Rainbow Lounge Story Not Going Away

The local Dallas/Fort Worth press has done a pretty good job of reporting on the early Sunday morning raid of The Rainbow Lounge. For once, a gay story has been reported beyond The Dallas Voice, which has been excellent. You should read Jacquielynn Floyd's column from today's Dallas Morning News. An excerpt:

Fort Worth is a fine and tolerant city. The police officers I personally know over there are decent, stand-up people. But today, in the Twitter-and-blog-enabled process of rapid dissemination, they're getting an ugly reputation.
And the flames of indiscriminate opinion about Texas being a stagnant backwater of vicious, insular, hate-crazed xenophobes dance higher.
So, Fort Worth, we need some answers, please, and quickly.
This is no time to stonewall.

Check out this NBC5 report from last night.

Monday's Man: Mehcad Brooks

In keeping with my True Blood theme from last week, I present living god Mehcad Brooks.

Formerly of Desperate Housewives, Mehcad's wardrobe doesn't seem to include shirts.

Way to go, Alan Ball.

Ft. Worth Gay Bar Raided

Ft. Worth gay bar The Rainbow Lounge was raided last night at about 1:00 AM by Ft. Worth police and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Control officers. Officers called it a "planned inspection" but first hand accounts describe it as violent with one man hospitalized with brain hemorrhaging from being slammed to the ground by officers. Seven people were arrested for public intoxication. A Facebook group has started.

For what it's worth, I was in a Dallas Pizza restaurant Saturday night and when one of my friends ordered a glass of wine, the waitress was careful to check his ID even though he's over 40. She explained that TABC had been in the area lately making unannounced visits to restaurants, checking every detail down to giving breath tests to bartenders. This whole thing appears to be part of a major crackdown (on what?) or self-justification exercise, depending on your point of view.

Billy Mays Dead

Billy Mays has been found dead in his Tampa home at the age of 50. No cause of death has been anounced. Just yesterday, he was a passenger on a US Airways flight that experienced a hard landing in Tampa and blew out a tire. He was interviewed by the press about it.

You don't know who Billy Mays is? Of course you do. Watch:

Stonewall at 40

Today is the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. We should all take a moment to consider our debt to those brave people who fought back. What began as a then-routine raid on a gay bar became a three-day event that sparked a revolution. The facts of Stonewall have been written about by better writers than I, and the New York Times has had excellent coverage of the anniversary, in sharp contrast to 1969 when three short articles were buried deep in the paper. You should certainly read Frank Rich's column today.

I'm struck by the unlikely participants in Stonewall. There were street kids, kicked out of their homes for being gay, drag queens long before RuPaul brought drag into our living rooms, young people on the margins of society. They did not play by the rules. The fledgling gay establishment of the day would certainly not have condoned such behavior. But these people fought back for the first time. They weren't taking anybody's shit anymore. The next year, there was marches in NY and San Francisco. By 1971, the marches had spread to places like Atlanta and Dallas where a few brave souls marched in the heart of Texas. Today we live in a world with marriage equality in six states and counting and 67% of Americans and 57% of Texans support legal recognition of same sex relationships. We owe so much of it to a bunch of pissed off drag queens and street kids. Let's remember them today and every day.

Andrew Sullivan Can Stay

The HIV travel ban, which was passed by Congress during the Bush administration but was not implemented administratively, will apparently be lifted this fall. Sullivan has reported on this Jesse Helms relic extensively. It's about damn time.

Michael Jackson Dead

Towleroad and TMZ are reporting that Michael Jackson has died at the age of 50 after being rushed to a LA hospital in cardiac arrest.

Andrew Sullivan has a brilliant obituary that you can read here.

Jackson's surprising death is, of course, wall to wall throughout all media. Don't look for any other news stories for a while. There's not much I can add other than my favorite Jackson album will always be Off The Wall. I thought he was never better even though Thriller was a much bigger hit. My all-time favorite Jackson song was Don't Stop 'till You Get Enough which always brings back some great college memories. Among his post-Thriller music, I thought Black or White was really cool. Here it is:



For more of Michael's music, go see Junior.

