December 2008 Archives
This past year has been a dream come true for a gay kid who used to just pour over Rona Barrett's magazines the second they came out. It's been so much fun to interview such a diverse list of celebs this year from showbiz legends to new discoveries and everything in between. I'm sure there is a massive game of "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" that could be played with all of the people I've interviewed in 2009. Here is a user-friendly list to allow you to revisit some of those people. Just click on the name and enjoy!
Florence Henderson (pictured w/me)
David Duchovny, Tommy Tune and Carol Channing, Joey Fatone, TR Knight, Cameron Mathison, Joey Lawrence, Elizabeth Pena, Jean Smart, Patrick Duffy, Ross Mathews, Sharon Stone, Robert Gant, Tom Ford, Rufus Wainwright, Leslie Jordan, Christopher Gorham, Billy Baldwin, Luke Macfarlane and Matthew Rhys, Janet Jackson, Lee Pace, Brandon Routh, Jason Alexander, Neil Patrick Harris, David Spade, Ron Livingston, Julie Newmar, Lucie Arnaz, Rosie Perez, Joely Fisher, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Martina Navratilova, Sean Faris, Jared Leto, Brad Rowe, Tatum Channing, Ryan Phillippe, Steve Guttenberg, Donny Osmond, Audra McDonald, George Takei, Ruby Dee,Anthony Hopkins, Lorraine Bracco, Debra Messing, Kristen Chenoweth, Jon Hamm and Ricki Lake...
Since tonight is New Year's Eve, it's a good time to start thinking about our resolutions for 2009. I want to go green and drink fewer sodas, for starters. Since I'm making resolutions for myself, I thought I'd also help those in the show-biz community out and start a list for them:
** As the awards season kicks off next week with the Critics Choice Awards followed a few days later by the Golden Globes, can the interviewers on the red carpet do a little basic research and get past the Joan Rivers "Who are you wearing?" schtick. It is tired and turns the whole thing into a big advertisement for designers and jewel makers etc. It feels like I'm watching Home Shopping Network!
I loved what happened last year when someone asked Julie Christie whose pants she was wearing at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Christie's curt reply: "They're mine."
** Speaking of awards, it would be such a thrill to see Meryl Streep, so superb in "Doubt," finally win a long overdue third Academy Award. When she won the supporting actress Oscar in 1980 for "Kramer vs. Kramer" followed by a best actress win just three years later for "Sophie's Choice," Streep seemed destined to win several more. But it has not happened despite a record 14 nominations overall.
I just do not for one minute believe that Gwyneth Paltrow was better in "Shakespeare in Love" than Streep was the same year in "One True Thing." I also believe she should have won for "The Bridges of Madison County" although Susan Sarandon was a worthy winner for "Dead Man Walking."
** It might take a miracle but I wish for resolution between the Screen Actors Guild - working without a new contract since last June - and the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
SAG, understandably, does not want to be screwed out of residuals for web programming the way they were on DVD profits in the past. But the stalemate and threats of a strike are hurting everyone and bitterly dividing the often fractious guild even deeper. It's no sure thing that SAG would have enough support among its won members to go on strike (a vote will take place in January) so I do hope a plan B is ready to go.
** Somehow, the wonderful but tragically unseen "12 Miles of Bad Road" rises from the dead after being cancelled by HBO before it aired a single episode. I've watched all of the episodes produced and believe me, with a cast that includes Lily Tomlin, Gary Cole, Mary Kay Place and Leslie Jordan, this show is a hoot and deserves to be aired.
I'm not sure what the business implications are but I'd like to see this show, created by the gifted writer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason ("Designing Women"), picked up by a cable channel like Lifetime or Oxygen, released on DVD or even streamed over the Internet. With all the garbage reality shows on TV, it's criminal that such a quality shown has not been seen.
** Those tacky weekly magazines we can't help but leaf through at the supermarket need to let Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie move on with their lives!
With Britney Spears now walking the straight and narrow and Lindsay Lohan mostly out of trouble, I realize there may be a dearth of sure-fire best-selling covers out there but c'mon! Most of the stuff is clearly untrue or blown way out of proportion.
I also have no use for the over-exposed and underwhelming Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag who would go to the opening of an envelope if cameras were there. Santa, even their good deeds like serving food to the needy seem like a shameless publicity stunt.
** And finally, even though the 2009 Emmy Awards are more than eight months away, the parties involved clearly need to get a head start on finding: a suitable host for the show honoring television's best.
Things were bad enough when Ryan Seacrest was solo host in 2007 but were made five times worse when last fall he was joined by reality show hosts Heidi Klum, Jeff Probst, Howie Mandel and Tom Bergeron. The quintet did not rehearse a thing which was obvious when they laid the biggest egg since the one Jonathan Winters emerged from on "Mork & Mindy" all those years ago.
Attention TV Academy: Try something radical and book a host with talent and charm like the Oscars have done with Hugh Jackman. I have some suggestions: the wildly popular Ellen DeGeneres if she'd do it or the very smart and funny Jon Stewart, Bill Maher or Joy Behar.
My favorite part of this is Kathy dissing on Lou Dobbs. Kathy and Anderson are such a great team! They should have their own morning show. Too bad they have such kick-ass day jobs...
Here is more of last night's Griffin-fest. She was also on with Larry King...
Male star of 2008: Neil Patrick Harris
This is an easy choice. This immensly takented man who nabbed his second consecutive Emmy nomination for his performance as Barney on the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother." But that's not all. The proudly gay actor also reprised his role as a fictionalized version of himself in the sequel "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantamano Bay" and was a revelation in the web series "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" now available on DVD through Amazon.com, I like Neil best as himself whether he's guest hosting on "Live With Regis and Kelly" or announcing the Emmy nominations with Kristen Chenoweth. He makes it all fun. All that AND he's got a talented and very handsome boyfriend named David Burtka.
Runner up: Chad Allen also had a stellar year with the stage plays "The Little Dog Laughed" and "Looped," two stellar Donald Strachey movies on the here! TV channel, the long-awaited release of the well-done feature film "Save Me" (Chad also was a producer) and finally, Chad also did a well-recieved three episode arc on the summer series "General Hospital: Night Shift" as a patient who falls for a handsome doctor played by Adam Grimes.
Busy Chad also found time to speak out against Prop. 8 and even manned the phones for the campaign. Great guy.
Female star 2008: Ellen DeGeneres The wonderful Ellen had another memorable year of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and won her fifth consecutive Emmy for outstanding talk show host. Ellen also used her show, in her low-key way, to speak out against Proposition 8. She personalized the issue when she married Portia de Rossi in the summer making the cover of People magazine.
The world's most famous and popular lesbian comic (sorry Rosie) also hosted "Ellen's Even Bigger Really Big Show" on TBS. When it was my turn to ask some questions during a conference call Ellen had to promote the variety special, I mentioned that she sounded a little more subdued than usual and wondered if the election had taken a toll.
"I feel good, I feel really good," she insisted. "I think the next day (after the election) a lot of people felt energized about Obama and excited for that then there was that big, loud voice saying, 'You are not equal to us' and that feels bad - really, really bad. A loud voice saying, 'You don't deserve the same rights.' So it took a little bit of air out of me from the night before.
Straight star of the year: Brad Pitt:Who would have thought that Brad Pitt would have done more to try and defeat Prop. 8 than Rosie O'Donnell and most other celebrities - straight or gay. He donated $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign and spoke out against it in interviews.
This makes it all the more sweet that Brad had such an amazing year as he and Angelina Jolie added newborn twins to their brood and Brad gave a pair of first-rate performances: he was an absolute riot in "Burn After Reading" playing a dumb blackmailer then topped that with a career role in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." He's up for a Golden Globe and SAG Award and will likely nab the second Oscar nomination of his career.
I'm usually running around somewhere in either Palm Springs or West Hollywood on New Year's Eve but if I were at home tomorrow night, I'd have the TV on CNN watching the fun team of Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin. The D-Lister adores the Silver Fox and plays off him well. Above is a clip from last year's show followed by two more after the jump.
President George W. Bush, who has just three weeks left in office, finally did something for gay and lesbians in the United States. The president who supported Don't Ask, Don't Tell and who vetoed the Matthew Shepard hate crimes bill, signed the Worker, Retiree and Employer Recovery Act of 2008 (WRERA) two days before Christmas.
This has not been widely reported and I found it on The Minnesota Independent website via Queerty. The new law makes it mandatory for businesses to roll over retirement benefits to a same-sex partner in the event of the employee's death.
The Independent writes that "previously, employers could decline and surviving same-sex partners would have to pay tax on the inheritance of the deceased partner's retirement savings. Legally married heterosexual couples automatically avoid that tax penalty."
Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.hailed the move. "This legislation secures much-needed protection for lesbian and gay couples. Our community faces unique challenges in preparing for retirement because we are denied Social Security spousal and survivor benefits. Protecting our hard-earned retirement savings is even more crucial to us, and until now, the tax code made it that much harder."
WORD IS OUT: STORIES OF SOME OF OUR LIVES: A restored version of this landmark movie was screened at Outfest in LA over the summer and was the most moving theatrical experience I had all year. It will be released in early 2009 on DVD with a documentary that updates some of the stories originally told in this movie 30 years ago. It features 26 people who opened up in front of the camera about their lives; their struggles, their quiet triumphs. What an eclectic group - wonderful group. All so different from each other. Some of the stories were chilling: the man who was sent to an institution and given shock therapy after he confessed to his wife that he was gay; the woman who lost custody of her children because she was living with her lover; the woman who willingly spent four years as a teenager in a mental hospital in an effort to not be gay, and on and on. These people break your heart at times then warm it with their resilience, their humor and their incredible perspective. The movie was released in 1978 and has a positive feeling to it because the sense was that LGBT people had come quite a ways and it would only continue to get better. Then came AIDS. It is impossible to watch "Word Is Out" and not reflect on your own journey. It may or may not have been as harrowing as some of the people in the film but I'm certain it was not an easy one. I'm excited for everyone to see this movie and will keep you posted on release plans.
MILK: The Gus Van Sant-directed "Milk" came out as we are still reeling from the passage of Proposition 8 in California which took away the right of same-sex couples to marry. Some complained the the movie, had it come out earlier, might have help defeat the measure. I'm not so sure about that but admit, the story of Harvey Milk is damned inspiring. Sean Penn will likely win a second Oscar for his performance as the slain San Francisco County supervisor while Dustin Lance Black could nab screenplay honors. Also look for Josh Brolin and James Franco to be nominated in supporting categories. This is not only an important film, it's a quality film and the most important gay-themed "mainstream" movie since "Brokeback Mountain."
SHELTER: I still get comments on the blog about "Shelter," the beautiful love story between a surfing artist and the older brother of his best friend. Trevor Wright was so good in the role of the young artist that he elevates an already strong script. Also wonderful is Brad Rowe as the older lover who encourages Wright's character to go for his dreams and helps him to make that possible. The movie had been around the festival circuit last year then had its theaterical and DVD release in mid-2008.
CIAO: Just released last week, "Ciao" was one of the best gay-themed of the year. I absolutely loved it. Directed by Yen Tan, this is a no-frills movie with a wonderful script. It's mostly two guys talking, getting to know each other. And you can't keep your eyes off of them. I didn't feel like I was watching a movie sometimes, just watching two people interact. When Mark (Chuck Blaum) dies in a car accident, his best friend Jeff (Adam Neal Smith) is left to tie up loose ends as he mourns. While sending emails of the sudden passing, Jeff meets Andrea (Alessandro Calza), Mark's Italian online boyfriend. On a whim, Jeff and Andrea decide to meet, each hoping to gain a sense of closure. Calzar is physically so beautiful but he also brings such a charm and a lot of heart to his performance - especially in those moments when he is sharing with Jeff the things about Mark that Jeff never knew about. Whether over dinner, over beers or visiting Mark's apartment and grave, these two form a beautiful bond and you will want to witness it.
NOAH'S ARC: JUMPING THE BROOM: You gotta figure fans of the "Noah's Arc" TV series were gonna love the long-awaited feature film almost no matter what it was about. The great news is this: the movie, "Noah's Arc" Jumping the Broom" was terrific and worth the wait. I walked out of the screening with a smile because I liked it so much, liked spending time with Noah, Wade, Alex, Ricky and Chance again. Only a cast already this comfortable with their characters and with each other could come up with that kind of chemistry and those kinds of performances in the movie that was shot in just 15 days. Rodney Chester (Alex) is just a comic delight throughout the movie and gives his character the kind of larger-than-life personality that translates well onto the big screen. He has such great energy and timing but also dials it down just right in his two more dramatic scenes. Rodney has great material as his character takes it upon himself to become the wedding planner from hell for Noah (Darryl Stephens) and Wade's (Jensen Atwood) wedding at Martha's Vinyard. (The series is set in LA, but at the time the movie was shot, marriage was not yet legal in California - it is legal is Mass.). Every character has some major drama and relationship trouble including Chance (Doug Spearman) and Eddie (Jonathan Julian), and the slutty Ricky (Christian Vincent). I like that we peel the onion on Ricky some and learn why he is the tramp that he is. The movie was co-written and directed by Patrik-Ian Polk.
Okay, that does it for favorite gay-themed movies but I will add the following flicks that I also liked that didn't have much or any LGBT characters (that I know of!): "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Sex and the City," "Mamma Mia," "Frost/Nixon," "Iron Man," "The Dark Knight," and "Doubt."
This is always one of the most well-done and entertaining awards shows all year and the reason is because it's nothing like an awards show! There are no speeches by the recpients - just tributes from admirers, superior biographical pieces and wondferful performances. The big draw this year is the great Barbara Streisand who is honored along with Morgan Freeman, George Jones, Twyla Tharp, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry.
The show airs on CBS at 9 pm. (PST)
This is just plain bizzaro but hey, it involves Mickey Rourke! The Daily Beast has reported that in a private text message, Rourke bashes his likely Oscar rival Sean Penn allegedly calling his performance as a gay political leader Harvey Milk "average" and accusing Penn of being a homophobe!
Oh man, I can't wait for the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards where they are pitted against each other in the best actor races and have to be considered to be the front-runners.
The Daily Beast, in an item that has been widely picked up by such sites as The Huffington Post, writes: After his December 23 appearance on David Letterman, Rourke told someone backstage that he was surprised that so many people seemed to think that Penn was his Oscar competition since "I'm not even sure he'll get a nomination."
On December 28, a Los Angeles entertainment honcho shared a text message... that Rourke had sent him: "Look seans an old friend of mine and i didnt buy his performance at all--thought he did an average pretend acting like he was gay besides hes one of the most homophobic people i kno" [sic]
This is ridiculous. If it is true, Rourke, widely praised for his performance in "The Wrestler," is shooting himself in the foot! Oscar ballots just went out last week and people are deciding on nominees as we speak!
Here's what Rourke's publicist had to say about the report: "There is no Oscar feud between Mickey and Sean. They have known each other and been friends for a very long time. Mickey attended the New York premiere of Milk to support Sean and only has the greatest respect for him." She adds that Rourke is "completely unaware of the text."
I have a feeling this is not the last we've heard of this!
