Pop Star Cilla Black Dies At Age 72

Via the Telegraph:

Cilla Black has died at her Spanish home, local police have confirmed. The much-loved TV star and singer is believed to have died of natural causes after being found at her home in Marbella. The Liverpoon-born star enjoyed her first taste of fame at the city's Cavern Club, where she performed alongside acts including The Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers. She went on to release 14 albums but later established herself as a television personality, presenting hit shows including Surprise Surprise and Blind Date. In 1968, she became the first woman to have her own prime-time chat show on BBC One. In more recent years, despite suffering from arthritis and deafness, she remained in the public eye. Her rise to stardom was recently told in award-winning three-part drama, Cilla, starring Sheridan Smith.

During her pop career Black charted nearly two dozen Top 40 hits in the UK including two #1 singles - Anyone Who Had A Heart and You're My World - both of which were drag staples in the 70s.

New Order - Restless

Via Pop Matters:

“Restless” takes me back to Club Paradiso in Amsterdam, a church converted into a dance club. There is a reason why New Order never grow old or fade. Their sound has become archetypal of not only an era, but also of specific nighttime emotions. New Order has become synonymous with that eloquent longing that only comes at 3am after several glasses of champagne cognac and hours of dancing under the multicolored spotlights of a club. The world turns and we turn with it and in that dizzying waltz we grow reverent and speechless. “Restless” is the sound of sanctus bells calling the faithful to worship.

Other reviews at the link are less glowing.

BRITAIN: Straight Guy Asks 100 Random Men For Their Phone Number

He got a lot more numbers than when he tried the same experiment with women. Perhaps more surprisingly, nobody got very aggressive with him.

(Via Towleroad)

BRITAIN: House Of Lords Deputy Speaker Resigns In Drugs And Prostitution Scandal

The Telegraph reports:

Parliamentary authorities have called in Scotland Yard after a peer who oversees standards in the House of Lords was pictured allegedly taking cocaine with two prostitutes. Baron Sewel of Gilcomstoun, a Deputy Speaker of the Lords, resigned amid claims he took the Class A drug at a sex party. The House of Lords authorities immediately referred his case to police and dubbed the revelations "shocking and unacceptable". Lord Sewel, formerly a Labour peer and ally of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, was said to have been caught on video telling the £200-a-night prostitutes that he wanted to "be led astray". The Lord Speaker issued a strongly-worded statement in which she said Scotland Yard would be asked to investigate. Baroness D’Souza said: "Today’s revelations about the behaviour of Lord Sewel are both shocking and unacceptable. "Lord Sewel has this morning resigned as Chairman of Committees. The House of Lords will continue to uphold standards in public life and will not tolerate departure from these standards"

While Sewel has resigned from his post as deputy speaker, he remains a member of the House Of Lords. For now. More from the Guardian:

He paid women in prostitution for their services in a grace and favour flat in Dolphin Square for which he pays £1,000 a month instead of the going rate of nearly £3,000. This man’s “private life” is subsidised to the hilt by the taxpayer, and that is what really sticks in the craw. That, and his comments about Asian women. He asks if there will be any “nice little young Asian women” at the party, before adding, “they sort of look innocent but you know they are whores”. As he was the guy in the Lords responsible for making sure that his colleagues, his fellow public servants, behaved properly, the notion of “double standards” covers him much less impressively than that unfortunate bra. His awful moaning to the women who charged him £200 a night about how he can’t get by on a Lords allowance of £200 a day is the worst element of the whole scandal. “I do spend it on wine and different things,” he remarked. In reality the allowance for peers is £300 a day, though it does not apply to Sewel. He is paid £120,000 a year, made up of his salary for his part-time work chairing committees in the Lords (£84,525) and his allowance of £36,000 for maintaining a home in London. He complains that he is struggling, and when one of the women asks if his £200 allowance pays for his lunch, he replies: “It’s not lunch luvvie darling, it’s paying for this”. Wow. Is there any real question that he should remain in the House? That he should not be expelled?

