The anticipated Broadway-bound revival of Funny Girl starring Bobby Cannavale and Lauren Ambrose has been postponed indefinitely because of financial troubles, Advocate.com reported. Ambrose was set to step into the role of legendary entertainer Fanny Brice that Barbra Streisand originated, with Cannavale (who once played Will's boyfriend in TV's Will & Grace) as her philandering husband, Nick Arnstein. Bob Boyett, one of the show's producers, said, "Our desire to produce Funny Girl on the scale it deserves required a capitalization of $12 million, making it one of the most expensive revivals in Broadway history."
Almost three decades after breaking ground playing a gay man in the film Making Love, Harry Hamlin may have another gay role on the Showtime series Shameless, according to Advocate.com . It is not clear if Hamlin will play a gay character; however, he will somehow be involved with gay teen Ian (played by Cameron Monaghan). In the 1982 movie Making Love, Hamlin's character, Bart, had an affair with Michael Ontkean's married character, Zack.
Out singer Adam Lambert is facing legal action because he reportedly auditioned for American Idol while under contract with a music publisher, according to Digital Spy. Colwel Platinum Entertainment has filed legal papers against the singer, claiming Lambert should have been ineligible for the reality-competition show because of a previous agreement he had with the company. Colwel claims to have spent $200,000 producing Lambert's recordings in 2007-08.
The network Starz has revealed its first full trailer for the second season of the action show Spartacus: Vengeance, Digital Spy reported. Spartacus: Vengeance marks Liam McIntyre's debut on the show after taking over the titular role from previous star Andy Whitfield, who passed away in September at age 39. A six-episode prequel miniseries, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, ran earlier this year.
The Real L Word will run on Showtime for a third season, Digital Spy reported. The network has ordered nine new episodes of the show that follows the lives of lesbians in Los Angeles; however, the new season will also expand by following women in New York City. "We're excited and gratified to be picking up the stories of our most beloved season two cast members at some truly major and life-altering junctures," creator Ilene Chaiken told Entertainment Weekly.
Out actor Neil Patrick Harris said that Hollywood's Magic Castle (a clubhouse for a pro-magic organization of which he's president) will be fine after a fire broke out at the famed institution recently. Twelve fire trucks were called to save the landmark. "We dodged a lot of bullets," Harris said. "It could've been much, much worse. It was minutes, floorboards away from being a huge, huge disaster. Harris, a lifelong magician, said the club has started the "Inferno Fund," to which anyone can contribute.
Rob Reiner is developing a movie based on the legal challenge to Prop 8, California's anti-marriage equality initiative, according to On Top Magazine. Reiner is a co-founder of the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), which is challenging the constitutionality of the amendment. AFER has already supported 8, a play based on last year's 13-day trial that Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black wrote.
Director Tarsem Singh's Snow White movie with Julia Roberts will be called Mirror Mirror, according to Digital Spy. Roberts will portray the Evil Queen alongside actors such as Nathan Lane and Armie Hammer. The film will get competition from the movie Snow White and the Huntsman, which will feature Kristen Stewart (Twilight) and Charlize Theron. Mirror Mirror is slated to debut in theaters next March.
It looks like Beyonce is expecting a girl—at least according to former Destiny's child singer Kelly Rowland, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Talking with US Weekly, Rowland gave the following reply when asked what she plans to buy for Beyonce's baby shower: "I don't know. I think her dad [Jay-Z] is gonna give her everything anyways, all I can give her is love." Also, when asked if the baby will be spoiled, Rowland responded, "I think she'll be very well behaved."
X Factor contestant Stacy Francis is now saying that celebrity blogger Perez Hilton is teaming with her abusive ex-husband against her, the Hollywood Reporter noted. Francis said that the ex was tweeting Hilton, adding, "It hurts my feelings, because it's a lot of lies he's writing." Hilton has responded by saying, "Stacy Francis is a great vocalist—who also happens to be a pathological liar and a fraud!" Hilton has said she's too old to be a pop singer and has accused her of not being totally truthful about her past.
Out singer Melissa Etheridge wants same-sex marriage to be legalized—so she can get divorced, On Top Magazine reported. Last April, she split from her partner of nine years, actress Tammy Lynn Michaels (best known for the TV show Popular). In their filings, each claimed "irreconcilable differences." Michaels has also claimed the couple was married—something Etheridge has denied.
Chaz Bono is angry at the National Enquirer for running a story with the headline "Chaz Bono—ONLY 4 YEARS TO LIVE," according to TMZ.com . The article reportedly cites an opinion from Dr. Patrick Wanis, who said that Bono's weight, combined with stress and various medications associated with gender-reassignment surgery, "increase Chaz's risk of an early death." Bono's legal team sent a letter to the Enquirer demanding a retraction and a public apology; if the publication doesn't, Bono plans to sue.
Actress Lindsay Lohan spent all of four hours in jail the night of Nov. 6 after being sentenced to 30 days, People.com reported. A sheriff's spokesman had previously said that Lohan could be released early due to overcrowding. Lohan, 25, had checked herself into the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, Calif., after she was sentenced to those 30 days in jail.
