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Photo courtesy island house If you can manage to tear yourself away from the pool at one of Key West’s famous (and infamous) LGBTQ+ guesthouses, there’s plenty of party awaiting. The vacation hotspot is known for the bustling Duval Street, off-the-wall drag shows, laidback bars, DJs, dancing and … vibrator races? This week’s episode of Towleroad’s new travel miniseries Gay Key West Uncovered takes listeners down Duval. Meet the island’s legendary 801 Girls and learn about the variety of drag shows offered nightly. We pop into a performance of Eyecons at LaTeDa for a taste of Christopher Peterson’s top-caliber celebrity-impersonation cabaret. Finally, we’ll join the throngs of cheering fans at Mary Ellen’s world famous vibrator races and dance the day away at the island’s Sunday tea dance. Available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Stitcher and more. Gay Key West Uncovered is a six-part miniseries hosted by writer, comedian and professional homosexual Bobby Hankinson. Join us as we explore why Key West offers a wild, wonderful, unapologetically queer travel experience like no other. Learn about the island’s unique history, nightlife, restaurants, artists and more straight from the people who make it so special. Well … maybe not too straight. Gay Key West Uncovered is produced by Towleroad.com and sponsored by Key West. Learn more about gay Key West and book your trip today. Puddin’ Taine (left) and Kylie Jean Lucille from 801 Bourbon in Key West.View the full article

Published by AlterNet In 2012, then-Vice President Joe Biden endorsed same-sex marriage as President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign was getting underway. Now, more than a decade later, Biden revealed to The Daily Show what led to his change of heart. “I’m curious what your evolution was like on marriage equality and what the federal government might be able to do to protect LGBTQ Americans, especially trans kids, who are dealing with all these regressive state laws that are popping up right now,” correspondent Kal Penn asked of the president. “I can remember exactly where my, uh, epiphany was,” Biden began. REA… Read More View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Michelle Yeoh went there! On Sunday, March 12, the actress, 60, threw Don Lemon under the bus when she accepted her Best Actress award for her role in the hit movie Everything Everywhere All at Once. “For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that dreams dream big, and dreams do come true,” the star, who made history as the first Asian woman to win in the category, gushed. “And ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you are ever past your prime. Never give up.” mega It’s no coincidence that Yeoh’s comments were in response to when the CNN star, 57, blasted Nikki Haley for being past “her prime” at only 51 years old. “Was this a jab at @donlemon for his recent comments about women ‘being past their prime’ after their 40’s?” one person asked, while another said, “I think Michelle Yeoh just called out DonLemon during her #Oscars acceptance speech.” “Michelle Yeoh coming for Don Lemon was not on my #Oscar bingo card ,” another person quipped. Megyn Kelly Demands CNN Fire Don Lemon After Sexist & Ageist Nikki Haley Remarks: ‘Do Women Matter?’ Conservative Firebrand Candace Owens Defends Don Lemon’s Remarks On Women In Their Prime: ‘He Basically Said Water Is Wet’ More Drama Unearthed: Don Lemon Caused Uproar After Finding Out His ‘CNN This Morning’ Job Wasn’t A Solo Gig As OK! previously reported, the TV personality got himself into trouble when he shared his thoughts on Haley running for president in 2024. “If you Google, ‘When is a woman in her prime?’ it’ll say 20s, 30s and 40s,” he said. “I’m not saying I agree with that, so I think [Haley] has to be careful about saying that [politicians aren’t in their prime].” The remarks quickly went viral, resulting in Lemon taking off some days from work and later apologizing via social media. “I appreciate the opportunity to be back on @CNNThisMorning today,” he wrote. “To my network, my colleagues and our incredible audience — I’m sorry. I’ve heard you, I’m learning from you, and I’m committed to doing better. See you soon.” Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for! mega Lemon will also have to go through “formal training” to avoid further incidents going forward. “I sat down with Don and had a frank and meaningful conversation. He has agreed to participate in formal training, as well as continuing to listen and learn. We take this situation very seriously,” Licht said in the memo obtained by Fox News Digital. “It is important to me that CNN balances accountability with fostering a culture in which people can own, learn and grow from their mistakes. To that end, Don will return to CNN This Morning on Wednesday.” View the full article

