March 2007 Archives

Ann Coulter toilet paper? Now this is just plain silly. Completely childish. Ridiculous.
How many rolls should I buy???
The Canadian company Rowanlea Gore Novelties in Berverton, Ontario, has named Mr. Coulter..I mean Miss Coulter, its official April 2007 "Faces for Feces" winner "for being a shrill, lying, racist, homophobic, publicity-hungry demagogue who destroys civil discourse with hate speech."

Says their Web site: Ann Coulter X-Wipes™ -- quilted two-ply softness to clean up the mess she made and speed her long day’s journey into irrelevance.

Remember way back when when Ricky Martin was all that and Barbara Walters flat-out asked hom on one of her celeb specials about the speculation that he is gay?
As I recall, Ricky dodged the question - more charmingly than Clay Aiken did in an interview with Diane Sawyer last year - but dodged it all the same. So Martin's comments about Mexican singer Christian Chavez, who came out publicly earlier this month, are interesting.
''Life is too short to live closed up, guarding what you say." Christian ''has to be free in many aspects. I wish him much strength.''
Well, whatever. Good to have him supporting Chavez who has been so amazingly honest and heartfelt in his public coming out. I feel like I know him a little bit. Ricky Martin? I don't feel like I know him at all.

Happy Saturday! I'm heading to The OC to celebrate my little sister's birthday but wanted to share a few letters and comments that I've received in recents weeks. They range from nice compliments to picky little spelling police things...

AN AMERICAN HERO RESPONDS...
Good morning Greg,
 I just wanted to write and tell you what an amazing piece you did.  I really like the detail of my story.  I could almost hear myself telling it. hehe It was very nice to meet you and thanks for all your support.  If you should ever get to Texas and swing through San Antonio, drop a line.  Again I really loved the articles.  Take care and I know we will see each other again someday. 
Eric Alva

GREG SAYS: Eric, you are so inspiring and thoughtful. Thanks for the note and keep trying to change the world! I still believe you are a rock star!
[Eric lost right leg in Iraq war, came out last fall and is now campaigning against military's anti-gay policy]

NOT AT A ROSS FOR WORDS
Hi Greg,
Thanks for the nice Diana [Ross] mention. I LOVE Diana and was so excited to see her on Idol Tuesday and Wednesday. I too thought she looked amazing and commanded the stage. It was odd that they made her shorten the song (she started at the second verse) and, having been in that studio to watch Idol live, I know that the acoustics there are very misleading and that performers often sound different/better in person than on TV.
She might have been pushing slightly (which made her voice sound thinner than normal - and not as stellar as her Actors Studio show; did you see her on that? Amazing) but her energy and spirit were wonderful.
Overall, a great, fun performance and about time she got her new material out to a mainstream American audience again!
Best, Lawrence

SAYS GREG: I think, for sure, that Diana Ross has still definitely got it! I'm just hoping she has added an L.A. date to her concert tour.

NAVRATILOVA PIECE BRINGS TEARS
Greg,
Just read your article about Martina. I don't usually do the blog thing. However i had to write you. Your article brought tears to my eyes. thanks.
No Name

GREG SAYS: Thank you! I know sometimes the blog is heavy on tennis but I am passionate about the game and some of its heroes, like Martina Navratilova.

NOT A FAN OF COULTER
Greg,
Loved, loved LOVED what you wrote about Ann Coulter in your blog! YAY! I can't stand her, and not just because she's - supposedly - conservative. (Some of my friends are and they're ever so much nicer than she is!) Me thinks Coulter doth protest too much? More than one pundit has said she looks like a guy in drag - and after her bashing of the 9/11 widows, I think she's overcompensating for not having a husband in her life. Sad. Very sad.
L.S.

GREG SAYS: I couldn't have said it better myself. It has taken all of the restraint I have to not start refering to her as Dan Coulter! (I'm bad.)

KUDOS FROM A BRIT
Hi Greg,
I've just been perusing your Out in Hollywood site and wanna say a big thank you. I've only got as far as the movie bit but can tell from that that this is the place to get the news.I've read of movies that I never knew existed. Power to your elbow mate!
Andy Willsher
UK
 
GREG SAYS: Thanks for being so thoughtful, Andy! I had to ask around to find out what "power to your elbow" means!  

NEEDING TO SPELL IT OUT
Greg,
I enjoy your blog - but could you please run your
entries through spellcheck before posting? I know
this is petty, but I just needed to say it.
-Janice H.

