Arts & Entertainment
Britney Spears ‘broke’ the GLAAD Media Awards
Jim Parsons, Lena Waithe were also recognized
Britney Spears at the 29th annual GLAAD Media Awards (Screenshot via YouTube)
Britney Spears was honored with the Vanguard Award at the 29th annual GLAAD Media Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Thursday but her appearance caused a stir.
Spears, who attended the ceremony with her boyfriend Sam Asghari, was recognized for promoting LGBT acceptance and equality. Jennifer Lopez, Cher, Antonio Banderas and Demi Lovato are among the award’s past recipients.
Ricky Martin presented the award to Spears before she took the stage.
“She could be one of those stars with a huge LGBTQ following who does nothing and says nothing,” Martin said of Spears. “Instead, she uses her platform to remind audiences around the globe that intolerance is unacceptable.”
Spears thanked her family, friends and fans for their support and noted that her role as a mother taught her “what it means to be loved unconditionally.”
“I feel like our society has always put such an emphasis on what’s ‘normal’ and to be different is unusual or seen as strange. But to be accepted unconditionally and to be able to express yourself as an individual through art is such a blessing,” Spears says.
“Being a mother has shown what it means to love unconditional. And you all in this room throughout my career have shown me what it means to be loved unconditionally. It’s such an honor to be here. Thank you so much GLAAD and thank you to the LGBTQ community and all my friends and fans. I love you very much. Thank you,” she added.
People reports that after Spears accepted the award the show briefly fell apart. People were out of their seats, the crew was trying to get a look at Spears backstage and even the teleprompter broke.
“Britney broke the damn show. Everybody lost their minds,” host Wanda Sykes joked. “She broke the damn show.”
Spears revealed on Instagram that she met Gus Kenworthy and Adam Rippon who also attended the star-studded event. Kenworthy, Rippon and Spears fangirled over each other on Twitter during the Winter Olympics.
Oh. My. God. Was really not prepared to wake up to this. Not sure how I’m gonna ski today because I’m LITERALLY dead now but I’m gonna go that extra mile for you, Britney! Ilysm!!! ?❤️ https://t.co/yhoEJq1qRL
— Gus Kenworthy (@guskenworthy) February 17, 2018
I could feel you on the ice with me @britneyspears. I now have an OVERWHELMING desire to post Instagram fashion shows, google stock imagines of corn, and paint on the balcony of my dorm in the Olympic village. Thank you for not being in denial, LOVE YOU ❤️❤️❤️ https://t.co/CfeyGNecM3
— Adam Rippon (@Adaripp) February 18, 2018
Other notable moments included Ryan Murphy presenting Jim Parsons with the Stephen F. Kolzak Award and Lena Waithe being honored for writing the “Master of None” episode “Thanksgiving.” The episode, which also earned Waithe an Emmy, focused on Waithe’s character Denise coming out to her family.
The GLAAD Media Awards air on April 18 at 8 p.m. on LOGO.
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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