Elaine Lancaster
Julie Schwachenwald
Aaron Paul
Alexa Vega
Barbara Bach
Bobo of Cypress Hill
Cesar Millan
Chandra Wilson
Daryl Dragon
Diana Scarwid
Downtown Julie Brown
Jonny Moseley
Mario
Mase
Paul Reubens
Pete Stormare
Sarah Chalke
Tom Ford
Tuesday Weld
Yolanda Adams

One year ago today my film #PeeweesBigHoliday premiered worldwide on @Netflix! https://t.co/FK0HYYOFhk#PWBH pic.twitter.com/AYW09z8wla

— Pee-wee Herman (@peeweeherman) March 18, 2017

The post August 27th: It’s YOUR Birthday, Bitch! appeared first on The WOW Report.

Last year, Ford released his second film, Nocturnal Animals is a 2016, a moody noir style thriller which he wrote and directed. It stars Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer, Laura Linney and Michael Sheen. It won the Grand Jury Prize at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival, plus nine BAFTA Award nominations and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay, plus a Best Supporting Actor win for Taylor-Johnson. Shannon received an Academy Award nomination.

Last week, Ford put a big distance between his name and the charming gold digger Louise Linton, wife of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, after she tagged his brand, along with other chic designers like Valentino in a much-criticized Instagram post.

The now-deleted post show is still available on screenshots. It features a photo of Linton disembarking from a U.S. government plane on a trip to Fort Knox, Kentucky with her husband, so that they could gaze at all the money and then watch the eclipse with a trained turtle named Mitch McConnell and diminutive Confederate monument name Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III.

Linton tagged a bunch of designers: ”#RolandMouret pants, #TomFord sunnies, #HermesScarf, #ValentinoRockStudHeels, prompting good citizens to point out that taxpayer money was paying for their trip. They also called out Linton’s  hashtag mania as distasteful and inappropriate, and looking très nouveau rich. Ford denies any connection to Linton and says that she received no merchandise or compensation from him. By the way, those sunglasses retail for $475.

Hey, his friend Jay Z wrote a song about him:

The post #BornThisDay: Designer / Filmmaker, Tom Ford appeared first on The WOW Report.

“Those who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like.”

Max Beerbohm

This lithograph of the famous British caricaturist, theatre critic and writer, Max Beerbohm (1872-1956), is by Charles Shannon (1863-1937). Together with his lifelong partner, Charles Ricketts (1866-1931), Shannon played a leading role in reviving the art of printmaking in Britain. In 1896, the couple set up Vale Press, publishing beautiful small editions of poetry, plays and fiction. They also produced their own magazine, The Dial, and illustrated and printed books by authors in their circle of friends including Oscar Wilde and Michael Field (a pseudonym of the lesbian couple Katherine Bradley and Edith Cooper).

Shannon and Haslewood by George Charles Beresford (1903), National Portrait Gallery Archives

Beerbohm moved in the same circles as Shannon and Ricketts. Shannon’s 1896 print focuses on Beerbohm’s renowned “Dandy” style. It was made the same year that Beerbohm wrote an influential essay on modern Dandyism, Dandies And Dandies, where he sums up the essence of Dandyism as being the ability to create the most extravagant effect, with the simplest means. Paying tribute to his style icon Beau Brummell (1778-1840), the first English Dandy, he wrote:

“In certain congruities of dark cloth, in the rigid perfection of his linen, in the symmetry of his glove with his hand, lay the secret of Mr. Brummell’s miracles”.

Dandy Style simplified and streamlined male clothing, and made an art form out of cultivating an understated elegant and smart appearance.

Although not all Dandies were gay, there is a lasting association between the self-awareness of Dandyism and the wrongly perceived notion of excessive attention to male beauty in Gay Culture.

G.B. Shaw

Oscar Wilde

Rossetti and His Circle

Beerbohm was married to the American actor Florence Kahn (1878-1951). They lived together in Ravello, Italy for more than four decades. But, according to his letters, the marriage was never physically consummated. It was more than a marriage of convenience, instead it was what they used to call a Lavender Marriage, an early 20^th century term for a male-female marriage in which one or both partners was gay or bisexual but devoted to each other, yet taking lovers on the side.

Beerbohm had to be especially careful about his gayness after the downfall of his good friend Oscar Wilde. Being gay in Britain at the time, could easily lead to a prison term.

In 1892, Strand Magazine published 36 of his drawings of “Club Types”. Their publication dealt, Beerbohm said:

“A great, an almost mortal blow to my modesty”.

The first public exhibition of his caricatures was as part of a group show at London’s Fine Art Society in 1896; his first one-man show at the Carfax Gallery in 1901.

Usually inept at drawing with hands and feet, Beerbohm excelled in heads and with the dandified male dress of a period with true elegance. His caricatures were published widely in the fashionable magazines of the time.

The court of King Edward VII was the subject for special affectionate ridicule. But, many of Beerbohm’s later caricatures were of himself.

Major collections of Beerbohm’s caricatures are at The Tate, the Victoria And Albert Museum, Harvard University, and important privately-owned collections.

Beerbohm, National Portrait Gallery Archives

The post #ArtDept: Max Beerbohm’s Caricatures appeared first on The WOW Report.

