Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Meet the Queens of “Drag Race Belgium” S1, Premiering February 16th on WOW Presents Plus

Start your engines for the premiere of “Drag Race Belgium,” debuting on February 16th, followed by a weekly rollout every Thursday, exclusively on WOW Presents Plus in the US and select territories worldwide, day-and-date with its local airing on Belgium’s Tipik. “Canada’s Drag Race” S1 alum, Rita Baga, will host the premiere season alongside resident judges Lufy and Mustii.

The ten fierce, Belgian queens competing for the title of Belgium’s first Drag Superstar are Amanda Tears, Athena Sorgelikis, Brittany Von Bottokx, Drag Couenne, Edna Sorgelen, Mademoiselle Boop, Mocca Bone, Peach, Susan, and Valenciaga. Each week, the queens will compete in a variety of gag-worthy challenges and wig-snatching runway categories. Based on their performances, the judges will choose the leading queens to advance to the next episode until France’s first Drag Superstar is crowned.

Monday, January 23, 2023

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Björk releases "ovule ft. Shygirl (Sega Bodega remix)"


Björk used her passionate single "ovule" to explore the fragility and uniqueness of love in all its complex forms. Now, Sega Bodega, known for his glitchy, industrial-inspired sounds and big, cinematic floor-fillers, has drawn out the track's tension and reflected its delicate beauty. The remix reaches further heights with epic additional vocals by rising star Shygirl.
"ovule ft. Shygirl (Sega Bodega remix)" emphasises the track’s majestic percussive elements, Sega Bodega describes making it as, “kind of a full circle moment here, for me at least. The three of us had an evening of all listening to music we loved at Shy's place last year and after absorbing that the remix came together pretty quickly - we like things fast."

Stories on Stage presents "The Word Painter" with Peter Heller

Denver resident Peter Heller is a longtime contributor to NPR, and a former contributing editor at Outside MagazineMen’s Journal, and National Geographic AdventureHe is the best-selling author of The Guide, The River, Celine, The Painter, and The Dog Stars, which has been published in twenty-two languages. Heller is also the author of four nonfiction books, including Kook: What Surfing Taught Me About Love, Life, and Catching the Perfect Wave, which was awarded the National Outdoor Book Award.

 

 Allison Watrous and Tim McCracken perform stories from Mr. Heller’s books that includes an onstage appearance by Peter himself, reading from his critically-acclaimed novel “The Dog Stars.” “The Dog Stars” was the Apple iBooks Novel of the Year, Hudson Booksellers top fiction pick of the Year, and an Atlantic Monthly and San Francisco Examiner Best Book of the Year. New Regency Pictures has acquired film rights to this bestselling novel. There will be a post-show talk-back and discussion.


Stories on Stage presents "The Word Painter" on Sunday, February 19 at 2:00 p.m. at Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center, 721 Santa Fe Drive, Denver. The virtual performance will be streamed beginning February 23 at 7:00 p.m. and will also be available for viewing any time thereafter. Ticket holders for the virtual performance will receive a link prior to the performance. Tickets are $24 and are available at www.storiesonstage.org or by calling 303-494-0523.

Online Film Critics Society Announce 2022 Award Winners

The 
Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) today announces winners of their top film honors of 2022, as well as technical awards, Special Achievement and Lifetime Achievement honors for industry leaders and icons, and the organization’s top 10 films of the year, both those released in the U.S. and without U.S. release to date. Leading with a total of six wins is EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE; THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN earns four awards, while a total of twelve films earned awards overall this year. A complete list of winners and special awards is below.

Comprised of nearly 300 voting members from around the world who represent outlets including Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Slant, Paste Magazine, AARP, Sight & Sound, Screen Anarchy, Collider, The Film Stage and many more, the Online Film Critics Society annually presents traditional awards including Best Picture, Director, Actor and Actress, among others. Founded in 1997, members of the OFCS explore the nature of film from historical, sociological, political, emotional, technical, and other perspectives, appreciating film as a medium for art and a mode of entertainment.

