↧
Sunday Funnies
↧
UPDATE; Madelynn Taylor and Jean Mixner Will Be Buried Together
 |
I first wrote about Madelynn Taylor — a 74-year-old US … United States … Navy veteran — back in April of this year; see post HERE. Here’s a recap: Madelynn Taylor met and fell in love with Jean Mixner back in 1995, and they were married in California in 2008; afterwards they moved to Idaho and lived happily ever after until Jean died in 2012. Madelynn Taylor, who had Jean cremated, wanted to be buried in Idaho’s Veterans Cemetery — she’s a veteran, remember — and she wanted to have Jean’s ashes interred with her. She contacted the cemetery to reserve one single plot for both she and her wife, but was told that they could not be buried together, not because of the space, but because, at that time, same-sex marriage was illegal, and unrecognized in Idaho.  To be clear, however, both Taylor and Mixner could be buried together in a national military cemetery — because their marriage is federally recognized — but Taylor wants to be buried in Boise where there are family close by. She even went so far as to ask a friend to hold onto her wife’s ashes, and hers, should she die before marriage became legal, and have them buried together then. And then, Barry Johnson is a retired U.S. Army colonel who lives in Potlatch, Idaho, became involved after he read Madelynn’s story; see that post HERE. Barry wrote to Madelynn via The Idaho Statesman: “I'll tell you what. I will donate the plot I earned in the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery to you and Jean. I am happy to give my fellow veteran that small peace of mind. And I do it to honor all the great Americans I've served with along the way - gay, straight, whatever.” Now, it looks like he won’t have to do that; now it looks like Madelynn won’t have to have a friend old onto the ashes, because last week Idaho state officials agreed to allow Madelynn and Jean to be buried together. The first thing Madelynn Taylor did was to head to the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery to make arrangements to have both her ashes and those of her late wife interred together at the cemetery. Simple, yes, but it took the recent victory in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which found that Idaho’s ban on marriage equality violated the U.S. Constitution, to allow these women, this couple, the rights that every other opposite-sex married couple in this country has taken for granted forever. “Words can’t describe how incredibly grateful I am for all the work that went into making our wishes possible. Idaho is where some of our best memories together are and it’s where I want to spend eternity with Jean.”—Madelynn Taylor It seems such a simple request, one that, for many, is a non-issue, but it’s just another perk of equality for married same-sex couples. Even in Idaho.  |
↧
↧
WTF? Diane Keaton
 |
I love Diane Keaton. I love her movies; I love her ideas; I love to hear her talk, and, well, mostly, I love her fashion sense which has been slightly modernized over the years, but really hasn't changed all that much from the Annie Hall days. But this ... this. I love the skirt; love the jacket; even love the Chaplin-esque hat. And, if you hide the socks and pumps ... socks and pumps ... I like it, but those gosh darn socks and pumps. They ruin everything! |
↧
Phillip and Sandy Unruh Say Same-Sex Marriage Is Theft Of Opposite-Sex Marriage
 |
The battle for marriage equality, while moving full-steam ahead with more and more states joining in on equality, still has some fights to win, one of them in Kansas. A lawsuit has been filed in federal court in Kansas seeking to overturn the state’s marriage ban, and that has lead to all sorts of wingnuts crawling out of the woodwork and wading into the fray; like the Westboro Baptist Church [WBC] which is trying to intervene in that case citing fear of God’s wrath if the court rules in favor of the right of gay couples to marry. The WBC doesn’t seem to realize that marriage in this country is not a religious thing but a civil thing, so they, and God, really have no part in it. But the WBC isn’t the only kind of crazy stepping forward to fight equality. No, let’s throw in Kansas criminal and family lawyer, Phillip Unruh, and his wife Sandy, who filed suit to join the battle to keep The Gays from marrying because they say that allowing same-sex marriage is “theft of property rights” — the property being their marriage, or any other opposite-sex marriage in general. In a motion filed in United States District Court, the Unruh's say that if same-sex couples are legally allowed to marry in Kansas, "the meaning of marriage will be so fundamentally and profoundly changed that the Unruh’s will experience a taking of their property rights in marriage without due process of law.” Huh? Of course, in addition to calling their marriage property — and I guess that means Phillips owns Sandy — the Unruhs have also trotted out the Bible references, like Genesis 2:24, and that age old argument that only straight folks can marry because only straight couples can produce children which is the sole intent of marriage. Huh; I guess the Unruhs aren’t aware that men and women, married to one another and unmarried to one another, gay and straight, have been producing children for thousands of years. The Unruhs also claim that same-sex marriage and opposite-sex marriage are as different "as apples and oranges," and claim property rights under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution: “The Unruhs have a [sic] inalienable property right in their marriage that is protected by the 5th Amendment of the United States Constitution, the Kansas Constitution and related Kansas Statutes." They also have an inalienable right to not understanding grammar or spelling, as is evidenced by this other little snippet from their lawsuit:  If I were the judge reading this argument, my first ruling would be to give it a grade of C and ask them to try again when they learn proper English. But I’m not the judge in this case; that would be U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree who ruled last week Phillip Unruh and his wife Sandra, have no legal right to join the lawsuit. Crabtree concluded the Unruhs’ interests are already represented by the Kansas attorney general’s office, which is defending the ban, so maybe they should just sit down. He did, however, say that although they cannot be parties in the suit, they could write an amicus brief, meaning their opinion would be heard. The Unruhs began writing that brief Sunday morning and let’s hope they busted out the dictionary. |
via:
NCRMLGBTQ Nation
↧
Eric Martin: Bullied and Beaten By Gang Of Students ... And Charged With Assault
 |
A couple of things about yours truly: I know what it’s like to be bullied. I was bullied for being gay — or at least perceived as being gay — all through junior high and high school. I cannot remember a day going by that I wasn’t called “faggot” or “queer.” But luckily for me, if you could consider it luck, the bullying was mostly name-calling and, maybe, the occasional shove in the hallway’ I didn’t have to live with the threat of physical harm, just the still painful verbal taunts which make me shudder even today, decades later. Another thing about me? I am not a violent person. I have never been in a physical fight in my life; the closest I ever came was one day when my sister was so irate—that girl had a temper—that she tried to slug me; I grabbed both her wrists and basically set her down on the kitchen floor. I don’t fight. So, I cannot begin to imagine what Eric Martin went through, after years of being called “faggot” and “queer;” years of shoves and taunts and harassment, until, one day, he’d had enough and decided to fight back against those who bullied him. He fought back against several, several, of his classmates called him names and then beat him into unconsciousness; Eric spent nearly two weeks in the hospital with a traumatic brain injury, multiple contusions and a broken arm.  