February 2008 Archives
The week began on such a high with all the Oscar hoopla and ended quite emotionally with layoffs in my newsrooms and having to abruptly say goodbye to 22 people. So, I want to make my final post of the day a collection of happy memories from the Academy Awards. Here are most of the other Oscar-related posts from this week in case ya missed some of them:
-- On the Red Carpet at the Academy Awards
-- Academy Awards: Backstage Moments with the winners...
-- Academy Awards: Inside the Governors Ball
-- Scott Rudin ends Oscar telecast on a queer note...
-- Academy Awards: Greg's Red Carpet Snaps...
-- Red Carpet Slight of Hand...
-- Chatting up Donny Osmond on Oscar's red carpet...
...for being so adorable during his visit to Korea and for brightening my day with his good looks and happy aura...
Caught "Lipstick Jungle" last night and each week, I get more and more hooked. Brooke Shields' character is getting more hard-assed which I like. She's showing a bitchy and controlling side. Other thoughts: Andrew McCarthy's character has some kind of accent that I can't really figure out. What is he going for there?
The Kim Raver character is the most interesting with the young lover and her boring hubby who, I think, is sleeping with one of his students! But we know the best part of her storyline involves the young dude played by Robert Buckley (left). I think it's insane that he is suing her for sexual harassment one minute - which threatens her marriage and career - and by episode's end, she's getting ready to hook up with him again. I mean, he's mega-hot, but there are some things that are tough to overlook!
Well, he did drop the lawsuit!
Blogging today has been a bit difficult because it's being done through tears as our newsroom says goodbye to 22 employees - some of them very good friends of mine and all like family.
It is heartbreaking.
We have people who have been here decades who are moving on, some just a year and so and most in between. All good people. Our newsroom and others across this country are weathering severe cuts and try to find a way to survive as we transition more and more to online product.
Some people are sucn troopers with one guy determined to finish his story before he packs up and most people actually trying to comfort those left behind. This is the best place I've ever worked, the place where I finally felt free to be myself, to express myself and where it really feels like home.
So every co-worker who walks out that door, it feels like you are saying goodbye to a family member.
John Stamos has been widely photographed during his vacation in Hawaii. I wonder if his fans, who fell in love with him as Blackie on "General Hospital" in the early 80s, knew he'd still be as big a star and as hot as ever all these years later.
...and why shouldn't he? Larry Craig deserves to be made fun of now and forever. The only way I'd stop making fun of Larry "I've never been gay" Craig is if he ever decides to become an authentic human being. Anyway, here is a spoof Letterman did last night on Craig's efforts to hire new interns...
Enjoy!
This is Justin Timberlake, in character, for the upcoming film "The Love Guru" starring Mike Meyers. Justin plays an athlete who steals a hockey player's wife.
Unless Hilary Clinton pulls off a couple of big wions on Tuesday, Barack Obama is going to be the Democratic nominee for president. I am a Clinton supporter and feel she is better qualified but I am not anti-Obama. I am further encouraged by this letter he has written to the LGBT people in this country:
I'm running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding promise of equality for all – a promise that extends to our gay brothers and sisters. It's wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-class citizens in this nation. And I ask for your support in this election so that together we can bring about real change for all LGBT Americans.
I confess, Janet Jackson has always pretty much left me cold. Well, I liked her when she was Penny on "Good Times" but other than that, the only thong I've liked was that song "Again" that she wrote for "Poetic Justice."
Anyway, she did an interview with The Advocate and I wanted to share with you a few highlights:
Q. In April the GLAAD Media Awards will honor you for your contributions to the LGBT community. What have you done for us lately?
A. I’ve always loved the gay community, and I think they know that. I’m always involved in projects concerning AIDS, and I’ve just always tried to make myself available. We all have a job in this world, and I think that my job that God has given me is to help people. I don’t think I do enough. I want to do a lot more.
Q. Do you think gay celebrities have a certain responsibility to the community to be open about their sexuality?
A. I think every little bit obviously makes it easier for those coming up, just the way it does in the music industry; Diana [Ross] held the door open long enough and wide enough for me to come through. It would be nice for it to happen, but at the same time, I don’t think they should be forced. Everybody has their own timing that’s right for them for whatever reason.
Q. Have you ever advised a closeted celeb to come out?
A. No, I never have. But if I did see that, I would, because I think it would make their lives a lot simpler. But they still have to do it at their own pace.
To read the entire piece, go to Advocate.com
Bravo to Ellen DeGeneres for speaking out on her talk show with such clarity and heart about the murder of Oxnard teenager Lawrence King who was shot in the head by another student in class.
