January 2008 Archives

A lot of dudes think they do judging from a contest being held by The Boston Globe which I read about on Kennethinthe212. Check out that site for all the side-by-side comparisons. Here are a few I liked:

This is from an upcoming episode (sorry, don't know when) but I do know it includes John Barrowman's Capt. Jack locking lips with another dude! Figure that's gotta be worth a look!

Rosie O'Donnell has always had a soft spot for troubled Britney Spears who is currently hospitalized undergoing psychiatric evaluation. On her blog today, Rosie writes:
"Whenever young girl stars came on my show tried to warn them, go to school, follow jodie. She did it, you can too. Save yourself."

Of Britney: "She was parkers age when i met her, lil southern girl with a tiny twang. 'yes maam,' she smiled.
adorable. 'She wanted it,' the mothers always said, as way of both apology and explaination in the dressing room.[Daughter] vivi would if i let her, support our family with her light and talent. its not mine to sell.

Rosie expressed a desire to help Britney: "If I had a magic wand, I would will her the strength, Windex all windows, watch the sun warm her soul."

She concludes her post by writing: "All together now, we pray."

...and I don't blame you. You're wondering why Greg's blog sucks today! Well, I'm aware of it. We had technical difficulties that made posting impossible for big stretches of the day. I'm gonna try and post some material before I hit the hay. And I start with a photo of cutie pie Chace Crawford of "Gossip Girl" at an Old Navy part of some sort. I prefer him clean-shaven but a little stubble never hurt anyone!

There is a terrific interview with Carson Kressley on AfterElton.com today that you gotta read. I think Carson is a hoot and his wit was one of the two reasons I watched "Queer Eye." The other reason was that cutie pie Kyan Douglas.

Here is what Carson says about gay stereotypes on TV: "I was on a show that some people considered embraced stereotypes, but it was just what we did, and we were just being ourselves. There's nothing less stereotypical than being out and proud and being who you are. As time goes on, we'll see gay guys just being themselves. I'm doing a makeover show that has nothing to do with being gay, but I'm being as gay as can be. Yes, it's working in fashion, but those are the things I'm good at and I'm happy to share that with the world. I think it's a positive attribute and not really a stereotype."

"...Being gay doesn't mean just one thing, so I'm never going to be able to represent every gay person on television. We are so diverse. That's a wonderful thing.
But I think it's great that we are being represented, so if there are gay kids out there — and I experienced this first hand with "Queer Eye" — if there are gay kids out there watching, they feel like they have a future, there are people out there just like them, and they don't feel alone, they don't feel isolated. That's really important. Just having that presence on TV is really great. When I was a kid all we had was Paul Lynde on "Hollywood Squares." He was amazing and I loved him and worshipped him, but we didn't have a lot of role models."

Well said!

The couple will soon be performing a duet together at Broadway Backwards 3, the gender-bending concert of show tune favorites benefiting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center.

Justin Timberlake's new ad for Pepsi will debut on Super Bowl Sunday. But it's already all over the Internet. Check it out!!!

...the beautiful Portia de Rossi!

Why we love her? So many reasons. She's funny and smart and quite talented. She's delighted us with her roles on "Ally McBeal," "Arrested Development" and now on "Nip/Tuck." And, of course, she's the love of Ellen DeGeneres' life. Anyone who makes Ellen that happy, makes us happy...

The fabulously talented artist Glen Hanson told me it took him about a day to draw each of these entertainment legends for a Smithsonian salute this week. It seems easy to me to see who is who but I will identify them anyway. (Top row): Rose Marie, Angela Lansbury, Esther Williams (Middle row) June Lockhart and Tippi Hedren (bottom row) Phyllis Diller, Carol Channing, Florence Henderson and Julie Newmar.

"This was an honor to pay tribute to these women, each one of them is such a legend. I could do 50 caractures of each one of them because they've had amazing careers on stage and on television and in movies. Just amazing. The fact that they're all still around, I had to jump at this. Had to. I studied every eyelash...you gotta get it right down to the eyelash!"

Glen's work has appeared on MTV and in such publications as Entertainment Weekly, Vogue, The New York Times, L'Uomo and Variety. To learn more about him, go to www.GlenHanson.com

Here is a group photo taken yesterday of seven of the nine ladies (Lansbury and Diller are absent) along with the evening's emcee's Dick Van Patten and Jo Anne Worley:

I was having a busy day and was annoyed at the early 5 p.m. start time for a Smithsonian event at the El Portal Theater in North Hollywood. Well, after the evening I had chatting up the likes of Esther Williams, Carol Channing, Rose Marie, June Lockhart and others,. I realize I would have gotten up at 5 A.M. to make it.

I'll be sharing interview with these grand ladies in the weeks to come but today, I just want to write about the experience of being there and watching the above mentioned ladies as well as Florence Henderson, Julie Newmar, and Tippi Hedren dontate keepsakes to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Phyllis Diller had been set to come and was en-route, but was not feeling well and went back home. Angela Lansbury, who was across the country, sent her regrets.

So, I get there and am allowed into the theater before the show begins and see all the ladies taking their places among the treasures they are donating. JoAnne Worley, so funny and energetic, was one of the hostesses and she was rushing around doing her vocal twirling that I love so much. Her first question: "Where's the Diller?"

Someone then asks Worley a question, I don't know what, but I loved answer: "Yes I dooooooooooo!" At that, the show was about to begin and JoAnne twirled: "Curtain doooooooooooown!" Worley began the show then stopped suddenly and scoded herself: "JoAaaaaaane!" She had forgotten to do a trick with her pearls. She stepped aside from the lecturn and swung the large strands around her neck several times like a hula hoop.

Very cool.

After JoAnne introduced the dudes from the Smithsonian and they did a buncah museum talk, Dick Van Patten came out and served as the mater of ceremonies, introducing each legend before they explained their donations or shared their feelings about becoming a tangible part of American history.

ESTHER WILLIAMS: Her father made giant scrapbooks of her career. When she first saw the size of the first one in its blank state she said: "Daddy, those are too big!" Her father replied: "Fill 'em up!"
"So with that order, I filled them up," Williams said. "Pictures of Johnny Weissmuller. Oh gosh, what a group of leading men. One after another in tiny swimsuits. They're all gone...but I'm still here!"

CAROL CHANNING: The Broadway legend donated the dress she wore in the original production of "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" and said: "Tonight is a tremendous night for all of us. We are all historic momuments!"

She then told everyone that the diamond hanging around her neck was worth $40 million: "They just hung it on me before we walked out." She then jumped to another subject before finishing the thought and the audience laughed. Channing stopped and said: "What's so funny? This is terribly serious and exciting...Art is one of the things that keeps the world alive - more than anything."

Channing then mentioned that she is 87 years old and when the audience applauded she stopped and asked: "Oh, is that an achievement?" The diva also used her time to plead for the arts in public schools: "[Students] are bored stiff with the three Rs. That's all they've got. Any art form, it fertilizes your brain." When Channing wondered if she had been talking too much, Rosie Marie - sitting next to her - emphatically nodded her head yes.

ROSE MARIE: The comedy legend, a child star, cast member of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and still a hoot at 85, joked around that Williams was donating "earplugs," Hedren a tiger, and Henderson "one of the Brady kids." For her part, Rosie Marie donated her original trademark bow as well as the shoes she wore in her first short film which was the first sound short and played with Al Jolson's "The Jazz Singer."
"To think that I'll be there with Linberg's plane," she said of the Smithsonian. "I'm very honored and proud of my career. I think this is almost like getting the Purple Heart....I love my country and I always have and I'm so glad my country loves me by honoring me."

JUNE LOCKHART: Best known as the mom on "Lassie" and "Lost In Space," Lockhart donated her Tony Award to the Smithsonian and said: "There are nine of us and I think you've put together a Supreme Court."

JULIE NEWMAR: Television's Catwoman on "Batman" donated her Catwoman suit and reminisced at how so many grown men, who were little boys when the series was on, now come up to her and say: "Do you know you were my first turn-on? That delighted me."

FLORENCE HENDERSON: She needs no introduction, obviously. She said: "I've been on television so long...I thought maybe they wanted to put ME in the Smithsonian!" She told how she was the youngest of 10 children up and "I had such big dreams, but never did I think I'd be in the Smithsonian."

TIPPI HEDREN: The star of "The Birds" and "Marnie" donated her original scripts from both of those classic Alfred Hitchcock movies as well as from "Countess of Hong Kong." Said Tippi: "I feel that to be involved with this is like getting an Academy Award. I am thrilled...and empowered by this wonderful award."

After the official program ended, I chatted up actor Bruce Davison (an Oscar nominee for "Longtime Companion") and the talented (and very handsome) artist Glen Hanson who drew caricatures of each of the ladies (I will post the image as soon as I get it). Also in attendance was MGM star Margaret O'Brien who I chatted with in the lobby and she was escorted by Joey Luft, the son of Judy Garland and Sid Luft. At the after-party, I chatted up Kathy Silvers (remember her from "Happy Days"?) and Luke Yankee, the son of Eileen Heckart as well as several of the cast members of "Kid From Brooklyn: The Danny Kaye Story." Star Brian Childers snapped a photo of me and Carol Channing and vice-versa and I promised to see the show which runs through next month at the El Portal.

I don't start watching "American Idol" until they narrow the contestants down to the final 20. The freakshow that sometimes takes place in the early auditions are not at all appealing when I have so many other things I could be doing.

But by not watching, I missed out on what was a really sweet audition (thank God for YouTube!) from Leo Marlow who sang one of my favorite songs ever ("A Song for You") and sung it very well. But the best part was his back-and-forth with the judges prior to launching into the song when he told Randy, Paula and Simon: "My mom always said she raised the perfect Homecoming Queen, it's just too bad it wasn't one of her daughters."

Watch it for yourselves!

Well, I confess. The last thing I expected to do at the Directors Guild of America Awards over the weekend was fall in love - with a woman. But I had never met Kristin Chenoweth who, pound for pound, is hands-down the most talented woman in showbiz.

The tiny Broadway star with near-perfect pitch headlined the original production of "Wicked," and won a Tony Award for "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown."

Now she's juggling television and film roles as one of the main characters in the new ABC hit "Pushing Daisies" and co-starring in the currently filming "Four Christmases" with Reese Witherspoon.

"I'm a very lucky actress right now," she said. "Not a lot of people are working and I just hope there can be a quick resolution (to the writers strike)."

When I caught up with Kristin Saturday night, I told her how blown away I was by her performance during last month's Kennedy Center Honors.

"(Gasp)Thank you! That's when I had pneumonia!" she said. "That's so very sweet."

"Daisies" was considered to be a hard-sell initially but it quickly caught on with audiences when it premiered in the fall: "I have people coming up to me at the Coffee Bean (and Tea Leaf) saying, 'Good luck with the pie maker!'" Kristin said. "They love the show and I'm really proud that we have something that people can sit down as a family and watch and both the kids and the adults can enjoy it. I like to be included in classy things and I think this is a very classy show."

Prior to "Daisies," Kristin was in another classy show, "The West Wing," as Annabeth Schott during the final two seasons and briefly had her own NBC sitcom called "Kristin."

But she still craves the stage and told me she will be appearing in June at the English National Opera in London singing an opera.

"Come on over and see me do it!" she said.

Very tempting!

Thanks to the Ohlala blog for these pics of David Beckham on the beach in Brazil. It was exactly four years ago that I spent 10 glorious days on the beach in Rio. It's funny, as time goes by, the more special that experience is. We were there for Carnaval and marched in the Samba parade in full costume! It was, the time of my life...

I miss Carrie Bradshaw. I really do. May, the month when "Sex and the City: The Movie" is released, can't come soon enough!!!

People magazine reports that Heath Ledger's death has been tough on Jake Gyllenhaal who was given the news while on the New Mexico set of his film "Brothers." He left the set immediately to grieve but flew back two days later to film a scheduled scene.

Jake is godfather to Ledger's two-year-old daughter Matilda and the two men will be forever linked as the stars of the landmark "Brokeback Mountain" which earned them both Oscar nominations as two ranch hands who fall in love.

"This has had a strong personal effect on [Jake]," a set source tells People. "He was there, but he wasn't with us. It was obviously a major trauma. These guys were very close. [Jake] was sitting in the director's chair staring off into space."

Jake's mood is a sharp contrast to the happier times on the set of "Brothers." During one intense early prison scene, he jokingly reached into his pocket and took out a picture of his "Brokeback" beau to stick on the prison wall. "Like those prisoners put [loved ones] on the wall, but Jake's was Heath Ledger," one set source recalls. "That was hilarious. It was a nice moment...When you think back on it now, it's touching."

Well, this is no shock.

When you go to a major industry event, where all the major directors and studio execs are, and make a drunken fool of yourself, it's time to get some professional help. Sean Young, once an A-list actress in such films as "Blade Runner" and "No Way Out" but has burned many a Hollywood bridge, has checked into rehab.

I was at the Directors Guild of America Awards Saturday night when Sean, 48, heckled "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" director Julian Schnabel during his acceptance speech causing him to stop and snap: "Who said that?" Then he said, "Have another drink darling." Schnabel almost walked off but collected himself to finish his remarks - but he was clearly upset. Sean was escorted out of the glitzy, but non-televised event, by security

A statement released by her rep stated that Sean had voluntarily checked herself into rehab: "It is understood that Young has struggled against the disease for many years."

What I wanna know is this: How did Sean Young get a table so close to the stage? I was near a back wall and wasn't even heckling anyone.

Sheesh.

I think this might be a new Out In Hollywood feature...I think!

My commitment to all of you is to provide you with as much original content as I can but there's obviously a lot of wonderful other blogs out there that have some great posts worth sharing. So today, I'm sharing some of them in one big post starting with AfterElton.com and it's recap of Saturday night's episode of "Torchwood," a show that I don't follow but am intrigued by because of its gay content and it's dreamy star, John Barrowman.

...Mr.GuyTVBlog was posted this steamy piece of video from Bravo's new "Make Me a Supermodel" where two of the straight dudes were given the task of havcong chemistry during a scantily clad photo shoot. I don't know about you, but I say they got it on after this session - gay or straight!

My pal, Shana Naomi Krochmal, who does the terrific Popnography blog, has an item about the oh-so-delicious Holland Taylor guesting on "The L Word": Sunday night as jailbird Helena's haughty mummy Peggy Peabody. As she came to scoop her daughter out of jail, she said:
"Our family doesn't go on trial. We generally go to Europe." There's more so check it out!

My pal Kenneth Walsh has a way with words which you already know if you are a reader of his blog Kennethinthe212. He gave his critique of the men at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and his opinion of Zac Efron is LOL funny: Zac Efron couldn't attend the awards because of his appendix emergency but was kind enough to send this wax statue of himself so his fans wouldn't be too disappointed ...

And then there's Clay Aiken, on Broadway in "Spamalot." It seems to me that most single, young male performers making the big bucks want to score every date in town because, well, men are pigs.
But according to A Socialite's Life, that is not the case at all. Clay isn'rt interested in any kind of rleationships - with anybody! Some fun and catty remarks with this entry...MEOW!!!

...the great Greg Louganis who turns 48 today!

Greg is the greatest diver the U.S. has ever had. In 1976, while still in high school, he won the silver medal at the Olympics and Montreal. The U.S. boycott of the Moscow games kept him from competition in 1980 but at the Los Angeles games in 1984, he took home two gold medals then repeated the feat four years later in Seoul, Korea.

It was in Seoul that Greg hit his head on the diving board during preliminary rounds and cut his head. What the world did not know was the he had recently found out that he was HIV-positive. To be dealing with that and trying to compete against the best, I am still in awe of how he came through that situation and went on to win the gold..

Greg is also a six time World Champion and has held 47 National Championship titles.

But even more than his diving accomplishments, there is nothing more important, in my opinion, than when Greg publicly came out at the Gay Games in 1994. This was the year before he released his superb autobiography, "Breaking the Surface." I was struggling with how public to be with my own sexuality at that time and I was so inspired by Greg and his story - particularly an appearance he made on the "The Oprah Winfrey Show" where the reception was so enormous, so warm, and the look on his face was one of such happiness and joy at being out. It was so inspiring. It was still a really big deal to come out in 1995 - Ellen didn't do it until two years later.

I remember thinking how sad it was that he had reached this point but probably would not live to enjoy it much longer. In an interview with Barbara Walters, he had said that he was not just HIV-positive, but had AIDS. And here we are, 13 years later, and Greg is still with us - thank God.

He's been more private in recent years but you still hear about him now and then and it is always a wonderful thing...

P.S. Greg's book was made into a TV movie starring Mario Lopez. It's available on DVD!

I pride myself in flagging just about any shirtless shot of Novak Djokovic worth posting but somehow, this one of him posing with his Australian Open trophy fell through the cracks. And so, I present it to you now. This kid is a keeper.

I must say, Daniel Day-Lewis dedicating his SAG Award to Heath Ledger Sunday night was really moving and to see him a bit later talking about it backstage, it was easy to see how geniune and deep his reaction to the young actor's death has been. He admitted to thinking of little else since it happened and I think a lot of us can say the same.

It's been a week now that Heath left us so suddenly and I wanted to share a few things I came across on the Internet. First, the painting (above) of Heath by Melbourne artist Vincent Fantauzzo. It was done when Heath was Down Under visiting family over the holidays. Fantauzzo painted Ledger with the intention of entering the portrait in the prestigious Archibald Prize later this year but with the approval of the Ledger family, the artist released the image to the media early and said: "Heath was very excited about it. He was very excited to see the finished product" ..

Then there is an interview Heath did with The Advocate upon the release of "Brokeback Mountain." Alonso Duralde, who conducted the interview, wrote a new opening and it has been reposted on Advocate.com. Here are a few excerpts:

Q. Having played Ennis, on the off chance that your child comes to you with the “Dad, I’m gay” speech, do you think you’re ready to hear it now?
Ledger: Oh, it wouldn’t have bothered me beforehand. I don’t have a further appreciation for people who are gay; I always have. It’s never been an issue for me. Of course, if my child came to me and said that, I’d love them even more for being honest with me.

Q. How do you perceive gay acceptance in Australia? We sort of get mixed messages: On the one hand, there’s the Mardi Gras and we all love Priscilla, and then at the same time, occasionally your prime minister, John Howard, will say something very George Bush–ian.
Ledger: Well, I don’t know. As you said, Sydney is considered the gay capital of the world. But as you said too, we have a prime minister that’s… I don’t even want to go into it, but he’s definitely George Bush’s buddy. Unfortunately. So yeah, it is confusing. I think it’s like the red states in America, so to speak -- there’s definitely issues that they have, which I think are just issues that they have with themselves, obviously. I think it still exists in Australia too -- it’s just disguised better. It’s more passive, I think. It’s hard to answer for a nation.

Q. Has being attractive been better or worse for your career as an actor, in terms of how filmmakers perceive you?
Heath: I don’t know how to answer that question. Wouldn’t I be a particularly cocky person if I could answer that question!

.

I remember seeing photos in a magazine, many years ago, of Barbra Streisand attending a singing gig of her little sister, Roslyn Kind, somewhere in LA. But while we have all been keenly aware of Streisand's life in the years since, I was not so sure what had become of her sister who also has a wonderful voice.

