The Echo devices are Amazon’s popular voice-controlled speakers or TV screens, with improved sound and audio detection over the previous versions of the device. They allow you to stream music, tv shows and even call, for free, anyone else with another Echo device.
You can even use the clever Echo system to turn on and off lights, adjust thermostats, lock doors, find TV shows, and more with compatible connected devices
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A Grindr guy has found one of the most engaging ways to get people to register to vote in this forthcoming General Election, before the registration deadline on the 26th November.
As the election in the UK looms ever closer, people of all political persuasions are imploring people to register to vote and one guy has taken to Grindr to get that message out there.
It may seem a little one-to-one, but hey, every registration counts if the country is to have a meaningful voter turn out on December 12th.
Writer and LGBT+ rights activist, Tom Knight, has it seems, stumbled upon the perfect way to get a hookup and someone to register to vote at the same time. Win-Win.
He’s using Grindr to spread the message that it’s important to register to vote before the cut off on the 26th November 2019.
Want a drink? Get registered
In a recent exchange on the hookup app, he questioned a potential hookup whether he had “registered to vote”. When the potential beau answered in the negative, Tom simply replied, “come back to me when you are”.
When asked if he was “serious” Tom simply answered “Yep”
Speaking to THEGAYUK.com, Tom told us, “anything that can engage others is a good thing.”
In a recent flash poll on Twitter by THEGAYUK, 62 per cent of those who took part said that they had decided on who they’d vote for, while 38% said they had yet to decide on which political party they’d vote for.
Circolo Popolare is one of the hottest newest restaurants in town, with people without a reservation queuing outside in the hopes of getting a table. If they ever get inside, they’ll be enveloped in a room full of warmth and colours so alive they’ll feel like they’ve stepped into a restaurant in the Mediterranean.
Walking into Circolo Popolare is a wow moment. Hundreds of liquor bottles line both sides of the walls in the main room – which is very vivid and bright. Tea lights and greenery hang from the ceiling, while past the kitchen towards the back there is another beautiful room to explore – with an olive tree in the centre. Circolo Popolare has to be one of the most beautiful restaurants in London. But how’s the food?
Me and my dining companion had a very hard time choosing what to eat, and while it’s not a huge menu, we just didn’t know what we fancied. The cocktails were an easy choice – we could’ve ordered several but stuck to just one each. The Lemoncello Spritz was absolutely divine. With just the right amount of Absolut vodka, a couple dashes of Limoncello Amalfi, Prosecco Cinzano, maracuja, and peach, with lemons aligned on the sides of a large wine glass – it was stunning and delicious, and I highly recommend it (£7). My friend had Look Me in The Eyes – a drink served in a cheeky novelty mug and held a blend of three rums, almond hibiscus syrup, Triple Sec, lime, and maracuja. It had a kick thanks to the rum but it also had a sweet fruity flavour (£9).
Of the 8 antipasti starters on the menu, we ordered two. We thoroughly enjoyed the Crudo Crocante – 3 small lettuce cups with Cornish sea bass, confit tomatoes, dehydrated olives, lemon, baby herbs. The menu states they are a must – and they are. Nice and chilled – with a delicious vinaigrette dressing sprinkled over – it was a nice combination of food in a dish that’s not too filling and a bargain at £7. We also tried the Pizza Fritta Montanara – a smallish dough bread stuffed with tomato sauce with Parmigiano sprinkled on top. Delicious and moist, and it complemented the Crudo. The Frittatina (Mac and cheese bites) looked interesting – but seemed too cheesy, The Sam Daniele Ham and the Magic Mushroom Bruschetta looked like other very good choices.
And choice is the keyword for the main course options. Pizza, pasta and hot skewers of meat or fish (Dalla Griglia) are there. The pizza selection is not super sexy – I opted for the Animal Lover pizza which happened to be cheeseless. It was moist and had a healthy topping of aubergines, mushrooms, red peppers, vegan pesto, and taggiasche olives, but there was nothing really special about it. My friend had the Straccetti di Vitello Dalla Griglia – one very large skewer loaded with veal, sweet potato and mushrooms served over nicely browned potatoes and grilled courgettes – at £17 it’s definitely worth its weight and was very good though the veal could’ve been cooked a bit more. My friend did not finish it which I took as a bad sign. Pasta choices on the menu include lots (perhaps too much) creamy and cheesy dishes, but I hear the Crab me by the Paccheri is the best one (Thick-cut home-made paccheri pasta with crab, red gurnard, mussels and tarragon – £20).
