Meet the Director of Fraternity Massacre at Hell Island

May 2nd, 2010
3 - 5 p.m.

OutLoud! Books and Gifts
1703 Church Street
Nashville, TN 37203

Numbah 3!

Apparently even minor celebrities die in threes. Case in point - Kate McGarrigle, Canadian singer-songwriter and mother to the diarrhea stain that is Rufus Wainwright - dead at 63.

Read about it here.

"Country Gentleman" Carl Smith dies, age 82

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - "Country Gentleman" Carl Smith, a top star of country music in the 1950s and 1960s, has died, age 82.

His family said Smith died this past Saturday at his home in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Smith's honky tonk style earned him fans and produced hits that included "Loose Talk" "Hey, Joe," "Let's Live a Little" and "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way.:

Smith was a guest of Hank Williams on the legendary Grand Ole Opry before becoming a member of the show. He retired in 1978 and bred horses. Smith was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003.

(Reporting by Pat Harris; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Teddy Pendergrass, R&B Soul Singer, Dies at 59

By JON PARELES
Published: January 14, 2010

Teddy Pendergrass, the Philadelphia soul singer whose husky, potent baritone was one definition of R&B seduction in the 1970s but whose career was transformed in 1982 when he was severely paralyzed in an auto accident, died on Wednesday night in Bryn Mawr, Pa. He was 59.

His death was confirmed by his publicist, Lisa Barbaris, who said Mr. Pendergrass had been treated for colon cancer since August at Bryn Mawr Hospital and had suffered many complications.

As the lead singer for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, and in a solo career in which he sold millions of albums, Mr. Pendergrass brought gospel dynamics to bedroom vows in songs like “If You Don’t Know Me by Now,” “The Love I Lost,” “Close the Door,” “Turn Off the Lights” and “Love T.K.O.”

His performances rose from breathy whispers to gutsy exhortations, making his voice the deeper, more aggressive counterpart to the styles of 1970s soul men like Al Green and Marvin Gaye. It was the flagship sound for Philadelphia International Records, riding lush strings and big-band disco from the producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

Philadelphia International’s songwriters provided Mr. Pendergrass with material that was forthright but never crude, promising nothing more explicit than a back rub.

“Teddy had that big, booming baritone voice, but he was a tender man,” Mr. Huff said in a telephone interview Thursday. “He was very lovable. You could hear it in his music.”

By the late ’70s, Mr. Pendergrass’s concerts — some of them presented for women only — drew screaming, ecstatic crowds. Women would fling teddy bears and lingerie onstage. Mr. Gamble called Mr. Pendergrass “the black Elvis.”

Mr. Pendergrass was a hitmaker for a decade. Then, on March 18, 1982, on a winding road in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Mr. Pendergrass’s Rolls-Royce smashed into a highway divider and a tree, a result of either brake failure or a faulty electric system that had disabled the power steering. Spinal cord injuries left him paralyzed from the chest down at 31.

Read more here.

Brittany Murphy, Star of Clueless, Uptown Girls, 8 Mile, and King of the Hill, Dead at 32

November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009

Queer-Colored Glasses: The Queer Experience Through Cinema

OutCentral Cultural Center and The Nashville Film Festival collaborate to present

Queer Colored Glasses: The Queer Experience Through Cinema

WHO: OutCentral Cultural Center in collaboration with Nashville Film Festival (NaFF)

WHAT: Queer Colored Glasses: The Queer Experience Through Cinema

WHEN: 4th Saturday of every month at 7:00 PM

WHERE: OutCentral Cultural Center 1709 Church Street (between Revive Café and Vibe. On the same block as OutLoud! and Blue Genes) Nashville, TN 37209

COST: $5 for members $8 for non-members. No one turned away for lack of funds.


CONTACT INFORMATION:

For Queer-Colored Glasses: The Queer Experience through Cinema:
FanboyQ@gmail.com


For OutCentral:
info@outcentral.org


OutCentral Cultural Center is proud to be partnering with The Nashville Film Festival for a twelve month, twelve film series entitled Queer-Colored Glasses: The Queer Experience through Cinema that will focus on filmmakers, actors, writers, stories and plots of particular interest to the “queer” spectator.

From the first flickering images that ever lit up a screen, cinema has been a place where queer voices have called out and demanded to be heard with varying degrees of success. From films made by LGBT filmmakers and performers to the particular phenomenon that gay people often “see” a film differently than their straight counterparts.

“Images of GLBTQ people on the big screen--both positive and negative--have had such a tremendous influence on our lives,” said Jim Hawk, Executive Director of OutCentral Cultural Center.

