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 (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!

OSCARS 2012: Nominations Announced!

The nominees for the 84th Academy Awards were announced this morning in Hollywood.

BEST PICTURE: The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse.
BEST DIRECTOR: The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius, The Descendants - Alexander Payne, Hugo - Martin Scorsese, Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen, The Tree of Life - Terrence Malick.
BEST ACTOR: Demián Bichir - A Better Life, George Clooney - The Descendants, Jean Dujardi - The Artist, Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Brad Pitt - Moneyball.
BEST ACTRESS: Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs, Viola Davis - The Help, Rooney Mara - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady, Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn, Jonah Hill - Moneyball, Nick Nolte - Warrior, Christopher Plummer - Beginners, Max von Sydow - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Bérénice Bejo - The Artist, Jessica Chastain - The Help, Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids, Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs, Octavia Spencer - The Help.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash - The Descendants, John Logan, Hugo George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon - The Ides of March, Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin - Moneyball,Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist, Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig - Bridesmaids, J.C. Chandor - Margin Call, Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris, Asghar Farhadi - A Separation

The rest of the nominees can be found at Oscars.com. My predictions were published yesterday. I'll have more analysis later no how well I did predicting the Top 8 categories.

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: 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.

GODLESS WEDNESDAY: Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais appears on the cover of New Humanist magazine where he is very explicit about his godlessness.

Here's a delightful excerpt from the interview but you should really go there and read the entire thing:

Did you lose your faith or never have any?

I used to believe in God. The Christian one, that is. (There are a few thousand to choose from. But I was born in a country where the dominant religion was Christianity so I believed in that one. Isn't it weird how that always happens?) Luckily I was also interested in science and nature. And reason and logic. And honesty and truth. And equality and fairness. By the age of eight I was an atheist. (That word shouldn’t even exist. It shouldn’t be needed. But it does. And it is.)

You studied philosophy at university – which philosophical idea has turned out to be most useful?

A few spring to mind. Bertrand Russell said, “No one gossips about other people’s secret virtues.” That became more profound once I’d become famous. Ha Ha. And I love “There is no god higher than truth” – Mahatma Gandhi.

I wish there were more celebrities were open and honest about their atheism or agnosticism.

Fake (Or Future) Headline?

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: 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: 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: Monroe and Moroccan Cannon

Mariah Carey and her husband Nick Cannon released pictures of their now 6-month old twins, Monroe Cannon and Moroccan Cannon this week by creating a website called DemBabies.com. The twins are adorable and hopefully will grow up not too scarred by having the most ridiculous celebrity baby names in recent history.

Go to DemBabies.com to see even more pictures of Nick, Mariah and the twins.

Celebrity Friday: Brad Pitt Explains Marriage Equality Support

Brad Pitt, the once and future Sexiest Man Alive, gave an interview to the widely read Sunday newspaper insert Parade Magazine which explains his unconditional support for marriage equality:

“Can you believe that we’re still fighting for equality in America? To be against marriage for everyone is utter discrimination.  I feel strongly about that because if equality of marriage doesn’t happen now, the next generation will have to deal with it.

“It is an amazing thing that New York has finally gotten same-sex marriage. But the real problem is that the federal government hides behind states on this issue. It is blatant, ugly bigotry, and the federal government shouldn’t be doing that. You’re denying some Americans the right that all Americans have, to live their lives as they choose.

“What are you so afraid of? That’s my question. Gay people getting married? What is so scary about that? It’s complicated.  You grow up in a religion like that and you try to pray the gay away. I feel sadness for people like that. This is where people start short-circuiting—instead of being brave and questioning their beliefs, they are afraid and feel that they have to defend them.

“I don’t mind a world with religion in it. There are some beautiful tenets within all religions.  What I get hot about is when they start dictating how other people must live. People suffer because of it. They are spreading misery.    

I couldn't have said it better myself. Go Brad! Looking good at 47 years old, too!

SPORN: Rafa Nadal Shows Off His Ass(ets)

Hmmmm, I guess Wednesday really is hump day. As part of his ongoing campaign with Armani Underwear, World #2, 10-time major tennis champion Rafaael Nadal of Spain joins his fellow Spaniards Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez in showing off their sculpted physiques for profit and admiration.