Well, I found out recently when I was on the set of "The Florence Henderson Show" and Roslyn was a musical guest. We had a little chat backstage and she was looking forward to her singing dates at the Catalina Jazz Club in LA this weekend: "I'm not a jazz singer (laughs) buy I will be at the jazz club on the ist and second at 8:30 and 10:30! Two shows a night."

"I am coming back," she said. "I went through a bad time. I lost my mom and I was the baby, the youngest, and I oversaw her care when she was going through the worst times. And I lost her. And just two years before I had to put my puppy down which was like my son. I'm very sensitive about those things and I kind of got off the road and it stopped me from doing a lot of things."

"My friends like Michael Feinstein said, 'You've gotta get back! You've gotta get back!' So, little by little, I've been coming back. This is the first time I';ll be in performing in LA in so long. I'm coming back with a vengeance."

What kind of other plans are included in this comeback for Roslyn, a very youthful looking woman who turned 57 a few weeks ago?
Roslyn: "I'm starting to get back on tour so they'll be more and more and more. I have a date in Naples, Florida, I'll be doing San Francisco, I'll be doing Oakland. I'll be doing New York. It's going to start building now....We just did a new pressing of my last CD, "Come With Me," it has new artwork, it has color and there's a bonus track in it called "At Times Like This" and it's about my puppy."

I wanted to know what to expect at her upcoming show: "I love this theatrical piece from "The Baker's Wife" called "Meadowlark," I did it on Broadway (in the musical revue '2 From Brooklyn") and it stopped the show every night so I hope it stops the show here. "Meadowlark" has always been, since I started doing it, a tour-de-force piece. I had so many people say to me, 'You're committing vocal suicide! Do you know how many divas do this in clubs?"

Roslyn has played in some of the most prestigious venues around the world including Lincoln Center, The Greek Theater, London's Café Royal and in 2006, made her debut at Carnegie Hall.
Roslyn began performing in her teens when she released her first album, "Give Me You," and appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" three times." Next came her second album, "This is Roslyn Kind." Her latest CD, "Come What May," gor a rave in the New York Times which proclaimed it "splendid and sizzling."
Her theater credits include the Off-Broadway production of "Show Me Where the Good Times Are," "Leader of the Pack" and "Ferguson the Tailor."

I wondered, "Am I allowed to ask you about your sister?"
Roslyn: "Depends what you want to know."
Greg: Do you all sing together in the car?
Roslyn: Yeah! We do! We just recently did that in London when she was performing in London. We warmed her up in the car. We had a great time."
Greg: So you're both here in LA and you see each other and it's all good?
Roslyn: Oh yeah.
Greg: You seem so much like each other.
Roslyn: Well, we have the same bloodline! (laughs)

For more information about the Catalina gig, other dates and to hear her sing, go to Roslynkind.com.

The writers strike has a lot of our favorite television stars with extra time on their hands and I wanted to know what the heck people have been up to. Got the chance to find out over the weekend on the red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

I was surprised to learn that Kyle MacLachlan of "Desperate Housewives" (pictured w/co-star Eva Longoria) has a whole new venture that has nothing to do with showbiz: "I'm going to release a wine that I made, a Washington Cabernet that comes out in September, so I've been working on that during this downtime. I've been spending a lot up in Washington state and working with my wine maker and I'm excited about it, it's really good."

He said he and co-stars Doug Savant and Teri Hatcher are "semi-serious collectors who compare notes on the set."

Coincidentally, Shawn Pyrom, who plays Kyle's stepson on the show has goitten into wine tasting. He just turned 21 so it's all legal.

"I'm a big wino," joked Shawn, who has played gay teen Andrew Van de Kamp on the show since its first season. "A good friend of mine who is really into wine sort of opened up my palate. I don't drink anything else, just wine. I'm kind of a boring old man. I'm all about the reds."

Another "Housewives" cast member, Dana Delaney, also mentioned wine when I asked her how she manages to look so young and beautiful: "Wine and Yoga," she said. "I love wine."

Dana, whose delicious character of Katherine has really breathed new life into the series, is doing her best to weather the work stoppage that has her maiden season on the show short: "I've been acting for so long now that I'm used to being out of work. I'm willing to wait as long as it takes for the writers to settle."

The lovely Sara Ramirez, best known as Callie on "Grey's Anatomy" but also a Tony Award winner for "Spamalot," has been reflective during her time away from the show.

"It's been hard. Obviously this sort of situation is affecting a lot of people, a lot of people who are not working and are desperate for work," Sara said. "It's a time where you really kind of reflect and ask, 'What else do I do with my life that makes me happy? What else fulfills me? And what fulfills me is living in New York. I really love New York, I love the people, I love the culture, I love the city itself. So, I've been there going to see theater, working on my music and hanging out with friends, walking around and just taking it all in."

Her castmate, James Pickens Jr., has found issues closer to home to deal with: "The wife has a long 'Honey do list' she's been trying to get me to work on but I'm not having much success with it. (laughs). We just moved into a new home so we've got contractors and stuff and I'm trying to keep an eye on them and I'm a horse owner so I'm trying to get my horse out. But I don't know anyone who isn't itching to get back. This is what we do, we work and we want to be back to work."

The strike has been doubly jarring for John Slattery who was juggling roles on both "Mad Men" and "Desperate Housewives." He was apparently killed off of "Housewives" but the Golden Globe-winning "Mad Men" is just getting started.

So, he waits.

"I had my knee fixed last week and I went to the dermatologist," John said. "Actually, I've been hanging out with my wife and son and home and it's been a nice break but I'd really like to go back to work - sooner than the three months it's going to take for them to write enough episodes for us to be able to shoot. I hope the whole thing works out soon."

Writer Corey Scholibo shares that Kathy Griffin had to reschedule their interview because but had personally called me to cancel:

It seems Liza Minnelli was performing for just one night before her own gig at a casino in Richmond, Canada, and Liza had requested to meet her. And meet her she did.

"I knocked on her hotel room door. She opens it up. The room’s pitch black,” Griffin tells me now. “She’s chain-smoking in bed. I get in the bed with her like Michael Jackson, and we watch The Asphalt Jungle. There was a guy who had been at the restaurant the night before—he’s one of these guys who seemed completely gay to me but had the hot girlfriend. I said to Liza, ‘Did you get a gay vibe from that guy, or is it me?’ She goes, ‘How would I know? Look who I married.’”

I never had a GI Joe as a kid. I'm not sure what that means.

Anyway, hottie Channing Tatum has joined the cast of G.I. Joe: The Movie, according to AICN. He will play Duke, a field commander and second-in-command of the G.I. Joe Team after Hawk. Channing is a former model who has steadily been building up an impressive acting resume with roles in "Step Up," "Coach Carter," and "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" The film is scheduled for a summer 2009 release with filming set to begin next month.

I was glad to see Maria Sharapova win the Australian Open singles title over the weekend. She is a worthy champion who, at the age of 20, has already won three of tennis' grand slam tournaments with wins in 2004 at Wimbledon and 2006 at the US Open.

But what I am even more happy about is that she seems to be a thoughtful champion as well which she displayed during her post-match speech in Melbourne when she told the crowd that a text message from the great Billie Jean King that morning had been inspirational. It read: "Champions take their chances and pressure is a privilege."

Sharapova said she carried Billie Jean's theme onto the court against Serbia's Ana Ivanovic. .
"I had those great words in my mind during the match," Maria said.

"She's always a person who texts me if I have a tough moment or a great win."

Billie Jean won the Australian Open way back in 1968 - one of 12 grand slam singles titles which also included six Wimbledons, four U.S. Opens and a French Open crown. She first met Maria at a juniors tournament when the Russian was 13.

"From that point on, she's just always been really supportive," Sharapova said. "She's always one of the first people to text me when either I'm having a tough moment or a great win."

...I opened up my new issue of Vanity Fair on Saturday and there was THIS staring at me. Just lovely...

The often shirtless Novak Djokovic got into some street clothes to do a photo call in Melbourne following his breakthrough win at the Australian Open. He is number three with a bullet. I've been a tennis follower for decades and what I know is this: when a young player of 20 comes in and knocks out the reigning champion (Roger Federer), there are many big titles ahead for him. I think he will add the US Open or Wimbledon title to his collection before the year is out,...

Basically spent the weekend in a tuxedo.

But I left my umbrella on the red carpet at the Palm Springs Film Festival a few weeks ago and hadn't replaced it. I was pretty much getting away with it until this weekend when I attended the Director's Guild of America Awards on Saturday and the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday. More on my umbrella-less adventures later.

I invited my fun friend Jim Key to the DGAs which he had never attended before, We had a great time at the arrivals line as I chatted up celebs like Hal Holbrook and Debra Messing and Amy Ryan. Then we sat down to dinner which was some really good fliet mignon! Then the ceremony: it was star-studded and had some wonderful moments but ultimately, dragged on too long with some of the special award recipients - while deserving - should have been advised to speak from the heart instead of reading multi-page speeches that brought the proceedings to a halt. They really sucked the life out of an audience waiting to see who would win the damned main prize and had me ready to slit my wrists since I was way past deadline!

Once it was over, Jim and I hung out in the lobby just to people watch a little and started chatting up Matthew St. Patrick who played Keith on "Six Feet Under." He has been quite busy since the series ended with the short-lived series "Reunion" and several films roles, including two coming out this year.

We headed out after a bit and when we got to the ground floor of the Century Plaza Hotel, we saw that it was pouring rain. Neither of us had an umbrella (it was not raining when we arrived) and we both had on rather nice tuxedos that we were not keen on getting wet. We had self-parked in order to avoid the massive wait at the valet line but the problem was, to get to the parking garage, you have to go ariund the hotel and cross a bridge. I remembered that the hotel had a restaurant on the ground floor and thought if it had a backdoor, it might cut down on our journey.

Bingo! There was a backdoor leading straight to the middle of the bridge. We put our programs over our heads and dashed across. Still got pretty soaked but it woulda been much worse had we taken the long way! That's Jim and I (below) at the dinner before we ventured into the rain...

My tux dried in time for me to put it on for the SAG Awards on Sunday but when I got ready to leave at around noon, i looked out the window and it was pouring rain. I had to get an umbrella. On the way to the Shrine Auditorium, I stopped by a Rite Aid. Sold out. Next, a Walgreens. Sold out.

Screw it, I'm just gonna hope for the best. And I got lucky. Got to the Shrine and there was a temporary reprieve so got to the auditorium from the parking structure nice and dry. But once I took my position on the red carpet, I discovered that I was standing under a nice, big DRIP coming through the plastic covering they had erected to keep the celebs nice and dry. Sure, keep them dry but put me under a leaky faucet.
My co-worker Sandra Bererra was next to me doing the fashion interviews and offered up her umbrella but I woulda felt silly. So, there I stood, for two hours, constantly harassed by this persistant...DRIP!

Once the show started, we dashed inside just ahead of Ryan Gosling and set up our laptops in the press room where the winners come after they are finished with all the tv interviews etc. We had the cast of "the Sopranos" come back but it was loud and confusing and I just tuned them out. But the cast from "The Office" were a riot! They were all individually funny and I gotta say, I don't watch the show but their backstage humor made me want to spend more time with these people.

A lot of the main acting winner blew us off but Daniel Day-Lewis and Julie Christie came on back so that was cool. After it wrapped up, Sandra offered to walk with me to the garage since she had an umbrella. She was being helpful and went to unplug my laptop and accidentally unplugged the computer of a radiop reporter! He cursed and huffed and was so steamed. Sandra was mortified but for some reason, the whole episode gave me the church giggles. He was muttering and I was ready to burst.

We got out of the building and...no rain!

Still, I gotta get myself an umbrella...

I'm backstage right now and Julie Christie - a winner tonight best actress in a movie ("Away From Her") has just left. What a fantastic-looking woman.

We were expecting Ruby Dee (above) who won for supporting actress but some girl just got on the mic and said: "No one else is coming back, please exit out the Jefferson gate...and, it's raining outside."

What a bad news bear.

Anyway, Daniel Day-Lewis was back here earlier and he was so moving in talking about Heath Ledger who he dedicated his best actor award to. This is what he said during his acceptance speech: "It's always been the work of other actors, and there are many actors in this room tonight, including my fellow nominees who have given that sense of regeneration and... Heath Ledger gave it to me. [applause] In "Monster's Ball," that character that he created, it seemed to be almost like an unformed being, retreating from themselves, retreating from his father, from his life, even retreating from us, and yet we wanted to follow him, and yet we're scared to follow him almost. It was unique. And then, of course, in "Brokeback Mountain," he was unique, he was perfect. [applause] And that scene in the trailer at the end of the film is as moving as anything that I think I've ever seen. And I'd like to dedicate this to Heath Ledger. So, thank you very much. Thank you so much."

Here is video of the speech:

It was a beautiful tribute and so from the heart. Backstage, Daniel said that even though he had never met Heath, he had been thinking of little else since the young actor's death on Tuesday at the age of 28: "I thought he was beautiful. I just had a very strong feeling I would have liked him very much as a man," he said. "I admired him very much. I'm absolutely certain he would have done many wonderful things in his life. We should leave him alone and we should leave his family alone to suffer their unimaginable grief in private, and it's not going to happen," Day-Lewis said backstage. "We should just stop encouraging people to have greater and greater interest in raking over every detail, which is none of our business anyhow."

Sorry, I didn't get to talk to Brad and Angelina but I did see them walk by. I saw a lot of movie stars walk by, or blow by I should say. Once they do the television interviews, we print and online reporters sometimes don't get to gab with the likes of Cate Blanchett or Josh Brolin or Daniel Day-Lewis or even Zac Efron. But we get to see them wave and seeming to say under their breath: "Sorry suckers!"

But I'll tell ya, just seeing the great Ruby Dee walk by is better than talking to just about anyone and how great that once she got inside, she won the best supporting actress prize for "American Gangster." Will an Oscar follow?

Anyway, it was tough to tell whether the red carpet at the Shrine Auditorium was the site of the arrivals for the Screen Actors Guild Awards or the site of a giant family reunion - make that a reunion under a plastic tent to keep the rain out.

The ongoing writers strike meant that many of the actors who star in such shows as "Desperate Housewives," "Ugly Betty," "Mad Men" "Grey's Anatomy" and "The Office" had not seen each other since production shut down in December, or in some cases even earlier.

"It's exciting to be here and see all of our teammates," said Nicollette Sheridan of "Housewives." "It's nice to see a higher morale because the strike has been devastating for so many."

A nominee for "Samantha Who?," Christina Applegate started our chat by coughing. She was fighting a cold but being a showbiz trouper, she was there on the red carpet looking like a million bucks.

She lamented on how the strike put a halt to what is a hot new show.

"It's been a great ride and it's been hard to kind of just stop," she said. "It's like a just treadmill turning off when you're on like, nine. It's caused some damage, to everyone I think creatively but we had to support our writers, I agree with them. But it's time to get back to work because a lot of us are going looney."

Even though Tina Fey ended up winning the award for comedy actress, Christina said she was thrilled to be attending her first SAG award show as a nominee: "You don't do your work for that but when it does happen, it's so nice. I'm always surprised and I'm always so humbled and so grateful. It's huge to me to be recognized by my peers."

John Slattery was one of the few double nominees on the red carpet with the casts of both "Mad Men" and "Desperate Housewives" up for ensemble awards. But he would be sitting with the "Mad Men" gang.
"This is the first time I've been here and it's a zoo!" he told me. "It's a little overwhelming but it's good, it's fun."

What about being so in demand these days?
"It's good to be working, I've been lucky," he said. "I wish the strike would work itself out so we can all really get back to work. "

It was really fun to meet John Krazinski of "The Office" whose cast won the SAG award for best ensemble in a comedy series for the second consecutive year. Prior to the show, John wasn't too confident of another win.

"It's really hard," he said. "Not to sound political but all the shows this year, they're fantastic and I watch all of them. But this is probably one of the most fun shows to be a part of."

John is making a nice career for himself in the movies too with a starring role in the comedy "License to Wed" and will next appear opposite George Clooney in "Leatherheads."
"This guy George Clooney, he's gonna be a big star," John joked. "Mark my words."

It was so great to see the classy Hal Holbrook and his wife, Dixie Carter.
I asked Dixie how it feels to have her husband of nearly 25 years nominated for both the SAG award and an Oscar for his performance in "Into the Wild."
"I am dizziy with delight," said Dixie, best known as Julia Sugarbaker on "Designing Women." "It's dreamy and unforeseen and glorious turn of events as you can imagine. So I'm smiling all the time."

...Alan Cumming! The out and proud actor-director and star of stage and screen turns 41 today. I can't believe this is the same dude who I thought was oh-so creepy in "Circle of Friends." He is so adorable! I just found this little interview he did recently that I thought was a hoot!

Here it is:

"I'd love to ask certain questions to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama," Cumming said at the launch of the Italian Commission's Made in Italy ad campaign at the Hearst tower. "I'd like to know where they stand on equal rights for gay people. I'd also like to interview George Bush, just to watch him squirm." But what about the people who really matter?, we pressed. Which celebrities would he like to interview? "I'd like to find out who all those blonde girls are — there's a whole lot of them who look the same, the ones from The Hills, and that Hayden, um, Pan-i-tare? She's everywhere," he said. "And who's that one, that Kim Ka-shi-shen?" Kardashian? We said. The one who made a sex tape with Brandy's brother and now has a TV show? "Yes! My friend told me she's a skanky whore, and I'm like, 'Wow, she's a lot more interesting than I thought she was.'" Like any ambitious reporter, Cumming would like to land the big story. "I'd love to interview Britney," he said wistfully. Then he changed his mind. "But I'd rather her do it with one of those E! TV people, or Oprah."

I gotta get ready for the SAG Awards in a bit but wanted to share some of my red carpet interviews from last night's Director's Guild of America Awards. I had such great chats with Lorainne Bracco, Debra Messing and Kristen Chenoweth that I'm going to save those for columns later this week. But here are some of the others...

Amy Ryan, Oscar nominated for her performance in "Gone Baby Gone," was one of the presenters and I asked her how she was coping with the awards season hoopla. She has already won many critics prizes and will compete for the SAG Award tonight: "I'm hanging in there, a lot of Airborne, a lot of vitamins. I'm really enjoying it. It was surreal in the beginning but I'm more in the moment now. The nice thing is, you get used to it out there from show to show. It's a great party to be at."
So, how badly does she want to win that Oscar?
"I thought about it in the beginning and then it just dawned on me that it doesn't really matter because everyone's winner. If you don't win, look at the company you're with who also didn't win. That's really good company to be in. It's not like you get demoted back to the end of the line. You get to stay arms-length with four amazing actresses and I'd be proud to be there."

****************************************************

It was fun to talk to first-time DGA nominee Tony Gilroy who was nominated for his feature fiolm directorial debut "Michael Clayton." He also wrote the script and is a double Oscar nominee. We spoke on Oscar morning nominations morning earlier in the week and I wondered if it had sunk in yet.
"Maybe it will around Memorial Day," he said.
And he isn't sweating over whether he will win: "You know what? I would have quit in October and it would have felt like I'd already won. I have the great luxury of not expecting very much going forward - honestly not expecting very much. There's no huge expectation. I don't have that burden."
He is getting used to the awards show scene now: "We started in Venice and that was sort of like stepping into a hurricane and I'm getting a little bit better at it. I've watched George [Clooney] do this and I've seen what a real pro looks like."

