Former Celebrities That Now Have Normal Jobs

Got lured into this clickbait headline, then found an eclectic list of "stars" including one whose "normal" job isn't normal (Kirk Cameron now writes Christian books), one I don't believe (was Tony Danza's recent gig at 54 Below just for fun?), one I found extremely bitchy (the poor Sherminator) and some I'd never heard of (Jessica Sierra?).

Highlights:

Jonathan Bennett 

 Despite acting with Rachel McAdams and Lindsay Lohan in "Mean Girls," Bennett was never able to reach fame. Today he is a spinning instructor at Flywheel in Los Angeles

Tony Danza

The star from "Taxi" and "Who’s the Boss?" is now an English teacher at Philadelphia Northeast High School. Who wouldn’t love to be his student? (EDITOR'S NOTE: It seems he did "teach" in 2009-10, but it was a reality-TV stunt, kind of like picking a Supreme Court justice is now.)

Nikki Blonksy 

This former "Hairspray" star struggled to find new roles after her 2007 movie. Today she is a hairstylist in Great Neck, New York.

 Chris Owen 

Despite the success of "American Pie," Chris Owen never quite found success. Today he is a waiter at a sushi restaurant and has less than 100 followers on Twitter.

 Jessica Sierra 

The fallen "American Idol" singer Jessica Sierra had to take a day job at Hooters when she realized singing wasn’t enough to pay the bills.

 Josh Saviano 

 In the 90s the most popular rumor about Josh Saviano (Paul from the "Wonder Years") was that he grew up to be Marylin Manson. The truth is not quite as exciting. He is a corporate lawyer.

Erin Moran 

Despite what seemed like a promising career, "Happy Days" star Erin Moran started to fade in the '80s. Today she is trying to make it as a writer, working out of an Indiana hotel room after being kicked out of the trailer park she used to live in.

See them all HERE.

Gaslighting Too

Trump: Why is the dishonest media saying this is a Muslim ban? This is not a Muslim ban. I never called for a Muslim ban. So dishonest the media. Fake news, fake news.

Trump's Homeland Security secretary, John Kelly, tacitly admitted it was a Muslim ban when he was asked whether he had felt out of the loop as the White House quietly prepared the policy by saying he had know ever since Mr. Trump was a candidate that this was his plan -- and that there was communication with his agency last week. “We knew it was coming from like two years ago when Mr. Trump ran for president,” he said.

And they're all in on it ...

Is There a Serial Killer of Gay Men in Tampa?

Three seemingly related murders in Tampa in just the past month. My boyfriend looks into the shocking case HERE.

Mug Shot Tuesday

Shocker -- when you look like this and were a star athlete, you can get bail ... even if you're accused of first-degree murder, aggravated stalking, tampering with evidence and employing a firearm during a dangerous felony.

The Daily News reports:

The former Maryville college football player who allegedly stalked then murdered a teenage Central High cheerleader has been released from jail on $1 million bond.

William Riley Gaul, 18, was discharged from the Knox County Detention Facility Monday after posting the bail, according to the Know County Sheriff’s Office.

Gaul was arrested on Nov. 22, a day after police allege he stole his grandfather’s gun to shoot and kill his ex-girflriend Emma Walker, 16, while she was asleep in her bedroom.

“She had chosen to move on. He refused to accept it. He chose not to accept her wishes.” 

The suspect was indicted on several charges last week, including first-degree murder, aggravated stalking, tampering with evidence and employing a firearm during a dangerous felony. Gaul has not entered a plea to his charges.

The girl's poor family. How soon before the hot cannibal walks away scot-free?

Tennis Tuesday

Nice to see Grigor Dimitrov's hard work paying off, getting him to his first Australian Open semifinal. Will be interesting to see if he can build on this -- I'm not convinced. 

It's a Rave for Nora Burns and 'David's Friend'

Had the pleasure of seeing Nora Burns's love letter to her fallen partner in crime, "David's Friend," at The Theater at La Mama on Friday night. The show delivered on all fronts -- it's funny, it's nostalgic, it's touching, it's poignant and it's smart.  

