Evel Knievel Finally Sticks The Landing

Evel Knievel, the original "jackass", is dead at 69. Johnny Knoxville owes his entire schtick to Knievel, don't you think?

Hostages Taken At Hillary Clinton's New Hampshire Office

Breaking News:

An armed man, possibly with a bomb, has taken people hostage at Hillary Clinton's campaign office in Rochester, N.H.

Clinton was attending a National Democratic Committee meeting in Virginia, but has canceled a 3:30 p.m. EST speech. New York TV station WNBC reported that the suspect has demanded to speak to her. Police said a man in his 40s, with salt-and-pepper hair, is in the building and has what appears to be an explosive device strapped to his body, TV station WMUR reported.

Witness Lettie Tzizik told the station that she spoke to a woman shortly after she was released from the office by the alleged hostage-taker. "A young woman with a 6-month or 8-mont-old infant came rushing into the store just in tears, and she said, 'You need to call 911. A man has just walked into the Clinton office, opened his coat and showed us a bomb strapped to his chest with duct tape.'"

Authorities were sending a tactical bomb unit to assist local police, and the area was evacuated, said Maj. Michael Hambrook of New Hampshire State Police.

Republicans will doubtlessly claim the hostage taker was planted.

Annie Lennox Sings For World AIDS Day

PhoboQuotable- Pat Buchanan

"There’s an element of fraud here. When the general did not identify himself as a fierce partisan of Hillary Rodham Clinton and presented himself simply as a military man who had served and was gay. And who obviously did not have the courage, frankly, when he was in the military to come out of the closet and say I’m gay. And to attack the Republicans for lacking the courage to take a position he was unable to take, I think makes him look rather bad." - Right-wing buffoon Pat Buchanan, crying titty baby tears because Brigadier General Keith Kerr made the Republican candidates look bad during the YouTube debate.

Even though the Clinton campaign maintains they had nothing to do with Kerr's appearance at the event, CNN president Joe Klein says, “I think it’s pretty obvious, in retrospect, our search should have turned this up. Had we known ahead of time, we would probably not have used his question. It raised too many flags, in terms of motivation.”

UPDATE: General Kerr will appear on Michelangelo Signorile's show on Sirius OutQ at 2:30pm Eastern to address Buchanan's comments and the charge that he was a Clinton plant.

I Met Jeebus At A Truckstop

Have you heard the one about the Christianists who believe that Interstate 35 is the key to the secret conspiracy to unite Mexico, Canada and the U.S. as a single nation? Oh, but on the other hand, I-35 can be used to "set people free" from homosexuality!

From People For The American Way:

The concept of a behind-the-scenes “North American Union”—persistently advanced by Joseph Farah’s WorldNetDaily, the John Birch Society, CNN’s Lou Dobbs, presidential candidates Ron Paul and Tom Tancredo, and others—is closely tied to the anti-immigrant sentiment that has struck right-wing politics over the last few years. But it has taken on a life of its own, thanks to vivid imagery like “the plan to build a huge NAFTA Super Highway, four football-fields-wide, through the heart of the U.S.” that was alleged in detail by Jerome Corsi last year. Corsi even provided a now-iconic picture, taken from a transportation-industry lobbying group.

The wingnuts believe that I-35 is not only mentioned in scripture (Isaiah 35, verse 8: “And a highway will be there, it will be called the way of holiness.”) but that it is the key to purging America of abortion and homosexuality. You've GOT to watch this clip from 700 Club in which some queen claims that at an I-35 "purity siege" outside a Texas gay bar, he was cured of his pole-smoking when a pastor touched him and shouted, "Fire!" With all these right-wingers at reststops, the toe-tapping must be deafening.

Rappin' Mike Gravel

I know most people consider him a kook, but there's something totally lovable about Mike Gravel.

Broadway Friday

Broadway's Back! A free concert celebrating the return of Broadway takes place today at noon at the Marriott Marquis Theatre in Times Square. Appearing: Bernadette Peters, Angela Lansbury, Bob Martin, Fantasia, and cast members from every Broadway show. Midtowners: take your lunch early today, doors open at 11:30am for Broadway's Back! The show will be broadcast live on Sirius 77, with many repeats scheduled over the weekend.

The Little Mermaid resumed its previews last night, the official opening is now January 10th. The new opening night for Mark Twain's Is He Dead? is now December 9th.

Discount tickets are available for many shows this weekend, as thousands of travelers have already canceled their Broadway plans.

Title: A Pun On Uruguay

The lower house in Uruguay's legislature approved same-sex civil unions yesterday. With approval from the country's Senate already in hand, the bill becomes law next month. Uruguay becomes the first Latin American country to approve civil unions nationwide, although similar laws are already in effect in Mexico City, Buenos Aires, and Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil.

Morning View - Fung Wah Bus

Fung Wah is one of the several Chinese bus lines that offer very cheap rides to Boston, DC, and Philly. You pay about 20% of what you'd pay on Amtrak, but the drivers go like maniacs and when the buses break down or burn down, you are screwed. Still, many of my friends are devout patrons of the Chinese bus.

Wingnut Dumbassery, Vol. 23,987

Idaho JMG reader Allen sends us this bit of nonsense from Boise, in which the Idaho chapter of the American Family Association accuses Alaska Airlines of adding a "surcharge for being sexually normal" because their micro-site for LGBT travelers offers a 10% discount on flights to Puerto Vallarta and New York City. "If you’re an ordinary heterosexual, once again be prepared to pay what amounts to a 10% surcharge for being sexually straight."

