February 2007 Archives

Isaiah Washington has hired Howard Bragman and his successful PR company, Fifteen Minutes, to represent him. Bragman is openly gay and well-regarded and most recently helped in the launch of gay former NBA player John Amaechi's book, "Man in the Middle." I was in Bragman's offices last week to interview Amaechi and Howard popped his head in to say hello.
Perhaps he can be of some help to Washington whose remains on "Grey's Anatomy" but whose reputation has been badly tarnished by his use of the word "faggot" toward co-star T.R. Knight on the set of the show last fall then denied doing so in front of the international press backstage at the Golden Globe Awards.
Bragman's office confirmed in a statement to TMZ.com that Washington has signed on with the firm: "Our work with Isaiah is about his future—not the past. There is an important dialogue in our society about diversity that needs to happen, and Isaiah is uniquely positioned to be the catalyst for this."
Patrick Dempsey, involved in the on-set altercation that involved Washington's gay slur toward Knight, was asked recently on "Access Hollywood" if Washington had changed since going into therapy for his behavior.
"It's hard," Dempsey sighed. "I haven't spent enough time around to honestly know what's going on with him."
"I haven't spoken to him about it. You do have a feeling when you look at him that something is different and that he is working on things. You can't get away from the fact he's doing a great job on the show. He does beautiful work."
Interviewer Billy Bush referred to Washington as "an intense, passionate actor" to whch Dempsey replied:"He's very passionate about it. He allows himself to feel deeply and sometimes, that's very difficult to contain and control appropriately...I think good will come from this."

Time will tell...

I know that watching news specials at 10 p.m. on a weeknight is not everyone's idea of a fun time! But I watched Bob Woodruff's "To Iraq and Back" special last night on ABC and was first of all, so moved by the recovery of this newsman who nearly died from head wounds suffered in a road bomb blast that occured while he was working on a story in Iraq. The special made no attempt to sugar-coat his injuries and we saw incredible footage of his road back. The love of his wife and family, that's the real deal. We all want to be loved that well. His handsome face is still intact but with obvious scars and as a reporter, on this story, he showed depth and caring. The look in his eyes said it all when he questioned U.S. military and government officials about the ACTUAL number of injured Iraqi war veterans (a little over 200,000) which was intentionally being kept from the press and the American public. Woodroff humanized the numbers by visiting several of the injured and their families, many who are struggling to kind the kind of care and attention the anchorman got. It's a moving hour, not boring for a minute. Check it out online on ABC.com.
A clip of the Woodruff special was shown on this morning's episode of "The View" and boy, did it lead to some HEATED discussion. Rosie was on fire. She compared the government trying to keep the true numbers of those injured in Iraq with the government's ban on any photos of flag-draped coffins being published. This led to the followijg exchange between Rosie, Elizabeth Hasslebeck, and a very agitated Joy Behar:
Hasselbeck: "Rosie, I hear you. I agree with you. I'm saying I think the recall on those photos was just a reaction to the fact that people were using them as false propaganda."
O’Donnell: "It's not false propaganda when there are dead human beings inside those coffins."
Hasselbeck: "I'm not denying that."
O’Donnell: "Every other president has met the bodies and attended the funerals."
Hasselbeck: "He should be there."
O’Donnell: "Every other president has. This is the first president that has not."
Hasselbeck: "He should be there."
O’Donnell: "It is a disgrace. This administration is a disgrace."
[Cheers and applause]
O’Donnell: "It’s not democracy."
Behar: "That’s right. I agree with that. I don't want add fuel to the fire, but I don't know what it’s going to take for people to really wake up and understand that they are liars and they are murderers. I’m sorry."

I'm still disappointed that John Edwards is not supportive of the legalization of same-sex marriage - still can't wrap his head around it being a boy from the South. But he is for the abolishment of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy which is the other major gay rights issue and blatant form of discrimination that has been allowed to continue in this country.
In response to the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, a bill calling for the repeal of the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy Edwards released the following statement: "It is long past time to end the military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy and to allow openly gay men and women to serve in the military. It is critical to our national security that we have the best people in our military. Gay men and women have continually served our country with honor and bravery, and we should honor their commitment and never turn away anyone who is willing to serve their country because of their sexual orientation. This is an issue of fundamental fairness – and our military ought to treat everyone fairly. I applaud Congressman Meehan on his important legislation."

Elizabeth Taylor has never been one to celebrate landmark birthday's in a quiet way...thank God! Her 40th b-day was a huge party in Budapest thrown by then-husband Richard Burton, the 50th a soiree in London when she was appearing onstage in "The Little Foxes" (ex-hubby Burton was a surprise guest), then the 60th was this star-studded mega event at Disneyland to celebrate the child in her. The 65th birthday was actually a two-hour ABC prime-time special! So the 75th birthday party Tuesday in Las Vegas at the Medici Cafe and Terrace at the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas had a lot to live up to. Some 75 people were expected for a Mardi Gras-themed dinner of jambalaya, prime rib, collard greens, sweet potatoes and cake. Taylor, a Dame of the British Empire, smiled and batted her trademark violet eyes as photographers sang "Happy Birthday" to her, according to London's Daily Mail. Taylor's voice was soft as she chatted briefly with reporters, telling them her secret to making it to 75 was "just living a very healthy, clean life."
All four of Taylor's children were in attendance, as they always have been for their mom: Christopher Wilding, Michael Wilding (sons with second-husband Michael Wilding); Liza Todd (daughter with third-husband Michael Todd); and Maria Burton (daughter with fifth AND sixth husband Burton). With all the husbands, the Oscars, the movies, the scandals, the philanthropy, the business empires, Taylor has always been known as an exceptional mother. She doesn't talk on and on about her kids but in pictures over the years, the love has just always seemed to be there.
Among the star guests at the party were Taylor's business party in the "House of Taylor" jewelry line, Kathy Ireland. Taylor's designs were worn by some celebrities to the Academy Awards including "Entertainment Tonight" host Mary Hart. Magicians Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn were also among the guests.
But, here's the invitee I love the most: Debbie Reynolds (who came with daughter Carrie Fisher). Reynolds was married to singer Eddie Fisher in the late 1950s and maid of honor at Taylor's wedding to producer Mike Todd. When Todd was killed in a plane crash, Fisher left Reynolds soon after and took up with Taylor, who he eventually married. Then Taylor dumped Fisher for the love of her life, Burton.
It's all bygones now and Taylor and Reynolds even made fun of the situation in the TV movie "These Old Broads" (written by Carrie Fisher) about six years ago talking about that awful man "Freddie Hunter" that they were both married to.
"We've had a very unusual friendship," Reynolds said at the party."And it's lasted all these years."

