May 2007 Archives

It breaks my heart that Tammy Faye Messner is losing her battle against cancer. But she gives an interview to "Entertianment Tonight's" Jann Carl today - I believe it's by telephone. Tammy Faye, a Christian woman who has been an outspoken supporter of the LGBT community, is down to 65 pounds but still keeps herself up - as always.
In part one of a two-part interview she says: "When they [the doctors] said there's nothing more we can do, for just about a minute I felt sorry for myself, had my little pity party. Then I said, 'I've got somebody bigger than the doctors, I know the Lord, Jesus Christ, and he can do something for it.' He's the only one that can, and so I just trust Him every day."
"I have really wonderful days, and I have really bad days," she says. "I would say I'm in pain almost 100 percent of the time. My back hurts, so I had to go to a wheelchair. And I have a very bad tummy all the time."
God bless Tammy Faye...

Carlos Moya won the French Open waaaaaaaay back in 1998, a year after he made the finals of the Australian Open. Not long after that, he briefly reached the number one ranking in men's tennis. Nowadays, he wins a few tournaments each year and gives those of us who admire gorgeous athletes the change to enjoy the scenery! Moya was among the winners Thursday at the French Open. To read my round-up of the day's action, check out Deuce!

Here's an afternoon snack for you! The latest picture of surfer dude Matthew McConaughey taken sometime, somewhere this week...

Dear readers,
I often get little notes of encouragement from readers of the blog (and a mean one from time to time) so once they pile up a little, I share them with you. Here is the latest batch...some are edited for space and last names are abbreviated. Thanks to all who wrote or contribute comments on specific items...please continue!
-- Greg

LOVES JACLYN SMITH
Hey Greg,
Gid day mate!
Thanks for that wonderful piece on Jaclyn. Love the article and the photos...She came here in Australia to promote her bedding collection years ago but missed her.
Anyway, good luck and hope to see more of her, too...
Cheers,
Alfo

LOVES OUT IN HOLLYWOOD BLOG
Hi Greg,
First of all, let me tell you that I recently became aware of your blog after reading an article about gay bloggers in The Advocate. Since then, I've added "Out in Hollywood" to my favorites and I read it religiously. I am an avid reader of everything related to film, music, pop culture and beyond. Oh, and I'm gay. I guess they go hand in hand.
I find your blog to be extremely entertaining and informative and a lot less snarky than others. (I'm sure you know who I mean. Of course, I still guiltily peruse it from time to time) ... I look forward to reading more of your blog. Maybe I'll see you out and about one night at a Hollywood event that I've been invited to or "inadvertently" crashed.
Take care.
David T.
P.S. Loved the Billie Jean King posts. She's a legend!

HE DOES TOO!
Hi Greg, my best friend Greg and I are HUGE movie fans. We even wrote a column in a GLBT rag for awhile covering movies and having some very dynamic conversations about what we thought about the movies and all that makes them up. Since I have been reading your blog I've gotten to really appreciate you and what you bring to the GLBT community. Just wanted to say thanks,
Paolo
p.s. Thanks so much for the scoop!

DOES NOT LOVE ROSIE
How can you defend a person who says on national television that 9/11 was done by the US government and our troops are terrorists? You are as pathetic as Ms. Big Mouth Bully.
Ferd B.

A ROSIE DEFENDER
Hello Greg,
I don't feel that what Rosie has said isn't really anything from the truth and i'd like to know when we the American people and people of the press are going to hold our Congressmen to be accountable for the thing's that they do and suffer the consequences of their action's.... Smoking pot, writing bounced checks, drunk driving and so on.
They are like organized crime gang's and get away with it no matter what they do.No one hold's them accountable for any thing it seems.
Thank You,
nancy

LOVES MATTHEW RHYS
Robbie's comments reaffirmed how lucky we are to have someone as committed and comfortable in the role of
Kevin as Matthew Rhys. He's such a find. As for the "other gay person in the family"...I'm thinking it has to be Saul. I was always curious about him as the uncle without a person life. Perhaps he's been in the closet all these years.
Scott

ANOTHER BRO & SISTERS FAN
Hello Greg
I just wanted to say Hello and to tell you that I Enjoy reading "Out in Hollywood" every day and I am a big fan of "Brothers and Sisters" to. Keep up the Good work. I hope you have a great Summer.
Take Care,
Jerry

Send any letters to greg.hernandez@dailynews.com

I'm a sucker for Maroon 5 ever since seeing them on The Today Show not too long ago. Obviously the handsome lead singer Adam Levine is to die for but I also like their music. And I'm not alone: the group's second studio album: "I Won't Be Soon Before Long" debuted at number one on the sales charts, selling 429,000 copies. It has been driven by the hit single "Makes Me Wonder" which is currently topping the singles chart thanks to 243,000 downloads sold. In addition to "Today," Maroon 5 also appeared on "The Tonight Show" and "Saturday Night Live" before the album's release.
Also, the straight but gay-friendly Levine recently did an interview with The Advocate and also spoke with Insintct magazine for its current issue. I like what he had to say about gay marriage: "Oh, it's the most silly, ridiculous law I know of. Honestly, people should really get their heads out of their asses. Is anyone really hurting anyone else if they choose to marry someone of the same sex? I don't believe they are. It's just so archyaic and ludicrous."

Well said Adam!

Is it possible for me to get tired of pictures of the cast of "Ocean's 13"? Kinda doubt it. Just came across this image from the terrace at the Hotel du Cap in Cannes, France. and excerpts from an interview in the new Time magazine via JustJared.com:

On the subject of charisma, you’ve each been called the last great movie star at one point or another. Are we really running out of movie stars, and is that, like, a problem?
CLOONEY: The last real movie stars were probably Redford and Newman. And things were different then. There wasn’t this amazing amount of magazines and information about them.
DAMON: We didn’t know anything about them.
CLOONEY: There was mystique. They’re 60 feet high, and you paid your buck and a half to go see them. But that’s gone. People know everything about everybody now.
PITT: Jaws came along and proved you could make huge money with blockbusters, and it set this thing in motion that has lowered the subject matter. People like George have been getting good stuff out there, but it’s an industry that pushes people out on the big stage too fast, before they’re ready, and it eats them up as well. It’s a different kind of arena now.
BARKIN: Think about it. Do we know anything about Robert Redford’s children? Does he even have any?
DAMON: I worked with him, and I don’t know.
PITT: I have four, if you haven’t heard.

I think Leonardo DiCaprio is the best actor of his generation, someone who is smart about working with great directors (especially Martin Scorsese) and who has transitioned from teenaged star to young hearthrob to leading man with real chops. My Leo faves of recent years are "Blood Diamond," "The Aviator," "Catch Me if You Can," and "The Departed."
Now Leonardo is filming "Revloutionary Road" which reunites with him "Titanic" leading lady Kate Winslet. He is oh-so handsome but even better, he is oh-so talented too.

Little dribs and drabs conitnue to roll in regarding the O'Donnell-Hasslebeck showdown on "The View" last week which resulted in Rosie leaving the show three weeks ahead of schedule. I could post as item each day about some of the idiotic things Donald Trump says on whatever show will have him, often resorting to junior high school insults about Rosie's appearance. But I've decided that Trump has no clothes. He's an embarrassment and obviously no one close to hiom will tell him so.
Anyway, jn the new issue of People Magazine, "Dancing With the Stars" hunk Maksim Chmerkovskiy (he was Laila Ali's partner) tells what he saw from backstage on that infamous day. He says there were producers running out of the room with stone faces trying to deal with the escalating situation (I wonder if any of them suggested cutting to a commercial) and that Alicia Silverstone was "hypervenilating" because she had to go on stage and be interviewed by these warring women in the segment after the blow-up. She pointedly did not greet Hasdslebeck when she came out, but warmly greeted Rosie and Joy Behar...By the way, I've been watching the hot topics of "The View" post-Rosie and well, kind of a snooze now isn't it?

For a tennis fan, this is kind of embarrassing. And as a gay tennis, it is REALLY embarrassing. I make it my business to not only know what is gpoing on in pro tennis, but to knowing which players are really hot! But I had no idea who Mikhail Youzhney was before seeing this pictures of him playing in the French Open today. His name is difficult to say, but he is oh-so easy on the eyes. Mikhail, the 13th seed, won his second-round match over Nicolas Lapentti. To see my round up of other winners on Wednesday at the tournament, check out my tennis blog DEUCE!

This is great! While it's not secret that David Hyde Pierce is gay, it's wonderful to have him publicly acknowledge his partner, actor-writer-producer Brian Hargrove. According to AfterElton.com, the outing came in the form of a routine Associated Press-provided description of Pierce’s career with AE then getting confirmation from his publicist.
Hyde Pierce, best known for his four-time Emmy-winning role as Niles Crane in "Frasier," has had many films roles ("Down With Love") and his Broadway credits include "Spamalot" and the current hit "Curtains" for which he is up for a Tony Award.
I'm not going to quibble with how and when he came out because, unlike Out Magazine and others, I think it's each person's right - gay or straight - to decide how public they want their personal lives to be.

Despite an unsightly spider bite, I made it to the ArcLight Theater last night to catch an early screening of "Knocked Up." Snuck in after everyone had been seated and the lights went down. The movie was a hoot! I will say this right away: there are three scenes that I noticed with homophobic humor, none of which I found veyr offensive EXCEPT for one horrid exchange outside a nightclub: Leslie Mann, who plays the older sister to Katherine Heigl's pregnant lead character, goes off on a doorman and among the insults she hurls are calling him the f-bomb a few times. It wasn't funny and it wasn't necessary and as a gay man, I did not appreciate it.
The movie tells the story of slacker Ben (Seth Rogen) who meets E! television reporter Alison (Katherine Heigl) at a bar where both get drunk and end up having sex without a condom. Alison gets pregnant and decides to have the baby and raise it. she calls Ben, a jobless stoner who livews with four wacko stoner roomates, to let him know. They begin to get to know each other and the movie follows their journey to parenthood which is not without its sweet moments and major hurdles.
Heigl is absolutely perfect in the part and so different from whiney Izzie on "Grey's Anatomy." This is a real breakout role for her in a movie that I am sure will be a major box office smash when it opens on Friday. Rogen is certainly a change-of-pace leading man and while his character can be maddening, he is also endearing and very, very funny. Leslie Mann is an absolute revelation as the older sister. Her comic timing is a wonder and every time she is on screen, you are in for a treat. The oh-so-handsome Paul Rudd (is there a more perfect nose on any other man alive) has some very, very funny moments - especially when he and Ben have some magic mushrooms in Vegas and start to freak out in their hotel room. It's some of Rudd's best work.
Look for a terrific Ryan Seacrest cameo in which Mr. Meterosexual has a total meltdown. This bit and other scenes really make the movie an up-to-date pop culture experience with references to everything from "Spider-Man 3" to Matthew Fox. Steve Carell, who starred in writer-director Judd Apator's "40 Year Old Virgin" two summers ago, has a funny bit playing himself. And, the first gynecologist the couple sees is played by out actor Tim Bagley who had a recurring role on "Will & Grace" throughout much of its run as one-half of that nauseatingly happy couple who gets married then has a baby.
In the end, I laughed a lot during "Knocked Up." There is a lot of talent on the screen and the movie would have been even better had there not been those f-bombs in it. NOT NECESSARY.

I'm not endorsing this, merely sharing the news. A new site has been launched called FireElisabethHasslebeck.com which seeks to have the co-host of "The View" replaced after her on-air showdown with Rosie O'Donnell last week which resulted in Rosie leaving the show three weeks early.

The site states: Iif you have watched the actual footage of the discussion that occurred on 05/23/07, you can see that it was Elisabeth who was the aggressor throughout the entire discussion. Elisabeth began by interrupting Joy with sarcastic comments as Joy attempted to provide some facts about the George Bush presidency, and then continued as Elisabeth angrily defended her refusal to respond to the Republican pundits who incorrectly said that Rosie called the U.S. troops terrorists. As the discussion progressed, Rosie repeatedly tried to de-escalate the situation and not get into a disagreement. However, Elisabeth angrily continued in her blind defense of this administration and her criticisms of Rosie’s views. While many have portrayed this fight as one over politics, it was really a fight about friendship and Elisabeth’s refusal to support Rosie by denouncing what these pundits were attempting to say about her.

Well, I guess lighting up the Cannes Film Festival last week as one half of the most glamorous superstar couple since Burton and Taylor is technically work. But Brad Pitt has resumed shooting "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" in Old Montreal, Canada. According to JustJared.com, the shooting of exterior shots marks the tail end of a long shoot, which included four months in New Orleans and another two months in Los Angeles. The film is due out in fall 2008.

No, this is not an item from 5-6 months ago. I was scrolling dow the "Ask Ro" section of Rosie.com and several of the former View co-hosts fans asked her about Donald Trump's recent appearance on "Larry King Live" in which he calls her, among other things: "sick."
Of this, Rosie writes: "From him, it is a compliment. He is everything I abhor."
She is also disgusted with Larry King for even giving Trump a forum to bash her: "Stick a fork in him, Larry is done. And the [Trump] dump truck, a dumb rich boy who wishes to be king."

I gotta say, maybe one positive thing in all this is now that Rosie is off "The View," Trump will have to find another way to stay in the public eye. His show "The Apprentice" got cancelled even though he pathetically tried to make it seem as if HE had decided to move on. He's been exposed to be a very pathetic man.

Also in the Ask Ro section, Rosie writes that she has exchanged emails with Joy Behar and Barbara Walters but reiterates that she has only exchanged a single email with feud-mate Elisabeth Hasslebeck who on Tuesday's show (Whoopi Goldberg guest hosted) indicated that they had been in constant contact.

This will all fade soon, I'm sure. But until then, it's kinda fun dishing about all of it!

Spotted this pic of Cleveland Brown Quarterback Brady Quinn on Kennethinthe212.com. These are from his first practice! According to press reports, his first session wasn't stellar as he was a bit tentative. I'm sure it was just first-day jitters...

Once again, Andy Roddick is an American in Paris with feet of cllay. He crashed out earlier today in the first round of the French Open despite being ranked third in the world. It's a shame. Maybe he needed those fake muscles that were photoshopped onto his recent Men's Fitness cover? Anyway, he should still do just fine nextg month at Wimbledon where he has twice been the runner up. Meanwhile, his fellow American James Blake, ranked 9th, also lost as did the fifth seed, Spaniard Fernando Gonzalez who had made the Australian Open final in January.
But on the bright side, top-seeded Roger Federer won as did two-time defending champ Rafael Nadal, former number one Lleyton Hewitt and, one of my personal favorites, the appealing Russian, Marat Safin (pictured below), former winner of the U.S. Open and the Australian Open...

Jennifer won the Oscar, Beyonce was already the star but Anika Noni Rose managed to carve out her own special moments in "Dreamgirls." The Tony winner (for 'Caroline, or Change') has a key role in the upcoming miniseries "The Starter Wife" starring Debra Messing and Judy Davis. She has a cool interview in the new issue of Instinct magazine and I am sharing with you a few tidbits:
On Dreamgirls being a gay man's movie: "Yes, it's YOUR musical. [laughs]. It was important that gay men accept it because they're the group that made it happen, that made it stay around. Gay men are the fans that kept Dreamgirls alive...I have never, ever been in a theater with as many gay men as I was at the New York premiere and with people who were so ready to love something. It was really wonderful to sit there and have all those fans of Dreamgirls excited and thrilled and take part in what was being done."

Andy Baldwin and Tessa Horst from "The Bachelor: an Officer and a Gentlemen" are my favorite heterosexual couple right now! Here they are on the beach in Hawaii over the weekend. Aren't they beautiful??? If this relationship doesn't work out, I may have to swear off reality shows forever...except "American Idol," of course, and maybe "Dancing With the Stars." I also have to reserve the right to watch anything on Bravo and "Amazing Race" if they have another hot gay couple like Chip and Reichen. But other than that, I'll be THROUGH!

Well, we already heard this from Rosie and yet, I still feel the need to share what Kathy Griffin, who co-hosted "the View" the day after the big fallout, had to say about it all.
According to TMZ.com: It was the show's technical decision to sensationalize the recent on-air fight between Rosie and Elisabeth Hasselbeck with a split screen graphic. that pushed O'Donnell over the edge. "I said, 'What was it really?'" recalled Griffin. "'The split-screen." She said, 'I don't want to do "Hannity and Colmes."
Griffin also revealed that O'Donnell's hard feelings toward Hasselbeck might not run so deep. When Rosie heard that Donald Trump had called Hasselbeck "stupid," she expressed sadness. "She doesn't even hate Elisabeth," said Griffin.

My doctor retired last week. He was a nice, older man who I felt comfortable with. He reminded me a bit of Dr. Marcus Welby from the 70s television show. Those of you under 35 have no idea what I'm talking about. But you DO know who Dr. McDreamy is, right? The hot doc played by Patrick Dempsey on "Grey's Anatomy." Well, meet my new doctor!
I wake up this morning, feel a bump on my forehead. Dash to the mirror to check it out and it is this huge, red size-of-a-quarter tumor thing. I call my medical group, explain that my doctor has just retired but I need to see someone about this tumor thing on my forehead. Maybe I have flesh-eating disease?
They can squeeze me in at 10:15 so I put on a baseball cap and sunglasses and drive to Beverly Hills, find a street space and walk to the office just sure that people are looking at me: "What is that on that dude's forehead?" Check in and after only a short wait, in walks my movie star doctor. He inspects my forehead and thinks it's a spider bite of some kind. He thinks I'll live but can tell I'm embarassed and makes some jokes. I don't usually get spider bites or mosquito bites or whatever joking to friends that they just don't like Hispanic blood. Well, obviously one was in the mood for Mexican Food last night!
Anyhow, McDreamy has agreed to be my regular doctor which makes me happy not just because he's a dreamboat, but he is thorough and has a terrific sense of humor. I feel like I'm in excellent hands. Hopefully I won't have to see him much but if I do, them's the breaks!
So why share this story? 1. An opportunity to post a pic of Patrick Dempsey. 2. Wanted you to know why there hadn't been any postings this morning.

Melissa Etheridge!!!

This Grammy and Oscar winning musician turns 46 today...she makes us all so proud with her courage and grace...

And look who else has a birthday today...Rupert Everett!!! He is the voice of the evil Prince Charming in the "Shrek" movies, starred in "The Ideal Husband," "Inspector Gadget" and other films but is best known for his trilogy of gay roles in "Another Country," "The Next Best Thing" and, of course, "My Best Friends Wedding." Mr. Everett turns 48 today...

Television and Broadway star Charles Nelson Reilly died over the weekend of complications from pneumonia and it is a big loss for the entertainment industry and for his fans. He really was one of the few gay people we saw on television in the 70s when he was a regular on "Match Game" and enjoyed such delicious repartee with Brett Somers.

Reilly was 76 and survived by his longtime partner, Patrick Hughes. He gained fame in 1962 with a Tony-winning role in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" and had more recently toured in a one-man show titled "Save it for the Stage: The Life of Reilly" which included a run at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. A feature film based on the show was released in 2006 and Reilly also appeared as one of the "talking heads" in Rick McKay's documentary film "Broadway: The Golden Age" which I highly recommend.

This guy has got the life...skateboarding, surfing and being a big movie star. These pictures were taken recently as McConaughey filmed his latest movie which revolves around the surfing world...

Love the surfer dude hair...

Whaddaya think of the stripped swim trunks??

Photos originally posted on JustJared.com

You can learn a lot by reading the "Ask Ro" section of Rosie O'Donnell's blog on Rosie.com. I was sitting here waiting for Memorial Day weekend box office numbers and started scrolling down just to pass the time and wow! Then I watched the video blog she made Saturday night and there really are no questions left unanswered.
Of her stint on "the View" Rosie said: "I was really like the foster kid for a year, I came and we considered adoption, but I really didn't fit into the family, and then it was time for the foster kid to go home."
It is clear that she feels betrayed by Elisabeth Hasselbeck ("friends...in show business...it's hard to tell sometimes" and "A mom bond truly isn't enough for a friendship")), the two have been briefly in touch via e-mail. She says: "She called and Kelli spoke to her for a long time. And I haven't spoken to her, and I probably won't and I think it's just as well. And I wrote her an email, and she wrote me back. And there you have it...I never tried harder to be friends with someone than I did with her fro, the get-go, but I don't think we ended up there, anywhere close."

