Quantcast
Channel: Amanda LePore – The WOW Report
Viewing all 11455 articles
Browse latest View live

Ivanka Trump Tweeted, “Make Champagne Popsicles This #MemorialDay” (Because “Let ‘Em Eat Cake” Was Already Taken?)

$
0
0

No, kids, you can’t make this shit up. Ivanka Trump really tweeted,

“Make champagne popsicles this #MemorialDay”

Yes, she suggested that making popsicles out of champagne for Memorial Day. No mention of veterans, volunteering, Making America Great or even some pseudo-patriotic BS. Nope, just sheer cluelessness. But Twitter clocked her privilege and didn’t even hesitate to let her know.

But this wasn’t the only tweet that the daughter of the President (as fucked up as that is) tweeted on Memorial Day, she also asked followers what they had planned for a fun Memorial Day. (see below) Twitter then ripped her another new one.

Do the math, hunty.

Trump + Twitter = Disaster

(T/Y Paul; Photo, Instagram: via Bipartisan Report)

The post Ivanka Trump Tweeted, “Make Champagne Popsicles This #MemorialDay” (Because “Let ‘Em Eat Cake” Was Already Taken?) appeared first on The WOW Report.


Jeremy “Hot Convict” Meeks Has Been VERY Busy Hanging Out with Celebs, Like Nicki Minaj

$
0
0

”Hot Convict” Jeremy Meeks made the scene at the Cannes Film Festival. The model, who was discovered after the Stockton police department posted his mugshot to Facebook, was released from prison in March 2016. He now has manager and a skyrocketing modeling career.

Last Thursday he was at the amfAR gala in Cannes on Thursday night looking hot, dressed in all black with diamond skulls on his loafers. He also walked at Philipp Plein’s resort 2018 show in Cannes and appeared with Paris Hilton & style-maven Carine Roitfeld.

Check out his Instagram for more of those mesmerizing eyes and tatts.

Amazing time at @amfar with @nickiminaj @philippplein78 @alecmonopoly

A post shared by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on

BLESSED !!!! @amfar

A post shared by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on

Thank you Philipp plein for an amazing show and Cannes experience !!!

A post shared by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on

MY FASHION GOD MOTHER @carineroitfeld @philippplein78

A post shared by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on

Can't even look out my window without someone taking a picture

A post shared by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on

Just another day in the life of…

A post shared by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on

Trainspotting @whitecrossmanagement @jimjordanphotography

A post shared by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on

(via Huffington Post)

The post Jeremy “Hot Convict” Meeks Has Been VERY Busy Hanging Out with Celebs, Like Nicki Minaj appeared first on The WOW Report.

#LGBTQ: Will Leo Varadkar Be the First Gay Prime Minister of Ireland? (He Says No)

$
0
0

Yes, Leo Varadker is running for the Prime Minister of Ireland. He’s gay and half Indian but insists,

It’s not something that defines me. I’m not a half-Indian politician, or a doctor politician or a gay politician for that matter. It’s just part of who I am, it doesn’t define me, it is part of my character…

He’s ambitious if nothing else. He was 22 when he entered Irish politics, at 27, he was elected to parliament, at 36, he publicly came out as gay, and now, at 38, he appears on course to become Ireland’s next prime minister.

The Dubliner is currently serving as Ireland’s Minister for Social Protection. He announced his campaign to succeed Taoiseach Enda Kenny, prime minister since 2011 shortly after Kenny announced he would be stepping down earlier this month.

Varadkar has managed to get the support of many of his fellow Fine Gael parliamentary members, whose say counts for 65% of the final vote; the party members and local politicians make up the other 35%. A decision is expected by June 2.

Although Varadkar has tried to steer attention away from his sexuality to his politics, for a country that is increasingly trying to focus on a more liberal European identity and shake off the hangover of religious involvement in politics, a coming-out speech like Varadkar’s, whatever its tone, is still ground-breaking.

Homosexuality was only decriminalized in Ireland in 1993. In 2015, Ireland passed the Marriage Equality Bill, allowing same-sex couples to marry.

Senator David Norris, 73, the first Irish politician to publicly come out as gay told CNN that he understands why Varadkar wants to focus on policies and not his personal life. Norris said,

I never made a big deal out of it, because I didn’t want to be treated as a ‘freak’. I didn’t want to be stuck just with issues of sexuality.

What Varadkar does in bed is irrelevant. For people of my generation, there were no role models at all. Now to be able to have a young, able, good-looking gay man as prime minister of the country, it says to young people, ‘you can be anything you want, your sexuality doesn’t matter.‘”

(via CNN)

The post #LGBTQ: Will Leo Varadkar Be the First Gay Prime Minister of Ireland? (He Says No) appeared first on The WOW Report.

