Greg Hernandez: February 2009 Archives

I lost my job today.

Even as my co-workers were losing their jobs all around me, I remained blissful in writing columns and feature stories and, of course, this blog. Fingers banging on the keyboard, not an employment care in the world. Someone even asked me a few weeks ago if I was worried about being laid off. I said: "I don't worry about it because I don't think it'll happen and if it does happen, then I will have not worried about it until then."

And so, I was able to enjoy my seven-and-a-half years at the Los Angeles Daily News right up to the very end. I ask you, what better last assignment than to cover The Academy Awards?

I was officially informed Monday afternoon that it was to be my last day on payroll at the paper which has undergone deep cuts in recent months. I've wanted to post something on the blog sooner about my fate but I put an update on my Facebook page late this afternoon and have been dealing with dozens and dozens of non-stop messages and phone calls (all incredibly supportive) for the last several hours. Nothing like a a series of big, warm cyber hugs and friends calling from different cities and states and even countries.

I'm overwhelmed. Thanks to everyone from the bottom of my heart.

The Daily News has graciously consented to keep the Out In Hollywood archives available at this site. Meanwhile, I have launched a new site called Greg In Hollywood (greginhollywood.com). New name, same Greg.

What was important to me when I came to work at the Daily News was that I be an openly gay man from day one. I had been a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times for 11 years and stayed closeted for most of that time. It was really eating me up inside. I left The Times to find myself personally and professionally and it turned out that the ugly newsroom in Woodland Hills with no windows was a new start for me. For about seven years, I spent what have been, so far, the happiest days of my professional life. At times, I felt like I was at Disneyland it could be so much fun.

I started this blogging adventure in the summer of 2006 as an online side project at the paper and it just seemed to click from day one. I wanted a gay person's voice and perspective and interests to be represented on a blog that maybe everyone else might enjoy reading too. Even though my print workload never lessened (violins, please), I found myself addicted to blogging and the instant nature of posting stories, photos and videos and getting immediate response.

Out In Hollywood grew and was one of the only gay-themed blogs at any mainstream news organization in the country. And during that time, I was given wide berth to be authentic, creative,and provocative.

A high point was last June when the Los Angeles City Council honored me for pioneering coverage of gay Hollywood, entertainment and cultural issues in a mainstream newspaper. It was a proud day and I was honored to have former Daily News editor Ron Kaye and former DN managing editor Melissa Lalum by my side. They were my true champions in this endeavor. Other than the unfortunate powder blue sportscoat I wore that day, it was a wonderful day at City Hall.

The blog gets well more than 150,000 hits per month at this point and has become a regular read for many. I appreciate each and every set of eyeballs. One of the biggest scoops was from a luncheon honoring Jodie Foster. It was packed with media and Hollywood bigwigs and I seemed to have been the only one to notice that she seemed to casually came out duiring her speech. Here's a LINK to that little scoop.

I have also interviewed many gay celebs and heroes for this site including Dustin Lance Black (pictured w/me earlier this month), Martina Navratilova, John Amaechi, my hero Billie Jean King, Ellen DeGeneres, Cynthia Nixon, T.R. Knight, Neil Patrick Harris, Luke Macfarlane, Lance Bass, Gus Van Sant, Chad Allen, Tom Ford, Charlie David, Robert Gant, Wilson Cruz, Peter Paige, Jane Lynch, George Takei, and such straight allies as Gavin Newsom, Judith Light and Kathy Griffin.

It really was time for a blog like this when you consider all that's happened in recent years: "Milk" star Sean Penn winning best actor and Dustin Lance Black winning best screenplay at this week's Oscars; same-sex marriage being granted then voted out by California voters; Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi getting married during the brief legal window; Keith Olberman becoming an unexpected straight ally as did Bill Maher; famous folks (Amaechi, T.R., Bass, NPH, Macfarlane, Cheyene Jackson, David Hyde Pierce; Darryl Stephens, Thomas Roberts, Miss Cleo and Cynthia Nixon coming out (I'm not sure if we can count Lindsay Lohan yet!); controveries that included Isaiah Washington using of the other "f" word in reference to T.R. Knight and later being fired from "Grey's Anatomy," Sen. Larry Craig getting busted for "tapping his foot" in airport bathroom; Former Joint Chief of Staffs Gen. Peter Pace saying gays are "immoral" despite the many serving in the military under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," Ted Haggard giving up his ministry after admitting to drug use and gay sex; Rosie O'Donnell being on "The View" and feuding with Donald Trump, Bill O'Reilly and finally, Elisabeth Hasselbeck; and television features gay characters on Showtime's "The L Word," Here!TV's "Dante's Cove," Logo's "Big Gay Sketch Show," Scotty and Kevin on "Brothers & Sisters," Luke and Noah on "As the World Turns," Marc St. Claire on "Ugly Betty," Lee and Bob on "Desperate Housewives," Billy Baldwin and Candis Cayne's storyline on "Dirty Sexy Money," Alex Meade on "Ugly Betty," Calvin on "Greek," Capt. Jack Harkness on "Torchwood," Uncle Saul on "Brothers & Sisters" and many more.

It has been my pleasure to cover all of that as well as last summer's Democratic National Convention in Denver (that's me with, I hate to name drop, ANDERSON COOPER), and all those Academy Award shows, Emmys, Grammys, Golden Globes (with my awards show bud Sandra Barrera - including last night's Oscars) and getting to interview just about every star I could dream of - except Elizabeth Taylor. The closest I got to Miss Taylor was when they wheeled her by at last November's Macy's Passport event and all I could think was: "I think she has lipstick on her teeth!"

Anyway, it's been a jam-packed 7.5 years from beginning to end, a helluva ride. I made friends for life like James Nash, Beth Barrett, Evan Pondel, Brent Hopkins, Melissa Lalum, Mariko Thompson Beck, Rachel Uranga, Mariel Garza and John Miller (and many more!). Good times, many, many good times. As Mary Richards said in the very last episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" to the newsroom gang: "Thank yiou for being my family."

So the blog will continue under a new, to-be-determined address posted on this site later this week. I'll become a full-time blogger and jump into the freelance world again (anyone need an awards show covered?) and we'll see how that goes.

Call me crazy, but I think the best is yet to come!

-- Greg

It was wonderful. I was surprised at the piece of paper with names but somehow, since it was Sean Penn, it did not seem uncool.

Look, just because Hugh Jackman is incredibly good looking, has a beautiful body and can sing and dance doesn't mean he's gay. We may WISH he was gay, but he is a married man with two kids. He said to Barbara Walters: "Peter Allen has a great line. He goes, 'I know what you're thinking. You're just sitting there looking at me, and thinking now, is he or isn't he? Well, it's true. I am Australian.' To hear what else he told Babs last night, watch the video below.

When watching this speech, think of all the other winners year after year who are just a mess up on that Oscar stage. Then there is Dustin Lance Black who rise to the occasion like few I have ever seen.

Here is part of his backstage remarks...You can hear me asking the second question at the 1:08 mark. His reaction and enthusiastic hello is something I'll always cherish.

I'm all kinds of tired from last night's Oscars. Who knew that sitting on your bottom on a bleacher for five hours then stuffing your face with shrimp as you interview the winners could be so taxing! Then there was the Academy only giving us one parking pass. I gave it to my award show BFF Sandra Barrera and ended up parking down on Sunset Blvd. off LaBrea. The signs were a bit vague so I was not quite sure if I'd get towed. I didn't. Whew! Not even a ticket.

Okay, so let's move on. Did any of you win Oscar pools last night? As you know I made some predictions yesterday and am now going to reveal how I did:

Best motion picture of the year:
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) A Celador Films Production Christian Colson, Producer Correct!

Achievement in directing:
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Danny Boyle Correct!

Performance by an actor in a leading role:
Sean Penn in "Milk" (Focus Features) Correct!

Performance by an actor in a supporting role:
Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.) Correct!

Performance by an actress in a leading role:
Kate Winslet in "The Reader" (The Weinstein Company) Correct!

Performance by an actress in a supporting role:
Penélope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (The Weinstein Company) Correct!

Best animated feature film of the year:
"WALL-E" (Walt Disney) Andrew Stanton Correct!

Achievement in cinematography:
"Changeling" (Universal) Tom Stern
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Claudio MirandaWrong!
The winner: "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Anthony Dod Mantle

Achievement in costume design:
"Australia" (20th Century Fox) Catherine Martin Wrong!
The winner: "The Duchess" (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films) Michael O'Connor

Best documentary feature
"Man on Wire" (Magnolia Pictures) A Wall to Wall Production James Marsh and Simon Chinn Correct!

Best documentary short subject:
"The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306" A Rock Paper Scissors Production Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde Wrong!
The winner:Smile Pinki

Best foreign language film of the year:
"The Baader Meinhof Complex" A Constantin Film Production Germany
"The Class" (Sony Pictures Classics) A Haut et Court Production France Wrong!
The winner: "Departures" (Regent Releasing) A Departures Film Partners Production Japan

Achievement in makeup:
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Greg Cannom Correct!

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score):
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) A.R. Rahman Correct!

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song):
"Down to Earth" from "WALL-E" (Walt Disney) Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman Lyric by Peter Gabriel Wrong!
The winner: "Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Gulzar

Best animated short film:
"Presto" (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production Doug Sweetland Wrong!
The winner: "La Maison en Petits Cubes" A Robot Communications Production Kunio Kato

Best live action short film:
"Auf der Strecke (On the Line)" (Hamburg Shortfilmagency) An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production Reto Caffi Wrong!
The winner: "Spielzeugland (Toyland)" A Mephisto Film Production Jochen Alexander Freydank

Achievement in sound editing:
"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.) Richard King Correct!

Achievement in sound mixing:
"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.) Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed NovickWrong!
The winner: "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
"WALL-E" (Walt Disney) Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt

Achievement in art direction:
"Changeling" (Universal)
"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.) Wrong!
The winner: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" James J. Murakami (Paramount and Warner Bros.)

Achievement in visual effects:
"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.) Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin Wrong!
The winner: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron

Achievement in film editing:
"Frost/Nixon" (Universal) Mike Hill and Dan Hanley Wrong!
The winner: "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.) Lee Smith

Adapted screenplay:
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by Simon BeaufoyCorrect!

Original screenplay:
"Milk" (Focus Features) Written by Dustin Lance Black Correct!

I don't know if it was the overcast sky or the state of the economy or what but the red carpet at this year's Academy Awards was just a little subdued. I had a fourth row seat in the press bleachers so had a damned good view of the proceedings but was not able to do any interviews from that spot. So, here is a red carpet recap in timeline form and the interviews were conducted over the loudspeaker by Robert Osborne. So any quotes from stars were what was being heard live on the red carpet by those at the Kodak Theater.

12:19 p.m. I settled into my bleacher seat and there is Mario Lopez looking all slick making his way to this overpass walkway where he will broadcast from for "Extra."

12:30 p.,m. "Entertainment Tonight" queen Mary Hart arrives looking regal and, well, perky. Bleacher fans are yelling to Mary: "Love your dress!"

1 p.m. Seat fillers have arrived in the rows in back of me with box lunches. They annoy me immediately.

1:13 p.m. There's Mark Steines from "Entertainment Tonight." He's sooooo handsome although I don't like the highlights in his hair.

1:26 p..m. Ryan Seacrest, the hardest working man in showbiz is posing for pics in front of one of the many gold Oscar statues that are lining the red carpet.

1:45 p.m. Cojo, the fashion critic from "Entertainment Tonight," is posing and waving. I want to give him a haircut. I'm sure he is wearing designer duds but he makes the top of my worst dressed list.

2:08 p.m. "Good Morning America" host Robin Roberts, wearing a stunning orange gown, arrives and is getting ready to host the official Academy Awards pre-show for ABC.

2:40 p.m. Wolfgang Puck is introduced by Robert Osborne over the loud speaker and tells about the menu for the Governor's Ball. I cannot understand a word the man is saying. I just wish he's throw a chocolate Oscar my way. Those things are tasty!

2:49 p.m. The dudes from Price, Waterhouse and Cooper are beiing interivewed. Yawn. They make a better picture (with their briefcases containing the results) than an interview. They say of someone announces the wrong winner, "we would notify the director right away." I would hope so. Otherwise you could have Marisa Tomei walking off with another Oscar! (just kiddin).

2:51 p.m. Ryan Seacrest is being interviewed over the loud speaker and says: "I haven't prepared at all." Just like at the Emmys!

3 p.m. There's a lull, I'm bored and scan the red carpet and see Deborah Norville who is covering things for her show "Inside Edition." I'm wondering if she and Jane Pauley ever talk. Oh! The first non-infotainment show celeb has arrived: Danny Glover!

3:02 p.m. Miley Cyrus has arrived. Gee, we don;t seen enough of her.

3:05 p.m. Osborne is interviewing former Oscar nominee Virginia Madsen and tells her: "Don't you look spiffy!" Huh? She is followed a few minutes later by Emile Hirsch, one of the stars of "Milk" who says: "There's a lot of gold statues everywhere....The security getting in here was insane."

3:09 p.m. I see NY Post Cindy Adams a few rows in front of me taking notes on a big yellow legal pad. She's got her signature hairbun but very little make-up on. Looks younger than I thought she would. Oh no, Miley Cyrus is being interviewed. The sound of her voice gives me seizures! "Hopefully we take home and Oscar for "Bolt" because that's be really cool." Sorry Hannah Montana, but "WALL-E" is gonna win, mmmkay?

3:17 p.m. This is hilarious. Robert Osborne announces Kevin Kline ..."and Salma Hayak!" Huh? Why is Kevin with Salma when both are married to other people? Turns out 'Salma' is Kevin's lovely wife Pheobe Cates. I don;t really see the resemblance.

3:23 p.m. Dustin Lance Black and Cleve Jones are here! Lance says to Osborne: "I hope people go see ("Milk") and listen to what Harvey said and think about his message and think about helping to supporf gay and lesbian rights and the rights of all minority communities that aren't quite represented. Now Cleve is talking: "I was so amazed by Sean's performance, by Josh Brolin's performance. I knew the people who they portrayed very well and when I watched them on the screen, I couldn't tell them apart. It's an amazing thing."

3:27 p.m. Suddenly it's nuts. There's Viola Davis getting ready to be interviewed by Robin Roberts. But wait! First, the cast of "Slumdog Millionaire" and director Danny Boyle take the stage. Melissa Leo is also nearby and Anthony Hopkins is being interviewed over the loudspeaker.
3:33 p.m. Taraji P. Hensen is here and her joy is so apparent. She's waving to fans, air-kissing Viola Davis. Meanwhile, "Milk" producers Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks are being interviewed and Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens have arrived. Stop the presses. "Thanks for showing up gus," Zac says to the screaming fans.Zac says he's rooting for Sean Penn in "Milk." I like this kid!

3:40 p.m. Robin Roberts is interviewing Melissa Leo for the pre-show. Melissa is glammed up and looks the best that I've seen yet during this busy awards season. She won the Independent Spirit Award last night. Kevin Kline (with Pheobe Cates) is now being interviewed over loud speaker and asked where he keeps his Oscar: "We have a lot of people coming in and out of the house so I'll put it in one place then I'll move it to another so they never know." Osborne mentions that Joan Crawford had built a little cove in her entrance hall and had a light shining on her "Mildred Pierce" Oscar which is EXACTLY how I would display mine!

3:43 p.m. Mickey Rooney has arrived (with wife Jan, of course)., He's in his 90s but clear as a bell in his interview: "It's always a thrill for Jan and I to come to the Oscars. I was here when this street was nothing but sand!" Mickey talks about the support needed at the Motion Picture home in Woodland Hills:

3:51 p.m. Dustin Lance Black and Cleve Jones walk by the bleachers, no one else seems to care biut I'm going apesh*t!) They stop and smile so I can snap a picture of them on the red carpet.

3:53 p.m. As John Legend is being interviewed over the loudpseaker, best actor nominee Richard Jenkins is waiting to be interviewed by Robin Roberts. I do wish he'd allow himself to be a little bit excited.

3:58 pm: Melissa Leo tells Robert Osborne that she has a really good script about Bette Davis and gushes over him as if he's the big deal tonight. Melissa is an actress first and formost so none of the star attitude from this talented and classy lady.

4 p.m. Danny Boyle, Dev Patel and Freida Pinto and a big group of kids from the cast of "Slumdog Millionaire" bring a wonderful energy to the red carpet. The kids are screaming. It's so funny.

4:01 p.m. Viola Davis manages to give some good answers to Robert Osborne who is paying everyone long-winded compliments then sending them on their way. It's bad interviewing and he happens to be a good interviewer. Maybe it's just the craziness of all this. He tells Viola that in her two scenes in "Doubt," "You make that woman so known to us." Viola replies: "I think that's a great compliment that you say you knew who she was. I wanted you to know her and I wanted you to feel for her."

4:03 pm: I see Edie McClure standing on the red carpet. What is Mrs.Poole from "The Hogan Famiy" doing at the Academy Awards?

4:05 p.m. Taraji Henson is talking about when she sang "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" at the Oscars when it was nominated from "Hustle and Flow" which she also starred in. She says "singing about pimps and whores" was kinda tough. She says of the Oscars: It's the best party in the world and I'm really honored and blessed." She yells to the crowd: "You are so beautiful! Thank you!"

4:10 p.m. Nominee Michael Shannon says that while in reality this is his first Osars, "in my imagination I've been to several of them." Then he wonders aloud where his bodyguard went and adds: "I'm kidding. I don;t have a bodyguard." I like his sense of humor.

4:15 p.m. Michael Sheen, star of "Frost/Nixon" and who played Tony Blair in "The Queen" is at the microphone. Osborne thinks he was in "Last King of Scotland" and Sheen, a bit confused says: "I'm from Wales."

4:17 pm: "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson is talking about how surreal everything has been for him since the movie hit. "I don't understand what's happening but I'm very pleased," he says. I like his accent.

4:20 p.m. Amy Adams is being interviewed and says she's more nervous being nominated for "Doubt" this year than she was when she was nominated for "Junebug" a few years back and when she sang on last year's show (a song from "Enchantment"). As Amy chats, I spot Gayle King, Oprah's BFF. She's so cool. We met at the Democratic National Convention last summer. I tell people she's my BFF even though I'm sure she doesn't remember me. We'll always have Denver.

4:21 p.m, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick are here but Osborne is offered Seth Rogen first. He doesn't seem to know what to make of Seth. Next are SJP and Mr. Broderick. He tells both of them that they look "adorable and beautiful" and Matthew says: "I'm very glad to hear it." As they gab, Gayle King is chatting with Anthony Hopkins right in front of our bleacher. I am trying to read their lips.

4:22 p.m. Ben Kingsley is at his seventh Oscar ceremony and says: "What a wonderful year to be here, it's so exciting. Very strong performances and beauttiful, life-enhancing films. They weren't shy about confronting some really great issues in life so it's great to be here."

4:23 p.m.: Sean Penn is here! He's asked if it's easier coming to the the Oscars as a nominee because he is a past winner. He gives an unexpected answer: "You know there's something about questions about this stuff, that I'm incapable of articulating an answer. This is quite a crowd whether you're here as a Academy Award nominee or if you just happen to stumble on it. I think I'm experiencing it in that way."

4:26 p.m. The very unattractive couple that is Josh Brolin and Diane Lane are being interviewed. A coupla dogs (kidding, of course). Josh says he's nervous: "It's very special for us to be here tonight...throughout this whole awards season everybody's been amazing." Natalie Portman has walked in front of us and she's a vision. Speaking of visions, James Franco is also nearby and here comes Hollywood legends Jane Russell and Terry Moore who was one married to Howard Hughes.

4:27 p.m.: Robert Downey Jr. is being interviewed and says: "It's kind of odd to be nominated. I don't know what it's like to win I bet that's another level." Osborne assures Robert that there is an Academy Award in his future. Robert responds: "It seems like there's about 16-18 years between nominations so I have a good, nice long stretch.

4:32 p.m. Marisa Tomei is telling Osborne how challenging her role in "The Wrestler" is. She is followed by her co-star Mickey Rourke who says of the Oscars: "It's really cool, I've never been to one of these things before. It's real rock and roll, this is really nice. It's interesting. It's a privledge to be here and it's nice to see all the people, all the strangers you don't know - they're the ones who go see the movies. Nice to be invited to the show."

4:35 p.m. The charismatic Baz Luhrman, who I think is the living end, has choreographed some of the show and is talking to Robert Osborne rignt now: "This is unlike any Oscars you have ever seen, I can guarantee you that," says the director of "Moulin Rouge" and "Australia." He says of Hugh Jackman, his "Australia" leading man: "There's no one quite like that at the moment, he an sing, he can dance and he's really, really a warm, admirable, lovely human being."
You forgot to mention smokin hot! Baz says they leave in a few days to open the movie in Japan where, I'm sure he hopes it will fare better than it did in the US!

4:36 p.m.: Meryl Streep has arrived! Robert Osborne immediately brings up her record FIFTEEN nominations. He wonders when they are just going to have a Meryl Streep Award and retire her from competition. Meryl laughs and says: "Oh I hope they don't retire me, I like it too much." She says it never gets routine: "There are so many awards now leading up to the Oscars that you think it would be diminished by all of that but this is the Super Bowl."

I'm still giddy over Dustin Lance Black's win for best original screenplay. I wanted to post the entire transcript from backstage which includes a question from me. The transcript states that Lance just said "Hi." But it was more of a "Heeeeyyy!! Hi" Just a week ago, we had a nice chat at Nobu and two weeks before that at the DGA Awards. I have loved seeing him enjoy all this success.

Q. Congratulations on your win. It was very touching, and I loved what you said. Do you think President Obama should reverse the stand on gay marriage?
A. I think that there's a few things that I would love him to do immediately, which is to repeal "don't ask don't tell," and DMA, Defensive Marriage Act. But I do think that for inspiration for the gay community, we need to look not to Proposition 8, but dream bigger and look back to 1964 and the Civil Rights Act, because no group has ever won full civil rights in this country going state by state or county by county. I think it is time for the gay and lesbian community to have a federal civil rights act for full civil rights.

Q. So you think it should be reversed?
A. Absolutely. We are equal. Everyone.

Q. Congratulations.
A. Thank you.

Q. Hey, Lance, Greg Hernandez. Daily News.
A. Hi.
Q. Hey, you know, you were talking about how you were inspired by Harvey Milk when you were a kid. What would have happened if, say, you were 13 and you saw someone like you at the Oscars, saying what you said? What do you think that would have done for you back then?
A. I don't know. I didn't hear that at the Oscars when I was a 13 year old kid. You know, I just hope it makes you feel a bit less alone. It's easy in San Francisco and L.A. and New York, Chicago, because you can find support, you can find mentors and heroes. But where I'm from, and a lot of places, you know in this country, in small town America, they just don't know there are gay heroes, and they don't know there's other gay people, and they don't know there's a potential future, I mean a beautiful future. I mean, look at this; it's insane for out gay people. So, you know, I hope it inspires some folks.

Q. Congratulations. First of all, working on the screenplay you did, have you ever have the dream of an Oscar moment or award moment? Did it fulfill the expectation that you felt?
A. It's all sort of an out of body thing. I mean, definitely, when we started this journey, I was, you know, just charging hotel stays and gasoline on my credit card and driving out to meet with Cleve Jones and Anne Kronenberg in San Francisco. There's no studio, things like that. Your dream is don't screw it up, first of all; and your second is, let's get it to a great director. And I was fortunate and got it to Sean and it just kept being the next thing in front of you. And then all of a sudden, four weeks ago was a nomination, and it's just sort of unbelievable. I don't quite believe it yet. Maybe when I see my mom in a few minutes, I'll believe it.

Q. Did you know what you were going to say if and when you got up there?
A. You know, I hadn't I had an idea. You know, I had an idea. I mean, for me, the whole thing was always just sort of, you know, pay it forward. You know, Harvey gave me his story. And Harvey gave me his story and it saved my life. I just thought it's time to pass it on. So the only thing I really knew I wanted to say is tell those kids out there they are going to be all right.

Q. Congratulations. You're making us all emotional. You've mentioned your mom a couple times. Was there something your mom said to you right before you came in came here tonight or were on the red carpet? Is there something you guys talked about that really struck a chord with you?
A. You know, she always, you know, she just says, "I can't believe we are here. Think of where we came from." You know, we were, like, a broke family. It was just my single mom raising us for a very long time before my beautiful stepdad came around, and, you know, and it was just about survival for so long. So, I think for her, she's completely overwhelmed and, you know, and she just does what she always does. I mean, this is a Mormon woman who should not be accepting or loving, and she just says I love you, and I want you to fall in love and be as happy as I am, so...

Q. I wanted to know at what point did you think that this film could grab the attention of the Academy?
A. I think that's an easy one. I think it was the moment we first saw Sean with his hair cut with the suit on, and he came in, onto the set. And I was blown away at how much it reminded me of everything I'd heard and seen of Harvey. And I looked out to turn to Cleve and I went, "My God. That's him, isn't it?" And Cleve was outside like smoking manically going, "Oh, my God. I've seen a ghost." But that was the thing. I thought this film would only succeed if we could somehow get close to that charisma, because that charisma of Harvey Milk is what transcended our community again and reached out to all these other people and will embrace the film. I think they have.

Here is the full transcript from backstage with Sean Penn, now a two-time Oscar winner

Q. Congratulations. I asked you a couple questions at the SAG Awards. You were talking about that, actually, you remember Harvey Milk, being old enough to remember him. Can you talk about, now that you've won the highest honor in Hollywood for this award, what it means to you to be able to bring his story and how important you feel his story is? What Harvey Milk was and what he represented.
A. You know, that means a lot to myself and to everybody involved, not only in the movie, but to anybody who believes in equal rights for human beings, it's pretty simple. And, certainly, what I mentioned from the stage earlier tonight, to see this culture of ignorance, and that breeds this kind of hateful expression, that these people have their signs outside essentially telling you that you're less than human. There's nothing more important than the themes of this movie as well as addressing things that are simply, you know, entertaining, I think. But there's nothing more important, and so being part of something like that is a privilege. And when you see something like what you saw outside today, it enhances that.

Q. Hi, Sean. Congratulations. You certainly deserve the award. I wanted to ask you, what did you say to those people who were holding those signs tonight, if you happen to go back past Sunset and Highland and see some of those signs and what they're saying?
A. I'd tell them to turn in their hate card and find their better self, you know. I think that these are largely taught limitations and ignorances, this kind of thing, and it's a really it's very sad in a way, because it's a demonstration of such emotional cowardice to be so afraid to be extending the same rights to a fellow man as you would want for yourself. I would ask them not to tempt those of us who see something more deeply than they are looking at it, as angry as they tend to be in a void.

