ATL Mayor Kasim Reed Confirms Support Of Gay Marriage Following the foot steps of states like Washington, D.C., New York and Massachusetts, ATL mayor Kasim Reed has now confirmed that he is in support of gay marriage. via Politico In another sign of the rapid evolution of the politics of gay marriage, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed announced Tuesday that he supports marriage equality. “It is well known that I have gone through a good bit of reflection on this issue, but listening to the stories of so many people that I know and care about has strengthened my belief that marriage is a fundamental right for everyone. Loving couples, regardless of their sexual orientation, should have the right to marry whomever they want. By signing this resolution, I pledge my support to marriage equality for same-sex couples, consistent with equal protection under the law provided under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.” Reed’s statement comes seven months after he explained that he is “still wrestling with my own personal beliefs on the issue of marriage,” the non-committal position he took after President Obama formally endorsed gay marriage in May. This is a pretty big deal for obvious reasons, including the fact that Mayor Reed did not initially back President Obama’s bombshell decision to publicly support same-sex marriage. Would your state official’s change of heart on this issue have an effect on your own stance? Image via Shutterstock
Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott is pregnant with her first child! The 26-year-old and her husband, Chris Tyrrell, are expecting their first child together, the Lady Antebellum songstress confirmed on Twitter yesterday. “Chris & I are excited to announce that our Christmas gift has arrived a little early this year! We are having a BABY!” she wrote. “We feel so blessed!!!” Scott tied the knot with her drummer beau on January 7. Tyrrell, who serves as the drummer of country music trio Love and Theft, first met the “Need You Now” singer during Tim McGraw’s Southern Voice Tour in 2010. Tyrrell popped the question over July 4 weekend in 2011. Congratulations to the happy, expectant couple!!
“Gangnam Style” rapper PSY is in hot water over anti-American statements and lyrics he belted out at a 2004 anti-war protest concert came to light. Among the incendiary lyrics: “Kill those f–king Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives / Kill those f–king Yankees who ordered them to torture.” “Kill their daughters, mothers, daughter-in-law and fathers / Kill them all slowly and painfully.” Yeah. Not good. PSY, who has performed for U.S. troops in 2012 and is scheduled to perform later this month for President Barack Obama, quickly apologized and explained. The 34-year-old, whose “Gangnam Style” just became the most-watched video of all time , certainly isn’t on an invisible high horse, but rather broken up over this. PSY said that his harsh words came at a heated time, following the killing of two Korean schoolgirls, and do not reflect his views of America or its military. “As a proud South Korean who was educated in the United States and lived there for a very significant part of my life,” he said in a statement. “I understand the sacrifices American servicemen and women have made to protect freedom and democracy in my country and around the world.” “The song I was featured in – eight years ago – was part of a deeply emotional reaction to the war in Iraq and the killing of two Korean schoolgirls that was part of the strong, overall anti-war sentiment shared by others around the world at that time.” “While I’m grateful for the freedom to express one’s self, I’ve learned there are limits to what language is appropriate and I’m deeply sorry for how these lyrics could be interpreted.” “I will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused by those words.” “I have been honored to perform in front of American soldiers in recent months – including an appearance on the Jay Leno show specifically for them. I hope they and all Americans can accept my apology.” “While it’s important that we express our opinions, I deeply regret the inflammatory and inappropriate language I used to do so. In my music, I try to give people a release, a reason to smile.” “I have learned that thru music, our universal language we can all come together as a culture of humanity and I hope that you will accept my apology.” Well spoken at least, and it appears the White House accepts. A spokesman said Friday that the Obama family still plans to attend the December 21 Christmas in D.C. concert where PSY is scheduled to appear.