Published by AFP 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' directors Daniel Scheinert (L) and Daniel Kwan were previously best known for an oddball comedy about a talking corpse — now, their film won seven Oscars Hollywood (United States) (AFP) – Surreal sci-fi film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” dominated the Oscars on Sunday, winning seven golden statuettes including best picture, Hollywood’s most coveted prize. The unorthodox but beloved movie — which features multiple universes, sex toys and hot dog fingers — also won best director, best actress, best original screenplay, best editing, and both the best supporting actor and actress prizes. Michelle Yeoh, who is Malaysian, becomes the first ever Asian woman to win best actress, for her portrayal of an exhausted Chinese laundromat owner embroiled in battle with an inter-dimensional supervillain — who happens to be her daughter. “Thank you to the Academy, this is history in the making!” she said. “Ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you are ever past your prime,” added the 60-year-old, whose career began decades ago with martial arts films in Hong Kong. Brendan Fraser won best actor for playing a morbidly obese teacher in “The Whale,” capping a remarkable career comeback. Fraser was a major action star in the late 1990s with films like “The Mummy,” before largely disappearing from the public view. “I started in this business 30 years ago, and things — they didn’t come easily to me,” he said. He thanked director Darren Aronofsky for “throwing me a creative lifeline and hauling me aboard the good ship ‘The Whale.'” ‘American Dream’ “Everything Everywhere,” comfortably the night’s biggest winner, is a word-of-mouth smash hit that has grossed $100 million at the global box office. In a plot that is not easily described, Yeoh’s heroine Evelyn must harness the power of her alter egos living in parallel universes, which feature hot dogs as human fingers, talking rocks and giant dildos used as weapons. The film, which features a predominantly Asian cast, was directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — two young filmmakers who were previously best known for an oddball comedy about a talking corpse. Kwan thanked his “immigrant parents,” while his counterpart thanked his mother for never “squashing my creativity,” including when he had dressed in drag as a child. “Which is a threat to nobody,” he added, to enormous cheers. Vietnam-born Ke Huy Quan, 51, who was a major child star in the 1980s with “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies,” completed a stunning comeback from decades in the Hollywood wilderness by winning best supporting actor. “My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp. And somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage… this is the American Dream,” said Quan. After the show, he came bounding into the backstage press room, shouting “Wow, wow, wow… Can you believe I’m holding one of these?” He shared that “Indiana Jones” director Steven Spielberg had grabbed him and said: “You are now an Oscar winner!” Best supporting actress Jamie Lee Curtis paid tribute to her parents Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, both Oscar-nominated actors who never won. – ‘All Quiet’ makes noise – “All Quiet on the Western Front,” Netflix’s German-language World War I, finished the night in second place with four awards. It won best international feature and best cinematography early in Sunday’s ceremony. As the night progressed, it also gathered Oscars for best original score and best production design. But it ultimately could not stop the “Everything Everywhere” juggernaut, and lost adapted screenplay to “Women Talking,” and best sound to “Top Gun: Maverick.” Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun” sequel had been seen as another potential best picture contender, having helped bring audiences back to movie theaters after the pandemic. While Cruise did not attend Sunday’s ceremony, the night began with a thunderous flyover by two US Navy jets, soaring at 345 mph over the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Host Jimmy Kimmel was then lowered onto the stage, and he quickly launched into a monologue which laid into Will Smith’s infamous attack on Chris Rock at last year’s Oscars. The specter of “The Slap” has hung over the Oscars since Smith assaulted Rock on stage for cracking a joke about his wife. Smith was allowed to stay at the gala, and accept Hollywood’s top male acting prize soon after, but has since been banned from Academy events for a decade. “If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point during the show — you will be awarded the Oscar for best actor, and permitted to give a 19-minute-long speech,” joked Kimmel. – ‘Naatu Naatu’ – In the night’s other prizes, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” won best animated film, and “Avatar: The Way of Water” won best visual effects. “Navalny” — about the imprisoned Russian dissident Alexei Navalny — won for best documentary. Dozens of dancers brought a colorful, energetic performance of “Naatu Naatu,” the showstopper tune from Indian crowd-pleaser “RRR,” which won the Oscar for best original song. Academy bosses hope that Oscars television ratings will pick up from recent years, calling in heavy hitters from the world of music to perform the other nominated songs. A dressed-down Lady Gaga sang an emotional, heartfelt rendition of her song “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick.” And Rihanna — draped in diamonds, including over her baby bump — sang “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which won for best costume design. Lenny Kravitz performed the annual “In Memoriam” segment. View the full article

