News Round-Up: August 5, 2019

Terron Beckham (via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunks: Terron Beckham (above), the ridiculously jacked cousin of the Cleveland Browns' Odell Beckham Jr., shows off some gym humor along with his 'big-is-best' everything else. #thosecalves

• OUT: A new study shows some men may be reticent to recycle because it might be perceived as 'feminine.'

• Variety: At her Madison Square Gardens concert over the weekend, Barbra Streisand offered up a tweaked version of "Send in the Clowns" that trolled the current clown in the Oval Office.

• Twitter: A police officer busts some moves to Steps’ 2017 hit “Scared Of The Dark” while attending Brighton Pride in the UK. The clip went viral after his police department shared the clip on social media.

Did you see our #DancingCop in the @PrideBrighton Parade yesterday. Officers volunteered their time to represent @HertsPolice along with Officer from across the UK. 🕺 @SXP_LGBT @LGBTpoliceuk #BrightonPride @HertsPRIDE @hertslgbtq_nh @LGBTHerts pic.twitter.com/eP5PfCVPAG

— Herts Police LGBT+ 🚔 (@HertsPoliceLGBT) August 4, 2019

• Red Flag Bill: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is collaborating on a “red flag” bill with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) that would start a federal grant program to help encourage states to create “‘red flag’ protection order” laws, which are meant to make it easier for law enforcement to identify mentally ill people who should be banned from purchasing guns.

• NY Magazine: A new profile on Ivanka Trump quotes a friend who says the Trumpette, "Has no idea she’s privileged. She genuinely thinks she’s earned everything she has. She goes on and on all the time about how hard she works.”

• Out Music: Make-up artist Deney Adam (whose work has been seen in Vogue, NY Times, Interview) puts down his brushes to drop his wild and wooly new track and music video, "Heartdrop."

The visual, directed by the fab Mike Ruiz, is a fast and furious, animalistic affair featuring a nearly naked Deney locked inside a glass case.

“I wanted to convey that feeling of being trapped in a situation; when just at the moment that you think you are finally free from it, you find yourself right back where you started,” says Deney.

Musically, the track continually switches gears resulting in a visceral, heart-pounding (or should that be 'heart-dropping?') ride. Hit play below.

Streisand Clarifies Comments On Michael Jackson Allegations 'I Am Profoundly Sorry'

Barbra Streisand

Earlier this week, Barbra Streisand raised eyebrows with comments to the Times of London regarding Michael Jackson and the new documentary Leaving Neverland, which details allegations of sexual abuse of children by the late King of Pop.

Streisand has now released a statement clarifying the comments.

Via Variety:

“To be crystal clear, there is no situation or circumstance where it is OK for the innocence of children to be taken advantage of by anyone. The stories these two young men shared were painful to hear, and I feel nothing but sympathy for them. The single most important role of being a parent is to protect their children. It’s clear that the parents of the two young men were also victimized and seduced by fame and fantasy.”

La Streisand added on her Instagram:

“I am profoundly sorry for any pain or misunderstanding I caused by not choosing my words more carefully about Michael Jackson and his victims, because the words as printed do not reflect my true feelings. I didn’t mean to dismiss the trauma these boys experienced in any way.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Barbra Streisand (@barbrastreisand) on Mar 23, 2019 at 1:57pm PDT

In the Times of London interview, after being asked her thoughts on the documentary, the EGOT-winner said:

“It’s a combination of feelings. I feel bad for the children. I feel bad for him. I blame, I guess, the parents, who would allow their children to sleep with him. Why would Michael need these little children dressed like him and in the shows and the dancing and the hats?”

“His sexual needs were his sexual needs,” she added. “Coming from whatever childhood he has or whatever DNA he has.”

“You can say ‘molested,’ but those children, as you heard them say [the grown-up Robson and Safechuk], they were thrilled to be there. They both married and they both have children, so it didn’t kill them.”

BARBRA WHAT ARE YOU DOING https://t.co/1Zy797kred

— andi zeisler (@andizeisler) March 23, 2019

Oh this is a very very very bad take Barbara. https://t.co/GENvZclsf7

— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) March 23, 2019

It is with the heaviest of hearts that I cancel Barbra Streisand. https://t.co/h5mmHhKZN4

— Alan Henry (@AlanHenry) March 23, 2019

Barbra Streisand Joins In 'Carpool Karaoke' With James Corden

James Corden and Barbra Streisand

Music and film legend Barbra Streisand joined in the 'Carpool Karaoke' fun with The Late Late Show's James Corden last night as she releases her latest album, Walls.

