The Best And Worst Of “American Horror Story: Hotel” Episode 11

"You may be a witch but I'm a ghost!"

From: NewNowNext

 The eleventh episode of American Horror Story: Hotel is titled “Battle Royale,” and I’m pretty sure Ryan Murphy has never even seen the controversial Japanese film.

At best, he heard Tarantino talking about it in an interview.

Anyway, Battle Royale is far better than “Battle Royale,” but that shouldn’t be a surprise.

Here’s the Best and Worst of American Horror Story: Hotel Episode 11. No Asian schoolchildren were hurt in the making of this TV show. 

 BEST

New Wave Shootout

The director of Episode 10 was right to re-cut the “Hotline Bling” murder (which didn’t make sense thematically or aesthetically) with chill ’80s Synthpop. So at least we’re off to a good start.

 Gaga’s Infanticide

Look, I’m not sure if the plot point about The Countess having to cannibalize her own children to recover from her wounds makes any sense, but there seems to be a sort of surrealist poetic justice here.

The magical logic of AHS has always been tenuous at best, but this karmic comeuppance really works here.

 Showdown

Ramona Vs. The Countess is the showdown we’ve been waiting for the entire season. Is it climactic? Not exactly. Is it satisfying? Sure, actually, somehow.

 This Gaga Look

Just a good look.

 What a Twist!

Copface’s final victim turned out not to be himself, which was a genuine surprise. Despite being a force of evil, Copface ended up delivering some divine retribution to the Countess by condemning her to live the rest of her un-life haunting the hotel with her hateful hubby. Didn’t see that one coming!

 WORST

Poor Sarah

Hey did you guys see Carol? The acting (and writing) in these flashback scenes is like the opposite of Sarah Paulson’s acting in Carol. Which is to say, incredibly bad.

 Heroin Centipede

Sure, this is something that happens to addicts. They fall in love and sew each other together in bland and unimaginative half-homages to Tom Six. Right. OK then. Moving on.

Poor Queenie

Talk about a ham fisted cameo. I get it! All the seasons are connected! But poor Queenie didn’t deserve to get dragged to LA to get murdered by the bozos from this season. And couldn’t they have given her a better damn outfit?! (“You may be a witch but I’m a ghost!” is also a line written by a 9 year old.)

Cute Little Guy

Samson

Handkerchief Underwear

31 Cold Days of Hot Guys #6

Marc Singer
From: Deep Dish

 Today's Hot Guy is Marc Singer, who frequently appeared shirtless during his younger days as an actor. Below you can watch him as a bare-chested Petruchio in a 1976 production of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew (which was broadcast on PBS), taking a shower in the 1982 drama, If You Could See What I Hear, wielding a sword in the 1982 fantasy film, The Beastmaster, and wearing a speedo in Battle of the Network Stars XVII (1984).

 Other television credits include Roots: The Next Generations (1979), For Ladies Only (1981), Paper Dolls (1982), V (1983-85), Dallas (1986) and Arrow (2015).

Why This Gay Porn Star Is Voting For Donald Trump

This has got to be the craziest election season ever.
From:  NewNowNext

 We rolled our eyes when gay vlogger Kyle Kittleson announced he was backing Donald Trump for president.

 But now adult film actor Jesse Jackman has also “come out” in support of the Donald—but for completely different reasons.

Kittleson claimed Trump was the most gay-friendly Republican candidate—citing his support for workplace anti-discrimination laws and same-sex relationship protections.

 Jackman, meanwhile, just wants to throw a monkey wrench in the GOP’s designs on the White House. And he has a point.

Multiple polls suggest both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders would stand up better against Trump than Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio or any other major Republican Candidate.

“For either Democratic candidate, Trump proves to be the most favorable—and desirable—matchup.”

During the 2008 primary, right-wing shock jock Rush Limbaugh deployed a similar tactic, dubbed “Operation Chaos,” in which he encouraged conservative listeners in states with open primaries to vote for Clinton, to slow Obama’s surge.

Jackman cites a Huffington Post article indicating “approximately 25% of Clinton’s voters in Mississippi were Republicans voting for a candidate they hate in order to try to undermine Barack Obama,” and reports similar results in Texas and Ohio.

