It’s a new episode of UNHhhh! The show where Trixie Mattel and Katya talk about whatever they want…because it’s their show! On this episode, the ladies discuss their adventures in dating!
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April 16, 1939– Dusty Springfield is one of the most important recording artists of my long lifetime. Her music has moved me, thrilled me and comforted me for 55 years. For me, the album Dusty In Memphis (1969) is a perfect LP. I cannot fault a single note. Every selection is delicious. It is on my list of Top 10 Albums Of All Time.
Springfield was an unlikely Gay Icon. She was born Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien in London just a month before that start of WWII. She started life as an Irish Catholic schoolgirl, yet she gained stardom as a sultry singer of soul, the “white girl singing black music.”
Her love for other women was forbidden in the Britain at the time, illegal actually. Like most of the great gay artists in history, there were innovative ways of maneuvering around the expectations of the straight majority while covertly conveying the constrained emotions in their work. Springfield’s gayness is at the core of the melancholy and vulnerability that she brings to her music. Her songs go straight to my heart: How Can I Be Sure, All Cried Out, I Close My Eyes, And Count To 10, The Look Of Love, You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me, plus my personal favorite, her devastating version of I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself. She does more than sell the song; she inhabits and makes it her own in the way that only the truly great artists can do.
With a strong, almost masculine countenance, but a feminine style, Springfield has always had real appeal to gay people. She studied and copied drag acts, creating an image confusing to a lot of the 1960s listening public. In the press, her image was vigorously protected from her gayness. The press releases always stressed Springfield’s Catholic faith and middle-class roots. The fact she was living with a fellow singer, Norma Tanega, was conveniently overlooked. After she and Tanega split up, there was always another woman keeping Springfield’s bed warm.
She invented a look for herself which became iconic, with tall beehive hair and thick, dark eye make-up. Her style was copied by other recording artists of the time, plus many teenage girls and drag queens. Her career has left a lasting legacy on modern fashion.
Springfield became an expert in all aspects of music recording. The male dominated industry resented having a young woman who seemed to know it all. She had a sharp ear for quality and a perfectionist approach to making records. During her era, women were simply not allowed to use the mixing equipment or to commandeer the production booth. She gained a reputation for being difficult and eccentric. Her headstrong personality and working knowledge of the technical aspects of recording did not endear Springfield to the professional music community, but she certainly enchanted her fans.
In 1964, while on tour in South Africa, and with no prior interest in politics, Springfield found it abhorrent that it was illegal to perform a concert to a mixed audience. But, there was a loophole in the law that allowed live performances for mixed-race audiences as long as they were in a movie theatre. Springfield booked the biggest film house she could find and played to a large black and white audience. When she arrived back at her hotel, Springfield and her entourage were placed under arrest and deported. Back in England the public loved her for it. She was hailed as an anti-apartheid hero.
Springfield was at her apex in the mid-1960s. She had hit albums and her own TV show. She is credited as the woman who brought Motown to the UK. But in the early 1970s, when I was digging her the most, the kids who bought records pushed against Springfield’s style, preferring songs with a strong political message. Her love songs and throaty jazzy vocals began to lose popularity.
At a loss, Springfield was sucked into a spiral of drink, drugs and all-night parties. She abused a variety of substances on a daily basis. The pressure of a closeted life manifested itself in depression and a desire to avoid the spotlight. An album she had started to record for Atlantic Records was shelved due to her “poor mental health”.
Ashamed by the abandoned album, Springfield moved to LA and dropped deeper into drugs and booze. She spent most of the 1970s living late nights of partying. She sometimes woke up in a hospital.
Late in the 1970s, Springfield began to speak openly about being bisexual, although she was never known to have had a boyfriend. The bad publicity devastated Springfield. She came out of the closet to her parents, but far from being outraged; they did not take her seriously. This hurt her even more deeply.
In the 1980s, Springfield’s drug abuse was at an all-time high. She continued to have short-lived love affairs. Her recordings made little impact and had low sales. Springfield was constantly between rehab and the hospital.
