Lady GaGa brought the house down with her absolutely stunning tribute performance to Julie Andrews and The Sound of Music at the 2015 Annual Academy Awards on Sunday. GaGa worked with two-time Tony Award winner Stephen Oremus (of Broadway’s Book of Mormon, Kinky Boots, and Wicked) in preparing for the show. Below, take a look at her spectacular performance courtesy of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:
It’s that time of year again! It’s time for the 2015 Annual Blackwell San Jose Oscar Party! Please see your email Inbox or Official Facebook Event Invite for your official invitation to the PARTY OF THE YEAR! Walk the red carpet with your closest friends as we celebrate Hollywood’s big night on Sunday, February 22nd from 7:00pm until the ceremonies have concluded! We look-forward to seeing you all for an AMAZINGLY FUN TIME!!!
There’s been a lot of recent controversy over Stephen Jiminez’s new book The Book of Matt: Hidden Truths About the Murder of Matthew Shepard. Everyone knows the horrific events that occurred on October 6, 1998 in the small college town of Laramie, Wyoming. For those who don’t, the story we’ve all been told is that Matthew Shepard, an innocent college student at the University, was targeted for being homosexual by two predators at the local Fireside Lounge by the names of Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. The two convinced Shepard they too were gay and the three of them left the bar and got into McKinney’s truck, where Matthew was brutally pistol-whipped before being driven to a desolate farm (on the edge of an already very rural town) where he was tied to a fence post and robbed of his shoes and what little money he had before his viscous beatings resumed; he was eventually left for dead. Matthew was discovered the next day barely breathing and with a skull so badly fractured that actual cranial fragments herniated into Matthew’s brainstem. Just a few short days later, he succumbed to his injuries in hospital. McKinney and Henderson were both convicted of the murder and are serving two consecutive life terms in state prison. The horrendous nature of the killing coupled with the supposed deliberate focus on Shepard’s sexuality by his perpetrators sparked a national outcry for hate crimes legislation and added fuel to the GLBT civil rights movement in the United States.
But Jiminez’s thesis differs significantly with those events, more specifically, the motivations and true etiologic forces of Matthew’s murder, which he asserts was essentially a crime rooted in the methamphetamine trade plaguing Laramie at the time, in which Shepard was supposedly entrenched. According to Jiminez, McKinney personally knew Matthew way before the night of the murder, had on several occasions had sex with him, and believed he was in the possession of a large sum of cash resulting from a drug run Matt was originally planned to make earlier that day. The series of events Jiminez proposes just might be true. He provides quite a bit of well-researched data that seem to corroborate much of his assertions. He provides countless interviews from mutual acquaintances who claimed to have been with McKinney and Shepard concurrently numerous times; and he gives a multitude of examples of official (and unofficial) evidence that can be gleamed from legal documents and first-hand accounts from the lead prosecutor and law enforcement officers involved in the initial investigation. But what seems to be lacking somewhat from Jiminez’s work is at least a consideration that many of the persons he uses as informants on the case are either current or reformed addicts, convicted criminals, and other persons whose credibility should be seriously questioned. That along with the gushing support Jiminez provides to Henderson towards the end of the book suggesting he was treated unfairly by his legal team and deserves a reconsideration (which I found wincingly disturbing) threatens to infuse bias into what amounts to his years of dedicated investigative journalism on the case.
But regardless of that, The Book of Matt is a convincing read. And if the points Jiminez makes are just partial facts, then certainly at the very least, we should all question what we’ve long considered to be the historical truth of what happened to Matthew Shepard that night. Matthew’s murder helped to solidify the rationale for badly needed federal hate crimes legislation that would eventually include sexual orientation and gender identity. The sacrifice that Matthew made unwillingly has tremendously contributed to ensuring protections for an entire community of people. That is why so many in the GLBT community fear to tarnish his legacy. And I am certainly one of those people. While Jiminez has written a fascinating book that should definitely be read and pondered, no one should conclude based on it alone that it is a conclusive account of Matthew Shepard’s truth. But to consider that his death might not have been based in martyrdom as we’ve all believed doesn’t erase the amazing spirit Matt had and the impact his life and tragic murder continue to have. The Book of Matt is something I definitely recommend to everyone to read. I hope that doing so invites you to be inquisitive about Matthew Shepard’s life and murder and to question the only version of the story we’ve ever been told. But I also hope you don’t close the book and conclude the story you’ve just read is the factual version of what really happened. That, unfortunately, is something we most likely will never know.