Here is part of what she said: "Somewhere along the line, the killer, Brandon, got the message that it's so threatening and so awful and so horrific that Larry would want to be his valentine that killing Larry seemed to be the right thing to do. When the message out there is so horrible that to be gay you can get killed for it, we need tro change the message."
Ellen also said: "Larry was not a second class citizen. I am not a second class citizen. It is OK if you're gay."
Her comments will air tomorrow (Friday) at the start of her show...
Here is a link to the video via TMZ.com
...the glorious Bernadette Peters!!!
Why we love her? Anyone who has ever seen her in concert or on the Broadway stage knows that she is one of the great divas of her time. A two-time Tony winner, her stage triumphs have included "Annie Get Your Gun," "Sunday in the Park With George," "Song and Dance," "Into the Woods" and "Gypsy" (I love her Mama Rose and think it ranks right up there with Merman's).
Happy birthday and best wishes to this great talent...
...and who better than to brighten it than David Beckham. The man just melts me...
The dreaded f-bomb was hurled in today's episode by a couple jerks who attack our favorite couple Luke and Noah. They also try and drive off with Ameera but, unfortunately, are unsuccessful. (Oh gee, did I really write that?)
Anyway, watch for yourselves and enjoy the tender scene in the truck between Luke and Noah (and a jealous Ameera looking on) before things take a violent turn.
Sorry about the lack of posts today everybody. We have had technical difficulties all damned day - the same day as our newsroom is dealing with buyouts and layoffs etc. So, not the best day at The Daily News. But hey, back to the business of blogging. I wanted to pop off a little bit about this whole business of Whoopi Goldberg being left out of a montage of past Oscar hosts on Sunday's telecast.
Whoopi is the first woman to ever host the Oscars and did so FOUR times. Then there is the fact that she is the only black woman to ever host, is an Oscar winner ("Ghost") and was nominated for best actress for her first film "The Color Purple." To not include such a historic figure is really an insult.
Whoopi grew emotional about it on Monday's "The View" when her fellow co-hosts expressed their outrage and support for her. She got up from her desk and gave each woman a kiss on the cheek. She told E! News:
"It moved me that they took time out to talk about it. Colleagues don't usually do that. I was moved. It was a big step for them. They could have ignored it."
Whoopi said she has never before been so emotional on television.
"I tried at first to laugh it off," she said. "They overwhelmed me, and that's the truth. And I didn't know how to deal with it. That is why I had to get up. I was thinking, 'I am not going to let this tear roll down my face.' I got up and kissed everyone to say, 'Thank you and stop!' It was just a lovely gesture on their part."
The next day, Whoopi said she had gotten a call from the ceremony's longtime producer, Gil Cates who she quoted as saying: "'I would have called you Monday but I hadn't slept.' He said, 'Listen, I missed it. I didn't realize it wasn't in there.' ... I love Gil. He was the one who came to me and said, 'I want to put you in as first female host of the Oscars, let's make history.' "
Ya know how "Star Wars" fans get whenever a new installment is coming out? I think I'm that kinda excited about the "Sex and the City" movie hitting theaters in May. I realized the depth of my fandom just now as I watched the trailer and felt my adrenaline pumping.
Of course, my favorite line in the trailer belongs to Samantha: "You know me, I don't really believe in marriage. But Botox, that works every time."
It does not suck to be Matthew McConaughey these days. "Fools Gold," his newish flick with Kate Hudson, is a smash, he is awaiting the birth of his first child, and now the stud-muffin has been named the number one pick for hottest (male) chest by In Touch Weekly. The mag is an absolute rag but I'll go with this item because, well, the photo possibilities are delightful.
The rest of the top five include three other Out In Hollywood faves: David Beckham, Hugh Jackman and Andy Baldwin. Jesse Metcalfe is also in the top five but he just doesn't send me - the eyebrows are just too damned tidy.
So Ben Affleck is talking a little bit about the hilarious parody video he made with Jimmy Kimmel in response to Matt Damon and Sarah Silverman. Apparently a the secret bathtub scene that got cut.
"I remember seeing Matt's [video] and thinking to myself, 'Oh, it would be funny to do one with me and Jimmy.'" Ben told EW.com. "They called and immediately I was like, 'Yes, it should be this idea ...,' and they had the same idea more or less already. I have a lot of respect for the group over there – they're really good comedians – so I just committed to it."
Ben, whose directorial debut "Gone Baby Gone" got raves, says the singing was more difficult than wearing a pair of short shorts (he sure looked good in 'em!).
