3/29/2012 6:25 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

Mother of 9/11 Hero
My Son Was Gay
... And Tougher Than Carson Daly

0328-alice-hoagland-carson-daly-mark-bingham-getty-exThe mother of one of the Flight 93 heroes wants Carson Daly to know ... gay people ARE brave and tough ... and her son was living proof.

TMZ broke the story ... Daly joked on his L.A. radio show that gay people wouldn't have been able to take down a crazed pilot who freaked out on a recent JetBlue flight ... instead, they would have been more interested in going to a "floral convention."

Now, Alice Hoagland ... the mother of Mark Bingham ... has a message for the radio host ... saying, "Yes, my gay son was known in our family for bringing me flowers on my birthday and Mother’s Day.  He also was known for careening down the rugby pitch, and, on the morning of September 11, 2001, for charging unarmed down the aisle of a doomed Boeing 757 to face knife-wielding Islamist thugs in a hijacked cockpit."

She adds, "No one among his pick-up team of fellow passengers was asking 'Are you straight? Are you gay?' No one doubted that a guy who weighed 220 and stood 6’4” tall -- who could run over a charging opponent on the field, and ran with the bulls in Pamplona earlier that summer -- would be an asset to a desperate group trying to overcome a threat onboard an airliner."

"The world has its share of strong, heroic gay men. Gay men in sports uniforms and military uniforms have been winning America’s games and fighting America’s battles for a long time: quietly, humbly, and in the face of vicious bigotry."

"I hope you and I may have an opportunity to talk sometime. I prefer to believe you didn’t mean to offend. Good luck to you."

Alice Hoagland
Mother of Mark Bingham
California Golden Bears Rugby, University of California, Berkeley
San Francisco Fog Rugby Club
United Airlines Flight 93 Newark to San Francisco    9/11/2001

3/28/2012 2:20 PM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

Carson Daly
Gay People Wouldn't Have
Stopped Crazy JetBlue Pilot



Carson Daly does not believe gay people would have been able to restrain the pilot who freaked out on a recent JetBlue flight ... suggesting gays are simply not brave enough to handle dangerous situations.

It all went down on Daly's L.A. radio show this morning ... when he was talking about the flight and said, "Most of the people were on their way to some sort of security conference in Las Vegas ... it was like a bunch of dudes and well trained dudes ... thank god."

He laughingly continued, "With my luck, it would be like ... 'this is the flight going to [the gay pride parade] in San Francisco ... I mean, that would be my colleagues."

Then, changing his voice to sound like a gay stereotype, Carson said, "Uh, we're headed down to Vegas for the floral convention."

update_bar
3:10 PM PDT -- Carson has released a statement on Twitter ... saying, "This morning on my radio show I attempted to make fun of myself & offended others by mistake. I sincerely apologize."
We're Just Sayin'
3/16/2009 7:10 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

Carson Daly: Ya Big Dummy!

Here's former "TRL" host Carson Daly at some event in NYC on Thursday (left) -- and an animated ventriloquist mannequin from Sprint commercials (right).

Carson Daly and a dummy
One of these dummies was engaged to Tara Reid.

We're just sayin'.

Hot Vegas
1/10/2007 7:28 PM PST BY TMZ STAFF

Danny Masterson Donkey Punches Vegas

Sin City got knocked on its ass last night -- as former "That '70's Show" star Danny Masterson, who recently changed his stage name from DJ Donkey Punch to DJ Momjeans, took over the DJ booth at PURE nightclub.

While Masterson worked the booth, Carson Daly was working the floor. Our friends at spyonvegas.com caught the former MTV VJ moving in on a smokin' hot blonde. Maybe he just needed some extra nail polish.
6/19/2006 4:53 PM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

Using YouTube To Discover Tomorrow's Talent

Although YouTube has only been around since February of 2005, the site, specifically designed to allow users to watch and share videos worldwide through the Web, has made a significant impact. Now the site is being used for another purpose: an industry tool for discovering new talent.

It's clearly working.  NBC's Carson Daly recently signed 20 year-old Brooke Brodack, known as "Brookers" online, to an overall programming deal after she became one of the most popular videos on YouTube with her video "Crazed Numa Fan!!!!," viewed over 1.4 million times since October 2005.

Although Brookers may be one of the first talents "discovered" on YouTube, an article in today's LA Times indicates she won't be the last.

Could this pave the way for future TV and movie wannabes? It certainly becomes easier to break into the entertainment business with sites like YouTube, as opposed to trying to get a foot in the door the old fashioned way.


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