GREG SAYS: Yu've sed it Janyce amd I doo hpe yoo feal soo muchh beter now! Hapy Satudey!

Keep those letters and comments coming!!!

There's a really good interview in the new issue of People magazine with Elisabeth Hasselbeck who I have bagged on for her conservative political views. But in recent months, I have softened a bit because, well, I sometimes have felt sorry for the girl when she's up against the liberal (and correct!) views of her co-hosts Rosie O'Donnell and Joy Behar. But it turns out that Elisabeth doesn't need my concern, she can take care of herself just fine.
Here is part of the Q&A:
On How she feels about Rosie: "Everyone's always thinking Ro and I don't get along, we're 'enemies.' Politically, we're rivals. That is clear. However, we are personally friends. We are on e-mail all day long with each other."

On buzz that she feels ganged-up on: '"Oh poor Elisabeth. She's upset. She's being ganged up on.' That's not true. Under these blonde highlights, i consider myself a pretty tough person. So, don't cry for me, Argentina."

So Rosie hasn't brought her to tears? "I keep reading it, but it didn't happen. My mom's calling me, 'Oh, you were crying?' No! I'm fine! I've been to rosie's house. We hang out. It's a nice friendship, and it's one that no one would have expected - even us."

Will she be back on The View next year? Will Rosie be back?: "I hope things stay the same. I really do. We have something special here. Every single morning i wake up and look forward to coming in. So I hope Rosie stays, I think we have a lot more to talk about."

When I was reading Elisabeth's interview, i thought about two of my closest friends from college who both happen to have birthdays today (happy b-day Scott and Bill!). We have been thick as thieves for close to 20 years and have had political arguments both large and small (things got particularly ugly after the 2000 election and the lead-up to the Iraq war). But we have had to learn to seperate the political views from the friendship in order to preserve our brotherhood forged so many years ago when we were still figuring out who we were and how we felt about the world. I now know that it can be done. It's not easy during these volatile times but in the end, it comes down to this: friendship is more important than politics. And people who have stuck by you, through thick and thin, deserve your loyalty.
But could I get close to a new friend with these views? Doubt it. Scott and Bill are grandfathered in!

Donald Trump and the dead animal on his head appear on David Letterman's show tonight. The interview was taped earlier in the week so part of what Trump said is already making the rounds. Dave, of course, asked him about his stupid feud with Rosie O'Donnell and Chump, I mean Trump, went on to give his assessment of what is going on behind the scenes at "The View" and how Barbara Walters is no long a friend of his (how can anybody be a friend of this creep unless they are bought and paid for?)
"She was trying to protect Rosie," he said of Walters. "She just said things that weren’t so and therefore I sort of wrote her off my list. She’s off the list."
Is this guy for real? It's almost like he should be on "The Real Housewives of Orange County."
Chump goes on to say that he actually sympathizes with Walters: "Rosie is sort of taking over the show from Barbara. It was sad to watch what was happening. But Rosie, they say, almost beat her up in the green room, and Barbara went out and did things she shouldn’t do. I felt badly for Barbara. In a way, I feel that Barbara was just trying to keep the whole thing together. I don’t totally blame her."
How thoughful of him to show such concern for Walters, a real tiger and trailblazer who was the first woman to co-host "The Today Show" and the evening news and has faced off against more world leaders than Trump the Chump can probably name.
Yes, Rosie has changed the show's dynamic. Is that a bad thing? Obviously viewers don't care since ratings are through the roof - something that cannot be said of Trump's tired "Apprentice" show.
He managed to say one sort of decent thing though about his behavior during the height of the Rosie feud: "I called her names that I certainly shouldn’t have called her."
I'll say.
Then he confesses that the whole thing "has been fun, actually.”
Doesn't that just say everything about this, as Walters called him, "poor pathetic man"?
So Letterman tells Trump he doesn’t have the stomach for feuds like that to which Trump, slipping back into first-grade mode, says:“It doesn’t take much of a stomach. She’s got the stomach for it,” refering to Rosie.
The audience's reaction? Groans.
Trump is now officially groan-inducing, and not in a good way.

