Out singer Adam Lambert is denying that he punched a photographer at Miami Beach, according to EW.com . Lambert reportedly "wrestled [ the photographer ] to the ground forcefully" after becoming angry at the paparazzo for continuously snapping pictures, according to police documents. On Twitter, Lambert posted, "Battery? Nope. I attempted to grab a camera, no punches were thrown and no one was on the ground…. It was literally harmless. If embarrassment is a crime- thats all I'm guilty of."
Speaking of Lambert, E! has canceled The Daily 10 program only a few days after co-anchor Michael Catherwood jokingly suggested that Lambert might like being in prison because of his sexual orientation, according to Advocate.com . Catherwood apologized, but viewers' complaints were overwhelming. The show had been on the air for four years, and will be replaced by an expanded E! News, co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic.
Sacha Baron Cohenknown for his starring roles in the movies Borat and Brunohas signed on to portray the late Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury, the New York Times reported. The untitled biopic will focus on the Queen's performance at the 1985 Live Aid benefit concert. The producers have not indicated if Cohen will actually sing songs such as "Bohemian Rhapsody." Mercury died of AIDS-related bronchopneumonia in 1991.
Andy Whitfield, the star of the Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, will not return for a second season because of a cancer recurrence that requires aggressive treatment, according to People.com . Whitfield, 36, said in a statement, "It's with a deep sense of disappointment that I must step aside from such an exceptional project as Spartacus and all the wonderful people involved." He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma earlier this year.
The late gay fashion designer Alexander McQueen was honored at a memorial service during London Fashion Week, according to the New York Times. The service took place Sept. 20 in St. Paul's Cathedral, with people such as fellow designer Stella McCartney, actress Sarah Jessica Parker and supermodel Naomi Campbell attending. Vogue Editor Anna Wintour said in her address that " [ t ] here was no comfort zone with Alexander McQueen." McQueen committed suicide Feb. 11.
The group R.E.M.consisting of guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and out singer Michael Stipehas just finished recording its 15th studio album, which will be released next spring by Warner Bros. Records, according to a press release. The new album will be the follow-up to 2008's charging Accelerate, which debuted at number two on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. The band also released a two-CD live set, "R.E.M. Live At The Olympia," last October.
Jodie Foster is defending troubled actor Mel Gibson, whom she still considers a friend, according to Canoe.ca. Foster told More magazine, "When you love a friend you don't abandon them when they are struggling. Of course, Mel is an undeniably gifted actor and director and The Beaver is one of his most powerful and and moving performances. But more importantly, he is and has been a true and loyal friend. I hope I can help him get through this dark moment." Foster and Gibson worked on the 1994 film Maverick, and recently reunited for the new movie The Beaver, which Foster also directed.
In other Jodie Foster-related news, she has been cleared of charges related to an alleged attack on a teenage photographer, according to E! News. Los Angeles City Attorney's Office spokesman Frank Mateljan said, "We did get a copy of the complaint but declined to file charges." The teenager's father claimed that Foster "pushed and shoved" the boy after he attempted to photograph her and her children.
Paris Hilton's troubles have been following her. After she pled guilty to cocaine possession in Las Vegas, Immigration officials detained Hilton, 29, when she flew to Japan to promote her fashion line, MTV.com reported. ( Hilton was later instructed to leave the country. ) On Sept. 20, a judge ruled that Hilton had to pay $2,000 in fines, perform 200 hours of community service and complete an "intensive" substance-abuse program.
The children's program Sesame Street has cancelled a performance by Katy Perry because her outfit was deemed too revealing, BBC News reported. Some parents, who saw a preview on YouTube, apparently thought the low-cut top Perry wore was a bit too much. The singerriding high on her current album, Teenage Dreamsang a version of her hit "Hot & Cold" alongside Elmo. Sesame Street's 41st season, which starts Sept. 27, will feature celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Colin Farrell.