*****************************************

My favorite interview of the night came when chatting up the great Hal Holbrook (pictured presenting with Emile Hirsch), Oscar nominated for "Into the Wild." We had done a telephone interview last month and he told me he had read my column on him and that he was greatly moved by it. He had meant to write a note. Who needs a note? To have him say that meant the world.

Hal has won four Emmys and a Tony Award during his long and distinguished career. To get his first Oscar nod at the age of 82 have been icing in the cake: "Well, you know there isn't any award in the whole embrace of show business that could top the Academy Award. Just getting a nomination is such a wonderful, wonderful reward - especially after you've been at this job for 65 years."

I found it shocking that Holbrook's director, Sean Penn, and co-star Emile Hirsch were not nominated for Oscars. So was Hal: "That is, that is, that is, that is unbelievable that Sean did not get nominated or the picture. And Emile! Anybody who thinks the role that Emile Hirsch had was a simple easy one, doesn't understand acting. That young man had to go through more dimensions in that role than most people ever have and they were subtle dimensions."

*************************************************

I wrote earlier about a heckler during Julian Schnabel's acceptance speech. I just read in USAToday.com that the heckler was none other than Sean Young! That girl will do anything to get back into the headlines. But this not the kind of publicity that is good publcity. Here is the report: Apparently Sean Young had endured one acceptance speech too many.

At Saturday's DGA Awards, where each of the five nominated feature film directors gets to make a speech before the winner is announced, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" director Julian Schnabel was the last to deliver his words. Shortly after he took the podium, Young, seated near the stage, cut him off by shouting out, "Oh come on -- get to it!"

A shocked Schnabel searched the crowd to ask who was scolding him. When the actress repeated "get to it!" Schnabel quickly wrapped up his speech, instructing Young to finish it. But upon the audience's insistence, Schnabel finished, and Young, stumbling in her white fur coat, was escorted out of the ballroom by two security guards, and at one point fell to the floor.

Oh my.

...Well, you would be too if you had just won the Australian Open!!! Novak Djokovic is the men's singles champ! At the age of 20, the Serbian cutie proved that he is the real deal and ready to contend for all of his sport's top prizes. It should make for a fascinating year in men's tennis as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will be awfully pumped up to win the year's other three big titles: the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open as well as the Olympics.

Novak is such a breath of fresh air with his energy and passion and charm. He's great for the game and, of course, easy on the eyes!

The Directors Guild of America Awards ceremony ended about 90 minutes ago with Joel Coen and Ethan Coen winning the feature film directing award for "No Country for Old Men." They were presented the award by last year's winner, Martin Scorsese, who brought a glass of champagne with him to the podium and toasted all the nominees before announcing the winner,

It was a star-studded affair at the Century Plaza Hotel with presenters that included 2008 Oscar nominees Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Hal Holbrook, Amy Ryan, Daniel-Day Lewis, Marion Cotillard and Ellen Page as well as Josh Brolin, Vanessa Williams, Emile Hirsch, Debra Messing, Chi McBride, Kristin Chenoweth, Anna Paquin, John Larroquette and Helen Hunt.

The evening was hosted, for the 21st consecutive year, by Carl Reiner who walked out onto the stage and confessed to the audience: "I woke up at 4 o'clock this morning feeling so [expletive]."
He wondered if he should maybe find a replacement but decided to keep the gig after "I went through a list of all the people in the business who might've done as I and I couldn't come up with one!"

Reiner, in his mid-80s, was sharp and spontanious throughout. At one point he spotted Day-Lewis sitting in the audience and said: "He [is] so (expletive] gifted. There are other actors walking around without the gift because he got most of it.'

Day-Lewis was funny and touching while presenting a silver plate nomination medallion to his "There Will Be Blood" director Paul Michael Anderson: "If you have to go stark raving mad in the desert. I'd rather do it with Paul Michael Anderson than just about anyone I can think of. ...Paul handed everything to me on a silver plate and for yiu Paul, here's a silver plate piled high with admiration and pride."

Josh Brolin was very, very funny when presenting the Coens with their nomination medallion as he alternated between praising them and roasting them: "I had the pleasure of working with these socially challenged individuals for three months. If truth be told, I had a lot of fun and I learned a lot." When Brolin left the stage with the Coens, Reiner remarked:"That is the most [expletive] charming man I've ever seen" and remarked that directors in the audience should take notice.
They already have: Aming Brolin's recent roles in addition to "Country" are "American Gangster" and "Grindhouse."

Tony Gilroy accepted his nomination medallion for "Michael Clayton"), his first film as a director and said: "Wow. What a trip. To be honored by your peers. All I was trying to do when we started this was to become a peer...I'm going to thank the people who are here and lie to everybody else. We can all tell George Clooney that it was all about him."

With Sean Penn not present at the awards ceremony, it was up to Hal Holbrook and Emile Hirsch - two of the stars of Penn's "Into the Wild" - to both present and accept Penn's nomination medallion. Holbrook got a big hand when he said of Penn: "He's been called a rebel - that's good. Rebels are who got this country started."
Holbrook also said: "He has instinct and he's willing to trust it. When you're under Sean's direction, you get the feeling he trusts you."
When it came time for Hirsch to speak, he got a boig laugh when he looked at the audience and said: "I kind of feel like I'm on this massive job interview right now." Hirsch said Penn was "challenging at a time when for me that that's what I was looking for. I don't think anyone else could have physically made this movie. He was always climbing mountains."

The evening's most awkward moment came when Julian Schnabel was accepting his nomination medallion and a woman heckled him. He stopped cold and asked, "Who just said that to me?...Why don't YOU finish my speech darling?'"

It's a working weekend for me. But hey, it's a living. This morning was the DGA Awards nominees breakfast and I wrote a column for the paper so I'm sharing it here first. I'm now going to slip into my tuxedo and head over to the DGA Awards gala. Then tomorrow, it's the Screen Actors Guild Awards! I'll be posting from the SAG and try and post about tonight's DGAs tomorrow morning...
Sean Penn sent his regrets.
Maybe it doesn't sound very glamorous, but the annual Directors Guild Awards nominee breakfast panel is one of the hottest tickets of award season and the nominated directors never miss it - even if they are far, far away.
Roman Polanski participated via live satelite from France when nominated for "The Piano," Peter Jackson joined in from New Zealand when he was stuck there editing one of the "Lord of the Rings" films, and last year, Stephen Frears ("The Queen") took part in the proceedings from London.
So the disappointment was palpable Saturday morning when the capacity crowd inside the DGA theatre in West Hollywood was told that Penn, DGA nominated for "Into the Wild" but passed over by the Academy for a best director nod, would not be participating in the event and was unlikely to attend the gala dinner later than night. The official reason: pre-production on the Gus Van Sant film that casts Penn as slain San Francisco politician Harvey Milk.
But there were still five nominated directors on hand since brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen were both nominated for directing "No Country for Old Men." They were joined by Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood"), Tony Gilroy ("Michael Calyton") and Julian Schnabel ("The Diving Bell and the Butterfly").
You couldn't help but wonder how much different things would have gone had Penn been present though. For one thing, would smoking be allowed? Anderson paused at one point to ask if he would be allowed to have a cigarette. When he was told no, he cracked: "If Sean was here, he'd be smoking and nobody would say anything about it."
Anyway, here are some of the highlights from the event which is always held on the morning of the DGA Awards gala (To see who won the DGA Award, go to DailyNews.com).

SILENCE IS GOLDEN: Anderson was asked why there was no dialogue in the first 15 minutes of blood: "I just couldn't think of anything for them to say."

CATCHING A BREAK: Daniel-Day Lewis cracked a few ribs when filming a scene where he falls down a 50-foot mineshaft. Anderson said he thought it best to just keep the camera rolling on the scene since the actor "just had to moan and wail and act hurt."

ETHAN COEN ON JAVIER BARDEM: "Most of the time, we had conversations that Joel and I didn't know what he was talking about but they seemed to satsify him....He'd be upset because of what he thought we were saying but we didn't know what we were saying."

EXTRA CREDIT: Ethan Coen was surprised at the attitudes some of the extras in "Blood" copped when shooting moved from Texas to California: "For three months in Texas, we had great extras...Then for two weeks in LA, all the extras here are so jaded. They're just so horrible and angry."

CLOONEY STAR POWER: Gilroy said having George Clooney as your leading man does have its advantages if there were production problems: "If George would come out of the trailer and take a picture (with a police captain), we could change the traffic power of La Guardia."

POLLACK'S INDECISION: Gilroy was desperate to get director-actor Sidney Pollack for the role of Clooney's boss in "Clayton" but it was no walk in the park: "Sidney kept dropping out on me. There was no one else on my list. I wanted someone with age and authority...who had to dominate George. He was in, he was out, he was in and when he was out, it was a nightmare."

NOT OVER YET: Schnabel, who was the comic relief on the panel, talked about the last frame of "Butterfly" and shared that some people think the movie is already over by then: "When people see my movie and they get up to thank me before that last scene, it pisses me off!"

For more DGA coverage, go to blogs.dailynews.com/hollywoodjoe

It's a milestone birthday to one of the true gay icons. We love Ellen for so many reasons. She makes us laugh, she dances through life, she 's out and proud and really paved the way for a lot of other celebs to come out.

On Friday's episode of her daytime show, some of the entertainment world’s biggest names did a karaoke turn for our Ellen in a pre-recorded segment. Victoria Beckham, Jake Gyllenhaal and Celine Dion belted out a version of Gloria Gaynor’s seventies disco classic, ‘I Will Survive’. Supermodel Heidi Klum, Jamie Foxx and Paris Hilton also shook their stuff for the singing tribute. Earlier in the show, producers played ‘Happy Birthday’ voicemail messages left by celebrities for Ellen - including Annie Lennox, the Spice Girls and Tom Cruise, who left two messages. But the highlight seemed to be an on-air call from Justin Timberlake.

Cheers to Ellen!!!

Retired Australian tennis player and major hottie Patrick Rafter was honored at the unveiling of a bust of himself during a ceremony on The Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open on Friday. I LOVE that tthey created it with his trademark pony tail which he nmay have snipped off since, but will always be remembered.

I confess, I have not even had time to watch the Luke and Noah scenes from Friday's episode of "As the World Turns" but I did want to post them for ya anyway...enjoy!

That's Chace Crawford of "Gossip Girl" who was selected at Cosmogirl.com's Eye Candy of the day...I think he should be Out In Hollywood's Eye Candy of the day too!

Happy Friday all!

What is this smut? It's a scene from the season premiere of "Real World/Road Rules Challenge" on MTV. I have not watched these shows in YEARS but, hmmmmmmmmmm, maybe I will start sampling again. The content seems to have improved...

I ask you, what the heck was I doing last night watching "Ugly Betty" when there was shirtless men at the LA premiere of "Meet the Spartans"? Carmen Electra is flanked by some hotties here (lucky bitch) but I don't think they are actually in the flick which, of course, was not screened for critics. The clip below is pretty funny and as long as those aren't ALL the funny moments in the movie, it could be good for a giggle or two. It opened today:

The family of Heath Ledger has written of their memories and grief in the Australian West newspaper and I wanted to share their thoughts with you...
Heath’s mom, Sally: “Our darling boy, special in so many ways to all of us. You knew you were so loved. You lived life with courage and daring and we are so grateful for the wonderful times we shared. We will be there for Matilda.”

Heath’s older sister, Kate: “I can hardly breathe when I try to write this. We were the ultimate in soul mates. I feel both my heart and life have been torn apart. I loved our special talks, our daily chats from where ever you were in the world. I especially loved all the precious time we spent together. We were so fortunate to have you as long as we did. You were so many things to so many people, but to me you were just my little brother. There will never, ever be another “Heath” and I think that in itself is the greatest tragedy. I will continue to talk with you everyday and love you just as if you were here. You will never leave my thoughts ‘Roast’, ever.” (Roast was her nickname for him)

Heath’s father, Kim: “My beautiful boy, so loving, so talented, so independent, so caring, so young . . . no more chess games mate . . . this is it, couldn’t beat you anyway! My body aches for the sound of your voice, our chats, our laughs and our life and times together. Your truly varied artistic skills, insatiable desire to improve and eclectic abilities set you apart from any other person on the planet . . . it had only just started for you … and for us to further enjoy. We were one, in soul and commitment. Just . . . Father and Son. I will love you forever, Dad.”

Heath’s entire family: “How do we describe our sudden and tragic loss? … You were the most amazing individual “old soul” in a young man’s body. You so loved us, as we dearly loved you. As a close knit and very private family unit we have observed you so determined yet quietly travelling in your self-styled path in life, nothing would get in your way … no mountain too tall, no river too wide. You dreamed your dreams and lived them with passion and intelligent commitment. We have been privileged to accompany you on a ride through life that has simply been amazing and through it all, we have loved each other beyond imagination. Your true legacy lives on in beautiful little Matilda, who will always remain in the greatest of care. Our hearts are broken.”

I see it happening and wonder if I am contributing to it - the oversaturation of media coverage of Heath Ledger's death. From my perspective, I've tried to keep it tasteful and felt compelled to report on the hate-speak from come of the extreme right-wing nut jobs who I'd rather just ignore. It's just so sad.

But I look around and it all turns into this frenzy of paparazzi trying to snap a grieving Michelle Williams as she tries to get out of the damned car into her own house...of this Mary-Kate Olsen connection (She told ET that they were just friends) and on and on...of speculation about drugs, depression etc.

Really, we know nothing and until we do, I will keep my coverage limited to tributes to his work, updates about his completed films and in-proigress film, family statements and possibly comments from other actors who actually knew him (It was so tacky the way folks like Charlize Theron were given the news on a red carpet at Sundance and asked to react - on camera).

Anderson Cooper said on his show last night: “For the last two nights we have reported on actor Heath Ledger. His shocking death is clearly a story a lot of people are interested in, but tonight we will not be reporting more on it. The truth is there is not really anything new to report. The full results of the various tests done on Mr. Ledger will not be ready for perhaps a few weeks and there is very little new information. I have no doubt other networks will spend a lot of time tonight discussing his death and the various rumors about what might have caused it, but I am not a fan of speculation, so unless there is something really new to discuss we probably won’t be covering it anymore anytime soon.”

Star Jones writes In today's Huffington Post: “Might I suggest that we in the media, instead of reporting on the dead based on gossip, rumor, innuendo and anonymous sources, choose to honor this man’s memory based on his talent and the good taste we all should be exercising. My heart goes out to the family of Heath Ledger.”

How nice it is to see Keifer Sutherland out and about again. He had dinner with his dad, Donald Sutherland ("Dirty Sexy Momey"), in Santa Monica last night. I haven't done too much research and I know he had priors but still, how is it that he got 48 days in the slammer when Nicole Richie (wrong way freeway driver), Lindsay Lohan (giving chase to another car), and Gary Collins (wrecked cars, someone died) spent only hours in jail.

Screwy if ya ask me.

...sigh...

Roger Federer has reached the finals of 14 grand slam tournaments in his career (winning 12) and yet I don't recall him peeling his shirt off after any of them. The adorable Novak Djokovic did just that earlier today after he beat top-ranked Federer in the semifinals of the Australian Open in straight sets.

My pal Henry and I love Federer and always want him to win but there is something so appealing about this 20-year-old Serbian who is so talented on the court and charming off of it. He's so good for the sport. He lost his first slam final last September to Federer at the US Open so you sensed there might be some revenge since Roger has not been at his best in Australia.

Still, Roger had reached 10 straight Grand Slam finals, and won 19 matches in a row at Melbourne Park. So his 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (5) loss is a big deal. It means that for the first time in THREE YEARS, someone other than Federer and second-ranked Rafael Nadal will win one of tennis' big tournaments. "I've created a monster that I need to win every tournament," Federer said after the match. "Still, the semifinals isn't bad."

Djokovic was emotional post-win: "I am just very amazed I coped with the pressure today," the 20-year-old said. "In the most important moments, I played my best tennis. It's just amazing, indescribable, to beat the No. 1 player of the world, one of the best players this sport has ever had, in straight sets."
Djokovic will face unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Nadal in the other semifinal, in the final Sunday.

Frankly,. if they have Daniel Craig emerging from the ocean again in a skimpy swimsuit, I don't care what the damned movie is called.

The name is...(drumroll, pu-leeze)... “Quantum of Solace.”

Craig returns as Agent 007 for a second time and “Quantum” picks up where 2006’s “Casino Royale” left off. The title had been a closely-guarded secret for some time. I hate to be difficult but ya know something, the title doesn’t really send me. It’s not provocative as “Octopussy,” “Dr. No” and “Goldfinger” or as fun as “From Russia With Love” and “Diamonds Are Forever.”

Maybe It’ll grow on me.

Daniel Craig? He had me at hello.

I take this with a major grain of salt. He looks like he is saying these words with a gun to his head because he does not want to get fired. John Gibson already showed his true colors. I had never heard of before and I hope to never hear of him again.

Anyway, here is his apology, made today:

During Johnny Carson's final months as host of "The Tonight Show" in 1992, I videotaped a lot of the shows because he had all kinds of fantastic guests who wanted one last visit with the best late night host - ever. Elizabeth Taylor, who was just about to turn 60, made her first and only appearance on the program. My VHS tape desinigrated long ago so I had not seen this in years. I am reminded of how funny Dame Elizabeth was with Carson. She looks sensational - it was a few years before that her hip problems came to a head which she never seemed to recover from...Also in the second clip is a "Basic Instinct" era Michael Douglas. What. A. Hottie.

John Travolta seems to be taking the death of Heath Ledger hard and has been quite candid about it. He gave an interview with Woman's Day magazine during which he called Ledger a friend and "my favorite actor and my favorite talent."
"I did know Heath and I adored him," he said. "I am pretty devastated over this. ... It's like losing James Dean. I would give back all my awards and all my nominations just to have him back — I think he is a real loss as a person and as a talent. And this whole evening is very hard for me. We are celebrating Australia week in the USA — and it's killing me. You know that he's both of us. He's Australian and from the United States, and he means a whole lot. It's bad situation."

How they met: "I wanted to meet him because I was very impressed with him from the very beginning. His agent introduced me to him at a party, and I just fell — I used every accolade. Actors need other actors to be inspired by, and he was "my" actor."

Ledger's reaction to him:"I forget that anyone younger than me grew up with me. He was beautiful in his reaction. I was an idol of his — my reacting that way to his work really blew him away, but he was very modest and almost bashful about the compliment — and didn't want to make a big deal about himself. But he was a big deal."

On Ledger's "Brokeback Mountain" performance: "I don't think anyone will ever beat that performance, I don't know if it's possible."

I'll say...

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation slammed Fox News Radio host John Gibson for the anti-gay comments he made about Heath Ledger following his death. (I'm sorry, I just can't bring myself to post a photo of this cretin).

Rashad Robinson, GLAAD’s Senior Director of Media Programs, stated: “Gibson’s remarks are vulgar and disgusting. It’s sickening that Gibson would exploit Heath Ledger’s tragic death to promote such hurtful intolerance. And to do so at a time when family and friends are grieving shows a level of insensitivity that is beyond the pale.”