Published by Kaiser Health News When Paula Chestnut needed hip replacement surgery last year, a pre-operative X-ray found irregularities in her chest. As a smoker for 40 years, Chestnut was at high risk for lung cancer. A specialist in Los Angeles recommended the 67-year-old undergo an MRI, a high-resolution image that could help spot the disease. But her MRI appointment kept getting canceled, Chestnut’s son, Jaron Roux, told KHN. First, it was scheduled at the wrong hospital. Next, the provider wasn’t available. The ultimate roadblock she faced, Roux said, arrived when Chestnut’s health insurer deemed the MRI medically unne… Read More View the full article

Published by OK Magazine MEGA The cameras couldn’t catch it all! The 2023 Oscars have come to an end — but there were plenty unforgettable moments that just missed their mark on TV screens nationwide. Between Elizabeth Olsen puckering up for her husband, Robbie Arnett, before making their way into Dolby Theatre and The Fabelmans‘ actor Gabriel LaBelle being starstruck by Bill Nighy on his way into the restroom, there were so many iconic behind-the-scenes interactions that simply can’t go unnoticed. Keep scrolling to see what you missed on TV at the 95th Academy Awards! Lady Gaga Helps Fallen Photographer MEGA Lady Gaga ran over to help a photographer get back on their feet after they took a tumbling fall on the Oscars red carpet prior to the show. The “Bloody Mary” singer displayed a shocked face before her instincts kicked in to assist the fallen fella. She later decided to free her face from all of her red carpet glam and perform her Oscar-nominated song “Hold My Hand” in makeup-free fashion. Cara Delevingne Meets Up With Florence Pugh MEGA But first … let me take a selfie! Cara Delevingne and Florence Pugh was the duo we never knew we needed as they posed for some pics in the orchestra lobby before heading into the awards show venue. Jamie Lee Curtis Post-Oscar Win Excitement Austin Butler Refuses To Talk About Girlfriend Kaia Gerber On Oscars Red Carpet, Brings Agent As His Plus-One Hugh Grant Called Out For Being ‘So Rude’ During Oscars Interview With Ashely Graham: ‘His Eye Roll At The End Was Obnoxious!’ Watch: Angela Bassett Doesn’t Clap As Opponent Jamie Lee Curtis Wins Best Supporting Actress MEGA Jamie Lee Curtis‘ overwhelming joy radiated throughout the entire press room — and all of Dolby Theatre, for that matter. The Everything Everywhere All At Once star called her win for Best Supporting Actress “the thrill of my life.” Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for! A$AP Rocky Gushes Over Rihanna MEGA A$AP Rocky was all smiles as he watched his pregnant lady Rihanna‘s awe-inspiring performance of her Oscar nominated song, “Lift Me Up.” The rapper — who shares a 9-month old son with the “Umbrella” vocalist — raised his glass of champagne to Rihanna during her breathtaking ballad. Angela Bassett Supports Halle Bailey MEGA Angela Bassett passed the torch of approval down to the next generation as she flashed Halle Bailey a thumbs-up before the 22-year-old actress took the stage for The Little Mermaid trailer. View the full article

Published by AlterNet Donald Trump Junior this weekend suggested that the person or persons who planted pipebombs at the Democratic and Republican National Committee headquarters immediately before the January 6th, 2021 Capitol insurrection do not exist. Junior explained that he believes this because there were no arrests or significant coverage of the thwarted attacks in the news. “They had the insurrection narrative. You notice how the, the ‘bombers’ at the DNC and at the RNC – the guy that left pipe bombs there – just sort of disappeared from the news. It’s like, you know what? In case there wasn’t an insurrecti… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Cara Delevingne struggled with being herself and revealing her secrets on ‘Planet Sex’. The model, 30, released the BBC Three series earlier this year, which saw her explore her sexuality and touch herself on camera. She told Vogue magazine’s April issue about its making: “It was super personal and I didn’t really realise how personal it would be. “I’d only really learned how to show emotion when I was acting because I didn’t feel worthy enough to feel those things as myself. “With ‘Planet Sex’, I was just so uncomfortable in front of the camera in the beginning because it was like, ‘Oh, God, I’ve gotta be myself.’” The show sees Cara, who is dating singer Leah Mason, 31, aka Minke, being moved to the point of tears at the end of her first day on location at the Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs, billed as the world’s largest festival for queer women. She says on the first episode of the show: “I still struggle with being open—really open—about just how much I love women.” The couple who directed the docuseries, Jessica Chermayeff and Ana Veselic, told Vogue about being overwhelmed by Cara’s willingness to be open. Jessica said: “I think a lot of celebrities say they’re on a personal journey, but with her it was more than just lip service. “She was scared in all the right ways.” Ana added “Cara was very open. Not everything was this perfect platitude statement, this neat little answer that checks all the boxes. “There were definitely grey areas. As a viewer, I really miss that in conversations like this, because it’s not black and white.” View the full article