For dessert almost everyone seemed to be having the Circolo Sundae – a huge sundae with XXL gelato, cookie chunks, churros, brownies and home-made whipped cream – and it is large and comes adorned with a sparkler on top – it better with a £16 price tag!
I opted for something a bit more simple – the You Make Me Crumble – basically apple crumble – but it was served cold which I wasn’t expecting. Was is pre-made and had been scooped right out of the refrigerator? It was not worth £7. My friend had the Banoffee Pie which was a much better choice. The mascarpone whipped cream on top was luscious – a divine dessert at £8.
The dishes are served in beautifully coloured plates full of different patterns, while the staff are as nice as they can be, managing the crowds who are constant on the weekends, and some people come in just specifically to take pictures – though not many are able to sneak past the two (!!) check-in counters.
The menu is quite colourful as well, and special attention must be paid to the Big Boy French Toast on the breakfast menu. It sounds absolutely wonderful (fluffy brioche, raspberries and raspberry coulis with mascarpone whipped cream) and a steal at £9 – which I am very much looking forward to eating later in the year. The French Toast is also served on their brunch menu, along with their other breakfast items Eggs Alla Fiorentina and Ricotta Pancakes.
Circolo Popolare, which can be rightly described as a sunny Sicilian trattoria, is a lovely place to while away the time pretending you’re in sunny climes (not many windows in the restaurant help with this fantasy), but main dishes could be a bit more tasty and fulfilling.
Circolo is open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch with friends, and dinners under the starry ceiling.
“Dot Cotton Club has been a huge part of the LGBTQ+ scene in Cambridge, first opening its doors almost 30 years ago”
An LGBT+ club night was facing an uncertain future this week and may have been forced to close its doors had a new venue not saved the day.
The Dot Cotton Club, based in Cambridgeshire, which has been in existence for nearly 30 years, has had an emotional week after the venue it uses to host its iconic night, Atomic, are reportedly “struggling with negotiations with their college landlords”.
The club night had been held at Atomic for the last four years.
In a statement, organisers of the Dot Cotton Club said, that there were hopes of working with a new venue, Fez Club, in order to keep the night alive.
“We are sure Dot Cotton Club will continue to evolve”
Speaking about the abrupt ending with Atomic, organisers wrote on the official Facebook page, “Dot Cotton Club has been a huge part of the LGBTQ+ scene in Cambridge, first opening its doors almost 30 years ago, and is the final regular club event here for our community that takes place on a weekend.
“This is hugely important as it provides a safe and welcoming space for both students AND Cambridge locals, along with visitors to the city, to celebrate everything that makes them fabulous. We are also sad for our current home Atomic (formerly Q-Club), as it is one of the only alternative venues in the city with nights catering for the less mainstream communities, including the rock, metal and goth crowds – we know everyone who has visited will miss it greatly.
“Looking to the future, while we hope some agreement can be made to allow us to continue where we are, we are sure Dot Cotton Club will continue to evolve and find some way to keep supporting the community in any way we can.”
Light At The End Of The Tunnel
In a separate post, Dot Cotton Club told its fans, “After seeing our posts online and the story in (the) local press, Fez Club Cambridge have stepped in and kindly offered to help us with a venue to keep our fabulous LGBTQ+ Dot Cotton Club community alive!
“Because they (Fez) already have some other commitments pre-planned in their diary, we still won’t be able to celebrate our festive White Party on December 7th as originally planned, but instead we are moving it to Saturday, December 28th, 10 pm-3 am! The Fez Club has two bars, cocktail menu, large seating area and dance floor, the bathrooms will be gender neutral for the night and there is a lift up to the first floor”.
LAST CHRISTMAS – Festive rom com based on the massive two million selling Christmas hit single by George Michael and Wham of the same name backed up by as many of his other hits as Emma Thompson who is in charge here both in front of and behind the camera can squeeze into the short running time. There are Christmas baubles in every single scene.
