Monday Motivation

Oh Daddy!
Dax Shepard

There are so many things spot on about this image of a shirtless Dax Shepard fixing his daughter's groovy pink bike that he just had to be the Monday Motivation poster boy you never knew you needed.

Let's count the ways that Dax is giving you life on this Monday. Dax has a nice lean upper torso, check. Dax and his DILF vibes, check. The Big Butt Book 3D hanging out in the BG, check. The "Girl Pup Power" in flowery lettering on his daughter's bike, check. He and his wife Kristen Bell really are the definition of couple goals, check.

Yep, Dax basically is one well rounded super cool guy. That's all the motivation you really need to motivate you this Monday September 10, 2018.

Time to get this party started peeps! Get out there and do you!

Dax on IG -
https://www.instagram.com/daxshepard/?hl=en  

"Not Here To Play" Ada Vox

Vox, Vox, Vox...!!!

"I'm not here to play with anybody. I'm here to chase my dreams and make them come true." 

Ada Vox isn’t messing around. She put judge Katy Perry, and America, on notice: she is in this life to win it!

A San Antonio based drag queen who sang her heart out on ABC's "American Idol," Ada became a Semi-finalist, something that would have been unheard of several years ago. Her appearance marks a first for the show, and people still talk about her performance of The Animals “House of the Rising Sun” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofdSsBKW6NU as one of the stand-out auditions of the season.  Ada has released her first single, “Because of You” via Cleopatra Records.  The song was written by Janice Robinson (Kristine W., Deborah Cox) and produced by Bimbo Jones (Rihanna, Kylie Minogue, Lady Gaga).  Click here to listen to the track:https://open.spotify.com/artist/47AqqDOAI8wPNY752aY5Hj?si=gBckf3n1SHigtgPTBTyEcA.  

Ada’s excited to share it with all the people (#Voxies) who embraced her on this go-round of American Idol and to brand new audiences as she continues to tour the globe. “Because of You” is available through all digital retailers:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/because-of-you-feat-bimbo-jones/1433817304?i=1433817509

Rewind five years to 2013 when Ada Vox auditioned for Fox’s American Idol back  when she was known as Adam Sanders.  In one of his Season 12 performances, he got a standing ovation from three of the four judges with his performance of Etta James's “I'd Rather Go Blind.” Despite this, he not only got eliminated after Hollywood week, but had to endure taunts, teasing and threats from people on social media. Ada revealed on this year's show that “People attacked my weight, my sexuality, telling me that I was horrible, that I sucked, that I don't deserve to be here, that I shouldn't be who I am. And I let it get to me in a wrong way. It killed me inside...I was contemplating lots of things that I shouldn't have.”

Ada did not let that deter her from her dream and when she heard the show was coming back to ABC, she decided to audition again as Ada Vox, a person with a lot more confidence and an innate belief in herself. “I was an OK singer as Adam. But I'm a hundred times better now than I ever was then. I'm vocally better, I'm a better performer, I'm a better entertainer, I'm more prepared as an adult to take on the challenges that come with a competition like this.”

The 24-year-old University of Texas graduate was born in San Antonio, TX, and had worked at a restaurant by day and been a drag queen by night.  Ada lists her influences as Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin, Patti Labelle (with whom she got to perform with on Idol - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UQHF9My1NQ) and other strong women who project an inner self-confidence with their stage personas.  In fact, her performance of Jennifer Hudson’s “I am Telling You I am not Going”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3r_puQXbJA as a Top 10 finalist brought the house down.

Even though Ada didn’t make it to the top, she made history as the first-ever Drag Queen to make it as an American Idol Top 8 finalist. Upon her departure, none other than superstar judge Lionel Richie said, “Listen, I want to say – you have to know how special this is to have you on this show. You are a movement unto yourself. I am telling you, I’m so proud of you, keep it up my dear, it’s fantastic.”

What’s next for Ada? The sky seems to be the limit.

“I'm not waking up tomorrow morning/And finding that there's nobody there/Darling, there's no way.”

Other Idol performances:

“Creep” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP6zLZmVnfo

“Feelin’ Good” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TueJ-f9AqVw

“Defying Gravity” with Lea Michele - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D04ogdPt4EY

Follow Ada Here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adavox/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdaVoxOfficial/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdaVox

Visit Ada Vox’s online Store

https://shop.bandwear.com/adavox

Watch Ada talk with Entertainment Tonight about her future: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfMztjjXFs4

Catch Ada performing live in these cities:

Friday, Sept. 28^th

Ada at Legends Nightclub

Raleigh, NC.

Wed, Oct. 3rd

Ada at  the Park Nightclub

Phoenix, AZ.

Sunday, Oct. 7^th

Ada at Jacksonville Pride

Jacksonville, FL.

Sat. Oct. 13^th

Ada at the Diversity Center Gala

Santa Cruz, CA.

Sunday, Oct. 14^th

Ada at Atlanta Pride

Atlanta, GA.

Sat. Oct. 20^th

Ada at Hawaii Pride

Hono., Hawaii

Sunday, Oct. 21^st

Ada at Las Vegas Pride

And at Charlie’s Nightclub

Las Vegas, NV.

Wed. Oct. 31st

Ada at Georgi’s Alibi Halloween festival

Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Thursday, Nov. 1^st

Ada at Martinis Nightclub

San Diego, CA.

Sat. Nov. 3^rd

Ada at Zeldas Nightclub

Palm Springs, CA.

Saturday, Nov. 10^rd

Ada at B-Bobs Nightclub

Mobile, Alabama

Friday, Nov. 16^th

Ada in Necto Nightclub

Detroit , MI.

