Happy Birthday, Mr. President

“Every single American: gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, transgender… every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law & in the eyes of our society. It’s a pretty simple proposition.”

Swoon

Gosh almighty, I have such a crush on him going all the way back to Trainspotting in 1996. Ewan McGregor loves playing gay, or he must at least loving getting paid for playing gay. He’s played gay in The Pillow Book (full frontal Mcgregor), The Velvet Goldmine, & I love You, Phillip Morris.

Right now, this magazine is on my coffee table, as yet, unsoiled

McGregor: “I did have a sex scene with Christian Bale, which I did to the best of my ability. C’mon, it was great! I was playing an Iggy Pop-type rock star & we have a shag on top of a rooftop in Kings Cross but they wanted to shoot it from another rooftop. We heard, ‘Action!’ so we started to slowly go at it. Then it went on & on—we were really going at it…with a reach-around... Then I thought, I would have cum by now so I went round to Christian’s ear & went, ‘I think I would have cum by now. I’m going to have a look.’ I looked over & they were packing up the cameras!  I think they thought it was a sensitive thing, they should just leave it to us. I remember when I kissed Johnny (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). It was just a rush at the end of the day. It was just an electrical moment, because you look around & some of the British electrician guys — who are all mainly closeted homosexuals, I think — were sitting around going ‘Fuck, no.’ But I like kissing boys on screen. As a straight guy, it’s quite an interesting proposition. Anything on a film set that takes you by surprise like that, that gets your blood up, is good.”

Along with I love You, Phillip Morris, I am crazy for his work in: Trainspotting, Emma, Moulin Rouge! (he sings! He was in Guys & Dolls on the West End!), Down With Love, the very under-rated Ghost Writer from 2010, & last year's Beginners.

I am worried that he couldn't be any more adorable or desirable. McGregor turns 41 years old today.

Straight, But Not Narrow... Adam Levine

I have been catching The Voice, & I am rather impressed. Gone is the audience laughing & applauding at someone’s humiliation, the homophobic banter & the over-singing by desperate young people that are the very opposite of an American Idol. I feel good about finalist being mentored by the judges. I don’t think I will stay with it, have too many shows saved in the DVR.

But, I am intrigued by Adam Levine. For a guy who is painted as a douchy player, he seems to me to have a good heart & a very hot body. A nice combination.

Levine: "I'm extremely comfortable in my sexuality, so I can think, 'Oh, that's a good-looking dude. Acknowledging that someone's attractive & wanting to f--k a dude are two different things."

"There's no way to hide my straightness, but if people didn't think there was a small chance I was gay, then I wouldn't be doing my job very well. Look at the best ones, guys whose sexuality was always questioned: Bowie. Jagger. Freddie Mercury. I wouldn't be the front man of a band if that question hadn't come up at some point."

"I can single-handedly dispel any ideas that sexuality is acquired. Trust me, you're born with it. My brother is gay, & we knew when he was 2. We all knew. When my brother came out, my family all really wanted to provide some cushion for him & constantly let him know that it's OK. A lot of people don't want their kid to be gay & will fight it at all costs. But I've got news for you… it's a losing fucking battle. The more you fight it, the more fucked-up your kid's gonna be. You've just got to embrace it from the beginning. That's the only way to deal with it as a family."

Levine, of course, dates a model, Victoria's Secret's- Anne Vyalitsyna. He is proud of The Voice for featuring performers who are openly gay,  2 of whom made it to last season’s finale.

Levine: "What's always pissed me off about American Idol is wanting to mask that, for that to go unspoken. C'mon. You can't be publicly gay? At this point? On a singing competition? Give me a break. You can't hide basic components of these people's lives. The fact that The Voice didn't have any qualms about being completely open about it is a great thing."

Straight But Not Narrow

Reporter: You’ve been very vocal lately about gay rights, & I was just curious, what’s your opinion of Mitt Romney since he appears to be the frontrunner for the Republicans & he’s been pretty anti-gay.

George Clooney: “Well, I’m not much concerned until there’s an actual nominee… but I think it’s the wrong side of history. I think everyone sort of understands it might be the last leg of the civil rights movement. I do believe that. So I think that at some point, It’s certainly not the wedge issue it was in 2004, so that’s a good sign. So those are important things to me.”