Sanford Not Crying In Argentina, Traveling on Taxpayer Dime

Remember when Gov. Sanford said he spent four days "crying" in Argentina? Maybe crying out in ecstasy. TMZ is reporting that the defender of the sacred institution of marriage was seen in a Buenos Aries bar with a gorgeous woman named Maria Belen Chapur, and they were "all over each other." Apparently there was lots of Republican PDA. Maria has been described as having "a banging body."

We now know that the only reason he fessed up yesterday was because The State was about to publish his love emails.

Oh yeah, and he met with Maria in Argentina at taxpayer expense. Oops.

Farrah Fawcett: 1947-2009

Farrah is dead. It's hard to imagine even though she let the world in on her heroic battle against cancer. Icons aren't supposed to die.

Farrah was the most beautiful girl to ever enroll at the University of Texas, and that's saying something. Boys lined up outside her sorority house just to catch a glimpse of the breathtaking freshman from Corpus Christi. She came to Hollywood at 19 and made a splash in commercials including this sexy spot with Joe Namath:



Her big break came when she was cast as Jill Munroe in Charlie's Angels. She only did the series for one year, but when she jogged toward the camera in tennis shorts in the opening credits, her status as a superstar was sealed. Here it is:



When she left Charlie's Angels, some thought she was a flash in the pan who would never be heard from again. She had other plans. Her acting career certainly had its ups and downs, but her fame and popularity never dwindled, certainly helped by the famous poster that broke all sales records.

She proved she was an actress to be reckoned with with such films as Extremities, The Burning Bed, and Small Sacrifices. The latter two brought her two of her three Emmy nominations. The third was for her work as a guest star on The Guardian.

Earlier this year, her documentary about her cancer, Farrah's Story, aired. She was fearless and unflinching. It seemed that if anyone could beat cancer, it was her.

Farrah was the ultimate Texas Blonde turned ultimate California Girl. She was a Hollywood survivor who fought hard to earn respect as an actress. In her final act, she raised awareness of anal cancer and inspired cancer patients everywhere. What a life.

We're Winning

Kenneth in the 212 posted about a fascinating article in the conservative National Review. Here's an excerpt:

Political Commentary? OK: As someone who favors gay marriage, I think this Sanford scandal underscores a central truth. The anti-gay-marriage forces are stuck making a slippery-slope argument when, in fact, we’re already at the bottom of the slippery slope. Here’s a guy, Sanford, who has not just not a moral and religious incentive to keep his marriage vows, but also a political-survival incentive. Yet the public sense of the sacredness of marriage has declined to the point that even he couldn’t do it. How much more could this institution be eviscerated, by letting a tiny, tiny minority of same-sexers join it? (Gays are a small fraction of the population, and the percentage of them who want to get married is a small fraction of the small fraction. The issue is, as the lawyers say, de minimis.)

Even the National Review realizes the anti-gay-marriage arguments are bankrupt.

Rachel on Sanford

Did you see that Mark Sanford press conference yesterday? OMFG, that was the meltdown to end all meltdowns. He needs to resign and check into The Meadows today. Of course, that would leave the office to that goofball Lt.Gov Andre Baur who's claim to fame is the "I Believe" license plate, but still. Sanford does not need to be making important decisions. Here's Rachel Maddow's take on it all. As I was watching the press conference yesterday afternoon, I thought to myself, who are those women smiling and laughing in the background? Rachel wondered the same thing. She also gets big love from me for "Sanford and Sin." I SO wish I had thought of it.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Oh, and that Sprint ad you had to sit through? I'd totally go for the bear with the "I Do" cue card over the "jackpot" stunt groom any day.

UPDATE: I guess the Sprint ad didn't embed with the clip, but I kind of like it, so here it is.

Sanford Admits Affair

SC Governor Mark Sanford admitted today that he has been committing the sin of adultry with a "dear friend" from Argentina. “I’ve spent the last five days of my life crying in Argentina,” Sanford said. “I am committed to trying to get my heart right.”

Sanford is, of course a family values Repubican who believes the sanctity of marriage must be protected from all those scary homosexuals who want to destroy society.

This is the least surprising news I've heard all day.

Don't Cry For Him

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who has been missing since last Thursday, has surfaced! Was he hiking the Appalacian trail like his office said? Not quite. He was in Buenos Aires, Argentina! This story gets more bizarre every day. He told The State that he made a last minute decision to go to Argentina to "recharge." He said he wanted to do something "exotic." He said he traveled from Columbia International Airport and the black SUV he was driving Thursday night was found in the Airport parking lot. He said he was alone on the trip.

