July 2007 Archives

Presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton isn't just participating in an LGBT issues debate next Thursday, she is using the occasion to launch a national effort encouraging LGBT supporters to organize forum viewing parties nationwide on August 9. , The presidential forum is being sponsored by gay cable channel Logo and the Human Rights Campaign.
States Clinton's campaign Web site: "We are encouraging Hillary's LGBT supporters from across the country, and their families and friends to host an 'LGBT Americans for Hillary Forum Watch Party'. This is a great way for you to get involved and to help us grow our LGBT Americans for Hillary network."
The largest of the watch parties is expected to be The Abbey in West Hollywood which will provide a live telecast of the forum. Afterward, Clinton is scheduled to stop by the Abbey to address the crowd.
She said in a press release Tuesday:“I look forward to sharing my views on issues important to LGBT Americans at the Logo/HRC presidential forum. I hope people take this opportunity to gather at forum watch parties and learn how we can work together to move our nation closer to the promise of fairness and equality that all Americans deserve.”

Ya gotta wonder if Star Jones had been this forthcoming about her obvious gastric bypass surgery while she was still on "The View," she might still have a job on the daytime talkfest. Her decision to be evasive over how she lost 160 pounds made her seem inauthentic as she was sharing every detail of her wedding.
Anyway, bygones. We had Rosie for awhile, we are likely getting Whoopi and Sherri and, ugh, we still have Elisabeth "George Bush is God" Hasslebeck. Star is having a new start with a new show on Court TV and as part of that, she has written a candid essay for Glamour magazine sharing why she wasn't upfront about the elephant in the room:
"I admit that when asked about my obvious weight loss over the past four years, I was intentionally evasive. Lying was never an option for me, so I called it a 'medical intervention,' which was true, but it was really a pathetic attempt to tell only the truth I could handle at the time."
"I was afraid to be vulnerable, and ashamed at not being able to get myself under control without this procedure," she writes in the magazine.
Well, the truth has set her free!

I ask you, what IS it between these "Ocean's 13" dudes and all the jokes about being gay. It's silly. Last week, Damon made a fun jab at Clooney indicating that the Oscar winner never mentioned he was gay while he was performing oral sex on him. Hahaha. Funny, funny.
So Clooney, hyping up "Ocean’s 13" Tuesday in Tokyo, was quite the jokester. He told reporters that the fun part of the movie was “watching Matt Damon trying to woo a woman,” while the most enjoyable part was “the love scene between Brad and I from Brokeback Mountain … that was cut out, though.”
He was also asked what it was like to play the leader in the "Ocean's" films with their all-star casts:“In terms of being the leader of Brad and Matt, I have some very compromising photos of them that I use as leverage to make myself the leader. [But I can’t show the pictures.] There was a farm animal involved."
What a card. He sure is handsome though...movie star handsome...

Between live feeds, blogs and readers emailing me, it's not too tough to keep up with what is going on in the "Big Brother" house. Nick, the last remaining musclehead (Mike was voted off last week ):) is being back doored! He shoulda kept flirting with everyone and not focused so much on Daniele. She can't save him now.
Meanwhile, annoying Jen has been taken off the chopping block and Nick put on. He knows he's a goner so he shaved his head into this not-very-attractive mohawk. I figure Kail, a much bigger threat, is safe for another week since she didn't go and shave her head...
Fortunately, Nick's hot body remains intact....

Hadn't been to The Abbey in what seems like at least a month, maybe more, but hit it tonight with my friend Michael who is here from the East Coast for awhile. It was a pretty low-key Monday night at this WeHo hotspot. But that won't be the case next Thursday when Sen. Hillary Clinton shows up after a televised debate on LGBT issues earlier that evening. It should be quite a night with John Edwards and Barack Obama set to join Clinton and other candidates in the debate that will be televised live on MTV's LOGO channel.
More news on this as it becomes available...I'm hoping to be at the debate or The Abbey, or both!

I wish I could say this is my scoop but I'm trying to have a rare vacation day today (posts will return to regular levels tomorrow) but these belong to Chicago Tribune television critic Maureen Ryan who paid a visit to the set of "Ugly Betty" and came back with all kinds of goodies. I offer you a sampling...

STOP READING HERE if you want to be kept in suspense!
Betty has a possible new love interest even though Henry (adorable Christopher Gorham) comes back to work at Mode...Santos, shot in a convenience store robbery, does not die...Wihelmina's assistant Marc (Michael Urie) gets a romance this season and the great Patti LuPone will return as Marc's formidable mother. She might finally be coming around to accepting that her son is gay. Well, she BETTER, she's Patti LuPone for god's sake...the gays made her!
Urie will also have scenes with Betty's nephew Justin (Mark Indelicato) who becomes an intern at Mode and is one of several managed by Marc.
For those of you who really loved the Season 1 scenes between Marc and Betty's nephew Justin (Mark Indelicato), there's more good stuff to come: Early in Season 2, Justin is one of several Mode interns Marc has to manage.
"I spent the whole morning screaming and yelling at them," Urie tells Ryan of a recent day of filming. "They didn't get the right kind of bendy straws for a Shakira photo shoot. It was such funny stuff."

