Fox Network and the producer of Glee have decided to delay the start of the new season one week (to Sept. 26) in the wake of last week's death of Cory Monteith (who played Finn on the show), Deadline.com reported. The series had been scheduled to begin its fifth season Sept. 19 in order to get a jump on the fall TV seasonand those episodes would've marked the actor's return to the show after leaving early last season to enter drug rehab.
In related news, Glee producer Ryan Murphy has spoken out about Monteith's passing, according to Deadline.com . "It is so very sad and tragic," Murphy said. "Cory wasn't just an actor on one of my shows, he was very important to me, and I was very invested in his sobriety." He added, "We will begin shooting in late August the two shows we had already written, so that people can physically go back to work. We will then do an episode that will deal with the death of Finn's character and follow that with a long hiatus." Murphy recently added that he was considering ending the series altogether if Lea Michele felt she couldn't go on, Digital Spy noted.
Singer Anastacia has beaten breast cancer a second time, according to Digital Spy. The "One Day in Your Life" singer was diagnosed in February and forced to cancel her European tour. She tweeted a picture of herself messing around in the studio with the caption: "Btw: i'm Cancer Free Forever :-D." Anastacia was first diagnosed with breast cancer 10 years ago, but overcame the disease following surgery and radiotherapy.
Idina Menzel is set to return to Broadway for the first time since hitting it big in Wicked, the L.A. Times reported. Producers announced that she will open in the new musical If/Then March 27, 2014, at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York, with preview performances to begin March 4. If/Then, from the creative team behind Next to Normal, has been described as a character study of a woman turning 40 who returns to New York looking for a new start in life.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewisthe duo behind the LGBT anthem "Same Love"tied with Justin Timberlake with six 2013 MTV Video Music Awards nominations, according to TheWrap.com . The duo received nominations for works involving several singles, including "Same Love" (Best Video with a Social Message) and "Thrift Shop." Bruno Mars earned four nods, while Pink, Robin Thicke, Miley Cyrus and 30 Seconds to Mars each earned three. The awards ceremony will air Sunday, Aug. 25, live from Brooklyn.
The musical Kinky Boots has inspired its own line of footwear, according to Gay.net . Fashion icon Kenneth Cole has partnered with the Tony-winning musical to launch a limited-edition Kinky Boots shoe collection, available this holiday season. Inspired by the boots worn onstage in the musical, originally designed by Tony nominee Gregg Barnes, the collection will feature a patent leather peep-toe pump, a leopard knee-high boot and a black knee-high boot.
Couple Jonathan Groff and Zachary Quinto are no longer dating, PerezHilton.com noted. Things reportedly did "not end well" between the twosome. Groff recently halted production on his new movie in New York to fly out to Los Angeles to be with his best friend, Lea Michele, as she continued to grieve over the passing of her own boyfriend and Glee co-star, Cory Monteith.
Country singer Miranda Lambert has shot down rumors that she's lesbian, according to an On Top Magazine item. At the CMA Songwriters Series in Boston she said, "For the record, I'm not pregnantI'm drinkingand I'm not getting divorced. And I'm not gay, because I think Kip Moore's cute, and [Lambert's husband] Blake [Shelton] knows about it."
Openly gay singer Adam Lambert is parting ways with his label, RCA Records, over "creative differences" after the label asked him to do a 1980s all-covers album, UPI.com reported. RCA wanted the all-covers album as a follow-up to Lambert's two, original full-length albums. 2012's Trespassing and 2009's For Your Entertainment. The singer-songwriter announced in a letter to The Hollywood Reporter he won't do the 1980s album and plans to find a new label for his next original project.
Out actors Jane Lynch and Jim Parsons are among those who received nominations for the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards. Jane Lynch has been nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for playing Coach Sue Sylvester on Fox's Glee; and Jim Parsons was again nominated for his role as Sheldon on the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory. Two other openly gay actorsZachary Quinto and John Benjamin Hickeyare competing for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for, respectively, American Horror Story: Asylum and The Big C: Hereafter. The Emmy Awards will air live on CBS on Sept. 22 with Neil Patrick Harris returning as host.
Pee-Wee's Playhouse will debut on Blu-ray thanks to a new deal with Shout Factory, according to TheWrap.com . Shout! plans to release Pee-Wee's Playhouse: The Complete Series as a multi-disc set next year. The discs will feature all 45 episodes, along with Pee-Wee's Christmas Special and special bonus features.