Oscar winners Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet will co-star in the movie adaptation of God of Carnage for director Roman Polanski, according to Advocate.com . God of Carnage, which was a Tony-winning play, looks at two sets of parents who meet to talk about a fight between two of their children. It will be Foster and Winslet's first pairing.
Actress Portia de Rossi has officially taken her famous wife's last name, becoming Portia Lee James DeGeneres, Advocate.com reported. The L.A. County Superior Court granted the request Sept. 23. Portia and Ellen DeGeneres married two years ago.
Elaine Stritch, Idina Menzel, Nathan Lane and Audra McDonald will be among those participating in A Broadway Celebration: In Performance at the White House Wed., Oct. 20, on PBS, according to SheWired.com . Among other highlights, Menzel sings "Defying Gravity" from Wicked and Stritch belts "Broadway Baby." The event was originally taped July 19 during a private audience with President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
GLEE cast members Jane Lynch and Matthew Morrison, and entertainer Lily Tomlin will headline the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's 39th Anniversary Gala & Auction Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel, according to HollywoodNews.com . Morrison will present lesbian actress Lynch, who is on the board of directors, with the center's Rand Schrader Distinguished Achievement Award. "One thing I've learned during my time working with the Center is that this organizationaside from helping homeless youth, saving the lives of people with HIV and all that community service stuffreally knows how to throw a party," joked Lynch.
Troubled starlet Lindsay Lohan was ordered back to jailbut is now free. On Sept. 24, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elden Fox denied bail and ordered that Lohan remain in custody until the next hearing Oct. 22, according to FOX News. She was immediately handcuffed and escorted to the Lynwood Correctional Facility. However, she was freed shortly that evening after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg allowed the actress' release from jail on $300,000 bail, the New York Daily News reported. Lohan's attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, successfully argued that the Mean Girls star was unlawfully taken in handcuffs after her court appearance. She has now reportedly voluntarily checked herself back into rehab.
The meat dress Lady Gaga sported at the MTV Video Music Awards will not go to waste. According to the L.A. Times, designer Franc Fernandez said that " [ t ] he dress will go through a process where it becomes a sort of 'jerky' and will be archived." Fernandez also designed the diamond headpiece Gaga wore in the video for "Bad Romance"; the singer won seven of her eight awards for that video.
Eddie Fisher, who hit the top of the music charts during the 1950s, died in Berkeley, Calif., Sept. 22 at age 82, according to Rolling Stone. Fisher married some of Hollywood's most famous actressincluding Elizabeth Taylor, Connie Stevens and Debbie Reynolds. His children include Carrie Fisher, a gay fave who is best known for playing Princess Leia in Star Wars.
Mike "The Situation" Sorrentinobest known for being on the reality shows Jersey Shore and Dancing with the Starshas apparently had a large gay following for years, and loves it, according to an Advocate.com item that cites the Village Voice. On his Village Voice blog, Michael Musto said that Sorrentino even stood up for a gay kid who constantly followed him. Sorrentino and other male Jersey Shore cast members were recently photographed for Village Voice's "Queer" issue, but were unaware that the shoot was for that particular issue.
Viewers will meet four straight women who have found real, lasting love with gay men in the Sundance Channel's latest original series, Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys, which is scheduled to air in December, according to a press release. The women range in age from their mid-20s to mid-40s, and all live in New York City. One couple, Crystal McCrary and Nathan Williams, was recently named "Power Couple of the Year" by a New York gay publication.
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays ( PFLAG ) will honor GLEE executive producer/creator Ryan Murphy and Lisa Cholodenko, the director of the film The Kids Are All Right, at its Oct. 1 gala in West Hollywood, Calif., according to PR Newswire. Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet, who play the gay couple on the TV series Modern Family, will emcee the event. Others scheduled to appear include singer Nelly Furtado, GLEE actress Jane Lynch, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and So You Think You Can Dance judge Adam Shankman.