Salvation came in 1987 when her longtime fans, Pet Shop Boys, asked her to collaborate on a project. The resulting record, What Have I Done to Deserve This?, was a global smash hit and one of my favorite singles of all time. Suddenly, the fading singer was among the smart set once more. Pet Shop Boys produced an entire album for her. At 48 years old, her life started to get better. She gave up drugs and partying. More hits singles followed.
In 1994, just as Springfield’s career was back on track and a new generation was embracing her sound, she was diagnosed with that damn cancer. She received treatment, but remission was short lived. She spent her final years fighting against another bout of cancer. Springfield moved in with her lifelong friend, back-up singer Simon Bell, who took care of her.
On New Year’s Day 1999, Springfield was awarded an Order Of The British Empire for her contribution to music. Too sick to attend the ceremony, her longtime manager, with permission from Queen Elizabeth II, picked up the award on her behalf. It was carried directly to Springfield in hospice and given to her in front of a small gathering of friends, plus her Oncologist. On the very day when Springfield would have officially received the award, she lost her battle with cancer. Her memorial was attended by thousands of mourners including Elvis Costello, Lulu, Elton John, and Pet Shop Boys. 10 days after her death, her friend Sir Elton inducted Springfield into the Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Fame, stating:
“She was the greatest white singer of all time”.
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Trump & son-in-law, Jared Kushner
Ross Barkan quit his job after the paper’s glowing endorsement of the GOP Presidential candidate, Donald Trump. The New York Observer printed a glowing endorsement of Trump, but lost its top reporter in the process.
Barkan, the paper’s national political reporter, announced this week that he is stepping down over concerns with the Observer’s coverage of the GOP frontrunner. Barkan told CNN.
“I knew going into this there would be complications with covering Donald Trump and working for the New York Observer. I did not imagine that the events would transpire the way they did.”
Here’s the big problem. The Observer is owned by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, which creates a YUUGE conflict of interest.
Barkan also told CNN that Kushner’s recent involvement in writing a speech that Trump delivered last month before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) factored into his decision.
The paper addressed the connection between Trump and Kushner in the endorsement..
“Donald Trump is the father-in-law of the Observer’s publisher. That is not a reason to endorse him. Giving millions of disillusioned Americans a renewed sense of purpose and opportunity is.
The legacy of Donald Trump’s 30 years of leadership is everywhere—not only in the tall buildings that bear his name, but in the kitchens of the thousands of families supported by the jobs he’s created.”
They do mention Trump’s failures, telling readers that,
“Having tried (and sometimes failed) at our own entrepreneurial ventures, we are far more inclined to put these ventures into perspective.”
It ends with this ass-kiss,
“In 1980 Ronald Reagan said, ‘The time is now for strong leadership,’ and by 1984 was able to declare, ‘It is morning again in America.’ Today, Donald Trump says it is time to make America great again. We agree.”
And if you agree too, they’ve got a Trump condo just waiting for your deposit!
Barkan’s last day at the Observer is Apr. 27.
The post Trump’s Son-In-Law’s Paper Endorses the GOP Front-Runner, Top Political Reporter Quits appeared first on The WOW Report.
Two brothers from Virginia convinced their little sister, Millicent (the perfect little sis name) that zombies were taking over their town. She had just had surgery to remove her wisdom teeth and was still high on painkillers.
They were very clever by issuing,
• A fake radio alert from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) saying there was a “viral outbreak warning” and reporting “cases of high fever, nausea, death and even cannibalism”.
• Millicent tells her brother to pack guns to defend themselves on their journey.
• The brothers tell Millicent they can only bring one of their pets and tell her to choose between their cat or dog.
Her response?
“The cat, you idiot!“
This to me THAT was a tip off that the whole thing might have been faked. Who calls their pets, “the cat or the dog”? Knowing your own pets, you’d say Fluffy or Rover, right? Very suspicious. It was posted by Cabot Phillips who is one of the brothers and trying to get noticed. But it’s hilarious, anyway.
Watch.
