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Clay Aiken's hacking comment; Tina Turner museum; Joe Manganiello
Entertainment news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times
by Andrew Davis, Windy City Times
2014-09-30

This article shared 5896 times since Tue Sep 30, 2014
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Former American Idol star and aspiring politician Clay Aiken has weighed in on the nude photo-hacking scandal that has reportedly victimized more than 100 celebrities, NewNowNext.com . Aiken, who is running for Congress, told The Washington Post it was wrong to take revealing photos of yourself, saying, "Anybody who takes inappropriate pictures of themselves deserves exactly what they get." However, he added that the hackers "should be hogtied." X-rated images of Aiken ( from his Manhunt account ) surfaced back in 2007.

The Tina Turner Museum Flagg Grove School exhibit opened Sept. 26 on the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center's grounds to a room packed with music industry executives, Tina Turner team members, Tennessee dignitaries, former school mates, journalists and fans, according to a press release. Among the celebrities who offered personal memories and congratulatory statements were Melissa Etheridge, Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, Heart's Ann Wilson and The Oak Ridge Boys. The exhibit, which is free for all visitors, is located in Brownsville, Tennessee, and will serve as a destination stop for those traveling between Memphis and Nashville.

In receiving an Ally for Equality Award at the Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) Seattle Dinner held recently, actor Joe Manganiello ( True Blood ) said he was proud to be an ally to the LGBT community, On Top Magazine reported. "You know, I never set out to be an advocate," Manganiello told the crowd. "I'm simply a person who believes in equality for everyone. And I'm a person who believes in standing up for his friends. Today, I choose to fight for a world where equality is a reality, not just a dream."

Glee actor and Broadway fixture Cheyenne Jackson has tied the knot with now-husband and entrepreneur Jason Landau, CBS News reported. Jackson posted an Instagram photo of the couple with their rings on Instagram saying, "M A R R I E D. Life is beautiful." Among the 200 guests at the wedding were friends and actors Jane Lynch, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Leah Remini and Alicia Silverstone. This is Jackson's second marriage.

Nate Berkus and husband Jeremiah Brent recently shared that they're expecting a baby, ABC News noted. "We have had the most special year and its JUST become even more beautiful. We are happy to announce that we are expecting our first child!" they wrote on Berkus' Facebook page. "While we can't share much, we can say that thanks to a surrogate and the support of those we love we will officially be a family in the spring of 2015!"

Jennifer Lopez is "grateful" after she and pal Leah Remini were involved in a car accident with a drunk driver; however, everyone came out of the collision unharmed, according to US Weekly. On Instagram, Lopez posted, "Sitting at a light, Riding high right before some drunk fool rear ended us in my new whip!!! Thank god everyone ok!!! #GRATEFUL #THANKYOUGOD #DontdrinkandDrive!!!! #cursedthatfoolout #theBronxcameout #dontmesswithmycocnuts #mamabear #leahstayedcalm #thatwasweird." The suspect is reportedly facing DUI and hit-and-run charges.

On Nov. 23, the long-running, Tony-winning revival of Chicago will play its 7,486th performance, surpassing Cats to become the second longest-running show in Broadway history, Playbill noted. At that celebratory performance, the production will welcome back its four original stars: Tony Award winners Ann Reinking, Bebe Neuwirth, James Naughton and Joel Grey. They will each make cameo appearances at various points in the milestone performance.

RuPaul has joined the drag queens' fight against Facebook, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Many drag performers are livid that the social-media giant has begun enforcing a policy that requires users to display real names on their profiles. Several hundred drag queens—and other performers who had built Facebook profiles around their stage names—had their accounts deactivated after they were reported for failing to employ their real identities. RuPaul said, "It's bad policy when Facebook strips the rights of creative individuals who have blossomed into something even more fabulous than the name their mama gave them."

Former Baywatch star Jaason Simmons, an Australian who played Logan Fowler on the show during 1994-97, recently talked about the show's 25th anniversary—and his sexuality, according to TooFab.com . Simmons, 44, surprised fans when he came out in 2008 but he said his co-stars were never in the dark about his sexuality and were very supportive, adding, "I was in a relationship for the whole time and they were all aware, and it was fantastic and no issue."