Josh Brolin - one of the hot actors of recent years - will be on Bravo's Inside the Actors Studio on Monday January 5 @ 8/7c. He will, of course, discuss playing Dan White, Harvey Milk's assassin in "Milk" as well as his lead role in "W" which featured his top-notch performance as George W. Bush. Other noteable roles for Brolin include "No Country for Old Men" and "In the Valley of Elah." Since Josh is such a smart and funny guy, my guess is this will be one of the better episodes.
Thanks to Orli for the heads up!
Here are some clips...
I'll be doing at least one of these linds of lists each day this week as we wrap up 2008 and look ahead to 2009. On a personal level, an absolute high point of my year has been continuing to do this blog. It is so satisfying and stimulating and also so validating to know that so many of you check in each day. It means the world to me...
But enough about me! Here are some of the high and low points of the year:
High: The California Supreme Court makes it legal for same-sex couples to marry each other in the state. I'll never forget the feeling of jubliation on that day, a feeling that the right thing had finally happened. Robin Tyler and Diane Olson (pictured above) filed the lawsuit that started it all and were the first to be married in LA County.
Low: The passage of Proposition 8 which, for now, bans same-sex couples from marrying. It was a reality check to see that even in California, there is a huge nimber of people who do not think gay people should have equal rights. It hurt.
High: The uprising post-election day. The rallies and the marches were such a cathartic thing to witness and to be a part of. The passage of Prop. 8 was something that woke everyone up and made them realize this was not going to be an easy fight but one they must be a part of. Also, the hard look into leadership of the No on 8 movement was and is needed although I think there have been some cheap shots taken in hindsight.
High: The election of Barack Obama as President of the United States. He emerged as a stronger candidate due to his battle for the Democratic nomination with the formidable Hillary Rodhamk Clinton and won a lot of us over. He heavily courted the gay vote and though he would not support same-sex marriage, there was a feeling and a hope that he would come through for the LGBT community.
Low: Obama's selection of anti-gay Rev. Rick Warren has left many incredulous, hurt and angry. I am all three. It does force one to lower expectations far as hoping Obama will come through on LGBT rights in the near future. Now we can take a wait and see attitude and realize that we have to stay strong and fight the good fight. I'm very proud of thiose who have spoken out and made their outrage over this terrible selection known.
Low: Republican candidate John McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. Questions about her qualifications aside, she has been no friend of gays (she favored a federal ban on same-sex marriage) and would have have been a disaster for LGBT citizens.
High: Tina Fey made us laugh so, so much with her dead-on impersination on Palin on "Saturday Night Live." It was an Emmy-worthy performance, so letter-perfect that you could confuse the two at first glance. But when Palin finally appeared on "SNL" as herself, it was a little too real and a little too scary.
Daniel Craig is on vacation on the beach in St. Bartss and I sure wish I was there too!
The seven-time Emmy winner turns 71 today.
She is forever young thanks to the seven seasons of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show." She also has some dramatic chops earning an Oscar nomination for "Ordinary People" and an Emmy for "Stolen Babies."
But comedy is what she did best as you can see in this clip from my favorite episode of all time:from her sitcom: "Chuckles Bites the Dust."
This is a mix of the serious, the silly and the sexy...
Let's start with Jimmy Kimmel's hilarious rebuttal to girlfriend Sarah Silverman's "I'm F****** Matt Damon" video. It's called "I'm F****** Ben Affleck. You gotta see it to believe it!
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Staying in comedy mode, Tina Fey did several "Saturday Night Live" sketches as Sarah Palin. I think this one is the funniest with the funniest line of them all: "I can see Russia from my house!"
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Scotty and Kevin, played by Luke Macfarlane and Matthew Rhys, respectively, got hitched in the season finale of "Brothers & Sisters" last spring and it was such a moving episode filled with heart. I'll never forget it.
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Same-sex kisses between men on television shows usually leave something to be desired - especially when one or both of the actors are straight. An exception was this smooch between Adam Grimes and Chad Allen from the summer series "General Hospital: Night Shift".
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It is no wonder Anderson Cooper enjoys his side gig on "60 Minutes" so much: he gets to show off his biceps and hang out with sports hotties. His interview with David Beckham was fun but even better is this clip from his recent interview with Olympian Michael Phelps. Anderson challenges Phelps to a race in the pool!
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It was such a thrill to watch Tina Turner and Beyonce Knowles perform at the Grammy Awards. Beyonce showed proper respect to her elders and Tina showed that even though she is pushing 70, she is as sensational as ever.
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The 2008 Tony Awards were highlighted by Patti LuPone's win in the best performance in a musical category. The great LuPone, amazingly, had not won a Tony in 28 years! It was long overdue and much-deserved. I was watching from the LA Tony Awards party at the Skirball Center with the likes of Tommy Tune, Carol Channing and Florence Henderson and I can assure you, there was not a more popular win the entire night.
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The presidential campaign made "The View" must-see TV during election season. This particular showdown was my favorite because Barbara Walters finally confronted Elisabeth Hasselbeck on the substance in her staunch defense of Sarah Palin who she actually campaigned for. Said Walters: "We love you on the program. You are the counterpoint. But every single day you never ever say, 'Maybe there's another point.'"
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Ellen DeGeneres, God bless her, was one of the most important voices and faces in the fight to preserve gay marriage. Her wedding to Portia de Rossi made the cover of People magazine with a splashy photo spread inside. At one point, people complained that Ellen wasn't doing enough. But they were silenced when she took up the issue on her show with the likes of John McCain, donated $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign and made this video with her own money:
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And finally, here is the amazing commentary by Keith Olbermann given on MSNBC on Nov. 10, six days after California voters passed Proposition 8 and banned same-sex marriage in the state. It was one of the most common sense thing I have yet to hear on the issue:
Still playing in just 311 theaters, the ticket grosses of "Milk" cannot really be compared to such mega-Christmas weekend releases as Jennifer Aniston's "Marley & Me," Brad Pitt's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Adam Sandler's "Bedtime Stories" and even Tom Cruise's "Valkyrie."
All four of thiose films exceeded expectations.
But "Milk" is strong.as it grossed an estimated $1,830,000 Friday throughb Sunday for a to-date gross of $13,597,000. It's per-screen average of $5,884 is still extremely high and fuels optimism as Focus Features expands the release to more theaters in the coming weeks.
On Christmas Day, one of my brithers announced that he was taking the entire day off from work next month so that he could watch all of the presidential inauguration coverage. It made me realize how lukewarm I had become about it because of President-elect Barack Obama's insulting choice of the homophobic church leader Rick Warren to give the invocation. The kicked in the stomach feeling has not gone away since the announcement was made - it is just so bitterly disappointing.
Frank Rich of the New York Times has written an excellent column on the controversy that I want to share portions of it with you...
As we saw during primary season, our president-elect is not free of his own brand of hubris and arrogance, and sometimes it comes before a fall: "You're likable enough, Hillary" was the prelude to his defeat in New Hampshire. He has hit this same note again by assigning the invocation at his inauguration to the Rev. Rick Warren, the Orange County, Calif., megachurch preacher who has likened committed gay relationships to incest, polygamy and "an older guy marrying a child." Bestowing this honor on Warren was a conscious -- and glib -- decision by Obama to spend political capital. It was made with the certitude that a leader with a mandate can do no wrong....
There's no reason why Obama shouldn't return the favor by inviting him to Washington. But there's a difference between including Warren among the cacophony of voices weighing in on policy and anointing him as the inaugural's de facto pope. You can't blame V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop and an early Obama booster, for feeling as if he'd been slapped in the face. "I'm all for Rick Warren being at the table," he told The Times, but "we're talking about putting someone up front and center at what will be the most-watched inauguration in history, and asking his blessing on the nation. And the God that he's praying to is not the God that I know."
Warren, whose ego is no less than Obama's, likes to advertise his "commitment to model civility in America." But as Rachel Maddow of MSNBC reminded her audience, "comparing gay relationships to child abuse" is a "strange model of civility." Less strange but equally hard to take is Warren's defensive insistence that some of his best friends are the gays: His boasts of having "eaten dinner in gay homes" and loving Melissa Etheridge records will not protect any gay families' civil rights.
Equally lame is the argument mounted by an Obama spokeswoman, Linda Douglass, who talks of how Warren has fought for "people who have H.I.V./AIDS." Shouldn't that be the default position of any religious leader? Fighting AIDS is not a get-out-of-homophobia-free card.
...the kid turns 18 today. Here he is singing the song that announced to the world that a major talent had arrived: "Imagine."
If you have already seen "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" then you no doubt were impressed by the heartfelt performance of Taraji P. Henson.
She plays Queenie, a young woman who takes in and raises a baby left on her doorstep. The baby, which is Brad Pitt's character in the film, was born an old man an ages backward.
"I always knew I would star opposite Brad Pitt someday," Henson joked. "But I thought it would be something hot and steamy, not his mama. But I'll take it!"
It was such a delight to talk with Henson who is the only performer to receive three 2009 Screen Actors Guild nominations. She is up for best supporting actress and best cast performance for "Button" and part of the nominated cast of "Boston Legal."
The 38-year-old actress had been best known for the 2001 film "Baby Boy" and her role as a cop on the old Lifetime series "The Division." Then she earned acclaim and several awards for her performance in "Hustle & Flow" as Shug, a pregnant prostitute.
"'Hustle & Flow' actually got me 'Benjamin Button'" she explained. "Lorraine Mayfield, who casts all of (director David)Fincher's films - two years before the film had even been greenlit - she was in the theater watching 'Hustle & Flow.' She called David while she was watching the film and said, 'Oh my God, I found Queenie!' So unbenownst to me, I go in to read for it and I didn't even know the job was mine."
This could be why she was so relaxed at the audition: "I jumped through the hoops and I'm like, 'Yeah, yeah, whatever. I've got a garage sale to get back to.'"
Since then, it's been non-stop work with films that include "Talk to Me," "The Family the Preys" and "Smokin Aces."
Henson recently completed a role in the independent film "Once Fallen" with Ed Harris and Amy Madigan and has "Hurricane Season" with Forest Whitaker set for release in March.
"I like great company," she said of her co-stars in the various films," she said. "I hope it keeps rolling, I hope it just keeps coming on in."
In choosing roles, she is looking for "incredible projects and characters that I can bring to life that will reach people and touch them and hopefully change lives," she said. "That's why I do what I do."
Something else she will be doing a lot of next year is attending awards ceremonies. In addition to her SAG nods, she's up for a Golden Globe Award and the Critics Choice Award with an Academy Award nomination looking increasingly likely.
"That part, I can take it or leave it," she said of getting glammed-up for all the awards hoopla. "But I understand that it's a part of the job description - you can't have one without the other."
The wonderful indie movie "Ciao" is getting some terrific reviews. But if you're not the type who cares about that kind of thing, then you will need no bigger reason than leading man Alessandro Calza. He's not only beautiful, biut talented. He co-wrote the film's script with director Yen Tan.
"Ciao" opened in selected theaters Friday.
This talented actor, who came out at 19 while co-starring on ABC's "My So-Called Life," turns 35 years old today!
Whether starring on Broadway ("Rent") or on television ("Noah's Arc," "Raising the Bar," "Rick & Steve the Happiest Gay Couple in All the World," "Party of Five") or in films ("Coffee Date," "He's Just Not That Into You," "Bam Bam and Celeste," "Party Monster"), the gifted and authentic Wilson is one of the great talents.
Happy Birthday!!!
I'd think this is kinda like getting a star of the Hollwyood Walk of Fame. Maybe it's an even bigger honor since the Oleson twins have a star. Anyway, the now out-and-proud Clay Aiken was honored this week with a caricature that now adorns the walls of the famed eatery Sardi's.
Clay is currently on Broadway portraying Sir Robin in "Monty Python's Spamalot" at the Shubert Theatre. Th3 2003 "American Idol" runner up made his Broadway debut in the show on a Jan. 18 and played through May 4. He returned to the show Sept. 19 and will remain in the role through Jan. 4, 2009.
...Reichen Lehmkuhl who turns 35 today!
The first winner of CBS' "Amazing Race" (with former partner Chip Arndt), Reichen has managed to remain in the limelight in a variety of ways since "Race": writing a book ("Here's What We'll Say"), being an actor ("Dante's Cove"), having his own calendar and line of jewelry, and dating Lance Bass for awhile. He's now with the equally gorgeous Ryan Barry, writing a column for Advocate.com and, I hope, starting a new season on "Dante's" soon! He's also cooked up something called The Real Reichen, a web com that allows viewers to watch Reichen during his day. Unlimited viewing is $99 a month!!!
In earlier my postings on the late Eartha Kitt, who died on Christmas Day, I hadn't mentioned an event in her life that derailed her career in the US for at least a decade: it was the day she confronted Lady Bird Johnson about the Vietnam War at a White House luncheon.
Kitt was clearly not intimidated by her surroundings on that day in 1968. Mrs. Johnson's biographer, David Murphy, recounted the incident in the book "Texas Bluebonnet: Lady Bird Johnson."
As the president was contemplating his future, Lady Bird went on with her official duties and hosted a Women Doers lunch on Jan. 18, 1968 that was to focus on crime. Singer and actress Eartha Kitt was invited upon the recommendation of Sharon Francis and Liz Carpenter since Kitt had testified to Congress in favor of the President's anti-crime legislation. When President (Lyndon) Johnson entered the room, Kitt confronted him, "Mr. President, what do you do about delinquent parents, those who have to work and are too busy to look after their children?" He told her that Social Security legislation was just passed that provided millions of dollars for daycare centers. Kitt was not pleased but Johnson told her those were issues for the women to discuss at the lunch.
During the question period, Kitt stood up and confronted Lady Bird, "Boys I know across the nation feel it doesn't pay to be a good guy." She moved into (sic) closer to the First Lady and said that boys don't want to behave for fear of being sent to Vietnam saying, "You are a mother too though you have had daughters and not sons. I am a mother and I know the feeling of having a baby come out of my guts. I have a baby and then you send him off to war. No wonder the kids rebel and take pot. And Mrs. Johnson, in case you don't understand the lingo, that's marijuana.
After a few others spoke, Mrs. Johnson was reportedly near tears when she said: "Because there is a war on, and I pray that there will be a just and honest peace -- that still doesn't give us a free ticket not to try to work for better things -- against crime in the streets and for better education and health for our people. I cannot identify as much as I should. I have not lived the background that you have nor can I speak as passionately or as well, but we must keep our eyes and our hearts and our energies fixed on constructive areas and try to do something that will make this a happier, better educated land."
My pal Ted Johnson, who I just spoke with last night when he called with Christmas wishes from Minneapolis, is still doing a little work on his holiday and posted on his Wilshire & Washington blog about how Kitt really suffered professionally after the incident:
It didn't do her career much good, as it went into freefall, forcing to Europe for bookings for nearly a decade. The CIA maintained files on her and investigated her background, all but suggesting that she was a nymphomaniac, even though she otherwise embraced the image of a sex kitten. She said in 1998, "I was thrown out of the country, practically," Kitt explains. "Johnson put out the news that I was a 'bad girl' by being rude and all that. And it wasn't true. It was his way of defacing me in the eyes of the American people. He put me out of work."
