November 2007 Archives
I just had a three-hour visit to the dentist and it was not fun. So since it's Friday and I should be partying instead of dealing with a numb face, I'm gonna post a coupla kissing scenes from the "Dawson's Creek" finale. They really aren't very good when compared to what we see now on ATWT or B&S but the guys sure are cute!
Enjoy!
Wow. This is a juicy little tidbit I found posted on Towleroad.com.
Singer Wayne Newton - who proved on "Dancing With the Stars" this season that he can hit the right notes of a song, but not so much the steps of a dance - was on "Larry King Live" last night and the Vegas legend told Larry about why his friendship with Johnny Carson ended. It seems that Johnny kept making jokes implying the the Vegas legend was gay.
Fed up, Newton confronted the late Carson personally: "'Mr. Carson,' I said, 'I don't know what friend of yours I've killed, I don't know what child of yours I've hurt, I don't know what food I've taken out of your mouth... but these jokes about me will stop, and they'll stop now. Or I will kick your ass.'"
And that's not all. He went on to tell Larry: "Johnny Carson was a mean-spirited human being. There are people he has hurt that people will never know about. And, for some reason, at some point, he decided to turn that kind of negative attention toward me, and I refused to have it."
Now THAT'S a good interview!
Cad Womack, I mean Brad Womack, taped his interview with Ellen DeGeneres yesterday and it airs today. She apologized in person for calling the jerk a jerk earlier this week. Then Ellen let this smoothie (and father of a toddler apparently) tell why he went on national television allegedly looking for fame, I mean, a wife, and in the end did not choose any of the 25 women who all seemed to be in love with him - especially the final two contestants.
Womack told Ellen that he does regret telling finalist DeAnna Pappas the the finale would be "A good day" for her.
"I definitely regret that," he said.. "I don't know if I got caught up in the moment. I don't know if I was trying to comfort her. I bear the full brunt of responsibility for saying that. I do. She deserves someone to be straightforward and honest, which I thought I was. That's one very, very bad decision of mine that I made."
But he said he never asked that Pappas's father be flown out to the set on finale day which gave the impression that he was going to pop the question: "What I did say is a proposal was such a big deal to me that a phone call was not sufficient, if and when that proposal would happen. When it got to that day, I was informed that Deanna's father was flown out. I never one time asked for Deanna's father to be flown out. Never one single time."
I can just hear him saying all of this and it makes me want to just wrap duct tape around his mouth. Anyway, this poor, slick millionarie bar owner told Ellen he's been shocked by the backlash against him and, get this,. feels like he's going through a breakup himself.
"I did not take the easy way out," he said. "In fact, I took the tough way out in order to show these women respect, in my opinion. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong."
Then Ellen, who probably still thinks he's a jerk, ended things on a nice note:"I really appreciate you coming here," she said. "I'm so sorry that I judged you because I didn't know the full story."
I propose that Brad Womack not do anymore interview unless he has his shirt off so we can focus on his body and not his bull...
When I saw "Dirty Laundry" at Outfest in summer 2006, I remember laughing so hard at times but also shedding a few tears. Maurice Jamal wrote, directed and acts in the film which opens Dec. 7 in LA and NYC then nationwide Dec. 28. It also stars the lovely Loretta Devine who is currently riding high with the box office hit "This Christmas" and the fabulous Jenifer Lewis who gets a meaty role to sink her talented teeth into.
I remember requesting a DVD screener of the film before Outfest but none were available. Good thing. "Dirty Laundry" is billed as a serious comedy about family drama and is absolutely meant to be seen with an audience even if it means you can't hear some of the dialogue because everyone is still laughing so hard at a previous line. The superb script is just filled with humor and truth. But none of that would have mattered as much if not for the first-rate performances of the cast - in particular Loretta Devine who should win all kinds of awards for it. She is the heart of the fim.
I asked Jamal recently how he got these wonderful stars to do his movie?
