Black-Tie Gay BINGO - April 9th

AIDS Fund hosts its annual Black-Tie Gay Bingo on Friday, April 9th at the Crystal Tea Room - 100 Penn Sq. East - Philadelphia.

John Carroll University GLBT Protest

In light of the recent decision by the John Carroll University administration to not specifically include the protection of Lesbians, Gays, Bi-Sexuals, Transgendered, and Questioning students in its Anti-Discrimination Statement, the students held a sit-in at a recent basketball game to protest.

The Reason Why

This is the reason I keep getting fatter....10 worst sandwiches.

#10: Cosi Steak TBM (Tomatoes, Basil, Mozzarella) 829 calories / 55 g fat (19 g saturated) / 453 mg sodium
Eat This Instead! Cosi Club 497 calories 10 g fat (4 g saturated) 827 mg sodium

#9: Arby's Ultimate BLT Market Fresh Sandwich 880 calories 46 g fat (10 g saturated) 1,740 mg sodium
Eat This Instead! Super Roast Beef 430 calories 18 g fat (6 g saturated) 1,070 mg sodium

#8: Jimmy John's Italian Night Club 951 calories 51 g fat (12 g saturated) 2,165 mg sodium
Eat This Instead! Customized Slim 5 with Genoa Salami, Capicola and Avocado Spread on 7-Grain Bread 514 calories 17.5 g fat (4 g saturated) 1,239 mg sodium

#7: Panera Full Chipotle Chicken on Artisan French Bread 990 calories 56 g fat (15 g saturated, 1 g trans) 2,370 mg sodium
Eat This Instead! Chicken Bacon Dijon on French Bread 650 calories 24 g fat (11 g saturated) 1,140 mg sodium

#6. Red Robin Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Sandwich 1,112 calories 62 g fat 2,531 mg sodium
Eat This Instead! Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Sandwich, without Spinach Tortilla and Ranch Dressing 522 calories 25 g fat 1,336 mg sodium

#5. Subway Meatball Marinara Footlong 1,160 calories 46 g fat (18 g saturated, 2 g trans) 3,060 mg sodium
Eat This Instead! Roast Beef 6-inch 310 calories 4.5 g fat (1.5 g saturated, 0 g trans) 840 mg sodium

#4. Blimpie Special Vegetarian 12" 1,186 calories 60 g fat (19 saturated fat) 2,198 mg sodium
Eat This Instead! VegiMax on Wheat 6" 499 calories 21 g fat (6 g saturated) 909 mg sodium

#3. Applebee's Grilled Cheese BLT 1,310 calories (no other nutritional information available)
Eat This Instead! Grilled Sirloin Sandwich 680 calories (no other nutritional information available)

#2. Quizno's Large Tuna Melt 1,760 calories 25 g saturated fat 2,120 mg sodium
Eat This Instead! Bistro Steak Melt Sammie 390 calories 11.5 g saturated fat 1,050 mg sodium

#1: The Worst Sandwich in America Cheesecake Factory Grilled Shrimp & Bacon Club 1930 calories 24 g saturated fat 2,965 mg sodium
Eat This Instead! One-half Turkey Sandwich 448 calories 6 g saturated fat 817 mg sodium

Are You Ready?

I thought I would post this video of December's blizzard to prepare you for the expected blizzard this weekend. This video was taken from the Washington Square area in Philadelphia. Enjoy!

Clinton and Obama Speak Out on Uganda's "Kill the Gays" Bill

Today at the National Prayer Breakfast, both Clinton and Obama condemned the Ugandan legislation:

CLINTON: And I recently called President Museveni, whom I have known through the Prayer Breakfast, and expressed the strongest concerns about a law being considered in the parliament of Uganda.

OBAMA: We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are, whether it’s here in the United States or as Hillary mentioned, more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda

Jon Stewart Talks John McCain and Old Men

Jon Stewart talked about John McCain's flip-flop on Don't Ask, Don't Tell and old politicans. Check it out.

Miami Beach Cops Caught in Anti-Gay Behavior

Two Miami Beach police officers are facing charges after wrongfully arresting Harold Strickland. Strickland claims he was arrested last March after he witnessed two officers beating and kicking a handcuffed man as he laid on the ground in Flamingo Park. While on the phone with 911, officers Frankly Forte and Elliot Hazzi were kicking the unnamed suspect "like his head was a football," Strickland told the operator.

After being spotted by the officers on the phone, the officers came after Strickland and made him hang up. Then the officers started calling Strickland yelling anti-gay epithets at him and arrested him.

"We know what you're doing here. We're sick of all the f***ing fags in the neighborhood," the officers told him.

