Joan Rivers has been criticized for her joke about singer Rihanna, according to the Huffington Post. After the "Umbrella" singer told Oprah Winfrey she was still in love with singer Chris Brown—who was convicted of assaulting Rihanna in 2009—Rivers tweeted, "Idiot! Now it's MY turn to slap her." Some people on Twitter then wondered why Rivers thought domestic violence should be the subject of a joke. Rihanna posted a photo of Proverbs 15:4 entitled "Control Your Speech."
Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright married his partner of five years, theater producer Jorn Weisbrodt, in a New York ceremony that transgender artist Mx. Justin Vivian Bond officiated, according to Advocate.com . The event was held at the eastern end of Long Island, and some of the attendees included Julianne Moore, Carrie Fisher, Mark Ronson, Lou Reed, and Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon. Wainwright and Weisbrodt, engaged for two years, have an 18-month-old daughter, Viva Cohen, whom they are co-parenting with Leonard Cohen's daughter, Lorca.
Here TV—which it self-promotes as "America's only gay TV network"—has announced new and returning original series and specials scheduled for fall. The specials and returning series include For & Against: Season 2, Just Josh: Season 2, Legends from Here, Pride & Groom, Because of an Earlier Incident and She's Living for This: Season 2.
Openly gay media moguls Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have been named producers of the 85th Academy Awards, according to Deadline.com . Zadan and Meron executive-produced the movie Chicago, which won the 2002 Best Picture Oscar, and are behind the NBC show Smash and the upcoming Lifetime movie Steel Magnolias. Their work has garnered 73 Emmy nominations, 12 Tony nods and seven Grammy nominations. The Awards will air live Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013.
Actor James Franco and director Travis Mathews have teamed to create an art project about the 40 minutes of footage removed from the controversial William Friedkin movie Cruising (1980) that have since disappeared, according to Advocate.com . Matthews said that, with the art project, he and Franco are "reimagining" the footage Friedkin had to cut to secure an "R" rating. Matthews added that the bar scenes in the original movie are the ones that inspired him the most.
The Los Angeles County coroner has changed the 30-year-old death certificate of actress Natalie Wood to show that the cause of death was "drowning and other undetermined factors" instead of accidental drowning, according to the Chicago Tribune. The change was made nine months after homicide detectives said they were reopening the investigation into her death. The body of Wood—an Oscar-nominated actress who starred in such movies as West Side Story and Splendor in the Grass—was found in 1981 after in a cove off the coast of Southern California.
Nelsan Ellis—best known for playing the gay character Lafayette on the HBO series True Blood—will direct an off-Loop show in Chicago, according to the Chicago Tribune. Ellis will helm Katori Hall's HooDoo Love at the Athenaeum Theatre starting Sept. 22. HooDoo Love is the first endeavor of a new company called The Collective Theatre, composed of six African-American friends who attended high school together in the 1990s.
Weeks after Kara Laricks won the NBC show Fashion Star, another lesbian has prevailed on another reality show, according to SheWired.com . Leslie Ezelle won the HGTV show Design Star All Stars to become its first champion. Leslie, Hilari Younger and Tom Vecchione were the three finalists to face the last challenge: creating a functional living space using the inside and outside areas of a converted 20-foot-by-8-foot shipping container.
Actress Evan Rachel Wood (TV's Mildred Pierce; True Blood) got some criticism after joking on Twitter that Miley Cyrus could be "gay" because of the latter's new hairstyle, the Huffington Post noted. Wood tweeted, "I called it! Miley Cyrus is leaning toward gay." Cyrus' fans were not pleased with Wood's statement (which has since been deleted). Wood later stated, "I believe you should be able to joke and have a sense of humor about everything. And i hate explaining, but just to be clear, i dont judge people on how they look. Nor do i associate a hair style with sexuality. I myself am bisexual and have always 'joked' about miley giving me gay vibes."
