September 2007 Archives

The wait is over. ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and "Brothers & Sisters" have their season premieres tonight. I've seen both episodes and they are the continuation of a very good thing. Sally Field is back, fresh off her Emmy win for her performance as Nora Walker and, of course, we all can't wait to see more of Matthew Rhys as Kevin who has another same-sex smooch in the very first episode.

I write a little bit more about what I saw and have interviews with "Housewives" cast member Brenda Strong and "Brothers & Sisters" co-stars Emily VanCamp and Sarah Jane Morris in my Hollywood Joe blog.
Check it out!

Also tonight...
The second eason debut of Showtime's "Dexter" starring Michael C. Hall. I am completely hooked on this series about a serial killer who only offs bad people. When I think of James Spader winning another Emmy for "Boston Legal" when Hall was not even nominated for what is TV's best performance by any actor, the whole thing loses credibility. Hall's character isn't gay like he was as David on "Six Feet Under," but he is even more mesmerizing here.

''I don't think that's gonna happen, dude, certainly not. If I was a gay man, I wouldn't want me to represent [the gay community]."
- Adam Sandler's response to being asked at a press conference in Mexico City for "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" if he thought he might become a gay icon.

"I feel sorry for him. I think it’s really sad. What a tragic character. He’s tragic. People like Ted Haggart [sic] – that’s tragic. Or Mark Foley. These are living tragedies. They’re people who want to be part of a society that does not want them, and so they’re willing to be secretive about their sexuality and hide who they are, and really who they are is not bad, it’s not criminal at all. But it drives them to sort of criminalizing acts. It’s really sad."
- Margaret Cho to journalist Julie Bolcer on disgraced Senator Larry Craig.

"It's nice when you're playing music with a group of guys to all be touching in a slightly homoerotic but mostly friendly way. We do the huddle thing, and we tell each other how wonderful we all think the others are. We want to all feel good about ourselves and about playing music. It's important to huddle before every show. It keeps you in touch. You can't go on stage without a huddle."
- Maroon 5's Adam Levine to VH-1 on the band's pre-show ritual.

"F**k that. I don't really care about that. I don't understand that kind of attitude. When you ask me a question like that, when somebody says "too gay," I don't understand what "too gay" means... I can't give credence to that. I can't pay attention to that. I can't honor that kind of attitude. All I can really do is play a character who has integrity, who has the strength to be honest, the strength to be human, trying to figure out their life, and make it as good and filled with integrity as I possibly can."
- Ron Rifkin to AfterElton.com when asked to respond to criticism that "Brothers & Sisters" was already too gay.

"I’m going to be brutally honest here. I find a lot of it totally vacuous. People say you’ve got to have taken a lot of drugs before you “get it.” I’m pretty sure that you have to take a lot of drugs. What kind of drugs are you gay guys taking?"
- Annie Lennox to HX magazine when asked about dance remixes.

Anderson Cooper was a welcome sight at the Elton John AIDS fundraiser a few days ago. The CNN anchor, very tight-lipped about his personal life to the enormous frustration of some, was asked by New York's Daily Intelligencer if he had been working out lately because "your biceps are really big lately."
Anderson: "Wow. What is my workout routine -- I've never been asked that question! Um, I don’t know, I've just been … working with a trainer and uh, I don't know, lifting a little weight, and running a little. I don't know....Uh, you know, I just turned 40, so yes, I'm trying to be a little bit healthier now and trying to eat a little bit more sensibly. And also, with traveling so much, you know, it's tough when you're in Iraq to do anything, so I try to work out when I'm here.This is really … I sound ridiculous."

On a more serious note, he told the New York Daily News: "I talk to young gay friends in New York, and some of them seem to think the AIDS problem is a thing of the past. … The reality is that it's getting worse, not better."

It seems to be pretty clear that Sherri Shepherd's presence certainly brightens up "The View." This woman is loud and funny and opinionated and I likie her. Entertainment Weekly has an interview with her in its new issue and I wanted to share with you some of the highlights:
On her new job: "I was very scared coming here because this wasn't hiding behind lines. I wasn't used to the level of crticism you get. People have I-will-jump-off-a-building-if-Sherri-joins-"The View" blogs."

On her lack of knowledge on some subjects (she said she didn't know if the world was flat): "I've been doing so much hustling and surviving and taking care of my family, and I feel like I can finally sit up and breathe and learn something. I think I represent a body of women who don't know a lot. I'm the one who can sit up there and say, 'Who is General Petraeus?' I'm not pretending nothing."

On Rosie O'Donnell: "She can't deny a brawl, but she's able to handle it. I ain't gonna be trying to fight you. I'm the person you come to when you want prayer."

On former "Less Than Perfect" co-star Andy Dick: "I think if I didn't have God, I would be like Andy Dick. I would be pretty lost."

On her teen crush on Michael Jackson who she wanted to marry: "It was just after "Thriller" came out. I would take the bus out to his compound every day. i would write his mother letters. I never pictured us having sex; I just thought we'd wear matching jumpsuits."

OK, the Michael Jackson thing is a little scary but her honesty and candor are so refreshing...and funny!

I'm so excited that filming has begun on "Sex and the City: The Movie." I've seen every episode of this series countless times but still find myself watching them on TBS or KTLA in LA several times a week. So the other night, i dreamed that I was in an episode..or that the show was my real life or something. I'm not sure which. But Samantha (Kim Cattrall) was my friend in the dream and she kept trying to give me advice. That's all I really remember. But it felt kinda cool to be part of that gang for awhile. Carrie wasn't in my dream but I like this photo of Sarah Jessica Parker so much that I wanted to post it.
Doesn't she look swell?

Remember Jason Chambers who I interviewed a few weeks ago and posted a buncha pictures of because he's so friggen hot? Well, here is a clip of Jason talking about "Human Weapon," his show on The History Channel. He looks fit and healthy but confessed that he's suffered so many injuries and wear and tear that he has the body of somebody in their 80s.
Uh, not a chance.

I've been obsessed this week with trying to adjust to lfe with two blogs. My first concern is not letting the double-blog duty impact Out In Hollywood as I start this new venture and try and give it an identity. I've received lotsa nice messages but also gotten some feedback that Hollywood Joe isn't gay enough! I'm sure it'll be gay plenty of the time since I'm plenty gay - we're only four days in.
Anyway, I started this post because I wanted to pay tribute to all the blogger friends who have been so supportive of my work and I wanted to showcase some of theirs. The photo at your left is of me and my buddy Michelle Nicolosi at the Directors Guild of America Awards in 2001. We met working at the LA Times back in 1989, have had some great joint birthday parties and were the Will & Grace of the Belmont Shore social scene in the late 90s when we were both single and wild. Michelle is unique and brilliant and has not only won a Pulitzer Prize, but is now a managing editor of the Seattle Post Intelligencer where she has lived with her great love, Mark Matassa, for several years now. Mark has been battling serious health problems in recent years and they chronicle that and other bits of life in their brilliant blog M&M....

My old Newport Beach roomate and close friend Danny Sullivan also met at The Times and have been tight for 18 years. I was a groomsman at his wedding to the lovely Lorna in England back in 1992 and their son, Rhys, is my godson. Danny is also scary brilliant and has become one of the world's foremost experts on search engine technology. It's so weird to be driving from work and suddenly hear him on NPR or to see him on "Nightline." He is based in England near Stonehenge and has an eclectic blog called DAGGLE where he writes about all kinds of quirky stuff from all the tech stuff to building a tree house (pictured above) for Rhys and his older son Declan...
Then there is Ted Johnson, managing editor of Variety. Despite our often turbulent personal past, we have managed, somehow, to remain the closest of friends. Nearly two decades after we met and gone though so many professional incarnations, we seem to have found our bliss as bloggers. Ted launched Wilshire & Washington this year about the intersection between politics and the entertainment business. He's broken a lot of news and this has led to him appearing on "The Today Show," "Good Morning America" and the photo of him (above, left) is from an appearance on "Hardball with Chris Matthews."...
While Michelle, Danny and Ted are among my oldest friends, I've known San Jose Mercury sportswriter David Kiefer even longer. Dave is family to me, my brother really. We went to SDSU together and have navigated the newspaper business, supporting each other, for two decades now. Dave has covered the San Francisco Giants but with three beautiful blonde daughters and a beautiful blonde wife, he is sticking closer to home these days directing prep sports coverage and writing the blog After School...Some newer friends are also doing tremendous work in the blogosphere. Kenneth Walsh's Kennethinthe212 is a must-read and I was especially moved by an item he posted today on the impact the movie "Parting Glances" had on his life when he saw it 20 years ago...My work buddy Julia Scott had her best day ever yesterday for her relatively new blog The Bargain Hunter which is growing each day due to her hard work and dedication...Brent Hopkins, an extraordinary person and journalist, continues to amaze and inspire with his terrific stories in our paper and his blogs The PaperTrail (a union blog not officially affiliated with the Daily News) and It's A Crime. Brent did a pretty funny write-up of my run-in with a traffic cop in Palm Springs last week... And finally, if you want to know anything about transportation in LA, my sweet and funny friend Sue Doyle, one of the hardest working reporters around, writes about it in her blog Along For the Ride...
Check out some of these sites!!!

Last year, The Advocate assigned me to interview famed psychic Miss Cleo who was ready to come out publicly. The story got a lot of reaction but, for me, the nicest reaction was from Miss Cleo herself who had been so nervous about doing the interview but was so grateful for how it turned out. I let her tell her story and gave her a fair shake and she was actually surprised!
Anywho, The Advocate has paid a return visit with Miss Cleo a year later and here are some excerpts from a piece written by Brandon Voss:

On reaction to her coming out: "There definitely was some fallout but nothing that I couldn't navigate. I was a little concerned about my Jamaican landlord, but he gave me no worries.... Now, I have some family members I haven't heard from at all -- and these are people who'd call me once a month. Part of it is I don't think they know what to say. And part of it is they're not sure how much information I'm going to give them!

On her love life: "...Cleo is single. With my second wife -- which means I didn't do too well with the first one -- there were some issues of alcoholism, and she became emotionally abusive to me and physically abusive to my youngest daughter. A lot of people fail to recognize that domestic violence is an issue in our community, and that's something I'm really trying to work on getting out there. Unfortunately, once I got away from that relationship four years and some change later, my youngest looked at me and said, “Mommy, no more women, please.” You want to talk about heartbroken? I promised her, “I will not live my life until you are 18.” That was really tough, but I felt so much guilt.

On Britney Spears: "I was rooting for young Britney on the [MTV] VMAs. I'm not a fan of that type of music, but I wanted her to come out, be happy, and show her stuff. I feel so bad for those young girls. I don't even know if they get an opportunity to hear advice, because everybody has a paycheck from them. If people want to protect their jobs, they're letting these girls do anything they want to do. When you're a celebrity, the media really takes such a toll. You can't fart north without someone talking about it. Yeah, she's a young mom who has made mistakes—so what? Join the line."

Read the entire piece on Advocate.com.

Earlier post: MISS CLEO COMES OUT

Now his on-screen brother is denying what everyone seems to think is true. Dominic Purcell, who plays his brother on "Prison Break," joked to an Australian radion station: “People like to jump to conclusions about him....“Went is not gay. I’ve tried it on him many times and he just buffs me right back.”
Well, I guess that settles it.
Miller recently told InStyle Germany that his gay rumour “can’t be killed. I’d like to have a girlfriend and a family. But I haven’t met the right one yet. Until then I’m focusing on my job.”

The "Glass Closet" panel I participated in at USC yesterday was moderated by Howard Bragman, the well-known gay publicist who has repped some of the biggest names in showbiz and sports. His current clients include John Amaechi, Martina Navratilova and...Isaiah Washington. The former "Grey's Anatiomy" star hired Bragman after his infamous "I did not call T.R. a f****t" incident at the Golden Globes.
I had wondered aloud during the summer how a gay publicist could square repping a client who was coming across as homophobic. Howard told me yesterday that "I don't believe Isaiah is homophobic. I believe he made a mistake. A person who is homophobic does not take gay roles in movies and does not have gay friends. He made a mistake."
After signing on with Bragman's Fifteen Minutes firm, Washington taped a few PSA messages for GLAAD and went to, for lack of a better word, "gayhab," to try and figure out why he said the things he said. Then, ABC fired him anyway.
Here's where Howard and I really differ: I thought Washington's post-firing interviews with Larry King, blogger Keith Boykin and a Houston newspaper showed him in a very negative light as he lashed out at ABC for making him jump through PR hoops then firing him anyway. And worst of all to many, he attacked T.R. Knight and painted him as a schemer and a liar. Remember, it was T.R. who came out after speculation over who Washington was referring to as a f****t during a scuffle with Patrick Dempsey on the set of "Grey's" last fall.
"I think it's been overcovered," Bragman said. "Not all slurs are created equal."
Bragman thought the post-firing interviews went well.
Obviously, we disagree.
But Washington seems to have landed on his feet, for now, with at least five episodes of NBC's "Bionic Woman" which fihished a strong second in overall viewers in its premiere Wednesday night but finished ahead of ABC's "Grey's" spinoff "Private Practice" in the coveted 18-49 demographic.

I guess I still don't understand how Howard Bragman can represent Isaiah Washington but I do have much respect for his experience in this industry and for what he has achieved. Here are a few of the things he had to say during the USC event that I jotted down:
On changing attitudes toward gays on TV: "It is so generational. We grew up on 'Leave it to Beaver' and 'My Three Sons' and these kids come home and watch 'Queer As Folk' and 'Will & Grace" in syndication."
On what will help more actors come out: "What's gonna happen is the Jackie Robinson moment. The A-list actor who comes out and thrives....it will stiffen everyone's back."

That's a U.S. senator having to explain this to the outgoing, homophobic Joint Chief of Staffs Peter Pace. Maybe Pace can have a chat with the newly-reformed Tim Hardaway. Or maybe Pace can just go away and let the many gays and lesbians currently serving in the military continue to do so without their leader kicking sand in their eyes. BTW, kudos to Sen. Tom Harkin for at least trying to enlighten this homophobe. Here is a clip:

Of all the homophobes we've had to hear about this year, Tim Hardaway was certainly one of the worst. Reacting to former NBA player John Amaechi coming out in his book "Man in the Middle," Hardaway infamously said: "I hate gay people" among other bigoted things.
So it was a shocker this morning when I read on Towleroad.com that the former NBA player has quietly been working with LGBT youth! He hasn't talked about it until now, it seems, because he doesn't wan t people to thimk he's doing some kind of PR-driven Isaiah Washington gayhab thing. The former player for the Miami Heat has been attending and working with the YES Institute, an advocacy center for LGBT youth. The group seeks to prevent teen suicides while boosting the self-esteem of children and keeping them free of violence and discrimination."
Says Hardaway: "I was scared out of my ... mind. I didn't know how they were going to act toward me. But you know what? They welcomed me with open arms. That eased a lot of my nervousness."
"I just wanted to go in and get educated, that's all. Get educated on what I said and why I said those things. I'm working on understanding it now. I'm not really trying to make amends. I've been there trying to get help. "I had no idea how much I hurt people. A lot of people."

I'll say. So what do you guys think? Does he mean it? Or does he miss those NBA-connected paydays??

This drives a co-worker of mine crazy but I just love saying or writing this: "The Itty Bitty Titty Committee." It's not a little rhyme I made up in grade school, it's the name of a new lesbian-themed comedy that opens in New York today (in just one theatre before it expands in the coming weeks). "Titty" screened at Outfest on awards night but I was so busy interviewing folks, I missed most of it.
Since it's not yet in wide release, I can tell you that I did see two movies this weekend that are in a theatre near you: the romantic comedy "Feast of Love" which has a few hot lesbian scenes, and the action flick "The Kingdom" which stars Jamie Foxx. I think Jamie Foxx is one helluva good actor but, let's face it, what I really like about him is that he is one of the sexiest men alive.
Anyway, I write about what's new at the movies and how I think the movies might fare in my weekly BOX OFFICE BUZZ column. Also, check out my chat with "Feast" star Greg Kinnear in my other blog, HOLLYWOOD JOE.

Poor Noah, he's finally accepting himself and realizing what a great guy he has in Luke but he's got no idea that his creepy dad is completely BONKERS! I want these two young guys to go out on a real date, enjoy their romance. But, with this nutjob always lurking around the corner, that will not come for sometime.
Still, I'm glad to see Noah opening up so much, emotionally, to Luke.
Here is a lengthy clip from Thursday's show that will catch you up!

The USC event I participated in this afternoon was a terrific discussion with a lot of people who I respect and admire, Had I known they were gonna post YouTube clips of it, I wouldn't have been scribbling notes the entire time!
Here are some clips of Wilson Cruz, a very talented aftor who came out more than a decade ago when he co-starred with Clare Danes in "My So-Called Life." If only all stars could be this well-adjusted and thoughtful:

My favorite quote from that was when he was asked what advice he'd give to other performers who are considering coming out: "I tell them to make sure they're doing it for themselves - for very personal reasons. You can't do it because you want to be a hero to other people."

Here's are a few other clips from the spirited event presented by the Norman Lear Center at the USC Annenberg School of Communications:

I don't own a single Justin Timberlake CD and the only song of his that I can even name is "Sexyback." I know he used to be in NSYNC, was once a mousketeer, and has dated Britney Spears, Cameron Diaz and now Jessica Biel. What I didn't know was how completely buff he is! Here, Justin shows off his terrific physique over the weekend at a concert in Sacramento.

T.R. sure seems a lot more relaxed during this appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show. He seems to be getting more self-assured in the public eye all the time...

Have you heard about the forthcoming drama that will follow a man's journey into transitioning to a woman? It's a pilot from "Nip/Tuck" creator Ryan Murphy who will direct with Brad Pitt executive producing.
The transgendered character will be played by..........Joseph Fiennes. He's a beautiful man and, I think, will probably be a beautiful woman. It's just a pilot at this stage but I predict it will go to series. Fiennes' parents will be played by Blythe Danner and Robert Wagner.
Production will begin later next month.

I'm going to0 be out of pocket until this afternoon because I'm going to USC to try and find a college-aged boyfriend! Just a joke. But maybe I'll drop by a fraternity party or two. OK, the real reason I'm going is this:

"Glass Closet" Panel Discussion at USC, September 27
Event date: September 27, 2007
The Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication is hosting a panel discussion on sexuality and politics in Hollywood and Washington, D.C. "The Glass Closet" will be moderated by publicist Howard Bragman; panelists include communication school director Larry Gross; journalists Ray Richmond, Greg Hernandez, and David Ehrenstein; and actor Wilson Cruz. The panel convenes at 12 p.m., Thursday, September 27, at the USC Annenberg School for Communication, 3502 Watt Way in Los Angeles, Room 207. For more information and to RSVP, e-mail enter@usc.edu. (The Advocate)

I'll provide you with a run-fown of what was discussed, could be interesting. The moderator, Howard Bragman, is the gay publicist who represents Isaiah Washington! Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

I have no words...

...if I'm really all that concerned about the fact that tennis stud Andy Roddick had to withdraw from the Thailand Open yesterday because of a knee injury or if I wanted an excuse to post this nice photo of him. Maybe it's a little bit of both. Either way, hope you recover quickly Andy!!!

This is the second and final part of an interview I had with singer Darren Hayes this month. In part one, we talked about his new album and a well-publicized restaurant altercation that he is now eager to put past him.
On the day that we spoke, Hayes had attended a civil partnership ceremony of two friends which he said was "beautiful" and he was also a guest at Elton John's wedding to David Furnish: "It was a big deal because Elton is such a famous perspon and it was an important moment. It was a very powerful statement to make, soemeone who had been knighted by the Queen and an official card carrying homo. I loved it!”
As far as the raging debate over same-sex marriage in the U.S., Hayes says: "Obviously it's a divided issue. There’s so many people in the country, so many opinions. The land mass is as big as Europe, I think it's a miracle that America manages to be so cohesive. England really surprised me, In terms of social reform, medical care and civil partnerships, it is quite forward thinking. I think Australia and America will catch up."
Hayes entered into a civil partnership with his boyfriend of three years, Richard Cullen, on June 19, 2006 in London and announced it on his official website the next month:
"What I'm most of proud of is I had nothing to promote and nobody outed me. I lived in America for seven years and I adore the country. But it can be quite aggressive the way people are outed, people like Lance Bass, who were dragged out of the closet. For me, it was a very conscious decision that I made in a very calm and sort of measured state of mind."
“I think we made a decision in our relationship to humanize it. We werern't going to be this hidden couple. I talk about Richard pretty openly. If I attend events, sometimes he's there. It's a fine line that we try to walk. Like any relationship, he is a part of me and a part of everything I do."

"Brothers & Sisters" has its second-season premiere this Sunday night and I can tell you that Saul, played by Ron Rifkin, gets a visit from Milo Peterman (Michael Nouri), a man from his past who - I'm just guessing here - was once his lover. I say let them make out already! But seriously, this is a storyline that is probably going to take some time since Saul does not seem even remotely as accepting of his own sexuality as his gay nephew, Kevin (Matthew Rhys), is.
AfterElton.com has posted what seems to be to be the most extensive interview with Rifkin yet on the direction of his character. I'll give you a few nibbles then you can go feast on the whole thing by clicking HERE.

On Saul being revealed to be gay at the end of last season: "I was very excited about the possibility of playing an older guy whose life had been a certain way and had lived in a certain time, and even though his family was obviously very close, and very intense, and very passionate, and loved and supported each other, he just had a secret."

On what happened between he and Milo in te past: "There's a scene in the third or fourth episode where we meet again and we do have some communication with each other, but I think it's a struggle for Saul. He's a very loving guy. All he has is his family. He loves those kids. I think he's confronting issues that have plagued him and, hopefully, he'll handle it with grace. And hopefully the world around him, that is to say his family, will embrace him for it."

Will Saul will turn to Kevin for advice?: "Oh, I think there will be something between them. I think if I were a young man having come out to my family then find out I have an uncle who might be gay, I'd have issues with that. I'd either be excited about the possibility, if I were Kevin, or angry that he hadn't [come out]. As far as Saul is concerned, it feels like it might be problematic because he kept it a secret for so long."

"As the World Turns" was unbelievable today! Luke and Noah kiss and it's a pretty good one...at least it was until daddy dearest shows up. Check out the clip which also includes the events leading up to the smooch!

p.s. Thanks to the readers who pointed out that in a recent post, I refered to Noah as Nate. Just one of those stupid mistakes.

I attended the premiere of "Feast of Love" last night and did a write-up on the evening on my new blog Hollywood Joe. I hope you'll give it a read. But for Out In Hollywood readers, I'd like to point out that one of the love stories depicted in the film - and by far the most eroitic - is the relationship between the characters played by Selma Blair and Stana Katic. Blair is married to Greg Kinnear in the film and Katic aggressively woos her right underneath her nose. It is stunning and kind of beautiful because after that, her character comes alive.
On her way into the theater last night, Katic said: "I think what's wonderful about this film is it shows different renditions of love, different levels, different age groupings. I think it's wonderful in life to constantly be open to those opportunities with people and this film does a real nice, delicate job of showing those kinds of relationships."
Loved her in "Feast of Love" where her character is bold and determined to win the heart of this woman who is surprised at her instant attraction to another female. It's one terrific part of a wonderful film.
And because of that, the women SHOULD be on the poster of the movie.

Singer Darren Hayes called me from London (he lives in the Notting Hill part of the city) recently and we had a good gab about his music, being an out performer, and about the alleged the incident in a restaurant where he was accused of saying racially abusive things to a door person.
We spoke prior to police recommending earlier this week that no formal charges be filed and that there was no racist undertone to the July 22 incident.
"I could never think, let alone utter a racist remark. It's just not who I am," Hayes said. "As a gay man, I find the notion of discriminating against a human being because of race, gender or sexuality to be abhorrent. It goes against everything I have stood for."
An altercation did take place at the restaurant and Hayes received a warning. The singer says the racial element "was a horrible thing to be accused of and I want to thank all of my friends, family and fans for giving me the benefit of the doubt. The experience has been frustrating and at times made me very sad, but through it all I have to say I support the legal system and our right of protection under the law. I'm glad the truth is out there. I just want to concentrate on my music now.”
Hayes was set to kick off his latest tour in Scotland this week, play in London Oct. 3 then play in his native Australia until Oct. 25 before heading to the U.S. for six weeks of promotion. He has not done a full-scale concert in the states in seven years and hopes to do some shows next year.
The 35-year-old Australian singer-songwriter debuted in 1996 as the frontman and singer of the pop duo Savage Garden which had the hots "I Want You", "To the Moon and Back," "Truly Madly Deeply," "I Knew I Loved You" and "The Animal Song." Savage Garden sold more than 23 million albums worldwide before parting ways in 2001.
"It would've been easier to stay in the band or keep the name, I chose a more difficult path," he says.
Hayes released his first solo album, "Spin" in 2002. After his second solo album didn't meet expectations, Hayes left his record label to form one of his own: Powdered Sugar.
Now he is doing things on his own terms which he said is made clear with his new album, "This Delicate Thing We've Made." He says it's his most personal collection of songs - ever.
“I love the record in general because it's been the result of a lot of artistic struggle. I fought realy hard to be in this place in my career, to be an honest person and someone who makes reocrds that are exactly the way I want them to be, regardless of marketing etc."
"I think it's an album in the old sense, when a collection of songs had a purpose. It's not a reaction to what is happening to radio, it's endearingly crafted and put together and it offers something to people who think maybe magic is missing from records today.”

TOMORROW: In part 2 of our interview, Darren tells us about coming out and how he feared it would hurt his career and some other things I'll have to leave you in suspense about...

I know we like shjots of him running and playing frisbee on the beach but the man does have to dress up every now and then. He does clean up well, as you can see from these pictures of Matthew shooting a commercial on Castiglione St. in Paris on Tuesday for fashion house Dolce & Gabbana.

Elton John's AIDS foundation gala drew some big names last night. Among the biggest was CNN anchor Anderson Cooper who looked mighty handsome sandwiched between Elton and his husband David Furnish. He is quite the silver fox.
Also there was K.D. Lang who performed some songs with Elton...

Hey there. Mega-technical problems this morning with our blogging system. I'd pull my hair out in frustration, if I had any. I'm trying to post!
I chatted up Billy Baldwin and transgender actress Candis Cayne the other day about their TV love affair on "Dirty Sexy Money" which premieres tonight on ABC. I'll have to send you over to my other blog, Hollywood Joe to read it. Sorry for the inconvenience!

It's on right now so turn on the TV!!! But if yer stuck in the office, like me, AfterElton.com is live blogging NOW!!!

It is...Eric Bana! What a cool dude. He was snapped on the Toronto set of his latest movie "The Time Traveler's Wife." Love the look.

