Beyonce's unique "marketing" strategy has apparently worked. According to Time.com, the "Irreplaceable" singer sold 828,773 copies of her self-titled CD in the first three days it was available, breaking an iTunes record for most albums sold in the first week of release. ( It also debuted in the top spot in 104 countries. ) She released her previously unannounced "visual album" ( 14 songs and 17 videos ) Dec. 13. However, USA Today reported that Target is refusing to sell her album, saying that her digital sales will negatively impact physical sale projections.
Talk-show host Katie Couric has apologized for devoting too much of a recent Katie segment to the adverse effects of human papillomavirus ( HPV ) vaccinations—and not enough time to their relative safety and effectiveness, according to TheWrap.com . Couric was heavily criticized in the media, with detractors claiming she gave too much credence to vaccine critics and did not emphasize scientific studies suggesting HPV vaccines such as Gardasil are highly effective. According to the CDC, HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection, with more than 40 types that can infect the genital areas of males and females.
Homeland star Damian Lewis has apologized for saying he didn't want to be one of those "fruity actors" who ends up "playing wizards" later in their careers—saying he didn't want to offend openly gay actor Sir Ian McKellen, according to The New York Daily News. Lewis received plenty of backlash from fans of McKellen, 74, who has played Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film franchises. McKellen responded, "Well, I'm very happy. He needn't worry about me."
Speaking of McKellen, he recently revealed that he doesn't think his Hobbit character, Gandalf, is gay, according to the UK Metro. He said of Gandalf, "He's 7,000 years old and he doesn't seem to be interested in sex and I would leave it at that. All his friends are male in the films, with the exception of Galadriel, but that's more on Tolkien than that is on Gandalf. ... I don't think sexuality is part of his make-up."
Fourteen contestants have been announced for the upcoming sixth season of the Logo TV show RuPaul's Drag Race, which will start in February. Gia Gunn is the only contestant from Chicago. Some of the other entrants include April Carrion ( Guaynabo, Puerto Rico ), Vivacious ( New York City ), Laganja Estranja ( Los Angeles ), Milk ( New York City ) and Adore Delano ( Azusa, Calif. ). The prizes will be $100,000 and the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar."
Dramatic Forces and THIRTEEN's American Masters explore composer Marvin Hamlisch's life and career in the series' season 27 finale, Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love, premiering nationally on PBS Friday, Dec. 27. In the first film biography about Hamlisch, award-winning filmmaker and four-time Tony Award-winning Broadway producer Dori Berinstein presents an insider portrait, complete with interviews with Hamlisch's family and such figures as Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon, Steven Soderbergh, Quincy Jones and Ann-Margret, among many others.
After a decade of marriage, Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel have separated, People.com reported. In a statement, their reps said, "Their primary focus and concern is for their son. We ask that you respect their privacy during this time." Diggs and Menzel, both 42, met as co-stars in the original production of the Broadway musical Rent in the mid-1990s.
On Dec. 11, the Screen Actors Guild ( SAG ) announced its top contenders for the 20th annual SAG Awards. The film 12 Years A Slave led the movie field with four nominations, while Breaking Bad received the same number of nods in the area of television. Film acting nods went to Chiwetel Ejiofor ( 12 Years A Slave ), Tom Hanks ( Captain Phillips ), Matthew McConaughey ( Dallas Buyers Club ), Cate Blanchett ( Blue Jasmine ), Sandra Bullock ( Gravity ) and Meryl Streep ( August: Osage County ), among others. TV acting nods went to such individuals as Kevin Spacey ( House of Cards ), Claire Danes ( Homeland ), Kerry Washington ( Scandal ), out actor Jim Parsons ( The Big Bang Theory ) and Tina Fey ( 30 Rock ). The ceremony will take place Jan. 18, 2014.
The day after the SAG nominations were named, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced its nominees for the 71st annual Golden Globes. Many of the same productions and individuals who received SAG nods also received Golden Globe nominations, including Ejiofor, McConaughey, Parsons, Bullock, Washington and Blanchett. However, there were some notable surprises and snubs here as well. For example, CBS News noted that Oprah Winfrey was not acknowledged for her role in Lee Daniels' The Butler, although she got a SAG nod. The Golden Globes will be handed out Jan. 12, 2014, on NBC.