Gibson, who I believe should absolutely should be fired, cruelly mocked Ledger’s death and his role in "Brokeback Mountain" during his Jan. 22 radio broadcast. During the show, he played an audio clip from the film of Jake Gyllenhaal’s character, Jack, telling Ennis (played by Ledger), "I wish I knew how to quit you." Gibson then quipped, "Well, he found out how to quit you." Then, after playing another audio clip from the movie of Ledger’s character saying, "We're dead," Gibson mockingly said, "We’re dead" and played the clip again.

I ask you, what kind of sick bastard is this guy?

He also called the actor a "weirdo" with "a serious drug problem," and callously speculated on the reasons Ledger might have committed suicide. Gibson had previously mocked "Brokeback Mountain"--calling it a "gay agenda movie" on his Fox News TV program in 2006.

Gay agenda? It's just called life, pal, Get over it.

Keith Olberman of MSNBC also slams Gibson calling him "the worst person in the world" and observing that his "joke" are "like the kind the mentally ill tell, like the kind serial killers tell."
Take a look:

The loss of Heath Ledger is still so tough to absorb. I think a lot of people are wondering why it has struck such a deep place in them. It still seems unbelievable not matter how many newspapers or magazines you read or how many TV shows you see. Good God., last night, it seemed that "The Insider" had literally changed it's name to something like "The Death of Heath Ledger." Most of the time, those shows are harmless fun but sheesh, give them the death of a young celebrity, and they will go wall-to-wall for weeks - sometimes months as was the case with Anna Nicole Smith.

Anyway, I guess I'm part of it in a way as I am writing a lot about Heath right now but I am trying to do so with respect and restraint. What has been so disgusting is the hateful anti-gay speech some so-called "Christians" have directed at the actor because he starred in "Brokeback Mountain." The vile Fred Phelps has threatened to picket the funeral and Fox commentator John Gibson has said some unforgiveable things. I didn't post about them yesterday because I felt too angry, too disgusted. These people cannot claim to be human beings.

What I was heartened about some is that MSNBC's Dan Abrams spoke out about it in the video posted below calling them "nuts on the fringe right" saying in part: "This is insanity. Yes I thought it was going to happen to some degree. But the notion that there are going to be some people there picketing at his funeral. I mean this is disgusting beyond what I even expected, and I think it's going to continue to some degree..."

"The Today Show" had a good five-minute update with the latest news and an interview with Dave Karger of "Entertainment Weekly" who described Ledger as a dedicated actor but a reluctant star. When they had a two-hour interview in a bar to promote "A Knight;s Tale," Karger said of Ledger: "I've never seen anyone with such an amount of nervous energy...He was always uncomfortable in the spotlight."

Here is the piece:

...and I for one think that is a very good thing. Everyone should rip off their shirt after a match, win or lose, and see if TV ratings and attendance to matches goes up! I'm tellin' ya, beefcake sells. Tsonga, ranked 38th in the world heading into the Australian Open, just blew Spaniard Rafael Nadal off the court in their semifinal match.

"It's unbelievable, just amazing," the Frenchman said in an interview with former Aussie champ Jim Courier (right). "Nothing can stop me today. It's like a dream. I can't believe it's true. I was moving on the court like never I move. Everything was perfect."
Nadal (pictured below at the end of the match) was heavily-favored to reach his first Australian Open final. Instead, he's out and remains ranked number two longer than anyone else in the history of men's tennis - behind top-ranked Roger Federer, of course. Federer will play third-ranked Novak Djokovic on Friday which should be a tougn match. My friend Henry and I are at the edge of our seats in our respective continents!

Heath Ledger's "Brokeback Mountain" co-star Jake Gyllenhaal has not been heard of since Heaht's death and TMZ.com, of course, has the scoop on why:

Here is the item: "Jake Gyllenhaal has yet to be seen or heard from since the death of his close friend, Heath Ledger -- and people on the set of his new film are working hard to keep it that way. Gyllenhaal is in New Mexico, currently filming his new movie, Brothers. We're told there are no plans to shut down production, but Jake is very upset and doesn't want to talk to the media -- so the set has been closed to non-crew members and extra security has been hired. Jake is the godfather to Heath's daughter, Matilda Rose."

"Brokeback Mountain" director Ang Lee, who won an Oscar for helming the landmark film, fondly reflected Wednesday on working with Heath Ledger, calling the actor's untimely death "heartbreaking."

"Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life," the director said in a statement. "He brought to the role of Ennis [Del Mar] more than any of us could have imagined – a thirst for life, for love, and for truth, and a vulnerability that made everyone who knew him love him. His death is heartbreaking."

Ledger was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for his role as Ennis Del Mar, a taciturn gay cowboy in the 2005 drama. Here's what Lee said to People magazine in 2005 about Heath's performance: "He understood the cowboy way, just in the way he posed, and his body language and how it developed over the course of the film...He understood the shyness and vulnerability and isolation of the character. He really got that. And he did it while carrying the Western aura."

When I sxaw this shirtless pic of Chad Allen on Towleroad.com this morning, I chuckled to myself because the last time I saw Chad - at the premiere of "Dante's Cove" - I asked him if he ever wanted to just say 'Heck with it, I'm gonna do a real beefcake role."

Chad's answer: "Nope." Followed by a big laugh from both of us.

Then I see a shirtless Chad in a production of Douglas Carter Beane’s "The Little Dog Laughed" in Connecticut . It runs from January 25th through March 9th at Theater Works in downtown Hartford. The show also stars Jeremy Jordan (pictured). "The Little Dog Laughed" tells the story of a closeted Hollywood actor and his rent boy. It had a short Broadway run in 2006.

Meanwhile, here! TV announced Wednesday that production has wrapped on two additional installments in the acclaimed Donald Strachey Mysteries series that Chad stars in and both will be ready for release this year. Titled “Ice Blues” and “On the Other Hand, Death”, the movies follow gay detective Donald Strachey (Chad) as he solves crimes in Albany, New York. Sebastian Spence also returns as Strachey’s husband, Tim. Margot Kidder portrays an outspoken member of the lesbian community in “On the Other Hand, Death.”

I.Can't. Wait. The first two movies, "Shock to the System" and "Third Men Out," were terrific and provide a wonderful showcase for Chad who is a wonderful actor.

Alison Arngrim will forever be known to most people as bad girl Nellie Oleson on "Little House on the Prairie."
Now 46, the one-time child star figures if you can't beat the rap, make the most of it. Instead of moaning about how tough it is to transition to adult stardom unless you're Jodie Foster, Arngrim has taken put together an act and taken it on the road.

"I do my stand-up comedy, I do my one-woman show called 'Confessions of a Prairie Bitch' which has become quite successful," she said last week. "The title says it all. show, I do have a facsimile of the wig and we make fun of that and ask,'How do I look now? Do I look the same?' I tell people I had myself laminated in the early 80s."

Even without the wig, the actress hasn't really changed much since those days.

"Unlike a lot of Hollywood, I never had any work done or got a nose job so I just kind of look exactly the same which is a little spooky," she said. "Some days I go out and no one says anything and other days, it's like they put out an APB - I can't go 10 feet without: 'You're Nellie Oleson! what are you doing here?' It's pretty cool."

She has kept busy with her stage act which is popular in France and a lot of other unlikely places: "I'm going to be up with the Vancouver Gay Men's Chorus in February and then I'm doing a prison guard's convention in Las Vegas. I'm sort of all over the map."

She's also kept busy with various television guest appearances and a decades-long dedication to AIDS/HIV activism. I saw her at the recetn Ribbon of Hope Awards where she was part of a dramatic presentation paying tribute to the anniversary of ACTUP. I dunno why, but I thought Alison was there as a lesbian and not as a straight ally. She thought this was funny: "No. I'm married to a guy! I'm sort of a human ally."

But she does have strong ties to the LGBT community and there are deep reasons why.

"A child of the 60s, I was never raised to divide people up into black and white and gay and straight so it was always sort of stunning to me when I grew up and found out that other people really did put people in little boxes and were reallty ugly about it. I've never approved of that. When AIDS hit, my friend Steve Tracy, who played my husband on 'Little House,' died in 1986. I lost a lot of friends. I grew up in Hollywood and it really decimated that entertainment industry and a lot of the people I grew up with. So it was really hard on me and I had to do something so i began volunteering at AIDS project Los Angeles and it really kind of escalated because there really weren't that many people speaking out in 1986. So a lot of people were afraid to talk about AIDS at all and just really didn't want to talk about the issue, for some bizarre reason, were willing to talk about it with someone from 'Little House on the Prairie.' With Nellie Olseon it was OK. So i was able to reach people that other people had trouble reaching. I said, 'Fine, use me, send me. If they won;t listen to you, they'll listen to Nellie. We don't know why but they will."

Arngrin, who appeared in more than 100 episodes of "Little House" between 1974 and 1982, was in the headlines just last month when she made Mr. Blackwell's infamous worst dressed list. This is something else she has a sense of humor about.

"He said I looked like a fashion correspondent for the 1940s Farmers Almanac," she said, laughing. "I kind of had it coming. There was this fabulous event in Tombstone, a 'Little House on the Prairie' cast reunion, and it was a hootenanny which encourage really bad western wear. I did have on a particularly henious outfit involving an orange skirt and a purple top and a cowboy hat., So, yes, I got to be number 10. I was getting calls from every newspaper, every magazine and from friends who were driving down the street and heard it on the radio and nearly totaled the car."

I'm sorry, I don't watch the model reality shows. I love beautiful people but it's not my bag. But this clip from Bravo's "Make Me A Supermodel" that appears in a recap on AfterElton.com today makes me want to check this show out!

Brad Pitt came on to the scene in "Thelma and Louise" with abs that made Geena Davis throw caution to the wind. Those were McConaughey abs and he could have spent movie after movie shirtless and we would have paid good money to see them. But noooooooooooo. Brad wanted to be an ACTOR and made movies like "Fight Club," "Snatch," "12 Monkeys," etc. He was hot again in "Troy" but then deglamed for "Babel."

But Brad will certainly play up the looks and the brawn in this Japanese brand Edwin ad campaign. There's also a video of a commercial, below, but not sure what year it was made!

Ohlala blog has a montage of all the ridiculous near kisses between Luke and Noah on "As the World Turns." It is getting to the point where it is actually distracting from the storyline because we are so damned aware of it now. Anyway, instead of posting a video of near-miss kiss after near-miss kiss, I found one on YouTube that shows their love story unfold. And SHOCK! They actually kiss a few times and the world did not end.

I just laughed out loud in the middle of the newsroom watching this. You GOTTA see it:

I love this picture of Roger Federer who beat James Blake today to make it to the semi-finals of the Australian Open. He will have to beat third-ranked Novak Djokovik next then possibly second-seed Rafael Nadal in the final. No easy task, but I would not bet against the Federer express. Look at that concentration!!!

The cause of Heath Ledger's heart-breaking death is still not known but it seems clear that he did not try and kill himself, according to several news reports.

The medical examiner's office said Wednesday that an autopsy was inconclusive, and more tests are needed which includes toxicology and tissue testing. They expect to have results in about 10 days to two weeks.

Ledger was found by his housekeeper, who was trying to let him know that a masseuse had arrived for an appointment, police said. The housekeeper found him dead, face down and naked at 3:26 p.m.
Police sources said investigators found two bottles of sleeping and anti-anxiety pills at the apartment -- one prescription, one over the counter. The maid reported earlier she had heard Ledger snoring, police told WNBC.com.

They said an accidental overdose of prescription drugs remains a leading theory.

Left the office this afternoon to catch up on some sleep after such an early Oscar morning. I woke up a few hours ago and Heath Ledger's shocking death is obviously all over the news. The footage of his covered body being taken out of his apartment pretty much made it real. And the sight of his stoic parents reading a statement from Australia was quite moving.

I saw Heath at all the awards shows during the year of "Brokeback Mountain" when he was nominated for best actor but we never spoke. I did interview Michelle Williams on Oscar nomination morning two years ago and she told me how excited they were to be nominated.
So why is his death hitting so many of us so hard? It's his youth, his immense talent and his un-movie star personality. He was an actor who happened to be famous but you sensed that he was an actor first - and a very good one.

For me, I know the reason I feel it in the stomach is because of that portrayal of Ennis in "Brokeback Mountain." He broke my heart in that film and I have said, ever since seeing it, that it was one of the best screen performances of all time. It stayed with you: Ennis' heartbreak, his conflict, and he showed vividly how much love can hurt - love between two men. I know Phillip Seymour Hoffman got the Oscar that year, but Ledger's performance is what will stand the test of time - even more so now that he's gone.

In addition to "Brokeback," I was also deeply moved by Heath's performance in "Monster's Ball" as Billy Bob Thorton's son. It was a small part, but a memorable one. And, of course, who can forget how he burst onto the scene as Mel Gibson's son in "The Patriot" and followed it up with "A Knights Tale." I loved him in "Lords of Dogtown" and he was what saved "The Four Feathers" from being a complete disaster.

I have not seen all of Heath's movies, but have had some DVDs around the house for some time that I now plan to watch: "Casanova," "Brothers Grimm," and "10 Things I Hate About You."

We still have "Dark Knight," the Batman sequel he completed that will be released this summer but it will never be enough. He was that good at just 28. Imagine what he could have done as the years went on.

This is just stunning. So upsetting. Completely tragic.

Heath Ledger, Oscar-nominated for his performance as a gay rancher in "Brokeback Mountain," was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan residence in a possible drug-related death, police said. He was 28.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said the Australian-born Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the Manhattan apartment believed to be his home. The housekeeper who went to let Ledger know the masseuse was there found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

When no one answered, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom and found Mr. Ledger unconscious. They shook him, but he did not respond. They immediately called the authorities. The police said they did not suspect foul play and said they found pills near body."

Heath's rep called the actor's death an "accident" and asked for privacy for his family and that people avoid speculation until all the facts are known: "We are deeply saddened and shocked by this accident," said publicist Mara Buxbaum in a statement. "This is an extremely difficult time for his loved ones."

I just saw Heath's family on television where his father, Kim Ledger, bravely read a statement about his son. Here is what he said: "We would like to thank our friends and everyone around the world for their well wishes and kind thoughts at this time. Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life but few had the pleasure of truly knowing him. He was a down to earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving and selfless individual who was extremely inspirational to many. Please now respect our family's need to grieve and come to terms with our loss privately."

Heath's ex-girlfriend, Michelle Williams, was on location in Sweden reportedly with the former couple's 2-year-old daughter, Matilda. They fell in love on the set of "Brokeback" but their three-year relationship ended last year.

"She's devastated," says a source close to the 27-year-old actress.

Michelle's father, Larry Williams, told The Daily Telegraph online from his Sydney base today that Heath's death has left his family broken-hearted. He described the 28-year-old as a "great talent" who was devoted to his two-year-old daughter Matilda.

"I think Tennyson got it right in the poem when he described someone as having died at a young age but burning the candles at both ends, and oh what a beautiful flame he made, that was Heath, what a beautiful flame he made and a great talent. My heart goes out to everyone in his family and my family."

The worst aspect of Ledger's untimely death was that Matilda will grow up without knowing her father, Williams said: "The saddest thing is his daughter whom he just loved dearly."

This is such a sad day.

Our favorite underwear model took his humanitarian and soccer skills to Africa and OhLaLablog wqas right in it, posting these pics that I now quite happily share with you...

Well, well.

Is French tennis pro Jo-Wilfried Tsonga hot or what? He beat Russian cutie pie Mikhail Youzhny (below) today in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and next faces the Spaniard Rafael Nadal who made his first semifinal in Melbourne.

The nominees for the 80th Academy Awards were announced early this morning at the Academy Theatre in Beverly Hills. I mean early: 5:30 a.m. That meant a 4 a.m. wake-up call for folks like me and a drive in the rain. Not to whine, but I left my umbrella in Palm Springs so got a little wet as i dashed, in the dark, from the parking garage to the front door of the Academy a block away.

But hey, at least they served us breakfast.

Waiting to get let into the theater, I was standing next to a TV reporter I didn't recognize who was fretting to a friend that her boss did not like what she wore on the air the night of the Golden Glove nominations. But most people were talking about more substantive topics like the Democratic party debate on CNN last night. I bounded in and got a seat in the third row so I could get quick access to Academy folks for interviews.

Kathy Bates, the 1991 winner for "Misery," joined Academy President Sid Ganis to announce the nominees in the major categories. Kathy has never looked blonder and while not a thin woman, is far smaller than you would think.

Here are some of the reactions I've received so far today from folks who will be vying for Oscar gold:

Tom Wilkinson, nominated for best supporting actor for "Michael Clayton," got the news of his nomination at his home in England. It's his second Oscar nod and he said the news results in a sort of excitement "I can't really make sense of."
"Clayton" got seven nominations overall: "I'm thrilled for the film. I'm not that surprised because I think it's a pretty damned good film. I always thought it was good."
Wilkinson was candid on his chances of winning: "I don't think I'll win this time either. Javier Bardem has gotten all the nods so far and I don't mind. It's just nice to be there. It's a long journey but then you get to LA and everyone is very nice, you stay in nice places."

***********************************************************

Michael Moore was at home in Northern Michigan, where there is 10 feet of snow, when he found out that his documentary "Sicko" had been nominated.
"I actually overslept. I didn't set the alarm. My last appearance at the Kodak Theatre, Steve Martin said it best: he said Teamsters were loadiung me into the trunk of a car. So I had no expectations. But I'm profoundly grateful and honored by the nomination."
Will he give another controversial speech?
"I'll always say what's in my heart and be true to myself. I never got to finish what I was saying \[in the Oscar speech]. I left the comedy portion to the end. If I'm fortunate enough to get up there again, I'll lead with comedy and thank my stylist and wardrobe designer."

************************************

Jason Reitman is in Park City, Utah where he is on the jury of the Sundance Film Festival. He mainly watched the nominations telecast to see the expected announcements of Ellen Page (best actress) and screenwriter Diablo Cody. Then he heard his name as a nominee for best director.
"It's unreal," he said. "I know most people were surprised I was included but no one was more surprised than I was. Even as I say this to you now, it still doesn't feel real."
As far as the picture's best picture nomination, Reitman said: "I thought we might have a chance, on the cusp. I'd been hoping and praying."
Ironically, Reitman did not get Oscar nominated for his most previous film "Thank You For Smoking" despite getting nominated for virtually every other award. For "Juno," he got no other award nominations leading up to Tuesday morning.
"It has been an enormous surprise and wonderful to experience."

*********************************

Daniel Day-Lewis, best actor nominee for "There Will Be Blood" and widely considered the front-runner: "You put me shoulder to shoulder with a group of fine actors. I'm proud to be in their company and to have the broader recognition for the film is a lovely thing. I couldn't be happier for Paul Thomas Anderson to whom we owe everything."

Three-time nominee Paul Thomas Anderson who received producing, directing and writing nods for "There Will Blood" said in a statement: "I'm delighted that "There Will Be Blood" has been recognized by the Academy. These nominations are a testament to the cast and crew, who I am deeply grateful to, for their talent and collaboration. I am also very appreciative of the continued support from both John Lesher and Daniel Battsek and their staff. It's a thrill to be in this."

***********************************************

Tilda Swinton, nominated for supporting actress for her performance in "Michael Clayton," was happy for herself and her nominated co-star: "I am tickled pink at the nomination - this film has been such a labor of love and I am very proud of it. I couldn't be happier for our entire cast and crew and am thrilled for [writer and director nominee Tony [Gilroy], George [Clooney] and Tom [Wilkinson]. I'm celebrating with my family today and couldn't think of a better place to be when I got the news."

