YEAA! Stefon and Seth Myers Tie the Knot (VIDEO)
Bravo SNL for sending Bill Hadar off with a number of hysterical skits on his final show. Those of us who love his Stefon character were certainly not disappointed with the his farewell skit.
Thank you Bill, Seth Myer and everyone at SNL who helped to create yet another beloved SNL character that will not soon be forgotten.
Some weeks ago in the course of a passionate argument with a conservative friend, I argued that rather than teaching people how to use guns to protect ourselves from the bad guys, we should be addressing social and mental health problems that create bad guys and we should be encouraging people to develop conflict resolution skills. My friend responded with a loud, “OY! And then we’ll all hold hands and sing kumbaya.”
I admit it, I’m a kumbaya guy and I’m proud of it. After seeing this video, I couldn’t help but recall the words of our teacher, Elie Wiesel who recently observed that the ultimate religion is friendship.
If you do not accept that friendship and kindness are the objectives of all faiths, I respectfully suggest you missed the forest for the trees.
![[Vimeo-]](http://i1.wp.com/videos.videopress.com/Oi4BuR28/vimeo_dvd.original.jpg "Watch: [Vimeo-]")
Republican Priorities
A Prayer for Rosh Hodesh Sivan, 5773
Our God and God of our ancestors,
We thank you for the cycle of life and the opportunities afforded to us by the calendar to mark the passage of time
With the beginning of the new month of Sivan, we pray as we do daily for peace in the world in our individuals lives
We pray that in the new month to come, each of will prove to be better human beings who are more aware of our capacity to learn, love and contribute to building a better world
We pray we will be wiser, but more humble, more assertive in seeking justice for others but more understanding and gentle with those people with whom we have disagreements
We pray that in spite of our faith and love for You, we will never become so presumptuous as to assume that we know how You want each person to pray to you and practice Judaism
We pray that we will never become so arrogant as to presume that our understanding of Torah is the only possible understanding of our rich Jewish heritage.
As patient and loving as you were with our father Abraham when he pleaded with you to not destroy the good along with the wicked, may we be just as patient and tolerant of our Jewish brothers and sisters who insist that their way is the only way
Just as no two snow flakes are a like we celebrate the diversity of humanity and recognize that every person is created in the Divine Image
May the time come soon when every Jew will be allowed to practice Judaism in the land of our ancestors according his or her own understanding of Torah and while there are many different journeys one can take through our rich heritage, all Jews will come to appreciate that each path is sacred.
Amen
You can’t make this bullshit up. And people believe Fox and turn to them for the news. Only in Amerikkka.
Rep. Darrel Issa & the Republican Party Are Intentionally Lying About Behghazi (2 VIDEOS)
Rep. Darrel Issa
Rep. Elijah Cummings
Most reasonable, informed Americans know that the current hearings being conducted by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee which is chaired by Republican Darrel Issa is nothing less than an witch-hunt intended to promote outright lies about what the White House and former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton should have done, might have done or could have done to prevent the Benghazi tragedy.
Do the current Republican members on Capital Hill have the capacity to do anything positive, anything constructive for the American people? Or do they all believe as Mitch McConnell has time and again reminded us, see their primary responsibility as Republican legislators to prevent President Obama from leading this nation and making sure that nothing constructive happens in Washington until the GOP controls both house of Congress and the White House?
I honestly want to know: How do Republicans on Main Street watch what members of their political party are doing on Capital Hill and feel no shame? Or do they?
Thank you Rep. Elijah Cummings (D. Maryland) for calling-out Rep. Issa for this embarrassing attempt at political assassination by lies and innuendo.
No one see’s through Republican and Fox Noise bullshit better than Jon Stewart!
Bridegroom: An American Love Story (VIDEO)
I’m proud to say that I’m one of the thousands of people who financially kicked a few $$ to make sure this important, sad, compelling, inspiring documentary was made. We are re-printing one of the first reviews of film which was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival.
