Ask Howard • 10-21-22

The success of Hocus Pocus 2 as the most watched Disney+ movie of all-time with a first weekend of 2.7 billion views viewed spurred many to question whether the sequel to the near 30 year old movie should have gone theatrical, especially during a dry spell at the fall box office when theaters were desperate for it.

GEMMA Collins has revealed a new secret diet behind her weight loss. The 42-year-old admitted she worries about her health and is “hoping” the latest diet works for her after struggling with her weight for years. The Reality TV star has been looking in great shape lately and she's now lifting the lid on her weight-loss secrets.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin walks through the halls of Congress earlier this year after a vote. ((Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

The wealthiest man in the world, who had proclaimed himself a free speech absolutist before banning comedian Kathy Griffin from Twitter for mocking him, and who, in the two weeks of owning the social media platform, has overseen a mass exodus of employees (both firings and resignations), a radical increase in hate speech, and advertisers pulling contracts left and right, spent time making ableist jokes to a right-wing hate account on his $44 billion app. On Tuesday afternoon, the anti-LGBTQ+ hate account Libs of TikTok tweeted several screenshots of a Twitter employee’s tweets that had resulted in their firing.“How it started...How it’s going,” the account tweeted above the screenshots at 1:05 p.m. Eastern.Thirteen minutes later, at 1:18 p.m., Elon Musk, who was not tagged in the tweet, replied to Libs Of TikTok. “A tragic case of adult onset Tourette’s,” Musk wrote.

(CNN) -- Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband Justin Mikita have expanded their family.The duo announced on Instagram that they welcomed their second child together via surrogate on Tuesday. They also revealed they named the baby Sullivan Louis Ferguson-Mikita.Ferguson was taking time off from his Broadway play "Take Me Out" to spend time with their new family member."Sad to be away from my @takemeoutbway fam tonight but we ran off to welcome our newest little one, Sullivan Louis Ferguson-Mikita," he wrote on social media.He also thanked his doctor and added that his understudy would be taking over for the evening."A special thanks to @drshahinghadir for helping us grow our family & our incredible surrogate and all of the nurses and doctors.

The U.S. Senate Wednesday afternoon voted to end a filibuster on a critical bill to protect same-sex and interracial marriages by a margin of 62-37.  All 50 Democratic Senators were joined by 12 Republicans in voting yes, and 37 Republicans voted no.

Candace Cameron Bure has responded to criticism of her statements that her new television home Great American Family would not be featuring gay couples in lead roles.In a lengthy statement provided to People on Wednesday, Bure defended herself and the network and said that the backlash from stars including JoJo Siwa and Hilarie Burton 'breaks my heart.'While Bure, 46, claimed that people of 'all ethnicities and identities' would be able to 'contribute to the network' both on screen and behind the camera, she appeared to avoid the issue of Great American Family's apparent ban on gay lead characters, while claiming the backlash was created by the 'media,' rather than the stars who took issue with her earlier statements about the network to the Wall Street Journal. Speaking out: Candace Cameron Bure issued a statement to People on Wednesday responding to backlash over her comments that network Great American Family would not feature gay couples in leading roles; seen in 2019In her statement, Bure said she had 'great love and affection for all people.''It absolutely breaks my heart that anyone would ever think I intentionally would want to offend and hurt anyone,' she began.  But she added, 'It saddens me that the media is often seeking to divide us, even around a subject as comforting and merry as Christmas movies.

A car ran through the rainbow barrier between the sidewalk and parking lot outside Alexandre’s on Cedar Springs Road. The barrier design was chosen through a competition last year as part of the Cedar Springs beautification project. The rainbow crosswalks are maintained with private funds, but the barrier was built with city bond money set aside to upgrade the entertainment district. The repair would be paid by the car owner’s insurance.