I'm feeling a little reflective today. As I scanned the various sites and blogs that I look at every day, I came upon these photos of "Prison Break" stars Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell. My immediate instinct was, "I've got to post these."
But why? Is it to let the readers of "Out In Hollywood" that the second season finale of "Prison Break" will air this Monday night on FOX? Of course it is! But then I wondered this: if it were the season finale of say, "Til Death" starring Brad Garrett, would I feel compelled to post a picture of a man who reminds me so much of Herman Munster?
I wonder...

So, what do you all think of David Beckham's new haircut. I think he looks smashing - as always. But the wife! Victoria Beckham must not have any mirrors in her house. I know she may think she looks chic but I think she looks like she should be called Scary Spice.
Hate to be mean, but she does looks frightening.

"Celebrity Duets" may not have been in the league of "American Idol" or "Dancing With the Stars" but it did give "Queer Eye" alum Jai Rodriguez (he was the culture expert) the opportunity to show the world that he can sing - and sing quite well. So congratulations to Jai for sigining a record deal with Airgo Music. His first single, "Wake Up Call," is scheduled for release in June.

This would be funny if it weren't so annoying.
One of the castaways on ABC's "Lost" was revealed to be gay in this week's episode: Boone, portrayed by the very pretty Ian Somerhalder. Just one little problem: Boone was killed off in the first season! And during that initial season, which remains the show's best, the only attraction Boone seemed to have was toward his stepsister Shannon! And it is through Shannon, in a flashback sequence, that we learn about Boone's sexuality. In the scene, the step-siblings are in the airport and she rips on him for hitting on every cute guy he sees. At least show us him hitting on a cute guy...give us SOMETHING!
What a ripoff. Maybe the show has plans to have more flashbacks with Boone making out with Jack (Matthew Fox) or Sawyer (Josh Halloway). I'd forgive them anything if we had that. But since neither Sawyer or Jack are gay (that we know of!), that ain't gonna happen. If I were a gay guy trapped on that island, i don't know how you don't fall for Jack.
I was ticked when Ian was killed off because he's been on my radar ever since he was on a long-ago and short-lived WB drama "Young Americans." He fell in love with a girl who was pretending to be a guy so she could attend the all-boy boarding school and he started to think he might be gay because of his strong attraction to this guy...who was really a girl.
And Ian showed in the indie gem "Rules of Attraction" that he isn't afraid to play gay or do a same-sex love scene. His kiss with co-star James Van Der Beek was semi-hot but even hotter was a sexy dance he did on the bed in his hotel room with another guy whose name I don't remember. But he was really gay in "Rules" and went after who and what he wanted.
Anyway, I'm pretty much off "Lost" this season anyway but if I hear they are going to explore this gay angle a bit more via-flashbacks, I'd be back in the fold.

Hillary Rodham Clinton has secured the endorsement of Billie Jean King in her bid to become the fitst female president in history.
Says King in a statement: "What I learned when I first met Hillary, and what I know now, is that she is qualified to lead this country. As a young woman, mother, advocate, first lady and senator she has continually shown us she is passionate about improving family issues, health care, equal pay and the challenges that people all across this nation face on a daily basis."
I actually think Billie Jean would make a great president! She has always fought for what she believes in no matter how daunting and in the process, has created social change.

It's Friday!!! How 'bout a little guy candy?
First, I offer you Clive Owen, whose terrific movie "Children of Men," I just watched on DVD the other night and was completely impressed by him, by Michael Caine, and jiust by the entire damned thing. Very well done. Clive got pretty grungy in "Children" but he sure isn't in this ad for Lancome:

Next up: Mr. Jonathan Rhys Myers who is starring in the new series "The Tudors," was a sensational Elvis in a TV flick a few years ago, a knockout as a killer in Woody Allen's "Match Point," and adorable as the cute soccer coach in "Bend it Like Beckham."

And finally, Mark Wahlberg. I think his comment about being creeped out by the roles in "Brokeback Mountain" were pretty lame but I like him as an actor. Saw a DVD of him in "Invincible" a few weeks ago and am planning to take my dad to see "Shooter" on Saturday. And, let's face it, he's got biceps to die for...

Happy Friday!!!

There's a new pop sensation in town and his name is Mika! His debut CD, "Life in Cartoon Motion" was released on Tuesday and Lance Bass was among those on hand at the release party held at West Hollywood's Mondrian Hotel Sky Bar. There has been much speculation about Mika's sexuality but he has made clear that he chooses not to discuss his personal life - entirely his right.

