Celebrity Friday: Whitney Cause Of Death Released

*sigh* More than a month after the sad event, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has finally released the report on the official cause of death Whitney Houston's untimely demise at age 48 the Beverly Hills on February 11 (the day before the 2012 Grammy Awards).

CNN reports:

Whitney Houston died from an accidental drowning in a hotel bathtub, but the "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use" were contributing factors in her death, the Los Angeles County Coroner said in an initial autopsy report released Thursday.

Houston, 48, was "found submerged in bathtub filled with water" and "no trauma or foul play is suspected," the coroner said in a one-page release.

Her cocaine use appeared to have "in the time period just immediately prior to her collapse in the bathtub at the hotel," Assistant Chief Coroner Craig Harvey told reporters.

The 60% narrowing of her arteries "suggest a cardiac event complicated by the cocaine use" led to Houston slipping underwater, Harvey said.

"Something happened that caused her to go down and we know that when she slipped under the water she was still alive," he said. "We have evidence of drowning since there was water in the lungs."

The toxicology tests found other drugs in her body, including marijuana, the anti-anxiety drug Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril and the allergy medicine Benadryl, the report said. But these drugs "did not contribute to the death," it said.

This is just sad, sad news, although not that surprising. Note that prescription drugs are not the culprit, but heart disease (presumably) due to (longtime) cocaine use.

Celebrity Friday: Channing Tatum

A recent New York Times article examined the Hollywood machine trying to make a leading man out of Channing Tatum. Tatum, who goes by "Chan" to his friends, is 31-year-old and married to a dancer named Jenna Dewan-Tatum. The article goes on to describe that in his quest for Hollywood A-list status, Tatum has made an astonishing 16 movies in the last 15 years. His breakout role was in the guilty pleasure Step Up which was made for $12 million dollars but grossed $100 million more than that and spawned 3 increasingly horrendous sequels, none starring our buddy Chan.

Ya gotta admit, he is cute in that movie:

In Summer 2012, Tatum will appear as a male stripper (based loosely on real life events in his life) in Magic Mike, directed by Oscar-winning directer Steven Soderbergh as well as a lead role in G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

I know which of those movies I am gonna want to watch! How about you?

Celebrity Friday: Bobbi Kristina Named Whitney's Heir

Whitney Houston's will has become public, and unsurprisingly, her 19-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, is named as the main beneficiary.

As for the estate, all Houston's money, furniture, clothing, personal effects, jewelry and cars go to her only child. The money is to be put in a trust until the 19-year-old turns 21, with more coming to her at age 25 and the balance at age 30, according to "Inside Edition," which obtained the 19-page document.

Her mother's untimely death at age 48 on Saturday February 11th, the day before the Grammy Awards, shocked the world and sent Bobbi Kristina to the hospital for observation. The cause of Whitney Houston's death has still not been announced, although multiple pill bottles for prescription medications were found in the hotel room of the Beverly Hills Hilton where she died.

Bobbi Kristina and other close relatives of Whitney Houston will appear in an interview with Oprah Winfrey on OWN this Sunday March 11th discussing the aftermath of her mother's death.

Celebrity Friday: Keisha Waites, Openly Lesbian GA Legislator

Keisha Waites is the 4th openly
 LGBT member of the Georgia Legislature

Keisha Waites is today's choice for Celebrity Friday because she recently became the third openly gay member of the Georgia Legislature who is also African American. The other two Black gay mebers of the Georgia legislature are Rashad Taylor and Simone Bell. Waites won a special election to the Georgia General Assembly on February 7th.

Some more information about Ms. Waites is provided by the Georgia Voice:

Waites is the fourth openly gay member of the Georgia General Assembly. State Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates) made history as Georgia’s first openly gay state lawmaker. She was followed by Rep. Simone Bell (D-Atlanta), who also ran for office as an open lesbian. State Rep. Rashad Taylor (D-Atlanta) was already in the state legislature when he came out as gay last year. 

Waites is a contract employee with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She is also a business owner who owns four houses and rents to low-income families. She holds a degree in political science from Georgia Perimeter College and was a track star at Lakewood High School.

Congratulations to Keisha Waites! She joins a growing list of openly gay, African-American politicians who are making a name for themselves.

Celebrity Friday (bonus): Djokovic Wins Laureus Award

Novak Djokovic won the prestigious Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award last week.

