Bloggers have been asked to participate in Write To Marry Day today in order to highlight the campaign to OPPOSE the very discriminatory Proposition 8 ballot initiative that Californians will vote on next Tuesday. I have decided to take this opportunity to write up a post why I believe that Proposition 8 is harmful, not only to California but, to our country as a whole. As a person who would be directly affected by this hateful proposition, I feel incumbent to lend my support to the defeat of Proposition 8 in the State of California:

For me, the matter is a very simple one. It is absolutely wrong to legislate discrimination in this country. If Proposition 8 passes, the Constitution of the California will be amended to specifically deny the right to marry to same-sex couples. Not so long ago, it was the rule of law in this country to separate African Americans from Caucasians in schools, restaurants, buses, water fountains and more. It was legislated that “separate but equal” was fair and that segregation was just. The end of segregation in this country came from the Supreme Court. The highest court in the land ruled that denying the rights of minorities in any legislation was illegal under the terms of our US Constitution. Remember, it was legislatures in some States that drafted and passed laws that discriminated against African Americans. It was the executive branches of those states that enforced those laws. It was only when the high court stepped in to invalidate those laws and INSIST that all citizens of the United States be treated equally that our country was able to move forward towards ending segregation and discrimination against minorities. This Proposition 8 matter is the very much the same thing. We have learned that legislating unequal treatment is wrong. Even if you don’t believe in same-sex marriage, no matter who you are and for whatever reason, you have to agree that discrimination is wrong … it is un-American and it opposes everything that our country stands for. We live in a nation where we promise liberty and justice for all. Does it sound right that some citizens should not be allowed to marry just because other citizens think they should not be allowed to? No, it doesn’t — and that is why laws in some States that outlawed interracial marriage were struck down as illegal. It is the duty of our country to defend the rights of the minority in order to achieve equality for all. Allowing same-sex marriage rights WILL NOT AFFECT the marriage rights of anyone else … and for that reason alone it seems foolish to try and deny those rights to anyone. This would be the first time a Constitution would be amended to take away rights from a group of people. Even Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is voting against Prop 8. It’s just plainly wrong.

It really boils down to a simple matter of fairness. There were many, many people who vehemently opposed granting equal rights to women in this country. Our nation wouldn’t allow women to be discriminated against. There were many, many people who vehemently opposed granting equal rights to African Americans and other racial minorities in this country. Again, our nation wouldn’t allow those injustices to occur. Even tho there are many people out there who oppose granting EQUAL RIGHTS to same-sex couples, I honestly believe that our nation will not allow such discrimination to occur. The United States of America was founded on the fundamental belief that All Men are Created Equal. It’s as simple as that. I am Voting No on Proposition 8 because I want to see my country take the next step in fully realizing the principles it was founded on. Prop 8 is unfair and wrong. I believe that marriage equality should be enjoyed by all.

I know there are many people who would love to support the campaign to DEFEAT Prop 8 but they live outside of California. I would urge those folks to click HERE to donate whatever you can to help us Californians defeat this discriminatory proposition. I have donated a couple of times and I know the No on Prop 8 campaign can use all the money they can muster. It’s a tough time economically, but if you can donate anything I know it’ll help defeat legalized discrimination and uphold marriage equality for all.

Hanson brothers Isaac, Taylor and Zac — who make up the band Hanson — were spotted hanging with fans before a recent concert stop at the State Theatre in Falls Church, VA … curiously tho, the guys were walking around barefoot. When asked if he could sing a bit of their mega hit song MMMBop, Taylor Hanson replied by flipping his middle finger:

When did the little kids from Tulsa, OK get so crabby? The barefootedness I can understand (tho not really support — put your shoes on, guys) but I don’t get the pissy finger flip. In any event, it’s nice to see that my boys from Oklahoma are still on the concert trail playing for their fans. And for the record, I really did love their song MMMbop :)

[Photo credit: Splash News]

OMG … are you ready for some absolute adorableness? Here are a couple pics of Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale’s eldest son Kingston James McGregor enjoying an afternoon playdate with Tobey Maguire’s daughter Ruby Sweetheart here in SoCal yesterday afternoon. The couple went on a little wagon ride together … I think Kingston picked her up in his wheels and it looks like Ruby was trying to get Kingston to drink, perhaps to loosen up?

Hahahaha! They do make an adorable couple, don’tchathink? While Zuma Nesta Rock may have been the star yesterday (we finally got our first look at the little baby), it looks like today belongs to Kingston. I’m always fascinated by celeb kids who become friends at such a young age. Clearly the Stefani-Rossdales and the Maguires run in the same circles so it makes sense that their kids would get to know one another. It’s just really cute to see them hanging out together. I hope we get to see more of Kingston and Ruby in the future … they make a really supercute couple.

