Jerry Curl

[ Editor's note ] Today is my birthday. I have been 27 years old for approximately two hours and forty-five minutes, give or take a few seconds. On the occasion of this relentlessly annual event, I feel it incumbent upon me to share some of the "wisdom" I've gathered along the way. 1)  Speak softly and carry a big stick. Be nice, but be firm. Handle people as they handle you. Always try to make them laugh--  And if all else fails, date someone with a big stick. 2) Some friendships are but for a season. Have no doubt that their time with you had meaning and purpose. Sometimes, people come in just to help you learn to say goodbye.   3) Other friendships are forever. Fight time and tide for those because they can and will save your life at least thrice. 4) Read everything. Read often. And for Christ's sake, finish what you start reading! I would recommend you start by reading Tina Fey's book, Bossypants . You'll laugh and you'll learn. 5) Stop ...

[ Editor’s note ] I met Cher’s son last night and I’m alive to tell the tale. The sheer impossibility of everything in that sentence is baffling but true. Anyone who’s ever met me knows of my love for Cher. It’s a love that runs deep and has been well-documented throughout the years. In recent years, that love and admiration has extended to her son Chaz Bono. Few people can imagine my utter shock and awe when told that he was coming to my university for a speaking engagement. To say that I was floored is to put it mildly. As part of its Gay Pride Week, FIU invited Chaz to its Biscayne Bay campus to speak about his transition. Superbly moderated by Elise Withers, a political science major at FIU, Chaz opened up about his childhood, his parents, his struggles with drugs and sexuality, and his new role as a Trans advocate. It was a candid and thought-provoking conversation with a man who has been through more than most. Perhaps the best and most revealing part of the evening was the aud...

[ Editor's note ] I can’t pretend to know much about today’s gays. In truth, talk of the Kardashian’s, Nicki Minaj, or the “Real” Housewives of Where Ever usually befuddles me. For better or worse, my interests are of a decidedly older generation. I don’t know if that’s an indictment of today’s culture or not, but I often feel that the gays of today are being short-changed on every front of entertainment. In any event, I think that Gay Pride Parades are the great equalizers of the community. It doesn’t matter if you know Judy Garland or not (:: bites fist ::), or if you’re young, old, big, small, classy or trashy-- these events celebrate diversity in all its wondrous fabulousity. Well on Sunday, Miami Beach held their Pride Parade and I can report that it was great fun. Although I missed most of the parade (including Chaz Bono as Grand Marshal), I enjoyed walking around in a sea of friendly faces and pretty colors. It was a celebratory atmosphere on an iconic stretch of beach that ...

More pictures can be seen here .

::faints::

Thanks Kristin!

ComingSoon reports : The first chapter of the Star Wars saga arrives in theatres for the first time ever in 3D starting February 10, and AMC theatres across the country are celebrating the occasion with plans to make opening weekend one for fans and families to remember. To mark the return of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace to theatres, now in immersive 3D, kids, collectors and Star Wars fans of all ages will receive an all-new Hasbro Star Wars Fighter Pod with the purchase of each RealD 3D ticket for Episode I, all weekend long, February 10-12 only at AMC theatres. Additionally, 10 AMC theatres in the United States will host exclusive event screenings in RealD 3D to bring the fun of Star Wars in 3D to life for families and fans. Starting Saturday, Feb. 11 at 11 a.m. local time, select theatres will offer activities, giveaways, and interactive experiences. Fans can expect (while supplies last): * Exclusive Anakin Skywalker Podracer 3D glasses * A Hasbro Star Wars Fighter Po...

In super exciting news: Patti Smith will be at Books & Books in Coral Gables this Sunday ! On tour for the reissue of her poetry book, Woolgathering , Smith will autograph copies at Miami's favorite independent bookstore. Miami is no doubt still a bit high on love for Patti Smith. The rock-n-roll poetess appeared at the 2010 Miami International Book Fair just days after her memoir, Just Kids, won the National Book Award. (See the video here ). Woolgathering , which the L.A Times calls a "collection of impressionistic prose poems that dances at the edge of memoir before opting for something harder to pin down," was originally published in 1992 when Smith was 45. Twenty years later, it's being republished with additional writing, photos, and illustrations. At a mere 80 pages, it's Smith's musing on her childhood and becoming an artist. Chat up Smith at the 4 p.m. autographing on Sunday and pick up a copy of Woolgathering . It's a book for the avid Smith...

--> In lieu of updates today, I offer the above. Enjoy your weekends everybody!

Seventy years ago Dec. 7, the nation was shocked by the news from Pearl Harbor, a place many Americans had never heard of before. They had been assured by aviation hero Charles Lindbergh, a leader of the isolationist, anti-war movement, that "the Japanese had such bad eyesight that they could not fly aircraft effectively." Yet without declaring war, Japan had launched a massive air attack on the ill-prepared U.S. naval forces in Hawaii. The damage — 2,402 Americans killed, four battleships sunk, 188 aircraft destroyed — wouldn't be known publicly for weeks. But the idea that the USA was headed to war — an unpopular position on Dec. 6 — had become an undisputed reality. The 70th anniversary is being marked by hundreds of Remember Pearl Harbor events, new books, and Wednesday's two-hour History Channel special, Pearl Harbor: 24 Hours After (8 p.m. ET). Today, returning to the site of the attacks can be difficult for survivors, but also heartening. Many of the survivors...