I caught "Eleven Men Out" last summer at Outfest. I was tired after seeing three other films that day but was so glad I stuck it out to see this sports dramedy set in the soccer world in Iceland! It's damned good and I was so happy to learn today the here! Films has acquired distribution rights and its sister company Regent Releasing will book the movie into theaters this summer.
Written by Jon Atli Jonasson and Douglas, "Eleven Men Out" centers on Ottar Thor, the star of KR, the Icelandic soccer team. After he surprisingly comes out of the closet to a reporter in front of his teammates, the controversy surrounding his coming out leads him on a journey to discovery himself, and a journey off the KR team. He soon joins an amateur team made up of other gay men trying to play in a straight world. In the ultimate culmination of hard work and heartache, the KR team and the amateur squad wind up battling it out on the field during Gay Pride Day.

Let me tell you this: the actor who plays Ottar Thor (Bjorn Hylnur Haraldsson) is as gorgeous as he is talented, He displays a full-range of skill in scenes where he is dealing with his rebellious teenaged son who is humiliatied by his decision to come out as well as with his ex-wife as they unite as parents. There are cool soccer scenes and fun stuff with fellow players and, here's a realo selling point: Haraldsson has a really steamy sex scene with another man that is pretty much worth waiting for!
Says here! executive Mark Reinhart, Executive Vice President, Acquisitions & Distribution, here! Networks: “This timely social satire illustrates the struggle gay men and women in professional sports and beyond face while trying to stay true to their identity, and we think our viewers will be charmed by this delightful film.”

I had to post this picture of a couple of 60-something dymamos who are still vibrant and active and relevant. Patti LaBelle, a singing star since the 1960s, is still dynamite and was deservedly given a special GLAAD Award Monday night in NYC. My hero Billie Jean King was there in support of the superb HBO documentary on her life called "Portrait of a Legend" which lost to "Rosie's Family Cruise."
I never tire of posting about formidable, accomplished, intelligent and inspiring people because I DO tire of seeing all the pictures of the complete trainwrecks who fill the pages of US Weekly, Star and In Touch.

The delicious Dolly Parton, deservedly awarded with the Kennedy Center Honors in December, had some surprising things to say when interviewed by a British newspaper recently. Dolly has been married for a million years to the same man, Carl Dean, who is rarely seen in public.
"When I have sex with my husband these days, I fantasize I am with someone like KEITH URBAN or a petite, hot young woman.”
COOL!!!!
She also says he first crush was on a Tennessee hooker who “I thought she was beautiful. She had more hair, more color, more everything.”
Well, there are at least two things that NO ONE has more of than Dolly!

It's always a happy day when you have reason to post a picture of Robert Gant. And if he happens to be shirtless in that picture, all the better! Gant, who came out publicly while a cast member of Showtime's "Queer As Folk," is going to appear in tonight's episode of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" in an episode that involves a string of showgirl murders, according to Brian's Blog on AterElton.com.
Gant, who co-stars with Chad Allen and Judith light in the indie feature "Save Me" which was featured at Sundance a few months ago, is one of those truly talented and nice people who you root for to have great success.

Democratic front-runner Barack Obama caught some flak, and I think deservedly so, for his casual reaction when asked to comment on oint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Peter Pace's remarks that homosexuality is "immoral."
Obama told Wolf Blitzer yesterday on "The Situation Room" that the story about his initial comments did not get out there properly in the beginning.

" I mean, what happened was I was leaving a firefighters' union meeting and trying to get in my car and did not respond to a reporter's query at that point," he said. "I wasn't responding to reporters period because I was trying to make a vote. Subsequently I made it very clear. I don't think that gays and lesbians are any more moral or immoral than heterosexuals and that I think it is very important for us to reexamine the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy because it's costing us millions of dollars in replacing troops that by all accounts are actually doing a good job but are simply being kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation."
Obama also spoke to Blitzer on the subject of gay marriage and civil unions: "Well, I think that 'marriage' has a religious connotation in this society, in our culture, that makes it very difficult to disentangle from the civil aspects of marriage. And as a consequence it's almost -- it would be extraordinarily difficult and distracting to try to build a consensus around marriage for gays and lesbians. What we can do is form civil unions that provide all the civil rights that marriage entails to same sex couples. And that is something that I have consistently been in favor of. And I think that the vast majority of Americans don't want to see gay and lesbian couples discriminated against, when it comes to hospital visitations and so on."

