Police officers arrested handsome bad boy Joseph Murphy (YES, I’D DO HIM) at Disney Springs, a shopping mall at the Walt Disney World Resort, on charges of indecent exposure, battery, and disorderly intoxication. The problems began Sunday morning, when sales clerks called 911 to have the obviously intoxicated Murphy removed from the store. He was placed in a patrol car and allegedly began banging his head against a partition and then tried to choke himself.

Police said Murphy started yelling “police brutality” and “Fuck Trump” to the officers.”

Officers said Murphy banged his head on the car window and later started to urinate on the jail floor, as well as a trooper’s pants “leaving a large wet spot on his uniform,” according to the Palm Beach Post.

Murphy is now facing numerous charges, including battery on a law enforcement officer, exposure of sexual organs, two charges of resisting a police officer without violence and disorderly intoxication.

HuffPo is having a field day with the story, noting: “Urinating on police officers will definitely leave a stain or your record…” Oh ha ha ha ha.

Comments range from:

“Is there a crowd-funding site to pay his fines? The man is a HERO !”

to

“You have to admit, his heart is in the right place, even if his aim was off by a mile.”

Joseph Murphy: Our “Resistor of the Week.”

The post Hot Guy Urinates on Cop, Yells “F***k Trump!” appeared first on The WOW Report.

Camp genius John Waters made a name for himself by creating a collection a hyperbolic body of work. From Hairspray, Cry Baby, to the outrageous Pink Flamingo, Waters has always forged a plethora of transgressive cult films. The Writers Guild of America East will be awarding him the Ian McLellan Hunter Award, which has consistently gone to film and television writers to celebrate their entire body of work.

David Simon will be presenting the award and said of John,

But only John Waters has made being not right, not normal, not ordinary, nor expected seem so, well, Baltimore,” Simon added. “Time and again, on film and in prose and eventually on Broadway, he has celebrated the very American notion that there is, in fact, no normal. That we are all, if we are honest, at least two standard deviations from the mean. In Baltimore, it is our goddamn birthright. I’ve shared my crew with this man. I’ve shared some cast, at points. I’ve shared some meals and jokes and the very real benefit of his having been a pioneer for a film community that has punched well beyond its weight class. But most of all, like damn near every Baltimorean, I am proud that I share a city with this fine storyteller. (via Variety)

A big conDRAGulations to Waters and keep being our camp queen!

The post John Waters’s Work to Be Recognized at Writers Guild Awards appeared first on The WOW Report.

Legendary legend/actress/downtown performance artist/author/songwriter/and nightclub performer Ann Magnuson celebrates a birthday today. Ann, of course, is a founding member of the bands Bongwater and Vulcan Death Grip, as well as an actress of some renown.

I’ll let Trey Speegle give you some more background:

She has acted in Hollywood blockbusters, Off-Broadway plays, TV sitcoms and indie films, fronted various bands and written for numerous publications. She’s been seduced (and fed on) by vampire David Bowie in The Hunger, had her neck broken by a drug dealer in Clear and Present Danger, romanced robot John Malkovich in Making Mr. Right, played Jodie Foster’s manic real estate agent in Panic Room, told off Meryl Streep in Before and After, seduced River Phoenix in A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon and was the cigarette girl who’s sassy pals with Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan. In her latest film, she plays wife to Christopher Walken in One More Time.

Watch some of my favorite musical performances below, and raise a glass to her. What a talent! What a gal! What force of nature! We love you, Ann!

The post A Special Birthday Shoutout to the Incomparable Ann Magnuson! appeared first on The WOW Report.

Check out the latest videos from our WOWPresents Network!  Capitol Hill, Luke Birch, Elle Bradford, Laganja Estranja, Watts the Safeword, and SO MANY MORE all have new videos from the WOWPresents Network!!! Watch all these and more right now on the WOW Report!

Here are the latest videos from our fabulous partners! Make sure you subscribe to their channels for new videos!

The post Capitol Hill! Luke Birch! Elle Bradford! Laganja Estranja! Watts the Safeword! New Videos From the WOWPresents MCN! appeared first on The WOW Report.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 7 winner Violet Chachki – without a doubt, one of the most beautiful creatures on THE PLANET – is joining the EQUALLY STUNNING Dita Von Teese on the road.

