An on-stage Elton John bio-musical has its eyes set on Broadway and then London's West End, Broadway.com reported. The project, currently titled Rocketman the Musical, will feature the classic rock legend's canon and has Tony-winning Billy Elliot book writer Lee Hall on board. Mad Max: Fury Road's Tom Hardy has been tapped to headline the film version. John, born Reginald Dwight, began writing songs with Bernie Taupin in 1967.
Organizers of the National LGBT 50th-anniversary celebration announced that entertainer and advocate Wanda Sykes will emcee the National LGBT 50th Anniversary Ceremony on July 4 at Independence Hall, a press release stated. An award-winning writer, actress and comedienne, Sykes came out publicly in 2008 at a Prop 8 rally in Las Vegas. In 2010, Sykes was presented with the Stephen F. Kolzak Award by GLAAD for making a significant difference in promoting equal rights for the LGBT community in the media.
American Horror Story: Hotel co-creator Ryan Murphy introduced Sarah Paulson as "the baddest bad girl of them all" when announcing the actress' return to the FX anthology series—and Paulson has teased what her boss could have possibly meant, according to TheWrap. "Here's the only thing I can give you … I am not playing Janis Joplin," Paulson said. She hopes what she will be doing is becoming BFFs with Lady Gaga, who been cast as a series regular for the show's fifth season.
Speaking of the show, Angela Bassett is rejoining the franchise, Variety noted. Bassett, who starred as Desiree Dupree in "Freak Show" and Marie Laveau in "Coven," has joined the fifth round of Ryan Murphy's anthology series. Other previously announced veterans in the "Hotel" cast are Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Evan Peters, Wes Bentley, Chloe Sevigny and Matt Bomer. Cheyenne Jackson and superstar Lady Gaga will also co-star.
Out singer Adam Lambert was asked to name his type of guy during a recent appearance on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live, On Top Magazine noted. "If I knew, I'd probably be dating someone," the 33-year-old Lambert answered. "I don't know." Lambert added that he's more into "otters" than "bears," and that he sometimes dates "twinks." ( Otters are considered slimmer and less hairy than bears. )
Whoopi Goldberg returned to The View May 19, following the death of her older brother, according to Page Six. "Thank you for all of the outpouring of sympathy," she said on the broadcast, following her weeklong absence. "My brother Clyde Johnson was an amazing cat. He was the funny one of the family." Goldberg's brother died after a brain aneurysm at age 65.
Michael Sam—the first openly gay person to be selected in the National Football League ( NFL ) draft—is going to Canada, USA Today noted. The Montreal Alouettes have signed the defensive end and University of Missouri graduate, and Sam will participate in the team's upcoming training camp. The St. Louis Rams selected Sam last year, but then cut him. Sam then briefly worked with the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad. Sam's contract is slated to pay Sam $100,000 in 2015—nearly double the CFL minimum of $51,000.
Mia Farrow, Alan Cumming, Olivia Wilde, British diver Tom Daley, Bravo's Andy Cohen and English singer Sam Smith were among the celebrities who reacted to the news that Ireland's citizens have approved same-sex marriage, US Weekly noted. Cumming tweeted, "Omfg! Ireland! Have you done it? Is it really a YES?," while Wilde posted, "Go Ireland go! Show the world how to lead with love. So proud to be Irish today. #marriageequality #IrelandVoteYes." Virgin founder Richard Branson tweeted, "Great to see the people of Ireland voting to live in a country where everybody is treated equally #MarRef #YesEquality."
Out breakout director Xavier Dolan was recently asked about his crush on actor Jake Gyllenhaal, NewNowNext.com reported. Vanity Fair asked Dolan, "You spoke about having a crush on Jake Gyllenhaal in an interview last year. Is it hard to concentrate with him on the panel?," to which Dolan responded, "Is it hard? What part of me?" Dolan recently served as a judge, along with Gyllenhaal and others, at the Cannes film festival.