"They really were taken by the script and they really wanted to tell this queer story with African-American characters so I lucked out," he said. "I always say all the time that this film was cast by God because I had no money and I was a new director."
The film focuses on Patrick (Rockmond Dunbar), a black gay man who left his small town in the South and moved to New York where he carved out a successful career as a magazine writer. But a family situation brings him back home after a 10 year absence.
SPOILER ALERT: He finds out he has a 10 year old son. Devine, playing his mother who has been raising the boy, delivers in every single scene she's in including a hilarious and touching drunk dinner scene at the end ("My son is as gay as a $3 bill!"). Lewis as Devine's full-of-herself sister provides some of the film's biggest laughs in a scenery-chewing performance.
Said Jamal: "This definitely has never been covered in film before and I'm so excited about it. It's going to be the first time that we've ever had a black queer film that will have nationwide distribution. It's an amazing thing."
Jamal shot the movie in three weeks and edited it in another three weeks and was able to complete the work through “a lot of denial and a lot of expresso."
"We have screened the film from Dallas to Boston and LA and New York and everywhere we've been, whether it be white or black or gay or straight, people absolutely loved the film," he said. "We're very excited about it."
He should be. It's a wonderful film and I hope it gets seen by lots of people.
Here's a trailer for the film:
When I saw confetti-tossing Rip Taylor at the Hollywood Christmas Parade on Sunday, all I wanted to do was talk about the silly show he used to do called "$1.98 Beauty Pageant." It was really awful but I thought he was hysterical in it.
But Rip just wanted to tell jokes. And throw confetti, of course.
"The hair's on too tight," he said, adjusting his toupee. "It's a new one. HELLO!...These roots are dead...[the toupee] looks like the hind leg of a dog. I go by a tree and the whole left side goes up in the air!"
"I'm having the KFC chicken, it's the Hillary Clinton. Two small breasts and a left wing. HELLO!"
I ask Rip what brings him back to the parade each year. "Cash!" he jokes. "It's fun . The kids scream at me and I yell back, the little bastards. They know me from 'Zach and Cody' and from 'Jackass.' New audience. I'm still there, still working. I'm doing a one-man play next called 'It Ain't All Confetti.'"
Suddenly, I feel so patriotic!
Doesn't American tennis star Andy Roddick look mighty tasty in these photos? He's in Portland Oregon with his teammates as the Americans prepare to face the Russians in the final of the Davis Cup - a competition the U.S. once dominated but has not won since 1995.
Let's hope that on Sunday, the team will be posting with these pictures as the champs! Joining Roddick in this quest are twin brothers Mike and Bob Bryan (I don't know which is which!), captain Patrick McEnroe and the sometimes brilliant, and sometimes not, James Blake.
I just love the way Andy's shirt flies up when he's hitting a big forehand or serve...
Once again, I'm so thoroughly satisfied with "As the World Turns" and the writing for the Luke and Noah storyline. Today's episode had Luke continuing to make progress physically (he got out of the chair on his own!). He and Noah go out and bump into some of Noah's college pals. Luke is introduced by Noah as "my friend" and gives his boyfriend a "you gotta be kiddin' look.
Luke says later: "Is that all I we are?"
They go back and forth a bit and finally Noah says: "I don't have to say something out loud for it to be true."
Such a man.
Luke apologizes once they get home but it's still bugging him that he said the L word to Noah at the police station and he has not heard it back: "I just feel like, like I say things you don't say or you haven't said or you can't say." It would have been easy for Noah to say "I love you too" and smoothed it over but he continues to mystify Luke by saying: "What you said was great and I want you to know that I don't want you to take it back, OK?"
My favorite scene is father and son, again. After Noah leaves, an exasperated Luke confides in Holden and complains that Noah "acknowledges things half way, it drives me crazy." Holden states the obvious but I love it anyway: "I think you need to be patient with Noah. This is all very new to him."