Djokovic has his sights on even bigger prizes:

Novak Djokovic says that he would like to win both Roland Garros and the Olympic gold medal this summer. "Why not both?" the Serbian said after winning the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award. 

Djokovic, who led Serbia to its first Davis Cup triumph in 2010, has won the Australian Open three times and Wimbledon and the U.S. Open once each. He has yet to reach the final of Roland Garros. Djokovic won the bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The last player to win all four majors and an Olympic gold was Steffi Graf, who won the Golden Slam in 1988. The London Olympics begin three weeks after Wimbledon. 

"I've learned how to handle my schedule, how to handle myself on and off the court and to prepare for the biggest events. That is going to be the case this year," Djokovic said. "I will try to set up my form for Roland Garros first of all, where I want to get the title and go all the way through, and then I'll start thinking about Wimbledon and the Olympics."

Serena Williams has won a record 3 Laureus Sportswoman of the Year awards, Roger Federer has won 4. It should be interesting to see how many Djokovic wins. It's looking like he may really be able to repeat his astonishing 2011 tennis performance (70 wins 6 losses 3 major titles) in 2012.

CELEBRITY FRIDAY: Shirley Ann Jackson, College President

Shirley Ann Jackson is the first Black woman to receive a Ph.D. from MIT

Today's Celebrity Friday is Dr. Shirley Jackson, the President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, my alma mater, the nation's oldest technological university.

This is from her official bio:

Described by Time Magazine (2005) as “perhaps the ultimate role model for women in science,” President Jackson has held senior leadership positions in government, industry, research, and academe.

Since 1999, Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson has led an extraordinary transformation of the Institute with an ambitious strategic effort known as The Rensselaer Plan. Guided by her vision, Rensselaer is now home to the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, the Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovations, the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, and the East Campus Athletic Village. Under her leadership, more than 230 new faculty members have been hired, research awards have doubled, and scholarships have increased. Her tenure also has been marked by innovations in curriculum, expansion of undergraduate research, and new award-winning student life initiatives.

Nearly $1 billion has been invested in The Rensselaer Plan, including more than $700 million in new construction, renovations, new equipment, technology and infrastructure. In 2001, President Jackson secured a $360 million unrestricted gift to the Institute. In 2004, she launched a $1 billion Renaissance at Rensselaer capital campaign. In 2006, the goal was expanded to $1.4 billion. The campaign closed in 2009, having surpassed the ambitious goal of $1.4 billion in gifts and gift commitments, nine months ahead of schedule, exceeding all previous fund-raising at Rensselaer.

Curiously, her Wikipedia page is clearly a site of contestation for her supporters and detractors. Regardless, she is still a Black woman who has been the head of a federal agency (Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 1995-1999), a college president (1999-??) and a trailblazer as a physics professor (Rutgers).

Celebrity Friday: Freeman Hrabowski, University President

For today's Celebrity Friday for the first Friday in Black History Month our subject is Freeman Hrabowski, III, the President of the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Hrabowski, 61, is one of the great role models for African Americans  in the Academy.

Here is just an excerpt of his official biography:

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, has served as President of UMBC (The University of Maryland, Baltimore County) since 1992. His research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis on minority participation and performance. He chaired the National Academies committee that recently produced the report, “Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads.”

In 2008, he was named one of America’s Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report, which in 2009, 2010, and 2011 ranked UMBC the #1 “Up and Coming” university in the nation. In 2011, U.S. News also ranked UMBC 4th nationally for “Best Undergraduate Teaching” – tied with Yale and immediately before Brown and Stanford. In 2009, TIME magazine named him one of America’s 10 Best College Presidents. In 2011, he received both the TIAA-CREF Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence and theCarnegie Corporation of New York’s Academic Leadership Award, recognized by many as the nation’s highest awards among higher education leaders.  Also in 2011, he was named one of seven Top American Leaders by The Washington Postand the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership.

[...]

Born in 1950 in Birmingham, Alabama, Hrabowski graduated at 19 from Hampton Institute with highest honors in mathematics. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he received his M.A. (mathematics) and four years later his Ph.D. (higher education administration/statistics) at age 24.

Ph.D. in Mathematics and a University President for more than 20 years!

Celebrity Friday (bonus): Barney Frank Engaged To Marry

The longest serving openly LGBT member of Congress, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), who previously announced he would retire from Congress at the end of this term, has also announced he will be getting married to his longtime partner Jim Ready.

Marriage has been legal in Massachusetts since 2004, what took you so long,Barney? Congratulations!