IAMX - Happiness

Diffuser reports:

In some circles, British musician Chris Corner is best known as a founding member of ’90s trip-hop outfit Sneaker Pimps. But in more modern circles, he’s known as IAMX – his electro-pop alter ego with five albums to his name since emerging about a decade ago and a sixth – Metanoia – on the way. Corner told us the song was actually something of an “afterthought” during the recording process. “‘Happiness’ was the last song to be recorded,” he said. “The album was pretty much complete but I felt something simple and fundamental was missing. The irony being that the afterthought became the first single.”

IAMX launches a US tour in early October. Sneaker Pimps' 6 Underground is one of my favorite tracks from the 90s.

British Documentary: World Congress Of Families And NOM Are Fomenting Anti-Gay Violence Across Africa

Last night Britain's Channel 4 aired Hunted: Gay And Afraid, which points to US-based Christian groups such as the World Congress Of Families and NOM as fomenting anti-LGBT violence across Africa. The Independent reviews:

MacKean's film focused not on the victims but on the "villains", specifically the World Congress of Families, an organisation which, though based in the US, has tentacles stretching into Europe, Africa and beyond. View footage of any high-level meeting to draft draconian, homophobic legislation, anywhere in the world, and it seems you'll find a WCF member or affiliate lurking in the corner of the frame. Figures such as the WCF managing director, Pastor Larry Jacobs, and Brian Brown, president of the National Organisation for Marriage, were tracked down by MacKean and confronted with the accusation that the effect of their lobbying can be to legitimise violence. This isn't news to viewers of the above-mentioned documentaries. It was striking to note how the same lobbying tactics have been replicated from country to country: First, select a biddable local politician as a frontman, then falsely conflate homosexuality with child abuse, spuriously blame gay people for public health issues and repeat as necessary.

Earlier this week the World Congress of Families issued a press release denouncing the show:

The documentary-produced by the British TV current affairs documentary series, "Dispatches" -claims to "expose the backlash against gay rights and to shed light on WCF." From its early promotional material, it appears that the documentary is filled with misinformation, intentional or otherwise, thus failing to acknowledge that WCF is not a lobbying group and has never advocated for laws that would harm, harass, or disparage those choosing an LGBT lifestyle. WCF does, however, support policies and legislation that strengthen the welfare of the natural family and protects human rights for all consistent with The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  "Reputable journalists and documentarians strive to present the truth. We ask that the producers of this documentary get correct information and not tarnish their reputation by airing falsehoods about our organization for the sole purpose of promoting a particular agenda," said Janice Shaw Crouse, a member of the Board of Directors of WCF and Executive Director of the World Congress on Families IX. "At the very least, they should seek comment or reaction from official representatives of WCF about the information they have collected."

The press release goes on to blame the SPLC and the HRC for promulgating "negative and unwarranted attacks" against them. The WCF has also issued a lengthy "Call For Civil Dialogue" which purports to contradict the charges against them. See that message, but read it carefully and you'll see that the WCF basically admits most of the claims made by the SPLC and HRC.

VIDEO: The full Channel 4 documentary has been posted online, but I'm unable to make to video player work at this writing.

RELATED: Last September Brian Brown and representatives from the World Congress of Families attended a Kremlin summit which concluded with a formal written call for more nations to enact brutal anti-LGBT laws.

TRAILER: Legend

Entertainment Weekly recaps:

Back in the ’60s, no British gangsters were more feared — or more famous — than London criminals Ronnie and Reggie Kray. Mad Max: Fury Road star Tom Hardy portrays both twin brothers in the new film Legend which is writen directed by Brian Helgeland (Payback, A Knight’s Tale, 42) and co-stars an impressive array of British acting talent, including David Thewlis, Paul Bettany, Christopher Eccleston, Emily Browning, and Taron Egerton from Kingsman: Secret Service, as well as token Yank, Chazz Palminteri. Legend is on limited release from Oct. 2 and will then platform out around the country.

