Lexus’ L/Studio Continues It Got Better Series

The News Wheel   6/19/2015

Lexus’ L/Studio has produced a series of videos featuring LGBT celebrities such as Nate Berkus

When you think of car manufacturers and their videos, cars racing on long tracks or through city streets come to mind. Some car companies branch out to videos about family and the journeys you take in your vehicles, but in general they don’t stray far from the beaten path (or paved road, in this case).

Lexus decided to break the mold in 2008, and has been producing non-car content as part of their L/Studio offerings. Billing itself as “Subscription-style TV without a subscription or a TV,” the brand’s series range in style from comedy, to design, to interviews. L/Studio’s mission is to use their content to expose viewers to different experiences and inspire innovation. According to Brian Bolain, Lexus’ Marketing Manager, “We can’t talk cars all the time because people don’t think about cars all the time.”

Of course, The News Wheel respectfully disagrees with Mr. Bolain. We love thinking about cars all the time!

Some of the most notable videos to come out of the L/Studio are in the It Got Better interview series. After a successful first season in 2014, the series is back with new episodes being released on YouTube and the L/Studio site. Featuring LGBT celebrities like RuPaul, Andrew Rannells, and Rosie O’Donnell, each episode focuses on how each person discovered who they are and the unique challenges they faced because of their sexual orientation. Check out Nate Berkus’ episode below to learn more about this famous interior designer’s journey.

 

 

 

https://thenewswheel.com/lexus-lstudio-continues-it-got-better-series/

BBC Execs Behind ‘Doctor Who’ Revival Launch Production Banner

The Hollywood Reporter   7/27/2015   by Alex Ritman

Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner

Bad Wolf, named after a ‘Doctor Who’ episode, has been set up by Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner with help from the Welsh government.

Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner, the former BBC executives who helped revive Doctor Who and bring to life Torchwood and Da Vinci’s Demons, have set up their own production company with support from the Welsh government in the U.K.

Bad Wolf, announced Monday, will be co-sited in the U.K. and L.A., and will have its production base at a permanent studio in South Wales. It was here a decade ago where Tranter and Gardner, along with Russell T. Davies, helped re-ignite the local TV industry with Doctor Who when they helmed BBC Drama. The name Bad Wolf comes from an episode of the rebooted Doctor Who, with then showrunner Davies giving Tranter and Gardner permission to use it for their new outfit.

Focused on creating high-end TV and film for the global market, Bad Wolf is forecast to bring in roughly $150 million to the local Welsh economy over the next 10 years, according to the company, with development deals with U.S. networks and studios reportedly close to being set up.

Edwina Hart, the Welsh minister for business, enterprise, technology and science said that Bad Wolf has the potential to be a “game changer” for the local creative economy.

“Jane and Julie already have strong and established relationships with both U.S. and U.K. broadcasters and their slate of international productions will play an important role in developing and sustaining a strong crew base in Wales and will ensure global television content is produced from the region for many years to come,” she added.

After heading to LA to oversee BBC Worldwide Productions, Tranter and Gardner produced three series of Da Vinci’s Demons for Stars and Fox, which was also shot in Wales. Their six-year tenure, which saw the two produce 850 hours of scripted and unscripted programming, recently resulted in 10 Emmy nominations for Dancing with the Stars, Life Below Zero and Getting On.

“TV has changed beyond all recognition in the past decade,” said Tranter. “Huge international productions made on movie scale budgets have put British TV at the forefront of this revolution. We are delighted to be working with Welsh Government to grow this industry and continue to benefit the economy of Wales.”

Gardner added that the talent in South Wales was “world class.”

 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bbc-execs-behind-doctor-who-811199?utm_source=twitter

Ezra Miller: The Sexiest Shaggy-Haired Out Bi Guy Alive

The Stranger   7/23/2015   by Dan Savage

I probably should’ve sat my ass down to watch Rachel Maddow’s interview with Rick Santorum first thing this morning—that’s what my freelance assignment editors on Twitter ordered me to do—but I watched the trailer for Madame Bovary instead. Again. Because Ezra Miller. Sigh. I know that a shaggy-haired, lanky, out bisexual guy with killer cheekbones will never be named the Sexiest Man Alive by the people at People. But it really should be Ezra this year.

Okay. Now I’m going to sit down and watch the Rachel and Rick show.

 

http://www.thestranger.com/blogs/slog/2015/07/23/22590176/the-madam-bovary-trailer

Clinton Silent on 2016 Bid as Campaign-Style Actions Begin to Speak Volumes

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s schedule included a tribute to Maya Angelou on Friday in New York.

She is building stamina through tough new workouts with a personal trainer and yoga. She is talking about how to address income inequality without alienating corporate America. And she is reviewing who’s who in the Democratic Party in Iowa, a crucial early voting state in the presidential cycle.

Hillary Rodham Clinton has said publicly that she will decide early next year whether she will undertake a second campaign for the presidency. But inside the Clinton operation, the groundwork is already quietly being laid for a candidacy.

