At least two people have been arrested in connection with a break-in at the home of filmmaker Tyler Perry in Atlanta, according to DailyHerald.com . Kamisha Boozer, 17, and Chloe Ware, 18, have been nabbed so far; a bodyguard grabbed Ware after the intrusion and someone gave Boozer's name to authorities, although Boozer was not present at the break-in. Perry, 41, has been behind such movies as For Colored Girls and TV series like Tyler Perry's House of Payne.
Actress Michelle Williams is pleased with the oral-sex scene in the movie Blue Valentine that initially earned the film an NC-17 rating, according to Newser.com . "I thought, 'I've never seen that before in a movie and I'm proud to be the first. Good on us for making that happen,'" she said. "As the woman in the situation that was in question, I found absolutely nothing scandalous, tawdry or disgusting about it." Williams is the mother of one child by the late actor Heath Ledger, who she met on the set of Brokeback Mountain.
During an interview with BBC Radio 4, out actor Rupert Everett slammed actress Jennifer Aniston as an example of what has gone wrong with Hollywood, TheCelebrityCafe.com reported. "You'll find there's lots of women and lots of men in the business that the powers that be decide are right for their business, and they'll stand with them for quite a long time," Everett said. "OK, something will go wrong, like Jennifer Aniston will have one too many total flops, but she's still a member of that club."
Prosecutors in the case of Dr. Conrad Murray—accused of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson—say that the defense is claiming Jackson killed himself, according to Newser.com . Defense lawyers say that up to 150 milligrams of Propofol killed Jackson; Murray has said he gave the "Thriller" singer only 25 milligrams. A preliminary hearing in the case was set to begin Jan. 4.
The New York Post, in announcing Sir Elton John and partner David Furnish's adoption of son Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, ran a story Dec. 29 with the headline, "Elton and wife proud dads," Advocate.com reported. The story, by David K. Li, contained no anti-gay slurs, but the headline has generated its own headlines as well as responses from bloggers and editorial writers. Gawker's Brian Moylan noted that the headline is inaccurate as well as insulting because men are civil partners in the United Kingdom and cannot get married.
Lesbian folk singer Catie Curtis has formed a strategic partnership with GayWeddings.com, the online boutique and resource for planning same-sex weddings, according to a press release. Curtis will serve as a wedding officiate and help same-sex couples design their own ceremonies. "We share with Catie the value and mission of helping gay couples celebrate their love for one another," said Kathryn Hamm, president of GayWeddings.com .
Forbes magazine has named Ellen DeGeneres the world's 10th-most powerful woman. First Lady Michelle Obama leads the pack of 100 women, while Oprah Winfrey placed third (behind Kraft Foods CEO Irene Rosenfeld). The rest of the top 10, in order, are German Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, Lady Gaga, Westpac CEO Gail Kelly, Beyonce Knowles and DeGeneres. Talk-show Rachel Maddow is 80th and Iceland's lesbian prime minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, is 80th—two spots behind talk-show host Rachael Ray.
Singer Annie Lennox and a founder of one of England's first gay soccer teams are among those on the queen's New Year Honours List, according to Advocate.com . Lennox was named an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for her activism in fighting HIV/AIDS and poverty in Africa, while Aslie Pitter helped found the Stonewall club approximately two decades ago. Lennox said, "As somewhat of a renegade, it either means I've done something terribly right—or they've done something terribly wrong."
Cabaret singer David Gurland died of a massive brain hemorrhage in New York City Dec. 29, 2010, at the age of 43, according to Playbill.com . Over the years, Gurland had earned seven MAC Award nominations, the MAC/Hanson Award, a Gay and Lesbian American Music Award nomination and four Bistro Awards. He is survived by his partner, actor Rob Maitner, among others.
Singing legend Aretha Franklin is not directly answering questions about her having cancer, but told Jet magazine that "the problem has been resolved," according to People.com . When asked about rumors that she had pancreatic cancer, Franklin responded, "I am not going to even deal with that. I don't have to talk about my health with anybody other than my doctors." She recalled having "a very hard pain in [her] side" at a Toronto show in 2010.
Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine has posed nude in the name of cancer awareness, according to US Magazine. With female hands strategically placed over his genitals, Levine took off his clothes in a Cosmopolitan UK spread aimed at encouraging men to check for testicular and prostate cancer. Levine said, " I often have to be told by the people around me that it's inappropriate to be as naked as I am. But I live in California, where it's always warm, so why not?"
Chef Gordon Ramsay, the mind behind TV's Hell's Kitchen, was put in a bizarre incident in Costa Rica, Examiner.com reported. As he and a crew were attempting to film a documentary on the illegal practice of shark-fin hunting, Ramsay was attacked by a group of hunters and covered in oil. As a result, Ramsay has had to undergo medical procedures to repair his hair and his face. Shark-fin hunting involves removing the fin—considered a delicacy in some parts of the world—and discarding the carcass at sea.
Figure skater Johnny Weir officially comes out of the closet in his upcoming autobiography, Welcome to My World, according to Advocate.com . However, the Olympic athlete and Skating with the Stars judge also says that he would marry the right woman if she comes along. In the book, Weir writes, "In a sexual way, I'm gay, but I would marry a woman tomorrow if it struck me. I don't think sex and relationships necessarily have to go together." He adds that he is coming out to help LGBT youths who may be dealing with bullies, parents or their own feelings.
At the recent People's Choice Awards, NCIS actress Pauley Perrette garnered attention by donning a white dress with "NO H8" stitched on it. About the Terri King frock, Perrette told reporters, "It's kind of like wearing my heart on my sleeve, but I'm wearing it on my dress." The NO H8 campaign is a photographic protest to the passage of California's anti-gay-marriage intiative, Proposition 8. At the actual awards show, out actors Jane Lynch and Neil Patrick Harris swept the comedy honors.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, actor James Franco talks about the gay roles he's played, according to Pink News. Franco, who has been in a long-term relationship with Ahna O'Reilly, has played Harvey Milk's boyfriend, Scott Smith, in Milk as well as the poet Allen Ginsberg in Howl. Franco said, "There are lots of other reasons to be interested in gay characters than wanting myself to go out and have sex with guys."
Actor Armie Hammer has confirmed that he will play opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie J. Edgar, based on the life of the late FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, according to On Top Magazine. Hammer will play Clyde Tolson, who some speculated was Hoover's lover. Hammer's most recent movie was The Social Network, which looked at the beginnings of Facebook.
Speaking of Hoover, Project Runway's Tim Gunn believes that he saw him dressed in drag as Vivian Vance (who starred in the TV series I Love Lucy as Ethel) when Gunn was a kid, according to On Top Magazine. Gunn said during a recent conference that he talked about the meeting years later with his sister, who was also there when their dad introduced the children to "Vivian Vance" in Hoover's office. Gunn said he told his sister, "You know, it strikes me now as really weird that Mr. Hoover wasn't in the office!"
Kathy Griffin has resolved to offend Sarah Palin's 16-year-old daughter, Willow, according to an On Top Magazine item. Griffin, 50, said that "I've already gone for Sarah, Todd and Bristol, obviously—but I think it's Willow's year to go down." Last November, Willow stirred controversy by attacking an ex-classmate online with an anti-gay slur when he criticized her mother's reality-TV show, Sarah Palin's Alaska. Griffin said that Willow is fair game because of what the teen posted on the Internet.
Actor Garrett Hedlund—currently in the movies Tron: Legacy and Country Strong—is excited to be in the upcoming movie On the Road, according to Advocate.com . The actor, 26, will actually portray Dean Moriarty, the character in Jack Kerouac's On the Road who was based on bisexual Beat poet Neal Cassady. Hedlund, whose first movie role involved co-starring alongside Brad Pitt in Troy, told The Advocate, "It was such an honor to portray one of the richest characters ever written." Cassady died at age 41 in Mexico in 1968.
Cameron Monaghan, 17, has said that his character on the new Showtime series Shameless, gay teen Ian Gallagher, is the "anti-stereotype," according to Advocate.com . On the show, Gallagher is obsessed with porn, smokes marijuana and has sex with his Muslim boss—who is married. Monaghan said of Gallagher, "He's tough, he's street-smart and he's pretty much unlike any gay teenager on television right now." Shameless co-stars William H. Macy as an alcoholic father and Emmy Rossum as Ian's intellectual, promiscuous sister.