I have a friend who, whenever he is in town from overseas, things turn out to be some kind of episode of "I Love Lucy." On Friday, we decided to leave Ricky and Fred at home to have some lunch at LA's Farmer's Market then do some shopping at The Grove.
I'll call my friend Ralph because, as he put it, 'I don't want you using my name in that blog of yours." After some pizza, we stop at Banana Republic and as Ralph tries on belt after belt, I'm getting this bored, glazed look in my eyes. Then I notice some sales items! They have these really nice sweaters for just $10.99, some kind of clearance thing. I pick up a light blue one and a grey one. Ralph, belt in hand, says: "You should get one in every color!" I look at him: "I'd look like an avocado in that green one." I guess Ralph considers himself the glamorous Lucy while I'm dumpy Ethel. We make our purchases and as we walk out, my bag sets the alarm off, I know I've paid so no panic here put Ralph jokingly flees the store in an obvious effort to distance himself from me. The sales kid disappears with my bag for so long that we ask his co-worker where the heck he is. She says he's cutting off tags. We start in with the Winona Ryder shoplifting jokes. Then we hear this voice off in a distance: "I can't BELIEVE these sweaters are only $10!" It's the sales kid. Ralph: "What's he doing? PAWING through everything in your bag?"
I felt so exposed.
Next up: Nordstrom. Ralph needs "product." We get this very chatty Brit with exploding cleavage who sweetly asks Ralph what his skin issues are. "Oh, I have a little dryness maybe," he says. She starts pulling out some samples of her line (called "Anthony") then keeps coming back to Ralph and noticing some new alleged imperfections with his skin: "Oh, I see you have some acne...you need some of this." "Oh my, there's some redness." "Well, you have an oily problem...you didn't really give me a proper assessment of your skin." All the while she's building up this huge bag of goodies for Ralph to take with him because she assumes he's a local and will return in a week or so to make a big purchase. No chance sister! He doesn't even live in this country! Still, she had made poor Ralph, whose skin looks just fine, feel like an red and oily-faced, pimpled-headed teenager. He is mortified. I, on the other hand, cannot stop laughing.
Then a woman who looks like Janet on "Three's Company" charges at us with a look of feindish glee holding teeth wightening samples and just puts it right on us! She starts to tell Ralph and I about our astrological signs (she completely has us reversed by the way) and says these qualities are what make us a good couple...which we are not! In the end, I agree to buy 10 days worth of this teeth wightening stuff (supposed to last for six months...we'll see) for $89. I'm a sucker for Janet because she never got as much screen time as Chrissie and now she has to work at Nordstrom. I wonder if she's in touch with Mrs. Roeper.
Next: Abercrombe & Fitch. Why? Because there is a shirtless stud standing at the door greeting people. That's it, we're in! He is quite a dish. We feign interest in the clothes but really we just wanted to check him out. We're outa there in minutes and about to get a coffee when Ralph gets a look of euphoria on his "oily" face: "There's Kiehl's!" Huh? Ralph wants more product so he dashes in. The woman at the counter was not as direct as the brassy Brit at Nordstrom but she does note the "oily skin" thing. We walk out nearly crying with laughter because up until this shopping trip, Ralph had spent four decades in this Earth thinking his skin was "just a little dry." It reminds us of the Lucy episode when she and Ethel go to get makeovers and the snotty woman tells Lucy that her face powder gives her a weird unnatural look. Lucy says with shame and embarassment: "I'm not wearing any powder."
We've had enough shopping and decide to head to West Hollywood for some margaritas and dinner at Fiesta Cantina. It's 2 for 1 prices from 4-8 and we get there at 7:50 p.m. The place is packed, no time to find a waiter so I push my up to the bar and manage to order two margaritas at about 7:54. We soon get a table and ask a waiter if we can order a few more margaritas before happy hour ends. He says: "Oh, that's way over. You have to pay full price now." (It's 8:02 p.m.).
We have some dinner there then hit The Abbey where we order drinks then spot John Amaechi, the former NBA player who I had lunch with and profiled some months back. I introduce him to Ralph and we all chat. John confesses that he never reads any of the articles written about him but he agrees to check out Out In Hollywood. We see John again later on and he meets our other friends Michael and Ray who are also in for the weekend.
We have a prime table but are only using half of it when we bump into Jackie Warner from Bravo's 'Workout" show. She asks if she can borrow some chairs from our table and I jokingly say "No!" But she and her entourage take it seriously and seem miffed at me! Sheesh, these reality show divas just don't get my humor. But later, I went over and chatted with Jackie and she was actually quite lovely and nice. So it's all good. We closed the place down and the Memorial Day weekend had officially begun!

Mark Phillipoussis has spent much of his tennis career fighting injuries but he has still been good enough to make it to the finals of the U.S. Open and Wimbledon losing to Patrick Rafter and Roger Federer, respectively. Now the Aussie hearthrob is spreading his wings with a new reality dating show "The Age of Love." premiering on NBC June 18.
Read all about it in my tennis blog, Deuce!

Trying to do a little blogging, finally, but not easy with friends visiting this weekend. My college roomie from SDSU days - who knows NOTHING about Hollywood, was looking at this photo of Eric Bana as I was checking it out on JustJared.com and he says: "Whose Eric Banana?"
Of course we all know exactly who this handsome movie star is: it's Eric BANA who was at the premiere on Sunday of his film "Romulus, My Father," at Theatre Royal in Castlemaine, Australia. Indoors or outdoors, Eric is a stunner AND a heckuva actor...

ABC has just announced that Rosie O'Donnell will not be back on "The View."
The network issued the following statement:
"We had hoped that Rosie would be with us until the end of her contract three weeks from now, but Rosie has informed us that she would like an early leave. Therefore, we part ways, thank her for her tremendous contribution to 'The View' and wish her well."
Barbara Walters said "I brought Rosie to the show. Rosie contributed to one of our most exciting and successful years at "The View." I am most appreciative. Our close and affectionate relationship will not change."
For her part, Rosie said "I'm extremely grateful. It's been an amazing year and I love all three women."

Maybe she loves Elisabeth Hasselbeck a little bit less than the other two, huh?

Anyway, Rosie posted this on her blog today: And on her blog, Rosie said:
"When painting there is a point u must step away from the canvas as the work is done."

This is one of those actions speak louder than words kinda things so take it for what it's worth.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney insists that his opposition to same-sex marriage should not be interpreted as intolerance of gays. After all, an actual gay man actually served in his administration when he was Massachusetts governor.
"What you look for in a leader is someone who will welcome and treat with respect people who made different choices and have different beliefs in their lives and have differences. I have nothing but respect and feelings of tolerance for people with differences from myself and feel that way with regards to those who are gay," he said before a crowd of 400 at a campaign event, according to the Associated Press.
Gee, that meakes me feel so warm and fuzzy. So...tolerated!
"I oppose discrimination against gay people," he added, with a straight face. "I am not antigay. I know there are some Republicans, or some people in the country, who are looking for someone who is antigay, and that's not me."
Romney said he is opposed to marriage equality for same-sex couples because it's not in the best interest of children. Children like the son born to Mary Cheney and her female partner this week I suppose.
Who knows how this man really feels because he changes so often, depending on which way the political winds are blowing. But no matter what he SAYS, here are his ACTIONS: In 2003, after the Massachusetts supreme judicial court ruled that same-sex couples could wed in the state, Romney pushed for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
Sounds like anti-gay to me!

The photo above really has nothing to do with this post except that it's a hoot! Anyway, the boifromtroy.com blog points out something pretty interesting: In California, the President of the United States has a 26% approval rating according to the latest Survey USA poll. That means that he is barely more than half as popular as Gay Marriage–which is supported by 48% of California voters in the latest survey–confirming a trend that a plurality of Californians are now supporting marriage equality.
Boi From Troy notes that this is important to note because it is very likely that California voters will ultimately have to vote on whether to recognize gay marriage in California, again–either as a referendum on a potential Supreme Court decision or as part of a compromise between the Legislature and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

This item, posted on Queerty.com, sounds like something out of a kindergarten class: Page Six reports:
Yesterday, Rosie O'Donnell's chief writer, Janette Barber, was allegedly escorted from the building after she was caught drawing moustaches on photographs of Hasselbeck that hang in the "View" studios.
The Post's Adam Buckman reports ABC confirmed in a statement only that "photographs at 'The View's' offices were defaced.

The Post's gossip column also reports that Rosie may not be returning to The View to complete her contract:
When one fan wrote [to Rosie], "Work isn't worth that battle," Rosie replied, "Agreed." Another wrote, "Please walk away. It's not worth it." Rosie replied, "Well, you know when it's time to go."
To a fan who asked when she would return, O'Donnell answered, "No idea."
O'Donnell's contract officially ends on June 20th.
I wonder about Hesselbeck now. She showed that she is a tough cookie in her showdown with Rosie so she will never again be thought of as helpless. She is backing such an unpopular administration that I imagine she is becoming quite unpopular herself. I've been reading accounts that two of the show's guests, Doug Savant and Alicia Silverstone, pointedly avoided Elisabeth when greeting the rest of the panel.
I hate her politics...but a mustache? C'mon!

So "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" is taking multiplexes by storm. The reviews have not been too kind but that pretty much means nada tro fans of this stupendously popular franchise. I write about the movie's prospects and about what else is going on in the movie biz in today's BOX OFFICE BUZZ column which celebrates its one-month birthday today!

I should put a candle on a Hostess Snowball and have a little party....

RELATED EARLER POST: Our Night at the Pirates of the Caribbean premiere ...

The only season of "Survivor" I ever watched in its entirety was season two in the Outback. Hmmmmmm. I wonder why? It was because this handsome Texan by the name of Colby Donaldson won just about every challenge week after week and kept himself in the game to the bitter end until the jury picked Tina Wesson over him as champion. Colby had the chance to eliminate Tina instead of the unpopular Keith but he put friendship in front of $1 million...HUH? Anyway, Colby was too good looking to go back to Texas and work as a mechanic once the show wrapped so he did some commercials and episodic guest spots but hasn't really broken through. But it seems that perky Rachel Ray is giving him a break and is going to use him as a correspondent on her hit morning show. On Thursday morning, Colby did a piece on how men think about women which included interviews in the field with three of his buddies and an in-studio follow-up interview.

He's still got that killer smile, a nice speaking voice and would be a nice addition just for the eue candy alone! So guess who is pictured with Colby (above) from "Survivor" days? It's Elisabeth Hasselbeck of "The View"who I remember as being quite gritty and shrewd as she finished in fourth place that season...

So why am I posting all of these pics from the Cannes Film Festival of Pitt, Clooney and the rest of those connected to "Oceans 13" other than the fact that these people are beyond gorgeous? It's because I love the old-fashioned movie star glamor that they brought to France this week and I love that we can look at these images for a change as opposed to just Britney buying a new wig (stop the presses!), Lindsey walking into a club (so exciting!), Paris carrying her dog or a bible (alert the media!) or Jessica Simpson spilling out of a dress (yawn). So I'm sharing with you these fabulous images of real stars Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Ellen Barkin, Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie at various events...

Check out my tennis blog DEUCE! for more pictures of tennis hotties Tommy Haas and Marat Safin in these vintage tennis clothes. Also posted are my predictions for the 2007 French Open which begins Sunday in Paris!
P.S. As much as I like Tommy and Marat in these vintage clothes, I think they look even better wearing far less, don't you?

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this before but my dream man is Harry Connick Jr. He is a wonderful singer, a good actor, and just oh-so damned handsome. Those lips, those eyes, that hair. I know he's a happily married man with kids so this is just a fun little fantasy. Don't you HATE when you make a comment about how hot someone is and someone says: "He's STRAIGHT!" or "He's MARRIED!"
Oh really? Because I'm sure otherwise I'd have a chance to date him...DUH.
OK, so why am I bringing up Harry anyway? It's because he's going to be a presenter on the Tony Awards next month! He starred in "The Pajama Game" last season and was utterly terrific when he performed on the show. The lad really learned to dance!
The annual awards honoring the best of the Broadway season enjoyed a rise in TV viewership last year when the three-hour program was the most watched Tonys since 2003.
In addition to dreamy Harry, other well-known names on tap to present are out actor Neil Patrick Harris, not out actor Kevin Spacey, formerly out actress Anne Heche, as well as a trio of Broadway legends: Angela Lansbury, Audra McDonald, Bernadette Peters who have 10 Tonys between them!
I. Can't. Wait.

We didn't get to see Rosie and Elisabeth kiss and make up or tear each other's heads off this morning on "The View" since Rosie did not appear today because it is Kelli's 40th birthday. Good timing! Both those gals gotta cool off! Ironically, the show got pre-empted in the East because President Bush was holding a press conference that I could only stomach about two minutes of. But we got the show on the West Coast and Barbara Walters opened things up by saying: "Barbara is back and there is peace in the kingdom."
Kathy Griffin was filling in as a guest host and quite eager to rehash the whole Rosie-Elisabeth showdown: "Cut the crap Barbara, let's get to the good stuff!"
Walters said: "ARE YOU CRAZY?" and she pointed out that such feuds are not necessarily good for ratings. She said "The View" had its highest ratings all season in February, a rare month when Rosie was not involved in any kind of a feud.
Griffin: "I really loved that this is the only place where you can see women debating these topics." Walters responded by saying: "Women could talk and argue and debate without it getting personal and nasty."
But Kathy was undetered: "I'd love it if Barbara punched me in the face and I'd be on all the shows tomorrow. Go ahead!"
(Walters gives her a kiss on the cheek instead)
Elisabeth chimes in: "Would it have had as much attention if it had involved men?" Barbara responds: "I really don't want to rehash yesterday."
But Kathy loved the fight and confesses "I watch it on TV again and again, on TiVo."
Good thing Kathy Griffin was there to lighten things up but I think when Rosie returns on Tuesday, it will be fascinating to watch the interaction between her and her "friend" Elisabeth!

TMZ.com has some funny bits from Kathy Griffin from this morning. Click HERE to see 'em!

"Heather Poe, Mary Cheney's partner of fifteen years, is not permitted any legal connection to the child whatsoever -- can't adopt as a second parent, can't legally exist. To the folks that keep that law on the books, let me see if I've got this right -- your political or religious beliefs are more important than this one kid having a loving, two-parent home. Not theory here, not abstractions... this particular little boy, on day one facing all the crap life has to offer him and everybody else. He doesn't get two parents and this makes you feel better about yourself how?"
- Kieth Olberman on his nightly MSNBC show Wednesday night.

"Joey was robbed..."
- Lance Bass to TMZ.com on pal Joey Fatone's runner-up finish on "Dancing With the Stars"

"For two women who disagree on many things - socially, politically - we also have a lot of passion. I'd rather be dealing with someone with passion for this world that we live in than someone with apathy."
- Elisabeth Hasslebeck to "Extra" following her verbal brawl with Rosie O'Donnell on "The View"

"I'm not going to keep my mouth closed anymore..."
- T.R. Knight in a new interview with The Advocate

"He definitely is the sexiest man alive..."
- Brad Pitt to "Entertainment Tonight" talking about "Ocean's 13" co-star George Clooney

"He's very interested in what being gay is because so many of our friends are gay. When talking around your child you have to think very carefully and you have to be prudent about you're choice of words. You talk about people looking for happiness and fulfilment in their lives and how all families are different and look different. You're forced to really consider your answers. You're forced to think a lot about what you're saying and how you're saying it - even the tone."
- Sarah Jessica Parker on her son, James Wilke Broderick, age 4

Gee, was Jordin Sparks' moment of being crowned the season six "American Idol" crammed in at the end of the show or WHAT? Hey, I enjoyed a lot of what went down on "American Idol" last night from the returns of four past champions to performances by Green Day, Bette Midler, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, and Tony Bennett. But maybe those really cringe-worthy Golden Idol Awards could have been done without so we could have given Jordin her moment in the spotlight. I'm sure she will have plenty down the road and become a big star along the lines of Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood but also maybe do Broadway too like season three winner Fantasia.

When Jordin closed the two-hour show with "This Is My Now," "I (Who Have Nothing"), I felt good about her winning and remembered how much I loved her version of "You'll Never Walk Alone," and many other songs this season. Melinda Doolittle is technically a better singer but Jordin is a worthy winner of this talent competition that seems to have all of America interested.

Isaiah "I did not call T.R. a f****t" Washington will be saying some far more soothing words tonight during REPEAT episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" in a public service announcement intended to combat intolerance based on sexual orientation, race and gender.
Here is what his script says:
“Words have power. The power to express love, happiness and joy. They also have the power to heal. When you use words that demean a person because of their sexual orientation, race or gender, you send a message of hate. A very powerful message. But we all have the power to demand better from one another and from ourselves. We have the power to heal and change the world by the words we use.”

OK, I feel bitter...I mean better.

Anyway, it is still not known whether this psa or anything else is enough to save Washington's job. It is being widely reported, but not confirmed, that he wll return to the show next season only as a guest star. Andy Towle of Towleroad.com checked in again with Washington's publicist Howard Bragman this morning who reiterated that they have received no indication that he won't be back on the show. Of course, there's been no indication that he WILL. All this as T.R. Knight, the target of Washington's anti-gay slurs, publicly wonders aloud if HE is coming back next season.
Gee, what a happy place to work...

After today's absolute warfare with Elisabeth Hasslebeck, Rosie O'Donnell seems hurt to the core and one does wonder if she will finish out her final three weeks on "The View." In her blog, Rosie addressed the split screen producers went to once her verbal battle with Elisabeth got really heated:
"a split screen...new heights or lows...depending on who u ask."
And later she adds: "loud...always loud...the soul shakes...the heart awake...like it or not."
Rosie notes that tomorrow is her wife Kelli's 40th birthday so she will not be at work...Friday's show is already pre-taped. Will she be back on Monday???

In looking over the extensive photos posted on JustJared.com of a very glamorous Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at the Cannes Film Festival this week, I was excited to see a pair of real movie stars who are in love and cause a real commotion wherever they go around the world. If you turned back the clock 40 years, you could just as easily be talking about jet-setting movie stars Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, the couple basically responsible for the creation of the paprazzi. There are many similarities between the two couples: Taylor and Burton caused a scandal when they fell in love during the shooting of "Cleopatra" since both were married to others at the time while Brad and Angelina fell in love while making "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" while he was married to Jennifer Aniston; Taylor was already an Oscar winner when she met Burton as was Jolie when she got together with Pitt; Taylor and Burton adopted their daughter, Maria Burton, early in their relationship (both had children from previous marriages) while the Pitt-Jolie brood includes four children.


What remains up in the air is whether their love will stand the test of time. It's been less than three years of togetherness for Jolie and Pitt. Taylor and Burton had already been together for two years when they married in 1964. They made many movies together, most noteably 1966's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", before divorcing in 1974. They remarried in 1975 but split again, for good, less than a year later. Still, their love remained even when married to others. They reunited, professionally, for the Broadway play "Private Lives" in 1983 which despite bad reviews, broke house records. When Burton died in 1984, Taylor was devastated and to this day, considers him and her late husband Mike Todd the two loves of her life.

If you found it shocking that Uncle Saul is gay on "Brothers & Sisters," you're not the only one. The actor who plays him, Ron Rifkin, had no idea until the show was well into its first season! There's a good reason why Rifkin and others were caught off guard: the sexuality of the character was decided because show creator Jon Robin Baitz and the writers couldn't figure out what to do with the character, Baitz says in the new TV Guide:
“The story lines for Saul [Ron Rifkin] were just starting to run on fumes, and we kept looking for more areas to explore with him — the business and stuff — but none of it seemed as juicy as this," Baitz says. "Next season, Saul’s going to struggle to come to terms with himself and confront his shame — ‘I’m a nice Jewish boy. I can’t be gay.’ But it took me a month to ask Ron. It wasn’t what he had signed on for and I thought, ‘Is this really what he wants to be doing?’ I hadn’t even finished the sentence and he was like, ‘That’s great — why would that be a problem?’ He’s thrilled.”
So are we!

Mary Cheney, the lesbian daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, became a mother today when she gave birth to a baby boy. Samuel David Cheney was born at 9:46 a.m., weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces, according to the Drudge Report which posted this picture of the proud grandparents.
I love babies, even Republican ones, and I'm glad he was born healthy. I just wish he had a grandfather who loved him enough and loved his gay daughter enough to not endorse such anti-gay policies. I don't see Dick Cheney trying to convince Pres. Bush not to veto the Matthew Sheppard federal anti-hate crimes legislation or supporting anything that would make life easier and more equal or the gays in this country.
It seems very wrong.

I watched a clip on TMZ.com of Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck slugging it out so severely this morning on "The View" that I doubt they will have any klind of "friendship" once Rosie ends her stint on the show next month.
This was not the run-of-the-mill sparring match these two women have engaged in over the months, this had real anger laced through it and I hate to say it because I HATE her politics, but Hasslebeck got the better of Rosie who stuck her foot in her mouth earlier this week and seems quite hurt that her remarks are being misconstrued to indicate that she is not supportive of the troops in Iraq and that Elisabeth did not help clear things up.
Rosie: "What you did was not defend me...I asked you if you believed what the Republican pundits were saying - you said nothing, and that's cowardly."
Elisabeth [furious]: "Do not call me a coward because No. 1, I sit here every single day, open my heart and tell people what I believe."
The argument was lengthy and bitter. It started when Joy Behar went on a very good rant over president Bush, listing his various blunders and incompetent decisions, and Rosie was initially reluctant to join in: "You want to know why I don't want to do this? Let me tell you why I don't want to do it - here's how it gets spun in the media: big, fat, lesbian, loud Rosie attacks innocent, pure, Christian Elisabeth. I'm not doing it."
Then, of course, she did.
Rosie: "Do you believe I think our troops are terrorists Elisabeth? Do you believe yes or no?"
Elisabeth: "Excuse me. Let. Me. Speak!"
Rosie: You're gonna double-speak. It's just a yes or no answer
Elisabeth: "I'm not a double speaker and I don't put suggestions out there that lead people to think things then not answer my own question...You're an adult ands I am certainly not going to be the person for you to explain your thoughts to. They're your thoughts - defend your own insinuations."
Rosie: "I defend my thoughts but every time that I defend my thoughts it's poor little Elisabeth that I'm picking on."
Elisabeth: "Poor little Elisabeth is not poor little Elisabeth."
Rosie: ":I'm not going to fight with you anymore because it's absurd. So for three weeks, you can say all the Republican crap that you want."
Elisabeth: "It's easier to fight with someone like Donald Trump, isn't it? Because he's obnoxious."

