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Hugh Jackman, Richard Simmons and Lady Gaga vs. Lady Goo Goo
Entertainment news summary: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times
by Andrew Davis, Windy City Times
2011-10-19

This article shared 8896 times since Wed Oct 19, 2011
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Tony winner Heather Headley will headline the theatrical adaptation of the Whitney Houston movie The Bodyguard in London's West End, according to Broadway World. Headley confirmed via Facebook, posting, "So, let's talk about London.... Yes! I've been offered the role of Rachel in the musical version The Bodyguard. Very Honored! The script has been rewritten a bit and it's very interesting. Needless to say, the music is great (they're using many of the songs of Whitney's catalogue) - - very challenging, but great." Opening night is slated for autumn 2012.

Susan Boyle will appear in the finale of I Dreamed A Dream, a new U.K. touring musical based on her life, according to Playbill.com . The show will start performances at Newcastle's Theatre Royal March 23, 2012, and then visit several cities, including Cardiff, Bristol and Dublin. Boyle will join the previously announced Elaine C. Smith, who plays Boyle. In a press statement, Boyle said, "It is an honest portrayal of my life and has been a cathartic process to be involved in."

Even though he set the Internet abuzz after appearing on Dancing with the Stars Oct. 10, Richard Simmons' rep said the fitness guru is fine, according to People.com . Bloggers commented that Simmons, 63, looked very thin. However, longtime rep Tom Estey said that Simmons is "actually at the weight he was when we launched the original Sweatin' to the Oldies [in 1988]. He is completely healthy, happy and fit as a fiddle." Simmons has a dance studio in Beverly Hills, Calif., and offers classes to the public.

The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is criticizing actors Hilary Swank and Jean-Claude Van Damme for attending the Oct. 5 birthday party of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, TheWrap.com reported. Kadyrov, whom Vladimir Putin appointed in 2007, allegedly has been involved in torture, disappearances and executions. The organization's president, Thor Halvorssen, said that HRF had sent the Boys Don't Cry actress a letter in September, warning her of Kadyrov's alleged actions. At the time, Halvorssen said, Swank's representative replied that the actress wasn't planning to attend the soiree. However, she and Van Damme are seen on video at the event. Following pressure, Swank has since given her appearance fee to charity.

Actress Tilda Swinton told the British publication The Telegraph that she almost murdered her youngest brother when she was a child, People.com reported. Talking about the 1993 murder of a 2-year-old English Boy, the Orlando actress said, "I remembered when I was four or five, I tried to kill my own brother. He was newly born and I was disappointed, because he was the third boy. That was enough as far as I was concerned." However, entering her brother's nursery, Swinton actually saved his life by removing ribbons he was about to put in his mouth.

Rosie O'Donnell topped Oprah Winfrey in viewers on Winfrey's network, according to a Chicago Tribune item. The Oct. 10 debut of The Rosie Show garnered 497,000 viewers on the Oprah Winfrey Network; however, only 330,000 people watched Winfrey's new show, "Oprah's Lifeclass," where the talk-show titan mixes lessons she's learned with clips from 25 years of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Before it ended in May, The Oprah Winfrey Show had a regular audience of 6.4 million people.

Encouraged by critical acclaim, The Weinstein Company is moving the film My Week with Marilyn from Nov. 4 to Nov. 23, positioning it as a Thanksgiving holiday movie, according to Deadline.com . Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine) has received strong reviews for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe; so have Kenneth Branagh (as Sir Laurence Oliver), Dougray Scott (as Arthur Miller) and Eddie Redmayne (as the production assistant on the set of the Monroe-Olivier movie The Prince and the Showgirl).

GQ Australia recently asked actor Taylor Lautner a question some have viewed as homophobic, according to Advocate.com . While asking the Abduction actor about his relationship with co-star Lily Collins, the magazine asked Lautner if openly gay director Gus Van Sant and writer Dustin Lance Black made a pass at him when he dined with them recently. Lautner said, "No, definitely not. I think they know I'm straight. But they're great guys. They're a lot of fun." Advocate.com asked, "Would GQ have asked Lautner the same question if he'd dined with two older straight women?"