Ariana Grande’s Benefit for Manchester This Sunday Will Feat. Pharrell, Miley, Justin Bieber, Coldplay & Katy Perry

$
0
0


Ariana Grande announced a charity concert in Manchester on this Sunday, June 4 and she’ll be joined by Coldplay, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Niall Horan Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams.

The One Love Manchester show will be held at the city’s Old Trafford cricket ground just under two weeks after a bomber killed 22 people at a Grande concert in Manchester.

Proceeds will go to an emergency fund set up by the city of Manchester and the British Red Cross. Grande first announced plans to return to Manchester for the benefit event last week.

“We won’t let this divide us. We won’t let hate win. Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and generously than we did before.”

Grande has suspended her Dangerous Woman world tour and canceled several European shows, including two in London, after the bombing. The tour will restart June 7 in Paris.

“From the day I started putting the Dangerous Woman Tour together, I said that this show, more than anything else, was intended to be a safe space for my fans. A place for them to escape, to celebrate. To heal, to feel safe and to be themselves,” Grande wrote. “This will not change that.

I will think of them with everything I do for the rest of my life.”

If you attended her show on the 22nd, there are special considerations. Go here for tickets and more info.

(via THR)

The post Ariana Grande’s Benefit for Manchester This Sunday Will Feat. Pharrell, Miley, Justin Bieber, Coldplay & Katy Perry appeared first on The WOW Report.

#TransformationTuesday: QWERRRKOUT feat. Natalie Nayles

$
0
0

Transformation Tuesday just got a whole lot QTer…New queers featured every week! Tag us, take a pic of us and follow us on Instagram at QWERRRKOUT, and you too could be the next QT! YOU BETTA QWERRRK!

Natalie Nayles


Age
: 25

Location: Orlando, Florida

About:

“I started doing drag about a year and a half ago because I loved the transformation. Being a fairly large name in the gay scene in Orlando, Florida, as a bartender, it was a super exciting challenge to try and become a big name in the drag scene here. And duh, I like wearing heels and being pretty… so, learning every craft of drag has been a blast and a challenge. I was inspired by my two drag mothers, Jade Embers and Mr Ms Adrien, as well as one of my best friends, Roxxxy Andrews. They’re such incredible artists, performers and entertainers that they are everything I strive to be. I’ve gotten to walk in a Marco Marco show with only having had a year experience, which was exhilarating and so humbling and amazing. My next project is hopefully RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season 10. So, hopefully you’ll be seeing a lot more of this big ol’ butch Barbie!”

Instagram: glamcaminstaaagram

Instagram Photo
Instagram Photo
Instagram Photo
Instagram Photo
Instagram Photo
Instagram Photo
Instagram Photo
Instagram Photo
Instagram Photo
Instagram Photo
Instagram Photo
Instagram Photo
Instagram Photo

 

The post #TransformationTuesday: QWERRRKOUT feat. Natalie Nayles appeared first on The WOW Report.

Obsessed With CBS’s Big Brother? Catch Our EXCLUSIVE Interview With The Ballsmashers — Alex Willett, Shelby Stockton, & Morgan Willett!

$
0
0

What are the Ballsmashers doing now?!?

It’s been six months since Alex Willett, Shelby Stockton, & Morgan Willett graced our television screens to dominate one of the most iconic reality shows of all time, Big Brother.

Essentially taking over Big Brother: Over the Top these ladies were trapped in the house without communication to the outside world… as the Trump Administration took over the states. YIKES.

While they dealt with constant harassment from sour contestants, the Willett Sisters tried hiding their connection to one another, Shelby faked an occupation as a waitress to cover up her real job (as a rising lawyer), and the three of them ended up forming an unlikely, yet amazing alliance.

While the girls won the hearts of fans, it was ultimately Morgan who walked away a winner with the grand prize of $250,000.

Between the Ballsmasher’s constant laughter, reminiscing over the game, and gushing over drag queens –  Chelsea Perrotty and I had the pleasure of interviewing these energetic ladies together in a World of Wonder EXCLUSIVE that you have to check out if you’re a Big Brother superfan!

Or, you know, a regular human being. You’ll probably enjoy this interview too, we promise!

Instagram Photo

 

Bryan Keating: Let’s break the ice with World of Wonder centric question… Who are your favorite Drag Queens?

Shelby Stockton: “I’m the biggest RuPaul’s Drag Race fan out of all of us! I used to be the biggest fan of Alaska and Adore Delano, but after watching RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars 2, I think my favorite has to be Alyssa Edwards. It took me awhile to get on the Alyssa train, but I love her!”

Morgan Willett:Morgan McMichaels! She’s super blonde, we have the same name, and I feel like we’re on the same page with hair. What’s not to love?!”