I. Can't. Wait.

The Adam Sandler-Kevin James comedy "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" came out while I was knee-deep in Outfest coverage so I just got around to seeing it on Sunday afternoon. And I gotta say, there was nothing in the movie that bothered me as much as the fact the premiere for the "Bratz" movie was going on at the same time at The Grove. One of the mom's snapping a picture of her precious one swung around and her backpack collided with me. She looks at me and says impatiently: "EXCUSE me." I just kept walking, muttering "bitch" under my breath. I don't know who the actresses are who play the Bratz but they were all there along with an odd smattering of celebs ranging from Oscar winner Jon Voight to "American Idol" also-ran Ace Young.
Oh yeah, the movie. It's about a pair of firefighters, best friends, pretending to be gay in order to secure benefits for the widowed firefighter's (Kevin James) kids in case he is killed. But they undergo scrutiny by the state's pensiion board so get married in Canada and even sleep in the same bed in order to pull off the ruse.
I know there are some people who thought the movie to be homophobic which it is, at first. But it really does come around and in the end, makes a good statement against homophobia. Does that make it a good movie? No. But I always like Adam Sandler and I can't think of a movie where I found him more adorable. He'd make a terrific gay man. What I liked best was how Sandler's character handles the effeminate son of James's character. The boy wants to sing and dance - just like Justin on "Ugly Betty" and he ends up being his biggest champion - encouraging him to be who he is.
If every child who is "different" was embraced this way rather than shunned or made fun of - even by their own families - this world would be a much happier place.
Other good things: Jessica Biel, Richard Chamberlain and Lance Bass (in a cameo) are also in the cast.

Kyle McLachlan sure makes a handsome groom. And last season on "Desperate Housewives," he married Marcia Cross' Bree Van De Kamp and is now the picture of wedded bliss. Well, as blissful as you can be when your wife is pretending to be pregnant while her daughter is actually the pregnant one in order to save face with the neighborhood.
Even though McLachlan's Gordon Hodge almost killed Mike Delfino (James Denton) in the second season finale, when he ran him over in his car, he seems somewhat reformed and even a better hubby to Bree than he was as Trey to poor, sex-starved Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) on 'Sex and the City."
Gordon was originally only slated to be on for one season but when McLachlan was agreeable to remaining with the show, his character became less psycho and more dutiful.
Said Kyle last week at the ABC Press Tour part:y "Was that me driving? Mike and Orson made nice, kinda. But it's still there. It's one of those storylines where I don't know what's going to happen but I would love for them to revisit that, it would be kind of cool."
"I like him being sort of a sinister guy, I like him being more of the nice guy. The writers never fail to bring great dramatic moments that Marcia [Cross] and I can deal with."
Still, Orson was not so nice when it came to dealing with his evil, scheming mother Gloria played wonderfully for seven episodes by Emmy nominee Dixie Carter, best known to gay fans as the sharp-tongued Julia Sugarbaker on "Designing Women."
"Wow. It was a fantastic thing," he said of working with Carter. "She was so good. We had a lot of physical stuff that we had to do together and she is in incredible shape and was totally up for any of that throwing around. She threw herself against the wall, threw herself into the tub, hats off to her. She should win that damned Emmy."
McLachlan himself has twice been nominated for the Emmy for his leading role on the cult fave "Twin Peaks." He never won but did take home the Golden Globe Award. Despite a very lengthy body of work, the actor admits he still gets recognized quite a bit for his years on "Sex and the City" and he is excited about the planned feature film even though his character is not likely to be a part of it.
"It would be great to see it on the big screen and people are really excited about it too." he said. "I think they miss the women. It's been wonderful that it's been airing as it has on TBS but I think people are ready for another installment. It's airing all the time. It's turning into the 'I Love Lucy' of our day. Somewhere in the world, we're always on the air and it's very watchable."

Here's some big news: While trying to get Marc Cherry to reveal what he will be doing with gay teen character Andrew Van De Kamp on the upcoming season of "Desperate Housewives," he shared this bombshell: a male gay couple in moving onto Wisteria Lane!
"We're going to have the first male desperate housewives," Cherry said to me and a few other reporters at the ABC Press Tour party. "They will move into the old Applewhite house and one of the gay men will just have a fractious, hateful relationship with Teri Hatcher. We just started writing the episodes so I probably won't start casting for another few weeks."
One of the gay men will lock horns with next-door neighbor Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher) and could be her new nemesis fior awhile now that Edie (Nicolletee Sheridan) is all gaga over Carlos. [I'm assuming Edie didn't REALLY hang herself in the season finale, of course].
"I just decided to have them move onto the street and have as many issues as any other couple. And Susan wants to be so politically correct and show how open-minded she is and she puts her foot in her mouth instantly and it goes downhill from there. I'm basing it a little bit on my relationship with my neighbors."
When I asked Hatcher was asked about Susan clashing with one of the gay men she assured that it is: "not over being gay!"
The new gay pair means Andrew (Shawn Pyfrom) won't be getting a new boyfriend anytime soon although Cherry says he will be involved in one of the early plotlines involving Lynette (Felicity Huffman) and her bout with cancer.
Pyfrom, who turns 21 next month, has been on the show since the start going from rebellious teen to gay sociopath to glorified extra.
"That's the crazy thing about this. You kind of go into blindly not knowing what you are going to be doing," he told me. "I always like to do more, whether that involve me having to kiss another guy or whatever it doesn't matter. I love being able to become something in a character."
There has been speculation over whether Andrew might dabble with bisexuality. Cherry isn't sayng and Pyfrom says he hasn't been told one way or another. But the straight actor wouldn't mind very much.
"It would be nice if I could get a nice, hot 19 year old girl on there that I could full around with but you know what? I know they'll choose something great whether he goes bi or not, they'll make it interesting. Whatever they throw at me, I'm willing to take."