Hilarious. Of course, every major airline has many micro-sites that offer discounts to various segments of the travel market. And who says you have to actually be a pole-smoker to book on Alaska Airlines LGBT micro-site? It's not like you'll have to prove it on the plane. Although many of you wouldn't mind, I'm sure.

Love, TransAmerican Style

Logo is launching a dating show with a transgender lead. The show will be hosted by comedian Alec Mapa.

Logo’s new eight episode dating reality series Transamerican Love Story follows Calpernia Addams as she whittles down a group of eight bachelors, living together in a Los Angeles-area home, with the help of her best friend and fellow transgender activist Andrea James. Calpernia is openly transgender to all the show’s suitors from the start of the series.

Looks interesting, but I probably won't watch as I loathe reality shows overall. My houseguest insisted we watch Dancing With America's Runway Chef Idol this weekend and I could feel myself getting more stupider every minute. Still, we should have the right to inflict brain damage of our own.

Buddy G And His Two Moms

My Grinchy heart grew by two sizes when the two Nebraska moms I mentioned yesterday sent me this adorable picture. If you have any young kids in your life, check out their new cartoon DVD, Buddy G - My Two Moms and Me. The movie is only $10 + $3 shipping. I'm getting one for my niece and nephew. Here's a clip.

Great White Way Lights Up Again

After 19 days and estimated losses in the tens of millions, Broadway's stagehand strike is over. The curtains at 26 darkened theaters will rise tonight. Producers and union leaders reached an agreement last last night. James Claffey, the head of the 2,200-member union for stagehands: "The people of Broadway are looking forward to returning to work, giving the theater-going public the joy of Broadway, the greatest entertainment in the world." Details of the agreement have not been disclosed but both sides are thought to have made concessions.

Gay General Rips GOP Candidates During YouTube Debate

Openly gay Brigadier General Keith Kerr, who works with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, provided the one interesting moment during last night's CNN-YouTube debate of the GOP candidates. Watch Mitt Romney retreat from his former support for the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and get booed in the process. After the debate, conservative blogs and forums lit up with accusations that Kerr and his question had been planted by the Clinton campaign.

Morning View - City Hall 4-5-6

Only two subway stations still have these little free-standing kiosks. This one at Brooklyn Bridge - City Hall houses an elevator. This station has one of the most interesting histories of the entire system.

Open Thread Thursday

Since you won last year, maybe you have some inside scoop on Time's Person Of The Year for 2007?

Land Of Ice & Fire Tops UN List

According to a new United Nations livability study, Iceland has displaced Norway as the world's most "desirable" country. The report combines life expectancy, educational levels and real per capita income. The United States fell from #8 to #12 in the new report.

The Top 20:
1 Iceland
2 Norway
3 Australia
4 Canada
5 Ireland
6 Sweden
7 Switzerland
8 Japan
9 Netherlands
10 France
11 Finland
12 United States
13 Spain
14 Denmark
15 Austria
16 United Kingdom
17 Belgium
18 Luxembourg
19 New Zealand
20 Italy

The bottom 22 nations are all AIDS-ravaged sub-Sahara African nations: Uganda, Gambia, Senegal, Eritrea, Nigeria, Tanzania, Guinea Rwanda, Angola, Benin, Malawi, Zambia, Côte d'Ivoire, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Chad, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Mali, Niger, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone.

Reading For Filth: December 5th

Next Wednesday, December 5th, I'll be appearing again at Reading For Filth at Rapture Books in the East Village. Other performers will be D-List Radio diva Robbyne Kaamil, Eric Leven, Our Lady J and a "surprise guest". I'm especially excited to have Robbyne on the bill with me, she and I worked together for years at our "real" job, when she put out her hilariously filthy book of poetry, Get Off The Titty. And check at Robbyne's hot dance tracks on her MySpace page. Special note: reading at tonight's show is Edmund White!

A Report From The Home Office

Lexington & 86th, Tuesday, 8:30 PM

Standing on the corner waiting for the light to change, I happened to look over at two young guys just as they laid a big kiss on each other. That's not all that of an unusual thing to see in Manhattan, even way uptown, but I guess they thought I was giving them a "look", because one of them said, "That's right! We're FAGS! Big ol' FAGS!"

I just smiled and said, "Cute ones, too." They cracked up, but the best part of the moment came a second later when the woman behind us said to her friend, "They're everywhere, I telling you!" Her friend said, "Well, what do you expect? We're, like, in their world headquarters."
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New Cartoon About Gay Families

Two lesbian moms in Nebraska have produced a DVD cartoon about their son. Buddy G- My Two Moms and Me is about a 5-year-old with two moms who loves science and uses a computer strapped to his arm to solve problems. The cartoon's producer says, "There's people out there who would like to pretend families like ours don't exist, but we do." Sweet, huh?

Freepers react:

- "Then there’s people like me who won’t pretend they’re families."

- "Uh... no. I know ebola exists, that doesn't mean I want to see a movie about a little boy with it."

- "15 or 20 years from now,when this kid has hanged himself or is serving 20 years in jail these filthy freaks will cry out...”but we did everything right!”"

- "This is really insensitive to those children with three mommies."

- "Such nonsense as two dysfunctional sexually deviant adults of the same sex producing a "child of their own" is biologically impossible, and only exists in the PC-crowd's minds."

Gentle readers, I provide these occasional Freeper quotes to demonstrate the continuing rabid homophobia of much of middle America. The movement is making fantastic strides in many arenas, primarily thanks to the legislative and judicial decisions. But we've got light-years to go in winning over the hoi polloi.

Stephen King On Waterboarding

"[If] the Bush administration didn’t think [waterboarding] was torture, they ought to do some personal investigation. Someone in the Bush family should actually be waterboarded so they could report on it to George. I said, I didn’t think he would do it, but I suggested Jenna be waterboarded and then she could talk about whether or not she thought it was torture." - Stephen King to Time Magazine.

