Miranda, Carrie, Samantha, and Charlotte return to theaters on May 27, 2010 with another installment in the story of Sex and the City. Across the country, fans are anxiously awaiting the new film and a new adventure for the four friends. As Miranda Hobbes, Cynthia Nixon created a driven, determined, high strung and defensive New York lawyer, struggling with single motherhood and relationships. The real Nixon’s life is much less dramatic than Miranda’s, but no less busy as she balances parenting two children, work, and activism.

Nixon’s career began at age 12 with a role in Little Darlings, and by 18 she had roles in two Broadway plays simultaneously. She was a successful New York actress, but HBO’s Sex and the City catapulted her into stardom. Since the series ended, Nixon has taken a variety of roles, including Eleanor Roosevelt in HBO’s Warm Spring and a frazzled mother navigating a child with ADD. She has worked on both theater and film projects since the end of the series, choosing roles that offer both a challenge and a distinctly different character than Miranda.

In 2004, the New York Daily Post and New York Daily News outed the New York actress. With grace, she maintained her privacy but didn’t hide her relationship, taking the scandal out of her outing. Nixon’s partner, Christina Marinoni, is a community organizer in New York City. Nixon and Marinoni are raising Nixon’s two children, and while she is an involved parent, she does cheerfully celebrate the benefits of having four parents available.

Activism and advocacy work plays an important role in Nixon’s life. After battling breast cancer in 2006, she remains active with the Susan G. Komen foundation. Cynthia Nixon’s children attend New York public schools, and she works to support the schools, ensure adequate funding, and provide for teachers. In the last two year’s Nixon has taken an active role speaking out on gay and lesbian issues, including marriage and adoption. As of May 2009, Nixon and Marinoni are engaged to be married. Cynthia Nixon received an honorary award for her work on gay and lesbian civil rights issues from GLAAD in March of 2010.

The follow-up to the first hugely successful “Sex and the City” soundtrack, which debuted on Billboard’s Soundtrack chart at number one and its Top 200 chart at number two, will feature an exciting lineup that includes several platinum artists and consists of 17 songs. The announcement was made today by WaterTower’s Jason Linn.

Sex and the City 2 will have a all-star soundtrack released

The soundtrack will include original music from Grammy and Academy Award® winner Jennifer Hudson, along with global superstar, multi-platinum recording artist and three-time Grammy Award nominee Leona Lewis. T-Pain produces a new song by platinum-selling Cee-Lo and international superstar Dido also contributes an exclusive new track. Grammy, Emmy, Golden Globe, Tony and Academy Award® winner Liza Minnelli covers Beyonce’s chart-topper “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” and 12-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys performs her own extraordinary new version of the Blondie classic “Rapture,” produced by Salaam Remi, who has worked with Amy Winehouse and Wyclef Jean.

The soundtrack also features the stars of “Sex and the City 2,” Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, performing the Helen Reddy classic “I Am Woman.”

The full track listing is as follows:

1. Alicia Keys – “Rapture”
2. Dido – “Everything to Lose”
3. Cee-Lo – “Language of Love”
4. Erykah Badu – “Window Seat”
5. Natacha Atlas – “Kidda”
6. Michael McGregor – “Euphrates Dream”
7. Liza Minnelli – “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”
8. Ricki-Lee – “Can’t Touch It”
9. Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down”
10. Jennifer Hudson and Leona Lewis – “Love Is Your Color”
11. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon – “I Am Woman”
12. Sex and the City Men’s Choir – “If Ever I Would Leave You”
13. Sex and the City Men’s Choir – “Sunrise, Sunset”
14. Sex and the City Men’s Choir – “Till There Was You”
15. Shayna Steele, Jordan Ballard, Kamilah Marshall – “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”
16. Liza Minnelli with Billy Stritch – “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye”
17. Aaron Zigman – “Divas and Dunes”

Some shows spark conversation, blogs and water cooler discussions, and Glee is most definitely one of those. Last October, Madonna, as entranced by the charm of singing high school misfits, granted music rights to her songs to the series for an all-Madonna episode. This episode aired on April 20, 2010, once again showing us that Glee is willing to tackle the hard issues, including teenage sexuality, in a playful and whimsical way. The message behind this episode? Woman (or girl) power, at least in theory. Like a Prayer, Express Yourself, and, of course, Like a Virgin all were key numbers in the long-awaited Madonna episode.