And the outing became even more New York-y when I realized we were sitting directly next to legendary photographer Patrick McMullan, who gets a titillating nod in the show!; Robin Byrd, who is so crazy tried to interact with Nora, as if they were having a conversation at lunch!; and New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood, who I couldn't stop looking at to try to gauge his reaction to the proceedings.

To the last point, it looked as if Isherwood was not impressed with what he was seeing -- so I was eagerly awaiting his writeupto see if the expression matched the review.Turns out he must suffer from an acute case of Resting Bitch Face, because he gave it an unmitigated rave, which you can read HERE.

The show has a very limited run, so get your tickets while you can HERE.

Cock Block: With Matt, Damian and Nora

As an added treat, we met and hung out with David's little brother, Matt, at the after-party at the Cock. He's an incredibly sweet and smart guy, who has his own sexy blog HERE.

Boy Scouts of America to Allow Transgender Children to Join

How ironic that after decades of discrimination by the organization, the Boy Scouts of America are finally coming around during the latest era of attacks on LGBT rights. Read HERE.

Going Postal

From HERE.

I'm kinda mortified that I actually told an older woman working at the Old Chelsea Post Office that I "hope she rots in hell," but I swear to god the words came out of my mouth completely involuntarily. I received a notice they had tried to deliver a package for me, but when I arrived at the Post Office the window at which you normally retrieve them had been converted into a PASSPORTS ONLY line, with the lobby filled with an inordinate number of people. I asked someone in the line if they too had package slips, and they said no, they were there for passports. (I deduced Trump's harebrained immigration ban had something to do with it, but wasn't sure how.) I then noticed a sign above a different window had one of the package slips taped above it, so I walked over toward it. 

At that point, the woman in question screamed across the lobby, "This line!" -- pointing to the main line for mailing boxes and buying stamps. 

I wasn't entirely sure she was talking to me, so I walked over to her and said, "Hi. I'm here to pick up a package." 

"This line," she replied. 

Not wanting to wait in a long line only to find out I had done it for nothing -- the line she was putting me in was completely separate from where I saw the picture of the "package slip" temporarily hanging and I've been going there for nearly 20 years and know you do not pick up packages in the main line -- I politely said, "Even if you have one of these slips?" 

"This line!" 

At that point I said, "OK. Is there something going here today? I've never seen it like this in here before on a Saturday." Her response? 

"This line!" 

Taken aback that she would not talk to me like a human being, I said, "Can you do a little better than that? I just want to know what's going on?" Her response? 

"This line!" 

At that point I became enraged while simultaneously realizing it was a bad day to pick up something that wasn't very urgent -- something was going on, even if she refused to tell me what -- so I decided to just come back another day. But as I turned around to exit she smirked at me and and I blurted out -- in a ridiculously calm and friendly tone -- "OK. I hope you rot in hell" to which she FINALLY responded to what I was actually saying to her: "I hope you do, too." 

Song of the Day: 'Love Is All Around' by Joan Jett

 

Mary Tyler Moore was laid to rest during a private ceremony in Connecticut on Sunday. 

According to CBS, about 50 people attended the funeral and burial at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Fairfield. Police said actress Bernadette Peters was among those who attended. The gravesite was adorned with a statue of an angel and scores of flowers including white orchids and roses. 

The Emmy-winning actress best known for her TV sitcom roles in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “The Dick Van Dyke Show” died Wednesday. She was 80 and lived in Greenwich. A small number of fans gathered outside the front gate of the cemetery with signs saying, “I Love You,” “Rest in Peace” and “Mary (equals) Love!”

P.S.

Finally saw Valerie Harper's messages about her late friend. 

Morning Wood

Page 1 Roundup (01/31)

Our "president" has spent the last 48 hours making fun of the Senate minority leader.

The White House officially has a new Dick Cheney, only he's a way bigger dick.

Who'd have guessed Donald Trump wouldn't like having a woman stand up to him?

Sick of Making Lousy Sports Bets? Now You Can Outsource Them / Read HERE.