Write Miss Von Teese on her Facebook page:

I received a call once from the producers of RuPaul’s Drag Race, telling me that they had a contestant that was a big fan of mine that they wished for me to send a blessing to. That performer was the incredible @violetchachki and you probably know that she went on for a well-deserved win of the crown! I am very pleased to announce that my dear Violet will join the cast of The Art of the Teese in Chicago, Dallas, and Houston. Ticket link in bio or visit.

Adds Violet:

So excited and honored to join The Art of the Teese and share a stage with some of the best performers the burlesque world has to offer!

Such exciting news! We can’t wait to see!

More dates and information here.

The post ConDRAGulations! Violet Chachki Joins Dita Von Teese’s “The Art of the Teese” Tour! appeared first on The WOW Report.

Amanda Hearst
Bradley Cooper
Carrie Ann Inaba
Charlie Rose
Diane Keaton
Hayao Miyazaki
January Jones
King Juan Carlos I
Kristin Cavallari
Kylie Bax
Marilyn Manson
Pamela Sue Martin
Robert Duvall
Ricky Paull Goldin
Sakis Rouvas
Steven Cojocaru
Suzy Amis
Ted Lange

The post January 5th: It’s YOUR Birthday, Bitch! appeared first on The WOW Report.

January 5, 1931– Alvin Ailey:

“Dance is for everybody. I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people.”

I am savvier about Dance than most civilians because I once had a boyfriend who was a professional dancer. I appreciated his flexibility.

Alvin Ailey had an important impact on the American Arts scene, despite struggling against racial discrimination, mental illness, and constant internal conflict over his gayness.

Ailey was born in a small town in Texas. Apprehensive and artistic, he was uncomfortably aware of his attraction to other boys at an early age, but his strapping body and tough demeanor spared him from some of the usual harassment suffered by little gay boys.

He moved with his mother to Los Angeles when he was 12-years-old. In California, he proved to be an athletically gifted student with a special knack for learning foreign languages. He would perform a talented imitation of Gene Kelly, but Ailey did not actually see a live dance performance until a class trip to a performance by Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. He became really hooked after catching a performance by dancer/activist Katherine Dunham, whose program gave Ailey his first look at African-American dancers.

He began studying with famed choreographer Lester Horton, who had created the first racially integrated dance company in the USA. Horton was inspired by Native American Dance and Japanese Theatre. Ailey attended San Francisco State University with the idea of becoming a teacher, but he continued to dance, performing in a nightclub revue with a young dancer named Maya Angelou. Eventually, he chose to leave school and to join Horton’s troupe. After Horton’s passing in 1953, Ailey was named director of his company.

A year later, he got a job dancing on Broadway in the musical version of Truman Capote’s House Of Flowers. It ran for only a few months, but Ailey stayed in NYC to study movement with modern dance pioneer Martha Graham and acting with famed coach Stella Adler.

He was cast in the film version of the musical Carmen Jones (1954), the Broadway musical Jamaica (1957) starring Lena Horne, and he acted on Broadway in the play Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright (1962). He also began to find work as a choreographer and director. He created the dances for gay composer Samuel Barber’s opera Antony And Cleopatra at The Metropolitan Opera’s new home at Lincoln Center, and for gay composer Leonard Bernstein’s Mass for the brand new Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts. His work was well-received by critics and audiences, but jobs for black dancers were scarce.

So, Ailey started his own company, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) in 1958, in part, to provide opportunities for dancers of color. In 1962, the US State Department began sponsoring AAADT on international tours. They were the first modern dance company to tour the USSR. They performed in 45 countries on six continents. Ailey was also commissioned to create new dances for other companies: American Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, and Royal Danish Ballet, plus other smaller dance companies around the globe.

In 1963, Ailey integrated his own company, stating that he wanted to work with the most talented dancers regardless of race. He also mentored several promising young performers, including the beautiful, powerful Judith Jamison, who served as a muse and eventually succeeded Ailey as AAADT’s artistic director.

Despite his considerable professional success, Ailey’s personal life was driven by difficulties. His gayness was an open secret, yet he never publicly came out of the closet and rarely spoke of his personal relationships. He had one long romantic relationship with a young white schoolteacher who helped manage AAADT, but Ailey had many liaisons with young men who his friends felt took advantage of his generosity. He suffered from bipolar disorder, which worsened over time, as did his drinking and cocaine use. Ailey had a nervous breakdown in 1980, and had to be hospitalized.

