August 2007 Archives

After we all finished our lunch, a session called "Tattle-Tales: The Dirt on Hollywood Dish" began with a panel that included Marc Malkin who does the E! online column "Planet Gossip," USA Today entertainment writer William Keck, and Karen Bonsignore, an executive producer of entertainment news for CNN.
"The way we get out news has changed tremendously in the last four years...I think TMZ.com has changed the television landscape ," Bonsignore said. She then mentioned the reach of blogger Perez Hilton, who she said should not be depended on as a reliable source for news: "Last week, he insisted that Fidel Castro was dead. You have to know the person who is telling you something is reputable and true."
While Hilton has pushed such celebrities as Lance Bass and Neil Patrick Harris out of the closet door, Malkin admitted that as a gay man, he feels torn about such things: "One second, I'm like f*** 'em. I should just cover the gay celebrity as I do a straight celebrity. But I'm also a gay man who knows that struggle."
Malkin shared an anecdote about his days working at the New York Post when he submitted an item about media titan Barry Diller having dinner on gay night at a club called Beige in the company of several attractive men.
"The editors killed it," he said. "If Bruce Willis had been there, it would have stayed in because everyone knows he's straight."

Keck had a similar experience a year ago when he reported that Barry Manilow was dining with a table of "fine looking" men after the Emmys. Editors cut it out. Also cut was a line Keck had in a story this month on Merv Griffin's death which stated that Griffin "was commonly known to be gay in Hollywood."

An audience member asked about an unnamed A-list male celebrity who has been dogged with gay rumors for decades and sued many times over it.
Said Keck, without mentioning Tom Cruise by name: "I think it would be a mission impossible to prove that."
Added Malkin: I have no proof that that celebrity is gay but it is amazing how many people address the Tom Cruise may possibly be gay rumors."
I took the microphone to take Bonsignore to task for praising Melissa Etheridge, Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres for their coming out and their activism related to that. She then went on to be critical of T.R. Knight and Neil Patrick Harris for not doing more.

I found her to be ill-informed and unfair on this and reminded her that Rosie had a daily talk show for six years and was not out. T.R. was outed about a year ago and has gradually become an activist. He's done a cover story with The Advocate, appeared on Ellen's talk show, was the center-of-attention at the GLAAD awards and has quietly been supportive of gay films and causes.
I told her that I didn't mean to be a bitch, but she really needed to be set straight...so to speak!

I'm off to yet another reception and probably hanging out with my new blog buddies Kenneth Walsh and Johnny Diaz who each wrote postings on their blogs about our adventures yesterday. Click on their names to read their versions and HERE to read mine...

Skipped out on a morning NLGJA session after about a half hour to get my shoes shined (my black dress shoes, not the white tennis shows). The guy with a stand outside the Westin- Horton Plaza was so cool, singing along with Sinatra songs as he worked on my footwear. Then grabbed a smoothie at Jamba Juice, bought some newspapers then came back to my hotel room because I could not resist doing a quick web surf. Found this great pic posted on Queerty.com of Hillary and Ellen taken during the filming of the season premiere of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
A coupla great ladies...
OK, back to the conference...the lunch discussion is on entertainment journalism. Let's see if they can teach me anything I don't already know.
Ha!

I missed the show with all the NLGJA activities but feel a duty to update you on this show that I barely care about now. Amber, the really annoying crybaby who is not exactly the brightest bulb and who made some anti-Semetic remarks that CBS never aired, got voted out of the house last night.
That leaves only one decent person left: Jameka. But she does not really have enough support to go all the way it seems. I'd love to see Eric given the boot. I've had my absolute fill of this twerp.
Here is the hysterical part: Zach, who has loafed his way through the entire season, wins HOH at a most crucial time. It will be interesting to see who he puts up on Sunday...

I had been looking forward to ABC's version of one of my favorite guilty pleasures from the U.K.: "Footballers Wives." But the sbow did not make the network's fall schedule despite a cast that included the oh-so-sexy Eddie Cibrian and James Van Der Beek.
Fortunately, the blog Ohlala.com posted these pics from the pilot today. I am particularly fond of the one below:

With public and private pressure increasing by the day, Idaho Sen. Larry "I'm not gay" Craig is considering resigning from office, Craig is not at all a sympathetic figure in all of this but it is stunning how the Republican Party can't get rid of him fast enough. A New York Times editorial, which I came by via Queerty.com, calls the GOP out on its real motive:

Underlying their hurry to disown the senator, of course, is the party’s brutal agenda of trumpeting the gay-marriage issue. To the extent Senator Craig, a stalwart in the family values caucus, might morph into a blatant hypocrite before the voters’ eyes, he reflects on the party’s record in demonizing homosexuality. The rush to cast him out betrays the party’s intolerance, which is on display for the public in all of its ugliness. But it also betrays their political uneasiness as the next election approaches.

Sounds about right.

Sorry for the lack of posts yesterday. The National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Convention is pretty much all-consuming with seminars all morning and afternoon then, seriously, three consecutive receptions, then there was a party on the rooftop of a nearby hotel that many of us went to and that I just got back from.
I'm beat.
But, I'm gonna write a little bit. Just got back from the 7-11 where I bought a Diet Snapple to help me power through a few posts. I was with my new friends and best pals for the night, fellow bloggers Kenneth Walsh (Kennethinthe212.com) and Johnny Diaz (BeantownCuban.com). After spending more than seven hours with each other, it was amazing that we still had things to talk about. Johnny refered to us as the "Tres Blogeros." I like that.
We talked about so much and after a certain point, stopped worrying about who was going to write what on their blog. When the cocktails are flowing, you have to just declare a blanket off the record with all the dirt we were dishing and personal things shared. We ended our evening by lingering in the lobby of the Westin talking about "Sex and the City." Johnny and I think Carrie should have stayed with Aiden. Kenneth thinks we're nuts. Kenneth also did not like the pair of brand-new white tennis shoes that I bought from Payless yesterday: "They look so...white." Johnny is going to be discussing his new novel, "Boston Boys Club" on Saturday so I'll probably post on that then.
This is my first NLGJA convention where my blog has been a known entity. Last year in Miami, it was just two months old. So I felt a real connection with fellow bloggers - sometimes instantly. Like with the lively Shana Naomi Krochmal who does the Popnography blog and who I just thought she was a breath of fresh air. She is also so smart and quick. I think she should be on a show like "The View." She's got a wonderful presence.
Shana was on a panel on blogging this morning moderated by Ben Patrick Johnson, this big muscular guy with a deep voice who was hired as the first host of "Extra" then promptly fired after two weeks because he was gay and not closeted.
I had never met Ben, who has a video blog called "Life on the West Coast." Our first interaction was pretty hilarious: I recognize him as I'm leaving the breakfast meeting and ask, "Do you know where your thing is?"
We looked at each other and laughed. Of COURSE I was referring to which ROOM his blogging panel would be held in.
Great times. I've met so many people and already have a stack of business cards from people who I hope will all become regular readers of Out In Hollywood. I think gay journalists are about as lively and interesting a group as you're gonna find and that's why I wouldn't miiss an event like this for the world.
Will write more from NLGJA later today...

ANOTHER picture of Ryan Reynolds? Yes. And I have a very legit reason: this is a scene from Ryan's new movie "The Nines" which is out today. This weekend officially marks the end of the summer box office season where grosses surpassed $4 million for the first time. Read all about it in my Daily News column BOX OFFICE BUZZ.

The U.S. Open is in it's fourth day but I can't watch even a few minutes of it between sessions at the NLGJA conference because the Westin Horton Plaza, the place that is charging me $27 a day to park my car, doesn't have the USA channel! Arrrrrrrrrrg.
To make myself feel better, I found some pictures taken today that shows how far two of our hottest pros will go to win a point...

...Tommy Haas (above) and Andy Roddick (below)

"I had been in a relationship and a very intense one. And it broke up after quite a number of years. And it broke up abruptly – didn't break up from me. I was cast aside. And it was just, just at the advent of AIDS. And I found out he had been sleeping with a lot of people. And thank God I'm healthy. Because I didn't know and it had been going on for a while. So when we broke up, there the world of AIDS is spread out before me, and I thought ‘I can't do this. I don't want to be selfish, but I care too much about my health'. And the person I loved more than myself had been cheating on me and lying to me. So if that person is doing it, what about total strangers? So I just got used to being alone, very used to it."
- Tim Gunn, in an interview posted Thursday on AfterElton.com

"What he did, it's hypocritical, but it's not an abuse of his office in the sense that he was taking money for corrupt votes. I think people should resign when they have clearly done the job in a way that is dishonest. It's one thing to say that someone can't be trusted to vote without being corrupt, it's another to say that he can't be trusted to go to the bathroom by himself....This is the hypocrisy -- it's to deny legal equality to gay people, but then to engage in gay behavior."
- Openly gay Rep. Barney Frank to AP on Sen. Larry Craig's arrest

"My coming out process was a difficult one. There were moments when I was deeply depressed and suicidal. I can say to...kids, 'You know, I thought my life was over, and now I'm married. I do what I love for a living. I feel great about myself.' I'm living this happily ever after that I didn't think was possible."
- Darren Hayes, discussing his involvement in The Trevor Project in the current issue of People Magazine.

Any excuse to post new photos of Mr. Ryan Reynolds...his new movie, "The Nines," opens tomorrow in limited release. He plays three roles in this very unique film which I found to be fascinating. In the middle portion, Reynolds plays a gay man and shows us some good range. No love scenes, however...dammit. These pictures are of Ryan promoting the movie yesterday on TRL...

MSNBC is insulting our intelligence with this one.
If you watch the cable channel and see a re-airing of Tucker Carlson talking about how he went all Rambo on some guy he said was "bothering" him in a public restroom when he was in high school, you'll miss the party about he and a friend returning and smashing the guy's head against a stall.
According to Media Matters: "…Both August 29 re-airings did include Carlson’s claim that he had been “bothered in men’s rooms,” neither broadcast aired the portion in which Carlson claimed that he “went back with someone” and “hit him against the stall with his head.” Both re-airings did include a portion of the segment in which Carlson asserted, “I’m not anti-gay in the slightest.”

The drive from Palm Springs to San Diego this afternoon was great - no real traffic problems, excellent MapQuest directions, and played my Elton John CD - the one with his greatest hits live practically the entire way. You haven't lived until you sing "The Bitch is Back" at the top of your lungs as you drive through Murrieta!
I pull up to the Westin Hotel at Horton Plaza. Then it all unravels a bit. The guy who greets me tells me it will cost me $27 per DAY to park my car at the hotel. WHAT? Charging nearly $300 a night doesn't get you a parking space?
I check in, gritting my teeth.
The bellman helps me with my bags, we enter my 5th floor room and I'm very pleased. It's roomy, has a great view of downtown and even has a chaise lounge.
One problem: it smells. I request another room. Request granted.
New room doesn't have a chaise lounge but an even better view. Gee, I'm thirsty. Oh, there's a few bottles of water. Wait! They cost $3.95 each (plus tax and service) says the sign hanging on the bottle. No thanks. I'll just walk over to the Longs Drugs and buy my own water, thankyouverymuch.
Head over to the second floor to check in to the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Assn. convention (that's why I'm here) and bump into my chapter president, Steve Pride. He's still mad at me because I never returned his DVD of "The Bubble" to him. I am guilty. But I did slip it into my luggage before leaving L.A. so he warms up a bit after our chilly greeting.
Ran into all kinds of people today including Kenneth Walsh who does the terrific Kennethinthe212.com blog. We have chatted on the phone and exchanged emails but had never met face-to-face. It was nice to do so today, to talk about blogging and all that.
I've been flipping through the convention program and there are plenty of events and guests who will make for good blog fodder so I'll be keeping ya posted as best I can...

So ABC announced the celebrity line-up for the next season of "Dancing With the Stars" this fall. Wayne Newton: Will his face move AT ALL? Jane Seymour: Dr. Quinn doing the tango? Marie Osmond and Jenni Garth: nothing snarky - i like 'em both. Mark Cuban: He should liven things up!
But let's get real: the real draw for this viewer is the hot guys and this season there are two sizzlers: "All My Children" star Camerson Mathison (right) who has caused hearts to race for several years as Ryan Avery. Those eyes, that body, that smile. Good call ABC.
Then there is someone I've never really heard of but look forward to learning more about...and watch dance! His name is Helio Castroneves (pictured, below) and what a dish, huh? The rest of the "celebs," I don't much care about but maybe that will change once we see them each week.

The elegant Roger Federer, who won his 23rd consecutive match at the U.S. Open dating back to 2004, sported a new look tonight wearing all-black attire. So cool.

Robby Ginepri (above), whose year has been horrendous, showed some of the form that got him to the seminfinals of the Open two years ago, blowing away his first-round opponent which means we get another match from him. Meanwhile, the usually fired-up Rafael Nadal (below) seemed subdued today as he struggled to beat a guy ranked outside the top 100. Nadal has hurt knees which might mean an early exit for the Spanish hearthrob.

The Sen. Larry Craig scandal is bringing out the worst in some of television's pundits with Tucker Carlson sinking the lowest. On MSNBC last night, Carlson was chatting with Dan Abrams and Joe Scarborough and Abrams wanted to know why Carlson had once indicated a person's sexual orientation wasn't really anyone else's business.
Carlson felt compelled to say: “Let me be clear, Dan. I’m not gay. I’ve never been gay. Over-reacted and made a poor decision…” (laughter)
Abrams, also laughing, responded: “And let me just say for the record, I’m not gay either.”

Let me say this to both these raging heterosexuals: not being gay does not make you superior to me or any other gay person I know.

Then came the really wierd stuff: Carlson shared that a man once approached him for sex at a public restroom. Carlson said: “I went back with someone I knew and grabbed the guy.. and grabbed him… and hit him against the stall, actually. And then the cops came and arrested him. But let me say that I'm the least anti-gay right-winger you'll ever meet -- but I do think doing this in men's rooms appears to be common. It's totally wrong, and they should knock it off. I mean that. I think it's -- I can't bring my son to the men's room at the park where he plays soccer because of all these creepy guys hanging around in there. I actually think it's a problem. I'm sorry. "

Watch the clip from YouTube posted below and tell me if you are not sickened. Carlson says the gay groups should disavow this kind of behavior.
Tucker, they are not endorsing it. Most gay people I know are together enough to have sex in their homes or somewhere else private. We don't need to meet people in public restrooms, we're not closeted Republican politicians living a double life.

Carlson, realizing he'd gone too far, tried to smooth things over with a back-tracking statement today:

"Let me be clear about an incident I referred to on MSNBC last night: In the mid-1980s, while I was a high school student, a man physically grabbed me in a men's room in Washington, DC. I yelled, pulled away from him and ran out of the room. Twenty-five minutes later, a friend of mine and I returned to the men's room. The man was still there, presumably waiting to do to someone else what he had done to me. My friend and I seized the man and held him until a security guard arrived. Several bloggers have characterized this is a sort of gay bashing. That's absurd, and an insult to anybody who has fought back against an unsolicited sexual attack. I wasn't angry with the man because he was gay. I was angry because he assaulted me."

OK, so after you read that statement, go back and watch the video again. Why should be listen to anything this guy has to say - ever?

I'm leaving this wonderful resort, La Dolce Vita, that I have called home for the last five days. It's time to drive to San Diego for the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Assn.'s conference which sounds stuffy and boring but actually is one of the highlights of the year for me.
Last year the convention was in Miami, the year before that in Chicago. So it's nice to be on my home turf (I went to San Diego State University). My time in PS has not been all about happy hours, meals at El Mirasol and pool time, I also made time to attend the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films where there were four seperate programs of gay shorts. The event was held at the Camelot Theatre complex where I often catch a matinee if the heat is too intense. You can sip a glass of wine as you watch a movie at The Camelot and they have superb food like wraps and other treats made fresh. I never get popcorn at the Camelot.
Anway, I didn't want to blog about the festival because I'm on VACATION but the other night during the "ShortSlam: Gay!LA Queer as..." program, some of the filmmakers were so funny in their introductions and their films so good that I started scribbling some notes on my ballot and wanted to give a quick shout-out before I grab a few hours of pool time then hit the road.

In two of the programs I attended, the fabulous film "Kail Ma" screened. I had already seen in at LA's Outfest but ya know what? I'd see it again and again and again because it is FUNNY! And touching. The movie is about an Indian boy who has a crush on his cute, blonde classmate, who is aware of the attraction and beats him up for it - on a regular basis. When his mother finds out, she goes all Rambo on the kid and it is a site to see. Filmmaker Soman Chainani described his film as something that "sort of blows up in your face. It's going to be the first short film to be released in India. It's going to be a big scandal."
I also absolutely loved "Signage" which was a well-done short on being a middle-aged gay man. Said very funny writer-director Rick Hammerly, who also starred in the film: "The film is about getting older as a gay man. Some people are, apparently."
Hammerly was a hoot. When the festival director unexpectedly called him up to the stage, he had to make his way all the way from the last row and cracked: "If I had known they'd call me up here, I wouldn't have sat in the back and avoided the humiliating 'Price is Right' run."
The crowd roared...as they did many times during this very funny film.
And finally, the other movie I want to highlight is called "Waiting for Yvette" which stars Wendi Malick as a pre-op transgendered female. The night before her surgery, she attends what is to be her last AA meeting (it's men only) with a group of three other men who she has been meeting with for years. The conversations and revelations made during this meeting make for a damned good film.

OK, time for the pool for some last-minute rays...the next post will have a San Diego dateline.

Way back in late spring, I was seated with the talented artist Louis Briel at a political breakfast where Bill Richardson was the featured speaker. (This was pre-debate gaffes). Louis, who is based in L.A., told me about his work, including a portrait he had painted of Diana, princess of Wales, shortly after her death and gave to her close friend Elton John.
The portrait hung in Sir Elton's private dressing room and was said to have helped him cope with the loss.
Tomorrow marks the 10-year anniversary of the death of Diana in that horrible and senseless car crash in Paris. She was at the top of her game, had never looked better, and was doing some terrific work bringing awareness to the world about landmines.
Remember where you were when you heard?
I was vacuuming my apartment in the Long Beach neighborhood of Belmont Shore because I was hosting a party the next day. Instead of partying, my guests and I sat in my living room watching the endless reports of her death and reading the pile of newspapers I bought that morning. It just didn't seem real and in some ways, still doesn't.
Briel painted the portrait of the Princess to deal with the unexpected grief he was feeling. Days after finishing the portrait, he saw Elton on the Oprah Winfrey Show and was so touched by Elton's love for Diana, he gave the painting to the rock star.
Moved by the kind gesture, Elton sent a handwritten note to Briel thanking him: "I am going to take the canvas on tour with me, so that I can look at it each night before I go on stage. Then the portrait will be sent to my home in England. You are a very kind man and the gift is very much appreciated. Much love, Elton."
Elton took the portrait around the world with him on "The Big Picture Tour" in 1997-98, hanging It in his dressing room at every venue worldwide.
"When I met him, Elton said he would one day give the painting to the Princes William and Harry," Briel said in a newspaper interview. "I hope he will do so now. It would help heal them and come to terms with their mother's tragic death. It helped heal Elton, perhaps now it's time for him to give it to the Princes, who truly need it."
Briel's painting (www.louisbriel.com). is now featured in Diana In Art, by Mem Mehmet, a collection of portraits of the Princess from around the world. It is published by Pop Art Books.

Here's a good way to cause a traffic accident! New billboards featuring Oscar-nominated actor Djimon Hounsou for Calvin klein Steel collection. The top billboard is on Sunset Blvd. while the other is on Melrose. I don't know cross streets yet, sorry. I'm in Palm Springs and have not been able to personally inspect these works of art.

I first met actor Gabriel Romero maybe three years ago at a house party for The Trevor Project. He had a long talk about a lot of serious subjects and I found him to be quite insightful. So it was great so see him added to the cast of 'Dante's Cove' last season as the sexy Marco, owner of a club where a big chunk of the drama unfolds.
We talked last month about the upcoming third season of the gothic gay soap.
Says Gabriel: "The show actually has some great surprises coming up, major changes. You won't believe it. The first 10 minutes of it you'll be like 'What? What happened?' I can't tell you about it though."
So, will there be more of those steamy sex scenes?
"Of course it's a little sexy. I mean, c'mon, it's about having fun. It's the gay network. I have a very steamy scene with [new cast member] Jensen [Atwood]. It was very powerful and was supposed to be the biggest orgasm of my life."
Gabriel says he is pleasantly surprised at the show's growing international appeal: "Now that season two is out on DVD, I'm getting emails from places like China now! The fans have just been coming out of the wood work, now it's everywhere - it's around the world. They're watching 'Dante's Cove' in China. It's awesome. It's about reaching out and letting people know we are proud of who we are, that we're no lomger hiding. It's a guilty pleasure so come on and watch and have fun."

We will!

This story is just beyond the pale.
Sen. Larry Craig, a Republican who has supported anti-gay legislation, was arrested back in June for disorderly conduct following an incident in the men's room at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. Craig had pleaded guilty and was hoping the arrest would go unnoticed which it did for a few months.
Despite the guilty plea, Craig said Tuesday that he did nothing "inappropriate." and said he is the victim of a "witch hunt" conducted by the Idaho Statesman newspaper.
"Let me be clear: I am not gay and never have been," said Craig, who has aligned himself with conservative groups who oppose gay rights. "In pleading guilty, I overreacted in Minneapolis, because of the stress of the Idaho Statesman's investigation and the rumors it has fueled around Idaho. Again, that overreaction was a mistake, and I apologize for my misjudgment."
He added: "I should not have kept this arrest to myself, and should have told my family and friends about it. I wasn't eager to share this failure, but I should have done so anyway."
What. A. Hypocrite.

Here is Craig's VOTING RECORD on gay issues:
- Supported a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, telling his colleagues that it was "important for us to stand up now and protect traditional marriage, which is under attack by a few unelected judges and litigious activists."
- Voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal recognition to same-sex marriages and prevents states from being forced to recognize the marriages of gay and lesbian couples legally performed in other states.
- Opposed expanding the federal hate crimes law to cover offenses motivated by anti-gay bias.
- Voted against a bill in 1996 that would have outlawed employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, which failed by a single vote in the Senate.

After the jump, read an account from CNN of how the arrest went down:

Here's a thought. I think television ratings for tennis would soar if they let the men play their matches shirtless. Here is Spaniard Carlos Moya practicing at Flushing Meadow yesterday. He is looking very much in form!

Lance Bass is doing some damage control today following the New York magazine interview in which he had some unflattering things to say about NYC where he is currently on Broadway in "Hairspray."
Here is the letter Bass wrote to New York mag which he has posted on his web site:
Last week your reporter called me on my cell phone to ask me a number of questions in conjunction with my joining the cast of the Broadway hit musical Hairspray. She came to see me in the show but she didn't come to the after party so she requested an interview later.
I made the comment to her (that she recorded so there is no excuse for the misquote) that when trying to find an apartment here, the first two I looked at had no style. She reported that I said New Yorkers had no style, which I never said. What was conveniently left out was my statement that I am having a great time here, I love the city and I now plan to get a permanent residence here and be bi-coastal.
Later in the story the writer suggests that I don't hang out at Justin's restaurant. I have been to Justin's restaurant a number of times, and have taken my fellow cast members to it on many occasions as well.
I'm sorry floral print couches were reported on in my piece and nothing mentioned of this incredible musical, Hairspray, that I am in and how excited I am to be working and living among some of the greatest people on the planet.
Sincerely,
Lance Bass
Proud New Yorker

This comes as no surprise but a police log obtained by the TV show "Extra" confirmed that a 911 emergency call listed "attempted suicide" as the reason why emergency vehicles were called to the Santa Monica home of Owen Wilson. The call was made from Owen's home Sunday around noon. He was found by his movie star brother, Luke Wilson. Owen is currently being described as being in "good condition."
In a world where we are constantly inundated with Lohan-Britney-Nicole-Paris "news," this is a story that really kind of gets you in the stomach a little bit. Maybe we feel like we know Owen because of all the movies, all the laughs he's given us. There's been so much talk about the future of his career, etc. The main thing is him getting better. He's so gifted and has created so much goodwill with audiences. The career will be there if and when he wants to resume it...