Renee Alwaya finalist in cycle eight of America's Next Top Modelwas arrested June 28 in Palm Springs, Calif., after a six-hour standoff with police at a condo, according to the New York Post. The 27-year-old modeling contestant was arrested on a string of charges including burglary, fraud and possession of a controlled substance. It was her third arrest this year.
Good Morning America's Robin Roberts received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs, USA Today reported. Roberts, a broadcast journalist with ESPN and ABC, has overcome battles with both breast cancer and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a disease that required a bone marrow transplant.
The Simpsons will meet the Griffins in an episode of Family Guy next year, the Hollywood Reporter noted. Airing in fall 2014 on Fox, "The Simpsons Guy" episode of Family Guy will see the New England family travel to Springfield, where they'll encounter The Simpsons stars Homer (Dan Castellaneta), Bart (Nancy Cartwright), Marge (Julie Kavner) and Lisa (Yeardley Smith). Hank Azaria also will lend his voice to the episode.
Shia LaBeouf and the producers of Orphans have announced a settlement over the actor's exit from the Broadway show, the New York Post noted. In February, LaBeouf abruptly exited his Broadway debut following apparent disagreements with his hot-tempered co-star Alec Baldwin that made them "incompatible." The terms of the agreement were not disclosed; however, producers Robert Cole and Frederick Zollo said they would like to work with LaBeouf in the future.
Lesbian reggae/dancehall artist Diana King (who sang "Shy Guy" as well as the '90s dance version of "Say A Little Prayer") has become engaged to longtime girlfriend Simone, SheWired.com reported. King, a Jamaican who now holds U.S. citizenship, had been traveling long-distance with Simone, going back and forth to Jamaica and bringing her lady stateside for brief visits every three months. (They couldn't make more frequent visits because it might catch the attention of immigration officials.) However, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down section 3 of DOMA, she became engaged.
Morrissey wrote a letter to fans explaining a recent health problem and apologizing for canceling shows in South America, according to the Huffington Post. The 54-year-old singer has battled various health problems as of late, including double pneumonia, a bleeding ulcer and Barrett's esophagus. Morrissey explained that his most recent health issue was a result of food poisoning: "The contaminated jinx had its way via a simple restaurant meal of penne pasta and tomato."
Grammy winner Fantasia Barrinowho won the third season of American Idolis heading to Broadway to star in After Midnight, according to an L.A. Times piece. After Midnight is a jazzy musical revue that celebrates Duke Ellington's years, during the '20s and early '30s, at Harlem's legendary Cotton Club. Barrino, who starred as Celie in the 2007 Broadway musical The Color Purple, will appear from Nov. 3 (the show's opening) through Feb. 9, 2014.
In his new book Stravinsky: Discoveries and Memories, Robert Craft, 89, writes that the famed composer Igor Stravinsky had several same-sex affairs, including one with French composer Maurice Ravel, according to the L.A. Times. In a chapter in "Discoveries," Craft writes, "Ravel and Stravinsky were, of all artists, the most successful in concealing their sexuality. The two were time-to-time lovers...." He also states that Stravinsky had affairs with composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's eldest son, Andrey, and with the Belgian composer Maurice Delage. Craft, himself a conductor, was Stravinsky's longtime assistant.
The creative team is in place to turn the hit stripper film into Magic Mike, The Musical on Broadway, according to Deadline.com . The producers have set Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey to write the songs, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa to write the book, based on the Steven Soderbergh-directed film that was informed by Channing Tatum's early days as a male stripper. Aguirre-Sacasa recently co-wrote the book for Spider Man: Turn Off The Dark, and also has written the book of the upcoming American Psycho musical that Duncan Sheik that will premiere in London later this year.
Modern Family actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson married longtime love Justin Mikita in New York City July 20, according to a Huffington Post item. Playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner officiated the ceremony. The Emmy nominee, 37, who plays lawyer Mitchell Pritchett on the hit ABC comedy, got engaged to real-life attorney Mikita, 27, in Mexico last year after dating almost two years. Among the people attending the nuptials were Isaac Mizrahi, Cat Deely, Jerry O'Connell and Rebecca Romijn, Zachary Quinto, and "Modern" co-stars Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet.