Only in 1978, when she won a Tony nomination for "Timbuktu!," was she invited back to the White House, at a reception hosted by President Carter. Her exile was over.
Chad Allen had a very busy year in 2008 with two new Donald Strachey movies, a recurring role on the summer drama "General Hospital: Night Shift," and stage stints in productions of "Little Dog Laughed" and "Looped," the latter play opposite Valerie Harper as Tallulah Bankhead.
Now 2009 is off to a fast start for the talented actor, one of the highest-profile out performers in the entertainment business. According to his MySpace page, Chad has replaced the previously announced Tony winner Jarrod Emick in the upcoming pre-Broadway engagement of "Looped" at the Cuillo Centre in West Palm Beach, FL. He had created the role of Danny Miller in the world-premiere production of Looped at the Pasadena Playhouse this past summer.
In a statement producer Tony Cacciotti said, "We are all extremely excited to have Chad return to the production. He and Valerie have such remarkable chemistry together and will once again have audiences roaring with laughter. We are so grateful Chad's schedule has allowed him to continue with this project."
Harper, a four-time Emmy winner whose Broadway credits include "The Tale of the Allegist's Wife," again stars as Bankhead. Performances Dec. 31 at the Florida venue with an official opening Jan. 7, 2009. Performances will continue through Feb. 15, 2009. Rob Ruggiero directs.
Eartha Kitt, who died yesterday at the age of 81, was a delicious Catwoman on the old "Batman" TV series. No one purred like Eartha who has such fun with words like peeeeeerrrfect and puuuuuurloin.
Take a look...
I raved about "Ciao" when it was screened at Outfest last summer and was very happy to be able to chat recently with director Yen Tan about his movie which opens in selected theaters today.
It's the story of two men who form an unlikely bond when a mutual friend dies unexpectedly. The two men are Jeff (Adam Neal Smith), the dead man's best friend, and Andrea (Alessandro Calza), an Italian he'd been corresponding with online before his death. It is Jeff informs Andrea of the friend's passing, They continue their correspondence and eventually meet when Andrea travels from Italy to Texas.
The handsome Calza is not only one of the leads, but he also co-wrote the movie with Tan who told me about how their professional partnership came to be. They met online when Alessandro wrote him an email congratulating Tan on his film "Happy Birthday."
"We started corresponding and it was nice to have this platonic friendship with him," Tan said. "He was basically a pen pal. He was in Italy and I lived in Dallas. Over time, I was playing around with some new film ideas. I always thought he was interesting so I basically modeled the character after him and asked for his input about if that was what an Italian guy was like."
"We're both very work-oriented people, we wanted to work on a project together and that's basically what we did. I drew from Alessandro's online experiences. It's one of those things where obviously you have the horror stories where people completely make up something about themselves and they are the complete opposite of what you had in mind., But there also stories of people who ended up having a very deep connection...You can end up revealing a part of yourself that you wouldn't to people around you."
It was a leap of faith to cast Calza as one of the leads in what basically an intimate two-character film with lots of dialogue.
"He's not an actor at all," Tan said. "That was kind of a risk I always considered. Initially when I asked hoim to read for the part, he emailed me some (video) clips. I thought he had a very dynamic camera presence. We went through a whole year of preparation where I instructed him about acting."
The film was shot in Dallas in 15 days and Tan was able to deliver a film that is deliberately paced and slower than people are accustomed to. He lets the story take its time to unfold.
"I think it comes back to the whole idea of letting yourself experience a film on a very emotional level," Tan said. "I think a lot of films do that. In our case, we were trying to reach for something that was more than you could see, something you could feel."
"Ciao" has been embraced at various film festivals and Tan was pleased with the reception. But now that the film is in theaters, he's a bit anxious.
"As I'm going through this right now, I'm realizing that you are really putting yourself out there when you are getting released," he said. "All kinds of scrutiny. People will like it or hate it. It can be really jarring at times. Ultimately, when audiences are very emotionally engaged by the film and tell us about it afterward, it kind oif validates everything."
Earlier post: Outfest Spotlight: "Ciao" explores love, friendship and grief...
Here's a LINK to the film's website and below is a trailer:
Melissa Leo is one of those hard-working actresses who has been respected for decades but is only now getting the kind of widespread recognition she has long deserved.
Leo has delivered deeply moving performances in films ("21 Grams") and on television ("Homicide: Life on the Streets") and last Thursday was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance in the acclaimed independent film "Frozen River."
Since she was also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for "River" and would seem to have a good chance at an Oscar nod, I wondered how this hard-working actress was handling all the newfound attention.
"I've really been blessed with continuing to work this entire year and several fabulous roles in beautiful projects as this builds and flows," she said. "(Working) is how I know how to walk and feel most comfortable. (For awards ceremonies) I will don my movie star dress and get help with my hair but not change my internal reality."
In "River," Leo plays a single mother faced with desperate financial circumstances who in the effort to earn fast money, is drawn into border smuggling across the frozen water of the St. Lawrence River located on the Mohawk reservation between New York State and Quebec.
While the recognition is nice, Leo said she already has such great memories of making the film with writer-director Courtney Hunt
.
"It was just a magical, amazing thing," she said. "Every night we'd get back to our little hotel and Courtney would say, 'We got it!' The hardest thing was the last day of shooting because we weren't going to do that the next day."
It was an absolute pleasure to chat up television legend Carl Reiner recently and to be able to tell him that "The Dick Van Dyke Show," which he created, is one of my top five favorite shows of all time.
"I love hearing it!" said the 86-year-old, still sharp as ever.
The 1961-66 sitcom, starring Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam still seems so fresh and current today.
Reiner told me why.
"It was about human condition, it was about human behavior," he said. "If you're writing about yourself and you're being honest about it, you put things within the realm of possibility. When I wrote any of these things, I would always say, 'Would I possibly do that? Could I do that? Would I behave that way? Would she behave that way?' If you pay attention to what real behavior is, that doesn't change very much."
Reiner, who also had the recurring role of Alan Brady on the show, was delighted to learn that the has some fans in high places.
"What a thrill it is to have Barack Obama write in his book that he got great pleasure out of watching his wife enjoy the reruns of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show.'" he said.
So which of the current TV shows does Reiner like to watch?
"I liked "Boston Legal" which is closing now. Well, I liked two-thirds of it. Everybody was (having sex) on that show every 30 seconds and I say, 'Let's get to the courtroom!'" There are other good shows. "My Name is Earl" makes me laugh and "Desperate Housewives" too.
Below are parts of an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show titled: "Obnoxious, Offensive, Egomaniac, Etc." Reiner appears in the third clip...
This unique and great star died today at the age of 81. It's somehow fitting that she would pass on Christmas Day since one of her greatest legacies (besides Catwoman on the old "Batman" TV series) is the song "Santa Baby." No one sang it as great as Eartha Kitt which you can see in this video below from just two years ago.
I just heard a piece on Eartha on NPR and she talked about how she always thought she was waiting for her prince to come. But the men never stayed and she realized: "I'm my prince!"
I like that...
Dear Santa,
There is much to wish for this year. I can assure you I've been more nice than naughty, So check your list, check it twice, and please see what you can do. Here is all I am asking for:
** When it comes time for the California Supreme Court to rule on the passage of Prop. 8, please have them overturn the ban on gay marriage and affirm the legality of the marriages that took place between June and November.
** Please have that Rick Warren man step aside and not give the invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration next month.
** Santa, see what you can do about having that unfair "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy reversed so everyone can serve their country and stop being discriminated against.
** Santa, please see that Sean Penn's name will be called at the Academy Awards in Feburary for his performance in "Milk." Ditto for Meryl Streep in "Doubt." And while we are on the topic of awards, an Oscar nod for "Milk" screenwriter Dustin Lance Black would be awfully nice...
** Please have Luke and Noah consumate their relationship on "As the World Turns." Don't you think it's way past time for them to have sexy time Santa?
** Santa, can you make it so Elisabeth Hasselbeck leaves "The View" to pursue other opportunites? I don't like her.
** And just one last thing Santa. Can you join me in wishing all the wionderful Out In Hollywood readers HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
This is the fun and breezy title song from Bette Midler's "Cool Yule" album. In the video below, Bette sings the Christmas version of "From a Distance."
I'm in the OC for Christmas Eve. The tamales are cooking, all the presents are wrapped and my nieces and nephews are chomping at the bit: "Can we just open ONE pwesent early???"
I'll be posting my annual Christmas Day wish list tomorrow but until then, I leave you with Judy Garland singing "Have Yourself a Merry Christmas."
This is my weekly metro-section column that ran in today's LA Daily News:
Mark my words: the tabloid triangle that is Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie is something people will still be talking about in 2058.
Hollywood history backs this up.
It has been a full 50 years since singer Eddie Fisher left his wholesome movie star wife, Debbie Reynolds, for femme fatale Elizabeth Taylor.
Debbie and Eddie's own daughter sees the parallels between then and now.
"In the '50s, my parents were known as `America's sweethearts,"' Carrie Fisher writes in her new memoir, "Wishful Drinking." "Their pictures graced the covers of all the newspapers.
"They were the Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston of their day ... If Mom and Dad were Jennifer and Brad, then Elizabeth Taylor was Angelina Jolie."
This week, the modern-day movie star trio is all over the tabloids as former couple Pitt and Aniston are busy hyping their respective Christmas Day movie releases, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Marley & Me," on talk shows and in major magazine interviews.
In Touch magazine has this gigantic headline: "THE FEUD GETS WORSE: Angelina is Furious as Jen Makes Fun of her Kids." OK magazine proclaims that Jen is "OBSESSED WITH ANGIE!"
Whether they like it or not, they are ensconced in what Aniston describes in the current issue of GQ as an "insane Bermuda Triangle." The GQ cover features a nude but strategically covered Aniston and is one of the reasons why the coverage has reached fever-pitch in recent weeks. In the interview, Aniston deadpanned: "The funny thing is that people don't realize that we all go away to the Hamptons on weekends. I've got (Pitt and Jolie's adopted daughter) Zahara on my hip ..."
Aniston had earlier told Vogue that it was "uncool" for Jolie to state publicly that she fell in love with the still-married Pitt while the two were making the film "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" in 2004.
Pitt has never publicly said a bad word about Aniston, but in the current Rolling Stone, he seemed to confirm at least an emotional overlap with Jolie when he said "I fell in love" on the set of the movie.
Whether any of this tit-for-tat will help their box office performances remains to be seen, but it sure is helping to sell a lot of magazines.
And public relations expert Michael Levine says interest in the three stars as a triangle might never wane: "It makes us feel better to watch famous, beautiful people suffer and struggle in a more glamorous way."
But they hardly seem to be struggling.
While Pitt and Jolie are riding high with a brood that now includes six children, and likely Oscar nominations for "Benjamin Button" and "The Changeling," respectively, Aniston remains an in-demand leading lady. Next year, she'll be seen in "He's Just Not That Into You" and the romantic drama "Traveling."
She's also had some big comedy hits such as "The Break-Up," "Along Came Polly" and "Bruce Almighty," and received widespread acclaim for her performance in "The Good Girl."
Jolie and Aniston seem destined for the same lasting stardom that Taylor and Reynolds have had.
But what about Pitt, the man in the middle?
Fisher's career was never the same after the '50s love triangle, but Pitt is a bigger star than ever. He has scored big at the box office with "Ocean's Eleven" and its two sequels and has an eclectic film r sum that includes "Fight Club," "Interview With a Vampire," "Seven," "Babel," and this year's comic turn in "Burn After Reading."
"People love Brad Pitt and he's sort of dodging the bullets," observed Gary West of the Web site mrpopculture.com. "He's the darling of Hollywood, as if he can't do wrong. It doesn't look like he's the bad guy like Eddie Fisher was when he left Debbie, who was beloved by the public. (Brad and Angelina) have become sort of a classy couple in their own way."
Ironically, Taylor and Reynolds - once good friends - buried the hatchet long ago and even co-starred together in the television movie "These Old Broads," written by Carrie Fisher.
In the film, Taylor's Hollywood agent character apologizes to Reynolds, who plays an actress, for stealing her husband, "Freddy Hunter," all those years ago. She explained in an obvious dig at Fisher: "I married Freddy because I was in a blackout. What's your excuse?"
DListed's Michael K has posted an early Christmas present: photos of Anderson Cooper's yearbook page from Dalton School in New York in 1984. He's listed as Anderson Hays Cooper, He listed his senior quote as, "Mary had a little lamb, the doctor fainted."
He was cute then, gorgeous now...
OMG! Papa can you hear me???
I could try and contain my excitement but hey, I'm a gay man doing a gay-themed blog. On February 3, 2009, The "Yentl" Extended Director's Edition goes on sale!!! The film was Barbra Streisand's directorial debut and I think it is a wonderful movie with songs to die for. Amy Irving got an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress but Streisand's superb efforts as director, star, co-writer and producer were ignored just as they were eight years later for "the Prince of Tides."
I'm still bitter about those snubs.
But anyway, back to the new DVD from MGM Home Entertainment. It is a two-disc set and includes never-before-seen bonus features such as Streisand's Original Concept Reel, commentary with Streisand and Executive Producer Rusty Lemorande, 11 deleted scenes including an unused musical numbers "The Moon and I" and "Several Sins a Day," rehearsal footage, rehearsal/final film comparisons, storyboard montages for musical numbers, a photo gallery and theatrical trailers.
The release is timed to the 25th anniversary of the film.
Here's a plot synopsis: In turn of the century Eastern Europe, a Jewish girl disguises herself as a boy in order to pursue a religious education in "Yentl."
The film is based on a play by Leah Napolin and Isaac Bashevis Singer's original short story "Yentl, the Yeshiva Boy." When Yentl's father, who secretly tutored her throughout her childhood in the Talmud - the primary source of Jewish religion law - dies, she faces a life of female drudgery with no hope of continuing her studies. Frustrated by her feminine destiny, Yentl transforms herself into looking like a boy, renames herself Anshel, and heads for the nearest Talmudic academy where she hopes to pass as a male student. There she falls in love with fellow student Avigdor (Mandy Patinkin).
Below are some clips from the movie starting with the great musical number "Papa Can You Hear Me?" followed by a video of "The Way He Makes Me Feel" which has several lovely scenes from the movie. The third video is the powerful and soaring "a Piece of Sky."
I may have mentioned once or twice on this blog that Harry Connick Jr. is, in my opinion, one of the sexiest men on Earth. He just sends me. So who better to hear a few holiday tunes from. Above is "When My Heart Finds Christmas" and below is "(It Must Have Been Ol') Santa Claus."
Enjoy!!!
There's a storyline involving Jade who I don't give a rats about (even if she is held hostage!) and Maddie is back in town and I don't care about that either. But Luke and Noah are in these scenes and I feel it is my duty to post them! At the end, we finally get a sweet Luke and Noah scene.
Popped in a screener last night of the TNT Series "Trust Me" wanting to like it because it stars former "Will & Grace" lead Eric McCormack and my longtime crush Tom Cavanagh of "Ed" fame.
Well, I really did like it!
As two best friends working as creative partners at a top-ranked Chicago ad agency, this is the best bromance to hit cable TV since the guys on "Nip/Tuck" and certainly hotter than the one between William Shatner and James Spader on "Boston Legal."