Here are photoa of gorgeous Reichen Lemkuhl and his gorgeous boyfriend, Ryan Barry, at the recent Trevor Project pool party benefit. I post it here because I knowm it will be appreciated. TMZ.com posted the picture and the reaction from readers was unbelievably hostile.
Read some of their bile after the jump...
But first, here's another shot of the studly duo...

Gregory Michael is an actor-musician who has been one of the stand-out stars of "Dante's Cove." As Kevin, his topsy-turvy relationship with Toby (Charlie David) has the most heart of any of the male relationships. Amrosius (William Gregory Lee), however, will stop at nothing to come between them.
We chatted earlier this summer about the show's upcoming third season which debuts in September:
"This season is going to be, by far, the best. I guarantee it. If I'm wrong, you can come find me, hunt me down," he says. "We have some new faces this year like Jensen Atwood who moved over from 'Noah's Arc' to the Cove. And Reichen [Lemkhul] have some good scenes, good energy. You're gonna want to see Reichen, you're gonna want to see Jensen, you're gonna want to see it all. It just gets hotter. I don't know how that's possible, but it does."
So does Ambrosius succeed in finally winning Kevin over?
"We're naughty together this year. I don't want to say more."
Should be look forward to seeing as much nudity as we have in the first two seasons? You sometimes wonder if Kevin even owns a shirt!
"More clothes on but definitely sexier," he says. "It's always what you don't see. But I have to work out, do the routine, eat a lot of tuna, do crunches and squats and all that fun stuff."
Michael has been touring all summer with his band, my band, "Auxburn," at various spots including the Viper Room on Sunset Blvd.
"I have a great fan base and it's really helping out when it comes to my music, we've been doing a lot of shows and a lot of the fans from 'Dante's Cove' come to my shows. It's invaluable."

Came in from the pool late yesterday afternoon and flipped on the U.S. Open. My timing was perfect. There was a tribute to the late Althea Gibson, the great black player who broke the color barriers in tennis back in the 50s winning the U.S. Open for the first time exactly 50 years ago. It was an amazing ceremony which included words from my hero, Billie Jean King, who broke quite a few barriers of her own. They had a parade of black women who had accomplished firsts including the evening's hostess Phylicia Rashad, the first to win the Tony Award for best leading actress in a play. After a few dozen of incredible women like Roberta Flack and Jackie Joyner-Kersee walked onto the court, out strolled the Queen, Aretha. She launched into "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" and everyone boogied. I wished I were there. After the ceremony, the resurgent Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, each played a match on Arthur Ashe Stadium...and won.

And finally, even though he had nothing to do with the evening festivities, I love this picture (below) taken of top-ranked Roger Federer who won his 22nd consecutive match at the U.S. Open on Monday...

I'm sure the producers of "Hairspray" are just loving this.
Lance Bass, who they brought in to play Corny Collins in the Broadway production throughout the fall, talked to New York Magazine and does not seem very fond of The Big Apple.
It took three weeks, and three brokers, to find an apartment: “There’s a lot of pieces of crap here for a lot of money. And I don’t think anyone here has any style. I was looking at fully furnished places and it was like, you can either have a bunch of floral prints or some dusty couch from the 1960s.”
Poor Lance. Sounds terrible!
He's also apparently misunderstood and maligned by those mean New Yorkers: “My walking pace has picked up a lot...and apparently I’m ruder. I read that someone met me at a club and told me I looked great and I was like, ‘Don’t even think about taking a picture.’ Which really sounds like me. And then they printed a picture they’d taken of me, which makes even less sense.”
I don't know how he can endure all of these indignities. The man has been through HELL.

I'd like to think that this blog is above doing more than one post in a single day about actors Wentworth Miller ("Prison Break") and Luke MacFarlane ("Brothers & Sisters" hanging out together.
Yeah, I'd LIKE to think so.
JustJared.com has posted the details of their outing and I, realizing there is interest, want to share those details with you. It's pretty SCANDALOUS: According to spywitnesses, the pair first avoided being photographed together, but eventually walked down the street together with a smile. Their day off together began with a visit to Kinkos where Wentworth surfed the web. Next stop: Starbucks. They then headed to a small art gallery in Culver City. And before calling it a day, they hit the In-N-Out Burger drive-thru.
No idea if they ordered a double-double, animal style.

Last month, I conducted interviews with several members of the cast of "Dante's Cove" which will begin airing its third season on here! TV in October. I love this campy, sexy show and its supernatural elements. One of the main reasons why is the performance of William Gregory Lee who plays the 200 years old Ambrosius who is dong better and better at adjusting to the present-day goings-on at Dante's Cove.
Lee tells me "it's been an absolute blast" playing the very complex role on the gay soap.
"When we first started the series, I had very specific things that I wanted to bring to the character and here! [TV] has kind of given me the freedom to kind of run with everything that I ever envisioned. We sit down between seasons and I tell them some ideas I have for the character, like some of the transformations that Ambrosius has to make in the present day. They've been really gracious and kind of let me create this guy. I want to keep him as real as possible."
While Lee has plenty of love scenes with the hot men on the show, among the most delicious moments come when he is facing off with his nemesis, Grace [Tracy Scoggins], who cast a spell on him and had him locked up for two centuries. She was his fiancee when she walked in on him having sex with another man.
"We have a phenomenal cast we put together and we have a lot of fun with the show. That's the key. Tracy and I, we get along like two peas in a pod."
I wondered how Lee, who is straight off-screen, feels about not only playing a gay role, but one that requires among the more explicit same-sex love scenes that you'll see on television.
"When I made my mind up that this was what I was going to do, I was going all the way no matter what. Whatever they asked, whatever they expected, I was going for it. I have no problems with it and it's been fun."
Lee is sometimes taken aback by the show's tremendous fan base: "We've got an amazing cult following. I get anywhere between 50 to 200 friend requests a day on MySpace from guys all over the world. Tracy and I have some sci-fi conventions - we both have a sci-fi background - and the sci-fi fans, whether they be gay or straight, are watching the show as well. And it's really a trip for Tracy and I to see. It's been really exciting for us to watch because when we started, we were such a small thing. We were basically competing with "Queer As Folk" when it had just ended. But we weren't trying to be 'Queer as Folk,' we were trying to have our own identity and I think the writers have done a really good job of establishing this tone. It's fun and different and they like to bill it as a guilty pleasure."

"Prison Break" star Wentworth Miller and Luke MacFarlane (our beloved Scotty from "Brothers & Sisters") were photographed spending time together recently. These pics were just posted on Towleroad.com without any conclusions jumped to...

Look at the beautiful head of hair Brady Quinn used to have...below is Brady with his new look. I miss the locks!

This is shocking.
Owen Wilson has been hospitalized in L.A. after taking an undetermined amount of pills and has a cut left wrist, according to various news reports. Some sites are calling it a suicide attempt but neither the hospital or Wilson's reps have commented as of yet. It is believed that he was initially taken from his Santa Monica home to St. John's Hospital but Entertainment Tonight.com states that he was transfered to Cedars Sinai in Beverly Hills where his brother Luke was spotted this evening.
Maybe this seems all the more stunning because we are so familiar with Wilson as a happy-go-lucky character in such films as "Wedding Crashers" and last year's "You, Me and Dupree." He is a true talent and has given us a lot of laughs with his work on the big screen. I want to send every good thought his way.

I sure hope Amber doesn't show episodes of "Big Brother 8" as home movies because each week, she seems to make an even bigger jackass of herself. After she was nominated tonight for eviction, she was next seen in the diary room - in tears, of course - saying: "God, I don't want you to think I'm mad at you."
Earlier, she is seen talking to Jameka who for some reason was telling Amber that she envisions her on the cover of a magazine. Amber takes it and runs with it, getting lost in a fantasy about being a model, bragging about her body (big mistake) and personality etc. She really has NO idea how badly she comes off.
I think she will be voted off on Thursday and it will not be a moment too soon! It was also very smart of Jessica to nominate Zach who has really been able to slide by week after week after week. He acknowledged for the first time that he will have to work to stay in the house.
And in a shallow note, the luxury competition involved the houseguests taking off all their clothes and being covered with suds as they tried to figure out various word puzzles. WHY did they not play this game when Nick and Mike were still in the house? Instead, all we had was tattoed Dick, increasingly annoying Eric (the eyebrow thing he does while in the diary room makes him seem insane), leaving Zach as the hunk of the group - by default.

"...I have the worst gaydar of all time. Unless I see two men full-on French-kissing, I have no definitive answer one way or another. I mean, I have gay friends who are incredibly masculine and I have straight friends that are incredibly feminine and it muddles everything for me. I don't know how to tell. i don't assume anything...It's the same thing where I won't ask a woman if she's pregnant unless the baby is crowning."
- Ryan Reynolds in an interview with The Advocate
"It's not that hot to attract hot guys. All you need is one of two things - beauty or bucks. You've got beauty. But I've got bucks!"
- former U.S. Rep. Michael Huffington telling a passerby how he happened to be with the hottest boys on the beach in Provincetown.

"Clearly he doesn't have anything to be nervous about."
- CNN anchor Anderson Cooper on his "360" show, speaking to fellow CNN journalist Erica Hill, on whether Hill's husband should be concerned about romance blossoming between the two reporters.

*************************************************
"To let gay people get married. I really do believe that is symbolically, extremely important. Our U.S. Constitution says that everyone is created equal. That means everyone. And while I know a lot of gay people say, 'Why would we want to be married?' everyone should have the same privileges and rights my husband and I have."
- Judith Light, in the latest issue of Passport magazine.

"I wouldn't be me if I didn't tell the truth."
- Star Jones on the first day of her new Court TV show.
(Jones clearly forgot about neglecting to admit to her gastric bypass surgery for three years!)

If you plan to watch any of the U.S. Open over the next two weeks, here is a handy guide to some of the best looking guys to look out for. Above is Robby Ginepri who reached the semifinals of the tournament two years ago but has slumped since then. So if you want to see Robby play, it will probably have to be in the first or second round.

Here is Tommy Haas who is ripe for a good tournament. The hottie Haas is a tall drink of water who I could watch play all day. He's got great variety and a beautiful game. Below, Tommy is pictured with the equally studly Marat Safin who won the U.S. Open in 2000. Safin can beat anyone in the world, or lose to anyone.


Novak Djosovic is 20 and cute as can be. He is the tournament's third seed and I expect him to be there on the final weekend for us to enjoy.

James Blake enters the U.S. Open with a tournament win yesterday in New Haven. There's a reason why the handsome American top-tenner has done some modeling.

Spanish stud Rafael Nadal might be the number two seed and have the biggest biceps in the game (see below), but handsome Lleyton Hewitt (pictured with Nadal above) has something Nadal doesn't: a U.S. Open title. He won in 2001 and remains a tough competitor.


What would a list of hot athletes be if it did not include Andy Roddick. Now ranked fifth, he will be trying to add to the U.S. Open title he won in 2003.

Fernando Gonzalez is one sexy South American. He made it to the finals of the Australian Open this year but his year has been downhill since then. You will likely only have the first week to enjoy his play.

And last, but not all least, Carlos Moya - one of the most handsome athletes on the planet. He usually a contender well into a tournament so hopefully we'll get lotsa Carlos on TV...

Bonus hottie...Roger Federer!!!

My friend Henry would kill me if I did not include Roger even if it means we now have 11 hotties. (they are in no particular order). Federer, the three-time defending champion, is marching toward history and as he does so, remains a gentleman and oh so handsome...

If I can't be in New York City watching the U.S. Open, I'm cool with watching some of it on this giant screen TV in my air conditioned room at La Dolce Vita Resort in Palm Springs.
I love vacation.
Anyway, some of the top players were at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York today for the annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day. It's always fun to see the top seeds relaxed and interacting before they shift into tennis playing assassins. Serena Williams (pictured above with fellow players) cannot be counted out - ever. She is gunning for a third U.S. Open but trying to stop her will be her sister Venus who is the reigning Wimbledon champ as well as top seed Justine Henin and defending champion Maria Sharapova.

There is much hope for a Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal final. They've already met in the finals of the French Open and Wimbledon the past two years and are 2-2 so this would be a good tie-breaker. Says Federer of the rivalry: "We're totally different types, you know? He's a lefty, I'm a righty. He's got a double-handed backhand, I've got the one-handed backhand. Two different characters -- that always works well in the game of tennis. The dress code is different: He's got that long hair, mine is a bit shorter. He's young, I'm kind of, you know, the experienced type. So I think it's got great potential."

Andy Roddick, now ranked fifth, will have to beat Federer in the quarterfinals if he is to win his second U.S. Open. It's a tall order but Roddick (above) has the desire and the game.
Meanwhile, you cannot count out the chance of Novak Djokovoc (right) who is widely considered to be tennis' next superstar. He beat Federer, Nadal and Roddick in a row to win the Canadian Open earlier this month. This could be his breakthrough.
I don't see anyone other than these four players winning the men's title.

TOMORROW: Greg's list of the top 10 hottest guys competing in the U.S. Open. (photos too, of course)...

It's taken an awful long time for writer-director Ryan Shiraki's comedy "Freshman Orientation" to make it to theaters but it is a film that is worth the wait. I saw it at Outfest (I think it was last summer) and again on DVD recently and it is a sweet and funny film with a very talented cast led by Sam Huntington as college student, Clay, who pretends to be gay in order to get the girl of his dreams.
Also in the cast is the hilarious out actress Heather Matarazzo ("Welcome to My Dollhouse," "Princess Diaries"), a very funny Marla Sokoloff as a militant campus lesbian, SNL's Rachel Dratch as a middle-aged campus slut, Kaitlin Doubleday as the object of Huntington's affection, Mike Erwin as Clay's closeted roommate, and a terrific John Goodman as a big-hearted gay bar owner who shows Clay the ropes.
The film will begin playing at the Regent Showcase Theater, 614 N. La Brea (at Melrose) on Agu. 31 and I do recommend it. It will also premiere in New York and a gradual rollout is planned.
I spoke with Shiraki, a former head of talent for "Saturday Night Live" about his movie recently. "Orientation" is his first film and was made in 23 days on a budget of $1 million.
“I’m happy that it's coming out. I had no idea what was going to happen to the film after [its 2004 debut at] Sundance," he said. I’m really thrilled that the movie is going to be seen by more than my inner circle of friends and that people like it.”

So how was a first-time filmmaker able to assemble such a high-caliber cast with so little money?
"I used to work at 'Saturday Night Live' as head of talent so I knew Rachel and John and we were just able to attract these actors based on the material. Heather made the part her own, she really took it and ran with it. Same with Marla Sokoloff. I felt really lucky to get her in the film. She's very talented and funny. And Sam Huntington, I’ve always been a fan of. It was always seen as an ensemble film and I wanted to cast it as an ensemble and not give anyone short-shrift. I tried to write it so each had their own big scene.”
Getting Goodman was made easier because the film was shot in New Orleans where the actor lives: "I had worked with him at least once a year in SNL. He was in town for a few days and I asked if I’d get a few days in this movie. He was really great to work withb for the younger actors. He's an incredibly deft comedian and always in character and really knows the heart of a scene.”

While Huntington's character is straight pretending to be gay, his is an open-m inded character who ends up being a poster boy for fighting violence against gays and handles things with much care when his best friend and roomate Matt (Mike Irwin), confesses his true feelings for Clay and kisses him. Clay let's the kiss go on for a bit because he's curious to see if he likes it.
“The financiers didn't want to make some big coming out narrative, they wanted something broad, which I respected," the director said. "But I didn't want him to kiss aniother man and then barf all over him. So there was just one moment of, 'Hmmm. But not for me.”
Adds the 37-year-old Shiraki: “Matt is the idealized version of myself. I didn't get the hot frat guy in the end nor was I was hot. But we did have the same glasses.”

The latest issue of In Magazine Los Angeles has a special report written by the hard-working Karen Ocamb who spoke with Melissa Etheridge about the historic LGBT presidential forum that she participated in earlier this month.
Etheridge, whose new album "Awakening" is out Sept. 25, tells Ocamb that she has not yet chosen a candidate to support but she says she had "an epiphany" when listening to Rep. Dennis Kucinich who is far more supportive of equal rights for gays than any of the leading candidates. She also seemed mighty disappointed with Hillary Clinton.
"...I belonged to the class of folks who were like, 'Oh yeah, Dennis Kucinich and [former Rep. Mike] Gravel - they're saying all the right things, but they can't be elected...I'm sitting on the talk show couch listening to [Kucinich] and I'm going 'Holy crap! This man speaks exactly what I feel is possible in the future. He is speaking exactly the world I wish to live in, the world I wish to create, the world I wake up every day and go my world can be tis way, help me see that the world can be this way and work toward it. I promise you - I was not a Dennis Kucinich fan before I got up there on that couch."

Thomas Roberts, the former CNN Headline News anchor, has a new job: he debuts Sept. 10 as a correspondent for the syndicated show "The Insider" which runs as a time-slot companion to "Entertainment Tonight." It should be a high-profile gig for this openly gay broadcaster who will be more handsome than most of the movie stars he interviews.
Roberts left CNN less than two months after appearing on Anderson Cooper 360 where he discussed his sexual abuse by a priest from age 14 to 17. 34-year-old Roberts joined CNN in December 2001. His contract was to have run until February 2008.
At the time, he said he was leaving Atlanta to relocate to Washington D.C. to be with his partner.
It was nearly a year ago that Thomas Roberts spoke very publicly at the National Gay and Lesbian Journaists convention in Miami about being a gay man working as an anchor on CNN. He did so in a very small room packed with journalists - with computers - so accounts of the session were reported quickly. Roberts seemed so relaxed the whole weekend, laying out by the pool, chatting up new friends. He left the convention kind of a rock star because we were all so impressed with how he conducted himself and let's face it, we all thought he was REALLY hot.

The NLGJA convention is in San Diego this year and starts next week. I'll be there as part of my "vacation." I wish I could write that Roberts would be there speaking as an opnely gay CNN anchor but whatever the reason, his star did not continue to rise. Thomas was marginalized pretty quickly, losing his Headline News anchor spot during a "restructuring." I had done a brief interview with him in Miami and wanted to do an in-depth one for The Advocate but there was some weirdness going on that I hope will one day be explained. Roberts seemed to want to do it and we exchanged several e-mails but he had to let CNN's PR department handle the request and they put the kibosh on it.
Roberts has never spoke out against CNN or complained about its treatment of him. Maybe now, once he's settled into his new gig, we will find out what really happened once his sexuality became so public. Anderson Cooper, as we all know, remains the network's biggest star.
He never discusses his private life.

That Ellen DeGeneres is just a kick. Love her. During a year that Ellen won a Daytime Emmy for outstanding talk show for the fourth consecutive year and hosted the Oscars, she is keeping up her high-profile accomplishments by snagging Sen. Hillary Clinton to be the first guest when her talk show has its fifth season premiere next month. Ellen is in NYC for that interview and other segments of the show. "People keep asking me, 'Why Hillary Clinton and why New York?" Ellen said to In Touch magazine. "Because New York has the best nightlife and she promised we could go clubbing!"
On a more serious note, she said of Clinton's presidential ambitions: "It's always nice to see a woman running."

I'll be rooting for Tim Henman to do well at the U.S. Open which starts Monday.
The British tennis player, long one of my favorite players, announced this week that he is retiring from the game at the end of September. Henman was the top-ranked male player in the Britain for ages. He is a great sportsman and a joy to watch with that wonderful serve-and-volley game of his that got him to the semifinals of Wimbledon four times and once at the U.S. Open and the French Open.. He won 11 tour titles overall and achieched his highest ranking of number four in the world in July 2002.
It was at Wimbledon where Henman came closest to becoming the first British male since Fred Perry in 1936 to win. He reached the last four at Wimbledon four times from 1998 to 2002, and also reached the quarterfinals four others times. Each time Henman made the semifinals he lost to the eventual champion. Seven-time winner Pete Sampras was his opponent in 1998 and 1999, Goran Ivanisevic in 2001, then Lleyton Hewitt the following year.
He was good...but not quite good enough to knock off the champs.

Here are some post-kiss clips...

This is a continuation of my conversation with Ari Gold. Part One was posted yesterday. One of the things we talked about was ambition and success: "I had my first demo when I was 12 years old and I basically thought then that I'd be as famous as Madonna - my ambitions have remained pretty grand over the years. I won't be happy until I'm on the cover of Rolling Stone (laughs). But I've never been more proud of my work, lyrically, musically and artistically as with this album. There's a feeling about this album that's just great because I'm so proud of it. The album is called "Transport Systems," it's about movement and progesssion so there's definitely the hope that it's going to move me forward to the next level where I need to go."
The first single on the CD is "Where the Music Takes You" which Ari says is really about being true to yourself.
"The song came out of my own experience of just going where the music took me, wherever I could fund a situation to record, find collaborators or co-producers, I'd pick myself up and go there. I didn't have a major label to help me out and say, 'OK, work with this top producer right here, it's something you have to create for yourself."
He also does a cover of "Human" by the Human League and in it her collaborates with a heterosexual hip-hopper, shades of Elton John and Eminem: "We came together to make this song. The original song was about a guy cheating on his girlfriend and saying, 'I'm only human.' I reworked the song and the verses and the bridge and made it more into a human rights anthem. I think the essence of the song has a really strong message that could be stronger than just cheating on your girlfriend. For me and this rapper to come together for this song about human rights, it's a powerful message."
Gold is also particularly proud of the song "Love Wasn't Build in A Day" which features jazz great Dave Koz.
"After he came out on the cover of The Advocate, I read the interview and thought, 'I just have to collaborate with this guy. We met and were in touch for like a year. He had a crazy tour schedule and at one point it didn't look like it was going to happen but I didn't give up. When we were in LA at the same time, he was like, 'OK, I'm here. I've got my saxaphone in the car and I'm coming over.' I cried when he played on the song. It was one of those things where you have an idea in your head and it comes to fruition. He told me he was really glad I was a pushy Jew about the whole thing. And he's a Jew so he can say that!""
Gold's news CD will be released just days after he appears on the LOGO channel on Sept. 30 as host of the "New. Next. Now" video show. He is hoping his CD with its positive themes, gets the attention it deserves.
"We give a lot of attention to artists like Eminem and 50 Cent but if we're going to rally in support of them for freedom of speech, then it's important to pay attentiion to artists who are saying a message that counters their message. There is homophobic lyrics and masogynist lyrics in their stuff, let's hear from people who are pro-women and pro-gay."

Fit and muscular, the currently unattatched Gold is not shy about flaunting his sex appeal: "I don't have a big machine behind me that's telling me what my image should be. Everything that's out there is because I put it out there. I put out a sexy image. At the end of the day, there's a lot of things about being gay that don't have to do with same-sex, bit it is our right to have sex with who we want to and love who we want to love. So I'm not trying to de-sexualize myself to make myself more palatable to people. I am a sexual human being and I think it's important for gay men to celebrate their own sexuality. The music is sexy and it's a part of what I do. There's nothing wrong with it as long as it;s done respectfully and tastefully."

I'll say.