Ivanka Trump tweeted a pic of all the “fan mail” she’s been getting at the White House from school children all across the country,

“Overjoyed by these beautiful letters. Reading them is one of the highlights of me week.”

They all seem very art directed in a VERY similar handwriting style and seem to be thanking Ivanka for something… although what that is –besides being Trump’s daughter– Twitter wasn’t sure.

And they let her have it. One of the best said,

“Your dad’s handwriting has improved greatly!”

pic.twitter.com/mwZqGtt3x3

— Oliver (@OtherWA360) August 25, 2017

(via Queerty)

The post Ivanka Trump Tweeted Pics of Her “Fan Mail” & Let’s Just Say Twitter Was NOT Having It! appeared first on The WOW Report.

Judge Judy is one of the highest-paid TV stars of all time. She earns a staggering $47 million per year. Her salary was questioned recently in a lawsuit brought by a company called Rebel Entertainment Partners in 2016, which claimed that CBS has diminished the profits Rebel was supposed to make. In Sheindlin’s videotaped testimony, recently uncovered by The Hollywood Reporter, she took her opponents to the woodshed.

The story goes that a pair of producers —Sandi Spreckman and Kaye Switzer— came to her and told her she should be on TV. Sheindlin agreed,

“I thought I would make a great TV judge.”

Rebel now believes that it’s entitled to a 5% share of Judge Judy profits thanks to work it did for the show in the mid-90s. Of course, Sheindlin sees it differently and criticized Rebel president Richard Lawrence, claiming she hasn’t seen or heard from him “in over 21 years,” though he’s made about $17 million for “what was perhaps two, three hours’ worth of business.”

Sheindlin says,

“It’s very important for you to know, because part of your complaint is that CBS conspired with me to deprive Mr. Lawrence of his backend profit. CBS had no choice but to pay me what I wanted, because otherwise I could take it wherever I wanted to take it or do it myself.”

The judge also told how she renegotiates her salary every three years with CBS —at a dinner at Grill on the Alley with the company’s president.

“We sit across the table, and I hand him the envelope and I say, ‘Don’t read it now, let’s have a nice dinner. Call me tomorrow. You want it, fine. Otherwise, I’ll produce it myself.’ That’s the negotiation.”

Another executive tried to do things differently one year —John Nogawski, the former president of CBS TV Distribution. Sheindlin shot him down. Nogawski had brought his own card to the table.

“I said, ‘I don’t want to look at it.’ He said, ‘Why not? Maybe it’s more than what’s in your envelope.’ And I said, ‘Well, John, if I look at your envelope, it’s a negotiation. This isn’t a negotiation.’ And he put his envelope away and they gave me what I wanted . . . whatever it was, done.

They pay me the money that they do because they have no choice. They can’t find another one. They’ve tried to find another Judy. If they find another Judy, good for them. So far they haven’t.”

And that’s why she’s Judge Judy. Mic drop. (Btw, that $47 million a year translates into just under $1 million per workday. She works just 52 days per year. Judy Sheindlin is worth around $300 million.)

Here’s why she’s paid the big bucks.

Watch.

(Photo, YouTube; via Vanity Fair)

The post Judge Judy on Negotiating –”They Pay Me the Money They Do ($47 Million!) Because They Have No Choice” appeared first on The WOW Report.

Elise Duran
Greg Gorman
Josh Kilmer- Purcell
Andrej Pejic
Armie Hammer
Billy Boyd
Carly Pope
David Fincher
Emma Samms
Florence Welch
Jack Black
Jason Priestly
Jennifer Coolidge
Kyle Massey
LeAnn Rimes
Luis Guzman
Sarah Roemer
Scott Hamilton
Shania Twain
Todd Eldredge
Om Prakash
Amy Wigler

@VanityFairIt
Mert & Marcus pic.twitter.com/8RiKfs6oLf

— Shania Twain (@ShaniaTwain) August 15, 2017

The post August 28th: It’s YOUR Birthday, Bitch! appeared first on The WOW Report.

Photo from Filmways/CBS Television

August 28, 1921– Nancy Kulp:

“If one is past 50 or 60, coming out is almost like saying that most of your life  you’ve been too embarrassed to admit it or to speak up.”

I came out of the closet in 1971 at 17-years-old, but I had been on the hunt for clues to the famous people who might be queers since I was able to read. Little did I know that a familiar face on the television was hiding that secret.

Kulp was much loved by us baby boomers with her role on that silly, yet successful television series, The Beverly Hillbillies (1962 -1971), playing the role of the prim, efficient Miss Jane Hathaway, secretary to banker Milburn Drysdale. She and Drysdale were managing the fortune of the Clampetts, a hillbilly family who had relocated to Beverly Hills after striking oil on their property in Tennessee. The sitcom concentrated on the contrast between the rubes that made moonshine, kept critters, and called their swimming pool a “cement pond” and the upscale residents of Beverly Hills who surrounded them. Hathaway’s character was always called “Miss Jane” by the Clampett clan. She was unaccountably attracted to the sweet, simple-minded Jethro Bodine, nephew of patriarch Jed Clampett.