Just weeks ago, "Big Brother 8" was a fun diversion with all kinds of gay drama and eye candy to spare. How did it all go so wrong, so fast? We had ex-lovers Dustin and Joe to deal with, hunky Nick flirting with them both and throwing out all kinds of hints that he swing both ways. Then there was hunky Mike who was just nice to look at, especially when he lifted weights with Nick.
Ah, the good old days.
On Sunday, I tuned in to see Dustin as head of household and fully enjoying his power - even dressed as a king for the food competition. I like that Dustin, as a gay man, is in charge and trying to be strategic. What I don't like are his v-neck t-shirts. He's gotta lose those.

Dustin has targeted Kail who I was SURE would go home last week instead of poor, cute Mike [pictured above, leaving the house on Thursday] who, I'm sure, would not hurt a fly or ever tell a lie. He was just a there to be eye candy, not cause trouble! Kail, she's trouble. I actually felt a little sorry for Jen who was also nominated and who cried about it (at least she wasn't crying over her horrible picture again.).
So all that is well and good but what's really apparent is that this is not an interesting group of people. Nick has reverted to total hetero (gee, what a surprise) and grown a little mustache that does not please me. I don't like him anymore. I'll still post shirtless pics of him, sure, but I don't like him.

Then there is the crybaby that is Amber: she sobs when Dustin wins HOH then gets into a really idiotic discussion with Evil Dick over her love for her dog vs. her love for her child. The tearful one actually said they are equal (If I was the kid, I'd be the one crying now). "I love my dog as much as I love my daughter," Amber told an incredulous Dick. "Love is love...I love them both...they're like both my kids."
I love Dick's response: "Are you a mental case? What is wrong with you?"
Dick's got plenty wrong with him tough. He is trying to mend fences with daughter Daniele and you can see she has clearly been wounded by him in her life. So here he is, trying to get close again...cameras on the whole time. Kinda gross. Then later, he is asking Jen point-blank if she has had a boob job. She dodges the query but it's clear she's had one.
Dick could also benefit from some plastic surgery: on his FACE!
Anyway, unless she wins power of veto, looks like Kail is a goner on Thursday...But who knows? This crowd is so dense they'll probably send home one of the few rays of light in the house: the funny, cute and mischevious Eric who has really grown on me.

ABC Family's theme is now "a new kind of family" and what's cool about the cable channel is that "family" also includes a gay character or two on some of its shows. On the new college-set drama "Greek," Paul James plays gay fraternity pledge, Calvin.
I chatted with the 22-year-old James a few days ago at the ABC Press Tour event about his latest role and he was quite thoughtful and articulate about that and other topics:
Q. Is your character going to be different from any gay characters that we've seen on television before?
James. That's the idea. It's going to be different just in the fact that [openly-gay creator and co-executive producer Sean Smith] doesn't want it to be, 'Oh, I'm gay, I have a headache, it's so hard to be me.' It's supposed to be something that is just an aspect of his character but then when you're navigating fraternities and sororities, it's gonna come up, it's gonna be an important part of the character. But we're trying to stay away from stereotypes."
Q. So is he going to have a boyfriend?
James. He does. He does for the first season, the guy who you see me with in the first two episodes ends up being sort of my boyfriend. He's a pledge in another house. So it's two people trying to find a relationship and he is much less comfortable with himself than my character is. So it's two very different people.
Q. This is ABC Family, so are there any kissing scenes or anything?
James. There hasn't been. I don't know what they're gonna do. I wouldn't have a problem with it.
Q. Any hesitation on taking a gay role?
James. The reason I don't have any hesitation taking gay roles is because as a black actor, a young actor, it's really hard to find good parts. There are just not good things written so when you see a role that's written really well, you want to do it. And a lot of times, the well-written roles for black actors are gay roles. They have some depth, something beyond I'm a thug on the street. I have no qualms about it at all as long as the material is good which it is."
Q. How did you research for the role? Did you talk to any gay friends?
James. I went school for theatre, I've had a lot of gay friends and I worked at a restaurant where I had a lot of gay friends so I talked to them about it and they were excited and there would be things I would ask them about. And I ask Sean.
Q. Can fans are very loyal. Is there anything you want to say to them?
James. Keep watching and hopefully, I represent you guys well. The most important thing that Sean wanted to do with this, and it's real important to me too, is to show little kids who are gay that you don't have to be afraid of who you are. You can be happy. That's why the character isn't going to be angsty about it."