(via KeyeTV)
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In the 80s, this used to be a thing in New York. Local news station Channel 5 broadcast this message every night,
“It’s 10 PM, do you know where your children are…?
Great thing to ask parents, but it takes on a slightly more sinister tinge when delivered by Grace Jones & Andy Warhol. Watch.
The post Andy Warhol & Grace Jones Ask, “It’s 10 P.M. Do You Know Where Your Children Are?” appeared first on The WOW Report.
April 17, 1897– Thornton Wilder:
“99% of the people in the world are fools and the rest of us are in great danger of contagion.”
One of my favorite roles was Horace Vandergelder in the musical Hello, Dolly! at Seattle Civic Light Opera in the late 1980s. I also used a funny, grouchy monologue by the same character from the source material, The Matchmaker (1954), for auditions for a decade. It was a role that I was born to play: crusty, irascible, testy, vinegary, bearish, and unable to suffer fools gladly.
The Hello, Dolly! history is long, picturesque, and quite gay. John Oxenford‘s short farce A Day Well Spent (1835) had been adapted into a full length play entitled Einen Jux Will Er Sich Machen by Austrian playwright Johann Nestroy in 1842. Both writers were homosexual. In 1938, Wilder Americanized the Nestroy version and changed it into The Merchant Of Yonkers. The Broadway production was a dismal failure, running for just 39 performances.
17 years later, director Tyrone Guthrie (not gay) commissioned a new version of the play for his friend Ruth Gordon. Wilder extensively rewrote the piece and made the minor character of Dolly Gallagher Levi, a widow who brokers marriages and other transactions, the leading role. Wilder named this play The Matchmaker. Gordon went on to have a smashing success in the play in London and when it moved to Broadway the next year, Gordon won the Tony Award for playing the title role.
The charming 1958 film version starred Shirley Booth, Anthony Perkins (gay), Shirley MacLaine (loved by gays), Paul Ford, and Robert Morse.
In 1964, The Matchmaker became the Tony Award (what is gayer than a Tony Award?) winning musical Hello, Dolly! with a score by the very gay Jerry Herman, starring gay icon Carol Channing. A film version of the musical was released in 1969 starring Barbra Streisand (gays seem to really like her) in the lead role. Tom Stoppard (not gay, but very talented and smart) reworked the story once again, in 1981, as the farce On The Razzle. Did you follow that?
Wilder’s version is my favorite. He won the Pulitzer Prize three times: for the novel The Bridge Of San Luis Rey (1927), for the classic high school favorite Our Town (1938), and for his satire The Skin Of Our Teeth (1942) in which I portrayed a dinosaur in a college production in the 1970s. If I am not mistaken, Wilder is the only writer to win Pulitzers in both theater and fiction.
Our Town, in case your local community theatre passed on producing it, is best known for its bare set, its plain folksy dialogue, and its simplistic lessons about life. Yet, when the dead Emily Gibbs asks the Stage Manager if anyone appreciates the daily mundane aspects of life, the Stage Manager answers with the devastating: “Poets, maybe”. 78 years after it debuted, it is believed that not a day goes by that Our Town is not being performed somewhere in the world. Portland Center Stage presented a well-reviewed production just last autumn. It’s been produced for film, radio and television, and in the lead role, at different times, Paul Newman, Hal Holbrook, Spalding Grey, Helen Hunt and Frank Sinatra. It has been adapted in to a musical three times, plus an opera and a ballet. It has been translated into more than 70 languages.
Emily Gibbs from Our Town:
“Goodbye to clocks ticking… and my butternut tree! And Mama’s sunflowers and food and coffee and new-ironed dresses and hot baths and sleeping and waking up! Oh, earth, you’re too wonderful for anyone to realize you! Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it every, every minute?”
I love this play so much. Inexplicitly, in the summer of 2012, I took my copy of the script off the shelf and reread it in a single sitting. I cried buckets that afternoon to the alarm of my two terriers. I never really got Emily’s speech until now, in my 60s. The play made me cry in ways that it never could when I was in my 20s, 40s or 50s. It’s something I’ve certainly taken to heart since almost kicking the bucket.
