THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Diana Ross will headline the 35th annual Montreal Jazz Festival this summer along with the singer-songwriters Rufus Wainwright and Bobby McFerrin and the Canadian crooner Michael Buble, according to The New York Times. It will be Ross' first appearance at the festival and, in addition to performing, she will be the recipient of the Ella Fitzgerald Award. The festival will be held June 26-July 6.

Liza Minnelli told TMZ her thoughts on Ellen DeGeneres joking about her during the Oscars, according to Advocate.com . At one point, DeGeneres jokingly said that Minnelli was an impersonator and then called her "sir." Minnelli has now said, "I think she thought it would be funny, but she never stopped after she said it and said, 'My friend Liza Minnelli.' So I think it went a bit astray on her." However, Minnelli says she wasn't offended by the bit of fun the Oscars host tried to have at her expense, saying, "I don't think she meant any harm at all, and she's a wonderful lady."

Billy Zane—star of James Cameron's international blockbuster Titanic and critically acclaimed for his portrayal of Billy Flynn in Broadway's Chicago—has been cast as Captain von Trapp, completing principal casting for Lyric Opera of Chicago's new production of The Sound of Music that will run April 25-May 18. A native of Chicago and graduate of the city's Francis W. Parker School, Zane is best known for his achievements as an actor in more than 100 films.

HBO has teamed with some of the music industry's top artists to produce the first "Game of Thrones" mixtape, entitled Catch The Throne: The Mixtape, according to a press release. The premium cable network announced plans to release the mixtape in preparation for the April 6 season-four debut of the award-winning series Game of Thrones. Catch The Throne: The Mixtape includes exclusive tracks from rappers Wale, Big Boi, Common and Daddy Yankee, among others.

Steven Spielberg is interested in remaking/reviving the classic movie West Side Story, according to Deadline.com . No writer has been set yet and Spielberg hasn't done anything more than register his interest, which traditionally has always been enough to get a studio going.

More than 15,000 women from all over the world are once again expected to gather in Palm Springs, Calif., to attend the Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend April 2-6 ( www.thedinah.com ), according to a press release. Among the slated events/attractions are pool parties, nightlife events, celebrity appearances, live performances, a film festival and a celebrity poker tournament. Tegan and Sara will headline this year; Iggy Azalea, Mary Lambert, R&B icon Evelyn "Champagne" King and Guinevere Turner are among the other stars slated to appear.

Even Katy Perry thought about where "that tongue has been" when she kissed Miley Cyrus, The New York Daily News reported. Perry talked about the kiss with Australian talk show Sunrise, saying she didn't expect Cyrus would incorporate so much tongue. Perry said, "She like tried to move her head and go deeper and I pulled away. God knows where that tongue has been." Cyrus has since responded, "Girl if ur worried abt where tongues have been good thing ur ex boo [singer John Mayer or husband Russell Brand] is ur EX BOO cause we ALL know where THAT ( tongue ) been."

Winter Olympics commentator and retired figure skater Johnny Weir was involved in an domestic-violence dispute with his husband that had its courtroom sequel recently, according to Radar Online. About a month before the games in Russia, Weir's husband, Victor Voronov, filed a police report in which he alleged the three-time U.S. national champion of biting him. Despite the allegations, the couple appeared to have worked out their differences: In a Lyndhurst, N.J., courtroom, the pair put on a united front and requested the Lyndhurst Municipal Court judge to dismiss the case.

After winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, Jared Leto immediately turned his attention to his band 30 Seconds to Mars rather than lining up his next role, The New York Post noted. The band's headed to play Helsinki, Finland, and, according to the act's website, was slated to play in Ukraine on March 12. Leto won an Academy Award for playing transgender character Rayon in the AIDS movie Dallas Buyers Club.

Queen + Adam Lambert will launch a North American summer tour sat the United Center in Chicago on Thursday, June 19. Brian May, Roger Taylor + Adam Lambert will come together for the first time in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Dallas, Las Vegas, Montreal and other cities. Tickets will be on sale beginning Friday, March 14 through the Live Nation mobile app and at LiveNation.com .

An online petition demanding Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" video be taken off YouTube has attracted more than 50,000 signatures, The Guardian reported. According to the petitioners at Change.org, the video is guilty of "portraying blasphemy" because of the video's use of a pendant reportedly inscribed with the word Allah. Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" clip—a phantasmagorical riff on Egyptian mythology that premiered Feb. 20—has already attracted more than 30 million views.

Isaiah Washington—who infamously parted ways with Grey's Anatomy after making anti-gay remarks about co-star T.R. Knight—is coming back to the series, according to The Wrap. Washington will reprise his role as Dr. Preston Burke for an episode in May, which will also serve as Sandra Oh's final episode on the ABC medical drama. Creator Shonda Rhimes said that Washington's character is "vital" to wrapping up the story of Oh's character, Cristina Yang.

The Basketball Diaries director Scott Kalvert has been found dead at age 49, The Wrap reported. Kalvert, whose death is being investigated as a suicide, was also a well-respected music video director who worked with Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch ( "Good Vibrations" ), DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith ( "Parents Just Don't Understand" ), Salt 'N Pepa ( "Shoop" ) and Cyndi Lauper ( "I Drove All Night" ).