Yes, the kid who has been bullied and taunted and name-called since he was a child is being charged as a criminal because he finally stood up for himself. When are we going to stop letting this happen? When are we, as a community of parents, of bullied students, of allies, going to demand that the schools do something? How many students have to die, have to be beaten, have to be arrested before it’s enough? We go to school to learn, not berate and abuse those students who seem different; we go to school to study, not to gang up on someone who acts in a way we don’t understand, we don’t like. The bullies are winning; LGBTQ youth are being harassed to death, unless they fight back, and then they are being charged as criminals. There is a GoFundMe page set up to help Eric pay his legal bills; bills he’ll have to pay because he was the victim of gang violence and fought back — keep in mind not one of his attackers was hospitalized or hurt during the fight, but Eric himself was in the hospital for six weeks. There is also a place to send Eric letters of support, to let him know that while his own school, his own teachers, principal and administrators stood by and did nothing for him, that we can stand by him, and support him, and let him know that he is not alone. We are all Eric Martin. |
ISBL: Two Cases of Bullying ... Two Ridiculous Outcomes
Letters for Eric
P.O.Box 993
Sandston, Va. 23150
Letters for Eric
P.O.Box 993
Sandston, Va. 23150
↧
↧
Miss Jones Discovers A Loophole
 |
Around Casa Bob y Carlos we have a few firm rules for the pets: Ozzo stays off all furniture and beds with the exception of the couch in the sunroom. Tuxedo and MaxGoldberg stay off the new chair; Consuelo Roca-Jones stays off all upholstered furniture because that But, as cats do, Miss Jones found a loophole to the rules; there's nothing in the by-laws about cats on tables ... and a table in the sunroom is the perfect spot for a Sunday afternoon nap.   |
↧
Reverend Schaefer Is Reinstated
 |
I been following Frank Schaefer’s case for a long time; he’s the Methodist minister who was disciplined after he officiated at the 2007 same-sex wedding of his son and his partner. Schaefer said he did so because, when his son first came out to him as gay, Schaefer realized that church doctrine had made his son believe he could not go to heaven. "He did not want to live any more. He was in so much pain. I did what I did based on my heart and my conscience." And, the wedding was held, not at Schaefer’s Pennsylvania church but at a private restaurant in Massachusetts, where same-sex marriage had been legal since 2004. And his officiating at the ceremony did not become public knowledge until 2013, after a member of his congregation learned of the wedding and filed a complaint. He was initially suspended for thirty days once the story got out, but after the bigwigs at Church Central heard the story, they gathered together around their Cauldron of Christian Love and decided it best to defrock the pastor for going against church doctrine. Schaefer left his church for a more inclusive ministry in California and began working as a gay rights activist, galvanizing other Methodists who support full LGBT inclusion in the church. But he also worked to have the ruling overturned, and last week the Judicial Council ruled that a Pennsylvania church jury was wrong to defrock Schaefer. The council ruled on technical grounds, finding that Schaefer was subjected to two distinct punishments for the same violation. First, he was given a 30-day suspension, and then came the defrocking after he said he could not promise to uphold the church's Book of Discipline "in its entirety." It was that second punishment that the council decided was wrongfully imposed for a possible future violation. The church, though, offered no support or comment on same-sex marriage in general. Still, its decision is final. Now, I know some will see this as a way to mangle an argument about ministers being forced to perform a same-sex wedding or risk being defrocked, but that isn’t this case. Schaefer wanted to perform the wedding for his son, and he did not, not at the church but at a private location. He was not acting as a minster of the church, but simply as a minister. The church can still take their backwards stance on same-0sex marriage, but should allow misters, who choose to perform legal same-sex weddings, the right to do so off church property. It’s what Jesus would do, you know. |
ISBL: Update Central: Frank Schaefer
↧
Spilled Milk: I'm Married, I'm Married Not by William Lucas Walker
 | ||
It's about being married in one place, but not in another place; it's about South Carolina; it's about a gay couple and their sick child and not being seen as the parent to your own child; it's about that fiasco of a governor, Nikki Haley trying to appease her base; it's about politics and not legalities. And it's worth a read ...
Spilled Milk: I'm Married, I'm Married Notby William Lucas Walker Most people -- unless their last name is Clinton -- don't think about marriage politically. Most people experience marriage as a daily series of mundane assurances: there will probably be no sex tonight; siblings fight dirty; if you land in the hospital at least one person has to show up; if you land in jail that same person will bail you out; this hospital/jail person will never learn to properly load a dishwasher; their grooming habits will always strike you as bizarre; dripping faucets are always your fault; there will never be enough money for college; your toddlers are spreading peanut butter on your rug. Right now. Being happily married means you love all this. It also means you're probably too exhausted to think about marriage, especially in political terms. Unless you're Nikki Haley, up for re-election next week as governor of South Carolina. But I'm getting ahead of myself. All this is on my mind because I'm flying to South Carolina this weekend for my high school reunion. My class no longer remotely qualifies as middle-aged, unless the surgeon general raises the average life expectancy to 116. The guided-missile hormones that rocketed us through puberty are gone, girl. Our cheerleaders are fully menopaused, the testosterone that once powered us to two state championships now administered through injection, patch and topical gel. We've become a reality show no one wants to watch. It's been 20 years since our last reunion, which means it's taken a lot of effort to locate everyone and pull the whole thing together. But we decided it might be worth the effort once we started reconnecting on Facebook and realized that a lot of us are officially no longer alive. That it might be a good idea to check in before we all check out. Luckily for me, a reunion date was chosen that coincided with with my annual solo trip home. For five years now, Kelly and the kids have stayed behind in California while I hang up my husband/dad hat for a few days and focus on being a son again. I help out with household chores too strenuous for my folks, Dad and I watch Bonfire of The Vanities, a bad movie rendered excellent because it makes him laugh so much, the three of us drive into the mountains to see the fall colors and buy jelly, have cocktail hour every day at six and laugh a lot. And just as she did when I was a child, on October 29 my mother walks in with a blazing, homemade caramel cake to celebrate my birthday. This rare time alone together was Kelly's idea. He sensed what it would mean to us all and said, "Go." Going has allowed my parents and me to know each other more quietly and more deeply than we'd ever be able to during our hectic, overstuffed family trips back East at Christmas and spring break. To thank for this I have wonderful Kelly, my unique, kind and selfless husband. Well, he's my husband in California. Not in South Carolina. I love South Carolina. Loved growing up there. Love going back. Despite the fact that we're two guys with kids, in 15 years we've never had a bad experience. Our family is welcomed at Sunday services by the same congregation that's known me since I was child. Our kids have been cared for in the same nursery