Born On This Day- January 20th... Post Apocalyptic Bohemian Hero, Bill Maher

I love him for his politically astute unflinching honesty & commitment to never pulling a punch. I think is cute, looking like little doll with his tiny hands & tight little suits. He is ourspoken in his support of Gay Rights, vegetarianism & atheism. He is one of my favorite people on the planet.

When Real Time with Bill Maher went on hiatus for 6 weeks this winter, The Husband & I sighed with disappointment: “what do we do with no Bill Maher on Friday nights? The show has received multiple 28 Emmy nominations as well as nominations from the Writers' Guild of America & Producers' Guild of America. Some of the outstanding guests who have appeared on the show: Anne Coulter, Andrew Sullivan, Barney Frank, George Clooney, Howard Dean, Michael Moore, Robin Williams, Drew Barrymore, Bradley Whitford, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Gen. Wesley Clark, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner, Gary Hart, Pat Buchanan, Ben Affleck, John Edwards & George Carlin.

Each week, Maher's hilarious opening monologue, incisive interviews, stimulating panel discussion, & "New Rules" segment, wrap up the week's most important events in a way that makes me think, as well as cry with laughter.

Maher spoke of good looking, presidential, Mormon- Mitt Romney‘s capitalist ventures have been the subject of much scrutiny, & in his final New Rule tonight, Maher explained such criticism was not anti-capitalist, but was more of a reaction to how Romney attained his wealth. He compared old photos of Henry Ford, Walt Disney, & Steve Jobs with their early creations to the infamous picture of Romney & his business partners with money pouring out of their suits. Maher noted they appeared to be part of a production of “Snow White & the Seven Fuck-Faces.”

The difference between Romney & these early innovators is Romney never actually created anything besides money. Maher suggested that Romney was completely out-of-touch, both because of his answers to questions about issues like income inequality & the fact that the median annual income for an American is $26,000. Maher said if Romney wants to be President, he would have to promise voters he would fight for a system where it is easier to acquire money. “If you elect him, he’ll tell you the secret!”

Maher then asked what the difference was between Romney publicly celebrating his riches & rap artists bragging about their money on album covers & interviews.

Maher: “People who like Romney like him for the same reason other people like rappers who endlessly rub it in that their life is so much better than ours. They’re in the hot tub at the after party with the bling & the bitches. And yet, no matter how clear Jay-Z makes it that the hot tub is only for the coolest & most beautiful people, somehow at the end of the song that is us. But to most average voters, the choice is clear. “What would you rather do: help poor people or have money in your mouth?”

Last Friday, Maher predicted President Barack Obama will endorse gay marriage.The topic of the president's support ,or lack of support, for marriage equality was inevitable with guests: conservative journalist David Frum, Rob Reiner, Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz & documentary filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi. Frum stated that he was wrong about gay marriage, saying that his own warnings that it would harm the family have proved unfounded. Reiner is a founding member of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the group formed specifically to challenge the constitutionality of California's 2008 voter-approved gay marriage ban, Proposition 8. Wasserman Schultz & Pelosi, the daughter of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, are also strong gay rights allies.

When Maher noted that Obama was to the right of Republicans Dick Cheney & Laura Bush on the subject of marriage equality, Wasserman-Schutz pointed out that the president had ordered the Department of Justice to no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Wasserman-Schutz: “Believe me, this is a president who has been bold & clear about the importance of equality for LGBT Americans in this country.”

“Maher: I'm just trying to keep it real & keep it fair, I think Obama will come out in favor of gay marriage. I think in the second term, when he's got nothing to lose you're going to see the real Obama come out, including his admission that he's an atheist too.”

Today Maher turns 56 years old. Bill, let’s smoke a joint, a veggie burger, & dish.

Also On This Day In History:

In 1997, Newt Gingrich becomes the first leader of the US House of Representatives to be internally disciplined for ethical misconduct.

In 2008, Black Monday in worldwide stock markets. FTSE 100 had its biggest ever one-day points fall, European stocks closed with their worst result since 11 September 2001. Under the watchful eye of G.W.Bush the economiuc tailspin towards The Great Recession begins in force.