It might be wise of rapper Nicki Minaj to not mess with legendary singer Stevie Nicks. According to the Huffington Post, Nicks recently commented on the American Idol feud between Minaj and fellow judge Mariah Carey. Nicks said, "How dare this little girl! … If I had been Mariah I would have walked over to Nicki and strangled her to death right there. I would have killed her in front of all those people and had to go to jail for it."
Anderson Cooper recently fired back at Star Jones, who said Cooper came out of the closet to boost his talk show's ratings, according to the Huffington Post. On the Today show, Jones said, "He's a daytime talk show host and when the ratings slip in daytime, the hosts tend to tell you lots of things about them. ... There were times that you generate information for ratings." However, on his show, Cooper said, "As memory serves, in terms of boosting ratings, I seem to recall [Star] hocking her wedding every single day to get free products when she was on The View, and I seem to recall her lying about her gastric-bypass surgery and making everybody else lie about it as well." He also said her comment was "annoying" because he made it when the show was on hiatus.
The Sundance Award-winning documentary Love Free or Die will premiere on the new season of Independent Lens, which returns to PBS this fall on Mondays. Love Free or Die follows Gene Robinson, the first openly gay person to be elected bishop in the high church traditions of Christianity. The film will premiere on Independent Lens, hosted by Stanley Tucci, on Monday, Oct. 29, on PBS. (Check local listings.)
Agnes Bruckner (TV's Private Practice) will portray the late Anna Nicole Smith in the Lifetime movie The Anna Nicole Story, which Craig Zadan, Neil Meron and Judith Verno are executive-producing, according to Deadline.com . The movie is based on the true life story of Vicky Lynn Hogan, a girl growing up in a small Texas town who transforms herself into Anna Nicole Smith—a voluptuous, Marilyn Monroe-esque Playboy pin-up and model.
The executive producers of Smash, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, are developing another hour-long series for NBC in which music plays a major part, according to Deadline.com . The duo is executive-producing a dramedy that Krista Vernoff (Grey's Anatomy) is writing and executive-producing. The show (which will feature the music catalog of Diane Warren) will look at a thirtysomething songwriter who has written the most epic love songs of our time, despite—or perhaps due to—the fact that she is very unlucky in love.
West Wing actor Bradley Whitford will go gay on the third season of the Showtime series Shameless, according to EW.com . Whitford will be in two episodes as Abraham, a "powerful, well-dressed, sophisticated gay man who is a political activist." Shameless' third season will start Jan. 13, 2013.
Sacha Baron Cohen made the films Borat, Bruno and The Dictator—and his next project is tentatively titled The Lesbian, according to GossipCenter.com . Borrowing from real life, the movie will be loosely based on the newsworthy story of Hong Hong billionaire Cecil Chao Sze-Tsung, who made the offer of $65 million to any male suitor who can win over and marry his lesbian daughter.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Public Enemy, Donna Summer, Heart, Kraftwerk, Randy Newman, Chic and Rush are just some of the artists who have been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2013, according to FoxNews.com . It's the sixth time on the ballot for Summer, and the first since her death in May at age 63. (Chic is on the ballot for the seventh time since 2003.) A group of 600 artists, music historians and members of the industry will choose the inductees, who will be honored April 18 in Los Angeles.
A pro-marriage equality song and video by hip-hop artist Macklemore are generating buzz, according to NewNowNext.com . The song "Same Love" (with a hook sung by Mary Lambert) finds the rapper talking about the danger and pervasiveness of gay stereotypes, adding that no one is free until everyone is free. The video shows a gay man's entire life in seven minutes—from being born to dying with his husband beside him.
Singer Pink told The Advocate that when she first moved to Los Angeles, she was an "honorary lesbian of Los Angeles," according to the Huffington Post. She added, "I wasn't gay, but all my girlfriends were." However, she noted that she wasn't happy when a tabloid reported she was bisexual: "That wasn't my truth, and I like truth. I like absolute truth."
Jim Morris is a bodybuilder; however, unlike most, the openly gay athlete is 77. According to the Huffington Post, the former Mr. New York (1966), Mr. California (1970) and Mr. Universe (1977) talked with Frugivore magazine about his training regimen and vegan diet. "Since becoming vegan all my health problems have completely disappeared," Morris said. "I no longer take any medication. I do take a weekly injection of Testosterone and vit B-12. My yearly checkups are perfect." He recently ended his 19-year retirement from bodybuilding to win the over-60 division in the Mr. Olympia competition.
