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  WINDY CITY TIMES

Chenoweth's airline flap; Jennifer Hudson on 'Idol' judges
Entertainment news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times
by Andrew Davis, Windy City Times
2013-02-13

This article shared 6177 times since Wed Feb 13, 2013
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Singer-actress Kristin Chenoweth had a recent run-in with American Airlines over pet Maltese, Maddie, according to People.com . Chenoweth was recently departing a flight from Dallas when a flight attendant didn't allow her to board the plane because of her canine companion. Although Chenoweth insisted she had all of the necessary paperwork, the airline employee scolded the star in front of other passengers at the boarding gate—before an official realized a mistake had been made, and allowed the actress and Maddie to board.

Singer Jennifer Hudson said on the show Live with Kelly & Michael that watching the new judges on American Idol is "awkward," according to the Daily Mail. "It's taken a bit to get used to the new judges. I come from American Idol, so I'm used to seeing Simon, Paula and Randy," she explained. Hudson, who finished seventh on "Idol" a few years back, said she was happy that Mariah Carey's judging; however, when asked about Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj, she only said, "Ummmm, yes."

A male cruise-ship employee has suddenly dropped his sexual harassment lawsuit against John Travolta, who had been accused of making unwanted advances during a massage, according to the New York Post. Fabian Zanzi had alleged that the Grease star exposed himself during a June 2009 session, before the actor "forcefully embraced" the employee, he said. A judge had denied Travolta's bid to have Zanzi's lawsuit bumped down to arbitration, but then the matter was unexpectedly dropped a few days later.

Madonna will auction items from her record-breaking MDNA Tour to benefit Sandy victims, the New York Post reported. The "4 Minutes" singer will sell items that may include the majorette costume and the caged basque she wore onstage, as well as props for the set—but not the gun she used for the shows.

Mario Lopez, co-host of the TV show Extra, had to streak through Los Angeles' The Grove wearing only a Ravens helmet and his underwear after losing a Super Bowl bet, the New York Post noted. Lopez bet co-host Maria Menounos that the 49ers would beat Baltimore—and vowed that the bet's loser would have to "streak" through The Grove wearing the winning team's helmet. Baltimore beat the 49ers 34-31.

Former Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dina Manzo and husband Tommy have split after seven years of marriage, the Huffington Post noted. She tweeted, "My secret ... I have been separated since October, my heart hurts but Tommy & I will always share a very special love." Lanzo is the 18th "Real Housewife" to announce her separation/divorce.

Frameline—the nation's only non-profit organization solely dedicated to the funding, exhibition, distribution and promotion of LGBTQ media arts—has announced the recipients of its annual Frameline Completion Fund, according to a press release. Among the recipients are the Greg Louganis documentary Back on Board; Visible Silence, which focuses on gender-variant Thai women; the bullying documentary The Infamous T; Valencia, a narrative about queer women in San Francisco; and The Battle of AmFAR, which looks at Elizabeth Taylor and research scientist Dr. Mathilde Krim.

Actor John Kerr—a Tony winner and the star of such films as Tea and Sympathy as well as South Pacific—died at age 81, according to Variety.com . Kerr made his Broadway debut in Bernardine in 1953. He won a Tony for his role as a sensitive, effeminate schoolboy in the Robert Anderson play Tea and Sympathy and starred with Deborah Kerr (no relation) in the 1956 film version.

Openly gay film director Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects; X-Men) is donating $5 million to the USC School of Cinematic Arts, according to TheWrap.com . In light of the donation, the school will name its critical-studies division the Bryan Singer Division of Critical Studies. Singer earned a bachelor's degree from the school in 1989.

Robin Roberts is set to return to Good Morning America Feb. 20, the Chicago Tribune reported. "She's met with her doctors, they've cleared her to come back to the show," co-host George Stephenopoulos said, adding that Roberts would be returning five months to the day after she took a leave of absence for treatment of a rare blood disorder called myelodysplastic syndrome. Last month, Roberts announced her intention to be back on the air within a few weeks.

Actress Lucy Lawless (TV's Xena: Warrior Princess and Spartacus) and fellow protesters were sentenced to 120 hours of community service each and a fine of $651.44 for illegally boarding a ship to protest drilling in the Arctic, according to a Chicago Tribune item. "Since we occupied the Noble Discoverer," Lawless said, " it has become evident to everyone watching, from the millions who have signed Greenpeace petitions, to the U.S. government, now examining Shell's plans, that it can never be safe to drill in the Arctic."

