Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu speaks with CNN's Wolf Blitzer about the scandal involving his ex-boyfriend.
Chauffeur: Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown had 'wild threesome with A-list soul singer' in back seat
Whitney Houston's 20-year chauffeur Al Bowman told the Mirror Online that he watched "first hand the singer’s spiral into a drug-fuelled meltdown."
Among the allegations Bowman makes following the star's mysterious death: Houston and then-husband Bobby Brown smoked crack in the back seat of his limo "and enjoyed a wild threesome with an A-list soul singer."
This follows revived rumors that Houston had a longtime lesbian relationship before her marriage to Brown.
Headline of the week from Cumming, Ga.
Hat tip to gay journalist Rex Wockner for sharing this headline from AccessNorthGa.com: Santorum blasts Obama during Cumming rally.
CUMMING - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum spoke to an overflow audience at the giant First Redeemer Church in Cumming Sunday night during what was billed as a ‘God and Country’ rally.
'God vs. Gay?' author Jay Michaelson to speak Saturday at Temple Israel of Greater Miami
From Miami Herald columnist Bea Hines:
At 6:30 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 25), Temple Israel of Greater Miami's Ru’ach LGBT havurah will join with Nehirim, a national LGBT Jewish organization to host writer, scholar and activist Jay Michaelson, author of the recently published book, God vs. Gay?: The Religious Case for Equaity. The book addresses the intersections of religion, sexuality, spirituality and law. The program begins with a short service and will be followed by dinner and an hour-long "Jewish speed-learning" session at 7:30 p.m. At 9 p.m. the group will join Next@19th’s CHAIKU program that highlights Michaelson’s and participants’ LGBT Jewish poetry. The cost of the evening is $25 (on a sliding scale; no one will be turned away for lack of funds). Make your reservations to beco.lictman@gmail.com.
Temple Israel is located at 137 NE 19th St., Miami.
Click here to read a recent interview I did with Michaelson.
American Idol's Adam Lambert steps into Freddie Mercury's shoes: to sing with rock band Queen
BY HILARY FOX AND NICKI FINLAY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON -- Adam Lambert has nabbed his dream gig: Singing vocals for the iconic British band Queen as they headline the second day of the U.K. rock festival Sonisphere 2012.
The former "American Idol" singer-songwriter will step into the late Freddie Mercury's shoes for the band's July 7 set at Knebworth Park in Stevenage, north of London.
Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor confirmed the one-time collaboration Tuesday with Lambert, 30, a runner-up in season eight of the popular American TV song competition.
The Sonisphere show marks the third time Lambert has sung with the landmark band, following an eight-minute set at the MTV Europe Awards in November to celebrate Queen's Global Icon Award, and a 2009 performance of "We Are the Champions" on "American Idol."
"It's great, they are the coolest guys, they are so down-to-earth," Lambert told The Associated Press in a recent interview in London.
"They are very sweet and just to be up there doing this music is such an honor. Freddie Mercury was a hero to me and his voice, his song writing and being gay, the whole package is amazing," the American singer said.
Mercury's final concert with Queen also took place at Knebworth in August 1986. But Lambert, who is also gay and theatrical, insisted he was not trying to take Mercury's place.
"I in no way am trying to copy or mimic or replace Freddie or do what he did, that would be insulting to his memory and to the fans that hold him in such high regard," Lambert said. "I just am paying tribute. I am excited to sing the songs that he wrote and to try to give them some sort of flair that he would appreciate."
A new single from Lambert's highly anticipated second album "Trespassing" - "Better Than I Know Myself" - is out now in the U.S. and being released next month in Britain.
Task Force lauds Showtime, Office Depot, Coca-Cola, Kimpton, other brands for supporting Winter Party
News release from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force:
NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE ANNOUNCES NATIONAL BRANDS COME “OUT” IN SUPPORT OF THE LGBT COMMUNITY AT WINTER PARTY FESTIVAL
MIAMI BEACH, FL – February 21, 2012 – The LGBT community is a fiercely loyal consumer. According to a recent Harris Interactive national study, seven out of 10 LGBT consumers said they are likely to remain loyal to a brand they believe is friendly and supportive of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, even when less friendly companies offer lower prices or are more convenient. This loyalty, coupled with the estimated $845 billion consumer spending power of the LGBT community, has national, mainstream brands actively courting LGBT consumers.