I want to ask the producers of "Big Brother 8" a question: Why is it a bigger deal for Jen to break food restrictions than it is for Dick to verbally and nearly physically abuse her? Aside from trying to burn Jen with a cigarette and blowing smoke in her face, Dick said to Jen: "If I was you, I'd concentrate on staying instead of being a bitter bitch" and "You're stupid ass has been outplayed...stupid bitch. Goodbye. No one is going to miss you." "Psycho bitch."
Classy.
Dick also hid Jen's clothes after she destroyed four cartons of his cigarettes. I've read that Big Brother has replaced them - the cigarettes. I suppose Dick is their ratings draw or whatever but he is a vile man and physically repulsive..
Jen was voted off 6-0 (one was a penalty vote for eating while on slop). I love that she sat down and ate a turkey burger, cottage cheese and an apple since she knew she was on the way out anyway.
Jen, who gave a real bad impression when she began by crying over her photo, etc. grew on me and I actually like her more than most of the others left except for maybe Jameka.

There are a whole lotta new movies coming out today but the only one I'm even remotely interested in except for "The Nanny Diaries" which I'm gonna catch in Palm Springs (gotta get out of the sun at some point!). Chris Evans happens to have a supporting role... Anywho, click HERE to read my latest Box Office Buzz column in today's L.A. Daily News.

We prefer his more revealing photos but let's admit that Chris Evans, whose latest film "the Nanny Diaries" opens nationwide tomorrow,looks quite superb wearing some fancy duds in this recent spread.

After spending much of the first season mostly making fun of Betty and scheming with his boss Wilhelmina, Marc (Michael Urie) will have plenty of reason to be a nicer person during the second season of "Ugly Betty." Marc will get involved with Cliff, a young photographer at MODE magazine. Cliff will be portrayed by David Blue/ His previous credits include guest spots on "Veronica Mars," "Scrubs," and "Dirt."
Patti LuPone, who played Marc's unaccepting mother during an episode last season, will return for at least another appearabce. "Betty" not only has the openly gay character of Marc, but also transgendered female Alexis (Rebecca Romijn) and Betty's nephew Justin who is a little diva in the making.
Love it!

Lance Bass, now appearing in the Broadway production of "Hairspray," has apparently broken up with his Brazillian boyfriend after just two months. Oh well, it must have been fun while it lasted!

As i mentioned a few days ago, had a nice breakfast interview this week with Ari Gold. No, not the agent on "Entourage" played by Jeremy Piven. This is Ari Gold, the talented and sexy singer-songwriter whose latest CD, "Transport Systems," will be released Oct.. 2. His music can best be described as "political pop" and Gold has never shied away from comes from the perspective of an openly gay man.
In this first part of our conversation, we talked about the new CD, his third, which includes a collaboration with Dave Koz ("Love Wasn't Built In A Day") as well as the song "Human" withy guest-rapper Mr. Man.
Explains Gold: "Transport Systems" is really all about we're everywhere now but how do we move forward" How do we move to a place where we're not just there to make straight people look better, that's not our only function. We're actually full-fledged, multi-faceted individuals with our own interior lives. How do we move forward in order to accept ourselves better? Most of us didn't grow up feeling it was OK to be gay so I think we internalize a lot of that. How do we learn to love ourselves better and treat each other better? That has to happen before we can expect the outside world to."

Gold was born and raised in a Jewish Orthodox household in the Bronx and became a child performer with credits that included the lead role on the CBS children's recording "Pot Belly Bear: Songs and Stories." As a child vocalist, he sung over 400 jingles and even sung with Diana Ross on her "Swept Away" album.
But once he began to come out of the closet as a teenager, his sexuality naturally impacted his work.
"I had my first demo when I was 12 and been writing songs since I was 14 and I always wrote about what was going on in my life, my personal experience," Gold says. "So as soon as i came out of the closet, I was very passionate about it. Once I came out to my family and in college, I was very proud and I wrote my parents and my brothers an 18-page coming out letter, sat them all down, handed them copies and read this out loud to them and basically held them accountable for their own homophobia but I did it in a nice way. They made me feel like it was not OK to be gay. But at the end of the letter, we all started to cry and my dad said, 'The only reason we're crying is because of all the pain we caused you. And after that, it was a journey. I knew they loved me. Unfortunately, not all parents are like my parents. I just wrote back a fan the other day telling them, 'You know, sometimes it just takes time.'"
It's been a challenge trying to gain a commercial foothold as a gay artist even when your music is embraced by the critics: "I hate to say it, but sometimes the gay papers and magazines, we put a lot of straight people on the cover. You don't see black culture magazines putting white people on their cover. It can start with us...With my last album, I was really trying to figure out,'Where do I fit in as a gay man in this world? As a gay artist? As an out artist? Where do we fit in because we were getting a lot of visibility and as a people we were no longer in the closet.""
Gold feels the time is right to be openly gay and to record and perform songs with gay themes. He's grateful to those artists who he feels helped pave the way: "All the artists like George Michael and Elton John and K.D. Lang and Melissa Etheridge, all those artists who came out of the closet mid-career or after they were already successful, all of those artists paved the way for someone like myself to be out at the beginning of my career. There's no reason today why people need to be coy or vague or closeted."
Ari, pictured here with me after breakfast at Kokomo at the LA Farmer's Market, also talked about using his sexuality to gain attention like posing for magazine covers without a shirt etc. So check back Friday for part 2 of our conversation.

The sexy Adam Levine and his bandmates are a nice follow-up to Zac Efron's cover on the latest issue of Rolling Stone. If they keep having covers like this, I may have to revive my lapsed subscription!

I haven't watched much of "Survivor" since the Colby Donaldson season but I'm glad to know that CBS has unveiled the cast for the next season of the show and it includes 22-year-old gay flight attendant Todd Herzog. Apparently he's a Mormon but I've seen "Latter Days" so if he's out, he's probably an ex-Mormon.
Todd is the only gay contestant that we know of but wasn't it just last year that J.P. Calderon came out AFTER he was on the show.
Herzog lists his hobbies as "traveling, shopping, and drinking coffee."
OK, Mormons don't drink caffeine either, just ask Donny and Marie.
Well, not to be superficial (imagine that!), but he's a lot easier on the eyes than first season champ Richard Hatch who liked to walk around naked...and should not have. He's in prison now, but not for walking around naked - for failing to pay his taxes.

I haven't met Kennethinthe212.com blogger Kenneth Walsh yet but it seems we have something in common: we are mad for retired tennis star Patrick Rafter. Kenneth posted some pics this week and last of Rafter in his current gig as an underwear model. It's a job he seems to do as well as he played tennis. During my only trip to the U.S. Open back in 1996, the first match I watched was Rafter's first-rounder against a Swede Kenneth Carlson. It was on an outside court and I was in the front row snapping off a roll of film. Rafter lost in straight sets and I would have never imagined that just 12 months later, he would be tournament champion...

...Saw Rafter the next summer at the UCLA tournament - then called the Infiniti Open - and my nephew and I arrived so early that we wandered to the stadium and got to watch, for about 45 minutes, a shirtless Patrick Rafter and his then doubles partner (and now reality show stud) Mark Phillipousis knock the heck out of the ball. Rafter lost his match that day, I think to another Swedish player. But he would go on to win the U.S. Open twice, reach the finals of Wimbledon twice, and the semifinals of both the French Open and Australian Open. Rafter was briefly number one and has been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. But even more than his accomplishments, it was what else Rafter brought to the game: sportsmanship, good humor, a beautiful serve and volley game, and as much sex appeal as has ever has graced a tennis court.
I just wish I hadn't, years ago, sold the GQ magazine with him on the cover on eBay.

Sorry for the lack of posts all day. I'm busy doing all those tedious before-you-leave-town errands but did make time meet my pal Evan for lunch in Century City. I wanted to hear all about his recent trip to Iceland but kept getting distracted by all the hot men walking around. Sheesh, who knew that the lunch hotspot The Stand was crawling with babes?
Anyway, I want to know what the heck is going on. Mickey's in West Hollywood burns on the same day that we learn that Laguna's Boom Boom Room is set to close after Labor Day?
Are we supposed to drink at HOME?
The Orange County Register reports that iconic Laguna Beach gay bar will close its doors permanently Sept. 3 after co-owners Patrick O'Loughlin and James Marchese were unable to reach an agreement with landlord Steven Udvar Hazy.
But SAVE THE BOOM! co-chair Fred Karger called me from his vacation in Fire Island to say that not all hope is lost. He is encouraged that Udvar-Hazy has even talked to a reporter and confirmed that the Boom and his other two properties across the street are officially for sale and / or lease.
He says his group is working with some very interested investors who are "extremely anxious to pick up the lease and reopen the Boom immediately." There is also tremendous interest in the purchase of the property, according to Karger.
The Register reports that Udvar-Hazy says he offered a month-to-month lease through spring 2008 for the properties housing the bar and adjacent Coast Inn but the operators, who sold the property to him nearly two years ago, opted to close the historic establishment.
So, we shall see.

The producers of "As The World Turns" are a shoo-in, I think, to win a GLAAD award next fall for the Luke and Noah storyline going on right now. Their hot kiss took place last Friday and been shown in flashback two other times and guess what? The world has not come to an end. The clip below, which I found via AfterElton.com, is from today's episode and eerily reminded me of a real-life drama I had going on in my 20s. I thought it was true love then I heard the words: "I just want to be straight." I'm not naming names, of course, but I'm glad both sides of the story are being handled with sensitivity - Noah's determination to be straight despite his feelings and Luke trying to be true to himself. They are in for a rough road but one many of us have traveled...

The sexuality of the character of Justin on "Ugly Betty" has not been announced or anything but it's pretty clear that this fashion-loving, showtune singing dynamo is gay. When I was 13, if there was a kid like that on television, I would have felt a lot less freaky. I wasn't into fashion and showtunes then but I was into movie magazines and divas like Cher! My parents never hassled me about it but didn't exactly say, "Hey! I heard you playing the 'Take Me Home' record today. Cher is such a survivor!'"
I write this as a way of leading into my conversation Monday night with Ana Ortiz (pictured, right) at the DVD release party for "Ugly Betty" at Skybar. Ana plays Hilda, the supportive mother of Justin.
"it's really wonderful to be able to portray a single mom and the way the writers write these two characters is so brilliant and so truthful and funny," Ana says. "One of my absolute favorite character traits of Hilda is that she feels that as long as he's happy, I'm happy. I'm not going to change him, I'm not going to judge him. He's happy. How many people can say they have a happy, well-adjusted kid? Not many. So she's like, 'If it's not broke.'"
She added: "it's an actress' dream to not only be on a show that was picked up, and a show that is a success but on a show that is affecting people and making change. It's such a blessing."
Ortiz is a blushing bride, having been married in Puerto Rico this summer. Among the guests was her television son Mark Indelicato who was also at Monday's party. In the season finale, Mark is performing the lead in his school's musical 'West Side Story' (he was understudy but fed the lead some kind of nuts that he's allergic to!) when his father is shot on his way to the performance.
The father has learned, by Hilda's example, to accept his son as he is and to celebrate the bright spirit that he is.
"It was a complete honor to be put in that situation and to have the finale end on a family note. Ana did a great job in that end scene, it made us all cry," says Indelicato, who turned 13 last month.

The young actor (pictured above with fellow cast member Rebecca Romijn) had a busy summer vacationing in Puerto Rico with his family and attending Ortiz's wedding. But he no longer has the life of your typical junior high schooler. Mid-holiday, he did make a quick trip to New York to appear on the Tony Awards.
On the new season of "Betty," fashion savant Justin will begin to intern at MODE magazine where his aunt Betty works as assistant to the editor.
"It's so much fun. I love working with all the MODE people - Vanessa [Williams], Michael [Urie], Becki [Newton] and Chris [Gorham]. I love doing the family stuff, of course, which is the majority of what I do," he says. "But getting those little joy rides and going to MODE is a lot of fun."
Most delicious are his scenes with Vanessa Williams, Emmy-nominated for her performance as the scheming and ambitious Wilhelmina Slater: "Justin idolizes her, but he fears her. But she starts to respect him and he starts to ease up with her. He knows his stuff."
Indelicato is still a bit in awe of the success "Ugly Betty" has become: "A lot of shows don't even get the chance to finish a season one and we're going into season two. People might not think that that's a big deal but that's a huge deal. We're just hoping to stick around for a season three. I think we'll do OK."

Meanwhile, I don't want to forget about adorable Christopher Gorham (above), who I have been a big fan of since the WB's old "Popular" series and who was so good opposite Stockard Channing in the CBS sitcom "Out of Practice." Chris shared with me the news that John Cho ("Harold and Kumar's Trip tp White Castle") is joining the cast as a buddy of Gorham's nerdy character of Henry.
"He thinks that Henry walks on water," he says. "He's really, really funny."
Gorham, who joined the series in its fourth episode last season, is Betty's love interest but Henry broke her heart when his ex-girlfriend, Charlie, claimed to be pregnant with his child. It's not his, but he doesn't know that yet.
"I can tell you that the first scene in the first episode of season two is one of the funniest scenes that we've shot to date," he says. "It's a Betty-Henry-Charlie scene, it's subtitled and it's amazing."
So what's in store for Betty and Charlie?
"We're gonna find out who the baby daddy is before that and the Betty-Henry relationship takes a very definite step in the second season, is definitely moving along and Freddy Rodriguez ("Six Feet Under") is coming on and there's a potential conflict there."

I'll be watching...

Jen's days are numbered...
I gotta hand it to Daniele, the girl knows how to win competitions. She is this year's Janelle - the pretty blonde player everyone hates with steely determination. It won't win her the game in the end (unless she's up against daddy Dick in the final two, but she'll go far.
So HOH Daniele wins the Power of Veto! Her plan of backdooring Jen would now be guaranteed even if it means having to replace one of her own nominees, Amber or Jameka. She makes a deal with Amber who (this poor child) swears on her daughter not to nominate Daniele if she ever wins HOH.
At the veto ceremony, Amber plays the pity card and says through tears: "I'm on slop, I lost Dustin and I'm nominated,"
Cry me a river.
Daniele removes Amber from the block (her daughter, back at home, must be thinking: "I get to live!") then nominates Jen as her replacement. I think this is her fifth time on the block and my guess is she goes home.
Meanwhile, Daniele and POV runner-up Amber have won a mystery prize out of the house: a trip in a limousine to the airport for a flight to New York City and an appearance on the CBS game show POWER OF 10, hosted by Drew Carey.
I don't see Amber doing very well on the show. "What's a power of 10 mean?" "What's a survey?" "Can you repeat the question?"

The BoiFromTroy.com site is currently undergoing a revamp but blogger Scott Schmidt sent this ironic photo from the bar's fire-truck Pride Float this year..

Thanks to the readers who alerted me to this: An intense fire that raced through Mickey's in West Hollywood late this afternoon was put out about an hour ago, according to City News Service. The fire was reported at 4:24 p.m. and one person had to be rescued from the second floor. Apparently firefighters are still on the scene. While most of the damage was to the second floor and attic, there also was significant smoke and water damage to the bottom floor.
There is no known cause of the fire as of yet. Since the business was just opening for its happy hour, only one person had to be rescued from the second floor and was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Don't know how long Mickey's will be closed but neighbors A Different Light bookstore and Fiesta Cantina appear to have been spared.
I complain that Mickey's is kinda skanky but I am upset about this, as I know many people are. This bar is an institution in West Holywood and we've all had our share of good times there.
Will keep you posted...

A source tells me that joining Lisa Rinna on the red carpet for the TV Guide Channel Emmy pre-show will be...Joey Fatone! Ryan, as you already know, is hosting the ceremony, the E! pre-show, checking tickets at the door, vacuuming the red carpet, working as a seat filler AND making deserts for the Governor's Ball.
This leaves a gig open for Joey who has been red-hot since his runner-up finish on "Dancing With the Stars" last spring.
Joey is hosting the hit NBC prime-time game show "The Singing Bee" and has proven himself to be quite a charmer. Rinna, I can take or leave. Joey is a ham, but in a fun way. Rinna is a ham, but in an irritating way.
So, this is the team that replaces Joan and Mellissa Rivers. The still very funny Joan, as always, is as busy as ever. Mellissa, however, isn't.

I'm still a bit uninspired by the choice of Ryan Seacrest to host the Emmys. Just such a blah choice. Was flipping through my Daily Variety and Seacrest explained his philosophy on hosting the Sept. 16 kudofest: "I don't feel I need to do a song and dance and 15 minutes of jokes. The way I'm looking at the whole show, it's about elevating on their night, as opposed to making it my night...I'm not going to pretend to be something I'm not. I plan to honor and class of the Emmy."
Greg's two cents: That sounds BORING. But wise since Seacrest can't sing, can't dance, and can't tell jokes. He's basically a robo-host and will actually be doing double duty that night hosting E! channel's red carpet pre-show. Is there NO ONE else in Holllywood who can host these things?
Says Emmy show executive producer Ken Ehrlich: "There's a real likeability factor with Ryan, as well as an ability to deal with a live, hopefully unpredictable series of events. I will feel very confident knowing up there in a live situation."

OK, so you will be confident. But will you be entertained?

The titles are tacky and the movies raunchy but the "Eating Out" franchise has so far been surprisingly funny, boasted hot and talented casts, and had a little bit of heart. I have learned EXCLUSIVELY (I've been itching to say that) that yes, there will be an "Eating Out 3."
"I never would have imagined it," Q Allan Brocka, who directed the first movie and wrote and produced both films, told me last week. (What am I doing holding an EXCLUSIVE for an entire week?)
"It will be next year. Nothing is official yet with who's coming back and who's not and we're going to base the story on who we can get and who's available," he said. "We just know we're doing it, we don't know more than that."

The first two films featured "American Idol" season one finalist Jim Verarros as well as the very funny actresses Rebeka Kochan and Emily Stiles (now known as Emily Brooke Hands). Ryan Carnres, who starred in the first film before his role as Andrew Van de Kamp's lover on "Desperate Housewives." He declined the sequel and was replaced by Brett Chuckerman.
Each film also have this in common: a hunky straight guy pretending to be gay in order to get a girl.In the firsat film it was Scott Lunsford and the second, Marco Dapper. Producer Michael Shoal tells me it's not crucial that the same leads return since "We always bring new meat to the market. The first two films were a success in their own way. One of the nice things about doing another sequel is that it can be completely different but just as intriguing, just as sexy, just as completely out there and just as politically incorrect. It's the type of film that nobody else would make but us."
After the jump, check out some sexy stills from the first two "Eating Out" films and if you have not seen either one, you can get an idea of why they have been so successful...

Related posts:
- Meet Marco Dapper
- Jim Varraros: From American Idol to Eating Out
- A tacky title but a funny movie

Eric dresses up a lot as you can see in this sequence. He's quite a character and is showing a real ruthless side. I've been reading GuyTVblog.com and it seems that there has been a LOT of drama in the house in recent days. So tonight's show should not be as boring as Sunday's...

...for canceling an interview with me this morning. A few hours before our scheduled chat, got an email from his publicist wanting to reschedule. Then I read this on Towleroad.com: Singer Darren Hayes was arrested Friday night for an alleged racist verbal attack on a waiter at a Thai restaurant in London last month, the Sydney Morning Herald is reporting:

"Hayes fronted police in London last Friday night, where he was arrested for racially abusing a member of staff at Busaba Eathai in Wardour Street on July 22. The attack did not involve physical violence, but is believed to have been directed at a male member of staff. Hayes was released on bail. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "We can confirm that a 35-year-old man was arrested by Westminster police on suspicion of racially abusing a member of staff. 'He was arrested after voluntarily attending a Central London police station by appointment. He has been released on bail pending further enquiries, until the 21st of September.' The spokesman would not comment further."
Hayes' new double album, This Delicate Thing We've Made, came out in the U.S. today.
Hayes lawyer released this statement on his MySpace blog today: "Darren is unable to comment to any extent as the incident is presently under investigation by the police, with whom he has cooperated fully. However he is deeply upset at the allegation which he strenuously denies and anyone who knows Darren will recognise that the particular nature of the allegation is totally abhorrent to him and contrary to everything for which he has stood"
We are gonna chat after my vacation...sounds like we'll have lots to talk about!

I start a two-week vacation tomorrow (no worries, between pool time and happy hour, 'Out In Hollywood' will continue since my laptop follows me everywhere) so I might have some time to check out "Ugly Betty: The Complete First Season - The Bettyfied Edition." I've seen most of the episodes but the bonus features on this look pretty stellar.
Talked to several cast members at last night's DVD kickoff party at Skybar.
"For all those people who have that excuse and say, 'I can't stay home on Thursday nights and watch television' or 'I'm working late,' here it is and in a way it's better because you don't have to sit through commercials," Eric Mabius told me. "And you get a lot of things that I thought would never be out like the gag reel that we got shown at the wrap party. I didn't know that was going to see the light of day. Commentary, everyone does one. I did one with Salma [Hayak]. It's one of the most complete DVD boxed sets I've ever seen."

I asked Eric, who plays MODE magazine editor Daniel Meade, what the ride has been like since the show debuted a year ago and become this international sensation:"None of us could have predicted things unfolding the way they have. It's mind-boggling, totally unreal. It's a good thing we work so damned hard on set because we come to an event like this or go to the [Golden] Globes or SAG Awards and it's a totally unreal universe and surrounded by some of our biggest heroes, actors and actresses, producers and directors. We get to go back to work and sort of keep our heads screwed on straight."
Mabius, a straight but gay-friendly actor, talked about how glad he is to be on a show with heart that portrays tolerance of people of different cultures and income level and sexuality.
"Being consistently employed is one thing but being a part of a show that is truly trying to, without preaching, trying to make a difference. Acotds are always sort of at odds with themselves but to be part of something that's putting good out into the world definitely helps with one's sense of self. "
I'd never chatted with Ashley Jensen before. She plays designer Christina McKinney on "Betty" and is a very delightful and thoughtful person to interview. She agrees with Mabius about the show's messages and tone:"Betty is the heart and soul of this program, she's such a sweet central character to have. Betty is sending the message that it's good to be yourself, be unique. And kind of love yourself and be honest with yourself and she stands for family and loyalty and being trustworthy and being honest and good. These kinds of things in the last few years have been a wee bit overlooked and people have been like, 'Oh, it doesn't matter just as long as I'm a size zero."
OK, so Jensen is thoughtful and perceptive. But she is also a RIOt. Here is her account of moving from the UK to LA after landing the part on the series: "What's amazing is that this time a year ago, we had all just started. I moved over to L.A. on the first of August and I was like an alien that had landed and thought: 'Oh, the streets are too big! The cappacinos are too big! The potato chips are too big! The cars are two big and I'm just this tiny little person here and I didn't understand the city. People tried to pick me up because they thought I was a hooker because I kept trying to walk places. It was such a huge undertaking to mov e over here. I rented a big, tall Hollywood house with a huge pool because I thought, 'Well, I might be going back after four episodes. Then there it was, people were liking it. An award. And another one. And another one. And we were getting viewers then it went to Britain and it was huge over there. And here we are. People really love it. I've bought a home now."

TOMORROW: More of the "Ugly Betty" party including chats with Mark Indelicato who plays fashion-loving Justin and Ana Ortiz who plays his mother Hilda as well at Christopher Gorham who plays Betty's love, Henry.