The UCF Knights (9-4; 7-1 AAC Co-Champs) fell to the Wolfpack of NC State 34-27 on Friday night in the St. Petersburg Bitcoin Bowl, ending their season on a somewhat sour note. NC State’s talented quarterback Jacoby Brissett seemed to be able to scramble out of the Knights’ defensive pressure whenever he needed to. And the UCF offense struggled throughout the contest, with quarterback Justin Holman completing 291 passing yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT. But what really hurt UCF the most was a flat defensive play in the 3rd quarter. A late rally in the 4th quarter which saw UCF score 17 points wasn’t enough to put UCF past NC State. The game was televised nationally on ESPN. Below, watch highlights of the loss courtesy of ESPN:
The UCF Knights (9-3; 7-1 AAC) made HUGE national headlines on Thursday in their literal last-second defeat of the Pirates of East Carolina (8-4; 5-3 AAC) 32-30 in a nationally-televised matchup on ESPN in Greenville, North Carolina. The Knights’ victory came after what could only be called a complete fourth-quarter meltdown. UCF was in the lead 26-9 when the Pirates rallied back hard to score three back-to-back touchdowns. ECU was poised to win the game 30-26 and ran the clock down to just :10 before kicking the ball back to the Knights for their final drive of the game. Determined to never give-up, UCF’s quarterback Justin Holman hit Josh Reese for a 14-yard gain before setting up the 51-yard bomb of a hail Mary pass to receive Reshad Perriman, who reached over the hands of 3 ECU defenders and marched right into the end zone to give the Knights their winning score. The win resulted in UCF sharing the title of American Athletic Conference Football Champion with the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and Memphis Tigers (due to only having 10 team members, the AAC is ineligible to hold a conference championship game). On Sunday evening, UCF accepted an official invite to participate in the 2014 Bitcoin Bowl in St. Petersburg. That game will start at 8pm on December 26th and will be televised nationally on ESPN. Below, check-out Justin Holman’s breath-taking hail Mary pass to Reshad Perriman, sealing the Knights’ victory against ECU and their crown as AAC Football co-Champions:
Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.
The UCF Knights (8-3; 6-1 AAC) gave their rivals the USF Bulls (4-8; 3-5 AAC) their first-ever home field shutout in school history on Black Friday, winning 16-0 in-front of 31,000 fans (the majority of whom packed the stadium wearing Black and Gold to support the Knights) at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Although UCF gave USF a handful of scoring opportunities, the Bulls failed on every attempt. This included two 4-1 scenarios in addition to a number of UCF turnovers. UCF, on the other hand, dominated defensively throughout the matchup. UCF got its scoring done in the first half with receivers Breshad Perriman and Rannell Hall, who both scored touchdowns — the only two of the game – in the second quarter. The only two points UCF scored during the second half came from a safety. UCF now moves on to play its final game of the regular season against East Carolina (8-3; 5-2 AAC) who will undoubtedly give the Knights their greatest competition in the second half of their season. The Pirates are coming off of a 49-32 win against Tulsa (a team that fired its head coach Bill Blankenship on Monday). ECU dropped two conference games (against Temple and Cincy) this season and are ineligible to be crowned conference champions. However, if the Knights win, they will more than likely share the title with Cincy and Memphis, who secured its share of the AAC Title with their win over UCONN Saturday. Kickoff for UCF at ECU is set for 7:00pm. The game will be nationally-televised on ESPN. Below, watch highlights of UCF’s 16-0 shutout of rival USF courtesy of ESPN. Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.
The UCF Knights (7-3; 5-1 AAC) pummeled the Mustangs of SMU (0-10; 0-6 AAC) 53-7 in-front of a rain-soaked crowd of just 31,000 at Bright House Networks Stadium on Saturday.
