Madonna loves her some gay marriage!

Hip Hop artist Trick Trick doesn't want our faggot money.

Heroes posts lowest ratings ever. And it deserves its super bad ratings. I caught ten minutes of it the other night, and it was like watching an episode of Days of Our Lives. From 1984.

American Idol contestant found dead outside Paula Abdul's home

Nature really is good for the brain

Roseanne hates the hate, too

I just heard on Michelangelo Signorile's Air America radio show that Whoopi Goldberg is going to be speaking at the protest tonight once the march reaches Columbus Circle. Whoopi has maintained an admirably clear head in all of this.

I've said this before - an African-American woman speaking about gay civil rights is a powerful and poignant instrument of civil rights.

This got me thinking about Jasmyne Cannick, an African-American woman who writes for The Daily Voice: Black America's Daily News Source. Jasmyne has a post today that suggests African-Americans were not correctly targeted in the No on Prop 8 ads: "So let's recap, no Black people for the No on 8 campaign ads (using Samuel Jackson's voice doesn't count) and Black people in the Yes on 8 campaign ads. And Black people made up 69 percent of the Yes vote you say?" Cannick writes in an article in the SF Chronicle:

I am a perfect example of why the fight against Proposition 8, which amends California's Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, failed to win black support. I am black. I am a political activist who cares deeply about social justice issues. I am a lesbian. This year, I canvassed the streets of South Los Angeles and Compton, knocking on doors, talking politics to passers-by and working as I never had before to ensure a large voter turnout among African Americans. But even I wasn't inspired to encourage black people to vote against the proposition.

The blame for the failure lies with all of us. The No on Prop 8 committee failed in its approach to get the right information to the right people. The LA Times asks, "Where were the gay leaders? It's hard to imagine the civil rights movement of the 1960s succeeding without Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X, or to imagine the women's suffrage movement without the likes of Susan B. Anthony."

Below, is the video accompanying Jasmyne Cannick's post. It shows how the idea of gay marriage as a component of civil rights was twisted and re-shaped into something almost unrecognizable. Let me be clear - I am not saying in any way that African-Americans are to blame for the passing of Prop 8. This video is an indication of how some of those who favored it viewed its relation to civil rights. Imagine if there had been a similar ad that was AGAINST Prop 8?

Here's a list of the the Top 10 searches on Google for today. What's up with the ACT results? Did the results just get released today?

1. act scores

2. act student

3. actstudent.org

4. act.org

5. act login

6. flu tracker

7. golden jubilee canada

8. eppicard

9. rev. jim jones

10. act test

And here's something crazy. With all these top 10ers being about ACT scores, I thought I'd see why Rev. Jim Jones was getting so much Google attention. (I know there was a special the other night on MSNBC on the Jonestown Massacre for the 30th anniversary of the tragedy, but that's about it.) So I Googled Rev. Jim Jones, and I got taken to the Wikipedia entry. In that entry I came across this:

Harvey Milk, who spoke at political rallies at the Temple, and wrote to Jones after a visit to the Temple: "Rev Jim, It may take me many a day to come back down from the high that I reach today. I found something dear today. I found a sense of being that makes up for all the hours and energy placed in a fight. I found what you wanted me to find. I shall be back. For I can never leave."

Harvey Milk? At the Peoples Temple? Whoa.

I feel a little sick to my stomach even thinking about it, but Bill O'Reilly has a point. Now, obviously, I don't believe gays should be targeting black churches, but by that same logic, I don't believe that we should be specifically targeting Mormon churches, either. Let's stand in front of Catholic churches, Mormon churches, black churches, and Latino churches and make a broader, less bullying statement.

As yet, there is no consensus about who is to blame for Prop 8's passing, which probably means that the blame should be spread around to every voter who voted in favor of Prop 8.

Bill Marriott, the Mormon CEO of Marriott hotels, has issued a statement:

As many of you may know I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some might conclude given my family's membership in the Mormon Church that our company supported the recent ballot initiative to ban same sex marriage in California. This is simply untrue. Marriott International is a public company headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, and is not controlled by any one individual or family. Neither I, nor the company, contributed to the campaign to pass Proposition 8.