Q. Tonight, in your acceptance speech, you mentioned President Barack Obama. I'm wondering what you would like to see the president do in relation to gay rights.
A. We know his public position as far as the specific issue of gay marriage has not been, let's say, officially supportive of that. I would like to believe that that's a political stand right now and not necessarily a future one or a felt one. I don't think that he or that any of us, and in particular our president, will long be able to take that position. It's inevitable that this is not because it's not a human luxury; these are human needs and they will be gotten. So he's going to have to he'll adapt. Right now I think it's more focused on, more interested in what we're going to do to tell him that we will support him in making those kinds of taking those kinds of initiatives. He's got people dying right now en masse, and people are desperately poor en masse, and I think those two emergencies need to be taken care of, without him taking too much time about the details of how he approached civil rights. But the day is going to come and it's going to come quickly.

Q. Could you speak a little bit you spoke very emotionally about your competition this evening with Mickey Rourke. Could you speak a little bit about your relationship and what you feel about him and sort of the sense of how you guys have grown together?
A. I've been making movies for over 25 years and I can't speak for his consistent sense of me. He's an excellent bridge burner at times, but we've had for the most part a very close friendship. And he's somebody that I alternatively looked up to and advised and directed, I've wanted to work with and admired and quite literally had me, almost throughout THE WRESTLER, weeping. He's one of our most talented actors, he always was. I don't really think of it as comebacks are funny, and we talk about it with him, but everyone in this room has to make a comeback every day. Life is tough. And I think what's sensational about him is always what's been sensational about him; he's one of the great poetic talents in acting that we have.

Q. One of the signs of the protesters out there said, "Heath is in hell." Can you speak to that?
A. I don't know what that means.

Q. I think it references that he's gone and that the Academy Heath's in hell.
A. I think if we get used to dismissing these kind of comments rather than commenting on them, we'll be better off. It's meaningless jibberish. We've got to focus on people who are clear enough about what they mean.

Q. The words "passionate" and "commitment" are words that your friends and everyone around you associate you with. Do you know where that came from, and do you wish it on your children? Is that something that you try to instill in them?
A. Well, I think we all try to we hope for that in our children, and by whatever means you attempt to instill it in them. I can't accuse myself of having those qualities, although I appreciate what they said, and I certainly strive for that.

It's so great that Sean Penn won an Oscar for portraying a real-life gay hero - Harvey Milk and that he chose to use the world-wide Oscar stage as a call for equal rights for LGBT people.

Here is his acceptance speech:

Thank you. Thank you. You commie, homo-loving sons-of-guns. I did not expect this, but I, and I want it to be very clear, that I do know how hard I make it to appreciate me often. But I am touched by the appreciation and I hoped for it enough that I did want to scribble down, so I had the names in case you were commie, homo-loving sons-of-guns, and so I want to thank my best friend, Sata Matsuzawa. My circle of long-time support, Mara, Brian, Barry and Bob. The great Cleve Jones. Our wonderful writer, Lance Black. Producers Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks.

And particularly, as all, as actors know, our director either has the patience, talent and restraint to grant us a voice or they don't, and it goes from the beginning of the meeting, through the cutting room. And there is no finer hands to be in than Gus Van Sant. And finally, for those, two last finallies, for those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that way of support.

We've got to have equal rights for everyone. And there are, and there are, these last two things. I'm very, very proud to live in a country that is willing to elect an elegant man president and a country who, for all its toughness, creates courageous artists. And this is in great due respect to all the nominees, but courageous artists, who despite a sensitivity that sometimes has brought enormous challenge, Mickey Rourke rises again and he is my brother. Thank you all very much.

I'm still backstage at the Kodak waiting for the best picture and best director winners: In the meantime, here is a press release from The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the nation's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy organization on this gay Oscars!

"GLAAD applauds those who have brought the important story of Milk to so many millions of people, and congratulates Dustin Lance Black and Sean Penn for their well-deserved Oscar wins," said Neil G. Giuliano, President of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). "They are to be commended for telling a story that has the power to inform future generations about the history of our community and our struggles for equality. Through Sean Penn's own connection with the character, he was able to give audiences the opportunity to learn more about Harvey Milk's lasting influence on our movement and our community."

"The success of Milk has tremendous impact in creating awareness, understanding and acceptance during a time when our community continues to face opposition in our pursuit of equality," added Giuliano. "The images of our community that these and other LGBT inclusive films bring to audiences around the country help people embrace the LGBT community with understanding and acceptance."

According to Harris Interactive's recent Pulse of Equality survey commissioned by GLAAD, nearly 20 percent of Americans say their feelings toward gay and lesbian people have become more favorable over the past five years. Respondents whose views have become more favorable cited seeing gay or lesbian characters in movies (29%) as a contributing factor.

During his acceptance speech, Penn also called attention to marriage equality. "I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that way of support. We've got to have equal rights for everyone," Penn said.

Had a problem logging on from inside the Kodak but here I am. Heath Ledger has just won and his family was so dignified and touching. I got choked up.

But that was nothing compared to a little while ago when Dustin Lance Black was back here. When his name was called for original screenplay for "Milk," I felt so happy inside. Then there was that speech - a speech that was probably the most important one of the night. I asked him about it backstage awhile ago. He got a litlle choked up talking about his heartfelt words of support to young gay kids out "Harvey gave me his story and it saved my life...The only thing I could think of was to tell those kids that they were going to be all right."

"You know, I just hope it makes you feel a bit less alone. It's easy in San Francisco and L.A. and New York, Chicago because you can find support., you can find heroes and mentors. But where I'm from, and a lot of places, you know in this country, in small town America, they just don't know there are gay heroes, and they don't think there's other gay people, and they don't know there's a potential future, I mean a beautiufl future. I mean, look at this (holds up his Oscar); it;s insane for out gay people. So you know, I hope it inspires some folks."

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The family of Heath Ledger, father Kim Ledger, sister Kate Ledger and mother Sally Bell, were composed and thoughtful backstage fielding questions ranging from who will get his Oscar to what Heath would have thought of winning the Oscar.

"I think he would have been quietly pleased because I think he enjoyed the performance he did," his mother said. "I think he would really be quietly pleased that it;s been recognized by his peers in the industry."

Asked whether they knew they were raising a future Oscar winner, his father said:
"Kate was the actor originally. I guess Heath was ever the clown..He was always acting the fool and playing around just like a nomral kid was. The one thing that stuck out in out in our mind is that he was extremely talented in a lot of areas, a lot you might not know about but you may in the future...We didn't know which way he was going to go but he certainly had an immense passion for (acting)."

Sally Bell said the family took it for granted that Heath would win Sunday night: "I think we are a little bit overwhelmed actually because nothing is a sure thing...You just don't know do you? We were really relieved and excited and really overwhelmed. ...it was fantastic."

Sally Bell on her granddaughter Matilda: "You just have to look at Matilda to know she's totally like her daddy. I really feel he's in her...That;s a delight to be watching her and know that she's full of enthusasm and the same energy..."

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Penelope Cruz, best supporting actress for "Vicky Christina Barcelona," said backstage that she planned to call her director Woody Allen as soon as she gets the chance: "He sent me flowers last week...I call Woody sometimes just to say hello.; I adore him. I think he's so funny and charming and unique."

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I wanted Meryl Streep to win awfully bad but it is tough not to be happy for Kate Winslet's win for "The Reader." Just love that it was presented by five former best actress winners - can you BELIEVE Sophia Loren??? What a godess!

Backstage with Winslet: "It's sort of dawning on me now that I just won an Oscar...Oh My God."

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Sean Penn wins!!! WHAT.A. SPEECH. Will write about it in separate post....Also, love Robert DeNiro's line on his friend Penn: "How did he do it? How did for all those years Sean Penn get all jobs playing straight men?"

What best actor winner Sean Penn would tell the anti-protesters outside the ceremony: "I'd tell them to turn in their hate cards and find their better self. I think these are largely taught limitatons and ignorances these kinds of things. it's very sad in a way because it's a demonstration of such emotional cowardace."

I'm going to keep adding to this entry throughout the night...

I have never been more proud of a gay person that I was of Dustin Lance Black tonight when he stood on the stage of The Kodak Theatre at tonight's Academy Awards and spoke his truth and the truth of gay people everywhere. He is an exceptional person who we are very lucky to have him in our corner.
Here is the complete text of his extraordinary speech:

"Oh my God. This was, um, this was not an easy film to make. First off, I have to thank Cleve Jones and Anne Kronenberg and all the real-life people who shared their stories with me. And, um, Gus Van Sant, Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, James Franco and our entire cast, my producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, everyone at Groundswell and Focus for taking on the challenge of telling this life-saving story.

Thank you. Thank you. And thank you, God, for giving us Harvey Milk".

From Greg: Thank you God, for giving us Lance.

...Well, I'm about five rows from the red carpet. It's a fabulous position from which to see everyone arrive but not so good for interviews. Usually, I arrive a few hours early and nab a front row bleacher seat but this year, they decided to assign bleacher seats and I rate fifth row, Oh well. I'll still have plenty of dish for ya.

So far, it''s all about on-air personalities such as Ryan Seacrest, Mario Lopez, the regal Mary Hart and the handsome Mark Steines who are causing the crowd to go wild. Now Lara Spencer from "The Insider" is posing for pictures but no one seems to care (meow!). And on that catty note, the Cojo dude from "Entertainment Tonight" was just being photographed and my question is this: if this guy is gonna announce best dressed and woirst dressed tomorrow, shouldn't he himself look dapper instead of like some kind fo person who learned to dress at clown school?

Just wondering....

I won;t be blogging live but will update here and there and have full red carpet and backstage recaps later tonight.

Wherver you are, enjoy your Oscars! Go Meryl!,

Most actors dream of winning just one Academy Award. To win two would be beyond imagination. Meryl Streep, up for an Oscar today for "Doubt," has won two: for "Kramer Vs. Kramer" and "Sophie's Choice."

But here's the rub: she's also lost the Oscar race 12 times!

Here's what she said in today's PARADE magazine about her losing streak which dates back to 1984: "I have lost the Oscar more times than any other human being. So when I go to the awards, I feel a kind of cumulative nausea - a mix of fear that I try and balance with hope."

Sean Penn is the front-runner for best actor and Gus Van Sant is nominated for best director at tonight's Academy Awards. Writer Brad Balfour has done a Q&A with both men that is up on Huffington Post so I've pulled out a few of the more interesting questions to share with you all as you get ready for your Oscar parties.

Q: At what point did you become committed to making or being part of this story?
GVS: I've done a few films [with] gay characters, but not super-positive gay characters. I heard about this project through Rob Epstein, [the director of the electric, Oscar-winning documentary, The Times of Harvey Milk,] who had heard that [director] Oliver Stone was no longer going to make a version of the film that was at Warner Brothers.
So I was interested in it, and got wrapped up in studying it. But I think that political stories are always really interesting to tell, so they're often avoided because they can get--I guess--boring, basically.

Q: Since you gave such a seamless performance, did Harvey stay with you while you were playing him and seep into your daily life? Has he changed you as a person?
SP: The answer is that he did stay with me. How, I'm not entirely sure--I haven't given it a lot of thought. When something comes in that you become aware that it's there, you think, "Oh, don't go away."
In terms of humanity, one likes to think that with each day and each person that comes into your life directly or indirectly, there's some growth of some kind, hopefully, in a positive direction.
Certainly with [Harvey], there would have been but I can't identify it. In a very immediate way, there's a lot of--let's say--timeliness to this story that we've all been hearing about, in reference to the recent experience that we've had. But I can't be more specific than that.

Q: Since November 4th there's been an escalation of tensions and discord between the gay and "faith" communities; how did that impact on the performance of the film at the box office, for even an ostensibly sympathetic figure like Harvey Milk, we were seeing such raw hatred against gay people every day on the streets and in the press.
GVS: Well, we're seeing both. There's raw hatred and then there's also the support. Both sides are playing out in press and in the community. It's the nature of the battle, and it's encased in the film as well.

SP: It's also important, though, to remember that the tension is not between the gay and the faith communities. The tension is between the community which in fact really is gay, and a pseudo-faith community which has nothing to do with God, love, or anything of real "faith" and it's really just hypocrisy and hatred. So any faith community that deserves the title "faith community" really won't have a problem with these issues.

Q: Sean, you made the sexuality shown in the movie really successful; it was so nonchalant and casual that it was really effective. It seemed natural and interwoven into the story so that the audience didn't really think about it.
SP: Well, Cleve Jones said something really great. Early on, we had put together a dinner for a lot of the people that had been involved in Harvey's campaign. He said one of the myths is that we're all just the same, it's just the sex that's different. He said, "In reality, we're very different, it's just the sex that's pretty much the same."
The difference, of course, is living with bigotry and oppression and all of that (crap). And that was where the focus went. The rest of it is, for some people, a guy gives them a boner, for somebody else, it's a woman. So it was an approach, the sex is the sex is the sex is the sex, but the other part was really the heart of the picture.

Q: Do you have any thoughts on how the world might have been a different place if Harvey Milk hadn't been assassinated?
SP: I think less people would've died of AIDS. I think Ronald Reagan would've been forced to address it. It was a tragic loss. He wouldn't have stood quietly. He was a leader, and he happened to be focused on the gay movement.
The impression was--there was a popular notion initially that this was a "gay disease." Certainly a huge numbers of homosexuals died related to it and all that. I think he would have advanced that argument a lot sooner. People are dead because he died too soon.

Hugh Jackman, most certainly the sexiest man alive, gabbed with the magazine that officially gave him that distinction last year. Here are some excerpts from Jackman's interview with PEOPLE about today's Academy Awards:

Q. Will you work your Sexiest Man title into the show?
A. Trust me, I'm trying! It's just too good to let go. Comedy writers love it. They think it's the best bit of fodder they could ever have. I think it's one of the first rules of being a host - you have to be self-deprecating and what better way to make fun of yourself than through that?

Q. Did you watch the Oscars growing up in Australia?
A. My dad was about strict bedtimes but he let us stay up to watch. Then at drama school, our biggest party of the year was on Oscar night and there were drinks involved. It's a very common drinking game in Australia: Whenever anyone thanks or mentions God or their parents, you have to "skull" (Translation: chug a drink).

Q. Who is your favorite host?
A. Billy Crystal and I really like Steve Martin too. What I loved about Billy is the showman aspect. He's a true entertainer. Comedy is his main weapon but he would do the satires, songs, the videos and anything at his disposal to entertain and kind of send a message to everyone that this was going to be a fun celebration. If you break it down that's the host's job - to set the tone. I'll probably use everything at my disposal to do the same thing hopefully. I've gone back and watched all eight of Billy's [shows].

Q. What do you say to those who want you to re-enact your shower scene from Australia onstage?
A. It's definitely a possibility. I don't think people understand how hot it gets up there. So I might as well. It's going to be 3 hours, at least, so I want to be comfortable!

All the headlines coming out of this afternoon's Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica are about "The Wrestler" winning best picture and its star Mickey Rourke being named best actor.

Congratulations to them. But what I care most about are what awards "Milk" won and it came away with two: best supporting actor for James Franco who played a lover of slain gay-rights pioneer Harvey Milk, and best first screenplay for Dustin Lance Black.

Awesome.

Franco, according to AP, said he was a longtime fan of director Gus Van Sant's films and signed on because of the talent involved with "Milk."

"When I heard this thing was happening with probably my favorite actor, Sean Penn, and it was such an important story, that was enough for me," said Franco, who added thanks to "everyone that was part of Harvey's life."

In accepting his award, Lance recalled pitching "Milk" as a spec script that folks described as "awfully gay." He then noted that it has been 30 years since Harvey Milk was killed and said: "I don't think we can wait 30 years more. It's time to achieve his dream."

Congrats to the talented Mr. Black!

I'm also so happy for Melissa Leo who, even if she loses the Oscar tomorrow, has the Spirit Award for best actress for her superb performance in "Frozen River." She is completely believable as a destitute mother who stumbles into the immigrant-smuggling business with a Mohawk Indian woman along the U.S.-Canada border.

Leo gave a whoop as she took the stage and said: "You are my people. You know you are my people. "Frozen River' is a truly independent film."

The supporting actress honors went to Oscar nominee Penelope Cruz as a combustible artist in a three-way relationship with her ex-husband and an American woman in Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."

Presented by the cinema group Film Independent, the Spirit Awards honor movies that cost less than $20 million to make, with a significant part of their budget originating from outside the Hollywood studio system.

As the saucy, slutty Blanche for seven seasons on "The Golden Girls" (and don't forget the one season of "The Golden Palace"), Rue McClanahan became an Emmy winner and a gay icon for playing waaaay against type. Betty White had played the slutty Sue Ann Nivens on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" while Rue was to play sweet and childlike Rose. But in the end, thankfully, they switched roles and the rest is history.
She currently stars in "Sordid Lives: The Series" as Peggy Ingram and previously starred with her "Golden Girls" co-star Bea Arthur for six seasons on the classic 70s sitcom "Maude."

When I spoke with Miss Arthur a few months back, she shared a funny anecdote about her friend: "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."

Here's one of her funniest "Golden" scenes as a delirious Blanche who has not slept in days. It is, an absolute a scream:

It's so much fun trying to predict who's gonna win the Oscar! The person I think will in is in BOLD. Some of these are educated guesses but once we get the past the major categories, they are complete guesses. We'll know Sunday night how I fared!

Best motion picture of the year:
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) A Kennedy/Marshall Production Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
"Frost/Nixon" (Universal) A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
"Milk" (Focus Features) A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
"The Reader" (The Weinstein Company) A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production Nominees to be determined
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) A Celador Films Production Christian Colson, Producer

Achievement in directing:
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) David Fincher
"Frost/Nixon" (Universal) Ron Howard
"Milk" (Focus Features) Gus Van Sant
"The Reader" (The Weinstein Company) Stephen Daldry
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Danny Boyle

Performance by an actor in a leading role:
Richard Jenkins in "The Visitor" (Overture Films)
Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon" (Universal)
Sean Penn in "Milk" (Focus Features)
Brad Pitt in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler" (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role:
Josh Brolin in "Milk" (Focus Features)
Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder" (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt" (Miramax)
Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)
Michael Shannon in "Revolutionary Road" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

Performance by an actress in a leading role:
Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Angelina Jolie in "Changeling" (Universal)
Melissa Leo in "Frozen River" (Sony Pictures Classics)
**Meryl Streep in "Doubt" (Miramax)
Kate Winslet in "The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)
** I desperately want Streep to win and will be thrilled if I'm wrong.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role:
Amy Adams in "Doubt" (Miramax)
Penélope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (The Weinstein Company)
Viola Davis in "Doubt" (Miramax)
Taraji P. Henson in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Marisa Tomei in "The Wrestler" (Fox Searchlight)

Best animated feature film of the year:
"Bolt" (Walt Disney) Chris Williams and Byron Howard
"Kung Fu Panda" (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount) John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
"WALL-E" (Walt Disney) Andrew Stanton

Achievement in cinematography:
"Changeling" (Universal) Tom Stern
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Claudio Miranda
"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.) Wally Pfister
"The Reader" (The Weinstein Company) Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Anthony Dod Mantle

Achievement in costume design:
"Australia" (20th Century Fox) Catherine Martin
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Jacqueline West
"The Duchess" (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films) Michael O'Connor
"Milk" (Focus Features) Danny Glicker
"Revolutionary Road" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage) Albert Wolsky

Best documentary feature
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)" (Cinema Guild) A Pandinlao Films Production Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
"Encounters at the End of the World" (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment) A Creative Differences Production Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
"The Garden" A Black Valley Films Production Scott Hamilton Kennedy
"Man on Wire" (Magnolia Pictures) A Wall to Wall Production James Marsh and Simon Chinn
"Trouble the Water" (Zeitgeist Films) An Elsewhere Films Production Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

Best documentary short subject:
"The Conscience of Nhem En" A Farallon Films Production Steven Okazaki
"The Final Inch" A Vermilion Films Production Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
"Smile Pinki" A Principe Production Megan Mylan
"The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306" A Rock Paper Scissors Production Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

Achievement in film editing:
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.) Lee Smith
"Frost/Nixon" (Universal) Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
"Milk" (Focus Features) Elliot Graham
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Chris Dickens

Adapted screenplay:
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Screenplay by Eric Roth Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
"Doubt" (Miramax) Written by John Patrick Shanley
"Frost/Nixon" (Universal) Screenplay by Peter Morgan
"The Reader" (The Weinstein Company) Screenplay by David Hare
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy(

Original screenplay:
"Frozen River" (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Courtney Hunt
"Happy-Go-Lucky" (Miramax) Written by Mike Leigh
"In Bruges" (Focus Features) Written by Martin McDonagh
"Milk" (Focus Features) Written by Dustin Lance Black
"WALL-E" (Walt Disney) Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

Audrey Hepburn and Julie Andrews were always very classy about the fact that Hepburn was given the role of Eliza Doolittle in the film version of "My Fair Lady" instead of Andrews who originated the role on Broadway. Hepburn said she felt Andrews should have had the role but when the studio was going to give it to someone else if she said no, she accepted. But Hepburn did not win the Oscar for her performance.

The winner that year was Julie Andrews for "Mary Poppins." Here are the two screen legends at the 1964 Academy Awards ceremony. Hepburn, by the way, already had an Oscar for "Roman Holiday" and was awarded a humanitarian Oscar in 1993, presented a few months after her death.
This is just the best Hollywood couple ever: the late Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward who were married more than 50 years before his death last year. Joanne was the first Oscar winner in the family when she took home the Academy Award in 1958 for "Three Faces of Eve." Woodward was again nominated a decade later for "Rachel, Rachel" which marked Newman's directorial debut.

He didn't win a competitive Oscar until his seventh nomination in 1987 for "Color of Money." At that point, the Academy had already awarded Newman with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his body of work which had included nominations for such classics as "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Cool Hand Luke," and "Hud." He went on to earn two more nominations for "Nobody's Fool" and "Road to Perdition."

Woodward's most recent nomination - her fourth - came in 1990 for "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge" which also starred Newman.
Since they are both so darn famous on their own, there are some people who don't realize that Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty are brother and sister.

They are also both Oscar winners! Shirley, after losing several times in the 60s and 70s for such films as "Irma La Duce" and "The Turning Point," MacLaine finally won in 1984 for "Terms of Endearment." She got to the stage near tears and said: "I'm gonna cry because this show has taken as long as my career!"

Warren was always more than a handsome leading man and got into producing and directing early on. He won his Oscar in 1982 for best director for "Reds." His other nominations included nods for "Heaven Can Wait" and "Bugsy Malone."

...for the lack of wacky fashions on the Oscar red carpet these days.

Instead, we have an endless parade of gorgeous stars in designer gowns and loaned jewelry being asked "who are you wearing?" And they, or their publicist, will tick off the names. I've even been to events where they have it all printed out on a card.

Take me back to the old days like in 1986 when Cher wore this wacky headress outfit because she wanted to show the Academy that she knew how to dress like a "serious actress." They failed to nominate her that year for what is one of her greatest performances in "Mask." She admitted to Barbara Walters that being snubbed "pretty much killed me."

I llve Cher for her honesty. Of course she won a few years later for "Moonstruck" but has since soent far more time on the concert stage than behind the movie camera. I hope she has a few more good movies in her though. I'd hate for "Stuck on You" to be her big screen swan song!

We don't know who will accept Heath Ledger's Oscar Sunday night (no way he's not winning) but we do know that about a dozen members of "The Dark Knight" actor's family - his parents, stepparents, siblings and cousins - are now in town.

On Thursday nigtht, the family were guests of honor at a party thrown by Australians in Film to recognize Aussie Oscar nominees and introduce the inaugural recipient of the Heath Ledger scholarship Thursday night at the Chateau Marmont.

Family members did not talk to the press, according to Huffington Post.

The scholarship winner was Oliver Ackland, who cites Ledger among his role models.

"The fact that it is in his name means the world," said the 29-year-old actor. "I admired Heath and I admired the work that he chose, the path he created for himself. It shows a lot of integrity on his behalf ... not just the choices he made but the way he went about it, in front of the camera and otherwise."

Ackland said was particularly nervous to meet Ledger's family Thursday.

"I think they could tell I was a bit nervous," Ackland said. "They just said, 'You'll be fine. Just be yourself.'"

I'm not into this storyline at all because I didn't know Reg, I don't care about Reg, and I don't care who gave Reg bad drugs that killed him. But Luke cares and doing all he can to get justice...

I don't know who David Williams (aka Wolfman) is but I do know that he looks really nice out of his uniform.

Various sites have been abuzz this week with comments the Australian rugby star made. The stud muffin is among 40 NRL and football players who stripped down for the McGrath Foundation breast cancer charity calendar, Gods Of Football.

He says he enjoyed posing nude for the charity calendar and DVD and would do it again!

Excellent news.

Williams also features on the front cover of a new behind the scenes DVD, to be released today, posing in just a pair of white briefs. It also features Dragons player Matt Cooper and Manly's Brett Stewart from the NRL, and Hawthorn's Luke Hodge and Essendon's Andrew Welsh from the AFL.
Williams said he liked being a gay icon, and joked that he'd turn gay for his Sea Eagles teammate Heath L'estrange (pictured, right).

"I like my gay fans and I'm thankful for their support - we need all the support we can get," he said.

Gods of Football: the Making of the 2009 Calendar, is available at www.godsoffootball.com.au

I checked out the website and found this Q&A with Williams that;s kinda fun:

Q.How would you describe yourself in a personals ad?
A.Proceed with caution
Q. What three things do you look for in a partner?
A. Good legs, humour and someone who puts up with my crap
Q.Sex or Football - what's better?
A. Both are good, how about sex while watching football?
Q. Most embarrassing thing a fan has ever asked you to do?
A. Let's just say some St George fans asked me to do some things on a Saturday night!
Q. Favorite sport other than footy?
A. Badminton
Q. What's it like getting naked in front of a camera? (And would you do it again?)
A. Nothing new and yes i would do it again!
Q. Your favourite part of your body is?
A. My hair
Q. How do you feel about being named a 'God of Football?
A. Apalled!
Q. What does sexy mean to you?
A. Erotic
Q. Do you think you're sexy?
A. No
Q. Do you have a pair of lucky undies?
A. No
Q. What's your worst dressed moment ever?
A. Pick a week! Most Mad Monday's or my brothers 21st
Q. Clean shaven, stubble or beard? What do you prefer?
A. Beard
Q. Do you have a favourite photo?
A. Me in a polar bear suit
Q. If you could have your photo taken with anyone, who would it be?
A. Elvis
Q. What's your most action-packed moment ever?
A. Crashing one of 2 cars
Q. Intensive, sensitive, Fresh or Control? Which best describes you?
A. Intensive
Q. If you were meal, what would you be?
A. Something Spicy
Q. Tell me something most people don't know about you.
A. Nothing, I'm pretty open

The Boy Culture site posts lots of lovely pictures every day and I've just noticed these of the gorgeous actor Patrick Wilson who graces the cover of the March issue of Best Life magazine.