Let me just start by saying that I'm just so over Rosie right now. You all know that I have been a big champion of hers in the past but she's starting to bug me. First, she hints that Barbara Walters should retire and now she has posted an item on her blog taking issue with the news this week that ratings for "The View" were up by 16 percent vs. a year ago. I got the numbers out of Daily Variety, the showbiz bible but here is what Rosie had to say:
"While im all about creative use of ratings, I think we need to do something with the lovely people at the view insisting that the ratings are up without rosie when in fact they are not. Please check out perez hilton from yesterday stating their ratings are up +16% versus YAG."

Here is the real data based on live plus same day viewing:
P2+ 3,576 + 7.8%
HH 2.8 rating versus 2.66 YAG + 5.3%
W 18- 49 1.47 versus 1.6 YAG - 8.8%
W 25-54 1.77 versus 1.92 YAG - 8.5%
W 18-34 1.03 versus 1.23 YAG - 19.4%
W 50+ 2.3 versus 2.13 YAG + 8.0 %

"Note that the show is bought from an advertising perspective which is their only revenue stream on either the W 18-49 or 25-54 demo meaning they are LOSING revenue versus YAG. Also, the most valuable demo is the younger one 18-34 which is really hemmoraging. They are picking up older viewers 50+ which are of less value to advertisers. Again - they should really use the ACTUAL REAL numbers in their press statements and if they don’t, then maybe we should…..
TRUTH IN ADVERTISING BABY!!!"

Greg's thoughts: Maybe what she says has merit, maybe not. But the fact remains, it makes Rosie look kinda petty IMO. I guess I just like the show better now and I'm not 50-plus.

She already has a Tony Award, and an Emmy. Could another Emmy be in store for out actress Cynthia Nixon? She guest stars in tonight's ninth season premiere of "Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit" which is headlined by the enormously talented Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni. Nixon reportedly turns in a powerful performance as a woman with multiple personalities who may have abused and fatally harmed her daughter.
Multiple personalities? That is such Emmy material. Hopefully, Nixon will be home from the set of the "Sex and the City" movie to catch the show!

- Mariska Hargitay raves about Nixon's performance in my new blog, Hollywood Joe.

This fine young actor who has brought so much heart to the Luke and Nate storyline on "As the World Turns" is 26 years old today. After Elton.com has a nice little birthday tribute for you to enjoy...

This is part 2 of my interview with Steve Callahan who is in "Nine Lives," out on DVD on Oct. 2. Steve also has a key role in a wonderful indie film called "East Side Story" which I have written extensively about. Last I heard, the film would have a DVD release in late 2007.
As far as Steve landing the role of Wesley, he partly has Robert Gant to thank.
Gant was the original choice for the role but could not get out of his "Queer As Folk" shooting schedule which opened the door for Callahan. Now, director Carlos Portugal can't imagine anybody else in the role.
"It was definitely the biggest role I had ever had in a film and it just seemed like it was going to succeed," says Callahan. "I'm so proud of the movie, I'm so excited about it. It's the complete opposite of 'Nine Lives.' It's a romantic comedy. It has a great screenplay, the story is great, there are some really great characters and it's just fun. 'Nine Lives' was edgy and gritty and this is a sweet love story."
Welsley and his lover Jonathan move into an East L.A. neighborhood after buying a house that they intend to flip. But Wesley not only ends up falling in love with the neighborhood and its culture, he also falls in love with Diego who lives across the street.
"Diego is in this thing on the downlow with [real estate agent] Pablo and he's almost at the point in his life where he's ready to come out," explains Steve. "He's almost 30 years old, he's sick of playing these games and he knows he actually wants a relationship with a man. Whereas Pablo expects to marry a woman and have something on the side with Diego for the rest of his life. And then you have me and Jonathan who are just not meant to be together, just not the right match. And the it just happens to be that Wesley and Diego are right there across the street from each other. It's the typical romantic comedy: they're with the wrong people and you gotta get them together for the final scene."
On leading man Rene Alvarado: "They did such a good job casting that role. Diego carries the movie, he's in almost every scene. If that part was miscast, it wouldn't work."
On director Carlos Portugal: "Carlos had a really interesting directing style which I loved which was that he always let actors do what they wanted on the first take and see what we brought to it. Other directors will say right from the start, 'OK, this is what I want you to do.'"
For Steve, the success of "East Side Story" and "Nine Lives" is only paret of a great year. He also spent a month this summer in Scotland in the Edinburgh Theatre Festival with the Terrence McNally's controversial play "Corpus Christi."
I hope all of this activcity leads to more terrific roles for Steve. He's someone I think we'd all like to see more of on the screen.

Click HERE to read part one of my interview with Steve Callahan!

She looks terrific whatever age she is. It's a number that was carefully avoided this morning on "The View" where Joy Behar asked Walters how it felt to be 50. I've seen the age reported as both 76 and 78. Nancy Reagan always shaved off a few years and if you are as young as you feel or seem, Barbara Walters can't be a day over 45.
There are many reasons why I like and admire the first woman to co-anchor the network news and the first female co-host of "The Today Show." The journalist: On today's episode of "The View," there was this stunning montage of many of the interviews she has done while at ABC News: presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush and most of the first ladies. World leaders including Fidel Castro (on a boat as they crossed the Bay of Pigs), Begin and Sadat, Yeltsen, Putin, the Shah of Iran. Newsmakers of the day like Monica Lewinsky, the Menendez brothers and Robert Blake, and such celebrities and icons John Wayne, Barbra Streisand, Chrisopher Reeve, Katherine Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn, Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylore, Paul Newman and on and on all the way up to more current stars Tom Cruise, Will Smith and Angelina Jolie.
Her report on transgender children this year was groundbreaking and superbly done and for that reason alone, I hope she goes on and on like Mike Wallace.
She really has done it all but I think there is still far more to come.
The birthday tribute concluded with clips from "The View" over the years and it was so telling how such past hosts as Lisa Ling and Meredith Viera were seen, there was no sight of Rosie O'Donnell and just a flash of Star Jones!

For more than 15 months now, Out In Hollywood has been my main online identity. I'm now going to become something of a split personality. In addition to giving you your daily dose of Out In Hollywood, the Daily News has asked me to launch a more mainstream celebrity blog. I'm giving it a soft launch this week as I try and work out the kinks but wanted you all to be the first to know about the new blog in my life, Hollywood Joe!
It's still in the very early stages but I hope you'll check it out each day before or after you read Out In Hollywood. It will include coverage of the parties and events that I go to, celebrity interviews, and links to all the hottest gossip of the day.
Today, much of the coverage is about Kiefer Sutherland and his DUI arrest. I met Kiefer a few years ago at an awards show and he could not have been nicer. But he's in some hot water now!
Anyway, some of the blog's contents will be published in the print edition of The Daily News but the heart and soul of Hollywood Joe is online where you will get your daily jolt of celebrity news, parties and gossip...
If you like it, send a link to your friends!

Yes, he really said it. Here is a YouTube clip of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that includes his comments about there not being homosexuals in his country. The audience at Columbia University laughs at first then, as he went on, they booed.

This, more than any of his other remarks yesterday, have made Ahmadinejad a real laughing stock, which would be funny if he didn'tr seem so scary. Anyway, this cartoon that I spotted on Queerty.com this morning is pretty sobering...

And finally, the ladies of "The View" took on the topic and while Elisabeth Hasselbeck stuck by her stance that he should not have been allowed to speak at all, the others felt this was an opportunity for him to show his true colors - which he did.
But Joy Behar had my favorite remark of all: "This guy's like the Larry Craig of Iran. One day we're gonna find him in a bathroom...tap,. tap, tap."
Now THAT'S free speech!

Sorry for the lack of posts this morning...technical problems. But hopefully you will get a steady stream of goodies over the next few hours. I am trying to make it up to you with this beekcake shot of David Charvet, best known as being a "Baywatch" hunk and not much else. I think he also did a season or two on "Melrose Place." Anywho, according to JustJared.com, Charvet is filing the beach volleyball film "Green Flash" in Manhattan Beach, Calif. I don't care what the plot is, all I know is I'm buying a ticket!

"Prison Break" star Wentworth Miller's sexuality remains a fascination. In the October 2007 issue of German InStyle magazine, he says: "I'm not gay, but that rumor can't be killed. I'd like to have a girlfriend and a family. But I haven't met the right one yet. Until then I'm focusing on my job. I had to wait so long for this chance I savor every second on set even if it means 14 hours of shooting a day."

Any thoughts?

It looks like people like the post-Rosie era on "The View" just fine.
ABC has got to be dancing in the streets with the show's second-week ratings were up by 16 percent over the same week a year ago when Rosie O'Donnell was moderator. The first-week ratings finished in a dead heat. Under moderator Whoopi Goldberg and with new panelist Sherri Shepherd aboard, the show had 3.6 million viewers compared with 3 million last year.
Time will tell if the numbers continue to build or level off. I loved that Rosie was so funny and brought a major LGBT presence to the show, but it does feel like it is better hands with Whoopi who seems to have worked out her stuff and that allows her to be much more even-keeled than Rosie.
And, she can be just as funny.

There's been much debate in recent days over Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad giving an address at Columbia University today. But if you don't let him speak, then you don't have the chance to show his true colors, right?
So, he was asked about about gay rights in Iran and after trying to avoid the subject, Ahmaqdinejad had this to say:
"In Iran, we don’t have homosexuals like in your country. We don’t have that in our country. In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon. I do not know who has told you that we have it."
He was booed after giving that answer, according to news reports. This man's power of denial is scary enough but even scarier is this: what have they done with all of the homosexuals in Iran?

Hey, I love Marie Osmond and Jane Seymour and am eager to see if Wayne Newton's face actually moves when he dances. But let's get real. There are three reasons why I want to catch "Dancing With the Stars" season debut tonight.
And here they are...

1. HELIO CASTRONEVES The two time Indianapolis 500 champion is a native of Brazil, Castroneves is partner and owner of the NasrCastroneves racing team which competes in the Brazilian Stock Car V8 Championship. He is teamed with reigning champ JULIANNE HOUGH

2. FLOYD MAYWEATHER "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather is a six time world champion in five different weight classes and the current RING and World Boxing Council Welterweight Champion of the World, with an undefeated record of 38 0, with 24 knockouts. He is teamed with KARINA SMIRNOFF, who returns for her third season.

3. CAMERON MATHISON joined the cast of All My Children in January 1998 as Ryan Lavery, the smart, slick talking, and sexy con man that has lifted a little cash and a few hearts since he arrived in Pine Valley. He is one of the show's most popular characters, won the Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Male Newcomer in 1999 and earned Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2002 and 2005.
Hot! Hot! Hot!

Ha! Got your attention, didn't I? It's only the Men of Laguna Beach 2008 calendar from the Save the BOOM group. Now, I'm not sure what the group has actually accomplished since the Boom is closed but who am I to turn down an opportunity to post pictures of hot guys and actually have a legitimate reason for it? The cover model is a dude named Caleb King and to see the other 11 months of the year, click to the jump.
Says Save the Boom co-chair Fred Karger: “Our calendar is showcasing one of Laguna’s best natural resources, it’s great looking men. We are extremely proud of how well it came out, especially because it was an all volunteer effort. ALL proceeds from the sales of the Men of Laguna Beach Calendar go to support our efforts to SAVE the BOOM – Forever!!! www.savetheboom.com and to local Laguna Beach charities."

Hey, I'm not sure what he says in the interview with "Interview" but all I know is the pictures sure are pretty. It's nice to know that a Hollywood leading man is as talented and thoughtful as he is handsome...

I think we sometimes think network television is gayer than it really is. I know i do. Among my favorites, there's Kevin Walker on "Broithers & Sisters" and now his uncle Saul is coming out...on "Ugly Betty," there's Michael Urie's Mark and Betty's nephew Justin (he's too young to be out, but we know where it's going) and on "Desperate Housewives," we have Andrew Van de Kamp and now a gay couple is set to move onto Wisteria Lane.
So it's pretty gay, right?
Apparently that's pretty much it. According to a report released today by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. In the 2007-08 TV season, broadcast series will feature seven regularly seen characters who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, down from nine characters in 2006 and 10 the season before, GLAAD said. Most are on one network — ABC.
The new figure represents 1.1% of all regular characters on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and CW, compared to 1.3% in 2006. A total of 87 comedies and dramas with 650 characters were analyzed. By comparison, cable shows will feature 40 gay characters as series regulars.
Said GLAAD President Neil Giuliano: "While we acknowledge there have been improvements made in how we are seen on the broadcast networks, most notably on ABC, our declining representation clearly indicates a failure to inclusively reflect the audience watching television."

The seven broadcast characters appear on five shows, including "Brothers & Sisters," "Desperate Housewives," "Ugly Betty," "The Office" and the new midseason series "Cashmere Mafia." ABC shows are home to six of the seven, with one on NBC. There were no lead or supporting gay or transgender characters set to appear on CBS, FOX or CW, GLAAD found.
Last year, the characters were spread among five networks. However, there will be an additional 13 gay characters seen occasionally on broadcast TV shows this season, compared to five recurring characters last year. That increase "suggests that producers and writers are showing a guarded interest in being inclusive without making the characters lead or supporting," GLAAD said in a release, noting that gay characters on "Ugly Betty" and "Desperate Housewives" first appeared as recurring before being added to the regular cast.
The picture is far gayer on cable.
The 40 regular characters depicted on 21 scripted shows on cable channels including HBO, Showtime and FX represents 15 more characters than last year.

This photo of Neil Patrick Harris has nothing to do with tonight's third season premiere of CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" which airs at 8 p.m. and kicks off a night of four back-to-back-to-back-to-back sitcoms. NPH is hilarious as the outrageous, skirt-chasing Barney and if you haven't seen the show before, he is reason enough to watch although the entire ensemble is damned good.

The first time I ever saw Steve Callahan was when director Carlos Portugal sent me a screener of his film "East Side Story" well over a year ago. I loved the film and did a write-up on the blog and soon after, got a nice note from Steve thanking me. He got hooked on "Out In Hollywood," would send me an occasional note about an item and we got to meet a few times at various events. I had never had a sit-down interview with Steve but thought the Oct. 2 release of his other film, "Nine Lives," was a good enough to reason for an on-the-record gab. The movie marks the directorial debut of Dean Howell and was written by pioneer activist and writer Michael Kearns.
Although his character is one of many in this ensemble film, it is his sexy image that is featured on the cover of the DVD. I dunno, I think it might help sell a few more copies, don't you? Anyway, Steve and I talked so much at a Starbucks in West Hollywood that this interview will be posted in two parts with tomorrow's focus on "East Side Story" which is set for DVD release in December.
"They are so different which is great -completely different," Steve says of the two indie films. "The funny thing is, people will talk about doing two gay roles back-to-back and being typecast and it's so funny because Corey in "Nine Lives" and Wesley in "East side Story" could not be further apart. Those characters are nothing alike."
But Callahan has no reservations about playing gay since he is a gay man.
"I definitely made a choice that I never wanted to be in the closet - that was not something that ever interested me. I came out of the closet to friends when I was 18, to my family when I was in college [Ohio State University]. You come out of the closet and it's such a free feeling when you come out. I couldn't imagine moving to L.A. and then going back into the closet."
But he had plenty of people who advised him to remain private about his sexuality because to not be would cost him roles.
"I was the typical kid from Ohio, thought I was going to come out here and be a big movie star. I'd do TV for a couple of years then segue into film [laughs]. Then you come out here and you see how many people there are and you see what the competition is. But I love acting. I don't have a back-up plan, there's nothing else that I want to do. I gave up a long time ago wanting people to say, 'This is the next Tom Cruise.'The last thing I want to be really famous and lose that private part of your life. I just want to do good work. There are so few out of the closet actors out there. When I was a kid, I didn't see anyone. I thought I was alone. I thought I was the only one."
The role in "Nine Lives" came about after Steve had performed the same role in a stage production of "Complications" which the film is based on. It focuses on nine individuals whose lives intersect emotionally, sexually, and dangerously over the course of one day. His character, Corey, is living with a rich and famous television executive, Daniel (John Ganun) who is arrogant and closeted and treats his lover with increasing indifference. Things heat up when Corey gets it on with their pool boy, Carlos (Eric Turic).
"I was just so thrilled to be a part of it," Callahan says. "I thought the script was daring and edgy and I so respected Dean Howell the director and I loved his approach to the material - he just went for it. It's certainly not pornographic but the movie is about nine sexual encounters over the course of a single day in L.A. If you're going to film nine sexual encounters, you film the sex. You have sex scenes."
"With Daniel who was my lover, it was a violent sex scene and when it was over we just lay there and don't say anything to each other. And then Carlos whose the pool boy and someone I don't know at all, it's very romantic and very intimate. And afterward, there was the intimacy of touching and connecting and talking to somebody who's a complete stranger. That's what was so sad about my character - I had nothing to say to my lover of four years."
I don't want to give a major plot point away, but at one point, Callahan's character gets into a violent struggle in the pool with his lover: "That scene was so interesting to shoot. We filmed it in a pool and they had an underwater camera but they couldn't hook it up to the monitor to see what they were getting so we did a lot of stuff. You are doing take after take after take of holding somebody under water and we had to have a safe word."
"Nine Lives" played in many film festivals throughout the country and Steve was among the cast members who appeared at most of them: "We opened in North Carolina and I went to a half-dozen other ones. The reaction in different parts of the country was so amazing. In North Carolina, somebody came up to me after the festival and said, 'It is so important to show a movie like that here." When we showed it in the big cities like San Francisco, Chicago and New York, everyone's reaction was, 'Wow! The sex scenes were hot.' When we showed it in the South and other place, it became more of an issue movie - much more so than in the big city."

For those of you in Southern California, Outfest is having a special cast and crew screening to celebrate the DVD release on Tues, Oct 16 - 7:30pm at the Rigler Theater. For more information on the screening, go to http://www.outfest.org

U.S. Open runner-up Novak Djokovic is a crowd-pleaser both on the court and off. He pulled his shirt over his head while cheering on of one of his Serbian teammates then fell to the gound (below) when winning his own match later. Serbia will now be able to compete in the main draw of the Davis Cup in 2008.


The gorgeous Tommy Haas of Germany saw his country lose over the weekend. Here's hoping the rest of his year rocks...

And finally, Great Britain's Tim Henman played his last match for his country...and won! It took place at Wimbledon, the tournament he came close to winning so many times.

Will the United States finally win the Davis Cup after more than a decade of coming up short? If it does, much of the credit must go to top-ranked American Andy Roddick who won both his matches this weekend over Sweden in the semifinals. It would help salvage a subpar year for Andy who won some tournaments, but came up short in the majors.

It was a glorious night earlier this week when The Advocate celebrated its 40th Anniversary with a swanky bash that drew everyone from former NBA player John Amaechi and L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl.
But my most interesting conversation of the night was with the magazine's editor-in-chief Anne Stockwell who took over the reigns of the magazine earlier this year. I wanted to know how it felt for her to be at the helm during this particular time in history.
"I don't know how I got so lucky," said Anne. "Everything's happened, we're at the middle of everything and i know that although The Advocate has been here 40 years, our really important work is ahead of us. It's obviously been important the entire time, but I feel like we're starting our act two and it's going to be amazing what we're all going to do together."
Stockwell also talked about the redesign of Advocate.com and the future of the magazine:
"The Advocate for a long time was the one place where you'd hear gay news. If you didn't hear it in The Advocate, you weren't going to hear it period. Because the n ews cycle has changed so much, there is no way we're ever going to be able to break news again. Production-wise, we don't have the same capabilities as Time or Newsweek. So that's a real opportunity as far as I'm concerned because we get to do something new. We've just redesigned Advocate.com, it's gorgeous. And we're going to concentrate on strengthening even more our ability to break news on Advocate.com in the year to come. That leaves the door wide open for the print edition to become still more something that you want to linger over, something that gives the analysis. More than that, it's the opinions. We have a new freedom to sort of move beyond the very objective sort of newspaper reporting and into atittude and sharpness and more of the world as seen through our eyes. It's a huge shift and we're already doing it."

The outspoken Joy Behar has a new book out (above) and appeared on Larry King Live on Friday to talk about that and other topics. Of course, the stuff that perked up my ears were when she discussed anything that had to do with "The View" including fellow co-hosts, past and present.
On Rosie: "She left sort of abruptly...She's Rosie O'Donnell, she's got a lot of money, she can do what she wants...I like to concentrate on the fun we had this year, and we did have a lot of fun."
But she added that it was also "a year of stress." There were also moments when "things went to hell in a hand basket." And the stress did get to her, Behar admitted. She attributed a case of shingles she had this summer to it.

On the Rosie-Elisabeth on-air fight: "It's not pretty. I don't think that's the original concept [for 'The View' that Barbara Walters had... I couldn't understand why they didn't go to a commercial."
On Rosie writing that Barbara Walters is tired and should retire: "That's so not true! Barbara is not tired, she's raring to go...the woman is never tired, the woman does not tolerate anyone else being tired...If there's negative things in the book I'd assume Barbara wouldn't be happy about it - Why should she be?"
On Star Jones: "I wish her well. I don't have animosity toward her." But they're not in touch although Behar did see an episode of Jones' new show on Court TV. "We never really had fights off the air...we had different ways of seeing the world...we were not friends off of the air." She said she was "shocked" when Jones announced on the air that she was leaving because even though she knew something was happening, it wasn't supposed to be announced for several more weeks. Of Jones' departure announcement and subsequent media interviews: "I think she tried to take the high road."

On Donald Trump dissing her: "Donald Trump says I have no talent...what talent does he have? ...I've had 20 years of psychotherapy so when someone says something that's not true, I dismiss it...it's a non-issue for me."
On new moderator Whoopi Goldberg: "I'm getting real friendly with Whoopi now. I love her."
On former moderator Meredith Viera: "I miss her tremendously...she's a good, good person."

When Maureen McCormick was doing a buncha interviews while she was on the "Celebrity Fit Club" show, she mentioned that when she was growing on on "The Brady Bunch," she had a crush on her on-screen little sister, Eve Plumb who played Jan. In this photo, the two aren't marrying each other - they had a double wedding during the short-lived 1981 sitcom "The Brady Brides" which lasted only eight episodes. Not only did the sisters have the double wedding, but they wind up living in the same house with their respective husbands!
Hmmmmmmmmm.
OK, so Maurren had a crush on Eve. Big deal. I had a crush on a girl named Kathy in fourth grade. She did kinda look like a boy though.
Anyway, Maureen is writing a book, "Here's A Story," about her days as Marcia Brady and other times in her life including her bout with drugs and an eating disorder. Several sites are abuzz over an item that is in the National Enquirer. Considering the source, I post this with a grain of salt, but I post it all the same: apparently Marcia and Jan, er, Maureen and Eve, had some incest. Well, it SEEMS like incest.
The tell-all book is set to hit bookstores next year. A "source" tells the Enquirer, "The most explosive comments will be how the then-blonde, blue-eyed cutie developed a crush on Eve Plumb, which led to some sexual play...This book will certainly come as a shocker. While Maureen is not a lesbian, she reveals there were some sexual hijinks going on behind the scenes...It's bizarre because she played such a virginal character on the show."
What will Mrs. Brady think? Or Alice. And Greg?
OK, there it is. We'll have to wait and see if Maureen's crush ever developed into more or if the "Enquirer" is writing more fiction.

This makes me so happy. There they are: Charlotte, Carrie, Miranda and Samantha back together again. "Sex and the City" fans can now rest assured: the movie IS happening. There have been all kinds of pictures being posted on other sites in recent days so I'm a little behind in these but still, isn't it great?
Here are some scenes and candids:

I'm here in Palm Springs where I promised friends this afternoon that my blogging was done for the day. But after getting back from dinner at El Mirasol, I checked email real quick and a reader emailed me about the death of Alice Ghostley, an actress with many, many credits but who any "Designing Women" fan knows as the loveable and loopy Bernice Clifton who appeared in a total of 24 episodes of the show over seven seasons.
She was 81.
Readers of this blog know how I feel about "Designing Women," one of my favorite sitcoms of all time with writing and acting so superb that I have seen each episode again and again and again.
One of Ghostley's last public appearances came a couple of years ago when the original cast of "Designing Women" had their first reunion in 15 years (pictured, right) and the actress was clearly quite frail by then. But she was there and the love the cast and show creator Linda Bloodworth had for her was clear.
I remember so many of the Alice Ghostley episodes so well because when Bernice was around, she made herself noticed! She had an "arterial flow" problem that basically gave her license to say whatever she wanted to say. Bernice was the best friend of Julia and Suzanne's mother (Dixie Carter and Delta Burke) so the women on the show along with Anthony, became her surrogate family after the mother moves to Japan.
The character would pop in on a semi-regular basis and after Burke and Jean Smart left the show following season five, Ghostley was made a regular for its last two seasons. My favorite Bernice episode - ever - was the time she actually WORE the Christmas tree skirt Mary Jo (Annie Potts) gave her. She was home drinking egg nog and getting a little buzzed when she found out Charlene (Smart) had gone into labor. She doesn't have a ride because of a snowstorm so she calls an ambulance!
Funny stuff, and one of MANY laugh out loud moments.

Related posts:
- A night with the Designing Women Pt. 1 and Pt. 2

I've already seen the season premiere of "Brothers & Sisters" and it has Kevin (Matthew Rhys) in domestic bliss with the senator's brother who he was seen kissing in the pantry in the season finale. I don't want to give it all away but I think it's safe to say that things change for the couple at some point. Perhaps this is where the adorable Scotty (Luke MacFarlane) comes in. We love Scotty! And he is back on the show starting with the Sunday, Oct. episode. I don't have any specifics but here are some photos from the episode that I snagged from AfterElton.com which I do hope will continue with its delicious weekly recaps when the season debuts.
Here are more pics of Kevin, Scotty, Kevin and Scotty etc.

Caught up with "Noah's Arc" stars Darryl Stephens and Doug Spearman at the Advocate party Tuesday and wanted to know the status of the "Noah's Arc" movie. I don't know about you, but I'm eager to see what they do on the big screen - especially since the movie takes place of a third season.
I miss these characters!
Stephens, who plays Noah, has made an impression in other features recently including the terrific "Boy Culture," indicated that production would be starting soon but had no details about the plot: "That's happening, hopefully, within the next couple of months - hopefully by November. We haven't even started shooting yet. It will take 3-4 weeks to do the movie. And hopefully it will be out sometoime in 2008."
Added Spearman: "They want to do it before the end of the year and I know they're still workiing on the script right now. We don't know what happens yet," he said of the cast.
I wondered how Doug felt about doing a movie instead of a third season of the Logo hit.
"I'd rather do a movie. A movie, you get in and get out. You get to do more as a character, more deeper stuff usually in a film. Logo has certain governance over what you can do and what you can say and when you're dealing with an R-rated film, it's a completely different story. I'd rather do an R-rated move than a PG-rated TV show."
I told him that to me, his character, Chance, doesn't seem happy in his relationship. Here's his take: "Me, Doug, thinks Chance got into the relationship because he's afraid to be alone. I think that's why it went really fast. I love having that to play because if you can play somebody's fears, it motivates you in a completely different way. I love that and it makes Chance more than just the uptight professor. It's something to chew on. But If I were speaking from Chance's point of view, I think he would just tell you that all relationships take work. I'm gonna stay in this and I'm gonna work at it. I think he's a bedrock kind of guy."