Here is today's scenes that also include the gorgeous Dusty out with Luke's mom and ...well, take a look:
The results of a Hunter College Poll released today show that Sen. Hillary Clinton has the support of 63 percent of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual likely voters in the Democratic primaries. I guess they didn't poll any transgender folks. Hmmmm.
Trailing far behind was Sen. Barack Obama with 22 percent and John Edwards with 7 percent. The Hunter College Poll also finds that during the process of “coming out,” LGBs become more liberal and more engaged in the political process than the general population.
The poll was conducted with 768 respondents by Knowledge Networks, Inc. from November 15th through November 26th, 2007.
Other findings include:
• Nine in 10 LGB likely voters will vote in the Democratic primaries and 21 percent say that lesbian and gay rights will be the most important issue influencing their vote in 2008.
• 72 percent of LGB likely voters consider Senator Clinton a supporter of gay rights, with Senator Obama at 52 percent and former Senator Edwards at 41 percent. On the Republican side, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was at 37 percent, followed by Senator John McCain at 13 percent.
• 33 percent of all respondents say they are “very interested” in politics compared to 22 percent of the Knowledge Networks general population sample. And 36 percent said they became more interested in politics during their “coming out” period.
• LGBs were more likely than the general population to have contacted a government official in the past 12 months (23 percent to 16 percent).
•When asked about the proposed federal law making it illegal to discriminate against lesbians, gays, and bisexuals in employment, LGBs (by a margin of 60 to 37 percent) said that those seeking to pass the law were wrong to remove protections for transgendered people in order to get the votes necessary for passage in Congress.
The Hunter College Poll was funded by a grant from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
Ellen DeGeneres apologized on her talk show Thursday for calling "Bachelor" star Brad Womack a "jerk" earlier in the week. She will have the jerk on Friday's show to ask why he picked neither of the two finalists in the show's finale.
Oops. Did I say that?
Yeah, I did. I think that when he's got his shirt off, Womack is very watchable. But otherwise, he's a big phony. So smooth, so sincere, so full of crap!
But Ellen has more class than me and doesn't want to judge this jerk. It all started on Tuesday when she interviewed finalist DeAnna Pappas."I may have called [Womack] a jerk," DeGeneres admitted Thursday. "I'm pretty sure I did. Cause I thought he was a jerk. Cause I thought he led the girls on."
But soon she regretted her remark. "I went home that night and I thought, 'That's not who I am. I don't like to judge people. I don't want to call someone a jerk. I have no idea what his story is. ... I do think what he did was wrong, but I do apologize."
Ellen found out that poor Brad was upset by her comments. Boo hoo.
"Because he likes me and was a big fan," she said, before adding jokingly, "Now, if I had known that, I would not have called him a jerk."
"I do want to hear what his excuse is," Ellen added, "because it was wrong, what he did. Not a jerk, but wrong. Maybe he is a jerk. We'll find out tomorrow, I don't know."
After that, maybe his 15 minutes of fame will be over, he'll stop talking and just take his shirt off. Thankyouverymuch.
Outfest Fusion: The Los Angeles LGBT People of Color Film Festival begins its three-day run on Friday night and I am so looking forward to it. I went last year for the first time and the opening night gala was a blast. This year's promises to be the same at the new location which is the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
Tomorrow night's opening program is a collection of short films, some which I have seen and others I have not. The one I have seen maybe five times already and look forward to seeing again is the very entertaining and perfectly cast "Kali Ma" from director Soman Chainani. The hilarious and touching film is about a suburban Indian mother delivers her own brand of vigilante justice when she finds out her son is being bullied.
Others in the Friday night rogram include "Make a Wish" about young Palestinian girl will do whatever it takes to buy a birthday cake, "El Prino" about a sheltered teenager visits his tough, older cousin in Laredo, Texas and learns a lesson about what it means to be a man and the acclaimed "Pariah" from director Dee Rees about a Bronx teen unsuccessfully juggles multiple identities to please her friends and family.
I talked to Outfest Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer this week about the festival: “Fusion is only slightly different in that it focuses on people of color,” she says. “Outfest has tons of these films integrated into program in the summer, what Fusion does is it takes those films and shines the spotlight on them."
