The musical act known as The Village People is upset that the YMCA is changing its name to "The Y," according to Starpulse.com . Among the group's hits are "Y.M.C.A.," "In the Navy" and "Macho Man." In a statement, the group said, "We are deeply dismayed by today's announcement from the YMCA that they feel a name change and a rebranding are in order after 166 years. Some things remain iconic and while we admire the organisation for the work they do, we still can't help but wonder Y."
Beverly Hills is about to become a little bit gayer—at least on television. According to an Advocate.com item, Entertainment Weekly has reported that a guy is set to come out of the closet next season on the TV show 90210, an update of the '90s program Beverly Hills, 90210. Either Teddy ( played by Trevor Donovan ) , Liam ( Matt Lanter ) or Navid ( Michael Steger ) will acknowledge his love of men. Steger has played a gay hustler on the HBO series True Blood.
GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, will honor will honor the hit ABC show Modern Family at the Respect Awards-Los Angeles, Oct. 8 at the Beverly Hills Hotel, according to a GLSEN press release. Among the show's stars are Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who portray a gay couple. The Respect Awards, held yearly in Los Angeles and New York, recognize leaders who have helped GLSEN's efforts to ensure safe schools for all students.
Celebrity and pro-gay advocate Kelly Osbourne has ended her engagement with model fiancé Luke Worrall, according to a New York Daily News item. The twosome posted disparaging remarks of each other on Facebook before deleting them; Osbourne stated, "Luke Worrall makes me sick!!!" Worrall, 20, had allegedly been cheating on Osbourne, 25.
Sean Lennon, son of Beatle John Lennon, has been verbally attacked for posting a photo of Lady Gaga playing his late father's white piano, according to the New York Daily News. John Lennon's fans said online that Gaga was not worthy to play the famed instrument—and their collective vitriol was enough to motivate Sean to remove the image. Sean later Tweeted, "Pianos [ are meant ] to be played. What should we do, lock it away in a dusty room? So judgmental...Come on, lighten up." He then added that the piano actually belongs to his mother, Yoko Ono.
Real Housewife of New Jersey Danielle Staub ( who has a sex tape out and who is suing fellow Housewife Teresa Giudice for an unrelated reason ) is reportedly dating Lori Michaels, a lesbian singer-songwriter, according to the Huffington Post. Staub recently performed her single, "Real Close" on Bravo with Michaels while gazing deeply into each other's eyes, and they have gone out to parties. Staub is the second Housewife who has a "girlfriend," following Real Housewife of Atlanta Kim Zolciak, who recently dated DJ Tracy Young.
Lesbian tennis legend Martina Navratilova is slated to take part in the 19th Annual Celebrity Tennis Classic and "Casino Royale" Gala Saturday, Oct. 2, at California's Berkeley Tennis Club and the Claremont Resort, respectively, according to a press release from the Alta Bates Summit Foundation. Navratilova will be there with with Bay Area tennis pros and celebrities from radio, television and sports. Proceeds will support the lifesaving work of Thunder Road Adolescent Treatment Center..
The LGBT television network Logo has announced that it has acquired the off-cable syndication rights to the dramatic series Nip/Tuck in a four-year licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, according to a press release. The agreement includes all 100 episodes of the award-winning drama, spanning seven seasons. Nip/Tuck will start running in October, with three consecutive episodes running one night per week.
Actor Hugh Jackman auctioned off a chance to work out with him—for $20,000, according to an Advocate.com item. Jackman, who is gaining 20 pounds of muscle for the movie sequel to Wolverine, will donate the money to New York City's Summit School for children with learning and adjustment challenges. By the way, he had agreed to work out shirtless for $5,000 more.
Comedian/gay fave Kathy Griffin is a fan of Mel Gibson. Griffin finds Gibson to be "comedic heaven" because of his alleged rants at former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, according to a Chicago Tribune item. Griffin joked that she and fellow comic Joan Rivers were "going to send him a co-muffin basket. The card will read 'Dear Mel, you've paid our mortgages."
Singer Enrique Iglesias plans to make good on his promise to water-ski nude if Spain won the 2010 World Cup that recently wrapped up in South Africa, Advocate.com reported. Iglesias, 35, originally said, ""If Spain wins, I'm going to get drunk and ski naked in Biscayne Bay." Spain defeated teh Netherlands 1-0 in the July 11 title game. It's not known when Iglesias will fulfill his promise.
Speaking of the World Cup, soccer player/gay icon Cristiano Ronaldo ( who played for Portugal ) was recently seen partying with openly gay former NSYNC member Lance Bass in New York City, Pink News reported. Ronaldo, 25, arrived in the city with girlfriend Irinia Shayk, 24, but later went out without her with Bass, 31. Ronaldo has been the subject of gay rumors, but he has said, "I'm at ease with my sexuality so it's not a problem for me."
Singer Clay Aiken is available again after splitting from Broadway star Reed Kelly, according to an On Top Magazine item that cited blogger Perez Hilton. Aiken and Kelly reportedly began dating soon after the American Idol alumnus came out in 2008. Hilton wrote that Kelly had changed his MySpace status to "single" and that he was listening to the Christina Aguilera song "You Lost Me."
Legendary singer Aretha Franklin is teaming up with ... former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice? The unlikely twosome will share a stage July 27 at Philadelphia's Mann Center for a concert benefiting inner-city youth, according to the Washington Post. According to the center's website, "Ms. Rice will enchant us with selections from Mozart and more and will feature Aretha on vocals with selections from her new album, 'A Woman Falling Out of Love.'" Rice, an accomplished pianist, captured her first piano competition as a teenager playing Mozart's Piano Concerto in D Minor.
The Melissa Etheridge-Tammy Lynn Michaels split is becoming increasingly bitter. According to US Magazine, Etheridge, 49, has now accused Michaels, 35, of using their twins as "pawns." Etheridge is claiming that Michaels tricked her, having the singer think that she was meeting her own kids when she was actually served with court papers. Michaels has said that she does not understand why Etheridge cannot provide spousal support, considering the singer allegedly makes at least $600,000 per month.
It's now Lady Gaga vs. Rev. Fred Phelps and his anti-gay Westboro ( Kan. ) Baptist Church. According to Advocate.com, church members picketed her July 17 concert in St. Louis, Mo., carrying signs reading, "God hates Lady Gaga." The singer Tweeted, "Love and hate met in St. Louis. And love outnumbered the hate, in poetic thousands. Hate left. But love stayed. + Together, we sang." On her website, she called the churchgoers "violent and dangerous."
Colorful Oscar-nominated actor Mickey Rourke may star in a movie about openly gay British rugby player Gareth Thomas, according to The Sun. Rourke, 57, and Thomas, 35, recently met for dinner, and their managers are trying to work out a deal.
In Australia, the censor has banned the movie L.A. Zombie, a Bruce LaBruce-directed movie that features graphic gay sex between the undead, according to Advocate.com . Donald McDonald, director of Australia's Film Classification Board, stated in a letter to Melbourne International Film Festival Director Richard Moore that the movie could not be screened because it would probably not receive a rating. L.A. Zombie—a follow-up to LaBruce's 2008 film Otto; Or, Up With Dead People—features an alien zombie who can bring the dead back to life with sex.