Nutshell – An accident prone singleton who is unlucky in love played by Game Of Thrones ‘Queen Of Dragons’ Emilia Clark works in a all year round Covent garden Christmas Grotto Store and she simply loves George Michael music. She meets a new man who has an element of mystery about him but her life really starts to change for the better with his on/off input leading towards a surprising denouement… that some will see coming a mile off.
Running Time – 103 Minutes – Cert PG-12A.
Tagline – ‘Sometimes You just gotta have Faith’
The Gay UK Factor – It is a very ‘straight’ romantic tale with the usual cinema ups and downs so the gay appeal besides the hot male lead Henry Golding all comes in the form of the soundtrack. GM is one of the most successful and popular gay singers of all time and his songs are much loved and hold up superbly well with time. It is great to hear them again largely in their original versions – their relevance to individual movie scenes is another matter all together though.
Cast – Emilia Clark, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Emma Thomson and a cast of star cameos including Patti Lapone, Rob Delaney, Sue Perkins and even Mr Richard Notting Hill/4 Weddings/Love Actually (which this film aims to be) Curtis… plus two big surprise appearances in the final scene.
Key Player – We would love to say the lovely talented actor/director Emma Thompson but tbh her input in both roles are not her career high points so it is back to Georgie boy again who gave Thompson his permission to use his songs before his untimely death. You get 13 of his most well known songs (some in their entirety) and the much publicised new unreleased song ‘This Is How (We want You To Get High)’ which is mid table GM probably at best… it sure ain’t no ‘Careless Whisper’ or ‘A Different Corner’ that’s for sure.
Budget – $25 Million which is as cheap as chips and it has already made $37 Million with 5 weeks to still go to the big guy in the red suit who like our editor only comes once a year turns up. Christmas films do tend to have long legs in the earning stakes becoming relevant Love Actually/It’s A Wonderful Life stylee every year on DVT/TV/Streaming etc so a potential good little earner and it won’t do George’s record sales any damage either which is great for many of his favoured charities.
Best Bit – 1.05 mins; The movie starts getting into its belated heart warming third act just at the right time as you are wandering where it is going with some fun busking and charity fund raising which fits as perfectly with all the snow and Xmas trees here as a cock in a tinseled glory hole.
Worst Bit – 0.44 mins; A staged bit of early romance on an ice rink is forced in like a set piece that seemed like a good idea on paper but it just doesn’t work and the GM track is a very poor fit which misses the hoped for emotional target by a few thousand candy canes… maybe Ace Of Spades, Anarchy in The UK , Gangnam Style or Baby Shark would have worked better.
Little Secret – George Michael wrote ‘Last Christmas’ one of the most famous festive songs in history when he was just 17 years old. Impressive but get this he had written ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’, ‘Freedom’, ‘Club Tropicana’, ‘Young Guns’, ‘Bad Boy’s and unbelievably ‘Careless Whisper’ before he was 18 when the rest of us were still learning how to jack off properly.
It was probably the most prolific bout of songwriting in History that even members of the Beatles would struggle to compete with. ‘Last Christmas’ was a double A-side with ‘Everything She Wants’ and famously is the biggest selling song in History to never make number one. It is the Third biggest selling Christmas song ever behind Band Aid and Boney M’s hummable ‘Mary’s Boy Child’ far outstripping Slade/Shaky/Mariah/Pogues/Wizard/Cliff/Bing et al.
It has been a hit on 16 separate occasions a world record and it has just reached 90 weeks on the chart which is phenomenal for a tune with not all year round appeal but for some reason it failed to make the Top 20 in the US.
Further Viewing – You can probably make this list yourself but start with About Time, It’s A Wonderful Life, Walking On Sunshine,Four Weddings, Ever After, Two Weeks Notice, Sleepless In Seattle, Notting Hill, The Wedding Singer, Muriel’s Wedding, the magnificent Pretty Woman and You’ve Got Mail which this is basically a carbon copy off this film but that was better.
Any Good – It is OK which most people will see as a disappointment as the idea and premise seems fool proof. It just does not deliver on the promise. The Christmas feel is great so you will feel in the holiday mood on leaving a screening but there are two fundamental flaws.
Firstly the movie just is not that funny and we expect you may laugh once every 30 minutes and that simply is not good enough.
