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Robbie Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and Perez Hilton
Entertainment news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times
by Andrew Davis, Windy City Times
2011-10-26

This article shared 10807 times since Wed Oct 26, 2011
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GQ Australia has apologized for a controversial question it asked Taylor Lautner, Advocate.com reported. The publication recently asked the Twilight actor if either out director Gus Van Sant or openly gay writer Dustin Lance Black had made a pass at him while they all had dinner in Los Angeles. Following public backlash to the inquiry, GQ Australia posted, "It certainly wasn't our intention to paint anyone in the story as a sexual predator. The point we were actually trying to push was that Taylor is irresistible to virtually everyone—regardless of sexuality or gender."

Three months after leaving Glee, Chord Overstreet (who played Sam) will return, TVLine.com reported. After the deal closes, Overstreet will reprise his role in the show's eighth episode, scheduled to air in December. This past summer, the series decided not to pick up the actor's series-regular option for the third season; Overstreet declined to return on a recurring basis.

Celebrating October as LGBT History Month, openly gay Caribbean singer Nhojj released his new single, "Adam & Steve," Oct. 11, coinciding with National Coming Out Day, according to a press release. Nhojj is a two-time OUTMusic award winner who has the most-watched reggae/world-music video on MTV Hive. He has also reached the top spot on the MTV Music video chart.

First Lady Michelle Obama revealed her and the president's daughter's TV-viewing habits to iVillage, according to Deadline.com . The children are not allowed to watch television (or be on the computer) during the week unless it's school-related. As for TV shows that are off limits, Michelle said, "Barack really thinks some of the Kardashians—when they watch that stuff—he doesn't like that as much, but I sort of feel like if we're talking about it, and I'm more concerned with how they take it in—what did you learn when you watched that. And if they're learning the right lessons, like, that was crazy, then I'm like, okay."

Openly gay show creator Marc Cherry is moving from Desperate Housewives' Wisteria Lane to Beverly Hills, according to Deadline.com . He is now developing an hourlong soap, titled Devious Maids, based on Televisa's Mexican telenovela The Disorderly Maids Of The Neighborhood. The new series, for ABC, will center on four Latinas who are maids in Beverly Hills. The original deals with five housekeepers named Silvia, Maribel, Adela, Guillermina and Carmela.

Out gay TV personality Carson Kressley and professional partner Anna Trebunskaya joked that they were "bitter" over their elimination from Dancing with the Stars, Advocate.com reported. While on Good Morning America, Trebunskaya said, "We're a little bitter. ... No, in my book, Carson was the greatest student because he practiced so hard and kept me laughing the whole time." Kressley added, "I'm not down to my birth weight yet, but I'm going to keep dancing." Chaz Bono, Hope Solo and Ricki Lake were among the seven contestants left after Kressley's dismissal.

Almost 20 years after River Phoenix's death at age 23, a movie starring him will be released, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Dutch director George Sluizer says he will finish Dark Blood, the 1993 drama that Phoenix was shooting when he allegedly died of a drug overdose on Halloween night outside the Viper Room in Los Angeles. Sluizer said he plans to ask Phoenix's brother, actor Joaquin, to do the film's voiceover as River's character, Boy. River starred in such movies as My Own Private Idaho and Stand By Me.

Film director Roland Emmerich recently talked with The Advocate about coming out of the closet. The man behind such movies as Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, Universal Soldier and 2012 said that he came out gradually after moving to the United States from Germany. "It happened naturally," he said. "You get more famous, then you take your boyfriend to some [red-carpet event] and they ask, 'Oh, who's that?' You say, 'My boyfriend.' You kind of just don't hide it anymore." Emmerich—who directs the current film Anonymous, which is about William Shakespeare—lives with musician boyfriend Omar de Soto in Los Angeles.

In the interview, Emmerich also talks about his parties, which are famous for attracting "more than a thousand" twinks, the Huffington Post reported. Emmerich estimated that the last party he and out director Bryan Singer hosted had about 1,200 guests. Emmerich said, ""I didn't know anybody anymore because all my friends said, 'Oh, fuck it, I'm leaving.' I said, 'No more. This is becoming a circuit party.'" He insisted he did not take part in the debauchery.