This is also a way to get people to see movies they would ordinarily skip during Outfest in the summer. For example, I missed "Pariah" because there were no men in it. Then it started winning all these awards and I was sorry I chose to see something else that night.
Says Kirsten: “Outfest tends segregate along gender lines. Because this is called Fusion, the festival is focused on blended audiences. The programs are designed to bring together diverse audiences. You
have people from 15-70, lesbians, gay men, trans folks all together from a bunch of different racial and ethnic backgrounds."
Among the more high-profile feature-length films to be featured is “Starbooty” which stars drag glamazon RuPaul as a supermodel/secret agent. RuPaul will be present for the Saturday night screening.
On Sunday, two of the newest episodes of “The DL Chronicles,” a series about gorgeous men living secret sexual lives, will be screened.
Also Sunday, the closing night film will be the “Water Flowing Together,” a documentary about Jock Soto, the successful and influential gay Navajo Indian and Puerto Rican modern ballet dancer. Soto will be at the screening which will be followed by a closing night party.
“He’s incredibly beautiful to watch and also has a very unique personality,” says Kirsten. “He talks about his sexual orientation and how that and his racial culture affected his life and career.”
For the first time, there is also a conference going on in connection with Fusion. Called “Ignite the Fuse: Queer People of Color in Film, TV and Video,” it brings together filmmakers, activists and others
for various sessions on future directions of media for and by queer people of color.
To see a full schedule of movies and other Fusion events, click HERE.
I guess I won't be cancelling my subscription after all. A few issues back, Instinct magazine had included a photo of my hero, Billie Jean King, in its SPOTTED section - you know, the section where all the beautiful people are seen at parties etc - and the caption was completely derogatory about the 63-year-old icon. Why? Because she doesn't look like a chisled 28 year old dude? I was so pissed off and even more pissed that I didn't fire off a letter in protest because I really felt like it was a slap to a person who has worked so hard to make the world a better - and more equal - place for us all.
In the current issue, the magazine gets it right. They posted a large picture of Billie Jean in her prime, hitting a backhand volley (her favorite shot). The caption reads: SORRY BILLIE JEAN KING: One of the world's all-time greatest athletes, she's equally accomplished as a tireless advocate for women's and GLBT rights. Like a bad serve, we lobbed a mean joke her way this year, but luckily, cheap shots bounce off heroes.Well said.
I read earlier that the caption had been written by interns and I hope that they, and others who are in their 20s or younger learn about who the heroes in the world are - who have worked to make life easier for them whether its Billie Jean or anyone else who is no longer young and buff.
Everyone's gonna get old but not everyone can claim to have changed the world the way BJK has.
Now this is quite a piece of work that AfterElton.com has posted this morning. The site not only has the results of a poll of the top 25 gay or bisexual television characters of all time, but there are really nice write-ups about each - what makes them distinct - and some cool pictures and videos too! It's far more than just a list.
All my faves are there including Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys) from "Brothers & Sisters," David Fisher (Michael C. Hall) from "Six Feet Under," Luke (Van Hansis) from "As the World Turns")and, of course, Will (Eric ) and Jack (Sean Hayes) from "Will & Grace."
Editor Michael Jensen makes some interesting observations in the opening section including: "Our list... reflects the fact that television, and especially gay characters, are still largely the dominion of white men. The only men of color to make the top 25 were Enrique Rickie Vasquez (My So-Called Life), Keith Charles (Six Feet Under) and George Huang (Law & Order: SVU). It’s also interesting to note that of the top twenty-five characters six are played by out gay men – Randy Harrison, Peter Paige, Wilson Cruz, John Barrowman, Robert Gant, and B.D. Wong – half of whom were on "Queer as Folk."
To view the complete list, go to AfterElton.com
The oh-so talented singer-actor Sam Harris is performing Monday night in Hollywood at the Pantages Theatre. It's a benefit concert for the Actor's Fund and if tickets didn't cost $125, I'd most definitely be there!