Critics dismissed the series, calling it strained and unfunny, but viewers found it hilarious and it went on to have an even longer life in syndication. During its first two seasons, it was the number one program in the USA. In its second season, it earned the highest ratings ever recorded for a half-hour sitcom. The season two episode The Giant Jackrabbit remains the most-watched half-hour of television of the 1960s.

It must have been some very smart gay director that saw the comic potential in the young lesbian who worked in the studio’s publicity department, and asked her to be in his next film.  It was George Cukor  who cast Kulp, then just 30-years-old as, what else, a comic spinster in The Model And The Marriage Broker (1951), it was a role that she played with some variation for the rest of her thirty-eight year career. She could squeeze every last drop of funny from the sad cliché of the sexless, manless old maid parts. Critics could be cruel in their critiques of Kulp, describing her as prime-time’s homeliest girl. One critic wrote:

“Kulp has the face of a shriveled balloon, the figure of a string of spaghetti, and the voice of a bullfrog in mating season.”

She played her thin roles with panache, working first in bit roles in Shane (1953), Sabrina (1954), and A Star Is Born (1954), before her success on television. Producer/Writer Paul Henning used her for three seasons on his The Bob Cummings Show, (1955-59) and then thought of Kulp for his next big project, The Beverly Hillbillies. Miss Jane remains one of the truly immortal early queer characters. Audiences laughed at her highly unlikely yearning for Jethro, a totally hottie, when he wasn’t in drag as his sister Jethrine. Kulp gave her character all the dignity befitting a scholarly, single secretary who was happiest with her women-only bird-watching club.

She was rewarded with an Emmy nomination in 1967 and when The Beverly Hillbillies went off the air in 1971, Kulp found work on The Brian Keith Show (1972-75), Sanford And Son (1972-77), and The Love Boat (1987-1997). She even worked on Broadway, appearing in Morning’s At Seven in 1981.

Kulp studied journalism in college and then served in the US Navy during WW II. After the war she worked as a reporter for television stations in Florida. She interviewed Clark Gable and the Duke and Duchess Of Windsor. She relocated to Hollywood in the early 1950s looking to work in the publicity department for a movie studio where she caught the eye of Cukor.

But she also had a passion for politics, dating back to Adlai Stevenson’s Presidential campaign in 1952. In 1984, Kulp returned to her native Pennsylvania to run for Congress. She ran as a Democrat in a heavily Republican district against a popular incumbent. She got support from show business pal Ed Asner, but her The Beverly Hillbillies co-star Buddy Ebsen, who had played Jed Clampett, did a commercial where he called her “too liberal” and endorsed her opponent. It caused a rift between them that lasted for years, although they eventually reconciled. She lost the election.

She taught acting class and appeared on stage in regional theatre, including a gig as the Nurse in Romeo And Juliet at the Georgia Shakespeare Festival in Atlanta. Then, Kulp retired to Palm Springs. She served on the board of the Screen Actors Guild.

In 1989, Kulp came out of the closet, sort of, when she was interviewed by writer Boze Hadleigh, for his book Hollywood Lesbians, when she said:

“Do you think that opposites attract? Well, I would be that other sort… I find that birds of a feather flock together. That answers your question.”

Miss Jane would have appreciated the avian reference, I think.

Kulp expressed her admiration for openly gay Congressman Barney Frank. Hadleigh asked her if she would have come out in Congress, if she had been elected. Kulp:

 “Not voluntarily. If I were outed, then I would not deny it.”

Hadleigh waited to publish his book until 1994, when all the subjects had gone to their graves. So, Kulp never formally came out of the closet, but her gayness was no secret to her co-workers.

In a crazy twist, one of the best Miss Jane moments was when the Clampetts, feeling that money has corrupted them, give their fortune away to a college student. While Mr. Drysdale moans the loss of the money, Miss Jane tells him to stop thinking about the Clampetts and start concentrating on getting the college student’s account. Eventually, everyone discovered the student’s selfish motives, and she is sent away, with the Clampetts getting their money back. The student is played by Sheila Kuehl, also a lesbian in real life, and also a loyal Democrat. In 1994, Kuehl became the first openly gay California legislator. She currently serves on the Los Angeles County Board Of Supervisors, the first gay person to do so.

“I think I’ve been successful in making the distinction between actress and politician. But there’s always someone who screams, ‘Where’s Jethro?'”

Kulp’s final credits rolled in 1991, taken by that damn cancer at her home in Palm Springs. She was 69-years-old. She appeared in 250 episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies.

The post #BornThisDay: Actor, Nancy Kulp appeared first on The WOW Report.

Photograph from U.S. Information Agency, Press and Publications Service

August 28, 1963– The March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom

250,000+ Americans came to Washington D.C., for The March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom. The protest became the key moment in the struggle for civil rights in the USA, culminating in Martin Luther King Jr.’s rousing, iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, an eloquent, spirited call for Racial Justice and Equality. It is one of the largest political/social gatherings of humans in history.

In 1941, a march was planned in 1941 by The Brotherhood Of Sleeping Car Porters, proposed by the union’s president, A. Philip Randolph.