“Most of us can remember the first time we saw "one of us" on the screen. This series takes an important look at those images and how they effected our lives--and the lives of generations of GLBTQ people.”

Historically, most LGBT filmmakers were forced to work in relative secrecy about who they were, being mostly relegated to avant-garde and independent film circles. Thus, cinema is also the forum for the queer voice of the “other” – stories and characters that – while not necessarily gay – represent the outsider whose story queer audiences identify with.

"I am extremely excited about the partnership between the Nashville Film Festival and OutCentral,” said QCG Artistic Director Joshua Thomas.

“I believe one of the most important tools we in the gay community have for examining our past is in film theory. Gay audiences have historically experienced films differently than the rest of society. In examining the past through this collection of films, we'll have the unique opportunity to watch society's views on homosexuality change throughout the years."

With the enormous cultural and historic differences between films made in the 1930’s and those made in modern times the characteristics that gay culture use to signify homosexuality have also changed dramatically over the years. While present-day films are allowed to be relatively forthright about sexuality in their presentations older films were often forced to only hint at it in varied ways. Thus, many classic Hollywood performances, directors, actors and – in some cases – entire genres must be closely examined in order to hear the queer voice within them.

“NaFF is thrilled to partner with OutCentral to present a unique collection of voices from film history,” said NaFF Artistic Director Brian Owens.

"We believe that film represents a great opportunity for those unheard or seldom heard to present their stories in ways that create dialogue, understanding, and bind us all together as a greater community. We hope people will come and enjoy and talk about these films and what they mean to the GLBT community and community at large.”

Cemetery workers charged after allegedly dumping corpses

Four cemetery workers have been charged with illegally dismembering human bodies after digging up more than 300 corpses and dumping them in a pit in order to resell the graves.

Illinois police discovered the decomposing bodies at the historic Burr Oak cemetery in Alsip where a number of prominent African Americans are buried, including Emmett Till, the 14 year-old boy whose lynching in 1955 for flirting with a white woman helped galvanise the civil rights movement, and blues legend Dinah Washington.

"What we found was beyond startling and revolting," the Cook county sheriff, Tom Dart, said.

The police say the bodies were dug up and dumped in an overgrown area fenced off from the rest of the cemetery, 20 miles south of Chicago. The graves were then resold with the four arrested workers believed to have made about $300,000 over several years.

Relatives of the dead descended on the cemetery to discover if their loved ones had been disinterred. They included Simeon Wright, a cousin of Till, who told the Chicago Tribune: "I've got several generations of my family buried there, and I've never had any problems. ... But this is a pretty ghoulish story."

Dart said that Till's grave appears to have been undisturbed but he was not sure about Washington's or that of the heavyweight boxing champion Ezzard Charles.

The principal target appears to have been older graves that had not been visited for many years so that the removal of the bodies would not be noticed by relatives.
Dart said the FBI has been called in and that forensic medical examiners are working to identify the remains.

"I've been in this business for 35 years, and I have never heard of employees committing these kinds of terrible acts," Vickie Hand, treasurer of the Illinois Cemetery & Funeral Home Association, told the Chicago Tribune. "There's no words that can express it; it's just absolutely unbelievable."

Read more here.

The Michael Jackson Memorial

No one threw themselves on the coffin. Elizabeth Taylor didn't choke on her jewels (she wasn't even there). LaToya even kept all of her clothes on.

All in all, it was a fitting and tasteful tribute to the King of Pop.

Berry Gordy claimed that 'King of Pop' was no longer big enough - instead he called Jackson 'the greatest entertainer that ever lived.'

Al Sharpton told the Jackson children 'There wasn't nothing strange about your daddy, but it was strange what he had to deal with.' - a comment that has already created controversy among Jackson's detractors.

The most poignant moment came at the end when Jackson's 11 year old daughter Paris spoke: "I just wanted to say, ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him. So much."

Rest well, Michael. You will be missed.

My Exciting News?

You're looking at one of the new staff writers for pinkkryptonite.com, the web's premier source for GLBT comic and pop culture news.

My plans for world domination are finally coming to fruition!!

ALL HAIL THE PINK!

"King of Pop" Michael Jackson Dead at 50

(RTTNews) - Pop star Michael Jackson has died.

The Los Angeles California Coroner's Office confirmed that the well-known "King of Pop" was pronounced dead at the UCLA Medical Center.

The initial cause of death, officials said, was cardiac arrest.