We all know that tennis stud Novak Djokovic of Serbia likes to take his shirt off after or a win or during practice. We like it! But this is a first: during a Davis Cup match against Australia Friday in Belgrade, Djokovic (seen here with fellow player Boris Pasanski), Novak lifted his shirt to support teamate Janko Tipsarevic who ended up losing to Lleyton Hewitt.

Who didn't fall a little in love with James Mardsen when he was on "Ally McBeal'? It was just one season but I just remember feeling: "I want to see more of this guy!"
And we have. Thankfully. James has gone back and forth from major blockbusters like the "X-Men" franchise and "Superman Returns" to indie flicks - including a few ["Heights" "The 24th Day"] where he played gay parts. I talked to him the other day at The Advocate's anniversary party about his musical role in "Hairspray" and some upcoming projects:
Greg: Was 'Hairspray' a way for us to see you different from any way we've seen you before?
James: "I think so. Do you think so?"
Greg: [nods yes]
James: I'd been looking to do something like that for awhile and was excited when "Chicago" and "Moulin Rouge" re-opened the doors for movie musicals. It's something I've enjoyed doing so I pursued it and, luckily, they wanted me to be a part of the movie. The "X-Men" films and the "Superman" films have been very good for my career and I'm very proud of them. But it's also nice to have people see you in a different light, you know? And that happened times 10 in this movie. [laughs]."
Greg: And you have "Enchanted" coming out too.
James: Yeah, and I'm a puffy-sleeved prince in that movie. Not a very subtle year for me.
Greg: Sounds like a great year.
James: Yeah it is. The only problem with it is, 'How do you keep it going? How do you top it next year?' But you just keep working and hope that people keep coming out to see the movies. I'm proud of what I've been doing so I just gotta keep my eye on that and hopefully people will react the way they did to 'Hairspray.'
Greg: What have you done since "Enchanted"?
James: I did a movie called "27 Dresses" with Katherine Heigl, it's a romantic comedy.
Greg: Wow. You made a movie with the new golden girl.
James: I hope I don't take away that gold! [laughs]

Well, here's the thing, I haven't had a chance to see any of the new releases with all the Emmy parties etc. But, I still try and handicap this weekend's box office sweepstakes in my weekly LA Daily News column BOX OFFICE BUZZ. The movie I'm most excited about seeing is Brad Pitt's "The Assassination of Jesse James by that Coward John Ford." Try saying the name of that movie five times fast! The flick is playing in just 15 theaters but goes wider next weekend.

It's Davis Cup weekend. Does that not mean anything to you? It's the annual tennis competition that pits teams from various countries against each other. The USA dominated in the days of John McEnroe then again in the Agassi-Sampras era. But it's been more than 10 years since we've won the cup.
American hearthrobs Andy Roddick and James Blake are competing starting today in the semifinals to try and put an end to this long Davis Cup drought...
Good luck guys!

Forgot to post this a few days ago. I didn't see Thomas Roberts at all on Emmy night but I know he was on the red carpet somewhere. Earlier that morning, Thomas - who had taken Judith Light shopping for her Emmy dress a few weeks ago - had the assignment of doing a story on "Ugly Betty" nominee Vanessa Williams get dressed for the Emmys.
Thomas is usually impeccably dressed - usually - so maybe that's why "The Insider" has given him these silly fashion pieces. I just feel like he's capable of so much more...

I had sold myself a bil of goods thinking that Hillary Clinton has not come out in favor of gay marriage because she thinks it would torpedo her presidential aspirations. Apparently not. New York magazine has published some of Clinton's new interview with The Advocate. She tells interviewer Sean Kennedy that her political stance is not a mask for her true feelings: "I would tell you [if it was]," she said to Kennedy. "This is an issue that I’ve had very few years of my life to think about when you really look at it, when you compare it to a whole life span. I am where I am right now, and it is a position that I come to authentically."
I see.
I was at The Abbey a few months ago, so excited to see her and caught up in the hoopla. But my feeling is that if you don't support gay marriage in your heart, you don't really believe in equal rights for all. So, the Clinton campaign sign I hung on my refrigerator at home is coming down.
I think she's the smartest person running for president and has the best grasp of all the important issues. I think she wants to make the country better and would - just as her husband did. And if she wins the Democratic nomination, I will likely vote for her, I'm sure.
But I'm not supporting her or any other candidate in the primaries unless they support gay marriage. Now I sorta resent her visit to The Abbey. I don't feel that it was "authentic."

My friend Trevor certainly thought so. And apparently so did TMZ! When Trevor pointed to who we now know is Jeff Lee, who works in the mag's accounts payable department, he said, "Hey look! It's Lance Ito!" I took one look and even after a vodka and cranberry, I KNEW the guy looked much too young to be the judge who so badly mishandled and lost control of the O.J. Simpson murder trial more than a decade ago. Maybe the judge presiding over O.J.'s current case in Vegas will have a firmer hand.

Sorry for the lack of postings today. I left LA for Palm Springs this morning for a little R&R at my fave, the La Dolce Vita Resort. I made excellent time and had just gotten off the 10 Freeway when, it happened. I got pulled over.
Now, tell the truth, haven't you always wanted to get pulled over by a hot motorcycle cop? When I saw him walking up to my window, biceps bulging, I sort of lost sight of the fact that maybe I was in trouble. I look at officer studly and ask, "Did I do something wrong?"
Studly says: "Well, I got you on radar as going 89 [mph] in a 65 [mph] zone."
Gulp.
I said, rather lamely, "I was just going with the flow of traffic."
Studly:: "Are you sick or rushing someone to the hospital?"
Me: "Uh, no. but I do have to pee real bad."
Studly: [laughs]
He walks back to his bike with my license and and registration. I'm watching him in the rear view mirror, of course. [yum!] But when he comes back with a ticket, I'm jolted into reality. He tries to cheer me up: "You're not the only one who got a ticket today brotha, far from it."
I love when he calls me brotha.
He says traffic school can keep my record clean (it is my first speeding ticket - ever) and that I can make payment online. Then he tells me that he hates being a traffic cop and that he's just been transfered to the canine division. He really does seem sorry and he is so cute so I say to him, "Well, at least you're a nice guy...wanna have dinner tonight, stud?"
KIDDING! I did say the nice guy part though.

Busy actress Jane Lynch, whose many recent film roles include playing Steve Carell's boss in '40 Year Old Virgin,' was at the party for The Advocate this week and it was the first time I've ever met her. She has been a standout in movies like "Virgin," as Will Ferrell's mom in "Talladega Nights," as a Mary Hart-clone in "For Your Consideration" and in various television roles including a sex surrogate on "Boston Legal" and a recurring role on "The L Word."
She's about as terrific as I thought she'd be and to,d me it was a personal and professional high point for her to be on the cover of The Advocate for the first time earlier this year.
Here is some of conversation:
Greg: Do you feel like you're being discovered now in a bigger way?
Jane: "Best In Show" definitely opened the doors for me and tings kind of blew opened and changed the trajectory of my career. So I'm very grateful to Christopher Guest for that."
Greg: Were you always out?
Jane: No,l was never in or out. I just never made the decision to be in or out. I just stayed doing what I do. But I'm glad to be out and I hope it's an inspiration to other actors that you can be out and still play other characters and still still study humankind and be an observer and play all different kinds of roles."
Greg: Like in 'Boston Legal."
Jane: [laughs] "Yes, likke in 'Boston Legal' where I played a sexual surrogate!"

I'm sure there are those who are assuming that Reichen Lehmkuhl, an "Amazing Race" champ, author, model and former boyfriend of Lance Bass, would not be able to tackle a real acting job when he was signed to the third season of "Dante's Cove."
Well, I've seen episode one and not only does he not embarrass himself, but he's quite natural and appealing.
We talked about the show and his participation in it at the 40th Anniversary gala for The Advocate this week.
"It's the most exciting thing since I can remember," he says. "I loved it, I loved every part of it. I loved being on set, meeting the other actors asnd the way here! Network has treated me. I loved the coaching I got and the support I got on set. It was an A-plus, plus, plus experience for me. It was amazing."
It now seems that the acting bug has gotten ahold of Reichen: "I want to do more and there are some things in the works and I'm so excited. I can't say yet."
I then asked Reichen to give "Dante's Cove" an old-fashioned plug: "It's a brand-new season and it's completely new. I want everyone to give it a shot whether you love it already or have seen it before, watch season three."

Wednesday's episode of "As the World Turns" was terrific as the Luke and Noah storyline continues to unfold. Noah's dad is being portrayed as an extremely loathsome man as I'm sure some parents of gay kids are. But it has made me think about how much kids want to not disappoint their parents even well into their adulthood. We as gay people have suffered for it forever and it takes a lot of courage to move beyond a disapproving parent. I'm glad that Noah's dad is contrasted with Luke's mom.
Here is a lengthy YouTube clip from Wednesday's show:

I've really appreciated the live-blogging of these episodes pn the AfterElton.com site whch will blog again tomorrow. Check it out!

Last night's 40th Anniversary gala for The Advocate was very special and it got me to thinking about how much it has done for me as a journalist and a gay man to write for it. I've been assigned stories on same-sex marriage, gay prison rape, transgender violence, same-sex sexual harassment, gays in the military, gay parenting, financial planning for gay couples, profiled Miss Cleo when she came out, wrote cover stories on 'American Idol," post-Katrina gay New Orleans, gay polygamy, and the effort to overturn 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' by former gay military personnel. I've profiled groups like Lambda Legal, Soulforce, The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and written all kinds of other stories that I can't recall right now. It has shaped my consciousness, helped me to not be narrow-minded and less judgmental and it has educated me about so many LGBT issues. it is impossible to measure how much I have learned working on these various stories over the last five years.
Those are my feelings about the 40th anniversary of this wonderful magazine. I asked some of the more well-known folks at last night's bash what they thought about it:
JAMES MARSDEN (actor): "I think it's great. I hope to be here for the 50th, 60th, 70th and whatever. It's a great publication and what it does for the community is terrific and I am here supporting it. It's just great to be here."

ALEC MAPA (actor/comedian): "I'm so excited and I'm so happy and... thrilled that the magazine has the political voice that it does, that it carries the weight that it does. It's a tastemaker, it's an opinion former and that wasn't the predominate case 40 years ago. I think it's a real benchmark of how far we've come."

JANE LYNCH (actress): "It was a personal and professional high point for me to grace the cover of 'The Advocate' last year. I love this magazine and am glad that it's been around. It's fought the battles, it;s hung in there and really put we as gay people into the fabric of our society. I'm so grateful to them for that and I look forward to another 40 years. I hope they're here until I die."

DARRYL STEPHENS (actor): "It's amazing that they've been around for so long. When I was a kid, the first gay magazine I ever saw was 'The Advocate.' I was with my stepfather and my little brother looking at comic books at a magazine stand and noticed 'The Advocate' cover and thought, 'The Advocate. I gotta go find out what the hell that is because there's a dude in his underwear on the cover and I think it has something to do with me. Those are my people."

MARCELLOS REYNOLDS (TV personality) : "It's very exciting to be here. 'The Advocate' is one of the few publication I think that gets it right, that isn't constantly pushing like shirtless, bottomless, sexy overdone boys, and is at least staying political. It's one the front lines of fighting for what's important to us. I'm a big fan because it always covers every spectrum of gay America - white guys, black guys, Latino guys, Asian guys. It's very inclusive and they've always been very nice to me and about me and I like that."

NEIL GIULIANO (GLAAD Executive director): "The generation that is out and proud today grew up with, and matured with, The Advocate over the last 40 years. For a lot of us who are up there now, it was the only publication. It was the publication that we knew, where we got all of our information and we have grown and matured as the publication has gorwn and matured over time. Individually, from a media perspective and as a movement. Everything has happened all together...I saw The Advocate for the first time when I was in high school, in New York City, on a magazine rack and it was kind of like,'Hmmmm. That looks interesting. It was right next to the magazine 'Screw.' I was too afraid to buy it, of course."

MICHELLE PARADISE (actress/writer): "I don't have a subscription but I get it when I go to the newsstand. It's an increbibly important magazine and I can't believe it's been around for 40 years. You just look at some of the covers that they've had and some of the issues that they've covered and it's incredibly important. It's incredible nbot only for existing for 40 years, but that it exists at all given the kind of culture we have where gay people don't have the same rights."

ERIC ALVA (First soldier injured in Iraq War. Later came out of closet): "It was an unbelievable experience [to be on the cover] because I had never imagined that I was going to be any kind of a public figure like that. My mom used to tell me when I was a kid, 'Everything happens for a reason.' Me getting hurt was something not expected but I know that I have a prupose in life and it's to stick up for people's rights. Having 'The Advocate' put me on the cover was an opportunity for people to read my story and for people to know what I sacrificed. People started to learn more about the gay men and women serving in the sacrifices we go through - even losing limbs. My story wasn't the only one in there. There were several gay veterans who had served in Iraq and other wars, you had a father and son who served in the military and both of them were gay."

DOUG SPEARMAN (actor): "Having been a former Advocate cover boy, I think it's amazing. When you're on the cover of 'The Advocate," you're basically out. It has done so much for me just as a man. I was kind of nervous about doing it but I'm glad I did because I look at these walls [where dozens of covers are hanging) and see all the other people who are out and I'm part of history. It's fantastic."

As I suspected, Sherri Shepherd DOES know that the world is round. This morning on "The View," she admitted that she was nervous yesterday when Whoopi asked her the question and had something of a brain freeze. She was pretty funny in explaining it and the show, in general, had a more relaxed and loose tone without den mother Barbara Walters at the table. When Barbara is there, she undercuts Whoopi's position as moderator and Whoppi defers to her too much. But, I think that will change with time. I hope!
The women also addressed the Barry Manilow controversy but it wasn't anything too juicy. Whoopi just reiterated that you sit with one host, you with them all and Joy piped in with some remarks about it being a free speech show. Whoopi tried to close it then but Elisabeth piped in with some remark but I didn't jot it down because I was half-asleep. Had gotten up early to blog then fell back asleep! Yikes.
I think all the Manilow jazz has emboldened Hasselbeck a bit because she also mentioned that the day of her big fight with Rosie, guest Alicia Silverstone had not intentionally snubbed her and had later sent her a note saying so. okay, that'll do for now I guess but I have a feeling the Hasselbeck factor may rear its ugly head again, and again, and again.

Could this be more perfect?
The hilarious Alec Mapa, the self-proclaimed "America's Gaysian Sweetheart," has been quietly filming episodes of "Ugly Betty" playing the recurring role of fashion writer Suzuki St. Pierre. He told me this last night at the Advocate party and I was so surprised because I hadn't heard anything about it. Well soon, everyone will know because once they see Alec on the screen, they won't forget him. This gig seems to have stemmed from Alec's screamingly funny routine at this year's GLAAD Awards where he had the audience in tears.
I asked him if that night resulted in everyone wanting a piece of him:"Not only did they want a piece of me, they got a piece of me. I was cast in 'Ugly Betty' because of the GLAAD Awards appearance. I'm just there to give Vanessa Williams a hard time."
But that doesn't mean he won't still be showing up on "Desperate Housewives," a pal of Eva Longoria's character, Gabby: "I'm gonna be veering between 'Desperate' and 'Ugly' all year long - desperate and ugly, I always knew it would end this way."

Ryan Barry is a personal trainer and model who, as you can see from these pictures, is ridiculously good looking. He's also the boyfriend of Reichen Lehmkuhl and the pair were at last night's anniversary party fof "the Advocate." I'll post my chat with Reichen about his role on "Dante's Cove" later but I wanted to share a brief conversation I had with Ryan. I had seen these pictures of him posted on Queerty.com and wanted to know how he felt about being so...exposed:
"It's a little embarrassing but it is fun. You can't take it too seriously [laughs]. I'm a personal trainer so I just do modeling on the side."
I asked Ryan how he feels about all the attention he and Reichen get whenever they go to an event: "I'm here to support him and if I get some opportunities along the way, you know, it's cool."
Reichen then told me: "And watch for my boyfriend on the cover of DNA Magazine in December!"
That sounds like a good idea to me!

I love wat Eva Longoria told "Access Hollywood" about having a gay couple (played by Tuc Watkins and Kevin Rahm) move onto Wisteria Lane:
"I am really excited about the gay neighbors, it is about time. I am surprised we haven’t had them before. They’re funny, oh god they’re funny. [They] have a lot with Teri Hatcher – they are like, catty with her and they don’t like her and it is so fun. They’re my neighbors. They are actually the house right next to me and I haven’t really interacted with them too much. I would love [a script involving my character and their characters]. Gabrielle should be friends with the gays."

I'm sure they will be over joining the weekly poker game in no time.

Somebody send me to an anti-blogging clinic!
I was invited to last night's 40th anniversary gala for The Advocate as a guest. I'm a contributing writer to this great magazine and wanted to enjoy the evening just meeting people and hanging out with my pal, Trevor Daley, who I had so much fun with a few weeks back on opening night for "Avenue Q."
But at the last minute, I stick my tape recorder in my pocket (just in case) and I dash out the door. When I got to the party at Republic near West Hollywood, I saw a red carpet and headed straight to it instead of the guest check-in table. Trevor and I had arrived seperately and I didn't know where the heck he was. And at that moment, I didn't care. I had stars to interview!
Had not reserved a space on the red carpet but just crashed it. Just sorta got right in there and stuck my recorder in Nikki Blonsky's face! What a cutie pie. She the girl who played Tracy in "Hairspray" and I think she's so terrifically talented. But I'd been seeing pictures of her and Zac Efron in Australia promoting the fillm so I wondered: "Aren't you exhausted?"
Nope.
"I'm getting to see the world and getting to spread this movie across the world and show this amazing creation that we all just made."
I asked her what she thought of the domestic success of "Hairspray," only the fourth musical in history to earn more than $100 million at the box office: "We kind of all went into this with no expectations, hoping and praying that it would do well and thank God our prayers were answered."
Then I spot James Marsden, the unbelievably handsome James Marsden. He was in "Hairspray" and we gabbed aboiut that and a few other things that I'll share with you in a future post. (I'm such a tease!) Also chatted up Billy Baldwin who tried to trick me into believing he was one of his brothers. But I know my Baldwin brothers and I know that he's the hottest one. Billy did the red carpet with transgendered actress Candis Cayne who plays his love intererest in the new ABC series "Dirty Sexy Money." Sorry, future post on that one too.

Missed T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl on the red carpet last night at the anniversary party for The Advocate but was glad to catch up with them for a few minutes inside. I didn't take any photos so I'm posting one of them from two nights ago when Heigl won the Emmy for best supporting actress in a drama series for "Grey's Anatomy."
"It's really nice to be here," Katherine said. "I'm really happy to be here tonight. I'm glad we came. I'm glad I got invited."
These are two close friends who are enjoying their growing stardom together. It's been almost a year since T.R. famously came out publicly and he was on the cover of The Advocate last June.
"I was surprised that they asked and they were very, very kind to me," Knight said of "The Advocate."
Heigl told me that she gave T.R. the dog he posed with on his "Advocate" cover for his birthday. She said of the cover story: "That was kind of one of the most amazing moments. I loved his article, I love that cover so much."
Heigl is unquestionably on a career high with the huge big-screen hit "Knocked Up" and now the Emmy: "I have that terrible feeling that now something sh*tty is gonna happen [laughs] because that's how life is. It never can be too good, something will happen."
T.R. said of Emmy night "was a great time with Katherine getting it, it's a wonderful thing."
He didn't seem at all disappointed that he lost out in the supporting actor category to Terry O'Quinn of "Lost."
"Terry O'Quinn is my hero. I want to be like him, he's a phenomenal actor. Even to have my name in the group of those guys. It's such a flattering thing. That's the important thing to me."

I am digging Brad Pitt more than ever these days. I think it's the father thing and the socially conscious thing. It's very sexy. Then there is the movie star thing. Here is Brad in NYC Tuesday for the premiere of his new film "The Assassination of Jesse James."

Oh well.
Dick won "Big Brother 8" over his daughter, Danielle by a score of 5-2. I found out tonight while I was at the 40th Anniversary Gala for The Advocate and bumped into Marcellos Reynoilds who had come straight to the party from the taping of the finale at CBS.
"I knew he was gonna win," Marcellos said. "A girl cannot win 'Big Brother' unless they get to the end with another girl. There has to be two girls at the end for a woman to win 'Big Brother.' If Danielle had put guys into the sequester house instead of mostly women, she might have won. Guys can kind of let go of things. But she put miostly girls in there and at the end you get the 'Mean Girls' syndrome."
He says he thinks Daddy Dick will give his daughter some of the $500,000 he won but "she made $50,000 for three months. That's quite a nice chunk of change."
Here are some photos from the final show including the seven evicted houseguests who made it to sequester house and onto the jury. The finale also featured all of the houseguests from the entire some including 'Out In Hollywood' faves Nick and Mike...

I know it's all hugs and kisses etc. but I still feel that Dick's behavior was so rude and obnoxious that the hoiuseguests were fools for not voting him out. And his burning Jen with a cigarette should have either gotten him out of the house or suspended from HOH and POV competitions for a week or two,
Instead, CBS and 'Big Brother' producers did nothing.

OK, promise this is my last "View" related item of the day. It's gotta be because I'm going home to get ready for the 40th Anniversary part for The Advocate at Republic in LA.
So, I tuned in this morning with much anticipation thinking the gals would gab about Barry Manilow's snub of Elsabeth. But nooooooooooooooo. They drifted into a strange and rather dull conversation that veered toward religion and pitted Sherri and Elisabeth against Babs, Whoopi and Joy. Sherri has made cleare that she doesn't believe in evolution and Barbara seems to just be mystified by this. So after discussing this a bit, Whoopi asked Sherri if she thought the world was flat.
Silly question. Should have gotten a silly answer.
Nope.
Sherri said: "I don't know. I never thought about it Whoopi. Is the world flat? I never thought about ...I...I...No....But I'll tell you what I have thought about. How I'm going to feed my child, take care of my family. 'Is the world flat' has not been an important thing to me."
OK. Sherri. All you have to do to see the world is round is to leave it and view it from a distance, like astronauts have been doing for about four decades. Ever seen a globe?
Sherri is funny, she makes me laugh. But I'm wondering if she is really that dumb or just got flustered and defensive by Whoopi's tone.

BTW, the other bit I scribbled down during all this was a line from Hasselbeck who said: "Just because something is your right doesn't necessarily make it right."
This was her reaction to the ACLU supporting Sen. Larry Craig in his airport bathroom arrest mess. Whoopi and Barbara tried to explain to her that the ACLU is a good organization overall because it fights for everyone's rights. But all Elisabeth could focus on was that they fought for the rights of Nazis to march in a Jewish neighborhood in Skoke, Ill. and that they once defended NAMBLA. I think she threw NAMBLA in there three times.
Is it me or is it a pattern of ultra-conversative types to bring up unrelated inflammatory bits of information in a debate rather than just discussing an issue head on? Do they not have the facts on their side? Have they become so defensive that they lack common sense?
Do they think they are so "right" that they can overlook people's "rights"?

You had to know that with a new book coming out and her blog a must-read, Rosie O'Donnell would remain in the news almost daily even though she is no longer on "The View." The latest brouhaha is over Rosie's decision to decline an offer from Oprah Winfrey to appear on her show to discuss the memoir "Celebrity Detox."
In her blog today, Rosie attempts to explain why...

the book was hard 2 write... things i could barely say aloud alone in a room made their way to the comp thru the key board or tape recorder

writing is 4 me by far the most revealing medium 2 work in... i do not feel ready to discuss or defend the things i shared on those 209 pages... read it urself, take away what u need, leave the rest. it is what it is.

the goal always is peace...self revelation...sharing - learning - teaching balance...wax on wax off.

for now i decided no interviews about celebrity detox...it is too raw..my no has nothing 2 do with anything
but me...my need 2 find my place within...

oprah is a force of nature, her invitation made me cry...her kind words about the book reinforces what we all know
2 b true about her... although fueds seems 2 b all the rage there isnt one regardless of what u read or see on fast food tv...

A few weeks back, I posted various interviews I had done over the summer with members of the cast of "Dante's Cove" but for some reason, neglected to post my chat with Jon Fleming who plays Adam on the show. Of course he's gorgeous, as you can see, but also a very nice guy.
Here is the interview:
GREG: OK, give it up. What's up with your character this season?
JON: Last season, my character came out at the end of the season and this year, he's trying to kick the last of his [drug] addiction. But he's basically sticking around the cove and fighting for Toby (Charlie David). He's not gonna give up. He's not going home empty-handed. He also loses his trust fund so Adam needs to get a job. My parents told me I have to come back home or I lose it. The fact that he's been spoiled his whole life and that he's willing to get a job to stick around to be with Toby really shows how much he's in it for Toby."
GREG: Was it different for you filming the third season than the second one?
JON: "There are some new actors but a lot of returning ones too so you have the same friendships. Like with Charlie, Charlie and I are really good friends - off screen we hang out and do [10K] races together and stuff like that. And in a sense, it's good for the characters because our characters were buddies in high school before the cove. But in another sense, when it comes to the make-out scenes, it's a little more difficult now that we know each other. We've found each other cracking up some on set."
GREG: It's gotta be kinda fun. I know you're straight but Charlie's pretty hot.
JON: [laughs] "It's good that it's Charlie. I lucked out."

Other Dante's Cove profiles:
- William Gregory Lee- Gregory Michael
- Gabriel Romero
- Jensen Atwood

This is a great clip of Kathy Griffin talk to Larry King last night. She is a hoot and enjoying all the controversy around her since her Emmy speech 10 days ago when she told Jesus to "suck it" and added that her Emmy was "my God now."
The Catholic League, which I would think would have many more things to worry about that what is said at a non-televised award show, has denounced Kathy - much to her delight.
"Of course I planned it all," she tells King. "Bill O'Reilly called me a pinhead. That's a badge of honor!"
Apparently, it's also been a career boost: "I now have my olwn 'E! True Hollywood Story." Before the scandal, it was only going to be a half-hour, now it's gonna be an hour."