During The Great Depression, black Americans benefited less than other groups from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, and they faced unrelenting racial discrimination, even excluded from defense jobs in the early 1940s. Despite his wife’s clear feelings on the matter, FDR had no real interest doing anything about the problem. Randolph called for a March on Washington by 50,000 people. After attempting to persuade Randolph and other black leaders that a march would be bad for the country, FDR issued an Executive Order in June 1941, forbidding discrimination by defense contractors and establishing the Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) to investigate charges of racial discrimination. The March On Washington was canceled. Nearly two million black people were employed in defense work by the end of 1944. But, it was a limited victory; the FEPC closed shop in 1946.

African-Americans faced continuing discrimination after WW II. Any gains they had made during the war began to slip away. The March On Washington committee continued to meet annually to reiterate their demands for economic equality. The 1960s Civil Rights Movement changed the political climate, and in 1963, African-American leaders began to plan a new March On Washington to encourage the passage of the Civil Rights Act that had stalled in Congress. Again, it was Randolph and his longtime associate, Bayard Rustin, who planned the new March For Jobs And Freedom. They anticipated that they could gather 100,000 participants. President John F. Kennedy had as little enthusiasm for the march as had Roosevelt, but this time the black leaders would not be dissuaded.

The National Association For The Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference put aside their differences after decades of rivalry. Black and white citizens were urged to attend, and plans were made to ensure a peaceful event. John Lewis (now the Congressperson for U.S. Georgia’s 5th district, and a leader of The Resistance) and his Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee represented the disillusionment among many Civil Rights advocates. Lewis was scheduled to speak at the march, but in order to preserve the atmosphere of goodwill, leaders persuaded Lewis to omit his harshest criticisms of the Kennedy Administration.

The DC police were fully mobilized for the march with 6000 cops, including reserve officers and deputized firefighters, plus 5,000 National Guard. The Pentagon readied 19,000 troops.

For the first time since Prohibition, liquor was banned in Washington DC. Hospitals stocked extra blood reserves and cancelled elective surgeries. Major League Baseball cancelled two games even though the stadium was four miles from the Lincoln Memorial rally site.

The FBI and the Justice Department refused to provide guards for buses traveling through the South on their way to the March. William Johnson recruited more than 1,000 police officers to serve on this force. The FBI sent infiltrators, and Kennedy put agents in position to cut the power to the sound system in case the speeches became incendiary.

Rustin demanded an expensive sound system, claiming: “We cannot maintain order where people cannot hear“. The system was sabotaged the day before the march. Organizers had difficulty finding anyone to repair it. Attorney General Robert Kennedy demanded that the government fix the system, and it was successfully rebuilt overnight by the U.S. Army Signal Corps.

The march was an unprecedented success. More than 250,000 Americans showed up to share a day of speeches and songs by Civil Rights leaders, politicians, clergy and showbiz figures. King’s soaring speech with the phrase I Have a Dream expressed the essence of the Civil Rights Movement. It was the highlight of the day. I remember watching it on our black and white television in real time, and even at nine-years-old, I felt stirred to action.

Also on the bill that day were performances from Peter, Paul and Mary, Josephine Baker, Mahalia Jackson, Odetta, Marian Anderson, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan.

He wanted to speak, but openly gay writer James Baldwin was not allowed because the organizers felt his comments would be too inflammatory. Baldwin later commented on the irony of the “terrifying and profound” requests that he prevent the March from happening:

“In my view, by that time, there was, on the one hand, nothing to prevent, the March had already been co-opted and, on the other, no way of stopping the people from descending on Washington. What struck me most horribly was that virtually no one in power (including some Negroes who were somewhere next door to power) was able, even remotely, to accept the depth, the dimension, of the passion and the faith of the people.”

Not one women gave a speech at the March. Male organizers claimed “Difficulty of finding a single woman to speak without causing serious problems vis-à-vis other women and women’s groups…” Josephine Baker addressed the crowd before the official program began. Civil Rights icon Gloria Richardson was on the program, but when she arrived at the stage her chair with her name on it had been removed, and an official took the microphone away after she said “hello”. Richardson, along with Rosa Parks and Lena Horne, was escorted off the podium before Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech.

Rustin, photograph from Library Of Congress, by Stanley Wolfson

What you may not know about this day: the true architect of The March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom was Bayard Rustin, a gay man whose legacy has long been smothered because he was queer. Rustin was a veteran activist with extensive experience in putting together mass protests. With only two months to plan, Rustin established his headquarters in Harlem, with a smaller office in Washington. He and his core staff of 200 volunteers quickly put together the largest peaceful demonstration in USA history. At the 2013 anniversary march, President Barack Obama awarded Rustin a posthumous Presidential Medal Of Freedom. Rustin’s story is a sad story, but fascinating. Rustin:

“When an individual is protesting society’s refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him.”

The post #OnThisDay: The 1963 March On Washington for Jobs and Freedom appeared first on The WOW Report.

Bornstein said he dashed Trump’s clean bill of health letter off in five minutes while a Trump limo waited. Photo, NBC News

The president uses a prostate-related drug to grow scalp hair was not known publicly and appears to explain why Trump has a very low level of prostate specific antigen, or PSA, a marker sometimes used to diagnose prostate cancer. The Times said it had four phone conversations with Bornstein about Trump’s health who said that he takes the drug himself and credited it with helping maintain his own (gorgeous!?) shoulder-length hair.