Strickland was charged with loitering and prowling. Miami Beach police have not commented on the lawsuit. (source)

Couric Interviews Ellen DeGeneres

Katie Couric spoke with talk show host and comedienne, Ellen DeGeneres about her impact on women, her new venture as an American Idol judge and her relationship with Portia de Rossi. Check it out.

McCain Flip-Flops on DADT

Keith Olberman examined John McCain's statements on Don't Ask, Don't Tell over the past few years. In 2006, McCain said this: "The day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says: 'Senator we ought to change the policy', then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it - because those leaders of the military are the ones we give the responsibility to."

Well, now the generals are telling him to change the policy, but McCain doesn't seem to care. Check it out.
General

Boston Legal Star Dies in Car Crash

Sad news: Former Boston Legal star, Justin Mentell, died in a car crash on Monday. The accident took place near Mineral Point, Wisconsin. According to the Iowa County Sheriff's Department, Mentell, 27, was pronounced dead at the scene around 9 a.m.

The accident was said to have taken place around 3:30 a.m. after his 2005 Jeep left the roadway on Highway 39, went down an embankment and struck two trees. It is believed that he had fallen asleep at the wheel, though his Jeep was not discovered until later in the day by a passing farmer who alerted authorities. He was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle

Shortly after his death, stars took to Twitter to voice their condolences.

“I’m deeply saddened to hear about Justin Mentell,” tweeted William Shatner. “There’s no telling how far up the ladder he may have climbed. My sympathies to his family.”

Pope's Knock of UK Equality Laws Criticized

Pope Benedict XVI's condemnation this week of British equality legislation designed to protect gays and women in the workplace has deepened the battle lines between the Vatican and secularists, who demand that taxpayers not foot the security bill for his newly announced September visit.

The Roman Catholic Church's steadfast opposition to allowing gays to become priests or having rights such as adoption puts it at odds with changing attitudes in Britain, where acceptance of homosexuality has increased dramatically in recent decades.

"I am sure many others feel the same resentment as we do at the National Secular Society at funding the presence of someone who wishes to impose a reactionary agenda of social change on us," said the group's president, Terry Sanderson. (ap)

Spring Pink Pub Crawl

As the City of Brotherly Love & Sisterly Affection heats up following one of the most brutal winters in recent memory, Bruce Yelk and Nightlifegay.com are set to celebrate in a big way with the spring 2010 edition of the Pink Pub Crawl. After a sold out event last fall that drew close to 300 attendees, Nightlifegay.com is planning an exciting evening guaranteed to make this the most exciting Pink Pub Crawl yet! Sponsors of the spring 2010 Pink Pub Crawl include P.I.N.K. Vodka, GunnerWorld.com and the 12th Street Gym.

On March 20th, the first ‘official’ Saturday evening of the spring season, the Pink Pub Crawl will take hundreds of attendees to a variety of Philadelphia’s most popular LGBT bars and social establishments. Beginning promptly at 9 PM, crawlers will assemble at Tavern on Camac (243 S. Camac St) for registration and the evening’s first stop. At 10:30 PM, the Pink Pub Crawl will hit its second venue of the evening, 12th Air Command (254 S 12th St). Crawlers will move to Philly’s most historic gay bar, Woody’s, at 11:30 PM (13th and Walnut St). After an hour of drinks and dancing, the Pink Pub Crawl will head to its final stop at Voyeur (1221 St. James St) at 12:30 am.

Tickets for the Pink Pub Crawl are $20 for those wearing one prominent pink clothing item, such as a shirt, pants, a jacket, or even a boa. For those not in pink, tickets are $30 per person. A Pink Pub Crawl ticket is good for one free drink at each of the first three stops, free admission to the dance floor at 12th Air Command, and to a private entrance of Woody’s dance floor, as well as free admission to Voyeur Nightclub. Altogether, it’s a $50 value offered at a dramatically discounted price for what’s guaranteed to be a fabulous night on the town. Remember that anyone who can’t make the first stop at Tavern on Camac is welcome to join the Pink Pub Crawl at 12th Air Command.

In addition to the incredible ticket value, Nightlifegay.com has some surprises in the works for event attendees. P.I.N.K. Vodka will provide limited edition Pink Pub Crawl t-shirts, and signature cocktails designed exclusively for this event. 12th Street Gym will provide the first 100 crawlers with a free one-week membership. One lucky crawler will win a complimentary 3-month membership to 12th Street Gym, as well as a free dinner for two to a popular area restaurant.