Alex Willett:Sharon Needles! I follow her on Instagram!”

BK: So, if anyone doesn’t know, you three were cast members on Big Brother! What was your reaction to actually getting ON the show?

MW: “I was 22, just graduated college, and had no idea what I was doing with my life. I’d never really seen the show when I got the call from CBS, but I was young and ready for an adventure. So, I quit my job to be on the show.”

Chelsea Perrotty: Do you regret quitting your job at all?

MW: “Not at all!”

AW: “I wonder why!!”

(Hysterical laughter)

[Editor’s note: Morgan won the season.] 

SS: “I was recruited at The Bungalow. A casting director heard me yelling at some guy who was hitting on me. The guy wasn’t talking enough about me. (Laughing) The [casting director] kept talking to me and calling about Big Brother. I wasn’t surprised when I got the call to be on the show. Why would they be calling me if they didn’t want me on it? I was always meant to be on reality television.”

AW: “It was my first time auditioning for the show. I’m a super fan, so I had a meltdown.”

BK: Did [the Willett Sisters] get cast as sisters?

MW: “We didn’t know we were getting casted as sisters.”

AW: “We applied separately and got through casting individually. Then, weeks into the casting process, casting realized ‘there’s two blonde girls from Texas… with the same last name… who have made it really far’…and they asked if we were sisters. The entire time, it was almost like one of you will get on, one won’t.”

MW: “Let the best sister win.”

AW: “I was mad she was there. I didn’t want to work with her! I’m like, ‘she’s going to ruin my game.’ I would’ve voted her off, but everyone in the house sucked so bad that I had no choice but to work with her.”

AW: “It was hard keeping [being sisters] a secret. I wouldn’t wear makeup, I tried being a tomboy. I’d yell at Morgan to be girly all the time. I was paranoid the whole time!”

MW: “Alex got to be comfy and casual, while I had to wear fake eyelashes all the time.”

SS: “That’s everyday life for you, Morgan.”

(laughter)

BK: So, you ended up working with her, along with Shelby and another contestant to form “The Ballsmasher” alliance. Did you expect to form an all girl alliance from the start?

AW: “I didn’t even know people like Shelby existed!”

SS: “None of us even wanted an all girl alliance.”

MW: “We instantly clicked with each other.”

SS: “Oh, yeah – you guys instantly clicked with one another.”

(laughter)

MW: “[The Girl Alliance was because] of people who we were in the house with. I wanted to get into a boy alliance, I figured Alex would be the super fan, and Shelby would’ve been in a showmance.”

SS: “I was expecting a showmance, too! They didn’t cast anyone tall enough!” (Laughing)

BK: Being the season’s babes, I’m fairly certain everyone was anticipating a showmance from you all. Was there a reason one didn’t happen?

SS: “My choices were Monte [Massongill] or Justin [Duncan]. (Hysterical laughing) Needless to say, a showmance didn’t happen.”

AW: “I have a boyfriend, it wasn’t happening for me.”

MW: “I had a boyfriend, but I think I was cast [for] a showmance. Maybe with me and… Monte, but….no.”

BK: Do you still talk to your fellow cast members?

AW/SS/MW: “We love Monte and Scott [Dennis]!”

AW: “I still talk to Whitney [Hogg]. We’re on good terms.”

SS: “Not me.”

MW: “Alex is probably [on best terms with Whitney].”

AW: “Our house was divided and it’s still divided to this day.”

MW: “Which is pretty sad.”

SS: “There’s no reason to form relationships now after the game ended.”

BK: I have to bring up the controversy started by one of your fellow contestants. You know, the one who divided the entire house and said vile comments regarding Shelby and the Stockton Family. Is there still bad blood?

SS: “There is definitely bad blood. I’ve moved on, but there is no reason for me to have a relationship with him.”

MW: “I was in the house with him the entire last week. I almost saw a different side of him. He said terrible things about Shelby, which are unforgivable. But, it was different for me. He reached out and apologized.”

SS: “No, he didn’t! He had someone reach out on his behalf!”

AW: “He apologized in person.”

SS: “Don’t give him that much credit.”

MW: “[Shelby’s] case is different than mine.”

SS: “He’s a horrible person.”

BK: Morgan was under fire for using the term ‘that’s so gay’ in negative context. It’s the only thing you’ve been personally criticized for. Can you explain what happened for us?

