Friday, May 27, 2016
Does “Finding Dory” Feature Pixar’s First Lesbian Couple?
The latest trailer seems to point to yaaas!
From: NewNowNext
From: NewNowNext
The latest trailer for Pixar’s much-anticipated Finding Dory was released earlier this week and has left many wondering if a shot of two women peering into a baby stroller might just be confirmation of the first gay couple in a Disney film.
As the Disney/Pixar powerhouse’s popularity has picked up considerably in the past decade, many have criticized the studios for their dearth of LGBT inclusivity. A particularly scathing critique recently came from GLAAD, who earlier this month knocked Disney for having the “weakest historical record when it comes to LGBT-inclusive films.”
That’s why one Twitter user was so surprised, and overjoyed, to find the couple in his first viewing of the Finding Dory trailer.
That new #FindingDory trailer released this morning? I think that's the first lesbian couple in a @DisneyPixar film. pic.twitter.com/S1wwJEOeWT— Matthew Gottula (@DLthings) May 24, 2016
Though the trailer doesn’t explicitly state whether or not the women are in fact a couple, LGBT fans went nuts nonetheless.
— Vik (@OneElevenGirl) May 24, 2016
@DLthings My eyes just watered and I came out 20 years ago. ;_;— Bruno (@Brular) May 24, 2016
.@DLthings it's about time @DisneyPixar! Tks for catching up w the times @Disney! @Marvel @starwars can we get better representation too?— Benjamin Xue (@switchboxben) May 27, 2016
@DLthings OHMYGOD YESSSSS— kali (@touchitpinnock) May 25, 2016
@DLthings @DisneyPixar Awww. How cute that is. 😊— Maria (@mrazclr) May 25, 2016
So are these women in love or just galpals out for a day at the aquarium? Watch the trailer below and decide for yourself:
Dark & Stormy: New Manhattan Studios
From: Favorite Hunks & Other Things
~Part-time Model and Full-time Body-builder~
'With a quiet demeanor, this 23-year-old Colombian-American boasts one of the most impressive physiques in the studio's portfolio. He epitomizes the classic image of the "tall, dark and handsome" Latin and can pull off the roles of bad boy and classic physique model with ease. The studio has documented Ricardo's progress in the gym since shortly after his 21st birthday.'
There's something about Ricardo.... His beefy physique and smoldering dark eyes are part, a big... part of the reason, but I am also fascinated by how he came to be standing in front of the camera for New Manhattan Studios. As many of you know, one of my favorite models, Alex Corso, is Ricardo's younger brother. As you know from enjoying Alex's images, he is not a bit shy about sharing his personality, creativity and sexy smile.
Everyone who purchased NMS's Captured Shadows #2 knows, Alex shared pretty much everything in the issue; his work as both a PA, and a photographer and of course that smile, and every inch of his incredibly hot body. Alex is a natural in front of the camera, not afraid to take a risk, uninhibited with creativity, taking risk and tapping into his exhibitionist side.
Older brother Ricardo was a bit more reserved. A man of few words. Ricardo and Wes started mostly with clothed and fitness work, taking it all off, especially with his younger brother spritzing him down for a shoot, wasn't part of the plan, initially.... But... as time went on, and each shoot was completed, Ricardo, like his younger brother, became more comfortable in front of the camera. In fact, the perfectly titled, Dark & Stormy series was inspired by the image at the top of this piece taken by his younger brother Alex.
Ricardo became so comfortable, in his last couple of sessions he was ready to take some risks of his own. With Wes behind the lens, and Alex off at work, for Ricardo's last couple of shoots, the inhibitions came down, and the clothes this time, came totally off. These images are just a sampling, but the full meaty results can be found by flipping the pages of Captured Shadows #3 which you can order in magazine form, or in an eBook form HERE:
Boy George Talks Whether He Slept With Prince, His Sobriety, And His New World Tour
"I heard that he loved 'Karma Chameleon,' which is so random."From: NewNowNext
Boy George discussed the shocking claim that he’d “slept with Prince” on The Wendy Williams Show this week, saying it was only a joke and that he’d never actually slept with Prince.
George threw a taping of The Voice UK into absolute chaos last October when he was bantering with fellow judge Paloma Faith, who challenged him to a name-dropping duel by announcing she had once performed with Prince.