At Minimum: A Year Before Repeal of DADT

The U.S. military will conduct a year-long study of what steps it must take to lift its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and allow openly gay persons to serve.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates will announce the initiative today at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said.

The study will be led by an “active-duty four-star general” and a “senior-level” civilian Pentagon official, Morrell said in an interview. It will take “at least a year” to prepare for “the eventuality” of Congress repealing the 1993 law that bans openly gay persons from serving, he said. (source)

Annenberg's $10 Million Arts Festival in 2011

Before Leonore Annenberg passed away in 2009, she provided a generous grant through the Annenberg Foundation to ensure that her lifelong dream for a citywide arts celebration would be fulfilled. From that, the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA) was born to shine a spotlight on the city’s arts and cultural scene. For three weeks, from April 7 through May 1, 2011, audiences will revel in an array of one-time, only-in-Philadelphia productions by some of the region’s top talents—many of whom will partner with or present international performers. PIFA will feature music, dance, fashion, fine arts, poetry, cuisine and more—all generously flavored with the essence of Paris, circa 1910-1920.

“Not in memory has the city hosted so much performing and visual arts linked by a common thread and packed into a one-month festival,” says Ed Cambron, executive director of PIFA. “Philly has an extraordinary collection of top-notch arts groups that are excited about smashing the traditional arts festival format and presenting something truly different. The philosophy for PIFA is collaboration, creativity and innovation, which means our audiences will see a multitude of new works, unprecedented partnerships and performances that will happen only here.”

Phil sees Shadow - Six More Weeks of Winter

It's Groundhog Day! Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his tree stump to see his shadow today. Unfortunately, that means 6 more weeks of winter weather for the U.S.

Ted Allen and Pam Grier to film PSA for DOLF 2010

This Friday, Dining Out For Life (DOFL) celebrity co-spokesies Ted Allen and Pam Grier are going to be filming a special PSA in Philadelphia for DOFL 2010. You can follow all the action through Twitter at DineOut4Life.

Allen, most famous for Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, can currently be seen in his new show "Chopped" on the Food Network. Also on March 8th, he'll be judging a culinary competition fundraising event, SAVOR, for HIV/AIDS.

Pam Grier, the original butt-kickin' super lady, started out in 1970's exploitation flicks including 1974's Foxy Brown. In 1997, a whole new generation of peeps fell in love with her in Tarantino's "Jackie Brown". Most recently seen in Smallville, she's also got a movie coming up with Queen Latifah, called "Just Wright".

Dining Out For Life is scheduled for April 29th this year.

Signorile discusses DADT on CNN

CNN hosted Michelangelo Signorile, Sirus/XM OutQ radio host, on Saturday night to discuss the state of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Signorile said most people support repealing the dated law and that the President is dragging his feet.

Charles Morgan, of the Log Cabin Republicans, also talked by phone and stated President Obama has a real opportunity with DADT....Check it out.

NoH8 Campaign Shooting for World Record

Today the NoH8 Campaign will be shooting in NYC at the Empire Hotel in hopes of setting a new world record. This photo shoot will try to break the world record of 720 strangers photographed in a 5 hour period. 721 people in less than 5 hours will be no easy feat.

If you would like to participate, arrive at the Empire (44 W. 63rd St. - NYC) by 2:00 p.m.....pass it on.

Photo of Mike Manning from the Real World - Washington, D.C.

Queer Tango Hits Philadelphia this Valentines

If you are looking to learn the Tango then - your in luck this Valentines Day. Visit QueeringTango.com
for more information.

Miss Michelle DuPree wins Miss'd America

Miss Michelle DuPree was crowned 2010 Miss'd America in Atlantic City last night. After a five-year hiatus after the Miss America moved to Las Vegas, the AIDS fund-raiser was a big boost to Atlantic City's declining gay nightlife. Check out the video courtesy of Press of Atlantic City.

"There's more people here than watched the real pageant on TLC," host Carson Kressley told the crowd. "How much better is A.C. than Vegas? So they have legalized prostitution. We can bring it here!"

Gaga and John Open Grammys - Knowles and Swift Win

Lady Gaga and Elton John opened the 52nd Grammy Awards last night with a grand performance that showcased both performers talents. However, it was Beyoncé who was the big winner at the Grammy Awards, taking home six statues including best female pop vocal performance for Halo and song of the year for Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).

Country singer, Taylor Swift followed closely with four Grammys, including album of the year for Fearless. Kings of Leon meanwhile won the night's top award, record of the year, with Use Somebody.

Lady Gaga and Elton John's performance:

Perhaps the most beautiful performance of the night was from Philadelphia's own - Pink....check it out.