This is an opportunity for us, the gay community, to demonstrate that our hard-fought wins and losses have made us sensitive to the struggles of ALL minorities. Right now, the Mormons are an easy target for our rage, but that does not mean that an easy target should be the only target.

The full statement after the jump.

The Bible that I love teaches me about honesty, integrity and unconditional love for all people. But beyond that, I am very careful about separating my personal faith and beliefs from how we run our business.

I am personally motivated to speak now because Marriott was built on the basic principles of respect and inclusion. My father, who founded this company along with my mother, told everyone who would listen: "Take care of your employees, and they'll take care of your customers, who will come back again and again."

For more than 80 years, our company has grown and changed, but that basic principle still holds up. We embrace all people as our customers, associates, owners and franchisees regardless of race, sex, gender identity or sexual orientation.

Our principle is backed up with a formal diversity program, which we established more than 20 years ago. Our Board of Directors has also focused on this priority and helped us be a leader and a better company. We were among the first in our industry to offer domestic partner benefits, and we've earned a perfect 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index for two years in a row. Many of our hotels have hosted LGBT community functions and events for years.

I am very proud of all of our associates at Marriott. And I want all our associates and guests, whom we welcome into our hotels, to know that we embrace your talents and thank you for your many contributions and your business.

This is the tactic I was hoping for. The protest is morphing from an anti-Mormon firing squad into a more general protest for equal rights.

Andy Towle of Towleroad writes:

Last night I attended a meeting of NYC protest organizers and marshals in preparation for tonight's peaceful demonstration which begins at Manhattan's Mormon Temple at 6:30 pm. The protest was organized in response to the passage in California of Proposition 8 and has taken on the more general demand for equal rights and marriage equality for LGBT citizens across the nation . . . it will begin at the Manhattan Mormon Temple location, and at some point, as the location reaches capacity, slowly march down Broadway toward Columbus Circle.

Michelangelo Signorile writes:

Let's not be anti-religious bigots and, as you've heard me many times talk about on the show, let's not engage in this divisive race-blaming game. And it should also go without saying -- but sadly, must be said again and again --- no ugly racist rhetoric.

And Mark Oshiro, who was arrested at the LA Mormon Temple protest, has a few tips as well:

Don't be anti-religious bigots, for one. Protest a church's involvement in an election and protest their contribution to passing Prop 8. But don't turn it into a free-for-all on that church's tenets or members. One, it makes absolutely no sense to do that. Why protest the Mormon church's practice of polygamy, which was outlawed AGES AGO? It's no longer relevant. Why protest anything else they believe in? Protest what they did, not who they are.

Don't be racist. While I don't agree with the number of "70%" when it comes to how many people in the black community voted for Prop 8, there's no denying the rampant homophobia that runs through that community. But holy fuck, please do not turn this into a racist tirade against black people. Not only is it not the point of the protest, but you're perpetrating the same hatred and ignorance you're charging them with. Grow up and be mature about your charges against them. Again, protest what they did, not who they are. [Via Queerty]

Stephen Colbert gives a great overview of the Prop 8 conflict. Colbert says it's "gays versus blacks, blacks versus gays, and black gays versus themselves." Dan Savage backpedals a bit from his original stance (the link to his article "Black Homophobia" is no longer working - Rod 2.0 blasts Savage for this) and, in a nod to Nate Silver, says it's old people who are really to blame. Savage says it's now Gay Survivor because we are going to "outlive, outlast, and outsmart the bigots."

Yes, Mormons played their part, but if it's now old people who are to blame, why are we not organizing protests outside of nursing homes?

I've said before that I'm not a huge fan of the model kind of sexiness, but can I just say that I love this boy? Model Mateus Verdelho.

Click thumbnails to enlarge. A few more NSFW-ish pics after the jump.