The 2022 Online Film Critics Society awards honor a broad list of films and creators, including a number of box office blockbusters and independent gems alike. With six wins, EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE tops the organization’s awards this year, earning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Michelle Yeoh), Best Supporting Actor (Ke Huy Quan), Best Editing and Best Production Design. THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN is named Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Score, as well as Best Actor (Colin Ferrell) and Best Supporting Actress (Kerry Condon). 

In addition to the 2022 top film honors, the Online Film Critics Society recognizes the work and contributions of several professionals and organizations with their annual Special Achievement and Lifetime Achievement Awards. OFCS membership are invited to nominate recipients of both awards, for achievements they deem worthy of these recognitions. Receiving this year’s Special Achievement Award is: Geena Davis, founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media; Maya Cade and the Black Film Archive; and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum (for providing a site where all aspects of cinema can be displayed). Earning Lifetime Achievement Award recognition are industry titans Ruth E. Carter (costume designer); Claire Denis (director); Pam Grier (actor); Barbara Kopple (documentarian); and Bruce Willis (actor). Finally, the OFCS recognizes a slate of ten international films as the best releases outside the U.S. in 2022.

2022 VinCO Awards of Excellence Announced


The Colorado Association for Viticulture & Enology (CAVE) just finished their annual VinCO Conference, which took place January 16-19 at the Grand Junction Convention Center. VinCO is the region's premier grape growing and winemaking conference and brings together top experts in enology, viticulture, and business and marketing. 


This year's conference brought together over 20 speakers from around the country to speak specifically to the wine and grape growing industry about topics ranging from tasting room best practices and marketing tips to wine chemistry and vineyard management. VinCO also featured panel discussions, educational wine tastings and over 25 seminars.

"This unique conference brings together winemakers and grape growers from all over the country. It gives attendees the opportunity to learn and collaborate towards improving and expanding Colorado's thriving wine industry," says Cassidee Shull, CAVE Executive Director.

The highlight of the conference are the Awards of Excellence, in which the CAVE members nominate the Grape Grower of the Year, Winery of the Year, and Friend of the Colorado Wine Industry.

Thursday, January 19, 2023

misterb&b selected for Expedia's One World Accelerator Program


misterb&b announced today that it has been selected to participate in the inaugural group of Expedia's new One World Accelerator program.


misterb&b was selected from hundreds of applicants from around the world who are focused on building travel tech products to solve pain points of underserved travelers. The program recognizes and supports innovative companies with positive social impact that are shaping the future of travel and hospitality.

misterb&b was chosen for its trailblazing work in verticalization of the Short Term Rental industry for the LGBTQ+ community. The program will provide misterb&b with resources, mentorship, and opportunities to even further scale its expansion into LGBTQ+ friendly hotels and now, its new travel social network layer. 

misterb&b’s new travel social network enables the global LGBTQ community to welcome LGBTQ people visiting their city from around the world, connect with LGBTQ locals when traveling, and meet up with other LGBTQ travelers while traveling.
 
This program will accelerate misterb&b’s mission of helping the LGBTQ+ community host, travel, connect and feel welcome wherever they go.

"Our goal is to empower the LGBTQ+ community to explore the world with confidence and authenticity," said Matthieu Jost, CEO of misterb&b. We understand the importance of connecting with others and feeling welcome while traveling, which is why we've created a platform that connects like-minded travelers and provides a supportive community. The Expedia One World Accelerator program will help misterb&b further scale its offerings and bring our unique value proposition to more LGBTQ+ travelers globally."

Vintage Theatre presents The Roommate


Sharon, in her mid-fifties, is recently divorced and needs a roommate to share her Iowa home. Robyn, also in her mid-fifties, needs a place to hide and a chance to start over. But as Sharon begins to uncover Robyn’s secrets, they encourage her own deep-seated desire to transform her life completely. A dark comedy about what it takes to re-route your life—and what happens when the wheels come off.

Vintage Theatre presents the Denver premiere of “The Roommate,” January 13 through February 19 at 1468 Dayton St. in Aurora.  Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m. and Monday, January 23 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets ranging from $20 - $34 are on sale by calling 303-856-7830 or online at www.vintagetheatre.org.

