Arts & Entertainment
‘Storm Chasers’ star Joel Taylor found dead on board gay cruise
he was 38 years old
Joel Taylor, star of the Discovery Channel series “Storm Chasers,” was found dead of a suspected overdose on board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship on Tuesday. He was 38.
The ship, Harmony of the Seas, was being chartered for Atlantis Events’ all-gay cruise that departed Fort Lauderdale, Fl. on Jan. 20 with planned stops toĀ St. Maarten, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Royal Caribbean’s private island of Labadee.
TMZ reports that Taylor was partying on board the ship on Monday night and consumed the drug GHB. He fell unconscious and was taken to his room. His body was found later Tuesday morning.
On Tuesday, the ship docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico and TMZ reports that passengers revealed cocaine, Ecstasy and GHB, were rampant on board the ship.
A FBI investigation has been launched into who supplied the drugs and how they got on the ship.
Royal Caribbean Cruises issued a statement on Taylor’s death saying,Ā “We extend our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the 38-year-old male guest from the United States who died while onboard Harmony of the Seas. As is our standard procedure, law enforcement was notified and responded to the ship when it arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday, January 23. A member of our Care Team is providing support and assistance to his family.”
Taylor appeared on “Storm Chasers” during its run from 2007-2012. The show featured a team of storm chasers following tornadoes in Tornado Alley.
Fellow “Storm Chasers” star Reed Timmer confirmed Taylor’s death with aĀ tribute posted on Twitter.
“RIP my best friend and storm chasing partner, Joel Taylor. I am shocked and absolutely devastated by the loss of my incredible, caring friend. We chased so many intense storms, and I wish we could have just one more storm chase. I’ll miss you forever, Joel. We lost a legend,” Timmer wrote.
RIP my best friend and storm chasing partner, Joel Taylor. I am shocked and absolutely devastated by the loss of my incredible, caring friend. We chased so many intense storms, and I wish we could have just one more storm chase. I’ll miss you forever, Joel. We lost a legend pic.twitter.com/htN45t8wik
ā Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) January 24, 2018
Timmer also posted another tribute from the Storm Chasing Community with a special image.
SpotterNetwork tribute for the great storm chaser Joel Taylor centered on his “backyard” in western OK. Joel knew every single back road in that region so we were always excited when we would get the opportunity to chase there. Thank you storm chasing community pic.twitter.com/Zk1bWVUdIo
ā Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) January 24, 2018
a&e features
āRuPaulās Drag Race: All Starsā cast visits D.C.
8 queens vie for $200,000 prize for charity in new season, premiering May 17
Donning sparkling and star-studded red, white, and blue attire on a gloomy, humid D.C. Monday, the cast of the latest āRuPaulās Drag Race All Starsā season sashayed on the National Mall to promote the reality show’s ninth season.
This upcoming season is different than those in the past ā eight queens are competing for a donation of $200,000 for the charity of their choosing, rather than a personal cash prize.
Several cast members noted how it felt important to visit the nationās capital, being authentically themselves and wearing drag. Nina West, who competed in season 11, likened drag to armor.
āWeāre here during a really specific time in history, that’s, I would say, markedly dark,ā she told the Blade at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. āAnd there’s an opportunity, as drag has always done, which is for our community as specifically LGBTQI+ people, to stand in our truth and be wonderful ā like guardians and fighters for our community.ā
Sheās competing for the Trevor Project, which is focused on suicide prevention and crisis intervention for young LGBTQ people. This seasonās pivot to compete for charity made Nina West want to come back on the show for the All Stars season. Sheās been offered the spot two times before this, she said, and this twist aligned with what she wanted to do.
Several of the other queens mentioned that itās an honor to be featured in this season, including season 5ās Roxxxy Andrews. She also competed in two subsequent All-Stars seasons.