In an interview with The New York Post, actor Jack Black talked about his sex scene with James Marsden in the new bromance comedy The D Train, Towleroad noted. Black ( saying Marsden smelled like an "ocean breeze" ) said, "That was the scene that made me want to do the movie. ... I was only worried that if we approached it too comedically, it could have been offensive or sort of generic, like something you'd seen before. So the only thing I was worried about was getting it right."
Todd Haynes' Carol has been named the winner of the 2015 Queer Palm award, a prize given to a Cannes film that deals with LGBT issues, according to TheWrap. Carol is adapted from a Patricia Highsmith novel ,and stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara as two women who fall in love in early 1950s New York. Past winners include Gregg Araki's Kaboom, Oliver Hermanus' Beauty, Xavier Dolan's Laurence Anyways, Alain Guiraudie's Stranger by the Lake and Matthew Warchus' Pride.
Co-host Kristin Chenoweth as well as Chita Rivera, Christian Borle, Brian d'Arcy James, Kelli O'Hara, Tyne Daly and Ken Watanabe will be among performers on the 2015 Tony Award broadcast June 7, Playbill noted. In addition to her co-hosting duties, Chenoweth will perform with the cast of her show On the Twentieth Century; d'Arcy James, Borle and Oscar will perform with the cast of Something Rotten!; Rivera will perform with the cast of The Visit; and O'Hara and Watanabe will perform with the cast of The King and I. The casts of On the Town, Fun Home and An American in Paris are also scheduled to perform.
The nine original cast members of the hit Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will reunite for a special one-night-only 10-year anniversary concert July 6 at Town Hall Theatre in New York, according to Playbill. Scheduled to perform are Derrick Baskin, Deborah S. Craig, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Dan Fogler, Lisa Howard, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jose Llana, Jay Reiss, and Sarah Saltzberg. The evening will also feature celebrity guest spellers who will attempt to beat Putnam County's spelling legends, including Chip Tolentino, William Barfee and Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre.
Out British singer Sam Smith—saying he wants to be an international "voice for gay youth"—has launched a foundation to help that demographic, On Top Magazine reported. Smith told a French publication that his recently created foundation would help people around the globe who are struggling to come out of the closet. Smith previously revealed that was the victim of violence because of his sexuality.
Barbra Streisand is writing a memoir that will reflect on her life and career as an actress, singer, songwriter and director, according to People. Viking will release the book in 2017. The singer's latest album, Partners, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts in September 2014, making her the only artist to have a top-selling record in each of the last six decades.
Chef Art Smith will oversee an upcoming same-sex wedding on a special episode of the hit reality TV show Top Chef, The Huffington Post reported. Details are sparse, but the special will air later this year and producers are reportedly looking for couples who might want to tie the knot on the popular cooking competition. In related news, Smith is set once again to throw his "101 Gay Weddings" event, this time in Atlanta on June 28. ( He previously held the mass gay-wedding event in Miami Beach. ) The first 101 couples to tweet #101GayWeddings to @ChefArtSmith will be invited to participate in the free wedding. Smith and his own husband, Jesus Salgueiro, will soon mark their fifth anniversary.
Madonna is again causing a commotion. According to Gay Star News, the "Express Yourself" singer posted a picture of a Jewish man about to kiss a Muslim man. She captioned it with an emoji and the hashtag #rebelhearts. ( Rebel Hearts is the title of her newest CD. ) She has also connected homosexuality and the conflict between Jews and Muslims in concert, such as during her Confessions tour.
Out actor Matt Bomer is part of the remake of The Magnificent Seven, according to TheWrap. From director Antoine Fuqua, the A-list cast also boasts Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Peter Sarsgaard and Jason Momoa, among others.
Joey Graceffa, a popular YouTube figure and former Amazing Race contestant, came out gay in the music video for his single "Don't Wait," which deals with bullying, according to On Top Magazine. The music video ends with Graceffa, who has dodged rumors about his sexuality, kissing another man. The video's release coincided with the May 19 release of Graceffa's new memoir, In Real Life: My Journey to a Pixelated World.