Eva Longoria's Paris wedding to NBA star Tony Parker a few weeks ago left quite an impression on her "Desperate Housewives" boss Mark Cherry. The lavish ceremony took place at the Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois Church -- once frequented by French royalty -- across from the Louvre Museum.
The ceremony was followed by an exclusive bash at a storied French chateau with Cherry as well as "Housewives" co-stars Teri Hatcher, Nicolette Sheridan and Felicity Huffman among those in attendance.
"It was the kiind of thing where you were kind of like, 'I didn't know I knew people this rich,'" Cherry joked at a party Thursday night for ABC stars. "The chateau where the reception was was kind of like a mini [Chateau de] Versailles and the cathedral, it was the nicest wedding I've ever been to in terms of where the wedding took place."
"There were all kinds of fans outside, paparazzi and you really felt like you were part of an event. I was just going to the wedding of a friend and suddenly realized, 'This will be the only time I ever go to a wedding like this in my life and it was really a lot of fun. The thing that made it really special for me was that after all the glamour and the glitz and stuff, when it came to the wedding toast, they were just like any other couple in love, they were both adorable."

My tape recorder is filled with interviews I didn't even remember I had! That all-star party Thursday night was about the most star-studded thing I've been to in months and you have such terrific access to everyone. And the number of celebs was so high that there was no way to get to everyone. So, I looked at Eric Mabius from afar, as well as Dylan McDermoitt , Judith Light, Taye Diggs, Amy Brenneman, Kate Walsh, Rebecca Romijn, Jerry O'Connell and Christina Applegate. I didn't even realize until looking at photos online yesterday that Lucy Lui was there or Angie Harmon, Jill Clayburgh, Swoosie Kurtz and many other faves.

But I did chat up Michael Vartan, James Denton, Kyle McLaughlin, Saran Jane Morris, Teri Hatcher, Andy Baldwin, Shawn Pyfrom, Marc Cherry, Jon Robin Baitz and Matthew Rhys, I've shared some of the interviews already but here are some odds and ends and pictures to bring the story to an end...
Had never met Kyle McLaughlin before but I have admired his hair ever since "Twin Peaks." We talked a little "Sex In the City," and a lot of "Desperate Housewives" and, I hate to be a tease, but it was such a good interview that I am going to save it for its own post on Monday
Meanwhile, some of my conversation with Matthew Rhys was in an earlier post but we also talked about Outfest, where he appeared twice within three days in support of "Brothers & Sisters" and his new film "Love and Other Disasters." Did he know he had so many fans?
"I got an idea, yeah, absolutely. The positive response we had and the feedback.was so uplifting and it's so encouraging. It was so fantastic to have all these people say, 'You're doing a good thing."
Rhys is glad to be back in his role of Kevin Walker after spending part of his summer filming "The Edge of Love," a movie that originally had him cast opposite Lindsay Lohan. But the troubled actress dropped out before filming began. "The poor girl is really in an extremely difficult phase in her life and you just hope that there's a quick resolve to it all."
Also spoke with the lovely Sarah Jane Morris, who plays Rhys' sister-in-law on the show and was given very little to do for much of the season on "Brothers & Sisters." Then she wowed everyone by turning in an Emmy-worthy performance at the end of the season after giving birth to twins and one of them dies. I wondered if this meant she would have more to do next season.
"Now I've been more integrated into the show and they're hoping to continue with the storyline of us losing our baby and I think it's going to put a lot of strain on our marriage and Julia is going to have a lot of exploring to do as well as Tommy so we'll see. From what I can tell in the first few episodes, I'm not dealing very well. Everyone's moved on and I'm mourning."
I wasn't a big fan of "Alias" but I did think Michael Vartan was pretty dreamy as Jane Fonda's son in "Monster-In-Law." He is one of the four leads in the male buddy comedy "Big Shots," and told me he wasn't looking to jump into another series so soon after "Alias" until he saw the script. "It's light and it's fun as opposed to 'Alias' where we were shooting 16 hours a day and running down hallways in San Pedro at 5 a.m. I think this will be a little easier."

