Cheyenne Jackson will co-star with Audra McDonald in the film adaptation of Michael John LaChiusa's 1994 musical Hello Again, according to Playbill. LaChiusa has written new material for the film, including a new song for McDonald's character, and she and Jackson will share a scene together. In addition to six-time Tony winner McDonald and Jackson, the cast features Emmy winner Martha Plimpton, Emmy nominee T.R. Knight, Rumer Willis, Jenna Ushkowitz, Nolan Gerard Funk, Sam Underwood, Tyler Blackburn and Al Calderon.
Martha Stewart reportedly had a dust-up with Real Housewives of New York star Countess LuAnn de Lesseps at an event Qatari Ambassador to the United States Mohammed Jaham Al Kuwari was hosting, Page Six noted. Al Kuwari said he'd love to be on the reality show when Stewart leaned in and whispered, "You don't want to do that. It's lowbrowvery B-list." The countess reportedly replied, "Martha, I can hear you. Should I tell him about your shady past?" However, Stewart said she was only joking.
Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice is a free woman after being released from the federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, according to Page Six. According to federal regulation, she's supposed to be turned over to a halfway house for an undetermined amount of time. She plans to release a tell-all book about prison and her life. Husband Joe will begin serving his 41-month prison sentence in March.
And in more "Housewives" news, just a few weeks after former Atlanta star NeNe Leakes made an ill-fated appearance on The Viewafter which she criticized the show's hosts for being "mean girls" who "weren't kind" to her during the interview ( making it clear she was talking about Raven Symone, in particular )the former Disney star has apologized to Leakes, according to wetpaint. "I feel sad for her. She came to my house party. I don't understand what happened, but that's her right if she felt that way. Just like our opinion, that's her opinion," Symone told E! News. "Sorry, girl. My bad." However, she later talked about her right to have opinions under the First Amendment.
Oxygen Media's docuseries The Prancing Elites Project will return for its second season Tuesday, Jan. 19, according to a press release. Regarding the next season, the release states, "The African-American, gay and gender non-conforming dance team has begun to defy the odds and find success and acceptance in the South, but as they head home to hone their skills, they start exploring who they are as individuals, pulling focus away from the group." "Elites" found cross-platform success, generating the most VOD ( Video On Demand ) transactions of all Oxygen's freshman series this year, with more than 2 million.
While the world is immersed in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Paramount Pictures sent news of that other immensely popular sci-fi franchise by dropping the trailer for Star Trek Beyond, Time noted. Set to the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage," the trailer finds Commander Spock ( Zachary Quinto ) and company in a bit of a pickle: stranded without a ship or a crew and surrounded by enemies. The cast, including Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana, largely consists of returning players, while new additions include Idris Elba and Sofia Boutella. Star Trek Beyond is due July 22, 2016hitting theaters a few months shy of 50 years after Star Trek debuted as a TV series in 1966.
Perez Hilton is not done talking about the Miss Universe fiasco, according to Page Six. Following Steve Harvey's gaffe involving Miss Colombia Ariadna Guitierrez and actual winner Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach, Hilton ( a Miss Universe judge ) appeared on Good Morning America and revealed why he felt the South American beauty was not worthy of the title. "She came across not just to me, but several of the other judges [who included Olivia Culpo, actress Niecy Nash and NFL icon Emmitt Smith as] bitchy and arrogant. It was that Miss Philippines gave a better answer," Hilton said. Hilton also criticized Harvey's performance.
Lance Bass took to social media to wish a happy one-year anniversary to the man he says is "the love of my life," according to Gay Star News. Former N'Sync singer had been with Michael Turchin for four years when they got married last December in a star-studded ceremony in Los Angeles. Bass wrote: "Happy 1 year anniversary to the love of my life @michaelturchinart!!! I want to relive that night over and over again."
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis has joined the Human Rights Campaign in advocating against LGBT-based discrimination and urging people to make a gift to the organization. A mass email reads, in part, "I know a thing or two about on-screen horror. From Halloween to Scream Queens, I've been in some truly scary situations. But, you know what really horrifies me? The very real discrimination and even violence occurring every single day to LGBT people. In our country, and around the world, everyone should be treated equally, and be protected from discrimination."
Former Nickleodeon star Drake Bell was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, Page Six reported. After he was pulled over, police "smelled an odor of alcohol" and had Bell perform a field sobriety test, which he allegedly failed. Earlier this year, the Drake & Josh star, 29, received backlash for tweeting "Sorry….still calling you Bruce" after Caitlyn Jenner made her public debut.
High-end men's clothing company Revolution Wear's counterclaims against baseball legend Derek Jeter say that the iconic Yankee destroyed an underwear product launch by protesting that the skivvies were "too gay," according to Courthouse News. The company says Jeter cost it millions by repeatedly criticizing its designs and plans to launch Frigo Zone athletic undergarments after he became a part-owner of Revolution in 2011.
Erik Braverman, the vice president of marketing and broadcasting for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has come out gaymaking him Major League Baseball's ( MLB ) fifth out executive, On Top Magazine noted. "I didn't want anyone to, in any way, not view me for the quality of my work," Braverman told Outsports of his decision to not share his sexuality publicly. "I don't want to be known as the gay executive who happens to run marketing and broadcasting for the Dodgers. I want my accomplishments and my job to be first and foremost and speak for themselves."