On Sally Field's getting bleeped by FOX: "When Gidget is so shocking where you have to cut to black screen - that's ridiculous."

I had never interviewed "Heroes" star Masi Oka before but we finally got to talk at the Television Academy's party for Emmy nominees last week and I will say this about him: the guy is a CRACK UP! I asked him what it's like to work with George Takei, the "Star Trek" legend who plays his father on the show:
"George Takai is an icon without a doubt. Working with him is great, it's like having a great mentor. He has great stories and things like that."
Oka then launched into this letter-perfect imitation of Takai - who has a famously melodic baratone - that was so, so funny. Sorry I don't have audio of it but I'll share it and hope the hilarity of it comes across:
Oka as Takai: "Well Masi, when we started working on Paramount lot, we had our ooooown set of heroooooes. One daaaay, we were shooting and, my pants caught on fire and Billy Shatner would come in with a hose and strip down my pants and stomp on it. Next thing you know, his pants were on fire. Haaa. Haaa."
Then he adds, still as Takai: "Well, it's quite fun working with a young taaalent such as Masi Oka, he's quite a fascinating kid."
I tell Oka that he is so good at this that he could fill in for Takai on Howard Stern's show as announcer. He said Takai once said to him (now he shifts back to tha Takai voice and says: "If I ever get sick Masi, you could just go on the show foooor me. I need some rest. I'm going to call in sick."

Related post: My chat w/George Takei about Howard Stern, Heroes, and being out...

If this had happened in Europe, no one would have thought twice. But a Florida Gator football player kisses his teamate (and roomate) on the cheek after a touchdown pass completion and it's caused something of a furor. The kisser, Tony Joiner, didn't freak out when he was asked about giving Tim Tebow a congratulatory smooch: "That's my roommate. I love him. We've grown close," he told the Florida Times-Union.
Said Tebow: "I got teased a lot about it [over the weekend]. "When it happened, I didn't even really think about it. That's Tony."

It's still so silly how homophobic the sports world remains in this day and age. If these guys were gay and they wanted to kiss each other, they'd have plenty of opportunity behind closed doors. That such a sweet gesture - a peck on the cheek - would become such a big deal is just plain stupid.
Grow up football fans.

Barry Manilow, who said he did not want to appear on "The View" with Elisabeth Hasselbeck on the stage because of her conservative views, is explaining his feelings a bit more on his website: "I wanted to let you know that I will no longer be on The View tomorrow as scheduled." he wrote to fans. "I had made a request that I be interviewed by Joy, Barbara or Whoopi, but not Elisabeth Hasselback. Unfortunately, the show was not willing to accommodate this simple request so I bowed out. It’s really too bad because I've always been a big supporter of the show, but I cannot compromise my beliefs. The good news is that I will be on a whole slew of other shows promoting the new album so I hope you can catch me on those."
This doesn't exactly square with what was said yesterday by Barbara Walters and "View" producer Bill Geddie who said they cancelled the gig rather than letting any guest dictate such things. Geddie said: "You sit with one of us, you sit with all of us."
OK, so is Barry trying to drum up some extra publicity for his new album "Greatest Songs of the Seventies"? Maybe. But his previous albums of 50s and 60s tunes were huge sellers so I'm thinking he really just can't stand the thought of being on the stage with Rosie O'Donnell foe Hasselbeck.

Manilow is friends with Rosie and recorded "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" with her for the album but it did not make the final cut.
"It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time," Manilow told Access Hollywood. "She is just inspiring because you know she’s not a singer. She knows that, but she just got behind the microphone and ripped away. She was great and in tune too. The problem was, as I put the album together, it became a very romantic album. And having this thing come crashing in out of nowhere, the tone just didn’t feel right. It’ll probably wind up being a bonus cut somewhere."

I know what yer thinking. Here goes Greg posting pictures of gorgeous man for no reason other than that he is beautiful. Well, I have a higher purpose with this post. I happen to think this cologne smells good. I went to get my haircut at the Supercuts on Beverly and Crescent Heights on Emmy morning Sunday and as I waited for my turn, flipped through the new issue of Details with Brad Pitt on the cover. The Pitt article took aqbout 30 seconds to read so I started opening all the cologne ads and giving them a sniff.
I think Calvin Klein has a winner...AND a really hot ad!

Did Barbara Walters slip Barry Manilow a $20 bill or something to get him to create a big stink about not appearing on "The View" if Elisabeth Hasselbeck was in the segment? I ask because ithe controversy made great fodder for her and "The View" producer Bill Geddie for the launch on Monday of "Barbara Live," Walters’ exclusive weekly live call-in show on SIRIUS.
Manilow did not want to appear with the ultra-conservative Hasselbeck because "I strongly disagree with her views. I think she's dangerous and offensive," according to a statement the singer made to TMZ.com

Obviously, Walters and Geddie aren't going to have any guest dictate things like this and they talked about it on the show. Here are some excerpts:

WALTERS: Mr. Manilow…whom I like a lot.
GEDDIE: I like him too, and he’s always been great on the show, and he’s always supported The View for the past 11 years. I wouldn’t even be talking about this except that he called up TMZ. So, now, what are we going to do? Last Friday we got the word that he’s very close to Rosie, and he doesn’t want to appear…I [had] told his representatives that he would be on with all of you.
WALTERS: That’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Joy Behar, Whoopi, Sherri and me.
GEDDIE: Yes. And he’s said he’ll appear with everybody but Elizabeth. Well, we don’t do that. It’s just not the way it works here, we support everybody. He said I’ll do Barbara and Whoopi, or I’ll do Whoopi and Sherri, or somecombination, but I won’t sit with Elisabeth. And I said ‘Well, then you won’t be on the show, it’s that simple.’ And that was the end of it. I would have thought, OK, fine. I don’t know what it is, ten years getting to this stage. He’s been on with us every year for the past ten years…and I figured OK fine, let him go to what he needs to do, it’s not that big a deal, he seems like a nice enough guy, he’s got an issue with Elisabeth but so be it. He’s not going to call the shots. You’re not going to tell me how to produce the show.
WALTERS: And if you disagree with somebody’s political point of view you don’t come on? We’re called The View because we have different points of view.
GEDDIE It got me thinking. You know, I’ve never heard Jane Fonda say ‘I won’t sit with Elisabeth Hasselbeck.’ I’ve never heard Susan Sarandon say that. If someone was conservative and said ‘I won’t sit with Joy Behar’ I’d react the exact same way. I don’t understand this when this became an issue for him, and why would you go off and then call TMZ and make a big column item. Is it all about publicity? Is this all it is?
WALTERS: Well also, Elisabeth Hasselbeck is not an enemy of Rosie’s. None of us are. If Elisabeth disagrees with Rosie, and Rosie disagrees with Elisabeth….nobody is to my knowledge is taking sides. All I can think of is that wonderful song (Walters breaks into rendition of ‘I Write the Songs That Make the Whole Sing’…adding her own lyrics) Provided They Happen to Be Liberals.’
WALTERS: (Laughing) That was awful, he should be mad at me for that.
WALTERS: Too bad it happened. Because we could have sung all of his songs, he’s been on with us for ten years.
GEDDIE: He’s always seemed like a nice guy, but I don’t get him on this. We’re The View, we have people with different opinions.
GEDDIE: You sit with one of us, you sit with all of us.

On having Whoopi and Sherri as new co-hosts on The View:
WALTERS: We adore having Whoopi on and our ratings are higher than they were last year at the same time. Rosie O’Donnell, she was great…
GEDDIE: But this Whoopi/Sherri thing seems to be working out.
WALTERS: We kept hearing that if it weren’t for Rosie this show wouldn’t have made it, and Rosie was terrific. The fact that our ratings are higher now than they were last year, starting with Whoopi, then with Sherri Shepherd…. and its fun, we can disagree and we can have different opinions. It’s just terrific.

Keep reading...there's more after the jump!

When I was chatting with Lorraine Bracco Friday night at the pre-Emmy party for nominated performers (she lost in the supporting actress category to Katherine Heigl), I told her how much I enjoyed her most recent guest host stint on "The View" which came post-Rosie during the summer. Bracco has that terrifically distinct voice and I like how she wasn't shy about expressing her opinions about whatever "hot topic" was on the table.
I wanted to know what she thought about the new line-up of co-hosts which now includes Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepard: “I have a lot of fun with those ladies. I caught a little of it the other day. I’m great pals with Whoopi who is really smart and hip and cool. How bad could it be?”
Then I wondered what she thought of the staunch conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck whose on-air showdown with Rosie O'Donnell led to Rosie leaving the show three weeks early: “I think Elisabeth is a smart little cookie. Listen, this is America and we are all allowed to our opinions, thank God, and we’re not gonna be chastised and killed if we voice them.”

Bracco makes a good point and it resonates even more in light of Barry Manilow's refusal to appear on "The View" with Hasselbeck. Post-911, saying anything against the administration was considered non-patriotic and it was a scary time. So to have Hasselbeck say her piece each day - as much as it iannoys me - is her right. As long as she works on the show, she HAS to be able to speak out as much as any of the other ladies.

Related post: The View on Paris' early release

OK, the Emmys are probably never gonna be as gay at the Tonys where all kinds of gay men and women have been known to thank their spouses on stage and have often given them a nice kiss on the lips. But last night's Emmy Awards had more gay to them than usual starting with the presence of out Emmy nominees T.R. Knight (seen here helping hunky co-star Eric Dane with his tie) and Neil Patrick Harris who walked the red carpet with his cute boyfriend, actor David Burtka.

What a difference a year makes for these two. Each lost in the supporting actor category (Knight for drama, Harris for comedy) but both are winners to me! They have shown that not only can out gay men convincingly play straight characters on television, they can get nominated for an Emmy for it!
And then there was the front-row presence of nominee and presenter Ellen DeGeneres who cuddled with her beautiful girlfriend Portia de Rossi for all the world to see. They got a lot of camera time on the FOX telecast despite Ellen's loss in the variety performance category to Tony Bennett.

God bless Tina Fey. In her very funny acceptance speech for outstanding comedy winner "30 Rock," she thanked the families of people who work on the show by expressing gratitude to the "parents, children, spouses and gay partners" of all of them.
This came after a clip of the show included this line from the "SNL" alum: "...just because I think that gay guys should be allowed to adopt kids ... doesn't mean I don't love America".

Other gay moments: Oscar-nominated "Chicago" director Rob Marshall (pictured, right) won another Emmy, this time for directing the NBC special "Tony Bennett: American Legend."

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The Office's "Gay Witch Hunt" episode won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. Writer Greg Daniels won the trophy and gave a nursery-rhyme-like speech: "I'm not the little red hen that baked the bread by themselves. I asked, 'Who will wrtie this script with me?' And the duck, the pig and the cat - that would be Mike Schur, Jen Celotta and Paul Lieberstein, all said, "We will."

*********

Ryan Seacrest. So many. I guess the most prominent one would have been when the comedically-challenged Emmy host walked out during the middle of the show wearing a costume from "The Tudors" and said: "You know, this looked a lot less gay on the rack."
Then he says he wants to keep it.

Got into my very first post-Emmy Governor's Ball tonight. It was easy to get to: you just walk down the hall from the press tent and into the ball. But I had to go back to the parking structure at USC first to drop off my laptop so I wouldn't look like a nerd blogger at this fancy party.
So, got there and ordered a diet coke then began to circle the room, looking for stars like Lucy Ricardo in an episode of "I Love Lucy." I quickly realize that there are many more non-stars here than stars. So this is gonna take some work. It's not easy to circle the room when teams of food servers keep marching out of the kitchen with scarily focused precision. In other words, get in their path at your own peril.

OK! My first sightings. Sitting at a table in the middle of the room are Marcia Cross and her hubby and across from them are Patricia Heaton and Kelsey Grammer. Alright, I'm cookin now. There goes Conchata Ferrell, making her way to the ladies room. I sure wish she had won for "Two and a Half Men." I was rooting for her.
Meanwhile, Brad Garrett is sitting with a table of folks I don't recognize and is eating his dinner. I don't know what they served since I was just a mingler, not an official guest. I know it was meat (filet mignon?) and a potato and it all looked really fancy - Food Network fancy.

OK, jackpot. This is the "Ugly Betty" table, or tables, and I see Eric Mabius kissing someone's Emmy. America Ferrera is nowhere to be seen so I assume Mabius is smooching the Emmy won by Richard Shepard for directing the "Betty" pilot. Also spot Michael Urie and the kid who plays Justin whose real name escapes me at this late hour. And Ana Ortiz is there too, looking lovely.

Tony Bennett has just been introduced and he's gonna sing! i make my way to the center of the room. This, I gotta see...and hear. He does three numbers including "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and is in incredible form. Is he 81 now? Amazing."
Back to star sightings: I see Thomas Haden Church arrive, Emmy in hand and he is standing with the gang from "Broken Trail" including fellow winner Robert Duvall. Then this was cool: I'm plotting my next move when I tiurn around and essentially am face-to-face with Al Gore, the former vice president of the U.S. and an Emmy winner tonight. I say, "Congratulations Mr. Gore." He smiles, says "Thank you" and we shake hands. I'm kinda giddy for a few seconds then spot LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa who is just being surrounded by all these people - mostly women. He seemed to be trying to make his way out of the room was constantly being stopped, asked to pose for pictures etc.

I decide to make one last circle around the party before heading out. i spot Glenn Close standing at a table talking to people, including Edward Asner. At another table, I see Ben Vereen talking to his "Roots" co-star Leslie Uggams.
I didn't see Sally Field at the ball but on my way in, I did see her walking out of a press tent with her son and before I knew it, I said to her: "Great speech!" She paused for a moment, looked over her shoulder and said: "Thank you!" Then she walked into the night...

Sheesh. I thought Susan Sarandon's chilly attitude toward Elisabeth Hasselbeck on "The View" last week was newsworthy but this sure trumps that: TMZ.com is reporting that Barry Manilow's scxheduled appearance on the show was cancelled by producers because the singer demanded that Hasselbeck not be present.
Said Manilow in a statement to TMZ: "I strongly disagree with her views. I think she's dangerous and offensive. I will not be on the same stage as her."

Any gay kid who grew up in the 70s knows of the witty and gravely-voice Brett Somers, who sat next to Charles Nelson Reilly for many years on "Match Game" in the 70s and early 80s. She had one of the best laughs ever and cracked herself up a lot with her answers on a show that often seemed like a big party.
Miss Somers died on Saturday. She was 83-years-old and had stomach and colon cancer.
Later in her career, Somers appeared in her own cabaret show, "An Evening with Brett Somers." The actress has a recurring role as Jack Klugman's ex-wife, Blanche, on "The Odd Couple." It's a role that was natural since she and Klugman had been married since 1953. The separated in 1974 but were still legally married to the day she died.
Maybe she and Charles Nelson Reilly are up there with [host] Gene Reyburn playing "Match Game" in TV heaven.

Tuc Watkins and Kevin Rahm, the two actors who have joined of "Desperate Housewives" as gay couple Bob and Lee, were seen at an industry event on Saturday night. They are awfully cute together, don't you think?
We haven't heard much from them yet but thanks to "Access Hollywood," we do know that they will be attending a Halloween costume party on Wisteria Lane in these outfits. Kevin has just gotta lose that mustache. Tuc, well, he looks completely hot - as usual.
“I don’t know why it took so long to bring a gay couple onto this street,” Watkins said. “It seems natural for this couple or a couple like us to have been here.”
So what brought them to the Wisteria Lane?
Explains Tuc: “[My character wants] some peace and quiet. I drag him with me and we try to adorn our house in the way that we think is beautiful. Someone doesn’t like it, they start poking at us and we let them know that we are aware of some improprieties they may have done in the past.”
Apparently they will have some kind of a run-in with a new character played by Dana Delaney:
In fact, the new Wisteria Lane couple erect a fountain, Rahm noted, one which causes trouble. “Dana Delaney chooses the wrong two gay guys to make trouble with,” Watkins says.

Click HERE to see the "Access Hollywood" interview with the actors...

Part of Sally Field's Emmy acceptance speech was completely cut from the telecast by FOX. The line the network felt people just should not hear was this: "If mothers ruled the world, there would be no God-damned wars in the first place."

FOX was not content to simply bleep "God-damned" which apparently is acceptable according to FCC rules, but by taking out the entire anti-war line, they censored the actress. I think they are bringing far more attention to what Field said by pulling this stunt.
I wonder if they would have bleeped if Sally had said: "I'm very supportive of this goddamed war!"
Doubt it.

Emmy nominee Neil Patrick Harris and boyfriend, actor David Burtka (above) and the golden girls Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi (below)...

I live-blogged last night from backstage at the Emmys...the winners were coming backstage to be interviewed and I also had a headset on so I could watch the show and comment on whatever was most interesting at that moment.
Here is just a sample of some of my observations...

Am I watching "American Idol" right now?
Nope, it's the Emmys and Ryan Seacrest is up there naming all the past hosts like Carson, Conan, Ellen etc. "Sure, they were hilarious, if that's what you're into. But would any of them shown up four hours early to host the Emmy pre-show."
Now he's mingling with the crowd, and says to Teri Hatcher, who he allegedly dated for about five minutes: "Hello Teri..." She looks mortified. I would too if I had dated Ryan Seacrest!
(Ouch! Was that my out loud voice?)

Christina is the anti-Britney in duet with Tony Bennett...
There have been all kinds of rumors for days that Britney Spears was going to appear on the Emmy telecast to apologize for her horrendous performance at the VMAs a week ago. I doubt it will happen because, well, it's a stupid idea!
Meanwhile, we see the way things could have gone for Spears in the performance tonight of her former "Mickey Mouse Club" cast member Christina Aguilera who was lovely and in wonderful voice in a duet of "Steppin' Out (With My Baby)" with the amazing Tony Bennett.
It's called being a professional.

Al Gore wins an Emmy!
He couldn't win the presidency (at least the electoral votes) but Al Gore is on a winning streak this year. The documentary he starred in, "an Inconvenient Truth," won the Oscar this year and now his TV venture, Current: An Interaction Television Network, just won an Emmy!
"We're trying to open up the television medium," Gore said.
As he left the stage, he shouted: "More to come! Current.com next month!"
The man has learned how to get his message across...

Al Gore is backstage while Sally Field wins onstage...
BREAKING NEWS: Al Gore just told us that he isn't running for president and congratulated the Academy for going green this year.
OK, back to the show: Sally Field has just won the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for "Brothers & Sisters." She plays Nora Walker on the ABC show, the mother of five adult children, including a son sent to serve in Iraq. Field was giving a terrific speech about motherswhen that damned orchestra ruined her flow. But she collected herself to finish strong: "Let's face it, if mothers ruled the world, there wouldn't be any goddamed wars in the first place!"
This is Field's third Emmy. Backstage, the actress is told by a reporter that her anti-war comment at the end of her acceptance speech would get a lot of attention.
"Oh well," was her reply. "I've been there before....I don't care."
Then a reporter wanted to know what she thought of FOX bleeping out the "goddamed wars" part of her remarks. [on the West Coast, the completely cut away from Field, even the video. It was so chicken - total censorship]
Field: "Oh well. If they bleep it, I'll say it somewhere else."
The actress added: "I said what I wanted to say. I wanted to pay homage to the mothers of the world and let their work be seen and valued. i seriously think if mothers ruled the world, we wouldnt be sending out children off to be slaughtered."
Of being on "Brothers & Sisters" as Nora Walker, she said: "I'm very fortunate and grateful to have Nora Walker in my life, all the Walkers. I wanted to say something about the mothers who wait for the military children to come home. That's the heart iof Nora Walker's character this year. I don't see this kind of character examined: what is it like to be a woman in her 60s? It certainly is a blessing and a great opptortunity for me to explore myself as an actor at his time in my life."

Memorable lines from Elaine Stritch and Brad Garrett...
I love Elaine Stritch, showbiz legend. She won the Emmy last weekend for her guest role on "30 Rock" and presented with Stanley Tucci. But as she struggled with the teleprompter she confessed: "I'm not faking this. I really don't know what the hell I'm doing!"
Brought the house down.
As for Brad Garrett, his humor was more controversial.
He complimented co-presenter and "Til Death" co-star Joley Fisher on her revealing dress then said, as he towered over his much-shorter partner: "You should see it from up here! Note to self: 'Buy milk.' I think you just made Charlie Sheen's 'to do' list."
The camera panned to Sheen. He was not laughing.

Backstage with the cast of "Roots"
They came back here and I had to know, what did they think of this year's crop of nominees in the miniseries category?
Ben Vereen turned the question around and said to me: "What do YOU think?"
I didn't say. Thankfully, they had taken the mic away from me by then.
They paid tribute to Alex Haley who wrote "Roots" based on his own family history.
This is what I found sad: while Mischa Barton works in film after film, the great Cicely Tyson told us: "I'm looking for a job! I feel like Bette Davis who put an ad in the newspaper...do you remember that? I'm presently unemployed - for most of my career I've been unemployed."
She laughed when she said that. But this great actress, an Emmy winner and former Oscar nominee, still looks great and has that incredible voice.
Somebody hire this woman!

Helen Mirren has just left the press room with her second Emmy in two years - this time for "Prime Suspect." She also won the Oscar this year and she'll take it all: "Other years, I've sat out there and not won so I'm very familiar with that feeling as well." Miiren was asked if she has m et Queen Elizabeth yet, who she played in "The Queen" and won the Oscar for. the answer is no. The Queen had invited Mirren to the White House State Dinner this year but the actress was busy filming the sequel to "National Treasure." "It's embarrassing. I felt mortified and very, very bad about it but there was nothing I could do."

Meanwhile, Robert Duvall is sitting about five feet from me right now - waiting to face the press - and has placed his two Emmys on the ground. I feel like crawling over there, picking one up and sprinting to the men's room and making a pretend speech. C'mon, you know you all have wanted to do that.

I'm not exactly inside the Shrine Auditorium right now, I'm in this giant tent adjacent to it. A giant tent without tip-top air conditioning so I''m schvitzing here in my tuxedo. So hey, I'm starting to live blog on the Daily News' On the Red Carpet site so you can follow the night's activities from that site. I won't be posting from Out In Hollywood any more today.
Tomorrow, I'll have a best-of-the-Emmy-blog post on this site in case you miss tonight's blow-by-blow action.

Ever since I won an office Oscar pool about 10 years ago, I've felt like I have a knack for picking award show winners. Nevermind that I have never won another pool. I remain an award handicapping expert...in my own mind.
Here are my picks in most of the major categories at tonight's Emmy Awards, who I WANT to win and who will LIKELY win:

Drama Series:
My pick: "Grey's Anatomy"
Will win: "Sopranos"
It's the last season of the mob drama. Still, "Heroes" could cause an upset.

Lead Actor, Drama Series:
My pick: Denis Leary ("Rescue Me"
Will win: James Gandolfini ("The Sopranos")
Gandolfini has won three times already and I see a fourth Emmy as a send-off. But Hugh Laurie could just as easily win for "House" while former winners James Spader and Kiefer Sutherland will miss out this time. Personally, I think Leary is absolutely superb in "Rescue."

Lead Actress, Drama Series:
My pick: Sally Field ("Brothers & Sisters")
Will win: Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer")
If either of these women won, I'll be very happy. Sedgwick carries her show while Field is the glue that holds her together. Very different performances but both stellar. Edie Falco could be part of an Emmy sweep for "Sopranos" but she already has three Emmys for her role and the competition is very strong.

Supporting Actor, Drama Series:
My pick: T.R. Knight ("Grey's Anatomy")
Will win: Michael Imperioli ("The Sopranos")
It'll be part of a "Sopranos" semi-sweep. If William Shatner wins again, i might have to vomit backstage but if Knight wins, I'll do a little jig.

Supporting Actress, Drama Series:
My pick: Rachel Griffiths ("Brothers & Sisters")
Will win: Rachel Griffiths ("Brothers & Sisters")
She is the class of the field and had some wonderfully emotional scenes. Three "Grey's Anatomy" stars should cancel each other out with Chandra Wilson having the best chance of breaking out. I don't see Aida Turturro as part of the "Sopranos" semi-sweep.

Comedy Series:
My pick: "Ugly Betty"
Will win: "Ugly Betty"
It's a high-quality category with "Entourage," "The Office," "30 Rock" and "Two and a Half Men" as competition. But "Betty" stood above the rest in its debut season.

Lead Actor, Comedy Series:
My Pick: Charlie Sheen
Will win: Alec Baldwin
I think Sheen is overlooked because his role is so low-key. But, he is terrific on "Two and a Half Men" and deserving of an Emmy win. Baldwin won the Golden Globe and the SAG Award so the only question is if voters will be turned off by the well-publicized troubles in his private life. If that's the case, Steve Carell will win.

Lead Actress, Comedy Series:
My pick: America Ferrera
Will win: America Ferrera
Easiest category to call.

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series:
My picki: Neil Patrick Harris
Will win: Neil Patrick Harris
I just feel like it's his year in every way and he is clearly the best thing about "How I Met Your Mother."

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series:
My pick: Conchata Ferrell
Will win: Jaime Pressly
Personally, I can't watch "My Name is Earl" mainly because of Jason Lee's mustache (silly, I know). But Pressly seems to be the one to beat even though Vanessa Williams is the most deserving for "Ugly Betty." But my sentimental pick is Conchata Ferrell who is an absolute riot on "Two and a Half Men" and elevates any TV show or movie that she's in.

Miniseries or movie:
My pick: "Broken Trail"
Will win: "Broken Trail"
This seems like a sure-thing.

Lead Actress, Miniseries or Movie:
My pick: Helen Mirren
Will win: Helen Mirren
Mirren is still the queen of voters hearts and should take home the Emmy in this category for the second year in a row. The fact that Debra Messing is even nominated for the fluff "The Starter Wife" shows that Mirren's only real competition will be two-time Emmy winner Gena Rowlands.

Lead Actor, Miniseries or Movie:
My pick: Robert Duvall
Will win" Robert Duvall
Tough competition but my gut tells me the Oscar winner will prevail for "Broken Trail" over fellow nominees Jim Broadbent, William H. Macy, Matthew Perry and Tom Selleck.

Reality-Competition Category:
My pick: Amazing Race
Will win: Amazing Race
This show is the most ambitious of all the nominees including ratings giants "American Idol" and "Dancing With the Stars." It's so superbly edited and brilliantly paced that each week, you really feel you have gone on an adventure. It should win yet another Emmy in this category.

Variety, Music or Comedy Series:
My pick: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"
Will win: "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"
Sorry Letterman, Conan and even Bill Maher, Stewart had another kick-ass year.