JoJo Siwa responded to Candace Cameron Bure's recent comments about 'traditional marriage' again by defiantly wearing a rainbow print outfit and slamming her remarks as 'f**ked up.'The Dance Moms alum, 19, was decked out in rainbow while out in Los Angeles on Tuesday where she addressed Bure revealing she anticipated her new Christian TV network would refrain from featuring gay couples in leading roles.Siwa's beef with Bure, 46, goes beyond the remarks - over the summer the dancer, who came out as part of the LGBTQ community last year, called the Full House actress the 'rudest celebrity' she had ever met.  Take that, Candace! JoJo Siwa responded to Candace Cameron Bure's recent comments about 'traditional marriage' by defiantly wearing a rainbow print outfit and slamming her remarks as 'f**ked up' Speaking with cameras, JoJo proudly revealed she was 'inspired by what's going on' when selecting her outfit. The rainbow became the symbol of the gay rights movement in 1978.'Here's the thing, it's not that every movie has to have an LGBTQIA representation, or love story, that's not the case.

The U.S. Senate has advanced the Respect for Marriage Act. It’s not the final passage, but it’s a key step forward.The Senate Wednesday afternoon voted 62-37 to move the legislation forward, with 12 Republicans joining all 50 Democrats and independents.The vote now allows the Senate to begin debate on the bill, bringing it closer to a final vote. The legislation would write marriage equality into federal law and protect it from Supreme Court action, given that Justice Clarence Thomas has called for the overturning of Obergefell v.

EXCLUSIVE:The Irishman producer Randall Emmett will not be heading to court to face a scathing racial and religious discrimination and hostile workplace lawsuit after all.

The LDS Church’s Salt Lake City Temple

The U.S. Senate is set to take a procedural vote Wednesday on the Respect for Marriage Act, which would write marriage equality into federal law and protect it from Supreme Court action.The House of Representatives has already passed the bill, but it has not come to a vote in the Senate.

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), one of the most unpopular of all of America’s senators, came close to loosing re-election last week. In that hard-fought race even his top state newspaper told voters to throw him out of office.

(CNN) -- As he begins to discuss his sexuality, Isaac Humphries says he is able to lift 25 years of weight off his shoulders.Humphries, who plays for Melbourne United in Australia's National Basketball League, had never previously spoken publicly about his sexuality out of fear it would negatively impact his career.But now, he says he feels ready to "live my true life" and become the world's only openly gay man playing top-flight basketball."Forever, I thought that being a professional basketball player and gay were mutually exclusive and that I had to hide that side of my life and wasn't allowed to be who I truly am," Humphries exclusively tells CNN Sport's Amanda Davies."I'm making the decision to come out ...

EXCLUSIVE:The Irishman producer Randall Emmett will not be heading to court to face a scathing racial and religious discrimination and hostile workplace lawsuit after all.

On Monday, a New York judge tossed out a lawsuit by Mary L. Trump against her uncle, Donald Trump.

Lily Collins, Charlie McDowell and Alex Orlovsky have partnered to launch Case Study Films, a production company that will look to tell compelling and outside-of-the-box stories through a commercial eye in both film and television.  

Now they’re just openly admitting their bigotry. I called this shit out years ago when Abbott was at Hallmark. Glad they dumped him.

Joe Lycett increased pressure on David Beckham over the World Cup.

Donald Trump has announced his bid to become the Republican candidate in the 2024 US presidential election.

A fan of all forms of transportation, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg spoke this week at the opening of the long-awaited Metro Silver Line Extension in Washington, D.C., which connects the nation's capital with Dulles International Airport. Aside from that, he's been riding a bicycle (his only mode of transportation if he had to choose one) to work, much to the dismay of his security detail.

A man in Australia pleaded guilty to threatening to distribute sexually revealing images of a gay neighbor if he didn’t turn down his loud music.According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, Shane Ustick, 60, of Sydney in New South Wales, pleaded guilty in Newtown Local Court last week to charges that he threatened to distribute the revealing images of his neighbor without the man’s consent. The incident took place August 30 when Ustick objected to the volume of his neighbor’s music during lunch.The following day, Ustick placed a birthday card addressed to “Grindr Slag” in the mailbox of his neighbor.“Not bad looking but a slag! What would your parents say + real estate agent say,” Ustick wrote on the interior of the birthday card.RELATED: California Mans Pleads Guilty to Assaulting, Robbing Grindr HookupsThe card was found by the neighbor’s roommate.“Hey, Grindr boy we know who you are we are tired of listening to your music,” Ustick also wrote in the card.

