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

Actor Antonio Banderas told Peru's Canal N TV that he doesn't understand people who are opposed to homosexuality, saying they seem like the unhealthy ones to him, according to Gay Star News. "Those who judge gay couples in an intolerant way, they seem to me to be much more sick," Banderas said. Banderas got his break in movies when he was cast in a small role in openly gay Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's 1982 movie Labyrinth of Passion; the director brought him back for a bigger role in his 1987 gay-themed movie Law of Desire.

Johnny Weir and his estranged husband, Victor Voronov, have officially reconciled, according to The Huffington Post. Weir ( listed as Johnny Weir-Voronov on Twitter ) posted, "My husband and I have happily reconciled. Please respect our privacy and integrity at this time." The couple's tumultuous relationship has been the source of intense tabloid scrutiny since March, when Weir first announced the separation on Twitter. In recent weeks, Weir had dismissed reports from a number of media outlets which claimed that the couple were planning to reconcile.

Television executive and personality Andy Cohen has more to spill about the glamorous life, LGBTQ Nation reported. Publisher Henry Holt and Company announced that Cohen has a deal for The Andy Cohen Diaries. Cohen's book is scheduled for release in the fall and will be a gossipy tome featuring A-list stars, reality stars, family members and even cab drivers. Cohen's previous book, Most Talkative, came out two years ago.

Except for a strategically placed top hat and a bowtie, Neil Patrick Harris is otherwise nude on the cover of the May 22 issue of Rolling Stone, the magazine reported. Harris opens up to the magazine about everything from awkward sex to how coming out boosted his career, and the surprising number of straight men who love him for his role as How I Met Your Mother's Barney Stinson, the ultimate ladies man. "So many frat guys," added Harris' fiance, David Burtka. "It doesn't seem right, in a way. But it's very exciting at the same time."

Openly gay football player Michael Sam was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the National Football League's seventh round, after weeks of anticipation, with only a few slots left for draftees. He makes history as the first openly gay player drafted by an NFL team. Sam played football for University of Missouri. He was named the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year last December.

In a related matter, The Miami Dolphins announced Sunday defensive back Don Jones was fined and excused from team activities until he undergoes sensitivity training after his tweets about Michael Sam, according to USA Today. Jones, 23, wrote the word "horrible" on May 10 after Sam was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round with the 249th pick overall and was shown kissing his boyfriend on ESPN. Jones later apologized in a statement.

Cher's rep confirmed to Rolling Stone that the singer's vocals appear on two tracks on rap group Wu-Tang Clan's new secret album, The Wu: Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, according to The Huffington Post. However, Cher recorded her parts separately from the Wu-Tang Clan, and that there was no "direct interaction."

Chandler Massey—who, until recently, played the role of gay character Will Horton on the NBC soap Days of Our Lives—has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy in the competitive category of Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series, according to Gay Star News. If he wins, he will become the first actor to win in the category for three consecutive years, following his victories in 2012 and 2013. The awards will be presented June 22 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

Derrick Gordon, the 22-year-old who is the first openly gay men's college basketball player, is dating 47-year-old CSI actor Gerald McCullouch, according to TMZ. The two arrived at the recent GLAAD media awards in New York City, with MediaTakeOut taking a photo of the couple kissing on the red carpet. After the event, Gordon posted, "22 years old now...4 years ago I wouldnt have never imagine my life changing so much and being at the GLAAD AWARDS...IM TRULY BLESSED!!!!"

ABC News is renaming its Upper West Side headquarters the Barbara Walters Building, according to The New York Daily News. Walters, 84—who is leaving her co-hosting post The View—was the very first woman to anchor a network morning show, and was the first female anchor on an evening newscast.

Just days after the chaotic Real Housewives of Atlanta ( RHOA ) reunion specials wrapped, Phaedra Parks' husband, Apollo Nida, has pled guilty to bank fraud, laundering money ( $2.3 million ) and identity theft, according to Hollywood Life. At the reunion, Nida reportedly dodged questions from host Andy Cohen about the identity-theft trial.

Speaking of RHOA, co-star Porsha Williams has landed herself in hot water for what appears to be an anti-gay sermon delivered roughly three years ago, according to The Huffington Post. In the video obtained by TMZ, Williams passionately encourages members of the congregation to reach out to individuals that she believes need "saving"—among them, drug dealers, sex workers, people who have attempted suicide, and gays and lesbians. She has since apologized, according to People, in a video message in which she says, "God loves all of his children."