FYI, The original YouTube video that inspired the documentary is posted below as well. MG
(Reprinted from the Hollywood Reporter 5/7/2013)
The Bottom Line
This deeply moving documentary will melt the heart of anyone who sees it.
Venue
Tribeca Film Festival
Director-Screenwriter
Linda Bloodworth Thomason
Linda Bloodworth Thomason’s documentary presents a human face on the issue of gay couples’ legal rights.
It’s guaranteed that there won’t be a dry eye in any theater showing Linda Bloodworth Thomason’s deeply moving documentary about the plight of Shane Bitney Crone, who lost his lover in a tragic accident and was prevented by the deceased’s family from even attending the funeral. The film – -inspired by a 2012 YouTube video posted by Crone that went viral — showcases the personal side of the story while also putting a spotlight on the hot-button issue of gay marriage. Screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it was introduced by no less a personage than President Clinton, Bridegroom is destined for a long life on the festival circuit and beyond.
Benefiting greatly from the seemingly endless amounts of personal video footage shot by the two men, including Shane’s “video diary,” it chronicles the relationship between the Montana-born Shane and the Indiana-born Tom, who met in Los Angeles while separately pursuing show-business careers. The former had a troubled adolescence, suffering from panic attacks instigated by his burgeoning awareness of his sexuality and his frightened reaction upon seeing the AIDS-themed film Philadelphia. When he finally summoned the nerve to write a love letter to his best friend, it only resulted in him being bullied by his schoolmates.
Tom, on the other hand, seemed to lead a charmed life, fueled in part by his drop-dead-handsome, movie-star looks. He attended a military academy then Vassar, where he was friends with future Oscar winner Anne Hathaway. When he later met Shane, the pair formed an instant bond and became inseparable, traveling the world together in low-budget fashion.
It’s Tom’s accidental death from a fall off a rooftop that fuels the film’s principal dramatic element, as Shane is prevented from seeing his dying lover in the hospital, only finally gaining entry thanks to the kindness of his nurses. Despite his previously warm relationship with Tom’s religious mother, he finds himself completely ostracized by the family, his presence in Tom’s life virtually erased.
Shane Bitney in front of the SCOUS.
The story is told in compelling sympathetic fashion by Designing Woman creator Thomason, with extensive comments by various friends and relatives of the couple as well as Shane himself, who movingly and articulately expresses his profound grief. Such moments as when he describes making his final farewell to his dead lover via the secret code of tapping that they used to express their love in public are simply shattering.
The film is not without its humorous aspects as well, such as an interview with Shane’s great-grandmother, who says of the couple, “That’s right, they’re Romeo and Romeo, get used to it.”
The final scene, in which Shane visits his lover’s grave — it’s only then that Tom’s all-too-ironic last name finally is revealed — is but the final heartbreaking moment in this film that has the power to move hearts and minds. Thomason tellingly ends the film with an extended shot of the Supreme Court building, silently making the point that this form of injustice possibly is on the verge of being corrected.
Venue: Tribeca Film Festival
Production: Mozark Productions
Director/screenwriter: Linda Bloodworth Thomason
Producers: Shane Bitney Crone, Allen Crowe
Executive producer: Shane Bitney Crone
Director of photography: James W. Roberson
Editor: Nicolas Romolini
Composer: Bruce Miller
No MPAA rating, 79 minutes
Mitch Gilbert is a social worker, writer, and religious educator. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he has done community development work in Washington DC, Cleveland, Akron, Vancouver, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. Mitch earned a BA at Brooklyn College (CUNY), a Master of Science in Social Administration degree from Case Western Reserve University. In addition, Mitch has done graduate studies in Jewish tradition, history, and culture at New York University and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Mitch is actively involved with the Democratic Party and progressive causes and organizations that advance human rights, protect animals and save the environment. He currently resides in Bexley, Ohio.