(Via - Dan Savage.)

Gay Man Suspected As Serial Killer Of 18

Creepy news out of France:

LYON, France (AFP) - French police have detained a 68-year-old man -- reported to be a 'drag queen' performer -- suspected of murdering 18 mainly homosexual men, a judicial source said Wednesday. The murders were committed between 1980 and 2002 in eastern France and the Paris region.

Detained Tuesday in the eastern city of Mulhouse, the man was being held in nearby Montbeliard along with another suspect who is already serving a murder sentence in a Paris jail, the source said. Both men deny the accusations, according to the prosecution, which said it had "no formal proof" of their guilt at this stage.

L'Alsace newspaper said the key suspect worked as a female impersonator and that his arrest followed a two-year investigation by a Montbeliard police officer, who spotted his name in database files relating to a string of unsolved murders.

Most of the murders took place in the Alsace and France-Comte regions and three were in the Paris area. Several other people are being questioned in connection with the case, the source added. The victims were killed by a violent blow to the head, followed by multiple stabbings. Each time the bodies were found partly naked, but the victims' faces were covered up.

A drag queen serial killer. The tabs and Free Republic will have a field day.

Stuff Your Stocking With Larry Craig

Stupid.com is selling a Larry Craig doll with bendable limbs for putting the tearoom troller into a wide stance. And if you pull his string, he repeats his famous press conference claim: "Thank you all very much for coming out today. I will read a statement: I am not gay. I never have been gay." Cost: $34.99.

Morning View - Woolworth Building

Built more than 90 years ago, the 57-story Woolworth Building is still one of the 100 tallest buildings in the U.S. The fabulously ornate lobby is now closed to tourists, thanks to 9/11.

Good Work Wednesday

Atlanta: Delta & “For the Kid in All of Us” proudly present the Toy Party, the 5th annual holiday cocktail party and toy drive. “For the Kid in All of Us” is a 100% volunteer, charitable organization that relies on corporate and individual contributions to achieve our mission of bridging communities to brighten the lives of Georgia’s children in need. Since the inaugural year in 2003, we have collected more than 12,000 toys and gift cards and donated $273,000 to agencies and organizations that serve the state’s underprivileged children. This year’s Toy Party will be held Sunday, December 2nd from 530-9pm at the Atlanta Apparel Mart – Americasmart 3. Admission is a new, unwrapped toy or gift card of $15 or greater value. Information including patron, sponsorship, and volunteer opportunities can be found here.

Chicago: Thursday, Nov. 29, (tomorrow) the Chicago AIDS Foundation holds its annual World Of Chocolate fundraiser in commemoration of World AIDS Day. At this festive event, guests will sample scrumptious chocolate creations from many of Chicagoland’s finest restaurants, caterers and chocolatiers.The vendors creating the delicacies will compete for top honors in several categories as judged by local celebrities. Other components of the evening include entertainment, a raffle, and shopping at the Holiday Bazaar which features fine gifts and ornaments donated by local merchants. Tickets $75-$100.

SF: The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation is putting on its ninth annual "Help Is on the Way for the Holidays" -- an all-star benefit concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, December 2, at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco. Performers include Mary Wilson, Sally Struthers, Justin Guarini, Anthony Fedorov, La Toya London, Jeannette Bayardelle, Shawn Ryan, and hip-hop dance troupe Mind Over Matter. Tickets $45-$100.

DC: Nov. 30th thru Dec. 2nd, Servicemembers United (formerly Call to Duty) is partnering with the Human Rights Campaign, Log Cabin Republicans, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and the Liberty Education Forum for a three-day tribute on the National Mall to honor the 12,000 Americans who have been discharged under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law since its inception. One American flag will be placed on the Mall for each discharged service member, which will serve as the backdrop for a series of events honoring their service, their sacrifice, and their fight to serve with dignity.

NYC: The Ali Forney Center, New York City's most comprehensive service organization for homeless LGBT youth-announces a memorial celebration of Ali Forney, commemorating his life and recognizing his continued inspiration to others on the ten-year anniversary of his tragic murder. Also commemorated is the 5-year anniversary of the Center itself, providing shelter, safety, and dignity to LGBT young people rejected by their families.The celebration is open to the public, and will place at Judson Memorial Church on Thursday, December 6. Speakers will include Executive Director Carl Siciliano, family and friends of Ali Forney, and others TBA as well as vocal performances.

Diva Vs. Diva

The day after Barack Obama announced his tour with Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton's campaign announced that THEY had Barbra Streisand on board. So there.

Legendary filmmaker, artist, and Democratic activist, Barbra Streisand, today endorsed Hillary Clinton for President. Streisand cited Clinton’s ability to bring about change and the historic nature of her campaign as reasons why she is supporting Hillary’s candidacy.

I guess the ball is in John Edwards' court now.

Lisa "Shelley" Simpson

Man, I've posted some ugly mugs today. How about an adorable kitty in pearls to cleanse your visual palate? I finally put away my suitcase from last month's trip to San Francisco and came across the pearls that were given out to celebrate the Trocadero's 30th (pearl) anniversary. And since Shelley was sitting right there, I couldn't resist.

The Imperial President Strikes Again

Yesterday, without consulting Congress or the nation, our ignoble leader signed a deal with Iraq that establishes a defacto permanent U.S. military presence there. The Iraqi Parliament met in secret to discuss the deal before Bush signed it over a secure video conference with Prime Minister al-Maliki.