At the premiere of his new movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Brad Pitt was mistaken for a paparazzo and nearly escorted out of the theater. I don't know why this is so funny to me. That's not true. I do (just not in California). It's the New York Post's blow-by-blow description:

A dressed-down Brad Pitt - sporting a '70s mustache and a fuzzy Alpine hat - was groped, poked, prodded and nearly tossed out of the premiere of his new movie by an overaggressive bouncer who appeared not to recognize him. Pitt . . . was pushed around like a perp in front of horrified witnesses. The security guard grabbed Pitt's right arm, spun him around, then grabbed his left arm and tried to pin him to the wall, stunned witnesses said.

Sounds kinda hot.

Matt Lauer interviews Sarah Palin on The Today Show yesterday. Nothing unexpected, but I think it's notable that she appeared on The Today Show on the same day that John McCain appeared on The Tonight Show. For all that talk of in-fighting on the Republican side, this speaks to at least some coordination between the two camps. McCain on Leno below. (He was a lot funnier than Palin, although I suppose he can afford to be.) Via The Daily Beast.

Wouldn't that be a great chant at tonight's NYC Prop 8 protest? "Save Marriage, End Divorce! Save Marriage, End Divorce!"

The Upright Citizens Brigade has a new PSA on Funny or Die! for the next logical steps in the fight to save marriage. They took a page out of SNL's book and used their target's own words to make a pretty amazing point.

This is unfortunate. In one of her first interviews in nearly a year, Lindsay Lohan, a vocal and ardent Obama supporter, referred to President-elect Obama as "our first colored President." Obviously, this is a reflection of her ignorance and not an indication of any racism. As the post-election world unfolds, that meme (ignorance vs. intention) keeps cropping up. (Most noticably with the Prop 8 fallout.) This election has shined a big ol' spotlight on a lot of the darker corners that discrimination has scuttled into.

Man, she just keeps stepping in it. Maybe Lohan meant, "I'm very excited to have our first President of color."

Darren Hayes, the Australian singer who has done his part to make the world a gayer, better place, has Myspace-blogged some of his thoughts on the passing of Prop 8:

This is a picture of Richard and I recently in Paris.[photo by Maggz Appleton] We're married. Some folks in California decided to change the American Constitution to legislate that this right should not be given to gay people in California. Presumably because of what gay people will do to the definition of marriage.

Just so we are clear, this is our definition of marriage:
We want to grow old together. We love each other so much that we want to share our lives together, forever. We are monogamous. We're faithful. We're in it for the long haul. Sometimes we argue over who's turn it is to make a cup of tea, but for the most
part we are soul mates.

If, God forbid, one of us should fall ill, one of us will take care of the other one. If, God forbid, one of us should pass away suddenly, we would want our estate to go to the one of us who survives. We'd like other stuff too, like, you know, the same tax breaks as other married couples and the civil rights you would extend any other committed couple in the free world. And to be able to be respected and receive the same rights that everyone else has.

But mostly, we just want to grow old together.

Who knew I was so romantic? Between this and the Boyzone video, I am one power ballad away from calling up my ex (any of them) and proposing.

Gay Marriage takes a step in the right direction (and one that does not require a protest or a march) in Connecticut today. The Washington Blade reports:

Superior Court Judge Jonathan Silbert has scheduled a hearing at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday in New Haven to enter the final judgment in the case that allows same-sex marriages in Connecticut. Once completed, couples can pick up marriage license forms at town and city clerk's offices.

Connecticut state Rep. Beth Bye and her partner Tracey Wilson hope to make history on Wednesday by becoming the first gay couple to marry in their town of West Hartford.

For Wilson, it's not just a personal milestone, but a professional one as well. She's the town's historian.

"She'd love to be the first one in town," joked Bye, who spent hours as a lawmaker listening to testimony on the marriage issue and ultimately helping to shepherd Connecticut's 2005 civil union law through the General Assembly.

In New Jersey, the third leg of the tri-state area, gay marriage remains near.

The new video "Better" from Boyzone, features a gay couple among the other heterosexual ones. The The BBC writes:

Boyzone have become the first boyband to feature a gay couple in their video. Singer Stephen Gately teams up with a male actor for the touchy feely scenes in their latest single Better.

The other Boyzone members are paired with girls but Stephen, who came out in 1999 and is in a civil partnership, wanted things to be different. He told Newsbeat: "For me, it's just me being me and I don't think there should be a real big issue about the whole thing anyway."