Hat/tip to TowleRoad.

2011 Emmy Awards: The Winners

Tonight was a big day in Hollywood as the Emmy Awards for excellence in television were announced.
I had previously blogged about the nominations and made my choices known.

Here is the full list of winners of the 2011 Emmy Awards:

 Outstanding Drama Series: "Mad Men," AMC.
- Outstanding Lead Actress, Drama Series: Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife," CBS.
- Outstanding Lead Actor, Drama Series: Kyle Chandler, "Friday Night Lights," DirecTV/NBC.
- Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones," HBO.
- Outstanding Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Margo Martindale, "Justified," FX.
- Outstanding Writing, Drama Series: Jason Katims, "Friday Night Lights," NBC.
- Outstanding Directing, Drama Series: Martin Scorsese, "Boardwalk Empire," HBO.
- Outstanding Comedy Series: "Modern Family," ABC.
- Outstanding Actor, Comedy Series: Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory," CBS.
- Outstanding Actress, Comedy Series: Melissa McCarthy, "Mike & Molly," CBS.
- Outstanding Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Julie Bowen, "Modern Family," ABC.
- Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Ty Burrell, "Modern Family," ABC.
- Outstanding Writing, Comedy Series: Steven Levitan and Jeffrey Richman, "Modern Family," ABC.
- Outstanding Directing, Comedy Series: Michael Spiller, "Modern Family," ABC.
- Outstanding Miniseries or Movie: "Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)," PBS.
- Outstanding Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Kate Winslet, "Mildred Pierce," HBO.
- Outstanding Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Barry Pepper, "The Kennedys," ReelzChannel.
- Outstanding Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)," PBS.
- Outstanding Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Guy Pearce, "Mildred Pierce," HBO.
- Outstanding Directing, Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special: Brian Percival, "Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)," PBS.
- Outstanding Writing, Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special: Julian Fellowes, "Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)," PBS.
- Outstanding Reality-Competition Program: "The Amazing Race," CBS.
- Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series: "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," Comedy Central.
- Outstanding Directing, Variety, Music or Comedy Series: Don Roy King, "Saturday Night Live," NBC.
- Outstanding Writing, Variety, Music or Comedy Series: "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," Comedy Central.

The highlights for me are the husband and wife from Modern Family (Ty Burrel and Julie Bowen) winning Best Supporting Actor and Actress. The Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category was all four male leads from Modern Family  and Chris Colfer from Glee! Also, I'm very psyched that Peter Dinklage won for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, a role that could physically not be played by anyone else and is an amazing piece of writing by George R.R. Martin. I'm also glad that two other shows I just started watching, The Good Wife and the The Big Bang Theory had their lead actors, Jim Parsons (second consecutive year) and Julianna Margulies recognized for their excellent work.

I do not understand the obsession with Mad Men; to me it just looks some kind of Republican fantasy of life in the 1950s before all that damned "progress" of the 1960s (civil  rights for Blacks, equal rights for women and the gay rights movement) happened and "the good old days" were rocking. It's some kind of sick nostalgia fantasy for conservatives. The show has won 4 years in a row, every year it has been in existence. Even worse s The Amazing Race which has now won every Best Reality Series Emmy award ever, even though Survivor was first (and is still better).

Last but not least, congrats to Dame Maggie Smith. You, go, girl!!

With Apple CEO Resignation, Openly Gay COO Takes Over

New Apple CEO Tim Cook (left) with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs

Wow! This is big news! Tim Cook, the openly gay COO of Apple, has been named the new CEO, effective immediately  following the resignation of Steve Jobs earlier on Wednesday.

Here's the text of the letter co-founded and CEO Steve Jobs sent to the Apple community:

To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s C.E.O., I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as C.E.O. of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as C.E.O. of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Steve

I have recently become a MacBook Air user and I'm loving it! I had previously blogged about the openly gay COO of Apple, who now becomes the one of the most famous LGBT people in America. Apple, interestingly, has been flirting with the #1 position on the Fortune 500 in terms of market capitalization as the largest company in the world this summer. The #2 company is the evil Exxon Mobil, which is the only company in the Fortune 500 to have rescinded a gay-supportive non-discrimination ordinance (when Exxon merged with Mobil several years ago).

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God