Michael Urie/America Ferrera (Getty)
Following this assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.
- Ugly Betty stars Michael Urie and America Ferrera were filming on the cold streets of NYC yesterday for an episode later this season. Hopefully tomorrow night we'll be able to see the pivotal episode that was pre-empted last week for someone's lame seven minute goodbye speech. He knows who he is.
- One of the funniest things to come out of yesterday's inauguration was the fact that within minutes of President Barack Obama being sworn in, the new White House website was updated with details about the new administration's commitment to gay issues. Why was this funny? Because it's about to make anti-gay zealot Matt Barber's head EXPLODE!. Can someone please explain to me just what the hell "tyranny of the minority" means?
- Speaking of the new President, his pledge to end "don't ask, don't tell" isn't sitting well with some soldiers. Maybe a few more visits from Kathy Griffin will help.
Patrick Bristow's Freakdom of Speech
- Above is a screencap from the debut webisode of Freakdom of Speech, the brainchild of out actor/comedian Patrick Bristow. Patrick has played roles in well, pretty much everything, but he's probably best known for playing Peter on Ellen (if you recall, it was actually Peter who blabbed to Ellen's friends that she was gay), and of course his iconic role of Marty in Showgirls ("and thrust it, thrust it, c'mon thrust it!") . Anyway, Freakdom is a "series of short satirical commentaries starring characters from different walks of life venting about hot topics including the First Amendment."
- The nominations for the Twenty-Ninth Annual Razzie Awards were announced today, with worst picture nominees The Love Guru, The Happening, The Hottie and the Nottie, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, and the dual atrocities of Meet the Spartans/Disaster Movie. I'm pleased to announce that for the first time, yours truly will get the chance to vote on the winners/losers, so watch out, you parody movie hacks!
And today's Briefs are brought to you by...
This guy!
Submitted by
on Wed, 2009-01-21 19:37.
The Onion
I probably should be really upset about the web page for "Americans For Truth About Homosexuality". But it reads so much like a satirical article from "The Onion" that I can't muster the outrage. It reaches the point of being so absurd that refutation isn't needed, and all I can do is laugh.
Regarding gays in the military, Newsweek recently analyzed the issue, and concluded that Obama's plan to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell would ultimately work, but would require finesse and perhaps a somewhat gradual process of getting the military on board to make the change really successful. As they say, the military is a staid, conservative, rigid bureaucracy. It can change, and in this case will have to change. But the change will be most beneficial for both gay soldiers and the institution as a whole if the leadership is brought into the process. Newsweek's take is that the leadership can indeed be brought on board as a partner, even if it's not a completely enthusiastic partner.
I didn't laugh....
...I was truly horrified by the twisted sickness of that web site. Maybe I'm the one that's naive, but I think there are enough really, really dumb people that would believe every odious word written there. Scary sh*t.
I say we take the warning labels off everything and let nature take it's course.
Mob (caps) rule
afhickman
I think "tyranny of the minority" is a cynical commentary of how our democracy (should I say our "majesty of democracy") supposedly works to disenfranchise the majority. The majority rules (except in Presidential elections such as the 2000 one), according to most definitions of democracy. But de Tocqueville invented the phrase "tyranny of the majority" as a potential criticism of a system in which the bully boys in the majority can run roughshod over the rights of minorities. The Bill of Rights seeks to protect these very minorities, but wingnuts aren't always happy about this, especially when basic rights are extended to gays. It's up to the courts to maintain the balance, as they eventually did in the case of civil rights, but they have been known to fall down on the job. The Matt Barbers of the world don't understand how things are supposed to work in America, but, hopefully, such voices will be drowned out in the dialogue that promises to ensue once Obama is fully in charge--unless he turns out to be full of hot air and bows to the will of the majority, of course.
"The mountain has wings."