With his own car jackbooted, he calls on the EGOT winner for a lift.

Immediately reaching for some music, La Streisand initially isn't too hip to the idea, "I just finished making an album and I don't usually put the radio on when I'm driving."

Corden's sad face saves the day, fortunately for us.

Along the ride we're treated to "Enough Is Enough," "Evergreen," "Imagine," "What A Wonderful World," "Don't Lie To Me" and "Don't Rain On My Parade."

Plus, Barbra shares how she really isn't a great driver (she failed her driving test three times recently),  that performing live still makes her uncomfortable, and how she called up Tim Cook (CEO of Apple) to get Siri's pronunciation of her name corrected.

And she talks on the theme of her new album inspired by the current political turmoil.

You can get Walls here on iTunes and you can watch the one and only Babs below.

Barbra Streisand Releases Music Video "Don't Lie To Me" From Upcoming WALLS

Barbra Streisand makes her music video directorial debut with the new lyric video, "Don't Lie To Me."

"You can build towers of bronze and gold/ You can build castles in the sky/ You can use smoke and mirrors, all clichés/ Not today, not today," she sings in the soaring new anthem.

The Oscar-winning music legend recently told Billboard there's no ambiguity about who she is singing about here.

"The Liar in Chief, the Groper in Chief -- yeah, I've written many articles about this… this person… who has no manners, insults everybody, makes fun of disabled people," she said. "I don't know what to say, I've written like 15 Huffington Post pieces. This way my way to do my record, because what else could I think about? It's my protest, in a sense, about this unprecedented time in our history."

The video is filled with striking imagery of Trump, environmental challenges and social upheaval.

Written and directed by Babs, "Don't Lie To Me" is from the new album WALLS set for release November 2.

Watch below.

Barbra Streisand Announces New Album "Walls"

Legendary actress and recording artist Barbra Streisand has released her first single from her upcoming album, Walls, set for release November 2.

According to the famously socially conscious Streisand, she intended the new single, “Don’t Lie to Me,” to have “very subtle” references to Donald Trump.

But she just couldn’t do it.

Instead, the track includes questions and comments clearly meant for Trump.

How do you sleep when the world keeps turning?
All that we built has come undone
How do you sleep when the world is burning?
Everyone answers to someone

And then there’s the title of the album, Walls. There’s a none-too-subtle reference to Trump’s favorite subject.

In an interview with the Associated Press, the Oscar/Emmy/Grammy winner shared that the current “assault on democracy” inspired much of the new collection’s intent.

“I wanted to talk about the things that were making me feel so sad, heartbroken,” she said. “I’m a kind of fierce American."

“I don’t know who we are anymore as a country. Are we embracing people who flee oppression? Or are we separating children from parents, putting them in cages?"

“I don’t know if people care about the planet, the survival of the planet. Do they care about clean air? Clean water? Clean food? If they do, how could they vote for somebody like Trump, who believes it’s a hoax?”

“I’m frightened for this country. And yet, I have hope.”

Streisand turned to music industry luminaries Walter Afanasieff, John Shanks and David Foster - all Grammy recipients for Producer of the Year - to help craft the arrangements and production of Walls.
And speaking of achievements, a brief review of Streisand’s career highlights is the stuff artists dream of.

With 52 gold, 31 platinum and 13 multi-platinum albums in her career, she is the only recording artist in history to achieve a #1 Album in six consecutive decades.

Streisand is the only woman to make the All-Time Top 10 Best Selling Artists list, and is also the female artist with the most number one albums in Billboard’s history.

And yes, the mantles in her home must be packed with honors considering her two Oscars, ten Grammys (including two special Grammys), five Emmys, three Peabodys, and eleven Golden Globes including the Cecil B. DeMille Award.

Walls Tracklisting

1.    What’s On My Mind
2.    Don’t Lie To Me
3.    Imagine / What A Wonderful World
4.    Walls
5.    Lady Liberty
6.    What The World Needs Now
7.    Better Angels
8.    Love’s Never Wrong
9.    The Rain Will Fall
10. Take Care Of This House
11. Happy Days Are Here Again

You can check out “Don’t Lie to Me” below. The single as well as a pre-order is available at this link.

News Round-Up: February 8, 2018

Some news items you might have missed:

• A little #TBT action: two years ago today we were all kinda in awe of Super Bowl referee Clete Blakeman (above) whose biceps made him one of the most jacked guys on the field.

• The Netflix reboot of Queer Eye launched last night with members of the new and original cast taking part in the premiere. Hard to believe it's been 15 years since the original Emmy Award-winning series made it's bow in 2003.

