Frank Ocean Defends His Exclusive Inclusive Queer Party
We’ve all had to send a few texts the morning after a party. But the day after his first PrEP+ party in New York City, Frank Ocean felt compelled to issue a whole statement. The event, billed as a recurring queer club night that pays “homage to what could have been of the 1980s’ NYC club scene if the drug [PrEP+] … had been invented in that era,” received criticism for erasing queer history, not being queer-inclusive, and just being hard to get into. But it’s all okay, Frank says! “Club culture around late 70s and 80s nightlife in NYC was a special, much talked about and written about thing,” he writes on Tumblr (where he may be the only one still with an account). “I recognize NY wasn’t all lasers and disco lighting and that simultaneously, there was a lot of crime and poverty and that a huge part of club culture, the gay community, at that time were being wiped out by HIV + AIDS.” As for his decision to name the night after an HIV-prevention drug, Ocean writes, “The pricing strategy behind it is malicious in my opinion and so it’s public perception is marred and rightfully so. But the fact remains that despite price being a very real barrier to this potentially life saving drug for some, the other very real barrier is awareness.”
At the end of the day, Ocean is “happy that folks are talking about the subject in the first place.” And if you’re a hater, you’re now invited: “I saw someone say that this was a PR stunt etc etc, pshhh bitch pls come get a drink next time and I’ll put several barstools out so you can have as many seats as you need.” See you next week, then?
Article via Vulture
Chick-fil-A’s first UK location will close after pressure from LGBTQ rights group
- The British shopping center leasing Chick-fil-A’s first U.K. location has already said it will not extend the restaurant’s six-month lease, BBC reported Friday.
- The Atlanta-based company has faced criticism and boycotts for its past donations to anti-LGBTQ groups and CEO Dan Cathy’s public comments opposing gay marriage.
- In April, the company lost out on two potentially lucrative airport contracts in the U.S. after local politicians raised concerns over the company’s anti-LGBTQ history.
Chick-fil-A opened its first location in the United Kingdom in early October.
A little more than a week later, the British shopping center leasing the location has already said it will not extend the restaurant’s six-month lease, BBC reported Friday.
The Oracle shopping center in Reading faced pressure from a local LGBTQ rights group, Reading Pride, according to the BBC.
The Atlanta-based company has faced criticism and boycotts for its past donations to anti-LGBTQ groups and CEO Dan Cathy’s public comments opposing gay marriage.
Chick-fil-A’s controversial past has slowed its rapid expansion previously. In April, the company lost out on two potentially lucrative airport contracts in the U.S. after local politicians raised concerns over the company’s anti-LGBTQ history.
Still, the chicken chain is the third-largest U.S. restaurant company by sales, just behind McDonald’s and Starbucks. Chick-fil-A is trying to catch up with its competition by expanding outside of its stronghold in the Southeast. In 2018, it announced plans to open its first international location in Toronto, with at least 14 more locations planned in the greater Toronto area in the next five years.
A Chick-fil-A spokesperson told CNBC in a statement: “Chick-fil-A is always evaluating potential new locations in the hope of serving customers great food and award winning service. This six month pilot licensed location in Reading, UK is part of our exploration in international markets.”
The Oracle did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.
Read more about the shopping center’s decision not to extend Chick-fil-A’s lease here.
Article via CNBC
Fan-Made Trailer Imagines Aunt Viv’s Return To Bel-Air In ‘Auntie’
It took how many years for dark skin Aunt Viv to return to the big screen? How ever long, she made her way back.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air has been the center of various fan-made movie plots with its most recent one gaining the attention of its star Will Smith. Now, another visionary is taking a chance at promoting a new take that centers on the original Aunt Vivian Banks.
According to Shadow And Act, the trailer is shot from the inspiration of Jordan Peele’s Us and Get Out, placing Aunt Viv as the central character who returns to Bel-Air, Los Angeles after a stint at a mental facility. Created by Bobby Huntley, Auntie takes a look at the aforementioned character’s life after their role has been recast.