MW: “I was talking about a country song, and I meant to say, ‘that’s lame’, but instead I said, ‘that’s a gay song’. Immediately, Shelby and Alex are like, ‘That’s a terrible thing to say’. I cringed and agreed, I couldn’t believe it. I wish everyone would understand that I feel very much a part of the gay community. I grew up cheerleading, my favorite places in Los Angeles are gay bars, and I never meant to offend anyone. I was on live television. I wasn’t thinking about what I was saying. Now, I’m very aware of exactly how hurtful that word can be. There is nothing ‘lame’ about being gay, they are the most fabulous people I’ve ever encountered! I am happy that I’ve been allowed forgiveness and have grown. But, I still apologize for it.”

BK: Besides a Ballsmasher; who should’ve won?

AW: “Scott.”

SS: “Scott. Scott deserved it, sorry Monte. Not really.” (Laughing)

AW: “Scott wanted to be there so badly. He was the ones who picked fights for us. He was the guy who stirred the plot and was so much fun to be around.”

SS: “He’s really underrated.”

BK: How awful was sharing one bathroom with that many people? Did you guys at least have Poopourri?

SS: “There was Fre-breeze!”

MW: “Fre-breeze doesn’t work!”

AW: “We would all use the [Head of House] bathroom.”

SS: “The moment Monte won the first HOH, Cornbread went in there and immediately took a dump.”

BK: What was your least favorite part of your Big Brother experience?

SS: “You all know what it is, you’re just afraid to say it.”

MW: “Halfway through, it was hard living with the people who we lived with.”

SS: “It was hard the first day.”

AW: “It was probably harder for Shelby, she didn’t have a built in relationship.”

BK: There was heavy influence by America during Big Brother: Over the Top. They voted to give advantages and disadvantages throughout the season, but you all barely got any of the advantages, even though Morgan won the whole show!

SS: “We kept getting screwed with the care packages!”

AW: “We didn’t know America liked us!”

MW: “America’s involvement made us convinced we were hated. Getting out of the house, I was shocked that we were high on Jokers [Updates] and had… fans.”

AW: “I think being a super fan helped my popularity. It was a show for the super fans, and I’m one of them. I think they related to me.”

BK: You were all the last people to find out Trump was elected president. Shelby, in particular, went viral for her mind-blown facial expression. Shelby, do you still have that same horrid feeling?

SS: “I still have the exact same impression…shock. It took me months to readjust to life after Big Brother. A huge part was making peace with Donald Trump being our new president. I was hoping someone would told me it was a joke and everyday something new and terrible happens and I have to be reminded Trump is our president.”

Instagram Photo

BK: “What’s in your future? Any more reality television?”

MW: “I would do Big Brother again, but I need a lot more time to decompress. It’s a one in a lifetime experience. But, Alex would be a better person to go on. I’m nominating her, so CBS put her on!”

AW: “I would freak out if they ever asked me back!”

SS: “I would need a hefty amount of money to do Big Brother again. I’d rather do The Amazing Race.”

AW: “#Melby for the Amazing Race!”

SS: “Morgan and I would cry the entire time.”

MW: “I would do The Amazing Race with Shelby! I would do Survivor, but I’d be kicked off first.”

AW: “You’d do awful.”

MW: “You’re right, forget it.”

Instagram Photo

Enjoyed this interview? Be sure to keep checking The Wow Report for awesome interviews, exclusive content, and SO Much MORE!

The post Obsessed With CBS’s Big Brother? Catch Our EXCLUSIVE Interview With The Ballsmashers — Alex Willett, Shelby Stockton, & Morgan Willett! appeared first on The WOW Report.

Mariah Balenciaga on HEY QWEEN and LOOK at HUH!

$
0
0

This week, your favorite MUG, Mariah Balenciaga from RuPaul’s Drag Race season 3 is on the Hey Qween couch spilling the T, looking good and feeling GORGEOUS!

In her interview with Jonny McGovern, Mariah shares how she got her start in drag, her experience in the ATL ball scene, and T from RuPaul’s Drag Race season 3!

Watch the Episode!

 

Mariah’s episode of LOOK at HUH is a riot as Mariah discusses her sisters RajaMorgan McMichaels, Alaska, Mimi Imfurst, Pandora Boxx, Manila Luzon, Delta Work, ShangelaGia Gunn, Jasmine Masters & the queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race season 9!

Watch LOOK at HUH:

 

 

The post Mariah Balenciaga on HEY QWEEN and LOOK at HUH! appeared first on The WOW Report.

#OnThisDay: 2013, Nigeria Bans Marriage Equality

$
0
0

 

May 30, 2013Nigeria Bans Marriage Equality

A month ago, Nigerian prosecutors charged 53 people for allegedly witnessing a same-sex marriage. Having anything to do with Marriage Equality is punishable by 10 years in prison in the West African country, one of world’s most socially conservative democracies.