Performance - Variety of Music Program:
My pick: Jon Stewart
Will win: Jon Stewart
See above.

Reminder: I will be live-blogging from backstage at the Emmys today beginning at around 3 p.m. Go to On the Red Carpet.

No, I didn't ask her about her famous lips so I don't know if they are from Mother Nature or from Dr. 90210.
But Lisa Rinna and I did talk about her gig as co-host of TV Guide Channel's pre-Emmy show on which she is teamed with the charismatic Joey Fatone. Both had their profiles boosted by their stints as contestsnts on ABC's "Dancing With The Stars."
This is the pair that replaces red carpet legend Joan Rivers and her tag-along daughter, Melissa Rivers. I think Joan Rivers is a riot and so does Rinna, that's why she won't even try to emulate her.
"No one can touch Joan Rivers — a comedic genius — and I won't even try," Rinna tells me. "There is only one Joan Rivers, and she created this whole format."

You can read our entire interview in the LA.COM section of the Daily News!

I'm pretty much working all weekend, including tomorrow night's Emmys so that's why the blog is a little more active than most Saturdays. I hope you don't mind!
Last night I got all dressed up and went to the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood for a party for acting nominees. I find out that I don;t get to go in, just cover the arrivals on the red carpet. Dammit. But they kept all the press out and that is their right.
But after such a wonderful night on the red carpet interviewing some great stars - and being ignored by others - I have no complaints. So I'm providing you with a recap of the night which I wrote for the paper's On The Red Carpet blog which I will be live-blogging from tomorrow during the Emmys from backstage at the Shrine Auditorium. Will post another link tomorrow so you can follow along if ya want.

When you’re nominated for an Emmy these days, life is just one big party. Among the soirees going on around town Friday night was the Television Academy’s tribute to acting nominees at Wolfgang Puck at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.
It drew nominees Leslie Caron, Lorraine Bracco, Mariska Hargitay, Masi Oka, Neil Patrick Harris, Denis Leary, Sandra Oh, Chandra Wilson, T.R. Knight, Robert Duvall, John Cryer, Anna Panquin. August Schellenerg, Judith Light, Conchata Ferrell, Holland Taylor, Kate Burton and Tim Daly, among others.

Oka (pictured above with Oh) drove up to the valet in old Honda, sputtering with 140,000 miles on it. The “Heroes” star, nominated for outstanding supporting actor in a drama, wonders if it’s finally time for some new wheels now that the NBC hit is heading into season 2.
All of the success is still a bit surreal for the young actor to have landed a key role on such a big show.
“To be a working actor is already a dream and to be on a great show is like winning the lottery. But to be on a phenomenon and to be here \[as an Emmy nominee\], it’s like ‘How lucky are we?’ It’s absolutely surreal.”
I had profiled Hargitay last year for a cover story I wrote for Orange Coast Magazine and of the 50 or so covers I have done for them over the years, no one was more gracious than Mariska.
Since we did a telephone interview then (she was in NYC), this was our first meeting in person.
“I loved that article!” Mariska said as she greeted me. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
Although she is once again nominated for her role in “Law & Order: SVU,” I wondered if having won last year takes some of the pressure off.
“It is much easier,” she admits. “This is a stress-free year. I came in, had fun playing with \[son\] August. It’s just a cakewalk now \[laughs\].”
She’s also learned that when it comes to picking what to wear, make comfort your first priority: “Only wear things that you are really comfortable in. It changes your whole confidence. Don’t wear really uncomfortable shoes. That will never work for you.”
Bracco, nominated once again for “The Sopranos” hads the opposite tip: “Wear shoes that hurt!”
The actress received her fourth nod for her role as Dr. Jennifer Melfi on the series, but her first since 2001.
“It’s a very nice way to end it really,” she says. “I’m very honored and touched. Like I said, it’s always nice to be asked to the prom instead of having to ask somebody to go dutch.”
What will she do post-“Sopranos”?
“I’ve been so far very lucky. I went on a whole bunch of appointments today with people who wanted to meet me for things so I no idea! What’s hard now is to get a good script, a good role. That’s what it’s all about. I don’t care if it’s film or TV, or cable. Look, I’m 53 and I’m glad the phone’s still ringing.”

Here is a terrific YouTube video of the Luke/Noah/Maddie storyline from Friday's "As the World Turns." My favorite line comes from Maddie to Noah: "I know you have feelings for Luke that you wish you didn't...and that you wish you had feelings for me that you don't."

Here is the latest:

Boy, Noah's daddy is creeeeeeeeeeeepy!

Earlier this week, I was having dinner at Spanish Kitchen in West Hopllywood with an industry source and we were gabbing about everyrthing from the presidential race to, well, "Dante's Cove." He said he thought of it as soft-core porn and I found myself just sorta saying, "Well, I like it. I like all the supernatural stuff."
Then yesterday, I got a screener in the mail of the "Dante's Cove" season three opener and decided to watch it before heading out for yet another pre-Emmy party at the Pacific Design Center (more on that later). As I watched, it came back to me why I have enjoyed this show so much: yes, there is nudity and sex but it's also great fun with some funny lines, some corny lines, and all the Tresum stuff peppered in to give it some unpredictability. I think the whole thing is just delicious.

First off, I love that Kevin (Gregory Michael) and Ambrosious (William Gregory Lee) are now a hot couple and it's sad that Kevin and Toby aren't together but it is not at all unpleasant watching them interact. I'm sure they won't live happily ever after but they have a great sex scene that starts in a shower about five minutes in.

Then there is the fabulous Tracy Scoggins as Grace who is an old pro at this stuff dating way back to "Dynasty." Scoggins continues to look sensational and delivers her lines with bitchy gusto but I sense her softer side emerging a bit as well. Her character has been in limbo for six months by her sister Diana (Thea Gill) and when she finally returns to Dante's Cove, it is by landing in the dirt, face first. Her first lines: "Diana. Bloody cow! Bloody, pasty-faced shrew! She's gonna see suffering like no one ever has before."
A bit later in the episode, the two sisters have a Alexis-Krystal on "Dynasty" type fight where they throw stuff at each other, slap, kick, and wrestle to the ground. It's delicious.
Scoggins is a HOOT! And while Grace has been evil and ultra confident until now, her supernatural powers are out of whack and we see her softening a bit - which is a good thing since the residents of her hotel have all moved into her house in her absence because a tsunami has destroyed the hotel.

Among the residents are Toby (Charlie David) who is even more handsome than last season now that his hair is shorter and lighter; Adam (Jon Fleming), Toby's best friend who is in love with him; a female couple played by Michelle Wolff and Jenny Shimizu.

NOTE: The female love scenes is far better than any of the male scenes because they go for it, kiss like they mean it, devour each other. Some of the guys like Gregory Michael and newcomer Jensen Atwood are straight in real life and kiss boys like they would kiss their grandmother. I do not get it. If you are willing to play gay, willing to be naked with another guy, then kiss the guy like you would kiss a girl you were gonna have sex with. It's called ACTING. This closed-mouthed stuff rings false and undermines your believability. Charlie David, an out actor, lknows how to kiss, as does newcomer Reichen Lehmkuhl and William Gregory Lee usually gives it a good go.
OK, a few words about Reichen, who has a steamy quickie with Fleming's character in episode one that is kinda hot, he does a really good job! I was surprised in a way. But he was natural and believable and kinda charming as Trevor and I think is going to have some kind of professional partnership with Scoggins' Grace. He's a nice addition to the show and, as you can see from this photo, has a killer bod.
The other newcomer, Jensen Atwood, has a more substantial role as a member of the Tresum council who is already causing all kinds of troulbe. Atwood, best known from his role on "Noah's Arc," is as sexy as they come and his sex scene with Gabriel Romero is a sizzler.
But it would have had even more sizzle with a more convincing kiss.
As for other SPOLERS, I don't know if Van (the terrific Nadine Heimann) is really dead and her true love Michelle (Jill Bennett) looks very different because she's played by a different actress this season. She's changed in olther ways too, you're just gonna have to watch the show to find out how.
The first episode of the new season will begin airing in October on here! TV.

Well, if we can't see David Beckham play soccer this season, at least he's staying visible like in this new ad campaign for the Motorola RAZR2 phone. So we've got David shirtless, which is always a good thing. but to me, the tatoos kinda bring it down a notch for me. So I'm gonna actually vote for David Beckham looking absolutely dapper in the suit (below)
What do you think?

It looks like Whoopi Goldberg is as big a ratings draw for "The View" as the controversial Rosie O'Donnell was - at least in her first week. The Oscar winner's debut week as moderator nearly tied Rosie's debut week a year ago. An average of 3.5 million viewers tuned in each day, just 2 percent less than fall 2006 premiere week.
I'm digging Whoopi in the job and wish her continued success...

What a treat. We get to see the wonderful Judith Light in two movies in the coming months. The first, "Ira & Abby," opens today and if you live in LA, it's at the Laemmle Sunset 5 and The Landmark in West LA, among other spots. Reviews have been strong and I can't wait to see it! It's from the same filmmakers who made "Kissing Jessica Stein" and has a killer cast that also includes Jason Alexander, Frances Conroy, Robert Klein and Fred Willard, among others. Light and Klein play the upscale analyst parents of Ira (Chris Messina) who becomes involved with Abby (Jennifer Westfeltdt).
"It's just this charming, adorable movie about relationships," Judith told me Sunday night at a pre-Emmy party for producers. "It's from the gal [Westfeldt] who wrote 'Kissing Jessica Stein" and she stars in it. It's really moving and it's really funny and it's a great date night movie."
The night before, she had been at the Creative Arts Emmy ceremony where she lost the guest actress in a comedy series Emmy to the legendary Elaine Stritch. But she is blissful with her Emmy-nominated role on "Ugly Betty" which has been upgraded from guest star to series regular.
On shopping for her Emmy gown with Thomas Roberts of "The Insider" [for a segment on the show]: "I loooove him. He is so wonderful. He is such a lovely human being, I think the world of him."
I said to Judith: "I thought you were going to say, 'He's so hot!'" She said: "I think he is!" We both crack up.

On Sunday nights Emmy show: "Of course I'm going, our show's nominated. It's a big, huge event and there's a lot to go for and to be there for. I'm very excited."
The cast is currently filming the seventh episode of the second season and Judith's character, Claire Meade, was last seen busting out of prison.

Light is too savvy to let any plot details slip out but she did tell me this: "I'm not in a prison uniform anymore. I don't have a do-rag on my head anymore. I believe ABC and the producers believed I had looked better at different points in time which is why I won't be in that outfit anymore."

Light's other film is "Save Me" which opened LA's Outfest this summer and in my opinion, she gives an Oscar-worthy performance. I just hope it is widely seen and appreciated. Honestly, she's THAT good in the film about a woman who runs an ex-gay ministry.

I asked Judith, a two-time Emmywinner for "One Life to Live" and star of the long-running sitcom "Who's the Boss?" how she is taking this current wave of success: "I'm living in the moment and I'm living in a lot of gratitude."

Terrifc lady.

I dunno why this cracked me up so much. I just read it to a co-worker and she cracked up too. So, I'm gonna go ahead and post even though I don't make a habit of posting items with the word "poo" in them.
Came across this bit on the Perpetually Nauseous blog:

Thanks to you, FORMER Senator, I will never be able to take a poo in a public restroom again.
You see, I find it hard to release my bowels in public. I've found that the only way I can release constipation is to widen my stance on the bowl, and gently nudge my neighbors foot with my own food.
The foot on foot warmth helps my relax.
I've also found that a nice diagonal stretch helps get the pipes moving...I take my left arm, stretch it to the right by gently stroking the bottom of the stall....

Go to the jump to read the rest!

OK, Evil Dick and his spawn of the devil daughter Daniele (did I just really write that?) are the final two. More on that nauseating development later. First though, I gotta say that watching Zach last night on "Big Brother 8" as he was hanging on to that key under the pouring water, I thought, "He looks HOT!" And the way he got all ferocious on Dick was so cool, he shut the chain-smoking, tatooed, pierced pain in the a** up for once!

But the high of Zach winning part one of HOH was short-lived as he stumbled in part three when he and Dick were asked six questions and had the choice of A or B. They guessed just about every time and it turned out that Dick guessed right just one question more than Zach. That resulted in...

...the duo being in the final two. Dick proclaimed them the best team in "Big Brother" history and blah, blah, blah, blah. The truth is, the other houseguests were complete morons in letting this pair remain week after week. When it comes time for the final vote (I assume the Dicks are going to split the prize money), I think Danielle will win the game because she is the less loathed of the two and won a total of seven competitions. Dick was obnoxious to the point where he should have been disqualified and has damaged the "Big Brother" franchise, in my opinion.

Meanwhile, GuyTVBlog has compiled another Nick/Mike photo essay that you can enjoy after the jump and remember better times in the "Big Brother" house...

Sean William Scott is not only a very funny and charming sceen presence, but he's also a complete hottie in my opinion. He has a new movie out today called, uh, "Mr. Woodcock" which sounds dreadful but hey, maybe DVD. Anywho, when I did a post last year on the Hottest Guy Movie Kisses, I could not for the lfe of me find a still of that hot kiss between Scott and Ashton Kutcher in "Dude, Where's My Car?" It was so unexpected and so sexy.
So, I spotted it on AfterElton.com editor Michael Jensen's Best.Gay. Week. Ever. column and wanted to share it with you all.

Been meaning to post this all week. This is artist Thom Bierdz' "Portrait of Senator Craig" that he did last night from images on Larry King. Bierdz says he does not create portraits from judgment, rather curiosity. I profiled Thom for Frontiers magazine awhile back. He is best known for playing Phillip Chancellor III on "The Young and the Restless" from 1986-1989. Since then he has endured some personal horrors (mother's murder at the hands of paranoid schizophrenic brother, other brother's suicide) which he writes about movingly in his critically-acclaimed memoirs "Forgiving Troy." For more information in Thom, check out his site: www.ThomBierdz.com.

Now that I'm over Andy Baldwin (the cad!), I am ready to move on to new "The Bachelor" star Brad Womack as my straight guy reality show crush. These steamy pics of Brad taking a shower were posted on Towleroad.com this morning and all I can say is, Happy Friday!

I haven't seen Jodie Foster with big hair in ages. I think she looks absolutely smashing here at the premiere in Germany of her new film "The Brave One." The title is lame but in my Box Office Buzz column in today's LA Daily News, I predict it will kick butt this weekend. I'm gonna try and see it Saturday between all the Emmy hoopla. Not many Jodie Foster movies I haven't enjoyed in recent years especially "Flightplan" and "Panic Room."

"For 40 years we've wasted too much energy on our intractable enemies - the Jerry Falwells and the Jesse Helmses. It's time to turn the heat up on our "friends" - the politicians who court our votes but still regard our full citizenship as expendable in a pinch. When Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama offer us civil uniions in lieu of same-sex marriage, they're just reworking the ancient segregationist argument of "separate but equal.'"
- author Armistead Maupin in the 40th anniversary issue of The Advocate

"There's something really odd about the testosterone-driven need to go to war, and fight, and the ego that's so insatiable, so power-hungry, and yet so insecure. I slightly despair of women ever having reasonable partnerships with heterosexual men, because I think we're such different creatures, on such different planets. I think that's why homosexual men seem to get on so much better with each other, because they know their own mindset so much better."
- singer Annie Lennox in the current issue of OUT Magazine

"Once you've been put in either the limelight or authority, and you are an honest and truthful human being,, you are political."
- actor John Barrowman in the current issue of Out Magazine

"It's bollocks that gay people can't play straight characters. If straight actors can play gay in "Brokeback Mountain," then why can't gay actors play straight? I nornally play straight characters; King Lear [his current stage role] is straight...The UK is awash with very successful actors who are gay and out, always has been. Nobody turns a hair and the public never minds. Challenge the industry by coming out...the best thing is to be honest to yourself and other people."
- Sir Ian McKellen in the current issue of LA's Frontiers Magazine.

These are stunning photos of Tom Brady aren't they? Good thing my pal, Kennethinthe212, is such a whiz with the scanner...

If you've been following the superb love triangle of Luke-Noah-Maddie on "As the World Turns," tomorrow would be a good time to tune in. Below is a clip of an intense scene between the two guys that just rings so true. I am amazed at the quality of this storyline, and so, so heartened by it.
AfterElton.com, which has been leading the coverage of this, will be live-blogging about the episode beginning at 2 p.m. ET. I know I'll be reading!

This is kinda sad.
TMZ.com reports that 86-year-old Broadway legend Carol Channing had her luggage stolen this afternoon as she was checking into the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel. It is such a bizarre story.
Wouldn't you know it? The damned thief didn't take a bag that included shampoo and stuff. The small black roller bag contained the sparkling "diamond dress" that Channing is wearing in this picture with the Reagans and Rockefellers. Channing famously wore the dress in the role as Lorelei Lee over 700 times in the stage production of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."
The valuable dress was scheduled to be photographed and then sent to the Smithsonian for exhibition. Channing is also donating her 1964 Tony award for "Hello Dolly" to the museum but it was in another bag. Channing is in town to perform at the Hollywood Bowl this weekend.
This showbiz legend knows the show must go on...

Meant to blog about this yesterday but I took off to the newsroom and left my notes at home. Was watching "The View" to see if there would be any mention of Rosie's suggestion that Barbara Walters retire. But, no dice.
Then something even better happened: Elisabeth Hasselbeck was essentially told she was off-point by Whoopi Goldberg and to shut up by Walters.
The NY Post printed a blow-by-blow which I'm lifting from because it's got all the good details: The outburst began when Hasselbeck mentioned Monica Lewinsky in a discussion about presidential candidate Mitt Romney's Mormon religion and how a small sect of Mormons still practice polygamy. The Monica reference triggered an avalanche of reaction from Whoopi Goldberg - and then Barbara.
"This is a good woman who has gotten a masters degree at the London School of Economics!" raged Walters, poking her finger at Hasselbeck's face. She pulled her hand back suddenly, took a flustered breath, and continued in a calmer tone. "She's doing her best to have a life. Enough with Monica, everybody can move on."
Goldberg requested that Hasselbeck - a conservative who famously clashed with Rosie O'Donnell last season - not bring Lewinsky up again.
"I'm asking you to do me a favor because there's no reason for it today," Goldberg said. "This has nothing to do with Bill Clinton."
Hasselbeck justified mentioning Lewinsky because the women were joking about Romney one day announcing he had a second wife.
"You're worried if some other woman would come out of the closet as the 'other woman,' " Hasselbeck sputtered. "It's not that much of a jump" to Monica. We've seen that before where another woman popped up" in the White House."
Walters, almost shouting, then said, "DO YOU THINK..." Then she took a breath and started again asking Hasselbeck if there would EVER be a Democratic candidate that you would NOT be against?

My take: I wonder if Hasselbeck is becoming a liability in the way that Star Jones did. I'd love to see ABC's polls on this. I don't sense that the studio audience connects with her anymore or respects her. Her upcoming maternity leave could come at a bad time for her because with Whoopi and Sherri Shepherd (not exactly a bleeding heart liberal) on board, the show might clearly be better without her.
There is precedent for this: When Deborah Norville went on maternity leave from "The Today Show" back in 1991, Katie Couric was the substitute co-host. Katie was so popular that Norville, unfairly tainted because she had replaced the beloved Jane Pauley, never returned to the show.

I'm so glad for AfterElton.com and the speed in which the site posts transcripts of some interviews of interest. Neil Patrick Harris visited Ellen DeGeneres' chat show today and talked about attending the Emmys this year, not only as a nominee, but as an out actor who will be making his way down the red carpet of the Shrine Auditorium with boyfriend David Burka.
Ellen: That's great, this is the first time that you can actually ... did you go together before and walk in separately? Or how did you do that?
NPH: [grimaces] Yeeeeeeeah, I don't know. Yeah. We would arrive together and he went ahead and I did the photos. It wasn't this [makes head movement as if dodging] sneaky thing that we were trying to play. He's an actor in his own right. I like to be there for work and am not really as a political kind of guy. But now we can smile together.
Ellen: That's great. I think that's great.
The "How I Met Your Mother" star wanted to know how Ellen handled it at first.
Ellen:"... I would go and my girlfriend would go in separately and I would be taking pictures alone. I look at it as, whoever you go with ... you go with your spouse or your husband or your wife, or your boyfriend or your girlfriend. So for me, I'm just happy I get to walk down with Portia and take pictures and not look at it as anything to be ashamed of."
NPH: Absolutely.

The UCLA track is known to draw its share of famous hunks or a workout. Ryan Phillipe used to be a regular and Jake Gyllenhaal had been photographed there taking a run. Now these two guys from "So You Think You Can Dance" I have not heard of because I never watched the show. But these and similar pics are all over the blogoshpere today of Neil Haskell training with Danny Tidwell. I think Tidwell is the one in the red dolphin shorts. I didn't even know they still made dolphin shorts!
Anywho, enjoy!

It's not easy not living like the First Lady of New Jersey.
Dina Matos McGreevey, whose hubby resigned as governor as he told the world that he's "a gay American" then took up with a rich Aussie, wants a judge to increase her monthly support nearly fourfold to $4,000 so she can live a lifestyle closer to that of New Jersey's first lady.
Poor Dina and the former couple's 5-year-old daughter live in a modest 3-bedroom house. Meanwhile, the former gay guv and his male partner live in a lavish 17-room mansion.
''In total, I need $11,162 per month to meet my expenses,'' she told the court in papers filed Monday. ''This lifestyle by no means approximates the lifestyle which plaintiff enjoys, much less the lifestyle we enjoyed while plaintiff was governor.''
She makes McGreevey sound like McGreedy saying that his assertion that ''he is only obligated to pay $1,129 per month in support for Jacqueline given his income and lifestyle is outrageous.'' She accuses the louse of intentionally keeping his 2005 earnings to $165,000 ''to limit his support obligations.''
''He expected that by the time he had to reveal his 2006 income, our case would have been settled, and so in one year he more than doubled his income,'' she stated.
Citing 2006 federal income tax returns, she says his adjusted gross income was $428,833, including $17,400 from Kean University for adjunct teaching and $60,000 in consulting fees from a law firm. She grossed $82,000 in 2006 from her position with Columbus Hospital in Newark. She also got a $275,000 book advance, of which she netted $195,000 after expenses.
Poor thing. She barely has two nickels to rub together...

"My prayer is that in 40 years, being part of the LGBT community in this country will be nonsense; it will be the same as being part of mainstream America. If we continue to make progress, as we have done in the past, we will be recognized first and foremost by our achievements and contributions and not by our sexuality. I have always wanted one thing: equal rights and opportunities for all."
- Billie Jean King in the 40th anniversary issue of The Advocate

"After the supposed remarks I made [mocking President Bush during a 2004 fundraiser] it got very difficult to get work. It was scary. I've taken every president to task, but I started thinking, 'Do I stop being political?' At that time no one was saying anything that wasn't in step [with the Bush administration]. It's okay now to be an American again. It's okay to get the dialogue going."
- Whoopi Goldberg in the current issue of People magazine

"Elisabeth, anti-abortion, pro Bush, pro war, believes in everything I don't, and I believe in everything she doesn't. She's as slender as I am fat, as restrained as I am vociferous, as polite as I am frank," adding, "Right from the start I could see in this slip of a girl so different from me, I could see something fierce, a fist in the frill, and I liked that. But we had no language in common."
- Rosie O'Donnell on Elisabeth Hasselbeck in her forthcoming book "Celebrity Detox."

"It’s ridiculous. I mean it’s absolutely absurd.…Dannielynn is gonna read this garbage and it’s almost like she’s gonna have to get counseling from the age of 3."
- Howard K. Stern on allegations in the book "Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith’s Death" that he and Larry Birkhead had an affair.

First there was the red carpet kiss, or almost kiss. And now Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell admit, with a wink, that the stars of "Cassandra's Dream" are the hot new couple.
The following exchange was reported in Metro.co.UK today:
Ewan: "Me and Colin Farrell lovers? Yes. You heard it here first. Friends, lovers, all of those things."
Colin, walked up behind him on the red carpet in Toronto and confirmed it: "We're lovers, but only physically. No movies, no dinners, or long meaningful conversations caring about how the other person is doing in their lives...We just like to make love every now and then. Once a year is going to be the deal, like Woody Allen makes his films....We're going to make love once a year. He does look well, doesn't he? Very dapper. It's the accent as well that gets me."
Ewan: "I'm going to watch a film with people who like to watch films. Then Colin and I are going to go crazy!"

I know they are kidding but it's still kinda hot.

Rosie's book, "Celebrity Detox," hasn't even come out yet but little tidbits are being "leaked." According to "The Insider," Rosie reveals a painful childhood secret that is much worse than the time Oprah smashed her glasses then made it look like her house had been broken into to cover up her deed.
She writes that as a child, she used to break her own limbs with "a baseball bat" or a "wooden hanger." "My hands and fingers usually. No one knew. My secret." Why? "Proof," she writes, "that I had some value, enough to be fixed." And later, Rosie cryptically adds, "There were many benefits to having a cast. In the middle of the night, it was a weapon."
OK, I have no idea why she needed a weapon in the middle of the night but it can't be good. Anyway, Rosie's book comes out on Oct. 9.

At the Los Angeles Confidential Magazine party the other night, I spotted this gorgeous guy in a snug white v-neck t-shirt and jeans doing interviews. I didn't know who the heck he was but I wanted to find out (for my readers, of course). He's Jason Chambers, 27 years old, and is on the martial arts show "Human Weapon" on The History Channel which airs on Friday nights.
He explains: "We travel the world and my co-host and I travel the world and learn different martial arts where they came from and then at the end, one of us actually fights in that style."
Chambers had a background in martial arts so the show is a dream job : "I was in New York doing acting so this is kind of a unique mix. I actually found out about this show when I was in Japan for a [martial arts] fight of my own, heard about this casting and had my manager call. It's great. I get to travel the world doing something I love."

Personal life: "I'm newly single so I'm trying to get out and have more fun." [He seems real straight but I didn't ask]
Career goals: "I really love movies like "The Bourne Ultimatum" that show martial arts in a realistic and gritty atmosphere and I really liked 'Fantastic Four,' things that are more fun. So I want to do some action stuff."

First role: A bit part on an episode of "Sex and the City." He had one line. Jason was a bartender who handed Samantha a drink, "I was a bartender in New York at a place called Bed. The bartender who was supposed to work on the show didn't show up so they said, 'Hey, can you just say this line real quick?' I was like sure. The line was 'Would you like that shaken or stirred?'

And a few more pics after the jump!

