Ireland Could Elect First Openly Gay President

Towleroad provides great world coverage of gay political news and, over the weekend, I spotted this story out of Ireland.  David Norris, a 66-year old out gay man in Dublin, is the front runner in the current race for Ireland's presidency.   While the election is still a a few months off in November, Norris who is a well-known Irish senator, has become the candidate to beat.  

The full story is over on Irish Central News, which notes that the Presidency in Ireland is not exactly the same as it is in other European countries.  There is still a separate prime minister who deals with more political issues but the presidency is a major position, the visibility of which has become increasingly important after two terms in which the current president Mary McAleese has made the job her own.  

I find this all very remarkable given Ireland's deep Catholic roots.  But Norris, whose popularity extends outside of urban Ireland, seems to transcend politics and sexual identity issues and has become the frontrunner due to the Irish love of outsider candidates who challenge the status quo.  It will be very  interesting to see how the rest of the campaign and upcoming election in the fall pans out. 

BREAKING NEWS: We Have A Baby Hawk In The Village!

After more than 5 weeks of watching, it appeared that the eggs that a Red Tail Hawk was sitting on high above Washington Square Park were duds.  Earlier this week, the eggs reached their so-called "expiration date" and professional hawk-watchers said there would be no baby hawks in this nest on a ledge of NYU's Bobst Library.

Well, lo and behold, this morning everyone got a big birthday surprise as the HawkCam showed a baby hawk in the nest.  The eyeass (which is the technical name for such a creature) had poked through its shell over the last 24 hours. Viewership on the HawkCam has nearly tripled with the news too.

So what's next? The hawks will be feed by their folks over the next few months. And what's on the menu? New York City rats of course! Fortunately, the hawk watchers have coordinated with the NYC parks department and the poison bait for rats left in Washington Square Park will be removed for the time being so that the young hawk can grow up nice and healthy in its deluxe nest in the sky.

Google Brings "It Gets Better" To Prime Time

During this week's episode of GLEE, Google aired an ad for it's Chrome browser which was also a beautiful PSA for the "It Gets Better" campaign that columnist Dan Savage started last fall with a video heard round the world.  The spot is really amazing...and a tear-jerker too. Bravo Google!

The #1 Movie Theater In America Is On 42nd Street

In 2001, AMC opened the Empire theatre, a 25-screen maxi-plex on what had previously been one of the seediest blocks in NYC; 42nd between 7th and 8th Avenue.  Today, AMC's Empire is the number one movie theater in America with yearly gross ticket sales around $25 millions dollars.  This week, the Hollywood Reporter has an extensive article about the theatre and the surprisingly important role it plays in the American film industry.

I remember when this theatre first opened nearly 10 years ago and I was a regular.  Not only was it easily the nicest theatre in the city, with big screens and large stadium seating (unique at that time) but, in addition to blockbusters, it showed indie films as well.  It was a vast improvement over the suburban shoeboxes that pass for cinemas at the Angelika Theater and I was a quick convert to going uptown.

However, due to the theatre's popularity, ticketing there in recent years can be a bit of a hassle.  Usually half of the automatic machines are out of order and the queue can back up to the door in the massive lobby. Often there are just two ticket sellers behind a counter that accommodates 12.  These glitches were not mentioned in THR but could go a long way to improving the experience at America's #1 movie house.

My Favorite Meme Re: The Death Of Osama

On TV, the networks have now branded Sunday's extraordinary raid "The Killing of Osama Bin Laden" and, two days later, keep promoting their "continuing coverage of the death of Osama Bin Laden".  Really?  Continuing?  I think he's still dead last time we checked. Meanwhile, over on The Internets, things are a little lighter as memes continue to grow in the wake of Osama's demise.

I think this one above is my favorite because it actually gets at something true.  Meanwhile, GhostOsama continues to rack up followers on Twitter and has surpassed the 40K mark.  Also on Twitter, the most popular retweet was something @Jesus had to say about the terrorist/mass murderer's death; "You're at the wrong gate, Osama."  Classic.