Actress Ellen Page (Juno; Inception) will make her directing debut on Miss Stevens, and she's gotten Anna Faris attached to play the title role, according to Deadline.com . The film was written by Julia Hart (The Keeping Room), with Gilbert Films (The Kids Are All Right) and Anonymous Content (Winter's Bone) producing. Faris will play a teacher whose life is in disarray when she chaperones a group of high schoolers on a weekend trip to a state drama competition.

Donald Trump said he doesn't support marriage equality, according to the Huffington Post. The real-estate mogul/Apprentice host told Howard Stern and co-host Robin Quivers, "It's never been an argument that's been discussed with me very much. People know that it's not my thing one way or the other." In March 2011, Trump told Bill O'Reilly, "I just don't feel good about [same-sex marriage]. I don't feel right about it."

Whitney Houston's mother, Cissy, called an invite to attend Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy party "obscene," according to US Magazine. "I got an invitation to the party, which is the most obscene thing," she told Access Hollywood. "I don't know why they would want me to come to the party in which she died, you know? Unheard of." However, the late singer's brother, Gary Houston, and sister-in-law, Pat, planned to attend. Whitney died Feb. 11, 2012— just before she was scheduled to attend the party.

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Curt Schilling—who pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros—defended LGBT athletes on Twitter, the Huffington Post noted. He tweeted, "I've never understood this 'issue' with gay players? Who cares? I know I played with some..."

Simon Cowell is in talks with Fox to bring his upcoming British cooking show, Food Glorious Food!, to the United States, according to the New York Post. The British version centers around four judges who travel the country, looking for a recipe good enough to be sold in Britain's upscale Marks & Spencer retail stores. The winner walks away with about $31,000 in prizes.

Natalie Maines of Dixie Chicks is releasing her debut solo album, Mother, on May 7 from Columbia Records, according to USA Today. Fans of the country singer can expect something different: this time around, Maines' sound is more rock-based. (The title track is a Pink Floyd cover.) Maines teamed with friend and Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Ben Harper, who co-produced the record with Maines.

Lead actress Christina Applegate has left the NBC show Up All Night after two seasons, according to US Magazine. Applegate—who is reprising her role as Veronica Corningstone in the upcoming Anchorman sequel with Will Ferrell—said in a statement, "It's been a great experience working on Up All Night, but the show has taken a different creative direction, and I decided it was best for me to move on to other endeavors."

Shirley Bassey—singer of the theme songs to Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker—will perform at 85th Academy Awards Feb. 24, according to RollingStone.com . It will be her first appearance at the Oscars. Others slated to perform at the event include Adele (who will perform her Oscar-nominated theme from the latest Bond movie, last year's Skyfall) and the legendary Barbra Streisand.

Illinois resident Ray Fulk, who died last summer at age 71, willed his estate to two actors he never met—leaving them an estimated half a million dollars each, ABC News reported. He claimed that actors Peter Barton (The Young and the Restless) and Kevin Brophy (from the '70s show Lucan) were friends of his, and he was a fan of their shows. Fulk lived alone on a 160-acre property in Lincoln, Ill. that he inherited from his father; he had no family or children.

Fox Sports commentator Chris Rix has apologized for implying college football teammate Darnell Dockett is gay, according to Advocate.com . On a radio show, Dix said, "There [were] always jokes about Darnell and what his preference was." On Twitter, Dockett called Rix a liar, threatened him and said no one on the Florida State University team liked him; Rix subsequently apologized, although Dockett responded, "Say everything u said on radio in my face!"

New York Observer critic Rex Reed's scathing criticism of the new comedy Identity Thief is earning him some angry reviews, according to the Hollywood Reporter. It's not because he called the movie "dreck"—it's because he referred to star Melissa McCarthy's (Bridesmaids) weight four times, even calling her "tractor-sized" and "a female hippo." One reader responded, "If Ms. McCarthy [were] a man, you wouldn't even think of calling her fat because you'd get your old ass kicked in a minute."

In coach Tom Sermanni's debut, the U.S. women's soccer team beat Scotland 4-1 Feb. 9 in Jacksonville, Fla., according to ESPN.com . It was Sermanni's first game in charge since the U.S. Soccer Federation hired him in October 2012. Sermanni, who was born in Scotland, is the successor to lesbian coach Pia Sundhage, who now heads the Swedish national team.