Kelly Osbourne is recovering from a head injury she received in Miami, US Magazine reported. Osbourne—who was in Miami to attend a model casting call—tweeted, "Long story short, I cracked my head open then kept passing out. I have the all clear [and] my mum [Sharon Osbourne] came to get me." Kelly also thanked the staff at Mercy Hospital "for taking such good care of me."
Lady Gaga took center stage at the recent MTV Europe Music Awards in Belfast, Northern Ireland, winning top honors in the best female, best song ("Born This Way"), best video and best fan categories, according to the Hollywood Reporter. She also performed "Marry the Night" in a satellite-themed costume on top of a giant moon sculpture. Other winners included Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Bruno Mars, while Coldplay and Queen (with Adam Lambert fronting the band) also sang.
Meryl Streep will be in the award mix with her Margaret Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady—but not until the last minute. According to Deadline.com, the film will be released Dec. 30 on a limited platform, with a wider release happening in January. If Streep is nominated for an Academy Award for lead actress, it will be her 14th in that category and 17th overall; she has won twice—the last time in 1982, for Sophie's Choice.
The LGBT network Logo has announced its NewNowNext Travel Award winners, according to a press release. Montreal won Best Global Destination while Columbus, Ohio, was named the "NewNowNextDestination" and Rio Di Janiero, Brazil won the "Sexiest Spot" honor. Other winners include JetBlue (Best Airline), the Mardi Gras in Sydney, Australia (Best Annual Event), New York City (Best U.S. Destination) and The Peninsula Chicago (Best Luxury Hotel).
Sir Elton John said in an op-ed in the U.K. paper The Guardian that he admires straight rugby star Ben Cohen's efforts to end anti-gay bullying, On Top Magazine reported. John, 64—who, along with partner David Furnish, welcomed baby Zachary to their family—wrote, in part, "I've got particular admiration for someone like Ben Cohen. ... Now touring schools around the country, he understands that giving license to any sort of bullying makes all bullying acceptable."
Film director Brett Ratner has come under fire for saying "rehearsal is for fags" during a screening of his movie, Tower Heist, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He has released a statement saying, "I apologize for any offense my remarks caused. It was a dumb and outdated way of expressing myself. Everyone who knows me knows that I don't have a prejudiced bone in my body." Tower Heist stars Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Gabourey Sidibe and Tea Leoni.
In a related development, Ratner has resigned as producer of the next Oscars telecast, according to a GLAAD press release. In an open letter, he stated, "I've gotten a well-deserved earful from many of the people I admire most in this industry expressing their outrage and disappointment over the hurtful and stupid things I said in a number of recent media appearances. To them, and to everyone I've hurt and offended, I'd like to apologize publicly and unreservedly." GLAAD and Ratner are working to hold public discussions featuring entertainment leaders about promoting LGBT people and stories fairly and accurately.
Margaret Field, the mother of Oscar winner Sally Field and the star of the 1951 movie The Man From Planet X, has died of cancer at age 89, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Margaret also appeared in movies such as Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah and TV shows like The Twilight Zone, My Three Sons and Perry Mason. She gave up acting in her mid-thirties to help raise her family.
Actress Ellen Barkin criticized Fox News recently, claiming the network is "blatant lying," according to the Hollywood Reporter. While talking with the L.A. Times magazine, she asked, "Can you imagine a legitimate newsperson—Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw—just lying on the news?" Barkin has also tweeted her political views during a recent GOP debate, including, "In this corner are 7 giant, gaping a--holes. Oh wait, a--holes have no corners."
Jennifer Saunders—one of the co-stars of the TV show Absolutely Fabulous—is writing a feature-film version of the series, Advocate.com reported. "Ab Fab," as it's commonly called, originally ran on the BBC during 1992-95, and has been occasionally been revived. The show, a gay fave, follows the lives of best friends Edina, a PR specialist, and Patsy, a sex-crazed magazine editor.
Actor/comedian John Leguizamo has filed a video for the Human Rights Campaign's Americans for Marriage Equality series, making him the first Latino entertainer to do so, according to Advocate.com . In the video, Leguizamo says, "Loving, committed couples should be able to marry the person they love and protect their families. Nothing is more important than family and nothing says family like marriage." Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker, actress Mo'Nique and NAACP chairman emeritus Julian Bond have also participated in the series.
Lesbian singer k.d. lang has commented on teen sensation Justin Bieber's looks, SheWired.com reported. lang, on the Australian talk show Rove LA, pulled the question "Justin Bieber—hot or not?" from a hat while appearing with actor/rapper LL Cool J and actor Michael C. Hall. lang commented that she received an inquiry about a fellow Canadian and then said, "Justin Bieber looks just like a lesbian..." She then said Bieber was "hot as shit" due to his lesbian look.
Playwright Lisa Kron and composer Jeanine Tesori are adapting lesbian novelist Alison Bechdel's graphic novel Fun Home into a stage musical, SheWired.com reported. Bechdel—who created the long-running comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For—focused on her upbringing and her relationship with her father in the 2006 novel. "My father and I grew up in the same small Pennsylvania town and he was gay and I was gay and he killed himself and I became a lesbian cartoonist," Bechdel's character says in Fun Home.