Published by PsyPost People who are more engaged with communities that push abstinence from masturbation tend to feel more suicidal after a perceived “relapse,” according to new research published in the journal Sexualities. The authors of the new study sought to investigate potential harms associated with the so-called “Reboot” community, who believe they can reset their body to a healthier state by abstaining from pornography and masturbation. Members of this mostly online community think that masturbation has harmful effects and that abstaining from it can help alleviate conditions such as erectile dysfunction … Read More View the full article

Published by St. Louis Post-Dispatch ST. LOUIS — More than a dozen people gathered Sunday afternoon on the edge of Forest Park to protest the medical treatment of transgender adolescents at a clinic across the street. Washington University’s Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital has been under intense scrutiny since accusations of negligence and malpractice by a former employee were made public last month. Organizer Teresa Folds of St. Louis said she formed her group, the St. Louis Gender Critical Alliance, on Feb. 1. About a week later, the Free Press published an online narrative by Jamie Reed, who was a case mana… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jamie Lee Curtis is “concerned” making awards gender neutral will “diminish the opportunities for women”. The 64-year-old actress – whose child Ruby came out as transgender in 2021 – acknowledged how “very difficult” it is to promote inclusivity with gendered categories but is unsure of how best to tackle the subject without shutting out females. Asked how she felt to have made this year’s list of female nominees, Jamie said backstage at Sunday’s (12.03.23) Academy Awards – where she won the Best Actress in a Supporting Role for ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ – it was a “surreal and proud” experience. But she added to reporters at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre: “Obviously, I would like to see a lot more women be nominated so that there’s gender parity in all the areas, in all the branches. And I think we’re getting there. “We’re not anywhere near there, and of course inclusivity then involves the bigger question which is, how do you include everyone when there are binary choices? Which is very difficult. “As the mother of a trans daughter, I completely understand that. “And yet to de-gender the [categories] also, I’m concerned will diminish the opportunities for more women, which is something I also have been working hard to try to promote.” Jamie Lee reiterated the importance of “inclusivity” generally and of including women specifically, in Hollywood and wider society. She added: “Basically just f***ing more women anywhere, any time.” Earlier in the evening, Jamie insisted winning her first Oscar was recognition for more than just her. She said: “I know it looks like I’m here by myself but I am not, I am hundreds of people, The Daniels, Jonathan, Ley Line, the entire crew, my bae Michelle, Ke, Steph, the group of artists who made this movie – we just won an Oscar. “To my dream team, we just won an Oscars. “To my family, my beautiful husband Christopher Guest, our daughters Annie and Ruby, my sister Kelly, we just won an Oscar. “To all of the people who have supported the genre movies I have made these years, the hundreds of thousands of people, we just won an Oscar together. She then grew emotional as she paid tribute to her famous parents, Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis. She added: “And my mother and father were both nominated for Oscars in different categories. I just won an Oscar.” View the full article

Published by IntelliNews By Tamas Csonka in Budapest The US ambassador in Hungary has warned Viktor Orban’s regime that its equidistant stance between its Nato allies and the Kremlin is unacceptable. ‘Hungary has reached an important moment in determining its future path. As Russia’s unjustifiable war rages next door, the time is now for a stronger relationship between Hungary and its transatlantic allies and partners,’ the US embassy in Hungary said in a statement after a meeting between Ambassador David Pressman and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on March 10. The US has become increasingly worried by anti-America… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP Jorge Bergoglio became pope in March 2013 after Benedict XVI's surprise resignation Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis marked 10 years as head of the Catholic Church on Monday with a podcast, a private mass and a series of interviews, one of which triggered a diplomatic spat with Nicaragua. “It seems like yesterday,” the 