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  WINDY CITY TIMES

"Baby Gaga," Ellen DeGeneres and George Michael
Entertainment news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times
by Andrew Davis, Windy City Times
2011-08-24

This article shared 8129 times since Wed Aug 24, 2011
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The clothing company Abercrombie & Fitch has asked Jersey Shore's Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and fellow cast members to NOT wear its clothing—and is willing to pay them, according to a Yahoo! News item. In a press release, the New Albany, Ohio-based company stated it's concerned that having the show's cast seen in its clothes could hurt its image. Entertainment Weekly reported that the company's stock had decreased after the request was publicized—but Jersey Shore's ratings increased.

It appears that Leah Remini and Holly Robinson Peete may not be part of The Talk, CBS' daytime talk show with five women, according to Yahoo! News. While the show has re-signed Julie Chen, Sharon Osbourne and lesbian actress/producer Sara Gilbert, it has not picked up Robinson Peete's and Remini's options. The show returns for its second season Sept. 6.

There is speculation that Rolling Stone magazine founder Jann Wenner may marry longtime partner Matthew Nye, according to Advocate.com . Although Wenner left his wife, Jane, 16 years ago for Nye, they never officially divorced. Now—after moving in together, co-owning several homes and having three children—Wenner and Nye may marry; Jane has officially filed for divorce so that Wenner and Nye can wed, which New York's new marriage-equality law allows.

The CBS show The Good Wife has made a couple of gay-related additions, according to Advocate.com . Michael Arden will play the love interest of Owen, the brother of the lead character, Alicia (played by Julianna Margulies); Dallas Roberts plays Owen. In addition, veteran gay actor Harvey Fierstein will play a guest stint as a judge in the fourth episode. The show's third season will start Sept. 25.

The 1990 drag-ball film Paris Is Burning is praised in the five-part TV series 50 Documentaries to See Before You Die, according to Advocate.com . On the show David Padilla, who appeared in the original documentary, said, "Your family members didn't accept you if you were gay. You went to this house and you had a mother and you had a father and they accepted you no matter what." Current TV will air "50 Documentaries" starting Aug. 23.

Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain has criticized fellow chef (and gay fave) Paula Deen, known for her butter-filled dishes, according to E! Online. The outspoken Bourdain told TV Guide that Deen isn't helping anyone's health with her horrible cooking, adding that she's "the worst, most dangerous person to America." Bourdain—who also chastised cook Rachael Ray—said of Deen, "I would think twice before telling an already obese nation that it is OK to eat food that is killing us. Plus, her food sucks." Deen has not yet responded. He later clarified his quotes, tweeting, "My comment was actually 'worst, most dangerous to America cook on FN [Food Network],'" according to the Hollywood Reporter.

James Ross—also known as Tyra Sanchez, who won RuPaul's Drag Race—was arrested recently in Georgia for marijuana possession, Advocate.com reported. Authorities said that Ross was a passenger in a Chevy Impala pulled over for an illegal window tint. Ross and the driver allegedly had less than an ounce of marijuana.

Belgian action-film star Jean-Claude Van Damme praised gay people during a recent interview, according to a Towleroad.com item. He told Sabotage Time, "Most gay people are very [tasteful] people—they like beautiful stuff in their lives. If they like me, it means they have taste. They don't follow me for my butt shots. They like me for me." However, he also said, "I have no problem showing my naked body from the back, but from the front is a very different matter. I wouldn't want to lose all my fans."

Amy Winehouse's father, Mitch, has said that the launch of a foundation in his daughter's name has been put on hold, according to Digital Spy. Mitch has revealed that the name "The Amy Winehouse Foundation" has already been registered by someone else, adding, "All these donations which are coming in—we don't know what to do with them at the moment." Amy was found dead at her North London home July 23.

Singer/producer Linda Perry said that Katy Perry is why the music industry is in decline commercially, according to Digital Spy. Linda—who has written hits for Pink, Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani as well as her own ex-group, 4 Non Blondes—said, "It's the crappy, like, who wants a Katy Perry record? I'm sorry, but you're going to get the two songs that are probably the hits that are good, but the rest of the album is going to be crap. It's going to sound like s**t." Katy Perry recently matched a record previously held only by Michael Jackson when she charted her fifth number-one single from one album.

Natali Germanotta, the 19-year-old sister of Lady Gaga, will create the costumes for the new off-Broadway show Simon Says, which debuts this fall, according to Women's Wear Daily. The fashion-school student—also known as "Baby Gaga"—made a cameo wearing shades in "Telephone," the music video Lady Gaga made with Beyoncé. Little sis was also on the purple carpet with Lady Gaga at this year's Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards, and she reportedly took many notes during the show.