It really will take two women to replace the irreplaceable Rosie O'Donnell on "The View" and even then, it probably won't be enough. But it could be good enough because those two women, according to several credible reports, are Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd. I've seen them both sub several times and Shepherd is a HOOT! She brings a lot of life and light to the show. I was initially anti-Whoopi for the roile of moderator even though I like her as an actress and a talk show guest. But I like her politics and she has a way of taking the wind out of that knuckle-headed Elisabeth "George Bush is God" Hasslebeck in a way that Rosie could not and Joy Behar could not. Whoopi is cool, people respect her, she's lived, she's won an Oscar, she's a grandmother...she is a real woman who was once a welfare mom. She's always found a way to re-invent herself whether it's on a sitcom, on "Star Trek," hosting the Oscars or making movies like "The Color Purple," "Ghosts of Mississippi," "Boys on the Side," "Sister Act" and, of course, "Ghost." This is her latest chapter and it feels right. And, good God, to have TWO women of color? Hooray! Good move and not because it's politically correct - it's just smart because of what these two women bring to the table. We will see if they can make this a water-cooler show again and help ratings soar - something Roisie was able to do so magnificantly.
The trade papers reported late Thursday that ABC is in final negotiations with Goldberg. Brian Frons, the daytime president of ABC, told Variety that there was no closed deal but that he thought Goldberg was terrific during her guest hosting stint on The View. Variety also reported that ABC is in talks with Shepherd to join the show. She is best known for her role in the sitcom "Less Than Perfect" and in the recent short-lived ABC show "Wedding Bellles." She was also the guest host in June when O'Donnell and Hasselbeck had an on-air argument so severe that O'Donnell ended up leaving the show three weeks ahead of scheduled.
With Hasslebeck about to give birth to a little Republican and Barbara Walters closer to 80 than she is to 70, "The View" is badly in need of some fresh faces.

This makes me smile. Lance Bass has written an open letter on his blog marking the one-year anniversary of his coming out publicly. There was the big People magazine cover and the high-profile romance with Reichen and now there's the hot Brazillian boyfriend and a role, on Broadway, in "Hairspray."
Here is what Lance writes:

Happy Anniversary...TO ME!!!!!!!
So it was a year ago that I decided to let the world know who I really am... and I swear it has been the most amazing experience. Scary at times , but in the end the best thing I have ever done. I want to thank everyone that has been so supportive and showing that this world has and will continue to change in the right direction. With the election coming up, it is even more important that we stand up for what we believe in and be heard. Enviroment, war, civil rights, education.... the list goes on and on. I encourage everyone to learn more this year about ALL the issues that need attention. Some of you will actively be heard and support some issues, and others will just be educated--- in the end all that matters is we all are going to have a hand in changing this world for the better!
Also as an Anniversary gift for me ...think about doing this....
If you are having trouble being yourself , and are scared to tell someone you are gay--- find that loyal friend, family member, or even hotline and tell someone. All it takes is to tell one person and the ball starts rolling. You will get great advice and and be so much happier. Or, if you have always wanted to ask that family member or friend if they were gay.. do it now.... in a very positive and private way , tell them it is ok and you will always be there no matter what. Sometimes its easier for someone to just flat out ask you. To bulid the courage to say it sometimes takes years.
It's 2007 people , there is no reason we should not be exactly who we want to be- sexual preference, profession, religion, etc. Just respect the fact that everyone is different and live your own lives the way you want! It's good to be alive and we can do and achieve anything we want!
So go do something positive, nice, fun, or just laugh... it doesnt affect just you .. it catches on!
Have a good one!! LB

When I saw Jon Robin Baitz at the ABC party last night, he gave me a warm greeting. Then I laid into him a bit: "Why did I have to read somewhere else that Scotty was gonna be back for seven episodes?" I had seen the "Brothers & Sisters" creator over the weekend at the Outfest event and asked him for some plot developments. He gave me some crumbs then I read on AfterElton.com a few days later about Scotty's return.
Baitz seemed moritfied and was apologetic: "I would have tol,d you that!" He told me the cast is shooting the first episode and that things are going "fantastic" and it was clear that viewers wanted Scotty (Luke MacFarlane) back on the show: "People really responded to his sweetness and his integrity, his intelligence and his comedy and his relationship with Kevin."
At this point, Kevin himself (Matthew Rhys) joins us. To see him three times in a week is quite a treat! We have a quick word:
Greg: I didn't know about Scotty coming back until I read it elsewhere. How do you feel about Scotty coming back?
Matthew: I'm very happy for many. many different reasons. Luke MacFarlane as an actor is fantastic and we got on well. The two characters, because of their differences, there was a lot of chemistry between them and sort of that enjoyable conflict that came from two sort of different people meeting."
Greg: Is this going to lead to Kevin going to places that are exciting for you as an actor?
Matthew: I hope so. Scotty always pushed boundaries a little bit and I think for Kevin that's a good thing.

I was ready to cancel my subscription...if I'd had one. But now Star magazine is apologizing for labeling the above mock kiss between Adam Sandler and Kevin James as "not normal" in its weekly "Normal/Not Normal" feature. Here what Editor-in-Chief Candace Trunzo had to say in an apology passed on by GLAAD:
"'Normal/Not Normal' is supposed to be funny, and I regret that this particular photo caption was offensive and not written in a way to make it clear that we were being humorous. The joke was that Kevin James and Adam Sandler are not gay. If the kiss was between Lance Bass and his boyfriend or any other gay celebrities it would be 'Normal.' Let me point out that in the same issue of STAR, we devote the entire Couples News lead to Neil Patrick Harris and his boyfriend moving in together. Now that's normal. I sincerely apologize that our attempt at humor was perceived by some to be offensive to the gay community. That was certainly not our intent. We are proud that we support the gay community and will continue to do so."

