Award-winning singer-actress Jennifer Hudson has forgiven estranged brother-in-law William Balfour for murdering her mother, brother and nephew, according to Zap2It.com . Talking with Oprah Winfrey on the show Oprah's Next Chapter, Hudson said that although she hold Balfour "very responsible" for the 2008 killings, she added, "I feel like, for the most part, it's not his fault. It's what he was taught. A lot of things came out [during the trial] that we didn't even know about from his upbringing. ... He never had a chance." Hudson also said that she has not been able to visit her deceased relatives' graves.
Marc Anthony Donais—better known in the gay community as porn star Ryan Idol—will file a motion for a new trial at his next court date of Sept. 21, according to a press release. In the motion, Donais will claim ineffective assistance of counsel in the original trial. In September 2011, Donais was convicted of the attempted murder of his estranged girlfriend; he is currently awaiting sentencing in the Sacramento (Calif.) County Jail. Regarding his own sexuality, Idol once said, "I don't like to label myself. I'd just like to say I'm a loving person. I can love a man and I can love a woman."
In an interview with The Advocate, actor Zac Efron talked about marriage equality and rumors about his own sexuality. At one point, he said, "After High School Musical and Hairspray, I've always felt embraced by the gay community, and I feel incredibly grateful and honored." About playing gay, he said, "I'd never take a role just for the sake of playing gay, but I'm always looking for a role that's challenging, different, and entails some risk, so there's no doubt in my mind that one of those characters will be gay at some point in the future." Efron will soon co-star with Matthew McConaughey and Nicole Kidman in the movie The Paperboy, helmed by out director Lee Daniels (Precious).
Grammy-winning singer Melissa Etheridge told Joy Behar "I'm for gay divorce," on Behar's Current TV show Joy Behar: Say Anything, according to SheWired.com . In the interview, Behar questioned Etheridge about her well-publicized split from actress Tammy Lynn Michaels, the mother of their twins. Among other things, Etheridge said that because she and Michaels had a domestic partnership rather than a legal marriage, she was "punished monetarily."
Bravo Media has greenlit the fifth season of the docuseries The Rachel Zoe Project, a press release announced. The release read, "Rachel Zoe has evolved from being a successful celebrity stylist into the Rachel Zoe brand. Her business has exploded and now includes accessories, apparel and more. ... Rachel proves that not only can she go 'bananas,' but can have her cake and eat it, too." It was not stated when the new season will begin.
After two decades of programs, In the Life Media is airing the final episode of the Emmy-nominated series In the Life this December, according to an open letter to supporters. Co-chairs Henry van Ameringen and Jayne Baron Sherman stated, "Your generosity has had a daily impact on thousands of LGBT individuals. Our programs have helped change lives and, in some cases, even saved them—providing media that helped set legal precedents for same-sex married couples, educating political leaders, preventing teen suicides and providing a lifeline to the larger community for isolated LGBT youth."
Ta'rea Campbell (The Book of Mormon, The Lion King) will be lead nun Delores van Cartier in the national tour of the Tony Award-nominated musical Sister Act, which will launch Oct. 2 in Toronto, according to Playbill.com . The film is based on the popular 1992 film of the same title that stars Whoopi Goldberg, who is co-producing this tour. Other actors in the production include Hollis Resnik (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Les Miserables) as Mother Superior and original Broadway cast member Kingsley Leggs (The Color Purple), who will repeat his work as Curtis Jackson.
Lori Lindsey, an alternate on the U.S. women's soccer team during the Summer Olympics, has come out of the closet, according to a SheWired.com item. The "very, very newly single" Lindsey told Autostraddle she has not faced any discrimination as a gay athlete. However, she said she understands the importance of being an out role model for young women. Lindsey's mom is also a lesbian, and has been with her partner for 25 years.
In a Rolling Stone article whose original publishing date is actually undetermined, rapper Nicki Minaj says she claimed to be bisexual early in her career just to get attention, Advocate.com reported. "I think girls are sexy," she says in the article. "But I'm not going to lie and say that I date girls." Minaj recently generated controversy with lyrics on a new mixtape that says she going to vote for Mitt Romney; however, several media outlets have defended her.
Barbra Streisand's Release Me (Columbia Records)—a collection of 11 previously unreleased songs showcasing her career from 1963 to the present—will be out on vinyl Sept. 25 and CD Oct. 9. Highlights include "Didn't We," written by Jimmy Webb and recorded in 1970 for an unreleased album project titled The Singer; and "Willow, Weep For Me," an unreleased track recorded in 1967 for Simply Streisand that Ray arranged.
Kylie Minogue has announced that she will release The Abbey Road Sessions in the United States Nov. 6, according to a press release. The album—which was recorded in London's legendary Abbey Road Studios with Minogue's band and a full orchestra—features 16 classic Kylie tracks, all radically reworked, spanning her 25-year career. The album features many of her best-known hits, including "I Should Be So Lucky," "Can't Get You Out Of My Head," "Better the Devil You Know" and "The Locomotion."