My apologies for being so tardy in posting about what a great event there was last week at East/West Lounge in West Hollywood celebrating the DVD release of the terrific film "Boy Culture." I chatted up two of the film's three stars as well as the film's gifted director and snapped a few pictures too! Pictured above is the film's smolderingly sexy star, Derek Magyar, who plays a high-paid escort who struggles with having a real relationship. He lives with two hot gay roomates (portrayed by Jonathon Trent and Darryl Stephens, respectively). This movie was a big hit at Outfest a few summer's ago, had a modestly successful theatrical run and is now ready for all of you to rent or buy. I do highly recommend it.
"The reaction overall has been incredibly positve since the movie game out," Magyar says. "I only hope that people see it and rent it because it really is a quality film that deserves to be seen. The reviews so far have been great and I'm incredibly proud of it, we're all really proud of it. You just gotta hope for the best."
The three young leads are all quite attractive but it is Magyar who emerged as the real hearthrob with his piercing eyes and handsome face. I wondered how he felt about being something of a hearthrob: "Oh, I'm not a hearthrob. Well, obviously anything like that is incredibly flattering. Anytime I hear something like that or read something like that it's incredibly flattering and humbling."
"It was an incredible role for me. I don't know how often a role like this comes along."
Trent, who plays Joey in the film, posed next to a poster with a glowing review of the film which producer Phil Lobell told me had just come out that day so he had someone blow it up at Kinkos in time for the party!
Trent then talked up the film with me during a cigarette break outside the lounge: "I know this is a movie that reaches more than the GLBT community and hopefully a wider audience will appreciate this film. There's plenty to appreciate. I hope that people will see this film and also watch the commentary that we put on it."
He said if there is ever a "Culture" sequel, he'd leap aboard.
"[Q. Allan Brocka] is an amazing director. He was really hands on saying, 'In tis scene, this is what you're thinking, this is what you're feeling. He knew what he wanted and he knew how to get us to give him what he wanted in a very safe, professional way."
Brocka [pictured with me and 'Big Brother' alum Marcellas Reynolds] also directed the raunchy gay comedy "Eating Out" and is the creator of the animated "Happiest Gay Couple in the World" series on Logo. At 34, he has emerged as quite a force in gay film and television.
I will share our entire conversation in a future post but of "Boy Culture" he said: "It has some interesting discussions about the gay community and relationships and love - the new kinds of families that we're forming in the community...and there are cute boys in it."
I'll say.

Of COURSE I got a parking ticket tonight.
Parked on Sunset Blvd. and filled the meter with two hours worth of quarters and hoofed it down the street (I parked further away than I had thought) to Skybar where the cast of "Ugly Betty" would be for a swanky party marking the release of season one of this gem of a show on DVD.
My spot in the interview line was far, far down, after all those TV people, next to the correpondents from OK! and US Weekly. So it was taking FOREVER for Eric Mabius, Ana Ortiz, Mark Indelicato, Ashley Jensen, Tony Plana and Christopher Gorham to get to us. So I started filling in some of the other reporters who weren't familiar with the show with some plot details like some kind of "Ugly Betty" savant. I even scared myself when someone said, "I wonder if Chris Gorham is married." Without missing a beat, I said:"Yes, and he has two kids."
I'm insane.
It takes forever and a day for the stars to get to us as there was gridlock. I got kinda aggressive and motioned for Ana Ortiz to go out of order and come chat with me which she did. What a cool lady!
Then I got the adorable and talented Christopher Gorham to come over to gab with me followed by Mark Indelicato and Ashley Jensen. America Ferrera had not yet arrived and Rebecca Romijn, for some reason, only did a few interviews with the big outlets and blew the rest of us off. Maybe she had a good excuse but it was a shame since I wanted to ask her about her transgendered character of Alexis.
OK, so I know my meter is about to expire and I want to talk to Eric Mabius in the worst way. So I ask one of the publicist to please ask his rep if he can bring Eric over even tough there are about eight outlets ahead of me. Worth a try, right? It works!
Eric, who I've interviewed several times now, comes over and we do our interview, I shake his hand, say goodbye and know that if I can get to my car by 8:37 p.m., then I'm in the clear. I get to the car at 8:43 p.m. There's a ticket on the windshield.
Dammit!
I will share the interviews with you tomorrow...lotsa tape to transcribe!

I admit it, I've been kind of a bitch today. It's part sleep-deprivation and part being annoyed with a lot of stuff going on in the world right now!
OK, so Ryan Seacrest in gonna host the Emmy Awards. WHY? FOX already gets monster ratings for "American Idol" so Ryan does not need the exposure. Sure he's cute in that meterosexual way, but between "Idol," "E! News Daily," and his radio show, Seacrest is already over-exposed. But more than that, he's just not that interesting/. His humor does not seem to come from an authentic place and he is merely a professional host. I'd think the Emmys would work better either without a host or with a comic. Conan O'Brien and Ellen DeGeneres have both done well in the past and there are plenty of other funny people on the planet who can enhance the telecast.
Ryan Seacrest?
Why????

I was happy to see this picture of 47-year-old Sean Penn on TMZ.com today. I think Sean Penn is still a real hottie, have thought so ever since seeing him in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" then really swooned when he was in the mid-80s flick "Colors" with Robert Duvall. But I'd tell friends about this crush and they'd say something like, "I don't get it."
Through "Casuaties of War," "Dead Man Walking," "Mystic River," and "21 Grams," I have remained smitten. He is one of the best actors around and was the only reason to see last year's remake of "All the King's Men."
And to know that this is a man who is willing to use his resources to do things like go to Iraq to try and learn for himself what is going or go to New Orleans to help hurricaine victims, his heart seems bigger than most of our politicians and makes him only more sexy.

OK Star, I wanted to be positive about your new venture but you have turned me off on day one with a nauseating interview with Isaiah Washington about "second chances." You see, Star, you had seemed to have learned something from your past behavior, Isaiah has not and yet you give him this warm and fuzzy platform. Were you two even speaking English? So many metaphors...it was sickening television.
Maybe you are in over your head with this show. Where was the criminal prosecutor in you today?
To see part of the vomitfest courtesy of Queerty.com, click HERE.

The talented actor Lee Pace plays the lead in the new ABC series "Pushing Daisies" which I watched last week at a special screening at the Forever Hollywood Cemetery. The setting was kinda creepy (I never thought I'd step foot in a cemetery at night!) but the show was great! It is a love story about a young man (Pace) who bakes pies for a living but also has a very special gift: the ability to return someone dead briefly back to life with just a simple touch.
"'Pushing Daisies' makes you feel good, that's what I think people are going to get out of it. It's a show about life, about someone who can touch dead things and bring them back to life. It's uplifting and makes you feel good," Pace says.
Pace, nominated for a Golden Globe award a few years back for his heartbreaking performance as a transgendered female in "Soldiers Girl," and I had a chat before the screening.
"'Solder's Girl' was my very first movie - the very first thing out of the gate," he says. "It was a big, big experience."
The powerful film was about the murder of Private First Class Barry Winchell (portrrayed by Troy Garrity) who was beaten to feath by a fellow solder for being roimantically involved with transgendered nightclub performer Calpernia Addams. Pace portrayed Addams as an alluring, feminine and well-rounded human being and was astonishing in the role. He had only recently graduated from New York's Juilliard Drama School and beat out more than 100 actors to win the part.
"It was a real event that happened and a real event that had a lot of impact on the community and politics so of course it changed the way I felt about things," Pace told me. "[Calpernia] is a good friend and what she's gone through in her life means a lot to me too."

"Daisies" marks Pace's second TV series. Right out of college, he was a part of the cast of "Wonderfalls" but has focused on features since then - most noteably a role in "The Good Shepherd."
"Of course I want the show to be a big hit and I want people to like it and really respond to it because I think it's a good show and I think it's got a good message. And if we can kind of crazy numbers like "Grey's Anatomy's" 21 million, fantastic, I'll take it. But to be totally honest, the [spotlight] stuff scares me a little bit and I'm very new to it but, we'll see."

Had breakfast at the LA Farmer's Market with singer/songwriter Ari Gold who has had the name since birth - well before Jeremy Piven assumed the name on "Entourage." My three-part interview with Gold, who has been openly gay his entire career, begins running on Wednesday. He has a lot to say, is very talented, and quite easy on the eyes huh?

Merv Griffin was sent off with a star-studded memorial service in Beverly Hills Friday with the likes of Nancy Reagan and Gov. Arnold paying tribute. Suzanne Somers showed up looking like dynamite!
I'm quite sure everyone in the church was well aware that Griffin was gay but a column by the Hollywood Reporter's Ray Richmond that morning making that pronouncement has led to all kinds of attempted censorship including legal threats from one of Griffin's companies and pressure from some top Hollywood players:
Here's timeline, via Editor & Publisher, of what has gone down:

--Hollywood Reporter publishes story "Merv Griffin was Gay"
--Reporter pulls the story, republishes it titled "Griffin never revealed man behind the curtain."
--Reuters picks up story in its news feed, syndicates it internationally.
--Reuters pulls story, with this explanation: "This was a story from The Hollywood Reporter that ran as part of a Reuters news feed. We have dropped the story from our entertainment news feed as it did not meet our standards for news. GBU Editor."
John Aravosis at AmericaBlog sums the situation up this way: "You'd think the matter of an obit about or reminiscence of a public figure wouldn't generate all this brouhaha, but that's what happens when the world outside of the closet is so frightening to people in Hollywood that all sorts of insane measures are taken to reinforce the message is that there is something inherently wrong with being gay."
Since I gotta run out and do an interview (you will really like this one), I'm glad Towleroad.com gives a great rundown of the happenings which I suggest you check out.

Oh Star, I'm all for second chances and think you've come off well in your recent appearances on Good Morning America" and "Larry King Live." You seem more honest and humble since you were fired from "The View." So I ask you, why are you starting your new Court TV talk show off today with fired "Grey's Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington?
Does this man have anything left to say that he hasn't already said? Maybe he will say that Sandra Oh should have been fired instead of him. Or Chandra Wilson! He's aleady dumped on T.R. Knight in some really classless interviews earlier this summer. He referred to Knight as a "fa***t" last fall during an on-set squirmish, publicly apologized, then publicly denied having said the gay slur by repeating the word at the Golden Globe Awards then apologized and got sent to some kind of treatment center to deal with his demons.
But once ABC fired him, Washington took the gloves off and began saying disparaging things about Knight showing, I think, how low he can go. Still, NBC execs acted oblivious to the controversy and hired Washington to appear on their new show "Bionic Woman."
I'm hoping that Star will ask him the tough questions and not alllow Isaiah to prattle on with his tall tails the way Larry King did. Then I might have some respect for her new ventures. But if she throws him softballs, she's gonna shoot herself in the foot.
UPDATE: Here is what Jones tells Entertainment Weekly about booking the controversial Washington:
'[Washington is] clearly in the middle of a story that involves law and ethics and values and judgment,' Jones said. 'But also, he has a brand-new show that brings up ethical considerations. We're excited about The Bionic Woman, but there are ethical considerations [there] because we in our technology right now are moving to replacing limbs, and we're moving in the whole area of stem cell research, we're moving in the area of cloning and whether or not it can actually be done with a human. And in reality, that's what you're doing with The Bionic Woman, you're playing God. And so I get an opportunity to talk about those kinds of issues.'"

Greg's two cents: Yawn.

The "Dick and Daniele Show," er, I mean 'Big Brother 8' is wearing thin only midway through the game. I initially thought it had the makings of a summer-long guilty pleasure with lotsa eye candy and fun. But I watched tonight and just felt bored. I mean, give me a break: there was actually an entire sequence on how stupid Amber is, asking for the definition of the most basic words and phrases. Said Evil Dick: "I'd be surprised if her vocabulary exceeded that of her 8 year old daughter."
Good one Dick...still can't stand the sight of you.
So Daniele is back in control as HOH and she is plotting away, planning to backdoor Jen. She nominated Jemeka (now my favorite player since Eric has become a little worm) and Amber. Funnily enough, Amber - who has cried buckets over so many ridiculous things - did not even shed a tear in the diary room later. By the way, Daniele's HOH room included a birthday card from Nick that was pink and full of glitter etc which Eric described as looking "like something a 13 year old girl would have concocted."
So, Nick remains an enigma.

Anywho, Eric seems to be as cocky as Dustin was last week and look what happened to him. So that little worm better watch it. Speaking of Dustin, he gave an interview to AfterElton.com that you should read. Here are a few nibbles:
On Nick: “Nick is a great guy. He's straight. His flirtation strategy worked with Joe though.”
On Dick calling him a princess last week: “Honestly, he was calling Carol a princess and Jessica a princess in Weeks One and Two for the way that they didn't do anything around the house. And he just decided to attack my sexuality in a low blow, and you know, I didn't really take it offensively. Him calling me a princess, I could have really cared less. Him attacking Jameka's religious beliefs and Amber's motherhood — those are the attacks that I took personally.”
On representing gay men on national television: "...I try to be just me. If I come across as a gay man, I hope I did the community justice. I represent me in life and in this game. It's not in my nature to hold back my opinions and feelings and I'm sure I offended the community as well. It wasn't until I was in the house did I think, 'Oh God, the gays are watching me.'”

Roger Federer is a champion in his prime. The world's top-ranked player won the ATP tournament in Cincinatti, Ohio today over ninth-ranked James Blake of the USA. Federer next heads into the U.S. Open where he is the three-times defending champion. The competition is getting tougher all the time but Federer seems to rise to the occasion on tennis' biggest stages winning this year's Wimbledon and Australian Open titles.

While writing today's story about the pro athletes gay men love for the Daily News' "Sex Appeal of Sports" package, it reminded me of a long ago crush I had on former pro baseball player Kevin Elster. He played for the New York Mets, Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers, among others teams, during his career.
As you can see by the photos, Kevin was movie star handsome during his playing days. But I met him before he made it to the big leagues: we were in the same chemistry class at Golden West College in Huntington Beach. He was. easily, the cutest guy in school with a body that took your breath away. He was pretty quiet and I was too shy then to even try and talk to him. I had a break between classes after chemistry and would sometimes walk behind Kevin on the way to his next class. He would often wear shorts and the view just could not be beat. It wasn't stalking in my mind then but seems kinda like it now.
Still, I have no regrets!

I knew Kevin played baseball but I didn't know how good he was until I got a press release from our sports information department (I was editor of the school newspaper at the time) which said Elster had been drafted by the New York Mets. My sports editor was quite surprised when I, who had never written a sports story, announced that I would writing a profile of Kevin! I called his coach, got some quotes and Elster's phone number. Called him up and we agreed to meet at the dugout at school the next day. I did a crash course on the New York Mets and Kevin's college career to get ready for our interview and wondered what the heck I had gotten myself into. The interview went smoothly and what I remember so well was how confident and excited Kevin was about his future. I got caught up in the enthusiasm and the story ran in the next issue with the headline: "Kevin Elster's Story Has Just Begun."
And it had. within two years of our interview, he had made it from the minors to the Mets and was part of the 1986 World Series winning team. A shortstop, he later set a record for the most errorless games in a row.
I followed Elster's career throughout the years as he had high highs and low lows that included injury and amazing comebacks. During one injury stretch, he actually appeared in the feature film "Little Big League" as, you guessed it, a pro baseball player. Hey, the cast also included Jason Robards so Elster was in good company.
When he was with the Dodgers, I saw him play several times but I was older now, and not about to pitch our sports editor a story. They had REAL sports writers for that. Besides, he woulda been onto me right away!

The LA Daily News features a series of stories on "The Sex Appeal of Sport." I was asked to contribute a story looking into the appeal of pro athletes to gay men. This was an assignment I gladly accepted. CLICK HERE to read my piece.
Among those I interviewed was Outsports.com CEO Jim Businski whose site runs a "King of the Hardwood" contest each year which has twice been won by former NFL player and Olympic skiier Jeremy Bloom.
“We did an interview with Bloom and he was flattered, but wanted to be thought of as more than a pretty face,” Buzinski says.
Still, Bloom’s website has a wide array of photos of the athlete and plenty of them feature him shirtless.
“He showed a lot of skin and was not bashful about it,” says Buzinski. “That is what is happening right now with Brady Quinn. It’s the guys who are well-known and the European and Australian athletes who tend to be less hung up. Beckham has said he is honored to be a big gay fan favorite. It’s the guys who show off their body, are
visible and in the public eye who get the attention.”
This seems like a good excuse to post a buncha pics of some of these hunky dudes we love to look at including football's Brady Quinn and tennis' Andy Roddick.
There are even more after the jiump! Enjoy...

Basketball stud Wally Szczrbiak

Sexy soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo

The one and only...Beckham!

Actually, it's Christian Bale AS Bob Dylan in biopic "I’m Not There." Bale is among thle six different actors who are portraying the legendary musician during various stages of his life. Among the others are Heath Ledger, Richard Gere and, get this, CATE BLANCHETT!

This, I gotta see!
Before heading to New York for an Off-Broadway run this fall, "The Sensuous Woman," a burlesque-style variety show written by and starring Margaret Cho, debuted last night at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s Renberg Theatre.
Cho says the show celebrates women’s bodies of all colors, shapes and sizes: “I have suffered from eating disorders and a horrendously distorted body image for my entire life, and I think the biggest reason is a lack of images of real women’s bodies. We are presenting a new ideal—not one that is about dieting ourselves down to a smaller size, but expanding our notion of what is beautiful and to allow ourselves to be included there, too.”
The Sensuous Woman will also be performed August 23, 24, 30 and 31; and September 6, 7, 13 and 15. All shows are at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25. All proceeds benefit the Center.
For tickets or call the Center Box Office at 323-860-7300.

Tuc Watkins, just cast as one half of a gay couple on "Desperate Housewives" is a rare combination of an actor with leading man looks who can do comedy. Check out this clip from "One Life To Live" where he has played David Vickers, on and off, for quite a few years...

OK, yesterday's clip was just a little appetizer. Here is the full kiss between Luke ands Noah on today's "As the World Turns" as well as the drama leading up to it. They put guys like Kerr Smith ('Dawson's Creek") to shame! They kiss each other like they mean it...and like it.

This, is very, very funny...take a look:

The offensive Rockwell Billiards ad with the slogan "A Cue to Die For" has been yanked after pressure from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
The product bore the name of "The Sopranos" star Joseph R. Gannascoli, whose fictional gay character was beaten to death and sodomized by a pool cue.
While Gannascoli has not issued an official statement, the actor was described as “apologetic” by The Miami Herald on Tuesday when he told a reporter, “I had no idea [the pool cue] would create this sort of uproar...I’m a great supporter of the gay community.”
Says GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano: “While the violence against the character of Vito on The Sopranos was fictional, many members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community have fallen victim to brutal anti-gay attacks. Rockwell Billiards has done the right thing by no longer selling a product which many deemed offensive and insensitive.”

A few weeks back, I posted about Jamie Sandler, a 19 year old who won $1 million on the new Drew Carey-hosted game show "Power of 10." Just found a video of the little cutie and his charisma and great smile will really win you over...

Earlier post: Million dollar cutie...

Merv Griffin is being rememered today at services in Beverly Hills. Somehow, I don't think Hollywood Reporter columnist Ray Richmond - who worked as a segment producer/talent coordinator during the final season of "The Merv Griffin Show" - will be on the guest list. The always outspoken Ray has written a column that addresses the pink elephant in the room dead-on:
"Merv Griffin was gay. Why should that be so uncomfortable to read? Why is it so difficult to write? Why are we still so jittery even about raising the issue in purportedly liberal-minded Hollywood, in 2007? Griffin, who died of prostate cancer Sunday at 82, stayed in the closet throughout his life. Perhaps he figured it was preferable to remain the object of gossip rather than live openly as 'one of them.' But how tremendously sad it is that a man of Merv's renown, of his gregarious nature and social dexterity, would feel compelled to endure such a stealthy double life even as the gay community's clout, and its levels of acceptance and equality, rose steadily from the ashes of ignorance. What a powerful message Griffin might have sent had he squired his male companions around town rather than Eva Gabor, his longtime good friend and platonic public pal. Imagine the amount of good Merv could have done as a well-respected, hugely successful, beloved and uncloseted gay man in embodying a positive image."
Richmond also writes: "Around the office, Merv's being gay was understood but rarely discussed. We knew nothing about his relationships because he guarded his privacy fiercely, and we didn't pry. Merv's secret gay life was widely known throughout showbiz culture, if not the wider America...
...the elephant that was his sexual orientation never stopped following Griffin from room to room. He could duck it for awhile, but it would always find him. It's disheartening that Merv had to die to shake it for good."

Greg's two cents: I still believe it's a person's choice if or when to come out but Ray does raise some excellent points.
What do you think?

Update: Just read this on the LAOberved.com site and explains why I could not find a link of Richmond's column on the home page: Story on Merv Griffin pulled by Hwd Reporter. Elizabeth Guider, the new editor of The Hollywood Reporter, is out of state but ordered the trade's website to take down this morning's story by Ray Richmond about Merv Griffin's sexuality, says a source. It remains on Ray's blog, so click HERE to read it all.

Greg's two cents: It's already in the newspaper! If you printed it, then stand behind it.

Excuse me while I quote Nancy Kerrigan when she got her knee clubbed (thanks alot Tonya) at the 1994 OlympicTrials: "Whhhhyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?????????"
I usually have "The Today Show" on in the morning as background noise as I blog or try to semi-sleep. But this morning, I did not. That means I missed the performance of Maroon 5 and their sexiy frontman Adam Levine who makes me weak in the knees. And he wore his skinny jeans and that tight black T-shirt just for me.
Oh well, here are some images via JustJared.com of the band performing “Wake Up Call.” It’s from their sophomore album “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long.”
Sigh...

Just found this out via Towleroad.com...the acclaimed "Forever Blue" episode of the CBS drama "Cold Case" about two police officers in love in the 60s, is being re-broadcast at 9 p.m. on Sunday night...right after "Big Brother 8.": My evening is set! Here is a clip from the much buzzed-about episide which has been compared to "Brokeback Mountain."
u

Poor Dustin. Thought he had made some friends in the Big Brother house after his screaming ex-boyfriend Joe was evicted. But no. Supposedly put up as a pawn against the awful Dick, Dustin thought he'd just be a "courtesy flush" as the gang gave that piece of "crap" Dick his walking papers. But in a 4-2 vote, with Eric and Jessica breaking rank with their alliance, Dustin was dusted.
Then, assuring that we will get at least two more weeks of evil Dick, his daughter Daniele wins head of household. That means Amber and Jameka go up next. Amber is a disgusting person so I want her to be voted off but frankly, I do not care. I have no emotional attatchments left to any of the contestants. But I'll keep tracking the show because I'm this far in already! I'd like to see Jameka win the whole darn thing but she is so hindered by not being able to compete in HOH competions for at least three more weeks I think!). Dustin (pictured below with Zach) really only has himself to blame. He offered to be put up and he also lost the veto competition by just one strokme against Dick. Gotta work on your croquet dude! Now he heads to sequester house...it woulda been so much more fun if Nick or Mike had been there waiting for him...

Is it Christmas and somebody forgot to tell me? I know it's not my birthday. For whatever reason, this gift just filled my computer screen as I clicked over to the Kennethinthe212 site. Novak Djokovic, the 20-year-old Serbian who is tennis' next big thing, participated recently in an ATP fashion show, modeling underwear with former USC player Adriano Biasela of Italy...I really like presents like this. Novak is ranked third, behind only Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal so his game is as sizzling as his body!

Now, you MUST go to the jump to see these two studs walking off the stage...promise it's worth it!

Look, I know that "Invasion" starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig doesn't have a chance in heck of competing with the raunchy teen comedy "Superbad" (which I saw last week, and loved!). But I'd much rather post a picture of the classy Kidman and the delicious Craig than the leads in the other flick. They are funny dudes...and funny lookin too! Nothing wrong withy funny looking, but I prefer eye candy this early in the morning.
Anyway, here is a link to my latest BOX OFFICE BUZZ column which runs Fridays in the L.A. Daily News.

The Advocate chats up actor Justin Theroux for its Big Gay Following feature. Justin cxurrently stars in "The 10" but we know him from such things as "The Broken Hearts Club" and as Carrie's premature ejaculator boyfriend on "Sex and the City." He is now making his directorial debut in the new film "Dedication."
Here are some highlights from the interview:
Q. How conscious are you of your gay fan base?
A. I was conscious of it as far as the gay New York theater crowd, because that seems to be my forte: I always played gay and English. Literally, if it was a gay Englishman, I got the part. From [directors] Joe Orton [Loot] to Mark Ravenhill [Shopping and Fucking] to Frank McGuinness [Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme] to [Kevin Scott’s] Hide Your Love Away. That’s four gay English people I played, and that’s pretty much my whole theater repertoire in New York.

