Arts & Entertainment
Ricky Martin says Puerto Rico is still mostly without electricity
the actor/singer gave an update on the island’s crisis
(Screenshot via YouTube.)
Ricky Martin gave an update on the crisis in Puerto Rico while promoting the upcoming series “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” on “Ellen” on Tuesday.
Martin revealed he has raised almost $5 million in relief efforts for Puerto Rico and spent the holidays with his family in his hometown.
“It’s still about 53 percent of the island is still without electricity, but we’re smiling and we’re happy and we’re alive and we’re very grateful for everything that’s been happening, the love that we received from literally people from all over the world,” Martin says. “We’re doing our best and we just have to stay optimistic.”
The actor/singer shared that restoring power to the island has been a slow process.
“It’s all about the poles. The only company that was building the poles went bankrupt. We need like seven thousand poles, and they can only take like two or three a week. But it’s progress,” Martin says. “There [are] still kids without being able to go to school. There’s not power, there’s no water. But I want to stay optimistic. Things are going to change for the good.”
Martin continued on to say that this season of “American Crime Story” explores the stigma against the LGBT community in regards to crime during that time period.
“We’re still dealing with things that we dealt with in the ’90s,” Martin says. “[Cunanan] went on a killing spree for months … and he was on the list of most wanted of the FBI. He was not hiding, but for some reason they never found him. So it’s like, ‘Wait, he’s killing gay men, let’s look the other way.’ And that’s what we’re trying to confront at this moment.”
Martin, who plays Gianni Versace’s boyfriend Antonio D’Amico, also revealed he bared his assets for the role.
“I show my tush for the first time on television. You guys have to see. It’s really good,” Martin says.
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace” premieres Jan. 17 at 10 p.m. on FX.
Celebrity News
Madonna announces release date for new album
‘Confessions II’ marks return to the dance floor
Pop icon Madonna on Wednesday announced that her 15th studio album will be released on July 3.
Titled “Confessions II,” the new album is a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” an Abba and disco-infused hit.
The new album reunites Madonna with producer Stuart Price, who also helmed the original “Confessions” album. It’s her first album of new material since 2019’s “Madame X.”
“We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies,” Madonna said in a press release. “These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” continued the statement. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions. Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’
By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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