Out singer Adam Lambert has split with the music label 19 Recordingsand the departure was reportedly amicable, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Despite Lambert's move to Direct Management Group (home to stars like Katy Perry), a source said that 19 Entertainment and the American Idol alum have "the utmost respect for each other." Adam's rep said that it's simply part of the singer's "evolution" as an artist.
Rosie O'Donnell announced on Twitter that she and wife Michelle Rounds have a new baby girl, according to USA Today. With a photo of the couple holding the child, O'Donnell wrote, "we r thrilled to announce the arrival of r daughter Dakota - #withloveandthanks AMEN." O'Donnell has four other children; Dakota is the first child for Rounds.
British series Downton Abbey is a massive hit for PBSas proven by the fact that its third-season debut pulled in 7.9 million viewers, beating everyone but CBS in that time period, according to the Hollywood Reporter. PBS, which airs Downton Abbey as a part of its Masterpiece Classic franchise, said in a release that the huge numbers quadrupled the network's average primetime showing. This season adds Shirley Maclaine to a cast that includes Dame Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern.
Beyonce, James Taylor and Kelly Clarkson will perform the patriotic songs at the second inauguration of President Obama on Jan. 21, according to USA Today. Beyonce, who's headlining the Super Bowl halftime show Feb. 3, will sing the national anthem while iconic singer Taylor will sing "America the Beautiful." Clarkson will sing "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," the song with different lyrics but the same tune as the British national anthem.
The line-up for the Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend (April 3-7) has been announced. According to a press release, musicians will include duo Karmin, lesbian dancehall singer Diana King ("Shy Guy"), singer Anjulie, electropop duo Uh Huh Her and Havana Brown, among others. There will also be appearances by comics such as Suzanne Westenhoefer and Fortuner Feimster (Chelsea Lately). For more info and tickets, visit www.TheDinah.com .
Former Miss America Teresa Scanlan, suffering from dengue fever, was forced to miss "The 2013 Miss America Competition" in Las Vegas Jan. 12, according to Zap2It.com . Scanlan, who won the 2011 Miss America pageant at the age of 17, believes she was infected by mosquitoes while volunteering at an orphanage in Haiti. (Miss New York won the title, incidentally.)
Britney Spears has signed with talent agency CAA in all areas worldwide, according to Deadline.com . After a season as a judge/mentor on Fox's The X Factor, Spears is moving on. She is working on her eighth album, collaborating with Will.i.am and producer Hit-Boy. Spears is also reportedly exploring doing a scripted comedy series; she has done guest stints on Will & Grace and How I Met Your Mother.
Destiny's Child has apparently reunited, albeit briefly, according to Gigwise.com . Beyonce has reportedly returned to the studio with Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams to record new song "Nuclear" for an upcoming greatest hits collection entitled Love Songs. "Nuclear" will be the only new track on the 14-song collection, which includes songs such as "Emotion," "Killing Time" and "Say My Name." Also, according to US Weekly, all three Destiny's Child members will perform at the Super Bowl halftime show.
Justin Timberlake has indicated that he plans on releasing new music soon, according to Gay.net . On Jan. 10, he tweeted, "To whom it may concern…I think I'M READY!" along with a link to a video titled, "I'm Ready." "[Music] means more to me than anybody else in the world," Timberlake claims in the video's voiceover. On Jan. 14, he dropped the single "Suit and Tie."
Actress Emma Stone and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane announced the Academy Award nominations Jan. 10. There are nine nominees for Best Picture: Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook and Zero Dark Thirty. Out playwright Tony Kushner (Angels in America) wrote Lincoln. Lincoln leads the pack with 12 nominations. The Oscar telecast, which MacFarlane is hosting, will air Sunday, Feb. 24, on ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Singer Adele has broken her social-networking silence after receiving an Oscar nomination, according to Gigwise.com . After learning of her Oscar nod for her track "Skyfall" (taken from the James Bond movie of the same name), she tweeted, "Oh my god I feel like Meryl Streep!! Thank you." Her previous tweet was back on Dec. 13.