"You couldn't really do it half-speed," he said. "You had to be painting toes and blow-drying hair. At one point we were going to take a bath together, but the bubbles couldn't get high enough, so that ended up getting scrapped."
When it comes to the Luke and Noah storyline, this show can be maddening. And yet, it is often saved by its actors . On the way to the prison to visit his killer father (this is just insane!), Noah tells annoying third wheel Ameera: "Luke is one of the bravest people you'll ever meet" and "Luke is the first guy I ever had feelings for." These remarks were made as the three were in the truck driving and Ameera was asking about their coming out process etc.
I like this part enough to put up with the rest. Noah swerves to avoid something, the axel breaks and they are stranded. Previews show them getting beaten up by some guys. Uh boy. Anyway, here are today;s scenes:
No, I can't get enougn of this guy, OK? So sue me. Yesterday, I was dazzled by David Beckham's dazzling smile as he arrived at the airport in South Korea. Today, at a Seoul press conference, he appears to be playing things a bit coy...Either way, sexy, sexy, sexy!!!
Gorgeous Josh Lucas posed for me on the red carpet of the Oscars on Sunday where he came to support the nominated documentary "Operation Homecoming" which he helped to narrate. So, naturally I asked him what he is doing next and here is our exchange:
Greg: What's coming up next for you?
Josh: I have a movie later on in the year that's just finished with Jennifer Aniston and Woody Harrelson and Steve Zahn called "Management." I play a porn star.
Greg: Oooooh! Is it gonna be all you? (I was thinking of how Mark Wahlberg was "enhanced" in "Boogie Nights")
Josh: (laughs) It's all me man.
Aside from being a jackass to an 11-year-old reporter for Starz Life, Gary Busey actually had a point when he finally got around to answering the question on what advice he might have for these celebutants who keep getting in trouble. He called Paris Hilton out for reverting to her vapid self after all of her proclamations last year about devoting herself to charity or whatever after her "traumatic" incarceration.
Still, he's kinda scary ain't he?
Forget about him being cute as a button, David Archuleta is the real deal as he proved once again on "American Idol" last night. His version of John Lennon's "Imagine" was so good that I'm gonna have to buy it on iTunes. Here's what judge Paula Abdul said to him after: "David, you are ridiculous. I wanted to squish you, squeeze your head off, and dangle you from my rear-view mirror. You are, no, honest to god, that is one of the most beautiful songs ever written, and one of the most moving performances I've ever heard."
I totally agree!
here! TV, which touts itself as "America's premium gay television network" (I wonder how LOGO feels about that!) has announced 40 hours of original programming for Spring The sexiest news - and we all know that's what we care about most - is the TV premiere on April 18 of the fab film "Shelter." Set against the San Pedro surfing scene, the film focuses on the coming out of a young man (Trevor Wright), and the budding relationship with his best friend’s older brother played by Brad Rowe of "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss" fame.
I'm really excited about seeing "Kiss Me Deadly" starring Robert Gant and Shannen Doherty (I'm excited about Gant...Shannen just seems so crazy, ya know?). Anyway, here is the rundown:
MARCH 7: "11th Annual Ribbon of Hope Celebration" - Hosted by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and honoring programming excellence and commitment to HIV/AIDS awareness, education and prevention. Some of the shows being honored include TLC’s "Ashley Judd & YouthAIDS," "Girl, Positive" from Lifetime, HBO’s "Life Support," and Showtime’s "3 Needles." Featured presenters include Judith Light, Bruce Vilanch, Jasmine Guy, and Dee Wallace, among others.
March 14: "The Ben and Dave Show" (Series Premiere) - A funny and irreverent topical talk show that dishes on topics from posting personal ads on Craigslist to the mystery of Ann Coulter.
March 21: "Cover Guy" (Network Premiere). A reality competition in which men from all over the country vie for a chance to win cash, modeling contracts, and of course, the coveted spot on the cover of various gay men's magazines
March 28: "Sexplorations" (Season Premiere), the hit series returns with weekly profiles of the world’s most unique and exotic sexual beings.
March 28: "Jason Stuart::Making It in the Middle" (World Premiere) - From actor-comedian Jason Stuart comes a docu-style look at is comedy tour through the middle of the country
April 11: "Paradise Falls" (Season Premiere) - An adult soap opera (in the spirit of "Desperate Housewives" says the network) now in its 3rd season. The show focuses on the lives and relationships of 10 principal characters in a small coastal town.