[Photo credit: X17]

We all know that soccer star David Beckham is a huge fan of the LA Lakers basketball team … but we also know that he is an even huger fan of the LA Lakers cheerleading squad the Laker Girls. Becks, who has been known to ogle the skimpily dressed Laker Girls on previous visits to The Staples Center (that is, unless his wife Vicki B. comes along for the ride), got caught casting a few “wayward” glances at the ladies again at last night’s Lakers‘ game:

But, to Becks’s credit, he did his best to be a good boy … behold:

David Beckham the ogler strikes again! The football star was spotted soaking up the view from his front-row seats at an NBA game at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles yesterday. While his favourite team the LA Lakers took on the Portland Trailblazers, it was the off-court action that really caught his attention. He was spotted eyeing up the scantily-clad cheerleading team between quarters – and not for the first time. In April, he was caught leering at a cheerleader at that same venue. It was no coincidence that a week later, Victoria Beckham stepped in as chaperone, ensuring it was eyes front. But free from the careful watch of his wife yesterday, it appears Beckham couldn’t resist a cheeky peek or two at the hotpant-wearing dance troupe.

LOL! I just love it when Becks pays a visit to The Staples Center to take in a Lakers basketball game. He always seems to have a much more enjoyable time when he goes to these games by himself. He never looks like he’s really enjoying himself when VB comes along and he tends to stay a good boy when he brings his sons to games. It’s not like he’s doing anything wrong … it’s okay to look as long as you don’t touch, right?

[Photo credit: Ramey, Getty; Source]

Director Gus Van Sant’s new film Milk, the biopic on the life of San Francisco’s first openly gay leader, premiered at the Castro Theater on Castro Street in San Fran last night … bringing out all of the principal stars of the film, including Sean Penn, James Franco, Diego Luna and more. Here are a few pics from last night’s red carpet arrivals and some info on the film:

It was only fitting that “Milk,” the film about Harvey Milk’s life and death, premiere Tuesday night in the Castro. Milk, San Francisco’s first openly gay leader who was slain 30 years ago, used to call himself “the Mayor of Castro Street,” referring to the main drag through the neighborhood he represented on the Board of Supervisors and the center of the city’s gay and lesbian community. The world premiere of his biopic brought considerable star power to Milk’s beloved Castro Theatre, including director Gus Van Sant and stars Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch and Diego Luna. The film follows Milk’s rise to office and his and Mayor George Moscone’s assassination at City Hall by fellow Supervisor Dan White in 1978. Van Sant said he had been talking about making this film for 18 years. “He’s an American hero,” Van Sant said. “He’s a great example of a man representing his community and his city.” Milk received another tribute earlier in the day, when a historic streetcar featured in the film was dedicated to him. The supervisor had been a champion of public transportation. Tuesday night’s premiere also brought out many of Milk’s old friends who helped usher in the gay rights movement that has led, a generation later, to a fight over the right of same-sex couples to marry. Gay rights activist Cleve Jones, played in the film by Emile Hirsch, said Milk would have been thrilled at the film but angry that the fight over civil rights continued. He pointed across the street, where hundreds were rallying against Proposition 8, a Nov. 4 ballot measure that would rewrite the California constitution to deny same-sex couples the right to marry. “Harvey would be angry,” Jones said, “and he’d still be fighting.”

Harvey Milk was, indeed, a pioneer and very brazenly went against the grain to fight for the things that he believed in despite drawing the anger and hatred from discriminatory bigots. Every openly gay elected official in this country has Harvey Milk to thank for his trailblazing efforts to show that all Americans, regardless of minority status, can make a difference. I’m fairly certain that a large majority of this country have no idea who Harvey Milk was which is why I feel this film is so important. I have no doubt that Sean Penn, who is an amazing actor, will deliver a stunning performance in the role of Harvey Milk and I can’t wait to see this film for myself. We still have a long way to go to secure the basic rights and liberties of the GLBT community in this country (next Tuesday, California will vote on the matter of marriage equality) but, it can be argued, that we are on the right path to securing liberty and justice for all … and mebbe Harvey Milk’s bravery helped get us on that path. I’m looking forward to seeing this biopic on this hero’s life.