where I used to play. On my October trips, when Kelly and the kids aren't with me, the minister always asks to see pictures. That's the South Carolina I love. But it doesn't mean we're safe. Not as a family. Not in case of emergency. Every time we go back together we can't avoid the unspoken stress of wondering what might happen to us if there were some sort of accident or medical crisis. Would Kelly be recognized as my spouse? Would I be recognized as his? Would we be seen as our children's parents? Allowed to make medical decisions for each other or for them? It's not a hypothetical fear. In 2011, South Carolina State Trooper Katie Bradacs and Tracie Goodwin, a disabled U.S. Air Force veteran, both residents of Lexington, SC, were already raising Bradacs' 10-year-old son Jordan together when they made the choice to expand their family. Using in vitro fertilization, with embryos created from Katie's eggs, Tracie became pregnant. On a family vacation to Washington, D.C., the couple were legally married. They returned to South Carolina and soon after welcomed twins, son Baylie and daughter Colbie. Within three hours of his birth, Baylie showed signs of severe distress and was rushed to a nearby hospital better equipped to treat him. Tracie, fresh from a C-section, stayed behind with their newborn daughter while Katie accompanied Baylie to the other hospital in an ambulance. Upon arrival, the hospital staff admitted Colbie. Then informed Katie that she had no parental rights. Under South Carolina law, she was told they could recognize neither her marriage nor her status as the biological mother of her newborn son. The hospital staff was legally prohibited from recognizing any connection between Katie and her child, to release any medical information or diagnosis to her, to allow her any medical decision-making rights. Her out-of-state marriage carried no rights or protections in South Carolina. Rights and protections that would have been granted without question had Katie been Tracie's husband. Under South Carolina law, Katie was a legal stranger to her own son. Only Tracie, as birth mother, would be allowed access to Baylie's doctors, medical records or given any decision-making power. It turned out that Baylie had suffered a stroke, with significant brain impairment. Information the hospital would not disclose to Katie until Tracie, still groggy from surgery, was cogent enough to call from her hospital bed. It wasn't until Tracie got herself released against her doctors' wishes that she was able to join Katie at their son's bedside, learn the full extent of their Baylie's condition, and begin making medical decisions for his care. In the aftermath of their ordeal, Tracie and Katie made the decision any couple would who'd suffered such treatment at a time of crisis: they sued the state. Not only to recognize their marriage, but to have South Carolina's ban ruled unconstitutional so no other family would ever have to experience what they did. Which brings us back to Nikki Haley. As it turns out, Tracie and Katie are the very couple the Republican governor and SC attorney general Alex Wilson have vowed to continue fighting in federal court. Both are up for re-election next week, and they've promised voters they'll exhaust every legal avenue in their efforts to defend South Carolina's marriage ban. That they'll do all in their power to guarantee that couples like Tracie and Katie continue to have no rights, protections, or legal recourse. In case of emergency, Haley and Wilson want South Carolina's gay taxpayers to know that -- even if they slip out of state to get married -- they can count on exactly the same sort of treatment Tracie, Katie and their newborns received back in 2012. The only problem with all this is, Haley and Wilson lost their battle weeks ago. Why haven't they figured that out. Could it be... politics? On October 6 the Supreme Court, by refusing to hear five same-sex marriage cases from around the U.S., allowed those lower court rulings to stand. This decision immediately rendered same-sex marriage bans unconstitutional in 12 states. Including South Carolina. South Carolina's fate was sealed by the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, when its judge ruled that Virginia's marriage ban violated U.S. equal protection laws. Fourth Circuit Court rulings upheld by the Supreme Court apply to South Carolina cases. LikeBradacs v. Haley. West Virginia and North Carolina, whose marriage bans were also rendered unlawful by the 4th Circuit ruling, accepted defeat and quickly called a halt to the same-sex marriage litigation advancing in their court. Why pursue a lost cause at taxpayer expense? Unless you're Nikki Haley. She fights on. When a Charleston, SC probate judge -- citing the October 6 high court decision -- began issuing marriage license applications, she said not so fast. Ignoring the 4th Circuit ruling, South Carolina's Supreme Court they declared that no licenses could be issued to LGBT citizens until a ruling is issued in Bradacs v. Haley. Even though 4th Circuit ruling means Haley now no chance of winning her case, it is, after all, election season. She promised SC voters to defend the state's marriage ban until every appeal is exhausted. How would it look if she dropped the case and stopped defending the marriage ban just because it's unconstitutional? When I spoke with Tracie Goodwin-Bradacs last week, I could hear the fatigue in her voice. She told me that after the Supreme Court decision, she and Katie believed their family's battle for marriage equality had come to an end. That there marriage would be recognized and they could get on with their lives. They were surprised to learn that Haley was exercising her right to run out the legal clock, even though her team had lost. Badly. It's hard not to be reminded Governor George Wallace. In 1962, he gained national fame for publicly defying a federal ruling ordering Alabama to desegregate its schools. As America watched, Wallace made a show of standing defiantly in the doorway of the University of Alabama, to keep two black students from enrolling. They enrolled anyway. Federal law mandated it. Wallace was forced to concede defeat. But not before hundreds of newsreel cameras caught his stunt on film, endearing him forever to Alabama's segregationist voters, who never forgot, re-electing him for years to come. Marriage equality is coming to South Carolina. Very soon. It's all over but the paperwork. Haley knows she's lost. She also knows that in a state where 80 percent of voters passed a constitutional amendment to keep marriage from the queers, she's winning the only game that matters to a politician. In prolonging the Goodwin-Bradacs family's ordeal by dragging it through the court system until the bitter end, she's sending a clear message to voters: when it comes to equality, I'll bar the door for as long as possible. Or at least until Election Day. Our daughter is following all this very closely. It's troubling to fly out of California with married parents, only to land in South Carolina a bastard. "Will you be married by your high school reunion this weekend?" she asked yesterday. Doubtful, but possible. Judge Michelle Childs could rule in federal court as early as today. Hopefully she'll choose to get this business off her desk quickly so she can move on to more important things. Like Halloween. She's got to be peeved that the case Haley continues to press is busy-work. That however she rules won't matter. The U.S. Supreme Court as ruled. The dog has danced. I'd be peeved. Not inclined to smile the next time a "Re-Elect Governor Haley" ad flashed across my TV screen. But I'm not Tracie Goodwin-Bradacs. If I were her I'm sure I wouldn't be smiling a lot these days. I'd be pissed and stressed having to wait this thing out. It's a measure of their character that Tracie and Katie are somehow finding the humor in all this. Despite all their family has been through, last week Tracie laughed when she told me that even if their marriage were recognized tomorrow, there's no getting away from Nikki Haley. Both she and Katie work for state agencies, where every day they have to pass a framed portrait of the governor in the hallway. I couldn't help wondering what passes through their minds. Or if they just say, "Boo!" |
