News Round-Up: June 29, 2018

Bremen Menelli

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Bremen Menelli is a lean, mean, coffee-drinking machine. #HappyFriday!

• Did you know that song you line danced to in elementary school gym class, at weddings, graduations and Bar Mitzvahs is about a vibrator?

• Oreos goes for the good stuff for Pride Month:

This OREO goes out to everyone celebrating Pride Month. pic.twitter.com/3BIWM78k6j

— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) June 22, 2018

• Sweden is set to have the first LGBT-certified sports stadium where all staff at the 7,200-capacity multi-use arena will be trained in LGBT issues in order to create a welcoming environment. Additionally, all toilets and dressing rooms will be adapted so that there are accessible options for all athletes and spectators, regardless of their gender identity, including gender neutral toilets where possible.

• The Flash star Keiynan Lonsdale got trolled on Twitter recently for wearing a dress to the MTV Awards earlier this month where he snagged the award for "Best Kiss" for his liplock with Nick Robinson in Love, Simon.

But Lonsdale handled the homophobe with style, and shared one of the benefits of his sartorial choices: "Allows the balls to breathe and therefore will chill ya out."

Dude you gotta stop tweeting me about it & just go try one on yourself.. It’s only a piece of clothing & it’s fun :) Also allows the balls to breathe and therefore will chill ya out 🌸 https://t.co/atdNEPOmnN

— Keiynan Lonsdale 🌈 (@KeiynanLonsdale) June 28, 2018

• What to watch this weekend? The critics are raving about the new Hugh Grant BBC mini-series, A Very English Scandal. Starting today the 3-part series is available on Amazon, and according to the reviews, it's fantastic.

Trump Denounces "What Happened In Sweden" (That Didn't Happen)

Yesterday, during President Trump's "campaign rally" in Florida, eyebrows were raised when Herr Trump referenced terrorist attacks around the world and included Sweden in the list. Not just "included," but lingered on the issue.

"We've got to keep our country safe," Trump said during the rally in Melbourne, Florida. "You look at what's happening in Germany, you look at what's happening last night in Sweden — Sweden, who would believe this?"

Trump, discussing terror, seamlessly mentions incident "last night in Sweden".

There was NO "incident" in Sweden last night. pic.twitter.com/XtcC4PRiNU

— Steve Kopack (@SteveKopack) February 19, 2017

From the New York Times:

Nothing particularly nefarious happened in Sweden on Friday — or Saturday, for that matter — and Swedes were left baffled.

Mr. Trump did not state, per se, that a terrorist attack had taken place in Sweden.

But the context of his remarks — he mentioned Sweden right after he chastised Germany, a destination for refugees and asylum seekers fleeing war and deprivation — suggested that he thought it might have.

“Sweden,” he said. “They took in large numbers. They’re having problems like they never thought possible. You look at what’s happening in Brussels. You look at what’s happening all over the world. Take a look at Nice. Take a look at Paris. We’ve allowed thousands and thousands of people into our country and there was no way to vet those people. There was no documentation. There was no nothing. So we’re going to keep our country safe.”

Contrary to Mr. Trump’s allegations, nearly all of the men involved in terrorist assaults in Paris on Nov. 13, 2015, in Brussels on March 22 last year, and in Nice, France, on July 14, were citizens of France or Belgium.

.@brianstelter reacts to President Trump incorrectly claiming at Florida rally that Sweden was attacked "last night" https://t.co/iepAiqFgiQ

— CNN (@CNN) February 19, 2017

From the former Swedish Prime Minister:

Sweden? Terror attack? What has he been smoking? Questions abound. https://t.co/XWgw8Fz7tj

— Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) February 19, 2017

@fuadmb About #swedenincident #lastnightinsweden unclear to us what President Trump was referring to,have asked US officials for explanation

— Embassy of Sweden US (@SwedeninUSA) February 19, 2017

And then he made up a #swedenincident 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/nxzYbKxAV9

— Chris Smith (@Lilyachttty) February 19, 2017

If only Frederick Douglass had been in Sweden when that terrible terrorist attack didn't happen. #SwedenIncident pic.twitter.com/Lxs5CLVbg4

— Texas Flyer (@TxFlyer62) February 19, 2017

Never forget. #swedenincident pic.twitter.com/cNpgMaKLbb

— Girls Really Rule. (@girlsreallyrule) February 19, 2017

UPDATE - President Trump clarifies he was repeating something he saw on TV:

My statement as to what's happening in Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 19, 2017

Sweden’s Måns Zelmerlöw Wins Eurovision 2015

Måns Zelmerlöw of Sweden has won Eurovision 2015 with his performance of "Heroes."

But the winner of the grand, over-the-top annual song competition ran into a bit of trouble with the LGBT community last year when he said LGBT couples should not be parents while appearing on a TV cooking show.

The 28-year-old claimed it “isn’t equally natural for men to want to sleep with one another” and branded homosexuality an “avvikelse” (abnormality), according to WiWiBloggs, before quickly adding that “there isn’t anything wrong with it at all”.

Zelmerlow later clarified his remarks in a statement, apologising to “all who take offence”. “I believe and hope that the vast majority know that I respect differences and all forms of love,” he said.

Supporters blamed the food and drink on the TV show that caused him to "misspeak."

Zelmerlöw seemed to show support for the LGBT community as he accepted his award last night:

'I have so much to say... I’m so extremely happy,' he said as he accepted the award, according to the BBC.

'We are all heroes, no matter who we love, who we are or what we believe in.'

Eurovision Song Contest: Sweden's Robin Stjernberg - "You"

Sweden's entry this year in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Great hook to the chorus, and great vocals by Robin Stjernberg. Could be a contender here...

Last year's Melodifestivalen winner, Loreen, ended up winning Eurovision with her smash hit Euphoria. Due to that win, the finals for the Eurovision Song competition will be held in Sweden this year.

Malmö, Sweden's third largest city, will play host to the show in May.