Also, RHOA star ( and former Dancing with the Stars contestant ) NeNe Leakes—facing renewed criticism for slinging homophobic terms at gay men she dislikes—remained defiant and even mocked Andy Cohen, according to Project Q Atlanta. After Cohen said that her use of the word "queen" offended him, Leakes said, "If I offended you or anyone else in the gay community, I apologize for that. You guys know that I love the gays and that is the end of that. Do I need to go any further?" She then asked, "Do you need me to pull down your pants and kiss your ass?"

Michael Sam has been selected the winner of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, according to the Associated Press. The University of Missouri defensive end will receive the award given to individuals who transcend sports at The 2014 ESPYs on July 16. ESPN is honoring Sam—who has revealed he's gay—for "his courage and honesty that resonates beyond sports."

Disney's soundtrack to the animated movie Frozen recently spent its 13th week in the No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200, selling 106,000 copies The Hollywood Reporter noted. Frozen is now one of only 39 albums in the history of the chart to have spent at least 13 weeks at the top. Among the albums that have spent exactly 13 weeks in that position are the original Broadway cast recording of Hair ( in 1969 ), Enoch Light/Terry Snyder and the All-Stars' Persuasive Percussion ( 1960 ), the Monkees' self-titled debut ( 1966 ) and Judy Garland's Judy at Carnegie Hall ( 1961 ).

A biopic about singer Morrissey's life is currently under development, with the Oscar nominated team behind short The Voorman Problem working on the feature-length film, The Guardian noted. The film aims to tell the story of Morrissey's early life prior to his songwriting partnership with Johnny Marr and the rest of the band, and is currently under the working title of Steven. ( The singer's real name is Steven Patrick Morrissey. )

Also regarding Morrissey, a recent concert in San Jose, California, was cut short after fans rushed the stage, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Morrissey was performing "One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell" during the second encore when a group of his followers broke through security to embrace the singer. At first, Morrissey seemed to be amused by the reaction; however, "one or two" wild fans charged the singer and knocked him to the ground, abruptly ending the concert.

Initially airing May 7, MTV's True Life: I'm a Gay Athlete provided an inside look at the lives of two college athletes as they are torn between their love of sports and the fear of coming out to their families and teammates about their sexuality. ( This is part of the channel's True Life series. ) True Life: I'm A Gay Athlete joins MTV's recently launched "Look Different" campaign, a multi-year initiative empowering youth to better counter the biases all around people. The May 7 episode spotlighted gay rower Stephen and lesbian cheerleader Desiree.

Unretouched photographs of Lady Gaga posing for a 2009 magazine shoot have surfaced, revealing she was airbrushed to appear slimmer, according to The Daily Mail. Not only were inches shaved off singer's figure, but she was given perkier breasts and a protruding rib cage. In addition, her skin tone was evened out as bruises were removed and her tattoo was highlighted in the image released by a popular blog.

HGTV announced that the recently unveiled real estate reality TV show Flip it Forward—starring anti-gay activist David Benham and his twin brother Jason—will not move forward after all, according to LGBTQ Nation. The announcement comes following a report by Right Wing Watch that David is a conservative activist who has campaigned against LGBT equality and reproductive rights, following in the footsteps of his father, preacher Flip Benham. David later told CNN's OutFront host, Erin Burnett, "We love homosexuals and we love Muslims, and we have absolutely nothing against the people," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The drag performer Alaska Thunderfuck has apologized for filming a controversial video that portrays a futuristic RuPaul shooting a transgender blogger in the head, saying the video has been removed and pledging to strike language that others consider transphobic from his future performances, according to Advocate.com . Thunderfuck, born Justin Andrew Honard, made the apology on the Chicago-based podcast Feast of Fun; Honard said he had listened to the response surrounding his video and took to heart the critiques he heard.

Lea Michele is stepping into the ruby slippers and morphing into Oz traveler Dorothy Gale in the new animated musical film Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return, Us Weekly noted. Michele's costar and funnyman Martin Short joked with the 27-year-old she gave the legendary star Judy Garland ( who starred in 1939's The Wizard of Oz ) a run for her money. "You're way better than that hack Judy Garland," Short said at the new film's premiere. Michele responded, "I'm pretty sure that a house is going to fall on you later for saying that."