Celebrity Friday (bonus): Michael K. Williams Endorses Marriage equality

We have a BONUS Celebrity Friday today. Michael K. Williams is known for his amazing role as the openly gay Omar on the seminal television show The Wire. Today he is making news by joining HRC's Americans for Marriage Equality.

Celebrity Friday: Alan Turing Gets Honored With British Stamp

Alan Turing, the gay mathematician who helped the British win World War II by breaking the German's Enigma code, is being honored by his country with an official stamp in their "Britons of Distinction" series. 

The first-class stamp tribute, naming him as one of 10 ‘Britons of Distinction’, comes at a time when there is still a campaign running seeking a posthumous pardon for his conviction for homosexuality in 1952.

The stamp will be released in Britain on 23 February from Royal Mail. Today, there are an estimated 2.5 million stamp collectors and gifters in the UK and millions more worldwide.

Turing was a mathematician and computer scientist, whose work with the code-breakers at Bletchley Park helped to speed up the end of the Second World War.

The Cambridge don had invented the Turing machine, a calculator capable of solving any mathematical problem, which was created in his head many years before the technology existed to build the actual computer.

Interestingly, in researching this blog post I discovered that Turing was also a staunch atheist, which in my book is another excellent reason that he is such a great person!

Celebrity Friday: Blue Ivy Carter Born, Charts 1 Week Later

Beyonce and Jay-Z are the proud parents of Blue Ivy Carter,
who was born January 7, 2012

The world has been agog (and aghast) about the birth of Blue Ivy Carter, the newborn daughter of pop superstars Beyonce and Sean "Jay-Z" Carter in Brooklyn on January 7th, 2012.

Today comes word that Blue Ivy Carter is breaking a record as the youngest individual to appear on the Billboard music charts.

The newborn daughter of rapper Jay-Z and singer Beyonce, whose cries were sampled in her proud papa's newly-released single "Glory," became the youngest person to ever appear on the Billboard charts.

She is credited as a "collaborator" on the single, which has as its official title "Glory, Featuring B.I.C." (short for Blue Ivy Carter).

The song debuted at No. 74 on the charts.

Some of you may think that surely Stevie Wonder's brilliant song "Isn't She Lovely"  from his masterpiece Songs in the Key of Lifewhich features the cries of his newborn daughter Aisha must be in the running for the record of youngest charting artist but apparently it wasn't released as a single until almost two years after it was recorded.

Celebrity Friday: WA Gov Endorses Marriage Equality

Excellent news! Washington Governor Chris Gregoire announced this week that she will be introducing legislation to enact marriage equality in her state very soon.

Here's an excerpt from the video of the press conference where Governor Gregoire announced her endorsement of marriage equality:

GREGOIRE: Some say domestic partnerships are the same as marriage. That’s a version of the discriminatory, separate but equal argument of the past. For decades that argument was used to keep African Americans separate in schools, at their apartments, at drinking fountains. After all, the argument went, those separate places were just as good. But we, Americans knew, separate is not equal and finally the law caught up. 

[...]

We need to ask ourselves, how would it feel, how would it feel to be a child of a gay couple? How can we tell those children that their parents’ love is seen as unequal under Washington law and that their families are different? We must tell these children and their families that they’re every bit as equal and important as any other family in Washington state.

The Governor and Equal Rights Washington say they do not yet have the votes in the State Senate to pass the legislation but they expect to get them in the heavily Democratic body. After the Governor signs the legislation the heterosexual supremacists will almost definitely file a referendum to have a vote on the measure in 2012. Happily, Washington State advocates for LGBT equality are ready and experienced, having successfully defended the state's comprehensive domestic partnership law in a referendum in November 2009.

Congratulations to Washington!

Hat/tip to LGBT Think Progress

Celebrity Friday: Novak and Marko Djokovic Half-Naked Together

The #1 tennis player in the world Novak Djokovic, 24, and his younger brother Marko, 20, show off their, umm, toes, in the sand of Abu Dhabi with a "Santa camel" in this picture. The younger Djokovic is also a tennis player (ranked in the Top 1000) but has generally been receiving attention for being "that cute guy in Djokovic's spectator box" while he won 10 titles in 2011.

Hat/tip to TowleRoad

Celebrity Friday: Zach Wahls

Zach Wahls, is a 19-year-old student from Iowa who was raised by his two moms and became an internet celebrity earlier this year when he defended his family in brilliant, emotionally moving testimony before the state House of Representatives which was considering legislation to ban gay marriage in the state. Zach is today's subject for Celebrity Friday.