The star of "Lakeview Terrace," "Evening," "Little Children," "Hard Candy" and, of course, "Phantom of the Opera" and "Angels in America" is one of those rare actors who has immense talent to go along with his stunning looks.

Here are a few shots from his magazine spread.

I was just asking for some information as a blogger and a consumer but somebody is a little testy behind the counter of the West Hollywood A Different Light Bookstore."

I asked one of the managers, named Jay, just now about whether or not the store was closing. "The store is not closing," Jay said, getting agitated. And when I asked why information that suggests otherwise is out there he said: "People gossip."

Then I really went over the line. I asked Jay for his last name since I was planning on writing about this.

He said: "This conversation is over" and hung up on me.

What the?

Jay didn't want to give me his last name and apparently he does have one. I say if you are the manager of a bookstore in West Hollywood and work with the public each day, why not give your name? And why hang up on a reporter who is trying to get to the bottom of whether or not your store is going to remain open or shut its doors?

Bizarre.

Anyway, that's all I know. Happy shopping.

Well, a same-sex kiss Disney-style. It's in the graduation scenes that I believe are part of deleted scenes. Enjoy!

TheatreMania has posted an interview with Out In Hollywood fave Luke Macfarlane about his days and nights as two Scottys: F. Scott Fitzgerald in the Blank Theatre's production of Allan Knee's "The Jazz Age" and as Scotty on ABC's "Brothers & Sisters."

Here are some excerpts:

On juggling the stage with his TV job: "It can be insane doing the double-duty dance, but so far the worst that has happened is that I entered our apartment on the Brothers & Sisters set and said one of the lines in the play, 'You're late,' rather than 'You're home.' Matthew (Rhys, who plays Kevin) was a little like 'whaaaat.'"

On why the graduate of the Julliard School of Drama is doing a play right now: "After three years in L.A., I began to dream of my glory days on the boards. But it's very difficult to make a living as a theater actor in New York, which is why I moved out here, and I always had an ambition to work in television. I am a great admirer of the format, and I think it's how we tell long stories."

On fitting into a cast of heavy hitters on "Brothers & Sisters" with Sally Field, Calista Flockhart and Rachel Griffiths. "I think the first table read I ever did, my hand was vibrating the whole time. But we have a wonderful group collective. If a scene doesn't work, we're all willing to talk about it. And I think we all have this great story to tell."

Go to TheaterMania.com to read the entire interview...

I've written this piece for Sunday's LA Daily News and wanted to give you all a first look.

For Sean Penn, Sunay's Academy Awards will mark the sixth time the "Milk" star is up for an Oscar. Kate Winslet is making her sixth trip down the red carpet as a nominee for "The Reader" while Meryl Streep, up for "Doubt," is now a 15-time Oscar nominee.

They are the veterans.

But nominees Michael Shannon (supporting actor, "Revolutionary Road"), Dustin Lance Black (original screenplay, "Milk") and Courtney Hunt (adapted screenplay, "Frozen River") are experiencing the Oscar whirlwind for the very first time.

In the weeks leading up to the big day, they have been feted at various parties including the Oscar Nominees Luncheon a few weeks ago and in recent interviews, reflected on their experience so far.

Michael Shannon: Shannon was at the Sundance Film Festival trying to sleep in when he got the unexpected word that he would be competing with Heath Ledger ("The Black Knight"), Josh Brolin ("Milk"), Phillip Seymour Hoffman ("Doubt") and Robert Downey Jr. ("Tropic Thunder") for the supporting actor Oscar.
"I didn't expect it at all," he said of his surprise nod. "I didn't think I had a prayer really just because of what had been happening with other awards programs, the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards. I didn't have a track record of being nominated but I knew Paramount had been working very hard on it."

Shannon, who stole just about every scene he was in as Kathy Bates' son in "Road," ended up being the only acting nominee from a film that also starred Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.

"It's a little lonely, yeah," he said of the absence of his co-stars in the nominations. "The scenes I'm in are very much ensemble scenes. The whole reason (Academy voters) were interested was because of the work of the other actors. But it's not really in my control or their control."

His friend Amy Ryan was nominated last year for "Gone Baby Gone" and has been helpful to Shannon as he has navigated his way through Oscar season.

"It's been fun to be able to share it and compare notes," he said. "The people around you enjoy (the hoopla) more. I don't think it's ever to an actor's benefit to stand around trying to think about how great they are when you are trying to get better. You can't look at (an Oscar nomination) as a finish line."

With Ledger, who died last year, heavily favored to win in his category, Shannon plans to enjoy Oscar day for all its worth.

"I won't be disappointed no matter what happens," he said. "I get to go to the Oscars as opposed to watching them on television."

Dustin Lance Black: At a private party last Sunday at a West Hollywood sushi restaurant, the 34-year-old Black was the center of attention. Guests that included Neil Patrick Harris, Taylor Dane, Lance Bass, Simon Baker and Jane Lynch had shown up to celebrate his Oscar nomination.

With the Academy Awards then exactly a week away, Black confessed: "I'm incredibly nervous and it's going to be a very busy week. My mom comes in on Thursday and we have to get her bejeweled and ready."

He's attending the ceremony with activist Cleve Jones who is portrayed in "Milk" by Emile Hirsch.

A week earlier, Black had won the Writers Guild of America award for his script making him the Oscar front-runner.

"Yeah, I am enjoying it. It's unreal," he said of the recognition from his peers. "This whole thing is unreal. It's a dream come true for me. It's also a dream come true for us, for the filmmaking team. We all wondered if America would embrace the film."

While he's been front-and-center this year, the truth is that Black hadn't even walked a red carpet until last fall when he was given an award at the Hollywood Film Festival.
Since then, it's been one black tie event after another.

"Well the one thing that is different now is that different designers are lending me their clothes so if you notice, I'm a little better dressed than I was at the Hollywood awards, that's certainly changed," he said.

Courtney Hunt: Nominated for writing "Frozen River," Hunt also directed the small independent movie that earned the film's star Melissa Leo a nod in the best actress category.

"I'm so proud of her," Hunt said of Leo. "It was the most beautiful collaboration I'm sure I'll ever have. She brought her whole heart and soul and we froze our butts off and she never once said to me, 'I'm cold.' She was there for the work, it was all about the work and that's all we did was work."

But with that hard work completed, Hunt has had the chance to bask in the awards experience.

"It's kind of thrilling and a little bit surreal," she said. "I get to see my heroes. I got to hang out with Danny Boyle, sit in the same room as Mike Leigh and actors that I really want to work with and who I want for other projects."

Overall, she has cherished the validation of her work.

"It feels wonderful," she said. "It makes me feel good about America: that you can do a good job, it doesn't matter how much money you have or what your last name is, if you do a good job and work really hard, sometimes good stuff happens."

I'm shifting into Oscar mode in a big way now. Picked up my red carpet and backstage credentials just now and I can tell you that the Kodak Theatre and entire Hollywood & Highland complex is abuzz with activity and it's hard not to feel a little excited about it.

There are certain locks going in like "Slumdiog Millionaire" for best picture and Danny Boyle for directing the film. But an even bigger sure-thing will be Heath Ledger for best supporting actor for his performance as The Joker in "The Dark Knight." He's already won the SAG Award, the BAFTA, the Golden Globe and countless other prizes for his performance.

Since Heath died of an accidental overdose a year ago, it will most certainly be a bittersweet moment. But it will be a most wonderful keepsake for his three-year-old daughter Matilda (who's mother is Michelle Williams) who will be the eventual owner of her late father's Oscar when she turns 18, . The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said this week.

Heath would be only the second actor to receive an Oscar after death, following Peter Finch who won in 1976 for "Network." His family - father Kim Ledger, mother Sally Bell and sister Kate Ledger - will be at the ceremony and accept the award on his behalf if he wins.

Reuters reports that since Matilda is too young to sign the winner's agreement which says the recipient will not sell his or her Oscar before offering it back to the Academy for $1, Michelle Williams agreed she would hold any Oscar in trust for until their daughter turns 18. Matilda could then choose to keep the statuette or return it to the Academy.

It was just three years ago that Ledger and Williams attended the Academy Awards together (pictured below) when they were both nominated for their performances in "Brokeback Mountain." They lost as did the film which had been favored to win best picture. I said then, and now, that Heath's performance in that movie was one of the greatest in film history and one that touched people deeply in their souls. He also deserves to win for "Knight" but it should be TWO Oscars that little Matilda will bve inheriting when she grows up.

The Motown legend behind such hits as "Tracks of My Tears," "Cruisin," "Just to See Her," and "Ooh Baby Baby" turns 69 years old today. Here is a video of Smokey and his group, The Miracles, singing their early 70s hit "Tears of a Clown."

I was just noodling around on Facebook and one of my online friends, a well-known novelist, had posted in his status updates that he was sad the hear that A Different Light Bookstore on Santa Monica Boulevard is closing.

I tried to confirm it officially but the employee I just spoke with would not confirm or deny and advised me to call the owner tomorrow.

I was just in there on Saturday evening for a browse and did notice an inordinate number of bargains. A few weeks ago, I bought a biography of Ethel Merman there for 50% off and have already read the entire thing.

I'll report whatever I find out tomorrow. It's another sad sign of how bad things are right now economically. More than a dozen of my Daily News colleagues either have departed or are departing this week through buyouts and layoffs. That is just the latest round as we continue our struggle to stay afloat like most other newspapers right now .

With so much uincertainty, the one thing that is certain is this: Out In Hollywood will indeed survive!

Here is a LINK to the store's website.

Doesn't Mario Lopez, aka Mr. Dimples, look like a happy camper in this layout in the new issue of In Touch Magazine?

Well, the last time I saw him - a few weeks ago at the Grammy Awards - he was not happy and kinda snubbed me and my awards show pal Sandra Barerra. We were leaving Staples Center and about to step onto the escalator when we saw Mario about a foot in front of us.

I said hello and he barely turns around as he said: "How's it going?" in that dismissive way that doesn't really call for an answer.

We then rode the entire escalator ride in awkward silence as he blew us off. Sandra thought he was a jerk while I, perhaps thinking of that shower scene from "Nip/Tuck," tried to defend him: "Maybe he's worked a 10-hour day like we have?"

Upon reflection, he really was a jerk.

It is a funny thing with famous people sometimes and how you get into these what you think are intimate moments then see them just weeks later and they don't remember you at all! My friend Michael and I had spoken and posed for pictures with Mario at a book party just weeks earlier and he could not have been nicer.

It sure was interesting to see this side of him. It looks like he's much happier at home than he was at The Grammys!

Billie Jean King didn't come out of the closet willingly in 1981. She was forced out when her former female lover sued her for palimony. So the tennis legend knows that any athlete - or person in general - has the right to decide when they want to be piblic about their sexuality.

It's no surprise to me that Lynda Carter is a mighty fine singer.

In the late 70s and early 80s, when she was at the height of her "Wonder Woman" fame, she released a few albums and headlined a handful of television specials highlighting her musical side.

I owned the 45 single of "Toto (Don't It Feel Like Paradise") which I bought at the J.C. Pennys in Huntington Beach for about 50 cents and played into oblivion.
Those were the days.

Carter, who had limited her television and film work for about a decade while raising her two children, is again focused on music and begins a three night stand at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood on March 5.

"It was just the perfect timing to attempt to get back into something like this," she said during our chat a few days ago. "I'm raring to get out there. I like being able to just sing whatever I want to sing."

She's not sure if she'll be singing "Toto" but does plan to sing covers of "Up on the Roof," "You Send Me," and "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," among others. She will also sing one of her own compositions called "Stay With Me" which she recorded three decades ago.

"I'm doing some familiar songs but they're done really just exactly the way I want to do them and not the way you've heard them before," Lynda said.

When a steer the conversation back to "Toto," Lynda said: "I have to say, I should do it. Because i've put in a whole bunch of new material, some stuff has gotta go. It's the strangest thing how people react to that song. Because of this particular interview and you, I will make sure it's rehearsed."

I'm sure I'm not the only gay in the audience who will want to hear the song.
In the past 15 years or so, Lynda has embraced being a gay icon but insisted to me that, amazingly, she initially didn't even know she was one.

"I was doing an interview with a lesbian publication and the writer said, 'You really don't know do you? You're a gay icon!' I said, 'No way!'"

She's enjoyed that status ever since.

"I think the people who have the most fun are my gay and lesbian fans and I appreciate them," she said. "They're not looking over their shoulders to see what's appropriate. It's just right there and we have a blast."

At the Catalina, audience members can expect plenty of between songs patter from Lynda who said the stage "sort of feels like my living room sometime."

"The thing I like best is to take people kind of on a journey and explain why I'm doing this or that song," she said. "That part of it really seems to be one of the things I do best," she said. "I really, really try to connect with people in my audience. It's important for me to make it okay for them to just rock out."

Carter relaunched her singing career after she did a stint as Mama Morton in a London production of "Chicago." She loved going out there and belting out her two songs, but in many ways her one-woman show is easier because you don't have to wait around backstage to go on.

"I thought it was a perfect way to see how the pipes worked - if they were still working," she said of the "Chicago" gig. "I felt that I was singing better than ever."

At 57, Carter certainly doesn't mind forever being associated with "Wonder Woman" which aired on ABC then CBS from 1975-79.

"I get the memory thing," she said. "With a lot of time and life under my belt, I'm certainly relaxed and irreverent about the whole thing and having a great time and poke a lot of fun at myself."

"Acting is what made me famous but singing is what I did every day of my life," she added. "I'm just grateful I'm doing it. It puts you way on the line because you don't have a bunch of lights and dancers. It's you and the music."

For more information about Lynda Carter's upcoming shows at The Catalina, go to the club's website: CatalinaJazzClub.com

I've got high hopes for Hugh Jackman as host of this Sunday's Academy Awards. JustJared.com has posted some promo shots of the movie star and song-and-dance-man who is the best looking Oscar host since, well, ever!

Speaking of the Oscars, I have my usual backstage credential to interview the winners but had been denied a red carpet spot initially when I was deeply disappointed about because that's the most fun. But this morning, I found out that I'll be on the red carpet for arrivals after all which means lots more material for the blog!

It was a lovely wedding between two lovely ladies...Enjoy!

...the star of such classics as "Saturday Night Fever," "Grease," "Urban Cowboy" and "Pulp Fiction" turns 55 years old today.

What better way to mark the occasion than with a few iconic images from throughout the years...

Toni Collete, star of the fab Showtime series "The United States of Tara," talked to The Advocate recently about all kinds of stuff. I want to share the part about her gay fans.

Q. When did you first realize that the gays adored you?
Toni: "I know I should say, 'Do they? Oh no, it can't be true," but I know it's an absolute fact (laughs). It was right after "Muriel's Wedding." The combination of ABBA music and my playing outsider but who finds her groove was probably a small flag to the gay community.

Q. I'll be you had many gay people come up to you on the street and say, "You're terrible, Muriel."
Toni: "Still! For awhile it drove me insane, but then I realized that to be involved with a film that had that kind of effect is really a wonderful thing."

Q. So if you ever need an ego boost, you should just pop into a gay bar in your hometown of Sydney.
Toni: "(Laughs) Thank you! That's a good tip. In fact, when we were shooting "Connie and Carla,"we went to a local bar where they did drag shows. Hanging out with the drag queens on set was my favorite part of working on that movie. They have an innate acerbic wit and sense of irony that doesn't exist elsewhere. Being from Australia, which is a very dry place, I met my match with those guy-gals."

Fusion 2009: The Sixth Annual Los Angeles LGBT People of Color Film Festival will feature the Los Angeles premere of "Pedro," a biographical film that tells the moving true story of the late Pedro Zamora who we got to know during one of the early seasons of "The Real World."

Out director Paris Barclay ("In Treatment") is one of the writers on the film along with Dustin Lance Black ("Milk"). The film was directed by Nick Oceano and stars Alex Loynaz as Pedro.

I recently spoke with Barclay about the film.

"I always thought it would be great to do a movie that told Pedro's story, including his story in Cuba and his family coming from in the Mariel boat lift," Paris said. "It's a fantastic story. Why he chose "The Real World" to be sort of his soapbox which people aren't doing anymore. They aren't going on "American Idol" to talk about AIDS the way Pedro did."

Pedro died in 1994, the day after the final episode of his season on "The Real World" aired.

"There's the tragic ending where he's near death and Bill Clinton calls him on the telephone and says, 'Anything that you want, I'll do' and helps get his family out of Cuba and then he dies," Paris said.. "It has all those great story elements and by telling it again, I think we're going to remind people that AIDS isn't over. AIDS in the minority community has always been overlooked and in a very emotional compelling way. I'm really proud of it."

On a lighter note, other cast members from "Real World: San Francisco" will be represented in the movie: "An actor will play Buck but the real Buck will not be seen," Paris said. "(The real) Judd and Pam will appear in one shot in the movie...(Pedro) and Sean, his partner at the time, get married not once, not twice but three times."

Outfest Fusion is a program of films, panels, workshops, and parties featured during a three-day event that takes place March 6 through 8. The screenings of features and short films will be held at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood during the first two days of the event. The panels and workshops will take place at Universal Studios and the LAGLC's Village at Ed Gould Plaza.

Click HERE for more information.

Well, I got four correct responses to this morning's trivia question about Joe Flanigan.

The miniseries in which he played a gay man named Lionel Thayer was 1994's "Family album." Based on Danielle Steel's novel of celebrated actress-filmmaker Faye Price Thayer(Jaclyn Smith) whose family life is marked with love and strife. Lionel's father was played by hall of fame hottie Michael Ontkean. Ironic that Ontkean's character was homophobic since he played a gay man in "Making Love" (I know,. that's why they call it acting!).

Anyway, fans of "Stargate Atlantis" point out that the show has had its fifth and final season, not in its fourth season. I obviously got dated information! Whatever. Flanigan, who played Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, is a total dish!

Here's what else readers pointed out" Flanigan's hot boyfriend in "Family Album" was played by Joel Gretsch who went on to star in, among other things, "The 4400." Gretsch is married to William Shatner's daughter. Another piece of trivia: both he and Flanigan guest starred on more than one episode of ABC's now-cancelled crime drama "Women's Murder Club."

I found a pic of Gretsch (above) with Jaclyn Smith and another actress from the miniseries. But It's so small that I'm also posting a larger one of this very handsome man from "The Legend of Bagger Vance."

I'm tardy in posting my chat with "Milk" producers Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks from the Directors Guild of America Awards. They were at the event to support the film's director, Gus Van Sant, so I asked them to share with me their thoughts on him.

"There would be no "Milk" without Gus Van Sant," said Jinks. "He did more than direct this movie. He actually was in conversations with Oliver Stone many, many, many years ago about directing a film version of Harvey Milk's life. It didn't happen then but it came back around through the writer of "Milk": Dustin Lance Black and actually, the real Cleve Jones. Lance gave the script to Cleve and Cleve gave the script to Gus. It was so important to all of us to authentically portray the 1970s and there's nobody who's more about authenticity than Gus."

Cohen picked up on the authenticity theme and how Van Sant was at the ideal place in his career to direct "Milk."

"He's one of the great directors alive," he said. "But what was so exciting for this movie is he's made these bigger more mainstream films that people love - "Good Will Hunting" and "To Die For" and "Finding Forrester - and then, he had been in a phase for the last 4-5 years where he was making these smaller independent movies where he was really working on authenticity."

How did that impact "Milk"?

"You don't even feel like you're watching a film," Bruce said. "You feel like you're watching real people having real experiences. What we feel is that for "Milk," he brought those two strands of his work together. It has this big, epic Hollywood biopic feel to it and yet, it feels so real. You really feel like you're in San Francisco in 1978 and I think that's why people are responding to it."

I was just checking out Dlisted and saw this photo of Dame Edna (aka Barry Humphries) and it scared the crap outa me! It really did. I jumped back from the screen.

Anyway, Edna, er Barry, turns 75 years old today so we wish the Dame a very happy birthday...

Apologies for the inconsistent blogging today. Power was completely out in the newsroom for several hours. So, knock wood, we have power - for now,

I'll kick off a new batch of posts by sharing a bit of a new interview Cher did with Associated Press. The 62-year-old icoin has been doing stints at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace but after she steps off of the stage, she hasn't exactly been a wild thing. No drinking or gambling for the Oscar, Grammy and Emmy winning star.

"I like to go out, do my work and then come home," says Cher, who likens her time away from the stage to living like "a nun."

"The schedule is a dream schedule," she adds. "The only thing that I kind of didn't anticipate for some reason, I don't know where my brain is, but I didn't anticipate the dryness getting to my throat the way it did. ... So when I'm there, I have to kind of live like a nun and not talk during the day, but that's the only unusual thing....It's so hard for me, I just really have to think about it and just not speak, but I have to remind myself about 100 times a days, because I'm not the kind of person that doesn't want to talk.

Why did Cher, retired from concert tours, decide to return the stage: "Look, performers love to perform -- that's the thing that we do. I think one of the best things was being able to imagine anything that I wanted, anything that I came up with we could do, because this theater is unbelievable. I come home twice a week, so I'm kind of at home. ... I'm not there that much, but it takes me 40 minutes to get home (in the Los Angeles area), it's like doing a show from my bedroom.

On her upcoming CD: "It's hard to put a label sometimes on songs, but it's a little bit more guitar-oriented, a little bit more like "I Found Someone" feeling, and there's some stuff that's still sort of guitar-oriented, but it's got a Southern feeling to it. You know, I just find songs that I like and then I do them and hopefully they make something cohesive."

This handsome guy is Joe Flanigan stars in "Stargate Atlantis," a Sci-Fi Networlk show that begins its fourth season in April. I have never seen the show because, frankly, I'd rather wear cactus shorts than sit through a Sci-Fi series. But Flanigan I remember well from a mini-series in which he played the gay son of a woman played by one of "Charlie's Angels." It was a wonderful performance.

What was the name of the mini-series. Bonus points if you guess who played his father.

Good luck. The answer will be revealed late Tuesday...

Gee, I don't write enough about "Milk."

Ha! But you know what, with six days until the Academy Awards, it is exciting and amazing that this film has eight nominations including best picture and a solid chance of winning at least two of them for best actor (Sean Penn) and original screenplay (Dustin Lance Black).

It has been something of a letdown that this superb movie has not been seen by more moviegoers. Over the four-day Presidents Day weekend, "Milk" took in another $1 million fior a cumulative total of $26.7 million to date.

Moviegoers obviously prefer stuff like "Friday the 13th" and "Paul Blart: Mall Cop." to much of the Oscar nominated fare. I looked at the grosses of the four other best picture nominees and while "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" ($122.5 million) and "Slumdog Millionaire" ($88.1 million) are hits, "Milk" has outgrossed the two other nominees: "The Reader" ($19.4 million) and "Frost/Nixon" ($16.5 million).

'

Yeah, it's way past Valentine's Day but finance guru Suze Orman's Valentine's wish is still worth sharing:

"In my opinion it is such a travesty that, a few months ago, Proposition 8, in California, passed. Proposition 2, in Florida, passed. What is that about, everybody? We are taking away a birthright, if you ask me, for people to get the most out of the money that they have spent their lives working. Those people are making money. They pay taxes on the money. Every single one of us deserves to have the same financial benefits whether we are gay or whether we are straight. And therefore, we have got to do everything we can to turn that around. Every single one of us deserves to be loved. Every single one of us deserves to love. And every single one of us deserves to make the most of the money that we have. That's my Valentine's Day wish for every single one of us."

...I'm looking forward to chatting with Lynda Carter later this afternoon for a column I'm writing in advance of a stint she'll be doing at Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood. If you didn't know the former star of "Wonder Woman" and "Partners in Crime" (with Loni Anderson) could sing, then you didn't have a 45 record of her 1979 single "Toto (Don't It Feel Like Paradise)" I bought it at the JC Penny at Huntington (Beach) center and played the hell out of it.

Here is Lynda singing the song on an episode of season three of "Wonder Woman."

It's rained all day here in SoCal and it;s Monday. What can I say, "Rainy Days and Mondays" always get me down. Here are The Carpenters singing one of their biggest hits...

For some odd reason, one of my friends, a few weeks ago, kept singing Rita Moreno's heavily accented version of "Everything's Coming Up Roses" from "The Ritz" and each time, I completely busted up. So when I intrerviewed Miss Moreno a few days ago for an article running in Thursday's LA Daily News, I told her about it and without missing a beat, she launched right into it:

Almost fell outa my chair.

She's the best! Here is an early look at my story on the legendary entertainer who is still going strong...

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Don't tell Rita Moreno that her days of getting on top of a piano to sing a song are over. The 77-year-old showbiz legend plans to do just that at The Conga Room at LA Live tonight when she performs her first local cabaret gig in nearly three decades.

"I do a tribute to Peggy Lee and I end doing 'Fever' on top of the piano in a very saucy way which everyone loves," Moreno says. "It tickles them to death to see a 77-year-old woman doing sexy stuff anf being sexy."

So what took the only woman to have won Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy awards so long to return. After all, she has performed in this and similar one-woman shows in other places including New York City clubs The Carlyle and Feinstein's.

"There is no cabaret in an industry town like LA and it's a scandal!" she says. "It's been almost 30 years. So when I was offered this one night at The Conga Room, I lept at it so i can at least show my friends what I do when I'm not doing television, film or theater."

What can her fans expect during this rare opportunity to see Moreno live?

"It has Broadway, it has jazz," she says."There are two Spanish numbers, one is with castanettes. We are throwing everything into this show then we end it with a fabulous Puerto Rican salsa. What really pulls the show together are the anecdotes, a story that ties it all together and enriches everything."

There will also be some numbers from "Sunset Boulevard," a show that starred Moreno as Norma Desmond that she performed on the London stage.

In the years since she dazzled as Anita in the film adaptation of "West Side Story," Moreno has rarely slowed down keeping busy on Broadway ("Last of the Red Hot Lovers," "The Odd Couple," "The Ritz"), on television ("Oz," "Electric Company," "Cane") and film ("Carnal Knowledge," "The Slums of Beverly Hills," "Pinero.").

Moreno is one of several female showbiz icons past 70 who are still performing on stage in one-woman shows. Others include Elaine Stritch, Florence Henderson, and Mitzi Gaynor.

"Aren't we great?" she says. "All I can say is that there's the difference between us and people who don't do anything at our age. It's because we love our work. We love what we do. Why on Earth would we ever quit it?"

While Moreno has won all four of showbiz's major awards, what means the most to her are her Presidential Medal of Freedom and her induction last year into the California Hall of Fame.
She keeps the awards at her home and next to her Oscar stands, of all things, a soccer trophy earned by her grandson.

"He got his trophy and brought it to my house and said, 'I think this should sit next to the little gold man.'"