In California, the NBA's Golden State Warriors has hired openly gay former Phoenix Suns executive Rick Welts as president/chief operating officer (COO), according to ESPN. Welts signed a multiyear deal, reporting to new owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber. Welts received recommendations from NBA Commissioner David Stern and Suns owner Robert Sarver, among other people. Welts, 58, came out this past May.

Giuliana Rancic is "doing well" after undergoing a double lumpectomy, according to Digital Spy. Rancic—the E! News host married to Bill Rancic, the first winner of NBC's The Apprentice—revealed recently that she was in the early stages of breast cancer. Giuliana, 36, said she publicized her diagnosis to encourage other women to get mammograms.

Actor John Travolta was rejected recently—by KFC. While in England for a Scientology event, the Hairspray actor reportedly tried to reserve a table; however, the manager told him to stand in line with the other customers. A company spokesperson said, "In hindsight, of course, we would have reserved a table for him. It's not every day you get a Hollywood star eating in your restaurant."

Openly gay director Bryan Singer's feature-film adaptation of Battlestar Galatica has new writer John Orloff, according to Crave Online. Singer's Galatica will be based on the '70s TV series, not the more recent Sci-Fi Channel series. Orloff is behind movies such as A Mighty Heart, The Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole and Anonymous (out now).

British singer Robbie Williams, a gay fave, will release his ninth studio album with Universal Music, the world's largest music company, in 2012, according to Yahoo! News. "I'm really thrilled to be joining the Universal family at what I think is the most exciting time in my career," said Williams, who signed one of music's biggest deals with EMI in 2002. Williams last recorded a new album two years ago before rejoining former band Take That on a tour.

Openly gay show creator Alan Ball—the mastermind behind such series as Six Feet Under and True Blood—is now developing Wichita, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Wichita is an hourlong drama about a surgeon in Kansas surgeon "who inadvertently becomes the focal point of a contemporary political, cultural and ethical war." Ball with executive-produce the HBO show with writer Devin Friedman, who wrote the GQ article "Savior vs. Savior" about the late Dr. George Tiller, a Wichita, Kansas, doctor who was one of the few to perform late-term abortions. Anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder killed Tiller in 2009.

Josh Berman, the creator of Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva, is developing Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office, a half-hour comedy for the same network, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The new show is based on the book by Dr. Lois P. Frankel, president of Corporate Coaching International. In addition, Berman is writing an untitled female FBI drama from Sony Pictures Television for ABC.

Glee star Darren Criss, who plays student Blaine Anderson, says gay advocacy is a perfect fit for him, according to On Top Magazine. Criss told Variety, "After gaining the incredible platform from Glee, it wasn't so much of a decision to get involved as it was an opportunity to take part." Criss works with The Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention and suicide-prevention services to LGBTQ youth.

Out gay Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir has started a new line of makeup for MAC Cosmetics, On Top Magazine reported. In so doing, Weir, 27, joins singer Lady Gaga, who launched her line of lipstick with MAC in February. MAC makeup artist Romero Jennings said, "This line is about having fun, it's about holiday, and, of course, lots of sparkle with Johnny here." Weir added, "A dust cloud was behind me because I was running to wherever I could be to do this photo shoot and to do … you know just be a part of the MAC family."

Country-music icon Loretta Lynn recently canceled two shows after doctors diagnosed her with pneumonia, Yahoo! News reported. A statement read, "Loretta regretfully must cancel her shows ... for this weekend, due to illness." She was scheduled to perform in Ashland, Ky., and Durham, N.C. Lynn, 76, has released 70 albums and has had 16 number-one hits; her autobiography, Coal Miner's Daughter, was made into a movie that won Sissy Spacek an Oscar.