President Bush on Monday signed a deal setting the foundation for a potential long-term U.S. troop presence in Iraq, with details to be negotiated over matters that have defined the war debate at home - how many U.S. forces will stay in the country, and for how long.

The agreement between Mr. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki confirms that the United States and Iraq will hash out an "enduring" relationship in military, economic and political terms.

CBS News' Pete Gow in Baghdad reports the proposals are to offer the U.S. a continued military presence in Iraq, as well as favorable business interests (such as investment opportunities for American companies), in return for guarantees to Iraq's future security.

Favorable business interests and investment opportunities= blood for oil. What, you're surprised? Angry? Why do you hate America?

(Via - DailyKos.)

Cognitive Dissonance

Dugout, Sunday, 7pm

Guy 1: So when I didn't hear from him, I logged back into Manhunt under a fake name and picture and chatted him up, pretending to be 25 years old.

Guy 2: And he invited the fake-you over to fuck.

Guy 1: Totally! He did! Why am I the only real person on Manhunt?
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Flashback: January 2001

Here's a pic taken in the Oval Office in January 2001 as President Al Gore graciously showed George W. Bush where he would have been working, had the Supreme Court approved his attempt to steal the election. As you know, shortly after this photo was taken, rampant peace broke out worldwide, the Earth cooled by several degrees, and Britney Spears won Mother Of The Year.

Yeah, I should really stop licking toads in the morning.
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Stop Scaring Ann Coulter!

Poor Ann Coulter is so upset by her hate mail that she has had her address removed from the public record in Palm Beach County, Florida. People who petition the county can have their homes removed from the property appraisers' rolls if they can demonstrate they are the victims of stalking or harassment.

Coulter, 45, has called Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards a ''faggot'' and said she wished he would be killed by terrorists. She once said President Clinton ''could be a lunatic'' and wrote of a group of widows of men killed in the World Trade Center that she had 'never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much.''

So maybe it came as no surprise when somebody delivered a greeting card to her home in March with this salutation: ``You self-aggrandizing -- sociopath!! The only thing left after a nuclear war are you and cockroaches.''

So far the extent of the harassment appears to be a rather mild phone call, a "go fuck yourself" letter, and an unseen person calling her a "cunt" from the yard next door. But as we know, the internet is forever and having one's name removed from a property appraiser's list doesn't exactly make one invisible. More to come on this, I'm sure. Anyway, what's Coulter so afraid of? Didn't she just announce that she wished the Islamists would issue a fatwa on her? And now she's worried about a couple of curse words?

Morning View - First National City Bank

Built in 1927, this neat little building on the corner of Broadway and Canal in Chinatown was once the First National City Bank of New York, the company which later became Citibank. It presently houses a Payless Shoes and a Sbarros.

Larry Flynt Wades Into Lott/Hooker Story

It gets mysteriouser.

BigHeadDC is now claiming that Larry Flynt has confirmed the Trent Lott / hooker story.

Here's what has been posted on LarryFlynt.com under a pull-quote about the BigHeadDC story:

HUSTLER Magazine has received numerous inquiries regarding the involvement of Larry Flynt and HUSTLER in the resignation of Trent Lott. Senator Lott has been the target of an ongoing HUSTLER investigation for some time now, due to confidential information that we have received.

Hmm, that's not quite a confirmation, the way I read it. But it certainly pushes the story back into the possibly-believable column.

In June, HUSTLER published a full-page ad in the Washington Post offering a $1 million reward to "anyone who can provide documented evidence of "improper relations" with any high-ranking political official." The author of BigHeadDC says he wants the money.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of Universal/Motown, this week's Swag Tuesday trinket is rising pop star Mika's new performance DVD, Mika: Live In Cartoon Motion, now available online and at retailers everywhere.

Live In Cartoon Motion, captures the star at his show stopping best, thrilling a sold-out audience of 4,000 fans at France's famed L'Olympia venue. Mika's Live In Cartoon Motion marks the first time the energetic star's lively show has been filmed in its entirety. Directed by Matt Askem (David Bowie, Paul Weller,) it captures Mika's flamboyant stage presence, with the star performing most of the songs from his 3 million selling worldwide debut album Life In Cartoon Motion, including "Relax, Take It Easy," "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)," and the global chart-topping "Grace Kelly." Using 10 cameras and shot in high definition, the DVD also features a documentary chronicling Mika's escapades throughout his much heralded world tour, a highly-raved-about romp that the caused San Francisco Chronicle to proclaim the star "an incredible showman."

Enter to win Mika: Live In Cartoon Motion by commenting on this post. Only comment once and please remember to leave your email address. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

Trent Lott In Gay Escort Scandal??? Is It Blovember Once Again?

Mere hours after the announcement of his resignation, Sen. Trent Lott is the subject of a rapidly spreading story regarding his possible involvement with a gay hooker. It's Blovember 2006 all over again! Political blog Big Head DC has broken the story, but the site has crashed due to overwhelming traffic. Here's their complete post in the meantime:

Once upon a time, there was a twentysomething boy-next-door type with reddish blond hair and a brilliantly white smile. Not one to shy away from attention, he wrote a blog called "Fifteen Minutes," and also became a freelance writer for various publications, including The Stranger in Seattle. He'd often focus on his non-traditional lifestyle as a gay male escort — a topic that often fascinated his readers, which, in turn, helped him to garner a substantial amount of powerful business acquaintances through the years.

Based in San Antonio, he would travel all over the world to meet his clients, which included high profile celebrities, businessmen and even politicians in the United States Congress.

Sometimes within his writings he'd give advice on how other males could become successful escorts. Other times he'd post videos of himself flexing on YouTube. Once, he even scolded gay escort Mike Jones for outing Rev. Ted Haggard as one of his gay escort business participants.