So, the boys realize that the girls deserve more respect than they’re getting with prodding from Will, Sue does Vogue, Tina stands up for herself and Rachel, Finn, and Emma all wrestle with issues surrounding sex. Jesse pressures Rachel and she eventually says no. Santana pressures Finn and he says yes. Emma tries, and finally says no…all choreographed to Like a Virgin. More interestingly, Rachel claims she did and Finn claims he didn’t. Will tells Emma she needs to get help and he needs to get a divorce. Finn and Mercedes join the Cheerios to take starring roles they don’t necessarily get in New Directions, convincing Sue simply with “Mercedes is black. I’m gay. We make culture.” Sue tells us that Madonna is all about power, and Rachel, Emma and Santana all take their own, as do Mercedes and Kurt in their own way.

There’s no discussion of Glee without a discussion of being gay on Glee. While Madonna is certainly an icon in the gay community, Kurt plays a minor role in this episode. It seems likely we’ll see a much more Kurt-centered episode when it’s Lady Gaga’s turn on Glee. While Kurt is the only openly gay character on the show, we’ve seen multiple references to bisexuality on the part of both Santana and Brittany. The two girls offer to let Finn watch them make out and in an earlier episode, they casually mention having had sex. Fox’s official Glee Wiki lists the two as “Best Friends. With Benefits.” There’s certainly no arguing that Glee plays with stereotypes, allowing characters to be weak, flawed, and very human, whether they’re gay, straight or bisexual.

This was originally intended as a reply to a Moveon.org letter sent to me asking me what concerns I had of what was in the news right now and what news I was interested in. I thought I would reply my biggest concerns, some concerns I have had for awhile, and address my views on a few things.

I am really disgusted with this oil disaster right now. I think we need to put more of the tax focus on energy and more taxes on gasoline at the pump. We have got to get away from our oil dependency. I would even go with nuclear before buying more oil from terrorists and to cargo oil all over the ocean. Of course, the world would be a much better place if we would have made Exxon pay for their damage years ago because this created an environment where anyone can get away with an Oil Spill and not pay the consequences.

I am also concerned that our spending is out of control we do need to keep taxes reasonable so that companies and people do not move to other countries. The Tea baggers have lots of good points and it makes me want to join them if they weren’t racist hypocrites. Then they make statements about microchips in people but want less government. But some of the sain people such as Ron Paul make good points in the unfair taxes for some while others get by without paying taxes at all when some should (they are probably getting more use out of Federal facilities than the people paying for them for free).

I also think that gays should get every federal right such as marriage. GLBT are paying taxes and deserve to be treated like every other tax paying citizen. While I agree that the Arizona law went to far at discrimination I do feel we have got to do something when it comes to illegals mooching off our system. If someone is living off our healthcare and driving uninsured cars down the highway these people need to be addressed.

We need to focus on incentives for companies more to build stronger internet backbones, faster rails, and curing diseases and viruses such as HIV and cancer. Private companies need greater support doing these things and much larger tax or cash incentives. We want to be the first here in America and want to make sure our bio-techs are focused on science that can save lives and not things like Ambien and Restless Leg Syndrome just to make a quick profit.

We have to make sure the FDA does not stop any more natural supplements such as Almonds or something like Vitamin D. We have to protect natural ways to keep healthy and make sure there are no toxins in these products at the same time. That will be hard but we have to do it. We should also make it where natural pain killers or a natural inflammatory such as THC/Pot are available and we should be able to grow anything in our own yard. This is a freedom we must have to be a real America and get away with having to buy things like this from the drug lords in Mexico.

Finally, I feel that Churches that do not do a certain amount of community service SHOULD pay taxes. If the church is not doing say 50% community service besides preaching and activism why are they getting by without paying taxes just like any other business? They are a business they need to be taxed.