• Gay porn star Topher DiMaggio has been suspended as a "trophy boy" for Andrew Christian fashion label as two more allegations of sexual assault have been made. That brings the total to five different accusers.

Andrew Christian does not condone sexual abuse or any other type of abuse or mistreatment to members of our community. We are taking allegations made by the victims very seriously. Accordingly, Topher is on indefinite suspension while we look into the matter...

— Andrew Christian (@andrewchristian) February 8, 2018

• Walgreens has changed its national bathroom policy after a lesbian in Los Angeles was told she couldn't use the ladies room because she looked like a man. The new policy will allow people to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity.

• Gold star Trump supporter Scott Baio is facing new allegations from another "Charles in Charge" co-star.

• Power producer Ryan Murphy just got a two-season straight-to-series order from Netflix for The Politician which will star Tony Award winner Ben Platt. Barbra Streisand and Gwyneth Paltrow are in talks to co-star. Platt will play a wealthy Santa Barbara resident running for public office. And yes, Platt will have musical numbers in the series.

• Cosmopolitan invited several hunky U.S. Olympic athletes heading to Pyeongchang for the Winter Games to recite really cheesy pick-up lines as they gave a little peek at their well-toned bodies.

I think out freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy scored the best moment with his line: “I wanted the gold medal in Sochi, but I settled for silver because I want to make sure you come first.” Watch below.

Netflix: "Barbra: The Music...The Mem'ries...The Magic!"

Obviously, this is a "don't miss" event with the still luminous Babs.

Via press release:

With a career spanning six decades, Barbra Streisand is a legend of both stage and screen with a loyal, loving fanbase. In the upcoming Netflix film concert event Barbra: The Music...The Mem’ries...The Magic!, which launches globally on Wednesday, November 22, at 12:01am PST, she is joined by an exciting roster of special guests, including a special duet with Jamie Foxx, as she takes audiences on a journey of her life’s work, like a stroll down mem’ry lane with a good friend.

Directed by Jim Gable and Barbra Streisand, Barbra: The Music...The Mem’ries...The Magic!, a Netflix film, is produced by Ann Kim and Ned Doyle, with Streisand and Marty Erlichman serving as executive producers. The film is written by Streisand, Jay Landers and Richard Jay-Alexander.

Watch the trailer and a clip with Jamie Foxx below.

Babs stopped by Ellen today to promote the premiere:

News Round-Up: September 5, 2017

(via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Fitness model Lony Pizarro on Labor Day (above). Can we go back to then? :)

• A leaked excerpt from Hillary Clinton's upcoming memoir, What Happened, includes a passage about Bernie Sanders supporters ("Bernie Bros") and the long-lasting effects of their attacks on social media during the 2016 presidential campaign.

• Freddie Mercury, of QUEEN fame, would have been 71 years-old today. Check out the first look at Rami Malek as "Freddie" in the Bryan Singer-directed Bohemian Rhapsody due in theaters December 25, 2018.

• Barbra Streisand, Beyonce, Oprah and Blake Shelton will host a one-hour telethon to benefit the victims of Hurricane Harvey September 12 at 8 PM ET. The event will air on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and CMT.

• A new Morning Consult/Politico poll shows 58% of Americans say Dreamers should be allowed to stay in the country and become citizens if they meet certain requirements. Additionally, 68% of respondents said Dreamers should be granted legal work permits.

• Cher announced via Twitter that she intends to help DACA folks after Trump rescinded the program. But when a Twitter troll came calling, she slapped right back.

#FlashbackFriday: "Tomorrow" By Babs

Let's #FBF to "Tomorrow" with a luscious vocal by La Babs.

Seriously. That voice.

Take a minute and enjoy.

Barbra Streisand's Love Letter To The LGBTQ Community For Pride Month

Billboard asked pop culture icons to write 'love letters' to the LGBTQ community, and wow, what a turn out they got.

Check out the letter from superstar Barbra Streisand, long-time LGBTQ ally:

The first time I ever sang for a paying audience was at a gay club, The Lion, in Greenwich Village. I was 18 years old and had never been in a nightclub before. The gay community supported me from the start, and I will always be grateful.

Decades later, I remember sitting in a theater and watching Larry Kramer’s play, The Normal Heart, with tears running down my cheeks. It was 1985 and Ronald Reagan was president and it was heartbreaking to know people were dying while he refused to even say the word AIDS. I wanted more people to see this powerful story about everyone’s right to love, so I tried for 25 years to get it made as a movie. No one would touch it, but thank God times have changed.