April 11: "Looking for Cheyenne," a French filmmaker Valérie Minetto’s touching lesbian romance which the LA Times recently called “a highly venturesome and effective film.”
May 2: "Kiss Me Deadly" (World Premiere) - Stars Robert Gant (Queer as Folk) and Shannen Doherty (Beverly Hills, 90210), the first of three featuring a gay action hero (
May 9: "House of Usher" (World Premiere) - Based on the legendary Edgar Allan Poe tale, this is a gothic horror film with a twist, brought to the screen by cult filmmaker David DeCoteau.
May 30: "Nina’s Heavenly Delights" (Network Premiere)- A lesbian comedy from Indian award-winning filmmaker Pratibha Parmar (the Frameline Award at the San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival) that combines Scottish humor with Bollywood spectacle
He might not be (bleeping) Ben Affleck, but talk show host Jimmy Kimmel is pretty fond of the handsome movie star-director.
In case you've been living under a rock - and I don't think any readers of this blog are - Jimmy memorably declared "I'm (bleeping) Ben Affleck" in a music video Sunday night that Ben agreed to appear in - in an extremely tight shirt!
"Ben could not have been more sporting," Jimmy told PEOPLE of his video costar. (The song was designed as a retaliation against Kimmel's girlfriend Sarah Silverman for her clip, "I'm (bleeping) Matt Damon.) "He told us, 'Listen, if we’re going to do this, we’ve got to do it right. I don’t want you guys to worry about my image.' "
In the video, Ben and Jimmy declare their love while backed by an A-list gospel choir including Cameron Diaz, Robin Williams, Ashlee Simpson and Don Cheadle. There are also non-singing cameos by Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford, who blows the new couple a kiss before driving off in his convertible – revealing a "Honk if you're f---ing Ben Affleck" bumper sticker.
"That was his real car," Kimmel says of Ford. "He's still got that [sticker] on there!"
So what did Silverman think of the new song? "I suspected Jimmy was on the down low for a long time now," she deadpanned to the New York Daily News. "I wish I could say I was surprised by this."
Here is a LINK to the video...
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliff got a lot more than he expected when he took the stage at a London awards ceremony...Take a look!
Well, ya learn something new each year at the Academy Awards. I was stationed in the red carpet bleacher seats near the entrance to the Kodak Theatre and not only had a birds-eye view of the stars, but also of some of the behind-the-scenes goings-on.
The bleachers where me and dozens of other media folks were assigned had several empty rows near the top. So a few hours before showtime, “bleacher fillers” are brought in to fill in the gaps and to ensure that the stands look nice and full on television.
But here’s my real discovery: red carpet fillers!
I had no idea! I looked over to the entrance near my bleacher spot and there was a long line of women in evening gowns and men in tuxedos. I thought they were waiting to attend the Oscar show but then overheard one of the Academy officials say to them, “Look like you’re having a good time!” as the group began to walk the red carpet counter-clockwise to the stars.
At one point, the bleacher fillers were yelling out to the red carpet fillers who waved and posed for a picture. Then I stated noticing some of them walking by two, three and four times.
Hollywood really is all smoke and mirrors!
...the legendary actress and activist is still going strong and that is a good thing for us all. With HIV-AIDS still a major problem here and everywhere despite advances in treatment, Dame Elizabeth continues to fight the good fight and raise millions for research and care as she has done for 25 years. The photo at right is from mid-December when Elizabeth took to the stage for the first time since the early 80s for a benefit performance of "Love Letters" with James Earl Jones.
She's had an epic life with seven husbands (including Richard Burton twice), four children, many grandchildren, two best actress Oscars, a humanitarian Oscar, and has been named a Dame of the British Empire, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Kennedy Center Honors and the AFI Award.
Then there are those 50-plus movies including such classics as "Giant," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" "A Place in the Sun," "Raintree County," "National Velvet," "Father of the Bride," "Suddenly Last Summer," and my fave "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (that's her with gorgeous leading man Paul Newman, above).
And she's always been a friend of gays dating back to her youth and her close friendship with Montgomery Clift as well as with her "Giant" co-stars Rock Hudson and James Dean. She also had a life-long friendship with Roddy McDowell who she met on one of her first films, "Lassie Coime Home."
There really ain't nothing like this Dame...
Donny Osmond may still have that famously boyish face and toothy smile, but he is a showbiz veteran who has mastered the art of reinvention.
The one-time teen idol and TV variety show star turned Broadway headliner turned game show host is now a regular presence on the syndicated show “The Insider” and it’s companion program “Entertainment Tonight.”
