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?
Labels: Evel Knievel, obituary
Evel Knievel, the original "jackass", is dead at 69. Johnny Knoxville owes his entire schtick to Knievel, don't you think?
Labels: Evel Knievel, obituary
Breaking News:
An armed man, possibly with a bomb, has taken people hostage at Hillary Clinton's campaign office in Rochester, N.H.Republicans will doubtlessly claim the hostage taker was planted.
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.
Labels: Hillary Clinton, New Hampshire
"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.
Labels: 2008 elections, CNN, Keith Kerr, Pat Buchanan, YouTube
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!
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.
Labels: I-35, People For The American Way, religion, wingnuts
Labels: 2008 elections, Mike Gravel
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.
Labels: Broadway Friday
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.
Labels: civil unions, Uruguay
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.
Labels: Morning View
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."
Labels: AFA, Alaska Airlines, dumbassery, wingnuts
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.
Labels: LGBT culture, Logo, LoveTransamerican Style, television, transgender issues
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.
Labels: Buddy G, gay families
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.
Labels: 2008 elections, DADT, GOP, Keith Kerr
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.
Labels: Morning View
Since you won last year, maybe you have some inside scoop on Time's Person Of The Year for 2007?
Labels: Open Thread Thursday
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.
Labels: United Nations
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!
Labels: JMG, Rapture Books, Reading For Filth, stand-up
Lexington & 86th, Tuesday, 8:30 PM
Labels: NYC
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?
Labels: Free Republic, gay families, LGBT culture
"[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.
Labels: Iraq war, Stephen King, torture
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.A drag queen serial killer. The tabs and Free Republic will have a field day.
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.
Labels: France, Nicolas Panard
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.
Labels: Larry Craig
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.
Labels: Morning View
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.
Labels: Good Work Wednesday
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.
Labels: 2008 elections, Barbra Streisand, Hillary Clinton
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.
Labels: Kitty
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.
Favorable business interests and investment opportunities= blood for oil. What, you're surprised? Angry? Why do you hate America?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.
Labels: blood for oil, Dubya, Iraq
Dugout, Sunday, 7pm
Labels: internet, NYC, Overheard
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.
Labels: Al Gore, Dubya, hallucinogens
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 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?
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.''
Labels: Ann Coulter, Florida, privacy, Skeletor, Succubus
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.
Labels: Morning View
It gets mysteriouser.
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.
Labels: Benjamin Nicholas, Congress, hookers, Larry Flynt, Trent Lott
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.
Labels: Swag Tuesday
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.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?
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.
Labels: Benjamin Nicholas, Congress, hookers, Trent Lott
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.
Labels: 2008 elections, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey
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.
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".
Labels: advertising, C-IN2
- 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.
Labels: Manhattan Monday
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.OK, that's actually pretty interesting. Judaism invented us. I'll buy that. But then Prager retreads the usual nonsense:
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.
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.
Labels: Dennis Prager, DOMA, gay marriage, religion
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.
Labels: Boy George, dumbass celebrity news
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.
Labels: dumbassery, JMG
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.
Labels: Bingham Cup, Ireland, sports
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.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."
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.
Labels: Congress, Trent Lott
Even when it's freezing outside, folks love to stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge.
Labels: Morning View
Ha ha ha
Labels: Australia, gay marriage, John Howard, Kevin Rudd, LGBT rights