Musician Trent Reznor will be scoring David Fincher's version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hitflix.com reported. The Nine Inch Nails musician recently scored the track to the Facebook film The Social Network, which Fincher also directed. "Dragon Tattoo" is slated to debut in U.S. theaters Dec. 21.
Actor Liam Neeson has confirmed that he will reprise his role of Zeus in Wrath of the Titans, the sequel to Clash of the Titans, according to Hitflix.com . The Kinsey actor said, "I've only read half of the script and there is still some work being done—they're on script 10—but I think it's going to be some kick-ass stuff and a very human story to it." He also said that filming will start "next March."
All of the major U.S. broadcasters have declined to pick up the new Wonder Woman TV series, according to Digital Spy. Warner Bros Television had teamed up with David E. Kelley—the mastermind behind several TV shows, including Ally McBeal—to try to bring the comic-book character back to television. Lynda Carter played Wonder Woman on television during the years 1975-79. Recently, Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks had expressed interest in playing the role, according to MTV.com .
Comic Joan Rivers is disappointed that the documentary based on her life won't be nominated for an Oscar, according to a Hitflix.com item. Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg's Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work was critically acclaimed and made a solid $2.93 million at the domestic box office; however, the film failed to make the 15-film short list. Of the snub, Rivers said, "I think it's abominable." Rivers will co-star with daugher Melissa in the TV show Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?, in which the elder Rivers goes cross-country to move in with the daughter; it debuts Jan. 25.
The History Channel has dropped the upcoming miniseries on the Kennedy family that stars Katie Holmes, according to Digital Spy. The drama series had been scheduled to air in March. The channel stated, "This dramatic interpretation is not a fit for the History brand." The eight-part series, which co-stars Greg Kinnear as John F. Kennedy, has been criticized for allegedly being historically inaccurate.
Beso, a Las Vegas nightclub/restaurant co-owned by Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria, has filed for bankruptcy, according to Digital Spy. The venue applied for Chapter 11 protection in bankruptcy court. Beso and adjacent nightclub Eve have lost approximately $76,000 a month, and owe $1.8 million to landlord Crystals at CityCenter.
Lady Gaga appeared at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to announce sunglasses inspired by her that can actually take photographs, according to ReviewsOfElectronics.com . Gaga said, "These glasses can be worn in public, you can walk around, you can take them to a club, take them to a show of mine, take pictures while I sing on stage." Photos that are taken show up on the lens of the glasses. She also presented her purse-friendly printer, which connects to smartphones through Bluetooth.
Musicians Nicki Minaj and Rihanna are collaborating on the single "Fly"—but joked that they may have been involved physically, according to the Huffington Post. On Twitter, Rihanna posted, "Me and Nikki in our new crib, lol! Gettin busy on set of FLY!!! Its so hard to keep my hands off!" Nicki replied, "If we're gonna liv 2gthr and hook up u gotta learn how 2 spell my name!"
Max Mutchnick, who co-created the TV series Will & Grace, said in a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly that gay actors should stay in the closet, Advocate.com reported. However, he added that he was never rejected an actor because of his sexuality—although he has to be convincing. Mutchnick said, "I've never denied an actor a job because he was gay. But I have denied actors jobs because they suck."
Country-music singer Chely Wright said that her record sales dropped significantly after she came out of the closet. In a talk with Autostraddle, Wright said, "There's the gay community that now knows my name and it's a long leap from the new demographic of people who will come to my Facebook page and hit the 'Like' button to them buying my record and coming to live shows. It's a big stretch from those new fans to make up for the fans I lost. It didn't help my career. My record sales went directly in half."
Australian singer Kylie Minogue has announced the North American stops of her Aphrodite-Live 2011 world tour. She will be on the continent starting April 28 in Montreal, Canada, and conclude May 22 in Las Vegas, Nev. Along the way, she will stop at Boston; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Mexico City; Washington, D.C.; and Los Angeles, among other cities. See www.Kylie.com .
Debbie Friedman, called "the Joan Baez of Jewish song" by one publication, died Jan. 9 of pneumonia complications in California at the age of 59, according to Advocate.com . Friedman, a lesbian, was a self-taught musician who sold more than a half-million albums, and who performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall. Orthodox and Reform Jews both revered her music.