This is why Donny found himself attending his very first Academy Awards this week and he brought along his equally youthful wife, Debra Osmond, with whom he will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary on May 8.
“I just want everybody to see my wife,” Donny said of the mother of his five sons. “She’s wearing a dress that will knock your eye out.”
So how did the voice behind such hits as “Puppy Love,” “One Bad Apple” and “Soldier of Love” end up in a tuxedo interviewing celebrities? “I started this relationship with “ET” and “Insider” when (sister) Marie (Osmond) was doing “Dancing With the Stars” and I was their special correspondent,” Donny said during our pre-show chat in the middle of the red carpet. “I had so much fun doing it because it’s a whole other side of the business. Then they asked me to be a special correspondent for ‘American Idol’ and I said, ‘Why not?’”
The program happens to have a void in its hosting ranks with regular co-host Pat O’Brien in rehab for the second time. I didn’t ask Donny about Pat on such a big day which he clearly was enjoying.
“The timing works perfectly because the family starts a tour at the end of May and ‘Idol’ finishes at the end of May so it couldn’t be better,” he said of his new TV gig. “It’s great because they allow me to promote whatever I want to promote! (laughs).”
After the Osmond family tour, it will be time to hit Las Vegas with sister Marie who proved so popular on “Dancing” that she has inked a deal for her own daily talk show next fall.
“I think this Vegas thing is gonna be interesting,” Donny said. “As a matter of fact, it’s already sold out at the MGM and we’re just about to announce some very interesting news about a long-term engagement there.”
Can I break that news?
“Nope!” Donny said. “‘Insider’ gets it!”
With stardom that began in the 60s with regular appearances on “The Andy Williams Show,” I wondered what the 50-year-old Donny’s secret to career longevity is: “You know, you keep pinching yourself because you never really know what’s going to happen in your career,” he said. “There have been so many ups and downs in 45 years of show business. You just have to hang in there because it is a roller coaster ride.”
I gotta say, this was the most fun that I've ever had at the Academy Awards. It was just one of those years that was filled with good vibes. good interviews and a lot of excitement. It's days like this that make me so grateful for what I do and to be able to have the opportunities to have a front row seat to some of these big Hollywood events. I am so not over it! I wanted to share with you some of the snapshots I took while on the red carpet. Some aren't the best because I was juggling a tape recorder, cell phone and camera kinda all at once.
I wanted to post Marion Cotillard's acceptance speech after she won the best actress Oscar for "La Vie en Rose" because it is just so sweet and sincere and from the heart. I'll never forget when several years back, Jennifer Connelly walked up with this piece of paper and read all these names with all the enthusiasm of someone reading a term paper in front of the class.
Marion was absolutely lovely in every way and i could not help but think about the first time I met her, on the red c arpet at the Los Angeles Film Festival Awards and I had never heard of her or her film. But the next month, when she got a Golden Globe nomination, we had a nice conversation when she called from Paris and she was thoroughly enchanting...
Here's the deal: I don't have any use for ABC's "Cashmere Mafia" but I am getting pretty addicted to NBC's "Lipstick Jungle." As far as "Sex and the City" wannabes go, neither show comes close but "Lipstick" is the more entertaining of the two. And, who am I kidding? The hunky Robert Buckley having a shirtless scene in just about every episode so far. The good news is that NBC has ordered six more episodes of the show which brings its first season total to 13. Let's hope ratings are good enough toi warrant a second season. I love the leading ladies Brooke Shields, Kim Raver and Lyndsey Price and I love, love, love Andrew McCarthy's quirky billionaire character. He's still awfully cute after all these years...
...I know, I know, he's fully clothed. But dontcha just love this picture of David Beckham snapped earlier today?
Jon McLaughlin!!! I was watching him sing on the monitor from the press room and was just swooning and made a mental note to find out who this utter hearthrob with such a great voice is. He performed one of the three nominated songs from "Enchanted." The OhLaLa blog, which does not miss a thing, posted these pics of McLaughlin today, much to my utter delight!
A few years ago, I saw Gary Busey on the red carpet at the Academy Awards and he was pleased to not have to remind me that he had once been nominated for an Academy Award for "The Buddy Holly Story." Since then, he hit his head in a motorcycle accident (without a helmet) and now seems no longer capable of controlling himself at the Oscars. In the video above, he interrupts Ryan Seacrest's interview with Jennifer Garner and Laura Linney and flusters (and probably grossed out) Garner a bit when he kissed her on the neck! It looks like he later tried to kiss Seascrest too.
I wonder if he's going to be banned from the red carpet next year.