Major League Baseball has launched an entire line of team-specific Pride hats and T-shirts, with logos for the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and other teams colored in rainbow hues, NewNowNext.com noted. The items can be found at shop.MLB.com .
Sharon Osbourne is taking a one-month break from The Talk as she recovers from exhaustion, People noted. Her rep said that Osbourne, 62, collapsed upon returning home to Los Angeles after a busy trip to New York and Toronto. Osbourne's doctors believe that she returned to work too soon after being hospitalized earlier this year for pneumonia.
The sprawling estate featured in the 2004 film Mean Girls is on sale for $12 million, Page Six stated. Listed by Sotheby's International Realty Canada, the 20,000-square-foot Toronto property has six bedrooms, 12 bathrooms and a six-car garage. Home to on-screen bully Regina George, played by Rachel McAdams, the mansion includes a wine cellar, spa, wet bar and separate staff quarters.
Kelly Clarkson isn't shy when it comes to voicing her opinions on social and political issues ( she's pro-LGBT ), and she recently came out in favor of legalizing marijuana, TasteOfCountry.com noted. "I'm not even a pothead, I just think it's funny that we legalize something as destructive as alcohol or pills and not that," Clarkson told Rolling Stone, adding, "Don't get me wrong, I love me some alcohol, but I don't know anybody in rehab because of pot."
Cara Delevingne brought rocker girlfriend St. Vincent, a.k.a. Annie Clark, to de Grisogono's over-the-top bash in Cannes—where Delevingne's ex, Michelle Rodriguez, was another guest of honor, Page Six noted. However, the former flames avoided each other as Delevingne led Clark by the hand through a crowd that included Natalie Portman, Mary J. Blige, Paris Hilton and Adrien Brody.
David Koch—who donated $100 million for the refurbishment of the old New York State Theater in Lincoln Center ( now the David H. Koch Theater )—apparently has no interest in helping pay for the renovations on the David Geffen Hall across the plaza, according to Page Six. Geffen donated $100 million to get his name on the former Avery Fisher Hall in March; however, Lincoln Center wants to raise another $400 million to redo the space. Koch, who is worth $43 billion, just gave $150 million to Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Play Out underwear is pushing gender boundaries with its new ad campaign, which features shirtless women who have undergone double-mastectomies wearing the brand's unique, unisex undergarments, according to People. The conversation-sparking photo series stars women who are breast cancer survivors, all with their own unique backstories. According to a press release for the brand, 58 percent of women choose not to have breast reconstruction post-mastectomy, including the three women in the campaign.
Brandon Flowers of The Killers is working in the studio with New Order, a band releasing its new album this fall, NME.com reported. The Killers got its name from a fictional band from the video for New Order's 2001 single "Crystal." New Order will be making its first album without founding bassist Peter Hook; album producer include Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers. Some of New Order's past singles include "Regret," "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "World ( The Price of Love )."
An intriguing legal battle is taking place between a comic-book company and a globally known pop singer, Page Six noted. DC Entertainment, the company that owns Batman, is trying to to block Rihanna from trademarking her real first name—Robyn—saying it's too similar to the superhero's trusty sidekick, Robin. Rihanna's firm Roraj Trade, which has trademarked products such as her Reb'L Fleur perfume, tried to register the name on June 23, 2014, according to a complaint filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Omar Sharif—the star who won accolades for his role in films including Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago—is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, Time noted. His agent said the 83-year-old actor ( born Michel Demitri Chalhoub ) was resting at his home in Egypt. Sharif has one son, and GLAAD's Omar Sharif Jr. is one of his grandchildren.
Reality TV star Josh Duggar issued an apology after reports surfaced that he allegedly molested girls as a teenager, saying: "I acted inexcusably," CNN noted. Duggar, 27, is the oldest of the children who appear on TLC's hit show 19 Kids and Counting. The network pulled all episodes of the show currently set to air. Late last night, family matriarch Michelle Duggar took part in a robocall against an anti-discrimination housing law affecting the transgender community in Arkansas.