A Trump nomination would have another benefit, according to Jackman.

“Some GOP strategists fear that some Republican voters would be so disenchanted with (or appalled by) Trump that they might not vote in the election at all, leading to down-ticket victories for the Democrats by attrition.”

Unlike Kittleson, Jackman says he disagrees with Trump “ideologically in virtually every respect.”

“I believe that his policies and proposals would ruin the strength and integrity of our great nation, undermine the fundamental tenets of our democracy, and make us the laughing stock of the international community (except, perhaps, for Vladimir Putin).

Simon Dunn Teases the Internet with a Drool-Worthy Towel Drop

From: Towleroad

Openly-gay Australian bobsleigh stud Simon Dunn has earned more than a few fans on social media for posting tantalizing photos of his buff bod. A paragon of the lumbersexual aesthetic, Dunn (who also plays rugby, natch) isn’t shy about the occasional shirtless selfie. On Monday, Dunn heated up social media with a short, revealing video that threatens to reclaim Ginuwine’s “Pony” from Channing Tatum.

When you've taken too many selfies.. So you film a video instead! pic.twitter.com/zBaoXRy0nB

— Simon Dunn (@bobsleighsimon) January 18, 2016

Dunn’s previous videos include an undies-only lip sync performance of Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” and a similarly scantily-clad video for Pitbull and Ke$ha’s collaboration “Timber.” He’s also posted a few shirtless videos answering fans’ questions.

Last summer, he dethroned Tom Daly at the top of Attitude magazine’s Hot 100.

7 Reasons Why “227” Is Still Our Favorite Address

From: NewNowNext

3

A King and a Countess

227 was Regina King’s first role, but she’d go on to a very successful acting career with parts in films like Boyz in the Hood, Jerry Maguire and TV shows like The Leftovers and American Crime (for which she received an Emmy).

227 also gave us Countess Vaughn, of Moesha and The Parkers fame, who got a role on the show after snatching crowns on Star Search and telling host Ed McMahon 227 was her favorite show.

7 Must-Have Accessories for Hitting the Slopes

Gay-prés ski!
From: NewNowNext

 Snow bunnies, rejoice! After a holiday season of record-warm temps across much of the country, Old Man Winter has finally arrived—and the forecast is FUN!

Hit the slopes while the powder is prime with these must-have ski accessories.

1

The Jacket

There are jackets that keep you warm, and then there’s the Spartan Jacket by Obermeyer. Durable 30k Hydroblock stretch shell fabric protects the body from wind and precipitation as you’re barreling down the run while body-mapped Primaloft insulation and storm-proof stretch cuffs ensure that the heat you bring to the halfpipe stays sealed inside.

Kate Middleton’s Brother Sells Marshmallows That Help You Come Out as Gay

From: Towleroad

James Middleton, the 27-year-old younger brother of HRH Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, has a business venture that hopes to make coming out as gay a little easier and a little sweeter.

Middleton’s company Boomf allows customers to put personalized images on marshmallows. One of the uses of customized marshmallows? According to Boomf, to tell your friends and loved ones that you’re gay.

Via The Daily Mail:

In a promotional video for his business Boomf, James Middleton says his sweets are the perfect way to break the news to friends and family with the slogan: ‘These pre-designed messages make that nerve-racking announcement a whole lot sweeter.’

The company offers £15 boxes of rainbow-coloured marshmallows which read ‘I’m gay!’ and ‘I’m coming out!’ The video – titled ‘Say “Hey I’m gay” with Boomf!’ – features a man struggling to find a way to tell friends that he’s gay and turning to the tasty treats.

Notably, The Daily Mail refers to Middleton as Catherine’s “bachelor brother” and says he “raised eyebrows” with his latest ad campaign for his company. Just whose eyebrows exactly were raised though?

Boomf took to its blog to talk about their marketing towards a gay audience, writing, “Boomf is all about the big messages in life. We felt we were missing a way to say ‘straight is great, but gay is the way’, so Boomf! There it is! These pre-designed messages make that nerve-wracking announcement a whole lot sweeter.” The company also links to its other “homo-fabulous” designs.

Watch the ad, below.

Say "Hey I'm gay" with Boomf! from Boomf on Vimeo.