Frontiers Magazine interviewed Sam in it's current issue and covered some ground that I didn't when chatting with Sam a few months back.
Sam gained fame nearly 25 years ago with his 14-week winning streak on the TV talent show "Star Search." It was a bit of a precursor to "American Idol" which he does not watch very much of.
"There's a lot of great talent that's come out of it," he says of 'Idol.' "I'm not crazy about criticism that encourages people to be the same. The reason they want them to sing like someone is because that person was original. The idea of conformity and "this is what a star is" is a little bullshit to me. But I love it as a platform for talent."
Writer Jeremy Kinser wonders if Clay Aiken would be happier if he just came out as a gay man, which he is widely assumed to be. Sam doesn't address Clay specifically but does have some thoughtful remarks: "During my first record at Motown, everybody in the industry - certainly everyone I knew - knew I was gay. There was a thing in the press where they couldn't ask me any personal questions. I had to use the term "they" and vague terms and that was pretty awful. It was a different time then. Gay has become pretty and fancy and educated and it wasn't that way so much. So yes, everyone would be happier I think. On the other hand, if someone is not comfortable with themselves,and they live in that kind of fear, they're not necessarily a good role model anyway. ... We need people who are strong and who can stand up and say, 'This is who I am and what's the big deal?'"
On his close friend Liza Minnelli: "There's nothing more fun than driving with Liza around Los Angeles and you hear this history because she lived everywhere. "Here's where my father did this and here's where my mother did that." You get this incredible Hollywood history that's better than any guided van tour."
For ticket information on Monday's Pantages performance, call 323-933-9244 (ext. 59) or go to www.samharris.com where there is more info about it and lotsa cool stuff (photos, upcoming appearances, bio etc) about Sam.
Brady Quinn. Can you ever really get enough of Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn? Kennethinthe212 can't, thank God, and it is on that site that I found this video of Brady doing a Men's Fitness cover shoot and talking about his hobbies, favorite movies etc. Of course, it is the visuals that are most compelling!
Take a look...
My weekend calendar is ridiculously crowded but there's one event I just can't miss: The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' 11th Annual Ribbon of Hope Celebration on Saturday night which is beiong held on World AIDS Day.
I went to this event last year and it was a very moving night and star-studded too! This year, celebs confirmed to attend include the fabulous Judith Light of "Ugly Betty," Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp from the original Broadway production of "Rent," the always hilarious Bruce Vilanch, trangendered actress Alexis Arquette, the multi-talented Wilson Cruz of "Noah’s Arc," Thea Gill and Reichen Lehmkuhl of "Dante’s Cove," Andrea Bowen who plays Julie on "Desperate Housewives," and the former catwoman Julie Newmar.
The Ribbon of Hope Celebration honors media companies, programs, producers and individuals whose personal and professional commitment continues to keep HIV/AIDS awareness in the forefront.
This year, a Special Achievement Award will go to the groundbreaking series "In the Life" for 15 years of excellence in documenting the pandemic.
In addition, honors will presented to HBO for the acclaimed film "Life Support," to BET in association with the Kaiser Family Foundation for "106th & Park: World AIDS Day Special, to Lifetime for "Girl, Positive," TLC for "Ashley Judd & YouthAIDS," Showtime for "3 Needles" and here! Networks’ here! "Focus on HIV/AIDS."
The event takes place at the Television Academy in North Hollywood. It will be taped live by here! and then edited for later broadcast. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. RSVP is required at ribbonofhopersvp@yahoo.com.
Barbra Streisand, who had earlier hedged her bets and donated to Hillary Clinton, John Edwards AND Barack Obama, officially endorsed Clinton on Wednesday.
Comes as no surprise really since Streisand was such a big stumper for Bill Clinton. Here is some of what Streisand said Wednesday regarding her endorsement: "Madame President of the United States...it's an extraordinary thought. We truly are in a momentous time, where a woman's potential has no limitations....Hillary Clinton has already proven to a generation of women that there are no limits for success.