I'm not cool I guess but I don't know who Ja Rule is. But he has certainly gotten my attention with recent comments he made in an online interview about toning down misogyny and homophobia in hip-hop lyrics.
He just went off: "There's a f***ing black kid right now about to get 25 years for having a fight with some white kids over hanging the nooses over the white tree, lets get to that. Let's get into sh*t like that, because that's what's tearing up America, not me calling a woman a b*tch or a hoe on my rap songs. And if it is, then we need to go step to Paramount, and f****ng MGM, and all of these other motherf**kers that's making all of these movies and we need to go step to MTV and Viacom, and lets talk about all these f***ing shows that they have on MTV that is promoting homosexuality, that my kids can't watch this sh*t. Dating shows that's showing two guys or two girls in mid afternoon. Let's talk about sh*t like that! If that's not f***ing up America, I don't know what is."
Hmmmm.
I'm not a fan.

In honor of its 40th Anniversary, the Advocate has selected 40 LGBT people as heroes. I think they really got it right for the most part. Here is the list:
1. Ellen DeGeneres 2. Barney Frank 3. Harvey Milk 4. Matthew Shepard 5. Melissa Etheridge 6. Billie Jean King 7. Harvey Fierstein 8. Elton John 9. Margarethe Cammermeyer 10. Rosie O'Donnell 11. Martina Navratilova 12. Troy Perry 13. Greg Louganis 14. Mel White 15. V. Gene Robinson 16. Ian McKellen 17. Betsy Berzon 18. Larry Kramer
19. k.d. lang 20. Rita Mae Brown 21. Mark Bingham 22. Armistead Maupin 23. Harry Hay 24. Tammy Baldwin 25. Tony Kushner 26. Pedro Zamora 27. Malcom Boyd 28. Cleve Jones 29. John Waters 30. Indigo Girls 31. Randy Shilts 32. Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon 33. Elizabeth Birch 34. Bayard Rustin 35. Audre Lorde 36. Leonard Matlovich 37. Tim Gill 38. John Amaechi 39. Roberta Achtenberg 40. Barbara Gittings.

Congratulations to all the heroes, and thanks...

Kathy Griffin was on "The Ellen DeGenres Show" yesterday and Ellen wondered what would happen if the D-lister would do if she ever ran into any of her targets. AfterElton.com has posted a transcript of the exchange which includes Ellen saying: "After I came out, I was the butt of everybody's joke. So I know what it feels like to be talked about all the time."
Repiled Kathy: "... I don't make fun of people who have a sense of humor about themselves, I don't make fun of people — honestly, what I do is I make fun of people who created a situation. I don't say about Star Jones, 'Uhm, she's fat. Goodnight everybody!' I say 'I worked with her and my experience was she was a [censored].' That's my experience with her, we all know it. Don't act like I'm the first one to say that ... but, also, if you were puking all over in nightclubs or get out of the car without the panties that's a different story because that's something you're controlling ... and it's fun. Honestly, I make fun of people's behavior more than I make fun of how they look. And I've been that person too, I've had the nasty pictures and had the 'worst dressed' and all that too."

Click over to AfterElton.com for some YouTube clips of the appearance...

It's been four years since Deborah Gibson co-starred with Neil Patrick Harris in the Broadway production of "Cabaret." But the teen pop princess turned stage star still feels warmly toward the "How I Met Your Mother Star" who is up for the outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series Emmy on Sunday.
We gabbed last night at the Los Angeles Confidential magazine party and she told me how proud she is of the way NPH came out publicly came out last fall.
"I was really happy about that. I think his nomination proves that it doesn't pigeon-hole you like it may have in the past. He plays a womanizer on his show and he's nominated. So, good for him - he's made it all work. He's been able to be candid about who he is personally and still thrive professionally so that's a good message to send out."
Gibson also had plenty to say about the current situation with such young stars like Britney Spears whose train-wreck of a career hit a new low on Sunday with a disastrous performance at the VMAs in Las Vegas...
Keep reading after the jump....

My pal Trevor Daley (far left) and me pose with some of the cast members of the LA production of "Avenue Q" backstage on opening night last weekend. It was one of the funnest evenings at the theater that I have ever had! The show is at the Ahmanson...get your tickets now!

Earlier post:
GREG'S NIGHT ON AVENUE Q

In the last three days alone, I've interviewed dozens of stars after three consecutive nights of party coverage. I'd like to think I was calm and cool during all of it.
I'd like to think.
When Natalie Cole walked up to me on the red carpet of last night's Los Angeles Confidential Party at One Sunset in West Hollywood, I greeted her with a big ol' gush.
Me: "It's so great to meet you! I've loved you ever since "This Will Be" came out!"
Natalie was very gracious ("That's so sweet!") and appreciative but I am now cringing a bit at the memory. Still, we had a terrific chat and here are some of the highlights:
Natalie guest-starred on "Grey's Anatomy" last season and would like to do more acting: "I've had some really wonderful experiences with television and I'm really looking forward to making the jump to film and that's whart I'm working on right now. [Music] does take up a lot of my time so I have to put the music thing aside to do the acting like if I want to do a movie, I'm going to have to basically be down for 3-4 months which isn't a problem, it's just a matter of planning."

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic didn't win the U.S. Open on Sunday but the number three player in the world won a lot of fans not only for himself, but for tennis as well. He's fun and appealing and cute. He received a hero's welcome this week at the Belgrade airport. Meanwhile, the man who beat Djokovic, Roger Federer, posted with his fourth U.S. Open trophy on a street in Manhattan. He looks terrific in tennis attire butr cleans up pretty damned well too.
Hopefully, we'll see lots more head-to-head matches between these two...

Love this! The 2007 Kennedy Center honorees were announced today and it is thrilling to see that among the recipients of one of the most prestigious awards our country can bestow upon an artist will be Diana Ross. This is a singing legend who has never even won a Grammy (c'mon, Milli Vanilli won a Grammy) or really properly gotten her due for what has been an extraordnary 45 years-plus career.
All the hits with the Supremes like "Can't Hurry Love," "Reflections," "I Hear a Symphony," "Stop! In the Name of Love," "You Can't Hurry Love," "Love Child," and "Someday We'll Be Together" then all the solo smashes: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Touch Me in the Morning," "Love Hangover," "Do You Know Where You're Going To," "Upside Down," "I'm Coming Out," "Endless Love" and dance faves "Chain Reaction," "The Boss," and Ross' remake of "I Will Survive."

Add to that the soundtracks from her films "Lady Sings the Blues" and the "Wiz" (I'm not gonna even mention 'Double Platinum") and you have a singular career.
It's ironic that I came across this sight on the Kennethinthe212.com site since a few weeks ago, Kenneth and I were sharing with each other our love for Diana Ross and experiences at her concerts over the years.
Silly things like the WMAs might get more attention, but the Kennedy Center Honors are a big deal. The honors recognize a lifetime of contributions to American culture through the performing arts. Ross will be honored along with pianist Leon Fleisher, actor Steve Martin, singer Brian Wilson and film director Martin Scorsese.
"With their extraordinary talent, creativity and perseverance, the five 2007 honorees have transformed the way we, as Americans, see, hear and feel the performing arts," Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman said Tuesday in announcing the honorees. "We will forever be thankful for the great gift they have shared with us."
The Kennedy Center honors will be recorded and broadcast Dec. 26 for the 30th consecutive year on CBS as a two-hour prime-time special.

First Ewan McGregor tries to smooch Colin Farrell and now I come across a picture of Tommy Lee trying to mack on magician Criss Angel backstage at the VMAs. I find all this unexpected man-love very interesting...

...but to me, this posting by GuyTVBlog sums up the highlights best...

And if you still care, the final three have been decided: Zach, Dick and Daniele with Jameka being eliminated on Tuesday night. She took it well, acknowledging that not winning the veto competition sealed her fate. Meanwhile the final HOH competition began and Dick was in full a**hole mode. He is taunting Zach who really is showing strength and restraint.

Dick seems to feel that Zach doesn't have a chance against either he or Daniele when it comes time for the jury vote? Why not? Zach alienated far fewer people and played a good game by lying low as long as he did and winning HOH twice late in the game when it was most crucial. Look at the jury(above) ! Do any of those faces look like Daniele or Dick votes if they have the option of Zach?
Anyway, HOH competition is in three parts. Part one started last night and ended early this morning. If you cannot wait until Thursday, keep reading past the jump to see who won part one...

Lance Bass might have bitched a little about New York's apartment situation, but the former NSYNC member seems to have settled in. Bass is appearing in the Broadway production of "Hairspray" and yesterday, Nasdaq invited him to close trading for the day.

Who needs her on "Hot Topics" when we have Rosie O'Donnell's memoir "Celebrity Dextox."
Yesterday, I posted about her and Trump with much glee but I'm disappointed in some of the things Rosie wrote about Barbara Walters.
“At some point, a person gets tired. It’s inevitable,” O’Donnell writes, "Barbara Walters is almost twice my age ... at some point it becomes necessary to step back....Everyone has to go. Going is part of the gig.”
Walters may be 77, but she is a pro. She looks terrific, she shows up and she has much to contribute not just to "The View" but as part of ABC News where she has worked for 30 years. Walters report on transgendered children earlier this year was one of the most important pieces of journalism on the topic - ever.
So Rosie, I don't agree and think what you wrote was off-the-mark. I'm still a fan, but maybe a little less.
Walters, who has read the book, expressed her reaction to it in a statement to “Access Hollywood”:
“Rosie has written a sad book, but I choose to focus on the happier times that we had and the happy times that we hope to have in the future.”

Colin Farell looked so fetching at the premiere of "Cassandra's Dream" at the Toronto Film Festival that co-star Ewan McGregor laid one on him. Well, almost. There is no photo after this of him actually making contact...dammit.

I love this!
If you were wondering what Jennifer Hudson would do to follow-up her movie debut - a turn in "Dreamgirls" that won her an Oscar and every other award under the sun - the question has been answered: she will co-star in the "Sex and the City" movie due to start shooting in New York on Sept. 19.
Hudson is in final negotiations to portray the assistant to Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) who must have moved up in the world if she has an employee. The Carrie we knew wasn't exactly lighting candles with $10 bills.
I think it's smart of Hudson, still a rookie actress, to take on a supporting role in something high-profile that doesn't rest on her shoulders. The movie should be a huge hit because God knows devotees of the series will be there opening weekend. I know I'll be.
The series ended its six-year run on HBO in 2004 and a movie was planned but co-star Kim Catrall balked. But now she's on board along with Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristen Davis. Chris Noth is also set to reprise his role as "Mr. Big."

When I work from home, one cool thing is that I get to watch "The View" which I'm interested in again with the additions of Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd. Whoopi is gaining control of the "hot topics" portion and is a stabilizing presence in a way that was difficult for Rosie to be - as much as I love her. I see her steering the conversation here or there, cutting people off when need be, and doing what a moderator should do. She's not as much fun as Rosie but that's what they have Sherri for.
Anywho, I can't really hide my contempt for Elisabeth Hasselbeck. It's not that she's a Republican, it's that she's a "I have drunk the Kool-Aid" Republican. She will defend the Bush administration policies no matter how wrong-headed and disastrous they prove to be. If it were a Democratic president in power and screwing up this badly, would Joy Behar be defending him (or her)? No way. She's an intelligent woman with opinions.

I write of this because Susan Sarandon was one of today's guests and it wasn't hard to see that this outspoken actress/activist could not stand a lightweight like Hasslebeck. Sarandon, promoting her film "In the Valley of Elah," seemed annoyed with anything Elisabeth had to say even if it was complimentary. It seemed painful for her to even be in the same studio as Hasslebeck. It made perfect sense to me though. Sarandon is a passionate woman, someone who has lived long and seen a lot and wants to make our country better. She's been on the front lines speaking out for a long time.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck was on "Survivor."
In "Elah," Sarandon plays a woman whose two sons are killed in the Iraq war. It's based on a true story and the Oscar winner wanted to do it to shed light on the "55 soldiers a day who are killed, injured or sick" and who she says are not being taken care of by the government.
Sarandon says there is a "disconnect" between that reality and what is being addressed by the government and the people of this country.
"[The film] is just saying, 'Let's get real about this war...they come back and see us acting like nothing is going on."
Sarandon was asked if she was still not a fan of Sen. Hillary Clinton. She's still not. As for who she is supporting for the Democratic nomination, she said: "I like Edwards and I'm waiting to see what Obama says."
We know who Elisabeth will support: Any moron of a nominee they put in front of her who shares her "values."

Christopher Gorham, who plays Henry on "Ugly Betty," has been a favorite of mine ever since he was on the cult hit "Popular" on the old WB. I saw him at the Sunday night pre-Emmy party which he attended with his lovely wife, Anel. He told me that he and series star America Fererra started filming some scenes at the Pantages Theatre in Holywood because their characters, who are romantically involved on the show, are going to a Broadway production of "Wicked." The Pantages will double for a Broadway theatre.
"We're working with the two leads of 'Wicked.' It's going to be great."
Gorham is confident that Fererra will win an Emmy on Sunday to go along with her Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards.
"She's going to win as far as I'm concerned. She's the first latina to be nominated in her category and is going to be the first latina to win the category. I'm married to a latina so this is a topic that's close to my heart. We couldn't be more excited."

I'm still churning out interviews from parties in recent days before I head out to another one this evening (hey, it's a living). I was so excited to see Annie Potts on Sunday night at the pre-Emmy party for producers. Annie, star of the television classics "Designing Women" and "Any Day Now," is a former Emmy nominee. But this year, it's her director-husband James Hayman whose show "Ugly Betty" nominated for many awards, including outstanding comedy.
Says Potts: "It's easy to get jaded about these things. I've got to get dressed up and worry about what to wear. I mean, everybody should have these problems. I'm just there in support so it's easy for me. It's [James] who has to bite his fingernails down to the knuckle."
I asked her what was she is up to these days.
"I am working at home. The little one is 11 now. I'd love to do a series. I love that work you know. I did it for a long time but I needed to take a break because I did 17 years straight and I was tired. But, I'm rested now and ready to go again. You know, there's not a lot of roles for women over 40 and I am definitely over 40. Of the 120 pilots that were done last year, there were only 10 roles for women over 40. I got one of them. It didn't go. Considering that there are so many boomers in this age bracket, there's very little product out there and I think it's a missed market. So, I'm hoping that something will come up."
I had asked Potts' former "Designing Women" co-star in July about her interest in doing a Broadway version of the sitcom that had been written by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason. Smart isn't interested in reprising her role but Potts seemed somewhat open: "I wanted to see the script. I'd love to work for Harry [Thomason] and Linda again, she's a brilliant writer."
Then I had to know: which of all her roles is her very favorite. It's gotta be the spunky Mary Jo on "Designing Women" right? Or the secretary on "Ghostbusters"? Maybe the high school teacher on the television version of "Dangerous Minds."
Nope. Her favorite, and I can completely understand why, was on "Any Day Now," the Lifetime channel drama that ran four glorious seasons. "It's my very, very favorite. Ever. Ever. It was dear to my heart. I mean, 'Designing Women' was a classic and cult thing but it's 'Any Day Now."

These are some awfully good pics of Brady Quinn that I found on my pal's Kennethinthe212 blog. Had to share...

Now, you didn't expect Kathy Griffin to win and Emmy and not do something outrageous did you?
Some people are up in arms over what she said in her speech: "A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus...Suck it, Jesus. This award is my God now."
Wow. Tell us what ya really think Kathy!
Well, the TV Academy and E! announced today that they would not air Kathy's remarks, made after winning the Emmy for Best Reality Program. Catholic League President Bill Donohue called on the TV academy to "denounce Griffin's obscene and blasphemous comment" and is still demanding that Griffin apologize.
Hmmmm. Ever heard of free speech Donohue? I think the Catholic church has bigger problems right now.
Anyway, the controversy was among the hot topics discussed today on "The View" with Elisabeth Hasslebeck, predictably, incensed by Griffin's remarks with Sherri Shepherd also taken aback: "I was trying to text her to say, 'Girl, you know you shouldn't be saying that.'"
But Whoopi and Joy Behar think it's much ado about nothing.
Said Woopi: "[God] knew she was gonna make the joke and said, 'You kill me' and kissed her on the head."

Here's the thing about being a print/online reporter at a red carpet event. You are usually placed near the end of the press line and don't get the stars until they have been thoroughly worn out by a slew of questions from the likes of "Entertainment Tonight," "Access Hollywood" etc.
I tell you this because at the DVD party for "Brothers & Sisters," I was dead last on the red carpet. It didn't really matter for the most part because the cast members I interviewed were all gracious with their time and answered every question as if I was their first interview.
Ron Rifkin, on the other hand, seemed spent. So I got just a little from him which was a disappointment because his character of Uncle Saul appears to be a closeted gay man who had previously been involved with a character portrayed in the season finale by Michael Nouri.
Rifkin is quite happy to see his character take a dramatic turn and have this mysterious past. But it's not clear how or if Saul will come out of the closet: "So far we don't know. Saul is being very elusive about it. He's very private. But Milo (Michael Nouri) has been on the show so I suspect this will role out over the year."
We did have a good laugh when I asked him if he gets recognized a lot for the episode of "Sex and the City" that he did where he is an editor at Vogue who mentors Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) then pulls his pants down to show her his underwear.
Says Rifkin: "It's so crazy. I'll be on the siubway in New York and I'll get: 'I saw your underpants!' It's embarrassing."

The Luke and Noah storyline continues to progress. Maddie is putting two and two together and in this clip, asks Luke is something is going on between he and Noah. When he says "I can't answer," she knows all she needs to know.
Take a look:

When Rosie O'Donnell goofed on Donald Trump last year on "The View," he went on a rampage, going on various shows to call her fat and to say Barbara Walters wants her off the show etc. In my opinion, he made a big jackass of himself.
Rosie writes about it some in her forthcoming memoir "Celebrity Detox" ...
"It is Trump's falseness that angers me more than anything . . . I spoke my mind. People found it funny. I honestly did not anticipate the malice of his response...I assumed Donald believed he had money. I did not assume Donald believed he was money. But apparently he does...The stuffing of his self spilled out - think of a torn scarecrow, only instead of hay, it's crisp $100 bills blowing through the cornfields."
Rosie also said Trump reminds her of "garden slugs. I could write one small comment on my blog, and Donald would predictably distend, flowing forth with a torrent of insults...Then he'd appear on some talk show looking wrinkled, old and empty, with a Jell-O orange combover. I did not anticipate that he would be cruel enough to do what he did to Barbara [Walters - whom he called a liar]. She should have been left alone."

Well put.

Just got back a little while ago from San Antonio Winery in Los Angeles where a party celebrating the release of the first season of "Brothers & Sisters" on DVD. Wanted to sit right down and share with you my conversation with Matthew Rhys, the handsome Welsh actor who plays Kevin Walker on what is my favorite show.
Greg: Which episode from the first season is your favorite?
Matthew: "To me, it's the road trip [Episode 9: "Mistakes Were Made, Part 2]. I don't know if it's because I watch it and look back and remember how much I laughed or how much I laugh when I actually watch it - especially Rachel Griffiths in the bar playing pool and laughing. That episode seems to be quite real in the relationships. It's a road trip and you're forced into certain situations and as a result of that you get some great conflict."
Greg: OK, now what about this season? Have you had any scenes with Scotty (Luke MacFarlane) yet?
Matthew: Yes I have. Dear Luke MacFarlane. It's fantastic having him back foir every reason. Primarily because he's such a good actor but everything else that goes with it."
Greg: So what's going on between Kevin and Scotty?
Matthew: Well that's the thing, we don't know. We are literally on a need to know basis. I'm still waiting to see. We've just met [up again] at the moment and are still very platonic - at the moment."
Greg: Have you had any scenes with the senator's brothers [xxx xxxx]?
Matthew: Yes, I have.
Greg: Have you locked lips with anyone yet?
Matthew: I have. Well, I did with the senator's brother at the end of last season. [Kevin] was drunk. The first time we actually shot that, Ken Olin yelled 'Cut! It's like you're wrestling.' So it wasn't the greatest of starts for me and Eric."
Greg: Scotty would never wrestle with you.
Matthew. Nooooo. He's very sensitive.
Greg: So is Kevin going to get a little smarter about relationships this season?
Matthew: "I think there are external influences that challenge that. It's not necessarily his immaturity but other reasons that are out of his power.
Greg: The show has a lot of fans, you have a lot of fans. A lot of the gay viewers love your portrayal of Kevin Walker who I think is the best-written gay character on television.
Matthew: "I have had a fantastic reaction from the gay community which is so heartening.The creative and writing team set out to make [Kevin's sexuality] an issue without making an issue out of it and I think they succeeded."
Greg: OK, last question. Are you gonna take Uncle Saul out to a gay bar or anything?
Matthew: [laughs] I sincerely hope so! I think the mileage that could be had from that experience would be too good to pass up."

Charlie David, who has already finished filming the third season of "Dante's Cove" which premieres next month, is busy filming a movie he wrote and stars in called "Mulligans" about a guy who becomes romantically involved with his best friend's father.
I came across a recent interview Charlie gave to the Victoria Times Colonist via AfterElton.com and wanted to share some excerpts with you:

On coming out professionally in 2005: "It was wonderfully freeing. I wouldn't turn that decision around for anything......"I won't deny it's been helpful for my career to this point. But we also get calls where we're told, 'Oh, no, he can't play the gritty or ugly character' or have the baseness, I guess, that they're looking for."

On "Mulligans: "It's about the family unit. How does family life go on? What decisions does each individual make? How does a wife deal with a husband who has cheated? How does an eight-year-old girl look at her parents and the potential they may be splitting up?"

Writing vs, acting: "I've discovered I get as much joy from writing as acting...We need more stories about love and acceptance, and part of that comes through TV shows and films that can show alternative lifestyles in a positive light."

Did a little interview with Rex Lee last night at the pre-Emmy party for nominated producers and he told me he is ready for the big night: "I'm glad that the show is nominated and I'm glad to be part of it - I'm proud to be part of it. On the off chance that we win, I'll be rushing the stage like everyone else."
He'll be talking to Hugo Boss about lending him a tux but if they don't, "I've got my old stand-by at home."
His on-screen boss, Jeremy Piven, won the Emmy last year and is nominated again this year. Lee has split loyalties this time around though: "It's a very different year with ['Entourage] co-star Kevin Dillon also being nominated. Will they split the vote? I'm friends with [nominee] Neil Patrick Harris who I think is amazing so I wouldn't be upset if he won. It's kind of wide open"
Lee, of course, would not mind being nominated himself sometime but he knows that he will need more screen tiime:
"Like any actor I want to do good work and I want the work to be interesting. There are times when I get a script and I'm not really in it so much and that's disappointing. But the episodes where I do have a lot to do are fun and they make me happy."
The show will begin filming its new season in February. Lee says he hasn't booked any jobs between now and then but there are several possibilities floating around and he is open to the right offer. The actor says he's never been approached by either of the two major gay networks, Logo and here! TV with a script.
"I'm certainly not ruling it out, no one's made me any offers (laughs). Tell them!"

So, does Rex have a date to the Emmys?
"No, I don't have one yet (laughs). I'm still asking people. My dating life is a mess..."

This saga isn't gonna end!
The attorney for Sen. Larry Craig said Monday that his client should be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea in a sex sting because he was under extreme stress after being hounded by journalists asking questions about his sexuality, according to the Associated Press.
The poor man. I don't see why a man who "has never been gay" would be stressed out by questions about his sexuality. Do you?
Attorney William Martin said he would file court documents today trying to undo the guilty plea so Craig can fight the charge. He said Craig did not "knowingly and intelligently enter a guilty plea."
Seems like a U.S. senator should proceed "knowingly and intelligently" in all that he does. In my opinion, Craig is a desperate man who was living a double life and is now trying to save face and salvage his reputation as an alleged "heterosexual" Republican politician.
Good luck with that Larry.

T.R. Knight was the first celebrity I spoke with at last night's Television Academy party for the producers of shows nominated for an Emmy this year. T.R. is nominated for outstanding supporting actor for "Grey's Anatomy," a nod he got for his stellar work in the emotional episode where his father died.
"The writer of the episode had lost her father so it was a very personal script so it definitely took on a completely different feeling..."
He says they cast is currently filming episode six of the show's sixth season but wouldn't say whether his character, George, was still carrying on with best friend Izzie (Katherine Heigl) or if he was back with his wife (Sara Ramirez).
"I can't even give you a tease because I always let something out and then we get beat and that hurts," he said. "I can't say anything! You know that. ...But it's been great, it's been going really well."
One thing is for sure: George has certainly moved past Meredith who he spent two seasons pining over: "Completely. I think [George] has got his plate full right now."
T.R. looked pretty dapper last night (the picture above is from an other event, sorry!) and isn't worried about having to get gussied up for Sunday night's Emmys: "With guys, we got it really easy. We get the tux and put it on. There's nothing else we really gotta worry about. Hugo Boss, they lent me a tuxedo. Black socks is the only thing I need then we're done...I'm just hoping I won't have any zits. Which, I'm sure I will because that's the thing I don't want."
"I'm not nervous. I'm just thrilled to be invited."
Knight will be bringing a female friend from New York to the ceremonies.
"A lady," he says, then adds: "Platonic." [laughs].
T.R. seemed more relaxed last night than on red carpets I've seen him on in the past.
"I'm trying, I'm trying. It's not exactly in my comfort zone but anytime you do something, the more and more you do it, hopefully you get a little better at it. I'm staying home a lot less I think."

Well, what do we have here? Here's a guy who looks just like Andy Baldwin of "The Bachelor" getting cozy with Miss Iran Sepideah Gaftgoli. He and Tessa broke off their engagement just last month. Andy seems to be recovering very quickly.
I no longer believe in reality show love. My innocence is gone...

Sorry for a lack of postings this morning. Had some interviews to do. But get ready for a steady flow. So, watched the first 20 minutes of "The View" this morning to see Sherri Shepherd announced as co-host in what Barbara Walters acknowledged as "the worst kept secret in history." Sherri came out all excited and bubbly and kept screaming for a minute or so before she could collect herself.
They showed a video of her life and we learn that her mother died when she was young and she and her three sisters sort of raised themselves. She is very honest: her dad got his girlfriend pregnant, she and her hubby split because he cheated on her etc." She described herself as the only black girl on a series of sitcoms with a buncha white people. ("Less than Perfect," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Suddenly Susan.") Then at one point during the hot topics, Elisabeth (miss goody two-shoes) Hasslebeck was speaking disapprovingly of young girls who get famous for making sex tapes (Paris et al) and Sherri pipes in with a story about how she once dated a guy who was in prison for arson and had sent him risque photos. She joked: "I HOPE they get out, I looked good!"
It's a new day on "The View."