The late Janis Joplin's siblings have given their approval of One Night with Janis Joplin, a musical revue running at Washington, D.C.'s, ArenaStage through Nov. 4, according to USA Today. Michael Joplin said, "We wanted them to sing and laugh and have a good time, and to remember Janis like I remember her: funny and real, with this big voice." Sister Laura added that the show stresses "Janis' music, which was pure joy." Janis died of a heroin overdose at 27 in 1970.
Good Morning America meterologist Sam Champion has come out as gay and is engaged to boyfriend Rubem Robierb, according to a Towleroad.com item. Champion and Robierb met through mutual friends a few years ago in Miami, where Robierb lives. Born in Brazil, Robierb is a fine-arts photographer who shows his work in Miami; Atlanta; Santa Monica, Calif.; and New York City.
Out fashion designer/film director Tom Ford (A Single Man) and his partner, journalist Richard Buckley, "are proud to announce the birth of their son, Alexander John Buckley Ford, born in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 23," according to People.com . Ford, 51, is often credited with turning around Gucci during his 10-year run as creative director of the label, a role that ended in 2004. He and Buckley, 64, have been together since 1986.
Two playwrights who both wrote dramas about Harvard University's anti-gay "secret court" are headed to an actual court, according to the New York Post. Tony Speciale—whose work, Unnatural Acts, was a Drama Desk nominee last year—has filed suit against former friend Stan Richardson over his play, Veritas, which ran at the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival. Speciale claims that he and Richardson collaborated on Veritas until they had a "falling-out" in April 2008, and he accused Richardson of ripping him off. The plays address a long-secret, 1920 tribunal conducted at Harvard to purge the campus of gay people.
The Price Is Right has its first male model in the show's history. According to the New York Post, viewers chose Boston resident Rob Wilson from among a trio of finalists who also included Clint Brink and Nick Denbeigh. Wilson begins his weeklong gig alongside the ladies Oct. 15. Initially, hundreds of men showed up for an open call for the position.
Rosie O'Donnell says that she "almost died" after suffering a serious heart attack she two months ago, the New York Daily News reported. "My arms starting aching and my chest hurt," she told People magazine; however, she didn't realize how much danger she was in until she sought medical care the following day. Her doctor immediately put in a stent to restore blood flow once he gave her an EKG, and realized that O'Donnell had suffered a heart attack.
ABC has picked up what is being described as television's first diving reality-competition show from Eyeworks USA, according to Deadline.com . The producers say that Celebrity Splash will celebrities performing dives from dizzying heights, and those dives increase in difficulty each week, with backflips, somersaults and other gymnastic feats. The set-up is similar to ABC's Dancing With The Stars and its short-lived spinoff, Skating With The Stars.
McKinley High School's glee club—the centerpiece of the show Glee—will take on the musical Grease with the release of Glee: The Music Presents Glease, available Nov. 6. This release will give fans a sneak peek of new songs from the Grease-themed episode airing Nov.15. Glee: The Music Presents Glease showcases the cast taking on hits such as "Hopelessly Devoted To You," "Beauty School Dropout," "You're The One That I Want," "Greased Lightning" and more.
Speaking of Glee, show creator Ryan Murphy—who is already juggling Glee, FX's American Horror Story: Asylum and NBC's The New Normal—has sold two projects through his company, Ryan Murphy Television, according to Deadline.com . The projects are a drama at Fox and a comedy at NBC. The drama, Montauk, is described as a family thriller set against one of the biggest conspiracies in U.S. history in Montauk, Long Island. The comedy's premise is being kept under wraps so far.
GLAAD has released the annual "Where We Are on TV" report, a comprehensive review of scripted LGBT primetime characters in the upcoming 2012-2013 television season, according to a press release. After a decrease last year, the number of regular LGBT characters on broadcast networks has risen to the highest ever recorded, while the overall LGBT character count also increased on cable television. The report shows that LGBT characters account for 4.4 percent of scripted series regulars in the 2012-2013 broadcast television schedule. For the full report, visit www.glaad.org/whereweareontv12.