On Sunday, Mrs. Clinton will appear at the 37th annual Iowa steak fry hosted by Senator Tom Harkin; it will be her most overtly political appearance since resigning as secretary of state in February of last year.

Meanwhile, the largest Democratic fund-raising group, Priorities USA, which helped get President Obama elected, recently rebranded itself as a vehicle to help Mrs. Clinton. Publicly, the group says it is focused on raising money for Democrats for this fall’s congressional elections, but privately, Priorities has already started reaching out to donors to secure 2016 commitments for Mrs. Clinton.

“It’s very obvious what’s she going to do,” said Sue Dvorsky, a former chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party. “Clearly she’s going to run.”

Of course, the former first lady can always decide to take a pass on a campaign. Before the 2004 presidential election, former Vice President Al Gore crisscrossed the country to promote his books, delivered speeches and even poked fun at himself on “Saturday Night Live,” leading to assumptions that he would seek to unseat President George W. Bush. But in December 2002, Mr. Gore declared that he would not run.

But Mr. Gore did not have a groundswell of support within the Democratic Party and had run into potential problems raising money. (There was no “Ready for Al” group signing up supporters.) And, back then, the Democratic Party had a larger field of other viable candidates including Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts and Senator John Edwards of North Carolina.

The signs pointing to Mrs. Clinton running are big and small.

Lately, when supporters wish her good luck in the 2016 presidential campaign, she responds with a simple “Thank you,” rather than explain that there is no campaign and that she has not yet decided whether she will run, as she did previously.

Priorities has held informational meetings with donors like Bernard L. Schwartz, a New York investor, and J. B. Pritzker, a Chicago-based philanthropist, to discuss a 2016 strategy and how much money will be needed to take on Republican super PACs.

At the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, an intense period of fund-raising is underway, which is widely seen as an effort to build up the family’s charitable operation now, because a presidential campaign would soon interfere with philanthropic activities. A foundation fund-raiser the Clintons threw in the Hamptons in August cost as much as $50,000 per couple to attend.

Last month, Chelsea Clinton resigned from NBC News after less than three years as a special correspondent. In a Facebook message, Ms. Clinton said she stepped down “to continue focusing on my work at the Clinton Foundation” and as she and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, expect their first child. But she would have likely had to step back from that job should her mother embark on a presidential campaign.

These days Mrs. Clinton’s mind seems to drift to Iowa, as she has been casually asking friends about who’s who in the state’s Democratic Party, said two people who could discuss private conversations only anonymously.

On Sunday, Mrs. Clinton will make her first trip back to Iowa since early 2008, when she came in third in the heated Democratic caucus behind Mr. Obama, then a senator from Illinois, and Mr. Edwards. Mr. and Mrs. Clinton will both attend the steak fry, a fund-raiser in Indianola known as a must-stop for potential presidential candidates.

It has long been an opportunity for presidential candidates “to get out there and dip your toe in the water and introduce yourself to a lot of active Democrats,” said Scott M. Brennan, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party. (He added that the Clintons were attending to help Democrats in 2014 and to pay tribute to Mr. Harkin, who is retiring from the Senate.)

Back in New York and Washington, Mrs. Clinton has a packed schedule this month to raise money for Democratic candidates; she headlined a reception Friday to benefit the Democratic Governors Association that cost $10,000 to attend. Mr. and Mrs. Clinton are not slowing down on delivering paid speeches, at around $200,000 each. A presidential campaign would limit those opportunities to make money.

Mrs. Clinton is getting in better physical shape, a necessity for any potential candidate who faces the rigors of the campaign trail. Friends said she has more energy and has also been practicing yoga.

A spokesman for Mrs. Clinton dismissed any suggestion that the former secretary of state is preparing to run. “You caught us,” said Nick Merrill, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton. “These are all definitive signs of a person” who is “simply living their life.”

Mrs. Clinton spent August in the Hamptons, a working vacation that gave her plenty of time to interact with donors without the glare of the news media. Liz Robbins, a Washington lobbyist with a home in East Hampton; the investor Dan Neidich and his wife, Brooke Garber Neidich, an arts executive; the hedge fund manager Richard C. Perry and his wife, Lisa Perry, a fashion designer; and Susie Tompkins Buell, a San Francisco-based entrepreneur, are among the friends and donors who hosted events for the Clintons.

Amid the small talk, Mrs. Clinton would offer telltale signs that she intends to run, said several people who crossed paths with the former first lady on the shores of Long Island.

She would pose political questions and field thoughts on policy, asking, for example, Wall Street executives and business leaders what they thought of Mr. Obama’s efforts to eliminate inversions.

Mrs. Clinton has a small personal staff that she recently relocated to New York to be closer to her office at the Clinton Foundation. Several aides who worked on Mrs. Clinton’s 2008 campaign, and hope to work for her again, often discuss logistics like where a campaign headquarters would be located, with New York State and Little Rock, Ark., floated as options.