Hot Fangs

For all you True Blood fans who've been thinking how nice it would be to see two hot male vampires get it on, I present, Vampire Con, an upcoming LA convention for vampire fans, and their sexy new promo.



Stolen shamelessly from Towleroad.

Governor Sanford Coming Back

According to his office, SC Governor Sanford is coming back on Wednesday. The Governor is "taken aback" by the attention his absence has caused, said spokesman Joel Sawyer.

He's "taken aback?" He drove away from the governor's mansion on Thursday and nobody - not his family, his staff, nor his security - knew where he was, when or if he was ever coming back. He missed Father's Day and he made no provisions for the Lieutenant Governor to run things in his absence. He turned off his mobile phones and disappeared. All that and he's "taken aback?" Did he not think people would notice when the governor of a state disappeared for five days and counting?

How many people actually believe he was just hiking the Appalachian trail?

Ed McMahon: 1923-2009

Ed McMahon has died at the age of 86. He suffered from bone cancer and a host of other ailments. He was, of course, best known as Johnny Carson's amiable sidekick, introducing him with "Heeeeer's Johnny!" and "Hioooh!" He was a Marine Corps veteran of World War II and Korea and in the latter war he flew 86 combat missions in 15 months earning six Air Medals. He was a famous pitchman for various products including Publisher's Clearinghouse. He also wrote several best-selling books. Despite his high-paying gigs, he was in the press lately for financial troubles. He was reportedly on the verge of loosing his Beverly Hills home at the time of his death. McMahon blamed two divorces and bad investments. "I made a lot of money and I spent a lot of money," he said.

SC Governor Missing...Sort Of

SC Governor Mark Sanford has been missing since he left the Governor's Mansion by himself on Thursday. A cell phone tower near Atlanta picked up a signal from his phone but that was his last known whereabouts. Since then, his state and personal phones have been turned off and he has not responded to calls or text messages. SLED (State Law Enforcement Division) which is responsible for his security, has no idea where he is. Gov. Sanford's wife Jenny also has no idea where he is but told The State newspaper that she's "not concerned." She said he needed to get away to "write something." Today, the Governor's office issued a statement saying that he "needed to take some time and recharge after the stimulus battle" and work on some "projects that have fallen by the wayside." The Lieutenant Governor's office issued a statement saying the governor "has been reached and he's fine." No word on where he is or when he might come back.

Seriously, that's the whole explanation. The governor of a state simply drove away days ago, nobody knows where he is or when he's coming back but don't worry, he's "fine." He just needed to "write something." Jenny Sanford and the couple's four sons are at the family beach house on Sullivan's Island, SC where they spent Father's Day. Without dad. What kind of politician misses spending Father's Day with his family?

There's more to this story.

UPDATE: The Governor's office has now said Sanford is "hiking the Applachian trail." No word on where on the Trail the governor might be, if he is alone, when he's coming back, or who is supposed to act as governor while he's gone. Also, no explanation why he had to go to Atlanta go get there.

Happy Birthday Meryl!

Nathaniel R. at Film Experience has created this wonderful tribute to Meryl Streep on her 60th birthday.

Sen. Coburn is a Fraud

The John Ensign scandal continues to percolate with revelations that the born-again family values crusader for all things good and hetero doubled his mistress' salary after she started putting out, kept her husband and their son employed, then fired the lot of them when he was through with his adulterous fucking. Now it turns out that Ensign shares a house with none other than Republican Senators (and fellow Promise Keepers) Tom Coburn of OK and Jim DeMint of SC. DeMint, one of the dumbest people ever to serve in the Senate, believes that homosexuals should not be allowed to teach school.

Coburn is a true lunatic known as Dr. No because he opposes virtually everything in the Senate because he's just that big an asshole. Coburn has campaigned on "rampant lesbianism" in Oklahoma public school girls bathrooms, has stated that condoms do not prevent most STDs, and believes "abortionists" should get the death penalty. The list goes on and on from this puritanical nutcase, but rest assured that he is tireless in his commitment to stamp out "promiscuous sex."

