Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Times Square NYE Time-Lapse

"A time-lapse production on New Year's Eve never seen before. Due to all the security concerns on the big day, the NYPD had stationed snipers at certain hotel locations not disclosed. We were granted rooftop permission by two hotels, the Times Square Alliance, and the NYPD to shoot this amazing piece."

Open Thread Thursday

Where were you at midnight on NYE?

SEATTLE: New Year's Eve Arson Attempt At Packed Gay Nightclub

Seattle's Fox affiliate reports:

Police are searching for an attempted arsonist who allegedly poured gasoline on a carpeted stairway leading to the second level of Neighbours Nightclub and trying to set it on fire. Seattle police said an attempted arsonist poured the gas in the stairway just after midnight New Year’s Day. The arsonist lit the gas and left, police said. Luckily, the fire was quickly discovered and put out with a fire extinguisher. Someone in the club also pulled the fire alarm, causing sprinklers to activate and dousing the flames. Police said all of the 750 patrons celebrating the New Year’s holiday managed to evacuate safely and no one was injured.

Capitol Hill Seattle has a similar report:

The Seattle Fire Department’s marshal was called to Broadway’s Neighbours just minutes after the legendary gay night spot’s midnight 2014 celebration to investigate a suspected arson fire that triggered the club’s automatic fire sprinkler system. SFD’s Ladder 10 was dispatched to the dance club at 1509 Broadway at 12:16 AM. The arriving firefighters found the building’s sprinkler system activated and the club’s 750 or so partygoers were cleared outside. Seattle Police were called to the scene to assist in crowd control to keep patrons and staff from re-entering the building.

Neighbours performer Aleska Manila reacted on Instagram:

THANK YOU #SEATTLE for an amazing #nye2013 countdown at #neighboursnightclub unfortunately, someone tried to burn the club down after midnight. whoever you are - i hope you come forward, or if anyone knows any information, please call 911. this club has been the #1 gay nightclub in the northwest for over 30 years. nothing's gonna stop us from celebrating diversity & providing a safe space for everyone.

The Seattle Fire Department has issued a preliminary report.

Suspect being sought in arson bar fire. On 1/1/2014, just shortly after midnight, an unknown suspect poured gasoline on a carpeted stairway leading to the second level of a bar and ignited it. The bar in the 1500 block of Broadway was occupied by over 750 patrons celebrating New Years Eve at the time. The fire was quickly discovered before it could spread beyond the stairway and was extinguished with a fire extinguisher. Someone pulled the fire alarm and caused the fire sprinkler system to activate. An orderly evacuation was accomplished and no one was injured. Arson Bomb Detectives (ABS) responded after being notified by SFD Fire Investigators. No suspect information available. The investigation continues.

I'll update this post throughout the day if more information becomes available. (Tipped by JMG reader Jim)

New Year's Eve On Fox News: "It's 2014 And We're Gonna Fuck Shit Up!"

Right wing sites this morning are wailing about Anderson Cooper, Kathy Griffin, and Miley Cyrus. "Obama's Marxist networks are pandering to obscenity and perversion! It's no longer safe to let the kiddies stay up to watch the ball drop!" Meanwhile on Fox News...

New Year's Eve, Key West Style

Sydney Rings In 2014

Meanwhile In Times Square..

Details.

New Year's Eve Open Thread

Got any resolutions?

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor To Drop The Times Square Ball On NYE

The Associated Press reports:

The countdown to the new year in Times Square is getting some high-profile help — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The organizers of the annual celebration announced Sunday that Sotomayor will lead the final 60-second countdown and push the ceremonial button to signal the descent of the Times Square New Year's Eve ball. Sotomayor was appointed to the court in 2009. She is a native of the Bronx.

The Tea People will find a way to complain about this.

NYE Fireworks Around The World

Taipei was especially impressive.

Key West: Sushi Drops In Her Pump

Sydney Celebrates 2013

2012 In Four Minutes

This might cause you to have a seizure.

(Via Andrew Belonsky)

Tap Tap Tap

Who's working today? What's the plan for tonight?

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #109

Steve Hayes writes:

On New Year's Eve, the world turns upside down for the star studded cast of Irwin Allen's classic disaster film "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972). Gene Hackman leads an all-star cast in this adventure film based on a novel by Paul Gallico and directed by Ronald Neame. Oscar winners Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Jack Albertson and Shelly Winters in an Oscar nominated performance bring to life all the anxiety, terror and suspense involved when a handful of passengers fight against time and the elements to try and survive and incredible disaster. Forget about going out for the festivities and come aboard the S.S. Poseidon for the most riveting New Year's entertainment imaginable. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Yet another eventful year has come and gone for this here website thingy. In 2011 we saw over 20 million pageviews on over 10,000 posts on which you crazy kids left over 1.2 million comments. Each of those figures are up about 25% on last year, so...go US! As I mentioned in this post last year, blogging is like a homework assignment that is never done, but is always due. Nevertheless, you all make it a lot easier with your emails, your story tips, and your encouragement.

JMG garnered some nice notices in 2011, such as our repeat as Village Voice's Politics Blog Of The Year, CBS News New York's Most Valuable Blogger award, and GLAAD's 2011 Outstanding Blog award. Winning the last of those awards rilly rilly pissed off the anti-gay hate industry and the homocons. We call that a win-win-WIN situation. Heh.

I'm grateful to all of you for continuing readership, for your unflagging commitment to equality, and for your, ahem, vociferous participation here in the JMG community. Tonight, I'll be raising my glass to each and every one of you. I'll be raising it a lot! Thank you all.

Happy New Year!

Well, it was quite eventful year for this here website thingy. We saw over 15 million hits on just under 8000 posts where all you crazy kids left about one million comments. As a friend of mine likes to say, blogging is like a homework assignment that's never done but always due. But somehow after almost seven years of JMG, I'm having even more fun than ever, thanks largely to hugely participative nature of what we do here and all of your emails, tips, and hard work.

Here's just a few highlights from a very busy JMG year: We got some nice recognition from a major media personality for our part in bringing down a loathsome homophobe. We freeped polls, crashed the website of an anti-gay gubernatorial candidate, and sent uncountable minions demanding redress from corporations. We were thrust unexpectedly into the national media due to the hate speech of a Senate staffer whose equally homophobic boss was forced into a public apology. I made my network television debut and cohosted my first fundraiser for a U.S. Senator. For the cherries on 2010, I was humbled to be honored by the Ali Forney Center and to be named Best Political Blog by the Village Voice.

And I was lucky enough to meet hundreds of you great folks at JMG meet-ups in Las Vegas, San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale, Philadelphia, and Montreal and New York! Whew! I'm grateful to all of you for continuing readership, for your unflagging commitment to equality, and for your, ahem, vociferous participation here in the JMG community. Tonight, I'll be raising my glass to each and every one of you. I'll be raising it a lot! Thank you all.

Doomsday Approaches

New Year's Fireworks From Sydney