Q. Homo opportunities must have presented themselves to you. Ever given it a shot?
A. I’ve never given it a shot, but I’ve had drunken advances in college—I did go to Bennington, after all. But it didn’t really pique my interest. I hope I’m comfortable enough in myself that if I even had a percentage of any of that in me, I would feel free to explore it. Actually, I know I would. But I feel pretty hetero.
Q. Any celebrity dude crushes?
A. I worked with Colin Farrell [in Miami Vice], and he’s really charming and charismatic. Alain Delon, maybe? I think with Alain Delon anyone would try something out. He’s to film what Lou Reed was to music: You can’t get any cooler.

Which film was gayer: Romy and Michele or Broken Hearts Club?
Oh, my God, that’s a death match. There’s that weird thing of the “gay community loving the hyper female” story line, but I’d have to go with Broken Hearts Club because it’s just so gay—literally.
What research did you do to prepare for your Broken Hearts role?
You know what? Being in New York theater, I’ve done all the research I ever need to do. It was so nice to do a movie where the themes were gay but it didn’t club people over the head with it. If you took it out of the gay context, it was really more of a Big Chill. One of my favorite C[-list] celebrity sightings—which I’ve never gotten before—was when gay pride was just in town and I was walking down the street and someone said, “That’s the guy from The Broken Hearts Club!” Made me laugh. That’s the first and last time that’ll ever happen.

To read the complete interview, go to Advocate.com.

Nice abs Andy! This is the summer hardcourt season in pro tennis and American hearthrob Andy Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion and 2006 U.S. Open runner-up, is supossed to be one of the best players in the world on the surface. With the Open less than two weeks away, Roddick suffered what has become routine this season: an early round loss - this time at the ATP tournament in Cincinatti, Ohio where he was the defending champion.
He was beaten by the 15th-rankied David Ferrer of Spain 7-6, 6-4 (left) who, like Andy, is pretty easy on the eyes. But it's good for the game when telegenic, articulate players like Andy win or at least stick around until the final days of a tournament. Let's hope he's into the mix at the Open even if he doesn't go into the tourney riding a wave of confidence.
But Spanish stud Carlos Moya, who achieved a tough three-set win to reach the quarterfinals, remains in the hunt and is looking oh-so gorgeous during every win.

Jodie Foster, looking sensational on Oscar night this year, has had her sexuality become quite the focus of attention with OUT Magazine featuring the private star and anchor Anderson Cooper on their covewr as two of the most powerful gay and lesbian people.
Foster, 44, seems to have taken it in stride. The two-time Academy Award winner has just gone on with her life and is currently featured on the cover of the September issue of More magazine. She seems to be more open these days, but on her terms. Here is an interesting excerpt from the piece:
MORE: Let's talk about your ring.
JODIE FOSTER: This one? [Proffers left hand] It's Tiffany, an eternity ring.
MORE: You're wearing it on you wedding ring finger.
JF: I am. I've always worn a ring. Even taking photos. Even on magazine covers. I don't take it off.
MORE: Don't you think wearing a ring like that raises questions?
JF: Well, but that's my life. I thought about this recently: I had a nightmare the other night. Well, anyway . . .
MORE: C'mon! Let's hear the nightmare!
JF: I was being interviewed by somebody, like an innocuous [press] junket thing. They were asking me questions about food I liked or whatever. Then they said, [in a high innocent voice] "Have you ever written any homemade antisemitic cards?" And I was like, [horrified] "No!" Then she said, "Come with me," and I realized, "You're so stupid. Haven't you ever seen that 60 Minutes thing where they ask you a banal question? You're not supposed to say yes or no. You're supposed to go, 'Well, that's interesting.' Because if they ask you the banal question, it's becuse they have some kind of document on you. And now you've got to go! And now the camera's following you!" Then my dream was over [pauses and reflects before continuing] My life is my life. I'm not going to change my life for anybody. I don't have any problems with it. I just don't talk about my health, my dad, who I voted for or what I think of the death penalty, because that would be trivializing my life, selling it for a magazine. I don't have any problems with anybody reporting on my life. It's just that I'm not going to bring my family into that. The number one reason for that is: Why would I invite--encourage--more people to sit outside my door and wait for my children to go to school? I don't have any desire to participate in it."
MORE: Are you happy with the life you've created for yourself?
JF: I'm absolutely over the moon. Ten years ago, I was worried. You know how you worry, if I do this, will this happen? And, I won't be happy if I'm not this. I'm so happy that this is what I chose.

Gabbed up a storm with Marcellas Reynolds last night at a DVD release party in West Hollywood for the hot flick "Boy Culture" (more on that later). I was dying to know what this two-time "Big Brother" contestant and busy TV personality had to say about the goings on this season.
As usual, Marcellas did not hold back!
"They voted off the two custest guysx back-to-back! Mike goes and I thought, 'Well, we still have Nick.' Then he goes the next week and I'm like, 'What the hell are you thinking?' I can't even believe it. I was so upset the night that Nick went and also because it was really poor strategy on the houseguest's part ot get rid of Nick and not Kail. But now there's nobody cute. Zach isn't that cute, Eric isn't cute at all - I'm not into piercing - and I'm over Dustin."

"The thing that's amazing this season is how racist everyone is. Amber is crazy. The other night I was watching the live feed and Dustin, the gay guy, was talking about a black dog that he named [n-word]. I was shocked because you know me, I always want to screw the gay guy every season - except for Joe who had gonorrhea."
So who does he think will win? "It's really going to be a battle of mediocrity. If Dustin dolesn't go this week - and it's smarter for them if Dustin than to choose Dick - because if you are playing the game strategically, you would want to keep Dick in the house because he's a complete a**hole. And you take that bitch to the end, and you're $500,000 richer. So I would keep Dick like it was my job. Dick and Jen, I'd be like, 'We're in an alliance, we're going to the end.' That's who you keep. I hope that they will be smart enough to get rid of Dustin. I think this will be a double eviction week. I don't know that for sure but that's what usually the way it goes the first week someone goes to sequester so they're not in sequester alone."

Hereis a YouTube of the Luke and Noah kiss from today's episode of "As the World Turns." It is sweet and romantic. Also on this clip are quick Entertainment Tonight interviews with the two actors who it seems represent a younger generation completely comfortable with taking on gay roles and not feeling the need to assert their heterosexuality:
Jake Silberman (Noah): "It's a real story, it's an every day story. It's one that millions of people are going through."
Van Hansis (Luke): "If you're gonna show a gay relationship, you should show it as it is...don't dumb it down."

I don't know about you, but I can never get enough of Ellen DeGeneres. She's one of those people who wears well and you're always glad to see her on your TV screen. Ellen, an Emmy nominee for her Oscar hosting gig, will shoot a two-hour variety show for TBS at the Comedy Festival in Las Vegas in November.
"Ellen's Really Big Show" will feature performances by comedic and musical talents and be shot at TCF, organized by HBO and AEG Live, at Caesars Palace. It premieres Sunday, Nov. 18, on TBS, a title sponsor for TCF.
Says Ellen: "I'm very happy to be working with TBS. I usually put two TBS of sugar in my coffee every day, so this is a dream come true for me."

Did it just seem too good to be true?
Andy Baldwin, the best "Bachelor" ever, and his chosen one, Tessa Horst, have called off their engagement but have not broken up. I guess they realize that reality really isn't a reality show. (That's a weird sentence but I'm gonna leave it).
According to In Touch Magazine, Andy reportedly said: “When the fantasy wore off and the reality set in, we both realized that we weren’t ready to be engaged. We’re taking things much slower.”
Tessa has postponed her plans to move from San Francisco to Hawaii where Baldwin, a Navy doctor, is stationed.
They said in a statement: “We are very much in love and committed to our relationship. With the possibility of reassignment to a new location, we decided it was not the ideal time for Tessa to uproot herself and move out [to Hawaii] right now. Our relationship continues to deepen, and we’re very hopeful about our future together.”

I wish them both well since they came off as very appealing people on the show...but I'm thinking this isn't gonna go the distance...

Related post: ">Face-to-face with Andy Baldwin: 'I'm definitely straight'

Well, today is the day of THE KISS on the CBS sudser "As the World Turns" between Luke (Van Hansis) and Noah (Jake Silbermann), two very fine young actors who are really doing this breakthrough storyline of gay teen romance justice. They have not hit any false notes yet.
AfterElton.com has a terrific Q&A posted today with Silbermann that is a must-read. I'll give you a few nibbles:

AfterElton.com: As the World Turns is one of TV's oldest daytime dramas. You're making history as the first gay male teen couple on the show and, in fact, on daytime TV. How does that feel?
Jake Silbermann: I'm really proud to be a part of that kind of storyline, that kind of history. It is kind of a milestone for daytime television. As an actor, you hope you can play a role with meaning, but I never even hoped it would have this kind of significance, so I'm thrilled.

AE: I assume you knew you were auditioning for a gay role? How did you feel about the prospect of playing a gay character?
JS: I was excited. It sounded like a really different role for daytime, which it is. I was really excited about that.

AE: Did you read with Van to see what your chemistry was like with him?
JS: Yeah, we did. Van was present at one of our final auditions. We read together, and it was very natural.

AE: Gay fans have worried that the relationship between Luke and Noah would be treated differently than the relationship between the show's straight characters. Was there a lot of discussion about that on set?
JS: Definitely not. No one ever said to me we're going to treat this differently than a straight relationship. Nobody ever came to me. I knew the story we're trying to tell, and it has to be told the same as it would be with anybody. I mean, maybe it's a little more careful just in the sense that it is the first gay [teen male] couple on daytime television.

Click HERE to read the entire interview!

Maybe Novak Djokovic (above) should have taken the week off to rest on his laurels. The world's third-ranked player, who beat Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick in successive rounds to win in Canada, crashed out of ATP event in Cincinnati on Wednesday, losing badly to 20th ranked Carlos Moya (below).


American Robby Ginepri (above) continued to be a beautiful loser. But the 2005 U.S. Open semifinalist did take the fifth seed to three sets....
Meanwhile, Spanish hunk Nadal suffered a wrist injury was was forced to retire from his match. This is not ideal preparation for the top players with the start of the U.S. Open less than two weeks away.

This is silly but the pictures are cute so I'll bite. There is lotsa speculation about Jake Gyllenhaal's relationship with a chef named Chris Fischer. (I thought he was with Reese Witherspoon! Did that darned US magazine get it wrong AGAIN?) Anyway, here are various pics of Jake and Chris that are supposed to confirm a romantic relationship but all they seem to confirm to me is two hot guys who enjoy spending time together. But if they are involved, how hot is that?

When and if a big-screen version of "Sunset Boulevard" is made, it appears that Glenn Close, who won a Tony for her performance as Norma Desmond on Broadway, would play the lead.I just read all of this on AfterEllen.com which I do not check enough and shgould because it is filled with goodies. The site had previosuly had a poll and its readers agreed that Close was the best choice with 55 percent picking her over Meryl Streep (27 percent) and Barbra Streisand (18 percent). I'm sure Babs isn't interested but I would think Streep would also be an excellent choice.
But if I could cast the role? I'd give it to the great Patti LuPone who originated the role on the London stage but was dumped before the Broadway run (which she was contracted to do) in favor of Close who had triumphed in the Los Angeles production.
LuPone deserved better.

I was just reading Daily Variety's TV ratings story and almost lost my lunch when I read that Dick Donato (aka Satan) and his name-calling and intimidation strategy has boosted the ratings of "Big Brother 8" to their hghest all summer. Damn! Why can;t we credit the spike to cutie pie Eric and his very entertaining role as "America's Player"?
The insults and tantrums had all three of the week's televised segments on CBS in the top 10 among veiwers 18-49.
Writes Variety: "It will be interesting to see if the ratings stay strong if Donato, up for eviction this week, is kicked to the curb on Thursday's live results show."
He has just been too vile, especially on last night's show where he mocked religion, sexuality and motherhood, among other things. He should be kicked to the curb and left there.

Hey, clothes on, clothes off, Chris Evans is a looker. But he's also an actor who wants to be known for more than his studly body which we love seeing in various movies and photo spreads. GQ chose Evans to model Tom Ford’s new men’s collection in its September issue, on stands Aug. 20, according to Planet Gossip's Marc Malkin.
Evans, whose next film is "The Nanny Diaries," is apparently tryingf to limit his skin-baring screen time: “I took it off for the first Fantastic Four,” Evans tells writer Mickey Rapkin about going shirtless. “Then I read the script for the sequel. It’s like, 'Why am I getting out of the shower in this scene?' ”
Evans says he tried lobbying director Tim Story to cut the shower scene: “I had two conversations with the director about it,” he says. “He’s like, ‘You’re right. You’re right.’ Then it wasn’t discussed. Then a month before we started shooting, it’s back in. I can only believe that this career is a marathon, not a sprint. I’ll have time to wash my credibility clean and get some clothes on.”

Do you HAVE to? It seems Matthew McConaughey tried to go that route after his big splash in "A Time to Kill" with such follow-up as "Amastead" and "Contact" but we were so happy when he started taking it off again in such hits as "Failure to Launch," "How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days" and his upcoming surfer flick.

I should do a big SPOLER ALERT thing right here but you KNOW you want a heads-up on when those two teen hotties, Luke and Noah, have their first kiss on "As The World Turns." AfterElton.com reports that it is happening on Friday! Set your TiVo or DVR or call in sick from work and watch it live. Me? I'll just grab a YouTube clip and post it for you all asap.
Here are some nice clips that sort of set it all up and, from personal experience, does a pretty good job of dramatizing both sides of the story: the gay guy who wants his "straight" friend and feels the chemistry and the "straight" friend who also feels the chemistry and it terrifies him.
My guess is that after the kiss, Noah freaks out. But he'll certainly come back for more.
They always do...

I just love it when two of my favorite girls get together. Ellen DeGeneres will kick off the fifth season of her wildly successful daytime talk show on Sept. 4 with a pretty impressive guest: Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for president and a smash hit at The Abbey in West Hollywood last week, will join Ellen in New York where DeGeneres will broadcast from on Sept. 5 as well. It must be so great for Clinton to be able to book high-profile gigs like this while candidates like Bill Richardson try and keep their foots out of their mouths and hope that someone, somewhere, still cares what they have to say.

When Rosie O'Donnell launched her hugely successful daytime talk show in 1994, she said it would be a throwback to the days of Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin, where celebrities would come on and be relaxed and have a good time. Except for her run-in with Tom Selleck, Rosie certainly accomplished this. On her blog, Rosie pays tribute to Griffin, who died this week, with her poem-like writings. I usually try and put them into some kind of sentence form, but this one, I'll leave as is...

MERV GRIFFIN
eva gabors funeral
on santa monica bvd
the steps outside full
movies stars in limos

of old ladies with bright pink lipstick
clutching photoplay magazines
in huge faded hats
it was 1995 - parker just born

there was a bouncer at the door
who looked like lurch
my name was not on the list

“she is ok harold”
i heard from behind
turned 2 see esther williams
who smiled and nodded

i was 33
we had never met

i sat near the front
with jaren close 2 zsa zsa
eddie albert delivered a beautiful eulogy
suzanne pleshette - gravel voiced and wonderful
spoke as she wiped away tears

the priest began
holding the host
high above his head

thru him with him in him
in unity of the holy spirit
all glory and honor is yours
all mighty father
now and forever - amen

lord i am not worthy 2 receive u
only say the word and i shall b healed

there was a moment of silence
very little movement in the pews
the priest was waiting
2 give communion

“odonnell” i heard
in a hushed whisper
i knew the voice
merv himself

very dapper as always
i looked into his blue eyes
out of the side of his mouth
smirking he said

“get up odonnell
follow me
we’re the only 2 catholics in here
for gods sake
take the host”

and i did
he always made me happy
like millions of others
i am missing merv

maybe he has met nana
up there
she is asking him about totie fields
i am sure

I just love having an excuse to post pictures of Tuc Watkins on the blog now that he has been cast as one of the gay neighbors on "Desperate Housewives." Here he is in a scene on "One Life to Live" with five-time Emmy winner Erika Slezak. Hopefully, Marc Cherry will write in a few towel scenes for the terrific Tuc!
I found these pics on AfterElton.com where some letter writers are unimpressed with the casting of Tuc on the show. They clearly are not aware that he is more than a pretty face. He's that rare actor with leading man looks who can do comedy so brilliantly.
When he played Malcom, the gay TV exec on "Beggars and Choosers," he spotted a hot guy in the office and said to himself: "Helllooo, lunch!"
I still use that line once in awhile whenever I see something tasty. Now my friends will know where I got it from.

Are CBS executives glad they chose this sick, twisted "person" named Nick to be on "Big Brother *" for entertainment value? He has been nominated for eviction along with his manipulative daughter, Daniele, and on tonight's broadcast, did his devil best to get under the skin of all other houseguests at one point saying, "I have to get them to despise me."
That task had already been accomplished but for good measure, he went on a rampage calling Amber "a disaster on two legs" (well, that IS true) but he did not have to add: "You are one ugly b*tch. I promise on the life of your daughter I am going to make your life miserable."
CBS did not see fit to air Amber's anti-Semetic remarks made previously and caught on the live-feed, but the network had no hesitation in airing Dick's homophobic taunts toward gay contestant Dustin, whom he repeatedly called "Princess."
Even if it's strategy, it's so vile and only a vile person could say the words with such conviction. And coming from a 44-year-old man wearing nail polish and earings, it was pretty ridiculous.
Of the Christian Jameka he said: "You can't even save yourself!" and after Dick won the POV competition, he mockingly said: "Thank you Jesus!" I think Jameka spoke for anyone stupid enough (me included) to still be watching this annoying show when she said: "He is Satan in this house."

So Star Jones begins her new daily talk show next week on Court TV. That means she's back in the news - well, even more than usual - and doing an assortment of interviews promoting the new project. I wish her well. I liked her until she turned into bridezilla on "The View" and got so full of herself. Still, they have never really been able to replace her which I think says a lot. She was a smart, strong woman then and I think what will help her now is that she might come across as more authentic. I say this because she has FINALLY admitted the obvious: she had gastric bypass surgery and lost 160 pounds. Her lack of candor about this, even as she wrote a self-helf book and talked about her marriage ad-nauseum, are what turned off viewers and let to her getting the boot.
I'm going to share with you some quotes from her interview in the new issue of TV Guide then after the jump is part of her Q&A with Newsweek.
Enjoy!
On why she wouldn't admit to having surgery: "I was angry with myself and embarrassed. Emotionally, it was a long road to forgive myself for not being perfect. And I was worried it wouldn't be successful."

On why she had the surgery: "I didn't lose weight for the public eye. I did it because I didn't want to die. I couldn't walk a block without using an inhaler. I weighed almost as much as my friend Shaquille O'Neal!"

On if she's heard from former co-workers at "The View": "Elisabeth [Hasselbeck] and I are friends. I'm happy for them and I hope they're happy for me, because I got exactly what I wanted [with my new show]."

On sending flowers to new co-host Whoopi Goldberg: "I was encouraging her to do what's good for Whoopi - she's my friend. The View was my home for nine years. Why would I do anything to try and destroy it? I've not made a nasty comment since I left over a year ago."

Oh, this is delicious.
One half of the gay couple moving into the neighborhood on "Desperate Housewives" happens to be the ridiculously handsome and very talented Tuc Watkins (pictured, left) who I have been a huge fan of since his role as a gay television executive for two seasons of the late, great Showtime series "Beggars and Choosers."
TV Guide.com reports that Watkins' other half on the show will be played by the very appealing Kevin Rahm who joined the cast of "Judging Amy" for several seasons after Dan Futterman departed. I love these selections.
TV Guide describes the characters this way:Watkins will play Bob, described as a country mouse who leaves the big city for greener (and quieter) pastures. Rahm is his bitchy partner, Lee.
I assume Lee will be the one who clashes with neighbor Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher).
Watkins is a wonderful talent and very good at comedy as evidenced by his long run, on and off, on "One Life to Live" where he played the cad David Vickers who was a wonderful match for the show's reigning bitch Dorian (Robin Strasser). He has also played gay on other ocassions besides "Beggars" including iin the indie fave "I Think I Do..." and on an episode of the since-cancelled CBS drama "Family Law"
I've met hkm twice while out and about and both times, he could not have been nicer....or hotter!

Related posts:
Gay Couple Moving onto Wisteria Lane
Lost memories of celeb cell phone encounters

Thanks to the terrific blog Kennethinthe212 for being quick to post these magazine shots of quarterback Tom Brady...a very handsome gent. We just gtotta have our Tuesday morning eye candy.

One of Out In Hollywood's favorites, "Fantastic Four" star Chris Evans, has reported;y admitted that he takes out the trash naked sometimes: "I have a nice backyard. It's very secluded, so every now and then I might just run out quickly and take the trash out."
I just love when our stars share these things with us...

Posting pictures of Carlos Moya playing tennis just makes me happy. So here are two shots of the Spanish hearthrob during his win earlier today over David Nalbandian of Argentina during the ATP tour stop in Cincinnati, Ohio.

This is a good decision. With gay media such as Logo and Here! making major breaktroughs, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has decided to include gay media in its annual awards which recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives.
But those awards had been limited to mainstream print and broadcast organizations and the exclusion of LGBT media had led to some increasingly bitter feelings. Now all media can compete in the existing categories.
“With the expansion of cable channels and niche programming, LGBT created and consumed media is more readily available than ever before,” stated GLAAD President Neil Giuliano. (pictured below with Ang Lee) “Our Board has decided to incorporate LGBT media submissions into the existing competitive categories. We welcome the opportunity for LGBT media to submit their journalism and programming for consideration.”
In the 1990s, the GLAAD Media Awards had specific LGBT media categories. Due to a lack of submissions and a tension arising from the LGBT media that did not want to be judged and evaluated by GLAAD, the categories were eliminated in 2000.

The four dates and venues for the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards taking place in 2008 were also announced. The first event will be held in New York at the Marriott Marquis on Monday, March 17, 2008. The Los Angeles event will return for the seventh consecutive year to the Kodak Theatre on Saturday, April 26. The San Francisco event will be held on Saturday, May 10 at the San Francisco Marriott. For the third consecutive year, GLAAD's event honoring LGBT images in Spanish-language media will be held in South Florida on Saturday, April 12 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation wants an ad for a Rockwell Billiards pool stick whacked!
A new product marketed by actor Joseph R. Gannascoli, who played the gay character Vito Spatafore on the HBO drama, "The Sopranos," has authorized his name to be used on a pool stick branded with the phrase "A Cue to Die For." This plays on the fact that Vito was beaten to death on "The Sopranos" with pool cues and then sodomized with one.
Says GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano: “It’s highly inappropriate that what served as a very real example of the hateful violence the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community faces is now being used as a gimmick to sell a product. The insensitive inclusion of the pool cue in the ‘To Die For’ marketing theme betrays the legacy of The Sopranos character and is unacceptable.”
Rockwell Billiards clearly sees nothing uncool about it, proudly announcing the new line of pool cues in a recent press release stating, “The cue is named ‘A Cue to Die For’ following in Gannascoli’s theme from his cookbook novel, ‘A Meal to Die For’ and the way he was killed. Gannascoli played Vito Spatafore; the gay mobster, in HBO's hit series The Sopranos. Joe starred in The Sopranos from 1999 appearing in 43 episodes. He was finally whacked in episode #11 during season 6. Vito was brutally beaten to death with a pool cue when the mob found out he was gay.”
Idiots.
GLAAD is calling on Rockwell Billiards and Gannascoli to remove the name, “A Cue to Die For,” from this product immediately and apologize for using such a vulgar symbol of violence and anti-gay bigotry to make a profit.