Oh, I do miss Meredith Viera...

To see the TMZ.com clip, CLICK HERE.

This Youtube clip is the lead-up to the argument which features a brilliant anti-Bush tirade by Joy Behar:

After Isaiah Washington's shocking behavior at the Golden Globe Awards when he denied ever calling T.R. Knight a f*****, Katherine Heigl did something show-runner Shondra Rhimes and all other cast members had never done: she slammed Washington for it in an interview saying, in part, "I am NOT OK with it."
Heigl, promoting her feature film comedy "Knocked Up" which is expected to be a big hit, talked about the controversy and her part in it in an interview with USA Today:
"To me, I wasn't making a political stand ... I was making a stand about hurting people's feelings. It's very simple in my mind. You do not actively seek to hurt other people's feelings. I don't care what their sexual orientation, race or gender. You don't do that. We are all human beings, part of the human race, and we need to be compassionate and giving and kind with one another"
Heigl does not slam Washington again though saying "I know that he was very ashamed and that was a necessary emotion to move forward and not backward. His attitude and behavior and thought process needed to change, and the only way to do that is to be self-aware and honest. And I think he was. I have forgiven."
And speaking of T.R. Knight, his remarks to Access Hollywood this week are a bit curious when he was asked it he would be back for the show's fourth season: "I literally don't know. It would be nice to know if I'm supposed to report back soon...If you're suppose to report back to work in a month and a half, I would really like to know, because I would like to know if I can shave my head."
Clearly he and Rhimes are not the best of friends and I have found her handling of the entire situation quite appalling actually. But neither she or the network would cut themselves off at the knees by getting rid of Knight...especially if Washington returns...

It seems to be the consensus that Jordin Sparks will be crowned the new "American Idol" tonight after nailing her final number in what was kind of a lackluster show last night. Here's where I make a stunning confession: I fell asleep during parts of the show and only saw Jordin and Blake perform one number apiece so I can't make any snarky comments. Dammit. I was tired yesterday but also, I kind of find the whole exercise kind of silly with Melinda Doolittle out of it. It feels anti-climactic for sure. This was the first show all season without Melinda and frankly, she was missed.
But I did wake up and revive myself long enough to watch most of "Dancing With the Stars" where Apolo Ono was the winner...as I had predicted. It's hard to find fault with that result since he and his partner were so good together but I was rooting for Joey Fatone because he was one of the best reasons to watch the show this season - so entertaining yet deceptively skillfull. His positive energy is something I really like in people. As for Alaila Ali, she stumbled in the end a smidge but also was one of my favorites this season. I LOVED what she said when asked how she felt about getting third place: "I'm pissed!"

It was also terrific to see the past champs as well as all the contestants from this season get one last chance in the spotlight. To see Heather Mills do all those great stunts, it was just insane that she was voted off before Cliff from "Cheers" and Billy Ray Cyrus.
I mean, give me a break.

The 52nd Annual Village Voice Obie Awards, a major honor in the Off-Broadway community, were presented Monday 21 at New York University's Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts and were hosted by out actors
Cynthia Nixon and T.R. Knight. While Nixon is best known to audiences as the sardonic Miranda from "Sex and the City," she is also a respected stage actress who won the Tony Award last year for "The Rabbit Hole."
The Village Voice gives out the annual Obie awards, which honor Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway shows with recipients chosen by a panel without the complication of selecting or announcing nominees. Presenters included 2007 Tony nomineee Angela Lansbury, Camryn Manheim, Michael Cerveris, Terrence McNally, Stephanie March, Liev Schreiber, William Ivey Long and Tony winner Anika Noni Rose who co-starred in the big screen version of "Dreamgirls."

A few nights ago, the black nail polish that "Lost" actor Dominic Monaghan wears on one of his fingernails got a lot of teasing from Jay Leno because, ya know, Jay has a gazillion cars and motorcycles and is the personaification of macho. But on this morning's episode of "The View," the ladies were just enchanted by this oh-so-cute actor and his fashion sense even though Joy jokingly asked him "Are you a trannsvestite?" after he he said he sometimes wears make-up, the ocassional skirt and likes jewelry.
"No one ever told me when I was growing up that make-up and skirts were just for girls," he explained before adding thatn he was always a kid with an artistic bent who also wore a Spiderman costume to school sometimes.
"If you're confident and you own it, [the other kids] are fine with it...I've always supported the lifestyle that I will do what I please and deal with it."
Bravo!!

Dina Matos McGreevey and Hilary Rodham Clinton have at least one thing in common: both married and had a daughter with powerful politicians who cheated on them causing them unimaginable public humiliation. But the similarities pretty much end there since Clinton is a brilliant senator who could be the first female U.S. president and Matos McGreevey seems like kind of an idiot.
But she's kind of an idiot with a book to sell so she sat down with Newsweek to discuss "Silent Partner" and talked about how she reached out to Sen. Clinton in the days after her hubby announced himself as a "gay American" and she looked on with a bizarre smile on her face.
She said Clinton was gracious in returning a call Matos had made to her office: "She said, “First of all you have to think of yourself and your daughter.” That was the best advice I got. Knowing she survived, I can survive also. ... Her advice was, get your own counsel, don’t rely on his advisers. She said, “No one else is going to take care of you. You’ve got to take care of yourself. She said you and your daughter are the most important.”
She also talks about how she never suspected her soon-to-be ex-husband's homosexuality.
"...When you are married to someone powerful, whether it’s a politician or a CEO or a celebrity, there are always rumors and innuendo, If you chase those, you are not going to do anything else. Don’t forget, while all this was going on, I was working full time, I had a baby. I had my responsibilities as First Lady; I had a mansion to renovate."
Well then, no wonder she was so clueless!

Since Joey Fatone and Kym Johnson have been in the bottom two before and Laila Ali and Maksim Chmerkovskiydidn't knock it out of the park last night, I predict that Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough will win the “Dancing With the Stars” competition when results are announced tonight. Personally, they don't really send me but I acknowledge that they have been spectacular all season long and Apolo being a world-class athlete certainly gives him an edge.
I think Joey is the best pure entertainer and I hope his career goes through the roof after this is over. I have enjoyed him so much and think it is so sweet how he has invited his old NSYNC bandmate to be in the studio audience so often this season. Lance was sitting next to the handsome Harry Hamlin last nigtht.
And then there is the sexiest pair of all: Laila and Maksim who are just so hot! She ripped his shirt off last night and I so enjoyed that even if I wasn't crazy about the rest of their free-style dance.

I will miss them most of all (I feel like Dorothy in the 'Wizard of Oz.') because they were a fun pair who sparred due to their strong personailities and that made it all the more combustible.

*********************************************************************
Since all the "Dancing" contestants are already successful in their fields, this show doesn't touch the same cord as "American Idol" which has its final two compeition between Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis tonight. I like them both but the entire thing really lost something when Melinda Doolittle was voted off. It just seemed wrong then and a week later, it seems even more wrong.
I'll be happy for either one of 'em.

I know that she's married to the film director Taylor Hackford ("Ray," "An Officer and a Gentleman"), but doesn't Oscar winner Helen Mirren look smashing alongside soccer stud David Beckham?
At least she doesn't appear to have an eating disorder the way his wife, the bag-of-bones Victoria Beckham, does! Beckham and Mirren were honored in the UK recently while the former Spice Girl is in LA getting filmed for her reality show. Somebody take her to the In-N-Out, pronto!

When Andy Roddick appeared to be too buff to be true on the new cover of Men's Fitness magazine, many eyebrows were raised...including Andy's!!!
The 2003 U.S. Open champion, currently ranked third in the world, said on his blog:
"I spent the last few weeks in Austin really focused on my training and getting back into shape…but pretty sure I’m not as fit as the Men’s Fitness cover suggests…little did I know I have 22 inch guns and a disappearing birth mark on my right arm. I saw the cover for the first time when I landed after Rome…it was pretty funny…I walked by the newsstand in the airport and did a total double take …I can barely figure out how to work the red-eye tool on my digital camera…whoever did this has mad skills…maybe Rafael Nadal (pictured below) wants his arms back?…if you can manage to stop laughing at the cover long enough, check out the article inside, the photo shoot on the boat was pretty cool..and I recognize the person in those photos…"

Earlier post:
Is Andy Roddick TOO buff on the Men's Fitness cover?

Rosie O'Donnell is a moody one. After she announced that she would be leaving "The View," she had seemed lighter, happier, and funnier. But on this morning's show, she was somewhat subdued with unhappiness all over her face. I figured she was tired from wife Kelli Carpenter O'Donnell's 40th birthday shindig the night before. But then I get wind of some stuff she wrote on her blog after yesterday's where she got into a contentious debate about terrorism not only with Elisabeth Hasselbeck, but the entire panel!
Rosie wrote an entry on her blog in which she says she must focus.
"a senior in highschool, its sunny and i wanna stay home, be done, move on," she wrote Monday. "gotta kill the questions for a while, the end is always rocky, one must focus."

Thanks to AfterElton.com for posting comments made by Bill Maher about the late Jerry Falwell. I think they are right on:

"Now, I know that you're not supposed to speak ill of the dead but I think we can make an exception because speaking ill of the dead was kind of Jerry Falwell's hobby. He was the guy who said that AIDS was God's punishment for homosexuality and that 9/11 was brought on by pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays and the ACLU, or as I like to call them – my studio audience (wild clapping and screaming).

But I found it surreal this week watching people on the news praise Falwell, followed by a clip package of what he actually said. Things like homosexuals are part of a vile and satanic system that will be utterly anahiliated. If ... you're not a born again Christian you're a failure as a human being. Feminists just need a man around the house. There is no separation of church and state. And of course, everyone's favorite - the purple Teletubby is gay.

Jerry Falwell found out that you could launder your hate through the cover of God's will. He didn't hate gays. God does. All Jerry Falwell's power came from name dropping God. And gay people should steal that trick. You know what? Don't say you want something because it's your right as a human being. Say you want it because it's your religion."

Navy Lt. Andy Baldwin showed on the season finale of "The Bachelor" Monday night that he is more than just a pretty face with a killer body: he also has exquisite taste in women. He proposed to 26-year-old social worker Tessa Horst and she said yes! I did predict this a few weeks back simply because while there were plenty of smart and beautiful women vying for Andy - including runner-up Bevin Powers - the regal and reserved Tessa just had a way about her. She was the only woman to question whether a reality show was the proper way to meet the love of your life and she considered bolting. I'm sure this made Andy want her all the more. And you felt that if Andy did not pick her, she would have been heartbroken but not broken because she knows who she is.

Andy Baldwin is one lucky guy and by being such a class act, he elevated this really silly show that I have ignored for years now but got interested in again because if followed "Dancing With the Stars."

It would be really cool to start doing weekly "Desperate Housewives" recaps next fall when the show begins its fourth season. But it won't happen unless Andrew Van de Kamp (Shawn Pyfrom) re-emerges as a prominant gay character again. To have him be one of the most interesting characters for two seasons then reduce him to glorified extra is puzzling and certainly not unnoticed. I am staying with the show, for now, because it's still entertaining but the season finale last night, in which Andrew had maybe two or three LINES, is one reason why I am wavering.
I gotta say, the return of Andrew's mother, Bree, was a breath of fresh air because Marcia Cross plays one of the most delicious characters on television. And thank GOD Mike (James Denton) and Susan (Teri Hatcher) finally tied the knot after three seasons of on-again and off-again.
I hope next season brings them some fun storylines and less melodrama because these two actors have terrific chemistry and could be a real delight pratfalling their way through life for awhile.
The addition of Polly Bergen as Lynette's mother is genius! She storms in and says: "Where the HELL do you get off having cancer and not telling me about it?" And she just goes off from there. It seems that we will be seeing her next season as Lynette begins chemo etc. This is a much better role for the wonderful Bergen who was last seen as the the president's mother on "Commander In Chief."
But c'mon. Edie tries to kill herself over CARLOS? Pul-eeze. That was lame. As is Gabby marrying this ambitious politician who is just using her for the Latino vote. Is she really that stupid? I just hope that Gabby will turn the tables and manipulate herself into all kinds of payoff. But her having an affair with ex-hubby Carlos? I'd rather watch grass grow.

Thank goodness for PinkIstheNewBlog. I was too fried to make it down to Long Beach Pride to see the diva perform but that pink blog with all the funny captions sort of takes us all there with these pics. Very smart of Hudson to embrace the gay fans...we will take you to number one!

I love seeing Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in full movie star mode here at the Cannes Film Festival. We are so inundated lately with pics of them taking their kids to school, picking them up from school, playing with them in the yard (these photogs should let them breathe!) that it's a rare treat to have them posing and waving and being able to enjoy their stardom in this kind of controlled situation. Pitt's "Ocean's 13" is among the films being screened at the world's most famous film fest on the French Riviera while Jolie's movie on slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl had its world premiere.

I'd like to believe that I am posting these photos of gorgeous Andy Baldwin because tonight is the season finale of "The Bachelor" and he proposes to one of the women on the show. But really, I'm posting these pictures because Andy is absolutely stunning and I don't have any fresh beefcake shots of Daniel Craig or Matthew McConaughney.That said, it would be so cool to have a gay reality show like "The Bachelor" where one lucky guy gets to date a coupla dozen guys and try and pick one to spend his life with. No gimmicks though like making some of the guys straight and forcing the dude to figure out who is who. When I think about the path that Bravo's "Boy Meets Boy" series took, it makes me kinda furious. We deserve our own dating reality show!!!

When I look at these pictures of Lance Bass and T.R. Knight at the AIDS walk in New York over the weekend, I think about what a difference a year makes. They've gone from closeted performers to openly gay stars who are now wearing their authenticity with pride. It's a beautiful thing and it is helpful to all gay people to have our gay celebrities be out and proud. But they should do it in their own time like B.D. Wong of "Law & Order SVU" and "Oz" did and not be forced out as Lance and TR were. B.D. Wong is a role model for us all.

Sorry for the delay in getting the "Brothers & Sisters" recap posted and thanks to all of you who emailed me asking "WHERE IS IT?" I zonked out last night as the credits rolled so am now finally getting to writing about the completely satisying season finale that wrapped up some questions (Why Rebecca is a Lolita), gave us new storylines to look forward to (Uncle Sal is gay!!!), gave Sally Field some M'Linn moments as Justin left for Iraq, and...best of all...gave Kevin another cute guy to make out with!
If there are people/critics who don't like this show, I say don't friggen watch it...and don't complain about it. Because for fans like me, it has been an absolute gift and I am grateful to the creators, writers, producers, actors and to the network for giving us this sensational drama with people we care about. A show with gay storylines that are matter-of-fact, big stars (Field, Rob Lowe, Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths, and Patricia Wettig) who allow each other and other cast members to shine in television's best ensemble. Between this and "Ugly Betty," ABC can proudly be called the best gay network these days even if Andrew van de Kamp was shamefully put on the back-burner this season on "Desperate Housewives."
So let's talk about Kevin (Matthew Rhys) because I love talking about Kevin. With Nora deciding to throw Kitty an engagement party, Kevin pitches in because as he tells his mother: "You're bogged down in a quagmire of Nora over-commitment" and he ends up being teamed with the senator's gay brother for pre-party prep. They last saw each other during a disastrous set-up. "Looks like both sides sent the gay scouts," Kevin says to Jason as they meet at the party venue that Kevin says looks "like the first 15 minutes of 'Extreme Makeover' before they teare the house down."
I love when Kevin is such a bitch!
Kevin is so rude to the people at the party venue that they cancel the contract and the party has to be held at the Walker house. The sneator's family shows up and they are beyond rambunctious: they are obnoxious. They are drunks, have no social skills, and worst of all, their uncle (Maj. Weiner) is a perv who keeps trying to hit on poor Nora. And worst yet, Weiner is played very loudly and broadly by Garry Marshall who I am already annoyed with for the disaster that is "Georgia Rule."
Other stuff happens: Sarah and Polly have a truce, Kitty and Nora have a blow-up over Kitty moving in with the senator, but the best subplot (almost) is Sal and some handsome older dude named Milo. When Nora mentions that Milo is one the guest list, Saul snaps about "that bitch wife Elaine." At the party, Milo tellls Saul "I'm not pretending anymore. I'm gay. I've always been a late bloomer." Then we see their hands touch and we know they have history...gay history.
"We're too old for excuses," he says to Saul. "Call me."
Speaking of gay: Kevin and Jason spar back and forth and it all comes to a head.
Kevin: "I'm tired of hating you and you hating me."
Jason: "You think we're so beneath us don't you?"
Kevin: ":I think you're all insane...and drunk!"
Jason: "Why are you such an unpleasant person?"
Kevin: "You didn't come in here looking for a band-aid did you? You came in here looking for me."
Jason: "Maybe."
Then total make-out scene! Not a soft, subtle kiss...the kind where one person slams the other against the wall. So romantic...
Then Kevin finds out that Jason is a Methodist minister! (Kevin lies: "Jumping your bones was extremely atypical for me!")
Here's to more atypical behavior from Kevin and the rest of the Walker clan next season!

In its 10 years on the air, "The View" has never taken home the Emmy for outstanding hosts. Nine nominations, nine losses. But with Rosie O'Donnell along for the ride this year, there is the thought that she, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Joy Behar and Barbara Walters could finally take home Emmy gold. So Rosie, who has about a month left on the show before she departs, says this morning that one of her kids has a "school thing" and so she will not be attending then she says: "If this show does win best host, the credit goes to Barbara Walters for hiring me."
Joy Behar, recognizing a slight when she hears one says: "What? We couldn't have won before you?"
Walters, trying to be diplomatic, said: "This has been an interesting year."
Then Joy shares her thoughts on why they have never won best host: "There's always one of us to hate." So if they win this year, maybe it's not because of Rosie but "maybe they just hated someone previous to us."
Hmmmmmmm. I know she doesn't mean Meredith Viera, who has a roomful of Emmys of her own for other shows, or Debbie Matenapolis who was more annoying on the show than hate-inducing, or Lisa Ling who was a nice addition the three years she was there. So, Joy must be referring to...
STAR JONES REYNOLDS!
Sheesh..I oughta be a detective.

Better known as Cher!
The winner of an Academy Award, a Grammy, an Emmy and 22 Billboard Top 40 hits turned 61 on Sunday. It's a great time to celebrate a real star. She may have been a tabloid fave when she lived with the bagel maker half her age or divorced Soony Bono and Gregg Allman but she was always working whether it was on her weekly variety shows with and without Sonny, making records and movies and giving concerts. We knew why we were interested in her. These days, I have no idea why these "famous for being famous" people get so much attention for shopping or going to a club. Stop the madness!
Cher is the real deal! Plus, she's Chastity's mom!

It has been such a whirlwind weekend that I'm too tired to see Jennifer Hudson perform at Long Beach Pride tonight, as planned. Sorry Jen, we'll just have to catch each other some other time. But, I'm not too tired to write about last night's insanely fun premiere at Disneyland for "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" which I escorted by 13-year-old niece to. Since we were invited guests, I didn't have to work the red carpet and instead, we walked it! It was a red carpet that stretched all the way from the entrance of the park down Main Street and off into Frontierland.
There were mobs of people packed behind the ropes shouting and waving and snapping pictures. Not at us of course but it was quite a rush. My niece nearly fainted when she found herself standing next to Wilmer Valderrama from "That 70s Show." I yelled hello over to Joey Fatone he was friendly and fun. Then we saw Ian Ziering then Janice Dickerson and then the big sighting..Orlando Bloom! My niece was having such a surreal experience and I snapped pictures of her reacting to it all. Priceless. We also chatted with one of the three judges from "Dancing with the Stars," the female one.
Thankfully, this was not one of those premieres where they show the movie first and make you wait until something like 10:30 before you eat dinner. Dinner was served first and we chowed down on teryaki chicken and beef, some terrific salads and asparagus and white chocolate-coverfed strawberries the size of a small child. Sitting at the next table is the great Cloris Leachman and I introduced her to my niece as an Oscar winner and winner of eight Emmys.
"Actually, nine," Cloris corrects me.
She is very sweet to my niece who has just been accepted into a selective drama program at school and wants to be an actress.
"You'll do great," Miss Leachman says.
We say goodbye and with 45 minutes remaining before the movie begins, we go star hunting. Well, my niece's version of star hunting. "Ohmygawd, there's the Cheetah Girls! It's Chad Michael Murray! It's Emma Roberts!" I take her picture with each of them even though I am not quite familiar with their resumes.
Finally, we are being urged to take our assigned seats in this outdoor theater that has been erected for the occasion that surrounds part of Tom Sawyer Island. We have our buckets of popcorn, churros and drinks and say hello to the women sitting next to us: Cloris Leachman!
By this time, we're old friends and Cloris is telling my neice to cover herself with a blanket so she doesn't cold and I start gabbing with her saying that my friend Eddie and I love some of her lines from the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" especially the first episode of the series when her on-screen daughter, Bess, blurts out that Mary's ex-fiancee is in town.
Phyllis (the character Leachman won a few of her Emmys for) turns to Bess: 'That was mother's news Bess....that really was mother's news."
I did the whole bit before I could help myself and, thank God, Cloris was doubled over with laughter. It was so gratifying. My niece was very impressed with my spontanious outburst and I told her i sometimes get a little crazy around stars.
OK, where were we? Oh yes, the movie! The reason we were there! We were treated to some terrific music before the producer, director and cast was introduced and made grand entrances including Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush. Keira Knightly was not present. We settled in and my niece, a big fan of the first two
"Pirates" movies, was just entranced. Since I had just spent four wild days with friends in Palm Springs and headced straight to the premiere from the desert, I began to nod off toward the end...just out of gas. But the movie was an action-packed delight and Depp is a comic genius. His timing is so brilliant and the character of Jack Sparrow so unique, that he elevates the film to a level that is so enjoyable and fun. It will be a massive hit when it hits theaters on Friday. No doubt.
Meanwhile, as my niece and I were on the tram back to my car, she turns to me and says it has been the best day of her life.
Knock me over with a feather.
Sure beats seeing Jennifer Hudson anytime!

