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Drag Race in U.K.; Gaga, Judas Priest; Sean Hayes' new gig
Entertainment news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times
by Andrew Davis, Windy City Times
2014-07-08

This article shared 5761 times since Tue Jul 8, 2014
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RuPaul is interested in hosting a U.K. version of RuPaul's Drag Race, Gay Star News reported. RuPaul confirmed that English television and radio presenter Jonathan Ross has bought rights to do a version of the popular U.S. show in Britain. However, the idea is still in the works and has yet to be formally pitched to a network.

Lady Gaga could collaborate with Judas Priest, according to FemaleFirst.co.uk. The pop star has been discussing working with the veteran metal band on a new single, and Judas Priest singer Rob Halford seems keen on working together in the future. Halford ( who happens to be openly gay ) told the Huffington Post, "I've been a huge fan of Gaga since she first burst on the scene. I just love everything that lady represents." Gaga has previously spoken about her love of metal music and recently hung out with Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante.

Actor Sean Hayes—best known as Jack on Will & Grace—is joining the CBS comedy The Millers, according to The Wrap. Hayes will play Kip Withers, the new best friend of Carol Miller ( played by Margo Martindale ), as well as a new source of friction for Carol's son Nathan ( Will Arnett ). Hayes more recently starred in the NBC comedy Sean Saves the World and appeared in the NBC musical series Smash.

Chris Colfer hasn't sung his swan song on Fox's Glee, according to The Wrap. Posts on the actor's official Facebook and Twitter feeds stating he was leaving Glee apparently turned out to be false and the result of his accounts being hacked. A representative from show producers 20th Century Fox Television said, "Rumors of his dismissal from Glee could not be further from the truth. We love Chris and look forward to working with him again this season."

Apparently there was something happened with Glee because the Twitter account of Colfer's co-star Lea Michele was also hacked, The New York Daily News noted. A posted message read, "Before this gets out to the media, I would like to announce to my fans that I am pregnant #BabyBoy." Michele later tweeted, "I was HACKED! Guess @chriscolfer and I should have known better [than] to make our passwords the names of our cats."

Openly gay actor John Barrowman has not ruled out a Torchwood return, according to Digital Spy. The Doctor Who spin-off saw Barrowman play Captain Jack Harkness and ran from 2006 to 2011. Speaking to Terry Wogan on his BBC Radio 2 show, Barrowman said: "It ran for quite a long time, I think four seasons, which is good for the BBC - we had a great run and then that was it, really. But who knows what the future holds?" Barrowman currently plays Malcolm Merlyn on the CW show Arrow.

For now, the idea of Sarah Palin co-hosting The View is just a dream, according to The Wrap. "Any specific names at this point are rumor and speculation," an ABC representative said. "No decision has been made and we are not to ready to make any announcements." Palin's recent comments about how the show might benefit from a panelist like herself have fueled speculation that she is, in the words of the Huffington Post, "publicly auditioning" for the job.

Judge Judy recently dealt with a case involving the gay dating app Grindr, NewNowNext.com noted. Defendant Adam Murphy was sued for not paying back a loan from an older friend. Although the judge called Murphy out on his description of Grindr, she dismissed the case against him; although Murphy lied about the plaintiff being a "like a mentor" to him, the plaintiff never laid out any terms for the money to be repaid.

Comedian Joan Rivers performed an impromptu wedding ceremony for a gay couple in New York City, according to On Top Magazine. Jed Ryan and Joe Aiello, a couple of three years, were among those who attended a Barnes & Noble book-signing for Rivers' latest book, Diary of a Mad Diva. Rivers, 81, agreed to marry the couple. During the ceremony, Rivers, an ordained minister, said marriage was "honest to God forever."

Speaking of Rivers, she is once again courting controversy after calling President Obama gay and the First Lady a "tranny" during an on-the-street interview, according to The New York Daily News. The 81-year-old was asked about officiating that impromptu gay wedding at a New York City book-signing, followed by a question about whether she thinks the U.S. will first see a gay president or woman president. "We already have it with Obama, so let's just calm down," Rivers responded.

Musician Jason Mraz has told Advocate.com just what he thinks of people who come out of the closet. He recalled when his best friend came out to him in high school: "I thought that was so courageous, because of the potential for abuse and the potential for violence—it was something that I worried about for him. But I also thought it was the coolest thing anyone could do, and from then on I knew I wanted to support him and anyone else who was courageous enough to just be themselves." Mraz's fifth studio album, Yes!, is out July 15; in addition, he has established the Jason Mraz Foundation, which supports charities working in areas Mraz considers personal passions, such as environmental preservation, education and worldwide human equality.

