At Cyndi Lauper's Home for the Holidays benefit concert at New York's Beacon Theater, she was joined by Billy Corgan for a performance of the Crystals' 1961 song "There's No Other ( Like My Baby )," Pitchfork.com noted. Lauper also played "Time After Time" with Aloe Blacc, and rallied together a group of the night's performers to sing "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." The benefit raised money for the True Colors Fund, an organization co-founded by Lauper that works to end homelessness among LGBT youth.
The Dec. 6 episode continued NBC series This Is Us' trend of big moments with the revelation that dying William ( played by Ron Cephas Jones ) had a boyfriend at one time, Deadline noted. Creator Dan Fogelman said that William's sexual orientation is "a big story we explore in the next episode of the show when we return. It's not that William is gay ( or bi ) that throws Randall, particularly ( although it does shock the hell out of him ). It's that suddenly he's losing time with his father ( and there may not be much time left ) to another person. It's a very sweet father-son story."
Two iconic guitars owned by superstars Jimi Hendrix and Prince will lead Bonhams' Entertainment Memorabilia auction on Dec. 15 in London, a press release stated. Hendrix's longest-owned guitar and Prince's Cloud Guitar will lead the sale, which will also include items such as an Imperial Bosendorfer concert grand piano played by Queen, Coldplay, Robbie Williams and Talk Talk; and a watercolor-and-pencil sketch of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly.
Broadway's August Wilson Theatre was filled Dec. 6 with friends, fans and colleagues of playwright Edward Albee, who died Sept. 16 at age 88, according to Deadline. Onstage to recall the much-laureled author of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and other plays were actors Brian Murray, Rosemary Harris, Maureen Anderman, Jane Alexander, Peter Francis James and Jordan Baker; playwrights Terrence McNally, Arthur Kopit, Will Eno and John Guare; Bill Irwin, Mercedes Ruehl, Bill Pullman; playwright and director Emily Mann; and director David Esbjornson.
A Los Angeles radio station says former Brady Bunch star Susan Olsen has been fired after she got into an online confrontation with openly gay actor Leon Acord-Whiting, Billboard reported. Acord-Whiting criticized the co-host of Two Chicks Talkin' Politics after he was a guest on the show, writing on Facebook that she "spreads outrageous misinformation & it is dangerous and unprofessional." Acord-Whiting later posted a screen shot of a Facebook message he says Olsen sent to him. In the screen shot, Olsen appears to call the actor an offensive term for gay men.
NBC's Hairspray Live! may have entertained many on Dec. 7—but there weren't as many viewers as there were for The Wiz, Deadline noted. Hairspray Live! is down 25 percent in metered-market ratings from the Dec. 3, 2015 live version of The Wiz with Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige, the net's last such live musical offering. In fact, Hairspray is right on the money with the results of 2014's Peter Pan Live!—the lowest rated of all of NBC's live musicals that started with The Sound of Music Live! in 2013.
Warner Bros is moving forward with a new incarnation of Little Shop of Horrors, with Greg Berlanti set to direct and Matthew Robinson writing the script, Deadline reported. This one will be a musical, a fresh version of the 30-year-old Frank Oz-directed film. That was based on the Roger Corman-directed 1960 low budget sci-fi campy tale about a clumsy young man who raises a plant, discovers it is carnivorous, and kills to keep it fed. Berlanti and his Warner Bros-based Berlanti Productions have been busy spearheading six TV series, with Supergirl, Blindspot, The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow and the upcoming Riverdale.
Kate McKinnon has been set to play the title role in The Lunch Witch for Amblin Entertainment. Based on the Deb Lucke's novel, the comedy will be directed by Angry Birds co-helmer Clay Kaytis, who'll make his live-action directing debut. Named to the Saturday Night Live cast in 2012, McKinnon ( an out lesbian ) has risen quickly, winning an Emmy earlier this year, and most recently playing presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and President-Elect Donald Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway.
YouTube sensation Chris Crocker ( of "Leave Britney alone!" fame ), came out of semi-retirement on his birthday to send a message to President-elect Donald Trump: Stop acting like a child, NewNowNext reported. "Hi, I'm the 'Leave Britney Alone' guy. I was a meme & laughing stock for 10 years. I delt [sic] it," Crocker, now 29, tweeted. "You're the President-Elect. Grow up." The message was sent after Trump insisted he'd tweet less "if the press would cover me accurately & honorably."
Sia and her husband of two years, Erik Anders Lang, have announced plans to split, according to Page Six. "After much soul searching and consideration we have made the decision to separate as a couple, " the couple said in a joint statement obtained from the singer's rep. Hollywood Life noted that Sia came out as bisexual in 2013.
Stars danced to find a cure for HIV/AIDS at amfAR's third annual generationCURE Holiday Party at the Cadillac House in New York City, according to Page Six. EJ Johnson and a group of friends took over the dance floor, and DJ Samantha Ronson spun hits from the '90s. Among the event chairs were Johnson, Brad Goreski, Christian Siriano, Kelly Osbourne, Serayah, Olivia Palermo and Jussie Smollett.