“Forget that, darling, I’ve slept with Prince,” George replied, though he claimed later that day in a public statement that he was merely joking about how he slept underneath posters of the music icon when he was a kid.
The story came up again during George’s appearance on the show given Prince’s untimely death last month.
“That was a joke,” George said again.
“I was doing The Voice last year and we were competing to get these kids on our team. And one of the other judges said, ‘oh, I’ve sang with Prince’ and I said ‘oh I slept with him.’ Of course that’s not true, at all. And then I changed it and said, ‘well I slept with a poster of him under me.’”
“I did meet Prince once, and I was a massive Prince fan,” said George. “I heard that he loved ’Karma Chameleon,’ which is so random.”
He continued: “I met him once in Italy and he was suitably eccentric — that’s all you can expect him to be! He was Prince!”
Wendy also chatted with The Culture Club frontman about his mother, when he knew he was gay, his band’s current world tour, and his sobriety. Check out the full interview below:
Tasty, Tasty: Easy Cocktails And Meals For Memorial Day
This holiday, swipe left on hot dogs and cole slaw and go for some delicious and creative fare.
From: NewNowNext
From: NewNowNext
Monday is Memorial Day, but if you’re having friends over you’re going to have step it up a notch from the usual backyard barbecue.
Fortunately The Secret Guide to Fabulous crew boys have some easy recipes for tasty cocktails, a delicious seafood poke and dairy-free coconut ice cream. Enjoy!
Watch The Secret Guide to Fabulous: Summer on May 30 at 10pm on Logo.
Drinks
Mezcal Me Maybe
2 oz. mezcal
3 oz. soda
3 oz. grapefruit juice
Full glass with ice
Red, White & Booze
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. gin
1 oz. sweet vermouth
Freeze Campari in ice cube tray. Blend Campari cubes and regular ice cubes in blender
Caffeine Fiend
3 oz. cold brew coffee
2 oz. cola
2 oz. rum
1oz. Coffee liquor
1/2 oz. cream
Serve over ice
Food
Tuna and Salmon Poke with Avocado
Poke is a raw fish salad popular in Hawaiian cuisine. A great way to serve it if you’re hosting a gathering is to allow guests to choose their own ingredients and garnishes.
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Proteins
Raw Tuna
Cooked Salmon
Avocado
Grains
Sushi Rice
Quinoa
Buckwheat noodles
Greens
Marinated seaweed (Purchase prepared)
Thinly sliced sauteed kale
Thinly sliced sauteed spinach
Sesame Soy Ponzu Dressing
½ cup of reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil
¼ cup of ponzu sauce (can be substituted with a mix of citrus juices)
2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
Sambal Oelek Mayo
1 cup of mayonnaise
2-3 tablespoons of sambal oelek, depending on preference
2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon of mirin
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
Pickles
Pickled Cucumbers
Pickled Jalapenos
Pickled Radishes
Pickling Liquid
½ cup of rice vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Garnish
Sesame seeds
Scallions, thinly sliced
Crushed nuts (peanuts or almonds)
Dessert
Dairy-Free Coconut Ice Cream
3½ cups of full fat coconut milk
½ cup of sugar
¼ cup of coconut oil
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon of salt
In a medium pot, whisk together all of the ingredients and cook over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Transfer to a cowl and cover. Refrigerate the coconut ice cream base for 4 hours, or until completely chilled.
Add the base to an ice cream maker and churn as according to manufacturer’s instructions. For soft serve ice cream, serve immediately. For a firmer, scoopable version, transfer to a container and freeze for at least an hour or overnight. Serve and enjoy!
Flavorings
Fig jam & smashed blackberries: Add fig jam to base before churning, add blackberries during the last two minutes of churning
Fresh strawberry puree & balsamic vinegar: Add before churning.
Mint extract, coffee and chocolate shavings: Add mint extract & instant coffee granules to base before churning, add chocolate shavings during the last two minutes of churning.
Maple syrup & bacon: Add maple syrup to base before churning, add bacon bits during the last two minutes of churning.
Rosemary & honey: Add rosemary powder & granulated honey before churning.
Watch The Secret Guide to Fabulous: Summer on May 30 at 10pm on Logo.