Merv Griffin died Sunday at the age of 82. He lived a nice, long life and enjoyed tremendous success as an entertainer and talk show host them as an entertainment mogul who made a a gazillions creating the "Wheel of Fortune" and other shows which led to hotels etc.
I remember watching "The Merv Griffin Show" as a kid on LA's KTTV (now the FOX channel) and he had all the big celebs from the 70s and early 80s on and I used to think 'What a cool job! I want to interview Charo!"
Merv had a gay man's dream job. So, WAS Merv a gay man?
If you read most of the obits, he's merely a divorced man and a father. But the New York Times noted that Griffin was "dogged by sex scandals and insinuations that he was gay. In 1991, he was sued by Denny Terrio, the host of 'Dance Fever,' another show Mr. Griffin created, alleging sexual harassment. The same year, Brent Plott, a longtime employee who worked as a bodyguard, horse trainer and driver, filed a $200 million palimony lawsuit."
Both suits were dismissed and Griffin characterized both as extortion.
He told the newspaper two years ago:'I tell everybody that I’m a quartre-sexual. I will do anything with anybody for a quarter.'"

Lance Bass will transform himself into the perky dance show host Corny Collins in the Broadway production of "Hairspray" starting Tuesday night and the intimacy of a theater vs, a stadium has him a bit concerned: "I'd much rather play to 50,000 people than 1,000," Bass tells the NY Daily News. "In a theater, you can see everyone! It is like doing a live TV show."
Bass tells the paper that his fears of losing female fans after coming out last year have proven to be off-base: "When I came out, my female fan base exploded."
Good luck tomorrow Lance. If ya get nervous, just imagine every one of those 1,000 people without any clothes on!

The more Bill Richardson talk, the less I like him. I thought he gave a pretty good speech at the HRC dinner last March but it's pretty much been downhill since then. After his big faux paus at the HRC/Logo presidential forum last week, he sat down with The Advocate's Kerry Eleveld to try and do some damage control.
It seems he has an excuse for every occasion:

Click HERE to read the entire interview...I've pulled out a few questions as an appetizer...

The Advocate: What happened last night when you were asked whether being gay was a matter of choice or biology and you said that it was the former?
Richardson: I misunderstood the question, and I made a mistake in the way I answered it. I thought it was a trick question. I made a mistake and I apologize. ...I've always understood that [being gay is biological], I just haven't thought about that in a very long time. Again, I'm very action-oriented. I deal with getting things done for gay and lesbian people, as I have as a governor. And I fully understand that it's something you're born with and it's not a lifestyle choice. I've always understood that, but when you're flying all night from New Hampshire as I had—we're human too. We flew all night to get here. That shouldn't be an excuse. I am here in a symbolic visit to The Advocate to say I misunderstood the question, I handled it in a bad way, and I caused a lot of confusion. But my main message is that I should be judged by my actions, on what I've done, not words that don't accomplish anything, that had been misunderstood.

It's not even my birthday and yet this happened on tonight's episode of "Big Brother 8"...
Jessica nominated Dick and Daniele for eviction. Dick is going down swinging, picking fights with Jameka and Amber. Meanwhile, Daniele is left to scrounge around for allies.
Good luck with that.
I don't know what Dick hoped to accomplish being such an a**hole. He not only lose the game but along with Amber, is the most loathsome person on this or any season of this show.
My interest in the show is waning...but I do want to see that nutjob voted off followed by Amber the next week. I find them boith so offensive. Jen doesn't even bother me in the least now...

Matthew McConaughey is just the gift that keeps on giving. Here he is working out in Malibu over the weekend. I'm so glad he's not one of those movie stars who prefers an indoor treadmill...

Wow! My friend Henry isn't gonna like this but I did see it coming. Novak Djokovic has just won the Canadian Open in Montreal. Who did he beat to win the title? None other that world number one Roger Federer by a score of 7-6, 2-6, 7-6. That's the most impressive win in a week that included Djokovic's wins over no. 2 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals and no. 3 Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals. Those three players have 15 grand slam titles between them (Federer has 11 of them) and this kid has none. But I think he's gonna break through at the U.S. Open.
He is number three with a bullet!
Djokovic became the first player to beat the world's top three players in the same tournament since Boris Becker defeated No. 3 Michael Stich, No. 1 Pete Sampras and No. 2 Goran Ivanisevic in succession in 1994 in Stockholm.

"Laura Bush. Oh my God! I think it would [take] all day, every day for about two years. We'd have to reprogram her whole DNA. I think it's an immpossible task - truly. Don't even get me started on the Bushes."
- Tim Gunn, to Out magazine when asked who on Capitol Hill is in most need of a makeover.

"This is the best thing ever. The first time [Whoopi] sat on our panel, I thought, 'This feels good.' I had been hoping that they'd pick her and I'm thrilled. Whoopi comes from a place of incredible wisdom. She's thoughtful and cares about people. I think she wants to bring justice to the world in whatever way she can. And she's funny as all heck. We're going to have incredible conversations come September. I wish we could start talking with her today."
- Elisabeth Hasselbeck to OK! magazine on her new "View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg

"I'm very outspoken and honest. I'm the first to say that I'm gay, that I'm insecure, that I have certain hang-ups, that I've been dependent on drugs or alcohol, so I really don't hide things with the fear that they're going to be revealed on some blog...
- fashion designer Marc Jacobs to Out magazine

Thought I'd check in on Rosie O'Donnell via her blog and as you can see from the photo, she is having a good time in Miami with the family. But not everything went swimmingly after she and wife Kelli had dinner in South Beach the other night. She writes of an incident with a dude with anger issues:

tonight dinner in so beach, a very gay city, kel and iin r pt cruiser - top down...
...we had just finished eating, about to head home...2 many people...
when along came a bald screaming infuriated man - it’s always a man, i tell ya -
i stood next to his hog when kel backed out so as not to hit it - i ride...
... as i buckled my belt, he ran towards r car, angry: “MY MOTORCYCLE BLAH BLAH !!!”
“chill dude - we didn’t touch it” ...his eyes were wild, stretched open wide.
he got madder pupils big - snorting like a dragon
"FUCKING LESBIANS" he screamed
the trump card, always...and we r supposed to cower, to fall 2 r knees ashamed,
not good enough, unworthy...
not tonight mr bald muscle man with a pimped out hog...not tonight
i stood up in the front seat, hands above my head, smiled and yelled, "CORRECT SIR - FUCKING LESBIAN!!!"
...he stormed back to his table, right there in the lincoln mall

sun is setting, it is beautiful here in miami...dolphins and dreams...

peace out

David Beckham finally played his first game for the L.A. Galaxy then gave the fans an even bigger treat: took his shirt off!
Happy Friday everyone...

Roger Federer is a wonder to watch, probably the best player ever to grace a tennis court. On Friday, he beat Lleyton Hewitt to advance to the semifinals of the Canadian Open.

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic was able to retain his number three world ranking with a win over fifth-seed Andy Roddick. Had Andy won, he would have moved up to the third spot. It seems like on all of the sports biggest stages this year, the 19-year-old Novak has fared better than Roddick and truly is the best player behind Federer and second-ranked Rafael Nadal. All he needs is a grand slam win...

It was tough to get a clean shot of Sen. Clinton even from 10 feet away...but here are a few that turned out OK.
What made the LGBT Presidential Forum so special yesterday was not only having our issues focused on for an entire evening, but watching the event at The Abbey with thousands of other people who, like me, have watched this country sink so low under our current president and his administration. We want someone who is smart in the Oval Office, has good intentions and can actually work with people to get somethng done.. No one is perfect, Hillary Clinton included. But her work as a New York senator has been widely seen as highly effective and I liked what I saw last night both at the forum and at the party afterward at The Abbey where she was embraced by a very supportive crowd. Some wonder why gays seem to be leaning toward Clinton when she hasn't even come out in full support of gay marriage. I think it's because we think she can really win AND because so many in the LGBT community have been underdogs and fought for their place in the world. We identify with her desire to break down barriers.

I got caught up in the fever and posed with a Clinton for President sign. I'm not officially endorsing her, yet, but am probably on my way...

This is a cool guy, Kyle Taylor (left), and his friend (sorry, forgot the name of friend), who I watched much of the forum with. It's nice to make new friends...

And last, but not at all least, this is me last night with my favorite bartender at The Abbey, Matt. He makes a terrific lemon drop martini and it doesn't hurt that he is movie star handsome...and very sweet.

Earlier post: HillaryClinton at The Abbey was a hot ticket...

When I was leaving the Hillary Clinton party last night, I overhead a guy say to his friend, "Richardson REALLY blew it."
I'll say.
I've just watched the YouTube clip where he says "It's a choice" when asked if homosexuality is biological or a choice. Can you BELIEVE this dude?
Panelist Melissa Etheridge certainly could not believe her ears and tried to give the New Mexico Governor another crack at righting himself: "I don't think you understood the question. Do you think I -- a homosexual is born that way, or do you think that around seventh grade we go, 'Oh, I want to be gay?'"
Richardson just kept on digging: "I'm not a scientist. I don't see this as an issue of science or definition. I see gays and lesbians as people, as a matter of human decency."
I'm sure his campaign folks were just going apesh*t at this point. After the debate, the following attempted damage control statement was released by Richardson: "Let me be clear -- I do not believe that sexual orientation or gender identity happen by choice. But I'm not a scientist, and the point I was trying to make is that no matter how it happens, we are all equal and should be treated that way under the law. That is what I believe, that is what I have spent my career fighting for. I ask that people look at my record and my actions and they will see I have been a true supporter of the LGBT community."

Whatever. Talk to the hand.

I'm not even going to pretend that "Rush Hour 3" is great filmmaking but if I told you I didn't laugh a lot during it, that would be a lie. It cracked me up even though it was preposterous! And I think it will make gobs of money on opening weekend which I discuss in today's Box Office Buzz column in the Daily News.
Give it a read!
Also out today, in limited release, is the gay-themed "Cut Sleeve Boys" about a pair of gay Chinese guys in London and all that happens to them as they navigate life. I found the movie OK, some of the scenes are quite sexy, and it's probably more worth your time than "Rush Hour 3" which has zippo gay content.

My mind was so much on politics yesterday that I'm just now catching up on what happened last night on "Big Brother 8." And it is great news! Eric survived in a 4-3 vote that sent Kail home and, I think, ends the reign of terror that was Daniele and Dick.
Jessica won HOH and my bet is she puts this twisted father-daughter duo on the block then thjey can go another few years without speaking. Can you imagine having to spend your holidays with that manipulative bully?
Nowe here's my hope: A showmance between Eric and Dustin! That would be cool. Is this just a pipe dream or does anyone know of any real flirtations between these two?

Well, this outa be one of the bigger selling issues of the year. Ryan Reynolds, the gorgeous, talented and funny actor is starring in "The Nines" which I saw last week and promise to post a review of in the coming days. Reynolds is terrific in this film in three very different roles and you will see him do some very impressive stuff. One of the characters is gay, just like we wish Reynolds was!
Gay filmmaker John August, who directed the film, interviews Reynolds for the magazine which hits stands Aug. 14.

Reynolds says he had no worries about taking a gay role: "Anyone who is homophobic—they're triggered on some level by something within themselves that they're desperately afraid of. More obvious news later in the program."

Ryan shares an anectdote of something that happened while he was on the ABC sitcom "Two Guys and a Girl" : "I remember once I did this improv where I grabbed one of the actors and gave him this kind of Looney Tunes kiss. The audience loved it, and I thought it was a really funny moment. I'll never forget—this other actor cam up afterwards and said, 'What are you doin'? People are going to think athat you're gay.' And I remember just thinking that's just the most profoundly idiotic thing I'd ever heard."

August (pictured with Reynolds) asks the actor if he would come out if he were a gay actor: "I don't know if I would. I haven't spent 23 years with a conflict within myself that is localized to just that. I certainly have my own versions of it, but none of those are as stigmatized as being gay, so I don't know. Would I feel a certain obligation to? I honestly don't know."
But that doesn't mean he doesn't share az similar self-examination process:"..given that there are 31 flavors of self-hatred, do you believe that is applicable only to in-the-closet gay people? I'm a 30-year-old straight man and I feel like I can completely relate to what you're talking about right now. I was hyperperceptive to the point where it was actually painful. That's probably a big factor of why I'm in this career."
Pictured below is the always nice to look at Reynolds in a scene from "The Nines."

After a day of politics, I am back to my silly, superficial self! Well, it's a living...

So who is this handsome dude?
He's Brad Womack and he has been chosen as the object of affection for the 11th season of The Bachelor. He's hot, there is no denying. But he's got some mighty shoes to fill in following Andy Baldwin who mixed hunkiness in with character and a sort of earnestness that we haven't really seen on this show. Womack is 34, raised in Texas, and co-owns four successful bars with two of his brothers. As far as being eye candy, he's pretty much off-the-charts, don't ya think?
The Bachelor premieres on @ 9:30PM ET/PT on Monday, Sept. 24 on ABC.

What. A. Night.
When Hillary Clinton took the stage last night at The Abbey, it was like being at a rock concert and she was our rock star. I hope she never forgets this incredible night and the raucous reception she got because I don't think any of us ever will. I was near the stage, probably about 10 feet away, and made a lot of friends because we were crammed in tight!
She greeted a giddy crowd that was just beyond itself with excitement.
"I think I just might have found one of the answers to the energy crisis," Sen. Clinton joked after one too many persons called out and interrupted her flow. "I am excited to see this level of intensity and involvement. But, it's a long way to the election."
The front-runner for the Democratic nomination had come straight to The Abbey in West Hollywood after participating in a presidential forum on LGBT issues - the first of its kind - sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign and Logo.
"I thought it was so significant and historic that such an event was held tonight," she said. "Part of the job of the next president - namely, me - will be to bring our country back from the disastrous policies of the last six years...I know America can do better. I want us to believe we can make progress together....If we don't change course, we will not recognize our country."
She had the room in the palm of her hand pretty much before she even got there but what was so impressive was how well she did with the crowd, reacting and being in the moment.
Here is a YouTube video of her remarks last night:

I don't think it's overstating things to say that it felt like we were part of history, being there on that night where our issues were front-and-center and being with the candidate who could very well be the first female president of the United States.
We had watched the televised presidential forum on LGBT issues earlier in the evening on screens The Abbey had installed for the occasion. It was only during Clinton's portion that the room was really quiet and people were 100 percent paying attention. Barack Obama was first on but we were being let into the venue then and missed part of it. Not sure why they did not begin letting people in until 6 p.m. since the forum started right then. John Edwards was impressive, according to most of the people I was standing with but Bill Richardson did not seem to go over too well and commited the major gaffe of the night when he said he thought homosexuality was a choice.
Not. A. Good. Answer.
People liked what Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel had to say but I must say, it only seemed to matter what the big three - Clinton, Edwards and Obama - had to say.
And, as expected, none came out in favor of gay marriage. Some came close but they were so careful. So careful that it seemed less clear after they answered why they opposed it except for the unstated obvious: too politically risky. Still, some of us thought it would have been a great opportunity to make that leap but it was not to be, not last night.
I chatted up former California Gov. Gray Davis later on (Sen. Clinton acknowledged him from the stage) and he told me this: "I thought she was terrific tonight. She was very human, very real, very connected to the audience." Then I asked the 60-something Davis how he manages to look so young and he joked: "Because Arnold's got all the problems!"
I'll share my photos of the event later today...gotta get some sleep now!

...but not on Out In Hollywood. I want to experience this event as a citizen, watching it at The Abbey, feel my own reaction and gauge those of others. Then, Hilary Clinton will arrive and I do hope to at least get a handshake! I will be posting my impressions and experiences late tonight and early tomorrow.
Fortunately, there will be some terrific live blogging going on so here are some options for ya if you want to have your laptop on as you watch:

- AfterElton.com editor Michael Jensen and writer Brent Hartinger will be blogging on the AfterElton.com site.
- The Advocate will provide comprehensive coverage of the HRC/Logo Forum at www.advocateinsider.com with live blogging throughout the event as well as from the fund-raisers following the forum where candidates are scheduled to appear.

And if you don't get Logo, watch the debate online. Click HERE for more information.

The terrific Queerty.com site posted an interview with Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese who discussed forum taking place tonight in LA of Democratic candidates seeking the presidential nomination.
The HRC head says he's "feeling nervous" about it all:
"With the press - at least the gay press - the expectation is really high. You could talk to a hundred people and there are a hundred strong opinions of what should be asked and what should be answered. It’s only nervous making in that I feel like we want - at least on my part - to deliver what we can to the community and we can only take it so far. It’s really up to the candidates."

On what he hopes the forum accomplishes tonight: " I hope that we get to put a broader set of issues on the table. I hope we get to hear from these candidates that if they’re for something, what it is that motivates them to be for it personally or in their public service world. If they’re not for something, why not? Maybe if we getter a better sense of why [someone] is not for it, it would help us figure out how to get you to be for it.
Ultimately, one of the most important things, is I look forward to is “What are you going to do?” You say you’re going to overturn DADT? How are you going to do that? You say that same sex couples should have the same federal benefits, what would three be? That’s a worthwhile question. Are these candidates thoughtful enough to come up with three?

Queerty asks if he thinks the candidates are all sincere about really care about gay people: "Yes. I think they’re really sincere about caring about gay people. I think if you really got into some of the hearts and souls of some of these people and where they are on marriage… We all sit back and say, “They all support marriage.” I think it was David Mixer who had an op-ed piece that said something like, “They all support marriage, they just can’t figure out how to do it that would be viable”. I don’t think that’s true. I think that could be true for some of them, but if we zap them all with the truth serum, some of them may be, “I have many different audiences to answer to and I’m trying to get elected.” You might find people with that whole deeply held religious conviction about honoring the religious sacrament of marriage - I say, “We’re not talking about that. We’re talking about the civil institution of marriage,” but I think that you might find that in their souls."

To read the complete interview, which is quite substantive, click onto Queerty.com.

CYNDI LAUPER:"What is at stake here, is our country. We have allowed a minority who are allowed to believe and live how they choose, to take away our freedom to be able to believe and live how we choose. I believe it is time for the LGBT community–and and all of its friends and family–to raise our voices and let it be known loud and clear that it is not acceptable to take away or deny basic civil liberties. Period. We should all have the right to live with the same dignity, opportunities and safety. It simply shouldn’t matter what anyone’s sexual orientation is."

WILSON CRUZ: "I am hopeful that we can enter a new chapter in American history in which we can mend the rifts of the last six-and-a-half years. These have been divisive and polarizing years in almost every way. It’s as if this administration has gone out of its way to pit us against each other: Divide and conquer! It’s laughable to think back to Mr. Bush’s statement in his first presidential bid, that he was a “uniter not a divider.” Not only was he a divider, but he split this country in every conceivable way, and then managed to divide us from the rest of the world. From stem cell research to the environment, from terrorism to LGBT rights, this administration has, with its arrogance and myopic world view, done nothing but keep us apart. So, for me, the most important issue in this election, not just as a gay man, but as a citizen of this country and of the world, is reconciliation. I am in search of a candidate who can bring us back to the table in a meaningful way."
KATE CLINTON: In America, that sound you have been hearing is the wall between church and state tumbling down. Apparently we were short on walls and needed one at the border. The willful brick by brick dismantling of that fragile separation is not good for the state or for the church. It has been especially harmful for tax-paying, America-loving LGBT Americans.For seven long years the country has been run by people who believe that they will be taken up into heaven on the rapture. For some of us, that can’t come soon enough. After listening to their anti-gay, get-out-the-vote rhetoric, I would gladly host a rapture going-away party. They believe in the afterlife because they don’t have the courage to live in this life.LGBT people have that courage. LGBT Americans are profoundly people of faith. Every time we come out of the closet we are saying that we have faith in ourselves, faith in our family and friends and that we have faith in Justice. We understand justice is simply doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.
MELISSA ETHERIDGE: (one of the three panelists tonight): "The fact that these candidates have even agreed to show up to a televised forum on LGBT issues means that we have come a long way. We will be able to hold them up to their promises come 2009. And maybe more people can watch and see that LGBT issues are civil rights issues and not special rights....I am going to ask each candidate different questions. Each candidate is quite varied on LGBT issues, so I’m going to confront each of them individually. Getting America back on track is the issue I think is most important. I think LGBT issues will fall in line, then."

AMANDA BEARSE: "I am ashamed of our government. I no longer trust in it to tell us the truth of what is really happening on the other side of the world, much less at home here in our United States. I’ve just wanted to leave, to go to another land where, hopefully, peoples’ mindsets would be more open to world peace. Instead, I’m settled in a country of invalid presidential elections and our leader’s constant condescension. This coming election year, I will cast my vote to get the Republicans out of office, and I demand that my vote be counted accurately. However, I would ask the Democratic or Libertarian candidates what measures they would take to keep us safe here in America. Assuming the role as President of the United States is embracing the charge of the people of this country who are hungry for change, yet hopeful that the help we need to restore our faith in government is on its way."

To read these statements in their entirety and find other forum-related news, go to Logo's VisibleVote08 site.

Billie Jean King is one of my great inspirations and heroes in life. I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to tell her that. She is a positive person who believes that change can occur and she has led the way time and time again in changing the world in her decades-long fight for equality.
Here is some of what the great BJK wrote for logoonline about tonight's historic presidential forum:

"The 2008 Presidential election is perhaps one of the most important elections in recent history. From the environment to women’s rights to health care to America’s role internationally, the next President will have a significant impact on the direction of our country and the future of our world. Just as important to me personally is how the next President will address issues important to the LGBT community. The decisions we make during the primary and caucus process as well as in November 2008 will be pivotal to the advances that must be made in the campaign for equality in this country...
...A new President also means we can finally have a fair chance to stop the marginalization of gay and lesbian couples and work to ensure that all Americans in committed relationships have the same rights and responsibilities. We need to figure out a way to make sure gay and lesbian couples have access to the over 1,000 rights that married couples currently have at the federal level. It is important that we look for candidates who not only share our ideals and dreams for a better, stronger future, but believe in, and are willing to fight for equality.

I urge you to truly investigate each of the candidates and make an informed decision at the polls. For me, that choice is clear. Hillary Clinton has been a longtime friend of the LGBT community. She has fought for policies that promote equality, while taking a strong stand against forces that have tried to marginalize the LGBT community...
...It’s up to us now. We hold the power in our hands and next November, we need to make sure what is in our hearts and in our minds is heard loud and clear.

I'm really looking forward to tonight's Democratic candidate forum! If you don't get Logo through your cable providor, you can watch the event live online. As it draws nearer and I rush to get my work done, I can feel such tremendous excitement building over this historic event. Every Democratic candidate except Joe Biden and Chris Dodd plans to participate and whatever "scheduling conflicts" they cite, seems like a ba idea to skip this even i you don't have a hope in heck of getting the nomination.
Sure, we can all hope the candidates, especially top three Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, show unabashed support for gay marriage and for the demise of the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. But my expectations are low and I fear they will play it safe.
But I'm willing to be surprised!