Our Town even has a gay character, Simon Stimson, the church organist, who is a sort of stand-in for the author.
The great theme of Wilder’s works is the lack of awareness about the daily comforts and tribulations of the short time we have on our pretty, spinning, blue orb. Put down your devices and recognize the beauty of all those tiny moments in life that are being passed by.
The Skin Of Our Teeth was considered highly avant-garde when it was first produced during WWII. It is the satirical story of The Antrobus Family battling the Ice Age and other apocalypses. The play has never been more relevant than now when we face climate change, terrorism and religious fundamentalism. The human race might survive global freezing, but maybe not global warming, guns, and Ted Cruz.
Wilder never publically addressed being gay, but his homosexuality was a well-known secret in the theatre circles. He was discreet and passed himself off as “a confirmed bachelor”. His longtime lover was Samuel Steward who wrote very famous and well received gay erotica under the moniker Phil Andros. Andros’ books seem tame now, but in their time they were scandalous stuff. Wilder was introduced to Steward by their mutual friend Gertrude Stein who had a correspondence going with both men (and they were all from Oakland/Berkley).
Wilder had the coolest friends. He hung out with Dorothy Parker, Willa Cather, Harpo Marx, Tallulah Bankhead and Montgomery Clift. I would like to have been at that party.
Wilder left this world in 1975. He was 78 years old, taken in that best way, asleep in his bed.
“Money is like manure; it’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around encouraging young things to grow.” –The Matchmaker
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A 30s Streamline Moderne style apartment in the historic Malloch Building on Telegraph Hill is a drop dead chic, with killer views.
The building is iconic for many reasons — it was featured as Lauren Bacall‘s apartment in Dark Passage (1947) and Alfred DuPont‘s mural decorates the facade. It’s also one of those rare gems known by its address: 1360 Montgomery Street. The one bedroom, one bath pad can be yours for a cool $1.5 million. If I were going to like in San Francisco, I think THIS would be the way to do it.
Bacall’s apartment “Dark Passage” was set in 1360 Montgomery Street. In the movie, the exterior view across Irene’s patio is a photo backdrop used on the studio soundstage to set the location. In the real apartment at 1360 that view would look east across the Bay towards Yerba Buena Island…
Irene’s view through the apartment’s front door peephole when she hears the doorbell ring shows, behind the visitor (Agnes Moorehead) the 3rd floor hallway and the stairs leading up to the top floor.
(T/Y Kevin; via Curbed)
The post #RealEstatePorn: Lauren Bacall’s San Francisco Apartment in “Dark Passage” Is For Sale! appeared first on The WOW Report.
Breuer in 1950
Called the Breuer House 2 it was designed this for his own family after they decided to move from their original house in New Cannan, Connecticut. Breuer’s second house was clad in fieldstone veneer and glass with a U-shaped plan enclosing a courtyard with a flagstone terrace. In 1975, Gerald Bratti acquired the property and hired architect Herbert Beckhard, a longtime associate of Breuer’s, to design extensive renovations, which were completed between 1975 and 1982. A 27’x29′ underground poolhouse/ guesthouse was added in 1981.
It had several other owners and in 2005 Robert Bishop acquired the property, saving it from demolition. The current owners removed the addition designed by Beckhart and constructed a new freestanding glass and steel addition designed by Mori. The square footage was doubled to 5500 and the underground poolhouse was restored.
The new house now has 4 bedrooms and 4.5 baths on 3 acres and is on the market for $5.85 million.
I’m not sure how I feel about the addition, to be honest. At first glance, it seems to what the original house doesn’t do, bring MORE outside in, provide more space and get you up into the trees. But the materials and office building vibe seems a bit flashy and out of place for the setting. More importantly, what would Breuer think? Probably,
“Ah, who cares? I’m pushing up daisies. It’s your house now…“
The original “Breuer 2” house
The post #RealEstatePorn: Architect Marcel Breuer’s Own Home Is Brought Screaming Into the 21st Century appeared first on The WOW Report.
