Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Academy Award for Best Actor

1981
Henry Fonda 
as
Norman Thayer, Jr.
On Golden Pond
Henry Jaynes 'Hank' Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American film and stage actor with a career spanning more than five decades.

Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins. He made his Hollywood debut in 1935, and his career gained momentum after his Academy Award-nominated performance as Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, a 1940 adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel about an Oklahoma family who moved west during the Dust Bowl. Throughout six decades in Hollywood, Fonda cultivated a strong, appealing screen image in such classics as The Ox-Bow Incident, Mister Roberts and 12 Angry Men. Later, Fonda moved both toward darker epics such as Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West and lighter roles in family comedies such as Yours, Mine and Ours with Lucille Ball, winning the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 54th Academy Awards for the movie On Golden Pond, his final film role.

Fonda was the patriarch of a family of famous actors, including daughter Jane Fonda, son Peter Fonda, granddaughter Bridget Fonda, and grandson Troy Garity. His family and close friends called him "Hank". In 1999, he was named the sixth-Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute.

Rafael Nadal Plays a Little ‘Strip Tennis’ Before the U.S. Open

From: kenneth in the (212)


Best quote from The New York Times piece about the famous underwear model:
"We’re doing reverse sexism here,” said Jane Lynch, the “Glee” actress and comedian who is gay and served as the match’s umpire. “This is great. Especially the part about Rafa in his underwear. Because that could turn a girl straight, if you know what I mean.”


And this Eric Decker-looking model will do ..

R&B/Pop Sensation Strips Down For The Underwear Expert

From: The Underwear Expert
 Rising R&B/Pop sensation Ricky Jarman is more than just that nice boy next door with the bad boy charm. With his playfulness, his sensual falsetto, his hip-hop dance moves, his broad appeal to a wide audience and his athletic and sexy physique, Ricky Jarman draws tons of “oohs” and “ahs” wherever he performs.


 David Linton, former Senior Vice President of R&B Promotions/Marketing at Capitol Records, says, “Ricky Jarman: if you don’t know the name, you will. This young man has been paying his dues and putting down some smooth sounds. His tenacity and penchant for success will pay off. His work ethic reminds me of a young Usher.”


 Ricky Jarman has been featured in numerous venues, publications, and websites including MTV-U, the 2014 Canadian Music Festival, two covers of GET OUT Magazine, Black Dragon Live, Adelante Magazine, and the Carolina Music Festival.  Ricky has also opened for Grammy nominee J. Cole, and he has spent this hot New York summer performing on stages like Jones Beach and the famed Bitter End.


 DNA Magazine (Australia) did an interview and story on him as the “Channing Tatum of Pop.” After seeing these sexy shots of Ricky in underwear, swimwear, and “almost-nothing”-wear, we can see why.



 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Question of the Day...

From: Wicked Gay
Do you think gay couples are more sexually “liberated” than straight couples, or is it more a gender issue? (ie women need a reason, men just need a place )

Queer Films You Ought To Know: “Tongues Untied"

Marlon Riggs' seminal semi-documentary reminded America that black gay lives matter
From: NewNowNext
 When Marlon Riggs’ Tongues Untied premiered on PBS in July 1991, it courted controversy with conservative politicians and pundits, who were outraged that public money was used to fund a work that indicted majority culture, and particularly the treatment of black gay people, and that depicted nudity and gay-male lovemaking.

Arch conservatives like Jessie Helms and Pat Buchanan cited the semi-documentary as an example of how President George H. W. Bush was using taxpayer’s money to fund “pornographic art.”


But Riggs’ film, aided by the intensely personal spoken-word poetry of Essex Hemphill, cannot be underestimated: It took on rampant racist and homophobic ideologies in our country with a radical and satirical viewpoint, and addressed the scourge of the AIDS epidemic head on. (No wonder Buchanan and his cronies felt threatened.)

Perhaps the most eloquent PBS special ever, Tongues Untied is a queer film you ought to know.


What’s It About?
In a nutshell, Tongues Untied is an account of the black gay experience in a society flummoxed by the existence of both.