A police prosecutor in the northern state of Kaduna said that the citizens had “conspired to celebrate a gay marriage” at a motel, and that the two men who were to be married were on the run. The 53 accused were charged with conspiracy, unlawful assembly and belonging to an “unlawful society”.

Nigeria does not recognize same-sex marriages nor civil unions for same-sex couples. Being gay is punishable by 14 years in prison in Southern Nigeria and is punishable by death by stoning for men in states under Sharia Law. Anyone who witnesses a same-sex marriage can be sentenced to 10 years in prison.

On this day in 2013, former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan signed into law, the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act which not only criminalizes same-sex marriages, but also outlaws gay clubs, societies and organizations and bans the public showing of affection between two men.

Most Western Governments, including the Britain and USA, condemned the law when it was passed. Secretary Of State John Kerry said that the law was “inconsistent with Nigeria’s international legal obligations”, while the British High Commission said it “infringes upon fundamental rights of expression and association.”

A 2016 report by Human Rights Watch found that incidents of mob violence against purported LGBTQ people increased after the law was passed, and that the Nigerian police are arbitrarily arresting and extorting people they accuse of being gay.

Despite the outrage by Human Rights groups, the law is supported by 98 percent of Nigerians.

The law also calls for five years in prison for public advocacy or involvement in associations supporting the rights of LGBTQ people. There is even a fine for having any sort of relationship with a LGBTQ person. It basically bans anything remotely associated with the term “gay”.

While the law centers on gay men, lesbian and bisexual women fear being “guilty by association” and they avoid associating with other LGBTQ people, increasing their isolation, compelling many of them to marry a man, have children, and conform to socially proscribed gender norms.

When American photographer Eric Shoen married Nigerian David Ukre in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in Rochester, NY last summer, they had to request that guests not post comments or photographs on social media. But within hours, pictures and stories were on dozens of websites. Ukre’s family in the Christian part of Nigeria were harassed by their community. He hadn’t told his family about getting married. They were not even aware he was gay. Ukre’s groomsmen were also from Nigeria. Their families are in danger. By the next day, their wedding story was on 150 sites. Comments on the sites threatened the lives of the couple, their friends and families in Nigeria. I read some of them and the hate is frightening.

The Anti-Marriage Equality laws have an especially chilling effect in Nigeria because the country has the world’s third-highest population of people with AIDS; four million are infected with HIV, and the vast majority are straight.

In 2001 in The Netherlands became the first country to have full legal marriage Equality. As of this week, the following countries allow people of the same-sex to be married: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, The UK, Uruguay and The United States Of America. South Africa is the only African country where same-sex marriage is recognized.

The post #OnThisDay: 2013, Nigeria Bans Marriage Equality appeared first on The WOW Report.


Dance Battle: FedEx VS UPS

Mary Kay Letourneau & Former Student Vili Fualaau Are OVER!

$
0
0

A scandal that swept the nation!

Back in 1996 the world couldn’t believe the news that a 34-year-old teacher was having sexual relations with a six-grade student. The infamous story of Mary Kay Latourneau and Vili Fualaau is one no one will soon forget, but maybe it’s one the nation can finally move on from.

It seems that the couple have broken up. TMZ broke the news, stating that Vili Fualaau filed for divorce from Mary Kay Latourneau. The pair were married in 2005, shortly after she was released from prison in 2004.

The timing, of course, couldn’t be crazier. On tomorrow night’s Andy Cohen‘s Then & Now (airing on Bravo at 10/9c!) the show will be delving into the most well known scandals of our time… and the story of Mary Kay Latourneau & Vili Fualaau is one of many scandals Andy will be discussing with his guests!

From Mary Kay Latourneau and Vili Fualaau’s scandal to the Joey Buttafuoco affair, Andy discusses some of the craziest, most insane, and definitely memorable scandals of late.

Check out the video from Investigation Discovery below about their relationship and be sure to tune in to tomorrow night’s episode of Then & Now!

[Image via Investigation Discovery.]

Andy Cohen’s Then & Now airs every Wednesday at 10/9c on Bravo!

The post Mary Kay Letourneau & Former Student Vili Fualaau Are OVER! appeared first on The WOW Report.

A War Is Coming — A Real Estate War! Our Newest Bravo Show Real Estate Wars Premieres July 6!

$
0
0

Are you Team McMonigle or Team Relegance?

The battle over Orange County real estate is coming! Our newest World of Wonder show Real Estate Wars is set to premiere on Bravo this coming July 6 and boy are we excited for you to watch!

Our show follows rival real estate agencies in the lucrative Orange County, California market who not only fight against one another for listings, but have a long history of bad blood.

A little Romeo & Juliet meets Million Dollar Listing meets Battle Royale? Trust us, you’re gonna love it.