Marriage equality is the law and that deserves a toast... to all of us, because we’re all unique and beautiful in our own way and entitled to love and be loved by whomever we choose.

And if you want to read even more letters to the LGBTQ community from folks like Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Dionne Warwick, Kelly Clarkson and Liza Minnelli, click here.

Happy 75th Birthday, Barbra Streisand!

Barbra Streisand

Born April 24, 1942, Oscar/Grammy/Emmy Award winner Barbra Streisand celebrates 75 trips around the sun today.

Instead of the usual clips I could share, today I want to highlight La Babs' vocal on "Make Our Garden Grow" from Candide from her Back To Brooklyn album.

Gorgeous vocal throughout, and I think that amazing last note is around 19 very long seconds... :)

Happy, happy birthday, Barbra!

Sunday Slowdown: Barbra Streisand "Prisoner"

I came across this track, "Prisoner," from the soundtrack of the film The Eyes of Laura Mars and remembered how much I loved this edgier phase of Babs' recording career.

Featured as the love theme in the film, the single went to #21 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Radio Show: The Randy Report - RuPaul, Barbra Streisand & Whoopi Goldberg

My latest radio show on BlogTalkRadio:

This week in LGBT news:

• Out singer/songwriter Olly Alexander and his band Years & Years release new song for upcoming Bridget Jones film

• Craig Jungwirth indicted for terrorist threats via social media against gay community in Southern Florida

• Bombing in NYC gay neighborhood of Chelsea

• RuPaul makes history with win at the Emmy Awards

• NCAA pulls 7 championship games from North Carolina over anti-LGBT HB2

• Barbra Streisand's Trump parody of "Send In The Clowns" is a hit at LGBT fund raiser for Hillary Clinton

• Whoopi Goldberg shares, "Transgender people have been with us forever."

• More trouble behind the scenes of Logo TV's "Finding Prince Charming"

• Brian Justin Crum killed it this week with Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" on America's Got Talent

Classic Pop: Barbra Streisand "Prisoner"

My buddy Matt Rettenmund over at Boy Culture reminded me of this song Babs recorded for the soundtrack of the 1978 Faye Dunaway flick "Eyes of Laura Mars."

A middling hit for La Streisand, it reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. I've always loved how she uses an "edgier" part of her voice here.

Barbra Streisand Parodies "Send In The Clowns" With New Trump Lyrics

Appearing at an LGBT fund raiser for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in New York City last night, Barbra Streisand delivered a very clever parody version of the Stephen Sondheim classic, "Send In The Clowns," retitled "Who Needs This Clown?" with newly penned lyrics which skewered Republican Donald Trump.

Here's the parody lyrics via BroadwayWorld:

VERSE 1
IS HE THAT RICH?
MAYBE HE'S POOR?
'TIL HE REVEALS HIS RETURNS
WHO CAN BE SURE?
WHO NEEDS THIS CLOWN?

VERSE 2
SOMETHING'S AMISS
I DON'T APPROVE
IF HE WERE RUNNING THE FREE WORLD,
WHERE WOULD WE MOVE?
NAME ME A TOWN?
JUST WHO IS THIS CLOWN?

BRIDGE
AND WHEN WE THOUGHT WE'D HEARD IT ALL
HUFFING AND PUFFING ABOUT HIS BIG FANTASY WALL
MAKING HIS ENTRANCE ON STAGE...
HE JUST SHOOTS FROM THE HIP
HE'S FULL OF BULL
HE'S LOST HIS GRIP!

["Since Putin likes me, I like him! Sounds like a 4-year old!"]

VERSE 3
AND IF BY CHANCE
HE GETS TO HEAV'N
EVEN UP THERE HE'LL DECLARE...
CHAPTER ELEV'N!
WHO'D HIRE THIS CLOWN?
THIS SAD VULGAR CLOWN...
"YOU'RE FIRED" YOU CLOWN!

BRIDGE 2
HILLARY'S KIND...
SMART THAT IS CLEAR
WHILE SHE IS GIVING US HOPE...TRUMP IS SELLING US FEAR
LOOK HOW HE CHANGES HIS VIEWS EVERY TIME THAT HE SPEAKS
IT'S LIE AFTER LIE
CAN'T TAKE EIGHT MORE WEEKS!

VERSE 4
THIS IS NO FARCE
MAYBE HE'S BROKE?
IS THIS "THE ART OF HIS DEAL"
OR SOME AWFUL JOKE?
YOU'VE GOT TO ADMIT...
THIS SILLY HALF-WIT...
IS SO FULL OF ­_ _ _ _!

