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

Whoopi Goldberg has fired back at GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney after it was leaked that he said Goldberg's show is "high-risk" because "only one [host] is conservative and four are sharp-tongued and not conservative, Whoopi Goldberg in particular," according to Deadline.com . He added that she once told him, "You know what? I think I could vote for you," to which he said, "I must have done something really wrong." On Twitter, Goldberg responded, "Well, Mr. Romney—the man I was talking about turned into a man who flushed his ideals down the drain."

Singer and AIDS activist Annie Lennox has gotten married for a third time, according to People.com . The British musician, 57, married Dr. Mitch Besser, a U.S. resident who's also 57. Besser, a Harvard-educated gynecologist, founded mothers2mothers, a private organization based in Africa that aims to reduce mother-to-child HIV-transmission rates.

Out actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) has announced his engagement to attorney Justin Mikita and announced a new marriage-equality organization, according to Advocate.com . In a video, Ferguson tells viewers about his foundation Tie the Knot and then reveals, ""It's true. I popped the question." Mikita then adds, "I said yes!" The two men have teamed with Tie Bar to design a collection of unique bowties; proceeds will go to different groups that fight for LGBT rights. See www.TieTheKnot.org for more info.

Broadway Records has released a new concept recording of the Frank Wildhorn-Leslie Bricusse musical Jekyll & Hyde, featuring Tony nominee Constantine Maroulis and Deborah Cox, according to Playbill.com . Maroulis (Rock of Ages, The Wedding Singer) and R&B singer Cox (Aida) co-star in the Broadway-aimed national tour of Jekyll & Hyde, which launched Sept. 7 at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Liza Minnelli, Barbara Streisand, Itzhak Perlman, Lang Lang, Aretha Franklin and others celebrated the life of the late Marvin Hamlisch at a Sept. 18 tribute event, according to an Advocate.com . Franklin sang "Nobody Does It Better" followed by the gospel song "Deep River." Minnelli performed "If You Really Knew Me" from the musical They're Playing Our Song, and Streisand received a standing ovation from the crowd for the surprising combination of her hit "The Way We Were" with "Through the Eyes of Love," a song she hasn't sung publicly. Celebrities in the audience included Candice Bergen, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, among others.

Australian Robyn Lawley has been hired as Ralph Lauren's first plus-size model, the New York Daily News reported. The 23-year-old Lawley—who appeared on Good Morning America recently in an Alexander McQueen dress—is 6'2" and a size 12. "It was such a battle for me; I'm big-boned, I'm tall and and I'm broad," she said. "I was lucky to start plus-size modeling."

Tony winner Scarlett Johansson is set to return to Broadway to star as Maggie in a new production of Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, Deadline.com reported. Ciaran Hinds will portray Big Daddy, while Benjamin Walker will be Brick and Tony/Emmy winner Debra Monk will play Big Mama. Preview performances will start Dec. 18 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre for a Jan. 17, 2013, opening night.

Singer Pink recently said that she is not only in favor of marriage equality, but she longs for the day when sexual orientation is no longer debated, according to the Huffington Post. Pink told GaydarRadio via Pink News (no connection to the singer), "I think that the best day will be when we no longer talk about being gay or straight—it's not a 'gay wedding,' it's just a 'wedding.'" She also declared her support for President Obama, saying of challenger Mitt Romney, "I don't think it's time to start over with a brand new person with the same set of problems."

Lady Gaga said that her dad's Italian food is responsible for her recent weight gain, according to the New York Post. While others blamed alcohol or even pregnancy, Gaga (who has gained 25 pounds) said, "I love eating pasta and pizza. I'm a New York Italian girl. My father [Joe Germanotta] opened a restaurant. It's so amazing … it's so freaking delicious, but I'm telling you I gain five pounds every time I go in there."

Jennifer Hudson used a surprise performance to lobby for a role as "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin in an upcoming movie, the New York Post reported. The Oscar winner appeared in a short dress and sang a medley of hits by Franklin and Whitney Houston at a 125th anniversary party for the Hearst Corporation. Hudson also belted out "Happy Birthday" for Hearst and jumped off the stage, singing Houston's "I Want To Dance With Somebody."

The first-ever LGBT-themed 3D film program launched with the premiere of the movie short Leviticus 20:13 at the "Out in 3D" program at Los Angeles' Regal Cinemas, according to Advocate.com . Christopher Crescitelli, who is also director of the annual 3D film fest, made the tolerance-themed piece. For the third straight year, Hung actor Thomas Jane was the event's celebrity host.

Destiny's Child is releasing Playlist, a greatest-hits collection, Oct. 9, according to the Chicago Tribune. The release date will coincide with the 15-year anniversary of the trio's first No. 1 hit, "No, No, No Part 2." The 14-track set covers largely the same ground as the group's 2005 greatest-hits compilation, #1's, with songs such as "Bootylicious" and "Survivor."

Grammy-winning singer Fiona Apple spent the night in a Texas jail after being arrested on a felony drug-possession charge, the Chicago Tribune reported. Apple, 35, was taken into custody in Sierra Blanca, the same town where authorities previously nabbed singer Willie Nelson, rapper Snoop Dogg (now Snoop Lion) and The Social Network actor Armie Hammer on drug charges. Apple had four grams of hashish, an extract of the cannibis plant. At a subsequent concert in Houston, Apple told the audience she wanted to apologize to "the guy who runs the jail" for her attitude, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Good Morning America host Robin Roberts' physician, Dr. Gail Roboz, said Roberts was "energized" after a five-minute bone marrow transplant Sept. 20, and is now being monitored for signs of recovery, People.com reported. Roboz, an oncologist, added that the seven to 10 days following the procedure are crucial for the injected stem cells. The goal, Roboz said, is for Roberts to leave the hospital by mid-to-llate October.

