Jill Clayburgh—the Oscar-nominated actress who was in such films as An Unmarried Woman and I'm Dancing as Fast as I can as well as TV series such as Dirty Sexy Money—died Nov. 5 at her home in Lakeville, Conn., at the age of 66, according to the New York Times. Clayburgh, who started her career in movies and on Broadway in the late '60s, lived with chronic leukemia for 21 years. She is survived by her husband, the playwright David Rabe.
United Airlines has unveiled a newly painted Boeing 757 in Illinois' O'Hare International Airport that commemorates the 25th and last season of The Oprah Winfrey Show, according to the Chicago Tribune. The plane's tail is blue with Winfrey's signature, and the phrase "The Farewell Season" on the main body of the aircraft. On the first flight, passengers ( who included Chicago mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel ) received a monogrammed "Oprah 25" blanket and heard a message from Winfrey before boarding.
The Human Rights Campaign has released the seventh video of the "New Yorkers for Marriage Equality" campaign, and this one features the first married couple of the series—actors Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon, according to a press release. The campaign features video testimonials from New Yorkers who support same-sex marriage. Celebrities such as Fran Drescher and Moby have already been in videos; among those in upcoming releases are Whoopi Goldberg, former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, Joan Rivers and Christopher Meloni.
On the Nov. 9 episode of Ellen DeGeneres' talk show, Madonna spoke out against bullying. The pop ( and gay ) icon said that the spate of gay teen suicides has left her "incredibly disturbed and saddened." She also talked about being bullied herself when she was younger, and also suggested that people stop perpetuating and listening to gossip.
Actress Susan Sarandon has criticized GLAAD for the organization's uproar over the use of the word "tranny" on a recent Rocky Horror-themed episode of Glee, according to the New York Post. Sarandon, who starred in the 1975 movie, asked, "What should they have said?," adding that she knew people who used the term as a badge of honor. GLAAD, Sarandon said, was "getting like PETA—way out of control."
On an appearance on Oprah Winfrey's talk show, Marie Osmond said that her late son, Michael Blosil—who recently committed suicide at the age of 18—was not gay. Marie Osmond said that Michael "wanted to be married and have a family and travel all over the world," adding, "And it wouldn't matter if he was—I have a daughter [ Jessica ] who's gay." She also said it was Jessica who was most offended by the rumors about her brother, with the daughter feeling that the rumors implied that "evreyone who's gay commits suicide."
Darren Criss—who has made quite an impression as the openly gay character Blaine on the hit TV series Glee—may become a regular on the show, according to Advocate.com . However, in an interview with Vanity Fair, Criss said that people often have the wrong impression and he has to "out" himself as straight when he's off camera. He added, "I was inadvertently raised in the 'gay community.' I had straight parents, but I spent massive amounts of time at a very early age with gay, theater-hopeful thirty-somethings. ... I was, well, not super effeminate, but I was into girly things—I liked musical theater, all the stereotypical things. I had to come out and say, well, I'm sorry, but I think I'm straight."
The characters of Patsy Stone and Edina Monsoon may return, as the show Absolutely Fabulous will possibly come back for another season, according to an Advocate.com item. Actress Joanna Lumley ( Patsy ) said that she has talked with Jennifer Saunders ( Edina ) about bringing the sitcom—which has quite a gay following—back. Lumley has been starring in the Broadway production La Bête while Saunders has been battling breast cancer.
Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman's coming-out series will debut on the A&E channel in December, according to On Top Magazine. Bragman himself has helped several celebrities come out, including singer Chely Wright, actress Meredith Baxter and Chaz Bono; his first client was Dick Sergeant, who starred in the classic TV series Bewitched. Bragman has admitted that it has been hard to find celebrities to come out on a reality show.
Expect controversy in Malaysia soon, as ...In a Bottle—a movie about a transgender woman—is set to premiere in February, according to an On Top Magazine item. The film looks at Ruby, a transgender woman who keeps her penis in a bottle, and her male lover, Ghaus. In Malaysia, homosexuality is a criminal offense. Recently, out singer Adam Lambert agreed to cut out a kiss between himself and a male keyboard player during his show.
Fox has announced that The Simpsons will return for a 23rd season next year, meaning that the series will air at least 515 episodes, according to the New York Post. Only Gunsmoke ( 635 episodes ) and Lassie ( 558 shows ) have aired more episodes. This season has featured celebrities such as Jon Hamm and Halle Berry; an upcoming show will include singer Katy Perry spoofing her Sesame Street appearance.
Portia DeGeneres could be the first celebrity to have a same-sex partner on TV's Dancing with the Stars, the New York Post reported. On his radio show, Ryan Seacrest told DeGeneres ( who recently changed her surname from de Rossi ) that the show is "planning to feature a same-sex couple. You're at the top of the list." DeGeneres replied, "I'm not gonna pass, let me think about it. I used to be a ballet dancer. It's not completely a pass. You never know."
Legendary film producer Dino De Laurentiis has died in Los Angeles at the age of 91, according to TheWrap.com . He produced more than 500 movies, and captured two Academy Awards. Among the films he produced were Serpico, Three Days of the Condor and Blue Velvet, and also is credited with starting Arnold Schwarzenegger's acting career in Conan the Barbarian. Granddaughter Giada De Laurentiis is a chef on the Food Network.
Actress Jane Fonda said that she recently had a breast-cancer scare but is now disease-free, according to People.com . A doctor discovered a small tumor during a check-up; the cancer was detremined to be non-invasive, and Fonda, 72, had a procedure to remove the tumor. She is currently promoting a new line of fitness DVDs that will hit stores Nov. 30.
For its 25th season, the MTV program The Real World is embarking on another first—having a gay-porn star in the cast. According to Queerty.com, Dustin Zito, 24—who is featured in the gay-for-pay website Fratmen as "Spencer"—will be joining several other people in the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas for the reality-TV series. Bunim/Murray Productions, which is behind The Real World, reportedly knew about his porn activities but asked that most of Fratmen's Zito-related material be deleted before "World" starts airing.
Kristen Hall, a lesbian singer-songwriter who co-founded the country-music act Sugarland, has settled with former bandmates Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles after suing for profits Hall felt she was owed, according to a New York Times item. Hall, who founded Sugarland with Bush eight years ago, wanted more than one-third of the act's profits; Bush and Nettles claimed there was no profit-sharing agreement with Hall.
Publicist Ronni Chasen, who worked on movies such as Driving Miss Daisy and helped launch the gay TV network here!, was found dead in her car in the early-morning hours of Nov. 16 in Beverly Hills, Calif., after being shot five times, according to Advocate.com . Paul Colichman, CEO of Here Media, said, "Throughout her distinguished career, Ms. Chasen dedicated herself to advancing LGBT visibility through media." Earlier that evening, Chasen had attended the Los Angeles premiere of the Cher/Christina Aguilera film Burlesque.