Q'Viva! The Chosen—Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's talent-search show—has network deals in its first three countries, according to Yahoo! News. The series will premiere in the first quarter of next year, and will air on Univision in the United States; on Televisa in Mexico; and in Colombia on Caracol TV. Lopez and Anthony (who are divorcing) travel through Latin America in search of people with compelling talents.

The full cast of the NBC show Celebrity Apprentice 5 revealed themselves in New York, as the competitors vied in what appeared to be a sandwich-related contest, according to Reuters. The competitors are Real Housewife of New Jersey Teresa Guidice, who is reportedly set to clash with Italian diva Victoria Gotti; actor/ex-bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno; '80s singer Debbie Gibson; foul-mouthed comedian Lisa Lampanelli; and Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider. Two openly gay celebrities will also be competing: singer Clay Aiken and actor George Takei (Star Trek).

Florence Welch, the lead singer of Florence and the Machine, has stopped consuming alcohol while touring, Digital Spy reported. Welch, 25, told The Sun, "I have stopped drinking on tour. I feel a bit more responsibility for my body and for the fans who come to see us. When we toured with U2 it was such a gruelling schedule and I had shows everyday and I can't do that with a hangover." The group's second album, Ceremonials, will be released in the United States Oct. 31.

Sir Elton John, Michael Caine and Colin Farrell were among 400 people who gathered recently to celebrate the life of Elizabeth Taylor in Burbank, Calif., according to US Magazine. Farrell hosted the event, which included John singing "Blue Eyes" and video montage by director Mike Nichols. After her May 23 death, Taylor was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, Calif. alongside her friend Michael Jackson.

Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi are not eager to start a family, US Magazine reported. "People are constantly asking Portia and me if we are going to have children," DeGeneres, 53, writes in her third book, Seriously...I'm Kidding. "We love to be around children after they've been fed and bathed. But we ultimately decided that we don't want children of our own. There is far too much glass in our house." She added that they have plenty of pets to look after, including dogs, cats and horses.

Kim Kardashian has been cast in The Marriage Counselor, Tyler Perry's upcoming movie, according to US Magazine. The movie, which just started shooting in Atlanta, is adapted from Perry's play of the same name. The film is about a counselor (played by Jurnee Smollett) who is successful professionally but not personally.

Antony Ciccone, Madonna's second-eldest brother, is homeless, according to an US Magazine item. Ciccone, 55, told The Michigan Messenger, "My family turned their back on me, basically, when I was having a hard time. You think I haven't answered this kind of question a bazillion times—why my sister is a multibazillionaire, and I'm homeless on the street? Never say never. This could happen to anybody." Antony lost his job at his father's winery more than a year ago.

Speaking of Madonna, a Polish stalker who broke into her London home is being held indefinitely in a psychiatric hospital, the New York Post reported. Grzegorz Matlok, 30, climbed a rope and smashed a window to get into the Material Girl's $15.8-million townhouse in March before hiding in a cupboard and stealing a can of Red Bull. A psychiatrist said that Matlok was schizophrenic and had delusions that Madonna loved him.

In an embarrassing incident, the National Book Foundation incorrectly named Shine, a controversial novel by author Lauren Myracle, as a nominee in the Young People's Literature category; however, it meant to name Crime (by Franny Billingsley), according to EW.com . The nominee list was increased to six to incorporate both books; however, Myracle was then asked to officially withdraw. The foundation will donate $5,000 to the Matthew Shepard Foundation for its error. (Shine is about a gay teen who becomes the victim of a hate crime.)

Jennifer Lopez broke down onstage while singing a song about past loves, according to People.com . Lopez, 42, sang "Until It Beats No More" while dancers re-enacted scenes with the singer and some of the men from her past relationships. After she finished, Lopez told the sold-out crowd, "I took a trip down memory lane"—and then cried as the crowd applauded.

Singer Adam Levine has gotten in a war of words with Fox News, MTV.com reported. The "Moves Like Jagger" singer recently tweeted "Dear Fox News, don't play our music on your evil [f---ing] channel ever again. Thank you." This resulted in Fox News anchor Andy Levy tweeting, "Dear @AdamLevine, don't make crappy [f---ing] music ever again. Thank you." It's been unclear what made Levine angry.