“[Trump] has all his hair. I have all my hair.”

But with the news that Trump is taking finasteride, some are warning of its possible side effects ― including mental confusion and permanent sexual dysfunction. The safety of the drug has been challenged. Men’s Journal says,

“The FDA-approved pill has been called into question, with emerging research and a slew of lawsuits suggesting that finasteride may be more dangerous than previously believed. Users report that its side effects — inability to orgasm, painful erections, chronic depression, insomnia, brain fog, and suicidal thoughts — can last long after patients stop taking the pill.”

(They left out “…uncontrollable mouth diarrhea, fits of racism, fat ass, brain farts, dumb tweets..”)

But seriously, since 2011, over 1,245 lawsuits have been filed against Propecia’s manufacturer, Merck, alleging that the company didn’t sufficiently warn users of sexual and cognitive side effects. Both patients and physicians call the effects

“Post-Finasteride Syndrome”

because, they say, symptoms often persist after discontinuing the drug. The National Institutes of Health has added PFS to its rare-diseases database. Merck said that the company

“stands behind the demonstrated safety and efficacy profile of Propecia.”

So, wonder what other drugs does Trump take? (Viagra?) The Washington Post noted that Trump had multiple opportunities to mention his Propecia use, but hasn’t ever.

It would explain a lot.

(Photos, YouTube; via Huffington Post)

The post #ErectionNews!: Is Donald Trump Losing His Mind (& His Tiny Boner) From a Hair-Loss Drug? appeared first on The WOW Report.

Late Friday Trump signed an executive order demanding the Department of Defense stop allowing transgender individuals to serve in the US military. Last night, the MTV Video Music Awards invited six transgender military members to walk the blue carpet. MTV president Chris McCarthy said,

“Any patriot who is putting their own life at risk to fight for our freedom and stand for equality is a hero at MTV, and to young people everywhere.”

Those heroes are Brynn Tannehill, Laila Ireland, Akira Wyatt, Jennifer Peace, Logan Ireland and Sterling James Crutcher along with GLAAD‘s president Sarah Kate Ellis.

Laila Ireland said, before the show began,

“Historically, the VMAs have been a huge platform for social issues that are currently happening, so being able to have that platform and share our stories is important to us.”

ConDRAGulations, MTV and our trans troops, we’re proud!

They Make U.S. Stronger. #VMAs pic.twitter.com/F63wh8kdz1

— Raymond Braun (@raymondbraun) August 28, 2017

(Photo, Twitter; #LGBTQ: Transgender Troops Proudly Walk the MTV VMAs Blue Carpet appeared first on The WOW Report.

Advertising itself as the “No.1 gay sugar-daddy dating app,” Daddybear was designed specifically with “older” gentlemen in mind — older than what, we don’t know? The About page says that daddies are

“rich men who have more money and social wealth than you do.”

Grossed out yet? There’s more. The site claims

“most mature gay daddies grew up under the macro environment of AIDS epidemic and scare, so they know how to protect themselves and you, and enjoy safe sex with you.”

A spokesperson for Daddybear wrote on Queerty‘s comments section to double-down on the above claim, writing:

“With the fact that most gay men care more about health than sex when seeking gay relationship, we create this gay dating app to meet their needs. If you are worried about meeting gay men who are living with HIV, then you can feel relieved with our App because we are trying our best to make sure that all users you meet will be healthy and without HIV, starting from adding a feature to allow users to verify their health condition.”

Unicorn Booty points out that Daddybear’s CEO has made his position clear in an interview with INTO’s Mathew Rodriquez:

“No one would like to date people living with HIV unless he is living with it. Most gay sugar daddies are not living with HIV, so they don’t want to bring home any unwanted souvenirs. However, we support that gay men living with HIV have the right to date with other gays with HIV. But many rich and successful gay sugar daddies do not want to date with gay men living with HIV, which is the reason why we launched this app to meet their needs.”

Needless to say, Daddybear’s comment section is filling up with people who are disgusted by the backward, discriminatory policy of this app.

(via Queerty)

The post #LGBTQ: Daddybear Connects “Wealthy” Daddies with “Healthy” Young Bears (No HIV Positive Please!) appeared first on The WOW Report.

Montréal’s 18 Shades Of Gay

Claude Cormier + Associés, a landscape architecture and urban design firm, has pedestrians looking up at the sky on St. Catherine’s Street, in beautiful Montréal. Their installation 18 Shades Of Gay with its 18 hues of vibrant colors, is a contribution to the city’s Aires Libres Festival held in the Gay Village.

The canopy spans the entire street for a mile and is made up of 180,000 resin-colored balls organized in an 18-tone sequence, each represented by an equal 10,000 spheres. That’s 180,000 hanging balls!