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

Building on the marginal success that The CW is enjoying with this seasons Beverly Hills, 90210 spin-off series 90210, Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the network is developing an updated version of the hit series Melrose Place. Melrose, you may or may not know, was the first spin-off to come from BH, 90210 (debuting in 1992) and after a slow start, went on to become one of the most successful TV series of the 1990’s. Much like the new version of 90210, Melrose Place (or mebbe they’ll just call it The Place or simply Melrose) will most likely restart with a new batch of tenants to share the famous apartment building, and indeed their drama, together again in these modern and faster-paced times:

Andrew Shue, call your agent. A spokesperson for The CW confirms what has been buzzed about for months: The network is developing an update of Melrose Place. Details remain sketchy, but it’s believed Melrose 2.0 would launch next fall. The move comes as The CW has enjoyed some measure of success with its 90210 reboot. Despite modest ratings, the show has brought attention to the struggling network at a time when it sorely needs it. The suits no doubt figure a Melrose rebirth will generate another round of mass hysteria. (And they’d be right!) Earlier this month, Darren Star, who created both Melrose and 90210, admitted to TVGuide.com that a Melrose resurrection “would be a fun thing to do. I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened — if it can be put together in the right way.”

HMMM. I’m not sure, yet, how I feel about this idea. As I mentioned, Melrose Place started out very slowly … well before crazy Dr. Kimberly Shaw (played by Marcia Cross) blew up the building, the characters were all friends and they all got along very well. They never fought and always had one another to rely on. It wasn’t until a huge dose of bitchy was injected into the show, in the form of permanent Guest Star Heather Locklear (as Amanda Woodward), that the show soared to rating heights and became THE show to talk about around the water cooler the next day. I suspect that at least one of the former cast members will have to be brought back to bridge the gap from the first version of the series to the new version. Maybe Sydney Andrews (played by Laura Leighton) found new life as apartment manager of Melrose Place … or mebbe the series will give Vanessa Williams (not the Ugly Betty one, the other one) who played Rhonda Blair or Amy Locane who played Sandy Louise Harling another shot at stardom (they were each featured heavily in the first season but were quickly written off the show because they were boring characters). We all know that Rob Estes, who currently stars in the new version of 90210 as principal Harry Wilson, won’t be able to reprise his Melrose role as Kyle McBride cuz, well, he’s already on the other current BH, 90210 spin-off as a completely different character. I’m sure there will be no problem finding old castmembers to come back to the new version of the show. Unfortch, tho, I’m not sure that Melrose has the same nostalgic value that BH, 90210 does. I guess we’ll see if the show can be a hit … my guess is that all the nostalgic love is being spent on 90210 already (and some of that is starting to wear off). I guess we’ll see what happens next Fall. What do y’all think … would you tune in to watch this Melrose redux?

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Late yesterday afternoon, a Los Angeles judge overseeing her case ruled that the conservatorship order over Britney Spears would go from temporary to permanent. As you may recall, Britney’s father Jamie Spears was made conservator over her person, affairs and assets after she suffered her very public mental break-down earlier this year. This conservatorship allowed Jamie Spears to get rid of all the dangerous influences in Britney’s life (ie. Sam Lutfi, Ali Sims, Adnan Ghalib) and help make the sound decisions that led to her recovery and stabilization. Many folks, including me, credit papa Jamie’s control of Britney’s person to be her saving grace. Now that control, which was scheduled to expire on December 31, has been made into a more permanent situation. For the foreseeable future, Jamie Spears will remain in control of Britney’s person, affairs and assets:

The father of Britney Spears will retain control over the once-troubled singer’s personal and business affairs for an indefinite period, a Los Angeles judge ruled on Tuesday. Jamie Spears and a Los Angeles lawyer were first granted temporary control of Spears’ affairs in February after the pop princess was twice hospitalized for psychiatric evaluation. The conservatorship previously was extended until December 31 but, in Tuesday’s closed-court hearing, the judge made it permanent. Spears can request it to be lifted at a later date. “The conservatorship is necessary and appropriate for the complexity of financial and business entities and her being susceptible to undue influence,” said the judge, Reva Goetz, according to several media reports. Since February, Spears, 26, has turned around her life, reaching a custody settlement with ex-husband Kevin Federline, releasing a hit single “Womanizer,” working on a new album, winning three MTV Video Music Awards and preparing for an expected first world tour since 2004. Celebrity website TMZ.com said Spears’ lawyers suggested making the conservatorship permanent. Quoting unnamed sources close to Spears, TMZ said lawyers felt doing so would boost the singer’s chances of regaining custody of sons Sean Preston, 3, and Jayden James, 2 in the future. People magazine quoted Spears’ lawyer as saying in an open courtroom that Spears “requested that I not object to the permanent conservatorship.”

This is great news, y’all. It’s clear that Team Spears has a plan to help Britney regain physical custody rights of her children back and this permanent conservatorship plan seems to be the way to go. Since Jamie Spears took control of Britney’s affairs, her life has made a 180 degree turn taking her from the brink of destruction back to the heights of success … she is stable and healthy again, due in large part to her father’s careful and caring influence. I’m convinced they know what they are doing and I wholly support this development. Things have been so great in Brit Brit’s life since she’s been under the conservatorship of her father … clearly, it’s saved her life.

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