You know I don't like to be a hater...BUT...I think I am entitled after my friends Eddie, Robert and I decided to get out of the Palm Springs heat yesterday afternoon and take in showing of "Georgia Rule." We knew the film had been slammed by critics but some of our favorite movies have been panned. Well, we hated it. I've seen every one of Jane Fonda's movies (except the French ones with Roger Vadim in the 60s) and am a big fan. So I could not miss an opportunity to see her on the big screen again in just her second feature in 17 years. Fonda, a two-time Oscar winner and a seven-time nominee, does just fine in what, unfortinately, is a very thinly-written role. It's almost like the movie is missing scenes that would have helped us to understand her character better and see why she is such a crabby granny to grandaughter Rachel (Lindsay Lohan) and a withholding mother to daughter Lily (Felicity Huffman).

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Towleroad.com has posted these pictures side by side because there is a lot of speculation that Andy Roddick's biceps have been ENHANCED for this cover of Men's Fitness! What. A. Scandal. I thought maybe he had just worked out and that's why he was so buff but maybe they got something there. What do you think?

Not Alec, not Steven, not even Billy! And gawd, certainly not Daniel! It's Andy Baldwin and he's not even related to that famous acting family.
So you look at this picture of Andy and the two final ladies left on "The Bachelor" and while he is cute, there are cuter guys on any Friday night at The Abbey in West Hollywood. What makes Andy so special? What made 25 grown women want to marry him or at the very least have him fall in love with them?
Andy, who makes his final decision on Monday night's show, is a Navy doctor, he's articulate, not afraid to cry and has this killer smile. And then there is that triathlete body that is shown here in these photos I found on JustJared.com as Andy jogs through Central Park...

Here at the La Dolce Vita resort in Palm Springs, it's fun to hang out poolside and read magazines and stuff. So one of the guys staying here walks back from the store and pulls out a copy of the new Men's Health magazine out of his bag announcing that James Marsden is on the cover! My friend Eddie and I yawn. Mine had arrived in the mail a few days ago and Eddie was actually reading it at that very moment. We are all rather fond of Mr. Marsden and I look forward to seeing him in "Hairspray." He's a handsome man who is not afraid to play gay in "Heights" and another movie with Scott Speedman that I can't remember at this very moment!

Thanks to Kennethinthe212.com for the images!

Oh that Justin. Betty's 12-year-old nephew wasn't content to be the understudy for the role of Tony in his school's production of "West Side Story," he wanted to be center stage. And who could blame him? So he does what any ambitious future star would do: he takes out the leading boy!Lucy Ricardo would have tied him up in a closet just to get on stage at the Tropicana but Justin was more clever: he gave the kid his chicken salad sandwich (with walnuts) at lunchtime. The kid is allergic to walnuts! He gets hives and cannot go on. And guess who is more than ready for his close-up?
And boy, a diva is born. When his mother makes him a pizza bagel for a pre-show dinner, he looks at her incredulously and says: "Did Angela Lansbury eat a pizza bagel before she opened in 'Sweeney Todd'?
The kid's got a point.
He's a smash as Tony but what he doesn't know is that while on stage, his father has been shot in a liquor store robbery and the episode ends tragically...Also, Daniel and Alexis (Eric Mabius and Rebecca Romign, respecitvely) are in a car crash, Daniel's mom breaks out of prison, Betty's boyfriend's ex-girlfriend is pregant...but it might not be HIS, and on and on. But I'll just blog about the gayer stuff.
So Wilhelmina (Vanessa Williams) actually trades her trusted gay assistant Mark (Michael Urie) to a client in order to book ST. Patrick's Cathedral for her wedding. But the ice queen actually feels bad and a montage of her times with Daniel (set to 'The Way We Were') was priceless!
In the end...they are back together and we will pick up where all this left off next season. This show is such a gem and I think has done so much for gay and transgender visibility. If only most of the rest of the shows on television were half as good.

Good mornin' from Palm Springs...
Wrote my weekly Box Office Buzz column before leaving for the desert and you can find it on DailyNews.com. Of course, it's a lot about "Shrek the Third" which is going to make gobs of cash this weekend but there are a few other items of interest so check it out!

Palm Springs is great today! Nice sunshine but not too hot and the resort where we are staying at, La Dolce Vita, has two swimming pools and is just a block away from El Mirasol mexican restaurant (margaritas on steroids). We are gonna do dinner and maybe some karaoke tonight so I snuck online before we depart to see if there's anything worth posting. I see that the conservatvies are bashing Anderson Cooper for having the nerve to actually include some of Jerry Falwell's critics in his coverage of Falwell's death and I also see that Ann Coulter has posted some vile nonsense in connection with Falwell. So here's the deal: I'm gonna blow that off and just post these pics of "Lost" leading men Matthew Fox and Josh Holloway that I found on JustJared.com because I'm much rather think about them than the likes of Falwell and Coulter!
Have a good evening all!

I think my friends here in Palm Springs are annoyed that I keep disappearing to blog! But I had to post some of this T.R. Knight interview with The Advocate that AfterElton.com posted this morning.
Of course, the whole Isaiah Washington "f****t" calling incidents were addressed and T.R. was asked if Washington had apologized to him personally:“Which time?” Then, when pressed, he said, “What a lovely blue sky.” When askedwhether show creator Shondra Rhimes had come to him and asked what he wanted to happen, he paused thoughtfully before saying, “I like blueberries. Do you like blueberries?”

On the hypocrisy of religious groups who preach love but don't practice it when it comes to gays: "...whether it’s about your sexuality or your religion or your race— that’s hate. That’s all this is about. And if people need to learn that when it comes to sexual orientation, then they need to learn that."
On growing up gay: "You are taught you are wrong, that you are bad. [So] you don’t do anything, and you wrap yourself in a little straitjacket, and you put yourself in your little room,” says Knight. “‘Don’t do it! Don’t look at someone, don’t touch them, don’t kiss them, don’t do anything!’ Then maybe it’s OK. I mean, sure, that plagued me all through childhood, you know, in so many ways, and that’s stuff that’s hard to get away from. But you have to, and eventually, you know, you do.”

Boy, Jake Gyllenhaal is one heckuva movie star! I love this picture of him at the Cannes Film Festival where his film, "Zodiac," is being screened. He chatted up co-star Mark Ruffalo on the red carpet and I don't think I'm the only one who finds these pictures kinda sexy..


Thanks to Towleroad.com for the pics!

Not winning "American Idol" certainly didn't hurt the career of Jennifer Hudson and, of course, Clay Aiken has sold a record or two and on and on. So Melinda Doolittle - the best singer this season - not making the finals in something of a shock result will not be the end of her. She will record a CD and millions will buy it and who know what else is in store for this talented and humble vocal wonder.
I gotta say, I was pretty shocked by the result. Had dinner at El Mirasol, my favorite Mexican place in Palm Springs, and when I got home to catch the last five minutes of the show and saw Melinda being shown the door, thought maybe I heard wrong because I drank a margarita the size of my head. But, no mistake. I think maybe the "I'm A Woman" number didn't grab fans the way a big ballad would have so maybe that's what did her in...She's lovely though.
Blake and Jordin: totally worthy of being in the finals. It should be a terrific finale next week.

Hi all. Just got out of the pool. I'm in Palm Springs having a little holiday w/friends but plan to still post some stuff...stuff like THIS! I spotted this on Towleroad.com. It is Brady Quinn, the Cleveland Browns-quarterback-to-be, letting loose at his sister's wedding.
Looks like SOME party!

He's the spare in the "heir and the spare" and he has been spared from serving in Iraq. Prince Harry, third in line to the British throne, wanted to go and was planning to go. But specific threats against him would not only endanger his life, but those in his unit and those who are charged with protecting him.
It's a good call by the British military. I'm sure there are other things Harry can do like join President Carter is calling for an end to the discriminatory Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy in the U.S. In Britain, the thought of a gay soldier is not a big deal at all.
Nor should it be.

Boy, I was the envy of all the straight guys in the newsroom last week!
I got to meet and have a nice chat with the beautiful and leggy tennis star Maria Sharapova who won the U.S. Open last year and Wimbledon in 2004. She is currently ranked second in the world and is using her considerable celebrity to help Russia's Olympic Winter Games bid.
To read my interview with Maria, click over to my tennis blog Deuce!

Wow. Three songs in one night by each remaining contestant. I'm still trying to sort it all out. I took some notes as I watched just to keep track and I found Melinda Doolittle to be the real standout and the most likely contestant to remain unitl next week. When she was singing Whitney Houston's "I Believe In You and Me," what was coming through was that she was feeling the song, not just belting it out. I watched her do that number and thought, "She deserves to win." The judges were back on form last night after being ridiculous last week and were unanimous in their praise of Melinda who followed her first song with the rowdier "Nutbush City Limits" which was solid and rocking then she changed it up again with the third number 'I'm A Woman." The three numbers showed her range and skill and why she should absolutely win this competition.

I don't know what is cooler: Eric Dane on the cover of Men's Health magazine or a party to celebrate the cover. Either way, we get lots of photos (courtesy of the JustJared.com site) of this gorgeous man who plays Dr. Sloan on "Grey's Anatomy" but is better known as Dr. McSteamy...for obvious reasons.
Several of his co-stars attended the party in support of Dane including the beautiful Sara Ramirez, a Tony winner for "Spamelot" and the very talented and handsome Justin Chambers...

Earlier posts:

THE RED CARPET W?STAMOS AND MCSTEAMY

WAS I WATCHING GAY'S ANATOMY LAST NIGHT?

Pardon me while I lose my composure.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK, breathe Greg...breathe.
I just read that CBS has cancelled one of my favorite little comedies: "The Class." It is tragic! Does winning the People's Choice Award for favorite new comedy mean nothing???
I enjoyed this show so much and really felt like it had its best days ahead. The ratings were not through the roof but they were solid. But CBS, unlike NBC, does not have to renew its marginal hits since it has fewer holes on its schedule to plug. Adorable Jason Ritter was such a delight on this show and I will miss him and his perfect hair. The rest of the cast was talented, attractive and had terrific comic timing. The show had a gay character, Sean, who had a hunky boyfriend at the start of the season then didn't anymore which was disappointing.
And then there was the absolutely delicious comic creation that was Perry Pearl, the gayest "straight" man on the face of the Earth. Sam Harris, best known for his powerhouse singing, was a blast in this part and I loved doing recaps of this show each week - especially the parts involving Perry.
At least CBS renewed a couple of its other Monday night comedies that I also think are first-rate: "The New Adventures of the Old Christine" and "How I Met Your Mother" starring the out actor Neil Patrick Harris, among others.

Earlier posts::
THE CLASS DISMISSED FOR NOW

PERRY PEARL: WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU LEMONS, MAKE LEMONADE!

A NEW RELATIONSHIP ON THE CLASS

A VERY GAY THANKSGIVING ON THE CLASS

IN THE CLOSET ON THE CLASS

A KISS ON THE CLASS

"Dancing With the Stars" is some of the best television right now because the four remaining couples are, while all very different from each other, absolutely top-notch. Last night. Layla Ali and her partner were absolutely flawless and the way she shimmied across the stage to Tom Jones' "She's A Lady," it was enough to make a gay man's heart skip a beat. I LOVE her presence and could watch her dance all day. While Layla got a perfect combined score of 60 for her two dances, so did Joey Fatone and his partner who were simply dazzling. I think Joey brings so much life to the show with his personality, enthusiasm and his willingness to really go for it.
This is why I think Ali and Fatone should be in the finals.

As far as Apolo Anton Ono and his partner, no one would complain if they made the finals and even won the whole doggone thing. I think they are superb. But I give Ali and Fatone the edge on intangibles. This leaves us with Ian Zeiring who has worked just as hard if not harder than anyone this season. He had his best night yet this week and yet, I don't think it will be enough. If he is voted off tonight, I think he still comes out a winner with his profile higher than it has been since the days of "90210" and his body as fit and buff as it was when Steve Sanders was playing beach volleyball with Brandon!

In the end, my heart belongs to Layla.

Some may see this as speaking ill of the dead. But Jerry Falwell, who died today at the age of 73, was a scary person as far as I'm concerned. This fundamentalist Baptist pastor, televangelist and conservative activist made a career out of extremist and offensive commentary, particularly in times of national and international crisis.
Here is an example of a comment two days after the 9/11 attacks that speaks volumes about the man: “I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say’you helped this happen.”

I ripped her a new one last week for drinking the Kool-Aid the Bush administration has been serving but "View" co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck certainly is not a homophobe - even if she doesn't come right out and support gay marriage and supports a political party that has done nothing for the LGBT community.
In an interview with Will Wikle (he was a contestant on 'Big Brother' a few years back and did a terrific job with his questioning), Elisabeth said of Rosie and Kelli O'Donnell: "To be able to witness the love in their family is outstanding...I do believe in this day and age, we need to re-evaluate and think about what is best for the children."
Here is my favorite comment though and makes me believe she is not a total right-wing zealot: "I would challenge people who don't know, or have chosen not to spend time with someone who is gay, to get to know them. I can say that from experience [with] Rosie and other friends too. I have other friends who are gay. I know them. It's much more easy to not know someone, not to engage with them on a daily basis and then go on a campaign to shut down rights and also morally condemn."

"The Little Dog Laughed" starring Tom Everett Scott as a closeted Hollywood actor and Johnny Galecki as his rent boy, received a Tony Award nomination Tuesday for best play. Also nominated in the category are: "The Coast of Utopia," "Frost/Nixon," "The Little Dog Laughed," and "Radio Golf."
Nominated for Best Musical are "Curtains." "Grey Gardens." "Mary Poppins," and "Spring Awakening."

Among the more familiar names in the acting categories are four-time Emmy winner Angela Lansbury nominated for her Broadway comeback in "Deuce." To win a fifth Tony, she'll have to beat, among others, fellow past Tony winners Vanessa Redgrave and Swoosie Kurtz. David Hyde Pierce, multiple Emmy winner for TV's "Frasier," is up for best actor in a musical ("Curtains") while the best actress in a musical category has such heavyweights as four-time Tony winner Audra McDonald ("100 in the Shade") and past Tony winner Christine Ebersole ("Grey Gardens").

Also nominated: movie stars Billy Crudup and Ethan Hawke are among those competing in the featured actor in a play category.

Remember the days when presidents had a lick of sense and integrity? Jimmy Carter might have not been popular while in office, but I firmly believe his heart was always in the right place. He has since won the Nobel Peace Prize and done more to change the world in his post-presidential life than any of those who came before him, or after.
Carter on Tuesday, gave us yet another reason to miss having an intelligent man in the White House. This is part of his statement on the military's anti-gay 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy:
“It is my long-held belief that every human being deserves dignity and respect. I often heard that phrase during my years at the United States Naval Academy, I carried it out as Commander-in-Chief, and it continues to animate my human rights work around the globe today. The nation’s commitment to human rights requires that lawmakers revisit ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ the current policy that prevents lesbians, gays and bisexual from serving openly in our armed forces...'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’' is the only law in America today that regulates a group of citizens then prohibits them from identifying themselves and speaking up on their own behalf. Gay soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are unable to tell their Member of Congress or their commander that the policy is an abject failure and they are living proof because they will face discharge. Those who defend our liberties and freedoms deserve better.”

The gay television network here! said Tuesday that the first season "The Lair" will debut Jiune 1. The series will include six original half-hour episodes with a new one airing every other week. Here is the basic plot: suspicions arise when young men turn up murdered with vicious, mysterious wounds on their necks. Determined to solve the crimes, a young journalist discovers clues leading him to a private gentlemen’s club called “The Lair.” As he closes in on the truth, he becomes ensnared by a coven of vampires led by the enigmatic Damian.

The Lair stars Peter Stickles (below), who gathered a following this year from his work in the critically-acclaimed indie Shortbus, as Damian, as well as Colton Ford (above) as the heroic Sheriff Trout.

I think they might sell a few extra copies of the new issue of Men's Fitness featuring Andy Roddick. He might not be dominating men's tennis right now but at number three in the world, I give him a solid chance at winning at Wimbledon - especially with Roger Federer's struggling.
And if he never wins another major title, Andy could always be a model!
Thanks to Kennethinthe212 for posting these magazine pics on his site so quickly. I saw this cover at the Ralphs yesterday and thought, "I gotta post that!" But I was too cheap to buy a copy...
For more news about Roddick and other tennis stars, go to my other blog DEUCE!

I've got a problem with ABC's "The Bachelor" for several reasons: it's turning falling in love and possibly getting married into a reality show and it really dehumanizes the people involved - especially the women. I have only caught an episode here and there. But tonight, I saw the last half-hour so I feel fully qualified to spout off.

First of all, I have NO problem with this season's bachelor, Andy Baldwin. He's pretty much a dreamboat if you like that clean cut, perfect smile, gorgeous body Navy kind of thing. I think choosing him gave the show some new life because he's also a smart guy who seems to have a lot of character. You figure any guy who agrees to do this show is probably just doing it to lauch an acting career or something but with Andy, I kinda believe he is looking for true love. (I'm such a sucker!)

One of the reasons is the way he narrowed down the field by eliminating the annoying catfight kind of girls right away and being able to see who was of real quality. So this brings me to Tessa, a social worker who I, from several episodes back, have believed Andy would choose. She's just got a way about her and he seems to see that. She was also the only woman that I am aware of who questioned the whole reality show concept and if she could really fall in love under these circumstances.
And so, next week is the finale and I predict it will end with a proposal to Tessa and, against all odds, I think this pair could really make it!

AfterElton.com exclusively posted some Logo news awhile ago that I find of great intertest especially since it includes a new series for the exceptionally talented, gorgeous and articulate Robert Gant whose last regular gig was as Michael's partner, Ben, on "Queer As Folk." He's going to play a gay bionic man! He already looks the part!
The action/comedy is tentatively titled "Gayonic Man." I haven't heard any more about it, not seen a second of it and yet, I am hooked!
Additionally, Logo's "The Big Gay Sketch Show" is coming back for a second season. It will go into production in the fall for an early 2008 start. Any sketch show - even "Saturday Night Live" - has itsa hit and miss moments. But I've enjoyed this show most of the time and see it only getting better.

And finally, we can answer the question of what the heck is Lance Bass going to do with his professionaly life since coming out last summer? I mean, you can only go to so many openings, parites and "Dancing With The Stars" taping before you gotta earn some money.
Bass, a former member of the boy band NSYNC, will be featured in a music reality program.
"Lance Bass brings an astute understanding of the music business from a uniquely gay vantage point," said Brian Graden, President of Entertainment for MTV Networks Music Group and President of Logo. "We're thrilled to be working with him."

Bea Arthur is a part of so many gay men's lives. Either they got to know her as the bitchy Vera in "Mame," as the bitchy Maude, or the bitchy Dorothy on "The Golden Girls."
That's why I love her! she's such a bitch!
I attended a reunion of her, Betty White and Rue Mclanahan at the TV and Radio Museum a few years ago and she would not even look at Betty White! I heard later she wasn't feeling well but it was clear that Rue was strategically placed between them. Melissa Rivers hosted the evening which marked the DVD debut of "Golden Girls" and my favorite line was when Rue looked and her and said something like: "Who the hell are you?"
But I digress.
A few years ago, my friend Tim Fairholm and I went to see Arthur's one-woman show at the El Portal Theater in North Hollywood. It has been on Broadway the year before and nominated for a Tony. It was such a special night anyway but even more so since Tim, who was the systems editor at the Daily News, died unexpectedly the next year at the age of 40 of complications from Lupus. I still miss him tremendously and so do a lot of other people.
We had dinner that night at the Eclectic Cafe and Tim (pictured, right) spotted Dixie Carter and Hal Holbrook at a nearby table. Knowing I was obsessed with "Designing Women," he kept daring me to go say hello. I never did because they always seemed to have food in their mouths! But when I told Dixie about it last fall when we finally did meet, she said: "Oh, you SHOULD have!"
So we get to the theater and find ourselves sitting two rows in back of Nancy Sinatra! We are staring at her (looking for plastic surgery scars). Then the show begins and Bea Arthur sings some songs, tells some stories, sings more songs. Even shares her recipe for leg of lamb in such a voice that it was somehow fascinating. But she is doing the entire show barefoot and Tim and I are worried that she might stub a toe. We had such a great time and the occasion of her birthday made me think of my friend who would have so loved this blog (I started it four months after Tim died) even though I don't ever write about his very fave "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
He would have read it anyway and I would have loved to have heard his great, infectious laugh - especially when I'm referring to Bea Arthur, who turned 84 on Sunday, as a bitch!

Rosie O'Donnell, who on her videoblog last week said Ellen DeGeneres was contractually unable to discuss gay issues on her talk show, has corrected herself after it was pointed out to Rosie that she was WRONG!