Willam & Alaska produce new series "SISSY THAT TALK SHOW with Joseph Shepherd"

 

There’s a new late night host in town and he’s interviewing the biggest drag stars around the world! “Sissy That Talk Show with Joseph Shepherd” is a brand new weekly series premiering January 24th on MOMPodcasts’ YouTube channel and MOM+, produced by Forever Dog Productions, “Exposed” creator and host Joseph Shepherd, and RuPaul’s Drag Race icons Willam and Alaska under their groundbreaking drag-queen run media company and Forever Dog partner, Moguls of Media (MOM).

The 8-episode season kicks off with Katya Zamolodchikova and will proceed weekly on Tuesdays with confirmed guests Monét X Change, Adore DeLano, Kornbread, Alaska, LaGanja Estranja and more. 

World of Wonder and Blue Ant Media Expand Partnership With the Launch of Drag Race Universe


Today, global, multi-platform media company World of Wonder and international producer, distributor and channel operator, Blue Ant Media announced the U.S. launch of Drag Race Universe, a new FAST (free, ad-supported streaming) channel, available now on VIZIO WatchFree+, VIZIO’s (NYSE: VZIO) free streaming service. The channel offers U.S. audiences global versions of World of Wonder’s Emmy Award-winning Drag Race series. With nine international franchises and a bevy of spin-offs celebrating drag culture, Drag Race Universe brings a constant pipeline of new seasons and drag-related programming. Additional platforms carrying Drag Race Universe will be announced in the coming months.

The deal represents the expansion of the two companies’ ongoing partnership that sees Blue Ant Media producing Canada’s Drag Race and Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. the World for World of Wonder, in association with Crave in Canada.

“Drag Race Universe expands Blue Ant Media’s partnership with World of Wonder and offers a curated line-up of international Drag Race hits to U.S. audiences available for the first time on a free streaming channel,” says Jamie Schouela, President, Global Channels and Media, Blue Ant Media. “Debuting first on VIZIO WatchFree+ is an opportunity to leverage the platform’s exceptional reach and grow excitement for this iconic franchise among devoted fans and new audiences.”

“It’s a brave new world in media, and we’re excited to launch Drag Race Universe and expand our partnership with Blue Ant Media,” says World of Wonder co-founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. “Drag Race Universe is an idea whose time has come; with over 400 queens, 24 international versions and counting, this new FAST channel will build on the major success we’ve already had with WOW Presents Plus in the Direct to Consumer space.”

VIZIO audiences can find Drag Race Universe on channel 325 of the VIZIO WatchFree+ app, available on VIZIO SmartCast TVs.

“VIZIO is proud to be the first to bring Drag Race Universe to U.S. audiences,” says Greg Barnard, Director of Content Acquisitions at VIZIO. “Drag Race Universe joins Blue Ant Media favorites like Love Nature, Total Crime, and Haunt TV on VIZIO WatchFree+ and allows us to expand our diverse entertainment programming for millions of VIZIO users.”

THE DANIELS’ EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE LEADS ONLINE FILM CRITICS SOCIETY 2022 AWARDS NOMINATIONS

The Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) today announces nominees for their top film honors of 2022; winners will be announced on Monday, January 23. Leading with a total of 11 nominations is EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE; other films earning multiple nominations include Martin McDonagh’s THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (9), Steven Spielberg’s THE FABELMANS (8) as well as TÁR (6), AFTERSUN, ELVIS, NOPE and TOP GUN: MAVERICK (4 each). A complete list of nominees is below.

Comprised of nearly 300 voting members from around the world who represent outlets including VarietyThe Hollywood Reporter, Slant, Paste Magazine, AARP, Sight & Sound, Screen Anarchy, Collider, The Film Stage and many more, the Online Film Critics Society annually presents traditional awards including Best Picture, Director, Actor and Actress, among others. Founded in 1997, members of the OFCS explore the nature of film from historical, sociological, political, emotional, technical, and other perspectives, appreciating film as a medium for art and a mode of entertainment.