Check out the super teaser for the first season of Real Estate Wars and be sure to set your DVRs so you don’t miss the first episode on July 6 at 10/9c.

Real Estate Wars will air Thursdays at 10/9c on Bravo starting on July 6. Will you be tuning in?!?

The post A War Is Coming — A Real Estate War! Our Newest Bravo Show Real Estate Wars Premieres July 6! appeared first on The WOW Report.

Kathy Griffin Says, “I Beg for Your Forgiveness. I Went Too Far” With Her Bloody Trump Photo Shoot

$
0
0

Kathy Griffin took to Instagram today to apologize for her photo shoot that featured her holding up a bloody mask of President Donald Trump. She said,

I’m a comic. I cross the line. I move the line, then I cross it. I went way too far. The image is too disturbing. I understand how it offends people. It wasn’t funny. I get it.

I beg for your forgiveness. I went too far. I made a mistake and I was wrong.“

On Tuesday, photographer Tyler Shields, known for provocative images, released photos he did of Griffin that immediately set the internet ablaze.

The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr, called the imagery “disgusting but not surprising.”

Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Trump’s one-time campaign rival Hillary Clinton, called the photo “vile and wrong.”

“It is never funny to joke about killing a president.”

Griffin was accused of encouraging violence,

“OBVIOUSLY, I do not condone ANY violence by my fans or others to anyone, ever! I’m merely mocking the Mocker in Chief.”

Griffin is an outspoken critic of Trump and knew the images would be controversial. In a behind-the-scenes video posted by Shields, Griffin asserted to the camera that she and Shields were

not afraid to do images that make noise.

In the same video, Griffin and Shields are shown presumably reviewing footage from their session, and Griffin jokes:

We have to move to Mexico today, but we’re going to go to prison –federal prison…We’re not surviving this, okay?

I am sorry. I went too far. I was wrong.

A post shared by Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) on

(via CNN)

The post Kathy Griffin Says, “I Beg for Your Forgiveness. I Went Too Far” With Her Bloody Trump Photo Shoot appeared first on The WOW Report.

May 31st: It’s YOUR Birthday, Bitch!

#BornThisDay: Poet, Walt Whitman

$
0
0

walt

May 31, 1819Walt Whitman:

“Resist much, obey little.”

When I write about individuals from  before the 20th century that happen to have been homosexual, I usually avoid using the term “Gay”. Because there really was no Gay before the 20th century… until I consider Walt Whitman. Whitman really was Gay, using the whole 20th/21st century definition.

Has there ever been a poet so thoroughly American as Whitman?  His book of verse, Leaves Of Grass (1855), holds the essence of being an American. It also reflects on the ways in which our country’s ideals have been forsaken. Whitman’s personal life suffered much because of our American Puritan taboos against sex.

For too many people, and you know who I mean, Whitman is also the USA’s biggest embarrassment. He writes that for our democracy to be true, the American ideal of universal equality must embrace gay people. Whitman is a subversive and radical poet. American school children for the past 60 years have been carefully protected from exposure to him. I did not read Whitman until I was finished with college, when my mother, of all people, gave me a volume of Leaves Of Grass as a gift.

 A leaf for hand in hand;

You natural persons old and young!

You on the Mississippi and on all the branches and bayous of the Mississippi!

You friendly boatmen and mechanics! You roughs!

You twain! And all processions moving along the streets!

I wish to infuse myself among you till I see it common for you to walk hand in hand.

I identify as bohemian, but Whitman was a true bohemian. He never gave into having a regular occupation and he was a singularly solitary man. Probably, not by choice.

Whitman was born on Long Island in NY. He did the usual boy things until he was 11-years-old, when he quit school. He ran errands for a lawyer and a doctor, and then became an apprentice typesetter for a Brooklyn newspaper.

He then taught school in several small villages while contributing articles to various periodicals. In 1984, he left country life for the big city. In NYC, he worked for newspapers, starting as a typesetter and then working his way up to reporter, feature writer and eventually an editor. Whitman also took to a life of enjoying theatre, cafes and nightclubs. He went to art exhibitions, museum openings and the opera. He watched the ships come into the harbor and walked among the people of the great city. He had a habit of sitting near the hot, rugged carriage drivers. He crossed back and forth on the Brooklyn ferry to gaze at the deck hands. Because he was repressing his gayness, he felt alone in the crowd. He liked to watch.

Sometime after 1855, when Leaves Of Grass was first published, Whitman experienced a kind of emotional/spiritual crisis that transformed him from a really good newspaper man to an extraordinary poet. In the manner of so many gay men in NYC and San Francisco in late 1970s, he gave up being a dandy and he became a butch clone.

