Oprah Winfrey has not decided if she will leave CBS Corp. and move her talk show to her cable channel, The Oprah Winfrey Network ( OWN ) , according to aceshowbiz.com. CBS Corp. which owns the show's distribution rights, is still talking with her to try to keep her there, although CBS admitted " [ t ] he decision is Oprah's to make." Winfrey is expected to make an official announcement in the next few weeks.
The duo of Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin will host next-year's Oscar telecast, according to the New York Times. Martin presented the broadcast in 2001 and 2003. Film producer Bill Mechanic and openly gay director/choreographer Adam Shankman will co-produce the show. Incidentally, the Golden Globes has announced that actor/comedian Ricky Gervais will host its show.
Talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres truly frightened country singer Taylor Swift recently, according to MTV.com. On Oct. 29, DeGeneres—who loves scaring her guests—popped out from behind a bathroom door; however, she scared Swift so much that the teen screamed very loudly and fell to the floor. DeGeneres said, "Oh my god! That was the best one yet!"
Comedy Central has responded to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's demand for an apology regarding a recent South Park episode that contained anti-gay slurs—and the network's stance is decidedly unapologetic, according to the New York Times. The episode, entitled "The F-Word," involved the South Park kids changing the meaning of the word "fag" so that it's a slur against rude, burly motorcyclists. In a statement, Comedy Central said, "'South Park' is famous for tackling controversial subject matter in thoughtful and hilarious ways. This particular episode of the show has been both criticized and applauded within the gay and lesbian community. With all of that in mind, we will let this 'South Park' episode speak for itself."
The Trevor Project—which focuses on crisis- and suicide-prevention efforts among LGBTQ youth—announced that it will honor out actor Neil Patrick Harris and communications company AT&T Inc. at "Cracked Xmas 12," which will be held at Los Angeles' Wiltern Theatre Dec. 6, according to a press release. Cracked Xmas, the organization's largest annual fundraiser, brings together top entertainers to support the project's programs, such as its free and confidential helpline, in-school workshops, community outreach, advocacy efforts and educational resources.
In an appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx confirmed that a full-frontal nude photo that made the rounds on the Internet was a picture of him, according to Advocate.com. Foxx said that the picture was taken for his makeup artist during the filming of the 2006 movie Miami Vice—and that, since the photo was published, his gay fan base has sizably increased. He then gave a shout-out to his gay fans.
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A movie about a love affair between two men in a violent neo-Nazi group took top honors at the Rome film Festival, according to GayNZ.com. Brotherhood, Danish/Italian director Nicolo Donato's debut, explores the affair between recruit Lars and mentor Jimmy. Donato, 35, said, "The two men become embroiled in a secret love affair, but such forbidden love cannot go unpunished in fascist circles. However, despite all the rules forbidding it, the love and sexual attraction between the two men is so strong that they cannot abandon their affair."
On the TV show 90210 ( an update of Beverly Hills, 90210 ) , a same-sex relationship will soon take place—and one of the lovers is Demi Moore's daughter, Rumer Willis, according to Entertainment Weekly. Jessica Lowndes, who plays previously straight Adrianna, will embark on a relationship with fellow student Gia, played by Willis. Rebecca Sinclair, the show's executive producer, said, "Frankly, it'd be great if everyone on the show was bisexual. It would provide [ lots ] of interesting combinations."
Adam Lambert is back on the market. According to the New York Daily News ( which cited JustJared.com ) , the American Idol runner-up has broken up with his boyfriend, interior designer Drake LaBry. A source said that the split was amicable. Lambert's debut CD, For Your Entertainment, will be available Nov. 23.
Actress Rue McClanahan ( TV's Maude, Golden Girls, Sordid Lives ) has been hospitalized, leading to the cancellation of a San Francisco event honoring her, according to Advocate.com. McClanahan, 75, was to be saluted at the Nov. 14 event "Golden: A Gala Tribute to Rue McClanahan," but has been ordered to stay in bed because of a heart ailment. In a statement, the actress said, "My darlings, I'm just devastated that I am going to have to miss my own tribute at the Castro Theatre."
Former beauty queen Carrie Prejean and the Miss California pageant organization have dropped their lawsuits against each other, according to E! Online. A settlement statement read, "Carrie Prejean, [ pageant director ] Keith Lewis, and [ independent pageant producers ] K2 productions have dropped their claim against each other and wish each other the best in their future endeavors." Prejean had alleged religious discrimination and slander, among other things. In response, the organization requested $5,200 it paid for Prejean's breast-enhancement surgery. However, TMZ.com reports that Prejean dropped the lawsuit because a sexually graphic video of her has surfaced.
Film director Paul Haggis ( Crash, Million Dollar Baby ) has left the Church of Scientology because of a chapter's support of the anti-same-sex-marriage intiative Proposition 8, ABC News reported. In a letter, Haggis wrote that he had tried to persuade the church to condemn its San Diego branch for supporting Prop 8. He also wrote, " [ t ] he church's refusal to denounce the action of these bigots, hypocrites and homophobes is cowardly. I can think of no other word. Silence is consent, Tommy. I refuse to consent."
England's Press Complaints Commission has received more than 21,000 complaints over Jan Moir's Oct. 16 Daily Mail article on Stephen Gately, the gay Boyzone singer who recently died, according to PinkNews.co.uk. Moir wrote, in part, "Healthy and fit 33-year-old men do not just climb into their pyjamas and go to sleep on the sofa, never to wake up again. And I think if we are going to be honest, we would have to admit that the circumstances surrounding his death are more than a little sleazy." An autopsy showed that Gately died of natural causes.
KISS drummer Peter Kriss has revealed in Rolling Stone magazine that he was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, according to CDInsight.com. Criss talked about his diagnosis with CNN and admitted that he was unaware that men could even get breast cancer. "Lots of men die, they wait, they don't go in, they put it off," he said during his interview. Criss got a lumpectomy, and now gets monthly mammograms; the cancer has not recurred.
Scottish-born singer Annie Lennox recently received an honorary doctorate from Scotland's Edinburgh University, according to the Press and Journal. The former Eurythmics singer has campaigned to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in Africa and supported a new study that looked at the needs of Scottish children with HIV. Lennox, said, in part, "In another incarnation I would have loved to have taken a degree, but my university has turned out to be the one of life."
Actress Lynn Redgrave will return to Ten Chimneys ( the estate created by Broadway legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontaine ) in Genesee Depot, Wis., next year as master teacher of the 2010 Lunt-Fontaine Fellowship Program, according to a press release. Redgrave said, "I am honored to return to Ten Chimneys in 2010. What Ten Chimneys Foundation is accomplishing with this program is just wonderful. This kind of opportunity simply hasn't existed before, anywhere."
Famed Broadway composer/producer Andrew Lloyd Webber has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to a CNN.com item. A spokeswoman said, "The condition is in its very early stages. Andrew is now undergoing treatment and expects to be fully back at work before the end of the year."