ABC News reporter Gio Benitez married his fiancé Tommy DiDario in Miami yesterday. It came seven months after a romantic proposal (left) at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. 160 guests attended at Walton House in Miami.
DiDario is a lifestyle and menswear blogger a well as a writer and actor. Many news and media personalities went and the couple is active on Instagram (it’s how they met!), so naturally it was well-documented.
People reported:
Both grooms wore J.Crew tuxes and custom-made ties by David Fin for their big day, with Benitez opting for a midnight navy combination and DiDario donning a chambray charcoal ensemble.
After their first kiss as husbands, the duo got the party started with their first dance to Il Volo’s cover of Can You Feel the Love Tonight from Disney’s The Lion King.
The couple was feted by many members of Benitez’s extended news family, including Sam Champion, Shepard Smith, Martha Raddatz and Kevin Ozebek, Benitez’s best man. Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry, publicist Howard Bragman and Broadway director and producer Richard Jay-Alexander were also in attendance.
Sounds like it was perfect. And what a good looking bunch. ConDragulations, gentlemen!
(via Towleroad)
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Saturday Night Live digital short last night took on anti-gay bakers, religious freedom, and Christian victimization in
“a story of liberal elites run wild.”
When a gay couple comes into her bakery and asks for a cake, a Christian baker’s faith is tested. They threaten to sue her and demand that she say three simple words:
God is Gay.
So she sets out to prove to the world that God is straight. (From the makers of Angel in Denim: The Kim Davis Story.) Watch.
The post #SNL: An Anti-Gay Baker Takes on Religious Freedom In a New Film… appeared first on The WOW Report.
Today, at 6:15PM Eastern /3:15PM Pacific Eastern, Bravo will be broadcasting a Facebook Live apartment tour with cutie-patootie real estate agent Luis Ortiz from MDLN to promote
the premiere of Season 5 of MDLNY. (Details and links below)
Yes, superstar real estate agent Luis Ortiz will give a live tour of his very own swanky NYC apartment for Bravo and MDL fans. Luis will also promote this fun event via his social network. He’ll be demonstrating some sales tactics he might not normally use on an actual property while shooting the show. And Bravo promises will be surprises and unvarnished real estate insider moments.
Ask him questions here, and tune in to watch!
Thursday night’s premiere of Season 5. Watch the preview below.
The post MDLNY: Live Broadcasting of an Apartment Tour with Luis Ortiz HAPPENING NOW!!!! appeared first on The WOW Report.
Last year, lucky lady The Vivienne was chosen as the UK ambassador for RuPaul’s Drag Race by our UK network distributor TruTV. As part of her prize package, she was flown to Hollywood where she attended a taping of the show, walked the legendary Drag Race runway, met the boys of the Pit Crew, and even got a surprise chance to meet Ru herself!
While she was in town, we also had her into the Transformations studio, where she made me over into her lovely older sister, The St James! Watch it below!
The post RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Ambassador The Vivienne Vists the Legendary Main Stage Set and Tore the House Down, Henny! appeared first on The WOW Report.
Johnny Depp and his wife Amber Heard issued a strangely morose apology for not declaring their two Yorkshire terriers when entering Australia last year.
Heard has been spared a conviction over the dog-smuggling saga by an Australian court today. She pleaded guilty to knowingly producing a false or misleading document, while two other charges of illegally importing her dogs were dismissed.
In the video apology (released by the Australian government) a stoned-faced Heard sits alongside Depp to state she is
“truly sorry that Pistol and Boo were not declared. Protecting Australia is important. Australia is a wonderful island with a treasure trove of unique plants, animals and people,. Australia is free of many pests and diseases that are commonplace around the world. That is why Australia has to have such strong biosecurity laws.