This week comes news that his video has been watched almost 16 million times, becoming the most watched political video of 2011, ahead of President Obama's announcement of the death of Osama bin Laden and President Obama's humorous speech at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, among others.

Watch it again, and weep!



Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

Celebrity Friday: Margaret Court Reveals Her Homophobia

Margaret Court is on top of the list of
all-time women's major singles tennis titleholders

Margaret Court is the legendary tennis player from Australia who won 24 women's major singles titles, more than any other player in history. Steffi Graf is the only modern player to come remotely close to breaking her record, with 22 major titles when she retired in 1999.

Court is widely considered tennis (and sports) royalty but the words that came out of her mouth were not very regal. Court gave her opinion about the ongoing national debate in her home country about whether Australia should end the exclusion of same-sex couples from civil marriage.

And what she said was not pretty.

"They are not perfect, often dysfunctional and despite the fact the role models may be distorted and even severely flawed, there is no reason to put forward alternative, unhealthy, unnatural unions as some form of substitute. No amount of legislation or political point-scoring can ever take out of the human heart the knowledge that in the beginning God created them male and female and provided each with a unique sexual function to bring forth new life. To dismantle this sole definition of marriage and try to legitimise what God calls abominable sexual practices that include sodomy, reveals our ignorance as to the ills that come when society is forced to accept law that violates their very own God-given nature of what is right and what is wrong."

Mrs. Court is now apparently "Reverend Court" and obviously does not understand the difference between civil marriage (which is a creation of the secular state) and a religious wedding. Mrs. Court is free to believe whatever she wants about how her religion views homosexuality but she is not free to impose those values upon other people who do not share her religious beliefs in a democratic, secular country like Australia. 


Since two of the most venerated female tennis champions are openly lesbian you know that Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King would not let such comments go by without a response.


According to the Tennis Channel this is how they responded:

Said Navratilova: “Seems to me a lot of people have evolved as has the Bible, [for example regarding] slavery. Unfortunately, Margaret Court has not. Her myopic view is truly frightening as well as damaging to the thousands of children already living in same gender families...I have tried to talk to Margaret, but to say she’s completely close-minded on the issue is an understatement...Here is hoping Australia will be on the right side of history and human rights, and become yet another democracy granting equal rights to all her citizens.” 

Said King: "I respectfully disagree with Margaret’s position on gay marriage...We have to commit to eliminating homophobia because everyone is entitled to the same rights, opportunities and protection...The more we talk openly about issues like gay marriage, the more we learn about each other. It is a blessing the people of Australia can live freely and express their own opinions because we need open dialogue to help us move forward."

Good job by Martina and Billie Jean to let Mrs. Court know that her unbridled religious-based homophobia would not pass by unchecked. It's not often two of my favorite topics (tennis and LGBT equality) intersect but you know when they do I will blog about it!


Hat/tip to TowleRoad!

Celebrity Friday: Elio Di Rupo, openly gay Belgium PM

Elio Di Rupo is the new Prime Minister of Belgium. He is also the first openly gay male head of a national government. There has already been an openly lesbian head of a country, Johanna Sigurdardottir, the elected prime minister of Iceland.

Di Rupo is 60 years old and has been the openly gay head of his political party for years. He is becoming the consensus head of a government after a political standoff between the two main political parties in Belgium has lasted over 500 days.

The Daily Telegraph reports:

In 1999, he took the party's helm, winning consecutive seats as member of parliament, senator, European MP, deputy premier, head of the southern government of Wallonia and mayor of the city of Mons. 

Like Iceland's Johanna Sigurdardottir, Mr Di Rupo, a quiet if forceful politician, is as discreet about his sexuality as is the country at large. 

According to a just-released book of interviews, he came out a little by chance in the mid-1990s after being wrongly accused of abuse during the scandal caused by Belgian serial child killer Marc Dutroux. 

He is quoted as saying: "'This is totally false,' I said as a crowd of journalists milled around. One of them said: 'People say you're homosexual?' I turned around and said 'Yes. So what?' I'll never forget that instant. After my reply everything went silent. It was a sincere reply, the truth.'" 

A tactically clever politician, Mr Di Rupo has been hailed for his skill in striking coalition deals that kept his party in office in a string of governments. He also successfully steered it through a series of devastating corruption scandals.