VisibleVote08 asked tennis great and LGBT activist Martina Navratilova to comment on what she expected from the candidates hoping to gain the Democratic nomination. I'm happy to share some excerpts of her answers and want to say how important I think Martina's opinion is. She is someone who really appreciates being an American, someone who fled her home and family in what is now the Czech Republic in 1975 to escape communist rule. She became an American ciitizen in 1981. Ten years later, in her last U.S. Open singles final, Martina had lost to Monica Seles but the crowd gave her an ovation for the ages. She said that day: "I'm so damned proud to be an American."
Here are some of Martina's words on democracy:

"...When asked “What issue is most important to LGBT people?” is the same to me—lack of and even erosion of equality, and therefore erosion of freedom. What is at stake in this next election for us is America’s future and its standing in the world. We cannot be the world’s leader when what we say and what we do are two different things. We cannot shout about democracy and freedom while running roughshod over same here at home.
By singling out a group of people (the LGBT community) and making sure equal rights don’t apply, you are nibbling away at the core of what this fabulous country stands for—as in “the pursuit of happiness” for all.

“Should a candidate’s stance on gay issues trump other important issues?” Well, if you don’t think gays should have the same rights straight people have, you are saying “no” to me on what is important to me, and you are saying “no” to our LGBT community on issues that are important to us all—young, old and all the ages in between; black, white and all the colors in between. Who else would you like to exclude? Where exactly do you stop?

Lleyton Hewitt and Rafeal Nadal have teamed up to play doubles at the Canadian Open this week...

Don't ya think they would be really hot as the leads in "Brokeback Mountain"? Hewitt is an Aussie and reminds me a bit of Aussie Heath Ledger while Nadal...well, he's Nadal!

Between them, Hewitt and Nadal have won five grand slam titles. Hewitt has lifted the trophy at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and is a former number one while Nadal is a three-time French Open champ and a strong number two behind Roger Federer.

Look at Andy Roddick! He is looking so intense, like he wants to kick some serious Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal butt. He will need to if he is to return to the top of the game. He is ranked fifth.

Well, Carlos Moya may have lost his first-round match, but doesn't he still look absolutely gorgeous? Miserable, but gorgeous. He did win the Croatia Open a few weeks ago so it's been a decent summer for the former French Open champ and world number one.

AND MORE PICS BELOW!!

Found this posted today on Queerty.com and had to share:

World number one Roger Federer won his match at the Candadian Open on Wednesday then celebrated his 26th birthday on court. We all know that he already got his biggest present: a fifth straight Wimbledon title last month. Federer will be gunning for a fourth straight U.S. Open crown in a few weeks and I would not wanna bet against him!

Whoopi Goldberg, seen walking along Greene Street in Soho, doesn't plan to be the kind of moderator on "The View" who picks fights because that's not the kind of person she is. Good luck with that Whoopi, just wait until Hasselbeck REALLY gets your goat!
According to JustJared.com, here is what Miss. Goldberg told Ryan Seacrest in an interview: “I disagree with a lot of stuff a lot of people say, but there is a dialogue to have with people that I was taught by my mom – how to be respectful and listen. You can get loud and move on after you are finished with it, that is how I work.”

What rock have I been hiding under? Hadn't seen a single second of "Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World" until Logo sent me a note about the show's DVD release on August 28. So, watched some clips (and provided one for you, below). The DVD comes just a few weeks after the series completes its run on Logo.

A single-disc includes all six episodes in the animated series, with special features straight from West Lahunga Beach, the gayest of gay ghettoes. Meet ‘The Puppet Masters’ and go behind the scenes with ‘Toys Will Be Toys: Animating Rick & Steve.’ Other extras include cast interviews, 12 digisodes, and more!
The show is created, written and directed by Q. Allan Brocka (Boy Culture") and stars the voice talent of Alan Cumming, Peter Paige, Wilson Cruz and Margaret Cho, with music from the creators of the hit Broadway musical, Avenue Q.

For free downloads, exclusive web content and video clips visit the gang from West Lahunga Beach at HappiestGayCouple.com.

It sure looks like the days when presidential candidates wanted to talk about anything but gay issues (unless it was a Republican trashing gay marriage in order to get elected) are finally over, thank God. Tomorrow night is the first-ever Presidential Forum specifically surrounding issues to the LGBT community. The forum, taking place in Los Angeles, is sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign and airing live on LOGO beginning at 6 p.m.
I passed on an opportunity to be on-site since press is relegated to a room with monitors and so access to the candidates face-to-face. So I'll be watching it from The Abbey to be with my peeps and hopefully get to meet Hilary Clinton who is stopping by after.
In addition to Sen. Clinton, others confirmed for the forum are Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Christopher Dodd, former Sen. John Edwards, N.M. Gov. Bill Richardson, former Sen. Mike Gravel; and Rep. Dennis Kucinich.
The moderator will be Margaret Carlson, the first female columnist at Time Magazine who is currently with Bloomberg News. Aon the panel are Pulitzer Prize winner Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post, HRC President Joe Solmonese, and Oscar-winning songwriter Melissa Etheridge.
Of course, you can't have a debate in L.A. without some star power. Reportedly T.R. Knight and Neil Patrick Harris - two of the highest-profile out actors on television and current Emmy nominees - are among those who will sitting in the live audience. It's so good to have them out, and interested.

At one point during last night's episode of "Big Brother 8," an exasperated Dustin asked HOH Daniele if there was any way she would consider putting her obnoxious father, Dick, up for eviction. She acted insulted by the question but it was a fair one and one on a lot of viewer's minds, I'm sure. Dick is ruining the show with his tirades and verbal assaults and CBS is ruining the show by focusing so much on this pathetic man in the prime-time telecasts.
Jen, up for the third week in a row, won the power of veto and saved herself AGIAN. I kinda like her now. Bizzare. She's a strong player and Dick was kissing her a** by the end of the show - quite a tuinaround after pouring iced tea on her head not long ago, The fiunniest moment last night was when a tearful Jameka was praying and crying in a corner, Jen was nearby, oblivious, putting on her bunny suit and saying: "Now it's time for me to hde the eggs."
Hilarious.
So, with Jen safe, Eric was put up and his future is up in the air. He may have the votes to stay but idiot crybaby Amber apparently is wavering despite swearing on her daughter's life! Someone call social services! Amber is also revealed to be in in this clip, somewhat anti-Semetic.

Anywey, we will see on Thursday if cute, sneaky Eric survives. I think he will and hope he will because he is keeping it interesting and fun as America's player. If anyone but Dick gets HOH next week, I think Mr. Obnoxious will most certainly be on the way out. Amber deserves to see the door but the rest of the house is unaware of her "views" on Jewish people.
What. An. Idiot.

Related post: Big Brother evictee Nick says he's 100 percent straight

Wow. Zac Efron is everywhere right now!
The talented teen, who sang and danced to stardom as Troy Bolton in "High School Musical," is out plugging the film's sequel during a summer that he also shines in the hit musical "Hairspray."
Zach is on the cover of Rolling Stone with a pose that is getting a lot of attention because of the little peak we get of his abs. Sheesh, some people are so shallow.
Anywho, last night, Zach was on with Jay Leno who shared the mag with his audience and, I'm sure, ribbed Zach a little bit about it. Since being one of the stars of the WB drama "Summerland" a few years ago, Efron has been on a career roll and my prediction is the best is yet to come.

I don't spend many of my summer nights watching game shows but last night, flipped on CBS in preparation of "Big Brother" and the new game show "Power of 10" was still on. There was the most adorable contestant named Jamie Sandler on in a wrinkled blue shirt. He's just 19 but he was so poised, had a great way about him, and the best smile. And best thing: he won $1 million!!!
He's gonna use the money (well, part of it anyway) to go to pay for med school. He also plans to buy a car.
p.s. The show had some strange questions, don't you think?

Outsports.com has this cool article on French decathlete Romain Barras who doesn't mind one little bit that gay men look at his photos -- he actually welcomes it!
"It is lucky to have articles [about me] on the gay websites," the 27-year-old Barras said in an interview with the French gay blog "A Cause des Garcons" (translated as "Because of the Boys"). The blog had posted a bunch of photos, mostly shirtless, of Barras under the headline "Romain Barras: The body made in France."
He added: "I visited the sites, I saw the photographs, the galleries. I found it to be super flattering on these sites to be surrounded by very beautiful guys...I always had affinities with the gay community. This is a world which does not shock me."

Jake Gyllenhaal is just perfection in these pictures from a photo shoot he did for London's The Guardian earlier this year and posted on the OhLaLa.com blog today. The man is as stunning as he is talented. I saw "Zodiac" a few weeks back and was so impressed by his performance in that flick. It's just out on DVD...rent it!

A little over a year ago, Martina Navratilova wrote a letter to People Magazine applauding their recent cover boy Lance Bass for coming out publicly. At the time, Bass sais he didn't see himself becoming an activist and Martina let him know that it just might happen anyway.
And it seems as it is has.
Lance has written a guest commentary for the Human Rights Campaign called "Now Is the Time" offering his take on why our next President must make gay marriage and gay rights a priority.
Here are some excerpts::

"There are so many important issues at stake in this election, it’s difficult to pinpoint just one that’s the most important to me. I am very concerned about the environment, the ongoing war in Iraq, health care (especially the future of stem cell research) and many other domestic issues.
However, since the upcoming Democratic debate will focus on LGBT issues, I’d like to discuss my feelings on why gay marriage is an important issue to me and why I think it should be supported by all the Democratic candidates.
My main fear is for the LGBT youth in America and around the world who, for one reason or another aren’t able to cope or can’t escape their prejudice cities, towns and communities. I often wonder how many teens have committed suicide because they’re struggling with their sexuality and feel the incredible weight of the shame their community puts on homosexuality? I am hoping in this election we have Democratic candidates who feel as passionately about this issue as I do.
By not supporting gay marriage we are teaching our youth that gays aren’t equal to straight people. We are teaching them that what they feel is wrong. What a terrible message to send to impressionable children and potentially devastating message to all the LGBT youth who may be living in an isolated environment struggling with being gay and feeling they have no hope and no one to turn to."

Earlier post: Martina's Supportive Words for Lance...

Well, this is a hoot!
Adam Sandler, star of the current gay-themed comedy "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," was roomies with director Judd Apatow ("Knocked Up") when they were in their 20s. Apatow said Sandler was adamant that he show him his penis.
Says Apatow: "When we first moved in together, very early on he said, 'Let me see your penis.' I was like, 'No! What do you want to see that for?' He's like, 'I just want to know what I'm dealing with.' He wasn't embarrassed about it... He would tell other people 'Judd won't show me it, he won't show me it.'
"One day I'm going to the bathroom, standing up and I just see Adam over my shoulder. All he says to me is, 'All right, man. All right.' I guess it was all right."

It seems that Rosie O'Donnell may have had a real impact on Elisabeth Hasselbeck's conservative views, at least when it comes to same-sex marriage. On today's edition of "The View," she described marriage as "on the verge of extinction" and noted that "there are people who don't have the legal right to get married, it;s not there for them. They're fighting to get married and the people who are allowed to get married are opting out. What is wrong with this world?"
Here is the complete clip:

Sorry for the lack of posts this morning. Had an Advocate deadline and spilled soda on my cell phone - had to replace it. Notice how the cell phone customer service folks have gone from friendly and wanting your business to these sort of indifferent a-holes with blank eyes who know they have you over a barrel? I mean, where is the love? So, $162 later, I've got a new phone...and the insurance this time!

Anyway, as I try and collect myself, here is a link to my story in today's Daily News on the GLAAD diversity report and a few "Brothers & Sisters" pics to illustrate it. Actually, the one below with Matthew Rhys and Rob Lowe is just because they are so cute together. How could the senator pick Kitty over Kevin?

Lots more posts to come!!

NBC execs were pretty non-chalant about hiring Isaiah Washington for at least five guest appearances on its new fall series "Bionic Woman" claming to know little about the controversy surrounding the actor's firing from "Grey's Anatomy."
This might get their attention: a TVGuide.com poll asked the following question: "Will guest star Isaiah Washington make you less inclined to watch Bionic Woman?"
Results:
Less Inclined: 71 percent
More inclined: 29 percent

I don't think that dooms the show since the poll doesn't even ask is there is anyone who doesn't care. But it's certainly worth noting. Washington is a talented actor and has his fans, but he upset a lot of people with his anti-gay slur toward co-star T.R. Knight and his post-firing behavior in recent months of deflecting all blame back onto Knight.

A TV Guide reader writes the following: "So NBC pulled Don Imus' show on MSNBC after he made a racial slur, but hired Isaiah Washington after he made a homophobic one. What a double standard! Why isn't GLAAD - or Rosie O'Donnell for that matter - challenging this?"

We'll see how this plays out. I think the show's fate will rest far more on the shoulders of the leading lady who will have to make us forget Lindsay Wagner...

What a beauty. We are so used to her madcap adventures as Lucy Ricardo that it's easy to overlook or take for granted that Lucille Ball was a glamorous movie star before she became a television icon...Today marks what would have been her 96th birthday...

Miss Ball died in April 1989, just about a month after she made her last public appearance at the Academy Awards. She presented an award with Bob Hope and the thunderous ovation assured her that she was still so very loved...Here she is arriving at the awards with her second husband, Gary Morton, to whom she was married for more than 25 years. This picture doesn't show it but on Oscar night, Lucille wore a gown with a high slit up the side, revealing still-gorgeous gams at the age of 77.
She is missed...thank God for reruns and DVD!

Just spoke with sources at ABC. The story about David Beckham and Robbie Williams playing a gay couple on "Desperate Housewives" is, as I suspected, bogus.
This "report" was all over the blogs this morning so I shared it but was skeptical about it. I wrote exclusively last week about the gay couple that "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry planned to have move onto Wisteria Lane. During our conversation, Cherry said he had not began casting the parts but now there are bizarre reports that the new gay couple is going to be Robbie Williams and David Beckham.
Hmmmmmmmmmmm. Sounded too bizarre and I was determined to get the real story. Even the "quote" from Cherry sounded fake: "David and Robbie are perfect to star as the new neighbors' best friends; the gorgeous, eccentric couple flown over from Blighty (Britain),"Cherry is quoted as saying."We haven't had that kind of wow for the wives since Jesse Metcalfe left and we want it to cause such a stir when they turn out to be together. David's keen, but though the obvious choice was to work with Tom Cruise, we wanted someone who matches him in height and well, Britishness, so Robbie is the one. They're both funny, game for a laugh and ridiculously macho, so it should work wonderfully... the English are pitch-perfect for sending themselves up."
Will keep ya posted on the REAL casting of the gay couple.

Related post: Exclusive: Gay Couple Moving onto Wisteria Lane

The site BuddyTV has a terrific interview with Nick Starcevic about his stay in the Big Brother house. I wonder if Nick has heard of YouTube and the 24-hour live feed. That makes it kinda hard to rewrite history Mr. Muscles.
But, he seems to be trying to. Here are some excerpts:
On Daniele: "I legitimately have feelings for Danielle. I went in the house with one way of playing the game and I met Danielle and found out that I didn't have it in me to hurt someone's feelings like that. You know, I'm a very emotional person, and I fell for Danielle, and everything I said to her is real, and that's why I kind of cozied up beside her and sidled up, and we tried to start our own little alliance there."

On the speculation abvout his sexuality: "Yeah, I've gotten asked that question a couple times today about homosexuality. I am definitely one hundred percent straight, I don't know if something was taken out of context or anything like that. It was something with like Joe and I in the hot tub, somebody said. Definitely one hundred percent straight, had nothing to do with men ever. But I am a very comfortable guy with my sexuality, and I do find men attractive, and I can say that because I'm comfortable with my sexuality."

On the story he told Joe in the hot tub about performing oral sex: "Uh... yeah that's what was told to me before, I never said anything about performing a sexual act before. I said that I kissed one of my buddies on the lips in a bar because of a bet, I don't know if that's what you're talking about."

So, before he keeps lying, maybe Nick should watch this clip:

OK, that's it. Dick has GOT to go. He has surpassed Amber, Jen and everyone else as not only the most annoying houseguest on "Big Brother 8" this season, but for ANY season. I mean, Jen is a moron but should Dick be allowed to dump iced tea on her head without repercussions? His verbal abuse to her and other houseguests is so unpleasant and has rendered most of them into his little soldiers. They need to turn the tables and get rid of this dude! I like what Eric did on last night's show: he got into a verbal showdown with Dick and kept his wits about him and turned things back at him. It was clever. You don't often see someone outmatching this loudmouth.
But, with daddy's little girl Danielle HOH, Dick appears to be safe while Jen and Kail are on the block for the third week in a row.

It appears Daniele wants to backdoor Eric but there might not be the support in the house for that plan.I watched last night's show and just feel like it's sinking to new depths. Having the houseguests hanging upside down while birds crap (I think it was fake crap but still) on them is disgusting.
I will say this though: even though she is Dick's daughter, Daniele is a much better player than he is: gritty and able to win competitions. I say she goes much further in the game than daddy dearest.

ABC, the network that introduced gay attorney (and great kisser) Kevin Walker to viewers on "Brothers & Sisters" nearly a year ago, received the highest score on the inaugural "Network Responsibility Index" released today by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
Kevin, played so wonderfully by Matthew Rhys (kissing Jason Lewis in a scene from last spring), is the openly-gay member of the Walker clan headed by Sally Field.
GLAAD's first-of-its-kind report maps the quantity, quality and diversity of images of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people on network television. ABC, with shows like "Brothers & Sisters" and "Ugly Betty," received the highest ranking of the five networks. NBC, once home to "Will & Grace," ranked fourth, while FOX scored lowest.
Says GLAAD Entertainment Media Director Damon Romine, editor of the report: "We know that seeing multi-dimensional, diverse people represented on television changes public perception. Millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans fight every day for equality and for the right to live their lives without fear of discrimination and violence. True equality will be in our grasp when network television presents our stories in a fair, accurate and inclusive way."

Well, I'm not sure what's going on here but I like the looks of it. Gee, it seems like yesterday I was wondering what was happening with Luke and Laura ("General Hospital") never imagining that one day we'd have a Luke and Noah ("As the World Turns").
Sure is great, isn't it?
Michael Jensen over at AfterElton.com has the scoop on this image and a clip so check it out!

Here is a clip of Noah confessing his true feelings:

American tennis hearthrob Andy Roddick, suffering through a subpar year, got back to the winner's circle Sunday with a win in the ATP tournament in Washington D.C. He beat John Isner 6-4, 7-6 for his second title of the year and 23rd overall. Roddick suffered a stunning loss at Wimbledon last month and has slipped to number five in the world (he was ranked first in 2003) and will be severely tested by the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as he seeks his second U.S. Open title beginning later this month. Tomorrow, play begins at the Canadian Open in Montreal where the top 23 men in the world are entered.
Go Andy!

James Denton may not get as much fanfare as the female stars of "Desperate Housewives," but the handsome actor has been a steady, hunky presence on the show for three seasons now, I had interviewed James during the first season of the show for a magazine proifile but our chat was on the phone. At the recent ABC Press Tour party, we had a chance to chat face-to-face and, at one point, I had one of those "I can't believe I just said that" moments.
But first, the actor and father of two small children, told me that life on Wisteria Lane had a nice blissfulness so far this season, off-screen, with Eva Longoria a newlywed and Marcia Cross a new mother of twins.
"We've found a nice equillibrium. We're filming the third episode and it's a lot of fun and it hasn't been a lot of fun before because there was a lot of pressure. So everything;s settled down and everyone seems happy. Everyone sort of found their comfort zone."
Denton, whose character of Mike Deflino married true love Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher) in a forest wedding attended only by Susan's daughter Julie (Andrea Bowen). The actor admitted to some mixed feelings about the plot development.
"The postive is definitely working with Teri and Andrea on a regular basis because I love them both, the bad thing is that Mike goes from being kind of a mysterious, interesting single guy to father of a teenager overnight. That's not all that sexy to most people. So it's a different character."
Then I said it: "Well, you could just be a new parent without a shirt on!"
Fortunately, it got a big laugh out of James Denton.
He went on to explain: "Mike doesn't know if he should be assertive or be a disciplinarian or back off and let them do their thing. So there's going to be a lot of fun domestic comedy that we're gonna play.""
But the Mike and Susan nuptuals were a long time in coming.
"It was time. These two had to go ahead and put up or shut up because people were going to star caring. I think [creator] Marc [Cherry] timed it pretty well and he waited as long as he could to put them together."
Cherry, a little later that same night, told me that Mike had some "dark things" that he would be facing this season so it seems that the early fun domestic episodes will not last too long!
At the start of season three, Mike Delfino spent many episodes in a coma then when he woke up, he had no memory,. Among the memories lost was being run down by a car being driven by Orsen Hodge (Kyle MacLachlan) who seemed to start off quite villainous but underwent a bit of a personality change as the season progressed.
"Kyle was gonna be the real bad guy in season three," Denton explained. "Everyone fell in love with him. He's such a brilliant actor that when we had a chance to keep him, they rewrote the story. So I don't know what's going to happen now because he ran me down. They're gonna have to come up with a reason or let it go, He was only going to be there for one year and he was going to get caught. But I'm glad he's staying around."
When I asked MacLachlan a few minutes later about how his running over Mike, he joked: "I did? Was that me driving?" "It's still there...it's one of those storylines that I don't know what's going to happen but I would love for them to revisit that a little bit, that would be kind of cool."

I don't know if any of this will turn up on tonight's episode of "Big Brother 8" but GuyTVBlog has been doing an exceptional job of monitoring the live feeds from the house and reports that Dustin has acknowledged more than once that he has a crush on Eric. Personally, I think they are pretty adorable together. Eric doesn't come off as a raging heterosexual so, who knows? Maybe there's a showmance in the works that could restore our interest in this post-Mike, post-Nick era?

Anyway, whether it's a showance or a bromance, Eric is very appealing with his humor, positive enrergy mixed with being the mischevious "America's Player," I hope outlasts the annoying Amber, Dick and Dannielle...

Forgot to mention this! Already mentioned being at The Abbey in West Hollywood on Monday night but didn't mention that one of the bartenders looked very familiar to me. Kept thinking about it on and off as we had our drinks and ate our dinner. Where do I know him from???
Then, as we moved to get away from a table of smokers (I proposed banning smoking from the planet Earth. Sorry smokers...hate it) and I realized the bartender was one of the leads in the Outfest closing night movie "Kiss the Bride." He was not only one of the leads, but he was very GOOD in the role. His name is Philipp Karner and we had chatted briefly before the movie but in the setting of The Abbey, it just didn't ring a bell right away. I went over and said hello and he's excited about the movie coming out, most likely in early 2008. And he should be excited, the movie is terrific and I have a feeling he won't be making apple martini's much longer.

Earlier post: Chatting Up the Men From Kiss the Bride

Kind of tough to imagine anyone but Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as the leads in "Brokeback Mountain" with Ang Lee directing. But, if director Gus Van Sant had his way, he would have been behind the camera with Matt Damon and Joaquin Pheonix as the two cowboys in love.
In the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, Damon confesses it is a regret of his:
“... Years ago, [Good Will Hunting director] Gus Van Sant wanted to do it with me and Joaquin Phoenix. But I was on my way to Italy to do "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and then "All the Pretty Horses." And Gus wanted to do "Brokeback" right after. And I was like, ‘Gus, I’m going to do a gay movie, then a cowboy movie. I can’t follow it up with a gay-cowboy movie!”[Laughs]

Monday will mark the 96th anniversary of the birth of Lucille Desiree Ball. I'll probably do some kind of photo gallery to mark the occasion. But if you're near Miss Ball's hometown of Jamestown, New York, they will be celebrating all weekend! According to the Everything Lucy site, the city will welcome thousands of fans from across the world to Lucy’s Birthday Celebration that begins Saturday and runs through Monday. Lucy impersonators roam the streets and pose for photographs, and special guests such as Lucy’s longtime chauffeur, Frank Gorey, share memories of working with the queen of TV comedy. Writers and film editors of her various TV series discuss her work, and buses take visitors on tours of various Lucy-related sites, including the two-story home at 69 Stewart Ave. where she was born, and Lake View Cemetery, where the comedienne’s ashes are interred alongside her parents.
They all still love Lucy...