Actor/artist James Franco is about to add another occupation to his resume: musician. According to USA Today, Franco has released his first musical collaboration—under the name Daddy—with musician/artist Tim O'Keefe. Their debut CD, MotorCity, features guest vocals by Motown legend Smokey Robinson. MotorCity was written and recorded while Franco was based in Detroit for the filming of Oz: The Great and Powerful.

Gay interior designer Todd Alexander Romano has filed court papers against clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger's ex-wife, Susan, New York Daily News reported. Romano accuses Susan of being an out-of-control "shopaholic" who sued him because he wouldn't marry her. His suit came in response to Hilfiger's, in which she alleges the designer "grossly" overcharged on some furnishings and submitted false invoices for items that were never delivered.

Former Pittsburgh Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy told the New York Times that he is gay, the Chicago Tribune reported. McClatchy, the owner and CEO of the Major League Baseball team from 1996 to 2007, said he stayed in the closet because of frequent homophobic slurs he heard in baseball circles. "You're not going to solve any problem until you start a dialogue," McClatchy said. "And there's no dialogue right now."

Calvin Klein—whose twentysomething ex, Nick Gruber, is writing a tell-all about his relationship with the designer—won't be writing his own memoir, according to a New York Post item. "I have no interest," he said during a party for Penny Marshall's book, My Mother Was Nuts. "I've spent most of my adult life speaking to press and trying to communicate what I am creating, and so much has been written." Regarding Gruber, who is dating John Luciano, Klein said, "I'm very happy that he is happy." However, the New York Daily News reported that Gruber said Klein hired a private investigator to tail him and Luciano, 48, who is distantly related to gangster Lucky Luciano.

Pro dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy is set to leave Dancing with the Stars, according to CNN.com . Chmerkovskiy wants to pursue other opportunities, including a potential reality show with brother Val (who's also on DWTS). Maksim will not renew his contract when it expires in 2014—or two cycles after the new season of DWTS: All-Stars.

It may be a new fall television season, but there were some repeats at the 64th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which took place Sept. 23. The ABC hit Modern Family—which features a gay couple among its characters—won its third consecutive Emmy as best comedy. In addition, Eric Stonestreet (who plays Cam, half of the same-sex couple) and Julie Bowen won again as best supporting actor and actress. On a different note, Dame Maggie Smith won for best supporting actress in a drama for the PBS show Downton Abbey, while Jessica Lange won best supporting actress for her turn on American Horror Story, which Ryan Murphy (Glee) created.

The roles have been cast in Jennifer Lopez's ABC Family show The Fosters, which centers on a lesbian couple, according to SheWired.com . Teri Polo (The West Wing, Meet the Parents) and Sherri Saum (Rescue Me, In Treatment) have been cast as a mixed-race lesbian couple raising a biological son and several adopted kids. Then, they take in Callie, "a troubled teen with an abusive past."

Speaking of Lopez, an appeals court ruled in her favor after she killed a movie about her first marriage, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Two years ago, the singer-actress was sued for allegedly interfering with a film that would have told the story of her marriage to Ojani Noa. Producer Claudia Vazquez sued for $10 million, and an L.A. judge ruled in her favor; however, the Second District Court of Appeals recently reversed the judgment.

Possibly in light of Paris Hilton's controversial remarks about gay people, the Logo network has pulled a documentary about her, the New York Post reported. Paris Hilton Inc., produced in 2007, was set to air Sept. 24 and 28; however, Logo removed it from the schedule. Hilton recently was taped saying, "Gay guys are the horniest people in the world. They're disgusting. Dude, most of them probably have AIDS." She later apologized.

Oscar winner Helen Mirren (The Queen) will receive this year's European Achievement in World Cinema award, the European Film Academy's lifetime achievement honor, the Hollywood Reporter noted. Mirren—who has been in films such as Gosford Park and Age of Consent as well as the Prime Suspect TV movies, among many other productions—will receive the honor at the 25th European Film Awards Dec. 1 in Malta.

Thanks to coverage of the secret Mitt Romney tape, The Rachel Maddow Show pulled in the top ratings among adults 25-54 for the week of Sept. 17, beating Fox News Channel's Hannity for the first time since Jan. 19, 2009, according to Deadline.com . Maddow had 567,000 viewers; Hannity was second with 500,000. CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight was third with 198,000.

Bonnie Franklin, best known for starring on the 1975-84 hit comedy One Day at a Time, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Franklin reunited with onetime co-star Valerie Bertinelli last year on the latter's sitcom Hot in Cleveland; most recently, she has been on the CBS daytime serial The Young and the Restless.

The L Word creator Ilene Chaiken has sold a crime drama to CBS, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Titled Solve for X, the drama revolves around a young game developer in San Francisco who agrees to be a consultant for an anti-crime task force. Last year, Chaiken had the drama Hail Mary, starring Minnie Driver as a suburban mom-turned-detective, set up at CBS. Chaiken's L Word reality spinoff, The Real L Word, recently finished its third season on Showtime.

Transgender model Lea T stole the show at Milan Fashion Week, according to the Daily Mail. She opened and closed the Philipp Plein show and, according to Vogue Italia, had an exclusive with the Swiss designer. The daughter of former soccer player Toninho Cerezo, Lea T—who began the gender-reassignment process in 2008—first appeared on the cover of Love magazine locking lips with Kate Moss.