But it shuns a traditional narrative thrust, opting for a surreal, intense build-up of thematically unified sketches that run the gamut from the humorous—like a bit involving a “snapping tutorial” that teaches viewers about the purpose of and dexterity needed for different snaps—to the downright tragic—like an eerily silent scene of a hate crime perpetrated right before our eyes.

While much of Untied is scripted, you’ll never doubt that Riggs, Hemphill, or the other men in the film are drawing from anything but reality.


The most personal account we receive is from Riggs himself: He recounts his experience of growing up in the South, where everyone knew he was gay before he had even identified himself that way. “Punk,” they called him; then worse names: “homo, queer, faggot.”

He was also shunned by the black community because his academic interests. (He ended up attending Harvard and UC-Berkeley.)

Riggs also details his move to San Francisco, and his concern that he was not attracted to men of his own race.


More than anything, though, the film evokes a communal anger toward the norms of American society. It’s a manifesto on the validity of the black gay experience, and a refusal to be dismissed or go unheard.

Why Does It Matter?


It’s An Uncensored, Unmitigated Critique
There is quiet rage in Tongues Untied that’s undeniable. Every ounce of this lean discourse (which clocks in at just 55 minutes) is a pointed critique—of the heterosexist majority, of white communities, and of straight black communities as well.


The fact that Riggs was able to get it seen on national television is remarkable—and a feat likely impossible today—even though its more resonant than ever.

Bold Sexuality
As I mentioned, there are glimpses of nudity and carnal pleasure. The eroticism of these moments is defined less by the flesh on display, though, and more by the radical reclamation of black male bodies.


“Black men loving black men is a revolutionary act,” reads a sign a man carries in a Pride march shown in the film. And in 1991, putting that love to film was more than many people could handle. Riggs and Co. were dismantling the stereotypes and lies told about their bodies for decades, and claiming themselves as living, breathing, desirous individuals.

“Whatever awaits me, this much I know,” intones Riggs at film’s end: “I was blind to my brothers’ beauty and now I see my own. Dead to the voice that believed we were worth wanting, loving each other, now I hear.”

The Artistic Form
Tongues Untied works combines varied styles and narrative techniques—including pseudo-PSAs, after-school specials, dance sequences, and even recording sof Eddie Murphy’s homophobic stand-up. We are taken in and out of the surreal and rocketed straight into the all-too-real.

Tongues Untied can be a difficult film, but it is a necessary and revolutionary one, as well. It is at once damning and uplifting, and will make you think more on the intersectionality of race, gender and sexuality in America.

Where Have I Seen Them Before?


 The Director/Star
Marlon Riggs made a massive cultural impact before his death, from AIDS-related causes, in 1994. As a filmmaker, poet, and writer, Riggs’ work beyond Tongues Untied was seen multiple times on PBS—he was even awarded an Emmy—and shorts and docs like Ethnic Notions, Anthem, and Black Is…Black Ain’t marked him as a foremost voice among black experimental filmmakers.


The Poet
Essex Hemphill’s poetry and essays have appeared in numerous written publications, including Essence and The Advocate, and his poetry collection Ceremonies focuses a great deal on the black gay experience.

In 1993 he was named a Pew Fellow in the Arts. Hemphill died two years later, also of AIDS-related causes.