Nowadays, if Whitman is taught in our schools as part of the canon of American literature, there is still much resistance to identifying him as gay. Maybe, because of passages like this:

I share the midnight orgies of young men

I pick out some low person for my dearest friend,

He shall be lawless, rude, illiterate, he shall be condemned by others for deeds done

I will play a part no longer, why should I exile myself from my companions?

When the Civil War began in 1861, Whitman moved to Washington DC to volunteer as a nurse for injured Union soldiers. He made his living during this period by working as a clerk for the federal government.

Whitman with Peter Doyle

Whitman with Peter Doyle

Whitman met young handsome Irish-American Peter Doyle in 1865 when the older poet boarded a streetcar with Doyle working as the conductor. Doyle:

“He was the only passenger; it was a lonely night, so I thought I would go in and talk with him. Something in me made me do it. He used to say there was something in me that had the same effect on him. We were familiar at once. I put my hand on his knee… we understood. He did not get out at the end of the trip, in fact he went all the way back with me.”

Whitman stayed on that streetcar until Doyle ended his shift and the two men then spent their first night together.

The men had a committed relationship. and Whitman wanted them to live as a couple, but Doyle thought it was his duty, as the oldest unmarried son, to live with and care for his widowed mother in the house he rented for them. The two men would have to get a hotel room or brave sneaking into Whitman’s room at a boardinghouse to be together.

For the next two decades, Whitman and Doyle would be a couple and they spent as much time in each other’s company as possible. Whitman wrote this about Doyle:

He is a hearty full-blooded everyday divinely generous working man: a hail-fellow-well-met.”

Falling in love had a powerful impact on Whitman’s writing. Doyle became the poet’s muse. When they were apart, the two men would write each other daily. In their correspondence, they spoke of their love for each other. In one letter, Whitman wrote Doyle: “I think of you very often. My love for you is indestructible. I don’t know what I should do if I hadn’t you to think of and look forward to.”

The missives include this passage:

“All I have to say is to say nothing, only a good smacking kiss, and many of them, taking in return many, many, many from my dear, good loving ones too.”

In 1873, Whitman suffered a stroke. He then had to move in with his family in Camden, NJ, so they could take care of him.

Doyle tried, but failed to find a job in Camden. He made frequent journeys from DC to be with his ailing lover. Sadly, the two men were never able to live together. They did, however, continue to correspond and visit with each other, and sometimes traveled together.

As the years passed, Whitman continued to revise Leaves Of Grass, with the 1882 version becoming the most significant. That edition was released by a prominent Boston publisher. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts declared the book obscene because of its references to same-sex love, birthing the term: “Banned in Boston”.

The obscenity charges brought world-wide attention, and of course Leaves Of Grass sold even more copies, becoming a bestseller. Whitman emerged from the controversy rich and famous. How American is that?

Whitman’s health began to really slip in the late 1880s, and he went into a coma in early 1892.  He was taken by emphysema when he was 73 years old. Doyle was among the mourners at the funeral.

The USA’s major newspapers published lengthy obituaries and tributes to Whitman. The Washington Post called him: “A poet for all humanity” and the New York Times lauded him as a literary figure: “Who had the courage to speak out”. But none of the obituaries made any reference to Peter Doyle.

Doyle died in 1906, taken by kidney disease when he was just 63-years-old. The brief death notices that appeared in Washington DC newspapers didn’t mention his relationship with Whitman.

America’s unfortunate Secretary Of Education, Betsy “Boom-Boom” DeVoss has acknowledged support for removing references to Gay History from the curriculum of public schools. Of course, she then plans to get rid of public education all together, and I don’t think they plan to teach Walt Whitman at Michael Richard Pence High School.

I recommend the excellent and very readable: Walt Whitman: A Gay Life (1997) by Gary Schmidgall.

The post #BornThisDay: Poet, Walt Whitman appeared first on The WOW Report.

#Flashback75: Gregg Allman & Cher (Who Were a Couple at the Time) on “The Cher Show”. Watch

$
0
0

This clip is from back when Cher and the late Gregg Allman first started dating. They married soon after that and had a son, Elijah Blue. See above, of the family on People‘s cover, and a recent shot of the three after one of Gregg’s shows. Allman passed away last week at the age of 69.

He made this guest appearance on The Cher Show in 1975. They sing a duet of Gonna Mess Up A Good Thing and Midnight Rider with with Cher and her dancers backing him up. It’s vintage 70s cheese.

Watch.

The post #Flashback75: Gregg Allman & Cher (Who Were a Couple at the Time) on “The Cher Show”. Watch appeared first on The WOW Report.


Gucci Men’s Resort Runway 2018: Thrift Store Styling FAIL or Cutting-Edge Fashion? You Decide.

