September 2006 Archives
Just finished reading a Q&A with Rosie O'Donnell in the new issue of TV Guide. I really like the bigger format don't you? (the magazine, not Rosie!) Besides, she has trimmed up a bit for her stint on "The View." Rosie says that before she started her talk show in the mid-90s, she had "a mini neck thing done" because the producers kept asking her, "What are we going to do about your neck?" They really meant, "your fat," Rosie tells the mag with her typical candor.
TV Guide's Mary Murphy asks Rosie how things are going at "The View" and Rosie says "It's been a great few weeks. Everyone was nervous - including me - and wondering how it would be. It is very very hard to come into an ensemble in the 10th season. But I think it's working."
Rosie admits that her wife, Kelli, was afraid her spouse would be overpowering on the show.
"I was told that 68 percent of the people said they thought I was going to be bossy. And Kelli said, 'They're right.' The reason I don't watch myself on things where I am being myself and not acting is that I find myself annoying. I find my voice grating. I think, 'I would not enjoy her if I were a fan."
After meeting Kate Clinton earlier this week and falling in love with her brilliant sense of humor, you'll probably be seeing a lot more about her on this blog. She is currently on her 25th anniversary tour "It's Come to This" but found the time to talk to PlanetOut and play "Who would you rather sleep with?"
Here are her answers:
Angelina Jolie or Jodie Foster?
Is there a Jodie Jolie? If not, my Angelina all the way. Or I could just watch her and Brad.
Bill Clinton or Brad Pitt?
Brad Pitt, because at least he supports gay marriage.
Arianna Huffington or Nancy Pelosi?
Arianna, if she'd wear the green taffeta number she wore once when I met her at a correspondents' dinner.
Jim McGreevey or Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Jim -- there's nothing dirtier than Catholic guilt, and Arnold has worn that poor Maria down to a nub.
Condoleezza Rice or Golda Meir?
Golda Meir, but only if she were played by Tovah Feldshuh.
Margaret Thatcher or Camilla Parker Bowles?
Camilla, why the long face? And who knows what else. So, Margaret -- she's slowed down a bit.
Ann Coulter or Osama Bin Laden?
Was it something I said?
Madonna or Melissa Etheridge?
Melissa. Mostly because we would just watch football together and laugh.
Eleanor Roosevelt or Amelia Earhart?
I think we're all butches, but OK -- Amelia. And then I'd ask her how she would do airport security.
Katherine Harris or Ann Coulter?
They deserve each other and I would not watch.
Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey was AWOL on last night's Letterman show where he had been slated to read the Top Ten List...about himself. Maybe he got wind of the list which were mock chapter titles of his book "The Confession."
10. "The Day I Got Caught Governing Myself"
9. "How to Pretend to Like Girls for 47 Years"
8. "From Schwarzenegger to Pataki: Governors I'd Like to Oil Up"
7. "Another Confession – I Can't Resist Entenmann's Pound Cake"
6. "At First I Just Thought I Was Bipartisan"
5. "The New Jersey Budget Crisis – What Would Judy Garland Do?"
4. "A Look at the Governor's Balls"
3. "Politicians Who Left a Bad Taste in My Mouth"
2. "How to Push Through a Bill – Or a Steve or a Larry …"
1. "Why I Don't Like Bush "
Emmy and Tony award winning actress Cynthia Nixon, beloved for her six seasons on "Sex in the City" as the deliciously witty Miranda, finally talks a bit in detail in New York magazine about falling in love with a woman. She didn't do the Ellen or Lance Bass thing with magazine covers announcing it etc. It's not like the media didn't try, but Nixon is just the low-key type.
"I feel: I feel like there was an enormous temperature spike, where I was on the front page of two daily papers, there was paparazzi outside my house. My girlfriend (Christine) had English press on her parents’ lawn. Every person she went to high school with got a phone call. They bought her yearbook. They almost put me on the cover of People magazine. And then it died. Because there wasn’t really anything to say. I can’t remember in what context they tell people this, but if someone is chasing you, stop running. And then they’ll stop chasing you.�
The magzine notes that Nixon has done something "perversely radical: She’s made her own coming-out story boring."
"I never felt like there was an unconscious part of me around that woke up or that came out of the closet; there wasn’t a struggle, there wasn’t an attempt to suppress. I met this woman, I fell in love with her, and I’m a public figure.�
Nixon told the magazine that someday, she says, she needs to sit down with Christine and watch a marathon of "Sex and the City," which her girlfriend has barely seen.
Tony Bennett knows how to throw an 80th birthday party! His new CD "Duets: An American Classic" pairs him up with 18 different superstars and some of them are gay! He croons with Elton John, George Michael and his great pal, k.d. Lang, and those are three of the best cuts on this wonderful disc.
I picked it up Wednesday and listened to it all the way home from work. It was "Lullaby Of Broadway" (with the Dixie Chicks) down Ventura Blvd., "Smile" (with Barbra Streisand) and "Put on a Happy Face" (with James Taylor) while waiting in line at the In & Out Burger; "Rags to Riches" (with Elton), "The Good Life" (with Billy Joel), "Cold, Cold Heart" (w/Tim McGraw) and "If I Ruled the World" (w/Celine Dion) on the 101 Freeway before taking Coldwater Canyon and being accompanied by Tony and Diane Krall singing "The Best is Yet to Come," then Stevie Wonder and Bennett on "For Once in My Life" followed by he and k.d. Lang doing "Because of You." His duet of "Just in Time" with Michael Buble was playing by the time I got to Sunset Blvd. and I found myself in such a good mood, the stress of the day all gone. 