Oh wait, not so fast. It turns out that Coburn knew about Ensign's smarmy little affair for 16 months. What is Coburn's response now that it's all public? Max Blumenthal has the answer:

“If you look at it in the light of everybody makes errors, at least he fessed up and resolved the problem with his family,” Coburn said, “so I think it speaks well of his corrective force.” Coburn also told a crowd of reporters of his 51-year-old roomie, "He is a bright young man. Lots of people make mistakes."

When Larry Craig was caught with his pants down, Coburn called for his immediate resignation. He called the Clinton/Lewinsky affair "tragic." But when his Promise Keeper roomie taps a staffer, it "speaks well of his corrective force," whatever the fuck that means.

Voters in Oklahoma should realize that when Tom Coburn does his sanctimonious moralizing schtick, he's nothing but a fraud.

h/t, LC NY Bureau Chief Doug

Monday's Man: Ryan Kwanten

Have you been watching the new season of HBO's True Blood? If not, you need to check it out if only for crazy cute Ryan Kwanten.

He plays a country boy in search of some spiritual enlightenment who can't seem to keep his shirt on. He looses his pants a lot too.

Producer Alan Ball certainly knows a good thing when he sees it.

Dump DOMA

The ACLU is pushing hard for the repeal of the noxious Defense of Marriage Act. Sign the petition here.

Via Joe.My.God

Quote of the Day

“I’ve got plenty of sins that I’m not going to share with anyone else.”

--Senator Lindsey "Lohan" Graham, Republican of SC, defending Sen. John Ensign. Some things are beyond parody.

Summer of Ryan

There's a new Sandra Bullock romantic comedy opening Friday. Who knew she was still doing those? It's called Two Weeks Speedy Proposal or something, who cares? There is only one reason to see it. The man Sandra can't stand but is thrown together with in improbable circumstances then realizes she loves is none other than Mr. Scarlett Johansson himself, Ryan Reynolds. I might actually have to buy a ticket.
The impossibly cute Reynolds is also on the cover of the latest Entertainment Weekly, so you might want to actually buy a copy instead of waiting 3 months to read it in your dentist's office.



Here he is being adorable with David Letterman. He's a hot beekeeper!

Sen. John Ensign is a Liar and a Fraud

Family Values Republican Senator John Ensign of Nevada has admitted to fucking a woman not his wife. Both she and her husband were members of his staff. In other words, he could keep an eye on the husband while he fucked the wife. This is called adultery and it's a big old sin. This is the same John Ensign who called on Bill Clinton to resign over Monica Lewinsky. He is also a tireless defender of the sanctity of marriage from the homo menace, even though he could give a shit about his own marriage. Here is a quote from the huckster's website:

“Marriage recognizes the ideal of a father and mother living together to raise their children,” Ensign said. “Marriage is the cornerstone on which our society was founded. For those who say that the Constitution is so sacred that we cannot or should not adopt the Federal Marriage Amendment, I would simply point out that marriage, and the sanctity of that institution, predates the American Constitution and the founding of our nation. Marriage, as a social institution, predates every other institution on which ordered society in America has relied.”

We now know what he really thinks about marriage. I am sick and tired of holier than thou Republicans telling me I'm destroying marriage while they fuck all available pussy and/or ass. All Nevada Christians who voted for this fraud should remember that he does not share their faith or values. John Ensign is a fraud.

Obama Extends Benefits to Gay Spouses of Fed Employees

Rachel Maddow has just announced that some benefits for federal employees will be extended to same sex domestic partners. This will take effect tomorrow. That's right, tomorrow. The federal government hasn't acted this quickly since Pearl Harbor. Obviously, this is in reaction to the bad publicity generated by Obama's inaction on Don't Ask/Don't Tell and the damnable DOMA brief filed by his Justice Department. This is something many expected to see within days of the inauguration, and it's sad that it took so much pressure to make it happen.

This will be a Presidential Memorandum, not an Executive Order. It will not extend all benefits and it's unclear which ones he will decide gays are entitled to. The New York Times is reporting that it will not include "full health insurance coverage." Health insurance is, of course, the only benefit that anybody really cares about. A Presidential Memorandum expires when Obama leaves office.