I'll be talking about the weekend's new releases at the multiplex Friday morning on "The Shane Foxman Show" on CFUN. The show is out of Vancouver, Canada but have no fear! You can listen to the broadcast live by going to www.cfun.com tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. and clicking on the Listen Live section. I think you need Windows Media Player to hear it.

If there was ever a tennis player who could write a compelling memoir, it's the recently-retired champion Andre Agassi. He's a future hall of famer for winning all four of the sports major titles as well as the Olympic Games but more than that, he is a sports icon who had great appeal outside tennis and to several generations. While he started out as a brash kid with long hair and flashy clothes, he went on to become the most articulate sportsman and elder statesman the game has ever had.
It was announced late Wednesday that Agassi's memoirs are to be published by Alfred A. Knopf and were strongly desired by numerous publishers. Financial terms were not disclosed but bidding reportedly topped $5 million as publishers flew out to see Agassi at his hometown of Las Vegas, touring his Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a charter school for at-risk youth, and then meeting with him at his office.
David Hirshey, senior vice president and executive editor at HarperCollins, one of the publishers that competed for the book, said the deal was more in line with what a former U.S. president would get.
"This is White House money," Hirshey said. "I can't remember the last time a sports figure got more than two million."
His book is not yet titled and no release date has been set.
Aggasi (pictured at right w/great rival Pete Sampras) said in a statement: "I recently had the privilege of meeting with top executives and editors from eight publishing houses. Everyone was very impressive, but in the end, I felt the strongest connection with (Knopf head) Sonny Mehta and his colleagues at Knopf."
Mehta calls Agassi's "an extraordinary life, and he has a great story to tell -- an inspiring story of determination, competition, and what it takes to become one of the greatest athletes of our time. Additionally, he is someone who has chosen to use his success as an instrument for change in the world."
In addition to the story of his tennis life where he went to teen prodigy to number one back down to number 141 then back up to number one. His downslide occured during his marriage to actress Brooke Shields in 1997 but his game was back on track for good by the time he married tennis great Steffi Graf who had retired from the game by the time they married. Agassi and Graf have a son and daughter together who have parents who have both won the Olympics, been ranked number one and won a combined 30 grand slam titles.
I look forward to Agassi's book. He is introspective and thoughtful and one of the few straight guys in the public eye who has never been afraid to show emotion or talk about his feelings.
He has simply been himself...

Will Arnett hits the big screen tomorrow in "Blades of Glory" starring Will Ferrell. Most of his scenes are with real-life wife Amy Poehler and they are a hoot together in this silly movie as a brother-sister pairs champion ice skating team. But even bigger news than the movie's debut is this: Will is featured in the new issue of The Advocate as the person with the Big Gay Following!
He was interviewed by Brandon Voss but you will have to buy the magazine to read the entire Q&A. But here are a few highlights:
Arnett on his Big Gay Following: "I didn't know I had any gay following. I knew I had a couple of guys following me, but I didn't actually know I had an actual gay following. I feel honored. If I do have a gay following, they have great taste."

On guys hitting on him: "Maybe I'm oblivious to it. I used to live in Chelsea for years and there were a few times walking my dog when guys would try to strike up conversations with me like, 'So, what's going on?' And I'd be like, 'Oh, just walking the dog.'"

On his man crush: "George Clooney. He's just the ultimate cool. How can you say a bad word about the guy? He's handsome as you want to be, he's got that perfect salt-and-pepper hair, he looks like he was born in a tuxedo - dud you see him at the Oscars? I mean, c'mon, that's just not fair."
Arnett, who was a regular on the late-great comedy "Arrested Development," played gay in the movie 'Let's Go to Prison" where his character, Nelson, ends up with Barry, played by Chi McBride: "..I liked that Nelson and Barry end up together. I hope that the audience enjoyed that aspect of it."

Arnett will play gay again in an episode of the NBC comedy "30 Rock." He describes his character as "a West Coast executive who's vying for Alec Baldwin's character's job. When it's revealed that I'm gay, he used Kenneth the page to seduce me to distract me from taking his job. I do get blinded by him for awhile, but I'm able to overcome it. I get to make the statement: 'I'm gay and i want your job!'"

Hate to sound like that old lady who used to do the Burger King commercials and say, "WHERE'S THE BEEF?" Or was it Wendy's? But when I think of the Sony Eriiccson Open tennis tournament in Miami, I want to ask, 'WHERE'S THE BEEFCAKE?"
Last night, the sizzling Spaniard Rafael Nadal followed Andy Roddick out of the tournament by losing to this dude named Novak Djokovic who he beat earlier this month in the finals of the Indian Wells tournament. His loss came a day after the shock upset of top-ranked Roger Federer to the same guy who beat him at Indian Wells. It's crazy!