In his upcoming comedy, Daddy's Home, Mark Wahlberg competes with his ex-wife's new husband, played by Will Ferrell, to win the affection of his kids. According to ABC News, the actor said he had to get into top shape for the filmespecially since in one scene, he's doing several one-arm pull-ups effortlessly. Wahlberg, 44, told E! News that when he filmed that scene he "did probably about 700 that day." Wahlberg admitted to having a little movie magic help him with his onscreen workoutas a "gentleman underneath" provided support for him, he said.
On Instagram, Janet Jackson is postponing her Unbreakable World Tour because she "must have surgery soon," according to Entertainment Weekly. ackson kicked off the world tour in Vancouver this past August. It was scheduled to resume Jan. 9 in Denver and last through June, when it was expected to conclude in Salt Lake City. Jackson didn't reveal what kind of surgery she would be getting, and said there "will be no further comment" aside from the Instagram announcement.
A gay clairvoyant who claims he can connect celebrities with those who've already passed away will be on an E! reality show, Out.com noted. Tyler Henry is the 20-year-old star of the upcoming series Hollywood Medium, and people such as NeNe Leakes, Amber Rose, Monica Potter, Margaret Cho, Michael Sam, Bella Thorne, Boy George, Snooki and Ross Matthews will try to connect with the dearly departed.
Orange Is the New Black star Ruby Rose, who recently split with fiancee Phoebe Dahl, has stepped out with songstress ( and Justin Bieber's favorite singing partner ) Halsey, Page Six noted. Keeping it low-key, Rose, 29, and the 21-year-old singer enjoyed the afternoon by grabbing a bite at a local eatery and checking out a movie. Rose was engaged to Dahl, 27, since March 2014.
HIV-positive actor Charlie Sheen said he's sober and will cure AIDS, according to a Page Six item that cites The National Enquirer. "If anybody can fight this thing and discover a cure, it's me. I will exhaust every resource. ... I will move forward until something's revealed," he told the Enquirer. Sheen, who claims he's now "sober, focused, hopeful, vigilant" and "poetic," added in the interview with Dylan Howard, "I am in a rare position to turn my diagnosis into a positive, and that began with telling my truth to Matt Lauer, now I'm talking to you ... so that I can reach your audience with my story and continue to shine a light on the disease while brilliant scientists continue to search for a cure."
Olympic figure skater Tara Lipinski announced her engagement to boyfriend Todd Kapostasy, a Fox Sports producer, according to Page Six. After Lipinski shared her big news, fellow skater and NBC announcing partner Johnny Weir took to Twitter to offer congratulationsand some fashion advice: "And so it begins…searching my archives for @taralipinski wedding dress and I do believe @ToddKap should wear anything @TOMFORD."
Aretha Franklin showed little r-e-s-p-e-c-t for fellow theatergoers at a performance of The Color Purple recently, Page Six reportedbut when fans realized it was the Queen of Soul who was breaking the rules, they apologized to her. Reportedly, Franklin showed up late to a performance at the Jacobs Theatre, took up six seats around her and began holding her phone in the air to snap photos of the show. Franklin met Jennifer Hudson and the cast backstage after the show.
Kim Kardashian's latest app, Kimojis, is at the center of privacy concerns, even as it proves so popular that it broke the app store shortly after its release, The Daily Mail reported. The program can collect anything a user types or has typed in the past, including credit card detailsleading to fears that users' confidential information is at risk. This has not seemed to put off fans of Kardashian, however, as the reality star launched the app to overwhelming demand despite the fact that it is not free and costs $1.99 in the app storeso overwhelming, in fact, that Apple's App Store crashed.
Joan Collins auctioned off couture gowns from her Dynasty days and other personal items at Julien's Auctions, Page Six noted. The dress she wore when she was made a Dame fetched $20,025and she was also able to unload her 1973 British MG roadster that she never drove because she couldn't handle a stick shift. Collins also sold Marilyn Monroe's official certificate of conversion to Judaism for $68,750.
Actor Robert Downey Jr. has been pardoned for the 1990s drug conviction that sent him to prison, TheWrap reported. The Iron Man star was among 91 people California Gov. Jerry Brown pardoned on Christmas Eve ( Dec. 24 ). Downey was convicted in 1996 for felony drug possession when Los Angeles police found heroin, cocaine and a pistol in his car; he served prison time in 1999 for violating his probation, and was released in December 2002.
Serena Williams was named the Associated Press' Female Athlete of the Yearmarking the fourth time she has won this award. Williams, 34, won the first three Grand Slams of the 2015 tennis season, although she was unable to make it a clean sweep at the U.S. Open, where she lost in the semifinals to Roberta Vinci. She finished the year with a 53-3 match record, notching five singles titles and earning more than $10.5 million in prize money, Bleacher Report noted.
After only a few weeks on the open market with an asking price of $2.695 million, Scandal star Kerry Washington's Hollywood Hills mini-compound is in escrow and about to be sold to an unknown buyer for an unknown amount, according to Variety. The Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated TV and movie veteran and her husband, retired NFL player-turned-actor/producer Nnamdi Asomugha, purchased the property only about a year and half ago for $1.865 million from comedy actress/voiceover staple Nicole Sullivan.
Moesha stars Brandy Norwood and Countess Vaughn have apparently kissed and made upending an 18-year feud, according to E! Online. Vaughnwho played Kimberly Parker on the showwrote an open apology to her former co-star on Instagram. Vaughn noted that she believes her and Norwood to be "spiritual siblings" and wants to move forward in a positive direction. Norwood was very appreciative for the kind note and quickly responded. She commented, "My heart is touched right now. You are beautiful to me. Always have been and always will be!"