Two unidentified male massage therapists have accused actor John Travolta of sexual battery, according to E! Online. The masseurs allege the Pulp Fiction actor touched them inappropriately, made advances and talked about sexual favors. ( The first alleged it happened in Beverly Hills, the second in Atlanta. ) Travolta's rep said that the suits are "absurd and ridiculous." Each plaintiff wants at least $2 million in damages.
Queen Latifah will headline her first gay-pride festival May 19 in Long Beach, Calif., Advocate.com reported. Latifah crossed over from rapping in the early '90s to acting, with roles on TV's Living Single and lesbian characters in the movies Chicago and Set It Off. Latifah is currently co-executive-producing an all-Black remake of the 1989 movie Steel Magnolias for Lifetime. For more info on the festival, see www.LongBeachPride.com .
Former New Orleans Saints linebacker and marriage-equality advocate Scott Fujita ( now with the Cleveland Browns ) has been suspended without pay for the first three games of the 2012 regular season for actions related to his time with the Saints, according to NFL.com . Fujita pledged a significant amount of money to a prohibited pool that would pay players for hurting people on other teams during the 2009 NFL playoffs. The Saints coach, Sean Payton, has been suspended for the entirre 2012 season, and other players won't be allowed to play for various amounts of games.
The Human Rights Campaign has released a video ad featuring actor Stanley Tucci ( The Hunger Games; The Devil Wears Prada ) for its Americans for Marriage Equality campaign, according to a press release. In the 21st video connected with the campaign, Tucci asks, "Why shouldn't gay and lesbian couples have the right to get married? Marriage is about love and commitment." The videos can be viewed at www.hrc.org/marriageequality.
Movie mogul Tyler Perry's Atlanta studio was damaged in a four-alarm fire, ABC News reported. A Perry spokeswoman said, "We are grateful that there were no injuries, and that 99 percent of the damage is limited to the backlot facade." Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire, which required more than 100 firefighters and took an hour to extinguish.
It looks like actress Scarlett Johansson may star in a Broadway revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Vanity Fair reported. Johansson, who won a Tony in 2010 for her work in A View from the Bridge, may co-star along Jeremy Renner, who is featured with her in the new film The Avengers. Among the actresses who have portrayed Johansson's role of Maggie the Cat ( on stage and film ) are Elizabeth Taylor, Kathleen Turner, Ashley Judd and Debbie Allen.
MGM has offered Julianne Moore the role of the religious-fanatic mother in the remake of the 1976 film Carrie, Deadline.com reported. Chloe Moretz ( Hugo ) is set to play the title character, a girl with telepathic powers. Kimberly Peirce ( Boys Don't Cry; Stop-Loss ) is set to direct.
The group Catholics in Media Associates ( CIMA ) has named Modern Family best television program, Advocate.com reported. Modern Family is ABC's hit sitcom that features a same-sex household among its main charactersand has been the subject of controversy with more conservative organizations. CIMA President Haskell Vaughn Anderson III said the group's goal is "not to criticize what we don't like, but to praise what we do."
Transgender personality Chaz Bono and Elijah Blue Allman made Gay.net's list of sexy celebrity brothers. Also on the list are Donnie and Mark Wahlberg; Chris Evans and his gay actor brother, Scott; actor Colin Farrell and his gay brother, Eamon; and Shawn, Damon, Kennen Ivory and Marlon Wayans, among others.
Benedict Cumberbatch, the star of the BBC show Sherlock, has said he is flattered by some of the racier fan fiction about his character, Sherlock Holmes, Pink News reported. Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman ( assistant John Watson ) have downplayed any sexual element in their relationship, although the characters have long been the subjects of homoerotic theories. Cumberbatch said that he's flattered by how some of the fan fiction depicts his "bodily proportions."
Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson may be a couple again, according to the New York Post. Reports say that the twosome were "holding hands" and flirting "just like the old days" at the New York nightclub Le Baron. Lohan and Ronson dated on-and-off for about two years; after several public fights, the pair split in 2009. Ronson has indicated that the tune "Sometimes When You Win, You Lose"on her new CD, Chasing the Redsmay be about Lohan.
Talking with ABC's Diane Sawyer, Ellen DeGeneres reflected on her coming-out episode on The Ellen Show, which took place 15 years ago. The segment, entitled "The Puppy Episode," aired April 30, 1997, and featured Oprah Winfrey and Laura Dern. "I decided this was not going to be something that I was going to live the rest of my life being ashamed of," DeGeneres told Sawyer. Interestingly, a company that DeGeneres is currently a spokeswoman for ( JCPenney ) decided not to purchase airtime during that 1997 episode.
The 19 editors of Vogue magazines around the world made a pact to eliminate underweight models from the publications' pages, according to Fox News. They agreed to "not knowingly work with models under the age of 16 or who appear to have an eating disorder," and said they will ask casting directors to check IDs for photo shoots, fashion shows and ad campaigns.