↧
Architecture Wednesday: Villa Modern
 |
I like this house — in Sint-Genesius-Rode, Belgium — because just when you think you have it figured out, it surprises you again. From the outside it has that fairy tale cottage — okay, a very large cottage for a fairy tale as it is almost 13,000 square feet, five bedrooms and five bathrooms — look about it and then when you step inside it’s whimsical and cute, and then very sleek and modern. On the ground floor, there is a large reception room with timber ceiling, gas fireplace fire and views to the 40+ acre gardens beyond. You also have the kitchen and dining room, and his-and-his — I’m thinking of this for Carlos and me — offices with garden views, too. On the second floor is the master bedroom with his-and-his luxurious dressing rooms, a master bath, and a closet the size of my first house, in addition to three other bedrooms with their own en suites. And even the basement is spectacular; wine cellars, laundry, pantry, indoor pool with its own showers, relaxation area with fireplace, wellness room; and, in addition to the two garage spaces on the ground level, there are four more spaces available in the basement via a car elevator. Now that’s a fairy tale — and again, I mean Carlos and me!                     |
↧
↧
It Was A Hate Crime
 |
I’m sure by now you’ve all seen, or at least heard about, that airport incident, where an apparently drunken white man attacked a black man, while calling him a n****r over and over again. The whole episode was caught on a cellphone camera—as is everything these days—and was posted to YouTube where it went viral. The attacker was tackled by bystanders in the airport, and taken down while screaming about “f*****g n****r” and was subsequently arrested and charged with a Hate Crime. Except it didn’t happen that way, though maybe if it did … At the Dallas airport that day McCleish Christmas Benham was drunk, very drunk; when a gate agent asked him if he’d had any alcohol, Benham cursed at her, saying, “Yes, 100 drinks.” A man standing nearby heard the exchange and told Benham to calm down, that the police were on their way, and that’s when Benham turned his rage on that young man. He was asked again to relax, and when another passenger asked why he was so angry, Benham pointed to the first young man and said, "This faggot right here."  Then Benham kicked the man in the groin, punched him in the eye, and hit him on the head before he was tackled by five onlookers and an airport police officer. While he was being taken to the ground, he continued to yell, "Queers! That's what I'm upset about." Now, while this sickens me, and while I wonder why it took so long for airport security to respond, because the minute you take too long taking your shoes off at TSA you’re surrounded by security, I am stunned to learn that Benham will only face charges of simple assault and public intoxication; each carries a maximum fine of $500 and no jail time. But there doesn’t seem to be any move to charge him with a Hate Crime, though, to be fair, local police have not yet indicated whether they will file hate-crime charges against Benham; if they did, Benham could be charged with a Class-B misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum $2,000 fine and up to 180 days in jail. In addition he might also face separate charges under the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act, though it seems that hate crime charges can be difficult to prove when an assailant is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Okay, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: if that drunk man had punched and kicked the other man because he was a belligerent drunk, that’s hateful; but when he punches, kicks, and hits, while calling the man a “queer” and a “faggot” that’s Hate. I mean, if that first part of the story were true if he’d called a black passenger a “n****r” and attacked him, we’d know right away it’s a Hate Crime; there’d be no discussion. But since this was, perhaps, because we don’t even know, a gay victim, well, we can’t be sure it was Hate. I’m here to say it was Hate; it is Hate; and it will be Hate. And when a lawyer, when asked about hate crimes laws says that would be difficult to prove because Benham was drunk, well, then you’ve just given people their out: get drunk, attack a queer, and it won’t be considered hate because you’re intoxicated. Now that’s hateful. |
↧
PR All-St★rs Starts Tonight
 |
Fourteen of the most talented designers — read: has-beens and losers … okay, I kid, I like some of them — in Project Runway history are sashaying back onto the catwalk for a second shot at winning. Also back, is mentor, Zanna Roberts Rassi, as well as judges Alyssa Milano, Isaac Mizrahi and The Beautiful Georgina Chapman™. There are all kinds of challenges, like a trip to London for a challenge featuring British royalty, collaboration with Broadway's "Wicked The Musical" and the first-ever wedding ceremony live on the runway. And we’ll have some cool guest judges, like the fabulous Laverne Cox of Orange is the New Black, perennial guest judge, Debra Messing, designers Betsey Johnson, Michael Bastian and Elle Tahari, alongside some more questionable choices, like reality stars Snooki and JWoww. That must be for the Tacky Challenge? But, more important than judges and guest judges, is who is coming back for a second, and sometimes third, shot at winning the PR? Let’s rip …  Samantha Black Season 11, The Teams Season, 7th Place I seriously don’t remember her, though, to be fair, I’ve tried to erase The Team Seasons from my mind. Samantha has been working on her line Sammy B Designs, and taking business classes at Macy’s Business Program. Samantha was recently named "designer to watch" by both Essence and Ebony magazines. She was Auf’d for that … something she made for Heidi!  Helen Castillo Season 12, 5th Place Helen was the sad, morose one, the tattooed, sad, morose one, who almost made it to the finale. Helen has been struggling to make a name for herself, although she has had some success and celebrity interest. She designed a Grammy® dress for Mary Lambert and mainly makes custom dresses for the everyday woman. That cocoon thing sent her home.  Fabio Costa Season 10, Runner Up He's kinda hot; that's all I got. He made it to The Tents, but not to The Winner’s Circle. But he was so inspired that he and his design partner created their own androgynous and minimalist line called NotEqual. He is ready to come back to the runway and this time isn’t walking away without the win. That was his Auf-ful look.  Gunnar Deatherage Season 10, 8th Place Gosh, he annoyed me, and now he’s baaaack. Recently the creative director of NFocus Magazine, Gunnar’s days are spent styling, overseeing photo shoots and working on his designs at night for his line, Deatherage Designs. He created his own print and found himself packing it and going …  Justin LeBlanc Season 12, 3rd Place One of the sweetest designtestnats ever. Justin returned to being a full time professor after season 12 and recently completed his Spring/Summer Collection; he is also working on a Fall/Winter 2015/2016 collection with a theme based on his definition of love without boundaries. His test-tube dress in the finale was great, but not great enough to save him.  Michelle Lesniak Season 11, The Teams Season, Winner I once said she was as snarky as me; that she was me "with a vagina." That still scares me. Michelle returned to Portland after her success on the PR and is opening her own boutique. Dedicated to local manufacturing and ethical business practices, she is undoubtedly playing a key role in shaping and growing the Portland fashion industry. Um, she won? So why does she get a second shot? I wanna see losers try to win! I did like her collection, though …  Benjamin Mach Season 11, The Teams Season, 11th Place He was sleek and sexy, but he made some messy looks. Still, his made-to-order Benjamin Mach label launched this year, merging luxurious fabrics with a modern design. But, he got the boot for designing Ugly for a Real Woman.  