Andy Roddick, always a good quote, told reporters he quit his match against Andy Murray because he has an injury but "I don't know what it is. I'm going to get an MRI. I think the medical term is the bottom of my ass hurts."
On the female side, ya gotta love that Serena Williams is on a tear again. She won her quarterfinal in straight sets, looks fitter than she has in years, and hungry for victory. It's fantastic to see.

The new issue of GQ explores male bonding and the phenomenon of a same-sex crush. I think it's no surprise that the magazine chose Daniel Craig to illustrate the piece by Adam Rapoport because just about everybody I know, male or female, gay or straight, think he is the bomb.
The article asks its straight readers the following: Spending too much time thinking about Damiel Craig? Or Maybe George Clooney? Has your love of Jeter become a main topic of too many conversatrions? You may be afflicted.
Here is how the article defines the man crush: (n.) 1: a romantic, but nonsexual, attraction to another male; 2: nothing you should be ashamed of.

The writer reveals one of his man crushes: soccer player Zinedine Zidane (pictured above) and he admits to admiring his widow's peak and to getting up in the wee hours to watch his World Cup games.
It's all veeeeerry interesting is all I'm saying...

Adorable Dominic Monaghan, current star of "Lost" and a key actor in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, shows just how gay-friendly he is in these photos. Since he's happily coupled with his "Lost" co-star Evangeline Lilly, we know these pics were taken in fun. My fave? The one below with the sign describing himself as "Gay Scottish Sex Symbol." If I were going to date a Hobbit, I'd want him to look just like Dominic Monaghan...

Oops! I squirreled away these pictures from Elton John's concert at Madison Square Garden Sunday and his star-studded birthday party Saturday night in NYC but forgot to post them! Well, it's never too late to enjoy party pics!
I won't bother with captions for the pics because if you don't know who people like Keifer Sutherland, Pierce Brosnan, Barbara Walters, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, Emma Thompson and Diane Sawyer are, there is no hope for you! Gee, none of those people came to MY last birthday party! What does Elton got that I don't got besides money, immense talent, hair (his isn't real but still!) and millions of adoring fans?
Meanwhile, I'm gonna hit Best Buy after I leave the office to pick up his new CD "Numbers Ones" and listen to it on the way home.

A lot of children of superstars run into trouble when the follow their parents into showbiz. This doesn't seem to be the case with the children of Diana Ross. Her daughter, Tracey Ellis Ross, has been on the hit sitcom "Girlfriends" for at least six years now and won the NAACP award this year for best actress in a comedy. Her son, Evan Ross, is starring opposite Queen Latifah in the HBO flick "Life Support." Evan plays a self-destructive gay HIV-positive teenager, Amare, who Latifah's character is trying to save. Life Support shines a light on people not often represented on the screen: African-American women and men living with HIV and AIDS, including men living on the "down low" like Amare’s lover, Michael.
Evan talked to Advocate.com about the movie, about playing a gay character and, of course, what it's like to follow his legendary mom into showbiz.
ADVOCATE: So what pressures, if any, do you feel being Diana Ross’s son?
ROSS: I get asked this question all the time. Right now I’m learning so much about my mom’s history and the stuff she’s done. I’d never really taken the time to do that, and she doesn’t really talk about it. She’s so great; she inspires me so much. It’s hard for me to take anything as a burden. I think the only thing that’s a pressure is growing up under a magnifying glass. But more than anything it’s a blessing to have such an incredible mom.
ADVOCATE: What impact do you hope Life Support will have?
ROSS: From Amare, I hope people see the harsher—the more real—struggles people go through. And for people to be able to see that struggle from a different point of view, because sometimes you see how a person gets by or tries to get better, but you don’t really get to see someone who is heading down the wrong path, like Amare.
ADVOCATE: What was it like playing a gay character?
ROSS: It was an interesting experience. I was excited about the role. I didn’t want to play it in a way where it would come off like, Wow, you can really tell [he’s gay] from the first time you see him. I just really wanted people to love Amare for who he was—and to have an understanding of what he was going through.
ADVOCATE: Was there anything you learned about queer culture while doing research for the film?
ROSS: I read up on a lot of stuff. Nelson George wanted me to play a character that was gay but was part of the hip-hop gay culture. It was a whole different side of things I hadn’t seen before. It was interesting and new, and I’m glad I got a chance to experience it. Even with the scene when I’m in the club and I have my hoodie on and I look over at a guy and I give him a look… It was interesting for me as an actor to see his reaction.