Fledgling efforts to develop a message are quietly taking place, said the people close to Mrs. Clinton. Without discussing her 2016 plans, she has talked to friends and donors in business about how to tackle income inequality without alienating businesses or castigating the wealthy.

That message would likely be less populist and more pro-growth, less about inversions and more about corporate tax reform, less about raising the minimum wage and more long-term job creation, said two people with firsthand knowledge of the discussions. (A person close to Mrs. Clinton said that she often seeks advice from people in various fields, and that those conversations have nothing to do with planning a campaign.)

Until Mrs. Clinton officially declares, she is having some fun with the breathless speculation. In an online birthday message to Mr. Clinton, she discusses a possible birthday gift with Kevin Spacey, in character as the scheming President Francis Underwood on the Netflix drama “House of Cards.”

Mr. Spacey proposes an elephant, like the ones Mrs. Clinton works to save at the Clinton Foundation. “I told you,” she responds, “this is a very personal decision that I will make when I’m ready.”

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/13/us/clinton-silent-on-2016-bid-as-campaign-style-actions-begin-to-speak-volumes.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share

3 TV Shows Brands Could Have Used as Sponsored Content

Content Standard   7/15/2015   by

During his keynote at last month’s inaugural Content Rising Summit, Tom Gerace, Skyword’s founder and CEO, urged marketers in the audience to think bigger when it comes to brand storytelling. He asked the crowd, “Why wouldn’t Coca-Cola bid against NBC for the broadcast rights to the Olympics? All the company would have to do is replace the peacock with the Coke logo, and every two years Coke would have a breakthrough moment. The brand would capture the attention of the world in a way nobody could compete with.”

After hearing his argument, I was convinced. This seemed like an incredible opportunity. So why wasn’t Coca-Cola doing this? Why wasn’t anybody doing this? I reasoned it must be because of budget, but I was wrong. Gerace ended by saying, “This would cost Coke 18 percent of the budget that they would spend during the same time period.” For 18 percent of the budget they would already spend, Coca-Cola has the chance to connect with viewers all over the world by producing and sharing the stories of challenge and triumph of the Olympic Games.

Instead, what are they spending that 18 percent on? Interruption advertising—traditional methods like commercials and billboards that audiences are becoming desensitized to. Statistics show that even though cable is losing audience to subscription services like Netflix, TV shows still provide a platform for brands to reach a mass audience. Consider Mad Men. Before we said goodbye to Don Draper, an average of 2.7 million people tuned into AMC for an hour each week. That’s 2.7 million people actively stopping their day and diverting their attention to their television.

Sponsored content in the form of TV shows are a powerful frontier that for the most part have been untapped by brands. Spurred by Gerace’s urging to imagine a brand like Coca-Cola hosting the Olympics, I thought of three brands that could have used their marketing dollars to create captivating sponsored content in the form of TV shows. Here are my suggestions:

The Bachelor, Presented by Forevermark

Everyone’s guilty pleasure, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, would both be great options for jewelry brand Forevermark to sponsor. As a diamond brand for De Beers Group of Companies, Forevermark provides rare, beautiful diamonds that are responsibly sourced. These diamonds represent commitment and devotion, which is also what the contestants on the show are looking for. The show is regularly the number one show for its time slot and day, capturing a mostly female audience. I envision at the end of each season the lucky winner being proposed to with a Forevermark diamond ring. If that were the real situation, I can imagine every viewer wanting the same for their proposal.

The Bachelor TV Show Cover Photo

Modern Family, Presented by Target

All age groups and demographics have fallen in love with Modern Family. From the humor to the daily tangibles that viewers can relate to, Modern Family has created a faithful following. This is a following that Target can tap into. Target provides everything that modern families need—groceries, clothing, home decor, sports equipment, electronics—in one place. All of these things could be seamlessly incorporated into Modern Family. Why not?

Modern Family

Friday Night Lights, Presented by Chevrolet

Arguably one of the greatest shows ever (at least according to me), Friday Night Lights depicts the everyday struggles of an American community that is brought together through their love for football. All-American brand Chevrolet continually markets to this show’s audience, so creating Friday Night Lights as sponsored content for the brand would align nicely with their current initiatives.

Friday Night Lights TV Show Cover

These TV shows represent massive opportunities for brands to reach potential consumers in a way they are not currently exploring. It’s time brands begin to think of bigger ways to deliver sponsored content, and TV shows are one of the many possibilities. What are some TV shows that you think brands could have sponsored? Let me know in the comment section below!

 

http://www.skyword.com/contentstandard/enterprise-marketing/3-tv-shows-brands-could-have-used-as-sponsored-content/

Arizona swimmer came out as gay and everybody shrugged

OutSports   7/14/2015   By Jon Denton-Schneider

Jon Denton-Schneider at the Texas Invitational.