Online extra:

On being a gay icon: "I have a reputation for having been involved in gay community years ago before it was the fashionable thing to do. I did one of the first Hollywood Bowl shows supporting the gay and lesbian community. It was such a new thing and TV news people showed up, sticking mics in my face saying, 'Why are you doing this?' That's how long ago that was."

On "Cane," the drama cancelled after less than one full season on CBS: "I'm so sad about it. I miss it. It was such a marvelous show. I think it had every good chance of being immensely successful had we been on in the right timeslot. It was 'Dynasty' and 'Dallas' and all that great stuff."

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Here's the info foir the show:

What: An Evening With Rita Moreno
Where: The Conga Room at LA Live, 800 West Olympic Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90015
When: Thurs. Feb. 19, 2009 VIP Reception 6:30-7:30pm, Concert 8:00pm
More Info: http://www.inboundclicks.com/ritamoreno/

...or is Tom Cruise smokin' hot again?

I vote YES!!!

It's been nearly 25 years since "Risky Business" and he just looks sensational. Tom's been able to make something of a comeback after a few difficult years professionally. He was a hoot in "Tropic Thunder," had a box office hit with "Valkyrie" and has just set up his next movie: "The Matarase Circle" opposite Denzel Washington.

At Sunday night's party for "Milk" writer Dustin Lance Black and director Gus Van Sant, one of the guests I was most happy to have the chance to talk to was Harvey Milk's nephew, Stuart Milk. He's the son of Harvey's older brother, Robert, and bears a strong physical resemblance to his late uncle.

Here is our conversation, word for word:

Q. I'm interested in your reaction to all that's happened with this film including the eight Oscar nominations
Milk: "The thing about the Oscar nomination is, I was getting after the film came about about 2-3 emails a day from mostly young people who were impacted by the film. They felt they could finally be authentic in their life. Since the Oscar nominations, I'm getting 10-12 calls a day from people all over the world who go out of their way to reach out."

Q. Can you give me an example of someone you;ve heard from?
Milk: "Someone who was suicidal, a 17 year old, who said, 'Oh my Gad. I saw this film and I realized I could be accepted and actually celebrate who I am. And that's the power of this film. It's just amazing. You know, every once in awhile I used get an email from someone who saw (the documentary) "The Times of Harvey Milk" but the power of this film to reach people and let them know that our diversity makes us stronger and Harvey's message which is: "If we allow people to see who we are and we allow people to fully understand that our authentic selves makes the family stronger, the community stronger, the nation stronger." At the end of the day, we're a richer country, we're a richer world."

Q. The documentary has been out there for a long time but because of the wide reach of this movie and having a star like Sean Penn, it seems like people are learning about your uncle for the first time.
Milk: "Absolutely. (Dustin Lance Black's) writing was able to reach out to people. You could bring your parents to the film, you could bring your brother to it. You could bring your friends to it. And they could make the connection that we are there for the whole community, we are part of the whole community and we have loves and losses and celebrations just like anybody else. It helps not just the LGBT community but it also breaks down barriers to the immigrant community and any community of people who are disenfranchised and marginalized.

Q. A lot of people have said the No on Prop. 8 movement desperately needed someone like your uncle. Do you feel that way?
\Milk: "I do. Harvey absolutely went out and talked to people and said, "i'm a gay man, don;t be afraid of me. If you are, let me tell you what we're about. And we didn;t do that. We really moved away from it and tried to paint a heterosexual face on really a gay issue. And unfortunately, that lacked the basic message of Harvey and that was authenticity.

Q. You've obviously been Harvey Milk's nephew through your whole life but has your life changed since the release of this film?
Milk: "It's changed my life in that I realize we all need to do more of embracing diverse communities. I'm very frustratred that our kids today still feel they have to be in the closet, they have to hide who they are. Harvey knew that I way gay, we had conversations. But I didn't come out until he was killed. I was 17 when he was killed. So every (teenager) that has been emailing me that has said, 'This has given me the power to be authentic in my life,' I can relate on a very personal level to that. It's been very emotional and powerful."

Q. Where will you be ojn Oscar night?
Milk: "I'll be at the Oscars! I am so thrilled to be there. The whole Milk family is going to get together to watch. We're just so honored that this industry has recognized this story and the artistry of the people behind the "Milk" movie."

...James Franco who?

It seems that the guy getting most of the attention from this photo of a gay Harvard student named Petros who looks about as good as Michael Phelps in a speedo. He wrote to Towleroad over the weekend to tell a little about himself. Click HERE to learn more!

Alec Baldwin, one of the best recurring guests hosts in "Saturday Night Live" history, was a part of several skits with gay content during last weekend's show. In the clip above, he plays a "Cougay." It's all some funny stuff, I've decided not to be offended by any of it and just laugh.

There are many pre-Oscar parties this week and I'm invited to several of them. But I doubt any of them will be able to match the spirit of Sunday night's private party for "Milk" screenwriter Dustin Lance Black at Nobu in West Hollywood. The party, given by Levi's, was also for the film's director Gus Van Sant who was not present.

Celebrities there included Simon Baker of CBS's "The Mentalist," Neil Patrick Harris, Jane Lynch, singer Taylor Dane, Lance Bass and Shawn Pyfrom of "Desperate Housewives."

But the real stars there - aside from Black (pictured at an earlier event), of course, - were Cleve Jones, portrayed in the film by Emile Hirsch, Stuart Milk (Harvey Milk's nephew), Anne Kronenberg (a Milk aide portrayed in the film by Alison Pill), San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty who currently holds Milk's old seat,and Robert Hanson, the president of Levis.

"This has always been about the message to me," Black said to the crowd during his brief remarks. "The people I have to thank are the people who actually started this message and worked for it and fought for it and are still doing it today: Anne Kronenberg and Cleve Jones....so thank yoiu very much and let's get back to what's important here tonight and let's get a little bit wasted."

Jones has indeed stayed active coming from San Diego earlier Sunday where he was picketing at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel whose owner $125,000 to put Prop. 8 on the ballot. He noted that "Bill Clinton crossed out picket line today to give a speech to a Republican business group."

He told the crowd that "I was that cute!" when comparing himself in the 70s to Hirsch. "Which leads me to acknowledge Lance Bass and Neil Patrick Harris for coming out when they were still young and cute."

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The highlight for me was having a few minutes to chat with Dustin Lance Black and Cleve Jones just before the speeches began.

"This is like the family," Black said, looking around the party. "Levis has been very, very helpful since the very beginning and said, 'If there's anything we can do to sort of make this authentic, we'll be there for you." It's a celebration because they were here two years ago when this was a nothing movie and now they're kind enough to toast us."

With the Academy Awards a week away with him having a very real chance of winning for best original screenplay, I wondered how Lance (no one calls him Dustin it seems) was feeling: "I'm incredibly nervous and it's going to be a very busy week. My mom comes in on Thursday and we have to get her bejeweled and ready and Cleve is my date."

Lance always seems to be wearing sneakers wherever I see him. I asked about him footware plans Oscar night: "No sneakers. I'm gonna wear some good shoes. I respect the Academy more than my Converse."

Cleve, standing with Lance said: 'I'm very proud of him, he's done a wonderful job. I trusted him from the beginning and ,my trust was well-founded. I'm just incredibly grateful to him. You know, I never really paid that much attention to the Academy Awards and the film has already done so much more than I had hoped for. I've already gotten everything I wanted. It's an incredible, amazing beautiful work that will last forever. But I have now come to feel so much love and respect for our entire cast and crew. These nominees certainly deserve it so I'm hoping for the best."

I asked Cleve what he thought of Emile Hirsch playing him in the film and he had a terrific reply: "I'm Cleve Jones and I endorse this portrayal." He then added: "Stay tuned for the sequel."

At this point, Black interjected with some of the mock titles for this sequel: "All About Cleve" or "Clevita."

Said Cleve: "I don't know, you pick!"

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Here are some comments I got from conversations with various guests about the film and its screenwriter:

Lance Bass, sporting a new mohawk kind of haircut, said Black has been a good friend of his for awhile: "I've loved everything he's written. It's amazing to see someone put their heart and soul into something and see a project grow from just a little idea to what it is today. It takes a lot of hard work and he put a lot of years into it. Just to be Oscar nominated is so incredible and I definitely think he deserves to win. I think what he did with 'Milk' was just so phenomenal and I think perfect timing because everyone needed to hear this story."

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Jane Lynch was happy to be invited to Nobu and to meet Black for the first time: "The movie was so wonderful and so timely and speaks so much to what's going on with gay rights today. We've come far but we don't have everything. This guy Milk really started a movement and he's the guy who's responsible for putting gays out there as being ordinary people worthy of rights. Before that. no one was brave enough to do it. He made friends with the straight people, he made allies, and unfortunately he was killed by one of them. It was a really sad story but this film coming out around the time marriage was taken away from us after we had it for a little while there, it was just really relevant and really spoke to what is going on today and hopefully it's going to inspire another generation of activists."

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Shawn Pyfrom, who plays Andrew Van de Kamp on "Desperate Housewives," met Black through his manager some time ago:: "I knew nothing about Harvey Milk before the movie. It was very imformative, very well-written, well acted. Honestly, it was my favorite movie this year and it's not just because I'm biased to Lance. I think it's inspiring. It makes me hopeful for possibly what I can do as a young person. He's written such an amazing script at such a young age."

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Taylor Dane said she was especially impressed with how Black did the script on his own which reminded her of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck who won the screenwriting Oscar for "Good Will Hunting" more than a decade ago. "It's just one of those fantastic, fantastic films. Lance is the wonder boy, the golden boy. It's sort of that 'Good Will Hunting" story."

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Levis President Robert Hanson (pictured with Black) on his company's involvement with the film: "We wanted to honor them for their fearlessness and their achievement in putting this extraordinary film together. We were associated with it in a small way - we helped Danny Glicker who's nominated for an Academy Award for costume design - and we presented the world premiere and the people's premiere. Harvey Milk wore 501 jeans, our flagship project, as a part of his uniform in the 70s in the Castro so it made sense for us to be associated that way. But I think these two men brought to life his values which we really aspire to. Values of empathy and originality and courage and integrity and a sort of fearless optimism and a sort of intense provocative energy. in such a beautiful way. We think they've done a tremendous amount to help create a platform to share this really critical history for the LGBT community."

Stay tuned for my interview with Stuart Milk...

I love writing about French tennis star Amelie Mauresmo because she is the pro game's most high-profile lesbian since Martina Navratilova and has played just about her entire career out and proud. She's a former number one player who's won Wimbledon and the Australian Open but hit hard times after her career year in 2006.

On Sunday, Amelie won her first tournament in two years when she beat Russian player Elena Dementieva in the finals of a tournament in Paris 7-6 (7), 2-6, 6-4. She last won a tournament in Feb. 2007 in Antwerp, Belgium.

Congrats to Amelie!!!

With Oscar night a week away, I'm getting really curious about what first-time host Hugh Jackman is going to bring to the festivities.

Hugh, a three-time host of the Tony Awards, talked with the Associated Press on Friday about the show:

"Celebration is the key," he said. "I'm certainly going to have a good time. If I'm not going to have a good time, how the hell is anybody else?"

He was asked to compare the Tonys to the Oscars: " The Oscars is obviously a very different beast. There's a lot of hype. There's so much anticipation. ... I chatted with Steve Martin on the phone who gave me some great tips. The first five or six minutes you're going to have possibly the best audience you've ever had in your life, because all of them know they're going be on camera at any moment, none of them have lost yet and they're all sort of generally ready for a good time. He said from that point on, just move it on quickly. Just be quick.

Hugh dropped a few hints including a more "intimate" look for the ceremony's home, the Kodak Theatre. "The look of the theater is very different. It's more like the nightclub of your dreams. It's very intimate. ... It's got to be a lot closer. It's been a little austere in the past. You know, there's that stage, the host being up above the stalls, looking down at everybody. ... But this is a lot more intimate. It's still spectacular, being in the Kodak Theatre. But it's a real difference in the way things are laid out.
"...There's 24 awards; you can't change that," he added. "But I think Oscars could do a little more of the show in show biz. I think there's been a little too much business.

Hugh also said he is rooting for the late Heath Ledger to win best supporting actor for "The Dark Knight" which seems a lock anyway.

"I can't hide the fact that I would really love for that honor to be bestowed upon him," Jackman said of his fellow Australian. "It would be fitting and I think he deserves it."

Robin Tyler and Diane Olson renewed their marriage vows at the Beverly Hills Courthouse. It was a romantic and political statement as this couple remain committed to the fight for marriage equality in California.

Said Robin: "This is not about us anymore. If the [California] Supreme Court lets us stay married, it will be a hallow victory because we do not want to be the only ones on the freedom train. The Supreme Court needs to rule to overturn Prop 8 because what Prop 8 does - for the first time in American history - is take a group that is being considered equal by the Supreme Court out of the constitution. That is dangerous because that means that 51% or 52% of people can vote to take YOU out of the constitution. Labor out of the constitution - unions out of the constituion. It guts the Constitution of California. So what started out as a fight for all these years of loving couples all of a sudden exploded into one of the biggest civil rights cases in American history because now we'sre standing to defend our constitution. And we want you all to stand with us."

Photo courtesy of Karen Ocamb

Darryl Stephens gave me a very thoughtful interview on the red carpet at the NAACP Image Awards last Thursday where "Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom" was up for three awards including outstanding independent movie.

Being at this partiucular awards show and it being more than three months since California voters passed Proposition 8, our conversation was different from any we had had before.

On "Jumping the Broom" getting an Image Award nomination: "The thing about this movie is it really didn't give you time to be squeamish. If you were not comfortable with the subject matter, you had about 30 seconds after the movie started to get comfortable. The fact that the NAACP has embraced the film and has been very, very supportive, it means a lot. It's an incredible statement to hear from the NAACP that they're recognizing gay brothers. It's a bug step for them."

Writer-director "Patrick-Ian Polk was very deliberate in the image he wanted to present. He wasn't giving you down-low brothers, he was giving you black gay men who were comfortable in their skin and who were living their lives responsibly and without shame."

On the movie's reception on DVD: "Our fans have always been incredible. It was heartbreaking for a number of people because there was such a limited release in theaters and in the smaller cities like places in Ohio and the Midwest and the South, it didn't come out anywhere. So I think they were excited to finally see it (on DVD). They really, really loved the movie."

The movie, which features the marriage between Noah and Wade (Jensen Atwood) was released less than two weeks before the Nov. 4 election. Because of this timing, Darryl sees a real lost opportunity because the movie did not have a very wide release theatrically.

"I hate to say this but I feel like if the film had played at the Magic Johnson Theater instead of the theater in West Hollywood, it might have had more of an impact on that vote. We've been so fixtated on locating gay stories in West Hollywood and there's so many other black people in California who need to be reached and in the U.S. Getting outside of those environments is what Prop. 8 showed us that we need to do."

After the vote, Darryl was part of one of the bigger rallies in downtown Los Angeles and I wondered if more activism was in store for him since he was such a powerful and articulate voice for gay rights.

"I'm honestly trying to focus more on art this year," he said. "I got very into the activism last year and it was great but it's not paying bills. I'm doing some things here and there to stay active and educate people when i can but I'm not really as focused on that.. There are people who are really committed who do an amazing job and when they reach out and say, 'Can you help us with this?' I'm happy to."

...Here's the story, of a lovely lady. Who turns 75 years young today...

That's Florence Henderson, of course, and me, her son Greg Brady! Well, I never wanted to be a Brady but I did want to live in the Brady house and have Alice as our maid.

During a performance of her one-woman show a few weeks ago, I really loved what Florennce had to say about age: "I don't ever talk about age. I never do because I think it's dangerous. I always say, 'If you didn't know how old you were, how old would you be?" I'm going to be 75 and you know what? I am very excited about the future."

She should be. Happy birthday to a sensational lady!

Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter for "Milk," is on the cover of the current issue of Written By, a six-times a year magazine put out by the Writers Guild of America.

Lance was on the cover even before he won the WGA Award last weekend for original screenplay and as I read the magazine piece the other day, I found him very candid and thoughtful in it in a way that is tough to capture during a red carpet interview obviously.

"My mom remarried when I was 13, and my new Army dad moved us to Fort Ord in the Central Coast. During high school, I apprenticed at the Western Stage there. It was at that theater that my mentor told me the story of an out gay man who was celebrated by his city - Harvey Milk. That's where this 21-year journey began."

Here are some more excerpts from the article:

On what he learned about Harvey Milk through his research: "Honestly, I didn't decide to start writing until Cleve Jones started telling me the far more human side of a failed business man, a guy who couldn't keep a relationship together to save his life, and a guy who got a late start in doing anything terrifically meaningful with his life. That kind of transformative human story felt so much more American and real to me...that's when I bit. At the human stuff, not the hero stuff."

Why he was compelled to write the movie: "It was clear that Harvey Milk was vanishing. Most of my friends had never heard of him - and these were politically active openly gay folks who should have. So I felt like an important part of our history was being lost , and in the gay community it's so important to hold onto our history. We don't have that many heroes or forefathers, and as a young person growing up in a closeted environment, I know his story was life-saving....So I guess I just jumped in because I felt like somebody needed to save this story from oblivion.

On the timing of the film's release which came shortly after the passage of Prop. 8: "For Prop. 8, I'll be honest. I wish I had written a little faster, got this film out a year ago so that the gay community could have heeded the lessons of Harvey Milk and perhaps waged a more prideful fight, and that in future fights this film's history and Harvey's lessons will help."

On being a part of Hollywood's awards season: It's "fun because I get to rub shoulders with so many of my filmmaking heroes and guess what, Brad Pitt looks even more handsome in person. It's true. But (it's) frightening because I'll be honest, I really want to win when I'm there. Gay and lesbian people have had a devastating year politically and socially. I get letters from young gay people every day, every hour since the Oscar nominations, saying they've put their hope in this film's success. That's a lot of pressure, that's frightening."

"And hell, if we do win anything, that's pretty damned scary too! I was too scared to play the bongos in the jingle bell band in my church's Christmas show when I was a kid. Giving a speech on television in front of all those people? Frightening as hell."

"This is it! My final post about the 40th Annual NAACP Image Awards. It was a lot of fun to cover and to be around all that positive energy and talent!
You learn things about people backstage at award shows. For example, Tracee Ellis Ross, who won her second NAACP Image Award Thursday night for outstanding actress in a comedy series for "Girlfriends," obviously is proud to be the daughter of the legendary Diana Ross and brought her mom up when talking about the NAACP and its impact on the careers of she and her mother.

But when one of the journalists began asking about Diana Ross' next project, her daughter said: "I don't know! Why don't you ask HER? When I talk to my mom it's about what I'm gonna to put on, what I'm doing, if I have te flu! We don't talk about what she's going to do...Does anyone have a question for ME before I go?"

Poor Tracee. The fact is, she is a great comedic talent who has become a star in her own right after eight seasons on "Girlfriends" so on her big night, I don't blame her for being annoyed.

I like what Tracee had to say when she was accepting her award: "What a proud moment to stand up on this stage. I feel like we are in such an incredible time of our lives."

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It is inevitable that "CSI: NY" star Hill Harper, the winner of the outstanding actor in a drama series award, would be asked about President Barack Obama since the two have been friends since college. Hill also worked hard on the Obama campaign. I remember him talking about it a year ago at these same awards and was impressed with his commitment to his friend.
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Asked what Obama's election means for African-Americans in Hollywood, he said:
"I think that positive images of African Americans starts with how we present ourselves..On 'CSI NY,' I'm proud that I'm playing the most intelligent character on the show. ... We have to create our own projects and cultivate our own audiences. That's why I have so much respect for Tyler Perry."

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We might have had an opportunity to chat backstage with Sean Combs a little long had someone not asked: "What are your thoughts about Chris Brown?" Yikes! Yeah, the guy wins the first significant award for his acting in his eclectic career for "Raisin in the Sun" and you're asking about Chris Brown?

Like what is he supposed to say?

Before that faux paus, Sean talked about acting and the adjustment it has been for him coming from the music world:

"In order to be a great actor, you have to be able to give all of yourself...In music, you hide beind the shades and are able to be cool. As an actor, you have to expose yourself and be naked. I still have a long ways to go but I am thankful I have the opportunity to do it...I've just started as an actor and i have a long way to go but I truly am humbled."

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Speaking of Tyler Perry, the cast of "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" was backstage after winning best comedy and some individual awards. It took me a minute to realize the winner for best supporting actress was Rudy from "The Cosby Show." It was Keisha Knight Pulliam all grown up and quite beautiful. She joined the series in its second season and was supposed to be on for just one episode or two. She's never left.

"They have totally welcomed me," Keisha said as she stood next to her co-stars, including the dreamy Lance Gross.

When someone asked the cast for their workout secrets, the plus-sized Cassi Davis immediately walked to the microphone - already getting a laugh - and said: "You eat until you're content, then you go to the gym and do your best and then you let God do the rest."

I like that.

You want red carpet interviews with Will Smith, Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce Knowles? Not gonna find 'em here. My spot in the red carpet inside the Shrine Auditorium was so far down the line that most of the A-listers were either too tired to do anymore interviews or had to rush inside because the show was about to start.

But that's okay, i found plenty of major talents and cool folks to gab with as they made their way into the NAACP Image Awards on Thursday. I was literally walking to my place on the carpet when I noticed Loretta Devine walking about three steps in front of me. I stopped her because Iove her and wanted to know what she is up to now that ABC has cancelled that wonderful show she was on "Eli Stohe."

"Well, I'm getting ready to do "Legally Mad," David Kelley's new project. We're doing the pilot." Loretta, one of Broadway's original "Dreamgirls," worked with Kelly for several years on ABC's "Boston Common."

Last year, Loretta sang a few sensational songs written by Ron Abel at a cabaret night in the lobby of the Pantages Theatre that were part of a show called "Brick Top": "At one point Whoopi Goldberg was supposed to be producing it. It's really hard to get shows done. It's a wonderful show though. Incredible songs."

Loretta, so good in such films as "Waiting to Exhale," "This Christmas" and "Dirty Laundry," also talked to me about the NAACP which is celebrating its centennial and the Image Awards which had their 40th anniversary,

"I'm just ecstatic to be here because you can only be here if you've worked in the past year (laughs). And I was lucky to have the role on "Eli Stone" which was a wonderful job. I'm just really happy that I'm here."

I also wanted Loretta's thoughts on President Barack Obama: "No one can stop talking about it. Every day. It's so a part of everything right now. And it drives me crazy because I'm always so worried, I so want him to be successful and I so want him to do well. I so hope that everything goes well with him and his entire family."

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Next I chatted with "Noah's Arc" star Darryl Stephens and the man who provided so many laughs in the "Jumping the Broom" feature film Rodney Chester. I'm going to post more later from them but know that "Broom" was nominated for outstanding independent film but lost to a little movie no one has ever heard of: "Slumdog Millionaire."

"I think any year that the NAACP is recognizing a film about four black gay men is a great year," Darryl said. "We have a long way to go with regards to gay folks being accepted in society and black gay folks being accepted by black people. At this point, just being nominated is great because they're taking it seriously. The NAACP has embraced the film and been very, very supportive. It means a lot."

Added Rodney: "It's an amazing thing that they;re recognizing the movie for what it is and just knowing that it's a good movie...This has been a really, really big step for everyone in general. We found that doing the show and doing the movie that it ended up not just being a black thing, not just a gay thing, it ended up being very, very universal."

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It was really nice to see Nate Parker again, the talented (and so handsome!) young actor who was nominated for his role in "Secret Life of Bees" and was so terrific last year in "The Great Debaters" with Denzel Washington. I asked Nate if he only took roles in top-notch films.

"You know what, I have been advised by some of the people I've worked with to be very selective about the projects. Denzel Washington told me: 'Nate, it's a marathon not a sprint so be very careful about the jobs you select because this will be a rerpresentation of you.' ...I have done my very best to sort through the jobs and pick the ones that I think are encouraging to my peers."

To that end, his next film is called "Red Tales" and he's working with George Lucas, about a fighter squadron in WWII.

"It's an exciting time," he said.

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Speaking of handsome, one of the best looking (and talented) young actors in television and film was rushing by to get inside but I was happy that Lance Gross, who I met at last year's awards, stopped by for a quick hello. He would go on to win outstanding supporting actor for his role on "Tyler Perry's House of Payne."

"I feel good," Lance said. "It's a great year to be nominated, it's a great year to win. I'm rooting for Angela Bassett to win for "Meet the Browns."

Bassett played Lance's mother in that fine film and while I think she did deserve to win, Rosario Dawson took home the award for "Seven Pounds." Bassett did win, however, for "ER."

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Justin Martin (pictured with Sean Combs) stopped by for a chat. He was one of the cast members of 'Raisin in the Sun" which dominated in the TV categories. Just 14, he accepted the award on behalf of the cast during the non-televised portion of the evening.

"It was amazing," he said since the film had lost out to "John Adams" at the Emmys, Golden Globes and SAG Awards. "It finally came and it's a blessing."

While cast members Phylcia Rashad, Audra MacDonald and Combs originated their roles in the Broadway production of "Raisin," Justin was not in that cast because he was on Broadway at the same time in "The Lion King."

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And finally, I got to meet the great Ben Vereen who starred on Broadway in the original "Pippin" and was one of the stars of "Roots." He was a nominee this year for "Accidental Friendship." I wondered what Mr. Vereen thought of the new production of "Pippin" currently playing at the Ahmanson.

"Isn't wonderful? I want is they take it as far as they want. It's wonderful...It's a new concept of the show and it's wonderful. I'm cool with anything that I have done that has a longevity to it."

Mr. Vereen just returned from Washington D.C, where he performed at the Heroes Ball after watching the inauguration. His description of the experience is priceless. "I performed with Peter, Paul and Mary couldn't be there so it was Peter, Paul and Ben Vereen. Go figure."

On inauguration morning, he described the scene as "wall-to-wall slap up beside your face people....When he accepted, put his hand on the Bible, you would've thought you were at a revival. People were screaming and going nuts: "Oh yes Lord, thank you Jesus!"

...this great star of stage, screen and television turns 65 years old today. Yes, Rizzo is 65! My favorite line of her's in "Grease" is this: "Sorry French!" My friend Brent can deliver it perfectly.

But Stockard Channing is so much more than the fabulous Betty Rizzo. She's a Tony winner with an impressive Broadway resume, a three-time Emmy winner including a win for her role as the First Lady on "West Wing," and she earned an Oscar nomination for best actress for her - in my opinion - best performance ever in "Six Degrees of Seperation."

Miss Channing, who I've had the pleasure of interviewing a few times, has done so many projects with LGBT characters and themes and I want to highlight some of them here: she won the Emmy for her portrayal of Judy Shepard in "The Matthew Shepard Story," won a Daytime Emmy for her role in "Jack" as a mom who helps her son understand why his father (and her husband) left their family for another man, and in "The Truth About Jane" she played the mother of a lesbian teen who has great difficulty accepting her daughter's sexuality.

