Happy birthday to...

...Glenn Close, an amazingly youthful 61 years old today! The Emmy winner and three-time Tony Award recipient has poven her talent in stage ("Sunset Boulevard"), on television ("Damages," "The Shield") and in a series of feature films that have earned her five Oscar nominations ("Fatal Attraction," "101 Dalmations," "The Big Chill")

But we love her even more for her many queer-related projects like her Emmy-winning role as a lesbian forced out of the military on "Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story," her oh-so moving performance as the mother of a gay son with AIDS in the Christopher Reeve-directed "In the Gloaming" (remember when she asked her son if he'd known love?), her hilarious guest spot as a bisexual photographer on an episode of "Will & Grace."

Then there are so many of my other Glenn faves like "The Lion in Winter," "The Paper" (best line to Michael Keatron: You are so f****n fired!), and a very uinderated performance in the flop remake of "Stepford Wives.") She was absolutely insane in that flick...rent it and see.

I interviewed Glenn for a magazine piece a few years back when she took on the role on "The Shield." She had missed my call at the appointed hour and finally got back to me sometime later. She apologized then said, "Do you want to call me back?"

I repliied: "No, I'm good. We can talk now."

Glenn: "Well, shouldn't this be on your dime?"

Wow! Tardy AND frugal.

That's probably not a very nice story to share on the woman's birthday but heck, the first three graphs are so full of suck-up I just had to balance it out!