The rest of the commute was highlighted by Bennett singing solo on his signature tune, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" before the final song on the disc, "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" with George Michael. Since you read more about George Michael having sex in public places than his career, it's easy to forget just what a terrific performer he is.
To read about the wave success Tony Bennett and other music legends are currently riding, read my story in today's LA Daily News!
It was rather unfortunate that his character ends up dying in surgery but it sure was terrific seeing Peter Paige on "Grey's Anatomy" tonight. He plays a patient with a brain tumor who, because of the location of the tumor, is compelled to speak his mind, with total honesty. at all times.
When Dr. McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey) leaves the room, for example, Peter turns to Meredith and asks if they are sleeping together. Then he says, "He's hot. I would totally have sex with him if I could." He later says to Christina (Sandra Oh); "If I had a boyfriend, i would not be as uptight as you are." And his last line was a killer: "I'm having surgery and only my fat sister Ruth is here with me."
Paige has been busy since "Queer as Folk" came to an end last year after five seasons on Showtime. His role as the flamboyant and effeminate Emmett Honeycutt hasn't typecast him at all judging from his very different performance on "Grey's." He also had a recurring role last season on the WB series "Related" and wrote, produced and starred in the indie film "Say Uncle" which screened at Outfest in 2005 and was recently released on DVD.
There was another gay moment on "Grey's" tonight and that involved Joe, the bartender at the watering hole near the hospital where everyone goes to decompress or break-up or hook-up or throw-up. Addison, Dr. McDreamy's wife, is on a bender and asks Joe if he thinks she's hot. He says: "You're attractive, but have a boyfriend."
Who knew?
It's been such a fun and rewarding month with all the cool people I've met and interviewed. And the very funny and talented Alec Mapa belongs right near the top of that list. Alec, who appeared in the film "Connie and Carla" and the recently-axed sitcom "Half & Half," is difficult to interview because you are laughing so hard that you can't type. We happened to meet just by chance at The Abbey earlier this year and had a good gab then and he introduced his husband, Jamison Hebert, to my friends and I.
So when Frontiers magazine asked me to do a cover story on Alec and his one-man stage show that runs this weekend, I jumped at the chance! And so, in the shameless self-promoting whore department, here is a link to that story which hit the streets today. And here are some highlights from our talk, which this time took place on the phone:
On sex:
“I think gay Asian guys are really kind of desexualized, there’s no kind of sexual image of them, we tend to be very asexual. In all of my [stand-up] shows, I’m getting laid. That’s a really important part of my persona. If you don’t hear your own story being told, you tend to think your story doesn’t matter, that your story isn’t valid.�
On meeting Hebert, whom he has been with for nearly five years:
“I thought he was in high school so I stayed away from him,� Mapa, 41, recalls. “But it turned out he was 24, had just graduated from Cal State Fullerton, and lived with his grandma. I was like, ‘You had me at grandma.’�
On his pre-Hebert dating life:
“Everybody has that one relationship that makes them cry out, ‘What was I thinking?’ I’ve had 37. And on paper, he was none of the things I considered marriage material. I was supposed to end up with a studio executive with a coke problem and a home in Santa Barbara. That’s my history.�
On being a gay actor:
“I really didn’t come out professionally, but you’d have to be deaf, dumb, and blind to not know I’m gay,� he says. “Then I discovered that it wouldn’t make a difference. What? I was going to lose out on all the great roles for Asian males under five-foot-five? The minute I came out it was the first authentic thing I had to offer, the only authentic voice I had.
The night finally arrived: Martina Navratilova was honored Tuesday evening at the Directors Guild Theater on Siunset Boulevard with the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund's 14th Annual Liberty Award.
Martina took the stage after a nice video of career highlights and joked about some of her past haircuts. She told the crowd how she left her native Czechslovakia as a teenager to escape the communist rule and "so I could live a free life as a lesbian" and added that both she and Lambda "like to fight for the underdog and most of the time, we win!"
Navratilova said she is confident that same-gender marriage and other LGBT equal rights will come and believes it will happen through such family issues as second-parent adoptions. She also touted the Rainbow Card, the credit card she founded after speaking at the 1993 March on Washington in which the proceeds to to such causes as HIV/AIDS and breast cancer.
Martina concluded her remarks by saying, "My work is not done, and neither is yours."
My friend Beth and I attended and we both met Martina, chatted a bit, had some photos taken with the legend then settled in for a great evening. Also gabbed with the evening' host, comedienne Kate Clinton (pictured, below) who is so damned smart, funny and insightful.
"She is a very logical, plain-spoken person who lived under communist rule. She knows what it's like not to have rights and she doesn't want it to happen here," Clinton told me. "It's wonderful when a leader like Martina leads and is someone who is both plain-spoken and brilliant."
Clinton was a big hit with the crowd and had some real zingers for the current administration: "Ann Richards dies and Dick Cheney lives....there is no justice!" She also told a funny story of when she was hanging out with Martina in Provincetown, Mass., when one of their friends challenged Martina to a watermelon seed spitting contest. She said Navratilova, ever the competitor, actually stuck a finger in the air to check the wind before spitting her seed.
I watched Martina when Clinton was onstage and she was laughing her head off. Lambda folks told me Martina had especially asked for Clinton to be the host.