Extending health insurance to gay partners may require legislative action. Naturally, Obama has done exactly nothing to make that happen. I guess he's not in "fierce advocate" mode yet.

Several large donors have pulled out of the gay Democratic fundraiser scheduled for next week with Joe Biden as the featured speaker. This memorandum was pulled together as a desperate move to save the fundraiser.

Iran in Chaos

Iran has erupted in violence after President Ahmandinejad declared a "landslide victory" after this weekend's elections. Supporters of opposition candidate Moussavi have taken to the streets and unrest is being put down brutally. This appears to be a coup followed by the beginnings of a revolution. The government tried to block access to various Internet sites, but technology raced ahead of them as Twitter remained available The opposition has used the service to rally. A few Twitter messages:

URGENT JUST IN, there r TANKS in front of the interior ministry of tehran in valiasr st. & fatemi CAREFUL

sources from Tehran: ppl are killed, ppl are in blood, tehran is hell.
We witnessed police spraying pepper gas into the eyes of peaceful female protesters

Go to Andrew Sullivan for breathtaking, indispensable coverage.

Picture source.

Monday's Man: Keith Urban

According to my sources, Australian country singer Keith Urban and his famous wife were spotted recently at one of the last performances of Reasons to be Pretty at the Lyceum Theater on Broadway.

I can further report that, in person, Keith is the stunner and Nicole appears to be merely a very pretty strawberry blonde. That's interesting considering her strong screen presence and his rather manufactured look with the the highlighted, ironed hair.

Apparently, in person, he's a real dreamboat.

h/t, NY Bureau Chief Doug

Obama Administration: DOMA "Reasonable"

The Obama Justice Department has filed a brief in Federal Court asking the Court to dismiss the recently-filed challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act. In it, the Obama administration argues that DOMA is reasonable, Constitutional under equal protection and due process, and that same-sex marriage is not a fundamental right. It also argues that Loving v. Virginia, which struck down laws banning interracial marriage, is irrelevant because it addressed laws asserting white supremacy. DOMA doesn't assert the supremacy of men over women or vice versa, therefore Loving doesn't apply. The brief ignores the inconvenient fact that DOMA asserts the supremacy of heterosexuals over homosexuals.

In a twisted form of logic, it argues that DOMA doesn't discriminate based on sexual orientation, it just limits certain federal benefits to those who enter into heterosexual marriage. Got that? We're not limiting your rights, you silly fags. If you want your stinking rights, all you have to do is marry someone of the opposite sex. It seriously makes that argument.

The ugliest part of the brief brings up incestual marriages and adults marrying children to illustrate the point that states don't have to recognize other states' marriages. Way to reinforce the ugliest stereotypes about gay people, Barak.

The Justice Department has stated that, until Congress repeals DOMA, they must continue to defend laws on the books. This is plainly untrue. There are numerous cases of DOJ refusing to defend laws that the current administration disagrees with. In fact, DOJ has argued that laws are unconstitutional on several occasions. The Obama administration could have chosen to do this. They did not.

Barak Obama is never going to do anything for gay people but take our money.

New Miss California Answers THE QUESTION

Miss California Tami Farrell was on Larry King Live last night and, naturally, was asked her views on marriage equality. Her response was pretty smart.



She's not taking the bait.

New Miss California Speaks

Matt Lauer interviewed the new Miss California, Tami Farrell and pageant director Keith Lewis this morning. Tami was diplomatic while Keith clearly explained the reasons for firing Carrie Prejean. My favorite moment was when he made clear that the so-called attorney for Prejean is actually the attorney for the National Organization for Marriage.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Biblically Correct One Getting Canned

According to TMZ, Holier Than Thou Miss California Carrie Prejean has finally gotten on Donald Trump's last nerve. She's getting her pink slip today. The Donald is firing the topless model/moral crusader because she hasn't shown up for events and has failed to get permission for all her various self-promotion appearances. I guess she forgot that Miss California is an employee, not an anointed saint. The new Miss California will be cute Tami Farrell, who I've posted about before. Tami competed as Miss Malibu USA and was Miss Teen USA 2003. That's Tami in the picture below.