Here is what Rosie posted on her blog about it:

i said it
cause i believed it true
when i said it
i have been told i am wrong
and remembered incorrectly

OK then. But Rosie has to be careful because unless she is 100 percent sure of something when making a controversial comment, she loses credibility even with those of us who really like her!

Related links:
ROSIE SAYS ELLEN FORCED TO CENSOR HERSELF
SOLID GOLDIE ON TODAY'S VIEW

I normally wouldn't waste my time on anything to do with Bobby Brown because he just seems like such a loser. But an incident on the new UK show "24 Hours With..." provides a window into how pathetic this dude is. On the show, host Jamie Campbell interviews a celebrity with whom he is locked together in a room for 24 hours. Campbell makes a joke about gay sex and Brown gets a wee bit too upset for someone who should be more secure in his sexuality.
Here is how it went down:
BROWN: They told me it was going to be like a prison.
CAMPBELL: How do I measure up to your cellmates?
BROWN: You're dangerous.
CAMPBELL: I haven't tried any sex moves on you yet.
BROWN: What the f**k do you mean sex moves? Do I Look like... You saying you haven't even tried any sex moves yet. Are you, are you...
CAMPBELL: Am I gay? Would it make a difference?
BROWN: Are you?
CAMPBELL: Why would it make a difference?
BROWN: You said to me, I haven't even tried any sex moves on you yet. Yet? What the f**k you mean, 'yet'? I'm a grown-ass man. Yet? On live TV I will f**k you up. Trust.
CAMPBELL: I only meant it as a joke.
BROWN: Okay well you shoulda laughed afterwards. Cause I didn't laugh.
CAMPBELL: The conversation went, I said to you, 'do you think I'm an okay cellmate compared with the guys in prison. And you said, I think you're dangerous. And I said, and I haven't even tried any sex moves yet. It was just a joke.
BROWN: Can you answer the question though? Are you?
CAMPBELL: Would it matter to you if I was?
BROWN: You said, you haven't even tried any sex moves on me yet. Do you know I will f**k you up in here? Do you know that?
CAMPBELL: I mean, don't you disrespect me by suggesting that...
BROWN: Suggesting that what?
CAMPBELL: Suggesting that somehow my answer would make me less of a man in your eyes?
BROWN: I think you're less of a man for not answering.
CAMPBELL: I think it's like a joke. It was just a joke.
BROWN: (cracking knuckles) you know what would be more of a joke, you know what would be really more of a joke, if the 24 hours ended right now. That would be more of a joke.

Uh, OK. Someone has ISSUES!!! I wonder if there is room at that gayhab clinic that Isaiah Washington went to.

Fortunately NOT! Here are the lastest pics snapped of the shirtless star courtesy of JustJared.com:

Uh boy.
It seems that a girl and her grandparents are suing the Chicago Board of Education, alleging that a substitute teacher showed "Brokeback Mountain" in her eighth grade class. The lawsuit, which seeks around $500,000 in damages, claims that 12-year-old Jessica Turner suffered psychological distress as a result of seeing the film last year at Ashburn Community Elementary School.
The grandparents, Kenneth and LaVerne Richardson, filed the suit Friday in Cook County Circuit Court.
"It is very important to me that my children not be exposed to this," Kenneth Richardson said in an interview with a local newspaper. "The teacher knew she was not supposed to do this."
The lawsuit also names Ashburn Principal Jewel Diaz and a substitute teacher, referred to as "Ms. Buford." The lawsuit alleges that the substitute asked a student to shut the classroom door saying: "What happens in Ms. Buford's class stays in Ms. Buford's class."
Richardson said his granddaughter was traumatized by the movie and had to undergo psychological treatment and counseling. This is not the grandfather's first beef with the school. Two years ago, he complained to about reading material that he said included curse words.
Obviously, no teacher should be showing an R-rated movie in class without the permission of parents - even one as terrific as "Brokeback Mountain. But this grandfather does sounds like a piece of work.

Not much deliciously witty dialogue on "Brothers & Sisters" last night with such weighty matters as the lives of Tommy and Julia's twins hanging in the balance, Sara and Joe breaking up, Justin visiting wounded soldiers at a veterans hospital as a way to gear up for Iraq, and Sen. MacAllister being blackmailed.
First Tommy (Balthazar Getty) and Julia (Sarah Jane Morris). I had labled them the boring characters and believe I may have suggested they be written off at some point so my Kevin (Matthew Rhys) could have more scenes. Well, I take it all back.
As a new mother whose child is dying, Morris was a revelation and showed us all what a terrific actress she is when given the material. The raw emotion she displayed was far better than anything Calista Flockhart (Kitty) could ever manage and far more real. Getty was also very, very good. Even though one baby dies, the other lives and the episode ended on an optimistic note - it ended with hope for the future. The surviving girl is named Elizabeth and Tommy says to his mother (Sally Field): "She's so strong. She reminds me of you."
Joe finally moved out and he and Sarah told the klds. It was sad. Boo hoo. Kevin was relegated to a subplot over the senator (Rob Lowe) being blackmailed over the truth behnd his "heroism" during Desert Storm. Kitty turns to Kevin for help. The liberal Democrat Kevin cannot bring himself to help a Republican who voted to block gay marriage even if he is his sister's fiancee.
Later, Justin is telling Kevin that MacAllister is a good guy who helped open his eyes by taking him to the Veteran's hospital leading to Kevin admitting: "I might hate his politics but he is a man with perfect skin."
Kevin comes through in te end, blackmailing the blackmailer and was kinda smug about it all. Does Kevin ever lose a big case?
The chemistry between Flockhart and Lowe remains first rate. Just the following deadpan exchange inside the senator's office was pretty funny:
Senator: "Why doesn't the staff say hi to me?"
Kitty: "Because they don't like you."
And they just keep on walking. In the end, MacAllister proposes to Kitty and she says yes around 5-6 times.
Who could blame her? The man really does have perfect skin!

Diana's sons certainly know how to make a good impression. (The quotes were created by PinkistheNewBlog and I found them to be quite funny) Here they are on Sunday at the Cavalry Old Comrades Association Annual Parade in Hyde Park in London in matching bowler hats, ties and umbrellas. These two dashing and poised young men have, thankfully, inherited their late mother's star power. William has her looks while Harry seems to have the charisma (and the good looks, only different). I remember nearly 10 years ago when Diana died and how you just wondered how these boys would fare. It looks like they are doing just fine! It seems like it is in the best interest of the monarchy if Queen Elizabeth, 81, can stay healthy and remain on the throne for a long time (Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, lived to be 102!) because, I hate to carry a gurdge, but I cannot fathom that Camilla woman as queen consort. Can you?

William and Harry are wearing what was considered the “proper order of dress” before World War I. This is the 83rd Anniversary Of The Unveiling And Dedication Of The Memorial in Hyde Park.

Seeing an animated movie at 10 a.m. in the heart of Hollywood on a Saturday morning, not my usual thing. But DreamWorks had an early screening of "Shrek the Third" for media folks at Grauman's Chinese 6 and I thought it would be fun to invite a few friends along and have some laughs. So we're standing on Hollywood Boulevard waiting for my pal Alejandro to arrive (he's taking the subway from North Hollywood) and it is quite a scene.
Tourists are taking pictures galore in front of the Kodak Theater and Grauman's, a woman is sitting in the sidewalk making these cool roses out of palm leaves, there's an anemic looking Spider-Man walking around, a dreadlocked guy dancing around and his pants keep falling down and then some aggressive homeless man walks up to my friend Mariel and I and says: "give me a dollar!" I give him a you can't be serious with that approach look and say, "Move on!" Finally, we see Alejandro coming out of the subway station and we hurry into the theater. As among the last to arrive, we have a choice between the second row and three seats higher up off to the side where a railing partially obscures our view. We choose the seats higher up and settle in. It feels a little early for popcorn but, I ask you, is it ever really too early for FREE popcorn?
I know what you're thinking. The MOVIE Greg! What about the MOVIE?
It's a scream! From start ot finish, it is an absolute hoot. I think I like this one most of all so far but I haven't seen the first two Shrek movies in awhile. Shrek is supposed to be King of Far Far Away but doesn't want the job because, frankly, he's horrible at it. He tries to christen a ship and ends up sinking it. He knights some dude with his sword and...well...it gets messy. The best part about all of it, I think, are the sidekicks Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss & Boots (Antonio Banderas). They just kill me. We only get a few Puss & Boots sad eyes but he's got some very funny things to do. The plot is mainly evil prince charming trying to overtake the kingdom and he brings all the outcasts with him like the Captain Hook and Cinderella's evil (and very butch) stepsister. A lot of classic storybook characters are used in this film in very clever ways. Two of my favorite scenes: the hysterical death scene of the king who was turned into a frog in the last film (trust me, you will bust a gut!) and a scene that takes place at a high school where the kids are all attitude. Also very funny is an anxiety dream Shrek has about becoming a father.
What I love about the Shrek franchise and the biggest reason why these films make gobs of money is that they are fun for kids but there is also this entire level of adult sophistication that keeps adults entertained as well. It's almost like there are two movies going on at the same time. It's brilliant. We were laughing the entire time.
Also, moms will no doubt like the female empowerment aspect to the movie with Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and the queen (Julie Andrews) proving themselves to be quite resourceful and tough when their backs are up against the wall.
"Shrek The Third" opens on Friday and I'm saying, go see it!

Mary Cheney, the pregnant lesbian daughter of Dick Cheney (I'm sure Mitt Romney would so disapprove of her!) had a chance to really be her own person and say something when she received a nearly $1 million advance to write a book last year. But since she is such an apologist for the bumbling Bush-Cheney) administration (which has no problem retaining Gen. Peter Pace who thinks people like Mary Cheney are immoral) her book, "Now It's My Turn," certainly wasn't embraced in gay circles or by the conservative GOP base. can now be purchased for SEVEN CENTS on Amazon.com under the used section. If you really want to splurge, a brand-new hardcover goes for a whopping $1.89.
If ya ask me, the thing is still over-priced!

Before he became magazine editor Daniel Meade on ABC's "Ugly Betty," the terrific Eric Mabius had already created an impressive body of work both in movies and on television. He never shyed away from diversity - projects with gay, lesbians ("The L Word") or (as if the case in 'Betty) transexuals. Here are some pictures of this appealing actor:

Not sure where this picture is from but ain't it cute?

That's not Fabio! It's Eric Mabius in the indie fave "Welcome to my Dollhouse" which starred out actress Heather Matarazzo.

A same-sex kiss in the indie flick "Lawn Dogs." I'm gonna have to rent that!

Playing a game of pool on "The L Word"

Some kind of candid photo I found on a fansite...

Waking up in bed with Joshua Jackson in "Cruel Intentions." Gonna have to rent that too!

Eric, during his days on "The L Word." He's worth a second, third, fourth look, etc.
RELATED LINKS:
ERIC MABIUS TALKS ABOUT UGLY BETTY
EXCLUSIVE: UGLY BETTY CAST ON TRANSGENDER STORYLINE
UGLY BETTY STAR ERIC MABIUS' BIG GAY FOLLWING...

Republican flip-flopping presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who back in 1994 pledged to be a more effective champion for gay causes than his Democratic rival in a senate race, is now citing the Scriptures to defend his current opposition to gay marriage.
According to the AP, the former Massachusetts governor discusses gay marriage in an interview with Mike Wallace (didn;t he retire? set to air Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes."
According to an excerpt released by CBS on Friday, Romney says:"This isn't just some temporary convenience here on Earth, but we're people that are designed to live together as male and female and we're gonna have families. And that, there's a great line in the Bible that children are an inheritance of the Lord and happy is he who has or hath his quiver full of them."

I do not like this man.

Well, what would a day be like without Rosie O'Donnell saying something interesting or controversial. Earlier this week, she confessed that she had often gotten behind the wheel of her car after a few drinks and driven home impaired. This was when she was in her early 20s and working comedy clubs. She was being honest, not advocating drunk driving - anyone who heard her say it and keeps it in context, knows that.
Anyway, I do wonder how Ellen DeGeneres feels about what Rosie said on her Rosie.com videoblog, claiming that Ellen has signed a contract forbidding her to talk about being a lesbian and gay issues: "Ellen's not allowed to. She signed a contract that said she wouldn't. It was on the heels of my show.
Right? So that's why she doesn't! But, you know what? She also paved the way for a lot of gay people, especially on TV. There were no gay shows on TV. She was pre-Will & Grace, remember that. So, you know, I talk about 'gay' because I like to and she doesn't talk about it because she doesn't want to or she can't. But, who cares? It's fine. Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay!"
TMZ contacted a rep for Telepictures, producers of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," who jokingly said "She's gay? Who knew?" The rep then added that this is completely untrue, and that they have no such contracts with any of their hosts, saying,"Ellen is free to talk about whatever she wants and we encourage her to do so."

I've known for some time now that T.R. Knight was going to be on the cover of The Advocate's June 19 Pride Issue and I can't think of a better choice. He amazing reception at the GLAAD Awards last month was proof of how much pride we all have in him for weathering a storm of publicity surrounding his coming out and emerging a stronger man and actor.
PEOPLE Magazine today excerpted some of the new interview:
Knight, who plays George O'Malley on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," said that while friends were "beautifully supportive," others cautiously advised him, "Don't do it – don't do it now."
"I remember saying to someone when I got one of those 'don't do it' [comments] – I just remember hearing my voice being calm and saying, 'No, it's going happen. It's going to happen. I'm just letting you know.' "
He decided to come out after castmate Isaiah Washington famously referred to him on-set by a homophobic slur. "I made the decision to make a statement," he says. "I could have not [spoken up]. I could have retreated. But I'm definitely happy I made the decision."
Since coming out, Knight continues to show what a good actor he is and how silly the debate over whether gays can play straight and vice-sersa really is his character has married Dr. Callie Torres (gorgeous Sara Ramirez, pictured above w/Knight) and slept with fellow M.D.'s Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl).
Heigl, the only castmate to be publicly critical of Washington, is a close friend of Knight's and tells The Advocate that he came out to her gradually. "There came a point where we were close enough friends that he would just talk about dates or about other guys. I wasn't shocked or surprised. ... It was more just like, 'Oh, okay, now I know why you don't want to go out with me.' "
Knight is single and notes that he has not "had the most successful dating experiences." Coming out so publicly hasn't done much to affect his love life since he still assumes people aren't interested in him.
But, he adds: "Too much aggression isn't a good thing either."

Here are some pictures of Chris Evans at the "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" premiere in Melbourne, Australia that I found on Kennethinthe212. We love Chris when he's wearing his superhero suit (he plays The Human Torch in the "Fantastic Four" franchise) or when he's posing without much on at all. But, I gotta say, the guy looks pretty damned good in a regular suit as well.
It's official: Chris Evans is incapable of looking anything less than mouth-watering!

Related posts:
Chris Evans Goes the Non-Beefcake Route
Chris Evans' New Publicist Says: No More Shirtless Photo Shoots
The Charming Chris Evans

Do you ever finish reading Out In Hollywood and think, "I haven't read enough Greg Hernandez today?" OK, humor me. Friday's are the day my new Box Office Buzz column is published in the Daily News. If you can't go out and get a copy because you live in Idaho or the UK or wherever else, then check it out at DailyNews.com!

This week I predict that "Spider-Man 3" will remain the top film in the marketplace but there are four new films vying for second place including "Georgia Rules" which stars the great Jane Fonda, the great Felicity Huffman and the could be great if she'd quit partying Lindsay Lohan.

Check it out!

BTW, I'm seeing "Shrek the Third" tomorrow morning...will give ya a little mini-review afterward.

It's like the line in "A Few Good Men" that Jack Nicholson snarls to Tom Cruise: "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" That's how I feel about the military leaders who, it was reported today, have discharged petty officer second class Jason Knight from the Navy because, gasp, he is gay!
Knight's story is so interesting had been called back to active duty even after telling military officials that he annulled his marriage because he was gay. According to Towleroad.com, Knight was notified yesterday that because of his recent media interviews, his services will no longer be required.
Knight had this to say in a statement today: "I have now spent five years in the Navy, and I have loved every minute of it. It is unfortunate that in our country, which prides itself on being a beacon of liberty to the world, discrimination is still alive and well, even in our own government. I am proud to be among the one million gay veterans who have answered the call to duty, and I look forward to working alongside them to topple this un-American and counter-productive law."
Sharra E. Greer, director of law and policy for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, said Knight is being discharged "because he dared to tell his story and put a public face to the courage of lesbian and gay service personnel. Our nation should be embarrassed that our armed forces are forced to respond to Knight's selfless service with a government-sanctioned pink slip."

Not that there's anything wrong with that!
You had the gorgeous transexual Alexis (Rebecca Romijn, pictured left) making out with her ex-girlfriend (she was Alex when they were together) and the ex is played by gorgeous Jordan (Rebecca Gayheart, pictured below, right)).
When Alexis apologizes for dumping her without explanation, Jordan says: "It's OK. This is who you're supposed to be. By the way, the boobs are amazing."
Alexis replies: "They're [modeled after] yours. The nose is Kate Winslet."
Then there's the buff and beautiful fashion designer Tavares (Mykel Shannon Jenkins, pictured below) pretending to be gay because "I tried being straight in this business and it just did not work out." He looked sensational in the tight red short he was wearing in a party scene but his attempts to gay it up were a bit too sterotypical for me to really enjoy.
Then Marc (Michael Urie) begins to get jealous because his pal Amanda (Becki Newton) is blowing him off to spend time with another gay man: "We were supposed to rent '300' to watch the semi-homophobic and semi-homoerotic content!" he complains. He doesn't realize Jordan and Tavares are hooking up until he catches them swapping spit at the party. Exclaims Mark: "OMG! He's pretending to be gay! That's a new twist on an old standard."
When scheming Willhelmina (Vanessa Williams) finds out Tavaras is straight, she sighs: "This is my first public inning."
Funny stuff. And so gay!

Not fair.
I was all set to settle in and finish a good book tonight after "Grey's Anatomy" when ABC goes right into a sneak preview of a new action-drama "Traveler." I'm thinking to myself: "I have enough shows to watch already, thankyouverymuch and WHO is that handsome man in the screen? Oh, maybe I'll watch this for a few minutes."
My friend Trevor calls. I blurt out: "Turn on the TV to ABC! You gotta see this guy!"
Trevor says: "But I'm still in the car."
Damn.
He gets home soon enough and texts me agreeing that Matt Bomer, who play Jay Burchell on the show, is da bomb! And Logen Marshall-Green who plays his fellow pal on the run, Tyler Fog, is not exactly chopped liver. The two hotties and their third roomate Will Traveler (Aaron Stanford) have just graduated from Yale and are about to embark on a two-month road trip.
They spend the first night in New York partying and staying in a fancy hotel then decide to do a prank where they rollerblade down the stairs inside a museum (not sure which one but it's a major one). Jay and Tyler make it out and meet at the appointed place, call Will who says," Sorry I have to do this" and the museum blows up! Huh? Everyone thinks it's the rollerbladers and they are on the lam. But from who? It seems like everyone is trying to kill them and it's going to take the full eight episodes of this show, which begins its summer run May 30, to sort it all out.

A few weeks back at the TV Academy's terrific "Ugly Betty" event, I spotted Marc Malkin who I had never met but whose column, Planet Gossip, I enjoy and quote from sometimes. Marc introduced me to his writer friend, Robert Rave, and I sat with them during the evening and had a great time.
Robert (pictured) mentioned a book he had written with his mother called "Conversations and Cosmopolitans (How to Give Your Mother a Hangover)" and I asked him to send me a copy. Got it in the mail a few days ago and started reading it last night. I'm about two-thirds through but thought if I don't post about it now, how am I going to let you know in time that this is the PERFECT MOTHER'S DAY GIFT! It is so special, so full of wit and honesty.
Robert Rave and his mother, Jane Rave, alternate chapters in a book that covers a diverse range of subjects starting with the coming out letter that Robert sent to his parents after he moved to New York. His mother refers to it still as "the gay letter." The letter is reprinted, typos and all, in the book and it just tears your heart out to read the thoughts and fears of this then-21-year-old kid who loved his parents so much. So while you feel the emotion of it, you get to laugh because as he waits for his parents to respond, he goes to a Gambler's Anonymous meeting (he's not a gambler) because he needs a distraction.
Life goes on and it is so amusing this Weight Watchers thing that Robert begins to share with his mom when he accompanies her to a meeting during a trip home. I also LOVED the chapter about whether or not men should wax. The conversations are priceless and Robert has a real gift for recounting them here. What most gay men are looking for in a potential mate is covered but I have yet to get there in the book and I also look forward to reading about Jane Rave's "M'Lynn moment," based on Sally Field's character in "Steel Magnolias" when she lashes out at her friends in a fit of despair. Remember when Sally Field is at the cemetary and screams out: "I'm fiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!"
Mostly, this is a book about how empowering (and fun) it is to live the truth.
Check out the Conversations and Cosmopolitans site for more information and links that make it easy for you to order the book.
It's a gem!