Clinton told me, "When Martina asks you to do something , you best be there." Clinton says she is happy Navratilova has retired again "so we can actually see her now!"
When Martina took the stage to accept her award, her first words were: "Kate, you are priceless."
Just finished reading a really fascinating interview with Ian McKellen on AfterElton.com that is just terrific and written by Michael Jensen who I got to hang out with a bit at the NLGJA conference in Miami a few weeks back. Michael really goes in-depth with one of our most prominently gay actors who in recent years has had key roles in the blockbuster franchises "Lord of the Rings" and "X-Men." He was also nominated for a best actor Oscar for his memorable performance in "Gods and Monsters."
Here are some exceprts from what is a lengthy and insightful interview:
On being a famously out actor:
It was surprising thing to me that when I came out, I was suddenly sought out by the media at large to be the representative of many millions of other people. And I never pretended that was the perfect thing for me or anyone else to be thought of [as the representative of millions]. I'm not. I just happen to have a public profile which gives my views more importance than they deserve.
On Brokeback Mountain:
Had Brokeback Mountain been named Best Picture of the year, I don't think that would've meant Hollywood was suddenly at ease with the idea there are gay people in the world. Hollywood is very ill at ease with the idea that there might be gay people in their midst. Nobody in their right mind would look to Hollywood to advance society in any way. Hollywood deals with fantasy and not with the real world at all.
On actors being out:
Are there any specific obstacles which disadvantage gay actors as opposed to gay teachers or gay firemen? I'm not sure that there are. There has been many an actor picking up the Tony in New York who thanked their same-gender partner from the stage. Yet on the other side of the continent in Hollywood, it's not thought to be appropriate to come out. Now, who thinks it's not appropriate is the question you're really asking. It might well be the individual to a certain extent. 
I'm sure the advice to young actors is 'Don't come out, [or] you'll never be a young film star playing romantic roles.' How many actors are like that at any one time? A half-dozen? It's not the greatest imposition in the world to say you cannot be a Hollywood romantic lead in his 20s if it's known you are gay. Get another job. Became a character actor like me. Become a director. Become a screenwriter. Become an agent. A designer. Become a producer. There are plenty of openly gay people in all of those jobs. What's so enduring about being the next Brad Pitt?
I've never been welcomed with anything but open arms in Hollywood. When I held hands with my boyfriend at the Oscars, nobody seemed to turn a hair. I think I had in my pocket at the time my Oscar acceptance speech saying I was proud though a little bit disappointed to be the first openly gay actor who'd ever won an Oscar. I didn't get to make that speech because it was the year Hollywood discovered there were black people in the world. You've got to laugh, really. The poor actor who feels he is never going to be a leading romantic actor in his youth, go do it somewhere else. Go do it on Broadway.
For the complete interview, click HERE and enjoy!
Now that it has completed a tour of the film festival curcuit which included Tribeca and Berlin, my favorite movie from last summer's Outfest is being released on DVD. "Vacationland," the drama about two high school buddies who fall in love and lust and actually don't freak out about it, is being distributed by Water Bear Films with a release date of Oct. 31.
The movie stars the very talented Gregory J. Lucas and Brad Hallowell as the main characters. Chatted with Gregory over the summer when I bumped into him at The Abbey. Click here for that posting. Meanwhile, Brad and I, after swapping emails for a few weeks, finally had a nice phone conversation this afternoon while he was vacationing in Cape Cod.
While Gregory has had several acting credits and a full plate of future projects, Brad is something of an ambivilant leading man. He had never been in a movie or done any kind of acting prior to "Vacationland" which I found stunning because his performance is so natural.
The way it all happened was that Brad, who is from Bangor, Maine, where the film is set, was discovered by director Todd Verrow while he was singing "Me and Bobby McGee" with a female friend at a karaoke bar there when Brad was back for the holidays.
Todd handed him a business card and Brad soon found himself auditioning in New York even though "I hadn't done a thing and had zero aspirations to be an actor." The first actor he auditioned with got cold feet when it came to the gay love scenes so Brad, who is bisexual, thought his chances were doomed. But he got a second chance, this time with Gregory J. Lucas and their chemistry was palpable. Verrow said, "You are the two guys!"
So how did this novice pull off a convincing performance in a movie that required him to be in virtually every scene?
"He gave me the script five months prior to shooting and I'd read it and changed lines to how I would talk. I sort of pretended it was my real life. Todd is very quiet when he's behind the camera so. it'ss easy to lose yourself in the scene," Brad says. "A lot of it was just me being me."
The cast worked 8-12 hours a day Monday through Friday for five weeks shooting the movie, which had a budget of less than $5,000. Hallowell knew the rest of the main cast, most of them seasoned pros, was worried about whether Hallowel woiuld be able to carry the film.l
He did manage to do so and garner some solid reviews. But it may be some time before we see Hallowell in another movie. He loves living in Maine near his family and friends and working at a university in various support staff capacities.
"I had always dreamed that I would one day be in a a movie but I never pursued it," he says. "I can now say I achieved that goal which basically fell in my lap. If I had the opportunity to make another film I would and might move to LA in a few years. But I'm in no rush to get out of Maine. I like it here."
Brad tells me the DVD includes some deleted scenes but probabvly not any more love scenes since virtually all of them made it iinto the final cut. For more information about this great film and details on how to pre-order, clicik onto: TLA Video
I know it seems like i'm being a self-promoting whore and that's because I AM. Here is a link to my profile of Martina Navratilova that ran in today's Daily News:
And just for you blog readers, here is the original ending to the story which, unfortunately, got axed due to space reasons:
Of her on-court battles, Navratilova has trouble coming up with her top three wins but she has no problem remembering three excruciating losses.