To read the full story, go over to Advocate.com.

My favorite players (except for Rafael Nadal) continue to fall at the Sony Ericsson tennis tournament in Miami. Roger Federer was knocked out yesterday and today, American cutie Andy Roddick was forced to retire during the first set of his match with British cutie Andy Murray.
Roddick, who is now being coached by Jimmy Connors, won the U.S. Open four years ago and reached the final again last September. He met with reporters (below) after the abbrviated match.

I don't know about you but as far as being lesbians go, Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox make excellent heterosexuals. These images of their highly-publicized smooch during the season finale on "Dirt" last night is more best friends than lovers. Still, it's nice to see these two lovely gals together - real-life best friends - on screen again. Thanks to JustJared.com for the images!

We heard from James McGreevey last fall when he paid a visit to Oprah Winfrey. Now his ex-wife Dina Matos McGreevey, the one who smiled awkwardly as he made his "I am a gay American speech," will be getting equal time, according to Queersighted.
The date has not yet been announced but it will be "later this Spring." Mrs. Matos McGreevey will be promoting her new book, "Silent Partner"-- billed as "a story of a marriage that was anything but happily-ever- after, told by a strong and resilient woman who can, and finally will, speak for herself." The book is due out on May 1 and the author is already scheduled to sign copies and answer questions at Barnes & Noble on Route 22 in her hometown of Springfield, New Jersey, so it is certain that her Oprah appearance will occur before the end of April.

I think Rob Lowe should be over turning down the role of Dr. McDreamy on "Grey's Anatomy" now that he has signed to be a full-fledged cast member of a better show: "Brothers & Sisters." Lowe, who plays U.S. Sen. Robert McCallister on the show, began appearing as a guest stae mid-season and was originally signed for just a handful of episodes.
According to Daily Variety, since Lowe joined the Sunday night show, there has been a ratings increase. It also helps that he and co-star Calista Flockhart have terrific chemistry.
Executive Producer Jon Robin Baitz tells Variety: "He brings a unique romantic addition to the show by his combination of wit and charm and his elegance. The great discovery of it is there's such an intrinsic chemistry between him and Calista, which is so rare to find in two actors together. He's been a tremendous boon to to the storyline in terms of storylines and even ratings."
Not to mention his incredible good looks!

Just saw this via Towerload.com, a Radar Online joint interview with out athletes Billy Bean, Jaohn Amaechi and Erera Tuaolo. Here is some of the exchanges:

RADAR: Why does the world go absolutely insane when an athlete comes out of the closet?
John Amaechi: I think because the stereotypes around sports and the stereotypes around gay people are so opposite. And that creates a disjoint—people can't imagine that the two things can coexist peacefully in one body.
Esera Tuaolo: Also, there's just not a lot of us out there.
Billy Bean: And if you are a jock and you want to be in sports, you learn to act like everyone else behaves, you learn to act straight.
RADAR: Billy, what's the oddest question you've ever been asked in an interview?
BEAN: I was actually once asked if I was a top or a bottom on a radio show, and that was the first time that I think I was embarrassed in public. When you become public, when you "come out," when you invite the public into your private life, there is a sense that you deserve to be asked that question.
RADAR: I once interviewed Mike Jones, the Denver prostitute who outed Reverend Ted Haggard. In the interview, I asked him if Haggard was a bottom or a power bottom.
BEAN: Why did you think that question was important? To make fun of Ted or to make fun of bottoms? That's what I mean about self-mutilation. I think that's what holds us back. Do you ask a woman if she's a top or a bottom? Not to get off track, but I just think we're making fun of ourselves.
RADAR: Well, I was making fun of Ted Haggard. Do you think it was wrong to ask the question?
BEAN: Well, I guess if you were asking Ted, but now that he's straight he probably couldn't answer the question. I'm just asking, "Why do we have to be defined into such little cubicles?" As gay people, it seems like our sex lives are on a trophy display, and I think that's what keeps us divided from the mainstream.