TRAILER: Ireland's Young Warriors

Clip recap:

Earlier this year, VICE News filmed with a republican youth movement in Ireland called Na Fianna Éireann (“Warriors of Ireland” in English), a small group of around 30 boys considered to be hardline dissidents. They support a violent IRA splinter group known as the Continuity IRA, and believe that a renewed armed struggle is needed to free Ireland from British occupation in the North. Considered “junior terrorists” by some, the Na Fianna sees itself simply as Ireland’s true republican boy scouts, training with the main aim of being ready for a new resistance — a fight that they believe is inevitable.

How Gay Men Used To Speak

I've long been fascinated with Polari, which I first learned about when I asked British friends about the title of Morrissey's 1990 album, Bona Drag, which means "nice outfit." From the clip recap:

Polari was a form of slang used by gay men in Britain prior to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967, used primarily as a coded way for them to discuss their experiences. It quickly fell out of use in the 70s, although several words entered mainstream English and are still used today.

The text of the clip is here.

Disclosure - Holding On

Stereogum recaps:

Last week, Disclosure dropped a trailer for what seemed to be an elaborate short film or music video from their upcoming sophomore album Caracal. Now, in a series of tweets, the brothers Lawrence just confirmed that it’s actually a sequence of four music videos that will make up one complete short film. Along with the announcement, they shared the first clip in the sequence, set to the album’s Gregory Porter-featuring first single “Holding On.” Shot in Mexico City, the video is set in a dystopian future police state and elliptically begins the story of a woman named Mariela who maybe has special powers and definitely seems to be society’s last hope.

RELATED: Sam Smith got his big break when he was featured on Disclosure's monster 2012 hit Latch.

Record Crowds For London Pride

From the Guardian:

Tens of thousands of people, many decked in the colours of the rainbow, took to London’s streets on Saturday to celebrate the annual Pride parade just a day after gay marriage was ruled to be legal across the US. To mark the historic judgment, which ensures that the 14 states with bans on same-sex marriage cannot enforce them, the United States flag joined those of Ireland and Mozambique at the front of the march in recognition of the progress recently in recognising gay rights in all three countries. More than 250 groups were represented at the parade which ended in Whitehall. There was additional security after Friday’s terrorist attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait, with the Met’s deputy assistant commissioner, Helen Ball, saying the force would lay on extra security “to help protect and reassure the public” and to make sure “the public are encouraged to continue with their plans to attend or take part in events as normal”.

Homocons from UKIP crashed the parade.

Supporters of Ukip have taken part in today's Pride in London parade despite attempts to ban them from doing so. About 15 people holding a large banner with the words "Some gays are Ukip, get over it!" managed to join the parade, despite their application to take part being refused by the organisers. Veteran campaigner Peter Tatchell tweeted that the group had "barged" in and branded their actions "appalling", while others said they snuck into the parade to take their place alongside 250 other organisations. The band of Ukip supporters then managed to march unchallenged for at least part of the route. Richard Hendron, organiser of the Ukip group, told PinkNews they were marching "in support of LGBT rights, as well as in support of our rights to be here". He added: "We want to show that if there is any homophobia [in UKIP] it is dealt with and we are progressing. "We are a party which believes in equality – we are a libertarian party – there are some people who are racist and homophobic, but unless we take part in things like this, we aren’t going to change this."

RELATED: Thanks very much to the JMG readers that dropped by the Pride Life tent to say hello! Special shout-out to Will and Pearl from New Zealand!

US Flags To Lead London Pride

Wonderful! If you're in London, look for me tomorrow at the Pride Life tent in Trafalgar Square.

TONIGHT: JMG Reader Meetup At London's Duke Of Wellington Pub

We won't have the marriage ruling to celebrate tonight, but I'm sure we can find another reason or three to lift a few pints at the Duke Of Wellington pub in Soho. And the first three guys that come up to me and say "Obergefell" get a free JMG t-shirt. I'll be there around 9PM providing I don't get lost.