I did not expect to see Andy Baldwin of last season's "Bachelor" at last nights ABC Press tour party since he wasn't on the list we were given before the event. He was just the furthest thing from my mind as I waited to chat with Amy Brenneman. But some handsome guy in blue jeans and a blue shirt walked by and went up to the bar and he looked JUST like Andy. It WAS Andy!
We had a chat:
Greg: Where's Tessa?
Andy: She's in San Fran. Today was her last day at work and she's moving out to Hawaii. I'm just back at work, doing my thing, went down in a submarine the other day, doing a triathlon down at the Navy base on Saturday, back to a normal life."
Well, not exactly normal. He keeps seeing his picture - many in a speedo - all over the Internet and in magazines - including thoise posted in Out In Hollywood! He said, laughing: "All I have to say is some people are all show and no grow."
Greg: You revived the "Bachelor" franchise because you were somebody we could really root for, you were different from a lot of the other bachelors.
Andy: That's a compliment and I'm honored. I'm just being myself. I had a lot on the line. I'm a Naval officer, a doctor, and a big family man and I wanted to show integrity, I wanted it to really have a chance to work and it did."
Greg: How does it feel to be a sex symbol?
Andy: There's a lot more to me than being a sex symbol but that's what seems to be appealing. I guess I have good genes, I'm an athlete. So, I feel blessed.
Greg: My blog has mostly gay readers and they love you. Are you OK with that?
Andy: "I'm definitely straight, heterosexual and I have a lot of friends who may not be.
Greg: Would you ever do a reality show again?
Andy: It depends. Tessa and I, we think we could take on Rob and Amber in "The Amazing Race."

On the most recent season of "Dancing With the Stars," Maksim Chmerkovskiy teamed with Laila Ali and danced to a third place finish. I think, by far, he is the sexiest of all the professional dancers and have a lot friends who agree. When I saw him at the ABC party last night, I had to asked if he was aware that he drives the gay boys wild.
"I don't want to sound shallow but, obviously, everybody likes attention and I appreciate it," he said thougtfully. "I want everybody to understand that I appreciate it. I'm not kind of looking for it and I'm not asking for it but the fact that it's there makes me very happy. I hope that people like my character as well as the looks. I'm very comfortable with being admired by men and women. I come from a dance world and a lot of dancers are homosexual and there's nothing wrong with that. I think some of the most talented people on the planet are gay men so it''s not a problem. I just want to create a positive character for myself."
He's hoping to be among the dancers included in the new season of "Dancing With the Stars" but a decision is not yet final. Meanwhile, Maksim is working on choreographing ballroom dancing into a Vegas show, has two dancing schools in New Jersey as well as a production company.
"We have a lot going on. I want to do everything I can, including acting. There are two scripts on my table at the moment and I'm just being very careful in choosing the right first step. It's the first impression that counts and I want to make the right impression."
I'd say he's already made a very good impression!

I don't mean to become unglued over a reality show, but, pardon me: "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!" Studly Mike was voted off tonight by a scoire of 7-2 with Kail living to stay another week. How this happened, I just don't know sin ce I've been working all day. But I am shocked. Kail would seem to be more of a threat while Mike just seemed kinda passive...and studly. I'm completely off Nick now and quickly losing interest in this entire show. Dustin won head of household so let's see what he does. It must be nice to have his ex, Joe, out of his hair.
Poor Mike. It's just not right....

We all know that Mario Cantone isn't going to be the new co-host on "The View" but he sure has made that now mostly dull show a lot more fun whenever he appears. But Cantone has another gig: he will be a recurring character on ABC's "Men In Trees" and be involved in a romance with the character played by Orlando Jones
The show's creator and executive producer Jenny Bicks told me at the ABC Press Tour Thutrsday that Cantone's character, Terry the hairdresser, will be involved with Jones' character. Neither Cantone or Jones were present but cast member Ty Olsson mentioned the storyline when answering a question. I pounced on him after the panel for elaboratiion (this dude is gooooood lookin!) and he panicked, wondering if he wasn't supposed to say anything. I let him off the hook and directed my questions to Bicks who was only too happy tl talk about it.
"It's important to me because it's a show about a town full of men and you're not just going to have straight men. That's one of the interesting things about when when I went up to Alaska. I realized this is a place where you can be whoever you want to be so it attracts a lot of gay men and anybody who feels like they want to live in a world where it's OK to be who you are. So I wanted to represent that."
She says she wants to get Cantone to appear in "as many episodes as I can get him for."
"I love Mario," she said. "He's been fantastic so we're going to keep playing with his storyline. Not just in terms of dating but in terms of who is this guy and what did he do to end up in Alaska."

