Open Thread

JMG reader DJ Rotten Robbie writes: I went to see out gay Tony winner Ben Platt in concert in SF tonight. Halfway through the show he brought out gay church janitor and American Idol contestant Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon. Ben said he stalked the hell out of him on social media until he agreed to sing with him. They did Bob …

Orlando’s NBC affiliate reports: Newly released footage shows a Florida man stealing a Florida Highway Patrol trooper’s patrol car and then weaving through traffic. At times, the chase reached nearly 150 miles per hour. Shane Jensen, 22, is accused of stealing the Florida Highway Patrol trooper’s car on May 2. It started with a trooper noticing a shirtless man, who …

Orlando’s ABC affiliate reports: A Florida man is in trouble after he threatened to behead numerous police officers and then eat their eyes and tongues. Ken Freeman, 50, was arrested and charged with six counts of threatening death or serious bodily harm of a law enforcement officer. Freeman and another man were making obscene hand gestures at each other while …

The Pensacola News Journal reports: A Florida man was arrested for allegedly exposing his genitals and scooting toward women while riding a Walmart in-store scooter. Kejuan Mccants, 27, was arrested Thursday and charged with indecent exposure. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail on a $10,000 bond. Police responded around 5 p.m. May 4 to the Walmart on Creighton …

My apologies for the prolonged downtime. As part of our work to thwart a persistent and insanely aggravating malware attack that was affecting some mobile users, JMG has been moved to an upgraded server and new security defenses have been added. That took quite a bit longer than I expected, mostly because JMG has 15 years of archives. Big thanks …

Playbill reports: The New York Philharmonic celebrated its 2019 Spring Gala on May 16, honoring Tony winner Patti LuPone and her enduring relationship with the famous orchestra. The performance marked LuPone’s first performance with the New York Philharmonic in eight years. LuPone’s relationship with the New York Philharmonic began in 2000, when she starred as Mrs. Lovett in the orchestra’s …

CBS News reports: A Florida man called police to report a comedian of Middle Eastern descent who he believed had told a joke that showed support for terrorism. Standup comic Ahmed Ahmed, who is of Egyptian descent, poked fun at negative stereotypes of Muslims during a set at Off The Hook Comedy Club in Naples, Florida, on Saturday night. “Clap …

Billboard Magazine reports: While fans have increasingly embraced tickets they can redeem on their phones, the technology has always been a headache for box offices and venues. Like print-at-home-tickets, the barcodes can be easily copied through a quick screen grab and sent to multiple people, resulting in an increase in fraud by unscrupulous ticket sellers. After years of outlining a …

Orlando’s ABC News affiliate reports: This naked Florida man was way out of bounds. Jordon Glen Anderson, 29, faces charges after he was busted without any clothes Sunday while shooting hoops at a public park in Longwood, police said. Officers were called to the scene around 7:30 p.m. when a Candy Land Park employee reported there was a man playing …

Via press release from Broadway Cares: Travel the world and check out the sights – including NYC’s hottest dancers – when you board this year’s globetrotting edition of Broadway Bares. This year’s show, Broadway Bares: Take Off, will offer a spectacular evening of sky-high striptease with international flair. The evening is produced by and benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Broadway …

A follow-up to Thursday’s overnight thread via Buzzfeed: A Florida man arrested this week for refusing to remove a sticker on his pickup truck proclaiming that he eats ass will not be prosecuted, officials said Friday. Now the man is threatening to sue the sheriff’s office for violating his First Amendment rights. Dillon Shane Webb, 23, was stopped Sunday on …

Playbill reports: The King of High Cs, as opera star Luciano Pavarotti was fondly called, left behind an extraordinary body of work. Not just the recordings—though his first album as part of The Three Tenors became the best-selling classical album ever—but a legacy of philanthropy and popularizing classical music. So it’s fitting that this larger-than-life theatrical presence gets an appropriately …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: The infamous “Florida Man’’ is getting his own TV show. The Oxygen cable network is developing a new series that will focus on “America’s most notorious, outrageous, craftiest killers from the Sunshine State,” according to the NBCUniversal-owned network. “When the murder is so bizarre, the motive so far-fetched and the crime so outlandish that it sounds …

Tampa’s ABC News affiliate reports: A massive manhunt ensued after a Florida man tried to pawn his baby. Turns out, it was a prank gone wrong and the man is now speaking out. He’s very sorry for what happened. On Tuesday evening, a man entered the A&F Pawn shop in Sarasota and made a strange request to store owner Richard …

From Florida’s Lake City Reporter: A Lake City man was arrested Sunday afternoon for a window sticker that a deputy alleged violates a state obscenity law. Dillon Shane Webb, 23, of Southeast Dan Court, faces charges of possession of obscene material, a first-degree misdemeanor, and resisting arrest, also a first-degree misdemeanor, after he refused to remove a sticker on his …

The Associated Press reports: Sheriff’s officials say a Florida woman pulled a small alligator from her yoga pants during a traffic stop. The Charlotte County sheriff’s deputy stopped a pickup truck Monday afternoon after it ran a stop sign and 22-year-old driver Michael Clemons told him he and his 25-year-old passenger Ariel Machan-Le Quire were collecting frogs and snakes under …

Jacksonville’s ABC News affiliate reports: A Florida man accidentally shot himself while grocery shopping at a Publix in Pasco County over the weekend, authorities said. The incident happened sometime Sunday afternoon at the Publix near Collier Parkway and State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes, according to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. In a tweet, the Sheriff’s Office said the …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Singer/actress Diana Ross said she was “violated” by an aggressive pat-down from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the airport security checkers who screen passengers for contraband. Ross, who was in New Orleans to perform Saturday night at the annual Jazz & Heritage Festival, complained on Twitter about her treatment at the airport. She said the city treated …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame has moved up the offshore chart again, overtaking Avengers: Infinity War as the No. 3 highest grossing movie ever at the international box office. Friday’s overseas take was $88.2M, lifting the running cume to $1.4B. With the domestic Friday included, Endgame has a global total of $1,914.5M as it hammers its way to crossing …

High Times reports: Another Florida man is under arrest after being too welcoming and inviting toward the police. Bunnell, Florida resident Arthur Carracino just really wanted a pair of Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies to check out his home-grown cannabis plant and smoke a bowl with him. Almost reluctantly, officers ended up arresting Carracino for growing cannabis, which is against the …