There are no movie stars in Brazil. When a local comedy show asked people to list the most famous Brazilians, the top three were Gisele Bundchen, Pele, and Blanka — the green ogre from Street Fighter 2 who got his powers from the bite of an Amazonian electric eel. So far in 2012, not a single Brazilian-made movie has cracked the top ten in the country’s own box office—in fact, to find a domestic hit, you have to go all the way down to the romantic comedy E Ai…Comeu? , which to date has made about half of as many reals as Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked . But Brazil does have soap stars. And at the Amazonas Film Festival in Manaus, Brazil — the heart of the Amazon — soap stars, dozens and dozens of them, all handsome and cheerful and thrilled by their own fame, were the main event. That a film festival celebrates soap stars makes no sense, until it does. One of the major reasons for trekking these TV celebrities out to Manaus is to lure schoolchildren to attend the free festival where, between hooting hellos at their idols, they watch a movie, fall in love with film and kickstart the next generation of Brazilian cinema. The second reason for the soap star deluge is to make the rest of the country pay attention to Manaus. Until very recently, the 2.2 million capital city of the Amazon was only accessible by plane and boat; most of the celebrities in attendance from the southern metropolises of Rio and Sao Paulo had never been there at all. It takes longer to drive from Rio to Manaus than it does to drive from Los Angeles to New York, and the cultural distance between the two is so vast that the TV actors kept insisting to us gringo journalists that Manaus wasn’t even really Brazil, but more like how we think of Alaska. But if Manaus has a lot to prove, they’ve also got the money to do it. In case you haven’t heard: Brazil is rich. And Brazil sets aside .85% of the federal budget to support the arts, while the United States manages a meager .066% — and Mitt Romney still wanted to kill Big Bird. The 2012 Amazonas Film Festival was a lavish spare-no-expenses wonder: Every night one to two movies screened for attendees sitting in the velvet chairs of the Teatro Amazonas, an opera house built in 1896, and every day, the festival hosted trips to waterfalls and rainforests and palaces. One afternoon, everyone trekked to a nature reserve to celebrate as Elizabeth the sloth was rechristened a native name meaning “Beloved by Humans.” There was a fireworks salute, the clinking of goblets filled with Coca-Cola and Guarana soda, and then the DJ spun “Jungle Boogie.” Meanwhile, a concession stand employee fed stray marmoset monkeys like they were pigeons. And unlike Sundance in Park City, Utah, the film festival isn’t even the town’s high point of the year: Manaus hosts a big cultural festival every month for rock, opera, folklore, carnival, jazz, theater, dance, pop music, and even Christmas, which this year will be produced by Disney and aired on national TV. Americans have seen Manaus before, even if they don’t realize it. The Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez masterpiece Anaconda claims to have been shot there, although none of the locals would admit it. (They should.) So few feature films have been shot in the region that when the fest played A Floresta De Jonathas (aka Jonathas’ Forest — “Jonathas” is not a typo), a trippy slow burn about a teenager lost in the jungle, it was heralded as the first flick filmed there in 10 years. Film nerds can name a third flick from Manaus: Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo , which opens with Klaus Kinksi and Claudia Cardinale leaping from a canoe to dash up the stairs of the grand old Teatro Amazonas, desperate to see Enrico Caruso. But most Brazilians haven’t heard of that movie either, though if you believe a word Kinski wrote in his sex-mad autobiography All I Need is Love , he had to have left behind at least a half-dozen half-Brazilian children. The Teatro Amazonas (pictured at top), where the seven-day film festival was held, looks almost the same as it did when Herzog filmed there in 1982, except for the mime dressed like Charlie Chaplin who stalked the red carpet each night and eagerly leaped in front of every camera. At the opening of the Amazonas Film Festival, the old marble walls — imported from Italy back when the rubber barons of Manaus made it the richest city in the world — buzzed with energy. We American journalists were given headsets that translated the introductory speeches from Portuguese to English, not that they helped us make any sense of the moment when a soap star named Igor, a dead-ringer for Benicio del Toro, stormed the stage uninvited and shouted something loosely paraphrased as, “Thanks for letting me have sex with my girlfriend under a waterfall!” to the Minister of Culture. Then he pulled a pair of sheer black pantyhose over his head like he was about to rob a convenience store, and fled the stage to massive applause. Lost in translation, I suppose. The opening night film, Colegas ( Buddies ) has been sweeping up awards in Brazil. It’s comedy version of Natural Born Killers with a twist — the two gun-toting lovebirds on the run with their best friend all have Downs Syndrome. Plus, the trio, headed by de facto leader Stallone (whose parents named him after their favorite actor) were so bored at their institution for the mentally handicapped that they spent their days memorizing old Hollywood movies on VHS. It’s a Brazilian movie about American movies — even the credits riff off old posters for Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Godfather . When girlfriend Aniha waves a pistol in a fancy Buenos Aires restaurant, she hollers, “Everybody be cool — this is a robbery!” and when she and Stallone snuggle up, he whispers, “Are you trying to seduce me, Mrs. Robinson?” The inevitable Fox Searchlight remake will rake in millions, especially with the built-in controversy of a cast that’s half-disabled. But there was no frisson of exploitation here, though when lead ingenue Rita Pokk literally lowered to her knees onstage to thank the director for allowing her to act, he hastily joined her on the ground. Continued…