Osama's Death On Twitter--Real and Fake

Osama Bin Laden was killed yesterday in a U.S. raid on his compound in Pakistan.  The top secret military action, though, was actually tweeted about for the world to read....except that no one knew exactly what it was at the time.  An IT consultant on vacation near Bin Laden's hideout unwittingly tweeted about the attack as the helicopters circled above....you can read his tweets on the Washington Post website.

In other Twitter-related news, following in the footsteps of that escaped snake from the Bronx Zoo, there is now a GhostOsama user (pictured here) that popped up last night shortly after the big news hit the airwaves at 10:45pm.   I found this stream last night around 11:30pm as I was following reactions on Twitter and Facebook....a lot more interesting than watching the networks I have to say.  Anyway, in less than 24 hours, the silly-sounding ghost of OBL has racked up nearly 40,000 followers.  Sample tweet: 70 Virgins Left...I need a cigarette and a nap. LOL.

Joking aside, the death of this mass murderer has been a long time coming and,in New York today, there is a general sense of communal relief.

The Latest Coffee Trend--The "Growler" To Go

A few years ago, I first saw my first "growler" at the beer market in Whole Foods on The Bowery.  You could buy a 64oz. dark jug (aka a growler) of home brewed beer.  It was cheap, cool and semi-Green because you could also bring the jug back for refills.

Now this trend has jumped over to the artisan brewed coffee world.  As reported by NY TIMES trend hound Florence Fabricant, there are two coffee joints that are now offering growlers of cold-brewed iced coffee.  How perfect for summer to have a big jug of perky cool coffee goodness in the fridge?  You can get one at the Nolita Mart or the uber-trendy Birch Coffee, across from the ACE Hotel, for only $13.99....that's a deal when you think that 4 grande iced coffees at Starbucks w/ice costing you about the same.  So get ready for summer and get your "growler" on!

FAST FIVE Written By....A Five Year Old

This is genius!  The folks over at ONN (Onion News Network, not Oprah) have put together a hilarious interview with the screenwriter of FAST FIVE, who happens to be a five year old.  I'm not sure who the real screenwriter is of the movie but, on a film like this, does it matter?  Anyway, this truly had me cracking up....especially when it's revealed that this is not the kid's first screenplay.  Classic.


Today Now! Interviews The 5-Year-Old Screenwriter Of "Fast Five"

NetPix: The Story Behind The Stonewall Riots

I was watching PBS last night and saw an intense documentary about the Stonewall Riots, which marked the beginning of the gay rights movement in the summer of 1969.  STONEWALL UPRISING was the most detailed recounting of events I had ever seen including interviews with patrons who were inside the bar, Village VOICE reporters (whose offices were across the street) and even the police officer who headed up the raid that started a revolution.

Seymour Pine, of the 6th Precinct, was the officer in charge of the six man raid on the bar which quickly spiraled out of control.  The police were so overwhelmed by the mob that crowded Christopher Street that they hid inside the bar, waiting for backup.  During those tense minutes, Pine took each officer aside and told them in no uncertain terms not to fire their guns unless he gave them the order to by name.  It was a chilling aspect of the Stonewall story I'd never heard.  Pine knew that the riot could have turned into a massacre in the flash of one officers' gun and prevented that from happening.

In the end, though, scores were injured when riot police arrived and the real fighting began. The melee, which started around 1am and went until 4am, left the bar in a shambles and the streets of the village littered with debris. But it was the beginning of the modern gay rights movement.  And this film tells the remarkable story of the night with incredible detail and emotion.  Well worth ordering on NetFlix or seeing the next time it airs.

The Importance Of Being From Jersey

One of the best shows in town right now is the hilarious revival of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, starring Brian Bedford as Lady Bracknell.  Though his take on the role is amazing, the bulk of the play revolves around the two lovely cads of Algernon and John, played by two lovely actors Santino Fontana and David Furr.

As an unusual promo for the show, these guys have been reading transcripts from the MTV hit JERSEY SHORE in the style of Oscare Wilde.  Needless to say, it is a hoot....watch and enjoy.  And go see the show before it closes this summer.  As the characters themselves might say...."it's grand!"