There was that last Wimbledon final against Martinez ("I was too overcome by the situation"), her only loss of her historic 1983 season (86-1) to Kathleen Horvath in the fourth round of the French Open, and her stunning defeat to Helena Sukova at the 1984 Australian Open when she was just two matches away from winning a calendar year grand slam.
"Those are the three matches I would play over again," she said.
But that mixed doubles win just over two weeks ago at the U.S. Open, that one she played just right.
"I did get tickled when I’d hear these people say how much I inspired them. They’d say, ‘You give us hope!’ That’s what kept me going."
I will be attending the Lambda Awards tonight so hopefully will get some face time with Miss Nvaratilova and will no doubt gush about it in a post tomorrow morning.
Remember Miss Cleo? She's the former infomercial psychic with the thick Jamaican accent who was a staple of late-night television from the late 90s through 2002. She decided to come out publicly as a lesbian in the Oct. 10 issue of The Advocate. And lucky me, the magazine assigned me to interview her for the story. I urge everyone to go out and buy a newstand copy of the magazine (Ex-New Jersey Guv Jim McGreevey and his new love are on the cover) or check out an excerpt at: http://www.advocate.com/ (Click onto "Current newstand issue")
But for readers of "Out in Hollywood," here are some selected quotes from my piece:
She was inspired to finally come out publicly by a teenaged godson:
"He and I started talking when he was concerned about coming out. He was 16. When he made the decision, I told him I’d be there to support him 100 percent, and he embraced (coming out) wholeheartedly. It’s a different vibe than when I was his age, being raised Catholic in an all-girl boarding school. But he was afraid of nothing and I thought, ‘I can’t be a hypocrite.’ This boy is going to force me to put my money where my mouth is."
While she is sure it will be quite liberating, she is coming out publicly with some trepidation:
"The reason it’s scary is because in my personal experience, black cultures throughout the world have a more difficult time accepting homosexuality in their family. I have family members who will be shocked, they don’t know. I have some family members who are very, very close to me and they do know. But I’ve been afraid of the wrath,
of the exiling. When I came out to a number of friends in the late 80s, I had a number of friends who turned their back on me and walked away. That was really intense. I really believed they were my friends."
Her first girlfriend was in high school:
"She had blonde hair and blue eyes and was on the swim team. I thought she was the best thing since sliced bread. In the last months of our senior year, we were found out by her father and she was sent to a college out of state. I was heartbroken."
Now 44 and a single mother of two daughters, she wonders about public reaction to her coming out. She still gets a great deal of affection from fans who remember her from the infomercials:
"If I'm standing in line somewhere and I'm talking, someone will whip their head their head around and look at me. People give me mad love sweetheart. They’ll say, "Do you see anything? Where do we find you? When are you coming back? We miss you!’ I get a lot of love."
I feel a little bit like I'm cheating on my girl crush, Rosario Dawson, but I gotta rave about another one of the women I love: Sarah Paulson of NBC's new show "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." I first saw her in the Renee Zellweger-Ewan McGregor spoof of 50s sex comedies,"Down With Love," and was immediately smitten - perhaps in the same way Rosie O. is smitten with Tommy Cruise.
What I did not know until the Tony Awards last year was that Paulson is a lesbian and in a committed relationship with the mega-talented Cherry Jones who reprises her Tony-winning role in "Doubt" in Los Angeles this fall. Paulson gave Jones a huge smooch on the lips before her partner took the stage to accept her second award for best actress in a Broadway play. 
Paulson, 31, made her off-Broadway debut at 12 in a production of "Amerlia Agai. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts then made her Broadway debut in the production of Wendy Wasserstein's Tony Award-winning play "The Sisters Rosensweig" in 1993.
She landed her first leading TV role in the short-lived CBS supernatural drama "American Gothic" which had a cult following then starred in another short-lived television gem, "Leap of Faith" before landing a role in the popular Showtime series "Deadwood." In features, she played played Diane Keaton's lesbian daughter in "The Other Sister" as well as in the Mel Gibson comedy "What Womern Want," and co-starred with Jones in the indie film "Swimmers."
On "Studio 60" plays Harriet, a Christian woman open-minded, self-confidant, and funny, she’s strong in her faith, but openly rejects the bigotry and extremism espoused by Christian fundamentalists.
The terrific Website AfterEllen.com has named Paulson as one of the 10 Most Appealing Women on TV. Check out their complete list which also includes Rosie and Christina Oh, among others.
Sunday night is my designated night of TV, the night that I'm home and settled in. Tonight, I watched "The Amazing Race" on CBS then "Desperate Housewives" and "Brothers & Sisters" on ABC. I enjoyed them all but what I liked best was this: I saw people like ME on the screen...and I wasn't watching cable. No, not Hispanics, smart-asses! Gay people!
Just a few weeks after finishing another season of "Big Brother," I swore off reality TV except for any show that features Mario Lopez dancing. But, checked out "Amazing Race" and it will be required viewing. It is great! And what is really great is that among the teams competing are gay couple Tom and Terry and a dad and his lesbian daughter (I think they're names are Duke and Lauren, not positive). As an added eye candy bonus, there are two handsome straight guys called "the models" also in the mix. They say "dude" a lot.