In the 1950s, Ailey had a romantic relationship with noted Pacifist/Socialist activist David McReynolds, who in 1968, became the first openly gay person to run for President.

In the 1980s, HIV struck hard in NYC’s dance world. Ailey became infected with the virus and although increasingly sick, he continued traveling to oversee productions of his works and receive awards. Ailey took that final curtain call in 1989, finally taken by the plague.

In Ailey’s memory, a stretch of West 61st Street is renamed Alvin Ailey Way. But, his greatest legacy is his dance company. AAADT is still going strong with concerts and classes. They have performed for more than 40 million people.

“We talk too much of black art when we should be talking about art, just art. Black composers must be free to write rondos and fugues, not only protest songs. I use Duke Ellington and I want to use more of his music, but its music, not black music.”

Ailey’s earliest and most acclaimed work is Revelations. It continues to be performed by major international dance companies today. That work from 55 years ago, celebrates African-American spirituals, gospel music and small-town religion. Ailey:

“Its roots are in American Negro culture, which is part of the whole country’s heritage. But, the dance speaks to everyone, otherwise it wouldn’t work.”

The post #BornThisDay: Choreographer/ Dancer/ Teacher, Alvin Ailey appeared first on The WOW Report.

Yes, embarrassingly, there are several LGBTQ Republican sponsored events, including the “Deplora-Ball,” scheduled to take place in D.C. during the inauguration.

Gregory T. Angelo, president of the Log Cabin Republicans will also host an LGBT “T” Party on Saturday, Jan. 21, the day following the Trump inauguration, at the Capitol Hill Club. Angelo told the Washington Blade,

“We are having what we are playfully branding a T Party, with T, of course, standing for Trump.”

Cute. I mean, gross.

A North Carolina-based organization called Gays for Trump is organizing an Inaugural DeploraBall Gala on the inaugural evening of Jan. 20. It will be held at the Bolger Center Hotel in Potomac, MD. One of Facebook postings says,

“Come one, come all to our Inaugural DeploraBall extravaganza!

With top-notch performers, open bar, 3 course gourmet plated dinner and an enthusiastic crowd, it’s sure to be a good time.

This special event is open to EVERYONE on the Trump Train and is graciously being hosted by the Gays for Trump organization.”

Gross. I mean, disgusting.

Log Cabin Republicans chose not to endorse Trump during the election campaign, but the group released a statement on the day following Trump’s victory.

“While we’ve had occasional differences with Mr. Trump throughout his unique campaign for our nation’s highest office, Log Cabin Republicans never hesitated to offer praise when it was due. Mr. Trump’s unprecedented and repeated overtures to ‘the LGBTQ community’ were invariably lauded by our organization, and we look forward to seeing those words turn to action in a Trump administration.

As the country’s original and largest organization of LGBT Republicans and straight allies, we stand united behind our next president, optimistic for the future, and committed to ‘Make America Great Again’!”

Disgusting. I mean, moronic.

The 22-member LGBT delegation to the RNC

(via ThePrideLA)

The post #Gays4Trump: Is Your Hot Pink Outfit Ready For the “Inaugural Deplora–Ball”? appeared first on The WOW Report.

Drag Queen Soju is an advocate for self defense education and being properly prepared for any “intrusion” in your life. This week she teaches Laila McQueen how to accurately defend herself from unwanted bear hugs with Beh Johnson! The lesson is light, but provides decisive knowledge for not so fun situations.

Check out the amusing video below!

The post Laila McQueen Learns How to Escape a Bear Hug appeared first on The WOW Report.

US magazine reports that the “long-awaited” MAC Caitlyn Jenner makeup collection will be available in stores and online today, and it’s “just as bold as she is.” Keep scrolling to see every lipstick, “lipglass,” and more from the line – in colors named “Compassion,” “Soar,” “Worthy,” “Tolerance,” “Buddy” (?), “Kindness,” “Understanding,” “Authentic Red,” and… um… “Malibu Bronze.”

Get yours here.

MAC Caitlyn Jenner Cremesheen Lipstick in Understanding

MAC Caitlyn Jenner Cremesheen Lipstick in Authentic Red

MAC Caitlyn Jenner Cremesheen Lipstick in Rockit!

