Open Thread

Billboard Magazine reports: It’s a very good time to be RuPaul. Along with continuing his reign as the host of all the various renditions of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the star just debuted his new scripted series for Netflix, AJ and the Queen, and is currently preparing to begin a Las Vegas residency with RuPaul’s Drag Race Live. Now, Ru has …

From the Hollywood Reporter: Young Frankenstein Live will be ABC’s latest live musical event, following the successful airing of The Little Mermaid Live in November. That hybrid presentation of live performances mixed in with a showing of the 1989 animated movie drew 9 million viewers for its initial airing, growing to almost 11.7 million after a week of delayed viewing. …

Newsweek reports: A Florida man has been sentenced to 90 days in jail after he spat on a man wearing a Make America Great Again Hat (MAGA). Matthias Ajple, 43, gave a no-contest plea in court, and was found guilty of battery against Robert Youngblood, 67, on Thursday. Youngblood told police he was wearing his MAGA hat and sitting at …

West Palm Beach’s ABC News affiliate reports: A Florida man with cream on his face, a towel over his head, and body covered with a shower curtain went on Facebook Live where federal authorities say he threatened to kill President Donald Trump. According to a criminal complaint from the United States Secret Service, 26-year-old Chauncy Lump made the threats on …

Playbill reports: From a bridal shop in Flushing, Queens, to Broadway: Fran Drescher is developing a stage adaptation of The Nanny, with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Emmy winners Rachel Bloom and Adam Schlesinger writing the score. Drescher will pen the book with Peter Marc Jacobson; the two co-created the series while married. Beautiful–The Carole King Musical director Marc Bruni is attached to …

Playbill reports: Broadway theatres dimmed their marquee lights tonight at 6:45 PM for one minute in memory of Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist Jerry Herman, who died December 26 at the age of 88. Mr. Herman, who, with Hello, Dolly! and Mame, wrote two of the most popular and tuneful Broadway musicals of the 1960s—to say nothing of La Cage …

USA Today reports: “Let me out! Let me out! Ohhh! Ohhh! Ohhh!” When a Florida neighbor heard those chilling cries, the logical next step was to call 911. Four Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies pulled up and confronted a man who had his wife’s car on blocks in his driveway. When the deputies showed up and explained their concerns, the …

Billboard Magazine reports: As had been expected, a California appeals court on Friday (Jan. 3) restored two lawsuits accusing Michael Jackson of child sexual abuse, after the state’s statute of limitations was extended. The lawsuits were filed by Wade Robson in 2013 and James Safechuck in 2014, but were dismissed on the grounds that the statute of limitations had expired …

The Brandenton Herald reports: A toe-sucking burglar broke into a Florida home on Christmas Eve and got into a fight with a resident, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies who responded to a home on 60th Avenue West were told that the victim was sleeping in his bedroom when he was awakened by the suspect sucking on his …

Playbill reports: The GLAAD Media Awards, which honor fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues, will welcome the return of the Outstanding Broadway Production category for the first time since 2014. The decision comes after a “recent surge of powerful LGBTQ-inclusive shows on Broadway that featured diverse LGBTQ characters and illuminated LGBTQ issues,” according to a release …

Playbill reports: Three-time Tony recipient and famed Stephen Sondheim interpreter Bernadette Peters, most recently on Broadway in the Tony-winning revival of Hello, Dolly!, hosted Celebrating Sondheim December 31 at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall. Tony winner Katrina Lenk (The Band’s Visit, the upcoming revival of Sondheim’s Company) performed in the evening directed by Lonny Price; Alexander Gemignani conducted the New …

Yahoo Sports reports: If you’re going to invite former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski on your television program, expect him to start randomly spiking things. Gronkowski did just that while hosting Fox’s New Year’s Eve show, much to the chagrin of his co-host Steve Harvey. As the celebration got more rowdy, the 30-year-old Gronkowski decided he needed to …

Law.com on what 2020 holds for the LGBTQs: In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue decisions in three cases that will determine whether discrimination based upon gender identity and sexual orientation is covered under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). Title VII is a federal law that bars employment discrimination on the …

Billboard Magazine reports: Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is the gift that keeps on giving her historic achievements, as the song makes the superstar the first artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 in four decades. “Christmas” spends a third week atop the latest Hot 100, dated Jan. 4, 2020, having first led the charts dated …

The New York Daily News reports: Nearly two hundred Waterford crystals were secured onto the famous Times Square New Year’s Eve ball in New York on Dec. 27, 2019. Days before the celebration ringing in 2020, 192 crystals from the Waterford crystal factory in Ireland were installed onto the nearly six ton, 12 feet in diameter ball in this year’s …

Playbill reports: Composer-lyricist Jerry Herman, best known for the joyous musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles, died December 26 in Miami at 88. Following the news of Herman’s passing, the Broadway community took to social media to share memories and anecdotes about the composer and express gratitude for his timeless work. Jerry Herman lost his hard fought …

Billboard Magazine reports: Holiday songs hang atop the Billboard Hot 100’s two highest boughs for the first time in the chart’s history, as Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” leads the list for a second week and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” rises from No. 3 to No. 2, reaching a new peak. Meanwhile, a …

Tampa’s CBS News affiliate reports: Robert Wayne Miller of Zephyrhills, Fla., was arrested Sunday around 9 p.m. for disturbing the peace with his lawn mower, according to a Pasco County complaint affidavit. He faces misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. In body-camera footage obtained by WFLA, Miller’s lawn mower can be heard idling in the background as Deputy …

Billboard Magazine reports: It’s beginning to look a lot like… a black metal Christmas. The Sock Puppet Parody folks are back again this year with another dose of bizarre holiday cheer courtesy of a very dark take on “Frosty the Snowman.” With music supplied by Rivethead, “Immortal Christmas VI” takes the beloved story of everyone’s favorite snow person and turns …

Like yesterday, there will be a smattering of posts later in the day and Blue Bear will appear at the usual weekend time of 7PM Eastern. But in the meantime, tell us about your holiday meal specialties and favorites. And don’t leave out the disasters.