allen).

Allen told us the real-life aspects of the story appealed to him, but he needed a crash course in gay smut.

“I didn’t know anything about the gay porn industry going in,” the Pretty Little Liar actor admitted. “I did a lot of research—obviously it was very intense.”

 Despite his character’s homicidal tendencies, Allen said he found him appealing.

“It was kind of beautiful. I really loved my character—I don’t know how a lot of people are going to feel about him,” he said. “I had to find the love for him. It opened my mind to what these guys go through… and how much of a struggle it is.”

Watch Allen on the red carpet below, along with co-star Alicia Silverstone talking about how erotic she found the film to be, Garrett Clatyon on how “aggressive” shooting was and more.

King Cobra was recently picked up for distribution by IFC Films.

Freddie Smith Back On “Days Of Our Lives” This Week As Gay Fave Sonny Kiriakis

"This is home. It's where I belong."

From: NewNowNext

 Freddie Smith returns to NBC’s Days Of Our Lives this week, reprising his role as gay character Sonny Kiriakis, which earned him an Emmy and countless fans.

Smith last appeared on Days back in October, when Sonny left town after the murder of his husband, Will. He’ll be reintroduced in tomorrow’s episode, and will be reunited with his first love, former baseball player Paul Narita (Christopher Sean), on Thursday.

Will the now-widowed Sonny rekindle that romance? (Smith is back under contract with the show, so this isn’t a one-time appearance.)

In a Facebook Live Q&A yesterday, Smith teased that “first love never really goes away.”

Debbie Wasserman Schultz Booed Offstage At Pre-Convention Event

"You rigged the election!"
From: NewNowNext

Debbie Wasserman Schultz-who stepped down as Democratic National Committee Chair yesterday-was met with “boos” from the crowd at a breakfast for Florida delegates this morning in Philadelphia. You can hear attendees heckling her in the video below:

Debbie Wasserman Schultz gets heckled & booed while speaking at Philadelphia breakfast. Full Shame Nun treatment 🔔 pic.twitter.com/wOCGFOYF15

— David Mack (@davidmackau) July 25, 2016

Wasserman Schultz resigned as DNC Chair yesterday amidst leaked emails that showed high ranking Democratic party officials trying to deride Bernie Sanders’ campaign for President.

Her role has been dramatically reduced at this week’s Democratic Convention, but she will still open and close the four day long event being held in Philadelphia.

Party vice-chair Donna Brazile will serve as interim chairwoman once the convention ends.

Cristiano Ronaldo And Conor McGregor Got Sticky And Sweaty Together In Vegas

Are we seeing the birth of a new pro-athlete bromance?
From: NewNowNext

 Sometimes celebrities really do hang out together: Soccer champ Cristiano Ronaldo got palsy with UFC fighter Conor McGregor in Las Vegas this weekend, when the two premier athletes showed off their fine forms.

On Sunday, Ronaldo posted an Instagram with McGregor in the ring—oddly tagging it with an emoji that says “Top.” (Ahem.)

 McGregor, who just posed nude for ESPN magazine’s Body Issue, posted one as well—we’re actually not sure who’s more shredded.

And both men attended Jennifer Lopez’s 49th birthday party over the weekend, as well.

Happy birthday Miss Jennifer Lopez! What a woman! What a night! @jlo

A photo posted by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on Jul 25, 2016 at 1:58am PDT

Happy birthday J!👏🎂😘

A photo posted by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) on Jul 24, 2016 at 11:12pm PDT

Both Ronaldo and McGregor also posted some poolside pics—with McGregor joking he was going to out-tan the soccer star.

Favorite Pic Series Of The Day: July 25, 2008

From: Favorite Hunks & Other Things

Boys Banned From Wearing Shorts At School Wear Skirts Instead

The boys wore the skirts to cool off, but also to comment on their school's discriminatory dress code.
From: NewNowNext

 When a group of four male students showed up to Longhill High School in Brighton, UK wearing non-regulation shorts on the hottest day of the year, they were turned away and told to return the next day in proper uniform attire.

Instead of complying by donning the school’s official trousers, however, the boys decided to use the school’s gender-neutral uniform code to their advantage by showing up in skirts.

The teenagers, Michael Parker, Kodi Ailing, George Boyland and Jesse Stringer, wore the skirts partially as a joke but also to make a statement about a dress code that has no summer option for male students.

While teachers and female students are permitted to wear shorts and skirts during the summer, boys are only allowed to wear long pants, which students and parents alike believe is particularly unreasonable given the school’s lack of air conditioning and the recent spate of 90-degree heat.