Jon Denton-Schneider used all sorts of excuses to avoid coming out, but realized that being a good teammate meant being honest.

“Upper-middle class white Jewish kid from San Francisco tells a bunch of guys in Speedos what they already knew.”

It did not seem like the title of a story that would help a closeted athlete living in a more conservative part of the country, playing a less accepting sport, or struggling with anti-LGBT religious beliefs or racial stereotypes. So after I came out to the swim team at the University of Arizona in early 2011, I thought it would be enough to “just be me” and quietly break any stereotypes my teammates had about gay athletes.

I met Jim Buzinski at the Nike LGBT Sports Summit a few weeks ago and I explained my headline and why I never shared my story on Outsports. “How do you know it won’t help anyone?” he asked me. “If you can come out publicly without risking your safety or your career, I think you have a responsibility to do so.  You never know what the reaction will be.”

Fair enough, Jim. Maybe someone reading this post will see another example of a gay NCAA Division I athlete who had a fulfilling college career. At the very least, I hope the reader gets a good laugh out of it.

It should have been incredibly easy for me to come out as a teenager. I grew up just north of San Francisco in what I like to call the People’s Republic of Marin County.  Both sides of my family are quite liberal. I have gay uncles who came out well before I was born. My family is Reform Jewish, but even Conservative Judaism supports marriage equality.

At my high school, it was a bigger deal to be openly Republican or drive a non-hybrid car than to be LGBT. There was usually better attendance at our theater productions and art shows than our sporting events. My school did not have a football team but we did have a “Peace and Justice Coalition,” whatever that means.

Swimming also has to be one of the gayest sports there is. I mean that both in terms of the Speedos as well as the out athletes. Actually, I mean that in terms of all of the athletes. I have seen many straight swimmers casually do things that go well beyond any reasonable definition of “male bonding.” Plus, I have found that almost every swimmer is indeed in love with a man: himself. Try having a conversation with a male swimmer near a mirror and you will see what I mean.

And yet while I was in high school, the idea of coming out as a gay athlete absolutely terrified me. I did not know of any openly gay swimmers who had successful swimming careers, so I inferred causality from the correlation. I assumed that coming out would mean I could never swim for a top Division I program.

At that time, my life had two distinct parts: academics and swimming.  hey were separate enough from each other that very few of my swimming friends knew my school friends, and vice versa. That distance allowed me the space to come up with some spectacular non-denial denials about my conspicuous lack of girlfriends.

For example, I told my classmates that I did not want to date any girls from school because I was “interested in a swimmer.” That was not false, but I was omitting the fact that said swimmer was male. If pressed further, I explained that I could not have a successful relationship with a non-athlete because “only another athlete can understand my life.” Again, not an untrue statement, but also not the reason I never had a girlfriend.

On the other hand, I said to my swimming friends that dating a swimmer would “just distract me from making Olympic Trials.” It may surprise non-swimmers that this dodge was usually enough to stop their questions. Swimmers use the word “swimcest” to describe within-team dating, and not surprisingly, it has negative connotations. Avoiding swimcest was both an acceptable and laudable explanation.

But if anyone did press further, I saved the most magnificent dodge for last: “I am in a relationship. A relationship with swimming.”

Though it sounds ridiculous, I can actually make a case for this one. Assume a person can have a relationship with a sport. Then my relationship with swimming started slowly because I was going through a nasty breakup with soccer at the time. But soon enough I was ready to be exclusive with swimming.

Within a few months, the passion began to smolder. I went from casually “doing” swimming a few evenings each week to the point where I wanted to “do” it every morning before school. The fact that I was “doing” swimming nine times a week was just an expression of the teenage libido.  I even traveled the country so I could “do” swimming in romantic getaways like Bakersfield and Indianapolis.

See?  Now you are thinking about the ridiculous concept of making love to a sport instead of wondering why I do not have a girlfriend.

As amazing as these dodges were, however, they did not work once I joined the team at Arizona. There was no separating my life at school from my life in the pool — I swam, studied, ate, and lived with my teammates. We were the Wildcat family and it was impossible to keep anything from each other. I realized I would eventually have to come out.

I was lucky enough to have this insight at the same time I noticed that I was balding. Seriously, I am truly grateful these events coincided.

At first I thought losing my hair would end my dating life before it had even begun. I was certain that I would be ugly and no one would ever love me and I would die alone. But eventually I realized that someone will either love me for who I am, or not. The absence of hair on my head was not going to change that fact. I buzzed it all off and never looked back.

After a knee surgery and a few months away from the pool, it dawned on me that the same reasoning applied to being a gay athlete. It was not going to change whether a teammate or coach liked me as a person. I would not have to spontaneously retire from swimming as I had feared in high school.

I also realized that outwardly pretending I was not gay was like having a comb-over: everyone probably saw through it and it was just sad to think it was working. Thus on Christmas 2010, after having dinner at a Chinese restaurant like any good Jewish family, I came out to my parents and brothers. “Duh, even grandma knew,” was the reaction.