I'm really annoyed with Mark Wahlberg right now. In the current issue of "Premiere" magazine, the Oscar-nominated star of "The Departed" talks about how he was given the script for "Brokeback Mountain." Apparently, it was just too much for a man who made a living off gay men lusting over his underwear-clad body:

"I met with Ang Lee on that movie, I read 15 pages of the script and got a little creeped out. It was very graphic, descriptive - the spitting on the hand, getting ready to do the thing. I told Ang Lee, ‘I like you, you’re a talented guy, if you want to talk about it more…’ Thankfully, he didn’t. I didn’t rush to see Brokeback, it’s just not my deal… Obviously, it was done in taste - look how it was received."

Let me just say that I'm quite sure he would NEVER have gotten the role in "Brokeback Mountain" once Heath Ledger read for it because Ledger (pictured in a scene from the film)had the maturity, understanding and soul to inhabit the character of Ennis. Which performance do you remember more? Heath's or Phillip Seymmour Hoffman in "Capote" which won the Oscar? And which Wahlberg performance will you remember more? None yet, that's for sure.

For those of you in the LA area, the new issue of Frontiers Magazine is on the stands! Why am I so excited? It features my cover story on the stars of 'Boy Culture' that's why! And for those of you not in the area, I can't mail ya one but I can share it with you...enjoy!

THREE'S COMPANY: BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE STARS OF THE SMART, SEXY NEW FILM 'BOY CULTURE'
By Greg Hernandez
Before they all arrived in Seattle to shoot Q. Allan Brocka’s new film, Boy Culture, Derek Magyar, Darryl Stephens and Jonathon Trent had never before crossed paths.
That could have been an obstacle since they had only 18 days to shoot a movie that required physical and emotional intimacy between the three leads. But the three actors bonded deeply as they got gym
memberships for daily workouts and lived together in the days before filming and all through the shoot.
“We were up in Seattle by ourselves. For the most part, it was the three of us,” says Stephens, best known for playing the title role in Noah’s Arc. “We had every opportunity to become real friends which I
think worked for the movie. All three are very different characters and have a genuine affection for each other.”
Boy Culture, which will be released in theaters March 23, tells the story of “X,” a wildly successful male escort played by Magyar whose life changes when he get entangled with his roommates (Stephens and Trent) as well as a reclusive elderly client named Gregory (portrayed by Patrick Bauchau).
“What drew me to the character was, at the core, he was somebody who is really afraid to love,” explains Magyar. “He’s kind of a tough guy, not the most chipper or sweetest. But underneath, he’s a great person who wants to be loved and accepted - that’s something we all want, gay or straight.”
Based on the critically-acclaimed novel by Matthew Rettenmund, the film goes beyond the drama that would likely arise when three available and very attractive men are sharing a home. Those attractions are explored but the film also focuses on the unlikely friendship the develops between X and Gregory.
Before Gregory will agree to sex with X, he tells an unsettling love story spanning fifty years and dares X to try something he hasn’t felt for years: emotion.
“It appealed to me more because I found that this had Gregory’s character was written in to expose X to real feelings and emotions,” Magyar says. “I would say that in the film itself, his roommates are his friends so to speak but Gregory becomes a close friend.”
He also found it especially gratifying to work with Bauchau who he says is “an incredible actor and great person and was very easy going with him. We just formed a friendship outside of work and it carried over into X and Gregory. It made it a very relaxing and comfortable environment.”
Stephens’ character Andrew and X are clearly attracted to each other but face a bumpy road toward getting close.
“Andrew is recently out of the closet and just moved to Seattle to get away from marriage engagement to a woman that didn’t pan out,” Stephens explains. “He is just coming into his sexuality and learning to deal with men on that level. When he met X, he was attracted to him but wasn’t sure about pursuing it. They sorta became friends but
it seems Andrew began to pursue other means of satiating his sexual appetite.”
Besides his own issues, it bothers Andrew that X is a male escort: “I think that was the big stumbling part of it. He likes X but doesn’t understand how he can share himself with people for money. He’s got a problem with that.”
Trent’s character is even more rudderless than his two older roommates and engages in self-destructive behavior involving drugs and sex.
“Joey is the child or the baby in the threesome,” says the young actor. “He’s this young kid who is very insecure and scared and lonely so he flaunts his sexuality to get what he wants. A lot of
people do that when they don’t know what else to go on. They use what they feel they have. For Joey, it was all about his sexuality. He’s charming in a slutty way.”
Stephens is confident the movie will connect with gay audiences given its popular reception at Outfest and other festivals. But he also this “film has great crossover potential. It has issues that cross race and cross age. Even though it’s essentially a gay love story, I think it will appeal to a broad audience.”
Magyar agrees.
“I think if you are looking for a story about love, being gay or straight, this is the movie to see,” he says. “It’s a drama with fun and humorous moments. It’s very real, something we can all relate to - that feeling of being afraid to love and putting up walls and barriers because we’re afraid of what it means to allow ourselves to feel certain things.
“I am very proud of the film.”