"You were paid for sex, Mike," he wrote in 2006. "The most important rule you can follow when taking people's money in exchange for sex is that—no matter what—their lives stay their own and whatever passes between the two of you remains private. Period."

Many of his clients greatly appreciate his professionalism. In fact, according to one 66-year-old patron who reviewed him on a gay escortsite, he is "a very reliable escort who keeps you informed."

The boy happens to be real, and his "stage name" is Benjamin Nicholas. One of the politicos Big Head DC has learned he's alleged to have been involved with is the married Sen. Trent Lott, 66, who unexpectedly announced his retirement on Monday. Lott is well-known to have been against a plethora of gay rights issues throughout his terms in Congress. He was also good friends with Sen. Larry Craig throughout his time in Congress.

Nicholas told Big Head DC today via e-mail that he didn't want to go on the record to talk about his dealings with Lott, because, said Nicholas, "Trent is going through his fair share of scrutiny right now and I don't want to add to it." However, e-mail and other records confirm that the two have met on at least two occasions.

"All I can say at this point is no comment," Nicholas told us. "It's the professional thing for me to do."

In a subsequent e-mail message, Nicholas confirmed that another publication is working on a story about a "possible relationship" between Lott and himself, but Nicholas also "politely declined" an interview for that story.

"As I said before, Lott has quite a bit on his plate right now and I don't really want to add fuel to the embers," Nicholas told Big Head DC.

UPDATE, 5:30: “Here’s my public comment, on-the-record: Sen. Lott and I have no current affiliation with one another. I’m sure he would appreciate no further scrutiny,” Benjamin Nicholas tells Big Head DC.

Are we buying this? Can we tell Santa not to come this year cuz we already got a big honkin' present? If this is true, IS THERE ANY FUCKIN' WAY THE REPUBLICANS CAN LOOK MORE RIDICULOUS?

UPDATE: Benjamin Nicholas' personal blog. Trent Lott's anti-gay voting record. Best joke from Daily Kos: "Does Benjamin have a hole Lott'd love?"

UPDATE II: Nicholas has just posted a denial on his blog: "It looks like a Washington DC-based blog called BigHeadDC is making claim that there was (or, is) a working relationship between myself and Senator Trent Lott. There are falsely pieced-together quotes that serve no purpose other than to sensationalize a completely fabricated scoop. I will continue to offer a great sense of confidentiality to the people I see. I have not, nor have I ever seen or had contact with Senator Trent Lott. It's as simple as that. It never happened."

UPDATE III: JMG commenter McMorris directs us to a damning and well-researched accusation that Benjamin Nicolas has been plagiarizing the works of well known writers and posting them verbatim on his blog as his own. And the likelihood of this Trent Lott business being true becomes a lot dimmer.

UPDATE IV: Rob Capriccioso, the author of Big Head DC, has had some credibility issues in the past.

UPDATE V: It gets mysteriouser. BigHeadDC is now claiming that Larry Flynt has confirmed the hooker story. Here's what has been posted on LarryFlynt.com under a pullquote about the BigHeadDC story: "HUSTLER Magazine has received numerous inquiries regarding the involvement of Larry Flynt and HUSTLER in the resignation of Trent Lott. Senator Lott has been the target of an ongoing HUSTLER investigation for some time now, due to confidential information that we have received." Hmm, that's not quite a confirmation, the way I read it. But it certainly pushes the story back into the possibly-believable column.

In June, HUSTLER published a full-page ad in the Washington Post offering a $1 million reward to "anyone who can provide documented evidence of "improper relations" with any high-ranking political official." The author of BigHeadDC says he wants the money.

The Barack Oprabama Tour

Oprah Winfrey will go on a three-state bus tour with Barack Obama next month, starting with key early primary state Iowa, then moving on to South Carolina and New Hampshire.

To my mind, there is no other celebrity in the country whose endorsement could sway more voters than Oprah, particularly with women, who might otherwise be Clinton supporters. Who could Hillary possibly counter with? Martha Stewart? Naw, she's a convicted felon. At the least, knowing Oprah's love for opulence, I bet Obama ends up with one super-deluxe tour bus.
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Her Outfit Was Da Bomb

U.S. troops in Iraq stopped a wedding party at a security checkpoint. When the groom refused to lift his bride's veil, they did it for him. No, it didn't turn out to be an undercover gay wedding, just a couple of wanted terrorists. A pity, he's lovely in lace.

Two Underwear Posts In One Day!

While I don't share Andy Towle's enthusiasm for male models and pretty boys, I can't resist sharing this bizarre ad he posted for C-IN2 underwear. At least, I think they're selling underwear here. This could be a trailer for a Michael Lucas "movie".

Manhattan Monday

- NYC soup kitchens saw a 20% rise in hungry New Yorkers over the last year. New report: One out of six NY'ers, 1.3 million people, "cannot afford an adequate and consistent supply of food." When the economy catches a cold, the poor get pneumonia. Those in need can now call 311 for a direct connection to a food bank or soup kitchen in their neighborhood.

- Theater District restaurants are about to start laying off their staffs as the Broadway strike heads into its third week. Negotiations continue. One bright note: The Grinch was permitted to re-open.

- ConEd non-shocker: NYC's manhole covers are made in India under very unsafe conditions.

- State lawmakers have closed a loophole which would have allowed landlords who withdraw from government subsidy programs to immediately raise rents on their units to market value. Buildings affected must transition from rent-controlled to rent-stabilized, which allows for modest annual increases.