MAC Caitlyn Jenner Cremesheen Lipglass in Kindness

MAC Caitlyn Jenner Cremesheen Lipglass in Tolerance

MAC Caitlyn Jenner Cremesheen Lipglass in Beautifully Bare

MAC Caitlyn Jenner Eye Kohl in Teddy

MAC Caitlyn Jenner Lip Pencil in Soar

MAC Caitlyn Jenner Lip Pencil in Whirl

MAC Caitlyn Jenner Eyeshadow in Malibu Bronze

MAC Caitlyn Jenner Eyeshadow in Worthy

MAC Caitlyn Jenner Eyeshadow in Glowing Gold

The post Caitlyn Jenner’s MAC Collaboration Is Here – Check Out All the Colors from “Compassion” to “Tolerance” appeared first on The WOW Report.

It’s National Bird Day, hunties! So what better way to celebrate the wings on wigs from our favorite RuPaul’s Drag Race runway looks. The only criteria? Has. To. Look. Like. A. Bird. 

Check it out and leave comments on if we should include anyone else!

Happy bird watching!

10) Kennedy Davenport

You better sissy that cluck!

9) Courtney Act

Heaven must be missing an angel!

8) Adore Delano

Spread them wings, girls!

7) Roxxxy Andrews

I know you love me baby, that’s why you flew me here!

6) Kenya Michaels

Strut them feathers!

5) Laganja Estranja

Move over, Gaga!

4) Manila Luzon

Manila’s Street, OKCURRR!

3) Kim Chi

Donut come for her nest!

2) Detox

Gagged.

1) RuPaul

Come through!

The post Bird’s The Word: We’re Ranking Our Top Feathered Frocks From ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ appeared first on The WOW Report.

One of the most highly anticipated movies for me this year is Hidden Figures, which tells the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)—brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big. Also starring Kirsten Dunst.

Dunst and Octavia bonded so much on the film, including their preference to not wear girdles after a hilarious lunch on set. Check it out:

When Spencer arrived for the first rehearsal, co-stars Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monáe were decked out in clothes similar to their costumes. Knowing she’d be “bound” to designer Renee Ehrlich Kalfus’ wardrobe choices soon enough, Spencer chose a more freeing ensemble of jeans, a T-shirt and flip-flops.

Spencer chose well. Later in the shoot, the actress shared a crammed day of scenes with Kirsten Dunst, who plays the strict supervisor sometimes at odds with Spencer’s Dorothy Vaughn, a skilled mathematician fighting for the promotion she deserves. Beneath snug dresses, Spencer and Dunst sported their typical girdles. Lunch that afternoon was Asian food. Anyone who’s had a few too many servings of chow mein and General Tso’s chicken knows the sodium levels are often unkind to waistlines.

The meal made Spencer and Dunst swell. Cue Girdlegate, which had them panicking about getting through the rest of the day. 

“It was literally right after lunch and I’m thinking, ‘I’m not going to be able to work,’” Spencer recalled, laughing at the memory. “And then Kirsten got sick, I got sick.”

Spencer did what any modern woman should: She decided enough was enough.

“I just finally had a moment: ‘I’m not wearing a girdle! I’m just not doing it,’” Spencer declared, to which Melfi responded, “You don’t have to wear the girdle! Why are you wearing a girdle?’”

So, Spencer and Dunst ripped off the undergarments and never wore them again. Girdlegate solved. Thanks, craft service. 

The post Kirsten Dunst and Octavia Spencer Said “Boy, Bye” To Girdle Costumes During “Hidden Figures” Production appeared first on The WOW Report.

You all remember the legendary roast episode from RuPaul’s Drag Race season 6, right? Tonight on Ruvealed, it’s the “Drag Queens of Comedy” episode where the queens read each other, the judges, senior citizens…EVERYBODY!

Don’t miss a new episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race RuVealed Season 6 tonight on Logo TV at 8/7C!

What’s better than one split? Two. What’s better than two splits? Two splits at the same damn time! @laganjaestranja @joslynfox . Don’t miss this epic lip sync tonight on #RuVealed at 8/7c! . : @rawbie

A video posted by RuPaul’s Drag Race (@rupaulsdragrace) on Jan 5, 2017 at 7:36am PST

Don’t forget to check out Raja and Raven’s Fashion Photo Ruview Season 6 episode 8 HERE and John Polly’s Extra Lap Recap of RuPaul’s DragRace Season 6, episode 8 HERE!

The post Tonight on RUVEALED: Season 6’s “Drag Queens of Comedy” appeared first on The WOW Report.