There are gay people in our military? Who knew?
Staff Sgt. Eric Alva is one of them abd was the first Marine seriously wounded in the war with Iraq, losing his leg serving his country. He comes out of the closet today, standing by Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass and a bipartisan congressional group at 11am as they introduce legislation calling for the repeal of the military's wrong-headed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

Here is part of his story from ABC News via Towleroad.com:
"Alva...was a decorated staff sergeant who had served in Somalia and Japan. As troops began to push into Iraq, on March 21, 2003, Alva was leading 11 Marines among 75 or so sailors and Marines in a 50- to 55-vehicle convoy on its way from the desert in Kuwait to Basra, Iraq. It was a logistical convoy moving through the desert at night, lights out, night-vision goggles on. The sand was so kicked up it was nearly impossible for Alva to even keep track of the vehicle in front of him. At one of three stops along the way, Alva, who hadn't eaten for a full day, was heating up an MRE when he went to get something out of his Humvee. 'I took maybe a step or two,' Alva said, 'and that is when the explosion went off.' It was a land mine."
Alva was visited at Bethesda Naval Hospital by President George W. Bush, first lady Laura Bush, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Donald Rumsfeld, and Michael Jordan.
None of them knew he was gay.
Although he kept it a secret from his commanding officers over the years, Alva says plenty of soldiers knew he was gay and it was never a problem:
"I told tons of people. A lot of my friends, my buddies, my closest Marines, people I had served in combat with. Straight guys, married, with children and everything, three of them which I have become their sons' godfather now. Everybody was just respectful and was just like ordinary. 'That's it? That's your big news?' Being on the front lines and serving with the people who even actually knew that I was gay, you know, that was never a factor. We were there to do a job. We were [there] to do a mission. I don't think people would have a hard time with it because they know that the person right next to them is going to be there to protect them, in our terms, 'have their back.'"

We're toying with the idea of starting up a tennis blog at the Daily News but until that happens, you will have to indulge me on my tennis-related postings on the Out In Hollywood site! I felt I could not miss the opportunity to pay tribute to Roger Federer who, on Monday, rewrote the history books. By being the number one men's player for 161 consecutive weeks, Federer broke the 30-year-old record of 160 consecutive weeks set by Jimmy Connors. Federer told the LA Times that the first time he met Connors was when he was about 14 and Connors was in the Swiss star's hometown of Basel for a tournament and presented Federer an award for being the best junior in the town: "I walked on the court, had a picture taken...and then walked off again. I was so nervous. Whoever would have thought I would have broken the record?"
Federer is now gunning after another 30-year-old record: the 46 consecutive match wins set by Guillermo Vilas in 1977. Federer's streak is at 37 and he could break it at next month's Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells. I'm planning to take in some of the matches and hope to see Federer play this year!

I just love the blog Oh La La Paris, they find THE best pics. Jason Lewis! Mark Wahlberg! And that's just for starters. All of these guys were at a Giorgio Armani pre-Oscar fashion show...

Wanted to share with you the cover of the new issue of The Advocate featuring John Amaechi who is profiled by editor Anne Stockwell. I wrote a sidebar that accompanies Anne's story covering the reaction of the league but my story was turned in before the Tim "I hate gay people" Hardaway outburst. I can't find my story online to link for you yet but this is good motivation to go out and buy a copy of a great magazine!

You've been teased with bits and pieces over the past week but here is the profile on John Amaechi that I wrote for Sunday's LA Daily News sports section. It's kinda fun being on the front page of Sports for a change...makes me feel...I dunno.. kinda butch.
Ha! Anyway, here it is in its entirety:

