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Liza Minnelli, 'Modern Family' and George Michael
Entertainment news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times
by Andrew Davis, Windy City Times
2011-07-13

This article shared 9389 times since Wed Jul 13, 2011
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It looks like Destiny's Child may be reuniting. The New York Post reported that execs at Columbia are strategizing to reunite the trio of Beyonce, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams in anticipation of Beyonce's latest CD, 4, turning out to be a dud after she refused to re-record new tracks. Destiny's Child may start recording together as early as Octoer, with the suggested album title Family Reunion.

Nicholas Telemaque, the cousin of rapper Nicki Minaj, was killed recently, according to HotMommaGossip.com . Minaj tweeted, "My cousin Nicholas. Also goes by Juse, or @brolicalcoholic Murdered last nite. Lived in Brooklyn his whole life. My precious cousin. My baby. Killed last nite." Minaj is currently touring with Britney Spears; it is unknown if she will leave the show for Telemaque's funeral.

Mariah Carey could be headed for a substantial role in the new Fox show The X Factor, according to the New York Post. Carey, who's been rumored to join the show as a mentor for an episode or two, could be one for the entire season. The X Factor, the U.S. version of Simon Cowell's successful British show, premieres Sept. 21. Cowell will appear on the show along with judges Nicole Scherzinger, L.A. Reid and Paula Abdul.

Singer Alicia Keys has celebrated her career with a special acoustic show, according to Digital Spy. Keys—who recently marked the 10th anniversary of her album Songs in A Minor, with the song "Fallin'"—performed for fans at New York City's Beacon Theatre. Keys received a standing ovation after performing "How Come You Don't Call Me?"; Mary J. Blige's Real Love; and her big hit with rapper Jay-Z, "Empire State of Mind."

Madonna has reportedly refused to work with Lady Gaga producer RedOne on her new album, according to Digital Spy. The "Live To Tell" singer, 52, has started work on her 12th studio album; however, she allegedly won't work with established producers, opting for up-and-coming ones for the most part. Her fan site, Queen Madonna, claims that she is working with producer Joe Henry and that one song—with the possible title "Way Back Home"—has been recorded.

Lady Gaga is seemingly a fan of the BBC series Antiques Roadshow, according to Digital Spy. The "Judas" singer has been viewing DVDs of the show constantly while traveling the world. A source said that Gaga "loves how the old people think their antique is a bit of tat but ends up costing thousands. It's right up her street." She is promoting her newest CD, Born This Way, in Taiwan; the country declared July 3 Lady Gaga Day.

Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate closed down the 168-year-old News of the World, Britain's biggest Sunday tabloid, according to ABC News. The publication is currently involved in an intensifying scandal over alleged phone hacking of celebrities, families of terror victims and a murdered girl. Among other things, Princess Diana's former lover, James Hewitt, is suing the News of the World for invasion of privacy over allegations that his phone was hacked.

Daytime soaps One Life to Live and All My Children will soon end their television runs—but will continue online, Digital Spy reported. ABC has sold the licensing rights of the shows to online company Prospect Park. Prospect Park will produce the two shows online as well as other platforms, including Internet-enabled television sets. All My Children will air its final episode Sept. 23, with One Life to Live finishing next January.

Out singer Ricky Martin said that he feels "protected" by the love he gets from the gay community, ShowbizSpy.com reported. The "Livin' La Vida Loca" singer said, "I feel liberated. I feel in touch with myself. I feel protected. I don't feel alone." Martin—a father of twins who has been in a relationship for four years—came out last year on his website and admitted he was "really scared" after posting the news.

Modern Family is recasting the role of Lily, the daughter of same-sex couple Mitchell ( played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson ) and Cameron ( portrayed by Eric Stonestreet ) , Digital Spy reported. Twins Ella and Jaden Hiller played Lily during the show's first two seasons; the show has reportedly issued a casting notice for an "Asian, 3- to 4-year-old daughter of Mitchell and Cameron," suggesting Lily will be older when the show resumes Sept. 21.

Speaking of Modern Family, Ferguson will guest-judge the July 13 episode of the Fox show So You Think You Can Dance, according to Digital Spy. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe has said that Ferguson is a "huge fan of dance," adding, "He went to stage school and all of that, so he knows all about it." Other celebrity judges this season have included Carmen Electra, Kristin Chenoweth, Debbie Reynolds and Megan Mullally. Lady Gaga has also been confirmed as a guest judge for later in the season.

A group of gay hackers called themselves SwagSec ( Swagger Security ) has targeted singer Amy Winehouse's website, according to AOL Music UK. The site now forwards to her Facebook fan page; however, the hackers had replaced the page with one filled with expletives and offensive music. Declaring themselves a collection of proud gay Blacks, the hackers said they are not affiliated with hacking collective Anonymous, even taunting the latter group as "middle school nerds" who "don't know what they're doing."