Luxury department store Barneys is teaming with Lady Gaga for a Christmas holiday campaign and window display called "Gaga's Workshop," according to Yahoo! News. Barneys will turn over an entire floor of its flagship Madison Avenue (New York City) store to the pop singer's interpretation of Santa's workshop. Small limited-edition gift items created by the "Born This Way" singer and Nicola Formichetti will also be available for sale, while signature artwork will be featured on Barneys holiday shopping bags and packaging. Barneys New York will donate 25% of sales from all items featured in "Gaga's Workshop" to a charity of the singer's choice.

In yet another Gaga-related item, Lady Gaga will be guest-starring on the TV show The Simpsons, according to Digital Spy. The "Poker Face" singer declared that she is thrilled by the opportunity to be involved on the animated series: "I make music, but I don't do voiceovers every day of the week, and their characters are so awesomely convincing and sincere and wild and funny, I had to remind myself constantly of the sincerity of the humor," she told Entertainment Weekly.

X Factor judge Simon Cowell said he wants to be cryogenically frozen after he dies, according to Digital Spy. "It's an insurance policy [for a second crack at life]," he told GQ. "If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. But if it does work, I'll be happy." As for his fortune, he said that he will "leave the whole lot to charity"; he's slated to make $75 million this year alone.

Joel McHale has said that he's not allowed to joke about the Kardashians on his show The Soup, Digital Spy reported. McHale (who also stars on the NBC show Community) said that the Kardashian family have not reacted too well to past coverage, adding, "We made so much fun of Jake Pavelka, and he responded by coming on the show. With the Kardashians, we're not allowed to say they have a sex tape anymore because the network flips out." McHale also said that Tyra Banks was difficult when her talk show aired.

Lindsay Lohan has reportedly sued rapper Pitbull (real name: Armando Christian Pérez) over a lyric in his song "Give Me Everything," according to Digital Spy. The song lyric in question goes: "Hustlers move aside, so I'm tiptoein', to keep flowin' / I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan." Lohan's suit claims defamation, adding that the line "causes [her] to be associated and identified in connection with defendants."

Hunky True Blood werewolf Joe Manganiello is reportedly close to getting a role in the upcoming Steven Soderbergh male-stripper film Magic Mike, according to Digital Spy. Manganiello is in talks to portray a character named Big Dick Richie alongside a cast that includes Matthew McConaughey, Channing Tatum and Matt Bomer (who stars on TV's White Collar). Tatum will portray the title character, a stripper who mentors a young dancer played by Alex Pettyfer.

Actress Sarah Paulson—who has been on shows such as Deadwood, American Gothic and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip—has signed with the high-profile agency UTA, according to Deadline.com . The Golden Globe-nominated actress, who once dated award-winning actress Cherry Jones, will next be seen in the Fox Searchlight film Martha Marcy May Marlene.

Lesbian country singer Chely Wright married civil-rights activist Lauren Blitzer Aug. 20, according to People.com . They married at Blitzer's aunt's Connecticut home. A reverend and a rabbi presided over the ceremony, as Wright is Christian and Blitzer is Jewish. Both brides wore white wedding gowns but did not don veils because, Wright said, "We like our hair too much!"

Law & Order will be released on DVD Nov. 8—on 104 DVDs, according to a Chicago Tribune item. The set will include all 20 seasons, which spans 456 episodes, including 11 seasons that haven't been previously released on DVD. The list price is $700; however, Amazon is taking pre-orders at $489.99.

A drama about the last months of gay icon Judy Garland's life is going to Broadway next spring, Yahoo! News reported. Peter Quilter's End of the Rainbow will start performances March 19 at a theater to be announced. Tracie Bennett, a two-time Olivier Award winner who originated the role of Garland in London, will reprise her role on Broadway. The show will make its U.S. premiere in January at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll has revealed that Betty White is this country's most trusted celebrity, according to Yahoo! News. White scored an 86 percent favorable opinion in the survey, beating Oscar winners Denzel Washington, Sandra Bullock and Clint Eastwood in the survey of the 100 most popular personalities. White also easily edged out Britain's Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton (5th), Oprah Winfrey (6th) and First Lady Michelle Obama (15th) in the most trusted personalities ranking. Paris Hilton and Charlie Sheen fared the worst.

Actors Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech) and Liam Neeson (Kinsey) have joined the cast of comedian Ricky Gervais' new British series Life's Too Short, according to Yahoo! News. The comedy is about a dwarf actor, played by Warwick Davis, who runs a talent agency for fellow dwarves but tends to take the best roles for himself. Johnny Depp and Steve Carell are also slated to appear on the show, which is a faux documentary.

The reality-competition show The Glee Project ended with a twist as dreadlocked hunk Samuel Larsen and Irish exchange student Damian McGinty both won the grand prize—guest-starring on seven episodes of Glee, according to Popcrush.com . In addition, runners-up Alex Newell and Lindsay Pearce will also be written into the show with two-episode arcs. Among the tasks the finalists had to complete was a video shoot of Pink's "Raise Your Glass" that took place on the rooftop of a 35-story Los Angeles skyscraper.