Then on to "Housewives" which didn't have any gay content but creator Marc Cherry himself (we're likethis) told me last week that gay teen Andrew will return in episode three. So, I'll stay tuned even if they have hatched a murder mystery that seems to resemble the plot from season one and the mother of Tom's illegitimate child is already on my very, very last nerve. Maybe Cherry will write her off soon. May I suggest a hit and run?
Most promising is the character of Kevin, a cute and gay lawyer on "Brothers & Sisters." Portrayed by Matthew Rhys, Andrew may be a workaholic who doesn't have time for a boyfriend, but he is comfortable with who he is and equally close to his liberal mom (Sally Field) and his conversative, Ann Coulterish sister (Calista Flockhart) whose high media profile results in Andrew being repeatdly asked to join the Log Cabin Republicans. I liked this show, despite some tepid reviews. And, as any gay man who has seen "Steel Magnolias" a gazillion times, I'm damned happy to see Sally ("I'm fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!") Field in anything.
If you flip all the way back to page 149 of the new issue of "People' magazine and look at the right page facing a tacky Geico ad, you will find a rare interview with screen legend Elizabeth Taylor written by Jess Cagle. Excuse me, but Hollywood royalty deserves better placement than that. I remember a time when any Taylor interview would have warranted the entire cover. Sure, times change and new stars emerge, but Taylor is a living icon who still has plenty of interesting things to say at the age of 74. She remains a staunch AIDS activist and oversees a wildly successful jewelry and perfume business empire.
Instead, we get a cover of Anna Nicole Smith and her late son, Danny, an upper right corner picture of Clay Aiken with an alleged "exclusive" that essentially had the same info as his GMA interview with Diane Sawyer! And here's the real kicker: in the bottom right corner is a picture of a bony Kate Bosworth with the headline "Shockingly Thin." Aaaarg! I'm so bored with the stories about too skinny celebs. I say to all of them: "Have a milkshake! Grab a burger! Get a life!" Anyway, I've posted this 1959 picture of Dame Elizabeth Taylor so some of these pin-thin girls can see what a real star looked like in her physical prime. I may be as gay as the day is long, but I do not think it gets any better than that.
So, to this skinny Nicole Richie/Kate Bosworth/Mary-Kate Olsen crowd, take off your oversized sunglasses for a minute and read on: Elizabeth Taylor was not only beautiful decade after decade, she also won two Academy Awards (five nominations) and starred in such classics as "National Velvet," "Father of the Bride," "A Place in the Sun," "Giant," "Raintree County," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" "Suddenly Last Summer," and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?" Sure, she had seven husbands but, hey, only two in the past 30 years. She also raised four children to whom she seems close. And for the last 20 years, when she wasn't receiving such tributes as the Kennedy Center Honors, the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, an honorary Oscar for humanitarian work and being bestowed the title of Dame by the Queen of England, Taylor has been on the front lines speaking out about AIDS, from treatment to prevention to research. In the "People" article, Cagle describes her as trembling with outrage when talking about the disease: "People have become so lethargic. Teenagers mainly - they just don't believe it can happen to them." She remains a dedicated activist who is campaigning for stem-cell research and recently funded a $500,000 HIV/AIDS care unti in New Orleans.
This is a REAL star and interesting human being of the kind that none of these personalities that dominate the magazine covers today will ever be (except maybe Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron). And what a friend to the gay community. Taylor was famously close to closeted actors Montgomery Clift, James Dean and Rock Hudson, among others. In closing (this got long!), Elizabeth Taylor Hilton Wilding Todd Fisher Burton Burton Warner Fortensky hasn't been a saint: she broke up some marriages, ate too much, drank too much, and spent too much. But she's never stopped growing, never stopped getting wiser, and never stopped giving.
What a dame...
As predicted, Rosie O'Donnell hasn't been shy during her first few weeks as a co-host of "The View" going so far as to say that Oprah Winfrey "might be a little gay." She made the comment after a clip of Oprah and best friend Gayle King from their cross-country trip was shown. The two had declared in a recent issue of "O Magazine" that they are not gay.
“I think that’s very typical of gay relationships — not saying they’re gay,� Rosie said. Then, calling Winfrey "Opie" as if she were actually there in the studio, she added: “You might be a little bit gay. You’re just not doing it.�
I'm pretty surprised that Rosie, who replaced Meradeth Viera as moderator on the show, would not have more respect for Oprah and Gayle. As a high-profile lesbian with a daily platform, she's should have better sense than to make those kind of remarks - especially since Oprah and Gayle felt they had to come out and say they're not gay.
Co-host and producer Barbara Walters was not pleased and told the New York Times: “Rosie’s opinions are her own. They’re very strong. And I don’t mind opinions. But I don’t want us to be bashing anybody. We’ve talked about that, and Rosie is very conscious of it.�
For the complete NY Times article, click HERE.
I'll have to admit upfront that I didn't see it but in surfing around this morning, it seems that a lot of folks are pleased with the way "The Office" handled the episode "Gay Witch Hunt" last night. The show's gay paper supply accountant (portrayed by Oscar Nunez) was unintentionally outed on the episode. As a way of showing their acceptance, the characters played by Steve Carell and Raimm Wilson kissed him on the lips!
Check out a clip by clicking HERE.