Amaechi surprised by 'fuss' over his coming out
Former NBA player knew his book would garner some attention but the reaction from players continues to make headlines.
By Greg Hernandez
Staff writer
John Amaechi might exude calm when you meet him, but publication of his new memoir, "Man in the Middle," has caused a firestorm in the NBA, in which he spent five seasons as an active player and as a closeted gay man.
Amaechi said he knew his book would garner some attention since he would be the first NBA player -- active or retired -- to come out publicly. But reaction from players -- both positive and negative -- continues to make headlines, particularly those of former NBA star Tim Hardaway, who said, "I hate gay people," among other homophobic remarks.
"Everyone keeps telling me that I knew it was going to be this much fuss, and I absolutely did not," Amaechi said over lunch last week. "I thought it might be a couple of days of people saying, 'Oh, that's interesting.' But it became a massive story and a massive talking point. ... And it wasn't just because of Tim Hardaway, I think that was an aspect of it that kind of added onto it in week No. 3. But even in the first two weeks, people in areas where they never talked about gay stuff, all of a sudden started to. I think that was important as a beginning."
By acknowledging that he is a gay man, Amaechi, 35, has joined just a handful of retired male pro athletes in major team sports who had done so: football's Dave Kopay, Roy Simmons and Esera Tuaolo; as well as baseball's Billy Bean and the late Glenn Burke.
"Someone from a gay magazine spoke to me the other day and suggested that I was a bit cowardly, and that courage isn't a word he would use to describe what I'm doing. I would agree," Amaechi said. "It's about fortitude. Otherwise there would be more than five.
"Add up all the teams now -- football, hockey, baseball, basketball -- that's maybe 2,000 (players). Then multiply that by all the people who have ever played in the league over the last 20-30 years. Five people have come out in over three generations. This tells you it's not an easy thing to do. There's work to be done."
Jim Buzinski, co-founder of Outsports.com, calls Amaechi's coming out: "The biggest one to date. I think in part because of people like Billy Bean and Esera. Whenever it happens, it's almost bigger each time. In the age of blogs and a robust Internet, there are a lot more outlets to write about this. It's been bigger than I thought it would be because John hasn't been in the league for a few years. But certainly the story is not as big as if an active player were to come out."
While Amaechi's 290-page book covers his life as a gay man, it also is the story of an unlikely pro athlete from Manchester, England, who, just six years before he made his NBA debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers, had never even played basketball.
So how did he do it?
"I said I would," he said. "I have many, many flaws, but one of them is not that I don't do what I say. I do what I say I will. If there is a consistent theme throughout this book, it's about, essentially, some odd, quirky, isolated fat kid from a foreign country getting to the NBA and doing that in the space of six years.
"It's about the underdog, it's about improbable people achieving the most unlikely of things. That's how I work. I'm not interested in average, it bores me. Average is default. You have to work to be worse than average. It's supposed to be a fight, it's supposed to be hard."
Amaechi, who retired from pro basketball in 2003, first achieved stardom at Penn State. He then became one of the first Brits to play in the NBA when he signed with Cleveland.
Of his five full seasons in the NBA, he said his first season with Orlando remains his best memory.
"It's when I felt I was kicking people's (butts), and I felt like I belonged there," he said.
But after leaving Orlando, he clashed with Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, for whom he played for two seasons.
Amaechi believed Sloan to be homophobic, something the coach denied, and that was the major factor in the deterioration of their relationship. But looking back, Amaechi had only a few regrets about his pro career. The biggest one is not playing for the Lakers when he had the chance.
"I didn't take a contract to go to L.A. that I really wanted to take. I desperately wanted to play here. I turned down an awful lot of money but it was a decision based on my principles," he said. "I felt only this: Orlando was the only team that would take me on the year before. Now everybody wanted me, but Orlando had been the only one to take me on."
Still, he doesn't plan to take in any Lakers games when he's in Los Angeles to promote the book. But it's nothing personal. Amaechi doesn't follow the NBA or any other pro sports. He works as a psychologist, works extensively with young people, has a sports foundation and a consultant business. He also does extensive corporate speaking in the U.K. and the States.
Amaechi has taken on a new role as spokesman for the Coming Out Project for the Human Rights Campaign during his book tour, which has him promoting the importance of being out and living openly and honestly.
"I felt a great obligation to do this," he said. "I felt it was important. My thing with coming out is it's an individual, personal journey and that if you push people, force people, make them come out in a way that they're not comfortable with, you neither help them in their own personal life and development, nor do you create good, proactive people. They come out, and then they disappear. Believe me, after the last few weeks especially, I understand the weight of it."
In contrast to Hardaway, some players and coaches have been supportive. That includes Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal, who told reporters: "My view is, I was always taught not to judge people. ... And I have said publicly that John Amaechi was my teammate. If people said stuff about (Amaechi), I would have to stick up for him and I wouldn't judge him. (Homophobia is) not what this league is about."
Said Amaechi: "To hear Shaquille O'Neal, a younger-generation active player say that, it's important. It's important because it inoculates against other hateful words."
Amaechi doesn't really know Hardaway, other than from the times he played against him, and said there never was any personal acrimony between the two. Amaechi said he felt "saddened" that Hardaway, who was banned by the NBA from participating during its All-Star weekend and has lost at least one endorsement deal, has tarnished his legacy. But he quickly added: "He is not suffering as much as some other people.
"There is the psychological and emotional damage that hearing that somebody hates you when you're 16 years old and unsure of yourself ... far outweighs losing a car wash (endorsement)," he said. "It is dwarfed by the damage the words have done. It's dwarfed. Add up the net income, the net loss of the young people if their path in life is affected by this. Forget the money. When you damage a child, you can't put a price on that. The same as when you elevate a child.
"You can't put a price on that. The magnitude is massive. ... He's been a lightning rod for some kid in Arkansas to blab his mouth about dropping the "f-bomb" left and right and anti-gay slurs in the team environment, not knowing that what he's doing is stabbing his teammate in the neck."
Although Doc Rivers, who was Amaechi's coach in Orlando, was the only NBA teammate or coach to personally contact him since the book's publication, Amaechi insisted he is not disappointed.
"It would be really naive to imagine that people would run to my side," he said. "Especially since running to my side at this point now, it's not just that you're running to my side, but you're running against another player. It's part of the problem: Straight allies are hard to come by because they risk being called gay, and right now there's not much worse than being called gay ... apart from being called a terrorist, apparently."

Between the Oscars and popping antibiotics like they were candy (I feel like Patty Duke in 'Valley of the Dolls'), I forgot to share with you all my Joan Rivers article which ran in the Daily News and our sister papers over the weekend...