Australians are just as unique, both warm and direct. When you disrespect Australian law, they will tell your firmly. Declare everything when you enter Australia.“
The court magistrate gave Heard a one-month good behavior bond sentence, CNN-affiliate 7 News Australia said. If Heard breaks the bond, she will have to pay a fine of 1,000 Australian dollars ($767 OMG!) but the incident will not go on record. According to 7 News, the magistrate took into consideration her need to travel for work, and said while the offense was not trivial, she doesn’t believe Heard thought she was above the law.
The story goes like this; the couple arrived in Australia last April aboard a private jet, with Depp in the country to film (yet ANOTHER) Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Depp was not charged over the incident but accompanied his wife to appear at the Southport Magistrates Court on the Gold Coast. They were mobbed by the media although police were on hand to keep things under control.
Heard’s defense team described the Pistol and Boo “saga” as a “tired, terrible mistake.”
The illegal import of animals carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of 102,000 Australian dollars ($75,000); the false document charge has a maximum penalty of a year in prison and a fine of 10,200 Australian dollars ($7,500).
It was somewhat of an international incident last year when Australian Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce threatened to have the dogs put down.
“Mr. Depp needs to take his dogs back to California, or we’re going to have to euthanize them.“
The couple was given a 72-hours to get the dogs out of the country and they quickly returned to California but not before sparking the hashtag #WaronTerrier.
What a stupid incident. These two tiny dogs were going to do what? Introduce Ebola to Australia? Watch.
(via CNN)
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April 19, 1930– Dick Sargent
This is a #BornThisDay feature about Dicks.
Looking back now, I realize that the beguiling sitcom Bewitched (1964-1972) was actually a powerful, satirical allegory about the prejudice against gay people. Let’s review: Elizabeth Mongomery played Samantha, a powerful witch with many talents, lives as a mortal, hiding her true-self from a society that could never understand or accept her. She was in the broom-closet. Agnes Moorehead had the role of Endora, Samantha’s oddly single, meddling mother who hates Samantha’s father played by a very fey Maurice Evans. Endora lectures Samantha about hiding who she really is just because she might be rejected by society. Each episode was another zany example of the perils of not coming out of the closet. Plus, the series had the gayest cast ever: Dick Sargent, Moorehead, Evans, and, of course, Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur… they all were gay. Even the show’s lead, Montgomery, was an avid, enthusiastic activist for Gay Rights.
Richard Cox’s mother was silent film actor Ruth Powell, his father, Elmer Cox, was the business manager to film star Douglas Fairbanks and director Erich Von Stroheim.
Cox studied theatre at Stanford University. Back in Hollywood, he received a small role in Prisoner Of War (1954), starring Ronald Reagan. I suppose it was just too much of a burden to be billed as Dick Cox, and when he joined the Screen Actors Guild he changed his last name to Sargent.
As Dick Sargent, he found steady work doing guest stints in 1950s and 1960s television series including Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, and I Dream Of Jeannie. He had leading roles in One Happy Family (1961) and Broadside (1964-66). Sargent also found work doing supporting roles in the films: Operation Petticoat (1959), That Touch Of Mink (1962), and an Elvis Presley project, Live A Little, Love A Little (1968).
I have read that Sargent and talented, funny Tammy Grimes auditioned for the original roles of Darrin and Samantha Stephens during the casting of the pilot of Bewitched. Sargent became unavailable because he was under contract for Broadside. Ironically, he did go on to play Grimes’s brother on the short lived series The Tammy Grimes Show (1966-67) where the lead character’s name was Tamantha.
Bewitched, as we all know, went into production with Montgomery and the other Dick, Dick York as Mr. and Mrs. Stephens. After Season Five, York left Bewitched because of a back injury and a dependency on painkillers. To prepare viewers for the switch to a new Darrin in Season Six, ABC ran all of the shows in which Dick York did not appear during the summer 1969. Are you keeping your Dicks straight?
Sargent did not have an easy time stepping into the role in this top-rated show with its popular leading man. If you watch, and I have, he often appears nervous and uncomfortable in his first season. The role of Darrin was never written differently, but the two actors simply had a different interpretation of the character. Both Sargent and York said that the producers left little room for improvisation and that the actors on Bewitched always stuck with the script word-for-word. Sargent’s Darrin was more laid back and slyer than York’s.