86-year-old recalled of his election during a podcast for the official Vatican News outlet — after first having to be told what a podcast was. Asked what he would like as a gift for his 10-year anniversary, for which he had no public plans beyond a mass with cardinals, Francis added: “Peace. We need peace.” Jorge Bergoglio was elected pope on March 13, 2013, after his predecessor Benedict XVI stunned the world by becoming the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages. He has said he never expected to be elected, only packing a small suitcase to travel from Argentina to Rome for the conclave on the assumption he would soon be back in Buenos Aires, where he was archbishop. But he had a vision, and over the next decade he would overhaul the governance of the Church, including cleaning up the Vatican books and taking action against clerical child abuse. He also shifted many people’s perception of the papacy by engaging less in theology and more with social issues from migration to the environment. And even while maintaining traditional doctrine on issues such as abortion and gay marriage, he has sought to forge an image of a more open, compassionate Church. Nicaragua row “He is a Pope for this time,” said Italian priest Father Roberto, who travelled to Saint Peter’s Square to hear the pope deliver his weekly Angelus prayer on Sunday. “He managed to grasp today’s needs and to propose them to the whole universal Church… And now he’s giving the Church a push forward for the years to come. He is sowing good for the future.” However, not everyone is enamoured of Francis’ approach, notably the conservative wing of the Catholic Church. One critic, German Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, recently criticised the pope’s “doctrinal confusion”. Francis has never shied away from controversy, regularly using his pulpit to rail against everything from the mafia to consumerism and the arms industry. In one of his anniversary interviews, with Argentine news outlet Infobae, he described the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega as a “crude dictatorship”. Ortega’s government — which has long had tensions with the Catholic Church — responded on Sunday by saying it was considering suspending diplomatic ties with the Vatican. In another interview, with Swiss broadcaster RTS last week, the pope denounced the involvement of all the “great powers” in the Ukraine war. He prays regularly for the victims of the war, although he has been criticised for failing to squarely put the blame on Russia as the aggressor. ‘It’s not easy’ Pope Francis has sought to improve ties with Islam during his papacy, and Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Cairo’s prestigious Al-Azhar mosque, was one of those who sent their congratulations on his 10-year milestone. In a letter published by Vatican News, al-Tayeb hailed the pope’s efforts to “build bridges of love and fraternity among all human beings”. Messages of congratulations also came in from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, and Anglican leader Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Welby joined Francis on a recent peace mission to conflict-ridden South Sudan, where huge crowds flocked to see the pontiff, as they do everywhere he goes. The pope continues to travel widely, despite his age and health issues. Francis was hospitalised in 2021 for colon surgery and now uses a wheelchair due to knee trouble — something he admitted in one interview he was “a little ashamed” about. The pope has said he would follow Benedict in resigning if he ever became too infirm for the job but insists that is not on his agenda. Asked by Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano what his hopes for the future were, he replied: “That the Lord be merciful with me. Being the pope is not an easy job.” View the full article

Published by Raw Story A Texas lawmaker wants to introduce a bill that would effectively allow bounty hunting against drag performers in the state, reported LGBTQ magazine The Advocate Houston-area state Rep. Steve Toth filed the bill on Thursday. “According to the bill, ‘An individual who attends a drag performance as a minor may bring an action against a person who knowingly promotes, conducts, or participates as a performer in the drag performance that occurs before an audience that includes the minor,'” the Advocate reported. Under this law, attendees could sue for actual damages, attorney’s fees, and statutory … Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Hate crimes surged by 11.6% in 2021 from 2020, with the most frequent ones fueled by racial, ethnic and ancestral bias, the FBI said on Monday. The release on Monday of the FBI’s new analysis marks the first time the bureau has been able to confidently report on national trends in hate crimes since it transitioned to a new data collection system. Uniform crime data released by the FBI in October 2022 contained gaps, with only 52% of U.S. law enforcement agencies reporting a full 12 months of 2021 information. For its supplemental report, FBI officials said they were able to retroactively include crime data from some of the country’s largest cities that had not yet made the switch to the new reporting format. That meant that some large cities such as Los Angeles and New York City are now included in its hate crime report, which compares trends between 2020 and 2021. Meanwhile, Chicago was able to provide two quarters worth of data for the report. FBI officials said they typically track the 130 most populous cities across 16 states to identify statistically significant trends. Out of the 130 cities, 96 were able to provide the FBI with crime summary data for the new hate crimes report. Officials said the top five hate crime categories reported for 2021 were anti-Black, anti-white, anti-gay male, anti-Jewish and anti-Asian. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Mark Porter) View the full article