Mason (McCormack) an art director, is a responsible, workaholic family man while his writing partner, Conner (Cavanagh), is a single, impulsive copywriter with the attention span of a teenager. Their relationship is put to the test in the pilot when Mason is named a creative director of the agency and becomes Conner's boss.
Joining McCormack and Cavanagh in the cast are are Monica Potter ( Boston Legal ), Griffin Dunne ( Law & Order: Criminal Intent ), Sarah Clarke ( 24 ), Mike Damus ( Lost in Yonkers ) and Geoffrey Arend ( Garden State ).
While the characters are just being introduced in the pilot, we can see that Cavanagh is the funny and quirky one while McCormack has some of the uptightness of his Will Truman character. They play off each other well. I love the character of Sarah Krajicek-Hunter (Potter), an award-winning copywriter who tends to rub people the wrong way but have no use for Hector (Arend) and Tom (Damus), a junior creative team with untraditional ideas. I hope they come off better in future episodes because in the pilot, they seemed like a pair of idiots.
"Trust Me" will premiere on TNT on Monday, Jan. 26. at 10 p.m. following an all-new episode of "The Closer."
I've received so many emails wondering why I haven't posted this shirtless pic of President-Elect Barack Obama shirtless on vacation, I just haven't been in the mood with all this Rick Warren stuff. But, beefcake is beefcake and our new president definitely is in great shape!
This is the gorgeous Feliciano Lopez who has played in Rafael Nadal's shadow in recent years. OhLaLaMag has posted even more shots like this. I'm glad to see Lopez embrace his hotness. He has the best legs in tennis and a solid game too that has him ranked in the top 20.
Speaking of tennis, I'm looking forward to the start of the 2009 season after two months of inactivity. There are two weeks of tournament play before the start of the Australian Open in mid-January.
Hmmm. I think Brody Jenner's idea of a special bond between guys is a bit different than my idea of it.
He talked up his new reality show "Bromance" with "Entertainment Tonight" about his search for a few good men who he wants to get bromantic with (yeah, I really did just write that. It may be time for a few days off!)
"The Hills" star is the host and producer of a new series for MTV, which is bringing a group of regular guys from around the country to Hollywood and giving them the opportunity to compete for a chance to become part of Brody's entourage.
"Bromance is a special bond between guys," Brody says. "It could be one guy; it could be a group of guys. I am lucky I have a great group of friends. [It's] traveling the world together, going through the bad times and the good times. Somebody who is always there for you."
So if he had his pick of all the men in Hollywood, who would he chose to be his "Bromance"?
Says Brody: "David Beckham. Because he would bring in all the chicks."
Egads. I feel silly about this entire item but I'm gonna hit send because it's a cute picture of Brody.
How can I put this? I am so sick of this whole thing! Mostly because it only seems to feed into Rick Warren's ego and I feel certain he will never step aside from giving the invocation at the inauguration. In watching various video clips, some new, some old, I find him to be disengenuous at the very least. Just spinning. I'm surprised with Melissa Etheridge, quite frankly, but it doesn't change that I think she's awesome overall. But after all we have been through in recent months with Prop. 8 passing, this Warren controversy is just appalling. There are those who believe opponents of the guy are over-reacting. I am not one of those people.
So, I'm gonna do a round-up of the latest developments and statements etc. and will add to it as needed later today.
First of all, and this is really beyond the pale, Prop. 8 proponent Warren who doesn't even let gay people become members of his church, stopped by the Out of the Cloest store in West Hollywood and was photographed by TMZ.com with his arm around a gay person! Wow. He must not be anti-gay! Gimme a break.
TMZ writes: We got this pic, taken yesterday at Out of the Closet thrift store. That's Warren on the right (naturally), his arm around Erol Sarabi, who is openly gay. Warren, who supports the ban on gay marriage which has not sat real well with some Obama supporters, bought 8 to 10 books, two of which were his own (that doesn't help with his Amazon ranking). Warren told Sarabi not to believe everything he reads, that he does a lot for AIDS research and was happy that Out of the Closet does free AIDS testing.
Warren also said he met with Melissa Etheridge recently and the two planned to have dinner together -- go figure.
By the way, Warren gave a signed copy of his book to Sarabi. The inscription from the Bible, Proverbs 19:21: "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."
And then there is this little attempt to rehab his anti-gay image in the weeks leading up to the inaiguration: The Huffington Post notes that John Aravosis of Americablog noticed on Friday that Warren's church website explicitly bans gay people "unwilling to repent of their homosexual lifestyle" from membership at Saddleback. (They are allowed, however, to attend services.) Now Warren has removed the anti-gay language from the church website. The photo on the right is of the original page.
UPDATE: Queerty reports that the Church is keeping their anti-gay rhetoric on the church website after all.
Said a church spokeswoman: "I wanted to make sure you were aware that the Q & A addressing homosexuality on the Saddleback Church Web site has not been permanently removed, but rather repurposed for clarity. I know your readers have noticed the change.
********************************************************
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) thinks President-elect Obama picked same-sex marriage opponent Rick Warren to give the inauguration invocation because Obama "overestimates" his ability to unify people. On MSNBC Monday Frank said: "Oh, I believe that he overestimates his ability to get people to put aside fundamental differences....But my one question is, I think he overestimates his ability to take people, particularly our colleagues on the right, and, sort of, charm them into being nice. I know he talks about being post-partisan. But I've worked, frankly, with Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay, the current Republican leadership. The current Republican leadership in the House repudiated George Bush. I don't know why Mr. Obama thinks he's going to have them better than George Bush.
Frank added jokingly: "And so, to be honest, when he talks about being post-partisan, having seen these people and knowing what they would do in that situation, I suffer from post-partisan depression.".
And not jokingly, he said: "I think Rick Warren's comments, comparing same-sex relationships to incest, is deeply offensive, wildly inaccurate, and very socially disruptive. And I'm glad he is talking to the Muslims. I'm glad everybody's talking to everybody. We're not here talking about not having conversations. We're talking about singling somebody out for a great honor. And I think the president-elect made a serious mistake in doing that."
And finally, Warren has made a new video to his church. Watch them and try not to throw your shoe at the screen:
Here are the Luke-Noah-Brian clips from yesterday's episode of "As the World Turns." I have not had the chance to watch them but I do know there's a Luke and Noah kiss somewhere in there. Frankly, I'd rather see a Luke and Brian kiss.
She sings it just about as lovely as her father did...enjoy!
This was written by Melissa Etheridge this evening. I have enough respect for her to hear her out on why she decided to engage Rick Warren...
This is a message for my brothers and sisters who have fought so long and so hard for gay rights and liberty. We have spent a long time climbing up this mountain, looking at the impossible, changing a thousand year-old paradigm.
We have asked for the right to love the human of our choice, and to be protected equally under the laws of this great country. The road at times has been so bloody, and so horrible, and so disheartening. From being blamed for 9/11 and Katrina, to hateful crimes committed against us, we are battle weary. We watched as our nation took a step in the right direction, against all odds and elected Barack Obama as our next leader. Then we were jerked back into the last century as we watched our rights taken away by prop 8 in California. Still sore and angry we felt another slap in the face as the man we helped get elected seemingly invited a gay-hater to address the world at his inauguration.
I hadn't heard of Pastor Rick Warren before all of this. When I heard the news, in its neat little sound bite form that we are so accustomed to, it painted the picture for me. This Pastor Rick must surely be one hate spouting, money grabbing, bad hair televangelist like all the others. He probably has his own gay little secret bathroom stall somewhere, you know. One more hater working up his congregation to hate the gays, comparing us to pedophiles and those who commit incest, blah blah blah. Same 'ole thing. Would I be boycotting the inauguration? Would we be marching again?
Well, I have to tell you my friends, the universe has a sense of humor and indeed works in mysterious ways. As I was winding down the promotion for my Christmas album I had one more stop last night. I'd agreed to play a song I'd written with my friend Salman Ahmed, a Sufi Muslim from Pakistan. The song is called "Ring The Bells," and it's a call for peace and unity in our world. We were going to perform our song for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, a group of Muslim Americans that tries to raise awareness in this country, and the world, about the majority of good, loving, Muslims. I was honored, considering some in the Muslim religion consider singing to be against God, while other Muslim countries have harsh penalties, even death for homosexuals. I felt it was a very brave gesture for them to make. I received a call the day before to inform me of the keynote speaker that night... Pastor Rick Warren. I was stunned. My fight or flight instinct took over, should I cancel? Then a calm voice inside me said, "Are you really about peace or not?"
Gee, I wonder why?
If being a hypocrytical, self-loathing, dishonest human being makes you a loser, then he is. More than anything, he is a sad pathetic man. At some point, you just have to live an authentic life and stop making a spectacle of yourself.
The clip above is from a documentary about the disgraced former pastor...
I don't know about you, but I'm tired of letting my frustration over Barack Obama'sselection of Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration consume me!
I've felt fury, I've felt extreme disappointment and mostly, I've felt incredulous. There are so many other people he could have chosen and if Warren were racist in the same way that he is homophobic, Obama never would have selected him.
So I can't help but feel anything but thrown under the bus.
I don't have the stomach to post a lot about this during the holidays, I want to enjoy them. Because of that, thank God for Andy Towle who does the Towleroad.com site. He just does not miss a thing. He has a terrific round-up today of the latest developments including over the weekend when Warren and Melissa Etheridge were at the same event - the 8th Annual Convention of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Long Beach.
Warren defends his participation in the inauguration and I fear this whole thing has just given him a bigger head. Etheridge seems to be buying into the entire buildling a bridge thing that Warren says he champions. See video below.
Meanwhile, Etheridge's wife Tammy-Lynn Michaels has been completely swayed by Warren, according to my pal Ted Johnson's Wilshire and Washington blog:
"...The rest of the public is given an animation of rick warren... and then my wife meets the man behind the projections, the quotes, the "OTHER SIDE". and he is warm, caring, effusive, and LOVES gays. since he nearly swallowed honey when he hugged her, i tend to believe him. he wants our gay marriages to be just as respected and embraced as the straight marriages. he just wants to wear his yamaka, and me wear my hat."
Hmmm. Was there any kind of KOOL-AID served at this event?
Also, VP-elect Joe Biden defends the selection of Warren in an interview tonight on "Larry King Live" saying in part:
"Barack Obama said you've got to reach out. You've got to reach a hand of friendship across the aisle and across philosophies in this country.We can't continue to be a red and blue country. We can't be divided like we have been. ...I would say to the gay and lesbian community, they have nothing to worry about. Barack Obama, every aspect of his life, every aspect of his public life, and every commitment he's made relating to equality for all people, will be things that he will stick with and that they should view this in the spirit in which he offered the opportunity to -- to Mr. Warren."
Here's a clip:
That's it for Rick Warren news today unless he graciously decides to step aside in order to not distract from the Obama inauguration.
The death of Karen Carpenter is something I remember as vividly as the day John Lennon was shot or when the Challenger exploded. It's not up there with 9/11 but it was pretty devastating for fans of The Carpenters - and there are many gay guys in their 40s who know exactly what I mean.
One nice thing though is all the music Karen and her brother Richard left behind - including two classic Christmas albums. My favorite of all the holiday songs they recorded is "Merry Christmas Darling."
Enjoy...
BONUS VIDEO: The Carpenters doing a Christmas medley on one of their holiday TV specials:
Samantha Ronson apparently has been running herself ragged. The DJ who is Lindsay Lohan's girlfriend, wrote to her supporters on her MySpace page over the weekend: "I'm home and all good. Was just pretty exhausted from traveling and working too much to buy Chanukah gifts and my Jewish mother was worried about me."
Ronson had gone to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with Lohan.
She added: "I had good company and a Jerry's Deli delivery of chicken soup and potato pancakes and am feeling much better. [I] am back to watching all my favourite Jerry Bruckheimer shows."
Clay Aiken was wise to just do a quick cameo on the disaster that was Rosie O'Donnell's variety show! And now he's talking to People.com about his big year - becoming a father and coming out publicly.
"At the end of the day, Parker is the most important thing of the year, and of my life, without question," Clay said. "Having a son and that type of responsibility is obviously going to be something that I remember forever."
Of the widespread support he received after coming out: "We've been very impressed and my heart has been thoroughly warmed to find people very supportive."
He may inspire others to come out: "I'm very humbled by that. I really don't know what to say about that. I think that hopefully less than inspiring people I will have an opportunity to open people's eyes to different viewpoints and different possibilities in their life."
It has forced Matthew McConaughey to go for a run all covered up! It's just so nice to be treated to paparazzi shots of the star of "Sahara" and "Failure to Launch" running around without a shirt on. Let's face it, we enjoy that sight more than a lot of his movies!
The headline is to be sung to the tune of the old Neil Sedaka hit "Calendar Girl" just so you don't think I've gone insane! Well, now that I'm a Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles groupie, I want to turn you on to this cool calendar I bought after last night's show at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Members of the chorus spoof some of TV greatest hits including "Happy Gays" in which Mr. and Mrs. C. establish the first chapter of PFLAG! Other months feature "Bi-Witched," "Queerie's Angels," "I Love Loopy," "Fairy Tyler Moore" and "The Bratty Bunch."
The 16-month calender costs $15. For more info, go to GMCLA.org
I ask you, how is it that I have lived in this city for nearly a decade and had never been to a Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles concert? Well, if I knew what a completely wonderful experience it was, I would've done it a lot sooner! My pal Michael and I just had a heckuva good time in our front-row seats (thanks Harlan!) at the Alex Theatre. We were just endlessly entertained and amazed by this series of musical snapshots featuring stories of holidays past and songs like "Joy to the World," "Silent Night" and "The Christmas Waltz" as well as more fun fare like "I Wanna Be A Rockette!" and "Skaters Waltz."
BTW, one of the most powerful stories came from choir member and West Hollywood Councilman John Duran who talked about losing more than 100 friends to AIDS over a decade. He pointed to the choir and its more than 100 members to show the enormity of the loss.
The name of this year's show is "It's a Fabulous Life" with this kicker: "Holiday Songs in the Key of Life." This is one talented group! Among the standouts were Arron Rothart in the "Kislov Cowboys" number, and Shawn Ingram in the "I Wanna Be a Rockett/Parade of Wooden Soldiers" numbers.
It all starts out rather dignified with the choir in their tuxedos but along the way, it's anything goes with guys on roller skates, a parade of wooden soldiers, cowboys. One of the final numbers was "What A Wonderful World," one of my favorite songs of all time. It was just one treat after another. I'm hooked! Can't wait for the next show!
Prior to the show, Michael and I were invited to a reception at the nearby Americana which I had not been to before. It looks much like The Grove only more roomy! Inside, there were all kinds of really great guys there and publicist extraordinaire Harlan Boll introduced me to Executive Director Hywel Sims. (Hywell is pictured above with actresses Channing Chase ("Mad Men") and the amazing Lindsay Wagner who was escorted by her two handsome sons). Did you know Lindsay won an Emmy for "The Bionic Woman"? I'm such a fan.