I feel that the news is not really worth watching lately. I get more quality stuff out of the Daily Show than anything and still fast forward through Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow. Most of my factual news comes from the Yahoo.com homepage and if I want opinions I turn over to MSNBC.

These are just some thoughts designed to make you think:

There will always be a controversy about the age of models appearing in gay porn. I am talking about the younger models here of course, as anyone who can prove that they are over 18 years of age may appear in pornography if they so chose, straight or gay, and heaven knows I’ve seen enough retired men and women making some pension-boosting money from appearing in porn movies.

But, if someone has proved that they are over the minimum age, why should there be a controversy? We’ve seen, in the past, some well known models (or those who went on to become well known) get themselves caught up in a ‘scandal’ for one reason or another. Lying about their age at the time is a common one, and unscrupulous producers knowingly using under-age models is another, though thankfully less common, reason.

In the USA there is a code called Title 18, section 2257, sometimes simply known as ‘2257’. This is a requirement of producers of adult material to be able to prove the legal minimum age of their models at the time of photography, or filming. You will see this at the bottom of many pages on most porn sites, certainly all those produced in the USA should carry a link to a page, or information, where anyone can find out the address of the producer/keeper of records, and make an enquiry into the age of a certain model. If an enquiry is made then the company must be able to produce documentation backing up and proving their claim that their models were over 18 when filmed. That’s the simple version of the code. And it means that, in the USA, producers must have copies of things like driving license, ID, etc. on file, by name of model, showing that they were legally allowed to appear in porn at that time.

That’s good, it’s something that all good and respectable porn producers would want to have, and insist on having before they get a guy naked. But it actually only applies to the United States. So, when you find a company from, for example, Europe, stating their 2257 information, it actually doesn’t mean anything, legally. It has been taken as good practice by good producers, no matter what their country of residence and business. (Other countries have other laws, some have no laws at all.)

But it’s always interested me to notice that many a ‘teen’ and even ‘twink’ site that carries content featuring ‘just 18’ etc. boys will have their 2257 address of records in a place like Cyprus, or Prague. Are they really based there? Is this just a way of avoiding the legalities? And if so, why? And what happens if you are based in the Czech Republic but your servers are in America and your content comes from Spain? Where do you stand legally then? It’s a bit of a minefield.

And there is another one. What about those sites (I won’t mention names here as I don’t want to get caught up in the fuss) that feature young looking models. What’s the difference between someone who is 18 or 19 but who looks 16 or 17 appearing in a movie, as opposed to someone who is actually 16 or 17 appearing in one? Obviously it’s not legal, in most countries, to show under-age nudity and it’s probably not moral either, although that point could me argued on a personal level. And yet there are many sites around where the models look younger than they are, and we’re told that they are ‘just 18’ etc. to start with.

It looks like there is a fine line between under-age porn actors and porn actors who look underage.

Just as a final, slightly unrelated thought, I’ll leave you with this. A couple of years ago there was a controversy because a famous actor, who was then 17, appeared naked on stage, in London, in a play. You could go and see him nude live on stage, but you couldn’t show photos of him nude on the web – though people did.

Two questions: What is GRINDR, and who is using it? Firstly, here’s is what GRINDR is:

Basically it’s a great, and popular, new application for your iPhone or iPod Touch or now you can even use it on your iPad. There is no messy registration process attached to it, you don’t need to enter an email address or anything, you don’t even validate your account; you simply ad the application on to your iPhone etc. And then you’re ready to use it. And you can hang out on GRINDR where and whenever you want. It’s a social networking tool for gay men, you can see who else is on, you can check photos and profiles and you can see where other guys are. These guys may be simply out and about looking for other guys to hook up with for a drink, or more, or they may be on the network searching out Mr Right, as well as Mr Right-now of course. And, once you are up and running on it, they will be able to contact you.