And here is a snjippet of a review posted on AfterElton.com: "Humor often allows touchy subjects to be addressed in ways that get past viewers' protective walls. Last night's episode probably did more to educate viewers on why the use of the word 'fag' is inappropriate than a year's worth of well-intentioned public service announcements could ever do. But "The Office" went one better. Oscar was never the butt of the show's jokes—that was usually his ignorant, homophobic co-workers who think gay people wear dresses, who giggle uncontrollably at the thought someone is gay, or gullibly believe that 'gaydar' is a product to be ordered online."
Since Oscar (the actor and the character have the same first name) is one of only slightly more than a handful of gay characters on a broadcast network show this fall, it will be interesting to see how is character is handled in future episodes.
Singer Clay Aiken has a new CD out this week but what is getting the most attention is the speculation over whether or not he is gay. My policy is to not join in on this speculation. I think we should all respect people, famous or not, and let them decide when they are going to come out.
But since Clay did talk to Diane Sawyer about the topic today on "Good Morning America," I wanted to share his thoughts on the topic:
On the speculation about his sexuality: I've gotten to a point now where I, A., am tired of trying, and B., I feel it's kind of invasive, you know? What I do in my private life is nobody's business anymore."
Since his 2003 when he was the runner-up on "Idol," Aiken says people have assumed they have the right to ask, "Is Clay Aiken gay?"
"It's one thing to try to be open and talk to people and try to share as much as I can and, and of course I want to," he says. "But at some point it becomes just really rude, you know?"
Aiken says he doesn't understand the public's curiosity or Sawyer's: "I don't understand why it's any of your business," he tells the blonde newswoman. "I don't think you're rude because I figure, you know, people have a job to do."
"I'm not spending my time with this anymore," he adds. "This is a waste of my time."
Former New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey, now openly gay, has been all over the airwaves this week, from "Oprah" to "The Today Show" hawking his new memoir "The Confession."
I've decided that next time I see him on the airwaves, I'm changing the channel because he's already turning my stomach a little.
Living in the closet sucks and I'm for anyone coming out, whether they are in public life or not. But with McGreevey, who dramatically announced on national television in Aug. 2004 that he is a "gay American," is now talking all about being "authentic." But would he be so "authentic" now if his former lover, who, McGreevey had hired for a position in his administration that he was not qualified for, not threatened to file a sexual harassment suit against the then-governor?
A strong Irish Catholic, McGreevey, 49, has been talking about how terrible life in the closet was but admits that had he not had to come clean about the blackmailing lover, he would have stayed in that closet and stayed in the Governor's mansion. So, ambition trumped authenticity.
This is not some young kid afraid of telling his parents or friends for fear of rejection. This is a man then in his mid-40s, married with children, who was living a very public lie and was planning to continue doing so. As governor, he was having sex in alleys and other seedy places and even had sex with the lover he had appointed to a state homeland security post while his wife was still in the hospital after giving birth to their child!
McGreevey was also opposed to gay marriage while he was in office but said on "Oprah" that he is now supporting it quite openly. He did, however, sign one of the nation's first civil unions bills so at least he wasn't totally self-loathing while in office.
His book is already a best-seller (number seven on Amazon.com as of Thursday) and the "Oprah" segment got huge ratings. I just hope that when a true gay American hero like Martina Navratilova writes another memoir, it gets this kind of attention. Talk about authentic!
There are many people who are wondering what the heck happened to Lucas Jones on "General Hospital," the gay son of Bobbi Spencer and Tony Jones. It was just this spring that Lucas came out to his friends and parents. His friends were cool with it but Bobbi's first instinct was to get him counseling. Tony easily accepted his son's sexuality.
"Bobbi was not homophobic, but it wasn't an easy situation," longtime "GH" writer Dave Goldschmid told me this week. "It was always clear that she loved him and he loved her."
So, why would Lucas go through all the trouble of coming out only to disappear from the show?
Goldschmid, who I met Wednesday at the Writer's Guild of America rally, said actor Ben Hogestyn (pictured, right), left for a full-time gig on "Bold and the Beautiful." Goldschmid was a recurring character but not on contract to "GH" which enabled him to make the leap.
"The response to the Lucas storyline was heartwarmingly positive," Goldschmid said. "We thought we'd get some people against it but we got a lot out of it. It was cool and interesting. If it's dramatic, we will consider doing it!"
The role of Lucas Jones was originated by Ryan Carnes (pictured, left), who has a recurring role as the boyfriend of Andrew Van De Kamp. Carnes, who also starred in the independent gay hit "Eating Out," left the show before Lucas came out but his reps denied that it had anything to do with his character being gay.
Goldschmid told me that with the sudden departure of Hogestyn stopped the story in its tracks and they are still figuring out what to do with the character which is expected to be recast as some point. Right now, the writers are focused on the November return of Genie Francis as Laura Weber Baldwin Spencer - the love of Luke Spencer's life.
So after ambushing Marc Cherry at a WGA rally Wedesday, I'm driving on the 101 to meet co-workers for lunch when my cell rings: It's Martina Navratilova! Holy *@%#! I say to her, "Martina, hi. So great to hear from you. Uh, I'm on the freeway right now." She says, "Oh, that's not good. Want to call me back?" About 10 minutes later, I do. We have a great talk for a profile that will run in the Daily News next week.
I couldn't wait to share just a few of her comments with you until then but remember, this is just an appetizer:
Of her mixed doubles win at the US Open two Saturdays ago with Bob Bryan she says: "At this age (50 next month), I have no right to play tennis like I did."
On same-sex marriage: "I call it same-gender marriage because people immediately think of sex. It's about love, it's about caring, understanding and respecting one another and being willing to die for one another. I'm obviously a strong advocate for same-gender marriage and will keep fighting for that."