Whitney Houston was involved in an incident on a Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta to Detroit, People.com reported. Houston, 48, refused to fasten her seat belt and exchanged words with a crew member before she eventually conceded. A source said Houston "wasn't drunk, drinking or on drugs; she was just exhausted."

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has announced a list of participants in Spirit Day as well as the launch of its anti-LGBT-bullying "Amplify Your Voice!" public service announcement (PSA) campaign featuring celebrity talent and young people, according to a press release. The PSAs urge viewers to take a stand against anti-LGBT bullying and direct viewers to GLAAD.org for resource kits that feature resources from such organizations as GLSEN, the National Center for Transgender Equality and The Trevor Project. Celebrity participants include Chaz Bono, Kristin Chenoweth, Shaquille O'Neal, Dustin Lance Black, Amy Poehler, Glee's Naya Rivera and Mario Lopez, among others.

HBO has made a deal to develop Lisa Cholodenko's Oscar-nominated comedy The Kids Are All Right as an hourlong series, according to Deadline.com . Cholodenko, who co-wrote and directed the film, will write the pilot script. She will also be executive producer of the series, along with the movie's original producers, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Gary Gilbert and Celine Rattray.

Ray Aghayan, the longtime life partner of fashion designer Bob Mackie, died at age 83, Advocate.com reported. Aghayan was a designer himself, making costumes for stars such as Diana Ross, Judy Garland, Raquel Welch, the Jackson Five and Barbra Streisand. At age 14, Aghayan (who was raised in Tehran, Iran) designed the mourning clothes for Queen Fawzia, the wife of the shah of Iran.

Actor Kelsey Grammer, himself a Republican, described members of the Tea Party as "lunatics" during a talk with CNN's Piers Morgan, ThinkProgress.org reported. The Frasier actor also discussed marriage equality, saying, "I think marriage is up to two people who love each other. I tend to think the government shouldn't be involved in any way."

Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan has refuted his ex-wife's accusations that he is gay, according to Extra. Hogan was on Howard Stern's SiriusXM radio show when Stern asked him about Linda Hogan's charge. Hulk responded, "If I was gay, don't you think she would've said something about it in the divorce three or four years ago? I mean, why now when the book's [already] come out?" Linda claims that Hulk once had an affair with then-fellow wrestler Ed "Brutus Beefcake" Leslie. The Hogans were married 23 years before splitting in 2007.

Cyndi Lauper thinks that anti-gay parents are "ripping out a piece of" their "own soul," according to an NZCity item. The "Time After Time" singer recently blogged in the Huffington Post, "As a mother, I could never imagine throwing my kid away for any reason, let alone over something like their sexual orientation or gender identity. It would be like ripping out a piece of my very own soul. For far too long, dogma and fear have torn apart too many families. It is a time when the heart must lead the way when your child shares this personal and life-changing moment with you." Lauper recently opened The True Colors Residence—named after her 1986 single—which offers accommodations for youths whose families have ousted them from their homes.

Guy Fieri—the host of the NBC show Minute to Win It and the Food Network series Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives—reportedly said anti-gay comments, according to Gay.net . Recently ousted "Diners" creator David Page said that, once, Fieri "had decided that two men running the restaurant were life partners. [Fieri] said, 'You can't send me to talk to gay people without warning! Those people weird me out!'" After that, show researchers were reportedly required to note any indications of homosexuality noticed during pre-interviews. Fieri's rep Jesse Derris said, "Anyone who knows Guy knows he would never make the kind of comments attributed to him in this story."