Major League Baseball (MLB) issued a policy to protect players from discrimination and harassment based on their sexual orientation, according to CNN.com . MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the new code of conduct at an All-Star game fan celebration at New York's Javits Center. The code will be given to every Major League and Minor League player and posted in each locker room.
The SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Awards announced that Rita Moreno has been named the 50th recipient of SAG-AFTRA's highest tributethe SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment, according to Deadline.com . The union's top honor will be given at the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS Jan. 18, 2014. Moreno, 81, has received an Oscar, two Emmys, a Tony, a Grammy, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of the Arts.
Mariah Carey and Zooey Deschanel will guest-star on the new season of the animated show American Dad, according to Digital Spy. Olivia Wilde, Alison Brie, Mark Cuban, Ellie Kemper and Stanley Tucci have also been confirmed as having cameos in season 10. The upcoming season of American Dad! will be its last on Fox, before it moves to TBS in late 2014. The tenth season premieres Sept. 29 on Fox.
Actor Andrew Garfield has now said that a gay Spider-Man "wouldn't make sense," according to Gay.net . Initially, the actor who's in the Amazing Spider-Man series told Entertainment Weekly, "So why can't he be gay? Why can't he be into boys?" However, at San Diego's Comic-Con, he said, "Spider-Man stands for everybody: black, white, Asian, gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual. ... [However], it wouldn't make sense if, in the next movie, I was suddenly with a Black guy." Then, Amazing Spider-Man 2 co-star Jamie Foxx said, "I'm a good cuddler."
In response to the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church picketing One Direction's concert in Kansas City, Mo., the British band used social media to express its support of equal rights, Gay.net reported. The church's website stated, "WBC will picket this perverted pop boy band from the UK who claim to be the world's #1 band." One Direction's Harry Styles later tweeted, "Despite the company outside, I believe in equal rights for everyone. I think God loves all. Thanks for coming to the show though."
The Backstreet Boys are marking two decades of making music with a tour, new album and song that shows support for marriage equality, according to Gay Star News. In the video of the title track of the new CD In a World Like This, huge moments in history are seen, including the moon landing, the Sept. 11 attacks and the day marriage equality returned to California. All five original BSB membersNick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Kevin Richardson and McLeanare back.
Lady Gaga has topped Forbes' list of the highest-paid celebrities under the age of 30, bringing in $80 million this past year, according to a Rolling Stone item. The bulk of Gaga's earnings came from her Born This Way Ball tour, which grossed $168 million through this January. Justin Bieber came in second ($58 million), followed by Taylor Swift ($55 million), Calvin Harris ($46 million), Rihanna ($43 million), Katy Perry ($39 million), Adele ($25 million), and actors Jennifer Lawrence ($25 million), Kristen Stewart ($22 million) and Taylor Lautner ($22 million).
John Casablancas, who transformed the modeling business in the late 1970s when he founded the Elite agency and turned its young beautiesincluding Linda Evangelista, Gisele Bundchen and Naomi Campbellinto celebrities, died in Rio de Janeiro of cancer at age 70, according to the L.A. Times. He told the Chicago Sun-Times in 2000 that he regretted helping to create supermodels, calling them "spoilt troublemakers," and singling out Bundchen as "a monster of selfishness" and Heidi Klum as "a German sausage without talent."
Actor Hugh Jackman will perform in "Hugh Jackman ... One Night Only" Oct. 12 at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre, according to Playbill.com . Proceeds from the event that will reportedly feature "musical entertainment and special Hollywood film moments, along with a few star-studded surprises"will benefit the Motion Picture & Television Fund. Jackman has won a Tony (for The Boy from Oz) and is an Oscar nominee (for Les Miserables).
In a rare television appearance, John Travolta is set to guest-star on TV Land's new original sitcom Kirstie, reuniting with his Look Who's Talking co-star Kirstie Alley, Deadline.com reported. Set to shoot early next month, Travolta will play a stage hand on Madison Banks' (Alley's) Broadway show. Kirstie, which debuts Dec. 4, centers around Broadway star Banks (Alley), whose life turns upside down when Arlo (Eric Petersen), the son she gave up at birth, suddenly appears; Rhea Perlman and Michael Richards will co-star.