Speaking to the Metro, Parker’s mother Angela said, “On Tuesday, the hottest day of the year so far, several of the boys…[were] told they [were] not allowed to wear shorts, even though girls are allowed to wear short skirts with bare legs and stay cool.”

She went on to say that the dress code is “discriminatory against boys,” calling the regulations “hypocritical” as “male teachers were wearing shorts and t-shirts” when the male students were reprimanded.

Head of school Kate Williams has since responded that it’s perfectly acceptable for the boys to wear skirts to school, saying, “Students can choose to wear any part of the agreed school uniform.”

DNC Statement On Released Emails

Billy Eichner Goes IN On Mike Pence For His Anti-LGBT Platform

"There is no way I will survive Mike Pence doing Carpool Karaoke."
From: NewNowNext

 Our favorite difficult person Billy Eichner stopped by The Late Show to chat with host Stephen Colbert about something different for him: politics.

Usually Eichner sticks to insulting celebrities and confused civilians on the street, but after the Republican National Convention the out comedian couldn’t stay silent any longer.


On the talk show he went after Donald Trump and his running mate Mike Pence who has an anti-LGBT past-including believing in conversion therapy for gay people.

“It’s not only just the policies — it’s also the other things they have to do now,” Eichner complained to Colbert the night of Trump’s RNC speech. “There is no way I will survive Mike Pence doing Carpool Karaoke. What song’s he gonna sing? ‘I Deported Your Grandmother’?”

But Eichner has his own form of conversion therapy he wants to pitch to Pence-and it involves Pence’s wife.

“So here’s my idea,” said Eichner. “I have asked on my show, ’who’s hotter: Barack Obama or Abraham Lincoln?’ I usually say Barack Obama, but I now actually want a three-way with Mike and Karen Pence. Because if you think you can convert me, I want to see you try. Bring it on, Karen Pence!”

Baker Who Refused Gay Wedding Cake Takes His Case To The Supreme Court

"I’m not running a sandwich shop or a café, and I’m not just a cake baker," declares Colorado's Jack Phillips. "I’m also a cake artist."
From: NewNowNext

 A Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple is petitioning the Supreme Court to hear his case, putting LGBT rights back before the highest court in the land.

Jack Phillips, owner of Denver’s Masterpiece Cakeshop, declined to make a cake for Charlie Craig and David Mullins back in 2013. Colorado civil-rights law bans discrimination in public accommodation, so the couple sued Phillips—and Masterpiece was ordered to change its policy.


 Phillips appealed but the Colorado Supreme Court declined to hear his case. So, on Friday, he filed a petition with the Supreme Court to hear his case.

“I’m not running a sandwich shop or a café, and I’m not just a cake baker. I’m also a cake artist. And, like all artists, I communicate messages through what I create,” he wrote in an op-ed in the Denver Post. “It’s not about selling cookies or cupcakes—it’s about investing some part of my creative soul into communicating an idea my heart rejects.”

Phillips is being represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, which has previously defended the Boy Scouts’ ban on gay troop leaders, California’s Prop 8 and a wedding photographer who refused to shoot a civil union. (The ADF also established the “Day of Truth” in response to GLSEN’s Day of Silence, claiming students who speak out against homosexuality are punished by schools.)

“No one—not Jack or anyone else—should be forced by the government to further a message that they cannot in good conscience promote,” said attorney Jeremy Tedesco. “And that’s what this case is about.”


Not everyone sees it that way, of course: “Everyone has a right to their religious beliefs,” says Mark Silverstein of the ACLU of Colorado. “But business owners cannot rely on those beliefs as an excuse to discriminate against prospective customers.”

While it’s not likely the Supreme Court will take up Philips case, it’s only a matter of time before it does address the issue.

Australian Football League Launches First Ever Pride Match

“We want the LGBTIQ community to feel welcome and safe at AFL games and free to be themselves.”

From:NewNowNext

 The St. Kilda Football Club and the Sydney Swans will compete in the first annual AFL Pride game this August in an attempt to break down the anti-LGBT stereotypes of the sport.


 When the two clubs meet for the game on August 13, they’ll be decked out in full rainbow regalia, with rainbow-colored socks, guernseys and even playing balls.

For both the Swans and St. Kilda, it’s important to create a safe space for fans of all gender and sexual identities to come enjoy rugby.

“Sadly, we know from research that many in the LGBTIQ community do not feel safe at sporting events and do not feel they can truly be themselves at sporting clubs,” explained St. Kilda CEO Matt Finnis. “We want the LGBTIQ community to feel welcome and safe at AFL games and free to be themselves.”