One of the most popular avenues to reach the LGBT community is through event marketing, says David Alexander, director of institutional giving for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. As proof, Alexander points to the upcoming Winter Party Festival in Miami Beach, a six-day, 20-event festival produced annually as a Task Force fundraiser. Among the national brands supporting this month’s Winter Party are Showtime Networks, Office Depot, Coca-Cola, Monster Energy, Grey Goose/42 Below vodkas and Kimpton Hotel’s Surfcomber Miami, South Beach.
“With the annual buying power of the LGBT community nearing $1 trillion, these companies know that targeting this high-value demographic is simply good business,” said Alexander. “Winter Party, which attracts more than 10,000 guests from around the world, has proven to be an ideal opportunity for these national brands to showcase their products.”
Alexander estimates that the combined value of cash and in-kind Winter Party sponsorships well exceeds $200,000, the largest sum in the event’s history. The type of sponsorship exposure varies, he said, and is tailored to whatever best benefits the brand. For example, Showtime will be spotlighting the network’s “Nurse Jackie” and “The Borgias” shows, Office Depot is underwriting t-shirts and donating office supplies, while Coca-Cola brands and Grey Goose/42 Below vodkas are the official non-alcoholic and spirits sponsors, respectively. Surfcomber is the festival’s host hotel.
“The payoff for these companies can be tremendous,” Alexander said. “On the surface, they’re reaching thousands of potential customers with experiential brand marketing, but the more subtle message is that they enthusiastically support the LGBT community. No doubt, the community will enthusiastically support them back.”
Produced by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Winter Party Festival raises funds to build power, take action and create change for the LGBT community. The majority of the net proceeds generated from Winter Party Festival go to work in South Florida through grants administered by The Miami Foundation, while the remainder supports the Task Force’s efforts nationally. Since assuming responsibility for the events in 2004, the Task Force has provided nearly $1.2 million from the proceeds of Winter Party and the annual Recognition Dinner to LGBT organizations in South Florida.
Winter Party runs February 29 to March 5 at venues throughout Miami Beach and Miami. For information, visit www.winterparty.com.
Bloggers: Did Sheriff Paul Babeu have a three-way with gay Arizona state Rep. Matt Heinz and his boyfriend?
Joe.My.God ran a blog item Sunday about gay Sheriff Paul Babeu and his relationship with openly gay Arizona state Rep. Matt Heinz, who is running for Gabrielle Gifford's old U.S. House seat.
Joe Jervis says that buried in a Phoenix New Times exposé of Babeu (the story in which the sheriff's ex-boyfriend accused Babeu of threatening to deport him) was this "tidbit:"
Openly gay Tucson state Representative Matt Heinz was one of two Democratic lawmakers who broke ranks with the party in March 2011 and voted to give Babeu $5 million to combat border violence. Other lawmakers opposed the measure, in part, because Babeu's county is at least 70 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. The measure finally was pared down to $1.7 million and passed by the Legislature. About a week after Heinz's nod to Babeu, the sheriff spent the night at Heinz's home, text messages that Jose shared with New Times show. "I'm at Mat Heinz and his boyfriend for dinner & ice cream . . . we are going out to bar and . . . to their house. [Am] staying over," Babeu texted to Jose at 1:04 a.m. last April 2.
Now, bloggers are asking exactly what happened when Babeu stayed over with Heinz and his boyfriend.
"Did Matt Heinz, The Openly Gay Democrat Running For Gabby Giffords's Seat, Have A Three-Way With Sheriff Paul Babeu?," asks The Village Voice, parent company of Arizona New Times.
No word yet from Heinz, his boyfriend or Babeu.
Latino rights group seeks probe into gay Arizona sheriff accused of threatening to deport boyfriend
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The group Respect Respeto on Monday sent a request to the U.S. Department of Justice for a probe into Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu for abuse of power.
Babeu confirmed he is gay Saturday and resigned from presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's Arizona committee amid the man's allegations. He denied claims he tried to threaten the man, a former campaign volunteer, with deportation if their past relationship was made public.
KNXV-TV reports (http://bit.ly/z8SgNP) Respect Respeto wants the sheriff investigated on behalf of every immigrant who has been threatened with deportation.
The group alleges in its request to the Justice Department that Babeu made "text messages, pictures and threats that are unbecoming of an elected sheriff."