The 2012 Gay Days at Disneyland have added the musical duo Karmin to the Oct. 5-7 festivities in Anaheim, Calif., according to a press release. Also on the bill are "An Intimate Conversation with Florence Henderson" and Logo's sneak peek at its new series, RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars, some of whom will be on hand. Actors Michael Urie and Dot Marie Jones are already slated to be there. See www.GayDaysAnaheim.com .
Stars such as Rihanna, Drake, One Direction and Taylor Swift were at the MTV Video Music Awards Sept. 6—but many feel that now-out singer Frank Ocean stole the show with his performance. Ocean sang a stripped-down version of "Thinking About You,"—a song off his CD, Channel Orange—while seated by a fake campfire and wearing his trademark bandana. The Huffington Post called his performance "studio-perfect" and the Daily Beast called it "powerhouse." Lady Gaga tweeted, "watch frank ocean steal this whole show. I'm dead."
Glee actor Darren Criss will present veteran gay producing duo Craig Zadan and Neil Meron with Outfest's Visionary Award Oct. 13 for their body of work, which includes the hit LGBT-inclusive musicals Chicago and Hairspray, Advocate.com reported. "Thanks to Craig and Neil's exceptional work in movies, television and on stage, they have given a loud and clear voice to LGBT characters that reaches the widest possible audience," says Kirsten Schaffer, executive director of Outfest. The duo will produce the 85th annual Academy Awards in February, and the second season of their series Smash will premiere in the fall.
Wanda Sykes aired her thoughts on this year's presidential election with a rapid-fire, roundtable discussion of political issues with a bipartisan panel of politicos in Logo's "NewNowNext Vote with Wanda Sykes" election special that aired Sept. 10, according to a Logo press release. Sykes and panelists such as MSNBC news anchor Thomas Roberts, GoProud Executive Director Jimmy LaSalvia and U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (among others) discussed issues ranging from the economy to health care. At one point, Sykes said, "I'm a Black gay woman. I think the only way to make the GOP hate me more is if I sent them a video of me rolling around on a pile of wellfare checks."
Actress/producer Drew Barrymore has reportedly purchased a gay bar in West Hollywood, Calif., Gay Star News reported. The Charlie's Angels actress is believed to have bought the Revolver nightspot that features scantily clad male go-go dancers. However, her rep has denied Barrymore's interest in the bar, although it's been confirmed that the star's business associate does own Revolver and may take over another spot called Eleven.
The Weight—a drama about a young hunchback man living a solitary life working in a morgue—won the Queer Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The honor, awarded in Venice since 2007, is given each year to the best film that "accurately portrays [LGBT] characters." Among the other candidates for the honor was Brian De Palma's Passion. Last year's winner was Al Pacino's Wilde Salome.
The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) will honor producer brothers Bob and Harvey Weinstein with the Chairman's Award at the GLSEN Respect Awards—Los Angeles Friday, Oct. 5, in addition to other honorees, according to a press release. The Weinstein brothers will receive the Chairman's Award for their role in distributing Bully, a documentary that has brought unprecedented national attention to the bullying public health crisis in K-12 schools.
Out singing superstar George Michael has made history by becoming the first international pop star to perform in Paris' Opera Garnier, a venue more known as a stage for classical music and opera, according to the Huffington Post. The "Fastlove" singer performed as part of his "Symphonica Tour" to support the French AIDS charity Sidaction. After the concert (which celebrities such as Jean-Paul Gaultier attended), there was a star-studded gala dinner/fundraiser.
On his show Watch What Happens Live, host Andy Cohen took Perez Hilton to task over Cohen's friend, actress Sarah Jessica Parker, Out.com reported. Before participating in the show's "Plead the Fifth" segment, Cohen told Hilton, "You were very mean to my friend Sarah Jessica Parker. You apologize to SJP for me." Hilton gave a terse apology and later tweeted, "@SJP I do mean it. Sorry if anything I said in the past hurt you. I WAS a fan. And still am!"
Out actors Michelle C. Bonilla (The Closer, Slip Away, ER) and Matt Crabtree (NCIS) head the web series Failing Upwards, according to a press release. The series—which premiered Sept. 3—is "about unemployment and the hilarity of finding a job … even if you have to lie to get one." Season one consists of six episodes that are five to seven minutes each; they air every two weeks to coincide with the due dates of most unemployment forms. See www.FailingUpwardsTheSeries.com .
During New York's Fashion Week, Jenna Lyons—the lesbian president and executive creative director of J.Crew—had fun with girlfriend Courtney Crangi at Humberto Leon and Carol Lim's Opening Ceremony 10-year anniversary party at Webster Hall, according to New York Post. A source said, "They were tearing up the main dance floor. They were leaning into each other and kissing all night."
Singer Sheryl Crow said that her benign brain tumor resulted from using "old, archaic cell phones," according to the New York Daily News. Talking with Katie Couric on the new show Katie, the musician said, "There are no doctors that will confirm that. [But] I do have the theory that it's possible that it's related to that. I [used to spend] hours on the old archaic cell phones." Crow, 50, added that she was worried she had early-onset Alzheimer's.