I returned to Tucson and decided to come out quietly to my team. It went against our culture to gather everyone around, make a big announcement, and then do a group hug. Instead, I told a few guys I was closest to, knowing they would spread the word from there.

The upside of my approach was that I did not have to do the heavy lifting of telling everyone. The downside was that I did not know at what point each teammate found out.

No one said anything about it for a few months and finally I got tired of tiptoeing around the subject. At a party, I went up to one of the few guys I thought might have had an issue with me being gay. I made an edgy joke about it to see how he would respond.

To my surprise, he doubled over laughing, and hugged me. “JD, I love you, buddy,” he said. “Dude, don’t be gay,” I responded, shoving him away. He doubled over laughing again.

That was the moment when I realized everything would be fine. I was a bald, gay Wildcat. And the only word in the previous sentence that really mattered was the last one.

Denton-Schneider with Arizona seniors at 2014 PAC-12s (photo by Sarah Howard)

Jon Denton-Schneider, 24, graduated summa cum laude from the University of Arizona in 2013.  He swam for Arizona and majored in Economics, Entrepreneurship, and Spanish. He was awarded a Fulbright grant by the U.S. Department of State. He will begin a Ph.D. in Economics in Fall 2016. Jon can be reached via email (jdschn@email.arizona.edu) or Facebook (facebook.com/jon.dentonschneider).

 

http://www.outsports.com/2015/7/14/8938045/jon-denton-schneider-arizona-swimming-gay-coming-out?ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000022

10 Of The Most Scrumptious Gay, Bi, and Trans Men

Gaybourhood   7/14/2015   by Steph Mold

We love it when famous people are out of the closet. That’s why we’ve picked 10 of our favorite actors, activists, musicians, and so forth to be on this list! As you read on, make sure you’re sitting down – your knees might go weak!

Matt Bomer
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Super hunk Matthew Staton “Matt” Bomer (born October 11, 1977) is an American actor. He made his television debut with Guiding Light in 2001, and gained recognition with his recurring role in the NBC television series Chuck as Bryce Larkin. His other notable appearances have included the TV series White Collar, and our favorite, the Magic Mike movies! He has been married to his husband, Simon Halls, since 2011 and together they have 3 children. This means he is very off the market, which makes us cry a little bit.

Channing Tatum
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Dream boat Channing Matthew Tatum (born April 26, 1980) is an American actor, film producer, dancer, and model. Tatum made his film debut in the drama film Coach Carter (2005). His breakthrough role was in the 2006 dance film Step Up, which introduced him to a wider audience, and he is also known for his roles in She’s The Man, G.I. Joe, 21 Jump Street, and Magic Mike. Tatum is known for being bi, as well as fully supporting the LGBT community at pride events. He has been married to wife, Jenna Channing, since 2009, and they have a daughter together. So, no, he isn’t available either. We’re gonna need more tissues.

Aydian Dowling
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Gorgeous stud, Aydian Ethan Dowling (27 years old), is an out and proud FTM transgender activist who is currently in the running to become the first ever trans* guy on the cover of Men’s Health magazine. Born and raised in Long Island, New York, Dowling came out as a lesbian as a teenager before identifying as transgender. He has made many headlines since his documented transition started on YouTube with his fitness program channel, BeefHeads. He is married to his wife, Jennilee, and kinda sorta wished he had married us instead.

Zach Quinto
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Dreamy Zachary John Quinto (born June 2, 1977) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for his roles as Sylar on the science fiction drama series Heroes (2006–2010), and Spock in the reboot Star Trek (2009) and its sequel Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). He is also recognized from his role in American Horror Story. He has been publicly gay since 2011, and has been dating model Miles McMillian since 2013. *glare*

Neil Patrick Harris
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Beautiful Neil Patrick Harris, (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, writer, producer, director, comedian, magician, singer, and television host. He is known for playing Barney Stinson in the television comedy series How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014), for which he was nominated for four Emmy Awards. He has been outwardly spoken for years in his support for the LGBT community, and definitely doesn’t hide his own sexuality. Openly gay since 2006, he married husband David Burtka in2014, and together they have two gorgeous children. We adore them so much!

Ricky Martin
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Handsome Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), commonly known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, actor, and author. Martin began his career at age twelve with the all-boy pop group Menudo. After five years with the group, he released several Spanish-language solo albums throughout the 1990s, and became a huge hit. Out since 2010, Martin is father to two young boys, and is currently single. Good thing we’re free this weekend!

Wentworth Miller
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Sexy pants Wentworth Earl Miller III (born June 2, 1972) is an American actor, model, screenwriter and producer. He rose to prominence following his role as Michael Scofield in the Fox series Prison Break, for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for best actor in a leading role. He came out in 2013, and has spoken openly about his support for the community and his own struggles as a gay man before his announcement. It’s ok Wentworth, we’ll take care of you.

