Gay(dot)com has teamed with film/TV producer Larry Kennar ( The L Word, Barbershop, 50 First Dates ) ; designer and reality-TV veteran Jack Mackenroth ( Project Runway: Season 4 ) ; and award-winning producer/director John Rutherford ( eXposed ) to air the original web series The Queens of Drag: NYC, according to a press release. The eight-episode series, which explores the New York drag scene, debuts exclusively on Gay.com Sept. 8. Among the cast members are Lady Bunny, Hedda Lettuce, Peppermint and Dallas DuBois.
Openly gay actor Charlie David ( half of the lead couple on the LGBT series Dante's Cove ) has released Shadowlands, a collection of short stories that explores gay sexuality, according to a press release. Instinct Magazine's Michael Wood said of the book, "The writing here is both sexy and provocative in ways you might not expect, and it does what all good writing does: it makes you think—often outside of your comfort zone." Shadowlands is available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and community bookstores.
Kayla, a 19-year-old Illinois lesbian who works as a Hooters waitress, is on the upcoming season of America's Next Top Model, according to SheWired.com . Kayla, who is recovering from an injury to her neck, has played soccer for almost a decade and has a live-in girlfriend. She told Us Magazine, "Being the openly gay girl in the house, I was afraid of how the others would receive me." The new season of "Model" starts Sept. 8.
During an appearance on NBC's Today Show Aug. 24, actor Christopher Gorham confused host Hoda Kotb and guest host Martina McBride concerning a photo he and his family took for the "No H8" campaign, which is against California's Proposition 8, according to Advocate.com . Kotb asked why the family had their mouths covered with tape—and Gorham explained that it was for the pro-same-sex-marriage campaign. Gorham, who has been on the TV shows Popular and Ugly Betty, was promoting his newest series, Covert Affairs.
Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson has said that an episode next season will deal with his character's fear of PDAs ( public displays of affection ) , according to an Advocate.com item. Ferguson said, "Don't expect a Gone With the Wind type of thing happening, I know the fans would like that. We're doing an episode about Mitchell's fear of PDA, so it's not the kiss episode per se, but yeah. It's going to be a really poignant, beautiful thing but less of an ordeal than people think it is."
Tony Award winner Patti LuPone will co-star with Justin Guarini, the runner-up to Kelly Clarkson in American Idol's first season, in his Broadway debut in the musical adaptation of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, according to Broadway World. The musical is based on Pedro Almodovar's 1988 movie about a group of emotional women in Spain. Other cast members will include Brian Stokes Mitchell and Laura Benanti. "Women" will begin previews Oct. 2.
Singer and gay fave Kristine W may be known for her many dance hits—in fact, the former Miss Washington holds the world's record for most consecutive #1 Billboard club hits—but, come Sept. 14, she will be releasing the double-CD jazz set Straight Up with a Twist. In the 30-track set, Kristine transforms several of her club hits into smooth jazz ballads, including "Wonder of it All," "Save My Soul" and "Stronger." The jazz version of "Feel What You Want," Kristine's first career release and first Billboard Dance #1, will be the debut single from the album.
David Yost—who was the original blue Power Ranger on the children's TV series The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers—has come out of the closet to The Advocate. He said that he left the show because of anti-gay slurs: "I made a commitment to myself saying, "If I get called faggot one more time, I'm walking because I can't handle it any more. Within a week it happened, and it happened from a higher-level person on the show." However, producer Scott Page-Pagter told TMZ that Yost wanted more money and that the Blue Ranger was "a pain in the ass."
The DVD of the Jim Carrey-Ewan McGregor movie I Love You Phillip Morris is now shipping in the United Kingdom, according to On Top Magazine. The release of the movie has been postponed four times in the United States; EuropaCorp, the French movie studio that owns "Morris," has claimed that U.S. distributor Consolidated Pictures Group has not paid the advance for the film. In the film—based on a true story—criminal and father Steven Russell ( played by Carrey ) falls for prison cellmate Phillip Morris ( McGregor ) .
No same-sex couples advanced to the final four of The Today Show's "Modern Love" wedding contest—despite public pressure to include gay and lesbian couples in the event, according to ChicagoPride. When NBC originally announced the contest, same-sex couples were not allowed because of New York's law banning marriage equality. However, Today executive producer Jim Bell met with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation last month; the network then changed the contest's rules to allow gay and lesbian couples.
Openly gay actor Thom Bierdz, 48, has returned to the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, On Top Magazine reported. Bierdz plays Phillip Chancellor III, who most recently came out to the family he left behind after he faked his death to move elsewhere. He told About Gay Life Magazine that he's hoping his character starts dating, but added he isn't holding his breath.
Actress Jennifer Aniston is going the bisexual route in the upcoming film Wanderlust, produced by Judd Apatow, according to an On Top Magazine item. In Wanderlust, Aniston stars opposite Paul Rudd as a couple who moves from Manhattan to a commune. She will not only be with men, but at least two women—one who happens to be pregnant. Aniston is currently starring in the sperm-donor comedy The Switch with Jason Bateman.
Socialite Paris Hilton was arrested on a charge of cocaine possession in Las Vegas, Nev., Aug. 27, according to Fox News. Police stopped the vehicle Hilton was in after officers noticed the smell of marijuana coming from it. Authorities released Hilton from the Clark County Detention Center on her own recognizance in the early-morning hours of Aug. 28. Hilton was arrested this summer after the Brazil-Netherlands World Cup match in South Africa, on suspicion of marijuana possession; the case was later dropped.
Out gay singer George Michael has revealed that he checked himself into rehab in July for drug addiction, according to MTV's UK website. Michael decided to go the day after crashing his car into a store in north London. In an open letter, Michael wrote, "Personal problems which I had tried to deal with myself had clearly got the better of me, and I am sorry that my pride has prevented me from seeking help before now." Recently, Michael pled guilty to marijuana possession and driving under the influence of drugs.
Taylor Lautner—known around the world as the sexy Twilight werewolf Jacob—has filed a lawsuit against a McMahon's RV, alleging emotional distress and fraud, according to Examiner.com . Lautner ordered a $300,000 custom-built RV while he filmed the movie Abduction; however, the actor claimed the vehicle wasn't delivered in a timely fashion and was not customized to his satisfaction.
Running Press has released Color Me Marilyn: Classic Hollywood Moments, a unique coloring book from artist/author Emanuel Emanuele, according to a press release. An introduction and captions for each of the 64 drawings by Emanuele tell the story of Marilyn Monroe in chronological order. Emanuele, a Hollywood artist and author who specializes in drawing Hollywood icons of the Golden Age of Hollywood, is an ardent Marilyn fan and serious collector of Hollywood memorabilia.
Guns 'n Roses lead singer Axl Rose reportedly partied at the gay club night for Bungalow 8, a London nightspot, according to an Advocate.com item. More than 20 years ago, Rose dealt with charges of homophobia and racism for his song, "One In a Million." However, since then, he has performed with musicians such as Sir Elton John.