What’s better than Carly Rae Jepsen’s sophomore album “Emotion?” Not much, to be honest. But what if Evanescence teamed up with the Canandian poptress for the ultimate mash-up remix of Wake Me Up and Call Me Maybe?! Well, it would be pure gold. And that’s exactly what Shadrow did on Soundcloud.

Check it out:

The post Stop Everything You’re Doing And Listen To This Carly Rae Jepsen And Evanescence’s Mash-Up appeared first on The WOW Report.

Grizzled Right Wing nutjob Ann Coulter was the center of a Twitter firestorm today when she seemingly admitted to being a Nazi, by alluding to a famous passage from Hitler‘s Mein Kampf. Her Twitter feed read “14′ – which is internet shorthand for the “Fourteen Words” – a slogan coined by white supremacist David Lane and inspired by a paragraph from Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

Lane’s fourteen words: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.” A second 14-word slogan from Lane is also often cited: “Because the beauty of the White Aryan woman must not perish from the earth.”

The original passage from Mein Kampf reads:

“What we must fight for is to safeguard the existence and reproduction of our race and our people, the sustenance of our children and the purity of our blood, the freedom and independence of the fatherland, so that our people may mature for the fulfillment of the mission allotted it by the creator of the universe. Every thought and every idea, every doctrine and all knowledge, must serve this purpose. And everything must be examined from this point of view and used or rejected according to its utility.”

(White supremacists and Nazis also often combine the numbers 14 and 88, the latter of which stands for “H” – the eighth letter of the alphabet and therefore “Heil Hitler.”)

The Alt-Right immediately took to their Twitter to celebrate Ann’s “coming out” – I’m not going to link to any of them, just post screen grabs for you to see below. (via Joe.My.God)

But is what happened REALLY what happened?

The International Business Times is skeptical.

Some of Twitter were quick to point out 14 is a common Neo Nazi phrase. Others pointed out Coulter could be referencing the days until President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, which is actually 15 days days away. But President Barack Obama does have just 14 full days left in office,

Soooooo…

What do YOU think?

(I have a feeling Ann knew EXACTLY what she was doing, but can use the Obama excuse to weasel out of any serious repercussions….)

(Photo: MediaPunch)

The post Neo-Nazis Rejoice Over Ann Coulter’s “14” Tweet – But Does It Mean What We Think It Means? appeared first on The WOW Report.

Lady to Lady Podcast joined forces with Katya to do a Showgirls commentary track to raise money for the ACLU! It’s two plus hours of Katya’s insight into boobs, butts, fallen beads and whore-ish nails as well as some behind-the-scenes RuPaul’s Drag Race info and lots of laughs.

The deadline for this great cause has been extended exclusively for WOW Report readers, so go put  on your best little black Versace dress and give back to a great cause!

Check out this sneak preview:

If you donate $10 or more and forward your receipt to ladytolady@maximumfun.org.

The post Lady to Lady Podcast Features Katya’s ‘Showgirls’ Commentary as Fundraiser for ACLU appeared first on The WOW Report.

“Après Obama, le déluge.”

Via BuzzFeed:

Lawmakers in Texas, Kentucky, and a handful of other states have filed bills in recent weeks that would ban transgender people from certain restrooms that match their gender identity, building on a trend of legislation the past few years that claims to protect women and girls.

And once again, the bills have raised hackles among LGBT advocates who are willing to sue the states that pass such laws, alleging violations of constitutional and civil rights.

The most prominent of the measures was announced in Texas on Thursday by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (photo, above), who said a new bill would promote “common sense, common decency, and public safety.”

Senate Bill 6, which will be sponsored by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, would ban transgender people from single-sex restrooms in government buildings. It would apply in facilities run by the state and its subdivisions by restricting restrooms to those with with a corresponding sex marker on their birth certificate.

Next, Kolkhorst said at a press conference with Patrick, it would prohibit transgender students from using facilities that match their gender in public schools. Local boards that fail to comply would face a civil penalty, she said.

Further, local jurisdictions would be blocked from enacting or enforcing their own nondiscrimination rules that let people use public facilities in accordance with their gender identity.

Kentucky has also climbed aboard the Bathroom Bill bandwagon. Republicans there control roughly two-thirds majorities in both legislative chambers – yet was Democratic Rep. Rick Nelson who filed a bill that attempts to ban transgender people from bathrooms matching their gender in government facilities and public schools. Kentucky’s Republican governor, however, recently said legislation on the topic is unnecessary. (Odd turn of events)

Bills in Virginia and Washington State are particular long shots, given that both states have Democratic governors who could strike the measures with a veto.