Tom Daley
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Cutie pie Thomas Robert “Tom” Daley (born 21 May 1994) is an English diver and television personality. Daley specializes in the 10 metre platform event and was the 2009 FINA World Champion in the individual event at the age of 15. He won two gold medals for England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, in the 10 metre synchro diving (with Max Brick) and the 10m Individual Platform competition, and won the bronze medal for Great Britain in the individual competition at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Daley has been out since 2013, and has been with his American partner Dustin Black for almost 3 years!

Adam Lambert
Adam-Lambert
Hot stuff Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and stage actor. In 2009, Lambert came to prominence when he became the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol. During his very successful career as a singer, Lambert has been a constant active supporter for the LGBT community, having been out himself since 2009. According to interviews, he has “slept with a few closeted Hollywood stars,” and is currently single. We’re here for your entertainment, Adam.

Matt Dallas
Matt-Dallas-16
Super sexy Matthew Joseph “Matt” Dallas (born October 21, 1982) is an American actor, best known for playing the title character on the ABC Family series Kyle XY. He announced on Twitter in 2013 that he was engaged to his musician boyfriend, Blue Hamilton, and they were married on July 5th of this year! Happy belated marriage, Matt and Blue (you lucky son of a…).

While we adore these ten heart-pounding guys, there is a TON of other LGBT and out people in all industries. With the community becoming more and more accepted across the states, we just know how important it is for those in the spotlight to come out and express their support. The more the merrier, we always say!

 

http://blog.gayborhoodapp.com/10-of-the-most-scrumptious-gay-bi-and-trans-men/

The making of a Hillary Clinton echo chamber

The Washington Post   7/7/2015  

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks to supporters at an organizing event in Glen, N.H.

One day in May, operatives from a Washington-based super PAC gathered New Hampshire mayors, state representatives and local politicos at Saint Anselm College for a day of training.

They rehearsed their personal tales of how they met Hillary Rodham Clinton and why they support her for president. They sharpened their defenses of her record as secretary of state. They scripted their arguments for why the Democratic front-runner has been “a lifetime champion of income opportunity.” And they polished their on-camera presentations in a series of mock interviews.

The objective of the sessions: to nurture a seemingly grass-roots echo chamber of Clinton supporters reading from the same script across the communities that dot New Hampshire, a critical state that holds the nation’s first presidential primary.

The super PAC, called Correct the Record, convened similar talking-point tutorials and ­media-training classes in May and June in three other early-voting states — Iowa, Nevada and South Carolina — as well as sessions earlier this spring in California.

Presidential campaigns have for decades fed talking points to surrogates who appear on national television or introduce candidates on the stump. But the effort to script and train local supporters is unusually ambitious and illustrates the extent to which the Clinton campaign and its web of sanctioned, allied super PACs are leaving nothing to chance.

 June 23, 2015 Pastor Traci Blackmon prays as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton listens at Christ the King United Church of Christ in Florissant, Mo, near Ferguson. Whitney Curtis/Getty Images
June 23, 2015 Pastor Traci Blackmon prays as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton listens at Christ the King United Church of Christ in Florissant, Mo, near Ferguson. Whitney Curtis/Getty Images
 June 23, 2015 Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at a campaign stop at Christ the King United Church of Christ in Florissant, Mo. Her visit to the St. Louis suburb focused on racial issues. Jeff Roberson/AP
June 23, 2015 Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at a campaign stop at Christ the King United Church of Christ in Florissant, Mo. Her visit to the St. Louis suburb focused on racial issues. Jeff Roberson/AP

When, say, a Londonderry Times reporter calls Rockingham County Democratic Committee members for a comment about the candidate, they are likely to parrot Correct the Record’s talking points about Clinton having been a fighter for the middle class — including improving rural health care as first lady of Arkansas to raising the minimum wage as a senator from New York.

“We are holding sessions with top communicators across the country where we talk about the best ways to discuss Secretary Clinton’s strong record of accomplishments, how to articulate Secretary Clinton’s positions most effectively and how to correct Republican operatives’ distortions of the facts,” said Adrienne Watson, communications director at Correct the Record.

But asking local supporters to use talking points could undermine the organic nature of grass-roots political interactions. No longer can a journalist call state representatives in Iowa and expect to hear their personal, candid takes on Clinton — nor can a Rotary Club member listen to fellow small-business owners talk about the candidate at the group’s monthly luncheon — without suspecting that they are reading from a script.

The super PAC’s effort comes as Clinton struggles on the campaign trail to appear accessible and genuine. Some Democrats have long thought that she sounds too scripted on the stump, especially compared with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), her insurgent primary rival whose authenticity and liberal message are drawing thousands of Democrats to his rallies.

New Hampshire state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, a local elected official for decades and a longtime Clinton supporter, said he did not attend Correct the Record’s session, which was held May 18 at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm.