The 2013 Sundance Film Festival will showcase dozens of films with LGBT connections, according to a press release. Among the highlights are feature films such as Ass Backwards (with gay director Chris Nelson), C.O.G. (with out actors Jonathan Groff and Denis O'Hare), Pit Stop (about two gay men in a small Texas town) and Kill Your Darlings (a movie about Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs that stars Daniel Radcliffe). There are also such short films as the LGBT-themed Seraph and Social Butterfly.
Out statistician Nate Silver has made his Super Bowl picks, according to Newser.com . Silverwho became famous with his extremely accurate predictions about last November's presidential electiontold ESPN that he thinks the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will meet in the Feb. 3 event, with the Patriots prevailing. However, the Seahawks lost Jan. 14 to the Atlanta Falcons.
The Los Angeles Coroner's Office released a new report on the drowning death of actress Natalie Wood. Sources say the report concludes that the bruising on the actress' wrists, knees and ankles could be more consistent with injuries from an assault than they were from struggling to climb back on a boat. Wood died on Nov. 28, 1981when, according to her husband, actor Robert Wagner, she fell off their yacht.
A new documentary about former New York City Mayor Ed Koch may have ruined his friendship with prominent gay-rights advocate Ethan Geto, who suggests in the movie that Koch is gay, the New York Post reported. In the movie Koch, Geto recalls the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s; at one point, Geto says, "It would have been so incredibly invaluable for a popular mayor of New York to declare he was gay." Koch, 88, steadfastly refuses to discuss his sexuality.
Good Morning America's Robin Roberts announced that she'll soon be back on the job, according to USA Today. She said that her "last bone marrow test showed no abnormalities. ... What all of this means is my doctors were waiting for this information to tell me I can begin the process of returning to the anchor chair. I'm coming home." She will do "dry runs" the week of Jan. 21 that involve going to the studio each day after the show is off the air.
The TV show The Carrie Diaries (a prequel to Sex and the City), which is set in 1984, will feature AIDS, according to the New York Post. Producer Amy B. Harris said, "I don't think we can play a series that takes place in the '80s and in New York and not examine that." The Carrie Diaries introduces viewers to 16 year-old Carrie Bradshaw (played by AnnaSophia Robb). Struggling to cope with the loss of her mother, she accepts an internship at a Manhattan law firm and quickly becomes entrenched in the city's nightlife scene.
Grant Bowler (Ugly Betty; True Blood) admitted that Lindsay Lohan was no saint to work with on their movie Liz & Dick, according to Celebuzz.com . Bowler (who portrayed Richard Burton) said, "Lindsay is not the easiest person I've ever worked with, but acting is acting." However, he believed that the real-life friction translated to their on-screen dynamic.
Anne Hathaway is moving from Les Miserables to Shakespeare, as she will star in an adaptation of the bard's Taming of the Shrew, according to TheWrap.com . Abi Morganwho wrote The Iron Lady (with Meryl Streep) and Shame (starring Michael Fassbender)will handle the adaptation, a modern-day retelling of the iconic play set in mid-20th-century Italy. Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles starred in a modern reimagining of the tale in 1999 entitled 10 Things I Hate About You.
PBS CEO Paula Kerger said Sesame Street will weather the scandal over Elmo puppeter Kevin Clash because "the character of Elmo is larger than any one individual," TheWrap.com reported. She also said a new puppeteer may not be named because several puppeteers are able to work with the beloved Sesame Street character. Clash resigned from handling Elmo in November due to allegations that the puppeteer had sexual relationships with underage teenage boys.
Actor Victor Garber (Argo; TV's Deception and Alias) came out of the closet in an interview with GregInHollywood.com . When blogger Greg Hernandez asked Garber at the TV Critics Association Press Tour to confirm if Rainer Andreesen is his partner, Garber said, "I don't really talk about it but everybody knows," adding that Andreesen would be at the SAG Awards. Garber also said that he's friendly with Argo star/director Ben Affleck and Affleck's wife, actress Jennifer Garner; Garber played her father in Alias.