Gay Iconography: Natalie Cole is Unforgettable

From: Towleroad

The new year arrived with some sad news this week as legendary singer Natalie Cole died. The 65-year-old performer was open about her past struggles with drug addiction and the resulting hepatitis from using IV drugs. The effervescent daughter of Nat King Cole amassed legions of gay fans throughout her career.

Even before she released her debut album in 1975, Cole was singing on her father’s Christmas album when she was only six years old. While she’s likely best known for her two duets with her late father (created digitally years after his death), Cole’s crafted numerous hits, earning nine Grammy Awards and 21 nominations throughout her career.

In addition to her music, she’s become an inspiration for overcoming her addictions to heroin, cocaine and alcohol in the 1980s.  As she put it to People Magazine: “I think that I am a walking testimony to you can have scars … You can go through turbulent times and still have victory in your life.”

Celebrate Cole’s life with some of our favorite clips, below.

In 1975, Cole’s debut album, Inseparable, drew comparisons to Aretha Franklin. (The Queen of Soul claimed to have turned down recording some of the tracks on Cole’s first album.) “This Will Be,” above, became one of Natalie’s signature songs and earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

The success of Cole’s third and fourth albums, Unpredictable and Thankful, made her the first female artist to have two platinum albums in the same year (1977). During this surge in her popularity, Cole appeared in her own TV special. Check out a clip from the show, above.

Her best-selling album came out in 1991. Unforgettable… With Love included her famed digitally-crafted duet with her late father. The album, featuring Cole’s renditions of jazz standards previously performed by her father, earned Cole six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year.

One of our favorite Cole performances was at the 65th Academy Awards. She covered two Whitney Houston songs from The Bodyguard, “Run To You” and “I Have Nothing.” (You can also see Cole perform a great duet with Whitney here.)

An excellent recent Natalie Cole moment occurred on RuPaul’s Drag Race where Cole, a guest judge, was there to see contestant DiDa Ritz slay a lip synch of Cole’s classic track “This Will Be.”

What’s your favorite Natalie Cole song or performance?

Cher Donated 180,000 Bottles Of Water To Flint, Michigan. Because She’s Cher, Bitch!

"This is a tragedy of staggering proportion and shocking that it's happening in the middle of our country."
From: NewNowNext

If you follow Cher’s Twitter account (and shame on you if you don’t), you know she doesn’t shy away from taking a stand on important issues.

And when she can, the Dark Lady makes a difference.

Thrilled to share that we have partnered with @cher to provide over 181,000 bottles of water to the people of Flint: https://t.co/k8WnIHTIkC

— Icelandic Glacial (@IcelandicWater) January 16, 2016

Saturday, it was announced Cher partnered with Icelandic Glacial bottled water company to donate more than 181,000 bottles to the residents of Flint, Michigan, who have found their water supplied tainted by lead contamination.

 “This is a tragedy of staggering proportion and shocking that it’s happening in the middle of our country,” said the Moonstruck star, who reached out to Icelandic Glacial investor Brad Horwitz, an old friend, for help.

 Reports indicate the people of Flint haven’t had clean drinking water since 2014, when government officials began sourcing water from the Flint River without properly treating it.

 The bottles are expected to reach the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan by Wednesday. President Obama has declared the situation an emergency and approved federal aid.

In tweeting about the crisis, Cher indicated she spoke with Flint Mayor Karen Weaver, whom she called “a dedicated public servant who seems to care so much.”

Glenn Frey, Eagles Founding Member, Dies in New York City

From: ABC News

One of the founding members of the Eagles, Glenn Frey, died yesterday in New York City, his family and band mates announced on the band's website.

He was 67.

According to the statement from his loved ones and colleagues, Frey's death was caused by complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia.

"The Frey family would like to thank everyone who joined Glenn to fight this fight and hoped and prayed for his recovery," read a statement on the Eagles' website. "Words can neither describe our sorrow nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us, his family, the music community and millions of fans worldwide."

A Detroit native, Frey met Don Henley when they were in their 20s and new to the music business. Soon after, they formed the Eagles with Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon, quickly becoming one of the most popular rock bands of all time, with hits including "Take It Easy," "Desperado," and "Hotel California." (Meisner was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit in 1977 and Joe Walsh took over for Leadon in 1975.)