Secondly and even more damaging is the songs with the exception of the headline song’s three appearances have no relevance to the scenes they are in, they seem crow barred in and could actually be swapped with any other GM song without anyone noticing…
Mamma Mia Here We Go Again / LaLa Land or Rocketman this is not.
A whopping total of 85 rugby players got completely nude in the 3rd annual #NakedRugby calendar, celebrating body positivity, highlighting fitness and male cancer awareness.
Awarded as one of the Top 5 Charity calendars in the UK at The Callies Awards last year, The world-famous Naked Rugby Players’ calendarreturns for their third year with more nakedness than ever. Six inclusive rugby clubs around Britain stripped off earlier this year to raise awareness for both LGBT+ inclusive rugby and the importance for guys to check their tackle for lumps and bumps, in partnership with the Balls To Cancer charity.
From Cardiff to Northampton, Leeds to Bristol, 85 rugby players bravely derobed for this year’s colourful 2020 calendar. Since the release of the first edition in 2018, the calendar has raised thousands of pounds and awareness for inclusive rugby and the male cancer charity, Balls To Cancer.
Speaking about the 2020 calendar, Creative Director Jake Hook said, “The 2020 #NakedRugby calendar was so wonderful to create and design. We’re so lucky to work with all these amazing teams, who are willing to try new ideas and go with us on an artistic journey. “This year we’ve made the calendar a little darker, but full of colour. I think the pictures have a real depth to them and really shows some of bonds that are created between the players.
“Again we’re privileged to team up with Balls To Cancer, as this amazing charity provides much-needed awareness, support and respite for men and their families who are living with male cancer”.
This calendar will make you feel “Much Betta”
Even some Celebrities and Royalty are supporting the Calendar;
“Thank you for The Naked Rugby Players charity calendar. It was most generous of you and is much appreciated” – HRH Prince Harry
“Buy this calendar and you’ll feel, Much Betta” – Baga Chipz (Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK – Season 1)
200,000 men are diagnosed with cancer every year. 80,000 of those will die from their cancer.
One in two men will suffer cancer in the UK during their lifetimes. Cancers which are detected early, such as testicular cancer, are beatable – but only if the message gets through that men should check their equipment regularly, which is why the Calendar features a cheeky monthly reminder.
As with the first two calendars money raised through the sale of the calendar go to Balls To Cancer Charity and to the inclusive rugby clubs involved.
The tweet grew a large audience and quickly went viral with many people commenting about how true to life the Tweet felt, with at least one exclaiming “Oh my goodness – how accurate this observation is” while another admitted, “I feel like I fit excellently into many of these categories”
Although it did leave one or two questioning about what happens to gay who hit 40/50/60.
Of many people started to add their own thought about what subclasses should be added to the list including, travel gays and theatre gays and one asked, “Wait what about the farmers market / bake sourdough bread and give it to all your friends / raise chickens and sheep outside city limits gay”.
The tweet has over 20,000 likes, nearly 3,000 retweets and over 500 comments.
If you spend any length of time on Grindr, you’ll probably have experienced the ghosting of Grindr.
It can be entirely frustrating especially if you’ve arranged a meet after spending hours on a conversation – and then nothing, nada, zilch. You’ve been blocked. Welcome to the world of ghosting.
These guys on Reddit spill the beans after one poster wrote about how much it “sucked” when someone he had been conversing with blocked him with no reason.
He wrote, “Boy does it suck when you vibe with someone on Grindr, and then a couple of hours later you looked back at the chat only to realize you were blocked. What similar story have you experienced
[totalpoll id=”126854″]
The responses came thick and fast – as you might expect.
One user revealed, “Met this boy and we really vibed. Had a great time together and spoke about meeting soon again. A couple of days later he blocks me on everything (had him on WhatsApp, snap etc). He just totally ghosted me. It really sucked because I liked him a lot.
“Couple months later I get this message from him how he is sorry and that he just didn’t know how to handle something like this. He wasn’t out yet and he didn’t know how to handle the feeling of liking someone genuinely”.
Another victim of ghosting shared, “I matched with a guy on Tinder a while back. It was quite a nice surprise because it had reached that point where I had swiped all the available people and the app was stagnating.
He messaged me first (which is rare) so I thought there was genuine interest. We really hit it off and we were having a rather nice, meaningful conversation. Lo and behold, two hours later he unmatched me.