Rivers armed, dangerous and ready for the red carpet
By Greg Hernandez, Staff Writer
If the Academy Awards show is about the little golden man, the walk into the Kodak Theatre is often about pleasing the woman with the sharp tongue.
Yes, Joan Rivers will again be patrolling the red carpet — and, as usual, she's armed and dangerous.
Along with daughter Melissa, Rivers has been the star attraction of TV Guide Channel's awards coverage since 2004, after spending nearly a decade doing fashion duty for E! The pair are on the red carpet each year at the Oscars, the Grammys, the Emmys and the Golden Globes, among other shows.
"I love the Golden Globes because it's a party," the 73-year-old comedian says. "Everyone will drink and have dinner, and the show is part of it. I love the Grammys because they are all so nice. The only one who had an attitude is that horrible Carrie Underwood. She's a great star — just ask her."
Dig, dig.
"The Oscars are the most formal and have the most riding on them, so the actors are the most tense. You save the best dress for the Oscars."
So here's some wit and wisdom from Madame Rivers about the Oscars — past and present.
Helen Mirren: "Boy has she done an about-face," says Rivers of the favorite for the best actress award. "When she first came, she was wearing boas and boots! She and I talked about it. She said, 'You said I looked so bad that I went to my friend Dolce & Gabbana.' "
Meryl Streep: Rivers says she also has high expectations for the 14-time nominee, nominated this year for her performance as a fashion magazine editor in "The Devil Wears Prada."
"Meryl Streep is going to look very beautiful," Rivers predicts. "She's into clothes suddenly. At the Golden Globes, she wore that Grecian gown and looked stunning."
She also expects nominees Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Hudson and Cate Blanchett to be dazzling tonight.
On guys who ignore Rivers' famed catchphrase, "Can we talk?"
"The worst ever is Tommy Lee Jones," she says. "It pains him to talk to you. So then don't talk. And Russell Crowe. I only wish the phone he threw (at a hotel clerk) was a boomerang."
Ready for her role on 'The Sopranos': Rivers grows irate when reminded of how she allegedly hurt the feelings of Edie Falco when she won her first Emmy for "The Sopranos" for dissing the actress' fashion choice.
"Edie Falco can drop dead! We never said anything — we looked back at the tapes — and yet she came out swinging."
Some stars who she freely admits to panning in the past are Demi Moore, the year she wore bicycle shorts ("a big winner"); Gwyneth Paltrow's pink gown, the year she won for "Shakespeare in Love" ("It was so badly fitted"); and when Cher showed up for a past winners segment "in a moron Titanic hat."
Of course, the all-time "hall of shame" winner is Bjork for her famous swan dress, which included an egg-shaped purse that the singer-actress placed on the red carpet for photographers.
What she wouldn't give for one drunken star: As much as she admires stars who show up expertly put together, she does miss the old days when fashion faux pas littered the red carpet like A-list roadkill.
"You pray somebody got high that morning and put the dress on backward," Rivers says, chuckling.
But if there are fewer disasters, the Rivers women have only themselves to blame.
"We've ruined the fun of someone totally walking out in something that is not very attractive," Joan admits. "I think we've created an industry of stylists — everyone has a stylist."
And mostly, they have friendly exchanges with Hollywood's A-list these days, including her red carpet favorites Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts and Charlize Theron.
"The bigger they are, the more relaxed they are," Rivers says.

Well now, I just think this is a heckuva good idea: Oscar-nominee Djimon Hounsou will be featured in the Fall 2007 Calvin Klein Underwear advertising campaign. The African-born, award-winning actor, whose muscular physique stood out in such films as "Amistad," "Gladiator," and most recently, "Blood Diamond," will be featured in a global print and outdoor campaign supporting the launch of the brand’s latest product line, Calvin Klein Steel.
The Fall 2007 campaign, which will be shot in late March or early April, will appear internationally in more than 20 countries, with print and outdoor media timed to coincide with September 2007 magazine issues. Hounsou is the ninth man to be featured in a Calvin Klein Underwear campaign and the first actor in over a decade. Other past Calvin Klein Underwear models have included fellow Oscar-nominee Mark Wahlberg.

Sunday night's Academy Awards may have been star-studded, but the greatest living movie star was not among them. Dame Elizabeth Taylor, three-time Academy Award recipent, perfume and jewelry mogel, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, tireless AIDS activist and many a gay man's best friend, is 75 years old today. What a life so far...

A few random snaps I wanted to share of Elton John and husband David Furnish at Elton's annual Oscar party which continues to raise millions for his AIDS foundation; Keifer Sutherland at Elton's party looking absolutely HOT, and Tom Cruise with Katie Holmes. Tom seems more humble these days doesn't he? I don't mean it snarky. He's not smiling so crazy big. I like it. I've always liked him as an actor and thought he was the best star around...until things just got too weird a few years back. I like how he's not hiding out, but keeping his head low a little more and focusing on moviemaking...

The Academy might have chosen "The Departed" as best picture last night, but "Little Miss Sunshine" was the prefered winner, according to the results of Logo's annual online Queer Year in Film poll. LGBT filmgoers also differed from the Academy voters in choosing Eddie Murphy for best supporting actor. He was upset by Alan Arkin who won for "Sunshine." 
Poll participants agreed with Academy voters on the winners for Best Director (Martin Scorsese), Lead Actor (Forest Whitaker), Lead Actress (Helen Mirren) and Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson).  
The poll had been online since mid-February and was released Monday morning. OK, so big deal, right? Well, here's the fun part: Logo also quizzed LGBT filmgoers about the entire year of 2006 in movies and here are their very wise choices:

* Favorite Comedy – The Devil Wears Prada
* Favorite Action Movie – Casino Royale
* Favorite Serious Drama – Children of Men
* Favorite Scary Movie/Thriller – Saw III
* Sexiest Movie – Shortbus
* Best Gay Indie Film – Adam & Steve
* Best Socially Aware Documentary – An Inconvenient Truth
* Favorite Animated Animal Movie – Happy Feet
* Favorite Guilty Pleasure – Another Gay Movie
* Favorite Gay Filmmaker – Bill Condon (Dreamgirls)

* Sexiest Male Movie Star – Daniel Craig (Casino Royale)
* Sexiest Female Movie Star – Michelle Rodriguez (Bloodrayne)
* Favorite Gay Movie Couple – Rachel & Luce (Imagine Me & You)
* Least Favorite Gay Movie Character – Sharon Stone’s bi killer, Basic Instinct 2
* What was the biggest Oscar snub this year? Dreamgirls, not nominated for Best Picture
* Fiercest Female Character – Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), The Devil Wears Prada
* Best Kiss – Borat and his friend’s rear end
* Character Most Likely to Inspire Drag Queens – Any of the women from Dreamgirls
* Most Lesbianish Non-Lesbian Film  - The Descent
* Biggest Disappointment – The DaVinci Code
* Best Action Movie with a Coincidentally Gay Storyline – V for Vendetta
* Character You Most Want to Get Drinks With – James Bond (Daniel Craig)
* Film Most Looking Forward to in 2007 – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Gee, drinks with Daniel Craig? Sounds great! Oh look! Anderson Cooper (pictured w/Craig at the Vanity Fair party last night) already got to!. What does Anderson have that I don't have? Oh, that million dollar salary, that wonderful gray hair, those piercing blue eyes, that incredible camera presence...uh, OK, I'm really depressed now. I didn't even SEE Daniel Craig on the red carpet last night, he must've been one of the later arrivals. Maybe next year....