Other celebs at the reception and/or the concert included the very funny Wendie Malik,Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson from "Little House on the Prairie") and soap actress Kate Linder. I'm told by a very reliable source that Monica Lewinsky was in the audience. I didn't see her but then again, my eyes were fixed on all the hot men on stage singing their hearts out.
** Photos by BILL DOW
It's so hard to know whether "Milk" will become a cross-over hit the way "Brokeback Mountain" was but so far, after four weekends in limited release, it has done something most gay-themed films rarely managed to do:it has reached $10 million in domestic grosses.
Friday through Sunday, "Milk" grossed an estimated $1,641,290 playing in 356 locations. That out it in eleventh place for the weekend - not bad considering new Jim Carrey and Will Smith flicks opened in first and second place, respectively. As "Milk" adds more screens in the coming weeks and continues to get awards attention, it would seem to be on its way to becoming a solid hit.
We shall see.
I'm not sure when or if I'll ever eat another meal at El Coyote restaurant again even but I was very interested in an interview Christopher Lisotta has done for Frontiers with Bill Schoeppner, an out gay man who has worked at the restauraunt for 26 years. He's close to Marjorie Christoffersen, the niece of the restaurant's founder and until she stepped down in early December, was a manager and a member of the El Coyote board of directors.
Chris writes that Schoeppner wasn't aware Christoffersen had donated $100 to the Yes on Prop. 8 campaign, but he found out soon enough thanks to demonstrations and boycotts.
Here is a portion of the interview:
Q. Thursday was a popular night for gay and lesbian diners. Was there a significant drop on Thursday, or did it stay steady?
A. No, there was a drop on Thursdays as well. There are a few of them that still come in, many of them feel like Marjorie is entitled to her own opinion and were pretty forgiving, but not as much as I would liked to have come back. I don't necessarily miss the gay dollars and all that, it's just the faces, the people I have known for all these years and years and years, and we've lost them. We don't see them anymore. I knew them on a first-name basis. It's kind of like some of them were taken away from me.
Q. Do you understand the anger people have, or do you think the anger directed at Marjorie is unwarranted?
A. I understand the anger, and I understand they are upset because, you know, they came to the restaurant and now they feel like they were stabbed in the back. I don't know, I feel like we were over targeted. It was just $100. We gave $500, the restaurant did, but it hasn't calmed anything down at all.
Q. Do you think she understands why people are so angry, or is that something she's trying to figure out?
A. I think she knows. She knows she made a mistake, but she just cannot take it back. How does she take something like that back?
This is such encouraging news.
The California attorney general has changed his position on the state's new same-sex marriage ban and is now urging the state Supreme Court to void Proposition 8, according to the Associated Press.
Jerry Brown filed a legal brief saying the measure that amended the California Constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman is itself unconstitutional because it deprives a minority group of a fundamental right. Brown had earlier said he would defend the ballot measure against legal challenges from gay marriage supporters.
But Brown, a former governor of the state from 1975-83, said he reached a different conclusion "upon further reflection and a deeper probing into all the aspects of our Constitution.
"It became evident that the Article 1 provision guaranteeing basic liberty, which includes the right to marry, took precedence over the initiative," he said in an interview with AP Friday night. "Based on my duty to defend the law and the entire Constitution, I concluded the court should protect the right to marry even in the face of the 52 percent vote."
This is amusing and interesting...
This was just posted on Lance Bass' MySpace page: The Dancing With the Stars tour kicked off in San Diego Wednesday night and Lance couldn't be happier.
Bass, who toured for a number of years with 'N Sync, tells PEOPLE his favorite part of being on the road is living on a bus.
"I love, love riding on a tour bus, sleeping on a tour bus. I'm more comfortable on my tour bus than I am in my actual home. The buses are so comfortable -- much better than when I was on the road with 'N Sync," he says.
Something fans catching the show will love are new costumes and fresh performances by the stars and the pro dancers: "There are huge costume changes -- like every five minutes," Bass says. "We're all changing back there. They've outdone themselves. The
show came together so quick and I'm so impressed that everyone could do it. We had two days off and then boom, we were back. It's just amazing."
This time around, Bass says he and partner Lacey Schwimmer are at ease because "unlike on the show, there's really no expectations. Everybody is there to have fun." The pair team for four numbers in the production, which also features two musical performances by Bass's fellow season 7 contestant, Grammy-winning singer Toni Braxton.
I was looking for another clip and came across this one. Boy, is he sauced!
I loved Jake Gyllenhaal in "Jarhead." Yeah, he was buff in it but also really good as he is in just about every role he plays. Jake turns 28 today and already has such an impressive body of work highlighted by his Oscar-nominated performance in "Brokeback Mountain." He was also excellent in "Zodiac", the best thing about "Rendition" and, of course, "Donnie Darko."
Rachel Maddow, an openly gay television commentator with her own show on MSNBC, did a commentary last night on the Rick Warren controversy. She points out that Barack Obama "did not invite Warren to his house, he invited him into ours." she called the decision to have the anti-gay Warren deliver the invocation at the inauguration "the first big mistake of his post-election politicking.
Reichen Lehmkhul, best known for winning the first "Amazing Race," is now writing a column for Advocate.com. I don't need much of an excuse to post photos of Reichen who is, as you can see, a real beefcake, but I did find some interesting part of his column in regards to coming out in Hollywood. Here is an exceprt:
I have auditioned for movie roles, soap opera parts, and other television roles where the final decision of "no" came down to the fact that I'm just "too out." Not "too stereotypically gay," but "too out."
Why is this a problem? I'm told that it's because many viewers out there who become fans of their television show's leading men won't be able to connect to that character if the viewer knows that the actor is really a gay guy. I've been told that conservative-minded companies that sponsor some of these programs wouldn't look kindly on the actor in, say, a leading male role if he were actually gay.
Is there something broken about these ideas? Of course there is! Should we ever pander to the prejudices of others to make them feel more comfortable? No. Should sponsors be able to have a say in the private-life sexuality of one of their actors? No way.
But this is reality -- though it's happening less frequently. The truth remains that the more we are out, ignoring the prejudice and stigma, fewer entertainers will have to worry about their sexuality.
Not all actors and artists have the luxury of being out, however. At first their reasons for being closeted may be financial. A struggling actor or musical artist who is working up the ranks isn't going to divulge their homosexuality for fear of stopping that forward career momentum. Then, after they are rich, famous, and popular, there might be a different type of pressure from the artist's management, lawyers, and agencies to hide who they are for fear of not being picked for that next movie or to record another pop culture-oriented album.
I'm glad people are making their disappointment known in regards to Barack Obama's decision to have Rick Warren, a pastor many consider to be homophobic, to deliver the invocation at the inauguration. I don't know about you, but I feel personally offended as a gay person who voted for Obama.
Anyway, that's life it seems. Rep. Barney Frank, one of the only openly gay members of the US House of Representatives, released a statement about the controversy. Here it is:
"I am very disappointed by President-elect Barack Obama's decision to honor Reverend Rick Warren with a prominent role in his inauguration.
Religious leaders obviously have every right to speak out in opposition to anti-discrimination measures, even in the degrading terms that Rev. Warren has used with regard to same-sex marriage. But that does not confer upon them the right to a place of honor in the inauguration ceremony of a president whose stated commitment to LGBT rights won him the strong support of the great majority of those who support that cause.
It is irrelevant that Rev. Warren invited Senator Obama to address his congregation, since he extended an equal invitation to Senator McCain. Furthermore, the President-Elect has not simply invited Rev. Warren to give a speech as part of a series in which various views are presented. The selection of a member of the clergy to occupy this uniquely elevated position has always been considered a mark of respect and approval by those who are being inaugurated.
Sorry for the lack of posts so far today but I just had to sleep in. Was out late after an evening at the theater (I mean that to sound like an evening at the theata!). I finally saw "Wicked" at the Pantages Theatre! I think it's the best darn musical I've ever seen live! It was so amazing. I'll never feel the same way about the Wicked Witch of the West again! Eden Espinosa (Elphaba) and Megan Hilty (Glinda) were terrific and provided many show-stopping moments. They were funny, they were touching and both deliver powerhouse vocals. And Carol Cane is in the cast! What a delight.
Just had the best time. But it was a long day after starting the day before 6 a.m. to do SAG nominations. But I'm rested now and am gonna start posting like a madman.
Stay tuned!
It's getting harder and harder to keep up with all the Neil Patrick Harris news.
I got home from a screening of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" last night and waiting for me was the new issue of TV Giide with NPH and two of his "How I Met Your Mother" co-stars on the cover! Love it.
Then a few minutes ago, I scroll over to AfterElton.com and they are reporting that Neil will be the first host of 2009 on "Saturday Night Live." That is fantastic! He's such a great comedic actor with such big celebrity now that I cannot wait to see what kind of outrageous stuff they will come up with.
And then there is this series of photos in Entertainment Weekly which has the cast of "Mother" re-enacting some of the big pop culture stories of 2008:
Michael Kearns sent me this video this morning, a spoof he wrote and directed featuring John W. McLaughlin as a Prop 8 activist receiving a long-awaited phone call from Marie Osmond!
I object to the David Archuleta reference but otherwise, this is smart and a good kind of bitchy.
Enjoy!
Here! Films, the theatrical distribution and worldwide sales division of here! Networks, announced today it has acquired worldwide distribution rights to "Eleven Minutes," a documentary about fashion designer Jay McCarroll, winner of season one of "Project Runway."
The documentary, co-directed and co-produced by Michael Selditch and Rob Tate, will open in theaters and debut on here! TV starting Feb. 20, 2009.
Here's some background on the documentary: In 2006, Selditch and Tate made a one-off TV special about Jay McCarroll for Bravo called "Project Jay." "Eleven Minutes" picks up where that story ends. It chronicles Jay's year-long journey while preparing his first independent runway show for New York's Fashion Week in Bryant Park, and the subsequent selling of his line to stores.
Said Selditch: "The goal of this documentary was to drop the pretenses of reality TV and focus on the daily trials of Jay McCarroll's design and work. Rob and I are very happy to be working with here! and Regent to release this documentary in theaters and on their network the final day of New York's Fashion Week in Bryant Park."
For more information about the film, please visit http://www.elevenminutes-jaymccarroll.com/
Here's a clip:
Sharon Gless, no scary good in her Emmy-nominated role on "Nip/Tuck" last season, has been a gay icon since her years on "Cagney and Lacey" then "Queer as Folk."
Love, love, love Sharon Gless! So, I'm glad to see an interview with her on Advocate.com
about her latest role in the film "Hannah Free," adapted from the play by Claudia Allen. It tells the story of two women, Hannah (played by Gless) and Rachel, who grow up together in a small town and develop an undying love for each other. Due to the social ramifications of homosexuality in their generation, their love goes through trials as Rachel chooses to live a traditional, heterosexual life while Hannah continues on as an unapologetic lesbian.
Here is an excerpt from the interview:
Q. So, I'm not going to lie. To prepare I watched you as one my favorite characters you have played, Debbie on Queer ss Folk. What I enjoy about your career is that you've played the role of Cagney, which was inspirational to lesbians. You've played a role on Queer as Folk that was extremely supportive of the LGBT community, and now you're actually playing a gay person. How does it feel to finally "be" one of us?
A. I love it! It's very natural to me. I mean, I'm constantly reminding myself that I'm playing a lesbian. But to me, it's just another character. It's not too different than playing other roles because it isn't about just being gay. It's about love. In this case, I'm just in love with a woman.
Q. See, that's interesting because you say Hannah is strong and unapologetic for who she is. Looking back at your résumé, it seems like you have played a variety of parts that fit that mold: opinionated, outspoken, strong, and yet even vulnerable. As an actor, have you always sought out these parts consciously?
A. I didn't consciously choose them, but I knew I was better at them. Not to say they are easy to play, but I am better with them. What's interesting is that in real life, I'm pretty shy. But I do have that quality in me, that mouth. It's just more fun playing outrageous people like that. Hannah fits the roles I love playing -- she and Rachel are so contrasting.
Q. Relevant to what's going on right now in civil rights history with Proposition 8 [the measure rescinding same-sex marriage rights in California]. You're playing a character that can't be with the one she knows she loves with all her heart because others don't accept it, while living your real life in a historical moment where people are now legally having that opportunity taken away. What are your thoughts on Proposition 8?
A. It won't last. It's like gays just aren't allowed to do anything. And the thing is, the proposition isn't just about being gay, it's about being a human being. Marriage isn't just about love, it's also about the legal benefits. Why can't same-sex couples at least have that? I believe it will be turned around. It's against the Constitution and just won't stand. It might take bit by bit, but [Hannah Free] is just about that -- people just trying to get only what they deserve.
My friend Karen Ocamb has written such a good essay on the Rick Warren controversy that I am just speechless. I'm going to post a few excerpts here then direct you to read it in its entirety on The Bilerico Project.
There's a saying in the 12 Step programs about being sick and tired of being sick and tired.
It's at this point - generally your own personal version of rock bottom - that you surrender and admit something has been screwing up your life.
Well - I guess that's where I am now. I'm sick and tired of hope.
Today - when it was revealed that Obama picked Rick Warren to deliver the Inaugural Invocation - I felt sucker-punched. I mean - after the (on-going) devastation of Prop 8 - this Inauguration was supposed to be something akin to breathing again...It's not that Obama thinks of this as a "Sister Souljah" moment as I first thought. The fact is - Obama doesn't think of us at all. The gays who might be near him are staffers who happen to be gay and for whom being gay is apparently not an issue. He doesn't see them as gay - and therefore he doesn't see us at all.
Greg note: BTW, I chose this illustration to go with the story because it just seems ironic now, not inspiring.
This is a preview of an interview Ann Curry did with controversial pastor Rick Warren for "Dateline NBC." Curry pont-blank asks Warren, chosen by Barack Obama to give the invocation at his inauguration, is homophobic.
His reply: "Of course not. I have always treated them with respect. When they come and wanna talk to me, I talk to 'em. When the protesters came, we served them water and donuts."
Gee, thanks...
The President-elect is standing by his decision saying in part: "I think it is no secret that I am a fierce advocate for equality for gay and lesbian Americans. It is something I have been consistent on and something I intend to continue to be consistent on during my presidency...What I've also said is that it is important for America to come together even though we may have disagreements on certain social issues..."
It really stinks.
Excuse me while I fall asleep at my desk! Got up at 5:15 a.m. and had to jam out of the house to get to the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood for the 6 a.m. announcement of the Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. I was excited when the cast of "Milk" announced in the outstanding cast category and Sean Penn and Josh Brolin were nominated in the individual acting categories.
I had to zip over to the newsroom and write a story in less than two hours and here it is:
Richard Jenkins got nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award Thursday for his performance in the film "The Visitor."
So how was he planning to celebrate?
"I'm going to the store, I have to get some milk," he said shortly after receiving the news. "I'll make a Caesar salad later on and if the barber gets a cancellation, I might get a haircut."
Jenkins' competition in the outstanding lead actor category is Frank Langella ("Frost/Nixon"), Sean Penn ("Milk"), Brad Pitt ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), and Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler").
"It's a little surreal," said Jenkins, the veteran character actor previously best known for his role on the HBO series "Six Feet Under." "I did know at the time that it was an amazing project I was working on but how anyone would feel about it, that you have no idea. Maybe because I've been around so long, things have come together."