Classic Television - Prime Time

Make Room for Granddaddy
Original channel
ABC
Original run
September 23, 1970  –  March 18, 1971
Starring
Danny Thomas
Marjorie Lord
Angela Cartwright
Michael Hughes
Rusty Hamer
Sid Melton
Roosevelt Grier
There was a CBS reunion special, Make Room for Granddaddy, in 1969. The special did so well that it was picked up as a series by CBS but Thomas considered the slot they gave it to be a death slot and pulled the show.
ABC brought it back on a weekly basis in 1970, in Make Room for Granddaddy. For the series premiere, Sherry Jackson reprised her role of oldest daughter Terry. There was no mention of her husband Pat Hannigan. Instead, for this new version of the series, Terry's husband was named Bill, who was a soldier. In this episode, Terry left her son, 6-year-old Michael (played by Michael Hughes) in the care of his grandparents (Danny and Kathy) so she could join Bill, who was stationed overseas. In addition to Marjorie Lord, Rusty Hamer, and Angela Cartwright, the only other returning regulars were Sid Melton as Charley Halper and Hans Conried as Uncle Tonoose. During that season, new characters were played by Stanley Myron Handelman and former football player Roosevelt Grier. The show lasted only one year, producing 24 episodes; its cancellation came at a time when the networks were purging content favoring older, rural and other less affluent viewers due to the loss of a half-hour of daily program time in 1971. According to Marjorie Lord, the series faced many obstacles including the unprofessionalism and inexperience of the child actor Michael Hughes; the absence of Sheldon Leonard as producer/director to control Thomas and improve the quality of the scripts; and the fact that ABC switched the time slot of the show from Wednesday nights at 8:00 P.M. to Thursday nights at 9:00 P.M. As a result, the ratings went from mediocre to poor. (from The Lucy Book by Geoffrey Mark Fidelman - Renaissance Books. On page 269, Marjorie Lord and Angela Cartwright talk about Lucille Ball's guest appearance on Make Room For Granddaddy as well as the series itself.)

Priest Raped Teen Boy, Told Him God Wanted It To Happen Then Fled The Country

From: Queerty
A Catholic priest has admitted to having sex with a 15-year-old boy before fleeing the country and his victim is suing the church, according to The New Civil Rights Movement.

The 15-year-old boy visited a confession booth at his Catholic Church and told the priest that he was confused about his sexuality, reports Raw Story.

Weeks later, the victim claims Rev. Manuel Gallo Espnoza raped him in a rectory bedroom at St. Mary’s Church in Plainfield, New Jersey, as NJ.com detailed in their exclusive report.

The victim told NJ.com, “I saw him as a priest, and that’s it. I didn’t even know who was in the confessional when I went in there.”

He claims the priest told him, “Don’t worry. This is what God wants.”

The victim says that he asked Espinoza to drive him home, but the priest insisted he stay in one of the church’s bedrooms.

“I just felt something very heavy on top of me,” he said. “It hurt. I was in pain. My eyes popped open, and he had his whole body on top of me. He started touching me and kissing me. I was shaking. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t talk.”

Rev. Espinoza says he quit the priesthood — but he was in fact suspended. He also “deflected blame for the incident by saying the teen ‘wanted’ it and had ‘evil in his mind,’” according to NJ.com.

Espinoza admits his actions were a “mistake,” and said he fled to Ecuador shortly after the rape was reported to a nun:


“One thing that I am conscious (of) is he was at that time a teenager, and it is a big mistake for me. But I didn’t force him to do anything he didn’t want. He was older (sic) enough to walk away, but I think that I was attracted to him, that is the only explanation that I can think right now. He had something evil in his mind. He approached me many times.”

NJ.com asked Espinoza if he knew having sex with a minor was a serious offense. He wrote back via email: “I just came fr (sic) my country and really in Ecuador a person at 15 years old is not consider (sic) so innocent.”

Authorities might attempt to extradite Espinoza back to the U.S., as he’s currently the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Union County’s Prosecutor’s Office, according to The New Civil Rights Movement.

Pornstars Read Mean Comments

From: Accidental Bear
I just want to lay down next to Danny D with my head on his chest, and do finger circles around his nipples playing with his chest hair. No harm in that.

Video from 4YallEntertainment

“After nearly 4 million views and counting on the first installment, Pornhub and Brazzers have teamed together with Brampton-based YouTube comedy group 4YallEnt! to deliver “Pornstars Read Mean Comments 2.” A riff on Jimmy Kimmel’s popular “Celebrities Read Mean Tweets” segment, the second installment includes new pornstars such as Johnny Sins, Kissa Sins, Peta Jensen, Phoenix Marie, Veronica Vain, and Monique Alexander.”

A Shirtless Rafael Nadal At A Tommy Hilfiger Event

From: Dlisted
Tennis-playing Spanish hot piece Rafael Nadal is the new crotch and ass of Tommy Hilfiger chonies and yesterday, he went to work promoting it by stripping off his shirt at an event in NYC. Yes, taking your top off is the best way to promote absolutely anything, but Rafael is trying to sell panties! Dude should’ve ripped those pants off and served it up. Oh well, at least we got plenty of shots of his crotch croquetas and nalgas in the commercial:

Out Gay Gymnast Josh Dixon’s Sexy Selfie Will Have You California Dreamin’

From: Towleroad


Back in 2012, we told you about gymnast Josh Dixon who made waves by coming out as gay.