(CNN) -- Months after they had a public back and forth, JoJo Siwa is voicing her disappointment with Candace Cameron Bure.The singer/dancer, 19, posted on her verified Instagram about Bure after the former "Full House" star talked to the Wall Street Journal about her work with the faith-based channel, Great American Family.When asked if the Great American Family will include LGBTQ storylines in their projects, Cameron Bure said, "I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core."Siwa identifies as queer and shared a screen grab of a headline which read, "Candace Cameron Bure's plans for new cable channel: No gays.""Honestly, I can't believe after everything that went down just a few months ago, that she would not only create a movie with intention of excluding LGBTQIA+, but then also talk about it in the press," Siwa wrote. "This is rude and hurtful to a whole community of people."In July Siwa posted a video on TikTok that went viral in which she shared a photo of Cameron Bure as the "rudest celebrity" she had ever met, later revealing she had felt ignored by the star at an event when she was a child and tried to meet her.Cameron Bure responded in a video on her verified Instagram account explaining that she was "shocked" by the designation and said everything was "all good" after the pair connected and discussed it.Siwa wasn't the only one upset by Cameron Bure's recent comment.Actress Hilarie Burton slammed her and Bill Abbott, chief executive of Great American Media, for "bigotry.""That guy and his network are disgusting," Burton tweeted.

Dating app Hinge is adding a new update that allows users to specify whether they are looking for monogamy or non-monogamy.

The nominees for the 2023 GRAMMY Awards have finally been announced, with LGBTQ+ artists recognised in each of the Big Four categories.

On Wednesday the U.S. Senate will begin the process of debating and likely passing the Respect for Marriage Act, bipartisan legislation that merely attempts to keep the status quo on marriage equality by requiring states to recognize all legal marriages of same-sex couples. It does not require states to allow same-sex couples to marry. Despite its sponsors extreme efforts to ensure existing religious rights are not compromised, far-right-wing Christian activist Franklin Graham is making extremely false claims about the legislation and riling up his supporters on social media.

(CNN) – Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey has been charged with seven more sexual offenses, United Kingdom police have said.The 63-year-old actor was charged on Tuesday with multiple sexual offenses against the same man between 2001 and 2004, London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement to CNN on Wednesday.The United Kingdom’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had authorized the additional charges “for multiple sexual assaults against one man between 2001 and 2004.”“The CPS has also authorized one charge of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent,” Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said in the statement.Spacey is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on December 16.CNN has contacted the actor’s representatives for comment.In July, Spacey pleaded not guilty in a London court to four charges of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. A trial was set for next year.Last month, a New York jury found him not liable for battery on allegations he picked up actor Anthony Rapp and laid on top of him after a party in 1986.Spacey has won two Academy Awards for his roles in The Usual Suspects and American Beauty, and was artistic director of London's Old Vic theater from 2003 to 2015.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros.

Trans Awareness Week is in full swing and celebrities and politicians alike have been sharing their support for trans people.

Australian basketball player Isaac Humphries has made history as the first active top tier league athlete in the sport to come out as gay.

Qatar: Rise to Power and Influence, claims “there was not any real push [by Qatar's leaders] for the British to leave …[who] appreciated their military protection”.Large numbers of protests by the public against the British and the ruling family took place before independence.Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani personally appoints ministers – usually family members – and one-third of the Shura Council, a law-making council, though the others are elected.Although a lot of consulting goes on behind closed doors, power is largely in the hands of the Emir, who ultimately controls political decisions, law-making and the judiciary.Political parties are banned.“The problem [in Qatar],” says Rothna Begum, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, “is that their laws limit freedom of expression, association and assembling … making it really difficult for anyone who wants to do work on women's rights or anything like that.”This leaves politics to play out on Twitter, where progressive voices, such as the LGBTQ+ community or women's rights are subjected to online abuse and death threats, she says.Freedom House, an NGO monitoring political rights and civil liberties, ranks Qatar as “not free”.Qatar is the third richest country in the world, measured by GDP per capita.Much of this is due to its vast oil and gas reserves, which are also the third largest in the world.A large exporter of Liquified Natural Gas, Fromherz says fallout from the Ukraine war has strengthened Qatar’s economic hand by causing energy prices to spike.“Along with the United States, Qatar is one of the major suppliers and alternatives to Russia,” he told Euronews.