Alabama: KKK Distributes Recruitment Fliers Quoting Bible In Fight Against Trans “Freaks”
From: Gaily Grind
Anti-transgender fliers claiming to be from a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan were distributed in at least one Dothan, Alabama neighborhood this weekend.
“It is a free speech issue. There is no threat put in there, no call to arms. It looks like they are asking for donations and putting out a political agenda instead of a hate-based one,” Dothan Police Capt. Will Benny said.
“We are kind of monitoring the situation right now,” he said.
AL.com reports:
Benny called the neighborhood in question quiet and “certainly not a hotbed for Klan activity.”The flier from the Loyal White Knights of the KKK called being transgender “an abomination, according to the King James Bible.”The flier quotes Deuteronomy 22:5: “A woman shall not wear that pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment. For all that do are an abomination unto the Lord thy God.”Anyone confused by their gender should “use a tree out in the back yard,” the flier states.Dothan police said the dissemination of the fliers isn’t necessarily illegal, but a resident could file a complaint for littering.
8 deeply troubling things we learned about Donald Trump this week
Remember: This is your possible next president.
From: Hillary Clinton
From: Hillary Clinton
This week, Donald Trump earned enough delegates to clinch the Republican nomination for president.
And we learned eight new things about the Republican Party’s new standard-bearer, each more disturbing and disqualifying than the last.
Trump claims he "cherishes women”—but not if they’re working and pregnant ...
The first in a new series: a message from your potential next president—on pregnancy.https://t.co/LmUZI20JCo
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 27, 2016
… and certainly not if they share an opinion he doesn’t agree with.
What a chyron pic.twitter.com/sLF3NEs7xO— Jon Passantino (@passantino) May 26, 2016
From birtherism to imaginary Mexican government plots against the U.S., Trump has never shied away from a conspiracy theory …
“As a leader, Trump has succeeded by appealing to stereotypes and ugly hatreds that most American leaders have struggled to repress and contain. His political universe consists of deceptive experts, of scheming, of criminal Mexicans, of lying politicians and bureaucrats and of disloyal Muslims.” –Michael Gerson, Washington Post
… or an opportunity to make a buck.
He actively rooted for the 2008 housing market crash that destroyed millions of American jobs and forced millions of families out of their homes.
And he thinks profiting off people losing their homes is exactly the kind of thinking America needs.
Trump full statement to @NBCNews in re: Clinton attacks on housing market crash: pic.twitter.com/0rfZQczGZt— Alexandra Jaffe (@ajjaffe) May 24, 2016
In a speech on American energy policy, he declared environmental issues “phony” and pledged to “cancel” the historic Paris climate agreement.
We also learned his record doesn’t match his rhetoric when it comes to supporting our veterans.
“Exactly how much did Trump raise for veterans? His campaign doesn’t know. How much of it has been allocated? His campaign doesn’t know that, either. Who were the beneficiaries of Trump’s $1 million contribution? The campaign doesn’t want to talk about it.” – Steve Benen, MSNBC
And we got new insight into why Trump isn’t releasing his tax returns to the American people.
“[Lawsuits and other tax-related disputes] illustrate a pattern of systematically disputing tax bills, arguing for lower property assessments, and in some cases not paying taxes until the government takes additional action.” –USA Today
This man could be your next president, America.
We can’t risk a Donald Trump presidency.
“Holy Hell”: The Chilling Truth Behind Life With A Gay Messiah
Director Will Allen spent 20 years under the hypnotic spell of Michel, leader of the Buddhafield community.
From: NewNowNext
From: NewNowNext
When Will Allen graduated from film school in 1985, the world seemed full of opportunities. He was young, gay and good-looking—but he was looking for something to give his life a deeper meaning.
Allen thought he’d found it when he met Michel, an ex-actor and ballet dancer who founded the Los Angeles-based spiritual community known as The Buddhafield.
Michel promised a lifetime of love and enlightenment. Allen joined the group as their official videographer (and Michel’s personal masseur) and quickly became a favorite pupil.
Their relationship eventually turned sexual, despite the fact that sex was ostensibly forbidden among group members.
“[Michel] resonated peace and beauty, he was educated, cultured, outspoken, extremely liberal and his teachings were very radical to me,” says Allen. “It also didn’t hurt that he was obviously a gay man and I needed a role model who would inspire me.”
