Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Pia Toscano, Reichen Lehmkuhl and Joan Rivers
Special to the Online Edition of Windy City Times
by Andrew Davis, Windy City Times
2011-04-13

This article shared 6734 times since Wed Apr 13, 2011
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Betty White is producing a show on NBC that is basically Punk'd for the senior set, according to an Advocate.com item. White will executive-produce and host Betty White's Off Their Rockers, which is based on the European hit Benidorm Bastards. The show will look at seven seniors who play pranks on unsuspecting younger people.

Actors Jude Law and Kevin Spacey took part in a March 28 protest in London to call for the end of the dictatorship of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, who is known for his anti-gay statements, according to Advocate.com . The Daily Mail reported that "Spacey, 51, said he was moved to act and protest about human rights violations in Belarus after watching the Belarus Free Theatre perform in New York last year." Spacey's and Law's movies have now been banned in Belarus because of their participation in the protest.

Lionsgate will make several films with smaller budgets ( less than $2 million each ) over the coming year, including the comedy Gay Dude, according To Advocate.com . Written by Parks and Recreation's Alan Yang, the film is about two best friends who plan to lose their virginity before high school graduation. However, things change when one of the friends comes out of the closet.

Actor Farley Granger—a '50s screen idol known his role in the Hitchcock thrillers Rope and Strangers on a Train—has died at age 85, according to Reuters. He later performed on Broadway, making his debut in 1959 with First Impressions, a musical version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. In his 2007 memoir, Include Me Out: My Life from Goldwyn to Broadway, he told of romantic relationships with men and women.

Hugh Jackman, who is known for being a singer as well as an actor, will perform a two-week stint in San Francisco, according to MercuryNews.com . Jackman will debut his new one-man show, "Hugh Jackman In Performance," at San Francisco's Curran Theatre May 3-15 as part of the SHN/Best of Broadway series. The former Oscars host has a solid Broadway background, winning a Tony in The Boy from Oz and acting alongside Daniel Craig in A Steady Rain.

NBC is slated to premiere a fashion-design show hosted by supermodel Elle Macpherson in 2012, according to Advocate.com . The series, called Fashion Star, will be an unscripted prime-time show in which designers compete for a multimillion-dollar contract to create a fashion line for top retail stores. Unlike the show Project Runway, the designers' creations will be available for viewers to purchase each week.

Artists and songwriters from the EMI record company are raising funds to help the Red Cross support people affected by last month's earthquake and tsunami in Japan, according to a press release. The charity auction, which will be managed by eBay, features items from some of the world's biggest stars, including Coldplay, Norah Jones, Katy Perry, Gorillaz, Daft Punk and Keith Urban. The auction will run in two phases through April 21; see http://ebay.com/EMIfamily4Japan.

Mister Cee, 44, a popular DJ on New York City's Hot 97 station, was arrested and charged with public lewdness after being caught having sex in public with a 20-year-old male, according to GaySocialites.com . ( Other reports suggest that the younger individual is transgender. ) Police said that the younger man was performing oral sex on Cee ( real name: Calvin Lebrun ) , who was an associate producer on Ready to Die, the debut album of the late rapper Notorious B.I.G.

Speaking of Cee, rap musician 50 Cent has come to his defense, according to Advocate.com . The "In da Club" rapper told radio station Hot 97 that he would make Cee "my DJ any day," adding, "It's only entertaining because he means that much to hip-hop culture. I recognize Mister Cee as the guy who offered us Biggie, so he means that much to the culture."

In an installment of her GagaVision YouTube series, Lady Gaga confronts an anti-gay picketer who protested outside one of her concerts, according to Billboard.com . Gaga said to the protester, "We really believe in God at my show," with the picketer saying, "Your pervert ways don't quite equate to what God is all about, darlin'." After the encounter, Gaga said that it made her "sad that my fans have to see that, but I know that it's just part of what I'm supposed to do."

Out lesbian country singer Chely Wright has officially become engaged to her girlfriend, according to HollywoodNews.com . The "Single White Female" singer is now engaged to LGBT-rights activist Lauren Blitzer. They plan to be married in Connecticut Aug. 20.

Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rimes took to Twitter to defend the show's portrayal of same-sex relationships, specifically the wedding of characters Callie Torres and Arizona Robbins, according to Advocate.com . A viewer tweeted why Rhimes "panders to the gay/lesbian community." Rhimes responded that she and her writers do not pander to any community, adding, "Isn't love universal? Isn't that the point? That you can watch a straight couple in love or a lesbian couple in love and what you see and feel is the LOVE? How is that pandering? Maybe I've been pandering to straight couples all this time."

Gay model/reality-TV star Reichen Lehmkuhl has responded about nude photos of him that where taken from his now-deleted profile on a website and re-posted, according to Advocate.com . Lehmkuhl has confirmed that it's him in the photos that were originally posted on Cam4.com, adding, "In my, now, nine years of being in the public eye, I've seen many less-flattering photos attributed to me, so that's a plus. Moving on..." Lehmkuhl originally found fame after being half of a team that won $1 million on the CBS show The Amazing Race.