Sorry for the delay in getting this posted. I went to the doctor who informed me I have a sinus infection, not the flu. No wonder I wasn't getting any better! So, let me reflect on Oscar evening backstage. I sipped hot tea all night and hoped that Richard Roeper, sitting right next to me, wouldn't notice that I was a sicko. I must say, he was really a nice guy and I enjoyed chatting with him between awards. Richard was multi-tasking: co-hosting ABC7 pre-show and post-show, writing for the Chicago Sun Times AND for the Ebert & Roeper site. Gee, all I had to do was try and not cough up a phlegm ball up on anyone. Piece a cake.
Funny thing: People kept calling me! Friends. A buddy Scott calls and says, "Hey, we're on the road. Do you know what radio station is playing the Oscars?" I whispered: "DUDE, I'm BACKSTAGE right now, I can't talk!" (For some reason I still call my straight college friends DUDE). Then my friend Evan texts me to tell me he grew up with one of the winners and to ask him something but I don't read the text until the guy was already out of the interview room.
Anyway, both Richard Roeper and I lament that fact that our predictions of major categories will not be perfect since we both picked Eddie Murphy to win. Richard and I are likethis now. I wouldn't be surprised if we went out and grabbed a few beers after this is over....
I'm sitting across from Stacy Jenel Smith, who does Marilyn Beck's column with her. Just before the show starts, I tell Stacy about how 3 or 4 years ago, I was seated next to Beck at a screening of "The Four Feathers" on the lot of Paramount Pictures and midway through...I FELL ASLEEP! (I wasn't reviewing it!) So Stacy calls Marilyn up and asks her if she remembers. She does and puts her on the phone with me! We had a good laugh. I'm mortified, wondering what Richard thinks (kidding, he didn't seem to care).
So when Jennifer Hudson wins, it takes another hour or more before she arrives backstage because she had to sing with Beyonce and they were knockouts! When Jennifer did arrive, I stood to ask her a question and thought I'd remind her of how we sat together at the Oscar luncheon. She kinda looked at me blankly like, "Don't know ya." I guess I could have said: "You know, we chit chatted through the meal when you weren't texting your sister, I passed you the butter, I told you the quote on your T-shirt (an Academy gift) was from "Annie Hall" when you looked at it blankly, and told you that Mark's last name was Wahlberg. Remember me NOW?"
But, I digress. Asked her what it felt like to be only the third African American woman to win the supporting actress Oscar (and fourth overall). I had written a story on this but since Eddie Murphy lost, it seems my editors decided that just having TWO black actors win in one night wasn't so noteworthy anymore. After all, it already happened with Denzel and Halle.
While Celine Dion was singing on the screen and the backstage interview was the foreign film winner who is speaking in German. What is there to do? Gossip with Richard Roeper! He heard that after losing the best supporting actor race to Alan Arkin, Murphjy left! If that's the truth, it's not very gracious of Norbit. After all, remember 10 years ago when poor Lauren Bacall, as much as a front-runner for "The Mirror Has Two Faces" as Murphy was for "Dreamgirls," smiled bravely and clapped after Juliet Binoche won (this pains me to this day) then not only did Bacall stay through the whole show, she went to the Governor's Ball and danced with Kevin Spacey.
Al Gore and the team behind "An Inconvenient Truth" were just wrapping up their backstage Q&A session and were almost out of the room when Melissa Etheridge's name was called as winner of best original song "I Need to Wake Up" which she wrote for the movie. Gore tip-toed back into the press room to watch Etheridge accept the Oscar. He clapped wildly and smiled ear-to-ear. He clapped again when Etheridge said "caring about the Earth is not red or blue, we are all green."
Anyway, I think that Alan Arkin didn't seem as overjoyed as you would think he might. I'm sure he's damned happy but it did not seem to be an out of body experience. He's been around the block many times and is 70-plus but good grief, when Jessica Tandy, just shy of 80, won her Oscar, she held it up and said: 'I'm on cloud NINE!"
The real class act this year has been Helen Mirren. It could have been one of those situations where we would be sick of her since I've been there when she won the Emmy last fall for "Elizabeth I" then the Golden Globes and SAg Awards when she won for BOTH "Elizabeth I" and "The Queen." But ya know what? Helen Mirren is a highly intelligent, witty, sexy and hugely talented person and holds court backstage as good as anyone I've ever seen. She is in the moment, remembers people, is funny and relevant. She even told us what she'd been drinking: a vodka gimlet. I adore Helen Mirren. And Forrest Whitaker, such a class act. He was called away during the backstage interview to be photographed with Mirren, Hudson and Arkin but he insisted on coming back and picking up right where he left off. He's so much more animated backstage, not at all nervous like he gets on stage.
And finally, Martin Scorsese! Was there a happier man in the Kodak Theater? And was there anyone people were happier for? All the major winners were such feel-good stories and people who you could root for. I may have been operating well below-par with this sinus infection thing, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world...and didn't!