Then there was an Emmy nomination a few years back for terrific sitcom "Out of Practice" which was criminally cancelled after just one season. One of her three children in the show was played by Christopher Gorham who we love and the daughter in the show was an outspoken lesbian played by Paula Marshall.

So whether it's LGBT themed stuff or just camp like "Isn't She Great" and "The Girl Most Likely To..." Stockard Channing is the bomb! Below is a scene from the 1973 cult fave "Girl Most Likely To" (written by Joan Rivers) starring Stockard as a former ungly duckling who cleverly kills all the people who were mean to her in high school:

And finally, here are some scenes from the wonderful "Out of Practice." Enjoy!

Sealed with a kiss.

The folks at ABC sent me these two images from a landmark storyline on "All My Children" featuring daytime television's first lesbian wedding between Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel) and Reese Williams (Tamara Braun). Bianca's mother is the one and ionly Erica Kane who is played by the legendary Susan Lucci.

The wedding will begin on today's episide and continues on Monday.

What a great choice!

Wanda Sykes, our new favorite lesbian next to Ellen, will entertain President Barack Obama and a mix of Washington elite, press corps and some Hollywood celebs at the annual White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner on May 9.

A story on Huffington Post quotes Sykes as saying: "The first thing I did when they asked me to do this gig _ I made sure my taxes were paid," quipped Sykes, taking a dig at the withdrawal of former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle from Obama's cabinet due to unpaid taxes.

She said it's her job to "poke fun and ridicule," and even a popular figure like Obama isn't off limits. She already has some ideas about what she could mine for laughs. For example, she noted, Obama can be "a little long-winded. So we can get him on that."

The White House Correspondents' Association was formed in 1914 as a liaison between the White House press corps and the presidents they cover. Every president since Calvin Coolidge has attended the dinner.

The presidency of Barack Obama was never far from people's minds during the 40th annual NAACP Image Awards on Thursday night where Will Smith, Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce, Taraji P. Henson, Sean Combs and Angela Bassett were among the winners.

"This is a rare opportunity for me to stand on this stage today after a dream that I've wanted for a long time. We have an African-American president!" Smith said as he accepted the award for best actor in a motion picture for "Seven Pounds."

"Just know that you can!" he added.

Tyler Perry, who co-hosted the event at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles with Halle Berry,said the president "has most definitely made us all want to step up our game."

The 40th anniversary of the awards coincides with the 100th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People which is kicking off a year-long celebration in honor of its centennial

"If there had been no N-A-A-C-P, there would have been no O-B-A-M-A." Perry said. "What better way to celebrate than to watch an African-American man take the oath as the 44th president of the United States?"

Obama's Harvard Law School classmate, Hill Harper, won the award for best actor in a drama series for "CSI: NY." Harper worked hard on the Obama campaign and said backstage that "we have to continue our involvement. We need to be points of light outside and continue our grassroots activism."

Fresh off of her Grammy win, Hudson won three awards to cap a triumphant week for a young woman still coping with an unimaginable family tragedy. Her mother, brother and nephew were murdered last year and in recent weeks, she has emerged to make high-profile appearances at the Super Bowl, the Grammys then the Image Awards.

Hudson got a standing ovation as she took the stage to accept the award for best new artist for her self-titled debut album.

"Now don't start me crying again," she said to a crowd ."It always feels like home coming here ..Thank you all so much for all of your amazing support. It's always an honor to come home and to feel welcome and to feel the love...I have to thank God who is keeping me and my family back home."

Hudson lost in the female singer category to her "Dreamgirls" co-star Beyonce Knowles who said she was taken aback when producers signaled for her to wrap things up because she had never before felt so chatty.

"This has never happened because I usually get all nervous and don't know what to say," she said.

Beyonce won in a category that also included singer Rihanna who was reportedly involved in a domestic dispute with boyfriend Chris Brown on the eve of the Grammys. Both Rihanna and Brown missed the Grammys as well as the Image Awards where both were nominees.

"The Secret Life of Bees," which starred Hudson, Queen Latifah, and Dakota Fanning among others, was named outstanding motion picture while Smith's "Seven Pounds" co-star Rosario Dawson won best actress. Oscar nominee Henson won the supporting actress prize of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" while Columbus Short took home the supporting actor award for "Cadillac Records."

The television film "A Raisin in the Sun" won for outstanding television movie with stars Combs and Phylicia Rashad taking awards for their performances in it. The sitcom "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" won for outstanding comedy and acting awards for stars LaVan Davis, Lance Gross and Keshia Knight Pulliam.

Other television winners included Basset ("ER"), Tracee Ellis Ross ("Girlfriends"), Taye Diggs ("Private Practice"), and Chandra Wilson ("Grey's Anatomy").

Special honors were presented during the ceremony to former Vice President Al Gore and to sports legend Muhammad Ali was given the President's Award.

NOTE: This is the story I filed for the paper. I'll have some red carpet stuff - with a little attitude - for you in the morning!

I'm backstage at the NAACP Image Awards and "Grey's Anatomy" co-star James Pickens Jr. (pictured above with TR Knight and Patrick Dempsey) was here with best actress in a TV drama winner Chandra Wilson and she show's creator and head writer Shondra Wilson. "Grey's won for best drama as well.

He was asked about the reports that surfaced earlier week, quoting him, that Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight are planning to leave the Thursday night medical drama. But he seemed to confuse things further when asked about the reports.

"Supposedly the quote is mine," he said. "We've been living with that rumor for quite a long time. When the qiuestion was posed to me, I was answering in congratulating them in whatever they were gonna do. I had no special informatioon...It's pretty much status quo on our show."

Oh, great. Rhimes didn't do anything to clarify things, just stood by Pickens, smiling.
Sheesh!

I'm backstage at the Shrine Auditorium where the 40th Annual NAACP Image Awards are about to begin (the televised part at least). In the pre-telecast, Jennifer Hudson won at least two awards, with many more to be announced. She's performing tonight!

Here is Jennifer's new video for "If This Isn't Love."

I don't know about you, but if we're expected to care about a character who has died because someone sold him bad drugs, maybe we should've known the character a little bit better.

But that's just me. Anyway, here is today's clip...

It's a bit of a crazy day today as I rush to finish two stories for the paper then get ready to head to the Shrine Auditorium for the 40th Annual NAACP Image Awards. I'll be blogging from there tonight and have a full report by morning. In the meantime, I wanted to share some photos and memories from my experiences during awards season so far.
GRAMMY AWARDS

If you want to feel incredibly average looking, then pose for a photo with Cameron Mathison. Still, I have no regrets! The sexy "All My Children" star was at the awards as a correspondent for "Good Morning America." He's so motivated and energetic that it seems like Cameron needs at least two jobs going at once as we learned from he flew across the country each week during his successful stint on "Dancing With the Stars."

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At the Grammys, chatted up this trio of friendly guys: The Daylights. Twin brothers Ran Jackson and Ricky Jackson were at the Grammys for the first time with their bandmate Svend Lerche. Ran looks a bit like Sawyer on ABC's "Lost" while Ricky is a bit of a cleaner-cut version. Both adorable.

The gospel-roick group After Edmond caught my eye on the red carpet because of their wild hairstyles. When they came over, I was shocked to find out they are gospel singers! I told them they looked much too edgy and cool to be in this genre.

Kathy Griffin, who didn't have time to chat with me, had ALL the time in the world for Ross Mathews. Whatever.

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DIRECTORS GUILD OF AMERICA AWARDS
That's your faithful blogger with Dustin Lance Black who was at the DGAs to lend support to "Milk" director Gus Van Sant. A week later, Lance won the WGA award for best original screenplay and has a good chance of taking home the Oscar on Feb. 22. Here's hoping!

Lucky me with 2009 Academy Award nominee Melissa Leo who will compete with Meryl Streep, Kate Winslett, Anne Hathaway and Angelina Jolie for the coveted prize on Oscar night. Melissa is nominated for "Frozen River."

My pal Lorna Harris was a wonderful date to the DGA dinner. We've had so many adventures over the years from taking in matches on centre court of Wimbledon 17 years ago to rubbing elbows with celebs at the DGAs. Good times.

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEES LUNCHEON
It was fun hanging out with Sandy Cohen, entertainment writer for Associated Press and Stacy Jenel Smith, longtime writer for the Marilyn Beck column. Stacy got to sit next to Robert Downey Jr. at lunch.

Director Danny Boyle had reason to be in a good mood. Just two days earlier, he had won the DGA Award for "Slumdog Millionaire." Might as well engrave that Oscar for him now.

...the Oscar nominee for "Milk" turns 41 years old today.

With a handsome face like that, it would have been easy for Josh Brolin to cash in on his matinee idol looks. But he has refused and instead taken on character roles lke the bisexual with a thing for armpits in "Flirting With Disaster" a decade ago to his more recent successes as George W. Bush in "W," Dan White in "Milk" and last year's trifecta "No Country for Old Men" (pictured, above), In the Valley of Elah" and "American Gangster."

We look forward to whatever this talented actor is up to next because it will, no doubt, be very interesting!

I ask you, is it really necessary to use such attractive people in the Spring 2009 Armani Exchange campaign? Oh, what the heck! I like lookin' at 'em too.
These photos were taken by photographer Tom Munro and the models are Kerry Degman, Parker Gregory and Rianne ten Haken in the Florida Keys.

These crazy kids are just all over the map. On Wednesday's show, their friend overdoses on drugs and poor Luke is distraught. Can't they just let that poor boy be happy for once! Below is last week's clip in which Luke and Noah talk, talk, and talk about moving in together. Noah, of course, isn't ready. I'm tellin' ya, Luke woulda been better off with his step-grandpa!

MSNBC personality Keith Olbermann's post-Prop. 8 commentary was among the most moving things I'd ever heard on the subject. He's a straight ally who was talking common sense and simply asking those who are so staunchly against gay marriage: "Why do you care? What is it to you?"

At the Human Rights Campaign dinner last weekend, he used his speech "to say thank you for eveything everyone has said to me since that commentary..."

That commentary is certainly worth another look and it is posted below:

Good grief, even I don't care anymore!

When the country singer and actress Renee Zellweger split after what was like five minutes and she cited "fraud" in their divorce papers, tongue's started wagging. Is Kenny Chesney gay?

Apparently he wasn't then and isn;t now and discusses the speculatiuon about his sexuality in a new Playboy interview and claims to have slept with more than 100 women.

"Man, I was over 100 several years ago," he tells the magazine in its March issue. "There were years when I had a better summer than A-Rod, buddy. You know? I got on the boards quite often."

Of his shortlived marriage to Zellweger in 2005: I "didn't have any clue as to what true marriage meant. I was so used to committing to one thing -- music -- and then I had to totally commit to a second thing, marriage. I didn't know how to commit to both of them."

He said the legal papers could claim either physical abuse, mental abuse or three or four other things did not fit so Zellweger chose fraud. The gay rumors followed.

"What guy who loves girls wouldn't be angry about that ...? I didn't sign up for that. I think people need to live their lives the way they want to, but I'm pretty confident in the fact that I love girls (laughs). I've got a long line of girls who could testify that I am not gay."

There you have it. He's not gay.

Cherry Jones, the Tony Award winning actress who is currently playing the President of the United States on "24," was asked about gay marriage and her relationship with actress Sarah Paulson with whom she has been with for five years.

On Prop. 8: "i hope it will be repleased because I don't think the majority should be allowed to take away the rights of the minority. I originally wanted the movement to be about civil unions, because to me, "marriage" is more of a religious bond and civil union is about the state. But I now appreciate that they went for broke, and I do believe that in another four or five years, the majority of those who voted for Prop. 8 will be ashamed of themselves."

Would she ever want marriage with Paulson who she met on the set of the film "Swimmers"?

"Never," she said. "I'm not the marrying type. I was in an 18-year relationship (with architect Mary O'Connor) and we discussed it, but it wasn;t something we felt we needed to do. And in my current relationship with Sarah, we feel similarly about it."

I love this!

Okay, so Gale Harold has been off of "Desperate Housewives" as he recovers from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident He plays Susan's boyfriend, Jackson. Writers have given Teri Hatcher someone else to kiss in Gale's absence: two-time Tony winner Swoosie Kurtz who happened to be available now that her terrific but low-rated ABC series "Pushing Daisies" will not see a third season.

According to TV Guide, Swoosie will play a lesbian administrator at Susan's school. She will appear in March. It's not known if the same-sex smooch will lead to Susan switching teams but if it does, I'll be annoyed. The show already has several underused gay characters and we never see them kiss!

OMG! What would Alice and Sam the butcher think of THIS?

What was I doing at home reading Newsweek Monday night when I shoulda hopped a plane to NYC to catch the fourth annual "Broadway Backwards" concert benefiting New York's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center.

Florence Henderson, who turns 75 on Valentine's Day, is still plenty frisky as you can see in this photo! At her concert in LA a few weeks back, I can assure you she did not grab ANYONE!

AfterElton.com reports that the event at the American Airlines theater on Monday drew such performers and presenters as Whoopi Goldberg, Mario Cantone, Alan Cumming, Cheyenne Jackson, Christopher Sieber, John Tartaglia, Michael Urie, and, of course, the fabulous Flo.

Gus Van Sant presented "Milk" at the Berlin Film Festival this week where the film was screened out of competition. The Oscar-nominated director told the press the "Milk" star Sean Penn was a good choice to play slain gay rights leadcer Harvey Milk in the film because of his experience of political activism.

When the movie's makers considered Penn for the lead role, "there were many political speeches that you could hear him give," Van Sant said at a news conference. They "thought that he could do that part of the movie, the political speaking part...His politics, not necessarily the type of politics, but (the fact) that he was politically motivated and active, was out there expressing himself."

I haven't always been ensconced in the world of Hollywood.

Back in my 20s, I spent several years living just blocks from the ocean in Newport Beach then Huntington Beach so I'm a sucker for a surfer in a wetsuit. I even got a press pass to what was then called the OP Pro in the late 1980s (I think it's now called the US Open) and was just mesmerized by a guy named Tom Curren.

So I remain mildly interested in the sport (and the wetsuits) to this day and was surprised that last year I read all of Kelly Slater's autobiography "Pipe Dreams." It was all about his life traveling the world on the surfing tour and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Kelly is movie star handsome and even though he did once date Pamela Anderson, he seems like a cool person. He has won more surfing titles than anyone else including a record NINE world championships. The first came when he was just 20 and the most recent was last fall when he was 36.

Kelly turns 37 years old today...

It's gonna be a little weird for me to see Buck from "Chuck and Buck" as a contestant on the CBS show "Amazing Race" when its new season premieres Sunday night.

Okay, he's not really Buck - he's Mike White and he write the screenplay for that indie flick as well as "School of Rock." His father, Mel White, is a high-profile leader in the LGBT equal rights movement.

Mel, who founded the gay social-justice organization Soulforce, talked to Advocate.com about how he came to join his son on the show:

"Mike's a massive fan of the show," says White, 68. "He auditioned on his own and was accepted, but the person he signed up with bailed at the last minute. I was the backup plan..."I've traveled a lot more than most people, but there's nothing that can really prepare you for this show. You're racing the clock -- the whole thing is such a rush."

White doesn't think producers knew who he was when they signed him on: "...At least it never came up during our conversations. I don't think they did any research into my activism. They wanted me as Mike's dad, which was fine with me -- I was delighted to be billed as "the gay father." It gave me a chance to talk about not just being gay, but being a gay parent, without the perceived stigma of being an activist. Of course, I wore my Soulforce hat everywhere, hoping it'd spark some interest. "

Since both enjoy a measure of fame, White was asked if either he or his son got recognized while competing: "I don't see myself as a celebrity, but people recognize Mike all over. Back home, he has paparazzi shooting and asking him questions. When we were going through India, this woman leaned over to us on a bus and said to him, "I like your movie." I'm a dad, so of course I got a puff of pride. I mean, I don't see him as an actor or screenwriter, I just see him as my kid. When I see him on the screen, I don't see the character, I see Mike. Which was really uncomfortable when I saw Chuck & Buck. [Laughs] I was so taken aback."

Go to Advocate.com to read the rest of what is a terrific interview.

Sorry for the lack of posts this afternoon. I was busy with my weekly Metro-section column for The Daily News. Since it sucked away so many hours, thought I'd share it with you all first before it hits people's doorsteps tomorrow morning!
The blistering headlines in recent days involving singer Chris Brown, actor Christian Bale and baseball's Alex Rodriguez make you wonder how what constitutes career-ending behavior for a star performer.

As far as A-Rod goes - with his huge guaranteed contract - his judgement will ultimately come down the line with the Hall of Fame voters.

But the 19-year-old Brown seems to be facing a far more precarious future.

I was all ears Sunday afternoon on the Grammy Awards red carpet when news surfaced that Brown was being sought by police in connection with a domestic-violence case that reportedly involves his pop princess girlfriend Rihanna.
The R&B singer was booked on Sunday for investigation of making a criminal threat and released on $50,000 bail. Brown isn't due in court until March 5, but in the court of public opinion, he is already being convicted in some quarters.

Various radio stations across the country have stopped playing his music, Wrigley has suspended a chewing gum campaign featuring Brown, and he also will no longer appear in the "Got Milk" ad campaign.

Billboard magazine's editorial director Bill Werde is dismayed by what appears to be a rush to judgment since Brown, who was named 2008 artist of the year by Billboard, has not been convicted of any crime.

"If you are a brand, you may have to decide and don't have time for the justice system to weigh in. So we are seeing what the impact is, and we don't even know if it's true," Werde said Tuesday.

But if the allegations are proven, "I think it's pretty much game over for Chris Brown," he added. "This is an artist who has largely built his appeal on a very clean image."

Tracey Ford, the editor of AOL Music's hip-hop/R&B site, TheBoombox.com, said the allegations are all the more disturbing because "he's got an audience that is primarily teenaged girls. He even had a duet with Jordin Sparks who also has a wholesome image."

"Anytime you have an artist like Chris Brown who starts out so young -- with fans so young who look up to him -- it's never a good thing," Ford added. "Christian Bale's fans are mostly adults, and that's why people can make YouTube videos and jokes and at the end of the day, laugh it off."

Bale bruising public-relations nightmare was all the rage last week but has largely been obscured by the even more sensational headlines involving Brown and Rodriguez.
The widely-heard audio recording of his tirade on the set of "Terminator Salvation" quickly became a YouTube and radio staple. It's a truly scary expletive-laden meltdown that is quite sickening to listen to in my opinion.

(The incident, which just surfaced, took place last summer around the same time as Bale had an alleged altercation at a London hotel with his mother and sister.)

"The Dark Knight" star tried damage control by calling into KROQ's Kevin & Bean last week. The radio hosts had been among those having a field day with the audio and a remix set to music.

"Feel free to make fun of me at my expense," Bale told the hosts. "I deserve it completely."

"I was out of order beyond belief, I was way out of order," he added. "I acted like a punk, I regret that, and there is nobody that has heard that tape that has been hit harder by it \[than me\]. I make no excuses for it, it is inexcusable, and I hope that is absolutely clear."

Martin Kaplan, a research professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication, believes Bale did the right thing by admitting what a jerk he was.

"Americans love a second act," he said. "There are few things a celebrity can do that fans won't forgive. The key is to acknowledge how very badly you behaved -- none of that "if I offended anyone" weaseling. Don't blame anyone else, and don't wait to see how big the firestorm gets before throwing yourself on the mercy of your audience. Be devastated, be sorry, and be reborn."

I'll bet the folks at "Grey's Anatomy" are royally ticked off that actor James Pickens Jr. (a.k.a. Grey's Dr. Richard Webber) told US Weekly that his co-stars Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight are leaving the medical drama.

It comes as no surprise that Heigl would want to leave "Grey's Anatomy." She won an Emmy a few seasons back but her character of Izzie has taken some ridiculous turns since then. Plus, and it's a big plus, Heigl is one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood after the back-to-back hit films "Knocked Up" and "27 Dresses" and the upcoming "The Ugly Truth" opposite Gerard Butler.

He was asked if Heigl is leaving the medical drama and said, "Yes, she is." And he continued, "Wherever Katherine goes, I wish her nothing but the best."

Of Knight, Heigl's real-life BFF, Pickens said: "He's going too. He just wanted to pursue other career paths."

There had been reports that Knight has wanted out of his contract for some time. He earned an Emmy nomination for his work during the show's second season but his storyline has deteriorated in recent seasons.

Knight is one of the most visible gay actors in Hollywood and has been a real breath of fresh air.

No official word from the network yet on the reported exits.

Despite eight Oscar nominations, "Milk" just barely managed to pass the $25 million mark at the box office last weekend. It's been a bit of a head-scratcher why a movie that has had so much good buzz and came out of the gate on fire in limited release, has not expanded successfully.

AfterElton.com writer Brent Hartinger looks at what might have gone wrong in an article posted on the site today. I'm among the people he interviewed for the piece. I'm in good company - he also interviews Roger Ebert!

Here is a LINK to the story: Why Did "Milk" Go Sour?

You don't expect the handsome and talented Luke Macfarlane to spend all of his time being Scotty to Matthew Rhys' Kevin on ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" do you?

Luke is moonlighting these days as F. Scott Fitzgerald in the Blank Theatre Company's production of Allan Knee's play "the Jazz Age" which runs through.March 22. Also starring are Jeremy Gabriel as Ernest Hemingway and Heather Prete as Zelda Fitzgerald.

The new play goes inside their minds to fantasize on the question of "inspiration". Punctuated by the pulsating beat of a live jazz trio and asks the question "Why do we do what we do?"

The play is directed by Michael Matthews, and Grammy Award winner Ian Whitcomb and his Bungalow Boys accompany the play with an original score by Whitcomb.

The Blank Theatre Company is located at 6500 Santa Monica Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90038. For tickets or more information call 323-661-9827 or visit www.TheBlank.com.

To see more terrific photos from this production, go to BroadwayWorld.com.

I'm really happy that Olympic Gold Medalist Matthew Mitcham has landed hmself a major commercial endorsement with Telstra, Australia's largest telecommunications company.

But the fact that it comes SIX MONTHS after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is what is so infuriating. It's just a reminder of the homophobia in our society and is a cold slap in the face. That he was the only openly gay athlete competing in the Olympic Games is significant enough because it shows such courage. Then to compete at such a high level and achieve an improbable victory is all the more amazing.

Amanda Johnston-Pell, executive director of brands and marketing communications for the company, said in a statement: "Matthew's performance at the Olympics last year was sensational, and he demonstrated all the characteristics that we look for in our ambassadors -- confidence, passion, and excellence in his sport. Matthew is a positive role model for all Australians, and we look forward to working with him as his diving career progresses."

Grammy winner Roberta Flack turns 72 years old today. She has some of the prettiest hit songs ever recorded including the Grammy Record of Year winners "Killing Me Softly" and "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" as well as the smash "Feel Like Makin' Love," the duets "Where is the Love?" and "The Closer I Get To You" with the late Donny Hathaway, Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" (a duet with Peabo Bryson) and, of course, the theme from "Making Love."

Miss Flack is the only artist besides U2 to win back-to-back Grammys for Record of the Year. Here is a video of her doing a duet with the late, great Luther Vandross on the old "Rosie O'Donnell Show."

He's Gilles Marini and he's best known for his role as Kim Cattrall's sexy and usually nude next-door neighbor in last summer's "Sex and the City" movie. That makes him a star in my book!

I'm pretty lukewarm on the rest of the selections. I mean, how do ya top Cloris Leachman for goodness sake? I am happy to see Belinda Carlisle in the bunch but some of the others are a turn off for me: Denise Richards?: Pul-eeeze. I don;t enjoy her. And Olympic gold-medal gymnast Shawn Johnson is really cute but she's so composed all the time that she scares me!

We should all send cards to the great Carole King today for providing us with so much of the music that is part of the soundtrack of our lives.
The singer-songwriter turns 67 years old today, is still in fine voice and even has her own record label: Rockingale Records.

I've had several periods in my life where I've just played her "Tapestry" album over and over and over again and seen this dynamo of a live performer twice in concert.

Carole's big hits include "You've Got a Friend" which is the video above as well as "It's Too Late," "Jazzman," "I Feel the Earth Move," "So Far Away," "Sweet Seasons," "Only Love is Real," "Where You Lead ("I Will Follow") and "Smackwater Jack."

But she has written a big batch of hits for other people and fortunately, has also recorded her own versions of them. They include Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman," "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" recorded by The Shirelles, "Take Good Care of My Baby" by Bobby Vee, "The Loco-Motion" which had hit versions by Little Eva and Grand Funk Railroad, "Go Away Little Girl" recorded by Steve Lawrence and later by Donny Osmond, "One Fine Day" by the Cliftons, and "Up on the Roof" by The Drifters,

Here are two more songs from this music legend:

It brings tears to my eyes when I think about what Judith Light has meant to the LGBT community for so many years. She's given us more than her love - she's given her time and her name to countless causes.

I'll never forget a few summers back at Outfest when she was participating in an "Ugly Betty" panel and when they introduced her, the ovation was long and heartfelt and dwarfed the applause for America Fererra, Vanessa Williams or any of the show's other stars.

She is a woman who was horrfied by the AIDS epidemic and the government's lack of action when people, including her friends, were dying. She was one of the first celebrities, way back in the early 80s, to step-up and help to raise money and awareness.

"I've been part of the really dark days," Judith told me at the Ribbon of Hope event back in 2007. "How it feels now is it feels mildly better but it's not enough. I know that people are working really hard to make it be different and that's what we have to keep doing ...[HIV/AIDS is) out there and it's not over."

I love what Judith said at another awards show earlier that year about gay people: "You are my teachers, you are my role models. You risk everything to be authentic. Do you know how rare that is in this culture? ...People who are out and who are willing to risk in order to lead."

Love ya Judith!

It may have been pouring rain Friday night, but my friend Eddie and I were not about to miss opening night of the new musical comedy "Minsky's" at the Ahmanson Theatre. We had terrific seats for this show with major musical and comedy talents in the cast.

There are some many top-notch musical numbers in this original musical and I gotta get me the soundtrack as soon as there is one available. Among my faves: "Workin Hot," You Gotta Get Up When You're Down," "Bananas," "Home" and "Nothing Lasts Forever."

Christopher Fitzgerald left his Tony-nominated role of Igor in Broadway's "Young Frankenstein" three weeks early to begin rehearsals for the title role of Billy Minsky and he is wonderful. Great voice, great acting. He plays Minsky, king of burlesque who falls in love with the daughter (Katharine Leonard) of a law-enforcement official (George Wendt) who wants to shut him down.
Leonard (pictured above with Fitzgerald) is ideal in one of the lead female roles with the other most prominent leading lady being Beth Leavel (pictured, right) who is a knockout as Maisie.