More specifically it also lets you see who is in your area. It maps out other users and you can, on the free versions, see around 100 other guys at a time. If you pay the full whack of $2.99 a month (yes, two-ninety-nine only) you can have up to 200 guys and no adverts on your screen. Not bad eh? You can check out more about the application at www.grindr.com, follow it on Facebook and Twitter and you’ll find it very easy to install and use.

So, you’re set up and maybe you’re on holiday in… let’s say, Australia. Want to know who else is around? Simply use your application and check the guys out. But then ponder this: many famous people are also using IPhones, and many gay guys are using GRINDR, put the two together and you’ve got the potential to hook up with your favorite gay stars, and porn stars, or how about singing stars? Back in March The Daily Telegraph reported that super-star George Michael had been using his GRINDR application to hook up with other hunky guys down under in Australia. The publication said: “At 10.16am on Monday, using the profile name Back for Wood, George Michael used Grindr to send the message “Hi there” and a picture of himself taken in a hotel room mirror to someone he liked the look of , who happened to be just 185m away, according to Grindr GPS.” (I am a little curious as to how they found out, it suggests that there may be some security issues with the application. But then I assume the guy he sent the photo to sent it on to the paper to get some quick cash.)

Anyway, the George Michael story sent me scurrying around the net to see if any other ‘names’ had been found out in a similar way. Sadly I didn’t find anyone else, but it did make me wonder. Think of your favorite porn star (Turk Melrose in my case, or Turk Mason as he’s now calling himself), and then see if you can find him via your GRINDR application. Imagine if he’s in your same hotel or just down the road. Thanks to the GPS in your phone matching up with the GPS in his, you never know who you are only a few metres or miles away from. Sadly Turk was nowhere near me when I tried it out, and I am on the other side of the world to Australia so I doubt George will be popping by tonight, but you can start to see the endless fun you can have with this ‘find him now and near’ application.

Stay tuned we will be having some contests involving iPads coming soon.

No this is no April Fool’s Joke or anything this really is a painting of Jesus Christ dated back to 12th Century art where his genitals wee exposed during the crucifix. This painting is displayed in a Catholic Church near Oklahoma City, OK. The church is not taking the painting down and surprisingly most of the visitors to a news website in the city agree that it is ok to leave up.

Keep in mind this is a 10-foot-tall crucifix hanging above the alter at a Catholic church. One Facebook comment makes the point “The image is quite obvious; but, I find it interesting that many people don’t… seem to notice (on a 10-foot-tall crucifix), and that 62% of people polled don’t find it offensive (whereas people sure were “outraged” when Erykah Badu exposed herself at Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, Texas on March 17). According to the Church, there are no plans to remove it.”

I agree that our bodes are art and so are the clothes we wear for that matter. We may be disgusted by seeing one person walk around nude but someone else we may get turned on by but when we came out of our mommies we certainly were not dressed and we bared all. We were in our birthday suits. I am surprised there is not more art that depicts nudity in our true form and the beauty of our different bodies.

Jesus in this painting definitely had something sticking out of his skirt or dress that looked mighty powerful and that was not your ordinary sized penis. I am not sure if I was in shock it was so big or because the balls were so big. In some of the same paintings dating back to this time it seemed to show more abs and images of the genitals. The crucifix hanging at this Catholic Church resembles other San Damiano crucifixes except for Jesus’ abdominal area, which is noticeably more pronounced than on similar crucifixes. Very hung if you ask me.

Could this be a sexual depiction of Jesus? Could this be a bondage type depiction? I do not think so I think it is just the way the artists captured this moment. I do find it strange that some captured abs in that area that look similar and this painting has a full out private part sticking out for the world to see.

The Catholic Church certainly has their problems with some Priests who are pedophiles (people who molest children) which has been confused with gays serving in the church. There is a big difference there because gays are not pedophiles they are attracted to the same sex of someone who is consenting adult. But this Vatican problem is something that has been crippling the church and as for the artwork it is certainly not going to be a problem because it has been around for thousands of years and no one has bothered to remove the genitalia from the paintings as they should not.

Well everyone is talking about the new “Obama Care” this week as they should. It was shocking news to many that the Healthcare legislation passed late Sunday night then went on to President Barrack Obama’s desk for signature this week to become the law of the land.