I don't remember most of the guys who have been the stars of ABC's "Thye Bachelor." But I won't soon forget Andy Baldwin and I also remember Andrew Firestone from several seasons back. Andrew was at the X Games party last night at the Standard in downtown LA and I took the opportunity to aslk him what he thought about our Andy:
Q. What did you think of the latest season of "The Bachelor" with Andy Baldwin?
"I haven't seen it. I know that he was sort of a Navy doctor type but I have never met him, looks like a good guy."
Q. So there's no bachelor club where you all socialize?
A. "Everyone thinks that we actually live in some sort of barracks together and that actually isn't the case. I live up in Pasa Robles so this is as close to LA as I've been in awhile. I'm in the wine business. The thing people forget about in reality TV is that we're not actors and we don't do this Hollywood thing a lot."
Q. But reality show fame does kind of follow you?
A. "Not really because we live up in the middle of nowhere, we make wine, we have a vinyard. So we try and be as far away from this as possible. But it's not anything that I regret doing, I had a blast doing it. But that was like four-and-a-half years ago."

Director Brett Ratner has another "Rush Hour" movie coming out with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker returning for a third go-round. The Advocate has a free-wheeling interview with this anything goes director who shares a story of his first sexual experience that will blow your mind. Here's the juicy part:
Q. Rush Hour 3 follows a trend in action films. Being gay has increasingly become a punch line. It happens several times in this film.
A. Which ones? Where? I don't remember.
Q. What about when the girl takes off her wig and Chris Tucker becomes angry and accuses her of being a man?
A. No, no! That's from my personal experience. My first blow job was from a man, but I didn't know it was a man. That's where that comes from. It's based on personal experience. It happens to a lot of people.
Q. Is that common knowledge?
A. No! Well, among my friends, but I'm not homophobic or uptight about it. That happens to a lot of heterosexuals. You meet a girl in a bar, and it turns out she's not a girl. I think a girl should tell you if she's a girl or a man--that way it's your preference. It's comedy. Look, in this movie we don't pull any punches. We make fun of black people. We make fun of Chinese people. We make fun of French people. We make fun of gay situations. We make fun of whites. It doesn't matter. It's the type of movie it is. It's a fish-out-of-water comedy. You have to have those types of situations to have the comedy. That specific idea was because it's happened to me. It's happened to my friends. We'll get together with a girl, and it'll turn out to be a guy. The reaction is “Oh, shit!” if you're not gay, which is funny, I think. Getting into the situation is funny. I laugh whenever I see one of my friends talking to a girl, and I'll ask, “Is that a man or a woman?” It's funny, especially if you don't know about it. If you know about it, fine. If that's your preference…

Click HERE to read the entire Advocate interview...

So I was at LA's the Standard downtown last night for this X Games party tied to the DVD release of "Disturbia." We were promised Taye Diggs and Shane West, among others, but they were no-shows. But I did interview the lovely Carrie-Anne Moss who is such a natural beauty and strolled in wearing a $25 dress from Target looking better than just about anyone in the room. And also met Dave Navarro, the guitarist from Jane's Addiction who was recently divorced from Carmen Electra. He talked about how important the internet is to him as an artist and a public figure. Unlike Elton John, Dave does not want to ban it!
"I've been blogging and using the internet since the early 90s. In this society today, you have to have a voice, especially if you're in the public eye, in order to counter some of the opinions that get put out there. So, it's nice for the true fans to be able to come to the source and get the real deal, get the real scoop as opposed to second or third-hand information."
This guy is covered with tatoos but they don't cover the fact that he is buff and very youthful looking for a man of 40. I asked if he had a portrait of Dorian Gray in his attic or something?
"There actually is. There's a painting in my addict that's deteriorarting each day. That's a fantastic movie." Then he added: "It's about no drugs, no alcohol. I hit the gym a couple of times a week, drink plenty of water. And for me, what's most important is the attitude."
Dave seemed pretty cool. What's even more cool was this photo I just found of him kissing Donovan Leitch onstage at the Roxy. Not sure of the date though...

I mourn what could have been...Nick and Mike working out all summer long, Dustin rubbing sunblock all over Nick's back day after day, Mike discovering he might be gay, and crybaby Amber, bully Dick, anorexic Danielle, den mother Kail, and braindead Jen all being voted out first! Instead, we have Danielle as the new head of household, Mike out, Nick out back-to-back and Dustin or fun Eric most likely the next to go. It makes me yearn for the old days when Mike was just lounging around the house wearing next to nothing...here are some flashbacks courtesy of guytvblog.com...

I don't know about you, but I feel so much better now...

Caught a screening of "The Bourne Ultimatum" earlier this week and loved, loved, loved it! So much action! The chase scenes are terrific, the fight scenes even better and best of all are the cat-and-mouse games Bourne (Matt Damon) plays with the CIA villian (David Straitharn) he is evading. Joan Allen is stellar, as always (remind me, please, why she doesn't have an Oscar but Marisa Tomei does? Oh, nevermind). I discuss the box office prospects of "Bourne" as well as the weekend's other new releases and holdovers in my Daily News column Box Office Buzz.Enjoy!

This is the cover of Lance Bass' forthcoming book which he posted for fans on his MySpace page (would Elton approve?) I love how Lance continues to grow as an out gay man and come so far from a year ago when he was a self-proclaimed S.A.G. (Straight Acting Gay) and didn't think he'd become some kind of gay spokesman. He is evolving and it only seems to be making him happier (well, that and the hot Brazillian boyfriend).
He writes: "... I just want to say I do not want my book to flop! One funny night I decided to "jokingly" say "oh it will probably flop" to a TMZ "reporter". (like all my quotes?) Again it was a joke. Im not an idiot-- I wrote this book so that it might help those out there interested in the music industry, space, and/or coming out story. "
He also shares this: "Rehearsal is going great for Hairspray and I am having the best time ever!! I hope you all get to see it, because it really is an amazing show and the cast is incredible!"
He starts his Broadway run August 14 and will be with the show through Jan. 6, 2008. "But, remember I am taking 2 weeks off to do book tour mid October. Made a photo album just for the book tour-- so every city I can post all the pics of you all!"
Lance also throws out some props to his great pal and fellow NSYNC bandmate Joey Fatone: "How great is Joey doing on NBC's The Singing Bee?!! Such a great show!!"

Sir. Elton has gone on another rant. I usually enjoy them but not this one. He wants the internet CLOSED DOWN!!! He says it's destroying good music and basically, the world.
“The internet has stopped people from going out and being with each other, creating stuff. Instead they sit at home and make their own records, which is sometimes OK but it doesn’t bode well for long-term artistic vision. It’s just a means to an end. We’re talking about things that are going to change the world and change the way people listen to music and that’s not going to happen with people blogging on the internet. I mean, get out there — communicate. Hopefully the next movement in music will tear down the internet. Let’s get out in the streets and march and protest instead of sitting at home and blogging."

Hey, Sir. I don't always sit home and blog. Sometimes I do it from the newsroom, sometimes Starbucks.I get out, I mix.

Here is Nick, voted out of the Big Brother house by a score of 6-2. I missed the episode in favor of a party on the rooftop of The Standard Hotel in Dowtown LA. Gabbed with lotsa celebs and will share some w/you tomorrow...So, what do we think of Nick's departure? Why do these gorgeous dudes who don't seem very bright keep getting shown the door when someone like Dick is a bigger threat? Amber is a weeping fool, Jen is a space cadet and Kail is so calculating. Maybe it was the Mohawk?

Or maybe Nick (pictured above with his showmance Daniele) chose the wrong side of the bisexual fence or whatever he was sitting on in the early weeks. He clearly should have been snuggling up to Dustin more than Daniele if he wanted a strong ally. Her attempts to save him were sincere, but feeble. Nick feels betrayed so I guess we won't be seeing that showmance becoming a romance.

Here is Nick pictured (above) with some of the friends he thought he had...

Was flipping through my copy of Daily Variety a few days late and noticed a little article the paper had where Rosie O'Donnell had answered some questions about her professional future via e-mail. So, I'm sharing the highlights...
On the controversy she stirred up during her tenure on "The View" Rosie says: "I grew up watching "Donahue" where all kinds of opinions were allowed and encouragted. It feels like the 1950s - in many ways we have gone backwards as a society."
Ultimately, she didn't want to gig hosting "The Price Is Right" badly enough to uproot her family from the East Coast to California. So, she is weighing her future saying that "Carol Burnett meets Ed Sullivan once a week has always been a dream." ..."I'm getting a clearer sense of what I don't want to do. I feel too old and busy as a mom to do a daily show."
Variety notes that O'Donnell is "TV's most sought-after, if volatile free agents, and one of the few personalities with a track record of ratings success in daytime television."
Whatever Rosie decides next, I know a lot of us will be watching!

Second of two parts..If you missed it, start with PART ONE.
Thelma Houston has a mutual love going on with the gay community which has stuck by her through thick and thin. She has repaid that love so many times over by appearing in countless pride parades and festivals and on behalf of many causes, such as the AIDS Project Los Angeles gala on Saturday.
"I've loved them forever and it''s mutual. I love them. My strongest base of support has been the dance market, They've always been very, very supportive of Thelma Houston."
And her dedication to such groups as the APLA and the Pediatric AIDS Foundation runs deep: "The reason is because I lost so many friends - who I call close, close, close supporters from back in the day - to this horrible disease. They didn't even have a name for it back then. Then things got more organized and there was more focus on putting money to do certain things. We're not perfect but we've come a long way. People are able to live and the quality of life is so much better for patients with HIV. But there are still people who can't afford the treatments, like in Africa. The medications are there, but they can't afford them."
"Whenever I can, I do whatever I can. Even if I'm in a smaller club in the Midwest where they like to give you tips, I take the money and give it to an AIDS hospice."
She will be doing about 30 minutes of songs at the APLA gala including the classic "Don't Leave Me This Way" and some numbers from her first new album in 17 years.

I get letters and e-mails, most nice, some not-so-much. Here are some of the more recent and, I swear, I don't make these things up!
TAMMY FAYE TRIBUTE
Thank you for covering the Tammy Faye. I just saw it on your site – thank you! We were really moved by the comments of our members. I printed out all of them from both message sections and they were just so ….touching.
Thanks again, Greg!
-Jenny Stewart
Manager, Entertainment Programming
PlanetOut.com and Gay.com
GREG SAYS: Thank YOU for giving those who grieve Tammy Faye a forum on which to express it.

OUTFEST KUDOS...
Greg-
I just wanted to drop you a line and tell you how much I love your site. I've been following it daily and I feel like I was right there at Outfest. You do an amazing job. Keep it up!!
xoxo
-C
GREG SAYS: My absolute pleasure!

FED UP WITH OUTEST...
Greg:
I am certain you had a great time mixing it up with the stars and directors at Outfest, but, geez, enough! With all that is happening in our great big world, there must be something else compelling to write about.
You are doing your readers a disservice, ultimately, by focusing on this one fairly exclusive media gathering to the exclusion of everything else. I don't live in Los Angeles. I don't live in New York City either. I look to industry bloggers like you to get an overview of gay happenings, and not endless encomiums to people who might be considered brave to participate and who themselves would agree they don't necessarily deserve all the ink you've given them for, what, weeks?
Rick Douglas
Clifton Park, NY
GREG SAYS: I totally disagree with you. But thanks for reading and sharing your view.

MORE OUTFEST LOVE...
Dear Greg,
Thank you for your wonderful article about my film, We're All Angels. It was so kind of you to write such an insightful piece on the film. It's the best I've read about it yet! I'm so glad we crossed paths on Tuesday night.
I look forward to seeing you at more Outfest events and beyond!
Best wishes,
Robert
GREG SAYS: Thanks for your wonderful work....I hope many people see it.

Greg,
I just came across your Outfest article and review of "Shelter" in which you also mentioned my film, "Back Soon," as one of your faves. I want to thank you for the mention and say how glad I am that you enjoyed the film! It can be difficult for unknown filmmakers to break through the clutter of films at a festival like Outfest, so I really appreciate your support.
-Rob
GREG SAYS: I really appreciate your film!

"EAST SIDE STORY" THANKS...
Yesterday's screening of "East Side Story" was a huge success. Audience loved the movie. Thank you for
putting the word out -- a number of people I met at the screening said they'd heard about it from reading your "Out in Hollywood" blog.
Best,
Carlos
GREG SAYS: "East Side STORY" is a great film and Carlos Portugal a wonderful writer and director.

FAN OF BIG BROTHER'S NICK...
WOW! That Nick guy is HOT. And I love the hints he keeps giving that he's into guys. It won't be long before he hooks up on this show..... KEEP US POSTED!!! Thanks for the video links!
Andrew
in K.C.
GREG SAYS: Nick certainly is pretty...but in the brains department, notsomuch.

GRAMMAR P:OLICE
Greg,
I love your blog, but you have NO excuse for not using spellcheck and grammar check on ALL your postings. I've counted at least six typos and mispelled words in your blog today. Please proof this stuff before you post it to such a wide audience.
Thank you and sincerely,
- Bob
GREG SAYS: Thanks for the note...but chill out man! Yer killin' me!

BLOG LOVE...
Greg,
Just wanted to send a quick note to say thanks for sharing your talents with us. Reading your entertainment pieces has been quite entertaining. I look forward to reading your sexy coverage of the life of glam and the pics are always hot. Wishing you continued success. Out in Hollywood is the best!!!
dsw
GREG SAYS: Thanls for your kindness...

BACHELOR ANDY INQUIRY...
HI Greg,
I read your column on the Internet about meeting Andy Baldwin at the ABC press tour party. Can you tell me the date that you met him and where the event took place? Did Andy mention exactly when Tessa was moving to Hawaii with him? Is Andy here in the states helping Tessa move her things or was he here for a special event? I saw pictures of him circulating the Internet cycling in Venice Beach with his Speedo. Lots of criticism going around. I wish people would leave him alone so he can enjoy his love relationship with Tessa.He looks like a genuine guy and doesn't come off gay at all. Whatever is said, he's a wonderful, talented, athletic, good looking, intelligent person serving our country as a Naval officer and a medical doctor!
Please respond,
Andy Baldwin Fan

GREG SAYS: I met Andy at an ABC press party in Beverly Hills on July 26. As for the rest of your questions, I do not know. And since I am not much help to you, I am posting this photo especially for you!

Since Whoopi Goldberg has been a big star for about 25 years, it must be a bit strange to suddenly be a big paparazzi target. But here she is, making her way around NYC and the focus of everyone's attention as the new moderator on ABC's daytime soap...I mean talkfest, "The View." She is replacing Rosie O'Donnell.
Rosie, who hasn't yet decided on her next regular TV gig, said Wednesday of Goldberg: "Whoopi is fantastic in every way and perfect for the job. She's amazing and one of my favorites."
And Star "Yes, I had gastric bypass surgery" Jones also weighed in on the selection of Goldberg, just the second African-American co-host on the show in its 10 year history.
"Whoopi is a smart women with an opinion, and an excellent choice," Jones said.
I can't wait until Whoopi starts pissing people off! This is not a woman without opinions...

Hunky Nick is friendly with just about everyone in the Big Brother house ...so maybe it will be Kail and not our last remaining hearthrob who is evicted from the Big Brother house tonight??? Although crybaby Amber is on my last good nerve, she's not on the block so I will have to root for Kail to be walking out the door.
Anyway, here are a buncha pics of Nick with other houseguests, and without...
Airhead Jen with studly Nick...

Here he is getting close to the now-evicted Joe during the height of him "maybe I'm bi" strategy...

But then he got even closer to Daniele who cries almost as much as Amber but at least usually has a reason...

Paling around with Zach who has proven himself to be immensely uninteresting so far...

Last, and certainly least, Nick with Dick whose honesty toward other houseguests is more like bullying...I don't like him.

AND A FEW MORE OF NICK, ALL ALONE, AFTER THE JUMP....

What a treat it was to interview singer Thelma Houston yesterday.
Of course, gays everywhere best know her for her monster 1977 hit "Don't Leave Me This Way" which for three decades has continued to be a mainstay on the dance floor. Ever since our interview, I've been singing and humming the tune and driving people nuts.
Anyway, the Grammy winner will release her first new CD in 17 years, "A Woman's Touch" on August 14 and on Saturday, performs at the annual AIDS Project Los Angeles event. The new CD has the singer peforming covers of songs all originated by male artists including Sting, Al Green, Marvin Gaye and Luther Vandross. I'm especially excited about her rendition of "By the Time I Get to Pheonix."
"When they told me it had been 17 years since my last album, I said, 'You better check that again because it hasn't been that long.' But it turns out it has been since 1990."
Houstin's hiatus from recording was not intentional. She got called into MCA to talk to executives about what she thought was about future projects. Instead, she was told she was being dropped by the label.
"It was a very r\ude awakening. I always thought if you sing and get a record deal and are happy to promoite and happy to do what is requested of you after you have a big, huge hit, you can keep good vibes around you all the time. It never occured to me that I wouldnt't have a record deal."
But something very liberating happened for Houston after what could have been a low point for most.
"I discovered I could have a career without a record and it opened up possibliites of working internationally in places like Australia, all over Europe, South America and Africa. The dates kept coming and people really wanted me to work."
Houston never tires of singing her mega-hit.
"I just keep singing and they ask me if i ever get tired of doing it and i really don't. This record, "Don't Leave Me This Way" was born through the dance market. I was on Motown at the time and Suzanne DePasse, a very bright woman who had a good sense of what sounds good and what will work, she is the one who found the song. She said, "I think that will be perfect for you.' It was very melodic and it swelled and it built up. I thought it was very dramatic and great."

TOMORROW: Thelma Houston tells Out In Hollywood about how her new record deal came about, discusses her loyal gay fan base and shares why she remains committed to the fight against AIDS/HIV.

Be sure to check out the singer's OFFICIAL WEBSITE.

Who do you consider to be your gay heroes? My list is long but at the top would be Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova who weren't content to be number one in the world in tennis, but also worked for social change and continue to do so today. Love 'em.
I also so deeply appreciate and admire Olympian Greg Louganis whose story is so inspiring and whose book "Breaking the Surface" remains on my bookshelf, the wonderfully funny and intelligent Ellen DeGeneres. the talented and total original Harvey Fiersten, author Paul Monette, whose memoir "Becoming A Man: Half A Life Story" had me going through a box of Kleexex, singer and activist Elton John, one-time NFL player Dave Kopay for being the first former major pro athlete to come out, and the late Randy Shilts for his strength and determination during the height of the AIDS crisis.
There are so many others who are heroes.
The Advocate, where I am a contributing writer, is preparing for its 40th anniversary issue in September and wants its readers to help choose the cover subjects through an online poll. The criteria for a gay hero: The person must be entirely out. Second, it's not enough to be supremely talented or superbly competent--that person must have done something significant to improve LGBT lives. If they've missed someone you'd like to nominate, go ahead and write them in under "OTHER." This is not a scientific poll, but a snapshot that reflects the awareness of The Advocate's readers and editors at this pivotal moment in history.

One-hundred of the most notable gay people from the last four decades—politicians, artists, activists, and more. The editors are asking you to help rank them by voting for the people you feel have made the most significant impact. You can select up to 40 names. Rankings will be determined based on votes plus editors’ input. The top 40 heroes will be featured on the cover of the anniversary issue.
This is the link to the poll:http://www.advocate.com/takeSurvey.asp?surveyID=19 -
Cast your votes!

Reichen Lemkuhl and Ryan Berry are both so pretty that it's enough to make me cry. So are they the new spokesmen for Evian? Nope. They are just at a party in N YC wetting their whistles...

I don't watch this soap but AfterElton.com reports that gay teen Luke finally confesses his true feelings for his friend Noah. Here is the exchange:
Noah: (to Luke's back) "Why are you treating me like I've got the plague? I mean, do you just not like me?"
Luke: "No, I like you Noah."
Noah: "Then why do you keep pushing me away?"
(Luke pauses, laughs to himself, and turns to face him)
Luke: "Because. i like you, Noah." (Noah looks hard at Luke) "Yeah ... like that."

The preview then shows Noah saying to Luke "I'm not gay." Luke replies: "Yeah, I know, but there's nothing I can do to help it."

I suggest you go over to AfterElton for some context to all of this! All I wanna know is this: when are they gonna kiss???

This is absolutely no surprise and yet, it's kinda cool now that it's official: Barbara Walters has announced that Whoopi Goldberg will be joining "The View" beginning Sept. 4. She will replace Rosie O'Donnell as moderator.
Walters teased the audience by not announcing the new host until well into what was a fairly routine episode of the show with Jon Voight guesting. Then...the announcement finally happened and Goldberg jogged down the aisle of the studio, slapping hands with members of the audience.
"I love this show," said Goldberg, an Oscar winning actress who hosted her own talk show in the the 90s. "I love coming out here and hanging out with you guys."
Goldberg, 51, may not reach O'Donnell's level of controversy, but she is no stranger to political controversy. She was dumped from a Slim-Fast advertising campaign in 2004 after making a speech mocking the Bush administration at a political rally, at one point using the president's surname as a sexual reference.
"This is a big old thrill for me," Whoopi said. "The thing I'm looking forward to the most are the hot topics and everyone trying to get in at the same time."
Said Walters: "We are thrilled. She is creative, she is funny, she is an enormous talent."
That, is very true.
No "official" word yet on Sherri Shepherd replacing the long-vacant seat once occupied by Star Jones but it seems likely that will come soon.

A friend of mine remarked the other night that the blog has been devoid of any new pictures of a shirtless Matthew McConaughey (are there any other kind?) for weeks. I explained that if there were any new ones I'd post them and, thankfully, I found this dandy on TMZ.com of Matthew playing frisbee over the weekend in Malibu...
Nice jump!!

I'd like to think my writing abilities are better than my photography but I did snap the above picture of Jensen Atwood last month (I can't believe it's August already!) at Outfest and it's pretty hard for him to take a bad picture. Jensen is best known for his role as Wade, Noah's on-again off-again love on Logo's "Noah's Arc" which after running two seasons, is now being made into a feature fiilm set to begin shooting this month. While Jensen is set to be in that film, he also managed to land a role as a regular in the third season on here! TV's sexy supernatural soap "Dante's Cove" which will begin airing new episodes in October.
Jensen, who I first met at Outfest 2005 when he was working as a valet at an after-party, is enjoying a bit of well-earned success and we had a little chat about it.
Here is our conversation:
Q. To go from playing Wade on "Noah's Arc" to a warlock on "Dante's Cove" must have been like culture shock for you.
A."It was an adjustment, very different from 'Noah's Arc.' It was like jumping on a moving train with them going into their third season. It was a matter of getting used to all of the erminology, all the magic, getting informed about the show. But it was a good adjustment."

Q. You were a newcomer to the cast along with Reichen Lemkuhl. What was it like to join a group of actors already used to working together?
A. "It was great and the cast was more than welcoming from when I made my first step onto the set. It was a great experience and being in Hawaii for four weeks, that's not a bad job at all."

Q. What's it been like to be cast in the of the highest-profile gay-themed shows around?
A. "It's a blessing, to say the least. Just to be an actor and to be working is fantastic and then just to be a part of great projects is a great bonus, 'Noah's Arc' and 'Dante's Cove' both being that."

Q. Tell us about your character.
A. "My character's name is Griffin, a bisexual warlock and he has come to Dante's Cove to set things straight."

Q. Do you have your shirt off more than you had in 'Noah's Arc'?
A. "I don't think I'll EVER do a project where my shirt is off more than on 'Noah's Arc.' [laughs]. But, there's a pretty good amount of skin on 'Dante's Cove.'

Good to hear...yet another reason to look forward to the new season on "Dante's Cove." I also chatted with other cast members and will be sharing our conversations in the days and weeks to come.