It's a sweet, slightly overwrought, but, yeah, romantic song.

(Update: If the video won't play, click on the player to be taken to the Youtube site, then click on "play in hi-def." That should work for you.)

Nate Silver, the polling superhero of FiveThirtyEight.com, dispels some of the myths about why Prop 8 passed:

Now, it's true that if new voters had voted against Prop 8 at the same rates that they voted for Obama, the measure probably would have failed. But that does not mean that the new voters were harmful on balance -- they were helpful on balance. If California's electorate had been the same as it was in 2004, Prop 8 would have passed by a wider margin . . . At the end of the day, Prop 8's passage was more a generational matter than a racial one. If nobody over the age of 65 had voted, Prop 8 would have failed by a point or two. It appears that the generational splits may be larger within minority communities than among whites, although the data on this is sketchy.

The good news for supporters of marriage equity is that -- and there's no polite way to put this -- the older voters aren't going to be around for all that much longer, and they'll gradually be cycled out and replaced by younger voters who grew up in a more tolerant era. Everyone knew going in that Prop 8 was going to be a photo finish -- California might be just progressive enough and 2008 might be just soon enough for the voters to affirm marriage equity. Or, it might fall just short, which is what happened. But two or four or six or eight years from now, it will get across the finish line.

This is pretty much in line with what Michelangelo Signorile has been saying. We are, relatively speaking, a young movement, and we need to be patient, and we need to keep fighting.

And as we keep fighting, especially as the protests continue, is that these are supposed to be peaceful protests. Via Joe.My.God, here is footage of a protest rally in Palm Springs. A Prop 8 proponent, an elderly woman carrying a large cross, is surrounded by a group of gay men who try to interrupt her interview. The cross is ripped from her hands, thrown to the ground, and stomped on.

Wake Up With These!

The Rachel Maddow Show
1) Decision 2008+ 2) Who Can Lead the GOP 3) Missing Nuke 4) Veterans Honored 5) Hannah Obama

The New York Times
NYT The Front Page 11/12 (4:37)

The Signorile Show (5:43)
Michelangelo Signorile speaks to a Mormon on Prop 8: "This was my conversation with Nancy from Amarillo, a Mormon who donated money to the Yes on 8 Campaign. She called in after hearing many callers from around the country talking about protesting the Mormon Church for its helping to raise 20 million dollars among its members for Prop 8."
Get more information over at his site.


Audio player after the jump. Or click here to launch the player in a new window so you can listen while you browse. Or, head over to The Media Bar and listen there.

Click below to jump to the full size players or click here to launch them in a new window. Or just hang out and watch them in The Media Bar next door.

Daily Song:
Van She - "Kelly" (Lifelike Remix)

Television:
The second season of "Rick & Steve the Happiest Gay Couple in All the World" premiered on Logo last night. In this preview Perez Hilton, Arianna Huffington, Andy Towle, and other superbloggers get skewered.

Politics:
Gertrude Baines (born April 6, 1894) is an American supercentenarian who is currently, at age 114, the third-oldest living person in the world. And she voted for Barack Obama.

Movies:
"Chris and Don: A Love Story" The documentary about Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy was nominated for best documentary in the Gotham Independent Film Awards. The legendary gay couple was born thirty years apart and stayed together thirty-three years.

Music Video:
The Hours
"See The Light"
Featuring Sienna Miller

Click below to jump to the full size players or click here to launch them in a new window. Or just hang out and watch them in The Media Bar next door.
Daily Song:

Television:

The second season of "Rick & Steve the Happiest Gay Couple in All the World" premiered on Logo last night.

Politics:

Gertrude Baines (born April 6, 1894) is an American supercentenarian who is currently, at age 114, the third-oldest living person in the world. And she voted for Barack Obama.

Movies:


"Chris and Don: A Love Story" The documentary about Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy was nominated for best documentary in the Gotham Independent Film Awards. The legendary gay couple was born thirty years apart and stayed together thirty-three years.

Music Video:


The Hours "See The Light"