After three years and more than 5,000 miles, the "Forever Marilyn" statue finally moved to her birthplace in Hamilton, New Jersey, shining in the sunlight at the Grounds for Sculpture, the sculpture haven Seward Johnson founded in 1992, according to NJ.com . The 26-foot tall, 34,000-pound statue of Marilyn Monroe was revealed to the public in Chicago in 2011 and moved to Palm Springs, California, in 2012, where it became a popular tourist attraction until it was disassembled after a massive farewell party in March.

Teri Polo—who starred in the Meet the Parents film series and currently co-stars in the same-sex ABC Family show The Fosters—has filed for bankruptcy, according to Us Weekly. Polo's filing apparently claims she's nearly a million dollars in debt. She says in court documents that she owes roughly $772,000 in back taxes to the IRS, and more than $36,000 in credit card bills.

Openly gay actor Sir Ian McKellen is set to play Sherlock Holmes in A Slight Trick of the Mind, adapted from the 2005 novel by Mitch Cullin that imagines Holmes' twilight years, according to The Guardian. The film will depict him working on his final case aged 63, and also retired in Sussex aged 91, mentally frail and obsessed with the unsolved crime. The Bill Condon-directed movie will also feature Laura Linney as his housekeeper, Mrs. Munro, whose son Holmes has a fatherly attachment to.

Nintendo is facing criticism for its upcoming simulator title, Tomodachi Life, which doesn't allow its players to engage romantically with same-sex characters, Rolling Stone reported. Gay fan Tye Marini, 23, launched a social-media campaign last month pleading with the gaming company for equality, but Nintendo insists its creative choice wasn't designed to offend. Marini hopes to persuade the people at Nintendo to open their minds and include same-sex relationships on a future version or update of the game.

Pussy Riot's two freed members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, have been tweeting in Russian frequently from their own accounts since their December release, according to Rolling Stone. Now they've joined Twitter with a new account to tweet in English. "Russia is not China or Iran YET, so since we can still use Twitter, we will give a shot at running it in English, so hi to everyone here!" they wrote in their first tweet.

The CW has cancelled a few series for next year, including the Sex and the City prequel The Carrie Diaries, according to The L.A. Times. The two-year-old series, which found traction in DVR and online viewing, was moved from Mondays to Fridays with its fall launch, and couldn't find its footing. The Tomorrow People and Star-Crossed were among the other cancellations.

ABC has renewed Modern Family for a sixth season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Also, the '80s-set The Goldbergs will be back for a second season—thanks to strong support from ABC's Paul Lee and strong DVR gains—and the Patricia Heatong comedy The Middle will return as well. Modern Family is TV's number-two scripted comedy, behind CBS' The Big Bang Theory. The network has also cancelled freshman comedies Trophy Wife and Mixology.

Actor Hugh Jackman revealed that he's been treated again for skin cancer—and he's urging fans to stay protected when out under the sun, The Huffington Post reported. "Another [basal cell carcinoma]. All out now. Thanks Dr. Albom and Dr. Arian," Jackman wrote on Instagram. "PLEASE! PLEASE! WEAR SUNSCREEN!" The X-Men actor was also treated for the disease in November 2013, and that was on his nose as well.

Sinead O'Connor has signed a worldwide recording deal with Nettwerk Music Group ahead of the release later this year of her new studio set, The Vishnu Room, Billboard reported. The Irish singer's upcoming album, her tenth, is "indicative of where Sinead is in life," according to a statement issued by Nettwerk. The Vishnu Room will get an Aug. 12 release date.

Jackman has also said that he's slated to appear in a Broadway production in the near future, The New York Daily News noted. "I'm going back to Broadway," he confirmed to The Associated Press. "I'm doing a play called 'The River,' a Jez Butterworth play. So I'm really looking forward to treading the boards here on Broadway." The play, the first since Butterworth's "Jerusalem," is about a trout fisherman in a remote cabin who is visited by two of the women in his life.

Designer Cynthia Rowley dared to secretly film the recent Costume Institute Gala without Vogue editor Anna Wintour's approval, according to Page Six. Rowley videotaped the scene at the Met Ball from a GoPro camera stashed in her purse, shooting through a tiny hole, and posted a three-minute video to YouTube. A Met Gala attendee said Wintour would not be amused, adding, "There will be hell to pay for that."

The widow of the man who was driving a Porsche sports car that crashed and killed actor Paul Walker sued the automaker, claiming design flaws caused both men to die in a fiery crash in November, according to Time. Kristine M. Rodas, widow of Roger W. Rodas, claims her husband was driving at 55 mph—not at unsafe speeds as law enforcement investigators determined—before it crashed last year. Rodas' attorney, Mark Geragos, said he hired the top experts in the country to evaluate the wreckage and crash.