- A 25-unit apartment building a couple of blocks from me burned down yesterday. Everybody in my building seems to be cooking all the time and that worries me more than crime or terrorism. I think I should probably keep Shelley's crate on the fire escape.

Queers: Invented By Jews

Through the magic of Free Republic's homo-obsession, I came across this 1993 article by Jewish theologian Dennis Prager. You may recall Prager as one of the "insider" architects of the Defense Of Marriage Act, in support of which he testified before Congress in 1996. Prager begins with this premise:

To appreciate the extent of the revolution wrought by Judaism's prohibiting homosexuality and demanding that all sexual interaction be male-female, it is first necessary to appreciate just how universally accepted, valued, and practiced homosexuality has been throughout the world.

The one continuous exception was Jewish civilization — and a thousand years later, Christian civilization. Other than the Jews, “none of the archaic civilizations prohibited homosexuality per se,” Dr. David E. Greenberg notes. It was Judaism alone that about 3,000 years ago declared homosexuality wrong.

And it said so in the most powerful and unambiguous language it could: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is an abomination.” “And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed an abomination.” It is Judaism's sexual morality, not homosexuality, that historically has been deviant.

OK, that's actually pretty interesting. Judaism invented us. I'll buy that. But then Prager retreads the usual nonsense:

If consensual homosexual activity is valid, why not consensual incest between adults? Why is sex between an adult brother and sister more objectionable than sex between two adult men? If a couple agrees, why not allow consensual adultery? Once non-marital sex is validated, how can we draw any line? Why shouldn't gay liberation be followed by incest liberation?

Prager concedes "one could argue that people are naturally (i.e., biologically) bisexual (and given the data I have seen on human sexuality, this may well be true)". But the real eye-roller comes here:

When male sexuality is not controlled, the consequences are considerably more destructive than when female sexuality is not controlled. Men rape. Women do not. Men, not women, engage in fetishes. Men are more frequently consumed by their sex drive, and wander from sex partner to sex partner. Men, not women, are sexually sadistic.

Women doen't have fetishes or engage in S/M? That'll be a shocker to the female doms that read JMG. With so many major Christian leaders recently dead, resigned, or in one sexual scandal or another, expect twice-divorced Prager to feature more prominently in future religion-led attacks on same-sex marriage.

Did He Really Want To Hurt Him?

Boy George O'Dowd is scheduled to stand trial in February for an April incident in which he chained a male escort to the wall of his London home. According to The Mirror, O'Dowd met the escort on Gaydar.com and invited him over for a £400 "photo session." The next morning the hooker wriggled free from his bonds, ran into the street in his underwear, and called the police from a nearby shop. O'Dowd is charged with false imprisonment.

My Magnetic Underwear

Yesterday I set off the theft sensors in almost every store I visited. After the third or fourth time of opening my bags to prove I wasn't a shoplifter, it began to really bug me and I said something rather unkind to the guard at Home Depot. And then this morning I noticed tiny magnetic stickers on the waistbands of the underwear I bought at Century 21 on Saturday. Oops.

Big Money For Gay Rugby

Wow. Next year's international gay rugby tournament, the Bingham Cup, which takes place in Dublin, has received a €100,000 sponsorship from Irish betting group Paddy Power, the largest sponsorship ever for a gay event in Ireland.

Bingham Cup tournament director Richie Whyte: "Paddy Power have an innovative and risk taking approach to the market. We are delighted that they see the Bingham Cup as a good fit for them both in terms of its sporting potential and public profile. The Bingham Cup Dublin will be both the largest amateur XVs rugby tournament held in the country in 15 years and the biggest international gay-oriented event ever held in Ireland."

The 2006 Bingham Cup was held in New York City. Of course, I had the most fun at the after-parties. Oh,and €100,000? What's that these days, about a million dollars?

Trent Lott To Resign

Hmm, this is interesting. What's brewing backstage at the Lott home?

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, plans to resign his seat before the end of the year, The Associated Press has learned.

Lott, 66, scheduled two news conferences in his home state later in the day to discuss his plans. According to congressional and White House officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement, Lott intends to resign effective the end of the year.

No reason for Lott's resignation plans was given, but according to a congressional official, there is nothing amiss with Lott's health. The senator has "other opportunities" he plans to pursue, the official said, without elaborating.

When I did a quick Google check on the story, the first suggested search in my task bar was "Trent Lott senator." The second: "Trent Lott racist."

UPDATE: Political blog Big Head DC is speculating that Larry Flynt may have some dirt on Lott. Please be true. Please be true.
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Morning View - Brooklyn Bridge

Even when it's freezing outside, folks love to stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge.

The Merry Ole Land Of Oz

Ha ha ha
Ho ho ho
And a couple of tra la la's

Australian Labor Party Prime Minister candidate Kevin Rudd has trounced anti-gay Bush lackey John Howard. Howard lost so badly, he no longer even has a seat in Parliament. Rudd's historic win means that Labor now runs the government in every Australian state and territory. Also for the first time, a woman, Julia Gillard, holds the second-highest office in the country.

Howard supported Bush in the invasion of Iraq and has a long history of opposing same-sex marriage. His campaigns frequently used gay marriage as a wedge issue.

Congratulations to our LGBT friends in Australia. Big changes are comin' down under!
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Morning View - Talent Unlimited

Two blocks from my place is Talent Unlimited High School, which tourists often photograph in the mistaken assumption that it was the location for the movie Fame. The movie was actually set at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School on the Upper West Side near Lincoln Center, but facts rarely get in the way of Manhattan tour guides.