I feel like people are just playing games on these apps. You have to take everything they say with a grain of salt. It’s better for me now just being off the dating apps altogether.
Another explained how you might be better off being blocked, “Boys are scared. Trolls are asshats. Just be thankful u didn’t have to waste any more time on them. Probs a catfish anyhow.”
“I had just been swiping for fun and was about to delete it and then I came across his profile. I was intrigued but didn’t think we would click but ultimately just said “wth” and swiped right and we matched and started chatting (which surprised me cos hardly anyone really chatted back even though you’ve matched). We chatted for a week and then decided to meet up. On my way to meet up I was so nervous that I almost flaked but so glad I didn’t.
“He’s the best guy ever! I love him to pieces. we clicked instantly and now I can’t wait to marry him”.
Explanation?
As a way of explaining why this might be happening, one commentor suggested that it could be a touch of narcissism, he wrote,
“I am ashamed to say I have done this in the past and I really do regret my actions, I am just one of those people who don’t know how to properly decline someone.
“the feeling that they are not the unwanted piece of crap they believe they are) I don’t know.
“In the past I have been on there, vibed with guys and realised I have bitten off way more than I can chew and told them I wasn’t interested in the first place maybe a little bit too late (you know, I was the type to say just making conversation in the bio, but if the right guy comes along type), and then blanked them when they repeatedly message me. I have never made promises. But I know some people will have done so and chicken out realising that it wasn’t really what they wanted and without telling the other person.
“Is it good? Hell no. But when you feel like you have let someone down the last thing you want to do is to confront the issue, at least for me it is anyway, and at the end of the day, both sides lose. But because it’s on the internet, with strangers, the moral burden really doesn’t sink in as much, which sucks because they don’t know who they could have upset.
“Either way I’m sorry you had to go through something like this, either you encountered a narcissist or just someone with cold feet. I wish you luck on your hunt though”.
A comment by the BBC press centre revealed, “The first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK has been a huge success for BBC Three with nearly 10 million requests on iPlayer and two-thirds of the audience 16-34.
“It is the most popular BBC Three entertainment programme since the channel moved online in 2016, has won critical acclaim, generated massive conversation online, become event television on BBC iPlayer and delivered a top ten single for The Frock Destroyers.
Green Lit for a second season
(C) BBC / World of Wonder – Photographer: Guy Levy
Having brought RuPaul’s Drag Race UK to British screens for the first time to critical acclaim, BBC Three has opened applications to find another set of sickening queens to compete in the Olympics of drag.
Silence! RuPaul has made her decision, The Vivienne, 29, from Liverpool, has taken the title of the UK’s first RuPaul’s Drag Race Superstar.
Having been crowned she said: “I’m made up, I’ve just won the first-ever season of Drag Race UK this is nuts. That crown is going to look gorgeous, I can see me there washing the dishes in it.”
(C) BBC – Photographer: Leigh Keily
All three of the final queens (Divina De Campo, Baga Chipz and The Vivienne) went into the final with three RuPeter badges each, so it was a level playing field.
At the beginning of the episode, The Vivienne said: “If you think I’ve gone through all these challenges to go home without a crown you can piss right off.”
(C) BBC / World of Wonder – Photographer: Guy Levy
U.S. Embassy photographer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
THEGAYUK conducted a flash poll of its Facebook audience to find that over a third of people, who follow THEGAYUK on that platform, said they’d vote for Boris Johnson on the back of his debate alongside Jeremy Corbyn.
Although Jeremy Corbyn was the overall preferred candidate for LGBT+ readers of THEGAYUK, over a third said that they’d vote for Conservative leader, Boris Johnson in the next general election.
Over 430 people took part in the flash poll, which offered readers just two options. Johnson Vs Corbyn.
When given a choice between just the two leaders and asked to base their decision solely on the candidate’s performance on the ITV leaders’ debate earlier this week, 66 per cent of people voted for Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, while 34 per cent would trump for Boris Johnson.
Around 88 per cent of THEGAYUK‘s Facebook followers identify as male, with 40 per cent of those being in the 25-34-year-old bracket. The majority of its audience lives in the nation’s capital, London, with Manchester as the next most popular city.