**********************************************

Julie Christie, considered the front-runner for best actress, got her fourth nomination for "Away From Her." She won the Oscar back in 1965 for "Darling" so it would be a record span between best actress wins. She said in a statement" "It's great that all of Sarah Polley's wonderful work on "Away from Her" is being recognized. I'm delighted that the film is being honoured in this way."

***********************************************************

Hal Holbrook has Emmys and a Tony but on Tuesday morning got his first Oscar nomination at the age of 84 for his performance in the Sean Penn-directed "Into the Wold." He released this statement: "I am grateful. Enormously grateful. Grateful to Sean Penn who gave me the role and directed this beautiful film, and grateful to Emile Hirsch-we really should share this nomination because we worked together. And grateful that after all these years of acting, I got a shot at recognition like this from the Academy. Miraculous. "

**************************************************************

Tony Gilroy was doubly happy this morning with TWO Oscar nominations for writing and directing "Michael Clayton." He called on his cell phone from New York where he watched the nomination announcement at home after walking his daughter to the school bus: "It's going to take me a little while time to get used ot this. I'm trying to think of different ways to say 'blown away.'"
Does one nomination mean more than the other?
"I've been a writer for 20 years so peope ask me what I do and that's what I say. I'm not used to saying I'm a director yet. \[Being nominated as a director\] is clearly beyond my comprehension. I couldn't have been more surprised by the DGA nomination and now this."

*******************************************************

Best Supporting Actor nominee Javier Barden, considered the front-runner for his performance in "No Country for Old Men": "Its an honor to receive this nomination, which is undoubtedly the recognition of the work and talent of all those creative and professional people from my trade, that have inspired and improved me during all these years. And especially to the Coen brothers' genius, because they have raised the character of Chigurh into a dimension that goes beyond my performance.
Thanks to Scott Rudin, Miramax and Paramount Vantage for giving me the chance of working alongside such talented actors - Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones and Kelly Macdonald. My gratitude to all the Academy members for this wonderful gift."

**************************************

Marjane Satrapi had a bit of a roller coaster time of it as she watched the nominations announcement from her home in Paris.
Her animated film "Persepolis" - France's official entry - didn't make the nominations for foreign film. But then something wonderful happened: the film got an unexpected nod for best animated feature.
"It is my first movie," an enthusiastic Satrapi said after a glass of champagne. "After I wasn't nominatedm for foreign movie I lost my hope. I am so happy you cannot imagine. For me, it was much harder to be nominated in animation, so many of the movies are so big and so good. I can't beleive it. It's so incredible."
So what movie did she think would take that third slot alongside "Ratatouille" and "Surf's Up"?
"I love 'The Simpsons Movie' and was sure they would be in. I went to see it three times in the cinema."

*************************************************

Casey Affleck, who had a career year with stellar reviews for both "Gone Baby Gone" and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" got the first Oscar nomination of his career on Tuesday. He is up for best supporting actor for "Jesse James" and said in a statement: "It is an honor to be recognized by the Academy and to be included in such a talented group of actors. With the help of Andrew Dominick and Brad Pitt, JESSE JAMES was an incredible experience."

***********************************************

Acting legend Ruby Dee received her very first Oscar nomination on Tuesday for her performance as Denzel Washington's mother in "American Gangster." She said in a statement: "I am excited to be recognized. It is always a delight to work with Denzel, and I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know Ridley Scott and to be a part of such a dynamic cast and crew. Of course, Harlem is home, and its stories hold a special place in my history and my heart. "

************************************************

Composer Alan Menken had the thrill of getting three Oscar nominations for "Enchanted" in the original song category but now faces the prospect of competing against himself and splitting the vote.
"I think this year it will be very tough to win with three nominations. I think the song from "Once" is going to get a lot of attention. I hope voters will coalesce around one song. But I'm focused on the honor of having three nominations and assuming there will be an Oscar telecast, That 'Enchanted' will get some extra attention."
Even if he doesn't win, Menken can always go home and polish the eight Academy Awards that he has already won.

Nancy Oliver, nominated for best original screenplay for "Lars and the Real Girl" had put herself in the "no chance" category: "My head is basically exploding," she confessed. "This movie has been one surprise after another. I was just so thrilled that it got made and that it made it into the multiplexes. I was afraid that it would be a precious little art film."

****************************************************

Stefan Ruzowitzy was in an editing suite in Austria with CNN on watching the nominations on a 30-second delay when his wife, watching live from home, called him with the news that his movie, "The Counterfeiters," was nominated for best foreign film.
"I was still watching the nominations of the actors and she was already yelling," he said.
"It's wonderful, of course. The best you can get. For me, these awards by the Academy always have much more value than let's say a festival award. An Academy nomination, that's some of the finest filmmakers, experts you have admired all your life. A big group of these people thinks your movie is one of the five best. Rhat means a lot."

Producer Jennifer Fox, best picture nominee for "Michael Clayton" : "I couldn't be more excited. It's incredible. Hopefully I get to do more. It's a great privledge to get to work on movies with such incredibly talented people and to deal with subject matter that's challenging and complicated and ambitious.

Christopher Rouse, a second-time nominee in the editing category. He was nominated for "United 93" last year. This year's nod is for "The Bourne Ultimatum." "I'm absolutely thrilled and blown away. I'm incredibly flattered by the company I'm in. Five very distinctive film with distinctive sdtyles. I'm proud to be in their company."

Good morning...
I've been up since 4:30 a.m. (yawn) because I had to cover the Academy Award nominations from the Academy Theater in Beverly Hills. They served us a nice breakfast and I got to sit near that handsome Mark Steines from "Entertainment Tonight" so all was good.

Yum.

This means my blogging will be a bit slow this morning because all my Oscar coverage is on my Hollywood Joe blog so you can check that out for nominee reactions, a full list of the nominees etc. I'll also be adding my personal take on who I'm ahppy about and what I steamed about. For example: How is Emile Hirsch not nominated for "Into the Wild" or Angelina Jolie for "a Mighty Heart" of Ryan Gosling for "Lars and the Real Girl."

Heartbreakers!!!

Go ahead and judge if you want. But my siblings and I loved the old sitcom "What's Happening" and one of the reason was Shirley Hemphill who played Shirley the waitress at the diner. She was sassy and oh-so-funny. She died a few years back, way too young.

On her Rosie.com blog. Rosie O'Donnell writes of an experience involving people's change in behavior once they realize they are in the presence of a celebrity. Here is the entry:

shirley hemphill
from whats happening
was the first famous person i knew

she took me in her red corvette
to the movies while we were working
tiny stand up gigs
1985

a car cut in front of us
gave shirley the finger
beeped their horn
sped away cursing loud

silence in the car
as we approached the red light
she rolled down her window

well hello - she said
that famous voice

6 young black teens
on the way to the mall
went ballistic
SHIRLEY
SHIRLEY
I LOVE U GIRL !!!!

away we drove
dont forget that kid
i never did

yesterday
while shooting that dolphin video
i told a family filled boat
to call to them
they will come to u

and the adamant furious mom person
screamed
YEA AND THATS HOW U KILL THEM
no i told her - they have sonar
WHAT THE HELL DO U .....
HEY THATS ROSIE ODONNELL
she told her family
who turned their video cameras
away from the magic
to shoot me
looking stunned
as they all waved

2 days of sun
i believe in the light

The folks at CityRag blog seem to think so now that Matthew McConaughey and his Brazilian model girlfriend are expecting a baby. So CityRag provides us with a collage of Matthew during various shirtless workouts just in case. My guess is he stays fit.

Saw the trailer for Matthew's new movie with Kate Hudson, "Fool's Gold," and it has solid hit written all over it along the lines of their "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and "Failure to Launch" comedies.

Lleyton Hewitt looks so sad. After battling past 4:30 a.m. a few days ago to make it to the fourth round of the Australian Open and scoring one of the biggest wins of his career, the former number one went down easy on Monday to third-ranked Novak Djokovic (below) who, I think, is the biggest threat to stopping Roger Federer from winning his third straight crown in Melbourne.

...with winning!!!
The sexy and sensational New England Patriots QB is just showing his teammate Junior Seau a little love during a postgame news conference on Sunday. The Patriots defeated the San Diego Chargers 21-12 in the AFC Championship football game to advance to yet another Super Bowl! They will take on the New York Giants and if victorious, will complete a perfect season.

You would not believe the flak I've taken for not being a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" fan! I'm not an unfan, I just haven't seen much ot it. I'm also not big on "Star Trek," any of them, but could be now that I see who is playing Captain Kirk in J.J. Abrams' new Star Trek movie. His name is Chris Pine. Look at those baby blues. All I can say is, "Beam me up Scotty!"

Being an openly gay actor was once considered the professional kiss of death. But Emmy-nominated actors T.R. Knight and Neil Patrick Harris have, thankfully, turned that assumption on its ear in recent years after Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell paved the way for lesbian TV stars.

But before any of them came out, a young actor by the name of Wilson Cruz was a pioneer in this regard in the mid-90s. He was cast in the ABC drama "My So-Called Life" and at just 19, he decided to be out as gay from the beginning.

I can think of no one more deserving than Wilson of a special award from The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which announced its honorees and nominees for the 19th annual GLAAD Media Awards at a press conference from the Sundance Film Festival Sunday evening.
Other special honorees include singers Janet Jackson and Rufus Wainwright and MTV Networks President Brian Graden.

"This year's honorees have used the power of their words, their music, and their art to advocate on behalf of the lesbian , gay, bisexual and transgender community," said GLAAD President Neil Giuliano. "They are changing hearts and minds, and opening people's eyes to the common, human experiences we share, and it is our privilege to honor them."

In the competitive movie categories, "Across the Universe," "The Jane Austen Book Club" and "Stardust" were nominated for outstanding wide release film while "The Bubble," "Dirty Laundry," "Itty Bitty Titty Committee," "Nina's Heavenly Delights" and "Whole New Thing" were the nominees for outstanding limited release film.

Nominated for outstanding drama series were ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" and "Dirty Sexy Money," Showtime's "The L Word," ABC Family's "Greek" and The N network's "Degrassi: The Next Generation." ABC also has two outstanding comedies nods with "Desperate Housewives" and "Ugly Betty." They will compete with Comedy Central's "The Sarah Silverman Program,' Fox's "The War at Home" and Logo's "Exes and Ohs."

Five TV series were nominated for individual episodes with LGBT content: "Cold Case," "Boston Legal," "Kyle XY," "My Name is Earl" and "Law & Order: SVU."

This marks the first year that gay media are eligible for GLAAD Awards which had previously only honored mainstream media. The here! channel, which had led the fight to include gay media, got its first nod in the outstanding TV movie or miniseries category with "The DL Chronicles" (pictured, right) which compete's with another gay channel show, Logo's "Daphne" as well as "The State Within" from BBC America.

Logo, one of Graden's MTV netowrks, dominated in the documentary category with "Camp Out," "Freddie Mercury: Magic Remixed" and "Small Town Gay Bar." Also nominated were "Cruel and Unusual: Transgender Women in Prison" and "For the Bible Tells Me."

Bravo, which is widely considered an unofficial gay network because of its LGBT content, snagged three of the five reality show nominations: "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," "Project Runway" and "Work Out."

The Los Angeles ceremony will take place on April 26 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Other ceremonies will be held on different dates in New York, San Francisco and South Florida. Check out this video of the nominees:

Our Emily is gone...

The beautiful Suzanne Pleshette, a movie star in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" and forever known as Bob Newhart's television wife, died on Saturday. She was just 70 and had been battling lung cancer.

As a kid growing up in the 70s, "The Bob Newhart Show" was part of my Saturday nights as it aired between "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "The Carol Burnett Show" and as Emily Hartley, Pleshette's character was the voice of reason among all the wacky characters on the classic show - a hit for all six years of its run.

Let's face it, as lovely as the late Mary Fran was as Newhart's wife in his following series, it made for one of television's most classic scenes: When "Newhart" ended in 1990, Pleshette reprised her role from the first show. It had Newhart waking up in the bedroom of his "The Bob Newhart Show" home with Pleshette at his side. He went on to tell her of the crazy dream he'd just had of running an inn filled with eccentrics.

Newhart said to the AP: "Although we knew she was quite sick, she was one of those people that you thought would go on forever. If anyone could beat cancer, it was Suzy -- she was such an indomitable spirit. She was a pro's pro and I know she was looking forward to getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on her birthday Jan. 31."

Best known as a television star (she also played Karen Walker's mother on "Will & Grace" and Leona Helmsley in a TV movie), Suzanne starred on Broadway in "The Miracle Worker," the 1959 drama about Helen Keller, replacing Anne Bancroft in New York then taking it on the road. She also starred in "The Birds" with Tippi Hedren and attracted a teenage following with her youthful roles in such films as "Rome Adventure," "Fate Is the Hunter," "Youngblood Hawke" and "A Distant Trumpet."

She married actor Troy Donahue in 1964 but the union lasted less than a year. She was married to Texas oilman Tim Gallagher from 1968 until his death in 2000 then married actor Tom Poston to whom she was with until his death last year.

Suzanne's last public appearance came in September when she reunited with the cast of "The Bob Newhart Show" for a Museum of Television and Radio event in Beverly Hills.
She was once asked about the reason for her longevity in showbiz: "I'm an actress, and that's why I'm still here. Anybody who has the illusion that you can have a career as long as I have and be a star is kidding themselves."

Since the ongoing writer's strike reduced last weekend's Golden Globe Awards to a bland press conference, "Mad Men" nominee Jon Hamm was at the Chateau Marmout in West Hollywood with co-stars and friends when his name was announced as the winner for best actor in a drama series.

Among the actors he beat out: last year's Globe champ Hugh Laurie ("House") and reigning Emmy winner James Spader ("Boston Legal"). The show also won the outstanding drama series prize.

"It was a surprise to say the least," Jon said when we met a few days ago. "Very stiff competition and I'm certainly the new guy. I'm incredibly honored to have been chosen.... We were sitting on the balcony watching the sun go down, we had a TV out there. As those things go, it was pretty nice. It was amazing. Everybody cheered and it felt really collegial and fun - like a good thing had happened to the family. It really felt great."

There's a good chance for more awards on Sunday at the Screen Actors Guild Awards (There will be a star-studded ceremony for that one) with Jon, 36, again nominated for outstanding actor in a drama series and the show's cast up for outstanding ensemble.

On "Men," Jon plays Don Draper, creative director and eventually junior partner of Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency on New York City's Madison Avenue in the 1960s; He is the show's protagonist with a mysterious past.

"When I read the script - and I never say this because I don't want to jinx things - I said to several friends of mine and my girlfriend, 'I really want to be in this. I wonder what movie star they're gonna to give the lead to, I'll never get that. But I want to be a part of this.' And, somehow, six or eight auditions later, I ended up getting it and it's obviously been great."

Before "Mad Men" caused such a sensatiion last year, Jon had been working steadily in recurring roles on a succession of television series including "The Unit," "What About Brian," "The Division" and "Providence" along with the occasional feature film ("Ira & Abby," "We Were Soldiers").

But the show, AMC's first original scripted drama, wowed critics and quickly gained a loyal following.
"I think it's found the perfect home on AMC," he said. "It's not unlike the first season of 'The Sopranos.' The first year of that show, a lot of people didn't know what it was and didn't want to watch a gangster show or whatever. Then they found it and realized how deep it was. I think that's similar to our show. Our fans are very, very loyal and excited about the show and I wish we were just about to make some more for them but unfortunately we're stuck in this strike."

They were due to begin shooting the second season in February or March but at this point, there are no scripts prepared and the strike continues.

"I wish we were working, we;re not. But I understand why.I was fortunate though to work on a couple of films."
One of those movies are the big-budget sci-fi flick "The Day the Earth Stood Still" which stars Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly. The other is the mystery-thriller "The Boy in the Box." Between the series, the awards and the upcoming movies, Jon is on the verge of major stardom.

"It's all still pretty new and I think fortunately, I look a little bit different on the show than I look in real life. I don't walk around around wearing three-piece suits with my hair slicked back so that makes it a little but easier. But it's always nice when people recognize you for your work and they say good things about you."

C'mon! Get yer minds out of the gutter!

Lleyton Hewitt finally defeated Marcos Baghdatis at 4:45 a.m. Sunday in Melbourne to win their gripping third-round match 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-3.

After it was finally over, both winner and loser needed a hug...

...His name is Stefan Edberg and he turns 42 today.

If you don't know, he was once the number one tennis player in the world and I just love that shot of his (above) reacting after winning his first Wimbledon title in 1988. With the Austrlian Open underway, it's fitting that Stefan should have a birthday today since he won the tournament twice and made it to the finals three other times.

He was my favorite player for a long time and not just because of his sensational legs and thighs and handsome face - really! He was always a great sportsman and an absolute joy to watch. I got to see him play at Wimbledon in 1991 when my friend Lorna and I had seats in the 10th row on a magical day that landed us on the front page of The Independent as spectators participating in the first audience wave on Centre Court.

But I had first seen Stefan (pictured, right, being inducted into the Hall of Fame w/Steffi Graf) four years earlier when my college roomie, Scott, took me to an exhibition match he was playing againstJohn McEnroe at the Forum in Los Angeles.
Stefan beat Mac who walked off the court in a bit of a huff. I went courtside after to get Edberg's autograph and when he grabbed my pen, his pinkie brushed across my hand. I nearly fainted on the spot. Then he used my pen to sign several more and after, looked around to find me to return it.

He had no idea that I was an obsessed stalker!

Is there anyone else on Earth like Dolly Parton?

She's today's birthday girl and there are so many reasons why we love her. First of all, there's that wonderful voice and all the beautiful songs she has written. Sure, the hair and the boobs are attention-getting, but what I like is that there is great substance behind the glamour. She's still winning Grammys and her songbook ("Coat of Many Colors," "Jolene," "I Will Always Love You" etc.) is filled with gems.

Then, of course, there are the movies. She hasn't made many but the few she has done, the gays love: "9 to 5" with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin..."Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" with Burt Reynolds...and best of all, "Steel Magnolias" with Sally, Julia, Shirley, Olympia and Darryl. Her classic line from "Magnolias" was to Darryl Hannah: "It takes a lot of effort to look this way."

And finally, there is the agelessness of Dolly. I was looking at this picture of her with Cher from the late 70s and was amazed at how Dolly looks even younger today! It must be awesome skincare products and staying out of the sun.

What?!!!

Are you saying Dolly has had a little nip and nick here and there and everywhere? Well, who cares! She is da bomb.

Keep on truckin' Dolly!

There was a lot of drama on Friday's "As the World Turns" with Luke's mother ending up in the hospital and our young gay lovers giving each other a nice, long, hug. They haven't kissed on-screen since dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
Check out the action:

I love watching Novak Djokovic play. He's like Gumby out there! Here are a few of his moves from his easy win at the Australian Open...

Oh. My. God.
Talk about thrillers. Roger Federer was one game away from being eliminated from the Australian Open but fought back and was the last man standing. He played for over four hours and finally won 6-7, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1, 10-8.
Insane!!! My friend Henry, Roger's biggest fan, just about had a heart attack watching the thing. He's in India so I kept e-mailing him during the match with messages like: "I can't take this much longer!"