Trump Fires Acting Attorney General After She Defies Him on Immigration Ban

You could call it the Monday Night Massacre -- I call it the birth of a hero:

The Wall Street Journal reports:

The White House on Monday fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates for telling government lawyers not to defend an executive order signed by President Donald Trump suspending immigration from seven countries out of concerns that terrorists from those countries might enter the U.S. Ms. Yates learned of her firing Monday evening, in a letter from the White House hand-delivered to her office, according to a person familiar with the matter. In a statement, the White House said Ms. Yates “has betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States.” Dana Boente, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, will be acting attorney general until Mr. Trump’s attorney general nominee, Jeff Sessions, is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, which could happen next week. 

Worth noting that Sally Yates was confirmed as deputy A.G. by a Republican Senate 84-12. Republicans cited her willingness to be independent as her strength. Sen. Bob Casey tweeted, "Sally Yates did not betray the Justice Department, she honored its greatest traditions by defending our Constitution."

Hear! Hear!

Ironically, incoming attorney general Jeff Sessions asked Yates during her Senate confirmation hearing in 2015 if she should say no to an unlawful executive order. Hear what she said HERE.

Statement from Sen. Patrick Leahy (ranking member of Senate Judiciary) on firing of Sally Yates.

Is an Anti-LGBT Executive Order on the Horizon? -- UPDATE

Sources say the order will sanction discrimination against the LGBT community in areas including employment, social services, business and adoption. White House spokesman Sean Spicer would neither confirm nor deny the report.

(To those who said he didn't mean all the horrible things he said on the campaign trail and that it wouldn't make that big of a difference if he won or if Hillary won I say: f**k you all.)

Is Trump mentally ill? A former employee more than willing to say.

It's really come to this.

UPDATE: 

Josh Rogin of The Washington Post has confirmed a draft of the anti-LGBT order does exist. Thanks, everyone.

UPDATE 2:

NYT is reporting that Trump is not going to strip Obama's 2014 workplace protections for LGBT people. Wouldn't normally call simply not undoing your predecessor's just actions commendable, but given the players involved I am cautiously relieved. (Did that question from the Washington Blade's Chris Johnson and the backlash that followed spook our new "president"?) The Times notes that leaving those protections intact does not, however, preclude another executive order that would roll back gay rights in other areas, in an attempt to appeal to the Kim Davis crowd. Trump could, for example, still enshrine a religious freedom provision in federal policy. Stay tuned.

UPDATE 3: 

 American Civil Liberties Union LGBT Project Director James Esseks had the following reaction: “Actions speak louder than words. President Trump has surrounded himself with a vice president and cabinet members who have repeatedly sought to sanction discrimination against LGBT people in the name of religion, and nothing in the White House’s statement makes clear that these efforts are behind us. LGBT immigrants, refugees, Muslims, and women have already come under attack by this administration. If Donald Trump is serious about being an ally to the LGBT community, it starts with abandoning an agenda driven by fear and prejudice.”

Quebec City Mosque Gunman Was Right-Wing Troll, Trump Fan

What a shocker. The Globe and Mail reports that the suspect in the attack on a Quebec City mosque that left six dead was known in the city's activist circles as a right-wing troll who frequently took anti-foreigner and anti-feminist positions and stood up for U.S. President Donald Trump. Bissonnette appeared to have become radicalized in March 2016, following a visit to Quebec City by French nationalist Marine Le Pen, who was France's Donald Trump before he was even ours. Bissonnette's Facebook profile was removed from public view Monday morning along with the comments he left behind. Before Le Pen's visit, Bissonnette's friends say he showed little interest in politics, despite studying the subject at Laval University. Oh, joy.

UPDATE: How did the "president" react to the news? Following a call by Trump to offer condolences and police assistance to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his spokesman took to the podium to twist the tragedy into a defense of Trump's ban on Muslims. "It's a terrible reminder of why we must remain vigilant. And why the president is taking steps to be proactive, not reactive,'' Spicer said Monday, without acknowledging the shooter's love for his boss.