Published by Raw Story The family of the author of “This Land Is Your Land” has called on Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) to stop using the song’s lyrics. The Kansas City Star reported Nora Guthrie, daughter of singer Woody Guthrie, wrote an email asking Hawley to stop using the song to promote his “This Land is Our Land Act,” which would prevent U.S. farmland from being owned by anyone associated with the Chinese Communist Party. Guthrie said politicians have long used “This Land Is Your Land” to promote their campaigns and the U.S. “In this particular case, the co-opting or parodying of the lyric by those not aligned with… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously on Friday to require Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to declassify information on the origins of COVID-19, increasing pressure on President Joe Biden’s administration to allow its release. The vote was 419 to 0 in favor. Since the Senate on March 1 passed the bill – by unanimous consent – it now goes to the White House for Biden to sign into law or veto. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his intentions. Washington has been conducting a highly politicized debate about the origins of the coronavirus pandemic almost since the first human cases were reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, amid calls from both Democrats and Republicans to push back harder against a rising China. The debate was refueled last month, when the Wall Street Journal first reported that the U.S. Energy Department had concluded the pandemic likely arose from a Chinese laboratory leak, an assessment Beijing denies. The department made its judgment with “low confidence” in a classified intelligence report, the Journal said. Four other U.S. agencies still judge that COVID-19 was likely the result of natural transmission, while two are undecided. Biden administration officials have said the pandemic’s origins may never be known. China said claims that a laboratory leak likely caused the pandemic have no credibility. “The American people need to know all the aspects, including how this virus was created and specifically was the natural occurrence the result of a lab-related event?” Representative Mike Turner, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said as he urged support for the measure. Representative Jim Himes, the panel’s top Democrat, called the bill an important first step. “I hope it will clear up some of the speculation, some of the rumors that are out there,” he said. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English ‘Blonde’ was named Worst Picture at the Razzie Awards on Friday (10.03.23) night. The Marilyn Monroe biopic scooped the dubious honour ahead of ‘Good Mourning’, ‘Pinocchio’, ‘The King’s Daughter’ and ‘Morbius’ at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards – which honour the worst in film – as well as Worst Screenplay for writer-director Andrew Dominick. Awards bosses said ‘Blonde’ – which was nominated for eight Razzies – was “misogynistic, salacious and fallacious” and “shamelessly exploits the memory of the late Marilyn Monroe.” Meanwhile, Tom Hanks took home Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Screen Combo – for himself and “his latex face” – for his work on ‘Elvis’, with organisers noting the Hollywood favourite has “spent his career stretching his acting capabilities to great success, went a bridge too far with his version of Col. Tom Parker in the otherwise excellent biopic ‘Elvis’.” Tom was also nominated for Worst Actor for his turn in ‘Pinocchio’ but was beaten to the dubious prize by ‘Morbius’ star Jared Leto, whose co-star Adria Arjona was given Worst Supporting Actress. The Razzies themselves were handing the Worst Actress prize, taking an award for the first time in their history following their well-criticised decision to include 12-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong in the category for her performance in movie flop ‘Firestarter’, which they later withdrew. Razzies co-founder John Wilson previously said of the decision: “Sometimes, you do things without thinking, Then you are called out for it. Then you get it. It’s why the Razzies were created in the first place. “The recent valid criticism of the choice of 11 year old Armstrong as a nominee for one of our awards brought our attention to how insensitive we’ve been in this instance. “As a result, we have removed Armstrong’s name from the Final Ballot that