Arts & Entertainment
Lesbian Farmer’s emu Emmanuel goes viral
Very quickly, “Emmanuel, don’t do it” became a popular catchphrase.
“God I love this lesbian and her bird son.” The tweet by comedian Danielle Radford got about 6,800 likes.
Hobby farmer Taylor Blake and her emu Emmanuel were first known in TikTok through Knuckle Bump Farm’s account but recently went viral. Over the week, the two adorable partners cracked up the web.
God I love this lesbian and her bird son
— Pansexual Chocolate (@danielleradford) July 18, 2022
Blake started producing content online in 2013. Initially she simply showed her farm life and introduced some farm animals to the TikTok audience, until Emmanuel first, and slightly offensively, ran into the camera frame in early July.
@knucklebumpfarms Not a day goes by that Emanuel doesn’t try my life #emu #emusoftiktok #farmlife ♬ original sound – Knuckle Bump Farms
Sometimes, camera hater Emmanuel still chose to peck the camera down to the ground, despite Black urging not to “do it.”
@knucklebumpfarms Reply to @pdtheog is this what you wanted? Bc I have cow shit stuck in my phone speaker now😩 #emu #emmanuel #emusoftiktok #farmlife ♬ original sound – Knuckle Bump Farms
“Emmanuel, don’t do it” quickly became a popular catchphrase.
As Blake, a lesbian, told Washington Post, she grew up near her grandparents’ farm, and moved to help with their Knuckle Bump Farm with her girlfriend.
Emmanuel came to the farm in 2015. As Blake introduced him, he is a “down-to-earth guy.”
“I don’t really think he cares [about being famous],” Blake said to the Post, “I have talked to him about it a few times, but he hasn’t really had much of a reaction. I think he’s just … adapting to this new life of fame.”
However, Blake admitted that she felt “overwhelmed” and “shocked” by the tremendous online response. She attributed her success to the fact that people needed an emotional vent from heavy, depressing news stories, such as the war in Ukraine.
Blake depicted her video content as “fun, lighthearted,” where the audience “are not having to worry about politics, you’re not having to worry about all the terrible things that are going on in the world right now.”
Blake also clarified that Emmanuel’s appearances were not staged. Rather, he genuinely had an “obsession with the camera” — and “obsession with me. … No matter where I am … he always has to be right next to me,” Blake said.
@knucklebumpfarms People let me tell you bout my best friend 🤠 #emmanuel #emmanueldontdoit #emmanueltheemu #bestfriend ♬ Best friend by Harry Nilsson – PeterVigilante
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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