What is Michael C. Hall's next move after starring in the bloody drama Dexter? He will on a wig and lipstick for his role as the transgender rock star in the Broadway revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, according to the L.A. Times. Hall will join the musical Oct. 16 and is scheduled to stay through Jan. 4. The role of Hedwig is currently being played by Andrew Rannells, who took over in August after Neil Patrick Harris left the production.

A Blondie impersonator, rare memorabilia and provocative photos of iconic lead singer Debbie Harry by photographers Robert Mapplethorpe, Annie Leibowitz, Bob Grossman, Bob Gruen and Chris Stein were unveiled at the Chelsea Hotel Storefront Gallery in New York City as the band Blondie marked its 40th anniversary with a display entitled "A Blondie Exhibition," according to Billboard.com . An eclectic mix of photographs sat alongside vintage Blondie merchandise, including concert T-shirts, show programs and VIP backstage passes at the exhibit. The exhibit launched in conjunction with the Sept. 23 release of Stein's photography book, Chris Stein/Negative: Me, Blondie and the Advent of Punk.

Gay actor Ben Whishaw ( Skyfall; Cloud Atlas ) will lead the cast of BBC Two's new drama series London Spy, according to Gay Star News. The five-part thriller, which comes from acclaimed gay author Tom Rob Smith, begins filming in October in London. Whishaw will play Danny, a romantic, who falls for the antisocial Alex after a chance encounter.

HIV Experience Resources Organization ( HERO ) will present "Broadway and Ballet, The HERO Awards"—an evening to honor the Actors Fund's HIV/AIDS Initiative, Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell and ballet star Stephen Hanna—on Oct. 19 at New York City's 42 West, according to Playbill. The evening will benefit HERO, a charitable organization that helps newly diagnosed and people living with HIV/AIDS, and Jonathan D. Lovitz will emcee.

Actress Lindsay Lohan got tripped by some lines during a shaky stage debut in London, The New York Daily News reported. The Mean Girls actress fumbled for words a few times as she made her inaugural appearance in David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow—although the publication added the performance was not a disaster, as she hit all her cues. Madonna played the same role of Karen on Broadway in 1986.

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino has a legal situation. According to The Wrap, Sorrentino, who rose to fame on MTV's Jersey Shore, has been indicted on tax charges. Sorrentino and his brother/manager Marc Sorrentino are accused of failing to properly pay taxes on $8.9 million in income that the reality star raked in from promotional activities. The Sorrentinos are expected to be arraigned in Newark federal court Oct. 6.

The director of the movie The Imitation Game ( about the late gay British codebreaker Alan Turing ) has discussed why he didn't cast a gay actor in the lead role, which went to Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch, ScreenCrush.com revealed. When a BBC reporter asked director Morten Tyldum, "W hy not cast a gay actor in the lead role?," he responded, "I would never consider the sexuality of an actor [to be] important." Then the reporter then said, "...in the effort of authenticity and advancing the aim of more gay actors being in lead roles, this is the opportunity to do so," causing Tyldum to say, "So, you mean, a gay actor cannot play a straight man? I actually find that question really ludicrous."

Aspen Gay Ski Week ( AGSW ), the nation's largest and oldest gay ski event, returns for its 38th year on Jan. 11-18, 2015, according to a press release. Proceeds from the event will benefit Roaring Fork Gay and Lesbian Community Fund, which has promoted tolerance, understanding and diversity through education, community action and service since 1996. In 2014, AGSW welcomed 5,000 guests to the legendary mountain town, which featured activities such including a comedy night with Mario Cantone.

Chord Overstreet confirmed that he is back to work on Glee for its final season, and is expected to appear in all of the final 13 episodes, Just Jared reported. "I assume I will be in all of the episodes," the 25-year-old actor told E! News about his character, Sam Evans. "I know I am back in Ohio at the school."

David Burtka, who recently married longtime partner Neil Patrick Harris, will return to the New York stage in a solo cabaret act, Advocate.com reported. Harris, who won a Tony Award for his role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, will direct the show "Burtka, David," which is scheduled for Nov. 25-26 at 54 Below. Burtka, a trained chef, appeared as Tulsa opposite Bernadette Peters in the 2003 Broadway revival of Gypsy.