She went on the state that Clinton "is a powerful voice for change as we find our country at an important crossroads. Under her leadership, our country will regain its respect within the global community...After 8 long years, the public will once again have faith in their government....Hillary Clinton is ready to shatter through that glass ceiling for all women."
Clinton released a statement saying she is "honored" to have the support of Streisand.
"Barbra has used her immense talent to be an advocate for truth, justice, and fairness and I deeply appreciate her confidence in my candidacy as we work together to change the direction of our nation."
What a lovefest. I think I'm gonna cry.
I'm just gonna go ahead and admit this: I fell asleep during the second hour of "Dancing With the Stars" last night so I did not know that Helio had won the competition until I flipped on "Good Morning America" this morning. OK, congrats, rah rah etc.
Who cares?
The more important thing was that Cameron Mathison made the cross-country flight with Helio after the finale and also danced on "GMA." Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts teased him about showing his abs but Cameron became suddenly modest after ripping his shirt off on the show last night.
He is so gorgeous that I think he should be arrested!
In fact, I think we need one more pic of Cameron...
Perhaps. I saw this photo of Ryan Reynolds on A Socilaite's Life and thought to myself, even fully-clothed, with sunglasses and a hat on, this man is just about the hottest thing in LA. His movie "The Nines" is coming out next month but I'll post on that later because there's a shirtless still from the flick that I want to post with it. To post the shirtless shot for now reason would be...I dunno...shallow?
Hey, I love this casting because it means that Jake is gonna have to get really bulked up! OK, that's awfully shallow, I know. I'm also glad that Mr. Gyllenhaal has been signed to play Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath because I think Jake is a mighty fine actor - one of the best of his generation along with Leonardo DiCaprio and Heath Ledger.
Daily Variety reports that the still untitled movie - to be written after the damned writers strike is settled - will tell the story of how the golden-armed kid from Beaver Falls, Pa. became Broadway Joe as the New York Jets quarterback.
I. Can't. Wait.
Well, if he says so.
French tennis star Richard Gasquet, the guy who beat Andy Roddick at Wimbledon this year, gave a post-match interview earlier this month and seemed to feel the need to reiterate that he is not gay. What makes this all the more curious is that it is the second time he has done this publicly and what's even more curious is that no one even asked him!
Here is the interview which was flagged by Outsports.com:
Q. Now your matches are finished. Do you still have any plan to go around the city maybe with your uncle or your girlfriend?
GASQUET: My uncle? No. My girlfriend, no. I have no girlfriend, so I will try to find one, one Chinese girl. Why not? Why not? I lost 6-1, 6-1. It will be very hard for me tonight. I'm ready to lose, you know.
Q. Who is the girl watching your match with your uncle?
GASQUET: Not my girl. I don't know. Not my girl, for sure. No, no, no, I have just friends. Men friends, but I'm not gay.
It would seem that his defensiveness about his sexuality is due to the fact that earlier this year, the eighth-ranked Gasquet denied he was gay after French magazine Le Point printed a rumor that he was having an affair with 46-year-old married French businessman Arnaud Lagardere.
"I was absolutely not happy about that," he said then. "This question has come back hundreds of times, and every time someone turns up saying, Oh, I have evidence. It is just bullshit. Neither him nor me are homosexuals. It's absolutely obvious."
Hmmmmm. Nothing is obvious these days Richie!
I don't know if it can tap its toe but it apparently does have a wide stance, according to online toy manufacturer Stupid.com.
C'mon, it;s just too much fun to stop making fun of Sen. Larry "I've Never Been Gay" Craig after his arrest in an airport restroom, his claims to "have never been gay," his announced resignation then fight to clear his name.
Anyway, when you press a button, the dolls speaks! I love what it says: "Thank you all very much for coming out today. I will read a statement: 'I am not gay. I never have been gay."
Tee-Hee.