Elizabeth Montgomery:
“By the time Dick Sargent came on the show, Darrin and Samantha’s relationship was five years old… Darrin’s objections to witchcraft would have mellowed anyway, whether it was Dick Sargent or Dick York.”
York had only praise for the continuation of the show and for Sargent’s portrayal of Darrin. Sargent:
“Occasionally, I wonder about Bewitched. But I guess we all wonder about something or other. Most working actors don’t get a role where they become household faces. They may not know my name, I may be Darrin to people out there, but if people see you and smile at you and act like you’re an old friend, I think that’s a pretty swell accomplishment.”
After Bewitched ended its long run, Sargent went on to guest-star in many popular 1970s and 1980s television series that we all loved and remember: Taxi, Alice, Charlie’s Angels, Fantasy Island, The Dukes Of Hazzard, The Waltons, The Love Boat, Three’s Company, Murder, She Wrote, and L.A. Law. Sargent did a lot of voice-over work and returned to performing live theater when he had the chance.
In 1989, Sargent was diagnosed with that damn cancer. After a long and successful acting career, and with nothing to lose, Sargent came out of the closet in 1990. He asked his old friend Elizabeth Montgomery to join him as Grand Marshall of the 1992 LA Gay Pride Parade. Montgomery:
“In or out of the closet, I love him. He’s a super guy & a good friend. I’m happy for him & proud of him.”
During those Bewitched years, Sargent’s official bio made mention of an ex-wife to avoid speculation about his gayness. He even appeared as a couple with gay actor Fannie Flagg on the game show Tattletales. But in truth, Sargent shared his life and his home with his partner of 20+ years, Albert Williams, until Williams’ death in 1990.
Once he kicked down that closet door, Sargent gave plenty of support to Gay Rights issues, and he was an advocate of the Special Olympics, not to be confused with the Gay Games. In 1990, so few actors were open about being gay that Sargent’s coming out made a significant impact. Overnight he went from playing roles to being a role model.
Sargent:
“When I was growing up there were no role models. We had nobody. I represent that square comedy image which I don’t think anyone associates with gay. I needed to show people that we’re just people and that we’re everywhere in their lives whether they know it or not, so learn to accept us. People can look at me and think, ‘My God, they look like my mother, or my father, or my son, or whatever’.
Sargent took his final bow, gone from prostate cancer, in 1994, less than a year before Elizabeth Montgomery was taken by colon cancer. He was 64 years old and Montgomery was 62 years old when they left us.
“I think people will always want something to hate. I think that might be around until we’re evolved, which will be several thousand years. But I think because of AIDS and the publicity about gays in general, that people are more understanding and accepting than they’ve ever been. I’m not patting myself on the back, but if more people did what I did…it’s a matter of ‘Yes, I’m gay…now let’s get on with our lives’. That’s not what I’m alive for, that’s not what any of us are alive for. No one is alive to be heterosexuals and have babies or anything else that’s taught us all our lives. We’re all just people who deserve the respect that everyone else gets.”
The post #BornThisDay: Actor, Dick Sargent appeared first on The WOW Report.
A Mom from Washington posted photos on her Facebook page that attacks transgender people while applauding the recently passed anti-LGBT legislation in North Carolina and Mississippi, that bans trans people from using the bathrooms that aligns with their gender identities.
Kristi Merritt (who has NO merit in my book) shared a pic of her wearing a Mexican outfit and holding up a sign reading:
“Does this make me a Mexican?”
Then a pirate outfit and then a pic of a dress and high-heels,
“Than how can this make a man into woman?”
Where’s the photo of you holding a sign that says,
“Does this make me an asshole?”
Honey, you’ve got a LOT to learn about gender identity. Well, it seems like you’re not that smart to begin with, plus mean and insensitive, so that’s a bad combo. You argue that trans women should not be allowed to use women’s restrooms because they are just men in dresses, right? You do know, Miss Mean Mom, that no trans person has ever been arrested for sexual misconduct in a public bathroom in the U.S.. (Gaily Grind has MANY examples of Republican law makers who HAVE been arrested for “misconduct” in public bathrooms.)