Nicole Richie and fashion designer John Varvatos will be celebrity mentors on the upcoming reality-competition show Fashion Star, according to Digital Spy. Richie heads her own fashion and jewelry lines, House of Harlow and Winter Kate. Jessica Simpson has already been confirmed as another mentor on the series, which supermodel Elle MacPherson will host.

Tyne Daly stars as the late diva Maria Callas in Master Class, which is running on Broadway through Aug. 21, Playbill.com reported. The production about the famed opera star, who passed away in 1977, won the 1996 Tony Award as Best Play. Zoe Caldwell, Dixie Carter, Patti LuPone and Faye Dunaway are among others who have played the role.

Edward Hastings—one of the founders of San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater, and its artistic director during 1986-1992—has died in Santa Fe, N.M., from natural causes at 80, according to Playbill.com . During his years as artistic director, Hastings cemented relationships with playwrights such as August Wilson and Tom Stoppard. Hastings is survived by longtime partner Eugene Barcone.

Singer Miley Cyrus petitioned for same-sex marriage by referencing the Casey Anthony trial, according to Advocate.com . Cyrus recently tweeted, "You know the world is skewed when people get away with murdering children but we cant get gay marriage legalized in the state of California." The "Party in the U.S.A." singer had previously expressed her anger at anti-gay presidential candidate Rick Santorum. She also tweeted Perez Hilton, posting, "Jesus loves you and your partner and wants you to know how much he cares! I am a Christian and I love you—gay or not."

Lindsay Lohan's mother, Dina, is reportedly in talks to join the next season of the ABC hit Dancing with the Stars, according to a TheCelebrityCafe.com item. Dina Lohan talked about the plans at Lindsay's 25th-birthday party—an event Lindsay did not attend. Among others rumored to be part of the series' 13th season are Khloe Kardashian, Queen Latifah, Regis Philbin, Shaquille O'Neal, Donnie Wahlberg, Nick Jonas and Mike Tyson. The season starts Sept. 19.

Actress Kristen Stewart is not pleased with comparisons to Casey Anthony, TheCelebrityCafe.com reported. One entertainment reporter said, "She's got the dark hair, sort of the vacant, deer-in-the-headlights look"—a comparison that reportedly repulses the Twilight actress. Anthony, 25, was recently acquitted of murder concerning the death of her 2-year-old, Caylee, in 2008.

DeSean Jackson of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles has apologized for using an anti-gay slur during a June 30 radio appearance on a Sirius XM hip-hop station, according to CSNPhilly.com . Jackson tweeted, "I am sorry for using words that I know to be hurtful and unacceptable in a recent radio interview. I have made a mistake and would like to make it clear that words I used meant no disrespect to the Gay and Lesbian community."

Singer Rihanna was forced to flee the stage after a fire broke out at a recent show in Dallas, NME.com reported. The venue was evacuated but it's believed fire was extinguished before firefighters arrived. The "Umbrella" singer attempted to make light of the incident, tweeting: "DALLAS!!! We set the stage on FYAH tonight!!! LITERALLY!!!...I was havin so much fun wit yall too!!! I gotta come back man!!"

Jennifer Lopez has signed on for her second season of American Idol, rejoining Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler, according to TheCelebrityCafe.com . Lopez has been open about her hesitation to rejoin Idol. "I don't know. I haven't been forced to make a decision and I'm glad about that because honestly I'm very on the fence about it," she said in a June interview.

Nadya Suleman, also known as "Octomom," had a heated argument with 3rd Rock From the Sun star Kristen Johnston on a plane, E! Online reported. A rep told E!, "Nadya and her children were in business class. Apparently Kristen became upset and came from 1st class to tell her to keep her kids quiet. They had an altercation and Kristen got off the plane and never returned." Johnston took a different flight back from New York City to Los Angeles.

Rosario Dawson said that she only agreed to join Zookeeper because of Cher, Digital Spy reported. The Sin City actress, who also stars with Adam Sandler and Sylvester Stallone in the live-action comedy, said that she only signed up once she heard of Cher's involvement. Dawson said, "I just look to make a connection with a character in a script, and this one just made me smile. I thought it was super-sweet, and when I heard that Cher was doing a voice, I thought, 'I have to be in that!'"