“Our goal isn’t to pit the two real-life actresses against each,” Huntley said. “They both did an amazing job bringing that character to life in their own unique way. We love every actor and actress affiliated with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It’s just human nature to contrast and compare.
“For people to still debate over 25 years later is really a testament to their talents and longevity. We are just simply asking the question, ‘What If?'” Originally played by Janet Hubert, her role was later filled by Daphne Reid.
Upon Aunt Viv’s return home, she realizes her family has no idea who she is “and every evidence of her existence has been erased. She must find out who was behind the hostile takeover before it is too late to reclaim her family and her home,” the plot outlines.
Other storylines that are featured include Claire Kyle from My Wife and Kids, and Family Matters‘ Judy and Harriet Winslow.
Article via Vibe
Struggle Actress Aunt Viv DEMANDS that i take down my video or ELSE #clapback #WTFU
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Pharrell says ‘Blurred Lines’ scandal changed his idea about sexism: ‘We live in a chauvinist culture’
Pharrell Williams is adjusting with the times and taking a step back to discuss one of his biggest pop hits.
The artist-producer and fashion mogul talked to GQ for its New Masculinity issue (released Monday) about his 2013 single, “Blurred Lines,” which he recorded with Robin Thicke and T.I. Back then, there was a controversy surrounding the record’s lyrics, which critics said degraded women, and the tune’s video, in which one of social media’s most openly sexual influencers, Emily Ratajkowski and other women frolicked in skimpy garb.
Ratajkowski called her appearannce in the music video “the bane of my existence.”
Speaking to the men’s fashion magazine, Pharrell said the Billboard award-winning record has aged terribly. He noted that much of the theme surrounding the song wouldn’t be acceptable in today’s #MeToo climate.
“I was also born in a different era, where the rules of the matrix at that time allowed a lot of things that would never fly today,” said Pharrell, 46, of his career then and now. “Advertisements that objectify women. Song content. Some of my old songs, I would never write or sing today. I get embarrassed by some of that stuff. It just took a lot of time and growth to get to that place.”
The 13-time Grammy Award-winner said it took the backlash from his infamous Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus-performed record to flip his perspective on what the song meant to people within the larger society, not just within his fan base.
“I didn’t get it at first. Because there were older white women who, when that song came on, they would behave in some of the most surprising ways ever. And I would be like, ‘wow.’ They would have me blushing,” the “Happy” singer said.
“So when there started to be an issue with it, lyrically, I was, like, ‘What are you talking about?’ There are women who really like the song and connect to the energy that just gets you up. And ‘I know you want it’ — women sing those kinds of lyrics all the time. So it’s like, ‘What’s rapey about that?’”
The Virginia Beach, Va., native said: “And then I realized that there are men who use that same language when taking advantage of a woman, and it doesn’t matter that that’s not my behavior. Or the way I think about things. It just matters how it affects women,”
“And I was like, ‘Got it. I get it.’ Cool. My mind opened up to what was actually being said in the song and how it could make someone feel. Even though it wasn’t the majority, it didn’t matter.”
He continued: “I cared what they were feeling, too. I realized that we live in a chauvinist culture in our country.
“Hadn’t realized that. Didn’t realize that some of my songs catered to that. So that blew my mind.”
Article via FoxNews
Black Twitter goes off on Dame Dash & “New Black Celebrities” #tweetlikedamedash #Blackcelebsbelike
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‘When They See Us’ Ava Duvernay Sued Over ‘Reid Technique’ … Creator Says Film Trashed His Work
Netflix and “When They See Us” creator Ava Duvernay are being sued over the police interrogation technique depicted in the film because its creator claims the movie got his method all wrong.
A former cop named John Reid claims in his lawsuit … the Emmy-winning film defamed him by saying his method was used to squeeze statements out of the Central Park 5 suspects.