I had interviewed Fitzgerald and co-star Beth Leavel several weeks back for a preview piece I did for The Daily News. The Ahmanson is a good luck charm for the actress because she also starred in "The Drowsy Chaperone" there and went on to win a Tony Award for her performance when the show went to Broadway.

"I feel such an ownership of the Ahmanson because of the `Drowsy' history," Leavel told me. "To be back here again with a lot of the same people almost seems too good to be true. But it's not. I'm very glad to be here. It feels completely right. I'm a very lucky girl."

As far as the comedy in the show, "Cheers" alum Wendt does not disappoint - especially when his character is in drag. He is not a beautiful woman but is a very funny one! And then there's a wonderful supporting comedy role played by Rachel Dtratch, the brilliant "Saturday Night Live" alum who can bring the house down just with a look.

Casey Nicholaw is the show's director and choreographer and he also staged "Drowsy." The show was written by "Drowsy" writer Bob Martin, who joined forces with composer Charles Strouse ("Bye Bye Birdie," "Applause," "Annie") and lyricist Susan Birkenhead ("Jelly's Last Jam").

"Minsky's" began previews on Jan. 21 and will play through March 1. Don't miss it!

There were many celebrities on hand for the opening and I bumped into several of them. But it was especially good to see my pal Trevor Daley who last year brought me to the opening of "Avenue Q" in the very same theater. (or maybe it was two years ago?).

Eddie, Trevor and I ducked out for some fresh air during intermission and Trevor mentioned under his breath that I was standing next to Barry Manilow! I had not realized it. Since I had interviewed Barry a few months back on the telephone, I introduced myself.

Barry was just thrilled with how the show was going and was eager to see the second half of it. I hate to rat him out but I was quite surprised to see such a legendary singer SMOKING a cigarette!

Anyway, Barry is taller and slimmer that I thought he'd be but for a man in his mid-60s, he still has a very youthful way about him.

As we began walking back to our seats, there standing in the lobby was the wonderful JoAnne Worley.

I've mentiioned her in a few columns but didn't expect this welcome when I went up to introduce myself: "I loooooooooooooove yooooouuu!" she saild in her famous operatic trill. For Eddie, it was even better than the show and I have to say, as a kid who loved her on "Laugh-In," it was a big thrill for me to get that kind of greeting.

As we left the theater to head to the car, we rode the escalator down with newlyweds George Takei and Brad Altman and I spotted "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry We skipped the post-show reception because friends were waiting for us at The Abbey.

I can't remember when I've enjoyed a night at the theater more. Here is a video with a preview of the show:

.

As the World Turns, Written by Jean Passanante, Leah Laiman, Courtney Simon, Lisa Connor, David A. Levinson, Peter Brash, Richard Culliton, Susan Dansby, Cheryl Davis, Leslie Nipkow; CBS

Gee, two "All My Children" items in a single day!

Out.com reports that the long-running ABC soap will air the wedding of Bianca ( Eden Riegel) and Reese (Tamara Braun) on February 13 and 16. Bianca Montgomery is the daughter of Pine Valley diova Erica Kane played by Emmy winner Susan Lucci.

No other gay soap couple has ever walked down the aisle -- until now. Sheesh, Luke and Noah over on "As the World Turns" aren't even ready to live together as we saw on last Friday's episode of the CBS soap.

Congrats to the happy couple! But we don't know how happy they will stay since Riegel is reportedly leaving the show - again - in the near future, according to Out.com.

Let's face it, Cameron Mathison is one of the most handsome men on television and has enjoyed a decade-plus run on "All My Children" as Ryan Lavery. Cameron was at The Grammys Sunday working for "Good Morning America" and I was glad we had a few minutes to have a little gab about "54," one of his first acting jobs.

The film was released 10 years ago and starred Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayak and Breckin Meyer as three young people working at New York's famed Studio 54. Written and directed by Mark Christopher, it chronicled the rise and fall of the famed NYC hotspot of the 1970s. But the movie released by Miramax was far different than the director's original version - just criminally recut with additional scenes ordered by the studio beefing up a relationship between Phillippe's character and a soap actress played by Neve Campbell.

"I was on the set of '54" when I got the call about [being cast on] "All My Children," Cameron remembered. "It was my first film and like my third acting job ever."

The original director's original and far-superior version was screened last summer at the Fairfax theater to the delight of a sold-out crowd that had come to see a "secret showing" of an unnamed film. I was among those in attendance.

Phillippe's character is bisexual in this version and Meyer's character also seems ready to dabble in some man-on-man action. We also get to see a bit more of Cameron who was only seen briefly in the studio version. And his character is gay! We did not know this from before. But in the director's cut, he's in a relationship with one of the other bartenders and they even share a passionate kiss.

I tell Cameron he's in the recut version a lot more than the one that was in theaters where he is only seen fleetingly.

"Am I? I've gotta check that out!" he said. "The scene in the restaurant where we're throwing around all the drug paraphenalia?"

Yes. And I remind him of the "lip on lip man on man actiion he was involved with.

"Oh yeah! That was my first on-screen kiss!" he said. "Was it with Ryan or was it with somebody else?"

I remind him that he had a boyfriend in the movie. Sounding disappointed that it wasn't Phillippe, Cameron said: "Oh. Did I?"

Cameron was unaware of the secret screening last summer and unaware that another version even existed! He is supportive of the original seeing the light of day: "Absolutely. That's the story that Mark Christopher wanted to tell and it sounds like he did it. Good for him."

What I really like about Cameron - besides his shirtless scenes on the soap, of course - is that he is such a positive person who has worked hard to expand his career opportunities. He was signed last month as a regular contributor to "Good Morning America" which he is juggliing with his role on the soap. Cameron is good at juggling a couple of gigs at a time after flying back-and-forth across the country when he was competing in "Dancing With the Stars" and taping scenes for "Children."

"It's tough to do movies, it;s tough to do other acting gigs but the beauty of working on 'All My Children' is that "Good Morning America" airs before the show even starts taping. It really is a great fit."

"It is stupid but I get why people get fascinated by that stuff. And I gotta tell you, it looked exactly like a thong and people are gonna believe that they believe and I had fun with it. And I still hear about it man (laughs). You'd be surprised. I just laugh. Anything to make fun of myself is all good with me. You can't take anything too seriously."

Here is the a clip of Cameron on "The View" a few months back taking about thong-gate:

Cameron Mathison is a good sport and a real day-brightener whenever you see him on television.

Hello there. There will be many posts coming up shortly that are not Grammy related but I did want to finish my coverage of this crazy event that makes covering the Oscars seem like a walk in the park!

My awards show cohort Sandra Barrera and I have been through many and Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG award show together but I don't think we've ever been as miserable as we were for the 10 hours we were at this one. So when the final interviewees of the night - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - walked into the interview room, we were close to tears - of relief!

The pair won FIVE Grammys including album and record of the year.

"Ten days after we started...I just couldn't believe what we'd done," Plant said of their recording sessions. "It was such a learning curve for both of us."

The duo are currently in the studio doing their second album but Krauss said it's easier this time in one way: "It's a different animal now. It's not figuring out what you're gonna be it's figuring out what you're gonna do."

After they left, there was one final, final interviewee: Academy President Neil Portnow. Nornally this would be a yawner but when he came backstage, we got to ask him about the whole Rihanna and Chris Brown situation and how it impacted the telecast. Rihanna who was to have opened the show.

"It was pretty late in the afternoon and they came individually. we'd just been notified by
management and record lables and so on, Around 2 p.m. or so, we started to be aware that we were going to have that issue to deal with. What we were told is, 'We're sorry. Rihanna is not gonna be able to come tonight it's as simple as that...from there you have to be nimble. This is live television."

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More red carpet adventures...

Our position on the red carpet was past the halfway point so after a lot of the stars did TV interviews with the biggies, they made a beeline inside. This got even worse as it got closer to showtime.

I spotted the handsome Simon Baker of CBS' "The Mentalist: and yelled out to him. He broke stride and looked right at me. Pointed at me, smiled:then indicated he could not do anymore interviews. I looked over about 40 seconds later and he was there talking to Ross Mathews of "The Tonight Show."

Whatever. Still loved you on "The Devil Wears Prada."

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Bobby Valentino, a nominee for Album of the Year for his track on Lil Wayne's album, was very funny in how he absolutely stayed on message during our interview - promoting his own new disc out this week:

"The new album comes out Tuesday, Feburary 10th. "The Rebirth." It's a great album full of great music. It's got 16 songs. Nobody gives 16 songs but I'm doing it. It's out the week of Valenitine's, Valentino - it all coincides."

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The gospel-roick group After Edmond caught my eye on the red carpet because of their wild hairstyles. When they came over, I was shocked to find out they are gospel singers! I told them they looked much too edgy and cool to be in this genre.

"It's not all choirs and robes," said group member Mitch Parks. "But we're not trying to change the image - maybe just the music a little bit."

Matt McFadden added: "It's making it more approachable. This is making it more relevant and less standoffish where normal people don't feel weird about it - know what I mean? There's the old school people who don't understand but we just sit them down and talk to them a little bit and they begin to understand. It's just making Chrisitianity and gospel relevant. It doesn;t have to stay with those old, strict, religious ways. It can change, it can evolve. But the message stays the same."

"We are who we are," he added. "Hair and all."

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Very much enjoyed talking with singer Wayna was Grammy-nominated in the urban-alternative performance category for her remake of the Minnie Ripperton song "Lovin You." Minnie had the most glorious voice and her song was a major hit in the mid-70s. But she died of cancer in her 30s which was such a big loss to the world.

The song appeared on what is the singer's second album "Higher Ground." It was a treat when she, right there on the red carpet, hit the song's high note for me much like Ripperton did all those years ago.

"She was such a huge inspiration to me and really helped me find my voice as a modern soul singer," she says of Ripperton. "I wanted to pay tribute to her and remake the song and give it a new meaning. She originally wrote it about her daughter although most people think it's a [romantic] love song so we changed it and made it about the ups and downs of being an independent artist and it really inspires me. I usually do it as the first song in my set."

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I'm backstage at the Grammys after spending five hours on what has got to be the craziest red carpet I've ever spent time on. I loved seeing Cyndi Lauper, Adam Levine, Natalie Cole, Jennifer Hudson and Barry Manilow walk by because at least I had heard of them! I saw Barry just two nights ago at the opening night for "Minsky's" at the Ahmanson. So if you think about it, Barry and I had similar weekends - Friday "Minsky's" and Sunday Grammys. Nest thing ya know, I'll be doing an act in Vegas and singing "Copacabana."

There were so many others - most others - who I could not tell from Adam. Good thing I was standing next to one of the music writers from "Entertainment Weekly" who was alternately amused/annoyed by my cluelessness.

I love award shows but the Grammys are a real challenge because there are more than 100 categories so figure there's at least five nominees (and figure in all the group members) and it just ends up being HUNDREDS of people vying for awards plus the ones who are there to present or working the red carpet to promote a new album. It is exhausting but also a very interesting experience. It was my first time ever on the Grammy red carpet and I like to do things at least once. If I didn't do it again, that would be okay with me.

The big news, at least for this blog, is that Kathy Griffin did not win the Grammy for best comedy album. She had recorded an album in a shameless campaign to win a Grammy (she named her disc "For Your Consideration") and got as far as the nomination. But she lost to the late George Carlin.

The Associated Press reports that Carlin's daughter, Kelly Carlin-McCall, accepted the award and promised to take better care of it than her dad did after he won his first Grammy in 1972. She said her father dismantled that one while in a "chemical-induced state."

Okay, back to Kathy. I had hoped to get in a word with her but she was just not stopping. she smiled and waved when I called out her name The first time she came by she said, "I'll be back. I'll be here all day." Then the next time, she did some TV interviewers then her assistant said to us poor print/online folks without TV cameras: "She can't talk because she's taping for the show." So look for all of this Grammy experience on "My Life on the D-List." Maybe it's a good thing Kathy lost. I mean, she's won two Emmys and if she had added a Grammy to that, could she really still be considered D-list?

Anyway, here are some of my red carpet encounters and if you read this earlier, this is an updated version with more interviews and added commentary.

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Jennifer Hudson was among the last stars seen in the red carpet but she was hurried through since her award was the first to be presented. She not only won the evening's first Grammy for best R&B album, but she also performed "You Pulled Me Through" on the show - a week after she did sang the heck out of the "Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl.

"I first would like to thank God who has brought me through. I would like to thank my family in heaven and those who are with me today," the Oscar winner said as she accepted her first Grammy.

Several of the winners remarked backstage how brave Hudson is for carrying on the way that she has after her mother, brother and nephew were murdered last fall. She is a trouper!

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Aside from Hudson, the red carpet was crawling with lots of other high-profile late arrivals. Among those being whisked in minutes before showtime were Motown legend Smokey Robinson, Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Katy Perry and a thin but radiant Natalie Cole who had just won her ninth Grammy during the non-televised portion of the awards for the album "Still Unforgettable." It's almost impossible to believe but Natalie's first Grammy came way back in the mid-70s for best new artist and she also snapped a long streak by Aretha Franklin in the female R&B category.

Actor Jack Black stopped for a TV reporter who wanted to know what inspired his look. "I'm trying to bring the hat back," he said playfully. "The sexy hat back." He was joking because it really wasn't a very sexy hat.

John Mayer, who won male rock perforer during the pre-show, wasn't doing any more interviews but was persuaded to stop and say hello to Ross Mathews who does the "Ross the Intern" interviews for "The Tonight Show." Mayer whispered in Mathew's ear and did some suggestive hand gestures then Ross handed his microphone to his crew and pretended to leave and head into the show with Mayer.

I must say, Ross is a bit of a rock star at events like this. EVERYONE stops for him and he is hilarious doing all kinds of schtick.

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Blake Lewis, the "American Idol" runner-up to Jordin Sparks a few seasons back has clearly not been keeping up third-place finisher Melinda Doolittle whose long-awaited new album is just out this month.

"I didn't even know she had one out," Lewis said. "Not all of us stay in touch but certain ones of us do."

His first post-"Idol" album was a flop but he's working on another which he described as: " an electro-pop blend of hip-hop.". I was mad for Blake when he was on "Idol" but he seems different now, not as happy or upbeat.

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If Ricky Skaggs looked unusually relaxed for a Grammy nominee as he made his way down the red carpet, there's a good reason for it: the bluegrass legend already has Grammy trophies at home in his office in Tennessee. So whether or not he won number 14 Sunday. he was going to have a good time: "

"I love the awards but that's not why I do this," he said. "I know it sounds cheesy but I do it because of the gift of the music. It's really a God-given gift and it's what we do with it that matters, it's not the awards we win, it's how we touch people in our lives...We're always in a very thankful; mode that people continue to buy tickets and come out and see us."

UPDATE: Skaggs did win the 14th Grammy.

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Nashville-based Jake Owen - a real dreamboat - looked very hip Hollywood in his houndstooth Amani suit with a skinny purple tie and sparkling tie clip. A nominee for best country collaboration, Owen (pictured above), a dead ringer for actor Luke Wilson, said he was "pretty blown away" to be at his first Grammys.

"It wasn't long ago I was sitting on a bar stool in college playing for my college friends and I had this dream of going off and writing my own songs and having people hear them and listen to my voice. Now,to be here,it's kind of validation that things are going in the right direction.

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It was a blast talking to the duo Mary Mary (Erica Atkins and Tina Atkins) on the red carpet because they had already won a Grammy a little while earlier for best gospel performance so were in a celebratory mood when I caught up with them.

I asked if they minded having to part with the Grammys they just won in order for the recording academy to put their names on the trophies: "We went through the process the first time we won our Grammy so we knew to give it up," Tina said. "But if it had been the first time, they might have needed security to get it from me."

Erica said she tried to control her tears after winning because: "I knew I had to do the red carpet so it was, 'Don't mess up your make-up but I was just overjoyed. You think about the process, you think about the producer and the engineers and the hours in the studio and picking songs and actually winning. It's amazing."

These ladies are an absolute delight! Loved meeting them and talking to them.

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I haven't heard a single not of their music but if you could judge by their charm, I'd say I'm a big fan of The Daylights who were one of the funner interviews on the red carpet. Twin brothers Ran Jackson and Ricky Jackson were at the Grammys for the first time with their bandmate Svend Lerche. Ran looks a bit like Sawyer on ABC's "Lost" while Ricky is a bit of a cleaner-cut version.

"The thing is, a lot of time people actually think that I'm a twin,' Svend explained. "If I go out with one of these guys, they'll be like, 'Are you guys brothers or twins or whatever?' We never escape it at all."

The band has been performing as the opening act for Katy Perry and will perform at the House of Blues on Sunset early next month.

Ricky said they would love to be nominated for a Grammy one day but for now, "we're just making a lot of friends and we have a lot of friends that have been nominated tonight - One Republic, Katy Perry."

"For me, it's just about the music," added Ran. "We really, really want to get our music out. We just want to be a rock band out touring and making records."

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David Banner, a producer on Album of the Year nominee Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" and for a recording by the gospel duo Mary Mary.

"It's been amazing to be an artist and to also be a producer at the same time and to be able to cross equally in both worlds. It's been wonderful. I never planned on being a producer. What ended up happening was I couldn't afford to buy music from other people so I had to learn how to do it myself. I ended up becoming pretty good I guess and it's just been growing."

I was wondering if he was at all nervous being up for several Grammys and was not prepared for his very candid answer: "Coming from my situation - I've slept in my van before - so there's no way that this can be nerve-racking. I'm fine."

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Also at his first Grammys was Colby O'Donis, nominated for best dance track "Just Dance" with Lady GaGa. He looled calm as a cucumber but admitted to nerves:."I like to just sit in the studio and make music all day so this is a different experience for me to see all these celebrities doing the same thing I'm doing."

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Karina Pasian, a nominee for best contemporary R&B album, is still in high school and competing against the likes of Mary J. Blige for the Grammy. Her album, " First Love" is the first for the 17-year-old singer who was enjoying the spotlight at her first Grammys but also staying humble.

"Just to be here and to be nominated is great," she said. "As soon as I found out I was nominated, the first thing I thought about was, 'What am I going to wear on the red carpet? It's just amazing to be here."'

Why does she think "First Love" has been so well received?

"All the songs on my album have a message that are really positive and I stick to R&B and to Soul and to all,of those moments of integrity," she said.

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Miley Cyrus, wearing a dramatic long, black gown, looked more grown up than ever. But even an experienced teen star like TV's Hannah Montana was momentarily frazzled when she found herself suddenly surrounded with microphones and recorders. She asked:: "Who am I talking to?' before focusing on one interviewer.
Miley was less than an hour away from dueting with Taylor Swift and said the two had been friends "for like four years now" and practiced for the show in Nashvile.

She also had attended Clive Davis annual pre-Grammy party in LA Saturday night and was still getting over a powerful performance by Whitney Houston.

"When she was up there I was just like, 'Sing it Whitney!'"

Miley was asked how long it took her to get ready for the Grammys: "An hour," she said. "I'm pretty fast!"

She's just a kid and I'm sure she's swell but the sound of Miley talking just about give me seizures.

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LeAnn Rhimes, who presented during the telecast with Sheryl Crow, was asked by a clueless interviewer from one of the weekly glossies about how her "new" marriage was going. Rhimes, without losing her smile, said: "Married life is good. It's been seven years."

The interviewer giggled and said: "Then you must be thinking about starting a family then?"

LeAnn repiled: "Eventually. It's circulating around in the head."

The inane interview continued: "How do you keep in shape?"

LeAnn: "I run, I lift weights, I do yoga. I'm pretty active."

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Director Jason Reitman may have lost the directing Oscar for "Junoi" last year, but on Sunday, he won a Grammy for the film's soundtrack. Reitman's category was the first to be announced during what was a very long non-televised ceremony But when he walked the red carpet after winning, he was only holding the Grammy envelope with his name printed inside as winner.

Where was his trophy?

"They don't let you keep the Grammy! They give you the envelope, it's a coupon good for one Grammy. I'll get it n three months apparently. They ship it to you"

But you do get a loaner for the backstage photo op: "They give it to you and it has to point to the right as you hold it. We were the first of like 100 categories, we come in and they're like, 'Point your Grammy to the right!'"

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And finally, what was soap stud Cameron Mathison doing at the Grammys besides making my day?

The "All My Children" star and "Dancing With the Stars" alum is now a regular correspondent for "Good Morning America." Don't worry soap fans, Cameron said his GMA duties are so early in the morning, they never interfere with shooting the soap.

"It really is a great fit," he said. "It's something that's perfect for me to have. It's extrermely fulfilling and I love doig n stuff for them because it's way out of my comfort zone so I'm really learning a whole new thing."

I have a interview with Cameron that I'll share within the next few days. We talk about the whole thong controversy as well as the original version of one of his first acting jobs: "54." Watch for it.

21 18 Milk Focus $1,102,000 -25.6% 601 -281 $1,834 $25,255,000 $20 11

...If Cynthia Nixon ever wins an Oscar, she will join a very select group of people who have won all four of the entertainment industry's biggest competitive awards: the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.

Cynthia won the Grammy on Siunday night for best spoken word album for reading "An Inconvenient Truth" with Beau Bridges and Blair Underwood. (Blair played her boyfriend during season six of "Sex and the City.").

The actress, one of our most outspoken gay performers, can put her Grammy next to the Tony Award she won for "Rabbit Hole" or between her two Emmy Awards. she won her first Emmy for supporting actress in a comedy series for "Sex and the City" then the second one last fall for her stunning guest role on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

I'm backstage at the Grammys after spending five hours on what has got to be the craziest red carpet I've ever spent time on. I loved seeing Cyndi Lauper, Adam Levine, Natalie Cole, Jennifer Hudson and Barry Manilow walk by because at least I had heard of them! There were so many others - most others - who I could not tell from Adam. Good thing I was standing next to one of the music writers from "Entertainment Weekly" who was alternately amused/annoyed by my cluelessness.

The big news, at least for this blog, is that Kathy Griffin did not win the Grammy for best comedy album. She had recorded an album in a shameless campaign to win a Grammy and got as far as the nomination. But she lost to the late George Carlin.

I had hoped to get in a word with Kathy who I've chatted up at the Emmys and GLAAD Awards and even at a luncheon once at the Chateau Martmont. But Kathy was not stopping. The first time she came by she said, "I'll be back. I'll be here all day." Then the next time, she did some TV interviewers then her assistant said to us poor print/online folks without TV cameras: "She can't talk because she's taping for the show." So look for all of this Grammy experience on "My Life on the D-List." Maybe it's a good thing Kathy lost. I mean, she's won two Emmys and if she had added a Grammy to that, could she really still be considered D-list?

Anyway, here are some of my red carpet encounters:

**************************************
The red carpet was crawling with lots of high-profile late arrivals. Among those being whisked in minutes before showtime were Jennifer Hudson, Motown legend Smokey Robinson, Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Katy Perry and a thin but radiant Natalie Cole who had just won her ninth Grammy during the non-televised portion of the awards,

Actor Jack Black stopped for a TV reporter who wanted to know what inspired his look.

"I'm trying to being the hat back," he said playfully. "The sexy hat back."

John Mayer, who won male rock perforer during the pre-show, wasn't doing any more interviews but was persuaded to stop and say hello to Ross Mathews who does the "Ross the Intern" interviews for "The Tonight Show." Mayer whispered in Mathew's ear for a long time then the two pretended to leave and head into the show together.

**********************************************
Blake Lewis, the "American Idol" runner-up to Jordin Sparks a few seasons back has clearly not been keeping up third-place finisher Melinda Doolittle whose long-awaited new album is just out this month.

"I didn't even know she had one out," Lewis said. "Not all of us stay in touch but certain ones of us do."

His first post-"Idol" album was a flop but he's working on another which he described as: " an electro-pop blend of hip-hop.".

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

If Ricky Skaggs looked unusually relaxed for a Grammy nominee as he made his way down the red carpet, there's a good reason for it: the bluegrass legend already has Grammy trophies at home in his office in Tennessee. So whether or not he won number 14 Sunday. he was going to have a good time: "

"I love the awards but that's not why I do this," he said. "I know it sounds cheesy but I do it because of the gift of the music. It's really a God-given gift and it's what we do with it that matters, it's not the awards we win, it's how we touch people in our lives...We're always in a very thankful; mode that people continue to buy tickets and come out and see us."

*******************************
Nashville-based Jake Owen - a real dreamboat - looked very hip Hollywood in his houndstooth Amani suit with a skinny purple tie and sparkling tie clip. A nominee for best country collaboration, Owen, a dead ringer for actor Luke Wilson, said he was "pretty blown away" to be at his first Grammys.

"It wasn't long ago I was sitting on a bar stool in college playing for my college friends and I had this dream of going off and writing my own songs and having people hear them and listen to my voice. Now,to be here,it's kind of validation that things are going in the right direction.
\
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Also at his first Grammys was Colby O'Donis, nominated for best dance track "Just Dance" with Lady GaGa. He looled calm as a cucumber but admitted to nerves:."I like to just sit in the studio and make music all day so this is a different experience for me to see all these celebrities doing the same thing I'm doing."

*****************************
Karina Pasian, a nominee for best contemporary R&B album, is still in high school and competing against the likes of Mary J. Blige for the Grammy. Her album, " First Love" is the first for the 17-year-old singer who was enjoying the spotlight at her first Grammys but also staying humble.

"Just to be here and to be nominated is great," she said. "As soon as I found out I was nominated, the first thing I thought about was, 'What am I going to wear on the red carpet? It's just amazing to be here."'

Why does she think "First Love" has been so well received?

"All the songs on my album have a message that are really positive and I stick to R&B and to Soul and to all,of those moments of integrity," she said.

****************************
Miley Cyrus, wearing a dramatic long, black gown, looked more grown up than ever. But even an experienced teen star like TV's Hannah Montana was momentarily frazzled when she found herself suddenly surrounded with microphones and recorders. She asked:: "Who am I talking to?' before focusing on one interviewer.
Miley was less than an hour away from dueting with Taylor Swift and said the two had been friends "for like four years now" and practiced for the show in Nashvile.

She also had attended Clive Davis annual pre-Grammy party in LA Saturday night and was still getting over a powerful performance by Whitney Houston.

"When she was up there I was just like, 'Sing it Whitney!'"

\Miley was asked how long it took her to get ready for the Grammys: "An hour," she said. "I'm pretty fast!"

**************************************
LeAnn Rhimes, who presented during the telecast with Sheryl Crow, was asked on the red carpet how her "new" marriage was going. Rhimes, without losing her smile, said: "Married life is good. It's been seven years."

The interviewer giggled and said: "Then you must be thinking about starting a family then?"

LeAnn repiled: "Eventually. It's circulating around in the head."

The inane interview continued: "How do you keep in shape?"

LeAnn: "I run, I lift weights, I do yoga. I'm pretty active."