Chris March Season 4, 4th Place J’adore Chris March; j’adore. Chris continues to build his business, Chris March Designs, designing for stars like Madonna, Prince and Lady Gaga. He recently formed an exclusive partnership with Target to design costumes and wigs for Halloween season. He did a lot of clothes using real human hair in the finale and I think the ick factor was his Auf'ing.  Patricia Michaels Season 11, The Teams Season, Runner Up She was kinda nutty, kinda obsessed with weird notions, but I liked her originality. After the PR Patricia returned to Albuquerque where she has been building a new studio and working on a ready-to-wear collection. During the finale, this was one of her Auf'ing looks.  Kate Pankoke Season 11, The Teams Season, 9th Place … Season 12, 6th Place Sometimes you wanna beat someone over the head. Three times! Three times Kate’s been on the PR. Get a real job! Okay, maybe she does; she now has her own bridal line and a new collection launching in October. These looks got her Auf’d … twice.  Jay Sario Season 7, 4th Place I kind of recall his time on the PR, though i get him confused with Viktor. After his original season, Jay moved from Hawaii to New York, where he currently works as a full-time visual merchandiser for Calvin Klein North America and freelances on the side. His recent passion is bridal wear. This circus-looking-mother-effer was his Auf’ful ouster.  Dmitry Sholokhov Season 10, Winner Another winner? Shouldn’t winners be exempt?? Dmitry created his own brand "Dmitry Sholokhov" and shown in Moscow, and has an exclusive collection for Lord & Taylor. That’s one of his winning looks.  Alexandria von Bromssen Season 12, Runner Up Gosh she was morose, and stern and serious … except for that crying jag near the end. Alexandria manages her own clothing line, owns a designer boutique and runs a sewing camp for kids called Camp Couture. This was her cock-a-doodle-do Auf’ing.  Sonjia Williams Season 10, 5th Place She's another one that i don't remember; I even went back and looked at old posts and didn't remember her. not good. Sonjia has a collection with Anabelle NY and her clothes are available in Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. She is also working on her own solo line, Something by Sonjia. This bit of seaweed got her Auf’d. And there you have it, another round of losers, with a couple of winners thrown in, trying to become a PR Champion. Are you In or are you Out? |
↧
Random Musings
 |
Taylor Swift is everywhere this week because she has a new album coming out; get over it, I’m old, and I’ll call them “albums” until I die. But seriously, she’s everywhere and I am so afraid to see that Blow Up Doll’s bright red lips that I won’t turn on my TV. So, what will I do about tonight’s episode of How To Get Away With Murder? I mean, I love Viola Davis. But what if Swifty appears? Unless, and this could be good, she’s the murder victim? I mean she plays the victim in all her songs, the ones that have infiltrated my brain without consent, so maybe she’d be a good victim on HTGAWM. Now, don’t get me wrong; I like some Mindnumbingly Dumb Pop Music, but at least the kind I like comes from actual singers and not the computer-enhanced variety—Google her disastrous “live” performance on the Grammy’s a couple of years back when she couldn’t carry a tune in Size 10 Jimmy Choos. I caught an earful of her new song, Shake It Off, the other day where she, for lack of a better word, “sings” about “haters gonna hate” … repeat ad nauseum … and I got to thinking that all she sings about are the people who’ve wronged her and don’t like her and are mean to her. And it hit me that she likes being dumped and she likes people being mean and she lives for the haters, because without them, er, us, she’d have nothing to, again, for lack of a better word, “sing” about. |
 |
After the 9th Circuit Court struck down Idaho’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, Idaho state Senator, and certifiable Pandering Loon, Steve Vick proposed a solution to what he calls “gross governmental overreach”: “If we’re not allowed to determine the standards for a marriage license, then maybe we should just not issue them. … I’m exploring is just eliminating marriage licenses in Idaho.” Seriously, if Idaho is gonna have to “let” The Gays get married, then Vick wants to outlaw marriage altogether. That’s his solution! I say, You first, Steve! Why don’t you call your lovely wife at home and tell her that your marriage is meaningless because now The Gays can do it, too, and so, since you’re obviously — and this is just my opinion … I have no proof — a deeply closeted homosexual, you and your wife should call it quits. I mean, if marriage should be outlawed, Stevie, make it retroactive. Asshat. |
 |
I used to have a mad crush on Bruce Jenner, the Olympian. The Bruce Jenner of reality TV fame? Not so much. I don’t know what’s going on with him, and it isn’t my business, but the hairdo, the Farrah he’s rockin’, the shaving down of his Adam’s Apple, and this new picture of him with his lovely nail polish? I don’t know if he’s transgender and planning to transition, or if he’s become such a famewhore that he’s taken a page from the Kash Kow’s playbook and will do anything to keep people talking. That said, while I was stunned by the polish, I was more shocked that he’s a smoker.  |
 |
AHS is getting some NPH and I am like OMG.  NPH will appear in Freak Show‘s 11th and 12th episodes as a chameleon salesman, while Burtka will turn up in the season finale—episode Lucky 13—in what is said to be a sexy storyline with Jessica Lange. I.Can’t.Wait. But …. In other AHS news:  And since Naomi Grossman returned to AHS: Freak Show as Asylum’s Pepper, maybe Sister Mary’s return involves Pepper and how she went from the freak show to Asylum‘s Briarcliff Institution. Again: Can’t.Wait. |
 |
Leave it to FoxNews, the media arm of the GOP, and the talking-heads from The Five to declare that the war on women a creation of the Democratic Party. And yet, in a segment focused on voting and how women and women's issues are impacting the midterm elections, co-host Greg Gutfield says it's a fact that women grow more conservative as they grow older, and so they should wait until they're older to vote: "With age comes wisdom. I tell young people, 'You don't have to wait to become a conservative." And off camera, co-host Kimberly Guilfoyle—a women, I’m guessing—is heard saying that women should wait "to get a brain." And then on-camera, she talks about how, as an attorney, she dismisses young women when choosing juries: "Young women on juries are not a good idea." She says she tells them to "go back on Tinder or Match.com," because they "don't get it" -- "it" being experience with household duties, "paying the bills, doing the mortgage, kids, community, crime, education, healthcare." So, explain again how this whole war on women is a Democratic thing. Asshats. |
 |
We watched Constantine last week; what a horrible show; and not one shot of last week’s Random Musing hottie, Michael James Shaw. A total waste of time. So, this week, we’ll show off Carter Macintyre from USA’s new comedy — which started off funny so we’ll see — Benched, and the lovely and talented Erich Bergen, the Is-he-gay-or-isn’t-he assistant on Madam Secretary. Totes adorbs. |
 |
I have talked before about how I wake up every day with a song in my head, and how, sometimes it’s something I heard on the radio or TV during the previous day, and how sometimes it’s just a song I like and how it crept back into my brain and out my mouth. This week, though, it’s a song I haven’t heard since I was a young queerling and had a young queerling crush on Larry Gatlin. But it’s pretty and, well, when I YouTube’d — that’s a verb now — it, I still felt a little something … Anyway, here’s the song that been playing on a loop in my head for the past few days. |
↧
I Didn't Say It ...