Stranger Things star Maya Hawke and The Independent producer-star Jodie Turner-Smith glammed up to speak out for women and girls at the Equality Now 30th Anniversary Gala in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday.The 24-year-old SAG Award nominee proudly posed with a pink sign reading 'Make equality reality' while wearing a black long-sleeved maxi-dress beneath a grey winter coat and black peep-toe heels.Maya wore her fringed brunette locks up for the 'night of arts and activism' held at Guastavino's with only a hint of mascara and lipstick on her alabaster complexion. Feminists: Stranger Things star Maya Hawke (L) and The Independent producer-star Jodie Turner-Smith (R) glammed up to speak out for women and girls at the Equality Now 30th Anniversary Gala in Midtown Manhattan on TuesdayHawke took to the podium to address the crowd honoring the non-governmental human rights organization founded in 1992 by Jessica Neuwirth, Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay, and Feryal Gharahi.The native New Yorker is best known as the nepotistically-privileged daughter of four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke and Oscar nominee Uma Thurman, who divorced in 2005 after seven years of marriage.Last week, Maya released the Lance Bangs-directed music video for her song Luna Moth, which was taped before her September 24 concert at LA's Largo at the Coronet.Hawke is hitting the road next year for a mostly sold-out 12-date European/US tour, which kicks off February 25 at Santeria Toscana 31 in Milan.

Jodie Sweetin seemingly took a shot at her Full House costar Candace Cameron Bure on Tuesday amid a controversy around Cameron Bure's affiliation with a network that solely depicts 'traditional marriage.'The 40-year-old actress, who appeared with Cameron Bure on the series from 1987 to 1995 and the Netflix reboot Fuller House from 2016 to 2020, responded to a post shared by JoJo Siwa detailing an article with the headline, 'Candace Cameron Bure's Plan For New Cable Channel: No Gays.'The Los Angeles-born Sweetin said in the comments on the thread by Siwa, 19 - who was in a public row with Cameron Bure, 46, earlier this year - 'You know I love you' with emojis of two red hearts. The latest: Jodie Sweetin, 40, seemingly took a shot at her Full House costar Candace Cameron Bure, 46, on Tuesday amid a controversy around Cameron Bure's affiliation with a network that solely depicts 'traditional marriage'Sweetin, who played Stephanie Tanner on the series alongside Cameron Bure, received more than 10,000 responses from fans, many of them supportive of the message she sent with her kind words to Siwa.Said one user: 'At least she has the support from one of the “tanner sisters” … you should really talk to your girl @candacecbure.

Lady Gaga praised Drag Race star Shangela after she delivered an electric performance of her hit track The Edge of Glory on Dancing with the Stars.

Donald Trump, as expected, announced his 2024 presidential bid Tuesday evening.“Tonight I am again announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” he said to an audience at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla.He was rather subdued, by Trumpian standards, but he got in many of his usual digs about the “fake news media,” “the China virus,” and “radical left Democrats that are trying to destroy our country from within.” That was after promising to unify the nation.He also had his usual lack of factual information: Having served four years, he claimed he’d gone “decades” without a war. He distorted his effect on last week’s midterm election, which saw voters reject most of the candidates closely associated with him.

Openly gay footballer Zander Murray slammed Qatar World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman for his recent anti-LGBTQ+ comments. 