Despite reports that the Russian government wants LGBT athletes to tone it down for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, out figure skater Johnny Weir is not concerned, according to USA Today. Among the reasons are that Weir's close friend is the nation's biggest figure skating star, Evgeni Plushenko; the fact that Weir speaks Russian; and that he's married to a man, Victor Voronov, whose parents grew up in the former Soviet Union. Weir said, "It's appalling they can censor their public, but I try to do everything I can. I have been in talks with different LBGT organizations in Russia with how I can help."

Some people are wondering if Pope Benedict XVI's announcement of his impending resignation is tied to an HBO documentary, according to the Huffington Post. The film, Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, premiered Feb. 4. The film documents the "effort to protect and, in some instances, seemingly aid sexually predatory priests—a conspiracy that the film argues snakes through every level of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, including the current and past popes," the Los Angeles Times noted.

The Online Network announced that production will commence on the highly anticipated revivals of the long-running serial dramas All My Children and One Life to Live beginning Feb. 25, according to a press release. Principal production for both series will take place in Stamford, Conn., with new episodes set to debut later this spring. Brand-new 30-minute episodes will be launched each weekday and available to stream online via the free Hulu.com service and to subscribers of Hulu Plus; in addition, the iTunes Store will offer both series via iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV and Mac or PC.

DC Comics is under fire for naming vocal anti-gay writer Orson Scott Card as the new writer for their new digital Adventures of Superman, according to an AllOut.org press release. Thousands of fans have signed an All Out petition urging DC Comics to drop Card. Card has a long history of opposing rights for gays and lesbians; in 2009, he joined the board of the anti-gay organization National Organization for Marriage. Advocate.com reported that a DC spokesman said, "The personal views of individuals associated with DC Comics are just that—personal views—and not those of the company itself."

Supermodel/former America's Next Top Model judge Janice Dickinson was accused of walking off the catwalk with $20,000 in jewelry after attending a New York Fashion Week benefit, according to the New York Post. Dickinson participated in a runway show benefit, "The Reality of FASHION The Reality of AIDS," with several reality-TV stars. Dickinson eventually turned in most of her loaned gems to the company Effy, but organizers were reportedly still chasing her to track down three unreturned pieces, including two valuable diamond bracelets. Her rep said Dickinson accidentally walked off with the pieces.

Beyonce told Vogue magazine that her new album will be "a lot more sensual" and "empowering" than her previous releases, according to a Rolling Stone item. The singer, who performed at the Super Bowl halftime show Feb. 3, said most of the recording happened last summer in the Hamptons with collaborators and producers including The-Dream, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake. Beyonce describes the new album as a combination of sounds from her last LP, 4, and 2008's I Am ... Sasha Fierce.

Because of a case of synovitis (severe inflammation of joints), Lady Gaga had to postpone Feb. 13-17 concert dates that affected shows in Chicago; Detroit; and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, according to a press release. "I am completely devastated and heartsick," Gaga said in a statement. "I've been hiding this injury and pain from my staff for a month, praying it would heal, but after last night's performance I could not walk. To the fans in Chicago, Detroit and Hamilton, I hope you can forgive me as it is nearly impossible for me to forgive myself right now."

NBA star Kobe Bryant criticized two tweeters who used the word "gay" as a put-down, according to Out.com . Bryant—who was fined $100,000 last year for using a gay slur—tweeted, "Just letting you know@PacSmoove @pookeo9 that using 'your gay' as a way to put someone down ain't ok! #notcool delete that out ur vocab." Bryant's tweet has been retweeted more than 4,000 times.

One of the more eyebrow-raising moments during the Feb. 10 Grammys was when it looked like singer Adele was yelling at singer Chris Brown, according to Out.com . When out singer Frank Ocean (who recently scuffled with Brown) beat Brown for Best Contemporary Urban Album, he received a standing ovation; however, Brown was the only one who remained sitting, and many tweeted about it. However, Adele subsequently tweeted that she and Brown were actually complimenting each other.

It will be an "L Word" reunion when star Jennifer Beals reunites with creator Ilene Chaiken on the new ABC series Venice, according to Deadline.com . Venice, from Warner Bros. TV and McG's Wonderland Sound And Vision, is a soap about the haves and the have-nots in the titular California city. Beals will be a star in the new series while Chaiken will be an executive producer/showrunner.


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