 |
Judy Shepard, on a conversation she once had with her son Matthew about Wyoming and marriage equality: “I had had a conversation with Matt in 1998 and he asked me if I thought it would ever happen – if marriage equality would come to Wyoming. I thought: In my lifetime? No. But I thought he would see it in his. It turned out to be the complete opposite.” This breaks my heart. So much promise … |
 |
Louis Gohmert, Texas asshat and Republican Congressman, still worried about gays in the military: "I've had people say, 'Hey, you know, there's nothing wrong with gays in the military. Look at the Greeks.' Well, you know, they did have people come along who they loved that was the same sex and would give them massages before they went into battle. But you know what, it's a different kind of fighting, it's a different kind of war and if you're sitting around getting massages all day ready to go into a big, planned battle, then you're not going to last very long. It's guerrilla fighting. You are going to be ultimately vulnerable to terrorism and if that's what you start doing in the military like the Greeks did. As people have said, 'Louie, you have got to understand, you don't even know your history.' Oh yes I do. I know exactly. It's not a good idea." I think Louie spends an awful lot of time thinking about man-on-man massages. That’s all. |
 |
Jimmy Carter, former president, on the idea that states should still be allowed to ban same-sex marriage: "I'm kind of inclined to let the states decide individually. And now as you see more and more states are deciding on gay marriages every year. But if Texas doesn't want to have gay marriage, then I think that's a right for Texas people to decide." This is quite different than what he’s said in the past, so I hope it’s a misquote or a misstatement. Jimmy needs to see that if, say, Bob and Carlos get married in South Carolina, and have their marriage recognized in that state, and then, for some reason, they move to Texas somewhere down the line, and find their marriage is invalid, that’s kind of the epitome on inequality. Eh, Jimmy? |
 |
Ted Olson, AFER lawyer, saying the nation has reached a "point of no return" in the legal battle over gay marriage: "I do not believe that the United States Supreme Court could rule that all of those laws prohibiting marriage are suddenly constitutional after all these individuals have gotten married and their rights have changed; To have that snatched away, it seems to me, would be inhuman; it would be cruel; and it would be inconsistent with what the Supreme Court has said about these issues in the cases that it has rendered." It’s gonna happen, far sooner than I think most of us ever suspected, or expected. |
 |
Dolly Parton, on her gay following, Christianity and the LGBT community: “They know that I completely love and accept them, as I do all people. I've struggled enough in my life to be appreciated and understood. I've had to go against all kinds of people through the years just to be myself. I think everybody should be allowed to be who they are, and to love who they love. I don't think we should be judgmental. Lord, I've got enough problems of my own to pass judgment on somebody else. … [As] far as the Christians, if people want to pass judgment, they're already sinning. The sin of judging is just as bad as any other sin they might say somebody else is committing. I try to love everybody.” I’m glad she didn’t resort to her old standby that gay people deserve marriage so they can be just as miserable as straight people. |
↧
↧
Would You Hit It?
 |
Jake Gyllenhaal. Donnie Darko; Brokeback Mountain; Prisoners; Love & Other Drugs or, as I call it The One Where Jake Is Naked A Lot. This might sound like a stupid question but, well, one man's Hit It is another man's Quit It; so ... Would.You.Hit.It? Yes or No. |
↧
PRAll-St★rs 4 Ep 1: Uptown Goin' Down
 |
All righty then, the fourth season of losers trying again, AKA PR All-St★rs 4! Oh, but they aren’t all losers because the producers have slipped in two PR winners, Dmitry and Michelle, and the other designers, AKA The Losers, aren’t exactly thrilled about it. But that’s neither here nor there because the challenge is up. PR All-Stars host — and verypregnant — Alyssa Milano splits the group into teams of Men versus Women who must create collections inspired by either New York's Uptown scene or New York's Downtown scene. A subway token is tossed and the men win, choosing to go Downtown, while the girls — who seemed to have wanted Downtown — head Uptown. Both teams of seven have a budget of $1500 and one day to make it work. Let’s rip … |
THE SAFE WOMEN
clockwise from Top Left
 |
ALEXANDRIA I loved this look but it is really a mash-up of downtown edge and uptown fabrics; a wee bit too sexy for the sophisticated girl. HELEN This was a simple look, but I loved the inset shiny fabric curving down the body. SONJIA Again, too edgy; the crop top was showing a bit too much skin for an Uptown Girl. SAMANTHA During the critique Zanna Roberts Rassi told Samantha to lose the peplum — does anyone still think a peplum is cool? — and that saved this from the Bottom, I think. A shorter hemline might have helped, too. |
THE SAFE MEN
clockwise from Top Left
 |
DMITRY It’s nice but it looks like a 1970s macramé plant holder hanging around her neck. Did not get it. GUNNAR He was going with a chiffon capelet until Zanna told him that it looked “Chloë Sevigny meets Wonder Woman doing bridal.” Gunnar sniffed and said he disagreed, but he followed her advice nonetheless. JUSTIN A taste level concern; the shorts look like a backwards diaper to me and it’s all a bit blah. JAY I liked the pant, liked the tube top, but the vest seemed a little octopus to me. Not a favorite. |
THE TOPS: The Men
 |
CHRIS His inspiration was a crazy guy who seemed to have found a kilt in a trash can and tied it around his waist, but he wanted to reimagine it as a girl wearing her boyfriend’s shirt tied around her as a skirt. When Zanna stopped by her only critique was, "I love a kilt.” Note to self: show her Carlos in one. WHAT HE SAID My kilt is working WHAT I SAID I like it, but is it design, because anyone can buy a kilt; I did love the leather top, though. WHAT THE JUDGES SAID Alyssa was crazy about the kilt, and she got the boyfriend’s shirt inspiration Chris intended. Isaac Mizrahi loved the heaviness of the kilt with the skimpy, lightness of the top, while The Beautiful Georgina Chapman™ thought the top, as a corset, was a bit loose; she did, however, call the look original. Guest judge, Ivanka Trump disagreed, saying it seemed a bit cliché, the belt too heavy, and the look kind of cheesy. WHAT HAPPENED Chris, who predicted he’d be in the Top, goes Third.  BENJAMIN He was the lone guy who didn’t want to go Downtown, and his original idea really seemed to support that; but Benjamin wasn’t having it, saying a Downtown girl could look chic — though, yeah, that wasn’t the challenge, you know, to make a Downtown girl chic. But, when Zanna warned him that his look was too Uptown, he seemed to realize that his POV needed an adjustment for the challenge, and he made some changes. WHAT HE SAID She looks amazing. WHAT I SAID I still think it’s an Uptown look, very chi-chi, but the styling saved it. WHAT THE JUDGES SAID Isaac loved it, saying it captured both the drama and the model’s body; this was his personal favorite. Alyssa said it could have gone wrong — i.e. Uptown — but it worked. The Beautiful Georgina Chapman™ loved the graphic nature of the look, with the free and easy quality of the design. Ivanka loved how he referenced architecture in it—and hoped to wear it home to show Daddy so he could slap a big Trump Dress sign on it; those Trumps would put their name on anything. WHAT HAPPENED Chic was in, but just Second Place.  FABIO Returning from Mood, Fabio found that his fabrics were missing; no idea if they had been cut, and left behind; not paid for and left behind; paid for and left behind. But there was no going back, so he had to make do with his teammate’s fabrics. And he did a nice job, which is what Zanna said — “It’s perfectly nice.” — but Fabio went back and threw in some ‘Wow’ straps across the back. WHAT HE SAID I hope the judges notice everything about this look. WHAT I SAID That different colored tie-belt-obi-wrap thing in the front seemed odd to me; very out of place. WHAT THE JUDGES SAID Alyssa said "I want this on my body," and I added, “In about five months.” She loved that it seemed business in the front and party in the back. Isaac loved it, and also loved the two-toned color, front-to-back. The Beautiful Georgina Chapman™ called it beautiful — and she should know — while Ivanka loved it, but thought the pants were a hair too short, even though it was both polished and edgy. WHAT HAPPENED Fabio wins, but gets no immunity, as PR Al-stars don’t play like that! |