Jane Fonda's private foundation has nearly $800,000 in assets but reportedly hasn't made a charitable contribution during the last five years for which it has filed federal tax returns, The Smoking Gun noted. According to the Jane Fonda Foundation's most recent tax return—filed last year and covering calendar year 2011—the organization's cash, stock and bond portfolio was valued at $798,133. The last donation was reportedly made in 2006, when the group made a $1,000 donation to the Atlanta Obstetric and Gynecology Society.
DJ Lady Bunny recently broker her wrist at Miami's Playboy Plaza Hotel, Page Six reported. The entertainer was spinning tracks when she lost her balance and fell out of the DJ booth. She had to cancel a few gigs while her wrist healed.
Pretty Little Liars star Ashley Benson took to Instagram to voice her dismay over a recent poster for the show's season four—a work which she felt was too processed, The New York Daily News shared. "Saw this floating around ... hope it's not the post," she wrote. "Our faces in this were from 4 years ago ... and we all look ridiculous. Way too much Photoshop. We all have flaws. No one looks like this. It's not attractive." She added to her followers, "Remember, you are ALL beautiful. Please don't ever try and look like the people you see in magazines or posters because it's fake."
Lea Michele talked about moving on after the death of her co-star and boyfriend, Cory Monteith, in a Dec. 12 interview on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, according to Entertainment Weekly. The Glee star told DeGeneres that she has chosen to press forward, adding, "Grief goes with you every day, whatever you're doing. Whether there's great moments, when there's hard moments, so I'd rather be at work with the people that I love who are going through the same." Michele also talked about her upcoming debut album, Louder, and performed her new single from the record, "Cannonball."
Portia de Rossi has signed on to guest-star in three episodes of Sean Hayes' NBC comedy Sean Saves the World, EW.com noted. The lesbian actress will portray Sean's smart, high-powered ex-wife who re-enters his life. Her episodes will likely air in early spring. Upcoming installments will also feature fellow Will & Grace actress Megan Mullally as Sean's sister and Guy Pearce as his love interest.
The new documentary Pink and Blue takes a look at the BRCA gene mutation and male breast cancer, according to a press release. There are a higher percentage of men dying from breast cancer each year than women. In the movie, renowned experts such as Dr. Kristi Funk ( Angelina Jolie's surgeon ) from the Pink Lotus Breast Center examine the truth about this mutation, which puts both women and men at a higher risk for developing several types of cancers. Supporters of Kickstarter are funding this documentary; more info is at http://kck.st/ISB8p4.
On Howard Stern's radio show, The Talk's Julie Chen said it was a mistake for The View to hire Jenny McCarthy, according to TheWrap.com . Chen said, "When Joy [Behar] left and when Elisabeth [Hasselbeck] left and they got Jenny in, I think they were trying to lighten the mood at the table … more gossip, more fun, more laughs. ... No one wants to hear Jenny McCarthy talk about the New York mayoral race and politics."
E! will be airing an exclusive, all-new two hour documentary about Britney Spears' preparation for her Las Vegas show on Dec. 22, according to NBCUMV.com . The show, I Am Britney Jean, promises to offer an intimate look at Spears as she faces one of her biggest challenges ever while finishing her album, shooting videos, doing press—and being a mom. Her new album, Britney Jean, dropped Dec. 3.
It may have seemed that Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake dominated the airwaves, but Billboard named Bruno Mars its top overall artist for 2013, according to Newser.com . The singer's year included a number-one hit with "When I Was Your Man" and a top-five hit with "Treasure." His sophomore album, Unorthdox Juxebox, was released late last year and has sold more than 1.8 million units—making it the second best-selling album of the year behind Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience.
A U.S. District Court judge has sided with the polygamous family of Kody Brown—which stars on the TLC series Sister Wives—in ruling that key parts of Utah's polygamy laws are unconstitutional, according to the Salt Lake City Tribune. Judge Clark Waddoups' 91-page ruling, issued Dec. 13, sets a new legal precedent in Utah, effectively decriminalizing polygamy.
Former competitive skater Johnny Weir has been embroiled in controversy regarding his supposed work with the Russian government, according to an Out.com item. AmericaBlog has reported that Weir's bio at Premiere Speakers Bureau included work with the Russian government ( specifically with the consulate in New York City ). Then, Weir tweeted he didn't know where people got the idea. However, AmericaBlog's John Aravois had taken a screen grab of the bio that supported what the blog noted. Subsequently, Weir's bio was taken down and replaced—minus the reference to the consulate.
