Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge, better known as The Fabulous Beekman Boys—stars of a reality show about two gay men who leave New York City to become farmers—will be contestants on the 21st season of the CBS show The Amazing Race, according to Reality Blurred. (Their show aired two seasons on Planet Green, and will air its third on Cooking Channel.) The prize money on the CBS show—which will also include Chippendales dancers and married truck drivers among the other competitors this time around—has doubled to $2 million.
Taking a cue from performers such as Justin Bieber and Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez will star in a 3-D concert movie, according to the Huffington Post. The film, Dance Again, will follow the singer/actress through developments in the last few years of her life, such as joining and leaving American Idol and divorcing Marc Anthony. No release date has been announced.
Teen actor Ezra Miller came out, fittingly, to Out magazine, according to Gawker.com . Miller (who has starred in We Need to Talk About Kevin and The Perks of Being a Wallflower) said, "I'm queer. I have a lot of really wonderful friends who are of very different sexes and genders. I am very much in love with no one in particular. I've been trying to figure out relationships, you know?" His character in "Wallflowers" is gay.
Logo is airing two "NewNowNext Vote with Wanda Sykes" election specials on Sept. 10 and Nov. 5, according to a press release. The specials will touch on hot topics for the LGBT voter, including same-sex marriage, Supreme Court appointments, the economy and healthcare. Sykes said, "These specials will be thought-provoking, exciting and the perfect forum to discuss important issues facing our community. Plus, it is Logo so maybe I'll get to dress in drag!"
Original Dreamgirl Sheryl Lee Ralph will play the mother of Jennifer Hudson's character on Smash next season, according to Advocate.com . Ralph (who played Deena Jones in the original Dreamgirls on Broadway) will appear as Cynthia on the second season of the NBC show, which centers on the production of a Broadway show. Hudson won an Oscar for her role as Effie in the film version of Dreamgirls.
In an essay for The Daily Beast, actress/director Jodie Foster blasted fans and the media for the frenzy surrounding Kristen Stewart, according to the New York Daily News. Foster said, in part, "We've all seen the headlines at the check-out counter: 'Kristen Stewart Caught.' We've all thumbed the glossy pages here and there. 'Kris and Rob a couple?'. ... But we seldom consider the childhoods we unknowingly destroy in the process." Stewart starred with Foster in the movie The Panic Room when the Twilight star was 11.
In the wake of photos surfacing of boyfriend Ben Maisani kissing another man, Anderson Cooper is in Croatia with friends Kelly Ripa and Andy Cohen, according to the New York Daily News. A source had told The News' Gatecrasher that Cooper, 45, and Maisani, 39, had an open relationship, but that the public embarassment is what really got to Cooper. Cooper and Maisani were reportedly supposed to go to Croatia together.
Christina Aguilera, a judge on NBC's The Voice, has aired her thoughts on now-rival judge Britney Spears, who will be part of the Fox show The X Factor. According to the New York Daily News, Aguilera talked about the entertainers' shared background on the Mickey Mouse Club while saying, "I welcome her to this family of fun and entertainment and finding new talent. I don't know what she's going to offer specifically, but I know she's a pro and she's going to give, I think, great advice."
In actress' Nicolette Sheridan's suit against the ABC show Desperate Housewives, a three-judge appeals court panel agreed with attorneys for ABC and Touchstone Television that she was not wrongfully fired, Deadline.com reported. However, the jurists said Sheridan should be allowed to pursue claims that she was retaliated against after complaining that series creator Marc Cherry struck her in the head during an on-set argument. Sheridan's initial case was declared a mistrial March 19.
During a screening of the film Sparkle at New York City's Tribeca Grand, the late Whitney Houston's voice drew tears, according to the New York Post. Houston appeared in a church scene singing "His Eye Is on the Sparrow," and sniffles could be heard in an audience that included co-stars Jordin Sparks and Mike Epps; the crowd burst into applause at the end of the scene.
Entertainer Cheyenne Jackson revealed his secrets for maintaining a strong relationship in an interview with activist David Mixner, according to Advocate.com . Jackson married longtime partner Monte Lakpka last September. Among the 10 reasons the Glee actor listed are that Lapka is not an actor, he "puts up with" Jackson's "mercurial actor nature," missing Lapka when he's not around—after 12 years and having separate bathrooms.
Among those commenting on the Chick-fil-A situation is out actress Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), according to the Huffington Post. At the opening celebration for Into The Woods in Central Park's Delacorte Theater, she was asked if she'd ever step foot inside the fast-food chain. She replied, "Never! People who are against other people's civil rights, I have no interest in their chicken. No chicken!" Other actors, including Mandy Patinkin, Alan Cumming and Denis O'Hare, agreed with Nixon.
Patrick Schwarzenegger—the 18-year-old son of actor/former Cali. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and activist-author Maria Shriver—has joined forces with Office Depot and Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, according to Advocate.com . The office-supplies chain and Gaga's organization are releasing limited-edition school supplies to support the foundation's mission of fighting bullying. Patrick said, "I think Lady Gaga is fantastic. I think her commitment to this foundation and to empower young woman and men and trying to spread a movement and spread kindness...she's trying to end cruelty and bullying and hating. I think it's great what she's doing."
Madonna may have to pay a fine of $10.5 million for defying a ban and encouraging LGBT equality during a recent show in St. Petersburg, Russia, Rolling Stone reported. Members of the Union of Russian Citizens, the civil group People's Assembly and the New Great Russia party filed the lawsuit, which claims "moral damage." An attorney representing the Union of Russian Citizens said that the show's attendees felt "psychological stress and emotional shock."