Casting is complete for the national tour of the Tony Award-winning production of Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart, Playbill.com reported. Patrick Breen will head the cast as AIDS activist Ned Weeks. Luke Macfarlane and Patricia Wettigwho co-starred on the TV show Brothers & Sisterswill also be featured, along with actors such as Christopher J. Hanke and Tom Berklund. The Normal Heart is about "a tight-knit group of friends that refused to let doctors, politicians and the press bury the truth of an unspoken epidemic behind a wall of silence."
Celebrity biographer Charles Highama gay man whose books claimed, among other things, that industrialist Howard Hughes had an affair with movie star Cary Grant and that actor Errol Flynn was a Nazi spydied of a heart attack at age 81, Advocate.com reported. Higham penned about two dozen biographies, and his subjects included Katharine Hepburn, Errol Flynn, Lucille Ball, Bette Davis and Audrey Hepburn, in addition to Flynn and Grant. Higham was married to Norine Lillian Cecil in the 1950s, but they split after both realized they preferred members of the same sex.
The ABC show "What Would You Do?" recently set up a scenario that tested patrons' acceptance of a transgender server at Colonial Diner in Lyndhurst, N.J., according to ABC News. Carmen Carreraa 26-year-old transgender woman who has appeared on RuPaul's Drag Raceplayed herself as a waitress at the diner while an actor named Kevin who called Carrera a "freak," among other things. Some diners defended Carrera, with one saying, "It's okay to be whoever you want to be. This is America."
True Blood star Anna Paquin is defending herself after some critics have said that she's not sincere about being bisexual, the Huffington Post reported. Paquin ( who is married to co-star Stephen Moyer, and is expecting their child ) told Zooey magazine, "For me, it's not really an issue because I'm someone who believes being bisexual is actually a thing. It's not made up. It's not a lack of decision." Two years ago, the Oscar winner ( for The Piano ) declared her bisexuality in a public-service announcement for the "Give a Damn" campaign.
On the May 6 episode of TV's Celebrity Apprentice, comedian Lisa Lampanelli won $100,000 for Gay Men's Health Crisis ( GMHC ) , the nation's oldest HIV/AIDS care, prevention and advocacy provider, according to a press release. "We are honored that Lisa chose GMHC as her charity," said Marjorie J. Hill, PhD, CEO of GMHC. "This year marks the 30th anniversary of GMHC and we could not be more pleased that Lisa worked hard to raise much-needed funds to support our care services for thousands of men, women and families affected by HIV/AIDS, our HIV prevention programs and advocacy efforts at all levels of government."
Victoria's Secret has released its list of sexiest female celebrities, according to USA Today. South African Charlize Theron is the sexiest actress, and "has a body to die for, a flawless face, a killer bod and an Oscar to boot," according to the list. Also on the list are Stacy Keibler ( Sexiest Legs, who has 41-inch gams ) , Jessica Chastain ( Sexiest Smile ) , Jennifer Lawrence ( Sexiest Eyes ) , bisexual actress Amber Heard ( Sexiest Curves ) and Beyonce ( Sexiest Mom ) , among others.
Australian artist RJ Williams is claiming Madonna stole a logo for her Truth or Dare perfume that he has used since 2004, according to the New York Post. Williams is saying that he designed the logo years ago ( and trademarked it in 2011 ) to sell his clothing line. The logos are similar, with the letter "T" inscribed inside the letter "M." However, while Williams' design features chunky lines and a squat stance, Madonna's logo stands taller and uses thin lines.
Rihanna is working on a fashion collection, the New York Post reported. At the Met Costume Institute Galawhere she wore a Tom Ford leather gown with an alligator printRihanna said that the upcoming collection "will reflect my personal style." The "Umbrella" singer took a step towards becoming a fashion designer last year, collaborating with Emporio Armani on a small capsule collection.
Professional wrestler CM Punk apologized for telling an anti-gay fan to kill himself during a heated argument over North Carolina's Amendment One, according to Advocate.com . CM Punk tweeted in support of marriage equality May 7, the day before the vote. When the fan posted his support for the amendment, Punk responded, "Kill yourself"and told another fan to "drink bleach." The grappler later apologized publicly, tweeting, "I don't want you to kill yourself. I want to better yourself, just as I want to better myself."
NBC has picked up The New Normal, yet another show by Ryan Murphy ( Glee; American Horror Story ) , Advocate.com reported. The new comedy centers on a gay couple and a woman who becomes a surrogate to help them have children. Justin Bartha and The Book of Mormon's Andrew Rannells will play the young couple. Ellen Barkin will play the surrogate's grandmother and Real Housewives of Atlanta's Nene Leakes will play a recurring character.