Iconic comedian and actor Bob Newhart—who just won his first-ever Emmy playing opposite Out 100 cover man Jim Parsons on The Big Bang Theory—is slated to be the headlining entertainer at the Legatus 2014 Summit, Feb. 6—8, in Orlando, Fla., according to Out.com . Other people sharing the stage will include former presidential candidate Rick Santorum, and the Catholic League's William Donohue. Legatus sits on the far, far right of the Christian spectrum, and is notably anti-gay and pro-life, NewNowNext.com added.
Openly gay gold medalist Greg Louganis called for U.S. Olympic athletes to dedicate their performances at the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, to gay and lesbian friends and relatives, UPI.com reported. Louganis—who married his partner, Johnny Chaillot, in October—said he remains against a boycott of the games because he believes it would "hurt the wrong people," or elite athletes who have trained their whole lives for a shot to participate.
On Fusion Radio's "The Morning Show," former NSync member Lance Bass thought fans might turn on him for coming out, according to a media release. Bass said, "I definitely thought they were just going to hate me [for] revealing that side of me, but it [had] the opposite effect. Once I came out I got so much support from the fans. They just absolutely love it—I think because now they know that no other girl could get me."
Home-entertainment diva Martha Stewart fired about 100 people from her namesake company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, according to the New York Post. It is the first major move since scrap-metal executive Daniel Dienst was tapped to be the new chief executive officer in late October, sparking speculation about the major cutbacks. The cutbacks ( which included executive vice president Daniel Taitz, who had served as acting CEO before Dienst was appointed Oct. 29 ) are believed to represent about 20 percent of its 500-person staff.
A pair of iconic actors passed away recently. Actor Peter O'Toole, who shot to international fame in the film classic Lawrence of Arabia, died at 81 in London after a long illness. He did set a dubious record by being the most-nominated actor never to receive an Oscar ( eight nods ), although he received an honorary award in 2003. Also, Joan Fontaine died at age 96; the sister of actress Olivia de Havilland won an Oscar in 1942 for the Alfred Hitchcock film Suspicion, beating de Havilland in the process.
Adele has topped the list of Amazon.com's best-selling albums of all time, according to a Digital Spy item. The star's 2011 album 21 leads the list after impressive digital and physical sales on the online retailer over the past three years. Susan Boyle's debut I Dreamed A Dream is in second place, while the original Broadway cast's recording of Wicked is third. Daft Punk's Random Access Memoires has been crowned the best selling CD on Amazon.com in 2013, while Tegan & Sara's Heartthrob topped the best-selling mp3 album of 2013.
Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, KISS, Nirvana, Linda Ronstadt and Cat Stevens will be honored at the 29th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony April 10, 2014, according to a press release. The event will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, will also open a special exhibit on the 2014 inductees in conjunction with the 2014 ceremony.
In celebration of the third season of the series Girls, HBO will be hosting "Girls Night Out" screening events in eight cities around the country on the same evening as the New York City premiere, which takes place Monday, Jan. 6, at Jazz at Lincoln Center, a media release stated. ( The cities are Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. ) HBO is partnering with Tumblr, Shecky's, Georgetown Cupcake and Comcast/Xfinity for these events. More info is at whatshouldwecallgirls.tumblr.com .
Actress Ashley Judd believes her sister, singer Wynonna Judd, may have been spying on her with a tracking device, the Huffington Post reported. A mechanic reportedly found a wireless GPS tracking device on Ashley's Mini Cooper last month, and a police report stated that she "believed Wynonna had placed or had someone else place the device on her vehicle." Wynonna's lawyer allegedly called the incident a "misunderstanding" and said the singer was only trying to track her daughter, who had driven the car.
Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin will join together for their seventh consecutive year to ring in the New Year for CNN, according to TheWrap.com . "Wait…what? CNN hired her again? For real?" said Cooper in a statement. After she used the F-word live in 2009, Griffin said CNN would pull her off the air if she did it again. Cooper and Griffin's coverage will begin Tuesday, Dec. 31, at 9 p.m. ET.