The San Francisco 49ers have become the first NFL team to join the It Gets Better Project, an online video project where thousands of videos condemning anti-gay bullying are curated, according to a press release. The 49ers' video comes after a successful petition drive, led by fan Sean Chapin, who rallied more than 16,000 people to sign his petition on Change.org encouraging the 49ers to make a video. In the video (available at www.itgetsbetter.org/#z4glWjcbAbY), 49ers safety Donte Whitner says that each day brings unique challenges to LGBT youth, but that resources are available to help teens dealing with bullying or harassment.
Playboy founder Hugh Hefner criticizes the right wing in the September issue of his magazine, saying the continue "to assault the rights of gays," Politico.com reported. "The fight for gay marriage is, in reality, a fight for all of our rights. Without it, we will turn back the sexual revolution and return to an earlier, puritanical time," he writes. "Their goal is to dehumanize everyone's sexuality and reduce us to using sex for the sole purpose of perpetuating our species. To that end, they will criminalize your entire sex life."
The upcoming NBC sitcom The New Normal—which centers on a gay couple trying to have a baby—is already causing controversy, as Salt Lake City TV station KSL won't air it, according to Advocate.com . Jeff Simpson of KSL's parent company, Bonneville International, said, "For our brand, this program feels inappropriate on several dimensions, especially during family viewing time." The show, scheduled to premiere Sept. 11, deals with a gay couple (played by Andrew Rannells and Justin Bartha) having a child with a surrogate (portrayed by Georgia King).
In a related matter, The New Normal co-star Ellen Barkin and GLAAD are both slaming KSL, according to AceShowbiz.com . Barkin tweeted, "Anyone in Utah interested in @NBCTheNewNormal please clog up @ksl5tv feed 4 their blatantly homophic decision 2 not air the show #KSLBigots." GLAAD President Herndon Graddick has tried to reach out to Bonneville International's Jeff Simpson, adding, "KSL and Mr. Simpson are sending a dangerous message to Utah."
In the latest issue of Instinct magazine, singer Mika talks about coming out of the closet, according to a press release. In the article "The Boy Who Knew Too Much Grows Up," Mika shares his journey of the past few years, both professionally in creating his new album, and personally in discussing his relationship. The "Grace Kelly" singer said it was only through his music that he was able to find comfort within his own skin, living openly as a gay man: "The album kind of tracks the cutting up of my personal life, really for the first time."
Candlewick Press announced that author Lesléa Newman's October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard will be released nationwide Sept. 25, a press release stated. A novel in verse, October Mourning offers readers an exploration of the impact of the October 1998 murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo. On the night of Oct. 6, 1998, two men savagely beat Shepard, tied him to a remote fence and left him to die. This happened right before Gay Awareness Week, and Newman was already scheduled to visit the University of Wyoming as the keynote speaker. She said she promised the audience she'd try to make sure Shepard wasn't forgotten.
Fashion stylist Rachel Zoe's clothing empire might be coming apart at the seams, according to the New York Post. Last summer, she launched a clothing line with Chinese retail giant Li & Fung; however, despite the push on her Bravo show, the line reportedly isn't doing well at stores such as Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's. Also, her assistant, interior designer Jeremiah Brent, is reportedly getting his own reality show—following in the footsteps of former assistants Brad Goreski and Taylor Jacobson.
Katy Perry has rejected an offer of $20 million to be a judge on the show American Idol, according to the New York Daily News. The "California Girls" singer indicated she's not playing hardball—she just doesn't know if Idol is the right career move for her. Mariah Carey is the only confirmed judge for the show—and she's making $18 million as a judge. Other possibilities for judge include Nicki Minaj, Keith Urban and Kanye West.
Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation (BTWF) recently welcomed 24 youth to Los Angeles to participate in its inaugural Youth Advisory Board Summit, according to a press release. People aged 17-23 convened at Paramount Pictures for three days of open dialogue led by youth advocate and journalist Anne Collier and Mobilize.org CEO Maya Enista Smith. "The goal of the youth advisory board is to reflect and magnify the strength, determination, creativity, and capacity of our youth, and to have them provide insight on the issues that are most important to them," said BTWF President/Co-Founder Cynthia Germanotta.