Per the Orlando Sentinel: The veteran defense and special teams unit helped the Knights force a season-high five turnovers and limited SMU to just 116 total yards, a UCF opponent’s lowest output since 2009. Equally damaging, the Knights allowed the Mustangs just four first downs during a rain-drenched, three hour and 17 minute game before an announced attendance of 30, 920 fans. UCF’s defense has held its past two opponents to just 14 points and limited an opponent to less than 10 points three times this season. The Knights collected just 47 team tackles to SMU’s 97 because the UCF offense dominated the clock with 40 minutes of possession time to the Mustangs’ 19.
The Knights move on to preparations for what many fans consider to be the biggest game of the season–Saturday’s Noon matchup against rival USF (4-7; 3-4 AAC). USF has struggled all season and are coming off a 31-20 loss to Memphis, a team that currently shares the top-spot of the American Athletic Conference alongside UCF and Cincy. UCF vs. USF will take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on ESPN2. There is currently a 0% chance of rain with a \ high of 70 degrees. Below, check-out video highlights of UCF’s 53-7 win over SMU courtesy of ESPN:
The UCF Knights (6-3; 4-1 AAC) took care of the Golden Hurricane of Tulsa (2-8; 2-4 AAC) handily Friday night 31-7 on a matchup that was broadcasted nationwide on ESPN2. The Knights started off slow, scoring just 3 points in the entire first quarter (after taking Tulsa to the red zone 3 times). But UCF turned on the heat for the rest of the game, holding Tulsa to just 7 total points. Quarterback Justin Holman was 6-of-27 passing for 291 yards, zero interceptions and three touchdown passes to J.J. Worton, Breshad Perriman and Josh Reese. Reese hauled in a 77-yard touchdown reception, the ninth longest in school history. Bright House Networks Stadium wasn’t quite as packed as usual with only 36,000 fans on hand to watch the game; the loss to UCONN two weeks ago took its toll on attendance. But the Knights should have a nice packed stadium when they play their final home game next Saturday against SMU. The Friday after that, the Knights travel to Raymond James Stadium to take on their rival USF, who has been struggling this season. The Knights now sit on-top of the American Athletic Conference along with Memphis (6-3; 4-1 AAC) and Cincinnati (6-3; 4-1 AAC). Photo and excerpts courtesy Orlando Sentinel.
14 years ago on this date, my dad and I witnessed UCF Football History as the Knights toppled the Crimson Tide of Alabama! That is an afternoon I will remember for the rest of my life! GO KNIGHTS!!! Watch the game-winning field goal below:
The UCF Knights (5-2; 3-o AAC) took care of business on Saturday, defeating the Owls of Temple (4-3; 2-2 AAC) 34-14 in-front of close to 40,000 fans who showed-up to Bright House Networks Stadium to celebrate UCF’s Homecoming. The Knights’ offensive unit finally played a solid 60-minutes of football, amassing a season-high 466 yards. QB Justin Holman was responsible for 336 of those yards, surpassing his play against BYU two weeks ago. Holman was 25 of 39 passes and didn’t throw a single interception the entire game. The UCF defense was also stellar, holding Temple to just one touchdown drive the entire game. Players credited the crowd, “The crowd was amazing,” said defensive lineman Miles Pace, who recorded one of UCF’s four sacks. “They played a big part on our defense especially when we were backed up on our goal line. The crowd is loud so it gets the offense rattled so they won’t be able to get a play off so the quarterback or the center couldn’t get the snap count so they played a big part on our defense.” UCF is now 11-0 in their last 11 contests in the American Athletic Conference as they move into a much colder environment to face the Huskies of UCONN this Saturday. The low for the game is expected to be 40 degrees; and the forecast predicts some rainy or snowy conditions. And although UCONN is 1-6 without a single conference win all season, they are coming off a very close 31-21 loss to #21 East Carolina. Kickoff for the UCF @ UCONN game is set for Noon and the game will be nationally-broadcasted on CBS Sports Network. The Knights are favored to beat the Huskies by 11.5 points. Below, check out video highlights of UCF’s victory over Temple, courtesy of the American Athletic Conference:
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