Singer k.d. lang has sparked rumors of a new romance with the estranged wife of Canadian billionaire ice-hockey team boss N. Murray Edwards, The Ottawa Sun reported. The "Constant Craving" hitmaker has been spotted on numerous dinner dates with Heather Edwards, and they have reportedly bonded over their shared passion for Buddhism. lang, who came out as a lesbian in 1992, split from her girlfriend of eight years, Jamie Price, in 2011, and was previously linked to actresses Julie Cypher and The L Word's Leisha Hailey.

Chuck star Zachary Levi is eyeing a return to NBC as the star of a musical-comedy project he is executive-producing with Eva Longoria, Deadline reported. The project, Tuned, would showcase Levi's musical skills, which he displayed in his voice work as the male lead in Disney's Tangled. Tuned is described as a musical half-hour about an ambitious New Yorker whose life is upended by sudden musical hallucinations.

Fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier—who turned fashion on its head and Madonna's bra into a feminist symbol—gave his last curtain call during Paris Fashion Week, ABC News noted. ( Catherine Deneuve and Boy George were among those in attendance during the farewell show. ) The 62-year-old Gaultier recently shocked the fashion world with the announcement he's quitting his men's and women's ready-to-wear lines. He added that he wishes to concentrate on his haute couture.

Hartley Rathaway, a.k.a. Pied Piper—who was introduced as one of the first openly gay DC Comics characters back in the mid-1980s—is reportedly going to be making his way to Central City sometime after the midseason break on the new CW series The Flash, according to CinemaBlend.com . While Pied Piper originated as a villain in the comics, using sonic technology packed into a flute, he is actually one of the bad guys in DC Comics history who eventually reformed and started fighting against the forces of evil.

A love story about the intersecting lives of three women, the award-winning romantic drama Tru Love debuts across all digital platforms ( including iTunes and WolfeOnDemand ) beginning Oct. 7, before making its DVD debut Nov. 4 from Wolfe Video, according to a press release. The acclaimed lesbian romance follows Tru, a 37-year-old bed-hopping lesbian who becomes unexpectedly smitten with Alice, an elegant 60-year-old who has come to town to visit her daughter.

ABC show ( and guilty pleasure ) Mistresses has been renewed for a third season, according to The Wrap. The network has ordered 13 more episodes of the series about four friends with scandalous love lives as they try to move forward both professionally and personally. The show stars Alyssa Milano, Rochelle Aytes, Jes Macallan and Yunjin Kim.

The relationship between the band R.E.M. and MTV is chronicled in REMTV, a new six-DVD set from Rhino that includes live performances, award-show highlights and television appearances, as well as a new documentary about their shared history, a press release stated. REMTV will be available Nov. 24 at retail outlets for a suggested list price of $99.98.

Ryan Seacrest Productions is pulling out of the Shahs of Sunset business weeks after its editors walked out on their job in a fight for union representation, The Wrap reported. Production on the show for season four, and Bravo will now make all decisions regarding the current labor strike.

Norman Reedus, who plays the crossbow-wielding Daryl Dixon on AMC's The Walking Dead, says the fan favorite is "prison gay," according to NewNowNext.com . "He's definitely not a ladies' man or thinks of himself as having enough confidence to be that type of person," the 45-year-actor said. "I want to play him searching for confidence, not full of confidence, you know?" Robert Kirkman, creator of the comic on which the show is based, has written that showrunner Frank Darabont discussed Dixon being "prison-gay," which he said meant, "Like, you'll catch him looking at a member of the same sex—but if you mention it to him, he'll just stab you." The show's new season premieres Oct. 12.

Breaking Glass Pictures and QC Cinema are partnering with Vimeo On Demand to share six award-winning LGBT movies starting Oct. 1, according to a press release. The titles are Laurence Anyways, Out in the Dark, Our Paradise, Edie & Thea, The Falls and The Skinny.

