Inside Salem: The Days of Our Lives Podcast

The popular daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives officially has its own podcast. NBC has launched the first official podcast for its daytime drama. Inside Salem will provide Days fans with exclusive content such as cast and producer interviews and behind the scenes set visits. The podcast episodes are a half hour in length and the podcast is hosted by Michael Fairman.

The first episode has guest appearances by Robert Scott Wilson (Ben Weston), Mary Beth Evans (Kayla Brady), and James Reynolds (Abe Carver). I have been a fan of Days of Our Lives since September 2017 and I really enjoyed listening to this podcast. If you are a fan of this soap opera then this podcast is for you. The podcast will be available every other Friday on NBC.com or the NBC app and can also be heard on all other Podcast providers such as Itunes and Google Podcasts.     

https://www.nbc.com/days-of-our-lives/exclusives/inside-salem?utm_campaign=2018-podcasts&utm_term=dotcom&utm_source=podcasts&utm_content=days-podcast&utm_medium=nav-bar&_branch_match_id=585930206874882618

Halloween 2018 Movie Review

Hello everyone with Halloween just a day away I thought I would give you my review of the new Halloween film. The film takes place in Haddonfield Illinois 40 years after the original film in 1978. One twist with this film however is that it sends the message that all of the Halloween sequels to the original never happened including the story in Halloween 2 that Michael Myers is Laurie Strodes brother.

            The film opens with a pair of podcasters who are going to meet Michael and Laurie for a crime piece that they are doing. The podcasters visit Michael and they decide to bring Michael’s signature mask with them which appears again later when Michael escapes and kills the podcasters as he makes his way back to Haddonfield Illinois for Halloween. Several victims are caught in Michael’s path including Laurie’s granddaughter and her friends. I thought Jamie Lee Curtis gave an outstanding performance in this film as Laurie Strode, who has isolated herself away from the public and turned her house into a shelter.

I really enjoyed the film and found it very entertaining and the film had a lot of aspects of the original film as well as many twists and turn moments.  If you are a fan of the Halloween films I highly suggest you check this movie out.

My First Pride Fest

On Sunday, June 24^th, I went to my first pride fest. I not only went to pride fest, but I also had the opportunity to participate in the pride parade with a family member who use to work for the company that had a spot in the parade. I loved seeing all the support and excitement of all of the St. Louis residents who came out to support the LGBTQ community. As I was riding in the parade I couldn’t stop looking at all the people clapping, cheering, and holding signs of support such as love is love, or spread love not hate. During that time nothing else mattered and we were all there to support each other and it was okay for us to be who we are. Being in the pride parade was such a wonderful moment that I will always treasure. When I came out at 21 I always had this goal of going to pride fest because it was a way for me to celebrate who I am and I am so glad I was finally able to attend.

I know that identifying as part of the LGBTQ community is becoming more accepting, but when you actually see that support and love where you live it’s truly amazing and has made me extremely proud to be gay and I can’t wait to attend next year.

Friends throw party to celebrate a friend’s transition from female to male

I came across this story a few days ago and I felt that because its pride month it was worth sharing. Corey Walker, celebrated with his friends on May 24^th to kick off his Journey of transitioning from female to male. Walker tweeted photos of the celebration and he received 61,000 likes and many positive reactions and comments. Walker said “ It was really exciting," I'm glad I had the party because I think this transition should be a positive thing and having the support that I had was encouraging." Walker says the idea for the party came about when he threw a party for his former partner who was also transitioning. Walker says "I kind of put my own personal transition on the back-burner to be supportive of him," Walker explained. "When it was my turn to transition, my friends thought that I deserved the same."

Corey’s friends decorated the room in blue and white with signs that read “It’s a Boy!” the party took place on the same day that Corey took his first dose of testosterone. Walker has set a date for top surgery on July 19^th and hopes that sharing the images will inspire others to support their loved ones who are also transitioning. I think this is a really cool idea and it’s a wonderful way to show support. I will have a link to the article down below.

Thanks for reading

Tom

https://goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/friends-throw-boy-party-celebrate-buddys-transition-female-55512081

PULSE

Today marks two years since the attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. I remember that day so clearly because the day before had been my 26^th birthday. I had a weird feeling for the whole day, but I couldn’t describe it. I was happy because it was my birthday, but I just felt off. Later that day I received a call from my best friend saying she was going to take me out for a surprise with her boyfriend and another friend of ours. When my friend arrived at my house with everyone she told me that we were going to a gay bar. I was very excited because even though I had been out for a few years I never really went out to the local LGBT bars in the St.Louis area. When we arrived at Just John’s we all had a few drinks and chatted for a while. I was having a good time, but I kept having that weird feeling I felt I needed to be more vigilant than usual. I kept looking at all the exit doors and the other people in the bar.

Around 10:30 pm we decided to call it a night and my friends dropped me off and I went to bed. When I woke up on June 12^th a little bit before 7 am I pulled out my phone to check my social media accounts. As I was scrolling through Twitter I kept seeing news reports about a shooting at an Orlando night club. I turned on CNN and my heart sank. On the screen in bold black letters were the words shooting at Orlando LGBT nightclub. It was at the moment I realized why I felt so off. When news broke that 49 people had been killed I was very sad because each one of those people was somebody’s loved one, child, Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, and friend. I also was in a state of shock because it could have happened in Just Johns or at any of the other LGBT night spots.

One thing that I have taken away from what happened at Pulse is to never take life for granted and to also embrace who I am and be proud of that I am Gay. A semester after the attack happened I decided to join my school’s LGBT organization which really helped me branch out of my shell and I met some amazing people during my time there. My heart continues to go out to the survivors, their families and the families of those who lost a loved one. My hope is that one day all of these hateful things will stop.

 

Thank you for reading,

Sincerely, Tom          

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH EVERYONE!!

It’s officially June which means it’s officially Pride month. Whether you identify as part of the LGBTQ Queer community, or you support us I wish you all a happy and safe Pride month.

Sincerely,

Tom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roseanne Cancelled by ABC

ABC has cancelled  the hit reboot Roseanne after the star Roseanne Barr made a comment on twitter this morning about Valerie Jarrett who was a former Obama aide saying that she looked like the offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes. Roseanne deleted her tweet and followed up with an apology that said “I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste. I am now leaving Twitter.”

ABC’s Entertainment president Channing Dungey said the following statement “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show”.  It has also been reported that Wanda Sykes, who worked on the show’s first season as a consulting producer announced that she will not be returning for the show’s next season. Sara Gilbert, series co-star and executive producer also spoke out against Roseanne’s comments saying “Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least. This is incredibly sad and difficult for all of us, as we’ve created a show that we believe in, are proud of, and that audiences love — one that is separate and apart from the opinions and words of one cast member.”

 

I have been a fan of the original series for many years and like many other fans I was very excited when I heard Roseanne was coming back with new episodes and I really enjoyed the first season and I was looking forward to the second season. I was not happy with Roseanne’s statements she went too far and should not have said that.  What we need right now is more love and acceptance not hate and insults.  I feel bad for the rest of the cast and crew who have worked so hard to put this show together. I really hope that Roseanne learns from this mistake and thinks before she posts. I’m not sure what ABC will put in Roseanne’s place given that the show is done and was a huge hit for the network. Please remember to be kind to each other especially when using social media.