A federal-court class-action suit claims the owner of Oheka Castle—America's second-largest private home and an inspiration for The Great Gatsby—cheats his workers on wages and tips, Courthouse News Service noted. The lawsuit comes a week after the castle's owner was shot in the head on the castle's grounds by a masked gunman who remains at large. With 32 guestrooms, the castle hosts catered events for as many as 400 diners, and can accommodate up to 1,000 guests.

The show Heroes is going the way of Arrested Development, returning to the small screen years after its cancellation, according to NewNowNext.com . A spokesperson for NBC says the cult sci-fi series, which ran 2006-10, is returning to the network in a 2015 miniseries called Heroes Reborn. However, it's not known if out actor Zachary Quinto or other fan favorites, such as Hayden Panettiere, will appear.

Tori Spelling has just hit a new low after the Dean McDermott cheating controversy when she closed down her antique shop, InvenTORI, according to a KPopStarz.com item. The shop in Sherman Oaks, Calif., was already in serious trouble months back, and Radar Online broke the news after seeing leasing signs on the storefront, which officially closed down Feb. 14. However, Spelling is reuniting with former Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Jennie Garth for the ABC Family series Mystery Girls, according to E! Online.

An Arkansas judge has admitted he leaked confidential information about Charlize Theron adopting a baby in 2012, two months before she announced the adoption, according to Newser. Mike Maggio, 52, posted the information on a Louisiana State University online fan message board, using an anonymous profile with the name "geauxjudge." Under the same profile, Maggio also posted perhaps hundreds of comments, many of them offensive to Blacks, gays and women. ( In his posting about Theron, Maggio cracked that he "offered to be the baby daddy." ) Maggio has apologized and withdrawn from his appellate court race.

New York City's Tribeca Film Festival—which Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff co-founded—will take place April 16-27, according to a press release. There will be several LGBT-themed films at the event, including Bad Hair ( Pelo Melo ), An Honest Liar, Life Partners, Love Is Strange, Mala Mala, Regarding Susan Sontag and Something Must Break. Love Is Strange is an award-winning movie that stars John Lithgow and Alfred Molina as a longtime couple.

Kristin Chenoweth—who had been scheduled to do a short U.K. tour last March that was canceled at the last moment—will return to the London stage for a one-night-only concert at London's Royal Albert Hall July 12, Playbill noted. Chenoweth won the Tony Award in 1999 for her performance in You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, and was nominated in 2004 for her performance as Glinda in the original company of Wicked. she has also appeared on TV series such as GCB, Glee and The West Wing.

Gay statistician Nate Silver's new ESPN-backed website, FiveThirtyEight.com, will relaunch March 17, according to The Wrap. Silver will bring the data-driven style of journalism that made him popular with New York Times readers. He will continue covering political polling, but will broaden his focus to include sports and entertainment.

Michael Sam, who will become the first openly gay athlete to play in the NFL when he is drafted later this year, announced on Twitter that he is now selling rainbow-colored merchandise on his website to promote his new brand, according to Queerty.com . The T-shirts and buttons range in price from $21.99 to $100, and a portion of the proceeds will reportedly benefit at-risk youth in the St. Louis area.

Former 'NSync member Lance Bass has revealed that bandmate Joey Fatone found out Bass was gay by accident, according to On Top Magazine. Bass—who is now engaged to fiance Michael Turchin—told Access Hollywood, "Joey walked in on me with the guy I was dating just kind of sitting on my lap. Straight guys don't do that. [Fatone] was just like, 'Dude I don't care. I have so many gay friends. I don't care.'"

Grammy Award-winning artist k.d. lang—who succeeded fellow Grammy winner Fantasia Barrino as the special guest star vocalist in After Midnight—played her final performance in the jazz-age musical revue March 9, according to Playbill. Barrino, who won her season of American Idol, opened After Midnight ( formerly titled Cotton Club Parade ) Nov. 3, 2013. Singers Tony Braxton and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds will take over March 18-30; in the interim, understudy Danielle Herbert will headline.

Dwight Eubanks, a gay stylist featured on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, has been arrested again, according to Project Q Atlanta. Eubanks returned to Bravo's hit show this season, driving his coupe during an episode earlier this season that also highlighted his attempt to bring floral print back. However, DeKalb police arrested him Feb. 28 for not having a proper driver's license. In December 2011, Atlanta police arrested him for driving on a suspended license.

Several collectors filed a $40-million lawsuit against the foundation of the late, gay New York City painter Keith Haring, which has publicly stated approximately 80 works owned by the dealers are fakes, according to Reuters. The collectors said they purchased the artwork from friends of Haring, including a New York City disc jockey. The foundation, however, allegedly rejected the artworks' authenticity in 2007 and refused to review additional evidence the collectors provided later before stating they were fakes.

Mark Wahlberg is the latest male celebrity to lose a drastic amount of weight for a movie role, according to a Newser.com item. He told People, "I started at 196 and got down to 135" while filming The Gambler, in which he plays a professor struggling with addiction. Wahlberg added, "I began with a liquid diet. Then I completely changed my training program and gave up wine, bread, and pasta. Now I'm eating small portions of protein throughout the day and jumping rope a lot."