THE BOTTOMS: The Women
 |
MICHELLE She didn’t want Uptown, and she — like Benjamin — struggled to suit her voice to the challenge; she chose suede and cut-outs,. A daring choice, and Zanna noted that her girl might just be too cool for Uptown. WHAT SHE SAID I’m really happy with the way it turned out. WHAT I SAID I like Michelle, but I felt for her because she’s always on teams that drag her down; this was kinda edgy for Uptown, but I liked it. WHAT THE JUDGES SAID Ivanka loved the Uptown sexiness of it, calling it reserved and sophisticated. Alyssa, though, said the fabric looked like car seat fabric — and when they took a close-up, well, I got car seat and car sick, too. It looked like Chrysler Cordoba Cheap Corinthian Leather — for those who remember that old ad. Isaac hated the additional fabrics in the back, and wished it had all been one suede — though not that suede. The Beautiful Georgina Chapman™ also wished the back didn’t have the green pieces of fabric because then it would have been much better. WHAT HAPPENED Michelle gets a pass.  KATE A Two-Time loser going for Third Time’s The Charm? As much as I loathed Amanda on the last arc of the PR, I loathe Kate on any PR show more. Get a job! But I digress. Kate is making a girly dress because she likes all things princess, but Zanna warns her that the top looks very modern and the bottom looks very retro, so Kate starts again. She does, oddly enough, save the Boob Shells for the second look. WHAT SHE SAID It’s a Bond girl! WHAT I SAID In a Sean Connery Bond film; which is to say, that it looks old and dated and the Oyster Breasts are a distraction. WHAT THE JUDGES SAID Isaac said he loved natural boobs, and loved the kind of 50s augmentation of the Shell Breasts, but it was all ruined because the dress was too tight. The Beautiful Georgina Chapman™ said it felt old-fashioned, and the stripe at the knee cut the model off. Alyssa thought there were a lot of ideas that failed to gel, while Ivanka thought it less Uptown and more va-va-va-voom. WHAT HAPPENED I guess ill-fitting dresses with Boobs on the Half Shell are safe.  PATRICIA She loves making her own textiles and so she opts for what she calls a pomegranate detail that leads Zanna to sigh and say, Okay? But, she runs out of time, and the pomegranates don’t end up on the dress at all. WHAT SHE SAID It’s a beautiful neckline, and a versatile dress, but I’m not happy with the darts. WHAT I SAID Bullet Titty nightgown. WHAT THE JUDGES SAID Alyssa said she loved an A-line dress because she’s 35 months pregnant and can only wear A-line. Isaac loved the idea of the dress but thought the fabrics looked dirty, while The Beautiful Georgina Chapman™ thought the breast darts weren’t doing good things—unless the goal was to use them as weapons? WHAT HAPPENED Someone has to go, and it’s Pat. |
 |
MY TAKE Alyssa Milano is huge! I hope she makes it to the end of the season, or maybe we’ll have our first Swaddling Clothes Challenge? Like Fabio, I Love Zanna Roberts Rassi. The accent, the style, the zip. Loving her. I also like some Isaac Mizrahi. I wanna get drunk with him and just gossip gossip gossip. And, of course, The Beautiful Georgina Chapman™. Love.Her. As for the designers: Gunnar? No. He just wants to be on TV; he is all affectation and no substance, which was evident when he first spoke at the beginning, and said something about another designer, "However comma …” Hon, you don’t say comma, it’s implied …period. Sonjia needs to lay off the Smurf lipstick; I could make a tasteless joke about giving head to Papa Smurf but won't ... oops, I already did. That Jay Sario is totally adorable and I’m having a First Episode crush on him. Fabio, too, because I love his edge. As for who I wanna see at The Tents — or whatever the PR All-St★rs uses as The Tents — I’m rooting for Michelle and Fabio right now, with maybe some Chris March thrown in because he’ll surprise you. Gunnar can go, and he can stuff Kate into his man purse. What did YOU think?  |
↧
I Ain't One To Gossip But .... A 'Stupid Girl' Edition
 |
Oh Lindsay, why do you speak off-the-cuff? You're a line-reader; you should not be talking, Tweeting, Instagramming; nothing. Remember her tweet to Obama after this Tweet from him: “I’ve cut taxes for those who need it: middle-class families, small businesses.” Lohan tweeted back: “@BarackObama we also need to cut them for those that are listed on Forbes as “millionaires” if they are not, you must consider that as well.” I know! And now she’s wading into the waters of politics again, only this time into Brazilian presidential politics. Tweeting this: “I support @aecioNeves, for presidential candidature [sic]. His platform brings positive changes in Brazil.” Lohan says she has a good reason for supporting Neves because her “Brazilian contacts” like the guy and — “she has plenty of contacts there and has several business trips to the country.” What Lohan failed to mention is that Neves owns a company that owns a helicopter that was seized by the federal police because it was carrying 4.5 tons of cocaine. Oh. Cocaine. Lohan. I get it now. |
 |
Bruce Jenner so graciously revealed his new girlfriend — his soon-to-be ex-wife's former bestie — this past week, and since That Woman is not to be outdone, ever, she trotted out her own new love interest at once! Kris Jenner has been spotted out and about with the dude who is said to be her newest acquisition, er, boyfriend, and he’s none other than Corey Gamble, who works with Scooter Braun who is part of Justin Bieber’s team. Expect a sex tape with That Woman and that little boy soon, because that’s how those two roll. Or maybe it’s a set-up so That Woman can keep her name out there, because Cory Gamble said this about the photos: “I don’t know how anyone had those pics because no one was seated across from us. That worries me and I’m hoping it’s not a setup from Kris because I do really like her.” Kris Jenner? Set up a photo op? Why, I can’t believe it! |
 |
So, Bruce and Demi’s daughter, Rumer Willis. Well, she’s not what you might call a classic beauty, but, you know, she must have “something” because designer Franziska Fox hired Willis for her 2015 lookbook. You’d think Rumer would be thrilled for the job, but when the photos came out she’d been photoshopped to within an inch of her chin and is now saying: “I think I would have felt very differently if I was a model who was hired to be a part of the brand. I get that there are certain things they want to change or whatever. But, if you’re hiring me to be a representative of your brand and you’re changing who I am – like drastically changing how I look [while] everybody knows how I look [by] taking away the muscle. I just thought it was odd, you know? My stylist told me about it and I was like, ‘Well, that’s fucked up.’ Then I immediately called my manager and said, ‘You know, this is unacceptable, because that’s not what I want to put out in the world and what I want to represent anyway.’” First off: Rumer Willis isn’t a model? I’m devastated because … okay, I kid. Still, she’s upset about what they did to her face? Look what they made her wear!  |
 |
More Lohan … Lindsay has been starring in David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow over there to London town and it’s been a rocky ride, what with her not knowing her lines, or her cues, or the audience openly laughing during her performance. But now this … While Lohan’s much-hyped stage debut garnered a lot of press, and a huge audience at the beginning, now tickets for the play are on deep discount, nearly half off, according to ads in the papers: “Save 50% on tickets to ‘Speed-the-Plow’ starring Lindsay Lohan. Top price seats were £59.50, now just £29.75, saving you 50% when you book by Saturday,” And some tickets can be had for $24.00! Why, that’s not enough to keep the star in vodka for more than half an hour. And then, oddly enough, with ticket prices falling faster than her career, Lindsay Tweeted that she couldn’t make the night’s performance because she was too “ill.” Uh huh.  |