The National Judy Garland Talent Search has launched. According to a press release, in advance of the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz in 2014, the search aims to find one finalist per U.S. state to compete for the national title. State finalists will gather in October 2013 in Aitkin, Minn., at the newly restored Aitkin Opera House at Butler's—where Garland (then named Frances Gumm) performed on stage as part of the Gumm Sisters vaudeville act in 1925 when she was just 3. The winner will receive $10,000, among other prizes; call 732-946-8032.
Film director Elliot London (The Wedding Dance) has embarked on an campaign across the country as he hopes to bring awareness to the plight of LGBT youth being bullied, a press release noted. The "Friend Project" is a new campaign showcasing two separate yet connected digital vignettes from two teenagers in different parts of rural America; they share their stories of growing up LGBT in the conservative heartland of the country. For more info, visit www.facebook.com/friendfilm and www.youtube.com/TheElliotLondon.
Lady Gaga recently pulled a Justin Bieber during her concert in Barcelona, as she threw up three times over the span of a few minutes while performing "Edge of Glory," US Magazine reported. She took to Twitter after her show, posting a YouTube clip from the number and writing, "Was praying nobody saw but actually it's quite a good laugh if you need one!"
Speaking of Gaga, the restaurant owned by her parents has racked up a slew of violations from the New York City Department of Health, Today.com reported. Joanne Trattoria, a Manhattan restaurant opened by Joseph and Cynthia Germanotta in February, received the Department of Health's lowest grade, a "C," after an Oct. 2 inspection. Inspectors found six critical violations, including having wiping cloths not being stored in sanitizing solution. The management plans to appeal the grade.
Cabaret—Bob Fosse's Oscar-winning musical drama starring Liza Minnelli (Arthur, The Sterile Cuckoo), Michael York (the Austin Powers films) and Joel Grey (TV's Oz)—celebrates its 40th anniversary with a Blu-ray debut on Feb. 5, 2013, according to a press release. Winner of eight Academy Awards, the film will be offered in a premium Blu-ray Book format ($27.98 SRP) that contains 40 pages of photos and text. Special features include items such as "Cabaret: A Legend in the Meaning" as well as Grey and Minnelli recalling aspects of filming.
British author J.K. Rowling, famed for her Harry Potter series, has released The Casual Vacancy, her first book meant for adults. According to SheWired.com, the new book definitely deals with adult themes, including suicide, rape, addiction and lesbianism. In the United Kingdom, the book has already sold 2.6 million copies—on pre-order.
The Lifetime original movie Steel Magnolias—a television adaptation of the iconic play and 1989 film that features an all-Black cast—had 6.5 million viewers in its world premiere Oct. 7, according to a press release. It was Lifetime's third most-watched original telecast ever, posting the highest ratings since 2006 (Life is Not a Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story).
Madonna usually confronts controversy but she is backing down from her decision to wear a Muslim bridal dress in an upcoming music video over fears for her safety, according to a Gay.net piece. Called the "terror bride" outfit—a combination of a U.S. soldier's uniform and a traditional Iraqi bridal veil—the costume was meant to make statements against war and the oppression of women. However, Madonna's advisors talked her out of the costume choice because her own safety could be at risk.
Out actor Matt Bomer (Magic Mike; TV's White Collar) recently told an audience he had to "cover his tracks" in order to survive high school as a gay teenager, the Huffington Post reported. Honored with an "Inspiration Award" alongside partner Simon Halls at the GLSEN Respect Awards, he told the crowd, "When I was in high school, there was no safe haven, there was no outlet for you to speak your mind. So I did what any self-preserving 14-year-old would do—I signed up for the school play and also the football team to cover my tracks." Magic Mike co-star Joe Manganiello presented Bomer with the award.
Matthew McConaughey may have dazzled viewers with his body in the male-stripper movie Magic Mike, but his latest look has shocked some onlookers. According to People.com, the actor, 42, has lost 30 pounds for his upcoming role in The Dallas Buyer's Club, the true story of a man with AIDS in the mid-1980s who seeks out experimental HIV drugs to prolong his life. In order to lose the weight, McConaughey recently told Larry King, "[I'm] drinking a lot of tea … It takes a while for your body to understand that it has to feed off of itself."
Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner is reportedly working on a daily talk show for Fox, according to a New York Post item. Jenner, 56, has been hankering for her own talk show for some time now, having guest-hosted on shows such as The View and The Talk.