Well, this woulda been cool to see but we're gonna have to wait for the DVD.
Dana Delaney says in the new issue of TV Guide that her biggest regret so far about her stint as Katherine on "Desperate Housewives" is that a cutthroat bitch-fight between her character and Lee (Kevin Rahm) was cut from the Halloween episode because of time constraints. In the scene, Lee threatens to reveal the secret about Katherine's husband, Adam (Nathan Fillion) and she retaliates by threatening to tell all on Wisteria Lane about Lee's past as a performer in gay porno films!
"I was really proud of the work we did," Delaney told the mag. ""It was Katherine at her cattiest and she really had the goods on him."
Delaney says creator-writer Marc Cherry promises the scene will be a part of the season four DVD. Let's just hope that DVD will include a full season of episodes and that this dreadful writers strike that has shut down production ends soon!
Meanwhile, hunky Tuc Watkins, who plays Bob's partner, Bob, on the show, weighed in on Delaney for the magazine: "Watching Dana work her way onto the canvass was amazing. It's gotta be difficult to find your place among five powerful women, but she found her own dark and twisted and very funny colors."
Dreamboat NFL quarterback Brady Quinn has gotten rid of that moptop hair and looks really hot in these pics from a new ad campaign for a new Gillette promotion with Facebook. Kennethinthe212 has more pics but here are a few appetizers for ya...
I can't even pretend to be a fan of "Torchwood" even though I adore John Barrowman. I'm just not a sci-fi guy at all. But AfterElton.com has been writing these terrific recaps and I thought these photos from the most recent episode were pretty sizzlin'.
Tommy Haas, a top 10 player with tremendous skills and even better looks, was apparently not poisoned during a Davis Cup match a few months ago.
Well, at least there is "no evidence" of the German hearthrob being poisoned during his country's semi-final defeat by Russia in Moscow, according to the International Tennis Federation. The ITF started an investigation after Alexander Waske, a doubles player on the German team, said he had been told by an unnamed figure in Moscow that Haas had been poisoned during Russia's 3-2 win.
"Following enquiries, the ITF has concluded that there is no medical information or other evidence whatsoever to support recent speculation concerning the medical condition of Tommy Haas during Germany's Davis Cup semi-final tie against Russia," the ITF said in a statement on Monday. "There will be no further comment on this subject."
Haas, who apparently had gastro-enteritis, said himself this month that blood tests had revealed no evidence of poisoning.
That's a relief!!!
"Entourage" cast member Rex Lee was one of the celebs participating in this year's Hollywood Santa Parade on Sunday night. But he didn't do the red carpet beforehand and since I didn't stay for the parade, we missed each other!
But Rex and I did have a good gab a week earlier at the Diversity Awards in Universal City and I've been wanting to share it with you because it just sort of meandered and wasn't the typical "what project are you working on?" sorta chat.
Here it is:
Greg: Just a quickie.
Rex: Oooh. What a proposition.
Greg: [laughs] So, whatcha been doin?
Rex: I've been traveling, I've been going to Las Vegas and New York and just having fun.
Greg: I remember meeting you at Outfest a few years ago a fan yelled out to you from a car on Sunset Boulevard when you were walking into the theater. Fame was so new then. Have you settled into it now?
Rex: I think that I've reached a plateau where there's a certain level of interest in me that I can expect and it doesn't grow bigger and it doesn't recede. So I'm sort of used to it.
Greg: Do you like it?
Rex: I do. When I was a kid and I said I wanted to be an actor, I wanted to be rich and famous and I really didn't understand what acting was as an art. It was all very, 'I'm gonna be on TV and people are gonna know who I am.' So now that I've achieved that, I like it. I can't complain, it's what I wanted. It never gets old."
Greg: Are you getting political at all? When you're an out actor, people want you to be political.