Shondra Rhimes had already finished the panel portion of the ABC Press Tour for her "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off "Private Practice" when a small group of us surrounded her in the lobby of the Beverly Hilton Hotel for an impromptu question-and-answer session.
I must say, I have not been pleased with any of Rhimes actions in connection to the entire Isaiah Washington mess and she shed some light for us on why she behaved as she did and what she really thinks about it all. She seemed far more willing to discuss the matter than ever before.
When asked if she agreed with the decision to can Washington, Rhimes said: "Of course I did..."There was a moment when I was sure and felt good and comfortable about the decision, that it was the right decision to be made for everybody."
She said things between her and T.R. Knight and the rest of the cast are good.
"I feel like everybody is working really well together, T.R. is doing some amazing work which is wonderful, He's doing wonderfully and we're moving forward. We're excited about the stories that we're telling this upcoming season and they feel fresh and new and we're going with the idea that we want to have more fun this season."

I'm sitting here at the ABC Press Tour with the cast of "Private Practice" on stage. Creator Shondra Rhimes, also the creator of "Grey's Anatomy," has asked about NBC programming head Ben Silverman's remarks earlier in the tour that he had been talking to Isaiah Washington for "The Bionic Woman" before it was official that he would not be returning to the ABC show.
Rhimes, who has seemed supportive of Washington through all the controversy, told reporters wasn't aware that the actor was talking to NBC about possible employment. She said "I guess I don't have any reaction" to Washington's new gig.
"I think he's a really good actor and I hope he does well on 'Bionic Woman,' just not as well as 'Private Practice.'"
COMING IN A BIT: An interview w/Rhimes on Isaiah's firing, on-set morale and on TR.

For someone who has seen every episode of "Designing Women" many, many times, I always get a little rush whenever I see one of those sensational ladies who made up the show's quartet in the first five of its seven seasons: Jean Smart, Delta Burke, Dixie Carter and Annie Potts. Smart, nominated for an Emmy last week for a guest spot on "24," (she's won two Emmys already) is on the ABC Press Tour with the cast of new fall comedy "Samantha Who?" on which she plays the mother of Christina Applegate who has amnesia.
I bounded onto the stage after the session to ask Smart about the stage version of "Designing Women" that series creator Linda Bloodworth Thomason has been working on and had hoped to take to Broadway with the show's original stars. She told me last year it was a matter of scheduling.
But Smart doesn't seem interested in reprising her role of sweet Charlene even though she is itching to get back onto the New York stage once her 17-year-old son graduates high school.
"I love Linda and I think she has never really gotten the proper credit for the brilliant writing she did on that show. But to me, [the Broadway play] would sort of be like being in one, great big episode and I don't know why I'd want to do that."
It was the desire to play other characters that led to Smart leaving the show after five years, at the peak of its success. Burke was fired and the show continued on two seasons anchored by Potts and Carter. All of the original quartet have continued to work and receive acclaim but Smart has been the most in demand alternating between television, feature films and the Broadway stage.
Although Smart has had great television success, she has also had her share of cancelled shows since "Designing" including the wonderful "High Society" from the late 90os, an American-version of "Absolutely Fabulous" of sorts with Smart a nd Mary McDonnell.
She says she just rolls with it: "It's just the nature of the business and, knock wood, I've always worked and I know how fortunate I am."

The cast of "Men In Trees" is on stage right now and I'm trying to figure out which of the hot male cast members is the one Anne Heche has hooked up with. OK,, there he is. It's James Tupper who's sitting between John Amos and the show's producer.
Everyone knows she left her hubby and father of her son, Coley Laffoon - who she took up with after parting with Ellen DeGeneres - and is involved with Tupper, her on-screen leading man. Her divorce with Laffoon has been quite ugly.
Someone just asked the entire cast what they have learned about relationships since being on the show. Ha! Good way to try and address the elephant in the room.
Heche, sounding like her alternate personality (I think it was called Celesta in her memoir "Call Me Crazy") responded by saying "One of the great things that has been so great to me is finding a family. They help support you through difficult times and don't judge yoiu and allow you to make mistakes."
She went on to refer to the cast as "such a loving family and supporting group...I've learned to trust a family that is chosen and so necessary in my life. You can develop a family in this world."
As for Tupper, he chuckled befoire answering and merely said:"I never knew that if a man gets into trouble, he gets to go fishing."
Nice way to dodge the question!

I love free food. Just got back from a terrific lunch spread poolside where I tried to be good by having a chicken breast, little piece of salmon and a buncha veggies. Then I walked back into the Beverly Hilton ballroom and there were these little brownies that actually seemed to be saying, "Greg...try me!"
So much for eating healthy.
Bumped into Matt Dallas, the star of "Kyle XY" in the hallway and we had a laugh over the story he told on stage about the woman who stuck her hand up his shirt and touched his belly button. "She was YOUNG too!" he told me. Prior to lunch, I cornered him and asked a few questions, trying not to seem obvious that the most I had seen of his show was the posters on all the bus stops.
Greg: This is your second season on the show. How are you handling all the attention? Is it getting any easier?
Matt: "It is a bit easier because I've kind of dealt with it now but it is still a little overwhelming at times when you'll see a giant billboard of your face and it's huge. It's crazy toi receive that kind of attention.
Greg: Is there a downside to stardom for you?
Matt: You know, I'm havong a lot of fun and it's great to know that people are responding well to what we do. I'm loving it."
Matt then got pulled away for a cast photo but I also have to share one of the inane questions asked him by a girl standing next to me: "What was the strangest birthday present you ever got?"
Matt: "I got a brithday cake with my face on it, it was a picture of me on a cake, really big. It was really cool."
Dumb interviewer: What did you eat first?
Matt: "I think I ate my eyeball."