John Hurt, Star of 'The Elephant Man' and 'Alien,' Dies at 77

John Hurt -- the luckiest man on earth for getting that close to Ryan O'Neal's chest -- is dead at 77. Boy Culture remembers the versatile actor through a gay lens HERE.

Dearest Mommies

Over the weekend, a (new) friend described his cold mother as being "a lot like Faye Dunaway." And from the looks of things, Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange may soon find separating from their latest roles difficult too! Read HERE.

Taken for a Ride?

Tried to get clarification on the outrage against Uber's reaction to the JFK taxi strike  -- noting that the "surge" thing didn't make sense to me (it's bad that they didn't gouge people?) and that Elon "Save the Planet" Musk is also on Trump's council -- and instead of any additional information I was ripped a new one by fellow lefties. Huh?

I understand that people are mad as hell -- and I also understand that Uber doesn't necessarily have the best reputation overall. (It didn't exactly invent the gig economy, however.) But while people are applauding Lyft's donating $1 million to the ACLU -- I'd call that opportunistic, but in a good way -- somehow Uber's offer to "compensate drivers affected by the ban pro bono for the next 3 months" and a $3 million defense fund to help cover legal expenses associated with the executive order are merely cynical moves done after the fact by the company "only looking out for itself" because they need drivers? (Um, Lyft sent out an email to its customers bragging about its donation, which was made after the scandal blew up.)

I don't claim to know everything about this situation. But from what I've gathered so far it sounds like there's not a lot of "there" there except a lot of people (rightfully) angry at Donald Trump who also don't like Uber. (When I asked someone who I thought knew more about this if I was missing something, he said I wasn't -- but that "Uber really does suck.) So I will pose the same questions I did when Twitter ripped me a new one:

Can a company break a strike by a union of which it's not a member?   

Was it wrong of Uber to continue taking PROTESTERS to JFK? 

What did Lyft do during that hour? (UPDATE: I found out Lyft DID NOT honor the strike either. So the issue really was Uber's decision to NOT GOUGE customers?)

Would it have been better if Uber had left surge pricing on? 

Was the right way to protest innocent people being stranded (by Trump) at JFK to leave (innocent) people stranded at JFK? 

Should we also be boycotting Teslas -- and anything made by companies associated with Trump's economic advisory council?

Whatever the case may be, I really think we should save this pack mentality for when it really counts. Boycotting Uber may sound like slacktivism, but online protest movements can have very serious consequences and can be extremely useful. (Companies are terrified of something like this and do take notice.) But they need to be done judiciously and justly. Still open to hearing how this was.

Shopping for a Fake Age

"Do you have this in a 38?" From HERE.

Roger Federer Wins Australian Open, Defeating Rafael Nadal in a Major for First Time in 10 Years

The first Grand Slam of the year rose to a level of emotion I haven't experienced since Chris battled Martina on grass in Kooyong Stadium back in '82. First, I went with Damian to spend the night in New Jersey to watch the men's final live -- starting at 3:30 a.m. Eastern time -- with his mother and sister Gabby, my first time joining this longstanding Veron family tradition. (They totally spoiled us with cheese, sausage, hummus, crackers and wine followed by a fifth-set dessert selection and hot chocolate with marshmellows!) As special as that was, I was rooting extra hard for Roger Federer -- in a room full of rabid Latin Nadal fans! -- whom my brother and his wife adore. (They've been through the wringer in the recent months, so could use a little joy.) In the end, everyone was a winner as the match lived up to the epic billing it received -- it was hilarious seeing how Nadal fans think of him as ALWAYS losing to Federer, when in fact Rafa had beaten Roger in six straight Grand Slam meetings and went into the match 9-2 in majors -- with both players taking the lead along the way. And while the Verons were disappointed that Nadal wasn't able to close it out, they too were happy Bill got his wish. xo

Oh, and Serena beat Venus as expected -- passing Steffi Graf's record 22 majors in the open era -- and is the greatest player of all time.

Never Mind

From HERE.

Miss Merkel Regrets

The German chancellor does not approve of Trump's Muslim ban -- and she's not alone.

Previously: