Rosie O'Donnell has returned to Broadway for a run in "No No Nanette" and her reviews have been terrific - better than those for the overall show,

New York Times: Ms. O'Donnell, of whom you may have heard, scores a personal triumph as the Smiths' grumpy, bossy maid. With only minimal changes in vocal and facial expressions, she projects more comic authority than anyone around her (and more, I might add, than she ever has before in her various outings on Broadway).

Newsday:: ...Most fun involves Rosie O'Donnell, as the second-banana wisecracking maid, doing a few minutes of sweetly capable tap at the end,

TheaterMania.com: Then there's O'Donnell, who has the script's drollest lines and knows precisely how to land them. For much of the time she's pushing a recalcitrant Hoover around, and it becomes a metaphor for her ability to hoover up the yuks. Plus, she taps like a demon. (Eat your heart, Barbara Walters!)

Washington Post: And then there is Rosie O'Donnell as a wisecracking maid. O'Donnell may not be much of a singer, but she's a game tapper and wins most of her laughs playing off a recalcitrant vacuum cleaner, not the easiest of tasks.

Variety: And while she could stand to loosen up a little more, Rosie O'Donnell deadpans enjoyably as the Smiths' put-upon maid Pauline, even muscling in on the dance action with a brief but capable tap solo.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm so sorry I wasn't on this story sooner because it is just too delicious!

You obviously recognize Mario Lopez in the photo on the right. The photo above is of Nick Adams, Mario's co-star in the Broadway production of "A Chorus Line." It seems that Mario wanted Nick's biceps covered up to avoid detracting attention from his! I love it!

New York Post Broadway columnist Michael Riedel writes: DOES Mario Lopez suffer from biceps envy?

This Disease of the Vain usually strikes hunky guys who come into close contact with even hunkier guys. They see a set of biceps larger then theirs, and they go bananas.

Lopez, who just took over the role of Zach, the exacting director of "A Chorus Line," is mighty proud of his biceps. So proud, in fact, that he refused to wear Zach's costume, a tan sweater with long sleeves.

It's an iconic outfit, based on that worn in real life by "A Chorus Line" creator Michael Bennett, and it's been worn by countless Zachs in productions of "A Chorus Line" all over the world for the past 30 years.

But "Flex" Lopez wanted to wear a brown shirt with short sleeves so that he could show off his biceps. (The audience, I gather, isn't complaining.)

The only trouble is, Flex is sharing the stage with a pair of biceps larger than his. They belong to Nick Adams, who plays Larry, the assistant choreographer.

Larry's iconic costume is a navy blue tank top with the number 17 on it. For "A Chorus Line" nerds, that number is significant - there are 17 performers auditioning for the eight spots in the chorus.

Flex, sources say, was concerned that Adams' biceps would upstage his, so he requested that Adams wear a hoodie over his tank top, which Adams does whenever he's next to Flex.

Click HERE to read the column in its entirety...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We know that Mario Lopez's body is a singular sensation. But how will television's former A.C. Slater and "Dancing With the Stars" runner up fare on the Broadway stage?

We'll find out on April 15 when he joins the cast of "A Chorus Line" as the show's demanding director. The current revival of the show has been running since October 2006 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.

"Every actor dreams about appearing on a Broadway stage," Lopez told the Associated Press. "I have as well and have been searching for the right time and opportunity."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love anyone who cusses this much in an interview because that means she's being herself. I'm talking about Rosie Perez and her interview in the new issue of Out Magazine.
A few excerpts:
The star of such films as "Do the Right Thing" and "Fearless" is returning to the Broadway stage for the revival of Terrence McNally’s "The Ritz." Perez plays the role of Googie Gomez, originated by Rita Moreno. Googie is a talentless chanteuse who wants to be thought of as a rising star à la Bette Midler.
OUT: Hi, Rosie. So how are you approaching Googie’s very bad singing?
PEREZ: It’s just so difficult for me! [Laughs] I’m really channeling three people -- Ethel Merman, one of my cousins (I can’t say her name because she’ll kill me and she’s so clueless she’ll never guess it’s her when she sees it), and Boy Shakira.
OUT: Have you talked to the original Googie, Rita Moreno?
PEREZ: I called her and said, “I’m asking for your blessing. I’ve got big shoes to fill.” She said, “Bullsh*t. You can do this. Just remember that Googie is a real person and you’ll win...and change your f***ing cell phone message. It’s f***ing rude.” And she hung up on me! I don’t think it’s rude at all. It says, “This is R.P. Please don’t leave a long, irritating message, and I’ll get back to you when I feel like it. Have a blessed day and God bless you.” Don’t you hate when people ramble on and on?
OUT: I read that you choreographed "In Living Color." Did you work with the immortal J. Lo?
PEREZ: I’m the one that hired her, even though she tells everyone Keenan [Ivory Wayans] was. He didn’t want her because she was overweight and didn’t dance that well, but I said, “She has star quality.” He said, “Your job depends on it.” And I thought, Oh, sh*t.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My pal Trevor Daley (far left) and me pose with some of the cast members of the LA production of "Avenue Q" backstage on opening night last weekend. It was one of the funnest evenings at the theater that I have ever had! The show is at the Ahmanson...get your tickets now!

Earlier post:
GREG'S NIGHT ON AVENUE Q

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I don't think there's such a thing as an average night out with my friend Trevor Daley.
On Friday, he invited me to opening night of the musical "Avenue Q" at the Ahmanson Theatre and despite my getting stuck in traffic, I managed to get there about 10 minutes before curtain time. We had terrific seats for what is a sensational, must-see show with that wonderful opening night buzz all around.
[The photo above was taken on Friday, hours before the cast took the stage...]
I've never seen anything like "Avenue Q" with real-life actors and puppets interacting like they are in some kind of naughty episode of "The Muppets." Such great songs, terrific writing, wonderful performances by an immensely talented cast and best of all, just one laugh after another. The Tony Award-winning show is about trying to make it in NYC with big dreams and a tiny bank account.
There are good times with Princeton, Rod, Kate Monster, Lucy the Slut, Brian, Trekkie Monster and all the rest. The character that just killed me the most was Gary Coleman, played by Carla Renata. She sounds JUST LIKE the "Different Strokes" star who is manager of the apartment building. It's a brilliant parody. At the end, the character laments: "Everyone's dreams are coming true...but WHAT ABOUT GARY COLEMAN?"
It's a riot.
Then there is the hilarious Angela Al who nails her role as Christmas Eve and the multi-talented Robert McClure who was superb in duel roles, including one as a closeted gay man (or puppet) in deep denial. (No, the character is not based on Larry Craig!)
But the night wasn't just about seeing the show. Trevor knows EVERYONE so I got to meet Martin Massman, board president of the Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson, Mark Taper Forum and Kirk Douglas Theatre), Artistic Director Michael Ritchie and the show's writer Robert Lopez. Then, we got to go backstage to meet the cast! There was champagne flowing and a real electricity in the air.
The cast had every reason to feel ecstatic. We got some photos taken with some them with the puppets etc. [I should have those e-mailed to me this week sometime]. Chatted with "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry briefly and at length with LA newscaster Kent Schockneck who is much taller than I thought, very nice to talk to, and someone I have watched for years.
We were all over the moon about the show, I am just nuts about it. And I'm so glad to have a friend like Trevor. Not just because he takes me to cool events every now and then, but because when we are there, we always have so much fun working the room and meeting the people involved.
This is a night I'll never forget...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm sure the producers of "Hairspray" are just loving this.
Lance Bass, who they brought in to play Corny Collins in the Broadway production throughout the fall, talked to New York Magazine and does not seem very fond of The Big Apple.
It took three weeks, and three brokers, to find an apartment: “There’s a lot of pieces of crap here for a lot of money. And I don’t think anyone here has any style. I was looking at fully furnished places and it was like, you can either have a bunch of floral prints or some dusty couch from the 1960s.”
Poor Lance. Sounds terrible!
He's also apparently misunderstood and maligned by those mean New Yorkers: “My walking pace has picked up a lot...and apparently I’m ruder. I read that someone met me at a club and told me I looked great and I was like, ‘Don’t even think about taking a picture.’ Which really sounds like me. And then they printed a picture they’d taken of me, which makes even less sense.”
I don't know how he can endure all of these indignities. The man has been through HELL.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This, I gotta see!
Before heading to New York for an Off-Broadway run this fall, "The Sensuous Woman," a burlesque-style variety show written by and starring Margaret Cho, debuted last night at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s Renberg Theatre.
Cho says the show celebrates women’s bodies of all colors, shapes and sizes: “I have suffered from eating disorders and a horrendously distorted body image for my entire life, and I think the biggest reason is a lack of images of real women’s bodies. We are presenting a new ideal—not one that is about dieting ourselves down to a smaller size, but expanding our notion of what is beautiful and to allow ourselves to be included there, too.”
The Sensuous Woman will also be performed August 23, 24, 30 and 31; and September 6, 7, 13 and 15. All shows are at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25. All proceeds benefit the Center.
For tickets or call the Center Box Office at 323-860-7300.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Lance Bass will transform himself into the perky dance show host Corny Collins in the Broadway production of "Hairspray" starting Tuesday night and the intimacy of a theater vs, a stadium has him a bit concerned: "I'd much rather play to 50,000 people than 1,000," Bass tells the NY Daily News. "In a theater, you can see everyone! It is like doing a live TV show."
Bass tells the paper that his fears of losing female fans after coming out last year have proven to be off-base: "When I came out, my female fan base exploded."
Good luck tomorrow Lance. If ya get nervous, just imagine every one of those 1,000 people without any clothes on!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I dunno where I've been. There's this gorgeous young actor named Cheyenne Jackson who starred on Broadway in "All Shook Up" and appeared in the film "United 93." Now he's starring on the Great White Way once again in the new musical "Xanadu" which opens tomorrow. Until reading an Q&A with him on AfterElton.com just now, I had no idea this talented dreamboat was an out gay man.
Hooray!!
Here are some pics of him both in his "Xanadu" role and out of it and some of the questions from the interview which you can read in its entiretly at AfterElton.com.

AE: I hear that you wear this already legendary pair of short-shorts in the show. How are they working for you?
CJ: They're literally these little, '80s style, satin skating shorts. I have huge legs, and I never show them -- not because of false modesty, I'm just not comfortable. So I had to work up to wearing the shorts. Last weekend was the first time I put them on, and I rocked 'em. I figure if I'm doing this, I'd better go for it all the way, so I invited all my friends to come the first night I wore the shorts. They gave me some catcalls, and I felt okay.

AE: Do you think that being openly gay has been a detriment to your acting career, or has it helped, or has it had no net effect at all?
CJ: [Pauses] I think it's been a detriment, probably just a little bit. Had I not been out and open, I think I might have gotten some movies that I screen-tested for. People may have said, “The dude's gay; how are we going to market this?” But it's not an issue for me, because being out is very freeing.

AE: On the plus side, you might perhaps not have been cast as gay hero Mark Bingham in United 93 if you weren't out.
CJ: Possibly – although the director didn't know anything about me. I think one of the main reasons I got the part was that I was the biggest guy who auditioned; Mark Bingham was 6'5” and I'm almost 6'4”.

AE: If Hollywood gives us another big, gay love story like Brokeback Mountain and you were cast in one of the leads, who would you want to play opposite?
CJ: Hmm, that's a tough one. [Starts to say someone's name, then stops:] I won't say him, because I don't want it to be weird the next time I see him. [Pauses, then comes up with another name:] Ewan McGregor. I'd do a love scene with him any day. Or Hugh Jackman. I've never met him, but he said some lovely things about me in the press when I was in All Shook Up – and we have the same agent. He's an idol of mine, for sure.

AE: I'm guessing that, in terms of theater work, your being out has been a non-issue.
CJ: That's right. Here, your reputation is everything. People know if you've got the goods, if you're easy to work with, and if you can get the job done. Besides, it's New York theater. Everybody's gay!

AE: Are you in a relationship?
CJ: Yeah, for almost eight years. He's a very private person. I don't think anyone could find any pictures of him. He says he's like the Amish; he doesn't like to have his picture taken, because he feels like it's giving away part of his soul. He's a medical physicist, really brilliant and funny. He's the brains behind the operation.

AE: Do you ever feel like you're a sort of poster boy for gay actors?
CJ: Chris Sieber and I were talking about this. Every time they mention either of us in the press, it's always “openly gay Christopher Sieber” and “openly gay Cheyenne Jackson.” It's a little reductive and, after a while, it's like, “Yawn.”

AE: Yet it's understandable that people focus on it, given that so few actors are out -- especially leading man types.
CJ: Sure. I liken it to the experience of a black friend of mine. When he was growing up, there were almost no black people on television; but occasionally, there would be a black family in a commercial or something, and when that happened, his whole family would run in and gather around the TV. To me, that's lovely and precious and sad at the same time. When I was a little kid, who were the gay people on TV? Charles Nelson Reilly, Paul Lynde, maybe Liberace. So I understand why the gay community wants to embrace actors who are out. People want to be represented.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Would the soundtrack of a gay man's life be what it is if not for the gifts of Stephen Sondheim? Absolutely not! "Send in the Clowns," "Some People," 'Rose's Turn," "Ladies Who Lunch," "I Feel Pretty" and on and on. This openly gay musical theater legend turns 77 today and I want to wish him a very happy birthday and thank him for contributing so much to the culture.
In addition to my beloved "Gypsy," Sondheim is the man behind such classic shows as "West Side Story," "Into the Woods," "Sunday in the Park with George," "Company," "Sweeney Todd," "Assassins," "Follies," "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," and the amazing "A Little Night Music."
What. A. Talent.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm hoping to get down to Orange County this week to catch "Chita Rivera: A Dancer's Life" which had been slated to play in LA but has inexplicably been cancelled. I thought about Chita Rivera during all of the "Dreamgirls" noise Jennifer Holliday was making about not being invited to the premiere or to be in the movie. If Holliday felt overlooked, she has suffered nothing in this regard compared to Chita Rivera. It was this stage legend, nominated for nine Tonys, who originated the Rita Moreno role in "West Side Story," the Catherine-Zeta Jones role in "Chicago" (each woman won an Oscar), the Janet Leigh role in "Bye Bye Birdie" and on and on. But instead of complaining, Rivera kept on working and ended up winning Tonys for "Kiss of the Spider woman" and "The Rink." She was nominated again last year for the autobiographical "A Dancer's Life."
Chita was interviewed for the current issue of Frontiers Magazine and I wanted to share what she had to say about, of all people, Rosie O'Donnell: "Rosie is one of my favorite people in all the world. I admore her honesty, her truth; she's a giver. she's just absolutely honest. If you want to know the truth, just ask her. She'll tell you. What you see is what you get and I don't think you could find a better friend than Rosie. She's got a lot of guts and my God, she's talented too."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We know David Hasselhoff can sing and I understand he can dance OK too. He's doing both in the current Las Vegas production of "The Producers" at Bally's Paris Hotel. But one thing, I think, that David cannot do, is be an attractive woman! He makes Bea Arthur look positively girlish!
Anyway, I've decided that I much prefer Hasselhoff as a boy, especially all those years he ran around saving lives on "Baywatch." To remind us of those days and to try and mitigate the mental trauma of seeing him in drag, I offer you this vintage shot of David when he was the reigning king of the beach:

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just read this terrific Q&A with two-time Tony winner Cherry Jones on the AfterEllen.com site. Jones, an out actress, has long been one of Broadway's most-lauded performers, but she has also long been a celebrity lesbian to be proud of. When she accepted her first Tony Award in 1995 for Best Actress (she played the role of Catherine Sloper in "The Heiress"), she publicly thanked her female partner in her acceptance speech.

In June 2005, Jones took home a second Tony for her leading role in Doubt, which is now touring nationally. The night she received her Tony for "Doubt," Jones was accompanied by her current girlfriend, Sarah Paulson ("Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"), and the two have often been seen together at industry events.

Click HERE to read the full interview. As an appetizer, here are a few of the questions and answers.
AE: Finally, as an out actress, how do you see your role in the LGBT community?
CJ: Just to live my life openly and freely and with joy and thanksgiving, I reckon. [Laughs.] Just be.

AfterEllen.com: You are touring in the play Doubt, for which you received much acclaim and a Tony Award. You must feel very strongly about the play and the role to continue performing it.
Cherry Jones: I'm right at about 555 performances already of this play. [Laughs.] We started at the Manhattan Theater Club, and then Broadway, and the tour began in September in Los Angeles. We're not even halfway through with it yet. And the extraordinary thing about this play and this role is that I never get tired of it. Maybe there's something wrong with me [and] I'm just incredibly obsessive/compulsive. I think most stage actors are, or have to be a little bit. I was just talking to my fellow cast members about this the other night. Because of what we get back from the audience, it is the most rewarding experience any actor will almost ever have in the theater.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I know David Hasselhoff can sing. I remember him sitting on the Berlin Wall giving some kind of concert way back in '89. I was in my first-grade class and we had just got back from recess. O.K., I'll stop lying now. Let's just say I was old enough to drive by then and leave it at that! But I usually think of Hasselhoff as wearing a pair of red trunks running down the beach to save someone in "Baywatch." I never really watched the talking car show he was on ("Knight Rider"). But Hasselhoff has landed one of the leads in the Las Vegas production of "The Producers" at the Paris Hotel and it seems to already be a hot ticket with the hotel announcing yesterday that its first preview performance was sold out!
"When 'The Producers' opened on Broadway they performed to sold out audiences in New York ," says Michael Weaver, vice-president of marketing for Paris Las Vegas. "We are thrilled the Las Vegas production is following the same pattern."
Well, it IS just one preview perf that has sold out but Weaver has reason to be optimistic. Hasselhoff plays flamboyant director Roger DeBris in the show that tells the story of down-on-his-luck theatrical producer, Max Bialystock (Brad Oscar) and Leo Bloom (Larry Raben), a mousy accountant. Together they hatch the ultimate scam: raise more money than you need for a sure-fire Broadway flop and pocket the difference.

The show has its official opening Feb. 9 If ticket sales slow down, they can always add a scene that has Hasselhoff running across the stage in red trunks. Hmmmmm. That might not work anymore. OK, I got it, they can have Michael Bergin running across the stage in red trunks. I'd buy a ticket to that.
Sheesh. I should be a Broadway producer myself. Just full of ideas.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I wrote a profile on the absolutely hilarious Caroline Reid for the current issue of LA's Frontiers magazine. It's rare that I am laughing so hard during an interview that I can barely take notes. I'm having trouble linking things from home so I have just cut-and-pasted the entire thing for your enjoyment. WARNING: Her language is more than a little blue so I've bleeped her a few times since my blog is part of the L.A. Daily News and we just don't talk that way!

Flying the Bitchy Skies
Tart-tongued air hostess Pam Ann is cleared for landing in a special New Year’s show

BY GREG HERNANDEZ

She’s been the opening act for Cher and the in-flight entertainment for guests flying to an exclusive Elton John party in Italy, and now potty-mouthed flight attendant Pam Ann—a bitchy air hostess if there ever was one—is getting ready to land in Los Angeles. She will hold court at the Hollywood Palladium with her show Come Fly with Me, which promises to give new meaning to the term “carry-on.�?

“She’s nice to the first-class passengers but she’s never understood economy. She can’t wrap her head around it,�? says comedian Caroline Reid, who created the character of Pam Ann 10 years ago. “She hasn’t been back in economy since the ’70s; heaven forbid if she had to work Southwest or JetBlue.�?

Reid recently phoned from London to talk about the character (“the bastard daughter of Dame Edna�?) that has made her a gay icon in Europe and seems certain to do the same in the U.S. “I’m really a gay man,�? she explains. “If I had a [penis], I’d get into so much trouble. I wish I did for one day, I’d just like to try it out.�?

Pam Ann will be the main character on the Dec. 29 show at the Palladium, but some of the other members of Reid’s wacky flight crew will make cameos or be seen on-screen. They include Valerie, a 105-year-old who has been flying from Dallas to Fort Worth forever. “All she does is walk across the stage but it takes her 10 minutes. She got the biggest hair, the size of Dallas, and she loves her Southern fried chicken. I’d love to bring Valerie, but I’m scared to. Then there’s Sara from Virgin Atlantic, who is part of a cabin crew that is just so stupid. They get lost in a 747, they can’t get back to the galley. They can’t even spell JFK! They’ll be introduced with the video.�?

As always, Pam Ann’s main concern is making sure that everyone’s “flight�? is going well.

“I’ll be talking to people and upgrading them—and deriding them—so the boys better wear their finest!�? says Reid. “I might put a bomb on board and we can find it. I get into trouble all the time. I’ll have a few surprises for L.A. The boys are just so much fun. We’ve got dancers—Pam’s People Dancers —four gorgeous dancing boys gracing the stage.�?

Sometimes though, this spontaneous interaction with the audience gets Reid into spots of trouble.

“Everything has gone wrong,�? she says. “I always deal with it OK. Some people look at you like they are going to glass you if you comment on their outfit. Some of the things are uncontrollable. I say, ‘This is a live show, not TV.’ That’s the charm of the show, too. I do play with the edge a lot. Some of my friends come just to see me get out of so many holes I’ve dug.�?

But all went well when Reid was asked to be the opening act for the U.K. leg of Cher’s neverending farewell tour—once she realized it wasn’t an elaborate joke being played on her: “I thought it was ‘Cher: The Tribute Act.’ Why would I think it was going to be Cher, for f**k’s sake? Cher Cher? Stop f***ing with my head! Sonny and Cher Cher? Cher? Malibu? So I’m all, ‘Yes, I’d love to.’�? Then, opening night at London’s Wembley Stadium, she says, “I was s******g my pants wondering, ‘Why did I agree to do this?’�?

She was far less nervous when Elton John hired her to entertain a private plane filled with VIP guests flying to Venice for the 40th birthday party he was throwing for husband David Furnish.

“He’s got loads of money and chartered a private jet for David’s 40th birthday to Venice. I was their in-flight cabin crew. I verbally abused them from London to Venice. I said, ‘There’s a lot of money on here!’ Then we went to the party in Venice for three days and I flew back with them and we got absolutely hammered. Victoria Beckham was on board. Skinny bitch! I whacked her a few times: ‘Get in your seat and eat that pie! You want gravy?’ I was mental!�?

Speaking of weight, despite having the hottest show in London’s Soho and playing to sold-out houses in France, Hong Kong, Italy, Australia, New York, and all across the U.K., Reid is wary of L.A.’s image-conscious culture. “I want some plastic surgeons there who can come in backstage and suck some fat out of my ass,�? she says. “I want to look like Nicole fucking Richie when I come out!�?

For additional info on Pam Ann’s New Year’s Eve-Eve-Eve show on Dec. 29 at the Hollywood Palladium, visit www.newyearsla.com or www.pamann.com.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Anyone who watched "Queer as Folk" for five seasons knows that the real love story was between Brian (Gale Harold and Justin (Randy Harrison) from the first episode to the last. These guys had real chemistry (and that is putting it mildly!) and it was nice to see SOMEONE break through Brian's demeanor and have that someone have such a strong sense of himself even as a teenager.

Everyone from the cast has moved on to other things with Harold appearing in the lead role on FOX's short-lived suspense drama "Vanished" and on the New York stage in Tennessee Williams' "Suddenly Last Summer." But we haven't heard much from Randy Harrison. I bumped into Peter Paige (Emmett) at a house party last weekend and he told me Randy was doing a lot of stage work. (Peter himself is staying busy with his own indie flick "Say Uncle" now out on DVD and a well-received guest spot on "Grey's Anatomy).

So I was happy to see on the AfterElton.com blog, Best. Gay. Day. Ever. that Randy will next be appearing Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" at Minneapolis’ the prestigious Guthrie Theater from January 20th to March 25th.
Randy recently showed up in New York to lend support to his former "Q as F" on-screen partner at the opening night party for "Summer" and Randy sure has grown up good!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Took in Carrie Fisher's one-woman show, "Wishful Drinking," at the Geffen Playhouse Sunday night and a couple of times got the church giggles - the kind where the more you try not to laugh the more you want to and your shoulders start to shake and it all just starts to fall apart for you. My friend Eddie and I love Carrie Fisher and believe that her "Postcards from the Edge"screenplay has some of the best dialogue of any film we have chosen to memorize and incorporate into our unique and strange lexicon. We felt like were at a really great cocktail party with Carrie Fisher at the center of it.
We were easy-to-please audience members since we could practically mouth the words of some of the anecdotes but Fisher was an immediate hit with most of the capacity audience from the start: "I'm Carrie Fisher, I'm an alcoholic, and this is a true story" she states before singing "Happy Days Are Here Again" which was hilariously accompanied by a slideshow of headlines from everything from the New York Times to the National Enquirer chronicling her very taboidly life. She says: "If you think all of this is over the top, you can't even imagine what I left out!"
She's got more material for a one-woman show than just about anyone except maybe Elizabeth Taylor, her most famous stepmother. She is the daughter of the beloved movie icon Debbie Reynolds ("Singing in the Rain." "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," "Mother") and former star Eddie Fisher who famously left Reynolds for a recently widowed Taylor in the late 1950s: "Think Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie as Elizabeth," Carrie told the audience at the Geffen. Her mother's terrible choice in men is covered here and Fisher clears up any question of whether or not her mother is a lesbian. Sne's not, "she's just a really bad heterosexual."
Fisher does a hilarious and dead-on impersonation of her mother who is peppered throughout the show. Considering what a shit her absentee father was/is, Eddie Fisher gets off pretty easy here although there is one great anecdote of him swallowing his hearing aids and his daughter and grandaughter talking to his stomach and ass so he could hear them better.

Fisher was just in high school when Warren Beatty asked her to be in his movie "Shampoo" and a few years later, she beat out a large group of hopefuls including Jodie Foster to land the plum part of Princess Leia in "Star Wars." Two hugely successful sequels followed and Fisher cemented her place in film history. Then came a decade-long relationship with singer Paul Simon, including two years as husband and wife, roles in such films as "The Man With One Red Shoe," "Hannah and Her Sisters," and "When Harry Met Sally," and a wildly successful writing career that includes four best-selling novels.

Fisher recalls the good times in her show and has a good sense of humor about the bad times which includes being told by the father of her daughter, superagent Bryan Lourd, that not only was he gay, but he was gay BECAUSE of her and her drug problem. Then there were her serious drug problems, being diagnosed with manic depression after a serious psychotic break, and having a close gay friend not only unexpectedly die in her home, but in her bed.
"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true," she says in the show. "And that would be unacceptable."

Fisher talks about it all with self-deprecating humor and honesty. The woman does have a way with an anecdote and we love her for it. At 50, she is a real survivor and was well worth an evening at the Geffen where her show runs through much of next month.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A Nov. 10 interview with Carol Channing in Ohio-based Gay People’s Chronicle shocked her fans everywhere with her seemingly sharing some startling views about gays. Despite the Broadway legend's long pro-gay history, the interview with writer Kaizaad Kotwal indicated that Channing privately judges gays by anti-gay biblical standards.
IN Los Angeles magazine scored an exclusive with Channing who seems eager to defends herself:

IN: The reporter said that he asked you “You seem to have a very large gay following. Have you ever thought about why?�? And you supposedly said “I don't think about them. I'm grateful that they seem to like me. They're terribly loyal to me. But I'm knee-deep in the Bible and you know what it says about that.�? Could you clarify that please? Do you remember what you said?

Channing: I never said that! I've never read anything in the Bible about being gay or at least I haven't read that part. But, it is true that I don't think about them in that way. They are gay. Who cares? The Bible says “Love thy neighbor as thyself.�? I don't recognize differences except their goodness and artistic abilities, which I always admire.

IN: So what DO you think of gay people?

Channing: Again. I don't think about them as gay. They're people, period.

Channing added that “the interview started out very badly. He seemed to have an anger towards me from the very start. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from..I think my record speaks for itself. I've always been supportive to the gay community and I have found they are capable of taking care of themselves. I told him, that not being gay, it hasn't been a problem I've had to live with myself."

To read a truncated online version of the story on the IN Los Angeles web site, click HERE.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I know it comes as no surprise that I'm always happy to see when one of my favorite actors - gay or straight - takes on a gay role. This is the case with Tom Everett Scott who I have admired since his big-screen debut in "That Thing You Do" about a decade ago. Now Everett Scott is on Broadway playing a closeted rising movie star who falls in love with a young male hustler in the Broadway production of "Walks the Dog" which opened earlier this week. His character is considering coming out but his tough-as-nail agent, a lesbian, is strongly against it.

The actor, who stars in the TNT drama "Saved," was interviewed by my friend Christopher Lisotta for the cover story of MetroSource LA. The Dec./Jan. issue just hit the stands and here are some excerpts:

When director Douglas Carter Beane offered Everett Scott the part, he says he called the actor up and said: "Buddy, you're going to have to kiss a guy and get naked. And he said, 'All right.'"

Everett Scott says the character "is still bound rto the idea that he can't be a superstar - a movie star - male- and come out. When the character the agent says it's not going to happen because no women will want to sleep with you and men will feel weird, that really says something about how people hold up actors. Mitchell, his dream is to be that image, regardless of whether it's true or not. And falling in love with Alex is who he really is. It's an identity question."

Tom, a married father of one child, had played gay before in the television movie "Surrender Dorothy" opposite Diane Keaton but kept his clothes on for that one. On stage, he plays opposite Johnny Galicki who is cast as the hustler, Alex.

"I don't know any closeted movie stars and I wouldn't know where to begin asking about this," Everett Scott tells the magazine. "...It is really the writer's job to create a context and it's really my job to create a reality of that context. So if I'm supposed to fall in love with Johhny Galecki on stage, that's really just as much a challenge as falling in love with an actress on stage...There are lovely, wonderful things about Johnny that I am sure I will strart to really appreciate and admire and go from there."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now it's just a matter of who to believe. This entire Carol Channing thing is just a big mess. She allegedly made some ridiculous anti-gay comments to a reporter for Gay People's Chronicle, her publicist then claimed she was misquoted and now the paper has issued a statement defending its reporter. I'm starting not to care but here is the statement from associate editor :Brian DeWitt:

"Carol Channing's publicist is doing his job: protecting his client. However, his personal attacks on our reporter are completely unwarranted. Kaizaad Kotwal set out to interview Ms. Channing about her show in Springfield, Ohio. He was also very startled at her responses.

Mr. Kotwal identified himself to Ms. Channing's handlers as being from the Gay People's Chronicle, and his questions were quite straightforward. The entirety of the interview was published in the article. Knowing that Carol Channing is 85 years old and has been touring extensively for decades, it's understandable that she might be a little confused; she might have been tired.

However, what Kaizaad Kotwal wrote is the truth of what was said."

Whatever DID happen, I get the feeling Channing, 85, is gonna lay off doing interviews for awhile. Debbie Reynolds, with whom Channing is supposed to tour with next year, must be concerned about this hurting ticket sales. But I love Debbie and worship her daugfhter, Carrie Fisher, so I hope she'll find a replacement if Channing proves to be a drag on sales.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Carol Channing, best known for her ditzy-blonde stage persona and millions of stage performances of "Hello Dolly" over several decades, really slapped her gay fans in the face in a recent interview.

The 85-year-old performer has long had a huge gay following and is scheduled to tour with Debbie Reynolds in a two-women show next year. Reynolds is a beloved trouper but I wonder if they will have trouble selling tickets to gays fans after Channing surprised Gay People's Chronicle reporter Kaizaad Kotwal by sharing some not-quite-friendly views on gays and the Bible.
Here is the unfortunate exchange which was reported in the Towleroad blog this morning:

KK: You seem to have a very large gay following. Have you ever thought about why?
CC: I don’t think about them. I’m grateful that they seem to like me. They’re terribly loyal to me. But I’m knee-deep in the Bible and you know what it says about that.
KK: Alright.
CC: Oh, dear. Is this for a gay publication? Have I offended you?
KK: Yes. For the Gay People’s Chronicle. Right now, it’s really not my job to be offended or not be offended. I am just asking questions and reporting answers. I read that you have fought for gay rights. Do you think that the things gay people are fighting for are important?
CC: I don’t think about it. If they can’t take care of their own problems, why should I bother. It’s not my problem.
KK: I see.
CC: At one time there were seven men doing me in Las Vegas. I began to wonder if I had a glandular problem. But you know that the Bible says that that’s not the way it’s supposed to be.

Late Monday, Channing's publicist issued a lengthy statement in defense of the performer. Here is part of it:

"What she actually said when asked about gay marriage was that she wasnt necessarily pro gay marriage, because why would we want the government involved in our business and most of her gay friends were in
agreement - this include myself. She thought civil unions and civil rights were more important, but "if this is what gay men really want then its their business and I dont care, they can take care of themselves."

"With reference to the Bible - she said about gay marriage "You know what the Bible says about it ... Nothing." The interviewer failed to add that last comment in the quote to the interview."

"Her history of support speaks for its self. As a gay man myself, who has worked for her for years, she has supported my 7 year relationship from the beginning and of her other gay friends and colleagues agree."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last seen getting punched in the face by Adam Sandler in the summer comedy "Click" and as a judge on "America's Got Talent," David Hasselhoff is headed for the Vegas stage. The actor has agreed to take on the role of gay director Roger DeBris in the upcoming Las Vegas run of "The Producers."

"He is perfect for Roger DeBris because he has the best legs in Hollywood," director Mel Brooks said during a press conference this week. Brooks praised Hasselhoff for his "incredible comedic timing, terrific musical theater experience, and a stage presence that I think will be a perfect marriage for the role."

The show will open at Paris Las Vegas hotel Jan. 31. Hasselhoff may be best known for running around the beach with his shirt off on "Baywatch," he is not a stage novice. He has previously starred in Broadway productions of "Jekyll and Hyde" and "Chicago."

"I am honored to be a part of anything Mel Brooks is involved with," he said.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)