A Gay Soldier's Husband

The New York Times has a video interview with the husband of a gay soldier currently deployed to Iraq. I can't embed it, so you'll have to go here to see it, but it's well worth it. The man is anonymous, of course, and his face is obscured because he can't risk outing his husband to the military. His biggest concern is the physical and mental health of his husband and he is well aware that if anything should happen, he is not on anyone's list to contact. As far as the military is concerned, he doesn't exist. This is a human detail that few people think about. Go watch it.

Fierce Advocate Watch

A recent Gallup poll shows that 69% of Americans favor overturning Don't Ask/Don't Tell and allow gays to serve openly in the military. For the first time, even conservatives overwhelmingly support repeal. 58% of conservatives, 58% of Republicans, and 60% of weekly church goers all support overturning this absurd injustice.

Good thing we have a self-described "fierce advocate" in the White House, right? Maybe not so much. Even though repealing DA/DT is clearly not controversial, even among the most conservative Americans, Obama has done virtually nothing. Fine soldiers continue to be kicked out and Obama's Justice Department continues to argue that DA/DT is "rationally related" to military cohesion and discipline. Don't believe me? Ask LT Dan Choi, see here talking with Anderson Cooper last night.


Be sure and watch Rachel Maddow's typically sharp take on the issue here.



You can bet that the senior military leadership in the Pentagon is exerting extraordinary pressure on the White House to keep DA/DT in place. You can also bet that the pressure is based on ignorance and fear perpetuated by the DA/DT law itself. They want to retain the right to be bigots and so far, President Obama is obliging them.

Thx LC NY Bureau Chief Doug

Anthony Woods for Congress

Iraq veteran, West Point and Harvard grad Anthony Woods is running for Congress. If you're in the 10th district of California, check him out. Oh yeah, he was kicked out of the Army after telling his commanding officer that he is gay.

UPDATE: Read his interview with The Daily Beast here.

Toni! Tonie! Tonys!

Last night's Tonys were a spectacle in the best tradition of Broadway. The opening number was a tour de force of all the nominated musicals. Watch it below and look closely for Bret Michaels of Poison almost getting his head knocked off. Also, catch the odd paring of Stockard Channing and Aaron Tveit from Next to Normal. For some reason, her delightful rendition of Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered from Pal Joey was paired with a horribly clashing number from Next to Normal.





Billy Elliot was the big story of the night winning Best Musical, best actor for the three Billys, best featured actor for Gregory Jbara, and Best Director for Stephen Daldry. Strangely, Best Score went to Next to Normal and not Elton John for Billy Elliot. Dolly Parton also lost in that category. It's hard to imagine how the best musical doesn't have the best music.


Dynamic Karen Olivo won Best Featured Actress in a Musical for West Side Story and if she hadn't won I would have thrown my shoe at the TV. That's her at the top of the post.


Angela Lansbury won her Fifth Tony and seemed charmingly thrilled. It was well-deserved for her performance in Blythe Spirit.

Marcia Gay Harden won Best Actress in a Play for God of Carnage. Her spectacular strapless gown was a highlight of the night.

Geoffry Rush won a well deserved and expected award as Best Actor in a Play for Exit the King. He had one of the best lines of the night: “I want to thank Manhattan theater audiences for proving that French existential absurdist, tragi-comedy rocks.”

I can't possibly forget Liza who won for Special Theatrical Event for Liza's at the Palace. The girl's still got it.

I also can't forget Alice Ripley's bizarre acceptance speech after winning Best Actress in a Musical for Next to Normal. She screamed out the words of a famous JFK quote about art because apparently his words aren't powerful enough on their own. She came off like an overly-eager 10th grader auditioning for the high school production of Antigone.


Tragically, the best show I've ever seen on stage, the current revival of West Side Story, lost Best Revival of a Musical to Hair. It was expected and, frankly, the Hair number they did last night looked pretty fantastic.

Be sure and check out my clip of NPH's closing number below.

Picture source.

Monday's Man: Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris was the host of last nights Amaaazhing Tony Awards, the gayest night on television. Speaking of gay, here's Neil getting a kiss from his cute boyfriend David Burtka. Neil was sort of a whatever-happened-to, former child actor before he came out. Now he's one of the hottest young actors in Hollywood. Funny how things fall into place when you come out.


I know a TV show is a great opportunity for NPH, but when is this talented singer, actor, dancer going to star in his own Broadway musical? It's been five years since Assasins and we need more.