Eventually, though, followers say they saw Michel’s darker side—paranoid, demanding, secretive—and The Buddhafield community began to fall apart.
After two decades, Allen escaped Buddhafield with footage from his years there, which, along with new interviews from former followers, became the basis of the new documentary Holy Hell, in select theaters now.
Allen spoke with NewNowNext about life inside The Buddhafield, his secret relationship with its charismatic leader and when he knew he had to escape.
As a bright young man fresh out of film school, the possibilities must have seemed endless. What led you to become involved in The Buddhafield?
I was looking for a deeper meaning to my existence. I was gay and trying to come out in 1985, when AIDS was the huge scare happening in our society. I came from a good family, but I still felt like there must be more to this life than what I had found so far. I was very confused after graduating film school and I remember thinking I needed to find the secret to happiness and how to live a meaningful life.
How did you first become aware of Michel?
My sister invited me to a small meditation meeting in West Hollywood in someone’s living room, and in walked this exotic, muscle-bound foreigner from Venezuela sharing about love and God and enlightenment. I was quite innocent at the time. And I felt an immediate sense of ease and acceptance.
So I’d say I was looking for meaning, for something to give myself to that would have a purpose. I think that’s common for many people—we wanted the promise of happiness. The fact that my sister was there and the people were lovely helped give me a sense of safety about getting involved more deeply.
Would you say being vulnerable was a common thread among Buddhafield followers?
I look back and see that I was indeed very vulnerable at that time and looking for guidance and answers. The commonality was both spiritual and community, as I discovered when I started to make Holy Hell years later.
I started to probe and ask my friends deeper questions about what they were thinking at the time. Some were seeking nirvana, some were just seeking a safe community of good people, and some had other spiritual or emotional needs.
I see now that the human condition is very complex and nothing prepares us for our life journey. At least my upbringing did not.
A lot of people would look at Michel with his Speedos and his plastic surgery and be skeptical. What was the appeal he held for you and other members?
I was there because Michel spoke as if he was enlightened. He would show me the secret of the universe. He resonated peace and beauty, he was educated, cultured, outspoken, extremely liberal and his teachings were very radical to me. It also didn’t hurt that he was obviously a gay man and I needed a role model who would inspire me.
He was also very flamboyant and had been an actor, dancer and acting teacher and hypnotherapist. He was a quadruple threat.
So you felt safe?
Michel accommodated everything I didn’t get at home, but spiritual enlightenment became my appeal for the group. He said he could reveal the experience of God, inner light and divine love. For him to work with us, we had to make a vow to ask for his guidance and then to follow it, otherwise we weren’t serious enough.
He explained there were many pitfalls along the way and he was there to guide us upon this razor’s edge. He also wanted us to fall in love with him and he wanted to be the highest symbol of divine love for us so then we could love something more than ourselves—something bigger than our small identity.
He promised me if I trusted him completely, he could take us beyond our minds and our confusion.
Did everyone fall under Michel’s spell?
Many, many people did not resonate with him at all. Lots of people were invited to meetings in the early days in West Hollywood and left mumbling, “What the hell is this cult? That man is an egomaniac!”
But the more time you spent around him and became influenced by his words, the better you’d feel. And then the more you wanted to be around.
He was borrowing teachings from dozens of places, but we didn’t know this. I could not personally see the red flags because I had nothing in America that I could compare him to. Plus my sister and all of us loved everything we were doing together and we grew to love him, too.
And it was the ’80’s. There was no Internet and no cell phones.
How did life change while you were living within the community?
The transformation I experienced immediately from being exposed to meditation was proof enough for me that this was a very practical and joyful way to live. I became happy and simple. Up until that point I had not been happy and nothing in my life had been simple.
Another thing that was popular in his teachings was not to care what other people think. And only listen to and try to please him.
So that was the beginning of not listening to our own guidance systems—because his “teachings” overrode anything we thought was right or wrong.
How did your relationship with Michel evolve into an intimate one?
After a couple years he noticed I was very willing to do service. Service is something you did not do for yourself, but did freely for others and with no need for anything in return. Service was a joyful action and I got a lot of mileage out of it.