We already know about Jensen Atwood's being added to the cast of HERE! TV's "Dante's Cove" for the supernatural sudser's third season since it was LEAKED last week to places other than Out In Hollywood. But we didn't know anything about the character being played by the handsome actor who first caught our attention as Wade on "Noah's Arc."
Atwood joins the cast as Griff, a sexually fluid playboy with ties to the mysterious powers of Tresum and desired by both male and female residents of Dante’s Cove....and everywhere else, I am sure.
Openly gay actress Jill Bennett joins out actors Charlie David, Michelle Wolff, Gabriel Romero, Jenny Shimizu and Reichen Lehmkuhl in the cast of "Dante’s Cove" which this season will feature one of television’s first lesbian love triangles, featuring characters played by three out actors. That should make for convincing love scenes! Bennett takes on the role of Michelle, whose sudden return to Dante’s Cove tests the budding relationship of Brit (Wolff), the island’s sexy bartender/oceanographer, and Elena (Shimizu), a newcomer to Dante’s Cove.

"Just when we thought Ann Coulter couldn't take the politics of personal destruction any lower, she proved us wrong," Edwards said. "Her outrageous comments are inexcusable and should not be tolerated in the public dialogue."
- JOHN EDWARDS, Democratic candidate for president

"I hope that [President] Bush follows suit!"
- ROSIE O'DONNELL on Thursday's "The View" when asked her opinion about British Prime Minister Tony Blair resigning.

"Dream on my friend, dream on."
- Conservative panelist ELISABETH HASSLEBECK's response to Rosie's comment.

"On the pop front, I greeted with relief the news that Rosie O'Donnell will be leaving ABC's "The View." Joy Behar will get some oxygen at last. What a crass solipsist, clod and yahoo O'Donnell is -- and what a bad advertisement for both liberalism and lesbianism. I thoroughly enjoyed Donald Trump putting the shiv to her with his eye-opening insults of withering accuracy."
- CAMMILLE PAGLIA in her column on Salon.com

********

“It is irrelevant. The story was about sexual abuse, and the person going back to fight for a child that was abused, and what they’re doing today to try and change laws to protect children. It’s not a profile on Thomas Roberts... I don’t want to draw all these correlations between something that’s not an issue to me – being gay is not an issue to me, being sexually abused; that’s an issue. That’s a problem, that’s illegal. Sexual abuse: issue. Gay: not an issue.”
-Former CNN Anchor THOMAS ROBERTS to AfterElton.com regarding why his being gay was not brought up in his televised interview with Anderson Cooper about his being molested as a child by a priest.

********

"There has always been a huge cult following for the show in the gay community. When the show was originally airing, the gay bars on Saturday night would all shut off their music at nine o'clock, put on the show, and then start up the music and start dancing again afterwards. We always got such a kick out of that."
- BETTY WHITE telling the Wall Street Journal about the big gay following of "The Golden Girls"

So how did Blake Lewis manage to secure a spot on the semifinals of "American Idol" last night? He could have his skunky blonde highlights to thank! We all know that the always adventurously coiffed singer dyed his hair brown a few weeks back. It seems that everyone from Rosie O'Donnell to bloggers etc. hated it. One wrote to TMZ.com: "Please tell Blake that going dark didn't work for Ashlee Simpson and it doesn't work for him either!"
TMZ reports "exclusively" today that it was because of this that Blake added back some blonde. But is hair color enough for him to knock off powerhouses Lakisha or Jordin next week? I really don't think so...

OK, let's face it. The real reason gays aren't allowed to be out in the military? Homophobia, ignorance and discrimination. These leaders and politicians like John McCain can hide behind other "reasons" but the truth is, it is wrong and it is detrimental.
And with that, I share a little bit of an interview with Jason Knight who once lived in fear of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The gay seaman's been readmitted to the Navy and he's not being quiet about it: in an interview with Pam Spaulding (her blog is the terrific Pam's House Blend) Knight addresses the "clerical error" that allowed his reentry into the Navy and comments on Gen. Peter Pace's recent homo-hating comments:
"I respect his opinion but it has no basis or validity... There wasn't a time when I felt that me being homosexual had any effect on the unit, unit cohesiveness, or caused any problems. Look at the number of people booted under the DADT that are in the linguist field, a field that requires a security clearance. If gays and lesbians posed such a threat to national security, then how did they get the clearance in the first place? They said the same thing before they allowed women and blacks in the military."

Somebody send me to a clinic!
When Lakisha got voted off "American Idol" tonight, I suddenly realized how emotionally involved I have become in this damned show. In my head, figured she and Blake would be in the bottom two and that she would probably be the one to go, but tell it to my heart!!!
Anyway, those bio pieces on the last four standing made us love them all the more don't you think? Melinda's little Mickey Mouse fro hair that she says she was "very serious about" and Lakisha tearfully saying that "Idol" is "the biggest thing that ever happened to me in my entire life."
She went out like winner though as she belted out "Stayin Alive" and made her way through the audience doing high-fives and letting lose in a way that maybe she should have done Tuesday night! Seacrest said to her: "You should be very proud of yourself."
She replied: "I am."
On a lighter note, I really enjoyed the medley of Barry Gibb songs the fnal quartet sang including "Emotion," "Too Much Heaven," "Guilty," "Islands in the Stream" and "Chain Reaction." The performers were so charismatic and animated singing together. Blake and Jordin reminded me of mousketeers! Still, that songbook shows you why the performers had a tough time this week in the eyes of the judges (who, thankfully, we saw very little of Wednesday night!).
And is it me or did you not understand a WORD sung by guest performer, Pink? What is her appeal? I thought any of the four finalists had far more talent. As for Barry Gibb, it's either get a haircut or dye the hair.
I gotta believe Blake is vulnerable next week since he was bottom two but with a pair of terrific performances, who knows??

Two of the men's tennis tour's hearthrobs are Germany's Tommy Haas and Russia's Marat Safin - both extremely gifted players who are capable of beating anyone on any given day. Unfortunately, they are also prone to slumps. So why am I writing about them? Because I found this very nice picture of them on the Kennethinthe212 blog and wanted to use it as bait to get folks to check out my still-new tennis blog Deuce!

Has Kevin Walker switched teams? Noooooooooooooo!
OK, I'll collect myself. The ACTOR, Matthew Rhys, who plays Kevin on ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" is filming the movie "Best Times of Our Lives" with Keira Knightley. They are wearing 1940s outfits as they walk hand-in-hand along New Quay beach in North Wales, UK.
According to JustJared.com, Keira, Matthew, and co-star Sienna Miller will reportedly participate in steamy threesome love scene in the film.
OK, I'm there.

Goldie Hawn was the guest co-host on "The View" today and she meshed so well with Rosie O'Donnell. These two gals oughta put together an act or better yet, have their own show! That way we would not have to emdure that horrendously annoying Elisabeth Hasslebeck who seems to have drank the Bush family Kool-Aid. So you're a Republican Elizabeth, OK. But to remain lockstep with this president and defend all that he has done makes me think of you more as a groupie parroting the party line than an intelligent woman engaged in conversation on a national television show.

So here is this Hasslebeck dame - dressed in this gaudy yellow dress that, quite frankly, looked like it belong to Big Bird - trying to keep up in a conversation with seasoned pros O'Donnell, Hawn and Joy Behar on topics ranging from self-esteem in kids to Sanjaya to the Monica Lewinsky scandal to Goldie's days on "Laugh In."
Goldie is opinionated and optimistic and is the anti-thesis of her ditzy blonde image. I know she'd never join "The View" as a regular but I hope the producers look far and wide for a woman of substance to replace Rosie who will be big shoes to fill.

I read about this on Towleroad.com this morning with a heavy heart.
The force of nature that is Tammy Faye, a woman of strong Christian faith and so supportive of the gay community, is past the point of medical treatment for lung cancer. For those of us who met her two summers ago at Outfest in LA and watched her movie "Death Defying," which chronicled her battle against the disease, you really just fell in love with her. She might have been easy to parody with the eye make-up and the crying, but she really is so much more than that - an amazing person who has tremendous humor and grit.
I sat directly in back of Tammy Faye and her husband at the Outfest screening and talked to them before the movie was shown and after the Q&A. She was having the time of her life being there with us gays and spoke of how it would be un-Christian-like to not love someone who is gay. She is a very powerful straight ally.
Here is part of what she posted on her web site yesterday:
My Dear Faithful Friends,
Thank you for the rooms full of flowers, the tables full of cards, and beautiful little gifts laying everywhere. Thank you so much! I know I have missed so many gifts I should have sent for these special occasions. And then, trusting God to heal my sick stomach. Please try to understand.
The doctors have stopped trying to treat the cancer and so now it's up to God and my faith. And that's enough! But please continue to pray for the pain and sick stomach.
My precious daughter, Tammy Sue, and her wonderful friends are staying with me while Roe builds churches. They don't want me falling down the stairs. I am down weight wise to 65 pounds, and look like a scarecrow. I need God's miracle to swallow.
To those of you who are suffering as I....."don't give up"!! Make up your mind you're going to LIVE !! That is NOT EASY! The path gets so long. I look at young people and wish with all my heart for just one day of "feeling great". You see, God gives out his promises, they do not lie, they do not fail. We do not have to BEG him for them, they are FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You CAN make it!

- Tammy Faye

This new buzz cut sure looks better on David Beckham than that icky blondish white hair he was sporting for a few weeks. And his Real Madrid teamates sure seem enchanted by it. I just love how affectionate these footballers are with each other!

"Get ready Vegas 'cause here I come! Caesars Palace will never be the same and to all those critics who have accused me of being 'tacky,' 'too much' and 'over the top' I say, you ain't seen nuthin' yet!"
BETTE MIDLER on her new gig as Celine Dion's replacement at the Colesium at Ceasar's Palace.

"He loved me but I knew I wasn't quite the son he wanted; he really wanted a football jock. So I kind of resigned myself to not knowing him that well. It doesn't mean it didn't hurt - it did."
TIM GUNN on his late father, FBI administrator (and former J. Edgar Hoover ghostwriter) George William Gunn.

"I met him, and he said to me, 'If I was ever going to let anyone make out with my wife, it would be you.'"
ADAM LEVINE on his first meeting with John Travolta whose actress wife, Kelly Preston, steamed up Levine's music video "She Will Be Loved."

"I was totally surprised by how funny it really was. But they're not doing it anymore, and I'm like 'Whatever'. I'm moving on."
JOEY FATONE on the ill-fated "Odd Couple" remake with Lance Bass which was passed on by the CW.

"I've got gay friends...When they get in a gaggle and get bitchy, I'm not into that...Group-think happens...it makes anyone who's not a part an outsider."
GUY PEARCE who played Andy Warhol in "Factory Girl"

"...It would be great if we could work out our schedules and had a great script. No need to come together if it wasn't the greatest. We certainly have thought about it though."
JACLYN SMITH, host of Bravo's "Shear Genius" on the prospect of a reunion movie with original "Charlie's Angels" co-stars Kate Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.

RYAN REYNOLDS: Make up your own quote (Isn't he just nice to look at?)

Randy, Paula and Simon expect the finalists to be at their best every week but what about them? I thought they were far too negative tonight in a non-constructive way. Randy was way too hard to please, Paula's remarks after Jordin's second song were incoherent, while Simon, I thought, was unfairly critical of Blake's version of "This Is Where I Come In." Blake used his beat boxing cleverly on both songs he did and all Randy could say was "You don't have to do the beat boxing on every song, dawg." It's Blake's trademark and it worked tonight.
To be fair, I thought Simon was spot on when he said that Melinda's second half of "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?" will get her into the semifinals and that Jordin's "To Love Somebody" was the best vocal of the night.
Let's face it, the Barry Gibb songbook is going to be a challenge for anyone - especially when he keeps saying, 'I can't imagine a girl singing this song." Dude, three of the four singers remaining are GIRLS! Anyway, I loved Lakisha's "Run to Me" from the outfit to her delivery and the little hoarse finish was unfortunate because she was really soaring. I thought her "Stayin Alive" was OK as was Melinda's "Love You Inside Out."
So the last performance was Jordin doing "Woman in Love," a number one hit for Barbra Streisand off of the "Guilty" albium she did with Gibb all those years ago. I loved the blue gown, I loved the delivery, I thought it was terrific. But Simon sez: "Very pageanty and old fashioned, you're 17."
I suppose they feel they have to be harder with just four contestants left but they lose credibility when what they see and what we see is not the same thing. And honestly, I don't know what Paula sees because whatever it is, she cannot articulate it.
Anywho, I predict that Lakisha and Blake will be in the bottom two tomorrow night. I think Lakisha might end up being voted off because someone has to go. If it is her, I'll miss her!

Geez! Can't a handsome and single movie star like Jake Gyllenhaal hang out at a Borders in Hollywood with pal Austin Nichols without everyone assuming they are having some kind of bro-mance? Of course not! It's all very silly but I don't want to be the only blog in town not to post this picture!

June is LGBT Pride Month and while I plan to spend more time at festivals than watching television, I think you should know about what is going to be offered. Good thing GLAAD has posted a nice rundown which I have summarized for you:

Thursday, May 31: As the World Turns (CBS Daytime) Luke (pictured above with his on-screen father)meets Noah, setting the stage for daytime's first gay male romance. New episodes air weekdays. Check listings for airtimes.

Friday, June 1: In the Life (syndicated) The LGBT newsmagazine airs its new "Voices of Pride" episode this month, showcasing stories of individuals battling discrimination and celebrating their lives. Hosted by former NBA player John Amaechi. Times and dates vary; visit http://www.inthelifetv.org/ for airdates.

Sunday, June 3: C.R.A.Z.Y. (Sundance Channel, 12 AM ET/PT) Jean-Marc Vallée’s award-winning dramedy follows a rebellious teenager (Marc-André Grondin) wrestling with his sexuality and eccentric family in 1970s Montreal.

Monday, June 4: Screened Out: Gay Images in Film (Turner Classic Movies, 8 PM ET/PT) PREMIEREThroughout the month of June, noted film historian Richard Barrios will host a variety of films featuring depictions of gays and lesbians from the classic Hollywood era. Barrio and special guests such as Tab Hunter, Charles Busch, Alan Cumming (pictured) and Michael Musto will discuss the concepts and stereotypes presented in classic films. New episodes and films air every Monday and Wednesday night in June at 8 PM ET/PT.
Night One – The Early Years
Algie, the Miner (8 PM), The Monster (8:30 PM), Exit Smiling (10:15 PM), The Broadway Melody (11:45 PM), Way Out West (1:45 AM), The Office Wife (3 AM), Stage Mother (4:15 AM)

Red Without Blue (Sundance Channel, 9 PM ET/PT) U.S. TELEVISION PREMIERE
This documentary focuses on identical twins Mark and Alex Farley. Mark is experiencing his first long-term relationship with a man as Alex is transitioning from male to female.

Wednesday, June 6: Screened Out: Gay Images in Film (Turner Classic Movies, 8 PM ET/PT)
Night Two – Gays Before the Code
The Sign of the Cross (8 PM), Our Betters (10:15 PM), Double Harness (11:45 PM), Queen Christina (1 AM), Wonder Bar (2:45 AM), The Sport Parade (4:15 AM)

President Bush is someone I don't enjoy blogging about because I have nothing good to say about the man. But sometimes, you have to get it off your chest. This photo of him WINKING at Queen Elizabeth II yesterday is just another example of his ineptitude and arrogance on the world stage. In the past week alone, he has infuriated me by indicating that he would veto the Federal Hates Crimes Act (named for Matthew Shepard) and I've been watching way too much PBS where various recent specials on the build-up to the Iraq War have disturbed me greatly.
And every day, something new hits that makes the 2008 presidential election seem so far away. This morning it was how the Kansas National Guard is having trouble coming to the aid of tornado victims because their troops AND equipment are in Iraq. Then there are the daily reports of the U.S. soldiers killed each day and all of the Iraqis being met with gruesome deaths from bombs etc. We went into national mourning over the 30-plus deaths at Virginia Tech last month. Imagine how numb the Iraqis must be with at least that many deaths - if not more - each day? It is heinous.

Ya know, as a singer, I think George Michael is terrific. But as a mature adult? Notsomuch.
George blamed his being found slumped behind the wheel of his car last October on "tiredness and prescribed drugs." In court Tuesday he said: "I am perfectly aware that I did something very wrong and got into my car when I was unfit to drive. I was not in my normal physical state and I'm perfectly prepared to accept the correct punishment for that and I would have accepted it a long time ago. It was fairly predictable considering how much work I had done that week."
OK, I gotta ask the likes of George Michael, Paris Hilton and these other impaired celeb drivers what good all that money is if they can't HIRE A DRIVER when they are tired or drunk or whatever.
Grow up!

It's a great day for Barbra Streisand fans like me.
The 65-year-old legend is still like buttah and managed to sellout her first UK concert date at London's 02 Arena in just 20 minutes. A second concert has already been added to the venue. Now, as big a fan as I am, I'm only making a special trip to London to see Wimbledon (or to see my friends Danny and Lorna) so I will have to settle for picking up a copy of her new CD: "Streisand: Live In Concert" which is just out today!
I'm such a sucker for Babs (I'm sure she would hate that I called her that but too bad, toots) that I have bought every album she's ever made (or CD now) - at least the ones dating back to the late 70s. This two-disc set pulls performances from 2006 dates in New York, Washington, D.C., and Fort Lauderdale. Among the songs are "Starting Here, Starting Now," "Evergreen," "Come Rain or Come Shine," "Happy Days are Here Again" and "Funny Girl."
It was playing Saturday morning when I was at the Barnes & Noble at The Grove and I thought she sounded TERRIFIC. But I can't post a review yet...gotta give it a real listen this week...

Caught Dina Matos McGreevey plugging her book ''Silent Partner: A Memoir of My Marriage''on the late-night Oprah rerun Sunday night and thought she came off like not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree. But I still don't think she deserves the garbage that her ex-hubby, former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, is tossing her way. In her divorce filing Monday, Dina states that she felt ''betrayed and abandoned'' upon learning of he was gay and cheating on her with a male aide.
So here is where James McGreevey shows his true character - or lack of it: in his divorce filing, he claims his wife ''knew of my sexual orientation before our marriage'' and ''chose to either ignore it or block it out of her mind, even when questioned by her friends.''
She insists she ''was shocked and traumatized beyond description" and claims her ex ''has been guilty of extreme cruelty'' toward her since their marriage and continuing up the present.
Besides fraud and intentional emotional distress, she is also claiming libel since the ex-gov has made public claims that she was homophobic and had made anti-gay statements _ charges she denies.
I love this quote that James McGreevey released yesterday in response to the court filing: ''Our most important duty is to work to be good parents for Jacqueline,'' McGreevey said, referring to the couple's 5-year-old daughter."
Ha! Father of the year right there. Both of these people seem to be liars, who is the bigger liar I think is obvious.

Actor David Burtka might be best known for his Broadway roies but he has also had his share of guest spots on various television shows. Tonight, he shows up on CBS' "How I Met Your Mother," the show that features his real-life boyfriend, Neil Patrick Harris. I'm not sure what kind of part Burtka is playing but I know he won't be dating Harris' character of Barney who is a relentless womanizer.
It was the casting of Burtka on this episode that led to a gossip item that essentially outed Harris who had not discussed his personal life throughout the many years of a successful career from "Doogie Hauser M.D." to "Mother" on television to "Rent" and "Cabaret" on stage. The couple is pictured below with Marion Seldes at a Tony Awards event in New York, June 10, 2006.

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My bet is that Donald Trump is grumbling because he didn't make Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential people and making matters worse, his nemesis Rosie O'Donnell did. Barbara Walters, who Trump moronically continues to insist hates Rosie, wroite a moving tribute to her co-host on "The View" and I am sharing it with you in its entirety:

When Rosie O'Donnell was 10, she lost her mother. I don't think she ever got over it. It made her both independent and vulnerable, sensitive and outspoken. She loves Barbra Streisand, Broadway shows, her partner Kelli, their four young children, anyone's babies ... and feuds. Not necessarily in that order. She hates what she considers injustice, snobby people, most of the current Administration, and chances are she will never live in a Trump building.
She is enormously charitable. She has two foundations: Rosie's Broadway Kids and the For All Kids Foundation. She gives unsparingly to returning veterans' causes and hospitals. And she visits them.
A year ago, I went to a screening of the HBO documentary All Aboard!: Rosie's Family Cruise. It followed a cruise that Rosie and Kelli had inaugurated. It was funny, touching and—I guess to some—unsettling. That night, inspired by her documentary, I asked Rosie if she would consider joining us on The View. And so, last September, we began a thrilling roller-coaster ride. We followed Rosie's passion and compassion, her feuds and fearlessness, her humanity and humor. When Rosie and ABC couldn't come to an agreement for her to return to the program next fall, it was for me a plunge on the roller coaster. But we remain respectful and affectionate friends.
Rosie, 45, is a fine actress, a great storyteller and a woman of conviction. Her opinions are heartfelt, passionate and often abrasive. Her views are not necessarily my views, but in her heart, she dearly hopes to be a force for good, a voice for people like her who are vulnerable and perhaps neglected. Her mother would be proud.
-- Barbara Walters

Former top-ranked tennis player Carlos Moya and Rafael Nadal, currently number two in the world, have many things in common: they have both won the French Open, both grew up on the same island in Spain, both are hearthrobs who favor sleeveless shirts, and teamed up on Monday to win a doubles match against Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka at the Italian Open.
For all the latest tennis news, visit my tennis blog DEUCE!