Margaret Cho says she "a big Ellen fan," loves her show ("Especially the dancing!!!") but she had to turn Miss DeGeneres down when she was asked recently to guest on the daytime chatfest.

The oh-so hilarious and gifted Cho explained herself in an article on Huffington Post and here is part of what she write:

"...With the writers on strike, I am unable to do it. This was a very difficult decision to make. I absolutely love Ellen, for a million reasons and for a very long time, but because of the way that I was raised, because my political views are they way they are, because I believe that workers should have the power and the ability to make their lives better, because many of my close friends are the ones picketing, I cannot cross the picket line. This was hard for me because I had to question what was more important to me -- my queer allegiance to Ellen, or my dedication to the writers and their families and all the people who have been sacrificing so much to the strike."

"The reason Ellen hasn't stopped production is because she refuses to put the 135 people who are employed on her show out of work, which is completely admirable and frankly heroic, considering all the flak she has gotten from the media," she continued. "I apologize to Ellen and I hope that she understands my decision, and that when the strike is over, I will be able to do the show again. It has been a dream of mine for quite a while now, and I hope someday it will come true."

The Herndon climb, the annual decades-old Naval tradition wherein dozens of plebes attempt to get to the top of a greased-up 21-foot granite obelisk, is in danger of being tossed out because of "danger" to the first-year midshipmen. Blogger Andy Towle wonders if the real reason for the possible demise is the homo-erotic nature of the event and the fact that it is now covered by gay bloggers.

Read Andy's full report in Towleroad.com! (He's got more pics there too)

Who doesn't have a mancrush on Tom Brady? This "straight" dude sings all about his on this YouTube video which is abolutely brilliant. I can't believe I hadn't seen this before! This is hilarious.

What a cutie pie. He's gotta escape from dad's clutches though...

Nooooooooooooooooooooo!
Dammit. Andy Roddick was my pick to win this year's Australian Open but he lost a heatrbreaking five-set thriller to Philipp Kohlschreiber that ended after 2 a.m. on Saturday. The final score: 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (9), 6-7 (3), 8-6.
Andy came into the Open on a hot streak, having led the U.S. team to the Davis Cup title and then winning a warmup exhibition at Kooyong last week. But this loss seems to indicate that the former number one and 2003 U.S Open champion has lost his edge at the game's majors where it once seemed that only Roger Federer had his niumber.
Losses like this only serve as a reminder to the greatness of Federer who has reached the finals of every grand slam event from Wimbledon in 2005 on. If he wins this tournament, he will have 13 major titles, one short of tying the all-time record set by Pete Sampras.


Andy exits the stadium, deflated and defeated: "It's rough. You play a match that long, you come out the wrong end, it doesn't feel good."

...and he's on the cover of Instinct mag's February issue. His name is Brandon Pereyda and except for that annoying little facial hair thing, he's pretty hot. Instinct editor Mike Wood spent a weekend following 23-year-old Pereyda around Vegas to find out what its like to be the lone out member of the shirtless, bow-tie-wearing institution and how he feels about performing in front of countless screaming women each night.

Says Brandon: "I guess it is monumental for this company," he said. "Chippendales guys are often pegged as being gay. And they're not. And I think this will clear the slate. Theyre all straight, but we would do anything for each other and thats what I really love about working here. They don't view my be gay as a negative thing at all.

They're all straight? Oh Brandon, you're so very young...

Sometimes, my life is so surreal. I found myself on the soundstage where "I Love Lucy" was filmed this afternoon scooping some salmon onto my plate as I chatted up Florence Henderson.

Me: "I really loved all the "Brady Bunch" shows except for the ones with cousin Oliver."

Me: "But hey, look at you. You're still here."

My Daily News column tomorrow is all about Florence and her new talk show. But details of the lunch itself, which won't be in the column, are what I want to share with you. Among a handful of journalists who were invited were a smattering of guest stars including Barbra Streisand's little sister, Roslyn Kind - a very talented singer who is back on stage after a long hiatus. I'll share my chat with her tomorrow. Freda Payne and I gabbed for a minute and Pat Boone was also there but I didn't bother to strike up a conversation with him. Also there was Mr. Blackwell who I wanted to chat up but he was engrossed by an anecdote being told by Tippi Hedren. I thought it was funny that he was at the same table as Allison (Nellie Olson from 'Little House on the Prairie) since he had dissed her on his worst dressed list.
But she was thrilled to be on the same list as Posh Spice! She's a hoot and I will have that interview in the coming days.

Anyway, here's my column on Florence Henderson:

When I was a kid, every Friday night my parents would buy us McDonalds for dinner then we'd all pile into the living room to watch "The Brady Bunch." So it was really cool on Thursday to meet Mrs. Brady herself, Florence Henderson, at an intimate luncheon event celebrating the premiere of her new talk show.

The chatfest, which airs on the fledgling Retirement Living TV channel, may be aimed at the 55-plus crowd but Florence told me she wants to play host to guests of all ages.

"I'd love Tom Cruise as a guest, or Julia Roberts. Certainly Clint Eastwood," said the lovely lady. "I want to talk to people who are contributing and who are talented and have something to say. I'm the most appreciative fan you'll ever meet."
So far, some terrific guests have taped interviews for "The Florence Henderson Show" including Carol Burnett, Jason Alexander, Bob Newhart, Judge Judy and Garry Marshall, among others. Before lunch, she had finished taping a show with guests Tippi Hedren, Freda Payne and Roslyn Kind.

"On most talk shows, if you're on for five minutes you're lucky," she said. "My guests don't feel pressured. We sometimes do 30 minutes and you find out things about these great performers. I love talking to people, I love that intimate one-on-one."

Yes, two of her on-screen kids from "Brady Bunch" - Eve Plumb and Susan Olsen - have already guested with others sure to follow.
"I can't get rid of them!" she joked.

Florence, who turns 74 on Valentine's Day, looks remarkably youthful after more than 50 years of stardom. She was originally a big Broadway star in such shows as "Wish You Were Here" and "Fanny" before she landed a high-profile gig "The Today Show" in 1959 as what was then referred to as a "Today girl."
"In a way, doing this show is going full circle because one of the first things I did was 'Today.' To be so young and to work with people like Dave Garroway. I've just been very fortunate."

Since Retirement Living TV is just over a year old, the show is available locally only through Direct TV and Comcast Cable so Florence knows it's an uphill climb for viewers: "It's difficult these days unless you're hot or you're Britney Spears and you're sick."

Britney Spears could really use a Mrs. Brady right now.

The tall drink of water that is Marat Safin lost his second round match at the Australian Open today. I think he is such a dreamboat. The Russian won the tournament three years ago, beating Roger Federer in the semis and Lleyton Hewitt in the final.

But not this year. I hope sexy Safin is not too disheartened and enjoys some strong results this year. I always enjoy watching him practice at the Palm Springs tournament. He doesn't usually wear a shirt!

I gotta say, the one red carpet experience I had with Diane Lane was about three months ago and the feeling I got from her was that she is one cool woman - self-assured and down-to-Earth. She even cut her own hair. I interviewed her husband, the oh-so-handsome Josh Brolin four years ago or so for a magazine piece tied to his short-lived but terrific NBC series "Mister Sterling." It was a phoner so we didn't get to meet but it was a good interview. He had thoughtful answers, nothing by-the-numbers about him.

That brings me to The Advocate's Big Gay Following feature on Diane which was posted this morning via Towleroad. I'll let her words speak for themselves and you can see for yourself what a cool woman she is and how much she loves her guy:

"I’m delighted to hear that [I have a gay fan base], but I have to say I’m more aware of my husband’s. That appeal? I understand it. But I think I turn a blind eye to my own because I get embarrassed or I’m shy or I don’t take compliments well. I can’t speak for [Josh], but I know that there are plenty of guys that I’ve been around who have expressed if not glee for me, then envy of me...I was blessed to have no previous impressions of him aside from meeting him, which is a much healthier way to start a relationship. I finally saw Goonies after we had already been together for, like, a year. Then I became jealous that I didn’t meet him when I was 15 and got very upset over anybody he knew before me -- ever. [If I had known how great he was earlier in life] I’d have hunted him down with a harpoon and lassoed him to my thigh for the rest of my life. No questions, hands down -- he’s worth 10 of any other comparable hot guy for me. And that works for me because I get excited every time I go home."

...Betty White!!!

Why we love her: First of all, she was the deliciously slutty Sue Ann Nivens on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" for the show's final four seasons and won two Emmys along the way. Betty was never better than as Sue Ann, the Happy Homemaker with the sweet exterior and horny interior.

Then there is Rose on "The Golden Girls," another Emmy winning performance for Betty. I met her a few years ago at a reunion of the cast (Bea Arthur was chilly to her that night for some reason) and was able to tell her that my favorite scene involving Rose was when she tore the teddy bear out of the little girl's hand and pushed her out the door. (The little girl had been holding the bear hostage for ransom).

You figure, how can you top those two iconic character? Betty has kept on going with a hilarious guest spot on "Ugly Betty" thhis season, a recurring role on "Boston Legal" and "Bold and the Beautiful." She goes on and on and on and still has that perfect comic timing.

What a gem.

I feel like I should be this huge James Marsters fan and maybe I will be. The problem is, I haven't any of the shows he's been on like "Torchwood" or "Smallville" or, brace yourselves, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Anywho, he has an interview in the new issue of TV guide and, of course, I've found the gay parts to share:

On his "Torchwood" character: "Captain John is a Time Agent and a thief, who travels through time stealing the wealth of whole planets. His partner used to be Captain Jack [John Barrowman], who's now reformed. I show up wanting him to come back to his villainous ways and have fun with me."

On the lip liock: "We kiss. My character is way beyond bisexual. Spike was a romantic. This guy would do anything that moves. I have a lustful eye for a poodle!...I had never kissed a man on film before, but luckily my girlfriend was there, and she said it was always a fantasy of hers that I would kiss another man. She thought it was really hot."

Clay Aiken is set to make his Broadway debut in "Spamelot" and reporters keep asking him questions that annoy him! I personally find HIM annoying. Towleroad.com reported the following exchange from another one of Clay's recent interviews:

Q. Is it safe to say Rosie O’Donnell had diarrhea of the mouth when she called Kelly Ripa “homophobic”?
A. Oh, God. I think people on TV say certain things just so they can get attention. I didn’t agree with Rosie. But I appreciated her trying to come to my defense, in one way or another!

Q. What do you make of people nagging you about the “gay” thing?
A. I think the majority of the American public cares less about it than reporters like you do.

Q. Has anyone ever confronted you about it in public?
A. I can’t come up with any specific incidents. But I’ve been called everything in the book at some point or another—gay, ugly, nerdy, fat.

That Serbian cutie pie Novak Djokovic is such a cut-up. The world's third-ranked tennis player entertained the crowd after a recent match at the Australian Open with his imitation of Maria Sharapova's serve. I really don't think Maria sticks here rear-end out that much..but I'm glad Novak did!

Saw this posted on JustJared.com. I'm not doing a countdown or anything, at least officially, but I think I'm more excited about this movie coming out in May than any other summer release. It feels like we are awaiting some kind of high school reunion where we get to catch up with our friends Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte and see where their lives are.

I can never just flip past an episode of the show if I'm channel surfing. Even though I have all the DVDs an d have seen each episode many times, if I have time, I'll watch it through. There really isn't a clunker in the bunch.

OK, sorry for the lack of posts today. I've had some deadlines for my print columns and also spent some time setting up a Facebook profile. If you are on Facebook and want to be friends, go to my page at:

http://www.facebook.com/people/Greg_Hernandez/638741386

I'm also enjoying the MySpace experience and thanks to everyone who so far has taken the time to add me to their friends lists! I feel closer to you now...

I really don't know where I've been. I haven't seen a single episode of AMC's "Mad Men" which just won Golden Globes for best drama series and best actor in a drama for the show's handsome star Jon Hamm. I met Jon last night at an event on the Sony lot celebrating the debut of a new AMC series "Breaking Bad" starring Bryan Cranston. We had a nice interview that I will share with you tomorrow. Jon previously starred on Lifetime’s "The Division" and ABC’s "What About Brian" but now finally has a real star-making role. He could not have been nicer or easier on the eyes.
Wow!

So not only is George Michael going to pen an autobiography (I think that will be far more interesting than Lance Bass' memoir), but he also appears on the series premiere of the new ABC show "Eli Stone" which premieres after "Lost" in a few weeks. The series stars Jonny Lee Miller as a dude who has visions and one of them includes George Michael singing "Faith" to everyone in his office. Here are a preview clips that have me really excited about this show:

It's good to see that Jason Lewis has gotten over his affair with Kevin Walker on "Brothers & Sisters" and returned to the arms of Samantha Jones for the "Sex and the City" movie. Kevin belongs with Scotty! But seriously, Jason showed a lot more on-screen chemistry with Kim Cattrall then he ever managed to have with Matthew Rhys.

Mr. Roddick won his second round match earlier today in the Australian Open. I'm so glad he finally let his shirt fly up during the match. Those pictures are so much more fun to post. Keep it going Andy!!! Roddick finished 2007 ranked in the top 10 for the sixth straight year and led the U.S. team to its first Davis Cup title since 1995. He opened 2008 with a third consecutive title at the Kooyong exhibition.

Glad to see the fabulous Miss Minnelli is feeling better after fainting on stage Sweden last month. A posting on TMZ.com makes fun of her boots but ya know what, Liza can wear anything she wants, anytime. When you're a showbiz legend and a national treasure, you earn that right.

Yeah, I'm a blogger but the truth is, my blog was set up by the online folks at the Daily News and I haven't any idea how to do anything other than write items and post photos and videos and stick a headline on it all. So it was a bit comical as I tried to set up a MySpace page last night that I hope will bring new readers and more exposiure to Out In Hollywood.

Here is the link: http://www.myspace.com/outinhollywood

So what I'm hoping for, is to make some friends! Some MySpace friends. I'd love for any readers to link to me and vice-versa and send it along to your friends too! I am also gonna do a FaceBook thing but I want to master MySpace first.

So please check it out!!!

Roger Federer had a stomach flu last week which led some to think he might be more vulnerable in his efforts to win a third-consecutive Australian Open title and fourth overall. But Federer thrashed his first-round opponent and after the match, was interviewed by Jim Courier, the former number one who won this tournament twice in the early 1990s.

In Tom Brokaw’s latest book, "Boom! Voices of the Sixties," there is nary a mention of the gay rights movement in this an epic exploration of the political, cultural, and socioeconomic events of 1963 to 1974.
The former NBC anchorman has taken some heavy hits from critics because of that and Brokaw recently talked to The Advocate's Rachel Dowd about the controversy:

Dowd: Let’s cut to the chase. Why is the gay rights movement missing from Boom?

Brokaw: Obviously I feel bad. It was not that it wasn’t on my mind, but it was not the defining history of the ‘60s. I was trying to do the five big pillars, which in my judgment were race, war, politics, women, and culture. There were a number of important movements that also grew out of the ‘60s and certainly gay liberation was important among them. I struggled with the absence of any real reference to Hispanic political power. In California, for example, there was, what we used to call in those days, the Chicano movement, which organized a big anti-war demonstration and that was kind of the foundation of what became a considerable Hispanic political situation. Having said all that, I think it was a mistake not to make reference to Stonewall. And we’re going to do that in subsequent editions. ...My own strong feeling was that the gay liberation movement really got national attraction in the truest sense of the word later in the ‘70s, in the ‘80s, and especially in the ‘90s. Roy Aarons was a very good friend of mine in California, and when I left there in 1973, Roy was not yet out. A couple of years later he was in touch with me about the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, which he didn’t start until 1990. It was not an attempt to slight what became a very important movement, but I just had to make some tough choices. I feel bad that people feel that I deliberately slighted them—that was not my intention.

To read the entire article, go to Advocate.com...

I'm not a regular viewer of "Good Morning America" but I did have it on this morning because Maroon 5 and the dreamy Adam Levine were going to be doing a little concert segment. Before Adam came on, Diane Sawyer conducted a very funny interview with Diane Keaton who is busy promoting her new comedy "Mad Money" out Friday.
What is getting all the attention, and what you see in the clip above, is Keaton saying the F-Word on morning television! It seemed to just sort of slip out and was pretty funny. But here is more of the conversation for context.

Keaton to Sawyer: "I want to talk about you. I'm serious. I was looking at you on television and I honestly do not understand why more hasn't been made of how beautiful you are because you are a beautiful woman and I am not kidding for one minute...You don't want to talk about this but you know it's true. Those lips! I'd love to have lips like that. Then I wouldn't have to work on my [f-word] personality....If I had lips like yours, I'd be better off."

Rosie O'Donnell may not be on "The View" anymore and that MSNBC gig didn't work out, but when she's got something to say, it gets attention thanks to her Rosie.com blog.

She writes today of Britney Spears and how the paparazzi that follows her every movie reminds her of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales more than a decade ago:

I remember the tunnel as it appeared on the news, lit by headlights, flashlights, red lights. Between the cement tall pillars was a heap of twisted metal. I saw it then, and I can see it now. Diana dead.

The tunnel is crowded now. There are only inches of separation between vulnerability and disaster.

Since I was in Palm Springs over the weekend, I wasn't able to make any of Kathy Griffin's shows at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. But Marc Malkin of EOnline was there and shares some of Kathy's best observations about the rich and famous on his terrific PlanetGossip site:

Oprah Winfrey: Griffin’s political commentary won’t get her on CNN with Wolf Blitzer, but she does make a good point. “I think Oprah can actually elect the president of the United States,” she said. “I’m telling you, because everyone was like Hillary, Hillary, Hillary, and then, boom, [Barack Obama] wins a white state! I’m like, Oprah does control everything.”

Dr. Phil: Even Britney Spears wants nothing to do with the TV talk-show host, Griffin said. “The best part is that Britney—who’s crazy—isn’t crazy enough to talk to Dr. Phil,” she said. “Dr. Phil just walks into her [hospital room], and Britney Spears...just looks at him and is like, I’m outta here.”

Marie Osmond: Did Osmond really faint on Dancing with the Stars? Griffin believes she was just pulling our leg for some votes. Why? Because Ms. Osmond's first words were, "Oh crap," when she came to. "When you really faint, your first thought is, Did you see my p--sy?” Griffin cracked.

Liza Minnelli: Griffin recently met the legendary diva while they were both playing at the same casino. At one point, it was just the two of them in an elevator. Griffin couldn’t resist asking her about the late, womanizing Chicago choreographer Bob Fosse. “We’re just standing there, and I go, ‘So, did you f--k Fosse?” Griffin remembered. “And she goes, ‘Oh, yeah!’ ”

Patricia Heaton: Griffin says she introduced the ultraliberal Wozniak to the outspoken conservative sitcom star at the Emmys. “Of course, Wozniak doesn’t know who she is, so I have to treat him like my foreign exchange student from Denmark,” Griffin said. “But I can’t resist saying, ‘Oh, Steve, this is Patricia Heaton. She’s a very popular sitcom actress. She was on a show called Everybody Loves Raymond, and she doesn’t believe in evolution. She believes in...creationism.”