our members will cast next month. We also believe a public apology is owed Ms. Armstrong, and wish to say we regret any hurt she experienced as a result of our choices.” Golden Raspberry Awards 2023 list of winners: Worst Picture: ‘Blonde’ Worst Actor: Jared Leto – ‘Morbius’ Worst Actress: The Razzies (for ‘Their 43rd Worst Actress Nominations Blunder’) Razzie Redeemer Award: Colin Farrell (From 2004 Worst Actor nominee to 2022 Best Actor Oscar Front-Runner) Worst Supporting Actor: Tom Hanks – ‘Elvis’ Worst Supporting Actress: Adria Arjona – ‘Morbius’ Worst Screen Combo: Tom Hanks and His Latex-Laden Face (and That Ludicrous Accent) – ‘Elvis’ Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel: Disney’s ‘Pinocchio’ Worst Directors: Machine Gun Kelly and Mod Sun – ‘Good Mourning’ Worst Screenplay: ‘Blonde’, Written for the Screen by Andrew Dominik View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English James Norton believes society is “scared of the penis”. The 37-year-old actor is set to bare all in new play ‘A Little Life’ and while he’s ready for the nude scenes, he is unsure if the audience will be, though he believes the sexes have different approaches to seeing genitalia. He told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “There’s still a block when it comes to male nudity, about the penis, and what it looks like, and its size and its shape – and all these things of which we as a culture are still very wary. “We’re scared of the penis. Men, I think, we’re far more obsessed with it. I mean, women I’ve asked are like, ‘I don’t care, you know, it’s just a penis, whatever’.” James insisted going nude on stage is “so justified and so necessary” for the story being told. He said: “But in general, it’s a bit like the violence in this piece and the self-harm: none of it is gratuitous – the nudity is so justified and so necessary in order to find the ultimate shame this man is put through. “Without it, the story and the piece would suffer; none of it is gratuitous. “And I feel it. We did one of the scenes recently and, my god, it’s shaming, you know, I lie on the floor naked being kicked and spat on – and it doesn’t get much more degrading than that. I’m there, there’s no journey I have to go on. It’s really embarrassing and horrible.” But the ‘Happy Valley’ star admitted it has been “very weird” stripping off for rehearsals with co-stars Omari Douglas, Luke Thompson and Zach Wyatt. He said: “We’re rehearsing, so you’re in a very light room – it’s like being in your workplace and just getting naked, which is very weird. “In the theatre, even though there’s going to be a hundred times more people, it will be much easier, with the lights [down] and the atmosphere, it will just make sense. Whereas now, because you’re stopping and starting, it feels more exposing.” View the full article

Published by AFP Demonstrators take part in the annual National Women's March in New York on in January 2023 Houston (AFP) – In a first test of a Texas law that bans nearly all abortions, a man is suing three women he says helped his ex-wife obtain abortion pills to end her pregnancy. The civil lawsuit by plaintiff Marcus Silva relies on a 2022 law that allows wrongful-death suits to be brought against anyone helping someone obtain an abortion. The women who allegedly helped provide the pills — which the suit says “were used to murder baby Silva” — could face fines of more than $1 million each. The suit, filed in district court in Galveston County, is the first to be brought under the Texas law since the Supreme Court last June overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that had long protected abortion rights. It comes as conservative states across the country have moved to ban abortion outright or sharply curtail it — prompting abortion rights activists to step up efforts to ship abortion pills to states with strict bans. Jonathan Mitchell, one of Silva’s lawyers, helped design the novel Texas law, according to the Washington Post. In the suit, Silva alleges that while they were still married, his wife became pregnant in July 2022 but kept it secret. The complaint says two of the defendants used text messages to tell Silva’s wife where she could obtain abortion pills, while the third arranged for their delivery. “You could get them from us or you could order some online,” one message read. A woman identified as Silva’s ex-wife responded, “Your help means the world to me.” Under the Texas law and similar laws in other states, women seeking abortions do not themselves face civil or criminal liability. The Silvas divorced recently. Marcus Silva plans to sue the manufacturer of the mifepristone pill that was allegedly used, the complaint says. Anyone who manufactures or distributes abortion pills, including major drugstores like CVS and Walgreens, “will be sued into oblivion,” one of Silva’s lawyers said in a press release. Silva’s suit comes days after five women in Travis County, Texas sued the state, saying they had been denied abortions despite having dangerous or unviable pregnancies. They said they had been “denied dignified treatment as equal human beings.” Texas now allows abortion only if the mother’s life is in danger. View the full article