Zoe Saldana will star in the long-awaited film biography of late music icon Nina Simone; however, the singer's daughter is questioning the love story in the movie because the man depicted as her mother's lover was gay, according to an Advocate.com item. Simone's daughter, Lisa Celeste Stroud (who now uses the stage name Simone), posted on Facebook that her mother's manager and supposed lover, Clifton Henderson, "was gay. He was not attracted to women. Please correct me, but isn't a biopic the story of one's life?" Mary J. Blige had been attached to the movie, but Saldana was recently announced as the lead.
Film director Tony Scott—the younger brother of Oscar-nominated director Ridley Scott (the Alien trilogy)—committed suicide at the age of 68, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Scott's body was found after an apparent jump from the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, Calif. Among the more than two dozen films Tony helmed are the lesbian vampire drama The Hunger, Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, Man of Fire, Spy Game, Crimson Tide and True Romance. The Hunger (1983) starred Catherine Deneuve, Susan Sarandon and David Bowie. Scott's widow refuted a report that he had inoperable brain cancer, Deadline.com noted.
Shia LaBeouf has said that the sex scenes in the upcoming Lars von Trier film Nymphomaniac will be real, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Nymphomaniac, will chronicle the sexual adventures of a woman (played by Charlotte Gainsbourg) from her youth through age 50. The erotic drama will begin production in September and will be released in two cuts, with one being more sexually explicit.
Sparkle, the musical that stars Jordin Sparks and the late Whitney Houston, made a "respectable" $12 million its first weekend (Aug. 17-19), according to the L.A. Times. However, The Expendables 2—which stars a group of action stars such as Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger—took top honors with $28.8 million while the 3-D animated film ParaNorman garnered $14 million.
Openly gay former Olympian Greg Louganis will be the subject of Back on Board, a documentary about him that will look at his journey from diving genius to HIV spokesman, Advocate.com reported. Director Cheryl Furjanic and producer Will Sweeney followed him to London to record his mentoring U.S. divers during the Olympics. Louganis said this movie will follow "where I was after Breaking the Surface [the movie with Mario Lopez] and what happened there, to where I am today."
Nick Gruber—the 24-year-old sometime boyfriend of Calvin Klein—is writing a tell-all book about his two-year relationship with the designer, according to the New York Daily News. Gruber has asked a well-known author (who asked to remain anonymous) to develop the book; the writer has called the content "beyond shocking." Klein, 69, created a stir when he started dating Gruber in 2010.
TMZ reported that comedian Phyllis Diller passed away in her sleep Aug. 20 at the age of 95. Diller had recently fallen, hurting her wrist and hip; however, her rep says the injury had nothing to do with her death. Joan Rivers said that Diller paved "the way for every woman comedian." According to People.com, Diller—born Phyllis Driver, in Ohio—started her career in the 1950s, playing tiny clubs she affectionately called "sewers." Bob Hope caught her act in the 1960s, boosting her career.
Nicki Minaj may be joining Mariah Carey at the American Idol judges' table, according to US Magazine. The "Beez in the Trap" singer/rapper toured North America with Britney Spears throughout 2011, and she will embark on her own world tour beginning Oct. 21 in England. Nick Jonas, 19, is also being considered as a judge, as longtime judge Randy Jackson may be moved into a mentoring role.
Lisa Whelchel—best known as Blair on the '80s TV show The Facts of Life—is competing on Survivor: Phillipines, according to People.com . Whelchel will compete against 17 other contestants, including former pro-baseball player Jeff Kent, 2011 Miss Delaware USA Katie Hanson, a seminary student and a sex therapist, among others. Survivor will premiere Wed., Sept. 19, on CBS.
Rosie O'Donnell apparently suffered a heart attack recently, according to the Huffington Post. In a blog post, she wrote, "i became nauseous my skin was clammy i was very very hot i threw up." She also revealed that a cardiologist put her in the hospital, where she had a stent implant. O'Donnell also said the type of heart attack she had was called a "widow maker." In early August, O'Donnell revealed that her fiancee was fighting a rare disease.
Elton John said he's concerned about the homophobia son Zachary may face because he has two fathers and because one of them is very famous, Advocate.com reported. Speaking with Radio Times, the singer said, "Being the child of someone famous is a huge ball and chain around your ankles. It's going to be very difficult. ... We've come a long way, but there's still homophobia and will be until a new generation of parents don't instil it in their children." John and civil partner David Furnish became parents to Zachary on Christmas Day 2010 thanks to a donor egg and a surrogate.
Lesbian celebrity chef Cat Cora pled no contest at the sentencing for the DUI citation she received on June 17 in Santa Barbara, Calif., according to SheWired.com . Cora will not face jail time, provided she completes all of the other court requirements, including attending DUI classes, agreeing to three years probation and paying a fine of $2,386. Cora was arrested when she rear-ended another car; no parties were injured.
Actor Kirk Cameron, known for his conservative leanings, has defended Todd Akin, a six-term U.S. House member who's running for the Senate, according to USA Today. Akin stirred controversy by saying pregnancy could be prevented in the case of "legitimate rape" because "the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." (Akin has since apologized.) Cameron said of Akin, "Clearly, this is a man who is advocating the sanctity of life through and through. He said he misspoke and he apologized for it."