In particular, he points out a scene from episode 4 where a detective and someone from the D.A.’s Office are discussing the interrogation of the suspects. The prosecution staffer says to the detective, “You squeezed statements out of them after 42 hours of questioning and coercing, without food, bathroom breaks, withholding parental supervision. The Reid Technique has been universally rejected. That’s truth to you.”
In the lawsuit, Reid says the technique he created specifically does not teach withholding parental supervision, denying interview subjects any of their rights or making threats of physical harm. He claims it specifically calls for extra caution when interviewing minors.
In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Reid questions Duvernay saying, “We did our research” before making the film by inviting law enforcement personnel to discuss the case. Reid claims if that were true — Ava would have learned his technique disavows the type of things depicted in the movie.
He believes the filmmakers deliberately “fabricated a scene designed to broadcast to the audience a conversation they made up that included false statements as to the Reid Technique.”
He goes on to defend the Reid Technique, saying it’s widely used by law enforcement … and calls for a structured interview and interrogation process that consists of three stages: fact analysis, investigative non-confrontational interview and interrogation.
According to the docs, Reid says his method is anything but “universally rejected.” He says he’s conducted more than 6,500 seminars and trained more than 200,000 people to use it, since 2002.
Reid says he demanded a retraction in July … 2 months after the series was released, but Netflix refused. He’s now suing Netflix and Ava for defamation and wants the series to turn over a chunk of the profits, and other damages.
We’ve reached out to Netflix and Ava … so far, no word back yet.
Article via TMZ
Let’s talk about Central Park Five -“when they see us” by Ava Duvernay
Rihanna praises Vogue writer who didn’t prepare for interview: ‘That’s gangster’
Though some Rihanna fans are up in arms over a Vogue writer admitting she was unprepared to interview the star, the Fenty founder isn’t bothered by the journalist’s confession.
When asked about the backlash to Abby Aguirre’s admission she hadn’t been prepared, Rihanna came to the journalist’s defense.
Shortly after Rihanna’s Vogue cover story was published last week, some became fixated on the fact that Aguirre admitted she arrived to the interview without any questions prepared and she was “winging it.”
Rihanna praised Aguirre for her ability to think fast.
“No, no, no, no. That’s gangster. For you to get a call the day before being like, ‘Hey, Rihanna’s in LA, you wanna do this?’ And show up on the dime and write an incredible article that I’m really proud of and enjoyed reading?” the 31-year-old fashion designer told WWD. “She’s badass for that.”
She said, “If you don’t have to prepare, girl, you’re gangster.”
Aguirre tweeted in response to the backlash, saying it was a misunderstanding and she was on her way to Trader Joe’s when she got the call to interview Ri Ri.
“I research my subjects to death. *Especially* Rihanna. I appreciate the anger behind the reaction. But this is a misunderstanding, for which I take full responsibility,” she wrote. “I had literally no notice. The point was to convey how nerve-wracking this was, given my deep, bordering-on-psychotic reverence for Rihanna.”
If you had accused me of eating too much Mexican food, I would take that personally. Because it’s true. But you can’t accuse me of not doing research. Ask anyone I have ever worked with. Ever.— Abby Aguirre (@abby_aguirre) October 9, 2019
Article via USAToday
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Drake Appears To Hang With Baby Mama For Son Adonis’ 2nd Birthday Party
Drake and his baby mama co-parent like bosses and appear to have celebrated their son Adonis’ 2nd birthday together.
Sophie Brussaux, the mother of Drake’s son Adonis, shared a photo captioned, “A proud, PROUD, birthday mom ?”
In the snap, she is posing in front of a Sesame Street-inspired art piece made of blue and white flowers.
Brussaux is standing in front of a building that looks very similar to Drake’s Toronto mansion.
The photo comes a day after Drake shared a photo from his son’s birthday celebration. He showed off the decorations inside his Toronto mansion.
Drake captioned the post, “Happy Birthday King ?”.
The snap showed gold balloons that spelled out Adonis, along with a Sesame Street-inspired art piece.
The Sesame Street art is identical to the one seen in both Brussaux and Drake’s photos.
Article via TheBlast