She chose the organization Miracle of Love, which provides HIV/AIDS prevention programming and assistance in central Florida. Itās a smaller, more local organization, which is why Roxxxy Andrews chose it. She wants to make its work more nationally known. Also, vying to win during a charity season makes the competition feel more rewarding, she said.
Plastique Tiara of season 11 also noted itās different competing for charity. Sheās competing for the Asian American Foundation, which launched in 2021 in response to the rise in anti-Asian hate and aims to curb discrimination and violence through education and investments in nonprofits.
āIt’s more competitive because then you’re fighting not just only for yourself, but your ideas and the things that you love,ā she said.
Vanessa Vanjie of seasons 10 and 11 agreed that competing for charity adds a bit more pressure ā she chose the ASPCA. And as onlookers near the Lincoln Memorial took pictures of and with the queens, she said she was relieved.Ā
āI was a little bit worried somebody would yell some slurs at us,ā Vanessa Vanjie said. āNothing happened. Everybody came to take pictures like Santa Claus in the middle of the mall.ā
Thereās a range of contestants from different seasons for this round of All Stars. Some queens hail from recent seasons, but Shannel competed on the showās first season. To be a part of this new season is surreal, she said.
Sheās competing for the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, which she has a close tie to. Sheās dealt with anxiety her entire life. The association is focused on increasing awareness and improving diagnosis and treatment.
āI always felt like I just wasn’t normal, sadly,ā she said. āAnd so now being able to be able to do this season and to get back to that organization is like amazing to me.ā
Gottmik, from season 13, is competing for Trans Lifeline ā a nonprofit providing advocacy, a hotline and grants created by trans people, for trans people. Being able to do drag and give back is the āperfect scenario,ā Gottmik said.
Gottmik was the first openly trans man on Drag Race, which was overwhelming when first on the show. Gottmik felt pressure to be the āperfect example,ā but later realized that they didnāt have to worry so much.
āI just want to show people that trans people are real people. We can express ourselves however we want to express ourselves, through drag, through whatever it may be,ā Gottmik said.
The new season will be available to stream on Paramount+ on May 17.Ā
Photos
PHOTOS: GLSEN Respect Awards
Marcia Gay Harden presented with Advocate Award in New York City ceremony
The LGBTQ advocacy organization GLSEN held its annual Respect Awards at Gotham Hall in New York City on April 29. Special guests included Billy Porter, Wilson Cruz, Nathan Lee Graham and Anthony Rapp. The evening included a live performance by The Scarlet Opera. Peppermint of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” served as host. Marcia Gay Harden was presented with the Advocate Award.
(Photos by Andrew Werner)
Celebrity News
More than 1 million people attend Madonna concert in Rio
Free event took place on Copacabana Beach on Saturday
An estimated 1.6 million people on Saturday attended Madonna’s free concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach.
The concert, which was the last one as part of Madonna’s Celebration Tour, included a tribute to people lost to AIDS.
Bob the Drag Queen introduced Madonna before the concert began. Pabllo Vittar, a Brazilian drag queen and singer, and Anitta, a bisexual pop star who was born in Rio’s HonĆ³rio Gurgel neighborhood, also joined Madonna on stage.
Congresswoman Erika Hilton, a Black travesti and former sex worker, and Rio Municipal Councilwoman MĆ“nica BenĆcio, the widow of Marielle Franco, a bisexual Rio Municipal Councilwoman who was assassinated in 2018, are among those who attended the concert.
“Madonna showed that we fight important fights for the human rights of Black (people), young (people), women and LGBTQIA+ people, and against all injustice, discrimination, and violence,” saidĀ AssociaƧao Nacional de Travestis e Transexuais (National Association ofĀ TravestisĀ and Transsexuals), a Brazilian trans rights group known by the acronym ANTRA, on itsĀ X account.Ā “What they call identitarianism’ is our subversion to the retrograde and conservative tackiness that plagues the country.”
The Associated Press reported the concert was Madonna’s biggest ever.