What this will do for gays and lesbians is really not much too soon unless you have kids in college or children in the home. The healthcare legislation was certainly not perfect because it will take too long for the pre-existing part to kick in. It will also not put enough restrictions on the health insurance companies that are known for their heartless greed.

We also should have done something more for research in medicine in terms of vaccines and cures. It scares me to think less money could go into these areas at a time we need them the most with MRSA infections which antibiotics cannot help immediately and HIV and Cancer still out there putting people in pain and suffering.

This was an amazing Victory for the Democrats such as Pelosi and Obama. They have really worked hard on this and I am pleased it passed in some ways. It defeated all the namecalling and hate speeches that went on during this debate. The republicans went to extremes and lied to try to get this to not pass and if they would have not acted like ignorant mules and used some intellect in their discussion it may have been stopped.

Where will all of this new healthcare money come from?
There is talk of new taxes for those who make over $250,000 a year who could end up paying 2.5% instead of 1% in Medicaid taxes. There is also talk of taxes for those who drink soft drinks and a 10% tanning salon tax.

I do my tanning now and then but I think its a brilliant idea to tax tanning and high fructose corn syrup and things such as diet coke chemicals. All of the chemicals but at the same time think its a bad idea to be able to make judgments on what to tax. TAXING SHOULD BE FAIR AND ACROSS THE BOARD. The sales tax should be increased for any goods we buy that way it would hit all these families who have kids who are mooching off the system. You can sit around and have all these kids but not pay more in taxes and get more deductions?? These kids are the reason my property taxes are so high thanks to the school district I live in. Without kids it is just unfair and unwarranted to have to pay these taxes. That would be like me paying taxes for someone else to enjoy drinking or smoking. You always hear about Children benefiting from most any legislation passing.

Most of us will not benefit from this until 4 years from now unless you are on your parents health ins until age 26.

Also, we need to Tax churches!! Churches are supposed to be separated but they damn well do their indirect grubbiness into politics!

While the gay rights movement in the United States is typically focused on gay marriage, gays in the military and similar civil rights issues, elsewhere in the world the situation is much more dire. Homosexuality is, in some areas, treated as a criminal offense. Recently, Uganda has been in the news with steps taken toward laws that would condemn gays and lesbians not only as criminals, but even impose the death sentence in some circumstances. Other African countries, including Kenya and Tanzania, have anti-gay laws on the books, but there is fear that these may be expanded.

Unfortunately, the Ugandan law, The Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009, is expected to pass, regardless of international condemnation. In its current form, the law will condemn HIV positive individuals, those convicted of same-sex rape or sex with a minor, and serial offenders to death. If found guilty of homosexuality, life imprisonment is the penalty in other situations. Family, friends, and even landlords can face imprisonment if they fail to report someone for homosexuality.

While the international community has condemned this law and is treating it as a foreign policy issue, there are much more concerning ties to America. The initial law came to be after visits to Uganda by conservative fundamentalist American clergy; Scott Lively, Caleb Lee Brundidge, and Don Schmeirer, supporting treatment for homosexuality and religious cures and promoting intensely negative views of homosexuality. During the course of their visit, gays were accused of sodomizing teenage boys and attempting to defeat a marriage based culture. It should be noted that the three have criticized the new legislation, even though Lively met with lawmakers to discuss it.

What is being done and what can you do about gay rights so far away? President Barack Obama has publicly criticized the bill at a morning prayer breakfast on February 4, 2010 and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has phoned the Ugandan president to express very strong concerns. Take a few minutes out of your day and call your senators and representatives to encourage them to voice their condemnations of this human rights violation. If you wish to give money, options are limited to get funds directly into Uganda and Ugandan gay rights activists are largely silenced. You can opt to give to Amnesty International or the Human Rights Campaign to support international attempts to prevent this legislation.

Whether you are newly post break up or have decided that you are ready for more than a hook up in your local bar, more and more people are opting to try online dating to meet that perfect or almost perfect mate. There are a lot of online personals and social networking options, some with fees and others that are free. They do break down into a few fairly simple categories.