The 2022 Online Film Critics Society awards honor a broad list of films and creators, including a number of box office blockbusters and independent gems alike, for a total of 40 films nominated across eighteen categories. With eleven total nominations, EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE boasts recognition for both craft (Director, Screenplay, Editing and more) and the film’s entire lead ensemble, earning acting nominations for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu. Notable films earning individual nominations this year include TILL (Danielle Deadwyler, Best Lead Actress) and breakout non-English feature films HIT THE ROAD and NO BEARS.

Want to Connect with Denver's Gay Community? Advertise With MileHighGayGuy!


Denver's gay community is the 7th largest in the United States - and growing all the time! And the best way to reach them is by working with MileHighGayGuy –Colorado’s Best Gay Blog.

Just click the Advertising page or email sales@milehighgayguy.com to get started today.

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Negative Emotional Contagion: How to Stop the Spread


A smile is contagious but so are toxic negative emotions such as pessimism, cynicism, depression, fear, hate, panic, anxiety and suspicion, as well as conspiracy theories, explains retired clinical psychologist Dr. Bruce Hutchison. 

 

“We live in a time when America and the world are facing an invisible enemy,” he said. “Social and political relations are fraught with turmoil … but turmoil does not come without emotions. Little has been written about the power of toxic negative emotions and emotional contagion in this time of global turmoil.” Until now.  

 

Dr. Hutchison’s innovative book, Emotions Don’t Think: Emotional Contagion in a Time of Turmoil, describes toxic emotional contagion as one of the most powerful forces at play in society and in politics in the last few decades, building to a crescendo.

 

“Emotions are usually thought of by analysts as a ‘soft’ factor in politics, when, in reality, they are critical ‘hard’ factors because they cause the turmoil of our times,” Dr. Hutchison said in his groundbreaking book. “We need to learn how to handle it to help us adapt to today’s stress.”

 

Emotions Don’t Think describes how to use systematic reasoning and critical thinking to put necessary limitations and stipulations on incoming emotions.

 

“In this book, I use my psychological knowledge to explain how to stem the flow of negative emotional contagion in our current social and political environment,” he said. “It is important to know how to evaluate an emotion that comes at you in order to decide if it should be acted on as is, tempered, minimized or blocked.”

 

Emotions Don’t Think presents a psychological perspective on events in contemporary society, with an emphasis on the effects of emotions and how they are contagious and impact the people who may absorb them. There are five chapters on overcoming the effects of contagious toxic emotions by using healthy psychological principles. It is Dr. Hutchison’s hope that these principles can be used to help society mitigate and cope with emotional contagion in this day and age.

 

“People use these emotions to think, but emotions can only feel,” Dr. Hutchison added.  “Emotions don’t think.”

Stories on Stage presents 'A Hall Pass to the Galaxy'

Stories on Stage presents 
“A Hall Pass to the Galaxy” on Sunday, January 15 at 2:00 p.m. at Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center, 721 Santa Fe Drive, Denver. 

The virtual performance will be streamed beginning January 19 at 7:00 p.m. and will also be available for viewing any time thereafter. Ticket holders for the virtual performance will receive a link prior to the performance. Tickets are $24 and are available at www.storiesonstage.org or by calling 303-494-0523

Are You Gay With Something To Say? Bloggers Wanted to Write About Denver's Gay Community

Are you a new or experienced writer or blogger? Do you want to be? Or maybe you're just some gay guy with something to say? Well, what better forum for you than MileHighGayGuy?

MileHighGayGuy is looking for regular and guest bloggers to write about local news and events, do music and movie reviews, or write opinion or feature pieces from a gay perspective.

These are unpaid positions but offer the opportunity to be published in Colorado's Best Gay Blog (2010, 2011, 2012 OUTstanding Awards, Denver 2012 #WebAwards), expand your audience and gain valuable experience. There's also swag available in the form of free movie and concert tickets, music, books and other cool stuff.

If interested, shoot an email over to Drew Wilson at drew@milehighgayguy.com. And if you've got column or story ideas to pitch, this is the place to do it.