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How embarrassing. I forget that I had committed to doing this Canadian radio show this morning with a cool guy named Shane Fox so when his producer calls, she totally wakes me up and when I get on the air, my voice comes out as a croak. I have this frog the size of Kermit and can't get rid of it the entire 20 minutes or so I'm on the air. But that didn't stop me from sharing my memories of Oscar night.
I'm gonna just get down to the silly, but yet important, stuff: When Jennifer Hudson walked by me, i told her she looked great and she did! How did i know that everyone was going to be saying that her wrap looked like a car fender? It looked good in person. But i look at the pics and yeah, car fender.
Leonardo DiCaprio was the most handsome man on the red carpet, in my opinion. His hair slicked back and a nice air about him, he is a real movie star and knows how to act like one and is the best actor of his generation. Nicole Kidman (pictured below w/Meryl Streep), wearing this red dress, was THE standout in my mind. She's like a model on the red carpet but also has this air of grace and dignity. Like DiCaprio, she excudes true movie star quality AND is one of the best actresses of her generation.I thought Jodie Foster looked dazzling as she always does whenever she decides to attend these events and when I asked her who she was rooting for for best director, she smiled and said, "Awww. Martin Scorsese." It was sweet the way she looked when she said it because you knew she had long been rooting for the man who directed her to her first Oscar nomination 30 years ago in "Taxi Driver."
I gabbed with the super handsome Mark McGrath of "Extra" who used to be a rock star with Sugar Ray. He's so nice! He said he's still learning all this Hollywood stuff but I think he's got it nailed. Chatted with Wolfgang Puck for a moment and was about to talk to Joan Rivers when some Academy official said I was not allowed to bve ON the red carpet and ushered me to this spot in the bleachers. Sheesh! Some people are so inflexible...So once at ther bleachers, it got hard to get interviews but I did get to see, up-close, those two cute guys from "Y Tu Mama Tambien," whose names I will have to insert later. One of them was in "Babel" and he's so much smaller than I ever imagined. I coulda put him in my pocket!
Will and Jada went by with their son and look so happy all the time. Jada Pinkett Smith is someone who I always want to see on the red carpet. The "Prada" girls, Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway, glided by me too and Emily I think was with Michael Buble who is, I think, her boyfriend. Also saw Dave Koz, looking so dapper, but was unable to get his attention through all the madness. And it IS madness. You'd think these people had never been to the Oscars before. Sheesh!
STILL TO COME: Greg's backstage recap....

I'll provide you with some kind of more complete wrap-up of the Academy Awards tomorrow. I'm glad to have made it through a long day while still under the weather. I'm gonna get out of my tux, make a cup of hot tea, and get some sleep. But wanted to share how proud I was of Ellen DeGeneres as the host. she reminded me of Johnny Carson, one of the most successful hosts of the show ever, in that she was pleasant and fun but didn't detract from the proceedings by trying to be too edgy etc. I love how she mingled with nominees in the audience and just was her fun self.
Good job Ellen!
And a big shout-out to Melissa Etheridge, winner for best original song who beat out three strong entries from "Dreamgirls." "This is the only naked man who will ever be in my bedroom," she said of her Oscar as she stood backstage taking questions. As one of the world's most famous lesbians, she was asked about thanking partner Tammy Lynn Michaels as her wife in her speech and giving her a big kiss before taking the stage.
"She was so important to me, especially with this project," she said of Michaels. "She said, 'Write what you feel.' She saved my life. I was kissing her because that's what you do when you win and Oscar, you kiss your loved one."
As far as anyone raising an eyebrow over such same-sex affection, Etheridge said: "I think the Oscars, it's like a gay holiday. So it's really meaningful that [host] Ellen [DeGeneres] or myself, there's no token gay here. It's a real mix here."

Hi all:
I'll be blogging live from the Academy Awards on Sunday on the Daily News On the Red Carpet site. I'll be on the red carpet initially then backstage bringing you little tidbits about whatever I see and hear. Should start posting around 3 p.m. and continue to throughout the ceremony...
Happy Oscars!

p.s. My predictions in the main categories: picture: Little Miss Sunshine, director: Martin Scorsese, actor: Forrest Whittaker; actress: Helen Mirren; supporting actor: Eddie Murphy; supporting actress: Jennifer Hudson.

OK, my profile on former NBA player John Amaechi, who publicly came out as a gay man in his new book "Man In The Middle," is scheduled to run in the sports section of the Los Angeles Daily News tomorrow (Sunday) so look for it on DailyNews.com.
Obviously, there was so much that John and I covered during our interview that it could not possibly make it into the article. He has this advice for anyone who is thinking about coming out: "Coming out is an individual journey. It’s not for other people to tell you. They can advise you but it’s not up to other people to tell you that you must do it. Find someone, one person that you can make a connection with who can help you. Find your voice, who can share your burden, who can be standing behind you
as support and then look from there. See how that emboldens you. If it’s your sister or your brother or your coach or your teamates or your parent or your guardian, see if telling that one person who you trust, see if that emboldens you to do more. That’s your journey.
It’s not for everybody, to scream from the rooftops. But I would say, it would be a joyous noise if people did."
To kids who mikght feel bad about themselves: "Just know that whatever might be said about you, there’s
nothing intrinsically dirty, evil, wrong about them. As hard as it is sometimes in the face of the comments and the words that come out - things that come from the pulpit sometimes and things that come from the gutter - try and steel themselves in the knowledge that only their choices will make them bad, not who they are intrinsically."
Well said!