Thankful

2007 AVP Courage Awards

Hosted by actor B.D. Wong (left), the NYC LGBT Anti-Violence Project held its 2007 Courage Awards on Monday. New York State Assemblyman Daniel J. O'Donnell and Verna Eggleston, Former Commissioner of the New York City Human Resources Administration and Executive Director of the Hetrick-Martin Institute, now with the Bloomberg Family Foundation were both honored with awards for their work on behalf of of the community. [BELOW LEFT: Eggleston. BELOW RIGHT: O'Donnell and AVP Executive Director Clarence Patton. PHOTOS: Rob Rich/NySocialScene.com.]

Oh, The Humanity

Last night Eddie and I tried to attend the blowing up of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons on the Upper West Side, something we've never done. What I'd naively presumed would be a casual stroll down Central Park West amidst bustling parade workers turned out to be a gigantic clusterfuck, as the mild weather (60 and clear) brought out over 350,000 parade fans.

The above photo was taken at the point where we gave up. The line in front of us stretched for several blocks, crossed Columbus Avenue, then snaked back downtown in our direction for another few blocks. The people across the street from us in this photo are actually about to enter the balloon area, but we were told it would be about two hours before we got to where they were. Feh.

Open Thread Thursday

What's your favorite holiday movie?
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November 24: Santa Saturday

In you are in the metro NYC or Philadelphia areas this Saturday, please consider attending the 34th Annual Santa Saturday in the popular queer arts enclave of New Hope, Pennsylvania. Hosted by the Bucks MC at the Raven Resort, join over 1000 festive folks from the bear, leather and drag communities (and a few from all three) and help raise funds for AIDS and the aging. (Photo: Michael Prestia.)
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HRC Plays Grinch To Wal-Mart

I can't imagine that many of you were going to in the first place, but the HRC has issued an alert requesting that teh gays not patronize Wal-Mart this holiday season.

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights group, is giving Wal-Mart (WMT) a red "do not buy" rating in its new consumer guide, bestowing a lump of coal on the retail giant just in time for the holiday shopping season.

Citing Wal-Mart's refusal to offer domestic partner benefits to its gay and lesbian workers, the HRC said Tuesday that the USA's biggest private employer has "more work to do in furthering equality." It advised gays and their supporters to shop elsewhere.

Wal-Mart rated a red 40 on a scale of 100, down from a yellow 65 in 2006. It was among 54 companies that scored 45 or lower in HRC's 2008 Corporate Equality index, which assigns ratings to 519 large companies. Also in the red: Toys R Us, RadioShack (RSH) and AutoZone (AZO).

Wal-Mart rival Target (TGT) rated a "green" 80, meaning that "consumers should make every effort to support these businesses." Wal-Mart has bucked a corporate trend of expanding benefits for gay employees, says Daryl Herrschaft, director of HRC's workplace project. He says two Fortune 500 companies offered domestic partner benefits, comparable to spouse benefits, in 1990. Today, 269 do.

Finally, something from the HRC that we can all support, although this is a moot issue for New Yorkers, unless they want to schlep to Secaucus, New Jersey. I don't believe I've ever lived anywhere with a Wal-Mart within easy reach. Not that I would have reached. Go to Target for your discount shopping, y'all.

The Sick Fascination Of The Right

You'll have to embiggen to read it, but the list of the top ten most viewed pages on Conservapedia is sickly fascinating.

Uh, "gay bowel syndrome"? Wasn't that term rightfully drummed out of the medical lexicon ages ago?
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Gate Double-D

All that beer and all that testosterone in one place have created a bizarre halftime ritual at New York Jets home games.

At halftime of the Jets’ home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, several hundred men lined one of Giants Stadium’s two pedestrian ramps at Gate D. Three deep in some areas, they whistled and jumped up and down. Then they began an obscenity-laced chant, demanding that the few women in the gathering expose their breasts.

When one woman appeared to be on the verge of obliging, the hooting and hollering intensified. But then she walked away, and plastic beer bottles and spit went flying. Boos swept through the crowd of unsatisfied men.

The local news outlets have blared this story nonstop for the last few days. "Shocking!" "Embarassing!" "Think of the children!" I guess they don't watch many soccer matches. Please.
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Poofter Rolls On

Pam Spaulding reports that the Virginia DMV has relented and will allow one-time Larry Craig trick David Phillips to keep his "POOFTER" vanity plate.

Phillips: "This morning the Virginia DMV notified me by phone that I can keep my POOFTER plates. This after I returned directly to the head of the DMV the generic plates supplied with their hate letter, along with correspondence indicating my dedication to my First Amendment rights to self-identify in terms that meets no reasonable test for obscenity. I look forward to receiving the DMV's written apology for this incident."

How To Thwart Dubya

Here's how the Dems are preventing Bush II from appointing Dr. James Holsinger as Surgeon General during the congressional holiday recess:

Three senators have been tapped to remain in Washington: Sens. Jim Webb (D-Va.), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), and Jack Reed (D-RI). Twice a week they will go into the chamber. The gavel will be banged down, and the Senate declared open. Then they will leave. With no recess Bush would not be able to make a recess appointment.

Cheers to those three Senators. I love it.

(Via - 365gay.com.)

Morning View - Huxtable House

The Huxtable family of The Cosby Show supposedly lived in Brooklyn, but the house used for the exterior shots is actually in the West Village at 10 Leroy Street, between Hudson and Seventh Avenue. In warmer weather you can hardly see the first floor of the house for all the vines.

Good Work Wednesday

Chicago: Thursday, Nov. 29, the Chicago AIDS Foundation holds its annual World Of Chocolate fundraiser in commemoration of World AIDS Day. At this festive event, guests will sample scrumptious chocolate creations from many of Chicagoland’s finest restaurants, caterers and chocolatiers.The vendors creating the delicacies will compete for top honors in several categories as judged by local celebrities. Other components of the evening include entertainment, a raffle, and shopping at the Holiday Bazaar which features fine gifts and ornaments donated by local merchants. Tickets $75-$100.