Artist/Designer Claude Cormier states the the evolution of his work:

“As Gay Culture evolves and the LGBTQ community becomes more nuanced, as attested by the addition of new letters, the diversity of tones to a redefined resin-ball canopy was an indisputable artistic choice… also, the concept of ’18 shades of gay’ is to some degree a reflection of this ongoing evolution…”

“The Color Walk” is the term Cormier uses to describe this part of the Aires Libres Festival, just part of several curated changes to the street that is closed to all traffic, making it a desirable place to hang-out and for the community to share. This year marks the 10th year of the Aires Libres Festival and 35th anniversary of Montréal’s Gay Village.

The seamless transitions between the colored segments is made possible by intermingling colored, strands of the colored balls. 150 weeping willow trees were also installed along the street.

The installation is in collaboration between Claude Cormier + Associés, SDU Du Village, the Ville-Marie borough, and the Aires Libres Festival.

Photographs courtesy of Claude Cormier + Associés.  Here is a link to their website for more: Claude Cormier.

The post Oh, Canada! Montréal’s Gay Village Has “18 Shades Of Gay” appeared first on The WOW Report.

We’re under two weeks away!

Can you even believe it?!? It’s almost time for the first ever RuPaul’s DragCon NYC and we can barely contain our excitement! Have you snatched up your tickets yet? What the heck are you waiting for?

For everyone who already has their tickets, we’re sure you’re planning your outfit, which queens you want to meet, and everything else in-between.

That’s why we talked to none other than Peppermint to find out all the hot spots, best boy-watching places, & so much more around the city.

So start planning your nighttime activities, all the hotspots you wanna go to, and so much more with the help of the lovely Miss Peppermint’s guidance!

What’s your favorite place to catch a Drag Show in NYC?

“New York City has a lot of fantastic show bars. Some of my favorites are Therapy, Rise and the Ritz.”

Where do YOU go for the best boy-watching in NYC?

“Honestly Central Park has some of the hottest guys running and things jiggling and juggling I have ever seen… if you know what I mean.”

Do you have any hidden gem/secret NYC food spots?

“To get away from the hustle and bustle, Tri City Diner on 90th and Broadway, it’s been one of my favorite places for 4 years. It’s great food, great service, great prices, and it a beautifully scenic Upper West Side.”

What’s your favorite place to go drag shopping (or regular shopping!) in NYC?

“Drag shopping is nearly dead in New York, honestly. Buffalo Exchange is pretty much the best we have LOL. But, Beauty 35 it’s a great place for wigs and accoutrement.”

No matter how tourist-y (or NOT!) what’s the number one thing that you must-do whenever you’re in NYC?

“Visit Highbridge in the Bronx or Fort Tryon Park. It’s only 15 minutes away from Time Square and it’s one of the most peaceful and serene visions in all of New York. You will feel like you are in The Sound of Music, not the grit and grime of Times Square.”

RuPaul’s DragCon NYC is happening at the Javits Center on September 9 & 10th.

Head over to RuPaulsDragCon.com for FAQ, tickets, & MORE!

[Image provided to The WOW Report via Peppermint.]

The post Peppermint Talks About Hot Spots, Boy Watching & MORE For RuPaul’s DragCon NYC appeared first on The WOW Report.

Emmy voting is ending TODAY!

WHICH MEANS YOU HAVE JUST HOURS TO ACT!

As you well know by now, RuPaul’s Drag Race has been nominated for SEVEN Emmys with another for Untucked, (WHICH IS SO AWESOME, WE COULDN’T BE MORE PROUD).

So much hard work and love goes into making this show and it’s so nice to be recognized by the Television Academy with eight nominations total.

Voting on the Emmy nominations IS STILL OPEN UNTIL THE END OF THE DAY and may we suggest voting for us in all of our categories? Sure, we’re pretty biased, but if you want a second opinion, you could read Billboard‘s ‘9 Reasons Why RuPaul’s Drag Race Deserves To Snatch All The Emmys’.

If you’re a member of the Television Academy and are eligible to vote, head on over and sign in, and vote for US! (Or whomever you want, but seriously, please consider voting for our shows!)

Just in case you’re not convinced, here’s some posts from Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, & MORE!

What an honor and a dream to work on a show that changes lives. A show that expresses love though an art form that was marginalized and pushed into a proverbial closet for far too long. A show that allows queer artists to be who they are and celebrated for it. This piece of art has been recognized for all of the above with 8 Emmy Nominations and I could not be prouder. Let’s slay these #Emmys! #EmmysforDragRace

A post shared by Michelle Visage (@michellevisage) on Aug 14, 2017 at 4:41pm PDT

“It takes a village people!” – @rupaulofficial . Thrilled and honored to be nominated by @televisionacad at the #Emmys this year! ❤️ Our entire team is humbled and grateful! Now, let’s snatch trophies, Queens! #EmmysForDragRace . Head to the link in bio to see #DragRace Season 9 highlights and to snatch up some full episodes!