Things also came together for the drama "Doubt," the film version of the hit Broadway play. It got five SAG nominations - two more than any other film.
Leading lady Meryl Streep earned her sixth nomination in the lead actress in a movie category while costars Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis were nominated in supporting categories.
The four "Doubt" actors will also compete in the outstanding cast category, SAG's equivalent of a best picture prize. Other nominees in the ensemble category are "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "Slumdog Millionaire" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
Streep's individual competition for the SAG Award is Anne Hathaway ("Rachel Getting Married"), Angelina Jolie ("Changeling"), Melissa Leo ("Frozen River"), and Kate Winslet ("Revolutionary Road").
Leo was in Vancouver when she found out about her nomination and said: "I've been just dancing around the hotel. An actor is often alone in a hotel room."
She is thrilled to be included among the nominees, especially Streep.
"I was leaving SUNY Purchase (State University of New York, Purchase) when Meryl was doing "The French Lieutenant's Woman" and she is someone who has just awed and inspired me," Leo said, her voice suddenly growing thick with emotion. "To see my name beside hers and the other fine actresses, it makes me a little speechless."
One of those actresses, Winslet, was a double nominee Thursday. She earned a second nod in the supporting actress category for her role in "The Reader." But Taraji P. Henson did her one better with three nominations - more than any other performer.
Henson is part of the "Benjamin Button" ensemble and is up for supporting actress for her role as Pitt's adoptive mother in the film. Her third nod was in the television category of outstanding cast in a TV drama for "Boston Legal."
Other notable nominations: the late Heath Ledger earned a nod in the supporting actor category for his performance as The Joker in "The Dark Knight. He had previously been nominated in 2006 for "Brokeback Mountain."
Ledger, who died Jan. 22 of an accidental drug overdose, competes with Hoffman, Josh Brolin ("Milk"), Robert Downey Jr. ("Tropic Thunder"), and Dev Patel ("Slumdog Millionaire").
Penelope Cruz earned a nod in the supporting actress category for her performance in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" to compete with Adams, Davis, Henson and Winslet.
In the television categories, the comedy "30 Rock," the miniseries "John Adams" and the dramas "Mad Men," "Boston Legal" and "The Closer" led with three nominations each.
David Duchovny, nominated for outstanding actor in a comedy series for Showtime's "Californication," will be vying for his first SAG award on his ninth nomination. But to end his SAG losing streak, he'll have to beat Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock"), Steve Carell ("The Office"), Jeremy Piven ("Entourage") and Tony Shalhoub ("Monk").
Sally Field, nominated for "Brothers & Sisters," is also trying to win her first SAG Award. The two-time Oscar winner and three-time Emmy winner has never won despite being nominated six previous times for various projects.
Kiefer Sutherland, ineligible for actor in a drama series because his series "24" did not air this year, earned a nod anyway for the TV movie "24: Redemption." He competes with Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson nominated for "John Adams" as well as Ralph Fiennes ("Bernard and Doris") and Kevin Spacey ("Recount").
The nominations were announced at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood by Eric McCormack and Angela Bassett SAG President Alan Rosenberg was also on hand with most of the questions afterward focused on a possible strike by the guild next year.
"Everybody's worried," McCormack said. "But I think today is that one day when we've gotta go, 'Lets celebrate performances and not be politicians. We're actors today."
The nominations are determined by panels of more than 2,100 actors randomly selected by the guild for the movie and television categories for awards to be handed out Jan. 25.
I doubt I will never get over what an astonishly bad decision it was for the Inaugural Committee to have selected a bigot like Rick Warren to deliver the invocation. They should reconsider and choose someone else who has not made such a point of alienating LGBT Americans.
The Inaugural Committee now has some talking points on the controversy which I got via Karen Ocamb. I've read them. It does not help one bit as far as I'm concerned. But here they are and you can decide for yourself:
**** This will be the most open, accessible, and inclusive Inauguration in American history.
****In keeping with the spirit of unity and common purpose this Inauguration will reflect, the President-elect and Vice President-elect have chosen some of the world's most gifted artists and people with broad appeal to participate in the inaugural ceremonies.
**** Pastor Rick Warren has a long history of activism on behalf of the disadvantaged and the downtrodden. He's devoted his life to performing good works for the poor and leads the evangelical movement in addressing the global HIV/AIDS crisis. In fact, the President-elect recently addressed Rick Warren's Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health to salute Warren's leadership in the struggle against HIV/AIDS and pledge his support to the effort in the years ahead.
**** The President-elect disagrees with Pastor Warren on issues that affect the LGBT community. They disagree on other issues as well. But what's important is that they agree on many issues vital to the pursuit of social justice, including poverty relief and moving toward a sustainable planet; and they share a commitment to renewing America's promise by expanding opportunity at home and restoring our moral leadership abroad.
**** As he's said again and again, the President-elect is committed to bringing together all sides of the faith discussion in search of common ground. That's the only way we'll be able to unite this country with the resolve and common purpose necessary to solve the challenges we face.
**** The Inauguration will also involve Reverend Joseph Lowery, who will be delivering the official benediction at the Inauguration. Reverend Lowery is a giant of the civil rights movement who boasts a proudly progressive record on LGBT issues. He has been a leader in the struggle for civil rights for all Americans, gay or straight.
**** And for the very first time, there will be a group representing the interests of LGBT Americans participating in the Inaugural Parade.
My question is still this: WHY choose Rick Warren to deliver the Invocation?
Emmett Belivau is the Executive Director/CEO of the Inaugural Committee. Let him know your thoughts:
202-203-1715 emmett@pic2009.org
Cameron Mathison has been taking some grief for what appeared to be a glimpse of a thong during a scene on ABC's "All My Children." The soap hunk has insisted it was a T-shirt tucked-into his pants that created the illusion. As the ladies on "The View" brought it up during today's Hot Topics, Cameron walked in and showed how the wardrobe malfinctioned really happened.
I just want to go on the record and say that if any man on daytime TV would look good in a thing, it;'s Cameron!
I am still reeling - as many of you are too - over the selection of anti-gay pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at the inauguration. It is such a slap in the face to the gay community that - despite President-elect Barack Obama's refusal to support same-sex marriage - still supported him in the presidential election. It is a serious lack of R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
But Aretha Franklin, I got no quibble with and will be thrilled to see her perform on this historic day. Here are some Aretha performances to remind us why she is The Queen! The first is a medley that includes "R-E-S-P-E-C-T."
Below is Aretha singing "Natural Woman" at the 1994 Grammys...
And finally, here is one of my all-time faves. It's Aretha and Michael McDonald singing their hit duet "Everchanging Times" at the 1992 Grammy Awards. A short time later, she joins the late Luther Vandross on stage for a rocking finale. Aretha, in her Pebbles Flintsone on acid hairdo, lost the Grammy that year to the great Patti LaBelle. But she has 18 others to keep her warm at night.
This is an utter nightmare and a total insult to the LGBT community and their straight allies. All you have to do is watch this video and you will see why people aren't at all happy about Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church in Orange County speaking at the inauguration. He was not only pro-Prop. 8, but he's sounds very homophobic and bigoted.
Terrible choice. Terrible.
Joe Solmonese of the Human Rights Campaign has written a letter to Obama asking him to reconsider. Here's an excerpt:
...We feel a deep level of disrespect when one of architects and promoters of an anti-gay agenda is given the prominence and the pulpit of your historic nomination. Only when Rev. Warren and others support basic legislative protections for LGBT Americans can we believe their claim that they are not four-square against our rights and dignity. In that light, we urge you to reconsider this announcement.
Complete text of the letter is after the jump...
This is amazing!
"Mamma Mia!" is already the most successful film musical of all time worldwide raked in over $30 million its first day out on DVD, according to an email I just got from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
It had already been proclaimed the fastest selling DVD of all time in the U.K. after first-day sales reached 1.6 million units, surpassing the previous record holder "Titanic."
The film garnered two Golden Globe ®nominations last week: Best Picture (Musical or Comedy) and Best Actress in Musical or Comedy for Meryl Streep.
In Australia, the DVD became the biggest DVD release of the past two years, holding the number-one spot for four consecutive weeks and was also Universal's biggest home entertainment release ever in Germany, with one million units shipped to date.
In addition to Streep, the film also stars Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper and Christine Baranski.
Peter Kirk, the openly gay nephew of Captain James T. Kirk, and his boyfriend set foot on board the starship on a new episode of the independent online project "Star Trek: Phase II" which imagines a "fourth" season of the original series using new actors in the classic roles. Peter is played by Bobby Rice and boyfriend Alex Freeman is played by Evan Fowler.
According to AfterElton.com, "Blood and Fire" was co-written and directed by David Gerrold, the out gay writer of the classic "The Trouble with Tribbles" Star Trek episode and a writer and associate producer on the first Star Trek spin-off, Star Trek: The Next Generation. "Blood and Fire" was originally written for that series, with the strong support of series creator Gene Roddenberry, and it was intended as a metaphor for AIDS. But at the time, television executives and the show's producers balked at the inclusion of two minor gay characters.
The scene is after the jump!
Earlier posts:
-- Greg's Star Trek story
-- Gay-themed Star Trek webisode is complete
I've been a big fan of this talented actress since "Down With Love." She was a real bright spot on NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" earning a Golden Globe nomination and next appears in the film "The Spirit."
She is in a relationship with Tony winner Cherry Jones who plays the first female president of the U.S. in the upcoming season on "24."
Happy 34th birthday to this lovely actress...
I must say, this is one of the better stops on the Tom Cruise redemption tour. He reads a Top Ten list of the top 10 most outrageous internet rumors about himself. Number 2 is my fave: "After jumping on her couch, Oprah hammer-locked me til I coughed blood.'
This picture isn't from the spread on cover boy Nick Adams in the current issue of Instinct Magazine but I like it and it's my blog! The Broadway star, who gained fame starring alongside Mario Lopez in "A Chorus Line," will next appear in the Broadway production of "Guys and Dolls."
Nick talks about being a gay man and says coming out to his family was no big deal: "It was incredibly easy. It wasn't a huge shock. We had a conversation and then I went on with my life. They always welcome anyone who I've ever wanted to bring home."
Okay, so who's he bringing home? Anyone special? Nick says that right now, he is "one hundred percent single."
"It's just having the time to get to know somebody. Things get hectic and I don't have time to spend with someone to find out who they are."
At 25, I' say he still has plenty of time to find Mr. Right.
I was just blown away by the performances of Van Hansis (Luke) and Laurence Lau (Brian) on yesterday's episode of "As the World Turns." It was a heart-to-heart about Brian's attraction to Luke ("Of course I'm attracted to you, who wouldn't be") and Luke's anger and concern because Brian has just married his grandmother! This gave both actors a chance to shine and for their characters to come across as real human beings. It also signals that Luke and Brian could be way more interesting than Luke and Noah have become.
Before a screening of "Valkyrie" began Monday night, the audience inside Grauman's Chinese 6 in Hollywood was all abuzz. But not about seeing the movie.
"Did you see Tom Cruise on 'The Today Show' this morning?" a woman sitting behind me asked her son. "He was on 'Oprah' too."
It's tough not to see Cruise these days. In addition to making up with Matt Lauer Monday morning, he paid a visit to David Letterman last night, and last week did an Elvis Presley impersonation for Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show."
Yeah, Cruise is promoting "Valkyrie" - the thriller that casts him as a would-be assassin of Adolf Hitler - but this current media blitz is about something more: movie star redemption.
"When you're Tom Cruise, you have to play for history," top Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman said Tuesday. "You're not just playing to promote a movie, you're playing for the long, long haul. He's patching up these bridges that have been destroyed. I think once he gets beyond 'Valkryie,' once he gets beyond this redemption tour, I think he's well-positioned for his next movie."
Having to win back moviegoers once seemed unimaginable for the actor who so memorably danced into moviegoers' hearts in 1983's "Risky Business," then firmly remained there - uninterrupted - for 20-plus years with hits that include "Top Gun," "War of the Worlds," "Minority Report," and "Mission Impossible."
He also got respect for such dramas as "Rainman," "A Few Good Men" and "Collateral," and earned Oscar nods for "Born on the Fourth of July," "Jerry Maguire" and "Magnolia."
But over-the-top behavior in 2005 like dancing on Oprah's couch with glee over his romance with
This week, a contrite Cruise told Lauer: "After looking at (that appearance), I really thought...that I came across as arrogant. I absolutely could have handled that better."
In the current issue of People magazine (he's on the cover, of course), Cruise referenced the Oprah appearance and jokingly described his 2005 antics as "my year of jumping dangerously."
Bragman, who has worked with everyone from Monica Lewinsky to Frank Sinatra, is impressed with the new Cruise.
"I like his appearances, I think he's charming, I think he's smart. He's redeeming himself. My only issue is, I think Tom is so much bigger than his movies. In a lot of these interviews, we're spending a lot of time talking about things other than the movie and I think he should be talking about the movie."
This is a man who has had 14 of his movies gross more than $100 million domestically but who hasn't headlined a megahit since "War of the Worlds" in 2005. "Mission Impossible 3," which came out a year later, was such a box office disappointment that its studio, Paramount Pictures, cut ties with Cruise.
Since then, "Valkyrie" has had its release date moved around several times (it is now set for release on Dec. 25), and the actor's only roles have been a supporting part in last year's political drama "Lions for Lambs," which bombed, and an extended cameo in the summer hit "Tropic Thunder."
"Thunder" actually has turned out to be a real bright spot for Cruise who last week earned a Golden Globes Award nomination for his well-recieved comic performance. But will people go to see him in "Valkyrie"?
"On the face of it, a film with this subject matter doesn't scream big box office," said box office tracker Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers. "But you plug in Tom Cruise and suddenly it has that potential.
"The 'Tropic Thunder' performance was a great performance and was a fantastic public relations move," he added. "If you were down on Cruise, after you saw 'Tropic Thunder,' you were kind of digging Cruise again."
I don't often post about various events because that could turn into a full-time job. But when i know the people involved, I like to give a shout out. Tonight at 7:30 p.m., at A Different Light bookstore in West Hollywood (8853 Santa Monica Blvd) is a DVD signing for the newest movie from writer-director Rob Williams of Guest House Films who I met a few weeks back at a holiday party hosted by actors Steve Callahan and Matthew Montgomery. Rob is also behind the terrific films "Long-Term Relationship" and "Back Soon" which both starred Montgomery.
I watched the movie over the weekend and found it entertaining and fun. Lotsa gay soap opera, appealing performances and tons of nudity - if you're into that kinda thing. The movie stars, in alphabetical order: Chris Carlisle, Joel Harrison, Gaetano Jones, Derek Long, Derek Meeker, Douglas Myers, Daniel Rhyder and Stephen Twardokus.
Here's the trailer:
3-DAY WEEKEND trailer
Frankly, this movie looks kinda silly. But Paul Rudd is always appealing and hey, there is a man kiss in it. Check out the trailer of "I Love You, Man" which I found via Towleroad.
It's nice when someone smart and thoughtful like Melissa Etheridge speaks about equal rights for gays but annoying when it is someone like Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
On today's episode of "The View," Etheridge said of the passage of Prop. 8 last month: "To have people vote to take away rights is very un-American."