Former American Idol runner-up Crystal Bowersox has split with her label, Jive Records/RCA, Digital Spy reported. Bowersox is now a free agent, less than two weeks after the label dropped Lee DeWyze, who won Idol during her season. "I'm not worried about where I'm gonna be," Bowersox said. "I'm gonna make music and if it's on my own label or with somebody else, we'll see what happens." Bowersox plans to release her follow-up to Farmer's Daughter sometime next year.

In New York, Lady Gaga will headline radio station Z100's 2011 Jingle Ball concert, MTV.com reported. Other scheduled performers include Pitbull, Kelly Clarkson and Demi Lovato. The holiday concert will take place Friday, Dec. 9, at Madison Square Garden.

Aisha Tyler will join The Talk as a full-time co-host, joining Sara Gilbert, Julie Chen, Sharon Osbourne and Sheryl Underwood, according to AceShowbiz.com . Tyler and Underwood are new additions to the show's panel following the departures of Holly Robinson Peete and Leah Remini. Tyler—a comedian/actress who has been on shows ranging from Friends to The Ghost Whisperer—had previously been a guest host on The Talk for a week.

Janet Jackson has rescheduled part of her tour of Australia because of the Conrad Murray trial, according to AceShowbiz.com . Murray is the doctor accused of involuntary manslaughter in the death of her brother, Michael. In a statement, the "Together Again" singer, 45, said, "When I planned these shows, the schedule in California was completely different. After talking with my family..., I decided we must be together right now. ... This saddens me in so many ways." She will now perform Nov. 3 in Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena.

Wendy Williams will be asking her audiences "How you doing?" for at least three more years, as her talk show has been renewed through 2014 on Fox-owned stations, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The show performs well across the country, as is the top-rated program in its time slot among women 25-54 in several cities, including Chicago, New York City, Dallas and Philadelphia.

Out gay blogger Perez Hilton is the most recent person to be part of ShoeDazzle's "Celebrity Shoe Design Program for Charity," according to a press release. Hilton has chosen the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) as his charity. Both shoes Hilton designed—a pump called "Sparkle" and a unisex sneaker called "Shine"—will be available Nov. 11 exclusively in ShoeDazzle showrooms ( www.shoedazzle.com ).

Warner Bros. will stop shipping copies of Harry Potter DVDs to stores Dec. 29, Digital Spy reported. The move is described as an attempt to increase sales by urging people to buy the DVDs before they are not available. Warner Bros. will probably follow the Disney model and re-release the DVDs periodically.

Oxygen Media is getting fashionable after greenlighting two new shows, according to a press release. The Eva Marcille Project (working title) follows the model, actor and former America's Next Top Model winner as she interacts with her best friends. LA Style (working title) looks at four stylists as they navigate through Hollywood's fashion world. The shows are slated to air next year.

Lindsay Lohan may pose for Playboy, according to People.com . TMZ reported that Lohan is being paid nearly $1 million for the shoot; however, neither her rep, Steve Honig, or Playboy is commenting. In 2008, Lohan appeared nude in a New York magazine spread that paid tribute to Marilyn Monroe.

Speaking of Lohan, her father, Michael Lohan, was arrested Oct. 25 in Florida on domestic-violence charges, the Washington Post reported. The elder Lohan, 51, grabbed his sometime girlfriend Kathryn Major, 28, and pushed her down several times during an argument. Lohan complained of chest pains after being put in custody; as of press deadline, he was held at the Hillsborough County Orient Road Jail without bail.

Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin joked that the boy band Take That made him question his sexual orientation as a teenager, according to Advocate.com . During the recent Q Awards, where he presented an award to Take That's Gary Barlow, Martin told the crowd, "U2 and five handsome, strapping men from Stoke and Manchester—I'm not afraid to admit it: They made me ask the question, 'Am I gay?'" U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. later responded, "Chris Martin, I have the answer for you—you are gay."


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