Congratulations to Mr. Di Rupo!

Celebrity Friday: Herb Wesson Becomes LA City Council Prez

The Los Angeles City Council made history recently by electing Herb Wesson its first African-American President. This is the second most important position in the government of our country's second largest city. Interestingly, Los Angeles has previously had an African-American mayor (Tom Bradley), but in a city which is now only around 10% Black with 3 Black members in a City Council of 15 people, Wesson's election is historic.

Wesson had previously served as Speaker of the California Assembly, spot on his resume he shares with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Bizarrely, even though the selection of Wesson to replace outgoing City Council President Eric Garcetti was technically unanimous, the two other Black members of the Council, Jan Perry and Bernard Parks, were not present.

Wesson's election was necessary because Garcetti and Perry have already announced they are running for the open Mayoral seat which must be vacated by Villaraigosa in Spring 2013.

The Los Angeles Times reports:

Los Angeles City Councilman Herb Wesson made municipal history Wednesday [November 16], with his colleagues agreeing unanimously to make him the council's first African American president. 

That vote may appear in the history books with an asterisk. Wesson's two black colleagues, both of whom have had strained relations with him in recent weeks, did not show up — providing the only no-shows during the vote. 

Councilman Bernard C. Parks, who for days refused to say whether he would back Wesson, called in sick Wednesday morning. Councilwoman Jan Perry received permission for an excused absence. But when called by The Times, she would not say where she needed to be during the council meeting.

Congratulations to Council President Wesson!

Celebrity Friday: Bradley Cooper Named Sexiest Man Alive

Bradley Cooper has been named "the sexiest man alive" by People magazine, annoying fans of Ryan Gosling. I have been a fan of Cooper's since his appearance on J.J. Abrams' Alias television show which starred Jennifer Garner as a secret CIA agent with family issues and Michael Vartan as her handler and love-interest. Cooper played Garner's best friend who was also in love with her. Even back then I could not understand why garner's character would prefer Vartan over Cooper.

Now that the 36-year-old single guy has become a bona fide movie star with appearances in The Hangover and its sequel his profile has soared. This was his reaction when he learned he had been named the sexiest man alive for 2011 by People:

"I think it's really cool that a guy who doesn't look like a model can have this [title]," saysthe Hangover actor, 36. "I think I'm a decent-looking guy. Sometimes I can look great, and other times I look horrifying." 


Another reason to love him? Cooper, whose father Charles passed away in January, is especially close with his mom, Gloria. When he learned he'd been crowned Sexiest Man Alive, the "first thing I thought," he says, "was, 'My mother is going to be so happy.' " 

Congratulations, Bradley

Celebrity Friday: Annise Parker Easily Wins Re-election

Mayor Annise Parker, first openly gay chief executive of a major U.S. city

Annise Parker was easily re-elected to a second 2-year term as Mayor of Houston, Texas on Tuesday November 8. She gathered more than 50% of the vote in a 9-person field, thus avoiding a December run-off election. Two years ago, Parker made history when she became the first openly gay person to head a major United States city (Houston is the fourth largest city in the country).

The Advocate reports:

Parker, who received congratulatory calls Tuesday evening from Vice President Joseph Biden and Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, said that her reelection and the victories of many openly gay candidates nationwide last night indicate a trend toward greater acceptance of LGBT elected officials.

“That doesn’t mean it’s easy,” Parker said. “If the only thing [voters] know about you as a candidate is that you’re openly gay or lesbian, it’s a negative. But if it’s only one of a series of data points about you, then they can filter that along with all of the other points.” 


Despite a current approval rating that is the lowest of any Houston mayor in recent history, according to the Houston Chronicle, Parker has worked to extend LGBT rights in a city that continues to prohibit domestic-partner benefits for gay municipal employees — the result of a voter referendum several years ago. In 2010 she issued an executive nondiscrimination order inclusive of gender identity (sexual orientation had been covered in a previous policy order by former mayor Bill White).

Congratulations, Mayor Parker!

Celebrity Friday: Theo James

Every once in a while I am channel surfing and come across the show Bedlam on BBC America. I always stay and watch it for awhile, hoping for glimpses of stunningly gorgeous British actor Theo James who plays Jed. According to his Wikipedia page, Theo James was born Theo Taptiklis in December 16, 1984, which makes him 26 years old.

He apparently has decent role in the next Underworld movie and was recently named a "Star of Tomorrow." Remember where you saw him first!