June has been a month full of milestones for Madonna's oldest daughter, Lourdes Ciccone Leon, according to US Weekly. Not only did the budding 17-year-old actress and fashion entrepreneur graduate from high school and attend her senior prom, she's now matriculated as a freshman at the University of Michigan. It's the same school Madonna attended for two years on a dance scholarship before dropping out and moving to New York City to pursue her music career.

The characters from the movie Frozen are crossing over into ABC's live-action series Once Upon a Time, according to an Advocate.com item. he beloved television series has handed the role of Kristoff to actor Scott Michael Foster ( Greek; Californication ), while the role of Anna has gone to newcomer Elizabeth Lail. The actress to portray the show-stopping Elisa has yet to be cast.

Nene Leakes, the breakout star from Real Housewives of Atlanta, starred in "Zumanity, The Sensual Side of Cirque Du Soleil" for a limited run at Las Vegas' New York, New York Resort and Casino, according to Out Traveler. Leakes only appeared in a handful of shows, ending her run July 1. Leakes—who has extensive acting credits to her name, including Glee and The New Normal—was the mistress emcee, a role originated by drag legend Joey Arias in 2003, who left the show six years later.

Paul Mazursky—the Oscar-nominated writer-director behind such films as Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, An Unmarried Woman and "Down and Out in Beverly Hills—died at age 84 of pulmonary cardiac arrest, The Chicago Tribune reported. Mazursky wrote and directed most of his 17 films, and acted in nearly all of them.

Tony Award nominee Jonathan Groff, Orange Is the New Black actress/activist Laverne Cox and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey were the grand marshals of the 2014 New York City Pride Parade, according to Playbill. The event took place June 29; the parade ran from midtown Manhattan to the Stonewall Inn. The 2014 march was themed "We Have Won When We're One."

Singer Elton John believes Jesus would have supported allowing gay and lesbian clergy members to marry, On Top Magazine noted. News host Dermott Murnaghan asked John if "the Church should allow its clergy, same-sex clergy, to get married." John responded, "Of course—and I don't see why Catholic priests have to be celibate, it's crazy. ... If Jesus Christ was alive today I cannot see him—as the Christian person that he was and the great person that he was—saying this could not happen."

Luke Macfarlane, who came to fame as Scotty on ABC's Brothers & Sisters, is back on network television on NBC's The Night Shift. His character, Rick, is involved with a semi-closeted doctor named Drew—a former military man played by Brendan Fehr. Between Brothers & Sisters and The Night Shift, Macfarlane played a straight role in the Canadian comedy Satisfaction. He told The Backlot he's happy to see less resistance to openly gay actors playing it straight onscreen, according to Gay Star News.

Facing more than $76,000 in back rent, the Next Theatre Company in Evanston, Illinois, will be forced to leave its current home at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center following the conclusion of the 2014-15 season, Playbill noted. Next Theatre, an Equity company that helped give life to the Off-Broadway musical Adding Machine, has been in residence at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center for more than 30 years.

Out actor Matt Bomer has talked more about portraying the late actor Montgomery Clift, according to Gay News Network. Bomer told Xfinity LGBT that the film is scheduled for production later this year, adding that despite the fact that Clift was a three-time Oscar nominee, he's fallen through the cracks of cinematic history. Clift's career plummeted following a car crash in 1956; he died in 1966, aged 45.

Director Bryan Singer filed a motion to dismiss the sex-abuse case posted against him in Los Angeles, according to The Wrap. He is also asking for coverage of his own anticipated "exorbitant" litigation costs, per the documents. Singer stated that there is no legal basis for the suit that was filed under conditions of anonymity by a British actor identified as "John Doe 117." In a different case against him—his one filed by the identified Michael Egan—Singer is seeking a summary judgment following a prior request for a motion to dismiss; the hearing is set for Aug. 4.

The forthcoming Broadway production of On the Town and Fox's So You Think You Can Dance have teamed to offer the winner of season 11 a role in the Broadway revival, which begins performances Sept. 20 at the Lyric Theatre, Playbill noted. The show's winner, crowned "America's Favorite Dancer," will be offered the opportunity to join the On the Town cast in spring 2015. The iconic musical comedy that Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Jerome Robbins created will officially open Oct. 16 at the Lyric ( formerly the Foxwoods ).