I wish I could say it was to Out In Hollywood and the Los Angeles Daily News but Neil chose to speak to Entertainment Weekly writer Whitney Pastorek instead. Whatever. I'm still not sorry I bought that boxed set of season one of "How I Met Your Mother" and praised his performance in "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle."
"Someone once said that their life was an open book, but they just didn't want to read it out loud. Everyone at work knew who I was dating and I didn't try and pretend I wasn't the person I am."
Harris announced he is "a very content gay man" after comments credited to a former publicist [falsely Harris says] who had reportedly insisted the actor was not gay. Harris, who had never discussed his private life, clarified the matter in a statement and went on with his work and his life.
As happy as Harris is to be out, the magazine writes that he would be even happier to stop talking about it: "As much as I respect advocacy, I don't feel that my job description is 'advocate.' My job description is 'jester.'"
And jester he is as wild bachelor Barney on "Mother" and in the sequel and "White Castle." He says he plans to play Barney "as long as they'll have me."
The actor, a triumph on the Broadway stage in "Cabaret" and "Assassins" and in the L.A. production of "Rent," sees directing in his future and, he hopes, a role in a Christopher Guest movie: "That would be the career pinnacle."

The road comedy "Little Miss Sunshine," the gem of 2006, won the top prize at the Spirit Awards on Saturday night and is considered a serious best picture contender at Sunday's Academy Awards. I'm so glad to see that the co-directors, the husband-and-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (pictured, right), won as well. The were nominated for the DGA prize but somehow passed over for an Oscar nod. But on Oscar morning, they gave interviews to reporters, including me, anyway. And they were funny and so happy for the other Oscar nods. Class acts. Screenwriter Michael Arndt took the Spirit for best first screenplay and Alan Arkin won for his supporting role as a junkie grandfather. Both are up for Oscars as is Abigial Breslin for supporting actress.
The top acting prizes went to Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling and newcomer Shareeka Epps for the drug drama "Half Nelson." Oscar-winner Frances McDormand won a Spirit for her supporting turn in the suburban saga "Friends With Money." (She was superb. Catching this little-seen movie is worth it just for McDormand alone). The screenplay Spirit went to Jason Reitman, the writer/director of the smoking satire "Thank You For Smoking."
"Little Miss Sunshine" and "Half Nelson" led the contenders with five nominations each.

Regular Out In Hollywood reader James F. Mills tips me off that on Tuesday's installment of the NBC soap "Passions," viewers will learn the identity of Chad Harris' secret lover! Here's the best part: it's a character already on the show. I don't watch "Passions" but those of you who do, how 'bout some guesses?
Chad (portrayed by dreamy Charles Divins), is the illegitimate heir to the soap’s rich family who just married his long-time sweetheart Whitney Russell. It was revealed earlier this month that Chad is having an affair with a man.
“Chad’s coming to grips with this side of him, the sexual need of his and what that means to him and what that means with his relationship with Whitney,” Divins tgells Mills in an interview for NotesFromHollywood.com. "Obviously he’s going through the different stages of denial. That’s what you’ll see as far as the story goes...The underlying drama of what’s going on is Chad’s denial and coping with it. We’re really trying to make sure that’s a really strong undercurrent to the main story.”
Even though Chad has been sneaking off to the no-tell motel for months, Divins says he only learned that Chad was on the down low four days before shooting the scenes revealing his paramour to be a man. “We get the script four days in advance of the shooting. I opened the script and read it and realized I was going to be on the down low.”
 The 31-year-old Dallas native is straight off-screen and sought advice from gay friends for this storyline.
 “I didn’t have a whole lot of time to go out and hang out and prepare. I made some phone calls to my gay friends and just kind of talked about it. How do you approach a character like this and as a straight guy how do I play a convincing gay character? And in the context of it being on "Passions," how do you make sure it being represented correctly and honestly? I’ve seen the Oprah episode with the down low. Especially in black culture, it’s something that’s known that happens. What it is is a comment on what happens in society.”
 

Jennifer Holliday originated the role of Effie in the first Broadway production of "Dreamgirls" 25 years ago and took home the Tony Award for it. She also won a Grammy then went on to a recording career of some success but has never returned to those early-career heights. On Sunday, for those who want to see and hear Oscar front-runner Jennifer Hudson's predecessor to the role, tune in to E! channel's Oscar pre-show (5 p.m. eastern, 2 p.m. pacific) when Holliday, from the rooftop of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, will sing "And I Am Telling You (I'm Not Going)."
Prior to the film's debut, Holliday complained that she had not been invited to its premiere ("I think they thought to have success with this, they had to destroy my legacy") and also thinks it would have been nice if the filmmakers had offered her a cameo role in the film, as they did Loretta Devine, with whom Holliday starred in the original Broadway show.
"Chita Rivera was in [the feature film version] of "Chicago" and Ricki Lake is going to be in "Hairspray.'" Holliday tells USA Today. "There were plenty of little parts all of us could have played. I would have liked to have been Deena's mother."
Maybe if they had given her a small role, Holliday would have been more impressed with the film: "All I like about the movie is that it was made. Over 20 years they've been trying to make this and I think the movie lost the heart and soul of it."
She also gives something of a backhanded compliment to Hudson: "I'm proud of what Jennifer reprsents. Her Effie stands on its own. If I say her performance wasn't good, then I'm not not good because they were the same. She's going to win an Oscar and all three of us - Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Holliday and Effie - will be up there when she wins."
I'm thinking Florence Ballard, the Supreme on who Effie is so obviously based, might be up there on that stage too and Hudson has made so secret that it was Ballard who was her inspiration for the role.

I can't find the cover art yet but USA Today reports that Elton John has yet another greatest hits compilation set to hit stores March 27. The release of "Rocket Man" Number Ones" comes out just two days after Sir. Elton's 60th birthday and his record 60th performance at Madision Square Garden.
The new CD will include 13 chart-toppers from the singer's 35-year-recording career and will include so many uptempo gems and classic ballads: "Rocket Man," "Daniel," "Tiny Dancer," "Crocodile Rock," "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word," "Candle in the Wind 1997" (tribute to Diana, princess of Wales), and "Your Song." There also a few terrific duets: "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (w/Kiki Dee) and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" with George Michael.
I.Want. This. CD.!!!