Virginia’s House Bill 1612 would ban transgender people from government bathrooms that match their gender and require school principals to inform parents if a student asks to be identified by a different gender than their birth sex.

The bill in Washington State would allow facilities to ignore a state nondiscrimination law by banning transgender people from restrooms that correspond with their gender.

The American Civil Liberties Union said Thursday it would consider suing any state that passed a law to ban people transgender from restrooms, saying it would violate the Constitution and civil rights laws.

“If a proposed bill should become law then we will consider every option, including litigation, to protect the trans individuals who will be harmed,” ACLU staff attorney Chase Strangio told BuzzFeed News.

The post #HereWeGoAgain: Texas, Kentucky, Virginia, and Washington All File Bills To Restrict Transgender Bathroom Access appeared first on The WOW Report.

Ongina
Doug Boudin
Alex Turner
Danny Pintauro
Eddie Redmayne
Gabrielle Reece
Howie Long
Irina Shayk
Jesse Dylan
John Singleton
Julie Chen
Kate McKinnon
Malcolm Young
Mike Jones
Nigella Lawson
Norman Reedus
Rinko Kikuchi
Rowan Atkinson
Tiffany Pollard
Trudie Styler

The post January 6th: It’s YOUR Birthday, Bitch! appeared first on The WOW Report.

January 6, 1984– Kate McKinnon:

“I always gravitate towards things that are not beautiful, but broken and weird and fascinating.”

I had all but given up on it, after the second year back in 1977 when it stopped being funny, except for that enticing period when 19-year-old Eddie Murphy brought it back to life, so it is nice to have Saturday Night Live back on an up-swing, doing what SNL does best, biting political humor featuring great impressions from the cast of those seeking power. From Dan Aykroyd’s Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama as done by Fred Armisen, Dana Carvey’s George H.W. Bush, Will Ferrell as George W. Bush, the late, great Phil Hartman or Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton, and most wonderful of all, Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin word-for-word.

Although NBC’s 40 year old sketch show has always been at its best when skewering American politics. Kate McKinnon’s spot-on Hillary Clinton is especially deliciously demented. Those last few months of Mckinnon’s HRC matched by Alec Baldwin as Rapey Von Tinyfingers were too funny and fearless. Those opening moments from the past autumn’s shows got me through the misery. I’ve got to hand it to her, out and proud McKinnon has been killing it on SNL since joining the cast in 2012.

She was born Kate McKinnon Berthold and she grew up on Long Island. McKinnon is a gifted musician and musical mimic. As a kid, she played piano, guitar and cello, plus she performed in school productions. After graduating from high school, McKinnon majored in Theatre at Columbia University.

McKinnon, got her big break in television as part of the ensemble cast of Big Gay Sketch Show on all-gay, all-day The Logo Network. She was cast after a series of grueling auditions for the show’s producer Rosie O’Donnell. One of my favorites of her many memorable characters on that series was Fitzwilliam, the young English boy who wishes to be a girl.

McKinnon joined the cast of Saturday Night Live as a featured player with the departure of Kristen Wiig, who left the show to pursue a career in films. In May 2013, McKinnon played Wiig’s mother when the former cast member guest-starred on an episode of SNL.

McKinnon is one of only a two openly gay Not-Ready-For-Primetime Players in the history SNL history. Gay guy Terry Sweeney was first hired a writer on SNL in 1983 and he became part of the cast in 1985-86 season. But, Sweeney was conspicuously missing from the former cast members at the SNL 40th Reunion Special in 2015, even though his hysterical Nancy Reagan imitation was a highlight of the show during the middle of the Reagan era.  He was in good company; besides Sweeney, Robert Downey, Jr., Joan Cusack, and Randy Quaid were also fired from the landmark show at the end of the eleventh season. Lesbian Danitra Vance was also fired from the cast during that year, but she was not out of the closet during her time on the show. Vance was taken by cancer in 1994. Tellingly, she was especially good as Diahann Carroll playing Dominique Deveraux on a Dynasty take-off, featuring Sweeney as Joan Collins.

Paula Pell was the second female head writer on SNL (after Tina Fey) and the first openly LGBTQ head-writer, but this year the show added a new gay writer, Chris Kelly.