Alrighty then...

Here I am at the Beverly Hilton for day two of the ABC Press Tour. I overslept and missed the "Nightline" panel in the morning. I confess to having a crush on Terry Moran so it was kinda cool to see him standing in the hotel lobby with Cynthia McFadden and Martin Bashir. As I stared at Moran and hoped he didn't notice, ran into AfterElton.com editor Michael Jensen: "I think he's so dreamy." Michael just didn't see it...
Anyway, the first panel I sat in on was one featuring the cast of the new show "Greek" about a buncha college kids and I was so pleasantly surprised to see a gay character prominent in the cast.
Paul James plays Calvin and in the scenes shown to us, Calvin comes out to Rusty (Jacob Zachar) who fumbles at first then responds the way any gay person hopes their straight friends would - especially when they are so young.
Rusty, after he's collected himself: "I think I should let you know that I'm OK with it...we are who we are."
He then asks Calvin if he plans to come out to the Omega Chi fraternity that he's pledging.
Calvin: "I just want to get through rush week first...It's good to know I have at least one brother for sure."
The show's creator and co-executive producer Sean Smith said of the character: "Calvin has acknowledged that his homosexuality is a part of him...and he wants to show people he's more than his sexuality...he doesn't seem burdened by it."
His character is typical of the others on the show. Smith said that while he loved the WB shows, "Greek" will not have near that level of angst: "Characters have confidence in themselves and a sense of entitlement."

I interviewed Paul James after the panel and will share that with you later today...next up is the cast of "Kyle XY" with that cute Matt Dallas whose character doesn't have a belly button...{UPDATE} The "Kyle" panel just ended. I don't watch te show so had no idea what the heck they were talking about half the time but Dallas did share that he has some wacko fans: one woman came up to her and stuck her tongue in his ear!
Said Dallas: "I've had some pretty interesting things happen to me: "A woman in New York stuck her hand under my shirt, touched my belly button and whispered in my ear: "I touched it!'"

Tammy Faye Messner is as beloved in death as she was in life by many gays. She holds a big place in our hearts and I am among those who sincerely mourn her and feel the world is a little less special without her in it.
On the site Gay.com, people are sharing their memories in an online condolence book for her family. Among the suggestions - and I love this - is the proposal of a new street, “Tammy Faye Way,” in Palm Springs. Terrific idea!
Wrote one Palm Springs resident: “Tammy, I know how much you liked it out here in the desert and I will think of your warm smile when I feel the sun and your fluttering eyelashes every time a palm tree moves in the breeze. A group of us are proposing re-naming a street Tammy Faye Way...it will be the one with the most flowers on it.”
It is so moving that a mere 24 hours before her death, Tammy Faye spoke positively about her gay fans on "Larry King Live."
Those fans have posted hundreds and hundreds of pages of comments about the positive impact Tammy Faye had on their lives on a special message area created especially for Tammy on Gay.com. There has previously been a special "Wish Tammy well" section on the site.
"We knew that Gay.com members would want to share their feelings with Tammy Faye and her family," Jenny Stewart, Gay.com Entertainment Editor, said in a statement. "She has long been a gay icon -- from refusing to speak against LGBT people on 'PTL' to supporting AIDS causes early to her sympathetic and personal encounters with gay fans. And, of course, we also loved the makeup."

The good thing about Isaiah Washington getting the gig on NBC's "Bionic Woman" is that it got him to stop trash-talking T.R. Knight at least for awhile. But the way NBC;s Ben Silverman talked about it last week was completelty ignorant, as if they were not aware that this man had been FIRED from his previous show on ABC for his behavior. C'mon . A prospective employer obviously must vet out someone he's hiring.
Anyway, I love what ABC's Steve McPherson had to say about all this yesterday at the ABC Press tour. He wondered if NBC execs had been "living in a cave" when they professed to not be aware of the scope of the controversy surrounding Washington the gay slurs he used referring to Knight.
According to TV Guide, Silverman told reporters that he and Washington had conversations "before he became available." Said Silverman: "When he told me he was available I was like, 'You are? Wait, I don't understand. What do you mean? You're a huge star on a star television show. I don't quite understand what had gone on there."
Responded McPherson: "If (Silverman) was in fact talking to him before he was available, that's inducement to breach. So I don't know, he's either clueless or stupid."

You decide.
(By the way, I copied the little photo collage from Towleroad.com.)