She commented that Whoopi Goldberg's comments on the topic were eloquent but to Hasslebeck she said: "I was saddened with your conversation only because I felt you misleaded people when you started to talk about a Swedish priest who was put in jail..."
A defensive Elisabeth started saying stuff that included. "We're not in California. I didn't vote on Prop 8. I wasn't there..." and "It should come from the people and it's not a personal thing to me" ... "For me, it's not a personal issue, it's a legal issue."
If you're going to talk about the issue on national television, then take a stand Hasselbeck. Tell us whether or not you are against gay marriage instead of these cop-out remarks. Start talking like a real person.
I try to keep track of all things involving Matthew McConaughey because, let's face it, he is a hottie and in the right movie, he is a wonderful screen presence. Loved him in "Sahara," "A Time to Kill" and "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days." But I don't recall his movie "Surfer Dude" even being released in theaters.
At any rate, it comes out on DVD on Dec. 30. He plays a soul-searching surfer experiencing all kind of things in order to find inner peace, according to OhLaLaMag. But who really cares about plot when we get to see Matthew in the buff! Go to OhLaLa to see the below picture uncensored.
Advocate.com has posted more of its People of the Year and Tina Fey has made the cut. The site points out that during her brilliant Sarah Palin impersonation in the months leading up to the election, she managed to shed light of the candidate's views - including abiyt gay people.
Fey had her Palin say, "I tolerate gays. I tolerate them with all my heart" and her delivery of Palin's homespun patronization of gay people had the whole world laughing at her obvious intolerance.
The Advocate's also writes:
Watching the vice presidential debate in October, Fey says she was struck by Democrat Joe Biden's initial comments about gay rights. "I thought, Wow, I've never heard anyone say this with such commitment in a format like this. And then he immediately qualified it." It's a frustration gay people can identify with. But it took Fey's cutesy, wink-laden delivery of, "Look, I think marriage is a union of two unwilling teenagers," to bring humor into the disappointment while simultaneously calling into question the Alaskan Republican's authority on the subject. (Palin's pregnant 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is engaged to her high-school boyfriend.)
"The whole thing makes my head hurt," says Fey of gay marriage. "Why are we deciding this? It has always confused me that people evoke marriage being a sacred institution. It's a license you get from the state. It's inherently a civil union."
Given her humility, it's no surprise that Fey didn't think her Palin performances would resonate with gay people specifically. "I don't think I really asked any gay people about it," she says. "But the guys in wardrobe at SNL, they loved it."
Well this sounds like the perfect stocking stuffer!
The hit movie version of the stage smash "Mamma Mia!," starring the Golden Glove Award nominated Meryl Streep, hits store shelves today on DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def.
Here's some more info on the DVD features:
- A sing-along bonus feature that includes on-screen lyrics for 22 musical numbers
- Includes all-new musical number, "The Name of the Game"
- Deleted scenes and Outtakes
- Featurettes that give an in-depth look at the making of Mamma Mia! The Movie.
- 2-Disc Special Edition available for a Limited Time Only with digital copy
Below is some of the DVD bonus material featuring Meryl and other members of the cast:
I've got no idea what's up with these outfits but maybe we'll find out on today's "Ellen DeGeneres Show" when Britney Spears is the guest.
It was unimaginable that Britney would have been able to do something like this a year ago when she was still so deeply troubled and erratic. Now she seems to have it together - at least outwardly - and is once again a big star. It's the fastest comeback in history!
E! Online's Marc Malkin talked to dreamy Brody Jenner about his new MTV reality show "Bromance" for his terrific celeb site.
I thought the quotes were kinda amusing and also look at this as the perfect excuse to post some pics of a really attractive guy who, so far, is simply famous for being famous.
Here are some excerpts:
Jenner tells Malkin that things got particularly weepy during some one-on-one time.
"I did this whole sit-down with these guys, which we called Broprah. I was sitting around and would say, 'OK, now tell me about...' and then all of a sudden it got to be like, 'Whoa!' We're uncovering some deep stuff. These big, grown guys are sitting around crying over being friends with a dude."
Jenner purposely put his wannabe buddies into some compromising and rather uncomfortable situations because he thinks it forced them to show their true characters. For instance, the elimination takes place as they sit knee to knee in a hot tub. "It's kind of homoerotic and I love people saying that," Jenner says in all seriousness, adding, "I'm cool with my sexuality and the gender that I like and I have a beautiful girlfriend. That's why I feel so comfortable with having these awkward guy moments."
Here's a preview of "Bromance" which premieres on Dec. 29...
Hollywood's writers strike prevented Denis Leary from working on episodes of his FX series, "Rescue Me," for several months.
So what did he do?
He sat down and wrote something else: the best-selling book "Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid."
"I wanted to write a book and talk about things that made me laugh," he said during our recent chat. "When I read books by comedians -- like a George Carlin book -- my goal is to laugh out loud."
You might figure that for Leary, a guy who got his start as a stand-up comedian, writing a collection of sardonic essays would be a piece of cake.
Wrong.
"On stage, I go out with five notes in my head, and that could be 45 minutes, because I'm always watching television or reading newspapers," he said. "I had to learn to put it on the page and have a theme."
Leary has had an interesting time promoting "Why We Suck" at various bookstores across the country in recent weeks.
"I was on this crazy tour for two weeks," he said. "It went all over the country. It's always surprising when you meet people out on a book tour, I know 'Rescue Me' is a 50-50 audience between men and women. With the book, I was getting all these women. One woman looked 90 and acted like she was 60 and said: 'I laughed my ass off with this book!'"
Leary also broke some of the traditional rules that seem to have taken hold at major book signings these days.
"I kept on asking, 'Why are you guys telling people they can't take pictures and get the book personalized?' My thing was, they are coming out and paying $25. I made sure to write whatever they want, and they got to take a picture."
Leary said he'd love to write another book soon, but acting is still his first love. He earned a Golden Globe Award nomination on Thursday for his performance in the HBO film "Recount" and is busy filming new episodes of "Rescue Me" that will begin airing in April on FX.
"Instead of shooting one season of 13 episodes, we are doing 24 episodes and will run them all at the same time,... with seasons five and six combined into one long season," he explained.
"I'm really biased. I think it's really the best stuff we've ever done. We come out the first week of April and (go) right into the fall. Fans will be elated."
Crooner-turned-heavy metal artist Pat Boone thinks we got the wrong idea when he wrote a column comparing the peaceful demonstrations over the passage of Proposition 8 to the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India writing, in part:
How crazily ironic that the homosexual activists and sympathizers cry for 'tolerance' and 'equal rights' and understanding -while they spew vitriol and threats and hate at those who disagree with them on moral and societal grounds."
Claiming to be misunderstood, Boone has posted a new column. I find him confusing. If he loves us so much, why so publicly not support our equal rights? Why go out of your way to use what is left of your fame to hurt us?
Here's a snippet:
I need to say right here, honestly and unashamedly - I love gays. I always have, always will. I have proved it, over and over.
I met my first homosexual friend while I was in high school. He was a Navy veteran who had come back to finish his schooling. He put his hand on my thigh while we were parked at a fast food drive in. I was a cow milker with a vise-like grip, and after I nearly squeezed his wrist off, letting him know he had the wrong guy, he said, "I guess you'll tell everybody, and I'll get kicked out of school." I assured him I wouldn't, and I told nobody. I really felt empathy for him, because he obviously was not a happy man.
I've been in the entertainment business for over 50 years now, and I've had many dear and close friends, guys (and some gals) I have loved who were practicing homosexuals. How could I not? We forged real friendships, never strained or awkward. We each knew the other's perspectives and respected them. Every one of them can tell you that I've never condemned or made them uncomfortable, in my home or theirs, though they knew I couldn't approve their sexual practices. So what? We were friends, and we could be honest with each other.
Years ago, I sat by the bed of one of my closest friends as he lay dying in a VA hospital. AIDS didn't have a name yet, but that's what was killing him. His teeth had fallen out; he had no immune system left. We prayed together, and I saw him off to heaven. I loved Roger.
The American Film Institute has released its list of the year's 10 best movies (in no particular order) and "Milk" is among the movies chosen.
The Harvey Milk biopic starring Sean Penn, directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Dustin Lance Black has some impressive company but I have yet to see most of them. I have seen "Milk," "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man" and "WALL-E" but not yet "Frost/Nixon," "Frozen River," "Gran Torino," "Wendy and Lucy," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." and "The Wrestler."
"Today Show" host Matt Lauer said "this is not a rematch" but did begin this morning's interview with a humbled Tom Cruise by addressing their contentious meeting a few years back. Tom admitted to coming across as "arrogant."
Here is a clip:
Earlier post: Tom Cruise and Matt Lauer: Rematch set for Monday...
The singer turns 69 years old today! She had the tall order of replacing Florence Ballard as a member of The Supremes and she did so with class. Diana Ross left the Supremes for a solo career in 1970 but Cindy remained with Mary Wilson and new lead singer Jean Terrell and they had several top 10 hits including "Stoned Love." She took some time off to have a baby but returned before finally leaving the group for good in early 1976 - one year before it disbanded.
TRIVIA QUESTION: On which episode of "Designing Women" did Cindy Birdsing's name come up? Answer comes later this week unless someone comes up with it first!
*** We already have an answer! Scott in Washington DC correctly writes: Her name appears in the episode where Anthony gets stranded on the women's camping trip/retreat with the ladies and has to play drag for the trip. When the director asked him his name, he uses Cindy Birdsong.
Below is a television appearance shortly after Cindy joined the Supremes:
Curtain down, dim the lights...
Broadwayworld.com reports that the current Broafway production of "Gypsy" starring Patti LuPone will close on January 11 - about six weeks earlier than originally planned.
The production has been set to run through March 1, 2009. at the St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street).It will have played 332 performances and 27 previews by the time it closes and not only won a Tony for LuPone as "Rose," but also for Boyd Gaines as "Herbie" and Laura Benanti as "Gypsy."
Producer Roger Berlind said in a statement: "Though we originally announced that "Gupsy" would play its final performance on March 1, 2009, due to these uncertain financial times my partners and I have made the difficult decision to close instead on January 11, 2009."
Here is Patti LuPone's glorious performance on the Tony Awards telecast in June...
...and here is her Tony acceptance speech - the second Tony coming nearly 30 years after her first win for "Evita."
"Milk," all but snubbed by the Golden Globes Thursday (only Sean Penn is nominated), had its best weekend at the box office to date. The movie about the life of Harvey Milk, written by Dustin Lance Black and directed by Gus Van Sant, finished in ninth place with estimated ticket sale revenue of $2,636,000.
The film added 229 more theaters to its run (now playing in 328 locations total) resulting in a 43.7 percent increase in business over last weekend. Total gross to date is $7,630,000.
Poor Meryl Streep.
She's got a sinus infection and a bronchial infection but didn't want to pull a John McCain and cancel her appearance on Dave Letterman's show. So, she coughed her way through it!
Letterman: "You really shouldn't be out walking around."
Meryl:, "Well I was afraid to cancel."
It's a busy time for Miss Streep, who received two Golden Globe Award nominations on Thursday - one for "Mamma Mia" and the other for "Doubt."
The comedy legend is 83-years-old today. Hard to believe, but an entire generation knows Dick Van Dyke mostly from his long run on the CBS mystery-drama "Diagnosis Murder." He's starred in the great 60s movies "Bye Bye Birdie," "Mary Poppins" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and his sitcom, "The Dick Van Dyke Show," is one of the best there ever was. Five seasons of absolute perfection that doesn't seem at all dated today. So smart, so funny. Here is a clip (yes, that is Mary Tyler Moore as his wife!)
Designer Tom Ford, in the new issue of Details magazine, says he thinks everyone should ignore their sexual orientation at least once:"There's one indulgence every man should try in his lifetime: If you're straight, sleep with a man at least once, and if you're gay, don't go through life without sleeping with a woman. Either way, you might be surprised at how natural it will feel if you can get past the mind-fuck of stereotypes. In the end, it's just another person that you are relating to in a physical way."
Interesting. A few other Ford rules:
--- Someone who is secure enough to be very present when relating to another person is sexy. In other words, a good listener always lands who he wants.
--- If you're careful not to overuse Botox, then yes, why shouldn't you use it? A little bit of it between the brows can make you look less stern and more approachable. Who needs to frown, anyway?
Tom Cruise, doing all kinds of publicity these days for "Valkyrie." He was on "The Tonight Show" Thursday night - the same day he received a Golden Globe nomination for his supporting role in "Tropic Thunder." What made this fun and different was that he sang a little bit of "Blue Suede Shoes" for Jay Leno and at the end shook his pelvis a little bit.
Fun!
Tom also recalled how when he first arrived in LA to live, it was Sean Penn who picked him up at the airport. They had already appeared in "Taps" together.
(the rest of the appearance is after the jump!)
Bea Arthur called a few days ago and was very apologetic. She had not had a chance to speak with me at the Television Academy Hall of Fame ceremony a day earlier but had some time now.
The star of "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" and the original Broadway productions of "Mame" and "Three Penny Opera" had no need to be sorry. The dinner was about to start and she was being swarmed by well-wishers.
Her induction came a bit later than originally planned because when the Academy first approached Miss Arthur five years ago, she declined because she felt there were others far more deserving.
But finally, the 86-year-old star relented.
"It was fabulous," she said of the evening. "I mean, I was really very, very, very touched. I'm not good at those evenings though. I feel I can act ... but standing there and accepting accolades is something else. I was embarrassed."
Her seven seasons as Dorothy on "Golden Girls" and six years on "Maude" brought her to an entirely different level of stardom that was far different from her 30 years as an acclaimed theater actress.
"Suddenly the whole country knew me. It was very odd and different," she said. "Originally, I used to find myself running away from people and dodging them at restaurants. But I since have found that people who do come up and tell you they enjoy you and your performance, it's really very sweet."
She then shared a funny story about Rue McClanahan who she not only starred with in "Golden Girls," but also on "Maude."
"When we started 'Golden Girls' and Rue, my darling Rue, suddenly found herself a so-called TV star. I remember she couldn't believe that I did my own grocery shopping! But I did and would usually meet Angela (Lansbury) in produce."
She and Lansbury have been the closest of friends since the 60s when they were in "Mame" together and it was the "Murder She Wrote" star who did the Hall of Fame induction for her friend last week.
"Angela, bless her heart, went on much too long!" Arthur said.
She seemed relieved when I assured her that most in the audience were charmed and touched by Lansbury's words that night because they not only paid tribute to a great career, but also gave insight into who Arthur is off-stage - a mom, a gourmet cook, a loyal friend.
I had seen Arhur's one-woman show, "Just Between Friends," at the El Portal Theater in North Hollywood several years ago and wondered if she ever planned to do the Tony-nominated production again.
"Maybe a couple of times for charity but no more touring! We did fabulous business in New York but we continued touring and that got to be a bore: endless plane rides and endless terrible meals and bad hotels. When we finished I said, 'That's it!'"
What about writing her memoirs?
"Oh God no!" she said. "Who would care? Everybody writes book and I think it's ridiculous."