Lionel Richie and Mariah Carey announced that they are joining forces for the All The Hits Tour, which kicks off in Baltimore on March 15, 2017, Page Six noted. Both Richie and Carey have a string of hits that remain popular today. Richie's catalog includes "All Night Long ( All Night )," "Hello" and "Stuck on You," while Carey is only behind Elvis Presley for most number-one songs on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, with 18. They will stop at Chicago's United Center on March 25.
Filmatique ( a film-distribution service that releases one film per week ) has released Xavier Dolan's third feature film, Laurence Anyways, on its new streaming platform, a press release stated. Laurence Anyways is a transgender love epic that premiered at Cannes, and won both Best Actress for Suzanne Clement and the Queer Palm—which Dolan famously refused. Dolan directed J'ai tue ma mere ( 2009 ), his first feature, at the age of 19; he has directed six features since, four of which premiered at Cannes, one at Venice, and with his English-language debut currently in production.
A Manhattan judge says the idea she shouldn't preside over pop star Kesha's lawsuit against her former music producer and label—because her husband works for a law firm that represents Sony—is sexist, Page Six reported. Judge Shirley Kornreich, who is married to Proskauer Rose law firm partner Edward Kornreich, said during a hearing that her husband's specialty is healthcare in a firm that had hundreds of lawyers and tens of thousands of clients.
A federal judge in Los Angeles has dismissed a lawsuit that would have prevented Actors' Equity from requiring small L.A.-based theater companies that sign its contract to pay their actors at least minimum wage, Deadline noted. The suit, whose lead plaintiff was former SAG President Ed Asner, argued that forcing small companies to pay minimum wage will put many of them out of business, thus reducing opportunities for local actors. Actors currently make as little as $7 a day at some small venues. Beginning Jan. 1, the minimum wage in California will be $10.50 an hour.
Andy Cohen has revealed that he'd like to sleep with Justin Bieber, NewNowNext noted. On the "Allegedly with Theo Vonn & Matthew Cole Weiss" podcast, Cohen was asked if he'd ever sleep with the "Sorry" singer. "Yes, of course," he quickly answered. "I think he's really pretty. I like how smooth he is—not a lot of body hair. I saw the dick pic and I think he's got a nice, adult-sized penis."
Candace Cameron Bure, returning to The View after a noticeable absence, revealed that she's leaving the show, following Raven-Symone out the door, Deadline noted. Bure called it a "tough" decision, based on the success of her other, pre-View commitments, to Netflix's Full House reboot Fuller House, and to the Hallmark Channel.
Kanye West's close friend Fonzworth Bentley has said that West's mother's death is at center of the rapper's recent meltdown, Page Six noted. "He never mourned his mother, and that's at the root of this, and you don't have to be a clinical psychologist to figure that out," Bentley said. Kanye's mom, Donda, died suddenly after complications from plastic surgery in 2007, and just before canceling his tour and his hospitalization, the now-blonde rapper mourned the ninth anniversary of her death.
London-based auction house Ted Owen & Co. is attempting to sell never-before-seen footage of a pre-teen Beyonce and and her group, Girls Tyme, from 1992, according to Yahoo! News. The asking price is $3.8 million, and the closing date is Jan. 10. Girls Tyme eventually became Destiny's Child, but their 1993 appearance on Star Search was recently used in Beyonce's 2014 self-titled album. On the song "Flawless," she samples the moment when they lost the competition.
Aquaman director James Wan confirmed a report by Deadline that actor Patrick Wilson will play Ocean Master, Aquaman's evil half-brother, in the 2018 film, according to CNET. Wilson began his career on Broadway and is a two-time Tony nominee, and also has Golden Globe and Emmy nominations. He's appeared in four horror movies directed by Wan: Insidious, Insidious: Chapter 2, The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2. Wilson has also appeared in everything from the musical The Full Monty to HBO's Angels in America. Jason Momoa will portray Aquaman.
Some designers flatly refused to dress Ashley Graham for her first-ever Vogue cover, Page Six noted. British Vogue editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman said certain high-fashion brands were not prepared to lend the magazine clothes for Graham ( who is a U.S. size 14 ) to wear in the cover shoot. Luxury label Coach ended up dressing Graham for the shoot, lending Vogue clothes that were outside the constraints of tiny sample sizes. Graham has previously appeared on the cover of Elle, Glamour, Harper's Bazaar and Sports Illustrated, among others.
The producers of the reality hit Duck Dynasty have been fired and sued for fraud by the company that bought their production shingle four years ago, TheWrap reported. ITV America said Dec. 9 it had sacked Scott and Deirdre Gurney, veteran reality producers whose Duck Dynasty became one of the biggest reality hits on cable TV. The company also said it was suing the husband-and-wife team for fraud and breach of contract following an audit into production billing.
"Welcome to the show, sir," Trevor Noah said as CNN's Van Jones came to The Daily Show to plug the cable news net's Donald Trump special The Messy Truth, Deadline noted. However, Jones responded, "Welcome to hell, sir," saying, of the next four years: "For you ,it' a ratings bonanza. For the rest of us, we're just going to be suffering." Jones also said, "Trump is much worse than anybody in this country is willing to accept—but a lot of his voters are much better."