A post shared by RuPaul’s Drag Race (@rupaulsdragrace) on Aug 14, 2017 at 9:18am PDT

OMG, yas @RuPaulLEGO! Send through your recreations, kittens! We wanna show the world/@TheEmmys how iconic #DragRace is! #EmmysForDragRace https://t.co/L1Ojo28Mzb

— RuPaul’s Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) August 15, 2017

ConDRAGulations @rupaulofficial and @rupaulsdragrace @randybarbato @fentonjbailey @stevencorfe @thairinliesaphoto @newwavechola #tomcampbell #mandysalangsang #jacquelinewilson for snatching up 8! 8! #EmmyNominations! . Outstanding Reality-Competition Program Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program Outstanding Casting For A Reality Program Outstanding Costumes For Variety, Nonfiction Or Reality Programming Outstanding Picture Editing For A Structured Or Competition Reality Program Outstanding Hairstyling For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic) Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program – #Untucked

A post shared by Jen Fregozo (@jenfregozo) on Jul 13, 2017 at 4:37pm PDT

Huge condragulations to the producers, cast and crew and most especially @rupaulofficial on @rupaulsdragrace being nominated for a BUNCH of EMMYS today! Best reality competition , best host (mama ru won this last year!) and best unstructured reality show (for @untucked)!!!!! #slay

A post shared by Carson Kressley (@carsonkressley) on Jul 13, 2017 at 10:20am PDT

Just found out I am now a two time Emmy Nominee!! Thanks to @rupaulofficial @wowreport @rupaulsdragrace for the nomination!

A post shared by ZALDY (@zaldynyc) on Jul 13, 2017 at 9:37am PDT

#EmmysforDragRace THE BEST CREW IS THE BIZ. hands down. #EmmysforDragRace @wowreport

A post shared by Michelle Visage (@michellevisage) on Aug 16, 2017 at 9:03am PDT

Just a friendly reminder, here’s all the things we’re nominated for…

Happy voting to you, Television Academy members!

The post HURRY! Emmy Voting ENDS TODAY! Vote Now for RuPaul’s Drag Race In 8 Categories! appeared first on The WOW Report.

Our very own Savannah Ward (above) went to the VMAs last night and got a number of pics of red carpet attendees as the were whisked into the venue, including the trans service members (WE SALUTE YOU!) and Big Freedia (giving us Gay Babadook vibes!).

Trans service members at the VMAS!! Thank you for your service!!! #transpride #vmas #transservicemembers

A post shared by World of Wonder (@wowreport) on Aug 27, 2017 at 4:21pm PDT

Do you know how to BOUNCE?! @bigfreedia does!

A post shared by World of Wonder (@wowreport) on Aug 27, 2017 at 4:41pm PDT

@babyariel came to say hi!!

A post shared by World of Wonder (@wowreport) on Aug 27, 2017 at 3:54pm PDT

Have a Catfish?? Nev’s got your back!

A post shared by World of Wonder (@wowreport) on Aug 27, 2017 at 4:47pm PDT

Other big name red carpet walkers…

Vanessa Hudgens

Cutie Shawn Mendes

Paris Jackson

Nicki Minaj

Lorde

Kesha

Katy Perry

Jared Leto, Shannon Leto, and Tomo Milicevic

Gigi Gorgeous

Ed Sheeran

Demi Lovato

Carey Hart, Willow Sage Hart, and Pink

and Cardi B

Bebe Rexha

and yummy Calvin Harris.

(Photos: Pacific Coast News)

The post MTV VMA Awards Red Carpet Standouts (Big Freedia! Gigi Gorgeous! Jared Leto! Pink! and MORE) appeared first on The WOW Report.

This past weekend at the Millennium Biltmore in Downtown LA, the Labyrinth Masquerade’s 20th Anniversary Ball brought faerie magick back to the city in full effect. As in past years, the ornate halls of this grand hotel were filled with fantastical creatures, goblins, demons, lords, ladies, fairies and elves – four ballrooms and a starlit tea garden were brimming with dancing, wild performances and revelry. And of course there were a number of Jareths roaming around, as the event is an homage to the Goblin King himself, legendarily played by David Bowie in the 1986 film “Labyrinth.” Here’s a glimpse at the magickal glitz, glam and wonderment at this year’s ball; be sure to get your tickets for next year, and partake in this enchanting fun!

The post Labyrinth Masquerade XX Brought The Magick Back To DTLA appeared first on The WOW Report.

Kim K is serving up Jackie K for YOUR GAY NERVES in this cover shot for the September issue of Interview magazine. Says photographer Steven Klein:

“My goal capture feminine beauty as an expression of empowerment and self-respect. Also, to highlight Kim in a chic manner that is retrospective of a time and yet modern.”

She does look gorg.

Kim said she will “treasure this shoot forever,” however Twitter was quick to pounce on her for another reason.

Can you guess what that reason is?

Read the reactions below.

why did they darken her skin to try and make her look black

— ☠️ (@lil_asshat) August 28, 2017

just a months ago @KimKardashian was accused of darkening her skin tone for @kkwbeauty & she said that she learned a lesson… @InterviewMag pic.twitter.com/OPaIU1UrpM

— Anna (@Just_a_person) August 28, 2017

They darkened your skin color!? #tsktsk

— adi (@ChaiGater) August 28, 2017

lol… @InterviewMag since when @KimKardashian has the same color of the skin as her daughter? pic.twitter.com/00TaIOZ2qH

— Anna (@Just_a_person) August 28, 2017

Why did we need Kim K to match her daughters skin complexion? She’s your daughter, we know this. We can celebrate diversity.