“The Sydney Swans are very proud to be playing in the AFL’s first Pride Game against St Kilda,” agreed Swans CEO and Managing Director Andrew Ireland. “We aim to be a leader in offering an open, safe and inclusive environment that celebrates diversity.”


 Fans and players alike are eagerly anticipating the match, which many are regarding as an important step for the Australian sports community.

For VicHealth’s Mental Wellbeing Program Manager Irene Verins, the game is important for “raising public awareness and educating the whole AFL community about how they can become more inclusive for LGBTIQ supporters, players and officials.”

 Jason Ball, who in 2012 became the first male Australian Rules football player at any level to publicly come out, says the game will send a powerful message to LGBTQ youth that the world of sports is not a world they need to fear.

“Growing up, the footy club was the one place I thought I’d never be accepted. Homophobic language was routinely used on the field and it left me scared to be myself,” Ball said.

“I’ve seen the impact a Pride Game had in my local community; it has changed the culture of clubs and created a safer, more inclusive environment for all players and supporters,” he continued. “I am so proud to see it taken to the national stage and I have no doubt it will be a life-changing event for many within the AFL family.”


The game will take place on August 13 in Melbourne.

John Barrowman Is King Of Cosplay At San Diego Comic-Con

Squirrel Girl!
From: NewNowNext

One of our favorite things about San Diego Comic Con, is all the cosplay in effect. John Barrowman has  snatched the crown for best costumes at the annual pop-culture confab.

He might also get the award for most costume changes.

Here’s Barrowman as Marvel’s Squirrel Girl.

Chauvinist space captain Zapp Brannigan from Futurama.

It can be hard for celebs to peruse SDCC without being molested by throngs of fans, so many wear disguises. Here’s John as a cross-dressing Kylo Ren from Star Wars.

He ended his Friday as Harley Quinn (classic version).

Of course, he wear his civvies for some of the con, like when he got a kiss from geek heartthrob Chris Hardwick.

And this sci-fi manwich with Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk and Casper Van Dien.

And licked balls with Stephen Amell.

The two Arrow stars also donned high heels for a panel (allegedly for charity).

Do you have a Barrowman sighting at SDCC? Share with the group in the comment section!

Hillary Clinton Visits Pulse Nightclub, Talks With Victims’ Families

"It is still dangerous to be LGBT in America. It is an unfortunate fact but one that needs to be said."

From: NewNowNext

 Hillary Clinton paid an emotional visit to the site of Pulse nightclub in Orlando Friday after meeting with victims’ families and community leaders earlier in the day.

Clinton visited the makeshift memorial at the site alongside Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer and state Sen. Bill Nelson. Together, they added a bouquet of white roses to the ever-expanding collection of tributes.

 Before her trip to the memorial, Clinton met with the families of the victims of the June 12 mass shooting. Afterwards, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee gathered with local community leaders for a roundtable discussion about the attack and the work that needs to be done to protect those groups most affected by it.

“I’m really here to listen to what your experiences have been,” Clinton said during the meeting.

“We need to acknowledge and be very clear who this attack targeted,” Clinton continued. “The Latino LGBT community by any measure was the community that was the most severely impacted by this terrible attack.”

“It is still dangerous to be LGBT in America. It is an unfortunate fact but one that needs to be said.”

 Coming in the wake of this past week’s Republican National Convention, in which the GOP touted the most anti-LGBT platform in the party’s history, Clinton’s remarks held a special weight for the group of activists gathered at the meeting.

In addition to Clinton, the group included Equality Florida’s Carlos Guillermo-Smith and Ida Eskamani, Imam Muhammad Musri, president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, Terry DeCarlo, of The Center and Orlando SWAT Capt. Mark Canty.

“We have to be willing to stand as one and demand changes from lawmakers at the federal, state and local level. We have a lot of work ahead of us,” added Clinton.

After her statement, those assembled commended Clinton for not politicizing the event and for allowing the community time to grieve before coming to pay her respects. As Orlando city commissioner Patty Sheehan put it, “Thank you for…waiting until we were ready.”

Following her visit to Orlando, Clinton boarded a plane for a rally at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa before heading to Philadelphia for the Democratic National Convention.

#Thinkin

Celebrating Today July 25th

From: NewNowNext

 Actor Jay. R. Ferguson turns 42 today. (I remember him as a kid from Evening Shade).

 Actor Juan Pablo Di Pace turns 37 today.

 Actor Matt Leblanc turns 49 today.

 Actor Mauricio Aspe turns 43 today.

 Actor Stéphane Rideau turns 40 today.