At the recent Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, Jake Gyllenhaal was the brunt of a gay-themed joke delivered by singer Blake Shelton, according to WonderWall. Co-hosts Shelton and Reba McEntire were engaging in banter at the start of the show when McEntire asked ( in reference to Gyllenhaal and Taylor Swift dating and splitting ) , "Which I don't understand in the first place. She's beautiful, she's talented, she's sweet. What in the world was Jake Gyllenhaal thinking anyway?" Shelton responded, "Wait a minute. He was in 'Brokeback Mountain."

The stars have commented on the shocking exit of front-runner Pia Toscano on American Idol, according to Digital Spy. Jennifer Hudson—an Idol alum herself—tweeted, "I can not believe they just eliminated Pia! Really???? ... [ As ] long as she walked away with that voice she will be alright!! Just hate to see talent like that go!" Alyssa Milano commented, "What in the world? Pia? Pia was sent home? How is that possible? I'm so confused." Even Jersey Shore star Snooki wrote, "American Idol... WTF... Pia should have won the whole thing! I'm not watching Idol anymore. I'm with JLo on this one."

In a first, Bravo has cancelled a Real Housewives installment, ending things with the D.C. housewives after just one season, according to Digital Spy. Real Housewives of D.C. was the fifth series in the reality-show franchise. The show had featured Michaele and Tareq Salahi, who made headlines for allegedly crashing a White House dinner.

Dolly Parton, Colin Farrell, Sean Hayes, Chris Colfer, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Melissa Etheridge, Joel McHale, Kirsten Dunst and Chaz Bono were among those joining GLAAD as it honored Kristin Chenoweth, NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt and the best in television and journalism April 10 at the 22nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles, hosted by Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones. It was a tie in the Outstanding Comedy Series category, with both Fox's Glee and ABC's Modern Family taking home the award. Also, Dunst presented a Special Recognition award to Bianca "Nikki" Peet, a 17-year-old student from Corpus Christi, Texas, for her efforts to organize a gay-straight alliance at her high school after her principal originally prohibited the group.

DJ Samantha Ronson, the on-and-off girlfriend of actress Lindsay Lohan, posted a photo of herself bruised after being in a bike accident, according to US Magazine. She wrote the caption "Wear a helmet, kids!" with the photo. Ronson also answered questions about the accident; for example, when one person asked, "How did this happen?," she answered, "Avoiding a car!"

There have been country and even mariachi remixes of Lady Gaga's hit "Born This Way"—and now there's a Bollywood edition, according to Digital Spy. Gaga has collaborated with music composers Salim-Sulaiman on the Hindi film-themed version of her current release. Gaga's newest single, "Judas," will be released April 19.

Despite the outrage over American Idol contestant Pia Toscano being tossed, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe said that he was never a frontrunner in the competition, Digital Spy reported. Several celebrities expressed their shock with Toscano's ouster, and judge Jennifer Lopez even seemingly suggested that the singer was in no danger of being eliminated. However, Lythgoe said, "I know the results so I know she was never a frontrunner. When I heard that she was going, I was pretty upset—angry, you could say. ... I've realized that, at the end of the day, this is going to happen every week now because the talent is so strong."

Liz Brixius, the executive producer of the cable show Nurse Jackie, said that she is happy with the gay characters on the series, according to Digital Spy. Speaking at the GLAAD Awards, Brixius said, "It doesn't feel like we're soldiers for anything anymore. We're just here telling stories that incorporate gay people in organic ways, and that's all I ever wanted." Although one gay nurse, played by the actor Haaz, left after the first season, several other characters are either members of the LGBT community or have family members who are. The show is in the middle of its third season.

A photographer taunted disgraced fashion designer John Galliano at Los Angeles International Airport April 10, according to a New York Post item. The shutterbug yelled, "Fucking racist!" at Galliano, who has been in the news for making anti-Semitic remarks. Dior recently fired Galliano for the statements; his attorneys subsequently denied that Galliano is anti-Semitic but apologized for the designer's behavior.

Openly gay actor Jonathan Groff has said he has no idea what will happen when he reprises his character, Jesse St. James, on Glee later this season, Digital Spy reported. Groff said, "I wish I knew more. [ Executive producer ] Ryan Murphy contacted me. I start in a week or two. I'll be singing with Lea [ Michele, who plays Rachel ] probably but I don't know if he's raising havoc or coming to apologize." Glee's new episodes start airing April 19 on Fox.

Britney Spears and Rihanna have collaborated on a remix of the latter's hit, "S&M," according to MTV.com . On April 11, Rihanna debuted the mix of her controversial hit—less than 24 hours after tweeting that she had "a sexy collabo comin' your way supa dupa soon ... it's Britney bitch!!!" A few weeks ago, Rihanna asked her 4.4 million Twitter followers which artist they'd like to see her collaborate with—and they overwhelming responded with Spears.