Gee, it looks like Matthew McConaughey has a hard time finding a moment alone. The photo above is a good visual of what he and others stars encounter in their everyday lives. It's not like he's at a premiere or going to the Ivy for dinner. He's just out for a run. But if not for these stalk-a-razzis, I guess we wouldn't have all these pictures of him working out. Unlike future jailbird Paris Hilton and drunk driver Nicole Riichie, at least Matthew has achieved SOMETHING in his life to warrant the spotlight. And his worst trouble with the law came when he was arrested for making too much noise while playing bongos in the nude.

John Amaechi appeared before the Log Cabin Republicans at their annual convention over the weekend in Denver. In his speech "Is Pro Sports Changing?" the first former NBA player to ever come out said there has not been the negative reaction he feared.
\"I underestimated America. I braced myself for the wrath of a nation under God," he said. "I imagined that it would be a firestorm, that it would be some insane number of letters demanding my deportation or my death.And in fact, 95 percent of the correspondence I've had have been overwhelmingly supportive and positive. But I will say that the 5 percent that I've had have been unbelievably, viscerally, frighteningly negative."
But Amaechi has not heard from a single former NBA teammate.
"Probably 30 of my former (NBA) teammates have my e-mail and my telephone contacts and probably 16 or so of those I was in regular touch with and there are probably 10 people who I have (on instant messenger). And zero — nobody — who's active in the NBA has been in touch with me since the day I came out, despite the fact that most of them knew I was gay in the first place."
"They are our gladiators, our heroes. On the other hand, there's not many of you would trust them with your children, with your car keys or to do your accounting," he said. "Let's face it, for the most part, the stereotype is that they — we — are dumb as rocks. So, I don't know if they are a terribly good group to be looked at as kind of indicative of societal change or as leaders in that respect."
As for politics, Amaechi chided both Democrats and Republicans: "It's hard for me to hide the fact that I am no fan of this administration, as much for their foreign policy as for their stance on (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) issues," he said. "However, I am no fan of the Democratic candidates who take four days before they decide that Gen. Pace's comments were not very nice."

With much of the episode taking place on Tommy and Holly's new vinyard, Walker Landing, I almost expected Angela Channing from "Falcon Crest" to show up and start calling people into her study.
By the way, I apologize for teasing in an earlier post that Kevin and the senator's bro were gonna meet up again - THAT is in a future episode. The senator (Rob Lowe) was barely in this episode after a cute scene with Kitty in the beginning where she is hemming and hawing after proposing to him last week. Is this woman nuts? He's a senator! He's got big bucks! And he looks just like Rob Lowe! Snag him before he realizes what a mess you are.
But hey! I was right about the catfight between Nora (Sally Feild) and Holly (Patricia Wettig). It was a showdown of epic proportions that culminated in a massive food fight. Nora starts it by smashing an entire cake all over Holly's dress. Holly screams: "This dress is couture!" To which Nora replies: "I'm sure it's been STAINED before!" Then it was peas flying and you name it before the women start laughing then Holly starts crying.
So what led to foo flying everywhere?
Holly kissed Nora's date for the weekend, the smarmy professor played by Peter Coyote. "You seem to be obsessed with the men in my life," Nora snarls to Holly, pre-cake smashing.
Holly counters with: "Your family is INSANE!"
Nora then says 'Even your own DAUGHTER would rather sleep at my house....I'd sooner call social services before I'd send her home to you...You are a car wreck!"
It was great stuff and what made it even greater was the skill with which the scene was played by Field and Wettig. When they were saying those and other lines, you really felt like they were the culmination of months and months of resentment (In Holly's case, years of resentment) and that made it all the more satisfying.
The whole Joe kissed Rebecca thing is already boring to me but it served as the catalyst for much of the drama on last night's show which was fun because the entire Walker family was together for a weekend and you had all kinds of those fights with witty dialogue.
Kitty (Calista Flockhart) ends up being AWOL for a big chunk of it because she takes three of Kevn's prescription painkillers mistaking them for asprin as she's drinking some wine. Kevin finds her and can't believe she has gotten herself so drunk so quickly.
Kitty: "I've had sips! Sips! Why do I always have to screw things up, Ken?"
She's calling Kevin, Ken, you know she's screwed up!
In her stupor, she blurts out to Kevin that she's sorta engaged to the senator but makes him promise not to tell anyone. We already know Kevin is a bigger gossip than Hedda Hopper and Loella Parsons combined! Oh, that's dated. OK, make that Liz Smith and Marilyn Beck combined! If that's too dated for ya the just eat your milk and cookies and go to bed!
After a tipsy Kevin but adorable blurts out the news, he tries to change the subject quickly: "Can we have some more pinot?" Then we wonders to himself: "I don't know why I say these things. I think I have Tourette's [syndrome]."
Anyway, in the end, Julia goes into labor - early - and the preview tease that next week is "a very special episode of 'Brothers & Sisters." We can already see that the lives of the twins are hanging in the balance so all the silliness of the vinyard episode will be quickly forgotten.

Good God! I've been reporting on the box office numbers for "Spider-Man 3" all weekend and cannot believe its estimated weekend tally: $148 million! That is in three days! It seems to me like Spidey is kinda like "American Idol," something that Americans far and wide can get into and enjoy. With the left and the right so polarizing, it seems like these pop culture phenomenons are a place for us to meet in the middle.
I know that overall, the critics were not too kind to the movie but I enjoyed the hell out of it. To read my full box office report in today's Daily News, go to DailyNews.com.

He's a terrific actor and is so handsome that even straight guys have a crush on him. But Eric Bana's world isn't all perfect this weekend: his movie "Lucky You" co-starring Drew Barrymore was even a bigger bomb at the box office than anyone expected. I guess opening it up as counter-programming to "Spider-Man 3" wasn't such a good idea...
Bana was snapped on Saturday filming some kind of promo, according to JustJared.com, looking no worse for the wear...

I love watching TV on Sunday nights! The combination of "Brothers & Sisters" and "Desperate Housewives" just can't be beat. I'll leave "The Sopranos" to other people, thankyouverymuch.
As far as tonight's "Brothers & Sisters,"I know I should be most excited about another appearance by Kevin's future love interest, Jason MacAllister (Eric Winter). While I look forward to seeing the relationship unfold, I REALLY want to see the big brawl between Nora (Sally Field) and Holly (Patricia Wetting). These actresses have five Emmys between them (not to mention Sally's two Oscars) so I look to them to elevate the catfight to a new level - far beyond the standard set my Joan Collins and Linda Evans all those many years ago. I still remember the Krystle Carrington line: "If ya want a rematch, just whistle...If ya can!"
MEOW!
An hour earlier, on "Desperate Housewives," we will be delighted by another guest appearance by the brilliantly funny Alec Mapa as Gaby's pal Vern. Alec just killed 'em at the GLAAD Awards in LA last month and usually steals every scene he's in so this should be fun to see. The absence of Marcia Cross is really felt on this show in recent episodes but it's nice to see Nicollette Sheridan's character developed a little bit more. And will Lynette (Felicity Huffman) have an affair with the handsome chef at her restaurant? Who could blame her? Hubby Tom has become such a DRIP!

Adam Levine, front man for the Grammy-winning Maroon 5, is the focus of the "Big Gay Following" in the new issue of The Advocate. First, I want you to enjoy all these pictures of this handsome singer then I will share some of the answers he gave to some interesting questions...

Q. Do guys ever hit on you?
A. Not outwardly. Not, 'Hey, you wanna make out?' It doesn't happen to me. I don't know why. But I never really pick up on when I'm getting hit on anway - unless i'm into it, and then I just convince myself that they're hitting on me...I'm not into d***. I wish I were. It would be so much easier. Because, you know, men have a certain camaraderie with each other that's easygoing and kind of simple, when you think about it. Sometimes men and women clash mentally, although physically it works out."
Q. If you were intio guys, who would be your type?
A. Oh, there are beautiful men out there. Antonio Banderas is gorgeous. Well, maybe not so much anymore. He peaked around 'Desperado.' I mean, every male secretly wants to have sex with Brad Pitt, but that's a given."
Q. You've been friends with Jake Gyllenhaal since childhood. Why do we never see you hanging out with him, Lance [Armstrong] and Matthew McConaughey?
A. I don't know. i'm noit a cyclist.

Headline News anchor Thomas Roberts left CNN on May 1, TVNewser has confirmed.
"After five years, he has decided to leave us, with intentions to settle in the Washington, D.C., area," Ken Jautz wrote in a memo on Monday. His final major on-air appearance came last month, as he recounted being sexually abused by a priest for a 360 special hosted by Anderson Cooper.
Jautz's memo said Roberts will be "pursuing new journalistic opportunities." TVNewer wonders: Is it related to this tip/question: "What Headline News anchor has inked a syndication deal?"
Last fall, Roberts did a really brave thing in Miami at the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Assn. Convention: he appeared on a panel to discuss what it's like to be a gay anchor. Although he hadn't been in the closet at the cable network, it was a major step toward becoming more public about who he is.
Coincidentally or not, the mid-afternoon Headline News show he anchored was pulled off the air and he never appeared as prominently on the network again, relgated to reporting and weekend anchor shifts.
In Miami, Roberts told us he has spent too many years being "very, very buttoned up."
"I wasted way too much time worrying about this and I didn't want to do it anymore," he said. "There's no more time to lie."
What gave Roberts the courage to be out to be out from the beginning at CNN was a change in priorities and the realization that living a double life, even for a very promising career, isn't really living.
"My personal life is much more important to me than the professional," he said. "It switched for me in my late 20s."
So when he was interviewing at CNN, he asked the recruiter if it was going to be a safe environment for him, a gay man, even though he wasn't asked if he was gay or not during that or any other interview.
"When you hold something back, that's all anybody wants to know...and it becomes bigger than it is."
At CNN, Roberts co-anchored the network's coverage of the Columbia Space Shuttle tragedyin 2003 as well as the war in Iraq. He also reported from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and also covered the 2004 presidential election. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2002, the year after he won the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award.
"I do hope that for younger journalists and people coming up, that they can have an example out there of people who have found a safe haven and have had success because he's a scary business," Roberts told me im Miami. "CNN was extremely supportive of me."
Good luck Thomas!

OK, now I'm officially confused.
Michelle Rodriguez is lashing out at the lesbian magazine "Curve" for "outing" her when really, that happened last fall when 'girlfriend' Kristanna Loken gave an interview to the Advocate.
Here is an excerpt I just read via Towleroad.com of what Rodriguez has posted on her website:
"If I were Ellen [DeGeneres] I may get away with: ‘ The I’m Gay’ level of exposure, but I’m not a comedian, I like men; ( real One’s Anyway) and I’ve only bin in this business for 7 years not 20. Years of recognition can give a person lots of leverage especially if you have many years of positive recognition under your belt. There are certain things that can close doors between a celebrity and certain audiences. Especially in a world where walls are constantly being put up by people seeking comfort and groups to belong to. There is so much out there, over-saturation of music, media, Agenda News, war, political drama, high school prom drama, image drama, religion drama, Bully drama. All this drama is caused by one thing, not understanding the true meaning of communication and the real power behind it. It’s tough to learn, I’m working on it myself, but when people come out of nowhere and put words in my mouth or call me Gay, they should really think for one second How they could truly affect my life by doing such things. You don’t know what producer, director, would be husband or future audience member may be influenced by these opinions and media content."
OK, so she's NOT a lesbian? She didn't protest what Lokan saidso it's been out there for awhile. I think her drunk driving etc. could be more of a concern to producers than who she sleeps with!

Anderson Cooper subbed for Regis this morning so I tuned in.
He was fun (I love his laugh) and looked so dapper but wasn't as goofy as he'd been on previous stints with Kelly Ripa. Maybe the Out Magazine cover made him a little more reserved. He confessed that "I think my speaking voice is kind of grating and annoying" and that the three greatest technological breakthroughs are the "George Foreman Grill with bun warmer, the paper shredder, and TiVo."
Kelly went on and on about this eyebrow transplant thing that she thought was so fascinating but wasn't but it led to Anderson discussing the "fatty deposit" he has under one of his eyes that a doctor recommended he get plastic surgery on. He said it became a "parent-child bonding experience" with his mother [Gloria Vanderbilt] who was eager to recommend doctors and share war stories. In the end, he passed on the surgery: "I'm living proof that you can live with a fatty deposit."
So, Kelly holds up a paperback version of Cooper's memoir "Dispatches From the Edge" which comes out on Tuesday with a NEW chapter added about what has happened to him since the publication of the hardcover.
I'm sure he doesn't come out in this additional chapter and frankly, I just hope everyone just calms down about that. He told Kelly he isn't sure if he will ever write a follow-up.
"Maybe someday I'd like to write another book...but it's really draining."

Do you think I am so shallow that I would look for any excuse to post a picture of a shirtless Brady Quinn, the Notre Dame star recently drafted by the NFL's Cleveland Browns? Ah, who am I kiddin? Of course I am! But in this case, I felt it was my duty to post some pictures of Brady and his buds that began popping up on various sites last night.
Remember, this is all in the line of duty...

Nathan Lane, Tony winner for "The Producers," was the guest on yesterday's "Ellen Degeneres Show" and Ellen (still in bed with a bad back but soldiering on with the show) asked him about his coming out since he is being honored the The Trevor Project which provides suicide prevention support to gay and questioning youths.
AfterElton.com provides a transcript:
Ellen: How old were you when you told your parents? Did you have a hard time coming out?
Lane: I was very young -- I was living in New Jersey with my mother but I was seeing someone in New York, and she thought it was a woman. And I finally broke it to her -- I was around 21 and I finally sat her down, she was this little Irish Catholic lady from Jersey City -- and so I said, you know, "I know you think I'm seeing a girl but i've been seeing a guy." And she said -- the blood just drained from her face -- and she said, "so you're a homosexual?" And i said, "yeah, i guess so. Yeah, i guess so." And she said, "oh, i would rather you were dead".
(The audience gasps, Lane laughs)
See, I always laugh, because I knew her better than they did (gestures to audience). Because you know, it was the worst, you know -- so I said "I knew you'd understand," and once I got her head out of the oven she was fine. And she was never -- she was always very exceptings of relationships I had, it was never an issue except for that one time.
Ellen: That one time,
Lane: Yeah, "I would rather you were dead."
Ellen: But she did come around, that's great -- because it is a hard thing for a lot of parnets to accept.
Lane: And it's a hard thing for people to do.
Ellen: Yeah.
Lane: Still -- and not just kids, adults.
Ellen: Grown people.
Lane: Grown-up people.
Ellen: And it's very very hard and you need someone who's understanding, especially if you're a kid, so good for you and good for the Trevor Project, because they do a lot of good.
Lane, who did not speak about his sexuality for years, came out publicly in 1998 after the death of Matthew Shepard.

It's opening day for "Spider-Man 3" which kicks off what I predict will be the biggest summer ever at the box office. So this seems to be as good a time as any to debut a new column. It's called "Box Office Buzz" and it will appear on Fridays on the front of The Daily News business section and on DailyNews.com. It seems like a good way to deal with my longtime obsession with box office numbers! Here's the first column, "Spidey 3" heats up the box office.

I'm a big fan of Christopher Gorham but hadn't met him until this week at the "Ugly Betty" event at the Television Academy in North Hollywood. I first noticed Chris when he played the appealing geek, Harrison John, on the WB gem "Popular" which sadly lasted just two seasons but still managed to leave a memorable impression on its fans. My friend Michelle and I will never forget this line, so memorably uttered by Delta Burke's character of Cherry Cherry, to her cheerleader daughter who was so excited about Erik Estrada becoming her new stepfather: "Mary Cherry, the wedding's off! And drop 10 pounds!"
But I digress. Back to Mr. Gorham who has never stopped working since his stint on "Popular." He had a recurring role on "Felicity," spent a season on the sci-fi show "Odyssey's 5," had the title role on "Jake 2.0" which lasted a season then went on to NBC's "Medical Investigation" which lasted, you guessed it, one year. Last season he played the unlucky-in-love son of Stockard Channing and Henry Winkler in the wonderful comedy "Out Of Practice" which CBS did not renew after just one season (but the stale "King of Queens" does...go figure). He was one of three siblings on "Out of Practice," one of whom was an out lesbian.
"I haven't done anything that I'm embarassed about, not one thing," he says. "I've certainly learned that there is a lot that's out of my control and there's nothing I can do about it so I just show up and I do my job and as long as I'm happy with what I'm doing, then that's what I have to take away."
But, it's awfully nice to be in a big hit like "Betty" where he plays the love interest of the title character and shares a sweet on-screen chemistry with co-star America Ferrera.
"It's amazing. It's completely a difference experience. It's really rare to have this kind of success."
Gorham, a married father of two, looks far cuter in person than on "Betty" where he helped to create the nerd look for his character.
"I've been having fun with it," Chris said of the look. "Some of it was my idea. His haircult was basically how I wore my hair when I was in high school. Sad but true. The glasses and the clothes - I wanted him to have a style but not to be stylish. I think we accomplished that."
"The funny this is, because I look so different on 'Betty,' I'm recognized more for 'Popular' than I am for 'Ugly Betty,'" he adds. "Since the DVDs came out, there's been this resurgence."
I wonder what Cherry Cherry would have to say about all of this...

LANCE BASS!!! The once closeted member of boy band NSYNC turns 28 years old today. Since coming out very publicly last summer, Lance's celebrity has only grown and he seemes happier and more self-assured than ever.
We look forward to his autobiography due out this fall but I am especially interested in seeing what else he plans to do with his career. Strike while the iron is hot Lance!

Matthew McConaughey and Lance Armstrong have nothing on these guys.
Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis grew close during their season together on "American Idol" and Chris' being voted off the show last night was emotional for both. Here are some images of what I think is a strong bro-mance that will stand the test of time...and fame.

So I'm tidying up the desk in my home office (a scary task) and I find the advance copy of "Boston Boys Club" that its author Johnny Diaz sent to me some time ago. I'm planning to finish reading it soon and plan to post a review. Johnny, a writer at The Boston Globe, and I have been exchanging emails here and there over recent months and I love his Beantown Cuban blog. Advocate.com has just posted a pretty cool article on him during which he confesses to experiencing what he calls "first-book jitters."
It's exactly one month before the national release of his debut novel, "Boston Boys Club" and in it, he says he's determined to depict a multifaceted professional Latino who happens to be gay.
"That's one of the reasons why I wanted to write this book." he explains. "Hispanics are always portrayed as either street thugs, cleaning people, or as the gardener. And the Latin gay guys I've seen are always hot, overly sexualized tricks from Miami."

"Boston Boys Club" follows a trio of friends as they search for that perfect guy at an ultrahip boy bar in Boston, the Club Café. While Diaz insists his story is a fictionalized account of his life after moving from Miami to Boston five years ago, the 34-year-old author admits that he intertwines real-life locales (like the Club Café, which is in Boston's South End), events, and yes, people in Boston Boys Club.
"The main character, Tommy Perez, covers Hispanic-related issues at a paper similar to The Boston Globe," he says, adding that his alter ego works at a pub called The Boston Daily. "Tommy lives in Harvard Square, and I used to live near Harvard Square."
To read the complete story, click on Advocate.com.

Look what Reichen has in store for him! These gorgeous actors have all returned for the third season of "Dante's Cove" being filmed in Hawaii as we speak. If you have not been following the goings on, here's some good news: I just found out that season two of the show is being released on DVD on June 5! I tell ya, the show is such a guilty pleasure with the obvious appeal being boys with boys, girls with girls and beautiful people all around. But there are also solid actors (including Charlie David, Thea Gill and Tracy Scoggins) and the supernatural element are a lot of fun.
The here! TV original series is described by the network as a " classic combination of sex, horror, homosexuality, the supernatural and camp." Well, how can we resist? The residents of the Hotel Dante are forced to deal with many tough obstacles this season including addiction, infidelity, coming out, breaking up and death. Special features on the DVD include deleted scenes plus featurettes on the men, women and out actors of the show.
The DVD in a 2-disc set being distributed through Genius Products on June 5 with a suggested retail price of $29.99. For more information log on to www.dantescove.com.

Eric Mabius had some powerful things to say about the transgender storyline on "Ugly Betty" that I posted yesterday. I wanted to share the rest of our conversation with you about the show and the relationship between his character, magazine editor Daniel, and his dedicated assistant: Betty.

"I think the message of the show is that everyone, no matter how they are perceived, everyone feels out of place. Betty is the only one who is truly at ease with being uncomfortable and has the guts to admit it. I think everyone becomes a little bit better at that on the show because she rubs off on them. She is the glue that holds everyone together, especially Daniel, who she works closest with and he really needs that proximity to pull this job off because he has a very weak moral compass as the result of the parents who raised him. He's fumbling through life thrown in these circumstances just like Betty is. I always say that we're essentially the same character with totally different backgrounds."

Hey, I've got eyes. Eric Bana is one handsome guy. But I'm a gay man and we notice these things all the time. What has been interesting is how many straight guys notice! Maybe it's because of my blog or whatever but straight male friends, co-workers or acquaintances will sometimes tell me which hot celeb they would consider "switching teams" for. I get some Matthew McConaugheys, a Harry Connick Jr, (sigh), sometimes a Brad Pitt.
But the name that pops up more often than I expect is Eric Bana! I asked one guy a few days ago WHY Eric? "Did you see him in 'Troy'?' Well, yeah, I did. But I was pretty much zeroed in on Brad Pitt in that movie and that costume he had on. I know I have some straight male readers out there. Anyone want to share their man crushes with us??? I'm trying to understand you people better!