RADAR: Do you hear the word faggot a lot in locker rooms?
BEAN: Look at Tim Hardaway. I think he thought he was talking to one guy and not on a radio show and the truth came out, and that's the way those guys can talk in a straight environment. There's more high-fiving and laughing going on because if you're soft about gay stuff you must be a queer. That's what I think young guys think, so they just keep reiterating over and over, "I'm straight, I'm straight."
RADAR:John, you actually started coming out a bit while you were still playing for the Utah Jazz, in that you would go to gay clubs. Did you know any other NBA players who were gay—did your gaydar ever go off?
AMAECHI: Well, it did go off. I do know guys who are gay in the league, because some of them at some point or another lived similar lives, and we'd end up at the same parties or going to the same place. So I know a few people, but to be honest it's that thing again: When I show up in an arena, or even practice, my external life shuts off and it's all about work and my head is down and it's really more about numbers on a uniform than anything else.

To read the entire interview on RADAR, click HERE.

I got stood up last night...by a GIRL!
My friend Mariel and I had plans to attend the season 6 premiere screening of the FX cop show "The Shield" at the Arlight in Hollywood then attend the season 5 DVD party immediately after being held across the street at the Cabana Club.
I'm driving into the ArcLight parking garage and notice I have a voicemail on the cellphone. It's Mariel. "The wind blew the fence down in my front yard and I want to put it back up before it gets dark." Well, at least she didn't say, "Ya know, you make me sick!"
I never mind at all attending events by myself, it's easier to meet guys that way. But I didn't quite have my mojo last night and kinda felt like Loser, party of one, as I sat there eating my popcorn waiting for things to get started. But got over that pretty fast once the program started.
The first episode of season 6 was shown and it was a doozy. Forest Whitaker guest stars and is expected to be in a few more episodes this season but not the regular he was last season. I hadn't seen Whitaker in anything since "The Last King of Scotland" and the contrast underscores what a superb performance he gave in "Scotland" because it is so different from what he does on "The Shield."
Michael Chiklas is phenomenal as the lead character, so intense. He blew me away as did the rest of the cast which is terrific with a special shout-out to the terrific CCH Pounder who always elevates anything she's in. The audience was filled with scores of people who work in front of and behind the camera.
There was an emotional moment when the audience suddenly stood and went into a heartfelt standing ovation when the name of producer-director Scott Brazil was mentioned. Brazil directed 11 episides of "The Shield" and was with the show from the very beginning. He died last April during production of the season 6 premiere at the age of 50.
Thought about heading home right after the screening to catch the second half of "American Idol" but hey, who am I to pass up a party?
I wasn't very hungry so I pass on the buffet of food that includes such hearty fare as fried chicken and mac and cheese. But I'm a sucker for Coconut Shrimp and when a guy walks by with some on a tray, I snag one. Then when he comes by again a bit later, I snag another. Then another guy comes over with a tray that has those little mini-cheeseburgers on it. They are made with Kobe beef he says. It is basically so delicious that I scarf it down and am ready for another. Too bad I can't find burger boy now. And I can't very well tap on people's shoulders and say, "Hi. Have you seen that guy carrying around the little cheeseburgers? I need another one. NOW!" So, I move on.
Hung out with a couple of guys who work for E! online, took a photo of Michael Chiklis and one with CCH Pounder but really I wanted to go home. So I ask this short blond guy with a clipboard and headset what time the gift bags would be handed out. I'd been at the party an hour and not seen one yet. He looks at me, kinda snotty, and says, "The party only started 25 minutes ago."

Clipboard/headset guy, unfortunately, is Mary Cheney lookalike (and his hair had that flip at the end like Mary Tyler Moore's did on "The Dick Van Dyke Show") but at least gave me some useful information: 'They'll be handed out at 10," he says dismissively before turning on his heel and walking away.
I have a half-hour to kill now. If I've stayed at the party this long, I'm sure as heck not leaving without the gift bag which i know has a DVD of season 5 in it. So I walk around the room and so many people look vaguely familiar but I can't place them, ANY of them. Except for Frances Fisher. Her, I recognize. She played Lucille Ball in a television movie (and did so very well), was on "Titanic" and "Unforgiven" and I loved her as Julianne Moore's outrageous mother in "Laws of Attraction."
At last! It's a little past 10 and I see people carrying gift bags. I head over to the nice girl handing them out (Thankfully, the snippy Mary Cheney guy is nowhere to be seen), grab mine, and head out into the night.