Social networking sites are free and can be a good way to meet other GLBTQ folks in your area. Myspace, Facebook, and Glee.com are all options in terms of this sort of social networking. You can take advantage of these sites to meet people in your area, find out about interesting happenings and more. Do consider making sure your profile honestly reflects who you are, and make it more than just a personal ad. You may also want to consider privacy settings, depending upon whether or not your employer is aware of your sexuality.

The next option many people consider is a free dating site. These allow you to set up a simple profile; however, some sites do charge you to contact people with more than a wink, nod, or flirt. You may find that free accounts on paid sites are not terribly useful because of this. Some sites are entirely free; however, offer limited screening or matching tools. Freedating-sites.com/gay.html offers a list of a few free dating sites as well as noting some of the big names in commercial online dating sites that welcome GLBTQ members. OKCupid.com is free and inclusive of all sexualities. You might also find your local craigslist to be an option, but do keep in mind personal safety if you choose this path.

If you are serious about online dating, whether you are looking for a great night out or a real relationship, you may find it more helpful to consider paying for a subscription to one of the big names in online dating sites. Gay.com is a great choice for guys looking to meet someone. True.com is a welcoming and inclusive site that is a good choice for men or women. Another one of the big names in online dating is chemistry.com. You may want to note that neither of these sites is trans-friendly. Yahoo’s personals also welcome gay and lesbian individuals and can be a good way to meet other single people in your area.

There are a few things to keep in mind when trying out the online meet and greet. Be honest about yourself in your profile. You do not need to disclose that you got fired last year, really don’t like your Aunt Judy, or have a sixth toe on your right foot; however, you should be open about relationship status, what you are looking for in a partner and other important issues. Be sure to take the time to email back and forth with a potential date and always meet in a safe public location the first time.

You might think that some big celebrities throwing their money into certain business start-ups might be insane but the Queen of Pop always gets it right.  Madonna who already has a big investment in Live Nation thanks to her lucrative deal she signed over a year ago is not going Coco.  That is not the same Coco as in the nickname for Conan O’ Brien or Coco the drag queen but the actual juice from a green (young) coconut.

Madonna has invested, along with other celebrities such as her manager Guy Oseary,  and Matthew McConaughey.  She is seen as a brand loyalist of the Vita Coco brand which is the best-selling coconut water in the U.S.  It is also seen as one of the fastest growing beverages in the last few months.  2010 could be a major break out year for Coconut water especially now that Madonna and others are giving it so much free publicity.

You can find Vita Coco at Whole Foods, Safeway, and over 14,000 other retailers as well as online at vitacoco.com.  Vita Coco also plans on a major partnership with GNC stores nationwide.

The difference in Vita Coco and the other brands is that they have their own production facilities or factories as some will say.  This is good because it allows for them to maintain quality control and make sure the employees are treated right.

There are other brands that are competing in this big race for your tastebuds and healthy living.  One of the brands is the O.N.E brand which is a natural drink company who is sponsoring a major gay event known as the “White Party” in Palm Springs.

But Why Coconut Water?

Coconut water contains about 700mg of Potassium in a 11.2 oz serving size.  This is 15 times more than the average sports drink.    Potassium is essential for the muscles, kidney, and digestive system to operate normally.  Doctors such as Dr. Weil do not recommend supplements such as potassium though but then again how many of us get out and eat bananas everyday.  Not me.  Orange Juice has about the same benefits I would think though.

I have not totally been sold on the benefits yet of the just coconut water but there are other flavors such as the Acai berry and Promenade Juice that may offer some benefits.

CNBC reported in their show on Coca-Cola that they will be bringing out a coconut water because its the next new thing.. but then I see Madonna has even invested in this and now today Yahoo has its Buzz marked as one of the most popular search terms.   If Madonna’s is posting a facebook announcement about it and she is looking this good at her age then we should all be drinking it.  One thing is for sure it is much better than drinking Diet Coke or any of those nasty drinks that contain aspartame and much better than the drinks with high fructose corn syrup.