— Meher (@meherxts) August 28, 2017

Y TF did they darken ur skin? This makes no sense, America’s 1st lady? I just can’t with u. Charlottesville, u push ur make up, TX, this. pic.twitter.com/E9R5S1BNiX

— DMKCali1 (@dmkcalvin) August 28, 2017

Kinda uncomfortable looking at @KimKardashian shoot in her @InterviewMag photos shot by @SKstudly why is her skin much darker…? #confused

— Meher (@meherxts) August 28, 2017

Hlfjddhdgsg kim is black now? Same skin color https://t.co/PAKquSpu5j

— ESTEF (@RihWildThoughts) August 28, 2017

Lmfao in what world is Kim the same skin tone as her biracial daughter? https://t.co/94cVMqVqtH

— MAGESTY (@itsmagesty) August 28, 2017

I know for a fact Kim and North ain’t the same skin tone so what’s up https://t.co/g33iz4fima

— blue eyed dragon (@firdausy__) August 28, 2017

Why her and north skin the same color knowing this woman is white hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm look Kim. Be careful. Like sister like sister https://t.co/vjpSVHfXU8

— kay-z (@KiaraDSmith) August 28, 2017

Why did we need Kim K to match her daughters skin complexion? She’s your daughter, we know this. We can celebrate diversity.

— Meher (@meherxts) August 28, 2017

(via TooFab)

The post Twitter Is Up In Arms Over This Pic of Kim K and North West (Can You Guess Why?) appeared first on The WOW Report.

At a Trans Chorus of LA event over the weekend, transgender activist Ashlee Marie Preston confronted Caitlyn Jenner saying she believes the staunch Republican committed the “ultimate betrayal” of the LGBTQ community by supporting President Trump, and that the Trans Chorus is “complicit” for accepting the reality star’s money.

The video (which has almost 300k views on her personal Facebook) is a bit muffled, but you can clearly hear her saying:

“You’re a fucking fraud. It’s really fucked up that you continue to support somebody… that does everything with the military, that’s erasing our fucking community. And you support it.”

Grab a bucket of popcorn and watch the conversation go down below.

Via HuffPO:

Preston, who serves as editor-in-chief of Wear Your Voice magazine, used her face time with Jenner to critique her support of the president ― particularly after his enactment of the transgender military ban. Jenner was spotted wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat just days after the ban was announced.

Preston has since resigned from the Trans Chorus of L.A. She told HuffPost that she “felt the mission on paper differed from the active mission, which didn’t align with my personal values.” Now Preston thinks Jenner owes the LGBTQ community an apology. Preston also took to Twitter on Sunday to defend her actions.

“Caitlyn Jenner is a text book case on cognitive dissonance and her vote against her own supposed interests made that evident,” Preston said. “She owes the community an apology; giving us the change from her bra is like putting a band-aid over a bullet wound. Her commentary and actions have carried real consequences for the transgender community; people who aren’t afforded the same protections and privilege as she has.”

HuffPost reached out to Caitlyn Jenner for comment but did not immediately hear back.

(Top photo: MediaPunch)

The post Trans Activist Goes OFF On Caitlyn Jenner: “You Are a F*cking FRAUD!” appeared first on The WOW Report.

This week, RuPaul’s Drag Race season 2 winner Tyra Sanchez joins Hey Qween with Jonny McGovern and Lady Red Couture serving you Poetic Justice realness. The full episode, which consists of two parts covers her recent move to Los Angeles, writing music, and season 2 of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

In Part 1, Tyra covers her recent move to Los Angeles, writing music and some piping HOT T.

Watch Part 1:

In Part 2, Tyra covers her experience on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 2, dark times that followed and fighting fandom negativity positively.

Watch Part 2:

The post fs appeared first on The WOW Report.

Deadpool cutie Ed Skrein (above and below) had no idea when he accepted the role of rugged Major Ben Daimio in the upcoming Hellboy reboot that the character was of Asian heritage. As he is NOT of Asian heritage, himself, the casting news was met with much hew and cry from the graphic novel’s fans.

Here was his response:

pic.twitter.com/8WoSsHXDFO

— Ed Skrein (@edskrein) August 28, 2017

You might call similar backlashes when Scarlett Johansson was cast as a Japanese human-cyborg in Ghost in the Shell and Tilda Swinton got the role as the Ancient One in Doctor Strange — a character depicted as an Asian male in the comic source material. Both actors stayed in the role, and grew to regret their decision.

Here is what Lionsgate studio had to say about Ed’s exit:

“Ed came to us and felt very strongly about this. We fully support his unselfish decision,” Lionsgate said in a statement. “It was not our intent to be insensitive to issues of authenticity and ethnicity, and we will look to recast the part with an actor more consistent with the character in the source material.”

The creator of the Hellboy comic book, Mike Mignola, thanked Skrein on Twitter.

“Very nicely done,” he added.

The studio will now focus on re-casting the role of the former US Marine. The film begins shooting this October.

Great response all around. Let’s hope his is a trend. (Photos: Pacific Coast News; via Variety)

The post Super-Yummy Ed Skrein Gracefully Exits “Hellboy” Reboot After Cries of Whitewashing appeared first on The WOW Report.