Rex: You know when they say the personal is political and the political is personal? Obviously what they really mean by that is the issues that affect you are probably the issues that are most important to you. But I also take it to mean that my level of activism, my level of being outspoken about politics, is my personal decision. If I want to go hide in the closet and not tell you what I think about the world, that's my right. But it would be a little irresponsible and that's not what my inclination is. But beyond that, the lengths to which I'll go, I haven't figured that out yet....My politics are pretty liberal and I pretty much always vote Democratic but I haven't really decided which of the Democrats I'm behind so i can't really go out and campaign for anybody because I haven't made up my own mind yet.
Greg: OK, last thing. How's your love life? Ya dating anyone?
Rex: I remain single.
Greg: What are you looking for in a guy?
Rex: Taller than me, cuter than me but thinks I'm cute. Funny, kind. A nice person you know? Someone who makes me feel like I'm special.
Greg: I hope you find him!
Rex: I hope so too!
Stop the presses!!!
OhLaLablog asked readers on Friday to vote for the three finalists for the new Armani Exchange underwear model. Thousands have voted and so far, Reichen's man, Ryan Barry (center), as the winner with 43,3%, just behind Daniel (42,5%) and Michael (14,2%).
But these are not the official results which will come from the vote conducted by Armani Exchange. BTW, I noticed in episode 2 of "Dante's Cove" (Reichen is a new regular), Ryan is seen wearing very little as he shops at an outdoor flea market. Jensen Atwood shows up and the two give each other the once over. It lasts only seconds but it's really hot!
How great it was to chat with Zach Braff and Lisa Kudrow this morning after they announced the nominees for Film Independent's Spirit Awards in Beverly Hills.
Of course everyone knows Lisa from her role as Pheobe on "Friends" but what isn't as well-known is her gem of her HBO comedy "The Comeback" which earned her an Emmy nod for her role as actress Valerie Cherish.
But the show, critically acclaimed with a loyal but perhaps too small a following, lasted only a single season.
I asked Lisa about the show and Zach interjected with: "I was just telling her how much I loved it."
Lisa: "Yeah, me too."
I wondered if there had been any talk of the series returning and Lisa said: "Oh God, I wish. I would love to do more. \[The cancellation\] was a heartbreak. It was, I was gonna say my pride and joy, but I have a child so he would occupy that space in my heart."
Zach: "What about "The Comeback: The Movie"?
Lisa: "That didn't happen either!
The actress next appears in the romantic comedy "P.S. I Love You" out Dec. 21.
Zach, winner of a 2005 Spirit Award for best first feature (he wrote and starred in "Garden State") said the world of independent film has provided with roles far different than the wacky doctor he has played on "Scrubs" for eight seasons.
"I always say to people that I would not have been cast in that movie had I not written it because it's hard to break out of what people see you as," he said. "I think that's one of the things that's so wonderful about independent cinema."
Of course, who can forget Zach and the rest of the cast in "The Broken Hearts Club"?
Monday was the last day of shooting on the final season of "Scrubs" which will end six episodes prematurely if the writers strike is not resolved soon.
"This is really sad and I'm sad it's over and I hope we get to do the last six," Zach said. "But \[fans\] should know that \[the strike\] is for a really important cause. It's not really about wealthy people getting wealthier, it's about the rank-and-file writers who pay their mortgage with residuals. Something has to be done now because all of entertainment is moving to the Internet and those people need to have a way to have an income. So we who have been very successful in the business want to stand by the people who have not been as fortunate and say, 'We'll do whatever we can to make sure you are paid fairly."
Andy Baldwin, the "Bachelor" who DID pick someone at the end of the season (even if they later broke up!) is seen here over the weekend in Oahu. He is set to ship off to the Middle East soon so that explains the haircut.
Speaking of "The Bachelor," I'm reading everywhere that Brad Womack, the cad who couldn't decde between 25 contestants, is the FATHER of a toddler. Oh, great. He sounds like such head case.
I was underwhelmed by the kiss shared between Kevin and Scotty on "Brothers & Sisters" Sunday night so I lifted these frames from OhLaLa blog for you to examine. Not that I'm obsessed or anything!