Now, the Olympic hopeful is back and revealing even more of himself.

Earlier this week Dixon posted a shirtless selfie  of him paddle-boarding in Newport Beach, CA. Looking good, Dixon!
A photo posted by Josh Dixon (@joshdixon) on

Another NOM Humiliation: Only Four Out Of 17 GOP Presidential Candidates Have Signed Their Hate Pledge

From: Joe My God
If you’ve been wondering why we haven’t heard much about NOM’s 2016 anti-LGBT hate pledge since it was launched over two months ago, now we know why. From Brian Brown:
The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today identified four Republican presidential candidates they have dubbed “Marriage Champions” for having pledged to the American people that they will take several specific actions as president to restore marriage to the law and protect people of faith from discrimination because of their support for traditional marriage. NOM said that Sen. Ted, Cruz, Sen. Rick Santorum, Gov. Bobby Jindal and Dr. Ben Carson have emerged as the top candidates for marriage supporters. “Electing a president in 2016 who is a true champion on marriage is a critical priority, something that is essential if we are to overturn the outrageous, illegitimate decision of the US Supreme Court imposing same-sex ‘marriage’ on every state in the nation,” said Brian Brown, NOM’s president. “While many of the GOP candidates talk the talk about supporting marriage, these four candidates have distinguished themselves as true champions, having pledged to the American people to take very specific actions to advance the cause of marriage. NOM is committed to educating people about the importance of electing a true marriage champion as President of the United States.”

Mike Huckabee and Scott Walker won’t sign because they say they have a blanket ban on signing any pledges. CNN nails it:

The influence of the National Organization for Marriage — once a powerful force in funding pushes for same-sex marriage bans on the state level — has been in decline following a large swing in public support in favor of same-sex nuptials. According to Gallup, in 1996 nearly seven in 10 Americans opposed same-sex marriage, but in May 2015, 60% of Americans said they supported such unions. And in June, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that states must recognize same-sex marriage. “Electing a president in 2016 who is a true champion on marriage is a critical priority, something that is essential if we are to overturn the outrageous, illegitimate decision of the U.S. Supreme Court imposing same-sex ‘marriage’ on every state in the nation,” Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, said in a statement

Here is the text of the hate pledge. As you can see, it covers a lot more than just marriage.

NOM Presidential Pledge: I [insert name of crazy person], pledge to the American people that if elected President, I will: One, support a federal constitutional amendment that protects marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
Two, oppose and work to overturn any Supreme Court decision that illegitimately finds a constitutional “right” to the redefinition of marriage. This includes nominating to the U.S. Supreme Court and federal bench judges who are committed to restraint and applying the original meaning of the Constitution, and appointing an attorney general similarly committed.
Three, conduct a review of regulatory, administrative and executive actions taken by the current Administration that have the effect of undermining marriage and work to restore our policies to be consistent with the proper understanding of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Consistent with this, prevent the promotion of a redefined version of marriage in public schools and other government entities.
Four, support the First Amendment Defense Act and other legislation that recognizes the right of organizations and individuals to act in the public square consistent with their belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman without fear of retaliation from the government.
Five, direct the Department of Justice to investigate, document and publicize cases of Americans who have been harassed or threatened for exercising key civil rights to organize, to speak, to donate or to vote for marriage and to propose new protections, if needed.

15 Things You Need To Do Before The End Of Summer

Because, sorry folks, it's about that time.
From: NewNowNext
 And just like that, the September issue of Vogue is on the newsstands, the cute new bathing suits are getting stuffed into the back corner of the underwear drawer and the puffy winter coats are coming out of the vacuum storage bags to crowd your closet.

But don’t rip your summer dreams at the seams just yet. There are still a few days left to enjoy, dammit. You’ve just got to know how to use them.

Here’s a list of 15 things you need to do before your last moments of summer are buried in a tidal wave of pumpkin spice-flavored everything:
1
Get the hell out of your house.