Maybe just mind your own business next time you are doing your business in a public restroom. Seems to work for most people.
(via Gaily Grind)
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Yes, at Coachella, Leo was hanging out with you-know who and lots of young celebs showed off their cute boho outfits. Katy Perry hauled it around with bf Orlando Bloom, Arnold and kids ran into Sly and his family. Taylor Swift had a cute haircut and her man, Calvin Harris was the headliner of the third and final day. But it seems like Sia’s performance is all anyone can talk about. The Australian hit the stage Sunday night for her first full concert set since 2011 and wowed with a spectacle.
She performed a 13-song set packed with her many penned hits, including Rihanna’s Diamonds, Cheap Thrills, Bird Set Free, Elastic Heart, and Chandelier. A troupe of celebrity performers and dancers, including the ubiquitous Maddie Ziegler, actors Kristen Wiig & Paul Dano, plus comedian Tig Notaro. As she has in so many music videos, Zielger served as the singer’s emotional stand-in. Dano was a sort of customer service rep, answering phone calls between songs…
Billboard wrote in a review,
“The oddity of seeing something closer to performance art than pop music onstage during Coachella was captivating for thousands, but seemingly confounding for just as many.”
The L.A. Times said,
“At a Coachella defined by surprise pop-star cameos, Sia’s performance Sunday night cleverly flipped the script.”
On the Coachella subreddit, the top-trending thread was titled,
“Sia just gave the concert performance of a generation”
with words like “unique”, “magic”, flawless”, and “impeccable” being thrown about in the comment section.
You can see the full set here and tell us what you think on our Facebook page. Watch.
(via Consequence of Sound)
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On this all-new episode of Untucked: RuPaul’s Drag Race, the queens untuck backstage waiting for the votes to be tallied on their presidential campaigns. The shade becomes very political as they discuss the judge’s critiques and see everything isn’t always black and white.
The post Untucked: RuPaul’s Drag Race | Shady Politics appeared first on The WOW Report.
Another fabulous, star-studded event for the HBO/WOW documentary Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures, this time in merry olde London town. In addition to directors Randy Barbato, Fenton Bailey, and producer Katharina Otto-Bernstein, I spy with my little eye David Furnish, the eternally fabulous Bianca Jagger, Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Byzantine fashion GODDESS Daniel Lismore, artist Duggie Fields, and designer Patrick Fox…. See them below.
Nicholas and Katharina Otto-Bernstein, Ana Vincete, Katherine Lohmann, and Ollie Harbottle
Patrick Cox, Fenton Bailey, David Furnish, and Randy Barbato
Bianca Jagger
Holly Johnson
Artist Duggie Fields
Icon/designer Daniel Lismore
Sharlene Spiteri
Suzanne Moore from The Guardian and journalist and author Paul Burston
Paul Burston with Fenton and Randy
Nicholas Otto-Bernstein
Andy Whittaker, founder of Dogwoof
Historian and curator Sandy Nairne
Geordie Greig of the Mail on Sunday, his wife Kathryn Terry, and guest
Geordie and Kathryn
The post Look at the Pictures from the Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures Premiere in London! appeared first on The WOW Report.
She bring it to you every ball! Mama RuPaul‘s sickening newly-released album Butch Queen: Ru-Mixes debuted at the number 8 position on the iTunes Top 100 Dance Chart.
Speaking of Butch Queen: Ru-Mixes, if you haven’t seen the new music video for “Be Somebody” watch now:
Mama Ru also has 7 albums in the Top 200. Gag.
In addition to that, Sharon Needles, Alaska Thunderfuck, and Sharon Needles also have albums currently sitting in the top 200 as well. Yas, queens! 
The post RuPaul Snatches the iTunes Top 100 Dance Album Chart with ‘Butch Queen: Ru-Mixes’ Release… And 7 Other Albums! appeared first on The WOW Report.
Ashley Judd