McKinnon has been one of the few breakout actors on SNL in this century. She has also worked doing voice-overs, appearing in animated series like Ugly Americans (2014-15). She regularly performs sketch with the NYC edition of Upright Citizens Brigade, and in her one-person shows, including Kate McKinnon On Ice, Disenchanted, and Best Actress.

In 2009, McKinnon received Logo’s NewNowNext Award for Best Rising Star. She has been nominated for three Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Female Actor In A Comedy Series, and another for Outstanding Original Song. She won that Emmy in 2016. McKinnon also won the 2014 American Comedy Award.

I find her to be smart & hilarious, especially with her original characters, but her imitations of famous people are the work of a cracked genius imagination: Ingrid Bergman, Justin Bieber, Susan Boyle, Penélope Cruz, Robert Durst, Edie Falco, Jodie Foster, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Janet Huckabee, Kris Jenner, Billie Jean King, Lorde, Ed Sheeran, Martha Stewart, Tilda Swinton, Keith Urban and former DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz; they have all gotten the McKinnon treatment.

I thought it was remarkable to watch her do Ellen DeGeneres for Ellen on her show, and her Justin Bieber is uncanny, but affectionate. She can even imitate Jane Lynch, I mean, who apes Jane Lynch?

Saturday Night Live has been presenting Hillary impressions for 25 years, with versions played by Jan Hooks, Janeane Garofalo, Ana Gasteyer, and deliciously by Amy Poehler. Of HRC, her most famous creation, McKinnon says:

“A good impression is sort of a juxtaposition of disparate elements. For instance, Angela Merkel, to me, is a very emotional German. She may not be in real life, but that’s how the writers and I conceived of the character. With Hillary, it’s that she’s a staunch, passionate lady, and in our culture, unfortunately, there’s something funny about that. What I find so lovable about her is her conviction. And I feel like I have that. I just love how badly she wants to fix stuff. I would like to do that. I’m just not smart enough.”

I have watched bits and pieces of  SNL since its debut in 1975 and McKinnon is as strong as any cast member of any season. Like Hartman, she is the glue that holds many of the sketches together. Like the late, great, brilliant Gilda Radner, she can turn mundane material to measured mayhem. Like Eddie Murphy, she brings lunacy and anarchy to a franchise that can use a kick in the pants.

Last summer, McKinnon appeared with Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, and Sigourney Weaver in that very unnecessary Ghostbusters reboot.

The opening sketch on Saturday Night Live on November 12th took an unexpected and somber tone when McKinnon portrayed a defeated Hillary Clinton, simply singing Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen:

“I did my best, it wasn’t much, I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch. I told the truth, I didn’t come to fool ya. And even though it all went wrong, I’ll stand before the Lord of Song with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.”

At the end, McKinnon directly addressed the camera, and said:

“I’m not giving up, and neither should you…and live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”

The post #BornThisDay: Actor, Kate McKinnon appeared first on The WOW Report.

Who will dress Melania Trump continues to be an issue in the fashion world. Stefano Gabbana, one half of Dolce & Gabbana, stepped right into the middle when he posted a pic of Melania wearing a D&G dress from New Year’s Eve with the hashtags #MadeInItaly and #DGWoman.

Unsurprisingly, his post was met with a barrage of criticism from commenters, one said,

“Sad when a gay designer doesn’t care about other groups being repressed.”

An upset Gabbana hit back with,

“Don’t call me gay please!! Im a man!!! Who I love its my private life!!!”

Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs have refused to dress Melania, but both Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein have spoken in favor of dressing First Lady Goldigger. Designer and chair of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Diane von Furstenberg, said,

“Melania deserves the respect of any First Lady before her. Our role as part of the fashion industry is to promote beauty, inclusiveness, diversity. We should each be the best we can be and influence by our example.”

Yeah, no.

If you remember, D&G were also the target of an uproar and a boycott after they declared that in vitro fertilization babies were

“chemical offspring rented uterus.”

They also stated that same-sex couples should not raise children because,

“the family is not a fad” and procreation “must be an act of love.”

Some Italians are very comfortable with fascism, apparently.

@corriere ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ grazie

A photo posted by stefanogabbana (@stefanogabbana) on Jan 4, 2017 at 10:31pm PST

(T/Y Tad; via NY Post)

The post Stefano Gabbana Dresses Melania & Defends Himself with, “Don’t Call Me Gay… I’m a Man!!” appeared first on The WOW Report.