And here we are at the final Friday in January. It seems as if it was only 10 days ago that we were still shaking off the vestages of 2020… oh, wait, we were!

It has been cold and damp all week. Sometimes so cold that there was the possibility of snow in the forecast. So far we have been spared a snowpocalypse, but it could still happen!

Meanwhile, we have the Friday Five. This week I bring you: one special story to bring a smile, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about the pandemic, five stories about the seditious traitors, five stories about deplorable people, and five videas (plus things I wrote and some notable obituaries).

This Week In News to Lighten Your Day:

Remember when Dolly Parton fully subverted the ‘dumb blonde’ cliché with her ’80s excess styling?.

Stories of the Week:

The Advocate, Plus Among 2021 GLAAD Media Award Nominees.

Charles Payne Furious That Wall Street Is Now ‘Whining’ Over GameStop Short – “They want to change the rules of the game now because the general public is making money after decades of the shorts crushing thousands of stocks into the dirt,” the Fox Business host said.

Dogs likely migrated to the Americas with humans over 15,000 years ago, study says.

The War on Professionalism.

Burial ground reveals Stone Age people wore clothing covered in elk teeth.

This Week in News for Queers and Allies:

Biden’s pro-LGBTQ executive order is his most popular according to new polling – Even most Republicans say they support Biden extending discrimination protections to LGBTQ people.

Trans student goes viral with amazing response to teacher who refused to use correct pronouns – The professor said her “convictions” prevent her from using trans people’s pronouns. Not even the school’s gay-straight alliance will help.

State of emergency declared in Puerto Rico after killings targeting women, transgender people.

Joe Biden Repeals Donald Trump’s Transgender Military Ban – The new president is also expected to reinstate a rule protecting transgender students’ right to use the bathroom that best aligns with their gender identity.

They lived a ‘double life’ for decades. Now, these gay elders are telling their stories – In a new exhibit, LGBTQ elders share what it was like to spend most of their lives in the closet.

This Week in the Pandemic:

The reason I qualify for a Covid-19 vaccine has nothing to do with the fact that I’m immunocompromised. That needs to change.

January has been the deadliest month for Covid-19 with nearly 80,000 lives lost so far in the US.

Oklahoma trying to return its $2m stockpile of hydroxychloroquine, Trump’s Malaria Drug.

Everyday activities are more dangerous now that new Covid-19 variants are circulating, expert says.

10 Covid-19 vaccine dos and don’ts – It’s an all-out sprint to get Americans vaccinated against the deadly novel coronavirus. As you prepare to get your shot, here are 10 actions experts suggest doing — and avoiding.

This Week in Seditious Traitors:

The Resistance hasn’t won yet. The war isn’t over – To keep and to ever improve our democracy takes constant work, constant resistance, and constant vigilance. But the work pays perpetual dividends.

Trumpism isn’t ‘history’: But our blindness to history could lead to its comeback.

It’s Time to Talk About Madison Cawthorn.

Dominion Files $1.3B Defamation Suit Against Giuliani.

Parkland Dad: Taylor Greene ‘Needs To Be Out’ Of Congress ‘Today’ – Fred Guttenberg is fed up with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene denying his daughter’s murder in the Parkland shooting but that’s only one of many reasons he’s demanding her immediate expulsion from Congress.

This Week in Deplorable People:

DHS Issues Nationwide Alert For Real Terrorist Threat – Homegrown Right Wing Extremists – How long did it take for Republicans to (falsely) label Black Lives Matter a terrorist organization? Let’s see how they like it from the DHS.

Fired Fox News political editor calls out ‘hype men in the media’ who helped Trump attempt to ‘steal an election’.

A few miles from Mar-a-Lago, white supremacists set up headquarters.

Here’s how right-wing media will lie about the Equality Act .

Man arrested with gun and 20 rounds of ammunition near US Capitol.

In Memoriam:

Joanne Rogers, Widow Of Fred Rogers, Dies At Age 92.

Mira Furlan Dead: ‘Babylon 5,’ ‘Lost’ Actress Dies at 65 .

Babylon 5 And Lost Star Mira Furlan Is Dead At 65.

Braves legend Hank Aaron dies at age 86, daughter says.

Hank Aaron remembered at funeral by Bill Clinton, Bud Selig, others.

Gregory Sierra, ‘Barney Miller’ and ‘Sanford and Son’ Actor, Dies at 83.

Larry King, Veteran TV and Radio Host, Dead at 87 – Award-winning TV and radio host who became a household name on CNN show Larry King Live.

Walter Bernstein, Celebrated Screenwriter, Is Dead at 101 – His movies included “Fail Safe,” “Paris Blues” and, perhaps most notably, “The Front,” based on his own experience of being blacklisted.

Cloris Leachman, Emmy and Oscar Winner, Dies at 94.

Remembering Cloris Leachman, an Oscar- and Emmy-Winning Actor of Stunning Range.

Cloris Leachman, Emmy and Oscar-Winning Actress, Dies at 94 .

Remembering Cloris Leachman, LGBTQ+ Icon and Ally.

Cicely Tyson, Iconic ‘Sounder’ and ‘The Help’ Actress, Dies at 96.

Cicely Tyson: An Actress and Civil-Rights Icon for the Ages.

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update 1/23/2021: Lord of the Rings isn’t a legal document, and other revelations.

Catching myself being a jerk in a dream.

That song isn’t the one I think it is, or catching up from December.

Tuesday Tidbits 1/26/2021: Let’s worry about the pandemic for a change.

A bit of rock (sugar), a lot of rye, some sliced citrus, and a bunch of spice.

What do you call a fourth wall that’s entirely inside the production, or, Let’s talk about WandaVision.

Videos!

Returning To Norms: Biden Rips Putin In Tough Phone Call, Immediately Releases Details:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Reddit’s GameStop Stock Boost & MLB’s Hall of Fame Drought | The Daily Social Distancing Show:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Republicans Try to Dismiss Trump’s Second Impeachment Trial: A Closer Look:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Can We Do a Monologue Without Mentioning You-Know-Who?:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

“We Seem To Not Get Tired Of Each Other” Colin Firth & Stanley Tucci On Co-Starring In “Supernova”:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)