After watching the U.S. Open final, I had to rush over to a party on Sunset Blvd. honoring this year's Emmy-nominated producers. Gabbed with all kinds of folks and will post my conversations with T.R. Knight, Judith Light and Rex Lee, among others, tomorrow. For now, I'm playing catch up with some of the winners from last night's Creative Arts Emmy Awards at the Shine Auditorium. Among the winners were Kathy Griffin (above) whose "My Life on the D-List" show won Outstanding Reality Program. How cool is that? I think this means Kathy might actually have moved up to the C-List.

The lovely Judith Light. She was nominated for outstanding guest actress in a comedy for "Ugly Betty." Next year, she will be ineligible in the category because she has been made a series regular! Judith, who has a role in the film "Ira & Abby" out on Friday, lost out to Elaine Stritch (below) but was serene as could be when I saw her on Sunday. She does have two Emmy Awards for "One Life To Live." You know those 55 (or whatever!) Emmy nominations Susan Lucci received? Light won two of those.

If Light had to lose, at least it was to a real showbiz legend. Elaine Stritch, whose "Here's to the Ladies Who Lunch" from "Company" should be heard by everyone at least once in their life, won an Emmy for her guest role on "30 Rock." She won an Emmy a few years ago for her ome-woman show as well as a Tony. She may be in her 80s, but the kid's still got it!

Jean Smart (left) was nominated for "24" while Dixie Carter was up for her delicious stint on "Desperate Housewives." Neither won (Smart has two Emmys already) but both of these former "Designing Women" dazzled in red. I have to say, I think it was criminal that Dixie was never even nominated for her role as Julia Sugarbaker on "Women." It's one of the great roles on one of the greatest shows in TV history.

...and finally, the dashing Neil Patrick Harris, up for best supporting actor at next Sunday's regular Emmys, was at the Creative Arts show as a presenter...

It was a pretty sweet episode of "Big Brother *" tonight. It started out in nauseating fashion with the father-daughter duo of Dick and Daniele jumping around and giggling like they had won the entire game already because they had made the final four. They shut Zach out so they could whisper and giggle about him in the next room.
Well, payback's a bitch.
Zach goes on to win the HOH compeition and suddenly, Daniele and Dick are vulnerable. Zach nominates daddy and daughter. They are indignant that he would dare to do this and vow revenge. Whatever does happen, it was awfully s-weet to see them squirm. Daniele made a strategic error when in stating her case pre-nominations, she told Zach that he would lose against her dad in the final two because Dick played the game best.
But the jury votes on the winner and there are likely plenty of former houseguests who probably think his bullying tactics were out-of-line rather than brilliant. What the little blonde waitress should have said was: "Zach, everyone loves Jameka. She does not have an enemy in the house. She will win if you are in the final two with her. She's gotta go."
Oh well.

I should have known better. I felt that Roger Federer was ripe for a loss today in the finals of the U.S. Open with Novak Djosovic primed for a major breakthrough. But Federer fought off tons of set points in the first and second sets to prevail 7-6, 7-6, 6-4. He has now won four consecutive U.S. Opens to go along with the five consecutive Wimbledons. It just doesn't get any better. Still, Novak established himself as a legitimate challenger to the throne and a popular player with the fans who gave him a bigger ovation that they gave Federer during the awards ceremony. My friend, Henry, is very happy right now and never lost faith in his Roger...

I don't think there's such a thing as an average night out with my friend Trevor Daley.
On Friday, he invited me to opening night of the musical "Avenue Q" at the Ahmanson Theatre and despite my getting stuck in traffic, I managed to get there about 10 minutes before curtain time. We had terrific seats for what is a sensational, must-see show with that wonderful opening night buzz all around.
[The photo above was taken on Friday, hours before the cast took the stage...]
I've never seen anything like "Avenue Q" with real-life actors and puppets interacting like they are in some kind of naughty episode of "The Muppets." Such great songs, terrific writing, wonderful performances by an immensely talented cast and best of all, just one laugh after another. The Tony Award-winning show is about trying to make it in NYC with big dreams and a tiny bank account.
There are good times with Princeton, Rod, Kate Monster, Lucy the Slut, Brian, Trekkie Monster and all the rest. The character that just killed me the most was Gary Coleman, played by Carla Renata. She sounds JUST LIKE the "Different Strokes" star who is manager of the apartment building. It's a brilliant parody. At the end, the character laments: "Everyone's dreams are coming true...but WHAT ABOUT GARY COLEMAN?"
It's a riot.
Then there is the hilarious Angela Al who nails her role as Christmas Eve and the multi-talented Robert McClure who was superb in duel roles, including one as a closeted gay man (or puppet) in deep denial. (No, the character is not based on Larry Craig!)
But the night wasn't just about seeing the show. Trevor knows EVERYONE so I got to meet Martin Massman, board president of the Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson, Mark Taper Forum and Kirk Douglas Theatre), Artistic Director Michael Ritchie and the show's writer Robert Lopez. Then, we got to go backstage to meet the cast! There was champagne flowing and a real electricity in the air.
The cast had every reason to feel ecstatic. We got some photos taken with some them with the puppets etc. [I should have those e-mailed to me this week sometime]. Chatted with "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry briefly and at length with LA newscaster Kent Schockneck who is much taller than I thought, very nice to talk to, and someone I have watched for years.
We were all over the moon about the show, I am just nuts about it. And I'm so glad to have a friend like Trevor. Not just because he takes me to cool events every now and then, but because when we are there, we always have so much fun working the room and meeting the people involved.
This is a night I'll never forget...

Roger Federer (above) reached another U.S. Open final Saturday and Sunday afternoon, will face Novak Djosovic (below) as he tries to win a fourth straight men's title...If he wins, it will give him 12 grand slam titles - two short of the all-time record set by Pete Sampras.

Not only is Novak one heckuva player, he is also an exhibitionist who has made a tradition of taking his shirt off after a win...MORE AFTER THE JUMP...

Could there be a better way to lead up to a ladies final? The great Carole King, whose "Tapestry" album I could still listen to all damned day, performed for the crowed at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Saturday night. And speaking of Bille Jean, she took in the final with former doubles partner Martina Navratilova. Each of the ladies won four U.S. Open singles titles in their careers and teamed up to win the 1978 and 1980 doubles crowns together.

...and finally, here is the 2007 ladies champion, Justine Henin. The world's top-ranked player won her seventh grand slam title and on her way to the final round, beat both Serena Williams and Venus Williams. It was a well-deserved win for this small but mighty battler from Belgium...

"I wanted to see what it was like when I wasn’t the guy in the truck watching the other guy walk away and being torn up. I wanted to be not torn up. I wanted to see what that would feel like."
- Jake Gyllenhaal to Entertainment Weekly at the Toronto Film Festival. He was comparing his role in the political thriller "Rendition" to "Brokeback Mountain."

"...In all the years that I was on the show, I had a very strong gay following and I always cherished that, you know? That they didn't think that because of my faith that I was some sort of intolerant, condemning, self-righteous person. I never got that from them. I got a lot of criticism from the faith world, believe me, for the choices I made through the years. I think people are sometimes afraid of somebody who's different from themselves simply because they don't know it. I think anybody that can only stay in their own pew, people who think and act and believe every way exactly the same, I mean...you want to talk about living a boring life. So I've always sensed tremendous support from the gay community and I'm very, very grateful for it..."
- Kathie Lee Grifford to Entertainment Weekly about her gay fans from the "Regis" days...

"When they watch the show, they're not going to see a Jack McFarland. They're going to see someone with almost 15 years of experience, someone who knows the law, someone who's no nonsense, someone who's compassionate, someone who's thoughtful. And if something comes along and I can be a little campy to make a point, to get it through somebody's head, to make a difference in their lives, I'm gonna do it."
- Judge David Young to AfterElton.com. He will be the first openly gay judge on television when his syndiated show debuts next week.

Good grief, when I became friends with Kenneth Walsh last week, I had no idea he'd become so controversial!
But his posting of nude photos of Thomas Roberts on his Kennethinthe212 blog a few days ago has caused quite a debate between those who are enjoying the photos and those who are upset with Kenneth for posting them in the first place.
Here is a video post from Japhy Grant of The Modern Romantic who I met at the NLGJA conference and has some interesting points to make. Take a look...

p.s. I know this has nothing to do with anything but doesn't Japhy have the prettiest blue eyes???

Meanwhile, over at Popnography.com, one of new favorite bloggers, Shana Naomi Krachmal weighs in with some thoughtful comments and people are posting some interesting comments. Check them out...

Also, over at AfterElton.com, the topic is also on people's minds...In its coverage of the Roberts photos, the site Sitting In A Tree takes the NY Post to task for refering to a gay man as "a toe tapper" which, I agree, is quite offensive as does Gawker...

Shana Naomi Krochmal profiled John Barrowman for the current Out Magazine cover story. She's been providing readers of her Popnography site with some of the material that didn't make the final cut of the article which I think is really cool. Here are a few quotes about marriage posed to Barrowman and his partner, Scott Gill...
Out: When you were growing up, did you think of yourself as someone who would have a relationship that lasted so long?
Barrowman: Well, I have great parents. They've been married for 54 years, and they've had a great relationship. I would like the house with the big fence around it -- or the gate that opens and a wall around it. We're looking for a country house in South Wales, with a good bit of land, so when we have friends over and parties and stuff, no one is complaining. It's my world, my business. Maybe with a sea view -- and Scott would help design it.

Out: Where will you and John be in 10 years?
Scott Gill: I'd like to see us a bit more financially secure. And hopefully we'll have finished decorating our bathroom. We live in a very lovely house in London, but it's got this kind of heart of darkness in it -- the bathroom in our master bedroom. We had an argument [when moving in] over what kind of tiles to have, and in the end I said, "I can't just live without a bathroom!" So I went to get this blue plastic sheet, which I nailed to the wall so we can use the shower. Ten years on it's still there! When friends come round they can't believe that we live like that. It's become a standing joke. The rest of the house is all finished. We still disagree whenever we try to sit down and sort it out! He says, "I hate this bloody bathroom," and then we always have a row about it.

I'm not sure what Tony Orlando will think but Greg thinks this clip [via Queerty] is hilarious. Readers of the Spokesman Review put together this little ditty about the disgraced senator to the tune of the classic "Knock Three Times."
Take a look and prepare to howl...

We all know that mega-blogger Perez Hilton takes no prisoners when critiques the appearance of various celebrities. He can be less than kind, to put it mildly. But Perez and his latest hair color got a critique on A Socialite's Life today:

J. Harvey: The girl in the corner is like "I have to laugh and think he's funny or he might write about me." What the hell? Isn't he only like in his late 20's/early 30's? You shouldn't look like someone's uncle visiting from Italy for Gina's wedding. That 2nd pic is disturbing. There's a lot of self-loathing going on here. Where do you start?

Lisa Timmons: I don't know what you guys are talking about, this grey blob looks dead-sexy to me. Oh wait, here are my glasses...oh. Nevermind.

Ouch!!!

I knew Matthew McConaughey took exception to my naming Zac Efron as his successor to the Hollywood beefcake title. You see, it was all part of a plan I had to get the studly star back out on the beach. Here he is in Malibu catching some waves over the Labor Day weekend...I have three things to say about him: 1)Yum 2) Yum 3)Yum...

I found this blog entry on Rosie.com amusing:

so i just got my first hard copy of my new book
CELEBRITY DETOX
there on the front flap
in print
“when rosie odonnells mother was diagnosed with cancer in 1968, ten year old rosie thought fame could cure her”

i was born in 1962
my mother got sick in 1973

WTF !!!!!!!!!!

i feel like jeff lewis right now
i want to scream
NO ONIONS at every one

Rosie later reported that the book flap issue had been resolved. Can't wait to read it!

I guess the moral of this story would be this: if you have a job on television, don't post nude photos of yourself on a gay cruising site because they will get out!
I'm not going to post them, sorry, but I'm sure the more resourceful of you can find Thomas Roberts in the buff for yourselves on the Kennethinthe212 site.
Kenneth, who is a new friend of mine, is like my evil twin. He can say or post things on his blog that I would never consider but I admire his guts and witty way with words. Anyway, Kenneth posted this little blind item a few days ago posing this question: "Which TV insider has been known to make his own headline news with these superhot nude pics of himself on the gay cruising site Manhunt.net?"
Roberts, a former CNN Headline News anchor and openly gay, started his job on "The Insider" just this week. On Thursday night, he handled the show's "Rumor Report" segment but did not mention himself! He was very charming in his segment with Judith Light (he helped her pick out a gown for the Emmys) and he also interviewed Laila Ali.
Anywho, Kenneth's blind item has quickly gathered steam with New York Magazine and the New York Post's Page Six quickly pouncing on it. The Post said "The Insider" would not confirm or deny that the man in the photos is their new anchor and a spokesperson for the show would not put them in touch with Roberts.
When we asked about the risqué online profile, the rep told Page Six, "We have hired Thomas Roberts from CNN for his journalistic strengths and integrity. It is unfortunate that after four days on the job at 'The Insider,' he has become a victim of this malicious personal attack."
On his blog today, Kenneth wonders: Since when is pointing out that someone has a hot naked body a "malicious personal attack"? You know what they say: don't shoot the messenger.

I''ve seen the pics. Wow. Amazing body. This should only help the show's ratings!

I just love me a good western.
Today, "3:10 to Yuma" starring Christian Bale and Russell Crowe opens then later this month Brad Pitt will be playing Jesse James in a flick with an impossibly long title. Now that summer is over, I preview these and the other fall flicks that I think will do well. Read all about it in my Daily News column BOX OFFICE BUZZ!

Now this is how I like it. It was a double-eviction night on "Big Brother 8" with Jessica out on the first vote then her little boytoy Eric out on the second. Jameka was up both times against them as Evil Dick, Daniele and Zach pulled all the strings. Eric is funny but he was also a little worm. On his way out he said to the the evil trio: "Just keep in mind, you sent the Phliadelphia lawyer to the jury house."
As smart as they think they are, I gotta wonder if they were a little foolish in keeping Jameka. If she's in the final two, there's no way she won't win the whole thing. She has no enemies in the house and has managed to survive despite not being able to compete for HOH for five weeks.
Anywho, I gotta give the evil daddy-daughter combo their due: they have manipulated everyone and come back from the brink more than once and they have won clutch competitions when they needed to. That is why they are in the final four and Jessica and Eric - who made a deal with these devils a few weeks back - are not.

This kid, this Novak Djokovic, is a force to be reckoned with. A tennis force on the court, and a comic force off of it. First things first. The Serbian is ranked third in the world and reached his third grand slam semifinal of 2007 on Thursday night when he defeated Carlos Moya (below) in straight sets at the U.S. Open. If he and Roger Federer both wins their matches on Saturday, as expected, it is very possible that Djokovic could beat Federer. He did it last month in the final of the Canadian Open and is the real deal. My friend, Henry, might kill me, but I'm going on the record saying I think Djokovic will win the men's title on Sunday.


I love this picture (above) of Novak consoling his drop-dead gorgeous victim, Moya, who still has plenty of game left at 31. Then, posted below is a video of Novak in the locker room doing impersonations of players ranging from Andy Roddick to Rafael Nadal to...get this...Maria Sharapova! He's brilliant at it.
Enjoy!
p.s. I have no idea who the guy in the towel is. If anyone does, please lemme know...

Watch this YouTube compilation and it will get you all caught up on the latest between Luke and Noah on "As the World Turns." The writers are getting this storyline scarily right and the actors are perfect. I can't believe the quality of this storyline and since I lived elements of it, it is really touching a personal cord.
I love the self esteem Luke has in saying to Noah: "I am so done. I've got to move on...You made a choice. You chose Maddie. I have to find someone who chooses me."
Meanwhile, Noah's dad is so bizarre, popping up all the time to make sure his son is straight. So pathetic but, sadly, not entirely unrealistic.

During his appearance on "Larry King Live" yesterday, former President Bill Clinton showed the kind of compassion for disgraced Sen. Larry Craig that Craig and his zealous Republican co-horts did not have back in 1998 when they pushed for impeachment after Clinton lied about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
Here is a partial transcript of what Clinton said, via Queerty:

CLINTON: …think we ought to recognize that this is a very traumatic time for him and his family. And whatever happens or doesn’t, most of his political career was behind him. So whatever your party, we should be hoping that he and his family can work through this in a way that leaves them as whole as possible.
…
KING: Did you get any sense of satisfaction, since he was such a critic of yours during the impeachment thing, and using terms very demeaning about you?

CLINTON: No.

KING: No?

CLINTON: No. Because when it was going on, I knew that, you know, a lot of them were outed for hypocrisy long before this. And everybody knew that — every serious student of the Constitution knew that the whole thing was bogus and that they were just jumping on a terrible personal mistake I made.
…
KING: And one other thing in that area. What do you make, just as a student of life, of people who rail against things they do themselves?

CLINTON: I think maybe it is a little — I don’t know, subconscious self-hatred. Maybe it is a desire to avoid being caught, maybe it is just a desire to deal with what they can perceive to be the social and political realities that they found themselves in.

He came from a very conservative culture in Idaho. I think it has the smallest number of Democrats in the state legislature in the country. I don’t know. But I just know right now he and his family have got to be hurting.

After almost 50 years of reruns, you would think you'd seen every single moment of footage of Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel.
You'd think.
When Paramount releases "I Love Lucy: The Complete Series Boxset" on Oct. 23, included will be the "I Love Lucy Movie." I broke the story of its existence last year in the Daily News but at that time was told the movie would be part of the set released last spring of the 13 one-hour episodes of the show that aired between 1957-60. I wasn't in that set but will be in this ultimate boxset which I won't be buying because, like any true fan, I ALREADY OWN every season.
The movie consists of three first season episodes ("The Benefit," "Breaking the Lease," and "The Ballet") combined with new footage to make a cohesive story. It gives the viewer a taste of what it would have been like to attend the filming of the show.
The movie opens with eight minutes of new footage shot on May 16, 1952 with Desi Arnaz speaking to a studio audience and introducing his costars, just as he did prior to the start of each episode's filming. The three episodes follow, with additional new scenes intermingled to link them together. Five minutes of new footage finishes the movie with Arnaz thanking the audience and calling the cast out to take their bows.
The movie was shown to a test audience and well-received but never got theatrical release because Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz had made the feature film "The Long, Long Trailer" for MGM and the studio did not want the "Lucy" movie to compete with it.
According to the Everything Lucy site, the movie's not being sold separately right now. There's no word if the studio will release it as a standalone item.

I'm all for honoring our gay icons but I am mystified as to why Equality Forum has chosen the late Cary Grant as one of the 31 icons it will feature during GLBT History Month. Grant may very well have been gay or bisexual (he and actor Randolph Scott lived together well into their 30s and in the photos above, they appear to be very intimate), this was a movie star whose public image included multiple marriages to women and never any acknowledgement of being gay.
That was his choice. I understand it because not only was he a movie star with an image to protect, but it was tough for ANYONE to be out back then.
Equality Forum lists their criteria as "leaders of national and international GLBT organizations, achieved success within their respective fields of endeavor, were national heroes or advanced GLBT civil rights."
I have no quibble with most of the names and am particularly excited to see my hero Billie Jean King included as well as Lily Tomlin and filmmaker Pedro Almodovar.
But Cary Grant? I don't see "closet case" as criteria.

I post the full list after the jiump...

The new season promos of the cast of "Grey's Anatomy" are making the rounds. Here is T.R. Knight's portrait (above) and here he is with the rest of the cast (below)...

Of course, we can't forget about Mr. McDreamy, Patrick Dempsey!

"I've been so focused on working and making it up as I go that I feel I've lost the ability to interact personally. I'm not good at playing anything cool. If there's rules to the game, no one ever taught me...It would be nice to be swept off my feet. I want to cut through all the rest: that one's that didn't work out. I'm waiting for the one."
- Ross "The Intern" Mathews in the current issue of Instinct magazine.

"People from all walks of life are embracing Luke and Noah and want them to be happy. That is pretty awesome. Also, my personal belief is that the hugely positive reaction says a lot about what we stand for as a country. We need to accept each other and embrace differences of all kinds."
- actor Van Hansis (Luke) to fans supportive of the gay love story on "As the World Turns."

"This is a moment you thought you would you would never see...I've written a grovelling apology and offered to join the Kabbalah."
- Elton John as he introduced Madonna at the GQ Men of the Year Awards thisx week. The two stars had been feuding for three years.

The OhLaLablog posted these shots of Jake Gyllenhaal out and about the other day. The "Brokeback Mountain" star next stars in "Rendition," out next month. It's a thtiller that akso stars Reese Witherspoon, Merly Streep and Alan Arkin.

After taking the summer off, I've resumed writing the occasional article for LA's Frontier's Magazine. In the current issue, I profile L.A. artist Gronk who was very intreresting and inspiring. Click HERE to read the piece.

For Gronk, being a gay man never stood in the way of his art. If anything, being an artist—even as a teenager—shielded him from some of the typical schoolyard taunts he might have had to endure. "I don't have a great coming-out story," he confesses. "It has never been a problem or an issue. I think art kind of allowed people to enter my world, and most of the time I was seen as cool because I made art."

He also credits his mother: "She was very supportive in the fact that she gave me choice and basically said, ‘You be who you want to be in this life.' It was never, ‘No, you shouldn't do it' and those kinds of things."

It's a good thing I'm not a Republican in search of an electable canddiate. Last night, I caught Fred Thompson's announcement on "The Tonight Show" was was left completely...sleepy. This dude looked bored and he himself was booooooooooooooooooring. What a waste of money and time. He's got very little to offer from what I can see and his record on equal rights for gays and lesbian's is abysmal.
He shoulda kept the "Law & Order" gig...

The Los Angeles Times is reporting what I predicted yesterday: Sherri Shepherd will be the fifth panelist on "The View," filling the spot left vacant when Star Jones was fired more than a year ago.
I think it's great!
She's funny and fresh and she and Whoopi Goldberg bring some much-needed divsersity to a panel that now includes Goldberg, Joy Behar, the annoying Elisabeth Hasselbeck and the show's producer, Barbara Walters. Walters had said on yesterday's show that the fifth co-host would be named on Monday but how could Baba Wawa expect such a thing to be kept under wraps???

The outcome was somewhat expected with three-time defending champ Roger Federer beating 2003 champ Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open last night. But what was really cool was that both players showed up in cool black clothes...I love Federer's look because, like his play, it is very elegant. Meanwhile, all Andy has to do is lift up his shirt and the photogs kn0w they have their Out In Hollywood money shot!

It sure seems that way juding from this picture! According to TMZ.com, the shot was taken back in April when the "Hairspray" and "High School Musical 2" star was in Hawaii. There haven't been any new pics of McConaughey for several weeks now...believe me, I keep track of these things. Did someone go and take him on a shopping spree for clothes? Hope not. We like him so much more in his beachwear.

I caught "the View" this morning for Whoopi's second day. Rosie is right, the new set is horrible! Very claustrophobic and beige. Yuck. Whoopi had gotten herself in hot water on her first day by seeming to defend discgraced football star Michael Vick's participation in dog fighting. Whoopi made clear that she is not pro-dog fighting. She merely said that it may have been a case of dog fighting not being frowned upon culturally where Vick grew up.
I don't really care. Whoopi is a smart gal, she's not going to endorse that. She joked that people are acting like she eats dogs or swings them by the tail.
Anyway, as far as the ratings go, Whoopi's debut drew an audience of 3.4 million, the 10-year-old show's second-best season premiere ever. Still, it came up about 5 percent short compared to Rosie O'Donnell's debut a year ago.
Producer and part-time co-host Barbara Walters said at the end of the show that next Monday, Sept. 10, another new panelist will be announced. That will be for the long-vacant seat once occupied by Star Jones.
My hunch is that it's actress-comedian Sherri Shepherd.
Who do you think it will be???

I'm so sad. I wanted to see Tommy Haas make at least the semifinals of the U.S. Open but the athletic German was no match for Russian Nikolay Davydenko who took him down in straight sets. Tommy had made the semis at the Australian Open this year but, at 29, doesn't have many more chances to win a grand slam title. The last time anyone other than Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal won one of tennis' major tournaments was way back in January 2005 when Russian Marat Safin won the Australian Open...

Here are some YouTube clips from the future president's appearance with Ellen DeGeneres which aired yesterday. Ellen was at her best, asking right up front about gay marriage and wondering: "Do you think it's possible for someone to run and win and be in favor of gay marriage?" Clinton gave a rote response about civil unions always being her position, about it being left up to the states (same cop-out position as most candidates). I like what Ellen said during the segment: "I live in this world just like everyone else and these things are important to me."

I watched Sen. Clinton at a campaign stop in New Hampshire late Sunday on CSPAN (nerdy, I know...) and I am so impressed with how much she has improved as a candidate - far more engaging. She's already got the smarts...if only she had the courage to go all the way and support gay marriage.

Shana Naomi Krochmal, who I met and became a big fan of at the NLGJA conference last weekend, writes the Out Magazine cover story on John Barrowman. In her Popnography blog today, Shana laments that some of their conversation didn't make it into the final version of the story.
That's where her blog comes in. Here are a few of the unpublished comments:
On which actors he has kissed, or would like to: "Alexis Denisof is a very good kisser. Also a very good kisser at the moment is James Marsters. But -- I shouldn't have revealed that to you. Can I give you another? [Ed. note: The loose-lipped Marsters, who will appear on the second season of Torchwood, recently told fans that Barrowman was a better kisser than Sarah Michelle Gellar.] I did A Few Good Men [in London theater] with Rob Lowe. I didn't kiss him but I would have liked to. He knows I'd like to kiss him."

Barrowman says he thinks British boys are better kissers than Americans: "American boys are good, but I think British boys are a little more passionate. People think the British are repressed, but they're really not."

"I have nothing, absolutely nothing to say about it. With all due respect, I haven't said much at all, but I have said some, and I don't need to say more. That's all I need to. That's all I will talk about. That's all. 'Cause it's, 'cause it's August of '07. I'm just saying the day, it's August of '07. And it's a beautiful sunny day. In. August. Of 2007."
- T.R. Knight in today's LA Times answering a question about Isaiah Washington's inflammatory interviews this summer.