I think he noticed this and pulled me in closer to him to do personal service for him and around him. I started to learn massage, and drive him everywhere. I helped him start his day. I loved being pulled in close to help him directly. I felt like it was very special, but he also made me feel like I had potential to become enlightened and that I was worth his time and effort. I didn’t realize I was also gay and pretty cute. That never registered to me until later.
How was this kept secret?
Everyone thought that he was their most trusted ally, both the teacher and the therapist. If he told you not to say something, it was done with the highest secrecy and you were meant to obey him. He trumped ever relationship you had. He manipulated all of us this way, without the other knowing, men and women alike.
I am not talking just about his sexual manipulations. Women were told not to be with their boyfriends, later to find out it was because he was seducing them himself. Now I also know, besides the controlling factors, people also didn’t speak for a number of other personal reasons, such as shame, guilt, or fear of him demonizing you.
Were you aware that Michel was also involved with some of the other young men?
I was aware of one boy, for sure, because I figured out he replaced me within a week. [Laughs] I was dumbfounded—although I was glad to be released from this fucked-up, manipulative relationship he was forcing on me, I also couldn’t believe how quickly he had seduced someone else.
I knew only because I lived with Michel and took care of him: One day I heard sexual noises coming from inside his room during a cleansing session. I said to him afterwards, “I could hear you. You were having sex in there during cleansing.” I felt I could talk to him sometimes like this, because I knew he had done it to me, and I was shocked. He said, “No no, that is your imagination. That is not what you heard.”
And then the next day one of his disciples, who was a carpenter, came to solve this problem by adding a second privacy door on the entryway to his room. So after that, there were two doors protecting him for the next 13 years while living in Austin [where the Buddhafield eventually moved.]. Who knows what went on in there? I can guarantee you it was not consensual. Not in the way that you and I know as “consensual.”
I never said anything after that or tried to interfere with my suspicions. I gave up and felt defeated. Now I would. Now I would expose that shit in a heartbeat.
What precipitated your making a break from the group?
It was when we, as a group, discovered more and more secrets and devastating lies that just shattered the perception people had of Michel and the truths he was trying to conceal. People were hurt spiritually, emotionally, mentally and sexually, for sure.
We realized he was more narcissistic than enlightened. And when so many people exposed their stories, how could you not pull away and stop this? It was exposed and now we could discuss more freely among ourselves. That is always a healthy thing, and people are not honest enough with each other. We should be concerned for each other in this society, against predators and sociopathic behaviors, because many people cannot speak out for themselves.
Do you know if Michel has seen the film?
He has somehow seen the film, I’ve heard. He is biding his time in Hawaii [where The Buddhafield is now located], hoping it will all go away. The people with him have spread out and become more incognito, like we used to do when he was threatened from the outside world. We always thought we were protecting the “Christ” figure, and I am sure he still spins that yarn to his people.
Actually I know for a fact he does, as I have read some emails from them. Oh, and there was the death threat that ended with a warrant for a boy’s arrest. His name was Samson, [Michel’s] bodyguard, but his actual name was something different.
Have there been threats against your life for making the documentary?
My life? No. But I have put myself in the line of his fire—he is not an honest man, in my humble opinion. He’s badmouthing our film anonymously in ways for which he cannot be held accountable. Remember he has a huge group of people who will do all of his dirty work for him—for free. They call it “service for the higher good.”
Is there more of this story to be told?
I’ve only told about 10% of what happened to us at The Buddhafield and the things Michel did. A friend who recently left the group told me he is doing something he calls “healings” for $100 a pop. He does about five a day, I am told, and works almost everyday. It’s all cash. He’s a goldmine for the IRS to discover.
Below, watch an exclusive clip from Holy Hell, in theaters now.
Favorite Unconventional Hunk for May 27, 2008
Alan Tudyk
From: Favorite Hunks & Other Things
From: Favorite Hunks & Other Things
Sometimes one movie can turn you on to a great actor. Death At A Funeral was the movie that turned me on to Alan Tudyk. His showing a little skin did not hurt, but it was his performance that attracted me most. Funny how you IMDB someone and realize you have been watching this actor in other projects for years. Alan has been in Ice Age, Arrested Development, Firefly, I, Robot, Knocked Up to name just some of his work. Check him out, he is truly enjoyable to watch on screen.
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| Above: David in Firefly |