Diana Nyad is nominated as Adventurer of the Year and The Walking Dead finally gets a lesbian character.
Wanda Sykes is on a roll! The lesbian comic recently announced that she will be the executive producer of NBC’s Last Comic Standing, which is in its’ revival stages. On top of that, though, Sykes will be returning to the OWN network with two Wanda Sykes Presents Herlarious specials. Join in on the laughter this Jan. 4 and 11 at 10pm EST.
Way to go Wanda! [laughspin]
In The Walking Dead news, the cast of humans fleeing zombies has the new addition of a lesbian played by Alanna Masterson.
The character, Tara, debuted in last night’s episode “Live Bait.”
Here is Alanna talking a little bit about the role and the show. [afterellen]
How about a soothing tune with an equally as mellow video by out singer Holly Miranda to end your Monday? This vid for her single “Desert Calls” is the perfect way to wind down after a day back in the grind. Check it out! [afterellen]
National Geographic magazine has announced the nominees for the 2014 Adventurer of the Year, and lesbian swimmer Diana Nyad made the list! This amazing athlete is one of 13 other individuals who made the cut. Nyad recently completed a swim from Cuba to the United States and definitely deserves the Nat. Geo. award! [nationalgeographic]
Nobody’s that shocked, but we’re definitely appalled that Lady Gaga’s concert organizer has been fined for violation of Russian visa conditions upon entering the country, particularly because the main cause for the ruling seems to be Gaga’s open, outward and unflinching support of homosexuality. [pinknews]
Filmmaker Ken Burn is launching an outreach campaign called “Learn the Address” in honor of the 150th Gettysburg Address anniversary on Nov. 19. Burn has been joined by notable figures such as President Obama, Stephen Colbert, Rachel Maddow, and Mayor Annise Parker in creating videos of themselves reciting the Address. A notable side from the campaign was Obama’s endorsement of Mayor Parker, who was being honored for her commitment to the LGBT community in Maryland. Want to submit your own video for the campaign? Watch Mayor Parker’s video for some help in learning the Gettysburg Address.
All the way in Australia, there’s a documentary entitled Growing Up Gayby that tackles the ever-important issue of what the word ‘family’ means in the 21st Century, the kinds of hurdles every family has to get over. The air date is Nov. 20, and next year, film-maker Maya Newell will release a feature length film on the same topic. [mombian.com]
The one and only Jane Lynch did a narration of Penguins: Waddle all the way, a Discovery Channel special about the “elusive world of penguins.” Watch the entire two hour show on Nov. 23, but for now, we give to you a video clip for your Lynch listening pleasure. Enjoy! [shewired]
FCKH8 is running an amazing campaign to combat the anti-gay atrocity that has come out of Russia this past year. The pro-equal rights company is sending 10,000 coloring books featuring a gay couple to Russian children as the Sochi Olympics draw nearer. “Gay propaganda” is currently illegal in Russia, and wearing, speaking of, or even reading anything related to homosexuality is now against the law. Luke Montgomery, owner of FCKH8, stated that the mission of his coloring book campaign “is to let kids in Russia know that being gay is normal. Beating and imprisoning people just for being out of the closet, or arresting them for simply saying that it’s OK if someone in their family is gay is an attack on human rights and a trashing of the Olympic spirit.” [huffingtonpost]
Out Magazine’s annual OUT 100 Bash went off with a bang last week in N.Y.C. To the surprise of those in attendance was the appearance of mega star Mariah Carey, who stepped in to accept an “Artist of the Year” award for her friend, director Lee Daniels, who is openly gay. Carey was introduced onstage by the cast of HBO’s upcoming gay drama, Looking. [huffingtonpost]