BABS rewrites lyrics to "Send In The Clowns" for Trump harpoon. Your Welcome😘😂🎤 pic.twitter.com/qVRF5yF6Ur

— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) September 10, 2016

LOGO Celebrates New Barbra Streisand Album With One Hour Special

Music, film and Broadway icon Barbra Streisand's new album is out, and inspiring calls of "Hello, gorgeous!"

Not only is the new album available now, tomorrow night LOGO will air a one hour special showing 'behind the scenes' footage during the making of the album.

Alec Baldwin hosts the presentation which will also include her duet partners Anne Hathaway, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Melissa McCarthy, Seth McFarlane, Jamie Foxx and Chris Pine.

ENCORE: Behind The Scenes With Barbra Streisand airs Tuesday, August 30 at 7PM ET on Logo.

Streisand Visits Her Funny Girl Dressing Room On Broadway

Very sweet moment as Barbra Streisand visits her Funny Girl dressing room on Broadway for the first time in 50 years.

I visited that very dressing room 30 years ago when I was rehearsing for the national touring company of CATS and the Broadway production was playing at the Winter Garden Theater.

Via CBS' "Sunday Morning:"

In this web exclusive, the singer who became a superstar in the 1960s Broadway musical "Funny Girl" visited her old haunts at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City, including the dressing room now occupied by "School of Rock" star Sierra Boggess.

News Round-Up: August 11, 2016

Some news stories you may have missed:

• First same-sex marriage proposal at the 2016 Rio Olympics - "She said 'Yes!'"

• Pop powerhouse Adele is in talks to record an album of duets with none other than Barbra Streisand. Can you say "ka-ching?"

• Donald Trump, who claims he will be very good for "the gays" is set to headline a radical anti-LGBT event in Orlando. Other LGBT haters in attendance include Marco Rubio, Mat Staver and David Barton.

• A former aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says Christie "flat-out lied" about knowledge of Bridgegate.

• The president of the Philippines called the U.S. Ambassador, who is openly gay, "the son of a whore." I'm not making this up, kids.

• 72% of Republicans doubt President Obama is an American. I shit you not.

• Sean Hannity believes the person with the biggest social media following will win the White House. And so, I give you President Kim Kardashian.

Video: Barbra Streisand "Fifty Percent"

Here's a treat from the upcoming Barbra Streisand.

In addition to the standard 10 track release of her "Encore - Movie Partners Sing Broadway," Target will be releasing a Deluxe version with four additional tracks.

From Playbill:

Target will issue an exclusive 14-track deluxe version of the album that includes several show-stopping, dramatic songs, which fans have been waiting to hear Streisand record.

Along with the wistful ballad “I Didn't Know What Time It Was” from Too Many Girls, the bonus material includes “Not a Day Goes By” from Merrily We Roll Along, the Follies torch song “Losing My Mind,” and the powerhouse eleven o’clock number from Ballroom, “Fifty Percent.”

While the musical Ballroom was technically a flop back in the late 70s (it was director/choreographer Michael Bennett's follow-up to A Chorus Line), the show-stopping eleven o'clock number "Fifty Percent" from the musical has elevated to legendary status for singing divas. Dorothy Loudon was nominated for a Tony Award based in great part for her performance of the song.

One small quibble here, though - the Bergmans (who penned the lyrics for the song) have rewritten some of the lyrics which, after 40 years, feels a bit jarring.

That aside, la Streisand is a perfect fit for the song. Looking forward to the new collection.

p.s. I hear from sources her new concert is, not surprisingly, fantastic.

Barbra Streisand Shares Cover Of Upcoming "ENCORE: Movie Partners Sing Broadway"

La Streisand tweeted out this first look at the cover of her upcoming album ENCORE: Movie Partners Sing Broadway.


Here's the complete track list:

1. At The Ballet with Anne Hathaway & Daisy Ridley
2. Loving You with Patrick Wilson
3. Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)with Anthony Newley
4. The Best Thing That Has Ever Happened with Alec Baldwin
5. Any Moment Now with Hugh Jackman
6. Anything You Can Do with Melissa McCarthy
7. Pure Imagination with Seth MacFarlane
8. Take Me To The World with Antonio Banderas
9. I'll Be Seeing You/ I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face with Chris Pine
10. Climb Ev'ry Mountain with Jamie Foxx

The new collection will be available August 26th. Click here to pre-order the CD on Amazon.


UPDATE: La Streisand has released this first track from the album - her take on the A Chorus Line ballad "At The Ballet" with Anne Hathaway and Daisy Ridley