Think about what you were doing when you were 12 years old. I think I was obsessing about getting my first pimple or something. How different life is for Mark Indelicato who, plays the fashion-loving Justin on "Ugly Betty." This kid steals just about every scene he is in and I was so glad to meet with him and chat a bit before he joined cast members inside the VIP dinner at an Academy of Television Arts and Sciences event this week.
I started off by asking him what it's like for him to be on this big hit show that has propelled him and the rest of the cast to such fame.
Mark: "A year ago, I was back in New York auditioning and really, really waiting for my break and here I am. I'm here and having my picture taken and being interviewed. I'm just living my dream and I'm really excited."
Greg: Waiting for your break? How old are you?
Mark: Well, I'm been in the business for half my life! I'm only 12, I've been acting since I was six. So, I've been waiting for a pretty long time in my eyes."
Talk about ambitious!
Justin is a free spirit whose family encourages his individuality. Instead of being aghast at his feminine qualities, they embrace it. His once-absentee father on the show initially tried to butch him up by suggesting a football toss but the family set him straight real quick and lately, he's been coming around. There was a touching scene on a subway whewre Justin is singing, some onlooking mock him, and the dad let's them have it!
"I was very happy about that it was going that way," Mark says. "Cutting to the chase and have him accept Justin early on, I thought that it was great. I'm loving what's going on right now in the episodes."
Most people would assume that character of Justin is gay but producers said at the Television Academy event that his sexuality will not be addressed for now which means no boyfriends for Justin any time soon!.
But just letting Justin be Justin is making a difference to a lot of real-life Justins out there.
"A lot of the fan mail that I've gotten has been from teenagers probably 13-18 saying, 'Thank you so much for letting me be who I am and not be afraid to express myself and not care about what anybody thinks," Mark says. "I think there are not a lot of characters on television like Justin that aren't the typical boy, not the athlete or something like that. So I think Justin's character, and 'Ugly Betty' for that matter, will change the way people think of life. To be more thankful for what you have and that you fit in - if you fit in. None of the characters - Justin, Betty - none of them fit in. They're all outcasts."

Well, SOMEONE had to go and, sadly, one of the two contestants voted off "American Idol" last night was Chris Richardson. Frankly, I'll miss seeing him perform each week. Yeah, he is cute but also so endearing and his final performance tonight I think launched him well on his way to stardom. I see him singing and acting and doing whatever he wants to do. It was so sweet the way the group hugged in the end, they seem to be genuinely close - especially Chris and Blake Lewis who survived to make it into the final four along with Lakisha Jones, Melinda Doolittle and Jordin Sparks. Phil Stacey was also voted off last night, finishing the season in sixth place.
Chris and Blake stood side-by-side on stage and before Seacrest announced which one was going home, Chris noted that they are "best friends" and that "I'd go home for him." Both agreed that it wouldn't matter who was voted off because they would be going on tour together along with the rest of the top 10. I'm just a sucker for cute boys who aren't afraid to express their feelings for each other on live television.
Before singing his last song, Richardson told the audience: "It's worth it...thank you everybody for keeping me in this long." He looked happy and saitisfied with fifth place - and he should be.
As for Phil, I never much warmed to him but I do acknowledge that he put together a string of solid performances in the last three weeks to hang in and it looks like if he focuses on country music, he will do well since that is his strength. He won't be as big a country star as Carrie Underwood, but certainly he will do better than Bucky Covington! And his farewell performance was filled with warmth and emotion. He went out like a winner.
So next week, it's the final quartet. I think it will depend on performance and song choice and since Melinda has been the most consistent on both fronts, I look at her to be one of the fnal two. The other spot is up for grabs!

I'm trying to ignore Jim McGreevey these days because frankly, he kinda makes me sick. But my fellow Daily News blogger Brad Greenberg is leaving the paper this week for another gig and he has posted a piece about McGreevey joining the seminary on his site The God Blogand I urge you to check it out!
McGreevey has converted into the Episcopal Church and will enter its General Theological Seminary in Manhattan. "This is something he's been thinking about for years," David France, who last year co-authored McGreevey's best-selling memoir tells the Newark Star-Ledger: "His spiritual life has always been central to who he is. From the time he was a kid, he thought about going into Catholic seminary a number of times. The idea of going into the Episcopal seminary has been in his mind for at least a couple of years."
So have a lot of other things...like lying!

Transgender actress Alexis Arquette is pictured at the Tribeca Film Festival this week with a buncha shirtless guys...lucky bitch. The ocassion was the premiere of "She's My Brother" which chronicles Arquette's (sisters are Patricia and Roseanna, brother is David) male-to-female transformation. I'm hoping the movie screens at Outfest in LA because I'm looking forward to seeing it. Alexis was such a cute man but certainly makes an impression as a woman!

It's David Beckham! The future member of the Los Angeles Galaxy turned 32 today. Happy birthday Mr. Beckham. Please, don't get any more tatoos!

I'll be watching this with a grain of salt...make that a salt shaker.
An out of gayhab Isaiah Washington has filmed two GLAAD-sponsored public service announcements as a way of making amends for calling his co-star T.R. Knight a "f****t" on the set then repeating the word in front of the entire world at the Golden Globe Awards.
Washington's publicist, The actor's publicist, Howard Bragman, confirmed the ad on Wednesday. "We're gonna have — I want to say at least two versions of it at this point," he said. "We may broaden our message a little."
I know I'm not alone in believing that Washington is trying to salvage both his job at "Grey's Anatomy" and his public image and I have to wonder if he is a changed man.
Bragman, an out publicist who has handled many gay clients over the years, sheds a little on Washington during an interview with Outsports.com. When Bragman was discussing his client John Amaechi, the former NBA player who came out a few months ago, he was asked whether he would consider representing Tim "I hate gay people" Hardaway.
"I don't think I would. And I say that as the guy who reps Isaiah Washington. Because it's got to be about more than just the money for me. And before I signed Isaiah, we talked for a couple hours. We knew people in common, and I really feel like he screwed up, but I think it was a screw up instead of being a homophobe. I look at the situation where the guy has played gay roles in his career. And I think somebody who's truly homophobic wouldn't do that. But Tim Hardaway's a little different for me. I like to be someplace I'm proud of, in representation. With Isaiah, we have a chance to talk, to have a real dialogue. He's really beautifully positioned to have a real dialogue."
To read the full Outsports interview with Bragman, click HERE.

I'm not near as invested on "Dancing With the Stars" as "American Idol" but I did catch last night's results show as I descended into some kind of reality show stupor. So John Ratzenberger got eliminated! Hooray! Shoulda been gone a few weeks ago instead of Heather Mills who put so much effort into what she was doing and was an inspiration to watch. Billy Ray Cyrus was spared but just barely. Next week has GOT to be his last spin on the dance floor.

Now let's talk about my fave Kailia Ali and her dance partner Maksim Chmerkovskly who I want to take lessons from. These two did a smoldering Samba and scored a perfect 30! They are my pick to win and I have to say that I have a girl crush on Kaila. I love the way she conducts herself and gives it all she has. And Maksim? Help. Me. Please.

But if Kaila and Maksim falter, the adorable Apolo Anton Ohno could be right up there as he and partner Julianne Hough are so in sync...and speaking on NSYNC, well sorta, I'm also bullish on Joey Fatone who is my dream guy. Personality, looks, energy. Love him. He and partner Kym Johnson are never boring on that dance floor and, whatever happens on the show, I hope this leads to a higher profile in show business for Joey who has reminded us of his appeal.

And finally, Ian Ziering. He's been a little stiff but still solid and this is the week where he broke free and really impressed the judges. I think he will end up finishing fourth because Kaila, Apolo and Joey are just a bit better. If that happens, I will miss that snesational smile as wekk as those sleeveless shirts he favors that display those marvelous biceps.

Was looking through Rosie.com and came upon this paragraph that I found astounding: During her eight-month tenure on The View, a Nexis search shows O’Donnell was berated 186 times by Bill O’Reilly, 91 times by Sean Hannity on Fox News, 41 times by the now-wistful Carlson, and 71 times by MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough — who once called her a “fat, ugly, bully, pimp, loser, ignorant, terrible person, animal. Did I say fat?” If that’s not bad enough, a whopping 2,911 local, national network and cable news stories have quoted Donald Trump trash-talking O’Donnell, calling her “disgusting,” “crude,” “arrogant,” “pushy,” “self-destructive,” “a degenerate,” “a stone-cold loser” and so hideous that her wife must be grossed out “having to kiss that every night.”

Who ARE these people and why are they so threatened by a strong, opinionated woman?

Maybe it was due to the absence of Rebecca Romijn but when the cast of "Ugly Betty" participated in a panel at the Television Academy this week, the storyline involving Romijn's character of Alexis - a transgender male-to-female - was not discussed in depth. Alexis was the mystery woman to conspired with Wilhelmina (Vanessa Williams) to take over Mode Magazine. The twist is that Alexis is formerly Alex, the presumed to be dead son of magazine owner Bradford Meade (Alan Dale) and his wife Claire (Judith Light) and brother of the magazine's editor Daniel (Eric Mabius).
With the attention LA Times sportswriter Mike Penner's transition to Christine Daniels has gotten along with Barbara Walters' special last week about transgender children has had me thinking about the subject more than ever. I discussed this with Mabius and Light before the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences event began:

Says Mabius: "I think it's funny because Rebecca Romijn to a lot of guys is one of the most beautiful women alive and you see guys start to look at what they understand as beauty and what they understand as orientation roles and identity roles. It's forcing people to re-examine things. Like Middle America saying, 'Oh wow. That's a pretty heavy and odd storyline but if someone is meant to be something they are not because of a random genetic choice, we get to see how difficult that can be to get back to what they essentially believe to be their true identity. It's really important."
When I asked Light about her TV son, she quickly corrected me with "my dauighter." I asked that other than using the correct pronouns, what does she think people can learn from the storyline?
Said Light: "Acceptance. Love. Appreciation. Connecting to the choice that a person makes about who they know who they are.and supporting them in that choice."

Had a brief but nice chat with actor Michael Urie the other night as he and the cast of "Ugly Betty" descended upon the Television Academy in North Hollywood. I had just seen a DVD of the episode where his character, Marc, comes out to his mother - played by guest star Patti LuPone.
It does not go well with the mother saying she has no interest in knowing about her son's life before walking out the door and into the night. Marc is usually very anti-Betty and scheming with and against his evil boss Wilhelmina, played deliciously by Vanessa Williams. But he asks Betty to be his beard during a dinner with his mother. Uiltimately, Betty encourages Marc to be honest with her. Urie says response from viewers to that episode has been overwhelming: "I've been getting letters and MySpaces about how touching it was and how it made things easier for them."
And how was it working with the great Broadway star LuPone?
"I've known who she was as a stage actress and I saw her on "Life Goes On" and all that stuff so I was really excited to work with her and intimidated. She was everything you want your hero to be. She was amazing."
Of their scenes together, the most heartwrenching was at the end when the mother rejects him: "It was more important for Marc to get that answer than to get no answer," Urie says. "It's important that you say something because you've got to clear the air. She's gonna forgive him someday and he'll forgive her or however it's gonna go down. Or they won't. But it's better than lying and hiding and not knowing."
Then we have an exchange that threatened to leave me red-faced but Urie handled it with grace:
Greg: "You're out..."
Urie: Nods his head no.
Greg: "Are you out?"
Urie: Nods his head no.
Greg: "Do you not really discuss your personal life?"
Urie: "Not really, no. You read that magazine that was like...you know..."
Greg: "Really, I don't care. i just thought you might have something to say about it.
Urie: "I think it's important to be completely honest with the ones around you and yourself. Marc, by not being honest with his mother was not being honest with himself."

Well said.

TOMORROW: An interview with Mark Indelicato who plays Betty's fashioned-obsessed nephew, Justin...

I ask you, WHAT was President Bush doing on "American Idol" tonight? On a night when the six remaining finalists dug deep and did their best, it was an unwelcome sight to see the commander-in-chief who today was marking the fourth anniversary of mission un-accomplished. It is simply too late for the Bush's to appear on a show like this - something that so many Americans can enjoy on a non-partisan basis - and try and charm us and appear sincere about people and their plights. All I can say is: actions speak louder than words.
OK, on to the show...
What a GREAT show tonight! Was Jon Bon Jovi the best mentor all season or what? He was so inspiring, so enthusiastic and helpful that it made me resent Gwen Stefani all the more for how useless she was when she had the same opportunity.
I missed the first 15 minutes so I only saw recaps of Phil and Jordin (that HAIR!) so I can't comment on those performances although I've read the judges did not like Jordin's "Livin' On a Prayer" much and that Phil's "Blaze of Glory," while good, might not be enough to keep him around another week.
But of the remaining four, I was absolutely blown away by Lakisha, Blake and Melinda. I mean it: blown away. Goose bumps. Lakisha looked terrific and came on with good humor ("I want the camera to get my slim side"). She told Seacrest (who had some serious stubble going on) that she had no formal training but was "just a church girl singing in church."

Then she sings "This Aint A Love Song" and builds up to this unbelievable finish and it was just so fantastic. Randy said she "blew it out of the box" and Paula agreed but Simon was the big surprise saying to Lakisha, who he has been so hard on in the past: "I actually could kiss you after that. You were so good." So Seacrest walks Lakisha to the judges table and Simon gives her a kiss and says: "You rose to the challenge. You absolutely nailed it and I'm so glad that you're back. And nice lips!"

She is followed by Blake who does a very unique version of "You Give Love a Bad Name" doing all kinds of beatboxing Blake-isms and moves and it was just so exciting. I loved it! He owned the stage and showed such confidence and talent. Randy said he'd give him the award for the most original version of a song EVER on "American Idol." Paula: "Amazing." 'This is your night." (how much does Paula get paid to just agree with Randy? What a great gig!) then Simon tells Blake 'I think you are a very brave young man. You took a massive risk and this is what's going to keep you in the competition next week."
Before I get into Chris Richardson, gotta talk about Melinda and her rocking rendition of a newer Bon Jovi song "Have A Nice Day." I think whether she wins "Idol" or not, she should record it and release it as a single. It would be number one. After she sang it, really sold it, both Randy and Simon remarked that she was very Tina Turner-like and that's exactly what I was feeling. She was awesome! I think Melinda reaffirmed her front-runner status in a very impressive way. Simon said her vocals were "in a completely different league" than anyone else.
And Chris. He did "Wanted Dead or Alive" and it was good! I have no problems with it and I think any other time he'd be safe. But two contestants will be voted off tomorrow night and I think Chris is going to be one of them and while I missed his performance, I think Phil should go just based on what I hard from the others. He could not have possibly been better than Lakisha, Blake or Melinda.
We shall see...
Wouldn't it be cool if we just voted off one contestant tomorrow night and vote out President Bush. Oh yeah, we already had that chance.

This is just a stunning interview that has been posted on AfterElton.com about the January death of Doug Blasdell (standing far right in photo), a trainer on Bravo's "Work Out" reality series. On tonight's episode, Bladsell's death is finally addressed (he died before the season premiere but several episodes had already been taped).
AfterElton has an interview with Blasdell's best friend and co-worker Brian Peeler (pictured, below) who wanted to clear up the rumors and speculation and tell the truth about what led to Blasdell's tragic death at the age of 44.
Here is an excerpt:
" I knew Doug was sick shortly after we finished season one. He had lymphoma cancer and he was doing chemo. They caught it in the early stages. It was the same thing that his mother and his father had died from. I think they caught [his] in stage one or stage two.
So he was doing chemo to combat it. And after his birthday, he was supposed to go home with us for Christmas, and he pushed his chemo back because he wanted to do his birthday. He pushed his chemo to the 18th because we were leaving on the 20th, and he was going to be to sick from the chemo to fly and go with us. So he stayed home. And he got salmonella poisoning. And the salmonella poisoning, he treated and thought it was the flu. For three days, he treated it like it was the flu. He dehydrated himself so bad that it shut his kidneys down.
On the 25th he called me and said he wasn’t feeling good and he was going to stay with his friend. And the next thing I know, on the 27th I get a call that he’s in the hospital. His kidneys failed. They put him on a respirator. He’s really bad. And he’s on dialysis every day. It came as a shock to me. The guy said there’s nothing I can do. Just finish my vacation. So when I got home, Doug got off the respirator on January 8th. I made a phone call to him as you will see on the episode. You’ll get to hear the phone call I made to him. And he said he’s feeling better and he’ll be out in two or three days.
Everything is coming around, and he’s got a whole new outlook on life. And then the next thing I know, it’s getting worse. He falls back and gets a staph infection from the dialysis in his neck which ultimately kills his liver and his pancreas. His kidneys are already failing. And his gall bladder is so full of junk. His body was too weak to fight anymore. From the chemo, everything. He didn’t have any fight left, and his body couldn’t recover. So that’s what happened as far as that. His heart stopped. They resuscitated him on Saturday. They said if it happened again, they weren’t going to do it again. So on Sunday, his close friends were around him. I couldn’t be there because it happened too rapidly, [but] they were all around him and his heart slowly went down in beats until it stopped.

To read the entire interview, go to AfterElton.com.

The MTV Awards are obviously not to be taken seriously but they sure are fun! The nominations have just come out and I am pleased to see that "Little Miss Sunshine" which has Steve Carell portraying a gay man, is up for best movie. It competes with the hunk-filled "300," "Blades of Glory," "Borat," and "Pirates of the Caribbean 2." I love that in the best kiss category, the lip-lock between Will Ferrell & Sacha Baron Cohen nominated for "Talladega Nights." If they win, they follow last year's victory by Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger for "Brokeback Mountain."

And check out the best performance nominees (no gender categories here): Both Jennifer Hudson AND Beyonce Knowles for "Dreamgirls," the dreamy Gerard Butler in "300," Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley in "Pirates 2," and Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness."
Will Smith's son and "Happyness" co-star, Jaden Smith, was nominated in the breakthrough performance category but will have a hard time veating out the delicious Emily Blunt in "The Devil Wears Prada" (pictured above in all her wicked glory) and "Abigail Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine," among others including Justin Timberlake in "Alpha Dog."
.Meanwhile, the fabulous Meryl Streep got a nod in the best villain category for "Prada" and should be a shoo-in! Also on the gay-ish front, "Hairspray" is among the films nominated in the "best summer movie that you haven't seen yet" category.

Had a terrific time last night at the Television Academy in North Hollywood where the cast and brains behind "Ugly Betty" all gathered for a lively panel discussion about this wonderful show. It was moderated by Tom Bergeron who came straight from hosting "Dancing With the Stars" and who showed that he is a true fan of the show with his insightful questions and comments.
We found out all kinds of things: the cast is pushing for an all-musical episode (a la "Buffy" and "Scrubs") and creator Marco Pennette said it might happen in season two; the recent episode where Mark (Michael Urie) comes out to his mother (guest star Patti LuPone) was actually Urie and Ferrera's idea; Judith Light and Christopher Gorham were initially guest stars for one or two episodes but connected so well that they are now regular cast members; and that Tony Plana, Betty's illgal immigrant father who is facing deporation, is an immigrant who came to the U.S. at the age of 8. He said one fan of the show actually "offered me his social security number!"
Prior to the panel, I had terrific chats with cast members Eric Mabius, Michael Urie, Christopher Gorham Judith Light, Mark Endelicato that I will share with you - some later today and others in the coming days. But here are some of the highlights from the evening's discussion. Bergeron started things off by asking series star America Ferrera if she was put off by the title "Ugly Betty" or if she was OK as long as it wasn't called "Butt Ugly Betty."
The audience roared.

The Divine Miss M just gave me another reason to visit Las Vegas. Liz Smith reports in her column today that Miss Midler is currently rehearsing for a big extravaganza that will replace Celine Dion at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Celine is fine and all but Bette? She is a total original and the three times I've seen her in concert have all been fun and different. She tells Smith that her characters Delores Delago, the Mermaids and Sophie will be included along with a lot of new stuff. She will open in Vegas in February.
She really is a rose, the wind beneath our wings...

...but I can't stop laughing at this! It's Kathy Griffin, the most famous D-lister on the planet, doing a face plant as she exits a car in a London parking lot yesterday. I feel like I'm in second grade. Tee-hee.

Photos courtesy of TMZ.com

He certainly looks like he belongs on "Dante's Cove" and now we'll get to find out of Reichen Lehmkuhl can ACT like it. The handsome reality show celeb, most recently best known as Lance Bass' ex-boyfriend, will play Trevor, a business school graduate who comes to Dante's Cove looking to find himself.
Trevor becomes quickly intertwined with the beautiful men and enigmatic forces crawling all over the island. His close association with the immortal witch Grace (Tracy Scoggins) draws Trevor into a magical world and a dark battle he never could have imagined.
“We couldn't be more thrilled to have a talent like Reichen on board,” said Meredith Kadlec, Vice President of Original Programming for here!. “He is the perfect triple threat for Dante's Cove – he has a loyal fan base, he is proudly out, and he is simply gorgeous.”
I'm so glad the show has hired another openly gay performer. While the returning cast is gorgeous and I respect the way they don't shy away from same-sex love scenes, only the terrific Charlie David is openly gay while Gabriel Ramirez, a second season addition, is bisexual.
By the way, if you want to know if Reichen has screen presence, I suggest you check out the deleted scenes of "The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green" where he has a brief but sexy encounter with the film's title character, played by the talented and adorable Daniel Letterle. He certainly looks to be a good kisser!