Earlier this year R&B star Robin Thicke and his beautiful wife, actress Paula Patton, starred in their very first Rémy Martin commercial together. Now, Robin Thicke has teamed up with Rémy Martin V.S.O.P. for a very special limited edition bottle. Just in time for the holidays, the bottle has gotten a luminous makeover inspired by Robin Thicke’s smooth voice and is adorned with his autograph. Here’s some more info about this cognac collaboration: Rémy Martin Cognac announced the release of its Robin Thicke limited edition bottle. Things are getting interesting this holiday season, as the Rémy Martin V.S.O.P bottle receives a glowing makeover inspired by Robin Thicke’s sultry voice and soulful character. This one-of-a-kind expression evokes the smoothness that only a brand like Rémy Martin and a musical artist like Robin Thicke can deliver. The new limited edition bottle features Robin Thicke’s signature, musical stylings and is appropriately clad in red for the festivities. All Smartphone users will be able to check out exclusive content through the QR technology that is on every gift box. “We are extremely excited to continue our partnership with Robin Thicke as a creative consultant for Rémy Martin V.S.O.P,” said Emma Medina, Rémy Martin Senior Brand Director. “The Robin Thicke limited edition bottle is designed to offer a truly interesting experience while capturing the smoothness of both Robin Thicke and Remy Martin.” The 750ml bottle will be available beginning October 2012 at wine and spirit stores across the United States with a suggested retail price of $40.00. We love us some good cognac around these parts and you can never go wrong with Robin Thicke, riiiiight?
PETA is really on one. Granted it really does look like these gobblers are marching for freedom… Via ABC News reports : Tomorrow President Obama is set to pardon two turkeys – Cobbler and Gobbler – just as every president since George H. W. Bush has. The tradition finds its roots in a moment of sympathy Abe Lincoln’s son, Tad, had for their table’s turkey back in the 1860s. Now Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, says the turkey pardon has got to go. “It makes light of the mass slaughter of some 46 million gentle, intelligent birds and portrays the United States’ president as being in some sort of business partnership with the turkey-killing industry,” Newkirk wrote in a letter sent to President Obama today. “Turkeys do not need to be ‘pardoned’—they are not guilty of anything other than being born into a world of prejudice. They are innocents who should be respected for who they are: good mothers, smart birds, and interesting animals.” “You understand so well that African-Americans, women, and members of the LGBT community have been poorly served throughout history,” Newkirk writes, “and now I am asking you to consider other living beings who are ridiculed, belittled, and treated as if their sentience, feelings, and very natures count for nothing.” Those are turkeys she’s talking about. When asked if the comparison of turkeys with minority Americans was a little extreme, PETA spokesperson Ashley Byrne answered that turkeys feel pain and fear, just like humans. “Everyone deserves to be free from suffering, and that includes turkeys,” Byrne said. So will the White House forego the fowl tradition and opt for Tofurkey? Not likely. Last year PETA similarly took issue with the term “pardon,” asking the White House to say “spare” instead. But the White House went along with its usual use of the p-word. Byrne said this Thanksgiving gives Obama a new opportunity to connect with his constituency and go vegan like another Democratic president – Bill Clinton – who gave up his beloved hamburgers, all meat in fact, for health reasons after leaving office. “With more Americans than ever cutting meat out of their diets, we hope that the president could see this as a way to get with the times,” Byrne said. Prejudice? Against turkeys? GTFOHWTBS. We understand if some people choose to be vegan or want to be vegan for health reasons but that doesn’t mean that people who enjoy eating meat and poultry should be compared to bigots! Shutterstock
Earlier this month, Madonna performed Gangnam Style with PSY in New York City. But if you think that was shocking, check out The Material Girl’s latest perfume ad; In honor of her latest fragrance, Truth or Dare, this Madonna nude image will soon be appearing in magazines across the country. It’s not the first time the iconic singer has pulled out her guns in public, but at least this time it’s just in the figurative sense. Truth or Dare is on sale right now in Macy’s around the country.