Lifetime has renewed its hit series Devious Maids for a third season, placing a 13-episode order for the program executive-produced by Marc Cherry and Eva Longoria, and starring Ana Ortiz, Dania Ramirez, Roselyn Sanchez and Susan Lucci, among others, according to a press release. Devious Maids is set in a world where murder and mayhem collide in the mansions of Beverly Hills' wealthiest and most powerful families. In its freshman season, the series was Lifetime's fastest-growing drama ever.

Singer Ricky Martin recently recounted how he explained surrogacy to his son, Pink News reported. The out pop singer, who became the father of twins Matteo and Valentino in 2008, said on a show that the most difficult question his 6-year-old sons have asked him is "Dad, was I in your belly?" Martin said he responded, "You were in my heart—and you are still in my heart. There was a woman that I adore with all my heart that helped me bring you into this world. She lent me her belly so that you could come and when you were born she put you in my arms."

LGBT pop-culture experience BENT-CON returns for its fifth year Nov. 7-9 at the Burbank Marriott and Convention Center, in Burbank, California, according to a press release. Among other things, Christopher Rice and Eric Shaw Quinn will host their Internet series, The Dinner Party Show, featuring special guest author Anne Rice ( Christopher's mother ). Other guests include executive producer Jane Espenson ( Torchwood ), filmmaker Rob Williams and vlogger/graphic designer Xander Jeanneret. Visit www.bent-con.org .

Actor Luke Evans, who stars in the upcoming film Dracula Untold, is being cagey about his sexual identity after coming out early in his career, NewNowNext.com reported. Early in his career, the 35-year-old actor was candid about being gay, telling The Advocate in 2002, "it's who I am" and telling another outlet about his preferences in gay porn. However, in 2010, he was linked to female model Holly Goodchild. Sir Ian McKellen, however, inadvertently re-outed Evans in 2012. Recently, when asked about outing himself earlier, Evans told the UK Telegraph, "I'm protecting the only bit that I have any control over. My private life feels like the last thing I can keep hold of. I'm very happy with who I am—and so are my family."

Former Pussycat Doll and X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger is set to make her West End stage debut as Grizabella in the return of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats, beginning performances Dec. 6 at the London Palladium prior to an official opening Dec. 11, according to Playbill. The production reunites the original creative team, including director Trevor Nunn, choreographer Gillian Lynne and designer John Napier.

Tony Award-winning singer/actor Idina Menzel has announced the track-listing for her upcoming Christmas album, entitled Holiday Wishes, which will be released Oct. 14 through Warner Bros. Records, according to a press release. Grammy Award winner Walter Afanasieff ( Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey ) produced the album, which features such classic favorites as "All I Want For Christmas Is You," "Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" as well as Joni Mitchell's Christmas-themed "River," one of Menzel's favorites.

The crew behind the Filipino marriage-equality short film Pamanhikan have started an Indiegogo campaign, according to a press release. The film tells the story of the first meeting between a gay interracial couple's parents before their wedding. The movie is named after a Filipino pre-wedding tradition, but it's fused with a comedic twist. The campaign is at igg.me/at/pawmen, and ends Oct. 10.

Matt Bomer has been set to star opposite Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in The Nice Guys, the action drama that Iron Man 3's Shane Black wrote and is directing with Joel Silver producing at Warner Bros, Deadline reported. Bomer also is attached to play the late actor Montgomery Clift in the biopic Monty Clift.

Award-winning writer/director/producer Del Shores ( Southern Baptist Sissies ) has announced that his next feature film project will be A Very Sordid Wedding, a sequel to his 2001 gay cult classic film Sordid Lives, a press release stated. Bonnie Bedelia, Leslie Jordan and Caroline Rhea are attached to reprise their roles. Shores' Beard Collins Shores Productions has launched an Indiegogo fundraising campaign to assemble the project and secure investor financing; the campaign is now live at http://igg.me/at/averysordidwedding.

During October, Kino Lorber is releasing several movies on Blu-Ray—their first time they'll be out in this format, according to a press release. The films include Billion Dollar Brain, Topkapi, True Confessions, Muholland Falls, Last Embrace, Married to the Mob, Desperately Seeking Susan, The Naked Face and Gorky Park.


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