$
0
0

OK, kids. I’m no fashion prude. I’ve worked for my share of fashion magazines (including Vogue) and I like me some disruptors. Thom Browne, Comme des Garçons and Iris van Herpen are favorites. I love crazy runway styling, props, sets, themes and over-the-top-of-the-top. But this latest Gucci Resort Cruise runway show really threw me. The runway appeal for these looks is ZERO. It looks like a 5-minute, thrift store styling challenge on a bad reality TV show, and the winner is the one who can make their model look THE WORST! The women in this show faired a little better, so I focused on the men here to make my point.

But to each his/her own. Throw on any old thing with any old thing. Or better yet spend $1500 on a Gucci sweater and make it look like it costs $29.99. If you like this lunatic asylum chic styling, I say

GO FOR IT, GURL!

(Photos, Dan Lecca for Gucci; via V magazine)

The post Gucci Men’s Resort Runway 2018: Thrift Store Styling FAIL or Cutting-Edge Fashion? You Decide. appeared first on The WOW Report.

#HumpDayHottie: “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Newest Pit Crew Member, Jared North, Is Naked!

$
0
0


RuPaul’s Drag Race‘s Jared North has shown off skills wearing just a speedo in photo shoots with the queens on the show. But now the newest pit crew member is showing off in even LESS in a new shoot with photographer David Wagner, shared on Instagram we get to see North in his birthday suit. And what a NICE suit it is!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
(Whenever it is.)

You can follow Jared on Instagram here.

And he knows how to sissy that walk too!

(Photos, David Wagner; via NewNowNext)

The post #HumpDayHottie: “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Newest Pit Crew Member, Jared North, Is Naked! appeared first on The WOW Report.

#Enjoy: We Are #covfefe

$
0
0


Well, this is where we are 4+ months into Trump‘s Presidency.

Early this AM Trump tweeted,

“Despite the constant negative press covfefe”

As of 4 a.m., the tweet garnered more than 108,000 retweets and more than 135,000 likes. At 6:09 a.m., the first tweet got deleted and Trump tweeted again:

“Who can figure out the true meaning of “covfefe” ??? Enjoy!”

And then the WHOLE DAY turned covfefe.

(via CNN)

The post #Enjoy: We Are #covfefe appeared first on The WOW Report.

Squatty Potty Flushes Endorsement Deal with Kathy Griffin Over That Whole Beheading the President Thing

$
0
0

I suppose the upside to being a D-list celebrity is that there’s not much they can do to you when you fuck up. Case in point: Kathy Griffin. If any other celebrity were to behead the president for a photo shoot, they would lose lucrative endorsement deals and most likely get fired from their movies and tv shows and charity events. Kathy doesn’t have to worry about that. She doesn’t HAVE anything to take away! Well, except her recent Squatty Potty deal. That’s gone.

Said Squatty Potty CEO Bobby Edwards in a statement:

“We were shocked and disappointed to learn about the image Ms. Griffin shared. It was deeply inappropriate and runs contrary to the core values our company stands for. In response, Squatty Potty has suspended its ad campaign featuring Ms. Griffin. We were shocked and disappointed to learn about the image Ms. Griffin shared. It was deeply inappropriate and runs contrary to the core values our company stands for. In response, Squatty Potty has suspended its ad campaign featuring Ms. Griffin.”

I wonder how far the public dragging will go, though. Will the backlash be enough to hurt her concert ticket sales? I don’t see how. Her fans seem to like that sort of thing. I imagine there will be a lot of hue and cry from the right until the next celebrity does something they don’t like, and everyone will move on. What do YOU think her punishment should be? (via Towleroad)

Squatty Potty customers agree they did the right thing. A sampling of anti-Kathy comments below:

 

UPDATE: Kathy fired from CNN/New Year’s gig.

The post Squatty Potty Flushes Endorsement Deal with Kathy Griffin Over That Whole Beheading the President Thing appeared first on The WOW Report.

#WWHL Scoop: Armie Hammer Admits He Got a Boner Kissing Leonardo DiCaprio!

$
0
0

God bless Andy Cohen. The dish he manages to extract from the celebrities on his show never fails to titillate. He recently sat down with super-yummy actor Armie Hammer and asked what it was like to kiss Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie J. Edgar and if he was more turned on by being shoved or kissed by Leo in their scene. (Armie, you may recall, likes a bit of the BDSM). He was coy, but when Andy pressed the issue, he admitted that, yes, he POPPED A BONER when he and Leo went at it.

Hard image to get out of your head, huh?

Watch below:

(Top photo: Pacific Coast News)

The post #WWHL Scoop: Armie Hammer Admits He Got a Boner Kissing Leonardo DiCaprio! appeared first on The WOW Report.

Viewing all 11455 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images