SF: The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation is putting on its ninth annual "Help Is on the Way for the Holidays" -- an all-star benefit concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, December 2, at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco. Performers include Mary Wilson, Sally Struthers, Justin Guarini, Anthony Fedorov, La Toya London, Jeannette Bayardelle, Shawn Ryan, and hip-hop dance troupe Mind Over Matter. Tickets $45-$100.

DC: Nov. 30th thru Dec. 2nd, Servicemembers United (formerly Call to Duty) is partnering with the Human Rights Campaign, Log Cabin Republicans, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and the Liberty Education Forum for a three-day tribute on the National Mall to honor the 12,000 Americans who have been discharged under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law since its inception. One American flag will be placed on the Mall for each discharged service member, which will serve as the backdrop for a series of events honoring their service, their sacrifice, and their fight to serve with dignity.

NYC: The Ali Forney Center, New York City's most comprehensive service organization for homeless LGBT youth-announces a memorial celebration of Ali Forney, commemorating his life and recognizing his continued inspiration to others on the ten-year anniversary of his tragic murder. Also commemorated is the 5-year anniversary of the Center itself, providing shelter, safety, and dignity to LGBT young people rejected by their families.The celebration is open to the public, and will place at Judson Memorial Church on Thursday, December 6. Speakers will include Executive Director Carl Siciliano, family and friends of Ali Forney, and others TBA as well as vocal performances.

Kindle Fails To Spark

Yesterday Amazon's Jeff Bezos launched Kindle, their new $400 e-reader that he claims will become the iPod of books. Previous e-readers have failed to catch on, but the Kindle, which can hold 200 books, does have some nifty features, including the ability to wirelessly download books, blogs, magazines (Time Magazine: $1.99/mo), and newspapers (New York Times: $13.99/mo.) New content is pushed onto the Kindle via a free network called "Whispernet". Once you've subscribed to a source, it automatically appears in your device.

Some have noted the product's name in reference to Ray Bradbury's famous novel about book burning, Fahrenheit 451, but Bezos claims the name is a reference to "rekindling" an interest in reading. Yeah, whatever. While reviews have been generally unkind, citing the device's lousy web browser among other issues, I can sorta see myself using a Kindle, as I am not a book saver - once I read something, I usually give it away shortly after. But with the Kindle's cost and limitations, I'm not that blown away. I wanted an MP3 player the minute they came out. For the Kindle, not so much.

The Lesbionic Woman

"Back off, breeder! Now where the hell is my Subaru?"

LA Gay Center Gala Draws Stars

Hosted by comedian Alec Mapa, Saturday night's Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center's 36th Annual Gala brought out more than 1000 supporters to hear Linda Ronstadt, Jenifer Lewis, and the LA Gay Men's Chorus. (ABOVE: George Takei, Center CEO Lorri L. Jean, Alec Mapa, Jane Lynch, . Photo by David Arenas. BELOW: Alex Mapa and LA Gay Men's Chorus, Jenifer Lewis, Shirley MacLaine, Linda Ronstadt. Photos by Beck Starr.)

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of Universal Motown, today's Swag Tuesday giftie is an autographed poster for the Scissor Sisters' new performance DVD, Hurrah! A Year Of Ta-Dah, due out December 4th.

This 2 disc DVD set is essential for all Scissor Sister fans!! Included is a DVD of a full live concert filmed at O2 Fest in London including "Take Your Mama", "She's My Man", `Tits on The Radio" and more. This holiday must includes a 60 minute documentary filmed around the world that gives a unique glimpse into the crazy and colorful works of Scissor Sisters. There are extras including videos for "She's My Man" and "Kiss You Off" and other performances.

To win this poster autographed by the entire band, please comment on this post. Only comment once and please remember to leave your email address. Publicists: if you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.
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UN To Reduce AIDS Count By Six Million

Saying they have overstated the reach of the AIDS pandemic, the United Nations' AIDS agency will release a report today reducing their count of total AIDS cases worldwide by six million, to 33.2 million.

The statistical changes reflect more accurate surveys, particularly in India and some populous African countries. Some epidemiologists have criticized for years the way estimates were made, and new surveys of thousands of households in several countries have borne them out.

In only a few countries, such as Kenya and Zimbabwe, do the figures reflect widespread behavioral changes, such as decisions by many people to have sex with fewer partners.

Excerpts from the report were given to the news media in advance for release this evening, but an embargo on it was broken by other news organizations. Despite the revised estimates, the epidemic remains one of the great scourges of mankind. This week’s analysis predicts that 2.1 million people died of AIDS in the last year, and 2.5 million were newly infected — or about 6,800 every day.

The agency now believes that the number of new infections each year with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, probably peaked in the late 1990s, or by 2001, at about 3 million.

Good new, of course. But still, 33.2 million.
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Today: 9th Annual Transgender Day Of Remembrance

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.

Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgendered — that is, as a transsexual, crossdresser, or otherwise gender-variant — each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgendered people.

Tonight there will be a candlelight vigil and march. Staging begins at the NYC LGBT Community Center at 6pm. A few blocks away, there will be another rally tonight at 6pm at Sheridan Square on Christopher Street. Across the street at the Stonewall Inn, the HRC is coincidentally staging a networking party where transgender activists intend to protest HRC's recent tactics in supporting a trans-less ENDA. This week the New York Blade published an editorial calling for the resignation of HRC head Joe Solmonese.
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