******************************************
Director Jason Reitman may have lost the directing Oscar for "Junoi" last year, but on Sunday, he won a Grammy for the film's soundtrack. Reitman's category was the first to be announced during what was a very long non-televised ceremony But when he walked the red carpet after winning, he was only holding the Grammy envelope with his name printed inside as winner.

Where was his trophy?

"They don't let you keep the Grammy! They give you the envelope, it's a coupon good for one Grammy. I'll get it n three months apparently. They ship it to you"

But you do get a loaner for the backstage photo op: "They give it to you and it has to point to the right as you hold it. We were the first of like 100 categories, we come in and they're like, 'Point your Grammy to the right!'"

***********************************
What was soap stud Cameron Mathison doing at the Grammys? The "All My Children" star and "Dancing With the Stars" alum is now a regular correspondent for "Good Morning America." Don't worry soap fans, Cameron said his GMA duties are so early in the mroning, they never interfere with shooting the soap.

"It really is a great fit," he said. "It's something that's perfect for me to have. It's extrermely fulfilling and I love doig n stuff for them because it's way out of my comfort zone so I'm really learning a whole new thing."

updated 2/9/09
How great is this?:

Dustin Lance Black, who I just spoke with a week ago, won the Writers Guild of America prize for best original screenplay for "Milk" making him the front-runner for the Academy Award.

Black's script was the winner over the screenplays for "Burn After Reading," "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," "The Visitor" and "The Wrestler." "Milk" was the only one of the five WGA nominees to also score an Oscar nomination in the original category.

The WGA winner has gone on to also take home the Oscar in the original category in nine of the last 14 years, including last year's win by Diablo Cody for "Juno." The winners are based on voting by the 12,000 WGA members and as is tradition, were announced Saturday night at simultaneous ceremonies at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and the Hudson Theater in New York.

Last year's show in Los Angeles was canceled due to the WGA strike.

The evening on the West Coast was hosted by none other than Neil Patrick Harris (pictured with Black) who has become the go-to emcee for many events. I say snap him up for next year's prime-time Emmys before someone gets the bright idea of hiring Ryan Seacrest for what would be the THIRD straight year.

Anyway, I love the WGA dinner and have covered it many times in year's past. But since I am covering the Grammys all day tomorrow, it was thought best that I take a day off! Plus, I had longstanding plans to babysit my 7-year-old nephew who I learned today is using such phrases as "In my day..." and is now an absolute "Star Wars" junkie who got me to watch "Revenge of the Sith" with this afternoon. We also ate too many marshmallows today.

So, I'll be on the red carpet (I think it's red, maybe it's another color) outside Staples Center tomorrow starting at around noon for Grammy arrivals then backstage later to hear from some of the winners. I don't know how much blogging I'll be able to do from the show - I imagine some - but will have a full report for you by early Monday morning..

I really loved the Grammy Awards back in the day when I knew the songs and who was who. That will be a bit of a challenge later today as I am covering the awards from Staples Center. But I've done my homework and am raring to go.

Here are some moments from Grammy telecasts in years gone by starting with a young Whitney Houston singing "One Moment in Time" (above) and below is Michael Jackson in 1988 in an incredible performance of "Man in the Mirror" - my favorite song iof his ever.

While Whitney and Michael have had their personal and professional ups and downs in the past decade or so, Aretha Franklin just keeps going strong year after year. She provided one of the most amazing Grammy moments in history when, with only about 20 minutes notice, she was asked to cover for her ailing friend, Luciano Pavarotti to perform the legendary aria "Nessun Dorma."

What could have been a disaster turned out to be one of Aretha's finest moments.

Etta James is a legend and looks better these days than she has in forever.

So her petty rant against Beyonce Knolwes for having the nerve to sing Etta's signature song "At Last" to the Obamas at the inauguration is just bizarre.

Etta James has lashed out at Beyonce weeks after Beyonce sang James' classic "At Last" for the Obamas' first dance at the inauguration. At a concert in Seattle last week, she told the crowd: "I tell you that woman he had singing for him, singing my song, she gonna get her ass whupped."

She added: "I can't stand Beyoncé... [she] had no business ... singing my song that I been singing forever." Beyonce played James in the recent film "Cadillac Records" and the two women were photographed together at the film's premiere.

Etta even slammed President Barack Obama. "You know your President, right? You know the one with the big ears? He ain't my President."

On Thursday, Etta was explaining herself to the New York Daily News: "I didn't really mean anything...Even as a little child, I've always had that comedian kind of attitude. ... That's probably what went into it."

Uh, sure.

Etta did acknowledge being miffed she wasn't invited to perform her signature song on inauguration night and was "feeling left out of something that was basically mine, that I had done every time you look around."

By now.you must have heard or heard about Christian Bale's amazing tantrum on the set of "Terminator Salvation" last summer. Audio of the truly scary expletive-laden meltdown is too profane for me to post here. But I can post some of what Bale said this morning on an LA radio show apologizing and explaining his behavior.

Christian, the star of "The Dark Knight," called into KROQ's Kevin & Bean and admitted: "It's been a miserable week for me. I know I have a pottymouth, everybody knows that now. I have no confusion whatsoever. I was out of order beyond belief, I was way out of order. I acted like a punk, I regret that and there is nobody that has heard that tape that has been hit harder by it [than me]. I make no excuses for it, it is inexcusable and I hope that is absolutely clear."

So why call an :LA radio show instead of sitting down with Barbara Walters or going on Leno?

Bale said he selected KROQ because had been listening to the morning show's mockery and incessant playing of his rant all week: "I spoke with you guys a few years back; you seem like good guys and I wanted to talk with you about it...Believe me, this is no punk."

Bale is aware that a remix of his rant has become wildly popular on the radio and online:
"Feel free to make fun of me at my expense;" he said. "I deserve it completely."

Why did he fly off the handle so badly anyway?

"I am embarrassed by it and I regret it. And I ask everybody to sit down and ask themselves, 'Have they ever had a bad day and have they ever lost their temper and really regretted it immensely?' ... I put so much into what I do and care so much about it and sometimes the enthusiasm just goes awry."
While he said things quickly went back to normal on the set after the incident, there has been much speculation that the man who has been an actor since he was a child ("Empire of the Sun," "Newsies") then went on to a string of popular indie or cult fave films ("American Psycho," "Velvet Goldmine," "Metroland") is perhaps having trouble handling the superstardom he has enjoyed since hitting paydirt with "Knight."

"One thing that has really disturbed me throughout this is I'm not familiar or comfortable with this notion of being a movie star," he said. "I'm an actor and I'm don't quite know how to handle [the movie star thing]. The thing that disturbs me so much is that I've heard a lot of people saying that I seem to think I'm better than anybody else. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I'm a lucky SOB. I never forget that and that is why I put so much into what I do and I care so much about it . Sometimes that enthusiasm just goes awry."

So whaddaya think? Do we forgive him?

Advocate.com has landed Wanda Sykes for her first -- and, she says, only -- significant interview about her coming-out. The very funny Wanda, a co-star on CBS' "New Adventures of the Old Christine," is one of those people who you are so glad to find out is gay because she is so cool!

Here are some highlights from the piece:

On gay men living on the down low: "There's such a stigma about being gay that a lot of the men don't want to be labeled as gay, so they live straight lives, and then, behind closed doors, they're fooling around with men, bringing HIV home to their wives...We're literally killing ourselves over this fear of homosexuality."

In her marriage to record producer David Hall. "I actually made the choice to be straight as a kid. Early on I knew [being gay] wasn't gonna fly. No way. And from the teachers and church and all it was, This is wrong! What's wrong with me? And you pray and ask God to take it away, and you bury it and bury it, and you shut that part of yourself off. Then you try to live the life that you're supposed to live."

She and Hall divorced in 1998: My marriage was fine. I think it was just...I don't want to get too much into that." She hesitates, and then continues, "It's just that when you bury a part of yourself, you can take those relationships only so far because you can't be totally open. Once we were divorced there was a defining, liberating moment of, OK, I'm free of this marriage, now what? It's kind of like giving yourself permission. I guess that's when I started actively dating women."

On coming out publicly: "It's not that she's trying to be secretive...I don't shut anyone out, but I'm not overly open." As far as she's concerned, she's been out of the closet for years. "I was out at work, I was out to my family, I was out to my friends. I lived my life as a lesbian. But because I'm a celebrity I have to do this additional step, which is to tell total strangers that I'm a lesbian....I didn't know it would be this liberating."

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.
Okay folks, I've restored all of the lost entries but any comments made I could not save. This has been my biggest technological disaster since launching Out In Hollywood back in June 2006.

Anyway, Mike Bonin shared this Courage Campaign video so I am posting it here. After watching the video, click on to this LINK to sign a letter to the state Supreme Court telling it to invalidate Prop 8, reject Ken Starr's case, and let loving, committed couples marry. DEADLINE: Valentine's Day

Here's what the letter says:

We, the undersigned, share President Barack Obama's view that "for too long, issues of LGBT rights have been exploited by those seeking to divide us. It's time to move beyond polarization and live up to our founding promise of equality by treating all our citizens with dignity and respect."

Yet, on December 19, 2008, Ken Starr and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund filed legal briefs defending the constitutionality of Prop 8 and seeking to nullify the 18,000 same-sex marriages conducted between May and November of 2008.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in this case on March 5, 2009, with a decision expected within the next 90 days. We, the undersigned, ask that the Court invalidate Prop 8 and recognize the marriage rights of these 18,000 couples -- and all loving, committed couples in California -- under our state's constitution.

As Americans who believe in the rule of law and fundamental civil rights, we know that Ken Starr and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund's shameful attempt to nullify these unions will not be vindicated in the eyes of history. We know that, ultimately, love will prevail, no matter how hard they try to fight it.

The full cover story on Olympic Gold Medalist Matthew Mitcham is now posted on Advocate.com. The photos that come along with it are very nice, as you can see. I was hoping for a little bit more in terms of an interview with the only openly gay man to compete in last summer's Olymmpic Games. But this quote at the end of the story was pretty powerful:

"Sports is not an easy thing," he says. "And if negative things come because of your sexuality...it's not something that an athlete [should have] to deal with. My hope for gay athletes is that their sexuality is not an issue, that they don't have to deal with adversity or controversy. I came out because somebody asked me a question and I'm comfortable with who I am."

He seems hesitant about giving himself credit.

"Look," he adds, "one person can only do so much. I was just being who I was. If I can help with gay rights, I'll do it. But I don't think I can change the world."

...the great star, who is in need of a kidney transplant now, turns 59 years old today. Natalie, the winner of eight Grammys, has long been a fave of mine and it all began with her first hit: "This Will Be." That was over 30 years ago!

Natalie has had career ups and downs and personal ups and downs but she has endured and become what we gay men love: a survivor!

I know it's good for the environment and all, but I'm not a big fan of the rain. But if that's all that was happening, I'd be okay.

Last night, I got home from a late dinner at The Farm with an old pal and decided to post a few blog items before turning in.

Big mistake.

Something happened, not sure what, but about 10 of my items from about a day-and-a-half just evaporated and I could not get them back! I realized what was happening and, thankfully, was able to copy the text of the items into my email. But that means I've got to rebuild and repost those items.

That's why some things you saw yesterday and meant to read aren't there today and if you left any comments on those items, those too are gone. I'll be reposting the items this morning along with new items.

I appreciate your patience.
'
PS: Do you think it's too early to start drinking?

After the huge success of the first movie last summer, it was just a matter of time before plans for a second "Sex and the City" feature film were finalized.
Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte will return! Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Catrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis have all signed on for another big screen adventure as has writer-director Michael Patrick King.
In a statement, King says: "I'm very excited to work with these amazing actresses again and would love to give everyone more information about the sequel ... but I'm busy with my `Sex' life."

It's pouring raining outside and I'm going through some notes at home. Found some that I had scribbled on Saturday morning at the DGA Meet the Nominees Panel that I had meant to share earlier. Better late than never!

They are Gus Van Sant (pictured above with Sean Penn in a cool photo spread in the new Vanity Fair pairing directors with their actors) sharing some stories about the making of "Milk." He told the audience and fellow directors Ron Howard, David Fincher, Danny Boyle, and Christopher Nolan that when he sent the script for the film out to actors, it did not include the early love scene eventually played out by Penn and James Franco.

"It was taken out when sent to not scare them off," Van Sant said. Penn got the script and said, "You really need a sex scene up front."

The director said having straight actors in gay roles did not prove to be a problem: "For the kissing and/or sex scenes, the actors bought into it at the beginning so that was the easiest thing."

As far as authenticity, apparently Emile Hirsch who played Milk's friend and advisor Cleve Jones had a leg up: "It was easiest on Emile because the real character he was playing was sort of an on-set advisor."

Van Sant also discussed prosthetic penises that had been made for use in a sex scene but were ultimately was not used for the film. He said of the actors: "They kind of dug them actually. They wanted to do the scenes because they wanted to have these things on."

Van Sant, who had directed Matt Damon in the indie flick "Gerry," had originally cast Damon in the role of Dan White who guns down Harvey Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Mascone. But when production was pushed back, Damon had a scheduling conflict leaving the director "desperately trying to fill that role."

How did he settle on the Oscar-nominated Josh Brolin?

"He was Sean's suggestion actually," the director said.

Sean Penn is the man in Hollywood right now, the front-runner for the Academy Award for his portrayal of Harvey Milk AND now, he's on the cover of Rolling Stone!

Here are a few excerpts via BoyCulture:

On what Harvey Milk might have done had he lived longer:"The only significant speculation I make is if you look at the timing, what an incredibly powerful voice he would have been when the plague hit, which was a year after. You had an entire administration that never said the word 'AIDS.' He would have pushed that issue, and there would be people alive today that aren't. That seems a pretty safe bet."

On his first experience with the concept of homosexuallity:"I never heard the word 'fag' until I was in high school. I might have heard about homosexuals from Life magazine, but I never heard anything derogatory. Politically, it might have been discussed in my home. But it never landed. Did I know gay people? I later came to find out that there were gays in the theater world who were friendly with my family. I remember being at a party as a kid, and Paul Lynde telling my mohter how sexy my father was, and thinking, 'What's that about?'"

I don't even know who Jonathan Knight is quite frankly.but now more people will since The National Enquirer has outed him with these pics and a story. Apparently an ex-lover sold him out.

Some due named Kyle Wilker sold his story and a couple of pictures to The National Enquirer and tells the rag: "We had a wonderful relationship. I was in love with him and I believe he was in love with me."

Gee, really classy guy. I can't imagine why they broke up. Anyway, if Knight needs a career boost, here it is!

In my review of this movie yesterday, I remarked that the gay portrayals were stereotypes and that Wilson Cruz deserved better than the brief role he had as one of Drew Barrymore's gay friends at work.
Well, Queerty.com, a far edgier blog than mine I must say, really takes the filmmakers to task in a post I've just read. Here is an excerpt:

In a movie all about love and dating, with a full nine leads trying to navigate the rocky shoals of relationships, there's not a hint of a gay relationship anywhere on the screen. Though discouraging, that isn't necessarily a mortal sin. What is a problem, however, is how the few gay characters that are on screen are forced to behave: in the flameyest, lispingest, "fiercest" stereotypes imaginable. If black actors were forced to endure Stepin Fetchit, then this minstrel show of homosexuality can only be construed as Mincin' Jazz Hands.

The main offenders are Drew Barrymore's trio of co-workers at the Baltimore Blade- a made-up gay newspaper that Barrymore's character works at for- oh, just go with it. Like any economically-minded movie, these secondary characters double as twofers, with a Latino Gay (Wilson Cruz) , an Asian Gay (Leonardo Nam) and a Pasty White Gay (Rod Keller). Remember, the filmmakers already ticked the black box by casting the waiter.

These sibilant-free sissies all curl around Drew to hear her latest dating woes, greeting each sad revelation with a different gay cliché rejoinder: "Oh, girl!" "Heyyyy!" and "Oooohhhh!"- all while they suck their teeth, too. And that's it for these three. They don't even talk about their own relationships, even as they might relate to dear 'ol Drew. Nope, they just sit shiva around the sad sack, serving as a sassy sounding board.

Ouch!!! Queerty does chat with Wilson Cruz about it and the talented actor had this to say:

"I didn't swish, my wrists were intact and I think I spoke without a lisp," he tells Queerty, adding, "I wasn't playing a stereotype. I'd love to know what I did that was stereotypical." Asked if there was pressure to "gay it up" for the camera, Cruz says, "No there wasn't. The actors came in and did what they wanted."

"I don't think it's really fair to say that every gay character in every film or movie is supposed to be the defining depiction of who we are as a community. No character can do that. I think that I played him [Nathan] as honestly as I could. I reacted in the film as I would in life, and I don't think I'm a stereotype. We aren't all Tom of Finland. And if we are honest with ourselves, none of us are. ... Sometimes people look at a character these days and say, 'Well he was effeminate. And that's stereotypical.' Well, guess what, some people in our community are effeminate. And I don't necessarily think that's the end of the world. Not all of my characters are effeminate."

No matter what happens in the competitive original screenplay category at Saturday night's Writers Guild of America dinner, Dustin Lance Black will go home a winner.

The Oscar-nominated screenwriter of "Milk" has been chosen to receive the WGA West's 2009 Paul Selvin Award. It recognizes written work that embodies the spirit of constitutional rights and civil liberties (Selvin was WGA counsel for 25 years). Previous recipients include Gary Ross, Cynthia Whitcomb, David E. Kelley and Eric Roth.

Black compiled his "Milk" screenplay from a tremendous amount of first-hand research, and the timing of the film's release in late 2008 coincided with California's passage of the anti-gay marriage Proposition 8 and subsequent gay-rights protests.

"At a time when history seems to be made daily, Lance Black's script reminds us that all it takes is a single spark to light the fuse of an entire movement," WGAW president Patric Verrone said in a statement.

Black will also take part in the Writers Guild Foundation's annual Beyond Words panel discussion on Friday along with peers nominated for WGA and Academy screenplay awards.

The Judd Apatow-moderated discussion at the Writers Guild Theater in Los Angeles will also include Roth ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Tom McCarthy ("The Visitor") and Jonathan Nolan ("The Dark Knight").

Congratulatiions to Lance!

Wow!

Jude Law is a beautiful man but who knew he'd make such a beautiful woman? For his role in the upcoming film "Rage," Jude plays a transvestite supermodel called Minx. The film is a murder-mystery set in the fashion houses of New York and is scheduled for release later this year. It also stars Dame Judi Dench and Lily Cole.

When you have an ensemble cast with big names like Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Connelly, you hardly expect the best thing about "He's Just Not That Into You" to be the lesser-known Justin Long and Ginnifer Goodwin.

But this pair are so sweet, so fresh and so funny together and in really all of their scenes. I loved Ginnifer in "Mona Lisa Smile" and have enjoyed her work in "Big Love" but have never seen here so absolutley luminous even as she is playing a character who for most of the movie at least, is quite pathetic when it comes to men.

She plays Connelly's sister and both work with Aniston at an ad agengy and they work off each other well. Connelly is married to a man with a wandering eye played by a never-more-sexy Bradley Cooper and she has many funny moments as a control freak very out of touch with her emotions.

Aniston and Affleck are a couple together seven years. He won't marry her. There's a break-up and I won't tell you how it goes but it's a nothing role for Aniston who has done everything here many times before. But Affleck has his moments and does manage to make the most out of his few scenes. I'll confess, he is the only character who managed to make me cry - briefly!

So this is all about the screwed up relationships between men and women and all the misread signs etc. You wonder, what is in it for the gay audience besides ogling at Cooper - especially in a bed scene with Johansson? And Affleck is not unpleasant to gaze at. But we find out pretty early on when the real estate guy (Kevin Connolly) pining after Johansson has an open house in a gay neighborhood and two gay (one of them is played Bill Brochtrup who seemed sexier than I remember) explain the shorthand between two guys in determining whether or not he's into you. If the stare lasts three seconds or more,

Then there's Barrymore's character who works as the ad salesperson for a gay newspaper who is unlucky in love (her role is not much but the scene where she complains about all the new technologies is a keeper) and who has a gaggle of gay guys in the office (one of them is played by the deserves-better-than-this Wilson Cruz) who gab with her about her bad dates and near-misses etc.

So really, the gay characters are mostly background and I felt insulted by some of it, frankly. Some sterotype stuff was annoying but then on the other hand, I know plenty people - especially in West Hollywood - who dress and behave similarly.

But I left the theater mostly satisfied because of Goodwin and Long. Justin Long. Where has he been all my life? I know he has been in many movies and commercials but I just fell in LOVE with him here.

I'm just really that into him.

The movie opens wide Friday.

Hey, I'm a day late on this but want to get it on the record in case you haven't read it anywhere else. Our sister paper, The San Jose Mercury reports the following:
The Califonira Supreme Court the high has set three hours of arguments for its calendar in San Francisco which would set the stage for the justices to consider a series of legal challenges to voter-approved Proposition 8 which makes it illegal for same-sex coupes in the state to get married.

Civil rights groups and a number of cities and counties sued after the November election arguing that the ballot initiative is invalid and should be struck down..

Attorney General Jerry Brown is not defending the law, arguing that Proposition 8 should be struck down because it erased an existing constitutional right.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case last year, and will decide not only the legality of Proposition 8, but also the fate of thousands of same-sex couples who married before voters approved the measure. The justices have 90 days from the March 5 hearing to decide the case."

Ladies' Home Journal sat down with Ellen DeGeneres on the night after Barack Obama was sworn in as President and Proposition 8 passed in California, overturning the legality of gay marriage and calling into question her own marriage to actress Portia de Rossi.

Ellen opened up about her marriage, her farm future, her CoverGirl life and more in the March issue, on newsstands February 10.

Excerpts from the cover feature:

When did she feel most beautiful? "The day I got married." Ellen's eyes got red and watery and she runs off. When she returns, she says: "You're worse than Barbara Walters!...It's just very emotional. You find the person you love, you think you've come this far...and anyway, I never thought I'd have a wedding, and I did, and it meant more than I imagined."

About their biggest domestic squabble: Says de Rossi, "I do leave half-finished beverages everywhere. I usually have three cups of tea going at once. I'm Australian. That's just what we do. And anyway, I was going to thank her in our vows, for picking up all the glasses - and say that she'd have to do that for the rest of her life. She took that on. But she's very good about it."

About her off-camera future: "I don't need to be on camera. I'm not a workaholic. I love to spend time with my wife, my family, my animals...We're looking for the right place to have a farm. Someplace like Massachusetts or Nantucket, with seasons. We could get an 1800s farmhouse with land and rescue animals. Then I'm done."

Her thoughts on beauty: "To me it's sad to be defined by beauty, because it's something that goes away and changes. If you're trying to chase that forever, you're in trouble." At the same time, DeGeneres adds, "as I've aged and matured, I just feel better about myself, more confident and more comfortable in my own skin. As that's happened, I think I look better than I've ever looked, because that's just what happens when you feel better about yourself."

...Dustin Lance Black!
The "Milk" scribe, up for an Academy Award for best original screenplay, was photographed by the film's director, Gus Van Sant, for Vogue Hommes International. Here are two of the shots. For more, go to OhLaLaMag.com. Alos, here is a LINK to my recent interview with Mr. Black.

...I would put Ryan Reynolds on the cover each and every time!!!

Bette Midler and Cher will have to carry one without their third diva at The Colosseum theater at Caesars Palace.

Elton John, who began doing his "The Red Piano." show there during Celine Dion's weeks off, closes the show on April 22. That will be his 241st performance at the venue.

"The Red Piano" debuted in February 2004.

It seems to me that ever since Luke and Noah consumated their relationship last month, they've barely even had a scene together on "As the World Turns."

Anyway, Advocate.com has a new, exclusive interview with Van Hansis (Luke) and Jake Silbermann (Noah) and here are a few choice bits:

Advocate.com: Now that it's finally aired, how do you think Nuke's first sex scene played out?
Hansis: I think it was a natural progression for the characters at this point to sleep together. I think it's a good thing that they did. The time was right. It is important to show that they take it seriously. I am glad the fans are so happy because that is the most important thing.
Silbermann: I really liked the way the show handled it by not really having it with bells and whistles and fanfare...
Hansis: Also, it was exciting for the fans not to have any "spoilers" on it, because I know there was a big fan group waiting for this moment. In this day and age, to keep that a secret is pretty cool. I think the fans enjoyed being surprised and shocked."

Here's what I wanna know: what about Laurence Lau who played Brian and really made the show interesting for awhile?

Hansis: I think Larry is a fantastic actor! Every day he would go in and find his character's truth and make it as real as possible. I think his work in this story line was phenomenal!

Jake on when he found out Van would be his love interest on the show: "The first time I met Van was at the GLAAD awards a few years ago. I had just gotten the part a week prior, and now I am walking down the red carpet. It was lucky we had these "out of studio" chances to get to know each other, like the GLAAD awards, where I was such a deer in headlights. I was dazed with all the paparazzi. I grabbed onto Van's coattails!

Van's thoughts on working with Jake: "It's an honor to have someone I trust fully and completely. In a scene with Jake, I know that anything I do won't be judged, and I feel a freedom with him. I think Jake made an amazing point. If you are working with someone you don't like, or do not feel a connection to outside of work, just as friends, it makes it a lot harder. Going to work is then a blast, because I know I am going to be there with one of my best friends having a good time."

So sweet.

It's a sign of the times, sadly.

My pal Karen Ocamb has sent a note saying that last night, her publishers told the staffs of IN Los Angeles magazine and Frontiers magazines that their content is being merged into one magazine which will be called Frontiers-IN Los Angeles magazine.

What a mouthful!

Karen, who is news editor of both magazines, shares co-publisher David Stern's letter to the community and here are some excerpts:

It is with an optimistic heart that I would like to take a moment to expand on President Obama's constant theme of change. I, however, am talking about the ever-changing face of media and the way we receive information in today's increasingly changing world.

As many of you know IN Publications purchased Frontiers Publishing nearly two years ago. It was no easy feat for two publications--that were always construed as rivals--to blend harmoniously beneath one single roof. The creative energy generated by such a synergy always amazes me.

Besides being one of my proudest accomplishments, the successful blending of two LGBT media companies also allowed Mark Hundahl--my co-publisher and friend--and I to examine how we, Southern California's leading purveyor of LGBT news, special reports, columns and features, leap forward into a new era of technologies.

Among them is a brand new website to be launched soon combining the best licensed
content from both IN Los Angeles magazine and Frontiers magazine, into a completely overhauled website, offering the latest news, blogs from your favorite columnists, video clips, music videos, and more.

The current issue of IN Los Angeles magazine, which marks 11 full years of publication, will be the last in its present incarnation.

Stern writes:
I will not be so bold as to think that anybody reading this doesn't also know that the current and temporary state of the economy was a factor helping us make this decision. Of course it was, but as you can tell by everything you've read above, it was certainly not the main factor.