On Her Rich Boyfriend: Griffin can’t believe she’s dating a billionaire who is so green he doesn’t own a jet and drives a Prius. “His favorite restaurant in the world is Bob’s Big Boy in Riverside, [California],” Griffin announced. “My whole life I’m dating guys who could only afford to take me to Bob’s f--king Big Boy. Now this guy’s got a billion bucks, and I’m still sitting at Bob’s Big Boy!”

I confess, I never really took to "the Lair" the way that I have to "Dante's Cove": but plenty of people I know like it a lot. Here! TV announced today that it has ordered a second season of the dark, sexually-charged original series. Production on the show, directed by Fred Olen Ray, will consist of nine new episodes. Production is scheduled to begin next month with the new shows airing in the fall.

About the show: Set in a small town, the series revolves around suspicions that arise when young men turn up dead with vicious, mysterious wounds on their necks. Determined to solve the crimes, a young journalist, Thom (David Moretti), discovers clues leading him to a private gentlemen’s club called “The Lair,” a lust-filled and erotically energized environment where patrons are able to fulfill their deepest and darkest desires. As he closes in on the truth, he becomes ensnared by a coven of vampires led by the enigmatic Damian (Peter Stickles of “Shortbus”). The second season will feature the return of popular cast members such as Moretti, Stickles, Colton Ford, and Dylan Vox. In addition to a growing number of thrilling plot twists, sexy new cast members and guest stars, fans of the “The Lair” can expect to see many more supernatural elements and the arrival of a new character who is half-man, half-beast, the network said.

Fabio, whose film career was highlighted by a 30 second scene in "Dude, Where's My Car?" proves in a new interview with Details magazine that he should just pose for pictures and not talk - ever.

On his fight with George Clooney: "He laid a hand on me, so it would have been self-defense if I had beaten him down. I could have fucked him up. Oh my god, I could have beaten the shit out of him. I was so pissed off. Right then, I could have knocked him over and beat him. I could have punched him in the face while he was on his back. That's how you really hurt someone—their face can't amortize the punch so it takes, it takes the whole impact."

On losing his virginity to a 17-year old girl. He was much younger: "She said 'Don't make me pregnant,' and I was like, 'Don't worry, I don't even have sperm yet.'"

On dating: "And they are always complaining about their work, or how they are not working. About this casting or this part they are hoping to get, and I have to say, 'Come on, you're a fucking waitress.' I don't say that, but I think that, you know, because I'm a gentleman."

On turning down offers from Dancing with the Stars & The Surreal Life: "I used the fashion industry, the whole business, for money, for chicks, for a lifestyle. But I never let them use me. And now they think I'm still desperate for a job, for work. Like I'll do anything. I don't care if I'm never on TV again."

Neither do we pal. And get a haircut.

The first new ‘Be an Ally & a Friend’ PSA of 2008 about the power of words. This version features the “Be an Ally” debut of Lance Bass and Access Hollywood’s annoying Shaun Robinson. The PSA also stars Alec Mapa, Jamie Bamber, Rebecca Romijn and TR Knight.

So what if Andy Roddick's guns aren't as big as they were on that phony Men's Fitness cover last year. He still looks pretty darn pumped as he takes a break during practice in Melbourne and talks to his coach, the great Jimmy Connors who won the Australian Open in 1974. Andy is trying to win fir the first time there too.

Zac Efron is the cover boy of the new issue of Details magazine and the interview inside is pretty good. When I saw him at the Palm Springs Film Festival awards gala earlier this month, I couldn't help but notice the difference between Zac and "Into the Wild" star Emile Hirsch.

Zac was sort of daring around, blowing off requests for interviews and getting his picture taken with Vanessa Hudgens while Emile was calmly doing interview after interview, giving thoughtful answers and tuning out the madness surrounding him.

Anyway, in the Details article, here is what Zac has to say about the ever-present paparazzi: “They use espionage tactics, and they’re malicious and relentless. Anything to get a reaction. Anything to get that frown, or a scream into the camera, or some kind of backlash. They’ve got that photo where all of a sudden, you know, Zac’s frowning—now he’s on crack! They shout things about your mom, about your family. It’s a weird industry that I’m still getting used to. But sometimes it just takes all your might not to literally swing at these guys.”

Then mean-spirited blogger known as Perez Hilton is brought up. The blogger has insinuated that Zac is gay and nicknamed him “Zacquisha.” The actor says: “I know it’s very addictive to read that kind of stuff. It’s entertainment. Perez has obviously struck a chord in the public eye. He’s doing something right. That deserves admiration—I think he does a great job. Um—” He pauses for a moment, then adds, “Honestly, if the worst he can say about me is that I’m gay, then I think I’ll be fine. I can handle it.”
Has he met Perez? “No, I haven’t yet. But I look forward to it,” he says, laughing. “I think it’ll be a fun conversation.”

I dunno. Doesn't sound like it would be that fun.

Here is a video of some of Zach's interview:

The one and only Suzanne Somers was Larry King's guest for the full hour last week and Rosie O'Donnell was watching, according to her blog. Rosie writes:

suzanne somers can make even larry king likeable... all young hollywood starlets should be required to know her, to check in once a week face to face

...she moves me

************************

Here's my take: Suzanne is a real lesson in survival. The child of an abusive alcoholic, she has never been the best actress or singer or author but that hasn't stopped her from being a major star for more than 30 years. Sure, "Three's Company" launched her but what I find most interesting is her journey after she was fired in a salary dispute at the end of the fifth season.

She didn't hang her blonde head. She became the Las Vegas entertainer of the year in the mid-80s, did TV movies like "Hollywood Wives" and eventually landed another successful series ("Step By Step") which lasted eight seasons. You add in all the commercial endorsements (thighmaster, Somersize etc), the self-help books and the memoirs ("Keeping Secrets" and "After the Fall") and you have a true Hollywood survivor who stayed afloat by putting the work at the center of her fame.

Usually, I treat you to only photos of adorable Andy Roddick, the top-ranked American player who won his first-round match at the Australian Open on Monday. But I found this compilation of some of his news conferences on ESPN.com and you can see that he has the charm and humor to match his looks:
Enjoy!

Craig Zaden and Neil Meron were set to produce "The Mayor of Castro Street" directed by Bryan Singer and possibly starring Steve Carell as the gay San Francisco mayor Harvey Milk who tragically gunned down by a political rival. But Zaden recently told FilmStew.com that a rival film about Milk starring Sean Penn and directed by Gus Van Sant has basically torpedoed the project.

“Bryan was supposed to direct 'The Mayor of Castro Street' immediately following 'Valkyrie,'” Zadan said. “And out of the blue, Gus Van Sant came along with another Harvey Milk script. So although we have been working on this movie for 16 years, where finally we found the moment in time where we got the right script, the right director and even - we haven’t really discussed this – shall we say, interest in the movie from Steve Carell to play Harvey Milk…”

“Once we started thinking about it [the idea of Carell as Milk], we thought, ‘Wow, that’s a great idea,’” he continues. “So we were all primed to make it; Warner Bros. was primed to make it; and, in theory, we would have been going into production right after the writers strike. But now, with the Gus Van Sant movie going ahead, nobody wants to have another situation like Capote.”

“They [Van Sant, Focus] haven’t starting shooting yet, so anything can happen. But the handwriting is on the wall that if they go into production and start shooting, we won’t get to make our movie.”

It goes to show you, waiting 15 years to make your dream project probably isn't such a good idea.

Clay Aiken really needs to get over himself.

The former "American Idol" runner-up, who is set to make his Broadway debut in "Spamalot," got all snippy with Newsweek for daring to ask him about the incident with Kelly Ripa a little more than a year ago when he was co-hosting her show and put his hand over her mouth. Kelly got pissed and said "I don't know where that hand has been honey."

Rosie O'Donnell piped in on "The View" and called Ripa's words homophobic which was odd since Clay has never come out as a gay man. A few weeks's later, Clay spoofed the whole thing with Tori Spelling when they presented at an awards show. But Clay has clearly lost his sense of humor about mouthgate as you can see from this exchange from the Q&A.

Q. What about the Kelly Ripa thing?
A. I'm not going to discuss it.
Q. Did you think it was homophobic?
A. I'm not going to discuss it.
Q. What do you want to talk about?
A. I think we're done.
Q. Can we talk about something fun?
A. No, we're done. I thought NEWSWEEK would be more reputable. I'm surprised.
Q. But I think people are curious about it.
A. It was a year ago. This is NEWSWEEK. It's not the National Enquirer. I'd hate to have a job where I had to be rude to people.
Q. We're just having a conversation.
A. Change the subject! I'd never take a job where I had to do something that I didn't want to do.
Q. What about all those Ford commercials on "American Idol"?
A. That wasn't a job.
Q. It was part of your job.
A. It wasn't a Ford commercial. It was a music video. It was a completely different thing.
Q. I'll change the subject. What do you do for fun?
A. I watch the news. I read news magazines, but I'm reconsidering that now.
Q. Are you going to watch "Idol"?
A. I haven't watched since season four. I compare it to high-school football--if it weren't for high school, we wouldn't be successful, but I don't need to keep going to the football games.

What. A. Bitch.

J.K. Simmons isn't a household name, but you could say he's something of a household face; everybody recognizes him from something.

Maybe it's the egotistical newspaper editor in the "Spider-Man" movies, or the assistant police chief on TNT's "The Closer" or the sadistic prison inmate on HBO's "OZ." He is currently riding high with the success of the heartwarming comedy "Juno" in which he plays the wise-cracking but ultimately supportive father of a pregnant teenage girl.

After years of steady work, J.K. finds himself juggling a hit show and hit movies and thinks it's all happening at the perfect time.

"You know, if I had any kind of success in my 20s I'm sure I'd be in rehab or dead by now - certainly divorced and a deadbeat dad," he said when we spoke recently. "So the way it's worked out has really
been ideal for me. At age 52-and-a-half, I think I'm old enough to handle it now."

While the "Spider-Man" movies are always expected to be mega international successes, "Juno" is a surprise box office hit that should be on its way to the $100 million mark in domestic box office grosses. J.K. said he's really not that surprised.

"I knew based on [director] Jason [Reitman's] success with his first film that it would get a reasonable amount of attention and the more we worked on it, the more I thought this was going to be a
really special movie," he said. "I'm just really pleased that a lot of people are seeing it."

A lot of people see "The Closer" each week with the police drama consistently the highest-rated show on basic cable the past three seasons. J.K.'s character is the superior of star Kyra Sedwick'sDeputy Chief Brenda Johnson with whom he was once romantically involved.

"She's a doll," he said of Sedgwick, with whom he is eager to get back to work with post writer's strike. "We'll be back doing some more before long - knock wood. It's been a great, great ride and hopefully we'll get all the writer's issues resolved and we'll get back to work."

Most actors would have had a harder time shaking off the lasting image of prison inmate Vernon Schillinger who J.K. played on "Oz" and the actor was aware of this even before he joined the series.

"I almost talked my way out of that job when they were offering it to me and I had no reason to do that because I had done nothing on television or film," he recalled. "But I had a sort of premonition that it could become iconic and sort of define my career so every bad guy nazi I was offered after that I just said, 'No, no, no.' And then I got lucky and got some offers to do some different kinds of things."

A player has got to win seven matches to become Australian Open champion. Rafael Nadal had to pull out all the stops just to win his first. As you can see, he was pretty pumped up for the task but if this is what he has go through each time around, I don't see him making it past the quarterfinals. So, we'll just enjoy his outfits and big muscles while we can!

The Palm Springs International Film Festival might have had more than 200 movies this year, but I could only manage to see 15 of them over two long weekends. I wish there had been time for more but I left the desert this afternoon feeling very satisfied with what I saw - except for one real dud which I will get to later. My criteria for choosing what to see depends on the scheduling, the buzz on the film, the stars, and if there's gay content, all the better. What was really cool was seeing rising stars and likely Oscar nominees Emile Hirsch and Ellen Page in smaller roles in movies that I did not know they would be in.

This morning, I headed out to the Palm Springs Regal 9 for the 10 a.m. showing of "Sparkle" which had an amazing cast headed by Stockard Channing who was at the festival over the weekend introducing the movie at various screenings. She told me that it is a film that she is "very fond of" which is clearly why she is championing it. It tells the story of an aging singer (an amazing Amanda Ryan) who accompanies her son (Shaun Evans, pictured with Channng) and both find themselves in unexpected romances. Bob Hoskins and Leslie Manville round out the cast. Channing does a lovely British accent, Ryan is a wonder and Evans is someone worth keeping your eye on. He's not only absolutely adorable, but he is a wonderful actor and his performance is superb. I liked this movie very much.

************************

Packed in four movies on Saturday with one of the highlights being "How About You," an Irish film with a dream cast that included Oscar winners Vanessa Redgrave and Brenda Fricke and Oscar nominee Imelda Staunton. along with Haley Atwell and Joss Ackland. This is a comedy set in an Irish retirement home where the residents have formed a very dysfunctional family.

Redgrave may have only gotten seven minutes of screen time in "Atonement," but in "You Belong to Me," she gets to do many things and we are reminded - yet again - that not only is she one of our finest living actresses. There's a scene of her singing in a pub that I will not soon forget.

The film's young director, Anthony Byrne, traveled from Ireland to talk with the sold-out audiences at the Camelot Theater after the screenings. I asked him how he got the cast together. He said Redgrave came on board first then the rest of the cast came together. He also explained why the movie was dedicated to actress Joan O'Hara whose character dies of cancer early on in the film after she appears in several moving scenes with Atwell. Turns out that O'Hara was dying in real life during the filming and passed away before the final edit. It gives her scenes all the more poignancy because the lines she speaks could very well have been some of her own thoughts at the time.

**************************

Yeah. So? I sometimes cry at movies OK? But gawd, I almost did one of those blubber cries watching my fourth film of the day, "The Stone Angel," on Saturday night. Maybe it was the fatigue? Ellen Burstyn's death scene just blew me away. What an amazing actress, better than she's ever been. This is based on the well-known book, obviously, but I had never read it so it was all new to me. It was like "a Trip to Bountiful" in some ways but with the extensive flashbacks so well done that by the time the film meets up again to the current day, you are right there - understanding the characters and their tragic journeys.

Ellen Page has a small role as the girlfriend of one of Burstyn's sons. Also in the cast are Christine Home who so superbly plays Burtyn's role as a young woman, Cole Hauser, Kevin Zegers and Dylan Baker. Director Kari Skogland was there to introduce the film and it was clear what a labor of love this project was to all involved.

****************************

Being the shallow man that I am, I chose "You Belong to Me" based almost soley on this picture in the program alone! Can you blame me? So I settle in to watch it and this is the opening scene and you're thinking, 'This is gonna be smokin!' Not quite. They break up moments later and the jilted one decides to rent an apartment in the exes' building. So it seems like we got a gay stalking movie here, right? Cool. Forget it. Turns out it's the landlady who is the stalker and she is played with delicious glee by Patti D'Arbanville. She is so good because it is so veru gradually that we find out that she is nuts...and why. Even though this flick wasn't what I exected it to be, it was still enjoyable as a thriller.

***********************************

With a stellar ensemble cast that includes Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, Kevin Bacon, Emile Hirsch, Brendan Fraser, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Julie Delpy and Andy Garcia, "The Air I Breathe" seemed like a can't miss. But it was the most disappointing film of the festival for me, one that several people walked out of, and one that some audience members hissed at when it was over rather than applaud.

The film takes place in four loosely-conected segments that are supossed to represent the key emotions of life set out by a Chinese proverb: happiness, pleasure, sorrow and love. It's kind of a mess but the actors are not to blame with Whitaker and Gellar faring best in my mind and making the most of their roles. But there is so much relentless senseless violence throughout that it is hard to take and Garcia is just so over-the-top evil that I was tired of him after his first scene.

But I gotta say, this festival is amazing and it is no wonder that people come from all over to be a part of it.

Hey, those fancy dresses and tuxedos had to get some exposure over the weekend with the party of the year - the Golden Globes Awards - reduced to a half-hour press conference. But on Saturday night, plenty of big names including Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres (pictured above with Harrison Ford) were on hand for "Heaven: Celebrating 10 Years," an anniversary gala for The Art of Elysium, an organization that pairs artists with critically ill children for artistic workshops.
Ford's lady love Calista Flockhart was also there along with just about the entire cast of ABC's "Brothers & Sisters including the delectable Matthew Rhys. Pictured below is Sally Field with her youngest son, Sam. Sally had an enjoyable with Matt Lauer on NBC's Golden Globe special which was a two-hour "Dateline" of celebrity interviews with nominees since there was no awards telecast. Sally lost in the best actress in a television drama category to Glenn Close ("Damages") but hey, she's got three Emmys and two Oscars and a few Golden Globes of her own already.

The button on my tuxedo jacket had been hanging by a thread andfinally fell off just as I took my place along the red carpet last weekend at the Palm Springs International Film Festival awards gala.

To hide this fact I had my arms folded across my chest during most of my interviews.

This led to an unexpected bonding experience with Allison Janney, at the festival as part of casts of "Juno" and "Hairspray" which were both being honored. When Allison made her way over to me, she was feeling a bit chilled so she slipped her hands between my folded arms for warmth. It was so cute and we actually conducted the first part of our chat this way.

I knew that Allison had won four Emmys for "The West Wing" on which she played presidential press secretary C.J. Clegg for so many years. I wanted to know where she keeps all that Emmy hardware.

"Very recently, I had a shelf built above my new TV set so they're actually above the TV," she said. "They're look wonderful. Anyone who comes over my house to watch anything is reminded of them!"

Since "West Wing" ended its long, successful run in 2006, Allison has turned full-time to feature films which she had previously had to fit in during the series' hiatus when she had roles in "American Beauty," "The Ice Storm" and "Primary Colors," among other films. She stole every scene she was in as the conservative mother Prudy Pingleton in "Hairspray" and is currently shining in the current box office hit "Juno" in which she plays Brenda McGuff, the step-mother of a pregnant teen played by Ellen Page.

"It was kinda great to be able to play such extremes on the spectrum of motherhood," she said. "I love doing crazy comedy, I love going out on a limb and just going as far as I can. I also like being simple and real.These two I got really lucky with [director] Adam Shankman and [producer] Scott Whitman and [composer] Marc Shaiman who basically said, 'You're coming to Toronto to play his part in "Hairpray'" and I said 'OK.' And fortunately ['Juno' director] Jason Reitman was a fan of mine and he only had me in mind for the part and he offered it to me. So that was so lucky. A lot of other parts I'll read and I'll really want them and they go to someone else. I have just as many disappointments so I was really happy that these two
worked out."

But Allison's triumphs extend beyond television and film. In 1998, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge" and she will soon be hitting the stage in her first musical. She has been cast in Lily Tomlin's movie role in a Dolly Parton-penned musical version of "9 to 5" which opens up in LA in the fall.

"I'm gonna sing and dance. I've been on stage before but never in a musical so this is a new ballgame for me."

With so many career options right now, will, Allison ever come back to television on a regular basis?

"I miss the regular job," she admitted. "I really loved that, having a steady job. I probably would go back if the right thing came along. I just love acting."

My neck is killing me!

I went to see a Bulgarian film called "Investigation" after lunch with plans to watch the world premiere of the documentary "Hollywood Singing and Dancing" which started two hours later at the Regal Theater. "Investigation" was absorbing and I got into it but didn't realize it would cause me to be one of the last people to get a seat for "Singing and Dancing."

