Jerry Curl

[ Editor’s note ] I’d like to apologize for my unannounced and lengthy sabbatical from the blogosphere. Contrary to unpublished reports, this was not because I joined a Melissa Manchester-worshipping cult or because I eloped with a handsome millionaire mogul. But now that I think about it, sign me up for both! The truth is that after graduation my brain was fried. I didn’t blog, or write, or read anything for a long time. Finishing books and writing to long-time pen pals became daunting tasks that only served to reinforce what I most feared: that my literary days were over. After all, how can you consider yourself a writer if you’re not writing anything? Clearly, the scars that college left behind were deep and needed to heal. As any writer can tell you, writing is the most fickle of crafts. When you’re hot, you can’t type fast enough because the words come a mile a minute. That sort of inspired writing is probably the best high of all. It makes you feel invincible. I think ...

The Huffington Post reports : Anderson Cooper has, at long last, publicly said he is gay. Cooper made the announcement in an email to writer Andrew Sullivan . "The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud," he wrote. Cooper's sexuality has long been something of an open secret, but he has never publicly confirmed it. Even after gay magazine Out slapped him on its cover and said he was living in a "glass closet," he kept mum. Cooper told Sullivan that he has always been out to his friends, family and colleagues. He said that, though he had wanted to keep a close hold on his private life, he had decided it was important to be more open with the world. "I’ve begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle," he wrote. "It’s become clear to me that by remaining silent on certai...

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Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy [ Editor's note ] It's no secret that I have railed against anchor Ann Curry from the get-go. I found her to be irritating and ridiculous . She was a poor choice to co-anchor the Today show and now everyone knows it. All that being said, the video above ripped my heart out. Though I never believed Ann could carry the show, I never once doubted her love and dedication to Today . In truth, it's not unlike the love many of her biggest detractors feel for the show. We disliked her because we knew the show could be better. But her passion, however badly delivered, was always in evidence. And at the end of the day, she failed at her dream job and that, more than anything, makes me incredibly sad for her. Perhaps it's guilt or shame typing now but after 15 years of hard work and dedication, I will miss Ann Curry.

The AP reports : A federal appeals court today declared that the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutionally denies federal benefits to married gay couples, a groundbreaking ruling all but certain to wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court. In its unanimous decision, the three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston said the 1996 law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman deprives gay couples of the rights and privileges granted to heterosexual couples. The court didn't rule on the law's more politically combustible provision, which said states without same-sex marriage cannot be forced to recognize gay unions performed in states where it's legal. It also wasn't asked to address whether gay couples have a constitutional right to marry. The law was passed at a time when it appeared Hawaii would legalize gay marriage. Since then, many states have instituted their own bans on gay marriage, while eight states have approved ...

E! Online reports : On May 25, 1977, the first film in the original trilogy, titled simply Star Wars , hit theaters. (Beginning in 1981, Episode IV—A New Hope was added to the title on new releases of the film.) After the original release, two sequels, released at three-year intervals, continued to fuel the cultural phenomenon. In 1999, the prequel trilogy films were released at three-year intervals as well. George Lucas's multibillion-dollar franchise also led to a TV series, comic books, video games and a heck of a lot of passionate fans. Me included! In honor of this most sacred and celebrational day, I offer you a small segment of the 1978 Star Wars Christmas Special : And if you can stomach it, here are the clips of Bea Arthur as a Cantina bartender ( One and Two ). That sentence won't make any more sense if you read it again.

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