“I’ve known Hillary for a long time,” he said. “I’ve known her husband for a long time. She’s been at our home. I’ve visited her in Washington. I believe that I can articulate where she is on issues and I really don’t need anybody to tell me what to say. I believe that you stand for people because you believe what they stand for and you articulate it.”

Kathy Sullivan, a Democratic National Committee member from New Hampshire who attended the training, said it helped her “talk about the Hillary Clinton we know.” The session included a workshop in which supporters turned to the supporters sitting next to them and practiced sharing anecdotes about Clinton that help humanize her.

“We would each tell a personal story about Hillary Clinton that is an example of the qualities about her that make her attractive as a candidate. as opposed to listing a lot of policy positions,” Sullivan said.

Correct the Record — one of several super PACs run by Clinton ally David Brock — coordinates some of its activities with Clinton’s campaign, but officials said the campaign played no role in the training sessions.

The Clinton team has its own surrogate operation that distributes talking points to supporters to ensure that its messages in local and national media are consistent.

For example, the campaign distributed an eight-page guide for volunteers with instructions for how to hold a house party. It encourages hosts to visit the campaign’s YouTube page to play videos of Clinton and tells them to invite guests “to share their story — everyone will get excited to talk about why they support Hillary,” according to the guide, which was made public Tuesday by the Sunlight Foundation.

The super PAC’s on-camera media training was conducted by the Franklin Forum and led by the group’s president, John Neffinger, a Democratic strategist who specializes in coaching people for television interviews.

Correct the Record held a series of similar media sessions in the spring of 2014 to prepare Clinton backers for interviews surrounding her national book tour for “Hard Choices,” a memoir of her State Department years.

Watson said the super PAC plans to hold additional training sessions later this year.

To supporters such as Eleni Kounalakis, who served as ambassador to Hungary in Clinton’s State Department, the program is welcome. In March, she and about 20 other supporters participated in a Correct the Record session in San Francisco. She said it helped refine the case she and others make for Clinton’s candidacy in public.

“Many people who are very vocal in supporting Secretary Clinton are very comfortable talking about why among their friends and in small groups — but when it comes to talking to the media, that can be very intimidating,” Kounalakis said. “Some people feel like, ‘I know Hillary has been there for the working person in her life, in her career, but I want someone to help me prepare those arguments so that I have that confidence to speak in a broader context.’ ”

Nick Sottile, 21, president of the College Democrats of South Carolina, said he felt “lucky” to attend a May 7 Correct the Record session in Columbia, S.C.

“It got right to the heart of things — how to cut through the noise and talk about Secretary Clinton’s record,” he said. “And not just what to say, but how to talk about her as a young person in South Carolina. It was good training in how to be an effective talker.”

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-making-of-a-hillary-clinton-echo-chamber/2015/07/07/01625c5e-24ae-11e5-b72c-2b7d516e1e0e_story.html?tid=sm_fb

Why TV networks are now ‘sampling’ shows on Facebook

Digiday   7/6/2015  by Sahil Patel

To date, the battle between YouTube and Facebook has centered on winning the hearts and minds of advertisers, online video publishers and creators. If the last few weeks are any indication, there’s another category of content creator YouTube should be concerned about losing some of its value to: TV networks.

On June 15, Amazon (along with Netflix and Hulu, a new breed of TV network) made the first episode of its comedy series “Catastrophe” available for free on Facebook. A week later, HBO did the same with two of its newest series, “Ballers” and “The Brink.”

On the surface, this might not seem like anything special. Online sampling of new programming is not new to TV networks, which are trying everything under the sun to reach audiences who are increasingly watching TV and other video content on digital platforms. What makes it interesting, though, is that YouTube used to be the only place on the Web that guaranteed the biggest video audience possible. Now, not so much.

Declining viewership drives marketing pivot.
“Right now, the world of video content distribution is right on the edge of total chaos,” said James Nail, a principal analyst at Forrester Research. Previously, if a network had a new show to promote, it would use a couple minutes of commercial time during the nightly broadcast. That’s not enough anymore.

And yet, it’s not as if people aren’t watching TV. Cord-cutting is a real phenomenon, according to Erik Brannon, a senior researcher and analyst for IHS Technology. They’re just not electing to pay for television in the traditional manner.

This is why HBO launched HBO Now and other networks like Showtime are following suit — to reach the 10 million broadband households in the U.S. that don’t pay for cable or satellite TV.

By allowing them to sample shows on social platforms, networks can also convince users in these households to pay for their new digital video services.

“Networks need to evolve at a pace that will find consumers as quickly as their behaviors change,” said Jim Marsh, vp of digital and social media for HBO. “Digital sampling is an effective way for us to introduce our programming to our current and potential subscribers. Ultimately we’re trying to create new fans.”

“It’s part of an overall strategy to include households that are excluded,” said Brannon. “Get people hooked and get people subscribing. I don’t think it’s going to result in a heck of a lot of pay-TV adoption. It’s a vehicle for OTT adoption.”

