Apple's Tim Cook Tops Out's Power 50 List

Out Magazine today published its ninth annual ranking of the 50 most powerful LGBT people in the United States.  Taking the top spot from last year's list leader, Ellen DeGeneres, is Apple CEO Tim Cook, who formally came out six months ago. Here is this year's top ten:

1. Tim Cook
2. Ellen DeGeneres
3. Rachel Maddow
4. Sen. Tammy Baldwin
5. Anderson Cooper
6. Anthony Romero 
7. Chad Griffin
8. Mary Kay Henry
9. Laverne Cox
10. Andy Cohen

Romero is the executive director of the ACLU and Henry is the head of the SEIU. Missing from the list for the second year is closeted homocon blogger Matt Drudge, who ranked at #21 in 2013 and at #16 in 2012. Fellow homocons Peter Thiel and Ken Mehlman appear on this year's ranking at #13 and #41 respectively, with closeted Fox anchor Shepard Smith coming at #20. Also gone this year is recently retired blogger Andrew Sullivan, who ranked at #26 last year. Hit the top link for the full 2015 list.

Third Eagle Of The Apocalypse Has Phallic Neckline Challenge For Anderson Cooper

Anderson Cooper, Game Show Host?

Via TVNewser:

CNN is producing a political game show, TVNewser has learned. The blocking and testing of the show is happening this week at CNN’s New York studios. Insiders tell us the show will be hosted by Anderson Cooper and will air on Presidents’ Day, Feb. 16. If it’s successful, further episodes would go into production. We hear the program will be a quiz style game show, focused on presidential politics. As the Sony email hacking story unfolded last month, one of the more interesting TV news stories to emerge was that CNN Worldwide chief Jeff Zucker had asked a Sony TV executive if the company would consider producing “Political Jeopardy!” for CNN. That was a nonstarter. But now it appears Zucker is going his own way on a quiz show.

Anderson Cooper On The Gay Agenda

McCain Battles With Former White House Spokesman Jay Carney Over ISIS Plan

Mediaite sets the stage:

Jay Carney, on his very first night working for CNN, ended up sparring with Senator John McCain over President Obama‘s ISIS speech, in which McCain repeatedly took shots at Carney for not telling the truth, saying at least once that “facts are stubborn things.” The second McCain appeared on CNN, he immediately got combative with Carney. McCain said that Obama unilaterally decided, against advisement from his national security team, not to train Syrian rebels. In addition, he said not leaving a residual force in Iraq was a huge mistake on Obama’s part. Carney disputed McCain’s claims, but the senator said, “Again, Mr. Carney, you are saying facts that are patently false.” They kept talking over each other and arguing, with McCain continuing to insist that Carney has his facts wrong.

Cooper: I'm No Expert On Vaginas

Anderson Cooper Confronts Texas State Rep Over GOP "Ex-Gay" Party Plank

Cooper does a great job. Watch this.

(Via Raw Story)

Anderson Cooper Vs Arizona Pol

Anderson Cooper tore apart another anti-gay Arizona GOP pol last night. Definitely worth watching the clip below.

Cooper asked, “Can you give me a specific example of someone in Arizona who’s been forced to do something against their religious belief or successfully sued because of their faith?” Melvin said he could not, arguing the bill is “preemptive.” Cooper asked him if, hypothetically, a Catholic loan officer could refuse to give a loan to a divorced woman. Melvin told Cooper he was being “far-fetched,” insisting, “I don’t know of anybody in Arizona who would discriminate against a fellow human being.”

When Cooper pointed out that Arizona businesses (including the state Chamber of Commerce) oppose the bill, Melvin said it’s “because there has become a media frenzy on this.” Cooper incredulously asked, “You’re seriously blaming the media on this?! Oh, come on.” Cooper then pressed Melvin on whether he believes firing someone for being gay or lesbian is discrimination. Melvin did not give a direct answer, telling Cooper, “I know you’re trying to set me up, and I’m not going to stand for it, sir.”

Anderson Cooper Grills Arizona State Rep Over Anti-Gay Discrimination Bill

Watch this guy bluster and lie.

Sean Penn Is Melting Down His 65 Guns

"Being provoked by this aforementioned strong woman and considering how liberating of bullshit and ugliness it would be not only get rid of the guns I have in the continental United States but also to destroy them, Jeff Koons and I had a chat the other day. The highest bidder gets every single one of my guns put in the hands of this iconic artist and sculptor. Koons will decommission [and] render inactive all of my cowardly killing machines." - Sean Penn, speaking about his 65 guns on Monday at his relief benefit for Haiti. The winning bidder for not-yet created piece by Koons was Anderson Cooper, who finally topped Piers Morgan with a $1.4M bid. The "strong woman" Penn referred to is his current girlfriend Charlize Theron, whose mother shot her father to death when Theron was 17 years old.