Sources said the 50-year-old Jackson was transported to the hospital from his nearby rental home in Bel-Air shortly after an emergency call at 12:30 PM Pacific Time (3:30 PM Eastern).

Jackson was reported to be in a coma at the time of transport.

The L.A. Times reported that when paramedics arrived at the home, Jackson was not breathing.

Word of Jackson's death caused a crowd of hundreds of reporters and others to form at the hospital.

The Los Angeles Police Department said it has opened investigation into Jackson's death, although they said there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

The L.A. County Coroner's Office will determine an official cause of death.

Jackson's death comes as the entertainer was preparing to kick off a comeback on July 13, including a series of 50 sold-out shows at London's O2 Arena.

Jackson was believed to be heavily in debt. He had not toured since 1997 and had not released a new album since 2001.

Jackson's professional career began at age 8 when he began performing with the family band called "The Jackson 5."

Jackson is survived by three children, sons Prince Michael 7, and Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., 12, and daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11.

by RTT Staff Writer

Read more here.

Michael Jackson
1958 - 2009

Angel star Andy Hallett dies of heart failure

By Patrick Lee
8:47 PM ON 03/30/09

Andy Hallett, who starred as Lorne ("the Host") on the TV series Angel, died of heart failure last night at age 33, his longtime agent and friend Pat Brady told E! Online.

Hallett, who was a fan favorite, died at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after a five-year battle with heart disease, with his father Dave Hallett by his side, the site reported.

A Massachusetts native, Hallett appeared in more than 70 episodes of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff series between 2000 and 2004. The accomplished actor was also a musician and sang two songs ("Lady Marmalade" and "It's Not Easy Being Green") on the Angel: Live Fast, Die Never soundtrack, released in 2005.

Hallett's green demon character assisted Angel (David Boreanaz) and his team in the investigation of underworld mysteries while serving as the host and headliner at a demon bar.

Hallett had spent his post-Angel years working on his music career, playing shows around the country. He had been admitted to the hospital three or four times in the past few years for his heart condition, according to Brady.

A private funeral service will be held for family and close friends in Cape Cod, most likely over this weekend.

Fritzl jailed for life in dungeon incest case

ST. POELTEN, Austria (CNN) -- A jury in Austria has found Josef Fritzl guilty of raping and imprisoning his daughter for more than two decades and sentenced him to life in prison.

It was the maximum sentence for the most serious charge Fritzl faced: one count of murder, for allowing one of the babies he fathered with his daughter to die shortly after birth.

The eight-member jury returned a unanimous verdict on all counts. Fritzl, dressed in a gray suit, blue shirt and dark tie, stared blankly ahead and showed no emotion as the jury delivered its verdict.

The 73-year-old had pleaded guilty to all charges on Wednesday, but Austrian law requires a jury to return a verdict as well.

Fritzl will soon be moved to a detention facility for mentally abnormal offenders, where psychiatrists will evaluate him and decide on therapy. Until then, he will remain in a two-person cell in St. Poelten.

The man who kept his crimes a secret for 24 years until he was exposed last year made a final, emotional apology to the court Thursday morning.

"I am deeply sorry with all my heart for what I have done, but I cannot go back and change it," Fritzl told the court at St. Poelten, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) east of Amstetten, where he and his family lived.

The jury found Fritzl guilty of incest, rape, enslavement and false imprisonment of his daughter Elisabeth. It also found him guilty of two assault charges and murder in the death of the baby, one of twins, which died 66 hours after birth.

Fritzl initially pleaded not guilty to murder, enslavement, and one of the assault charges, and partly guilty to rape. He surprised his own lawyer by changing his plea Wednesday.

Prosecutor Christiane Burkheiser urged the jury Thursday to return a murder conviction. She called Fritzl's admission of guilt a ploy.

"This was not a confession by the accused. It was a change in strategy," she told the court.

Elisabeth Fritzl also wanted her father to be convicted, said her lawyer, Eva Plaz.

Both sides accepted Thursday's verdict and Josef Fritzl refused the option to appeal, court officials said. He could be considered for parole in 15 years, when he would be 88, said court spokesman Franz Cutka, but the Ministry of Justice will decide whether to allow it.

Fritzl's lawyer revealed Thursday that Elisabeth had been in court Tuesday, the second day of the trial. Defense attorney Rudolf Mayer said the elder Fritzl noticed his daughter's presence in the final hour of viewing Elisabeth's videotaped testimony.

Mayer said he was not disappointed with the verdict because it was a "logical consequence" of his client's admission of guilt. He said life in prison is a "very just sentence."