"I think you have to make music for yourself and your friends and that's what we did. But you also want to get it on the radio -- you want people to hear it," Frey told Billboard in 2013 of the band's success. "There was a combination of things going on. We were a commercial band by the nature of our sound and those were the days when you had hit singles and they went on AM radio and the album tracks, the unedited stuff, went on FM. It was as simple as that. We were sort of able to do both successfully."

However, after four Grammy wins, the band broke up in 1980, and Frey went on to have a successful solo career, perhaps most notably singing "The Heat Is On" from "Beverly Hills Cop." He also acted a bit, guest-starring on "Miami Vice" and appearing in "Let's Get Harry" and later, in "Jerry Maguire." Then, in 1994, the Eagles reunited and released a new album, "Hell Freezes Over." Four years later, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the band went on to win two more Grammys.

"Glenn was the one who started it all. He was the spark plug, the man with the plan," Henley noted. "He had an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music and a work ethic that wouldn’t quit. He was funny, bullheaded, mercurial, generous, deeply talented and driven."

Last summer, the Eagles toured to promote an Emmy-winning documentary called "History of the Eagles."

"We are all in a state of shock, disbelief and profound sorrow. We brought our two-year 'History of the Eagles Tour' to a triumphant close at the end of July and now he is gone," Henley stated. "I’m not sure I believe in fate, but I know that crossing paths with Glenn Lewis Frey in 1970 changed my life forever, and it eventually had an impact on the lives of millions of other people all over the planet. It will be very strange going forward in a world without him in it. But, I will be grateful, every day, that he was in my life. Rest in peace, my brother. You did what you set out to do, and then some.”

Frey is survived by his wife Cindy and their three children.

88th Academy Awards - Best Original Screenplay

And The Nominees Are:

 Bridge of Spies 

Matt Charman, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen

 Ex Machina 

Alex Garland

 Inside Out 

Josh Cooley, Ronnie del Carmen, Pete Docter and Meg LeFauve

 Spotlight 

Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer

Straight Outta Compton 

Andrea Berloff, Jonathan Herman, S. Leigh Savidge and Alan Wenkus

36th Golden Raspberry Awards - Worst Screen Combo

And The Nominees Are:

All four "Fantastics" (Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell) 

in 

Fantastic Four

Johnny Depp 

and 

his glued-on mustache

 in 

Mortdecai

Jamie Dornan

 and 

Dakota Johnson 

in

Fifty Shades of Grey

Kevin James

 and 

either his Segway 

or

 his glued-on mustache 

in 

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2

Adam Sandler 

and

 any pair of shoes 

in 

The Cobbler

ISIS Executes Another Man for Being Gay by Throwing Him Off a Building

From: Towleroad

ISIS has reportedly killed another man for being gay by hurling him from a building as a crowd of onlookers gathered on the street below.

The Islamic State released photos of the lead up to the execution as well as the execution itself, claiming the man had been found guilty of homosexuality, a crime punishable by death in Sharia law.

The execution took place in al-Furat province in northern Iraq according to the terror group.

Naij.com reports:

The victim, who has not been identified, is shown being led up a set of stairs towards the roof of a tall building.

Blindfolded and hands bound, the prisoner is made to stand on the edge of the roof while several guards watch on.

On the ground, a large crowd of civilians and fighters can be seen waiting for the horrific punishment to be carried out. The victim is shown being pushed off the building to his death.

Activist group OutRight (formerly The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission) has in the past stressed the importance of not assuming that individuals whom ISIS has executed for being gay actually identified themselves as gay:

“…it is also important to note that we have very little information on the executions themselves. Indeed, despite our efforts, and those of other independent observers, neither the accusations nor the exact nature, time, and location of the executions can be corroborated. We know nothing about the victims’ sexual orientation or gender identity. Without evidence or independent confirmation, we must therefore be cautious about assuming anything about the individuals involved.

Back in August, gay men who had escaped from ISIS-controlled territories spoke to the UN Security Council about the horrors and brutalities faced by gay men living under the terror group’s oppressive yoke.

Just earlier this month, ISIS reportedly executed a teen who had been raped by an Islamic State official. The official was only demoted but not sentenced to death.