The world premiere of the Lifetime original movie event Steel Magnolias will take place Sunday, Oct. 7 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, according to a press release. The all-Black version of the feature film will star, among others, Queen Latifah, Phylicia Rashad, Jill Scott and Alfre Woodard. In an updated contemporary version of the beloved stage play and 1989 film, Steel Magnolias chronicles the lives and friendship of six women in Louisiana.
It turns out talk-show host/actress Rosie O'Donnell secretly exchanged vows with fiancee Michelle Rounds in New York June 9, according to SFGate.com . O'Donnell rep Cindi Berger told People.com, "They got married but they haven't had the wedding celebration." The couple was supposed to wed in August. However, they altered plans before Rounds began her first round of surgery. (She had been diagnosed with tumors.) Now they are both in recovery, as O'Donnell recently had a heart attack.
Logo will launch its "WHAT!?" documentaries Oct. 2-Nov. 6, according to a press release. The series will explore unusual worlds, people and experiences. Among the episodes that will be shown are "Loving Large" (which looks at those who admirers of overweight people), "Super Tiny Animals" (looking at why people are obsessed with miniature pets) and "The Most Hated Family in America" (about Rev. Fred Phelps and his clan).
Even though she retired her namesake talk show a year ago, Oprah Winfrey is still the highest-earning celebrity on Forbes' annual list, according to the New York Daily News. Winfrey, 58, earned $165 million between May 2011 and May 2012 (which is still a $125-million drop from the previous year), and is the only woman in the top 10. Transformer director Michael Bay was runner-up with $160 million. Among the others in the top 10 are director/actor Tyler Perry ($105 million) and X Factor judge Simon Cowell ($90 million).
During the tennis tournament the U.S. Open, a young boy yelled to Novak Djokovic, "Will you marry me?," according to CBS Sports. Djokovic responded by motioning the kid onto the court—and instead of offering him a wristband or similar item, he let the kid hit some tennis balls with him and gave him a hug. However, a couple media outlets wondered if the whole scenario was staged.
The latest development in Madonna's eventful year is a professional triumph. According to Gay.net, her most recent single, "Turn Up the Radio, became the singer's 43 number-one hit on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs chart. Janet Jackson is a distant number two with 19 number-one hits on the same chart. Madonna's first number-one hits were "Holiday" and "Lucky Star" in 1983.
Out singer Frank Ocean will reportedly be the musical guest for Saturday Night Live's upcoming 38th-season premiere episode, according to JustJared.com . Ocean, 24, made a splash earlier this year with his debut CD, Channel Orange, and by admitting his first love was a man. SNL's premiere will take place Sept. 15.
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi did pretty well on the housing market, selling Brad Pitt's former Malibu place for $13 million, according to the Huffington Post. The price is $1 million more than the couple (who just celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary) paid for in December 2011. The home is 4,088 square feet with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, glass walls, bamboo floors, a tennis court and a pool.
Modern Family creator Steven Levitan has reacted to potential First Lady Ann Romney saying that his show is her favorite, Advocate.com reported. Romney, wife of Mitt Romney, told Entertainment Tonight that her favorite series is Modern Family, which includes a gay couple and their child. Levitan tweeted, "Thrilled Ann Romney says ModFam is her favorite show. We'll offer her the role of officiant at Mitch & Cam's wedding. As soon as it's legal."
Rapper Snoop Dog (who actually goes by Snoop Lion nowadays) said the music world is ready for an openly gay hip-hop artist, according to Advocate.com . He told the Associated Press, "People are learning how to live and get along more, and accept people for who they are and not bash them or hurt them because they're different." Rapper Ice-T has said that hip-hop's growing pop landscape might be more welcoming for gay artists—as opposed to the more hardcore gangsta rap.