Openly gay Torchwood star John Barrowman said that he loved filming a screen kiss with James Marsters for a 2008 episode, according to a Digital Spy item. Torchwood's series-two opener, "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang," featured ex-lovers Captain Jack Harkness ( Barrowman ) and Captain John Hart ( Marsters ) in a passionate kiss that erupted into a brawl. "It was a great moment. I loved it," Barrowman told CNN. "Walking through the saloon doors, right up to each other, looking like we're just going to punch the crap out of each other, and then they kiss! Brilliant." Marsters is probably best known as Spike on the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The writers of the movie Horrible Bosses are defending star Jennifer Aniston's use of an anti-gay slur in the movie, according to TheCelebrityCafe.com . In the film, Aniston's character states, "You're starting to sound like a little faggot...." However, writer Jonathan Goldstein said that the slur was needed to highlight just how reprehensible Aniston's character is. Co-writer John Francis Daley concurred, saying, "She is a horrible person, so I think when it is coming out of her mouth, it is understandably offensive." Aniston herself is an ally of the LGBT community, recently praising New York State's new gay-marriage legislation.

Authorities are questioning George Michael about his tweets concerning News International CEO Rebekah Brooks, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Recently, the "Faith" singer spoke out against Brooks and the phone-hacking scandal that has plagued the British tabloid News of the World, which has ceased publication. On the day it was announced that the tabloid would fold, Michael went on Twitter, alleging that Brooks told him that she got her news directly from the police.

Organizers of the Academy Awards have downplayed speculation that Oprah Winfrey might be hosting next year's awards ceremony, Reuters reported. The Chicago Sun-Times originally reported that the media mogul is a front-runner to host the Oscars. However, the academy said that no decision has been made. Winfrey, should she host, would be the third solo female—after Ellen DeGeneres and four-time host Whoopi Goldberg—to do so.

Kelly Clarkson said that she is not upset that more than 50 new songs of hers have been leaked, according to Digital Spy. The "Since You've Been Gone" singer and American Idol winner said there is nothing she can do about the situation. She posted on Facebook, "I get back in the States from a vacation and somehow 50 of my songs are leaked on the Internet?! No point in getting angry because there's nothing I can do. I can't wait for everybody to hear my 5th album." Leaked songs include "Let Me Down" and Dumb + Dumb=U."

Mathew Knowles—the father and ex-manager of Beyonce—has denied stealing money made from her last world tour, according to Digital Spy. The singer said that when she ended her professional relationship with her father earlier this year, it was an amicable decision. However, TMZ reported that she fired him after Live Nation Entertainment told her that he "had stolen money on her most recent tour or otherwise taken funds that [ he ] was not entitled to."

African/Native American transsexual singer/songwriter Alyras ( pronounced "ah-LEE-rah" ) has released a new collection of international pop songs entitled The Unfinished Album, according to a press release. Originally slated to include 16 songs, the artist suffered a massive data loss as she began her final stage of production, thus reducing the album to the nine [ salvaged ] songs that were near completion at the time of the loss—leading to the CD's title. See www.artofpop.com for more info.

TNT has ordered 10 episodes of a remake of the classic nighttime TV soap Dallas for next summer, according to MonstersAndCritics.com . The core cast includes originals Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray; others include actors Jesse Metcalfe and Brenda Strong ( both from Desperate Housewives ) and Jordana Brewster ( from the film The Fast and the Furious ) . The original Dallas—which ran from 1978 to 1991—focused on the Ewing family, a cattle and oil dynasty.

Andrew Gibson—the little-known gay brother of actor/director Mel—defended his sibling in an interview with an Australian newspaper, according to Advocate.com . Andrew told the Sunday Times of Australia, "I have never once heard anything antigay come out of his mouth." However, Mel allegedly said in a 1991 interview of gay people, "They take it up the ass ... this is only for taking a shit. ... Do I look like a homosexual? Do I talk like them? Do I move like them?" Andrew said that Mel "was illustrating" that he's heterosexual "in the same way a gay man wouldn't want to have sex with a woman.

Former pro football player Michael Irvin talked with OUT Magazine for its sports issue about several topics, including rumors about former teammate Troy Aikman's sexuality and why every African American should support same-sex marriage. Irvin, who played with the Dallas Cowboys, also said, "If anyone comes out in those top four major sports, I will absolutely support him. I think growth comes when we share. Until we do that, we're going to be stuck in the Dark Ages about a lot of things."

France's cultural minister, Frédéric Mitterrand, awarded Liza Minnelli the rank of "officier" in the Legion of Honor, according to Advocate.com . Mitterrand pinned the medal, affixed to a red ribbon, to Minnelli's jacket, and said, "Priestess of the music hall, you are the contemporary incarnation of talented versatility à l'Américaine!" He also described her as "a tiger—with the heart of a lamb." In 1987, Minnelli was made chevalier of the Legion of Honor.


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