On LGBT rights: "We can't be ignored anymore. In the current administration, I've never heard (Pres. Bush) say the word lesbian and he can't even say the word homosexual."
Anyway, Martina will be in Los Angeles next week to receive an award from Lambda Legal "for a lifetime of courage, integrity and commitment to the LGBT community."
Of the Lambda honor Martina says: "For me, it's not about equal rights for lesbians but for human beings. I've been fighting that battle for a long time."
I'll post the full article on this great lady next week! Look for it!
Ran into "Desperate Housewives" creator and head writer Marc Cherry(pictured, right) this morning at a rally being held by the Writers Guild of America at Pan Pacific Park. He was there in support of some serious issues but couldn't have been nicer when I badgered him afterward for some info about what is going to become of gay teen Andrew Van De Kamp (Shawn Pyfrom, below) whose looney tunes mom Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross) dumped him off on the side of a highway late last season then checked herself into the nuthouse.
"Andrew will be back in the third episode with an interesting backstory of what he did in the time he was away from home," Cherry said. "I''ve always been a little surprised that, to young people, Andrew is something of a role model which is a little appalling to me because he's something of a sociopath!"
Bree has been less-than-enthused about her son being gay - something he has delighted in torturing her with. Her reaction when Andrew came out to her in season one was "I'd still love you even if you were a murderer" was from Cherry's own life!) But Cherry expects mother and son to reach some new level of understanding and Andrew is expected to move back into the family home on Wisteria Lane.
It's a good thing Andrew is returning to the "Housewives" fold because according to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) annual study released last month, he along with Dr. Kerry Weaver on the long-running “ER� on NBC, are the only regular gay or lesbian character on a returning broadcast network show this fall other than a closeted accountant named Oscar on NBC’s “The Office.�
Of the new network shows, the ABC drama “Brothers & Sisters� features a gay man as a supporting character, the CBS comedy “The Class� has one of the only gay leading characters on any show, the ABC comedy “Help Me Help You� (pictured, right) features a closeted gay man, and MyNetworkTV’s “Fashion House� has two gay supporting characters.
"It's always a struggle," said Cherry, who didn't tell ABC that Andrew would turn out to be gay until after "Housewives" was established as a break-out hit. "There are ebbs and flows and hopefully this is just a slight dip."
Was surfing through some sites tonight and just came across this quote posted on PerezHilton.com from actor Rupert Everett who seems to be feeling really sorry for himself these days:
"Unfortunately, I am single. But I'm too exhausted for anything else and being gay is a young man's game. Now no one wants me. Being gay and being a woman has one big thing in common, which is that we both become invisible after the age of 42. Who wants a gay 50-year-old? No one, let me tell you. I could set myself on fire in a gay bar, and people would just light their cigarettes from me. I don't want to be carried out of a club wearing a tie-dye T-shirt and a cap on the wrong way round when I'm 70, but I would like to settle down a bit. Maybe with a partner."
Well, I guess it's good to know that famous, handsome movie stars have some of the same problems as the rest of us!
It's not exactly a robust time at the box office, not unusal for September. But some movies with gay characters are still selling tickets at the multiplex and here is a round-up of those:
"Little Miss Sunshine," the indie hit which features Steve Carell taking a road trip to a beauty contest with his sister's dysfunctional family, finished in eighth place with a gross of $3.3 million. After nearly two months in theaters, the film has slowly ammassed a cumulative gross of $46.3 million.
Dropping out of the top 10 for the first time in six weeks was the Will Ferrell NASCAR-themed comedy "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" which finished in 13th place with a weekend gross of $1.9 million. "Talladega" features "Ali G" star Sacha Baron Cohen as a gay race car driver from France who becomes champ, dethroning Ferrell's character. The movie has grossed a terrific $145 million to date, more than such widely-hyped summer releases as "Mission Impossible III" and "Poseidon."
Continuing to lose steam after nearly three months in theaters is "The Devil Wears Prada" with Meryl Streep in the role of a lifetime as the fashion magazine editor from hell, Anne Hathaway as her frazzled assistant, and Stanley Tucci as her loyal, and gay, employee. "Prada" took 26th place with a weekend total of $337,521 and an overall gross of $123.2 to date.
In limited release, Sundance winner "Quinceanera" finished in 40th place as it plays in 94 theaters. It had a weekend gross of $97,063 and has earned $1.4 million to date. The raucous comedy "Another Gay Movie" remains in 19 theaters and grossed $31,581 Friday through Sunday and has a cumulative gross of $580,369.
Some actors, including Tom Cruise, have sued when a publication says they are gay. Not "Star Wars" actor Hayden Christensen whose sexuality has been much speculated about. When asked by Vman magazine why there is so much talk about whether he dates men or women, Christensen's answer was quite surprising: "To be honest, I think it's because I encourage it."
Christensen, so good in "Shattered Glass" and "Life as a House," added the following: "It's fun, entertaining, and a bit of a joke. Because, who cares what people think? And because I think it's sort of cool. You see pictures of Bowie wearing eyeliner and looking a little effeminate—to me masculinity is the ability to flirt with the effeminate. I will do things that are a little less masculine. There's plenty of rumors about every actor everywhere being gay. When people catch a picture of Sienna [Miller] and me, they can speculate, and I don't do anything to dismiss the speculations because rumors are more fun than reality. The less people know about you as you, the more they believe you as a character. And I guess I was sort of setting myself up with Star Wars, as far as people not accepting me as other things, so I made a point of not doing much press, not letting people know much, just because it helps me as an actor. The people I actually relate to know what I am. I think eventually people will clue in because there's less I will be able to keep private, but I've been pretty good at it so far. So if they want to speculate that I'm gay, let them. Honestly, I enjoy it more when people speculate."