Larry Hagman—best known for his roles on the iconic TV shows I Dream of Jeannie and Dallas—has been diagnosed with cancer, according to Digital Spy. Hagman, 80, said that he has a "very common and treatable form" of the disease, and still plans to reprise his role as J.R. Ewing in an upcoming reboot of the classic soap. Hagman was set to begin production on Dallas Oct. 17 and will appear in at least four episodes.

Lady Gaga has obtained an injunction against Moshi Monsters singer Lady Goo Goo, Digital Spy reported. The "Born This Way" singer took legal action against Mind Candy—the parent company of Moshi, a children's social-networking site—to prevent the animated character Lady Goo Goo from performing on YouTube. Goo Goo became popular this past summer; among other things, she sings a parody of Gaga's "Paparazzi," called "Peppy-razzi."

ABC has clipped the wings of its Charlie's Angels reboot in the show's first season—after four episodes, according to the Washington Post. The network said Oct. 14 that four more episodes remain to be shown. The original—starring Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith—ran for six seasons on ABC, and there were two feature films with Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz.

Madonna's longtime publicist, Liz Rosenberg, has used the word "fake" to describe a leaked 2012 tour itinerary regarding the Material Girl, according to Popcrush.com . The questionable schedule had the "Like A Virgin" singer traveling worldwide next March through July; however, Rosenberg said that the itinerary is false. Regarding the singer's plans to perform at halftime of Super Bowl XLVI, Rosenberg said, "There is nothing to confirm or deny at this time."

Actor Zachary Quinto has come out of the closet. The 34-year-old actor —who has been on such TV series as So NoTORIous (with Tori Spelling) and Heroes as well as films such as Star Trek—did so while describing his role in the restaging of Angels in America to New York Magazine. He said the eight-month role was "the most challenging thing I've ever done as an actor and the most rewarding. ... [A]s a gay man, it made me feel like there's still so much work to be done, and there's still so many things that need to be looked at and addressed." Rumors had previously linked Quinto—now in the new FX show American Horror Story—with openly gay Glee actor Jonathan Groff.

Legendary agent Sue Mengers died Oct. 15, according to the Hollywood Reporter. She was surrounded by her friends, including actress Ali MacGraw. During her peak in the 1970s, Mengers represented celebrities such as Barbra Streisand, Faye Dunaway, Bob Fosse and Michael Caine.

British singer Cliff Richard is supporting marriage equality, Pink News reported. The 71-year-old, one of his country's best-known Christians, told BBC Radio 4, "I don't see why gay people shouldn't be married. I have got friends, same-sex couples, who have been together for decades. So for them it's marriage even though they can't call it marriage." People have speculated about Richard's own sexual orientation, and he will not talk about his relationship with close friend John McElynn, a former Catholic priest.

The Fox series New Girl is adding a lesbian character, according to EW.com . Comic actress June Diane Raphael will play Sadie, a friend of Jess (played by lead Zooey Deschanel). Sadie is a "smart, slightly intimidating but helpful friend, she's an OB/GYN … who's also a lesbian." Raphael will guest-star in the series' ninth episode; New Girl will return to the Fox line-up Nov. 1.

Kelly Clarkson has criticized how her voice was recorded in her older singles, according to Digital Spy. Clarkson said that producers rely too much on technology when working with female pop singers: "Even voices that don't need AutoTune get it, so you have all these robotic voices. I wanted this [latest] record to sound like my live vocals." Clarkson added, "I understand why people use [AutoTune] for texture but I grew up listening to Patsy Cline and Aretha Franklin; they weren't perfectly 'on' all the time."

Hugh Jackman said that he once could've played James Bond. According to Digital Spy, the actor known for his roles in the X-Men movie series and the current release Real Steel turned down the role years ago: "I was about to shoot X-Men 2 and Wolverine had become this thing in my life. But I think every male at some point thinks about playing Bond. So it was not right then, but it may be right if it comes back." Daniel Craig was later announced as the sixth actor to play Bond.


This article shared 8896 times since Wed Oct 19, 2011
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