Singer Annie Lennox will receive the prestigious O2 Silver Clef Award July 1 in London, according to Digital Spy. The music therapy charity will award the "Walking on Broken Glass" singer for her music and humanitarian efforts. Previous winners include the band Muse, Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones.

Comedian Joan Rivers claims that she never sweats—because of vodka, according to the New York Post. At a recent event, she said, "I always spray my costumes with vodka and water. It's an old Broadway trick—two-thirds water and one-third vodka. Spray your armpits and you'll never smell again." She also said she uses the mixture to wash her clothes.

In Wisconsin, Steven Cowan, 68, was sentenced to probation for a November 2010 incident in which he was so angry that Bristol Palin remained on TV's Dancing with the Stars that he shot the television, according to a New York Post item. Cowan thought Palin's success on the series was some sort of political conspiracy before he shot the set and had a 15-hour standoff with police at his home in Black Earth, Wis. Cowan pled no contest to misdemeanor counts of negligent handling of a weapon and disorderly conduct as well as one felong count of failing to comply with an officer's orders.

In an interview with New York Post's PopWrap, Celebrity Apprentice competitor LaToya Jackson talked about her affection for drag queens. Jackson—the first celebrity brought back for a second guest-judge spot in the same season of RuPaul's Drag Race—said that LaToya drag queens "LaToya drag queens kind of look like me, Diana Ross and my sister mixed together," adding that RuPaul's show "is just so much fun." Jackson also said that she's putting out a CD before the end of the year and that she's been asked to compete on Dancing with the Stars, but "it's all about timing."

Law & Order: SVU actor Christopher Meloni has joined the Human Rights Campaign in a new video for the "New Yorkers for Marriage Equality" campaign, according to a press release. In the video, Meloni says, "I believe in love, in family, and in fairness. That's why I'm a New Yorker for marriage equality." Meloni joins Fran Drescher, Kenneth Cole, Joan Rivers and Julianne Moore, among many others, who are involved in the campaign.


This article shared 6734 times since Wed Apr 13, 2011
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

'Rumors' performers create alternative drag playground 2024-03-24
- At first glance, Dorian's Through The Record Shop (1939 W. North Ave.) looks like a brightly-lit shop with a handful of records on the wall, but there's a secret world behind those unassuming shelves. Visitors are ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer musicians, Marvel situation, Elliot Page, Nicole Kidman 2024-03-21
- Queer musician Joy Oladokun released the single "I Wished on the Moon," from Jack Antonoff's official soundtrack for the new Apple TV+ series The New Look, per a press release. The soundtrack, ...


Gay News

THEATER Chicago's City Lit has anxiety on tap with 'Two Hours in a Bar' 2024-03-21
- Two Hours in a Bar Waiting for Tina Meyer by Kristine Thatcher with material by Larry Shue Text Me by Kingsley Day (Book, Music and Lyrics). At: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.. Tickets: ...


Gay News

Lollapalooza announces lineup; SZA, Skrillex among headliners 2024-03-19
- Lollapalooza has released its line-up for the event that's taking place Aug. 1-4 at Grant Park. Headliners include SZA, Blink-182, Skrillex, The Killers, Hozier, Melanie Martinez and Stray Kids, among others. Some of the other acts ...


Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18
- Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition' 2024-03-15
- Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

House-music festival on Aug. 30-Sept. 1; icons, Idris Elba to be part of it 2024-03-13
- The ARC Music Festival—an event celebrating house music—will take place Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Chicago's Union Park, per WGN-TV. This will mark the fourth year that the festival will celebrate the genre at Union Park—less than ...


Gay News

COBRAH slithers into Chicago and brings Feminine Energy 2024-03-08
- COBRAH snaked her way into Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St., for two nights March 7 and 8 for her Succubus Tour. This Swedish-born talent has a way with naughty words and ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Jinkx Monsoon, Xavier Dolan, 'Frida,' Lena Waithe, out singer 2024-03-08
- Two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon is headed back to the New York stage, joining off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey beginning April 2, according to Playbill. The casting makes Monsoon the first drag ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret 2024-03-05
- Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare 2024-03-05
- Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01
- Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer actors, icons duet, Hunter Schafer, Oscars, Elizabeth Taylor 2024-03-01
- Queer actor Kal Penn is set to star in Trust Me, I'm a Doctor—a film that chronicles the final days of actress/model Anna Nicole Smith, whose overdose death in 2007 at age 39 sparked a tabloid ...


Gay News

'Always Olivia' celebrates Olivia Newton-John at Raue Center 2024-02-26
- From a press release: Always Olivia, a tribute to one of the most celebrated and beloved pop culture icons of all time, the late Olivia Newton-John comes to Raue Center in Crystal Lake on Saturday, May ...


Gay News

Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams's violin stylings help COH mark Black History Month 2024-02-23
- As part of its celebration of Black History Month, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., presented a solo jazz performance by violinist Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams on Feb. 21. The two-hour long performance presented a showcase ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.