It took some getting used to, sitting in the front row, but it's a heckuva movie. So many classic scenes from musicals from the late 20s to the present day. Shirley Jones narrates and is among those interviewed along with such musical stars as Leslie Caron, Rita Moreno, Shirley MacLaine, Liza Minnelli, Debbie Reynolds, Ann Reinking, directors Robert Wise (a 1995 interivew), Bill Condon and Rob Marshall, producers Craig Zaden and Neil Meron and some film experts including Robert Osborne.

The interviews were good - especially Reynolds who was so engaging when discussing "Singin' in the Rain." The movie is directed by Mark McLaughlin and is just stuffed with wonderful musical numbers featuring Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Barbra Streisand, John Travolta, Julie Andrews and on and on. What a movie musical feast!!!

There was a time when Jason Bateman could barely get arrested in Hollywood. Then came the Emmy-winning "Arrested Development" which never was a ratings hit, but was widely acclaimed as one of the best shows on network television during its three-year run.

Since the show went off the air, Jason has been able to carve out a nice career in feature films with a terrific role in current hit "Juno" as well as roles in recent releases "The Kingdom" with Jamie Foxx and "Mr. Magorium's Magic Emporium" opporite Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman.

"I've been a real lucky guy to be able to do the things that I'm doing because I got real lucky getting cast on "Arrested Development," Jason told me when we chatted recently at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. "A lot people who are casting films watched that show and that's the lucky part of this business."

These films came on the heels of "Smokin' Aces" "The Ex" and "The Break-Up." Next up for Jason, who turns 39 on Monday, is the summer release "Hancock" in which stars with Will Smith and Charlize Theron.

"It's been great, it's been a lifeline," he said of the string of films. "It's nice that I've got another medium to try and earn a rent check from."

Jason has a family to support, after all. His wife, Amanda, is the daughter of singer Paul Anka and the couple have a 1-year-old daughter.

Even though he's a big movie star now, television has been very good to the actor. He won a Golden Globe Award for his performance as Michael Bluth in "Arrested Development" which was the pinnacle of a television career that began when he was 12 with a recurring role on "Little House on the Prairie" and including lengthy runs on the sitcoms "Silver Spoons" and "The Hogan Family." He also played a gay man in the short-lived CBS sitcom "Some of My Best Friends."

American Andy Roddick won the Kooyong Classic on Saturday which, hopefully, will give him some much-needed confidence as he goes after his first Australian Open next week.

After finishing as runner-up at the U.S. Open last September and rising to number three in the world, Serbian hottie Novak Djokovic is primed to win his first grand slam title. Will it happen in Melbourne?

Former number one Lleyton Hewitt puts more practice in...look at those beautiful baby blues...

I'm blogging poolside from La Dolce Vita Resort in Palm Springs where it is sunny and perfect. Paradise.

There are many movies on my agenda this weekend during the final days of the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Last night, I got into town just in time to see "Breakfast With Scot' which stars Ben Shenkman and my bigtime crush Tom Cavanaugh whose big blue eyes and sexy lips are made for the big screen. They play a couple whose lives are turned upside down when Shenkman's nephew comes to live with them. The kid makes Justin on "Ugly Betty" seem butch. And that's the point of the film. Cavanaugh's character is a closeted former NHL star-turned sportscaster whose internalized homophobia leads to him trying to make the boy (perfectly played by Noah Bennett) in to a hockey player instead of a jewelry and make-up wearing kid who favors colorful boas and singing Christmas songs in October.

This is a comedy and a good one. But it also has so much heart and it does such a wonderful job of addressing this whole issue of what to do with a sissy kid. Do you encourage the kid's true nature or try and make a man out of him? Cavanaugh's Sam thinks he's doing what's best but learns a lot of lessons - mostly about himself along the way.

Director Laurie Lynd appeared after the screening and told us that the film has had difficulty finding a distributor and is likely to go straight to DVD. I just hope it will be seen. How is so much absolute garbage distributed and a gem like this not is just a big mystery to me. It even had the blessing of the National Hockey League's Maple Leaves who allowed their team name etc. to be used in the movie.

Lynd said the film absolutely could not have worked without the performance of Bennett who beat out hundreds of kids for the role of the nephew. He is the heart of the film and the scenes he shares with Cavanaugh are enough to make a grown man cry.

Keep your eyes open for "Breakfast With Scot."

Did hell just freeze over? Did you see pigs fly?

Rosie O'Donnell confirmed to People mag that she has made up with former on-air foe Elisabeth Hasselbeck with whom she famously clashed on "The View." Rosie, who guested again on FX's "Nip/Tuck" this week, even bought a baby gift for the politically and socially conservative Elisabeth who has gotten on my last good nerve way too many times.

On her way into the premiere of "The Little Mermaid" on Broadway, Ro said of Elisabeth's 2-month-old son Taylor Thomas: "He's very, very cute. I saw him on TV, and I sent him a lovely gift, and [she and Hasselbeck] have been e-mailing each other. And peace prevails."

Elisabeth returned to "The View" this week, bringing the baby - her second - along with her.

Rosie gave the baby gift a lot of thought: "I sent something for him and something for his big sister [Grace, 2] because, as the mother of four, I know that when the newborn arrives, the most important thing is a sibling gift. For [Taylor], it was a lot of clothes, because babies spit up a lot. I go to Baby Gap. There is a standard newborn gift pack - as much as you can buy at the Gap without being arrested. And a learning gift, a soft shape sorter. And then for [Grace] who is older, I got a tea set that she loves."

Rosie revealed that the two - whose final on-air fight is the stuff of legend - have stayed in touch: "We e-mail back and forth," she said. "She seems good. She looks like she adopted, like she didn't give birth. She looks perfectly fit and gorgeous already."

I gotta say, I'm real glad Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Carson Daly, Jon Stewart etc. went back to work during the writers strike. Now poor Ellen DeGeneres won't have to be the only talk show host taking arrows for comtinuing to do her show and keep her staff employed.
Anywho, Ellen is also up to other stuff including an appearance on the NBC game show "Deal of No Deal" to air on Jan. 16. She joins the other 25 gorgeous gals as the first ever celebrity briefcase model.

A few more shots from players practicing Down Under for next week's Australian Open. Above is Lleyton Hewitt who was a finalist three years ago but has lost early in two warm-up tournaments in recent weeks. Below is the great Roger Federer who hasn't lost yet in 2008 because he hasn't yet played. Federer pulled out of his warm-up tourney with the flu but has resumed practice.

She looks terrific and is displaying more cleavage than usual. You go girl!!!

Sorry for the lack of fresh posts today. I had yo finish a few columns for the paper then drive to Palm Springs where I will be through Sunday watching all kinds of movies - including many LGBT films. I am leaving in a little while to see "Breakfast With Scot" which is the gay hockey flick that stars Tom Cavanaugh. I'll post a review tomorrow.
Since I'll be at the movies, I'll be missing tonight's original episode of "Ugly Betty" so will have to catch it tomorrow. Here is a preview clip:

Had a fun time in Westwood last night at the premiere of the new comedy "Mad Money" starring the great Diane Keaton with Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes. Decided to just be a guest and not work the red carpet but did see Tom Cruise dash across the street to pose for pics with fans rather than do interviews with his wife.

My friend Todd and I settled into our seats which were not too far from Ted Danson who played Keaton's husband in the movie. The comedy will hit theaters on Jan. 18 andnin it, Keaton, Latifah and Holmes play fellow Federal Reserve Bank cleaning crew members who team up to steal money that is due to be destroyed.

People seemed to love the movie. It was outlandish and silly, really, but elevated by the terrific performance of Keaton who really gives it all she's got and has some terrific moments.

Shuttles took us from the theater to UCLA's Royce Hall for the after-party where there was some killer food (lamb chops, paella, chicken) and where I spotted Keaton and Danson sitting in seperate VIP areas and spotted Cruise's cousin William Mapother in the crowd, among others. Didn't see Tom and Katie at the party...maybe they had to get home to baby Suri.

Tennis' first grand slam tournament of 2008, the Australian Open, begins on Monday. World number one and two-time defending champion Roger Federer is favored to win again, of course. But lotsa guys wanna beat him and they are willing to practice endlessly in the 100 degree-plus heat! Among them is American cutie Andy Roddick (above) who was smoked by Federer a year ago in the semis. Andy is overdue for a win against his nemesis.

Russian Marat Safin was number one in the world way back in 2001, the year after he won the U.S. Open. He's awfully erratic but also dangerous and is the last man to beat Federer in Australia - in the 2005 semifinals. Safin went on to win the title after losing in the final a year earlier.

And then, of course, there is the second-ranked Rafael Nadal, winner of the last three French Opens. He's a master of clay but vulnerable on other surfaces and he's been dealing with bad knees. I say we enjoy him while we can because he might get sent home packing pretty early.

The wonderful indie film, "Shelter," screens at the Palm Springs International Film Festival tonight. I'm not returning to the festival until tomorrow night but am happy to recommend this movie which hits theaters in March.

It is such an unbeatable combination of good script, terrific acting and wonderful directing. I think this is a movie we will remember for a long time. Here are some clips and a link to the movie's MYSPACE page.

Enjoy!!!

Hey, it's the winter months and even studly superstars like Matthew McConaughey have to come in from the surf every now and then. Here are some shots from the actor's recent photo shoot with Kate Hudson, his co-star in the upcoming comedy "Fools Gold." I saw the trailer last weekend and it looks fun enough. Their last pairing was in "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" which I liked quite a bit.

...the great pop-folk singer and political activist Joan Baez. One of my favorite songs - ever - is "Diamonds and Rust" and Joan's memoir "And a Voice to Sing With" is one of the better autobiographies written by a singer. It's been quite a life and at 67, she's still going strong.

Here is a link to the lyrics of "Diamonds and Rust" which was written by Baez...

One of my favorite new shows concludes tonight with the writer's strike depriving us of further adventures of these high schoolers living and loving and backstabbing in Manhattan...

I heard Hillary Clinton's New Hampshire victory speech on NPR while driving last night but just saw it for the first time on YouTube. So, I'm sharing it. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"I come to you wil a very full heart....I listened to you and in the process, I found my own voice. I felt like we all spoke from our hearts....Let's give America the kind of cpmeback that New Hampshire has given me. You helped remind everyone that politics isn't a game."

"This campaign is about people, about making a difference in their lives. About making sure that everyone in this country has the opportunity to his or her God-given potential. That has been the work of my life.

************************

There are pundits who think that Clinton's rare show of emotion yesterday (she got choked up a bit talking to some women voters) might have won her the primary. Others think the tears were calculated. Here is the clip and you can decide for yourself. And whatever you think, listen to what she is saying. It really says it all as far as I'm concerned:

Chace Crawford (here with a "Gossip Girl" co-star) didn't go shirtless for any old recent in the most recent episode of the hit CW show. It was all in service to the plot which had the kids on the show sneaking into the swimming pool at their high school late at night for an unauthorized swim party. Before things got ugly, we were treated to something beautiful: Chace!

I just got this letter from Mr. Blackwell's peeps which was the lead-in to his annual worst dress list which I posted yesterday. Here is his letter which has some of the catty remarks that we so love:

First I would like to thank my dear friend Florence Henderson, who has graciously agreed to fill in for me and read my list to the media on the set of her new program, "The Florence Henderson Show, this year as I am a little under the weather.

[GREG NOTE: Mrs. Brady delivering the worst dressed list just seems wrong. What kind of example is she setting for Jan who already has enough self-esteem issues?]

Now, Welcome to my annual merry-go-round of fashion follies-the Worst-Dressed Women List. This past year stands out as one of the most disastrous fashion years in recent memory-as well as being a particularly eye-popping moment in Tinsel-Town where several worst-dressed repeat offenders suffered collective meltdowns. There more melodrama surrounding the Spears clan, Lindsay, Paris and a host of other style-challenged starlets than a double feature of “Baby Jane” and “Valley of the Dolls.” Either it was a comedy of errors or a typhoon of terrors…you decide.

From JK Rowling outing Dumbledore to Marion Cotillard touting Edith Piaf, there were some memorable entertainment moments in these past 12 months. Streisand-in regal Diva Mode-took Europe by storm. Madonna managed to look great for an unprecedented length of time.
Elizabeth Taylor re-surfaced looking resplendent and ravishing. And that other Queen Elizabeth-as in Winsdor-even managed to update her Stonehenge of Style image. Yes, miracles can-and did-happen. Unfortunately, these magical moments were few and far between. We were left with a plethora of jaw-dropping fashion faux pas that took style to new lows…from gigantic white sunglasses perched on every trendy face this side of Siberia to Roman reject gladiator shoes that appeared like a fashion fungus on every streetcomer from Palm Beach to Palm Springs. Hopeless!!

Disappointments also abounded…from the usually beautiful Nicole Kidman who often buried herself in too much boring black to the elegant Gwyneth Paltrow in a decidedly unglamorous mood through much of 2007. Red carpet looks were, for the most part, unmemorable and old-hat. One longed for a Bjork or Cher to show up to liven up the ho-hum design proceedings with their usual fatal fashion flair.

Speaking of fatal fashion, look no further than this year's Worst-Dressed round-up, consisting of Ten Titans of Taste-Free Terrors. From pop Princesses to movie stars to “It” girls on their way “Out,” this catastrophic crop of couture clowns are truly tragic in the design department. Let it be said, however, that my criticisms are based purely on their fashion flaws-I'm sure they're all wonderful people beneath the deluge of dreck they drape themselves in.

Here's hoping for a beautiful 2008...and remember: dressing well really IS the best revenge!

Love Mr. Blackwell

Earlier post: Bitchy Mr. Blackwell's Worst Dressed List

Yeah, I like him better in his undies too! But you don't expect David Beckham to meet the prime minister of England wearing just a pair of skivvies do ya? While mean Mr. Blackwell might think his wife, Victoria Beckham, is the worst dressed woman alive but her soccer stud hubby is always turned out impeccably.

When I posted my personal endorsement of Hillary Clinton yesterday afternoon, it was with a bit of a heavy heart as polls had her trailing Barack Obama in the New Hampshire primary. I felt, like many, that an Obama victory there would give him momentum that would be very difficult to stop.

But something so wonderful happened: Clinton won! It is my deep hope that this win will make this campaign be about substance and competence and that we'll really get to see what both leading Democratic candidates are made of down the stretch. John Edwards is determined to hang in for the long run. I like him, I like his priorities. But I like Clinton best.

For the second straight year, Patrick Dempsey took home Favorite Male TV star honors at the People's Choice Awards on Tuesday night. Last year, he was so excited over his win and said in this speech: "Thank you for the second chance!" He was referring to what really has been two careers: as a very yoing star in such films as "Loverboy" (which I saw for the first time a few weeks ago - very cute) to his current superstar status as McDreamy on "Grey's Anatomy" to movie star ("Enchanted"). The dreamboat is also the new face of Versace and this photo is from a new ad campaign.

It was a year ago that backstage at The People's Choice Awards that Ellen DeGeneres talked about how she and partner Portia deRossi just "fit" together. It was so sweet and Portia was standing there at the door of the press room smiling as Ellen said it.

This year's ceremony was cancelled so I got a night off instead of being at the ceremony for the third straight year. At any rate, Ellen was among the winners again - and the only two-time winner I believe. She was voted favorite talk show host (how did Elisabeth Hasselbeck not win that one?) and also for favorite funny female star.

Congrats to Ellen!

Let's get it out of the way: still no kiss even though there was a perfect place for one in the scene. But I did think today's "As the World Turns" scenes between Luke and Noah were good and fairly realistic. Luke tells Noah he is resuming college and planning to live in the dorms. But Noah wants to get an off-campus apartment together: "I don't want to just be your roomate...I want us to have an apartment together, you know, a real life, be a couple."

When Noah steps away, Maddie's gay brother, Henry, slides into the booth at the restaurant to caution Luke against off-campus co-habitation: "Don't do it. Don't live with Noah, You're just so young, you're a freshman in college...it's the honeymoon before you're a real adult.. You don't want to miss out on the courtship part."

To see what Luke decides, check out this lengthy clip of today's scenes:

There’s no way that Emile Hirsch isn’t gonna get an Academy Award nomination for his out-of-this-world performance in the superb drama “Into the Wild.”
I watched the Sean Penn-directed movie Friday night then less than 24 hours later, found myself face-to-face with the talented young actor on the red carpet at the awards gala for the Palm Springs International Film Festival where he was honored for “breakthrough performance.”

As a recent college grad who leaves it all behind to live in the Alaskan wilderness, Emile’s character encountered a lot of people along the way played by the likes of Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener and Hal Holbrook, among others.

“What was great about it was I’d be going around and I’d be with all these different actors with different qualities and different things about them that were wonderful and I would get to experience all of those and try and learn from them,” he said. “[Keener] was terrific. You can never catch her acting. She’s just that effortless and puts that much understated feeling into it.”

But the co-star who clearly touched him most was Holbrook who has also been generated heavy Oscar buzz.
“It’s so incredible working with Hal,” the young actor said. “He would really be just be so honest and so kind of naked in his performance. It all seemed so effortless. Really that’s master acting. To get to be there with such a kind, gentle soul as he is was really special and also a relief for me on the shoot. For the seven months before that, I had been running from grizzly bears and climbing mountains. Finally getting to spend two weeks with Hal was really a joy.”

Emile was philosophical about various awards ceremonies, including the Globes, being effectively cancelled due to the writer’s strike: “I think it’s really hard. It’s hard on the Globes, it’s hard on the viewers, it’s hard on the people nominated, it’s hard for everybody. Unfortunately, it’s just part of the process that the Writers Guild and SAG are going through in order to get what they want. I support SAG and right now we support the Writers Guild so that’s the way it is.”

I used to really enjoy Mr. Blackwell's annual worst dressed list because his zingers were so funny. Now, I think the whole thing is so tired and irrelevant what with all the "In Touch" and "Star" rags doing the same thing every week.

But what the heck. I'm posting the thing anyway:

10.) Alison Arngrim: "Little Nellie of the prairie, looks like a 1940's fashion editor for the Farmers Almanac."

9.) Lindsay Lohan: "Lindsay the fashion frenzy strikes again! Lohan takes fashion to a new low."

8.) Jessica Simpson: "Forget the Cowboys. In prom queen screams, can it get any worse? She's a global fashion curse!"

7.) Avril Lavigne: "Gothic make-up courtesy the mad spatula-Fashions provided by.. The house of Dracula!"

6.) Eva Green: "Stuck in neon nightmares not fit for the sane. Fashion this loud could give Bond a migraine! A profusion of confusion from toes to nose!"

5.) Kelly Clarkson: "Her heavenly voice soars above the rest... but those belly-baring bombs are hellish at best! She may be the queen of 'Pro-Active' - but that wardrobe looks downright radioactive!"

4.) Fergie: "Another style-free 'Fergie' in fashion's hall of shame? Yes, when it comes to couture chaos, guess it's all in a name!"

3.) Mary Kate Olsen: "YIKES! In layers of cut-rate kitsch, Mary Kate's look is hard to explain... she resembles a tattered toothpick-trapped in a hurricane!"

2.) Amy Winehouse: "Exploding beehives above...tacky polka-dots below... she's part 50's car-hop horror."

1.) Victoria Beckham: "Forget the fashion spice - wearing a skirt would suffice! In one skinny-mini monstrosity after another, pouty posh can really wreck-em."