AIDS.gov reports : The first cases of what would later become known as AIDS were reported in the United States in June of 1981. Since then, 1.7 million people in the U.S. are estimated to have been infected with HIV, including over 615,000 who have already died and more than 1.1 million estimated to be living with the disease today. Every 9½ minutes, someone in the U.S. is infected with HIV. The impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic spans the nation with HIV diagnoses having been reported in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. dependencies, possessions, and associated nations. HIV in the United States: Fast Facts • More than one million people are living with HIV in the U.S. • One in five living with HIV is unaware of their infection. • MSM of all races remain the group most severely affected by HIV. • By race, African Americans face the most severe HIV burden. CDC estimates that more than one million people are living with HIV in the United States (U.S.). One in five (21%)...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy

[ Editor's note ] Roberta, the sassy and brassy pianist at Magnum Lounge is back to entertain the gay and gay-friendly drunk masses tonight! Gone since May, this giant of piano bar entertainment makes her triumphant return tonight from 7-11PM. See you drunk skunks there!

In OMG I can't believe I'm gonna miss this news: To celebrate it's 50th anniversary, NCM Fathom and Turner Classic Movies are bringing West Side Story back to the big screen for a one night event in movie theaters nationwide! This extraordinary event includes an exciting new Turner Classic Movies original production followed by MGM’s 50th Anniversary restoration of West Side Story —the most acclaimed musical of all time (winner of 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture). This is an unprecedented opportunity to enjoy every sensational song and dazzling dance number on the big screen once again. For ticket info on the West Side Story 50th Anniversary event, click here .

More here !!

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) will join millions of lesbian gay, bisexual and transgender people and allies by participating in Spirit Day today. Wearing purple on this day symbolizes support for LGBT people and against bullying of LGBT teens. GLAAD is working with organizations including the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the PACER Center, GLSEN, GSA Network, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), PFLAG and The Trevor Project as part of National Bullying Prevention Month to inspire Americans to wear purple on Spirit Day. In addition to wearing purple today, supporters will be changing their Facebook and Twitter photos purple today through October 20 by using free applications to turn profile photos purple at www.glaad.org/spiritday. GLAAD partnered with Mobli to create a Spirit Day channel for Mobli apps on Android, Blackberry and iPhone products. Cher, Heather Graham, Gloria Allred, Ricky Martin, Joel McHale, Suze Orman, Joan Rivers, Chaz Bono, Mia Farro...

CNN reports : As the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial was officially dedicated yesterday, speakers called for carrying on King's ideals and values and confronting issues including bullying and social and economic justice for all Americans. "Nearly 50 years after the March on Washington, our work -- Dr. King's work -- is not yet complete," President Barack Obama said at the dedication ceremony. His whole speech can be heard below: Pictures of the ceremony are available here .

The Huffington Post reports : Work on the "Florida Project," as Disney World was called in its early stages, began in a swampy Central Florida after Walt Disney's death in 1966. Three weeks prior to the official opening, 100,000 Central Florida locals participated in trial runs. Come October 1, 22 park attractions were ready to go and 5,000 cast members were in costume to greet guests. “Here in Florida, we have something special we never enjoyed at Disneyland... the blessing of size,” Walt Disney once said. “There’s enough land here to hold all the ideas and plans we can possibly imagine.” Roy Disney echoed his brother on October 1, 1971, as the Magic Kingdom's turnstiles clicked for the first time, referring to Walt Disney World as "this happy place," a phrase Walt had deployed during the opening of Disneyland in 1955. Embracing that sentiment, Walt Disney World grew to encompass EPCOT (previously EPCOT Center) in 1982, Disney's Hollywood Studios (previ...

USA Today reports : On Saturday the streets of Jamestown, N.Y., will be filled with Lucys. As part of this year's Lucy Fest , a celebration of Lucille Ball's 100th birthday, the comedy festival is attempting to set a Guinness World Record for the most people dressed as Lucy. Other activities during the fest include performances by Joan Rivers and Paula Poundstone; tours of Ball's birthplace and the cemetery where she's buried; an "old-time Lucy radio show" and more. But that's not the only Lucy-themed celebration going on this weekend: In New York the Paley Center plans screenings of Ball's greatest (and rarest) moments through Sept. 3. Lucille Ball's 100th birthday would have been on August 6th. A slideshow of never-before published photos of the first lady of comedy can be found here .

The Marquee Blog reports : In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of September 11th, executive producer Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Television, Discovery Channel and Science Channel will present a special television event. Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero focuses on the effort to build the new, 104-story One World Trade Center. According to a press release, the project "celebrates the grit, the drive and the audacious imagination of a wide array of builders, planners and dreamers bonded in grief but united in purpose." “Discovery Channel is proud to be sharing this important story and transitional moment in the history of our country," said Debbie Myers, general manager of Science Channel. "With incredible access and deft storytelling, 'Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero' captures a city and a country moving forward but never forgetting." The six-hour special will premiere commercial free August 25 at 8 p.m. on Discovery Channel and conclude September 1. ...