He doesn't take his shirt off a lot on screen and, for the life of me I can't understand why. Let's just say David Burtka's a lucky guy. Here he his is in a scene from How I Met Your Mother, in bed with some gal, what's her name? Normandy? Lorrraine? I forget.



Bonus! Here's NPH singing his hilarious end of show wrap-up at the Tonys. If you DVRed it, the show ran long so you didn't capture this.

Continuing Legal Education

I'm going to be in a CLE all day Thursday and Friday. My blogging will be very light but think of how enlightened I'll be!

Equality in New Hampshire!

The New Hampshire House has passed a marriage equality bill again, this time with exemptions for religious organizations. The Senate has previously passed it. Now it's on to Governor Lynch who has said he will sign it.

UPDATE: The Governor signed the bill into law. New Hampshire is now officially the 6th state with marriage equality.

Designing Yoga

Next time you feel the need for a little workout, be sure to watch Dixie Carter's exercise tape. It'll bring out your inner Southern Belle. Remember, if you can't yell, just try a little fierce whispah.



This has been played all over the internet as some sort of bizarre joke, but I actually love it, mainly because I adore Dixie Carter. I'm going on Ebay right now and see if I can find the whole thing.

Betty Bowers on Biblically Correct Marriage

America's best Christian explains God-given sacred marriage.

Grand Old White Party

A recent Gallup poll suggests that 87% of self-identified Republicans are white vs. 65% of self-identified Democrats. The percentage of white Republicans is nothing new, but the Democratic party is becoming non-white at a much faster rate. Meanwhile, the non-white share of the electorate, which was 11% in 1976 and 1980, was over 25% in 2008, and is growing quickly. Check out this amazing statistic:

"In 1980, 32 percent of the electorate consisted of white Democrats (or at least white Carter voters) -- likewise, in 2008, 32 percent of the electorate consisted of white Obama voters. But whereas, in 1980, just 9 percent of the electorate were nonwhite Carter voters, 21 percent of the electorate were nonwhite Obama voters last year. Thus, Carter went down to a landslide defeat, whereas Obama defeated John McCain by a healthy margin."

Are they sure they want to oppose Sotomayor's nomination so harshly?

Equality (Almost) In Nevada

The Nevada Senate has voted to override Governor Jim Gibbons' veto of a domestic partner bill. This means that on October 1, Nevada's gay citizens will have most of the rights of heterosexual couples. Several fair-minded Nevada Senators changed their votes to ensure the bill became law.

As I posted before, Gibbons' estranged wife Dawn Gibbons, herself a former Republican state assemblywoman, supported the legislation and said she wanted to override her husband's veto. I guess she didn't need to after all.

Abortion Doctor Murdered in Church

Dr. George Tiller of Wichita, Kansas, one of the few doctors in the country who performed late-term abortions when the health of the mother was in peril, was murdered yesterday. He was gunned down in the foyer of his Lutheran church as he handed out bulletins to the congregation. He had been threatened many times before.

A "pro life" murder in the name of God committed in a church. What can you say to that?

GM Files Bankruptcy

General Motors, once the largest corporation in the world, the company that essentially created the middle class in mid-20th Century America will file for bankruptcy today. In my lifetime, "What's good for GM is good for America" was accepted wisdom, now it's a failed enterprise. There are many reasons for it, but I believe the main reason is they simply forgot how to build cars Americans wanted to buy. When the 70s gas shocks hit, the big three were left flat footed with little but big gas hogs that had always sold well. The Japanese filled the gap and Americans discovered cars that were better built, more reliable, with thoughtful touches instead of GM-style gimmicks. GM never competed successfully the the Japanese on their own terms with solid, fuel efficient cars. Instead, they focused on big trucks and made a lot of short term profits. When another gas shock came last year, GM found itself in the exact same position it was in during the Ford administration; high gas prices, nothing to sell except gas hogs, and an inability to build solid, fuel efficient cars that Americans wanted to buy. After 30 years, they still hadn't learned that the game had changed and they had to adapt or sink.

A "new GM" should emerge from Bankruptcy protection quickly. It will contain the valuable assets, probably including Chevy, Cadillac, Buick and maybe GMC. The rest will be liquidated.

See a cool interactive feature on GM's history here.