"I have absolutely no respect at all for how Isaiah has handled this. I'm disgusted. That's probably a really strong thing to say, and I'm probably going to get yelled at for saying this, but I remember sitting with T.R. and saying, 'You should say this. And you should go on that show and say that. t wasn't even me who [Washington] was talking about, but I felt so infuriated and angry because that was the only opinion getting heard. Shouldn't T.R. have something to say? But he was right. To say nothing at all is the most dignified thing he could do and the most honorable thing he could do for himself and for what really happened that day and for the whole situation. And it speaks volumes."
- Knight's friend and co-star Katherine Heigl's response in the LA Times to the same question

"I have nothing for this ruined ex- politico ex-senator ex-nice family man Larry Craig. Never met him. Never heard of him before. I don't care a fig about him. I don't care about Idaho either... It's just that in my limited, not-very-smart view, his guilt is primarily hypocrisy. The rest of the crime, if in fact Craig is gay, is of our making. The tawdry solicitation leaves us partly to blame. Draping homosexuality in shame is what forces the weak to hide and lie and rail against it publicly in order to cover themselves privately. A guess would be he spoke and voted and campaigned against it in fear for himself. To draw a curtain around his own being."
- Gossip columnist Cindy Adams on Larry Craig in today's NY Post column

What is it with this dude?
First Idaho Sen. Larry Craig pleads guilty following an arrest in a public restroom and now is trying to take back his plea. Then he announces his resignation from the senate under heavy pressure from his eager-to-distance itself Republican party but now he is reconsidering THAT if he manages to be cleared of all charges.
Should a U.S. Senator really be so indecisive?
I'm happy to see him out since he has supported an anti-gay agenda and clearly has some issues to deal with personally. He needs therapy and a marriage counselor and should be spending time on himself rather than in the U.S. Senate where, clearly, no one cares about him.
Craig's spokesman, Dan Whiting, told CNN that the senator "is fighting these charges and should he be cleared before then, he may - I emphasise may - not resign."

French Open champion and Wimbledon finalist Rafael Nadal had an early exit at the U.S. Open Tuesday night, losing in four sets to David Ferrer. Poor Rafa, his knees were aching and he never really had a chance to win this title because of it. But he showed up and he gave it all he had. His loss assures Roger Federer another year as number one whether he wins the tournament or not....

I wonder what has Larry Birkhead more ticked off. Rita Cosby's scandalous new book alleging that he was having an affair with a man, or that the man was Howard K. Stern! Birkhead, who was proved in April to be the biological father of former Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith's daughter, told Larry King Tuesday night that he will sue the author and publisher of the new book, "Blonde Ambition."
"I've instructed my attorney to sue Rita Cosby, the publisher and any source that spits out some of that false, defamatory information that's in there," Birkhead said on CNN's "Larry King Live." "If I were Rita Cosby, I'd be very concerned."
Cosby's book claims that not only was their an affair between the two men, but that an intimate moment between the two was caught on videotape.
Said Birkhead: "That's totally false and it's defamatory. I've heard the sources from that, and those sources are people that don't -- that haven't been in Anna's life and haven't even met me."
Birkhead said Cosby's comments are "crazy ... she says she's never seen the video that she reports in her book that exists, and now she's backpedaling, saying, 'How else could you explain two guys that are enemies now get along?' and trying to make sense out of something that she never verified in the first place."
Birkhead told CNN Cosby never called him to verify the allegations or told him she was writing a book.

Note: the US Magazine includes photos of Burke, Stern and Smith at The Abbey following the 2005 Gay Pride Parade where Anna Nicole was grand marshall.

Saw this on GuyTVBog.com and thought it was quite amusing...mostly, I just like seeing the pictures of Nick! Last night's Big Brother was a snooze, by the way. Jameka and Jessica are still on the block, Dick and Daniele are running the show, blah, blah, blah, blah...

Wow. This Ryan Barry dude is even more stunning when he doesn't have boyfriend Reichen Lemkuhl standing next to him...

...was my first day as a staff writer for the L.A. Daily News.
Boy, time flies when you're having fun. In an almost 20-year career in journalism, it is amazing to find myself having about as much fun as I've ever had in this ever-changing business.
I'm grateful every day for what I have here - especially the opportunity to do this Out In Hollywood blog!

Whoopi Goldberg was in place as the moderator as "The View" kicked off its 11th season this morning. Her reviews were mixed, according to the various stories I have scanned but I have no doubt that she will hit her stride and be a big success.
Meanwhile, former moderator Rosie O'Donnell caught the show and said in her video blog what she thinks of the show that she quit last spring amid fireworks with conservative co-host Elisabeth Hasslebeck.
Said Rosie: "It was alright. It was good. Whoopi was good. It was okay."
But Rosie was not as enthused about the new look that includes a different set: "That," she said, "was an error in judgement."
Despite the addition of Goldberg, there remains a co-host seat vacant. The show has never replaced the fired Star Jones. Producers said they plan to fill that seat before the end of the year before Hasslebeck goes on maternity leave.

A new book is alleging that the late trainwreck, Anna Nicole Smith, had a coupla switch hitters in her life. In "Blonde Ambition," author Rita Crosbyalleges that Larry Birkhead and Howard K. Stern were lovers. Sounds crazy but so has this entire sordid mess.
Crosby, formerly of MSNBC, uses as her source someone named Jackie Hatten who is decribed as an actress/singer. Birkhead is furious and in news reports, described Hatten as not a credible source: "Hatten tried to come to the Bahamas to see Anna last year and Anna wouldn't let her. And Jackie's brother went to jail for stalking Anna. This book is coming from the losers club because they all have axes to grind."
Stern is sure to be even more furious with Crosby's book alleging that he was some kind of pharmacy for Smith who was more of an opportunist than a man who loved her.
I dunno, this is all beyond me. I hate this story as much as all that Lindsay/Britney/Paris crap but with the alleged gay angle, I felt the duty to post.

Maybe octegenarian Jerry Lewis should step aside and allow Ryan Seacrest (is there anybody else?) to host his annual Labor Day telethon for muscular dystrophy.
In the 18th hour of the MDA Telethon, a visibly weary Lewis wandered about the stage trying to dodge the cameraman while making comments on various people. At one point, he stopped and referenced the cameraman and his family: "Your family has come to see you...you remember Bart, your oldest son...Jesse, the illiterate f**."
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) President Neil G. Giuliano was critical of Lewis today and called on him to apologize: "Jerry Lewis’ on-air use of this kind of anti-gay slur is simply unacceptable. It also feeds a climate of hatred and intolerance that contributes to putting our community in harm's way. Our nation’s media have done an admirable job this year holding public figures accountable for their use of anti-gay slurs, and I hope they continue to do so with Mr. Lewis."
GLAAD wants to meet with Lewis.
"We want to sit down with him, help him understand why these words are so hurtful, and give him an opportunity to raise public awareness about the destructive impact of these kinds of anti-gay slurs, even more so in attempted humor.”
UPDATE: Tuesday afternoon, Lewis issued the following apology via CNN: "During the 21-1/2-hour live broadcast of my Telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association this weekend, I made a joking comment to a member of my production team. I apologize to anyone who was offended. I obviously made a bad choice of words. Everyone who knows me understands that I hold no prejudices in this regard. In the family atmosphere of the Telethon, I forget that not everyone knows me that well. That something like this would distract from the true purpose of the Telethon pains me deeply. The success of the show and all the good that will come from it shouldn't be lost because of one unfortunate word. I accept responsibility for what I said. There are no excuses. I am sorry."

Who says his best days are behind him? Spanish hearthrob Carlos Moya was ranked number one in the world for a brief time EIGHT years ago, shortly after he won the French Open. Now 30, Carlos is playing some of the best tennis of career and on Tuesday, made it to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. He is mighty ecstatic about it...and rightfully so!

What? Did you expect the cast of "The Bionic Woman" to be doing this?
Four actors from ''Grey's Anatomy,'' the ABC hit where Isaiah Washington was fired for anti-gay slurs, are featured in a new ad campaign preaching tolerance for gays and lesbians. [Washington has been hired to do at least five episodes of NBC's "Bionic."]
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation released 25 new public service ads today that it isw encouraging TV networks to air. The ads feature celebrities talking about either the power of anti-gay words or the importance of accepting a gay or lesbian family member.
T.R. Knight, Sara Ramirez and Kate Walsh of ''Grey's Anatomy'' all made ads. Alexandra Billings, a transgender actress who appeared in one episode of the medical drama, also participated.
Washington had filmed a separate public service announcement for GLAAD that aired on ABC earlier this year. In retrospect, it seems to have been done in order to try and save his job on the hit show. But he was still fired from for using an anti-gay slur backstage at the Golden Globe Awards in January while denying he had used the word earlier against Knight.
He then went on to slam Knight in a series of bizarre interviews over the summer.
A handful of cable networks, including the Sundance Channel and Lifetime, have agreed to run the ads. Others featured include Martina Navratoliva, John Amaechi, Rachel Griffiths, Eric Mabius, Marlee Matlin, Rebecca Romijn and Lance Bass.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Jodie Foster's next movie, "The Brave One," when it opens in a few weeks. I've enjoyed Foster's last few films a lot: "Flightplan" and "Inside Man." Ever the pro, the famously private Foster is doing interviews to promote her new action flick, including a chat with Entertainment Weekly. She was asked what she thought of the Out magazine cover from earlier this year which featured two models holding up pictures of her and Anderson Cooper's faces in front of their own, under the headline ''The Glass Closet: Why the Stars Won't Come Out and Play.''
Said Foster: ''Was that the one with the Popsicle sticks?'' Her thin lips tighten into a calm half smile of reproach: ''No, I have no response.''

At the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Assn. convention, which ended in San Diego on Sunday, Johnny Diaz of the Boston Globe and Kenneth Walsh of The New York Times and I got to be so tight that Johnny nicknamed us "Los Tres Blogeros." In addition to our newspaper duties, we are all also bloggers with Kenneth responsible for the smart and witty KennethInthe212.com and Johnny writing the thoughtful Beantown Cuban blog.
I snagged some pictures off of Kenneth's site of some of our time together to post as well as a few of my own snaps. I'm glad there is no photographic evidence of our first night together on Thursday where I was wearing blindingly white tennis shoes that Mr. Walsh found quite amusing.

Here we are in San Diego's Hillcrest neighborhood on Friday night having dinner at Mo's which everyone knows is Hamburger Mary's. Not sure why the name change. While there, the wonderful Eric Alva stopped by to say hello. He had spoken at the NLGJA conference earlier about gays in the military. Eric, a former Marine, was the first to be injured in the Iraq War. President Bush and Donald Rumsfield were among those who visited him in the hospital. I wonder how they felt when, months later, Eric came out as a gay man and began working with the Human Rights Campaign to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Former New Jersey Gov. Jim "I am a gay American" McGreevey had supportive words in the Washington Post for Sen. Larry "I am not gay" Craig over the weekend in an article he wrote called "A Prayer for Larry Craig.”
Egads.
Here is part of what the creepy McGreevey had to day: "Like Sen. Craig, I resigned for the perceived good of my family, state and political party. And in so doing, I at long last accepted a fundamental truth, namely, that I am a gay American. In my soul, I found peace. In my heart, I found love. In my psyche, I disassembled the twisted separate strands of my life to create a healthy integrated person. And with my God, I found purpose.
I can only pray that Larry Craig and his loving family come to peace with his truth, whatever that may be. To those who judge him harshly, I ask that they fill their hearts with compassion and equanimity. The senator did not have a lover on the payroll, as I did; nor did he engage in sexual relations for money or use his office for unethical professional or personal gain."

Former CNN anchor Thomas Roberts wasn't spotted at this year's National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Assn. conference over the weekend for good reason: he started his new gig on syndicated entertainment news show "The Insider" on Monday.
A year ago, Roberts was the talk of the NLGJA convention in Miami when he discussed being a gay television reporter at the cable network which after the conference, seemed to almost instantly marginalize him.
But it doesn't seem he will be marginalized on "The Insider" since he will be based in Los Angeles while anchors Pat O'Brien and Lara Spencer will now both be based in New York. Roberts was introduced by the pair and he went into a piece on what current rumors are true or false about various celebs. Later in the show, he did a cute piece on Patricia Heaton and Kelsey Grammer who play news anchors on their new FOX sitcom. Thomas gave Heaton a fan to use under the anchor desk and she joked that she hears they are often casually dressed in shorts etc.
Thomas confirmed that rumor.

Sorry for the delay in getting part two of this posted. I promised it yesterday but got a little busy. This political panel took place on Saturday morning as part of the National Gay and Lesbian Gay Journalists Assn. conference. It was organized by IN Los Angeles political reporter Karen Ocamb who moderated the following panelists: Steve Elmendorf, representing the Hillary Clinton campaign; Jeremy Bernard from the Barak Obama campaign; Jason Mida of Victory Fund; Daily Variety Managing Editor Ted Johnson, who does the Wilshire & Washington blog; and conservative blogger Scott Schmidt of the BoiFromTroy site.
Gay marriage was the hottest topic of the session with Elmendorf, who worked on the Kerry-Edwards campaign in 2004, makiing a point of saying "Bill Clinton NEVER called [John] Kerry to tell him to support the anti-marriage federal bill." He said such assertions are "completely and totally untrue."
As far as Sen. Clinton goes, he re-iterated her stance of being in favor of civil unions but leaving marriage up to the states.
Added Bernard: "The front tier candidates are not for marriage. I don't think Edwards is against marriage nor is Hillary. But they're not going to do it politically."
Schmidt, a gay Republican, defended Rudy Guliani's record on the issue noting that the former NYC mayor, thrice-married, acknowledges civil unions at the city and state level, but not federal: "Rudy Guliani actually created civil unions in New York - the only one to accomplish something substantive while he was mayor."
Wondered Mida: "Why does Rudy Guliani have the right to talk to anyone about marriage? He has no place to be talking about the sanctity of marriage."
Bernard lamented that gay marriage is being used as a wedge issue because "it effects lives and it ruins lives. It's horrible for young people coming out and hearing their parents say, 'We have to vote against gay marriage.'"

Whenever I've watched Tommy Haas practice or play in person, I always wonder how it is that he has never won one of tennis' grand slam titles. The hunky German still has a chance of winning the U.S. Open after edging out American James Blake in a brilliant fourth-round match that had me so glued I had to cancel plans to see a matinee with a friend at The Grove.
"I'm sorry, I just can't leave this match...want to do maybe an early evening flick instead?"
CLICK.
Oh well, tennis is my life when the U.S. Open is underway. I won't need friends again until after next weekend's finals. I feel badly for Blake who had three match points but still lost inb a fifth set tie-breaker. It should be noted that on each of those points, Haas served himself out of trouble, It was a high-quality affair with far more winners than errors and both players had nerves of steal on this day.

Today is supposed to be the day that Laguna Beach's historic Boom Boom Room is closing. A year ago, that was also the case so forgive me if I don't quite believe it yet. Anywho, I wrote a story for The Advocate last fall about the Boom that ended up not being published for various reasons. I haven't updated it so it is a bit dated in parts but I think there are plenty of insights in it that remain relevant and also, I wanted SOMEONE to see the piece!

The end of the Boom Boom Room?
By Greg Hernandez
LAGUNA BEACH- By this time, Laguna Beach’s oldest gay bar the Boom Boom Room was supposed to be shuttered and scheduled for demolition. After 60 years on South Coast Highway, the place just a flight of stairs away from the P:acific Ocean was due to close down after Labor Day weekend with the new owner of the land it stands on ready to build an upscale boutique hotel and restaurant.
But something happened to this gay landmark, known as the Boom, on its way to meeting with the wrecking ball: it got rediscovered by folks who came back to the seaside town for one last drink, dance and other revere. With this new surge of interest, a growing movement to preserve Laguna’s rich gay heritage was born.
"A lot of my friends from LA wanted to come down and do a last hurrah. We had all accepted it and made plans," says bartender Eddie Singleton, 42, who has worked at The Boom on and off over the years. "There’s so much history here, it’s just a very comfortable bar."
Singleton, working a Friday night shift behind the bar, chats with several regulars as he serves up drinks. The music of Shakira pulsates on the foggy dance floor with strobe lights. In the next room, a restaurant until 9 p.m.weekdays, Go-Go boys are dancing on the counter and dollar bills are being stuffed down their speedos.
It looks like a thriving establishment, especially on Saturday nights when there are CD release parties and Wednesdays, when there is a drag queen review.
But is this all happening on borrowed time?
The Boom and Coast Inn didn’t get a permanent reprieve from the landlord. They merely got a one year lease extension which could make Labor Day weekend 2007 a real goodbye party for the oldest gay
bar in the western U.S. is the extension merely staving off the inevitable or do supporters have the time to change hearts and minds?
But here is the biggest question: Is too late for Laguna Beach to hold on to its queer past?

Hey, Zac Efron is way too young for me to really appreciate but that doesn't mean he's too young for many of you. Here is the "High School Musical 2" and "Hairspray" star on the beach in Hawaii this Labor Day weekend. Photo courtesy of the very sexy Ohlalablog.

Yawn. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
Oops, sorry. I was about to write a little "Big Brother 8" recap and the thought of it made me a little sleepy. I just want this show to limp along to its conclusion. Let's face it, whoever makes it to the final two opposite evil Dick or mean girl Danielle will win the money. If they make it to the final two, they deserve the money.
Zach, as HOH, nominated nice girl Jameka and mostly nice girl Jessica who put him up last week. I can't pretend to care but I will say that I'd like to see Jessica go because she made a deal with the devil (Dick) a few weeks back and betrayed her friends.
She should find out what it's like to be double-crossed.

It's tough to get excited about the new "Bachelor" when the old one, Andy Baldwin, is such a dish. This weekend, Andy competed in the Kentucky Ironman, a triathlon that required a 2.4-mile swim in the Ohio River, a 112-mile bike course through greater Louisville and a 26.2-mile run to the finish line celebration at Fourth Street Live.
According to TMZ.com, Andy carried girlfriend Tessa Horst across the finish line. They are no longer engaged, but apparently still in love...

I had some guys come up to me at the NLGJA convention and say they are now hooked on "As the World Turns" because of my updates of the Luke and Noah storyline. I'm just following the lead of AfterElton.com and trying to keep up with this well-acted and well-written show.

I lived this storyline in my mid-20s and some of my confrontations with my closeted lover sounded much like this clip from an episode that aired last week. I was not near as composed or articulate as Luke though. I'd say things like, 'You're a complete fraud!"
Real classy.

Made great time driving back to LA but only have a few hours before a birthday dinner for my close friend, Michael, at The Abbey. I'm afraid to take a nap because I might not wake up until tomorrow morning.
The National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Assn. conference in San Diego was a keeper. Last night, when Kenneth Walsh, Johnny Diaz and I (Los Tres Blogeros) had a group hug before we went our seperate ways. Johnny remarked that it felt like the last day of summer camp. I miss them already.
And I 'll miss just being around so many smart, informed and opinionated people as are so many of the people involved in this organization. In addition to the various organized panel discussions and lunches, there were so many group discussions over drinks or coffee that were so far-ranging and passionate. Last night, I ended up in the hotel bar with a big group of guys that included Orange County Blade editor Thomas Soule, KCBS anchor/reporter Juan Fernandez, and conservative blogger Daniel Blatt, among others. It was like an episode of "Hardball" with some of us aggressively challenging Dan's views and all of us, I think, learning from each other.
Then this morning, we were served a breakfast of cold pizza (don't knock it, it really was good!} as NLGJA head Eric Hegedus interviewed a reporter from the Idaho Statesman about the Sen. Larry Craig story.
It was so relevant because so many of us talked about it amongst ourselves and it was brought up during many panels. The timing could not have been better because it spurred so much discussion about closeted elected officials, outing, the Republican party and the Democratic party, the double-standard that exists between a straight sex scandal and a gay sex scandal, how news organizations handled this particular story, and how we feel about sex in public restrooms and the men who engage in that kind of lewd behavior. None of us are angels, I'm sure, but we are openly gay people who live our lives out loud. There is no reason for us have to have sex in public toilets. But someone like Larry Craig only re-inforces old stereotypes.
Anyway, I will be posting more items about the NLGJA conference tomorrow. I met some authors and other interesting folks and want to talk about their work. Johnny read from his book "Boston Boys Club" yesterday during an author's session and was a bit of a rock star after that with all kinds of people buying the book and coming up to him at the Silent Auction party. Johnny spent five years at the Miami Herald as a reporter and has now been at the Boston Globe for five years. But he doesn't look much different from 11 years ago when he was featured on the Miami season of MTV's "The Real World" because he was dating cast member Dan Renzi.
Reality show fame can last a lifetime it seems, but Johnny has done so much since then and, I'm sure, will do a lot more in the future. He is making an impact in the REAL world.I should have pictures for you tomorrow of Los Tres Blogeros and others I met at this convention.
It was, a blast.
My only complaints are about the hotel itself, the Westin-Horton Plaza, which you would expect to be first class. It was not. The elevators were so slow that there was constant bottleneck and the stairs were so convoluted that you had to go across a patio and find another staircase just to get from the second floor to the fourth floor.
It was, a nightmare.
As was the un-air conditioned career fair was so far off the beaten path that I did not find it until the third day. So, I would not recommend this hotel for a convention or a vacation until they get their act together and stop charging first-class prices for fourth-class facilites. That said, the staff was first-rate and made it bearable, except for the reservation lady who screwed up my dates two different ways and refused to give me the original price quotes by a front desk clerk. I still have a memo to write to her boss.
The bitch is back!

Here are a few of the guys who won matches yesterday at the U.S. Open who I think would be fun to invite to Sunday brunch...

...Andy Roddick...

...James Blake...

...Roger Federer...

...Robby Ginepri...

...and Tommy Haas!

One thing you would never say to Larry Kramer is "Gee, tell us what you really think." The co-founder of the Gay Men's Health Crisis and the founder of ACT-UP, Kramer is a playwright whose work includes "The Normal Heart," an Oscar-nominated screenwriter ("Women in Love" and an author whose book includes the best-selling gay novel "Faggots."
He showed up at the NLGJA convention this afternoon for a session called "Making Headlines: A Conversation With Larry Kramer." Ever outspokem he called the NLGJA "tacky" for not sending him a plane ticket and let it rip on any topic that came up. Here are some of the highlights:

On the state of gay rights: "As I get older, I don't get more optimistic about where we're going and where we'll end up in another 40 years. We make progress but we don't make enough progress. We take itty bitty steps then we take 10 giant steps back. Considering how many of us there are and how much money we have, we don't have power. We are, in essence, a very passive population....What rights do we have? You tell me. I can't leave my money to my lover? I can't leave my house to my lover? That is appalling.That's what pushes my buttons. Why do we put up with it? There are so many of us."

On activism: "We should be at war constantly. You cannot take your guard down...The important thing to tell yourself is, 'I'm not going to be passive.' The thing about activism is you don't need a lot of people...Activism has to be a daily thing. It's got to be a part of your life. You cannot stop. The right wing doesn't stop. Their hate fuels them. Why doesn't our anger fuel us?...Anger, I think, is one of the greatest emotions there is. Very useful."

On the Human Rights Campaign: "I do not think it would make one bit of difference if they disappeared tomorrow."

On the HRC/LOGO Presidential forum: "There's talk and then there's talk. They didn't say much, those candidates. And they weren't grilled, those candidates..."

On Sen. Hillary Clinton: "We take so much lip service. Hillary says, 'I love you, I love you, I love you'" and we believe her. I don't believe her."

On being outspoken: "I learned long ago, whatever you say, some people will agree with you, some people aren't so you might as well say what you want to say."

On why he's so hard on his fellow gays these days: "I guess I just love being gay so much and I love gay people so much. I think we're the best."

Karen Ocamb, the news editor for IN Los Angeles Magazine and one of the best political reporters around, put together one of the more interesting events of the NLGJA Convention on Saturday morning. I was so impressed with her as a moderator and organizer that I told NLGJA President Eric Hegedus tonight that she should be put in charge of one of the main plenary sessions next year - especially since the 2008 convention will be held in Washington D.C. just a few months before the election.
Karen's panel took place less than an hour after scandal-plagued Sen. Larry Craig resigned from office so that was the hot topic out of the gate.
"We as gay Republicans see that it's actually a good thing that he stepped down. Regardless of his record on gay issues, what he did was wrong and illegal," said Scott Olin Schmidt, best known for his Boi From Troy blog.
My good friend Ted Johnson, managing editor of Variety and author of the blog Wilshire and Washington said: "Had he been an openly gay Democrat, or Republican even, I think he might have survived this. After all, what he was charged with and pled guilty to is a lesser offense than getting a DUI and lots of members of congress have gotten DUIs. It would have hurt his image, but he would have survived."
Political and corporate consultant Jeremy Bernard said: "I have mixed feelings. I'm not crazy about the entrapment. I was amazed at how quickly he went down...there is a homophobia in the powers that be in the Republican party. It's so strong."

TOMORROW: Part 2 of what was discussed at the "Will Gays Matter in 08?" panel...

This is no surprise but wanted to get it on the blog before I head out to some NLGJA conference sessions. Watched Larry Craig's press conference where he said that "with sadness and deep regret" he intends to resign from the Senate effective September 30.
I hope he finds some kind of peace in his post-Senate, not gay life...
I wonder if he's gonna remain a Republican or ever go to the bathroom at an airport again?

I'm a bit of a mess.
Last night was a little trip to San Diego's gay neighborhood of Hillcrest where the conference attendees packed into a bar (I think it was called Flicks?) where the margaritas were perhaps stronger than I realized. I woke up a little awhile ago and had never known such thirst.
But it was very fun. After attending a diversity reception then a Lambda Legal reception, Los Tres Blogeros (my new pals Kenneth Walsh and Johnny Diaz and I) hopped into a cab and headed to Hillcrest where we first grabbed some dinner at a place called Mo's, which used to be known as Hamburger Mary's. We had a very fun dinner and bumped into tons of guys from the conference. We were visited at our table by the wonderful Eric Alva, the former U.S. Marine who was the first soldier injured in the Iraq war. We met last spring and I did an interview with him for this site. I'm a big fan of Eric Alva.
Headed over to the bar and it's all a bit of a blur for awhile. We ended up back at the Westin at the jacuzzi which was too hot to even sit in. So we just sat on the edges kind of dipping our toes in. Kenneth and Johnny were talking while I was sort of laying on the cement semi-concious. I'd lift my head and make a remark every so often but there was no denying: it was time to call it a night!
Before our night out, attendees had the absolute privledge of hearing from Los Angeles Times sportswriter Christine Daniels who held us spellbound with her story of transition from male sportswriter Mike Penner to the female Christine. She talked about her anxiety before going public and told us in great detail what it was like building up to that and the reaction after.
She has received much support and I am so impressed with her. After she spoke, Kenneth, Johnny and I went over to say hello. When she was Mike, we had actually worked together for several years at The Times when I was a staff writer there. I told Christine that she really is an important figure in helping society to understand transgendered people. Even though they are far behind gays in terms of awareness and acceptance, the journey has been advanced immeasurably by Christine and things like Barbara Walters' special last spring about transgendered children.
To read about Christine's journey, check out her blog Woman in Progress.