One More Lesbian (OML), the largest online distributor of LGBT film/TV content, announced a successful merger with Chicago-based tello Films, a provider of original online lesbian video content, according to a press release. While tello Films will retain its brand and identity, its entire catalog will now migrate and solely exist under the OML marquee. Viewers will be able to enjoy the content of the site's new premium section for the minimal fee of $3.99 a month. In addition, OML will now co-produce new tello Films projects.
People who fret about the lag time between the time Downton Abbey airs in the United Kingdom and the United States will appreciate news from Apple. According to Deadline.com, Apple said that North American subscribers to iTunes who purchase a season pass for the show will get a jump on the last three episodes of season three before they air on PBS. The episodes, including the special season finale that airs Feb. 17, will be available for download on iTunes beginning Jan. 29.
Ann Romney, the wife of former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, has turned down an invitation to compete on Dancing with the Stars, according to an ABC News item. A Romney advser confirmed this, but also noted that the would-be first lady "loves to dance" and is a "fan of the show." She went to last season's finale with son Matt.
Former The Voice judge CeeLo Green will have a Las Vegas show entitled "CeeLo Is Loberace" starting Feb. 27, according to Broadway World. The show promises a ride through decades of music, complete with Green's flamboyant sense of style.
PBS air dates have been announced for six upcoming Live from Lincoln Center broadcasts, including evenings with Tony winners Kristin Chenoweth and Audra McDonald, according to Playbill.com . "Kristin Chenoweth: The Dames of Broadway … All of 'Em!!!" will air March 24 at 8 p.m. ET, while McDonald's show will run May 24 at 9 p.m. ET. Among the others is a concert with Josh Groban that will be shown April 12 at 9 p.m. See www.PBS.org .
The label Broadway Records has released the new live album Patti LuPone: Far Away Places, Playbill.com noted. The album was recorded during Lupone's engagement at the nightclub 54 Below last summer. Seven-time Grammy Award nominee Robert Sher produced the CD, which includes songs such as "By the Sea," "Come to the Supermarket in Old Peking" and, fittingly, "Nights on Broadway."
Jessica Simpson is starring in an NBC comedy pilot presentation inspired by her life, according to Deadline.com . The comedy project marks a second collaboration for NBC, Simpson and the production company Electus, joining their reality series Fashion Star, which is heading into its second season.
In the comic-book world, the Marvel Comics superhero title X-Men will relaunch in Aprilwith an all-female team of characters, according to Wired.com . (According to USA Today, the book's main star is Jubilee, but it also includes Storm, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Rachel Grey and Psylocke.) Writer Brian Wood said that while the gender makeup of the team offers an interesting creative opportunity, he doesn't see it as the only thing that defines the book.
Sharon Osbourne is continuing her war of words with Lady Gaga, according to the L.A. Times. On the Jan. 14 episode of her CBS show The Talk, Osbourne criticized Gaga, saying she is obsessed with guns and calling her fans "violent" and "hideously damaging." Osbourne also intimated that Gaga's fans (called "Little Monsters") might be capable of the kind of violence akin to the recent school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
Reiterating an opinion he stated several years ago, gay actor Rupert Everett (My Best Friend's Wedding; An Ideal Husband) said he would not advise any gay actor working in the movie industry to come out, according to Pink News. Everett told the BBC that straight actors could play the part of gay people and win awardsbut the roles were rarely reversed. When reminded that certain gay actors, such as Sir Ian McKellen, have achieved success, Everett said, "Who's to know? I don't think so."
In what may be a misstep, Lindsay Lohan has fired Shawn Holley, the attorney who has kept her out of jail multiple times, according to TMZ.com . Lohan has hired lawyer Mark Heller, a New York attorney who was reportedly suspended from practicing law for five years in the 1990s. Lohan is facing criminal prosecution in both California and New York, with Heller representing her in the Empire State.