Arts & Entertainment
Mika Brzezinski apologizes for describing Mike Pompeo as ‘butt boy’
President Donald Trump bashes the ‘Morning Joe’ host
Mika Brzezinski (Photo by World Affairs Council of Philadelphia via Wikimedia Commons)
“Morning Joe” host Mika Brzezinski has apologized for referring to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a “wannabe dictator’s butt boy.”
On a live broadcast of the MSNBC show, Brzezinski gave commentary on Pompeo’s interview with Fox News about the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s alleged involvement in the death of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi.
“Of the pathetic deflections that we just heard when he appeared on ‘Fox and Friends,’ was that a patriot speaking, or a wannabe dictator’s butt boy?” Brzezinski said on air. “And I’m dead serious. I’m asking: Are these the words of a patriot?”
.@morningmika just asked if Mike Pompeo is a “wannabe dictator’s butt boy,” as homophobic a term as I’ve heard on national morning television. @MSNBC tried and failed to censor it, and did not transcribe her remark in the closed captioning. #journalism pic.twitter.com/3zK7H8evjh
— G.E. Anderson (@g_e_anderson) December 12, 2018
Brzezinski apologized for the comment on Twitter saying that she didn’t mean it as a homophobic slur.
Totally agree with you -SUPER BAD choice of words .. I should have said “water boy”… like for football teams or something like that.. apologize to @SenatorDurbin too! SO SORRY! https://t.co/zIqsGdK3Tk
— Mika Brzezinski (@morningmika) December 12, 2018
Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, who is openly gay, tweeted back to Brzezinski that he didn’t think her apology did enough to directly address the LGBT community.
“Accepting apologies is important. We all fail. But I don’t see that you’ve actually apologized to gays? Your words demean, mock and therefore try to control whole groups by minimizing our humanity,” he posted.
accepting apologies is important. We all fail. But I don’t see that you’ve actually apologized to gays? Your words demean, mock and therefore try to control whole groups by minimizing our humanity. @morningmika https://t.co/whNqjHYjfn
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) December 12, 2018
On Thursday, Brzezinski did not appear on “Morning Joe.” Her co-host Joe Scarborough stated that she was away at a “long-planned family event.”
“Mika has the day off with her family — a long-planned family event, which she’s sorry she’s not here because we are going to be talking about baseball most of the morning,” Scarborough said. “She’ll be back with us tomorrow.”
President Donald Trump called out Brzezinski on Twitter saying that there would have been a harsher reaction if a conservative had made the same comment. He also praised Grenell for questioning Brzezinski’s apology.
“If it was a Conservative that said what ‘crazed’ Mika Brzezinski stated on her show yesterday, using a certain horrible term, that person would be banned permanently from television,” Trump tweeted. “She will probably be given a pass, despite their terrible ratings.”
….She will probably be given a pass, despite their terrible ratings. Congratulations to @RichardGrenell, our great Ambassador to Germany, for having the courage to take this horrible issue on!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2018
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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