Beverly Hills Police Sgt. Brian Weir is suing the city, claiming he faced retaliation after reporting that a detective made inappropriate remarks about Whitney Houston's body at her death scene, according to Channel 24. Houston was 48 when she drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton two years ago. Weir contends that a detective sergeant kneeling by the singer's body removed a sheet and remarked that she was "still looking good," along with similar comments. Weir claims that when he reported the alleged remarks, he was harassed, removed from the SWAT and K-9 units and denied promotions.

The March 9 series premiere of Lindsay Lohan's reality show on OWN delivered only 693,000 viewers, according to Entertainment Weekly. Although that's higher than the network's average in the slot, the debut of Lindsay is down from Lohan's post-rehab interview on Oprah's Next Chapter last fall, which averaged 892,000 viewers. It's also much lower than Oprah Winfrey's previous high-profile celebrity interviews; for instance, OWN's Lance Armstrong interview delivered 3.2 million viewers last year.

Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay is producing an upcoming documentary about rape kit backlog, Entertainment Weekly reported. The documentary, Shelved, will focus on the many rape kits Detroit has failed to analyze and what can be done to stop the backlog from continuing. Rape kits are procedurally given to rape victims immediately after the reported crime and, when analyzed, often lead to identifying and, usually, convicting the DNA of the alleged attacker.

Gay network Here TV ( www.heretv.com ) announced the television premiere of From Here on OUT, the network's first-ever original sitcom, according to a press release. Directed by Sam Irvin, the six-episode series—which debuts March 28—stars Emmy winner Juliet Mills, Suzanne Whang, T.J. Hoban and Adrian Gonzalez. From Here on OUT centers on the adventures of aging gay writer Jimmy Randall as he tries to get his dream project made into a television series.

Openly gay Swedish soccer player Anton Hysen has signed up with the Myrtle Beach Mutiny—a South Carolina team that competes in the National Premier Soccer League—for the 2014 season, according to Advocate.com . Mutiny sporting director Pat Piscitelli said, "A player of his caliber, with his international experience, will bring a positive change to the Mutiny." Hysen continues to blaze a trail in U.S. soccer started by Robbie Rogers, who made history last May when he became the first openly gay major league soccer player by signing with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Writer Anne Rice announced that she will soon be releasing the next installment of her ongoing Vampire Chronicles series during an episode of The Dinner Party with Christopher Rice ( her openly gay son ) and Eric Shaw Quinn, Advocate.com noted. Titled Prince Lestat, the book is due to be released in October and according to Rice, will be a "big Vampire Chronicle." The Vampire Chronicles began in 1976 with the best-selling Interview With the Vampire, and Price Lestat is the 11th entry in the series.

Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn has revealed he's gay, according to Advocate.com . The revelation ( on the fan site WinterIsComing.net ) stemmed from questions regarding the bear community's appreciation for his portrayal of burly strongman Hodor, protector of the young prince Bran Stark. While Nairn considers being gay only a small part of his identity, he does understand the importance of coming out. "In this day and age, it's important to stand up and be counted," he told the site. Nairn will return as Hodor in the new season of Game of Thrones, which premieres on HBO April 6.

Tony Award winner Laura Benanti, who drew acclaim for her performance in The Sound of Music Live!, will host the 59th Annual Drama Desk Awards on June 1 in New York City, according to Playbill. Nominations for the annual awards will be announced April 25 at 54 Below. These awards, which are presented annually, honor "outstanding achievement by professional theater artists on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway."

The Pirate Fairy, the Disney animated film inspired by the world of "Peter Pan"—and featuring the voices of Megan Hilty and Raven-Symone, among others—will be released on Blu-ray and DVD April 1, according to Playbill. Also featured in the cast are Lucy Hale, Jesse McCartney, Carlos Ponce, Christina Hendricks and Tom Hiddleston. Special features on the DVD will inclue sing-along songs and animated shorts.

The show Teen Wolf is adding another gay character, according to NewNowNext.com . The teen, Mason, is described as an an openly gay jock who is "funny, witty and handsome." There's no word on who will play Mason, or if he'll be involved with resident gay Beacon Hills student Danny Mahealani, portrayed by Keahu Kahuanui, or Ethan, played by Charlie Carver. Season three wraps later this month.

Fast and Furious 7 is going back into production later this month, The Wrap reported. The studio said production, delayed since star Paul Walker's death in a car crash last November, will resume March 31. Production was more than half-completed at the time of the accident, and was slated to go to Abu Dhabi to continue filming.

Singer Lorde retaliated when an Australian radio DJ joked about her and Taylor Swift being a couple, according to NewNowNext.com . When Kyle Sandilands asked, "Are you guys, like, uh, are you together now? Not together as in lesbians—I'm not talking about 'Ellen together?," Lorde snapped," What do you mean you're not talking about 'Ellen together?' Is there something wrong with lesbians? Is that what you're trying to say?" Lorde is known for her Grammy-winning song "Royals."