Okay then, how about another television role? In recent years she played Larry David's mother on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and got an Emmy nod for her guest part as a babysitter on "Malcom in the Middle."
"I enjoy that, doing a one shot," she said. "But I'm too old and I'm too tired to attempt another series. It would be just my luck that it would be a hit!"
Just a day or two ago, I wrote how one of my favorite "I Love Lucy" episodes is the one featuring Van Johnson. I'm sad to report that the actor has just died at the age of 92. I really didn't know much about Van other than the Lucy episode and from seeing him in a film on television here and there. But this Bloomberg obit sheds some light:
Van Johnson, a box-office idol who starred in World War II action films and dramas such as "The "Caine Mutiny" and returned in the 1980s to Broadway, where he had started a half-century earlier, has died. He was 92.
Family friend Wendy Bleiweiss said Johnson died earlier today in Nyack, New York, the Associated Press reported.
Johnson found stardom playing servicemen in war movies such as "A Guy Named Joe" and "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo." His boy-next-door persona endeared him both to teenage girls and the mothers of sons at war.
Badly injured in a car crash in 1943, Johnson didn't see military service himself. He rose instead in Hollywood's ranks as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer discovered that Johnson's accident scars helped his on-screen combat credibility. The studio paired Johnson, with his swept-back, strawberry- blond hair and face full of freckles, with sweet-faced actresses. He played opposite June Allyson in five films, starting with "Two Girls and a Sailor" in 1944, and made another five pictures with swimmer Esther Williams.
In 1939, Johnson was in the chorus of "Too Many Girls," a Rogers and Hart musical that included Cuban musician Desi Arnaz. He went to Hollywood with Arnaz and some of the others to make the musical's film version and appeared, uncredited, as "chorus boy #41," according to the Internet Movie Database. Lucille Ball starred in the movie, where she met Arnaz, whom she later married. A few years later, Ball introduced Johnson to MGM's casting director, a chance meeting that gave his career a needed push.
Though a teen idol, Johnson at 30 wasn't romantically linked, and MGM decided to head off speculation about its leading man's sexual orientation. With a studio publicist in attendance, Johnson married Eve Wynn on Jan. 25, 1947, in a ceremony four hours after her Mexican divorce from Wynn, father of her two sons.
"They needed their 'Big Star' to be married to quell rumors about his sexual preferences, and unfortunately I was 'It!' the only woman he would marry," Wynn wrote in a note to Ronald Davis, a Southern Methodist University professor emeritus whose unauthorized Johnson biography was published in 2001.
The marriage produced a daughter, Schulyer Van Johnson, on Jan. 6, 1948. Johnson and his wife separated in 1961, though their divorce didn't become final until 1968 due to wrangling over the financial settlement.
As Hollywood's golden era faded, Johnson made films in Europe and performed in nightclubs. In 1961, he revived his stage career as professor Harold Hill in London production of "The Music Man." Back in the U.S., he lived in a Manhattan penthouse within view of the East River. He made occasional Hollywood movies, including "Wives and Lovers" and "Divorce American Style" in the 1960s, performed in regional theaters and cruise ships and made TV guest appearances on "Love Boat" and "Murder She Wrote," among others.
At 68, Johnson returned to Broadway in the hit musical "La Cage aux Folles," performing the lead role of Georges for most of 1985.
Here is a scene from that "Lucy" episode when he and Lucille Ball sing and dance. It's pure magic...
Poor Lance Bass.
Being one of the most famous gay men on the planet does not guarantee a successful love life. He tells USWeekly that his stint on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" - on which he danced his way to third place - "really destroyed a relationship that I had, which just sucked. I just had no time whatsoever, so now it's time to really focus on myself."
But there is a bight side: "The great thing about this show is it really has made me fall in love with dancing," he said.
So much so that he is part of the DWTS tour wraps. When that ends, he vows that "I'll be hanging up the dancing shoes ... but it is fun to take classes once in a while."
This has been a terrific week for Kiefer Sutherland who I think is a real class act. The actor was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his performance in the TV movie ":24: Redemption" and also received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His proud father, Donald Sutherland, was on hand for the occasion.
A long-awaited new seaspn of "24" premieres next month on FOX.
This is great!!!
I know that some folks might find the selection of Hugh Jackman to host the Academy Awards strange, but I LOVE the idea. If you saw him host the Tony Awards a few years back (which he won an Emmy for), then you know he is a confident, charming and dazzling host. He can sing and dance and he's HOT! He's a bonafinde movie star and People Mag's sexiest man alive!
Jackman, who first claimed fame as Wolverine in the "X-Men" movie franchise, recently starred in Baz Luhrmann's romantic adventure film "Australia" with Nicole Kidman and was oh-so dashing.
The AP reports that with new producers, a new set director and even a new music director, the Academy has been hinting at an all new look and feel for this year's Oscars telecast on Feb. 22.
Jackman's selection is a departure from the Academy's standard of big-name comedians. Jon Stewart, host of "The Daily Show," hosted the ceremony in 2008 and 2006; Ellen DeGeneres was the 2007 host. Chris Rock, Steve Martin, Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg have also hosted the show in recent years.
Here's a clip from his Tony gig:
Get in line D-lister! This is a funny moment form last night's "Larry King Live" Watch Anderson blush!!!
The songstress (I just don't think that word is used enough these days) turns 68 today. To celebrate, here is a video of one of her biggest hits "That's What Friends Are For" with proceeds going to AIDS research. She's joined by, as you probably know, Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight...
Enjoy!
Out In Hollywood fave Neil Patrick Harris was nominated in the category of best supporting actor in a comedy. I knew this was his first nod for his role as Barney Stinson the CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" but did not realize he had twice before been nominated: the first nod came way back in 1989 for supporting actor in a motion picture ("Clara's Heart") then three years later for best actor in a TV comedy ("Doogie Howser M.D.").
Let's hope that NPH pulls out a win this time. To do so, he'll have to beat "Entourage" star Jeremy Piven who had beaten Neil for the Emmy the past two years.
Let's get real about one of the reasons why I care about this: Tom Cruise looked absolutely amazing in that tight T-shirt he wore in his "Today Show" interview with Matt Lauer a few years back. So the question is, what's he gonna wear on Monday when these two go at it again?
So you know the history, right? Tommy called Lauer "glib" and criticized Brooke Shields for taking anti-depressants. Now he's promoting "Valkyrie" and will sqaure-off with Matt again. We know it'll be cool though because Tom showed up not long ago at a raost for Lauer and good-naturedly ribbed him and has put a lid on his beliefs - at least in interviews.
In the new issue of People magazine, Cruise admits of the infamous interview of '06, "I think I could have handled things better."
Here is the video so you can relive every delicious moment and check out those biceps!
Anderson Cooper, CNN's Silver Fox, was at a launch party last night for his "Planet in Peril" documentary premiering on CNN tonight at 9 p.m.
Anderson, CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and National Geographic Channel host Lisa Ling examine effects of the Earth's rapidly growing population. Among other subjects, the trio investigates the spread of disease, oil and poverty in Nigeria, shark fishing and shark dive tours, African elephants and mountain gorillas. It is the second "Planet in Peril" special.
"I love the political coverage this year, I found it incredibly exciting, but it's always nice to change things up," Cooper told the New York Daily News. "You don't get the opportunity to go into the mountains in the Congo, then off to Rwanda every day, so it's something that I really jumped at."
Let's face it, I'm so over Noah and I wish Luke would be too. But you know how young love is, you just can't see what is clear to everyone else. Anyhow, Luke's uncle had a bachelor party today and his grandma's new hubby, Brian, got real sauced. Noah shows up and starts defending Brian and Luke had a great snarky line: "Noah, why do you defend him? Just because he reminds you of the good ol' days when you were pretending to be straight?"
Anyway, Luke gives Brian a ride home and his hottie step-grandpa made the moves on him again. Luke finds him more resistable than I would and the episode ends with him snarling: "Consider this a warning: if you ever come on to me again, I will tell you (my grandmother) everything."
Afterelton.com live-blogged the episide.
So what if Brad and Angelina didn't call. There were several other excited Golden Globe nominees to chat with Thursday morning.
"Entourage" star Kevin Connolly was just completely discombobulated early after finding out about his first-ever nomination.
"I'm just speechless to be honest with you," he said. "I don't quite know what to do with myself. I'm just standing here. It's weird. None of my L.A. friends are awake yet, I don't know who to call. I have a little bit of a flu but there's a real adrenaline rush. This is just the happiest day of my life."
Connolly, who plays Eric Murphy on the long-running HBO hit, had no idea nominations were being announced. So when he heard the answering machine to his kitchen phone repeatedly going off, he feared disaster had struck.
"I didn't feel any good could come of it," he said.
He's pretty sure he won't have to worry about making a speech on awards night: "The funny thing to me is who I'm nominated with. Alec Baldwin. Have you heard of him? Steve Carell? Just to be there is amazing."
I spoke with Simon Beaufoy nominated for his "Slumdog Millionaire" screenplay, as he was riding in a taxi in London. He was heading home to celebrate with some champagne.
An Oscar nominee back in 1998 for "The Full Monty," Beaufoixy was feeling very grateful.
"With 'Monty,' it was the first movie I had ever written and I thought, 'This is fun.' Now, 10 years later and having never had another nomination, I really understand the measure
of it now."
He looks forward to attending the Globes ceremony next month and attending some screenings of "Slumdog."
"You go to a screening in England, they are all very polite. In the States, they grab you and say, 'That was fantastic!' " he said. "You really know when an American likes something. For us repressed English people, it's fantastic to go out there."
"Frost/Nixon" writer Peter Morgan called from his cell phone and immediately made a confession: "I'm in a strange place for a Globe nomination. I'm walking the streets in a dark, cold central European capital. I'm in Vienna. It feels more like a place to go and see a shrink."
But at least he was able to talk freely. It was a different story when he first found out about the nomination: "I was on a Viennese tram car when my phone rang. I couldn't really express feeling joy as I was surrounded by melancholic Viennese ladies of a certain age. But the really good news about being in Vienna is it's already dark and it feels like evening. It's already an appropriate time to celebrate."
Morgan's last trip to the Globes was a triumphant one as he wion for "The Queen." And yet, he said, "this experience feels more special than 'The Queen.' Last time I was sort of dazed. This time, I'm more aware of what the privilege means."
"Wall-E" writer-director Andrew Stanton woke up in time to flip on the television and watch the nominations being announced.
"Then it dawned on me that they don't announce the animated film category on television so I found out online," he said. "It does make you giddy."
Stanton, previously nominated for "Finding Nemo," was particularly gratified by the nod because "Wall-E" was a bit of a departure from the usual Disney-Pixar fare.
""It's a real affirmation to stick with your artistic instincts," he said. "It really renews your faith in the audience!"
Here are other reactions that came through in the form of statements. Some aren't bad and sound like someone actually said 'em!
Sally Hawkins, best actress nominee in a musical or comedy for "Happy-Go-Lucky": "Wow, wow, wow - what a surprise, I cannot describe how I feel, so appreciative of it all and so very pleased!! Such an honor to be in the same category as Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson. They are great, iconic women that I've watched for years - they have definitely inspired and influenced me in my decision to pursue acting. So proud to be in this film and having the chance again to work with Mike Leigh. These past couple of days have been a whirlwind but I am feeling quite lucky and blessed at the moment."
Double-nominee Tom Wilkinson for the miniseries "John Adams" and the TV movie "Recount" said: "I love the Golden Globes. I've been there a few times and always have fun since it's very relaxed. I look forward to going again. How absolutely terrific both 'John Adams' and 'Recount' have been so recognized; of course i'm thrilled they singled me out too."
Dustin Hoffman, nominee for best actor in a musical or comedy "Last Chance Harvey" said: "It is so exciting to be nominated, but working with Emma was reward enough. Don't get me wrong, I still want to win!"
Emma Thompson, best actress nominee for "Harvey" said: "Dustin and I had the best time making this film. It seems insane to get an award nomination on top of that, but I'm thrilled."
Shirley MacLaine, nominated for best actress in a miniseries or television movie for Lifetime's "Coco Chanel" said: "I am really thrilled! I guess I should dress up more. Maybe Chanel could do a couture line for seniors?"
Marisa Tomei, best supporting actress nominee in a motion picture for "The Wrestler" said: "I am absolutely thrilled and cannot be happier that The Wrestler has been given so much attention. It is such an honor for the HFPA to have recognized my work and Mickey's in this beautiful film."
Rachel Griffiths, supporting actress nominee for TV series "Brothers & Sisters" said: "When I got a phone call early this morning, my heart dropped because I thought my nanny was calling in sick!!! I am so thrilled! It is a joy to go to work everyday and this is the icing on the cake."
Amy Adams and Viola Davis were both nominated for supporting actress for "Doubt."
Adams said: "I am so honored to be nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for DOUBT along with John Patrick Shanley, Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Viola Davis. Helping to bring John's Pulitzer Prize-winning play to the screen was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career."
Davis said: "I cannot even believe it! I feel so blessed and grateful to the HFPA for honoring my work. It's more than I have ever dreamed. First working with Meryl, Phillip, Amy and John and now THIS!! Thank you! Thank you!"
James Denton may be best-known for his role as Mike the plumber on ABC's "Desperate Housewives," but lately he's also been plenty busy making music.
The actor is a member of The Band from TV which has attracted enough of a following to release a new CD/DVD called "Hoggin' All the Covers." Other band members are Greg Grunberg ("Heroes"), Hugh Laurie ("House"), Bonnie Sommerville ("Cashmere Mafia") and Bob Guiney ("The Bachelor").
"It's been such a huge charity endeavor that's raised almost $1.5 million," Denton told me this week. "It all started when we got together to do one little event two years ago so it's been amazing."
All proceeds from "Covers" are being donated to charities including "Epilepsy Foundation" and "Save The Children."
Denton also recently teamed with his wife, Erin O'Brien, for a five-week run of the play "How Cissy Grew" at the El Portal Theater in North Hollywood.
"That's my background, I never thought I'd be in front of a camera," he said. "People are always curious when they see that a TV guy is doing theater, like I'm trying to legitimize myself a little bit. But I'm actually more at home there."
"It's just so fun, getting to tell the entire story every night and your performance isn't being subjected to editing and all those things," he added. "If you're good you can be proud and if you suck, it's your fault."
He's still loving his day job on "Desperate Housewives" though with the show taping its 100th episode this week. But he's not working as much with Teri Hatcher these days since their characters divorced during five-year leap in time the storyline took at the start of the season.
"It's a little frustrating in that I like Teri so much and we have such fun working together," Denton said. "But, you know, I love Dana Delaney and we've gotten to be really good friends and I now get to work with her for a little while. I think the story of Mike and Susan requires that they be kept apart so they found another way to do that and I think the five-year jump was so great for the other storylines."
Love Wanda - especially now that she's out! Take a look at her visit with Jay...
I'm in the newsroom soooooo early today to take calls from Golden Globe nominees for my print column tomorrow. I didn't hear from Sean Penn (as if!) but I'm happy to report that he is one of the nominees for best actor in a motion picture-drama.
That's the good news.
The Globes, handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, otherwise completely snubbed "Milk" which has scored in the best picture, director, screenplay and supporting actor categories in various crtics awards.
Oh