Singer Kelly Clarkson has described the leak of her new songs as robbery, Digital Spy reported. She had previously said that the leak of 50 new songs had not upset her. However, she told Entertainment Weekly, "Oh my God, have you ever been robbed? I have. I've been physically robbed a couple of times, but this is much worse." The American Idol alum had just returned from a vacation in Tahiti when she learned that the songs had been leaked on the Internet.

Logo's reality show The A-List is spinning off to Dallas. The 11-episode, one-hour season of The A-List: Dallas premieres Monday, Oct. 3. Among the cast members are ex-rodeo star Levi, gay Republican Taylor, party boy James, social butterfly Phillip, serial dater Chase and blonde ally Ashley.

Gay icon Cyndi Lauper will release the live concert DVD To Memphis, With Love on Megaforce Records Oct. 25. The track listing includes blues songs such as "Down So Long" as well as classics such as "She Bop" and "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." In addition, this fall Lauper will embark a co-headlining tour with New Orleans music legend Dr. John titled "Cyndi Lauper & Dr. John: From Memphis to Mardi Gras." The 14-city tour will kick off Oct. 7 at the House of Blues in Orlando, Fla., and end Oct. 28 at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, Ill.

Nick Ashford—who, with wife Valerie Simpson, was one half of the legendary performance/songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson—died Aug. 22 of throat cancer at age 70, according to MTV.com . The pair wrote such classic Motown songs as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "I'm Every Woman" and "You're All I Need to Get By." They also had their own successful recording career, highlighted by the hit single "Solid."

George Michael has confirmed that he and longtime boyfriend Kenny Goss have split, according to Digital Spy. The "Father Figure" singer was performing at the Prague State Opera House when he announced it: "Kenny and I haven't been together for two and a half years. My love life has been a lot more turbulent than I've let on." He dedicated a new song titled "Where I Hope You Are" to Goss, stating, "This man has brought me a lot of joy and a lot of pain."

Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet saved Sir Richard Branson's mother's life, Digital Spy reported. Winslet was a guest at the mogul's Caribbean estate when a fire broke out at the residence. Posting on his blog after the incident, Branson (a British business magnate best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies) thanked Winslet for helping his mother escape the blaze, writing: "Many thanks to Kate Winslet for helping to carry my 90-year[-old] mom out of the main house to safety."

Transformers actress Megan Fox is having her Marilyn Monroe tattoo removed—because she thinks the icon had disturbing issues, according to US Magazine. The 25-year-old actress told the Italian fashion publication Amica, "I'm removing it. [Monroe] was a negative person, she was disturbed, bipolar. I do not want to attract this kind of negative energy in my life." Fox, who also has had a navel piercing removed, has at least nine other tattoos.

Actor Ryan Gosling recently broke up a streetfight at a New York City intersection, according to the New York Daily News. A viral video shows the Crazy, Stupid, Love actor walking toward an altercation as other people attempted to separate two arguing men. He eventually escorts the pair away from traffic as a group of girls recognizes him as "the guy from The Notebook." The confrontation's date is not known, but the footage was uploaded on YouTube Aug. 20.

Jared Gilmore, who played the son of January Jones and Jon Hamm on the TV series Mad Men, has warned his replacement to "be careful around" Jones, the New York Daily News reported. Of the X-Men: First Class actress, Gilmore, 11, told TV Guide, "She's not as approachable as the others. She's really serious about what she does. Everyone else is so nice." Gilmore is leaving the show to appear on the ABC series Once Upon a Time.

Songwriting legend Jerry Leiber has died at age 78 of cardiopulmonary failure, according to the L.A. Times. Leiber, who wrote with business partner Mike Stoller, penned such hits as Elvis Presley's rendition of "Hound Dog" (a song they had written several years earlier for "Big Mama" Thornton), The Clovers' "Love Potion No. 9" and The Coasters' "Yakety Yak."

It appears that, after 13 years of marriage, Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith are not separating, according to ABC News. In Touch Weekly had reported that the superstar couple was headed for a split. However, Digital Spy reported that Trey has dismissed the claims of separation; he tweeted, "Did #WillandJada split? No they did NOT split! False information ... its not true RETWEET!!! (sic)." Also, a publicist said in a statement, "Although we are reluctant to respond to these types of press reports, the rumors circulating about our relationship are completely false. We are still together, and our marriage is intact."

Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia have become such strict vegans that they stay away from any foods containing animal products, according to In Touch Weekly magazine. Recently, the couple ordered penne arrabiata at Madeo in West Hollywood—and came with their own soy cheese, bypassing the parmesan the restaurant offers. Ellen, 53, has admitted that cutting cheese out of her diet was a challenge. "It was hard," she said. "I loved cheese!"

A toxicology report has shown that singer Amy Winehouse had no illegal substances in her system when she died, although alcohol was present, Digital Spy reported. The Metropolitan police said at the time of her death that more test results would be known within a month, while an inquest was adjourned until Oct. 26. The "Rehab" singer was 27 when she passed away.


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