CLIFF DUNN
It Gives New Meaning to the Phrase “Political Blowhard”
An anticipated 50,000 party stalwarts are descending upon Tampa this week for the Republican National Convention, and—according to the comedy Web site Funny Or Die—some of them will be taking full advantage of the city’s “gaiety”—from the vantage point of the Big Tent’s closet. A comedy sketch by Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi (the brains behind the site’s “Michele and Marcus Bachmann” clips), purportedly depicts a GOP bigwig bragging that gobs of money has been spent to ensure that closeted Republicans have access to their Grindr apps inside the convention center. “You know, Grindr isn’t just for gay men,” intones the “organizer. “It’s also for hypocritical, closeted gay men.” (In a related story, the Ybor Resort and Spa—which bills itself as Tampa’s “largest, all-gay, private men’s club, resort, and bathhouse”—is offering free admission this week to RNC delegates.)
Land of the Free; Homo the Brave.
Turns Out People Really Don’t Like Perez Hilton
Poor Perez Hilton: He was OH!- for-four this week, as Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, and Demi Lovato all unfollowed (which we didn’t even realize was a word until now) the celeb gossipmonger on Twitter, in response, rumor suggests, for his unkind remarks about One Direction member Zayn Malik.
You may have read that Hilton posted a video of Malik in which the singer asks a woman (who isn’t his girlfriend) for a little hotel R&R. Before PH had the chance to post the video, Malik deleted his Twitter account, posting: “The reason i don’t tweet as much as i use to, is because I’m sick of all the useless opinions and hate that i get daily goodbye twitter.”
With poor timing (and even more poor taste) Hilton posted “One Direction’s Zayn Malik DELETES His Twitter! perez.ly/QXFc4j Called it! I said he’d be the first to leave 1D! This is the beginning!” The Mouth That Roared got in another jab at Malik’s fans, adding “THANK YOU for all the laughs @ OneDirection fans! Muah!!!!!!!”
A diplomatic Cyrus offered an explanation for her side of the buzz. “i don’t know why everyone’s saying I unfollowed Perez I never followed in the 1st place,” Miley tweeted. “I have no hard feelings just don’t care 2 gossip.”
Tight Ends and Wide Receivers Against Bullies
The San Francisco 49ers have become the first NFL franchise to record a video condemning anti-gay bullying and violence. The minute long commercial features players Ahmad Brooks, Ricky Jean Francois, Isaac Sopoaga, and Donte Whitner as part of the “It Gets Better” campaign, which began in 2010 in response to a string of suicides by students bullied over their sexual orientation. In the spot, Brooks informs kids, “Something you should never experience is being bullied, intimidated, or pressured into being someone or something you are not.” The team was encouraged by 49er fan Sean Chapin, who collected more than 16,000 signatures on Change.org.