Teens Invent STD-Detecting Condom

Buzzfeed reports:

Creators Muaz Nawaz, Daanyaal Ali, and Chirag Shah, from London’s Isaac Newton Academy, wanted to “make detecting harmful STIs safer than ever before” without invasive testing. Their invention, cleverly named the S.T.EYE, nabbed them the top health innovation prize at the city’s TeenTech Awards, which are intended to promote science, engineering, and technology in schools. At the competition, groups of kids ranging in age from 11 to 16 attempt to create “technology to make life better, simpler or easier.”The condom uses a built-in indicator that changes to a different color depending on the bacteria or infection it detects. The students said it may glow green for chlamydia, yellow for herpes, purple for human papillomavirus, or blue for syphilis. Molecules in the condom attach to the bacteria of common STIs, causing the contraception to fluoresce in low light.

More from Daily Dot:

It’s unclear as to whether the condom detects both the wearer’s and the recipient’s STI statuses, or just the recipient’s. If the latter, that poses some obvious concerns for heterosexual women or gay men who take a passive role during sex. It’s also worth noting that the S.T. Eye has yet to actually come to fruition; in fact, a TeenTech representative was careful to say in an email to the Daily Dot that the team’s idea was “very much a concept and... not a finalized design.” All skepticism aside, though, considering the stigma associated with condom use in our society, it’s awesome to see a group of teenage boys trying to make safe sex cool by trying to reimagine the concept behind the traditional barrier method. Especially when most teenage boys are too busy trying to avoid wearing condoms to begin with.

(Tipped by JMG reader Ray)

London Gets Rainbow Train For Pride

Pink News reports:

London’s transport authority has introduced a number of high-profile rainbow stunts – last year rolling out a rainbow crossing for Pride in London. TfL later expanded its efforts, showing its pride earlier this year by making over a London bus and a traditional black taxi. Ahead of this week’s Pride parade, it has gone even further – making over a Docklands Light Railway train in rainbow colours, with sponsorship from Barclays. The new train will be in service today on the Canary Wharf to Stratford route, until later this year. DLR Director Rory O’Neill said: “We are delighted to have this iconic artwork on our trains. It has taken a great deal of collaboration with our operator, KeolisAmey Docklands to get it done but it is well worth the effort.”

NEXT WEEK: JMG Reader Meetup At London's Duke Of Wellington Pub

As I mentioned on Facebook a few days ago, the overlords at Pride Magazine have rather abruptly decreed that I'm to go to London next week for a few days of "synergy and digital integration planning" with the team of sister publication, Pride Life.  This mean that I'll miss NYC Pride for the first time since I've lived here (argh!) and that I'll be out of position time-wise (so to speak) when the SCOTUS ruling comes down. On the other hand - free trip to London - so after consulting the Facebook mind hive, we've decided on the Duke Of Wellington pub in Soho for a JMG reader meetup on next Thursday at 9PM. We'd do it earlier, but I'll be blogging on my regular US schedule while I'm there. London Pride is that Saturday, so if you don't make the meetup, look for me with the Pride Life crew.

Kevin Spacey Gets Knighted

Via the Daily Mail:

Kevin Spacey claims he feels like 'an adopted son' after being awarded an honorary knighthood for his services to culture and British theatre. The US star, who is finishing a 10-year run as artistic director at London's Old Vic theatre, said he was 'honored and humbled' by the recognition and thanked Britons for supporting his work. He was just one of a host of film stars to be given a gong in this year's Queen's Honours List - with Benedict Cumberbatch winning a CBE and Eddie Redmayne an OBE. The two-times Academy Award winner took over as artistic director of the Old Vic in 2003 and is widely credited with helping turn around the once struggling theatre.

As a foreigner, Spacey doesn't get the title "Sir." Also receiving a knighthood was veteran blues artist Van Morrison.