Magic Johnson Tells Anderson Cooper: I'm The Blessing And The Curse Of HIV

Last night Magic Johnson talked to Anderson Cooper about the paradox presented by living with HIV for 22 years in the public eye, which has prompted many Americans to get tested but has also led some to discount the very real dangers of the virus. Johnson: "They say 'Oh, HIV is nothing. I can be like Magic. He's doing good.'" Johnson goes on to laud the gay community for its HIV education campaigns, but laments that the same is not being done in the black and Latino communities.

In the second half of the clip Johnson praises his openly gay son and denounces those that criticize him for loving his son just as he is. Johnson: "Yes, I go to church. I'm a Christian. But at the same time, you know, this is reality. My son is gay. That's reality. Nothing's going to change. And I tell pastors that. I tell black Christians who come after me, 'Hey, I love my son. Nothing's gonna change that. I don't care if you don't agree and you don't wanna deal with me or don't like me. That's on you. Tell me when it hits your own family.'"

Anderson Cooper Vs Alec Baldwin

Anderson Cooper Slams Fox & MSNBC

"This is the way it works in journalism. When you’re not on Fox News, you get contentious interviews. When you’re not on MSNBC and a liberal, you get contentious interviews. My job is to ask you questions that are different than you think." - Anderson Cooper, when GOP Rep. Raul Labrador accused him of being biased against Republicans.

RELATED: Last month Labrador, with 59 House cosponsors, introduced a bill that would forbid the federal government from "taking any adverse action" against opponents of same-sex marriage. Labrador was first elected in the 2010 Tea Party wave.

Pat Robertson Makes Cooper's Ridiculist

NEW YORK CITY: Mentally Ill Stalker Of Anderson Cooper Arraigned In Manhattan

A mentally ill gay man who has allegedly stalked Anderson Cooper for years was arraigned last night in Manhattan Criminal Court.

Since 2008, Alex Hausner — described as a gay, Jewish white supremacist — has allegedly made unwelcome phone calls plus four attempts to see Cooper, last month trying to kick down the red, lacquered door to the posh, four-story West Village converted firehouse that Cooper shares with his hunky, bar-owner boyfriend. “I swear to f--king God, don’t insult me,” a security camera caught Hausner shouting as he kicked, according to court papers. “I’m going to f--k you up!” In his three decades as a newsman, Cooper has ducked Israeli rockets in Gaza and braved radioactive clouds in Japan. But it’s Hausner — a Far Rockaway, Queens, psychiatric patient — who now has him rattled, court papers say.

Hausner is being held in lieu of $75,000 bail on charges of first degree menacing and misdemeanor stalking and harassment. He has multiple prior felony and misdemeanor convictions, according to prosecutors.

Alec Baldwin Vs Anderson Cooper

"What I realize about [Cooper] is, everybody in media, they have a job to do. Anderson Cooper has a job to do. And that job is to try to reinforce his credibility in the gay community after the fact that you couldn't get him out of the closet for 10 years with a canister of tear gas. Now he's the sheriff. Now he's running around writing everybody a ticket!" - Alec Baldwin, complaining to Howard Stern that Cooper criticized him for the "toxic little queen" flap.

Anderson Cooper: I'm A Creepy Cher Fan

"You try keeping a 46 year-old gay man away from Cher."

GAYSPLOSION: Cher + Cooper + Cohen

Apple CEO Tim Cook Tops Out's Power 50

Via press release:

Tim Cook, number 1 on this year’s Power 50 list, took charge of tech giant Apple as CEO in 2011 and has guided the company through significant upgrades on all of its product lines and helped the brand increase its market share to 20% of all money spent on U.S. consumer technology. This year marks the first time Anderson Cooper (No. 5) is publicly out on the list. Meanwhile, Nate Silver, a newcomer to the list, proved to be a wunderkind statistician, prognosticating the 2012 presidential election with, at final count, 100% accuracy on his New York Times blog, FiveThirtyEight.

R&B star Frank Ocean makes his list debut at #10. Closeted homocon Matt Drudge is #21. See the full list.

At The GLAAD Media Awards

Loyal JMG photographer Dr. Jeff snapped over 650 photos on the GLAAD Media Awards red carpet and afterwards and he's edited that down to a more user-friendly 130 shots. Click through for lots of heroes to the movement like Chris Kluwe, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Peter Staley, and many others. Kitchen Cousins!