Author: system

Oscar-nominated actress Rosie Perez has teamed up with actually.org to set Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney straight. Romney was secretly taped in May at a Florida fundraising dinner joking that if he were Latino, he would have a better shot at winning the election. Perez sarcastically imagines what advantages Romney would be

Teenage Youtube sensation Megan Landry penned her anti-bullying anthem "Stronger" after suffering at the hands of high school tormentors.  "I was not going to let them break me," Landry, an Ottawa resident, wrote in an email. "I hope my song will give other kids the power to look right over

To mark the 24th annual National Coming Out Day, here are five songs that speak directly to coming out, encourage tolerance or could easily be interpreted as pro-gay. Murs, "Animal Style."  Beastie Boys, "All Lifestyles."  Girl in a Coma, "Smart."  The Replacements, "I Will Dare." Green Day, "Coming Clean." 

Christmas came early this year for fans of power lesbians when MSNBC host Rachel Maddow stopped by Ellen DeGeneres' talk show. Maddow dished on everything from politics to dancing with her dog to her love/hate relationship with Jersey Shore. Watch the interview on SheWired. 

For Ottawans looking to escape the structured sounds of mainstream music, the Improvising Musicians of Ottawa/Outaouais (IMOO) Festival runs from Fri, Oct 5-Sat, Oct 6 at Club Saw. IMOOFEST 2012 will feature ab-libbed performances by eight musicans including Lori Freedman and festival co-founder Craig Pedersen.  Renée Noxon, communications director for

After enduring Billy Crystal's dated drollery at last year's Academy Awards, Oscar watchers can rejoice after today's announcement that Seth MacFarlane will host the 2013 show. "We are thrilled to have Seth MacFarlane host the Oscars," Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, the openly queer production team behind the Oscars, say

Sick of homophobic twats on Twitter? The Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services at the University of Alberta has created a social mirror website titled NoHomophobes.com that tracks the use of slurs on Twitter.  The site strives to put an end to the casual use of homophobic language. Tolerance

While a knitted uterus is nice, having motion 312 defeated would be even better. Today, feminist pro-choice group Radical Handmaids are staging a protest on Parliament Hill to coincide with the vote on Conservative backbencher Stephen Woodworth's anti-choice motion, which many see as an attempt to re-open the abortion debate. "It's

Canadian landscapes will be the focus of the Expeditions art instillation, which opens today, Friday, Sept 21 at the Ottawa Art Gallery. The group exhibition presents in a variety of mediums, from video to visual. Still, do not expect simple images of fields of forests. Nuit Blanche describes the landscapes

I Mother Earth front man Brian Byrne is making a triumphant return to Ottawa after the newly reformed act tore up the Bluesfest stage in July. Byrne, whose voice you may additionally recognize from the "There's No Place Like This" Ontario tourism ads, will play a solo acoustic set at

Queer audiophiles in Ottawa will be watching the outcome of this year's Live 88.5 FM Big Money Shot competition. Two queer, or at least queer-friendly, bands have made it into the third round of the annual search for explosive local talent, which kicks off tonight at Ritual Nightclub. Five-piece girl

An event like Sep 11, 2001 could not take place without countless artists becoming inspired by the horror, the anger or the deaths of thousands. Like the world wars which preceded that sunny Tuesday in New York, eleven years later, 9/11 continues to be the subject of songs, novels and

Most couch potatos subscribe to the opinion that SNL has never been as good as it was in its 1970s heyday, although the indespensible Kristen Wiig brought the show close. Now, with Wigg, Abby Elliott and Andy Samburg departing, Canuck producer Lorne Michaels has added three new players to the

From glitter bombings to accidental confrontations with gay activists; Mitt Romney's campaign for president has been marred with anti-gay sentiments. Now comes another bump in his run thanks to his wife Ann. While being interviewed by Iowa's KWQC, anchor David Nelson asked Mrs. Romney if she believed a lesbain mother

Indiana University has launched the Kinsey Reporter, a global mobile survey platform for reporting anonymous data about sexual encounters. The free app is available through Apple iOS and Google Play stores and allows users to add their personal experiences in addition to sharing, exploring and visualizing the accumulated data.  "People

From the sunny shores of the Caribbean to a field adjacent to Kanata and Barrhaven; the first Ottawa Rhythm Fest will take place on Sep 1.  The inagural event aims to celebrate the best of soul, Latin and Caribbean music. Staged to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Jamacia and

Lesbian comedian Kate Lambert has produced a hilarious video parodying cash for gold commericals. The faux ad exists in an alternate universe US where queers can trade in their unattainable civil rights for cash. As funny as it is, I'm sure American gays would still rather have the right to

Openly gay actor John Barrowman discussed the representation of gay characters on television during a panel at Toronto's Fan Expo, Sunday Aug 26. Barrowman, who portrays bisexual sci-fi Captain Jack Harkness on Torchwood, says he is disappointed that most gay characters on TV are reduced to stereotypes.  "I'm so proud

Pride means many things to many people. It is a time for remembrance, a time for action; yet for most, it's simply a time for fun. Here are five unobvious gay pride songs to act as your Capital Pride weekend soundtrack. I could have easily loaded up this list with

Join Ottawa Centre MPP Yasir Naqvi tonight at the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights as he pays homage to Toby's Act. Bill 33, which guarantees the right to be free from discrimination and harrassment because of gender identity and gender expression, was officially passed in June of this year.  Prolific