 |
Remember a few years back when Kanye showed up at the MTV Video Awards with the bottle of brown juice on the Red Carpet? And then he stole the microphone away from Taylor Swift so he could publicly kiss Beyoncé’s ass? I kinda liked him then, because anyone who can take the spotlight off that Auto-tuned-Aw-Shucks-Gee-Whiz-Who-Me-Can’t-Sing kewpie doll is okay in my book. But this isn’t about those tools; it’s about the tool who married the tool who brought the brown juice to the show, Kim Kardastrophe. Kim is tired of not being taken seriously — after all she’s Mister Kanye West — and she is now blaming her “reality” show for putting a negative connotation on all she has accomplished; in the words of the immortal Barbara Walters, “Wet’s wisten in ….” “I pride myself with my work ethic, and I work really hard. I think when people hear that I might have gotten success off of a ‘reality show,’ they take that as a negative. We’re in our tenth season. We have more episodes than ‘I Love Lucy.’” A-a-and we’ll stop. She’s comparing herself to Lucy? Seriously? I don’t remember exactly how Lucy got the role on her iconic comedy show that has been airing around the world from some sixty-plus years, but I’m sure it wasn’t because she released a tape of herself flat on her back, heels to God, being schtupped by one of Desi Arnaz’ roadies. But she doesn’t stop there y’all … “I wake up every single day at 6 am, and go to the gym, get my daughter up, feed my baby, film all day, sometimes don’t finish until 8 or 9 pm, and that’s every single day, six days a week, for five months straight while we’re filming … I don’t think reality TV gets the respect it “ A-a-and we’re stopping again. She.Works.Hard. She has to go to the gym! She has to wake up her own child!! She has to walk around, dragging that enormous ass, while cameras follow her! She gets paid $500,000 by Tao nightclub in Vegas to appear at her own birthday party! It looks like Kimmie has been nipping at the brown juice, too. |
↧
Don't Forget! Tonight You Have To ...
↧
↧
Sunday Funnies
↧
Give Them Life In The Name Of Gabriel Fernandez
 |
Gabriel Fernandez was an abused child; one day, his mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, discovered him playing with dolls and sent him to school the next day wearing a dress. That was the least of it; Gabriel; was regularly beaten, with a baseball bat — several of his teeth were knocked out one time; he was shot with a BB gun in the groin; he was doused with pepper spray, forced to eat his own vomit, locked in a cabinet with a sock stuffed in his mouth and was whipped with a belt. All because his mother and her boyfriend thought he was gay. One particularly bad day, Gabriel was taken to his room by his mother while Isauro followed with a baseball bat. One of his siblings later said you could hear Gabriel screaming, and then suddenly it stopped. His mother called 911 that day, May 22, 2013, to report that Gabriel was not breathing, and when paramedics arrived they found Gabriel in his bedroom naked, with a cracked skull, several broken ribs, and BB pellets in his lung and groin. Gabriel Fernandez died two days later. Aguirre and Pearl Fernandez were charged with capital murder shortly thereafter, though now Pearl — I’ll stop calling her Gabriel’s mother because mother’s shouldn’t do that to their children — and Aguirre are expected to take a plea deal in the case to avoid the death penalty; they would received life in prison without the possibility of parole. Now, some may say that Fernandez and Isauro deserve to die for what they did, but I beg to differ. I want them locked up, without the possibility of parole, with no chance at appeals, for the rest of their lives; I want them to wake up each and every day for the next several decades knowing they will never be free again for what they did to an innocent child. I’ve always been anti-death penalty because we know it’s not a deterrent to crime; if it was, we’d have no more murders, because everyone would know they’d be put to death for that crime. No, people still kill people, and little boys, and their own children, without even thinking about the death penalty, so why give it to them? Punish them for life for what they’ve done. I remember at the sentencing of Aaron McKinney for the murder of Matthew Sheppard, when Dennis Shepard said this: “I would like nothing better than to see you die, Mr. McKinney. However, this is the time to begin the healing process. To show mercy to someone who refused to show any mercy. To use this as the first step in my own closure about losing Matt. Mr. McKinney, I am not doing this because of your family. I am definitely not doing this because of the crass and unwarranted pressures put on by the religious community. If anything, that hardens my resolve to see you die. Mr. McKinney, I’m going to grant you life, as hard as that is for me to do, because of Matthew. Every time you celebrate Christmas, a birthday, or the Fourth of July, remember that Matt isn’t. Every time that you wake up in that prison cell, remember that you had the opportunity and the ability to stop your actions that night. Every time that you see your cell mate, remember that you had a choice, and now you are living that choice. You robbed me of something very precious, and I will never forgive you for that. Mr. McKinney, I give you life in the memory of one who no longer lives. May you have a long life, and may you thank Matthew every day for it.” That’s what I wish for Isauro Aguirre and Pearl Fernandez; that, for me, would be a greater punishment then a few minutes of pain followed by nothingness. Live every single day knowing that you are where you are because of whom you are and what you did. But Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre aren’t the only guilty parties. It has come to light, following Gabriel’s’ death, that social workers investigated the home several times and left Gabriel there; social workers had responded to multiple reports of abuse from both Gabriel Fernandez's teachers and his grandfather, but they determined that Gabriel was not at risk. It has been revealed that eight-year-old Gabriel Fernandez wrote a suicide note but since the note offered no “specific” plan for how he would take his own life, social workers did nothing; nothing. Teachers at his school saw him come to class beaten and bruised and did nothing. In my mind, they are just as guilty. They deserve to lose their jobs; they deserve to be banned, for life, from any kind of social work, from any kind of work that would involve them protecting a child. To me they are as culpable as Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre; they may not have swung the bat, they make not have shot that BB gun, but when it came to protecting Gabriel they all sat on their hands. Now, sure, social work is hard, the system doesn’t work many time; social workers have huge caseloads. But when a child, a child, writes a suicide note and nothing is done about it”? When a child is bruised and beaten and nothing is done about it? When you are called over and over and over again to investigate reports of abuse and nothing is done about it? Guilty.  UPDATE: Isauro Aguirre has not agreed to the deal that calls for life in prison without the possibility of parole and no appeals; now, both he and Pearl Fernandez have until a December 3 court hearing to accept the deal or not and go to trial on murder charges. As I said, I hope whether they accept the deal or don’t that they aren’t given the easy out of a death sentence, and years and years of appeals paid for by California taxpayers. I hope they get life, with no parole and no appeals. I hope they rot in jail until the day they die and think about Gabriel every single day. |
Dennis Shepard's Full Statement
↧
WTF? Hilary Swank
 |
Okay, Hilary Swank, we get it; you have a rockin’ body. But this mess, Oy, this mess. It looks like the dress is so bottom heavy that it pulled the top down exposing your bra and, yes, your abs. And the shoes? Oh goddess, those Miss America pumps! Honey … no … no. Stop it. |
↧