When Prince William and his RAF Search and Rescue squadron are done flying helicopters over the mountains and sea of North Wales … there’s always Call of Duty 2: Black Ops . William revealed his enjoyment of the game on his revamped website, which includes a new photo feature on the man known simply as Flight Lieutenant Wales. In William’s new gallery , he can be seen making the bed he naps in away from wife Kate Middleton during 24-hour shifts, working at a computer, in meetings and more. His current tour ends in late 2013 and, like all crew members, he is set to make a decision before the end of the year about whether to sign on for another few years. On Wednesday, even more new images will be published – this time Prince William and Kate Middleton pictures taken during their recent trip to the jungle of Borneo. Prince Harry naked may also make an appearance. Kidding.
Save for a controversial remark about President Obama giving gifts to ethnic groups in return for votes, Mitt Romney has kept a low profile since losing the 2012 election. Monday, a photo of Romney filling up at a gas station in La Jolla, Calif., was posted on Reddit. He appears slightly frazzled … and/or just a little annoyed: “Mitt Romney at my local gas station,” Reddit user mkb95 wrote. “He looks tired and washed up.” We know what you’re thinking … Mitt Romney pumps his own gas? Gone is his familiar, perfectly slicked-back coif from the campaign trail, but the 65-year-old apparently wasn’t as disheveled or upset as the image might suggest. “I talked to him for a good three minutes while he was filling his tank,” the poster added. “I guess he’s moving to one of his houses in the town I live in, La Jolla.” Hey, he doesn’t have much else going on now. Having run for president for the better part of six years, the former Massachusetts Governor and wife Ann Romney can finally look forward to some downtime. In fact, the couple took in a showing of Breaking Dawn Part 2 in Del Mar, Calif., one town north of La Jolla, on Saturday, then hit up a pizza place across the street. He may not be President of the United States, but on the bright side, he can enjoy the palpable on-screen chemistry of Robsten without a Secret Service detail.
Everything’s bigger in Texas. That apparently includes secession petitions . A petition to allow Texas to secede from the United States has qualified to receive a White House response, garnering more than 81,000 signatures. The Texas secession movement’s leader said President Obama’s reelection was a “catalyzing moment” for his group’s efforts “to quit the United States.” Daniel Miller, president of the Texas Nationalist Movement, said: “I am completely aware that Election Day was a catalyzing moment, but I do not believe that the underpinnings of this are solely about Barack Obama.” “This cake has been baking for a long time – it’s the Obama administration that put the candles on the cake and lit it for us.” The Texas secession petition reads : Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union. To do so would protect it’s citizens’ standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government . The support for the petition has surged despite Texas Gov. Rick Perry – who has flirted with the secession idea in the past – callng to support the union. The governor’s press secretary, Catherine Frazier, said that Perry “believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done to change it.” Perry does, however, “share the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government.” The Lone Star State is not exactly alone. Residents in more than 40 states have filed secession petitions to the Obama administration’s “We the People” site. Though none of the breakaway efforts have come even close to Texas’ huge number, many petitions have attracted 20,000-30,000 signatures.