Bryan Singer, the director of X-Men: Days of Future Past, skipped the world premiere of his movie following the recent filings of two lawsuits that allege he sexually abused underage boys, according to IMDB.com . However, the cast of the Twentieth Century Fox film—including Jennifer Lawrence, Hugh Jackman, Ellen Page, James McAvoy, Patrick Stewart and Michael Fassbender—packed plenty of star power into New York's Javits Convention Center. The live-streaming premiere also invited hundreds of X-Men fans inside who waved posters and action figures, and shrieked as the actors posed for selfies.

Kristin Chenoweth will star in the Broadway revival of On the Twentieth Century, playing opposite Peter Gallagher in a show Scott Ellis is directing, The Wrap reported. The musical, put on by the Roundabout Theater Company, will begin previews Feb. 12, 2015, and then officially open a month later. The show, about a difficult actress and a director, originally opened on Broadway in 1978 and won Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Original Music.

The Normal Heart director Ryan Murphy was very emotional when he saw cast member Matt Bomer after the actor lost more than 35 pounds for his role in the HBO movie, according to Gay Star News. "I would say, 'Please get your blood checked! ... I was nervous," Murphy admitted in an interview on HuffPost Live as Bomer sent photos of his body changing. Murphy added, "We were all concerned. We would check on him every five minutes. Matt was just so physically weak. He had to sit in the same place between lighting set-ups just so that his energy could be brought out in the performance."

Sony Legacy will issue a collection of Adam Lambert's greatest hits, according to Billboard. Lambert's former label home ( RCA is a division of Sony ) will push a "physical release" of the album, titled The Very Best of Adam Lambert, on May 27. The compilation will include three American Idol performances from when he was on the show, including his covers of "Mad World" by Tears for Fears and "One" by U2. Lambert's version of Lady Gaga's "Marry the Night" from his appearance on Glee closes out the 14-track CD.

While the media didn't report on The Big Bang Theory actor Jim Parsons' sexuality until recently, the three-time Emmy winner says he never hid the fact that he was gay—or in a relationship with boyfriend Todd Spiewak, according to NewNowNext.com . Parsons told SiriusXM Progress, "We were very fortunate with the show, and we started getting invited to awards shows and stuff. I had to deal with it very quickly—I mean, there was no option. I was going to take Todd. And so I had to deal with it." Parsons will next be seen in HBO's AIDS drama The Normal Heart.

After the ratings success of last year's Carrie Underwood-led The Sound of Music, NBC will bring a live version of The Music Man to television, according to Time. News of the adaptation of the 1957 musical follows previously announced plans for a live rendition of Peter Pan. Though no date has been set for The Music Man, it will likely happen after the Dec. 4 premiere of Peter Pan Live!, which is currently being cast.

Beyonce's younger sister, Solange, violently attacked Beyonce's husband Jay-Z, according to JustJared.com . All three of the stars stepped into an elevator together after attending a Met Gala afterparty at the Standard Hotel when Solange reportedly started screaming at Jay before violent attacking him. A bodyguard held back Solange while Beyonce did not get involved; there was no word on what happened that caused the fight.

Idina Menzel held her 4-year-old son Walker in her arms while performing at the Born Free Africa Mother's Day Family Carnival recently, according to Just Jared. The 42-year-old singer performed her hit song "Let It Go" alongside a group of young children, who she let sing into the microphone during the performance. Idina is currently starring on Broadway in the new musical If/Then; the original cast recording will be released June 3.

Mr. Skin—the famed flesh website that has been chronicling female nudity since 1999—has launched Mr. Man, a companion site to help fans get their heaping helping of beefcake, The New York Daily News reported. "Traditionally movies were written, directed and owned by men, so the nudity was mostly female," said Jim McBride, the man behind Mr. Skin, which was created eight years before it served as a major plot point in the 2007 movie Knocked Up. McBride estimates he has 700,000 female nude photographs and video clips archived on mrskin.com .

The producers and creators of ABC's hit TV comedy Modern Family celebrated the show's same-sex wedding episodes ( airing May 14 and 21 ) by covering the costs of all New Yorkers exchanging vows at the city clerk's office on May 12, according to SFGate.com . Modern Family couple Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet, whose characters are exchanging vows on the show, announced the big news during an appearance on Good Morning America.