What once made YouTube unique now can also be done by Facebook.
The sampling trend has been good for YouTube. HBO, for instance, has previously released pilots of shows such as “Girls” and “The Newsroom” for free on the video site. But as Facebook makes incredible strides in video, another area that was once YouTube’s exclusive domain no longer is.

“We are always looking for innovative ways to work with our partners, and in this case, we had a new opportunity to work with Facebook to leverage the massive reach of their platform,” said Marsh. “Facebook has made some significant changes to their video capabilities in recent months, which made it possible for us to do this.”

As a platform, Facebook is arguably better at driving viewers to individual pieces of content. “The thing that [Facebook] offers that YouTube doesn’t is an [algorithmic] feed that people check in on multiple times a day,” said Nail. “YouTube, it’s still, ‘Gee, I’ve got to go to YouTube and search for stuff and maybe I’ll stumble on to something new.”

HBO’s Marsh is a bit more diplomatic: “The digital video ecosystem is so interconnected that there is no single best way to get exposure. It’s important that we work closely with all of our partners to reach people on multiple fronts.”

That said, the numbers suggest it’s been a good experiment for HBO so far. “Ballers,” which was uploaded to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Facebook page on June 24, has accumulated more than 5.5 million views. The first episode of “Brink,” which does not have the benefit of The Rock’s 50 million Facebook fans, netted more than 855,000 views in the same time frame.

The episodes will remain on Facebook for a few more weeks. “Facebook is an incredibly important strategic partner of ours, and we have a history of collaborating in innovative ways, including the ‘Game of Thrones’ red carpet live stream earlier this year,” said Marsh.

Asked if there are any plans to bring the episodes to other social video platforms, Marsh said no, not “at this time.”

 

http://digiday.com/platforms/why-tv-networks-are-sampling-shows-on-facebook/

Clinton Emails Reveal Closer Relationship With Sidney Blumenthal Than She Acknowledged

Slate   7/1/2015   By Amy X. Wang

“I thought it was supposed to be off hook to work?” Clinton complained about a fax machine in a December 2009 email to an aide.

Hillary Clinton is again under fire for being less than forthright in her description of her relationship with controversial unofficial adviser Sidney Blumenthal, after the State Department made public on Tuesday the first batch in a planned series of email releases from her time as secretary of state.

The emails show a closer relationship between Clinton and Blumenthal than she had previously acknowledged. The While House all but banned Blumenthal, who served as senior adviser to former President Bill Clinton for four years, from being part of Hillary Clinton’s State Department staff, Politico reports. Yet the emails show that Clinton paid special interest to Blumenthal’s policy advice and sought to hire him despite the Obama administration’s disapproval. The exchanges reveal Blumenthal’s close advisory role on everything from British politics to global climate change talks to elections in the Middle East, and they contradict earlier claims by Clinton that his advice was “unsolicited.”

The emails show the opposite: Clinton was in regular contact with Blumenthal and often sought him out specifically. Late on Oct. 8, 2009, Clinton sent him an email that read, “Are you still awake? I will call if you are,” without providing more details. The emails also reveal Blumenthal’s influence in affairs related to the 2012 Benghazi attacks—a more expanded influence than what was revealed from a special release of Clinton’s Benghazi-specific emails in May.

The Benghazi emails have taken on special significance because Blumenthal reportedly had business interests related to regime change in Libya. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus called the email revelations “troubling” and specifically attacked Clinton for her relationship with Blumenthal.

The emails released Tuesday, which were sent and received from March 2009 to December 2009, generally show frequent communication between Clinton and her tight-knit circle of aides and advisers. Other highlights from the batch include Clinton’s struggle with a fax machine, bad puns (on April 3, Clinton sent an email about President Obama’s upcoming trip to Turkey with the subject line “Fried Turkey”), and a comment about Fox News needing “at least one sane realistic voice.” The emails also show anxieties within Clinton’s inner circle about her new role in the Obama administration: Clinton grumbled to aides about showing up multiple times for national security meetings in the White House without being told of their cancelation, and also noted on a separate occasion that she learned of an ongoing Cabinet meeting by hearing about it “on the radio.”

After it came to light earlier this year that Clinton had violated federal rules by using a personal email account to conduct government business from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. District Court judge ordered the State Department to publish the former secretary of state’s emails in batches every 30 days. The first block of emails—which total 3,000 pages and make up not even a tenth of the 55,000 pages of emails that Clinton turned over at the government’s request in December—is entirely available to read on the agency’s website.

Tuesday’s email release will be followed with seven more batches in the coming months. A small number of the newly released emails were withheld for containing classified information. According to Politico, State Department officials claim that the agency’s 9 p.m. release of the emails was caused by the complexity of organizing such a large volume of records, not by an interest in subduing press coverage.

 

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/07/01/clinton_emails_hillary_clinton_s_emails_show_a_closer_relationship_with.html