If you caught the series premiere of "The Class" Monday, you would have seen that the new CBS sitcom has one of the few gay characters (as a lead character) on network television. He's Kyle Lando, played by straight actor Sean Maguire. The sweet-natured and cultured is a teacher who is one of the eight people reunited when one of their third-grade classmates (Jason Ritter) throws a party to mark the day he met his fiancee, which was the first day of first grade.
Maguire told AfterElton.com this week that he is grateful for the opportunity to add some much-needed diversity to the fall lineup. “I think it's important to see that kind of diversity,� he says Maguire. “You don't have to be gay or black or whatever minority to appreciate seeing a character on TV who's that minority. It's nice to see the real world reflected in what we watch for entertainment.�Maguire starred in the three-year run of UPN's Eve as Donovan Brink. According to the actor, he performed that character with tha idea that he might actually be gay but the show limited him Brink to being, at best, just metrosexual.
And, get this, Kyle actually has a stable relationship with boyfriend Aaron (Cristián de la Fuente): something that took Will Truman on "Will & Grace" more than seven seasons to do.
I'll give you even more reasons to watch this show, which has received mostly strong reviews from crtiics: The very appealing (and straight) Ritter - who played gay in the indie film "Happy Endings" last year with a great kissing scene - and the presence of openly gay performer Sam Harris, one of the best singers in show business. Harris won the male vocalist competition more than two decades on the very first season of "Star Search" and looks even more handsome now.
Ironically, Harris plays a "straight" man who is married to the woman who has her heart broken by Kyle in high school. Harris' character, Perry Pearl, is immaculately dressed and fits a lot of gay stereotypes which suggests he might be in some deep denial but we'll have to see how it plays out. Harris (pictured, left) says Perry defies expectations about what is expected behavior for gay and straight men. “It's nice to have this presence on TV, but you have to ask what they are saying about gay people when you see it.�
Whenever I hear the talented Megan Mullally speak in her real voice, it makes me wish she really talked just like her delicious comic creation, "Karen Walker," on "Will & Grace," who was far more squeaky vocally. But hey, time marches on and Mullally, fresh off her second Emmy win, has entered the world of daytime television with her new talker-variety series "The Megan Mullally Show."
The seed for her to join the world of Ellen and Oprah came a few years back when she subbed for David Letterman. "I doubt people could take five hours a week of Karen's voice - maybe I'm wrong but - but I think I may be doing a public service by not doing Karen's voice," Mullally told OK Magazine this week.
But she does miss doing "Will & Grace" which ended its eight-year run last spring. "I'm not a very weepy person but I was bursting into tears at the weirdest times because if the whole 'Will & Grace' grieving process. A lot olf us were. It's just a testament to what a great time we had."
So what about a reunion show down the road?
"I'd be fun," she told OK. "I think there would be a chance to do something like that. Unfortunately, I will age in real life whereas Karen is not supposed to age. So, we'd have to employ some kind of prosthetics!
Good luck with the show Megan! I just hope you'll do the Karen voice every once in awhile, especially if a star comes out in a bizarre outfit or something: "What's that? What's going on here honey?"
Got to attend The 14th Annual Advanta World Team Tennis Smash Hits fundraising event Thursday night which was, as always, hosted by great buds Elton John and Billie Jean King - and more than $350,000 was raised to fight HIV and AIDS in Orange County and around the world. The event at the Bren Center in Irvine included a live auction of such great items as a trip to Wimbledon or the U.S. Open as well as three tennis matches.
Billie Jean was upbeat but reminded people to be aware of the bigger picture: "We need to get young people in high school and Jr. High to realize that AIDS has not gone away...we've got to make a difference and make sure children aren't born with AIDS."
Photo Copyright @ 2006 Charity.com
Watched from a courtside seat as Elton teamed with U.S. number one Andy Roddick in doubles just days after Roddick lost the U.S. Open final to Roger Federer. His showing up for Elton and Billie Jean says a lot about this classy player who has to leave for Russia in a few days to represent the U.S. in the Davis Cup. Elton isn't a speedster around the court but he has solid strokes and wonderful touch.
"I thought Elton played great tonight," Billie Jean told me after the match. "I think it's very brave of him. He loves to play and plays all the time. Can you imagine? It's like one of us trying to play the piano in front of all these people. I've been a back-up vocalist for Elton about 40 times and it's scary because I can't sing at all! But I like to sing, I'm pretty good in the shower."
Elton held his own on the court as he and Andy faced Anna Kournakova and Renee Stubbs, both whom have been ranked number one in the world in doubles. Elton ripped a forehand winner on set point to win the celebrity doubles match in overtime, 5-4. You go Rocket Man!
What made the atmosphere all the more fun was the playing between games of such Elton classics as "Crocodile Rock," "Your Song" and best of all, "Philadelphia Freedom" which he wrote 32 years ago for Billie Jean when she was playing World Team Tennis for the Philadelphia Freedoms. The beat of the song reminded him of how Billie Jean used to stomp around the court between points.
Roddick teamed with Kournikova for some mixed doubles but t