BRITAIN: Five Hospitalized After Drinking Poppers At Dance Music Festival

Via the Independent:

At least five people have fallen ill after drinking suspected “legal highs” at Parklife festival over the weekend. Four people have been discharged from North Manchester General Hospital but a 26-year-old woman is still being treated, police said. Her condition is not known. Greater Manchester Police said festival-goers had been drinking poppers, which are usually sniffed. Officers seized 400 bottles of the drugs and are urging anyone who bought them to hand them in “before it’s too late”. Chief Inspector Gary Simpson said: “We are now extremely concerned that people are drinking poppers and this poses a significant risk to life and would urge anyone using, or considering using them or any 'legal high' to cease from doing so immediately, before it's too late. "Anyone who has consumed any of these substances is urged to seek medical help immediately.

Last month Britain banned the selling of amyl nitrate, but personal possession remains legal.

Homocons Banned From London Pride

London Pride has banned LGBT members of Britain's right-wing UKIP party from participating in this year's parade. Via the Guardian:

Ukip has been banned from one of Britain’s biggest gay pride parades in an apparent U-turn by organisers who say they are worried about the safety of participants. The inclusion of Ukip in the original lineup of the Pride in London march set for 27 June had been controversial. Many in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community spoke out against the involvement of the party, which has been linked to a string of allegedly homophobic controversies. Following the creation of a petition calling for the party to be banned, Pride organisers said they had rejected Ukip’s application to take part on safety grounds.

Organisers said the decision was not politically motivated. Ukip has been banned from one of Britain’s biggest gay pride parades in an apparent U-turn by organisers who say they are worried about the safety of participants. The inclusion of Ukip in the original lineup of the Pride in London march set for 27 June had been controversial. Many in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community spoke out against the involvement of the party, which has been linked to a string of allegedly homophobic controversies. Following the creation of a petition calling for the party to be banned, Pride organisers said they had rejected Ukip’s application to take part on safety grounds. Organisers said the decision was not politically motivated.

London Pride has issued a statement:

We have reached the decision that UKIP’s application to join the Pride in London Parade, 27 June 2015, will be turned down. This decision has been made after careful consultation in order to protect participants and ensure the event passes off safely and in the right spirit, it has not been made on a political basis. We appreciate many in our community have strongly held views about UKIP, their policies and comments, but is undeniable that there are LGBT+ members of UKIP, including their MEP for Scotland, and it is important to remember that Pride in London aims to be an inclusive event. However, of paramount concern to us is the experience of all participants at Pride, most especially the position we would be putting our volunteer stewards in.

More from Breitbart:

The organisers may now face a challenge from UKIP, who could argue that the move breaches a contract the organisers have to run the event. A note on their website reads: “Within this contract we pledged to create a world-class, diverse and inclusive event that provides a platform for the LGBT+ community to celebrate and campaign; and raise money to assist charities and organisations that safeguard and promote the welfare and rights of the LGBT+ community.” Excluding UKIP may fall foul of their responsibilities towards diversity and inclusivity. One LGBT member told Breitbart London: “Once again the LGBT lobby have said it’s great to be gay, but only if you have the right kind of views and are the right kind of gay. This is a sad day, but I hope it’ll bolster LGBT* in UKIP, help us to become more radical, and to be a home for LGBT people who do not feel they belong on the left”.

BRITAIN: Queen Announces Referendum On UK Leaving The European Union

Via the Guardian:

Tax freezes, the devolution of power and an EU referendum were all on the agenda as the Queen’s Speech marked the first day of the new parliamentary year. The speech was the Queen’s 64th and the first all Conservative Speech she has given in parliament since 1996, following the party’s majority election victory at the beginning of the month. In the speech written and given to her by Conservative ministers, the Queen outlined the government’s plans in an 9-minute speech. The Queen’s big announcements included the news that there would be a referendum on Britain’s membership to the European Union in 2017, and the government’s “tax lock commitment” that would see a freezing of income tax, value added tax and national insurance for the next five years.