The tail end of the summer can feel really sleepy and lazy. But when the snow-pocalypse really has you holed up indoors, you’ll have visions of farmer’s markets and park benches dancing in your head.

9 Reasons We Wish We Went To Eastland Academy With “The Facts Of Life” Girls

From: NewNowNext
 We all agree that high school sucked, right? Cramming for tests, unduring gym class, raising your hand to go to the bathroom—totally lame. All of it.

If we could do it again… Well, we wouldn’t. But if we had to do it all again, we’d do it at Eastland Academy with the girls from The Facts of Life.

Who DIDN’T fantasize about bunking down with Blair, Jo, Natalie, and Tootie’s squad in the ’80s? They were modern young ladies, coming of age under the watchful eye (and bosom) of Edna Garrett.


 Mom and Dad, you really dropped the ball when you didn’t enroll us in that fictional all-girls high school.

We share nine reasons we wish we were Eastland girls.


1
No Basics

When The Facts of Life debuted in 1979, it originally followed seven girls at Eastland—which as we all know, is three too many. So Cindy, Susanne, Nancy, and Molly were expelled and replaced with Bronx tomboy Jo Polniaczek. Eastland only accepts the best and brightest—basic bitches need not apply. (Sorry Molly.)

Michael Lucas Reveals The Saddest News From The Takedown Of Rentboy

From: Queerty
"Nobody is understanding the real story behind the downfall of RentBoy. Authorities have just unemployed thousands of young young men and screwed landlords on getting paid their rent. Families are ruined by all the escorts going back to their mother’s basements because the party is over. That’s a walk of shame nobody wants to do… I think what is most sad is they robbed aging homosexuals from romantic love making that they were able to find on this social media platform. But let’s be realistic, darlings, the website may be over but the worlds oldest profession can never die. It will only come back stronger, more profitable and younger looking with the help of the worlds best plastic surgeons.”



Michael Lucas in a note posted to his Facebook page in response to yesterday’s arrest of Jeffrey Hurant, CEO of Rentboy and six of his employees during a sting operation

Marcy Borders, Sept. 11's 'Dust Lady,' Dies at 42 After Battle With Cancer

From: kenneth in the (212)
Sad to read about the passing of Marcy Borders, who was working as an assistant at Bank of America on the 81st floor of the World Trade Center's north tower the morning of Sept. 11. Then 28, Borders frantically made her way down the stairwell -- "sometimes it felt like I jumped whole floors" -- to the sidewalk just as the south tower began to fall. A stranger pulled her into the lobby of a nearby building as the other tower began to tumble, and Stan Honda snapped what became an iconic photograph.
“I can’t believe my sister is gone,” Borders’ brother Michael Borders wrote on Facebook of her death Monday. The mother of two was a native and lifelong resident of Bayonne, N.J. She was diagnosed with stomach cancer last August and had been undergoing treatments, according to NJ.com.


On the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, my pal Tim Teeman tracked Borders down at her New Jersey home, where she had recently completed rehab for drug addiction:

“I hadn’t been right since September 11. My life had been in tumult, on a spiral. My partner Donald, [her 3-year-old son] Zayden’s father, was a huge support: he doesn’t do drugs and he tried to help me even though I was horrible to him. Now I go to Narcotics Anonymous meetings every day."
“Before September 11 I was spontaneous, outgoing, ambitious. I was 28, making good money.... I’d been in the job a month and felt I was moving on up. After September 11, my life went downhill. I was afraid to get on subways or go into state buildings. The last time I had been in a place of work it almost killed me, so I wasn’t interested in work. I had no income. My mother helped me. I drank to the point of blackouts. The drugs came about a year before I went into rehab. I didn’t care. I lost control. Despite my behaviour, Donald stayed. I’m glad he did; if he hadn’t, this place would have turned into a crack hotel."

Particularly sad that someone who survived something so catastrophic would still end up dying prematurely, a stark reminder of the fragility of life.

Read Tim's haunting interview with Borders about the day that changed her life forever HERE.

RIP, "The Woman Who Was Covered in Dust Who Didn’t Know What to Do," as she preferred to be known.