The Mormon Church announced Tuesday that it will support legislation to federally protect marriage equality.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said it would still view same-sex relationships as against church doctrine, according to a news release on its website. However, it explained that it would support marriage equality and the rights of same-sex couples if the Respect for Marriage Act didn’t interfere with what the church called its “religious freedom protections.”“We are grateful for the continuing efforts of those who work to ensure the Respect for Marriage Act includes appropriate religious freedom protections while respecting the law and preserving the rights of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters,” the announcement stated.“We believe this approach is the way forward.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has revealed that the US Senate will vote on same-sex marriage in the coming days.

The British press reports that England's soccer team will be flown to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar aboard Virgin Atlantic’s “Rain Bow” plane. The Airbus A350, has the name “Rain Bow” on the nose cone, along with the airline’s LGBTQ+ icon, 'Oscar,' who wears a pair ofrainbow-striped sneakers and pulls a British Union Jack flag along behind him.Qatar has a notoriously shady past when it comes to human rights so activist have been angry that Fifa is allowing the Middle Eastern nation to play host to the 2022 soccer world championship. The country has had at best a mixed response to whether it will allow LGBTQ+ fans to attend the events without fear of reprisal.

Trump-loving, drag queen–hating Republican Kari Lake has now lost the Arizona governor’s race to Democrat Katie Hobbs, and drag performer Barbra Seville is happily trolling Lake.Richard Stevens, who does drag under the Seville name, called out Lake for hypocrisy during the campaign, noting that he had frequently performed for her, at a party in her home and elsewhere, and considered her a friend — but she had tweeted, “They kicked God out of schools and welcomed the Drag Queens. They took down our Flag and replaced it with a rainbow.” Lake also used the “groomer” slur against LGBTQ+ people.Lake, a former Phoenix TV anchor, responded by claiming at least one performance by Stevens was not a drag show and by sending a cease-and-desist letter.

U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee based in Amarillo, ruled that doctors may discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The Bostock ruling that prohibits employment discrimination does not extend to a doctor’s care.

As the soccer World Cup begins on Sunday, several western teams are showing their support for the LGBTQ+ community in various ways.On Monday, U.S. Men's National Team coach Gregg Berhalter explained during a press conference in Qatar's capital, Doha, why the men's soccer team's training facilities are decorated with the rainbow version of U.S.

Randy Rainbow has received a Grammy nomination for his first full-length studio album, A Little Brains, a Little Talent.Rainbow is known for his parodies of show tunes and pop classics, and his work often carries a political message — although he has told The Advocate his primary goal is to make people laugh. A Little Brains, a Little Talent includes such political satires as “Clang, Clang, Clang Went Josh Hawley,” “If Donald Got Fired” (featuring Broadway icon Patti LuPone), and “Mr. Biden, Bring My Vaccine.”The nomination is in the category of Best Comedy Album, where Rainbow is alongside some controversial competition.

 (CNN) – It’s time to go back to the moon.Almost 50 years after the last Apollo mission ventured to the lunar surface, NASA has established a program that promises to land humans on unexplored lunar regions and, eventually, the surface of Mars – and it all begins with Artemis I.It’s no coincidence that the Artemis program is named for the twin sister of Apollo from Greek mythology. Artemis will pick up where the famed Apollo program left off in 1972 by sending crewed missions to the moon, but in a new way.Goals of the Artemis program include landing diverse crews of astronauts on the moon and exploring the shadowy lunar south pole for the first time.

EXCLUSIVE: Stormy Daniels has a new gig: She’s hosting For The Love of DILFs, a new dating show for the LGBTQ+ television network OUTtv.

Shortly after Katie Hobbs was declared the winner of the governor’s race in Arizona over election-denying, drag queen-hating Republican Kari Lake, Phoenix drag queen Barbra Seville took the opportunity to “drop a new photo” on Facebook. And in a tribute to Game of Thrones’ Queen of Thorns Olenna Tyrell, Seville captioned the photo, “Tell Kari, I want her to know it was me.”

Controversial, mistakenly-thought-to-be-canceled comedians Dave Chappelle and Louis CK are among the Grammy Award nominees this year for Best Comedy Album.

Now they’re just openly admitting their bigotry. I called this shit out years ago when Abbott was at Hallmark.