Twenties—a Web series about a twentysomething queer Black woman and her friends—and its writer, Lena Waithe, are headed to BET, according to Autostraddle.com . Waithe has signed a deal to write the pilot script. Variety reported that Waithe, who cites shows including The Mary Tyler Moore Show and A Different World as influences, said she likes to use comedy to give voice to groups that aren't always illuminated in humor.

The Actors Studio will present Oscar, Emmy and Tony winner Ellen Burstyn in a new staging of Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, translated by Jean-Claude van Itallie, at The Actors Studio July 10-21, according to Playbill. John Gould Rubin will direct the limited engagement. Burstyn serves as co-president and artistic director of The Actors Studio, located in New York City.

Bryan Thompson—a 39-year-old, gay auto designer who has had Nissan manufacture several of his designs—is one of the people competing on the truTV television series Motor City Masters, Advocate.com noted. Thompson has designed video sets for Katy Perry and has transformed everything from tough trucks to charming Airstream campers and from high-flying executive jet interiors to far out Hollywood set designs. The show's winner will receive $100,000 and a new 2014 Camaro Z28.

Outfest: The Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival is taking place July 10-20. The opening-night movie is Susanna Fogel's Life Partners, which stars Leighton Meester, Adam Brody and Gabourey Sidibe. Other highlights include the comedy Space Station 76 ( the closing-night movie ), which stars Matt Bomer, Patrick Wilson and Liv Tyler; and a 25th-anniversary screening of the AIDS film Longtime Companion.

The Los Angeles home used as the fictional family residence of Phil and Claire Dunphy on ABC's Modern Family has sold for $2.15 million, The L.A. Times noted. The two-story traditional, built in 2006, has crown molding and mahogany hardwood flooring; four bedroom suites; a living room with a fireplace; a gourmet kitchen; and a family room with French doors leading onto an outdoor patio. Only the exteriors of the house are used to depict the Dunphy residence on the show; interior scenes are shot on sound stages.

Laverne Cox ( Orange is the New Black ) has been tapped to guest-star in Bravo's first original scripted series, Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce, which will premiere later this year, according to a press release. Cox will play Adele Northrop, a Pulitzer-Prize winning war journalist and LGBT activist who presents an award at a marriage-equality gala. Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce stars Lisa Edelstein ( House ) as Abby McCarthy, a self-help book author who hides the fact that she's separated from her husband as she starts to navigate her life as a single woman in her early 40s.

Ex-NFL player Brad Thorson has come out as gay on his blog, according to NewNowNext.com . In part, he posted, "[T]oday, I'm putting it in writing and not looking back. I'm gay. I'm also an athlete. For years, I struggled to unite these two identities in my own mind. Not until after my professional athletic career came to an end did I allow myself to understand my sexuality." Thorson signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2011; however, he was put on the injured-reserve list when he broke his foot and never played in a regular-season game.

Orange Is the New Black star Lorraine Toussaint—who played villain Vee on the second season of the show—is on the other side of the law in a new show, according to E! Online. Toussaint has joined the show Forever as Lieutenant Joanna Reece, the new boss of Alana de la Garza's Detective Jo Martinez. Forever stars Ioan Gruffudd as a medical examiner who can't be killed.

Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O'Connor will kick off her U.S. tour at Chicago's City Winery on Oct. 19, 20 and 22. O'Connor's new album, I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss ( Aug. 11, Nettwerk Records )—the follow-up to 2011's How About I Be Me ( And You Be You )?—features 12 new songs.

Social-media darling Nash Grier drew criticism when he suggested that only "fags" needed to get tested for HIV, NewNowNext.com noted. Grier ran a few seconds of an HIV public-service-announcement in which a man tells the camera "It's not just a gay thing." The clip then cuts to Grier, who shouts "Yes it is! FAG!!" In 2012, Grier tweeted a request for followers to re-tweet if they opposed same-sex marriage. Grier is only 16, but is the most popular person on a major social-media platform ( in this case, Vine ), with 8.7 million followers.

Fashion designer and former Project Runway winner Christian Siriano disputes Melissa McCarthy's claims that she "couldn't find anybody" to make a dress for her to wear to the 2012 Academy Awards, The Daily Mail noted. Siriano said he "met with her people" and attempted to collaborate with McCarthy on an Oscars gown. He told the New York Daily News, "Quite frankly, she was quite difficult to work with," adding, "She wanted some specific things that I thought would not look good on her body. And she was not comfortable with them in the end."


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