Actors Kevin Connelly, Justin Long and Bradley Cooper have done a promotional video re-inacting various chick flick cliche scenes which they promise will not be in their new movie "He's Just Not That Into You."

I'm supposed to a screening of it tonight so I'll let ya know if these cliches were indeed avoided.

One of my BFF's who is in town for a few weeks seemed a little dubious when I told him I was taking him to see Florence Henderson perform live in Hollywood on Friday night at the Catalina Bar & Grill.

I'd interviewed her for a preview piece and been invited and dammit, he was going with me. And boy, were we glad we did. It was a pretty magical night.

Even before Florence walked out to do her first number, you looked around the room and there were famous faces left and right. I almost fell out of my chair when I realized that sitting about five feet away from me was the great Mitzi Gaynor, star of the feature film version of "South Pacific" and other musicals and all those great TV specials from the 60s and 70s.

What a talent.

Mitzi and I had done a phone interview last fall but this was our first face-to-face meeting. She greeted me with a hug and kiss and we interacted throughout the night. At one point during the show, Miss Gaynor reached across the aisle and grabbed my hand after one particularly stunning number. We chatted after the show too and all I have to say is she lived up to everything I ever thought she'd be - and more. And she looks GREAT!

Two tables away was the still so handsome Robert Wagner who, when Florence saw him in the audience during the show, swooned. He's pushing 80 years old and is just so elegant and so loyal to his showbiz friends. Anyone who has read his terrific book - published last year - knows how much R.J. Wagner values friendship.

And then there was Donna Mills, still gorgeous as ever, who met Florence when they did a TV movie a few years ago and they have remained pals. I was introduced to Donna after the show and we gabbed about "Knots Landing," the show on which she played the scheming Abby Ewing for nine of the show's 14 seasons. She was kind of like the female JR Ewing. I said: "I even remember your full name: Abby Ewing Sumner." She corrected me: "Abby Cunningham Ewing Sumner and... I always forget the last husband's name!"

So we both flunked!

Bruce Vilanch, looking slimmer than he has in ages, was sitting front and center and why not? He wrote Florence's opening number and if you read the blog yesterday, you know that he also write the "Brady Bunch Variety Hour" in the mid-70s.

Okay, on to the show: Miss Henderson, the Broadway star-turned "Today Show" girl-turned television mom-turned commercial pitchwoman (Wesson Oil) and talk show host ("Country Kitchen," "Later Today," "The Florence Henderson Show), has had a very full life as a working woman and mother of four. She took us down memory lane in the nicely-paced and very entertaining "All the Lives of Me" which continues its three night run at the Catalina tonight and ends Sunday.

"I'm here to tell you Hollywood, I'm very much alive," she says during the opening number. "I'm not talking about Shirley MacLaine kind of lives...At my age (she turns 75 next months!) who needs anymore BS?"

EARLY LIFE AND CAREER

Florence sings such songs as "I am Your Child," "You are My Sunshine" and "My Old Kentucky Home" and tells the crowd about how her mother was a Mama Rose type stage mother and made her sing for people - then pass the hat around. So Henderson left the stage, still singing, and passed around a hat. It was quickly filled with cash. It was a great gag made all the sweeter when she told us the money - along with a check from her - would be donated to Project Angel Food when the weekend is over.

Florence let the audience know that at her age (she turns 75 on Feb. 14!) that she is the youngest of 10 children and that her father was already 70 when she was born ("and that was before viagra!").
Still in her teens, she was sponsored into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (I assume it's the "Fame" school) and caught a big break just a year in when she auditioned for Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein and they cast her in the lead role in the national tour of "Oklahoma" and a screen test for the movie version.

Here's what happened: "As you know, I did not get the in the movie...the little bitch Shirley Jones did..."

Ha! I say we do a Celebrity Death Match: Mrs. Brady vs. Mrs. Partridge!

THE BRADY YEARS
Florence has had such a long and full career, she has never resented the success of "The Brady Bunch" even though more people would watch a single episode than any of her Broadway shows which included "Fanny" and "The Girl Who Game Together."

"The little series has never been off the air, you can't kill it with a stick!" she said of the 1969-74 sitcom which was revived as a variety show in 1976 then again as a spinoff sitcom ("The Brady Brides") in 1981 then as a highly-rated TV movie in 1989 followed by a one-hour drama series "The Bradys." There have also been cast reunioon shows ("Growing Up Brady"), books and a few highly successful feature films and stage shows with other actors in the Brady roles.

Florence launched into the singing of the show's theme song and asked the audience to join in: "Here's the story..."
During a Q&A portion of the show, a naughty audience member asked Florence: "Did Sam the butcher only deliver meat to Alice (the housekeeper played by Ann B. Davis) or did Mrs. Brady get some too?"

On a more serious note, Florence talked about her co-star and close friend, the late Robert Reed who played the dad to her mom: "We all knew Bob was gay from the very beginning and it just didn't matter to any of us. ...I always had so much compassion for Bob. He was gay and here he was the father of America...it broke our hearts when he died. He died much too young."

She dedicates the song "One" from "A Chorus Line" to Reed in the show.
I loved what Florence said toward the end of the show about her age: "I don't ever talk about age. I never do because I think it's dangerous. I always say, 'If you didn't know how old you were, how old would you be?" I'm going to be 75 and you know what? I am very excited about the future."

She outa be. What a great lady and terrific performer. We greeted her after she show and it was hugs and kisses and a great energy around Florence and all the people who love her.

I've seen "Milk" screenwriter Dustin Lance Black two out of the last three days. Yesterday at the Oscar nominees luncheon, he was wearing sneakers with his suit and looked adorable as he sat at a table that included fellow nominee Marisa Tomei. On Satuday night, we gabbed at the Directors Guild of America Awards where he showed up to support nominated "Milk" director Gus Van Sant and was seated with Gus, Sean Penn and Josh Brolin.

Here is our conversation from DGA night:

Q. I'm so excited for you because when we talked at the Hollywood Film Festival Awards, I didn't know who you were and now everyone knows who you are.
A. I remember you from that. That was my first red carpet!
Q. Well, you did great. So how has it been since then with an Oscar nomination and a Writers Guild nomination. Are you changing?
A. Am I changing?
Q. Yeah, are you going Hollywood as they say?
A. Well the one thing that is different now is that different designers are lending me their clothes so if you notice, I'm a little better dressed than I was at the hollywood awards. That's certainly changed. (The photo on the left is Lance at the Hollywood Awards, pre-designer days.)
Q. Are you enjoying it?
A. Yeah, I am enjoying it. It's unreal. This whole thing is unreal. It's a dream come true for me. It's also a dream come true for us, for the filmmaking team. We all wondered if America would embrace the film? Would our colleagues embrace a film with this kind of subject matter? These are out, gay activists people demanding their civil rights. When I was at the Hollywood Awards, I didn't know yet so it's amazing to see that the film has been embraced, that it has done well. It's been received critically and by the public and that message is getting out there.
Q. What I didn't know when we first talked was what you did to put the script together. We had wanted a film about Harvey Milk for years and you are getting a lot of credit for putting it together. What was it that you knew that the other people didn't know?
A. I have no idea (laughs). I just know that when I started doing it almost five years ago, I didn't know that there were any other projects even alive anymore. I knew there had been and it was awful because Harvey Milk was a huge hero to me and I really feel like he saved me in many ways. To ask my friends, 'Do you know who Harvey is?' and they would say no. These were gay people and activist people. I thought we can't lose this man, this man's legacy and the lessons he taught us are so important to defeating the fights today. We can't lose it. So I think it was just persistence. It's not like this happened overnight. It's like a half-decade's work.

It seems that now that Rosie O'Donnell has given up blogging and was a flop at doing a variety show, she is shifting into actress mode.

Make nl mistake, Rosie is a darn good actress. Her scene in "Beautiful Girls" is a classic and her Betty Rubble giggle in the "Flintstones" movie was better than the original. And she was great in "Sleepless In Seattle," "A League of Their Own" and TV's "Nip/Tuck."

Her latest role is in a TV movie close to her heart. In the Lifetime movie "America," Rosie plays a therapist who helps a 17-year-old boy, who has grown up in the U.S. foster care system and has attempted suicide, deal with his troubled past.

The movie, based on E.R. Frank's book of the same name, premieres on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 9 p.m. on Lifetime. Also in the movie is the great Ruby Dee as an elderly nanny to one of his foster families.

The two-time Tony winner and star of "The Birdcage" opposite Robin Williams, turns 53 years young today.

I just saw this little tidbit on Wikipedia about Nathan Lane that is amusing: When he was 21 and told his mother he was gay, her reply was: "I'd rather you were dead." Lane shot back: "I knew you'd understand." Lane, who came out publicly after the death of Matthew Shepard, once jokingly explained, "I was born in 1956. I'm one of those old-fashioned homosexuals, not one of the newfangled ones who are born joining parades."[

At yesterday's Oscar Nominees Luncheon, a short film of good speeches from the past was shown to encourage this year's winners to say something meaningful and not just read off some stupid list, I think they should have just shown this speech by Hattie McDaniel who won for best supporting actress for the 1939 classic "Gone With the Wind."

Total class act, totally heartfelt.

During a jam-packed awards season, the Oscar Nominees Luncheon has come to be one of my very favorite events. It's a chance to be a real fly on the wall and mingle a little bit with all of the nominees who are giddy and happy to see each other.

My first year, I sat right next to Jennifer Hudson and last year, right next to George Clooney. The press members invited inside are seated at random tables around the room. This year, I didn't sit directly next to one of the acting nominees but I was seated at Table 1 which allowed for a terrific ringside seat as the nominees took the group photo and accepted their nomination certificates.

At my table were "Milk" producer Bruce Cohen, supporting actor nominee Michael Shannon ("Revolutionary Road"), former Academy President Robert Rehme and his lovely wife Kay Rehme. Documentary nominee and former Oscar winner Steven Okazaki was two seats away and to my right was his wife, New York Times Magazine writer Peggy Orenstein.

At the table next to us was Sean Penn who was seated about two feet away from Ron Howard and former Academy President Arthur Hiller. Seated at tables overlooking ours were Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. and the table directly in back of me had a group that included nominee Taraji P. Hensen and Harvey Weinstein.

Before the event started, I gabbed with my pal Sandy Cohen of the Associated Press and we snapped a few goofy pictures before we had to settle down and start observing things. You're not supposed to be obvious about taking notes and just blend in.
I've written a story that appears on DailyNews.com that I've included below. But first, here are a few more little tidbits from the lunch: I walked past directing nominee David Fincher ("Curious Case of Benjamin Button") and said, "Congratulations." Fincher (pictured with Taraji Hensen, left) looked at my name tag and said: "Congratulations to you too Greg!" Perhaps he thought I was a nominee - maybe for sound mixing.

We dined well at the lunch with an appetizer platter that included California Roll, Ahi Tuna on Criisp Wonton, Cherry Tomatoes filled with Eggplant Hummus, Indochina Spiced Beef with Avocado Mousse, and Hickory Smoked Chicken with Mango Salsa Canape.

Yum.

There was a good salad with goat cheese and toasted walnuts etc but the real treat was the main course: Sauteed Mediterranean Herb-Crusted Beef Tenderloin.

Delish!

I took a few bites of the dessert which was Sorbets in a Chocolate Cup and dashed out of the hotel because unlike most of the guests who could sit around and drink wine and champaigne, I had to get back and write about it all!

Here's the story I wrote which isn't as chatty as my usual blog entries but still filled with good tidbits from this most wonderful of occasions:

In contrast to the day of the Academy Awards, there didn't seem to be any nerves at Monday's annual Oscar nominees luncheon which drew the likes of Sean Penn, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway and Penelope Cruz.

With the only official business on the agenda being taking a large group picture on risers and being presented with a nomination certificate, nominees spent the afternoon catching up and toasting each other.
Before lunch was served, directors Ron Howard ("Frost/Nixon") and Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire") stood at the entrance of the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel locked into conversation.

Howard congratulated Boyle on winning the Director's Guild of America prize a few nights earlier and said: "It's so deserved I have to say. (The movie) is so fresh and so original."
They then had a lengthy discussion about specific shots in their respective fields and you realize, these people probably don't see each other very often.
Just a few feet away, supporting actor nominee Josh Brolin ("Milk") was greeting best actor nominee Frank Langella just as Sean Penn and his "Milk" director Gus Van Sant entered the room.

The designer gowns and tuxedos are left hanging in the closet for this event where business attire is recommended. But some of the female nominees were still especially dazzling including all of the supporting actress nominees: Cruz, Viola Davis, Amy Adams, Marisa Tomei and Taraji P. Hensen.

Penn and Langella were joined at the event by fellow best actor nominees Mickey Rourke and Richard Jenkins while Hathaway, Melissa Leo and Kate Winslet represented the best actress category.

Notably absent were nominees Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who are out of the country and East Coast resident Meryl Streep who is competing for an Oscar for a record 15th time.
Academy President Sid Ganis showed the crowd a film highlighting some of the more graceful acceptance speeches over the years. It was his way of encouraging those who win to say something meaningful in what admittedly is a ridiculously short period of time.

"Be brief, be personal and, of course, be heartfelt," he said. "You have a total of 45 seconds."

"...It is truly your moment but please remember that millions of strangers are watching and pulling out a list of names is never a good idea," he added.

Ganis noted that at the luncheon, all nominees are treated equal with acting and directing nominees spread out and seated with documentarians, composers, editors and other less marquee nominees.

"This is it, this is the day you are inducted into a very select class," Ganis told the group. "Here in this room, all of the nominees are equal."
During the animated group photo session, Rourke was the only one of the of the 112 nominees present to be wearing sunglasses. Downey Jr., up for supporting actor for "Tropic Thunder," was the only person to turn to make his way to the front then turn to the group and take a big bow.

They laughed and applauded wildly.

Summed up Ganis: "It's the only event of the season where everybody wins."

Good grief. What is WRONG with these TV stations. I just got this email from GLAAD and want to share this shameful situation with you:

Los Angeles NBC affiliate KNBC refused to air a paid ad produced by GetToKnowUsFirst.org featuring a gay family and supporting marriage equality during Super Bowl programming. KNBC stated that it had shown the ad to the legal department of the National Football League (NFL), which rejected it for being "advocacy," a category they claim to exclude.
Despite this policy, other advocacy ads aired multiple times throughout the day's NFL-controlled programming. Among the advocacy ads which did air were PSAs for TobaccoFreeCA.org and DontBeAnAsterisk.org, an anti-steroids advocacy campaign.

The rejected thirty-second public service announcement (PSA) features two married African American men raising five children ages 6 to 25.

"We bought ads before, during and after the Super Bowl in ten markets across California," said John Ireland, GetToKnowUsFirst.org's Project Organizer. "We planned this buy weeks in advance and heard late Friday that the NFL rejected our ads because they violate the NFL's 'no advocacy' policy. I was truly stunned while watching the programming, to see that they had selectively blocked our ads, while allowing other advocacy ads to air."

Keith Fisher, CEO of New and Improved Media, the ad agency for GetToKnowUsFirst.org, explained the chain of events. He said, "Late Friday afternoon, KNBC told us they had shown it to the NFL Legal Department and that it was rejected because it was 'advocacy.' Clearly, the other ads they ran meet anyone's definition of advocacy."

GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano had this to say: "We are disappointed that this ad couldn't reach an audience with images of our families during one of the most watched programming events of the year. GLAAD is calling on KNBC to meet with GLAAD and GetToKnowUsFirst.org to discuss why this message would be rejected and to remedy this situation."

KABC-TV previously refused to air the same ad during coverage of the Presidential inauguration, however, the station agreed to begin airing it in primetime after meeting with GetToKnowUsFirst.org and GLAAD.

What do you have to say for yourself KNBC?

I just got back from the Academy Award Nominees luncheon at at my table was "Milk" producer Bruce Cohen who I also saw at the Directors Guild of America Awards Saturday night. I'll post our conversation in a bit. Since I hadn't had the chance to check the weekend grosses, I asked Bruce how "Milk" had fared in its widest release to date.

The film expanded to 882 locations after adding 633 theaters on Friday. Business increased by 65 percent from the weekend before with a three-day gross of $1.5 million. The film, up for eight Oscars including best picture, has now grossed a respectable $23.5 million which is more than it cost to make.

Holy cow! I'm gonna be late to the Oscar nominees luncheon because I'm posting pictures of a guy wearing a speedo on my blog!

Well, this isn't just any guy. This is Olympic Gold Medal winning diver Matthew Mitcham - an Olympian who competed as an openly gay athlete and was the only male competitor in ANY sport to do so,

He gives an terrific interview to The Advocate and there is a photo spread and video that are must-sees. It's so nice when our heroes also happen to be rather hot.

An excerpt:
Australia GQ...named him its Sportsman of the Year. "I think the last thing I said onstage there was, 'Oh, my God, I'm a homo and I just won the sports award!'" he laughs. "People just pissed themselves and thought it was hilarious."

So what exactly does Mitcham do for an encore? "I don't want to be just a one-minute wonder," he says. "I do want to continue being the best, so that when [people] think back, there will be no doubt in their minds that Matthew Mitcham was the best diver of his time. I don't want people to think that winning the gold medal in Beijing was just me being lucky, you know?"

You go boy!!!

She's a real Broadway baby and she turns 84 years old today.

There are probably those who only know Elaine Stritch from her Emmy-winning role as Alec Baldwin's mother on "30 Rock." If so, that's a darn shame because she is one of the most dynamic performers to ever hit the Broadway stage. She won the Tony for her one-woman show "Live at Liberty" and let's face it, no one can sing "Ladies Who Lunch" from "Company" the way Miss Stritch can.

Enjoy this video:

I know it's silly, but I half expected some of these guys at this year's Australian Open to start making out after their matches!

It is always fun to console the losing opponent and I'm glad to see top guys like Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal are not afraid to show each other a little love.

You never saw John McEnroe trying to cheer Jimmy Connors up back in the day!

...It was sensational.

Our hearts still break for this young star whose mother, brother and nephew were murdered, allegedly by her brother-in-law. Jennifer is showing us, and herself I'm sure, that she will carry on.

Danny Boyle won the prestigious Directors Guild of America prize last night at the Century Plaza Hotel for "Slumdog Millionaire" beating Gus Van Sant ("Milk"), David Fincher ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight"), and Ron Howard "Frost/Nixon."

This means Boyle will almost certainly win the directing Oscar and his film is a strong front-runner for best picture. But the wonderful thing about the DGA Awards is all five nominees are celebrated and presented with a medallion - usually from one of the stars of their movie -before the winner is announced in the final moments. That made for a star-studded affair last night with Hollywood A-listers everywhere you looked: Oscar nominees Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Frank Langella, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo, Richard Jenkins, Michael Shannon, Amy Adams, Saraji P.Hensen, Marisa Tomei and Brad Pitt (from Asia) who all presented.

Also presenting were Christian Bale, Jodie Foster, Michael Sheen, Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Michelle Monaghan, Rachel Griffiths, Lisa Edelstein and Blair Underwood.

I invited my pal Lorna Harris to the event. She and her husband Danny Sullivan are two of my best friends from way, way back. When Lorna was getting ready to leave home, she told her 9-year-old son that she was "going out with Greg." He looked at her and all matter-of-factl asked: "Are you and Daddy getting a divorce?"

Ha!

So Lorna, who for the record has been happily married for nearly 17 years, shows up at my place looking sensational. She later confessed that she had worn the same outfit a few weeks ago at an inaugural ball in DC.

Anyway, we headed over to the Century Plaza Hotel for what was to be my ninth consecutive DGA dinner. As is my tradition, I had the last spot on the red carpet which enables my guest to stand with me as I do interviews. This year I nabbed "Milk" writer Dustin Lance Black and the film's producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen as well as Paris Barclay, the out director nominated for two awards for episodes of "Weeds" and "In Treatment." Also chatted up Melissa Leo, nominated for an Oscar for "Frozen River" as well as the film's director and writer Courtney Hunt.

Once traffic on the red carpet began to dwindle, we headed into the dinner and discovered not only were our seats quite good, but we were the only people at our table who were not from the ABC daytime drama "One Life to Live." Everyone was great and I peppered them with questions about various cast members - especially my fave, Tuc Watkins - and what was great was early on in the evening, Larry Carpenter won the directing prize for the soap!

This year's DGA show marked the first time in more than two decades that comedy legend Carl Reiner did not host the show. Since it is never televised, only those who attend know what an absolute riot he is each year. But last-minute replacement was just perfect: Jon Cryer, the Emmy-nominated star of TV's "Two and a Half Men."

He started off great when he said he got the gig because "Sean Young turned it down." Young was famously drunk last year and disrupted proceedings. Two days later, she checked into rehab.
Jodie Foster paid tribute to nominee Fincher who directed her in "Panic Room." "I don't think "I've worked with anyone that crazy in my life" before adding that "he's a man that I love and respect and continue to admire."

Foster introduced Brad Pitt who appeared via video (he and Angelina Jolie are currently overseas) and called the director "one of the great pains of asses of all time." He then added that Fincher "is one of the kindest people I've ever known and let's be honest, he's got a great ass."

Speaking of great asses, Christian Bale flew in from Europe just hours earlier to present the nomination medallion to Nolan who was snubbed by the Academy in the Oscar nominations but recognized by his directing colleagues. Bale called the "Dark Knight" helmer, with whom he has now made three movies "one of the finest filmmakers that I have ever and will ever have the opportunity to work with ... his movies are bloody good"

Bale far exceeded the three minutes encouraged for each presentation. I normally get annoyed when people go on too long but he is so handsome, I was too busy staring at the man. Bale also told a cute story about how during the filming of "Batman Begins" a few years back. he was trying to act and feel like a superhero. But the whole thing would fall apart because Nolan would take him by the hand and hold it on the set at the beginning of each day to tell him abiout that day's shooting schedule.

It was a cute story.
I was most interested in hearing what Sean Penn would have to say about his "Milk" director Gus Van Sant.who he said has the original voice of a poet and an artist.

"I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him."

"Frost/Nixon" stars Frank Langella and Michael Sheen turned their presentation into something of a skit as they spoofed their director Ron Howard's apparent penchant for numerous takes. In the end, Sheen said in all seriousness: "I'd do a million takes for you ahytime."

Howard took the podium and recalled the late Henry Fonda with whom he co-starred in the short-lived series "The Smith Family" who "encouraged me to take creative risks that scare the hell out of you.' Howard, a two-time DGA winner and four-time nominee, took in the moment and told the crowd that the feeling he gets being honored by his guild "never really gets old...I'm glad you liked our picture."
The most moving presentation of the evening was a tribute to Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert who was honored with an honorary life membership in the guild.

Michael Apted, the guild's president, told the room that Ebert can no longer speak because of complications from thyroid cancer and said: "We're happy that it didn't stop you from writing about our work."

The ceremony featured recorded testimonials to Ebert from directors including Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone and the Pulitzer Prize winning critic recorded a statement recorded via a synthetic computer voice: "The motion picture is the art form I love above all others. It is the symphony, and you are the conductors."

Before Danny Boyle, David Fincher, Ron Howard, Christopher Nolan and Gus Van Sant faced off against each other for the prestigious Directors Guild of America prize Saturday night at the Century Plaza Hotel, the directors of some 2008's most acclaimed movies got together in the morning to swap filmmaking stories.

It was Boyle who arrived at the packed DGA Theater in West Hollywood for the annual "Meet the Nominees" event with the most buzz having already won the Golden Globe Award and the Producers Guild Award for his film "Slumdog Millionaire." There was also a Screen Actors Guild Award win a week ago for the "Slumdog" cast which includes newcomer Dev Patel as a Mumbai teen from the slums who becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire."

"He just flowered in front of us," Boyle said of the London-based Patel, the only main member of the cast not discovered in Bollywood, the thriving Mumbai-based Hindi language film industry in India. "We tried to cast everything in Bollywood. It's hugely different from Hollywood and the U.K. where actors tend to be unemployed. In Bollywood, they have this confidence."

Boyle told the surprised crowd that when it came to the casting of the film, there were no agents involved, no contracts, just telephone conversations discussing their fee. Once it came time to edit the film down to an acceptable length, the director realized there was way too much quiz show footage in it.

"I didn't want it to be a film about 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,' he said. "It was three hours long and the show was all over it. It was like ivy."

In directing "Frost/Nixon," two-time DGA winner Howard did not have to go with unknowns. Stars Frank Langella and Michael Sheen had also starred in the stage version of the film as Richard Nixon and David Frost, respectively.

"Ultimately, I just felt that these guys so understood the characters and learned so much about them," Howard said. "Anyone else would hopelessly be playing catch-up...When we were filming, this was going to be them putting the final stamps on the performances."

"The Dark Knight" director Nolan was the only DGA finalist not to also be nominated for an Academy Award this year. But the late Heath Ledger, who played The Joker in the film, did get an Oscar nod and is the favorite to win when the awards are handed out next month.

"You could look into his eyes and see that he had something to express with (the role)," Nolan said of Ledger. "It was very exciting to hear somebody that passionate about a character. It was very specifically worked out."

Van Sant said once he got Sean Penn on board to play the role of gay rights activist Harvey Milk in his film "Milk," most of the rest of the cast fell into place. But then Matt Damon, who was to play assassin Dan White, had to drop out when the filming schedule changed. He was replaced by Josh Brolin who, like Penn, has been nominated for an Oscar for his performance.

But casting the role of Milk's lover was more daunting: "We were always trying to find the right Scott and before we found James (Franco), we must have gone through 15-16 readings. A lot of people came through."

The DGA prize is especially coveted because it often serves as an accurate barometer as to who will go on to win the Academy Award. Only six times in the guild awards' 60-year history has the winner failed to take home the directing Oscar.

It's kind of hard not to be happy for Spanish tennis stud Rafael Nadal even if he broke poor Roger Federer's heart at the Australian Open today. Roger was poised to tie Pete Sampras' all-time record of 14 grand slam championships with a victory in the final and appeared to be the favorite going in.

But as he showed us at Wimbledon last year, four-time French Open champ Rafael is not just a king of clay anymore He edged Roger in a five-set thriller to win the Australian Open for the first time. Maybe he wants that Sampras record for himself. He's got six grand slam wins now and is only 22. Federer, who is 27 years old, has 13 grand slam wins and three more changes this year to rtie and or break the Sampras record. Still, it was a tough loss for Federer who was in tears during the awards ceremony. He cares deeply about his place in history.

"In the first moment you're disappointed, you're shocked, you're sad, then all of a sudden it overwhelms you," Federer said after the 4.5 hour match. "The problem is, you can't go in the locker room and take it easy and take a cold shower. You can't. It's the worst feeling."

In the end, tennis fans are the winners in all of this. It's rare that you have two players of this stature playing each other at such a high level for the big titles year after year. This was their seventh meeting in a grand slam final and Nadal now leads the standings 5-2.

Can't wait until next time.