"In my eyes, no man is a monster, regardless of what he's done," Mayer told the BBC. "He's always a human, regardless of what he's done."

A technical expert testified at the trial that the underground chamber in which Fritzl kept his daughter and their offspring had low ceilings -- about 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) high -- and, for the first couple of years, only minimal sanitation. The cellar had no daylight or fresh air.

Prosecutors said Fritzl closeted Elisabeth in the specially designed cellar in 1984, when she was 18, telling other family members that she had run away to join a cult. He kept her there for 24 years, authorities believe, repeatedly sexually assaulting her and fathering her seven children.

Fritzl took three of the children upstairs to live with him and his wife, telling the family that the missing Elisabeth had dropped them off.

Elisabeth and the remaining children never saw daylight, prosecutors said, and Fritzl went away for long periods, leaving them without food. To punish them, prosecutors said, Fritzl sometimes turned off the power in the cellar for up to 10 days.

In addition, they alleged, Elisabeth was often sexually assaulted in front of the children.

One of the babies -- a boy named Michael -- died shortly after birth. Prosecutors charged Fritzl with murder in his death because he did not receive medical care.

Fritzl admitted Wednesday that he was in the cellar when the baby was born. He noticed the child was breathing heavily, he said, but he did not think the baby would die and decided not to seek help.

Fritzl told the court he was probably responsible for the child's death and pleaded guilty to his murder. He had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charge but said he changed his mind after hearing Elisabeth's videotaped testimony.

The prosecution said Thursday that Michael struggled for 66 hours before dying of respiratory problems. They said Fritzl knew what was happening but was indifferent.

Authorities have said that Elisabeth and her children now have new identities and are in a secret location. Asked at a news conference why other family members have not testified, officials said they did not wish to.

The case came to light in April 2008, when Elisabeth's then-19-year-old daughter, Kerstin, became seriously ill and ended up in the hospital. Hospital staff became suspicious and alerted police, who then discovered the family's plight in the cellar.



Read more here.

Anita Page (1910 - 2008)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anita Page, an MGM actress who appeared in films with Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford and Buster Keaton during the transition from silent movies to talkies, has died. She was 98.

Page died in her sleep early Saturday morning at her home in Los Angeles, said actor Randal Malone, her longtime friend and companion.

Page's career, which spanned 84 years, began in 1924 when she started as an extra.

Her big break came in 1928 when she won a major role — as the doomed bad girl — in "Our Dancing Daughters," a film that featured a wild Charleston by Crawford and propelled them both to stardom. It spawned two sequels, "Our Modern Maidens" and "Our Blushing Brides." Page and Crawford were in all three films.

Read more here.

Did Neo Cause 9/11 in The Matrix?

Written by Arya Ponto

The social networks are a-buzzin' today over this screen capture of Neo's passport from the first Matrix movie. Why is Neo's passport suddenly so popular, 9 years after the movie came out? Because some eagle-eyed nerd noticed that Neo's passport expires on—dun, dun, DUN—September 11th, 2001. Shocking!

Read more here.

NATO warns Russia on ties, offers Georgia support

NATO allies say that regular contacts with Russia is impossible until its troops are fully withdrawn from Georgia, and say they were "seriously considering" the implications of Moscow's actions.

"We have determined that we cannot continue with business as usual," the 26 NATO states said in a joint declaration after emergency talks in Brussels over the South Ossetia conflict.

Separately, they agreed to set up a new forum known as a NATO-Georgia Commission to deepen ties with Tbilisi.

NATO secretary-general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told a news conference it would function along similar lines to an 11-year-old arrangement with Ukraine but would not prejudge Georgia's prospects of entering the alliance.

Read more here.

Mary Jane's News of the Day

Although, technically, it could just as easily be listed as "Idiot of the Week"

Teenagers have been charged after digging up a grave to make a bong out of a human skull.
Three teenagers were arrested after two of them told police they dug up a secluded grave near Houston, Texas, removed the skull from a coffin and converted it into a bong.

Kevin Wade Jones, 17, and Matthew Richard Gonzalez, 17 were arrested Wednesday night and were being held on misdemeanor charges of abuse of a corpse.
Police were interviewing Jones about an unrelated charge of debit card fraud when he told them about the grave theft.

Asked why Jones would volunteer the information police sergeant John Chomiak said: 'We can only speculate and guess to what goes on in the criminal mind.'

"They dug into this gravesite and that was enough to warrant the abuse of corpse charge.'

Police believe the grave is that of an 11-year-old boy who died in 1921 in an unmaintained 19th-century veterans cemetery.