Doogie not gay, publicist says...
Lance Bass, gay. T.R. Knight, gay. Neil Patrick Harris, not gay.
The website Canada.com reported that Harris, who plays a relentless womanizer on the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother," had landed a guest gig on the sitcom for his "longtime sweetheart" actor David Burtka. According to the web site Towleroad, Burtka is aBroadway performer ("Gypsy") who has done several television guest spots and was part of a recent stage performance (pictured) with Harris and several other actors.
Harris, who played a gay men in the Los Angeles production of "Rent" as well as on an episode of "Will & Grace," has not commented but his puiblicist reportedly stated that the actor "is not of that persuasion." We may be hearing more about this in the coming days if Harris chooses to make any clarifications.
Pity. He'd be such a great gay man. Harris is an intelligent, well-spoken performer who navigated the often turbulent waters of child stardom by turning to the stage (Broadway runs in "Cabaret" and "Assassins") after his first series, ABC's "Doogie Howser M.D." I heard him guest on Terry Gross' radio show on NPR earlier this year and was blown away by his knowledge of the theater and his dedication to his craft. Got to tell him so a few months later at a big party for the DVD release of "9 to 5" as we waited for Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton to appear.
With his Barney really being a break-out character on "Mother," now in its second season, I can understand why this kind of story might not come at the best time for Harris but it's going to be tough judging from the backlash I've been seeing on the web about his publicist "inning" him.
Anway, Harris told the CBS Morning Show last month that he was tapped for Barney after his hilarious appearance in the movie "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle."
Although Harris has been a hit on the show, he said he wasn't what the creators originally had in mind to play
"They initially wanted a John Belushi, Jack Black — a big, portly cigar-smoking kind of guy," he said. "And I had just done this movie where I play this extraordinarily extreme version of myself, and the creators had seen it and thought it would be funny. I went in with no expectations at all. In pilot season we do lots of auditions and you rarely get anything. I went in and kind of made an ass of myself. And that's what they wanted. I did a dive roll, actually."
Harris is scheduled to host the 2006 LA Starte Alliance Awards ceremony Nov. 13 at the Orpheum Theater.
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in Hollywood
Greg Hernandez, Page 2 "News Lite" columnist for the Los Angeles Daily News, gives you a fly-on-the-wall account of the Oscars and other awards show, movie premieres, film festivals and various star-studded events. He also shares his celebrity interviews as well as specially-selected videos and photos. He writes about all things pop culture through a gay man's eyes ...
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On the last season of "Big Brother," the "All-Stars" edition, Will Kirby, the winner of "BB2" was obsessed with Neil Patrick Harris, and NPH, has he was called by cast members, eventually spend a day in the "Big Brother" house, where any "new" person entering is treated like a god after the "houseguests" have spent a month or so with no new faces.
Greg, aside from whether NPH is or isn't, I think it bears examining whether coming out is a negative or positive professionally for a performer (actor, musician, even athlete). I guess it depends on who you are, what you do, where you are in your career and where you want to go. I recall Ian McKellan saying it was positive all around, and the whole "not living a lie" thing is probably pretty liberating ... but for someone like T.R. Knight, he probably kept his sexuality a secret for career reasons, not an uncommon thing in Hollywood.