Just Because...Nicki Minaj

Arriving in Style
Nicki Minaj

Just Because it's the weekend, Just Because life is a mystery & Just Because for some inexplicable reason I love this outfit - here is Nicki Minaj descending like a bird of prey on the Monse runway show for New York Fashion Week.

Can we be honest here? While I am not a fan of Minaj's music, I like her mouth, no not in a Deliverance sort of way. I mean her mouth as in her giving Zero F#cks take no prisoners attitude. The woman is bold to say the least.

She has dissed everybody from Cardi B. to Drake. She even took on the music industry Boy's Club. This being stated I have to say my favorite person Ms. Minaj took to task was Mariah Carey when they were both judges on season 12 of American Idol.

While I had pretty much stopped watching AI after the season Adam Lambert was on, I did tune in on occasion when I heard Minaj was sucking the wind out of the sails of that bloated arrogant douche bag known as Mariah Carey. Now that's entertainment minions!

Moving on...

Nicki on IG -
https://www.instagram.com/nickiminaj/?hl=en   

Macho Man - Burt Reynolds

Deliverance
Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds passed away yesterday at the age of 82. He was an actor, a movie star and manly perfection. Which he proved time and time again in the roles he played.

Nobody did it better than Burt. He first came to my youthful attention for the infamous film Deliverance which I have to revisit since I viewed it when I was way too young to fully comprehend it.

I was however hooked on Burt a few of my favorite Reynolds films, beside Deliverance? Starting Over, Sharky's Machine, Boogie Nights, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas to name a few...

Oddly enough I never saw any of the Smokey and the Bandit movies. For some reason they never appealed to me. 

But the thing that will always stick with me most about Burt was his iconic nude centerfold for Cosmopolitan. Wow! Seeing that as a young impressionable gay man was quite stunning. Words can't describe how that shaped my world, but trust me, it did.

R.I.P. stud.

Burt on IMDB:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000608/?ref_=nv_sr_1   

Michael's Musings

Tell Everyone What Your Really Think
Michael Shinafelt

Hello minions I just got in from a screening of The Nun at the Arclight in Hollywood. Honestly I am feeling completely underwhelmed especially since the horror opus from which it sprang, The Conjuring was actually good. Basically I'm stating that The Nun is lame.

Apparently this is my week for "The" films because Tuesday night I took in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds under the stars on the rooftop of The Montalban Theater.

In other news...

I'm Team Nike

Op-ed is the word

This isn't my first time at the human doll rodeo!

Why is it when I see the acronym for The Real Housewives of New York, RHONY I think "Real Horny?!"

All hail the New York Times

Byline of the week - "Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop to Pay $145,000 in Vaginal Egg Settlement"(this is wrong in so many ways, think about it, but not too much)

Boooooooo! Kyle Richard's American Woman has been cancelled after only one season

Colin Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick, Colin Kaepernick, Colin Kaepernick 

I'm looking forward to the new Halloween movie, I'm sure it's better than The (F#cking) Nun

A woman while sitting across from me on the bus the other day was sucking on a dildo, the more you know

There's a new sensation that's sweeping the nation: Name That Author

Silent Disco, beware of the music that no one can hear...

What now Little Bunny Foo Foo?

You've heard of the 12 Monkeys, now there is the 45th Buffoon 

Time to get oiled up with me at:
https://www.instagram.com/michaelshinafelt/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/MShinafelt   

Hump Day & Chill

He Is The Champion
Freddie Mercury

"Farrokh Bulsara, known professionally as Freddie Mercury, was a British singer, songwriter and record producer, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. He was known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range." 

Happy Birthday to Rock Pioneer Freddie Mercury who would have been 72 today. Honestly I don't get the impression Freddie would have wanted to have lived that long. He was born to be a legend and I think he knew it.

Freddie is, and always will be a Rock-N-Roll as well as a Gay icon. Nobody, and I mean no one other male singer (with the exception of Adam Lambert) has come close to matching his vocal prowess.

Mr. Mercury is also the subject of an Oscar bait film opening November 2 bearing the title of one of Queen's classic songs Bohemian Rhapsody. 

Starring a perfectly cast Rami Malek of Mr. Robot fame as the rocker. 

Here's an overview of what the bio pic will cover:

All Hail The Queen
Freddie Mercury

"Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. Freddie defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound. They reach unparalleled success, but in an unexpected turn Freddie, surrounded by darker influences, shuns Queen in pursuit of his solo career. Having suffered greatly without the collaboration of Queen, Freddie manages to reunite with his bandmates just in time for Live Aid. While bravely facing a recent AIDS diagnosis, Freddie leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. Queen cements a legacy that continues to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day."

 It's time to Hump Day & Chill with Freddie, he will, he will rock you!

Freddie on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Mercury 

Seeing Red

The Women In Red
l-r
Dakota Johnson & Tilda Swinton

Since the Venice Film Festival happened the WWW has been flooded with impressions from it. This is one I found particularly striking, call it seeing red.

Why look it's Dakota Johnson & Tilda Swinton sauntering down the red carpet for a screening of their horror flick Suspiria. Look how red they both are, they match the carpet, but what about the drapes?!

Perhaps it's because there will be blood in the horror remake. Or maybe it's because they are red is the color of passion and they are both feeling quite heated. Then there is always the "just because" factor, you know, because they can and wanted to draw as much attention to themselves and their project.

Whatever! It's all fun and games until your film is poorly received, which luckily for this twosome it wasn't.

Off I go, I am seeing red at present of a totally different nature...

Suspiria on IMDB -
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034415/